Author: wabisabisole Page 4 of 55

To say the last week has been a whirlwind is an understatement. We found out Saturday morning (10/27) Dave would need to report to his next command much sooner than expected. We were expecting to leave at the end of January. However, due to unforeseen circumstances we will be leaving Japan at the end of this month. Since finding out the news, we have cancelled events (including my Mom’s visit – I’m really bummed!), arranged the move and begun to say the many goodbyes.

The first goodbye and actually see you soon, was to our friends Lisa and Dave who were visiting. Our last full day together, before they went on their solo trip, was to Yokohama on Wednesday 10/24. On our way we made a brief stop to visit the Great Buddha of Kamakura and visit the beach.

Our tour around Yokohama included a stop at the Marina and a trip to the top floor of Landmark Tower.

After a day of sightseeing, we were able to meet up with Dave for drinks and then dinner at Sushi-Ro. The four of us made a serious stack of plates and beer glasses!

I took this picture Thursday morning at the train station before they left for Hiroshima and Kyoto.

They returned on Halloween. We spent the evening passing out over 300 pieces of candy. Believe it or not, we actually ran out of candy within the first hour of trick or treat time! Lisa and Dave repacked their bags and I took them to the airport Thursday 11/1.

It was a blast to have them visit and share Japan. It makes my heart happy to know we will only be an hour away very soon!

So, I guess the good news is – we will be back in Chicago, America at the end of the month. I anticipate the next two weeks will continue to be a whirlwind as we pack up our two shipments. Dave and I rescheduled our December trip to Thailand. We are giving ourselves a week of R&R after our household goods are shipped.

I appreciate you reading and following along with our journey and adventures around Japan. I’ve loved sharing Japan with you. I think my exploring Japan days are coming to a screeching halt as we prepare to move. Wabi-Sabi Sole has been a pleasurable and therapeutic part of my time in Japan. I’m grateful for so many friends and family who have shared an interest in our experiences. Again, thank you for reading.

Lisa, Dave, and I packed an overnight night bag and headed to Tokyo on Monday. I made us reservations at the New Sanno so we could enjoy two full days in Tokyo. Our first stop was in Ebisu at Pizzeria da Michele.

This restaurant is definitely one of my favorites in Tokyo and I’m happy to share it with friends who are visiting and friends who live in Japan. My patronage to the restaurant has not gone unnoticed. In fact, our waitress recognized me! I’m sure they appreciate the stream of customers I bring in from all around the world!

After lunch we worked our way along the Yamanote Line. Our first stop was at the Tokyo Metropolitan Building. Unfortunately, I was a little too confident in my tour guide ability. Turns out, the Tokyo Metropolitan Building is closed on the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month. I gave my sincerest apologies and we continued on to Harajuku.

Followed by several crossings of the Shibuya scramble.

While in Shibuya, we stopped at KIRIN City for a beverage and appetizers. I have passed this KIRIN location so many times. I was happy to finally have the opportunity to stop.

After shopping through the seven-story Tokyu Hands, we worked our way over to Roppongi. Here we were able to visit the Tokyo City View. I was relieved the building was open. We were able to enjoy a beautiful night view of the city.

By this point, we were all feeling a little tired and ready to head back to the New Sanno. Dinner was delicious American cuisine from the bar at the New Sanno. Sometimes it’s good to get a little taste of home. As we were eating, we tried to count how many trains we caught throughout the day. It was an impossible task! Needless to say, we train hopped around the west side of the city! It was a packed day!

Tuesday morning we agreed to meet at 7:30 in the lobby of the hotel. We wanted to visit Senso-ji Shrine and Kappabashi (kitchen Town). It would take about an hour to get there from the New Sanno. In hindsight, we probably should have waited until 8:00 or 8:30. We ended up being right in the middle of rush hour. The trains were packed beyond imagination or comfort. At several stations, train pushers were helping people get on the trains. Dave took a selfie of us all jammed together.

As we got further out from city center, the trains were significantly less crowded. To our surprise, when we came out of the station near the Shrine, it had started raining! Dave bought us all umbrellas and off we went!

Many of the stores had not opened yet. It was fun to see the different murals painted on the doors as we walked through the shopping area.

We walked around Kappabashi until we were just too chilly and decided ramen would make the perfect lunch. Lisa picked Ippudo ramen. It was warm and tasty.

We began our journey home with a stop at Tokyo Station. I wanted to share with them the beautiful building and this gave us a chance to transfer their JR rail vouchers into train passes.

The JR rail pass allows visitors with a 90 visa to ride the Shinkansen for free! It is a good investment if you’re planning to make more than one trip on the Shinkansen. Lisa and Dave are spending a week traveling around Japan. With the JR rail pass, their train travel is paid for already! I’m incredibly jealous. Dave and I have a SOFA visa stamped in our passport allowing us to stay in Japan longer than 90 days and making us ineligible for the rail pass. I’ll look forward to hearing all about their trip when they return! But, first I’ll tell you about our Wednesday in Yokohama- tomorrow. ?

We had a wonderful opportunity on Saturday to share Zushi with our friend Ashley. Ashley was our favorite bartender in Great Lakes. We frequented the base bar enough to develop a nice friendship. She is in Japan for her yearly trip to visit her family. Zushi Beach had their Zushi Candle Festival on Saturday. Ashley joined us to view the candles and for dinner.

