daily glimpse

Remember in Kill Bill when Uma Thurman totally kicked all the Crazy 88’s asses in that restaurant?



This is the restaurant the set was built to look like and where purportedly some parts of that scene were filmed, although there seems to be a lot of arguments on the web about it. The food not amazing, but you could buy yellow pumas there just like Uma’s.

daily glimpse

This lovely lady was beckoning people to come stay at a small hotel…



What kind of hotel? I don't know and don't care to find out.

daily glimpse

Making cakes is obviously a pretty serious affair here in Japan…



and also a little confusing.

daily glimpse

This is a map of only the JR lines. It doesn't include all the subway lines and other private lines that can truly get you anywhere in Tokyo.



It is really an awesome public transportation system and you know if I can navigate it, it’s also idiot proof.

daily glimpse

Wrong colors, but GO DAWGS!

daily glimpse

I know they love their cute things here, but really?



Wouldn’t this make kids want to climb onto the construction heap even more?

daily glimpse

Paper cranes a store owner gave to us as we were leaving...

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, but in truth it was the night before that I truly loved. Each year after school (although the tradition probably started before I was old enough for school) I would set off for my Grandma’s house to spend the entire night cooking in preparation for the next day’s feast.

The very first dish I ever learned to make was the Thanksgiving dressing. Standing on a chair and hovering over a huge silver tin, I put my tiny hands to work crumbling cornbread and biscuits. Grandma would add the chopped onions, eggs, giblets and seasonings and I would shove my arms elbow deep into the pan combining all the ingredients, laughing and talking while the smell of the poultry seasoning filled our noses. Before even being asked, I would step down off my chair and position myself at a safe distance as I watched Grandma pour in the still hot turkey broth. Wait, wait, wait for it to cool and then the real fun began as I plunged back into the very gooey mixture to incorporate the broth. Time for tasting…a little more salt…needs more poultry seasoning…that’s perfect! My grandma would then pull out two huge sheets of tin foil and we’d wrap the pan to sit overnight in the fridge before cooking it the next day.

As the years went by, I no longer had to use the chair or step away when the hot broth was making its way from the stove. My Grandmother patiently taught me how to peel an egg worthy of being deviled and how to use the ugly ones for the potato salad. She taught me how to chop cucumbers small enough for the macaroni salad, how not to burn the fried onions atop the green bean casserole and how to make pumpkin pie.

As I got older we started the tradition of me trying out one new dish each year. There were successes like my pumpkin bread, failures like my German potato salad and then the triumphs like the tedious and time consuming homemade crescent rolls that I was doomed to cook year after year. Eventually, I took over more and more dishes until I could practically cook the entire meal save the sacred sweet potatoes.

Thanksgiving Day would start early and within a few hours my aunts, uncles and cousins would arrive bearing their own tin foil covered dishes, crowding the kitchen, poking their noses into pots and vying for my Grandma’s attention.

It was okay though. We had had our time together, just me, my Grandma and all the love and warmth that filled her kitchen as we prepared for the holiday.

I called this morning knowing the time difference would mean I would catch Grandma in the kitchen. I could hear her wooden spoon stirring pots as we talked and I wished so much to be there next to her, elbow deep in the gooey dressing, laughing and talking as the smell of the poultry seasoning filled our noses.

It’s tough being so far away during the holidays, but along with so many blessings, I’m thankful for the memories.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Happy Thanksgiving!

As much of Japan as you can squeeze into a long weekend...

Thanks to a holiday and one vacation day we had a 4 day weekend in Japan. It felt like a month. We somehow decided that we should do as much as humanly possible and spent each day/night in a different city. I’m officially wiped out.

We started our trip with Hiroshima. I know, I know, I said that I was hoping for no more depressing weekends after Auschwitz. As sad as it was, I think a trip to Japan would be remiss without visiting the memorial park at Hiroshima. We made the time in Hawaii to visit Pearl Harbor and I think it’s beyond important for people to see the true devastation of war. I actually think the world's leaders should be required to visit all these sites.

Did you know that not one sitting US President has ever visited Hiroshima or Nagasaki? Maybe Obama should have made the time to take Hiroshima up on their invitation on his last trip to Japan. Maybe after seeing the tattered bloody clothes of innocent children, some lucky enough to die instantly, others forced to live out their few final days with the majority of their bodies charred beyond recognition and in agonizing pain, would make him focus a bit more on working towards nuclear disarmament. For those of you who still think he can do no wrong, maybe you should visit too and read the letter from the Hiroshima mayor to President Obama regarding the nuclear testing we were performing just this year.



Needless to say, it was an emotionally taxing morning.

After walking through the grounds we caught a boat for our ride to Miyajima to visit the famous Shinto shrine and pet some insanely tame deer that wander around the town…




We had a train that night to Himeji and set off the next morning to see their famous castle. I still don’t think they should call it a castle, but whatevs. Well, it turns out that the main and most amazing building is actually under construction and completely covered with scaffolding. Whoops.

The area was still nice and best of all Jules got to dress up like a samurai…





From there we actually went back to Tokyo. We had a visiting wife to pick up and karaoke to sing in the actual room where the scene from Lost in Translation was filmed…



The next morning we surprisingly all made it to the train and were on our way to Haikone to visit the hot springs. Except when we got there it was raining and the springs were actually a lot farther than we thought they were.

Luckily the traditional room at the Ryokan we were staying was very nice, looked out onto the river and actually made a nice place to spend a relaxing afternoon reading and napping. Dinner was amazing that night and we enjoyed getting the traditional experience even if we missed the springs.

The next morning we walked through the town, did a little shopping and then started a series of train hopping that would eventually get us to Kamakura. We made it in time to see the great Buddha and one other shrine before closing times…





We decided to just call it a day since it was already getting dark and caught an earlier train back to Tokyo…where we all went to bed!

This weekend we’re headed to Fukuoka. Not the most exciting town in Japan, but that’s where the Grand Sumo tournaments are held in November! Cannot wait!! SUMO-SUMO-SUMO!!

Photos from the weekend...

daily glimpse

One of the stores on Kappabashi St. had a demonstration on how they make the plastic foods…



It really is an art form here…




Tell me that fish in the back doesn’t look real.