Food, Flowers, and Festivals = Fun: September 2015

As anyone who knows me well knows, I don't sing in public for very good reason. I love to sing (when I'm alone) but I can't carry a tune - it's genetic. Still, karaoke is such a Japanese staple - everyone does it - and it's one of the few Japanese things I haven't tried yet. Since I am trying to 'challenge myself' (as Peter's old nursery school teacher would have said) each year by doing something I'm afraid of - usually it has to do with height or speed (jumping off a rock into a river, going on a roller coaster, etc, crossing suspension bridges, etc.), in this case embarrassed to do I decided it was time. At my friend Cindy's suggestion, we decided to give it a go last night after I got her assurance that 'what happens at karaoke stays at karaoke'.

The private karaoke rooms.

Food offerings.

Cindy

Just kidding, wasn't really singing.

I have to say it was fun. You can pay by the hour or get an unlimited pass. At this particular place they also had pool/billiards and darts and a drink bar (soft drinks, hot and cold coffees and teas and some soft serve ice cream) that was included. I think all the places have food and liquor that can be ordered and groups of students and businessmen often make a night of it.

The main problem for me was that most of the songs didn't have the melody playing but chords or background music. I think I can get by, almost decently, if I'm following a melody - someone else singing or the actual notes of the song - but I can't do anything on my own. But it was fun and I don't think I did too much damage to Cindy's ears. Will I do it again? That's undecided, but I am able to check one more thing off my life's 'to do' list.

Next I'd like to try that contraption you stand on in a lake and somehow the water lifts you up into the air like you have rockets in your shoes....

By the way, we had to decorate (if you can call it that) our classrooms for Halloween. Here's mine - I tried to choose the least scary decorations. The other rooms have a lot more black, eyeballs, graveyards, etc. I think there will be a lot of very scared little children, I really don't understand why we have to 'torture' them. In past years they had to cover the windows as well, and evidently they used even more black. I guess I got off lightly.

In the spring there is a week, usually in early May, which has 3 national holidays and so most people have the week off. It's called Golden Week. In the fall there is a week - this past week - which has 3 national holidays in a row (we only had those 3 days off although others have the whole week) and is called Silver Week. During both of those weeks, and the obon (time to remember the ancestors and welcome them home) holiday in August, the whole nation (pretty much) travels. The result of everyone having the exact same vacations? High prices for hotels, airplane and train tickets and unbelievable crowds everywhere.

I looked into spending a few days in Korea or Taiwan but the airfare was to high for such a short visit. So when my friend Yoshie invited me to Tokyo I accepted. I got to the train station early so I stopped for some ice coffee and these interesting items at the McDonald's across the street.

Fried cheese and rice balls from McDonalds.

Not bad but not at all filling.

I took the regular train one stop north to Maibara where I was able to board the shinkansen (the bullet train) which is convenient and fast but quite expensive. It only took 2 hours though, and by regular train it takes about 6 or 7 hours.

Leaving the green countryside and heading to the BIG city.

I had decided to spend the night with a different friend, Reiko, who lives near Yokohama and she and her mom and daughter picked me up at the station. Then we went to an open air outdoor museum. Sort of like Sturbridge Village/Plymouth Plantation/Williamsburg old (1800s) houses were brought to the site from around Japan.

Most of the buildings had adobe like walls, thatched roofs, and wood or bamboo (thin round bamboo trees covered with straw mats) floors. But a few had walls made of tree bark. In many cases the horses had stalls inside the houses.

It felt like I was in Big Sur!

This sign was in front of an outhouse!

There were small, round bamboo poles under these straw mats - it couldn't have been very comfortable!

Reiko, her mom and her daughter Saki.

This is an ingenious contraption. I was so impressed. The two roofs meet here and to keep the water from leaking into the house they cut that big bamboo tree open on top and placed it so that the rain will run down the thatch of both roofs and into the 'pipe' that the bamboo makes. The bamboo is angled slightly so the water will then drain away from the house. And as you can see it's held in place with strips of bamboo.

Ovens for cooking rice and steaming other foods.

'Woven' strips of bamboo holding bamboo 'rods' in place which in turn hold the thatch in place.

Look at those twisty beams and the beautiful wood floors.

These houses were used for silkworms and silk making.

Bark walls.

A small shrine.

After walking around we dropped Saki at the train station so she could meet her friends and the three of us went out for a yummy dinner (I forgot to take pictures). Reiko and I shared tonkatsu (breaded pork) and a yummy soup. We all shared a delicious dessert of green tea ice cream parfait with a little pound cake, some warabi mochi, azuki beans and green tea pudding. Yummy!!! Her sister and niece (Alisa) came by for a while that evening and the next morning they came back to take Reiko and me to the train station. Reiko was off to the airport since she had a job in Korea (she's a translator) the next day and I went on to meet Yoshie in Tokyo.

On the way to Yoshie's house from the station a wheel fell off my much loved and much used suitcase... But I was still able to wheel it carefully and after dropping off my luggage and having a yummy lunch of what turned out to be instant noodles - well sort of, the noodles and sauce come in a package and Yoshie added toppings - we to one of my favorite Tokyo places, the Meiji Shrine near Shibuya and Harajuki.

