The View from the Towers 塔からの眺め A web log by Nigel Ruddock of life in Germany as an expat, with excursions to Japan and the UK.

Tag: travel

  • 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……

    A short walk brings us to the Sakura Bridge Bashi  ( featured in the film Perfect Days https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzZBbX5A1FA )

    ..and a stroll down the banks of the River Sumida, where people are enjoying themselves. It is a very Japanese scene.

    にほんぽい

    There is no loud music or commercials; but picknicking, walking, talking and eating……a nice vibe…..Hanami  花見

    花見

    😋

    The names of sponsoring firms are tastefully displayed on the lanterns…..

    The author……feeling good…..!

    良い気分

    Later on we end up in a seafood Izakaya near Shinbashi station. Without Miki-san I would have had my work cut out ordering food…….

    Sashimi – oysters, squid, octopus, yellowtail, tuna…..with tempura on the side (battered pumpkin, leek and shrimp)

    刺身 – 牡蠣、イカ、タコ、ハマチ、マグロ…天ぷら（カボチャ、ネギ、エビ）

    I think we need a close-up……

    Delicious 😋 (except for the baby squid, which I still cannot manage, even after several years).

    Some Sake is essential after such a meal…..

    Shinbashi……simply countless eating places….

    新橋

    As always, thank you for reading, and if you know anyone who might be interested in this blog then do send it on.

    読んでくれてありがとう

    See you……. matane!

    Nigel 🖋️

    nigelwruddock@gmail.com.

    https://www.instagram.com/nigelruddock/

    THE END 　終わる

  • 🍴 Fancy a bite? ちょっと食べたい?

    October 10th 2025年10月10日

    Fancy a bite? Someone does in these woods, but I assume they know what they are doing….

    お腹が空いていますか？誰かが……..🤤

    Because they always leave these guys alone….

    Perhaps the black and white pattern is a warning sign…

    誰もこれを食べない…..🤮

    Of course none of this is noticed by the passengers sitting in the cosy seats of their Inter Regio train which roars by…..

    乗客はこれらの小さなことに気づきません!

    I’m on a little walk between Neu Isenburg and Langen. Right beside the railway. My archaeological training is spurred to life by the sight of this bronze age artifact….a weapon of some sort maybe?…..It is well preserved I must say…….

    奇妙な物体

    However, on reflection…..hmmm. Has a rather late 20thc. aura about it.

    Back to those mushrooms. I prefer the fruits of trees. Like this one. The fig tree outside my door. The sensation of biting into that soft flesh – ever so slightly grainy and subtly sweet- so soon reduced to the mere stalk and then the need for the next one….

    イチジク！美味しい！

    Preceded by some Gyozas and a Kirin and I am in heaven…or at least in Takumi….(Mendelssohn Str. Frankfurt)

    天国

    Autumn………I must have been in an “flowing” mood when I drew this Kanji character…..

    まあ、ここでは翻訳は必要ありません！😅

    The turn of the season seems to affect different trees in different ways..The Acacia looks like it is getting a disease….

    …and reminds me of the time I once drew the Kanji character for tree (Ki), but realized after the first stroke that I didn’t have enough ink in my brush……😮

    ああ、まずい。インクが足りなかったんだ😐

    It is also easy to get too much ink on the brush. The ink itself has this extraordinary tendency to create forms – here the silhouette of a man’s head (?)………

    奇妙な形….

    Being confined to home this weekend with some bug or other I turned my attention to my calligraphy efforts. Of which there are many…..(!)

    今週末は体調が悪くて家にいなければならなかったので、書道を見つめ直す時間になりました…。

    With a well-loaded brush you can make music…🎵..The first character means “sound”, the second one “fun/enjoy”. Nice!

    🎵

    In the meantime I have found another little “bit of Autumn” ちいさい秋みつけた [Chīsai Aki Mitsuketa]…..This maple leaf has drifted graciously to earth…..

    ~

    What shall I cook today?

    Certainly none of those mushrooms near the railway…..Maybe some hearty European stew…? after all, the parsnip was a rare find in Aldi…

    Aha….let’s add a bit of Asian pep…..mmmm….

    In fact a warm vegetable stew was just right for the chilly downturn of the weather this week….

    寒い日には温かいシチューがぴったりです…

    ~

    The other day a Chinese friend of mine called round to pick up a ‘cello case. With her 3 yr- old son bounding about with far too much energy, I decided to dig out some childrens’ books 📔📚 as a distraction. Of course they were all in English, but this didn’t seem to matter. However, later on I found the book which I had been looking for the whole time.

