Kyoto-Or what I can Remember if it

So, I thought that Jonathan was being a bit melodramatic in his post. I might have been a little drowsy, but come on, I remember what happened during our stay in Kyoto...or do I? As I sat down to write this post I began to realize that I really don’t remember much about the first or even the second day we spent in the city. Jonathan quizzed me about the details just to measure the extent of my memory loss:

Jonathan: What did we eat for lunch or dinner?
Amanda: We ate lunch?
Jonathan: Uhm....yea.

It’s not like me to not remember food. Although I don’t remember all the details of our first few days in Kyoto, I do have specific recollections of the things that were interesting to me. I’ll share those...and lots of pictures.

First, I want to mention how lucky Kyoto is. During WWII most of Japan was firebombed, erasing most of its pre-war architecture. Sure there is still a lot around, but most of Japan is new and ultra modern. Kyoto however was spared much of the firebombing that the rest of the country experienced, and when considering which city the US should use its atomic bomb on, Kyoto was again spared even through it was at the top of the list. What made Kyoto the protected promised land of Japan? Henry L. Stimson, Secretary of War, had spent his honeymoon in the city and fell in love with it. His personal connections there would not allow him to order its destruction. It seems almost comical that one group of 150,000 people were spared while another group was killed because one man had a “good time” in Kyoto.

Just in case you want to see where all these places are here is a map that is numbered. To make it big, just click on it.

1. Nijo Castle

Nijo Castle was built in 1603, making it just over 400 years old. I think it’s most interesting to people who are actually into Japanese history and culture (Jonathan, not necessarily me). It was originally built as the official Kyoto residence of the first Tokugawa Shogun, the warlord that runs the whole country. Until around 1868, warlords ran Japan instead of the Imperial Family.

What I remember most about this castle: The Nightingale Floors. Seems the Shogun was a bit paranoid of assassins and of his women sneaking away, and so he built his castle so all the walkways would let out delicate little tweets when walked upon. This was no ordinary squeaky floor, it was melodic.

Don't miss tiny Jonathan at the opening of this giant gate.

The Castle also had beautiful gardens.

2. Arashiyama-The Bike Ride.

Jonathan and I rented bikes to tour around Arashiyama, which is a big park of sorts with lots of temples, ancient bamboo forests, scenic countryside, and most importantly, a monkey refuge!

Arashiyama Monkey Park

This was one of my favorite things we did in Kyoto. This park has over 150 Japanese monkeys, and although it claims to be a zoo, of sorts, you definitely get the feeling that we humans are intruding on their natural habitat. The monkeys are not caged. They wander around in the trees above your head as you walk by, or scamper around your feet if they think that you may have food.

We were also able to feed the monkeys from inside a protected area. The monkeys would reach through a fence and take the food right from your hand. Their little hands felt like a rough little infant's, greedily grabbing a cookie you were already offering. A few times, I pretended to offer the monkeys food but only had a empty hand. They were too smart for this trick and swatted my hand away with this look that said, "B$%#h, Please..."











Tenryu Temple

Or Temple of the Heavenly Dragon (1339) is the head temple of Rinzai Zen Buddhism. It had gorgeous gardens.

The Eminent Zen Master Muso Soseki, the temple's founding abbot.

Labeling the many kinds of moss in the garden (they all looked the same to me).

We met this guy:

This man was out walking his dog when we were riding our bikes through the Arashiyama neighborhoods trying to find our way back to town. We (Jonathan) stopped to compliment his dog which turned into a tour of the retired gentleman's wildflower garden. He's also a photographer and he took Jonathan's and my pictures and he gave us some of the photographs he has taken of the Japanese countryside. The Japanese are very generous people.

Pics of the countryside while riding our bikes:





3. Kyoto Imperial Palace

Kyoto was the capital of Japan for over 1000 years. The Imperial Palace was later moved to Tokyo. This building is still used by the Imperial Family if they happen to come to Kyoto. This was not my favorite tour, but if you are into Japanese history you should appreciate it.

We took a tour given by a woman who seemed to be from a different era. Her dress, her posture, her voice, or walk....it was all like something from Breakfast at Tiffany's.

