Heiwajima Antiques Fair

Weather Explorer has been smitten with Ebisu, the happy fishing god and Yebisu Beer mascot, ever since our Seven Gods of Fortune pilgrimage last month.  She's also fond of Daikoku, the hammering merchant god, who seems to be Ebisu's special godfriend.

One of my favorite things to do is helping other people spend their money.  When Weather decided that Ebisu and Daikoku statues would be happy reminders of her time in Japan, our idle strolls through flea markets developed an intense new flavor.  The packers are due to show up at her door in June, a prospect I choose to ignore for the most part but that's not always easy since her face has taken on a certain familiar flush I call Short-Timer Fever.  Woman with only two months remaining in Japan are often spotted gazing into that abyss known as "the middle distance" while mentally calculating how many more lanterns, rolls of washi paper, and tote bags they can buy without exceeding their household goods weight limit.

Today we braved the Golden Week crowds to search for affordable statues at the Heiwajima Antiques Fair at Tokyo Ryutsu Center near Haneda Airport.  Finding the Ryutsu Center was easy because there's a Tokyo Monorail train station by that name just outside the building's door.  Otsuka-san gets credit for telling us about this indoor quarterly upscale flea market.  Artistic Explorer will not get back to Japan in time for the July 8-10 fair, but maybe I can drag her and other inquisitive types to the September or December versions.

Weather and I spotted dozens of Ebisu and Daikoku statues but replaced them on the shelves quickly yet ever so carefully when we spied price tags in the $100 range.  After searching for about three hours and pausing briefly for lunch, Weather decided to invest in a traditional stone ship carved with all seven gods. 

  

The price tag said 6,800 yen but she got it for 4,000 yen.  It weighs about fifty pounds. I offered to help carry it home on the train, but Weather would have none of that. Sometimes she reminds me a bit of my mother.



The back of the statue



About five minutes after investing in the ship, of course, she found a nice pair of godfriends that the vendor let her have for 2,000 yen (about $25).

I sure hope she comes up with a new mission before we head to the Yamato Shrine sale the week after next. Otherwise, I just might have to track down a pair of those statues for myself and call them a Father's Day gift.

Speaking of the Ancient Mariner, he sailed off on the USS Blue Ridge again this morning. But only for a few days this time as we have a baseball game on our calendar for Friday evening. He sure does love his baseball and I sure do love my Yebisu Beer.

P.S. If you'd like more information about the Heiwajima Antiques Fair, clicking on the post title will take you to the English page of the official website.

Oedo Antique Market: An Upscale Shrine Sale

Not far from the Imperial Palace, just across the street from Yurakucho station, you'll find an outdoor Oedo Antique Market on the first and third Sundays of most every month. In case you're the sort of person who doesn't relish making a trip in vain, I've included a link (here) so you can verify upcoming fair dates.

The event is cancelled when there is an 80 percent or greater chance of rain so you might want to check the weather forecast.  Why rain is an issue is anyone's guess since the market is held in the covered plaza at Tokyo International Forum.  The plaza is remarkably shady which will be quite appealing when July and August roll around.

I can't believe I've lived here nearly four years and have just now discovered this market.  We are all indebted to Otsuka-san for sharing this experience with us.

The doll-size geisha wigs were hard to resist.

Kaji-san brought her charming daughter, Natsuke (I hope I spelled that correctly). I rarely have the opportunity to see my Japanese friends in their mother roles and I haven't spent time with any 21-year old girls since half the Knit Wits left for the States last month, so meeting Natsuke was a special treat. She spent some time on the train studying for her driver's examination while we gawked at her artistic cat doodles. The textbook looked like it had about ten times as many pages as any driver's manual I've seen back home.

These "cat mobiles" caught my eye. Shinagawa-san showed us that they are simply fabric-covered plastic clips, the sort of clips used here to attach bed linens to balconies for airing. I wonder how many of these I might be able to whip up between now and next Christmas?  Or I could just buy a bunch the next time I visit the market.  There will definitely be a next time since I've just now noticed those sandals on the wall.

