Wabi-Sabi Sole

We had a wonderful opportunity on Saturday to share Zushi with our friend Ashley. Ashley was our favorite bartender in Great Lakes. We frequented the base bar enough to develop a nice friendship. She is in Japan for her yearly trip to visit her family. Zushi Beach had their Zushi Candle Festival on Saturday. Ashley joined us to view the candles and for dinner.

We had a good laugh at the candle arrangements. It took us a minute to figure out which way to view the display. Once Dave convinced us we were looking at it upside down… We flipped around and laughed – at ourselves and the Japanese. The Japanese had jokes. They wrote, “We’ve moved Fuji” with the candles. It made us laugh. For a couple reasons. One, they made a candle outline of Mt. Fuji. Two, it was cloudy so we couldn’t see Mt. Fuji from the beach. It was like a Japanese magic trick/joke. Haha.

The candles and the blue lights on the water were so pretty.

We had fun playing with the settings on Ashley’s iPhone 8. Can you see our shadows on the water? Yet again, I’m reminded how much I’m ready/excited to upgrade my phone when we move back.

Before getting on the train, we stopped at our favorite chu-hai stand in Zushi. The tree next to the stand had been wrapped with sweaters? Not really sure the purpose. Maybe the locals thought it was chilly. Regardless, it was definitely kawaii!

It was so fun to see Ashley. Having the opportunity to see friends when we are so far away helps fill our happiness buckets.

Ashley and I have plans for a day in Tokyo on Tuesday. I can’t wait to enjoy my favorite city with a “local.” We also discussed where to find our favorite Japanese foods in Chicago. So many things to look forward to… in the meantime, I’ll work on eating as much maguro (tuna) as possible.

I have chased so many flowers while living in Japan. It’s been one of my favorite hobbies. The Kinmokusei is one last flower I must share with you. Visually, it isn’t showy like the Sakura, Hydrangeas, or Wisteria. In fact, it’s possible to walk past the flowering tree / shrub without even seeing it. However, you will definitely smell it. The fragrance of the Kinmokusei smells like a orange blossom. Or more like an orange blossom on steroids. I smelled it our first year by our house at the end of September / October and it wasn’t until last fall that I actually knew where the smell was coming from! Here is a large Kinmokusei tree near our house.

Do you see the tiny orange blossoms? Here’s where I admit how I’m a ding dong. The first year we were here, I thought the smell was coming from the trash can. I thought housing sprayed an air freshener into the trash can. I know. It sounds ridiculous. Every time we leave our house, we walked by both the tree and trash can. I never noticed the tree or the tiny flowers, only the trash can. (Shout out to Hooptie in the background. She’s still going strong (knock on wood)).

Last October, one of my English students brought a clipping to class to share. I was dumbfounded. That beautiful smell was coming from that tiny flower!! Look how small the blossoms are.

The blossoms haven’t quite opened. However, another typhoon is coming this weekend and I was worried the blossoms would be damaged. Plus, it’s such a beautiful day today. Perfect for appreciating flowers.

Now that I know the odor and the plant, I find myself looking for the tree or shrub whenever I smell it. I’ve noticed (smelled) them everywhere. On runs, walks, around the base, in Zushi, and in Tokyo!

Through my research I learned, the flower only blooms when the air quality is good. Also, it blooms from the end of September until the middle of October. The Japanese associate the scent with autumn. All of these facts, make me appreciate the flower even more. If only I could incorporate odor into my blog post! Happy Autumn!

Dave and I have a trip to Osaka planned for next weekend. After doing my own research and working with the travel agency, I realized it would be cheaper for me to book the hotel and buy Shinkansen tickets myself. Buying Shinkansen tickets is super easy and can be done the day of travel. However, I wanted to take care of the details in advance. Plus, Katie needed to purchase Shinkansen tickets as well. We decided to head to Shinagawa to purchase tickets and investigate hotels we both might consider using over Veterans Day weekend. After completing our requirements, we were ready for lunch. We took the Yamanote Train Line to Yebisu Station. Dave and I have been to this location several times. Mainly for lunch at Pizzeria da Michele and also to see holiday lights. I decided to share my favorite pizza in Japan with Katie. Check out the guy over my shoulder laughing. I wish we could have understood the joke!

