Wabi-Sabi Sole

Finding Beauty with Imperfection

Category: Japan Page 4 of 52

Summer Vacation

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On June 25, 2018

In Japan

I’m flying to the U.S. this evening. My ultimate destination is Baltimore. I’m going to spend a few weeks in MD visiting my Mom. During my visit we are going to take a trip to Bermuda. I’ve planned out some sightseeing and beach hopping for our week.

Also, during the trip, a couple of my favorite friends from VB will visit me in MD. (Sorry, you couldn’t move sooner, Sara!) Besides seeing loved ones, here are a few things I’m excited about to see / experience in America. In no particular order:

1. American Air Conditioning

2. Shopping

3. Maryland Crabs

It’s going to be a great visit. As I’ve mentioned before, when I travel out of Japan, I can’t promise I’ll have connectivity. I have to rely on wifi. I’ll post when I can and be sure to share our adventures when I return. Thanks for reading! Happy Summer!

Japanese Hanko

By

On June 23, 2018

In Hanko, Japan

Sonia met me in Kamakura after my English on Friday afternoon. We had an appointment at a Kamakura Hanko to make our own personal Japanese Hanko.

A Japanese Hanko is a personalized stamp used instead of a signature. Just like your signature, the Hanko is hand drawn and includes at least part of your name in kanji. Each Hanko is original, like a signature, and then registered with the city for official authenticity.

The first step for designing your personalized Hanko is selecting the kanji that represents your name. I used the drawing Miki made for me last year when she had my name engraved on my sushi knife.

Sonia selected her kanji from the book the store provided.

The owner of the store printed the kanji for us and then we drew (traced) it on a piece of paper.

Tracing was trickier than you might think. Especially, after the owner took out the super fancy calligraphy pens. I clearly had no clue how to use the pens. He gave me a quick lesson after he watched me use it like a paintbrush!

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We left our masterpieces at the store to be engraved on our Hanko stamper. We both selected the cute kokeshi dolls for our stampers.

We had a couple hours to wait for our Hanko to be carved. We made good use of our time.

We returned to the shop a couple hours later to collect our Hanko.

There was a little bit of a “lost in translation” moment when we were picking up our Hanko. We both thought we selected this kokeshi stamp with a stand.

We liked the stand the kokeshi was placed in because it made a nice souvenir and conversation piece. The other option is keeping the Hanko in a case. In my opinion, a case would just get lost in a draw.

Well, to our surprise and disappointment, the kokeshi stamp we selected was the larger stamp (more official) and did not come with a stand. It came with a case. Sigh.

We attempted to explain we wanted the stand. There was a lot of back and forth and promises to make phone calls to the manufacturer of the kokeshi stamp to inquire about having a stand specially made for the larger sized kokeshi stamp. All we can do is just wait and see. And keep our fingers crossed. Despite not having the stand, I do love my personalized Hanko. And even as frustrated as I was, I couldn’t help but laugh. Even after almost two years of living in Japan, I still have “lost in translation” moments.

Summer Solstice

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On June 21, 2018

In Japan

Happy first day of Summer! The Summer Solstice is one of my favorite days of the year because it has the most daylight. In the Land of the Rising Sun, that means we are experiencing a very early sunrise.

Honestly, the early sunrise doesn’t bother Dave and me too much because we are usually out the door for our run by 4:15am. The early light makes an early morning jog to Zushi Beach possible.

Despite the first day of summer and the expected abundance of sunshine, it is still rainy season in Japan. Today was overcast and drizzly with 97% humidity. Tomorrow is forecasted to be more of the same.

Here’s a little fact for you about Japan. The Japanese name for Japan is 日本. It is pronounced either Nihon or Nippon. Both pronunciations are correct and used for different purposes. The kanji 日 (nichi), means sun. The kanji 本(hon) means origin. (When nichi is combined with another kanji, the chi is silent.) The name came about during the Edo Period. From the view pint of China, the sun would rise above Japan. Thus, making it the land of the rising sun. Fast forward to today, with a 4:26am sunrise in the summer, the name “Land of the the Rising Sun” is still very much appropriate.

