Our friends, Alyssa, Emsley, and Chelsea are here visiting us. Today we took them to Meiji Shrine, as always on Saturday, we saw a wedding party. As always a Japanese man came up and told us at 1:00 we would see a wedding procession. I think that they book weddings on the hour or every half hour.
I cannot even think of a of a reason why the back end of a horse is on the front of a bar near my house. What were they thinking. I need to figure out what the name of the bar, Majiri, means.
My dad was a mechanic. First, he worked on cars and later on huge earth moving equipment. He was good at what he did and he had an amazing tool box. It was about 3-4 ft high, 3 ft wide and about 1 1/2 to 2 feet deep. It was filled with Snap on Tools. As a child I thought it was cool that the Snap On Tools salesman drove a large white truck and he came to the shop where you worked to sell his tools. I always hoped that I would inherit his tool box someday. (I think the stepmother probably sold them).
Near my house there are several hair salons, but this one is quite unique. They use Snap on Tool boxes to hold all the tools of their trade. Clever?
There is a chain of craft stores in Tokyo called Yuzawaya. I was disappointed a few months ago when I discovered that the location I always go to was closing. There are several small branches, but they don’t even compare to the huge store I have always gone to in Kichijoji. Today I went to the flagship location in Kamata. The problem with the Kamata location is that the store is housed in several buildings spread over a few blocks. I was worried that I would not be able to find the building that had what I was looking for. I came out of the station and headed towards the first Yuzawaya sign I saw. Then out of the corner of my eye I noticed another one that was closer and decided to start there. It was the building I needed to find the blue and white gingham I need for the Dorothy dress I am making. I walked around the station area and decided to explore the other Yuzawaya buildings on a cooler day. Here are the photos I took:
Sun Road
Fruit and vegetable stand
Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful father’s and the future father in my life. I love you all and think you are incredible men and dad’s. I hope your day has been wonderful.
Papa Ricky
Luke
James
Andrew
Brian
Alex
Cody
I probably take too many photos of flowers, but I do love them. When we lived in London I used to visit the flower stall in St John’s Wood on Monday afternoon. I would buy a small bunch and come home with an armful. They were always trying to get rid of their flowers on Monday because Tuesday was the day they went to the New Covent Garden Flower Market (an amazing place by the way). My flat was rarely without a bunch of flowers. That all ended when we moved to Singapore, they were just too expensive. It is the same here in Japan, hence the Ikebana style of flower arranging. Ikebana requires very few flowers. I took a course a while ago, but I just don’t get the same joy from it as I do from English floral arranging. I love flowers and in large quantities.
Here in Japan I purchase a bunch of roses occasionally when the local flower shop has a Saturday special. Other than that I appreciate them as they grow in my neighborhood. This morning I noticed that the hollyhocks are blooming around the baseball diamond on the corner. And yes it is still raining!
I have arrived back in Japan just in time for the “rainy” season. It rained all afternoon today and into the evening. I have also arrived just in time for hydrangeas. They are one of my favorites. I love how just one large bloom creates a bouquet and how they change colors.
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