California Vacation Day 14 - Monday Part III - Getty Villa Interior, Malibu

The Getty has one of the best collections of ancient Minoan and Cycladean art and I could spend hours looking at these pieces. Most of them were in an area that was too dark to take photos and they had a beautiful Goddess display that was in an area you were not allowed to photograph.

This Cycladean face is my favorite piece in the whole collection. I love the beauty and simplicity of it and the serene feeling it has. I love its modern lines and the fact that it's so very old (about 2,300 BC). We know next to nothing about these ancient cultures and I love the mystery behind it.



Isn't this Roman lion beautiful? It is one of four feet for an intricately carved sarcophagus.



This frieze makes me smile. I'm not sure if it's Roman or from another culture; I can't remember which part of the museum it was in. Did you know that an elephant with his trunk up is good luck? When I was little I used to collect tiny elephant carvings.





I don't know which is prettier; the maiden or the marble behind her. I had to do some Photoshop magic to show them both off. I had trouble exposing this so you could see both parts well.






This statue tells the story of Leda and the Swan. Zeus thought she was so lovely that he changed into a swan to be with her. From that union, she gave birth to the beautiful Helen of Troy.



I believe this statue on the right is of Tyche, the Roman goddess of chance.






Here is the infamous Greek Kouros of the museum. There was controversy over whether this sculpture is real or a perfect fake. He is beautiful in any case. See this article to read more about it.







This is the ceiling above an alcove where a sculpture rests. I love the elegant white on white of this. It reminds me of a beautiful fondant wedding cake!







Do you like Greek pottery? I love the variations and of course I like the simplicity of the earliest, black versions the best!










Isn't this a lovely fresco? I love the ladies and the colors here.








I'm not sure of the history of these last pieces, but they are so whimsical they just make me smile!

California Vacation Day 14 - Monday Part II - Getty Villa Grounds, Malibu

I have to apologize; I just couldn't do the whole museum in one post! I decided to separate it and today I will show you the beautiful grounds. I hope you don't think I am posting too many photos but it's so hard to choose. I told you yesterday that we took 500 photos, but I was wrong. It was really only 411, ha ha! I love living in this digital age and you can guess how much I love my digital camera.

When they renovated the Villa, they also added some buildings. They did not try to blend them into the Roman architecture; instead they did an ingenius juxtaposition of ancient and modern. I'm not positive, but I believe they used the same architect as the Getty Complex. He certainly has my undying gratitude for creating such beauty. The new entryway, ampitheatre, gift shop and restaurant are magnificent in my eyes. We ate at the cafe and the food was delicious. I had pasta and wine and we shared a fabulous desert.

Here are some photos of the side gardens. They contain herbs, grapes, and some lovely fountains.

Here is the main garden, from the front and also from the second floor looking the other direction at the ocean. It's hard to see the ocean because it blends into the beautiful blue sky.

Here's a close-up of the cutest statue. I love this little guy as he peeks through the flowers, enjoying their fragrance!





You can enjoy this garden from the shade of one of the beautiful covered halls.

The next two show the interior garden. I'm sorry, but I can't remember if they call it an atrium or a peristyle. (So much for the Ancient Humanities course I took in college!) Each lovely lady beside the fountain is different from her sister.

This small side garden has such pretty fountains! You may know of know my fascination for gargoyles and I also love the mosaic tiles. We would have stayed out here longer, but it was very hot by the time we got out to this side.

I hope you enjoyed the Villa Gardens! Next we will see some of the beautiful treasures inside!

California Vacation Day 14 - Monday - Part I Randy's Donuts

I'm sorry to say this was the last day of my local vacation. It took place way back in July and I'm finally documenting it. I'm going to split this entry into two parts because there are just so many photos and I want to share them all! Well, maybe I won't share all 500 that I took that day, but I'll show a few.

One thing Manami really wanted to see in Southern California was Randy's Donuts. It is one of those quirky things you see sometimes on TV and she really thought it was cool. Matt had never even heard of it and really couldn't understand why someone would want to see a giant donut in Inglewood. Inglewood's not a very nice part of town, but luckily the stand is right off the 405 and on the way to Malibu. So we made the pit stop to get donuts for breakfast.

