-below: 2nd of June, 2013
Showing posts with label Sightseeing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sightseeing. Show all posts
Sunday, June 02, 2013
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Some places in Kyoto Paul McCartney visited
With two friends of mine, who are big fans of Paul McCartney, I visited Kyoto which was the capital of Japan from 794 to 1867. It is one of the most popular sightseeing places for both Japanese people and foreigners.
The first place we visited was Kinkakuji Temple, established in the 14th century. It burned down in 1950 and was reconstructed. Paul visited this temple in November 2002. The master priest admitted that Paul, his wife and his band members to the temple after it had closed time. The temple rules dictated that only state guests (King, Queen, President, Prime Minister etc.) were to be treated like that, but Paul was an exception to the rule.
We had Japanese tea and sweets which were made with pure gold like Kinkakuji.
The second place we visited was the Old Imperial Palace. It is a big park - all the buildings are closed. Why did Paul visit such a place? Maybe it is a good place for strolling.
The third place we saw on our tour was an old Japanese style inn Yoshikawa. It is where
Paul stayed. However, we didn't stay there because the rate is expensive, instead we had the cheapest tempra dinner set(100 dollars). It was the best tempra I have ever had.
After dinner, I asked the serving lady "We are big fans of Paul McCartney, so could you show us the room Paul stayed in?" She said, "Of course, come this way" and smiled gently.
This was his room! We saw it from ouyside the inn. The serving lady said, "If nobody was staying in this room, you could see inside, but unfortunately a guest is staying there now."
The third place we saw on our tour was an old Japanese style inn Yoshikawa. It is where
Paul stayed. However, we didn't stay there because the rate is expensive, instead we had the cheapest tempra dinner set(100 dollars). It was the best tempra I have ever had.
After dinner, I asked the serving lady "We are big fans of Paul McCartney, so could you show us the room Paul stayed in?" She said, "Of course, come this way" and smiled gently.
This was his room! We saw it from ouyside the inn. The serving lady said, "If nobody was staying in this room, you could see inside, but unfortunately a guest is staying there now."
The inn had a beautiful garden. The book "Each One Believing" about Paul's 2002 tour contained a picture of Paul relaxing in this garden.
After we took many pictures, the serving lady showed us the photo book of the celebrity guests who were celebrities, Leonard DiCaprio,Cameron Diaz, Daniel Radcliff etc. We focused on the first page and the second page. A picture of Paul was on the first page. On the second page was Olivia Harrison, George Harrison's wife! The serving lady said, "Paul-san recommended this inn to her." We were surprised and glad that there is a good relationship between Paul and Olivia. (If you are a beatlemania, you may know the complex relationship between Paul and George.)
As I wrote above, this inn Yoshikawa provides high-level hospitality and is a high-class hotel. In addition, this inn has another value - staff are not exclusive but open-minded. All Japanese people know some high-class Japanese inns are exclusive. For example, no first-time guest are admitted (you need to be introduced by a regular), and they look down on average people. However, Yoshikawa's staff treated us the same as other upper class guests. We were impressed by their services and thought that such an attitude attracted Paul and had him introduce this inn to other celebrities.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
My Impressions of the US
I went to Las Vegas in January 2012. It was my second visit to the US; the last one was in 1995. So for me, it seemed like it was my first visit. I had some impressions of the US.
First of all, on the airplane, people enjoyed talking with the cabin attendants. The attendants also seemed to enjoy talking with the guests like they were friends. It was a nice and unusual scene for me because in Japan the relationship between guests and clerks is like masters and servants, not like friends. In old days, the phrase "guests are the gods" existed among merchants. Even now, when some people are guests they are arrogant toward shop assistants. I like a society in which people are on the same level everywhere.
Second, people are so big: taller and wider. All US people who visit Japan may see Japan as a country of gnomes. In Japan, it is not common to find overweight ladies even in a big city with a lot of pedestrians, but in the US, it is easy. On the other hand, there are rarely smokers. I hate smoke very much, so I really envy this condition. Japanese society is more tolerant of smokers. For instance, many smokers walk down any street, a lot of offices are equipped with smokers' rooms in the buildings (In the early 1990s, in my office, co-workers who were smokers often enjoyed smoking at their own desks next to non-smokers.). Maybe both the US people and Japanese people are conscious of their health, but their approaches are different.
