Springtime - Cascadian Abroad

Heavenly Poppies

June 15, 2015 by Robert Haddan

The poppy fields of Sainokuni Fureai Farm in Chichibu, Saitama

During late spring in Japan, the weather is in the sweet spot for bringing a bounty of blossoms out for viewing. It’s hard not to have a little extra joy in your heart. A couple weeks ago, we visited Chichibu for the phlox blossoms and last weekend we headed back for the “heavenly poppies” at Sainokuni Friendship Farm.

Enjoy the photos (click any of them to view at a larger size) and watch the video at full size for a couple of special treats.

The street leading to Chichibu shrine is full of quaint shops, feeling like a throwback to another time

One of those quaint shops, “Cocktail Bar Snob.” Finally a cocktail bar that’s keeping it real!

100 of these statues, called kaiun annai ban (開運案内板) or "Good Luck Guide Plates" are located around the area of Chichibu Shrine. — 100 of these statues, called kaiun annai ban (開運案内板) or “Good Luck Guide Plates” are located around the area of Chichibu Shrine.

Two cats ruling the roost in a small neighborhood park near Chichibu Shrine.

The haiden (prayer hall) of Chichibu Shrine. The shrine dates back more than 900 years and was a sacred site during the Edo period.

Some of the colorful carvings around the top of Chichibu Shrine. The work is attributed to Jingoro Hidari, an artist from the early 1600s famous for a similar—and much more famous—monkey carving at Nikko Shrine.

The monkeys get another treatment on an ema, wooden planks on which worshippers at Shinto shrines write their prayers.

A ceremony took place in the shrine while we were there and they gathered for a photo after. The Shinto priest (kannushi) is seated in the middle. It appeared to be a business group, perhaps receiving a blessing for an upcoming project, a common occurrence in Japan. — A ceremony took place in the shrine while we were there and they gathered for a photo after. The Shinto priest (kannushi) is seated in the middle. It appeared to be a business group, perhaps receiving a **blessing for an upcoming project**, a common occurrence in Japan.

We had lunch at a great macrobiotic place near Chichibu Shrine called Tsuki no Usagi (Moon Rabbit). It was a little hard to find, but well worth the trip. — We had lunch at a great macrobiotic place near Chichibu Shrine called Tsuki no Usagi (Moon Rabbit). It was a little hard to find as it was tucked back off the main road, but well worth the effort!

The train to the poppy fields with Mt. Buko in the background

The bus from Minano Station is decorated with characters from a Japanese cartoon (anime) called Anohana that was set in Chichibu. Folks who are into this visit to do pilgrimages of the sites depicted in the show. — The bus from Minano Station is decorated with characters from a Japanese cartoon (anime) called Anohana that was set in Chichibu. Many visitors to Chichibu come to see the sights from the show.

Rikyu Shrine, a small shrine in the woods along the road to the poppy fields. Shuttle services to the fields ended the weekend before our visit, so we got a nice 2.5 KM walk up the hill to see them.

The poppy fields of Sainokuni Friendship Farm. Click the photo for a larger image.

The poppy fields of Sainokuni Friendship Farm.

Video: Sainokuni Friendship Farm Poppy Fields

The Golden (Week) Rule

May 7, 2015 by Robert Haddan

A small Buddha statue with several offerings on the Koburi Pass hiking trail

There’s only one thing anybody wants to know right now…

Did you do anything for Golden Week?

I’ll concede there’s a small chance this topic is only relevant among people living in Japan and, if it’s coming up in English, it’s only a hot topic among 0.01 percent of the population. But hey, that’s my demographic!

UN Farmers Market and Cinco de Mayo

We started our Golden Week with a weekend trip into Tokyo to visit one of our favorite farmers markets and hit up the Cinco de Mayo Festival at Yoyogi Park.

