The Snowlady Chronicles

Naoshima

Monday January 13, 2014

Seoul, Korea

FREEZING -10 to -2C

 

Hello from beautiful but freezing cold Seoul, Korea.  I'm here to spend a long weekend with my BFF Eunice as Monday Jan 13 is a holiday in Japan.  Eunice and I met in Tokyo in 2007 when we were the only working female expats working in the apartment building.  Since then, we've become very good friends despite the distances where she moved to Korea and I went back to California and now back in Tokyo.

So when I decided to go to Naoshima, I invited her as I know it is someplace she would love.  I've always wanted to go to Naoshima as the entire island is a museum.  It started with the son of the founder of Benesse who donated millions of dollars to create an art site at Naoshima to help the aging and dying economy of this beautiful island.  It is a bit complicated to get to but definitely worth it.  The islands are beautiful and the water is see through.  To get there, we spent the nite in Okayama (there is a direct flight from Seoul), woke up early to take the train to Uno harbor and then a boat to Naoshima.  When we arrived at Naoshima, we took the Benesse Hotel bus which wisked us away to our hotel. 

It was definitely worth the trip.  The hotel, artwork, museums are just gorgeous and blend in with the landscape.  There are a couple of "Benesse House Hotel" but we stayed in the Oval House which had magnificent views of the ocean.

Once we got there, we started our tour.  Our first stop was to see the grounds by the ocean of Benesse House.  It did not disappoint.  The grounds were dotted with sculptures.  It was a cold and clear day but still gorgeous!

The Port at Naoshima

We were first greeted by this tin man at Benesse House Park - one of the Benesse Hotels

 Benesse House Park Hotel

 The famous pumpkin sculpture on the grounds of Benesse House Park

Everywhere you go, art blends in with nature

 

Our next stop was the Chichu Art Museum which is an underground museum.  Unfortunately photos were not allowed so I only have a photo of the outside.  The entire museum in "underground" and was designed by the famous Takao Ando.  The museum houses important works from James Turrell, Monet and Walter Da Maria and wow, it does the artwork justice.  It's quite special.  It really is one of the most beautiful museums I've ever been to.

Only photo of the Chichu Museum as no photos were allowed

 View from the cafe of Chichu Museum

 The next stop was the Lee Ufan Museum dedicated to the Korean artist Lee Fan.  He is known for finding stones and making them art.  The way he places them have a very Zen like feel to it.  One controversy - the pamphlet states that he was born in Japan.  Fact is that he was born in Korea during the Japanese occupation.  So Eunice, being Korean American, immediately picked up on the "mistake".  Hopefully, it was an honest mistake and not another "nationalistic political statement".  Again cameras were not allowed so I could not take any pictures.

Entrance to the Lee Ufan museum

Our next adventure was to go into town to visit the "Art House Projects", where traditional and abandoned houses were transformed to artwork. 

Everywhere you go in town one finds "art".

 Our first stop was the Ando Museum where I learned alot about his background.  Again no photos were allowed so no pictures.  But what surprised me the most about Takao Ando is that he is self taught. Didn't got to university, just learned on his own after being inpired by the Imperial Hotel building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  I also learned that he is from Osaka and designed many buildings there.  I took a mental note to do a Takao Ando tour of Osaka.

Our next stop was Gokaisho which means meeting place for "go" players.  The artist Suda, installed a piece called falling Camillia which I took a phots of before I was told "no photos"

Gokaisho

 

 

 The next stop was Kinza,, an over 100 year old house where one needs to make a reservation to enter.  Basically you go into the house, sit on a stone and reflect on the stones, glass etc that you see.  To be honest, I did not get this one. 

Kinza

Haisha ( Dentist) was fun to visit.  The converted Dentist office was whimsical with a Statue of Liberty in the middle of the house. 

Haisha

While walking to the different Art House projects we noticed the locals displaying art in their own gardens.

We also visited Kadoya, Minamidera and Ishibashi where again no photos were allowed inside.  Kadoya was interesting because an installation called Sea of Time can be found in the house where the residents helped create.  Basically, in the house is a large square pool of water with LED lights.  Quite beautiful

Ishibashi belonged to a prosperous business man in the salt industry which was the main industry of Naoshima years ago.  The house is big with the most beautiful and modern sumie paintings on the sliding doors.  Gorgeous.

Minamidera is a new structure designed by Takao Ando next to the Minami Temple and houses a spectacular James Turrell installation which plays on your eyesight.  At first you are in a pitch dark room and can't see anything, but as your eyes adjust after about 15min, you seel a blue square light which you can walk to.  Amazing.  I was first introduced to James Turrel in Argentina.  The guy is a genius.

