Today was the day of the parade. Here are some more videos. The first is moving the 鉾 (hoko). The second is just general parade fun. In order to see the second one, you'll need to have Facebook. Otherwise, it's all good.
Showing posts with label Kyoto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kyoto. Show all posts
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Of a Scare
I had a close call with death yesterday. I was walking home to my dorm when I decided to take a shortcut. This was nothing new. I always take the shortcut, it's about 10 minutes shorter, and it was really hot outside, so 10 minutes shorter is a pretty big deal.
I stepped onto the little path, which is really just a covered drain in the road, and began to cross over to the other side. To give you a sense of perspective, this drain is only about a foot wide. Everyone uses it here as a foot path, though I've seen the brave bike over it before. The left side is up against a fence and someone's house, where both have a significant green area. The right side drops off a few meters to a communal farm. People can grow vegetables, fruits, and flowers there. It only takes a couple minutes to cross over normally.
I got to the middle, and out of nowhere come three suzumebachi. I abruptly froze, thinking what on earth should I do? If I turned around, they'd chase me. They are predators after all, and secondly, they swarm, like bees. So, running would have caused those three to chase me, as well as possibly calling out the rest of the nest. If I stepped back, I might stumble on the path, and also, the stones move, which would have caused a decent amount of sound. These things are known for attacking bikers and such for being noisy, so that really wasn't an option either. I decided to stay still and make like a tree.
The hornets hovered there for a while, me looking at them, them looking at me. I felt like they needed some sort of your-imminent-death-is-approaching song. I could hear the sound of their wings as they fluttered in the air, and the stingers were obvious. I thought, "What do I do if I get stung?" It only takes twice and you're dead. It was only a few seconds I'm sure, but eventually the three suzumebachi decided I wasn't a threat and flew away. I waited a few more seconds just to make sure, and then I cautiously made my way to the other side. When I got back to the dorm, I realized just how dangerous of a situation I was in. Even now, I have no idea why there were three of them together. One alone is enough to kill almost anything. Either the things have moved on to killing bears, or they were returning to the nest. Either way, I'm glad I made it though, and I'll be on the lookout for more.
I stepped onto the little path, which is really just a covered drain in the road, and began to cross over to the other side. To give you a sense of perspective, this drain is only about a foot wide. Everyone uses it here as a foot path, though I've seen the brave bike over it before. The left side is up against a fence and someone's house, where both have a significant green area. The right side drops off a few meters to a communal farm. People can grow vegetables, fruits, and flowers there. It only takes a couple minutes to cross over normally.
I got to the middle, and out of nowhere come three suzumebachi. I abruptly froze, thinking what on earth should I do? If I turned around, they'd chase me. They are predators after all, and secondly, they swarm, like bees. So, running would have caused those three to chase me, as well as possibly calling out the rest of the nest. If I stepped back, I might stumble on the path, and also, the stones move, which would have caused a decent amount of sound. These things are known for attacking bikers and such for being noisy, so that really wasn't an option either. I decided to stay still and make like a tree.
The hornets hovered there for a while, me looking at them, them looking at me. I felt like they needed some sort of your-imminent-death-is-approaching song. I could hear the sound of their wings as they fluttered in the air, and the stingers were obvious. I thought, "What do I do if I get stung?" It only takes twice and you're dead. It was only a few seconds I'm sure, but eventually the three suzumebachi decided I wasn't a threat and flew away. I waited a few more seconds just to make sure, and then I cautiously made my way to the other side. When I got back to the dorm, I realized just how dangerous of a situation I was in. Even now, I have no idea why there were three of them together. One alone is enough to kill almost anything. Either the things have moved on to killing bears, or they were returning to the nest. Either way, I'm glad I made it though, and I'll be on the lookout for more.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Of Mukade
Well, Japan has officially entered its ridiculously hot and humid summer season. This means that all of the super-sized bugs have come out in force. The suzumebachi are flying around, the giant cockroaches and ants are coming out, but without a doubt, the mukade (ムカデ) are crawling out of the woods.
I don't really know how to describe mukade except for the fact that they're centipedes about 5 cm long, and they're just plain terrifying. Getting bit by one is not something to be taken lightly. In fact, you should probably go to the hospital. As long as you're a healthy human being, you'll be fine, but if you're a child or an elderly individual, they're far more dangerous. Mukade tend to come out at night, so you'll normally be bitten while you're sleeping. This is exactly why they're so dangerous. Depending on where the bite is - for example, if it's close to your heart or your neck - the consequences are much more severe. Otherwise, apparently you suffer extreme pain.
The other International House deals with mukade often. In fact, they've developed a Mukade Killing Competition Chart, where they rack up the number that each of them has killed as a kind of morbid game. I believe one guy killed about 15 of them in a couple weeks. Regardless, pamphlets and other announcements of how to deal with the dreaded mukade have started circling around.
My personal favorite is how you're supposed to apply first aid for these things. The English goes something like this, "If bitten, immediately remove the centipede and crush the head. Then, while running cold water over the wound, squeeze out the venom. If the wound is painful, go see a doctor."
However, the best part of this is how you're supposed to eradicate these things. No matter who you talk to, the preferred method is always something short of the absurd. The Mukade Killing Club recommends chopping the centipede into pieces as if you're playing a role in some sort of Poe horror story. The standard method seems to be pouring boiling water on them or wrapping them in newspaper and lighting them on fire. Ridiculous? Absolutely. Yet, even this still doesn't seem to kill the bug from your nightmares.