These roofs are made from stacking 80 levels of little .5 cm cedar planks together and nailing them together with a bamboo post. Masochistic Japanese.

Our guide. You see what I mean?

4. Sanjusangen-do

Sanjusangen-do is one of the must see sites of Kyoto. Inside this temple is 1001 golden statues of the Buddhist deity, Kannon, a Bodhisattva (which is an individual who, having reached enlightenment, demurred from becoming a Budda in order to help people on earth--sort of like a one of the 3 Nephites?). 1000 are slightly larger than human size, but in the middle sits one giant Kannon. They were constructed out of Japanese cypress in the 12th and 13th centuries. Although at first glance the statues seem identical, when you really look each statue has her own unique face, hands, and dress. The statues are guarded by 28 mean-looking Muddhist gods/protectors.





5. Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine

Lots of Torii gates...lots of them. And there was some kind of processional going on. At this point I had to pee really bad...that's all I remember.

Cool fox (Shinto god Inari) guarding the Toriis.

6. Katsura Imperial Villa

If you are going to see only one thing Imperial while in Kyoto, you should come here. The Villa was an elaborate array of romantic gardens and quiet tea houses. When we visited it was barely raining, which added to the whole Japanese-ness of the experience. I loved it here.

This is looking out from the guest house onto the garden. The Imperial family planted this tree in order to block the view for their guests, preserving the experience of the garden from being tainted by a casual glance. The idea of the Japanese garden is that it should be experienced in stages, as you proceed through it, unfolding like the passage of the seasons.

This guy stole Jonathan's umbrella when we were leaving for the tour. We were like, "Are you kidding me?" We took this picture as evidence. Luckily the guy gave it back when we returned from the tour.

Our last morning in Kyoto we met up with one of Jonathan's Japanese friends from law school who took us around to some fun traditional shops in Kyoto. We also ate (and I do remember this) a delicious lunch at a little hole in the wall restaurant. Although I do love Ramen and Tonkatsu, this restaurant served the kind of Japanese food that I love most. Fresh, subtle, and lots of little dishes. I absolutely adored it.

MMM....So delicious. We had chicken in a sesame sauce with salad on top, rice, pickled veggies, miso soup, cooked eggplant, tempura of eggplant, kabocha (squash), and a leaf, coconut pudding, and fresh radish salad.

This little shop had an immense variety of roses. Which one is your fav?

Flying Under the Influence

by Jonathan

I love to fly. Even the long lines and security checkpoints don’t bother me much. I’m used to standing in line. In fact, at West Point I wasted huge amounts of time standing in line for no reason. Those long, winding lines at the ticket counters don’t phase me one bit. The way I see it, you can wait here, or you can wait there. Either way, you wait until the plane takes off. No rush.

For me, the longer the flight, the better. This is for two reasons. First, the longer the flight, the bigger the plane, which usually means more legroom and a smoother flight. Second, longer flights usually involve more food. I’m a sucker for free food. Even the simple beverage service is enough for me. I was raised in a home where soda was as scarce as water in the Sahara, and so even when I would rather drink water, I ask for a Ginger Ale.

Amanda, obviously, is a little bit different. She gets physically ill when we go near airports. Any plane she sees landing may as well be on the verge of crashing. Once, she came home while I was watching the film Air Force One on TV and decided to watch it with me in spite of my objections. Big mistake. Amanda collapsed into uncontrollable sobbing no less than three times during the course of the film.

Needless to say, Amanda requires a bit of coaxing to get on a plane. I spend the weeks before a flight trying to pretend like we aren’t going anywhere. Vacation, what vacation? We don’t ever have to get on a plane. Ever. Of course, Amanda thinks about the upcoming flight enough herself that we inevitably talk about it anyway. Usually, I feign ignorance. When she presses me, I admit that I have purchased a plane ticket for her, and she accuses me of placing her life in jeopardy on purpose.

At this point, Amanda’s survival mechanism kicks in. She begins to scour the Internet for alternative modes of transportation. We spend countless hours discussing changing our itinerary to ostensibly less hazardous forms of travel. Did you know that you can pay to stow away on cargo ships? Also, if you drive to Alaska, there is a cruise that can get you to Japan. It’s too bad the land bridge over the Bering is gone... we could have gone by horseback, then dogsled, then camel, and finally Chinese junk.