The latest edition of "True Portland"—a high-quality Portland, Ore. guidebook written by Japanese authors in Japanese—was released recently. The authors had a pop-up tent at the UN Farmers Market featuring Portland products like Jacobsen Salt and Fuller Foods Serious Cheesy Puffs. — The latest edition of “True Portland”—a high-quality Portland, Ore. guidebook written by Japanese authors in Japanese—was released recently. The authors had a pop-up tent at the UN Farmers Market featuring Portland products like Jacobsen Salt and Fuller Foods Serious Cheesy Puffs.

Oregon Beer Geeks is a company in Japan that imports beer from Oregon and sells it online. At the UN Market, they had two beers from Burnside Brewing and one from The Commons Brewery, both based in Portland.

Lunch at the UN Farmers Market—a vegetarian take on Hawaiian plate lunch, a hummus and veggie bagel pizza and Burnside Brewing's "Too Sticky To Roll India Red Ale" and "Sweet Heat," an apricot and Scotch bonnet pepper wheat beer. — Lunch at the UN Farmers Market—a vegetarian take on Hawaiian plate lunch, a hummus and veggie bagel pizza and Burnside Brewing’s “Too Sticky To Roll India Red Ale” and “Sweet Heat,” an apricot and Scotch bonnet pepper wheat beer.

Tokyo's take on Cinco de Mayo is a lot like America's take—lots of drinking and sad Mexican-ish food. The best find was probably this Day of the Dead Porter from Mexico's Cerveceria Mexicana brewery. — Tokyo’s take on Cinco de Mayo is a lot like America’s take—lots of drinking and sad Mexican-ish food. The best find was probably this Day of the Dead Porter from Mexico’s Cerveceria Mexicana brewery.

Chichibu’s Hitsujiyama Park

Chichibu is our favorite place for outdoor adventures in Japan. It’s about an hour away by train and is usually pretty quiet. However, during Golden Week, thousands of people descend on the otherwise sleepy town to see the shibazakura or mountain phlox at Hitsujiyama Park.

Video: Mountain Phlox in Chichibu

Phans of the phlox phlocking to Chichibu (see what I did there?)

The phlox fields at Hitsujiyama Park in Chichibu (click to zoom)

People sitting around the edge of the garden having a picnic and, in many cases, a nap

Tourists getting in the way of the view of the phlox :-) — Tourists getting in the way of the view of the phlox 🙂

Local Chichibu honey for sale at Hitsujiyama Park. A very large queen bee is inside each jar. — Local Chichibu honey for sale at Hitsujiyama Park. A large queen bee is inside each jar.

"Hitsuji" means "sheep" in Japanese and "yama" means "mountain," so the aptly-named Sheep Mountain Park should have a few sheep wandering the grounds. The local paparazzi went crazy for this one. — “Hitsuji” means “sheep” in Japanese and “yama” means “mountain,” so the aptly-named Sheep Mountain Park should have a few sheep wandering the grounds. The local paparazzi went crazy for this one.

A window in a home near the park proudly displaying its winnings from the UFO Catcher games

Mt. Buko and a bright red neighborhood shrine. The scarring at the top of Mt. Buko is a result of heavy mining of limestone used for the ever-present construction in the larger cities.

After a day of walking, we went to an onsen (hot springs) in the nearby Yokoze neighborhood. This is proof that I can use chopsticks like a champ!

Koburi Pass

We milked every last second out of Golden Week, heading out on the last day of the holidays to nearby Hanno for some hiking. We found a very non-touristy spot called Koburi Pass. We befriended a couple of older Japanese ladies at the train station, one of whom nearly missed the train when she went upstairs to get us some local sightseeing pamphlets.

Lots to see along the way, like this statue of Buddha playing a mandolin

These happy farm animals were painted outside a local butcher shop

Walking up the road to the hiking trails leading to Koburi Pass

Several small shrines appear along the path, like this one of the Seven Gods of Fortune (七福神). Hikers leave coins at each shrine for good fortune.

