Wabi-Sabi Sole

Finding Beauty with Imperfection

Author: wabisabisole Page 21 of 54

Kamakura 

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On October 14, 2017

In Japan, Kamakura

Friday we spent the day enjoying many of my favorites in Kamakura. We started with a visit to The Great Buddha. Armed with our umbrellas, we were ready to explore! 


When we arrived at The Great Buddha, I explained the importance of the scary warriors outside the Temple to ward off evil. Nina and Noah posed with their scariest faces! 

The good part about the rain, it kept the crowds down to a minimum. 


No trip to The Great Buddha is complete without going into “Buddha’s Pooper” as coined by Bill Johnson. 


As we walked back to Hase Station, we stopped for ice cream. Yes, despite the chill and rainy weather, 3 out of 4 of us wanted Japanese soft cream. I opted for a warm sweet potato hash brown. 


I must address the significant temperature variation between Thursday and Friday. Thursday if you recall, we were drenched in sweat after walking around Kannonzaki Park and riding the roller slide. Today, we needed sweaters and scarves. Nina and Noah were so chilly at one point, we stopped at the 100¥ store for a pair of gloves! 


We rode the Enoshima Line back to Kamakura around noon. Here we said “mata ne” at Komachi Dori (the main shopping street in Kamakura). Layla, Nina, and Noah explored the street while I went to my English Class. We regrouped at 2:15 by the Torii. 


I was excited to hear about their time we were apart. Their first stopped was at the Owl Forest. They loved the experience of seeing and petting the owls. 


After enjoying time with their feathered friends, they followed my map to Oxymoron. Oxymoron is a coffee shop. But, not the coffee shop I wanted them to visit! I wanted them to go to “character coffee” which is next door. Since I sent them to the wrong place, I took them back to the correct coffee shop. Nina asked for Daisy Duck, Noah asked for Goofy, and I asked for Cinderella. So KAWAII! 


Also, while we were apart, Layla manages a couple cute pictures with the locals. Girls in kimonos and a puppy! 


The final part of our cultural tour of Kamakura was a visit to the Hachimangu Shrine. It’s a beautiful Shrine even in the rain. 


I also tried a new food. Ginko nuts. They were quite bizarre. They were roasted and  reminded me of unopened pistachio nuts at first. Then once I placed my order, the lady cracked them open by hammering them. 


After cracking them, she added salt. 


Then final product was a salty soft nut. I’m not sure if I was so hungry that my judgment was twisted. But, I thought they were pretty good. I ate the whole bag! 


By the end of the day, we were chilly and soggy. We decided to head home and enjoy an American pizza. Kanpie! Happy Friday! 

Shopping, Sliding & Sushi

By

On October 13, 2017

In Japan

On Thursday, I was able to share several of my Japanese favorites with Layla, Nina, and Noah. We started the day with a shopping trip to the Daiso. 


I think we might have set a record for longest time spent in a Daiso! We walked every square inch of the store by going up and down every aisle. I was able to get a head start on Christmas shopping and Layla took care of souvenir shopping! 

These were the looks I got when I said show me your gangster face… I don’t see a life of crime in the future of those cute faces! 


After our shopping trip, we stopped at Family Mart for a true Japanese experience. Convenience Store lunch! We enjoyed a delicious picnic before tackling the roller slide! 


We went to Kannonzaki Park where the longer roller is located. It was a warm and sunny day. 


Cute poop sign at the park. The puppy is pooping flowers! Kawaii!! 


The slide was a hit! 


Countless rides and two hours of sweaty fun later, we headed home to shower and meet Dave for Sushiro dinner. 


We enjoyed the dining experience of Conveyor belt Sushi! You can tell by the stacks of our plates, we tried everything. Noah loved the fried chicken and coca-cola. Nina loved the salmon and ice cream. Layla loved the tuna. Dave had a little bit of everything. And I continued on my monthly quest of eating my weight in tuna! Kanpie! 

