Tel Aviv is cool (warm beaches)

We are now well established in our new apartment in Old Jaffa. Now that the storms and other annoyances have passed, we are now able to enjoy some time with family, friends and even a few strangers. The photo is the local bakery that makes the greatest Israeli sesame bagels. A neighbour up the street does awesome baklava. Both are called Abulafia. The centre of Jaffa (or Yafo) is wall-to-wall shops selling great tasting stuff like shakshuka, shawarma, sweets and ice cream. There is no subtlety to food in this neighbourhood. Portions are generous, leading me to finally share my plate with Piki. Even then I am in definitely in need of the many kilometres of walks each day.

Slowly we are adjusting our attitude and radar to Israel and the Mediterranean mind set. Between this flat and central Tel Aviv, we pass through neighbourhoods going back to the origins of the city. It is a constant reminder of the paradox of this country. On many levels, this is a very modern society. On the other hand, between Jaffa and the new Tel Aviv, we pass through very old shops using merchandising techniques which disappeared with the Industrial Revolution. The flea market of Old Jaffa does not sell fleas but close. The rejects of our garage sales in Montreal somehow find their way to the square. Nahalat Benjamin is a twice a week market of new artsy stuff and some eye popping jewelry. The Carmel market crowds fruits, vegetables, bras and after-shave into some very narrow streets. The noise, smells and bustling crowds sharply remind you of where you are. All this is within the half-hour walk from our place to the very sophisticated capital and financial centre around Rothschild Boulevard.

As I bring this brief episode to a close I notice that the days of our adventure are quickly drawing to an end.  We shall endeavour to squeeze in as much as we can but I shall digress for a brief comment. To all of our friends back in Montreal, prepare the wine glasses. We do miss you and look forward to seeing you in January. Can we just arrange a quick thaw and warm weather.

Marcel

Gardens and Falafel

It has been a few days since we left Japan for Israel. Our apartment is in Jaffa, a stone's throw from the Mediterranean, across the street from a beautiful park, behind the tall minaret which is the local landmark and around the corner from some of the best falafel and baklava. When we first arrived, we sat on the terrace, drank some tea, and took in the beauty.

For those who have read about storms across the Middle East, do not be deceived. The white which you see is not snow. This was only at the beginning of what felt like a typhoon and hurricane rolled into one. Very much like in Montreal, we were stuck for almost 24 hours as the wind and rains battered the city. A cover of the window storm curtain blew of into our bedroom. The repairman showed up at 9:30pm. He was really busy that day. Only a few more hours and we revert back to more traditional sun and sea with no heating. What a return.

We installed ourselves on Friday and spent the the past days on a  number of important tasks. The normal and fun stuff of connecting with family and friends, walking the Tel Aviv boardwalk (before the storm), eating (portions are much bigger), and adjusting to the local culture. As Piki keeps saying "We ain't in Kansas". Apologies to Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz. Perhaps we should put it another way, it is a different Kansas.

Marcel

Mata Ne - Au revoir to Tokyo

Unlike previous writings, this last one from Tokyo is a joint effort. Although I may not easily move to the next grade in Japanese class, I did learn to say "mata ne", a term much less permanent than "sayonara" when saying goodbye.

Today was our last one in this wonderful city. We spent most of the day packing our non-essential stuff into a 10kg box to send home by surface mail. For those of you who plan to do this, be aware. You are now required to itemize the contents, including weight and value. There is a warning that this is an anti-terrorist measure and, if you are wrong, it will be sent back. I do hope I guessed right since we just paid quite a lot of money to ship some sentimental books and mementos.

To all of our new friends, I have but one simple wish, may we become "old friends".

Marcel

The above is a photo of a gathering of friends in our Tokyo apartment last Sunday. Originally, we named the event: "Sayonara (good bye) party" But with the news of Sari and Hideki's engagement, and upcoming move to Japan, we expect to be back soon. We therefore named our gathering " Mata ne (see you soon) party" I also named it "East meets west party, since we ordered Pizza and Sushi for dinner with our friends. My friend Bella suggested that it would more accurate, considering that Montreal is our permanent home, to order Poutine and Sushi. Although there are many gourmet foods in Tokyo it may not be easy to find Poutine. (Especially home delivery) but there is definitely no shortage of Pizza places. There are more Italian restaurants in Tokyo than in New York.

The 2 beautiful young women on the left side are Makiko  and Akiyo . They are good friends of our daughter , but I call them: Watachi no Nihon no Musume (My Japanese daughters. They were both instrumental for our easy adaptation to Japan, acting as guides, translators, recreation directors, and fun and lively companions.

The woman sitting on the right is Dr Sonoe. She is a physician with extensive interests, whose mother was also a doctor. Sonoe''s daughter, Miyako, is a young surgeon, a friend of Sarah. (Unfortunately
she could not attend the party) Miyako, her mother and grandmother challenge to the Western steriotype of women in Japan. Next to Sonoe is Akiyo's mother, who invited us to her home for a very special meal, and good conversation. In the centre are Tomomi and Nahoko and their lovely daughters. The oldest daughter, Yuki, is studying hard for the university entrance exams, and therefore could not attend. In the back are Akiyo's cousin and sister, and Ann and Barry, our Tokyo neighbours from Chicago.

We thanks our friends in Japan for making our stay here enjoyable, interesting, fulfilling, and quite exceptional!

Mata ne, see you all soon

Pnina

Temples, Gardens, and Tea Ceremony

As we are approaching the end of our Japan adventure, I find myself reflecting on what I have learned and experienced.  Is it possible to articulate what has been the essence of our experience, the uniqueness of Japan? I previously described our love of the food, and our appreciation of the friendship and generosity of the people we have met. But what feels so particularly Japanese are the beautiful shrines and gardens and the peaceful and spiritual experience of the tea ceremony.

Tokyo is a city of 20 millions people, with a  gigantic urban landscape. At the same time, it is a city full of many gardens and shrines, beautifully tucked in the midst of glass and concrete. Walking in Tokyo is full of surprises. In the last 10 days, we visited many gardens, and enjoyed the vibrancy of the Fall colours. Red maple trees, yellow ginko trees. The photo above was taken at night in a beautifully hauntingly lit garden, Rikugoen. We also ventured out of Tokyo, to visit 2 world heritage sites, Nikko and Kamakura, both places are famous for their nature and multitude of temples and shrines.

