Home Again from my "akidakara" trip

smooth flight.  only 9 hours.  a wonderful German movie called Kirschbluten-Hanami. yes, Hanami as in the Japanese o-hanami (cherry blossom viewing). i was particularly moved by the last song featured in the moved coincidently called Hiko-ki but i could not see the name of the singer in the credits. i will try to find it on the internet. nothing special about EVA Air except that it is the only airline to fly non-stop from LAX to KIX (Osaka) and the price wasn't too too high.  met a nice girl named Ayako during the flight who lives in the OC (Orange County) originally from somewhere near Kyoto on the Keihan line ( i am more a Hankyu guy myself).  She went home to visit her family as well as her husband's family.  and was able to see some of the autumn colors (but she was hoping for more yellows). uneventful bus ride home.  all seems well at my place.  Daniel left my mail for me in front of my computer (which i really missed and am happy to be using again).  a big "thank you" to Daniel for checking my mail while i was gone. hopefully FedEx will return soon with my company ID so i can go back to work next week.  hopefully? Noriko wrote that i had her car key.  ahh, shimata.  i went back to the car on monday night and left the key in my coat pocket.  today (tuesday)(Japan's tuesday) was such a nice day after monday's all-day of raining, that i wore a shirt sleeve shirt (no jacket required)(Phil Collins reference). i will walk to the post office after FedEX stops by. luckily she has a spare as tomorrow she drives to work. ok, enough rambling. time for a wee nap.

oh, "akidakara" could translate to something like "it's autumn, that's why i'm here" (aki is autumn and dakara is therefor).

first photo from my trip.  this colorful image is from my walk to the waterfall last sunday which was my 6th and final momijigari (looking for colorful maples leaves) walk to the Minoh Taki (waterfall).  Noriko went with me this time and enjoyed "my autumn tour" to the waterfall.  it was her first walk in a long time. i think we took her Father there last May but we drove closer to the waterfall (hard to explain without a map of the Minoh Quasi-National Park) and then walked "down" to the waterfall...but this time we walked "up" the takimichi (waterfall trail) along with about 10,000 or so other autumn color enthusiasts.

another favorite moment from the Gion area of Kyoto.  geiko or maiko?

ochiba (fallen leaves) in and around a swift moving stream near Nazen-ji 

from one Home to another

three weeks and a day. that is how much time has past since i left my home in Los Angeles to come to my home in Minoh. i will be returning to my LA home today, actually arriving before i leave my Minoh home. i will be taking more wonderful memories of this autumn and leaving some dear friends. itsumo arigatou to the Maekawa Family. and Matsushita Family and Kojima Family. thank you again. and again. i will also been bring back with me hundreds and hundreds of beautiful photos which i look forward to sharing with them and all who happen to read or stumble across my blog. it is because of Noriko and her Parents that i always have a home to return from my little walks from their genkan to the Minoh waterfall, and train trips to such places as Kyoto and Kobe that i can capture these little precious moments in Japan as well as hearing/recording the music i love at the "street live" events, festivals and concerts. another okinina hakusho to the Maekawa Family.

i will be walking to the Hankyu Minoo train station around 11am to catch the train to Hotarugaike Station (transfering of course one last time at Ishibashi). Noriko`s Mother will still be insisting i take a taxi for the 15 minute walk but hopefully i will win, leave and walk at my own pace. i plan to take the 1150p limo bus to Kansai International Airport (KIX) arriving around 110p. and my EVA Air flight is scheduled for 350p arriving in LAX around 9am (the same day which is why i will be arriving before i leave). that is the plan. and plans do change.

