Firenze

Deep South

Charleston was the last stop of our two-week road trip in America's deep south. 

Kyoto

Last Sunday my friend and I jumped on the Shinkansen to Kyoto. We had been wanting to visit for a while, so we decided to book a day trip to get a glimpse of the former imperial capital of Japan. We joined a tour in the morning and visited the Nijō Castle, the Golden pavilion (Kinkakuji Temple) and another temple. 

Around lunch time, the tour bus dropped us off at Kyoto station. It took us about half an hour to figure out how to get to the museums we had passed by with the bus. After taking the train and walking along the Kamo river, we sat at the Museum of Modern Art's café for a late lunch. Our day trip ended walking along the famous Shijo-Dori shopping street with traditional shops - visit the tiny books & things shop located on a side street if you are into second hand art and architecture books.

We loved Kyoto and were sad to leave so soon. However, we managed to see a lot in one day and managed to eat a lot of Yatsuhashi, a traditional sweet from Kyoto made with rice flour and cinnamon. We were lucky to visit Kyoto in late autumn, when the city is covered by red, orange and yellow leaves.

Marie ✌

Hama Rikyu

As the end of my semester in Tokyo approaches, finding time to write becomes more and more difficult as I try to divide it between meeting work deadlines and planning short trips around Japan. Autumn arrived about a month ago and the leaves have recently started to turn bright red and brown. Not having done the appropriate research beforehand, meant that I arrived to Japan with two suitcases full of winter clothes. As you know, when you are slightly acquainted with Japanese climate, September is a hot month - and I mean a very hot month. During my first weeks here, I could not understand the Japanese's indifference to the weather and the hot temperatures, especially on the trains. They somehow manage to look absolutely impeccable whether it is hot, cold, sunny or raining... In other words, I'm glad to know that winter is just around the corner and that I will finally be able to give my clothes a better use.

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky to have my parents in Tokyo. During their stay, we opted for more traditional activities, which meant we visited many Japanese gardens and temples. Among them were the Hamarikyu Gardens, by the Shiodome business area.

The gardens were originally built as a residence for a Daimyo or feudal lord in the Edo Period (1603 -1867). During this period Japan closed itself form the World and became  culturally prolific and achieved unparalleled sustainability. The Daimyo were very powerful territorial lords and were subordinate to the shogun, the governor of Japan. The residence was originally built with a pond and two duck hunting areas. The gardens were later used as a detached palace of the royal family and were named Hamarikyu. Today they are open to the public and have a beautiful traditional teahouse on the pond and a 300 hundred year-old pine. 

Marie ✌