Rainy Season 2018

Rainy Season 2018

On June 6, 2018

It has rained all day. I even woke up early this morning for the “sole” reason to get a run in before the rain started. Unfortunately, a 4:30am wake up was too late. It was already raining. A steady downpour with no wind and lots of humidity. According to the Japanese Meteorological Agency, June 6th was the official start of rainy season for our area. The official Facebook page of the Navy base, CFAY, posted this informative graphic. Last year rainy season started on June 9th. I have been expecting rainy season and have been making appropriate preps to deal with the extra humidity. Our strategy last year seemed to work well. So, I think we will stick with the same plan – keep the house cool and run the dehumidifiers!

I used the day to work on learning my Japanese. I decided to start memorizing the pronunciation of the Japanese Kana (Hiragana only right now – bottom left corner of each box). Using a set of flash cards Dina gave me before she moved, I have successfully memorized the top three rows of this sheet.

The cards are super helpful because they give examples of words and also a pneumonic visual to help memorize the shape. I was able to memorize their shape as well as write them.

Despite the rainy day and Netflix indulging, I felt productive. I also spent time researching things to do on rainy days. Because, according to my weather app, the next week holds a lot of moisture. I’ll have to make great use of the beautiful day on Friday!

One thing is for sure about rainy season, my plants love it!

Sunset Beach Walk

By wabisabisole

On June 4, 2018

In Hydrangeas, Japan, Zushi

Errands consumed most of my day today. By the time I returned home this afternoon, I was way behind on my step goal. It was a fine evening and so I decided to walk down to Zushi Beach and watch the sunset. Along my way, I took pictures of some of the hydrangeas. They are blooming everywhere. This is only about half of the ones I passed! I love how they are literally growing everywhere. Behind fences, through fences, underneath unused clotheslines, and in the smallest of flower beds. Most are the traditional hydrangeas.

Plus a few of the lace ones.

I arrived at Zushi Beach at 6:30pm. My timing was perfect to catch the sunset.

I took a brief video. It was a pleasant evening. Small breeze and cooler temps by the water.

http://wabisabisole.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/img_7532.mov

As the sun went down behind the mountain, Mt. Fuji became even more predominant.

Thanks for letting me share the simple beauty of Japan!

You Had Me At Pagoda

By wabisabisole

On June 2, 2018

In Google Map, Hydrangeas, Japan, Tokyo, Train

As I planned out my month of June, I anticipated Dave being home this weekend in between work travel. Because of this, I didn’t schedule an English classes for Saturday morning. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Dave is still on travel and I didn’t have English class. This gave me an entire day to plan something. I decided to shoot for the moon today and do something completely off the beaten path. I read an article recently about the top five places to see hydrangeas in the Tokyo area. Two of the places are in Kamakura, Meigetsuin Temple (where I went on Friday) and Hase-dera Temple. Another temple that was mentioned in the article was Takahatasonko-ji Temple. Takahatasonko-ji Temple is west of Tokyo. Google Maps showed me it was about 1.5 hours away and four trains.

I left at 9:45 this morning and was cruising around the Temple grounds by 11:15. It was very easy to find once I was off the train. It was less than a five minute walk and there were plenty of signs pointing the way.

I wasn’t only drawn to the Temple because of the hydrangeas blooming. As I was reading about the Temple, I learned there was also a pagoda. Say no more. I must go! Just as beautiful as I imagined.

The grounds of the Temple are beautiful. There was a small pond with huge koi and hydrangeas.

There was also a small Inari Shrine. I truly love the fact that the Japanese accept all religions. (Temples – Buddhist, Shrines – Shinto – two separate religions) If only the rest of the world could be more accepting, we would definitely have less wars.

Also on the grounds of the Temple is a path through the woods. The path is highlighted with 88 Jizo statues. They are inspired by the Shikoku – 88 Temple pilgrimage. I love the idea of the pilgrimage, but I don’t have the time or drive to complete it. Instead, I enjoyed taking a walk through the woods in the early afternoon and enjoy hydrangeas! Here is the map I followed. The little red numbers represent the statues.