Day Two – Tokyo Tourists

By

On October 11, 2017

In Hachiko, Harajuku, Japan, Shibuya, Takeshita Street, Tokyo, Train, Train Stamps, Travel

After an amazing day at Tokyo Disneysea and a good night sleep at a Disney Resort Hotel, I planned for us to take the long way home via Tokyo. Layla placed Pizza de Michele at the top of her “must go to” list during her visit. So, we went for lunch. 


The staff was so friendly and allowed us to take pictures while we waited for our pizza. They even let Layla help cook! 


It was delicious! Check out that pizza! 


One final shot of the kawaii jack-o-lantern pizza. 


Here’s more great news. I had train books ready for Nina and Noah when they arrived. We were able to start their stamp collecting as we explored Tokyo!! I was even able to get a few new ones! 


After lunch, we went to Shibuya Crossing. Here we saw the Hachiko Statue and crossed through the crossing three times! Yay, tourists! 


After collecting another station stamp and a couple Hello Kitty stamps, we headed to Harajuku. We stopped for the mandatory Takeshita tourist photo. Do you see the spelling mistake on the marquee? Wabi-sabi in real life! 

Our first stop in Harajuku was at Cafe Mocha, a fancy cat cafe. Nina and Noah put cat cafe high on their “must do” list. I’ve been wanting to visit this cat cafe because it looks pretty cool from the street. We planned to stay 20 minutes. It easily turned into a 30 minute visit. We just needed a little more time to give all 16 cats enough love. 

This cute kitty reminded Layla, Nina, and Noah of their cat Simba. Kawaii! 

Perhaps the furriest cat in Japan! 

Cat in a bowl. 


The cafe had two rooms connected by a hallway. It was decorated in an Alice in Wonderland theme. 

Cat ears were available if you felt felined… I mean inclined. We did. 


Treats were available for purchase so you could feed the cats. The cats went crazy for the lollipop! We asked when we were leaving what it was made of. They were frozen chicken broth lollipops! Who knew? 


My favorite kitty was Pumpkin. He was a real life Grumpy Cat. Although he did seem a little happy to lick the lollipop! 


We had to tear the kids out of the cat cafe. We reminded them there was still cotton candy to eat and a toy store to shop! 

After a quick stop for a pair of cat ears, we made our way to the cotton candy place – Totti Candy Factory. 


Let me make a promise to you. When you visit me with your kids, I will spoil them with a HUGE mountain of cotton candy. 

All I ask for in return is a cotton candy face plant photo! This was a highlight to my day!! Pure sugar happiness. 


We finished walking down Takeshita street (so much kawaii) and worked our way to Kiddy Land. 


Kiddy Land is a four story toy store in Harajuku. It has every imaginable Japanese and U.S. toy. From Star Wars to Hello Kitty. 


We shopped until we dropped. On Pusheen! 


By the time we made it home the train count was up to seven. Seven different trains in one day! Some were pretty crowded. Especially, during rush hour. Nonetheless, we were all smiles! 


I had a great time sharing the Tokyo experience with this crew. They were flexible, inquisitive, and excited! Once again, I want to give photo credit to Layla for helping me document our day. And props to Dave for having dinner ready for us when we finally got home at 8:00pm! 

Tokyo Disneysea 

By

On October 10, 2017

In Disneysea, Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo Disney, Train

Layla, Nina, and Noah arrived on Monday evening. I meet them at the Narita airport. In true “welcome to Japan” form, we exchanged hugs and then quickly made our way to buy tickets for the Narita Express Train. We had 12 minutes. We can do this! And we did! With three minutes to spare! Welcome to Japan!! 


They were super travelers all the way home. The red carpet was rolled out for their arrival!


We enjoyed a bowl of Dave’s chili and then called it a night. We had big plans for their first day. Tokyo Disneysea!! Disneysea is part of the Tokyo Disney Resort. The park has an international sea theme. It’s kindof like the Epcot of Japan with a Sea theme. It was going to be a new experience for all of us! 

