Category: Travel
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Skiing at Mammoth Mountain
I went up to Mammoth Mountain to ski for a couple of days. Mid-week skiing is nice, because the mountain is not crowded, and the motel rates are a little cheaper. I was anticipating spring-skiing conditions, but ended up with a spring storm! Wednesday was very windy and cold, but sunny. Thursday, a storm rolled…
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Home?
I’ve been back in L.A. for a few days, now. I can’t really say I am “home”, though, because I do not have a permanent residence. I have taken my car out of storage, and had it checked out. Now I will continue my nomadic life for a while longer: first, I’ll catch a few…
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Yoshino-yama
Yoshino Mountain is a short distance south of Nara. Yoshino is famed for its cherry trees. There are hundreds of trees on the mountainside. This is quite different from the cities, where trees have been planted in parks and along the streets. I am not certain if the Yoshino cherry trees are “wild”, or if…
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Flying to LA
I am flying back to Los Angeles, today.
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Toru and Miyako Odori
I attended two very different performances, on Saturday. The first was a traditional Noh play called Toru, and the second was the Geisha dance called Miyako Odori. Unfortunately, there was some overlap in the performances. The Noh started at 1:30, and went to 5:00, and the Miyako Odori started at 4:50, but you should arrive…
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Sakura Ice Cream
That’s right: Cherry blossom ice cream! It doesn’t taste like cherry. It tastes like a flower smells! The photo above is self-explanatory. Daihatsu Roadster I’ve seen a few of these around. It’s another interesting car from Daihatsu. Mini Craze There are a lot of restored old “real” minis around. Japan’s vehicle inspections are very tough.…
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Makin’ Mochi
Here are some guys making mochi the old-fashioned way, in Nara. They pound glutinous rice into a paste, and then form a ball with some sweet red beans inside. It is coated with some rice flour so you can hold it. Otherwise, it is very sticky. Unfortunately, in the photo, the finished product is out…
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One Week To Go
After six months of travel, I am still smiling and happy. Here I am at Horyuchi Temple, which is in the outskirts of Nara. This temple has the oldest wooden building in the world. It is 1300 years old. Most of the other wooden temples have been destroyed by fire, earthquake, or neglect, so it…
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Retro Daihatsu
I mentioned a very retro 60’s style Daihatsu car a few posts earlier. I managed to snap a photo of one today, as it was pulling out of a parking lot. I think it looks a lot like some small British cars from the 60’s. The Japanese automakers were probably copying the style of these…
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Kyoto and Nara
I’ve spent two days exploring Kyoto, and today I had a free tour of some sights in Nara with a student guide. The cherry blossoms seem to be peaking now, in both cities. I can’t imagine they will get any more profuse! I’ve taken many photos of cherry blossoms, temples, and cherry blossoms with temples.…
Michael Chmilar's Travels 