Being the mother of four children was an adventure every day. Being the mother of four BOYS was an adventure every minute. The boys always found something to amuse themselves with whenever they were left to their own devices. Most times the outcome was fine…other times, not so much.
There’s a product called Fun Tak that’s advertised as: “a removable, long lasting, no mess, stain resistant and non-toxic blue adhesive for hanging posters, photos and drawings on the wall”
A fantastic product…until a child mashes it into his hair and for good measure, squishes it into a sibling’s tresses as well. “Removable” and “No Mess”? I beg to differ. I will, however, attest to its “Long Lasting” claim since 19 shampoos did not budge it. After a frantic call to the manufacturer for suggestions on how to get the stuff out of hair, the two culprits went to school for a week looking like 50’s Greasers. It seems the recommended remedy of mineral oil was “long lasting” as well.
Another “hair” raising adventure was the day one child decided to rev up a “Rev ‘Em Up Racer” and while the wheels were frantically spinning…place it on his head. The wheels spun around his hair, resulting in the car being cemented to his scalp. I tried to carefully free the car from his pate using scissors and razor, but he still wound up going to school for a week looking like Howie Mandel.
The folks at Poison Control were almost like family. I called them almost as much as I called my mother. One child swallowed Afrin pediatric nose drops resulting in the administration of two doses of Ipecac and a whoops pot. (Hours later, the same child confessed he really hadn’t swallowed them after all; he had poured them down the drain.) One son swallowed Mr. Clean while another feasted on a box of chalk. We called Poison Control so much I worried I might have to start using an alias so DHS wouldn’t arrive at the front door to cart my kids away.
One day, a son was getting antsy because lunch wasn’t appearing on the table fast enough, and heard me mutter “I need help” . Imagine my surprise when an elderly neighbor who I hardly knew tottered up to my door and said “Is everything okay? Your son told me to come over because you needed help”. And if truth be told, I would have put him to work making peanut butter sandwiches if it wasn’t for the fact the poor man could hardly stand erect.
A frog, a baby squirrel, numerous goldfish (one of which I had to feed with a tweezers because he was on his last fins and couldn’t get to the food), four white mice, a guinea pig, a Golden Retriever and a stray calico cat…all who found their way into our home – mainly because mom couldn’t resist those famous words “Mom, please. Can’t we keep it?” (And by the way…that half dead goldfish went on to live another two years. Go figure.)
And, I kind of miss those Mother’s Day breakfasts, when, after waking me at 5:30 am, the boys would insist I remain in bed while they prepared a morning feast in the kitchen. It was a sure bet I would eventually hear one brother hissing to another “Now look what you’ve done. You’ve sneezed all over Mom’s cereal” or ” Just pick it up and put it back on the plate”. And how can I forget those 16 oz glasses of milk that accompanied the breakfasts? (I still can’t forget them!!)
Yes, those escapades have given me my gray hair, but I wouldn’t have changed a single moment over the years. Mother’s Day for me was every day…and even though my boys are all grown up now…it still is.
New York City! Being a native New Yorker (that’s pronounced New Yawker by the way), I need to get back to the city periodically to get my fix of the hustle and bustle of the city streets, to inhale the fragrances that waft through the air, to marvel at the beauty of the skyline, and then of course to scarf down bagels and pizza, which you can’t get anywhere else in the world! Yes, there’s nothing like New York.
First stop: New York Pizza! If you’re a native New Yorker, you eat your pizza by folding it in half, never by cutting it with a knife and eating with a fork. It’s wonderful when the oil and the tomato sauce drips down your chin while you savor each slice. We went to a place called Carve and had our pizza…Margarita style, making sure that our napkins sopped up the oil and sauce before they threatened to stain our clothes.
Next stop: Broadway! I was able to get tickets to the Broadway production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, at the Lunt-Fontanne theater, starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The musical is based on a book by Hugh Wheeler and based on a 1970 play Sweeney Todd by Christopher Bond. This is the first time since 1980 that the musical was performed as the original production that Sondheim envisioned, with a 26-player orchestration.
