Saturday, November 13, 2021

Meiji Shrine on a beautiful fall day


A couple weeks ago there was a festival (sort of subdued, with the lack of tourists - Japan is still not open to tourists) at Meiji Shrine.  I met some friends there and we really enjoyed ourselves.  Not pictured are the many absolutely adorable children in their fancy kimono, being photographed.

At the entrance, an autumn display celebrating the harvest - with a ship made out of vegetables! 


A solemn procession of monks: 

A marvelous exhibit of ikebana: 





and chrysanthemums everywhere: 



I love spotting the Pawlonia kamon (family crest):  


Back home, I've not been doing much quilting lately.  I'm sort of stalled out.   I've been doing a lot of geneology, sitting at my kitchen table with the marvelous fresh air and sunshine streaming in: 




Cabell County West Virginia rural school class photo.  The tall guy in the back was my great-grandfather Garland Tennyson Brown.  We called him Pop: 

Last week in book group we discussed A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.  I read it for the second time (actually, the first time, I listened to it).  I took notes and really savored it because it was my turn to lead the discussion.  I highly recommend this epic, beautifully written novel! 

And now we are reading The Woman in the White Kimono by Ana Johns - much quicker read, really enjoying it too. 


xo

Cynthia 

13 comments:

  1. Looks like a gorgeous day at the shrine. I love seeing the 7, 5, and 3 years olds at the shrines in November. One of my students showed me the cutest picture of him with his three year old nephew, taken last week at his local shrine. The nephew was wearing his father’s outfit from when he was three years old. Such sweet traditional events.

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  2. I always enjoy your blog posts. I think A Gentleman in Moscow is one of my 25 favorite books of my entire life, and I'm a voracious reader and 72 years old. I would have loved to hear your book group discussion. I will look up the book y'all are reading next. Did your whole group like A Gentleman in Moscow, or otherwise?

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    1. It really is a fantastic novel! In general yes everyone loved it. There were a couple comments about it being slow going and hard to get into. A few of the gals hadn't finished it - I hope they will! The payoff is huge.

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  3. Thanks for the photos and the book recommendations! Sometimes a pause from quilt making (any creative endeavor, actually) is a good thing and one returns refreshed and ready to resume, sometimes even in a new direction. Enjoy your pause! :)

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  4. How beautiful. Maybe nicer, more authentic? without scads of phone camera wielding tourists.

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  5. Loved the ikebana photos, so beautiful. How nice that your weather is still warm enough to have the windows open.

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  6. I love all the glimpses of Japan and its culture that you are able to share with us.
    Sometimes you just don't feel driven to create something--and genealogy can be consuming to me. I'm trying to get my FIL's history ready to print for the family for Christmas and it can keep me absorbed for days!

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  7. I loved A Gentleman in Moscow. I'm glad it was so long & enjoyed his evolution. Such a satisfying read!

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  8. Thanks for the tour - as always! Our family book club's first read was A Gentleman in Moscow; everyone loved it. I've hear Amor Towles most recent book is also excellent. Thanks for the Woman in the White Kimono recommendation, too!

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  9. I also loved that book, and felt it timely with our Covid situation. Made me feel so very fortunate to have the freedom that we have, and to not live under an oppressive regime. Also his resourcefulness was astounding. Love your glimpses of Japan, as usual.

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  10. Thanks for sharing the photos from the festival. The flowers arrangements and beautiful and the veggie boat is a work of art.
    I also enjoyed "A Gentleman in Moscow" and should think about re-read.
    what a wonderful old family photo.

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  11. Another lovely venue to visit and to take photos. The flower arrangements are beautiful and I love those big mums. Genealogy can sure take up lots of time. That's a wonderful photo of your gr-grandfather! I started listening to A Gentleman in Moscow this summer and I still haven't gotten through it. Now I'm looking forward to reading the actual book :)

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  12. I enjoyed A Gentleman in Moscow too. I picked it up without knowing anything about it and found it a good read. I'll look for the Woman in a White Kimono.

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