Experiencing the Japanese culture cannot be completed without highlighting the importance of the Tea  Ceremony:

Tea was first transmitted to Japan from China around the ninth century. In the 14th century tea spread from monasteries to warrior and aristocratic society as an "art of play". "The five sensory pleasures of Tea are as follows: the pleasure of viewing the arts and crafts of the tea utensils; the warmth of the tea bowl in your hand and its softness as you bring it to your lips; the taste of the tea and food; the smell of incense smoldering in the tea room and the sound of water as it is ladled from the kettle, and of the gentle ringing of the gong"

My own introduction to the tea ceremony took place in an apartment, on the outskirts of Tokyo. Our friend, Nahoko, who heard about my interest in the tea ceremony, spoke about me to her mother , who have been learning and conducting tea ceremonies for many years. On this first occasion, I attended without Marcel, since "men need more care and attention when it comes to learning about the tea ceremony". So on one Saturday morning I met Nahoko at a bus station and off we went to visit her mother. Our host looked so regal and gracious in her kimono. Before the ceremony, we were treated to a special lunch, brought to the table on lacquered trays,  served in beautiful lacquered boxes and plates purchased by the family 400 years ago! What a privilege for me! After lunch, we went to our hostess' tea room. I must say I was a bit nervous at the beginning about my clumsiness, but the serenity of the environment, the soothing voice of my hostess, the beauty of the tea bowls (Over 100 years old): all contributed to a deep sense of calm and well being. Only then did I start to understand the notion of staying in the moment, deeply experience it with all 5 senses.

Another important symbol of Japan: The snow capped Mount Fuji. We were so lucky, we were able to see mount Fuji on our visit to Kamakura and share this with all our friends.

Oyasoominesai

Pnina  

Lunch at Paul

No this is not Paul. But now that I have your attention, let me share with you some less dramatic moments of Tokyo.

Paul is a patisserie and lunch place in the Izumi Garden complex where we live. If you think that it is rather an odd name for a Japan. It is not for Tokyo. This city is a awash with French and other bakery shops. These shops are almost as numerous as the restaurants, selling sweet and very sweet eats. For us it is special, since the original Paul in Paris, at the corner of St Paul and St Antoine was the local shop where we would buy our bagette and sweets when staying in the Marais.

Today we had lunch and reflected how our big fear, ordering food and shopping at the supermarket, was merely a creation of our minds. Actually as we ate our very Japanese, bagette and croissant sandwich we were very much at home, in our 'hood.

There are 2 simple restaurant each with a special attraction. The noodle shop is hosted by two hardworking staff. There are a total of 8 seats, nine if you squeeze. The menu is composed of noodles and noodles. You are welcomed by a happy smiling face of   who speaks a very good English, serves, and cooks. Her colleague, cooks and constantly cleans the space.

Nearby, there is a bar-resto which attracted us with the offer of Happy Hours. Cheap drinks. Beer and wine  were the same price as the soft drinks. The background music is cool jazz and the pizza is thin and delicious. Both of these spots gave us a feeling of home and neighbourhood.

We are really at home.

Marcel

End Game in Tokyo

As we are in the last week of our stay in Tokyo, I would like to share some random and diverse adventures and thoughts. To the right is a field on the Kurokawa hills as we wandered about exploring the beauty of a Japanese fall day. For those of you who know me, this is a new Marcel. He walks mountains, stretches his legs in fields covered with nature. The awesome experience here is that we were the only ones walking about. No cars, no people, no animals. The good news, we did not get lost and my knee actually enjoyed the pain.

We are, to some extent, slowing down. Since our return from Okinawa we have stayed close to home, exploring some awesome museums and gardens around this city. Piki will have more to say about this.

Yes that is the adventure couple in the centre of the family shot. This is the LBS alumni evening in Tokyo  and I was the guest speaker. My topic was "What they did not teach us at LBS". Although I was familiar with the topic, it was an intimidating crowd and occasion. The previous session was a Beajolais Nouveau evening. What a tough act to follow, particularly with such a bright, "creme de la creme" crowd. There was even a second generation LBS graduate.

This was definitely another chance for Marcel to strut his stuff. Ask Piki if you want to know how did I do. For me it was a really great honour both to speak and chat with some of the alumni.

A bit of retrospection. The big question at the outset of this adventure was "what shall we do for over 2 months". The real answer is more the opposite. We are now saying, what do set aside since we do not have enough time. Many explorations shall have to wait for our next visit, my writing shall have to wait for Israel.


Sunday night we are having a multi-cultural "until we meet again" party at our apartment. Pizza and Sushi are on the menu for our new friends.
Marcel

Okinawa Peace Memorial

In addition to getting to know our new family, our visit to Okinawa has been educational and emotionally moving.

Okinawa is a tropical, lush, mountainous island. While driving around one may feel they are more in the Caribbean than Japan. What we've learned is that the Okinawans have a distinct cultural heritage. Okinawa became part of Japan in the late 19th century. Prior to that time, the land of Okinawa was known as the RyuKyu Kingdom. The Okinawans feel very proud of their heritage, they have their own language, music, food (Okinawa soba is very delicious, oishi desu!). The Okinawans whom we've met exude warmth, hospitality and "joie de vivre".

While enjoying the Okinawan sun and the beautiful beaches, it is almost impossible to comprehend the suffering that had been inflicted on them during the 2nd World War. Our visit to the Okinawa Peace Memorial was a testimony of their suffering and resiliency.

The most painful period for Okinawa is named "The Typhoon of Steel": In late March 1945 a fierce battle took place on Okinawan soil. It was the only ground fighting (between Japanese and American forces) fought on Japanese soil. The Typhoon of Steel that lasted for 90 days disfigured mountains, destroyed much of the cultural legacy, and claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people. The Okinawans people were victims of both armies. There is a disturbing testimony in the Peace Museum about the Japanese army ordering mass suicide of civilians who were trying to escape the horror of the battle.

What you see above is a photo of the Peace Plaza and the flame of Peace. The simplicity of the flame, and the spectacular view both promote reflection and meditation. While visiting,  we witnessed beautiful ceremonies, conducted by high school children from all over Japan. Another part of the Memorial are the monument walls: These 118 monument walls, shaped like folding screens,  are spread around the Flame of Peace. On these walls, there are more than 200,000 names of the victims of war: Okinawan civilians, Japanese and American soldiers. One of those whose names is Hideki's uncle, who was a young child at the time of his death.

Another part of the memorial is the peace museum, which consists of extensive documentation of  suffering, resiliency and transformation. While visiting, I found myself reflecting and thinking of my visit to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial Center in Jerusalem. When exiting Yad Vashem  one faces a spectacular view of Jerusalem. When exiting the Okinawa Peace Museum, one faces a spectacular view of the Ocean. In both instances  the horrors of wars and destruction are followed by hopes for the future.

Pnina

Awesome news from Japan

Hello from Okinawa, the land of romance. We are in a rush to pack and move on to our next adventure, so I must make this short. For those of you whom we were unable to contact, it is true, Sarah and Hideki are engaged to be married.

We shall follow up shortly. As usual, we ask you to stay tuned.

