Snippets from Tokyo

This kitten was probably rabid but he seemed confused by the transparent bear in the park


I assume that this restaurant sells pork but he looked so friendly.

The Japanese have their own version of slot machines called Pachinko. They don't pay out cash but small metal balls. If you look behind some of the players you will see the tubs of 'winnings'. They can then cash them in for useful items like toasters or bicycles. In the morning there are queues of pensioners waiting outside.


Another cutie

Final days in Tokyo

It was only a quick trip (5 days) so will put these last two days together as I sit at the airport facing the reality of returning to work tomorrow after an all night flight. Should be interesting.

Yesterday we did another tour - this time to Nikko and Lake Chezenji & Kegon Waterfall. Our guide again spent the majority of the 2hr drive to Nikko giving us a a run down of Japanses culture and Japanese Shogun history which made the trip to the Shrine all the more meaningful. He told us about average salaries and rents and other things that you don't find out usually when you travel.

At the shrine in Nikko we saw some beautiful Shinto and Buddhist sculptures and buildings.



The most interesting sculpture was over the stables which were decorated in monkey friezes. It was sort of a life cycle but the most famous panel is the original 3 monkeys - see no evil , hear no evil & speak no evil. Never actually thought about where it came from but now I know.

Then there was this scary little creature

Another great Japanese lunch (I talk about food a lot don't I?) and then another hour up a dormant volcano to have a picture opportunity at the lakes edge of the top of the volcano by the crater lake. The drive up (and down) consists of 48 (letters of the Japanese alphabet) hairpin bends.

We were lucky as it only took half an hour to get up. Our guide said that in peak season when thousands drive up to see the autumn leaves, it can take up to three hours. As we drove up it started to snow and for a typical Sydneyite who never sees falling snow it was a real treat. In fact the view we stopped to see at the top was completely obliterated by the falling snow but it didn't matter to me.

The waterfall was also excellent with frozen icicles dangling off the crevices. What a treat! The cloudiness of the photos was caused by the snow falling on my head.




A quiet drive back to the city listening to KD Laing on my player was topped off with some hot spicy soup and noodles.

Today was spent preparing to leave. We wandered to the Kitchenware area near our hotel but the stomachs were rumbling too much to linger. Nice knives though! Would love to try and get them through Customs.



Not sure why I would want a giant cockroach on my building if I was selling kitchenware but I thought it was cute anyway.



I did, however, manage to find some plastic bags (yes I know you don't have to travel to Japan to buy plastic bags but they were the ones I wanted for my patterns and they were there so why not?)

Breakfast was tonkatsu - basically breaded chicken and coleslaw and rice and green tea - very yummy. Then we finished packing ad caught the train to the airport where we dumped our bags into storage and caught the train back to Narita Town where we wandered fairly aimlessly until it was time to return to the airport and wait and wait and wait - flying standby has its drawbacks. But luckily there were nice seats for us and soon we will be jetting our way back home. Another wonderful experience. I have lots of random photos of Japanese life which I will post over the next week or so. Hope you enjoyed these snippets.

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Tokyo Day Three

Today was a day for staying in Tokyo. I had great plans for buying beads but unfortunately the stores, although they did have beads, were not the bulk wholesale, buy an obscene amount of beads type ones. They had lots of quite expensive beads in tiny little bags which is no fun at all. I like filling big bags with scoops of beads like lollies so it was easy to refrain. Very disappointing but to be truthful - I need more beads like a hole in the head.

We then went to Akihabara which is the computer and electronics capital of Toyko. You can sense it the minute you walk off the train. It is an amazing cacophany of lights colour and noise and definitely not for the faint hearted. We managed to find the Mac store where we lusted after the enormous screens and sleek lines but only bought a modem for when I can't get wireless. Still can't get it to work but luckily our hotel has wireless in the foyer which is where I am now. If you are a computer or phone or just electronic gadget freak then this is the place for you. Even saw ear buds for your iPod for only $800 - but I bet they sound wonderful.

Onto the train again and ended up in Eueno which provided yet another cheap but delicious lunch and then a walk through the market which had prawns and fish alongside jeans and japanese souvenirs. We bought a bag of our favourite new snack food - dried mangoes - very moorish. Then into the large park which also contains the zoo complete with Pandas but we didn't go in. These covered bananas looked interesting but not interesting enough to try.


