This and That

Smilebox slide show of greece

2011-09-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

Its long. http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d6a59324e5463334e6a513d0d0a&blogview=true

The Town

2010-11-16T21:10:00.000-08:00

We saw more "angels" on roofs. These angles looked a little different than the angels in Aegina. Later, when we went to the New Acropolis Museum, we saw ancient "angels" that Greeks used to decorate their houses before Christ. These have been around a long time.

A statue by the harbor that honors sailors. The column has a trident with the fish that represents Poseidon entwined on the handle. Greece has influenced the entire world. This same type of fish is entwined up the light poles on the Victoria Embankment on the river Thames in London.

From the top of Poros looking down at the harbor

Looking up from the harbor

The clock tower. I used this to orient myself as I hiked all over the island.

Food!

2010-11-14T20:31:00.000-08:00

Greek food is so pretty and tasty. I tried to take pictures before I ate it but this is usually how it turned out: shrimp shells and fish bones!

Once in a while I actually managed to take a picture but usually because the food was so amusing-

Yes, that's an olive in his eye socket! And, green pepper for gills and red onion for ribs. Here's a close up of that eye.

The spaghetti was fab-

I think I pretty much captured the same taste with this recipe-

1.5 lbs. ground beef
5 tomatoes
1 sweet onion
3 or more cloves of garlic
Romano cheese
Dried oregano
Red wine
Salt

Use two pans. Chop the onions small. Chop the garlic small. Chop the tomatoes big. With a little oil, saute the onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Stir it a bit. Add the big chopped tomatoes. Sprinkle on some salt and oregano and let it cook a bit as you look the ground beef in the other pan.

Cook the ground beef with a little salt and oregano. Drain when done. Once the ground beef is done and drained add the onion mixture and reduce the heat a bit. Add some red wine, salt and some oregano. Sprinkle in a small handful of romano cheese. Cook for about 10 minutes and add more red wine. Cook for about 10 more minutes. The tomatoes will melt.

If the meat is too chunky, take a pie crust mixer to it (You know, one of those wire/cutter dealies with a handle).

All the alcohol will be cooked off but the wonderful smell and taste will remain. It will look like that picture!

Streets of Poros

2010-11-14T19:55:00.000-08:00

Poros is a cool island. It has two roads: one going around it and one going up almost to the middle. Otherwise, all the roads are walkways and stairs. If fact, its faster to walk over Poros than around it.

Since we were on the edge of the season, the people of Poros started painting, fixing and getting ready for next year. Almost everything is painted white with a colored trim. Even the stair and walkway edges are painted white.

You cannot get lost on Poros because there is a clock tower at the top that you can see from nearly everywhere. I hiked all over and took many pictures of streets.

I'm usually not so easy, but I went home with a man!

2010-11-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

We set sail for Poros and we got "picked up!" Travel aficionado, Rick Steves, says that in Greece you should go home with strangers. Many Greek families rent out rooms in their homes or own pensions or have motel-like rooms to tourists to make money. They advertise locally and you can pre-arrange in the tourist season but you can also just show up at the dock and go home with someone.

We did! It was exciting! We arrived at Poros and started walking. Greeks are not loud and a man started trailing us and whispering. My husband was dutifully trudging along, avoiding him like it was bum asking for money. I finally caught on and said to my husband that I think this man wants to talk to us. We slowed down and looked at him.

"Lady, you looking for a room?"
"yes"
"How many nights?"
"Two" He grabs my hand and starts shaking it.
"I have rooms! Come see my rooms!"
"Are they far?" He grabs my hand and shakes it some more.
"No, not too far but just right!" He grabs my husband's hand shakes it as well for good measure.

Now about the hands. This man wasn't over-weight, or very tall, but he was rugged. He must have worked hard physically all his life because his hands were like small shovels! I could not even wrap my fingers around this hand to shake it properly. Neither could my husband.

Also, he must have had palsy or a stroke that caused one eye to droop. But he fixed it! He took a long piece of of cellophane tape and just taped that sucker up! So we're going home with a stranger who has one eye tapped open and could kill us with his bare hands. My husband looked at me like I'd lost my mind.

However, this landlord really wanted you to receive value so he took us on a walking tour as well. he pointed out the best fish tavernas, where we could get our laundry done, and where we could get breakfast. We took the room.

Poros is the smallest island we went to. It is built into the hill and all the roads are stairs between the houses.

Poros-

Looking across the harbor towards the mainland-

The little water taxis-

Cute!

A cafe in the harbor. All the buildings look freshly painted.

Our room is just up these stairs-

Pictures around the town of Aegina

2010-11-04T17:08:00.000-07:00

Pictures of the streets-

Lovely painted doors-

Restaurants in streets-

Tomorrow we go to the island of Poros.

Bus ride around Aegina

2010-10-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

The next day after eating a wonderful Greek breakfast made by Ms. Rina, our hostess, we went around the island on the bus system. Ms. Rina made a traditional dish that had a flaky crust and on top was mixed eggs, feta and salt. This was baked in the oven.

She also gave us Greek yogurt and we could top it with three types of "spoon fruit" that she made each week. One was a marmalade, one of cherries, and one of plum. They were so fresh and made a great counter-point to the plain yogurt. The Greeks only serve plain yogurt. You have to dress it up. The full fat variety of yogurt is the best tasting but you can get 0% fat in our stores.

The Spoon Fruit recipe is really easy-

Spoon Fruit (marmalade type)

2 medium oranges
Sugar

Barely cut the ends off the oranges. Cover with water and boil one hour. Drain and then weigh the oranges. Put the oranges back in the pan. Measure the sugar to the same weight as the boiled oranges. Put back on the heat, about medium and cook about 20 minutes. Slice up the oranges in thin strips.

I found that I liked the syrup but not the rinds so much. I added some water and lemonjuice to make more syrup. Keep in a sterilized covered dish in the refrigerator. Lasts about a week.

Aegina is a small island but it is the largest that we went to. We decided to hop on the regular bus service and go places on the island. We decided to go to the famous cathedral and monastery, Agios Nektarios and the Temple of Aphaia.

The bus service only goes on once an hour. Of course, the driver is looking to set a record; it was one wild trip! huge cathedral has ceilings with lovely tile mosaics that have so much gold, they look like they are internal light up.

You have to climb the hill to the monastery. This is a Greek Orthodox cathedral and the population is devoted. As I walked up the hill with lots of old ladies, I thought "How devoted. All these old ladies hunched over their rosaries, walking up this steep hill." And then I turned around and saw behind me that all the old ladies were hunched over their cell phones, texting like mad!

When I got to the monestary, there was a sign "No half dressed women." I was wearing a tank top and short skirt! Fortunately I also had a sarong in my bag that I could use like a huge scarf, covering most of me up!

Eating in Aegina

2010-10-31T19:57:00.000-07:00

Boy, did we feel foolish! After looking in the harbor, we got tired and went to our room for a nap. When we woke up and were hungry at 7:00 pm, we found Aegina up and all the stores open! It turns out that this is how the Greeks live on the islands: open your business, regardless of type of business at 7:00 AM, close at 1:00 or 2:00 pm (depending on island), eat a big lunch with your family, take a long nap in the heat of the day, open your business at 6:00 pm, close around 9:00 to 10:00 pm, go to a restaurant at 9:00 pm and eat a big meal with your family, and go to bed around midnight. If you are young, forgo bed and go to a bar with very loud music until about 3:00 am.

So, everything was open! We ate a traditional Greek meal of a Greek Salad and some grilled fish. If you ask for salad in Greece, you will get a Greek Salad. It is so fresh. Sorry for the half eaten picture.

Here is the recipe:

Greek Salad

2 -3 tomatoes rough chopped
1/2 of an English Cucumber (or several small persian cucumbers. Trader Joe's has them) sliced and cut in half
5 thin slices of a red onion, cut in quarters
8 Kalamata olives (pitted are nice if you can get them)
Big slice of Feta cheese (get the cheese in brine so it is moist)
a sprinkle of oregano
Olive oil to taste

Chop up the veggies and put in a big bowl or platter that is bowl like. Sprinkle on the olives. I sprinkle a bit of oregano at this point but most people don't. Put the feta on top in one chunk. Sprinkle the oregano and pour olive oil over the top of the feta.

That it! Easy Peazy! This is very filling and could be a meal or could go with another dish.

More Aegina

2010-10-31T16:31:00.000-07:00

We didn't get much time at the museum or in the ancient town of Kolona because it closed at 3:00! We were a little puzzled at the early closing and decided to walk through the harbor to other side of town.

We walked along the harbor, looking at the boats and yachts, and the eateries on the other side of the road. At the end of the harbor we found a beach. We sat under these palm trees on a park bench and enjoyed the breeze
.

Little fishes swimming in the harbor

I found this sea urchin on the beach. You are safe to swim in Greek waters. No sharks will get you but you have to be aware of sea urchins. Their spines break off in the sand and if you step on one and get it embedded, it will get infected. We brought aqua socks so we could walk freely.

Have I told you about the cats yet? There are lots of cats on all the Greek islands! They are like pigeons or mice. They are only rarely pets. They work hard to make a living. This one just stopped, curled up and took a nap on the beach, right by the water!