Weather has never seen a bowl she hasn't wanted to buy.

I managed (barely) to resist Peko-chan in a tuxedo

Shinagawa, Kaji, Peevish, Weather, and Otsuka

There are lots of nice restaurants in the basement of the Tokyo International Forum so don't be afraid to do some exploring.  Just walk around the building until you spot an escalator.  The Italian restaurant has really good pasta, pizza, and desserts.  The waitress handed Natsuke the biggest bowl of ice cream I've seen (outside my own kitchen) so that's what I intend to order next time.

Machida Shrine Sale: The Rewards of Sucking It Up

Truth be told, I didn't much feel like going to Machida this morning to explore the shrine sale and five-story 100 Yen store. Three Explorers cancelled out of the trip Sunday evening and spending the day with a recent acquaintance and two complete strangers was not appealing. With the Ancient Mariner packing his gear for a 12-day "quality of life" deployment and the temperature dropping by the minute, I was tempted to crawl back under that warm comforter, wallow in self-pity, and savor another chapter or two of Guns, Germs, and Steel.

But, promises being promises, I sucked it up and marched out the door at the ungodly-to-me hour of 7:20 am.

So. The two complete strangers turned out to be a married couple who arrived in Japan a few days ahead of us this past July, shortly after he completed nurse practitioner training. Six days from now he will be enroute to Afghanistan as an Individual Augmentee. His wife and youngest son will remain in Japan, awaiting his return a half year from now.

His mission this week is to connect his wife with people who will support her and distract her during his absence. She'd like to spend some time exploring since, with three small boys underfoot, she didn't have many opportunities to do that the last time they were stationed here. He pulled me aside to confide that she's not comfortable with computers. "I am deafer than a rock," I whispered (I think) back, "and avoid the phone like the plague but I'm willing to make an exception in her case."

They met when he was a 21-year old sailor stationed in San Diego and she was a 16-year old student at a boarding school in Tijuana. They started dating when she turned 18. During his entire Navy career, they have only spent three months apart. Until next week, that is.

As if spending the day with such a remarkable couple was not reward enough for dragging myself out of bed this morning, the shrine sale blessed me with a bobble-head Kimono Peko-chan and two old Fujiya lunch boxes. The five-story 100 Yen store did not disappoint either.

Somewhere around here there's a moral to this story, but I'm going to crawl under that comforter now and wallow for a while.

Flat Stanley at the Yamato Flea Market

Judy, Sheryl, and Valerie arrived in Japan this past summer. They wanted to experience a shrine sale so Flat Stanley and I set our alarm for 5:45 am before we went to bed Friday night. We were on the road by 6:35 am Saturday, bound for the flea market at the Yamato train station. I drove and they paid the tolls, about $11 each way.

"I'm freezing, Aunt Kathy. Will you buy me this jacket and pants?"
"Sorry, Stanley, but I think that outfit is too small for you. Why don't you warm yourself up by running to the other end of the flea market and back? Keep an eye out for flat-bottomed wooden bowls while you're at it."


"I didn't see any flat-bottomed bowls, Aunt Kathy, but I did find these amazing giant albino carrots."
"Ha ha, Stanley. I think those might be Daikon radishes but don't quote me on that."
"Okay. I know how much you hate to be wrong."

"Hello Kitty! What's she doing in Japan?"
"She was born here, silly. Lots of American children are surprised to learn that Sanrio is a Japanese company. Hello Kitty has been making children all around the world smile for at least 40 years."
"Gosh, it's a small world after all"
"Maybe I ought to start calling you Flat Walt."

"Front row seats at the free concert next to the train station! You rock, Aunt Kathy! That boy sure has a great voice."
"I wonder where I can get a tie like that."

"Thanks for buying me this bun shaped like a bear."
"Just don't tell your Aunt Suzi I let you play with your food or she'll want to do the same when she visits and that would be excruciatingly embarrassing."
"Do you think there's a 'surprise' inside the bun?"
"Probably. That's why we're going to 'let' Uncle Mike take the first bite."

