Final Japan images

These last images were taken throughout our trip, but didn't really fit into any of my previous posts. Some are beautiful, some are funny, and some just epitomize some aspect of Japan to me.

Reflection in the koi pond at our first (and favorite) hotel, The Prince Sakura Tower in Shinagawa.

Pretty typical Tokyo street fashion: short skirts, over the knee (or thigh) socks or boots, and brightly colored high heels.

The morning commute.

Many, many people in Japan wear masks to protect themselves from illness. This little girl, in her school uniform, had a knit mask on. Hard to understand how that could be in any way effective, but she sure was cute.

A perfect example of the reason things make me all wanty in Japan. I mean, come on! How cute are these?! Just seems like breakfast would be a lot more fun if it was cooked in these pots every morning!

The very efficient JR (Japan Rail) system. Loved it. We never waited for a train more than a minute or so, no matter where we were going.

The thumbs up from my seasoned traveller.

I wish I could have snapped more pics of the shoes I saw on the street. Most were much flashier than these, but the style here is so unique. Heel height typical.

While in Tokyo, I got a massage at our hotel spa. I just love the wording on the contract I had to sign, especially the "escape clause". It all seems perfectly reasonable, I was just tickled by the translation.

A beauty in the lobby of our hotel in Kyoto. Our hotel seemed like a popular place for weddings, so we got to see a lot of beautiful kimonos and the like there.

A view of one of the covered markets in Kyoto. We stumbled upon this one our first night there and just loved it. It's basically a narrow street that has been covered for a span of several blocks and is crammed with stalls full of fresh fish, produce, sweets, and a few restaurants.

Cloth sushi from one of the stalls in the market above.

Ever the ham; this time at a Christmas display in a department store.

Guarding a temple in Kyoto.

One section of a tiny shop in Nara that sold nothing but brushes.

Beautiful treats at a shop in Nara.

Anna fell in love with the tiny candies they serve at tea ceremonies. Made of rice flour and sugar, the are sculpted into beautiful flowers and leaves. Here she finally convinced me to buy her one as a treat for the train back to Tokyo from Kyoto. Smart girl!

What’s Hot + What’s Not

If I'd had a spare $125 or so, I so would've bought this! Love, love, love her. She epitomizes the Japanese street look to me.

Thought I'd interrupt my Japan blogging to tag along on Claire’s little game again. Given that we're back home now, there's really just one more post about Japan that I want to write — a summary of my thoughts/impressions during our trip and some final photos that didn't make it in to any of the previous posts.

What’s Hot

Japanese style! Wow, I loved the clothing in Japan so much! Sort of a 1980s big city, bad schoolgirl look. Short skirts, over the knee socks or tights, bright, funky shoes. And anything with sparkle!

Getting back into the holiday spirit. After losing my dad a couple years ago, I was feeling really down about the whole holiday season. This year, in large part because Anna is now old enough to participate, I'm really looking forward to crafting, baking, decorating, etc. I love Alicia's little snow village, though that's probably a little more Martha than I can muster!

Apak Studio. Just found these guys through Claire's mention of the studio tour at share some candy. Not sure why I clicked on Apak's link, but turns out they're right here in Portland (natch!), making them extra Hot in my book!

Yoga! 2010 is definitely going to be the year of yoga for me. I have found an amazing teacher who has opened up yoga in a new way for me. And extra hot (if you're a PDX local), Root has extended their biggest savings of the year for an extra week. It's a buy 2 get 1 free deal, and you have to call them or go in to get it.

What’s Not

My crazy cat who has expanded her sock-eating habit to my new pair of Anthropologie pants. Seriously, she ate them! Bad kitty!

Jet-lag. Really, it's not as bad as we expected, but it'd be nice to fall asleep sometime before 2am, given that we're up at 7. Small price to pay for such an amazing experience though!

Nara

Our last day in Kyoto we took the train to Nara, the capital of Japan from 710 to 784. These days Nara is known for the 1200 deer that wander among the temple crowds. There is a legend that a mythical deity arrived in Nara on the back of a white deer to protect the city. Hence the deer have been given sacred status, and roam around wherever they choose. Mostly they stay where the tourists are, eating the biscuits that vendors sell to feed them.

On the train. This was the trip where David and Anna bonded over their geekdom. Anna now plays video games on David's iPhone.

Persimmon (and citrus) shop.

Wedding photos.

Prayers tied onto a tree next to a shrine.

The main temple. It has a massive buddha inside. Alas it is virtually impossible to photograph.

Along the side of the road. Not sure what the apron is for. Anyone know?

Watching the turtles.

Research

In preparation for our upcoming trip to Japan, David, Anna, and I took a field trip to Uwajimaya; an enormous Japanese market in Beaverton.

Our mission was simple: stroll the aisles and look at things. Appreciate the differences. Pick a few things to bring home and try.













The designer in me just loves this stuff!

So far, we've liked the rice crackers and seaweed products. Not so much with the wagashi cakes.

Opportunity

When Anna was an infant, I used to drive in a big circle out to the airport to try to get her to fall asleep. Roughly once a week my dad would come up for the day and we'd use this time to have long “blue-sky” conversations—about wishes, dreams, goals—the sky was the limit.

At the time, my main fantasy was to raise Anna as a world traveler. In it, David, Anna, and I would pick a destination each year and spend time learning about the culture, language, and customs in preparation for our journey. Then off the 3 of us would go for anywhere from 2–6 weeks.

The birth of this blog came from the first such opportunity. A lot had changed since those blue-sky talks. My dad had died suddenly and unexpectedly, which eventually resulted in my pursuing a dream of fluency in French. That led directly, but unintentionally, into a 6-week house-swap opportunity in Normandy, which was the impetus for starting this blog.

And now the universe has offered another such opportunity: a trip to Japan! Recently, David and I were talking about the fantasy of travel, but weren't really feeling prepared or motivated to do much about it. A leisure trip so soon after France just didn't seem feasible. Then David mentioned a conference happening in Tokyo this November and said that he could submit a proposal for a talk. Nothing to lose, right?

A couple weeks ago David's proposal was accepted, but still. Japan's awfully far away and awfully expensive to get to. Can't hurt to ask about funding opportunities, right?

Several days ago we learned that David was chosen to receive funding for his travel expenses, meaning that, while still expensive, it's an opportunity we simply can't pass up.

I am a firm believer that if you let the universe know you want something, and the universe delivers, you don't ask questions! You just GO!

Of course, I'll be blogging all the way, beginning with resources I dig up in the process of researching our upcoming trip. And if you have any tips or resources to share, please do.

P.S. Dear universe, not to be greedy, but I'd like to make it known that if I have to declare a blogging niche, I'd love for it to be travel blogging! Just letting you know. Blue-sky.