Kyoto: Kiyomizudera, Shunkoin and Kitano Tenmangu 京都: 清水寺と春光院と北野天満宮

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The weekend of February 14th my friend Eric came from the States for a weeklong visit. After touring around Kobe on Friday we headed to Kyoto for sightseeing on Saturday and Sunday.
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The above photo was just too good to pass up- check out the restaurant name (in yellow).
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Joe, Eric, and our friend Hillary at the gate of Kiyomizudera.
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Kiyomizudera.
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Hillary and Eric drinking the water at Kiyomizudera. Supposedly it will give you a long life.
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Joe and Eric eat sakura (cherry blossom) ice cream outside the temple. Soooo tasty!
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The view from the Hankyu Department store where we had dinner.
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We spent the night in one of the guesthouses at Shunkoin, our friend's temple in Kyoto. Below are Hillary and Taka, our gracious hosts.
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Joe and I at the temple.
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More Shunkoin.
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On Sunday morning Taka led us in zazen, or seated meditation, and Hillary gave us a tour of the temple before sharing her delicious homemade pumpkin pie. Below is one of the many painted sliding doors at Shunkoin.
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After a very pleasant morning at Shunkoin, we borrowed bicycles and rode over to Kinkakuji (below). I've posted lots of photos of Kinkakuji before so will keep them to a minimum this time (see September 2008 and July 2006).
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After a quick lunch we headed to Kitano Tenmangu Shrine to see the plum blossoms.
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Bull sculpture at the Shrine.
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Guardian at the Shrine gate.
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Field of plum blossoms.
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Kitano Tenmangu scenery. The scent of the plum blossoms was heavenly.
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The main hall of the Shrine.
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Lanterns at the Shrine.
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Joe and I at the Shrine.
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One of the many smaller shrine buildings.
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Still more Kitano Tenmangu scenery...
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Joe picking up a snack of tai, or grilled cakes stuffed with red bean paste, on the way out of the Shrine.
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Back at Kyoto Station, preparing to head home.
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Skiing in Hyogo 兵庫県でスキーをしています

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Wednesday February 11th was a national holiday (National Foundation Day), and so we took a day trip with some friends up to northern Hyogo to go skiing at Sky Valley. Above is my convenience store breakfast, crepe bomb. Not only was it amusing, but sugary sweet and tasty as well.
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Ski crew!

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Joe and I about half way up the mountain.

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Goggle shot.

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Mountain scenery.

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Sky Valley resort was connected to Hyperbowl Tohachi near the top. The following photo is Joe in the bowl of Hyperbowl.

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And back at the top of the mountain after skiing the advanced run of Tohachi.

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More top of the mountain scenery.

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Hollie and I sport our matching ski wear. That we match was pointed out to us about 2 minutes after I was joking about some other women who walked by wearing matching ski wear. Oops. I think it's cute anyway.

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Hollie and Teru headed downhill.

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My skis and Joe's skis.

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Lunch! Shrimp cutlet with rice and cabbage, pickled vegetables, chocolate cake, and beer. Perfect.

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Teru and Hollie.

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Lunch crew.

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Teru's end-of-the-day-bottom-of-the-mountain action shot.

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Post-skiing ski crew shot, Derek, Teru, Hollie, snowman, me, and Joe.

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What better way to cap of our day than conveyer belt sushi?

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A huge shout out goes to Teru for driving there and back! Can't wait for next time....

Plum blossoms 梅の開花

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A beautiful sight has appeared in my neighborhood-plum blossoms. After years of viewing ink paintings of the flowers and reading poetry about them, I am pleased to see these late winter blossoms in person. Perhaps a Chinese Tang Dynasty poem is appropriate for the occasion. The following is by Qi Ji (861-935).

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An Early Plum Flower

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Thousands of trees near breaking under ice;

warmth returns only to this lonely root.

Deep snow by the next village.

One branch bloomed last night.

Wind carries the hidden fragrance off,

and birds peep at its plain white beauty.

If the seasons behave next year,

we'll see the first flowers at Spring Platform.

