Saturday, June 7, 2014
Monday, January 27, 2014
ベルリン、2014年1月 Ｂｅｒｌｉｎ，Ｊａｎｕａｒｙ ２０１４
さて、旅行なんて久しぶり！だから、突然の旅行の事にした。ベルリンの3泊で行った、すごく楽しかった！これは、多分、ベルリンに行ったこと私の4回目か5回目だった。ベルリンが大好き！写真は右側のリンクである。
Well, it had been an awfully long time since my last holiday. I'd booked some time off work just for a break, and wasn't planning on going anywhere. But, as I was walking home, I found myself wistfully looking at the planes (again), so found myself a cheap flight to Berlin for the following week! It was just for a couple of days but, as usual for Berlin, so much fun！ This was probably my 4th or 5th time to visit Berlin, it's such an interesting and diverse city - there's always something new to discover.
A friend has just reminded me of the first time I visited there - it was on an inter-railing trip (backpacking around Europe by train) with this same school friend, after we had both been working for one year. It made me think how the way I travel has changed so much with the advent of smartphones and the ease of getting data packages overseas (I used T-Mobile in Germany). It's now so much easier to find new places and fit more into your holiday, because of Google Maps and online guidebooks etc. This time, I used a combination of Lonely Planet Berlin (on my phone), the brilliant app "Tripwolf", many many Google searches for interesting stuff, and directions from Google Maps (which gives buses as well as trains in Berlin). And yet, whilst it's nice to know that you can never get completely lost when you have the internet, sometimes I still turn off Google Maps just so that I can go in completely the wrong direction, go to an unexpected cafe, have an unexpected conversation, change my plans entirely... Photos at the link on the right.
Well, it had been an awfully long time since my last holiday. I'd booked some time off work just for a break, and wasn't planning on going anywhere. But, as I was walking home, I found myself wistfully looking at the planes (again), so found myself a cheap flight to Berlin for the following week! It was just for a couple of days but, as usual for Berlin, so much fun！ This was probably my 4th or 5th time to visit Berlin, it's such an interesting and diverse city - there's always something new to discover.
A friend has just reminded me of the first time I visited there - it was on an inter-railing trip (backpacking around Europe by train) with this same school friend, after we had both been working for one year. It made me think how the way I travel has changed so much with the advent of smartphones and the ease of getting data packages overseas (I used T-Mobile in Germany). It's now so much easier to find new places and fit more into your holiday, because of Google Maps and online guidebooks etc. This time, I used a combination of Lonely Planet Berlin (on my phone), the brilliant app "Tripwolf", many many Google searches for interesting stuff, and directions from Google Maps (which gives buses as well as trains in Berlin). And yet, whilst it's nice to know that you can never get completely lost when you have the internet, sometimes I still turn off Google Maps just so that I can go in completely the wrong direction, go to an unexpected cafe, have an unexpected conversation, change my plans entirely... Photos at the link on the right.
Monday, June 10, 2013
ホーランドパークの京都公演、ロンドン
今日は仕事から休暇を取った。今朝ホーランドパークの京都公演に行った。それは非常に美しく、静かな場所だった。私は明確に考えることができた。ここにもっと写真を見る.Had a day off today and went to the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park, London. Beautiful and very tranquil place, great for thinking! The squirrels were very tame too!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Split, Croatia - August 2012 スプリット、クロアチア 2012年8月
Two nights instead of four would have been enough though. The best holidays I've ever had have been to countries where I can either practise the language, or the culture or architecture is very different to my own.
For me, it was a bit too crowded and touristy, at least during the day. Unsurprisingly perhaps, because I and thousands of other people had taken advantage of the very cheap flights to Split with budget airlines like Wizzair and Easyjet. I did have a relaxing time though and I took an incredible number of pictures (believe it or not, they've been radically culled!).
Split felt extremely safe, even early in the morning and late at night. The weather was beautiful and sunny (about 35C), I went for some lovely long walks, and took a few local buses to different places. I had some delicious meals, and the coffee was exceptional - seriously good espresso! Cafe culture is very strong in Split. The most interesting place for me, outside of Split, was an excavated Roman settlement, Salona, about 40 minutes by bus.
Traveling around Split. There is a bus to Split run in conjunction with Croatia Airlines that seems to meet all flights, not just those operated by Croatia Airlines (currently 30kuna one way) It stops in the bus park just to the right of the airport and the bus driver makes sure you get on the right one. Alternatively, the number 37 bus runs from the bus stop on the main road every 20 minutes (17kuna). It may be more useful to use this going back to the airport. It runs from the bus station at the intersection of Domovinskog Rata and Sukoisanska about 15 minutes walk north of Split Old Town. It takes about 45 minutes to the airport and about an hour if you stay on the bus to Trogir.
To get to Salona, you need to take the number 1 bus from the right hand side of Domovinskog Rata as you head away from the Old Town (journey time about 40 minutes, it's worth asking someone on the bus to tell you when to get off). Bus number 60 takes you to Omis (pronounced Ohmish). This goes from the left hand side of Domovinskog Rata as you head away from the Old Town (journey time about an hour and 15 minutes). All these journey times were in the busiest season in August on a weekday.
Photos at the link to the right.
先週は４泊でクロアチアのスプリットに行った。最初の日からスプリットがすごくきれいと思った。旧市街は約1700年前に建てられた。それはほんとにリラックスできる場所が多い人すぎた。まじそれは渋谷の交差点のようだった！でも午前６時で良い写真を撮ることをできた。美しい場所けど４日で面白ことが少ない。楽しかったが、多分、2泊は十分だっただろう。
右のリンクで写真がある。
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Bee Swarm
If you zoom in on some of the photos after they've been caught, you can see there are still hundreds of bees flying around. Quite a sight! Although I was pleased to be looking at them from behind glass...
Apparently, honey bees are quite docile while they are swarming, although apparently most people would find it difficult to distinguish between honey bees, bumblebees and wasps!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Taipei Day Three - Jinguashi and Jiufen and thoughts
I thought I'd have another go with Jiufen today (29 February), as the weather forecast promised sun and a warmish day of 22C. Well, again I thoroughly enjoyed it, and the cloud and rain was a little less, but...
I first stayed on the bus to Jinguashi, another old gold mining town in the mountains. Again, very atmospheric in the cloud, and lots of steps up into the mountains with presumably fantastic views of the sea from what I can see on the internet. Those of you who know me well will know that when I see steps going upwards, I compulsively have to follow them... on a fine day I see wonderful views, on a day like today I just get lots of exercise. I don't have the same feeling about steps going down...
After my fitness training, I had a cup of coffee and a waffle in a nearby teahouse, where I met a Taiwanese group who talked animatedly to me in Chinese whilst I replied in English and Japanese. Photos and email addresses exchanged all round... They also invited me to something I couldn't miss on the 4th March. Unfortunately, I have to miss whatever it is because I leave tomorrow. They were a lovely group though! And it was a very nice old teahouse.
Went back into Jiufen, explored and ate more snacks. The cloud was a little less today, so I could see more than 2metres ahead, which made it more interesting! Wonderful tiny side alleys and steep stairs cutting into the mountain.
After getting back into Taipei, I went to one of the Modern Toilet restaurants for dinner. See here for a description of how it came to be - About Modern Toilet. I went to the larger Xinmending branch, which was an interesting and lively pedestrianised shopping area in itself. But where else can you sit on a toilet seat, eat your dinner (for me, chicken curry) from a bath tub, your poo-shaped icecream from a porcelain squat toilet and drink jasmine tea out of a plastic urinal? Isn't it great??!! The food actually didn't taste like s*** in case you were wondering...
A little more wandering, this time near Longshan Temple, then had to get back because I had to get up next morning at 4:30am for hotel pickup to the airport, rather early!
One thing that I noticed in Taiwan, that probably hasn't come out in my pictures, was that face masks were completely different. In Japan, they are made of light disposable fabric and are usually white, sometimes pastel coloured. In Taiwan, nobody wore a white mask! They were very fashionable, thicker and washable. I don't know whether they are worn for the same reason in Taiwan - i.e. to keep your cold to yourself, or because of tree pollen allergy. But the variety of colours and patterns was incredible - black or dark khaki colours for the guys, and prettier or more striking patterns for women. With patterns like that I'd wear one!
Because I live in Japan, in some ways Taiwan felt familiar, it is after all very close to Okinawa at the southern-most end of Japan. But because of the different Chinese reading of kanji, it felt like all the rules had been changed! I really liked Taiwan, and only skimmed the surface even in the Taipei area in this short trip. There are so many other places I'd like to see there one day.
At night in Taipei, the buildings go through a colour change cycle - beautiful, but sometimes hard to realise you're walking around in circles!
There are many resources in English available in hotels and travel centres (often in MRT stations), and I picked up a lot which meant that I could easily plan my trip when I got there. But looking at the back of some of these pamphlets, I can see you can actually download them in advance from their website. For example the Go Taipei booklet is available as a pdf as is a good Taipei city map. Both of those websites are in English and have a lot of useful information for your trip. Taipei is an easy city to visit as an English speaker, and one that is well worth the effort.
http://taipeitravel.net/en/
http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/
After my fitness training, I had a cup of coffee and a waffle in a nearby teahouse, where I met a Taiwanese group who talked animatedly to me in Chinese whilst I replied in English and Japanese. Photos and email addresses exchanged all round... They also invited me to something I couldn't miss on the 4th March. Unfortunately, I have to miss whatever it is because I leave tomorrow. They were a lovely group though! And it was a very nice old teahouse.
