Lala Lopez de Leon 2024

WALK WITH ME:  

Romantic Old Quebec

September - October  2024


July 28, 2024

This day was my motherʼs birthday, and she would have been 94 years old. We still miss her terribly, every single day, and as everyone knows, that feeling will never go away.

It was a special time for me, however, as I got to celebrate her birthday with my siblings in Canada ‒ as I finally made it on my third attempt to spend my annual leave there!

From Toronto we drove to Old Quebec, spending a total of 10 hours one way, with numerous restroom-breaks along the way. Canada, like the U.S., which I also visited during my two-week vacation, has wide highway lanes and several of them side by side! So, the drive was truly smooth throughout our trip.

Our destination Old Quebec, is one of the two cultural hubs in the predominantly French- speaking province of Quebec; the other being the city of Montreal. A UNESCO world heritage site, historic Old Quebec is comprised of the Upper Town and the Lower Town, and we got to walk through both parts accessing them by a funicular!

It is one district, but I swear, the ambience of the Upper Town is quite different from that of the Lower Town. Well, apparently, the Upper Town was occupied mainly by the British military and government officials after the British conquest, while the Lower Town was occupied by French and English merchants and artisans. Somehow, I felt more at home at the Lower Town, which housed a neat little commercial zone aptly called Quartier Le Petit Champlain. It canʼt be more French than that! Paved with cobble stones, streets lined with pretty shops of all wares, cozy cafes and restaurants here and there; and of course, the omnipresent art galleries with artworks that look like I canʼt afford to buy! But this Quartier Le Petit Champlain, I thought I could live here!!

As expected, at the center of the Lower Town is a plaza, and on one side was a little church, the charming Notre Dame des Victoires. As a family tradition, wherever we go, the first place that we take the time to visit is the church.

On the opposite side of the plaza and the church is an expansive open space called the Parc de la Cetiere. Here you find a building of several stories high with its flat external wall painted with scenes of life from the 17th century to the present. Itʼs one of the most amazing public art / open-air museums Iʼve seen!

This place, and this trip, exceeded my expectations! We siblings had a great time, just being together, charmed by the sights and sounds of Old Quebec, enjoying the food ‒ just simply savoring our bonding time thatʼs long overdue. I know I will be looking back at these photos every now and then, to recall the memories of this wonderful trip!

WALK WITH ME: Finding Trees in Nihombashi

July - August  2024


One thing that strikes me in Japan is how diligently city governments strive to maintain green spaces within their urban centers. It's no small feat considering Tokyo's extensive urbanization, where skyscrapers dominate the landscape and occupy much of the space. Real estate development continues incessantly, rapidly altering both the urban and skyscape.

On one of my walks, now somewhat limited due to my aging knee, I decided to revisit one of my favorite spots in the city. I wondered if there were more green areas now compared to before.

That’s a shot of the expressway over the more than a hundred years old Nihombashi, the bridge that gave this town its name. On the other side is Kyobashi. The area covering Nihombashi, Kyobashi and Kanda is known as the heart of Shitamachi, the old / original downtown of Edo, now Tokyo. In fact, the bridge used to be called Edobashi.


This town started out as a commercial center, mostly developed by the Mitsui Family; the Mitsukoshi Department being one of their prominent properties, located in the adjacent Mitsukoshimae Station area. Over the years Nihombashi has emerged as a predominantly financial district. A few minutes’ walk from this point is the beautiful red brick structured Tokyo Station.

The first time I set foot on Nihombashi many, many years ago, it felt really old and gray, which it actually was. But some parts of it were charming, as some of the old establishments, especially the quaint little specialty shops that held on to their original state, evokes so much of the history and culture of this country. For sure, they are the ones that define this town.


Then, of course, Nihombashi is known to many of us for the Takashimaya Department Store, the Maruzen Book Shop, and the headquarters of a number of major Japanese corporations and global banks.

It was nice walking the streets of Nihombashi once again – the main thoroughfare and the back streets, albeit at a turtle pace, reminiscing the couple of years I spent here working at a bank.  I remember how exhilarated I was, with that feeling of being “blessed”to be in this historic district, mornings and evenings of each weekday. I am always drawn to places such as this.

Development continues in this part of Tokyo, particularly the area surrounding the grand old Tokyo Station.


But more importantly, apparently, there is a plan to remove the expressway over the Nihombashi Bridge, to open up the airspace for the classic view of Mount Fuji from the bridge – as depicted in one of the famous Ukiyoe works of Hiroshige.


The project is to be completed in 2041! How wonderful for our children and grandchildren!

With my right knee that is older than me, I accomplished 8,708 steps today.