As Amanda contemplates the flight, she becomes a little bit distant emotionally. She spends lots of time brooding by herself. When we are talking together, she randomly interrupts with questions about the safety of air travel. When we arrive at the Atlanta airport, Amanda is restless and agitated. She keeps stealing glances at the exit and asking me to watch her bags. Several times, as we progress towards our plane, she decides to turn back. Sitting tensely before the departure gate, she refuses an array of tasty breakfast foods purchased at a premium in the terminal. I try to calm her nerves as she jangles her legs and stares straight ahead. No amount of reassurance can assuage her anxiety.

Fortunately, a benzodiazepene derivative could. Klonopin, or clonazepam, is a drug prescribed for Amanda’s anxiety. Apparently it worked better than the last drug Amanda used when flying to Japan. Sledgehammer better. She took one pill approximately 20 minutes before takeoff, and then we boarded the plane.

As we find our seats, the drug at first seems to have little effect. Amanda looks at the exits and out the window. Fortunately, it is a clear, sunny morning. I brace myself, however, for a rough takeoff (not the plane, of course). Then, suddenly, Amanda starts laughing uncontrollably. Heath Ledger-style. Her heaving laughter echoes in the otherwise silent cabin, where other nervous flyers undoubtedly are making emotional preparations. At first it is funny, but then it becomes a little bit embarrassing. I expect to have someone lean over to the stewardess and say, deadpan, I’ll have what she’s having. “What’s so funny?” I ask. More laughter. And even more. Amanda doesn’t notice that we are in the air. The laughter stops as she falls asleep on my lap. (Lucky us, we have three seats to ourselves) .

Then I did a handstand, half-naked, in the aisle as a part of an hour-long breakdance routine, while the flight crew and other passengers stood around me clapping, chanting, and cheering. Just kidding. But I could say that I did... Amanda has no recollection of anything that happens over the next 24 hours. And the 24 four hours after that are a vague blur. Scary. And sad. I planned a lovely first day in Kyoto that went off without a hitch, and Amanda only really remembers what she sees in the pictures. She slept most of the flight, taking Klonopin intermittently, and continued to sleep during the 3.5 hour train ride from the airport to Kyoto. And all evening in Kyoto. And on and on until about 3 am. Hello jetlag.

For my part, I was supportive. Emotionally, and physically. E.g., sometimes I had to hold her upright. She was flopping all over the train car, asleep, with her mouth open. It was pretty funny. I found out later that she took one more pill, reaching the max daily dosage, about 10 minutes before we landed. The irony of the situation is that the landing was the smoothest I have ever experienced: I didn’t know we were landing until we were on the ground.

I’m glad Amanda doesn’t remember the flight, and that she now feels like she can handle flying. I like her to be happy and calm. I’m sad that she doesn’t remember the first day we spent in Kyoto... it may have been the best day we’ve ever spent together in Japan. For the first time, I have known the loneliness of being the only one who remembers.

Family Fun at Carabelle Beach

I come from a very moderately sized American Family. With just a brother and a sister, my family get-togethers are fairly easy to arrange and accommodate, even now that we are beginning to get married. I never really thought of the size of my family until I married Jonathan. Jonathan is the fourth of nine children. NINE CHILDREN. For many of you reading this, you think, “Oh, the happy Mormon family of eleven. It would’ve been great if they could have made it an even twelve.” I think “Egad.” Nine. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, NINE, plus mom and dad. The fabulous thing is that all nine children are really wonderful, loving people. Every one. No black sheep in Jonathan’s family. I’ve really come to love them all individually and as a family unit, but when Jonathan’s parents announced plans to hold the first week long family reunion at a single beach house, my eye began to twitch with the thought of 20 people, including 6 (eight if you count the two dogs) children under the age of 10, all under one roof.

What catastrophe may occur? What strained family relationships might make them selves apparent under the pressure of communal living? What awkward circumstances might I find myself in as new member of the club?

