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Tokyo Tower Today

January 17, 2011 / vanalee / 0 Comments

I have posted other photos of Tokyo Tower before. It dominates the skyline from many places in my neighborhood. Today I had an appointment right across the street from it. There was a striking contrast between the red and white tower and the deep blue sky. The perspective of being under it, instead of shooting from a distance was interesting.

Family Photo Spot- Kawai (cute)

I was able to resist having a crepe for lunch. They are so yummy! Instead, I came home and had a bowl of homemade tomato soup that I made from scratch on Saturday night.

For Marisa

January 16, 2011 / vanalee / 1 Comment

Marisa requested a photo of the hat I bought in her comment on yesterday’s post. So Marisa this is for you.

Next week, I am going to be in Boone, NC to visit Andrew, Leigh and Rorey and then take care of Andrew, Rorey and the granddogs, Chaco and Emma while Leigh attends a conference in Minnesota (even brrr-ier, I’m sure that isn’t a word). It’s really cold in Boone and they will probably have snow. One of my duties is to take Emma, the husky, outside a few times a day and put her on the zipline so she can run. I also get pretty cold at night, especially my head. So when we were at the flea market I bought a hat. It’s not a hat you would expect me to wear. I bought it at the same stall that I bought a possibly identical hat from for Kristina two years ago. It is a group that supports health missions to Nepal. They bring handmade hats, felt purses and other wool items back from Nepal to sell and use the funds to support their missions. Â So here are the photos (Marisa, you have to know I love you to post such a lovely photo on my blog!):

My Hat

Me in my hat!

Setagaya Boroichi

January 15, 2011 / vanalee / 2 Comments

Today we went to the Setagaya Boroichi. It is a huge flea market that has been going on since 1578. It is held only four days a year (January 15 -16 and December 15-16). It is considered one of the largest flea markets in Japan. They have vintage clothing, kimonos and obis, new clothing, antiques, food, housewares and tons of miscellaneous junk for sale. It is usually very crowded when the 15th and 16th fall on weekdays, but on a Saturday it was really packed and we were there early. We tried some of the food from the stalls and just wandered around looking at everything. I bought a hat to wear in a week and a half in freezing North Carolina. Here are some photos:

The year of the rabbit

Marching Band

The crowds

Super Heroes

Old Scouter

Soup Bowls

Yakisoba Omlettes???

Museums

January 14, 2011 / vanalee / 0 Comments

Today I went with a new friend to an art exhibit at the Tokyo Museum of Western Art. The artist was Durer. She was very familiar with him because she served a mission in Germany. I remember his work from my art history class. It was interesting because most of the works exhibited were from the birth and crucifixion of Christ and Japan is not a Christian country. I find that many times I am disappointed by special exhibitions in Japan. Â They tend to never have any of an artist’s great or famous works. For example, the Vermeer exhibit we went to a few years ago included many sketches and only one painting. I did enjoy the Durer exhibit, but longed to see more than his woodblock prints.

Sumo

January 13, 2011 / vanalee / 0 Comments

Although we enjoy attending a day of sumo three times each year, things have changed since Asashoryu retired leaving one yokozuna. It seems almost a little dull at times. We sit in the same place at each tournament and often the same man is in a seat nearby. He has his own bottle of sake and talks to the people seated around him. He is quite vocal and tries to get others worked up and chanting for certain sumo wrestlers. By the time the best wrestlers are up at the end of the tournament he is usually quite drunk. This time he actually fell asleep/passed out. See the photo of the headless man below. Â He was sitting up and his head was resting on his chest. (The group seated around him were not interested in participating in his cheering this time).

Forgetting my camera

January 12, 2011 / vanalee / 0 Comments

There are many days I take my camera and just don’t “see” anything I want to photograph. Then there are days like today when I forget my camera and find many things I want to photograph. For example, the African man walking just ahead of me for a mile of my walk. He was doing a karate workout while he walked. He would spin and kick several times and then begin walking again. At one point he stopped in front of a shop with a large window and tried to take himself down. It was most amusing! Also, I would have loved to photograph the beautiful clothes in the Escada window right now. I have decided that if I were to wear expensive designer clothes they would have to come from Escada. I really like most everything they have in their windows. With no camera today here is the photo.

