Building a Time Machine

We're going back in time.

To the Fabulous 1920s! This adventure has been inspired by the upcoming production of Much Ado About Nothing, being set in the style of the 1920s at the Albany Civic Theater. They promise a "Gatsbyesque" world with comedy, song and dance. Count me in!

Costumes are definitely in order, but not too over the top. We want to have a good time wandering around Albany before the show.

Albany is the perfect town for time travel, having fine historical neighborhoods and museums. It has the oldest airfield in Oregon, a Carnegie library, and a Carousel Museum. I'm sure we'll find plenty to do.

Now to build my time machine.

Keep scrolling to see the previous Oregon Staycation in "Japan"

Japan Takes the Stage

Big drums. That's all it took to get my interest.

The weekend after our failed attempt to spend a day "in Japan", there was a Japanese-American New Year's celebration and cultural fair in Portland. Why not try again?

Mochitsuki promised a full slate of performances, including two troupes of Taiko drummers. 

But first I needed sushi.

Our grown kids were eager to join us on a staycation experience, so the night before Mochitsuki we watched some Japan travelogues and went out to Tiga Sushi & Asian Bistro in Salem. Even the non-sushi fans at the table had to admit it was wonderful.

The next day we drove in a world of fog to Portland.

Driving through a cloud felt like  being in a plane.
Like magic, the minute we arrived in downtown Portland the fog cleared, and the day was dazzling.

"My" we said, "Isn't this a beautiful day in Japan?"

Ladies in kimonos heading to the event confirmed the illusion.

Mochitsuki was buzzing already when we got there. We grabbed some delicious mochi and took our seats for the dynamic "Utsuki Kai" Ritual Mochi Pounding on stage, followed by a succession of evocative performances.

The performance hall had a wood floor, and the Taiko drums reverberated through our feet. It was even more spectacular than I hoped. 

When the koto players took the stage, I wondered how my family would enjoy this softer music after the excitement of the drums, but my son-in-law remarked: "I got so caught up in the music of the kotos I forgot where I was."

We left Mochitsuki grateful for the experience. If we had wanted to continue the theme, we should have visited the lovely Japanese Gardens just a short drive away.

But one thing that impressed me in the movies we had watched during the week was the importance of family in Japan. Mochitsuki confirmed this by seamlessly including all ages.

So we drove up to visit with our other daughter. We took a walk through her neighborhood to a coffeehouse and other Portland style shops. I bought a book, a loaf of crusty bread and arugula pesto. We admired her small apartment, which reminded us of how Japanese homes make use of every space. We sat around her table and broke bread together.

Back home, we congratulated ourselves for having one of the best vacations ever.

I looked at the little book I had purchased: a  "how to draw" cartoon animals study book.

Now I looked closer and laughed. Of course!

It is by Sachiko Umoto, and was originally published in Japan.

My souvenir.

Keep scrolling to see more Japan ideas.

A Japanese Cultural Experience Part One, Plan A...

Inspired by the Salem Concert Band's offering "Postcards from Japan", I decided to put together a cultural Japanese staycation adventure.

My husband was stationed for awhile in Japan during his military service, and he remembers this experience fondly. I asked him what the people in Japan like to do on their weekends.

He pondered this. "They like nature a lot" he said.

Then it all came together.

We would begin our day outside Salem at the Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, where for a few hours that morning there would be a guide from the Audubon Society to help us appreciate this wide marshland set aside for migrating birds.

Then a light lunch at one of Salem's many Japanese Udon restaurants.

Then on to an art exhibit in downtown Salem, which happened to be featuring the work of a Japanese American artist.

And to the Concert, "Postcards from Japan". The Salem Concert Band is a fine group of artists. This would be the high point of the day.

Finally, dinner at one of Salem's best reviewed sushi places. It was going to be amazing.

But then we had another one of those weeks with a family member in the hospital. ER, Intensive Care, driving back and forth every day and getting behind at work, and then bringing them back home with all the uncertainty that brings. And it was the day before our "trip".

So we watched a movie.



Neither one of us wanted anything serious. We chose one that looked off-beat, and laughed  randomly. We needed that.

"Fine, Totally Fine" brings an odd collection of hapless characters together in a artfully chaotic style. The rhythm of this film is syncopated like a nervous tic. I loved it. I like being surprised.










The next night we followed that with "Key of Life" and laughed some more. Impossible plot and plenty of nonsense. Just the therapy we needed.

Finally, something beautiful.

Adrift in Tokyo is also quirky, but the tragedy that sets the piece in motion drives it throughout.

The scenery as they walk through the movie made me feel like I had also wandered through parts of this great city. The images of home life helped me visualize the way people might live.

I loved the dailiness of some scenes: the line for a popular noodle restaurant, encounters with other pedestrians on the sidewalk.

All three movies explore the lives of young Japanese men -- juxtaposed with older men, and the parallels are intriguing.

Listen for the unseen cat. What do you think it means? Tell me if you figure it out.

And when it is over, you will want Japanese Curry. Or at least, I did.

Keep scrolling to see how Portland became Venice for a Day