I think I was a little bit early to see the hillside covered in hydrangeas. Regardless, I wasn’t disappointed. Here are a few pictures of hydrangeas.

At one point along the trail, you have a vantage point of the pagoda.

I probably took 88 pictures of hydrangeas. However, I didn’t photograph all 88 Jizo Statues. I just took a few pictures to give you an idea of what they looked liked and how they were marked.

There were so many varieties of hydrangeas. Here are several pictures of what we’ve started calling “lace hydrangeas.” They don’t fully bloom like traditional hydrangeas. Instead they have a few blooms on the perimeter and then a cluster in the center that looks like lace.

The view from the top of the hillside was spectacular. Tokyo is way off in the background.

Here is the view from the other side. Guess what you could see on a clear day… Mt. Fuji. Unfortunately, not today.

As with all the hikes in Japan, the trail included a lot of stairs! It was so peaceful, it was worth every stair!

A few more hydrangea pictures. They truly were beautiful.

I enjoyed my day Temple and flower chasing. The sunny and less humid day was perfect for walking through the woods. Just when I was smitten with Sakura season, I’m falling bloom over bloom in love with hydrangea season! I live the blue ones!!

Meigetsu-in Temple 2018

By wabisabisole

On June 1, 2018

In Hydrangeas, Japan, Kamakura, Tea Box

I started my hydrangea Temple chasing a little earlier this year. Last year I waited until the end of June to visit Meigetsu-in Temple. This year, I wanted to visit a little earlier. Last night, several of my neighbors were discussing going to the Meigetsu-in Temple this morning to see the blue hydrangea. They have young children and were able to arrange child care specifically to visit the Temple today. I was more than happy to tag along! Oh, and give them a small taste of a Julia Tour.

We met at 9:00am and were at the Temple in Kita Kamakura by 9:45. It was already so crowded. My main photo objective was to photograph the steps leading up to the gate. I anticipated a crowd. But, nothing like this!

We were able to walk slowly and the crowd thinned a little bit.

This is the picture I wanted because it matches the wall hanging I recently purchased.

I used the Retouch App to cut out the people. What do you think?

If you have amazing skills with using photoshop or another photo editing app and want to try editing them out, let me know. I’ll send you the original. I ordered an 8×10 photo of my edited version this afternoon. We will see how it looks when it arrives.

Here are a few other pictures from out and around the Temple. The blue hydrangeas are so beautiful.

I remembered from last year how cute the Buddhas were decorated.

The zen rock garden was so serene.

It was fun to visit the Temple together. There has been a big turnover of people in our neighborhood in the past 6 months. These ladies all live at the top of the hill close to us. Here’s our hydrangea selfie!

And then just me. (My tattoo was exposed again this year. No one seemed to care! ?)

I think there is a good chance I will go back this week in the early morning to try and get the stair picture without people. I talked with my Japanese sensei at English class this afternoon and she recommended I arrive at 7:30am. Good thing I’m an early bird! I feel like I need to seize every flower chasing opportunity because I have a sneaky suspicion we will transfer before this time next year. More on that when things solidify a bit more. In the meantime, I’ll obsessively chase flowers!

Connecting the Dots

By wabisabisole

On May 29, 2018

In Google Map, Great Buddha, Hiking, Hydrangeas, Japan, Kamakura, Train

I have hiked the trails in Kamakura so much and visited the many Shrines frequently. Despite my wandering, I’ve never taken the time to determine how they are all connected. Today, Katie and I hiked the Daibutsu Trail with the intention of finding the trails to the Benzaiten Shrine (Money Washing Shrine) and the Sasukeinari Shrine (White Fox Shrine).

