roppongi.hills.六本木ヒルズ

another sunday, time flies really fast in japan!  i have been thinking if i should go to shinjuku shalom church again.  i like the service there especially when the church is also following g12 vision, however, it is really more caters for local community and although some people speak english but majority still prefer to speak japanese.

i have been praying for awhile and at first i planned to go for two services, one at shinjuku and then to the 4pm service at Jesus light house tokyo.  however, i ended up going to Jesus light house only.  roppongi is just so near, one metro stop away, i made it for 1pm service.

the iron steel spider at roppongi hills (六本木ヒルズ).  i still remember i love it so much here two years ago when i first visit roppongi.  it is just not shinjuku or harajuku, but less crowded and more classy crowds.

this is mori tower

mori arts museum is on the 58th floor, i haven't make it to the museum yet, it actually opens till 10pm daily, i will save till the day when the weather is clear and the exhibition is more appealing to me.

 

this is the building where Jesus Light house tokyo has the service.  it's bilingual, it's international and in just one visit i already made a handful of friends (english, american japanese, indians, philippines) and we went for lunch together after the service and have some fellowships.  we parted at just before 4pm where most of them go back for the 4pm service while i decided to go to tokyo midtown to run some errands..

i feel good, i have my spiritual food "prepare to burn bright" by senior pastor and this is not just comfort food but full of rebuke and challenges to us.  and i have fellowship  with fellow sisters that will keep me going next week.

next week i am going to conduct training on things that i don't really know, so you can imagine the amount of stress and preparations that i have to do in order to make the training happens.

good night and have a blessed week ahead.

travel.back.the.time.at yanaka.谷.中

you read so much about yanaka (谷中) an area just west of nippori jr station and part of the northern tokyo an area close by to ueno (上野) and asakusa (浅草).  you decided to check yanaka out yesterday.
without any guide book at hand, since your japan guidebook doesn't entail yanaka, you rely on what you have read on other's blogs and what you can remember....
so, it's "nippori jr station, turn left, head west"....
this area has the highest concentration of temples and graveyard (or cemetery), perhaps the only area that out beat the number of convenient stores in entire tokyo.  in most part of tokyo, you will find one convenient store less than 500 meters distance, they are everywhere on every streets and corners.  in yanaka, it's the temples and cemeteries that match to this description.  but you are not interested in temples because you worship Jesus. neither are you interested in the dead.   you are here to indulge in the old tokyo at edo-era.

this is the famous yanaka ginza.  yes it's called "ginza".  this is the second ginza that you visited so far, the first one is ebisu ginza last weekend.  you have not step your foot to the real glamorous ginza yet.  not yet, there is no hurry to rush there for organza flame, not when you only have a pair of sneaker as your weekend shoes. 
but yanaka ginza doesn't require you to dress up, a pair of sneaker is perfectly acceptable here.  because this area has not changed since decades.  no high rise buildings, no chic stores, no brand name but this place is full of live, full of delicious aroma, full of vibrant.



谷中銀座


walking through this gate, you are officially in yanaka ginza.  it's early in the day, so there are not many crowds yet.  it is good to let go, not relying on a map or guidebook, but relying on your senses to lead you here.



stores selling marinated goods, pickles, senbei, fresh produces.  food are so cheap here. you just realized you are reap off by paying the extra premium to the groceries at minato-ward where you are staying.  everything is like 30 percent cheaper. what a bummer!  but you don't want to come all the way here to do groceries shopping and carry them back home.

this is more like a domestic tourists area, i hardly see any foreigners here and neither there is any english word written.  they are plenty of locals or japanese tourists carrying a travel magazine and checking out the good stuffs.

here you can see old men and women mending the store.  they are just in their daily down to earth clothing, non pretentious.  at the end of the street, you can even get a bento lunch box for 250 yen. that's probably the cheapest ever i have seen in tokyo.  i pay on average 800 yen for a bento at chiyoda-ward where my client office located, here a large though not gourmet bento only costs 250 yen!!! life is really more affordable in yanaka.


