Yokohama Baystars

Yokohama Baystars

On April 16, 2017

In Baseball, Beer, Culture, Edamame, Japan, Yokohama, Yokohama Baystars

Dave and I went to the Yokohama Baystars baseball game on Saturday afternoon. This was our second time to a Japanese baseball game. We went last summer shortly after we arrived. It was funny to read my previous post. It truly seems like forever ago and that I was still in a jetlag haze. This experience was so much easier!

It was a beautiful day and I was able to take a few pictures of the flower gardens surrounding the stadium. The tulips were stunning.

Unfortunately, the Baystars lost. They are actually off to a rough start this year. It still was a fun day with my favorite liberty buddy.

Despite the lose, the game is entertaining on so many other levels. Including the always happy beer girls.

Not only have they perfected the art of the perfect pour, they climb up and down the stairs the entire game. All while carrying a pony keg on their back and smiling. Plus, they look perfect! They pin their hats to stay in place and their makeup is flawless! I can only imagine how strong their legs are by the end of the season!!

The other entertainment is the constant chanting for each batter. It is constant regardless of who is at bat. The highlight is during the seventh inning stretch. Everyone releases blue balloons.

The other treat is as the food options. Because we are in Japan, edamame is always an option. And always a good one!

Another cultural difference is how clean the stadium is after the game. Attendees are expected to put their garbage in the garbage cans. The stadium is very tidy, for the most part, after the game. Imagine expecting Americans to put their trash in the trash can!

The Japanese baseball schedule follows the American schedule very closely. Please consider that if you are interested in attending a game when you visit.

Salty, Sweet and Sour

By wabisabisole

On April 14, 2017

In English, Japan, Plum Blossoms, Ume

I had a full house at my English lesson today with my Japanese grandmothers. One of them went to Hakone last weekend and brought us back plum candies. Not to be overshadowed by the Sakura, Ume (Plum Blossoms) are beautiful in the spring. The candies are made from the fruit. From my understanding, the plums are pitted and then pickled with a mixture of salt, sugar, and vinegar. The result, is a gummy, salty, sweet, and sour (tangy) piece of candy. Here is the package. According to Google Translate, it says “Han Hwa” – clearly, no help.

The plum candy is pictured below. Notice it has a slightly moist texture. To understand the texture, imagine a moist, dried apricot.

A picture for perspective. They were small, approximately an inch in circumference. They tasted very differently from candy I prefer to purchase (not chocolate). However, in a strange way, they reminded me of natural sour patch kids.

My grandmothers asked me to describe the taste to them in English. I said, “sweet, salty, and tangy”. They didn’t understand tangy. Tangy to me means my geographic tongue will hurt. That obviously would be lost in translation without me sticking out my tongue. And that would be so weird. Could you imagine? So, to save us all the pain of translating, I went with sour.

As you can see, I have five remaining. Who would like a sample!?! Tempting, I know!

I Thought You Would Get a Kick Out of This

By wabisabisole

On April 13, 2017

In Cherry Blossoms, English, Hooptie, Japan, Nissan Cube, Sakura, Zushi

I was asked to be the substitute teacher at an English class in Zushi. It is about a 15-minute drive from my house. It is a little bit more of a hectic drive than normal because I have to drive behind Zushi train station. In this area, there are a lot of pedestrians and bicyclists on their way to the station to catch their train. So many people combined with the narrow road sometimes makes me feel like I’m driving on a sidewalk! Also, on this route, I have to cross three different sets of train tracks. Often the traffic is blocked at these crossings making the drive take a little longer.

The class is two hours long. The structure of the class includes each person discussing an incident from the past week for ten minutes. After each person has talked, I read a story selected by the teacher. The story is loaded with a variety of idioms. I explain the idioms and then ask questions to check for their understanding of the story and idioms. One of the idioms from the story today was “to get a kick out of something.” One of my questions to each student was to tell me a time they got a kick out of something. Each shared with me an antidotal story, which were very entertaining.

The road leading up to her neighborhood was lined with beautiful Sakura.

