Monday Cat Blogging

Cat (Fairfax) - Marin County  2023

Not in Japan. Seen on one of our walks going up the street here in Fairfax. Photo was taken last May; I wanted to get it in before moving on to a new quarter.

Japan Culinary Adventure (40): Kurashow in Otaki

Tomato Dish (Kurashow) - Japan  2023

Dessert (Kurashow) - Japan  2023

We last ate here in 2017; we were so impressed that we had to reschedule another visit for this trip. This time Jim and Margaret joined us for another memorable meal. Once again, as in our previous visit, "dishes kept coming out on a regular basis . . . everything pristine, picture-perfect and delicious."

Hali even got a special welcoming sign!

Welcome Sign (Kurashow) - Japan  2023

Otaki Sightems - 2

Doki Doki (Otaki) - Japan  2023

Azaleas, Rock Wall (Otaki) - Japan  2023

Doki Doki or doki-doki (Japanese: ドキドキ) is a term for the sound of a beating heart in Japanese sound symbolism. (Wikipedia)

We last visited Otaki in 2017. That was in the Fall, so there were persimmons ready to be harvested.

Otaki Sightems - 1

Visitor Center (Otaki) - Japan  2023

Fire Brigade (Otaki) - Japan  2023

We were there for lunch at Kurashow, one of our favorite restaurants. But we had some time before our reservation to wander about the town.

Scenes from the Wakashio Express - 2

Rice Paddies - Japan  2023

Rice Paddies, Houses - Japan  2023

After skirting Tokyo Bay the Wakashio Express travels though serene rural landscapes.

We got off at the Ohara Station and walked a few feet to board the Isumi train for Otaki.

Isumi RR - Japan  2023

Scenes from the Wakashio Express - 1

Coast Guard - Japan  2023

Cranes, Japan  2023

We were returning to Kurashow, the restaurant in Otaki that we last visited in 2017. First, we took the Chuo Line from Shinjuku to Tokyo Station. Then, we had to navigate a total maze towards our train,  complicated by hundreds of students milling about (going to Tokyo Disneyland, we speculated). 

Once we got going I noticed that the train wound around Tokyo Bay with some interesting sights seen through the window.

Japan Culinary Adventure (39): Shaved Ice at Himitsu

Strawberry Shaved Ice (Nippori) - Japan  2023

Shaved Ice, Outside Sign (Nippori) - Japan  2023

Shaved ice is a dessert made of finely shaved ice with syrup and other ingredients, and has been eaten in Japan for about 1,000 years. Himitsu-do is a store specializing in shaved ice, and the shaved ice is filled with the owner's expertise. The sauces used are additive-free and handmade, and preserve the flavor of the freshness of the seasonal ingredients. They have used all natural ice since their opening in 2011, and it is all shaved by hand to ensure that the ice matches the temperature and humidity.

Not on our planned itinerary, but we couldn't help but notice that, down a side street, there was a line outside a small store consisting mainly of moms and kids. Once Hali and Margaret peeked inside they realized that we had to get in. We finally did, after a shortish wait. Very impressive presentation, the serving size roughly equivalent to a ladies bowling ball. Of course, once we started in on it the strawberry topping began to drip all over the place. 

Yes, the ice was shaved by hand! A Culinary Adventure for sure!

Monday Cat Blogging

Cat (Nippori) - Japan  2023

Cat (Nippori) - Japan  2023

Seen on our Nippori walk. Cat in the lower photo peeked out, then stubbornly refused to look towards the photographer.

Nippori Sightems

Flowers (Nippori) - Japan  2023

Flowers, Mail Slot (Nippori) - Japan  2023

Nippori is a train station on the Yamanote Line; you can also catch a high-speed train to Narita Airport from there. These photos were taken as we were walking down a quiet side street in the Nippori vicinity. On the route there were various nicely decorated businesses and residences, as well as a political poster for the Communist Party! (Pointed out to us by Jim. Theme is anti-military spending, as far as I can tell.)

BTW, in 2014 I visited the large cemetery nearby.

Communist Party Poster (Nippori) - Japan  2023

Best Sweet Potato

Sweet Potato Store Interior (Nippori) - Japan  2023

Sweet Potato Store Sign (Nippori) - Japan  2023

A serendipitous find! Margaret and Hali had placed a high priority on finding one certain sweet potato venue. This wasn't it, but according to those in the know, the taste was better than pretty good. 

**

How do you spell potato? The singular spelling of potato doesn’t contain the letter “E,” so it is somewhat understandable that people would get confused when the plural does. The correct plural spelling is potatoes. Potatos is a common misspelling.

I know how to spell the plural of potato. But I don't like it. I was thinking about this issue as I made my way down to Bubbs Creek in 2005. So there are no plural potato spellings by me in this post.

Godzilla

Woman, Godzilla (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Waiting for Light, Godzilla (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Godzilla / Gojira has made an appearance on the blog before. 

Top photo taken from inside the hotel. He shows up in the upper left hand corner of the bottom photo.

Shinjuku Cat

Shinjuku Cat (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

A modern trompe l'oeil masterpiece. When the cat appears, everybody has to stop and stare.