When I went to check out a little building that turned out to the Union Hall for the Fishermen, I found that someone had created a little sculpture of a head in the corner. I felt like I had discovered the real Greece: when faced with repair, sculpt a goddess!

Aegina, Temple of Apollo

2010-10-27T18:24:00.000-07:00

After we found our room and we ate, we thought we'd go shopping. But it wasn't to be. All the shops except for the eateries at the harbor were closed! I thought maybe we waited too long and they all closed for the season.

We decided to sight see instead. Only a few blocks away from the harbor is the remains of the Temple of Apollo and the ancient town of Kolona. The temple of Apollo was built in the 6th century BC.

Remains of Kolona

The last column left of the Temple of Apollo

The attached museum had a reconstructed Amphora jug that was over 6 feet high. Here is one that is half buried in the ancient town on Kolona. These amphora come to a point at the bottom and so they can't stand up. The do have "ears" with holes. Smaller amphora were meant to be suspended from the ceiling and then you could tip them over and pour out the wine. They are not sure what these huge amphora held but they do know that the jug was made in the room they found it in.

The museum, temple and town are right next to the see and have the prettiest palm trees.

As we made our way back to town I just had to shoot some pictures of the horse cabs and boats-

The Island of Aegina (or paradise to you and me)

2010-10-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting on the veranda of our bed and breakfast, sipping a frappe, and wondering why we haven't all moved to Aegina?

Really, this is heaven! Aegina is a small island in the Aegean Sea below Athens. It is the largest island we will stay on though. Its a 1.5 hour ferry ride that only costs about $9. Aegina has many excellent things: shopping, old churches, old archeological digs, museums, beaches, and food.

First, a word about our plans. We have none! We plan to stay on islands as long as it is fun and move on when the honeymoon is over or becomes too expensive. We didn't plan to stay at fancy accommodations. In fact, if all went wrong, I'm prepared to sleep rough on a beach!

Second, a word about safety. Good old Rick Steves is always going on about pickpockets, making you scared and ruining the fun of travel. However, he does say that you should roll with it in Greece. Be careful, but not too careful. I agree. We missed out on getting our tickets to Aegina quickly and wandered around a bit on the pier because we were too safe.

You see there are many sellers of ferry tickets to the various islands and they all approach you something like this on the sidewalk: "Psst, lady.... you want ferry tickets? I get them for you. Only $7 euros. Special for you. Why you clutching bag? Really, just come in to my lair, em, business. Lady, that your husband?" and then yells in Greek, back to someone I can't see, yelling "Guido, his head looks hard! Make sure you use the extra heavy sap."

No, I don't speak Greek, but I was sure that was what he was saying. Turns out I could have saved a bit of time and sweat by taking him up on his offer. You see, the prices are fixed in Greece and he could not have charged me any more and he would have made sure we got on the right ferry (which we did anyway but we were a lot more sweaty).

Once off the ferry, we walked around, trying to find accommodations. The little town of Aegina is nestled against a working harbor and is a maze of cute streets. Since we are at the end of the season, there are no tourist maps to be found. Its noon and its hot and more than a little humid. I wondered if we would find a room, when we turned a corner and found this-

I walked in the front door and asked Ms. Rina, the proprietor, if she had a room we could stay in and how much. She said "My dear! You don't want to know how much the room is! You must seeeee it first! Come with me." She showed me around this wonderful 200 year old home. There is a suite that still has the old Venetian painted ceilings.

And this is where the frappe comes in...

This is the back common area. Our room is the farthest on the right.

The front entrance and outside common area-

Side view of the front entrance-

Heaven!

Athens, Pireaus port

2010-10-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Rick Steves, travel guru, says you only need one day to look around Athens and then get out! He is quite right but more on that later. We decided to look around Athens on our return trip and get out to the islands first.

We decided to see three Greek Island: Aegina, Poros, and Hydra (pronounced Id-dra). We choose these because they were close by Athens by ferry and they were not islands that most tourist choose. They are island that Greeks go to when they go on vacation. We also are going at the end of the season. We risk that many shops and places to stay are closed. Weather-wise, it is lovely, less humid, warm and still sun-kissed.

Syntagma Square is the center of the new subway hub of Athens and is the easiest way to get to the port to take a ferry. We hop on a train bound for Pireaus and see glimpses of the Acropolis and the Temple of Diana. However, I couldn't get good pics from the train. Here is a picture of the apartment balconies. They look a little French and then you can see bits of the Mediterranean.

This is the train station at the port.

Interesting iron work.

And this is me on the ferry watching the scenery!

The shades of blue and aqua are not adequately shown in this picture! The camera cannot catch the amazing colors our eyes can see. I will spend most of the trip unsuccessfully attempting to catch the colors of aqua and turquoise I see.

Aegina in the distance

Athens, Take I

2010-10-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

So, we successfully completed our short journey to Paris and got back to Charles de Gaulle airport in time for our flight to Greece. It was weird that we didn't have to go through customs since we were already in an EU country.

And by the way, I noticed that all American airlines (all of them, not the one named that) are really wound up about safety. When we went to Europe last year and this year, I noticed that nobody else in the world gets so nuts about take off and landing and being buckled in, tray up, and seat back up, as us. About 10 minutes before landing in Europe, they announce "Oh, by the way, we're about to land and you might want to buckle up, put up your tray, sit up straighter, and keep your wine from falling over. No fuss though, just saying."

So, now for the real challenge: in our sleep deprived state, get off airplane, find the bus going to Syntagma square (sounds like Sin-tog-wa), stay awake for one hour, get off, avoid pickpockets, find our hotel, and get a room without bedbugs. Easy peasy.

Why is it that all foreign bus drivers seek to channel the spirit of race car driver, Mario Andretti? Our Greek driver was no different. I was surprised I had muscle strength to hang on and stay in my seat. I thought that it was overkill for Rick Steves to suggest that we watch out for pickpockets at 1 AM in Syntagma Square. Turns out he's mostly right, there were people everywhere! It turns out the Greeks, and their tourists, hardly sleep! One AM is just getting warmed up! More about that in later posts.

Fortunately, we spy our hotel sign across the Square in record time. No pickpockets either. The manager on duty was very nice. I know it was his job to be nice but I've found uniformly that Greek people are very pleasant people.

Next challenge, room without bedbugs. Not that Greece is chock-a-block with bedbugs. Its just that there is a world-wide explosion of them and they are not as easy to defeat as our Great, great grandmother did. I have a house full of carpet and it would be a nightmare.

So, sad news. I found indications that our room had bedbugs. As I'm trying to remember how my great great grandmother dodged that bullet when she first pulled in to old Yakima (Union Gap now), my wonderful husband cudgels together some tired brain cells and says "The ashtray, Terri!"

You see, he booked a non-smoking room. Even though it doesn't smell like smoke at all, the room shouldn't have an ashtray! I called the front desk and easily got our room changed and that room on a different floor did not have bedbugs!

Lovely, a restful sleep free from worry and bites.

More pictures of Paris

2010-10-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pictures of Paris. Some are from our last trip. The first two pictures are from a building on the Champs-Élysées. Each of the "holes" depict a Greek or Roman god like Bacchus.

This is a small Arch that we found by accident. It is clearly very old. "By accident" means we were just wandering around, slightly lost.

Possibly a consulate building-

I took this at night on our last trip.

We've been walking for 6 hours and I'm jealous that the Parisian mannequin gets to sit down and I don't!

Paris!

2010-10-22T18:51:00.000-07:00

I know I'm about to say something that is practically heresy: Paris is a bit of a let down.

I know, I know... how could I think the City of Lights, a lovely romantic city like Paris is anything but great? The problem with Paris is that you spend more time below it than on top of it! We use the Metro to get around and I find we spend most of our time in the subway rather than enjoying Paris. When you are on top, it is breathtaking beautiful. The buildings are lovely. The people are well dressed. The shops full of interesting foods and goods like these lovely scallops in a fish shop.

The subways are extensive, large, humid, and a little dangerous feeling. There are always buskers. You think you have safely gotten on the right train, only to have a team of accordion players and their amplifier, hop on the train and start playing and asking for money.

I love the tall, tall doors in Paris.

The flower shops

The chocolates!!!

Travel Day

2010-10-22T18:38:00.000-07:00

We knew when we designed our trip that the travel days would be the most difficult. They always are difficult but this trip would be more challenging than usual because of the elements we can't control and a few we decided to take on.

Our flight to Greece was in two legs: 10 hours to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and a 10 hour lay-over; and a 4 hour flight to Greece. We would live that day basically twice. We would spend 10 hours in the air and when we land, we will go to Paris on the train and spend 9 hours, that we would normally be sleeping, looking around. We'll get back on a plane, land in Greece at 12 midnight, and take a 1 hour bus ride in to Athens so we can stay in a cheaper hotel. The only hotel near the airport is $280 a night, which is too steep for us. We only need one night because we will hop on a ferry, bound for an island, first thing in the morning.

We thought, and we were correct, that both France and Greece had a strike the day before so we knew we would be safe to travel.

Greece!

2010-10-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

So, I'm going to blog about my trip to Greece. I realize that my only fan is my mom. Hi Mom! I hope you enjoy this.

We decided to go to Greece. I have wanted to go to Greece since my first quarter at YVCC when I took a class on Greek history. That professor was very interesting and he led a yearly trip to Greece. I just couldn't afford it then.