This was my first time traveling to the Disney Resorts on the trains and buses. I worked out the route over the weekend and knew exactly where to go to make our connections. It was pretty simple once I knew where to find the bus.


 I didn’t anticipate it would be as crowded as it was and we had to wait about 20 minutes in line to catch the bus. 


We made it to the park by 9:00am. Actually, 8:56. We all placed a guess what time we would arrive. Noah had the winning guessed with 8:57! 

We already had our tickets, so we sailed through the entrance. Time to enjoy Disney Magic! 


We were very efficient in managing our time with rides and utilized the FastPass option. We all loved the Indiana Jones ride the best! Here we could use the FastPass line as a single rider. We enjoyed it so much we went twice! 



A quick shot of all of us at the Arabian Coast. 


After seeing so many guests at the park in their matching attire, we decided we needed matching shirts. We checked every gift shop in the park and finally decided on the Disney 2017 Halloween tshirts. Kawaii! 


Our wardrobe changing and photo shoot left us hungry and ready for lunch. In case you’re wondering why Tokyo Disneysea is better than Tokyo Disneyland. Beer. Yes, Disneysea serves alcohol unlike Disneyland. Kanpie! 


During lunch, we discussed how many groups were not only dressed alike, but wearing actual Disney costumes. Layla had a fantastic idea. She was going to take as many pictures of her kids with adults in Disney costumes! Boy, did we ever take some fantastic pictures!! I want to thank Layla for the idea and many of the pictures and also for letting us use her kids for fantastic pictures!! The fun part was the smiles the characters would give us. They were truly flattered to have their pictures taken. Can you name all the characters? 


It wasn’t until after the sunset that we realized our shirts had a hidden message! “Welcome to the Villains’ World” was written in glow-in-the-dark lettering. Cool! 


We stayed at the park until about 7:15pm. We were staying the night at a hotel on the resort. We took the Disney Monorail to the resort and ate dinner. 


We spent 10 hours at the park. Not too bad for a group that only landed in the country the night before! After a good night of sleep, jet lag should be cured! 

Fuku Sei Ramen

By

On October 9, 2017

In Fuku Sei, Ikego, Japan, Ramen, Zushi

I must confess to something a little embarrassing. We have been in Japan for almost 15 months now and last night was the first time we ate at the closest ramen restaurant to our house. I know! We pass the restaurant each time we go for a run or drive out the gate. We always talk about eating there. Finally, we did! 


We took about a 15 minute walk from our house to the restaurant. The restaurant did not disappoint. We enjoyed an American sized Japanese beer to quench our thirst after the warm walk. 


The added bonus was an English speaking staff and English menu.


The ramen and gyoza were delicious. There were a plethora of choices for ramen. Even a vegetarian option which can be very difficult to find in Japan. Plus adding extra noodles was an option. For only ¥210! I ordered a salt based ramen with chicken. It also came with bean sprouts, seaweed, and corn. Because our waiter spoke excellent English, I could ask him for no corn. Ahhh, yes! The result was a beautiful and delicious bowl of ramen. 

I’m always hesitant with gyoza. Sometimes they give me a bit of indigestion. Sorry for the TMI, but these only required two Tums compared with others requiring four… 


It was the perfect outing for a casual Sunday night. We will definitely return. Sooner than later. 

As my Japanese students have taught me to say when you want to change the subject, “thank you for sharing, ok, subject change.” I’m writing this as I sit on the Narita Express. I’m heading to the airport to meet my friend, Layla, and her two adorable kids. They are coming from Memphis and staying for the week! I can’t wait to share and explore Japan with them! I have so much planned for their visit. We are starting off strong and heading to Tokyo DisneySea tomorrow. It’s like the “Epcot” of Tokyo Disney with a “sea” theme. Stay tuned for kawaii Disney Halloween ? ? ! 

Puppy ? Poop ? 

By

On October 7, 2017

In Japan, Puppy, Yuki

One last Yuki story. Not surprisingly, this story has me giggling. Just so we are clear – I love ? and ?! 

