theknittyvritti

triple happiness

I have to confess that I was a little worried that I hadn't yet seen a bride in Japan. I think it's good luck to see one on your travels. I shouldn't have given it a thought, a possibility that occured to me when I stepped on this elevator at the venerable Fujiya hotel in Hakone National Park outside of Tokyo Friday afternoon. It being the weekend, I thought maybe my luck was changing.

Nothing doing, we left the hotel for a tour around the area, including a pirate ship ride on Lake Ashi.

Yes, I meant that. If it's clear, you may see Mt. Fuji during your ride on the lake. It wasn't, we didn't, but we did see this.

 

Yes! I started to relax.We travelled back to the hotel, and as we walked through the lobby, I noticed what appeared to be some groomsmen lurking nearby.

 

That was a small chapel in front of the hotel. They had to be groomsmen.

We went for a walk in the garden, and saw another chapel, with a wedding in progress.

 

We watched for a while, then went inside, and caught this on the stairs.

 

While we were enjoying our afternoon rice cracker snack break, the just married couple slowly wended their way through the garden.

 

The wedding trifecta. And if I spend more time in the lobby here, who knows how many more weddings I might see. Love is all around........

 




 

this one's for you.......

....Hightest. Maybe this will be the year you become a sock knitter?
 

fashion show

 
 
 
 

kyoto

From the ridiculous 

....billboard over entrance to shopping mall.

To the sublime

 

....courtyard garden in Buddhist temple.
 
 

snap

Sundays are for snapping in Kyoto.

Anything is fair game, and snapping is contagious....as soon as one person decides that something is worth it, a crowd develops.

 

 Apparently, it is an ancient custom.

 

Operations Man's official vacation nickname has always been Snapper. He feels right at home here.
 
 
 
 

new york, eat your heart out

Kyoto taxi, complete with doilies on the seats and white gloves on the driver.
 

last day in tokyo

The beautiful Hama Rikyu garden was a peaceful stop in hectic Tokyo.

 

We were barely aware of the city itself.

On our last night, we walked Shinkuju, stopping for conveyer belt sushi.

 

And strolling with what seemed like a million other people.

 

We left for Kyoto during rush hour.

 

Not so different from home.

 

That is, until we got to the platform for the bullet train.....

 

And saw these two. Ah, yes, we're not in New York anymore......

 

 
 

 
 
 

 

don't analyze this

Today we passed through Akihabara, otherwise known as Denki-Gai (Electric Town), center for electronics, but also for anime toys and manga.

 

We saw case after case of these figures, each one better than the next.

 

These even looked a lot like the women I see every day on the subway here, as they go to and from work.

 

I found myself unable to resist buying this. Dr Knittyvritti might say that I have a problem with aggression, but I think it's just about my frustration over the fact that Operations Man won't let me anywhere near the chainsaw.

 

She still insists that it isn't going to end up on a shelf in her office. I guess she has a point.

 
 

 
 
 

snacks

Yesterday, in Asakusa, men making snacks.

 

People were buying them at stalls lining the entrance to Senso-ji temple.

 

Today, in Shinjuku, people were also lining up for snacks.

 

Although I really love my annual doughnut (mostly the filling), I wouldn't stand on line for an hour to get it. A great rice cracker? That's a different matter. But I am not holding my breath for the rice cracker store in Times Square.......
 

 

cherry blossom season

I guess it's the color, so reminiscent of cherry blossoms, that has me focused on this project, one I hope to complete over the next couples of weeks while traveling in Japan.

 

It is cherry blossom season, here, today is nearly the peak, and people are out and about enjoying the sight.

 

I've never felt less conspicuous with a camera. It's quite wonderful, really.

 

Ueno park is full of people celebrating. This group assembled so quickly into formation that I suspect they do it all the time.

 

People lay out tarps and have huge parties on the lawn. I've been told that there is drunken karaoke singing, but it was a little early for that while I was there. Still there was a wonderful party atmosphere, and I feel lucky to have accidentally timed my trip to coincide with the celebration that is the beginning of spring in Japan.