 Our last stop of the "Art House" Tour was the Go'o shrine which is an Edo period shrine "updated" by the artist Hiroshi Sugimoto.  The glass staircase surprisingly fits well with the temple.  At the end of the visit, you get a flashlight and get to go underneath the temple and walk a very narrow corridor lined with glass to see a pool of water.  Not something you want to do if you are claustrophobic.  Photos were allowed outside so I took a few.

Go'o Shrine

 

 

While visiting the different houses, we found a small cafe run by a local family.  We had a delicious home made lunch in the dining area (which is their dining room).  I think the husband/wife combo were first nervous as we were foreigners.  But as I spoke Japanese and we loved the food, they breathed a sign of relief :))

After a long day, it was time to check into our wonderful room at the Oval House.  It was quite spectaculor.  It is designed for relaxation so there is no Internet, TV and cellular access is spotty.  The one negative I have is the bathroom.  It was a standard bathroom one can find at a Sheration.  For over 400$ a nite, I was expecting a traditional Japanese style bathroom.  Anyhow, we loved our room as the views were spectacular.

Our Hotel:  The Oval House

View of the sunset from our room.  One wall was bascially a sliding glass door and faced the ocean.

One great benefit about staying in one of the Benesse House Hotels is that you get to meander through the museums on your own after it closes.  We were also able to get reservations at one of the two restaurants in house.  We had a reservation at the Japanese restaurant where I had the vegetarian Zen Kaiseki and Eunice had the regular Kaiseki.  All the dishes were exquisitely done.

The Japanese Restaurant at Benesse House

My menu

A sample of what I had

We finished dinner around 7pm, meandered through the museum a bit, went to our hotel room and as there was nothing else to do, we decided to go to bed around 830pm!

The next morning I woke up around 5am, where I read a bit, then got dressed quietly to take a photo of the sunrise

As we were leaving on this day, we first went to the buffet breakfast and had a huge breakfast and enjoyed some of the local delicacies (seaweed, fish, etc).  We then decided to explore Benesse House and more of the grounds before heading back to Okayama to go home.

I found out that for people who are willing to spend the money, Benesse House will pick you up at Okayama station, drive you to the port, and take you to Benesse House on a private boat.  Below is the private dock.

Artwork on the beach

The Feng Shui outdoor bath.  One has to make reservations to use it and has to wear a bathing suit which is rare in Japan

Because we explored Benesse House early, I was able to get a photo before again the security guards told me no photos are allowed.  I'm not sure why they have that rule as many other museums do allow for photos these days. 

Ultraman Exhibit

 

This exhibit drove me crazy because chatterbox is all that I heard while exploring the Benesse House Museum.

  

I loved the place.  And while there found out that other islanda in the reqion are now "art islands"  I have to do another visit, but perhaps when its a bit warmer.  We went on a weekend in December as when I tried to make reservations last year around September timeframe, that was the earliest they had an opening.  If ever in Japan, its definitely worth visiting.  There is no place on earth like it. 

 

Happy New Year!

 

January 5, 2014

Tokyo, Japan

Sunny, Windy and Cold (but not as cold as Canada!)

 

I spent the New Year's holiday which is long in Japan this year (12/27-01/05) in Tokyo.  In hindsight, I should have gone to my sisters but also felt it important to spend it with Tobey and Yuki-chan.  Hard to believe but its been a year since Yuki arrived from Los Angeles with Uncle Michael and Auntie Amy. 

My New Year's was a quiet one as I ended up catching a very bad cold on the 31st and finally felt human just a couple of days ago.  But before falling ill, I managed to walk around Suitengu which is where my office is located and visited some of the stalls selling New Year's Decorations.

 

Japanese hot spices.  I ended up buying a few packages here

I ended up buying a small Kadomatsu which is to the right.  It is the temporary home for the ancestral spirits and harvest god that visits to celebrate the New Year.  I also bought Nanakusa no Sekku - a basket of the seven important herbs that are to ward of evil spirits. In Japan, one eats the herbs in rice porridge on Jan 7 to ensure a healthy New Year.  I placed them by photos of my parents who are no longer with us. 

I wasn't feeling well so ended up going to bed with the dogs around 9pm on the 31st.  So, ended up waking up around 4am.  Given the dogs had no interest in getting up, I waited until sunrise to take them for a walk.  As you can see, Ms. Yuki is not too pleased as she would have rather stayed in bed.

