CJ and I took a train ride north to the Hodogaya district. My friend Maggie told me about a BIG fruit and veggie market so we went to check it out. It was in a new area we have never been before, so we had nothing to lose we figured.If it was not what we thought we could roam the streets and see what we could find. It was a cooler and an over cast kind of day so we bundled up for the wind and headed off with our umbrellas. When we got to the train station we weren't sure which way to go so we just wandered to the left. Along the way we stopped at a Shinto shrine and I went in and poked my head around. I saw a shop and so I went inside to ask the cute little lady if she knew where it might be. She then told us the directions and before I left she gave me one of their($5)yen500 charms. It was a 4 leaf clover good luck charm. Cool and perfect for the upcoming St Patty's Day. I tried to pay her, but she said it was a gift. Then CJ entered and she gave him a charm as well. His had something to do with the zodiac and the year he was born. Again we tried to pay her, but no way. I wonder how she made money as she just gave $10 worth of stuff away and we were the only ones in sight? We felt grateful and like we just received some good Karma?:-)CJ said perhaps we were the first visitors of the day and so we got the prize? I guess we will never knew the real reason.
So we continued down the street a few more blocks and then came upon the market street. There were fruit and veggies stands right at the corner, but not a whole lot of them. Looked like a regular shopping street to me. I didn't find the prices to be any better than my mom and pop street in Honmoku and so we just looked around at the rainbow assortment of food items. We also poked our head in the 100yen store, where I bought some bundles of Japanese incense in lavender, cypress and traditional scents. I realized when I got home and burnt just one of the sticks that they have bundled together in 60... that perhaps this was only to be used for graveyard incense. Here I thought I was getting a heck of a deal buying 300 sticks for $1. It is took strong and smoky not like the much heavier scented Indian incense of sandalwood,jasmine I had gotten at Don Quixote's or in India...Oh well,it is sure to last me a long time and perhaps I will need to burn it outside on the sun porch or in the back garden area when the weather warms up. I hope I don't get second hand smoke issues from burning it indoors. ha ha
We then passed by a fabric store and I got a piece of wooden geta sandal fabric that I thought was cute and specific to Japan. I am thinking I may buy different pieces where I go and perhaps make some kind of Asian quilt with it one day when I still still long enough and have a machine available. We walked past a busy fish market where many locals were out buying the fresh catches of the day. Butchers were busy slicing tuna and weighing various other varieties of seafood products. They must have just got back with their purchases from Tokyo Wholesale market. It was a frenzy of activity like most of them are here in Japan ..with guys hawking there certain types of fish, shrimp, octopus...
Down the street we stopped at a bakery and got a couple pastries to split. I got a curry one and CJ got the flaky chocolate dessert one. We also got a loaf of cranberry walnut bread for later. Yum! After out snack we walked down the other side of the street and here I found the carp windsocks you hang outside your door in May for Boys Day. Found some cute blue and white bamboo chopstick holders as well and thought they might be a good rest to hold my calligraphy brushes too.
We then left the market area and made our way along the street and went zig-zagging through the narrow little side streets and alley ways south toward Landmark Center off in the distance. We were trying to find the temple we heard about up on the hill by sacarachiko station. We think we might have found it, but not so sure. There are too many bluff around here. We did stop and took a peek into a few Swedish and Japanese style model homes that were open and after taking off and putting on my shoes 3 times and wearing the too tiny slippers as we toured the houses, I was done. They hurt my feet as they end at the front part of my heel and so they dig in the the arch area. Ouch! Plus I was too hot with the 3 layers of clothes I had on. We had seen enough and wandered up and down enough slopes, bluffs I guess, and so we ventured further along the canal and then took the electric train back down to Ishikowacho station and back home.
Enjoyed some left over taco salad for supper and watched the first group cut from 36 to 12 on Idol. Wow that Alexis girl can really sing. Danny too of course. Sad to see Casey Carlson from EP get the boot. Oh well, it will be interesting to see who caught a glimpse of her and what she will end up doing, modeling, acting,...? That was over at 11 pm here in Japan and so we then headed to bed as we are going to Tokyo in the am for the St Patty's Day Parade tomorrow.It is the biggest one of 7 here in Japan. I am VERY curious to see just how they celebrate here in Japan. I did not know there were allot of Irish even in Japan? One friend said it will be interesting to see how we eat sauerkraut with chopsticks...we shall see.
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