Food from Hiroshima and More

I couldn't leave Japan without stopping to get something good to eat. And with the Yurakucho Line being the train I took from Ikebukuro Station to Gokoku-ji, Ginza-itchome Station was not a problem to get to. Once again I bought a few things at TAU Hiroshima.

Walking back through Ikebukuro Station, I had to enjoy the flowers.

Very pretty but that price, and I don't know if customs in the US would allow it.

I actually enjoyed a couple MR. waffles on another day. This Belgian Liege waffle was almond.

And this unusual Belgian Liege waffle was not green tea. It was mung beans and a springtime Japanese vegetable that I do not remember. Nanohana maybe?

I did enjoy on my last day a couple of the treats I bought at the local market, when I went there during the snow day. I found a little Mont Blanc pudding!

This was a nice find since a lot of the food shops were closed due to the virus. I couldn't resist enjoying one of the really big strawberries with it.

Yes someone inspired me to try this. And it was delicious.

I was also really happy to find little fresh tomatoes.

I enjoyed them on a 7-Eleven Caesar salad. They were sweet, acidic and juicy. So good!

Remembering the oysters I ate at TAU Hiroshima last year. What a wonderful meal that was. Canned oysters are not quite the same, but these drenched in Setouchi lemon were really good.

One last izakaya moment, enjoying the oysters with that nice sake that I always get.

Just a few things that made it home with me. I saw this and wanted to try it. Hiroshima Oyster flavored yakisoba. Along with a bottle of Setoda Lemon Ale from Yamaguchi Narutaki Kogen Brewery. This was a really good pairing.

I love how Japanese instant foods have drawing so you know how to prepare it.

Fun feature is this little steam vent grate that you open up after you put hot water in.

Of course always make sure to take out the seasoning packet before putting the water in.

I added a little cabbage. This was actually tasty and made me wish I had bought more. Having this to eat after my long flights home was a really good idea. And those flights are the subject of my next blog post. Because it was definitely different this trip.

Back to Enshu Inari Daimyojin and More

Even though it was no longer snowing, there was enough left to make everything look different.

I passed by 延壽稲荷大明神, Inari Daimyojin while walking to my destination. I had hoped there would be more snow on the backs of the komainu.

A lot of the snow had melted but the shrine was still interesting to see again.

I also found another Shinto Inari shrine. This one is located between residential buildings, so I had to search a little to find it.

There isn't a name listed for it on Google maps, but it definitely is an older shrine.

So I do not know the kami that is enshrined here, most likely Inari as a protector of local businesses and the people who live here.

The green moss or lichen has created a strange effect with this kitsune's eyes.

There is a bit more realism of the bodies of these kitsune. I wonder if there was a kit, a baby fox with this one. 

Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan and Frank Lloyd Wright

I decided I wanted to see more of Japan in the snow. So off I went for a walk. 

I decided to head in a direction that I had gone before. Spring flowers were competing with the snow.

With Japanese aesthetics appearing even in concrete.  

When I reached my first destination, the beautiful sakura trees grabbed my attention. 

The second thing I noticed was this lovely long building standing stately in the snow. 

For this isn't just any building, but one of the few in Japan that was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. 

This is自由学園明日館, Jiyu Gakuen Miyonichikan's The House of Tomorrow. 

I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to photograph more. So, more sakura. 

And more of the Prairie School designed school. Which was the original purpose of the four buildings here.

More of the sakura, which gracefully frames this historical building with it's amazing windows. It feels just right in this space. 

Nowadays there are weddings and various events here. The facilities can be rented for filming, concerts and more. 

Across the street is the auditorium. 

 Where it is easier to get a closer look at the design details.

I could have stayed longer, but there was more I wanted to see. One place that I did not think would be open because of the virus and the snow. But I was going to take a chance. Would I be lucky this day?