What a view to get up to in the morning! These colours have not been seen since the snow dump, and they are so fleeting, lasting no more than ten to fifteen minutes. Temperatures are falling again, down to minus 8 degree C today, and snow is forecast for the next seven days.
The team went out for a 30th birthday lunch today, to a place called Blanc, Burgers and Beers. This upscale burger bar served some very tasty burgers, including a vegetarian option. The price is very reasonable too. The place was heaving with diners - who say lunch is for wimps? 
Dinner was at a sushi bar on the ground floor of the hotel, where the cool and hip hang out. It is the only place that serves food after 10 pm in the area. Here is the sashimi dinner assortment, which is passable by Japanese standards.
I was warned by followers of the whole food movement that if I buy food from ordinary supermarkets in the US I could be exposing myself to a host of pesticides, growth hormones, etc., with resultant harmful effect on my health. Well, life is full of risks, and that includes ingesting food from unknown provenance.
Today, at Whole Foods, among the paintings by local artists, were rows and rows of food items that seduce, allure, and entice. With my Sony Ericsson K770i cell phone, here are the images captured.
Once a frontier town, Independence now has an abundance of shopping malls and car parks. On a grey Saturday afternoon, shoppers were out in droves hunting down the last car parking space. At the Independence Centre, the merry go round took pride of place in the centre of the shopping mall, but was under patronised. The mall was anchored by Macy's and Dillards, with the usual chain stores as the supporting cast. 
At the other end of the city, at the historic Independence Square where the pioneers fitted themselves out for their trails to the west, the place was deserted. The Court House where President Harry Truman presided as a county judge, has evidently been cleaned up, but was closed. Opposite was a shop that traded on the name of Harry Truman. And not much further afield were empty retail outlets, giving the place a forlorn and ghostly feel.
This food item, Buddha's Hand, which I saw at Whole Foods, reminded me of the green, closed, variety that I used to eat when I was a young girl in Hong Kong. I remember the slightly bitter taste, and how it used to be stir fried with sliced beef. To this day, I remember with fondness the foodstuff that I used to eat when I was growing up, and no longer eat: salt fish with minced pork, braised pig's trotters, pig's ears, the kind of food that is considered exotic or maybe even unpalatable by western taste buds.
At shrines and temples, stone objects are inscribed. Here, the two characters at the base of a stone lantern mean "offer light". There are other magnificent inscriptions on large stone tablets to the entrance of shrines and temples. 
The willow lined banks at Matsue. There are parts of Japan that are off the beaten tracks, and in the winter season, they are perfect for exploring. At these places, the tempo of life is less aggressive than the big cities, and the welcome is more sincere.
Often I had trouble in distinguishing the genders at first glance. This technician was customizing mobile phones at the Tempozan market place at Osaka. 
A stunning collection of orchids on display at the Hakata station. The richness and depth of colours and the sheer size of these exotic flowers provide a delightful visual respite for the tired traveller. 
A moving spiral optical illusion poster outside the Science Museum, Osaka. 
Bizen pottery at Kurashinki. A real gem among the brown fired glazed pottery that grace the tea sets. The vase to the left with small crabs crawling up a lotus leaf retailed for over £800. Torii - where the birds reside - are gateways at the entrance of Shinto shrines. They are made of wood, stone or sometimes iron. The wooden torii are usually painted in red.
One of the shrines that captured my imagination is the Kasuga Grand Shrine in Nara. It is celebrated for its lanterns, which have been donated by worshippers. Hundreds of bronze lanterns can be found hanging from the buildings, while thousands of stone lanterns line the approaches to the shrine. The lanterns are lit twice a year on the occasion of the Lantern Festivals in early February and mid August.