A little more wandering, this time near Longshan Temple, then had to get back because I had to get up next morning at 4:30am for hotel pickup to the airport, rather early!
One thing that I noticed in Taiwan, that probably hasn't come out in my pictures, was that face masks were completely different. In Japan, they are made of light disposable fabric and are usually white, sometimes pastel coloured. In Taiwan, nobody wore a white mask! They were very fashionable, thicker and washable. I don't know whether they are worn for the same reason in Taiwan - i.e. to keep your cold to yourself, or because of tree pollen allergy. But the variety of colours and patterns was incredible - black or dark khaki colours for the guys, and prettier or more striking patterns for women. With patterns like that I'd wear one!
Because I live in Japan, in some ways Taiwan felt familiar, it is after all very close to Okinawa at the southern-most end of Japan. But because of the different Chinese reading of kanji, it felt like all the rules had been changed! I really liked Taiwan, and only skimmed the surface even in the Taipei area in this short trip. There are so many other places I'd like to see there one day.
At night in Taipei, the buildings go through a colour change cycle - beautiful, but sometimes hard to realise you're walking around in circles!
There are many resources in English available in hotels and travel centres (often in MRT stations), and I picked up a lot which meant that I could easily plan my trip when I got there. But looking at the back of some of these pamphlets, I can see you can actually download them in advance from their website. For example the Go Taipei booklet is available as a pdf as is a good Taipei city map. Both of those websites are in English and have a lot of useful information for your trip. Taipei is an easy city to visit as an English speaker, and one that is well worth the effort.
http://taipeitravel.net/en/
http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Taipei Day Two - Jiufen
First, I've now amended the link to my main set of Taipei photos so that people other than me can actually see them!
Well, it was bucketing down today so I decided I didn't really want to go up to the north of Taipei, and that I'd go to Jiufen instead. Now, there are two ways that I could find of getting to Jiufen. One is to get the train to Riufen and then a bus, but it takes quite a long time. The other way is to get a bus all the way there.
From what I could find on the web, I knew that there was a bus (number 1062) that left outside Sogo Department Store in Taipei. Much messing around and asking later, I found it. So, in case anyone finds this useful, this is exactly how to get to Juifen by bus from Taipei. Go to Zhongxiao Fuxing on the Bannan line. Come out of Exit 1, and walk straight ahead for a few metres. The bus stop is right there, it's the third one. Buses leave every 10 minutes or so and take about 1 hour 15 minutes to Juifen (九扮）. Returning from Jiufen is simple too, cross the road from 7-11 and wait for the bus outside a shop selling tea. You can use EasyCard on the bus - touch in, and again when you leave the bus - just over 100NTD each way. After about 45 minutes, a little Japanese girl kept saying 'Mama, mou sugu? (are we nearly there yet?)'! Sounded like me when I was that age!
As the bus climbed the mountain to Jiufen, I knew that I was not going to see any view today - it was completely shrouded in cloud, which mean that you could only see a few metres ahead of you. Rather atmospheric though, and I glad I saw it like this. However, I might go back again tomorrow when I think the weather might be fine. I'd love to see the view which I knew was there somewhere!
The street in Jiufen was exactly like it seemed in Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi), a great Hayao Miyazaki animation which you have to see, if you haven't already. So much going on, and a wonderful selection of food.
Back to the Taipei 101 Tower in the evening, which was surprisingly difficult to find in the dark given the cloud was so low!
Well, it was bucketing down today so I decided I didn't really want to go up to the north of Taipei, and that I'd go to Jiufen instead. Now, there are two ways that I could find of getting to Jiufen. One is to get the train to Riufen and then a bus, but it takes quite a long time. The other way is to get a bus all the way there.
From what I could find on the web, I knew that there was a bus (number 1062) that left outside Sogo Department Store in Taipei. Much messing around and asking later, I found it. So, in case anyone finds this useful, this is exactly how to get to Juifen by bus from Taipei. Go to Zhongxiao Fuxing on the Bannan line. Come out of Exit 1, and walk straight ahead for a few metres. The bus stop is right there, it's the third one. Buses leave every 10 minutes or so and take about 1 hour 15 minutes to Juifen (九扮）. Returning from Jiufen is simple too, cross the road from 7-11 and wait for the bus outside a shop selling tea. You can use EasyCard on the bus - touch in, and again when you leave the bus - just over 100NTD each way. After about 45 minutes, a little Japanese girl kept saying 'Mama, mou sugu? (are we nearly there yet?)'! Sounded like me when I was that age!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Taipei Day One
Today was the first full day in Taipei, and a lot of walking!In the morning I headed up to the Baoan and Confuscius Temples in the north-west, very colourful.
After a cup of coffee and looking at a map, I decided to go to a place called Maokong in the south-east, which is a tea-growing area in the mountains. To get there you can get a cable car (called a gondola here) near Taipei Zoo MRT station. Great view from the cable car, even though it was lightly drizzling all day today.
Once there, I again went to various temples and a teahouse, and also down to the potholes in the stream where the water has eroded the rock at different rates. (Maokong means 'cat holes', and looked a little like the paw prints of a cat, if you use your imagination...!)
I've started to add my photos to my link on Holidays and Days Out, not culled yet though... I rather like Taipei! It's very easy to get around using the MRT metro system, and there's enough English everywhere to make it fairly straightforward to get to and enjoy places. In the information centres, and some of the stations too, there are good maps and brochures in English. I hadn't bought a Taipei guide book and it's not a problem - I've picked up plenty of information from pamphlets.
Think I'm going to go to the north of Taipei tomorrow...
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Taipei Arrival Evening
I'll probably update these posts at some later point, but at the moment I just want to get my thoughts down. I booked this trip as a Rakuten tour last month. It cost 43,000yen for return flights with EVA Air, return airport/hotel transfer in Taipei, and 4 nights hotel and breakfast at a decent hotel with in-room wifi. And importantly, it was a free tour so time was completely my own in Taipei. A great price, although the booking was a little complicated - lots of Japanese, and the e-ticket is only available about 5 days before the flight.
EVA Air seems to be sponsored by Hello Kitty, so everything was cute... ；） The welcome music as you got on the plane was a bizarrely funky remix of Oh Come All Ye Faithful... Everything but everything was Kitty-chan themed right down to the food and toilet paper. Even the cabin crew had Hello Kitty aprons. The flight was comfortable, there was a meal, seat-back TV, and even a USB port for recharging your mobile phone. Would definitely recommend them.
Got to Taoyuan airport, ignored the Rakuten group as I came through because I first wanted to pick up a Taiwan Mobile data sim for my mobile phone. 5 days unlimited data for 350NTD (about 1000yen), can't be bad and added 150NTD of voice, just in case. Very simple, provided you have two forms of ID - for me, I used my passport and Japanese alien registration card. It took about 5 minutes and all in English.
Then went back to join the Rakuten group. It was probably about an hour and a bit from landing and getting the transfer bus, which was also probably about an hour and a bit getting to the hotel. I reckon I understood about 50% of the Japanese spiel, but it was interesting and fairly useful. Without it, I probably would never have found out that it's a national holiday for the next two days, and would have gone to Juifen (Japanese Kyuufun) at its busiest.
Checked into the hotel, still in Japanese mode which was a little embarrassing, and then went out to get something to eat. I went into a pretty busy Chinese restaurant with an English menu and ordered one of their recommended dishes - peas and shredded chicken with rice, which it certainly was. It was also far more expensive than I'm going to spend in Taipei for the rest of the trip. After that I had some energy so found a MRT station (bought myself an EasyCard - stored value plastic card like SUICA or Oyster - 500NTD, 100 of which is a refundable deposit) and went to the nearest night market. Night markets are probably where I'm going to be eating dinner for the rest of the trip - great selection of food, good atmosphere, and very cheap. Many of the street stalls have a brief English sign which gives an indication of what they sell, but I think I'm going to find it useful to know a bit of kanji. Although the Chinese pronunciation is completely different, I at least know what some of them mean, so can be slightly more adventurous with the menu!
More photos at a later stage, but this will do for today! Tomorrow is going to be sightseeing in Taipei itself.
EVA Air seems to be sponsored by Hello Kitty, so everything was cute... ；） The welcome music as you got on the plane was a bizarrely funky remix of Oh Come All Ye Faithful... Everything but everything was Kitty-chan themed right down to the food and toilet paper. Even the cabin crew had Hello Kitty aprons. The flight was comfortable, there was a meal, seat-back TV, and even a USB port for recharging your mobile phone. Would definitely recommend them.Got to Taoyuan airport, ignored the Rakuten group as I came through because I first wanted to pick up a Taiwan Mobile data sim for my mobile phone. 5 days unlimited data for 350NTD (about 1000yen), can't be bad and added 150NTD of voice, just in case. Very simple, provided you have two forms of ID - for me, I used my passport and Japanese alien registration card. It took about 5 minutes and all in English.
Then went back to join the Rakuten group. It was probably about an hour and a bit from landing and getting the transfer bus, which was also probably about an hour and a bit getting to the hotel. I reckon I understood about 50% of the Japanese spiel, but it was interesting and fairly useful. Without it, I probably would never have found out that it's a national holiday for the next two days, and would have gone to Juifen (Japanese Kyuufun) at its busiest.