We met at 8:30 at Zushi station and took the train to Kita Kamakura. We were on our way hiking by 8:45. We needed to set out early because I had my first Japanese language class today. (More on that in a few.)

The Daibutsu Trail greeted us with hydrangeas from the start!

It was also good to start early because it is humid and warm. Rainy season has started and as a result, the foliage is green and lush.

We made it to the first small Shrine at the top of the small mountain in good time. We were again rewarded with hydrangea beginning to bloom.

Plus, the early bird gets the… turtle photo! Oh my gosh! So, cute!

And more hydrangea. I loved the contrast of the fresh blooms with the old tree.

We continued our way through the park and used Google Maps to help guide us to the Money Washing Shrine.

Before too long, we were walking along a trail that passed above the Shrine. We stopped and looked around the Shrine before continuing on our way.

Finding the White Fox Shrine from here was a little tricky. We used Google Maps to point us in the right direction. However, we couldn’t find the path. Instead we cut through the neighborhood and found our way along the streets.

Less than five minutes later, we found The White Fox Shrine.

Here’s our selfie at the Torii. I love exploring with this girl. Kindred VB spirits. She’s adventurous and chill even when we have no idea where we are going exactly. My only complaint is she makes me hike in front and then proceeds to talk about snakes. And yes, we saw one today. Katie’s spirit name is “snake whisperer.”

The White Fox Shrine is still so cute.

We made our way towards the back of the Shrine. On my previous visit, I remembered I saw a trail leading up and away from the Shrine. This time, we followed it.

The trail was a little treacherous and would be awful hiking after it rained. It was already slick and a bit slippery. We made it to the top without issue. And back to the main Daibutsu Trail. It was here, we realized how the trails and Shrines connected. We normally follow the trail to the Big Buddha. The trail going to the left will take you to the White Fox Shrine.

If only we could read Japanese, this might not be such a mystery. As we finished up our hike, hydrangeas waved us goodbye.

We took the train from Hase Station to Kamakura Station. We walked around Kamakura and bought a refreshing beverage before heading home. My Japanese classes are now going to be held on Tuesdays at another student’s house here in Ikego. Our teacher is my Friday English sensei. I wish I would have asked her a long time ago… like 18 Months. But, better late than never! I’ll let you know how my Japanese improves.

Takatoriyama Buddha

By wabisabisole

On May 27, 2018

In Buddha, Hiking, Japan, Mt. Takatoriyama

It was a beautiful Sunday here in Zushi. The temperature was around 75 degrees and the humidity was down from 95% to 75%. Plus, there was a gentle breeze. This made it a great day to get out and enjoy a hike. I met Katie and her kids, Cullen and Virginia, at the Jimmuji train station. We hiked from Jimmuji Station up and over Takatori Mountain.

As we started up the trail, we passed the senior home. They still had large koi flags hanging from Children’s day.

We set off for the top of the mountain. Everything was so green compared to the last time I hiked this trail with Amanda a couple months ago.

We definitely didn’t have a shortage of stairs to climb!

We enjoyed a couple of the overlooks as we climbed. Unfortunately, it was a little hazy.

The trail is a fun hike. There are lots of large rocks making you feel like you’re really in the woods and climbing a mountain.

We made it with ease to the rock climbing area. The area with the chains was no problem for us! We walked up to the top of the overlook and enjoyed the view and the cool breeze!

My favorite part of the hike is finding your way to the stone Takatoriyama Buddha. The carving always makes me smile.

We made our way past the Buddha and to Oppama train station.

The last part is a walk through a neighborhood. The hydrangea were just beginning to bloom in this area. Regardless, they are a sign of so much beauty on the verge of blooming!

Roses Are Red?

