When I’m Not Blogging, I Seem To Visit …

 

 

… the same places over and over again!

 

I had 9 days off in a row one after the other consecutively: like a row of dominoes, each day fell quickly and toppled in to the next … and were rectangular, white, and had assorted black dots on them … unless you have those black dominoes with assorted white dots on them … then it was just like that!

My snake wrangling sister  and her son came: so I polished off the bells and whistles (they were a bit dusty … and quiet), pulled out all the stops (hidden behind the Christmas ornament in the closet), and gave them the planetross super deluxe grand tour de forcefulness.

It’s kind of nice revisiting places, especially with people who haven’t been there before.
It makes me look like I know something!
… and we had a rubber chicken which always comes in handy.

In Nikko, I know that the chance of actually seeing the “sacred white horse” in it’s stable is slim; I know what shrines and temples are included on the one day ticket; I even know where the monkeys are! (usually)

 

In Matsumoto, I know the castle has a secret floor, all the staircases are in separate locations on each floor, and the staircases rise at angles between 55 and  61 degrees.

 

I knew that if I didn’t take pictures of the old guns inside Prairie Flounder  and Turkish Prawn  would be disappointed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I also know that taking pictures of things in glass cases doesn’t usually work too well for me.

I know cicadas are noisy little bastards everywhere! (random fact … consider it a bonus)

 

In Hiroshima, I know that I took the right exit when I see the “Boo Foo Woo” supermarket sign and the “Gush” sign … that I still have no idea about what they are selling.
Possibly there are other “Boo Foo Woo” supermarkets  at the other Hiroshima exits, but so far I’ve been lucky.

I know it’s the #2 tram that takes people to the ferry going to Miyajima; I know the seats on the trams make me bounce up and down in a silly way; I know that I really should start checking when the damn tide will be in!

 I know the A-bomb dome is pretty hard to miss at night too!

It’s amazing to think that I feel more comfortable driving in to Hiroshima than cities back at home: Vancouver is still a mystery to me.

 I know that something in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum will make me think about the bigger picture and how lucky I’ve been … and that life is fleeting and you better enjoy it while you can because you never know what card will be dealt next.

 

In Kanazawa, I know that the same staff will be sweeping the same paths at the Kenrokuen Garden.

I know I will stick my head into this thing outside the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art on every visit. 

I know I sweat a lot and am possibly getting a bit thin up top!  Thanks for mentioning it! (the sweat is real, but the thinning hair could be a trick of light possibly)

 I know I will see cool art/statues/posters around the city … that I didn’t see the last time.

I know that if a family member is with me, I’ll probably have to ask random people to do random silly things in front of the camera … and they will say yes. 

I know I know I know. I’ve been there before.

 

note: If you come to Japan keep a bit of bread in your pocket because you’ll probably come across hungry carp in ponds somewhere when you least expect it.

double note: we also saw the Nagaoka fireworks and the Numata Matsuri … but I always go to those things … so I won’t mention them here. I think the “snake wrangler”  and “son of snake wrangler” had a good time: typhoonish weather, a little earthquake, a 5 hour traffic jam, and  enough lightning to power a lightning storm rounded out the trip. 

 

 

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Zippers

 

 

note: button your lip, zip it, … will future generations be saying “velcro that mouth“?

double note: photo taken in the cool Kanazawa 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art .

If you pay to see this exhibit, you can’t take photos. If you are standing on the outside and looking through the glass partition, snap away!

 

 

triple note: buttons, zippers, velcro, … what will be the next big innovation? I’m betting on magnets!

quadruple note: I want ziplock pants!

 

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When I’m Not Blogging, I Possibly Visited … (Part 1)

It was a hard 7 day week of travel: most of the places I visited were 5 or 6 traffic jams away from each other.
Sure Japan looks small on a map, but when you are here it’s a lot bigger.

Like any good trip in my van, it started with a trip to the hardware store for cheap oil to replace the other cheap oil I burn off while driving at highspeeds of up to 75 mph/120 km per hour … sometimes in only 50 or so minutes.

Two hours in to the voyage the van suffered a flat tire … conveniently in a “Road Side Service Area” with a gas station that had a hydraulic jack I could borrow: my jack wasn’t worth … jack.

midnote: this bike is not my van, but I feel it’s pain.

midnote note: this car isn’t my van either.

 

After that it was smooth sailing on 3 winter and 1 summer tire for the rest of the trip: the van was unseasonably well equipped I guess.

 

First Stop: Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture.

 

I was there at the same time last year. I stayed at the same hotel and they even remembered me … probably because I was wearing the exact same clothes as last year … sadly  … or maybe because they could finally collect the money I owed from the mini-bar bill left unpaid.

another midnote: I don’t usually go to mini-bars … they are small and cramped.

another midnote note: I didn’t really have an unpaid mini-bar bill. I just like the idea of hanging out in a mini-bar.

Known for one of the 3 best gardens in Japan (excluding mine), Kenrokuen  is pretty cool.

 

The garden looked exactly the same as last year … maybe because I was there on the same day as last year.

Same staff: I never forget a hat.

NO! You are not doing it right! Once more from the top!

That’s better!

The fashion police eventually arrested this woman.

 

I revisited the  21st Century Museum  too. Last year there was the amazing Ron Mueck‘s work on display.

 

This isn’t Ron Mueck’s stuff; it’s something else.
I’m not sure what it is, but it looked like the artist was still working on it.

 

This is a close up of one section. If you look really closely, it kind of looks like the inside of my head or junk or both or none. It must be the work of a foreign artist because Japan has different electrical plugs.

And that was about it for Kanazawa this year. I had schedules and deadlines to not meet, but try for anyway.

last midnote: I’ll tell you what happens next … next.

last midnote note: oh yeah! There is a castle in Kanazawa as well.

 

note: I saw the same great roots  as last year at Kenrokuen Garden … and took another picture of them. I am very predictable when I visit places more than once at the same time … … … … of year.

double note: if you don’t know about my love affair with roots, it’s all revealed here.

 

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