For all my logophile readers, people who love words, Japan is an exonym. An exonym is a word used outside of a geographical area to describe a country or a group of people. Japan is the English exonym for Nihon or Nippon.

Just when it was time to take a break from learning, I give you a school lesson. Thanks for reading! Next time you play Scrabble, please try to use exonym. Happy Summer!

Hasedera Temple

By

On June 18, 2018

In Hasedera, Hydrangeas, Japan, Kamakura, Temple

Monday was another overcast day with an occasional slight drizzle. Miki and I were already planning to have lunch. Since Dave and I didn’t have any luck on Saturday visiting Hasedera Temple, I invited Miki to go with me to see the hydrangeas before we ate lunch. I was hoping Hasedera Temple would be less crowded on an overcast Monday. It was probably less crowded than Saturday, but there were still a lot of people! We had a 40 minute wait to before it was our turn to walk through the hydrangea path! Our group number was 789. Miki made me laugh when she said it was like the wait at Disneyland!

While we waited for our number to be called, we walked around the Temple and enjoyed the beautiful gardens

I couldn’t believe the number of people also visiting the temple today. Last year, when we walked up the entry steps there were only a few people. This year the stairs were packed!

Despite the crowd, the hydrangeas were so beautiful. I tried to take pictures of all the different colors and varieties. There were so many!

I found several hydrangea clusters that looked liked hearts.

The view from the top of the path was beautiful. The Beach in the background is Kamakura Beach. I know you can’t tell from these pictures, but there were so many surfers in the water.

Miki and I paused along the path for a selfie. I was very surprised when she told me this was her first visit to Hasedera Temple during hydrangea season. She also suggested we return in autumn when the leaves are changing. After flower chasing, leaf chasing is my next favorite thing to do in Japan!

I love the stone pagoda. I took several pictures of it from different angles.

A few more close up pictures of the hydrangeas. I love the rain drops on some of them.

We finished walking through the path and made our way through the rest of the gardens. Everything was so lush and beautiful.

Thank you, Miki, for being very patient today while we waited for our turn to walk through the hydrangeas. I enjoyed sharing my day and your beautiful country with you!

Happy Father’s Day

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On June 17, 2018

In Japan

Happy Father’s Day! Dave and I went up to our favorite barbecue spot in Yokohama for lunch, Bashamichi Taproom. It is about a 15 minute walk from Hinodecho Station.

Besides delicious barbecue, the Bashamichi Taproom also has a variety of Baird Beer on tap. We started with an appetizer of smoked nuts.

Followed by our main course of a brisket sandwich, smoked macaroni and cheese, and a smoked meat platter.

It was all so good. By the time we left the restaurant, the sun was trying to come out. We enjoyed our afternoon and we hope you do as well. Happy Father’s Day! Kanpie!

Make the Best of It

By

On June 16, 2018

In Japan

My week was filled with Japanese and English classes and rain drops. I’m definitely not complaining about rainy season, when it’s actually raining. Even though it’s humid, the clouds keep the heat away. It’s when the sun breaks through the clouds that it becomes a steamy mess.

Today, was filled with more clouds and drizzle. Despite the weather, Dave and I were willing to do a little flower chasing. Unfortunately, so was everyone else! We took the train to Kamakura and then switched to the Enoden line to visit Hase Dera Temple. The line for the train was so long!! Too long to make flower chasing enjoyable. Instead, we decided to make the best of our Saturday together and enjoy a walk around Kamakura.

Our change in plans gave us a great surprise! We were greeted by cute streamers along the main shopping street!

I loved the contrast between the rickshaw and the van! Both crossing in front of us on the same street.

Since we were in Kamakura, we decided to enjoy lunch at Barchie’s. Beer, smoked nuts and homemade sausage – taste great on an overcast day.

As we were walking around, we stopped at our favorite public restroom in Kamakura. It costs ¥100 to use, but it’s totally worth it. About 10 minutes after leaving, I realized I left the gift I bought my mom in the restroom! I doubled back and of course, it was right where I left it. Because, Japan.

