I was lucky enough to stay two nights at a Shinto monastery at Koya-San, in the mountains near Osaka. I will post photos from Koya-San over the next few days.
All posts by Sandra Graham
Set Fire To The Third Bar
Looks like that Martha Wainwright really loves doing duets with people. I just realised that she is the distinctive voice on Set Fire To The Third Bar, my favourite song off Snow Patrol’s Eyes Open album. I found this perfect live version of the song, when Snow Patrol performed at the Abbey Road studios.
Tagine
After my visit to Kazbah, I had a craving for more Moroccan food, so last weekend I tried out two recipes: chicken and date tagine, served with curried apple couscous.
The tagine was wonderful, with the subtle flavour of cinnamon, honey and almonds. I couldn’t find any dates so I used prunes instead. And the curried apple couscous is a dream, good enough to have on its own.
Careless
This song must be 25 years old but is still as fresh as a daisy. Well, Paul Kelly is a genius, after all.
Traditional vs Modern
Japan is truly a clash of cultures, where traditional and modern collide.
Just outside the gates of Meiji-Jingu, is the shopping precinct of Harajuku. On Sundays, teens from all over Tokyo come, dressed up.
And in another part of Tokyo, you can see sumo wrestlers strolling around, doing their day-to-day chores.
Slave to Love
Found another top duet from Rockwiz featuring Dan Kelly (nephew of Paul Kelly) and Martha Wainwright, singing a very sultry version of Bryan Ferry’s Slave To Love.
Kawaii
Japan is the land of kawaii or all things cute. One frequently hears a teenage girl squeeking, “Kawaiiiiiiiiiii!” as she finds something cute. The selection of cuteness is frankly nauseating at times. Here is a selection:
Peanuts collection at Snoopy World.
A shrine to Kerope.
Cute beverages. I think this was apple juice.
And finally, thousands of incarnations of Hello Kitty.
This Mess We’re In
One of my favourite songs, PJ Harvey collaborates with Thom Yorke on This Mess We’re In off PJ’s Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea album. Their voices are surprisingly suited.
This was covered very nicely by Katy Steele (from Little Birdy) and Paul Kelly on Rockwiz.
A Wedding or Two
Sunday is wedding day at Meiji-Jingu. Seems like there are plenty of couples/families willing to fork out their life savings on a traditional wedding.
Since the wedding-goers parade in the middle of the temple grounds, all the visitors got a sneak peak, too.
Prayerful Intentions
I liked the wooden prayer cards that hang in shrines all over Japan. At Meiji-Jingu, they were written in all sorts of languages, reflecting the diversity of visitors there.
Static and Silence 