By wabisabisole

On May 26, 2018

In Hydrangeas, Japan, Roses, Zushi

Yesterday morning, I was talking with my Mom and some how our conversation turned to the “guy with the rose garden.” She mentioned she would like to she his garden when she visits. She is planning her visit for November and understands the roses will not be in bloom at that time. She just said she wanted to see it anyways. Sure, that’s easy. It’s on our way to Zushi Beach. I thought it was cute she remembered my Running Past Roses post from last year. I also realized I haven’t shared any pictures of his roses this year. When I returned from my Florida Road Trip, the rose garden had an abundance of blooms. They are so beautiful. I took a few pictures and sent them to Dina. I think of her each time Dave and I ran past the rose garden.

This one might be my favorite. The beautiful rose blooming and the construction in the background. Ahhh, wabi-sabi. Beautifully imperfect.

When I ran past this morning, I took a few more photos. Mixed in with the roses are beautiful clematis. He takes such good care of his rose garden. He sweeps and trims every day. It truly is a beautiful garden.

Besides the roses blooming, I have more great news. The hydrangea are starting to bloom. I took these pictures this morning at the Daiichi Undo Park. The park is about one mile from our house and part of our daily running route.

Hydrangeas make me happy. They make me think of Anne Geddes pictures with cute babies with hydrangea hats. I think I had this picture back in the ’90s.

And they make me think of our house in Chicago and Hannah B. Oh, man. That face can give the cute babies a run for their money!!

Please prepare for a couple weeks of hydrangea posts as I make my way around Tokyo and Kamakura chasing flowers.

Treasures, Temples and Shopping

By wabisabisole

On May 24, 2018

In Japan, Seoul, Shopping

My last full day in Seoul was Wednesday. Laurie planned for us to do a little more sightseeing and shopping. Most shops don’t open until 10am. However, we were able to visit two Korean Treasures located in a public park. The first was the Monument of Wongaska Temple. The monument is Treasure No. 3. The monument is a large granite turtle with lotus leaves carved in the center of the shell. The lotus leaves provide an area for the marble monument to be inserted. The stone monument was a tribute to the lantern festival held in 1465 at the Wongaska Temple.

The second treasure was a ten-story marble pagoda. Due to the amount of weathering the pagoda has endured, it is now encased in glass to prevent further deterioration. The ten-story pagoda was also located at the Wongaska Temple.

The temple was destroyed and the land has been turned into a beautiful public park.

Besides the two Korean Treasures, the other highlight was having a conversation with an older Korean gentleman. He approached us as we were leaving the park. His English was excellent. We enjoyed a brief conversation. He shared with us that he liked Americans and had visited Hollywood. At one point, he held up his hand and I thought he was going to give me a hug. No, instead he exclaimed to Laurie how tall I was! Haha! He was very nice and it was a pleasure talking with him.

After our visit in the park, we went to our first shopping area. It was a cute area of Seoul where there were lots of shops with local crafts and pottery.

I bought a few small bowls with little koi in the bottom. I think they will be a nice addition to our sushi dinners. Perfect for soy sauce!

After shopping, we went to visit a nearby temple. The temple was still decorated from Buddha’s birthday on Tuesday. There were so many lotus lanterns hanging and there was a prayer being led inside the temple. It was absolutely beautiful. Considering all the temples I have visited in Japan, this experience was like none other. It was so peaceful, beautiful, and serene. I told Laurie she out did herself with this celebration during my visit!

http://wabisabisole.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/img_7109.mov

Laurie picked us another great spot for lunch. It was tucked down a side alley. We arrived at 11:15 and it opened at 11:30. By the time it opened, there was already a line!

While we waited, I posed with a couple giant kimchi pots!! Can you imagine how much kimchi would fill these pots!

Promptly at 11:30 the restaurant opened and we were seated. The restaurant is known for their Korean dumplings. We each ordered a lunch set. Laurie ordered the pork and dumplings, I ordered the dumplings and traditional pancake.

The highlight occurred when the polite older lady came over and literally showed Laurie how to eat her lunch. She used her chopsticks to pick up lettuce, pork, and kimchi to make a small lettuce wrap. It was hilarious. Complete how to each your lunch tutorial!

