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Category Archives: Japan, Travel & Culture
Thoughts on Food & Love on Christmas Day
Christmas, in my view, is more intimate than other occasions on the calendar. At least it is in the Pacific Northwest where I have experienced the majority of my Christmas celebrations. Inside the home trees, lights, fires and candles glow. … Continue reading
Christmas Eve in Yokohama and Tokyo
Last weekend I hopped the train to Yokohama—about an hour out of Tokyo—to join friends for the Christmas Market in a former warehouse district now converted to event and boutique space. On Christmas Eve Sunday I’d been invited back for … Continue reading
Getting into the Spirit
Twenty-two minutes before the Solstice sunset I was seated on the 41st floor of the Park Hyatt Tokyo in Shinjuku with a glass of champagne. Looking west through semi-sheer blinds diffusing the view, a large orange ball hung over the … Continue reading
Sogetsu Level One Book One Complete!
Check! I have now completed Level One of Book One in my Sogetsu Ikebana course. I started the first two lessons of Level Two on Tuesday, and will persist in my attempt to complete Level Two before leaving Japan.
Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture, This & That
Tagged Completed Level One Sogetsu Ikebana
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Touring Asakusa in Kimono with Friends
Two friends from Toyohashi (near Nagoya) visited me on the weekend. They wanted to have lunch, then dress in rented kimonos to wander around Asakusa and visit Sensoji Temple. After that, they wanted to view the illuminations at Skytree Town.
Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture, Reviews, This & That
Tagged cultural appropriation, Touring Asakusa in Kimono
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Finishing up with Autumn
Winter is settling into Tokyo. But not that many days ago Jingugaien, the ginkgo avenue with its four rows of 146 trees on both sides of the street, was a splendid sight.
Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture, This & That
Tagged Autumn in Tokyo, Jingugaien, Koyo, Takaosan, Tokyo's Ginkgo Avenue
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Different Folks Different Strokes
Friends traveled into Tokyo from Toyohashi to visit me yesterday. I met them at Gaienmae Station near my apartment as they wanted to see where I was living. That done, we were about to depart when I remembered my gloves. … Continue reading
Tokyo Opera’s Der Rosenkavalier
Last Sunday I attended Tokyo Opera’s Der Rosenkavalier. It’s a tale of the Marschallin Princess Marie Thérèse, an aristocrat in a bittersweet dalliance with young Count Octavian. This, as all things do, must end. The inevitable is the inevitable; however, … Continue reading
O Tannenbaum O Christmas Tree
O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum / Du kannst mir sehr gefallen! O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree / You give me so much pleasure!
Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture, This & That
Tagged My Tokyo Christmas tree, O Christmas Tree, O Tannenbaum
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Noshing and Nosing in My Tokyo Neighborhood
It is the most unnatural thing in the world for me to point a phone at something and take a photo. I wasn’t much better when carrying my Canon Elph. So often when sifting through the digital files for an … Continue reading