Birthday Bash!

I was told that I could celebrate in style... that is, my Birthday could be celebrated all week. "Alright," I thought. "I can handle this." So, on the big day, my co-worker and friend, Amanda, made a huge lunch, complete with chocolate covered strawberries. Both of us ladies flanking Amanda have our Birthdays on the same day... even more reason to celebrate!
A co-worker, standing in the pictue below, brought in some lovely flowers for the Birthday girls.

Then at the end of the week, a group of us went out for paella. Oishkata desu!

No worries mama-kins, although I was missing you guys, I was in good hands with my friends here!

Sakura

Sakura season was lovely. We were lucky to have a week's worth of lovely weather. Then we got rained on, which consequently brought the already short cherry blossom season to an even quicker end. These shots are from Kenrokuen Garden in Kanazawa.

Nagoya (ok, a few months ago)

Masa and I took a trip to Nagoya to visit my friend, Duck. Ducky-Doo came through Japan as a set member for A theatre company. Nagoya is quite modern as you'll see by the photos.

This city is famous for its red miso. There's red miso paste, red miso soup, red miso broth for udon and my favorite, red miso beer.

This city is also famous for its spicy chicken wings; I couldn't get enough of them! Pictured below is Mr. Ducky-Doo.

This shot is taken from the top of Nagoya castle, which was the tallest castle in the country, during its time.

Historical Kyoto vs. Contemporary Kyoto

Kyoto has had a very long and important historical and cultural impact on the country. Many arts originating in China were studied, practiced, acculturated and perfected in this city. Today, these arts are still flourishing. Some of these arts include architectural design and tea ceremonies (including ceramics).

The city had been reduced to rubble and rebuilt various times, it had been the capital of Japan various times, it had seen prosperous times of peace and despair through war, and through all of the changes, the arts flourished and survived. Which, is perhaps one of the reasons this city is so popular among tourists.
Pictured Above: Nanzenji Temple. This particular picture is from the impressive Sonmon Gate.
Pictured Above: Nanzenji Temple. The gate to this property was locked, so naturally, I had to poke my nose in!
Link: http://nanzenji.com/english/index.html
Pictured Above: Heian-Jingu. Shinto Shrine for the founder during the Heian Period.
Link: http://www.heianjingu.or.jp/index_e.html
Pictured Above: Ginkakuji Temple (The Silver Pavilion).
Link: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/japan/kyoto-ginkakuji.htm

Pictured Above: Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavillion).

I heard one tourist say "Pish-posh, it just looks like spray paint." Ok, it may look like spray paint, but it's actually GOLD-LEAF lacquered on!

Link: http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/japan/kyoto/kinkakuji.php

Pictured Above: A building adjacent to the train station.
Pictured Above: Is is a Bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Astro Boy!
Pictured Above: Kyoto Tower.
Pictured Above: Contemporary Architecture in Kyoto.

Sweet Kyoto

Pictured below are some Japanese sweets which this area is famous for. The little triangles are made of mochi (sticky rice pounded into a soft and sticky shell) with anko (sweet bean paste) in the middle.
Pictured Below: carefully molded sweets made out of sugar.

Pictured Below: Jess checking out the beautiful little treats.

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.