Loyalty and Revenge at Sengakuji

Within walking distance of Shinagawa station is a famous Buddhist temple called Sengakuji. I had some time so I walked to the temple grounds and saw the graves of the "47 Samurai".

The 47 Samurai story began in 1701 with a disagreement between two feudal lords. Kira Kozukenosuke did not show Asano Takuminkami the proper amount of respect. Because of this insult, Asano attacked Kira. Unfortunately for Asano, he wasn't able to kill Kira, and he broke the law by drawing a sword within Edo Castle.

Asano was sentenced to commit seppuku (ritual suicide), and after his death, his estate was confiscated.

Asano's retainers felt that he was unjustly treated. They swore to take revenge on Kira. They waited and for two years planned their revenge. Then under the direction of Oishi Kuranosuke, 47 samurai attacked and killed Kira at his home. They took Kira's head to Asano's grave within Sengakuji temple as a way of showing that they finally avenged what happened to their lord.

The 47 samurai then turned themselves in to the Shogunate and were sentenced to commit "seppuku". The were all buried at Sengakuji. This story of the 47 Samurai is frequently told in Japan as an example of loyalty.

Here is a picture of some of their graves.

Thunderstorms and flights don't mix

Part 1.

I left the house early Sunday morning to go to the airport. I was taking a quick flight to JFK and then on to Tokyo.

No problems between Logan and JFK, but after we arrived, the clouds started to roll into New York. Even so, we boarded the plane. Then the rain started to come down; so we waited.

4 hours later, the pilot took us back to the gate and announced that the flight had been canceled.


I booked a hotel in the city for the night. The only redeeming thing was that I got to watch the final episode of Foyle's War on PBS. The next morning, I took the picture above from my hotel window.

Part 2.

No problems on day two of my attempt to get to Tokyo. The worst part of the trip was the mini TV in the NYC cab that kept running the same 3 stories over and over. I almost memorized them by the time I got to JFK.

I arrived in Tokyo and took the bus to Shinagawa where I am staying. There is an elaborate bus system going from Narita airport to the various hotels in downtown Tokyo.

The weather here is sunny but very humid. Here is a picture from this hotel window.

All the world's a stage.

Saturday night, we took our kids into Boston to the Shakespeare on the Common performance of “As You Like It”. We staked out our spot, spread out our blanket, ate, and then let the teenagers go find some kind of frozen treat.

All around us people filled in with their blankets and picnics. My wife and I sat back in our beach chairs and did a little people watching.

There were three women laughing and talking. They represented the English Major/Graduate Student Faction. Strawberries seemed to be a major part of their meal.

The group right in front of us was hard to categorize. The men had a rough edge and significantly longer hair than the women. They were vigorously talking about the play itself and eating various pasta salads. We finally decided they were more Medieval Fair than Harley Davidson types.

The urban professional couple. My wife predicted that they were on a date and didn’t know each other very well yet. They had a much more upscale meal: crusty bread, brie, and smoked salmon.

Finally, our group. People looking at us would have said, “middle aged couple from the suburbs dragging their kids into the city to get some culture”.

When the epilogue was done, our group thought it had been a great performance. I’ll bet the others agreed.

Palo Alto

My mom always says that the air in Bay Area is soft. She means that it isn't too humid, and it isn't too dry. She should know; she grew up there.

I drove from my hotel to Stanford University where I am participating in a conference. On the way there, I decided to take a little detour around Palo Alto. When I was young, we would go to my grandparent's house here. It was a typical 50s home on a street lined with magnolia trees and not too far from Stanford.

The neighborhoods in Palo Alto have the most beautiful flowers. No doubt the moderate weather makes it easy for gardening. I saw the rose garden above and had to take a picture.

After driving into the Stanford campus, I parked my car and was overwhelmed by the wonderful smell of eucalyptus trees. The eucalyptus and magnolia trees make the whole town very fragrant. It always brings me back to visiting here as a child.


When I needed a break from the conference, I walked outside, took a look at the campus, and enjoyed the sun.

Goin' to Gochi

Tucked away in a small strip mall in Cupertino, CA is a Japanese restaurant called Gochi.

A typical Japanese dinner consists of several appetizer type dishes that everyone shares. These are served over an extended period of time so that people can talk at their leisure. As you would expect, the pace is slower than a typical American restaurant, and most meals last 2-3 hours.

I took a picture of the sashimi (raw fish) that we ate with gusto. At the top of the picture, you can see what is left after a fish has all the meat cut off. Down below, to the left, and behind the leaf, is that fish's head. I kept staring at it all night. To tell you the truth, I didn't like the way it looked back at me.

Four Aces Diner

My reward for volunteering to be an adult leader for teenagers (see post below) was to go to a real diner on my way home.

I had emailed a good friend of mine who lived in the area and asked him if he knew of any diners. The response came almost immediately, "Four Aces".

Four Aces is located in West Lebanon, NH. It is built around an old boxcar and has everything you would expect in a fifties diner - elvis memorabilia, chrome, and pictures of cars.

I sat down, looked at the menu, and knew that I wanted "The Joker" (see the photo below). It included everything - sausage, bacon, eggs, home fries, and pancakes. A perfect breakfast after sleeping in a tent for a couple of nights.

And a river runs through it.

I spent a couple of days at the end of last week taking my teenager girls and their friends to a church Youth Conference in Vermont.

There are times in the teenage years that are larger than life. A Youth Conference is filled with those kind of "moments". Here are some that I noticed.

Moment Number One: Meet your group

As the kids arrived, they were assigned to a group. I was helping the Purple Group, 18 teenagers - boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 18.

They started by playing get to know you games. I looked at each one. Some were confident; they were already at the top of the social landscape. Some looked scared but tried not to show it. Most were wondering "will I be accepted".

