Dough-Donuts

This Saturday I explored the Momijidori section of Utsunomiya. It's fairly close to the Tobu department store, but because it's not between the main shopping area and downtown, it has been off the radar screen for lots of folks. Recently it has undergone a slow revival owing to its stock of old, quirky buildings ripe for small businesses such as cafes and accessory stores. Another and equally important reason is the vision of a young realtor who has seen the potential of this area, its proximity to downtown and the new vision that many young hip Japanese are chasing; the independent business with a modern sensitivity.

One of the places I went to that day was a donut shop. I must admit that, for the most part, I am not a big donut fan. I normally find them cloyingly sweet, often akin to eating sugar with a little bit of greasy dough. The donuts at Dough-Donuts were not too sweet and not greasy. I was impressed. The presentation was beautiful too with the doughnuts wrapped in large white bags, the shops logo tastefully printed in small cursive on the corner. Very sophisticated. Other people, they seemed to be regulars from the neighborhood, came in to order donuts and chat a bit. It felt very homey. 

I'll be back.

apple donut. Goood!

maple sweet potato. Yum!

A Bit of Hawaii Comes to Utsunomiya

Yesterday, on an early November Saturday, there was a hula exhibition at the foot of Futaarasan Shrine. I had just left Parco department store to go home when I heard the sound of Hawaiian music from across the street. Curiosity piqued, I went to see what was going on. As I imagined, there was a hula show taking place.

Dancers were out in their bare feet swaying to the music this cold day. Their dedication to their art was impressive. I wouldn't have wanted to dance on cold stone pavement with the threat of rain in the air. There were a number of dance teams, each dancing to a different song. The songs were sung in Hawaiian (recorded), but the dancers seemed to know the words and were singing along. It was fascinating to see the almost trancelike states that the more advanced dancers achieved. They seemed to be truly telling a story with their hands and body. I noticed how centered the good dancers were. It was like watching a religious dance, which it probably was originally and perhaps continues to be in Hawaii itself.

The troupe leader and emcee was explaining the context for many of the dances and it was enlightening to hear themes such as harvesting seaweed and taro and other daily activities. The hand gestures and lower body movement of hips and feet were very evocative of their themes. I couldn't help thinking about the commonalities of Japanese dance and Hawaiian. At their foundation they are about telling stories and they are about the linking of the sacred with the mundane. It was touching to see something that was so expressive and joyful. This is what great dance is, isn't it? Whether it's flamenco or Japanese festival dancing, it expresses our feelings about life wordlessly through movement.

And the little girls were adorable.

Temma

I love Osaka. And in Osaka there is a section called Temma, that I love a lot. It is full of bars, but it's not creepy, or sleazy or sketchy like some bar districts can be in other places. It is a very blue collar, white collar, middle class place. There is a large mix of buildings, but most of them are old, wooden and a tad tired looking. A friend and I had just eaten dinner at an Italian place that looks just like a run-down izakaya and not at all Italian restaurant-like from the outside, although they have great Italian food. We were wandering, exploring the neighborhood and I wanted to take in one more place before going back when I ran across the Inada Sake Shop. We parted the noren curtain and entered a very neighborhood stand bar. There was oden, and other bar food and since their main business was selling sake, they had a wonderful selection which we took full advantage of. After having our oden and sake we left at the same time as another group who were intent on telling us non-Osakans what a great place this was. "Very Osaka! Very Osaka!" Which having been to numerous bars in Tokyo, I can assure you was, indeed, very Osaka. The customers were friendly, the staff was friendly, they catered to my desire for something medium dry and they didn't overcharge us. Thank you Temma! I'll be back.

Kyoto Calligraphy

I was in Kyoto over the Culture Day holiday weekend. While I was there I was caught by the profusion of interesting calligraphy that abounds in the temples, shrines and shops in that city. Here are some examples. It would be great if I could read them all, but I can't. I enjoy them all on an aesthetic level. Here is what information I can give. 

Taken at Tenryuji near Arashiyama

Rakushisha, the falling persimmon hut of Kyorai, Matsuo Basho's number one acolyte. 

I have no idea what this means. It looks very zen. 

This was above a temple gate. I can't read it, but I like it. 

I like the motion and line quality of this. I will have to ask my calligraphy teacher if she can read it.