tori no ichi (or random words from our japanese friends)

obama jay-z nas blueprint soho*

It was a fine day. Lovely weather. We tried to take the metro at what we hoped was the end of rush hour. It looked a bit too busy for a toddler + stroller + bag of toddler’s things. So a slight detour to Sakuramon and we entered the outer Imperial gardens. Just as we turned a corner, I noticed a line of people across the stone path. We reached the line and seconds later a car with flashing lights appeared. Then the horses. An open palm wave through a carriage door. After the passing of the Canadian ambassador, we turned down the road to the train station. Rush hour was over.

When we got off the metro at Iriya station, I turned the map about 10 times. Walked one way. Then the other. Eventually, a woman on a bike probably wondering what we were doing on this back alleyway asked if she could help up. She gave a push in the right direction, admitting she couldn’t see well enough to read the map. Twists and turns down the road later, an older man on a bike smiled at us and asked Otorisama? YES! He gave us impeccable directions in Japanese which I couldn’t understand but the hand signals were enough.

Soon we were wandering down the stalls at the Otori shrine for the Festival of the Rooster (Tori no Ichi).

It’s very possible that I’m having the time of my life yet I’m not sure what that means.

*so it looks like obama can be added onto the list of random associations that foreign people make when coming across us black folk outside of our native land. guess that’s change.

~ by mamasattva on Monday 17 November 2008.