Fuji-san and Kimono glory

I caught my first glimpse of Fuji-san yesterday. It was a clear winter morning, and the sun was shining in Tokyo. I was on the train headed to uni for an exam (on a public holiday no less!). And there just over the bay from home was the snow capped peak which is immortalised in the Japanese psyche and so much Japanese of their culture and pop icons. Here is the photo I captured – you’ll need to look closely at the horizon to see the icon.

Fuji-san – there in the distance between the buildings and above the cranes

It was a great start to the day. I bashed out a quick email to P, suggesting that we meet after the exam and head to one of the many observation decks in Tokyo to take advantage of the clear day. Not having wi-fi, I saved the email for sending once I arrived at school and was reconnected to the interweb world [it might be hard for some of you to believe, but I think I am even less technologically equipt in Tokyo than I was at home – I don’t even have a cell phone here!].

Exam survived, I agreed to meet P at the Tokyo World Trade Centre to head to the 40th floor observation deck. I’ll skip over the details, but lets just say that arranging to meet someone at a location which neither of you have ever visited, when you are both approaching from different train lines and will get off at different stations, is made much more challenging in the old-fashioned world without mobile phones! Regardless of the challenges, and near misses, we found each other.

Unfortunately, the skies had fogged over somewhat compared to the clear morning and Fuji was back in hiding. Despite this we enjoyed the view over Tokyo city, and some of its landmarks.

Tokyo tower – a major Tokyo landmark

Then as a final hurrah to end a wonderous afternoon of Tokyo viewing, as we headed to the train station for home, I saw two young ladies all glammed up in the most beautiful Kimonos – it was Coming of Age day when all the young people turning 20 get glammed up and visit the Shrine to be welcomed into adulthood. I nudged P to get a photo for me, and he went one better. He asked the girls if it was okay to take their picture. They were more than happy and said I should stand with them, and then they handed over their phones to get a picture of us too. [I felt very under dressed for such glamorous Kimonos!]

Coming of age day glam!

Another moment of amazement in Japan.

A strange sea creature

In the bright sunshine of a clear winter’s day, they stopped and stared out at the azure sea.

The sun was glorious

Beyond the soft white sand, but inside the fringing coral; there was something bobbing in the water. It was moving, intermittently quickly and then slowly. Flipping from front to back, and changing direction.

What could it be, they asked each other?

Out there. What is it?

They continued their walk to the water’s edge, their interest peaked by the creature. Once at the shore, they could see flashes of blue spread out under a floating web of netting …. Then it broke the surface and stopped, glistening in the bright winter’s sun.

Like the dark haired man already standing at the water’s edge, they brought out their cameras to capture the strange winter scene – there was a girl in the water, swimming!

Just me 🙂

This folks is the story of my swim in the East China Sea. A warm, and wind free day on the island of Taketomi in Okinawa province, I was the strange sight that had Japanese perplexed that day. The water was beautiful, clear and warm. But clearly I was a strange sight for the locals and other Japanese tourists who were enjoying a warm new year’s break. I was the only one in the water, despite some small children paddling and playing at the water’s edge. I had heard that the Japanese tend to follow the calendar as a guide to their activities, and this day was evidence.

I had the entire sea to myself. There was me, and just salty sea water as far as I could see. It was heaven. I swam a few laps, dabbled with some backstroke, dived under to refresh my skin and face … and felt wonderful. I thought to myself, why could school not be in Okinawa rather than chilly Tokyo? Paul stood guard on shore and took photos, along with the Japanese, until my activities led a Japanese family to strike up a conversation with him. I was an anomaly in them in the Japanese winter it seems.

I know that you have been sweltering in Oz but this was just a joyous brief break for P & I from chilly Tokyo.

A day out on Ishigaki-jima’s roads

We picked up a little hire car today – a cute little Japanese box car (there are plenty of these on the roads – we think to make the most use of the wheel base with usable car loading space).

The little box car

While it was about 18 degrees, there was a lot of cloud cover and a strong wind as we set out, so I hopefully (but perhaps unrealistically) packed our swimming gear and we headed out to tour the Ishigaki roads – all that there were anyway.

I was able to bare these pasty white legs! and did get my feet wet

The sun came out for short stints

Who could that be?

cloudy but beautiful

Hibiscus did not appear to feel the chilly breeze

Very happy fat Ishigaki cows

 

Nago Pinapuru paku

English translation: Nago pineapple park

We joined a tour around Okinawa island which took us to the northern end of the island. On the tour we visited a scenic coastline viewing point, a major ocean park and aquarium, castle from the 1400s, and then the pineapple park.

Pineapple man

As Okinawa enjoys a subtropical climate, it grows a number of the tropical fruits that we love to enjoy in summer. But the breaking news is…

Australia does not have a monopoly on BIG things.  The Nago Pineapple Park – which as you might expect from the name is pineapple farm and tourist attraction. Outside the park is a BIG pineapple – sorry Sunshine coast you have some competition!

Us with the BIG pineapple – Australia does not have a monopoly on big things.

We wandered through the production processing area, where there was several windows into the factory floor – but unfortunately for us there was little activity in the factory on that day. The Park also has a pineapple train, which takes people around the farm to show off the various stages of growth of the pineapples. Of course P, being (almost) from a pineapple growing area, knew how the growing process worked and was able to explain it to some of our fellow tourists even though we did not get to take a trip on the pineapple train.

