Lotus flowers in the park.

Which way to go?

At some point during the midst of rainy season in Japan, I ventured to the nearby park to finally catch the lotus flowers in bloom.

I had previously seen the flowers in season for two summers in a row - passing by them everyday during my commute on the Chiba Urban Monorail (a morning treat, as the flowers blossom in the morning!), and yet I failed to actually go see them up close. So I decided that before leaving Chiba, I absolutely needed to take a trip to the park.

Rise and shine crowd of photographers.

Finally, I managed to get up and out early enough to take a brief stroll through the park with friends before heading to work! I wish I did it earlier and more often - because of quirky weather during the days preceding my visit, the flowers were on their last leg :(

Bottom right photo records the number of flowers bloomed since the end of May.

As you can see, there was a dramatic drop in the number of flowers from the day before (200!!)...but by the looks of it, I'd missed peak by a good 10 days. Still, it was fantastic to see the flowers up close and personal.

And here's a random piece of trivia - these lotus flowers are the base for Chiba City's mascot character, Chihana-chan.

Guest appearance by the Chiba Urban Monorail's newest addition, the Urban Flyer, in the distance!

The Chiba Urban Monorail drops off right in front of the park at the station of the same name ("Chiba Koen" Station) - which is how I got there that day, since it was directly on my way to work. It's also a short 10-15 minute walk from Chiba Station.

Paint it BLACK.

The Kawasaki Memorial DIC Museum of Art, revisited!

Last year I went came here to see a splendid, bright, and beautiful exhibit called FLOWERSCAPES. This time, the exhibition has a seemingly simple but craftily profound focus: the color black.

Love the ticket design.

Of course, I couldn't take photos inside the museum...so you'll just have to see for yourself!
The museum has a very detailed introduction to the exhibit on their website here:
http://kawamura-museum.dic.co.jp/en/exhibition/index.html

We round up having to rush a bit at the end, as we'd gone in the afternoon and closing time (which fyi, is 17:00 for those of you who want to take your time looking around) had crept up on us before we knew it!

Everything was - as always is with the Kawamura Museum of Art - fantastic. I won't even pretend to be able to "discuss" art, but I definitely know what resonates with me. I loved both Louise Nevelson's works (I was dreaming about which of her pieces I would like in my home) and Ad Reinhardt's paintings (which ignited some squabbling between my friends and I as we tried to spot the patterns). However, my favorite may just have been the photos by Hiroshi Sugimoto - I've always been attracted to the contrasts between the light and the dark, and that's exactly what his work captures.

In any case, there's only one week left until the end of the exhibit (runs until April 14) - but I really do recommend it if you can go! It really is incredible.

Kawamura Museum of Art from a distance.

Also, just as an extra little note - the grounds directly adjacent to the museum include a park and nature trail, which are also owned/maintained by DIC. Throughout the year, there are always all sorts of plants and flowers of the season in bloom. If you're planning a visit to the museum, make sure to leave aside some time to check out the park too!

Feeling a little Yamato Nadeshiko.

Just wanna share a couple of "Japanese-y" things I've been up to recently:

Homemade amazake FTW! Nothing hits the spot like this after a brutally cold day out.

A former coworker and dear friend of mine once spoke to me about the wonders of amazake. She makes a point of making and drinking a cup every night, because it offers a number of benefits: for instance, apparently it contains a lot of nutrients (vitamins, protein, etc.), lowers cholesterol,  and is supposed to be really good for your skin?!

I am not sure how correct all of her information was, but if anything my friend (who I believe is in her mid-40s) looks fantastic, healthy - and her complexion is really nice. Plus, amazake really does  warm you up - with the weather as cold as it is, she had me sold.

Later, I happened to run across sakekasu (pictured in the bottom left of the photo above) when I visited a sake brewery awhile back. There are various ways to make your own amazake, but the way my friend does it - and how I do it - is basically to mix the sakekasu with water and sugar in a pot, and voila! All done.

Since I live alone and my sad excuse for a kitchen only has a single electric stove, which takes forever to heat up - and when it does, the settings are only OFF or VERY HIGH (heat), so making amazake on my own took way more effort than it needed to. But! I've discovered a recipe where you make it with the microwave - which might wind up being my new thing. Perhaps this time I'll be able to make amazake into a habit like my friend.

Simple recipe for making amazake:

1) Put sakekasu and ~50cc water (ratio of 1:4) in a microwavable cup, and heat for about 30 seconds.

2) Using a spoon or chopsticks, mix the sakekasu until no lumps remain.

3) Add enough water to fill the cup, as well as sugar to taste. Microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until hot...and you're done!

Onto a completely different topic...

Free tickets to the Kimono Beauty exhibit!

