Rice and Ramen

As many long-term residents of Japan do, I have a goal to visit all 47 prefectures of Japan. Just last week, together with my parents, who flew over from Chicago for a long weekend, I checked off No. 25: Fukuoka Prefecture. I'd never been to Fukuoka, which is on Japan's southerly island of Kyushu, before, but everyone I know who had visited had told me it was a great trip. It's capital, also called Fukuoka, has the distinction of being both Japan's youngest city and also the city with the fastest growing population, making it one of the only metropolitan areas outside of Tokyo with an increasing number of residents. A very dynamic place to visit; a vibrant city with an old, old history. WARNING: LOOOONG POST AHEAD. Friday morning my parents and I hop over on a flight from Haneda Airport to Fukuoka Airport, which is a fantastic 10 minutes away form the city center. Ten. Minutes. What I would do to have one of Tokyo's airports be that close! The weather was sunn...

I've come full circle to my life in Tokyo: when I moved here last June the ajisai  (hydrangeas) were already blooming, and here they are again...reminding me that Japanese rainy season is about to metaphorically punch us in the kidneys with endless rain and humidity. At least they look pretty.  Hakusan Shrine  is known in Tokyo for having lovely hydrangeas. It's even one of the stops for the Bunkyo Ward Hydrangea Festival. The official festival, timed to coincide with peak blooming, isn't for another week or so but I was wisely advised to go as early in the season as I could, in order to avoid the worst of the crowds and camera-wielding middle-aged men.  Japan has so man varieties of hydrangea; many more than the typical pale blue spherical flowers I tend to associate the name with. Hydrangea fun fact: the pH of the soil affects the color of the flowers! So you could have two plants right next to each other with drastically different shades of pink, purple,...