During the Edo Period, the site of today’s Ivy Square used to be the office for the local magistrate, representing the Shogunate which governed Japan. Later on, this became the site for Japan’s first cotton mill owned by Ōhara Magosaburō, an influential and beloved Kurashiki native who owned several business concerns and would later donate several…
Author: Karen E. Young
Sharing the journey of fumbling my way to pleasing Jesus as His follower, as a wife, mother, businesswoman/ entrepreneur, cook/baker, employer, writer, occasional singer, lifelong learner, and aspiring dancer.
Bikan Historical Quarter, Kurashiki
Sword-wielding samurai’s used to tread these Kurashiki streets back in the Edo period when the Shogunate controlled this port town whose canal was the main thoroughfare for transporting goods to and fro. The Bikan Historical Quarter has been recognized as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, its storehouses made characteristically with white walls…
Old and New In Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter
The antique structure in the Ohara House compound actually has a motion-sensor faucet installed in the bamboo surroundings. “So he told them, “Every student of the Scriptures who becomes a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like someone who brings out new and old treasures from the storeroom.”” Matthew 13:52 CEV
Kurashiki Handcrafted Gift
The lady vendor by the canal asked for my hand, right after I bought a small hair stick. Romantic right? She was assessing the diameter of my ring finger and right then and there made a small matching ring as my gift! . Reminds me of when we receive Jesus into our hearts, we get…
Denim Street, Kurashiki
Denim Ice Cream, Denim Buns, Denim Sandwiches, drink, and other creative denim-themed products can be found on Denim Street. A short distance away, even the Noren (Japanese curtain in front of a store) which is usually made of traditional Japanese cloth, looks like denim pants! Kurashiki is regarded as the birthplace of denim in Japan,…
Wabi-Sabi: Beauty in Imperfection
Love this beauty concept: Wabi-sabi (侘寂) -Japanese lifestyle of “finding beauty in the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay; Beauty that is imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete; includes asymmetry, roughness, simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy, and appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and processes.” … How very…
Walk on Stars, Tokyo
Walk on 🌟 in Tokyo! . Here just by Tokyo station, lights were meticulously installed on the pavement’s stone with a timer to let them twinkle like stars!!! ⭐️ 🌟 💫 . On the papers today was the Indonesia tsunami and that reminded me of how the bible says that The Lord speaks through nature…
Pretty Rest Stop with Moriya Farm Steak and Cremia
There may be prettier ones but this is one of the prettiest pit stop rest area I’ve seen… with a flower garden and pond… rest benches… origami-decorated immaculately clean bathroom with new and modern utilities personal full length vanity mirrors… …and the yummiest beef barbecue on stick I’ve ever had! Moriya Farm’s cooked-upon-order, tender, perfectly…
Rainy Day in Tokyo
TQ (Tea Queue) on Ginza stroll. 🚶♀️ This day has been all rainy. Couldn’t help but count yesterday’s blessing that when I had signed up for the Hitachi Seaside Park tour to see the kochia (KO kya) field, the Lord gave all-day sun ☀️. Thank You for Your graces, Lord! . . . . #tea…
Cod Roe Ice Cream at the Kanefuku Cod Roe Factory
Cod Roe Ice Cream! It’s surprisingly refreshing and yummy. It also comes with a savory cod roe cracker on top. Kanefuku Mentaiko (Japanese for “cod roe”) Factory in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture has a little museum in their factory that explains the kinds of cod that are used to extract the roe which is a popular ingredient…
BUTTERFLY IN THE SPRING 