After lunch, we continued our shopping adventure around the city. We walked to my very favorite- the Daiso! I knew we had to go when Laurie told me it was eight stories! Along the way, we passed three sections of the Berlin Wall. Germany gave the sections to Korea because it remains a divided country.

During our walk, we also passed a LOVE statue just similar to the one in Philadelphia. I was saddened to read that morning that Robert Indiana had passed away at age 89.

There seemed something poetic about seeing both statues within a few blocks from one another. The world needs less walls and more love.

And clearly, more Daiso! Check out the size of this building!!

I enjoyed shopping and looking at all the options. I kept things under control because I knew I would have to get it home. One thing did give me a good chuckle. Check out this toilet seat! If I find one in Japan I might have to buy it. “Find joy in the ordinary ?.”

We made one more stop on the way home. We visited a very crowded shopping street that was adjacent to National Treasure No. 1.

National Treasure No. 1 is Sungnyemun. It is a large gate located in the middle of the city.

Sungnyemun is one of the four Great Gates of the Seoul fortress or the Seoul wall. We saw this same gate the previous day when we were walking along the Seoullo 7017. As our afternoon wrapped up and our arms were tired from carrying our packages, we headed home. I can’t express enough how envious I am of the location of their house. They are right in the middle of Seoul. When you want to go home, it’s a short train ride. Compared to our 1 hour and 15 minute train ride to Tokyo. Maybe more depending where you want to go. I’m so glad I took the chance to visit Laurie and her family. It was such an easy flight and the city was fun to explore. I hope she has the chance to travel to Japan so I can reciprocate the hospitality. Military families have an uncanny ability to find each other and pick up right where they left off. It’s a pretty special bond. Cheers to you, my friend! Thank you, again. My VIP experience was first class! Arigatōgozaimas!

Seoul City Tour

By wabisabisole

On May 23, 2018

In Gyeongbokung, Japan, Seoul

On Tuesday morning, Laurie and I took the train three stops to Seoul Station. We wanted to catch the Seoul City Bus for a tour around the city. We had a little time before it arrived so we stopped for a cup of coffee and a sweet snack. Check out the name of the cafe – Ding Dong. We thought the sweet snack was filled with blueberries and cream. I think it was red bean paste and cream. Nonetheless, the cream made it tasty.

We sipped our coffee and enjoyed a walk across the brand new Seoul city sky walk known as Seoullo 7017. The Seoullo 7017 is pedestrian walkway designed to reduce pedestrian crossings in the busy city center. The Seoullo 7017 was decorated with beautiful flower planters. The honeysuckle planter was my favorite. It smelled like America in the summer.

In this picture, you can see one of the main city gates that is part of the Seoul wall.

We hopped on the Seoul City bus shortly after 10am at the Seoul Station, stop number 4. We road the bus around the city until stop 21 – Gyeongbokgung Palace. We were able to use the headphones provided to hear an English version of the tour.

Before visiting the Palace, we decided to enjoy lunch. We walked down a side alley and stopped at a cute cafe with what seemed to be Italian cuisine. We were told we needed reservations. We continued on our way along the alley and came to a small restaurant serving traditional Korea food. One of the owners was standing on the corner in her apron. She waved for us to come to her restaurant and we did. As we followed her up the steps she turned around and said, “food delicious.” She wasn’t kidding! It was very delicious! First, she brought us lots of condiments and soup. From left to right, top to bottom, we had: candied green onions, kimchi cabbage centers, mushrooms, broccoli with spicy sauce, and kimchi.

A short time later, she brought out the fish Laurie ordered and the bulgogi I ordered. In South Korea, it is common to share dishes. So, even though we each ordered separate dishes, they were placed so we could share. Which we happily did!

After lunch we walked back to the Palace. At the entrance were ceremonial guards and many visitors wearing traditional dress known as Hanbok. Laurie let me in on the secret – if you rent a hanbok from a local vendor, you receive free admission to the palace. We decided to skip the dress and look like two traditional American tourists.

