The Business Casual Shutterbug

Indian summer

2008-11-23T23:02:00.001-08:00

When: November 15, 2008
Where: Brooklyn & Manhattan, NY
Words: Unglamorous but ulcer-free

It rained almost the entire time I was in New York for the latest Canteen hijinks, except for two gorgeous hours on Saturday afternoon. During that window, I got to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge for the first time, under a sky that looked like this:

Bridge construction blows my mind. Here are the bolts that hold it all together:

And here's the spider's web you see when you look up:

These are my hosts, Stephen (Canteen's publisher) and Dr. Minal.

It's apparently my goal to look windblown in a red-striped shirt in as many countries as possible.

The big Proposition 8 protests were being held nationwide that afternoon, so they shut down a few of the highway exits.

This is the final approach to Manhattan, looking up:

And looking down:

This golden tree was holding court at the intersection of Broadway and Chambers.

New York protestors get serious points for creative signage. Here are a few of my favorites:

This is apparently the actual name of this plaza, unless somebody woke up feeling extra-homophobic and hung a fake sign before the rally:

We took the subway back from the station with the best art, or so I think. I shot a black-and-white version of one of these eye mosaics last year. It's prettier but less realistic than full color:

Sprung

2008-05-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

When: May 4, 2008
Where: Mr. & Mrs. D's garden
Words: Just them that bloom.

inaugural soufflé: fortification before observation

the guardian

the shadows did exactly what i asked

the evil eye

the dragonfly

and even if you just look down

Passing the Torch

2008-04-15T09:01:00.001-07:00

When: April 9, 2008
Where: Justin Herman Plaza, San Francisco
Why: Protesting/supporting the Beijing Olympics torch
Words: Judgment day

It was pristine in the city, and the masses had gathered to speak their minds. I'd never seen so many Chinese flags. Our art director pointed out what a gorgeous shade of red they are.

This crew was tasked with recording the official ceremony in the plaza, but it never happened. Later that afternoon at SFO, the mayor went through the subdued motions of a mini-ceremony before the torch was whisked off on its private plane to the next undisclosed location.

There was a police barrier at the foot of these steps, so all the uniforms and suits could keep an eye on the crowd from above.

It seemed like there were equal numbers of protesters and supporters. The latter were mostly middle-aged and elderly Chinese Americans in matching black shirts, many with hats and fans.

At one point, a large group began a quiet tai chi performance to welcome the torch, marked only by the collective snap of a hundred fans when they took their mark.

For a while, I stood near a bunch of really excited high-school kids in white T-shirts. Every 15 minutes or so, they'd disappear under one of the huge animal costumes sitting on the ground, then march through the crowd while percussion came from somewhere nearby.

Protesters often drowned out the cheers that followed the performances.

For the most part, the disagreements looked vehement but peaceful. The only real confrontation I saw was between this silent pro-Tibet sign holder and a group of China supporters who shouted at him and held up their American and Chinese flags to block his message.

The whole scene was hectic and surreal. On my way back up the Embarcadero to work, I turned around one last time and saw this:

A final note: You'll be relieved to learn that Tibet can apparently be freed for a bargain price. Or so the trees say.

Up the Coast

2008-03-03T18:19:00.000-08:00

When: February 22–25, 2008
Where: Seattle
Words: Just a handful.

The Players

The other weekend, an uncharacteristically tardy Southwest plane carried me to Seattle to see these good people:

avi & jenny

claire!

For company, I brought along this guy and a wicked case of hat hair.

from top right: k2, hat hair, mia

Sculpture Park

It was sunny and beautiful all weekend—in Seattle, in February. What? Yes. On Saturday, we went to the Olympic Sculpture Park.

Not sure of this artist's name, but I do love ampersands. They might even become part of a tattoo someday. What? Yes, that much.

Eagle, by Alexander Calder:

There were dozens of matching chairs along the path next to the Calder. They were mostly pointed at the water, not the art. I liked that.

Wake, by Richard Serra:

serra detail

And here's a giant typewriter eraser escaping down a hill. Ours is not to ask why.

This piece reminds me of a small windblown tree made of silver wire that my aunt and uncle gave me for my 13th birthday. It lives on a white shelf in my bathroom.

two and tree

On the way back to the car, I looked down.

