Enjoying Nature

On my free day, I visited some shrines that are well known (at least to the Japanese people) for their flower gardens. I was not alone in thinking that this would be a good day to visit. Here are a few photos.

Another Challenge: Where am I?

Okay, this was my free day so I left Tokyo in search of an adventure. I took this photo and want you to try to guess where I am. You can ask four Yes or No questions. I can assure you that you will recognize this spot when I publish a different view of it.

Wendy figured it out. I am inside the giant Buddah at Kamakura (entrance fee twenty cents). I've posted some photos of the more traditional view of the statue. Good job, Wendy. You would be the prize winner... if there was a prize.

The People That Made My Dinner

I've been eating at a lot of food stands for the last couple of days. Each time I ordered I asked if I could take a photograph. This is what was served up!

The gentleman in the top photo fixed me up with a "rice tortilla" that was salty because it was dipped in Soy Sauce. It was served in a sheet of seaweed rather than a napkin. The middle cook was BBQing a couple of different types of meat. I thought one of them was chicken... it wasn't. The third food is a rice dumpling (with tentacles sticking out).

Okay, I confess, tonight I ate pasta and egg plant at an Italian restaurant. Tokyo is a cosmopolitan city where you can get just about any kind of food you that you're in the mood for.

What should I say?

I was just given the assignment to give a short speech to a middle school in Saijo, Japan. I'm supposed to talk for about two minutes. If you were me, what would you say for two minutes? I give the speech on Wednesday, but I have to give a copy of it to the interpreter on Tues.

Do you think I'll get stage fright?

Last day of School, Congratulations!

Well. if you're reading this at school, then that must mean you're reading it on the last day of the school year. Congratulations to everyone that passed. And for those who didn't... see you next year.

I want to especially congratulate the eighth graders. Good look at AHGS or NHS or St. Pat's or wherever you're planning to go to high school. Sorry I didn't get a chance to sign your yearbooks.

Yearbook students, thanks for getting the books distributed and sold this year without my help! On my return, I look forward to reading your letters to next year's staff.

AVID, I have only one word for you and you know what it is!
R _ _ _ _!!!

To everyone: Please help Ms. Cranford in any way you can to finish out the year with style. You guys are the best!

An Unexpected Surprise

Friday, June 13 This morning I decided to take a quick stroll between breakfast and my first class. (Yes, I have to take classes on this trip!) I went to check out the nearby shrine, Hie-jinja, as they prepared for their annual festival. I was in luck! There was a parade or pilgrimage around the city today, and they were just starting out. According to Rough’s Guide to Japan, this festival is called Sanno Matsuri. On even-numbered years they carry fifty portable shrines on their shoulders around a portion of Tokyo, with the 400 participants dressed in historic costumes. In this post I included a few of the 200 photos I took.

I was also at the shrine when the parade of portable shrines returned. These shrines are big and heavy and the participants looked very tired. Unfortunately for them, the main shrine is at the top of a hill so they have to haul the portable ones up. But there are local on-lookers dressed up and ringing bells to cheer the carriers on, so even though they are exhausted, they try to jog up the hill with the shrine balanced on their shoulders.
That evening the festival continued. It reminded me of a carnival combined with a square dance. There was a tent set up, and tiako drums and flutes provided music. The locals, dressed in kimonos, danced to a lot of folks songs that everyone seemed to know. Everyone was having a great time, and I had a snow cone!

Mystery Theater (A tough case to crack)

Last month, we studied a little bit about Kabuki theater. These photos illustrate another famous style of Japanese drama. Let me give you some clues:
It is an older style than Kabuki.
It is said to be a companion to Noh theater.
It is usually funny and always has a happy ending.
Masks are used only about 30% of the time, and when they are used they are much simpler than Kabuki.
The costumes are simple and the actor's face is often seen.
The short play we saw was entitled, "The Inherited Cramp."

Well, let's see if anyone can figure out the name of this genre of drama.

Some Random Shots (Click on a photo to enlarge it)

Oh, No! Not another Assignment!

For those of you who have played a role in getting me safely though the social intricacies of Japan, I have another assignment. This evening at a reception, there were two Japanese musicians playing traditional music. Of course, I've heard this style of music, but I never knew the names of the instruments. I've posted a couple of photos. Can you help me identify the names of these traditional instruments?

PS I'm turning this assignment over to you. It's 3:20 in the morning, and I'm going to try to get some sleep. Jet lag is for real!

Eating My Way Through Japan

Captions (from top to bottom): The street where I ate my first meal in Japan.

The restaurant where I ate my first meal in Japan.

The vending machine where I purchased the ticket for my first meal in Japan,

The large building is my hotel! It's fairly famous because every room has a view! Look for me; I'm on the 31st floor practicing my sumo moves. The final photo is me... proving that I am, indeed, in Japan.


Tues., June 10th Eating my way through Japan
Well, this is day three of my Japanese Adventure (remember that I am one day ahead of you because I crossed the International Dateline). It is actually my first full day in Japan. We arrived in Tokyo on Tues. afternoon. Arrangements had been made to have college students take us around Tokyo in small groups for Dinner. Ericosan was our college guide. Even though she is a third year college student majoring in English, she was a little shy showing three teachers around Tokyo. We went to a small Ramen (noodle) café. At this café you choose your entrée from a menu on the wall. Then you go to a vending machine and purchase a ticket for your selection. Afterwards, you give the cook your ticket and in a few minutes, your dinner is served! Thanks to advice from several of my AVID students, I was sure to slurp my noodles loudly! By the time we had finished dinner it was 10:00 PM, Tokyo time and 2:00 AM California time, so I was ready for bed.

Day One, Sunday, June 8th

My first day. I can hardly believe that when I go to bed tonight, I will be in ... California.

Day one began at 4:00 AM when I needed to get up in order to get to the airport by 5:00 AM for a 6:00 flight. Flew to Los Angles in order to get to San Fransisco. The day was spent in San Francisco, mostly in meetings. But we ended the night at a dinner reception at the Japanese Consul General's "home" in San Fransisco. His home is an old mansion built one hundred years ago, and is perched high on a hill. It had a great view of San Fransisco Bay from Alcatraz Island to the Golden Gate Bridge. The dinner buffet was, of course, Japanese. I made my first chop stick blunder when the very slippery piece of eel sushi landed on the table (inches from my plate). But that social faux pas was not as bad as the one made by the lady next to me. Her plate slipped and she dumped her food into my lap. Oh well, clean clothes are over-rated.

Gosh, I can hardly believe that when I go to bed tomorrow night, I will be in ... Japan!