I thought you might get a kick out of a short video I took driving up the street. You can really hear the Hooptie engine revving as I climbed the hill! I know the video takes a little longer to load. I hope you are able to view it nonetheless. I think you will get a kick out of the Sakura tree blossom tunnel as well as me driving on the left side of the road! Please enjoy.

One More Sakura Adventure

By wabisabisole

On April 12, 2017

In Cherry Blossoms, Chu-Hai, Customs, Google Map, Hiking, Home, Ikego, Japan, Miura Peninsula, Mt. Fuji, Sake, Sakura, Train

Tuesday it rained and rained. It was pretty ridiculous. If this isn’t the “rainy season” I’m not sure I’m gonna make it without owning a canoe! Haha

The clouds finally parted and Wednesday started off beautifully. Dina and I had plans to hike to Mt. Miurafuji and to visit the cemetery pagoda in hopes of catching a few remaining Sakura.

We set out on the hike I did last month to Mt. MiuraFuji and made the steep climb. Unfortunately, today was not a clear enough day to see Mt. Fuji. The blue skies want to promise you otherwise. None the less, the views along the hike were stunning. If we were going to see Mt. Fuji, it would be in the first picture.

At the top, we made the decision to head towards the Nobi train station. There was a trail and a sign pointing the way and I thought this might connect us to the pagoda faster. Simultaneously, we knew we wouldn’t see Mt. Fuji anywhere else on the hike. So, the pagoda became our next goal.

Off we set, back down the mountain.

Soon we came to a fork in the path and a sign. Google Maps helped to point us in the correct direction. We veered right at the fork.

Down we went.

It doesn’t look very steep from the top. How about from the bottom!

We continued hiking down and found a beautiful little over look. The dark spots in the photo are Sakura petals falling. It was so serene.

We were eventually dumped out into urbanization. We followed Google Maps to the cemetery. On our journey, we passed through a quaint little park and beautiful cemetery. Both with Sakura trees in bloom.

My beautiful friend! How is she not a sweaty mess?

Me… Sweat-a-Saurus Rex! Honestly, who cares about me! Look at those Sakura Blossoms!

Ok, enough with the suspense already, we made it to the cemetery. First stop, Buddha.

This view!

A few more steps and the pagoda was in sight!

The Sakura trees in bloom with the pagoda were well worth the hike. Dina and I picked up onigiri for lunch and had our own Hanami under the Sakura trees. It was perfect. Except we forgot the Sake!!

I think the first picture is my favorite. Or maybe the second…

By the time we stopped for Hanami, I was pretty hungry. I snapped these pictures after we both finished our onigiri. Oops! It was a beautiful setting!

As we returned home on the train, clouds started to roll in and so did a few sprinkles. By the time I was walking up the hill towards home, it was full on raining. I had no umbrella, just more beautiful Sakura and a chu-hi!

Kanpie!

Sakura Chasing

By wabisabisole

On April 10, 2017

In Cherry Blossoms, Customs, Diabatsu, Gumyoji, Japan, Ofuna, Sakura

On Monday, there was a break in the rain. I set out on a mission to spend the day enjoying Sakura. I set out with four locations in mind to view with a Sakura setting. The first was the Great Buddha, Daibutsu. The first picture was the one I made the trip to capture. The others were taken in the surrounding gardens and a delightful surprise.

My second stop was at the Ōfuna Kannon Temple or also known as the White Lady of Ofuna. Visiting this temple always calms me and helps me find peace. Seeing the White Lady today with the Sakura was enchanting and serene.

My next point of interest was at the Gumyoji Station. I have never been there before and was recommended to visit during Sakura Season by a neighbor. Google Maps help me find my way from Ōfuna Station to Gumyoji Station like a champ.

After a short walk from the Gumyoji Station, I was along the canal where the Sakura were in full bloom. It was breath taking.