Checked into the hotel, still in Japanese mode which was a little embarrassing, and then went out to get something to eat. I went into a pretty busy Chinese restaurant with an English menu and ordered one of their recommended dishes - peas and shredded chicken with rice, which it certainly was. It was also far more expensive than I'm going to spend in Taipei for the rest of the trip. After that I had some energy so found a MRT station (bought myself an EasyCard - stored value plastic card like SUICA or Oyster - 500NTD, 100 of which is a refundable deposit) and went to the nearest night market. Night markets are probably where I'm going to be eating dinner for the rest of the trip - great selection of food, good atmosphere, and very cheap. Many of the street stalls have a brief English sign which gives an indication of what they sell, but I think I'm going to find it useful to know a bit of kanji. Although the Chinese pronunciation is completely different, I at least know what some of them mean, so can be slightly more adventurous with the menu!
More photos at a later stage, but this will do for today! Tomorrow is going to be sightseeing in Taipei itself.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Kuala Lumpur and Melaka, December 2011；クアラルンプールとマラッカ、2011年12月
Happy New Year! It's been a long time since I last posted on here, but it's time for a photo update of Malaysia where I went over Christmas/New Year. Malaysia was fantastic, I really enjoyed it. It was incredibly easy to travel around and do stuff because English is so widely spoken - I knew that English was a second language there, but didn't expect everyone to be able to use it, but people just switched between languages automatically. At the start, I found the accent a little tricky but then I tuned in. Although I'm used to traveling, talking to people and getting around in Japan, I'd forgotten how much easier everyday life is for me with English!
It's about a 7 hour flight from Tokyo to KL, and an overnight one with Air Asia, so I was in Malaysia 6 nights overall, with 2 nights in the middle staying in Melaka, an old colonial town. Melaka was fascinating because of the mix of Eastern and Western architecture in the same street, a combination of Malay, Indian, Chinese, Dutch and Portuguese buildings often jostling for space with each other. Mosques, temples and churches were within a hundred metres of each other, often much less.
It was similar but not so pronounced in Kuala Lumpur. From what I read, ethnic Malays (considered by the government to be Muslim) comprise about 65% of the population with the remaining 35% being predominantly Hindu, Buddhist or Christian. This also meant that the Christmas period was strongly celebrated there with beautiful Christmas decorations and lights. My impression as a tourist was Malaysia was quite a multi-cultural and inclusive society which had a nice atmosphere.
Kuala Lumpur had a great mixture of modern and futuristic architecture and traditional buildings, I really liked the city and the atmosphere. The shopping centres were fantastic and the food was absolutely delicious!
I flew with Air Asia, which is a budget airline that started serving Japan one or two years ago. I'd definitely fly with them again.
Anyway, photos again at the right-hand link under 'Holidays and Days Out'. Believe it or not, these are already cut down by about 1/3 - I took 391 photos!
じゃあ、明けましておめでとうございます！お久しぶりですね！このブログが去年ちょっと忘れたね。じつは多分ただ怠けていた。兎に角、マレーシアのアップデーです。
この冬休みマレーシアに行った。周りの移動することが楽しいで簡単だった。マレーシアに英語が広く話されていた。
クアラルンプールとマラッカに行った。クリスマスの日に出た、1月2日に帰った。まず、ＫＬに三泊、次にマラッカに二泊、最終の日がまたＫＬでした。美しく印象的な国です。大晦日にペトロナスツインタワーに花火を見た。それはすばらしかった！
写真が右のリンクにある。
It's about a 7 hour flight from Tokyo to KL, and an overnight one with Air Asia, so I was in Malaysia 6 nights overall, with 2 nights in the middle staying in Melaka, an old colonial town. Melaka was fascinating because of the mix of Eastern and Western architecture in the same street, a combination of Malay, Indian, Chinese, Dutch and Portuguese buildings often jostling for space with each other. Mosques, temples and churches were within a hundred metres of each other, often much less.
It was similar but not so pronounced in Kuala Lumpur. From what I read, ethnic Malays (considered by the government to be Muslim) comprise about 65% of the population with the remaining 35% being predominantly Hindu, Buddhist or Christian. This also meant that the Christmas period was strongly celebrated there with beautiful Christmas decorations and lights. My impression as a tourist was Malaysia was quite a multi-cultural and inclusive society which had a nice atmosphere.
Kuala Lumpur had a great mixture of modern and futuristic architecture and traditional buildings, I really liked the city and the atmosphere. The shopping centres were fantastic and the food was absolutely delicious!
I flew with Air Asia, which is a budget airline that started serving Japan one or two years ago. I'd definitely fly with them again.
Anyway, photos again at the right-hand link under 'Holidays and Days Out'. Believe it or not, these are already cut down by about 1/3 - I took 391 photos!
じゃあ、明けましておめでとうございます！お久しぶりですね！このブログが去年ちょっと忘れたね。じつは多分ただ怠けていた。兎に角、マレーシアのアップデーです。
この冬休みマレーシアに行った。周りの移動することが楽しいで簡単だった。マレーシアに英語が広く話されていた。
クアラルンプールとマラッカに行った。クリスマスの日に出た、1月2日に帰った。まず、ＫＬに三泊、次にマラッカに二泊、最終の日がまたＫＬでした。美しく印象的な国です。大晦日にペトロナスツインタワーに花火を見た。それはすばらしかった！
写真が右のリンクにある。
Sunday, September 18, 2011
goya
So that I can find this information on growing goya again this year, this is an article I found back in May this year.
'Green curtains' block heat, save energy
A growing number of people are turning to nature to help them save electricity this summer, creating so-called green curtains of climbing plants.According to the Energy Conservation Center, Japan, a key element in power conservation is reducing the use of air conditioners, which consume the most electricity in homes. A green curtain helps block the sun and keep room temperatures from rising through transpiration of the plant's leaves.
Green curtains can be easily set up at home, and Tokyo's Itabashi Ward Office has been promoting them as an effective way to battle global warming.
With power shortages expected this summer as a result of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the ward office has received an increasing number of inquiries from local residents about growing green curtains.
It also received more than two applications for every spot available in a class organized by the ward office on how to grow a green curtain.
Likewise, Katsushika Ward of Tokyo distributed free goya bitter gourd seeds to residents in late April. All 500 packets were taken by the second day.
A Katsushika Ward official in charge of distributing the seeds said, "Interest is higher [in growing goya] than usual. Many people are trying to grow it for the first time."
Tsuneo Kobayashi of Itabashi Ward, 79, has grown goya since 2009. He said the plant can make a four-meter high and three-meter wide green curtain as its vines grow.
"The room with a green curtain is clearly cooler than one next to it, which gets direct sun," Kobayashi said. "Seeing green plants soothes me."
Plants suitable for making green curtains include goya, bottle gourd, morning glory and others.
Accordnig to Koichi Sugawara, secretary general of the Tokyo-based nonprofit organization Midori no Curtain Oendan (green curtain cheering squad): "You can save money on electricity by making green curtains, which also give you the joy of growing and harvesting something."
Ichiro Awano, public relations director of Sakata Seed Co. in Yokohama, recommended goya for green curtains because it is easy to grow. People who want to use planters should purchase one that can contains at least 36 liters of soil, Awano said.
Goya seedlings should be planted 20 centimeters apart in a planter filled with soil for growing vegetables. It is important to fix a garden net firmly under the eaves, which goya vines could twine around. A net with a mesh of 10 to 18 centimeters should be used, Awano said.
When goya has seven or eight mature leaves, the tip of its stem should be nipped off to help lateral buds grow. Provide additional fertilizer after goya begins bearing vegetables, he added.
"If you want to make a thick leafy curtain, you should give extra nitrogen fertilizer," Awano said. "But this will result in a slightly smaller harvest."
It is now the season for planting seedlings in Japan, but the best time differs slightly by region.
"Before you actually start, you should seek advice on how to grow seedlings at the garden shop where you purchase them," Awano said.
(May. 10, 2011)
See also
http://hobiger.org/blog/2011/07/
http://greenjapan.com/living-in-japan/3597/
See also
http://hobiger.org/blog/2011/07/
http://greenjapan.com/living-in-japan/3597/
Bitter Gourd (Nigauri)
I've just found this post that I started back on 15th August, but never got round to posting. This strange knobbly looking vegetable is a goya, quite possibly one of my favourite vegetables for its fresh unusual taste and nutritional value.
I first ate this five years ago when I went to Okinawa, the southern-most group of islands in Japan. In Okinawa, it is most well-known in Goya Champuru recipes. It seems to be a vegetable that causes mixed reactions. Many people say it is bitter and so they don't like it. But paired with the right ingredients it is incredibly refreshing! Having said that, I love it so much I eat it raw in salads and smoothies. It is extremely rich in vitamin C, B vitamins and many essential minerals, higher than other dark green vegetables. It's also supposed to show improvement in psoriasis sufferers, but difficult to pin that one down!
As far as growing it is concerned, it is a very popular summer plant in Japan. It is a climber and forms a dense mass of leaves so is known as one of the 'Green Curtain' plants. 'Green Curtains' block sunshine going into the house and so make rooms much cooler.
This year I decided to have another go (3rd time lucky?) at growing this vegetable. Previous attempts have been abysmal, really through my own fault (too small a pot the first, planting late in the season in poor soil the second). But this year, there was more information available on the internet on growing this vegetable due to energy saving requirements in eastern Japan after the Tohoku earthquake.
When I started this post in the middle of August, I was feeling rather discouraged... As well as the above I had written, 'So far I have eaten 3 of my own goya, plus have another 5 currently on the plant, hopefully more to follow! This is from 2 plants. Don't think that's exactly a roaring success, and the leaves are rather sparce and pathetic actually, although they do block some of the heat. But... much better than previous years, and I pinched out the growing tips rather too late I think, taking the advice I thought I got from my goya-expert neighbour! I'll definitely try this again next year. Apparently, planting directly into the soil also helps get a much denser curtain but that's not really an option without a lot of planning...'
