tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90866898529148815042024-02-07T21:09:51.598+09:00SomedaysSomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.comBlogger625125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-64446978418146553752014-04-05T17:58:00.002+09:002014-04-05T17:58:58.371+09:00Sakura SaturdayI'm trying to find my way back to my blog, it has been too long! So here goes... I can't do a daily sakura this year, but here are a few cherry blossom photos from my favourite spot - Asukayama in Kita-ku, Tokyo.<br />
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<br />SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com1日本, 東京都北区滝野川35.749883781842108 139.7395706176757835.743440281842105 139.72948561767578 35.756327281842111 139.74965561767578tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-23066561101920592072013-12-20T08:26:00.000+09:002013-12-20T08:26:00.199+09:00Photo Friday - Fushimi Inari DragonBecause I'm a few days late for a Wordless Wednesday... A dragon waterspout from Fushimi Inari.<br />
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<br />SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com3日本, 京都府京都市伏見区34.967181683609809 135.7726943598022434.963928683609808 135.76765185980224 34.97043468360981 135.77773685980225tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-73777960917639748182013-12-19T08:24:00.000+09:002013-12-19T13:24:55.993+09:00MondayI spoke at an event on Sunday and because of the post-event drinking party they put me up for the night. On Monday I was to transfer at Kyoto to the shinkansen and head home, except I couldn't. Despite the mile long to-do list waiting for me at home, I couldn't just head straight home on Monday morning, it would have been such a waste! So I stashed my bag in a locker and hopped on the JR Nara line.<br />
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A few minutes later I was standing beneath the first of many bright orange torii shrine gates.<br />
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Thankfully the crowds thinned out the further I got up the mountain and, although the weather was grey and overcast with a bite to the wind, there were only a few intermittent rain drops and my climb kept me warm.<br />
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Even without my good camera Fushimi Inari is incredibly photogenic. Much of the route up the mountain is lined with bright orange gates, winding through the forest where a few stubborn maples still held on to their autumnal glory.<br />
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There was an older man repainting one of the torii and there were others festooned with wet paint signs and in various degrees of newly painted-ness.<br />
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Then there were others that were obviously rotting from within and others that had rotted away leaving empty cement post holes filled with fallen leaves.<br />
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The calm and quiet of the surroundings and the walk did me the world of good after days of bonding with my computer in frenzied prep for my talk.<br />
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But all too soon it was time for me to head back to Kyoto and, as the rain began to fall, I bought omiyage in one of the station's stores and snagged the last empty seat on my shinkansen back home.<br />
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<br />SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com4日本, 京都府京都市伏見区34.967111347008654 135.7726943598022434.963858347008653 135.76765185980224 34.970364347008655 135.77773685980225tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-76414128317971315422013-12-02T11:24:00.000+09:002013-12-02T11:24:14.888+09:00FallAfter work one day last week I braved the chilly Tokyo evening, hordes of old men with big cameras and tripods, and young couples with women tripping along in completely useless high-heeled "booties." A pretty little Japanese garden by day, <a href="http://teien.tokyo-park.or.jp/en/rikugien/">Rikugien</a> does a evening light-up during fall foliage season (and sells yummy grilled rice cake dango with sweet miso or soy sauce... mmmmmm!)<br />
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Without a tripod, and not wanting to stop traffic by setting up such equipment even if I had it, most of my pictures turned into fuzzy blobs of bright colour, but the light up is beautiful and the garden well worth a visit at night, or during the day.<br />
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You start with a view of the lake with buildings and trees lit up on the opposite side<br />
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Then walk along lit and semi-lit paths through the forest</div>
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Some trees were lit up from below. </div>
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And the stream that used to flow through the garden was brought back through undulating blue lights.</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">But the best view was one ignored by most visitors - a Japanese maple at the height of its fall glory was a blaze of red and orange, tucked into a corner beside the outhouses by the entrance. Not a single extra-large lens and tripod toting ojisan in sight!</span><br />
