Valentine’s Day in Japan

Valentine’s Day in Japan

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

By wabisabisole

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

By wabisabisole

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!

Snow Festival Saturday

By wabisabisole

On February 11, 2018

In Japan, Sapporo, Sapporo Snow Festival, Snow

We spent Saturday walking around the Snow Festival and enjoying the sculptures. The size was still impressive.

With less crowds and daylight, we could take our time walking around the festival and sculptures. I found this information about the construction of the final Fantasy XIV snow sculpture. Even though the explanation is in Japanese, if you look at the pictures, you can get a better understanding of how they are constructed

Daytime events seemed to be catered more towards kids and families. At the building, they had kids on stage shooting baskets. I loved how the building looked blue in the daylight.

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At the Pacific Music Festival sculpture, kids were performing traditional dance.

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Speaking of kids, I couldn’t get over all the little cuties in their snowsuits. Adorable.

We quickly figured out the favorite sculpture for kids. The Cup Noodle. It was actually an ice slide!

My favorite was still the Temple. It is a replication of the Great Lecture Hall at the Yakushi-ji Temple in Nara. The building was created using ice blocks. A team of 3,800 people completed the structure in 28 days!

At the other large building structure, a lady was singing. Notice she is holding a clear umbrella to keep her dry as the snow fell. So, cute!

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It was fun to walk around the snow sculptures during the day and learn more about how they were constructed and see the kids enjoying them. Dave and I both agreed they seemed “cooler” at night with the lights.

Otaru

By wabisabisole

On February 10, 2018

In Japan, Otaru, Sapporo, Sushi

A friend of Dave’s suggested we take a side trip to Otaru during our visit to Sapporo. He highly recommended Otaru for amazing sushi. We didn’t need to be told twice! Otaru is a coastal town about a 40 minute train ride from Sapporo Station.

We arrived in time for lunch. We walked down to the canal street known as sushi row.

We were told to sit at the sushi counter and ask for “omakase” or chef’s choice. As a result, this magnificent plate of sushi arrived.

I ate everything. Even the sea urchin. I cheated a little bit and picked off the sea urchin and swallowed them whole so I didn’t taste them. Then I ate the rice. The rest was delicious. The tuna was of course my favorite and maybe the best piece of tuna sashimi I’ve ever eaten. I would rank this sushi plate in my top three.

After lunch, we walked around the town and many shops. There was so much snow. I couldn’t get over all of the snow. There were piles everywhere.

Look at all the snow fences on the hills to prevent avalanches.

And icicles!

In true Japanese fashion, many shop owners and residents made kawaii snow sculptures. They were an adorable addition to the winter wonderland.

Plus, a few snowmen.

How great is Dave’s new face mask!?!

We headed back to Sapporo in the middle of the afternoon. I’m glad we took the suggestion to visit Otaru for the sushi. Plus, we had a chance to see a little bit more of the area.

Nighttime Sapporo Snow Festival

By wabisabisole

On February 9, 2018

In Japan, Sapporo, Sapporo Snow Festival

After getting checked into our hotel and changing into our warm clothes, we headed out to the actual Sapporo Snow Festival to see the snow sculptures. Some of the sculptures were HUGE! I took one picture without people and a second one with people to give you a perspective of their massive size.

A selfie for good measure.

I took a couple pictures of the back. Again, for perspective. These sculptures are incredible and massive. The second one I took looking across the street. It shows cars, people, and the back of the sculpture.

This sculpture was sponsored by the Pacific Music Festival.

Our timing was perfect as we approached this sculpture of a building. We had a chance to watch the a live performance.

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Again, I could not get over the size of the sculptures. They were massive. I loved watching the lights change colors.

The ice shrine sculpture was my favorite.

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I took several more pictures to show the details.

The Cup Noodle sculpture deserved an honorable mention.

After the professional massive super snow sculptures, there were a plethora of sculptures from other countries.

The next group of sculptures appeared to be created by local groups. There were so many. I couldn’t possibly share them all with you. So, I’ll share a few of our favorites.

I knew this would be an impressive event. For my VB friends who are familiar with the Neptune Festival, I was expecting to see sculptures similar to the sand sculptures. The ones created by local artists were similar in size to the sand sculptures. The ones created by the professionals were beyond anything I could have imagined. They are larger than life size! We spent the evening walking around and the viewing the sculptures. We were bundled up and had strategically placed heat pads in our pockets and boots. I found the hot sake also helped to beat the cold!