Fortunately for me,  I am blessed with wonderful friends.   Traditionally, for New Years in Japan, one eats Osechi-ryori.  Tradition is that the food is salty or vinegary as the family eats it for 3 days so that the mother does not have to work for 3 days.  Mami-san who lives nearby and her daughter Naomi invited me to their house for Osechi-ryori.  Given her husband and eldest daughter are overseas, we had a small New Year's celebration.  Mami-san is a phenomenal cook, and she made an osechi honoring women.  And she has a beautiful collection of traditional Japanese lacquerware and china which she used for our Osechi.

Mami-san, made a special ozoni (traditional New Year's soup with rice cake).  She got the rice cake from Okayama and it had red beans in the rice cake.  Delish!

And as a final surprise, Mami-san gave us an Otoshidama.  Otoshidama is a tradition where adults give children monies in a special envelope during New Years.  Mami-san loved the cute envelope so decided to give us an otoshidama as a gift!

This year is the year of the Horse.  I wish you all the best for the New Year!

 

Tobey's First Christmas

 

Saturday January 4, 2014

Tokyo, Japan

Beautiful Sunny Winter Day

 

Happy New Year Everyone!  I meant to post this weeks ago but had a crazy busy Christmas where I worked non-stop until the 27th.  The office closes in Japan from the 27th and re-opens on the 6th, but had to do some "officekeeping" on the 27th, 28th so really did not have much time. 

However, Yuki-chan and I were able to celebrate Tobey's first Christmas.  Christmas week started with both dogs getting groomed.

Here's Ms. Yuki

And here's Tobey

We had out Christmas dinner on the 23rd as it was a holiday in Japan (Emperor's birthday).  Christmas in Japan is very commercial (yes, it's commercial in the US also, but at least we know its a Christian holiday and we do celebrate the birth of Jesus) and is not a holiday.  But the country goes all out for Christmas.  I found out Dean and DeLuca was offering a T-bone steak dinner for X'mas so I ordered two of them so that each dog could get a "bone".  Finding bone-in steaks in Japan is VERY difficult.  And I don't know why they don't offer T-bones or even Prime Rib.  Anyhow, got the steaks and shared them with Yuki and Tobey on the 23rd.  Both dogs were in heaven especially with the bones.  Tobey did not know what to make of it at first but soon got the hang of it and carried it with him everywhere for at least 3 days. 

After dinner it was time to open presents.  Yuki and Tobey got toys from Auntie Amy and Uncle Michael.  They also got fish treats from their dog walker.  And I got them chicken treats.  Yuki of course, hogged all the toys and immediately wanted to play with ALL of her new toys.  Tobey was more interested in the T-bone and spent most of his time gnawing on it and protecting it. 

Ms. Yuki waiting for the presents

X'mas Mugshots.  Ms. Yuki usually does not allow Tobey on the couch but as it is Christmas she made an exception

Both pups went to bed with a huge belly and had no interest in getting up early the next day!

Fortunately for me, I was able to celebrate X'mas with some new friends and also was able to take advantage of a business trip to Sapporo to visit the Sapporo Munich Christmas festival.  Given it was cold with flurries in Sapporo, it really felt like X'mas.

I joined a ladies book club where all the women are ex-pats and are working.  Paula hosted the X'mas book club meeting in her gorgeous home decorated beautifully for Christmas

Sapporo German Christmas Festival!

Although work was crazy it was a very good Christmas.  I did miss my family very much but had to be with my team as it is the busiest time of the year.  Not sure yet, if I'll be in Tokyo next year for Christmas as my assignment is due to end in August, but if I do, I think I'll go for it and get a X'mas tree.

The Great Ocean Road Trip

 Saturday, November 23 2013

Tokyo, Japan

Clear, Crisp Autumn Morning

 

Last post about the Australia trip!  For the last weekend in Australia, it was time for a road trip.  We did the infamous Great Ocean Road.  I love living in Tokyo, but miss the gorgeous coastlines of California.  Miss the beautiful beaches with clear ocean water.  So was very much looking forward to this weekend adventure.

We met at the Hertz location in Melbourne and loaded the car.  Sandra was the designated driver and I was the navigator.  We also got a GPS just in case.  And Bob sat in the back seat catching up on news, work and enjoying the ride.  But since the Hertz office was right next to Victoria's market, we did another trip there so that Bob can buy some gifts for his grandkids.

And then we were off to the Great Ocean Road.  Sandra did an amazing job getting us out of the city but thank god for the GPS as the one way streets of Melbourne were a bit confusing.  And we had to remember to stay to the left!

