Father"s Day and Gift Ideas for Men

Father's Day in the USA is always the 3rd Sunday in June.  This year it is June 17th.  Here are a few  things that a Dad may like.

Christian Dior Vintage Silk Neck Tie

Brushed Silvertone Cufflinks

Goldtone & Faux Pearl Cufflinks

And when did tie tacks go out of style.  And Why?  Ties should not flop around  Jade look tie tack

Neck Tie Lions - Dynamic Duo

Cool Scarf - Soak in water a few minutes and it stays cools for hours  Use for work, BBQ's & sports. 

And cutest of all and sure to bring a smile lots of rubber ducks

Breakfasts For Champions

When we were in Japane last year, the business hotel chain that we always stayed at was in the midst of revamping their breakfast menu so they had this really nice breakfast selection and guests are encouraged to give comments and ratings.

Whatever selection was available, my breakfast tray will always have bread and minimal amount of rice. But I usually put a huge dollop of the side dishes... and coffee. Cannot function without morning coffee, me.

Raimie and his Dad will always have tons of pickles. I call them the umeboshi gang.

Can you guess which one would be mine? No bread this time...

Some of the more generous selection. This was at Takamatsu's Toyoko-Inn if I am not wrong. I may be wrong but I observed that Toyoko-Inn that don't really have much foreign tourists there (as opposed to those in Ikebukuro, Asakusa, Hakata, Osaka) have much more generous breakfast selection. My absolute favourite was the breakfast we had in Akita.

Simple breakfast on the road errr... on the track. Had this on the shinkansen when we were traveling from Tokyo to Hakodate.

Once, it was just this. Bread and a tub of margarine.

The last couple of days we were in Japan, my breakfast was limited to this. After a week, no more cold rice for me! The boys however, still enjoyed their rice.

OLA: Being in the New York State of Mind

Joe, Dottie, Bill, me and at a campfire in Rondout Valley at New York's Cartskills

Carol on the grounds of the Vanderbilt Mansion

It is difficult to tell you stories about our trip to New York. It was a dichotomy of rural and urban, traditional and modern, agricultural and industrial. Billy Joel’s New York State of Mind prefers the former.

Yappy from MegaLink days!

                                       So this will be about the less known part of New York (the Big Apple will be the subject of  the next post) where we camped at the Rondout Valley Resort which is the home park of good friends Joe and Dottie whom we met early in 2010 in Florida. It is in a region of New York State called the Catskills along the Hudson River Valley: pretty, hilly, cool, green, rural, and serene.  Upstate New York, it’s called! And that’s where a friend of 12 years ago, Yappy, who now works in Manhattan preferred to visit with us.

Woodstock with 500,000 in 1969
 with Scott, Carl and Claire today!

And just 45 miles southwest was the site of the pivotal music festival of 1969, Woodstock in Bethel, New York, attended by almost 500,000, graced by about 30 well-known artists  like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Blood Sweat and /tears , Credence Clearwater, etc., and extended to 9 instead of 3 days! There, at the monument built by the owners of the dairy farm where the festival was held (it was an alternate site when at the last minute the city of Woodstock did not issue a license), we met three other enthusiasts: Scott, and Carl and Claire.

Bill at Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Springwood in Hyde Park

The place now houses a Woodstock Performing Arts Center, the Museum at Bethel Woods, and the hallowed grounds.  I identify with this flower power community, a rebellion in spirit. I was back in the Philippines, a sophomore in the University of the Philippines, seat of student power, at the time. We were rebelling against the establishment and, as a University Councilor of the Student Council, we had just laid the cornerstone of a piece of university land w called Freedom Park!

