Nikko

I went to Nikko this weekend with a couple friends. (Thanks to Ruth we got an excellent deal on travel and hotel.) The really famous thing about Nikko is the shrines and temple on the edge of town. It's a large grouping of buildings and even on a very rainy day there were plenty of people there.

On one of the buildings are carved various scenes including monkeys engaged in different activities. It is one section of this that contains "See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Speak No Evil". If you watch the slideshow or go to the album on Picasa (double click on the slideshow picture) you can easily see that the little carvings or other kinds of replicas we have seen most of our lives look very little like the real thing. What a shame, because in the original the characters have a liveliness and charm missing from the drab carvings I've seen most commonly.

In town I did see a wood carving in the window of an antiques store that was quite different, showing, again three monkeys - realistically carved - a mother covering the eye of one young one, while he in return had his hand on mother's mouth, a second youngster had one of his hands on his own ear. It was darling, well done, and incredibly expensive.

The other buildings in the complex have delicate, intricate carvings, paintings and gildings. Flowers, birds, angry looking elephants carved and painted on many surfaces. Inside the buildings are buddhas and sleeping cats and weeping dragons, priests making offerings. There are repairs and refinishing works going on all around. I'm sure the environment under the dark ancient forest is hard on the wood and metal, not to mention the steady stream of visitors.

Moving right along

The Cherry Blossoms are a thing of the past in Ichikawa. They were fading fast over the weekend and then we had a heavy rain followed by strong wind. So now we are enjoying tulips, primroses, pansies, and seeing the first show of purple on the fuji (wisteria) among many flowering trees and plants. In all the concrete and stone and asphalt and with the buildings unbelievably close (to American eyes) you can usually see some spot of color in it. Small flower boxes sit on front stoops. The tops of stone walls often are lined with plant pots with flowers blooming. It's a colorful time of year here.

He is Risen Indeed!

Was just reading an article from a British Newspaper, the point of which was that we Christians need to stop trivializing the Resurrection. I agree. One of the comments from a reader was that there was no proof of any resurrection. If you've studied the proof and the Book which records it, and you look into the probability of it's truth it makes you wonder what the reader would need to convince him.

Happy Easter to you all, because He DID Arise from the dead, and for no other reason.

Thank you for waiting!

A new slide show is running to the left. I took these photos on Wednesday as I walked to my friend Yasuko's house for a Quilting lesson.

I discovered something interesting the other day. If you double click on the slide show it should take you to my Albums on Picasa. You can then click on the albums and see the photos on full screen. Happy viewing.

Wish you were here with me sitting under the trees full of pink blossoms and raining petals down on us in the gentle breeze.

Hanna Yuki

Or is it Hanna no ame?

Anyway, pictures are coming soon of the cherry trees in bloom and some today that were losing their petals and therfore making either Flower Snow or Flower Rain. Can't remember. But it's pretty to see.

Keep watching this space!

Watch this space!

With the weather remaining cool and sunny its only a matter of days before the Cherry Blossoms really get going here in Ichikawa. I have seen a few isolated trees in bloom, but the real show has yet to begin. When it does I hope to post some pictures of the ones I see and capture with my camera, so stay tuned.

I also hope to take some pictures of my apartment as I have been able to get the basics in and put in place. I really have to work on the furniture arrangement in the living room. The approaching warmer weather means that the heater will soon find a place in the closet to live rather than commanding floor space in the living room. I may have to change furniture arrangement regularly with the seasons.

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

After unsettled weather yesterday today was a really pretty day with lots of sunshine and a bit of a breeze.

Went with friend, Ruth, to Yotsuya to get my new set of Japanese Textbooks so that when I start to work with my new teacher we will have something to work on!

After Yotsuya we went to Akihabara. Some of you will know this is the electronic headquarters of Tokyo (maybe Japan) (maybe the world)! Ruth had seen an electronic dictionary on sale there and decided to take another look. She decided to get it, so that means I get the hand-me-down one she had. All I have to do now is learn to use it.

Actually, I almost forgot that before we went to Tokyo we had lunch at a Nepalese Curry restaurant in Ichikawa. Curry, salad, nan and chai latte, iced, and a little dessert that was maybe yogurt, with coconut and maybe little tapiocas in it with mango sauce. Nice combination.