The moment happened after they had spent some time together. They were willing to try to build a human pyramid - lots of laughing and the realization that everyone was welcome in the group.


Moment Number Two: Visit the LDS Church memorial in Sharon, VT.

You don't hear much about faith in popular culture, unless it is the butt of a joke. An hour or two of learning about your religion and the opportunity for each individual to think about what they believe is a moment.

Moment Number Three: Tubing down the river

I volunteered to be one of the adults tubing along with the kids in the river. I noticed a teenage couple floating along. He was holding onto her foot as their tubes moved slowly down the river. They were laughing and oblivious to anyone else. A summer romance is a fleeting, but a happy moment.


Moment Number Four: The Dance

The kids were excited about the dance; there were "moments" all around.

Outside the door to the dance, a group of girls were sitting quietly. You can imagine them. A good looking young man came out, walked up to them and quickly asked, "is there anyone here who hasn't danced yet?" One of the girls said, "yes". He responded by saying, "then you and me - next dance". I don't imagine she'll forget that moment.

There was a younger boy dancing a slow dance with an older, taller, and very pretty girl. He got up the courage to ask, and she was nice enough to say "yes". He'll remember that moment.

What teenage moments do you remember?

Fenway Park

Every year, my son and I make our annual pilgrimage to see the Red Sox play at Fenway Park. I've been to several ball parks around the country, but none of them compare to the atmosphere at Fenway.

Walking up to Yawkey Way is like joining a party. You can hear music playing and conversations about pitchers and Red Sox statistics.

My son and I always head right for The Best Sausage Company. He likes to get a hot dog; I like an Italian Sausage.


We got there early enough to try to get an autograph. Last year, we saw Daisuke Matsuzaka.

But, this year, no one came out to sign. While we were waiting, I snapped this picture of my son at the edge of the field.


The game got off to a great start, and Kevin Youkilis hit a Grand Slam in the 3rd inning.

An Italian ice, a bag of peanuts, a couple of drinks, an 8th inning singing of "Sweet Caroline", and a soft pretzel later, the Sox won 12-1.


We sang along to "Dirty Water" and "Tessie" as we walked out of the park.

Sonsie

Near the end of Newbury Street is a Boston restaurant called Sonsie.

I had a dinner meeting this week in Boston with some people from Tokyo who were staying at the Hilton Back Bay. Sonsie is just a 5 minute walk from the hotel so we decided to go there and try it out. It has been hot here this week, so it was good to go someplace close.

Sonsie was fairly crowded with a mostly "urban professional" clientèle. I chose the swordfish and was really happy I did.

Peter Rabbit would have loved this.

When I was a kid, we had a garden. I have distinct memories of picking peas and eating them raw. On the other hand, I also have memories of weeding.

These days, I barely have enough time to weed the flower beds and take care of a couple of tomato plants.

So when a good friend of ours proposed the idea of a co-op garden, we jumped at the chance. There is no comparison to the flavor and tenderness of garden vegetables compared to what you buy in a store. The basket above was this week's bounty.

I couldn't just pick up the veggies without taking a quick look at her inviting flower gardens.


Behind the house are peaceful fields and rolling hills as far as the eye can see. I'll bet her grandchildren really do sing, "over the hills and through the woods..."

Celebrate America

The town next to ours has an annual 4th of July celebration. We go there every year because it is very family friendly and it isn't too far to drive.

As you can see from the picture above, you can get the requisite fireworks food. I waited in line to get "dinner" while my son and his friend waited in line to get fried dough.

It is always hard for me to decide what to get at these places, but in the end, I ended up with a turkey drumstick.


For the record, it was too much to finish.


When I was college age, I used to go see the fireworks on the National Mall in D.C. That was fun at the time, but now I much prefer a smaller venue.

My wife and I sat near friends to talk and see the sunset, my teenage daughters were off talking with other teenagers, and my son was hanging out with his friend.

And finally, in the distance, a muffled sound of the rockets being launched, and the sky full of light.


Happy Birthday America!

How many names are there?

I've always known this flower as foxglove. I like that name; it sounds like something from a fairy story. You can imagine a tale about fairies planting these flowers so the foxes would have gloves to make them more quiet, or protect their paws in some way.

But, apparently, there are other names. Foxglove can be poisonous. And in some parts of Europe, people saw bells instead of gloves. Here are some other traditional names:

Witches' Gloves
Dead Man's Bells
Dog’s Finger
Fairy Fingers
Fairy Gloves
Finger Flower
Folks’ Glove
Lion’s Mouth
Ladies’ Glove
Gloves of Our Lady
Fairy Caps
Fairy Thimbles, and
Virgin’s Glove

After looking at all these names, I would love to hear story about "Witches Gloves" - that sounds like the makings of a great fairy tale.

Coast to Coast

It was one of those weeks. I started in San Francisco and ended in Washington, D.C. After looking through my pictures from the week, I came across these three that I really liked.

While I was in San Francisco, I got a chance to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge, stop the car, and walk onto the bridge. It was windy, and the further I got out on the bridge, the more uncomfortable I got. I know that it would take a strong blast of wind to pick me up and over the railing, but somehow my nerves didn't get the message.


At the end of the week, I drove through Washington, D.C. to get to National Airport and my flight back to Boston. I was a little early, so I stopped on the National Mall to look around. At 9am in the morning, it was already sweltering hot. I don't know how I survived living in the D.C. area in the summers. But, the sky was blue and the Smithsonian Museums looked as grand as always.

Near the Smithsonian Castle is an old carousel. We used to take our children there when they were small. No surprise, but they always liked going on the carousel more than the Art Museum.