3 in 30 - 2002.02.24 Sunday
I had some preconceptions about what today's snapshots might be. I had a theme in mind, but the snapshots did not fall into my lap. I'll have to give it a try later.
Last week when I went out, I could not find any bright purple ornamental plum trees. This week, I rode my bicycle into small streets and dead-end alleys and found this tree in a front yard behind a hedge. There were some very attractive black pines to the left. Perhaps I'll see them again another day.
Somewhere I believe I mentioned that the Tachis factory dormatory has been undergoing some renovation. This is the building from the west side. Difficult to see in this snapshot is the stylized M as part of the logo of the company. It seems to incorporated blue sky, mountains, and a building.
The company name is Maeda, also the name of the print shop supervisor years ago at Stars and Strips print plant. It hadn't occured to me until I saw the kanji on this sign. MAE means before or in front of. DA in this case is a plot of land, like an agricultural unit of land.
That's not a bad snap of a UFO in the sky. That's the moon.
Some additional insight into this renovation from friend Scott Wiley: The Tachi S factory which is being remodeled is going to become the new Itoyokado department store (Bird store as it is known to the gaijins of the area). I can't really tell, but your snap may be part of this whole renovation/relocation process. The current "Bird Store" is going to be knocked down, and a big apartment building will take it's place.
This new sushi shop is on the border of Matsubara-cho. The design of the front seems to have a timeless Japanese flavor to it, in fact the design is quite sparse, more so than one that is old.
The shop is not open at this hour of this day. When it is open, they will bring out a fabric half curtain and hang it in the supports extending from either side of the door.
We'll have to come down here some evening and try it out. It is important to know the good sushi shops.
And this reminder from Scott about the spirits of sushi. Comments on the new Sushi shop. The name on the sign is Te Tsu, I'm thinking which is short for "tetsukuri" or "handmade". Even twenty years ago the real "hand made" sushi places were already beginning to disappear- relegating to machines which could poof forth the little rice beds on which each prize rests. But can a machine really take the place of the precise sushi "Masta"? The Japanese say that this is why there are no women sushiyasans- because their hands are the wrong temperature to make good sushi.
So you can see where Te Tsu would be a huge advertising plus.