If you've never been to Randy's, their donuts are so very fresh and tasty you should try it out! They are open 24 hours with a drive thru so you can grab a donut and be on the way. I've only been there late at night after events at the forum, so I was surprised to see how many people were there in the morning. And many of them were doing just like us and taking photos and posing, so I didn't feel too much like a stupid tourist, ha ha!

We enjoyed our donuts, posed for photos, and were on our way to the Getty Museum. There are two absolutely stunning Getty Museums in LA and I highly recommend both of them. They both have gorgeous archeticture and gardens and they both have stunning ocean views. The "new" Getty Complex is a fantastic modern series of buildings and I absolutely adore it. In one of the buildings they feature some Rococo style art and decor which I honestly hate. It is my least favorite style of art, but luckily they have other buildings with modern photography, changing displays and other art. Even if the whole museum was Rococo, I would still love it because of the beautiful modern buildings.

Here is a photo of it; I hope you agree that it's wonderful. It was taken in May of 2006. My camera ran out of juice that day, so I don't have any more photos for you to see.

The "old" Getty Villa has recently been renovated, so we can almost call it the "new-old" Getty because the "new" Getty is really not very new at all now, being somewhere between 10-15 years old, ha ha! The "old" Getty is a replica of an ancient Roman villa. It has Roman gardens and fountains and a beautiful herb garden off to the side. Inside the villa you are in for a treat because it is filled with Greek, Roman and Minoan antiquities. What a wonderful museum it is! I absolutely love the art in this museum as much as I hate the Rococo in the other museum. Stay tuned tomorrow because I will feature the Getty Villa and the beautiful day we spent there this summer. It was my favorite day of the whole month we spent with Johnny and Manami.

Something completely unseasonal!

This is a change from my usual grungy style, ha ha! But hopefully it will brighten your day. It is on its way in the mail to a very special person—hopefully she will get it soon. I can't wait until I can post my "moo" cards I am swapping too.

This card is made using my Spellbinders Wizard die cutter. The two dies are both discontinued so get them quick if you like them! I can't find my package to say where the stamp came from; probably either A Stamp in the Hand or Stamp Tramp. I stamped using my Stampin Up markers for the picture part and the "Hawaii" is done in chalk inks. Those chalk inks look so great on the dies I feel the need to buy more! The dies are embossed and then chalk inks are used as a stencil. All papers are from my new Basic Grey 6x6" Gypsy stack I bought this weekend at the Embellish-It booth (boy they are sure nice there and they always so much that I want to buy)! I inked edges with my Tim Holtz Distress ink—I sure love that stuff, too.

Sigh--I'm the Halloween Scrooge!

I didn't mean to be, but I guess we didn't get enough candy and I feel like such a scrooge! We got a barrel of 60 pieces and it only lasted 45 minutes! Next year I will have to get more! I thought it would be fun to give pretzels this year, but Matt said it sucked! What do you think? Do kids think pretzels suck? They were in cute little pumpkin paks and I thought they were cute!

California Vacation Day 13 - Sunday - Rest and Hockey

Well, another day where we didn't do much! Johnny went to play hockey with some of the family and everyone else just rested! I didn't mind, since it was my vacation week and I really did need the rest, ha ha!

California Vacation Day 12 - Saturday - Downtown Disney

This day of my vacation was a nice day! We started out with breakfast at the Harbor House in Sunset Beach. We met tons of family members there, including two of Matt's brothers a sister and mom and their families. After eating we walked to the beach and fooled around for awhile. Of course, with all those boys around, they had to throw someone in the water, and Johnny was fair game!


Don't you love this funky house!? It was for sale, but unfortunately, we couldn't afford the four million dollar price tag!

After some beachside shenanigans, we went to Downtown Disney to look at the shops and to see Harry Potter. Oh, how I love those movies. It was a special treat for Johnny to see an American movie with American voices! You can see them in Japan, but they usually dub them over in Japanese, so it's hard for him to watch.

The stained glass is from the Disney Grand Californian Hotel, an arts and crafts style building (redone in Disney style, of course!) I am hoping one day we can spend the night there and enjoy their hospitality. Until then, at least we live close enough to visit it sometimes.

