Teeny

 

How cute is this teeny-tiny measuring cup?!

Ramen Yum

Ramen--full of mushroom goodness--and beer! That is all...though it would be EXTRA special if we were consuming it in Japan!

Sakura Love

The Cherry Blossom Festival at the Japanese Friendship Garden was in March, but because we've had such freaky weather, some of the trees are blooming again (still?). Such loveliness!


A poem by Basho (1644-1694):

A cloud of cherry blossoms;
The temple bell,－
Is it Ueno, is it Asakusa?

How many, many things
They call to mind
These cherry-blossoms!

Very brief –
Gleam of blossoms in the treetops
On a moonlit night.

A lovely spring night
suddenly vanished while we
viewed cherry blossoms

Koi Koi

A trip to the Japanese Friendship Garden is not complete without a visit with the koi...and how cute is this little girl drawing them?

Oishii Udon

Heaven in a bowl: delicious (oishii) udon from Chopstix...vegetable tempura to the left. I could eat this EVERY day and never tire of it.

Get in My Belly, Underbelly!

Delicious vegetarian ramen from Underbelly...I think I could eat this or udon every single day and never complain!

Koi Koi Koi

 I can't stop taking pictures of koi...they are so weird/beautiful/strange/lovely...

Hai, Kawaii!

Oh, designers of Japanese products, never change! The two top photos are adorable packaging for some sort of cosmetics; the bottom one allows you to make faces on your onigiri (rice balls)--you press the little cutters into sheets of nori (seaweed) and then place the seaweed on the rice balls.

Yes, please!

(These were spotted in a new Japanese, um, "variety" store here in San Diego.)

A Day at the Park

 The koi are in a frenzy because they were being fed...pretty little piggies!

Guess where I was...Japan! No, alas, not really...

 I was with a friend last week at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park. Parts of the garden really do make one feel as if you're in a garden somewhere in Tokyo or Kyoto. Lovely!  My friend and I went to see the garden and an exhibition at the San Diego Museum of Art entitled "Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland." A really fun and interesting exhibition that includes paintings, prints, photos, and objects--including this fellow, who apparently used to be atop the fantastically named Spook-a-Rama ride.

Fun Nonsense

Sometimes you need to buy some cheap nonsense, right? These delightful items are from Daiso, land of cheap nonsense (designed by Daiso, a Japanese company, made in China!).

Of course my favorite is Mr. Oto-fu--"My trousers are made of bamboo colander." Oh yeah!