When Chris isn't toiling at work, he is scheming, plotting, dreaming at home. I'll look up from my bento prep-shop - (toiling in my own right over what to pack in those cute little containers for my cute little picky eater) - to find him at his computer, clicking through keys and scrolling through screens. Most recently, those clicks and scrolls had us aboard a bullet train, bound for the mountains of Nikko.
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| Riding the shinkansen for the first time |
That same bullet train returned us safely home on Sunday despite the record-breaking snowfall in Tokyo over the weekend, but somehow I don't feel entirely back. What was it about Nikko?
Maybe it was our inn, a warm haven tucked cozily into the mountains, snow piling merrily outside it throughout our stay. Dinner there was announced each night with a sumismasen (excuse me!) outside our room, followed by the sliding of the rice paper door to reveal a smiling, gracious woman seated on her heels as she greeted us. In she came with lacquered tray after lacquered tray bearing our kaiseki (traditional Japanese dinner), each a beautiful composition of tiny, delicious - and sometimes just a bit curious - dishes.
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| Patrick's kaiseki - Not your typical 'Happy Meal'! |
Maybe it was the breathtaking walk through snow-covered cedars, their majestic simplicity an impressive complement to the extravagant structures they surround.
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| The pagoda at Tosho-gu, a shrine to a 17th-century shogun |
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| Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil - the original! |
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| The Sacred Bridge |
Maybe it was the simple joy of fun in the snow - no doubt this was the kids' favorite! (What was it about trudging from historic site to historic site didn't they enjoy? Not quite sure! ;-)
Quite probably, it was a combination of all of these. Eventually my head will be back in Tokyo, but I'm okay with it in the clouds of Nikko just a few days longer.
What a lovely time and such beautiful photos! Do you feel you're in the homestretch yet, and consequently trying to squeeze in as much as possible? What luck, a blessing, a privilege to be able to experience all of this! Incidentally, my "Grammie" and I read "Snow Falling on Cedars" years ago together; I still have our correspondence on the subject, all the many precious letters she wrote about her own years as a child on the Pacific coast during WWII. Yesterday would have been her birthday and she was much on my mind. She was also the grandmother with whom I traveled to China. This post was a sweet reminder of her. :)
ReplyDeleteWe are definitely soaking up everything we can during our last months here. Loved the mention of your sweet Grammie and the wonderful things you were able to do together. xo
DeleteBreathtaking photos! Fun and historic--seems to be perfect for the whole fam! Very fun to know you were knee deep in snow just like the rest of us back home in Corvallis! :) Order your salaryman back on the computer if he books weekend getaways like this...
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