Day two - Mount Fuji

Bus ride this morning to Mount Fuji!  I started a small Boro stitching piece on the ride.  I actually have already seen a glimpse of Fuji-san, as the locals call it.  Riding from the airport to our first hotel in Tokyo, we could see Fuji against the setting sun.  No photo, but a wonderful memory!  Today, we ride a cable car up from Lake Kawaguchi to get a better view. 

 Once at the top, here is my first look:

Climbing a bit further, a more clear view:

 The obligatory tourist 'I was here" shot:

 And my SAQA friends, Lisa Walton - tour leader, and Martha Wolfe, my mentor.

 Here's (mostly) the whole group of us:

 You could have lunch or a snack up here:

 You could throw money at the bunny shrine.

 Or hang a wish or dream:

 Back down at the bottom were shops.  I liked these hats, but wasn't sure how to get one home.

 They had a guy out front modeling:

I indulged in a cookie from a sweet cookie shop:   These people are a positive bunch.  they really are happy, and resilient.  Toshi has told us stories of flood, earthquake, war, fire and destruction. Those who survived have always rebuilt and begun again.

 So, above some of the tourist shops are restaurants.  We wandered into a delightful one that had two women who cooked and served us a fantastic one pot lunch.  Vegetables, noodles and broth all bubbling in front of you as you overlook the lake.  Yum. 

 I especially enjoyed this little lady, and took many photos of her.  She is likely to find her way into a quilt one day. 

                                                   Lots of hand signals working out our orders!

While our pots were bubbling, I went to the restroom with my camera (for research purposes only)  Looked nice to start:

           On entering, I had second thoughts.  Good there is not smell-o-vision on this blog.

               And here you have the non-western version of the toilet.  Pew!  Exited quickly.

 So, aside from that, lunch was lovely, and we continued on our bus to the next adventure, the Itchiku Kubota Art museum and it's display of fabulous silk kimonos, along with other art forms from the master's collection.  Unfortunately, no photos were allowed of the kimonos, but I took several of the grounds and gardens surrounding the museum.  Here we all are, getting ready to enter the big ornate doors . . .

                                              A short walk up to the museum entrance:

These are decorative tiles from the ends of roof tiles on traditional Japanese buildings.  We took rubbings onto fabric before the bus left!

Once inside, we became very quiet as we absorbed the mastery of this silk dyeing artist.  Each kimono was a fantastic work of art - mostly landscapes, and larger than life.  You had to examine them close up to imagine the massive handwork involved, and then from a distance to appreciate the entire scene.  

There was one area where photos were allowed - the artist's 'drawing room'.  Equally spellbinding, with a view out to a waterfall in the garden, and wonderful art pieces including Asian and African wood loungers and sculptures.  

Other surprises delight you as you stroll around the grounds:

We then continued a short distance to our hotel, overlooking the lake and Fuji-san!    

This was the view from my room.

Our tour leader, Lisa invited us to share the 'onsen' or hot bath.  Anyone who knows me will be surprised that I took her up on this invitation, as clothing (even a bathing suit)is not an option.  So, a bunch of us ladies left our kimonos in a locker, and enjoyed the steaming water and a look at the majestic Mount Fuji before dinner.  Sorry, no photos. 

  

We were told that we were welcome to wear the kimono to dinner, so here we are!

Getting to know some of the tour members better now.  We're a mixed bunch, but most are from Australia and New Zealand.

This was another magical day, and somewhere along the way, about halfway through today, I told Lisa that I could go home right now and just be so pleased with what I've done and seen here already!  And we still have 12 days to go!  My cup is overflowing.

Japan tour - Day one

So, I must admit that I've been putting off writing this because there is SO much to share, and I know it will be long.  Will try to edit, but I found 74 photos from this first day that I want to show you.
We started at the Imperial Palace East Gardens.  This is our tour guide, Toshi, who is very knowledgeable, thorough and entertaining. 

She had her hands full with 35 of us, and I wasn't always able to keep up with her or what she was telling us.  I occasionally wandered, following my camera. Small groups of schoolchildren were also out wandering the grounds of the Palace gardens. I was surprised that these young teens were touring unchaperoned.  You can see the immensity of the stone walls built to protect the residents of the Imperial Palace.

In the gardens, we were pleasantly surprised by a group of horse drawn carriages - practicing for a visit by a foreign dignitary. There were guards in charge of road cleanup and keeping the tourists out of the way of the carriages.

 
Continuing through the gardens,  we came upon a pond.  That's when I had my AHA!! moment.

Seeing these gnarled branches, and the rocks and water and the stone monument, and the 'cloud' trees, I was thinking, "Wow, this reminds me of prints and Japanese ink paintings I've seen!"  And then it dawned on me that, OMG, I am actually HERE in Japan, seeing this inspiring landscape in person.  Hit me like a ton of bricks.

                      All this beauty is just steps away from the modern buildings of Tokyo.

 

I'm beginning to realize that I'm not in hometown, Inverness, Fl anymore.  

Next, we traveled by bus to the Amuse museum and saw an exhibit of Boro textiles.  Clothing and quilts that have been patched numerous times.  Boro artists employ the theory of Mottanai -  respect the essence of your resources, and don't waste.  

This museum had a wonderful "hands on" policy and encouraged touching the pieces on display.  Just outside of the Amuse museum, we continued our adventure at the Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo's oldest and most visited Buddhist temple.  Nearby also is a five story Shinto pagoda shrine, and a very busy shopping street called Nakamise-dori. 

 

 This temple is dedicated to the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.  Visitors burn incense and pray here (30,000 visitors annually!)

I promise I did NOT see the sign restricting photos until I got home.  I beg for mercy.  These shrines are over the top elaborately ornate and loaded with symbolism.  

We proceeded through the busy marketplace, trying to keep up with Toshi's duck.  It is here that we lost our first group member (not me).  She was located about an hour later,  given a quick lunch, and reunited with the group. 

                             Toshi told us that these are tourists who rent kimonos for a day.  

Here are some shots from the other end of the market street.

It was an exhilarating day with so many wonderful sights.  We also squeezed in a bit of shopping - I visited a secondhand kimono shop and found a few bargains there.  I am especially interested in the yukata - or summer - kimonos.  They are cotton and not lined, which works well with the climate in Florida!  

Finally, here are a few more random shots from today:

So ends the first full day of the tour.  Check into Opulent Journeys if you are interested in this or a similar adventure.