Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving. This is me at a shrine part way up Takao-san Mountain. We stopped here to look at all the rocks that had prayers written on them. For only 100 yen (about a dollar) I added my wishes to the collection.

The day was damp and misty, but we had a perfectly great day with Beth and Hector.

Then it was off to the most magical place I have ever been...

Thanksgiving Dinner 2008

This is a magical world of garden paths, lanterns, burbling water, little glass Japanese houses and fabulous food. We had Thanksgiving dinner here, in our own little house. The air inside was warmed by a big bowl of charcoal set on the table, and a heater underneath. In this little house that overlooked the lovely gardens, we were served a multi-course meal.

Our dinner started with sesame tofu with wasabi, then we had a taro sweet potato for our second course, then smoked trout with vegetables, then mushroom soup, then Kobe beef with onions, then AFTER that, they brought a course with miso soup and rice. There was a bowl the server had with a yellowish stringy, slimy substance that I tried. I was the only one who tried it. (It had a slightly smoky flavor, was salty and was the consistency of mucus.) THEN, for dessert, our server brought little moochi balls covered in crushed walnut, sitting in a sweetish dark sauce.

Here is my impression of this memorable meal. Up until the the rice and miso soup, it was delicious and satisfying. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of miso soup and rice, but it was just not necessary at that point. I was getting full...A nice piece of fruit or a cookie would have been perfect. Always leave your audience wanting more, not wishing for less. How do the Japanese eat so much and stay so slim? As you can see, I've been packing on the pounds this fall.

More impressive is the atmosphere of this place. It is perfectly beautiful. The kimono clad servers, the lanterns, the bridges and trees, it is just other-worldly, and very peaceful. It's like stepping back in time. Definitely like stepping OUT of Tokyo. It was a Thanksgiving dinner like none other.

Earthquake!

Last evening, a 4.8 earthquake rocked Chiba, near Tokyo. We felt the house undulating for several seconds. Robin heard the walls "pop." I felt the undulations, as I was lying on the couch, dozing. I should have been in bed. I went that way shortly thereafter. It's weird to think that a person can get used to earthquakes, but I guess we are.

Squatty Potty

Hey, for all you Americans who have never encountered a Japanese style public toilet, here it is in all it's glory!
I suspect this is why older Japanese women are so spry. They have to be.

Nikko

On Friday, I was lucky enough to visit Nikko, Japan. Nikko is famous for the shrines built to honor the great Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa Shogun whose reign ushered in the era of peace and development known as the Edo period of Japan's history.

If you research Ieyasu's rise to power, it reads like a bad day-time drama. He was captured as a small boy, was held for years, made oaths of loyalty and broke them, seized lands from other families, killed his wife and ordered his son's suicide (all as demonstrations of loyalty), and through much treachery and bloodshed, placed himself as the first Tokugawa Shogun. There were many over the years. The start of his reign is marked as the beginning of the Edo Period, a 250 year span of wealth, peace, population boom and development. That's pretty rare in human history. Think of all the warring and gnashing of teeth that was going on in the rest of the world from 1600-1860. The Japanese were relatively insulated and isolated by the ocean that surrounded them. (Some of the Western Japanese clans were invading Korea and China during this time, but it was pretty much one-way.)

The Tokugawa family ruled over these Edo years, and finally were overthrown at the start of the Meiji Era. (1868-1912) When Ieyasu was an old man, he asked that after his death, he be enshrined as an aspect of the Buddha- as a god. So, his dutiful grandson built the shrines of Nikko, impressive ornate and colorful buildings set in a picturesque woods now full of old growth trees and fresh air. (My apologies to Japanese historians everywhere)

Some highlights from our day were the gorgeous weather, the towering cedar forest, the amazing cold fresh air that we kept sucking in purposefully like it was candy (which it was), taking off our shoes to enter the shrines, and the amazing ornate, brightly colored wood carvings all over everything. There were animals of all kinds, people, dragons, cranes, and herons decorating every interior and exterior surface. There were more stone lanterns on the grounds than I could count and all retaining walls, all walkways and all steps were made of carved stone. I read in a New York Times article that it took 15,000 artisans to build these structures.

