Wabi-Sabi Sole

Finding Beauty with Imperfection

Category: Japan Page 10 of 52

Arashiyama

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On March 1, 2018

In Japan

Wednesday morning we decided to venture out to an area of Kyoto called Arashiyama. It is an area of Kyoto I had never been. So, this was an unscripted part of Julia’s Tour. It was an easy 16 minute train ride followed by a short walk to our first destination.

The first location I had in mind for us to visit was a bamboo forest. I’ve heard many good things about it and thought it would be a good addition to Cindy’s growing Japan list. The forest was beautiful.

As we were walking through the forest we happened upon a cute little Shrine.

The Nonomiyama-jinja Shrine was first used as a location for imperial princesses to reside during their purification process. There are mentions of the Shrine in several Japanese tales and poems.

This next picture made me chuckle. I have seen umbrellas used for so many reasons in Japan. Rain, snow, and blocking the sun. This is the first time I’ve ever seen one covering a shrine! It’s just so cute.

After we left the Shrine, we continued our way through the bamboo forest. Before too long, we came to a Temple. We decided to stop and take a walk around. Again, we were amazed with the beautiful gardens.

We had a good laugh with seeing another set of stairs. We have definitely walked a lot a stairs over the past week!

One of the main features in the temple grounds was a pond. The still morning air created a perfect reflection.

As we came to the exit, we realized we were at the entrance. The entrance of a really large temple! Tenryu-ji Zen Temple. We apparently found the back entrance from the bamboo forest! Funny.

We came to a cross roads of sorts and could either head back to the bamboo forest or walk in the other direction to the Arashiyama Monkey Park. I left the decision up to Cindy. She choose the monkeys! Ha!

On our way to the monkey park, we passed a cute exhibit known as the “Kimono Forest.” Each of the poles are lined with a Kimono. The fabrics were beautiful.

we continued on our way to the Monkey Park.

Again, we laughed at the stairs. The joke was on us though. The monkey park was located at the top of a hill 160m high. Better get to stepping!

We finally made it to the top. It was worth it to see the view and the monkeys. The monkeys are Japanese Macaques. They same type of monkeys as the snow monkeys. These monkeys are just lucky because they don’t live so far north!

At the top, there is a rest house where you are permitted to feed the monkeys. We purchased a bag of cut apples and a bag of peanuts so we could feed the monkeys.

It was fun to feed the monkeys. They were so cute. I took a video as we were leaving. The monkeys started to argue. It lasted for about a minute. Notice at the end of the video the Japanese worker comes over and says something very softly to quiet them. Cindy and I decided he was the monkey whisperer.

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One last funny story from the monkey park. We were walking down the hill and there were two monkeys lounging. One was grooming the other. I started recording them. All the sudden, one makes the “angry” face we read about on the way up the mountain. At first, I thought he was smiling at me. Then Cindy says, he’s making the angry face. Oh! Yikes! I think we should all be able to make an angry face when we’re annoyed! Tell people to leave us alone!

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By the time we left the monkey park, it was time to work our way back to Kyoto Station. We needed to retrieve our bags from the hotel and grab lunch for the train home. Mission accomplished with ease.

The ride home was enjoyable and despite the cloudy skies we caught a glimpse of Mt. Fuji!

The Shinkansen train ride took about 2.5 hours to Shinagawa Station. We had another hour on the train home. Once back on base, we dropped our luggage and met Dave for Cindy’s farewell dinner. Sushi at Sushiro! Ironically enough, we saw my friend Miki as we were waiting for our table. She kindly offered to take our picture.

We had such an amazing time sharing Japan with Cindy during her visit. I will never forget our adventures, laughs, and experiences. It truly was a trip of a lifetime for all of us. Japan is a beautiful country with a wonderful culture. I’m happy Cindy could experience the beauty. I sent her home with extra love and hugs for everyone. Hugs and smiles across the many miles!

Nara Day Trip

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On February 27, 2018

In Cat cafe, Deer, Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, Japan, Kyoto, Nara, Shrine, Temple, Train

Tuesday morning we set out for the day to visit Nara. Along the way, we stopped at the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine. This is one of my favorite Shrines. Fushimi Inari Taisha has many parallel rows of Torii know as Senbon Torii or thousands of Torii gates.

The grounds are so expansive. There are multiple shrines of all different sizes. This was one of the larger ones. Many people were making their wish.

This large Torii near the center of the main shrine leads the way to the Torii paths.

As we walked up, we saw a cute lucky cat on the Shrine. He was there during our entire visit!

The passageways with all the Torii are really unique to walk through. The Torii were donated by local businesses. The writing on the Torii identifies the donor. The smaller Torii cost about ¥400,000 or ($4,000). The larger ones cost well over ¥1,000,000!

We waited patiently to take a few pictures without people. Well, almost with no people. The sweet lady in the last one waited while our picture was being taken.

The Shrine is dedicated to the God Inari, the Shinto God of rice. I also love the foxes serving messengers and sent to protect the shrine.

We left Fushimi Inari Shrine and caught a local train to Nara.

The first stop in Nara was at the Kofukuda-ji Temple. The most prominent feature of this temple is the five story pagoda.

The main temple hall is adjacent to the pagoda. Cindy was able to obtain another temple stamp. While we were waiting for the nice man to complete the stamp, he asked where we are from. Chicago, we replied. With his limited English he replies, America and Trump. Yes, we laugh. America and Trump. ???

