Saigon Pho

Saigon Pho is a Vietnamese restaurant hidden behind University Boulevard. A popular destination with local college students. The small restaurant is full of Vietnamese and Chinese art pieces and decorations, and has many different selections of delicious Vietnamese food. I snapped a few photos of the restaurant but not enough to capture every single detail. All the walls are covered in this Red color with some subtle tan and gold streaks, which are very common colors in China (and much of Asia it would seem) and they represent luck and good fortune. The lights were traditional and modern paper lanterns, and there were, much like the scented leaf, many plants (like vines and bamboo) to give it a zen and somewhat garden feel.

A beautiful picture of Vietnamese rice paddies. It is an idealistic picture of country life in Vietnam where most people make their living off of farming rice.

A Picture of the front counter. Traditional Chinese paper lanterns hang above the counter and there are many Asian vases. Plants and fake fruit are also above (much of the fruit is a representation of the kind of fruits that are native to Vietnam). There is also a Japanese lucky money cat behind the counter and a bamboo fence above to hide the fencing (a type of fencing made out of bamboo reeds that is very common in most of Asia).

Stir Fried Rice noodles. Rice noodles are a flat and wide noodle made from rice that is from Vietnam. The dish contained napa cabbage, onion, cilantro, pork, carrots, and bean sprouts (all common foods in Asian dishes). Came with a side of soup (I believe it is the broth used in Pho).

Scented Leaf

The Scented Leaf is a popular tea house on University boulevard right next to the U of A campus. It is not necessarily an "Asian" tea shop, but it does have a variety of things that give it a very relaxed and zen feeling, from Asian influences. They have several wooden tables and chairs, a very comfortable couch and plush pillows, and some really great teas. I am not a fan of the teas that taste like fruit juice, so I tend to order Jasmine tea, Ginger tea, Gunpowder Temple of Heaven (a green tea), or Dark Rose tea. I would absolutely recommend people go there and try some of the teas, and also just experience the vibe and atmosphere of it. It's hard to find another place like it.

Some of the Asian art found in the shop. Above the table is a picture of the Terracotta Army in China, and right underneath it is a fabric piece of lily pads and flowers, in a very Chinese style. Also the darker woods and the plants all around sort of mimic a Chinese or Japanese garden.

More of the plants. Also some of the pieces (such as the pink lantern) and the metal bowl are Asian style. The coloring of the lantern is more contemporary but that lantern looks like one that you would find in China. And again, all of the plants remind me of a peaceful Asian inspired garden.

 

The tree mural painted on the other wall. The shape of the branches and the moss covered trunk remind me of bonsai trees. And the colors of the leaves to me also look like the Japanese maple tree leaves.

Miniature Museum in Tucson

Tucson is full of secret and hidden museums. One of these museums is the Miniature Time Machine Museum. It is a little museum that is less then a decade old. It is place dedicated to preserving and displaying minature models and doll houses from as old as the 1600 century. Many of the dollhouses come from Europe (like Germany, France, and England). But there are also more modern figurines that make up an area for more modern dollhouses and holiday house models. And there is an even smaller area with a handful of Asian home models, from Thailand, Vietnam, China, and Japan.

A minature model of a Japanese kitchen. On the right there is the stove where pots were placed on holes made in a rock surface and a fire was lit beneath them. In the center is a series of cabinets and tools (such as the noodle basin which was used for rinsing noodles) that were a part of the Japanese cooking experience. And on the right is a small shrine, where some sake and food would be placed as an offering to the spirits and gods to thank them for the food.

This is a model of a Japanese farmhouse. It has a thatched roof because farmers were not wealthy and could not afford tiles. It is also peaked higher and steeper so that snow does not pile on top and force the roof to cave in.

An Asian themed chest of drawers with food on top and some figurines. The drawers themselves look Chinese with the red coloring and the metal work, and some of the food on top looks like Chinese stir fry, however there also appears to be some sushi, which is from Japan.

A tradition Japanese lacquered wood table with gold designs (which means that this belonged to someone who had a bit of wealth and didn't live in a farm house), and a traditional cold soba meal. In miniature obviously.

Shisa

 This entry is going to show the Japanese art and figurines I have in my house here at Tucson. These are figurines that my family has been collecting for several years. A large amount are Okinawan, but there are a handful that are from mainland Japan. These figurines represent a history and growth/evolution of the Japanese and Okinawan cultures.