Minoh weekend update, the last of this autumn

thousands and thousands of people on the takimichi today. thousands and thousands of people at Umeda yesterday. it was the first time to see so many people on the trail to the waterfall but it was not the first time to see so many people shopping at Umeda especially at and around the Hankyu department store. Noriko and i took her Parents to the Hankyu department store so her Mother could buy some "thank you" gifts. i will explain "what for" in another blog. her Mother said she would never go there again...too many people. her Father seemed lost from the moment we were ready to leave home. i think he saw more people yesterday than in this whole year. we stopped at Hakunoshima
for dinner. it was the first time the 4 of us had been out together in over a year or two (about 8 visits). today was Noriko`s longest break from home with me during my autumn visit. i took her on my tour to the waterfall. we were both surprised by how many people there were there but she has seen more there on New Year`s Day going to Ryuan-ji (temple)(the one by the red bridge). by chance we met Takechi-san (the interesting looking man who is always walking the three dogs). he said "hello" and "have fun" to me. on friday night there was a special about Minoh`s takimichi and waterfall on NHK (kind of like PBS in the USA). and by chance, Takechi-san was interviewed. we found out who that man in the suit and hat who is always walking three dogs at a very brisk pace is named Takechi. he said he is 52 years old and he and his dogs walks 10k a day (about 6.2 miles). more on him later. after we made it back down from the waterfall, thru all the people, we did some shopping and a few errands before trying out the new kissaten (cafe, tea house) called Cosy Cafe Cottage just down the road from Noriko`s home. the owner likes England (but she had never been) so she said she has tried to give it a Cotswald feel. the tables and chairs are antiques from England as are the windows. it was very charming. the cafe only seats about 12 people at most. and, there is basically 3 choices for meals (no, not chicken, beef or pasta). we had a delicious curry rice meal which came with salad, tea and blueberry yogurt for dessert. it took us about 5 minutes to walk back home. i carried in the groceries, grabbed my coat and cassette recorder and said ittekimasu and went back to the bus stop to catch the 440p bus to Senri-chuo for my last "street live". more on that later and the cds i bought. another delicious dinner was waiting for me around 8pm. everyone had eaten but were still watching tv (resting under the kotatsu) until i finished my dessert, abekawamochi. very good but hard to explain at 120a on monday morning so...oyasumi for this last weekend in Japan update.
ps. the autumn colors today were probably at or near their best on the waterfall trail. and we did see a monkey way up in a tree but no sanshouwo (salamanders). and for the first time i (we) saw a couple of O-bosans (kind of like begging monks)(again hard to explain). and i (we) stopped by an interesting building on the trail that was built last year by the founder of Panasonic. more on that later too along with the connection to Confuscious.

ahh, Kyoto in Autumn

Suma on thursday. Kyoto on friday. Misa and Daigo on thursday. momiji and more on friday. delicious homecooked meals on thursday and one waiting for me at home when i returned from my Kyoto adventure on friday night. plus cake.

now it is a sunny saturday morning. we all decided to sleep in today and take it easy in the morning. not sure what the afternoon holds. i know i want one more walk to Minoo Waterfall. i hope to hear my last "street live" at Senri-chuo on sunday afternoon.

Misa-chan and Dai-chan

Kevin, Kevin, Kevin, Kevin, Kevin, Kevin, Kevin, Kevin. i don`t think i have ever heard my name said so many times. Kevin, Kevin, Kevin. i spent most of tuesday going to Suma (near Kobe) and spending the day with Noriko`s cousin Akemi and her almost 4 year old Daigo and his 2 year old sister Misa, and then returning around 11pm. Akemi and the kids met me at Myohoji Station. it was a big surprise for Daigo who has been waiting for me to come to his home. he has called twice to say "hello, how are you? and when are you coming to visit?" both kids were shy for a few minutes and then Daigo took my hand as we had to do some shopping for lunch and dinner (both delicious).
Misa was pushing the cart and had the cutest squeaky pink shoes on. and that is how my fun day began in Kobe. more later. and of course, i took many photos and videos. we also went to Daigo`s swiming lesson. today`s goal was 10 meters. Daigo looked kind of like a fish out of water (in water) but he made it. later at dinner he was so tired from playing with me (and on me) and swimming that he fell asleep (again) at the table holding his chopsticks. very cute (well, until he woke up).

