Wabi-Sabi Sole

Finding Beauty with Imperfection

Local Tourists

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On February 25, 2018

In Enoshima Island, Enoshima Sea Candle, Japan, Sea Candle, Shinkansen, Shonan Beach, Shrine, Train, Tsuragaoka Hachimangū, Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū

No alarms were set in the Dwyer house Sunday morning. We all agreed that waking up at 2:30am on Saturday morning earned us late sleepers! We eventually made it out of the house mid morning and worked our way to Enoshima Island. To mix it up a little bit, we took the Shonan Monorail train to get to Enoshima. Here was our route from Zushi.

Before tackling the stairs on the island, we stopped for lunch. We were glad to have extra energy. Enoshima Island has a lot of stairs!

Check out the view as we climbed.

Cindy was able to add another stamp to her temple book. While we waited, we had ume blossoms and the fountain to enjoy.

We continued our way to the top of the island. We enjoyed all the selfie spots on the island.

The clouds prevented us from viewing Mt. Fuji. You know what they say… on a clear day…

This might be my favorite picture of the day. Those smiles!

We worked our way down the island and caught the Enoshima Electric train back to Kamakura.

On the way home, I needed to take Cindy to Hachimangū Shrine in Kamakura. This shrine is mandatory on every Julia tour. We skipped it Friday when we were in Kamakura and opted for seeing Sakura. Having a flexible schedule today, we were able to squeeze in a quick visit.

I’ll be honest. My favorite part of the Shrine are the sake barrels.

We were there towards the end of the day. The Shrine wasn’t very crowded, but the light was getting challenging with iPhone.

A few last pictures. The bridge is blocked off because it is only for the Gods to cross. The lighting wasn’t the best, but I love these shots.

As I think about our day, I can’t help but laugh at our reality. We live so incredibly close to so many really cool, beautiful, and iconic parts of Japan. We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to live here. It’s so special to be able to share our experiences and neighborhood with Cindy. Tomorrow we have traveling plans on the Shinkansen! Kyoto or bust!

Snow Monkeys II

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On February 24, 2018

In Japan, Jigokudani Yaen-Koen, Matsumoto, Matsumoto Castle, Nagano, Shrine, Snow Monkeys

Cindy planned her trip around the opportunity to see the snow monkeys. The snow monkeys live in Jigokudani Monkey Park. I was very excited she wanted to visit the snow monkeys because we loved the experience when we first went. I booked a tour for us with ITT. We discussed other options, but decided this was the easiest way to take a day trip. We set our alarms for 2:30 am and met the bus at 3:30 am. After a quick stop at main base, we were on our way!

Jigokudani Monkey Park is located in Nagano. It takes about 4.5 hours to get there. We were happy to have the time to sleep a little bit longer.

We were very lucky to have a clear morning. At our first rest stop, we could see Mt. Fuji!

A couple hours later, we were off the bus and ready to set out for the park!

We had a short hike through the snow to reach the actual park entrance. The snow covered hill side was beautiful.

Once we had our tickets, we set out to find snow monkeys!

We didn’t see the snow monkeys actually in the onsen today. Dave talked with one of the park rangers. He’s in the monkey business… he told Dave the monkeys don’t actually like to get wet. So, when the temperatures are warmer, they can get enough heat to stay warm from the surrounding rocks. Regardless, we enjoyed the opportunity to observe the monkeys.

One funny thing the monkeys kept doing was putting their face in the onsen to drink. To do this, their monkey butts were in the air. It made us chuckle.

We had a couple close encounters as the monkeys passed by us.

I took a couple of videos of the monkeys doing their monkey business.

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Having the opportunity to experience the snow monkey park again was fantastic. We truly enjoyed watching them. I thought it was extra special to be able to share the experience with Cindy.

As we enjoyed this once in a lifetime opportunity again, I reflected on how fortunate we are to have the opportunity to live in Japan. It continues to be a life changing and enhancing experience.

All too soon, we had to make our way back to the bus. Our next stop was for lunch. We all enjoyed a hot bowl of ramen.

After lunch, we went to the city of Matsumoto. Here we had a chance to visit the Matsumoto castle. It was HUGE! Cindy struck a pose with the Samurai and Princess.

We enjoyed a walk through the castle and endured the many narrow and steep staircases.

The views outside were beautiful. We even saw someone we knew!

