About 30 mins north west of Tokyo is Kawogoe. Fortunately it escaped the bombing during WW 11 so many older buildings survived in their original form. Streets are lined with what are described as warehouse buildings, evocative of the Edo period. Beyond the more modern buildings around the station, old Kawogoe is alive and well …. and reeking of sweet potatoes. These are a local delicacy and they are used in ice cream, cakes, waffles, beer, crisps and chips. And…
Cherry Blossom, Sakura, represents a time of renewal and optimism to the Japanese, the ending of winter and the start of spring. It also symbolises the transience of life, a Buddhist theme. I was here in Tokyo two years ago when I was lucky to experience Sakura time. But this year, I have thoroughly enjoyed the excitement in the build up to the season; shops being decorated, pink drinks & foods promoted, web sites predicting the timing of the blossom,…
Rice So this is what faces me when I want to buy rice …. I rule out 10 & 20 kg bags because they are too heavy to carry home, but how can I possibly choose from the rest? It is nearly always white, polished, short grain & slightly sticky when cooked. And invariably grown in Japan. So I asked on a social media group how people select which rice they buy & it seems that most buy rice from…
A double celebration … White Day & UK Mothering Sunday. You may recall, that White Day in Japan is the day when the guys give chocolate and gifts to the ladies; and it should be of a larger quantity than the gift from the ladies to the guys on Valentine’s Day. Clearly this is enough to last months …. but I had better keep checking the best before dates and sampling to check that nothing is going off! Thank you,…
It is fascinating to look around new areas and to understand the different vibe. Central Tokyo may be full of high towers and bright lights but you don’t have to venture far to see much lower rise buildings and distinctive shops. Sumida River area This is the Tokyo Skytree with viewing platform to see over the city. Alongside it is the HQ of Asahi Beer & the strange ‘parsnip’ like sculpture is allegedly a flame! A very grey day, weather-wise….
Another weekend and another trip planned. Geoff booked the Romancecar train and I was excited. Red roses? Chocolates? Serenading? Hmm, no. Some clever designer realised that by removing the arm between two seats, he (it must have been a ‘he’!) could save space and money. And drawing inspiration from two-person theatre seats, the Romancecar came into existence in 1951. We stopped in Gora for the obligatory coffee & cake – This cake is a representation of the train we next…
Dekopon This is a Japanese hybrid fruit developed from a kiyomi and a ponkan (I haven’t come across either) and is described as a seedless and sweet variety of a mandarin orange. I felt that it had the texture of a grapefruit and maybe a mandarin taste. Would I buy one again? Probably not! Koenji Koenji is a short distance from Central Tokyo but has such a different vibe with much lower rise buildings and many shops selling vintage clothing…
Only an hour from Tokyo, but a different world. Kita-Kamakura is a tiny station with only one line …. and you cross this line on foot after the train has left. All good walks start with coffee & cake …. home made scones (how English!) served with cream and jam and accompanied by a drip coffee. Old coffee hessian sacks make great planters. And then straight onto a large temple complex; the Engaku-ji which is one on the leading Zen…
Of course, the big new from Japan this week was the earthquake on Saturday evening. We went to bed early to try to get some sleep before getting up again to watch Wales v Scotland rugby. We were fast asleep and were woken by the bed shaking and the building swaying. It was a bit scary! Thank you to all who sent messages asking if we were ok. We had no damage … not even anything falling off shelves. The…
Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Japan …. but with a wonderful twist. On February 14th, women buy men chocolate gifts. Not only for boyfriends & husbands, but also for male relatives and colleagues. ‘Honmei Choco’ is the gift to a romantic partner and ‘Girl Choco’ is the term used for chocolate to relatives & colleagues. ‘Tomo Choco’ is chocolate gifts to female friends. But on White Day, on March 14th, all those recipients of chocolate gifts on Valentine’s Day are…