Third, on the airplane again, I found other difference between American and Japanese society. I sat in my seat, on aisle seat. In front of my seat, sat a three-year-old girl sat in her seat. On the right side of her, sat her mother and her one-year-old sister. At first, the one-year-old baby screamed for over ten minutes, but her mother did nothing. Nobody else did either. In Japan, in the same situation, a mother may be conscious of her baby annoying other people, so she will try to control her baby. If a mother doesn't do anything, other guests will ask her to control her baby. I cannot form a clear conclusion from only one sample, but I was surprised to find such severe individualism in US society.
First of all, on the airplane, people enjoyed talking with the cabin attendants. The attendants also seemed to enjoy talking with the guests like they were friends. It was a nice and unusual scene for me because in Japan the relationship between guests and clerks is like masters and servants, not like friends. In old days, the phrase "guests are the gods" existed among merchants. Even now, when some people are guests they are arrogant toward shop assistants. I like a society in which people are on the same level everywhere.
Second, people are so big: taller and wider. All US people who visit Japan may see Japan as a country of gnomes. In Japan, it is not common to find overweight ladies even in a big city with a lot of pedestrians, but in the US, it is easy. On the other hand, there are rarely smokers. I hate smoke very much, so I really envy this condition. Japanese society is more tolerant of smokers. For instance, many smokers walk down any street, a lot of offices are equipped with smokers' rooms in the buildings (In the early 1990s, in my office, co-workers who were smokers often enjoyed smoking at their own desks next to non-smokers.). Maybe both the US people and Japanese people are conscious of their health, but their approaches are different.
Third, on the airplane again, I found other difference between American and Japanese society. I sat in my seat, on aisle seat. In front of my seat, sat a three-year-old girl sat in her seat. On the right side of her, sat her mother and her one-year-old sister. At first, the one-year-old baby screamed for over ten minutes, but her mother did nothing. Nobody else did either. In Japan, in the same situation, a mother may be conscious of her baby annoying other people, so she will try to control her baby. If a mother doesn't do anything, other guests will ask her to control her baby. I cannot form a clear conclusion from only one sample, but I was surprised to find such severe individualism in US society.
Sunday, November 06, 2011
A Day in Fukushima
A friend of mine who lives in a neighboring prefecture of Fukushima (so he was not required by the government to evacuate -120km (75miles) from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plants) releases his blog every week about his volunteer activities of rubble removal in Fukushima tsunami disaster area. I live in west Japan over 600km (370miles) from Fukushima, so I feel it is difficult for me to do such activities frequently. But I wanted to know about the real condition of Fukushima and learn what I can do for the Fukushima people. Many nuclear power plants are located in Fukushima, which is far from Tokyo, to generate a lot of electric power for Tokyo. They feature facilities that promote "the safety of nuclear power generation." I wanted to see them. Therefore, I asked him to guide me around Fukushima and he agreed to do so.
The first day - visiting facilities to promote the safety of nuclear plants
On the 5th of November, after a 6-hour train trip that was over 6 hours lomg, I met him in his home town. He drove me in his car to Tokai nuclear plant. It is not a Fukushima plant, and was not damaged by the tsunami, but it was the first nuclear plant in Japan. We visited two well-equipped facilities within a 10-minute-drive from each other. Both of them promoted safety and importance of nuclear power generation and plants, even to kids with some interactive attractions designed to learn about atomic power.
I don't have deep knowledge about them. But I realized one thing clearly -Nuclear power generation companies and electric power companies pay a lot of money for these facilities. They have strong reasons to do so.
I took all available brochures and textbooks from them. I'm going to read them to learn more about their story.