Seattle Aquarium

On Monday, we wandered around being tourists. The route from Elliott Bay bookstore to Pike Place Market took us by the little city aquarium, so we stopped to visit the anemones.

i really enjoy saying "anemone"

I don't remember the name of this bird, only that a sign near it read: "These are not puffins." So you can knock that off the list of possibilities.

Billions of frantic, rubbery, very active baby salmon:

In closing: If you were wasted and I were a jellyfish, here's what I'd look like.

Ode to North Street

2007-12-24T23:11:00.000-08:00

When: November 2007
Where: Not quite Temescal, not quite Rockridge
Words: Locally Grown: Introduction, Locally Grown: Mitama, Locally Grown: Retail

A handful of far-flung friends never had a chance to see the great li'l Oaktown cabin where I lived for almost three years (personal record!), so I wanted to share a few pictures by way of introduction and farewell.

We'll start upstairs in the bedroom. If I were involved in the digital age more than peripherally, you'd get to see that the blanket is a festive orange. My husband is brown and corduroy, and that's how I like him.

This is the desk that IKEA built (they also built the bëd). Actually, I built the damn thing, and it took almost five hours—but it fit so nicely in the corner and had so many handy shelves, those Swedish monopolists are forgiven.

Sad to report that the desk is now in pieces in the recycling bin in my new building. It had to be disassembled for moving, and I just don't have the space or energy to rebuild.

Here is the mini bathroom, complete with organic cotton shower curtain so I don't die early from gnarly vinyl chemical syndrome. Seriously, people, it's worth the investment.

Good morning, Mr. Tyler. Going down?

No? Then may I recommend up?

I have to admit I never got tired of being on the phone and saying, "Wait, I just have to run downstairs/upstairs to check on that." Stairs = real house. Woo hoo!

Speaking of downstairs, here's the living room. This mahogany couch is the first real piece of furniture I ever bought (meaning not from Craigslist or IKEA). The mattress is crazy comfortable. In moments of weakness, I might give guests my room so I can sleep on it.

I found this little end table at one of the SoMa holiday warehouse sales last winter, when all the artists get giddy and start selling their stuff for normal prices. It has an old-school metal latch underneath.

The woven mat on top is from a garage sale in 2000, the year I moved into my first solo apartment. Friendly Berkeley hippie ladies kept giving me stuff when I told them, like an entire set of spices and a teapot.

This is the cute dining table I bought off Craigslist from an exceptionally gay man wearing neon yellow running shorts. He sat me down with a flourish and asked my name. "Mia," he said, "I'm going to tell you a story of love."

Then he spent the next half hour narrating the epic tale of his relationship with a guy he met on the AIDS ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles, and by the time I left he was weeping openly.

I also bought his deluxe edition of Scrabble, but it's too big to do anything except sit on top of my ancient CD player to keep it from skipping. Which totally works, by the way.

The photos are from my European adventures in 2004, and the plant is named Rocky. He's a ponytail palm, a gift from my first boss after college. "It looks like you!" he exclaimed. I didn't know how to answer that, but now I'm proud to say this is the longest I've ever kept a plant alive.

Here's a fuzzy picture of the kitchen. The big cabinet with tea and jam and oil was so colorful that it made me happy every time I opened it. On the left, convenient hooks for pot holders and cutting boards.

Finally, my favorite part of the whole place: the secret door. Installed at eye level on the front door, it looked like it was designed for munchkins with enough pole-vaulting acumen to go in and out that way.

I always used the secret door to greet people when they knocked, and to let in just the right amount of breeze on mild days. There must be a secret door in my new place. I just haven't found it yet.

Fall in the City

2007-10-30T21:42:00.000-07:00

When: October 6, 2007
Where: Financial District & SoMa, San Francisco

Scuffling through dry leaves has its place in October, but so do sunshine and small tastes of everything delicious in San Francisco. We got all three at FallFest, the seasonal shindig thrown by the fancy magazine where I work.

Even with stall after stall of musky wine and whimsically shaped chocolates (oh, the chocolates), my favorite table was the one with goblets of spices.

