Postcards from Japan

We begin with futons and flowers.

Plum blossoms giving us a little show as we were too early for cherry blossoms.

My husband, two kids and I went on a two week trip to Japan in March. It was my kids’ first big international adventure beyond North America. It was a wild time, exhausting and exhilarating, fueled by convenience store snacks, Google Translate, and undying curiosity about what is around the next corner.

I loved the apartment we had in Kyoto - 2 small rooms with tatami mats and futons. The only furniture was a small, low table, which we moved at night before we spread out the futons. It was an old machiya - a wooden house with paper screens - set on a small alleyway (technically, cars could drive on it, but few tried it). It backed on the Takase River, which is more a small canal.

Our dreamy little apartment and the canal it was set on. Plus a tiny kitchen.

We visited temples, shopping arcades, historic neighborhoods and a forest full of monkeys. I have more photos and many thoughts, and hopefully you’ll humor me while I share a few over the next few weeks. I might be harboring fears that we’ll never be allowed in any other countries after this week, so, I’ll just enjoy the memories for a while.

PS. If I have one regret, its that I did not know to reserve a table for this fantastical tea service - we got to have dessert at the tea shop on a rainy afternoon, but I ended up rubbernecking the teas being presented in the reserved section.

PPS. There are really so many things I wish I had time and money to do or visit. but I just wanted to text everyone I know photos of that tea service. So, thank you.