Another recent happening - I was typing furiously at work, focusing on some translation when one of my department's bosses - the Bucho, or Executive Director for Public Relations! came and sat next to me. I rarely see her even though we work on the same floor, perhaps because she's so high on the ladder that she has her own private office.

Anyway, while I was scrambling to collect my thoughts, she asked me if I'd been to the Kimono Beauty exhibit, being held at the Chiba City Museum of Art at that time. I said no - and then she pushed these tickets into my hands, and went on her way before I could even say thanks.

I had actually already been planning to go, but this incident just ensured that I would go - especially since my bucho had gone out of her way to give me these! So I went with some friends - on the very last day of the exhibit...but it was absolutely fantastic. It was even cooler because a lot of the other visitors that day were dressed in kimono, perhaps because they were all taking lessons in how to wear kimono and they came with their class, and/or because people in kimono got discounts on admission. In any case, many of them were just as wonderful to behold, and it took a lot of self-control NOT to ogle them.

Of course, photography wasn't allowed in the museum so I don't have any other photos to share - aside from this one below! These kimono were on display at entrance to the Taisho/Showa era kimono section of the exhibit, along with a sign that basically read "please take photos"...so of course, I had to oblige!

Viva Yamato Nadeshiko!

Chasing autumn at Naritasan Park.

Hands down favorite shot of the day.

In my line of work, I've gone through a fair share of tourism information for Narita - particularly Naritasan Park. Oddly enough, I've been to the temple tons of times (like here, here, and here), but never to the park itself. Even though they're right next to each other. But finally, I was able to head over to the park with some good company - right on time for some gorgeous fall scenery.

Perhaps we got through half of park? (Kinda ran out of daylight towards the end of our visit.) There was lots of prettiness to be seen - I took a ton of photos, which I smooshed together in this collage. I'm not good with collages - but I think it gets the point across well enough....I love the fall.

Map of the park.

Okay, so this sign isn't that special but it just caught my eye. Particularly, I just kinda thought the message written on the lefthand side was nice. It says something along the lines of "Peace to those coming in(to the park), and happiness to those leaving." Whee! I certainly felt very happy and relaxed after my visit. Hopefully I can come again in the spring to see the plum blossoms (also something I missed out on last year grr).

She lives!

Okay, probably totally unnecessary, but it's good to have photos of people (with people in them??) just to spice things up a bit, right? Or perhaps I just wanted to stick in this photo somewhere because my hair looks like it's a crazy color (I think it might've been on the setting specifically for fall leaves.

Anyway, the way the weather is going, the foliage in Narita will probably only last until around the end of the week...if you get the chance though, go go go! For me, I think next up is Lake Kameyama in Kimitsu and the winter illumination in German Village at the beginning of next month.

2012 CHI-BA+KUN Ambassadors in Makuhari.

Modern Makuhari peeks out from behind the views of Mihama-en (美浜園) park.

Let's take a time trip back to September. The blue and green tones make it look nice and cool, but it was actually still incredibly hot on this day. Still, that didn't stop me and the CHI-BA+KUN Ambassadors from enjoying the lovely Mihama-en (美浜園), a Japanese garden tucked away in the heart of Makuhari.

The park is around a 15 minute walk from JR Kaihin-Makuhari Station on the Keiyo Line. I go to Makuhari all the time and I had no idea this park even existed prior to this trip...in a good way! Now that I know it's here, it'll be a nice break away from big city hustle next time I go to Makuhari for shopping at the nearby outlets or to see a show at Makuhari Messe.

Makuhari's APA Hotel & Resort standing tall in the distance! And duckies.

So quaint but so gorgeous! I really do love how vivid the green tones turned out in the photos (but that's how brilliant the colors really were).

I wonder what the park looks like during other times of the year - might be a good time to visit the park again now, in the fall...hmm...

Empty exhibition hall.

After the park, we also got an insider tour of Makuhari Messe! Unfortunately none of my photos here turned out so this is all I've got...But anyway, the hall might seem tiny enough here, but if you've ever been to the Messe during an event, you'll realize just how gigantic the place is! Check out the Makuhari Messe website for upcoming events information: http://www.m-messe.co.jp/en/index.html.

Nomnomnom.

I won't delve too much into lunch...but it was at a favorite haunt of mine, Nanoha! It's an all you can eat place that specializes in mostly Japanese/organic/natural foods. (I've got other pictures from this place from when I took my parents here last year when they visited.)

Orientation about MIS.

Next stop: Makuhari International School! It's a sparkly new-ish (opened in April 2009) international school located in...well none other than Makuhari. Apparently it's the first international school in Japan to be accredited by the government, so one of the big "sales point" of this place is that students should have a much easier time transitioning into the Japanese education system. The school teaches grades P-6.

