Sunday Kimono 22 - Rental Kimono in Kawagoe

Kawagoe is known as Little Edo. It has many old buildings  - kurakuzkuri - warehouses with clay walls and steep tiled roofs.  Its a popular place to rent kimonos and explore the streets and eat local treats.  Sweet potato was popular when I visited last month, both in ice cream and as thin slices as fried chips.

Tuesday Temples - With Sakura

The Izu Peninsula is a beautiful location and I visited it for the weekend.  Sakura were still blooming, but the peak had passed.

A grove of Sakura were in grave yard of Chorakuji shrine.  It was a used for negotiations leading to the end of Japan's national isolation policy in 1854.  A Russian delegation visited in 1854 and were trapped there when a tsunami destroyed their fleet. The Russian-Japanese treaty was signed at Chorakuji in 1855.

Admiral Perry for the US signed a similar treaty in Shimoda in 1854.

Build a Wall

Building a wall to keep "the others" out has seemed like a good idea to leaders throughout the ages and throughout the world.  I spent today with Garret Hottrich, an ex-VIS teacher, who has lived here for over 20 years learning some of the history of Vientiane and touring around the area.  We stopped at this Historycal Park (a sign in front of an overgrown mound of dirt) where we saw some very old bricks from the Vientiane Wall built in the late 1700s to keep out the Siamese.

Out of the Sand

Qasr Al Hosn an historic square fort built in the 1790s is a stark contrast to this modern sky-scrapper  in  Abu Dhabi.

Buddhas in Niches

The cloister at Wat Sisaket was lined with these small niches containing antique Buddha statues.  The statues were found buried at the site when the French began repairs on the temple in 1900. Prior to their arrival Vientiane (Viang Chan)  had been annihilated by the Siamese (Thailand) and in ruins for 70 years.