We left the city around 11am and made our way out of Melbourne to the coast.  The signs were very well marked so it was pretty easy to figure out where to go.

Our first stop was Bells Beach which hosts the famous Rip Curl Pro, the world's longest running professional surf competition.  It was a gloomy, drizzly and cold day but we got to see some surfers with thick wetsuits and hoodies do their thing.  The beach was GORGEOUS!!

Our next stop was Anglesea for a bathroom break on a delicious Melbourne latte. The coffee scene is amazing in this part of Australia.  And they have there own lingo:

Short Black:  espresso

Long Black:  normal coffee

Flat White:  similar to latte but less foam

And I'm sure there are many more

After Anglesea, we headed to Lorne for lunch but not before taking a photo of the arch

At Lorne, we decided to go to a cafe called Arab as they seemed to have a good menu.  Big mistake!  The service was awful!  The "main" server looked like Abe Lincoln and was so rude!  One couple left because he was so rude.  Anyhow, we survived the lunch and took a short walk thru the cute town.  I bought some surfing T-shirts for my nephews.

Wild cockatoos everywhere in Lorne

As we headed to our destination for the nite, Appollo Bay, we stopped at "scenic spots" to take photos.

And then we got to Apollo Bay.  We stayed at the Best Western which was basic but very clean.  As we got in around 5ish, Sandra and I did some wine shopping for our night cap and made reservations at an Italian place across the street from the hotel.  After a good nights sleep where a storm blew by, we woke up to a crisp, cold but clear day.  Sandra and I took a walk along the bay.  The air was fresh and beautiful.

Magpie sighting!

Beautiful but shy birds

Our next stop was the highlight of the Great Ocean Road - the 12 Apostles.  Unfortunately, some of the apostles have crumbled into sea but still magnificent.  The coastline is breathtakingly beautiful.  It took major perserverance to take photos as the wind was blowing, rain falling and freezing!

 

The next stop was the Loch Ard Gorge named after Loch Ard, a ship that met its fate here.  Its stunning yet frightening as one can see the power of the ocean.

Since we had time, we decided to take a side trip to the triplet falls located in a rain forest off the Ocean Road.  It was recommended by the lady receptionist/owner of the Best Western in Apollo Bay.   Bob stayed in the car while Sandra and I did the one hour round trip hike.  It was a beautiful rain forest and suprisingly warm!  We stayed on the paths though as the area is a habitat to some of the world's deadliest snakes!

After the hike we headed to Melbourne Airport.  I had a midnight flight and Sandra/Bob had an early morning flight on Sunday.  I'll report on the restaurants we ate at in Melbourne in another blog post.  But a great, great and fun vacation.  Melbourne is definitely a city I can live in and want to visit again and again and again.

Another Day at the Races

November 8, 2013

Apollo Bay, Victoria Australia

Cold and Rainy

Yesterday, the main agenda item was to go to Oaks Day aka Ladies Day for the races.  They say in Melbourne, one can experience 4 seasons in one day.  And boy, did we.  Since the races did not start until 1230pm, Sandra and I decided to explore Victoria's market for some souvenir shopping.  Victoria Market I believe is the largest market in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the oldest.  It was fun.  I bought some souvenirs and also enjoyed walking through the food sections.  Sandra and I wanted to find some Dukkah, an Egyptian spice, which mixed with olive oil is a delicious dip for bread.  And found it!  If I lived in Melbourne I would be going there all day for my grocery shopping.  I would love for America to have a market like it. 

Cute sheepskin sheep and a koala bear

Some aboriginal tchotchkes

Gorgeous cheeses

Beautiful flowers

While shopping at Victoria Market, we were warm.  So warm that I was sweating with my light sweatshirt.  So when getting dressed for the Oaks,  I figured it wouldn't be too cold.  Boy, was I wrong.  We had great seats where we were able to get a great view of the race track.  But it was FREEZING.  So cold that I had to buy a picnic blanket to keep warm.  What was weird was that down at the grounds it was warmer.  Anyhow, many of the ladies dressed in skimpy outfits were shivering.  Sandra and I were covered in scarves, blankets anything to keep us warm.  Since Bob was not winning, we decided to leave early but not before I did my first bet on my own.  With Bob's help I betted on a two horses for a win.  I based my bet on the names.  Needless to say I did not win.  But had lots of fun!

Bob was a great "teacher" for my first real horse race.  He told me that having booths for bookies are unique to Australia.  Pretty cool, they all had the same white bag where they stashed all the cash.