Since I was there, I thought I would take a few pictures. The toilet actually has a faux garden!

Plus, a self cleaning toilet. The toilet also has a heated seat and is a bidet. It’s totally worth the ¥100.

We had a nice day relaxing in our favorite closest tourist spot. I love reading articles encouraging tourists to make the trip to Kamakura from Tokyo. Kamakura is worth the trip! And will help you make the best of Japan’s rainy season!

Cutest Corner Garden

By

On June 12, 2018

In Flowers, Gardens, Japan

Along our normal running route is a cute little garden. The garden is special for a couple reasons.

1. It’s not really a garden. It’s actually a parking area, but the owner doesn’t appear to have a vehicle (just a bicycle). In their parking area, they made a little garden because the cement pad is not as cute as plants.

2. The owner of the garden changes out the plants every month. This enables them to showcase what is blooming during that season.

3. It’s down a dead end alley. We run down it because at the dead end is a way to cut through to park. The alley is mostly used by pedestrians transiting to the park, making the garden even more appreciated.

In March, I decided to start documenting the garden with a photo each month. At this point, I have four months of pictures. Two things are in each picture, the bicycle and the bark pieces. The bike is so Japanese and the bark makes it all seem more garden-like. Also, with all our runs, we’ve never seen the gardener!

March 2018 – the highlight for me was of course the daffodils.

April 2018 – the azaleas are so beautiful! Also, notice how big the hosta has become.

May 2018 – Roses and a huge hosta. Different than the one in the other pictures.

June 2018 – many tropical flowers. I recognized jasmine and bougainvillea.

I’ll continue to take a photo each month and share again next quarter. I hope you enjoyed the pictures as much as we enjoy passing the garden everyday. You just never know where you will find beauty. It’s the wabisabi way!

Odawara Castle Gardens

By

On June 9, 2018

In Hydrangeas, Japan, Odawara Castle

Friday afternoon, I met up with Sonia to visit the Odawara Castle Gardens. Odawara is near Hakone and about an hour train ride from Zushi station. Here was our route on the train.

We arrived at Odawara Station in the early afternoon. I wanted to visit this area because I heard about the beautiful hydrangeas on the hillside of the castle. We passed so many hydrangeas on our walk from the station to the castle. Hydrangeas are everywhere this time of year. They are so beautiful!

At the Odawara Castle Garden, we were also greeted by irises. They were planted in the marsh area in front of the hydrangeas on the hillside. I was overwhelmed with all the beautiful flowers!

Check out these hydrangeas! I used my hand to give you scale perspective. They were ginormous!

We took time to take our “modeling” photos. Not sure I make the best model during rainy season. I feel like I’m a constant ball of sweatiness. Sonia, on the other hand, is flawless. Regardless, it’s totally worth it for the beautiful flowers.

A few more pictures of the hillside. It’s so hard to pick a favorite color. Is it ok if I just love them all, together?

There were actually two gardens connected by a little passageway underneath a vermilion bridge. Because every garden in Japan should have a vermilion bridge.

What I’m not sure I captured in my photos were the number of people also visiting the garden in the heat of Friday afternoon. That is one thing I love about the Japanese culture. They embrace and take time to appreciate the natural beauty that surrounds them. As we continued to walk around the garden, we spied an art exhibit.

We walked over to investigate. It looked like art painted on some sort of waterproof canvas. Each were so unique.

Irises, hydrangeas, and art. What a great day. What more could we want? Oh, right! The Odawara Castle.

We didn’t actually visit the castle, we have both seen plenty of Japanese castles and were more interested in the flowers. It was however, fun to people watch. There was a group who rented outfits.

Also, a man made Castle reflecting pond. Everyone wanted a picture of the castle reflection!

By the time we finished walking through the garden, we were ready for lunch. We stopped at restaurant that served sushi and tempura. We both had the lunch set. It was a combination of both sushi and tempura.

After lunch, we headed back to the train station. We passed over another vermilion bridge and enjoyed seeing the koi.