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SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com2日本, 〒113-0021 東京都文京区本駒込6丁目6 六義園35.7331386 139.746513510.211104099999996 98.437919499999992 61.255173099999993 -178.94489250000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-66335638787597955282013-12-01T16:56:00.000+09:002013-12-01T16:56:27.994+09:00Hard CornersIn the shower the other day I noticed an angry looking bruise on my left thigh. I'm a klutz and I bruise quite impressively, but this one was even more colourful than usual.<br /><br />"No wonder I squeaked at U when he cuddled up to me last night!" I thought to myself.<br /><br />After my shower I walked into the kitchen to get myself a glass of water. Intent on my drink I wasn't watching where I was going and bashed into the dining table.<br /><br />"Ouch!" I said to myself and rubbed my thigh, "I'm going to have a brui- ahhH!" Cartoon style, a light bulb had gone off over my head. It sure has taken me long enough to finally realize where the nearly constant bruises on the exact same spot on each thigh have come from. <div>
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Maybe it is about time I invested in rubber corners or some sort of padding for the edges of the dining table? </div>
SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-55417141248920630872013-11-16T14:29:00.002+09:002013-12-02T11:24:37.473+09:00November 11In Canada November 11 is Remembrance Day, a day to think of the sacrifices made by those who fought in WWI and WWII.<br /><br />
In the US the same day is called Veterans Day and in New Zealand and Belgium it is called Armistice Day. <br /><br />In Japan it used to be recognized as Armistice Day, prior to WWII it was recognized as a day to think about peace. Now? Well, now it is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocky">Pocky</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretz">Pretz</a> Day - as the four number 1s lined up look like sticks of pocky or pretz all lined up.<br /><br />In China it has become known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singles_Day">Singles Day</a>, to celebrate "single sticks" or bachelors.<br /><br />For U and I November 11 is now our anniversary (or rather one of an increasingly lengthening list thereof). On Monday we filed our paperwork at city hall. Although we will be waiting until next year to hold our wedding ceremony and related receptions, we are now legally married. Anything I have ever heard or read about the process of filing your paperwork to get married at Japanese city hall has said it is anything but romantic. So it was no real surprise to me that it hardly felt like we were actually getting married. We submitted our paperwork, answered questions, filled out more paperwork (and then some more again because we had to merge our two households and our registered addresses differed in the way in which we had written the number of our apartment. U's previous form said "Apartment Name, # X" while mine just said "Apartment Name, X" So before we could merge our households U had to change his address to the same as mine... Or I could have changed mine - and then had to change my foreign resident card)<br />
<br />Then we sat (or I sat and knitted and U wandered about upsetting the staff member set to help poor lost citizens who wandered about city hall without knowing where to go) and waited.<br />
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And waited.<br />
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And then we were called up and asked to pay for our requested copies of our marriage registration. We paid, the clerk offered a congratulations, and gave us our change.<br /><br />And we were married.<br /><br /><br /><br />(It still seems rather odd and surreal, and we both agreed that whatever the legal record says, we're waiting until our ceremony next fall for our ring exchange and to say that we are married.)SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-91503210940604968612013-10-12T01:47:00.000+09:002013-12-02T11:24:43.767+09:00A letterDear Mum,<br />
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Over the past few weeks I've found myself wishing more than normal that I could pick up the phone and call you. I wish I could gush about my engagement, talk wedding plans, ask questions, and get advice.<br />
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Then yesterday there was an announcement far more important than my engagement or wedding plans - the announcement of this year's Nobel Prize for Literature. A Canadian won, mum. A Canadian woman! One of your favourites, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Munro">Alice Munro</a>. You would have been so happy. You would have been so proud. (Am I allowed to admit that I was rooting for another one of your favourites, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Atwood">Margaret Atwood</a>, and was initially disappointed, until I realized that this was just as exciting!)<br />
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With the time difference between Tokyo and Vancouver, I heard about the announcement when you would probably have been still asleep. I would have loved to have called you, woken you up and shouted the news in your ear (apparently the same thing that happened to <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/alice-munro-is-1st-canadian-woman-to-win-nobel-literature-prize-1.1958383">Alice Munro - her daughter called her and woke her up with the news</a>).<br />
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But I can't call you, mum. So I'm writing you this letter. Maybe you already know about Alice Munro, maybe you're toasting her with the likes of Kipling, Tagore, Yeats, and Hemingway. I'd like to think that. (say hi to them for me, eh?)<br />
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I'd also like to think that you've given U and I your blessing. I think you'd like him (even if the rings we chose are nothing like the one you chose when you and dad got married - not shape, not colour, not size!)<br />
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I miss you mum.<br />
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Love,<br />
SarahSomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-85187913282350435932013-10-09T08:44:00.000+09:002013-10-09T08:44:00.635+09:00Hokkaido - Shiretoko (almost wordless Wednesday)From Abashiri we went to Shiretoko. Sadly we had pretty disappointing weather for the day we spent in this gorgeous area, but we did get a glimpse of the beauty of the national park and enjoyed a walk on the raised boardwalk out to a viewpoint.<br />
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the coast off of Shiretoko on a very grey morning</div>
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the Shiretoko Five Lakes</div>
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the boardwalk above the grass and trees</div>
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the view of distant misty mountains</div>
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At first glance the boardwalk may seem surprising, but since access is restricted to the trails, most Japanese visitors are WOEFULLY unprepared to actually walk in the woods, and the raised platform gives you amazing views, it makes a lot of sense.<br />
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We didn't have nearly enough time in Shiretoko, both U and I want to go back again and spend some time in the area - preferably camping as we saw so many doing!SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-48713259338848440512013-10-08T08:39:00.000+09:002013-10-08T08:39:00.048+09:00Hokkaido - AbashiriBack to Hokkaido! No, not us, we're stuck in Tokyo, but I realized I hadn't finished blogging about our trip to Hokkaido this summer.<br />
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After leaving our <a href="http://hyotenka.blogspot.jp/">new friends</a>, we drove to Obihiro (which neither of us can now say normally, we MUST sing it like the Orihiro glucosamine commercials) where we had quite possibly the best meal of our entire trip, an amazing "Genghis Khan" (grilled lamb/mutton bbq) feast.<br />
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The next day we continued north, stopping on the way at Akanko, and going to Abashiri. We spent the morning with all of the other tourists at the <a href="http://www.kangoku.jp/world/">Abashiri Prison Museum</a>, which ended up impressing me much more than I had anticipated. It is an open-air museum that tells the history of the infamous prison and role of the prison (or rather its inmates) in opening up Hokkaido. In addition to a traditional museum with exhibits, there were also plenty of hands-on opportunities, dioramas in historical settings, and easy-to-understand explanations in four languages (Japanese, English, Korean, and Chinese, the latter was often included in both simplified and traditional, so I should say 5 languages).<br />
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Welcome to Abashiri Prison - in five languages!</div>
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a wing of the old prison, with one heater for a long hallway of cells</div>
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that must have been bitterly cold in the long Hokkaido winters</div>
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a diorama of a more modern prison cell -</div>
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you could open the door and walk in and poke around</div>
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a line of prisoners... with U bringing up the rear!</div>
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After a nutritious lunch of gelato made from Hokkaido cream, we were ready to tackle our second museum of the day, the <a href="http://www.hoppohm.org/english/">Museum of Northern Peoples</a>. Very close to the Prison Museum, the Museum of Northern Peoples is sadly not a regular stop for tour buses. We, however, were lucky enough to have a personal tour arranged for us. My advisor knows the museum staff, having been involved in a number of archaeological digs connected with the museum. So after U and I toured the permanent exhibition on our own with the aid of one of their new and very impressive ipod touch audio-visual tours, the head curator gave us a tour of the special exhibition and the so-called "backyard" of the museum - the staff work spaces, the storage areas, and the director's room-with-a-gorgeous-view. The exhibits were stunning - a simple and straighforward but visually impressive overview of the huge range of native peoples that live in the northern reaches of the northern hemisphere. It was fascinating to see the similarities and differences between peoples who live in similar climates around the world. (and yes, I did get very excited in the kayak section!) Both U and I were surprised to discover that the exhibits date to the original opening of the museum, some twenty years ago. Sure there were some sections (the holographic video display!) that seemed dated, but overall it was a great exhibit.<br />
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a range of clothing from a variety of northern peoples</div>
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a little bit of home - exhibit on the peoples of Northwestern Canada</div>
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It was U's first time to see the backyard of a museum and he was fascinated. He asked tons of questions and kept talking about the museum long after we left. He was most impressed, however, by our guide. The head curator is an obviously very intelligent and dedicated woman who has been at the museum her entire career. She clearly loves what she does and, after a brief sizing up, she and I clicked as we recognized each other as kindred spirits - fellow museum nerds. She made the visit all the more special and I am very grateful to both her and my advisor for arranging such a special experience for us.SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com0日本, 北海道網走市44.0206319 144.2733983000000543.6547974 143.62795130000006 44.386466399999996 144.91884530000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-45730916164835065572013-10-07T13:19:00.002+09:002013-10-07T13:19:29.101+09:00Rings!<div class="mobile-photo">
