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Category: Seen around Tokyo (Page 1 of 11)

Moving on

April 7, 2012 / / 3 Comments

The movers arrived promptly at 9:00am on April 2. It took three days for them to pack us. Then our home of six years looked like this:

No more seeing the Angel Moroni from our window.

We did have time to get out and around Tokyo for hanami (cherry blossom viewing) one last time.

Hanami Party at Ueno Park

I also took a short walk around my neighborhood and favorite park. Goodbye Tokyo Temple and your beautiful gardens

Goodbye Arisugawa Park.

I won’t miss you miss you, Mr. Crow.

Very early on Friday morning we went to the airport for our flight to Singapore and then on to Perth, Australia to spend two weeks with Luke, Allyson, Madeleine and Isabelle.

Goodbye, Land of the Rising Sun. We will miss you…you are part of our hearts. We are so grateful that we were able to live here for six years. We are grateful for friends who have blessed our lives. We are grateful for all we have learned.

Sayonara and a contest

March 26, 2012 / / 3 Comments

Although I have been working at getting everything ready to pack up and leave Japan, it really hasn’t hit me that it’s actually happening now. I am right on schedule for everything I want to have finished and will be ready when the packers arrive next Monday. I have not been keeping up with my daily gratitude posts and I plan to do better. I am changing them up a bit this week and want to post about the things I am going to miss about Tokyo and Japan. These are still very much gratitude posts, you see.

So today as I plan to say sayonara, these are the things I am going to miss:

This morning I got up early to take a photo of the Angel Moroni…there will be more to come. A few weeks ago I was a bit distressed when the tower that the Angel Moroni is on became covered with scaffolding. I knew that there was damage from the earthquake that caused Moroni to spin around. He was still in position so I thought they were doing the work while he remained in place. Then one day he was just gone. I was a bit sad and worried that this beautiful statue that I can see from my window might not return before my departure. Then just as quickly as he had disappeared he was back and last week the scaffolding came down. They actually installed a new angel. Some of the missionaries are referring to him as Moroni the Younger. Here are some photos a temple missionary sent to me.

The old Angel Moroni was taken down in parts

The new angel just put into place

This morning's view

I wanted to get up early and shoot the Angel Moroni from this spot down the street. The large silver building is Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills. If I shoot from the corner down the street from the temple it makes it appear as if the Angel Moroni is on top of Mori Tower.

I will miss seeing the the angel from my window everyday.

I will also miss the wonderful smell of the Japanese bakeries as I pedal the streets early in the morning.

I think I am going to miss having a blog called Life in Japan. I’m not sure what to call it now.  I don’t think I want to call it Life in Texas. I’m open to suggestions…maybe I should have a contest. Submit your ideas and I’ll think of a prize if there is a winner. I have an idea, but I would be open to others.

Spring

February 4, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Since yesterday was the first day of spring here in Japan, it only made sense that it was a gorgeous, spring like, day here in Tokyo. Early today I was still cold on my bike ride, but when we went out around noon it had warmed up a bit, the sun was shining and there were hardly any clouds in the sky. We started with lunch at our favorite tonkatsu place. Next we took the train to Kasairinkankoen. It’s also known as Tokyo Sea Life Park. We walked around for awhile.

Space Mountain

View of Tokyo Disney

 

I am grateful for wonderful Saturdays.

Tokyo

January 22, 2012 / / 0 Comments

I am grateful that I am blessed to live in Tokyo.

The first of the lasts

January 9, 2012 / / 0 Comments

There will be many last times in the next three months and they will come quickly and be gone before we know it. Today is the last time we will attend sumo. We have attended sumo over 14 times since arriving in Japan in 2006. We get tickets one day during each Tokyo Basho. I am grateful for this Japanese cultural experience.

Opening by Hakuho- the Yokozuna

Our Box Seats

The referees are always colorful

This meeting of the judges resulted in a rematch

Harumafuji- one of my favorites

The Yokozuna-Hakuho

 

 

Obon

September 27, 2011 / / 1 Comment

We ventured out one Saturday in August to watch the dancers for the Japanese Holiday Obon. There were thousands of spectators. Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the deceased spirits of one’s ancestors. This Buddhist custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors’ graves, and it’s also when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori.

Hanami

April 11, 2011 / / 2 Comments

Yesterday we walked to Aoyama Cemetery with Ian, Hillary and Andrew. Andrew actually slept in the stroller on the way there, woke up and walked around a little and rode back home. Then today I met some of the women from our district and went to Shinjuku Gyoen for a little more hanami (blossom viewing). Here are the photos:

Photo shoot of cute Andrew

Shijuku Gyoen

New maple leaves

Picnics under the sakura trees

Sakura

April 9, 2011 / / 1 Comment

It’s cherry blossom time in Tokyo. Rick keeps reminding me that this may be my last year to see them. Tuesday he had a holiday and so went walked around Tokyo to see some of them. I’m lucky to be able to see some right out my window.

East Garden of the Imperial Palace

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