Category: Japan Page 42 of 52

Only 1% of the Japanese population is Christian. Therefore, the Christmas holiday is more secular in nature. The more important holiday in Japan this time of year is the celebration of the New Year. The celebration begins towards the end of November and continues through the end of January. 

To celebrate the New Year the Japanese LOVE to decorate with lights. These public displays of lights are called winter illuminations and they can be found in all parts of the country, not just Tokyo. However, Tokyo was where we started. 

This afternoon, Dave and I ventured to Shibuya to observe the “Blue Grotto Shibuya” illumination. The illumination models Italy’s famous sightseeing spot – Blue Grotto. There are 550,000 blue LED lights lighting the trees along the major shopping street of Shibuya Koen-dori. The most spectacular part of the illumination is 250m stretch close to Yoyogi Park. Here the street has been covered with a mirrored surface to reflect the blue lights. 

It was beyond beautiful. 

A couple before pictures. 

The lighting occurs daily from 5:00pm to 11pm. We arrived at 4:50pm. My timing was pretty amazing. Although, I didn’t really plan it out, other than the train route. 

In fact, we walked Shibuya Crossing several times and stopped to eat a pizza and have a beer all before heading towards the lights.  

This tour guide deserves an A+ and a gold star! We took a total of 5 different trains on our route and never took the wrong one. I’m moving my status from amateur Japan train rider to apprentice in training.

Enough with the self proclaimed kudos- on with the lights! 

I’m not sure if you can tell, the police tried to keep the crowd back when the lights were first turned on for photographers. Shortly after, we were allowed to walk along the street. It was very crowded, very beautiful and very fun! 

On the other side, was a Spanish festival. Again completely unplanned on my part. 

We walked back through the lights and made our way home. It was a fun evening. We are excited to find more illuminations over the next couple of months! 

Perhaps the only thing to make this winter illumination better would be to have Blue Christmas playing in the background. 

Dave and I went to Kamakura for lunch followed by a hike in the woods. Lunch was a repeat at one of our favorite burger spots. JR Burgers. Still just as yummy! 

Fueled and ready to explore we set out for the Kencho-ji Temple. The Kencho-ji Temple is the first ranked of the 5 Zen temples in Kamakura. It was completed in 1253 making it the oldest Zen training monastery in Japan. The temple grounds are quite large. There are 10 subtemples in addition to the main building. The grounds were beautiful. 

Inside Butsuden or Buddha Hall. 

After collecting my stamp book with my new stamp, we passed through the temple to find our trail. 

And up we went! 

One more flight of stairs to the next temple! 

At the top, we enjoyed the view of Mt Fuji! 

I’m not sure the name of this temple. So, it will be one the flying monkey temple. Here is the stamp. 

After a quick stop, it was up more stairs! And another great view. 

And then from the top. Not only Mt. Fuji, but also susuki grass that I learned about from Ikebana. 

From there, we were walking along a somewhat muddy trail. Beautiful, none the less. 

And let’s not forget about the three bears. Or where they once lived. In these caves. Dave told this Goldilocks she wasn’t allowed to go eating porridge and sleeping in bear beds! 

A fun Friday afternoon. I was happy to have my favorite selfie partner exploring with me today! Kanpie! 

Happy Thanksgiving! We enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving meal at our home. We invited our neighbors and a young single sailor from Dave’s work. It was lovely and delicious. Amazingly enough, we fit five adults around our cozy kitchen table! 

Besides listening to Alice’s Restaurant while making dinner, the highlight of the day was the snow! Yes, SNOW! According to local news, this is the first November snowfall in Tokyo in 54 years! 

It was a very wet snow with huge snowflakes! Beautiful to watch. 

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I had fun photographing the Japanese maples with snow. 

The evergreens made a winter wonderland scene. 

No shoveling was required. Which was great because we put our snow shovel in long-term storage! 

I couldn’t resist the opportunity to don my hot pink snow pants! 

I matched the camellia bush! 

By the time we finished eating and said goodbye to our guests, the snow had melted. 

We miss you all so much. I am grateful for the opportunity to share our experiences with you and thankful you take the time to read about them. Sending hugs and kisses to all of you this holiday! Xoxo

After a rainy day yesterday and a rainy morning today, the clouds cleared. The sky was a crisp blue color. I had the perfect idea of how to spend my afternoon. I have been waiting for an afternoon like this since I went to the botanical gardens in Ofuna. 

Ofuna two stops beyond Kamakura. Here was my train route. 

The Ofuna-Kannon-ji temple is at the top of a hill and just a short walk from the Ofuna train station. The focal point of the Ofuna Kannon ji temple is the “goddess of mercy of the white robe” also known as “the white lady.” I have waited to return to Ofuna and visit this temple because I wanted to have a blue sky background when I photographed the goddess. 

