Where Globe-Trotting meets Beach-Combing
Here’s what I like: lunch with friends in Jiyugaoka! This area is consistently named one of the best places to live in Tokyo. We just come here for the tea and cute shops. There are lots of tea shops here, but Lupicia is my favorite. Nicole, Sarah, Mary and her sister-in-law, Brittany, Rebekah and I…
Before I got pregnant I never ceased to be shocked when people posted pictures of their bellies alone as their facebook profile picture, or announced to the entire world measurements of things that should not be mentioned outside groups of close girlfriends. And now that I’m a healthy 35 weeks along I feel qualified to…
I asked Sumie if it was obvious that I’m pregnant or if I just look fat in a yukata. “Daijoubu,” she said. It’s ok? …? Oh well. Lightning flashed overhead as we danced around the stage in early August’s Yamato Furusato Matsuri Festival. Every once in awhile we’d get a quick downpour, prompting people to…
Hot and rainy, hot and rainy—you’d think we were in the tropics. Between that and being done with work, I’ve had plenty of motivation to find ways to stay cool. When it’s too hot to simmer by the pool, I recommend a Tropical Weather Tea Time! I really really like the Temecula Olive Oil Company….
Here’s what’s going on in the Western Pacific! We recently went to a Hail and Farewell at one of our favorite local restaurants. We called in ‘the bamboo place,’ but now we know it’s actually called Kushi Bou Zu. My parents and I slurped udon noodles in soup there last fall. When it’s cold you…
The Tokyo area is not famous for Awa Odori dancing; that distinction falls to Tokushima Prefecture west of here. There, it’s a HUGE deal. But here’s it’s still a big deal, and the biggest Awa Odori festival in the Tokyo region is—surprise!—the July 23-24 Yamato Awa Odori Festival! This is the red, white and blue-clad…
Walking a couple miles down the river a few nights a week is our favorite evening jaunt. Sometimes Chris and I walk along the river the whole time; sometimes we branch off and seek out parks or tiny local temples, where we ring the big temple bells and look around to see if anyone’s looking…
