The long weekend that I took with Bruce Dalgaard in Tokyo was, as I mentioned before, absolutely fantastic. I love the city and being with someone like Bruce who knows it so well is always a treat. It makes me excited to think that years from now I will be bringing friends and family to Tokyo with the conviction that it is “my city.”
I made great new friends with Michiyo and her daughter Anna, along with a couple of Bruce’s past students. One being an American from New York named Stefanie Horton and the other Saeko Kojima who is now a professor here in Japan but Bruce calls her “his Japanese Daughter.” The delicious food, stimulating conversation, and long nights out in the city were what I’ve been looking forward to above all else.
I am now far too busy to write a long, detailed report about everywhere I went, but I hope a giant photo collection with suffice for everyone. I’ll attach them below. Enjoy!
These first couple are an overview of the trip, then I have even more below...
Bruce at peace. He has a cappuccino and is relaxing at his favorite cafe in Tokyo, "Ben's"
Bruce and his dear friend Michiyo, from Waseda University, who took me to Ofuna and Kamakura on Sunday. It was one of my favorite places so far. Definitely one I want to see again!
A look over the city from Tochou Towers
Lia, Evan, and Kathy Tegtmeyer Pak in their apartment on Monday night. They were kind enough to host me a second time. We made a feast of a dinner and enjoyed each others company
These five are some of my favorites from the trip
1) Kamakura's Daibutsu Buddha
2) Ofuna's giant Kannon Statue
3) The dragon of Taya caves
4) One of my favorite shots so far in Japan. This is so typical Japanese preschool. I immediately thought of the rhyme
...
The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching two by two
The little one stops to tie its shoe
And they all go marching down
...
5) I find it interesting that the word on the ribbon says, "Untitled"
The bright flags of a Sumo competition. Bruce and I tried to buy a ticket for the Saturday match but they sold out early in the morning
A busy Asakusa row
A view of the Ueno mall seen from the National Museum
The Kannon statue of Ofuna upclose
The second sight we visited was the Taya no Dokutsu, or Taya Caves. Begun all the way back in the 1100's, this cave complex is dug deep within the hills of Ofuna town. This was a real highlight of a highlight filled day
The inside of the cave is so dark that the few, dim light bulbs aren't enough, you must walk with a tiny candle nailed onto the end of a stick. The second reason being that if you walk too fast, the weak flame will be extinguished so it encourages people to take their time and admire the cave itself
The carvings were incredible. I can't believe how old they are, and to think that at the time they were carved it was only done by candle light, spooky!
Bruce and Michiyo admiring some of the caves high vault rooms
Statues of Buddhas. Kathy told me that these usually are placed after the death of a baby or young child. I had no idea at the time, but it is sad to think that the rows and rows of statues that we saw were all for lost children. And that is why the parents want to clothe them and keep them warm
We then made our way to one of the old centers of the nation, Kamakura. It is filled with weeks worth of shrines and temples, but we saw only a couple of the most famous ones. The renown Kamakura Daibutsu is a statue of the Buddha carved completely out of bronze. We even got to go inside it, it's that big!
Bruce and I at the Daibutsu
A bright blue sky to offset the green bronze
So far my favorite "simple" temple (by that I mean opposed to the lavish temples of Nikko) has been without a doubt Houkokuji, which means "Temple of giving back to the nation." It is also known as the bamboo temple because it is famous for it's beautiful bamboo thickets.
A hidden stone lantern, or Ishi doro, within the tall stalks of bamboo
There is a small stream of water pouring off of that cliff that has flown down so long that it has dug a deep crevice into the side of the stone
The plum blossoms are the first to bloom, not too much longer and the infamous cherry blossoms will start to bud as well!
Graves dug into the cliff alongside yellow plum blossoms
Honestly THE most impressive garden I've ever walked through. Can you spot the koi swimming past?
The meticulously well groomed pebble gardens of a Japanese temple
Saeko, Bruce, and Michiyo out at dinner Sunday night
Michiyo's daughter Anna. She was really cool. Although she's only 19 she's studied in Canada, Czech Republic, and now is independently studying back in Japan. She wants to become either a hip-hop or Flamenco professional dancer. Hopefully we will be able to meet up again next time I'm in the city
The colorful streets of Tokyo
The skyscrapers of Shinjyuku
I walked to the Tochou Towers of Shinjyuku on Monday afternoon. They're the government centers of Tokyo City and the elevators to the top of the North and South Towers (pictures above) are completely free. It's a great spot to visit, overlook the city, grab a highly overpriced lunch, and enjoy reading your book!
A Sepia View from the Top
(that sounds like a title to some deep philosophical book...I ought to remember that for my next best seller...)
=P
Okay call me crude, but anyone who puts up a picture like this in their bathrooms is simply asking for a picture to end up on the internet....and I would feel bad not granting them their wish =) haha still laughing
HEIGHT
Take a moment to try and figure out what this is....
It's the windows on the side of an opposite building. I love the reflected light from the glass of a nearby tower
A street view of Shinjyuku
The delicious Kinpira that we made at Kathy Tegtmeyer Pak's apartment Monday night
The famous Akamon [Red Gate] of Tokyo University (indisputably Japan's top university). It is where Kathy is doing her Fulbright scholarship studies, so I went to see the campus on Tuesday morning
A glimpse of the campus
Tokyo University (nicknamed Todai) has a ever so peaceful pond in it's tiny center. I simply sat and watched the ducks, walkers, and listened to the odd combination of sounds. A gentle waterfall to my right, the quack of ducks as they're tossed bread from a homeless man (again, a strange concept to think that he might not have much food but he sure wanted to make sure the birds ate breakfast), yells from a nearby Lacrosse team practice, and the constant background whirl of overhead helicopters.
A kind of different snapshot. Can you spot the crying crow?
Birds galore enjoy the rare patch of nature that is Ueno Park nestled into Tokyo's busy streets
The Temple of Benten on an island in the middle of Ueno Park
The colorful bands of incense burned with prayers
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