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Our train on a curve with an older-style train headed our way. Have I said how much I LOVE public transportation in Japan???
And here comes the newer-style streetcar around another curve.
Look how close we pass. Perfect.
We're in the shopping street now, but we're about 5 minutes late, so we're rushing. Of course Hiroshi-san was already here and waiting for us. It's cold today, so I'm hoping he's waiting inside, although we had told him we would meet outside on the benches, where the balloon man usually works.
It was very crowded downstairs, so we've decided to go upstairs to eat lunch. Hiroshi recently had a birthday, so we've brought him a present.
He peeks inside, but decides to wait until he gets home to share with his wife Eiko.
And Hiroshi brought me a present from him and Eiko after he heard about my car wreck - how kind! o Oh - wonder what it is?
Oh yum! Fabulous strawberries - the largest and most beautiful I've ever seen! (and they were delicious . . .)
The view behind me looking through the glass wall & down to the bakery below.
Fresh bread - right from the oven!
Oh I love the B&W drawings on these buildings! They're just outside the covered shopping street at the Parco end of the mall.
This is new - bicycles for rent in the park. How cool is that!
We're excited that Hiroshi asked us to go with him to see his daughter's and granddaughter's calligraphy on display at the art museum. We're in a taxi now headed there. It's near Shukkein Gardens, so we know where that is, but we've never been inside the museum.
On a display table outside the calligraphy room. This book shows examples of this ancient Chinese art.
Wow - this room is huge and the walls are covered with calligraphy displays from schools all over the area.
Without any delay - he found them both - I am impressed!
This is his daughter's calligraphy - done in black ink. They're in Chinese characters, so very difficult even for Japanese to read.
And his granddaughter's - she's in grade school, so hers is in pencil. She takes after her mother in this ancient art . . .
Hiroshi-san explaining detail to Stan.
Now, we're back in the huge lobby of the art museum. See the holstein horse?
Two statues in red shirts. Oh, wait. . .
These statues were just TOO cool - made with recycled pieces of packing styrofoam, broken into pieces, reassembled, and painted.
Pretty planter on a stairway.
And one more styrofoam statue.
Stan admiring a giraffe horse.
Back outside the art museum. There's a streetcar stop right here and it's the same one you take for Shukkein Gardens. (We need to go there again soon.) Now, we're going to take a streetcar to Tokyu Hands department store so we can do some birthday shopping for a grandson Cody.
I LOVE this cute bus! Hiroshi-san said although the Japanese appear very serious, they actually have a good sense of humor. I agree.
And this city bus is only 150 yen - same price as the streetcar.
Back at Hiroshima Station now & Hiroshi-san wants to take us to his favorite restaurant for a drink & bite to eat. He's ducking under the noren (curtain) to enter the restaurant. There are many restaurants here on the second floor.
He orders us each a plate & each one is different. Mine has a potato, tofu, and beef that he described as part of the leg - but I'm not sure what it was exactly. A little chewy, but very delicious.
Next was sardine sashimi - yum! He told me these fish are not cut, but pulled apart for serving. They are a beautiful shiny silver color.
Our server and the chef. Hiroshi knows everyone here. And of course, we are sitting at the bar, looking into the kitchen.
This fish has the head attached - maybe so you will know exactly what it is? It looks like a small swordfish . . . The white around the head is grated daikon (raddish) and the red is (I think) a type of kelp.
I'm watching a pot over very high flame on the kitchen stove. I love being able to see what goes on in the kitchen of many Japanese restaurants!
Looks like glasses of water, right? Wrong! It's clear shochu - similar to sake, but made from sweet potato, I think. These have a plum at the bottom. Kampai!
The chef brought over this dish to show me what had been boiling in the pot I was watching. Yep - it's a large fish head along with other goodies . . . and it smells delicious!
Looking back at the curtain as we leave. Hiroshi has been coming here for many, many years. And, as a big plus, it's very near the newly-renovated restrooms. Yay!
Downstairs hallway as we walk toward the gate area to catch our train. I found this cute display of Shinkansen (bullet train) rolled cakes for sale.
In 2 flavors . . . Yum.
While I stopped to take these photos, Stan & Hiroshi were purchasing train tickets. Then I went to check the train schedule & wait at my usual place near the entrance to the platform - where I ALWAYS wait. But here they are, their backs to me, both looking in the wrong direction . . . guess men are alike in every culture!
On the train, we're riding in the front car & I can see through the driver's door and out the front window.
This is usually a solid wall and I guess trains have traffic lights too. It's been a fun day and I've enjoyed my first full day out in a couple of weeks.
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