I must take a minute and explain the Japanese custom of Hanami. Hanami is tradition of enjoying a picnic under the Sakura. As I walked along the Gumyoji canal, there were many groups enjoying an afternoon Hanami. I couldn’t help but smile and truly appreciate the way the Japanese take time to enjoy fellowship and the beautiful Sakura blossoms. Without looking creepy, I attempted to capture a few groups practicing Hanami.

The canal stretched on for a pretty good distance. I walked from one train station to another taking as many pictures as possible!

My final stop of my Sakura chasing experience for the day was at the Shomyoji Temple. The temple was about a 15 minute walk from the Kanazawa-Bunco train station. The temple was easy to find because the street was lined with Sakura and lanterns.

Around the temple there were several groups enjoying the Hanami experience.

A highlight in the temple garden was the bridge crossing over the small pod.

A few more Sakura shots from around the gardens.

I feel like I made the most of the non-rainy day getting out and about to see the beautiful Sakura. When you plan your visit, I hope you consider Sakura Season. I will warn you though, like most things in nature, it can be difficult to predict.

April Showers

By wabisabisole

On April 9, 2017

In Cherry Blossoms, Japan, Kamakura, Sakura

It has been raining off and on since Friday. Along with this rain came humidity. We went from having dry cool air on Tuesday to having muggy wetness on Friday. Friday morning I plugged in our dehumidifiers in an attempt to keep ahead of the mold and moisture.

As the temperatures are starting to warm up, the Sakura trees are at peak bloom. Unfortunately, the rain damped the effect of the beautiful trees. I took a few pictures of the Sakura throughout Zushi on our rainy run this morning.

Dave and I were planning to have Sakura pictures taken in the peony garden of the Hachiman Gu Shrine in Kamakura on Saturday. The rain cancelled those plans. On Sunday, we decided to venture to Kamakura to see the blossoms in the peony garden despite the rain. First, a few pictures from our walk up to the shrine.

In the garden, the trees were stunning and the peonies were a delightful surprise. They were ginormous and they were protected by parasols to keep them intact during the heavy rains.

And now the Sakura trees. Can you imagine how beautiful this would look on a sunny day?

Dave and I decided to have our own photo shoot. Just us being us.

The Sakura blossoms won’t last until next weekend for us to have pictures and so we are working on plan B. Reflecting on the day, I realize it epitomizes wabi-sabi sole. We found beauty despite the imperfect weather conditions. We even completed a long run in the rain not because we were training for anything, just because we wanted to run.

Ahhhhhh… wabi-sabi sole…

Izakaya

By wabisabisole

On April 8, 2017

In Beer, Culture, Edamame, Honcho, Izakaya, Japan, Sashimi, Train, Yokosuka

Friday night, Dave’s work held a “Department Head” outing at an Izakaya restaurant in Yokosuka. Izakaya is a Japanese style restaurant that offers an all you can eat and drink set menu for a set period of time. The Izakaya restaurant we went to was called わん or One. The cost was 4,200 yen (~$42.00) per person. For that price, we enjoyed 10 courses of tapas and drinks for 3 hours. This wasn’t our first experience with Izakaya, just the first time I knew what to expect and was prepared to snap pictures!

At わん, we dined at low tables with benches. There was space for our legs to go under the table so we didn’t have to sit cross-legged for three hours. We were given an oshibori (wet towel) to clean our hands prior to eating. Wet towels are served at most restaurants in Japan. Along with heated toilet seats in the winter, wet towels are a favorite “Japan thing” of mine! The table top gas grill will be used to cook the crocodile pot – course 9. Each setting had two bowls, a plate, a dipping plate, chopsticks, and a glass for your cold beer!

Izakaya is different than other Japanese styles of eating because the food is shared, similar to Spanish tapas. The portions in each of my pictures (except the sashimi and ice cream) was shared by 4 people.
Our 10-course menu included:
1) Edamame

2) Bang-Bang Chicken Salad

3) Sashimi Set (Tuna, Fatty Tuna, Octopus, Salmon) This was my favorite course, of course!

4) Deep-fried Sea Eel

5) Chicken Ball Grilled Avocado Cheese – I didn’t get a picture of the tray before the Chicken balls were served. This is my plate of meat and the chicken ball is on top. Food started arriving quickly and I had to load my plate because I couldn’t keep up!

