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