Dave took our picture as we peeked out the veranda window.

The castle was beautiful.

We had a little more time to explore the shops in town before getting back on the bus. First stop, was at the Yahashira Shrine so Cindy could get a stamp.

I struck a pose at my favorite sign.

Soon, it was time to board the bus and start the 4 plus hour journey home. It was a long day and it was worth every minute of the long bus ride. We created a lot of unforgettable memories that I know I will cherish.

Buddha and Sakura

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On February 23, 2018

In Great Buddha, Japan, Kamakura, Miura Peninsula, Sakura, Temple

Friday morning Cindy and I started our day with a visit to the Great Buddha of Kamakura. Of all the places we visit on a Julia Tour, the Great Buddha of Kamakura is my favorite.

It takes about 45 minutes on three different trains to get to Hase Station. From Hase Station, it is about a ten minute walk to the Great Buddha. I enjoy the trip with my first timers because we ride three different train lines: Keikyu Line, JR Line, and the Endoshima Electric Railway. The Endoshima Electric Railway very popular and even has its own emoji ? !

The Great Buddha of Kamakura Temple is beautiful. Even on our cloudy morning, the Great Buddha was impressive.

At times, the Temple can become quite crowded with tour groups.

Typically, the tour groups don’t stay very long. If you’re patient enough to wait for them to leave, you can experience a more serene environment and the opportunity take a few photos without too many people.

No trip is complete without a visit inside the Great Buddha. For ¥20 (20 cents) you can enter inside “Buddha’s Pooper” (a phrase coined by Bill Johnson during his visit).

Once we made our wishes and collected a temple stamp for Cindy, we took the train back to Kamakura. I left Cindy on Komachi Dori, the main shopping street in Kamakura, while I went to my English class. I was so proud of her for handling two hours solo in Japan! After my class, we met up and decided to go see the Sakura blossoms on the Miura Peninsula. Normally, we would visit the Tsurugaoka Hachimangū Shrine as part of our Kamakura day. However, we decided to save that visit for Sunday and seize the opportunity to see blooming Sakura trees.

We hopped on the train and away we went! From Kamakura we went back to Zushi and then down south to Miurakaigan where a special species of Sakura blooms very early.

The trees were not quite at peak bloom. They were gorgeous nonetheless. I’m glad we waited until the afternoon to visit. The pink flowers look beautiful against the blue skies.

We walked along the tracks for a little bit. I wanted to take Cindy to the bridge that crosses the tracks and provides a great vantage point for photographing the Sakura and passing trains.

As we walked back to the train station, we snapped a few pictures along the way.

As the sun set on our fun Friday, we met Dave for dinner in Yokosuka. We took Cindy to our favorite Korean BBQ restaurant. We cooked dinner over the hot coals and shared our days adventures. We all agreed to calling it an early night. Saturday we are taking the ITT trip to see the Snow Monkeys. We have to meet the bus at 3:30am. With a 2:30 reveille in my future, I’ll say goodnight for now!

Tokyo Take Two

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On February 22, 2018

In Asakusa, Japan, Lucky, Maneki Neko, New Sanno, Senso-ji Temple, Shibuya, Shrine, Snow, Temple, Tokyo, Train

Thursday morning we woke up to a wintery mix. We took our time getting organized hoping the weather would break. The weather was still messy by the time we finished breakfast and checked out of our room. Oh, well. That’s one of my rules. “Don’t let the weather stop you.” Instead, we stopped at the closest Family Mart and invested in lightweight umbrellas. Perhaps, the best purchase of the day!

On our agenda today was exploring Asakusa. Asakusa is located on the NE side of Tokyo. We were in the SW corner. It took us about 40 minutes on the train to transit over.

Our first stop was to visit the Sensō-ji Temple. Sensō-ji Temple is the oldest temple in Tokyo. It is very significant and attracts 30 million visitors every year. Cindy and I accounted for two of those visitors today.

The Temple is huge. I was especially excited because I haven’t been to this temple in over a year. Last time Dave and I visited was during Tokyo marathon weekend. At that time, the pagoda was undergoing renovations. I was able to see the pagoda for the first time today!

The snow, the pagoda, and the temple made for a magical experience. Check out all the people!

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I’m so glad we made the trip over to see the Temple. It truly is a magnificent structure and the gardens are amazing even in the rain/ snow.

