Vandrelysten – Aching for the Distance
Asia
Japan 2009
Three Weeks of Japan Mania July 15th-August 5th, 2009 Trip Conception, Goals, and Planning: I’ve always been interested in Japan. Video games, sushi, manga, samurai, and most recently the Japanese language have all held my fascination at one point or another in my life. Growing up, I lived across the street from a wonderful Japanese … Continue reading
Japanese Shave Ice
Snow Cones can be refreshing on a hot day, but I’m usually disappointed by hard, course ice that lets all the syrup slide straight to the bottom of the paper cone. In Japan, I found Kakigōri (かき氷), or shave ice – a fabulous dessert which made me reconsider the potential of the snow cone. Served … Continue reading
Late Night Okonomiyaki (Miyajima, Japan)
Miyajima shuts down quickly after the bulk of the tourists leave around 4 pm. The majority of those who spend the night on the island eat dinner in their Ryokans or hotels, so when 6 o’clock rolled around, Laura and I found that nearly all the town’s restaurants had already shuttered for the night. Luckily, … Continue reading
Buddhapada in Kamakura
Where: Kamakura, Japan When: July 2009 Camera: Canon Powershot A550 ——————————————- I found this decorated stone in Kamakura’s Hase-Kannon Temple. It is a stylized depiction of the footprints of Buddha. In early Buddhist art, it was considered taboo to directly depict a being as sacred as the Buddha, so they alluded to his presence by … Continue reading
Six Funny Things about the Japanese Language
Japanese is a fun language to study, for travel purposes or to enjoy Japanese culture from afar. Because the language and the culture are both quite different from those you may be familiar with, it can be a funny experience to study Japanese as well! Here are a few things that always make me laugh … Continue reading
Onigiri (Japan)
Onigiri, (Kanji 御握り, Hiragana おにぎり), also known as Omusubi, are Japanese rice balls. They are relatively simple to make, especially once you get used to the basic techniques, but you can also buy surprisingly yummy Onigiri in any konbini (convenience store) in Japan. Onigiri come in many different varieties. The most common shapes are the … Continue reading
Kamakura’s Daibutsu
No visitor to Kamakura, or even to Tokyo, should miss this Great Buddha. Housed in the temple Kōtoku-in (高徳院), it is a popular destination and so easy to reach on foot or by bus. Most maps of Kamakura depict the Daibutsu visually, so you need not read Japanese to find your way. Cast in 1252, … Continue reading
Yuba (Japan)
Yuba (kanji: 湯葉), also known as soybean skim or tofu skin, is a Japanese food made from the skin that forms on the surface of boiling soy milk. The result is a bundle of thin, rubbery layers of a firm, tofu like substance. Yuba can be shaped in order to texturally resembled other foods, such … Continue reading
Sanjusangendo
Kyoto, Japan – July 25th, 2009 Even one of Sanjusangendo’s statues of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy, is impressive. Each one stands life sized and is covered in gold leaf, has eleven faces, and twenty one sets of arms to symbolize the goddess’s thousand. Can you picture one Kannon now? Good. Now imagine 1001 … Continue reading
Night View of Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan – July 17th, 2009 We filled our arms with cans of juice and beer and took the elevator to the top of Mayumi’s building. Our tour book recommended several places for a good view of Tokyo – from where I was standing, this one was hard to beat. We were shocked to be … Continue reading
