Bueno Ueno - Spring Time In Tokyo

Spring has arrived and with it cherry blossom season.  Russell and I missed it last year because we were back in the States recovering from post 9.0 earthquake syndrome.  We didn't come back until May, by then the cherry blossoms were gone and the 90% humidity had settled in like a damp electric blanket. Ugh.

Cherry blossom season is a huge deal in Japan: spiritually, socially and commercially.

Spiritually because the Japanese believe the cherry blossom, or sakura, is symbolic of life.  The life of a sakura flower, like ours, is fleeting.  Sakura flowers only bloom for a few days.  But oh when they do it's glorious.  Gorgeous blossoms of joy blush everywhere in Tokyo heralding Spring is here, Spring is here.  Clusters of trees line the streets and parks creating a magical world of frothy pink, white and sometimes yellow, billowy clouds.  It's like stepping into heaven or a gigantic cloud of cotton candy.

When the cherry blossoms begin to die, they rain down from the branches in a cascade of fluttering blossoms that look like snow.  It's magical and the impression and implied meaning is not lost on the Japanese -  treasure life, because like the sakura, it's fleeting.  I like it.  I agree.  Savor life.  I think I'll have another glass of wine.  What the hell.  You only live once, right?

Socially, because the season is celebrated with "Hanami" or cherry blossom viewing parties.  Did somebody say "party"?  Hanami consists of laying out blue tarps under the cherry trees and indulging in food and lots of alcoholic beverages of your choice.   Companies send the lowest ranking salary man to reserve a space under the cherry trees and the poor guy has to sit there all day until his coworkers join him.  Thankfully I have Russell.  He's my salaryman.

And commercially because it seems every company has a sakura flavored product on the shelves during this time.  Cherry flavored Kit Kats, sparkling wine, lattes, ice cream, gum.  You name it; they've got it - all cherry flavored.

Since Russell and I are amateur Hanamists, (technical term I just made up) we decided to start slow.  No blue tarp the first time.  We checked out a couple of sources for the best places to view the blossoms, packed a bottle of rose (sakura colored of course) and headed out.

The best source for cherry blossom viewing I found is http://japan-guide.com/.  Not only do they have a list of the top 100 cherry blossom viewing locations in Japan and Tokyo, but they also report on where, and more importantly, WHEN, the blossoms are the best and how they are progressing through the season.  The report I read that day said the cherry blossoms in Ueno Park had the most trees in bloom at 50% to 80%, so we headed there.

You may recall Ueno Park is the site where Russell decided we should "cut through the zoo" on our way to the Tokyo museum.  Let's be clear.  There is no cutting through a zoo.  Zoos take a lot of time.  So this time I steered him clear of any signs for the zoo, or pandas, that might lure him into making that suggestion again.

The first thing we saw was not a cherry tree, but rather, a mobile Suntory Whiskey bar in a converted shocking yellow VW van.  The Japanese know how to party!  The van was selling ice cold Suntory highballs.  Nice.

Thank you sir, why yes I would love another.

The next thing we saw were two gorgeously abloom cherry trees.  One was a weeping cherry tree and the other the most common cherry tree in Japan, known as the Somei Yoshino.    

My new favorite cherry tree - weeping.

It's so beautiful it does make you want to cry - for joy.

Since we didn't pack a picnic, food was our first order and we headed to the concession stands.  I do love Japanese festival food.

The place was busy, especially for a Thursday.

Noodle man.  My hero.  These are so good, and cheap.

Our Japanese feast: street noodles, croquettes and fried rice balls with Japanese mayonaise.

After lunch we walked around the expansive park to admire the cherry blossoms.

Cherry trees lining the pond 50% to 60% in bloom.

Usually this pond is filled with lotus flowers.

But they're all dried up now - that's the brown stuff in the forefront.

Ok, that's pretty.

Of course we HAD to try the sakura flavored ice cream....

What I love about this photo is the guy's tongue is sticking out.

The MJ of ice cream servers.

Um, your cone is lopsided.

Cherry tree tunnel.

Some guy feeding birds.

Looking back across the pond.

Oh yeah, that's nice.

They are really pretty up close.

