Yokohama

On our last full day in Japan, Shigefume Enimoto took us on a tour of Yokohama where he lives. He first took us to beautiful Sankeien Gardens, a traditional Japanese style garden where historic buildings relocated from other cities are exhibited along with landscaped flower gardens and expansive lakes, ponds and bridges.

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A couple pretty young ladies grace the garden bridge

Old Tokeji Sanctum, circa 1634, a temple relocated from Kamakura

A nifty fog machine creates a eerie scene in the plum garden (above and below)

Old Yanohara House, circa 1600's, a residential home of a wealthy family, is open to the public

Inside the Yanohara House, are many old artifacts including the open pit fireplace (above)
and wooden bowls (below)

The Rinshunkaku villa, circa 1649, orginally built along the Kamakura River

Another view of the Rinshunkaku villa

A bamboo forest in the inner garden

The Teishi Bridge in the inner garden

Jay, Herb and Shigefume on the Teishi Bridge

After the tour of Sankeien Gardens, Shigefume took us to lunch at one of the best soba houses in Japan. We watched the chef handmake the soba from scratch and turn it into delicious soba noodles. Soba are buckwheat noodles which are cooked and eaten with a soy base sauce.

Pic above is the dough formed from combining buckwheat flour and exacting measure of water

After rolling the dough numerous times, the chef cuts the dough into noodle strips
using a sharp knife and wooden straight-edge.

The deftly cuts noodles are placed in a wooden tray and taken to the kitchen for cooking

Oh YUMMIE!!

Shige and Jay scrafing down the tastey freshly made soba noodles

We spent the night at Shigefume's big house in Yokohama

Sukiyaki dinner at Shigefume's with his wife, Chieko

Shige's cute little dog looks just like my neighbor's schnoodle, Nikki

A map of the famous Tokyo subway looks like a bowl of soba noodles.
Good luck finding your way.

Down in the bowels of the Tokyo subway during the commute hours. Shops line the corridors.