No joke. Taku, one of the buddies over at the other International House, doused a mukade the other day in a pot of boiling water. It stayed dead for about a couple hours. But then it got back up and continued to wreak havoc around the dorm. This begs the question, if you can't kill it with a pot of boiling water, what on earth are you supposed to do?
I personally think that we should pit the mukade against the suzumebachi. Maybe one of them will wipe the other out. I haven't figured out yet what purpose these things serve in the food chain. Supposedly some sort of hardcore indestructible bird eats them, but surely it might enjoy eating something that doesn't threaten kill it more. Either way, the mukade curse continues.
I don't really know how to describe mukade except for the fact that they're centipedes about 5 cm long, and they're just plain terrifying. Getting bit by one is not something to be taken lightly. In fact, you should probably go to the hospital. As long as you're a healthy human being, you'll be fine, but if you're a child or an elderly individual, they're far more dangerous. Mukade tend to come out at night, so you'll normally be bitten while you're sleeping. This is exactly why they're so dangerous. Depending on where the bite is - for example, if it's close to your heart or your neck - the consequences are much more severe. Otherwise, apparently you suffer extreme pain.
The other International House deals with mukade often. In fact, they've developed a Mukade Killing Competition Chart, where they rack up the number that each of them has killed as a kind of morbid game. I believe one guy killed about 15 of them in a couple weeks. Regardless, pamphlets and other announcements of how to deal with the dreaded mukade have started circling around.
My personal favorite is how you're supposed to apply first aid for these things. The English goes something like this, "If bitten, immediately remove the centipede and crush the head. Then, while running cold water over the wound, squeeze out the venom. If the wound is painful, go see a doctor."
However, the best part of this is how you're supposed to eradicate these things. No matter who you talk to, the preferred method is always something short of the absurd. The Mukade Killing Club recommends chopping the centipede into pieces as if you're playing a role in some sort of Poe horror story. The standard method seems to be pouring boiling water on them or wrapping them in newspaper and lighting them on fire. Ridiculous? Absolutely. Yet, even this still doesn't seem to kill the bug from your nightmares.
No joke. Taku, one of the buddies over at the other International House, doused a mukade the other day in a pot of boiling water. It stayed dead for about a couple hours. But then it got back up and continued to wreak havoc around the dorm. This begs the question, if you can't kill it with a pot of boiling water, what on earth are you supposed to do?
I personally think that we should pit the mukade against the suzumebachi. Maybe one of them will wipe the other out. I haven't figured out yet what purpose these things serve in the food chain. Supposedly some sort of hardcore indestructible bird eats them, but surely it might enjoy eating something that doesn't threaten kill it more. Either way, the mukade curse continues.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Of Fire Buckets
There's something about Kyoto which has continually perplexed me. All around the city outside of every store and house is a little red bucket with one of two things written on it: For Fire Fighting Use (消火用) or Fire Prevention (防火用). If there are no houses, you find these buckets on corners, in temples, hanging from rafters, absolutely everywhere. Interestingly enough, the other places that I've visited in Japan haven't had these. Only Kyoto.
In the past, this probably made a lot of sense. After all, the entire city was made of wood, and the houses are built extremely close to each other. That means that if one caught fire, it would likely burn down a couple other houses around it before it was put out. This led to huge sections of the city burning down relatively frequently. Long droughts, hot summers, and just general mishaps contributed to this. Of course, in the past, you couldn't just call up your local fire department and ask them to help put it out, so everyone in your neighborhood would try to put the fire out as they gathered more people to carry buckets, etc. All in all, it was a rather organized system, and this prevented the entire city from burning down.
In the modern day and age though, this really doesn't make a lot of sense. Houses are still built with a significant portion of wood, but they also built with concrete, flexible steel, and other materials in order to prevent the collapse of houses in earthquakes and such. If there is a fire, I'm not going to deny that it's useful to have people with buckets to prevent the spread of the flames, but buckets should not be the primary fire prevention here. People have fire extinguishers (消火器) now, and they're in homes and businesses as well. If you're given a choice between a fire extinguisher and a bucket, doesn't it seem more practical to use the fire extinguisher? You might think when would you ever have this choice? Well, sometimes you do. You can run outside and choose. As this picture or this one show.
I actually asked one of my friends this exact same question, and they explained that they don't want the fire extinguisher fumes and excess in their house. Practical enough. But if the fire's big enough, even they would use the fire extinguisher. And in that respect any different from the rest of the world. But these buckets are still everywhere.
The best part of this is that even Amazon, Yahoo, and Rakuten have gotten in on this. You can buy the things for anywhere from 500-1260 yen. Who spends approximately $13 US on a fire fighting bucket they'll never use, I have no idea.
I've come up with a few explanations. They're the only explanations I can find besides the ones given above.
In the past, this probably made a lot of sense. After all, the entire city was made of wood, and the houses are built extremely close to each other. That means that if one caught fire, it would likely burn down a couple other houses around it before it was put out. This led to huge sections of the city burning down relatively frequently. Long droughts, hot summers, and just general mishaps contributed to this. Of course, in the past, you couldn't just call up your local fire department and ask them to help put it out, so everyone in your neighborhood would try to put the fire out as they gathered more people to carry buckets, etc. All in all, it was a rather organized system, and this prevented the entire city from burning down.