After feeling crappy and thus spending most of last week home from work (or working from home), I needed to work most of the weekend to catch up. But U and I were able to escape work duties for a few hours Sunday afternoon to go and pick up our rings!<br /><br />We had the (very proper Japanese) store clerk giggling at us as neither of us could stop admiring the diamond on my engagement ring. And with good reason not only is it a gorgeously simple ring, but we managed to track down a Canadian diamond!</div>
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The idea of a Canadian diamond was a passing thought at the start of us choosing our rings, a passing thought that gradually became important to both of us - having a little piece of Canada here in Japan. It wasn't easy, we only found one store nearby that sold Canadian diamonds, they only had three stones in stock, and by the time we went in to buy the diamond the store no was no longer a registered dealer of Canadian stones which mean that they could sell us the diamond (with all the registration paperwork) but could no longer advertise as sellers of Canadian diamonds. </div>
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We took the diamond to a different store, <a href="http://www.k-uno.co.jp/">K. Uno</a> in Motomachi Yokohama, where we had both fallen in love with a ring design for our wedding bands (and a matching engagement ring). They were friendly, supportive, and offered just the right amount of design suggestions in customizing our rings. And we are thrilled! I had U put my engagement ring on my finger immediately and am still stopping to admire it now, a ful day later. And U keeps asking me if he can wear his wedding band for a day or two, just to "try it out."</div>
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Enough of all this natter, though, all you want is to see a photo of the rings, right?</div>
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Well, I'll keep our wedding bands secret until we are actually wearing them, but here's a look at my engagement ring...</div>
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(the hairy hand under mine is U's,</div>
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nice nails but what HAIRY knuckles the man has!)</div>
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SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-76268422991050225132013-10-05T23:36:00.001+09:002013-10-05T23:36:53.823+09:00Home GardenWe have a very small square of garden in front of our place - big enough for a few trees, a hydrangea, some scraggly underbrush, and a cement step that holds our herb garden. There are many other homes in the neighbourhood with kitchen gardens, but one in particular has caught my eye.<br /><br />There is a small oddly shaped triangular room that almost seems tacked on to an apartment building on my way to the station. It has a tiny garden, broken up into three spaces barely large enough for a gardener to stand. All three are filled with styrofoam boxes - the kind used to keep food chilled. I first spotted the room's elderly occupant early in the spring, out in her garden, industriously moving the boxes around, digging in the contents, and sifting piles of... dirt?! <div>
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Yes, dirt. The styrofoam boxes were full of compost - in various stages of decompose - and the woman must have spent days on end moving them around and preparing them for planting.</div>
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As the days warmed and lengthened with the arrival of summer the woman's garden flourished. The tomato plants grew tall and bushy and the eggplants wrapped themselves around the supports, and the nearby fence too!<br /><br />The heat of summer, the unrelenting sun beat down on the plants, and slowly the leaves began to shrivel and turn brown. The tomatoes began to split and turn black, the eggplant to shrivel and shrink. And still the gardener did not touch the fruits of her labours.</div>
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As the nights got cooler and summer faded slowly into the beginnings of fall, the winds and rains of multiple typhoons beat down the plants and stripped them of their remaining leaves. Then one day the elderly gardener was back out in her garden, stripping the beds of their plants. Chopping up the plants and turning them into compost. </div>
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Compost to feed next year's plants, not to stock her own kitchen, apparently!</div>
SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-5367243578721294442013-09-18T08:23:00.000+09:002013-09-18T08:23:00.098+09:00Wordless Wednesday - Hokkaido Akanko<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Photographs of the potholes and flowers, but not a single one of the lake, what the area is famous for... huh. It was rainy and misty, that's my excuse!SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com3日本, 北海道釧路市阿寒町阿寒湖温泉4丁目43.434237531390515 144.0928449825150943.431355031390517 144.08780248251509 43.437120031390513 144.09788748251509tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-3542890198548342902013-09-17T17:20:00.000+09:002013-09-17T17:20:07.309+09:00Hokkaido - New Friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We were lucky enough to spend a day with the <a href="http://hyotenka.blogspot.jp/">lovely Vicky</a> and her equally lovely family while in Hokkaido. We chatted, we visited a local hand-made glass shop, we visited a local historical site, and then ended up with lunch and a quick walk around <a href="http://www.ecorinvillage.com/">Ecorin-mura</a>. It didn't feel like a first meeting and the day sped by far too quickly, but both U and I felt the day was a highlight of our trip and hope to go back and visit again!</div>