We had fun people watching and snacking on festival food. Just when you think you have seen it all with respect to how the Japanese spoil their puppies, you see a dog on a sled!

Thanks for reading! I’ll have daytime Snow Festival pictures for you tomorrow.

Susukino Ice World

By wabisabisole

On February 8, 2018

In Japan, Sapporo, Sapporo Snow Festival

As we were on the train heading to Sapporo it started to snow. Instead of taking the local train to our hotel, we decided to grab a taxi and avoid dragging luggage through the snow. I was absolutely giddy to see the snow as we drove through the city.

We arrived at our hotel before the 1500 check in. So, we dropped off our luggage and set out in search of lunch. We found a cozy ramen restaurant just a few blocks away. Several friends told us to try Hokkaido ramen. It exceeded their recommendations and our expectations. It was as delicious!

Once we finished our lunch, we started to return to our hotel and then realized the Susukino Ice World was only a block away.

So, we walked through to check out the ice sculptures. There were so many!! Easily 30 plus. I took a picture of most of them. The titles would crack us up!

Check out the guy cleaning off the snow on the Hawaii 808. Proof that it was snowing like crazy when we first arrived.

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There were so many ice sculptures! They were all amazing!! I had a couple favorites. The cat and dog, of course.

And the “Supple Woman.”

Let’s not forgot- this is Sapporo!

We walked the sculptures during the day and then returned after we changed into our snow gear. They sculptures were cool at night as well.

Plus, the ice bar was open and serving champagne. Yes, please!

I’ll wrap up this post here for now. So far, it’s snowed all day, the ramen was delicious, I’m wearing my hot pink snow pants (all weekend), the ice sculptures were too cool, and I enjoyed champagne at the ice bar. Sapporo Snow Festival is exceeding expectations even before we visited the actual Snow Festival!!

Sapporo or Bust!

By wabisabisole

On February 8, 2018

In Japan, Sapporo, Sapporo Snow Festival, Train

This is a first for Team Dwyer. A winter vacation! Normally, we want to escape the cold. We typically plan a trip where packing involves bikinis and board shorts. This is the first time we have ever packed snow pants and parkas. When I mentioned this to Dave he said this will probably be the last time as well!

We are flying out of Haneda Airport. We took the train from the station by our house. I planned our trip so we didn’t have to switch trains. A very nice convenience when pulling luggage. Here was our train route.

The flight to Sapporo takes about 1.5 hours from Haneda. Sapporo is located on the northern island of Hokkaido. It is due north of our location on the main island. Here are a couple pictures to help you identify where we are and where we are going. We are the blue dot near Tokyo.

Once we arrive in Sapporo, we will have about an hour train ride to our hotel from the airport.

Our hotel is about a 5-minute walk to the Sapporo Snow Festival.

According to my research, the first Sapporo Snow Festival was in 1950. In the town center, teenagers created six large snow sculptures. Over the next few years, more entertainment and food vendors began to organize and create a festival atmosphere. The size and complexity of the snow structures also improved. The Sapporo Snow Festival soon became a world renowned event. To date, the festival attracts more than 2 million visitors every year coming from all over the world and Japan.

We put the Sapporo Snow Festival on our Japan bucket list shortly after we arrived our first summer. We’ve been planning this trip since April! Needless to say, we are excited! I’ll be back soon with more pictures of the festival.

Do You Know Why You’re Here?

By wabisabisole

On February 7, 2018

In Japan, Plum Blossoms, Ume

Dave and I leave for Hokkaido tomorrow. We will be flying to and staying in Sapporo so we can enjoy the Sapporo Snow Festival. On today’s to-do list was to locate our Chicago winter gear and start packing, mail a few packages at the post office, and charge my train card. Locating our winter gear was pretty easy. With the exception of my hot pink snow pants, everything else has been neatly folded in a large plastic bin in the spare closet. I dug out gloves, hats, and neck gaiters for each of us. My things and our plethora of hand, foot, and body warmers are in the suitcase. I set Dave’s cold weather gear aside so he can sort through them when he gets home.

Once the post office was open, I walked down the hill to mail the packages and then to the train station to charge my train card. It was such a beautiful day and my chores were complete, I had time to goof off!