6) Fatty Tuna Flavor Rice Sushi – This was my second favorite.

7) Karaage Chicken

8) Beef Steak

9) Crocodile Pot – The crocodile pot was cooked on the table top gas grill featured in the first picture. Seriously, the crocodile tasted just like chicken.

10) Desert is Green Tea and Vanilla Ice Cream

As we walked through the Honch to the train station to head home, we ran into Darth Vader. Never a dull moment in the Honch!

Fuji Safari Park

By wabisabisole

On April 6, 2017

In Japan

Fuji Safari Park is set close to the base of Mt.Fuji. On a clear day, Mt. Fuji provides a beautiful and scenic backdrop to the Safari park. As I have come to know, it isn’t always clear. Especially, in the spring and summer. We caught a glimpse of Fuji from the bus on our way to the park. Unfortunately, by the time we made the 2 hour trip, Mt. Fuji was trapped in clouds. Here was our route this morning in the ITT tour.

Fuji Safari has a wide assortment of animals. The most domesticated animals include: a rabbit house, cat house, and dog house. For ¥500 ($5.00), you can visit an animal house and visit with the animals inside. Our first stop was at the Rabbit House. Here we were able to pet one rabbit for up to 25 minutes. I picked a long haired rabbit that closely resembled a cat!

We skipped over the cat house and moved on to the large petting / feeding area. Animals available for feeding are kangaroos, wallabies, meerkats, monkeys, and guinea pigs. For ¥100 ($1.00), you can purchase food for each of the animals. We started with pictures.

Maybe my favorite pictures of the day – to quote my friend, Sara, “Joey Julia!”

After getting up close and personal with the kangaroo props, we decided we needed to get in on the kangaroo feeding. OMG! It was crazy. The kangaroos were very pushy.

The kangaroos actually freaked me out. Watch them get up close and personal with Sonia!

We continued on our way around the park and found the hippos, African dogs, and guinea pigs.

We could also visit the white kangaroos.

As we walked up the hill, we found the dog house!

I was so happy! Puppies!

And these two by the heater!

We enjoyed a quick lunch and then met our bus for the ride through the safari.

Once we boarded the bus, beneath our seat was the food we would feed the animals. The sides of the bus were open with a double cage separating us from the animals. You fed the animals using long metal tongs.

The apple and carrots were for the bears!

The raw meat was to feed the lions!

Check out my face! Borderline petrified!

You really need a video for this! I wish I could share with you the smell of lion breath. It was really, really stinky.

There were also tigers.

In case your wondering, yes, my hand could fit through the cages. I tried when there were no animals around. Keep in mind, we are the one in the cage, not the animals. They are contained by large exterior fences and separated by smaller fences with each area.

Basically, the carnivores were separated from the herbivores for obvious reasons.

Back to the feeding, the grass pebbles were for the camels.

The experience was unique. The kids on our bus seemed to really enjoy being up close to so many different animals. They were excited and inquisitive throughout the Safari trip. When you visit, we can go and hopefully, see Mt. Fuji!

Tokyo Disneyland

By wabisabisole

On April 5, 2017

In Japan

Sonia and I took the ITT bus to Tokyo Disneyland on Wednesday. Tokyo Disney is on the southeast side of Tokyo. It is very near the Narita airport. The bus ride was a little over an hour. We left the main base at 7:30 am and arrived shortly after the park opened. Our timing was good. We went on a weekday during the week when school resumed after a long break for most local children. Honestly, I would describe the park as having an average sized crowd.

To prepare for our visit, we both downloaded a couple apps to help us track the wait times at each ride. Most importantly the rides with the Fast Pass option. Throughout the day, I relied on the “Wait Time 100” app to check the status of various rides. It was nice because it also told you the ticketing time for the Fast Pass. We were able to four of the seven open Fast Pass available rides. (Pooh’s Hunny Hunt was closed.) We rode: Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Star Tours, and the Haunted House.

