View from the Treetops

An architecturally interesting building is a bit of a rarity in Nagoya.  Lots of utilitarian buildings with not a lot of personality.  The entire city was virtually leveled during WWII and apparently, few historic buildings survived.  Lots of brown slate or brick buildings.

The Noyori Conference Hall, named after a Nobel Prize-winning Nagoya University professor is just breathtaking.  And on the top, is a tiny neighborhood in the sky - eight little modern apartments for visiting professors with a beautiful little green space and open to the air.

We stayed in the one reserved for Dr. Noyori (though, I'm suspicious as to whether they made him scrub the floors before he left).    A two story modern loft space with a living room, tiny office nook, a kitchen and a dining area on the first floor. On the second floor, a full bath, a bedroom and a tatami room separated by rice paper sliding doors.  Really, the second floor is one big room, so we have been cohabitating as a family for 5 weeks... crazy on many levels.

I love this apartment.  The view of the Higashiyama tower and the lush university campus is lovely.  The furniture and aesthetic so Japanese in its simplicity and thoughtfulness. While I cannot imagine doing this again in a one bedroom apartment with two children, this was a beautiful space to live.

We are the first two story at the top left.

I look terrible, but they are cute cute cute.  Long day of running around.

Random weird things we bought or saw.

I must confess that this blog has been lazy and sloppy. The last one was a polished and sentimental endeavor and this is just 1/100th of that.  I also must confess that a good 50% of the fun of Japan is the random crap you can buy.

Unlike my elegant mom, I did not spend my time searching for the Heian Era Tea Cup used by the Emperor.  I went to the 100 yen store and Tokyo Hands to find cheap and weird things to bring back.

Tokyu Hands is the BEST store.  Like a Japanese Spencer's, Target, Williams Sonoma, and Dollar Store all in one.  Second to Tokyu Hands is Daiso, the dollar store. The only problem is taht we paid $60 extra dollars to United in baggage costs to ship all the cheap nonsense we bought from the Daiso.

I did not buy these, but these are fake tears.  Forest girl, nurse, angel-phobics, and princesses all have very different tears, apparently.  Then, there are the "real fake tears."

 

 Some sort of book about butts. It ap

pears to be a series about butts... and maybe the lessons they learn?

Ummm... Unclear what this is.  

This looked so promising, but was so gross.

Giant cat head pillows at the dollar store. Couldn't resist getting two.

Sticker store.

I'm sure this turns someone somewhere on.

New Clothing line?

Purse from the dollar store.

Squirt gun if you open the legs.

Face masks for your skin for every sin... 

Sweet Spots

Big. News.  KitKats have mostly disappeared.  Ten years ago, every candy aisle in the country had at least three or four flavors of KitKats.  Wasabe, red bean, green tea, white chocolate, the list goes on.  Now... there are no more KitKats.   In Kyoto we saw a handful in the tourist areas... but mostly gone. I just saw some green tea at the grocery store yesterday and some fruit/white chocolate, but they are really not as everywhere as they were.  #Sad.

Nonetheless, we have survived and managed to find other Japanese sweets to satisfy the crazy sweet tooth you get when walking 11-20,000 steps every day.

People eat CRAZY amounts of carbs and sugar here. I have no idea why they are all so thin.  I do have some idea why many have terrible teeth.  Ours would fall out if we lived here.

Rafi's breakfast

The ubiquitous vending machines of tooth rot.  The boys BEG and PLEAD for Yen every time we walk by one... which is every 5 feet.

Rafi cuteness.

The best thing ever... soft ice made of grape juice in a plastic jar you can just eat when it is 900 degrees out.

Turns out the panda bear is not candy, but tinySlim Jims. Ick.  Everything else, delish.  I love the red bean paste and cookie treat next to the Panda.  At first it tastes like cardboard, but then it is yummy once you get used to it. 

Truly horrific even for a cilantro lover... chocolate cilantro.

Cuties.

Retracing Our Steps - Naoshima, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka.

I would have thought that after ten years, we'd want to explore all new areas of Japan.  And, I spent months looking for those places we might want to go. North to Hokkaido or to Nagano or even more of Tokyo.  But, what I found was that I longed to retrace our steps and see what we'd already seen on a deeper level (and without a toddler).  I wanted to show Carlos where he'd been as a baby and all of the funny things he did in each place.  I wanted Rafi to finally have some Japan stories of his own. I also loved where we'd been.

Kyoto, Nara, Osaka and Naoshima now have such special places in our hearts.   Kyoto is the most famous, like a Japanese Santa Fe with historic architecturally striking neighborhoods and packed with tourists.  We saw the beautiful Golden Temple with its gardens, the famous shopping arcades, and the winding Ninenzaka streets.  We went to Arashiyama where there is a bamboo forest and little monkeys everywhere.  And then, Osaka.

I love Osaka.  It is a beautiful city with bright lights and delicious food.  Apparently, people from Osaka are funny.  Hilarious, actually.  I have no idea, but like everywhere we've experienced in Japan they are kind and gentle. 

In Osaka, we went to the Tejin Matusuri, a parade with hundreds of years of history. I can't lie... if I never see another Japanese Matsuri, it will be too soon.  It is group after group in yukata/kimonos banging on drums. Truly.  We bought tickets to this special seating and it came with ridiculous commentary people (like Hoda and Kathie Lee, but a man and an older woman in Yukata (traditional robes with obi belt/sash) speaking Japanese and cracking those clearly hilarious Osaka jokes) and while the view was great, we wanted to sneak out within a few minutes.  We have been to one amazing Matsuri in Kyoto ten years ago in May, but the rest are kind of missable.    We keep chasing the high of the Kyoto one, only to find that the rest of them are a bit sucky.

And finally, we went back to magical Naoshima, the art island..  Naoshima is an old fishing village island that was transformed to be a modern artwork.  While people who farm and mine salt still live there, it is a magnificent art experience.  A museum by architect Tadao Ando that is underground, but only uses natural light.   The museum has four Monets in one quiet and bright white room where you can't speak and you have to take off your shoes, and a light room by James Turrell, and amazing, jaw dropping art everywhere.   Six different artists were given old houses to make into art, and they were all just heart stopping.

Naoshima makes modern art accessible.  

Gion fence

Trees - photo by Carlos

DELICIOUS Shabu Shabu (which I guess means back and forth or at least that is what the waitress said as she dipped the meat into the broth... shabu... shabu in a singsongy voice)

Hilarious translation.

Exquisite door.

Baby monkey at Arashiyama Monkey Park.

For the record, mommy is a greedy monkey and doesn't let baby have any food if she is around.

Could use some sunscreen. 

Beautiful lantern festival in Kyoto. 

Nara deer gang.

World's largest wood structure - Todaji Temple

Giant buddha inside. Breathtaking.

The Nara Deer.  David thinks they were less aggressive this time.    That makes no sense, but he is cute.

Ready for the onsen!  David had to take them with him to the men's side and I got bliss by myself.

Painting tiles for the Todaji Temple roof in Nara.

No clue who this is, but he got a hug.

My favorite hotel in the world, quite possibly. Benesse House.

View from our hotel restaurant.

Yayoi Kusama pumpkin.  I am getting a giant soft sculpture sent to me of this.  I'm not even sure I want it, but 10 years ago David nixed me buying it and I've been pining for it in theory ever since.  

Art house in Nagoya

Art carved into a random wood wall.