After lunch, we had plans to visit the Museum of Yebisu Beer. Or as we came to call it, Yebisu Beer Land.

The museum was free to enter and only charged ¥400 for a glass. The beer menu and the food menu was on a board as you approached the counter. You used the machine to change your yen into Yebisu coins. The coins could be used to purchase both food and beer.

I sampled the Yebisu Meister and Katie had a glass of the Perfect Yebisu. It was interesting to watch the bartender pour the glass. To get the perfect Japanese pour, there is a small nozzle on the side to add foam.

We also ordered a small snack plate. A little crunch as we sipped our beer. They all had interesting flavors. The dried peas were pretty tame. The large goldfish crackers were drizzled with honey. The fish jerky was surprisingly pretty good. They croutons were probably my least favorite. They had a strange smoke flavor.

After our refreshments, we were ready to complete the museum tour. Yebisu is one of the seven Lucky Gods of Japan. He is the God of luck and always portrayed with a fishing pole and holding a fish.

After our Yebisu Beer Land adventure, we started working our way home. We made a few stops along the at, enjoying the journey. It was a productive rainy day of trip planning, gathering research, and appreciating good pizza and beer!

This past weekend when Dave and I were in Kamakura, I saw a flier for a Menkake Procession being held at the Goryo Jinja Temple in Hase. Dave obviously had to work today and couldn’t join me. Fortunately, Katie was free and accompanied me on this interesting adventure. The parade wasn’t until 2:30pm. We decided to meet earlier and enjoy lunch by the beach. Katie suggested a cute little cafe called Cocomo that she has been interested in visiting. It was adorable!

The view was spectacular! We had a seat directly in front of the large open window that overlooked the beach. It reminded me of the Belvedere in Virginia Beach.

The food was delicious. I ordered the margherita pizza and Katie ordered the shrimp and avocado salad. We highly recommend both!

After lunch, we went to the Goryo Jinja Temple. We wanted to make sure we knew where to go and have time to see what was happening. Upon arrival, we found a huge crowd gathered around the traditional music being played. It was beautiful to listen to as we walked around the temple.

We decided to walk down to the beach and wait for the procession to begin. We were lucky to catch the Enoden train as it passed by the Temple.

It was a beautiful beach day! The day was full of faces. We passed a man making a face in the sand. Kawaii!

Once it was closer to the time of the procession, we walked back to the Temple. While we were waiting, I did a little research so we could better understand the significance of the Menkake Procession.

According to my research, the legend goes something like this. The samurai leader, Yoritomo Minamoto, impregnated a girl of a lower house. When the girl’s family would come to visit them, they wore masks to conceal their identities and poorer backgrounds. The Menkake Procession includes ten masked men. The masks they are wearing are over 200 years old. This is a special celebration and can only be observed in Kanagawa. As a result, the procession has been designated as a Intangible Cultural Asset by the Prefectural Government of Kanagawa. There was a good crowd viewing the procession and the street was very narrow.

With a little persistence, I was able to get a few good photos of the masked men.

Also part of the procession was a masked pregnant woman wearing a kimono. The crowd was encouraged to touch her belly. Her pregnancy is a symbol of good luck and good harvest. The mask in front is of Fukurokuju, one of the seven lucky Gods.

As with all Japanese parades, a Mikoshi was pulled. The Mikoshi is a Shrine for the God to be transported during the procession.

We enjoyed the afternoon. Especially, lunch and beach time. The procession was fun to observe. There are so many interesting and small events in Japan. I feel fortunate when I happen to find out about one in time to enjoy it!