Later on we had Pizza for dinner back in town and then went to Joanie's house.

Happy Halloween!

Well, 3 more days left of my "vacation" (You remember--the one I took in July where we did things in Southern California!?) and then we can "go back" to Japan! I know you're dying to hear about the 6 story stamping store, aren't you!? Well, today, let's take a craft break and see some art instead! Wednesday is Halloween, so let's get into the spirit!

We went to Matt's Dad's house today and Polly had the nicest Alter set up for Dia de los Muertes. She does it every year, but this year was extra special. Sorry, I didn't take a picture. It had some beautiful Mexican art skeletons and alters and a sugar skull. She put out flowers and photos of loved ones who passed. She will put out some foods later too. What a sweet way to remember the ones we miss--I wish we celebrated it when I was a kid.


The witch card at the top is something I made for a local contest. I wanted to use colors that were a little bit different than usual. I love that leggy witch with her black cat!

This Postcard I made for a friend in the UK. Luckily it got there in time with the postal strike going on there!

I had some dark charcoal glossy cardstock that I embossed a spiderweb and sentiment on in black. The sentiment didn't stick out enough so I outlined it in my white Signo pen (dang--I love that thing!) and I colored part of it orange for fun.

Then I embossed the cat and leaves in white and painted them using my new alcohol inks. The embossing came off a bit in places, giving a worn and spooky look! I'm not sure if the alcohol inks disolved the embossing or if it was just old power or what, but it was a fun experiment.


I did the back in plain black with embossing. I think I like the back better than the front! I'm always so boring and simple--a plain black spiderweb is all I need to keep happy, ha ha!

Hope you have a great Halloween! I made some fun cards this weekend, and if I get a chance I'll try to post them before Wednesday!
:)

California Vacation Day 11- Friday - Whittier

Well, guess what we did this day!? Today was our day to go back to Abercrombie. But at least we went to a new A&F, ha ha! We went to the stores in the Cerritos mall. At least we went to a couple of other stores, too—we checked out Gap and the Body Shop to buy some cosmetic gifts for Manami's friends.

We chose Cerritos because it's on the way to Whittier. We couldn't wait to see Matt's dad and Polly who just got back from a trip to Hawaii. Polly wowed us (as usual) with some wonderful Mexican food—I swear she is one of the best cooks ever!

Manami got to try some things for the first time ever! We had watermelon with chili pepper on it and jicama. We also had radishes and cucumbers; none of which were foods she cared for. She did seem to like the tasty grilled chicken tacos and other treats though, and of course, the rest of us ate way too much! It was fun to see Matt's sisters; I always enjoy seeing them! I wish I could remember more details to share—that's the problem with documenting something 2 months after the fact! I didn't take pictures, either—I guess I was just tired and I wanted to enjoy myself! Sigh—I'll try to do better next time!

California Vacation Day 10 - Thursday - zzzzz...

Ah! We were exhausted from the day before so we decided to take today off and rest. We slept in, relaxed and that was about it!

Asian Tag Card

Well, here's another card for you! my favorite gallery is just not working for me!

Here's my entry for the tag challenge. I used the Kanji BG stamp in red and the Asian Collage stamp with black embossing. Both stamps from Sunday International. The tag stamp & punch are from SU. I added some sealing wax and a stamp from A Stamp in the Hand (I swear, this is one of my most used stamps!)

California Vacation Day 9 - Wednesday -Hollywood

One of the main things Manami wanted to see in California (besides Abercrombie & Fitch!) was Hollywood. This was our trip to go there, but on the way we stopped at the Japanese market again to pick up some supplies. I also suspect she was a little culture-shocked and homesick so this probably helped. She wanted particular things to make her feel at home; certain soaps and miso soup for her breakfast; and other things. I love the Mitsuwa market so I was happy to go. We ate lunch there at the foodcourt and had some pastries afterwards! Then we were on our way to Hollywood.

(Kit is Ashalee Wall's Maven kit available at Oscraps. Letters are from Microferk Designs. Font is Dahrlin.)



