After a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration last night with friends, Sunday was a lazy, sleepy day. A beautiful crisp, sunny Autumn day! The leaves have started to fall but there's snatches of colour clinging to branches....
there's some more photos here.
What a fabulous day. It all began with a beautiful breakfast by the sea at bill's in Shichirigahama with my friend Naomi. It was a gorgeous day - blue sunny sky, a gentle breeze and sparkling ocean.
Alas, Dean was with his volleyball girls at a tournament!
Our friend Nobuko then guided us through a divine day of wandering in the temples, gardens and streets of northern Kamakura.
Zuisenji Temple is a Zen temple built at the end of the Kamakura Period (1185-1333). The founding priest was Soseki Muso, who also founded the Kinkakuji Temple (Gold Pavilion) in Kyoto. He was a talented garden designer and the gardens at Zuisenji are beautiful and known for their flowers, particularly the plum blossom and narcissus. We were fortunate to experience a special ritual while we were there...
On the first Saturday of November every year, the Temple hosts a unique service called "Shashin Kansha Kuyo", that translates as "a thanksgiving and exorcising ritual for photos." People bring their old photos to the temple so they can be disposed of in a Buddhist manner. The priest chants a sutra in front of a burning pot while people throw their photos in to the flames. The ashes are then buried in the temple grounds. Fascinating!
Not far from Zuisenji Temple, along narrow quaint streets is another very beautiful Zen temple - Hokokuji. This temple is famous for its Moso Bamboo gardens. The bamboo is amazing! A very peaceful and beautiful place where you can enjoy traditional Japanese green tea and sweets served in the centre of the garden.
Throughout the day we were fortunate to see children celebrating Shichi-go-san. During November, most specifically on November 15, families celebrate a day of prayer for the healthy growth and long life of children. Shichi-go-san literally means seven, five, three; and throughout Japan, boys and girls aged three, boys aged five, and girls aged seven visit a Shinto shrine with their parents. The children are dressed in traditional clothing - the girls in kimono and the boys in haori jackets and hakama trousers. Parents buy chitose-ame (longevity candy) for the children. The candy is shaped like a stick and comes in a bag that often carries illustrations of cranes and turtles--two animals that are symbols of long life. 'Chitose' means a thousand years and is used to denote very long periods of time. The candy and the bag are both expressions of parents' wish that their children lead long, prosperous lives.
We finished the day with tea and scones and a happy recounting of our journey.....
For lots more photos of the day visit my photo page
Akko, Hannah, Momoko and I spent the day at Tokyo Disneyland. It was fun but I don't think I'll go again! Tokyo Disneyland has to be seen to be believed. Crowded and long waiting lines for every ride. And it was a Monday!!! Some rides there was up to a 2 hour wait. We did not have the patience for those ones. We did get to ride Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan, Mad Hatter's Teacups, Racing cars AND we got to cram in to the stores with hundreds of eager shoppers. The parades were fun too - I even had a run in with a "rope Nazi"- an over-enthusiastic, non-english speaking, rude guide who was very protective of roped-off areas! The best part was the people watching! My how strange some people are, especially in Japan.....check out the photos here.
Wow! Where do the days go. Summer is coming to an end....and it feels like it only began last week!
We had fun visiting family and friends in the US and Australia for most of the summer.
After a busy few weeks in Ohio catching up with friends and family and lots of shopping we happily eased in to a restful six weeks at home in Oz with our faithful doggy Chester. What bliss to be home in familiar, peaceful surroundings. Beautiful beaches, wildlife and great Aussie food!
Not to mention fun with family and friends. Ah, if it could be this way always...
One big event for Dean was his eye surgery to remove cataracts. He no longer needs to wear glasses and is enjoying his new 'bionic' vision - alas, he sees the wrinkles now!
Check out all our summer pics here.
This weekend we shared breakfast with friends at the newly opened bills in Shichirigahama. bills is famous in Sydney. Now he has opened his first restaurant outside Australia and it's right here in Kanagawa Prefecture! A very modern, chic place on the beach with the wonderful aussie breakfast bill is renown for. I just had to have the scrambled eggs. Yum! We had fun and will go again I'm sure - maybe lunch next time?
Wow! what fun going to sumo wrestling. It was intriguing...the stadium, the dohyo (the sumo ring), the ceremonies, the size of the wrestlers, the atmosphere, the tradition. We had a great time and I would definitely go back!
There are six Grand Tournaments a year, three are held in Tokyo, and one in Osaka, Nagoya and Kyushu. A tournament lasts for fifteen days. Each wrestler (rikishi) fights once every day with a different opponent. The winner of the tournament, the rikishi with the best record of wins over losses, is awarded the Emperor's Cup on the final day after the last match.