Cindy was able to have another stamp added to her book at the Senso-ji Temple and also at the Asakusa Shrine.

Since we were in the area, I wanted to take Cindy to see another of my favorite Shrines. The Imoda Shrine or Lucky Cat Shrine. It’s so cute and the coupled cats are said to bring good luck and love to marriages. Who doesn’t need a little extra of either?

My favorite thing to discover at certain Shrines is the “May Peace Prevail On Earth” signs. The sign coupled with the serenity of the Shrine and the beauty of gardens truly makes my heart happy. I can’t help but believe that every one of the wishes tied on the prayer wall are wishes of peace, goodness, and well being.

By this point in the day, we were starting to get chilly and wet from the winter mix. We worked our way back to the shopping area around Asakusa. We shopped for a few items and then worked our way to Shibuya. We had one shopping spot to visit before heading home. My favorite. Tokyu Hands.

The only thing holding us back while shopping was the reminder we still had to get back home with all of our purchases!

Today, without intention, I treated Cindy to a true wabi-sabi experience. The weather was definitely imperfect, but the opportunity to see the Temple and pagoda in a little bit of snow was pretty fun. Of the 30 million visitors, how many had a chance to experience it in snow? She was such a trooper. I teased her at one point and said I was glad she was my sister in law from Chicago – otherwise, we might not have left the hotel! To her, this was a messy winter day at home!

We worked our way home and enjoyed a cold beer and Garrett’s popcorn as an appetizer to the white bean chicken chili Dave made this morning in the crockpot. Ahhhh. After two days in Tokyo, there’s no place like home!

Tokyo Take One

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On February 21, 2018

In Japan, New Sanno, Ramen, Seven Lucky Gods, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Shrine, Temple, Tokyo, Train, Travel

After a much need night of sleep after making the long trip to Japan, Cindy and I were out the door early. We caught the 9:03am train to Tokyo Wednesday morning. Our first mission was to walk the Meguro Seven Lucky Gods pilgrimage. Before we left, I starred the 6 temples and shrines in Google Maps.

The entire walk took us about 2.5 hours. We had a couple of detours at the Daiso and Family Mart. Here are pictures of the first three temples. Cindy collected two Gods at the third temple. We also started her off with a temple book to document each temple / shrine visit.

The fourth temple is one of my favorite in Tokyo. There are so many statues.

Soon we were crossing the Meguro River and on our way to the last two temples. We found all seven Gods! Extra luck for us this year.

As we were walking, we had a few ume (plum) blossom sightings.

After our Lucky Gods adventure, we were ready for lunch. Nothing sounded more perfect on an overcast damp winter day than ramen. It hit the spot!

After lunch we worked our way to Shibuya Crossing. We saw the Hachiko Memorial and the Shibuya scramble. We decided to check it out from the second floor of Starbucks!

Dave made us reservations at the New Sanno for the night. After exploring and shopping through Shibuya, we decided to go check into the hotel and drop our stuff. After a short reprieve, we hit the streets for more adventures! We hopped the train and headed to Harajuku. The first place I needed to take my sister in law from Chicago was Garrett’s! We picked up a few samples of yummy goodness before heading to Hedgehog Harry’s, the hedgehog cafe in Harajuku.

Once I was able to get past my aversion to rodents, we enjoyed our time. We paid for 30 minutes and a snack to feed the hedgehogs. The hedgehogs were cute and sleepy.

When they finished their snacks and feel soundly asleep, we decided to make our exit. It was a fun and unique experience. We can now say we have been to the first hedgehog cafe in the world. Ha!

After visiting the hedgehogs, we stopped for a burger at Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant. The best part was sharing the experience of Japanese burger wrapper with Cindy!

After wandering around Harajuku a little more, we decided to work our way to Roppongi for one final experience. We went to Tokyo City View. It is located in the 52nd floor of the Mori Art Museum building. The night time view of the city was spectacular. Tokyo Tower is the bright building on the right. Tokyo Skytree is the faint very tall building in the background on the left.

I have never seen so many lights! This will definitely be on Julia’s nighttime Tokyo tour.

We were returning back to the room after 9 pm. We had a long day packed full of fun. Tomorrow we have even more planned to see in the city! But now, I must sleep!