The second day - visiting an area which has been affected not only by the Tsunami but also by radioactivity
On the 6th of November, we went to Iwaki city, which is located in the south end of Fukushima prefecture. The distance from the damaged nuclear plants to the city is within 50km(30miles). The amount of radioactivity in the air (1m from the ground) is 0.2-0.5mSv of radiation, which is not large enough to have an affect on the human body. It is one one-hundredth the amount of radioactivity present at the edge of the restricted area, 30km/19miles radius of the damaged Fukushima plant. But some people, in particular parents who have small children, are nervous about the condition because it is double that of other normal areas.
Anyway, whenever people around the world hear the name "Fukushima", they generally think about the radioactivity, rather than the damage by the quake or tsunami. It may be a "natural" reaction these days. It is the same in Japan. However, I realized that this way of thinking is not entirely accurate.
It took about an hour to go from my friends town to Iwaki by car on the express way. He has a pass to go on the expressway without any fee, because the ceiling of his house was damaged by the quake (he and all his family were not injured).
Approaching Iwaki, the road condition gradually worse -like the shape of a wave. It is the result of the earth quake power. Except for that, the downtown of Iwaki (an inland area) looks very normal.
Was this a railway station in the disaster area?
When we went to the coast area, the landscape suddenly changed.
A damaged Seven-Eleven convenience store. The store remains open -selling things out of a store vehicle.
Leveled housing lots. Eight months ago, there were many houses here but they were washed away by the tsunami.
Rubble of destroyed of houses were gathered here at the former location of a school by volunteers.
The seashore was washed away, so there is a temporary embankment.
This grocery store suffered a lot of damage, but...
It is actually still opens for business!
Messages of encouragement from people to the shop.
I was surprised by the cheerfulness of the shop clerks... They worked with smiles and cheerful voices.
The harbor which is located at the back of the shop.
A flower in the rubble wilderness. It is the "work" of the artists of the project called "Let's make flowers bloom in the rubble field." They paint flowers on the walls of the wrecked houses which the municipal government has decided to tear down, to change the devastated landscape.
Flowers on the wall
After driving along the coastal area, we went back inland area and visited a temple. It was designed in the image of buddhist heaven and was established in 1160.
A Calm place. It was hard to understand that this garden and the wrecked coast were in the same city.
After this trip, I asked my friend what I can do for Fukushima people from far distant area except donation and purchasing Fukushima products. His answer was "remember them and this experience". At first, I follow the Twitter List whose member are the people in charge of reconstruction Fukushima. I read their tweets everyday. It is the first step for me. I'm thinking about the next step now.
The first day - visiting facilities to promote the safety of nuclear plants
On the 5th of November, after a 6-hour train trip that was over 6 hours lomg, I met him in his home town. He drove me in his car to Tokai nuclear plant. It is not a Fukushima plant, and was not damaged by the tsunami, but it was the first nuclear plant in Japan. We visited two well-equipped facilities within a 10-minute-drive from each other. Both of them promoted safety and importance of nuclear power generation and plants, even to kids with some interactive attractions designed to learn about atomic power.
I don't have deep knowledge about them. But I realized one thing clearly -Nuclear power generation companies and electric power companies pay a lot of money for these facilities. They have strong reasons to do so.
I took all available brochures and textbooks from them. I'm going to read them to learn more about their story.
The second day - visiting an area which has been affected not only by the Tsunami but also by radioactivity
On the 6th of November, we went to Iwaki city, which is located in the south end of Fukushima prefecture. The distance from the damaged nuclear plants to the city is within 50km(30miles). The amount of radioactivity in the air (1m from the ground) is 0.2-0.5mSv of radiation, which is not large enough to have an affect on the human body. It is one one-hundredth the amount of radioactivity present at the edge of the restricted area, 30km/19miles radius of the damaged Fukushima plant. But some people, in particular parents who have small children, are nervous about the condition because it is double that of other normal areas.
Anyway, whenever people around the world hear the name "Fukushima", they generally think about the radioactivity, rather than the damage by the quake or tsunami. It may be a "natural" reaction these days. It is the same in Japan. However, I realized that this way of thinking is not entirely accurate.
It took about an hour to go from my friends town to Iwaki by car on the express way. He has a pass to go on the expressway without any fee, because the ceiling of his house was damaged by the quake (he and all his family were not injured).