Now it's another month on, and I've been really happy with the number of goya I've got, at least for my first attempt. In the last few weeks, the leaves have become really abundant from about a metre and a half off the ground, and in the last week or so I've had a goya a day! Seems to be a late starter! I've just taken this photo today. Thinking about the fact that the leaves were sparce at the beginning and never ended up growing at the bottom of my plant, I think I've worked out the reason for that. Thinking I was cooling it down, I sprayed the leaves as well as watered at night. But that seems just to have killed them off. Next year!
When I started this post in the middle of August, I was feeling rather discouraged... As well as the above I had written, 'So far I have eaten 3 of my own goya, plus have another 5 currently on the plant, hopefully more to follow! This is from 2 plants. Don't think that's exactly a roaring success, and the leaves are rather sparce and pathetic actually, although they do block some of the heat. But... much better than previous years, and I pinched out the growing tips rather too late I think, taking the advice I thought I got from my goya-expert neighbour! I'll definitely try this again next year. Apparently, planting directly into the soil also helps get a much denser curtain but that's not really an option without a lot of planning...'
Saturday, September 17, 2011
New pet...
Wow! I've just discovered I have a pet! No picture yet, because he/she won't stay still for long enough but he looks like this http://www.nara-edu.ac.jp/ECNE/kaerhebi/kaisetu/yamori.htm... The other evening I was on the telephone and heard a loud noise between the picture rail and the wall. I assumed it was an unnaturally large cockroach, because I saw rather too many of them last summer (ie the first summer that I lived here).
This year however, I've seen maybe only two cockroaches and I'd assumed that that was just because I'd eliminated them the previous year (the house had been empty for at least a couple of years before I moved in).
But I think I now have my answer... I just saw a gecko in my lounge! My first thought was 'aaghhh, how do I catch him and put him out' but reading up about him on the internet, I think I might keep him. He's way too fast to catch anyway, is likely to drop his tail (painful for him) if he feels threatened, and apparently feeds on cockroaches and other insects. Do I keep him, or use mothballs to repel him? And how did he get into the house in the first place? I think he'll probably leave pretty soon of his own accord as soon as it starts to get cooler given that my house is either roasting hot in summer or freezing cold in winter!
More reading tells me that gecko is 'yamori ヤモリ' in Japanese, meaning 'house guardian'...
This year however, I've seen maybe only two cockroaches and I'd assumed that that was just because I'd eliminated them the previous year (the house had been empty for at least a couple of years before I moved in).
But I think I now have my answer... I just saw a gecko in my lounge! My first thought was 'aaghhh, how do I catch him and put him out' but reading up about him on the internet, I think I might keep him. He's way too fast to catch anyway, is likely to drop his tail (painful for him) if he feels threatened, and apparently feeds on cockroaches and other insects. Do I keep him, or use mothballs to repel him? And how did he get into the house in the first place? I think he'll probably leave pretty soon of his own accord as soon as it starts to get cooler given that my house is either roasting hot in summer or freezing cold in winter!
More reading tells me that gecko is 'yamori ヤモリ' in Japanese, meaning 'house guardian'...
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Lake Toya and Furano/Biei, Hokkaido
Well, that was a lovely relaxing holiday! I went up to Hokkaido for a few days - one night at Lake Toya and 3 nights in Furano. I was really lucky with the weather too - it didn't rain as much as it was forecast to, and so I was able to get a day and a half of cycling in which was what I had planned.
Lake Toya was beautiful, although a bit too onsen resorty for my liking. But I wanted to see fireworks and see em I did! Breakfast and dinner were also great. I stayed in the Hotel Lakeside Terrace and had arranged the free (2.5hour) shuttle bus both ways - excellent value, as was the hotel (booked on Rakuten) with a huge healthy buffet breakfast and dinner. The hotel was also huge, built in 3 wings - the dining hall alone probably seated about 300 people at a time.
It was wonderful to see Furano in June, the flower fields were beautiful. Even so I was still a little early for the lavender - mid-July is probably the best time, but end-June was when I had my holiday. It was beautiful cycling around the Biei countryside. There is a great rental bike shop 'Guide no Yamagoya ガイドの山小屋' near Bibaushi station (美馬牛 Beautiful Horse Cow?!), ask at the station for directions, or check online at www.yamagoya.jp (website appears in English, but many of the links have English as well. It cost me 1500yen for a full day hire of a 7gear mountain bike. Cheaper bikes are available but don't have any gears which would make those hills quite tricky! They also lent me a rucksack and have left luggage facilities too.
The previous day I hired a bike from a souvenir shop just on the corner near Furano Station. Again they have left luggage facilities if people need it. I then spent half a day visiting the Cheese Factory, Wine Factory and Grape Factory. In the afternoon, expecting rain, I took the bike back and caught the train to the seasonal station Lavender Batake to go to Farm Tomita. Very nice to see again. This is perhaps the most famous lavender farm in the area, probably partly because it's the easiest to get to, however I was much more impressed with the scale of the fields and mountain backdrop at the Hill of Shikisai about 3km from Bibaushi station.
On my final day, I took the bus to Asahikawa to see Asahiyama Zoo (last went there 6 years ago, and they are still making changes. This is the best zoo I've ever been to, their vision being to make life as comfortable and interesting for the animals as is possible in a zoo which in turn make it as interesting as possible for the people that visit. Little by little they are redesigning the animal areas, however the areas for very large animals haven't been redesigned yet. This is an amazing turnaround for a zoo that in 1995 was near bankruptcy and close to closing down. (In 1996 only 260,000 people visited, by 2007 that figure had swollen to 3,060,000.) I recently really enjoyed the drama documentary about the story of how the zoo started to be redesigned Asahiyama Zoo: Penguins in the Sky' http://www.nipponcinema.com/trailers/asahiyama-dobutsuen-monogatari-trailer. It was amazing just how close the animals were in the redesigned areas, you are sometimes only 50cm from a very fierce furry animal through a well-designed double fence.
As you can see from some of my photos, the seals have perspex tubes to swim up and down in if they want (they don't have to), the penguins are clearly visible swimming through the water alongside you as though flying in the sky, the large cats have a very high volume to move around in as they can climb right up trees and structures within their enclosure, the lesser red panda can cross over your head on a panda foot bridge!
Useful starting webpages for traveling in this area:
http://www.furano-kankou.com/english/home.htm
http://www.cbnet.co.jp/furanobus/lavender.html (timetable for Lavender Bus)
http://www.asazoo.com/index.php?bus (timetable for Asahiyama Zoo bus)
Trains and buses are infrequent, so you will need to use a combination of bus and train, and plan well to make sure you do as much as possible between transport stops. Except for when going to Lavender Batake station I recommend using normal JR as the Norocco tourist train is twice as expensive.
Photos at the right link!
The previous day I hired a bike from a souvenir shop just on the corner near Furano Station. Again they have left luggage facilities if people need it. I then spent half a day visiting the Cheese Factory, Wine Factory and Grape Factory. In the afternoon, expecting rain, I took the bike back and caught the train to the seasonal station Lavender Batake to go to Farm Tomita. Very nice to see again. This is perhaps the most famous lavender farm in the area, probably partly because it's the easiest to get to, however I was much more impressed with the scale of the fields and mountain backdrop at the Hill of Shikisai about 3km from Bibaushi station.
On my final day, I took the bus to Asahikawa to see Asahiyama Zoo (last went there 6 years ago, and they are still making changes. This is the best zoo I've ever been to, their vision being to make life as comfortable and interesting for the animals as is possible in a zoo which in turn make it as interesting as possible for the people that visit. Little by little they are redesigning the animal areas, however the areas for very large animals haven't been redesigned yet. This is an amazing turnaround for a zoo that in 1995 was near bankruptcy and close to closing down. (In 1996 only 260,000 people visited, by 2007 that figure had swollen to 3,060,000.) I recently really enjoyed the drama documentary about the story of how the zoo started to be redesigned Asahiyama Zoo: Penguins in the Sky' http://www.nipponcinema.com/trailers/asahiyama-dobutsuen-monogatari-trailer. It was amazing just how close the animals were in the redesigned areas, you are sometimes only 50cm from a very fierce furry animal through a well-designed double fence.
Useful starting webpages for traveling in this area:
http://www.furano-kankou.com/english/home.htm
http://www.cbnet.co.jp/furanobus/lavender.html (timetable for Lavender Bus)
http://www.asazoo.com/index.php?bus (timetable for Asahiyama Zoo bus)
Trains and buses are infrequent, so you will need to use a combination of bus and train, and plan well to make sure you do as much as possible between transport stops. Except for when going to Lavender Batake station I recommend using normal JR as the Norocco tourist train is twice as expensive.
Photos at the right link!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Gomi Zero no Hi - Zero Rubbish Day
As I start writing this post I am already onto my 2nd cup of coffee, remarkable only because it's only 9am, and I've been up for 2 hours already. On a Sunday.
Gomi Zero can be read as Zero Rubbish or as a go-mi-zero (5-3-0). It's a play on words. Every year, on or around 30 May, Gomi Zero is held.
Every year throughout Japan on Gomi Zero Day, residents are invited/press-ganged into picking up rubbish to help beautify the country. A lovely idea, as I'm sure you'll agree! Mine however starts very early (supposedly from 8am, but actually from 7:40am each year).