yanaka coffee

as you leave yanaka ginza, you follow your instinct and stop you here, you read it somewhere too.  you ordered a cup of black coffee to try.  perhaps the best one ever for the average japan coffee that you have drank so far. this is cheap and strong.  there's a kick in this yanaka coffee. 

now you are completely lost! you don't know your orientation anymore, but you enjoy the small alleys, observing the balcony where people still hang their laundry outdoor, you sneak in to some communal area and this place reminds you to kyoto. and the door (on the bottom left) is actually smaller than a normal door, not a door that an adult can go in whiteout bending...

you take lots of photos here, simply because many things arouse your curiosity.  things of the old, things of the past... 

but you love your every moments here, you probably will come back again next time when you have a detailed tokyo guidebook at hand. for now, it is definitely a good yanaka first impression and orientation.

nippori.textile.street.日暮里.繊維街

i went to a few places today and have taken too many photos that now i am having a hard time to choose.  for now, let's say "nippori station - turn right (east exit)".

east of nippori yamanote jr line is a area that called textile street. a shopping mecca for anyone who are in love with sewing, patchwork, handicraft and all creative art work that involve textiles.

it doesn't appeal to me at first, but as i take my stroll along the road further i started to see thing unveiling in my eyes.  textiles, ready made clothing's, hats, glove's, scarves and many other merchandises that have textiles, of course.

a men mending the automatic sewing machine...

i love these ribbons and there are plenty of gadgets for sewing as well.  too bad i am not a sewing, patchwork, knitting person. otherwise i will be in love with these streets and probably spent the whole day here.

i am trying out some hats and playing with self reflection shots.  i love this pink birthday hat, but that is too kawaii for me... so i walk on... 

there are so many choices on button alone, and these crochets are plenty too.  i was browsing at one shop for quite a long time, there are many scarves on sales, scarves for all seasons - thicker wool one for winter, lighter one for spring and autumn, pure cotton or linen ones for summer.  i was tempted to pick up four but i got myself  under control and bought just one scarf at 680 yen.

ikegami.baien.池.上.梅.園

i am eager to see ume 梅の花 or plum flowers which usually blossom before cherry flowers (sakura).  normally ume is already in full bloom from early februari to early march.

i went to ikegami baien 池上梅園 in greater tokyo at the end station of oedo metro line. 

there are some flowers but not many, these are pink to red ume

and the almost white ume

at the park, as you can see most of the trees are still barren, there is no blossom yet.  so right now i can only imagine how it looks when during the ume hanami (梅花見) - the time of celebration to embrace the flowers.
.i can't wait actually, really looking forward to that...

ume and stone lantern- serenity!

these are probably the only bunch of branches with most flowers

at the park there is also a pond with viewing platform, however since there is not many blossom, the viewing tatami is closed

 

like all the gardens and parks in japan, there are always stone lantern, tatami floor, bamboo dipper and i am not tired of them yet.  in fact each time i see these elements in the garden or park, i feel relaxed and at ease.

梅の花.梅花見

can't wait!!!

marunochi.by.night

belated project shinnenkai (新年会). well, really belated in this case as shinnenkai is usually celebrated at the beginning of the year technically in january.  perhaps it is just an excuse to get together.  i needed that because it has been a long week.  this is just a perfect excuse to out of work in time on friday.

stand-t is a bar located at the corner of shin-marunochi building ((新丸の内ビルディング), a western bar frequented by gaijin (westerner).  we were serve with tapas and first drink is on the house (project) and the rest is buy your own drink. this is a good occasion to get to know other people whom i never had a chance to speak to daily in the project.

i left at 9pm and the moon just lured me to take my camera out and take a night scene of chiyoda-ward.

i am really not too far from otemachi metro station and the major tokyo station, and i came here by walking through the underground.

well, thank God is friday.  i really need a good rest, a good sleep and swim and a good sight seeing.  hopefully the weather will do the justice for tomorrow.

