Plum Blossoms!

Maybe I could have a second career as a photographer!  I'm proud of this picture.

We have gorgeous weather for the weekend - mid-60s in February.  To celebrate, we go off to Hanegi Park to check out the Setagaya Ume (Plum Blossom) Festival.  The park has a website to let you know how many trees are blooming.  It's in Japanese, but with some help from Google Translate I'm able to figure it out.  It's at the beginning of the blooming season and the festival lasts for several weeks, but with the beautiful weather we decide to go now.  

Yum, yum!

There are supposed to be outdoor green tea ceremonies, but I didn't see them taking place (Google translate isn't perfect).  However, we have no problem finding the food booths and they have one of my favorites - grilled corn!  And it's on a stick!  Put something on a stick and it immediately tastes better.  Trust me on this.

After eating, we spend some time wandering around the plum trees and I continue to try out my new photography career. 

Going for a Japanese aesthetic

Can you count all the blooms?

 We also had to see how many selfies we could take...

Surrounded by plum blossoms

Wait - is that a tree growing out of Steve's head?

Picnic in the park!  You don't even have to bring your own food & drink.

Then we got to preview the "blue tarp" experience - apparently this happens frequently once the cherry blossoms bloom (and it's not the same "blue tarp" experience as in Louisiana after a hurricane comes through).  People have blossom viewing parties, sitting on blue tarps and having a picnic and contemplating life...or something like that.  I think it sounds like tailgating without the game and with a better view.  I'm shopping for my own blue tarp! 

Does this belong in the slideshow, "Why dogs/cats bite humans?"

Once again I see how pets are pampered in Tokyo.  From the back you might think these are two baby strollers....however, the experienced Tokyoite knows better.  Yes, that's a cat in the right, wearing a (fake) fur collar coat.  In case you missed it, the fur collar matches the cat's coloring.  The dogs aren't quite as lucky, since they are stuck wearing pink (and probably sharing a stroller - something tells me the cat is king in this domain). About half the "baby" strollers you see in Tokyo actually have pets in them.  It confuses my dogs - they can smell the animals, but they can't figure out where they are!

Tokyo International Quilt Festival Part 2

I only attended the Tokyo Quilt Festival for one day, but I wish I had gone back a second day so I could spend more time with the quilts.  After battling through the crowds at the vendors and then staring at quilts, with no natural light in the dome, I started to get a brain freeze.  When I reflected back on what I saw and the pictures I took, I kept wishing I had a detailed shot or that I had looked more closely at a certain applique.  Especially with the Japanese quilts - they give incredible attention to the smallest elements.  It's something to keep in mind for next year!  I also have to figure out if the $20 entry fee is good for one day or the entire festival...

But anyway, after a morning of shopping, I'm ready to appreciate some finished products!

"Dawn" by Miho Matsuo

They didn't have a viewer's choice vote, but this was probably my favorite.  It won first place in the traditional category.  I love the geometric design, the little bitty squares, the use of ombre fabric, the layered and curly applique, and the beautiful hand quilting.  Basically, everything.

They advertise that the Tokyo show is the biggest in the world, but I'm not sure what they use to justify that statement.  Maybe it has the most people attending it?  There are about 200 quilts in the show, which is a fairly typical number.   

They have five categories for the quilt competition: traditional, original design, junior, framed quilt and wa.  I had to google "wa" while I was there, and it's a Japanese word that refers to a cultural concept that translates as harmony or peace (thank you, Wikipedia).  It's a nice category for quilts (or as my friend Paula said, better than "wah!" quilts), but I'd be interested to know exactly what the judges were looking at when they decided which was best.  Here's two I enjoyed in the wa category (neither won a ribbon):  (on the right is each one's maker info)

The quilt on the left won first place in the wa category...but I like the 3rd place winner better (on the right).

"Nishikiaki" by Reiko Nakahara

"Water and Light Fantasy" by Tokiko Yanagisawa

 
Framed quilts are exactly like their title - they are usually small quilts with a frame (usually wood) around them.  My favorite was a version of a Van Gogh (I think), but it didn't win anything.

And then I just liked this quilt from the original design category.

Same with these two....

 

And back to the traditional category....I obviously like the geometric shapes!

"Santa Maria del Fiore" by Mieko Sasano

detail of the above quilt - love the little mosaic pieces!

And here I am, with the Grand Prix winner and the quilt that won the Hand Making Award!

It's been a long, fun day viewing quilts!

Tokyo International Quilt Festival Part 1

I'm waiting with just a few others...

I'm excited to attend the Tokyo International Quilt Festival for the first time!  When I was here in 2011 I missed it by a few weeks, so when we were moving here I put it at the top of my to do list while in Japan.  I wasn't the only one at the show...  This is the line of people who have already purchased their tickets.  We're lined up like Disneyland, but instead of the rows being 2 people wide they are 10 people wide - and every spot is filled.  I arrive ten minutes before the door opens and it still takes 40 minutes to make it in the door.  I've read over 250,000 people attend the six day event.

 
The quilt festival fills the entire floor of the Tokyo Dome.  

The picture doesn't really do it justice - this is a huge facility

I follow my usual plan, which takes in to account the quilts aren't going anywhere, but the 200+ vendors could sell out of their most popular items, so I shop first.  My impression is that there are more booths selling craft items than at the US shows.  I see stuff like beads, ribbons and charms and other items I don't usually work with in my quilts (but other quilters I know would love).

Other people decide to shop first, too!

There are also only a couple of people with quilting notions, compared to about a third of the vendors at a big US quilt show.  Sometimes it feels like everyone is attempting to sell you some type of specialty ruler, but not here.

