Playful Pandas In Colorful Chinatown

A friend recently told me that she had never visited Yokohama's Chinatown.  I gasped, "But Chinatown is so easy! So close!  How have you not been?"  Right then and there, we put a visit to Chinatown on our calendars.

Usually, when I go to Chinatown- sans a certain, energetic preschooler- I like to poke around the many "antique" stores and tea shops.  Since this most-recent trip including Little TF and my friend's just-turned-one year old, we skipped the grown-up destinations and stuck with the silly ones.  Little TF is very enthusiastic about panda bears right now (she tells me she dreams of pink pandas...?) so I told her she could pick out one panda present.  To that end, we hunted down every panda-selling venue that we could find.  Wow.  Chinatown has a lot of panda stuff.  

Cheerful panda bento boxes and panda chopsticks.

Little panda headphones

Rotund pandas... in bathtubs?

Ridiculously adorable panda booties for babies.

Ridiculously adorable panda booties for grown-ups.

Ridiculously adorable panda bodysuits...

...in pink or black.

Cute panda clothes for older kids.

And who doesn't need ninja panda oven mitts?
 (Disclaimer: I am so used to not being able to read anything in
Japan that I did not even see the "no photo" sign. Ooops.)

Kawaii cell phone cases.

Charming panda store front.

Little TF was thrilled with the panda bear bubble blower that she picked out. A bubble blower that required batteries. And broke the next day.  Insert joke about "Made In China" here.  But we had beautiful weather, enjoyed the hustle and bustle of Yokohama, made a poor restaurant choice and ate bad Chinese food, and the kids were entertained for another day of deployment.  All in all, a fantastic Saturday!


Allegedly the largest Chinatown in the world, Yokohama's Chinatown can be accessed via the Minato Mirai line out of Yokohama Station.  Head in the Motomachi-Chukagai direction and get off at Motomachi-Chukagai.  Follow street-level signs to Chinatown.  If shopping for pandas isn't your thing, head to Motomachi's outdoor shopping mall, on the opposite side of the expressway/canal from Chinatown.  Stopping in at Starbucks, Gap, Zara, Longchamp, lots of cute shops, and chic restaurants make for a great afternoon!


Disclaimer:  I do my best to make sure all my information is accurate.  However, details may change or I may just be flat-out wrong.  Please let me know if something needs a correction.  Thank-you! 

Today's Photo! (Temple Stickers)

When visiting Japanese temples or shrines, you may notice that many of the massive gates are covered with graphic, black and white stickers.  These stickers are not the Japanese version of graffiti, but rather senjafuda, or "thousand shrine tags".  Worshippers have their names printed on special strips of paper, pay a small amount to the chosen temple, go through a prayer ritual, and receive permission to apply their sticker. 

Senjafuda cover the entrance gate to Gotokuji Temple, Setagaya Ward, Tokyo.

It's getting harder to participate in this tradition.  Many temples and shrines have now banned the practice, as worshippers have increasingly been caught sticking without paying.  Also, the invention of synthetic adhesives means that many modern stickers damage the wood of old shrine gates.


How do some stickers get stuck so high off the ground?  How do you get a senjafuda made in the traditional fashion? This Japan Times article explains the practice in much better detail!


Disclaimer:  I do my best to make sure all my information is accurate.  However, details may change or I may just be flat-out wrong.  Please let me know if something needs a correction.  Thank-you! 

Reflections On Moon-Viewing

Scrolling through my computer's photo library, I suddenly stumbled upon these photos from October's visit to Sankeien Gardens to celebrate the Japanese tradition of otsukimi, or harvest moon viewing.  I can't believe I forgot to post about this, one of my most favorite things to do in Japan.  It was my second time visiting the gardens for otsukimi, and this time we actually saw the moon!  Yatta!

While we could have taken the train to Yokohama and then hopped on the bus to Sankeien Gardens, I had Little TF with me this time.  I never rode buses with a baby Little TF (wrangling a stroller on and off a bus- while holding a baby- was too ridiculous) and so I never really got into the bus-taking habit.   I also knew we'd be out a bit late, so I drove in the hopes that Little TF would fall asleep on the way back home (she did).