Approaching Iwaki, the road condition gradually worse -like the shape of a wave. It is the result of the earth quake power. Except for that, the downtown of Iwaki (an inland area) looks very normal.
Was this a railway station in the disaster area?
When we went to the coast area, the landscape suddenly changed.
A damaged Seven-Eleven convenience store. The store remains open -selling things out of a store vehicle.
Leveled housing lots. Eight months ago, there were many houses here but they were washed away by the tsunami.
Rubble of destroyed of houses were gathered here at the former location of a school by volunteers.
The seashore was washed away, so there is a temporary embankment.
This grocery store suffered a lot of damage, but...
It is actually still opens for business!
Messages of encouragement from people to the shop.
I was surprised by the cheerfulness of the shop clerks... They worked with smiles and cheerful voices.
The harbor which is located at the back of the shop.
A flower in the rubble wilderness. It is the "work" of the artists of the project called "Let's make flowers bloom in the rubble field." They paint flowers on the walls of the wrecked houses which the municipal government has decided to tear down, to change the devastated landscape.
Flowers on the wall
After driving along the coastal area, we went back inland area and visited a temple. It was designed in the image of buddhist heaven and was established in 1160.
A Calm place. It was hard to understand that this garden and the wrecked coast were in the same city.
After this trip, I asked my friend what I can do for Fukushima people from far distant area except donation and purchasing Fukushima products. His answer was "remember them and this experience". At first, I follow the Twitter List whose member are the people in charge of reconstruction Fukushima. I read their tweets everyday. It is the first step for me. I'm thinking about the next step now.
Saturday, July 03, 2010
A trip to meet two heroes for Japanese (2)
My family and I parted in the meantime. I went to Kouchi city to see a exhibition and museum of Ryoma Sakamoto, who is a hero among many Japanese.
He was a swordmaster, an entrepreneur, and a peacemaker in the last part of the Samurai era (1860s). Japanese think that he is one of the most important people of Japanese modernization.
What did he do? The Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum said as follows:
In short, Ryoma was a man who triggered the collapse of Shogun's feudal government. In the 1860s, the government had no power to refuse western nations' requests (for example, trading on unequal treaty) and lost power to control regional feudal lords. Some people thought that the government couldn't defend Japan from western nations, and therefore supported the overthrow the government and establishment of a new unified nation under the Emperor. He was one of those man.
Ryoma succeeded to make partnership between two powerful feudal groups even though they were opposing. Both groups thought to overthrow the government by force, but Ryoma thought to avoid civil war. So he proposed to a lord a plan in which the government returned political power to the Emperor. The lord proposed the plan and the government accepted it. In addition, Ryoma wrote the way of new government: establishing the parliament, new law system and modern navy, trading other nations on equal treaty (the old government shut down trade with any nations except China, Korea and the Netherlands for over 200 years.), etc.
His action and plans affected new Japanese modern government strongly. He was assassinated by an unknown person in December of 1867. The new government was established in 1868.
He is very popular among Japanese of all ages, especially this year. Because one of the most popular TV drama series this year picks up Ryoma as a main character. So there is a temporary exhibition displayed in front of Kouchi station.
Right: Ryoma. Left: Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi. Iwasaki was a friend of Ryoma. Both of two were born in this prefecture, lower-class samurai. In particular, Iwasaki was very poor.
The Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum. It exhibits Ryoma's career, background and his letters.
My opinion about Ryoma is simple: If he didn't exist, there is a possibility that Japan would have failed to modernize peacefully, otherwise terrorism could have happened. Like many other Japanese, I also think he was great.
He was a swordmaster, an entrepreneur, and a peacemaker in the last part of the Samurai era (1860s). Japanese think that he is one of the most important people of Japanese modernization.
What did he do? The Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum said as follows:
In short, Ryoma was a man who triggered the collapse of Shogun's feudal government. In the 1860s, the government had no power to refuse western nations' requests (for example, trading on unequal treaty) and lost power to control regional feudal lords. Some people thought that the government couldn't defend Japan from western nations, and therefore supported the overthrow the government and establishment of a new unified nation under the Emperor. He was one of those man.
