Shades of Green

For my birthday - which is coincidentally St. Patrick's Day - I took the day off from work to shoot photos in Kamakura. I've been wanting to revisit Hokoku-ji for a while now, but it's a little off the beaten path and not the most convenient temple to walk to with a stroller. But by myself, it's a breeze. So early on Tuesday morning, I woke up as usual, got Joshua ready for school, and then dropped him off just as the first bell was ringing (It's worth mentioning that The Sullivans School's bell rings to the tune of the "Chim Chim Cher-ee" song from Mary Poppins, which in my humble opinion is a great tune to start the day).



Afterward, while whistling "Chim Chim-i-ney, Chim Chim-i-ney, Chim Chim Cher-ee", I drove back home to grab some fuel for my belly, then hit the road. Miraculously, I arrived at JR Yokosuka station within about 15 seconds of the train arriving, which seriously never happens for me. Ever. Usualy it's a 10 minute or more wait, because I always seem to forget to look up the schedule online at Hyperdia (click the English button up top, if necessary). But good ol' Irish luck was on my side that morning, so I hopped on the train with the late round of salarymen commuters and made my way to Kamakura.



The walk to Hokoku-ji was fairly unmemorable, but it was nice being out in the cool morning air. Walking through Kamakura before 9am is an experience everyone should try once. Store merchants haven't opened their shops yet, but they are at work on the outside of their buildings, sweeping or organizing things before starting the day. Despite the activity, there's a peaceful calm that overwhelms the town. After 9am, the place is a zoo of shop keepers, tourists, and shoppers galore.



I spent about an hour walking through Hokoku-ji and its Bamboo Garden area, then took a leisurely stroll through other familiar temple pathways and narrow streets in the area. By noon, I was back on the JR train and heading home.

For the full set of photos, check out the Gallery dated March 28, 2009, or simply click here.

Edited for Directions: Alisa (comment #1 on this post) asks how to get to Hokoku-ji. I'll do my best to explain. Exit Kamakura Station in the direction of Hachiman-gu (Hachiman Shrine). Follow the main street, which is the one with the strip of cherry trees lining the center of the road. When you reach the large torii gate in front of Hachiman-gu, turn right and follow the road for about a mile, keeping your eyes open for signs that lead to Jomyoji Temple, which is on your left side. Once you pass Jomyoji, you'll be very close to the right-hand turn towards Hokokuji. When I went, I just made sure to be on the right side of the road, and at every right turn after Jomyoji, I looked for the tourist info signs for Hokokuji. Turn right at the info sign that I have photoed in my Gallery. From there, the temple is about a 2 minute walk ahead on your right hand side. You can't miss it. The Bamboo Garden is in the back of the shrine, so you'll have to go to the ticket window and ask for a ticket to enter the bamboo garden area. Click on the map to your left to make it larger.

The Cost of Things

Most people think that it's expensive to live in Japan. In a lot of ways, they are so right. Things for the most part are much more expensive than in the States. However, I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that unfortunately, we as Americans can't read the sale ads when they come in the mail or are posted. We have to rely on word of mouth. For example, I found out that many vendors celebrate Wednesday as Ladies Day. Where everything for ladies is 1000 yen. Many times this is for onsen or a lunch special at the local restaurant. Also, there are certain days of the month that restaurants give deals. Like, 30% sushi. The trick is to find out when and where those deals happen.

I haven't really found out to many deals over the time we've been here but I'll share what I do know. Uniqlo has good deals on clothing. I'm usually a Medium in American size which equals out to a large in Uniqlo size. Some things are too short on me. I think it's set up like Petit sizes in America. However, for children they've got some great deals on basic clothing. I just purchased Joshua's shorts there for 1000 yen apiece. These shorts are great. They have a real drawstring and are styled long so that Joshua may get 2 summer's wear out of them.

We also really enjoy going to Hard Off / Book Off. This is a consignment chain store in Japan. I saw a Kate Spade bag there for 2200 yen. I just bought several jumpers for Samuel 100 yen a piece. I bought a Combi infant convertible car seat there for 3200 yen and a buffet style table for 8000 yen (has an outlet for the rice cooker). They sell just about anything there. I usually go first for the children's clothing section though. I find all of the boys Summer yukatas there. They also purchase used items as well but I hear that there isn't a lot of $$$ in that. A girlfriend of mine got me hooked on this place and the second hand store here on base. I have really grown to appreciate thrift stores and consignment stores and am amazed at what people just get rid of.

There are certain things that are just cheaper off base than on base. Diapers for example. I've found nothing as absorbant as American Pampers but I absolutely love Merries Diapers. I use those during the day and American Pampers at night so he doesn't wet through. Merries are soft and for some reason he doesn't get diaper rash from them.

Most folks know this already but the 100 yen store is still one of the best places to find deals. Another good place is Paseos. They sell futons, fabric, & clothing.

As far as food goes, the best deals daily are found in the evening at grocery stores. Most times vendors are trying to clear the shelves of their deli items like tempura, sushi, yakitori, yakisoba, etc. Oh yes, and be sure to bring your own bag. Many stores now offer a discount for customers that bring their own bags.

I hope that this helps anyone out there who is new to Japan and on a shoestring budget. As I find new things, I'll try to report. In the mean time, anyone out there come across some good deals or specials here in Yokosuka, be sure to comment!

Organic in Japan

Most of my blogs have to do with food for one reason or another......obsession much? Anyway, for a while I've been trying to find out which milk at the local grocer is organic or, what the standards are for milk production here. I found out that the Japanese government has a symbol for the American version of "Certified Organic" like the American government, the Japanese government has standards that products must adhere to to get this symbol on their product. Today I found out what that symbol is and hoped that maybe it would help fellow gaijin. Look for this symbol on products at the grocery store.

Enoshima Aquarium Revisited

It isn't the first time we've visited Enoshima Aquarium, and it won't be the last, I'm sure. Back in January, we took a short trip to one of our favorite aquariums in Japan... Enoshima Aquarium. I love shooting photos in that place, because I love oceans and sea life. What can I say?... I'm a Pisces.

I also brought my Lensbaby 2G, which these days seems like a dinosaur compared to the 'new' hip lines that Lensbaby is advertising. I guess, from the images I've seen, that my old Lensbaby is most closely related to the modern day "Muse".

Anyway, here's a few shots from my Lensbaby and from my 28-135mm. The whole set of pics can be found here or in the Gallery.