hama.riky.onshi.teien.浜.離.宮.恩.賜.庭.園

it's a beautiful day. clear sky and sunny.  finally i am in the mood to put on my sunnies as well today.  i had a very busy week but i couldn't sleep on further but woke up with such a great joy in my spirit.  perhaps weather has a part to play but most importantly is my spirit is rejoicing for this new day.


with the iphone map, i can travel really light, no more small point and shoot camera in my handbag and i also stop carrying the guidebook.  everything i need is in the iphone, i downloaded a few apps and it should be sufficient for now.  so with the interactive 3g map, i walk to hama riky onshi teien (浜離宮恩賜庭園) in just about 15 min from my place.  it probably takes less time if i not stopped and take photos along the way...

it's really very near and i will probably jogging to here when the weather getting a little warmer.  it is still hard to comprehend when i see high rise building and a japanese garden/park all in one scene....

the park is hugh, i entered through the middle entrace, and the north entrance is just next to ginza.  this is one of the center spot with a tea house in the middle of the lake.  the garden is quite scenic and comes with a history since edo-era.

i love the reflection of conrad hotel.  and one thing for sure is i am very high spirit today, i am communicating with the holy spirit all the way, everything that i see in this garden, the Lord reminds me of His creation.  let every thing that has breath, praise the Lord!

i pause at the tea house in the middle of the lake, to rest my leg and also to enjoy the tea ceremony, a cup of matcha and a pretty namagashi while taking in the view surrounding me.  it's a bliss!!

i took too many photos today, even just in this garden alone, i think i spent three hours just here. it's just so peaceful and pretty, although right now i can only 'imagine' the cherry blossom here.  after the tea, i walk toward the north gate and there are even more things to entertain me, which i will not write about now.  for now, i just leave you with the view as i look back...

well, i guess it is not wrong to say hama rikyu onshi teien is my extended back garden.  from this photo i can see tokyo tower and my apartment block is the  third from the right, immediately after the two identical buildings.

so much for now, good night.

asakusa.浅草

asakusa revisited!  we stayed in the proximity of asakusa two years ago and today i am glad that i stop by again, it's just so close to kapabashi anyway.

the street leading to senjo-ji (浅草寺) is still ever crowded and bustling with aroma of senbei (rice crackers).

the asakusa kaminarimon (浅草雷門) is still the most photographed spot

i remember i took the same photo at the  same spot. what has changed then? well, the hundred yen shop is no longer around, the location for the supermarket is still there but with a different name.

 

and the most significant change is the tokyo sky tree. it was definitely not there two years ago...

well, that's a little account of last weekend.

today, i went to the ward office or minato city hall to apply for my alien resident permit.

the application was swift, but i have to come back to collect my sort of  id card in a week's time.  at the end of the application, the officer gave me a welcome package with all the information about minato-ward.

it's late now, so much for now, time to sleep.

kapabashi.かっぱ橋道具街

another monday, a new week.  this week i have to conduct trainings to the japanese users on a topic that i am not quite familiar with.  but i am almost there after 3 times of drilling and dry runs.  last saturday, i visited kapabashi kitchenware street (かっぱ橋道具街) .  although two years ago when we visited tokyo, we actually stayed at asakusa area, the other side of sumida river, but we never made it to kapabashi.  we did attempt once but couldn't find it and with just one week in tokyo, we didn't continue our search further.

i made a point to be here, simply because i have never come here before and secondly i do need to get some porcelain ware...

this giant sign of a chef actually marks the begin of kapabashi, so are these cups mark the start of about one kilometer long with tons of kitchen or restaurant related utensils and products, including the famous plastic food display.

i first check out the japanese tableware.  although my apartment provided me with some basic tableware, but i still need some smaller saucers, plates, bowls, tea mugs and tea pot.  at the end, i bought some all with japanese prints, i didn't get a tea pot here. i just don't want to pay too much for it.

these are sushi bento - plastic display. they look quite real...

all sort of sushi, but for your eyes only

how about japanese soft ice - matcha green, sweet potato purple, strawberry pink and even some in blue, i wonder what flavor would that be...

beer any one? or fancy any ice cream or fruits... the choices are plenty!!!

how about some namagashi miniatures?  yes, i bought a few as you already know i am a freak when come to namagashi. i like the nabe seafood pot too, the strawberry shortcake looks a little fake to me but others are almost as real.

there are many customers in the plastic food display shop, but these items are so expensive, a simple sushi costs twice the price of real sushi.  i rather eat the real sushi than buying these fake ones.

so i walk away with two tea mugs, a few plates and shallow bowls and some miniature of namagashi.  no serious damage of my pocket at all.  they are cheap to reasonable.  so in the coming days when you see some food photos no longer on white line tableware that because i have added some colors to it.

roppongi.hills.六本木ヒルズ

another sunday, time flies really fast in japan!  i have been thinking if i should go to shinjuku shalom church again.  i like the service there especially when the church is also following g12 vision, however, it is really more caters for local community and although some people speak english but majority still prefer to speak japanese.

i have been praying for awhile and at first i planned to go for two services, one at shinjuku and then to the 4pm service at Jesus light house tokyo.  however, i ended up going to Jesus light house only.  roppongi is just so near, one metro stop away, i made it for 1pm service.

the iron steel spider at roppongi hills (六本木ヒルズ).  i still remember i love it so much here two years ago when i first visit roppongi.  it is just not shinjuku or harajuku, but less crowded and more classy crowds.

this is mori tower

mori arts museum is on the 58th floor, i haven't make it to the museum yet, it actually opens till 10pm daily, i will save till the day when the weather is clear and the exhibition is more appealing to me.