"Oh, it's custard. That looks really yummy . . . hey, wait Uncle Mike . . . let me have a bi-. . .No fair! He ate the whole thing."

"Aunt Kathy, I'm sorry I was too cold to wait for the man selling Peko-chan cups to come back to his stall so you could buy some."
"That's okay, honey, I didn't really need those cups. I liked this ceramic Peko-chan better."
"But did you really need this bank, Aunt Kathy? Don't you already have at least six Peko-chan and Poko-chan banks?"
"Yes, but they are plastic and this one is ceramic. Besides, I need lots of banks to store all the wealth I'll be accumulating this year from eating that golden Chestnut and Sweet Potato Paste with the Shonan Ladies the other day."
"Oh, yeah. But why aren't you posting a picture of that gaudy gold candy dish shaped like a crown you bought for the JAW Mardi Gras party next week?"
"Because, Big Mouth, I was thinking it would make an excellent Christmas gift for your Aunt Betsy or Aunt Jane."
"Oops. Sorry."

Japanese Holiday, Part I

Kate finally slept through the night. (I'm pretty sure the last time I uttered that sentence was about 26 years and 3 months ago.)

During a brief period of wakefulness on Friday, she met the Shonan Ladies (some of whom are pictured above). "Is this your daughter? She is so BEAUTIFUL!" Did I detect a tone of surprise in those voices?

We went to the Yamato Shrine Sale by train Saturday morning. It's probably a good thing I didn't spot this wig until I was checking out Kate's pictures the next day. And it's probably a good thing we took the train or I might be suffering buyer's remorse over a huge wooden dragon's head that looked like it weighed 500 pounds.

Kate liked the bakery inside the Yamato train station. While she munched daintily on this chocolate muffin, I was busy stuffing an entire loaf of fresh-from-the-oven cheese bread down my throat.

Kate was able to figure out (sort of) how to use my cell phone -- we'd shaken Matt awake before we left Yokosuka for a quick, and rather surly, tutorial on how to turn the phone on -- so she managed to direct Matt and Mike to the Ramen Museum in Yokohama where we enjoyed an early dinner in one of the nine restaurants. I have a hunch Mike and I will get back to the Ramen Museum at least eight times between now and August 2011 so we can try all the restaurants representing regional ramen cuisine. Is ramen cuisine an oxymoron?

A Charming Season

Four more of these flea market spools and this might actually look less like a triangle and more like a tree. Mike suggested wrapping ribbon around the spools. The washi paper was my idea two hours and three spools later.

Although I am not known for farsightedness, the cranberry and gold ribbons complement our living room "decor" so now I can display my cell phone charms year round.

If I am feeling especially ambitious, I might even change the washi paper every now and then to reflect the passing seasons. (That "if" is meant to be taken as much, much bigger than your run-of-the-mill big if.)

Next I'm going to try to poke a needle through an inch of rubber 20 times to make ornaments for an Anpanman tree. Stay tuned.

It's Yamato Flea Market Day!

Have I mentioned I'm coordinating daytrips for the Oakleaf Club this year? We're called the Explorers and you don't have to be a medical spouse to tag along. Everyone is welcome, including you.

Today is the third Saturday of the month so we explored the monthly flea market at Yamato train station 36 miles west of Yokosuka. In Japan it takes about an hour to drive 36 miles.

We left the base at 6:30 am with me behind the wheel of a rental van. How's that for a scary thought? But it was either rent a van or remove all those bags marked "thrift shop" from the trunk of my car. I chose the path of least resistance.

We bought buttons, spindles, spools, a wooden box, an obi, and a reversible indigo jacket. The bakery adjacent to the train station offered a tempting assortment of snacks.

We were home by noon. Even though I left the directions on the kitchen counter for the second time in a week, we did not get lost. There seems to be a kernel of truth in that kinetic memory concept I fabulated the other day.

If you are thinking of visiting us while we're living in Japan, try to schedule your trip to overlap a third Saturday of the month so we can take you to the Yamato flea market.