We had tons of fun at the Mann's Chinese Theatre. We acted like complete tourists; posed for pictures, looked for people's stars and I even had Manami pose with the theatre doorman! They have a webcam that takes photos and we got in front of it and called a co-worker to save screenshots of us! We shopped in the little mall and I bought some socks and Manami picked up some perfume at Gap.

Hollywood is surprisingly close to little Ethiopia, so Matt wanted to stop there and have Ethiopian food for dinner. We love the fact that Southern California is so multicultural and you can get practically anything here. We went earlier this year so I could try Ethiopian food for the first time and it was really good! Basically it is a shared platter of food and sour spongy pancake-type breads that you use to scoop up bites of the food. Very tasty!

We got chicken and fish and lamb along with the veggie combo (greens, lentils, cabbage and who knows what else, ha ha!) I got the Ethiopian wine (sweet and very similar to honey mead) and the boys got Ethiopian Beer. Matt & Johnny shared some Ethiopian coffee afterwards. They roast the beans right at your table and the coffee is very strong. Matt was twitching all night when he tried to sleep but he loved that coffee!

California Vacation Day 8 - Tuesday - County Fair

Well, this was the day I had to go to work for a special meeting. But after my busy weekend, I was actually glad to have the peace of a cubicle!

After work we went to the OC County Fair. I love the fair—everything's so bright and colorful. It was fun seeing it with Manami. She looked at things that I just normally pass by. She loved the Native American crafts booth. She also loved the midway and the games! She won one of the games so she could get a cute Jerry Mouse doll and Matt won a game for her so she could get a blow up Strawberry Shortcake. (for some reason her and Johnny are obsessed with Strawberry Shortcake—I just don't get the attraction!)

We rode a couple of rides—I went on the giant swing with her and we all went on the giant slide. I was so scared because I'm really afraid of heights! I kept stopping my blanket to slow down, but I made it down so I felt very brave! Manami really wanted to go on one ride but nobody wanted to go with her so we skipped it (whew—that was a scarey one—a thing that they sometimes call the "Zipper" it goes high up in the air and spins around and upside down!) We also did a funhouse; it ended up being a sucky one but at least it had a good view!

We made sure to try some of the crazy food that you can only get at the fair—we ate corn dogs and even tried a fried Snickers Bar! I can't remember everything we tried (stuffed Jalapenos, fruit smoothie, ice cream, and who knows what else!) but it was all fun. The whole trip both of them were amazed at the huge food portions we have here in the US (no wonder why we are all overweight!) Even Johnny who grew up here was stunned because he has adjusted to Japanese food and portions.

Scrapbook Layout - SOF Journal Block Challenge

Sigh! I'm trying to post something to my online gallery for a challenge but it's not working!

Here's a headshot and modeling photo from my SIL. Stamp is by POD. Paper by Foofala, PaperWhiteInc, and Club Stamp. Photo turns are diecut using my Spellbinders Wizard.

Autumn Gothic Arch

Here's a litle break to show you some art I made last weekend! It's a fun trend called a Gothic Arch. This card just started out as one mishap after another, but I kind of like the final effect, LOL!

Background is stamped with Versamark Inkadinkado leaves and brayered over with some inks that were horribly bright and 80's looking--not the beautiful fall colors I thought they would be. So then I swiped over the whole thing with my pumpkin ink pad to tone it down so I could like the colors better! it took away the brightness of the magenta and teal and softened the leaves. Then I stamped with gold brilliance swirls (Aud Designs) but they didn't show up as well as I liked so I outlined them with a sepia glaze pen. I thought it needed an edge so I trimmed and mounted on some metallic yellow-gold CS. Gold vellum leaf and gold CS ornaments are punched out and embellished with the same glaze pen for contrast. The photo is of my grandfather in the 20's--I sanded it and used paper glaze to add some dimension (and ended up with a strange halo around my GP!)

California Vacation - Day 7 - Monday - South Coast Plaza

Ah--the last day of my three-day weekend! We decided to have lunch at Daphne's, a fast-food Greek restaurant in town. Their food is pretty darn tasty, so if you haven't tried it, you should go! Then we went shopping at another Japanese market nearby; Marukai. They are a little different from Mitsuwa, and we managed to find some more supplies and snacks for Manami.

