Oshogatsu!

Happy New Year!

We're in the midst of it... it's gonna go all week long. Just a short note.



Started off yesterday in Asakusa, the old town of Tokyo, a fabulous, shabby, slightly derelict sort of place that used to be the old entertainment area. It's where Hanayashiki (shown above, but not in my photo.... damn dail-up) is located, Tokyo's version of Coney Island... in the same kind of neighborhood. Love the place.

We hooked up with Ryujin and Sono who live in the neighborhoood, Satokoh, and Satokoh's daughter, Chako, for Chinese food and Shokoshu, a dark Chinese sake that tastes a bit like sherry.

But it was snowing. Snow in Tokyo is very unusual... so we hightailed it back to Satokoh's house in Kita Kamakura for a traditional celebration of soba and sake with the family. Then around midnight me and Miyuki went to the Enkakuji temple and hiked up the hill to watch a shinto priest gong a big ass bronze bell, but not for the requisite 100 strikes. New Years eve here is really nice, very family and community based and actually rather quiet.

But now for the rest of the week, let the drinking and feasting commence.