We also caught a 20-minute cooking demonstration by James Syhabout, the chef de cuisine at Manresa. Here's what his hands look like from above:

FallFest is at Justin Herman Plaza, which has a neat water-spewing fountain I can't seem to stop photographing this month. There are more shots of it here and here and here.

Bellies filled, we wandered over to MOMA to see the super cool Olafur Eliasson exhibit. Photos aren't allowed inside, but here's the kaleidoscope bridge that leads into the show.

I love museum cafés. MOMA's has some nice outdoor tables facing Yerba Buena Gardens. (Disclaimer: There's a one-legged bird in this picture, but he's hiding in the chair shadow.)

The long stone benches above Yerba Buena are one of my favorite gazing spots in the city. You can see a bunch of downtown's weirdest architecture, plus this little waterfall.

On the path leading out of the park toward the Metreon, there's a man in triplicate.

Along Mission, a block of what seems to be empty storefronts is painted over with giant versions of famous portraits. Here's Mona Lisa's cleavage. Not intentional, she's just very large and I'm only so tall.

Back in Noe Valley, there's a tag on Sanchez that seems too obvious to be a coincidence. But it really is. Or, so they tell me, it's been Photoshopped.

Seattle

2007-07-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

When: July 12–15, 2007
Where: Seattle, WA
Words: Eighth circle, sort of.

FRIDAY

I got in late Thursday night and slept for 10 hours. It was glorious, unlike Alaska Airlines' on-time departure record.

My bro hauled himself to work the next morning, while I lazily abandoned my plans for a run (too drizzly) and waited for Dad, Ann, and Savta to come fetch me in their rented steed. We headed straight to Pike Place Market:

Raspberries and apricots and Rainier cherries, oh my!

We didn't stop at this place, but someday I will:

Then we wandered along the piers to find a boat tour of the harbor. Touristy, yeah, but also pretty great on a crisp, clear day. The sun came blazing out about halfway through the ride, and stayed that way the rest of the weekend.

I don't have an iron stomach or iron legs when it comes to boats, so I didn't stand up much to take pictures. Here's how my family looks from behind:

And from the side:

Let's hear it for my savta. Can this dame wear a hat, or what?

Don't forget the bare necessities when you travel, ladies: water, practical shoes, impractical purse.

After our watery adventure, we picked up some fresh deliciousness at the market and headed home to cook it.

grill maestro

the happiest i've ever seen a kid look about salad

hooray!

SATURDAY

On Saturday, our intrepid crew headed to Snoqualmie Falls. They don't make visitors work too hard—this beautiful view is about 100 yards from the parking lot.

But we were looking for a little more action, so we took a hike down toward the water and discovered the giant hydroelectric plant that harnesses the power of the falls through these here pipes:

We also passed the most attractively named port-a-johns ever.

Almost makes you want to try them out, doesn't it? Yet none of us did.

The pathway along the river had helpful signs:

I don't know these people, but they made for a neat postapocalyptic photo:

On the way back up the trail, we shot our Abbey Road tribute album cover.

After a good sweaty hike comes a diner, as everyone knows. This one starred in the Twin Peaks movie and has a killer Tweety Bird memorabilia collection. I love diners.

SUNDAY

After a long night's sleep and an early yoga class, we found brunch.

And there was much rejoicing.

Independence Day

2007-07-24T20:25:00.001-07:00

When: July 4, 2007
Where: Shepherd Canyon Park
Words: Who needs 'em, when you have lemonade and sunshine?

Rodeo!

2007-07-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

When: June 14, 2007
Where: Livermore, CA
Words: Don't look now, but there are some here.

What can I say? I grew up in a small New England town, and I've lived in some beautiful cities in some far-flung countries, and I've driven all the way across America twice and Texas once—but I'd never seen a rodeo before.

It was like discovering a fully inhabited planet in your backyard, full of people who all know each other and love the same things. Except you don't have any idea what those things are, even when they're right in front of you.

But I'm pretty sure that's a horse:

And I hear these are some tasty corn dogs:

And this is a big ol' plastic beer.

Luckily, I had a guide through the wilderness, a true horsewoman whose mad skills are equaled only by the coolness of her A&M belt.