In the modern day and age though, this really doesn't make a lot of sense. Houses are still built with a significant portion of wood, but they also built with concrete, flexible steel, and other materials in order to prevent the collapse of houses in earthquakes and such. If there is a fire, I'm not going to deny that it's useful to have people with buckets to prevent the spread of the flames, but buckets should not be the primary fire prevention here. People have fire extinguishers (消火器) now, and they're in homes and businesses as well. If you're given a choice between a fire extinguisher and a bucket, doesn't it seem more practical to use the fire extinguisher? You might think when would you ever have this choice? Well, sometimes you do. You can run outside and choose. As this picture or this one show.
I actually asked one of my friends this exact same question, and they explained that they don't want the fire extinguisher fumes and excess in their house. Practical enough. But if the fire's big enough, even they would use the fire extinguisher. And in that respect any different from the rest of the world. But these buckets are still everywhere.
The best part of this is that even Amazon, Yahoo, and Rakuten have gotten in on this. You can buy the things for anywhere from 500-1260 yen. Who spends approximately $13 US on a fire fighting bucket they'll never use, I have no idea.
I've come up with a few explanations. They're the only explanations I can find besides the ones given above.
- It's tradition. Japan, and Kyoto especially, is really big on this. Things are continued just because it's the way that it's always been. "But, we've used buckets for a thousand years. They've always worked in the past." And for that exact reason, their existence continues.
- It's some law that I haven't been able to find. I've searched all over, but to no avail. It might be secretly one of those things that the Kyoto government has decided for all of its residents to do.
- Kyoto has this sadistic motive to become the city with the most mosquitoes in all of Japan. Understand that these buckets don't just sit there empty. No, they are always full of water, and the water is never changed. I know this because sometimes they're growing moss and algae. This means that the water is at the perfect speed - meaning nonexistent, and always still - to breed mosquitoes. So far, they're doing pretty well.
Either way I'll give it to Japan. Fire prevention measures are doing well.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Of Kobe
There was an earthquake the other day in Kyoto prefecture. It was a M3 at its epicenter, but it hit us around an M2. Basically, this means it was just enough to feel, but nothing serious. I was underground in class at the time, and things shook a bit, but it was over within a second. Since Kyoto never really gets these, it was somewhat unusual, but it was fine.
Kan's promised to step down after settling the budget for this upcoming year. He didn't even make it a year without calls for him to step down, which is rather sad.
I went the Kobe yesterday, and had a great time. It was my friend's first time there, so it was a good experience. Slowly, but surely, I'll learn to make my way around Kobe. It's actually rather simple to navigate, much easier than Kyoto. Then again, anything is easier than Kyoto. People who visit here frequently comment on how easy it seems to navigate, in comparison to Tokyo and the like. However, once they manage to get themselves lost once, they learn just how hard it is to get un-lost (yes, I'm making that a word). Kyoto is in some ways convenient. It's set up on a grid pattern, but the problem is navigating where you are on that grid. All of the houses look fairly similar due to the building laws here, and the streets that are fortunate enough to have names frequently end in something-something-temple. Since you can walk anywhere in Kyoto and run into a temple almost as often as you run into a konbini, this makes the city almost impossible to navigate. I actually discovered the other day that there's a song or rhyme that the elderly teach to the youth in order for them to learn the streets. It goes from north to south, and east to west. Learning this song months ago would have been good for me. Needless to say, Kobe is easy to navigate, and I'm really thankful that I was able to go again yesterday.
Kan's promised to step down after settling the budget for this upcoming year. He didn't even make it a year without calls for him to step down, which is rather sad.
I went the Kobe yesterday, and had a great time. It was my friend's first time there, so it was a good experience. Slowly, but surely, I'll learn to make my way around Kobe. It's actually rather simple to navigate, much easier than Kyoto. Then again, anything is easier than Kyoto. People who visit here frequently comment on how easy it seems to navigate, in comparison to Tokyo and the like. However, once they manage to get themselves lost once, they learn just how hard it is to get un-lost (yes, I'm making that a word). Kyoto is in some ways convenient. It's set up on a grid pattern, but the problem is navigating where you are on that grid. All of the houses look fairly similar due to the building laws here, and the streets that are fortunate enough to have names frequently end in something-something-temple. Since you can walk anywhere in Kyoto and run into a temple almost as often as you run into a konbini, this makes the city almost impossible to navigate. I actually discovered the other day that there's a song or rhyme that the elderly teach to the youth in order for them to learn the streets. It goes from north to south, and east to west. Learning this song months ago would have been good for me. Needless to say, Kobe is easy to navigate, and I'm really thankful that I was able to go again yesterday.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Of Typhoons
Today is day 1 of the typhoon. It's supposed to hit bad tonight, but right now it's just raining incessantly. It honestly feels like normal Kyoto weather. For any of you who haven't been to Japan, let me just tell that Kyoto is like Japan's version of Seattle. If it isn't raining, something's wrong. Honestly, I'm still wondering how Kyoto isn't a tropical rainforest yet. With regard to the weather though, there are a couple things that are different. The rain is blowing sideways. It's like when you turn on the TV, and you see the rain and you go, "Wow, I'm glad I don't live there." Oddly enough, I live here, and it isn't that bad. In fact, it's kind of fun except for the fact that you can't really go out. And if you do have to go out, it's miserable. The other thing that's different is that the river next to my room is pretty high. It's probably around a meter and half so far. I'm really thinking to go take a picture.
So, the question is, "What do you do on a typhoon day?"