This year the selected day was today, because 29th May is a Sunday and so most people have the day off. However, I was secretly hoping it wouldn't happen because heavy rain was forecast due to an approaching typhoon... At 6:45 I woke up, and noticed it was raining but not too heavily. Sigh. No lie-in perhaps. It would go ahead if it was only light rain. Perhaps this was light enough. A check of the 10minute rain forecast of my area for the next hour showed it was going to vary between light and heavy rain, with more typhoon like rain predicted for later in the day. OK, probably won't happen, but I'd better get showered and dressed.
At 7:30 in one of the heavy rain intervals, the announcements started through the city loudspeaker. Ah, I really need to improve my Japanese. As I was listening, I could pick up some but not all of it. 'Good morning... after a lot of discussion this morning... please'. Surely.... Surely they can't mean...?! But then in neighbouring houses shutters were opened, and people started popping out with umbrellas and wellies. Plainly everyone else wasn't sure it was going to be cancelled either. Mutterings of 'but it's raining... I'm surprised... amazing eh... It's not going ahead in neighbouring X-city and Y-city... Can't be helped...' were heard.
And so, armed with a big umbrella in the bucketing rain, but coffee-less, I walked down the road with my neighbours for the cheery introductions, and doling out of gloves. We were instructed just to clean around the front of our own houses. Everyone's thought of 'but but but it's clean' was mostly unheard. Umbrellas in one hand, people picked up leaves, and tiny weeds for a full 10-15 minutes of show, and then started gathering again and talking. At 8:30 it was considered the right time to walk back down the road to be thanked and officially dismissed. Have no idea what was said really, partly because it was raining so heavily on a nearby tin shed, but they seemed to talk about the summer picnic (to be avoided) and thanked everyone a lot for coming together despite the bad conditions.
Then there was the invitation for the retrospective bribe of a can of drink, and a not exactly polite scrum for the cans of beer, I was too slow so only got a can of coffee.
Exchanged the 'thank you for your hard work' with my neighbours. Then home to put on the kettle and change and dry out.
So that was how my morning started. Gomi Zero 2011 in heavy rain. Rather nice really.
Gomi Zero can be read as Zero Rubbish or as a go-mi-zero (5-3-0). It's a play on words. Every year, on or around 30 May, Gomi Zero is held.
Every year throughout Japan on Gomi Zero Day, residents are invited/press-ganged into picking up rubbish to help beautify the country. A lovely idea, as I'm sure you'll agree! Mine however starts very early (supposedly from 8am, but actually from 7:40am each year).
This year the selected day was today, because 29th May is a Sunday and so most people have the day off. However, I was secretly hoping it wouldn't happen because heavy rain was forecast due to an approaching typhoon... At 6:45 I woke up, and noticed it was raining but not too heavily. Sigh. No lie-in perhaps. It would go ahead if it was only light rain. Perhaps this was light enough. A check of the 10minute rain forecast of my area for the next hour showed it was going to vary between light and heavy rain, with more typhoon like rain predicted for later in the day. OK, probably won't happen, but I'd better get showered and dressed.
At 7:30 in one of the heavy rain intervals, the announcements started through the city loudspeaker. Ah, I really need to improve my Japanese. As I was listening, I could pick up some but not all of it. 'Good morning... after a lot of discussion this morning... please'. Surely.... Surely they can't mean...?! But then in neighbouring houses shutters were opened, and people started popping out with umbrellas and wellies. Plainly everyone else wasn't sure it was going to be cancelled either. Mutterings of 'but it's raining... I'm surprised... amazing eh... It's not going ahead in neighbouring X-city and Y-city... Can't be helped...' were heard.
And so, armed with a big umbrella in the bucketing rain, but coffee-less, I walked down the road with my neighbours for the cheery introductions, and doling out of gloves. We were instructed just to clean around the front of our own houses. Everyone's thought of 'but but but it's clean' was mostly unheard. Umbrellas in one hand, people picked up leaves, and tiny weeds for a full 10-15 minutes of show, and then started gathering again and talking. At 8:30 it was considered the right time to walk back down the road to be thanked and officially dismissed. Have no idea what was said really, partly because it was raining so heavily on a nearby tin shed, but they seemed to talk about the summer picnic (to be avoided) and thanked everyone a lot for coming together despite the bad conditions.
Then there was the invitation for the retrospective bribe of a can of drink, and a not exactly polite scrum for the cans of beer, I was too slow so only got a can of coffee.
Exchanged the 'thank you for your hard work' with my neighbours. Then home to put on the kettle and change and dry out.
So that was how my morning started. Gomi Zero 2011 in heavy rain. Rather nice really.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Takamatsu, Shikoku
Back in February, I went to one of the 4 major islands of Japan - Shikoku. Now I have been at least once to all 4 of the major islands (Hokkaidō, Honshū, Shikoku and Kyūshū)!
I had been meaning to visit Shikoku for some time, but without knowing much about it. In fact the deciding point for me was that I booked the couple of nights whilst I was still feeling ill in January, with the main reason being that (aside from Okinawa) it seemed to be marginally warmer on average in February that the rest of Japan! However as I researched more, I discovered that it seemed to be a very interesting and beautiful area. I wasn't wrong!
This was indeed a really beautiful area, and one that had a lot going on. I want to return some time!
Photos at the link on the right.
I had been meaning to visit Shikoku for some time, but without knowing much about it. In fact the deciding point for me was that I booked the couple of nights whilst I was still feeling ill in January, with the main reason being that (aside from Okinawa) it seemed to be marginally warmer on average in February that the rest of Japan! However as I researched more, I discovered that it seemed to be a very interesting and beautiful area. I wasn't wrong!
This was indeed a really beautiful area, and one that had a lot going on. I want to return some time!
Photos at the link on the right.
Monday, March 28, 2011
March 11th - 17 days on
This is a difficult post to write, and please be aware that these are just my perceptions from living in Japan and from what I see on the news here and internationally. Although aware through my own research and living here, I am not a scientist or an expert on the current situation, but I don't think the true picture is completely apparent outside of Japan.
It's been over two weeks, and in some ways I think the timing of this post is right. For me, I'm starting to grasp more of the enormity and reality of it all and could only now write this. Perhaps for many people outside of Japan the initial horror has passed, and it's just another news item.
I think that in the last week, the focus on international media (and even domestic media to a lesser extent) relating to Japan has shifted from the devastation in northern Japan, to nuclear power plant and radiation worries internationally. Of course the nuclear power plant situation in Japan is a very serious concern, and has added to the number of evacuees and problems of food supply, not mention the large number of workers and their families. However outside of the 20km zone, airborne levels are low. For example in Tokyo, about 240km from the Fukushima power plant, after a very brief alarming spike they are currently at 0.11uSV/hour - higher than normal in Tokyo http://www.mext.go.jp/component/english/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2011/03/28/1304324_2819.pdf but still well under the international average of 0.27uSv/hour (based on an average background radiation of 2.4mSv/year). Outside of Japan, increases are minute (for example about one millionth of what you would get in normal daily background radiation). This fortunately isn't another Chernobyl.
The devastation in northern Japan hasn't gone away, even if the focus on the news has. Pictures in the news show the remarkable transformation of a major road with a great chasm after the earthquake - six days on you'd never know. Businesses are starting to relocate and get back on their feet. This enables some supplies to get through to the affected region. These stories are great. But the reality is that whilst things are looking better, they are still not good. Food, water, basic supplies and medicine are starting to get through now, but the diet is poor because non-perishable foods have to be used. As at March 22nd 320,000 evacuees are staying at about 2,100 shelters. The risk of contagious disease such as flu is high. http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/80009.html. The landscape is still flattened.
There is a still a lack of basic supplies, electricity and heat in many areas. It is still very cold. This means that people, especially the sick and elderly are still dying having survived an earthquake and tsunami. This is correctly described as Japan's worst disaster since World War 2. This page shows a translated interview with some local people. http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/japan/110322/japan-rebuilding-tsunami-earthquake-ofunato-iwate
It seems that many people feel that because Japan is a rich technologically advanced country, people don't believe that they need donations so much. Yet the United States is also a rich technologically advanced country and they received substantially more donations in the first week after Hurricane Katrina. http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/18/pf/japan_earthquake_aid/index.htm.
Often people donate in the first week whilst the emerging images are so strong.
Japan always donates generously to disaster relief funds, again for example Hurricane Katrina http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2005/September/20050915165123ajesrom9.768313e-02.html and now Japan needs help to rebuild itself.
The northern area of Japan, especially the coastal areas, is not the richest region. If a situation like this were to happen in the UK, then international help would be needed. Japan is no different. I think that people see videos and pictures on television and see people behaving in a quiet ordered manner without asking for help, and assume that help isn't needed. There has been little looting in Japan, people tend to be more honest. The culture in Japan is often to endure quietly and to try to resolve your own problems, not to ask for help. The 'stiff upper lip' reputation of the British is more apparent in the 'gaman' of Japan. Just because people don't ask for help, doesn't mean that we shouldn't give it. Money is always needed for rebuilding no matter how developed a nation is. Rebuilding homes, services, companies and lives.
Donations are the best way to help, so that the relief agencies can spend it on what is needed most. The Red Cross in your own country will have a donation fund for the Japan Earthquake/Tsunami and is a good way to help. This is the key aid agency organising support in Japan. They will ensure that the money is used efficiently and, in the event that it can't be used efficiently in Japan, they will use the money for other countries that need it even more.