As you may guess by the delay in updating this post, we are back in Tokyo. So many things have been happening that it is impossible to know where to start. From the beginning.... The photo above is the first published combined Aniya and Pinchevsky photo. I thought of pasting Tal and Mary's photo since they could not teleport from New York. So can you tell us apart? Piki and Yukino look like twins and act very much the same way. Hirokazu and I both have a white beard. But the similarities run much deeper than surface appearance. Before I ramble on too much, I must declare a very public thank you for their generosity. Their warmth and affection was out there well before the announcement of the engagement.

One evening which we enjoyed together highlights how messages from the heart can jump over the hurdles of language. The four of us, without the benefit of a human translator, sorry Hideki, went out for dinner. With only slight help from an electronic dictionary, we ate, drank some superlative Sake, and talked about many topics; our children, our lives and our hopes and beliefs. The evening passed too quickly but it quickly continued at their home for dessert, champagne and some karaoke. How can I describe such moments? This blog is too constraining as is my command if the language. Therefore, when we meet, ask us about this evening and we both shall be thrilled to repeat the event.

Marcel

Piki, as usual will soon follow with her version of the story

Cool stuff in Kyushu

The Sumo tournament had brought us to Fukuoka, described as the "the gateway to Kyushu". It is  a modern not too interesting city (In my Japanese transformation, "ugly" is no longer part of my vocabulary). The interesting part of Fukuoka is the food stalls, mentioned in Marcel's last entry. Kyushu happens to be a wonderful place to visit. It is the most southerly and the third largest of the four main islands of Japan. Rail and car tunnels connect it to Honshu, the main island of Japan. It took us 6 hours by 2 trains from Tokyo, Honshu, to Fukuoka, Kyushu. Kyushu is famous for its natural beauty, volcanic ranges and for its Onsen, or spas that are built directly above hot spring sources.
My 2 main interests in Kyushu were a visit to hot spring resort, and a tour of Arita, the birthplace of Japanese ceramic and porcelain (brought to Japan from China and Korea).
Most tourists searching for hot-spring resorts in Japan tend to visit Beppu, Japan most popular hot-spring resort. But since we were aiming for the less traveled road, I searched for another destination. Again, my "beauty pilates" buddies were a wonderful source of information: I had been told of paradise on earth:Kurokawa Onsen. It is a gorgeous small mountain village nested in the mountains of Kyushu. It is hardly a village, but ryokans (small Japanese inns) and beautiful outdoor baths built on hot springs. Driving is challenging so we chose to take public transportation, meaning: One express train, followed by 2 local trains, then a bus.. We gave up on the bus and from the last train station we took an hour cab ride, definitely the most exciting beautiful taxi ride of our lives! The local trains were somehow intimidating, no word or sign of English, but my limited Japanese appeared to be useful. There is an announcement before each stop, so all I had to understand was something like: "Tsigi wa Aso Desu" the next stop is Aso.
After my visit to Kurokawa Onsen, ( and also after attending a Tea ceremony in Tokyo) I finally understand my deep attraction to Japan, it is about learning to stay in the present, fully experience and use all 5 senses. Staying in our ryokan, walking in the mountains I see the beauty of trees and flowers, I hear birds and waterfalls, I smell the sulphur of the hot springs, I touch leaves, branches and rocks, and , of course, taste of the wonderful food: Dinner in the Ryokan is a feast to eyes and palate. We could not read the Japanese menu, but we counted 12 courses, small, colourful portions, in exquisite dishes.
We could not communicate much with the staff at the ryokan. I mastered enough Japanese to say: Denwa (telephone), Taxi, Ashita (tomorrow) Aso eki (Aso train station) but there was wonderful communication of greetings, smiles, warmth and hospitality.

On our way back to Aso eki, our taxi driver received what seemed to be an urgent call from the ryokan. He turned to us and kept saying something like cado, kedi. After some tiring process of non verbal communication I finally understood: Kagi! keys! I realized I took the 2 room keys with me. I felt so embarrassed, gave the keys to the driver, who "said" that he would return to keys to the ryokan.
I am sure that my psychotherapists friends can see here an unconscious hope. I still have the keys, I will come back "home' one day...
Pnina

PS Here is a photo of the Gourmet stall restaurant.

Our New Best Friend or Gourmet Night in Fukuoka

What you see before you is one stunning example of how to grab the attention of the audience. My photo cannot even begin to capture this garden in Kumamoto.  But let me return to the adventure and magic.

We had gone into the mountains of Kyushu near Mount Aso (yes, it is still an active volcano). We stayed at a Ryokan with a marvelous private hot spring bath. Remember, boys and girls, take off your silver jewelry first. Our technology was close to useless and, in addition, I found out how Rogers remains so profitable. Watch for those roaming charges. So we struck out to explore the wilds of the mountains. Yes, this is the city boy going on a country walk, over the hills, a couple of mountains, and a taxi driver even offered to take us home. No way. we ate stuff at the nearby town. It was good but I had no idea what it was. The warea has wall to wall onsen. It appear the thing to do, go from hot spring to hot spring, each with its specialty, dunk your weary body into mud, sand, sulphur, etc. It is all designed to take your money and raise your spirits. Both work.

But as usual, I digress. We are back in Fukuaka and following Piki's reading of a local tourist guide, we walked over to the hot area in town. It is wall to wall bars, the only women in the area were running to work the hundreds of bars catering to men's dreams. Not sexual, mostly little girls in weird outfits.

We quickly went back to the canal side restaurants. Some quick background is needed. These are stalls,set up and taken down each night. We went back to one we tried the other night. These stalls have about ten seats around a kitchen, grill and dishwashing space. The food is fresh, limited and brilliant in its marinate. We connected with a couple (guy from Peru, she from here), connected with the owner and chef, a lady of character and stamina. They work 6 days a week non-stop, hot or cold. When it is cold, they close the shutters so the heat from the kitchen protects you. In warmer weather, they increase the seats by moving onto the sidewalk. More magic. The chef/owner even offered us a free pork dish (it was kosher).

Our new best friend's restaurant ranks right up there with other places we have tried, close to the top. People were still waiting to sit, as we left. We are going back tomorrow.

What do we do for an encore?

Marcel

Sumo night in Japan

Those of you in Canada will understand.

We are now in Fukuoka, another leg in the adventures of Marcel and Piki as well as the Sumo tour. This is one of 4 stops of the annual sumo tournaments which last 2 weeks. There we were, at the top of the stadium where we would be assured of sitting in chairs rather than on tatami mats. Actually the place is quite intimate without a bad seat in the house. The competition starts at 8:30 in the morn. But as we all know, the best is saved for last. So we showed up at 3:30 just before the parade of the superstars at 4:00pm.