It was fabulous! Josh’s voice took Sweeney to new heights and his deep and resonant voice added to the macabre set. Annaleigh was hilarious with her antics, as she fell in love with Sweeney, only to be cast aside literally in the end. They are both up for Tony’s for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, and the show itself is up for Tony’s in Best Revival of a Musical, Mimi Lien for Best Scenic Design, Natasha Katz, for Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Nevin Steinberg for Best Sound Design of a Musical, and Steven Hoggett for Best Choreography. They all deserve to win!
Third stop: Hotel Scherman! We checked in to this lovely and quaint boutique hotel on Restaurant Row at 346 West 46th. The staff were so accommodating, and the hotel was immaculate. Our room was spacious – king bed, refrig, and a huge bathroom. Breakfast was included on the mezzanine level patio and offered hardboiled eggs, an assortment of breads, (including of course NY bagels), fruits, yogurts, cereals, and beverages.
Fourth stop: Jean-Georges! We walked from the Hotel Scherman to Columbus Circle, taking in the gorgeous evening and the NYC skyline, on our way to Jean-Georges, a two-star Michelin restaurant (top rating is three-star). We’ve been to French Laundry, in California, which was an amazing three-star restaurant, and Jean-Georges was excellent as well. The menu (below) was diverse, and by the time the last two courses arrived, we were so sated, we couldn’t even finish. (Note to self: Don’t keep eating the savory breads, no matter how heavenly the gourmet butter is.) The least expensive bottle of red wine on the menu was $400 so we purchased two glasses each of a cabernet at $38 a glass. We dined on the 10 course omnivore menu and each bite was bliss to the tastebuds. To enhance many of the courses, a small amount of coulis would appear via a waiter holding a small gravy boat, and the sauce would surround the highlighted offering and add to the savoriness. The waitstaff explained each course to us, and each offering appeared on different and unusual plates – the food atop being artfully arranged. We celebrated our 50th anniversary at the restaurant, since on our actual 50th date last August, we both had COVID. Our waiter presented us with a delicious little anniversary cake. And when we were leaving the restaurant, we were presented with two almond loaves to enjoy for breakfast. It was a romantic and magical evening.
We walked back at our hotel around 11:45 pm and the next day we enjoyed the…
Fifth stop: RiseNY! We had never heard of this museum before, but we were so glad that we found it. It took about 2 hours to go through the exhibits, which (according to a blurb from RiseNY) was a “journey through seven galleries – Finance, Skyline, TV/Radio, Fashion, Music, Broadway, and Film…spot-lighting historic artifacts, and memorabilia from each gallery“. It was a trip down memory lane – reliving famous events in NYC as well as seeing the sets of the famous TV shows like All in the Family, Seinfeld, and at Sesame Street we even met Oscar the Grouch in his garbage can. We watched the Beatles as they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show back in 1964, and I loved seeing the fashion statements in the Fashion gallery, that featured some of the famous outfits performers have worn through the years.
After we toured the museum, we went on a simulated ride over the NYC skyline! THAT WAS AMAZING!!!! According to the blurb of the museum, “Full motion seats let you dip, turn, and soar, while wind, mist, and scents heighten the experience, creating the sensation of flight.” I have a fear of heights, and in the beginning, I did have to close my eyes, but then, wide-eyed, I enjoyed the rest of the show. It began to rain on the screen, and we were sprinkled with water as the ride soared along. We zoomed over Yankee Stadium, the skyscrapers, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, to mention just a few of the sites. And then, we found ourselves at the soon-to-be 2023 New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square, and we were given a blast of cool air while snowflakes flew in our faces as the ride glided to an end. It was so much fun and we enjoyed every minute.
It was a fabulous two days, and we can’t wait for our next visit to the most wonderful city in the world – New York!