Wednesday morning we had a bit of free time before meeting for our tour. I decided to take a walk and see a little of the area. I used my resources, Google Maps, and discovered a small park not far from our hotel. We were staying in the Yuki Daiichi Hotel (bottom right) and I walked about a mile to the park on the left. 


The park had a trail that was used for exercising and commuting. 


As I entered the park, I saw a cute sign. It obviously was asking people to clean up after their dog or cat defecated. Did you notice the chopsticks!?! Kawaii! 


I of course giggled and continued on my walk. As I left the park, I walked down a lovely street and passed no less than three people walking their dogs. 


Simultaneously, I passed a half dozen or more no poop ? signs. Several I passed more than once!! 


You know what I love about these signs? How the sign happily tells the dog owner to clean up their dog’s poop ?! Clearly, picking up poop ? is not just an an American problem. 

Perhaps, if we had the kawaii signs, people would be more likely to follow the rules! Regardless, I’ll enjoy a giggle or two each time I pass an adorable puppy ? poop ? sign! Teehee ? 

Oribakan – Part 2

By

On October 6, 2017

In Japan, Weaving, Yuki

After our delicious bento box lunch on Wednesday, we meet at the looms to prepare for our afternoon of weaving. 


For our weaving arts and crafts project, we were given two choices. We could either make a smaller coaster made from scraps of silk fabric or create a larger coaster made from silk thread. I took a picture of an example of each that were available in the gift shop. 


We were given our choices of thread and then brief instructions – in Japanese. 


I selected a red, green, and white combination thread. It reminded me of Christmas! Here is my spool of thread ready to weave. 


I took a short video so you could see what it’s like to receive directions in Japanese. 

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Here is one more video. The process of weaving involves sliding the spool through the threads from one side to the other. Simultaneously, one foot is down on the pedal and the other is up. Then slide the bar down to make the threads tight. Switch feet and then slide down the bar twice – dong dong. In the video you can hear sensei say “dong dong” – it makes me giggle. 

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Here are a few pictures of me working the loom! 

Eventually, we had our finished large coasters. Mine is in the middle. 


We had a few minutes as the other group finished weaving and I spent it checking out the thread. The thread is made from silk worm cocoons. 


It is gently shredded. And then spun into thread. A tedious process! 


I enjoyed having the opportunity to weave using the looms. It required a lot of concentration to remember to dong, switch feet, and then dong, dong. I did find the loom to be a little small for my long legs. If I were to take up weaving silk fabric, I would need to have the XL loom. My knees were really achy by the end! 

Oribakan-Part 1

By

On October 5, 2017

In Japan, Yuki

On Wednesday, we went to Yuki-Tsumugi to experience Oribakan.


Oribakan describes the dyeing and weaving processes of the silk fabric produced at the factory. In morning, our group was scheduled for an appointment to dye a scarf. The scarf is light, soft, and very strong. 


Our dyeing sensei used the board to help explain the different methods for dyeing. He also explained the dye being used is a plant based dye and all natural. He drew a plant to illustrate where each color originated. 


He shared with us the colors we would be permitted to use for the dying process. 


The colors are seasonal. We had the choice of combining indigo, yellow, orange, and natural (brown). I selected indigo, yellow, and orange in a dotted pattern. Before dyeing, we were given aprons to wear and rubber gloves. 

What our scarves looked like before we dyed them. 


Our sensei helped us to create unique masterpieces. As we helded the fabric, he would envision where the colors should be placed and the shapes they should take. 

The process of the color dying the fabric was amazing. The colors would change not only as the fabric was held in the dye, but also as the fabric was rinsed. It was really cool to watch the transformation of the colors. 

We started with indigo. I’m preparing to dip my scarf! 

After each color was dyed, the fabric had to be thoroughly rinsed. 


After indigo, the fabric was rinsed again and the dye was set with hot water. 


The squares or geometric patterns were so cool! How did he fold the scarf so that it made the patterns!?! 


