Spring is in the air!!!!

A cherry tree in blossom around these parts. I stopped in Tokyo for some fun and passed through a park which had trees in bloom among other things such as the palace and tribute to one of the Japanese Emperors in history.
Plus the statue just looks cool!!!

The stark contrast of concrete versus nature.

The Tokyo Imperial Palace (Kōkyo (皇居, Kōkyo?)) is the imperial palace of Japan and the residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is located in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo and is close to Tokyo Station. It is roughly the size of Central Park, which has an area of 3.41 squared kilometers.
After the Meiji Restoration and the resignation of Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last Tokugawa shogun, the Imperial court moved from Kyoto to Tokyo and the former Tokugawa stronghold of Edo castle became the residence of the emperor (the Kyoto Imperial Palace was preserved). From 1888 to 1948, it was called Kyūjō (宮城, "palace castle"). The palace precincts include the Three Palace Sanctuaries (Kyūchūsanden, 宮中三殿).

I found it!!!! I knew it was some where but I finally found Godzilla!!!!!!

The Tokyo Imperial Castle and park was a great experience, how amazing it is to find a hidden gem in such a big city as Tokyo!!!!
Spring forward and dont look back!!!!!LOL


jjc

Road Trip: Fukuroda Water Falls

The small township at the base of the waterfall.




Click for the menu in the player to see all my videos *NewStyle*

The Fukuroda Waterfalls are located at the upper stream of Taki River､ a tributary of Kuji River.The sheer immensity of the falls｡､ 120 meters in height and 73 meters in width



With a height of 120 meters and a width of 73 meters, the "Fukuroda Falls" are one of the most renowned, vast waterfalls in Japan. The waterfall is also known as "Yodo-no-Taki" (四度の滝) since it drops down over four cascades. It is also said that this other name came from a remark uttered by Saigyo-hoshi (a Buddhist priest and famous poet in the Heian era) when he visited this spot: "To appreciate the true tastes of this spot, one has to visit it in each of the four seasons." The falls offer their unique attractiveness in each season—tender greenery in spring, echoes of splashing sounds in summer, tinted leaves in autumn, and an entirely frozen waterfall in winter. Presumably, many literary artists or calligraphers were deeply impressed by such a variety of beauty that turns as do the four seasons.

A smaller falls locatted higher up as I started scaling the mountainside. The aire was very fresh and crispy but still sunny.

Higher in the trail were some stairs that led to the tip top of the mountain side with an awesome view of the surroundings land.

I found a temple with no one in sight, almost a little creepy to see a place so serene and quiet.

Coming down the other side of the mountain was thick with pine trees. It almost reminds me of a place in my country.

The road trip was nice and the day made out to be just the perfect weather for hiking and sightseeing!!!

My Aunt Millie

I have written about my Aunt Millie in a previous post about her passing away, and I wanted to share her memory with you. I have just received her obituary from my sister today. Written in the pamphlet is a memoir of her life and how she has come to be loved in our family greatly.....

Millicent Gladys Cadogan, affectionately known as "Aunt Millie" was born on March 1, 1920, in Belize City, Belize. She was the second youngest of seven children born to the late Joseph Nathaniel and Ina Gladys Cadogan.

Millicent accepted Christ at an early age. She was a member of the Methodist Church in Belize. She continued in dedicated service to the building of God's Kingdom till her death in April 21, 2008.

Millicent received her formal education in Belize City, Belize. In 1956 she was offered an opportunity to visit the USA with her best friend, Evadne Cacamore. Millicent advanced her education in the field of Nursing. She pursued her passion for helping and comforting others. Millicent retired from California Hospital and her passion was manifested as she comforted and cared for the needs of others. She enjoyed cooking and entertaining during the holidays, welcoming everyone and ensuring they were all comfortable and had plenty to eat.

Millicent Gladys Cadogan met and later married MacArthur Little on October 21, 1961. She was a dedicated wife, companion and confidant.

In the early 1960's she joined Hamilton United Methodist Church. Millicent was a devoted and active member. She attended worship regularly and engaged in stewardship and service. Among other things, she was a member of the United Methodist Women (UMW); Prayer and Bible Study Group and participated in the feeding of the homeless and the hungry on the fourth Saturday of each month. Millicent participated in the Summer Vacation Bible School. During her early years of membership, she was a member of the Sanctuary Choir. Millicent was active in many community organizations and auxiliaries, including the Trustee Board of the now defunct Caribbean and west Indies Credit Union.

Millicent was preceded in death by her husband, MacArthur Little; sisters, Loretta, Elsa, Rachel, Edith and brother James.

Her memory will be cherished by her beloved brother, the Rev. Dr. L. Claude Cadogan, Kingston, Jamaica; several nieces, nephews; relatives and friends.

jjc

Japanese Beyonce

Hope you like it!!!!






jjc

Hi-Tech Toilet Tutorial

This is a great video that I couldnt have explained any better myself!!!!



