poetry and sake

my favorite shrine is kamigamo. we're just back from a festival there where they re-create a heian era pastime of writing poetry in the garden and floating cups of sake down the stream in little lacquer cups on the back of a wooden duck. everyone in fabulous period costume. what could be better?

mochi pounding

mochi, pounded rice,often used for sweets and senbei. here is a movie of the rice being pounded at a mochi shop in nishiki market.

our kitchen

our house is rather like a frail old lady, delicate and full of charm. our kitchen has a well [note the pulley]which now is covered and has the fridge perched on top and is pretty rustic.

nishiki market

spent a lovely day at nishiki market, a 100 year old, mind-blowing covered food market in kyoto. every version of fish, pickles, pickled fish, seaweed, tea, veggies, and the most beautiful sweeties in the world [though, maybe not the tastiest].

first day of school kyoto

snowing sakura