11 May, 2007

cloudy toronto

The pic is the view from the centre island. As you see, it was so cloudy and would be almost raining. But it wasn't cool and hot, but good for walking around the island. From the ferry port of the island, I followed the majority of the people who got off the ferryboat with me, 'cause I had no idea where I would go.
Many people seemed to go automatically to the small amusement park in the island, so I went there at first. Then keeping walking, I was impressed that this island was well-kept clean, and (though I just walked only in the middle-part of the island) seemed to be just like a nice garden.
After walking aimlessly for a while, I tried to go to the opposite site to the city, in order to see parts of the great lake, Lake Ontario.
Here was Toronto, Canada.

10 May, 2007

on a ferryboat

The ferryboat going to the centre island was very crowded, cause it was at the end of the week in summer vacation season. There were lots of children that were eagerly waiting for going to the island, and might play in a small amusement park there.
They were also playing inside the ferryboat, while running with their friends, siblings or even parents. Of course, high school boys and girls were also on the ferryboat and enjoyed seeing the vast panorama of the city.
I enjoyed a little bit humid, but cool breezes from the great lake. And suddenly, I heard a dry, sharp sound at my back. When turning around, I found a girl hitting her head against an iron pipe of the ferry, while playing with her friends. Fortunately, she was O.K. enough to laugh about her bump on her head.
Here was on the ferryboat, Toronto, Canada.

09 May, 2007

suddenly clouded

On a way to CN tower, suddenly it was getting cloudy, and a little bit later, it rained (you can see the person who had an umbrella in the pic). I didn't know whether this city would usually have a sudden change in the weather in mid-summer day.
Anyway, maybe, there might not be so many people who would go up at the top of the tower to see the city view on such a cloudy day.
I gave up to go to CN tower on that day, instead of the tower, I just walk to a ferry port to go to the Toronto Islands, especially the centre island.
Here was Toronto, Canada.

08 May, 2007

cn tower

When I found CN tower from the street, one of the tallest buildings in the world, it was in high summer. Though it was maybe a record-breaking hot day, it wasn't humid, so, sometimes, I felt nice dry-breezes.
Before coming to here, I thought that the tower might be so high that I could easily find it wherever I walked in the city. This prejudice was partly correct. The tower I found from the street seemed to be so near to me, but actually it took a little bit more time for me to reach the tower than I expected. And sometimes, this tower was hidden by other high buildings, especially around the business district in this city.
Anyway, I would go up to top of the tower to see the entire landscape of the city. The sun was shining strongly, and a couple of summer clouds were floating slowly. Of course, the blue sky was higher than the tower.
Here was Toronto, Canada.

07 May, 2007

walking around a small shopping arcade

The pic was not in Arashiyama area where I was looking for a tofu, but in the relatively southern part of Kyoto city, Fushimi ward. In the pic, I was walking through a small and local shopping arcade. What I want to say with this pic is that wherever I walked in Kyoto city, always I found and entered small alleys (including a shopping arcade) and streets that consisted of a quasi-spider-web-map.
Anyway, this arcade was totally for locals, so, you couldn't find any Gucci, PRADA and Chanel. Instead, you'll easily find a cheep Japanese wooden clogs, "geta". Looking at the left side of the pic, there is a wihte board showing in hand-writing Japanese that the shop would offer a good geta.
Here was Fushimi, Kyoto, Japan

06 May, 2007

looking for a famous tofu shop

As I mentioned in the previous blog, the main purpose of my visiting in Arashiyama was that I would buy a "tofu" , which was made by soy-milk, from a famous tofu shop around here. The tofu-shop was so-well known that the book I had read before, but forgot the tittle, mentioned that even the rich in Ashiya town(known as a fashionable suburb in Kobe city) drove her/his Mercedes to here to buy a tofu.
But as I said before, streets around here were just like a spider-web, so I had a certain difficulty to find a right street I should follow. I slightly remember that my guidebook mentioned about the temple near the tofu-shop, so I aimed at the temple, and somehow, I found the shop, which was not so larger than I expected.
I slightly remembered that on the front door or window of the shop, there was a menu-board. On the board, I found that a standard tofu was just US$1. Basically, a tofu was not so expensive one, and a standard tofu in an usual supermarket was just about 50 cents. So, I might say that this tofu in the shop was a little bit expensive. I bought a standard one, and later I ate it, and thought the taste was really good.
Anyway, the pic was a part of Tenryu-ji, a famous temple in Arashiyama area. Once I heard, inside the precinct of this temple, there was a restaurant that could offer a good boiled tofu. Of course, the tofu in the restaurant was from the famous tofu-shop. But I'm not still quite sure if the restaurant is really there.
Here was Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan.