Great view of the races

My first bet

Since we left the races early, we decided to rest a bit and then meet up for dinner at the one of the chi-chi restaurants at Crown Casino.  Bob wanted to try the casino and it was something we were told to experience.  We had dinner at Spice Temple which is a restaurant by one of Australia's most famous chefs Neil Perry.  I'll talk about it in another blog but it was not a nice experience.  But before I met Sandra and Bob and the restaurant I took a quick look at the shops which were super high end.  And found out almost all the sales folks spoke fluent Chinese.  It seems they are catering to the Chinese.  The casino was massive and very elegant. 

After the disappointing dinner except for the Amercian Chow Mein,  Bob stayed to gamble and won big, while Sandra and I had a drink at Vue du Monde bar on the 55th floor of the Rialto.  Vue du Monde is arguably the best restaurant in Melbourne.  We were impressed and enjoyed the view. The service was impeccable and the staff EXTREMELY nice.   After a glass of fabulous wine, we called it a nite after a busy, fun and full day.

View Melbourne from the Yarra River Plaza of the Crowne Casino

Night view from Vue du Monde Bar.  Gorgeous!

Wine,Apple Cider, and Kangaroos

 Thursday Nov7, 2013

Crisp, Cool Spring AM

Melbourne, Australia

Yesterday, we took a break from the city and did a wine tour of the Yarra Valley.  It was one of the best wine tours I've ever taken.  Our concierge arranged it for us and if interested in a wine tour when in Melbourne I highly recomment Vinetrekkers

Our day started at 9am where Steven our driver and tour guide picked us up.  We were joined by 3 ladies from Syracuse, NY,  a couple from Malaysia, and a yound Malaysian lady travelling on her own. 

We drove East thru the suburbs of Melbourne and then entered the Yarra Valley which reminded us of Central Coast California with the rolling hills, space and gorgeous trees.  If it weren't for driving on the left side and the accents, one will think we were in California!

Our first stop was the Coldstream Hills winery.  The winery is famous as it is James Halliday's winery.  James Halliday is known as THE connoisoir of wine in Australia.  We learnt that because of the temperate weather, pinots and sauvignon blanc to well in this region.  Our lovely hostess served us the best wines and also has a brother in law who has a horse that placed 7th in the Melbourne Cup!  I also learned that it is very inexpensive to ship wine to Japan, so that is something I am seriously considering (got the necessary forms from the winery)

Views from Coldstream Winery.  Yarra Valley also produces majority of Australia's fruits (apples, pears, strqwberries, etc).  The white netting you see afar is used to protect the fruits!

Next Stop was Chandon wineries, which is owned by Moet and Chandon.  We were treated to sparkling wine, cheese and bread.  We also were treated to a tour of the winery.  Sandra and I were very familiar with how sparkling wine  are made but it was a good refresher.  I'm not a big fan of sparkling wine but since I was there I had the sparkling Pinot Shiraz with the cheese and bread.  It's only available in Australia and is very popular.  It was OK..  I would make a cocktail with it. 

Chandon Winery

Gorgeous Grounds

The next stop was Punt Road.  A winery but most famous for apple and pear ciders.  I learned something new at Punt Road.  When Australians, Canadians say apple cider, they are talking about an alcoholic drink.  Basically, its apple "beer".  The alcoholic content is about the same as beer and the processing is similar.  We tried both apple and pear and loved the pear version.  So we bought a 4 pack to take with us on our weekend trip to the ocean.  We also tried their wines which were lovely but loved the ciders!

Our lovely hostess at Punt Road Winery

Apple Cider!

Apple trees that are over 60 years old

Our next stop was Yering Winery.  One of the most famous wineries in Australia and in the world.  Here we enjoyed the scenery and a wonderful lunch.  It is Australia's oldest winery.  Gorgeous scenery and a wonderful and very knowledgeable staff.  And delicious wine.  I'm definitely going to be ordering wine from here when back in Japan

We had lunch at this beautiful restaurant

And enjoyed the special sculpture exhibition

After having a very filling but delicious meal, it was time for our last stop which De Bortoli wineries.  Not only were we going to taste wine, we were going to enjoy some wonderful cheeses pared with the wine.  Our first cheese with sauvignon blanc was a local goat cheese marinated in olive oil.   Delicious!  The olive oil cuts through the sharpness of the goat cheese.  We stuffed ourselves with several different types of cheeses paired with wine tasting.  However, the highlight was tasting Australia's most famous dessert wine called Noble One paired with a French Blue cheese.  We learned the way to enjoy the cheese with the wine is as follow.  Take a piece of the blue cheese, chew on it but don't swallow, take a sip of the dessert wine and eat it together.  Wow!  I'm not a fan of dessert wine (Noble One is similar to Sauterne) and blue cheese but the combination was heavenly.