WALK WITH ME: Oshino Hakkai

May - June 2024


Today is all about Mt. Fuji.

Everyone who comes to visit Japan will always, without doubt, include in their itinerary a trip to this iconic mountain! In reality, it can be tricky, as sometimes Mt. Fuji can be very elusive!

But spring seems more promising, as temperatures turn milder—maybe a bit chilly but not shivering cold. The weather has actually finally improved towards mid-April, letting the skies clear up and allowing Haring Araw to smile at the sleepy Sakura. At last, the hills and plains all over the country are abounding in cherry blossoms in lovely, varying hues of pink.

This trip is particularly and personally of interest to me and my niece. Who am I to deny a dreamy girl’s wish to see it, even if it means not seeing other popular tourist attractions within her short sojourn?! It’s her first visit to Japan, and it has got to be special!

There are many modes and many roads to Mt. Fuji. But our purpose was not to climb it but to admire it from a distance, possibly the whole of it, with the promised vision of the snow-capped summit. And it has got to be picture-perfect and Instagrammable!

We decided on taking our chance to view it from the 2nd most favored spot: Oshino Hakkai 忍野八海.

I must admit, despite my being a long-time resident in Japan, I didn’t know about this village and that it offers one of the best views of Mt. Fuji!!

The trip by train on the Fuji Kyuko Line up to Fujisan Station and then by bus to Oshino Hakkai took about 2 hours altogether. Excitement started to build up inside the train from about a station away as Mt. Fuji appeared on the horizon! As we approached our destination and stepped out onto the platform, we all let out a full gasp of "Wow, beautiful!" There it was so clearly visible: majestic, mesmerizing Mt. Fuji!

We rushed out to the bus stop for the 20-minute ride to Oshino Hakkai. We got there at noon, so I was somewhat expecting it to be crowded. And what a crowd it was! Shall we say about 95% were non-Japanese tourists?

We were hungry, as our first meal was hours away. Just a quick lunch of their famed Soba and Tempura, and we were on our way. There was so much to explore in Oshino Hakkai; as the name implies, there are 8 ponds and natural springs from which water flows from Mt. Fuji. Were it not for the huge crowd of tourists, I would imagine it a perfect place to find a bench to relax and quietly gaze at this wonderful nature for as long as possible!

Time goes by really fast, as quick as our clicks on our phone cameras. You know, you would want to capture all of this beauty for posterity and for the folks back home to gawk at and allow them to dream of visiting it too!

For now, Mt. Fuji is Tintin’s and mine to keep in our memories! We enjoyed a very special bonding time, and Mt. Fuji was a part of it!

Put together, we achieved an awesome count of almost 24,000 on the pedometer! Well done!

Hasta la vista, Mt. Fuji!

WALK WITH ME: OHIRADAI AND GORA, HAKONE

March 9 - 10, 2024

Not to exaggerate at all, but that second weekend of March was perfect!  It seemed that all of our guardian angels connived to gift us with the ideal weather – never mind the playful wind – and it was smooth sailing from beginning to end!

It was meant to be a sequel to an earlier gathering of dear old friends from our student days, who had somehow dropped the old habit of gathering at the cafeteria for some chit-chat, because we all had to move on with our own lives!

But that weekend, it was like the old flames of friendship was instantly rekindled, like the last chit-chat we had at the cafeteria was just yesterday! 

For sure that Saturday started perfectly! While this bubbly group of young-at-heart ladies mumbled about Shinjuku Station being too crowded and dizzying, we made it on time for the 10:20 a.m. departure on the Odakyu Line Express bound for Hakone Yumoto.


Now settled on our reserved seats and discussing our itinerary, not too long, the drama started to unfold. Soon our coach was abuzz with gasps and sighs…and there it was, the reason for all that!  Amidst the clear blue sky, majestic Mount Fuji revealed itself! Snow-capped, high and proud, commanding everyone’s attention. So happy to see it again, in all its glory!

Now settled on our reserved seats and discussing our itinerary, not too long, the drama started to unfold. Soon our coach was abuzz with gasps and sighs…and there it was, the reason for all that!  Amidst the clear blue sky, majestic Mount Fuji revealed itself! Snow-capped, high and proud, commanding everyone’s attention. So happy to see it again, in all its glory!

So, it was Lita’s idea to spend the weekend at Sanrakuso, a traditional Japanese house and the ancestral home of her old friend, which was converted into a Ryokan and fitted with Onsen hot springs baths.

Sanrakuso is primarily managed by an energetic mother-daughter team, who have gained a tremendous reputation for serving the most sumptuous dinner and breakfast at a very reasonable rate. 