Unfortunately, I led us to the wrong train and we ended up going 10 minutes in the wrong direction. No big deal. We hopped to the other track and enjoyed the coastal view while we waited for our train.

One last little story. If you ever wonder about the safety in Japan, please know, it’s extremely safe (7th safest country in the world). As we were waiting for the train to take us back in the correct direction, we watched a group of young kids. They seemed to be elementary aged. Maybe first-third grade. There was no adult around watching them. Although this picture shows them all huddled together, prior to this, they were running around, talking and just being kids. But, they were kids who weren’t caring about their safety. They were happy to be going home from school on a Friday afternoon. They were just kids, being kids.

The world needs more kids being happy. And flowers.

Exploring Shinjuku

By

On June 8, 2018

In Japan, Shinjuku

After our visit to the Yayoi Kusama Museum Thursday morning, Katie and I set out to explore Shinjuku. We visited Shinjuku back in February and still had more on our list of things to see.

Our first stop was for lunch. We stopped at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. It was delicious!

After lunch, we visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.

During normal business hours, visitors are able to go to the 45th floor for free. The view was spectacular.

It’s hard to see, but in the far background of the photo below is the Tokyo Skytree.

While at the top, we went into a Japanese photo booth. They are like Snapchat Polaroids. Visiting one has been on Katie’s list. We will need to visit the ones in Harajuku. This one was kind of amateur hour. Regardless, our creations were hilarious.

After our trip to the top, we went back to area where we ate lunch. Or as we started to call it “crazy town.” There was so much going on, everywhere!

As we were walking around, we found this great craft beer and pizza restaurant called Tap Stand. We needed to visit! We both ordered the green tea IPA. Yummy! It was approaching dinner time and we were getting hungry. Who doesn’t love pizza!?!from the suggestion of our waiter, we ordered the thin crust mushroom pizza. It was delicious. This restaurant will be a place to return with Dave.

On the wall above the kitchen were numerous American brewery stickers. I was so excited to see Lakefront, Lagunitas, and Revolution stickers. It was like Chicago was welcoming us back home! As I’m looking closer at the stickers in the pictures, I realize there is a Tap Stand Brewery sticker. Now I definitely need to go back!

After dinner, it was time to head back home. It was such a fun Japanese Street culture afternoon. Between our museum visit in the morning and exploring in the afternoon/ evening we experienced a wide spectrum of Shinjuku culture. Believe it or not, we still didn’t get to everything on Katie Shinjuku list! I’m looking forward to our next Shinjuku adventure!

Yayoi Kusama Museum

By

On June 7, 2018

In Japan, Yayoi Kusama Myseum

Katie was able to successfully obtain two tickets for a visit to the Yayoi Kusama Museum in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo. Obtaining the tickets was no small feat. The website used to make reservations for tickets is in Japanese. She used Google Translate to help her successfully get two tickets for the 12:30-14:00 time slot on June 7th. We met on the train at the Kanazawa Hakkei station. The trip to the museum took a little over an hour and three different trains. Overall, it wasn’t too difficult. The Museum is tucked away in a very quiet part of Shinjuku. The ten minute walk from the Wasada Station to the Museum was pleasant. Hydrangeas were everywhere!

Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese contemporary artist. She is known for her infinity sculptures and paintings. At the Yayoi Kusama Museum was a very cool infinity pumpkin exhibit.

Visitors were allowed in the infinity pumpkin exhibit for two minutes at a time. Katie and I went through twice! It was very cool!

Every minute, the exhibit lights would turn off. Slowly, the the pumpkins would be illuminated. Here’s a video.

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The museum was five stories. The reception area was on the first floor. The second and third floor had pieces of her work. Unfortunately, photography wasn’t permitted on these floors. The fourth floor had the infinity pumpkin exhibit room and the fifth floor was an rooftop level with an exhibit called Starry Pumpkin.

Plus, a great view of the city!

Even the elevator had polka dots!

After our visit to the museum, we spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening exploring Shinjuku. Those adventures deserve a separate post! More to follow…

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