Not sure when this fellow popped up at the Enoden line's Kamakura Station for the first time, but it's another kawaii (cute) touch.
He Works Hard for his Money
It isn't easy being a rickshaw driver. Can you imagine trying to run a cart all over town with city buses blowing past you? I am amazed by these guys (and gals! Saw a female rickshaw driver just the other day).
Enoden Green
It may not be the flashiest of trains, but the Enoden is still pretty attractive for a large hunk of moving metal.By the by, that's Hisashi in the silver jacket through the middle-right window.
Sunday Morning Surfing
The best Sundays involve nice, gentle waves, and a bit of mist.
Hina Matsuri – What It’s All About
Hina Matsuri (the Doll Festival), AKA Momo-no-Sekku (the Peach Festival), AKA Girls' Day, is the day when Japanese families celebrate their daughters. I wrote about it a bit the other day in the Hina Matsuri Tsurushibina post, and I'll include the text at the bottom, too. These two dolls represent the emperor and empress at … Continue reading Hina Matsuri – What It’s All About
Hina Matsuri Tsurushibina
The Doll Festival (Hina Matsuri/Momo no Sekku/Girls' Day) is just around the corner (well, March 3), and families with daughters—and hotels like Hakone's Kowaki-en—are setting out their decorations. Families with daughters display a special set of dolls to bring happiness and health to their girls. The dolls represent the wedding procession of an emperor and … Continue reading Hina Matsuri Tsurushibina
Wakame Harvesting
This year has been a bad year for wakame. Last year, the harvest was good. It was so good that the beach was strewn with wakame, both farmed and wild. Early mornings would see neighbourhood ojisan and obasan out gathering it in overflowing shopping bags. We had wakame shabu shabu time and again in the … Continue reading Wakame Harvesting
Zuisen-ji Green
One of the things I love best about Japan is its greenery. It may have massive cities and more concrete than you can shake a stick at, but when it's green, it's green--with ferns, bamboo, towering cedars, and soft moss. And you really don't have to go too far off the beaten track to find … Continue reading Zuisen-ji Green
Finished Incense
It may look like a bowl of broken dry spaghetti, but it's just pieces of incense and incense ash.
When Discomfort Threatens to Overpower Culture
A few weeks ago, some pretty major news dropped: the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (they make maps) proposed a set of changes to its tourist maps. The goal is clarity–some of the current symbols are a bit confusing for those who have just arrived. For example, "H" stands for "hotel"–not "hospital" or "helipad", while an … Continue reading When Discomfort Threatens to Overpower Culture
女性専用 - Inn By The Sea Kamakura - Women's Guesthouse 