Eleanor Roosevelt's Val-Kill in Hyde Park
a couple of miles from Springwood

Martin van Buren's Lindelwald in Kinderhook

The Hudson River Valley is home to many mansions and estates. Martin van Buren’s (8^th president) estate called Lindenwald is in Kinderhook. The homes of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the only 4-time elected president of the USA, and his First Lady and UN Ambassador, Eleanor Roosevelt are in Hyde Park. The Roosevelt family estate is called Springwood and his retreat, the Top Cottage. Eleanor’s is called Val-kill (kill means river) and the Stone Cottage. As a matter of fact, the stately Vanderbilt Mansion also lies in the Park! All these are now under the care of the National Park Service.

Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park

Walkway on the Hudson
longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the world, near Newburgh

Actually, also in Hyde Park is the sprawling, lovely, and unique campus of the Culinary Institute of America. It beckons with awesome residence halls, comfy classroom buildings, and aromatic restaurants and bakeshops. Just a day’s class costs $250 so I can only imagine how much a degree costs, especially if one lives on campus!  Nearby,  on the road back to our campground, we saw a long unusual bridge across the Hudson. We found out it is called the Walkway on the Hudson, the longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the world (12 miles)!

The Plains, West Point parade grounds, where the bleachers cry out: 'ARMY BEAT NAVY'

Bill and I in front of the West Point Museum

We did not have the time to visit the Rockefeller Estate in Tarrytown  or the Sunnyside Estate of Washington Irving, the famous American poet and author in Sleepy Hollow. We also could not find the chance to visit Albany, capital and at the northernmost part of the state, where the tulip festivals were happening.  But we spent a lot of time in that hallowed place where the officers’ corps of the US Army is developed. Joe, a retired National Guard captain, took us on a tour of the US Military Academy in West Point.

West Point from our Hudson Line train on the way to NYC

Douglas MacArthur among the great generals at West Point

West Point has influenced so much of Philippine History. One of our former Chiefs of staff graduated from there in 1950, became a hero in the EDSA Revolution of 1986 that overthrew the 20-year Marcos dictatorship and became the country’s 12th President after Cory Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos. Under him I answered the call to serve my country and served as Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. 

a view of the Hudson from West Point

We saw the statues of Patton, Eisenhower, and Washington, great American generals  but I was especially drawn to MacArthur who commanded the Pacific Fleet and returned, as he promised, to free the Philippines from Japanese occupation in WWII. They surrounded the parade grounds called The Plains where the graduation of the Class of 2012 will parade in review on Memorial Weekend as part of their graduation ceremonies.

the long gray line at West Point, cadets in review

the West Point Officers' Club

We were first registered at the Visitors’ Center where we viewed short clips of the history and significance of West Point, established in 1802 after the victorious American Revolution against the British. Then Joe gave us a tour of the galleries of the West Point Museum (one of the articles there was the Philippine Surrender Document by the Japanese in WWII). We also had the unique opportunity to dine with officers at the West Point Club, overlooking the Hudson. On Trophy Hill we walked where the American Soldier defended the fledgling country and a Monument in his honor towers over the Hudson.

the artillery at Trophy Hill in West Point

remnants of the chain that blocked the British
 from entering West Point placed at the narrowest portion of the Hudson 

I must admit, Billy Joel is right…the lesser known New York is every bit as amazing as New York City, although in quite a different way! For one, the towns always sleep as soon as it gets dark! 

   

Glimpse Of Common People Dwellings

of time past. At Shikoku Mura.

The title of the English language pamphlet of the open-air museum  is : Step back in time to scenes of traditional Japan and encounter a bygone era.

We got to see 33 traditional buildings from all over Shikoku; reconstructed in their original forms in a tranquil park setting. When we were there, we got the whole place to ourselves. Boy, did we wander and touch and see and savour the atmosphere of the "villages".

Going to Shikoku Mura wasn't quite straightforward to us. While we know that it's about a 10 minute walk from JR Yashima Station, we didn't really know which way to head to. Luckily, there was a map of the area in front of the station... in Japanese.

A quiet JR Yashima Station on a Monday morning

Walked past this stream. It is the Aibiki River, actually.