After driving through Yokohama and making a few wrong turns that were easily fixed, we arrived at the Gardens! Dusk was falling and a perfectly clear sky was promising a spectacular night of moon-viewing.  We paid the entrance fee at the automated machines, duly admired the cat posed just so under the paper lantern, and entered a darkening Sankeien Gardens.

Sankeien Gardens' pagoda is the first to greet visitors.  Built in Kyoto in 1457, this pagoda was brought to the Gardens, from its original temple home, in 1914.  The pagoda has been designated an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government, and is a very recognizable symbol of the Gardens and the city of Yokohama.  I've never made it up the hill to admire the pagoda from up close, but it still appears in many of my photos from Sankeien!  The gravel crunched under our feet as we passed by several photography enthusiasts, giant telescoping lenses capturing the pagoda as it lit up against the fading light.


Otsukimi was traditionally celebrated by Heian aristocrats in the ancient imperial city of Kyoto.  Moon-viewing parties included evening boat rides, seasonal displays of flowers and food, poetry-composing sessions, and musical performances.  All of these were meant to enhance the the aristocratic appreciation of the moon in its finest hour, the autumnal equinox, when the moon is still said to sparkle the most.

Sankeien Gardens sponsors seasonal events for the weekend closest to the autumnal equinox, and I had put the dates on my calendar back in the spring.  My first otsukimi in 2010 still ranks as one of my top three Best Japan Experiences, and I couldn't wait to see what 2012 would bring!

After strolling through the outer garden and past the pagoda, we headed into Sankeien's inner garden and the Rinshunkaku.  Also an Important Cultural Property, this building was originally a summer residence belonging to the house of the Tokugawa shoguns.  It was brought to Sankeien Gardens and reassembled in 1918.  Decorated by famous artists, one of the rooms features paintings of Japanese musical instruments.  Perhaps that is why this the Gardens' otsukimi musical performances take place there!

Earlier that weekend, performances of traditional Japanese court dance and some of Johann Sebastian Bach's pieces for strings were performed.  We were able to make it to the performances of traditional Japanese music.  A crowd had already gathered around the Rinshunkaku and its neighboring pond, with attendees standing on a beautiful wooden bridge or seated on the soft lawn.  Usually the Rinshunkaku is closed up, but on this evening the sliding doors had been removed and the entire interior was open.

Little TF, our friend, and I got comfortable on the grass.  As the musicians came out and and seated themselves with their instruments- a biwa and bamboo flute- I pulled out a picnic dinner and some marshmallow bunny wagashi to encourage Little TF to be silent and eat listen.

The haunting tones of the biwa's plucked notes danced with the strains of the breathy bamboo flute.  A pleasant evening, the breeze sighed along with the music.  By now it was completely dark, and all eyes were on the brilliantly lit performance.  The biwa player's voice began to float above those of the instruments. All eyes were on the scene, that is, except for mine; Little TF had dropped her marshmallow bunny and was freaking out.

Marshmallow bunny saved and returned to its owner, silence returned to our patch of lawn.  We dreamily listened to a few more musical pieces, when the two original musicians were joined by another biwa player and a percussionist.  Eventually, I ran out of marshmallow bunnies and we regretfully left the poetic scene.  Perfect timing, as it turned out; the bright moon has just risen over the treetops.

Underneath the pagoda's hill is a small, wooden noodle shop.  It was quite busy on this celebratory evening, but we managed to snag a table with fantastic view of the moon.  Our friend ordered a noodle bowl with crispy tempura, and I ordered a bowl of noodles and mushrooms.  Having already eaten dinner, Little TF dispensed with the main course and chose dango for dessert #2.    

After dinner, we went for one last walk around the backside of the gardens, past darkened tea houses and over a tiny, rushing stream.  We slowly passed through a backlit bamboo forest and admired how the light threw the bamboo's graphic qualities into sharp relief.  Yet another perfect night of moon-viewing at Sankeien Gardens- but also bitter sweet.  It was the last Japan otsukimi for Little TF and me.  

 I shall be sad when fall returns.  I will miss Japan and Sankeien's otsukimi celebrations.  Although, next year, I will finally have a backyard.  Perhaps an East Coast otsukimi?  I hope so.


For directions to Sankeien Gardens by bus, as well as a link to the Gardens' English website, please visit my older post, Lovely Lotus And Sankeien Gardens.  The Gardens' website is worth checking out all year long- information on artistic and cultural events, as well as updates on what's blooming, is constantly updated.  Plum Blossoms are on my list for February.  If you'll be here next autumn, put the autumnal equinox on your calendar, now!