Then came the Japanese tradition of ….. This is where they purchase local food products to take home to family and friends as gifts. This appears to be a booming industry for the pineapple park! Let me give you an overview of the offerings:
Pineapple wine, passionfruit wine, pineapple juice, shikawasha juice (a local citrus fruit which tastes like a cross between lemon and lime), pineapple cake of about 5 kinds, pineapple chocolates, dried tropical fruit, pineapple biscuits, sweet potato pie, pineapple pie, pineapple beauty products, who-cho, sake, the local fire water …. and last but not least tinned pineapple.

There was also ice cream flavoured with some of the tropical fruit grown on the island – mango, pineapple, passionfruit, shikawasha etc.

It was a major spending spree for many of the Japanese on the tour but as we have minimal luggage with us, we refrained from participating – other than the pineapple and mango ice cream!

It was a great end to the tour of the northern part of the island. Well  worth a visit in the warmer months of the growing season.

P with friends and pineapple ice cream

Konnichiwa from Okinawa

Hello from Okinawa, where the daytime temperatures are a balmy 18 degrees celsius (well that’s balmy when you compare to Tokyo which is only reaching about 8 degrees currently).

We arrived on Friday night to an airport full of orchids & then I knew I was in a warmer place.

Orchids = warm place

We made a trip to the airport to book a tour of the island and we also stopped for a bit of a photo shoot – or maybe we should think of it as diving practice…

Diving practice II

Diving practice

I hope that the holiday season has been joyous for you and your families. Sending you all our best wishes (and a little envy for some of the super warm weather at home) for the season.

Yoi otoshi o

In Japan, Christianity is not a dominant belief, and so Christmas is not recognised as a national holiday. For the Japanese people, Oshogatsu- the celebration of the New Year – is the significant event at this time.

So while Tokyo is dressed in its finest lights, and the stores are all full of sales, and the most beautifully wrapped gifts – it is not majorityivly motivated by Christmas, but by preparations for the upcoming New Year.

The area where we live is a playground for Tokyites – it has several big shopping centres, with outlet stores that are not found elsewhere in Tokyo, and a wide range of eating options ranging from food courts to themed restaurants and even a museum dedicated to a Japanese delicacy the Takoyaki. Over the last five weekends there has been a fireworks display every Saturday night – each time a different light display running for about 10minutes. All this, and not even for a single special event – just a taste of the celebratory atmosphere here in Tokyo in the final lead up to the new year.

A truly rainbow bridge

Firework Christmas tree?

Sparkley patterns

So pretty – it almost makes winter worth it. Almost!

A key event for the Japanese people is Hatsumode – the first visit to the Shrine of the new year. But the lead up to the new year is a busy time, as is the lead up to Christmas in many other countries, with many parties and events to end the current year and put its activities behind us, and preparations for the coming year. It is also a big time for families to gather, something that is familiar for me from my own country.

As part of the separation between the ending year and the coming new year, the Japanese also have two sayings to wish others well at this time:-
Yoi otoshi o – is used in December, to wish others a good new year, and
Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu – is used in January, to wish others a happy new year.

Now that i have explained this,
Yoi otoshi o to all my friends and readers.

Yoi otoshi o from us in Tokyo

Winter break part IV

Those of you who have been reading the blog (and its comments) closely will know by now our destination. But I know that many of you have far better things to do with your time than spend time reading my blog, so for you the mystery might still continue …

So here is the next clue, and it’s a double one.

Former Japanese Prime Minister, Yukio Yatoyama resigned in 2010 following the failure to deliver an a key policy for the Japanese people who live in our destination.

Next update on the winter break, I’ll just tell you all where we are going…..but who knows when I’ll get around to that!

Smiles from an increasingly chilly Tokyo.

Beanie #1 complete

A lazy sunny morning + fresh coffee + crochet hook + determination to finish!

Bold beanies

The end result is this beanie, dutifully modelled by P. The eventual recipient has a much larger head than my pin-sized one, so I have been modifying the pattern to something that will fit on P’s head.

Here is the final product proudly being worn by its recipient – Rashid you look awesome in this!

Bespoke style fitting for a style-proud city like Tokyo

Profile shot

Oh yeah and for a laugh – take a look at how big it is on my little pin head.

He he … a selfie for you all

Christmas craft

In preparation for the school Christmas/new year party,  I helped to decorate a Christmas tree as a centrepiece of our festivities.

We had tinsel, baubles, bells, ribbons and the tree was looking great. But there was no star. so I offered to make one for the top of the tree.

I got to crafting, and here is a pic of me in the middle of creating.

more pics of the tree and decorations to follow later.

Intense concentration … It would have been so much faster with a sewing machine!

Styled by Loopy Lou

Now that the chilly weather has started in earnest, I am so grateful to the wonderful woollen fashions that my friend Emma made for me before I departed for Japan.

I held off breaking out the gloves for as long as I thought was reasonable, but in early December I simply decided it was time.

But we had a seriously chilly day a few days ago. P and I had decided to head out in the afternoon to get ourselves out of the apartment, and as we have both been a little unwell lately, we thought it best to rug up warmly against the weather. Take a look and decide for  yourselves if we succeeded.

Thankgoodnees for our fashion fairy good-mother Emma. I can’t bear to think of wearing dull black or brown woolies, as much of what I have seen in the shops has been. And I don’t leave the house now without my lovely warm gloves.

Thank you Emma

Em – these are a hit. Definitely a product for the concept store 😉