now it is a sunny wednesday morning but much cooler (some would say cold). i think i will stay "local" and check on the autumn colors along the trail to the waterfall. i may try to make it the Minoo Nature Visitor`s Center as they have many momiji (maple) trees there. i will definately watch out for that one particular monkey.

on monday, i stayed home most of the morning after seeing Noriko`s Father off to his Senior Day Care. Noriko and her Mother went out for a few errands. and later Noriko and i went to buy her new laptop. it is complicated (or at least to me) buying a computer here but mainlybecause of internet providers and "protection plans". we actually had to leave the store (PC Depot) to go pick up her Father from home to take him to the dentist and return to complete the transaction later. hopefully it will be available to be picked up on thursday or friday as now she is having some data transferred from her old laptop to her new one. and i am still not sure about how she will access the internet.

Wednesday Update:
Brrrrrr, it`s cold. i just got back from my long walk and finally made it to the Minoh Nature Center after my 5th walk to the waterfall. lots of photos. blue sky and autumn red, orange and yellow. some of my favorite photos will be off the Shiba-chan. he was tied up to the red bridge by the waterfall while his owner painted the waterfall and autumn colors. i took a cute photo of a nice couple with their 4 month old baby. many momiji photos. one monkey photo. and did i mention it is cold. time to get ready for dinner.

Tozy, Suidosuji Music Street, and Autumn Selcy

more wonderful music in Kobe and back at Senri-chuo. Tozy Tozy Tozy. and Minoh was in the house as was Taiwan and Bangladesh. there was some blues, an ukulele player and come country and western. and even an Olivia Newton John and Carol King song. and one of the sweetest versions of "Beautiful Boy" and "In This Life" by a Peter, Paul and Mary-kind of Japanese trio. most of these music events were in very small eclectic pubs but the music started in an Udon-ya-san (udon shop). every place was crowded but that added to this unique music festival on a very long shotengai (covered shopping street) near Kobe called Suidosuji. i actually got off the express train in Sannomiya (Kobe`s main train station) and had to backtrack on a local train to the Oji-koen stop. Oji-koen has the Kobe Zoo. (koen is park). after Tozy`s second 30 minute gig i walked back to the station but first bought some manju sweets for everyone waiting at home. i changed trains at Juso and then headed to Hotarugaike where i changed to the monorail again to Senri-chuo in time for some jazz music. i thought it was going to be Hawaiian but i had some misinformation. the jazz singer was very entertaining and he could play a mean kuchi-trumpeto (using only his lips he became a trumpet)(you need to see this video for sure)(as well as Tozy)(and don`t forget the autumn leaves). the finale was a Taiwanese woman who now lives in Osaka. she played the niko (traditional two-stringed Chinese instrument). excellent. my favorite song was Nada Sou Sou. (of course)(Nada Sou Sou doesn`t mean "of course" but of course it was my favorite song). oh, Nada Sou Sou is Okinawan Japanese for teardrops. Norilko met me and we drove around the corner to LABI which is the big electronics store. she checked on their price of the new laptop that she wants to get but decided to get it from a place closer to home. and i bought an "stereo sound recorder" for my iPod...and it works! and again a delicious dinner was waiting for me. it was 930pm by this time and everyone had already eaten hours before
but everyone sat in the living room at the zashiki (main table) as i told of my mecha mecha tanoshimashita (very very enjoyable) music day. we decided to save the o-manju for tomorrow.