The decision to make this trip was very difficult. This year is the 17th anniversary of my Father-in-law's death. Because my husband is the first born in a Japanese family, we should have gone back to Japan and participated in the ceremony. One problem: the dollar is historically low against the yen. It would be very expensive.

However, Greece is practically completely broke and it is cheaper to go there. That didn't make the decision any easier: France, where we would have a stop over both before and after, is having transportation strikes; and Greece is also having transportation and public employee (think museums) strikes. To top it off, the US issued a strong travel alert about possible terrorist activity in Europe!

I've been working on putting on a big fundraising event at work and now that it is over, I really need a break. So, we're going to brave all the strikes and go to the Greek Islands, with no plan other than to live like the Greek.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2008-12-21T15:44:00.000-08:00

It's snowing hard in the Puget Sound area! My boxwood standards have turned into snow topiary

I feed the birds and this greedy little fellow sat in the tree scolding me as a cleared the snow. As soon as I went in, he swooped in and ate up as many peanuts as he could manage!

I Got a Job!

2008-11-30T15:22:00.000-08:00

I received this fortune after eating dim sum with my husband and it has come true! I start Dec. 1st at a state-wide non-profit as a development manager.

The Bad Blogger Returns!

2008-11-14T12:24:00.000-08:00

I'm finally back to blogging. Sorry about such a long hiatus but I just couldn't seem to write anything. I was, however, busy!

I promised my former boss a quilt for the birth of her grandson. However, his birth came and went and no quilt! I had made one for a friend so I couldn't figure out why I was having such trouble. It finally occurred to me that I get a color theme in my head and then I start collecting fabric for the scheme. I realized it took 5 years for me to collect the fabric for her quilt. Since my boss' quilt is of a color scheme I've never worked with before, it would take me 5 years to collect enough fabric for the quilt!!! Plus, I'm a rotten quilter.

What does still inspire me is hats! So I made him a hat and his grandma a matching one so they could wear them together. Here's the boy's hat. Its made of grey denim of a light weight. It looks more "weavy" than it really is.

Here is the inside band.

Of course the hat is reversible and I love that it takes on a "porkpie" hat look. In fact, I may lower the brims of this hat in the future to actually be a porkpie hat. The zebra fabric is a Jennifer Paganelli Sis Boom print.

Here's Grandma's and grandson's hats together-

More Kamakura

2008-09-27T05:08:00.000-07:00

When we attended the yabusame at Kamakura, we also went to see some nearby sites. The Kamakura Daibutsu is the second largest bronze Buddha in Japan. It was cast in 1252 and was in a temple but the temple was washed away by a giant tsunami in the 1600's. He is about 13.5 meters tall. I'm surprised by the little mustache that snakes around his lips!

Festivals

2008-09-27T02:57:00.000-07:00

August and September are the time when many festivals are held. The best are in August when you can wear yukatas and watch fireworks. But a few good ones are in September too.

We attended a yabusame- archery on horseback or as the announce put it "the sacred horseback-riding." I was there to watch the riding and the archery skills but it turns out that this is a religious ceremony (I should have known since it was held at a temple). The event started at 1:00pm. They had to drink some sake, bless the riders, swear allegiance to the Shinto religion, and ride. Everything but the riding took an hour and 15 minutes!

I kept thinking that Clint Eastwood could drink a little sake, pray, swear, and hop on his pony in about 15 minutes. Anywho, I love horses and it was fun to watch once the riding commenced. I mostly enjoyed the crowd's reaction as the horses and riders thundered past. Since the Japanese are mostly city slickers who take trains, buses, and cars, they were very impressed by the motion and violence of the horses.

The priests, riders, and attendants-
Walking the riding track to check for safety-
This grey horse was magnificent but I'm partial to greys.
The actual riding-
That's the best I can do photo-wise because this was a sold-out event (so to speak since it was free). It was held in Kamakura, a slightly out of the way spot. I was floored to see how many people came! We were lucky to get as close as we got.

Road trip pt2

2008-09-26T03:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a few pics of the countryside-

My husband's idea of a great gardening hut-
The Japanese are so inventive. These orange rings are made out of lightweight hard plastic and are rumble strips to remind you to slow down for road construction! they usually throw down 2 strips (they offset them like the Olympic rings pattern) and they are effective.
They don't seem to like hiring flaggers either. They use animated mannequins! Some of the life-sized mannequins wave their arms up and down but some go up and down and side to side (which is creepy since it looks alive!)

Rice fields

Road Trip

2008-09-24T02:11:00.000-07:00

We went on a road trip and drove nearly to the northern end of Honshu (the largest island of Japan) to the Iwate prefecture. We went to attend a car show but we gave ourselves lots of time to explore along the way.

We stopped at Nasu first. That is the place where I took the photos in the last entry about onsens. We stayed at a little ryokan called Pension Nasuka. When you book a room in a ryokan you get dinner and breakfast. This inn was a little charmer and served French cuisine for both dinner and breakfast. The room was small but clean, the hot springs were marvelous! (this pic is shot down the narrow hall to the room.)

The next stop was on the Pacific coast in the little town of Minami Sanriku. We stayed in a hotel on the topmost floor to see the view. This time it was a traditional tatami room. When I opened the curtians to see the view, this is what I saw- and behind him, this- the lines floating in the water are oyster, salmon (squares in the distance), abalone, and wakame farms.

Still looking at me-

Public Nudity

2008-09-19T18:02:00.000-07:00

Japan is always a mystery. On one hand they are very dignified, private people. On the other hand they do lots of things in public that Americans would consider very undignified. Take onsen culture.

Japan is basically situated on the ring of fire in the Pacific; essentially on a volcanic ridge jutting out from the ocean. There are lots of outlets for that pressure- earthquakes, lava/ash eruptions, and hot springs. There are natural hot springs everywhere and the onsen culture developed. It is very relaxing to travel to a hotel or small ryokan and sit in a hot spring.

When you're at a small ryokan (inn) you can often get the hot spring to yourself. But, if you are at a hotel, the hot spring or bath will be public. Yep, that means getting naked with people you don't know.

I stayed at a small ryokan and sat in this onsen situated on a river in the woods-
It is pretty hot and steamy-

This ryokan had many tubs to choose from. Here is a pic of a traditional wooden tub-

I stayed at 2 large hotels and I went to the public baths there as well (see note). This is where I'm baffled by Japanese behavior. In Japan, at least once a year your company will arrange a retreat or vacation to a hotel. There you will go on tours and possibly meet but in the evening, you and your co-workers will get naked and bath together. How's that for departmental bonding?

One last note: Despite the fact that the Japanese are so skinny, its nice to know that age and gravity are the great equalizers!

Technical Difficulties Over

2008-09-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

I can finally download pictures again! Here is a shot from our front door.

The cats are healthy. This is kuro-chan-

This is Higai-chan-

The first day we went to a birthday party. My husband's Aunt's family have many members who's birthdays are in August and September, including mine.

The two sisters are my Mother-in-law in red and my Auntie-in-law in beige in the front. This is a very close family. The party was filled with good hearted teasing, witty banter and catching up. My MIL even played with the WII-

Technical difficulties

2008-09-10T17:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I forgot to bring a card reader to download photos. I forgot that home computers are rare in Japan and while card readers and other hardware are easy to get in America, they are hard to get here.

My sister-in-law will borrow one from work tomorrow and all will be fixed.

I'm Here!

2008-09-08T23:08:00.000-07:00

I'm in Japan finally and am settlng in. It is about 85 degrees out and very, very humid. My husband told me it would be humid but I didn't prepare well. I clearly did not bring the right clothes (loose and breezy)!

Damn! Everyone is skinny here.

30th Year High School Reunion

2008-08-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

This weekend I attended my high school reunion. I mostly took welding, shop and agri classes which were not popular at my high school (and my high school was the "rich" school so people were usually way too good for these types of classes). These classes were mixed in grade levels, so I mainly hung out with people from other grades. Sooo, I knew that I would hardly know anyone.

I was surprised that I did know quite few people. This was the first reunion I've attended and I was pleasantly surprised. One organizer, (yes, that's you Kathy!) deserves a medal for going above and beyond the call of duty to really bring it all together.

The wedding

2008-07-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

My youngest daughter was married on July 19th. She wanted a very simple wedding at a nearby church. This was a DIY wedding and I was responsible for beautification (that of course morphed into "the reception"). Here are a few pictures. I will put up most of the pictures on Picassa so it won't slow down the loading of this page.

The Couple-

The wedding party-

With attendants-

Go to Picassa here to see more!

Here Comes the Bride

2008-07-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

I can't show you everything. Here is a little hint.

Wedding Time!

2008-07-06T14:33:00.000-07:00

My daughter is getting married soon! Unfortunately, she gave me little notice. She could not find a venue so she thought she would do it next year. About 2 months ago, she found a venue for this year!

We've been scrambling for a wedding dress that will fit our budget (low) and my daughter's sense of style. We found a little known treasure out in LaConner, Washington called "The Godmother's Closet."