JEAN-GEORGES MENU
Amuse Bouche – Sea trout crispy sushi sea urchin, salted butter and yuzu, with a cup of sweet pea soup
Caviar – Coconut semifreddo and dill
Japanese Snapper Ceviche – Turmeric, golden kiwi and elderflower
Yellowfin Tuna Ribbons – Avocado, radish, ginger dressing and chili oil
King Crab – Nishiki rice, vermouth fondue and nori
Spring Pea Dumpling – Smoked morel mushrooms and sansho
Black Sea Bass – Clams, celtuce, spring garlic-sorrel jus
Maine Lobster – Braised endive, passion fruit-whiskey emulsion
Hudson Valley Foie Gras – Rhubarb, lemongrass, Sicilian pistachio
Charred Duck Breast – White asparagus, kanzuri, strawberry consommé
Forget the Kentucky Derby where horses thunder down a track in pursuit of the finish line and where ladies in magnificent millinery drink mint juleps and cheer their steed on. We need to focus on the Toad Suck races where toads are leapfrogging down a track in hot pursuit of the prize and ladies are wearing baseball caps and scarfing down root beers.
Toad Suck Daze takes place in Conway, Arkansas this weekend as it has for years. It’s a festival highlighting family fun with lots of good food, arts and crafts, dancing, entertainment and of course toad racing. The festival’s primary focus is to raise money for scholarships.
The origin Toad Suck, according to Wikipedia is “that long ago, steamboats traveled the Arkansas River when the water was at the right depth. When it wasn’t, the captains and their crew tied up to wait where the Toad Suck Lock & Dam now spans the river near Conway. While they waited, they refreshed themselves at the local tavern. The dismayed folks living nearby were heard to say: ‘They suck on the bottle ’til they swell up like toads.’ Hence, the name Toad Suck. The tavern is long gone, but the legend lives on at Toad Suck Daze.”
One newscaster was quoted as saying “By the way, don’t say the ‘f word’ if you are in Conway around time for the festival . . . frog that is.” Apparently, they take the differentiation between toads and frogs seriously in Arkansas and you’d better be sure of the amphibian that you are putting on the starting line when the race begins.
There are strict rules for the race ( which takes place on an 8 foot course) the first being as mentioned above, NO FROGS…ONLY TOADS. The other rules are as follows:
The toad cannot be prodded, pushed or shoved.
Toads may not be thrown, or otherwise propelled other than by their own power, over the finish line.
You may touch your toad only to place it back in its lane once it has jumped out of bounds.
So forget whether a racehorse at 50 to 1 odds is going to take the purse at the Derby. My money’s on Toadie the Croaker to capture the blue ribbon in Conway. The excitement I’m sure will be palpable.
The only question I have is… does “toad suck” have the same connotation as “suck face” and if so, how many princes have emerged from Toad Suck Daze Weekend over the years?
I have a Kindle Paperwhite…and I do love it. I’ve been amassing books to read on it from the Digital Libary and also from Amazon for my upcoming trips. Reading books on it is a pleasure: You tap the screen with your finger and the pages magically turn. Very convenient…particularly when I’m on the treadmill working out and reading at the same time. But the other day I went to my local library to borrow AN ACTUAL BOOK! It’s been awhile since I’ve held a real book in my hands so I was savoring the memories it held for me while I began reading.
Years ago, thieves made off with over $75 million worth of pharmaceutical drugs from the Eli Lilly pharmaceutical company in Enfield, Connecticut. It was quite a heist…straight from the annals of Hollywood. The robbers apparently cut through the roof, rappelled down ropes to get to the drugs, and loaded up a waiting van with the loot.
The robbers absconded with antidepressants, antipsychotic drugs, as well as an array of other pharmaceuticals that were not identified. Eli Lilly makes Cialis…a drug similar to Viagra, but the article didn’t mention whether Cialis was among the stolen booty. Allan said he thought that if it was, at least the robbers would be easy to identify in a police lineup.
Come the Christmas season, there’s always a hot item that every kid in America is clamoring for. This year,apparently it was anything that had to do with Paw Patrol, Chase being the most coveted.
We fell into the trap years ago when the Cabbage Patch Kids were in vogue. Even though we had boys, they all wanted one of those dolls that was all the rage. (Ken was given a Cabbage Patch preemie, who wound up sporting a metallic blue mustache and goatee – the result of a bored little kid on a rainy day with access to permanent magic markers.)