The best part about Marukai is the new place in the food-court: Beard Papa's. If you ever go to Tokyo, you will find their delectable cream puffs in the train stations. We got addicted to them there, but had no idea they were coming to America! But it was our lucky day--Beard Papa's had just opened that week and we were the lucky people who got to have some! Yummy yum! They fill the cream puffs right when you order, so they are not soggy or stale. They use fresh, excelent-quality ingredients so they are oh-so-good!

After our snack, we headed to South Coast Plaza, the big side this time. Above is a picture of Manami posing as she walks into the door of Nordstrom's for the first time! South Coast Plaza was one of the main destinations that she wanted to see on her trip. The mall is so famous that many Japanese Salarymen sign up for a special tour to the US to see it. They spend 5 days in the states and see San Francisco, South Coast Plaza and Vegas. SCP is a full day of their trip and we often see buses full of tourists carrying their many purchases from the expensive stores that we don't even walk into because they're so pricey!

Manami mainly wanted to go to Abercrombie & Fitch. She wanted to buy clothes for herself, her sister and her brother-in-law. The guys left us there and came back after an hour and a half and we were still in the store! Manami tried on many things until she found exactly what she wanted and made sure it was perfect. Once the guys made it to the store we spent at least another 45 minutes picking out the perfect shirt for her brother-in-law. I didn't mind because I knew it's what she wanted to do the very most!

Have you ever been to A&F? Well, it's filled with young, perfect sales clerks who won't even give someone like me a second glance. They carry small sizes--even Manami got an "M-Size" for some of her things and she's tiny! There is nothing there that would fit me, though I can find something my size at most nicer stores. Their products are very high-priced for the torn/distressed look you are buying in my opinon. Their clothes are a little too skimpy for my old-fashioned taste, so I'm not too unhappy that they don't carry my size. The store is very dim and to me a little depressing! They play very loud dance-club music, so if you're ok with techno then it helps. I like the music and Matt and I especially liked it when Johnny got bored and started "nerd-techno" dancing! That made it fun to be there laughing and carrying on while Manami shopped. I'm sure the sales clerks didn't appreciate having us "old farts" in thier store, but hey--she bought enough to justify all of our presence!

I'm glad Manami got to go to her dream store (the first of many trips, ha ha) but spending my afternoon here made me happy to go back to work on Monday!

Brand New Car!

Oh, I'm so excited about my brand new car! It's a Mazda CX-7, a crossover vehicle that we got last Saturday. It's really like a large station wagon, but that's just not a popular term nowadays, ha ha, so we say "crossover"! It's a little higher and wider than a regular sedan or station wagon and not as large as an SUV. It's just perfect for me! Here's some things I love about my new vehicle.

1. The color is Black Cherry. Not quite black or brown or purple or burgandy. It depends on the lighting and it looks different every time you look. I love the metallic sparkle it has. We're getting it clear-coated as I type so hopefully it will stay shiny and beautiful a long time!

2. The interior is a stone grey with black stripes and trim. I wanted black leather, but when I saw the 2-tone leather I fell in love!

3. The seats have a lumbar support and are so comfy. They will really help my back on long trips to see my mom. Hopefully I can go visit her more now and I won't have to spend a day recovering from the drive! The seats are also heated--ahhh--comfort!

4. Finally I have a moonroof again. I love to drive and see outside and open the window!

5. No stick-shift. I love driving a stick, but it's a little hard on my feet and back, especially since I drive through traffic all week to work. The fun thing about the Mazda is the Tiptronic-like manual shift that I can use without a clutch when I want to. A little more fun and control from your regluar automatic vehicle!

So this is the car I will drive during the week and when we go somewhere on weekends Matt will drive it for us. It's comfy to doze in the passenger seat--I already tested that out! Hopefully, this will give Matt's car a break so it will last longer.

So bye-bye Beetle, I'll miss you but I have a new love!

Guess What!!!!???????

...more details later...