The owner, Lisa Morris, has a small but unbelievably lovely shop. She carries all the beautiful and high quality dresses you might see in high end shops but not one is over $500! (I verified this, folks. I went to a shop where not one dress was under $2000 and I saw most of Lisa's dresses there but at much higher prices.) Look at some of the other lovelies she has- tons of tiaras!
Dreamy Shoes-
Other dresses-
Cute Stuff-

Her shop is a real jewel. Here's her info, but if you call, leave a message because her daughter is sick and Lisa is often in the hospital with her. Make it a day trip because LaConner is such a beautiful little town to look around in. Don't forget to go out to Christiansen's Nursery if you go.

iPod Shuffle Case

2008-06-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

My son gave me an iPod shuffle for Mother's day. I didn't want it to get scratched up since I usually shove it into my purse, so I made a tiny case. Whew... Lots of fiddly sewing but it turned out well.
Cute lining-
Close up-

Pillows!!!

2008-06-06T00:07:00.000-07:00

When ever I go to a garage sale or Goodwill and see the used clothes, they all look like potential pillows to me! Especially if they are too small to wear. Today, I found the cutest ruffled tube top at Goodwill and I bought it because it already had a zipper; all it needed was two seams and an insert! That got me going and I made lots of pillows today-

The ruffly tube top pillow-
Detail of buttons on the zipper closure-
A small bag, now pillow-
Small crop sweater with huge ugly collar pillow-
And finally, the Green Chinese silk place mat pillow-

Child labor laws

2008-06-02T18:29:00.001-07:00

After this-

Came this-

Really! She likes to do anything Grammy does. I didn't force her!

Yer boring and yer mama dresses you funny

2008-06-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

Shoot! I should have thought up some wild way I would have used the money! I also should have worn any color but gray. Oh well, back to seriously looking for work.

Vintage Fabric Find

2008-06-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

Now that I don't work at Goodwill, I seem to be able to find all sorts of buys! 10 years in their Job Training department and nothing to buy! Now, loads but I'm still trying to save $.

I found two panels of this wonderful vintage fabric. It has a chartreuse green background and white flowers in grays and teals. It is astoundingly bright for old fabric. Once I got them home, I realized they had pockets sewn in them and they were curtains. Originally, I was going to I'm going to slipcover the front room furniture in white and I thought pillows or runners of this material would look great. Amazingly though, they are same height as my white tab curtains. I added them to the rod on the ends. Here's how they look.

I've seen this look in several magazines recently. I like the "frame" the darker curtains create. I will enjoy them this way for a bit. They have a "Grandma Margret" feel to them!

Latest Project

2008-06-01T15:49:00.001-07:00

I think you can tell for yourself who is visiting my house and who discovered that crayons work better on walls. Thank goodness for Mr. Clean sponges!

I went to an estate sale yesterday and found an old stool with cool legs for $3.00. It had two wiggly legs and a cat scratched cover.

I fixed the legs and recovered it. Here's how it looks now-
Closer-

The cover is made from 4 placemats (out of a set of six) that I picked up from Goodwill ages ago for about $3.00. They look like they are from Pier 1 originally. They were part of the "too precious to cut" fabric pile. I had planned on making three pillows out of them and putting them on my bench out on the porch. I was going to recover the bench in black and go for an Asian theme.

However, I left my Chinese satin slippers out on the back porch for only 15 minutes in the sun last week and they were bleached so badly I had to throw them away. I realized the pillows wouldn't stand a chance outside. They really look good sewn together on this stool though. And, I have two left over for a pillow.

No Word Yet!

2008-05-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

I still haven't received the postcard letting me know yes or no for "Millionaire." I keep going to the mailbox all excited and afraid to look and nothing there!

Office project nearly finished

2008-05-20T12:08:00.000-07:00

I've been sewing again. This last year, I updated my home office area. I bought new cabinets and hung them (with my husband's help) and I made a custom desk. We also found these comfortable and curvy, but slightly boring, chairs at Ikea.
I plan to slipcover them in this fabric-

Until then, they needed a seat cushion so I used some wool from my mother's stash of lovely old cloth to cover some foam.

I think they are very fashionable but they finally used up all the old wool. I don't know if you do this but I have loads of material for projects. But, some of it is too precious to cut! I just stare at it when I open the linen closet (or fabric shelf) and dream about what I could make with it.

Here is a view of the office thus far.

Other Stuff I Saw In NY

2008-05-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

I tried to take pictures where ever I went. Here are some other pictures- Rockefeller Center

More Rockefeller Center
George Washington at Union Square

Stained Glass at St. Bartholomew's Cathedral on Park Ave.

The picture of the statue of Mercury ~~(the banner for my blog right now)~~ is on the top of Grand Central station. It was raining very hard when I took the picture and I like the funny white streaks. It lends itself well to colorizing. Mercury colorized and solarized.

Audition, Part 2

2008-05-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

So, I went back the next day and took the "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" test again. And, I passed!!!

I had an interview and now I should wait for a postcard in the mail to confirm yes, I'm on or no, I'm not.

We ate Chinese food tonight and this was my fortune-
My husband's was-

What do you think?

Hat Design in New York

2008-05-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

I found a cool hat shop in the Chelsea neighborhood called The Village Scandal-

Their hats are all made in New York by local designers. The sales staff are designers themselves. It is a very creative and friendly place. Here is their info- The Village Scandal
There is a great Thai Food place on the next block. For six dollars you get a beautiful entree and appetizers.

More New York

2008-05-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

There are two striking things about New York: the residents are the nicest people and it is soooo loud.

If you even look a little lost, someone will come over to ask if you need help or directions. And, they really mean it! They aren't there to rip you off or anything. I saw a barista loan her blackberry to a customer who was a perfect stranger in Bryant Park (where Fashion Week happens) so she could call her boyfriend whom she had misplaced!

The noise is deafening! It is all there, all the time: the roar of traffic, the squeal of tens of hundreds of bad brakes on a subway train, the roar of the train coming into the station, the honking, the talking, and the yelling. Surprisingly though, my son's neighborhood in Harlem was quiet at night, even though he lives near a large intersection.

Here are some pics of subway stations. Many have old tile walls that are quit charming under all that dirt. Grand Central Station (the station upstairs has been restored and is just beautiful)-

Detail-
Lexington Station-

Unknown station with new tile-

The Audition

2008-05-14T20:51:00.000-07:00

Darn! I wasn't picked to be on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire!!!" But, I get to go back tomorrow and try again. This what I earned for my efforts: a magnet and a pencil.

I went to the much vaunted Tinsel Trading in the garment district. It was just as great as professed by other bloggers! The window display was suggestive of the riches within-
They have two large rooms and a store across the street filled with ribbons, craft supplies, millinery flowers, and old, old beautiful fabrics. Here is a picture of just one wall of the ribbon side-
I got a steal of a deal!! I found these large cards of velvet covered cording. I thought it said $10 a yard, of which I would have been very happy to get one yard of two colors. When I got to the front she said the little marking indicated it meant ALL for $10. Needless to say I went back and bought all the hip, Marie Antoinette-like colors. Look at this bootie (as in pirate bootie)-

I was nearly addled with the unexpected riches and lost my way to the next stop- the Carnegie Deli. Along the way as I got lost I saw these-

Take a look at the subways. They are grittier and dirtier than you see portrayed on TV and movies-

I've seen the rats down on the tracks but have yet to capture one on film. Here is my son down in the subway. You can see the lighting is not so good and the interior is grimy.

I went to pick my son up from work and as I was waiting, I noticed the Waldorf-Astoria hotel nearby! When I was little, my parents took me to many hotels; not to stay, but to attend conferences. So, I know that anyone can hang out in the lobby and the gift store. I went to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and wandered through the lobby, was careful not to rub elbows with the beautiful and very well groomed people, viewed the historical displays, and glanced into the gift stores (Of which were soooo expensive, I probably might have gotten light headed if I actually entered one. Fortunately they were closed.) However, I noticed my opportunity to experience the hotel first-hand! I went to the bathroom!- The angel detail on the sconces-
I tried to get a picture of the lounge but the attendant wouldn't go away. Suffice it to say, it was grand!

New Yawk City!!!!

2008-05-14T07:58:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am in the Big Apple. I've already seen Times Square, Herald Square, Bryant Park and a little of the village. I only took one picture though in Times Square-

Freak Snow!

2008-04-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I put pictures of K's car seat on our deck. Look at our deck now!!!!

Even the director says "Yikes!"
However, it sure makes for some beautiful pictures of a neighbor's cherry tree-

More Sewing

2008-04-12T17:29:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have ADD! Between applying for jobs, I can't decide whether to garden or sew. Today, sewing won. I recovered K's car seat. It went from this boring, ugly color-

To this!

Look who came to Grammy's house today!

2008-04-01T20:00:00.001-07:00

K came to my house today.

Here is some Easter pictures-

Sleepyhead-

Hats on the brain!

2008-03-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

I am really loving this hat pattern. I decided to make one for myself as well.

This one is not reversible but I still put an interesting band in it

The photographic supervisor says I should put a picture of me wearing the hat-

The Color Pink in Japan

2008-03-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

Pink is the color of spring in Japan. The whole nation longs for the Cherry trees to start blooming! There are count downs on the news as to when cherry blossoms will appear. In case you are longing for spring here are a few pink things I saw on this trip and last.