We worked our way through Nara Park on the way to the Kasuga-Taisha Shrine. Cindy had a chance to see all the deer. Perhaps the best entertainment is watching people feed the deer. Before too long, she was ready to buy them treats.

Quickly they came running!

Oh, how funny. They start out so sweet. Before long they are aggressive and nipping your butt!

The deer were hilarious. Check out this one. He’s sticking his tongue out at Cindy.

Eventually, we found a sweet one.

We continued our walk through the park and worked our way towards the Kasuga-Taisha Shrine. This shrine has many lanterns along the path as you approach. They are so cool with the moss covering them. Occasionally, you will spot a deer with the lanterns.

I loved this picture. I was able to capture Cindy in the middle of so much Japan. The deer, the lanterns, the couple in the Kimonos, and the Torii gate.

The deer fountain to cleanse before visiting the shrine.

After our visit, we walked across the park again to the last temple on our Nara tour. The Tōdai-ji Temple is home to a large bronze statue of Buddha Vairocana. The building is 157 feet high and remains one of Japan’s largest wooden buildings.

We enjoyed our walk through the temple and viewing the Buddha. As we made our way back to the train station, we decided there was one more thing on Cindy’s Japan list we needed to complete. We needed a visit to a cat cafe. With ease using Google Maps, I was able to locate a cat cafe in Nara very close to the train station. For ¥600 we spent 30 minutes pestering and playing with the cute and not so cute kitties.

This guy was asleep in the toy box!!

We caught a limited express train back to Kyoto and enjoyed a delicious pizza for dinner.

This was a great day. We saw 4 Shrines/Temples, deer, and cats. It was a fun day exploring and experiencing Japanese culture!

Kyoto Kickoff

By

On February 26, 2018

In Japan, Kinkaku, Kyoto, Shinkansen, Shopping, Silver Temple, Temple, Train, Travel, Zen

Monday morning we caught the Shinkansen out of Shinagawa Station. Our destination was Kyoto. The trip took about 2.5 hours.

Yet again, I was giddy with excitement as we waited to board.

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Most of the marquees in the trains stations and on the trains flip between Japanese and English. This is especially helpful when you don’t speak (or read) the language and you need to make sure you are about to get on the right train. No one is checking your ticket as you board the train. Therefore, the important task of getting on the right train is the responsibility of the passenger. It’s also important because the tickets issued are for a specific train. This is different than taking the local trains. Those you can ride whenever and if you get on the wrong one it’s easy to switch at the next stop in 2-3 minutes. The Shinkansen less forgiving. If you get on the wrong one you may not stop for 25-30 minutes. That’s a long way in the wrong direction with the wrong ticket. Our train was at 10:40. The 509. Anyways, we made it no problem and with much excitement. Plus, we had a view of Mt. Fuji sling the way!

Upon arriving in Kyoto, we took our luggage to our hotel. It was still too early to check in, but we had temples to chase. First on our list was the Kinkaku – The Golden Pavilion. The clear skies and afternoon sun created perfect lighting for our visit. Gold foil covers the upper two levels of the Pavilion. On top of the structure is a shining gold phoenix.

The Gardens were beautiful. We were able to catch a few views of the temple from different angles. The benefit of it not being spring and having full foliage.

Lots of prayer cards!

After leaving the Golden Temple, we hailed a cab to the Ginkaku-ji Temple or the Silver Temple.

When Dave and I planned our trip in August, Manami suggested we visit the Silver Temple. We didn’t make it because it is more remote and off the beaten path. When I mentioned to Manami, Cindy and I were visiting Kyoto, she said, “Julia, please be sure to visit the Silver temple this trip.” Ok! I am so glad I listened. The Silver Temple and the gardens are incredibly serene. It definitely moved into my top five favorite Temples. I would love to live close to the temple and visit frequently. The moss covered ground and curving pathways are perfect for a walking meditation. So much zen.

Near the main structure was a sand garden and large sand structure. The large sand structure symbolizes Mt. Fuji. Just to be clear, the large structure that looks like a stone, is actually sand!

The sand garden was really cool.

By the time we were leaving the Silver Temple, we didn’t have enough time to make it to another one that afternoon. So, we had a cream puff and shopped.

We made our way back to the hotel and checked in. I’m happy to share, our room is directly across from the Kyoto Station. We can watch and hear the trains. My favorite of course are seeing the numerous Shinkansen trains! That entire building is Kyoto Station.

We set out for dinner. We went to Kyoto Station to explore the dining options. Kyoto Station is ginormous. Lots of food and shopping. After dinner, we visited the Kyoto Tower. The night view was lovely.

Kyoto Tower was built in 1964. The tower is 430 feet tall. It is built on top of a building. The 800 tons of weight doesn’t affect the building that serves as its foundation because of the ingenious design. It has the design and appearance of a lighthouse. Kyoto Tower was built in the city center as a beacon for industry, culture, and tourism.

As we walked back to our hotel, we could see the reflection of Kyoto Tower in the glass of Kyoto Station.

We had a great start to our first afternoon in Kyoto. Tuesday we will work our way south to visit another famous Shrine and the city of Nara. Cindy’s Japan adventures continue!

Local Tourists

By

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

By

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

By

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

By

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

By

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

By

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!

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