Our hostess.  She taught us how to drink dessert wine with cheese

The view from De Bortoli

And when leaving the winery to head back to the hotel, we ran into a flock of cockatoos at the entrance of the winery.  Australia still has a an abundance of wildlife due to her conservation efforts.  The cockatoos which come from Australia were cute and gorgeous with the pink bow tie.  I could not get a good photo but where else can one run into a flock of cockatoos?

And lastly as driving back to the hotel,  Steven took a detour to Kangaroo Hill, hoping we would see some wild kangaroos.  He set very low expectations as kangaroos are nocturnal.  But, lucky us, we saw a "herd"  Again tough to take a photo but at least we saw them.  They are amazing animals.  The female can "freeze" her pregnancy if there is danger or if she stil has a baby nursing in her pouch.  Wow!

Kangaroos resting under a tree

We had a long day but an AMAZING day. I am beginning to fall in love with Melbourne!

Melbourne Cup

Nov 5, 2013

Melbourne, Australia

Glorious Spring Day

 

Today is a holiday in Melbourne and for a good reason.  Today is Melbourne Cup day where Australia's most prestigious horse race takes place.  And it is the reason why I am here.  A trip to the Melbourne Cup was Sandra's birthday present to Bob and I got to tag along!  I have to say the whole experience was so much fun!

The Melbourne Cup is known in Australia as the race that stops the nation.  It is a 3200 meter race for 3 year old horses and is the richest horse race in the world. 

The day started at 815am at the Westin for a Champagne breakfast (yes at 815am!).  I did not have champagne but had an Elderberry Martini.  Only had one though as did not want to get drunk before the races! 

We then took a cab to the Flemington Race Course which was beautiful.  We got there early enough as we wanted to see the first race.  It definitely was a once in a lifetime experience.  EVERYONE was dressed up and oh the hats.  Just lovely.

And at 3pm the race of the year, where the entire nation stops for 3 minutes or so to listen or see the horse race.  It was quite exciting and Bob we believe won some monies for us.  The winner?  Fiorente!

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, dressing up, wearing a hat, sipping champagne and enjoying one of Australia's favorite past time.

Champagne Breakfast

Bob and Sandra

Janet and Sandra at the entrance

We were greeted with music

Gorgeous Track!

Ladies and Gents in dresses, hats and suits having a picnic on the grounds

Jockey and Horse

We sat at the Undercroft section which was full by 3pm

There is a handsome gentleman with a bag that says "Gentleman to Help".  Basically he carries bandages, sunscreen etc to meet the needs of the ladies attending the race.  Here he applies sunscreen to a ladies back but we also saw him apply a bandage to a lady who got a blister from wearing super high heels

Here we are at our seats getting ready for THE race that starts at 3pm

The horses arrive

So much anticipation

And Let the Race Begin

 

Melbourne Sampo (Walk for those of you who don't know Japanese)

Monday November 4, 2013

Melbourne, Australia

Sunny but Cold when Windy!

 

I left my apartment at 8am on Saturday Nov. 2 to take a taxi to Haneda airport which is 30 minutes away.  I was to catch a Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong connecting to Melbourne Australia.  While in the taxi, I was not feeling comfortable.  You know, one of those feelings that you forgot something.  After checking for my passport, credit cards in the taxi for at least 10 times, I arrived at Haneda which is only about a 20 minute drive from my apartment in Akasaka.  Went to go check in and happily found out that I was booked in biz class... But the agent was not giving me a ticket and after contacting the supervisor said that I need a Visa to go to Australia.  WHAT??? Had no idea.  Thank God for the Internet.  She gave me a link and said to get a "visa" online.  And since the plane is delayed one hour I should have time to get a Visa.  Whew.  It was actually pretty easy but I learned a lesson. Always check for Visa requirements as they change quite often. 

Anyhoo, the flight to HK was uneventful except the captain said a typhoon was approaching HK so it will be bumpy and boy was it bumpy!  I was sure glad we landed safely.  And the flight arrived on time despite leaving an hour later.  Since I had a 4 hr layover in HK, before catching the flight to Melbourne, I decided to go shopping.  Big mistake.  Ended up spending beaucoup $$$s.  Shoes and jewelry mainly.  HK airport has the BEST shopping! 

The flight to Melbourne was uneventful but as I was out of sleeping pills had issues sleeiping thru the 9 hr redeye flight.  I need to figure out how to get prescription sleeping pills in Japan as it really helps one overcome jetlag quite quickly. 