Disclaimer:  I do my best to make sure all my information is accurate.  However, details may change or I may just be flat-out wrong.  Please let me know if something needs a correction.  Thank-you!

Let's Tour Taiwan: Taipei Temples!

Learning how other cultures connect with the divine fascinates me- both in what is different and (more often) in what is the same. We are all asking the same eternal questions, no matter what corner of the globe we come from. This puts "visit houses of worship" high on my sightseeing list.  Fortunately for me, when we visited Taiwan this past summer, the city of Taipei had plenty of temples to check out!

A huge difference between Japanese and Taiwanese temples was immediately apparent.  First, all the temples that we visited were Taoist, as opposed to the Shinto or Buddhist houses of worship in Japan.  Second, the Taiwanese temples were packed and noisy.  While the very famous temples in Japan are always crowded, visitor participation usually seems limited to lighting a few sticks of incense, tossing an offering into the coin box, bowing before the deity, maybe purchasing a fortune, and taking lots of photos. Performing any of these religious gestures is optional.  Taking photos is a must.

Not so the temples we visited in Taipei! The clatter of wooden fortune-telling tools tossed on the floor, a monk lecturing off to one side, the bustle around the offering tables, the burning of spirit money, the heavy clouds of incense, and the color red on practically everything made these temples an experience for all five senses.  There were so many people engaged in various acts of worship, in fact, that I later asked our hotel concierge if the day was a religious holiday (it wasn't).

Here are some of the photos I took during our temple explorations!

Worshippers light incense to be waved and set inside massive, ornate burners.  Incense performs an important
 function in Taoist temples by purifying the space and the minds of the worshippers.  So many
worshippers burn incense, in fact, that the pollution is a growing problem for the city of Taipei.

Offering tables crammed with food.  

Offering round, aesthetically pleasing fruits are best- fruit is that is bitter or unattractive should be avoided.
In Taoism, fruit symbolizes the results of proper efforts and hardship.

Flowers are also placed on the offering tables. For the Taoist, flowers are a reminder 
that Nature can change both one's heart and the hearts of others.

Prayers are offered in front of the tables.  Folded palms display reverence.

The offering tables are a riot of color!  

Many of the temples feature enormous, hanging lanterns.  Many Japanese temples have large, red lanterns with
only a few, painted kanji characters; the Taiwanese lanterns are beautifully and intricately painted. 

The temple to Confucius is particularly fun to visit...here it is getting ready to 

host a matchmaking event. Pink hearts and balloons are everywhere.  

These temples had much more than just worship going on!

These temple grounds are less busy, but plenty of residents still enjoy the gardens
while avoiding the stools set up for the evening's upcoming matchmaking affair!

Tucked in one corner of the temple a group of elderly musicians
plays a mix of traditional and modern instruments.

In the main courtyard, a group of avid photographers practice their fashion photography. 

These wooden crescents are tossed on the floor by worshippers.  The way they clatter onto the ground determines which wooden stick the worshipper pulls out of the jar.  The stick corresponds to a specific drawer in the fortune box, from which the worshipper withdraws a fortune.

The fortune sticks.

Shelves of joss paper, or spirit money.  Gold paper is exclusively for ancestors or higher deities.  This is something I never see in Japan, and seems to be more religiously Taoist in nature.  The paper is burned in special furnaces to make sure that the deceased has many good things in the afterlife. 

The temples were almost overwhelming in their beautiful intricacy.

I may have enthusiastically appreciated the temples, but I know next to nothing about Taoism.  Even though our tour guides were incredibly helpful, I probably have gotten a lot of things wrong.  If something here is incorrect, please tell me!  

Photos taken in Taipei Taoist temples Baoan, Longshan, and Taipei Confucious, as well as Sansia Tsu-Shih Temple in Taipei County.

Disclaimer:  I do my best to make sure all my information is accurate.  However, details may change or I may just be flat-out wrong.  Please let me know if something needs a correction.  Thank-you! 

Lupica's New Tea!

