is my birthday. I have celebrated each year since my 80th as a gift. This year my celebration was to go to Japan again and go to the workshop. It has been a great birthday and everyone at the workshop helped me celebrate. Without Nicolo, our teacher and translator, it would not have been possible for me to participate. Our workspace was on the second floor of the house and none of the stairs had bannisters, without which I don’t climb stairs. Nicolo helped me up and down the stairs, each time with great patience and love. He also gave me a charming birthday present.

Our Sensei, Chihiro Taki, let me buy a print from her at a lower price. She wanted to give it to me, but I could not accept such a gift. I love the print and only wish I could afford to buy one of her large prints. I did not even ask the price.

Erin, Katie and Yoonmi went out of their way, and made it all possible for me. I don’t like to be needy and special, but I have begun to need help under certain circumstances. They have been very kind and loving.

Everyone at the workshop sang Happy Birthday to me, and our hosts brought out slices of a melon for our dessert. This is a rare treat in Japan. And another rare treat: Fuji was visible all day and from everywhere I went.

Since I finished printing on Thursday and wasn’t inspired to carve another block, I spent the morning working on the blog and then went for a walk down to Lake Kawaguchi.

After lunch I went upstairs to look at my dried, finished prints. This is the first time I have ever done any printing like this. I enjoyed doing it but will probably never continue. I don’t have space to set up a studio and I’m too deeply immersed in book making and computer graphics. As I began working I knew I would have no standards for this work. To properly carve the woodblock and print an edition where every print looks more or less the same, requires strict attention to every possible variable: carving clean, deeply cut negative space; the amount of water on your paper; amount of pigment in the color you mix; amount of nori you put on the block along with the color. My carving was never deep enough; too much pressure on the hands. My paper was too wet or not wet enough. Each of my prints is different. I am happy that I have completed work to bring home, never mind quality.

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We had a big show and tell. Everyone worked hard and produced amazing work considering we had only a short time to work.

The sun was shining and I walked around Takayama all morning. On the way to the morning market I stopped at a temple and found the oldest, and largest Gingko tree I have ever seen.

The market is held every morning along the river. I didn’t buy anything but enjoyed the walk.

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As I was leaving at noon, I bought a small bento box for lunch on the train. The train was late again and I missed my connection. I got on a local train; changed to a second train; finally connected with an express and got to Matsumoto about 2 hours later than I expected. But I did get lots of pictures.

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Steve and Charna went on a long bike ride over much of Kyoto. Robin and I went shopping, together and separately. She’s a great shopper; I am not. I decided I wanted a cane. Robin has been helping me climb stairs and navigate other tricky walkways and I am having more difficulty this trip than in 2013. It seems like a long time ago and I was certainly in better shape.

We all met up for dinner in another Okonomiyake restaurant in Pontocho, which seems to be filled with restaurants.

Afterward, to my surprise, we went for ice cream to celebrate my birthday. Actually, I’ve considered this entire trip a birthday celebration. When I reached 80 I decided I would celebrate every birthday; generally with a party. This has been an amazing celebration and I will celebrate again in 2 weeks when my actual birthday arrives.

These were some of the parfaits that were offered. Mine was chocolate and more restrained.

We had a fun conversation with a Japanese man who had been all around the world and now worked as a tour guide in Kyoto. And I would have had none of this had I been alone.

And first day after Golden Week, so everything back to normal. We all felt the need to do laundry. Our little house has a washing machine but no dryer. The nearby laundromat had wood paneled walls and all the machines we needed. It took all four of us to figure out how to do it, but mission accomplished, we went for a walk along a nearby canal and found a tiny almost hidden shrine.

Laundry finished we went to a wonderful vegan restaurant, Nagi Shokuda, for lunch

Where everything was delicious. Then onward to shop. Charna went off on her own; Robin and I went to the Asics store and Steve went to Meiji shrine where he did not shop.

Robin has a terrible time finding shoes to fit and usually has to order online. Today she had the pleasure of actually trying on several different shoes in the store and buying two pairs. I think she would have bought three but began to worry about getting them home. She and Charna are both able to find clothes that fit here. I don’t usually bother looking.

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We walked in Harajuku for a while then met up with Steve and Charna at a Starbucks on the sixth floor of Tokyu Plaza where I took most of the pictures above. As you enter the Plaza there is a mosaic of mirrors to look at as you rise three floors on escalators. Coming out of the elevator, which you have to take from the fourth floor, you feel like you are in a garden, or they call it a forest. And the Starbucks adds to the charm.

Steve and I headed back and had the Tokyo rush hour experience on three trains leading us to more fully appreciate our first days here being Golden Week. We bought sushi at the train station and all of us had dinner in our little house.

Charna went off on her own while Robin, Steve and I went to Shinjuku Gyoen National Park, a huge green space in the midst of a densely populated area, an oasis of quiet with a formal garden, a landscape garden and a Japanese garden.

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From there we went looking for a vegetarian restaurant. While I planned the trip overall, Robin has researched veggie restaurants. Not easy to find here. This one was on the seventh floor of Isetan Department Store. Robin had trouble believing this would be good, but I was hungry and tired of walking and persuaded her to try. We were seated in a lovely outdoor garden and the food was great. I had a salad with locally grown vegetables. Tokyo has an urban farms movement. We finished at Isetan by touring the basement food section where I got a real baguette. When I was here previously I frequently found myself looking for decent bread. The Japanese prefer something that resembles Wonder Bread but is even spongier. On previous trips I was able to get real bread in some French bakeries. This trip I’ve found fewer bakeries with more items that look good but definitely have the preferred spongy texture.

Finally, totally wiped out, I returned to our little house leaving R & S to explore on their own.