California Vacation - Day 6 - Sunday - San Diego

We are off to the San Diego Zoo. We stop and have breakfast in Old Town, San Diego and oh, do I love the breakfast margaritas at the Coyote Cafe! Luckily for us, Manami likes Mexican food since it's our favorite! We walk around town for a bit and do some window shopping. Manami buys a little Mexican baby dress for a souvenir.

After that, it's time for the zoo. The zoo is hot and crowded, but we all love to see the animals. We skipped the pandas because it was way too crowded and they just saw pandas in the Osaka Zoo. We watch the hippos, polar bears and primates. We saw one of the tigers, but he was pretty hidden. I love the aviary, and it was nice and cool there, so we made sure to enjoy that! At the very end, we got to see some of the mounted police and Manami was very impressed with them!

Layout is made with papers are from Ashalee Wall's Dark Solids kit and swirls are from her brown stamps kit (colorized) available at Oscraps. Fonts are Follies LET, Formal Script, and Eras Medium ITC.

California Vacation - Day 5 - Saturday- Shopping

Woo hoo! It's Saturday and a 3-day weekend for me! We had breakfast at Champagne's cafe at South Coast Plaza's Crystal Court and then do a little shopping. Manami especially liked the Illuminations store with all the beautiful candles!

When we were done, we went to the Mitsuwa Japanese market. We had so much fun looking at all the stuff and asking Manami questions. She got some supplies and staples to make her adjustment to American life a little easier.

After Mitsuwa, we went back to Fashion Island to look around and Manami wanted to buy a couple of things, and then it was off to see the movie Ratatouille. We loved the movie, but the last minute of the film was cut off because of a fire alarm! At least they gave us free re-entry passes and Manami got to see some of our handsome American Firefighters!

We also needed to pick up some things at Target so we stopped by there on the way home. Johnny picked up some clothes and a hat because he has such trouble finding his sizes in Japan.

California Vacation - Day 4 - Friday - Ramen

Sigh! It's Friday already! My work week is over. Our guests are suffering from jet-lag and all the rich foods, so we decide to go to a local Ramen House. It's called Shin Sen Gumi and one half of the restaurant is for ramen and the other half is yaki-tori, or Japanese BBQ. Oh, yummy! Sorry, no pictures today--I guess I should have brought my camera!

California Vacation - Day 3 - Thursday - Fashion Island and home

While I was working everyone went to Fashion Island to shop with Suzy and the kids. Lucky them--it was a beautiful day! They ended up eating at Ruby's on the pier in Huntington Beach--a local landmark! Here's a photo I took a couple of years ago of Ruby's!

California Vacation - Day 2 - Rainforest Cafe & Groceries~

I had to work on Wednesday, but we all met for lunch at the Rainforest Cafe in South Coast Plaza. I just love going to that place to see all the tropical fish and their Disneyland atmosphere is fun too! We met Shaun and Rhett and had such a fun time. I almost always get the Buffalo Chicken Salad and this time was no exception! You can see a picture of Johnny with a huge chimichanga--he's gone 3 years with hardly any Mexican food, can you imagine!? We all split the Volcano for dessert--a huge brownie sundae with a sparkler on top. We all yell Volcano-ooh! as it comes out!

After I get home from work, we decide to barbeque at home. Matt is the best grill master and makes such tasty chicken. After dinner we walk to the grocery store. Manami has never seen an American grocery store and the cereal aisle makes her gasp out loud! The produce section is another fun thing. We spend time guessing the price of different items and weighing watermelons and things to see how much they cost here vs. Japan. We spent almost 2 hours in the store looking at each item. I never knew grocery shopping could be so fun!

California Vacation - Day 1

Johnny and Manami land at LAX at around 3:00 in the afternoon, where Matt is there to pick them up. They get home and rest until I get home from work at 6. Then we are off to Huntington Beach Pier. We got to walk around for a minute and then we ate a fabulous dinner at Chimayo's, right on the beach! Afterwards, we had coffee with Nicky (Matt's brother) and went to Matt's sister's house to say "hi".

Where has the time gone!?

