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
Zuisen-ji Close-up
It's 6am and I'm at Hong Kong International Airport. I cannot for the life of me remember what this is, just that it is from Zuisen-ji. But, I haven't posted for two days, so up it goes. Will try to get details once I'm home.
Drivin’ the Train
We dropped by Goryojinja the other day to get a Fukurokuju stamp for our Shichifukujin (Seven Gods of Luck) stamp collection, and took a minute to enjoy the charm of the Enoden train skirting the shrine grounds.
Daikoku Sama
This happy-looking fella is the god of wealth, farmers, food and good fortune. He can be found at Hasedera, grinning out from the side of the Daikoku-do (Daikoku Hall), where Hasedera's original Daikoku Sama statue is. The past few days, we've been on the Shichifukujin (Seven Gods of Luck) tour of Kamakura, filling up our … Continue reading Daikoku Sama
Water
I love bamboo used as a water pipe. My favourite bamboo-as-conduit is at Hasedera, just down the street from our inn, but this little bit of bamboo, thanks to the extreme green surrounding it, has also become a favourite.
Enoshima Revisited
The shrine on Enoshima just keeps going and going and going. Up the hill, around a corner, up again, another corner... It covers quite a bit of territory, mostly going up.
Mirror Reflection
Zuisen-ji's cave and flowers reflected in its little pond.
女性専用 - Inn By The Sea Kamakura - Women's Guesthouse 