Ryoma succeeded to make partnership between two powerful feudal groups even though they were opposing. Both groups thought to overthrow the government by force, but Ryoma thought to avoid civil war. So he proposed to a lord a plan in which the government returned political power to the Emperor. The lord proposed the plan and the government accepted it. In addition, Ryoma wrote the way of new government: establishing the parliament, new law system and modern navy, trading other nations on equal treaty (the old government shut down trade with any nations except China, Korea and the Netherlands for over 200 years.), etc.
His action and plans affected new Japanese modern government strongly. He was assassinated by an unknown person in December of 1867. The new government was established in 1868.
He is very popular among Japanese of all ages, especially this year. Because one of the most popular TV drama series this year picks up Ryoma as a main character. So there is a temporary exhibition displayed in front of Kouchi station.
Right: Ryoma. Left: Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi. Iwasaki was a friend of Ryoma. Both of two were born in this prefecture, lower-class samurai. In particular, Iwasaki was very poor.
The Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum. It exhibits Ryoma's career, background and his letters.
My opinion about Ryoma is simple: If he didn't exist, there is a possibility that Japan would have failed to modernize peacefully, otherwise terrorism could have happened. Like many other Japanese, I also think he was great.
Saturday, May 08, 2010
A trip to meet two heroes for Japanese (1)
My wife, three-year-old son, and I took a trip to meet a hero. Who was he? He was Anpanman, the most popular hero among Japanese pre-kindergarten kids.
Anpanman is a justice friend wearing a cape and flying in the sky like Superman. His item to help people is his face – it is made of bread! When he finds a starving person, he cuts off a part of his own face and gives it to him/her.. "Anpan" means bread with "an" which is Japanese bean jam.
The history of national star of Anpanman is very long. He was born as a picture book character in 1973. At first, it was popular among a group of kids. In 1988, this character was animated for a TV program, then he became a popular nationwide hero for kids. On the TV program, the original story was changed. It didn't include starving people but many characters based on meals. For example, a banana, pizza and a donut... Guinness book of world records admitted this program for the world's highest character count animation – 1,738. Of course now Anpanman is broadcasted all over Japan every Sunday morning.
Like other kids, my son likes him (his first word was "Anpanman") so my wife planned a trip to Anpanman sanctuary. It is the birthplace of the author of Anpanman where the Anpanman Museum was built.
We reserved the "Anpanman-train". Its walls, ceiling and seats are printed with Anpanman characters.
It took two and half hours by this train and 30 minutes by Ampanman bus to go to the Museum (the author's birthplace is rural).
The museum (left) and a hotel.
This hotel is fully furnished in Anpanman!
A settlement near the Museum also features Anpanman characters.
(Taking pictures of the Museum is allowed but posting them on blogs is prohibited.)
My son seemed very excited and satisfied by this hotel and museum. It was what my wife and I wanted.
(to be continued: the next entry will be about a hero of most Japanese adults.)
Anpanman is a justice friend wearing a cape and flying in the sky like Superman. His item to help people is his face – it is made of bread! When he finds a starving person, he cuts off a part of his own face and gives it to him/her.. "Anpan" means bread with "an" which is Japanese bean jam.
The history of national star of Anpanman is very long. He was born as a picture book character in 1973. At first, it was popular among a group of kids. In 1988, this character was animated for a TV program, then he became a popular nationwide hero for kids. On the TV program, the original story was changed. It didn't include starving people but many characters based on meals. For example, a banana, pizza and a donut... Guinness book of world records admitted this program for the world's highest character count animation – 1,738. Of course now Anpanman is broadcasted all over Japan every Sunday morning.
Like other kids, my son likes him (his first word was "Anpanman") so my wife planned a trip to Anpanman sanctuary. It is the birthplace of the author of Anpanman where the Anpanman Museum was built.
We reserved the "Anpanman-train". Its walls, ceiling and seats are printed with Anpanman characters.
It took two and half hours by this train and 30 minutes by Ampanman bus to go to the Museum (the author's birthplace is rural).
The museum (left) and a hotel.