The sport is very much steeped in history but modern times have forced change. The top sumo guys are Bulgarians and Mongolians. Very much like our pro sports, commercial interests have been introduced. See below for the McDonald's commercial sponsorship.

The advertising is subtle and limited. But much like hockey, they do stop the match for some moments while the sponsor parades his stuff.

This sport also has similarities to baseball and football. There is much posturing and primping. Prep time is long with the actual battle lasting from 5 seconds to a max of 2 minutes. No trashtalking but there are very subtle psych-out techniques. Definitely no arguing with the ref. Last comment, size does not always win, but it sure helps.

In this part of Japan, Piki and I are truly on our own. There are no english speaking friends to bail us out. Yes we survive. Tonight, we went to a sushi place with an English menu. Of course, I randomly pointed to an item on the Japanese only "menu de jour". I promise you, in Japan, there are no bad decisions. What did I order, you ask. I do not. There was no one to translate and there was no equivalent on the English menu. Yes it was delicious, but minimalist. But I have been eating too much lately.

Tomorrow we are off to another "end of the universe" Ryokan. They say they have internet.

Stay tuned
Marcel

Ikebana and Beyond

 On a lovely stroll in the neighborhood of Azabu Juban I discovered a little unassuming book, that is now( other than Marcel) my best companion: "A Flower Lover's Guide to Tokyo" by Sumiko Enbutsu. I loved Enbutsu-san's introduction: "Appreciation of flowers is universal. It needs no language: smiles are enough to express the pleasure that we get from gazing at lovely blossoms and inhaling their fragrance." In Japan the changing seasons are marked by flowers: Cherry blossoms are certain sign of spring, Irises welcome summer, while Chrysanthemum and maples mark the beginning (Chrysanthemum) and end (Red maples) of Autumn.

This week, with my 2 wonderful companions (Marcel and my little book) I embarked on Chrysanthemum exploration. I now have a beautiful flower arrangement, from my last Ikabana class with beautiful big yellow Chrysanthmum. From  my Ikebana teacher Misako-san, I've learned the Japanese name of these beautiful flowers: Pingpong-kiku, or just Kiku.

Our first visit took us to Sinjuku Gyoen Garden.This garden, originally owned by a feudal lord, became an imperial property in 1879 and was landscaped in 1906 into a luxurious beautiful traditional Japanese garden. The Chrysanthemum show is being held at Sinjuku Gyoen annualy from Nov 1 to 15. The most impressive are the  cascade shaped and the dome shaped Chrisanthemum. I've read that the Dome shape style was first created in Sinjuku Gyoen in 1884. This magnificant sructure of hundreds flowers starts from one root! It takes a year to progressively advance from one root to 600-700 beautiful flowers.

The following day we headed to Yushima Tenjin Shrine, one of the oldest shrines in Tokyo. People come to this shrine to pray for academic success and to admire the beautiful Chrysanthemum in November. The day of our visit to the Shrine was gloriously sunny and we spent a very relaxing hour  observing the Shinto ceremony that took place in the Shrine, and admiring the brilliant flowers, in all shades of red, pink, yellow and white. I particularly loved the colourful cascades of flowers hung from a gently arched bridge.

I hope to share some more garden stories when it is  the time for the viewing of the Maple trees (Last week of Nov, first week of Dec.)

Until next time, Oyasoominesai (good night) from Tokyo

Pnina

How are we doing?

The fellow at the right is not the local policeman.

He is one of many at a traditional parade where many costumes were brought out to re-enact an old tradition when the big cheeses from all over the country came to Tokyo (Edo) to show respect to the biggest cheese.

Now is the time of chrysanthemums and we have been visiting many gardens and shrines where this brilliance is fully on display. More on this from our new ikebana expert.

So how are we doing?

We are constantly in a state of wonderment. Blue skies and ideal temperatures have made our exploring of this city a total pleasure. We zip back and forth on the metro to different corners to explore ancient temples, manicured gardens, and just walk the streets where random shrines and cemeteries pop up where they have been for years and now undisturbed by the high modern buildings. Even the random pizza joint is a discovery.

Our first experience with the Nippon Budokan, the martial arts centre of this city was really exciting, Even Piki was into this ancient art of Kendo. The men and women competed on equal footing with no quarter given. Actually it was hard to tell who was who with all the fighters being covered by masks and armour.  The administrator greeted us with some warmth and we were still the only signees on the "foreigners" register. We both observed, totally enthralled, as they went from their ritual warm up, the training sessions and the final free for all when the bamboo swords resounded against the body armour and head guard. Wow. I am still editing the photographs.

This blog would remiss without a brief comment about the range and quality of eating in this city. Thanks to our friends and our guide book we have been introduced to some really cool dining. Let me share just two experiences, only chosen because they are the most recent. The 52nd floor of the Roppongi Hills Club not only was a feast for the eyes as we looked over Tokyo as they served with grace and tact I never saw them refill my saki cup even though I did my best to empty it. Each course of this Japanese meal was a work of art, visually and gastronomically. More magic.

Last night, we went to a local yakitori place down the street. What a find. We sat in front of the kitchen which served up a number of wonders, all based on chicken. Even watching them clean the kitchen was impressive.

For you cynics out there, yes, we know that we are living somewhat an artificial life. But what magic and what adventure, every minute.

We are doing great.

In a few days, we are off to Fukuoka and Okinawa. Stay tuned for more.

Marcel

Sunday night family dinner

When you travel to a new culture, the greatest privilege is to be invited to local people's home. We were very lucky to meet Akiyo, Sarah's friend from The Ship for World Youth. Both Akiyo, and another friend, Macco have been taking care of us, and we call them "our Japanese daughters"(Nihon no musume)

Tonight we took a long metro ride for a visit to Akiyo's home. Upon arrival to the train station. we were greeted by a very warm welcome: Akiyo, her friend Yoshida, and her younger sister ("imotosan") were waiting for us. We walked together to Akiyo's home and were introduced to her father (otosan).mother (okasan), grandmother (obasan) and 2 lovely cousins.

We spent about 4 hours with the family, eating delicious food (We were introduced to the art of making your own Sushi) and drinking beer, Sake, and ocha (Green tea). Our nervousness about language barrier quickly disappeared. With the competent simultanious translation provided by Akiyo and Yoshida, we found ourselves having very facinating conversations with our hosts. We learned from Grandmother about her childhood during the bombing of Tokyo. We spoke about family values in Japan, work, life,  conducting business, healthcare , travelling in Japan, festivals, places to visit for the folliage. The cousin, who is cellist and a nurse told us about the hospital's orchestra, consisting of nurses an doctors, who practice regularly and play for the patients!

As I said, we felt priviledged to be so warmly received, and to learn more about the family's perspective of life in Japan.

Thank you, Akiyo and family for your generosity and warm hospitality!