Anyhow, arrived in Melbourne around 730am on Sunday (almost 24hrs since leaving my apt), made it thru customs with no incident albeit the customs officials quite strict, caught a cab and made it to my hotel by 10am- ish.  First impression of Melbourne, quiet and flat.  No mountains to be seen and the city was quite dead as it was Sunday AM.  But very clean.  Although, it's always a shock to see "old toilets" and no "ToTo toilets"  prevalent in any country outside Japan.

Putzed around the hotel unpacking and getting my act together which included making a shopping list for things I need that I can't get in Japan. 

Decided to check out the village of Toorak as there are many high end shops.  Big mistake.  All the stores were closed on Sunday.  So decided to make the best of it and walk to South Yarro which is supposed to be hip.  Although again most of the stores were closed, I got my exercise (7 km or so of walking) and found the Aesop store which was open. Love their products!  So bought a facial scrub and bath oil.  I then took the metro back to city central as I was getting tired due to lack of sleep on the plane.

By the time I got back to the hotel it was a mere 10 degrees with drizzle but had to go find a hat!  You see, I'm in Melbourne to go to the Melbourne Cup for my bestie Sandra's partner Bob's B-day.  Melbourne Cup is one of the most famous horse races in Australia.  It's actually a national holiday and takes place the first Tuesday of November.  So out I went with no coat and therefore freezing, looking for a hat.  And I found the perfect hat and on sale.  Can't wait to show it off at the Cup!

By the time I bought the hat, had an early supper at a quaint Italian place in an alleyway, it was already around 6pm, so headed back to the hotel with the intention of writing and posting this blog but ended up falling asleep!

So needless to say the next day (today- Monday) was tough.  I woke up with head on the desk at around 130AM, tried to go back to sleep with no avail.  So ended up tossing and turning until around 5am and then the alarm went off at 7am as the plan was to exercise and then meet Sandra and Bob for a tour of the city.  I ended up hitting the snooze button until 830am, no exercise, no brekkie, but got to Sandra and Bob's hotel by the promised 930am.  Unfortunately, Bob's ankle acted up so he decided to stay in the hotel and rest up for the day.  So Sandra and I did a 10km + walking tour of the city on our own.  What a FANTASTIC city.  I love it and can see why its one of the top 3 most desirable places to live in the world.  The city has character with magnificent old buildings, beautiful gardens and unique neighborhoods.  We started with the arcade and lanes walking tour, followed by elegant enclave tour and ended with a tour of the Fitzroy funky district.  Fabulous.  Met Bob for dinner and we went to an early Greek dinner in the Brunswick area of Melbourne.  Can't get any decent Greek food in Tokyo so was very much looking forward to it and LOVED it!  I definitely can live in Melbourne!

Luv Cathay Pacific Biz Class

Landed in HK with Typhoon Warning.  But I have to say flying over HK at nite, Wow.  The skyline has got to be the best in the world.

Jimmy Choo at HK airport.  Yes, bought shoes here.

My room at Intercontinental Melbourne

The first stop of our walking trip.  Flinders Street Station

Why I'm in Melbourne

The beautiful Flinders Street Station

Degraves Street:  Known for the cafes

So we stopped in one where I had breakfast and a delicious soy latte

The many lanes are dotted with fabulous street art

The Block Arcade

The famous Haigh's Chocolates

Lovely Restaurant in one of the Lanes

The Royal Arcade

I LOVE the Street Art. Gritty and Unexpected

Federation Square

More Street Art.  Street Artist in motion

Fitzroy Gardens

Fitzroy Neighborhood.  Very funky, similar to Venice - CA, old Soho- NY

I LOVE the retro trams of Melbourne

Rest stop at a FABULOUS wine bar on Little Bourke Street

Which was right by the oldest Chinatown in the world

Hellenic Republic Restaurant - FAB Greek Food!

I LOVE Taramasalata and this was one of the BEST

Keiba

Saturday November 2, 2013

Haneda Airport, Tokyo, Japan

Cloudy and cool

 

On my way to Melbourne to attend the Melbourne Cup, one of the most famous horse races in the world.  The flight to Hong Kong has been delayed an hour (which means it will cut my duty free jewelry shopping time in HK Airport by an hour!) so I was going to blog about the my first baseball game I attended in Japan.  But... forgot the iphone cord to hook up to my Mac so can't upload the photos.  So decided to blog about my first horse race (Keiba) in Japan!