For me, it's probably things that aren't that interesting. I'm sitting inside reading articles about the Meiji Era (明治時代), 1868-1912. I actually have a presentation on it this Tuesday. For those that are a little lax in their 1800's history, think post-Commodore Perry. This is the time when Japan opened up to the rest of the world. Therefore, I'm researching things like wars, the constitution, reforms, and so on. Since I don't know about every third word I read right now, it's killing my head. In the good news, I'm learning lots of new words.
I'm eating rainy food as well. I woke up this morning and made ochazuke, making sure to put some salmon in there for personal enjoyment. And although it's not rainy food, I also ate something called warabi-mochi (わらび餅). Sometimes it's like a gelatinous-type mochi, but the one that I bought is a little different. It's actually honest to goodness mochi, filled with an (あん), or sweet red-bean paste. Normally, I don't really like an, but it's great in this. Warabi-mochi is quite popular with kinako （きなこ）powder over-top. Kinako powder is a sweet soybean flour. Wiki actually has these labeled as dango, which I guess the ones that I ate technically are, but they were still labeled warabi-mochi in the store. Unfortunately, the taste is a little difficult to explain, but you'll just have to take my word for it that they're delicious.
The typhoon is supposed to get much worse tonight at 9 and be bad through tomorrow. Of course, I have class, so I'll be going there.
So, the question is, "What do you do on a typhoon day?"
For me, it's probably things that aren't that interesting. I'm sitting inside reading articles about the Meiji Era (明治時代), 1868-1912. I actually have a presentation on it this Tuesday. For those that are a little lax in their 1800's history, think post-Commodore Perry. This is the time when Japan opened up to the rest of the world. Therefore, I'm researching things like wars, the constitution, reforms, and so on. Since I don't know about every third word I read right now, it's killing my head. In the good news, I'm learning lots of new words.
I'm eating rainy food as well. I woke up this morning and made ochazuke, making sure to put some salmon in there for personal enjoyment. And although it's not rainy food, I also ate something called warabi-mochi (わらび餅). Sometimes it's like a gelatinous-type mochi, but the one that I bought is a little different. It's actually honest to goodness mochi, filled with an (あん), or sweet red-bean paste. Normally, I don't really like an, but it's great in this. Warabi-mochi is quite popular with kinako （きなこ）powder over-top. Kinako powder is a sweet soybean flour. Wiki actually has these labeled as dango, which I guess the ones that I ate technically are, but they were still labeled warabi-mochi in the store. Unfortunately, the taste is a little difficult to explain, but you'll just have to take my word for it that they're delicious.
The typhoon is supposed to get much worse tonight at 9 and be bad through tomorrow. Of course, I have class, so I'll be going there.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Of the Approaching Summer
Do you know what's really weird about updating this blog? Whenever I'm not about to write the blog, I have tons of ideas. Literally, I think I say, "I should blog about that" numerous times in my daily life, but when I finally sit down at this computer, do any of the ideas ever come to me? No. Lovely.
Life continues here in Japan. We've entered what could only be termed the early summer. It's around 27 (80 Fahrenheit) or so every day, and it's also raining like no tomorrow. Apparently there was a tropical storm in the Philippines within the last few days, which is part of the reason that it's so rainy in Kyoto. The other reason is just that it always rains in Kyoto. Even when it's not raining in the rest of Japan, it's raining in Kyoto. I think Kyoto is secretly the Seattle of this country.
Do you know, when I came here, I thought, "How on earth does moss grow 5 feet up on walls?" I'll be honest. I'd never seen moss at eye level before except on trees. I definitely never expected it to be on stone fences. As I came to live here though, I understood. If it rains virtually every day for thousands of years, then moss can grow wherever moss wants to grow. At this rate, it could even grow on the ceiling. So yes, it's either that Kyoto is trying to compete with Seattle, or that Kyoto has a not-so-secret desire to become a tropical rainforest, in which case it's on its way. 27 in the day, 90% humidity, and when it rains it only gets more unbearable.
Honestly, I'm beginning to wonder what will happen in the disaster-stricken parts of the country. Right now, businesses are trying not to use their air conditioners. Some have even gone so far as to require their employees to wear short-sleeve shirts or tank tops. I'm not sure how long this will continue though. It's possible that Japan might change it's working hours, start earlier in the morning, and end earlier in the day. The only issue that I have with this is that the hottest part of the Japanese day occurs around 1:00. That means that you would still have your employees virtually dying in the offices. In this case, it might be better to suggest a siesta type system (you never expected to see Spanish on here, did you?). If this is put in place though, there would still be energy problems. The trains might have to run later, and businesses would have to keep their lights on longer. Honestly, right now, there's no good solution.
Life continues here in Japan. We've entered what could only be termed the early summer. It's around 27 (80 Fahrenheit) or so every day, and it's also raining like no tomorrow. Apparently there was a tropical storm in the Philippines within the last few days, which is part of the reason that it's so rainy in Kyoto. The other reason is just that it always rains in Kyoto. Even when it's not raining in the rest of Japan, it's raining in Kyoto. I think Kyoto is secretly the Seattle of this country.
Do you know, when I came here, I thought, "How on earth does moss grow 5 feet up on walls?" I'll be honest. I'd never seen moss at eye level before except on trees. I definitely never expected it to be on stone fences. As I came to live here though, I understood. If it rains virtually every day for thousands of years, then moss can grow wherever moss wants to grow. At this rate, it could even grow on the ceiling. So yes, it's either that Kyoto is trying to compete with Seattle, or that Kyoto has a not-so-secret desire to become a tropical rainforest, in which case it's on its way. 27 in the day, 90% humidity, and when it rains it only gets more unbearable.