Pnina

Words escape me but that did not stop me before

Can you recognize the person toasting "kampai" who is under 32? Tough, is it not?

This group is all directly or indirectly related to Sarah.

Thanks to the generosity of Makiko (front right), we were invited to a reunion of some of the participants in the Ship for World Youth. The photo was taken early in the evening so half of the extended familia are not present. The photographer, by then, had put away sufficient sake to limit his ability to get his legs from under the table and crawl over the crowd.

Sarah always told how tight this group was. I am impressed, despite feeling rather fatherly (sounds better than old).  Conversation was animated and we both lasted well past our bed-time.

Today's adventure took us about an hour outside of Tokyo to Kawagoe, a town which has maintained some of that Edo period charm. It is also famous for its cooked use of sweet potatoes from the traditional to a host of sweets that I cannot even describe. Makiko took us out there and thanks to the iPad (squeezed that techno stuff in) we found another Japanese restaurant which produced a great meal. Not barkroot but excellent stuff, none of which I can remember. At another place we had cappuccino and more cake. Not a bad meal in this country.

To the left is another family photo, Masahiro Kawata, our first Japanese teacher and his parents. Today, he has advanced to head of IT for Pinchevsky. We were privileged to be toured around Asakusa by Masahiro's father who sold tabi (Japanese footwear) in this area quite some time ago. Most the shops are gone, but his memories were fresh as he led us through the marketplace, past the shrine and down the street to a shop that was still in operation. We were each treated to a cool pair of this traditional split toe sock-like and comfortable foot cover. I was so thrilled I immediately asked for directions for the nearest Yukata shop, so I could get a robe to complete my comfort. Those who have seen me semi-naked on Skype, no more.

To all of friends, good night.

Marcel

Ikebana Class

It is very late in Tokyo, but I am so excited with my latest creation: My first Japanese flowers arrangement!

What is so amazing about Japan is the coexistence of a modern progressive society and strong vibrant cultural customs and traditions. Ikebana, Japanese flower arranging was first popularised among the Japanese aristocrats during the period of 794-1192 AD.

My connection to Ikebana is not exactly aristocratic. While taking a "beauty pilates" class (That's how they call it) at the club, I spoke with the French woman next to me. She told me about an Ikebana class, being given in French. I emailed the Ikebana teacher, Misako Kitamura, and was warmly invited to join the group. I was told to meet her and the group at the Hanzomon Metro station sortie 5 (very important! If you take the wrong exit you may find yourself in a completely different part of town).

The Ikebana classes takes place every Thursday morning in a group member's apartment. From the Metro station, we walked to Beatriz's apartment, a Mexican who has been living in Tokyo for the last 4 years. So here we were: Japanese instructor, and five other women of various backgrounds: Thai, French, Mexican, Italian, Israeli/Canadian, all happily sorting, touching cutting and arranging beautiful branches and  flowers.

Everybody else is quite advanced while I am still at the Ikebana for dummies stage. What I do know is that today I learned the Moribana style, or, as Misako presents it: Style de Base Verical Moribana. . I took my arrangement to our apartment, but since I do not have a vase, I put the flowers  (hopefully temporarily, since I am planning to buy a nice vase) in a frying pan. What  you see in front of you, in the frying pan: Enishida (green branches), Bala (yellow roses) and Asta (small purple flowers.)

I can't wait for next Thursday. Hope to introduce you to Nagiere (tall vase flower arrangement)

Pnina

Meeting of New and Old

The Nihon Budokan was built for the Japanese Olympics to house the martial arts. It is a much more modest effort than the Big O and was paid for a long time ago. I understand that cigarette smokers and Montreal taxpayers are still on the hook.

It also had its scandals. The Beatles had the first rock concert bringing shock to the traditional community of Tokyo. It is now a regular home to both, modest concerts (10,000 and less) and martial arts training dojos.

Last night, thousands lined up for a local rock band. Yes they also have scalpers here. How do you say, "got any spare tickets in Japanese"? We were granted access to the training area. In fact, the foreign visitors signup sheet was pristine. As Piki and our friend Akiyo watched patiently, I pulled out my Nikon and clicked at my first Kendo experience. This is Japanese sword fighting, although in this age of pacifism, bamboo has replaced the real thing. We first watched youngsters as they went through their paces with the sensei. Next we were enthralled as over 30 adults, men and women, old and young, big and small went through their moves.

I can only imagine what it must like under all that gear. I could see the sweat, even through the face shield. Adrenalin was rushing fast and furious with a fascinating combination of passion and control. I thought of this in light of the constant griping from hockey and football that they are emotional sports and therefore aggressive behaviour is normal and acceptable. Bull-swaggle.

At the end of the session of beating each other relentlessly, calm broke out. All took off their head-gear, sat  several meditative moments, bowed ritually on the ground and proceeded to clean the dojo hardwood floor.  Many sweaty bare feet. No trash talking. The shouting during the training was all part of Kendo, as much as the breathing, posture, footwork and other techniques. Wow.

We stayed for the full hour and 30 minute session, thanked sensei, and went off for a traditional pizza and beer.

Marcel

Culinary adventure

Itadakimassu! (Translation: Bon Apetit, or more correctly:I accept the food you are giving me.

If some of you remember, I wanted to call my Japanese Diary: "Eating Loving and Learning"

Exploring the Japanese culinary delights is a very important part of our adventure. We can probably spend years in Japan and still find new cullinary experriences. We've eaten at Unagi-Ya (Eel restaurant, delicious!),Yakitori-Ya (Skewered Barbecued Chicken restaurant),Nabemomo (Hot pot restaurants), Ramen-Ya (noodle shops) Kushiga-Ya (deep fry restaurants), Robatayaki-Ya (Charcoal grill restaurant), Tappen-Yaki-Ya (grilled steak/seafood restaurant) and more.. 

But our most "personal" eating experience took place in a Mediterranean style restaurant: "Kitchen 5". It happened last night, when we both experienced "Japanese food fatigue". I decided to find a non-Japanese restaurant in Frommer's and the following description caught my eyes:"If love is the best spice for cooking, then perhaps that's why Yuko Koyabashi's 23 years old, 18 seat restaurant is so popular. The love for what she does shines in her eyes when she cooks". No question, we had  to meet Yuko San! (pictured above)

The restaurant is tiny. Casseroles of Morrocan Tajin, stuffed peppers, roasted eggplants, figs stuffed with cheese, all colourfully displayed on the counter. Yuko San runs the "establishment" with her 2 helpers, competently and cheerfully. I cannot describe how delicious everything was, particularly the roasted chestnut cake.