In the past, Yashima used to be an island. In early Edo period, the south side of the island was filled-in and the sea remained between Yashima and the mainland as a stream, hence the name of the river. "Ai" is both (directions) and "biki" means to draw or pull. There is another story on how the river got its name. 

During the battle of Genji and Heike clans, it is said that both troops fought along this river. There was a stalemate and both troops withdrew : "Ai" both and "biki" withdraw.

Mentioning about the battle; remember my manhole cover post of Takamatsu that featured an archer?

Found a carpentry workshop near to the station too.

 and a shrine

Shikoku Mura is located at the base of Mount Yashima. An uphill walk for us to get to the open-air museum. I'm not complaining though. The weather was perfect to be out and about that day! Raimie too, was happily running/walking around.

 Just a little bit more walk and we were almost there!

 At the entrance. Shikoku Mura opens year round; from 8.30am to 5.00pm from April - October and from 8.30am to 4.30pm from November - March.

Tickets can be purchased from the building on top of the stairs, which I believe is the Hamada tomariya lodge building.

Admissions cost 800yen for adults, 500yen for high school students, 400yen for junior high school student and 300yen for elementary school student.

 

 

A teaser of photos before I embark on a more detailed posts on some interesting buildings in the open-air museum. A bridge, a theater and a home.

What? You don't think I'd just settle for one post for this awesome museum, do you? I certainly will not! Stay tuned for more!

Tasukete Kudasai!

Sometimes, when you translate something directly, you'd end up using the wrong word although it has the same meaning in your language.

Case in point:

We were standing cluelessly in front of this Loppi machine at Lawson's trying to purchase our One Piece ticket at Huis Ten Bosch.

So, I tried to ask assistance from one of the staff there, intending to say "Tolong saya" or "please help/assist me" but there I go with "tasukete kudasai" instead of "oshiete kudasai". heh

Assistance received and tickets paid for, but not before wasting more of the staff time stalling as I cannot remember how to write my name in katakana. At last, she told me to write it in romanji. double heh

And we are all set to visit Huis Ten Bosch and see One Piece! A birthday present for Raimie.

Anyway, if you want to learn how to use that Loppi machine to purchase whatever tickets that can be bought there, here's a site with a detailed explanation. Or you can just smile and look helpless and say "oshiete kudasai" to whomever that might pass by you and hope that they will. I bet they will. ^^

A Chateau Up The Hill

On our way walking from Matsuyama Station to Dogo Onsen, we chanced upon this lovely villa up on a hill. Intrigued, we decided to make a quick stop to check the place out.

At the gate, there was a man in full military costume (ala Napoleon not Japanese soldier). Curiousity made me approached him but it seems that he wasn't really an official part of the villa - well maybe he is. He charged a fee for visitors to take photos with him. I think it was 100yen per photo per person or something.

 

 

 

 

The place is called Bansuiso Villa and was built by Count Hisamatsu Sadakoto in 1922. Count Hisamatsu Sadakoto was a direct descesdant of Matsuyama feudal lord.

The French influence came from the fact the the Count spent an extended period of time in France as the resident military attache and was completely besotted with the French style of architecture. The villa was the place to be in, its time and even the Imperial family came visiting when they were in Ehime. The Villa's construction was in fact rushed to be completed in time for Prince Hirohito (later Emperor Showa) visit.

Bansuiso was designated as a cultural property by Ehime prefecture in 1985 and was designated as one of the country's important cultural property in 2011.

Plus, this romantic villa is part of Saka no ue no kumo course (no 5 to be specific). It is now used as the annexe building of Saka no ue no kumo museum. I wish I learnt about this course and the novel "Cloud over the slope" which is what saka no ue no kumo means; written by Ryotaro Shiba prior to our visit. It would be nice to make a complete tour of the course, after reading the book (or watching the NHK produced drama of it), don't you think?

But of course, like most places we stumbled upon, I learnt about its history after our visit. Sometimes months and years after our visit. I guess that's why we simply have to return to Japan again and again. We always have unfinished business there!

Happy now, Jungle Woman?