Here she is from the train station. 

The building of the statue began in 1929. As the goddess of mercy, she is a symbol of prayers for permanent world peace. Construction was conducted for about 5 years. Then in 1929, because of the War, construction was halted for twenty years. In 1954, several priest and ministers from various temples united to complete the construction. The statue was finally completed in 1960. 

The path up the hill to the temple. 

The Ofuna-Kannon society dissolved in 1981. The temple is now under the direction of Soji-ji in Yokohama. 

Pictures from the approach and through the Gardens. 

The temple contains stones carried from ground zero of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These stones were placed to commemorate the souls of those who died when the atomic bombs were dropped. 

The temple had two types of prayer walls. One was leis of origami swans. 

The other was the typical prayer wall with prayer wooden plaques.

The statue was stunning in the sunlight with the blue sky. 

The cherry trees all around are a sign of a beautiful spring ahead. I will make a note to return to take pictures with the. Cherry tree blossoms. 

It was possible to walk behind the statue where I found a door to a beautiful prayer room. 

I walked around the temple garden while waiting for my stamp to be drawn. My favorite picture of the day – 

And more pictures from the Gardens. 

I was able to get both a temple stamp and a charm for my tree! 

The Kannon temple is relatively close to the Kamakura City, but just far enough away to not be a common attraction for most temple sightseers. As a result, 60% of the visitors to the temple are visiting for spiritual purposes. The goddess of peace welcomes Japanese citizens and foreigners as a symbol of familiarity hoping to provide comfort during period of solitude or homesickness. Ultimately, as with all Buddhist temples, the desired prayer is for peace to prevail. 

Remember back in the day when we got our first cell phone – the flip phone! I’m pretty certain this might surprise you, the Japanese love the flip phone. Yep. In a country where you would think technology prevails, the flip phone is ever prevalent. This isn’t to say you won’t see a smart phone, you definitely will. You will see a lot more flip phones!

The great thing about a flip phone, they have a spot for a charm! Do you vaguely remember there was a small spot where you could loop a charm to hang from your phone. The Japanese continue to market cell phone charms. They are everywhere. Usually ¥100-¥300. Cheap and cute. I started collecting them because they are just so kawaii. I’m sure you’re wondering why me, a happy iPhone owner, would need cell phone charms. To decorate a Christmas tree, of course!!

I know, it’s not even Thanksgiving yet. I just couldn’t resist. I was excited to display all my charms from the past 3.5 months.

I have collected them from our various adventures. Like to the Cup Noodle Museum.

Also, a couple to celebrate climbing Mt. Fuji. Nothing says Japan like Hello Kitty on Mt. Fuji.

One of the Seven Lucky Gods.

A couple of Daibutsu (Great Buddha).

And Ushiku Daibutsu– The tall standing Buddha near Tokyo.

Sumo wrestlers!

Lucky cats!

Kimono Shoes

Kokeshi Dolls

Cute Japanese men in hats.

Red Lantern

Angry Japanese Sea Hawks

One more – Hello Kitty in a bowl of Ramen!

It’s cuteness overload. The best thing, I still have plenty of room for additional charms! Good thing, because I still have 2.5+ years of adventure to add to my collection.

There are two international airports serving the greater Tokyo area. Narita and Haneda. When you come visit, most likely you will fly to Narita Airport. It is the larger of the two airports and the further of the two from where we live in Ikego. Haneda is the closer of the two and much smaller with fewer international flights to the U.S. Obviously, I will plan to meet you whenever and wherever your flight arrives. If you fly into Narita, you will need to prepare yourself for a 2 hour train ride back to our house. 

The positives of this situation include us being able to chit chat for two hours while sipping our (non-exploding) roadies and enjoying Japanese snacks. Another positive is one of the trains we will ride is an express train. It is called the Narita Express. We will go from Narita airport to Yokohama, about 1.5 hours in comfy style. No worries, I will be there to help you purchase your ¥4,200 ($42) ticket. Once we arrive in Yokohama, it is only about 30 more minutes on the train to our house. Easy, right? 

Well, I scoped it out today. Dave was returning from a business trip and we thought it beneficial for us to figure out the route together. Although, that meant first I had to do it solo in order to meet him at the airport. Here was my route to Yokohama. 

My friend, Dina, has made the trip to the airport several times and schooled me on the process during one of our runs this week. The important thing is to purchase your ticket BEFORE going through the ticket stall. Do NOT use your PASMO card. (Normal train card) you have to purchase a special ticket. The other important thing is to purchase a reserved seat so you don’t sit in someone’s and have to move. Cost is the same. Once you are standing at the platform, you have to pay attention to where your car and seat will stop. I was confused and showed my ticket to one of the nice men wearing a conductor uniform. He escorted me to my spot. 