!!happy weekend!!

the.art.of.ikebana

i stumble into this place unintentionally.  i was on my way to the museum of photography and this exhibition just next to the museum with the word "free entrance" (入場無料) so i just walk in.

much to my surprise this is an oasis on its own.  an ikebana - flower arrangement display.

with japanese music playing at the background softly and with so many flower arrangement to appreciate, it suddenly transport me to a different world. 

i love the simplicity of ikebana and yet the flowers, leaves, branches are graciously decorated in a complete harmony.

at first i was admiring the flower arrangement only and a few moment later, i started to also appreciate the shadows of the leaves and flowers...

these flowers are so dutch spring flowers but yet the arrangement and interpretation is completely different from the western world.  i surely learn about the art of ikebana the very first time in my life.

some floral arrangements take up a lot of space like this one

others are perfectly size and can fit into most houses.  i just love the fact that most european spring flowers can be intepreted to japanese senses without much efforts.

may be i will attempt this sometime while i am here in tokyo or when i got home to lowland.

and most importantly i walked out the exhibition hall feeling completely relaxed and enlightened although i am not sure enlighten is the correct word.  but i feel free and at peace in my spirit.

happy "chap goh mei" for today is the end of the fifteen days of chinese new year. if not a childhood friend greeted me in facebook, i don't even realize it's already fifteen day.

tonkatsu.豚カツ.onigri.お握り

well, not my every day food but today at lunch time, i explore the tokyo station area, i came across this restaurant that specializes in tonkatsu (豚カツ, deep fried pork cutlet) and so decided to give it a try.

i ordered a "healthy" version of tonkatsu set lunch. it comes with rice, clam miso soup and coleslaw, everything can be refill free of charge except the pork cutlet

the tonkatsu is super yummy, crunchy on the crumb layer and super succulent inside. so soft and so moist.

this is the secret sauce, it makes a lot of difference when i splash a little on the pork.  the taste is like a variation of hp sauce but not too sour...

my project is at it height and so i spent in average 12 hours at work.

i am too tired or lazy to cook tonight, i picked up a few onigiri ( お握り)from a onigiri specialty shop that i passed by every day.  the onigiris are on sales in the evening, so i picked up three for my dinner tonight.

much to my surprise one of the onigiri consists of one whole onsen (温泉/hotspring) egg.  these are super yummy and simple dinner.  of course i blanched some green veg to go with these onigris

happy wednesday, now that i have eaten, i am ready to call it a night.

sakura.fever

people here are crazy about sakura (cherry flower).  while i woke up this morning with thick layer of snow welcoming me, stumble and almost fall on my high heels while walking to the metro station.
today i received my passport and i am granted with one year of stay in japan. haha! not that i will stay here forever, in fact i am done before summer but it is good that i can come back for a visit without hassle if i want to come for the autumn. so next valentine's day my permit is over.

now that valentine's is over, i see sakura theme products everywhere...

these are actually sort of pink jelly, with the sakura flower, i am almost tempted to buy one to try but i didn't as it is too difficult to carry around.

sakura (桜) namagashi (和菓子), i am taking a bite as i write this...hmmm... the taste is almost similar for most namagashi that is mochi and azuki bean but it's the outer appearance that make the bite extra special. and a cup of tea to wash it down.

 

sakura macaron from starbucks.  this is the seasonal product actually, i also had a cup of sakura latte to go with it.  both macaron and latte taste very natural actually, it's the gentle mild sakura scent that reminds me that we are heading to spring although it snowed this morning...

so much for now. 

be.my.valentine

since it's valentine's day, so let's talk about chocolate. i have seen so many chocolates lately, all gearing up for today. apparently in japan, valentine's day has a different approach, unlike the rest of the world where it's a day for mutual gifts exchange, or men give to women, in japan it is the other way round, women give chocolate to men.

it is not until a month later on 14th march, when men do the gift giving to the women. anyway, set aside the artisan chocolate, i am more intrigue by the various flavors of kitkat that one can find here in japan.

cheese cake and almond tofu flavor kitkat

kawagoe's sweet potato, soy sauce (i think) and wasabi flavor. the sweet potato may be acceptable, but i cannot imagine soy sauce and wasabi version of kitkat.

today at the office, only female colleagues distributing these goodies, that simply proof the theory that valentine's day in japan is more steer towards women buying power than men. well, thank you very much ladies, arigato minasan! i wish you a happy valentine's day too. too bad my honey is in a far far away land....