I went in late spring around May with my co-workers as JRA - Japan Horse Racing Association is one of my clients.  Main reason was to learn about the business.  It was a glorious day, perfect for horse racing and the day before the Japan Derby - which is THE horse racing event in Japan.  However, unlike the Melbourne Cup, Kentucky Derby, etc no  one dresses up.

I enjoyed the day very much.  The horses were beautiful and it was lovely to spend time with my team.  I didn't bet much but my team used an online betting site and actually did pretty well!  Looking forward to the experience in Melbourne but wouldn't mind going to another horse race in Japan.. not for betting but to enjoy the beautiful horses.

Ads for the Japan Derby can be found everywhere in Tokyo

Typical customer analyzing what bets to make

Golden Statue of a famous horse

This is where you can preview the horses

The beginning of the race

Let the race begin!

  

The Story of Tobey

Sunday October 20, 2013

Tokyo, Japan

Rainy Slow Sunday

 

This is the story of Tobey.  I don't know the entire story of his life but am sure glad he came into my life.  Tobey was rescued from Animal Friends Niigata this February from the pound in Fukushima.  Yes, the city famous for the nuclear power plant.  Since the earthquake and tsunami, thousands of animals have perished and many pets abandoned.  Tobey, I believe was one of those abandoned pets. 

He was rescued just days before he was to be gassed.  In Japan, abandoned pets are gassed in the pounds - a cruel procedure from one of the word's richest countries. 

When he was first found, no one was sure he was a purebred Westie.  He looked awful was malnourished and very depressed.  But thanks to the brave folks from Animal Friends Niigata(AFN), he was plucked from the cold cage of the pound and into a warm and loving new life. He was in such bad shape that I don't believe anyone would have adopted him if it was not for Animal Friends Niigata.

He was washed, fed and got checked out by the Vet.  As soon as I saw the facebook photo of Tobey (aka Glen - the name Isabelle founder ofAFN gave him), I knew I had to adopt him.  So after a few weeks at AFN, he was in a van driven by Isabelle to my apartment in Tokyo.

First thing I noticed is that he was calm and very skinny!  He weighed the same as Princess Yuki who is smaller in size than Tobey.  I also noticed he seemed sad.  He always looked down and never wagged his tail even during meal times.  And he had bald spots with skin issues. So for the first week, Princess Yuki and I left him alone and basically just hugged and scratched him hoping for a reaction.  He also had trouble walking long distances, so I carried him half the the time Yuki and I took him for walks.

After the first week, I took him to the vet to get checked out.  We found he had multiple issues.  Both eyes were cloudy due to someone piercing a sharp object in his eyes so he can barely see.  Although he was de-wormed, we found he had a stubborn case so had to get on meds.  His teeth were in horrendous shape.  He had a heart murmur and also blood tests showed hyperthyroidism.  The vet believes he is an older dog estimated to be about 10 years old.  And so started Tobey's long road to recovery. 

After about 8-10 Vet visits over 3-4 months, Tobey's thyroid is normal due to medication, his teeth cleaned, rotten teeth were pulled so his mouth is not stinky, has a full  soft coat of fur, and can now go for hour long walks albeit slow.  But most importantly, he now wags his tail, barks when its meal time and welcomes me home by trotting towards me with a wagging tail.

I know he was someone's pet before taken to the pound and he knows what a dog bed is.  But he still won't play with toys.  His favorite time of the day is mealtime.  He still can't jump high but when it's meal time the tail wags and he tries to jump up and down while barking.  He loves eating so much that he gained 4 kilos since arriving in March.  So now he is on a diet.  He is also fully toilet trained and wakes me up if he has to go to the bathroom. 

I am amazed on how quickly animals recover from horrendous situations.  Tobey is now famous in my apartment complex as everyone remembers the sad, skinny dog that arrived in March which now is a handsome and stately older dog who walks with dignity.

For those reading this blog, please consider donating to AFN as there are still many abandoned pets like Tobey that need rescueing.  http://www.af-niigata.org/

 The day Tobey got rescued

After getting washed, groomed by AFN

First day at my place.  He would not move from the backwall of the kitchen

Bald snout

Skin problems

Tobey spent the first few weeks curled up sleeping for almost the entire day

And then slowly got better.

What a handsome boy with a healthy coat of fur!

And now loves going on walks with Princess Yuki

Although Tobey does not play, he likes to be naughty.  He attacked the garbage can while Mom was out

And LOVES his new bed

And loves the carriage.  For months, Tobey and I walked the 45 minutes to the Vet on Saturday AMs.  But the first stop was always Starbucks where Tobey waited patiently in the carriage

And sometimes he takes over Princess Yuki's couch