    Lao Lao -🐉 is an old Chinese folk tale about a simple good person being maligned by a greedy emperor. The poor woman is forced to sit in a cold tower and produce paper cuttings ad infinitum (rather like the girl in Rumpelstiltskin who has to weave gold thread). However, in the end good conquers over evil through the intervention (Deus ex machina – rather like a Handel opera) of the dragon who roams the earth, who sees and hears everything.

    子供向けの本当に素敵な本

    The text is in Chinese and English and is beautifully illustrated…

    …..following the main theme of the story – paper cuttings…….

    切り絵

    …with the chance at the end to have a go yourself. This is a very special children’s book. I thought the story was probably an old Chinese classic, but my friend had never heard of it. One wonders what they teach children in China these days….

    ~

    Well, I’m told a typhoon is approaching Japan this weekend. And I see I once tried to paint the character. Not a good example of brushwork, but very fitting to the current season! Literally “great wind”…….🍃

    あまり上手な書道ではありませんが…

    And it also seems to be the season for that home-made plum wine…………..☺️

    Photo> 友子

    ~

    👉 Well, thank you for reading this, and feel free to pass it on to anyone you think might be interested. These days you can translate a web site instantaneously with A.I. or Google translate.

    さて、これを読んでいただきありがとうございます。興味があると思われる方に、遠慮なくお伝えください。

    See you またね 😉

    nigelwruddock@gmail.com

    The End

    終わり

    🍄‍🟫

  • 🌤️ Castle in the sky 天空の城

    12th September 2025 年9月12日

    Welcome back to another episode of The View from the Towers in the UK…☺️

    👉 I have drunk 3 bottles of very nice Whitby Bay Craft beer 🍺 since arriving here in Somerset. So what should I do with the empty bottles? Without much thought I bring them back to the local shop for recycling. There I am met with a blank look of incomprehension. “Don’t you recycle them at home?” they say. I had forgotten. You can’t bring bottles back to shops in the UK. This is just one example of: It’s a funny feeling being in the UK.

    👉 I notice little things. UK instead of GB on the back of cars 🚘, impatient drivers in London, overseeing the fact that I am driving a foreign car. The fact that my 20 pound note is out of date.

    私の20ポンド紙幣は期限切れで無効です

    A lot of flags. Beers I have never heard of. And of course: I don’t have to use a foreign language to communicate, and people (who are generally very friendly) assume I live here.

    👉 But let’s move on……writing as I do rather like H.V. Morton in his 1929 book “In Search of England”. Except that he drove a bull-nosed Morris, and myself a 15 yr-old Audi…..and that “England” has changed beyond recognition – or has it?

    👉 Dunster castle is not for purists. Yes, It towers magnificently over the eponymous village, but all is not what it seems. It’s not just a medieval castle. Over the centuries the Luttrell family added to and changed the original structure, culminating their work in the 19th century with a vast comfortable Victorian residence.

    From the rooms you get great views…..

    ダンスター城は中世の城を改築した、快適な19世紀の邸宅です。素晴らしい景色が楽しめます！

    In the dining hall the table is set for the Indian polo team, with a place set for the Maharajah of Jodhpur……this is all very British Empire stuff……

    食堂にはインドのポロチームのためにテーブルが用意され、ジョードプルのマハラジャのための席も用意されている。

    While the clock still keeps the time……

    時計はまだ動いている

    You can flaunt yourself on the grand staircase….

    この階段の上であなたはとても大切な存在だと感じます

    …or play a Victorian game…….

    ビクトリア朝のゲーム

    Or be grateful you don’t have this plumbing any longer…..

    モダンな蛇口があってよかった

    You can visit the horse stables…..(if you like that sort of thing). However there is no muck or smell here…..or horses for that matter….(you’d have thought they would have a token horse🐴 munching hay….?)

    馬小屋

    (but I loved the cobbled floor……)

    床が気に入った

    The house is all a bit gloomy inside. However, The National Trust are at pains to point out that this is due to the UV filters on the windows – there to protect the fabrics.

    To be honest, I found all this heavy emphasis on conservation and preservation a little oppressive at times. It was at moments like this when I was reminded of the Japanese concept of Wabi-sabi – 侘び寂び – the beauty of imperfection and impermanence. A world view, an aesthetic and a way of life so distant from Western ideals. Both have their merits, but not when pushed to extremes…

    👉 However there is a bright conservatory…….