A view of the Okuchichibu Mountains as we approached the top of Koburi Pass. Mt. Fuji was barely visible due to the cloud cover, but it's not at all visible in this photo — A view of the Okuchichibu Mountains as we approached the top of Koburi Pass. Mt. Fuji was barely visible due to the cloud cover, but it’s not at all visible in this photo

Lunch under the pagoda of Marishiten Temple.

From the very top of the pass, we could look over the entirety of Saitama Prefecture. On a clear day, Tokyo Skytree is visible, nearly 50 miles away.

Springtime in Japan in all of its glory. The wisteria trees in bloom.

Viburnum plicatum is better known as the Japanese snowball.

Mountain laurel is native to the eastern United States, but it found its way to Japan

Koi swimming free in a stream near the train station

How did you spend Golden Week? Leave a comment below!

In Bloom: Sakura

April 8, 2015 by Robert Haddan

For two magical weeks, spring boldly announces its presence all over Japan in the form of sakura—the blossoms of the Japanese cherry tree. Families and friends come together for viewing parties and everyone has a bit more pep in their step. Then, as quickly as they arrived, they begin to fall like snow, replaced by green buds and the promise of warmer days. Enjoy the view!

Hanami — Our own private hanami (cherry blossom viewing) at Kawagoe Park included homemade vegan sausages

Sakura Booze — Sakura-inspired beverages come and go as quickly as the blossoms themselves. Pictured are two sakura-flavored beers and a sakura-flavored rosé wine.

Sakura Cat — This fancy cat dressed up in her best pearls for the Nakameguro Sakura Festival in Tokyo

Sakura Dango — Tri-colored “sakura” dango—mochi balls on a stick—at Tokyo’s Nakameguro Sakura Festival

Sakura Sunset — The sun sets behind the sakura in Kawagoe Aquatic Park

Lanterns and blossoms at the Nakameguro Sakura Festival in Tokyo

Watch the video in full-screen mode to get the full sakura experience

Need more sakura? Check out last year’s last year’s pics too!

Tokyo – Ikebukuro and Ueno

April 8, 2014 by Robert Haddan

No matter where you are in the world, unexpected adventures are always a good thing. Such was the case with last weekend’s day trip, our first into Tokyo.

We planned to stop first in Ikebukero, a district in west Tokyo, to find a Taiwanese restaurant that specialized in vegetarian dishes. We’re still traveling without smartphones, so all we had to go off was some loose directions from a website and the city maps at the Ikebukuro train station.

We started walking and, within a couple blocks, stumbled upon a festival celebrating Taiwan and its heritage. There were even inflatable replicas of yours truly!

Ikebukuro — Which one is real and which one is inflatable?

We looked at a couple vendor stands, listened briefly to what must have been the opening address and then headed out in search of our restaurant.

As with many of these uncharted trips, we didn’t reach our destination. We’ve yet to figure out the street numbering convention. At present, I’m convinced it’s the worst way to identify addresses in the known universe. Check back in a couple months and maybe I’ll have a better attitude.

Fortunately, the festival had two booths serving exactly what we were in search of: Taiwanese vegetarian food! And even better, we finally found vegetarian gyoza! Those little pan fried, stuffed dumplings are so good, but usually so filled with pork. It was easily the best purchased meal I’ve had since we’ve arrived in Japan.

The festival also featured some amazing entertainment. All performed by young people, it was impossible to take your eyes off the stage.

A group of pre-teens pounded out the beautiful rhythm of taiko drums.

These young men and women put on an exciting display of dragon wizardry.

These beautiful young ladies entranced the crowd with their choreographed dance.

At the end of the show, we headed back to the station and caught the next train to Ueno Park to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom. You can read Viktoria’s post on the magic of sakura and the geisha picnic.

We took a lap around Shinobazu Pond, where children of all ages peddled and rowed their way in rowboats, paddleboats, and swan boats.