Sumo Fans

A Christmas Gift

January 11, 2011 / vanalee / 0 Comments

Rick and I received this as a Christmas gift. I have had mixed feelings about whether or not I’d like one because I love everything about books. The feel, the smell….everything. Books are part of my first memories. My great aunt was a librarian and always had a book to share. One of my favorites was about a little girl and the crescent moon. My grandmother would often bribe my sister and I on shopping trips with a reward of a Little Golden book. It worked and we had quite a collection. I had a library card from an early age. I think I discovered that reading about other people’s lives allowed me to escape reality and since my reality wasn’t always so great I read all the time. In 6th grade I read every biography in my school library. I also read Rosemary’s Baby! Where was my mother?

Back to the Kindle…In early December I ordered a book from Amazon Japan. I thought it would be a great read during my December travels. The website did not state, in English anyway, whether the book was a hardback or a paperback. It arrived and it is a hardback, a very thick and heavy hardback. Since I was already carrying my laptop I could not bring myself to take the book. It cost about $15. That is when I decided a Kindle would be great. The Kindle version of the book is $9.99! Will I buy that book for the Kindle, too? No, I’ll just have to read when I’m home for awhile which will be after March 3.

I just booked two trips, one to the freezing Appalachian Mountains and the other to sunny warm Perth. By the way, I do like the Kindle a lot!

National Holiday

January 10, 2011 / vanalee / 0 Comments

Today was a national holiday, Coming of Age Day. Many people get a holiday from work to celebrate all young people who are turning 20. Many girls dress up in kimono and visit a shrine. Since I haven’t seen this we went to Meiji Shrine. Here are the photos:

The girl above was a westerner, maybe American, accompanied by a Japanese man and woman. Our thought was that she might be a student living with them or on a cultural exchange. It was so funny to see girls so traditionally dressed and still obsessed with their cell phones.

Unusual

January 9, 2011 / vanalee / 0 Comments

I just don’t keep track of when new music is being released. Here in Japan I am reminded often because a big poster is right in front of me It took up most of the building.

Saturday

January 8, 2011 / vanalee / 0 Comments

I have loved the weather since I arrived back in Tokyo this week. Clear skies and cold! Rick arrived home around noon and asked about my plans for the rest of the day. I had been up since 5am cleaning like a crazy woman and I still hadn’t finished and probably won’t until Tuesday. Monday is a national holiday and we have sumo tickets. Anyway, back to our plans…I had none, I just wanted to get out somewhere and enjoy the sunshine and crisp air. Then I remembered Jiyugaoka. Every time I ride the train to Nori’s I think, “This place looks interesting, I should get off sometime and wander around.” When I told Rick he got online and found a restaurant that Nori’s husband, Mitch had told him about. Cheap, all you can eat, sukiyaki and shabu shabu. By the time he finished, he had pages of info and maps. We found the restaurant easily.

We chose shabu shabu with a combination of beef and pork. The center of each table has an electric burner and a pot of broth was put on it immediately. Once it’s boiling you cook your own meat and vegetables and eat them with a bowl of rice.

There is a time limit on the all you can eat idea and the host was careful to tell us before we were seated that because they close at 3:00 we would not have the full time. We weren’t worried. We ate all that was served and requested a refill on rice. Then we went to a vegetable bar (think salad bar) and loaded our plate up. Â The meat was delicious, but the initial serving was substantial. Our bill totaled 3150 yen, drinks were included. The last time I had shabu shabu my meal alone was over 10,000 yen. Fortunately, it was a business dinner and the company paid.

We walked around Jiyugaoka for awhile. An interesting find was a “mission” store that sold handmade items, many made of felted wool. One day I’ll go back and try to figure out what the mission is and maybe buy some gifts. There is a huge flower shop, a tiny, traditional soba noodle shop, and great little streets to wander around in.

Soba Shop