On the far side of the pond there was a flea market going on.  Or should I say camera market?

There's gotta be an instamatic in here somewhere.

I thought this was an interesting picture.

Can you find the German swastika stamp?

Apparently "swastika" is not a German word, it originated from India sanskrit and translates to any lucky or auspicious object and in particular a mark made on a person or thing denoting good luck.  You see the symbol a lot in Japan where it denotes something related to Buddism.  In Buddism the swastika is the symbol of Buddah. In Japan it's called Manji.  You see the symbol on Japanese maps and signs all the time.  I've even seen it on the tiles of some temples.

Apparently the swastika is one of the oldest symbols on Earth and can be found in all religions and traditions, on all continents.  Who knew?  

Post card ready

While the cherry trees flanking the pond were quite beautiful, and the flea market was interesting, we still hadn't seen the iconic salary men partaking of sakura flavored sake on blue tarps.  I thought maybe we hadn't seen any because it was only Thursday.  But then we cut up back towards the Tokyo Museum.  The crowds thickened and so did the noise.

The lane was lined with cherry trees and lanterns which must be lit up at night.  Wow, I bet that's pretty.

Crowds ambling under the cherry trees.

Ok, now we get it.  Apparently this is where all the action was.  In this part of the park, not by the pond, the cherry trees were 80% in bloom.  They created a magical cloud of pink billowy sky above us, and about five thousand of our closest Japanese friends.  Tarps were everywhere, as well as, drunk salary men.  There was one guy, (I wish I had taken his picture), wearing no shirt and just some cheetah-print pedal pushers.  Yes, a guy in cheetah-print pedal pushers.  I told Russell, maybe later, he should wear that outfit.  He was loud, obnoxious and clearly intoxicated.  Not Russell, the cheetah wearing salary man.  I can only imagine what this place would be like on the weekend.  Note to self - stay far, far away.

Ok, now I get it.  Wow!

These pictures do NOT capture the wonder or beauty of the trees.

This must be gorgeous at night with the cherry blossoms all up lit.

Sendai - A Year Later

A friend from L.A. recently asked me how Tokyo was one year after the earthquake and tsunami.  I reflected for a moment, my emotions gathering together like a hurricane collecting force and debris.  Any question regarding that event stirs up emotions hard to suppress: fear, gratitude, love, understanding.

Fear - remembering the sheer terror, thinking it was the end, seeing Ranger shaking uncontrollably; realizing I was too. Utter, retched, helplessness.

Fear it might happen again.

Gratitude - we survived and nothing was damaged.

Love for Russell, Ranger, all our family and friends who cared so much.

Love for the Japanese people who went out of their way to help, with humbling grace.

The revelation in understanding the difference between an "us" society; not a "me" society.

Understanding what's truly important, not material possessions, but the ones you love.

In Tokyo a year later, buildings are still standing, people are working, aftershocks are still occurring. Energy conservation is over; the lights are all back on. The city is bereft 33,000 foreigners who never returned to the country after they fled from the earthquake and aftermath.  In Tokyo there is no destruction, no shelters for those who lost their homes. Those shelters begin 150 miles away.  More than 330,000 people are still living in temporary accommodations.   Sure a few expats worry about where the food in the super market comes from.  CNN and BBC are still over-dramatizing the effects on Tokyo but under-dramatizing the need in the areas hardest hit like Miyagi prefecture where 10,000 were missing after the tsunami.  But mostly, people are remembering.  There is a looming sense of pathos and yearning over the city.  There are still over 3,000 people who have never been found.  Debris washes up on foreign shores.  The Japanese mourn for the 15,800+ people who were lost and those yet to be found.  But they persevere.   They help each other.

While Russell and I were doing the Kyoto Walkathon, i.e., seeing 25 sights in 36 hours, our friend Nancy, was surveying the tsunami damage one year later.  The Tokyo American Club had arranged a tour, (read: trip to secure donations) for members of the U.S./Asia Business Summit.  Unfortunately not enough members of the summit cared to attend so the tour was opened up to Tokyo American Club members, (read: hopefully rich expats or representatives of rich corporations).