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the ceiling of the bathroom of the glass shop -</div>
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Vicky instructed us to go to the bathrooms to check it out,</div>
poor U didn't realize why he was being ordered to the toilet,<br />
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but dutifully went (and then went again when he was shown my photos!)</div>
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long past the end of lotus flower season in Tokyo we spotted these beauties</div>
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Ecorin-mura, a delightful mix of gardens that we sadly had too little time to enjoy</div>
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<br />SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com8えこりん村42.8784504 141.5640777999999542.8551764 141.52373729999994 42.9017244 141.60441829999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-85501111067450623462013-09-07T09:06:00.000+09:002013-09-07T09:06:00.708+09:00Hokkaido - PorotokotanTry and say that five times fast - Porokoro... Porotokoka... Porotokoko... Porokoto...<br />
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Okaaaay then, just try and say it once, slowly!<br />
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Po-ro-to-ko-tan<br />
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There you go.<br />
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Porotokotan is Ainu, "Poro" means large, "to" means lake, and "kotan" means village. It is the name of an <a href="http://www.ainu-museum.or.jp/en/index.html">Ainu outdoor museum near Shiraoi</a>, where we stopped the afternoon after visiting Toshogu.<br />
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I had read a few articles about the museum, heard about how it was part of the local Ainu community, how it was creating pride among the community, and how it was contributing to keeping alive or bringing back traditions. I was excited about the museum. It started off well.<br />
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The Kotankorkur (statue of the chief) welcomed us.<br />
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And two wooden bears stood at attention at the entrance to the village. Unfortunately, however, they aren't the only bears at the museum. There were a handful of large bears and a whole flock of dogs in small cages just off to the right of this picture. I was disgusted and couldn't bear to look at them, let alone take pictures, so we hurried next door, to the Ainu Museum. </div>
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The museum was dated and the exhibits were old, but easy to understand and informative. There were exhibits on traditional Ainu life, hunting, clothing and jewelry, ceremonies, and history. But what really caught my eye was that in addition to Japanese on the interpretive panels there was also English, Korean, and both simplified and traditional Chinese. This was a theme running through the entire site, as we were about to find out as we followed the suggestion of an announcement piped through the site - and made our way to the first big "house."<br />
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Inside the "traditional Ainu house" there was a stage and layered seating for probably about fifty people. It was almost full and rather stuffy and dark. We found ourselves a seat and watched a short presentation on traditional Ainu arts - dance, song, and music. While the music and performances were interesting, U and I both agreed that the most interesting thing was that the entire performance was translated into both Korean and Taiwanese by the tour guides of groups sitting on opposite sides of the building. The speakers on stage were obviously used to having what they were saying translated as they would speak a few lines and pause, wait for translation and speak a few lines again. They knew just how much to say and how long to wait and didn't get anxious while waiting. U, who hasn't seen that kind of translation before was very impressed, and I think spent more time listening to the tour guides translate than he did watching the stage.<br />
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Sadly it was pretty obvious to us that the entire outdoor museum is geared towards tour groups and individual guests are just extras. For example, only larger groups can book a hands-on experience (crafts, etc) or an "Ainu meal." If regular guests get hungry they have to make do with nikuman and Hokkaido ice cream from a rather sad looking glass-walled shop.<br />
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But the lake (that the museum is named after!) was eerily beautiful against the grey overcast sky. And the rain stayed away until we clambered back into our rental car!<br />
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<br />SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com2日本, 〒059-0902 北海道白老郡白老町若草町2丁目2−3−4 アイヌ民族博物館42.5609775 141.3669311999999516.5836895 100.05833719999995 68.5382655 -177.32447480000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-71523665023220439852013-09-06T23:11:00.001+09:002013-09-06T23:12:36.025+09:00Hokkaido - ToshoguWhen U asked me where I wanted to go to in Hokkaido, my immediate answer was Hakodate. I could try to tell you that it is because whatever I had heard about the city had convinced me that I would love it - the ocean, the mountain, the historical buildings, the European feel...<br />
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But despite the fact that all that is true, you probably wouldn't believe me when I told you that there also happens to be a Toshogu just outside of the city. And of course I would be lying if I said that that didn't have anything to do with my answer!<br />
