Kyoto- A Memorable Day at Fushimi Inari Shrine

As many of you know, my awesome friend Jessie came to visit me in Japan. While here, we (Jessie, Masa and myself) went to Kyoto for 6 days. Let me tell you, Kyoto is an amazing city with a dizzying amount of temples, shrines, gardens, parks, museums... Out of all of these gorgeous sights, a few REALLY made an impression for their beauty, the experience and the feelings evoked...

One of my favorite days was spent visiting the Fushimi Inari Shrine. It's a shrine of commerce, where even today, business owners and companies can purchase a torii (the Shinto arch). These toriis have been placed closely together creating a path leading up a mountain.

The day was lovely and being in the mountains ALWAYS makes me happy and to see the various shrines, kitsune (fox) statues and toriis, was a moving experience.Pictured above is a Shinto Torii which demarks a sacred place.

The streets leading up to Fushimi Inari.

A main place of prayer at the base of the mountain.

Pictured Above: Here are just a few of the hundreds of "kitsune" (fox) statues that are prevalent in this shrine. Foxes (often depicted with scrolls in their mouths) are considered to be messengers to the Gods.
I love the above photo and the others which follow. These are the thousands of Toriis leading up the mountain. Gorgeous.

Pictured avover: There is Jess, getting ready to embark on her Kitsune adventure.

Pictured above: Masa and I getting ready for a bit of a hike.

Pictured above: At the top of the mountain we stopped for a light lunch of soba (buckwheat) noodles and a spectacular view of Kyoto.

Above: A view of Kyoto from the top of the mountain.
Below: A number of shrines/places of prayer to various deities were built along the path leading into the mountain.

Above: Look closely, do you see the kitty? At one particular spot on the path, there were a number of kitties, hanging out. What a perfect home on the side of the mountain, protected from the elements by various shrines.

If you're interested, here's a link with a little background information.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3915.html

Flight of Hawks- Wajima

This particular region of Noto Peninsula was home of many hawks. I consider/ed myself lucky to see these majestic birds rather close from the window of our Hotel and perched on rocky outcrops along the coast.

Wajima Morning Market

The little coastal town of Wajima is famous for its taiko drumming, hot springs, lacquer ware and of course, the morning market. This market started about one thousand years ago when the local ladies decided to sell their wares for a little pocket change. Now, this market is popular and the ladies are still in charge!

Pictures above: How about some dried fish, squid, or octopus?
Pictured above: Jess and I are showing off our goods. I made off with some dried wasabi flavored squid, dried octopus flakes, dried and sugared oranges and sea-salt. Jess ended up with a lovely set of lacquered bowls and then about a hundred pairs of "service" chopsticks (free, from the shopkeepers).
The lacquer ware was lovely and I hadn't realized how labor intensive it can be. From start to finish, the process can have up to 22 steps! Yikes!
There's Jess hiding behind some dried fish.
Antique Japanese coins for sale!

A visitor from a land far, far away

As many of you know, my awesome friend Jess is here for a three-week visit. She is visiting from a land far, far away, known as Burlington, VT. Pictured above: the two of us at the beach in Noto Penninsula.
Pictured above: Masa and Jess at a Shinto shrine in Wajima. Masa is translating for Jess.
Pictured above: This picture is from Wajima Onsen. We stayed for two glorious nights and true to "Onsen" form, we were treated like royalty.
Pictured Above: Uh-oh. Karaoke time!

A sweet week of live music

Ok, so I only had two nights of live music... but I saw some great musicians.

On Wednesday the 11th, I saw Saori Yano, a young and upcoming jazz musician. The venue was a large concert hall and upon entering the room, the stage was set... one couldn't help but notice that the mic was adorned with a large, pink, sequined bow. Then she came onto the stage decked out in a little 80's number: a shiny turquoise, off the shoulder dress with a long pink sash swaying from her hips. I will admit, I was close to writing her off until she started to play.

This young lady can rock the sax. She's a 22 year-old, self taught artist, and man, like I said before, she can rock. At the end of the show people could line up and meet her... So I did, and I got to shake her hand. Oh la la. I'll add that meeting to my very short list of "famous encounters." If you're interested, check out her site:
http://yanosaori.com/

The following day I saw singer/songwriters from Texas, Shelly King and Carolyn Wonderland, in concert. It was a very small and personal venue. They mixed blues, country and sometimes gospel while both playing the guitar, and they kicked ass. Then, during a short break, they mingled with the crowd and I got to chat with Shelly. Oh, I'll add that to my list of famous encounters, too. If you're interested in either artist, check them out:

http://www.shelleyking.com/

http://www.carolynwonderland.com/

A Wedding Party

This March, a lovely co-worker of mine, Koko , is getting married. To celebrate, we had a pre-wedding party for her and her fiance. Who's the lucky man, surrounded by all of those English teachers?

I've never seen this kind of corsage... it's made out of balloons!

Koko donned a gorgeous kimono and obi for the occasion.

Per Request "Keep 'em coming"

Many of you have said recently, "post more pictures", so here are a few to check out. These are taken while visiting Tokyo. These photos are taken at Asakusa.