When Tim was six years old, the most sought-after gift that had to be under the tree on Christmas morning was the Millennium Falcon from the Star Wars movie. It was on his list for Santa, but the toy was not to be found anywhere. Allan and I scoured the stores early on but to no avail.
I knew that some of my friends, who apparently were more sophisticated in their buying prowess than I was, had already procured the prized spaceship and had it wrapped and festooned in ribbons, awaiting the shrieks of joy from their cherubs on Christmas morn.
I decided I needed to prepare Tim for the worst, as I knew no Millennium Falcon would be gracing the branches under our tree. I started out by telling him all the wonderful things that Santa would no doubt be leaving in his stocking. “Candy canes, puzzles, books, pears in your stocking…” I began to enumerate. At that point Tim interrupted me and said “Oh…I love pears!”. Then I gently queried “What would you do if Santa wasn’t able to bring something that you were really hoping for?” The child thought for a moment and then seriously said, “Well, I guess I’d eat pears!”
And that dear friends is how it came to be, that a little fluffy Bunny started bringing candy AND toys – a Millennium Falcon to be precise – to good little children on EASTER morn.
We had quite a delay in getting back home. Apparently a volcano erupted in the Aleutian Islands, causing the plane, that we were waiting for to arrive to take us back to Newark, to be delayed. There was also a medical emergency on that plane, that required the pilot to turn back to San Francisco. So all these things combined, delayed our plane about 6 hours. But, because the crew can only work 13 hours according to FAA rules, when we finally boarded our plane in Tokyo, we had to make an unexpected stop to refuel in San Francisco and to change crew members, which delayed our arrival home another hour. We wound up getting home at 4 am, instead of around 9 pm.
We will miss Japan. It is a beautiful country, with humble and gentle people, streets, subways, trains, buses, and hotels that are sparkling clean, and delicious food that tempted our taste buds at every meal. We met some wonderful people on the tour, and of course our guide Hiro was second to none. We saw so many wonderful sites, and participated in so many amazing adventures, that the days flew by too quickly. And of course…the cherry blossoms. Words can’t capture how truly magnificent they were.
一期一会, which is pronounced as Ichigo ichie. Translated, it means “once in a lifetime encounter.” In other words, you must enjoy and live every exceptional encounter to its fullest, as long as it lasts.
This morning after breakfast we realized that our luck had finally run out with the sunny weather. Rain was predicted for most of the day, but it didn’t deter us from taking the subway to the Daiki Suisan Sushi Seminar, to experience the making of nigiri sushi.
We were greeted by the master sushi chef and we sat down at the table and examined the fish on the tray in front of us: ahi tuna, flounder, salmon belly, octopus, squid, shrimp, and salmon. The chef then had us don plastic gloves so that the sticky rice we’d be working with would not stick to our hands. We made a small ball of sticky rice, weighing it on the scale to the correct weight determined by the chef. Then, we formed the rice ball into a long rectangle, making a dent in the middle with our thumb. We then placed the fish on top of the rice, making sure that the rice was not too visible under the fish. I did mine very carefully and the chef went by and gave me both thumbs up, so I went on and did the same for all the other fish.
The chef gave us a strip of seaweed and we put a rectangle of rice in the middle of it, leaving a small space on either side. Then we wrapped the rice overlapping the seaweed around it and we topped it with a fish, pickle, and I believe sake mixture.
I finished making all my sushi and this time the chef went by and said to me “Beautiful!” (I was the only one who received that accolade, so apparently I am good at frothing Matcha as per the monk and now I’m a good sushi maker according to the chef! LOL!)
The chef then told us a little about his life, and then he brought out all of his sushi knives and told us what they were all used for in the fish and vegetable cutting preparation. It was a very interesting morning, and best of all, we ate the sushi that we made for lunch. It was delicious!!
We thanked the chef, and Allan and I presented him with Hershey candy bars for his grandchildren, and he was very appreciative.
We all went and had some matcha ice cream in the sweet shop nearby, except for Allan who has vanilla since he was pretty much macha-ed out. We walked around a bit in the huge mall under the subway system, before we boarded the subway back to the hotel.