---Translated by Tony Barnstone and Chou Ping

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To see a great Meiji period print of plum blossoms by Chikanobu click here. Spring is on the way!

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Nondariya のんだりや

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This past weekend was pretty easy going. We stayed in Ono all weekend (a rarity), spending alot of time studying, reading, and relaxing. On Friday night we went out to eat at a local izakaya in downtown Ono called Nondariya. Our meal of okonomiyaki, tuna donburi, fried ika (squid), and beer was tasty and inexpensive. I've blogged about my love of okonomiyaki before, but tuna donburi is also a favorite of mine. It's often available at izakayas, and we make our own version at home, as it is quite simple and inexpensive. To try it yourself: cook white rice and put your desired amount in a small (cereal size) bowl. Top the rice with heated canned tuna, scrambled egg and a small amount of mayonaise. Top with shredded nori (seaweed). Yum! We usually make a vegetable side to balance out the meal, something like mabo nasu (spicy eggplant). Below you can see the tuna donburi with Joe, and the okonomiyaki and ika with me. In standard izakaya fashion, the dishes are for sharing, and the small square plates are for your own personal portion.
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Setsubun 節分

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Today, February 3rd, is Setsubun. This is a holiday that celebrates the day before the change of the seasons in the Lunar Calendar. To celebrate Setsubun many people throw beans outside their house and chant, "Out with Demons, in with luck!" or eat as many beans as their age. At Ikuta Shrine in Kobe there was a big festival for the holiday, which we saw highlights of on t.v. For our own celebration we bought the traditional Kansai Setsubun dish of huge uncut maki sushi from a local sushi take-out place for dinner and ate as many peanuts as our age (plus one for luck) in lieu of beans. The prepared foods section of the grocery store was, as Joe said, "like being in the first 10 rows of a Michael Jackson concert." The store devoted six cases to the special Setsubun rolls, and people were very excited to get their hands on them. Above is me with the oni (demon) mask that I got at the sushi place, below is our uncut maki sushi. So.... 鬼は外! 福は内！
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Avant Garde China アヴァンギャルド･チャイナ

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We spent Saturday the 24th of January in Osaka for a day of art, shopping and food. We began our day at The National Museum of Art, Osaka, where we saw the exhibition Avant Garde China: 20 Years of Chinese Contemporary Art. The museum is all housed below ground, and the dramatic above ground structure is meant to imitate the properties of bamboo.
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The exhibition covered nearly 25 years of Chinese Contemporary Art and included the works of 16 artists. I was especially struck by the works of Cao Fei, Yang Fudong, Fang Lijun, Zhang Xiaogang, and Wang Guangyi. Avant Garde China balanced a variety of media including video, painting, and sculpture, and provided visitors with a sampling of various movements within Chinese Contemporary Art including Cynical Realism, Political Pop and Tactile Art. Personally I am attracted to art that is political in nature, and many of the works in the show appealed to me for their strong statements on the social and political conditions of late 20th and early 21st century China.
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After we left the museum we stopped by Calo, a small art bookstore, cafe, and gallery that I had found on the internet while looking for a speciality art magazine. We next took the subway across the city and encountered this adorable poster for the Osaka Rainbow Family of Busses!
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After an afternoon of art viewing, we headed to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner to satisfy our craving for nachos and veggieburgers. It may be overpriced and homogenized the world over, but the HRC corporate franchise is still one that I like, and it is still the only veggieburger we have found in Japan. I guess my interest stems from the opening of HRC Chicago when I was in junior high and was highly impressionable. I still remember my first visit, for a friend's birthday dinner (I'm guessing it was an 11th birthday). Regardless, I have a collection of pins from all the various locations I've been to, and continue to collect them (click here for my new Osaka pin).
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An evening street shot of the Umeda area of Osaka.
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Before heading home we stopped into Yodobashi Camera so I could pick up some new headphones and Joe could get some wires he needed. Here he is, at home in the electronics heaven of Yodobashi.
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Me at Sannomiya Station as we head back home.
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