Old School

Today I went (with a couple of friends) to visit one of the area's most famous attractions---which happens to be conveniently located about 15 minutes from my house.  The Ashikaga Gakko is well-known as the oldest university in Japan.  Yep, in the whole country.  Rumor has it that school history goes back to the 800's but written records only go back to the 1400's (which, to an American is still really, really old).  It's heyday was in the 1500's when it was the premiere academy in Japan with 3000+ students and some worldwide recognition.  Now it is just a national historic site which has been remodeled so many times over the centuries that it would probably be unrecognizable to anyone who actually went to school there.

the Middle Gate, or School Gate, as the Chinese characters on it say "school"

The main course of study was Confucianism with some other Chinese studies thrown in on the side.   We didn't go inside the buildings too much but the grounds around the school are beautiful.  They have a little brochure in English that tells what some of the stuff is and the entrance fee is 400 yen (about $5).  There are actually a couple of big temples adjacent to the Gakko ("gakko" is just the word for "school", by the way) but I'm saving them for later trips and posts.

Confucius

from the side

grounds and pond

some building

the thatched roofs were interesting (this is shot up
from the underside), and judging by the continuous
maintenance, delicate

entrance to the big Confucian shrine

small shrines around the grounds

An Afternoon Constitutional

Since it was a beautiful day and I needed to pick up some butter at the local convenience store, I set out for a walk.  I took my camera and went by the scenic route.

I checked out a mystery tree in my yard that began unexpectedly blooming recently......

and I checked on my funny-colored petunias....

and then I enjoyed a neighbor's cherry tree.....

and another neighbor's cherry tree....

 and another neighbor's pink dogwood, masquerading as a cherry tree....

 and yet another neighbor's wall of white dangly flowers......

 and a nearby field of daffodils.

And I admired this yard, which I wished was mine.

After buying my butter (and some spur-of-the-moment olive oil) I moseyed over by the comic book/stationary shop that sits incongruously nearby.  I didn't take a photo of the shop---I thought I had one.  But it appears I don't.  Maybe one day I'll post about it, but not today.

Today I'll mention the ice cream vending machine that sits in front of said shop to lure children.  Ice cream vending machines are wonderfully common here, especially at places that children frequent.  I had always known this machine was there, and that one day I would buy an ice cream out of it but I had no intention of doing so today.

That is, until I inventoried the flavors.....chocolate chip mint....chocolate ganache.... and raspberry cheesecake.  Raspberry cheesecake, for heaven's sake!  There's only so much a pregnant lady can take.

 And then on my way back in I admired the one lonely, sad tulip that has appeared in my yard.  Coincidentally, also raspberry cheesecake flavored.

The end. ;)

Buying for Baby

Today I went by the one Japanese baby/maternity store that is in these parts.  It's a chain actually, and there are two pretty close by.  This was my second trip to Nishimatsuya (site is all in Japanese) but this time I went knowing I could filter out a decent-sized chunk of the merchandise.

I've also visited the baby section of Aeon as well as those in a couple of other supermarkets and small clothing stores.  There are some consignment shops around here that have baby things and I'll probably be checking out one of those later in the week.  And we've got a big trip to Ikea in our future as well. 

Update: I forgot to mention that there is a Babies R' Us pretty close to us but it's comparable to Nishimatsuya.  Lots of clothes, strollers and carseats but no cribs and way too much Mickey.

Baby merchandise is a little different here than in the US---mainly things are much simpler, especially nursery furniture and decorations.  Japanese people don't appear to go overboard like Americans in terms of baby things---they get just the necessities.  All these photos are from Nishimatsuya, but they're pretty indicative of what is available overall in a few categories---I didn't take photos of the grooming stuff, diapers, slings or swings but they are there (Pampers and Johnson & Johnson are popular brands).  Or baby food, because that is going to get a whole post by itself in the future. ;)

Nishimatsuya--the rabbit is always recognizable

mostly summer clothes right now

baby kimonos! (those are rabbits, not aliens...this is not
the best pattern)

I could dress her up like a ladybug.....

.....or a watermelon.  (also duck, cow or bumblebee, poor kid)

this is the ONE crib that is available in this whole dang country,
except for what you can get at Ikea---they don't use changing tables here either

mostly Winnie and Mickey for bedding, which I do NOT care for

on the other hand, there are bajillions of strollers and carseats to choose from--
as many as in the US

riding toys appear to be popular

Spring is Here!

It's official---spring is here!  Why?  Because my frogs have finally come back!! 

the first frog of spring--he looks a
little peaked, poor guy

and his friend nearby (there was a third
but I got so excited I accidentally
chased him under a bush)

a family of lizards were nearby too--there are two in this photo, can you spot them both?

More Hanami.....and Pandas!

This weekend we went into the city for a doctor's appointment and to meet up with an old friend of Chad's and his girlfriend who were visiting Tokyo for a few days.  We ended up spending Friday morning at Ueno Park and Zoo which is destined to be one of my favorite places in the city.  Along with the zoo, there are shrines, temples, museums and green space all in a huge park in northeastern Tokyo.  We didn't get to see much, and only half of the zoo, but I know we'll probably go back multiple times.

Right now, the park is also known as one of the best places to see the cherry blossoms in Tokyo, although a lot of them had fallen by this point.

walking through the park

a few still left...

....here and there

Shin Shin---one very relaxed and hungry giant panda

the elephants were nice enough to pose

building in the park

After the zoo we headed to the doctor's office where we found out that we're having a baby girl!  I'm very excited about the massive shopping spree I'm going to go on now!   In light of that news, here's a little more pink! ;)

Going Hanami

This afternoon I went over to Ashikaga with my Japanese teacher and a fellow expat wife to do some "hanami" (flower-viewing).   As April started nearing both of us had started asking where were good local places to view the famous "sakura" (cherry blossoms) so our teacher loaded us up and took us to a good spot.

This area is a little canal that runs through Ashikaga and has cherry trees (mostly the pale pink/white variety) planted down both sides.  There are also a lot of wild flowers growing around the canal.  This is such a popular place to come that there are street vendors set up to sell food, (and for nighttime, lighted lanterns strung through the trees) although at the time of day we went the vendors were closed and no one was around.

I already put some of the photos on Facebook, but here I am going to put the edited versions of some of my favorites.  I am a pretty lazy photographer, but when I do get around to taking photos I looove to run them through my editing program for some fancy-schmancy effects......

This weekend we're going to spend a couple of days in Tokyo and I hope to go hanami there too.  Check back early next week to find out!  (And check out the new subscription options I added in the sidebar. :)

Matinee

Last week I went to the movie theater here for the first time.  I went with a couple of friends to an afternoon showing of The Iron Lady.  In English, of course, with Japanese subtitles. There's not too much to report about the experience, it's about the same as seeing a movie in an American theater.  Only three things caught my attention: 1) you get an assigned seat number---randomly generated when you buy your ticket  2) you can't get butter on your popcorn---only salt, cheese or caramel and  3) they didn't have much candy at the concession stand---only KitKat, cookies and churritos.