Japan Flashback 🌸 Hodogaya & Sumida 保土ヶ谷, 墨田

7th April 2025 年4月7日

There is an expression here (in Germany)…..”mir fällt die Decke auf den Kopf ” (lit. The roof is falling on my head )……😣….in other words, I need to get out of my little town – now 💨 So…………………

off we go……..Two stops to Dreiech-Buchschlag station, then a bus to the airport…..

空港に行く

I’ve found a new route to go east. First go to Copenhagen and then get on an SAS flight. I’d never used SAS before, but was impressed. The aircraft was new and the crew were a friendly bunch with a very Danish sense of humour……

SAS

The food was excellent. However, I had to ask my fellow passenger what an upcycled banana was……. (apparently, instead of throwing away brown bananas, the Danes put them in cakes- an excellent idea).

「アップサイクル」は私にとって新しい言葉です

We “lost” a night, and caught up with the dawn somewhere over China……

…avoiding Russian airspace on the way….

Japan was rather cold and damp on arrival, but that at least meant that the cherry blossoms and camelias were somehow more intense in colour than usual.

星川

カメリア

My home base is always with the Kanakura family in Hodogaya Ward, just outside Yokohama. After I had complimented my host on the new tatami mats in the guest room, I wandered into town to do some shopping and get a simple meal. The local department store did the trick….some tasty mackerel in dark sauce…very yummy and as usual far too cheap for the quality….

イオンでの簡単な食事

Aeon department store…

It seems you never have to go far in Japan before you meet some little surprise or other. I smiled to myself when I came scross this little mini in a parking lot….

有名なイギリス車…..

Quite apart from it being a shining collector’s item, the Mini is ideal for Japanese cities….and what a nice colour……

I have never seen any tourists in Hodogaya, except for the students who stay at Misako- san’s house. The Katabira river separates the area in two, and has a nice promenade running down one side. There are no crowds here, so you can enjoy the cherry blossoms in peace…..

…whilst of course taking advantage of the numerous eating places en route. Like this Ramen shop, for example……..uncomplicated and good…..cabbage and bean sprouts in a yummy soup…..

天王町の美味しいラーメン

…….free water is a given, as well as lots of sauces to pep up your Ramen if you feel the need….

The street is a classic Japanese side street with lots on offer….(not only food…er…..)….

天王町

Nice to see my feline friends again……

4匹の猫のうち2匹だけ

So what’s new in Hodogaya? Well, more houses are being ingeniously squeezed onto the hillside….

巧妙な日本の建築

…..although odd relics of post-war housing still exist…..

古い家

…and house renovation firms are busy……

仕事がたくさんある

And whether it is a kindergarten play session, a baseball practice or old folk playing a sort of croquet, there is always something happenening in the local park…..

峰岡公園

Apropos baseball (野球 yakyu)……..in a local sports shop……

野球

There is peace to be found up the hill at the local Buddhist temple……

Koeisan Hossho Temple

光栄山法性寺

Around town.……The well known delivery service Kuroneko (black cat)

……Greetings from the Yokohama City Fire Dept.

It’s hard to describe, but everybody seems uplifted by the appearance of the cherry blossoms……….

Later in the week, when I had recovered from my jet-lag jisaboke 時差ぼけ, I meet up with my Sensei (teacher) in Tokyo. First we went up to a 32nd floor to a view point next to the Tokyo Skytree. Here you can look down on the Sumida district and further……