The sign didn’t photograph well, but it says to stand here for car 12. 

I planned my trip so I had about 25 minutes in Yokohama to purchase my ticket and find the correct track. All of that was pretty easy. The part I messed up – I purchased a green card ticket. (Side note, when buying train tickets it is possible to switch the ticket kiosk to English. I will never question why American ATMs offer Spanish again!) It cost ¥5,830! What! It’s only supposed to be ¥4,200. Oh, crap. Turns out, I bought a fancy seat in the fancy car. Leather seat with carpet floors. Very spacious. Oh, geez. For a while it was just me and one other passenger. After the second stop in Tokyo, we picked up more people. Anyways, here is the route on the Narita Express. 

I also must admit, I was a bit emotional (wet eyes aka tears) once I was final seated on the train. I can’t really explain why. The romantic thing would be to say it was because I was going to pick up my husband, the love of my life. And perhaps that was part of it. Honestly, it has been very strange to be in Japan alone this past week. Simultaneously, I think it was because I managed to navigate yet another Japanese situation solo and successfully. Living here is fun, exciting and daunting. Adventure awaits around every corner. Every day I learn something new and gain more confidence. Today was no exception. 

The Narita Express (NEX) 

After arriving at the airport, I found Dave who didn’t find his luggage. It is still flying the friendly skies. We quickly purchased our tickets and made the NEX for home. Didn’t take too long for this to happen…

Keep that in mind as well. If you need a nap when you arrive, it’s completely ok. Trust me when I tell you – it’s a long flight and a long train ride home from Narita. Just relax and enjoy. I’m happy your here. 

PS. I loved the green car so much I upgraded us on the way home, too. 

PSS. I’ll tell you about traveling to Haneda next month. We fly out of there for our Xmas holiday. 

Japan has a strange obsession with creating a variety of KitKat flavors. Someone mentioned the KitKat Chocolatory in Tokyo was a great place to find new and seasonal flavors. This seemed like the perfect adventure on a rainy Saturday. Here was my train route. 

The trip was pretty easy. I only had to switch trains once in Yokohama. This area of Tokyo is called Ikebukuro. It is located more on the north side of the city. Adjacent to the Ikebukuro station is a HUGE mall with 8 floors, a rooftop and 2 basement floors. Somewhere in those 11 levels is the KitKat Chocolatory. It took me about an hour to find it. I went all the way up to level 8 and came all the way back down. 

Then I realized there was basement floors. 

These floors are adjacent to the train station. I’m not exaggerating when I say, I found the KitKat Chocolatory right where I came out of the train station turn stall. Yep. I basically walked right past it. Oh, well. I enjoyed the mall walking! Fortunately, there were escalators. And I could replenish calories I burned with KitKats. 

A funny side note. I was exploring solo and I as approached the chocolatory, one of the sales clerks turned around and went behind the counter. No big deal, right. We have not spoken to each other. No greeting at all. Until she returns from behind the counter with an English KitKat menu and offers it to me. “Oh! Thank you! Arigatōgozaimas!” Hilarious. I wanted to ask her how she knew I spoke English. Haha. 

I purchased a large assortment!

Strawberry Maple, Butter, Champagne Raspberry are the “new” flavors. The Fruit Variety: strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, lemon & passion fruit. 

Also, the sublime combo which is the high end of the three classic chocolates. 

 I will conduct taste test over the next week and let you know which one changed my life, if any. 

If you want, we can go when you visit. There isn’t a lot to the chocolatory. But, it could be worth it just for the picture!! 

I have mentioned a lot about Kamakura recently. It is my new favorite place to explore. There are so many short hiking trails that lead you along a path to tranquility. For this adventure, I started in Kita Kamakura (where I was yesterday for Ikebana) and went in the opposite direction. It was a beautiful day and I was able to bring my friend, Tiff,  along with me. 

Here was our route. We took the train from where I live in Ikego to Zushi. We had to switch trains & train stations. We walked from the Shin-Zushi station to the Zushi station and then took a train to Kita Kamakura. If you look closely at the map below, Kita Kamakura station is the white rectangle at the top. From there, we walked/ hiked along the road (white line) to the trail (red line).  The red line represents the Daibutsu (Great Buddha) Trail. We then walked to the Hase Station and took the train to Kamakura. Switched trains and went back to Zushi. Switched train stations and walked back to Shin-Zushi station. Hopped on the train to take us back to where I live in Ikego. I executed an almost flawless delivery of train hopping. I made one mistake, an 8 minute mistake. I was confused as to how many stops we should take from Hase to Kamakura. I thought it was only one. Nope it was 3. So, we had to wait 8 minutes for the next train. None the less, I have to say, I’m pretty impressed with my train hopping / google map navigation skills I have developed. 