walk to Ishibashi, train to Nakayama for Shichi-Go-San, monorail to Jazz, bus to Home

when i left home today, i had no real plan where i was going. that sounds like a good first sentence to a novel but that was how my little adventure began. i left around noon and returned around 9pm with some Mister Donuts to share along with some good stories, photos and videos. too much to write about now but i will write down a few words to remember for later. one of my favorite streets to walk on (or ride my bike on) in Sakurai. Aemi-chan and Aki-san. i could be wrong about the spelling of this very kawaii (cute) 3 year girl wearing her best and reddest kimono and her very kirei (beautiful) Mother i met at Nakayama-dera. the cute Anpan-Man and Hello Kitty mizu-bue (water flute) i bought for Dai-chan and Misa-chan. the hundreds of o-jizo-san. the christmas tree at Senri-chuo. oishii (delicious) takoyaki from Takozo. a couple of hours of all kinds of jazz including fusion and Big Band. "more cowbell" and "encore" and last but not least. . . Mister Donuts.

as for friday, we had some unexpected excitement due to Otosan (Father) tooth problem which turned out to be more serious but not too serious. he has another appointment for monday. after accompanying Noriko and her Father to the dentist in Ishibashi, they dropped me off for the last hour and half of "street live" at Senri-chuo. Sakamoto Keisuke was there again. i bought a cd of the duet Qurune`s music as well as the very entertaining Yo-Ryo. and waiting for me at home was another delicious dinner. and speaking of delicious, Noriko`s Mother and i had a nice o-bento lunch from
Kikuya. she had the napa gohan and i had my usually hire-katsu.

another beautiful day, another temple, another shrine, more colors, more everything

took the train(s) to Nagaoka-tenjin and then made a brief stop by Nagaoka Tenmangu (shrine) on the way to Komyo-ji (temple). i am not going to tell you i went to the wrong one (don`t you just hate it when you get your temple names mixed up)(of course, in Japanese the kanji-Japanese characters- were very different) and was a wee bit disappointed and then by chance, i took a path (that might have had a sign that said "do not walk thru this bamboo forest") thru a bamboo forest and ended up at the right Komyo-ji. big difference. it was my first time there but probably won`t be my last as the momiji path will be more beautiful within a week. i took some nice photos today but the best is yet to come. they also had a photo exhibit and a kiku (chrysanthemum) show. i also found a field of cosmos on my way to the wrong Komyo-ji and then a farmer started burning the field next to it...you will have to see the photos to understand what he was doing. more later. time for dinner.

b l u e, b l u e s k y --- kowai monkey --- kawai wanchan

blue, blue sky, no clouds. . . that is what i can see from my window. i want to go out and play. hopefully later in the afternoon when someone comes home.  now

i will go listen to Otosan (Father) sing.  maybe i will get him to give me another lesson in kendo.  i would really like to motivate him to go out for a walk but i know he will be worried to leave the house with Okasan (Mother) being home.  i know he wants me to show me where my bike is and move it to the front of the house but

they will cause my stress for Noriko and her Mother.  he is more attached to my bike than i am.  for some reason, he will always think that bike is my special treasure.  i will have to take a photo of how he has tried to protect it from the weather, from dorobo (robbers).

last night`s curry dinner was delicious. before meeting Noriko i stopped by the 100 yen store for a few things and then onto Carrefour to look for Noriko`s Mother`s favorite dish-washing sponge. it is in the shape a fish. they were out last week but this week they had three so i bought two of them. small pleasures.

ahhh. Noriko`s Mother returned home. by chance a relative stopped by the doctor`s office where she was and gave her a ride home stopping by Life (name of grocery store) for a few groceries. she also bought lunch for us. o-sushi!.
oishikatta. (was delicious). gochisosama deshita (giving thanks after the meal).
she will stay home and finish the laundry and i will start today`s adventure around 130p. where to go on this beautiful day? i think i will try to make it to the Minoh Nature Visitor`s Center which is up the mountain from the waterfall.
i would like to make it Katsuoji Temple but the sun sets around 5pm and with all my little stops for photos, it may take me that long just to get there. perhaps, there is a bus back.