Back in March, I met Alyssa and Ben and their crew in a bar. That same night, in a different bar, we watched a tiny Asian man with an enormous mullet sing some throat-scratching blues. He was fantastic. So are they.

China Directory

2007-06-12T22:24:00.000-07:00

So many photos of China. How will you find the one you're looking for?

With this handy list, of course.

China (1) The 798
China (2) The Forbidden City
China (3) The Great Wall
China (4) Lama Temple
China (5) Xicheng & The Hutongs
China (6) Tea City & The Temple of Earth

I also put together a China Highlights post for my word blog, since that seems to be a popular option for those of you with things to do other than look at someone else's vacation photos.

China (6) Tea City & The Temple of Earth

2007-06-12T21:38:00.000-07:00

When: April 25 & 27, 2007
Where: Malian Dao, Beijing
Words: Tea City

Tea City

Along Malian Dao, a mile-plus stretch of Beijing devoted to tea merchants and giant tea emporiums, it's not hard to find something to drink.

teastravaganza

merchant from the southern province where the finest white teas are grown.
the one we bought had just arrived at the shop that morning.

Lunch was much harder to track down—but after lots of walking and a lucky turn, we discovered a noodle place. We were the only customers. Afterward, the owner took us to his childhood friend's tea shop a few blocks away.

The Temple of Earth

On my last day in Beijing, I met up with Stacey at Andingman Bridge.

After a killer lunch (this post seems to have an extra theme), we took a walk through Temple of Earth park.

Given that the park's name is firmly rooted in the ground, I wasn't too surprised by the practical items for sale outside the public bathroom.

look, ma, i'm anthropomorphic!

Inside the park is a cute art gallery with a courtyard that can only be described as red. Extremely red.

Outside the gallery, the Temple of Earth is lush and green. And, like the Great Wall, quite well-lit.

"green green little grass. please do not disturb."
(in chinese, it rhymes.)

In Closing

Outside the massage parlor where I got the cheapest deep-tissue backrub of my life ($7 for a full hour—what's that I hear? The sound of you booking a flight to Beijing?), there was some kind of construction project.

You know, the kind where they need giant spools.

I couldn't figure out where else to put this shot, so I'm putting it here.

The end.

China (5) Xicheng & The Hutongs

2007-06-12T21:33:00.001-07:00

When: April 26, 2007
Where: Xicheng District, Beijing
Words: The 798 / Scaling the Walls

En Route

On my way from Lama Temple back to Stacey's neighborhood in the West City (Xicheng), I stopped to admire this ridiculous not-quite-car:

I hope it didn't try to tackle downtown traffic with the big boys, but it probably did. Beijing drivers are fearless—and if you want to cross the street on foot, you have to be also.

The subway is pretty easy to navigate (only a few lines), but be careful what you bring along for the ride.

Entering the Hutongs

Two quick turns away from Jishuitan station and the throngs on Xinjiekou Street, and you'll find yourself on the banks of a quiet chain of lakes.

The lakes have a guardian who stands with his back to the city streets. Can't really blame him—the water is a much calmer companion.

Some of these fishermen were in business suits, just escaped from the office; some sunburned and wizened. It looked like the city had grown up around them.

The men anchored their lines to the lakeside pathway using chunks of brick. On a second look, they turned out to be pieces of the path itself, broken off over time and put to new use.

Cross the narrow paved road behind the lakes, and enter the maze of hutongs.

Xinjiekou Street

My huntong wander brought me back out on Xinjiekou a few blocks from Stacey's building. It's one of the most popular bargain shopping streets in the city, with little noodle shops and bakeries tucked between eager retailers (with bullhorns!) and crowded banks.

Strangely, the street also houses a small museum dedicated to Xu Beihong, celebrated for his calligraphic-style paintings of horses and other animals.

Bare essentials for the modern traveler: tea, rice, guidebook, MacBook.

Please excuse the shoddy self-portrait. I couldn't resist the urge to title it:

screenshot

China (4) Lama Temple

2007-06-04T21:54:00.000-07:00

When: April 26, 2007
Where: Lama Temple, Beijing
Words: I didn't blog about this pretty temple, but I did manage to ride by it during just about every taxi ride we took all week. So it was constantly on my mind, if not in my pen.