I am happy to report that with the exception of the family war cry about a super-hero toaster (??), I felt right at home. We all had a fabulous time at Carrabelle. Delicious food. Excellent company. And of course...the beach. Carrabelle had softly lapping waves that made it ideal for a relaxing float. The sand was particularly soothing to the feet, it was almost flour-like in consistency. And, the best thing about the beach...hermit crabs, tons of them. They kept us entertained for hours (Hermit crab rescues, races, hotels, and even a zoo of sorts.)

Although NINE children are certainly not in the cards for Jonathan and me, I can now see the appeal of large families: always someone to hang out with, never a quiet moment, there’s always a partner in crime.

It was an amazing week long vacation. We all got to know each other better. Play together. Relax together. Chase after kids together. Oh, and I was even given a pedicure (thanks Suz) ! It was the ideal family reunion. We can’t wait for the next one. Thanks so much Mom and Dad.

Almost All of us.

Hermit Crab Corral

My man.

Road Trip Part II

After a brief stop at mom’s we traveled 5 hours south to visit my Dad. My Dad and Step-mom, Clara, have created a country paradise in the rural but charming enclave of Strasburg, Va. With a tree swing, hammock, peach tree, chicken pen, garden plots, coy pond, and a few other eclectic details, my Dad’s house is never boring.

While we were visiting my Dad and Step-mom, we fulfilled two of Jonathan’s long-term goals, watching both Terminator Salvation AND Star Trek in the theatre. I’d been putting him off, making one excuse after another why we should wait to watch them (I had to pack our house. Or, I needed to stab myself in the eye with a needle) but I eventually softened up and agreed to watch them. Both were surprisingly entertaining.

Other highlights included Jonathan pushing me too high on the tree swing and me becoming so scared that I jumped/fell off and crushed my tail bone on a root. I haven’t fallen like that since I was a kid. Jonathan also fell...in love that is, with Bellita (aka Belida), my step-mom's little shitsu, who she and my dad claim is my new little sister. We finished up our trip with lunch at the “Hi Neighbor” restaurant, a quaint little country diner. Jonathan had the catfish...delish.

Jonathan's Belida.

Bellita

Road Trip Part I

With the first year of graduate school over for both Jonathan and me, we had every reason to shout hallelujah and take a road trip! Jonathan’s parents generously rented a beach house on Florida’s panhandle for a family reunion and offered to fly us down. Of course, flying would have made life a lot easier, but with the looming 15 hour flight in my not so distant future, and with the opportunity to visit my family along the way, Jonathan and I decided to drive XXXX miles from Boston to Carrabelle Beach, Fl. First stop, my mom’s house.

Oh, Dear Mommy. We had such fun spending time at my mom’s house. We were able to visit my grandparents. Go to my Aunt’s new quilt shop. Jonathan went golfing with Ron (I hear if performance was akin to a toddler trying to use a spoon for the first time). My mom helped me to sew a skirt. We were able to play with my niece Olivia, and chill with my Bro and his girlfriend Kristine. Eat delicious mom food. It was perfect family together time.

This is Olivia. She's almost 5 years old now. She's adorable, spunky, intelligent, adventurous, and all girl. Currently, she is learning the many do's and don't's of life. Right after I took this picture she informed me that in the next picture she was going to do "this," she proceeded to proudly erect her middle finger followed by an oh-so-sweet smile. We all gasp in disbelief and unabashedly reprimanded her. She cried, she didn't know it was bad. Poor Olivia.

Kristine, you deserve this.

Katie became so confused by all the bright colors and complex patterns in my Aunt's quilt shop that she picked up a pair of scissors and began violently shouting, "Desperta ferro!" It was really weird.

Return of Tokyo is For Lovers

For those of you who haven't yet heard, Jonathan and I will be spending our second summer in Tokyo. Yes, Japan...Only about 6735.40 miles (in case you were wondering), from our new home in lovely Boston, Mass.

Jonathan will be working as a summer associate at a Japanese law firm, and I will be continuing that ever entertaining ex-pat tradition of becoming the "kept-wife" in Tokyo. This means endless hours of touring and tasting all the little morsels that Tokyo's streets have to offer a curious American girl.

I can't wait to tell you about all of the adventures we have.

And, If any of you want to come to visit, PLEASE come.