Where Globe-Trotting meets Beach-Combing
I got to say hi to some Awa Odori friends and introduce them to Chris at this year’s JMSDF Mochi-Pounding Party. “Ah! Very handsome!” said one of the guys when I introduced everyone to Chris. The girls giggled and agreed. Everyone was there! It was fun seeing all the Awa Odori folks, especially since none…
Since we moved here we’ve been hearing about the wonders of Japan’s tallest Christmas tree—the center point for Miyagase’s annual Christmas festival. This is most likely our last Christmas in Japan, so a month ago I freaked out and signed myself up for every winter tour I could find. Several friends had the same idea….
A woman is a creatureThat has always been strange.Just when you’re sure of one you findShe’s gone and made a change.Is you is, or is you ain’t my baby?Maybe baby’s found somebody new?Or is my baby still my baby true?Louis Jordan, 1944Izu is or Izu ain’t delicious, O crop of tiny oranges?! I don’t even…
The Chichibu Night Festival is one of the top three! Wait, what?! Absolutely everything we go see in Japan is one of the top three or top five somethings. This is the third time I’ve gotten to a festival and found out it’s one of the top three, always behind two other festivals I’ve never…
Oh sorry, I meant Tokyo’s VOGUE Cafe, not the magazine. VOGUE Cafe perches atop an inverted cone in the National Art Center Tokyo. If architectural curiosities alone aren’t reason enough to to visit, consider this: the cafe pulls inspiration for their dessert sets from their exhibits and the seasons. I enjoyed a pistachio, green tea…
That most self-satisfying of occasions, the Pity Party, is severely underrated. Introducing: The Pit-ini Party—featuring the Santa Baby Cocktail! If you’ve been good this year, don’t worry—the Santa Baby comes in Naughty and Nice. Santa Baby (Naughty) Mix three parts chilled pomegranate juice, one and a half parts Italian amaretto, and one part vodka. Pour…
I think it’s best to stay busy right after family leaves to eliminate time available for moping. Even if I didn’t want to stay busy though, it’s not like I had much of a choice. December 1 marked the 60th anniversary of NAF Atsugi 1950 commissioning, and the base celebrated with a recommissioning ceremony, symposium…
