Tuesday, January 25

Just spent a couple fun days off, and time to take loads of photos which I will post over the next few work days.

These taxis caught my eye as I was walking down the street next to a huge cemetery. They lined both sides of the street, out of service. As Monty Python would say, they're "not dead, they're just resting!" Eerie juxtaposition though, as many of the drivers looked like they were!











This is me at the Tokyo Dome Amusement Park, with my Japanese friend, Mina. We weren't there for the rides, just dinner. But I plan on taking Steve for a whirl when he gets to town. We met up with a group of French, British, Japanese, and Americans for a dinner at the Tokyo Dome Hotel. Believe it or not, when choosing a special place to take me, they took me to a Sizzler Restaurant. Now I know why people say that eating out in Japan is expensive - the salad bar (no sizzling steaks) was $30. There was however a redeeming factor, which was a desert bar with a fountain of chocolate that you put your bowl of ice cream under. Yum. This was a reunion of sorts, with the folks I met and traveled with last trip. Several will be attending my seminars, so we had a lively conversation.


These two shots are from The Teien Art Museum. After much walking and traveling on the subway, I was disappointed to discover that the building part was closed for the winter, and I only had access to the gardens. However, this outdoor serenity was probably just what I needed. I pretty much had the place to myself and I imagined that it was "my" estate, rather than Prince Asaka's! The building shown here is a little tea house in the Japanese style gardens, and the white sculpture was added to the estate later. The main building was an art deco style house filled with 18th & 19th century art, kind of like a Hearst or Hollywood mansion. Apparently, there are many wealthy merchant families who have converted their estates and private collections to museum status in order to maintain Japanese treasures rather than allow them to be sold and exported as was very prevalent when Japan reopened trade with the west in the late 1800s.

I've got two days of sessions ahead of me, with Friday off, and then I teach my Level 1 seminar on the weekend. I am please that there are a good number of people signing up and I am hopeful that I will have a quality group of students. The Japanese are very open-hearted and eager to learn. I am looking forward to it.

More to post soon...