Wednesday Update 9pm.
i didn`t make all the way to the Visitor`s Center because the sun was already on the other side of the mountains before i reached the road that winds up and down and around the mountains. i decided to walk back on that road to see what i could see. about 20 minutes into my walk down, i came across two monkeys on the side of the road and partly in the road (you will have to wait for the photos and video to see how close i was able to get). one seem to be cleaning the other and then they would switch. interesting. well, around the next corner were about 20 monkeys from baby-size to full-grown size. they were walking in the road, swinging from trees and because some cars had stopped (and some had to stop), some of the monkeys seemed to be begging for food. i wasn`t too sure about walking thru this monkeyland but there was not other way around. there was a trail leading to the waterfall trail but the monkeys seemed to have monkey security guarding the entrance to the trail. it was then when i should not have tried to get the extra battery out of my backpack. i knew it might be looked upon as a move to get into my backpack for food. one of the monkeys was watching every move of the zipper on my backpack. i stopped trying to open the backpack and started filming two monkeys who seem to be fighting. and then the one that had been watching me started running at me. and then he stood up on two legs, opened his mouth baring fang-like teeth and charged at me. now i know what i would do if i was ever chased by wild monkeys...i ran across the street and took safety in between two cars. there was one guy standing outside of his car but as the monkey and i ran towards him, he hurriedly got into his car. i thought "what about me?". the monkey stopped chasing me but it was to be honest, a little scary. kowakatta (it was scary). i am not sure what he would do but i did not want to be the first gaijin (foreigner) biten, or eaten by a Nihonzaru (Japanese monkey). yes, maybe they are vegetarians but this one looked like he did not know he was a vegetarian. the video i was making at the time is funny (now) to watch. not sure why i did not film the monkey as he came at me but you can hear him as i am running away and the camera is filming...panic. after leaving monkeyville the walk became uneventful but more colorful as the sun was setting on my side of the mountain. however, i forgot about all the switchbacks and u-turns on this winding mountain road. the mountain was too steep to try to take a shortcut down but eventually i came upon a beautiful view of Osaka,and of the autumn mangetsu (full moon). i reached home just as Noriko was calling to see if her Father and i would like to meet her at the end of the lane which goes to their home. she would pick us up in her car and we would drive to a nearby traditional-family-style restuarant. a friend of her Mother`s stop by in the afternoon and she didn`t have time to start preparing dinner. so, she would stay home a get a few more things done without any more interruptions while we would go to dinner and give her some more free time alone. after dinner we drove to a temple which Noriko thought my have the momiji (maple trees) lit up. they do it in spring for the sakura (cherry blossom trees) but unfortunately not (yet) for the maples. and then we stopped by a big pet shop called Amigo. we got to pet some very cute and some very fiesty dogs. Noriko liked the long haired dachsund (very popular in Japan). she named him Oscar. he was on sale for about $700. mata ne, Oscar. (see you again Oscar).  Noriko's Father asked how much a German Shepherd costs.  when we got home he still remembered.  he still talks about his championship German Shepherds.  i wish we could get one for him...but that would cause much more stress and work for Noriko and her Mother.

W a l k # 3 to the Waterfall

finally i was able to take a good photo of that guy with the three dogs. actually he posed with his dogs for me and i didn`t even ask. next time maybe i will find out who he is. i am sure he has an interesting story. in case you don`t remember him thru the years, he is always wearing a very nice dark suit with a hat to match (he tips his had as the ladies walk by). the first time Noriko and i saw him, he only had the two golden retrievers. sometime in the last year or so he added a cute small white dog. he walks at a very brisk pace and so do the dogs. i have seen him at least a couple of times each time i am here in Minoh. today he was coming down the takimichi (waterfall trail). i started taking some video of him and then he passed by, twirled around with his dogs and tried to get them to pose. when he passed me before posing he did say something in English like "just out enjoying the day". i took two photos, he twirled and briskly walked away. other people were watching him with smiles on their faces. he is very noticeable. what is his story?

