Wabi-Sabi Sole

Patio Weather

On May 7, 2017

In Beer, Japan, Pizza, Sashimi, Sushi, Yokosuka

The weather has been so delightful the past week. I like to describe it as patio weather. For lunch, Dave and I went to one of our favorite patios in Yokosuka. Napoli’s pizza. We started with a salad.

And ended with a pizza. I ordered a four cheese pizza. They suggest honey to be added. It sounds weird but, tastes amazing.

Patio, pizza, and beer. It was a nice lunch.

For dinner, we decided to avoid the crowds of Golden Week and instead visit our favorite patio in Zushi. Ours. We set up our table top grills and enjoyed our Japanese style meal. We started with edamame and Sake.

Dave was my personal chef. He made veggies (cabbage, carrots, and bean sprouts) on the hot plate in the ceramic bowl and grilled steak and pumpkin. I nicely displayed the tuna sashimi and tuna rolls.

It was a team effort of deliciousness.

I hope when you visit we are able to enjoy patio weather.

PS. Saturday we had the pleasure to welcome friends from Great Lakes who just moved to Japan. It was very fun to see familiar faces. We took them to the first place we had ramen in Yokosuka. Seemed appropriate. Welcome, Jenn, Heath, Hayden, and Mady! We are happy to have you in Japan with us!! I also promise to take a better photo next time we are together! ? in the meantime, ramen.

Hyakunin Isshu

By wabisabisole

On May 5, 2017

In Culture, Customs, Hyakunin Isshu, Japan, New Year

Last week, my English student brought me a bag of rice crackers with the Hyakunin Isshu pictures and poems printed on the labels. She attempted to explain the meaning of the card game to me. However, it had been so long since she played she wasn’t sure how to explain it correctly. In the meantime, she encouraged me to enjoy the crackers with my husband while sipping a beer. I followed her directions, poured us a pint and invited Dina and Brent to join us. The crackers were actually pretty good. Only one of them had a strong fish flavor. The rest were very good.

Today, she brought me a print out with an explanation of the game. According to the information, Hyakunin Isshu is a traditional Japanese playing card game. It is typically played on the Japanese New Year’s holiday. There are 100 cards with 100 different latter parts of poems written on each card. The collection of poems was chosen by a poet named Fujiwara of Teika during the Heian period.

If you look closely, you can see the poem written on the package next to the picture.

To play the game, the cards are arranged neatly on the floor face up. The “referee” reads allow the start of a poem and the players scramble to grab the correct corresponding card with the latter half of the poem. The player who is able to accumulate the most number of cards is the winner. The referee declares the winner after correctly assessing the cards selected by each player.

Maybe once I am fluent in Japanese, I will challenge my Japanese friends to a game. In the meantime, I will enjoy delicious rice crackers with my beer! Kanpie!

On a More Important Note

By wabisabisole

On May 4, 2017

In Captain, Doki Doki, Japan, Tokyo

Sonia and I went on an ITT trip to the Doki Doki Flea Market located on the east side of Tokyo. Here was our route.

Shockingly, traffic was a breeze both coming and going. The Flea Market opened at 10am. Here was the line to enter.

Here was the crowd as we walked in!

The Doki Doki was like a giant garage sale. I was hoping for lots of Japanese antiques. Nope. Not at all. Only thing I bought was lunch. Pizza and a beer from Uncle Ken’s bus with a built in brick oven.

I don’t plan on returning next year. I don’t suggest you go either. Unless, you need bride and groom bunnies or cats. This picture summarizes the items for sale.

On a more important note, we found out in the middle of the night that Dave was selected to promote to the rank of Captain! I am so proud of all his hard work over the past 32+ years of his Naval career. He is dedicated to excellence and an inspiration to so many. Congratulations, my love. I love you and I’m so proud of you!

His work surprised him with a cake and balloons!

Nezu Shrine

By wabisabisole

On May 3, 2017

In Azalea, Golden Week, Google Map, Japan, Nezu Shrine, Tokyo, Train

The Nezu Shrine is in the north central part of Tokyo. It was founded in 1705 and is famous for the Azalea Festival. The Azalea Festival is held from mid-April through the end of Golden Week (first week of May). I almost let this Festival slip past me.