In Britain http://www.redcross.org.uk (online, or by phone or post), or you can use Google Checkout to pay via the Google Crisis Response site http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html
In Japan there are many more options which will get aid to the right place. Almost every convenience store and supermarket has a box, many legitimate charities including Second Harvest http://www.2hj.org/, but again you can donate on the Red Cross website http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/index.html
You can also donate by buying the Songs for Japan on iTunes for GBP7.99, $10 or 1500yen - all proceeds go to the Japanese Red Cross.
It's been over two weeks, and in some ways I think the timing of this post is right. For me, I'm starting to grasp more of the enormity and reality of it all and could only now write this. Perhaps for many people outside of Japan the initial horror has passed, and it's just another news item.
I think that in the last week, the focus on international media (and even domestic media to a lesser extent) relating to Japan has shifted from the devastation in northern Japan, to nuclear power plant and radiation worries internationally. Of course the nuclear power plant situation in Japan is a very serious concern, and has added to the number of evacuees and problems of food supply, not mention the large number of workers and their families. However outside of the 20km zone, airborne levels are low. For example in Tokyo, about 240km from the Fukushima power plant, after a very brief alarming spike they are currently at 0.11uSV/hour - higher than normal in Tokyo http://www.mext.go.jp/component/english/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2011/03/28/1304324_2819.pdf but still well under the international average of 0.27uSv/hour (based on an average background radiation of 2.4mSv/year). Outside of Japan, increases are minute (for example about one millionth of what you would get in normal daily background radiation). This fortunately isn't another Chernobyl.
The devastation in northern Japan hasn't gone away, even if the focus on the news has. Pictures in the news show the remarkable transformation of a major road with a great chasm after the earthquake - six days on you'd never know. Businesses are starting to relocate and get back on their feet. This enables some supplies to get through to the affected region. These stories are great. But the reality is that whilst things are looking better, they are still not good. Food, water, basic supplies and medicine are starting to get through now, but the diet is poor because non-perishable foods have to be used. As at March 22nd 320,000 evacuees are staying at about 2,100 shelters. The risk of contagious disease such as flu is high. http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/80009.html. The landscape is still flattened.
There is a still a lack of basic supplies, electricity and heat in many areas. It is still very cold. This means that people, especially the sick and elderly are still dying having survived an earthquake and tsunami. This is correctly described as Japan's worst disaster since World War 2. This page shows a translated interview with some local people. http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/japan/110322/japan-rebuilding-tsunami-earthquake-ofunato-iwate
It seems that many people feel that because Japan is a rich technologically advanced country, people don't believe that they need donations so much. Yet the United States is also a rich technologically advanced country and they received substantially more donations in the first week after Hurricane Katrina. http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/18/pf/japan_earthquake_aid/index.htm.
Often people donate in the first week whilst the emerging images are so strong.
Japan always donates generously to disaster relief funds, again for example Hurricane Katrina http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2005/September/20050915165123ajesrom9.768313e-02.html and now Japan needs help to rebuild itself.
The northern area of Japan, especially the coastal areas, is not the richest region. If a situation like this were to happen in the UK, then international help would be needed. Japan is no different. I think that people see videos and pictures on television and see people behaving in a quiet ordered manner without asking for help, and assume that help isn't needed. There has been little looting in Japan, people tend to be more honest. The culture in Japan is often to endure quietly and to try to resolve your own problems, not to ask for help. The 'stiff upper lip' reputation of the British is more apparent in the 'gaman' of Japan. Just because people don't ask for help, doesn't mean that we shouldn't give it. Money is always needed for rebuilding no matter how developed a nation is. Rebuilding homes, services, companies and lives.
Donations are the best way to help, so that the relief agencies can spend it on what is needed most. The Red Cross in your own country will have a donation fund for the Japan Earthquake/Tsunami and is a good way to help. This is the key aid agency organising support in Japan. They will ensure that the money is used efficiently and, in the event that it can't be used efficiently in Japan, they will use the money for other countries that need it even more.
In Britain http://www.redcross.org.uk (online, or by phone or post), or you can use Google Checkout to pay via the Google Crisis Response site http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html
In Japan there are many more options which will get aid to the right place. Almost every convenience store and supermarket has a box, many legitimate charities including Second Harvest http://www.2hj.org/, but again you can donate on the Red Cross website http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/index.html
You can also donate by buying the Songs for Japan on iTunes for GBP7.99, $10 or 1500yen - all proceeds go to the Japanese Red Cross.
Friday, December 31, 2010
All singing, all dancing new water heating system! 新しいお湯の暖房
OK, well not all dancing perhaps, but definitely all singing!
You may remember that my water boiler has been playing up since last winter, pretty much since I moved in fact! In summer it's not a problem because my water is heated purely by solar panels, but between October and April it needs oil to heat it.
Apparently the boiler system was old, and my owner knew that she was probably going to have to replace it at some point. This winter, so far she twice had to get repairs done on it. The last time she repaired it, just before I went on holiday, I woke up the next morning to renewed problems. She decided to replace it.
Hooray!
I now can have a shower with continuous hot water, I keep going into the kitchen to wash my hands and look at the shiny new control panel! And it's a gas boiler, not oil, which means that hopefully it will be cheaper to run, and also means that I don't have to hang around on Mondays to catch the oil delivery van. Even without central heating, bathtime is going to get a whole lot more pleasant!
And did I mention the all singing all dancing bit? Seriously, it's a bit like having a maid to run your bath for you... As with the oil system, the bath will automatically fill to the desired level at the touch of a button, and then keep the water hot at the desired temperature. But this one plays a little ditty when it's finished and a woman's voice shouts out in Japanese, 'Your bath's ready'! Rather fun!
And if you put the lid on the bath and set the timer, then it will automatically fill your bath for the time that you want it! I'm going to try that tomorrow morning!
Oh, what fun!
さあ、新しいお湯の暖房が有る。全部が自動。それに声を出す。ちょっとお手伝いさんが有るみたい！タイマー機能も有る。楽しい！
You may remember that my water boiler has been playing up since last winter, pretty much since I moved in fact! In summer it's not a problem because my water is heated purely by solar panels, but between October and April it needs oil to heat it.
Apparently the boiler system was old, and my owner knew that she was probably going to have to replace it at some point. This winter, so far she twice had to get repairs done on it. The last time she repaired it, just before I went on holiday, I woke up the next morning to renewed problems. She decided to replace it.
Hooray!
I now can have a shower with continuous hot water, I keep going into the kitchen to wash my hands and look at the shiny new control panel! And it's a gas boiler, not oil, which means that hopefully it will be cheaper to run, and also means that I don't have to hang around on Mondays to catch the oil delivery van. Even without central heating, bathtime is going to get a whole lot more pleasant!
And did I mention the all singing all dancing bit? Seriously, it's a bit like having a maid to run your bath for you... As with the oil system, the bath will automatically fill to the desired level at the touch of a button, and then keep the water hot at the desired temperature. But this one plays a little ditty when it's finished and a woman's voice shouts out in Japanese, 'Your bath's ready'! Rather fun!
And if you put the lid on the bath and set the timer, then it will automatically fill your bath for the time that you want it! I'm going to try that tomorrow morning!
Oh, what fun!
さあ、新しいお湯の暖房が有る。全部が自動。それに声を出す。ちょっとお手伝いさんが有るみたい！タイマー機能も有る。楽しい！
Christmas in Naha、 那覇のクリスマス
Well, another wonderful Christmas in Naha! Actually, although I went to Okinawa last year, it's been almost three years since I was last in Naha. Hard to believe that time flies by so quickly! No photos in this post itself, because I'm having a spot of bother with rotation with some of the key photos, photos as always at the right link.
Two years ago, I had intended to revisit Naha and the islands around Ishigaki, but sadly ANA never re-released the cheap fares of 2007, and I ended up having bought an outward fare with no way of affording the return fare... That holiday had to be cancelled which was very disappointing. Last year, I went only to Miyakojima, a beautiful island, but it could not maintain my interest for the whole holiday. This year, I learnt from previous mistakes and, wanting to go again to both Naha and the islands surrounding Ishigaki and reserved/cancelled/reserved/cancelled etc etc outward flights, until the inward flights were released. I also had hotels booked for a myriad of outcomes...! At one point in October I think I had four possible cancellable holidays booked! As half expected though, ANA again did not release cheap return fares, so I decided to go only to Naha with ANA, and back with Skymark. I had also managed to find myself a fantastic long-stay plan with a favourite hotel for its breakfasts (30000yen for 6 nights B&B, Sun Palace Kyukyo), so was very happy!
By the time my holiday came around, it was really starting to feel like winter. OK, not cold as in the way the UK has been recently, but I've become somewhat softened to life in Japan so a maximum of 10-12C during the day and 4-8C at night was unpleasant! And my house has a somewhat bizarre characteristic too - that of being about 5C colder inside than outside during the winter, and the reverse during the summer... Of course, that could be due to only having hot and cold air-conditioning in my bedroom (radiators don't exist). There was a rather funny incident a couple of weeks ago when I was getting ready to go out to work, and had put on my hat, scarf and gloves... Only to step outside the door and have to take it all off again because it felt so hot!
Coupled with these winter temperatures, my water heating was playing up again, the successful outcome of that is in another post. I could be in the middle of a shower in my minimalist unheated bathroom, when the boiler would suddenly decide it didn't want to play anymore... I was getting a little cheesed off, as well as having a cold to show for it.
The holiday came at last and, just as I relaxed with the pleasure of being off work, my cold escalated! The flight out was somewhat painful - blocked sinuses meant that ear pressure on landing was not nice. And for the next five days the headache intensity increased to be the most excruciating headache I've ever had. However, this was my long-long-awaited holiday, and boy did I mean to make the most of it!
