Though it wasn’t on the trip “To Do List” I was open to being tempted by Tokyo fashion. I’ve bought beloved and timeless clothing in Japan that is still going strong more than a decade later. However, on some previous trips I didn’t have room in a single carry-on suitcase for purchases. This time I do. Continue reading
Today I picked up my order of Osechi-ryori, boxes of celebratory New Year’s foods. These are freighted with auspicious symbolism and beautifully packaged inside boxes called jūbako. Continue reading
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. Rich aromas permeate the air. Whether it rains or snows, the blackened windows reflect the backs of those seated and envelope the space. Everything feels closer.
More so at Christmas than at any other festive time, in my mind food is linked to love Continue reading
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 Christmas lunch Japanese style in their home. Continue reading
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 Japan Alps. Suffused by haze the orb seemed to expand as it sank toward the peaks gilding everything with shades of orange, turning the blue skies to dust and dun. Continue reading
Completion Stamps for Level One Sogetsu School Curriculum
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. Continue reading
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. Continue reading
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. Continue reading
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. I quickly unlocked the door and without bothering to remove my boots, took three steps—it’s a small apartment— into the kitchen to grab them from the chair.
My visitors gasped loudly in unison. Continue reading