ii-ne-kore

here is a little bit more of the japan we saw

back in march/april this year.

above is a photo taken from a

little perch we go to every time 

we are in shibuya crossing.

it is a bar/izakaya up an elevator

in a building on the northern side of the big crossing.

always quiet when it opens around 5pm.

it's great for soaking up the crowds and classic tokyo views.

i think in general for finding good tokyo hidey holes and perches:

look up, climb random stairs, ride little elevators.

you never know what you will find.

all photos by julian patterson.

we do like baths

kissaten are simply the best.

great kissaten cash register.

nice shape.

cemeteries: nice to spend some quiet time and poke around small temples.

sanjo dori, kyoto.

one of the live houses (urban guild, kyoto) that kes and my pal foot foot played.

japanese band jenny on the planet supported kes and my pal in osaka.

kissaten breakfast set. 300 yen for tea and two slices.

local nagoya artwork in a kissaten.

one day we went for a trip into the mountains near nagano.

we didn't have a plan, as as night and the rain drew in,

we couldn't find anywhere to stay in the tiny little hamlets 

we were passing through on the local train.

when we had started thinking we might have to 

set up camp in a train side waiting room,

we tried knocking on a farmhouse door

 to ask if they knew anywhere to stay.

they were so kind (of course!) and 

directed us to the one station stop we hadn't tried, 

waited with us in the cold rain until they saw us safely on the train, 

called ahead to ask the inn owner to pick us up 

and called the (only) restaurant owner to meet us 

to have some dinner at her restaurant.

one of the very special things about japan.

the place we stayed was an ancient farmhouse villa in a beautiful 

small village that these last 4 photos show.

great shop signage/lettering. this is a soba/udon noodle store.