Cindy’s in Japan

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On February 20, 2018

In Family, Japan

We are thrilled to have Dave’s sister, Cindy, here visiting us in Japan!

I wasn’t the only one eagerly awaiting her arrival at Haneda Airport. The paparazzi was poised and ready! Seriously though, we never did see who they were waiting to capture.

Plus, they didn’t roll out the red carpet quite as well as we did!

We planned a rough outline of things to do and have been working on the details this afternoon. Wednesday and Thursday we will tackle Tokyo. We have quite an extensive list and comfortable shoes! I can’t wait to share Japan with her! It should be an amazing week.

Winter Warmers

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On February 16, 2018

In Japan, Vending Machines

Every Friday, on my way to English class in Kamakura, I stop at the same vending machine in Zushi station and grab a tea for our snack time. I usually try to mix it up and try different teas. In the winter I select a warm tea and in the summer a cold tea.

Each Friday, while selecting my tea de jour, I stare questioningly at the items on the middle row. These items, served warm, are only available during the winter months. Corn chowder, clam chowder, pumpkin soup, and a sweet potato drink. I decided to try three of the four because curiosity got the best of me! (Rule number 8)

One guess as to which of the four I was not willing (ever) to try. If you said corn chowder, I owe you a kit kat!

I brought them home and reheated each container in hot water. I thought they would taste best warm. The first one I tasted was the clam chowder. Much to my surprise, the the chowder was only broth with a very strong salty clam flavor. A bit of false advertisement with the picture. One sip was all I needed. I’m not sure when this would be desirable. Maybe before or during and ultra marathon when you need a massive amount of salt for your body to continue functioning. Or starving. Or without tastebuds. Or maybe, it is intended to be used as a soup base and diluted. I’ll have to ask Miki.

Next up was the sweet potato drink. It tasted like a very sweet roasted sweet potato. It was drinkable. I did manage to drink most of it. Did I mention it was sweet?

The final taste test was the pumpkin chowder. I enjoy eating kabocha, Japanese winter squash, and I thought this had potential. It was the most delicious of the three. At only 45 calories, it could be a nice little pick-me-up if you needed a warm afternoon snack.

Needless to say, I chased the three of them down with a chu hi. Peach was my flavor de jour. Glad I did the peach taste test a couple weeks ago. Back to rule number 10, just taste it. Happy Friday! Kanpie!

Valentine’s Day in Japan

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On February 14, 2018

In Customs, Japan, Traditions, Valentine’s Day

St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated a little differently in Japan than in the United States. The biggest difference is women give chocolates to men. The chocolates are given with two different meanings depending on the relationship between the man and woman.

“Honmei Choco” is used to describe the chocolate given to men when a woman wants to declare her love to her boyfriend or husband. Japanese women often make a Honmei Choco or chocolate treat for their loved one because nothing shows devoted love like making something special.

“Giri Choco” is used to describe chocolate given to men to convey gratitude and friendship to her boss, male friends, or coworkers. Typically, women buy chocolates from the store to give as Giri Choco presents.

A group of ladies at Dave’s work organized a potluck lunch to celebrate Valentine’s Day. It was a delicious spread of pancit, carne asada, chicken adobo, and fresh salad. I made a tray of Reese’s Peanut Butter Brownies (my Honmei Choco for Dave) for the event.

I forgot to take a picture of the delicious food and my tray of brownies, but I got a picture with my valentine.

I know what you’re thinking… “what about the women?” On March 14th, Japan celebrates “White Day.” This is an opportunity for men to return gifts to the women who gifted them chocolates on Valentine’s Day. Typically, those gifts are white in color because of the name of the day. (Flowers, candy and chocolate. Better yet, diamonds and pearls!)

Even though we live in Japan, we haven’t completely lost our tendency towards American traditions. Dave brought me flowers yesterday as he has every year since the beginning of us.

Please enjoy a Valentine’s Day filled with love and happiness. Sending you hugs and smiles across the many miles! XOXO

Koajiro Forest

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On February 13, 2018

In Japan, Koajiro Forest, Miura Peninsula

Trip Advisor helped Katie discover a hidden gem on the Miura Peninsula known as the Koajiro Forest. It was so obscure, I had trouble locating it at first on Google Maps. We knew we needed to take the Keikyu Line train to Misakiguchi, the last station on the Miura Peninsula. From there, the route was a bit unknown.

