blissful thinking

S T A R F E S T I V A L 2022. I totally forgot the flavors I ate but it was two thumbs up. Only had waffles cones. It was hot on day 2 so I hope the ice cream peeps made up for rainy first day. It was a fun weekend :) thanks to the amazing @hgono and @echos___answer for being the best camp mates! ended with hiyoshi springs onsen. Its got weird futurist vibes as the dam developers built the onsen and pool for displacing those who lived in the dam construction site. But theres no onsens in that area and surrounding mtns so I guess its a modified win?
https://www.instagram.com/p/CedDjjbL0pm/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Farming and cooking with friends = 幸せ pure happiness. my name means a thousand happiness and someone once asked me what happens after the thousandth happiness. At the time I was confused— Why did this person think happiness was a finite resource. Of course there can be many interpretations but lately I’m focusing on finding my 1000 activities that bring me happiness. Heres the first two.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CeZo6J4PjUq/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

2018 throwback to when I commuted 1.5 hours to school and eldersat my obaachan. Our minifield trips for ice cream were joyful of course but also were a saving grace to the ups and downs that often come with Alzheimer’s/dementia. I miss her and my other grandma dearly.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdPgc4qvPYR/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I often crave drumsticks. The chocolate coated cone with the vanilla icecream covered in more chocolate with the perfect amount of chopped peanuts…. Cant find them in Japan but this black thunder bar has quality crunch. Its like chocolate cookies and cream with chunks. And no kites ate em! Lucky me ☺️ if youve been to kamo river you know firsthand just how well birds 🦅 40m vision focus and attack precision can be!! (at Kyoto, Japan)
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Shiso softcream.
Ohara is known for their shibazuke (eggplant pickled with red shiso). Theyve been doing it for 800 yrs… they rotate their rice crop with red shiso. This part of kyoto isnt too high in mineral content and shiso is pretty easy to grow for their microclimate/soils. Anyways shiso ice cream… id probably stick to their pickles. It smells amazing when its growing in the early summer. Also travel tip: travel with older folks, they cant eat as much… means more soft cream for me :)) (at Ohara no Sato)
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Obaachan’s 3回忌 2022.1.18.
Not sure how much this applies to religion or cultural tradition but each seven days after one passes is honored to help them along their journey. In Japan the 49th day is when people gather again as its a sign they have transitioned and then the 100th day is when mourning period is over and can fully celebrate their life. Anyways after that it goes 1 year, 2, 6,12,16,22,26,32,36,42,46,49,99 years. Some random shots from my obaachans 2 year. Also sad to say but this grape icecream was only alright but lolz it was mad difficult to check to see what products were produced locally at the winery close by. This is also a tangent but the monk that looks after the kondo grave… he is progressively getting more radically conservative every year I see him…. His speech after the ritual was a longgg monologue on why the lineage of the imperial family must continue with a male because of how the y chromosome is what ties the 124 generation of the longest “pure” monarchical lineage 🧐😤😳 (at Miyoshi, Hiroshima)
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Another gem of chojyayu :) the level of detail in this thing is nuts! (at 長者湯)
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2021長者湯の大掃除🧹🧼🧽
To my bath fam, thank you for the love and community. Love thy neighbor means so much more when we eat together but also when we clean together. Looking forward to my last year in my home away from home. Also gyu-oyakodon at 3:30 am is way 🤤 delicious (at 長者湯)
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Fall 2019 was the first time I chose to live alone. Had I foreseen the forthcoming pandemic, I would have never come down from the mountains and my farm family. But every new opportunity brings forth growth and new reflections. Im forever grateful for the views from my window. It snowed yesterday and I tried facetiming my dad to show him and his comments were less about snow but the one wooden machiya left on my street. I should call my dad more but his antiblackness gets to be too much for me sometimes. But such is life, pain and joy are never too far apart. To love, heartbreak, and the healing in between. (at 長者湯)
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Sento stamp rally story #1.
Kyoto is having a virtual stamp rally to entice younger folks to come to bathouses and of course I can never back down from a little stamp action (im surprised all the obaachans arent into it… aiming for 5 so I can get a towel :)… Im a sucker for these freebie prizes. Today I took the day off to celebrate a day of gratitude and checked out this adorable sento near my favorite zerowaste shop (the lowkey one ☝️that pays more respect to local biz). Reflection: saunas are my favorite. Theres always one obaachan thats hella outspoken and friendly. We talked about how our bodies are different probably since they werent raised on hella processed foods but they also probably faced malnutrition post war. She liked my messy bun and said it would look cute with a pin. 2nd round: commentary on the young ultimate frisbee team that came in with no sponge and soap. Their conclusion was young pol wash with their hands now. Damn even though I dont get to hang out with my own obaachans anymore, the obaachans of kyoto share so much 💕 love and gossip. They are the original xoxo, gossip girl. (at 玉の湯)
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