I really wanted to talk with Yuko San, who was quite busy. "Why Kitchen 5?" I've got her attention and she came to our table: "5 is my lucky number" "The food is so fantastic, where did you learn to cook?" "I went to Italy, Turkey and Israel" "I am from Israel!" well , talking about transformation, the whole restaurant was being transformed into a "Mishpucha" (family in yiddish). Yuko  excitedly brought photo albums to our table, other customers joined us, listening to Yuko decribing to them her Israeli culinary adventure, and showing photos of restaurants in Yaffo and Tel Aviv, where we go when we are in Israel. My god! She went to eat at Dr Shakshuka, a Yaffo landmark, and she sometimes cook Shakshuka in her restaurant!  Shakshuka is a receipt that was invented in the Israeli army. You fry eggs, onions,tomatoes, anything else in your fridge, and camouflage the mess with tomato paste. The fastest delicious meal that one can make.

Gochisosama deshita (Thank you very much for the meal"

Pnina

Adventures in Tokyo

As I watched Big Boy here, I realized that we had arrived at the next level in our Japan adventure. (Actually he was not one of the big ones but I liked his flexibility). It has been one month since we left Montreal. Our first week was filled with a sense of wonder and excitement. Now we still revel in our adventure but with a greater sense of comfort. We truly feel at home.

Yesterday the rains from the typhoon let up and we went to explore the neighbourhood of Azuba-juban, for no other reason than it is next to our rather high-rent space. We wandered down various streets, dropping into random shops. Some of the owners who were well versed on English, thought we were lost. (Thanks to my iPad, we were not). Others, were of the impression that we actually knew our way, so gave us elaborate directions.

I can assure you, Japanese is not essential in this wondrous place. Ok, some basic stuff is important As graduates of Kindergarden and Piki's memory, we could take on the shop-keepers. Piki found this marvelous woman's boutique and set a world record for buying an outfit. The major challenge was choosing the ONE. We found our way around the 'hood to the Gallery where local ceramic and potter artists showed their stuff. Although our credit card was poised for action, we held off, for no reason in particular. However, we did get directions to this intimate little park across a steep hill and down some very narrow streets. All with minimal language skills but a very good map of Tokyo (iPad).

The walk continued as we explored the neighborhood, a very pricey one, on our way to the park next to the hospital. By Tokyo standards, it was tiny. Every corner was a gem. The leaves are about 2-3 weeks from turning. I never cease to be astounded by the attention to detail in most of what we see. At tea time, we stopped for coffee at a Sangfredo shop. Yes, they did use the Italian jargon with a distinct Italian thread. We ordered our cappucino with tiramisu. Suddenly the server comes back in a state of panic. It took a couple of moments to realize that his anguish was that he no longer had that cake but could offer us cheese cake. Love the attitude. (By the way, the food shops in the department stores will be the subject of another missive.) As we left, he shouted out bona serra.

I am afraid that my words cannot give true justice to this one day. But I shall keep exploring with my eager companion, Piki. More on our evening adventure to follow.

Marcel

Freud in Asia East meets West

I have chosen to share with you the photo of Mao's imposing portrait at the entrance to the Forbidden City. Perhaps because this was the image of China printed in my brain: The Cultural Revolution, the Maoist communist regime, holding tight over China. But my own observation leads me to believe that a new generation of bright curious passionate generation is transforming the country, and creating opportunities, where, indeed, East meets West.

China's monuments of its past is awe inspiring: The Forbidden City, The Great Wall, The Temple of Haven, The Terra Cotta Warriors of Xian: There is such a thrill of being there (particularly walking on the Wall) feeling both exhilaration and disbelief: :am I really here?. But , at this stage of our travelling, and learning, the real joy and thrill is the Human connection.

There are few examples where human connection made me feel that East meet West. The first experience took place in a traditional Foot Massage Salon. We are very lucky having our friend Kevin, who is Beijing resident, with us, introducing us to the joy of Chinese foot massage. I hope we did not embarrass  Kevin too much, by not following the right process, exposing our big Western feet prematurely.

So here we were. Kevin, Sheldon, Meryl, Marcel and me, lying down, our tired feet and legs thoroughly massaged, each of us being pampered by a lovely young Chinese woman. My masseuse, looked at me with piercing intelligent eyes: "Me teach English"  she insisted. She pointed at the body part being massaged, and so the lesson began: One foot, 2 feet, one leg, 2 legs one finger, 10 fingers, and so it goes. After a while I did not have to repeat myself. My masseuse continued on her own, while vigorously massaging my feet: "One foot, 2 feet, hair, face, nose, mouth'.. So when you visit china and hear Chinese people speaking English with Israeli accent, rest assured that it is all my fault.

The most exciting experience of human connection, for Meryl and myself,, took place during the 2 days psychoanalytic conference that we have attended. My own recent experience, attending conferences in our part of the world is of "tried" and lackluster exchanges. But, here in Beijing, we felt like privileged observers, who witness some important transformation: The emergence of an engaged, passionate, curious psychotherapist community. In the lectures we have attended there were few Westerners. Most of the participants were young Chinese psychologists and psychiatrists, many of them look 15 years old!

One seminar had a very interesting multicultural flavour: A Taiwanese psychologist presented her paper, in Chinese. There was on screen English translation of her paper, but the follow up discussion was conducted mostly in Chinese, with some verbal English translation. We were 4 Western participants, in a room full of very engaged Chinese. The discussant/moderator was an Israeli psychoanalyst, who did an excellent job, conducting and facilitating the discussion.

There were a few other interesting seminars, but it is now very late in Tokyo  What was evident is that is very hard to conduct therapy in a society were the word "self" does not really exist. Yet, the most important message for me from the conference, is that despite all our cultural differences, we all felt connected through our belief in our universal needs: The need for belonging, safety and authenticity.

Oyasoominasai

Pnina

Marathon & Magic in China

We have been absent from our blog for over a week. A number of excuses come to mind, too busy, left the computer in Tokyo, Blogs do not work in China, does not work on the iPad, etc. As usual, the truth is much simpler. All of the above combined with a bit of lethargy limited our writing.

First, to all of you who have commented and tracked us, thank you for the encouragement. Life is an adventure and it is fun to share. Second, to Kevin a great thank you. Beijing would not have been half the fun without you. Now that we are soon leaving, you will be able to rest.

Companion photo from our thoughts are always a challenge. Here is both passion and grace, ballroom dancing in the Temple of Heaven. How appropriate.

This first visit to China was limited to Beijing and Xian. That is the marathon portion. First impressions seem to be a good place to start this blog. Stupendous and overwhelming are two adjectives that come to mind. The airport and the drive into Beijing impress with the size of everything. It brings to mind asking for a small latte at Starbucks. There is no such thing as small. Nothing can prepare you for the size of the road taking you past Tienamin, or for that matter, the expanse of the Square itself. We were told that there are 4 million cars in Beijing. I am a believer.