    家は少し暗いですが、明るい冬の庭があります

    …and a fun hat and costume room…..

    帽子を試着しました

    ……..and then the gardens. Well that’s a different story: ……..we are at a castle, so why not float into the sky with Laputa?

    p.s. I hope they bring this piano in when it rains….

    天空の城

    …In the grounds a climbing project had been set up . Needless to say I was happy to remain a spectator…….Not so my tough Japanese companion….

    私の日本の友達は私よりも健康です！

    A short walk down the road is the water mill with its picturesque wheels and packhorse bridge…..

    水車

    which of course led us to the…..

    二人でお茶

    👉 The classic National Trust tea shop. But oh what was this…..? “Sorry the dishwasher is broken” said the girl serving….”we are using disposable cups and plates today….” Now what would H.V.Morton have made of this? The coffee and cake were fine….it’s just that I had had this fantasy of a traditional English afternoon tea….not a McDonalds-type beaker and a cardboard plate……😢 We had charming company though…..

    好奇心旺盛なコマドリ

    Dunster Castle. Don’t miss it if you are in the South West of England…..https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/somerset/dunster-castle-and-watermill

    Apart from the castle, the village is a pretty place but not designed for those hulking fat SUVs which people feel the need to drive these days. We had a look into the church with its fine medieval screen……

    地元の教会

    ….somber monuments trying to look permanent despite our impermanent lives….

    古代の墓

    …..towering arches……

    …..and some rather tasteful Victorian stained glass…

    素敵なステンドグラス

    Well, that’s all for now. Thank you for reading, and feel free to forward on to anyone who might be interested.

    読んでくれてありがとう！。ご興味がある方にはお気軽に転送してください。

    See you またね ☺️

    nigelwruddock@gmail.com

    The End

    🪶

    終わり

  • 🖋️ The View from the Desk 机からの眺め

    August 9th 2025 年8月10日

    👉 The view from my desk can sometimes be rather distracting. I don’t remember, for example, having ordered a coffee table……

    コーヒーテーブルを注文した覚えがない😂

    So I must retain some fudoushin ふどうしん( 不動心) and remain imperturbable . I read this word in Japanese today and didn’t know what on earth it meant. But seeing that character 心 at the end should have prepared me for something deep. 心 means mind, heart or spirit, and I even have it on my wall at home as a calligraphy exercise!

    心

    I would probably never use imperturbable here in Germany because I know I would have to explain it. Here is the Oxford English Dictionary…

    難しい言葉 🙄

    So there you go. Pearls of knowledge from a building site.

    👉 There’s nothing quite like a spontaneous hike with friends. But with such a hot weekend a cool route is called for. So no to the open vineyards of the Rheingau or ruined castles baking in the heat. What we needed was a route almost entirely in the shade.

    東京ほど暑くはないけど、十分暑い！

    Those who can’t come offer you a colourful range of situations they find themselves in. The globetrotters: “I am in Brazil and flying to Chile tomorrow, otherwise would definitely join! The thinkers: “I am thinking about it”. The organized: “Sorry, I have a prior arrangement”. The unfortunates: “I feel worse and worse” (all sympathy here). The stay-at-homers: “I need a day at home”. The mysterious: no reply.

    Well, in the end there were only two of us left. But there are advantages to that – flexibility is one of them.

    👉 The route took us through the shady woods south of Darmstadt. It was very quiet – only the odd dog walker or jogger trudging by. Maybe everybody was doing their shopping. It was a Saturday morning after all. Nature stood still. Not a breath of wind :

    レストランのある静かな池

    At times the luxuriant vegetation was higher than myself….

    花は私よりも背が高かった

    One area of the woods was devoted to art installations. An imaginative “rain machine”……

    アート。「雨の機械」

    A dome which teased the eye – was this art or trees? It seemed especially designed to be photographed to produce a deception in your camera…..

    欺瞞的な芸術

    ………….chiming, tinkling, boat-at-harbour-like tones……

    フェーさんが「サウンドインスタレーション」に挑戦
    これは港の船の音のようだった

    👉 Climbing up a steep path, passing an observatory, we arrived at the Ludwigsturm (Ludwig Tower) on the Ludwigshöhe. From here you get a panoramic view of Darmstadt, and on the horizon, Frankfurt.

    展望台からはダルムシュタットとフランクフルトの景色が見える

    The rather impressive 19thc. tower has never been open all the times I have been here. And the adjacent restaurant was shut because the owners were on holiday (The summer holdays are a sacrosant period in Germany. My customers don’t pick up their violins, the Opera houses and schools don’t pay their bills…all because it is Ferien (holidays). Let’s not worry about that violinmaker who still has to pay his overheads. There is even a word for it: The Sommerloch (The “Summer hole”)).

