Hanno-matsuri parade is a place for the whole family
Hanno-matsuri parade is a place for the whole family. Took this photo during a rest stop of the parade. These little girls were so cute and so tired. The crowd loved them because you can see the future of Japan in their adorable little faces. It’s comforting for me to see the continuation of tradition and history in the face of ultra-modernization. I come from a country where unique cultures are only to be celebrated as long as they are not our own. Sad.
Everyone Loves the Ikebukuro Park Neko
Everyone loves cats. Well, at least cooooooooooool people love cats. 😉 We found this little girl feeding a huge family of Neko and their friends in a small park in Ikebukuro. Actually, it is a park with a dark history. But now it is a cat loving hang out and a place for local Japanese people and tourists to come and visit and play with these way cool cats.
Visit our blog dedicated to the street cats of Japan.
http://rojiuraneko.com/
Chichibu Night Festival – December 3, 2014
Ueno is a Beautiful Place for the Holidays
Okinawa “Donuts” are Amazing
Discovered these recently at the Hanno-shi Matsuri. So yummy and delicious. With black tea or coffee are my favorite ways to eat. Don’t eat too many though or you may start to waddle down to the bakery a little too often.
Rilakkuma: A child’s dream brought to us by Takara TOMY
Kyou mo ashita mo dara dara goron – “Today and tomorrow too I’m laying down and lazing around.” Rillakuma is loved by children of all ages all over the world, especially here in Japan. Your children will love this little 3 wheeler miniature auto featuring super cute kuma ears and only a speed children from 1-92 can know. That means all of us. Now, dara dara goron! o_O
Get on the Sushi Train at Sushiro
There’s a great chain restaurant in Japan serving delicious sushi, tempura, noodles, beer, sake and even western style dessert for a very modest price. Add in the fact the sushi arrives to your table via conveyor belt and offers electronic ordering you can quickly eat your weight in sushi for a very modest price. Starting at 100 yen and going up to 480 yen for the more exotic a la carte selections Sushiro is fun for families, singles and couples on a first date. For tourists on the go and for travelers wanting to taste a real part of Japan outside the tourist areas, Sushiro is a great place for lunch or dinner.
http://www.akindo-sushiro.co.
Sun Dog and Jet Vapor kind of Tokyo afternoon
We were on our way to the local train station when I looked up and caught a glimpse of what I thought was a rainbow high in the sky on a sunny Tokyo afternoon. Instead of a rainbow the atmospherics at work are called “Sun Dogs.” I pulled out the camera and took a few nice shots before continuing on. Have you ever seen a “Sun Dog”? Post your links in comments. I’d like to see more pics of this cool atmospheric event from friends, readers and other travelers. After doing a little research we discovered Sun Dogs are believed by some in Japan as a signal of an impending earthquake or as a precursor to a Typhoon or Monsoon. Since we are expecting a Typhoon to hit our area sometime in the next few days I am hoping that our seeing this Sun Dog has more to do with that rather than an earthquake. So weary of earthquakes and the threat of them.
Some interesting articles on the web about Sun Dogs.
Taste of Heaven from Milestone Bakery and the Yasuda-ya Butcher Shop in Chichibu
Chichibu has always been a tourist destination at least as far back as the 70’s. The beautiful thing now is that younger people are visiting the town and nature enthusiasts have discovered the charm, the beauty of the place and the people and the delicious foods the town has to offer. When you leave the Seibu-Chichibu main station you wind your way quite easily to the old town center. On one of the main streets is where you find Milestone Bakery and Yasuda-ya butcher shop. They are right across from each other as you pass one my favorite markets, Belc. Straight ahead of you is the Chichibu shrine which is open year around.
Milestone is a combination Japanese and French bakery offering delicious BAGELS. These are soft and a little smaller than New York style but they are soooooooooooo delicious. Well, someone got the idea to offer the freshly fried hams and porks and potatos from yasuda-ya across the street. Milestone will split and warm your bagel and charge you a ridiculously low 120-160 yen for a taste of heaven. Then you simply hop across the street and line up at Yasuda-ya for some really delicious pork or potato that have been fried lightly in oil and smell heavenly. Yasuda-ya offers the typical Japanese style Worcestershire sauce. Grab a couple of these and some tea or other refreshments from Belc and you are ready for a super cool picnic on the cheap. 2 people can easily eat and drink for less than 1000 yen or about 10 bucks USD.
Milestone
Banba-machi 18-5, Chichibu-shi, Saitama
TEL : 0494-24-4776
Yasuda-ya
Yasuda-ya is across the street from Milestone. They are famous for Miso Marinated Pork which you can buy from their site
Banba-machi 19-9, Chichibu-shi, Saitama
TEL : 0494-22-4322
Welcome to the Spider’s Lair
It’s October and time for the scary ghosts and goblins to come creeping out for the fall. Well, for me anyway. I love this season, the changing leaves, the cool night, warm mornings that fade to crisp afternoons. I also spend more time out hiking about all the beautiful parks, rivers and forests near our home. I came across this lovely little specimen of terror, well, for bugs and small insects that fall prey to it’s incredible web building techniques.
Please leave a comment if you know what this lovely spider is called. In Japanese or English, both are fine. I see a lot of these around and the bright colors tell me I should keep my distance.
Good Luck Guide Posts Provide Happy Trails in Chichibu City
Some years ago the Chichibu City Council made the decision, like most Japanese towns and cities, to try and revitalize their old town center areas. This Lucky Cat guide post is the first of about 100 such guide/luck charms posts that can be found around the downtown central area. At this manekineko post at the central Chichibu train station there is text below the statue, explaining what the statue is and also guide arrows in left and right directions that point visitors toward the next post. Use your favorite browser to translate the page below for more information about the good luck charms, the guide posts and the wonderful city of Chichibu.
Good Luck Guides