… 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.
I Am The Cheese 