Category: Silently in Japan

We were in a museum which was a reconstructed apothecary shop from the early Meiji era  and I saw on display a special wheat confection called “fu” that was dissolving in hot water and it occurred to me that was what I sank my teeth into last night.  It wasn’t soap, and it wasn’t dessert, but it…

The mystery of geishas only heightened for me yesterday when we roamed one of the old geisha districts, Higashi Chaya-gai, in Kanazawa.  More accurately, this is known as a Teahouse district. Historic buildings with wood lattice fronts…so you could get a hint of the elegance inside? Streets lined with colorful lanterns. What was it like on…

Descending from the Kenrokuen Garden we made it to the Omichi Market.  The green curtain hanging halfway down at the entrance is a known as a “noren”. Norens hang over entrances to places that serve food. They ward off heat and provide a sense of privacy. The Omichi Market featured a large emporium of food…

By the looks of it, this item could be a bar of soap, or dessert. But there’s only one way of checking. Hmm…. It turns out to be a hollow cracker with dried greens.  Not a taste sensation.

Among other things (like gold leaf and fu buns, snow crab and sea bream sushi), Kanazawa boasts production of the finest sake made with premo water straight from the mountain and locally grown rice. Our apartment host (Bill Smith…anyone think that’s not an alias?) prides himself on local sake knowledge so I asked “where can…

According to the Chinese classic, Rakuyo-Meienki, there are six excellent elements that can go into forming a garden.  “If there is spaciousness, seclusion will be diminished.  If artifice dominates, it lacks antiquity.  If there are many watercourses, it will lack commanding views.  Koen garden is the only garden that combines these six elements.” The Kenrokuen Garden in Kanazawa translates…

What I didn’t know (thanks for the tip David) is that Kanazawa is noted for gold leaf production.   Want to try your hand? For a price you can apply a sheet of gold leaf to a trinket and take home your handiwork. Or have a soft serve ice cream with a strip of edible gold…

Our first stop this cool, cloudy Thursday morning in Kanasawa was at the end of an alley which led to Myōyü-ji, aka Ninja-dera (Ninja Temple).  It’s a Buddhist temple that isn’t associated with any ninja history, but has a deceptive structure which has earned its nickname.  From the outside it looks like a two-story building, but actually…

Today calls for an “all layer” day for me. Inner to outer = turtleneck + blouse + light sweater + thinsulate jacket + rain jacket / wind breaker.  Grubb’s layers = long-sleeved tshirt + rain jacket. No surprise to anyone who knows him, he has two modes of dress: jacket on / jacket off.  Grubb…

When we left our Kyoto apartment this morning, it was drizzling and we felt too lazy to navigate the subway to get to Kyoto Station. I tried out Go Taxi. Worked like a champ.  Within 5 minutes, a taxi pulled up, the driver rolled down his window and asked for our order number. “007” I replied….

We are leaving Kyoto this morning, heading to Kanazawa so I thought I’d share some random last photos of Kyoto. Below: Upscale vending machines Hot sand or hot dog anyone? Below: Shop devoted to anime…or is that manga? Below: Kyoto streets Below: Our local supermarket Below: Snack break, egg toast and yuzu float Below: Okonomiyaki…

We’ve seen very few stop signs anywhere here. Drivers and cyclists keep to the left, pedestrians keep to the right. There are lots of small one lane roads – really just one lane shared by two way traffic. No stop signs or traffic lights at intersections on these small streets. Whoever gets to the intersection…

These two signs embedded in the sidewalk were right across the street from each other.

I was so enthralled with the Netsuke, I thought I’d add a few of my photos (be sure to read Grubb’s post first “Sculpture that fits into your hand”). A little more info