20 February 2011 ~ Do It, April, Do It!

19 February 2011 ~ Out of a Funk

After a couple weeks of being in a deep, miserable funk, I knew I had to do something to pull myself out of it. Thankfully, for the first time in months, the mercury rose above 32º F, so I packed a picnic lunch, hopped on the dragonfly bike and pedaled to Golden Pebble Beach for some fresh air and exercise.

It was a beautiful day, sunny and clear as a bell, but a bitter wind brought the temperature way back down.

I had the beach to myself until...

this gentleman arrived...to go for a swim??? I was all bundled up in my long johns and winter coat and he was heading into the water!

Check out the color of his skin after he came out. Can you say cold?

Remnants of Chinese New Year

All is quiet and peaceful on Golden Pebble Beach.

I love to take pictures of the pebbles...the colors, patterns and textures are so beautiful.

View out over the Yellow Sea

Nature and the cold, crisp air worked wonders with my psyche.

7-18 February 2011 ~ Please Stand By

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Due to flu, excruciating migraines, and a homesickness so bad it hurt, February was not a good month for me. It's hard to take pictures when you're in bed with the covers pulled over your head, so let’s just say February was a month of recovery and rejuvenation for me. Not all days can be good...can they?

6 February 2011 ~ Here's Your Sign

What trip would be complete without the silly signs?

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

You better not Pout. I'm tellin' you why....

This one just makes me smile. Just gotta love those dimples!

What about if I drew nice and neatly?

So that's why I keep splashing! (This is actually a serious conversation I've had with fellow squatters here in China. Do you face forward or backward??? I'm so glad this sign has cleared everything up!)

Assume the downhill skiing position! You must have very strong thighs to pee here in Asia.

Giggle, giggle, giggle!

Ouch! That's gotta hurt!

And my all time, personal favorite...

What do ya think? Could this ice cream shop be owned by a liberal or what?

5 February 2011 ~ I Love Japan

Good morning, sake and sushi! Thanks to our adventure last night, we had an incredible sushi breakfast. Yes, we knew it was a tad bit early, but it was our last hurrah and we decided to crack open the sake because, let's face it, sushi without sake is like a day without sunshine! ; ) It was the perfect ending to a perfect trip.

Yum, yum, yum...

...and more yum.

Saaaakkkkeee!!

Dig in, Kara!

Such concentration...

...and such happiness!

After our incredible breakfast, it was time to pack up our bags and get ourselves back to the train station.

Very pretty manhole covers in Japan. : )

Here's our famous sushi restaurant.

We also found this cute little bar last night. What you see is what you get...a tiny little triangular room with six bar stools. We order two glasses of sake and they turned out to be $50 dollars a piece. After hearing this, we changed our order to rum and coke and they turned out to be $30 a piece! After hearing this...we left! We were quite amazed with how expensive everything is in Japan.

On our way back to the train station, we found a multiple story Japanese book store and decided to have a look-see. On the third floor, we were overjoyed to find a corner with a few shelves of English books. To my surprise and utter joy, we found a Sonoma and Napa Valley Wine Country book!

Me, standing in a bookstore in Tokyo, Japan pointing to my little home town of Windsor, California. It truly is a small world in which we live.

Locating our train back to Tokyo Station...

At Tokyo Station hopping on the Narita Express bound for Narita Airport...

Nice train...

...and even nicer bathroom! Pure luxury! Turned out we were in the first class car and were soon ushered to steerage with the rest of the common folk.

This is eerie. While having breakfast this morning, we felt a pretty good earthquake and some of the trains were stopped because of it.

You bet you will!

Plane bound for home...

I had such an amazing week and I am so grateful for Kara, Megan, and Veronica. Their friendship and the wonderful memories we created in Japan mean the world to me. : ) Thank you!

4 February 2011 ~ Farewell, Hiroshima

Snuck out of the hostel early this morning while everyone was still asleep, stopped at a local grocery store for some goodies and headed off to Peace Memorial Park for a picnic breakfast.

I sat on a bench by the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims enjoying my picnic breakfast as I watch people from all walks of life and cultures come and pay their respects. I met and had a lovely chat with a Japanese man. He had an adorable dog named Peace. : )

I took great pleasure in a leisurely stroll around the park.

Peace Flame

Peace Flame in front to Peace Museum in front of Hiroshima Skyline

We had missed the Bell of Peace yesterday, so I make sure to give it a ring for peace today.

Bell of Peace

Gong! Gong! Gong!

And one last look at the A-bomb Dome. Being here was such a gift.

I then met up with Veronica, Kara, and Megan back at the hostel. They headed off for breakfast and I started walking to our next destination: Shukkei-en Garden and Hiroshima Prefectural Museum.

Had no idea Hummer actually made a bike, too. Pretty nice ride!

View down Aioi Dori

As I walked to the museum and garden, I took a little side trip to find the World Peace Memorial Cathedral.