    👉 I forgot to mention one piece of art poised between two trees. It was made up almost entirely of oyster shells……curious….

    カキの殻

    Is this art?

    それは芸術ですか

    👉 Well, thank you for reading this, and feel free to pass it on to anyone you think might be interested. These days you can translate a web site instantaneously with A.I. or Google translate.

    See you またね 😉

    nigelwruddock@gmail.com

    The End

    🚶‍➡️

    終わり

  • 😮 Quick! 急いで！

    3rd August 2025年8月3日

    Quick ! Quick !

    The cat’s been sick.

    Where ? Where ?

    Under the chair.

    Hasten ! Hasten !

    Fetch the basin.

    Alack ! Alack !

    It is too late,

    The carpet’s in

    An aweful state.

    No ! No!

    It’s all in vain,

    For she has licked it

    Up again.

    👉 I’ve been clearing out. Weeding out those books that I will never read again and adding them to the street library on the Bahn Str. in Langen. But this is one book I shall never throw out. Iona and Peter Opie were a remarkable couple who collected children’s rhymes and riddles in the 40s and 50s. And I have the definitive edition with illustrations by Maurice Sendak

    子供の童謡集

    Here’s a link……

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iona_and_Peter_Opie

    So there you are 😅 No point in getting out the vacuum cleaner

    私と掃除機

    👉 In East Asia, summer is the time to remember your ancestors …your ancestors…. you may ask? In the west we may visit the graves of our grandparents (in my case in Ireland) or parents. We may pause awhile and leave some flowers. In Asia there is a widespread belief that you are connected to those who went before you. A strange concept for us Europeans maybe. But this concept of lineage is a part of Asian culture. So it is no surprise that, for example in Japan, the rituals are well established.

    In Frankfurt we have a special Japanese dance group that perform the Obon (dance) every year. And at this year’s Main Matsuri Festival there will be such a dance….see the link…https://www.main-matsuri.com/programm/kuenstler/nichi-doku-bon-odori-kai-ev

    ぜひメイン祭りに来てください。とっても楽しいですよ！

    👉 Another late summer festival is the Lantern floating ceremony. In Frankfurt the fast flowing river Main would not be suitable for this. But usually, with those who have gone before you in mind, you write your message or thought on a lantern, which floats out on the water….Tomoko sent me this picture of one such ceremony which took place recently at the lake in Senzokuike Park in Ota city, Tokyo.

    洗足池公園

    Many who have taken part in this ceremony express a sort of relief that they have been able to commune* with their grandparents or parents, and have returned home with a lighter heart. The actual lanterns may be retrieved after the ceremony and used again next year, or burnt, as is the case here……(* the verb “commune ” is not easy to translate)

    👉 There is even a ceremony in the UK, organized by the Shinnyo-en branch of Buddhism….https://www.shinnyoenuk.org/about-shinnyo-lantern-floating

    👉 The days are still warm here in Germany, and the really hot heatwaves have hopefully left us now. Torrential showers flood my local building site.. see that square in the middle? That is not a garden pond but the lift shaft!

    ドイツはまだ暖かいですが、激しい雨が降ることが多く、向かいの建設現場は浸水してしまいました！

    👉 However, nature only seems to use these showers as a chance to promote growth: Witness my walks in Langen and Frankfurt…….Honeysuckle seems only to send out its perfume in the early morning or evening….

    スイカズラ

    Otherwise it’s a free for all……clover in the meadows….

    クローバー

    Succulents at the botanic garden in Frankfurt….

    フランクフルトの植物園の多肉植物

    Hydrangeas relishing the rain…..

    アジサイ

    ……………and the water lilies preparing to burst open…..

    睡蓮

    An Elfenbein Distel…..an Ivory thistle….

    アザミ

    And looks who’s here….the European oak…..

    ヨーロッパのオークの木

    And these will become walnuts, believe it or not….

    クルミの木

    …and as for the local squirrels….well…it’s either territorial issues or finding a mate…I’m not quite sure what’s going on here…..

    フランクフルトのクレイジーなリス

    👉 Well, thank you for reading this, and feel free to pass it on to anyone you think might be interested. These days you can translate a web site instantaneously with A.I. or Google translate.

    See you またね 😉

    nigelwruddock@gmail.com

    The End

    終わり

    😉