Wednesday, November 23, 2005

temples and alley ways

Yesterday Bev Curran took us to this lovely little fertility temple complex in Nagoya, for people who want children or have lost children. There was a wish tree, a snake god, a kwan yin, a phallus shrine, a giant buddha, a shrine for lost pets and a pet cemetary. Beautiful Japanese maples turning brilliant colours above. I'll post photos when I get home.

Roy and I spent the afternoon looking for lunch in the basement of a large department store. It was amazing-- all these stalls selling cakes, obento, sushi, croquettes. But nowhere to sit. We finally found an okonomiyake place with three stools wedged in against a counter. Bullet train back to Tokyo. It left us at the main station, and we had to find our way back to Shinkansen on our own. We met a nice lady who was very concerned about our welfare. She found a train station man, who took us on the underground handicapped route to the subway tracks. Lots of trucks, workers, supplies moving through that dark, labyrinthine space. Thought I'd one-hoofed my way straight into a Neil Gaiman novel.

We are back in Tokyo now. I'm sad today. A good friend has lost her father.

Prepping my talk for Meiji-Gakuin University tomorrow-- conference on Canadian writing and globalization. Right up this alley cat's alley.

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