As we rode the train, we passed the Miurakaigan Station. This area has a Sakura Festival that I went to last year around this time. I was hoping the blooms were a little delayed this year so I could take my sister-in-law next week during her visit. Luck is on our side! The blooms are not full yet. I think next week they should be in peak bloom!

To find the Koajiro Forest, Katie and I boarded bus number 26. We knew we needed to travel about 5 minutes or 3 stops. However, buses are tricky. If no one pushes the button to stop and no one is at the actual bus stop, the bus will keep going. Fortunately, we were paying close attention to the blue marker on Google Maps and to the marquee at the front of the bus. I pushed the button alerting the driver to stop. We exited at the correct stop which was actually only the second stop. So far, so good.

We started our walk and followed the blue dotted line. We made sure to pay attention especially when the road forked. At one point we were walking down a road through a bunch of farm fields. But, it seemed ok because it was obviously a road.

We kept following and eventually ended up in the middle of a farm. At this point we were feeling a bit lost. The road ended and all we had was a trail around a cabbage field with a steep ravine on the far side.

We commented how thankful we were that the Japanese don’t own guns because we felt like trespassers. We turned around to attempt to locate where we made a wrong turn. (And simultaneously cursing Google Maps). As we turned a farmer yelled to us (not at us). I approached him with my phone and showed him this picture.

He did a cute little hop to see my phone and then with a happy smile gestured for us to follow him down another little trail along a different cabbage patch. We followed him for about a minute before reaching the top of the trail head leading down to the entrance to the forest.

Wow! Arigatōgozaimas!! We said with much enthusiasm about 5 times and bowed just as many. We again commented about how kind and helpful the Japanese are as a whole. And also laughed at how in Japan it’s no big deal to follow a man you don’t know into a forest. As we approached the entrance, we saw a map of the park and a picture of crabs. The Science teacher in me became very excited.

We continued our walk and came across the flatlands. It felt good to get into the sun. It was very windy along the water.

Unfortunately, we didn’t see any crabs. Too cold. We considered this a good scouting mission! We came across this sign of the tidal wetlands and I got a little Science dorky again. Katie and I both agreed this area reminded us of Sea Shore State Park in Virginia Beach.

The wetlands were so beautiful and we imagined they would be even more beautiful in the spring. We look forward to returning in a couple months.

We continued along the raised walkway. The forest was fantastic.

Here’s something that made us giggle. This was the map we saw down by the tidal area. We were getting ready to follow the yellow path from the “you are here” spot to the right.

I took this picture a little further up the path. Notice the water is now on the right and we are walking to the left! Fortunately, both signs were in English and the path was along a raised wooden walkway. We really couldn’t get lost.

Today was a beautiful sunny day and although a little chilly, it was a great day to explore. I honestly can’t believe how many beautiful areas of Japan there are hidden in plain sight. We truly are fortunate to live here and have time to explore!

Sapporo Festival Highlights

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On February 12, 2018

In Japan, Sapporo, Sapporo Snow Festival, Snow

Besides the amazing snow sculptures, another highlight of the Snow Festival was watching skiers and snowboarders at the Air Park. The Air Park has two areas, one for jumping and one for moguls.

Friday night we enjoyed watching the mogul competition. It was impressive to watch considering the size of the arena.

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I took a couple of short clips of the different riders. The tandem jumpers were really cool to watch.

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Three riders are impressive. But, how about six!

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We returned on Saturday to catch some of the jumping during the daytime. The riders were practicing their jumps and despite their falls, I remained impressed.

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How about backwards!

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Or on a snowboard!

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It was fun to watch the athletes. They seemed to be having a great time.

Another fun attraction was visiting the Sapporo TV tower.

We were able to go to the observation deck. From the observation deck, we had a fantastic view of the festival and the city of Sapporo.

We rode the elevator to the top and took the stairs down. The signs cracked us up!

We posed for a couple of tourist photos… because that’s what we are! The first one is of me and the Sapporo TV Tower mascot.

One last video from the weekend. We had lunch on Saturday at a sushi restaurant in Sapporo. While we ate, we had a great view of the fish monger preparing the fish. I could have watched him all day. He truly was a professional.

We made it home on Sunday without issue. The Snow Festival was better and the trip was more fun than I ever expected. The experience was fantastic. Thanks for reading about our adventures!

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