Dina and I went up on Wednesday to see the Shrine, azaleas, and the Festival. Google Maps gave us our route to the Shrine (1.5 hours). However, we were assuming because of Golden Week, the 30-minute delay was caused by “extra passenger load” – our trip actually took 2 hours. Dina had the patience of a saint with me today!

The Shrine was very large and had a large garden full of azaleas. Unfortunately, most had already bloomed. Only a few blossoms remained. I will need to visit earlier next year to truly experience the azalea splendor. Here are a few pictures of the azaleas and the surrounding gardens.

Remember how I mentioned this is Golden Week? Looking at those pictures, you might be wondering, “where are all the crowds?” Oh, trust me. They were there. Here are several of the same pictures at different angles to include the crowds.

There were so many people!! Dina was very patient with me as I waited for the perfect shot. There was a long row of Torii gates I wanted to photograph without people. We waited… and waited. Eventually, I was able to take a people free shot. Or mostly, anyways.

Sometimes, the right person or people in a photo make it much better! Notice how short the Torii gate were! We are hitting our heads! We had to duck the entire way!!

Just in case you’re not convinced how short the gates were – Dina snapped this picture of me ducking through the gates! Ha!

I took a few close up pictures of the remaining azalea blooms.

We were able to get a stamp in our Temple Books. After waiting in line for 30 minutes… like I already mentioned, Dina was super patient!

The other interesting thing to note, was how despite not having blooms, the azaleas looked lovely. My friend, Sara and I joke about how ugly azaleas are after they finish blooming. This is what we are accustomed to seeing. Dead brown and past their prime blooms.

Apparently, not the case in Japan. Dina and I are convinced they cleaned off the dead blossoms daily because the shrubs without blooms were green.

I must also mention the Festival. It was mostly food vendors. So many interesting and unique foods on a stick! Bananas, meats, corn, and more bananas.

Or maybe you want salty nuts and dried fruits?

Maybe squid!

Or perhaps octopus balls. Three different octopus ball vendors. They are actually very delicious and tasted great washed down with a chu-hai.

Or mystery meat? Or mochi? Or noodle tacos with an egg on top?

Whatever Japanese street vendor you were searching for, you would be able to find and eat until your heart was content!

Yokosuka Shobuen

By wabisabisole

On May 2, 2017

In Flowers, Google Map, Hooptie, Japan, Wisteria, Yokosuka, Yokosuka Shobuen

I had one more garden on my list to view wisteria, Yokosuka Shobuen. Yokosuka Shobuen is actually known for being one of the largest iris gardens in Japan. The wisteria is an added bonus. The garden has over 140,000 iris. They were beginning to sprout but, not yet in bloom. Guess, I will be returning next month!

The garden opened at 9:00am. I decided to drive because my research told me there was plenty of parking. I arrived 9:30 and was ahead of the crowds. Here was my route.

The funniest part was the Japanese parking attendant coming over to my car after I parked. Following the protocol, I backed into the spot. However, I parked the Hooptie a little crooked. The attendant came over and asked me to re-park with her assistant, of course. Haha! If she only knew crooked parking is pretty much how I roll. Or stop rolling for that matter.

Moving on to the garden. The entry ticket was self-service. Fortunately, there was English.

Also, remember yesterday I mentioned the carp streamers being hung for Children’s Day. There were some at the garden entrance.

The wisteria was delightful. The garden wasn’t very large, I was able to walk around the entire garden in about an hour. I took a lot of pictures. I’ll share my favorites. Hopefully, not too many.

Here is the view when entering the garden. The beds in the foreground are the iris.

The first stop was the wisteria arbor.

The path then led to the wisteria garden. There were so many different colors. The scent was intoxicating!

The path then took me through a wisteria tunnel. So much pink and purple! It was magical.

The next area was the trellis of Japanese wisteria. There were actually several trellises. One was set up for hanami.

The others were a little lower and beautiful as well. More pink and purple!

I couldn’t resist a wisteria selfie.

My other favorite thing to do was to literally stand under / inside the wisteria.

In closing, a few close-up shots of the blooms. Do you have a favorite? Pink or purple?