Everything appears to be designed to impress. Bejing is one place where one can believe that size does count. There are no short blocks, small buildings, or quaint restaurants. Blocks are long, buildings are tall and broad, and restos seat hundreds. We have done all of the requisite sites and more. Got our fake watch and real cashmere shawl and ate tons of dumplings and duck. But I digress, onto Xian.

Do you believe in magic? As we shuffled into the first of the terra-cotta warrior halls, we were awestruck. These thousands of guys are impressive. Seeing them lined up in their splendor with the open ceiling allowing the sun to spotlight their grandeur, takes your breath away. Patience, the real stuff is yet to come.

Looking at the soldiers, I hear a voice call out "Marcel". My first reaction is, I wonder how many Chinese have the same name as me. Now for the magic. Right behind me, in a huge crowd of Chinese tourists and a few foreigners, is Sara from Berlin. We scream, we hug, our respective spouses wonder if we have lost our minds. There it was, Marcel and Piki hook up with Andreas and Sara completely outside of our respective zone and planetary orbits. Wow do you believe I fate.

As with previous blogs, we share some random thoughts and events. More to come. After all, we did come here for the International Psychotherapy conference.

Marcel

Noto Hanto Adventure

Pnina's story:

In Takyama we rented a car, and embarked on a 5 hour driving adventure to Noto Hanto, a peninsula on the western coast of Honshu. Noto is a  word for "nose" Hanto: peninsula. It is a remote area, where fishing, sea-weed harvesting and agriculture are a way of life.. It is an area where steep, densely forested hills lining the coast, an area which is breathtakingly ruggedly beautiful. We were drawn to this area because of it remoteness and also because we heard about a very special secluded Ryokan (Japanese inn, built on the edge of the sea (Lamp No Yado, inn of the lamps, shown in the photo). We already knew in Montreal that we'll have a real challenge getting to Lamp No Yado, since we could not book it from Montreal. We eventually managed to find it on a Japanese web site, and Masahiro, our ex Japanese teacher booked it for us.

The car rental company did not have maps in English so we put our fate in the hands of our dear English speaking GPS (Marcel claims that it is a marriage saving instrument) . The closer we came to Noto Hanto, the more scarce were the English signs. But as Marcel drove forward we kept following the soft woman's voice: "In 700 meters turn right, keep going straight," etc. We were guided through on narrow steep roads, through forests, hills, valleys and quaint villages. Everything went so well, till we arrived to a hill top and our GPS soft feminine voice announced: You have reached your destination. We got out of the car enjoyed the beautiful view, the sea bellow us, then down below saw few beautiful buildings, which we assumed would be Lamp No Yado. We saw a very narrow steep road, somehow I suspected it meant for driving, but Marcel stated n a self assured manner stated; "We can do it" Of course we could not read the Japanese big sign, apparently warning of driving down hill.  To make a long story short, we ended on  a cliff, facing the sea, got out of the car, walked down to the Ryokan. Eventually the driver of the Ryokan, the only one who is allowed to drive down there. got our car back to the parking lot, at the top of the hill.

We spent the next day driving along the coast, visiting fishing villages, shopping in a  charming morning market (asa-ichi, in Japanese) where you can buy sea food, fruits and vegetables and local craft. We liked this little village so much, so we decided to go to the grocery store and buy some food for a picnic on the beach. We easily "identified" some cheese and tomato, but finding bread was more challenging. I got excited when I found  what looked like a loaf of whole wheat bread. (That's one western food item that i miss) But when we stopped for our picnic I found out that I've bought some kind of a brown creamy cake, which brought close to home the famous statement: "If they don't have bread, let them eat cake".

It was a bit hard to leave Lamp No Yado, in the nights we have been there we enjoyed communicating with the friendly young woman who took care of us (in spite of the language barrier). But it was time to go 'home to Tokyo, so we climbed the hill, got into our car, where we were very relieved to hear again the voice of our friendly GPS. We drove about 3 hours to Kanazawa, then hopped on a train, then into another train, eventually got back to our apartment "we have reached our destination"

Good night (Oyasso minasai) to all.
Pnina

Takayama Fall Festival

From the photo, you may get the impression that we were invited to this magnificent Japanese wedding. There are a number of common factors between our western culture and what we observed. First, the bride is beautiful. Second, she is the full centre of attention with a minion of people running around assuring that she looks he best. Of course he has this permanent small on her face for the audience. Third, the father appears proud and slightly stressed. I suspect that he is paying for this party.

Now the truth, we made our first attempt at being wedding crashers. We followed the wedding party to the other end of town at a beautiful shrine. There we caught up with the wedding, the groom's party and then were firmly advised that we were not invited. From the dress code and other obvious factors, it was hard for us to fit in. However, the shrine itself, the surroundings and the music playing from just about everywhere around the building, were worth the trip.

Back to the festival.

The small town of Takayama, famous for the quality of its sake, was out in force to welcome the tourists. There were few non-Japanese faces. But the were tons of people and cameras. Check out the photo. The major highlights were the floats and the processions of people dressed in traditional wear. We understand that there was an awesome puppet show, but the closest we could get was 100 metres from the stage.

It is refreshing to know that there are many universal truths. The truth of festivals is that it brings out people who spend a lot of money, and the hotels and restaurants who have this one week to make serious money, raise their prices by 25%. As one who dislikes crowds, I enjoyed the spectacle, the floats and all the local participants who made the experience.

Marcel ( we are now signing, so you can distinguish the point of view.)

Real coffee

Another bonus from the Japanese Language School was the local market. it is a narrow street with a glass roof and a myriad of stores. Most important was the cookie store where we bought our snacks for the hard lessons ahead. The Chyoda sushi takeout was a great source for lunch on the way back. (Who said that we were going to cook on this sabbatical.) There was also a Chinese takeout nearby. With places like this it is hard to be motivated to cook. But best of all was the coffee roaster.

This shop has about a dozen large baskets with raw coffee. But the roasting processing is special. There are 3 small roasting units, probably 50 years old, about the same age as the grinders. You choose your coffee (Number 1 always sounds best) and the roast. French dark also sounds good. Then you are invited to sit and sample some excellent random drip coffee while you wait the 20 minutes for your own. Not everyone waits as we do. I did notice many bags of custom roasted coffee waiting for their owners. We tried it back at the flat. Awesome.

By the way. The whole transaction was conducted in Japanese without a hitch. That school was really good.

As to a previous entry. Piki did come back from yoga but was too tired. Hard work this sabbatical stuff.

Stay tuned. We have arrived in Takayama. The trains are great.

Graduation day

There we are. Members of Level 0 Japanese class. I must admit that after 5 days, I can say that it was worth while. It did prove to me that the days of being a fast learner are over.

On the positive side, we did manage to keep up. Now I can embarrass myself in one more language. I can ask for directions to the toilet and Piki is excellent at asking for the bill.