We took the train to the restaurant where the farewell dinner would be served. We walked down a long quaint alley, with little restaurants on either side, and then we arrived at the restaurant. We took off our shoes and climbed the stairs to a room which overlooked the river. We had bento boxes for dinner, and we all thanked our guide Hiro for the wonderful job he did getting us from place to place, regaling us with interesting stories about his life in Japan, and just being a fabulous guide!
After dinner, we took the train to the Fushimi Inari Shrine, which is famous for its thousands of vermilion colored Torii gates which line the walking trail. It is the most important of all the several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Statues of foxes are found along the trail, thought to be the messengers of Inari.
We had the shrine almost all to ourselves as it was around 8 pm when we arrived, and it was very serene walking under the gates.
We rode the train back to the hotel, and bid farewell to some of our new friends that we wouldn’t be seeing in the morning. We finished packing and went to bed to get a good night’s sleep before our plane ride back home tomorrow.
The fish awaiting us at our sushi seminar
The master sushi chef
Voila!
My perfect sushi that got the comment “beautiful” by the master chef.
The chef’s knife collection
Matcha ice cream
Allan opted for plain vanilla as he was matcha-ed out!
Farewell dinner
Bento box
The narrow street to the restaurant
Gate leading into the Fushimi shrine. No pictures were allowed inside the shrine
We purified before entering into the shrine by washing our hands
I mentioned in a previous post that I participated in some sumo wrestling, and here’s the proof! (I tried using distraction as a ploy, but that didn’t work! This guy was as sturdy as a tree!)
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What an amazing day we had today! After breakfast, we rode in our bus to the Arashiyama area, a serene and peaceful scenic place. We boarded a punt boat that would take us down the Oi river to visit the Asenjo-ji Temple.
A punt boat is a flat-bottomed boat designed for use in small rivers and shallow water. The men (punters) of the boat, propel the punt boat by pushing against the river bed with a pole. We were lucky that the river wasn’t too deep today, since if it was, the poles would not be long enough to push into the river bed to propel the punt boat along.
The scenery along the river was bucolic, with the different shades of green in the trees as spring is just beginning to blossom. There were ducks that followed our boat along the way, and they had gorgeous feathering. We also saw some cormorant in the river as well.
After about a 20 minute ride, we arrived at our destination – the Senko-ji Temple, to meet, meditate, and chant sutra with the monk who lives there.
We had to climb up 240 steep winding steps to the top of the mountain, a feat not for the faint of heart. We all made it, stopping a few times along the way to catch our breath, and to admire the foliage.
At the top, we were all given the opportunity to ring the temple bell three times, by drawing back the rope and beam hammer to make a beautiful sound that carried over the surrounding mountains. We climbed the last few steps and were greeted by the monk. We removed our shoes, and entered the reception hall, where we sat on benches to listen to the monk, who told us about Zen Buddhism and the concept of seeing one’s true nature by trying to understand there is no “I” – that our true nature is empty and willing to accept.
The monk told us how he has trained for years to try to become enlightened, and then he chanted sutra, while giving thanks for our safe travel to Japan, and for our safe return to home. He then guided us through meditation. We sat quietly, practiced our breathing, and focused on a spot three feet in front of us. We breathed in and out slowly to the count of ten, and then we started the count again. We tried to empty our minds of all thoughts. It was very peaceful and gave us all a sense of calm.
We then were given matcha powder with hot water, and after frothing it, we drank it along with a sweet candy, made of red bean paste. (Just want to say, once again, I excelled at frothing, since the monk went by me, peered into my mug and said, “Very good!” I mean c’mon…the monk even said I did good!! 😂)
After our enlightening visit with the monk, we had lunch and then it was off to learn about the history of Ikebana, the art of flower arranging, from a professional Ikebana instructor. Our instructor was a renown Japanese florist, who specializes in the art. Some of his arrangements have been requested by very popular and influential people in Japan.
