Here and There Japan

In the park down the street, the sakura trees are not quite in full bloom. Branch by branch, they're blooming at different rates.

Big Sister graduated from high school on Saturday. Aunt bought her this cake. The bouquet of roses is made out of a lemon flavored candy. I...

Big Sister wore a hakama for graduation. We rented it from this shop. Note that either boots or traditional sandals could be rented. She ch...

Peach blossom.

Not of the season. It is the first time this tree has bloomed! Ever. It has been pruned at the wrong times in the past. Everything has its s...

This daphne blooms every winter. Sun or snow. The olive tree in front of it is not doing well. This one azalea bloom is a little early.

We didn't put Big Sister's dolls out this year because we have a kitten in the house who knows no boundaries. This is a catalog from...

World Read Aloud Day! March 3! Mark your calendars!

Bedrooms in apartments usually have a closet for futon . They are big and spacious. There usually aren't clothes closets, especially in ...

This year we have a high school graduate in the house! Big Sister is graduating from high school in March! So that means she's getting a...

Patrick Gannon gave a presentation about cut paper art. It was fantastic! And fun! We got a chance to make one ourselves. I did mine at hom...

The crane also lifted concrete slabs. The worker directed them over to the pile. These concrete slabs will be the outside wall of the house....

I've had these for years but haven't used them. I bought them to pin a towel to the top of a blanket. Baba used to use what...

A crane was brought in to do the heavy lifting. It lifted metal sections of the frame. Workers fitted them into place. Our vegetable stand m...

The litter for this litter box is made out of recycled wood chips. The litter can be used for one month. Urine goes down through the grated...

I totally forgot this! Packages of the seven "herbs" were sold at our neighborhood grocery store. I kept thinking later, later...t...

Blue moon in the west. (almost had a bird on the wire.) The rising sun in the east. Mt. Fuji in the southwest.

This year Big Sister bought a box of osechi from Isetan, a department store. It served two people. She bought it so we could sample some f...

We float yuzu in the bath on the winter solstice. This year we're drinking it in our green tea, too. It is from Lupicia. Tea can be or...

Early morning view of Mt. Fuji.