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Hokkaido Toshogu isn't the most northern Toshogu, as there supposedly is one in a shrine just north of Sapporo, but it is a big one, giving its name to the surrounding community of its current location, and it has a history that I can appreciate as someone who has not lived at a single address longer than three years since elementary school!<br />
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Its beginnings are unclear, but the shrine now known as Hokkaido Toshogu is said to date back to the late 18th or very start of the 19th century, either prior to or at the time Ezo (the name for Hokkaido during the Edo period) was put under direct control of the shogunate. It seems to have originally been part of Toju-in, a Tendai temple under the patronage of the shogunate and one of the three most important temples on the island. Toshogu was moved in 1864 when, in the last years of the Edo period, the Hakodate magistrate's office and Goryokaku were built. Toshogu was moved to Kamiyama, a village to the north east of Goryokaku. This placed Toshogu at the important "demon gate," guarding the fort from the unluckiest of directions. The village was also renamed at the time, changing the way the name had been written from 上山村 (Kamiyama-mura: upper mountain village) to 神山村 (Kamiyama-mura: sacred mountain village). The Toshogu is known to have been well-loved by the villagers and visited regularly for special prayers for the shogunal family, the emperor, and the village itself. This is likely due at least in part to the financial benefits to the village of having the shrine relocated and rebuilt in their village.<br />
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Unfortunately, however, only days after the monthly rituals on the first day of the fifth month of 1864, the main building of the shrine caught fire and burned to the ground. The shrine moved temporarily while building was begun on a new shrine on the Kamiyama site, but in the meantime the Meiji Restoration happened. Hakodate, however, was still in Tokugawa hands and they felt Kamiyama was too far away, so Toshogu was moved closer to the city in 1874. It then moved a further three times in the following five years and settling for a while before being moved to its current location in 1991 and being named Hokkaido Toshogu.<br />
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The first torii gate is a rather modern-looking one on the main road, a few minute drive from the shrine itself.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">The second torii is more traditional</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">and the shrine grounds are green and wide open - much like Hokkaido itself!</span><br />
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Although it looks like (and felt like) there is not a soul around, the priest drove up in his car (in black Shinto priest robes!) as we were throwing coins in the box and doing our two bows, two claps, one bow.<br />
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U dashed off immediately to get our shrine stamp books, and the priest good naturedly (although somewhat bemused and not quite sure of who or what we were) stamped our books and sent us on our way with pamphlets.</div>
SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com7日本, 〒041-0833 北海道函館市陣川町82−153 東照宮41.8386679 140.7853058000000615.861388399999996 99.476711800000061 67.8159474 -177.90610019999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-50735540958709228532013-09-04T22:18:00.000+09:002013-09-04T22:18:19.471+09:00Wordless Wednesday - Hokkaido Lotus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-50528622012116602013-09-03T23:54:00.000+09:002013-09-04T00:01:43.978+09:00HokkaidoOur trip to Hokkaido this summer almost didn't happen. Other plans had fallen through and fallen through and we kept putting it off and off and off... But we went, and had an amazing time! It was a little random - I wanted to go to Hakodate and U wanted to go to Shiretoko (think completely opposite sides of the island) - but U managed to take nearly two weeks off so we had 10 wonderful days in Hokkaido. (Don't worry, I'm not going to try to cram it all into one post, I have too many photos! And besides, I want to drag it out as long as possible for my own benefit!)<div>
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We started and ended in Hakodate - and both fell in love with the city. I kept jokingly asking U if there were a university there for him to work at... but sadly there isn't, sigh!<br /><br />We started things out perfectly - after a long day of trains we arrived in the evening, checked in to our hotel, showered, and set out for dinner - and found a beer garden just steps from our hotel. We didn't get much further, enjoying Genghis Khan (grilled lamb and veggies) over a portable grill on a picnic table in a park, a refreshing breeze blowing from the ocean a few blocks away, enjoying a gorgeous summer evening under the stars.</div>
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We crammed a whole lot in to the next day - starting with melon and raw fish in the morning market for breakfast, then going to the star-shaped fortress of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gory%C5%8Dkaku">Goryokaku</a> and the newly-rebuilt <a href="http://en.japantourist.jp/view/the-hakodate-majistrate-s-office">magistrate's office</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Goryokaku Tower</span> </div>
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Finding the infamous Hakodate fast food chain Lucky Pierrot to be a popular lunch choice we got take out and found ourselves a bench by the ocean and watched a stray cat hunt the seagulls and pigeons that eagerly awaited our hamburger crumbs.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lucky Pierrot's best seller: the "Chinese Chicken Burger" was... ummm... interesting?</span> </div>