The rikishi are sooo big especially when you come across them out in the corridors around the stadium. My favourite rikishi is the Bulgarian - Kotooshu. He ended up winning the tournament!
It is absolutely fascinating! I can't believe I actually thought it was so good!
I've educated myself about sumo by reading the beginner's guide at The Grand Sumo homepage. There's lots of interesting information in English.
Check out the rest of my sumo photos here.
Wow! What a fun-filled and action packed spring break. Mum & Dad visited us for just over two weeks and we managed to fill every day with something new. They have now returned home for a rest!
We visited Takayama, a wonderful city in the mountains north of Nagoya. The old part of the city is preserved and enchanting to walk around, especially in the early evening as the light fades and the lanterns are lit. We stayed in an antique-filled traditional Japanese inn called Yamakyu. The owners spoke English and were very helpful and kind. We were served traditional Japanese country food in a dining room with low tables and floor seating. Our rooms were tatami mat with futons for sleeping. See our photos of Takayama.
Kyoto, wow what a fabulous place! So much to see, do, taste, hear, smell! What a joy to walk the streets and explore. We joined Johnnie Hillwalker on his five hour walking tour of some of Kyoto. An informative and enlightening adventure. One of our favourite experiences in Kyoto was the Walk of Philosophy or Philospher's Walk (Tetsugaku no michi), a scenic path that follows a cherry-tree lined canal. It's said to be named after a Kyoto University philosopher, Kitaro Nishida, who used it for his daily walk. It was beautiful. Another highlight was the lit gardens of the Kodaiji temple which we explored one evening. We stayed at Motonago, a traditional Japanese ryokan, where we enjoyed beautiful Kyoto food each evening served in a traditional manner in our rooms. It was a delightful experience. Motonago is also in a fabulous location (Higashiyama-ku) close to Gion and many temples. There is just so much to see in Kyoto - we will definitely go back! See our Kyoto photos here.
Sakura or Cherry Blossom time is so big in Japan and we enjoyed the blooms in many locations including Kyoto, Hakone, Kamakura, Yoyogi Park in Tokyo, and our very own Negishi Park and Sankeien Garden here in Yokohama. You really do have to see it to believe it!
Mum and Dad were amazed at the trains, the crowds and the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. We visited the Meiji Shrine and were fortunate to view several wedding processions in the short time we were there! Shibuya is always a sensory overload experience! The view from the New York Bar of the Park Hyatt is breathtaking - we indulged in cocktails and drinks and a light dinner one evening while enjoying the setting sun and the lights of Tokyo.
We spent a fabulous day in Hakone riding the trains, ropeways, pirate ships and buses. What a fun time to do the circular route taking in the Hakone Open Air Museum and the sulphur springs along the way!
All in all a great spring break! Follow all the links and see our photos!
Dean left for Shanghai, China for four days yesterday. He's attending an IB history workshop there and was excited about his first trip to China.
Life has been busy with school and my university course starting again. This weekend I will spend finishing an essay that's due Monday! Joy joy joy.
Looking forward to next week when Mum & Dad are arriving for spring break. We plan on visiting Kyoto and hopefully we'll get lucky and see cherry blossoms. Fingers crossed. March 31st is currently the predicted date for the blossoms....
We have lots planned to introduce Mum and Dad to life in Japan. Should be a fun time. Stay tuned for photos.
Last night was my school's annual charity concert. The kids were amazing and did us all proud. Because I was responsible for the projection of background slides I had a front row seat and enjoyed watching the kids faces. Even the preschoolers had an act - they were adorable.
There were lots of tired teachers and children by the end of it! The teachers restored their sanity with free drinks at Outback Steakhouse afterwards!
Enough frivolity and back to my essay.....
On Valentine's Day we went to the Police concert at the Tokyo Dome. What a great concert. 25,000 people all standing for most of the show. Loved the light show and big screens. Definitely would have been hard to see without the screens! Sting really is hot! ouch!
We had a fun time on Friday evening celebrating Chinese new year with friends in Chinatown, Yokohama. There was a dragon parade, fireworks, costumes, crowds of people and lots of food!
Following the parade we took shelter from the freezing wind in the Seafarer Bar at the Hotel New Grand and enjoyed a pleasant drink. The remainder of the evening we feasted on Chinese food at the Peking Hanten. All in all a happy new year!
Saturday (my birthday!!) came and went very quietly - breakfast in bed and a long, lazy, day snuggled inside out of the cold, finished off with a lovely dinner enjoyed with friends at their apartment. It was cold when we stepped back out on the street to come home. The taxi driver excitedly predicted snow and lo and behold today (Sunday) we awoke to big snowflakes and a carpet of snow....
these photos were taken from the windows of our apartment!
Don't forget to check all my other recent photos
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