New Years in Japan, join me?
I’ve made a last minute decision to spend New Years in Japan. It was a tough choice, Uruguay, Miami or sleeping in my apartment in NYC were all very close contenders.
I’ve also decided to become an elf. Anyone want to join me in the celebration in Japan?
December 26th, 2006 at 4:09 am
wow. in Tokyo or Osaka, or else? if you plan to be in Tokyo I’ll join.
December 26th, 2006 at 4:14 am
ah BTW, I just noticed you changed the banner and it gives me a feeling of dejavue from the movie I watched last night: The Scanner Darkly.
December 26th, 2006 at 6:30 pm
that sounds cool.
i think i’ll stay here, haven’t been back home there since 9-11.
hope you enjoy & let us know what’s happened.
peace.
December 26th, 2006 at 11:09 pm
If you are going to be in Tokyo, drop me a line….
December 27th, 2006 at 5:26 pm
Same here if something intereting planned in Tokyo, I’ll join! If not happy new year and see you soon in Tokyo
December 27th, 2006 at 6:06 pm
Have a blast, and remember to take lots of pictures. Cheers!
January 11th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
My husband and I spent New Year’s in Kanazawa, with our daughter, who lives there. We went to the Oyama temple, of course. I am in the process of writing about our three week trip — but I’ve already written 8 pages and I haven’t even mentioned Kyoto or Tokyo yet. It was our first trip to Japan, but it will not be our last! Kanazawa is called “Little Kyoto,” and I loved it. We saw only two other Westerners during our time there. Our daughter speaks a little Japanese, which was very helpful! Traditional Japan is alive and well in Kanazawa — along with modernity. The people are hospitable, generous, cultured. Among things to see: Kenrokeum Gardens, the samurai district, the geisha district, temple district, gold leaf making shops, ceramic making, samisen (Japanese string instrument) making, Oyama temple (but there is another temple, up in the mountains that is an oasis of tranquility, far from the crowds. It took us about an hour to walk there from Nonoichi, a Kanazawa suburb). The restaurants, the concert hall (Kanazawa has an excellent symphony orchestra), river walks, the Sea of Japan and its beaches, the mountains. Yes, it is provincial, compared to Tokyo. But compared to Tokyo every city — even New York — seems provincial. (We loved Tokyo too.) And in Kyoto, I have to mention the Fushimi Inari shrine — thousands of saffron torii (gates) making a bright orange tunnel winding up and up and around the mountains, with paths to hundreds of Shinto shrines along the way. We had a spiritual experience as we reached one peak, overlooking a lake, a heron resting on a rock with the mountain ridge in the distance — just like a Japanese painting — and the snow started to fall — as if someone just turned over a Japanese paperweight. A little further along the trail, and we heard the chants of the faithful behind orange bamboo fence, a pot of tea boiling on a fire by the side of the path. Fushimi inari reminded us of Christo’s “Gates” in Central Park. In fact, I can’t understand why anyone who has seen Fushimi Inari could fail to make the comparison.