neat and tidy in gunma

i think someone had been out with the scissors!!

curled tails

this is the classic japanese dog
there are variations on shape, size and colour
but they all have the curled tail!!!
lovely, isn`t it!!!
japanese dog breeds

takedera...a zen temple with bamboo garden...kamakura

this temple has a magnificent bamboo garden for strolling in or gazing at while drinking japanese green tea...see next posting for more!!!

the tea house, rock garden and ...

the tea house is open-fronted
with a superb view of the bamboo garden

the view of the garden from inside the tea house

tea is served!!!
matcha...whisked bitter green tea in a bowl
with 2 small sweets
on a carved tray

the zen rock garden

and even the loo is amazing!!!

zen moment of the day

courtesy of radio inter-fm

whatever you do
wherever you go
go with all your heart

cafe on wheels...kamakura

selling melon bread
a favourite here!!!

today is nice...so i decided to go to kamakura...and so did everyone else!!!

kamakura is the old capital of japan...

and full of history and charm

...it was also full of people today!!!

tokyo crows...

...might not seem like an interesting topic...but i have never seen birds behaving like this!!!
for a start they are big, black, intimidating, huge-beaked, noisy and early-risers!!! they start their cawing very early every morning...presumably communicating where the best rubbish is for feasting

rubbish is a big problem in such a densely-populated consumerist city like tokyo...in fact the bin men (and i have never seen a bin woman) come 3 or 4 times a week!!! the crows are delighted and they have a constant source of food at their disposal...and they are good at removing the specially-designed blue anti-crow nets to get to the scraps...in fact crows are such a big problem that a new plastic bag has been developed for rubbish...it is yellow...apparently more crow-proof...but i doubt it will make the crows go away!!!
personally i quite like them...they can survive on our trash so are pretty clever!!!

it`s all over...

for another year...the petals have fallen, new recruits have started their jobs, new budgets have begun, new sales targets have been announced, entrance ceremonies for schools and universities have been held...and we are left with a pretty pink carpet until the wind or rain arrive!!!

kiosk

noun:

a small open-fronted hut or cubicle from which newspapers, refreshments, tickets, etc are sold

origin:
Turkish

www.askoxford.com

kiosk...yamanote line platform...shinagawa station

this concludes kiosks on yamanote line platforms...only 8 out of the 29 stations had kiosks...what a shame there are so few jewels!!!

the japanese take on pizza...

...using non-italian veggies
one half...lotus root (renkon)
the other...shitake mushrooms

the japanese are known for developing ideas from other cultures
this one is such a winner!!!

see next posting for accompanying veggies

stylish veggies!!!

have you ever seen anything presented like this? the `box` that they are all on is some kind of `hot box`keeping them warm!!!
this restaurant prides itself on using organic veggies from its farm in nagano...turnips, brussel sprouts, courgettes, mange-tout, green beans, mushrooms, potatoes, fiddlehead ferns, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, taro, carrots and several unidentifiable ones i had never seen before!!!
served with sesame dip, brazilian salt (?) and avocado dip...amazing!!!

enboca...yoyogi-uehara
www.enboca.jp

cherry blossoms at twilight...with red lanterns

meguro riverside

the cherry blossoms are in full bloom...

(shibuya...sakuragaokacho)
a great excuse to meet up with friends and have a drink!!!

kiosk...yamanote line platform...tokyo station

primitive...but resourceful and cheap!!!

this is a common sight in tokyo...real estate ads tied to trees or lamp-posts...of course there are estate agents` offices here like back home...but this is also used as an advertising medium...funny, isn`t it

incidentally...this ad is for a 3-bedroomed flat in a good location...quite big...and only 45.8 million yen...that is about 460,000 US dollars or 312,000 UK pounds

another kitkat...espresso flavour!!!

not worth getting again!!!

the korean wave extends into food

i talked before about the phenomenon of the korean wave in japan...all starting about 7 years ago with a tv mini-series called winter sonata...the main spin-off from this drama is an avid following of the main actor...yon-sama...his fans will go to any lengths to follow him, meet him, wait for him, visit the sets and now we have a restaurant opened by him in the shirogane area in tokyo...of course being a fan of the drama i had to go and sample it myself!!!

gosireh`s entrance

and the food

when yon-sama comes to tokyo he usually goes to his restaurant...so we can see the room he uses and the chair he sits on...and...we can use the same loo...cos it is unisex!!! i heard a story that some fans go to the loo 4 or 5 times!!! i just went once!!!

this cake shop in akasaka...

...sells the best cheesecake!!!