To read more about Nikko- there's a really good article in the Times:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F01E7D71338F932A2575AC0A965948260&sec=travel&spon=&pagewanted=all

One of the temples we visited is called the Hall of the Medicine Buddha. There is a painting of a dragon on the ceiling in the main room which has cool acoustical properties. The monk in there explained in broken English that when he stands in a certain place the sticks he hits together make the room ZING! It is supposed to be the sound of the dragon's cry. The sound was piercing and rather stunning.

We visited Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls. Kegon Falls is 97 meters high. Taughannock Falls is 65.5 meters high. At the falls, Terry and I met a spry old man who told us he was 73 years old. He was very excited to be using his English and chatted us up with great enthusiasm. He had crazy eyes though.

Then we boarded the bus back to Tokyo. Nikko is a beautiful place. A place of the traditional Japan of our Western dreams.

Flippin' Hot Dogs!

Today while my neighbor Janice and I were walking her dogs back from Yoyogi Koen,
we were passed by a woman on a bike who had a child in a seat behind her, and a Weiner Dog in the front basket. Well, just as soon as the little dog realized he had just passed our two (count 'em- TWO) sheep dogs, he excitedly flipped himself out of the basket where he hung momentarily stunned, hanging like a sausage link by his harness. (Thank goodness it was a harness!) The woman never looked back. She briefly stopped the bike, roughly flipped the WD back into the basket and yelled "SIT!!" as she rode off. It happened so fast. Janice and I just looked at each other and then laughed so hard that we almost couldn't walk. Only in Tokyo!

Wow!

Hello Everyone who reads my blog!

This site just registered 10 THOUSAND hits! I am humbled, (and a little thrilled, truth be told) and will strive to continue to entertain you (and myself). I will say, it would be very satisfying to receive some comments from time to time. Just click on the comment link at the end of each entry. It would be fun to know who is out there in cyberspace, peeking into my Japan experience. Of course, only comment if there's really something to say. Otherwise, carry on.

Also from the land of numeric trivia:

70 days until Bush's Last Day.

Dolphins have 1 eye open when they sleep.

4 is the unlucky number in Japan. (The sound of the number is the same as "death")

7 people in recorded history have been struck by meteorites.

In 1990 there were 15,000 vacuum cleaner related accidents. (If that's not reason enough to quit cleaning altogether, I don't know what is.)

On average, Americans eat 18 acres of pizza per day.

Over 90% of the Japanese population buy a comic magazine daily.

The bicycle is faster than a car in Tokyo for trips up to 50 minutes.

Until next time...

International Incident

Yesterday, Robin and I went to a complex called Tokyo Midtown. It was a gray, drizzly, cool Sunday and we wanted get out and to do something new. We went to see the Picasso Exhibit, and to check out a car show. Not nearly as tame as it sounds though, because I practically caused an international incident when, after I exited the art exhibit, I waited a few minutes and then called Robin on his cell phone to see where he was. Turns out, he was still in the gallery, taking his time. With his cell phone on RING MODE. His ring tone is Stevie Ray Vaughan's Mary Had a Little Lamb, for those of you who care. When his phone went off, he was nearly tackled by 2 museum attendants who wanted to be sure he knew that talking on cell phones, ringing cell phones or cell phones in any form were strictly forbidden in the exhibit. I think I kind of ruined the second floor of the exhibit for him. He just felt too embarrassed to dilly-dally under the watchful eyes (and there were MANY) of the museum attendants. One has to wonder how they can keep so many mild-mannered, uniformed, white gloved smiling direction pointing and bowing attendants (who can also instantly tackle) on the payroll.

Then we came across a stage set up at the Tokyo Motor Show, and 2 guys were stepping up to perform. One was a pianist and the other was a hand whistle virtuoso. Hand whistling: you know, when you cup your hands together, and blow into one end and can make the sound of a mourning dove or an owl? This guy started with "When You Wish Upon a Star," and moved on to the Turkish March by Mozart, as well as others. I was really impressed by his speed, range and accuracy. I had never seen anything like it, and stood there, enraptured by it- with a big stupid grin on my face. I started looking at the faces of the others in the crowd. No one that I could see- I mean NO ONE else looked the least bit amused or entertained by this guy. Is there something wrong with me? Am I simple, or just easily amused, or are the Japanese who happened to be at Tokyo Midtown yesterday simply humorless, stressed out curmudgeons? What does it take to impress folks around here?

Election Day

I got up at 5:00 a.m. this morning, due to jet lag, but also because I thought there might be a chance Nathan would call from New Zealand before he left on his kayak trip. (Sadly, no.)