 Though these dolls look like Japan dolls, they are actually Okinawan. The difference is largely in the clothing. It is slightly hard to notice but the dolls are wearing the Okinawan bingata instead of the Japanese kimono. The colors, patterns, and style of wearing the clothes is different then Japanese kimonos. Another thing is the hair style. Japan had a more "European inspired pompadour" rolled hair style, where the Okinawan women had more of a twisted bun.

These are the display shelves we have in our house. They are filled with figurines of Okinawan and Japanese origin. Hanging on the wall is a black bingata cloth, handmade and very expensive and difficult to create, this is a traditional Okinawan floral design.

These figurines are Japanese in origin. The top shelf is filled with the Emperor and Empress dolls, usually only brought out in Japan for girl's day, but we display them year round because we have no room to place the actual girl's day dolls (they're rather large and there are a lot of pieces). There is also a pole with fish kites which is usually for kid's day in Japan, and a cartoon-ish samurai figurine.

There are sitting cats on the top shelf (no significance to Japanese culture, but they were made there.) Underneath there are monkeys, stuffed animals representing a few of the animals in the Chinese calendar, which the Japanese use, and an owl figure that was also purchased in Japan.

These are Okinawan figurines. The two figures in the back (a whale shark and a manta ray) were painted by my sister and I. They are some of the many animals in the waters around Okinawa. The 5 clay figures in the front are all a variety of shisa figures. Shisa's are a combination of lion,dog, and a little bit dragon. They are influenced by Japan, China, and Korean dragon dog figures. They are placed on roofs and gates and inside home in Okinawa and are used to ward of negative and evil spirits.

All the figures you see are shisa figurines. As you can see, in the current day, many shisa are available, from the traditional tough and ferocious ones, to cuter and more friendly shisa. There are also shisa that are drunk or playing the Okinawan instrument, the sanshin.

On the top of the shelf are two of the traditional Okinawan shisa figures. They are ceramic and the one with the open mouth is male and the other is female. They almost always come in pairs. Some of the other figurines (more modern) have writing on them. This is Japanese, but it says "It will be what it will be" in the traditional language of Okinawa, Hogen.

The three large shisa on the bottom were all created by my mom, my sister, and I. We molded them, created them, and then painted them. It was time consuming but very worth it.

More modern shisa figurines. There are a lot of them.

Even more shisa. It can be hard to pick a favorite because there are so many different styles and designs nowadays. Back then, it was only the tough ferocious looking ones.

The final shelf, full of adorable and modern shisa. Did you have a favorite one?

Japanese Castles/Buddhas in Nara

I went to Japan this summer and went to Osaka to see this castle. It is one of the most famous Japanese castles and is both beautiful and functions as a museum. It was an important castle in the unification of Japan in the 16th century. Beautiful, it is white with a stacked stone foundation wall, blue/green tiles, and gold decorations like fish and flowers. It is 5 stories high and surrounded by a large moat/lake. I also went to Nara, which is famous for the friendly wild deer (that you can feed), and for Todai-ji. This is the temple that houses one of the largest Buddha statues in Japan, the Daibutsuden. It was larger than life, immensely detailed, and very cool to see.

 This is a tori gate leading to a smaller shrine in Nara, Japan. These are common place and Japan and found in every city and in a variety of nooks and crannies in all the cities and mountains.

 The main gate for the Daibutsuden Buddha. It is large and imposing to show the significance and importance of this specific Buddha.

 The Temple that houses the Buddha. The Temple and compounds are extremely large because of the Buddha's incredible size

The Daibutsuden. Notice the adult man standing directly next to it. This Buddha was large and bigger then life. Imposing and very regal it was hard to look away.

 

A smaller Buddha statue situated to the left of the main Buddha. Significantly smaller, but still quite large.

  

On either side near the doors of the temple that houses the Buddha were these statues of Ferocious warriors, meant to protect the Buddha from harm and ward of evil spirits.

 The second warrior statue

 

 The Original Temple building that housed the Buddha, which burned down a few centuries ago.

The current model for the building that houses the Buddha, built after the original was destroyed by a fire.

 

 A model of the gate that leads to the temple compound

 

 A Model of the original temple grounds. The 2 tower structures sadly no longer exist.

 

Another angle for the original temple compound model.

The gate leading to the Osaka castle, one of Japan's most famous castles. This castle housed the man who created an effective tax collection system and helped unite Japan during the era of civil war.

The Osaka castle. Notice the white coloring and the blue-green tile roof, which is very common of castles built in Japan. Another common feature was to be built on a large raised stone foundation and to be surrounded by water, to protect from invaders.

View of the castle from a bit farther away. The roof is adorned with gold ornamental items, such as a tiger, cranes, and fish.