05 May, 2007

baked octopus

Walking around Arashiyama area for looking for a well-known famous "tofu" shop, I found a local supermarket. Around here, there were lots of small-alleys that looked like a spider's web, so I was not sure where I walked at the time. In other words, I might be lost.

In front of this supermarket, you can see the two girls waiting for something from the woman in a stall. She actually was making "takoyaki", which was baked-octopus-ball made by small diced octopuses, flour, egg and kind of leek, with oyster sauce and mayonnaise (if you like) on it. The girls eagerly looked how the takoyaki-chef could make small balls, and maybe they also enjoyed smelling the flavor of oyster sauce burning on an iron plate.
Here was Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan.

04 May, 2007

the moon crossing a bridge

It was at the beginning of July, in early summer or already in mid-summer when I was in Arashiyama, Kyoto city, a former capital of this country. Around here, I felt accumulated flavors of historic afterglows people had saved from over 1200 years ago (It's very well-known in this country that Kyoto was build in 794).
In the pic, there was a bridge. Though the parapet of this bridge was made by "hinoki", a kind of cypress, the fundamental construction was maybe in reinforced concrete. So, this bridge was not the original one that was said to have been made over 1000 years ago, though I didn't know exactly when people had bridged the river at this place, or even I had totally no idea whether the original bridge was actually at this exact same place.
One certain thing I've known was its name. The bridge had been called "Togetu-kyou". In Japanese, "Togetu" is a literary phrase of saying "the moon crossing", and the latter "kyou" means just "bridge".
The moon was crossing a bridge.
The beautiful name had still remained over 1000 years ago.
Here was Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan

03 May, 2007

around the downtown

I almost forgot about what I ate at a Mexican restaurant in Cancún's downtown at the time. Slightly I can recollect some kinds of beef dishes with plenty of bean sauce. I think they were good, but still wonder how good they were actually.
Anyway, walking around the downtown area, sometimes, I found several bars or restaurants that were for so-called "nightlife" (according to my guidebook) of tourists who would come here for seeking a little bit more excitements than in the hotel zone. When I walked around here early in the afternoon, I hardly met with the bars' bakers, but saw the staffs cleaning up around their buildings.
While kept walking, I found a school that some pupils were on the playground and seemed to have a kind of exercise-class.
Finally, I came to an ordinary supermarket, just like Wal-Mart or K-mart. Looking around inside the building, I found that there seemed to be no food or good, which I could hardly get in the United States. Looking at a showy cover of a "People" magazine at the magazine section, I vaguely felt about the power of globalization.
Here was Cancún city, Mexico.

02 May, 2007

again, i took a local bus

Even staying in such a first-rate resort area, I unintentionally took a local bus in order to walk around the downtown area of Cancún city without any purposes. So, again, I took a local bus from the bus stop on the avenue in front of my hotel. I was not exactly quite sure where the bus I took would go, but certainly knew from my guidebook that the bus would have several stops near the heart of the downtown area.
When the bus passing through the beach area, I saw a huge Mexican flag flapping in the wind. The heat from the sunshine seemed to be a little bit strong, as I was leaving from the seaside area, or I can say, hotel zone. While looking at the landscapes out of the window, I just remembered my Mexican friend's advices or recommendations including "must-go-places" around Cancún city. In the must-go-places-list, she said that there was an only-locals-knowing beautiful beach. Unfortunately, in order to get to each must-go-place including that beach, I would at least need a car, which I didn't have. Basically I rarely drive.
Finally, the bus stopped at one of downtown's stops. I got off and looked around for a minute with thinking about where I would go. It was just around noon. So, I decided to go to a restaurant. Of course, I looked for a good Mexican cuisine.
Here was Cancún city, Mexico.

01 May, 2007

coming to see a part of caribbean sea

Though I usually prefer walking around unknown cities or towns on my vacations over enjoying staying in resort areas, such as on a beach in Hawaii, I sometimes can't help choosing the latter one without any reasons. Especially, in such a case, I would like to stay at a seaside hotel, 'cause I can feel so relax to smell salt breezes, listen to sounds of waves, and see the quiet sea for a long time while doing nothing.
This time, I chose to enjoy a part of Caribbean Sea. While staying at a hotel, which was so expensive that I eventually could afford to stay only for a short-term (in spite of the off-season), I always had been on a beach near the hotel.
Whenever coming and touching a beach I had never seen before, I felt an excitement or impression. Because I was born in a seaside town in a small island and had lived near the sea in my youth, I always thought that this unknown sea would be connected with my (hometown) sea, and in case of going for a sail, I eventually could reach my town.
Anyway, this sea was beautifully green-blue. Of course, sky was so high. A few people were on the beach, 'cause I was there at the beginning of June, which was not a best season for staying around here. But we could still enjoy the sea and the beginning of the hottest season in this country.
Here was Cancún city, Mexico