We had to be careful not to take any photos of the children (although we ran into the preschoolers during their recess and they were ADORABLE), but here's a random photo tour of inside the school!

One of the 6th grade classrooms (I think).

Roald Dahl corner in the library! Jealousness.

I happened to chance upon this and I thought it was super cute.

This reminded me of elementary school!

The kindergarten area! I think?

Anyway, it was really lovely touring MIS. Random thought - I feel like the interior is something that IKEA would come up with if they ever got to build/design their own school.

And it felt really weird/interesting - it was like being back in the US or some other English-speaking world - I guess that is obvious since it's an international school. Just seeing the children, some Japanese, and many from other ethnic backgrounds, interact with each other normally is not something you really get to see in Japan everyday. So this served as a nice trip to a separate little world!

Hop on the new Urban Flyer! Loving the spaceship feel and sleek colors.

Finally, it was time to head back to the Chiba Station area via the Chiba Urban Monorail, when we were pleasantly surprised to meet the new Urban Flyer model of the monorail, which they just started operating in July! It's waaaay more modern than the "standard" monorail cars (more spacious and classy interior, has a digital display showing the next station, and makes all sorts of exciting "woosh" sounds when it takes off).

Everyone was excited to ride the new monorail car :D

I commute on the monorail everyday, so I've found that I get to ride on the Urban Flyer at least 1-2 times a week. But since it's still fairly new, it's entertaining to watch other people on the platform and see how excited they get when this new car pulls in. I suppose I still react like that too.

My favorite part of the new monorail...!

Best thing about the new monorail car is that the conductor/operator's area has glass panels on the floor...so if you get to ride the Urban Flyer during the daytime, try to grab a spot right by the conductor's area! Also unlike the standard monorail cars, the Urban Flyer has a full glass door separating the conductor and passengers' areas, instead of just a tiny window - so you can observe how the monorail is operated while "walking on air." :D

Anyway, the next CHI-BA+KUN Ambassador next outing is coming up at the beginning of next month! Hopefully I will be a bit more punctual about updating from here on out!!

2012 CHI-BA+KUN Ambassadors in Choshi (Part 2).

Just need to post this because of my strange obsession with signs like this...:D

So, onto Part 2 of our tour in Choshi! (Here's Part 1.)

CHI-BA+KUN Ambassadors in front of Choshi Station!

After lunch and a little souvenir shopping, we reconvened in front of Choshi Station to hop onto the Choshi Electric Railway ("Choshi Dentetsu," 銚子電鉄).

Random neat thing about the Choshi Dentetsu...it doesn't have its own station, so you actually have to walk through the JR platforms to it! The Choshi Dentetsu is actually located on an extention of the JR platform. (Also, note the lone Suica ticket gate...yay country living!)

Our guide, Ishigami-san telling us all sorts of fun facts about the Choshi Dentetsu!

Ishigami-san is one of the Choshi Tourist Attendants (銚子観光アテンダント). Apparently these "attendants," or guides, have a neat system of specifically showing visitors around by explaining stuffon shuttle buses running around the city and the Choshi Dentetsu.

Here are a few things I learned from Ishigami-san:

Hopping off the train really quickly to poke around. The Ambassadors were totally filmed and on the news later on that day!

Apparently the trains currently running are originally from other railways - for instance, the train we were riding (pictured above) originally ran on one of the Keio lines in Tokyo. (I think. I don't have much confidence in my memory.)

This red train is the Choshi Dentetsu's newest addition!

I can't remember which station exactly, but I think this is the only point on the railway where the trains can bypass each other! There's only one track for the rest of the line.

Ashikajima is the station located furthest east in the Kanto Region!

Hydrangea season!

Also forgot which station it was, but one of the station had TONS of hydrangea on both sides of the tracks, and it was super pretty!! The super dusty train windows added a really interested effect to this photo.

Learning about this fun sculpture at Inubo Station.

Finally, we got off the train at Inubo Station, where we said goodbye to Ishigami-san and met our new guides, three people from the Kanko Sendokai, an organization of Choshi's volunteer guides.

Parting knowledge from Ishigami-san: nure-sembei ice cream!

Nure-sembei is another famous food from Choshi. It's basically sembei (rice crackers) soaked in soy sauce. High school students from a local high school developed a new famous food for Choshi - ice cream with little bits of these crackers mixed in! Needless to say, it's reaaaaally interesting, and actually quite different from the soy sauce soft serve in my previous post. If you're looking for an adventure, there's definitely one here.

Inubosaki Lighthouse! And also, the only white mailbox in Japan!

Inubosaki Lighthouse is another one of Choshi's most popular destinations for tourists. Take a light hike up the 99 step corkscrew staircase within the tower, and you can enjoy some really spectacular views of Choshi (and perhaps beyond, if the weather is clear enough)!