The Fast Pass option allows you to skip the line and on average made each ride experience only about 20 minutes compared to the 180-minute line. It was well worth it. Knowing the park a lot better now and the demand for different rides, I could plan my next visit a lot better. For one, Splash Mountain has a single rider option. If you tell the Cast Members you are a single rider, they will let you go through the Fast Pass line. We did this and ended up being able to sit together anyways. Obviously, this wouldn’t work if you have young kids or a large party. We rode Splash Mountain first and before we grabbed a Fast Pass from another ride. This cost us some valuable time (haha). In the end, we rode plenty of rides. Including Pirates of the Caribbean, Alice’s Tea Party, and Mickey’s PhilharMagic. Plus, we walked around Tom Sawyer Island and the Swiss family Treehouse. I set my expectation to only ride two of the major rides and as a result, I was pleased with my Tokyo Disneyland ride experience.

Food is another issue within the park. There are several sit down style restaurants and typically a long wait to be seated. We decided to pack snacks and grab food at the various “street vendors” throughout the pack. After visiting Tom Sawyer Island, we arrived at Camp Woodchuck.

There was no line for the food and so we decided to eat. It was about 11:45, putting us ahead of the lunch rush. We went to the “Camp Woodchuck Kitchen” for lunch.

I ordered a maple chicken sandwich on waffles set. A set is the Japanese way of saying meal deal. The set included fries and a drink. The sandwich was messy and delicious.

For dinner, we made a quick stop for a Mickey Mouse steam bun. Yum and kawaii!

The other must have with respect to food is the popcorn. There are a variety of flavors and containers. A different container is sold with each flavor. Sonia went with the R2D2 container with soy sauce popcorn.

I finally decided on a Mr. Potato Head. Mainly because I love the commercial of Mr. Potato Head discovering Mrs. Potato Head in the pantry eating potato chips. “But, you’re a potato!” Haha anyways, it took us forever to find the Mr. Potato Head container and when we did, the cart was serving chocolate popcorn. Yuck. I decided to ask for just the container and I would go to another spot to buy the flavor I wanted, curry. Turns out, they will give you a popcorn voucher! Perfect! Curry it is!

The container has a strap to hang around your neck enabling you to snack and still walk around. Brilliant.

I must also address my Mickey Mouse sweatshirt. Long story short, I got really cold and needed another layer. And who doesn’t want a sweatshirt with Mickey ears?

The park was decorated for Easter. There were cute eggs everywhere.

The castle didn’t disappoint either.

The funniest part was hearing the tune to so many songs we know and yet not knowing the words because it was being sung in Japanese. Probably my favorite was on the Star Tours ride, hearing Yoda speak in Japanese. I couldn’t stop giggling.

Finally, I must address how cute so many people dressed to come to the park. Matching outfits were everywhere! Kawaii!!

The park is a lot smaller than the U.S. Disney parks. None the less, we walked over 22,000 steps according to the “health” app on my iPhone. Not too shabby for a full day of fun at the happiest place on Earth!

Meguro River

By wabisabisole

On April 4, 2017

In Cherry Blossoms, Flowers, Google Map, Japan, Meguro River, Sakura

Sakura Season is really starting to blossom. Would you believe that Google Map actually identifies areas where Sakura present and their bloom status. One place that has received a lot of attention is the Meguro River.

Besides Sakura, in the Meguro River area is Pizzeria de Michele. The plan of the day came together quickly and I was able to convince Dina and two of her kids to join me.

Lunch at Pizzeria de Michele, followed by a walk along the Meguro River to view the Sakura.

The pizza was just as amazing. Eme said it was her favorite pizza place in Japan. I couldn’t agree more!

After lunch, we took a 20-minute walk up and over a hill to the Meguro River walk. The Sakura were lovely.

We walked along one side, crossed the bridge, and then came down the other side. The other side had fuller blooms and at times gave the feeling of being surrounded by the Sakura. At night, the lanterns light up!

Along the way down the other side, we stopped for Sakura mochi. Because Japan!