I'm a tea junkie!  Two storage bins full of tea- from Celestial Seasonings' chamomile and Candy Cane Lane to powdered Japanese green tea and loose Taiwanese jasmine tea- take up an entire shelf of valuable kitchen cupboard space.  There is even a bottle of gelatinous Korean yuzu tea in my refrigerator.  So when I passed a Lupicia store front while running some errands at my local mall, I had to stop to check out the new, seasonal teas.  

Sadly, I have made a resolution to firmly squash my compulsive tea-buying habits until I finish at least three containers of tea from my bins.  Even for me, the amount of tea in my house is getting ridiculous.  But I couldn't resist Lupicia's delicious teas in their too-cute metal containers.  They are going in the boxes of Christmas gifts that are being sent out this week.  It's the perfect way to stick to my resolution and give in to my tea-buying compulsion!  

The Christmas tea is a black tea with notes of grape and champagne.  The citrus tea is a yuzu-flavored green tea.

So, family and friends....I wonder who the lucky recipients are?  


Disclaimer:  I do my best to make sure all my information is accurate.  However, details may change or I may just be flat-out wrong.  Please let me know if something needs a correction.  Thank-you! 

Today's Photo (Shichi-Go-San)

Two weeks ago, some friends and I took our kids to Studio Alice to get Shichi-Go-San photos taken!  

Little TF is on the right, with two of her very good friends.

I learned about the Japanese celebration of Shichi-Go-San during our base "Welcome To Japan And Don't Do Anything To Screw Up The US/Japan Military Alliance" orientations.  Through my jet lag-induced fog, somewhere between "Don't Drink and Drive" and "Remember OPSEC", the instructor started talking about Japanese celebrations and about how we could take our kids to wear kimono and get their photos taken for Shichi-Go-San.  For kids aged three, five, and seven, these special ages are times to visit shrines and pray for their long and happy lives.  This year, our last year in Japan, Little TF turned three!  Studio Alice, a Japanese photography studio chain, provides kimono, accessories, hair and makeup styling, and props, along with a very energetic team of photographers.  Photos can be taken in the Studio Alice photography studio, or kimono can be rented for children to wear to the shrines.  

The kids had an absolute blast getting all dressed up.  Studio Alice really made them feel special, and Little TF kept telling me she was a Japanese princess.  She picked out the perfect pink kimono, the perfect hairstyle from the catalog, and glowed as the attendants added dangling charms to her coiffure and dabbed on some pink lipstick.  What a great memory. We will treasure these photos forever!


Look up Studio Alice locations by running their website through Google Translate. Information on special packages is also supplied.  For the actual appointment, a Japanese friend to translate would probably be very helpful.  Many thanks to my friend who translated for us!


Disclaimer:  I do my best to make sure all my information is accurate.  However, details may change or I may just be flat-out wrong.  Please let me know if something needs a correction.  Thank-you! 

The Luckiest Cats In Tokyo

It was a dark and stormy night.  A wealthy lord, caught in the violent weather, took shelter under an old tree near Gotokuji temple.  Hoping to wait out the worst of the tumult, the great man wrapped himself tightly against the driving rain.  Suddenly, he spotted a temple cat sitting under the dilapidated gate.  Peering through the rain, the lord tried to make sense of what he was seeing.Was the cat...beckoning?  Overcome by curiosity, he left the protection of the old tree.  In the next instant, lightning cracked and struck the tree where the lord had just been standing.  The beckoning cat had saved his life.

Autumn in Japan is about as perfect as the season can possibly get.  The weather is beautiful, and the mild temperatures last almost until December.  What a welcome relief from August and September's humid misery!  Autumn is also tied with spring as my favorite season during which to visit temples and shrines; the gardens, filled with maples and gingko, are about to explode into fiery brilliance.  On Monday, I had a day off in my schedule, so a friend and I checked a Tokyo temple off our Japan Bucket List.  Gotokuji Temple has been calling my name for months!

Gotokuji Temple is located in Setagaya, the largest of Tokyo's twenty-three wards.  Setagaya is an upscale residential district, with a large park, and the fun and funky district of Shimokitazawa.  I get my hair cut in Shimokitazawa (a blog post for another time), and LOVE the area.  Lots of boutiques, vintage clothing, and jewelry shops cram the narrow streets.  Jiyugaoka, the area consistently voted as "Tokyo's most desirable place to live", is also located in Setagaya, as is Lupicia's flagship tea store and restaurant. 