Yonghe Gong: Lama Temple

I got out at the Lama Temple subway stop and wandered around confused for a while. It's very humbling to think of yourself as a seasoned traveler, then suddenly find yourself unable to read a map, translate street signs, or ask anyone for help.

Thank goodness for the discreet but handy sign I finally spotted:

The temple buildings are overwhelmed by incense, but the pathway leading up to them had some of the freshest, greenest air I breathed in Beijing.

I didn't stop to carve a seal, but apparently famous people do:

door detail

"It was built in 1744 A.D. There is a bell inside. Lama ring it when hold the ceremony."

do ya feel lucky, punk?

Given the serious volume of incense, I'm not sure how the monks (or the public) managed to obey this rule:

People kept coming up to these—not sure what to call them, wheels?—and spinning them for a while by hand. I figured luck must be involved, so I tried it also.

Lama Temple seems to have hired the same decorator as the Forbidden City:

There was a crowd of sullen German tourists just to the right of this tree. They were middle-aged and all wore identical outfits. I cropped somebody's fanny pack out the frame.

In the final building at the back of the complex, the emperor holds court.

China (3) The Great Wall

2007-05-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

When: April 24, 2007
Where: The Great Wall, Ba Da Ling
Words: Scaling the Walls

To enter the Great Wall at Ba Da Ling, you must pass the vendors. I'm not exactly sure what they were selling (except hats—lots of hats), but each stand looked almost identical to its neighbors.

Then, suddenly:

Overpowering even the blaring classical music, Hollywood lighting, and gigantic Olympics billboard mounted on the pristine hillside like a cursive wart—the Great Wall is majestic.

The pathway walls are designed for peeking through, with strategic cutouts framing elegant slices of nature.

If you're looking for the ideal icebreaker in a foreign country, try bringing a friend with a mohawk. You'll have more random conversations than you ever imagined.

Another tip: Befriend an excellent translator. This garbage can apparently warns visitors not to talk on cell phones in inclement weather.

"don't call in thunder storm day"

There are many delights available as you walk along the wall. Want to get a snapshot of yourself in full warrior regalia while carving your name on a camel? You're in luck.

I promise I'm not going for sultry here. This is what happens to girls with long hair and no sunglasses when it's windy.

These elderly men with fantastic faces were just kind of hanging out. You know, on the Great Wall.

Even a short hike along the wall is a surefire aerobic workout. Check the steepness:

Given the angles involved, I trust you'll forgive us for taking the cable car back down to the bottom.

Feeling a little shaky after the cable car ride, I came across this here camel.

And I discovered that you really can find California beef noodles just about anywhere. Whew.

China (2) The Forbidden City

2007-05-29T20:04:00.000-07:00

When: April 23, 2007
Where: The Forbidden City, Beijing
Words: Scaling the Walls

Entering the Forbidden City

Beijing is generally an exercise in scale, but I should mention that Mao looks much bigger when you're standing right below him.

Please don't forget to Love our Beijing.

The Outer Courtyard

The Hall of Central Harmony

Treading in the footsteps of warriors and emperors may be intimidating, but it's the door knockers that'll get you.

Chinese signs are almost as funny as Japanese signs, and equally earnest.

These guards appeared out of nowhere, lined up in snappy formation, and proceeded to do—not much. We all took pictures and watched for a while until we realized nothing would happen.

The Hall of Clocks and Watches

Each of these little fellows has a job: The swell on the left counts hours, the dandy in the middle counts minutes, and the gent on the right counts seconds.

Wandering the Alleys

The Imperial Garden

Here's when I officially ran out of black-and-white film, but it might take a second to notice.

The Inner Courtyard

This is the battering ram you have to use to exit the Forbidden City . . .

. . . if you declined to pay extra for the special jewelry exhibit. Thank goodness I'm a sweet talker.

China (1) The 798

2007-05-28T21:36:00.000-07:00

When: April 2007
Where: Dashanzi (aka The 798), Beijing
Words: The 798

The 798 art district was one of my favorite neighborhoods in Beijing. Modern and cosmopolitan and gritty/chic, it's nestled in a streamlined corner of the slapdash craziness of urban China.