This hotel is fully furnished in Anpanman!
A settlement near the Museum also features Anpanman characters.
(Taking pictures of the Museum is allowed but posting them on blogs is prohibited.)
My son seemed very excited and satisfied by this hotel and museum. It was what my wife and I wanted.
(to be continued: the next entry will be about a hero of most Japanese adults.)
Friday, September 18, 2009
Visiting Lake Biwa(2)
When I woke up at 6:30, the sun was just rising.
After breakfast, I took a nap. I was not going to think about "the ladder" this day, but instead enjoy sight seeing. I had two aims for this sightseeing day. One of them was Chikubu-jima, which is located in the middle of Lake Biwa, and is called "Gods living island".
This is the ship that I boarded for Chikubujima from the hotel.
It took 20mins to get from the hotel to the island. When I saw the island, I felt that the forest was damaged so much. I discovered the reason why after landing the island (There is a guideboard which explains the damage of the trees). It is because of the river birds' (cormorants') excrement. The water quality of Lake Biwa has increased within the past 20 years, so the population of river birds has also increased. It makes damage to the trees worse. Though I know the reason of forest's damage, I still have a question. Why was there little damage in the past, despite the good water quality? If the forest had been damaged much like it is, the big trees seen in the above picture wouldn't exist.
Chikubu-jima island's circumference is only 2km (1.3miles). This island is surrounded by a steep cliff, so there is only one place which ships can reach. The location of the island is the deepest of Lake Biwa. This means that the island is a prominent cliff from the bottom of the lake. How was this cliff made?
This is a fountain, which was dug after an oracle was received by the shrine on a day of the 21st century.
climbing steep stone stairs...
It is Hogenji temple, which was established in the 8th Century. However, this building was reconstructed in 1942. This is a Buddhist temple.
and walking through a corridor...
reached Chikubushima shrine. It isn't a Buddhist temple, but another religion, It is a Shinto's shrine. In Japan, it is common for two different religions to co-exist in one location. This may be difficult to understand for those in monotheistic religious states.
This shrine has a unique praying system. A person writes his / her name and prayer on two little pottery dishes...
and throws them to the outside gate of shrine.
After 50mins had passed, I got in the ship to go back to the hotel. I dined at a all-you-can-eat buffet in the hotel, but I ate moderately. I had a second aim for this day, to eat a unique kind of Sushi, Funa-zushi, at another restaurant.
What is funa-zushi? It is a combination of rice and fermented Lake Biwa fish! Some people say that it smells awful but tastes terrific. Other people say that it isn't a food of human should eat. This town, Makino, has a famous funa-zushi restaurant, so I thought that it was a chance to challenge. The main restaurant course is expensive (lunch: from 8,000yen (80dollars, 60euros, 53 pounds)), therefore I went to a branch of the restaurant. The branch served Funa-zushi chazuke, which is Funa-zushi + green tea + rice for 1,200yen (12dollars, 9euros, 8pounds).
This is Funa-zushi chazuke. To tell the truth, it smells like rotten fish... But it is clearly different from the smell of fish bodies which I saw yesterday. I dared to put the fish up to my mouth... It tastes good because of its unique sour flavor and body, like cheese. I can't eat it everyday, but every once in a while, I can enjoy it. In addition, the combination of funa-zushi and chazuke (green tea + rice) is harmonious. It was a special dish.
A waitress asked me, "Are you OK? Some guests said that they can't eat..." I replied that it was very good, and the waitress breathed a sigh of relief.
Anyway, I admire the man who invented funa-zushi. (detail: http://homepage3.nifty.com/maryy/eng/funa.htm) for its unique preparation and taste.
With my satisfied mind, I got on a train. This time, it took 2 hours, to get back to my everyday life. I was headed down a turned-back road.
Next year, I will take a trip to Makino to check "How do I lean my ladder lean against the right wall?" and to feel the abundant nature. Maybe I will also eat funa-zushi. Though this trip was off the top of my head, I feel I will do it again. It was lucky, I think. In the rest of my life, how many places like Makino can I find? How many times can I visit such places? At the end of this trip, I thought about this.
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