Bits and pieces

We had some friends over for dinner last night, so I moved all the 'floating' stuff that doesn't have a place - mainly things we're trying to get rid of or odds and ends I brought back from Japan that I haven't figured out if I'm going to keep or not. A few of them were just to remind me of where I got or saw something nice, so instead of keeping all the scraps of paper, packaging, etc. I'm just going to find the websites.

Kume Co., Ltd. make awesome Hiroshige Project t-shirts, including the beautiful crane one I got at Narita airport on the way back. (English site/日本語ホームページ)

Pagong are a small company in Kyoto who happened to have a temporary stall at Narita when I was going back. They make modern clothing using traditional designs. (English site/日本語ホームページ)

Dinner went very well indeed, with lots of different Japanese condiments and three types of sake being tried out.

I also finally threw out my salt crystal experiment, which had grown some nice chunky crystals while I was away.

Japan London

Green tea roll cake at the wonderful Necco in Exmouth Market, London.  ^___^

To a T

The Christmas madness continues, this time with super pretty Christmas Hello Kitty at the local supermarket.

The trend for bath products still seems to be for them to look as much like food as possible.

One of my reasons for taking a day trip from Kyoto to Fukuoka this time (the main reason was to meet someone doing one of my courses!) was to stop in to the amazing Kurenai-ya branch in Fukuoka's Canal City shopping centre (which is otherwise depressingly full of Western shops). I discovered the shop a few years ago, and bought some t-shirts there for himself and myself that are about to fall apart from loving regular use. I excited wandered around the shop looking at all the stuff that I would happily buy given half an excuse, then went to find the t-shirts. Except there weren't any. After going around the (small) shop twice, I asked the staff and it turns out they were switching from their short sleeve to long sleeve range and didn't have anything in stock. Noooo!

But I remembered that I'd found one of their t-shirts at Narita a few years ago, so I made a note to look there on the way back, and got lucky! I got one for himself, a Mount Sakura one for me (the active volcano in the bay of Kagoshima City, I nearly got it two years ago but they didn't have it in my size), and an amazing "Hiroshige Project" one from another manufacturer that I hadn't seen before. The embroidered back is just amazing. ^_^ I also splashed out on a top made from modern materials but with traditional kimono designs, made by a small Kyoto company who had a temporary stand at the airport.

The back of the Sakura-jima t-shirt on the left, the front of the Hiroshige Project one in the middle, and the kimono-inspired one on the right.

The back of the gorgeous Hiroshige project t-shirt. It's a bit hard to see, but there's also red embroidery around the cranes.

And we're back

Arrived back in Zurich last night, picked up some food at the airport and came home to call parents, have a long bath and triage my email. Today was 3°C with some desultory snow, it wasn't even close to sticking when I was out earlier but is getting heaving and starting to gather on the ground now that the light has gone and the temperature is dropping. (The forecast for tomorrow is 0-2°C with 2-5 cm of snow. Next Wednesday, 10-20 cm...) Spent the day clearing emails, catching up with things that need to be done in the next week or so, chasing overdue invoices, catching up with bills that arrived while I was away, food shopping (there are still pumpkins!) so I wouldn't have to go out again, and having the very interesting experience of a Doppler ultrasound.

The truth is out in Sihlcity - Santa belongs to Coke.

Interesting light fittings.

Horse is still on the menu.

And Christmas is most definitely here. Workmen all over the airport, Sihlcity and Adliswil putting up decorations.

Just a little bit longer

Check in systems seem to have crashed. Tea time!

Even more so

Fuji was always popular, but now it's been made a world heritage site it's everywhere.

Time to check in and send the phone back. See you on the other side of the globe.

Last meal

I know, I know, it's a toasted ham and cheese sandwich with coffee. I'm not great with Japanese food first thing in the morning.

Siphon coffee?

Great fun to watch and tastes pretty good too.

Taxiing

Just managed to catch the 7:30 am shuttle bus to terminal 2, so I'll have plenty of time to check in in person (haven't done that for a while), get some breakfast and wander around the shops. There was actually a very nice-looking gift shop with Kyoto goods at the hotel, but I only noticed it from the bus window when leaving.

Turns out the Finnair counter doesn't open until 9:00 (7:40 now) so I think it's time for a locker and breakfast.

Last bus

I didn't fancy going for the last hotel shuttle bus from Narita station - I've never been there before and it's not that near the airport - so I paid a paltry 1,000 yen for the pleasure of having the Heiwa Kotsu "The Access" coach service drop me at the hotel door. Includes free night views of Tokyo from the highway.

Biscuit-in-biscuit

Yatsuhashi biscuit Kit-Kats. Nice, but I wish they hadn't used white chocolate.

One last time

Hikari 532, bound for Tokyo. I didn't have time to get a reserved seat, but got lucky when a young couple on their way back from Universal Studios moved teir bags out of a seat. Treated myself to another special Makunouchi bento, and pulled out my postcards.