Street Art

As you might expect in an area overflowing with young creativity, the 798 has more than its share of sweet (sanctioned and unsanctioned) public art.

These figures stood guard all over the neighborhood—sometimes on solo watch, sometimes in pairs—like silent, benevolent grandfathers.

Gallery Openings

Stacey's gig at TimeOut Beijing calls for him to attend as many openings as he can handle. Our first stop was the Long March Gallery. Clearly, I had Canteen on the brain:

The current exhibit, NONO, posed this question: "Is NONO a double refusal and rejection, or is it the refusal of rejection?"

Having seen the art, I still can't tell you, but the snails were cool.

"using the cheapest method to love your soul 2," he an

"unicorn," colin chinnery

There was a nice symmetry in discovering this place out the back door of Long March.

Next up was the Tang Gallery, where some heavier hitters show their work.

"phantom," zhao nengzhi

"gesture," ye yongqing

Then I found this portal with my doppelganger inside, on the right:

Our final opening of the night was Platform China, featuring the mental implosions of new talent Jia Aili, plus some outdoor couches that brought me back to my (very brief) Cranberries period.

The Farewell Committee

I revisited the 798 the day before I left Beijing, so the last two locals I met were a red discus-thrower and an extremely surprised giant fish. Closure doesn't get much better than that.

Japan Directory

2007-05-14T22:40:00.000-07:00

If scrolling gets you down, don't worry—here are all the Japan posts in order.

Japan (1) Iwakura
Japan (2) Nijojo Castle
Japan (3) Philosopher's Path
Japan (4) Gion
Japan (5) Mt. Hiei
Japan (6) Nara

I also put together a Japan Highlights post for my word blog, on the off chance that you don't have an afternoon to spare for the entire batch.

Japan (6) Nara

2007-05-13T22:44:00.000-07:00

When: April 19, 2007
Where: Nara
Words: I never found time to write a Nara post, so you'll get a side dish of anecdotes with your serving of photos today.

The Deer

Nara is famous for three main reasons: age, the world's biggest buddha, and the pack of wild deer wandering freely through the city. They're mangy but friendly, and they have a truly freaky tendency to bow at you when they want to say hello and/or eat your food.

Also, they can stare you down.

When the deer need to cross, they need to cross.

Be wise and stay out of their way—unless you have a huge supply of snacks.

Isuien Garden

We almost skipped Isuien on the way to more famous sights, but it wound up being one of my favorite places to photograph in Japan.

"if you would like to drink green powdered tea,
please hit the board to let us know"

The sky looks ominous here, but it was a sunny, brisk, perfect day.

Todaji Temple

The crowds were hectic at some sights in Nara, but they thinned out on the approach to the buddha. Or it could just be relative, since he's made of gold and outweighs everyone in this picture by a few tons.

Before you enter the temple, you can stop at a cleansing station to wash your hands or take a drink.

The buddha himself is way too large and poorly lit to photograph without fancy equipment, but the little metal insects around his feet are more cooperative.

This next guy sits near the temple entrance, glowering in red-hoodied splendor. But it turns out he's benevolent—if you touch the part of his body that corresponds with any damaged or painful part of your body, you'll be healed.

I gave him a little pat on the lower back, but my guess is he doesn't have to spend nine hours a day at a computer. We'll see if he comes through for me.

I don't remember where we saw this bell, but it was beyond enormous. For a small city, Nara has an impressive collection of "world's biggest ____."

Nigatsu Hall

On the walk back to the train station, we visited a few pagodas. When I went to photograph this one, a small, middle-aged Japanese woman grabbed my arm with sumo strength and made me crouch down just so to get the right picture—the same one she'd taken a moment before.

"You have to get the cherry blossoms," she insisted. And here they are:

We tipped our hats to Nara's guardian on the way out.

Japan (5) Mt. Hiei

2007-05-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

When: April 18, 2007
Where: Kyoto
Words: Demons and Gangsters

Watch out, here comes the toodle train . . .

beware its fiery wrath!

aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!

OK, you get the idea. It's not the grandaddy of steam engines. We were bummed we didn't get to ride in the jungle-themed one, though.