The florist owner talked to us about flower arrangements, how to arrange the flowers with regard to height, color, length, and of course, incorporating simplicity.
We worked in pairs, so Allan and I worked together, and we were given a bowl, a vase frog, and a clipper. The instructor then presented us with branches of pussy willow, chrysanthemum stems, tulips, and some greenery. He taught us how to open certain flowers, like the chrysanthemums, by rubbing a finger into their centers, how to bend the pussy willow branches, and how to cut the bottoms of all the flowers and greenery…some on an angle like the pussy willow, some straight across like the tulips. He also told us that using sake, will extend the life of the arrangement much longer than using plain water. Huh!
Allan and I had fun positioning the flowers, measuring the length of the pussy willow so that it was about two and a half times the width of the bowl, bending the pussy willow branches into a pleasing arc, and then filling in the other flowers, keeping in mind simplicity.
When we finished our arrangement, the instructor critiqued our efforts. He told us that he loved the way our pussy willows curved and our placement of the other flowers. The only suggestion he had was to cut the other flowers down a bit more. We did that and our final creation met with his approval. It was a very informative lesson, and the knowledge I learned will apply when I’m arranging flowers in the future.
We rode back to our hotel and only had time for a quick bathroom break, as some of us had opted to attend a concert, and we had to take the city bus to get there. The bus was very easy to navigate; you get on the back of the bus, and when your stop comes, you press the button alerting the bus driver you want to get off, and then you walk to the front of the bus with your pass, tap it, and get off. We used the same pass that we were given for the subway rides that we had taken.
We arrived at the home where our private concert would be, and we were greeted by the musicians, a man and his wife. The wife played the koto, a string musical instrument with 13 strings, and she knelt down by the instrument and played the most beautiful and serene song – the notes zen-like. She has been playing the koto for over 65 years and she also teaches how to play it, to try to keep the tradition alive.
She also played the shamisen, a three stringed instrument that originally used to accompany kabuki. The instrument had a long thin neck, and had a beautiful sound when strummed.
The man then came out in costume and played the Shakuhachi, a Japanese flute made of bamboo. This type of music was traditionally performed at the imperial court. He played some songs for us and finished with Amazing Grace, and as the last notes of the haunting melody floated in the air, we were all hypnotized by this unique instrument.
They then played a piece together, composed by a young man who wanted to depict the ocean in song, and we were encouraged to sit back and use our imaginations to feel what the song was saying to us. It was beautiful, and you could almost feel the waves of the ocean crashing, and then receding, leaving its footprint in the sand.
It was a unique experience and we were so happy we were given the opportunity to be part of it.
After the concert, we took the bus back, and 6 of us went to a nearby restaurant to eat Okonumiyaki, a type of pizza/pancake consisting of a batter and cabbage. It is particularly popular in the cities of Hiroshima and Osaka.
And what a feast it was! First, we were served delicious fried potatoes, followed by grilled octopus, with shrimp, pickled cabbage, and bonito flakes, made of smoked skipjack tuna. Then came some grilled beef that was flavored expertly, followed by grilled chicken. And then since we were sitting right at the grill, we watched the chef prepare our Okonumiyaki. After grilling the pancake-like batter, with eggs and cabbage, he topped it with a thick and sweet Worcestershire sauce and drizzled mayo for the finishing touch. It was delicious, and I was sorry we had eaten so much before hand, because we were rather stuffed and couldn’t appreciate our Okonumiyaki to the fullest.
And then, as unbelievable as it was, the chef prepared for us yakisoba noodles (fried noodles), with sautéed bacon. It tasted just like a delicious Italian pasta with a garlic flavor, and even though we were really stuffed, we made room for this delicious dish!
The chef ended with making us French toast with ice cream. I know – how could we possibly eat any more???? But eat it we did, and it was delicious. The French toast has a custard quality to it, and paired with the ice cream, it was the perfect end to the evening.
What a day it was! From start to finish, an amazing opportunity to delve into the culture of Japan and all its wonderful sounds, tastes, and beauty.