Oh, my! It's been over a month since I last posted--I swear I'm the worst blogger ever! We've been busy with tons of things, including getting ready for our visitors. Matt's cousin and his fiance', Manami, are here for a month from Osaka, Japan. These are the same people we went to Japan to visit two years ago! We've had tons of fun so far, so I'm going to interrupt my Japan vacation memories with some notes from our California vacation! I hope you enjoy the little slice of life from Southern California. Manami has never been to the US before, so everything is new and exciting.

Shinkansen to Tokyo

Well, after Nara, we staggered to the train station in the cold. When we got back to Osaka, we tumbled into bed so we could rest up for our big trip to Tokyo! I was so excited to be able to ride the Japanese Bullet Trains. They travel at 300 KPH and are sleek and beautiful works of art. Below is the scrapbook page I made and the journaling is below if you want to read the story of our mishap.


Our second day in Japan we got up early to get to Tokyo on Japan’s famous Shinkansen; the Bullet Trains that travel at up to 186 MPH. We waited for our train at the wrong station. We were supposed to be at Shin-Osaka Station, but we were at Osaka Station. When we realized our mistake we rushed to the other station, only to get there right as the Shinkansen left! So we had to give up our reservations for the comfy non-smoking car and run as fast as we could to catch the Nozomi Shinkansen bound for Tokyo. When we got into the car it was filled with smokers and the haze was so thick that Matt said it looked like “Mordor!” I was so tired from jetlag and our previous day’s adventures that I immediately burst into tears at the thought of spending three hours standing in that smoke-filled gloom with my asthma. Luckily, Johnny was able to get us regular seats in a non-smoking car as soon as we reached the next station. And even more exciting was our upgrade to Nozomi instead of regular Shinkansen, which only took two and a half hours to arrive in Tokyo. Nozomi is a wonderful way to travel!

(digital papers from Christine Smith at http://www.theDigiChick.com )

Fire Ceremony Video

Here's a short video we took of the fire ceremony with my camera!



This is a video someone else took that I found on youtube, but the footage is amazing! They must have waited for hours to get that close! It starts off a little slow, but is definitely worth watching!

Fire Ceremony

After we had seen Big Buddha, we walked around the park some and then went over to where there was going to be a special festival that night. It is called "Omizu-tori" which stands for "Water-Drawing Ceremony". I have no clue why they call it anything to do with water, because it is all about fire! (I apologize in advance for my blurry photos--it was the best I could get with my point-and-shoot. If you click on a photo you can see a larger version)

We had to wait a couple of hours for the ceremony to start so we chatted with a man who was standing next to us. He had spent some years in South America and spoke some Spanish, so we communicated partly in broken English, Spanish, and Japanese. It was fun to interact with the locals and he had some interesting stories to tell.

It was so very cold there and it was snowing agin! We got some hot drinks from a vending machine to keep warm. They sell hot coffe and chocolate in cans from the machines there. We bought a couple extra to put in our pockets, too! I was shivering and just about to freeze to death, but we really wanted to see the ceremony so we stayed!

The ceremony is a purification ritual and anyone who is touched by the ash or embers is especially lucky. This ritual is said to purify a person for the whole year. (anyone who knows about this ceremony, please correct me if I make any mistakes). Look carefully at the covered walkway to the left of the tree in the top photo. That is where the ceremony began with participants carrying huge, flaming torches up the stairs. I don't know how they got the torches up there without burning down the wooden structure, but since they've done it for centuries, they must be experts!

As soon as it got dark everything started. My giudebook says it's a very solemn occasion, but it really was more of a festival atmosphere. Especially once the fire started, there were so many "oohs!" and "aahs!" that I felt like I was at a Disneyland fireworks show!

What happens is that a torch is carried up the stairs to the second floor of the temple. Then they run the torch along the balcony so everyone can see. When they get to the end, there is already another torch coming. As they carry it they periodically stop and shake the torch so the embers will fly off.

Now I know you're envisioning a small torch like Indianna Jones would carry, but this thing was huge. Big enough that I probably couldn't hold it! And there were times when baseball and melon-sized fireballs would fall to the ground with the embers. It truly was a spectacle.

New look!

Ps--I updated my blog template--the old one kept hiding the text. Maybe this one will do better! Someday I'll actually customize it, but I'm so lazy, ha ha!