Goodnight, Kyoto

Illustrations at an exhibition

The Kyoto International Manga Museum was hosting its second exhibition of "eshi", or illustrators, on the theme of the Japanese seasons. (Which are the same four you get anywhere else, as far as I can tell.) Some were generic, some were anatomically improbable (especially in the T&A department), some were sexualised children, but a good few were exuberant, startling, charming, eerie, clever and well worth a visit.

Infinite gates

I even managed to find a path I hadn't been up yet. I must give it a full day and get to the top of the mountain sometime.

Deja vu

Last day, side trip to Kyoto and Fushimi Inari Taisha. Didn't I do this last year?

Cute and delicious

Chocolate crisp biscuits from my friend Tokuno - great as a snack on the train!

Finally!

I've taken the Tokaido Shinkansen I don't know how many times and never seen Mount Fuji from the window - today was beautifully clear and I looked out at just the right time! Wow. It really is beautiful, and impressive to boot.

Gaoh!

For reasons best known to themselves, the manufacturers of the "Tokyo Banana" cake/souvenir decided that it goes roar when you add caramel. It makes a cute poster.

I chose the unreasonable option. I wasn't early enough to take a picture, but I'm back with my friend Hikari and on my way to Kyoto for the day to do a few things I didn't get to do when I was there last week. Feel the burn, rail pass!

Seasonal sweet

Amazing traditional ddssert enjoyed with my friend Tokuno near Ueno station.

The newly restored lantern at Sensoji, Asakusa

That is not the word you think it is

When shall we meet again?

On my way from Kyoto back to Tokyo, which will be my last Hikari of the trip. (Unless I do something ridiculous tomorrow. I'm thinking about it.)

Pumpkin mountain

I always thought 'mont blanc' referred to piped sweetened chestnut paste, but there was none in this pumpkin mont blanc tart. Maybe it just refers to piles of piped stuff.

One of the obanzai was something I'd love to try myself - spinach leaves, thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms and orange peel.

A little bit of everything

Last lunch with Nobuko at Kyoto Station, eight 'obanzai' or side dishes with deep-fried crumbed tuna.

But of course

What exactly are you celebrating?

来年を運ぶ馬、作りました。

Grilled delights

And to finish it all off, okonomiyaki!

Just turning

Mr and Mrs Matsumoto took me up the cable car to Mount Shosa, where the scenery is so good films and TV series keep using it as a backdrop. We also visited the beautiful Engyo Temple with its venerable wooden buildings and maple trees, followed by a fantastic pottery museum.

Tea in a biscuit

Couldn't resist - Kyoto special edition Kit-Kat with houjicha roasted tea. There's also a matcha version, and one with pieces of the local crunchy biscuits, Yatsuhashi (biscuit-in-biscuit?).

We meet again

Hikari 461, my chariot from from Kyoto to Himeji.

The tree must have been there first

This house is across the road from my homestay family's local station, so I must have seen it any number of times, but only noticed the tree today.

Nothing nothing nothing

We were gently scolded and encouraged by a Zen priest at a sub-temple of Daitoku Temple (I have to check the name). He reminded us that we own nothing, not even our own bodies, and that realising this and throwing all those extraneous things away would leave us with the only thing we really were, 'kokoro' ('heart' or 'spirit'). The sun came out while he was talking, and he also reminded us to breathe deeply and appreciate that everything we ate and drank and used was nature's bounty, and to be grateful for it.

The next temple we visited was associated with Daruma and had a very different message, about not becoming discouraged, or angry, and being mindful of others. We also had an amazing shojin ryori (vegan cuisine served to monks) bento, including a fabulous tempura umeboshi, which Nobuko assured me was preserved in sugar rather than salt.

The Imperial Household Agency commands you

A bridge over time

Nobuko took me on a bus tour on Friday as the forecast was rain. We even got into the Imperial palace, which normally takes ages to apply for.

The temple and the golden plum

Amazing plum tea with gold flakes (it's not just Kanazawa that puts gold flakes in food)at Toji, Kyoto's 'eastern temple'.

Choices

Most of the bentos at Hakata were sold out. This was one of the remaining ones, a lemon chicken breast on a bed of rice and finely shredded omelette. I would have preferred a little bit of everything, but it was pretty good.

Box dinner

All my meals today have been out of a box.

Lunch box

Lunch with fellow S205: The molecular world student, Yuuko.

We meet again

Another day, another Hikari! Up with the birds and on my way to Fukuoka.

Looks can be deceiving

Beyond the boumdary

I went to Kohata station to get a reserved seat to go to Kagoshima/Hakata tomorrow. The train I wanted was full. So was the next one. And the next one. So I'm now going at the break of dawn and will be there two hours early...

I'd noticed this place outside the station cefore, but assumed it was a small animation school or something. Turns out it's a bona fide studio, and I've actually seen some of their current series, Kyokai no kanata/Beyond the boundary, and quite enjoyed it.

Uji City drainage cover

Uji City water access cover