When we arrived in Japan, July 31st, 2016, Dave’s sponsor, Ed, provided us with an amazing laundry basket full of essential items, candy, and snacks. I remember taking a picture of it and writing a blog about it. Unfortunately, that was one of my “lost blogs”. With respect to the care package, Ed told us to pay it forward for the next person. I also remember waking up at 2am that first night, starving, and diving headfirst into the laundry basket. Jet lag is no joke when you cross the international dateline! Keeping with the tradition and gratitude, Dave and I made a “welcome to Japan” laundry basket for his relief and his wife. It had multiple layers and a mixture of American and Japanese snacks and puppy snacks.

I have a feeling you will have many questions. Yes, Dave’s relief has arrived. Dave also has his orders. We will be leaving Japan in January 2019. We are heading to Naval Station Great Lakes where he will be the CO of TSC. Right now, we are in the stage where we are:

• Making lists of everything we need to see and do in Japan before we leave.
• Host a few more visitors! (My favorite!)
• Eat as much sushi and ramen as possible.

Katie saw an advertisement for a goldfish (Kingyo) aquarium art exhibit called, Art Aquarium, being held in Tokyo. We compared our schedules and booked tickets for Monday 9/10. The exhibit was held in the Ginza area of Tokyo. It opened at 11:00am. We arrived shortly after the opening and received our tickets.

The ceiling of entrance contained glass fish bowls with mirrored sides. As you walked underneath the bowls, you could see the goldfish from many different angles.

The exhibit was contained in two large rooms. Music was playing throughout the exhibit and the lighting was constantly changing colors. Overall, it seemed on the smaller side. Especially, with so many people! Even on a Monday morning!

Along the back wall was the Aqua Gate exhibit. The exhibit consisted of several large prism shaped aquariums stacked on top of one another. The lighting added a dramatic visual element.

Smaller tanks in another area contained very interesting looking Kingyo with large sacks under their eyes.

At the back of the room was a huge tank full of Orange Kingyo.

In the center of the room was a ginormous fish bowl with large carp. I took several pictures to give you a size perspective.

The front wall of the room had a very cool exhibit. At first I thought they were screens with projections. Then I realized they were fish tanks with Kingyo and projections. Plus, constantly changing lighting.

Here is a short video of the projections.

The final exhibit in this room was the Floatingrium. The cylinder gives the impression there is little separating you and the highest quality carp, Nishikigoi.

The second room had more goldfish and even more people. We couldn’t get over how excited everyone was for the entire exhibit. The final display with the sword and fish reminded me of Dave’s and my visit to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa!

This last one was my favorite. It looked like a bubblegum jar filled with goldfish.

After our art experience, we stopped at the cafe and enjoyed a fish beverage. Don’t worry, the floating fish was only candy!

The next place to visit in Tokyo during our Fishes of Tokyo Day was Platinum Fish. Dave’s niece and her son watched a train special and sent me information about a cafe in the middle of two railway tracks. I saved it on Google Maps several months ago. When Katie and I were planning our day, I realized it was very close to the area we would be visiting. It was a cute little cafe. The waitress was unfriendly and unhelpful as we tried to order food. Finally, we gave up ordering food and just ordered a beer. As we sipped, we waited for the trains to pass.

Katie used Yelp to help us find a place for lunch. To our surprise, we were right next door to a craft brewery. Hitochino Nest Beer is one of Katie’s favorite Japanese micro breweries. We were thrilled to enjoy a tasty craft beer. The bartender was super friendly and very helpful with our order. We had a modest pork cutlet sandwich for lunch!

When we came out of brewery, we wandered around a bit more taking in the sights in this part of the city. Before too long, it started to rain. We decided to work our way back to Yokohama on the train and enjoy dinner at the station. We stopped at Luke’s Lobster for a lobster roll before heading home.

It was a fishy and fun day in Tokyo. Tokyo is always an adventure. You just don’t know what will happen or what small little gem you might find. Thanks for reading!