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Published: August 27th 2010
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Springtime again in Japan! The weather’s warmer, the sun brighter, the trees greening and the flowers blooming. = ) In late March / early April cherry blossom season came and went again in Japan and this spring I was fortunate enough to take a week off to hang out with my mother when she came to visit during her spring break. After having been away from home for over a year (can you believe it’s been that long?!?) I was super duper excited to be able to see her. I took the bus to Kansai in the drizzly Sunday morning weather and met her at the crowded airport. We were able to catch up a little on the return bus to Shikoku and the train from Takamatsu, but she was tired and jet lagged so we had an early evening after the two second tour of my shoebox sized apartment.
The next day we met up with a nervous Simon and we journeyed around the local area in Marugame/Utazu. We had donburi (a rice bowl with stuff on top) for lunch and visited Marugame-jo before going to see the mall in Utazu where I work and browsing around. For dinner we
had some yummy sushi at a sushi bar. Nobody does raw fish like Japan! Mom fell in love with the miso soup with clams there. On day two Mom and I went to Okayama to see the Korakuen gardens and Okayama Castle. I believe the mini tea plantation there was Mom’s favorite part and I was happy the cherry blossoms were beginning to bloom so that she could have a chance to see some. Wednesday we caught the train to Kyoto to admire some of the best that Japan offers. We visited Nijo-jo and spent several hours admiring the paintings and carvings inside the palace. After Nijo we checked into our hotel along a quiet little canal shaded by trees and flowers and rushed to a studio near Kiyomizutera to dress up like geisha, which was quite an experience. The makeup process was phenomenal. They paint your face like a fence with a sturdy paintbrush and thick white paint. Then they pound it into place with powder and paint on your eyebrows, eyelashes and lips again. (Taking it off was even stranger. Soap and water won’t remove it so you have to rub it off with baby oil. It makes
quite a mess coming off. White everywhere. The thought of having to put on and take off the stuff everyday makes the mental image of being a geisha less appealing.) The studio also had a selection of kimonos and they dressed us up in the one of our choice and put us in heavy wigs. (Another down side to the Geisha profession, you have to sleep on a wooden pedestal instead of a pillow so you won’t mess up your hair.) After all that work it was hard to recognize ourselves. Perhaps this was partially also due to the fact that I wasn’t wearing my glasses, but as you can tell in the pictures it is quite a surprising transformation. Early the next morning we went to Sanjusangendo, my favorite temple with 1001 statues of the 1000 armed Kannon and all the intricately carved guardian deities. The temple is a long wooden building, once elaborately painted, but faded brown with time. The amount of statues and their detail combined with the massive expanse of the hall and the lingering smell of incense nearly overwhelms the senses.
Around noon we grabbed a train to Himeji to visit and gawk at Himeji-jo,
the one of the few original castles and arguably the most beautiful castle in Japan. It is called “Crane Castle” since it is supposed to resemble a crane in flight. Definitely one of the most stunning sites in the land of the rising sun and well preserved. One of my favorite quirks of this building is the butterfly crest of the lords that used to rule the castle on all the roof tiles. I have a thing for butterflies. Friday we were so tired we stayed in my apartment all day and talked. That evening we ventured out to Grasshoppers and Mom had a steaming hot glass of Stone’s Ginger Wine and met a few of the locals. Saturday was our last full day so we went to Takamatsu to browse the cherry blossoms in Ritsurin Park. We strolled about, Mom sketched some blossoms and we had a mini hanami with cakes and peach wine. Sunday was a sad day for me, I had to take Mom to the bus station in Takamatsu and say goodbye. Wish she could have stayed a bit longer. Maybe she’ll visit me again overseas. (*hint* *hint*) =)
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