Luckily I was able to come to Japan pretty well stocked with supplies, so I'm not looking for anything in particular, just browsing.  I do have a mystery block of the month quilt that needs fabric purchased for it, so I have an excuse to buy some items.  I've been to the local fabric stores in Tokyo, so I also have a good idea of stuff I can buy any time here, and what I can't get (batiks are surprisingly very limited in Tokyo).  The US dollar is doing okay right now, so prices aren't too much more, even for the American fabric.

Wine and quilts - what a great day!

Here's one booth I have yet to see in the US - a wine distributor, offering free samples!  Of course I have to take a mid-afternoon break here. 
I love the way lunch is offered, too.  Instead of various fast food outlets, there are different bento boxes to choose from.  People buy their meals and eat in the stands (or sit and just take a break).  It's one of the best I've had in Japan.

Best bento ever!

If you go to the quilt festival, bring lots of cash!  Not one seller accepted credit cards (maybe the big sewing machine companies did, but no one else).  I attended on the first day and the show opens later - 11:00am.  It was very crowded until around 3:00pm.  I don't know if the tours left around that time (it's open until 6pm) or if people were tired.  I think next year I'll wait until the afternoon and go.  I was able to make my way through the shops in less than two hours, but I was mainly interested in the fabric I knew I couldn't normally get in Tokyo.  I did fall for the Morris Jewels fabrics by Moda - but since there was a special exhibit about William Morris at the festival I didn't feel so bad about buying American fabric.  So here are my goodies...

The quilts at the show will be in Part 2!

Narisawa

If you look closely you can see the restaurant name above my head.

We weren't able to be together for my actual birthday, but we finally get a chance to celebrate in Tokyo at Narisawa.  It's a 2 star Michelin restaurant and has been ranked as the #2 restaurant in Asia (not a country, not a region, but for an entire continent!).  And what's so cool - it's a five minute walk from our apartment. 

Tonight's menu

The restaurant's philosophy is to bring nature to the plate, so that made some interesting servings!  It's a kaiseki style dinner, so we have fifteen courses, and we elect to have the wine/sake pairings with each course.  Luckily, they are small portions, so you can enjoy the entire meal!

Beautiful "place mat"

Essence of the forest - first course

Our bread, rising at the table

The finished bread product - with our moss covered "dirt" (parsley & black olive coated butter).

Horsehair crab

Steve is determined to get every bite!

Our favorite of the drinks - yuzu sake

We're able to pick our main meat entree, and we decide on pigeon because neither of us have had it before.  The waiter assures me they did not come from the park where we walk the dogs. (Though if they did, Tahoe would be happy to help catch them.  Apparently there are no squirrels in Tokyo, so making the pigeons fly away is her new favorite "chase" activity.)  

This is supposed to illustrate the struggle of life and death (with some help of raspberry puree)...but I stopped listening to the waiter's explanation at that point.  The presentation was a little too graphic for me, and I didn't want to add audio to it.  It didn't stop me from eating it though - and pigeon is pretty tasty!

We ended up with three dessert courses, though only one was on the menu. 

Strawberries

I've forgotten what this is - but it's good!

Then the last course - the dessert "buffet," delivered to our table.  Every item is explained to us, then we could pick as much (or as little) as we wanted.  Naturally, I had one of everything.

Final dessert course!

Our Stuff Arrives!

Finding a place for everything...

It only took 11 weeks, but our shipment from the US finally arrives (I say "only" with some sarcasm, since our stuff sat in our hometown warehouse for five weeks for no good reason...but that's another story).  Interestingly, other than my quilting stuff, I missed our dishes the most.  I don't know why...it's not like I love cooking & having dinner parties.  Maybe I was getting tired of our two plates, three forks, and one drinking glass?  Though that was it's own fun, too.  And take out containers - we always celebrated when we got a plastic bowl.  They were only good for about three times in the microwave - then they would start to dissolve.  Who knows how much BPA we ate?  

Since I found a good price for a roast at the Japan Costco, I decided to make a real "home cooked" meal since my kitchen stuff arrived.  Because of the differences in electricity I didn't bring my slow cooker to Tokyo.  That's the only way I've ever cooked roast beef, so I had to check with my mother and look online to find recipes on cooking a roast in the oven.  I started by searing the vegetables and beef on high....just like the recipe said.  Then I deglazed the pan with wine....just like the recipe said.  Fire!  Fire!  I immediately shut off the gas, yell for Steve, and look for a lid to smother the flames, but it's out before Steve & the lid are available.  The good news is that the sprinkler system over the stove did not go off, nor did I cause the apartment building to evacuate!  I was even able to use the liquid still in the pan on the roast (which ended up coming out okay, but not as good as in the slow cooker).  It happened so quick, I couldn't tell what caused the fire - there was hot oil in the pan with the wine, and I'm pretty sure the flames were orange, not blue.  Either way, maybe we should just stick to going out to eat for dinner...

Awesome handy man!

The king size bed arrives with the shipment, which I bought at an Ikea in the US (right after dropping Steve off at the airport for his move to Tokyo).  It's difficult to find a king size bed in Japan, and very expensive when you do find them, so we just had it brought over with our container.  Ikea Japan doesn't even sell king size beds.  Steve is becoming an expert on putting together furniture!  And no more air mattress!



Speaking of beds, Tahoe is happy to finally have her fluffy dog bed!

So comfy!

Tie-Dye just wants to escape from all  the chaos.

Hiding under the kitchen table

Hiding under the side table

Also very important - the wine arrives safely! 


And I finally have a quilting studio again.

Home, sweet home!