Saturday April 30, 2011
Tokyo, Japan
Sunny and Breezy
I arrived in Japan last Saturday for business. As usual, things were pretty hectic at work but I did manage to go out and and do some interesting and sometimes dramatic things. I was not sure what to expect when I arrived in Narita. It was pouring rain with strong winds so the bus ride to the hotel was a bit scary but there was no visible earthquake damage. It seemed business as usual. I got to the hotel in pouring rain Saturday nite, had dinner with my cousins and family, turned in early for the nite and bang… an aftershock. Small but enough to make the building creak. So no, things are not normal in Tokyo yet.
I spent Sunday packing socks I brought from the US for Socks for Japan. Some of my generous friends participated in it so I had over 100 socks to deliver! But before I took that on, as I was up since 4am due to jet lag, I took a walk around the neighborhood. In honor of Skipper, I did his favorite walk – ANA Intercontinental – Shiroyama park – Tokyo Tower – Zozoji Temple- Shiroyama Park – Izumi Park – Ark Hills Park – ANA Intercontinental. It was a sunny and cool morning. I was hoping to catch the cherry blossoms but the rain seemed to have washed away most of the blossoms.
Carp Kites flying for Boys Day (May 5). The black carp represents the father, the red carp the mother, and the others – the son.
I did manage to find a cherry tree with some blossoms! And it was overlooking the Jizo statues of Zozoji
Zozoji Temple and Tokyo Tower: I was going to call this "old and new" but now with the Sky Tower getting built, will Tokyo Tower be forgotten?
I noticed the Azaleas were in full bloom. A definite sign that Cherry Blossom season is over.
Found another cherry tree with some blossoms at Shiroyama Park.
And tulips were in full bloom at one of the Ark Hills gardens
After packing the socks and gettting ready for work, I went to Tokyo Midtown to meet Motomi at my fav restaurant Union Square Tokyo for a celebration drink – she is engaged!. Everything seemed back to normal with people shopping and enjoying the weather.
Tokyo Midtown Grounds
After a drink, well two drinks, we went to Motomi's mother's atelier for dinner. I worked with her father and the entire family is very dear to me.
Sashimi from Tsukiji! Yum
Mami-san (Motomi's mother) sent me back to the hotel with a gift from Zohiko Kyoto! I love Zohiko's lacquerware.
The work week was crazy busy, but one of my clients treated me to a very special dinner in Kagurazaka. Kagurazaka is a sophisticated part of Tokyo where Old traditional Tokyo meets New Tokyo. The restaurant was hard to find but I was treated to fabulous food with a real Tokyo Geisha who entertained us. Her family owns the restaurant and have owned it for generations. We also met her mother who was a geisha. Her father was a "male" geisha. The male geisha's were professional entertainers. It was an amazing experience as we also learned about the history of the place.
The special restaurant in Kagurazaka
The beautiful and delicious food
Probably the most expensive melon I've ever had
And the entertainment. She is using an empty match box as the instrument
After a busy and hot workweek ( I say hot, because A/C has been cut down to save on electricity in Japan due to the disablement of the Tepco nuclear plant), I headed to Kiddyland to buy some gifts. I decided to walk Kiddlyland as I was recovering from a bit of a drama the night before. On the last day of work, the team went out to dinner. In the cab , I got bitten by a bug on my neck. That resulted in a fever and hives and a trip to the emergency room. Crazy! I travel all over the world and it happens in a cab in Tokyo. And a cab in Tokyo is probably cleaner than my house in Malibu! Anyhow, all is OK and by early afternoon I was up for a walk. I walked thru Tokyo Midtown to the main drag that takes you directly to Ometesando. On the way, I saw this interesting building below.
But when it came to find Kiddyland it was gone! Then I found out they were renovating and had a temporary store off Ometesando on "Cat Street". I have to say for a "temporary" store, it was quite complete and fun to visit.
The Kiddyland "Temporary" Store
I spent the evening with Carl and Mary who live in Homat Viscount (my old Tokyo apartment). Mary made a wonderful dinner and we enjoyed the British Royal Wedding while also catching up. A lovely, lovely evening.
On my last full day in Tokyo, I woke up early and decided to check out Nezu Jinja. And I'm glad I did as the Azalea festival was happening. Wow! How could I have missed this the 3 years I was in Tokyo!
Nezu Jinja: Supposedly founded over 1900 years ago.
Turtles enjoying the azaleas.
I was there before the 9am opening time, so most of the food stalls were not open
Azaleas: Close Ups
My next stop was Ueno Park to check out the Peony's. I've always wanted to see this garden in Ueno but always missed it as the season is short. There are two seasons: Winter and Spring. I am so glad that I went as the peonies were in full bloom. They were gorgeous and the aroma was devine.
I followed the signs to the Peony Garden (no English sign though!)
The peonies were protected by traditional Japanese umbrellas
I then went back to the hotel, did some work, then some last minute shopping and called it a day. Although, Tokyo seemed "normal", I did experience 5 earthquakes during the week. And found if you look carefully, you will notice the damage. The Japanese TV stations also show a lot about the suffering of the people who experienced the brunt of the disaster. It is tragic and heartbreaking. And the situation is becoming dire for the animals left in the 20km no-go zone near the reactor. Pets, horses and farm animals are dying from a horrible death (starvation), yet the government of Japan will not do anything. If interested in helping, please check out Jears.org and ARK. And Pray for Japan!
Earthquake Damage @hotel