Honestly, I'm beginning to wonder what will happen in the disaster-stricken parts of the country. Right now, businesses are trying not to use their air conditioners. Some have even gone so far as to require their employees to wear short-sleeve shirts or tank tops. I'm not sure how long this will continue though. It's possible that Japan might change it's working hours, start earlier in the morning, and end earlier in the day. The only issue that I have with this is that the hottest part of the Japanese day occurs around 1:00. That means that you would still have your employees virtually dying in the offices. In this case, it might be better to suggest a siesta type system (you never expected to see Spanish on here, did you?). If this is put in place though, there would still be energy problems. The trains might have to run later, and businesses would have to keep their lights on longer. Honestly, right now, there's no good solution.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Of the Tomb of Go-Uda
Two posts today. I'm feeling generous.
I went on an adventure through Arashiyama (嵐山) the other day. Arashiyama is one of those places that you can spend hours in and still not even know everything about it. In fact, the first time I went, I ended up in touristy Arashiyama, and I wondered, "Why would anyone care for this place? It's a tourist trap." But then I began to explore more, and what I've found has actually peaked my interest.
Western Arashiyama is certainly full of tourists. There are people pulling the carts, and you can buy gifts for your friends and family that are seemingly "classical" Kyoto: Fans, sweets, etc. But if you know where to go, you can find more than that. Arashiyama has some of the best umeshu (梅酒), or plum wine in Kyoto. It also has numerous onsen, or hot springs, spread throughout the mountain. In the past, Arashiyama was a natural retreat for the esteemed and wealthy. There are old temples and shrines designated as World Heritage Sites hidden among its bamboo forests and old red-bark trees.
Eastern Arashiyama is virtually empty. Although it is still filled with the old temples and shrines, it is primarily a farming area now. The rice paddies are a verdant green, and it's not unusual to see herons and hawks diving into the lake around to catch fish. Perhaps most interesting is when you pass these farms, and hike up into the mountain that is rather aptly named Storm Mountain. When we started our hike, we were at ground level, but as we progressed, we rapidly entered a mist just below the clouds. I separated from my friends for some pure hiking and went into the bamboo forest around us.
As time passed, I realized that I had turned onto a trail that was more for wild boar, or other game than was really meant for people. It was literally so narrow that I could barely stretch my arms out, and there were numerous instances of bamboo and such torn up. Although it was of course fun to travel down it, I was alone, and didn't feel like meeting any snakes, pigs, or bears, so I turned back in order not to worry my friends too much. We continued our hike up the mountain and eventually came out onto a clearing with to large ponds and a hinamatsuri (ひな祭り). It's far past hinamatsuri, it was in March, and to still have it set up was to say the least, a bit strange. We looked at it for a minute, and then walked past the koi ponds and further up the mountain.
There had been a small family feeding the koi, but now we were alone. Just as Mathilde had suggested before, we were standing in front of the imperial tomb of Emperor Go-Uda (後宇多天皇陵). From what I was able to gather about his history just from searching online (I haven't found anyone who knows of him yet), he was the second emperor by the name of Uda, and he was the 91st emperor of Japan. He succeeded Emperor Kameyama and preceded Emperor Fushimi. He ruled over three eras, the Bunei (文永), the Kenji (健治), and the Kouan (公安) during the 1200s. His tomb's official name is Rengebuji no misasagi (蓮華峯寺陵), meaning approximately the Lotus Flower Ridge Imperial Tomb.
I went on an adventure through Arashiyama (嵐山) the other day. Arashiyama is one of those places that you can spend hours in and still not even know everything about it. In fact, the first time I went, I ended up in touristy Arashiyama, and I wondered, "Why would anyone care for this place? It's a tourist trap." But then I began to explore more, and what I've found has actually peaked my interest.
Western Arashiyama is certainly full of tourists. There are people pulling the carts, and you can buy gifts for your friends and family that are seemingly "classical" Kyoto: Fans, sweets, etc. But if you know where to go, you can find more than that. Arashiyama has some of the best umeshu (梅酒), or plum wine in Kyoto. It also has numerous onsen, or hot springs, spread throughout the mountain. In the past, Arashiyama was a natural retreat for the esteemed and wealthy. There are old temples and shrines designated as World Heritage Sites hidden among its bamboo forests and old red-bark trees.
Eastern Arashiyama is virtually empty. Although it is still filled with the old temples and shrines, it is primarily a farming area now. The rice paddies are a verdant green, and it's not unusual to see herons and hawks diving into the lake around to catch fish. Perhaps most interesting is when you pass these farms, and hike up into the mountain that is rather aptly named Storm Mountain. When we started our hike, we were at ground level, but as we progressed, we rapidly entered a mist just below the clouds. I separated from my friends for some pure hiking and went into the bamboo forest around us.
As time passed, I realized that I had turned onto a trail that was more for wild boar, or other game than was really meant for people. It was literally so narrow that I could barely stretch my arms out, and there were numerous instances of bamboo and such torn up. Although it was of course fun to travel down it, I was alone, and didn't feel like meeting any snakes, pigs, or bears, so I turned back in order not to worry my friends too much. We continued our hike up the mountain and eventually came out onto a clearing with to large ponds and a hinamatsuri (ひな祭り). It's far past hinamatsuri, it was in March, and to still have it set up was to say the least, a bit strange. We looked at it for a minute, and then walked past the koi ponds and further up the mountain.