 

this is the building where Jesus Light house tokyo has the service.  it's bilingual, it's international and in just one visit i already made a handful of friends (english, american japanese, indians, philippines) and we went for lunch together after the service and have some fellowships.  we parted at just before 4pm where most of them go back for the 4pm service while i decided to go to tokyo midtown to run some errands..

i feel good, i have my spiritual food "prepare to burn bright" by senior pastor and this is not just comfort food but full of rebuke and challenges to us.  and i have fellowship  with fellow sisters that will keep me going next week.

next week i am going to conduct training on things that i don't really know, so you can imagine the amount of stress and preparations that i have to do in order to make the training happens.

good night and have a blessed week ahead.

travel.back.the.time.at yanaka.谷.中

you read so much about yanaka (谷中) an area just west of nippori jr station and part of the northern tokyo an area close by to ueno (上野) and asakusa (浅草).  you decided to check yanaka out yesterday.
without any guide book at hand, since your japan guidebook doesn't entail yanaka, you rely on what you have read on other's blogs and what you can remember....
so, it's "nippori jr station, turn left, head west"....
this area has the highest concentration of temples and graveyard (or cemetery), perhaps the only area that out beat the number of convenient stores in entire tokyo.  in most part of tokyo, you will find one convenient store less than 500 meters distance, they are everywhere on every streets and corners.  in yanaka, it's the temples and cemeteries that match to this description.  but you are not interested in temples because you worship Jesus. neither are you interested in the dead.   you are here to indulge in the old tokyo at edo-era.

this is the famous yanaka ginza.  yes it's called "ginza".  this is the second ginza that you visited so far, the first one is ebisu ginza last weekend.  you have not step your foot to the real glamorous ginza yet.  not yet, there is no hurry to rush there for organza flame, not when you only have a pair of sneaker as your weekend shoes. 
but yanaka ginza doesn't require you to dress up, a pair of sneaker is perfectly acceptable here.  because this area has not changed since decades.  no high rise buildings, no chic stores, no brand name but this place is full of live, full of delicious aroma, full of vibrant.



谷中銀座


walking through this gate, you are officially in yanaka ginza.  it's early in the day, so there are not many crowds yet.  it is good to let go, not relying on a map or guidebook, but relying on your senses to lead you here.



stores selling marinated goods, pickles, senbei, fresh produces.  food are so cheap here. you just realized you are reap off by paying the extra premium to the groceries at minato-ward where you are staying.  everything is like 30 percent cheaper. what a bummer!  but you don't want to come all the way here to do groceries shopping and carry them back home.

this is more like a domestic tourists area, i hardly see any foreigners here and neither there is any english word written.  they are plenty of locals or japanese tourists carrying a travel magazine and checking out the good stuffs.

here you can see old men and women mending the store.  they are just in their daily down to earth clothing, non pretentious.  at the end of the street, you can even get a bento lunch box for 250 yen. that's probably the cheapest ever i have seen in tokyo.  i pay on average 800 yen for a bento at chiyoda-ward where my client office located, here a large though not gourmet bento only costs 250 yen!!! life is really more affordable in yanaka.


yanaka coffee

as you leave yanaka ginza, you follow your instinct and stop you here, you read it somewhere too.  you ordered a cup of black coffee to try.  perhaps the best one ever for the average japan coffee that you have drank so far. this is cheap and strong.  there's a kick in this yanaka coffee. 

now you are completely lost! you don't know your orientation anymore, but you enjoy the small alleys, observing the balcony where people still hang their laundry outdoor, you sneak in to some communal area and this place reminds you to kyoto. and the door (on the bottom left) is actually smaller than a normal door, not a door that an adult can go in whiteout bending...

you take lots of photos here, simply because many things arouse your curiosity.  things of the old, things of the past... 

but you love your every moments here, you probably will come back again next time when you have a detailed tokyo guidebook at hand. for now, it is definitely a good yanaka first impression and orientation.

ikegami.baien.池.上.梅.園

i am eager to see ume 梅の花 or plum flowers which usually blossom before cherry flowers (sakura).  normally ume is already in full bloom from early februari to early march.

i went to ikegami baien 池上梅園 in greater tokyo at the end station of oedo metro line. 

there are some flowers but not many, these are pink to red ume

and the almost white ume

at the park, as you can see most of the trees are still barren, there is no blossom yet.  so right now i can only imagine how it looks when during the ume hanami (梅花見) - the time of celebration to embrace the flowers.
.i can't wait actually, really looking forward to that...

ume and stone lantern- serenity!

these are probably the only bunch of branches with most flowers

at the park there is also a pond with viewing platform, however since there is not many blossom, the viewing tatami is closed

 

like all the gardens and parks in japan, there are always stone lantern, tatami floor, bamboo dipper and i am not tired of them yet.  in fact each time i see these elements in the garden or park, i feel relaxed and at ease.

梅の花.梅花見

can't wait!!!

marunochi.by.night

belated project shinnenkai (新年会). well, really belated in this case as shinnenkai is usually celebrated at the beginning of the year technically in january.  perhaps it is just an excuse to get together.  i needed that because it has been a long week.  this is just a perfect excuse to out of work in time on friday.

stand-t is a bar located at the corner of shin-marunochi building ((新丸の内ビルディング), a western bar frequented by gaijin (westerner).  we were serve with tapas and first drink is on the house (project) and the rest is buy your own drink. this is a good occasion to get to know other people whom i never had a chance to speak to daily in the project.

i left at 9pm and the moon just lured me to take my camera out and take a night scene of chiyoda-ward.

i am really not too far from otemachi metro station and the major tokyo station, and i came here by walking through the underground.

well, thank God is friday.  i really need a good rest, a good sleep and swim and a good sight seeing.  hopefully the weather will do the justice for tomorrow.

!!happy weekend!!