After checking in, with the long day still ahead of us, we ventured out into Gora, which is on the Tozan Tetsudo’s line and is one of Hakone’s most popular destinations. From Gora Station, we took the bus for this route for a 20-minute ride to Hakone Venetian Glass Museum, also called the Hakone Glass Forest.

This facility houses a museum, a garden, a café/restaurant and a museum shop. From strategic places one can see on the horizon the mountains of Hakone, which at the time of our visit was sprinkled with snow.

It’s amazing to find so many precious artefacts and artworks all in glass!  Even the garden had bushes and shrubs of flowers made of glass!  Spots here and there perfect for picture-taking!

For an avid fan of glass artworks, I wanted so much to stay longer and view each piece at a more leisurely pace.  The Venetian glass pieces were just mesmerizing!

I just know, anyway, that I should like to come again and explore this glass museum even more in detail.

As the sun started to set and let out a saffron glow at the horizon, we knew it was time to go home – well, our home for the weekend, Sanrakuso.

 

Imagine the 10-12 course traditional Japanese dinner spread that awaits your return!

Well, imagine too the same enticing spread at breakfast the next day!

Imagine the hot springs bath that’s there for the asking to soothe your tired legs after a long and exciting day!

Yes, exactly what we enjoyed on the weekend at Sanrakuso.

I’ll be back!!

Walk with me: Kawagoe

January 13, 2024


To all the gentle peeps and followers of Jeepney Press, Happy New Year!

 

Time for new beginnings, and new adventures for a senior citizen who has become restless and daring, like me!

I have never been to Kawagoe but have heard about it, and from what my dear old friend told me, it is a very charming place and totally worth a day trip.

Known by its nickname Koedo or Little Edo, Kawagoe is accessible through three major train lines; but as we eventually discovered, the Hon-Kawagoe Station on the Seibu Shinjuku line is the closest to the main attractions of the area.

The first order of the day was to check the Hon-Kawagoe Station Tourist Information Center for tips on how to plan our tour the best way. Eager to get hold of English maps and brochures, although a Japanese version would be great as well, of course, the kind ladies compiled a whole set for us that included curious-looking maps featuring products that are just a few of the many prides of Kawagoe: Unagi Map, Soba & Udon Map, and Washoku Lunch Map.

This is what I find truly endearing in Japan – local governments are fully supportive of local businesses. And that, in many ways, translates into an effective marketing that propels them into the national consciousness.

Kawagoe was part of the ancient Musashi Province and in the 1450s – 1550s was controlled interchangeably by two warring families, the Uesugi and Hojo clans. Eventually, the Later Hojo clan prevailed, and from that victory, Kawagoe served for another 45 years as a satellite town defending Edo, now Tokyo.

It was created as a town when the modern municipality system was established on April 1, 1889, but suffered major damages from a fire in 1893 and was rebuilt through the use of the traditional Kura warehouse construction technique. In 1922, it merged with the neighboring Senba village and became the first municipality in Saitama Prefecture to receive city status.

It was almost noon when we set foot on the very corner of the main street of this old historic town.  With eyes ahead on that long stretch, we however immediately spotted the Noren (welcome curtain with shop’s name) of Unagi Kohinata. No questions asked!  We were hungry and couldn’t think of anything else but Unagi Kabayaki! A full hour spent leisurely enjoying our lunch of delicious, delicate broiled eel – it was so worth the price of JPY2,500!

Now ready for our tour…and as we approached the Kurazukuri No Machinami, or Kura no Machi, I was, Wow, it’s true, it’s Koedo! If everyone promenading on that street, that very day, were all in Kimono, you would have felt being transported to the Edo Period! 

Not to be missed, primarily because it towers over all the structures in the area, is the Toki no Kane (Time Bell Tower). It has gone through four reconstructions, the fourth and last being what we see now, rebuilt immediately after the Great Fire of Kawagoe in 1893.  One regret, though, we missed the ringing of the bell at the specified times at 12:00 noon, 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. 

Most of the streets and pathways to these attractions are neatly paved in Ishi-datami resembling cobblestones. This I found to add to the charm of Koedo Kawagoe, and is definitely kind for walking, especially for the elderly.

The Koedo Kawagoe map showed several shrines and temples. While it was way far away North from our starting point, we thought it would be fulfilling to complete our tour with a visit to Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. It was built about 1,500 years ago, and is accented by a 15-meter torii gate! 

This is definitely not my last visit to Koedo Kawagoe.  I must go back to see what is left of the castle, the primary hall section of it, or the Honmaru Goten of Kawagoe Castle. Besides, there are so many more of the cuisines, and their famous sweet potato delicacies to try!

I wouldn’t mind taking 15,372 steps once again!

Till the next adventure!