kiunkaku.起雲閣

you crawl up your bed at 5am to attend a conference call, and you dive back to your bed again and sleep till the normal hours.  you were frustrations, you miss tokyo but there is nothing you can do to take off unless you have the permission to fly.

so soothe your love for japan, and the fact that you are torn between the two cities, you start another travel tale. 

imagine you are still at atami, but not by the seaside but somewhere in a secluded mansion.  a east meets west mention.  this mansion is so so  beautiful that you refuse to leave this place.

this is an unusual japanese house that has long corridor that link up a number of stand alone japanese houses into one rectangular.

as you can see the different exterior facets of the house mansion

and in the center is this beautifully, graciously manicured japanese landscape garden with cultured bonsai, trees

 

this is avery artistic place to be, you can even feel how artistic, poetic the owner(s) must be, to be able to express the house and garden in this way

stony pathway

stream

pine tree

and this is definitely not the religious zen houses or garden.  this mansion is full of surprise. 

just the name alone kiunkaku and the ever so pretty name in kanji 起雲閣 directly translated to "rising cloud mansion" although nothing beat the real meaning in kanji.

you are eager to show your readers the inner beauty of this mansion, but to be continue for now.

good night.

spring.joy.ride

a life without pajama days would not be much of a life.

not too many – but lately it is nice to wake up and have no reason to change into regular clothing. and no hurry to rush anywhere.

you just sit at your desk and start dialing in to conference calls, one after another till mid noon. where you have your break.

a break to change. or no perhaps no need to change at all.  but certainly a break to eat.

and because you stick to the japan working hours, you have the rest of the afternoon for yourself (sometimes, only when you don't have to deal with the americans).

and when the weather is great, when you have the time and the mood...
you go for a bike ride, a joy ride...

cycling is only a leisure pastime for you. usually in spring and summer.

you are enjoying the hollandse spring. you are "stranded" after all, with no where to go for the moment.

 you love the sweet scent of magnolia, it's just so sweet and refreshing. it relaxes you.

 you spot sakura (cherry blossom) and you miss tokyo again.

 you know that unless a miracle happens, otherwise you will not be in time to see the sakura, a hanami that you long waited for. but you will not be there in time to see it this year.  but you give thanks because compare to many that lost their lives recently in earthquake and tsunami, you may miss it this year, you can still see it next year.  but for them, mono no aware, they will never see sakura hanami again.

 then you come across these barren trees

 and saw many beheaded trees, and you feel a little sad again.

you carry on with your journey, you stop by the lake and take in the moment of serenity pitts

enjoying the early spring, the quietness of the moment, but most importantly the peace in your heart.  you give thanks to God again.

and you cycling extended.
you discover new areas and spot a few interesting houses.  you tell yourself you don't mind living in this corner house by the creek and with floor length windows all over.

or imagine yourself moving into apartment like this, it sounds like an idea too.
but you know you will not move. at least for the time being...

on your way back, discover a patch of blue that once again thrills you.  you just love spring.
it's a season full of colors, full of surprises.

 

dreamy.cafe

your second visit....

that's because you can never have enough of this place.

you want to keep this place for secret. for yourself only.

a little dreamy place...

because you can simply day dreaming away by sitting here

or reading a good book

or perhaps writing your journal...

or people watching

or simply doing nothing....

you admire the ever so simple flower decoration, the grass, branches and spring flowers that are in season, pick up from the surrounding woodland, a simple blessing from the nature...

you admire the sun out there but it's entire your choice to sit indoor because it's the ambience of the cafe, the interior decoration that makes you a little day dreaming, a little too cozy to return to reality.  every bit of its decoration allure you to come back again and again.  the books, the pots, the mix and match, the vintage, the chalkboard all these make a dream cafe for you... 

of course a cuppa to warm you up after the dutch spring morning advanture to the flower heart land.  all you need now is a simple cup of good coffee to keep your body warm again

and a taste of the milk froth, hmmm.... simple taste but it gives you the total satisfaction, a moment of warmth

and a long waited soup finally arrives...

your onion soup with a slice of cornbread, taste of home made but lack of sticky cheese to give you the "ummph"

his pepper soup, super fresh, delicious. taste of sunshine. overdose of vitamin a and c.  what a bliss. you actually took it over and finish it all... because the texture of the soup looks like your homemade freshly pound chili paste, minus the heat of course.

his uitsmijter with generous three sunny side eggs...

your farmer's omelet on some yummy brown bread

you love the fact that organic ingredients are use in the menu and home made taste but most importantly you are here for a dream...

and for a moment you just love how he coordinates his blue color code with a matching blue coffee mug. even the lady at the background compliments the blue. and of course you like the rustic chalkboard and you can never have enough of the simple bunch of wild flowers in the vase. 

because you are in  a dreamy cafe.

you are here for a dream.