Plum blossoms

Early cherry

Pink tumbleweeds in a park in 2005

A field of pink Cosmos in 2005

Odd pink pods
A samurai with pink flowers in her head

Sewing: My new Japanese Pattern book!

2008-03-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

I've been sewing up some the of cute kids clothes patterns I found in Japan. In Japan, you can buy a high quality book with about 20 outfits being modeled. They are very cool looking and what's even cooler is the patterns for all the looks and instructions are included! Here is the book I bought-

This-

Plus this Liberty fabric

Equals this-

Its reversible!

And I made a even tinier one. One side is still the purple gingham and the other is this wild Liberty-like flower pattern.

Last Trip in Japan: part 2

2008-03-16T09:35:00.001-07:00

We started over the Tokyo Bay Bridge at sunset. I loved the graceful light poles that looked like they had bird's tails. Tokyo Bay Bridge has a five story rest area that is practically a resort all on its own. There are three levels of parking and three levels of food (one is a split level), souvenirs and shops. It suddenly rises out of the highway and sort of looks like a ship.
This is the Upper deck. It has several sculptures you can have your picture taken with.
My gracious kidnappers
The Sunset

So far the trip across Tokyo Bay is free. We could turn around and go back and not owe a cent. However, we went forward into the tunnel. The tunnel goes under about 2/3rds of the bay so it is very long and very expensive to go into. You have to pay $70 toll to travel in the tunnel/bridge! We then went up through Tokyo proper, through the worst rush hour traffic in the whole world! However, the city scenery was pretty and you rarely get that view since you always take trains and subways.

One thing that impressed me- the Japanese seem so reserved and don't show emotion very often. I was very impressed about how close my mother-in-law's relationship is with her sister. They are very loving towards one another and the older sister often pets the younger sister's hair and laughs at all of her jokes!

I thought you might like to see their highways. Highways have sound barriers that curve along both sides of the highway. Some have windows so the home owners can have a view

And some are solid (for the most point because you can't see through those dirty bottom windows!).
All in all, a pretty decent kidnapping.

Last Trip in Japan

2008-03-16T08:31:00.000-07:00

While I was in Japan, my daughter had a birthday and asked that I bring her a yukata. They are basically cotton kimonos for summer and for after your bath. Of course, this wasn't the season for them so I could not find one. The Japanese do not over-market like we do. For instance, our retailers put out Halloween candy 2 months ahead. In Japan for White Day and for Valentine's Day, they only put out the goodies 2 weeks ahead! (White Day is women's Valentines Day in Japan. They have it all backwards! Women give chocolate and cards to men on the real Valentines Day. Men do nothing! On White Day, March 6th, men then give white gifts and sometimes chocolate to women. Of course they forget a lot. You'd think the retailers would guilt the men to death to increase sales!)

I still had to arrange a visit with my husband's Aunt. She is older than my mother-in-law but speaks better English because she worked as a receptionist just after World War II (during the occupation of Japan) at the Emperor's Hotel. She is well connected and has a sharp memory. She decided we should go visit relatives. So, her and her daughter came over and we started a road trip.

I love these types of trips in Japan because no one tells me anything. I have no clue as to where we are going! They amount to an interesting kidnapping. The Matsudo area is at the top of Tokyo Bay. They drove me down the right side of the bay to the Kawasaki area and the town of Kisaru. There, we met up with the daughter of a great aunt who had a kimono shop who still had some yukatas in stock. My Aunt bought my daughter and my little granddaughter yukatas. From left to right- my mother-in-law, her sister (the Aunt), the Aunt's daughter. The women standing in back is the daughter of the great Aunt.

From there we drove a few blocks to the Great Aunt's grave to make a memorial. This was an old grave yard but the graves are so well cared for they seem new.When making a visit or memorial at a grave site you have to do the following: wash and scrub the grave, weed if needed, buy at the office or bring with you a huge bundle of incense sticks, flowers and/or food or drink the loved one liked. Smaller cemeteries provide buckets, scoops and scrub brushes. As you wash and weed, you talk about the person and how old they were and any interesting stories. After it is clean, you lay out the food or flowers and light that huge bundle of incense. You put the incense in the little grotto to burn. Then you all pray.

Many of you reading this are fairly strict Christians and probably wonder what I do at shrines that worship gods other than mine, who employ demon statues to scare off other demons and pray to people and to other entities. When it is time to pray or wash with water or wash with smoke, I pray to my God. Its as simple as that. Since everyone is praying silently, we all just pray to our own God. My Aunt actually knew a Buddhist/Shinto prayer and said it out loud. It was like a little song or mantra that kind of drones. No one would have asked me to pray out loud because I don't know any proper Buddhist or Shinto prayers.

It was a beautiful graveyard. Right behind the Great Aunt's grave was a grave with this serene statue of a praying priest

They also had this mountain of Buddha blocks with a small shrine at the top that was interesting-

Then we hopped back in the car and started over the Tokyo Bay Bridge. You'll have to read the next blog entry for that!

Disney Sea photos

2008-03-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

Since I took many pictures and I don't want to waste your time loading too many pictures, I loaded them into Picassa. Click here to see them.

DisneySea - the newest addition to the Japanese Disneyland

2008-03-09T23:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went with my sister-in-law and mother-in-law to DisneySea to listen my brother-in-law play his saxaphone. He is part of a walking band that plays Latin American songs about 6 times a day in the Lost River Delta area of the park.

The Japanese Disneyland is too small to hold everyone that wants to go there and the Japanese like new experiences so, they made DisneySea. Its Disneyland with water. Think of all the different Disney movies you've seen that involve water or occur in an interesting location and you have DisneySea. It is laid out like the other Disneylands. There is an American waterfront (Cape Cod theme), Mediterranean harbour, the Arabian coast (Aladdin), Port Discovery, Mysterious Island (1000 Leagues Under the Sea), the Lost River Delta (South American theme) and the Mermaid Lagoon (the Little Mermaid movie).

Instead of a parade, they have a big boat show. Since this is a whole new disney area and the Japanese crave a "new" experience (as opposed to Americans who tend to crave nostalgic experiences, in other words, we don't want our Disneyland to change too much. This is also evident in Japanese grocery stores. I have gone to our stores and seen the same brand names and labels since I was a child. But, in Japan there is more choice and the labels change contantly to keep them interested.), their parade is more mythical and involves story lines I don't recognize.

Here is a picture of my brother-in-law (to the left)

Since this is my last day in Japan and I took many disney pictures, I will load them into Picassa back at home and put the link in my next posting. See ya!

Oranges in the Snow

2008-03-08T18:43:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure what latitude that Tokyo is on but I always thought it was close to Seattle's. But I'm rather unsure since I don't have a globe handy. Oranges ripen in the winter! People grow them and kumquats all over the place. It's too cold to do this in Seattle!

The bamboo forests are common sights here but look very exotic to me-

Bigger Earthquake

2008-03-07T16:06:00.000-08:00

We had a much bigger earthquake at 1:45 this morning. The last one was sharp and quick. This one was more normal; starting slow, building up, and slowly going away. Nothing and nobody was hurt.

It is healthy for Japan to have lots of little quakes. It relieves the pressure in the faults and helps prevent the "big one." Although, the Kobe quake about 10 years ago was huge.

Driving while under the influence of a camera

2008-03-07T14:58:00.000-08:00

I pass this huge Buddha at a monument business every time I go to Unidy. I keep trying to get a shot but I also keep trying to not kill anyone on this side of the road. Today's attempt-

A Word about Food

2008-03-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

I love Japanese food but let's be honest, they eat some weird stuff sometimes! Like Natto, (fermented, slimy beans that smell bad but taste good) and raw fish. I wonder who thought that up?

My rule about food in Japan is this: In order to not be rude, I will eat anything they set in front of me (With the exception of fugu. I have already warned them I won't risk my life eating fugu. There is no way that raw fish can taste so good its worth dying over).

One other thing you need to know about Japanese food- they love, no adore soft textures. Think runny egg whites on a sunny-side up egg or runny jello. Ugggh! Most Americans and Europeans like a more crisp texture or even crunchy. I know I vastly prefer teeth breaking crunchy than soft.

Another thing you need to know is that my mother-in-law is a great cook. She cooks every meal fresh. Look at this fried shrimp and asparagus with miso soup and rice she made-
And this yummy pork katsudon on rice and miso soup- Teriyaki Eel, which is yummy.
Look at her beautiful salad-

But even she can come up with some odd stuff. Any guesses? It's chicken breastbone cartilage with spicy pepper sprinkled on it. It seems to be the cool new snack because I've now encountered it in several restaurants. And yes, I ate one.

A small shrine at Akihabara

2008-03-06T23:30:00.000-08:00

The Akihabara area of Tokyo is well known for its cheap electronics and gadgets. I went there yesterday and came across this tiny shrine to a raccoon-like creature (the Japanese have several mythological creatures they often tell tales of like our bigfoote, yeti and lockness monster). I have a sake bottle at home of this little guy.