Next, I added orange. Or as I liked to call it – vermillion! Sensei looked on with intense concentration as I dipped my scarf. Steady, now!!



I was the only one who choose to incorporate the third color of vermillion. I’m glad I did because it also made a cool geometric pattern! 


The final color added was yellow. 


As the water rinsed the yellow, the color became more vibrant. The final step was washing the scarf in a water and vinegar mixture to set the colors. I was so pleased with our creation! 


Here is a silly picture of me with sensei’s assistant. I was helping her hang my scarf. Notice we are the same height… 


I took pictures of all the different scarves we created. Each one was unique. 


It was such a fun and unique experience to be a part of the dying process. It reminded me of tie dying. Except we used silk scarves and had the expertise of the sensei to help us create beautiful pieces of wearable art! 

We took a break for lunch. We enjoyed a delicious bento box with rose water. 

That’s all for now… I’ll tell you about our weaving experience in Oribakan Part 2! 

Yuki Road Trip

By

On October 3, 2017

In Japan, Yuki

A friend of mine, Lydia, organized a road trip to Yuki. She rented a van and invited 5 women to join her. I was fortunate to have a couple days free to be able to attend. 

The city of Yuki is the birthplace of an ancient and beautiful fabric known as Yuki Tsumugi. Yuki Tsumugi is a fabric produced by using the oldest Japanese silk- weaving technique. The technique creates the highest quality silk fabric in Japan. The silk fabric is described as being strong, light and soft. 

The drive took us about three hours. We stopped a couple times to enjoy the rest stops and eat lunch. 


We had time this evening to explore the sleepy town of Yuki. In the town center was a visitor center. Here a young lady was learning the art of producing Yuki Tsumugi. 


There were also beautiful kimonos that were available for rent. 

Not sure they had my size! 

Check out these bows!! 


We went to another museum hoping to see a kimono exhibit. Instead for the month of October it had a photography display. However, the coolest thing was the fake bonsai. 


Upon closer inspection, I realized the leaves were made from the Japanese ¥.05 piece! A real money tree! 


Tomorrow we have a full day at the Yuki Tsumugi factory planned before we head back to Yokosuka. I am not sure exactly what we will be seeing and doing, but I’m looking forward to seeing the extravagant fabrics and the meticulous weaving process! 

Substitute Teaching

By

On October 2, 2017

In Japan, Yokosuka

After over three years, I finally stepped back into a classroom today. I was an eighth grade U.S. History substitute at Yokosuka Middle School. 

I was finally approved as a substitute teacher for DODEA schools in August. I submitted my application in October 2016. Like with so many things related to the government, approval took a while. 

None the less, I am approved and ready to serve. All things considered, my day was good. I set very low expectations. I had flashbacks to 2012 when I substituted at some Memphis City Middle Schools. I would compare YMS to Riverdale. They were studious, silly, and very respectful. The main difference, these kids ALL have parents in the military and they live in Japan! 

The school was very nice. I’ve never taught in a classroom with carpet. My out of teacher shape knees appreciated the extra cushion! 


The view was pretty nice, too! Once you looked past the standard Navy issue blinds you can see Tokyo Harbor.


The schedule today was a “C” day. It means an abbreviated class schedule enabling me to see all the A and B day students. Whew. There were a lot of kids! New class every 40 minutes. It reminded me of teaching science at Dexter Middle School and seeing all my students on Fridays. I’m happy to report, I survived my first day back to school. My teacher cardi and I felt good. 


I did have three students during one class sit in the wrong seat. This obviously created a huge distraction. No worries, I still have my “stern teacher voice” and had things under control with one sentence. Lucky for my students I didn’t have to use my “stern teacher look” today! 

The worst part of the day was sitting down to eat my lunch and realizing I forgot a fork. Dang it! Fortunately, my chopstick skills have vastly improved over the past year. Eating my chicken, rice, and black beans with chopstick carrots was a breeze! 


Now that I’ve wiggled back into the wet swimsuit, the next time I sub will no doubt be even easier! 

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