There had been a small family feeding the koi, but now we were alone. Just as Mathilde had suggested before, we were standing in front of the imperial tomb of Emperor Go-Uda (後宇多天皇陵). From what I was able to gather about his history just from searching online (I haven't found anyone who knows of him yet), he was the second emperor by the name of Uda, and he was the 91st emperor of Japan. He succeeded Emperor Kameyama and preceded Emperor Fushimi. He ruled over three eras, the Bunei (文永), the Kenji (健治), and the Kouan (公安) during the 1200s. His tomb's official name is Rengebuji no misasagi (蓮華峯寺陵), meaning approximately the Lotus Flower Ridge Imperial Tomb.
It was surprising. Only here where you have such a blend of ancient and modern culture do you run into imperial tombs which are nestled among the forest. Completely quiet, you wouldn't even know it was here unless like us, you were just exploring. Even then, it'd be somewhat of a miracle to find it. And so with that, it was another treasure to add to the memories that I've made here in Kyoto.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Of Japanese Delicacies
It's rained for the past three days, and it's beginning to affect my mood. Since it's supposed to rain all next week as well, I'm beginning to wonder if we're entering the rainy season. It's supposed to be in June and July, but it seems to be a little early this year. In a way, it'd be good to get it over now. At the same time though, the weather is fairly nice, so it'd be wonderful to enjoy the cool weather without getting soaked. I really need to learn that whole bike with one hand and hold the umbrella with the other thing. Although illegal, it is exceptionally convenient and looks pretty impressive. Since I can't even manage to bike safely with two hands though, I'll have to continue to learn that first though. I managed to get a lot done: paper written, speech planned, kanji and grammar studied. I'd actually planned to have a drink or two today after working so hard as well. I had my drink nice and cold, and it was going to be delicious, but since the rain was ruining my otherwise cheerful mood, I decided I'd put it off to another day.
I actually need to get back to studying, but I decided first to enlighten everyone on some Japanese delicacies.
I actually need to get back to studying, but I decided first to enlighten everyone on some Japanese delicacies.
- Nattou （納豆）- These are literally fermented soy beans. It's characterized by its smell, which I feel is closest to something along the lines of tire grease, if there is such a thing. It's also very sticky, and clumps together. Despite this, nattou is delicious. Normally eaten in the Kantou region, where it is found often as a breakfast-type food, nattou has gained due popularity. It tastes like beans, really really delicious beans, and everyone should enjoy them. It's especially good with kimchi or tabasco. The most fun part of eating it is that you get to whip it up with mustard and some other stuff like what was previously mentioned. Pictures can be found here and here.
- Umeboshi （梅干し) - Pickled plums are another favorite, especially in the Kantou region. Served sometimes with a little salt, they are extremely refreshing, if a little sour. They can be served on their own, in the ball form, or a raisin-like form, or they also be used to make umeshu （梅酒), which is pickled plum alcohol. A picture is here.
- Tsukemono （漬け物 ）- This is just pickled foods. Kyoto is famous for them, and actually they are deemed Kyouzuke here for that reason. They come in a variety of types: everything from eggplant on.
- Uni （ウニ）- Sea urchin. I had this recently actually at Tai's house. To be honest, I eat most of these Tai's house, except for tsukemono. He doesn't seem to be too fond of that one. I can't really describe uni. The only thing it tastes like is uni. It can be eaten either as sashimi or sushi though. It looks like this though.
- Tofu （豆腐）- Kyoto is known for its tofu. We have more tofu shops than anywhere else in Japan I think. It also come cooked in a variety of ways. Unfortunately, I'm still not really fond of it, not due to its taste, but its texture.
- Fugu （ふぐ）- Blowfish/Pufferfish. I still haven't tried this one actually. There's actually a season for this, so I haven't been able to try it yet. Since it is potentially lethal though, it must be prepared carefully by extremely skilled and licensed chefs.
And actually, not a delicacy, but something worth adding as a recent personal favorite is
- Ochazuke （お茶漬け）- This is something else that I had at Tai's the previous weekend, but I'd just like to add it to the list of absolutely delicious food in the world. It's a relatively simple dish. You fill a bowl with hot white rice, pour in some green tea, and top with nori (seaweed), nattou, fish, or other simple spices. You have to eat it quickly so that the rice does not absorb all of the tea and become soggy, but it's a great meal, and it's really healthy for you. This isn't a completely standard recipe, but I found one that you might enjoy abroad here.
Take care all.
Michelle
Friday, April 22, 2011
Of Life
It's already midnight and I need to get to sleep soon, but I thought I'd make a quick update first. Classes are going well, and I'm learning a lot. The JLPT is in 3 months so I seriously need to crack down on the studying.
Tai's busy with job hunting. He's been going to seminars, interviews, and continuing his job search every day. I hope he'll be successful.
Speaking of him, his gift still hasn't come. I'm beginning to wonder if customs got a hold of it to be honest...I hope not. It was a mess dealing with them last time.
My work on my senior thesis project is coming along. I'm currently trying to find an advisor, and running into some problems with that. We'll see how it goes. No worries though. This is something I want to do, and I'll find a way to make it work. I feel as if it will be a culmination of my time in school, in Japan, and life goals in general, so it needs to be done. This just proves that anything worth doing is difficult, so I'll just work harder to make it possible.
I've received some wonderful care packages recently. Normally I advise against such things since I honestly don't need anything, but it was nice and I really appreciate them. From my loving parents, I have received makeup as well as some other essentials. Makeup in Japan is often laced with a bleaching agent since Japanese women (and many other women in this part of the world) like to have white skin. I'm not comfortable with that idea since I view it as extremely dangerous and unhealthy so I really do appreciate the care package. My grandmother also sent me some candy the other day. Thanks to all of you!