I arrived in Naha on Thursday 23rd, visited a nearby garden and got a light dinner of avocado taco rice before an early night intended to knock my cold on the head... Next day, armed with a 6 pack of tissues I got a highway bus up the island to the South-East Botanical Gardens. I've been meaning to go here for so long now, apparently they are the largest tropical gardens in Japan. Not driving, I'm very pleased to have GPS on my phone. To get here, you take the 111 Highway bus from Naha Bus Terminal at Asahibashi. The bus takes just under an hour to get to Okinawa North Interchange (Okinawa Kita Inta-). From there it's about a 15 minute walk (or, according to the website a 5 minute taxi transfer... Hmmm, where is the line-up of taxis on this roundabout?!) Actually even Navitime let me down a little on the way back... It suggested a shortcut which brought me out precisely *under* the bus stop...
The gardens were lovely. It was a beautiful day, and I enjoyed snoozing on a hammock looking up at the tops of palm trees in the blue sky! Getting sunburnt in the process, it would seem too! I enjoyed the relaxation of it all, but didn't really feel that the gardens justified the entrance fee of 1000 yen, would not necessarily recommend it, and I am a big fan of botanical gardens! Plus, the piped relaxation music annoyed me - probably in part because of my headache! Look at the colour of my dragon fruit smoothie - believe it or not, it's natural!
That evening, I decided to go to a Spanish bar that I'd found on Navitime. However, not managing to find it, I ended up in an Irish bar (The Smugglers) instead. The staff were very friendly and spoke Japanese and English (many of them seemed to have studied in England/Canada previously), and in fact I ended up in making friends with one of the locals (Jun, and later his girlfriend Ayumi too) and having a very enjoyable time! They didn't speak much English at all, so we had to rely completely on my Japanese!
The following day, Christmas Day, I went to Shuri Castle. I had been meaning to go here for a long time, but was too castled and templed out previously. It dates from the late 1300s as a royal residence, although of course has been rebuilt several times. As a Ryukyu castle, it has many Chinese influences, and is completely unlike any Japanese castles I've seen in the rest of Japan. It's truly beautiful, and very impressive. Later on, as I walked in the grounds and around the lakes and stone streets, I really appreciated the tranquility. I also had an absolutely delicious okra curry sitting on a restaurant balcony waiting for the rain to stop... It didn't!
Incidentally, the monorail had been completely decorated for Christmas inside every carriage! All the handrails were wrapped in tinsel and baubles, and the windows had Christmas transfers on them! Very festive!
That evening I met up again with Jun and Ayumi. This time we went to an old haunt of mine, 'Wa no Ichi' to enjoy some traditional Okinawan food and see a favourite musician of mine, Jun Suzuki. I was impressed that not only did Jun recognise me after a couple of years but also that he remembered my name! Another fun evening ensued, and Jun and Ayumi managed to bring me out of my usual shyness which was a rather nice experience! Along with his own songs, some old some new, Jun sang some old Okinawa songs and some Christmas songs too. He told me that sometimes he plays now in Tokyo too, so maybe I'll manage that sometime. Oh, and listen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NFzLcz3SsI&feature=related to his own upload of of one of his originals 'Itsumademo'!
The following day Sunday, Boxing Day, I went down to Itoman to the Okinawa Peace Museum. Having already been to the museum at Hiroshima, I knew that this was going to be disturbing. However, I knew that my understanding of the history of Okinawa, a place that I truly love, was scant. I wanted to know more. This part of its modern history was even more harrowing than I had expected, and all the more real because it was such a balanced account of the stupidity of the time.
In the Battle of Okinawa in World War 2, 40% of Okinawans died. Around 200,000 Japanese people died compared to 12,000 American people. The Battle of Okinawa was used by the Japanese as a delaying tactic to keep the war off mainland Japan. It was seen as expendable. Okinawa had only been officially part of Japan since the late 19th century, so only for about one generation until the start of World War 2. (From the end of World War 2 to 1972 it was US territory.) The Japanese government did not trust the people of Okinawa to stay loyal to Japan, and led them to believe that the American side were barbarians. There were many mass suicides from the cliffs to avoid capture by the barbarians. But also Okinawa had its own dialect, and the Japanese military were given orders to kill any Okinawan using Okinwan dialect believing they could be a spy. Many Okinawan civilians were killed by the Japanese military. Civilians and military alike fled to the caves as the war killed residents and troops en masse; as the military hid in the caves some soldiers were afraid that the crying of children would give away their location so children were killed. Many people died of starvation. Then, and indeed now, Okinawa was not economically comparable to mainland Japan, and there was not enough food to go round. Some civilians were forced to evacuate to malaria camps, so that there was food for the military personnel. Over 200,000 Japanese died in the 3 months that was the Battle of Okinawa. It was the only ground fighting fought on Japanese soil, and was also the largest-scale campaign of the Asia-Pacific War.
Most of what is known of the Battle of Okinawa comes from personal accounts. Slowly, over the last 30-40 years, survivors have started to open up and talk about their experiences in order that their testimonies may be passed onto future generations and that this situation may be avoided in the future. Many of these testimonies included not only the terror and horror but also moments of compassion on both sides.
Outside the museum, there was a vast area of memorial stones, each with maybe two hundred names of the Japanese and foreign people who died in the Battle of Okinawa. The sheer size of the memorial area had a horrendous impact.
That day felt phenomenally cold! I think the top temperature was actually 15C, but the wind was incredibly strong so it felt much colder. After the museum I went to a nearby restaurant and had a late lunch of a huge bowl of soki soba (steaming hot Okinawan noodles in soup with beef). On the way back to the hotel, I bought some cold medicine and this knocked me out pretty much until the next morning!
From Naha, you can get to the Peace Museum by taking a number 89 bus from Naha Bus Terminal, and changing at Itoman Bus Terminal for a number 82 bus (get off at Heiwa Kinendo Iriguchi). 560yen plus 460 yen each way.
On Monday my cold peaked although I didn't know it then. I was beginning to think my head was going to explode. Since Sunday afternoon, I had only woken up long enough to take more medicine, sleeping for almost 15 hours straight! On Monday and Tuesday, as a combination of my cold and the medicine I was taking, I was sleeping every time I sat down on a bus, woken up each time by my own embarrassing whimpering noises! Monday, I decided to go down again to the southern part of the main island to visit Okinawa World. To get to Okinawa World, you have a few options. The cheapest way is to take a number 54 or 83 bus from Naha Bus Terminal to its terminus Gyokusendomae (560yen). However the route only runs every 1-2 hours, so instead I used the same buses as to the Okinawa Peace Museum yesterday. I took the cheaper route back. Incidentally, this website is good for checking bus timetables around Naha http://www.okinawabus.com/noriaibus/index.html
There are a few ticket options, I got the most expensive pass at 1600yen to see the caves, the Ryukyu working village and the snake museum. I thought the price was rather steep, but in retrospect I think the caves were definitely worth the price. Gyokusendo Cave is claimed to have the greatest stalactites and stalagmites in Asia. It's 5km long with 890 metres currently open to the public. It was beautiful, and the subtle lighting and complete lack of piped music was great for the headache! I was expecting it to be cold, like everyone else it seemed, but in fact the average temperature is 21C! Lots of people taking off their layers at the entrance to the cave! I wasn't so impressed by the village, but the snake museum was very interesting too.
I had found an interesting looking Russian restaurant called Perestroika online, and rather fancied a spicy bowl of Borscht that evening. Unfortunately though it was closed for the Christmas holidays. So instead, I went to find the Naha Harbor Diner, a treehouse restaurant! It's not a real tree, a building like that wouldn't survive the earthquakes, but it is rather cool! Had a nice sausage and lentil stew, and glass of mango juice. It came to 1300 yen, so yes prices were rather high and the portion size would have have been small had it not been for my cold. But it was a very cool restaurant, and I'd go there again!
Tuesday was a beautiful sunny day again, so I took the bus to the Chinen coastline. Bus number 38. I went to Azama Sunsun Beach, a little too manmade for my liking. I must try again sometime to find that beach I found when I first came to Okinawa. I thought it was near Chinen Marine Leisure Centre, but I couldn't find it last time either... Nice and relaxing, and then I walked for a few hours along the coast. A lovely relaxing holiday! Now, where and when next?!
Two years ago, I had intended to revisit Naha and the islands around Ishigaki, but sadly ANA never re-released the cheap fares of 2007, and I ended up having bought an outward fare with no way of affording the return fare... That holiday had to be cancelled which was very disappointing. Last year, I went only to Miyakojima, a beautiful island, but it could not maintain my interest for the whole holiday. This year, I learnt from previous mistakes and, wanting to go again to both Naha and the islands surrounding Ishigaki and reserved/cancelled/reserved/cancelled etc etc outward flights, until the inward flights were released. I also had hotels booked for a myriad of outcomes...! At one point in October I think I had four possible cancellable holidays booked! As half expected though, ANA again did not release cheap return fares, so I decided to go only to Naha with ANA, and back with Skymark. I had also managed to find myself a fantastic long-stay plan with a favourite hotel for its breakfasts (30000yen for 6 nights B&B, Sun Palace Kyukyo), so was very happy!
