Tall Man Syndrome

I have posted this a few times, but not nearly as many times as Chuck has hit his head - three times a day MINIMUM. There are very few tall or overweight people here - Americans stand out like sore thumbs. Chuck's head is certainly sore! I think we may have found a solution: hard hat or samurai helmet.

PRESENTATION IS PARAMOUNT

From the sliced ham at breakfast to young girls' mid-afternoon shopping attire, every color, shape and form, is simply part of everyday life. This is a unrelenting heightened aesthetic with a grace that is both natural and required. Chuck is simultaneously overwhelmed and appreciative. Can a person be exhausted by attention to detail?

Our solution to too many Geishas

Finlandia Bar in the Geisha section of Kyoto - just off the main drag. For a sweet, fruity "Gion-hattan" the formally dressed bartenders ritualistically "wash" huge ice cubes in Cointreau, drain them, stir in whiskey and a dash of smokey bitters and add a cherry pierced with a silver toothpick. Served with dried orange and papaya. The spicy version is shaken over crushed ice served with wasabi macademia nuts.

What do roosters have to do with mosquitoes?

Maybe nothing. But the packaging is sublime and the popularity of the product here in Japan is undeniable.

Scattering ashes

Just scattered the final handful of my Mom's ashes in the garden if the Golden Pavillion in Kyoto. She always loved anything Japanese: the art, the crafts, the people, the aesthetic. She never got to travel there, but so far she has been with us in Toyko, Mt. Fuji, Kanazawa and now a little bit of her is added to this 600 year old pine tree -her second heavenly home.

Kyoto Konformity

The only self-expression allowed is in shoes and backpacks. "The nail that stands up gets pounded the most."

Transportation transformed

Clean, on-time trains, transparent trash bins (a very subtle anti-terrorist device), impeccable taxis, drivers with white gloves, charming hotel staff that invite you to enjoy a communal bath. They even have a service to take bags directly from the station to the hotel if you'd rather explore the city and check in later. A whole new experience of being transported.

TREASURERS IN THE ATTIC

For three centuries this home - made with not a single nail - housed families, gunpowder inspectors, wanted and unwanted guests and surely generated a myriad of stories along with mysterious antique tools. The present owner inherited it from his family. Thank heaven it is a national treasure: replacing the two foot thick thatching ever 10 years costs $300,000 for just half the roof.

IN PRAISE OF SHADOWS

The Japanese believe that everyone has a right to light - in all it's forms: diffused, translucent, internal...
However, some think that modernity brings too much light to bear on everything.
We spent the afternoon in a making washi paper (think diffused light, remarkable strength and a traditionally twenty-step process) by hand. Our guide then took us to a 400 year old thatched-roof house to climb among the smoke and shadows in the attic.

Chuck Reraxing

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> Grading papers before and after hot tub.
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Japanese Pancakes

Okonomiyaki - pronounced a bit like "economy-yaki" - are absolutely "Oishi desu!!" (Delicious!!!)
Grilled right before your eyes, these fluffy savory cakes are filled with cabbage, green onion and thinly sliced beef, shrimp, pork or squid. "Okonomi" mean " whatever you like" and "yaki" means "grilled."
Drop-in dinner was a masterful ballet of flying spatulas, sauces and sizzling savory smells. If you don't like alliteration, just grab a beer and eat. The menu has 4 items and a line around the block. In japanese style, it's in the basement of a department store. Definitely NOT leisurely, elegant dining. I see a franchise coming on, or at least giving "Chicken and Waffles" a run for their money.

KANAZAWA KWAZINESS

Read the book, rent a kimono, hail a rickshaw, balance on the shoes, sip bubble tea and explore the 19th Century geisha houses of the Higashi-Chaya-Gai District OR contemplate the six attributes of perfection (seclusion, spaciousness, artificiality, antiquity, abundant water and broad views) of the breathtaking Kenroku-en Gardens. Add a castle climb plus a trip to the market and stimulus overload is inevitable.

Food in Kanazawa

Oyster on the go!! Pyle was most happy to see piles and piles of them, but apples and avocados are three for $10 for three and a single melon is $35.

Heaven

There is a department store here in Kanazawa that has a top floor dedicated to making custom kimonos and a basement devoted to every possible kind of Japanese food - savory, raw, fried and LOTS and LOTS of gelatinous sweets. The circular treats are gold-leafed clear jelly coins.
It's ALL about the presentation.

FOOD AND DRINK IN KANAZAWA

The sake section filled an entire wall of the supermarket and the packaging is breathtaking. Who would ever want to open the bottle?
The food at the Omi-chō Market is dazzling - as are the prices: a basket of three avocados or apples for $10, a flat of cherries (these are the Cherry Blossom folks) for $35 and a single cantaloupe for $30.

Mt. Fuji Laundry

The color palette today: brown, grey, a touch of pink and the ubiquitous taupe. Everything we've seen is either muted tones or screaming neon.

Tokyo Banana

Just what I think of when I think of Japan

Near diseaster

Walking down the from a village in the rain, my cell phone (aka CAMERA) slipped out if my pocket and down through the grate into the storm drain. Never knew my fingers could become so long, thin, strong and flexible. A new SUPER POWER!!
Offering up a prayer at the next shrine.

THE CONVERGENCE OF COLOR AND CULTURE

The Niponga School of Painting uses only colors from minerals and precious stones (jade, ivory, gold, etc) while the Hakone Outdoor Art Museum is filled with a "Noah's Arc" of over 100 sculptures (Henry Moore, Maillol, Rodin, Noguchi, Klee, Jim Dine and PICASSO) are made of bronze, stone, plastic, wool and - of course - yarn.
All this at the base of Mt.Fuji.
Last eruption was 100 years ago - just yesterday in Geologist time.

God is in the Details

There are 800 million Shinto gods that surround us. How else could people create such beauty? These are ordinary MANHOLE COVERS in a village -population 500 and falling.

Rainy Day Laundry

Drying clothes and drying daikon.
On our way to Hakone, we stopped at a village to learn how to make noodles for lunch and got drenched in the rain. During our hike down the mountain road, my cell phone fell out of my pocket and slipped down through the grates in a storm drain. Could have been a disaster, but the long, slender fingers of Chucksan saved the phone, the trip , this blog and our marriage.

Not Everything is Manicured

Here in the Imperial Gardens of Tokyo not every blade of grass is clipped, there are actually non-Bonsai trees and, in fact, our little intrepid traveler has found CRAB GRASS. We are, however, inspired to do some major landscaping when we get back home!

SMOKERS AND GROPERS

In the finer hotels and most public places in Tokyo, Smokers are ostracized and Gropers are arrested. In fact, during crowded commute hours, there are separate cars for women so they can avoid any small, but wandering, hands.