The Palace is the former main palace of the Joseon dynasty. It was built in 1395 and destroyed during the Japanese invasions between 1592-1598. The buildings were restored during the reign of King Goyong (1852-1919). The palace is the most popular palace because of its large size and beauty. We enjoyed a leisurely afternoon walking around the grounds.

I still enjoy seeing the beautiful painting and details of the Korean structures.

My favorite painting was the painting of the five mountains of Seoul. The painting also includes the sun and the moon, representing the king and queen.

There were numerous buildings throughout the palace grounds and they were so elaborate. The first few pictures are where the king would preside over the court.

Our exploring took us all around the grounds. As it started raining, we made our way towards the exit and to the closest train station. By the time we made it home, the rain was coming down pretty hard. Making it the perfect evening to relax at home in the middle of the city.

Bukhansan National Park

By wabisabisole

On May 22, 2018

In Bukhansan, Hiking, Japan, Seoul

Bukhansan National Park is located on the north side of the city. We hopped on a bus Monday morning and it took us about 40-minutes to get there.

The weather for Monday was predicted to be the nicest all week. Perfect for hiking and enjoying the view above the city. The bus ride to Bukhansan National Park was very simple and a great way to see a little bit of the city. We reached the the entrance to the park a little bit after 9 am. We stopped at the Ranger station to review our hiking route to the peak of Bukhan Mountain, Baegundae, and we were hiking by 9:30. Side note: San means mountain in Korean – Bukhansan means Bukhan Mountain. Here is our pre-hike selfie.

Please notice the cute lanterns hanging throughout the entrance to the park. They are lotus lanterns and placed in celebration of Buddha’s birthday on Tuesday. Also notice the recycled rubber matting placed on the wooden bridge. The rubber helps provide more secure footing when the bridge is wet and also reduces the wear on the wooden bridge. Brilliant!

The hike through the National Park was beautiful. The trail was very well maintained and included a lot of stairs to climb. Shortly after the entrance was a spot along the trail to wash your hands and bring good luck for your hike to the peak.

Before too long we reached a view point. Already we could tell this was going to be a perfect day for the hike. The tall building in the picture is the Lotte World Tower, the tallest building in Seoul.

Around the city of Seoul is a stone wall. Even though the city has spread beyond the wall, it remains part of Seoul’s history and continues to be maintained. Part of our hike today was along the wall.

The Seoul wall has several gates. We hiked past one as we were climbing up.

We continued our climb up countless stairs. The views as we reached the top became even more amazing.

Check out this huge rock. Laurie snapped my picture with it and then informed me that was the summit we were hiking towards! There are tiny specks on the right side of the mountain, those are people!

Clearly, we had more hiking to do and more stairs to climb. It’s hard to read the distance sign, it says .1km and it’s pointing straight up! The last part of the climb was pretty intense. There were chains to hang onto and use to hoist yourself to the top.

When we finally reached the summit, we were so excited and invigorated.

After enjoying the view, we were ready for lunch. We packed sandwiches and a Korean pear to enjoy. I think we had the best view in the city.

After lunch, we began the climb down the other side of the mountain. The path was less crowded on the way down. I was able to snap a few pictures of the chains. Hopefully, you can see the trail became pretty challenging at the end because of the smooth rock and vertical angles. We were both glad we had long legs to help us climb!

Going down was easier and harder at the same time. It was less exhausting and yet more tiresome on our legs. The pounding was painful. Our tired quads and calves were shaking by the time we reached flat ground.

We caught the train home, showered, and were ready for dinner. Laurie, Izzy, Maddy, and I went out for Korean Barbecue. At the restaurant, we had a hot pot placed in the center of the table. It was covered with a grate. On the grate, we were able to grill our meat. We made lettuce wasps with the meat and assortment of vegetables. After the long hike, the dinner and beer were delicious.