I had lunch with Nancy after her trip, tears filling our eyes as she recounted all she had seen and heard.
I asked her to submit a guest post.  Below is what she sent me including a couple of sobering pictures.

I thought I would cry a lot when I went to Sendai.  I didn’t, but I did find myself thinking about how awful it must have been there.  What touched me most was seeing a wooden horse lying in the rubble.  This was probably a child’s toy or a family chachki.   I also found several dishes and a record still intact.  It made me want to pick them up and find the people that they belonged to and give them back. From where I was standing, those that were at ground level didn’t stand a chance of survival.  Even people on the roofs of their homes would likely have been swept away by the waves.  Those who made it to higher ground or in concrete buildings on the low levels survived.  I sat next to a man on the bus who had been to Sendai several times to volunteer.  He said the hardest part was finding personal items.  I saw pictures that they passed around of the boxes of photos that volunteers collected  hoping to reunite them with their owners.  They were brought to shelters so survivors could look through them hoping to find photos of their loved ones.  Buildings are still being torn down. Red zeros are seen on buildings indicating no bodies have been found inside.  Red cr’s are spray painted on buildings that have been condemned and await demolition.  Buildings ripped off their foundations remain sitting atop debris and wedged between other buildings.  A department store with first floor lights hanging by wires from the ceiling has no walls on the first floor. Debris is sorted in to recyclables and burnable piles.  Heavy equipment still remains everywhere working constantly to disassemble buildings.  We visited a sake brewery where the owner gave us a tour.  He was lucky as his buildings are on higher ground.  The water level came up just to his residence.  Walking up the hill to the brewery, you could see where doors, siding and tiles had been replaced on some of the homes.   They were flooded on the first floor but were able to remain in their homes while they repaired the first floor.  The brewery owner told us he lost 80% of his customers who were local restaurants and bars demolished by the Tsunami.  The majority of the boats washed ashore have been disassembled or repaired and put back into service.  A 3 ½ ton fishing boat still remains sitting in the middle of what once was a residential street.   All of the homes around it have been torn down but the city will keep the boat where it is as a reminder of the Tsunami. I was surprised by how cold it was.  I visited on March 3rd, eight days before the Tsunami struck the year before.   It was 18 degrees when we left our hotel that morning and in the 30s for the high.  Many died from hypothermia and complications due to injuries even if they did survive the Tsunami.    We watched home videos on the bus ride and could see it snowing on many.  You could hear the pain in people’s voices and hear them crying as they watched all of their possessions vanish before their eyes.  One video showed people up above a parking lot and as the water rose, the cars started to float away.  A pine tree forest was completely destroyed except for one lone tree that still remains.   The tree has become a symbol of hope and will be pictured on a comemmerative coin with proceeds going to the Tsunami relief fund.  Unfortunately, the tree is dying slowly due to the salt water.  Piles of cars still remain and mud and standing water are still covering the land near the ocean. We weren’t allowed off the bus in this section of town, closer to the water, as it is still unsafe.  Workers and volunteers wear special steel reinforced boots so a nail won’t go through their foot.  Special gloves for picking up glass are mandatory.  A lot of work remains and donations are waning now that it has been over a year.  Becoming a volunteer is costly, and isn’t easy, because of the clothing requirements, i.e. steel toed boots, special gloves, etc.  The best way to help the recovery effort now is through donations.   Thanks Nancy.  Thanks Japan.

Pleasure Riding - Tokyo Metro Courtesy Campaign

Being packed in like a can of sardines and then groped mysteriously is only part of the fun of riding the Tokyo metro.  

Russell and I have been continuously entertained by the Tokyo Metro Courtesy Campaign that has been running in the subways since we got here almost two years ago.  

I have to admit it is quite clever.  Russell and I are always delighted when a new posting goes up.  Besides clearly being directed at gaijin, aka foreigners, the campaign makes good use of that universal smile catalyst: the antics of animals.  Animals translate in any language.

Take a look for yourself and see if a few don't provoke a smile or two.

You gotta love the mop dog encouraging folks not to rush.

Hamsters always work, even if they don't dance.

How cute is this?

No sound leakage - please.

Of course my favorite one has the worst photo.

Basically it asks you not to fall asleep on a stranger's shoulder.

