11th Letter In

Trying to compress the last 7 days into 53 shots (being born in 1953, I like the number 53) may be a hard task for a grey Tuesday morning in a tiny hotel room in Tokyo … but I’m willing to give it a ~~shot~~ go.

[Note to my sisters — I know what you’re thinking! But no. Shots as in photos.]

Train window glimpse of Mt Fuji-san on our way to transfer in Tokyo to an even faster train that travels at 300 miles an hour. We’re travelling north to where the train stops, at Morioka.

Morioka by the Kitakami river, one of three rivers running through the city.

Signs of spring … blossom yet to arrive this far north

The castle wall is all that remains of the castle that was once in this city surrounded by hills

Although we didn’t get to see the much celebrated tree covered in blossom, at least there were no crowds to negotiate, consequently we were free to quietly greet and take a leisurely stroll around this ancient and cherished tree.

Blossom emerging; note the wooden supports for the branches

When we were there, a tv camera crew was also there to (at a guess) interview locals about the growing anticipation of the tree’s imminent show of blossom.

Looking towards the westerly hills from where the castle once stood

After a lot of walking to catch trains and to transfer to more trains and along canals to view blossom and other touristy pursuits, my seventy-year old body was telling me, ‘Hey! You’re not fifty any more girl!’ Robert is leaner (and a year and a half younger, heh, heh) and keen to do more walking. Me, not so much. Besides, I’m a creature that needs to intersperse much energetic busyness with peaceful pools of stillness and space to reflect and write.

While in Morioka I said I’d take part of our seventh full day in Japan off and just chill out and write.

Just one of a bunch of colourful, intricately put together festival ‘floats’ we saw at the Morioka museum

~*~

Day Trip to Akita

The town / city of Akita on Japan’s east coast is not only famous for its cute doggy namesake —-

An unmissable train station greeting to Akita

but for an annual festival where towers of lit-by-candle lanterns are balanced atop tall poles which are then balanced on hips and shoulders. Hard to explain, but when experienced it must be a spectacular thing to see.

Photo of the video about the festival that was playing

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Off to Hokkaido

Ferry – Blue Dolphin

Ainu centre where their aesthetics in designs, crafts and practical hunting and gathering skills were on display. Fascinating. Humbling.

Snow still about in heaps, but quickly thawing in the mild spring weather. Small trees covered in protective blue netting was a common sight in Sapporo

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Day Trip to Otaru

Otaru is a sister city to my hometown of Ōtepoti Dunedin and it was easy to see how the two places are a good fit for sister cities — old buildings, harbour, hills …

The footpaths have a fan-shaped design. Maybe Dunedin’s new pavements aren’t quite this intricate

On our way to the Gardens and a view of the city from the hill

Fishing from the harbour — just like back home

We were fascinated by so many families fishing and wondered what they were fishing for — then when we looked into the water we saw what — sardines!

So many sardines. Iwashi is the Japanese word for these silver darlings. The harbour was full of them.

Good way to finish the day – a Sapporo beer in Otaru

~*~

To Tokyo

Today, moving on from our hotel room, I’m writing this post in a Dotour cafe where apparently people go to write and study here in Japan ( Starbucks and Tullys being the other cafes popular for this pursuit.)

I am a country girl who finds big cities and crowded railway stations and trains a little bit too much. So stressful. However, small things do have the ability to charm me and bring down my stress levels at the same time. Haiku moments. Of which there have been many. Plenty of scope for future poetry, as long as I keep paying attention, keep up and keep note.

Our present Tokyo experiences are into the second day. We were last here at the beginning of 2012 when we were ten (give or take) years younger. Interesting to compare being here and doing it alone, to back then when we had our son (who can speak and read Japanese) as a guide. Dazed and confused comes to mind! Ha.

Looking forward to tomorrow and catching up again with our son and family also over here to catch up with their friends and our daughter in law’s family.

Japan has become part of our family too. And it is a beautiful thing.