Imperial Palace

January 2 is one of only 2 days per year that the public can visit the Imperial Palace grounds. The Imperial family comes to the window and waves to the crowd. It was really neat to be so close to the longest unbroken line of royalty. There were a ton of people there but we were able to get quite close.

Gotta love a good Japanese sign

Mmmm wasabi chocolate

So true...


I should hope that you would not forget woman!

Oshogatsu

We rang in the New Year with thousands of our closest friends at Zojoji Temple. Zojoji Temple is the chief temple of the Jodo-Buddist sect. It was originally founded in 1393. It is right next to Tokyo Tower.

At this temple, people write wishes for the new year on slips of paper and attach them to eco-friendly balloons and then release them into the air at midnight.

Temple gate with Tokyo Tower in the background

Washing hands to purify

Traditionally people eat mochi, a glutinous rice ball that is made from pound hot rice with a wooden mallet until it is sticky. Here people are cutting the mochi and packaging it up.

This temple is dedicated to the soul of unborn children. People decorate small statutes called jizo to remember their babies.

Offerings in front of the temple

Fiona and Me before midnight!

Temple and Tower

Tokyo Tower also wishes you a happy new year!

Japanese people also pay close attention to the "firsts" of the new year so we thought that we would do so as well. We headed to the busy area called Roppongi after enjoying our time at the shrine. We walked around to take in the madness until dawn. Here is Hatsuhunode- the first sunrise of the year, taken from my apartment.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year! An adventure in eating with ninjas!

Fiona and I decided to try out a nearby restaurant called Ninja. The restaurant is decorated like an old cave with tunnels and trapdoors and fog and all of the waitstaff dressed as ninjas.

A very inconspicuous entrance

The ninjas come and do magic tricks at your table. One of them pulled an ear of corn out of Fiona's arm.

My salmon over rice porridge

My bubbling hot pot of vegetables

Fiona and her "salad"- does not look like salad but when you broke threw the dressing foam and crouton shell there was indeed lettuce inside! Surprise!

Our bird's nest drinks. Made from the regurgitated spit of swallows, this gelatinous substance didn't really do anything to enhance the flavor of our drinks but hey, now I can say, "Been there. Done that."

http://www.ninjaakasaka.com/top_main.html

Toshikoshi-no Harai Narabini Chinka-sai (Ceremony)

It is New Years Eve and Fiona and I decided to attend a purification ceremony at nearby Hie Shrine. Worshippers go to this shrine to cleanse themselves of the sins that they have committed during the last year by transfering them to a person shaped piece of paper. They also walk through a ring made of reeds. We participated and also listened to what seems like the sermon for lack of a better word. I could not understand all of what was said but a lot of the talk focused on international relations and the American economy. There were also a lot of prayers for peace and the end of war. After the sermon, everyone filed by these ladies to receive a small dish of sake and an emblem that you are supposed to put in your house as a window to the shrine (or so we were told by a nice man who stopped to chat).

Tokyo!

"Shot to goal. Garbage to the garbage box." Obvi!

I loved these bus seats. Who doesn't want to sit on little creatures? Japan can be so darn cute.

Me!

Fiona and I went to a Korean yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant for dinner last night. We sat down, ordered some meat to be grilled table side and both ordered a rice dish called bibimba (we were hungry!). We pointed to the bibimba that we wanted and the waiter said (in half English, half Japanese), "Oh no. You want this second one." Ok, we said, we will take two of the second one. The dishes come and consist of a raw hamburger patty, raw egg, and assorted cold vegetables over cold rice. There is no stirring this stuff together in hot food to cook the egg and meat. It is just raw. We cannot eat raw egg, let alone raw ground beef. This has temperature danger zone written all over it. What to do.... so we plead tourist. We acted the part of the foreigner and made the meat into patties and cooked it right on the grill (definitely NOT what you were supposed to do). The egg had to be left behind because it was a grated grill so there was really no cooking something soft on it. The waiter didn't say anything (although I am sure he got a good laugh at it) and we got to eat our dinner. A little embarassing but nonetheless delicious. And no food poisoning was had by anyone. Done and done.

What exactly is Beef ala mode?

Back in Japan

I am back in Japan to study international law and Japanese law at Temple University's campus in Tokyo this spring. I am really excited to be back in Japan! I arrived on Sunday, December 28, stayed in a hotel overnight and then moved into my apartment on Monday. My good friend, Fiona, who I met in Kanazawa came in for the week to welcome me and spend the New Year with me. She also arrived on Monday and between my jetlag and her exhaustion from the overnight bus from KZ, we have been quite a pair. Still, it has been fun puttering around Tokyo so far. I am living about a 5 minute walk from the Roppongi Station, an area with quite a lot of nightlife and activity. I, luckily, like just far enough away to be away from the noise. I love my apartment. It is small but perfect for me. The location is perfect and it came completely ready to go with internet, sheets on the bed, and toilet paper in the bathroom. There is also a nice Indian restaurant right downstairs and a convenience store right next door. Here is a video of my apartment.

Nutcracker Ducky

My favorite gift this year was the Nutcracker Ducky given to me by my Dad. He quacks along to music from the Nutcracker and dances around. He will certainly be a Christmas treasure from now on.

Merry Christmas to all!

It has been a lovely Christmas in the Smith residence. Lots of delicious food, good company and lots of presents!

Me and the tree

The house covered in snow.

View from the bathroom window at my Dad's house

Twas a very literary Christmas. I decided to give everyone books for Christmas this year because I was inspired by a dear friend who works in publishing. Apparently, others also agreed with me because I think our family gave/received about 17 books this year!
http://editorialass.blogspot.com/2008/11/crash-flow-or-what-went-wrong-in.html

Traditional Dad and Alexis Long Armed Photo

National Christmas Tree

Pretty Decorations

Matt and Me

National Christmas Tree

State Trees

Connecticut Tree

Pretty Decorations

With wreaths

DC

Christmas tree in Union Station donated by the country of Norway and decorated with hundreds of little Norwegian flags

United States Supreme Court

Me and Matt at our seven year anniversary dinner