We have moved our residence and are now even better established. More news when Piki gets back from her yoga class.

Another day in Kindergarden

Pnina's observation from Japanese class kindergarden

Today we almost became kindergarden drop outs. Our sensei (teacher) gave us a writing test. We were supposed to practice Japanese writing, but with all our focusing on new culinary discoveries, there was not time for homework. We were sitting, looking stupid among our young fellow students, all of whom are quite younger than our own kids. The Sensei humoured us and allowed us to have our books open while writing the test, and it was still too hard! How can you absorb 3 different writings of Japanese?: Hiragana, feminine and soft. Katakana, masculine and aggressive, and Kanji, writing style that had been imported to Japan from China.

In spite of the difficulties, there is something so poetic and beautiful in Japanese writing. We were given a short document that describes the Japanese characters in English. I found it so enchanting:For example: the description of the charachter Su is: "Sooey sooey, you call out to a pig with a curly tail".. go figure!

In a previous email to friends i named our Japanese adventure: "Eating, loving learning" (not too original). Since the focus is on eating, i made sure that i know how to read and write Sushi in Hiragana. I cannot write much, but I can confidently say:" Gochisoo sama deshita, Okeikee onegai shimassu." (I finished eating, the bill please) Most of the waiters laugh when they hear me say it.

Time to go, there is another writing test tomorrow

Good morning Tokyo. What you see is definitely the preferred method of transport, unless you are in my neighbourhood where the hills are not bicycle friendly. Note the difference in bike riders, one gear, no protective padding on any part of the body and complete respect for traffic lights. Yes, they ride on the sidewalks so the only risk are the inconsiderate pedestrians who walk four across. On hills, you just get off and walk up, but the downhills are great. as for us, we walk a lot. Good news, the pain is minimal.

Piki and I are still in tourist mode. Our routine is exciting since each day we have managed to explore a new part of this city. Yesterday, Ueno park or rather a small corner of it was on the radar. In reality, we were looking for an eel restaurant recommended by the Frommer guide. The best landmark noted in the book was "next to KFC". That is truly important since there is not one letter in English or other readable language to let us know where we are. Yes, they did have a readable menu. Great food. In addition to magnificent museums and the concert hall, this area is also well populated by the homeless of Tokyo. Near to the park we stumbled onto a wild market area which we left for another time. Even we, do not have limitless energy.

Casual observation. The number of western tourists is quite small. There were some lost souls on the Ginza (we must go back tonight), but generally tourism appears to be Asian.

Have a great day.

First Day in Kindergarden

Today Piki and started our Japanese lessons. To be expected, we were at least double the average age in the class. Yes, we sat through four hours of rather exciting learning. Our teacher was filled with energy and lost me at least every 15 minutes but I did manage not to embarrass myself to badly. We even started on learning how to write and read Haragana.

After the lesson we wandered a side street to discover a coffee roaster. What an aroma. I must pick some up tomorrow. Lunch was has at a fine hole in the wall with a great looking menu (literally, the photos were mouth watering). The 3 tables on the ground floor were full, so we were rushed upstairs to the executive dining room. Needless to say, we were all by ourselves. As it turned out, it was a Korean resto of which there are many in this town. Oshi. For the uninitiated, delicious.

Further down, we picked up some fruits and a take away sushi for our evening meal. This was one cool local market street.

For those with cheap Skype or international phone cards our local number is +81 80 5890 8935. If that does not work please let me know.

We even managed to sneak in a quick trip to the Ginza tonight. Wow. Times Square, Picadilly Circus and the Champs Elysees all rolled into one. Piki had to go visit her hairdresser and visit Mitsuya for some bocconcini and tomatoes.

Good night, and do my homework. Ichi, no, san, 1,2,3

Settling in at Villa Fontain Annex, Tokyo

We have unpacked all of our gear and to my surprise it went quickly and effortlessly. The only unexpected surprise was the internet connection is not great and it cuts-out my Magic Jack. We are getting our Japanese cell in a couple of days, so those of you who can do cheap calls to Japan I shall post the number as soon as I get it.

As you can expect, we have played tourist on our first couple of days. For those of you who discount my affection for technology, the iPad works brilliantly here. I cannot get a local sim so I am limited to the WiFi I set up in our flat. Without this gadget we would have spent half of our 2 days like every tourist in Tokyo, LOST. The Maps app uses a built in GPS to locate where I am when it is on. Therefore for the past days we have been tethered to this thing. Not only did it plan our route to any destination (better than most who profess to know Tokyo) but also tracked us as we walked the streets. There was not a missed step nor getting lost. WOW.

We now face a fundamental challenge. Cooking seems like a chore but eating out, although great in this city, can get boring and expensive. We have discovered that Frommer is quite accurate in its recommendations. We are still looking for some excellent prepared food stores. There was one a couple of metro stops away.

Speaking of Metro, we have been getting around this city from top to bottom and side to side without skipping a beat. Again, the iPad metro app finds our destination and with our Pasmo card we get there in a flash or without getting lost. Like every other major subway system this one can get you anywhere but there is a tremendous amount of walking required to transfer. I guess that the good new is that it is all underground and allows for even more exercise. Speaking of which, I am beat.

Tomorrow we start our 1 week of Japanese lessons. We failed the entry test and shall therefore start at level 0. They could at least have called it Beginner. Stay tuned for updates on our language skills.

This is the beginning of a great adventure. We have already booked our tickets to the Sumo tournament in Fukuaka. In addition, I am now on the mailing list of the Sumo association of Japan. Another good thing about the Japanese lessons, I hope to be able to read these e-mails.

We have not embarrassed ourselves too much as we wandered and rode around this beautiful city. More about the public gardens for later.

For those of you who are wondering, yes I have brought out my camera arsenal. That is why my back is a bit stiff right now. The couple in the photo was following an ancient global tradition, wedding photos in the park. I am now checking out as to how to get my stuff onto a photo sharing web-site. I shall let you followers know when I figure it out.

Good night and best wishes to all

On a dark and rainy night in Tokyo

We left home in Montreal at 7:15am on wednesday. As usual, we left early since we were expecting traffic. We arrived at 7:35. Thankfully the Maple Leaf lounge still has comfortable seats. No decent food but comfortable seats. 


Arrival is on time in TO but the flight is 2 hours late. Who care! 


There is still this sense of non-reality we aways have when we arrive in after a long flight. The feeling is that we are still back home. But we ain't in Kansas. Our first hour we sense the organization and over the top attention to customer service. Here we are. E-mail works but netflix doesn't. Stay tuned as we progress into some real and cool stuff. Good night.

In preparation for this adventure

Today is the first for this new adventure. We have cleaned out the space where we can start with the first step, what do we take for 102 days away from Montreal.