By the way, did everyone hear? They've apparently developed a powder that can collect the radiation from the water. The question is what to do with that powder then. I was watching a show in Tokyo about it and they were talking about shooting it in dry-ice-encased missiles down to the sea floor. If it's true, they think that the ice will not disintegrate at the depth. Obviously they're still searching, but it's an idea.
It's late now, and I'm starting to get stuck between English and Japanese, so I'm going to go to bed. To be honest, I'm not too sure which language is which when I'm tired now.
Bye all!
Michelle
Tai's busy with job hunting. He's been going to seminars, interviews, and continuing his job search every day. I hope he'll be successful.
Speaking of him, his gift still hasn't come. I'm beginning to wonder if customs got a hold of it to be honest...I hope not. It was a mess dealing with them last time.
My work on my senior thesis project is coming along. I'm currently trying to find an advisor, and running into some problems with that. We'll see how it goes. No worries though. This is something I want to do, and I'll find a way to make it work. I feel as if it will be a culmination of my time in school, in Japan, and life goals in general, so it needs to be done. This just proves that anything worth doing is difficult, so I'll just work harder to make it possible.
I've received some wonderful care packages recently. Normally I advise against such things since I honestly don't need anything, but it was nice and I really appreciate them. From my loving parents, I have received makeup as well as some other essentials. Makeup in Japan is often laced with a bleaching agent since Japanese women (and many other women in this part of the world) like to have white skin. I'm not comfortable with that idea since I view it as extremely dangerous and unhealthy so I really do appreciate the care package. My grandmother also sent me some candy the other day. Thanks to all of you!
By the way, did everyone hear? They've apparently developed a powder that can collect the radiation from the water. The question is what to do with that powder then. I was watching a show in Tokyo about it and they were talking about shooting it in dry-ice-encased missiles down to the sea floor. If it's true, they think that the ice will not disintegrate at the depth. Obviously they're still searching, but it's an idea.
It's late now, and I'm starting to get stuck between English and Japanese, so I'm going to go to bed. To be honest, I'm not too sure which language is which when I'm tired now.
Bye all!
Michelle
Friday, April 15, 2011
Of Suzumebachi
Before we begin the main topic of this post, I just wanted to link a little something here for everyone to appreciate back home. It's about the contaminated food, specifically milk that people are worried about overseas. According to this article, it'd take you 58,000 glasses of milk to reach the level that would be considered harmful. Last time I checked, even people who love milk don't drink 58,000 glasses in a rapid period. Here's the article for you to enjoy: Radioactive Milk.
And now onto the main event: Suzumebachi. Suzumebachi are one of those terrifying things in Japan that Japan doesn't want to admit exist to anyone outside of Japan. This is because "terrifying" does not even begin to describe them. Suzumebachi is Japanese for "sparrow hornet." These hornets are several inches long with a wingspan to match. In comparison, make a fist. The hornet is about the length of that.
The suzumebachi are particularly aggressive, especially toward lawnmowers, and other loud noise. They will attack bikers and other people passing too close to the nest though. Unfortunately, since they're hornets, the nest is the trees where you can't see it. You only know you're close to the nest when you start seeing suzumebachi.
Being stung by one will require you to go to the hospital. Since the venom deals with the nervous system, it's fairly dangerous. If you get stung just a few times, you can die. Every year, there are dozens of people who die from them.
Perhaps the worst part of all of this is that the suzumebachi does not live necessarily in a remote area away from people. Of course they're in the forests, but they also live in the cities. For some reason, they really seem to like the area around Ritsumeikan University. I remember the first time I saw one, my friend stopped me and told me about them. The second time, I was walking to the bank with a friend, and I stopped and stared at the largest hornet I had ever seen in my life. These things just hover in the air, looking ridiculously threatening. In my opinion, you should never be able to the see the stinger of a hornet. When you can, you know it's going to be bad.
They also live in Tokyo and other major cities around Japan. Basically, if you find a nest, you call someone to get rid of it. It's not a good idea to take it down yourself.
These hornets became pretty famous recently due to videos that have been circulated around the web. 30 hornets went and destroyed a nest of 30,000 bees. If you're a beekeeper, these things are your worst enemy. Because I believe that everyone should have equal access to appreciate the terror, here's the video: 30 hornets vs 30,000 bees.
However, if you're a beekeeper who keeps Japanese honey bees, you're better off. These bees have developed a strategy to take out the hornets. Literally, they can withstand a higher body temperature, so they'll swarm the hornet and overheat it until it dies. The video is HERE. So, this begs the question, why not keep Japanese honey bees instead? The answer to this is that Japanese honey bees do not produce as much honey, so it's more profitable to keep the others.
If you're feeling adventurous, here are some pictures:
Suzumebachi
And now onto the main event: Suzumebachi. Suzumebachi are one of those terrifying things in Japan that Japan doesn't want to admit exist to anyone outside of Japan. This is because "terrifying" does not even begin to describe them. Suzumebachi is Japanese for "sparrow hornet." These hornets are several inches long with a wingspan to match. In comparison, make a fist. The hornet is about the length of that.
The suzumebachi are particularly aggressive, especially toward lawnmowers, and other loud noise. They will attack bikers and other people passing too close to the nest though. Unfortunately, since they're hornets, the nest is the trees where you can't see it. You only know you're close to the nest when you start seeing suzumebachi.
