Noodles are an art in Japan.
Stumbling upon a soba shop tucked behind the main thoroughfare, no English is spoken, and no English menu is available. Google Translate (or equivalent app) is your best friend. Trust me on this one.
When our ever so lovely elderly server saw our perplexed gaze as she brought out what looked like a teapot filled with hot cloudy water, she explained in Japanese that we are to pour the hot soba water to dilute the soba dipping broth. This is so we can drink the broth after polishing off our cold soba dish. Lots of smiles and "Hai" (yes) later, I drink my way to happiness.
Kawagoe was a merchant town during the Edo period, when people traveling would stop here for supplies. Wooden structures were prone to fires, but with the wealth the town generated, merchants constructed these black storehouses with clay to ensure their precious goods don’t go up in flames. They are expensive to construct so you don't see them everywhere in Japan.
Kamakura is a seaside city an hour out of Tokyo. A world apart from the big cities, it has a long military history, beginning with the Kamakura Shogunate in 1185. The Warring States period are long over and now, you'll find serene gardens, temples, shrines. A land bridge takes you over to Enoshima island, where you can climb the steep steps up the mountain for pano views and more shrines and temples.
These are called Black Storehouses. The elaborate designs are just incredible.
We found a soba noodle restaurant tucked away on a side street (more like an alley), off the main thoroughfare in Kawagoe. No English spoken, no English signage or menu. Oh, why not? Turns out, it was the BEST soba meal we've had.
A teahouse in Kamakura with a view overlooking a bamboo garden. Matcha with 2 small sugar sweets meant to be bitten off in small chunks at a time while sipping matcha. I didn't realize this and popped the whole thing in my mouth.
Bamboo grove, Kamakura
Beautiful Japanese gardens. It's November, but leaves haven't morphed into their fiery Fall colors yet due to unseasonably warm summer.
One of many shrines
Kamakura has the 2nd largest bronze buddha in Japan. You can go inside it, but if you visit in the summer, you'll be stepping inside an oven.
Entrance to a shrine
View from Enoshima, where they hosted the sailing events in the 1964 and 2020 Olympics.
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