so began the walk along the takimichi but it was not the beginning of my walk. i walked up a few hills before stopping by a temple near the waterfall trail to check on it`s autumn colors. the colors are coming along nicely. on the trail, i saw a couple of saru (monkeys) swinging in the trees. and then i filmed one walking down to the river for a drink. closer to the waterfall, i found the 4 sanshouwo (salamanders) doing whatever it is they do (not much). it is still green around the waterfall but there is some red colors near the red bridge. on the way back home, i bought some momiji tempura to share at home. momiji tempura is a speciality of Minoh. have you ever eaten a maple leaf, tempura style? it is very tasty once you get past the idea of eating a leaf. at home Noriko`s Mother has a snack for me. she heated up some roasted kuri (chestnuts) and also gave me some peanuts that a dear friend of hers sent yesterday. these peanuts are the biggest peanuts i have ever seen. and you know what they say about big peanuts...big taste.

tonite i will be meeting Noriko at Carrefour and then we will go to a the new curry restaurant. she will be arriving in Shin-Osaka by train from her university in Shiga and then take the subway to Senri-chuo and then the bus to Visola shopping center. now that is a long commute.

Monday the 10th.
most of the day i stayed home after seeing Noriko`s Father off to his Senior Day Care. Noriko and her Mother has errands to run and a doctor`s appointment or two so i babysat the house. but around 330p, i went for a nice little walk and ended up walking in an area i had never been before. and saw a beautiful sunset. and watched an old man playing fetch with his white Scottish terrier who was wearing a very cute red sweater (the dog not the man). dinner was delicious as always.

Arashiyama Momiji Matsuri

too much to write about without photos but i will jot down a few words to help remember: 4 trains, Seiryo-ji, ninja dog, oiran not a geisha (geiko or maiko) Dog Cafe, Mito Komon, takoyaki, Arinco cake, kimono, Dog Cafe, gourd winchimes, Hello Kitty, kaki, kiku, koyo, rowboats, jinrikisha, bamboo forest, Noh, thousands of people and maple leaves. and 4 trains and one bus home in time to set the table for another delicious family dinner.

still rainy but now cooler - more autumn colors on the way

leftover rain from yesterday and cooler temperatures for the start of this saturday. and cooler temps mean more color on the hillsides. hopefully the sun will make an appearance later today and again tomorrow as i am going to Arashiyama for the Momiji Matsuri (Maple Festival). Arashiyama is one of my favorite places in Japan and it will be very crowded tomorrow as it is a favorite of many tourists (Japanese as well as foreigners) especially during autumn.

not sure what i will be doing today as Noriko has gone to run a few errands. her Mother wants to visit a couple of her doctors so Noriko`s Father and i will be the men of the house.

still having problems accessing my mac.com mail so please write to kevfoto@aol.com

today`s highlight: tofu nabe.

rainy friday in 箕面 (Minoh, Minoo, Mino)

well, it didn`t rain yesterday which was a good thing for my "street live" concert at Senri-chuo. but sometime during the night it started raining. all is wet and fresh outside now but only a light rain if any at all. Noriko`s Father just left for his Senior Day Care . . . "okawarinai" is what i say to the Day Care staff picking him . . . no changes. and that`s a good thing however we would all like it if there were some changes. Alzheimer`s is not for the weak. Noriko`s Mother can now rest until he returns around 330pm. and although she will be busy doing something there will be no stress in the house for for a about 6 hours. hopefully she will take some time to go see her accupuncturist about her knee problem. and i will stay home and guard the house. Noriko will return from school around 3pm. and that is my rainy friday. i have taken a few photos in the front garden of raindrops on various plants and trees. and speaking of insects, i got bit by something yesterday on my leg (behind the knee where it bends). i am not sure what it was but just in case this is my last blog entry, you will know why : ) i think it might have been a kumo. the kumo which is Japanese for spider not the other kumo which means cloud. and don`t confuse kumo with kuma...you do not want to be bit by a bear behind the knee.