We got off at the Gotokuji train station and walked about fifteen minutes to the temple.  The walk was pleasant and down a narrow street filled with shops, restaurants, and residences.  The temple, when we arrived at its back wall, was quiet.  So quiet, in fact, that my friend and I got nervous that it might actually be closed.  They can't close temples, can they?!

After walking what turned out to the the long way around the temple, we arrived at the open gate with relief.  Except for a few elderly men sweeping the paths and a group of preschoolers walking in an orderly line, my friend and I were the only ones there.  As a Christian, I have been surprised to find myself feeling feeling closer to God in the environs of a Japanese temple or shrine than almost anywhere else.  Not in the super famous temples that draw huge crowds, but rather in the temples filled with nature, peaceful beauty, and wisps of incense.  My heart and mind become quiet, and I can pause to hear the divine whispers that my hectic days usually drown out.  

The central hall of the temple complex is guarded by a massive, lion-topped incense burner.

A bell tower.

A three-story pagoda.

My American hometown's best Chinese restaurant had a golden beckoning cat in its window, and in Japan, the cats are everywhere.  Japanese (not Chinese) in origin, the feline figurine is believed to bring good luck to its owner.  The maneki neko is especially popular in shop windows, as the cat's raised, beckoning paw is said to lure customers inside.  The red collar and bell were popular attire for cats belonging to wealthy families during the Edo period.

There are many stories that attempt to explain the maneki neko's originas, and Wikipedia's entry tells the story of the feudal lord who took shelter outside Gotokuji's gates.  As the end of the story goes, the lord was so grateful to the cat for saving his life, that he showered the temple with wealth.

A friend of mine told me the story with a slightly different twist- the samurai, Ii Naosuke, was passing by Gotokuji Temple when he saw a cat waving to him from the temple garden.  Curiosity getting the better of him, he stopped at the temple to have tea.  As he was resting in the tranquil garden, a sudden storm descended.  The samurai was so grateful to have been rescued from the storm that he donated a fortune to the temple.

Whether or not these stories are true, Gotokuji Temple believes them, at any rate!  There are maneki neko everywhere, and the temple is the place to go if you are looking for luck, business success, or the return of a lost cat.

Gotokuji's ema, wooden plaques with worshippers' prayers and wishes, are decorated with maneki neko.

Look up! The pagoda has a maneki neko carved into the wall.

Tucked behind the hanging ema and the main hall is this small, inner shrine- the maneki neko jackpot.

Around the corner and to the side of the small shrine, a stand is piled high with white ceramic cats, with more spilling over onto the ground.  So cute!  Worshippers leave beckoning cat charms with the hope that the lucky cat will bring luck to their particular wish.  There were hundreds of maneki neko!

Big cats, medium-sized cats, little cats...cats, cats, cats!

There were also clusters of origami cranes hanging from the eaves.  There is a belief in Japan that
 if one folds one thousand paper cranes, they will be blessed with eternal good luck

I love the itty-bitty ones!

After admiring the multitudes of maneki neko, my friend and I took our shrine books to get stamped.  A large cutout of a maneki neko beckoned us inside.  Maneki neko charms were also available for purchase.  So much kitty cuteness!

We wandered around the gardens for a bit longer before heading back to the train station.  On our way out, we passed another group of preschoolers in their matching hats.  We all happily waved to each other.  "Bye-bye," the children called.  Good-bye, children in your cute hats!  Good-bye, maneki neko!

Gotokuji Temple is accessed via Gotokuji Station on the Odakyu Line.  Take an express or rapid express train to Shimokitazawa, and then switch to a local train.  Gotokuji Station is three stops away.  Exit the station via the west exit and turn left on the street immediately in front of the exit.  Follow the street to the dead-end next to the railroad tracks, and turn left.  The wall of Gotokuji Temple will be up ahead.  When you get to the temple wall, turn right and follow it to the main entrance.  My friend and I turned left, and walked the looooong way around.  On your way back, stop in some of the shops for some cute maneki neko souvenirs!  Continue your sightseeing by shopping in Shimokitazawa, or head up to Shinjuku for lunch.


Disclaimer:  I do my best to make sure all my information is accurate.  However, details may change or I may just be flat-out wrong.  Please let me know if something needs a correction.  Thank-you!