Midori Days

I can’t seem to get Japan out of my head! Here’s a green, green gallery from the land of the rising sun: Thank you for visiting and have a great weekend.

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The Takayama Hachiman Matsuri

No temple festival in India is complete without a procession of the temple chariot around town. Like the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri for example…..that incidentally gave the English language the word ‘Juggernaut’! Originating in the early 17th century, as thanksgiving for a good harvest, and to mark the onset of winter, the Takayama Hachiman […]

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Kenrokuen Garden

Kenrokuen Garden, - Kanazawa, Japan

Yes I think to myself………what a wonderful world! And if you still aren’t convinced, I think you should go check out my archives…

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Jinrikisha – The Pulled Rickshaw

I had assumed for some reason, that the word ‘Rickshaw’ was an Indian export to the English language. Much like Bandanna, Khaki, Pyjamas or even Cot! (R thought that was dumb, because “it is so patently Chinese” ) I was also under the impression that the hand pulled Rickshaws had been banned or discontinued around the […]

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“Shinro Shimpu, Banzai” – Witnessing New Beginnings In Japan!

Despite rare, high tech instances of nuptials being led by robots, the majority of Japanese are said to prefer traditional Shinto weddings at venues of their choosing, or more commonly, in their neighbourhood Shinto shrines. We must have chosen a very auspicious weekend to visit the Meiji Jingu Shrine in Tokyo and the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu […]

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The Gassho Zukhuri Houses Of Ogimachi

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Gassho-Zukhuri means ‘Hands folded in prayer’ in reference to the roof of the distinctive thatched buildings in the Shirakawa-Go district. Ogimachi – a living, traditional Gassho village with 59 original Gassho-style houses – is one of three villages designated UNESCO heritage sites, .

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As Know As Pinky!!!

Shop sgns, Japan

I was determined to post something today. Even if I could only manage to lift my head up long enough to click ‘publish’. Battling a nasty virus, stuffy nose, swollen throat, fever, et al. And the grey, gloomy, drippy weather isn’t helping any. Seems like only the other day that we were pining for rain…..for a […]

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Tadaima!

Torii, Itsukushima Shrine - Japan

Back home! Japan was a wonderful and unexpected jaunt, but the pace of the short trip was hectic and I feel I need another vacation! Have been sleeping off the jetlag and exhaustion the past couple of days. We covered a fair bit of ground for ten days including Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Takayama, Shirakawa Go […]

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Sayonara!

First off, I apologise for my tardiness in visiting your blogs and responding to your generous comments. My excuse? The never ending demands of the Indian extended family. And finishing touches to my upcoming trip to Japan. I leave tomorrow – early day after actually – and shall not be posting anything new for a couple of […]

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The Stone Of The Desert

We wind up the Kings Highway from the Dead Sea to ancient Moab. (No this is not a biblical tale! This is R and I, on our way to check out one of the largest crusader castles in Jordan :-)) As we crest a promontory, we spot the redoubt, straddling a strategic position atop a windswept ridge. […]

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The City Of Victory

If we had come here first, like everyone else looking to explore the romance of Rajputana, maybe, just maybe, we would have liked Jaipur better. But as it is, we came here from Jodhpur, and Udaipur before that, and we perceived a more jarring urban version of the famed Rajput culture and hospitality. We missed the […]

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