Enjoy.


jjc

Door to Door

I hope the paper given is not as rough as the paper he is trying to sell!!!!!

jjc

Da Blooze......

Hey folks whats up? I know its been a while since my last post but a lot of sudden and not so encouraging news came my way in the last weeks..... So I have been a bit to myself and contemplating about all kinds of things. Sometimes when hearing about things that are not too positive in life, your head tends to spin with imaginative ideas of what could be, or what should have been.... Not to ramble on in this blog though, I have been thinking of my family these days and what makes my heart a bit sore these days is that my Aunt Millie passed away. She is one of the last of the kind of people who had a heart of gold. One of the things that I clearly remember, was Thanksgiving!!!! When I was young and living in Los Angeles, it was every year that ALL of us in the family would get together at her house. It didn't matter how you were, who you were, if you were family or even a close friend there was always room. What made it so special was that it was like how you saw it on TV, lets say the Lifetime channel for the folks who know about that channel. It was always warm and fuzzy and the togetherness we had at the time, especially discovering new additions to the family that remained hidden until that time -- something that has not been the same from the time that my father passed away...... I always tried to live in that moment as much as I can especially during the holidays and make them that special, just the way I remembered them with my Aunt. Things are definitely not the same anymore I understand that, and folks do get old including myself but, its those moments in time that last in my soul.
Just something I wanted to express these days. Relating on such a level from where I am makes it difficult at times.

I promise my next blog will bring a brighter note.......

She and others are in my prayers.

jjc

A new way to peel a banana!!!!

I couldnt resist!!!!!!






jjc

Japanese Wedding

Hey!!!! Another post another day. A past weekend ago I was invited to a Japanese Wedding. One of my coworkers, which is also a great hanging buddy of mine finally tied the knot! I was flattered and humbled to be included to support and participate in this exciting time for him. The newlyweds Takeuchi-San and Mizue Hashmito were officially married April 5, 2007. Their wedding style was more of a modern (Westernized) type, as how we would know, with a traditional white dress and the guys in tux and suits. The dinner party was also great which the invitation was for as pictured above. I know they went all out for the wedding it looked dreamy! What was great was that they even had bingo with, several prizes from wine, to tickets to Tokyo Disneyland! I won a bottle of Japanese rice wine. HHOOORRRAAAYY!!

The style of the dinner party was in context the same as the ones I have been to in America, except that there isn't any dancing or some kind of DJ spinning records in the background. It was more of a family style dinner, it reminds me a lot of how my family gets together sometimes and we just chat and are reminded of funny stories of the past with lots of jokes in between phrases. The dinner party had taken place at a restaurant, and was closed to the public for the night. We were served several types of food from Japanese traditional food to some Hawaiian dishes and I saw a couple plates that seemed a bit on the Chinese side of things too. Interestingly enough after the dinner the after party had taken place at a karaoke box. Personally I never thought I would still end up back in karoake for a wedding night party but it was fun anyway. One thing I did notice that caught me by surprise is that the professional wedding video and family photo picture movie, was already on display by the evening with the sad sappy music to go with it! Also lets not talk about the pictures. I was little dumbfounded that the videos and the pictures were in the groom and bride's hands before the night was up, that is what I call service......

All in all I had a wonderful time and I just wanted to say again congratulations to you both for a new life together full of love and bliss, and hopefully with lots of juniors running around!!!!!!!

jjc

(at the time of this writing I didnt have any pics to show but I will try and get some.)

Kyoto Fall ==> 2007 Part Two

So many pictures so many places so these will be just a highlight of the trip. The best of the best!!!!!!

Stone Garden which is kept in order on a daily basis from the time this temple was established hundreds of years ago.
Ni-Jo Jo Castle, very very big and spread out, unfortuneately there was a lot of stuff on the inside that cameras were not allowed so this and the the outside grounds area was as much as I can show......darn!!!!!



Click on the picture above to see the intricate detail I tried to capture on camera. Amazing!!! All wood by the way.

This is the bullet train we had taken to and from the city of Kyoto. Very slick fast and smooth, it was unbelievable. Overall the trip was great and I have never seen such diversity that Japan had especially all in one place!!!!

What trip!!!!!

jjc

Kyoto Fall ==> 2007

The last big trip of 2007 was Kyoto. A very beautiful and historic city full of Japan's culture. The trip covered three days however here is a snapshot of the trip with video's. Takeuchi-San and Furiki-San lead the way on this expedition over five hours away from our home to this end of the country to explore.

Kyoto Train Station. Very big and very Hi-Tech looking. In a way it was kind of strange see this style of a building when the entire city focuses on preserving an "Old Style Japan" look.

Raccon dogs and Me!!!!!

A very deep and tall bamboo forest in the Kyoto area. Very beautiful and never know that bamboo can be so tall and big!!!!







The weather was superb and surprisingly warm for this season. The famous Kyoto Tower Hotel pictured above, usually a classic icon of the Kyoto Area and have been seen on many sites and postcards about Japan.












to be cont.......

jjc