The washing area

A small nook with a prayer figure
The Raccoon shrine

Close-up of the guardian figures, just like the sake bottle at home- A close-up of the seramic figures inside the shrine (thats a money grate in front. You can donate towards the upkeep of the shrine)-

I wonder if the creator of the animation "Ren and Stimpy" was sitting at this very shrine, smoking a cigarette (Like a lot of businessmen at the shrine today. It seems that the cigarette is contemplated more often than this poor raccoon!), when he looked up and saw proto Ren-

Parking Sitiuation

2008-03-06T21:46:00.000-08:00

There is little room for parking in Japan. This has not stopped Japanese creativity though. They have pay parking lots like we have but they want to make sure you pay (you know how we do it...pay the smaller amount and hope the parking lot attendant is late or fails to notice). Here's how they make sure you pay- When your time runs out, the red X appears and the back part of that little parking bump goes up and traps your car. They also have these for bikes and if your time runs out, a little spoke pops between your wheels trapping your bike.

They even have them for scooters, but I could only find an old fashion one.

So, no cheating on your parking fees in Japan!

The Jomon (rope) People

2008-03-06T01:46:00.000-08:00

There is a huge park near my house. It has miles (kilometers) of walking trails but it also has an outdoor museum as well. It features the loomed cloth, pottery, and houses of the Jomon or Rope People of Japan.

The Jomon make up part of the ancestry of the Japanese people
(see this article). They are mainly known for their loomed cloth and their pottery with rope patterns. The exhibit is very nice and you can try your hand at looming the same way they did 10,000 years ago and you can tour a hut built in their style. The hut comes complete with guide and fire in the fire pit. They look like thatched teepees or funny little mushrooms.
They are built into the ground and are well made. The circular ledge holds firewood. All the beams are held together with rope. Here is Mrs. T, Sayaka San and my Mother-in-Law patiently sitting in the smoke while I take pictures!

Earthquake!

2008-03-05T02:48:00.000-08:00

We had a few little earthquakes. Japan has them all the time, so I was surprised that it took three weeks to have one.

On Sunday, I was reading and there was a quick but sharp earthquake. About a block away they are wrecking an old apartment building and it jiggles this house. So, when we had the earthquake I thought another wall fell down at the construction site. Then I remembered it was Sunday and they weren't working!

Harajuku

2008-03-03T00:03:00.000-08:00

The Harajuku area of Tokyo is very famous right now because of Gwen Stephanie and Madonna. I went to Togo Shrine to a flea market for antiques. It was interesting but too expensive because of the gaijins like me looking for deals.

Here is a pic of the street and all the people-
Out of the hustle and bustle is Yoyogi Park. You enter through these massive gates-

All the paths are lined with these wonderful lanterns-

They have a display of sake barrels that are quite colorful

One with a wave
The chrysanthemum-

They also had a display of wine barrels from France. They were sent as a consecration gift to the Meiji Jingo temple nearby. It doesn't make much sense to have them just sitting there and not drinking them!

I found this statue of Elvis back in Harajuku. I noted the date he died and remembered that I was in Yokahama, Japan when I heard he died. I was about 16 and on an exchange trip.

Candy

2008-03-02T23:50:00.000-08:00

I loved candy as a child and even though I don't eat ~~much of~~ it now, I'm still facinated by it in all its glory. I love the weird labels too. Here is a few-

Why they are feeding children cat's colons is beyond me.

and this new find-
They have beer soda now too.

Cars in Japan

2008-03-02T05:39:00.000-08:00

I am fascinated by cars in Japan. They have even more choices that are unavailable to us. Every since the gas shock of 1973, we have been giving lip service to better gas mileage in cars. However the Japanese have been really making cars with better gas mileage. We don't have access to these because they are so tiny and our big vehicles would just mow them over!

Unfortunately, when you get close enough to photograph a tiny car, they look bigger (the camera adds 10 pounds?) Even so, I thought I'd show you a few. Some of these I took pictures of and some come from Suzuki Japan web site. Note the cool Easter egg colors.

This little car must belong to a girl with that pink boa in the window. It has a yellow license plate meaning that it uses so little gas it qualifies for a very reduced tax.

Another cute little car

This tiny, tiny van looks normal in this ad but in real life it looks like a giant picked it up and gave it a little squeeze that caused it to be a lot thinner and taller, and then set it back down. It is so small that I've seen it parked comfortably in the biking strip on the side of the road!Every Wagon

The Lapin is small, slightly European looking and is very Easter-eggy in colors. Cute! There are many more tiny cute cars, vans and trucks by all the car makers (Honda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Nissan to name a few) but I can't drive and take their pics without killing somebody.

Another Cat nap

2008-03-01T00:58:00.000-08:00

Here is a cute resident of Matsudo I met today-

Japan and the Disabled

2008-03-01T00:13:00.000-08:00

It seemed that Japan used to ignore the disabled. You hardly ever saw a developmentally delayed person in public, let alone the mobility challenged. They always supported the sight challenged though by giving them input through their feet, which is pretty ingenious. Nearly everywhere you go in Japan, a visually impaired person can easily go as well.

Here are some pictures of the train station. This is the edge of the platform. It has grey raised rubber nearest the edge to warn you to stay away. Before that is a yellow band with raised dots letting you know there is danger ahead and you should not go closer than this (also helpful for silly high school boys showing off and drunk salarymen).

As you travel, they line the path with long raised yellow bars. These often appear along sidewalks as well. The new block of dots, both to the left and right in this picture indicate that stairs are coming up.
Now days, you see many disabled people in public. What brought on this change in my opinion? Was it more insight to the plight of the disabled? No, it was the aging of Japan. You see there are many, many more elderly people than young people in Japan. The young people are not reproducing as fast as they should. They have careers now.

The elderly are economically powerful and cannot be ignored. So, since I last was here four years ago, nearly all train stations, even small outliers, have put in escalators (common in downtown Toyko but not elsewhere) and/or elevators (unheard of in a train station!). Now, it is easy for everyone to get around, work, and travel.

The Mall

2008-02-29T23:58:00.000-08:00

I took the train to the new mall. It was much like our malls but with smaller clothes. It had a supermarket in it and since it was Saturday, they were enticing shoppers with samples. Here was the most popular sample area-
That's right, wine. Both red and white as well as cheese and crackers. After watching several repeat samplers stagger away, I turned the corner to this astounding sight- Butts! By this time, I lost all pretense of politeness in asking whether or not I could take pictures. I just kept repeating "Wakaremasen!? Wakaremasen!? (Apparently, I know enough Japanese to not understand them!)

Getting Lost

2008-02-29T16:35:00.001-08:00

My husband is afraid I will get lost in Japan. He even makes a little "getting found" card for me so if I got lost, I could give it to a policeman and they could send me home. However, I'm much more easy going about getting lost. I figure its good for you once in awhile. It promotes independence and learning about a new area.

Like a few nights ago, I drove to Unidy (my favorite hardware store) at the wrong time and got caught in massive traffic. I know two ways to go to Unidy, my very careful sister-in-law's way and my mother-in-law's more risky shortcut. I got tired of waiting in traffic and decided to turn off and start my mother-in-law's shortcut early. Did I mention that Japan goes not adhere to the grid system of road planning? That nothing is straight?

I knew the road I wanted to be on was northwest of me but the road kept twisting and turning and dead ending. As I saw some open fields, I started to feel just a little panic that I had indeed gotten myself lost in the dark, possibly in the country-side, and not a phone or policeman in sight. In fact, I realized had arrogantly left the "getting found" card at home.

I repeated my mantra about getting lost (You're not really lost, you just don't know where you are, you haven't left Japan or fallen off the Earth, you know you're in the Matsudo area and home is in that general direction, the internal gyroscope is not wrong about this). And, just as I was wondering if I might have to sleep in the car, I saw a bright neon sign of a drug store I knew and I found the road again! Now I know a lot more about the area near Unidy.

However, getting lost doesn't always lead to panic. It can also lead to interesting discoveries. Like yesterday in Matsudo, I deliberately walked a different route and went down several interesting streets and found this- A little, old, dog shrine.

There were lots people with dogs around and I think they take their dogs here for a blessing
Look at this fierce little guardian I wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley.

Old Houses

2008-02-28T05:19:00.000-08:00

I just love old houses both here and in the states. Here however, the old houses are disappearing fast. They are costly to maintain and a new house built on your old land is cheap.

Look at this great old house-

I think they can only maintain it because of what's beside it.
I bet they own these apartment buildings or sold the land to create them and have the savings to keep this house.

Lunch with the Japanese Martha Stewart (at least in my nieghborhood)

2008-02-26T04:37:00.000-08:00

My Mother-in-law is a social butterfly. Everyone loves her and she has many old friends. She took me to lunch at her friend's house. This lady is known as the "Martha Stewart" of the nieghborhood. Here is a picture-From the left- Mrs. and Mr. W, my lovely mother-in-law and a friend.

Mrs. W is very gracious and a relaxed hostess. She fixed okunomiyaki
Okonomiyaki Recipe
at the table in her lovely dining room and then dessert and coffee. The coffee cups were china. I just thought they were beautiful cups until I went Mitsukoshi's on the Ginza and realized she gave us coffee on real Wedgewood! And, she mixed the patterns! Take a look at the patterns she served with-

Florentine Wedgewood cups

Ulander Turquiose Wedgewood cups

Chatsworth Pattern Wedgewood cCups

Travel Day: Nippori and the Ginza

2008-02-26T03:37:00.000-08:00

Today I went to downtown Tokyo. Normally, I could not do this alone but with my new English version train/subway map
and the SUICA card,
I can go alone and not get lost! Mostly.