Also, the mailbox is super cool too, because it is currently the only white mailbox in Japan! (Normally mailboxes in Japan are bright red.) It was installed just earlier this year in March, for White Day!

You'll spot lots of these signs climbing up the lighthouse. They are encouraging/torturing you!

Nearly half of the sign has faded away, but it marks the 99th step of the Inubosaki Lighthouse! Goal!!

Really lovely weather from atop the lighthouse! You can kinda see Choshi Port Tower jutting out of the horizon.

Our final destination: Chikyu no Maruku Mieru Oka!

After the lighthouse, we proceeded onto our next and final destination for the day, the Chikyu no Maruku Mieru Oka Ocean View Observatory (地球の丸く見える丘展望館). As the name says, the earth (err...horizon?) looks round viewed from here!

Listening the guide's explanation. I guess it's easiest to see the round-ish horizon from on top of here?

The earth may not look so round in this photo, but it's a gorgeous view nonetheless! Spot the windmills?

They have these plates showing what landmarks are in each direction. Not pictured here (nor could we see them that day), but apparently if you are a good kid you might be able to see as far as Mt. Fuji, or even Hawaii! Thank you lovely guides~.

Anyway, it was my second time in Choshi, and with the great weather - and more importantly, meeting so many warm personalities, I feel that it really is a lovely place! Choshi, I really love that you've got a sense of humor:

The note says "take it, you thief!" :D

Tiles here and there outside of the entrance to the observatory had Choshi's famous products inscribed on them, like this cabbage tile! I love hidden surprises like this :D

Anyway, Choshi is a lovely place, and it was even more fun with the great company of the CHI-BA+KUN Ambassadors! Can't wait for our next tour!

Getting artsy.

Welcome to the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art!

The Kanto region has apparently entered rainy season...but we were still lucky to get (partially) beautiful, clear weather on Sunday!

Tickets to the current Flowerscapes exhibition.

I had previously visited the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art (DIC川村記念美術館) for work, and got tickets through that. Obviously with work, you can't quite enjoy things at your own pace, so I roped a friend into coming with me (thank you!).

Restaurant and gallery.

Tucked away in the woods of Sakura City in Chiba, this place is absolutely gorgeous! It was only about a 30 minute drive from Chiba City, but it's like the perfect hideaway. This particular building houses the museums restaurant (amazing!), one of the gift shops, and a couple of galleries where local organizations can run their own mini exhibitions.

Adorable sign boards at the restaurant!

Before actually heading into the museum, we popped into the museum restaurant, Belvedere, for lunch. It's a bit pricey, but it's lovely, has a gorgeous food, and the food is fantastic! I didn't actually get to try any of the items above (except for the dessert plate), but the drinks look particularly awesome. Someday...

Anyway, we got the lunch A set, which comes with salad, a main dish, dessert, and coffee/tea for 1,600 yen.

Italian ham and asparagus cream sauce spaghetti. Simple but genius.

Dessert plate: mango mousse, rare cheese thing, and some sort of cake with apple in it? All super delicious.

After lunch, we also took a short stroll down the nature trail:

Almost hydrangea season!

The nature trail has all sorts of seasonal flowers and plants, and it's also maintained to perfection, so it seems like a lot of people come here just to chill, even if they aren't going to the museum itself.

I really like this tiny stream so it's the only thing I actually took a photo of, but there's also a giant field where you can have picnics, tennis courts, baseball field, etc. connected to the nature trail! All open to the public. This place is gorgeous!!

From the nature trail - the museum peeking out behind the trees!

They've got all sorts of ducks and geese running around...so adorable! <3

So photogenic.

Giant sculpture of a mass of awesomeness.

Entrance to the museum building.

Finally, it was time to actually check out the museum itself! Kawamura has a reaaaaally impressive collection. I think we spent 2-3 hours looking around?? A couple of my favorites were "The Pop Garden" in the Flowerscapes exhibition, and Mark Rothko's Seagram Murals in the Museum Collection.

Info board next to the entrance.

The museum is generally open everyday from 9:30-17:00 (last admission at 16:30) except for Mondays (unless Monday is a holiday, in which the museum is then closed on the following day) and the Japanese New Year holidays. Cost of admission varies according to the current exhibit. This time around, admission for adults was 1,200 yen.

The Kawamura Museum is potentially a new favorite spot of mine - can't wait to go again!

There are so many parts that I couldn't actually get into within the museum itself, since I don't have photos (no photography allowed inside of course), so you will just have to see for yourself! In the meantime, their website is very well maintained so you can get a good overview of what the museum offers before actually going: http://kawamura-museum.dic.co.jp/en/index.html

Yay for artsiness!