A Visit to Tokujyo with the Tanaka family

Posted on September 3, 2012 by Lynda Philippsen

As is custom in Japan,  Akemi slides the entrance door open and calls out kon nichi wa. Mikio, Saki and I have stopped to meet Akemi’s father, Adachi Jikai (osho-san) , who is the priest at Tokujyo a smaller temple within the Toyokawa Inari and Toyokawa Station neighbourhood. As we enter and remove our shoes, her father rises from behind the table where he has been at work in a small tatami room and comes to greet us. Continue reading →

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Language Exchange

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Lynda Philippsen

Walking toward Thunderbird Square outside City Hall the other evening, a few meters ahead I notice a man examining the sole of his shoe. Dog doo? I wonder. A woman waits beside him on a bicycle. As I come alongside them and am about to say hello (as is my habit when I meet oncoming strangers during my walks) the woman says, “Sorry, ma’am.” Continue reading →

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High Summer Still

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Lynda Philippsen

Today a brisk wind all day until mid-afternoon. Steady at 30 kilometers per hour with gusts to 40. Very fresh air before what they say will be another heat wave. I’m glad. Bring it on. Continue reading →

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It Has Been a While

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Lynda Philippsen

How much can happen in almost two months between posts? Lots. A post-leak & restoration project in my condo segued into eye surgery for cataracts and a complete reversal of life as I have  known it since Grade 2. Myopic all my life I now can see distances without difficulty. But dice a carrot? Whoa! Continue reading →

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Korankei Momiji Matsuri

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Lynda Philippsen

The Harada family (who were my host family some years ago) and I clamber into the van of their friend and chauffeur for the day, Kanago-san. With the GPS chattering and auto-TV going simultaneously, we head out of Toyohashi toward the hills behind Toyota city. Continue reading →

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Omiyage: Ritual Gift Giving in Japan

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Lynda Philippsen

A special kind of agony in travelling to Japan—especially if one has numerous friends—is ritual gift-giving. The need to bring a souvenir omiyage is problematic for non-Japanese (NJ) on several levels. Continue reading →

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Enkai in Toyohashi

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Lynda Philippsen

Voices call out: O hisashiburi (a greeting acknowledging a long time of separation) as people pad across the tatami in the narrow room. They welcome me with bows, gifts and Canadian-style hugs, as our connection goes back almost 20 years.

Then they take their places by rank at the long table laid out along one side of the room of the Umizuki inn. Continue reading →

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Returning to Toyohashi

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Lynda Philippsen

Coming into Toyohashi Station without a pack of nervous teenagers dragging their suitcases behind me feels odd. I haven’t been here since the last home stay exchange program I coordinated in 2005. Too long.

And though the building remains the same, the reception is missing. No broad smiles behind the exit turnstiles, no waving arms or bows. No bus waiting to jam us in and cart us off. No speeches or formalities to begin home and school life in Japan. Continue reading →

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Waiting for the Shinkansen in Tokyo Station

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Lynda Philippsen

I’m off to Toyohashi. As this is my first unaccompanied trip by Shinkansen (bullet train), I’m early. Just to make sure. My anxiety is rising. Departures are displayed in Japanese and English overhead, but the Kodama 647 isn’t up yet.

If I am wrong, I have allowed more than enough time to fix a false turn. Unfortunately, this morning that’s also more than enough time to obsess compulsively over a station clock. I can’t see one anywhere.

Yamakawa-san’s voice nags in my mind: How will you catch the right train? The last time I was in Tokyo Station I got lost, and I’m Japanese.  Continue reading →

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Osake Tasting at Restaurant 62

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Lynda Philippsen

Sunday (April 15) Restaurant 62 offered a tasting of three Osake brand wines from Granville Island’s Artisan Sake Maker Masa Shiroki. This wine, a handmade product, is not to be confused with the harsh and hot stuff that comprises the only sake experience the majority of North Americans know. The artisanal article is so much more. Continue reading →

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