last night`s "street live" lineup: Matsunaka Akinori, Mars, Qu-e and my favorite, Sakamoto Keisuke. i will be putting some of their music up on youtube when i get home to LA. Noriko met me at the end of the concert and we went for ramen at small ramen shop inside the train station area. i had some delicious miso ramen and she had the shoyu ramen. earlier at the beginning of the "street live" i ate some kuri onigiri (rice balls with chestnuts) and some salad that Noriko`s Mother`s friend made to give me. i stayed home with Noriko`s Father during the day so Noriko`s Mother could visit her friend at a sort of prayer meeting. so actually i had two concerts...Noriko`s Father singing enka (if you look it up, it is the second kind of enka) and the "street live" at Senri-chuo. perhaps, i will put him on youtube also. he does have a good voice. and enka is not an easy style to sing.
----------------o o o o o o o ------------------
friday update.
just about to go to bed after a nice rainy then not so rainy then very rainy day. i
walked to Minoo Waterfall again and broke a record getting there. actually, it was a record for taking my time getting to the takimichi (trail to the waterfall) as i stopped here and there on my way taking photos of raindrops on cosmos raindrops on nandina, raindrops on raindrops, etc. besides taking many photos i took many backstreets because you never know what you mind find and i found many interesting things today as always. today`s highlights on my walk include yamabushi and the end of one of their ceremonies (you will have to wait for the photos before i even try to explain but i will say "Yamabushi" are kind of like the keepers of the mountain`s spirit). i saw some more autumn colors. and a very small kani (crab). and more saru . . . monkeys. this time they were closer especially one that had his eyes on tony as i pulled him from my backpack. i took hundreds of photos and many of those in the rain so they won`t be as clear as i would want but they will have the feeling of walking in the rain on a forest trail in autumn. i took a photo of two cute couples. one with Tony. and the other was the ones that found the small crab scurrying across the trail. and it was the girl (whose name i have forgotten, gomen, ne) who was the one who picked up the crab and was letting in crawl up her arm and back into her hand. now, that is my kind of girl! Noriko noticed in the photo that she was also wearing a sleeveless shirt...very rare in Japan for a girl (any Japanese person) not to be wearing a long sleeve shirt and a sweater and maybe even a jacket in November. needless to say i was the only one wearing short pants. however i did have a long sleeve-shirt on but easily could have worn just a t-shirt.

sunshine now. rain expected

so far it has been a nice blue sky thursday morning. rain is expected in the afternoon. i may be meeting Noriko after her work at Senri-chuo for some music and dinner. or if it is raining i may go to a new "live house" near Umeda Station in Osaka.

back to yesterday`s walk to Minoo Taki. "sunshine, sanshouo and saru". sanshouo is Japanese for salamander and saru is monkey. you never know what you might see on a walk with me. the mountains and forest trails are still mainly green　but i did take some nice colorful photos of a few colorful trees. there were many people walking to the waterfall with picnic stuff, dogs in sweaters.　i met a college student named Rei walking on the hilly side of the trail. and we met two cute dogs taking a break on the trail. it was after leaving the waterfall that we saw all the people looking down from a small bridge over a fast moving stream. there was a camera man and sound man filming something. sanshouo da! it is a salamander. i think i saw 4 of them. they are a little strange looking. Noriko`s
Mother`s reaction when seeing the little video i took was "kimochi warui" which means basically "a bad feeling". i walked back to the waterfall following a guy carrying a guitar just in case he was going to give a little "taki live"" (concert at the waterfall). he wasn`t but it was then that i saw the monkey posing for everyone up on a rock near the waterfall. after walking back along the takimichi (waterfall trail), i saw more monkeys in the trees. and stopped by the salamander bridge again. you never know when you have seen your last salamander so i wanted to see them again. back at the trailhead which is in front of the train station for Minoo, i took the bus to the nice shopping mall for dinner. Noriko was at her Kobukuro concert and i did not want her Mother to have to cook or wait on me after my walk. of course, she was waiting for me and had some snacks and tea for me as we all watched tv and looked at my photos and videos from the day`s walk.