But that bird reminds me of Russell.

Apparently there have been complaints about applying make-up on the train.

Don't look at me!

They use the word "consider" twice here. 

I guess they really want us to think before we eat or drink on the train.

Not afraid to tackle the tough issues. 

Don't lie down on the train, even if you've had too many drinks.

You don't think they mean me do you?

I Can See Your Yuzu - Kyoto Part Four

One of the things that makes the ryokan we stayed at in Kyoto famous, is its use of the coveted Yuzu fruit in their dishes, and even in their baths.  In fact the name of the ryokan is Yuzuya Ryokan.  It's located right next to the Yasaka Shrine, also known as the Gion shrine.

Yasaka Shrine

Russell and I had never heard of a Yuzu.  It sounded kinda dirty to us.  Hey, I can see your Yuzu.  But it's not dirty at all. It's actually a citrus fruit. Think lemon, lime and tangerine all in one yummy, sweet, fruit.  It looks like a fat, yellow, orange. They're delicious.  I think I need a tree.  In fact I know I do.

Entrance to the Ryokan

The funny thing is, on our walk during the day we had actually passed the entrance to our ryokan.  I even took a picture of it thinking, what a lovely stone path, treacherous, but lovely.  I wonder what it is?  Lo and behold, several hours, and miles later, it turned out to be our ryokan.

Good thing Russell is carrying the luggage.

The entrance was dark but strangely inviting.  Kind of like an opium den, except the drug here was Yuzu.

The coveted Yuzu.

A young woman in traditional Japanese garb led us to our room at the top of the steep stairs.  What is it with the steep stairs?  Geez.  We had been asked to remove our shoes and put on the house slippers provided.  Ok, I have small feet like the Japanese, but slippers and I don't agree.  They kept flipping off my feet.  The steep stairs were like a death trap for me.  I decided to go it in my socks.

Nice branch.  Is that the welcome branch?

Russell studied the evacuation plan posted in our room like he does at every hotel we stay at.  But not to find out where the nearest exit is. He does it to find out how are room compares to others.  The evacuation plan always includes a map outlining the floor plan.  He was delighted to learn we had one of the largest rooms.  

It was exactly what I imagined a ryokan would be like, right down to the cedar bath tub and soji screens.  The only thing missing was a garden view.    Russell explored the room tatami mat to ceiling, opening drawers and looking in closets.  "Hey, there's a safe."   He pulled back one of the soji screens to reveal a view of a parking lot below.  "Close the screen!  Close the screen," I exclaimed.  "You're ruining the allure."  Geez.  I need sake now.

Our room - pre bed.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and some complimentary tea was brought in.  A nice touch I thought.  We smiled and asked if she could bring in a couple of sake glasses. We wanted to see if the sake we bought was as pretty as the packaging.  She brought us water glasses.  Wow! She recognizes heavy drinkers when she sees them.  Sake's just not the same in a water glass.

After Russell tried the traditional Japanese shower, i.e., sitting on a tiny bench with a handheld showerhead and a bucket, and I partook of the cedar bath with yuzu, we dressed in the yukata and jacket provided, otherwise known as "dressing for dinner."  

Now most traditional ryokans serve you a kaiseki meal in your room. This one however had a beautiful dining room with a traditional Japanese viewing garden with waterfall, so guests were asked to come down for both meals: breakfast and dinner.

Can you see my yuzu now?

The dinner was superb!  Russell was enamored with all the unique touches, not to mention, the amazing flavors.  A true kaiseki meal is a reflection of the season, emphasizing the freshest ingredients and utilizing utensils and pottery which reflect the mood and essence of the period, in this case early Spring.

Appetizer board.

Look how beautiful this is.

That's a sakura (cherry) twig about to blossom.

A single broad bean, a sliver of fresh ginger on top of a mini,

and I mean mini, crab cake with a yolk smear.

Three kinds of sashimi.

Russell was completely enamored with the sashimi course.  Yes, the fish was melt in your mouth great.  But he was astounded by how it was served.  Under the rice paper, he discovered a thin sheet of ice, which was used to keep it cold.  It was like he had found gold, he was so delighted. "But it's ice, look, it's ice," he kept exclaiming over and over.  "I know, I know.  Have another glass of sake."  

