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Beer girl at a Chiba Lotte Marines game
On this day, a mere two years ago, I was at the Chiba Lotte Marines game taking this photo. One year later, the Marines were the champions of Japanese baseball. This year they are way back, about 20 games with not much time left in the season. My Lions are faring even worse in the Pacific Division. However, my favorite team in the Central League is in first place! Go Swallows!
Takadanobaba's Ramen Jiro
A new grocery store opened up near our apartment while we were in Japan. I noticed this ramen shop in front of the grocery store frequently had a long line in front of it. One day, when the line wasn’t too long and the grocery shopping could wait, I decided to give it a try.
Ramen Jiro (ラーメン二郎)
It turns out that Ramen Jiro is like no other ramen I’ve had before or since. I ordered the regular version–even though you have the option of extra (or less) garlic, pork, pork fat, vegetables (mostly sprouts but also some cabbage), and spiciness. The amount of garlic, pork, and sprouts was incredible for a regular bowl. The taste was really good for the first dozen or so bites/slurps, but I was full less than halfway through. I labored on but still didn’t finish it all and felt rather sick after.
I would certainly go back (now that much time has passed) and hope to get something smaller. I would also go much lighter on the garlic. I love garlic (にんにく) but this amount was ridiculous. You’ll want lots of water in any case.
If you want to give this one a try, the address is 豊島区 高田 3-17-8. As the sign says, Ramen Jiro is only open for 4 hours a day (and closed two days a week), or until they run out of noodles–whichever comes first, so you have a very narrow window of opportunity.
Beautiful sky over the Asano River in Kanazawa, Japan
I took this photo in Kanazawa last summer because the sky was so interesting. I didn’t realize until much later that this is a rather famous bridge (Asanogawa Ohashi). Originally built in 1594, the current structure is from 1922. In 2000 this bridge was classified as a tangible cultural property (登録有形文化財) which I’m guessing is something similar to the USA’s National Registry of Historical Places.
On the left side of the bridge is Kanazawa’s famous Geisha Tea House District (東茶屋街).
Kanazawa's Higashi Chayagai (Geisha District)
Outside of Gion in Kyoto, perhaps the most famous place in Japan for geisha is in Kanazawa (金沢 東茶屋街). We saw a geisha hop out of a taxi cab and scurry into a tea house just a minute or so after I took this photo.
Autumn at Chinzanso
For those of you wondering if I would ever return to posts on Japan, the answer is yes. I’ll pepper them in from here on out now that I’m back from my summer in Scandinavia. It will be a while before most of the posts are on Japan though. Sorry.
Today’s pic was my random wallpaper of the day. I was taking photos of the fall colors in Chinzanso in Tokyo when this lady came wandering through my shots by herself. I didn’t mind.
BTW, fall is late in Tokyo. Don’t plan your vacation in late September, or even October, if you want to see the fall foliage (紅葉). Mid to late November (and even early December for some trees and locations) is when the colors are at their best in and around Tokyo. You could head north to see the colors earlier in Japan.
ようこそ オスロ
Just a week before the deadly attacks in Oslo, things were more than pleasant in Norway’s capital. I walked out of the train station to be greeted by these welcoming banners in Japanese.