Nippori is a station on the main circular line that goes around Tokyo. My train from Matsudo goes directly there so I didn't have to make any fancy train changes. Nippori is home to Fabric town. Blocks and blocks of fabric and cheap clothing. I met this resident of Nippori-

I bought Liberty fabric-

and this

I then got back on the train and went to Ueno station. Ueno is huge and it is easy to get lost. There I transferred to the Ginza subway line (I know it is the right one because of the orange band on the wall that matches the orange line on my map!)- The Ginza is the most elite shopping area. It is where all the designers have shops. I took this picture for DL at my old work since she might have enjoyed going in. I had to do it secretly so the doorman wouldn't stop me
I went across the street

For BG with her pen fetish- It seems the most venerated and beloved store is closed. I believe I heard that Wako is going to be torn down to make a bigger store. (Later, I found out that I was wrong. They must have been closed that day. The plan to rebuild has been stopped.) Wako was the most expensive store on the Ginza and possibly the world. The last time I checked the cheapest thing you could buy there was undies and the cheapest of those ran about $2000.

Oops, I stepped in the Goo

2008-02-24T23:18:00.001-08:00

I've been shopping. Would you like a little goo too?

Japanese Yards

2008-02-24T22:40:00.000-08:00

Nearly all Japanese houses have postage stamp yards surrounded by a wall. Think fuedal, think defending your turf.

Since there is little land it is very precious. If the Japanese are so lucky to have a house, they will garden and tend every inch of it. If they have no open ground, they often have planters in the front of the house. Trees and shrubs are trimmed to an inch of their lives!

Here are a few of the local yards I like. I'm sorry some of the pictures are not as clear. I should have taken my husband up on his offer to buy me a new megapixel camera before I left. Gomennasai!

Close up-
Not a leaf out of place!

An apartment building-

Freedom!

2008-02-22T20:27:00.000-08:00

This trip I'm able to travel by myself and actually go places of my choosing. What made this possible? Did I study my kanji relentlessly? No way. It's because of this little wonder-

A SUICA card!

You would think that as technologically proficient as the Japanese are they would have made a smartcard that you can keep loading with yen sooner. But, Japan's train system is privatized so there are many lines owned by many different companies and you have buy the right ticket or tickets.

This is how I used to have to get around. First go to the station and get a ticket-That line of different colors near the middle is the different train companies you must choose from. I would have to have my husband buy the tickets because I can't read kanji too well and this local map of stations (below) and fares doesn't make too much sense, although I could buy and travel in an eight station range by myself.

After you figure this out and buy the right ticket, you go through the turnstyles
and battle your way through the people and get on a train that is often standing room only.

Garbage in Japan or Obaasan Terror

2008-02-22T17:11:00.000-08:00

I live in fear of disposing of the garbage while in Japan. I do not want to bring shame on my family and bring down the wrath of the obaasan.

Garbage is a big deal to the Japanese. It must be done right or you will be terrorized the local obaasans. They use public garbage areas. Here is an example of one

They are all covered by that green net to keep any garbage sacks from falling into traffic. All garbage must be sorted in to combustables and put in a paper sack that you must buy, cans in a plastic sack, and plastics in a plastic sack. Plastic bottles go into a different net-

Each week, just before the garbage is picked up, the obaasans seem to meet at the garbage bin and grade the garbage. If you have not done it correctly, you will receive a nasty note on top of your garbage which will be put on your porch. Thus you will probably miss the take out date. Thus you will get another nasty note the next week about putting out too much garbage! I have heard of other gaijins who, found lacking in their packaging or sorting, had their garbage re-sorted and re-packaged by a local obaasan and then commented upon the contents ("You are eating too much fried foods, bad for your big gaijin ass")!

Note the little bottle strapped to the fence with a window cut into the side. That is for the lids. I can guaranty you that an obaasan put that there!

Suffice it to say, I am never allowed to take out the garbage and I live in fear someone will see me throw away something wrong at the local train station and report back since I'm the only gaijin in the neighborhood right now.

The Exact Address of Satan

2008-02-22T16:35:00.001-08:00

The devil lives one block away from my house-

The Mogami Bakery

Some of you may know that I have lost 28 pounds recently and I'd like to keep them off and lose more. I'm type 2 diabetic so I avoid breads and other carbohydrates. Interestingly, when I was diagnosed as type 2, I lost all cravings for candy (although I wasn't a big sweet eater anyway), cakes and breads (which I used to love).

However, eating in Japan is a challenge with all the rice and the Japanese always take some thing that another culture does well and do it even better (such as the French and their bread). Bread is definately one of those things! Look in closer-

Yes, that's ~~satan's little helper~~ a staff member keeping the shelves stocked with HOT, FRESH items ALL DAY. I do not breath deeply when I walk by to the train station and I most certainly do not enter the shop. I have been known to lick the glass though.

So, what did I find on my plate for lunch? Yes, you got it. This is what my mom-in-law served me-

Clockwise from left top on plate- crusty, cheesy, light mayo soft roll, a soft sweet roll, and a soft roll filled with spicy curry (like a long humbao). To the right is three pork katsu (crispy fried pork) sandwiches. What do you think? Did I eat it?

Close up of inside of curry roll-

The quality of this curry rivals that of my friend Sakuntla who makes the best!

In case you're wondering, the devil lives one block away.

The Real Power in Japan

2008-02-21T16:36:00.000-08:00

You might think that the Prime Minister or the Japanese Royalty or even the big business leaders are the most powerful people in Japan.

You'd be wrong! It is the obaassan. Obaasan is the word for Grandmother but also stands in for all old ladies. For those of you who know me, you know that I am one tough cookie. Even the weakest obaasan is 5 times tougher than I am. Most are at least 10 times tougher!

They seem oblivious to the cold, putting out their laundry with no gloves, no coat and only plastic sandles. I tried it the other day and damn near froze.

I spent a good half hour hugging that pink heater! My mother-in-law is soo tough. She hangs out the laundry everyday in freezing high winds.

Including at least one set of futons, blankets and pillow-
Notice the gigantic clothes pins! When I say futons, I don't mean the American type futons that are about 8 inches thick. No, mon ami, I mean two, two inches thick futons that barely qualify as blankets! They are pretty hard. But, they get aired weekly and beaten to peices by my mother-in-law. They do smell wonderful and they are at least fluffier for two days. There are four of us, so my day for airing is Wednesday. I put my own out to give her a break but she still beat the tar out of them herself.

Driving on the Wrong side of the Road

2008-02-21T01:22:00.000-08:00

I made sure to get my international driving license before coming to Japan. It is very exhillerating to drive on the wrong side (for Americans that is) of the road, the wrong side of the car, and being totally illiterate when it comes to signs!

Here is the car I'm driving-

Here's what it looks like inside-

While everything inside is mirror image to a car in the US, the pedals are not. This is a manual and the clutch is still on the left and the gas on the right. Here is a sign I can barely read-

A Good Thing: Convenience Stores

2008-02-21T01:03:00.000-08:00

Japan has the most marvelous convenience stores! Their fast food is actually healthy. Here, you can get nearly anything you would find on a general menu at a Japanese restaurant back in the states!

Of course, the Japanese take our English, shorten it and mangle it a bit. The term the Japanese use is Combini. They are open 24/7 which is unusual in Japan. They are tiny but they pack a lot in. You can get hard liquor here too!

Here is one of my favorite-

Lots of school boys stop in to read magazines all evening. Girls to buy candy. I can' count how many times I've snuck away to buy karage (boneless fried chicken) when I've finally had too much wierd fish and tofu.

Your fellow riders or Pervs in Japan

2008-02-18T01:40:00.000-08:00

I do love taking the trains but you have to allow for local customs. For instance this picture I quietly took on the train-

There are soooo many things wrong here. See how he's sitting with his legs crossed? Only Japanese men can do that on the train! Women are not allowed to sit with their legs crossed.

Do you see what he is drinking on the train? Well here is a close up that I borrowed to make sure it would be clear-

That's right, beer!

And what is he reading? Soft porn. This is normal relaxation for a businessman in Japan!

Trains in Japan

2008-02-18T01:20:00.000-08:00

You take trains everywhere in Japan. Your local train station is virtually your address. Houses closer to the local train station (walking distance) are worth more. We live pretty close: its only a five block walk. Here is some pictures of the local station-

If you live a little farther or you want to travel in between, the bike is the transportation of choice. You bike to the station and park your bike in one of the many bike parking lots. Bikes do get stolen but it is rare.

I love taking the trains. This is part of the reason the Japanese stay so fit. You have to walk or bike to the station. All stations are on the second story and you have to climb two very steep flights buy the ticket and then go down two steep flights of stairs to get on to the platform. When you arrive... up two and down two.

Temple near the Ginza

2008-02-18T01:17:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we went to a flea market near the Ginza. It wasn't very good. It used to be that the Japanese just threw things away when they didn't want them. But, after some Japanese students in America saw our garage sales they realized they could do things differently. Now flea markets (yard sales) are all the rage but Japanese style: pre-arranged, in a park or parking lot, and you pay a small fee to put your tarp down and display your goods. Even older people attend now that they are hip.