Trying to leave the Harajuku station!!! Just a little crowded.

Can you guess why this is one of my favorite places? Even when I'm in a city I need green!

People still use baskets like this and this type of stick broom to clean brush.
Especially at temples or in Japanese style gardens.

A bride and groom. Don't know if the other two are friends, from their clothes I think they are tourists.

Look carefully at this. It's actually 2 trees but it has been pruned to look like one.
It's a 'shrine' for relationships (the two trees growing together as one).

I love the huge doors and their decorations found at some castles, temples and shrines.

We decided to venture into the amazingly crowded but orderly streets of Harajuku. Harajuku is a fashionable area in Tokyo near Shibuya. Cafes, high end international shops, long lines for certain restaurants and mostly young people. We thought about going into Garretts, the famous Chicago caramel corn shop but there was a 1/2 hour wait just to get into the store and then the line snaked through the store - not worth the wait for us.

Bad picture but that colorful thing holds escalators and is lined with mirrors, it's pretty interesting to look at.

So many people!!!

Similar to taffy pulling but she's making hard candy. See the next picture.

As we were making our way back to the station we came across this 'traffic cat'. He was sitting there, not at all perturbed by the people or cars, and actually 'chirping' at the cars the way my cats used to chirp at birds. He'd watch the cars, then turn to look at the people with a look that said 'why are you all staring at me and taking pictures, this is just my job!?' I think he must be a regular fixture there. I've never seen such a relaxed cat in the midst of so much commotion!

Harajuku / Meiji jingu mae station.

On the way home we walked through an old style shopping street where unbelievably I found American canned cranberry sauce for $1. So of course I decided to make a 'Thanksgiving dinner' the following day for Yoshie and her sister's family. They also had delicious persimmons (first of the season) and nashi - asian pears. That night for dinner Yoshie made a really good fish dish which I will definitely be making in the future.

The next day we took off and went to Odaiba, an area of Tokyo that was (fairly recently) built on landfill. There are LOTS of shops, restaurants, game centers, concert and event spaces. We followed the crowds as they left the station and almost ended up at a rock concert! Turned around and found our goal - a Mexican festival! Made more special by the fact that it's nearly impossible to get Mexican food in Japan. At least in the towns I frequent.

Don't ask me why...

When we arrived there was 'pro wrestling' going on in this ring. Again, don't ask me why...

I don't like beer or spicy chilis but this was good!

TACOS!!! GUACAMOLE!!! SALSA!!!!

Yoshie enjoying hers.

The Rainbow Bridge with Tokyo Tower in the background.

The Fuji Television building.

Yum yum yum - this is where we bought our tacos.

And then... this coconut shaved ice topped with strawberries. It was even better than the tacos!!! (Perhaps partly because it was such a hot day.)

We tried this as well but were a little disappointed.

More crowds, but even with the beer and other drinks being sold, very calm, orderly and well behaved.

Inside one of the malls was a place for kids to put together Star Wars Legos.

Near the station.

On the way home we stopped at the market to pick up our Thanksgiving dinner ingredients (boned chicken thighs not turkey). I made stuffing and laid the chicken over it then baked it. It was really good. And to top it off, Yoshie's sister Noriko brought Baskin Robbins ice cream for dessert. AND her kitten - Mochan!!

She's a British shorthair and actually much smaller than she looks in this picture.

On my last day in Tokyo we went to a very nice restaurant in the ANA Intercontinental Hotel in Roppongi to celebrate Yoshie's grandson's 1st birthday. Ken (the daddy) was a classmate of Peter's.
Roppingi is also quite an upscale part of Tokyo. A lot of embassies, foreign businesses, foreigners, expensive stores, etc.

The view from our room in the restaurant.

Lunch (I forgot to take a picture of the sashimi course).

This is evidently a new tradition for babies' 1st birthdays. It's a very heavy (1/2 the weight of the baby) rice cake. And you are supposed to hang it from the baby (like he is carrying it on his back) to wish him strength, enough food, happiness, etc. in life. I think. Not positive.
I am sure that Yuu did NOT like it!!!

The character says 'Yuu' - his name.

He has the rice cake on his back and Yumi is holding him up.
When she lets go he tips backwards because of the heavy rice cake.

Yoshie, Yuu and Uncle Ryo. And a dairy and egg free cake (he seems to have allergies) which was good and very pretty.

From the back - Ryo, Yoshie, Yumi, me
Front - Masao's mother (Yuu's great grandmother, 92), Ken, Yuu, Masao (the grandpa)

The restaurant entrance.

The hotel lobby.

On the way home we stopped by Ryo's apartment so I could meet his dogs Lamb and Sora. After we got home and had unagi (broiled eel) for dinner Yoshie's sister and her family stopped by again. This time they brought a sweet potato and apple pie that the daughter had made that day after going to dig up sweet potatoes. And they dropped off a suitcase they had very kindly picked up for me at a store near their house.

My last morning was relaxing since my train didn't leave until 12:30. Yoshie accompanied me to the Tokyo train station where we walked around a little and then I boarded the train to go home.