My favorite Tamse path

One of What I like about London is the scenery of it―the city combined with historical and modern building sites and divided by the river in which people walk at speedy pace proudly and sharply. The image, I want to keep as it was.

Whenever I had time, I went out just to walk along the Tames, joining tourists. If you step out from London Bridge tube station, you have two choices to go, ether Borough Market or Tower Bridge. I liked both sides but I went west more often, where Southwark Cathedral, small paths having pub, restaurants and cafes alongside and the market on weekends were.

And I love seeing the view in the places where past and presence combined, which leads me to think future positively.

Summer in Japan

It has been a long,since I stopped to write my short trips down here but it doesn't mean I have been at home all the time,of course! It is simply because of my being indolent....Let get it started by recalling from my memories,since I am back in Japan.
First of all, I would like to confess my amazement toward the summer here,which I used to have known by the way.
Having lived in UK for 3 years,I am used to the pleasant but short summer...,probably only for 3 days for no sleeves...Here I am allowed to be outside for about 1 second by the Sun and lead to take shower hundred times per day by the humidity!!!
So..why don't we spend time at home with air conditioner and ice candy in our hand! Oh, I heard people saying having barbecue by the river is the best!!! That sounds right...,well healthy and fun!

Along Thames path

If you go to the other side of  London Aquarium,there is a quiet Thames path facing Houses of Parliament toward Lambeth Bridge. On the road are benches where we can sit to enjoy viewing the gigantic well-known architect calmly. As they have less tourists―I suppose the other side has more attraction for sightseer,such as London Eye and London Bridge,there is no rush to find the seats.

This road leads us to the district called Lambeth. Opposite of The corner for the Lambeth bridge is Lambeth Palace which is the London presence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, one of the oldest sites of the capital date back to 12th century. Next to it is  Garden Museum which is used to be the parish church of Lambeth,whose backyard is also laid for tombs of the Tradescants,father and son who were gardeners and collected new plants and fauna from the world to introduce them to Britain in 17th century.

At the museum is the cafe where we can take time for rest after sightseeing in gentle atmosphere.It is really a hidden space.Well, what to do next...if you across the  Lambeth Bridge,the right side is Victoria Tower Garden ahead to the Big Ben and at the left you will find Tate Britain which posses British painting collections such as Turner. So, there is still a plenty of plans ahead!!!

In the dark―day two

The day after visiting the Imperial War Museum,I backed there again to continue the lest I had left. Again it took time for me. I spent much time for the World war I section where the book 'Birdsong' belonged.

Last winter I happened to meet the book 'A week in December' by Sebastian Faulks,the same author as 'Birdsong'. On the way to my work on the wall in the underground corridor was a big advertisement of it,which was saying ''one meeting will change our life" or sort. Well, it sounded interesting enough for me to purchase it as I had been having this instruction.Chose what you are close to carefully,or you could be a bad girl.....!!!and that had been true.We are in the currency that seems being occurring by the outside power but actually the source of it is the movement we make at first place. And funny thing is that the way we make decision is actually base on our experience and knowledge which has been made by ,well, what we had took in the past. Over all It seems our life is consisted of a lot of choices we have made through a number of fateful encounter. So, there am I with the book of the author who became one of my favourite.

In the dark―day one

Little did I know about the history where my grandparents were belong,which I felt deeply after reading the book called Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks,whose story mainly occurred during world war I. And by the author I had known that London had the museum called the Imperior War Museum.

The museum is located north London near Lambeth North tube station in Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park.It shows the life and experience from the World war I through II to Cold War,including Secret War which I had regarded as being a fiction such as 007. When I was around 12,I read the book which was actually the diary written by Anne Frank who was 13 at the time,hiding on an attic with her family during the world war II because of their identity as being jew. In the end,she was trapped and killed at Bergen-Belssen concnetration camp -the Holocaust. Since then, the fact had been pasted in my head.I started off from the highest flower which was the section for the Holocaust. I didn't think that I was going to stay around 3 hours and too dizzy to go on to another flower.

Stepping out from the museum,I was welcomed by the blight and warm sunlight. I hardly say that I've learned or known but might be able to say I've captured a very little at least...

Soaked with frutiful stories

Painting posses stories in them. They are not like books which have a plenty of pages with letters telling their contents and enrich our imagination and knowledge.However,they give us similar experiences. They are pulling us into their world and let us think their backdrops by just showing their images.So,visiting museums is one of my favorite activities which allows me to meet a lot of stories on the day in a specific space.This time I went to The Courtauld Gallery for the first time in my London life.

The Gallery is located in the Sumerset House. Its approved collections,such as van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, Manet’s great last painting A Bar at the Folies-Bergère, lead us not to think about its scale which supplies us with relaxed time movement as we don't need to rush to other works.I take time slowly to move on to another vision and if I find a painting fascinating and sympathetic air, I just stop and gaze.In front of 'Lady with a parasol', first, I couldn't see the shape of the painting and tried to figure out what was in the flame. That was a woman looking slightly ahead to her left side,turning back against audience with her parasol painted by black ink. It was so simple but perfectly calculated on the balance on the canvas.The woman didn't tell me a lot but the space did.There were passion in silence and sadness in peace.

Only did I realized that it became afternoon after the trip ended and decided to have a little snack with coffee at the cafe on the lower ground floor where a open terrace was available. Sitting down in the sun, I was so fulfilled with the images and histories that I felt pleasant quietness.

                   

Here comes snow again!!!

The moment I stepped out from the airplane onto the field of my country,Snow started to patter from the sky.Welcomed by my sister at the airport, I became in the mood of celebration for the New Year coming very next day.

In Japan, the period of New Year is the most important national festival ,in which people have holidays from about December 29th and it lasts one or two weeks to return their home and spend the moment with their families and relatives generally.

Toward New Year, we take dust from our houses and decolate with specific stuffs made with pine and bamboo,then make a special unite of dishes,which is called ''Osechi-ryori" and eaten during the event as being able to be kept for a couple of days. The contents are herring roem(kazunoko),sea tangle roll(konbumaki),sweetened black soybeans(kuromame),fish cakes(kamaboko) and so on,accompanied with their own wishes such as ''being able to be active'' for kuromame and '' happiness'' for konbumaki.

By the time we arrived at our home town, the snow mounted as deep as ever, which we never expected on the eve. Astonished by the unusual incident,I imagined that we were watching the annual program for New Year,eating a special noddle ''Toshikosi soba'' to wish our long-last lives at the very moment of the year changing and writing our ambitions for the coming year on the plain mind in the snug room.