LAST GLIMPSES

The last from my Japan trip this year. It's time to welcome the new year and dream of new places to explore  again *lol*

KURUMI NO KI

Kurumi no Ki (くるみの木）is actually a tiny cluster of cafe and zakka (see knick-knacks) shops in Nara. It was set up 26 years ago by then housewife, Yukiko Ishimura at a time when pretty cafes and zakka goods were practically unheard of (I would have been just a baby at that time), and now shops like hers are found all over Japan. The place has earned a steady cult following over the years. The queue starts even before the doors are open.

Yukiko wanted to sell only quality food and well-made products. Every leafy piece of vegetable and woven straw basket found in her shop are the result of countless visits to the local farmers and artisans and personally used by her to check for quality before they go on the plates and shelves. The concept is the antithesis of our buy-and-throw world today. Eat well, buy something well made, and let it stand the test of time in your home.

You can see it in the little compound that she owns. The trees that I loved the most (and where I killed rows of film on) have grown tall with a life of their own. The hand-made benches we sat on have been polished smooth by the many years of sun, rain and snow. I'm a big fan of the kind of unpainted furniture in her shops left in its raw wooden form, they age so well. The milk I had with my yummy fruit cake came packed in a little glass bottle with tiny red letters printed on the surface, saying that it's from a local cow farm. B and I stayed for a long time, and were still talking about it hours after we left.

The place had somehow worked its own magic, I'm dying to go back again.

SLUNICKO CAFE

I love checking out local one-of-a-kind cafes when I'm travelling. This one's called Slunicko and screamed retro! We found it on the main shopping stretch in Nara.

This little boy ran in before his mother and sisters. They had reserved the seats beside us. Don't you just love how his dressing fits in with the cafe decor?

Even the china and utensils were so pretty. All the cups and plates had different designs.

Lots of yummies in this. I don't know if it's my imagination, but the corn soup tasted especially good in the wooden cup and spoon. I'm determined to buy some of these wooden cups and bowls back.

ASUKA

Asuka is the kind of place that looks very good in the guidebooks, but when you're actually there, can't really seem to find anything to see. The place was supposed to be the center of the Asuka era, roughly from around A.D500s to 700s. We made a side trip there from Nara on the second day, but even looking at the photos now, I still can't really remember exactly what we saw. So if you're planning a trip to Nara, and Asuka is somehow listed on your guidebook, my advice is... ...give it a miss (unless you're really really into the countryside).

I remembered it was a nice warm day though, we walked a lot and there were a lot of fields. Took a lot of photos (even though there was nothing!), we saw orange trees and had "purple rice" for dinner. The place is supposed to be famous for them.

Today in Minneapolis>>

Lots and lots of snow today! I was out walking and killed a few rows of film. Will get them developed and uploaded after I return to Tokyo this weekend^^

IT'S ALL ABOUT TEMPLES IN NARA

Temples and deer that is. They do have some really beautiful architecture there though. The red Kasuga Shrine with the rows of metal lanterns is my favourite.

SHIKA MANIA

Arguably the most famous symbol of Nara, these shika (read deer) roam freely in the Nara park. Like a true Japanese deer they actually bow to you for food. They understand simple hand gestures, like open palms held up means "no more food!". They're so tame they'll let you pet them but get them overexcited (especially if you have one of those shika senbei or deer crackers that they love in your hand), they can also butt, kick or bite you.

As the legend goes, a mythological god came to Nara one day to protect the city when it was newly built in the Heijo-kyo era, and he came on a beautiful white deer. And that's why their image is now on buses, sewers, street signs, key-chains, food packaging, everything. 

To be honest, I went kind of gaga over them. I mean, who can not love these animals with the sweet bambi eyes? My friend B and I really had fun looking out for them around the city.

Today in Minneapolis>>

HC was off early this morning to catch his flight, Minneapolis->LA->Tokyo->Singapore. Unfortunately LA was as far as he got. The weather here has been terrible and his flight from Minneapolis airport was delayed which made him miss his connecting flight to Tokyo, so now he's holed up at the Radisson in LA until tomorrow. 

On Saturday, the temperatures dipped below zero, and there was freezing rain which caused the streets to glaze over. We were out and by evening the sidewalks were all frozen over and we were slipping and sliding all the way back to the hotel. The cars were all skidding too and the news reported over 400 crashes across the state. The airport was also closed and airplanes couldn't land. The city is apparently well equipped to deal with snow but not sleet. It was quite a mess.

I was in all day today after checking the weather report (wet with the air at -7c, windchill -15c), no way I was making my way out. Tomorrow I'm hoping to go to the museum and I've got my grand strategy all planned out. I'm going to tell the bellboy in the lobby where I'm going, run out and hop into the cab as it pulls up, and then make a mad dash in when it stops at the museum doors.