Snow on Nikko Mountains Japan April 10th 2012

 Teresa has decided today she will take me to Nikko Mountains for our last road trip in Japan.  The view from the car of the magnificent Nikko Mountains is so beautiful.  The Nikko Mountains are  mesmerizing as we kept driving towards them. Japan has many mesmerizing views because of the huge amount of nature that is so well preserved.  As we started up the mountain I can not tell you how many countless switchbacks we went around to get to  Lake Chūzenji.  This is a scenic lake in Nikkō National Park in the city of Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. It was created 20,000 years ago when Mount Nantai (2484 m) erupted and blocked the river.  No matter what time of the year you come to Nikko Mountains you will always find the natural beauty of nature at its finest.  Even though it's spring in Utsunomiya Japan here on the mountain there is still snow covered hills and mountains.

 The Adonis coffee shop is located right on Lake Chūzenji. There were only 2 parking spots but since it was early we made one of the spots ours.  The coffee house has been remodeled from the last time I was here.  The deck is much larger, but the view is still as spectacular as the first time I was here.  So glad Teresa and Valerie are here to share the beauty with me.

 The coffee house is nice and cozy and warm as the wind around here was a tad bit cool.  The huge set of windows in the back of coffee house made for a spectacular view of the Nikko Mountains.  I love Nikko and all the beauty it holds no matter what season I visit.

Each of us has ordered a cup of specialty coffee and is enjoying each other's company.  I am anxious to go see the restaurant called Le Michel in Nikko City.  The owner is a friend of Teresa's, whom she met through a guy we both worked with at one time.   

 We have arrived at Le Michel's French restaurant in Nikko City. This restaurant is one of the best places I have eaten in Japan.  It should be famous, but it seems to me that the ones who do know about this place only tell their closest friends.  I could find nothing on the internet about this wonderful place, but so glad that now I know.  It's a place everyone must eat at and enjoy the soba-made crepe sandwiches and soba crepe pastry.  YUMMO......telephone:  0288-53-4659 

 The owner, Asami Yoshiko, will greet you with a very big welcome smile and seat you at a table where there is always a good view. 

Shopping in Nikko City, Japan

Ikebana~Japanese Flower Arranging with Yoko Sensei: April 2

I am so excited today to meet Yoko~san for my first lesson in Ikebana.  Yoko san is a certified sensei for teaching this wonderful art called Ikebana.
Teresa and I are on our way to pick up Valarie and Kensho.  The ladies told me Yoko san lives in a place they all call Beverly Hills of Japan.  When we arrived to her house I now know why they call it this. :-)  The surroundings the homes are located in is in a very well kept neighborhood with all the houses about equal in comparison.

Mioko was already there for Ikebana class and greeted us with her usual beautiful smile.  When we walked in and took off our shoes I was  astonished over the beautiful hand painting she has done on many things.

I am admiring her beautiful house looking at all of her hand painted items.  I am really liking her wine rack she made with lighting behind the bottles.  She used LED lights so they don't get hot and destroy the bottled wine.    I really, really, want to do this when I get home.

Yoko~ Ikebana sensei is starting to give us instructions on how many flowers we get of each kind and how to start  our Ikebana.  Ikebana focuses on a triangular formation, with three predominate flowers symbolizing heaven, earth and humankind.  We are all listening carefully to her as we want to follow her instructions. We were given choices of using baskets or boxes for our Ikebana.  We all chose the baskets.

 Together we all go out on the deck where the baskets are sitting waiting on us to fill them with beautiful flowers.  We are all so proud of our Ikebana's as I watched everyone work to place their flowers just right everyone was so engrossed in what they were doing.  Not much talking if any and you could tell they were thinking hard on where to put the next flower they had in their hand.

 Yoko san if giving my Ikebana a little help, I want it to look beautiful as I am giving to my host family Kozue and Susumo. :-)

 In Japan their culture tries not to throw anything away even the stems we cut off to shorten our flowers.  She used a part of a stem and put on the inside of a leaf or support. What a creative idea.

Well we have cleaned up our area and are proudly displaying our beautiful Ikebana's.

Gift for my host family looks great.  Forgot to mention if you look close you will notice that I have Easter egg in my Ikebana. :-)

 We are now taking our Ikebana's inside and Yoko san has invited us all to stay for coffee and cake.  All of our Ikebana's look so beautiful, a big thank you to Yoko san for having us in her home to teach us how to make this great Japanese tradition.  The smell of flowers is all through the house now wow loving it.

Coffee and this wonderful cake like treat filled with vanilla pudding and whipped cream.  I have never tasted anything as good as this.  It's not to sweet or rich tasting.  YUMMO We each got to go to the china cabinet and pick out a cup and saucer to use for our coffee.  What a talented person Yoko sun is her art on everything is just so well done.

 We sat for a while and talked and then decided where we were going to eat lunch.  We ended up at a Chinese restaurant.  The place looked very new and the food was excellent.

How to do a Japanese Flower Arrangement


Simple Ikebana Design

1.  Place a floral frog (a spiked holder for cut flowers) in a shallow bowl, tray or pot, near one edge of the container. Use a bowl with very simple lines, preferably one with no designs or ornamentation. Fill the bowl halfway with water.

2.  Place your longest branch or flowers near the top center of the floral frog, leaning slightly to the left side. This flower represents heaven. Take time to position the flower in a pleasing, graceful line.

Place the medium-length branch or flowers toward the bottom left of the floral frog. Lean the flower towards the left, but at a steeper angle than the first flower. This flower represents the earth. Step back to examine your arrangement from different angles, and adjust to please your eye.

4.  Place the shortest branch or flower on the bottom right side of the floral frog. Lean it slightly away from the longest branch. This represents humankind. Remember that in ikebana, empty space is as important as the floral elements.

5.  Fill the arrangement in with additional short flowers or greenery until the floral frog is completely covered.