By the time my holiday came around, it was really starting to feel like winter. OK, not cold as in the way the UK has been recently, but I've become somewhat softened to life in Japan so a maximum of 10-12C during the day and 4-8C at night was unpleasant! And my house has a somewhat bizarre characteristic too - that of being about 5C colder inside than outside during the winter, and the reverse during the summer... Of course, that could be due to only having hot and cold air-conditioning in my bedroom (radiators don't exist). There was a rather funny incident a couple of weeks ago when I was getting ready to go out to work, and had put on my hat, scarf and gloves... Only to step outside the door and have to take it all off again because it felt so hot!
Coupled with these winter temperatures, my water heating was playing up again, the successful outcome of that is in another post. I could be in the middle of a shower in my minimalist unheated bathroom, when the boiler would suddenly decide it didn't want to play anymore... I was getting a little cheesed off, as well as having a cold to show for it.
The holiday came at last and, just as I relaxed with the pleasure of being off work, my cold escalated! The flight out was somewhat painful - blocked sinuses meant that ear pressure on landing was not nice. And for the next five days the headache intensity increased to be the most excruciating headache I've ever had. However, this was my long-long-awaited holiday, and boy did I mean to make the most of it!
I arrived in Naha on Thursday 23rd, visited a nearby garden and got a light dinner of avocado taco rice before an early night intended to knock my cold on the head... Next day, armed with a 6 pack of tissues I got a highway bus up the island to the South-East Botanical Gardens. I've been meaning to go here for so long now, apparently they are the largest tropical gardens in Japan. Not driving, I'm very pleased to have GPS on my phone. To get here, you take the 111 Highway bus from Naha Bus Terminal at Asahibashi. The bus takes just under an hour to get to Okinawa North Interchange (Okinawa Kita Inta-). From there it's about a 15 minute walk (or, according to the website a 5 minute taxi transfer... Hmmm, where is the line-up of taxis on this roundabout?!) Actually even Navitime let me down a little on the way back... It suggested a shortcut which brought me out precisely *under* the bus stop...
The gardens were lovely. It was a beautiful day, and I enjoyed snoozing on a hammock looking up at the tops of palm trees in the blue sky! Getting sunburnt in the process, it would seem too! I enjoyed the relaxation of it all, but didn't really feel that the gardens justified the entrance fee of 1000 yen, would not necessarily recommend it, and I am a big fan of botanical gardens! Plus, the piped relaxation music annoyed me - probably in part because of my headache! Look at the colour of my dragon fruit smoothie - believe it or not, it's natural!
That evening, I decided to go to a Spanish bar that I'd found on Navitime. However, not managing to find it, I ended up in an Irish bar (The Smugglers) instead. The staff were very friendly and spoke Japanese and English (many of them seemed to have studied in England/Canada previously), and in fact I ended up in making friends with one of the locals (Jun, and later his girlfriend Ayumi too) and having a very enjoyable time! They didn't speak much English at all, so we had to rely completely on my Japanese!
The following day, Christmas Day, I went to Shuri Castle. I had been meaning to go here for a long time, but was too castled and templed out previously. It dates from the late 1300s as a royal residence, although of course has been rebuilt several times. As a Ryukyu castle, it has many Chinese influences, and is completely unlike any Japanese castles I've seen in the rest of Japan. It's truly beautiful, and very impressive. Later on, as I walked in the grounds and around the lakes and stone streets, I really appreciated the tranquility. I also had an absolutely delicious okra curry sitting on a restaurant balcony waiting for the rain to stop... It didn't!
Incidentally, the monorail had been completely decorated for Christmas inside every carriage! All the handrails were wrapped in tinsel and baubles, and the windows had Christmas transfers on them! Very festive!
That evening I met up again with Jun and Ayumi. This time we went to an old haunt of mine, 'Wa no Ichi' to enjoy some traditional Okinawan food and see a favourite musician of mine, Jun Suzuki. I was impressed that not only did Jun recognise me after a couple of years but also that he remembered my name! Another fun evening ensued, and Jun and Ayumi managed to bring me out of my usual shyness which was a rather nice experience! Along with his own songs, some old some new, Jun sang some old Okinawa songs and some Christmas songs too. He told me that sometimes he plays now in Tokyo too, so maybe I'll manage that sometime. Oh, and listen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NFzLcz3SsI&feature=related to his own upload of of one of his originals 'Itsumademo'!
The following day Sunday, Boxing Day, I went down to Itoman to the Okinawa Peace Museum. Having already been to the museum at Hiroshima, I knew that this was going to be disturbing. However, I knew that my understanding of the history of Okinawa, a place that I truly love, was scant. I wanted to know more. This part of its modern history was even more harrowing than I had expected, and all the more real because it was such a balanced account of the stupidity of the time.
In the Battle of Okinawa in World War 2, 40% of Okinawans died. Around 200,000 Japanese people died compared to 12,000 American people. The Battle of Okinawa was used by the Japanese as a delaying tactic to keep the war off mainland Japan. It was seen as expendable. Okinawa had only been officially part of Japan since the late 19th century, so only for about one generation until the start of World War 2. (From the end of World War 2 to 1972 it was US territory.) The Japanese government did not trust the people of Okinawa to stay loyal to Japan, and led them to believe that the American side were barbarians. There were many mass suicides from the cliffs to avoid capture by the barbarians. But also Okinawa had its own dialect, and the Japanese military were given orders to kill any Okinawan using Okinwan dialect believing they could be a spy. Many Okinawan civilians were killed by the Japanese military. Civilians and military alike fled to the caves as the war killed residents and troops en masse; as the military hid in the caves some soldiers were afraid that the crying of children would give away their location so children were killed. Many people died of starvation. Then, and indeed now, Okinawa was not economically comparable to mainland Japan, and there was not enough food to go round. Some civilians were forced to evacuate to malaria camps, so that there was food for the military personnel. Over 200,000 Japanese died in the 3 months that was the Battle of Okinawa. It was the only ground fighting fought on Japanese soil, and was also the largest-scale campaign of the Asia-Pacific War.
Most of what is known of the Battle of Okinawa comes from personal accounts. Slowly, over the last 30-40 years, survivors have started to open up and talk about their experiences in order that their testimonies may be passed onto future generations and that this situation may be avoided in the future. Many of these testimonies included not only the terror and horror but also moments of compassion on both sides.
Outside the museum, there was a vast area of memorial stones, each with maybe two hundred names of the Japanese and foreign people who died in the Battle of Okinawa. The sheer size of the memorial area had a horrendous impact.
That day felt phenomenally cold! I think the top temperature was actually 15C, but the wind was incredibly strong so it felt much colder. After the museum I went to a nearby restaurant and had a late lunch of a huge bowl of soki soba (steaming hot Okinawan noodles in soup with beef). On the way back to the hotel, I bought some cold medicine and this knocked me out pretty much until the next morning!
From Naha, you can get to the Peace Museum by taking a number 89 bus from Naha Bus Terminal, and changing at Itoman Bus Terminal for a number 82 bus (get off at Heiwa Kinendo Iriguchi). 560yen plus 460 yen each way.
On Monday my cold peaked although I didn't know it then. I was beginning to think my head was going to explode. Since Sunday afternoon, I had only woken up long enough to take more medicine, sleeping for almost 15 hours straight! On Monday and Tuesday, as a combination of my cold and the medicine I was taking, I was sleeping every time I sat down on a bus, woken up each time by my own embarrassing whimpering noises! Monday, I decided to go down again to the southern part of the main island to visit Okinawa World. To get to Okinawa World, you have a few options. The cheapest way is to take a number 54 or 83 bus from Naha Bus Terminal to its terminus Gyokusendomae (560yen). However the route only runs every 1-2 hours, so instead I used the same buses as to the Okinawa Peace Museum yesterday. I took the cheaper route back. Incidentally, this website is good for checking bus timetables around Naha http://www.okinawabus.com/noriaibus/index.html
There are a few ticket options, I got the most expensive pass at 1600yen to see the caves, the Ryukyu working village and the snake museum. I thought the price was rather steep, but in retrospect I think the caves were definitely worth the price. Gyokusendo Cave is claimed to have the greatest stalactites and stalagmites in Asia. It's 5km long with 890 metres currently open to the public. It was beautiful, and the subtle lighting and complete lack of piped music was great for the headache! I was expecting it to be cold, like everyone else it seemed, but in fact the average temperature is 21C! Lots of people taking off their layers at the entrance to the cave! I wasn't so impressed by the village, but the snake museum was very interesting too.
I had found an interesting looking Russian restaurant called Perestroika online, and rather fancied a spicy bowl of Borscht that evening. Unfortunately though it was closed for the Christmas holidays. So instead, I went to find the Naha Harbor Diner, a treehouse restaurant! It's not a real tree, a building like that wouldn't survive the earthquakes, but it is rather cool! Had a nice sausage and lentil stew, and glass of mango juice. It came to 1300 yen, so yes prices were rather high and the portion size would have have been small had it not been for my cold. But it was a very cool restaurant, and I'd go there again!
Tuesday was a beautiful sunny day again, so I took the bus to the Chinen coastline. Bus number 38. I went to Azama Sunsun Beach, a little too manmade for my liking. I must try again sometime to find that beach I found when I first came to Okinawa. I thought it was near Chinen Marine Leisure Centre, but I couldn't find it last time either... Nice and relaxing, and then I walked for a few hours along the coast. A lovely relaxing holiday! Now, where and when next?!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Wood Block Printed Lanterns in Ueno Park, Tokyo
It really is well worth a look, I was very impressed! They're easy to find, just come out of the Park Exit of Ueno Station and walk into the park. The lanterns follow the main path, with some off to the sides. More pictures (not 165!) at the right-hand link.
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