The punt boat
Sitting on six inch chairs in the boat
The punter, using a long pole to propel the boat
Cruising along the river
Making our way up to the temple
We each rang the bell three times
The temple reception room
The monk
Making our way back down the mountain
Ikebana. Our bowl and frog ready for our floral arrangement
Our creation!
Playing the koto
Playing the Shakuhachi
Playing the shamisen
Two unique instruments combining to make a beautifully distinctive sound
The beginning of our feast… roasted potatoes.
Grilling the shrimp and octopus.
Then came the grilled beef
Making the Okonumiyaki
Delicious!
Fried noodles
Dessert. French toast and ice cream.
Forgot to mention the other day. These are Sake cups that we received as gifts from the home-hosting visit.
The breakfast in the hotel we are staying at hasn’t been as good as the other hotels. We love the Japanese cuisine for breakfast, and for some reason, this hotel offers mostly western food, mainly a lot of bread. It’s a bit disappointing.
After breakfast we left on the bus for Nara Park, which is renowned for its free-roaming deer and world famous temples. You can purchase little biscuits to feed the deer, but I didn’t do that, because I was told by my friend who had already visited the park – once you feed the deer, you can’t get away from them.
When we first entered the park, the deer greeted us looking for food, but we just kept walking and so they finally dispersed. They looked a bit mangy, perhaps because it is mating season, and they might have been biting each other. There were signs up that cautioned to watch out, because during mating season, the deer can kick, butt, bite, or knock you down (yikes!), but actually, they all seemed pretty calm and tamed.
On the grounds where the deer roam free, is the Todaiji Temple, which dates back to 728. When you walk through the Nandaimon Gate in front of the temple, you are confronted on either side by Kongo Rikishi Statues, that guard the approach to the Great Buddha. The hall that houses the Buddha, is one of the worlds largest wooden structures and the Great Buddha itself stands about 50’ high and is cast from over 400 tons of bronze.
After visiting the temple, we strolled the grounds and just appreciated the beautiful sunny day and the beautiful scenery. We then had a tempura rice bowl and udon soup for lunch, before boarding the bus to the Uji tea farm.
The owner of the tea farm took us around the grounds and we saw the bushes where he has different varieties of tea growing. Most of his tea farm was on the other side of the mountain, and that is where he harvests and makes the different teas for sale. His green tea is the most famous.
After seeing the machines that he uses to make the tea leaves for sale, we had an opportunity to grind tea leaves ourselves, using a device with a handle that you had to turn to grind the leaves. It was hard work, and took quite a bit of time for all the leaves to be ground. When all the leaves were ground, we scooped them up and put them in a tin can and we went to another area to make our matcha green tea. I was able to froth the ground tea leaves when we participated in the formal tea ceremony in Tokyo, so once again, I took my bamboo whisk and did a great job frothing. The owner nodded and told me it was perfect. (I’m such a show-off. LOL!)
We drank our matcha tea, after turning the bowl 180 degrees, and we sprinkled the leftover ground matcha on vanilla ice cream that we were offered, and that actually was really good!
After the tea ceremony, we visited the Nishini Market, a narrow, five block long shopping street lined by more than one hundred shops and restaurants. It was a mad house, with crowds of people looking at all the fish, and vegetables, and deciding what they would like to eat. You had to practically push your way through the throngs. Japan is extremely clean and one of the reasons why that is so, is that it is an unwritten rule that you never walk while eating. You must find a place to either sit or stand to consume your food if you are out and about. Also, you will have a tough time finding any garbage receptacle, since everyone is supposed to take their garbage home with them to dispose of.
After the crowds of people in the first five long blocks, we finally arrived at the shopping area, with tons of stores offering everything you can think of from upscale leather bags, to T-shirts, to chopsticks, to men’s suits, and on and on and on. It was fun to experience, but not being a shopper, I was just as happy when we finally were outside, and walking back to the hotel.
We took the subway from the hotel to a restaurant to enjoy some Kyoto cuisine and then it started to rain so we took cabs back to the hotel. It was a wonderful day!
Nara deer
Yikes!
Nandaimon Gate
One of the Kongo Rikishi Statues guarding the Great Buddha