We were fascinated by this collection of about 200 men sitting on newspapers on the ground being sung to. We soon realised that, even in Japanese, this was a Christian religious gathering. We suspect it was a, sit and listen to us and you will get some food and maybe a new blanket type gathering.

Back for a sleep as our feet were weary and then a couple of train connections to Shinjuku where we ate in a hole in the wall bbq cafe. Very yummy!

A wander around looking at the lights is a must.


Pity the Godiva chocolate shop in the railway station was just closing so we couldn't have a hot chocolate but maybe tomorrow. Just what I need before a trip on the crowded trains again.



End of another fascinating day in Tokyo.

Tokyo Day Two

Today we had booked a tour of Mt Fuji and Hakone. It was an early start after an interesting nights sleep on a small rock hard bed and straw pillows (at least they sounded like straw). The room is so small that only one of us can get dressed at a time and the two suitcases on the floor take up all available floor space. But is is warm and quiet which is always important when you need to sleep.

Anyway back to the tour. Our guide Mikayo loved her job. She explained everything about t6 times in case we didn't understand it the first time and was obviously passionate about Mt Fuji. Her running commentary all day included interesting snippets of Japanese life from the average size and cost of apartments to how pleasant the heated toilet seats with inbuilt spray functions are.

Mt Fuji did not fail to impress and we were incredibly fortunate to have perfect weather with clear skies and not too cold temperatures. Having left 30-40 degree temperatures - the -5 at the mountain was a little chilly but playing in the snow was a bonus I hadn't expected.




This is me but the snowman was already there. We did add eyebrows though!



Hakone is nearby and is also in a volcanic crater and after catching the 'rope train' you suddenly find yourself over a crater full of steam coming out of the rocks. The sulphuric smell was overpowering and I resisted the temptation to pay $5 for an egg boiled in the hot water. The minerals in the water turn the egg shell black and there was a deep queue to get these. As our guide had told us - each one egg and increase your life by seven years, 2 eggs will increase it by 14 and 3 eggs will give you a stomach ache. Ha Ha.





The day did not end there - we were then whisked down to the crater lake where we had a cruise to the other side on a 'genuine pirate ship' Ok it was not genuine but supposedly an exact replica of one. The sun was setting by this time and to be truthful - I was a little bit over it all but had no choice.



Then a final trip in the bus - where we got to say goodbye to Mt Fuji one more time - I think we saw it from every angle possible. Then onto the Bullet train to come back to Tokyo. It was the more expensive option but 40 minutes on the train was definitely more appealing than 2-3 hours on the bus as it was already 5:30!

Unfortunately as it was dark we couldn't see much from the train but it felt very fast and was definitely comfortable and amazingly quiet. Tokyo Station at the other end however was not and it took quite a while to find our line and back to Asakusa where we are staying.

Tokyo Day One

A wonderful flight with a little bit of sleep and watching 'The Queen' with Helen Mirren. Flight took nearly 10 hours and the trip from the airport took another 3! Unfortunately as we couldn't check in till the afternoon and it was nine in the morning we had to start being tourist straight away. Fortunately the Tokyo International Quilt Show started at ten so after wrestling with the buttons (in a vending machine) outside a cafe and then eating a yummy soup I was ready to face the (quilting) masses.






Held at the Toyko Dome which usually houses baseball games - it is an interesting venue for a quilt show.

You enter at the top and then walk down through the seats to the floor below.The vendors are around the outside of the floor and the different exhibitions (colour coded) are in the centre.

When you need to take a break you buy a bento box (lunch pack) from here and then go and sit in the seats and watch the show from a distance. By now my feet were the most intensely painful part of my body and the jet lag was setting in so I sat and watched for quite a while.







Of course the quilts were amazing. The show website does better justice than my photos but here are a few that took my fancy. My favourites were exhibitions by master Japanese quiltmakers each with their own exhibitions but unfortunately you were not allowed to take photos but there were catalogues available.

There was a collection of group quilts and although many traditional - this one took my fancy as each block was food - 3d and so clever. Made me hungry again.


Korean style pojaji quilt - I had to buy some fabric to try this technique. I love the transparency effect although it is a long time since I did hand piecing.




I loved these little buttons all over a quilt - so happy

The crowds were quite thick in front of the major winners at times

This is the roof of the Dome - could almost be a quilt itself











While I was at the Show, Peter was wandering aimlessly wherever his curiosity took him. There are a lot of street people in Tokyo and many live in boxes and queue for food . I will post more positive photos of Tokyo next time.


Protection from the frost I expect or just decoration?