We had a good laugh at the candle arrangements. It took us a minute to figure out which way to view the display. Once Dave convinced us we were looking at it upside down… We flipped around and laughed – at ourselves and the Japanese. The Japanese had jokes. They wrote, “We’ve moved Fuji” with the candles. It made us laugh. For a couple reasons. One, they made a candle outline of Mt. Fuji. Two, it was cloudy so we couldn’t see Mt. Fuji from the beach. It was like a Japanese magic trick/joke. Haha.

The candles and the blue lights on the water were so pretty.

We had fun playing with the settings on Ashley’s iPhone 8. Can you see our shadows on the water? Yet again, I’m reminded how much I’m ready/excited to upgrade my phone when we move back.

Before getting on the train, we stopped at our favorite chu-hai stand in Zushi. The tree next to the stand had been wrapped with sweaters? Not really sure the purpose. Maybe the locals thought it was chilly. Regardless, it was definitely kawaii!

It was so fun to see Ashley. Having the opportunity to see friends when we are so far away helps fill our happiness buckets.

Ashley and I have plans for a day in Tokyo on Tuesday. I can’t wait to enjoy my favorite city with a “local.” We also discussed where to find our favorite Japanese foods in Chicago. So many things to look forward to… in the meantime, I’ll work on eating as much maguro (tuna) as possible.

I have chased so many flowers while living in Japan. It’s been one of my favorite hobbies. The Kinmokusei is one last flower I must share with you. Visually, it isn’t showy like the Sakura, Hydrangeas, or Wisteria. In fact, it’s possible to walk past the flowering tree / shrub without even seeing it. However, you will definitely smell it. The fragrance of the Kinmokusei smells like a orange blossom. Or more like an orange blossom on steroids. I smelled it our first year by our house at the end of September / October and it wasn’t until last fall that I actually knew where the smell was coming from! Here is a large Kinmokusei tree near our house.

Do you see the tiny orange blossoms? Here’s where I admit how I’m a ding dong. The first year we were here, I thought the smell was coming from the trash can. I thought housing sprayed an air freshener into the trash can. I know. It sounds ridiculous. Every time we leave our house, we walked by both the tree and trash can. I never noticed the tree or the tiny flowers, only the trash can. (Shout out to Hooptie in the background. She’s still going strong (knock on wood)).

Last October, one of my English students brought a clipping to class to share. I was dumbfounded. That beautiful smell was coming from that tiny flower!! Look how small the blossoms are.

The blossoms haven’t quite opened. However, another typhoon is coming this weekend and I was worried the blossoms would be damaged. Plus, it’s such a beautiful day today. Perfect for appreciating flowers.

Now that I know the odor and the plant, I find myself looking for the tree or shrub whenever I smell it. I’ve noticed (smelled) them everywhere. On runs, walks, around the base, in Zushi, and in Tokyo!

Through my research I learned, the flower only blooms when the air quality is good. Also, it blooms from the end of September until the middle of October. The Japanese associate the scent with autumn. All of these facts, make me appreciate the flower even more. If only I could incorporate odor into my blog post! Happy Autumn!

Dave and I have a trip to Osaka planned for next weekend. After doing my own research and working with the travel agency, I realized it would be cheaper for me to book the hotel and buy Shinkansen tickets myself. Buying Shinkansen tickets is super easy and can be done the day of travel. However, I wanted to take care of the details in advance. Plus, Katie needed to purchase Shinkansen tickets as well. We decided to head to Shinagawa to purchase tickets and investigate hotels we both might consider using over Veterans Day weekend. After completing our requirements, we were ready for lunch. We took the Yamanote Train Line to Yebisu Station. Dave and I have been to this location several times. Mainly for lunch at Pizzeria da Michele and also to see holiday lights. I decided to share my favorite pizza in Japan with Katie. Check out the guy over my shoulder laughing. I wish we could have understood the joke!

After lunch, we had plans to visit the Museum of Yebisu Beer. Or as we came to call it, Yebisu Beer Land.

The museum was free to enter and only charged ¥400 for a glass. The beer menu and the food menu was on a board as you approached the counter. You used the machine to change your yen into Yebisu coins. The coins could be used to purchase both food and beer.

I sampled the Yebisu Meister and Katie had a glass of the Perfect Yebisu. It was interesting to watch the bartender pour the glass. To get the perfect Japanese pour, there is a small nozzle on the side to add foam.

We also ordered a small snack plate. A little crunch as we sipped our beer. They all had interesting flavors. The dried peas were pretty tame. The large goldfish crackers were drizzled with honey. The fish jerky was surprisingly pretty good. They croutons were probably my least favorite. They had a strange smoke flavor.

After our refreshments, we were ready to complete the museum tour. Yebisu is one of the seven Lucky Gods of Japan. He is the God of luck and always portrayed with a fishing pole and holding a fish.

After our Yebisu Beer Land adventure, we started working our way home. We made a few stops along the at, enjoying the journey. It was a productive rainy day of trip planning, gathering research, and appreciating good pizza and beer!