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Urban hiking
This band of elderly urban adventurers has just been to visit the graves of prominent historical figures at Denzuin. After crossing the street with their guide waving his flag to point the way, they are heading to the station to conclude the tour. The guide looks back and waits for stragglers who have moved into…
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Thwarted
When I desperately want to get out of this hot, humid city I seem to choose the time it’s most difficult to do so. August is holiday month. And many (most!) Japanese take a summer holiday this month. Consequently all the trains are booked up and planes cost twice as much as usual. It’s maddening…
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Stamp rally
To brighten up the summer school holidays, Metron’s Stamp Rally 2002 is underway through 8/18. In 44 subway stations around Tokyo, you’ll find a rubber stamp chained to a small table, an ink pad secured to the table and a pile of paper slips for stamping. The game is to collect all the stamps in…
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I found an inchworm
I found an inchworm creeping up the spearmint in my garden yesterday. Last week there was a slug slithering alongnear the thyme. A month ago, a caterpillar grew huge on my basil and parsley. Spiders love the bush basil. I seem to be harboring a nice little ecosystem of plants and bugs. Quite surprising, really…
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Houzuki festival
Who knew buying a plant could be such a festive event? We walked down to the Bunkyo-ku Asagao and Houzuki Festival at Konyaku-Enma shrine to get a Chinese lantern plant (houzuki) and were greeted by a dozen festival staff. They were so friendly and quite surprised when Tod conversed in Japanese. Houzuki are old-fashioned summer…
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Matsuri dressup
8:45 pm. Two girls heading off for an ice cream from the Family Mart after the asagao festival at Denzuin.
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Underground
I’ve been reading Underground by Haruki Murakami. It’s a work of non-fiction about the 1995 Tokyo Sarin Attack. Murakami interviewed people who were vicitms and members of the cult that perpetrated the attack and compiled them into a very compelling read. The attacks occurred well before I came to Japan and I never really learned…
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Collectible plates
I’m going to tell you a secret. Those saccharine little collectible plates you’ve been giving your mom every year on Mother’s Day? They may not be worth much. Last night at Hakunincho Yataimura, a food court featuring really decent Asian cuisine in Okubo, we asked for extra dishes. What did they bring? A dozen “Cherished…
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Linguistic Deductions
Linguistic Deductions “Remain Heart is a funny name for a restaurant,” I said as we approached this sign at Iidabashi station. “Maybe they meant remain heartful,” Tod suggested. In katakana English, heartful seems to mean ‘loving and caring.’ “Maybe. But why is the picture a brain with a heart in it?” “That’s not a brain.…
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The flow of holidays
After four years, I am converted to the flow of Japanese holidays and seasons. In my imagination, summer is indigo and white, with kingyo, morning glories, glass chimes, cool somen noodles, and mosquito coils in pig-shaped pottery jars. (Check out Hide Itoh’s excellent collection of summer icons at pixture.com) There are two holiday traditions in…
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