He had to find out how they made it.  "We gotta do this at home!"  Uh, huh, good luck with that.  Turns out they special order it from the ice house.  I have to admit it was rather cool.   I'm happy if I can find crushed ice for margaritas.

Russell's ice sheet.

Most of the courses had some form of yuzu in the preparation. When they brought us the Kobe beef with a little bit of spicy yuzu relish, we were smitten.  Thankfully they sell the relish so of course we bought a jar.

So yuzu, so good.

The next course was the traditional Kyoto dish, yudofu, which is seasonal vegetables and tofu simmered in a pot table-side.  Theirs had a twist.  It came with...wait for it... yuzu, as well as, fish. Now, Russell is not really a tofu man, but he loved it.

Yuzu, greens and fillet-o-fish

It's as pretty as it is delicious

 We were pretty much full after that but it didn't stop us from eating the next delicious course, which was steamed rice, cooked at your table in a traditional rice crock, with, you guessed it, yuzu.  It was so aromatic, it made us hungry all over again.

Rice cooking table side.  After ten minutes the rice was cooked 

perfectly and infused with the uniquely fragrant yuzu flavor.  Yummy.

After dinner I stopped at the public bath.  They can't call it an onsen because it's not from a hot spring.  It was a large cedar bath, family size, with fresh yuzu scenting the water.  It wasn't very private either.  If you were inquisitive, or happened to be walking by, you could probably get a glimpse of a naked woman or man, depending upon which curtain, yes curtain, not door, you glanced through.  I didn't care.  I'd had two bottles of sake and even more yuzu. 

It was so awesome to slip into the steaming water, the scent of yuzu permeating my senses.  That's it - I have been properly yuzu-ed I thought.  It suddenly occurred to me, Thank God I'm not allergic to citrus, I'd be dead by now.

Yuzu bath.  Feel the burn.

When I got up to our room, the fluffy bed rolls lay beckoning.  Russell was excited by the little lantern they put out.  It would be even more delightful if it were lit by candles but that would be a major fire hazard.

Comfy.

The futon bed, and not like futons in America, more like a thick bed roll, were more comfortable than I thought they would be.  The sake could have helped, Russell offered.

We dressed for breakfast.  I was a little concerned.  I've tried the traditional Japanese breakfast which consists of a runny gruel called Okayu (rice porridge) and sometimes fish.  I'm not a fish for breakfast kind of person.

But their breakfast was great.  Sure there was fish.  And there was kind of a rice porridge, cooked at the table no less, but it was really good.

First a tray with several small morsels were provided.  They consisted of things like tender bamboo shoot, a couple of beans, a vegetable roll and dishes of Tsukadani or fish preserved in soy sauce. In the old days, people who lived in inland provinces dried all kinds of food with soy sauce.  The soy sauce preserved the food so that people could eat through the winter.  I learned about this on a tour I took to Shibamata.   Money well spent.

Dried or not it was all good.

The platter-o-food was also served with a plate of grilled fish, tamagoyaki slices (sweetened egg omelette) and the omnipresent - Japanese pickle, plus a crock of steamed rice.  

But wait there's more.  Well, you won't ever go hungry at this ryokan I mused. A boiling crock of miso soup was brought to the table as well.  The soup was hearty and had beefy chunks of root vegetables like carrots and lotus roots.  

Can I get a to go carton?

Grilled fish, sweet egg omelet and pickles.

A pregnant woman must have invented this combo.

Where's the peanut butter?

Crock-o-rice

The only thing they didn't serve enough of was the pure yuzu juice.  We only received half a glass.  They must have run out since so much of it was served in the food.

Thank you, can you fill my glass up, please?

And then, of course, there was tea...with yuzu.  At this point I can say I was officially yuzued out.  So I asked for coffee instead.  

Yuzu tea.

This cup may be too feminine for Russell, metro-sexual or not.

These are old school rice makers.  No, seriously.  I asked.

It was a great experience and now I can say I have stayed at a ryokan and experienced yuzu in every way.  Hey, that sounds dirty.  Oooops.