A gigantic 3D cat has appeared on a billboard in Tokyo, where it looms playfully over one of the city’s busiest railway stations.

Shown between advertisements, the hyper-realistic feline comes to life on a 1,664-square-foot curved LED screen in the Shinjuku district. The 4K-resolution display shows the cat walking around high above the Japanese capital as it audibly meows.

From CNN, video at the link.

Shinjuku Cosplay

Cosplayers (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Cosplayers (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Some of them were holding signs, which I wasn't able to photograph. So, another mysterious Shinjuku happening.

Kabukicho Sightems

Reve (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Batting Center (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Walking around the hotel . . . in the red light district, don't you know (Kabukicho). Naturally, there's a batting center there. Not sure about Reve . . . possibly drag performances  . . . (?)

Monday Large-Billed Crow Blogging

Large-Billed Crows (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

At one point they were called Jungle Crows. But now they're known as Large-Billed Crows.

Whatever. By either name they're pretty scary. 

Goldfish (Amezaiku)

Amezaiku Goldfish (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Purchased by Hali at Ameshin, a store selling traditional candy sculptures (amezaiku).  Quite beautiful, but also quite fragile. So the real story consists of Hali's grueling efforts over the remainder of our two week trip to transport the little marvel in its plastic case without harming it. In the end she was quite successful, just a few minor chips off the tail!

Kappabashi Street / Taiyaki / Lottery Tickets

Kitchen Items (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Margaret, Hali, Mike (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Kappabashi Street - "kitchen street" - was one of our must go-to places during the trip. Getting there required some doing though . . . multiple train transfers, and in one instance, a cancelled train route meant going outside the station to find a taxi. I had to scurry to keep up with Margaret and Hali leading the way.

Once there, though, the place proved more of interest to them then to myself. After a quick snack (taiyaki - fish shaped cakes) they continued on with shopping and I navigated my way back to the hotel. At one transfer station I walked outside and took a photo of a stand-alone lottery retailer underneath the railroad tracks.

Taiyaki Shop (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Lottery Tickets (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Morning Coffee

Shinjuku Crowd, 4:30 AM (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

7-11, 4:30 AM (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

This year we stayed at the Hotel Gracery, the same hotel we used in 2017. Back then, during early morning jet lag, I had a regular routine for morning coffee, involving corridors, elevators and 7-11. This time, though, things had changed.

No more accessing 7-11 through the hotel. You had to go outside and loop around to the front; once there, you came upon a surreal crowd scene. Hundreds of young people milling about at 4:30 AM. Most likely spending the night there. (I never did find out exactly what was going on. Disaffected youth? Maybe.)

And then entering a 7-11 with floor mats askew, trash on the floor and lots of items out of stock. Most unusual. Afterwards I decided to use a nearby Family Mart for morning coffee and pastries.

Family Mart Breakfast (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Tokyo!

Sunset (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Night View (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

The same hotel that we stayed at in 2018, with kind of the same views.

Ramen

Ramen (Tokyo)  - Japan  2023

Our first meal in Japan. We had been wandering around the streets of Shinjuku when we spotted a hole-in-the-wall ramen place. On first glance, it had counter-only seating, but Margaret, as is her wont, unearthed a vacant table in back. 

Then, for the first and only time during our trip: ramen! Not bad at all, although perhaps not rising to the level of a Japan Culinary Adventure.

Return to Japan

Country View - Japan  2023

Narita Landing - Japan  2023

Our trip to Japan was to include a side trip to Shanghai, with some food tours researched and booked. 

This was our plan in 2020.

Alas, all reservations had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. During the last few years, we've had one out-of-state trip (to Eugene, Oregon) and a few excursions inside California, but this is the first time that we've been able to plan an international adventure.

For the first half of our visit we were joined by my sister-in-law Margaret and her husband Jim. Then we stayed at an Airbnb with Maz, Shawna and our grandkids, Hanna and Nolan.

This year, as in our trip in 2014, we flew into Narita Airport. Hali had reserved a van to take us to our hotel and after some confusion we managed to find the vehicle, climb aboard and enjoy the ride. I was particularly taken by the Spiderman décor the driver had affixed to the dashboard.

Spiderman Figures - Japan  2023

Monday Turkey Blogging

Turkeys (Fairfax) - Marin County  2023

Seen in the morning as I was doing my walk through the condos across the street.

June, Lake Lagunitas

Pine Branches, Lake (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

Horsetails, Leaves (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

Horsetails:

Equisetum (horsetail, snake grass, puzzlegrass) is the only living genus in Equisetaceae, a family of vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds.

Equisetum is a "living fossil", the only living genus of the entire subclass Equisetidae, which for over 100 million years was much more diverse and dominated the understorey of late Paleozoic forests. . . . Modern horsetails first appeared during the Jurassic period.

Wikipedia

Richmond Bridge

Richmond Bridge - Marin County  2023

From last March. We were returning from Margaret's Berkeley residence when traffic came to a complete stop on the bridge. Of course, it eventually cleared up.

Taken with an iPhone 12 Max.

May, Lake Lagunitas - 6

Oak Tree, Fence (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

Oak Trees (Lake Lagunitas) - Marin County  2023

Photos taken near the entry station to the Water District.