So! I have been following the CNN election coverage all day since 5:00 a.m. Staying close to the TV was good for me today, as I am coming down with a wicked head cold.
By now, we are in the wee hours of the morning on the East coast, Barack Obama has given his speech, and Americans all over the country are taking to the streets and partying into the night. I was struck by the hope, tears and euphoria I saw in the eyes of the crowd assembled to hear Obama speak in Grant Park in Chicago. As I write this, people are gathering in the streets of Washington D.C.and around the world to collectively express their joy over this election. When was the last time people took to the streets like this?? I can't remember it. People are hungry for hope.

The most lovely thing I saw during my personal TV marathon was the mingling of the Obama and Biden families- black and white, young and old- on the stage after the address. I hope it signals a wonderful new era, a fresh new breeze. There is a global eye on our President Elect, and I wonder if he realizes the magnitude of the hopes and expectations the entire world has for him. There is something amazing and powerful happening at home, and I am a little sad I am not there to share in the excitement. Party on!

Mashiko Pottery Village

Yesterday I had the opportunity to hop on a chartered bus and travel into one of the the mountainous regions of Japan, North of Tokyo, near Nikko, to a town called Mashiko. This small town is known for it's pottery. It's a pottery Mecca. All types, all styles, glazes, all manner of variety of design. It was fabulous. There is also a place where they make cotton fabric and use indigo dye to make the fabulous blue of Japanese fabric. The picture above was taken at the fabric place. They were drying a long piece of blue fabric in the yard. My friend Beth is walking in the picture.



These 3 baskets had raw cotton balls in them. I picked one ball up in my fingers and felt it. It was very soft, except for what I presume to be a hard seed in the center. (or is it?)



The variety of blue and white fabrics for sale here were fabulous. They completely rang my blue and white bell.




These pots in the ground were filled with blue dye. The dye has a distinctive smell that has insect repellent qualities, so farmers and others who work outside are often seen wearing blue cotton fabric.



This is just the tip of the iceberg. The town center was filled with hundreds of pottery artisans and their booths, tents and tables covered with their fantastic wares. There was everything from expensive art pieces to the whimsical and fun to the very functional, utilitarian everyday pieces.
I liked the use of the steps for this display.

It was a gorgeous sunny day. Beth and I ate yaki tori (grilled chicken) on a stick and then got some Italian gelato. Well, not quite real gelato. It was not creamy or rich enough to be the real deal. It was more the taste and texture of frozen yogurt. The Japanese sweet tooth is very mild. Ice cream, cakes, yogurts and other desserts are not as sweet as they are in the US, and I love it!

We were back on the bus by 3:15, and true to other Women's Group tours, we were treated to cheese, crackers and wine to help the homeward trip go by faster. It was a really nice day.

Unbelievable blue sky

I am back in Tokyo after a couple of very enjoyable weeks in Upstate NY. When I left on Thursday, it was snowing, grey and windy. Brrrr! Today in Tokyo the sky is clear blue, the temp is in the upper 60's and fabulous! Robin and I rode our bikes this morning to the amazing department store in Shibuya called "Tokyu Hands.'' I actually found sand paper, foam brushes, and varnish. I am going to sand and varnish my patio furniture. It took a very damp beating in the rain in July and August.

This afternoon, we took a short train ride out from the city toward a town called Kichijoji. Kichijoji is known for its' music clubs and seems to have a hair salon every 50 feet or so. There we wandered to the park where we enjoyed the water, shrines and little kids. I marvel at the very gentle way Japanese parents tend their little ones. They seem completely calm in the face of tantrums, and patiently let their little ones take the time to carefully explore something on the ground. I once saw a parent stand patiently by while their small child sat in the middle of a busy sidewalk.
We sat on a bench and watched amusedly the many paddle boats and rowboats bump and nearly bump into each other and get hung up on overhanging branches. I got a huge kick out of watching a guy struggling unsuccessfully to row one of the boats. I know I shouldn't generalize, but I made Robin laugh with the comment,"This is not a sea-faring people."

I am hoping that spending the day out in the sunshine will help with jet lag. But as I write this, my stomach is off, my head feels woozy and I am warm. That's jet lag. One just has to endure it.

Here are some pictures from our day...Can you imagine a pancake take out place???
Next Lifetime is a hair salon. Do you suppose their cuts are heavenly?