Moving along, this story is about 4 Buddhas, although I could have called it the trail with 5 trains, obviously. 

After getting off the train in Kita Kamakura, we detoured into the Tokeiji Temple (Circa 1285). This temple was originally a sanctuary for women who desired a divorce, but because of the feudal age they were not permitted to initiate it. Tokeiji provided refuge for women seeking release from their marriage for over 600 years. In 1902, the temple was converted from a nunnery to a monastery during the anti-Buddhist movement. The Tokeiji temple is now a recognized as Zen Temple. What a beautiful & educational detour! And the first of four Buddhas. 

As well as the second Buddha. 

The Japanese maples are really starting to turn beautiful shades of red. 

While we explored the temple, I had my temple book stamped. 

As we continued on our route to the trail, we passed through the Jochi-ji Temple (Circa 1281). Another Zen Temple, the Jochi-ji temple is where I found the God of Happiness (Buddha #3). 

To find the God of Happiness, follow the sign…

We continued our journey along the trail at this point. 

Around the halfway point, we passed Kuzuharagaoka Shrine. The shrine is built on a execution sight from the Kamakura period. Here I was able to get my second temple stamp of the day. 

The remainder of the trail was a short trip to the Great Buddha. Dave and I went here in August during our orientation class. This trail will definitely be on the list when you visit! 

And my finally temple stamp of the day from the Great Buddha (Buddha #4). Four Buddhas in one day is a new record for me!  

The November meeting of the Kamakura Ikebana chapter was held at the Engaku-ji temple on Thursday, November 17th. The guest of honor was Ms. Lily Zhang of the Ichiyo School of Ikebana. Currently, she is serving as the president of the Ikebana International Shanghai Chapter in China. Her presentation was amazing. She created two arrangements for each season for a total of 8 arrangements. The arrangements are titled “Flower Rhyme.” 

I’m sure you’re thinking, how could flower arranging be exciting? Well, I hope when you visit we have the chance to attend one of Ikebana’s events. Watching Ms. Zhang demonstrate flower arranging was relaxing and transfixing. Her passion for the art of Ikebana was apparent as she created her arrangements. 

She started with the fall season. 

Then she created her winter arrangements. 

The next two arrangements were representions of spring. I know I am biased, but the spring arrangements were my favorite. She used washi paper on the first spring arrangement. After she finished placing the baby’s breath, she used a squirt bottle to spray water on the washi paper to represent the snow melting off the mountains. Truly beautiful and symbolic. 

The final group she arranged was summer. The first arrangement utilizes palm fan leaves to create a dramatic contrast between the green foliage and white background. The second arrangement used her favorite flower, the red gloriosa, a type of lily. A little side note about the red gloriosa, after the earthquake in 2011, Japanese flower markets began selling the red flowers as an expression of mourning. 

The final piece of the arrangement was the addition of a large bamboo stalk. 

After the arrangement demonstration, we enjoyed our bento box lunch. 

Following lunch we experienced tea service in the temple. This was only a service, not to be confused with the tea ceremony. (Still on my list!) also, it is important to note, green tea is served with a sweet. Our sweet was mochi with red bean paste. Ugh. There is nothing, I repeat nothing sweet about red bean paste. It’s pretty much like eating mashed red beans. Yuck. I had to make myself get that little ball down with my green tea. Which was very green. It was like drinking blended grass. I can only imagine my face as I’m eating and sipping. 

I was secretly jealous I wasn’t wearing a skirt so I could sit in a chair! My knees don’t like to be folded under any more.

 

After tea, we walked around the temple for a few minutes. It was then I realized, I forgot my temple book! Gah! Good thing this temple wasn’t too far away and I can easily return. 

As we were leaving, we passed a couple having their engagement photos taken! 

And friends having a kimono photo shoot. 

It was a very fun day filled with so much Japanese culture. I’m so happy I was told about and able to join the Ikebana International Kamakura chapter. It such a unique experience every month! 

Have you seen the video on Facebook that shows the Japanese Coke bottle wrapper being turned into a bow? Well, I found a couple of bottles at the local Family Mart yesterday. I couldn’t resist. I had to see it for myself and of course share with you! 

The label also contains directions for making the bow. 

And so we begin! 

Peel…

Pull… 

Stick the bow! 

Kawaii! (means cute!) The Japanese have a claim – “they don’t invent anything, they just make things better.” Clearly, this bow is a perfect example of making a boring Coke label better! Share a Coke & share a smile!