I decided to hop the train and scout out the status of the plum blossoms at Taura Plum Grove. Last year, I went to see the Taura Plum Grove in early March and the blooms were mostly gone. On the train the other day, I noticed a group of pink plum trees and I wanted to see how far they were from blooming this year.

I climbed the six long flights of stairs giving me a nice burn in my quads!

The Plum trees definitely are not in bloom right now. However, their buds are set nicely and hopefully, the weather will allow them to explode with blossoms in the next couple of weeks.

There were a few trees that had blossoms that were already starting to open.

The close up pictures were fun to take.

There were a few daffodils blooming as well. They will always be my favorite. New beginnings just like Spring.

These were the group I could see from the train. Unfortunately, they are on private property and not part of the park.

As I was walking around at the top of the hill, I noticed a small information hut. As I passed, I greeted the worker with a spirited “Konnichiwa.” He replied the same and then asked me a question in Japanese. Confused, I shook my head and said “I’m sorry, I don’t speak Japanese.” He then asked me, “do you know why you are here?” At his question I was completely laughing on the inside. I know he was trying to ask me, “do you know where you are?” I couldn’t help but think he was about to lead me on some super existential journey. I imagined we would spend the afternoon discussing the meaning of life and before the sunset I would be further along on my path to enlightenment. As my thoughts ran quickly through my mind, I replied, “Hai, I know where I am.” He responded with a smile and nod and said “please take a map to help you find your way.” A map! For my existential journey along the path to enlightenment!?! No, sorry. A map of the park. Please enjoy. Arigatōgozaimas!

Perhaps in two weeks, when our first spring visitor arrives, the blooms will be perfect for a walk through the Plum Grove. I’ll keep my fingers crossed! In the meantime, I’ll be sharing our experiences from our long weekend spent exploring the Sapporo Snow Festival! As always, thanks for reading!

Exploring Shinjuku

By wabisabisole

On February 6, 2018

In Japan, Shinjuku, Tokyo

Katie and I have been waiting for a nice day to take a trip up to Tokyo to explore the area around Shinjuku station. We considered this a reconnaissance mission of sorts. We thought maybe this area would be good to take upcoming visitors and Katie’s kids. Shinjuku is about an hour and fifteen minute train ride from where we live. I marked several spots in blue on Google Map to guide our exploring.

Our first stop was to visit the lion statue near the Shinjuku East exit. The lion was built and maintained by the Tokyo Shinjuku Lions Club. The hole in his mouth is for donations. The Shinjuku lion is also a common meeting spot when meeting up with friends.

After our stop at the Shinjuku lion, we walked over to see the Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower on the west side of Shinjuku station. The building is home to a very popular and highly prestigious Fashion School in Tokyo.

We worked our way back to the east side of the station and walked towards the Shinjuku TOHO building to see Godzilla.

The lighting is a little strange and makes the sky look very blue. The head is next to a hotel and you could visit the terrace. So, we did!

This sign made us curious.

Listen as Katie touches the black hole.

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After visiting Godzilla, we walked around the Kabukicho district. More commonly known as the red light district. Yes, even in Tokyo.

Kabukicho was pretty tame during lunchtime on a Tuesday. We were good with that. We took a few pictures outside the Robot Restaurant, Samurai Museum and of King Kong.

We decided to make our way out of Kabukicho and find some lunch. Katie used her amazing Google Maps skills and located us a conveyor belt sushi restaurant while I was shopping for lotion at The Body Shop. The color of the sushi plate identified the price.

I stacked our plates for a colorful effect. It was then I realized the delicious tuna I was grabbing was on silver plates! ¥520! No wonder it tasted so good!

After lunch we started working our way towards Shinjuku Gyoen (garden). However, we were sidetracked quickly when we saw the Tokyu Hands store. We decided to go shopping instead and save the garden for a warmer spring day when we have a better chance to see flowers blooming.

So, back to the main mission, reconnaissance. We did learn a good bit about the area. There are some good spots for tourist photos and shopping. I will definitely return this spring to visit the gardens. Or at night to see the view of the city from the Park Hyatt Tokyo (the hotel from the movie Lost in Translation). I’ll just be sure if we have kids with us to come during the day time and/or avoid Kabukicho!!

Finding Beauty with Imperfection

Author: wabisabisole Page 13 of 54