Shonan Beach

By wabisabisole

On May 1, 2017

In Enoshima Island, Golden Week, Japan, Shonan Beach, The Beach

Sunday was an absolutely beautiful day. Dave and I decided to walk around Shonan Beach and Enoshima Island. When Dave and I went in January, we had amazing views of Mt. Fuji. Today we had a hazy view of Mt. Fuji and a view of a bunch of surfers!

We stopped for a burger at J.S. Cafe. I had an avocado cheeseburger. Dave opted for the sunny-side up egg and bacon burger.

I love the advice on the burger wrapper / holder.

We walked along the beach after lunch. It was fun to be back in a beach scene. One thing that remains the same about a beach town – bikes! So many bikes!

This picture reminded me of our friend, Mark, in Virginia Beach. As a surfer, he transits to and from the beach on his bike with his surfboard. I looked for him in the water today.

Saturday started Golden Week. A little research helped me better understand the holiday period. The four holidays between the week of April 29 through May 5 were established in 1948. The way the calendar falls in 2017, Golden Week is about 9 days. Many businesses give employees time off making it a great time to vacation.

April 29th was Showa Day. Showa Day commemorates the birthday of the deceased Showa Emperor Hirohito, who reigned for 62 years.

May 3rd is Constitution Memorial Day. It celebrates the Japanese constitution that came into effect on May 3, 1947.

May 4th is Greenery Day. It is a time for the Japanese honor nature. Also, it a time to reflect on the link between humanity and the environment and appreciate nature’s abundant gifts.

May 5th is Children’s Day. The day celebrates the health and happiness of children. It was formally known as boy’s day. On this day carp streamers are flown. Carp are a symbol of stamina and strength.

We have been warned to be prepared for crowds everywhere. Walking around Shonan Beach and Enoshima, we moved with the masses.

My favorite picture was of this surfer finding his own spot to take a nap. Forget the crowds or surf. It’s time to nap!

Saturday in the Park

By wabisabisole

On April 29, 2017

In Friendship, Ikego, Japan

Saturday MWR held a “Friendship Day” at the Ikego track. It was an open event welcoming together Americans and Japanese to enjoy fellowship and cultures.

Dave and I were able to walk down and enjoy the event.

Like any good American day in the park, there were American Firetrucks and Sparky!

There were several food vendors. The longest lines were for the American hamburgers and shaved ice.

When we first arrived, the U. S. Navy Band was finishing their set. They sounded pretty good as we walked down the hill to the track.

There were tents set up with games for kids to play. Also, a muscle man hammer. It was funny to watch the Japanese men. They were often dressed so nicely and slammed the sledgehammer like a boss!

The highlight was watching a group of Japanese dancers. The dancers were all ages. Check out the shoes the ladies were wearing!

The dancers were impressive and very entertaining to watch. As you can tell by the video, it was a very windy day. I can’t imagine how difficult it was to dance with their hats in the wind!

They had their own band playing the music.

The little kids were so cute.

“Saturday in the park, I think it was the Fourth of July…” or maybe just the 29th of April!

Strawberry Picking

By wabisabisole

On April 28, 2017

In Ashikaga Flower Park, Japan, Strawberry

After our visit at the Ashikaga Flower Park on Thursday, we made a brief stop at the Itigo No Sato Farm in Tochigi. Tochigi is north of Tokyo. Here we were able to pick and eat strawberries.

We were led to a greenhouse where our group would be allotted 30 minutes to pick and eat as many strawberries as you like. This was similar to the rules when we went grape picking last fall. Here was our group in the greenhouse.

As to be expected with the Japanese, the greenhouses and the strawberries growing were treated with meticulous care.

The plants were grown in dirt mounds covered in black plastic. The berries seemed to even have been washed before they were available to be picked.

I took a picture of another greenhouse on our way out. I need to do a little research on why, what appears to be onions, are planted at the end of each row.

After we consumed our berries, we had time to explore the shops. Although the treats were tempting, we just finished stuffing our faces on strawberries!

Of course, there is always time for a candid shot or two…

Ashikaga Flower Park

By wabisabisole

On April 27, 2017

In Ashikaga Flower Park, Google Map, Japan, Wisteria

Sonia and I took an ITT tour up to visit the Ashikaga Flower Park. The park is well known for the wisteria trees. Here is a picture of the Google Maps of our trip.

This time of year, when the wisteria is blooming, the park becomes very crowded. We arrived promptly at 9:00am, when the park opened. By the time we were leaving at 11:00am, the park was significantly more crowded than when we arrived.