Since we were nearby we went to a temple. Here is the smaller one-

As you walk to the larger one, you stop and "wash" with smoke from incense. You are supposed to direct the smoke with your hands to wash it over you. If you have a body part that is unwell, you should direct the smoke towards it and it might get better. Generally, you should only try for those above the waist!

Then you wash with water (just the hands) before you enter the temple-

The temple is famous for its large lanterns-

This is the main gate. there were lots of people there and I thought it was because it was a Sunday but on the news later that night I saw that a famous Tokyo marithon started near this temple.

Another Hottie!

2008-02-18T00:54:00.000-08:00

It is damn cold here! No central air only isolated kerosene heaters. My in-laws bought I new one for my room and I'm eternally greatful!

Come to mama...just a little closer baby...that's it

Oh sorry, I'll tear myself away to show you my room-

Not bad huh? Its a traditional tatami room.

Its a Good Thing: Vending Machines

2008-02-14T23:22:00.001-08:00

One of the great things about Japan is the vending machines. You can buy nearly anything out of a vending machine. I especially love the hot drinks. Many of you who worked with me know how much I loved milk tea from Uwajimaya. Well you can get that hot here in a vending machine for about a $1.20.

Mmmmmm...Yes, come here baby. Yes, you the hottie. That's right, just snuggle up!

This is your typical vending machine at a station. Some of the items have blue tags for cold and red tags for hot.

You can get fruit juices, water, cold tea, vitamin drinks, hot coffee, hot green tea, hot milk tea. See, my favorite-Milk Tea!

Take a look at this site for more types of vending machines. If you don't believe it when I said nearly anything, take a gander, its well worth wasting time on! http://www.photomann.com/japan/machines/

My train is coming! Got to go!

Cccold!!

2008-02-14T20:53:00.000-08:00

I made it to Japan and to home. This is the first time I did it on my own. Once I got through customs, I found the Keisei trainline and bought the correct ticket to make one transfer to the Shin-Keisei line to home.

I did it and didn't get lost! I even bought my ticket from a vending machine that was not written in English.

So, now I'm here and boy, is it cold! I forgot to tell you another reason why that electric seat warmer is soooo good: no Japanese house has central heating. They only have kerosen heaters in some rooms. Even so, its cold baby!

More cats

2008-02-13T01:54:00.000-08:00

These are the Japanese cats in our family.

Higei is on the right. She is about 5 years old. She is very sweet and loves fish. Kutaro is the new kitten and I have not met him yet. They are both Japanese Bobtails. Japanese bobtails have about a three inch tail that is fused so it doesn't bend. The end of the tail bones form sort of a ball. They are a very athletic cats and like to jump up to the highest point in the house. They also like water. Higei always tries to sneak into your shower and she looks forward each day to being brushed with a wet brush!

Please remember that I'm easily entertained and have little better than an adolecent humor rating!

2008-02-11T23:32:00.000-08:00

Japanese public toilets are always interesting. You never know what you are going to get. It could be the oldest on record, a little more than a porcelain hole in the floor or a technological marvel that seems like you could send your butt to the moon!

Let's start with your old style toilet-

Suffice it to say that you plant a foot on either side, squat, get all your clothing out of the way, and hold on to those pipes for dear life.

Lets move to your basic home toilet-

Now you might be saying "T1, that doesn't look much different. Oh, is that a fuzzy toilet seat? Would I ever want to put my rump on the same towel as the rest of the family?" Au countraire, mon aime, you would like to put your rump on this because its HEATED! Japan is very cold in the winter and it is too cold for your bare heiny. You will thank who ever thought this little miracle up! (see the little cord to plug it in on the left?) . Even houses without the electric seat at least purchase the terry cloth covers so their butts won't ice on to the seats.

You can't see it but the Japanese built one more thing into this little gem: the top of the toilet lid is the sink! Instead of wasting space in the bathroom, they pipe the fill water (perfectly pure) outside the tank to pour through an opening in the top. So, voila, when you flush, you can wash your hands too (but not in the winter, its far too cold. I'll be heading to the sink in the other room.)

Now let's see one of the technological marvels. Here it is in the show room (Note the remote control. How much fun could you have with that!?-

Lets take a closer look at a real one. Here a close-up of the control arm on your public toilet-

Orange button - Stop - This scares me why would I have to tell a toilet to stop?
Lavender button - Warm Air - At least I hope its warm air to dry your heiny, I'm pretty sure it is, but I can't read it
Pink button - water - Yes, to wash your heiny but its pretty strong and not too warm. It is not pretty to jump off the toilet and duck for cover when you can't stop it (maybe that's what stop is for!) Not that moi has ever done that.
Green button - flushing sound - This is for your shy pee'r. Notice that you can even adjust the volume! It sounds like a damn river is beside you at full volume (not that I would know first hand)

We have to move in for a closer look now-

And last but not least. You can set the water pressure. Why? I'm not sure, I ran.

A Cat Nap from Japan

2008-02-11T18:31:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd give you a break with cat pictures. Here's Wolfgang surveying his domain.

Smudgie is currently traumatized from a Kailey Coo attack and will not leave the corner of my bed. (22lbs tries to pick up 11lbs).

Streets in residential areas

2008-02-11T18:04:00.000-08:00

Of course, Tokyo is a very old city. It started before people ever conceived of cars or trucks. The city is like a rabbit warren with hidden streets, crooked streets, sharp corners and very skinny lanes. The street system has never changed from the old days. Nothing is straight. This was an attempt to outwit invaders so they could not find the Emperor. Here is a great example of a street-

If you look down the road, you'll see that people can only walk about three abreast comfortably. People DRIVE down this! Here is a sharp corner, so sharp it needs mirrors for drivers to not kill anybody! (This pic is a wide view. It really is sharp.)

We're blessed to live in a more residential area of Tokyo. This is what most of the city looks like-

And yes, this is a roller coaster going through a high rise building to save space and for the thrill of it!

A beautiful day in the neighborhood...

2008-02-11T10:53:00.000-08:00

I love looking around the neighborhood. The mix of older and newer houses and gardens are amazing. The tight use of space is a wonder to behold.

Most older houses grow these wonderful fir trees. They train one branch to shelter the entrance to the house. In this picture, it is clear that they started to grow the tree and most likely the road changed and they re-built the wall to protect the house.

This apartment house has one of the longest fir tree arms in the neighborhood. Note all the bikes. This is the main mode of transportation in the local area.

In this next picture this garden plot nearby always makes me shake my head. Many of the fresh veggies in the market are local grown on little plots like this. But, this plot that is probably less than an acre is probably worth 4 to 5 million dollars! These diakon radishes cannot possibly be less than a $1000 each! Its like my old job. I often would help a client who stopped me in passing (just good customer service really!) but my boss would say "You're way too expensive to do direct service! You're an analyst not a case manager."

The Typical Newish Japanese Home

2008-02-11T10:15:00.000-08:00

One of my friends wants to know about typical life in Japan and a little about the environs I'm staying in. I have a few pictures from my last trip to share (This way, I have a head start on the blog in case I run into trouble over there computer-wise). Some of you may know that very little of the Japanese public have or know how to use computers. All their internet activity is done on their cell phones while traveling to and fro on the train. I'm lucky to have a family with a computer and internet connection.)

Here is the homestead.

The newer houses are close to the street like this but still have the wall between the house and the street. Despite being so small, the Japanese defend their little plots strictly: no encroaching, no one walks through a property, and they plant every last bit of land in a garden. To reduce city noise, the living parts are in the back of the house. The balcony is for drying clothes and airing futons rather than lounging on. The Japanese do not have clothes dryers in their laundry rooms to save space in the house (In fact, I've never even seen one on sale in stores!)

View from the left:

That lovely bay window on the first floor hides the bath/shower room!

Around back is where I'll be staying. It has a typical window.

These amazing bits of architectural achievement are useful as well as decorative. Japanese windows have many layers. Starting from inside you have the shoji screen that can be slide beside the window or in front of the window to shade sun. You then have the window itself. Then you have the wooden or metal panels that can be slide into the shutter box. These panels protect the house during deep cold, wind and typhoon rains. They are very tight and block out ALL light.

You typically close these at night to sleep. I find these very disconcerting. I am often very tired at first with jet lag and sleeping with these on and being so tired makes me not know if I'm up or down when I wake up (gravity not withstanding)! We are talking pitch black here! Not a hint of light even from the hall. I'm planning on finding a nightlight as soon as landing!

Start of a new Era

2008-02-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

Well, I've finally did it. I started a blog. Let's hope this is slightly less painful than writing grants! I've always fancied that I'd like to write but I find going to the dentist preferable!

At first, this blog will just be about by trip to Japan. I'm going to stay for a month at my mother-in-law's home. Japan is always interesting. It's like peeling an onion: just as you think you know Japan, you peel another layer off and you have to examine it again.

After the trip is over, I'll be sharing this blog with my sister (T3). By the way, this is basic nomenclature for my family since we all have the same initials. I'm T1. T3 makes the most amazing jewelry and she would like to sell it on Etsy but it seems you need a blog.

In between that, you may also have to endure some whining about my current joblessness state. I decided to make a huge change in my life and quit my job of ten years to do something different. I saved a butt-load of money to do this and now I don't want to part with the dough so, I have to find gainful employment or start a business soon.