Celebrating the Year of the Ram

Individuals and businesses alike celebrate Chinese New Year with various rituals. Even in Toronto, I use to see lion dancers performing around the city at events and local malls for the 採青 "plucking the greens" ceremony.

But this year was the first time I've seen an elaborate offering ceremony complete with roast suckling pig, drummers, and martial artist lion dancers. I was at a lunch gathering with CharK's family on the 2nd day of the Chinese New Year celebration and caught the ceremony as we were leaving the hotel.

A small crowd of restaurant patrons and hotel guests gathered at the entrance of the hotel to witness the colorful ceremony. A troop of martial artists started the ceremony with a rhythmic beating on the drums. Then the hotel management led the offering with incense. Many of the hotel's staff also took part in the ceremony, placing incenses in front of the offerings.

Traditional offerings made for Chinese New Year (Photo; CharK)

The lion dancers were a lot of fun to watch, skillfully performing their routine. What I found to be especially impressive was when they got onto the series of circular platforms on poles and continued their routine. The only downside was part of the ceremony took place inside the hotel in the lobby, which was a bit crowded and difficult to see.

After the outdoor ceremony these skilled lion dancers performed the traditional jumps on top of a series of small circular platforms on poles (Photo: CharK)

The lion costumes from the ceremony were pretty typical in style. At the Lion King Exhibition in Tuen Wan, I came across the most bling'd out lion costume I've ever seen. The sign says there are 100,000 pieces crystals sewn onto this lion. The whole thing took 6 months to be put together.

Part of the Lion King Exhibition at the Citywalk Mall in Tuen Wan (Photo: CharK)

Wish everyone a healthy, happy, and prosperous Chinese New Year!

A creative Valentine's Day at PMQ

I'm constantly impressed by HK's artists and designers, and this Valentie's Day with CharK at PMQ (元創方)--a newly revitalized hub for HK's creative scene--didn`t disappoint.

Photo: CharK

According to PMQ's website, it was original the site of HK's first government school. After World War II, the site became the Police Married Quarters for married junior police officers and was in used until 2000. It wasn't until April 2014 that the PMQ started operating as a venue for HK`s designers and popup stores.

It was fun walking around to check out all the shops. I think each shop use to be a living quarter, and the still has many of the original window frames. There are a tons of cool shops selling unique designs in from jewelry to home furnishing. A few of the shops even offered Valentine themed workshops. It was sweet seeing couples were making rings for each other in a jewelry making workshop.

This cool bamboo bike outside on of the shops caught our eye. (Photo: CharK)

There's also an art installation called "Adventures of the Goat" in celebration the Lunary New Year. It was really cool that only a single projector is needed to create the colorful moving images. A couple of other "Goat" (theoretically the CNY's 12 zodiacs should be a Ram...) themes were seen around the PMQ. The dangling goat in the main hall looks pretty cool and is made from a number of origami goats.

The details in this short movie was amazing (Photo: CharK)

Hundreds of origami goats (Photo: CharK)

I was pleasantly surprised by the rich coffee and chocolate souffle that is being served at the Bread and Butter Cafe inside PMQ. The food is pretty good for such a small place.

It was a good lunch at Bread and Butter Cafe (Photo: Cath)

CharK and I found our way to PMQ after a recommendation from a friend visiting from San Francisco. This creative spot in HK's Soho district is a fun date place and a great place to check out some local designers and goods.

A tea house from Japan's Edo Period

The Amazake Chaya (Tea House) was probably one of the most interesting places I came across on my visit to Hakone. CharK and I reached the Tea House after a short hike through the Ishidatami (stone paved) road. 

Photo: CharK

The tea house was built during the Edo period and sits along the Tokaido road. The tea house was originally a rest spot for travelers, able to  snack on mochi and amazake (sweet malted rice drink) to replenish their energy. 

Photo: CharK

According to Odakyu's guide of the tea house, the menu here is still the original one from back in the day.

Photo: CharK

The warm and fragrant tea house was a nice break from our windy walking. I felt so warm sitting next to the heater (which doubled as a stove for the kettle) and made it possible to drink the cold red shiso juice. I loved sitting at the wooden tables on tree trunks--I could imagine what it was to be like a traveller in this period.

Photo: CharK

Simple yet delicious mochi (black sesame and roasted beans) Photo: CharK

I imagine this tea house would make a great field trip for school kids. As a kid I love visiting the Pioneer Villages and learning about daily life by being in the actual site of where it all happened.

Photo: CharK

Lastly, here's a tip to travelers arriving by bus. The public bus comes every 30 minutes on the weekday, so remember to check the bus schedule (just across the street from the tea house) before heading inside. There's not much to do around the tea house, except the other entrance into the Ishidatami site.