The park had several different types of wisteria. There were purple(early blooms) pink(full bloom), and white(not blooming yet). Also, there was a species of double blooming wisteria. We were a little early to see the large wisteria trellis in full bloom. It was beautiful none the less. The smaller trees were at their peak bloom and absolutely stunning.

There was an area set up for hanami under the light pink wisteria. The light pink was reaching peak bloom and very serene. The bottoms of the wisteria are a little blurry because they were blowing in the gentle breeze.

There are two large trees that together make the Large Wisteria Trellis. It was stunning even though it wasn’t in full bloom yet.

There was also a large screen of purple wisteria. It blocked the view of the parking lot. Trees were planted behind the screen and attached in an espalier style.

I didn’t edit the wire holding up the structure. I thought it provided good perspective of how massive the structure was.

The Light Pink Bridge might have been my favorite spot in the park. The wisteria was in full bloom and the scene was truly picturesque.

Another amazing feature was the Wisteria Dome. It was also set up for visitors to enjoy hamani.

There was another large wisteria tree also supported by a huge trellis.

Another beautiful section was off in a smaller side garden. Poppies were planted around the edge of the bed. The contrast between the colors was stunning.

A few more pictures- because it was just so beautiful with so many different colors.

And now for the funny story of the day. I first realized people were watching me / staring at me / taking my picture when we were on the bridge. I mentioned something to Sonia and she said because they think you’re a model. Haha. Jokingly, I posed for her to snap a few pictures. While we were doing this, people waited for her to stop and simultaneously, took my picture as well. Here is the funny shot.

The flattery continued. When we were shopping at the gift shop, one of the workers came up to me and asked where I was from. Chicago is always my response. It’s the last place we lived and it is a place most people have heard of. Anyways, she tells me, “you’re so pretty. You’re hair pretty.” Arigatōgozaimas! But wait, there’s more. We were asked to have our picture taken and to return the favor by a single man. Sure. As he taking our picture, he says, “beautiful! You and the flowers!” Ha! Arigatōgozaimas! The pictures he took.

I felt like a celebrity or to quote Melissa, “Blondzilla.” The compliments were delightful and sweet. However, the sweetest part of the day was the wisteria soft cream.

Next year, I think I will be more bold and potentially drive myself to the Flower Park. I would really love to see the wisteria tree trellises in full bloom. The drive and the crowds would be worth it!

Kameido Tenjin Shrine

By wabisabisole

On April 26, 2017

In Chu-Hai, Google Map, Japan, Kameido Tenjin Shrine, Tokyo, Tokyo Skytree, Train, Wisteria

Spring in Japan means one blooming session after another. Right now, the wisteria is about to reach full bloom. Having a free day, with no adulting obligations, I decided to travel to Tokyo and visit the Kameido Tenjin Shrine to view the wisteria. It was a schlep, 1.5 hours one way. Far enough for me not to impose the trip on my husband or friends. Here was my route.

The Shrine is located near the Tokyo Skytree. It provided a delightful backdrop to several pictures.

I wish I could share the scent of the wisteria with you. It might be the one thing I will never have much luck sharing with you. It was truly delightful.

I decided to venture up today because next week is Golden Week. I’ll tell you more about the meaning of Golden Week later. For now, it means Japanese holiday and lots of crowds. I was glad to have smaller crowds today. Occasionally, I was able to snap a picture without people. First, a few of the crowds.

Flying solo, I could take my time and wait for the perfect shot. And I did. I waited and I was totally ok with it. Because the shots were worth it. Here are my favorites. The red bridge is in most of them – #becausejapan

Have you noticed the structures supporting the wisteria? Some are wood others are artificial. All are strong.

According to my research, Kameido Tenjin Shrine was founded in the 1660s to honor the memory of the ninth-century scholar, Sugawara no Michizane. The temple was just as beautiful as the wisteria.

While at the temple, I enjoyed my own miniature hanami. Japanese yam and a chu-hai. Life is as sweet as these roasted yams with sugary topping.

When you’re planning your springtime visit, we will see as many flowers as possible. You will need to be willing to travel. As my friend Jen reminded me, seeing stuff requires a little bit of effort. Just a few more pictures….