the cloisters

 as i get ready to go to new york city in a couple of weeks, i find myself thinking about one of my favorite peaceful venues, the cloisters in washington heights in upper manhattan. located on a prominent spot in fort tryon on the hudson river, the cloisters, is the medieval art and architecture branch of the famous metropolitan museum. it is a collection of eurpoean cloisters assembled into a series of galleries and courtyards – all made possible through generous funds by the late john d. rockefeller, jr.  mr rockefeller also bought vast areas of land across the hudson river in new jersey to preserve the view across from the cloisters.  inside, on display in the several galleries, are many medieval paintings and artifacts.  my favorite are the unicorn tapestries that depict the hunting and ultimate killing of the mythical unicorn. best time to visit the cloisters is in the winter during a workday to avoid the crowds. and if you are new to manhattan, take the m4 bus from the east side of manhattan – a great tour through the cultural diversity of manhattan, going through the swanky upper east side, the columbia university campus, harlem and some hispanic neighborhoods in upper manhattan on the west side.

the cloisters
fort tryon park
new york, new york 10040
+1 212 923 3700

tuesday–sunday (monday closed)
9.30 am–4.45 pm (november–february)
9.30 am–5.15 pm (march–october)
closed january 1, thanksgiving day, december 25

 

daiso – cheap cool japanese products in dubai

this is probably one of dubai’s best kept secrets – a store of exclusively japanese bargain products for your home, some food and stationary. daiso.  it is not a very impressive looking store (about 900 sq m), nor is it easy to find, located in the far corner of the third floor in one of dubai older malls, lamcy plaza. but once you’ve been to daiso, you are sure to go back, and again. most products are priced at around AED 5 (about US$ 1.50). i bought all my japanese dining utensils from there: rice and soup bowls, chopsticks, tea cups, and sake glasses.  what i was surprised to learn about this store is that it is one of a network of 8,500 branches worldwide of the japan-based daiso stores with impressive annual sales of about 300 billion yen (about $3 billion). daiso is a leader in the japanese hyaku-en (100 yen) shop market.

 
global daiso store locator
http://www.daiso-sangyo.co.jp/english/storeinfo/storeinfo03.html

onsen in the snow – hot and cold

 

for a truly amazing experience, head to the tsurunoyu onsen (hot springs) in akita, japan, around january or february, to ensure that there is a lot of snow. request that you stay in the old part of the guest house – a detached 300 year old uninsulated wooden structure (structure to the left in top picture). you will be transported back in time. as with most ryokan (traditional japanese inn), 2 meals are served in your room, breakfast and dinner.  in the middle of the room in this part of the guesthouse, a depression holds a fire that is used to heat your dinner (picture above of room interior), and doubles as the only source to heat the room just long enough from dinner time till very early morning. on arrival, get out of your clothing, don the yukata, provided by the ryokan, have some green tea, rest a bit, then have some cold sake, and venture out down the snow covered path to the outdoor hot springs - and if your room is one of the first rooms towards the entry of the guesthouse, the walk in the snow to the springs will feel rather long and invigorating. while there are other attractions and activities nearby, once you settle in your room and indulge in the onsen dippings, all else will seem irrelevant. enjoy the experience – i left rejuvenated.

for reservations
http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/db/akita/tsurunoyuonsen.htm