a sunny day in Minoo, fall is on it`s way

good morning. and it looks like it will be a beautiful wednesday. back to sunday all went well getting to the airport in the rain. the flight was over 12 and half hours. i had a nice couple sitting in my row. nothing special about the flight, inflight service or meals. mainly i listened to my iPod and my tape player to pass the time in between falling asleep. i listened to some good podcasts on my iPod and two Tom Morton Shows on my cassette player. the bus ride from KIX was about an hour and 20 minutes to Hotorugaike Station. i fell asleep again. Noriko was waiting for Tony and me at the station. it was now monday evening the 4th. we had a delicious okonomiyaki dinner at Warai before going home. Noriko`s Mother was waiting for me but her Father had already gone to sleep. more about all that later.

i did want to say, if you want to write to me, please use my AOL address as i am having trouble accessing my mac.com email. so, back to kevfoto@aol.com or just address it to both addresses kevntony2@mac.com.

hopefully by now we have a new and much-improved president. Obama-sama!

i am now home alone. Noriko`s Father went to his Senior Day Care. and Noriko and her Mother went to run a few errands. i will go for a walk to Minoo Taki (waterall) when someone returns. it is still a beautiful day here. and i am still waiting for the official results of the election.

time to listen to some FM802 and prepare for my walk. there is some nice colors on the mountains but the best is yet to come.

ittekimasu 行ってきます

EVA Air 167   LAX-KIX

and it just started raining.  nice but not for walking to the bus stop with a suitcase and backpack.  where's my umbrella?

saying "hello" to the rain and "goodbye" to . . .

seems like only . . . tomorrow

Autumn in Minoo (i am thinking these photos were from 2006 but it could be a year or two or three before that.)

halloween also known as the day before the day before i am no longer here

speaking of weddings :  )

Tony meets the monstercrow of Manhattan Beach

i really would like to know their diet secret.

hard to believe i took this photo back in April

thoughts of Nancy when i took this photo

ok, not really a scary halloween sign.  it was really a set-up for the next photo. . .

 

very scary!

my first and probably only Halloween treat.  thank you Noriko.

be at one with your inner pumpkin

hmmmm.  christmas stuff before halloween and thanskgiving?  why not, it's America!  but a Santa advent calender?

this was in a Japanese grocery store.

Halloween in Venice (California, not Italy)

anybody recognize this corner?

i knew it . . . they do grow on trees

the ghosts of Calle Mayor

an old South Bay halloween tradition:  the freeing of the balloons

i'll take the orange one

today

mission(s) accomplished . . . long walk, ticket bought, live music, sunshine, dolphins, squirrels and one lady bug

morning sunshine

EVA Air will be taking me to Osaka on sunday arriving there monday afternoon.  thanks to Kyoko-san at the JTB office in Mitsuwa Market place for the good discount (not as good as my normal airline discount but shikata ga nai).  before buying my ticket i passed thru the Torrance farmer's market and heard some interesting music.  before that i watched a family of squirrels

playing in and on some trees along my walk . . . what an exciting life i lead.  before that i watched a lady bug crawl around on my hand.  to be honest, i wasn't sure what to do about it. of course, i wanted to carry it with me but i thought (and the thought did pass thru my head) what if it can't find it's way back home.  so, i stopped walking and let it make it's own decision.  it stayed awhile and then flew away. and i walked on

.

live from the Torrance farmer's market

i c e  c r e a m 

and what do you think this means?

Anna Laube live at the Manhattan Beach farmer's market

voice like an angel singing "i found love"

Anna can also be found on Woodsongs.

(podcast #483)

time to walk/bathe the dog

Manhattan Beach pier

ManCatan Beach

autumn/seaside reflections

peace be with you

cosmos at the beach

spiders in Hermosa Beach

sunset in Redondo Beach