[p/s: i have problem with photo upload lately, somehow photo uploaded through picasa directly to blogger doesn't work.  but set that aside, i am still "stuck" at my adopted land but enjoying the spring]

destination.spicy

today i have a clearer view of my pending trip to tokyo.  in summary the trip will not move forward unless the dutch government lifted the ban on japan.  i am in frustration, so are my executives in tokyo who apparently have spent their weekends in convincing the dutch counterpart but without success.  this including the involvement of legal review from both countries.  so i am sure i will not be in time to see the sakura blossom unless the state of fukushima change and the radiation is making a drastic improvement, otherwise i don’t see any date to return to tokyo.  that lead to two major questions. should i remain on the project or should i roll of?  most practical problem is my tokyo apartment is still full of my stuff, someone needs to clear my apartment and my stuff has to go somewhere… second more important point is there is no replacement for my role from within japan because i am a replacement in the first place.  rolling me off is not an option, keeping me working from lowland is also not an option.  we explore the possibility for me to work from the client’s amsterdam office but this got rule out as their presence in amsterdam is too small.

set that aside, i had a spicy lunch date with two lovely girlfriends who came all the way from amsterdam and beyond just to meet up.  friends who care and friends who take time to share...



口水鸡 saliva chicken

 our love for hot and spicy food brought us to this restaurant that specialized in szechuan cuisine. 

水煮肉片

i ordered all the dishes and they are jolly spicy good. really hit the spot so to say, though the photos will not do the justice as it is the iphone that did the job.

cumin lamb rack



as we enjoying our spicy meal and spicy conversation fill with tales of tokyo, eats of japan and passion for fine dining, harsh reality of earthquake, tsunami and radiation... something take it course....



重庆辣子鸡

 over lunch, the spiciness is taking it course and is steering my next destination. something completely exotic and unexpected.  something that matches the spiciness of this meal or to another extend take the spiciness to the next level.  then again i don't want to speak too soon besides acknowledging my God is a God that full of surprise and the time will tell in the next few days...
it may happen, it may not for decision and circumstances change in split second in business world just like the development of the fukushima incident. but for now i thanked God that i have the option.

dutch.spring.morning

day light saving. today europe turns the clock an hour forward. you lost an hour in a way, but you don't care because you will have a longer day light. a promise that spring is in the air.

you woke up early by the sunlight, and you couldn't contain in the house any longer as the weather is enticing you to get out, out to the nature, to the wood, to the flower field... it doesn't matter where but just get out there..

so you drove to the flower heart land... blue sky greets you, the fresh spring morning air kisses you and the country side scene embraces you with open arms.

you thanked God, for it is just a perfect spring morning. you thanked Him for the beautiful spring morning that you are out and about to capture every moment....

yellow daffodils by the creek welcome you

and a patch of purple flowers waving their hands...

you can't resist and walk in to the fields to say hi to these purple flower

and enjoy the sea of purple flower land and you thanked God that you couldn't fly today because you know why, for He wants you to enjoy His beauty and creation in the early spring day. with something unique to lowland, endless of spring flowers and this is just the beginning, tulips are yet to sprout out...

and you thanked God that you can spend a lovely spring morning with him too.

missing.tokyo

you may call me insane.  you may think that i am naive.  but the truth is i miss tokyo. and the fact is i didn't get the clearence from my company to fly this weekend back to tokyo.  i am a little disappointment, because i really want to be back.  i am aware of the nuclear plant situation.  i am informed about the tap water contamination in tokyo.  i am aware about the radioactive, but i just know that i will be fine, because my life is spare by the Lord and so it's time for me to do something for Him.

few weeks ago, before the earthquake and tsunami, i was here at my extended back garden.

photo shooting session of a couple in traditional costumes

enjoying the sun, a slow stroll and people watching.  a couple dressed in traditional kimono posing for photo with the tokyo tower as the back drop.

and a rather serene view of water, green, high rise and blue sky, a park in the city view.

 

and it's a delight to see a patch of yellow that reminds me of my spring trip - a long ride to berlin, germany or in the country road of northern france, where there were endless of yellow patch fields like this one.

 

and the little ume blossoms brings me back from my memory, that i am in japan, right here at the hama rikyu onshi teien

and ume with different colors too

i just love this photo, the branches are from the cherry trees which were not in its flowering season then in mid february, but if i am to take this photo again on the same spot, you will surely see more pink colors flowers sprouting on the barren branches

and a me happy with the nature, taking self shot with my new iphone (back then was just the day two in possession of an iphone)

when can i get back to tokyo is still a question, but if it is God's will, it will have to be very soon, in a matter of day(s).

[i was there on february 26,2011]