Because of the huge amounts of pictures I’ve been posting, I had to allow only the last post to appear on the main page. To see more posts, Including this morning’s post about cityscape, please look in the archives.
Cityscape
I’ve been constantly busy over last few days with work and my aunt visiting from Rijeka. There is so much I want to post about, hopefully I’ll get around to most of it. But before I archive all my Japan memorabilia, here are some little tidbits on the cities we visited.
Me looking for food while jetlagged. There are restaurants in the background.
I’ve never seen so many restaurants all over the city. They were all full too. A lot of the restaurants are quite small and all have little flags/curtains over the doors so you’d know it’s a restaurant (Like in movie Tempopo). Most of the restaurants have plastic models of the food on their menu displayed in front of the restaurant which made it really easy for Chris and me but, since we saw very few non Japanese people, I guess it helps the locals too. Even if a restaurant doesn’t have the display, there are pictures in the menu. We’ve only been to one place that did not have this (in fact, apart from a sign on the wall, they did not have menus) and that was an experience in and of itself. The noodle shops were my favourite. I can’t believe how fast people can eat soup, but I guess that is because I have not mastered the art of slurping. The Japanese food is so distinct, most of the time I did not know what I was eating, but then again, I enjoyed all the meals so no complaints there.
Gothic Lolitta Square
This area, Harajuku, is all about teenage chaos. This particular place is where Gothic Lolitta cos players hang out. We were too shy to go around taking pictures though some kids were posing for cameras. The kids in black sitting under the fence are all cos players. The place reminded me of the Dark Wave Nights but with more crinolines and parasols.
Tokyo Street
Tokyo Street
The architecture in Tokyo is mostly from late 40’s onwards. The 50’s and 60’s design is omnipresent and fun. The interesting thing about the apartment buildings is how narrow they are. What I liked the most are the trees that manage to grow in less than a square meter of “garden” afforded by the crowded architecture. In places where they don’t have a luxury of a tinny garden, people leave potted plants on the street. It gives otherwise a stark street a cozy people-live-here-and-like-it feel.
The National Art Gallery in Ottawa just bought one of these. I don’t make a point of listening to CFRA but I imagine the tax cuts-ignorance-church-and-tradition loudmouths must have had a cow.
Tokyo City View from Mori Art Gallery
Tokyo City View
Tokyo City View
Kyoto Neighbourhood
If I lived in Kyoto, I’d want to live here. Compared to apartment buildings this neighbourhood looked like Westmount. While we were there the school kids were just coming back home and whenever we passed a bunch they would say “hello” or some other greeting phrase they so obviously learned in english class such as “I like baseball.” When we would say hi back they would giggle.
The Kyoto Accord (you knew this one was coming)
In Kyoto Shopping Mall
There are only certain decades when something like this would pass through the planning committee.
A sea of taxis in Kyoto
Back in Tokyo
One way to make sure Tokyo does not get crushed again is to make Godzilla small enough not to be able to step on anything.
I’ve shown a few pictures from our trip at work and some people were surprised since they expected more crowded cities and advanced technology. We saw a lot of these, but they are hard to take pictures of. In the metro pretty much every second person was reading the news or messages on their cell phone. Akihabara (technology) district was full of technology but looked a bit on the cheapish side with huge yellow banners advertising something or other on each shop. I expected something more snazzy. The cities, particularly Tokyo were just crazy, it is something that really has to be experienced.
Wistle stop – Himeji Castle
As I have slowly recovered from jet lag, I have gone back to having way too many things on my to-do list. However, I don’t want to fall behind in my posts about Japan, so today I present you a brief description of Himeji Castle. Himeji Castle is interesting because, not only is it a really cool castle, it is also the oldest surviving castle in Japan.
Panoramic view of the Himeji Castle
A moat!
Wait, it’s the cat’s turn!
Each round tile has the design of the castle owner at the time of construction or reconstruction. The butterfly crest was my favourite.
