A blog for all seasons 1

The rainy season is now upon us here in Japan, so naturally, I’ll be spending the next week holed up in my apartment building an ark. And in true Japanese style it will be small and fuel efficient. I thought in honour of the crappy weather, and my having been here for over a year, I’d show you Kanazawa in different seasons.

This is the lantern at Oyama Shrine.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Bread

In general, when people think of Japanese food, rice and fish come to mind. However, European bakeries are very popular in Japan, my two favourites being 'Vie de France' and 'German Bakery'. Since most people don't have ovens, these are the places to go for baked goods, and due to their unfortunate convenience, are an easy way to gain 10 pounds.

This little guy is a meronpan (melon bread). They aren't usually shaped like turtles, nor do they taste like melon. They have a hard outer layer that makes them look like a cantaloupe, hence the name. They're slightly sweet and easy to eat, and occasionally adorable.

Tea for Two

Last weekend I attended a tea ceremony at Seison-kaku, a villa built in the 1800’s for the mother of the reigning lord at the time. The building is located in Kenrokuen, the garden Kanazawa is famous for. The room is seldom used in order to properly preserve it, and this historical consideration is said to improve the ceremony.

I decided to wear (and purchase) a kimono for the occasion, since it was on my to-do-list while I was in Japan.

The type of kimono I’m wearing is a Furisode (translation: swinging sleeves). These kimono are made of brightly coloured silk and are worn by young, unmarried women, usually at their coming of age ceremony when they’re 20 years old. These kimono can cost as much as a small car (around ¥1,000,000 or $10,000 US), but I bought mine at a used kimono shop, so it was considerably less. I also bought the embroidered obi (sash), and the tabi (split toed socks) for the occasion.

A special thanks to Kazuyo’s mother for dressing me. It’s a lot more involved than it looks.

Japan = the patch

According to David Sedaris (who writes hilarious short stories by the way) the best way to quit smoking is to move to Japan and learn Japanese for 3 months. He also discusses the hilarious ashtray pictures from my previous post with Jon Stewart, who finds them just as funny as I do. Enjoy.

Smoke baby pt. 3

Recently in Japan, cigarette vending machines have begun to require special age verification "Taspo" cards to purchase cigarettes. It turns out they're a pain in the ass to obtain, so a Japanese company is planning to use face scanning technology to determine age.

Cigarette machines may get face scanners

So in honour of this new technology, here's more advertisment poetry to get lung cancer by.

(I carry a 700C fire in my hand with people walking all around me.)

(click to enlarge)