金沢西茶屋Sweets

Delicious monaka, 塩豆あん抹茶アイス

金沢: 杏庵蕎麦屋

Some of the best soba I've ever had. (にしん蕎麦) It's not easy to find 杏庵、I almost gave up.

Peace and Article 9, Japanese Constitution

Our right-wing PM would so love to repeal Article 9. As it is, Japan will export offensive weapons from this year. Moral complicity be damned. Anyhow, great that Japan has a female PM. Just not this arrogant, immoral person.

金沢大乗寺/ Hillside Park

金沢大乗寺坐禅堂

金沢大乗寺

草鞋と仁王

Ishikawa Takuboku- See サルと人と森 in these pages-- Remarkably Prescient about Our Condition

Hiraizumi and WW2: A Lucky Miss?

Hiraizumi, Iwate, is home to Chusonji, a 900-year-old temple of the Jodo Shinshu Sect. Tucked away in Hir

aizumi Station is a small exhibit showing what the US Air Force was up to in early August, 1945, in addition to obliterating Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Either the temple was lucky, or the crews were instructed to spare the site. Anyhow, the bombings in Hiraizumi that August caused extensive damage, and many lives were lost.

Sado Roadside Shrines, 辻堂

Sado

abounds in 辻堂、of which a few: Invariably a figure or figures of Jizo-sama, sometimes minus one or more bits; flowers not unusual and occasionally fresh; 折り鶴 are uncommon in my experience.