Once at the cathedral, I learned about this Memorial Stone. "In the summer of 2005, this Memorial Stone was pulled by human power from Nagasaki to Hiroshima to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing and the termination of the Asian-Pacific War. A total of 1500 multinational volunteers pulled this stone 600 kilometers to honor all civilians killed in war, with special remembrance for the atomic bomb victims in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and to express their desire to create a peaceful world by means of dialogue and reconciliation, ending the vicious cycle of violence and retaliation."

"This stone is not an object for worship, but rather a symbol representing a deep prayer for the civilians who suffer as a result of war and for the hope for peace to spread from Hiroshima to the world. May the world become free from all violence."

World Peace Memorial Cathedral

I sat inside the cathedral in tranquil reflection and said a prayer for world peace.

I met up with Kara, Veronica, and Megan at the Hiroshima Prefectural Museum. Kara and Megan decided to wander the museum while Megan and I decided to meander through Shukkeien Garden.

Shukkeien Garden was constructed in 1620 by Ueda Soko, a famous master of the tea ceremony, for Asanu Nagaakira, Hirohima's Daimyo (feudal lord). Shukkeien literally means "shrink-scenery garden", which expresses the idea of collecting and miniaturizing many scenic views. Shukkeien is modeled afer Xihu (West Lake) in Hangzhou, China.

We see this everywhere, both here in Japan and back home in China...trees wrapped for the winter cold.

Most of the buildings and trees in the garden were lost to the atomic bomb, but since the garden was a designated air raid refuge, many victims came here shortly after the bombing. A great number died before they could receive medical attention and their remains were interred here in the garden. Restoration work began in 1949 and the garden reopened in 1951. A clue obtained from a photograph taken shortly after the bombing led to the excavation of certain areas in the garden. As a result, the remains of 64 people were discovered on August 1, 1987.

In the center of Shikkeien Garden is Takuei Pond, which contains many islets (small rock islands). Around the edges of the pond are miniature mountains, valleys and bridges. There is a circular path weaving its way around the garden dotted with tea houses and arbors.

Beautiful scenery with Hiroshima's high rises peaking through the trees.

Tea House

The trees were just starting to blossom in the plum orchard. What a glorious sight to see...spring!!!

And two adorable kitties adding to the grace and beauty of the landscape...

This makes me smile. I would love to go back when spring is in its full glory to see this garden come to life.

While strolling through the garden, Megan and I ran into a young couple dressed in traditional Japanese clothing taking wedding photos.

Her gown was breathtakingly stunning!

Koko-kyo ("Straddling Rainbow Bridge") spans across Takuei Pond...great photo op!

Another beautiful couple in the garden taking wedding photos. : )

Love the hair!

Doesn't get much more traditional than this...

Lunch time! My choice was the three piece rice "boll." : )

It was delicious!

Megan and I met up with Veronica and Kara, made our way back to the hostel on public transportation to collect our bags, and headed back to Hiroshima Station to catch the Bullet Train to Tokyo.

Japan whizzing by at 100+ mph...

We were hoping to catch another glimpse of Mt. Fuji on our way back to Tokyo, but is was dark by the time we passed by.

We had our last supper all together near the Tokyo train station (can you believe I didn't take any pictures!) and said our goodbyes to Megan and Veronica. They had an early flight in the morning and needed to get to the airport before public transportation stopped running at midnight. Kara and I weren't leaving until tomorrow, so we were heading back to the Dormy Inn.

Kara and Kimberly lost in the Tokyo Station. Man, that place is a maze!!

We thought we were on the right train, but when everyone cleared out at one of the stops, we got a little concerned. Luckily, a very sweet passenger guided us to the train we wanted to be on.

Back at the Dormy Inn! We were loving our room...much bigger than our rooms we had the first time around. It even had a washing machine!

It was late, but Kara and I decided to venture down to the grocery store to get water and goodies for breakfast in the morning. We had also seen a Starbucks as we hauled our bags from the train station and I wanted to go back to see if I could find collector mugs for my niece. (Sorry, Lesley, no luck.) As we were strolling along, Kara and I spotted THE SUSHI RESTAURANT we had been pining away for since arriving in Japan!! (Funny...it was right down the street the whole time we were in Tokyo and none of us noticed.) Since it was after midnight and we had just consumed a huge meal with Megan and Veronica, we vowed to come back the next day for lunch. As we walked away, I suggested to Kara that we better check to see what time they open so we wouldn't miss out. Luckily we did, because the restaurant was only open from 5 p.m until 2 a.m. This meant no sushi for us, unless.... Yep, with very little hesitation and an abundance of glee, we bellied up to the sushi bar and ordered up sake and a variety of our sushi favorites!! We didn't care how full we were or how late it was. We were NOT going to miss out on traditional sushi while in Japan. We even loaded up a to-go bag for breakfast the next morning! Since I thought we were only going to the grocery store and Starbucks, the camera stayed behind at the hotel, so no pictures folks! : / Lesson learned: never leave the camera behind cuz ya never know what life is going to throw in your path.