This is the Mt. Hiei cable car line. Take my word for it, and don't look down.

We passed several small graveyards during our hike. The stones wearing red and pink aprons are for young children.

If you kneel down right where the arrow points, you can hear all these weird water noises. The signs weren't forthcoming with the reasons why.

At Amido-do Temple, the monks have kept two lamps burning continuously for more than 1,200 years beside the central shrine.

thirsty dragon

the only panhandler in japan

We missed the cable car back down by two minutes, so we had to wait half an hour for the next one. Annoying at first, until it turned into a great chance to try and capture the view.

Japan (4) Gion

2007-05-12T17:37:00.000-07:00

When: April 17, 2007
Where: Kyoto
Words: Ancient-School Moves

On our way to the Gion neighborhood to see the Miyako Odori (spring dances performed by apprentice geisha), we passed Chionin Temple.

"this is where the buddhist university was founded"

Then we took a shortcut through Maruyama Park, where they apparently breed rocks with toes.

This shrine to the geisha is bright orange and festooned with paper lamps.

I don't know if these ladies were geisha-in-training or not, but they were certainly picturesque. Even in line at the noodle stand.

Ads for the Miyako Odori were plastered on teahouses all over town.

Japan (3) Philosopher's Path

2007-05-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

When: April 17, 2007
Where: Kyoto
Words: Ancient-School Moves / Sumimasen

entering the path

Each tree along the Philosopher's Path is tagged with a number and given a name. No idea if the koi get similar respect.

three seventy-four

Ginkakuji Temple

There are oodles of temple detours along the path. On the way to Ginkakuji, we passed up some delicious treats—like a pink octopus that's just so crazy, he looks happy to be eaten.

and he's wearing some kind of headband

I wonder what would happen if I ever put this much green tea in my body. In ice cream form, no less. Permanent brain freeze?

big ol' cone

path to ginkakuji

Temples are neat, but it's really all about the gardens.

view from ginkakuji garden

"the tower that faces the moon"

cornerstone

sand sculpture

This is a drain cover, believe it or not. Kyoto gets mad style points.

If there's one thing I've never taken seriously enough, it's moss. Until now.

very important moss

Tossing coins into water for luck seems to be a universal pastime, but in Japan, you're supposed to aim. If you miss the rock—no luck for you!

water scrilla

Nanzenji Temple

At the second temple we visited, I was most taken with the giant aqueduct near the entrance. It's crumbly and old and lovely to wander through.

aqueduct empty

Back on the path, we accidentally walked through a movie set with about 50 young people and a special effects van. They didn't exactly add to the tranquility, but it was still pretty cool.

Japan (2) Nijojo Castle

2007-05-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

When: April 16, 2007
Where: Kyoto
Words: Ancient-School Moves / Sakura Revisited

entering nijojo

gate detail

Japan is very organized. This umbrella holder—with locks, because you never know who might get desperate in a downpour—was just outside the foyer where we left our shoes to explore the castle interior.

lest it should rain

Out in the castle gardens, some of the sakura trees graciously held onto their last blooms for us.

double cherry

dad & ann

rock bloom

some of the trees grab you . . .

. . . and some weep for you

Japan (1) Iwakura

2007-05-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

When: April 2007
Where: Iwakura Village, Kyoto
Words: Sea Legs / Demons and Gangsters

Takaragaike Park

This park was my favorite running spot in Kyoto, with a mile-long path around a beautiful lake. I saw a handful of other runners there, plus the occasional cat.

buddha cat

beware of runners

the five commandments

koi fears no man

The Neighborhood

This ancient stop sign sat near the exit of a quiet parking lot with no cars in it. It seemed proud despite the neglect.

When there was a school nearby, the warning signs got more elaborate. This kind came in at least half a dozen varieties, including a cowboy.

kid on a stick

driveway shrine

I visited Japan just before Boy's Day, so the carp flags were flying—one for each male in the household. The mom who lives here deserves a medal:

toodle train tracks

At the local mochi shop, they prepare your order fresh on the spot. While you wait, they bring you musky tea and a little bean cake. Because life is good.

Did you see Lost in Translation? My new theory is that it was based on Tommy Lee's autobiography, and homeboy has lived long and hard.

the boss