2016-05

#939 A nice restaurant in Nara〜omoya〜

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↑Koban-sou and my small vase

I picked “koban-sou” on the street

One day, I picked some weeds, called “Koban-sou” in English means “coin grass” on the street. Koban-sou, they look like some old Japanese oval gold coins.
Then I walked into a French restaurant for dinner without a reservation.

I was happy with the restaurant’s attention

I casually put on the koban-sou on my table. I ordered a course dinner and I went to the bath room. When I came back to my table, the 3 stems of koban-sou were nicely placed in a small vase. What a nice service!
I was happy with the restaurant’s attention to details.

Delicious food and Shigaraki wares

The course was amazing. Every plate was delicious and served with Shigaraki wares. I was sure the koban-sou’s small vase was Shigaraki ware, too.

This restaurant is “sukiya-style” building and has a neat Japanese style garden. There were some beautifully arranged flowers in all around the place.
This time, I couldn’t take a picture because my cellphone ran out of battery. Sorry!

I want to go to this restaurant again.

The French restaurant is “omoya

フレンチ オモヤ 奈良町店
関連ランキング:フレンチ | 近鉄奈良駅京終駅
奈良県奈良市公納堂町11

Small Joy!(2016.5.19)

2016-05-26 | Posted in English2 Comments » 

 

#940 Reflecting on myself at “Rothko Room”

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“Kawamura museum” in Sakura city in Chiba

There is a museum called “Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art” in Sakura-city in Chiba. I like this museum very much. Especially, I like Rembrandt’s picture and Mark Rothko’s pictures in the museum. And there is “Rothko Room”.

“Rothko Room”

This room is dark and has a chair. I always sit on the chair and look around his abstract arts. All the pictures’ background are dark reddish brown with some squares and rectangles on top.
At first, I felt gloomy looking at the picture but as time went on my eyes calm and began to reflect on myself while I was looking at the pictures.

He drew pictures for a restaurant but he didn’t like it

Rothko drew 30 pictures for a famous restaurant, called “The Four Seasons” in N.Y. late 1950’s. However he refused to set his pictures at the restaurant because he didn’t like the restaurant’s atmosphere when he visited it before its opening.
Therefore some of those pictures were lost and seven of them came to Japan. Some other pictures are in USA, England and somewhere in the world.
This story is very interesting to me.

Sometimes I just want to go to “Rothko Room” alone and look at his pictures quietly.

Small Joy!!(2016.5.3)

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↑Rembrandt candies, 500 yen

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↑Many wisteria flowers were blooming in the museum garden.

2016-05-23 | Posted in English2 Comments » 

 

#941 “Purple Rain” and my small adventure

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The legendary musician Prince passed away at 57 last month.

I was shocked to know the news. He was a great musician and could be producing more wonderful songs if he was still alive.

I still remember the time when I went to watch the movie “Purple Rain”, in which Prince was the lead actor. Although I have watched many movies, I usually don’t remember which movie I watched alone or with others. But “Purple Rain” was special.

Memory of watching a movie alone in Tokyo

I remember I was still a teenager living in Chiba. I was supposed to watch the movie with my friend in Tokyo.
But she didn’t show up on the train where we were supposed to meet. Since we didn’t have cellphone that time, I went to Tokyo to watch the movie alone.
To go to Tokyo and watch a movie alone was sort of a small adventure for a teenager like I was. So the song “Purple Rain” reminds me of my younger days and the experience of watching a movie alone in Tokyo.

His secret philanthropy

Prince was a legendary pop icon, a great rock star and was very charismatic. Furthermore, he looked like a very sensitive and kind person.
He was privately sending money to support Afghan orphans. This was revealed after he passed away, because he didn’t want people to know about his philanthropy work.

“Purple Rain”.
What a beautiful song title! Don’t you think?
I was lucky to meet him when I was a teenager.

R.I.P to Prince.

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↑”THE NEW YORKER”(May 2nd,2016) is crying, too?

Small Joys!(2016.5)

2016-05-14 | Posted in English2 Comments »