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Then I dragged U to not one but THREE museums - which he put up with amazingly well (he claimed he enjoyed it! the boy knows how to humour me!) ending at the old British Consulate where we melted in the tea room and had tea and scones with jam and whipped cream (not the same as clotted cream but still yummy). A short meander along old and very European streets brought us to the foot of the ropeway up Mount Hakodate.<br />
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We got up to the top of Mount Hakodate, along with approximately half the population of Japan, with plenty of time to watch the sun set in a blaze of pink and golden clouds.</div>
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And then plenty of time to stand four or five rows deep and attempt to take the famous photo of Hakodate lit up at night...</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Undeniably very pretty but the hordes of people trying to take this picture? Muuuuuuuch less pretty!</span></div>
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The perfect start to a pretty amazing holiday!</div>
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SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-53738353333451230912013-08-09T09:49:00.000+09:002013-08-09T09:49:00.060+09:00Kindred spirits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When I was doing my MA in Japan I was lucky enough to be surrounded by supportive friends and a professor who still continues to support and guide and help me in more ways than I can count. The only problem was that there was only one other student in museum studies, all the other students in the program were in clinical psychology (it is a VERY broad program!), sociology, or education. Then, not long after I entered the program, my sempai (student above me) graduated. She and I met other students at a conference and got an informal monthly study group started, but I never had a sense of community, other students I could share book recommendations with, or go to museums with, or just talk "shop" with over a few drinks. </div>
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Until this year. I'm not in an MA program anymore, but I now have two kohai (students below me) under my professor and over the past half-year I've been introduced to or re-met about half a dozen other museum studies students or young professionals. A good number have studied abroad and two are even from abroad themselves!</div>
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One of those two, a woman from Taiwan who has just started her PhD here, became a good friend instantly. She had heard about me from my advisor and had apparently decided that we would be friends even before we met and it didn't take me long to realize she was a kindred spirit - from academic interests to general outlook to personal lives. Sadly she currently lives in Kansai, so we have only been able to meet up when she comes to Tokyo for conferences, but every time we have met up the time has sped by in a flurry of trading sources in Japanese and English (and one in Chinese, that freaked me out because I didn't realize it was Chinese and started hyperventilating over the kanji...!), debating the pros and cons of the Japanese educational system (followed by a heavy dose of complaining about Japanese academia), and good 'ole girl talk.</div>
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So turned to knitting to show my friendship in the best way I know how, even though the weather means that she won't be able to use it for months and months! </div>
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<br />SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-84905376441590356922013-08-08T13:39:00.000+09:002013-08-08T16:08:01.290+09:00TILT- marathon skype wedding planning chats with my fabulous matron of honour!<br />
- reading a grad school reference letter written for me by one of my bosses<br />
- freezing a fresh batch of home-made basil from the basil-gone-WILD aka green-curtain aka basil window box in our living room<br />
- homemade raspberry frozen yogurt (from just Greek yogurt, frozen raspberries, sweetener)<br />
- "Road to Sochi" specials on Japanese tv focusing on the WOMEN'S HOCKEY TEAM!!!SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-50474363486473327082013-08-04T10:12:00.000+09:002013-08-04T12:13:11.465+09:00Morning Coffee<div class="mobile-photo">
Every work morning, I get up and head to the shower, U drags himself downstairs and turns on the coffee machine, before collapsing on the couch for a few more minutes of sleep. By the time I'm out of the shower U is sitting upright on the couch, watching a morning news show, and has made the coffee - sometimes he has a cup, sometimes he doesn't. I take mine in my thermos to work.</div>
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This morning, however, he left early for four days at a conference in Kyushu. I woke up to sunlight streaming in around the curtains and the other half of the bed empty. He had already gone and left me to sleep in. (he had been up past 3 am the night before, finishing his paper, and I had stayed up with him, working on my own stuff) I was disappointed - I'm not going to see the man for four days and if he's leaving early he normally comes back in and wakes me up to say goodbye. But this morning he didn't, so I didn't get the chance to see him off at the door (and crawl back upstairs to bed afterwards, it is a Sunday morning afterall!)</div>
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This morning I came downstairs and, sitting on the kitchen table for me, was my thermos, full of iced-coffee, and a note from U (yes, that is actually my nickname for him, and he signs notes / emails / texts to me that way). </div>
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Is it any wonder why I love him?!</div>
SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-2843100538396947802013-08-02T14:30:00.002+09:002013-08-02T14:30:31.197+09:00Elephant BabyThe year I spent in India was full of wonderful memories, due in large part to the people I met. I was lucky enough to work with and meet some amazing and inspiring women. I am still meeting new Scouting friends through my connections to the Center in India, and they continue to impress me with their drive, dedication, and spirit. Another thing a number of these women have in common is the fact they have had sons in the past few years.<br />
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I have a hunch that spending a few months to a few years living in the almost entirely female-only surroundings of a Girl Scout center scares the baby-girl making ability right out of a woman as of all the babies I know to have been born to Sangam volunteers, and all the babies I have heard of from others who know Sangam, out of all those babies there has been only one girl. All the rest are boys.<br />
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One of those baby boys made his entrance into the world only a short while ago and so I scoured Ravelry for elephant baby knitting (prompting a relative to email me and ask me what was up...!) I eventually settled on two little projects - a bib and a small stuffed toy - and since I was able to make both with yarn already in my stash, they were very quick knits!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I'm still not quite sure about the trunk, but besides that he is rather cute.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">"Hello!"<br />"Yikes! You don't have to yell into my ear, I can hear you, I can hear you!!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I have an unhealthy love for this tail, for some reason... cute!!</span></div>
<br />SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-51260216366862255652013-08-01T22:13:00.001+09:002013-08-01T22:28:37.206+09:00TILT- cooking with the results of our herb garden (the basil TOOK OFF in the planter box in the living room window, and we've had a steady supply of homemade pesto sauce, mixed with lemon balm until the latter went to flower)<br />
- harvesting a few (tiny!) stalks of rhubarb<br />
- Alishan/Tengu foods whole wheat pancake/muffin mix made with yogurt, rhubarb (see above!), and strawberries... mmmmm!<br />
- outdoor hotsprings on a windy evening<br />
- an amazing friend agreeing to be my matron of honour and immediately surpassing my hopes with her amazing-ness<br />
- ring shopping!SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-72928072570790350462013-07-25T18:24:00.001+09:002013-07-25T22:19:32.682+09:00TILT- coworkers with old postcard collections who make photocopies of Toshogu cards for me<div>- doing my own research</div><div>- work from home days (no commute! staying in my pjs all day! shocking and scaring the Japan Post delivery man!)</div><div>- summer food (mikan popsicles! somen noodle salads! Thai salad rolls! kiwi lemonade kakigori!)</div><div>- planning our summer vacation in Hokkaido (cool-er weather! Toshogu! museums! grilled lamb!)</div>SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-34910235731742806452013-07-25T18:17:00.001+09:002013-07-25T18:24:53.333+09:00YesHe asked. I said yes. <div><br></div><div>We called his family and all he had to say was that he had an announcement to make, and his mother started to squeal like a high school girl. </div><div><br></div><div>He's the only son and eldest, I'm an only child. This has been impatiently waited for by both sides. His mother even proposed to me - twice!</div><div><br></div><div>So now planning starts - when, where, what... Times two, one for each country, plus the addition of tracking down the paperwork so we can do the legal part of it all...</div><div><br></div><div>But I must admit I've gone all girly and can't think about paperwork when Google awaits with image searches like "engagement ring" and "wedding dress"!!</div><div><br></div><div>Wheeee! </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9086689852914881504.post-21684429987985707652013-06-11T08:14:00.000+09:002013-06-11T08:14:00.111+09:00Tuesday Then and Now<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ten years ago this summer I spent two months in Yokohama, subletting the apartment of a friend of a friend and attending a Japanese language program for North American grad students. I met a great group of people, a number of whom are still friends, and made a whole lot of amazing memories. The school was in a beautiful spot overlooking the water, right by Queen's Square and the Landmark Tower, only a few minutes from Sakuragicho station.</div>
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In the ten years since then Sakuragicho has changed - new shopping complexes, more stores, new developments... I hardly recognized it when I went last week. But looking at the <a href="http://oldphoto.lb.nagasaki-u.ac.jp/unive/index.html">Nagasaki University's Metadatabase of Japanese Old Photographs</a> it has changed even more in the past 100 years...<br />
<br />What is now Sakuragicho station is on the site of what was the first Yokohama station.<br />
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The station is now dwarfed by the surrounding buildings and almost hidden, but the sky was a lovely shade of blue and I enjoyed doing a bit of reminiscing...<br />
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The station itself got in on the now and then - it is decorated with old photographs, maps, and descriptions of what the area used to look like.</div>
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<br />SomedaysSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07485017469544064676noreply@blogger.com0日本, 神奈川県横浜市中区桜木町35.4502987 139.6320562999999335.4438312 139.62197129999993 35.4567662 139.64214129999993