While the outlining structures were used as living quarters, the main building was intended to hold the army. On the second to last floor it even had hiding holes for the soldiers to attack the unsuspecting enemy. I don’t really understand that since, if the enemy has gotten through the entire castle, two guys hiding on the last floor are quite unlikely to turn the tide, no? Though, with the element of surprise, it just might work.
View from the castle.
The field in front of the castle was full of people, there was even an Onda dancing competition in an adjoining grove.
Gardens
I was all dressed up and ready to go for the Diefenbooker bike race when it started raining. So instead, I will post a few more pictures from Japan.
Hibiya Park is a western style park in a busy business area of Tokyo. Chris and I were relaxing by this fountain watching several dozens of suits have a cigarette break before running off to work.
It was raining at Aichi Expo, but the evergreen mascots were still funny.
Me doing my best wire-fu in the bamboo forest next to the Nara National Museum. (Chris just realised that he’s seen every single movie listed in IMDB.com under category wire-fu, except for one that appears to be a Swedish comedy)
Nara National Museum has an outside display of a traditional Japanese house and garden. Here are some more pictures of it:
This giant tree at Nara Botanical Garden is remarkable because, apart from being a gigantic tree, it had fallen down and then started growing again.
Rice Paddy at the botanical garden
On to the famous Zen temple Ryoanji
Ryoanji Rock Garden was quite an experience. It is difficult to describe since it really depends on the imagination of the viewer rather than its own absolute design. It reminded me of the sea and islands on a steadily windy day.
The moss garden at the same temple.
Funny Trees at the Ryoanji Temple
Blossom Umbrella at the Ryoanji Temple
The last stop on our garden tour of Japan was the Nishi-Oyasiki-Ato Garden adjoining the Himeji Castle. The garden was built in 1992 based on archaeological excavations in the area. The location was the settlement of samurai families during the Edo times. There are nine different gardens, separated by walls that are at the location of the walls separating samurai properties. Each garden represents some essence of the Edo period. In concept this is similar to the Cloisters garden we’ve visited while in New York.
View from the restaurant
Chris and I enjoyed some nice eel in a pretty lunch box and watched the garden animals hang around the waterfall in this area of the garden. The orange spots are the koi fish.
Fish Market
Though I have been aware of the existance of fish markets, apart from an empty, hosed down, slightly fishy smelling section of the general market area, I have never seen one. I’ve heard tales of the fish market goings on, but due to my inability to wake up early enough, the only reason to believe that such events happen are the fresh yummy fish served at lunch time.
Well, at least there is one jet lag benefit. Our second morning in Tokyo, Chris and I were all bringt eyed and bushy tailed at 5:30 AM and ready to visit the Tokyo Fish Market.
Tokyo Fish Market
The place is absolutely nuts. There are buckets upon buckets of every kind of fish and sea creature imaginable accessed by small corridors through which little carts with oil barrel shaped motors zoom about. The carts deliver fish from the vendors to the trucks and motorcycles (from stores and restaurants I guess…) parked outside.
Here is a better picture from National Geographic along with a link to their article about how huge the Tokyo Fish market is.
Sakura Blossom Season
Because we had to wait for my final exam before we could leave for Japan, we were afraid we’d miss the famous cherry (sakura) blossoms. As soon as we got to Tokyo we run to the nearest park we suspected to have cherry trees to catch the last of the flowers.
We caught sight of the cherry trees at Ueno park in Tokyo.
The Sakura Blossoms were checked off on our to do list and we continued with our sight seeing. A few days later as we were getting out of the train station in Kyoto, an enthusiastic old man walked up to us and insisted that we go to Ninnaji temple where the blossoms had just opened two days ago. We did and we were very glad for it. The temple had a cherry orchard in full bloom.
Sakura Blossoms in front of five story pagoda at Ninnaji temple
It was absolutely beautiful. There were picnic tables for people to have tea surrounded by cherry trees.
Tea time in the orchard
Unfortunately for us, we got there right before the temple was closing so we didn’t have the chance to relax with some tea. We did get a chance to take a few more pictures though.
Five story pagoda at Ninnaji
Sakura Blossoms