This morning we got a leisurely start out the door and headed for Bao'an Temple, a Taoist temple and UNESCO World Heritage Site. We wandered and snapped photos, then Mark and Cy sat for several minutes and sketched. Then we headed for Dihua Street, a main shopping street. We haggled for dried mangoes and grabbed a …
Month: March 2017
The Taipei Eating Tour Begins
We arrived in Taipei today for spring break. Before arriving we heard about the fabulous street food, so after checking in to our hotel we stepped out for a bite. We didn't make it very far. The fried chicken with lots of toppings caught Mark and Cy's attention, so we stopped for our first course. Yes, …
It’s Dress Up Time! Kimono and Tea on a Friday Morning
Last Friday I headed to the kids' school for the chance to get dressed in a kimono by the pros: the members of the Futaba Girls' School Tea Ceremony Club. Loyal martayaki readers may recall that last spring I attended a class where these same girls taught kimono dressing using a fellow Futaba student as …
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Visiting the Shu Mai Factory
The children attend St. Maur International School, which organizes all kinds of events and outings for parents through its Adult Enrichment program. I decided to join some fellow mothers on one such outing. Last Friday was St. Patrick's Day. As a Polish American married into an Irish American family, I decided to celebrate the day by …
Happy Patrick’s Day! Or, Irish Dancing Really Is Everywhere
This past Sunday the kids and I headed down to Motomachi, the fancy shopping street of Yokohama, to check out the local St. Patrick's Day parade. We staked out our spots on the street and waited for the parade to start, led by St. Patrick himself! The kids recognized St. Pat as their religion teacher. …
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Japanese Culture Day 2.0
Longtime martayaki readers may recall last spring's preparations for our very first Japanese Culture Day at the kids' school. Last year I shopped at a used kimono shop, got kimono-dressing lessons from the experts/students at the Japanese school next door, and successfully dressed Tessa the morning of Japanese Culture Day. The obi silk belt turned out to be the …
Now Playing: Ra Ra Rando; Or, My First Visit to the Movie Theater
Living overseas means missing out big chunks of American life. I keep up with news and culture through Internet radio and news websites, but movies and TV shows--not so much. Except for really big stuff like the Star Wars movies, I don't know much about what's been playing in U.S. cinemas since we arrived in …
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