Being stung by one will require you to go to the hospital. Since the venom deals with the nervous system, it's fairly dangerous. If you get stung just a few times, you can die. Every year, there are dozens of people who die from them.
Perhaps the worst part of all of this is that the suzumebachi does not live necessarily in a remote area away from people. Of course they're in the forests, but they also live in the cities. For some reason, they really seem to like the area around Ritsumeikan University. I remember the first time I saw one, my friend stopped me and told me about them. The second time, I was walking to the bank with a friend, and I stopped and stared at the largest hornet I had ever seen in my life. These things just hover in the air, looking ridiculously threatening. In my opinion, you should never be able to the see the stinger of a hornet. When you can, you know it's going to be bad.
They also live in Tokyo and other major cities around Japan. Basically, if you find a nest, you call someone to get rid of it. It's not a good idea to take it down yourself.
These hornets became pretty famous recently due to videos that have been circulated around the web. 30 hornets went and destroyed a nest of 30,000 bees. If you're a beekeeper, these things are your worst enemy. Because I believe that everyone should have equal access to appreciate the terror, here's the video: 30 hornets vs 30,000 bees.
However, if you're a beekeeper who keeps Japanese honey bees, you're better off. These bees have developed a strategy to take out the hornets. Literally, they can withstand a higher body temperature, so they'll swarm the hornet and overheat it until it dies. The video is HERE. So, this begs the question, why not keep Japanese honey bees instead? The answer to this is that Japanese honey bees do not produce as much honey, so it's more profitable to keep the others.
If you're feeling adventurous, here are some pictures:
Suzumebachi
Wiki's Suzumebachi Page (Japanese Only)
One Japanese bug down. At least one more to go. If you want a sneak peek, check out Mukade. In the meantime, I'm off to Tokyo tomorrow! Take care all!
Michelle
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Of Sakura Season
First off, some quick news. The nuclear reactor was updated to the same status as Chernobyl the other day. Apparently it qualifies as a 7 now because of a long, sustained release of radiation with significant damage. But honestly, nothing has really changed. It was a level 5 before. But really, nothing has changed within the past couple days, so don't worry.
Secondly, I have some pictures to share with you all of the sakura. This blog is about more than just earthquakes and tsunamis and nuclear reactors after all. This year the sakura have had mixed reviews. In some ways, people are so appreciative. They only last about a week or two and then they're gone. It's this fleeting beauty amongst everything else, so it's appreciated all the more, especially in light of recent events. On the other hand though, due to the continued 自粛 (jishuku) mood, people still feel guilty about appreciating anything.
Needless to say though, people are still trying to enjoy the season though. The weather is getting warmer, and the sakura (cherry blossoms) mark the start of spring. So, in order for everyone to understand how this works, I'll explain.
The sakura begin to bloom when the weather just starts getting warmer. For all purposes, it's still fairly cool in the morning and at night. But people will go alone or as couples, school groups, company groups, families, etc. to enjoy the sakura together in parks. The cherry blossoms since they only bloom for a short time should be enjoyed to the fullest, so people make sure to spend a decent amount of time outside to properly appreciate them.
Of course, no celebration is complete without alcohol, especially here in Japan. So, we all went to 花見 (hanami), or flower-viewing to go appreciate them. You can do this just in a park, or you can go to a shrine such as this one. We were at 平野神社 (Hirano Jinjya) for this picture. There were chairs and tables, benches, and these large platforms to enjoy the cherry blossoms. I drank 甘酒 (amazake), sweet sake, while my friends drank everything from Chu-Hi's to beer to hot sake.
Of course, sakura during the day are also beautiful. This is Ritsumeikan University's Kinugasa Campus (立命館大学衣笠キャンパス) in full bloom. We've had a pretty strong wind recently, so the petals have been billowing around. There's actually a world for the falling petals, it's called 花吹雪 (hana-fubuki), which means "blowing flowers" or "falling flowers." The petals are getting in everything too. You walk into class and you, your books, your hair, and your food are covered in them. It's kind of cool, and definitely beautiful, but it's amazing to see them falling.
I have to get back to studying. I have a kanji test before I leave for Tokyo, so I need to actually make sure I can write them. Take care everyone!
Michelle
Monday, April 11, 2011
Of an "Aftershock"
Japan has been experiencing hundreds of aftershocks since the big quake. Many of them are strong, rivaling what we could call simply another earthquake. Today's hit near Iwaki city which is in Fukushima prefecture, registering at a 7.1. For those up in Touhoku, it's impossible to imagine what they could be going through. Power is being restored, but these quakes keep knocking it out. Some people, sick of being in the evacuation centers, are trying to return to their homes. When they do so though, they're finding even simple life is difficult. Without electricity and running water, they can't really cook their food or a number of other things. I read an article the other day which was talking about a woman who is living in her house, and she talks about how much things have changed. She also mentioned how little luxuries like clean underwear are provided at the evacuation centers, but not necessarily in her home anymore since she's unable to do laundry. People are worrying about health issues.
I watched the news today when the aftershock hit, and I have to say it looked a bit end-of-the-world-ish. The sky was dark, even though it was still fairly early in the evening. It looked like the camera honestly was being shaken by someone. It's hard to imagine the entire ground moving while buildings sway on top. It was lightning and promptly began pouring. I'm honestly wondering how much these plates have moved. A tsunami warning was given, but it's only a meter, so it should be lifted soon if it hasn't been already. I admit, I haven't checked since I live on a plateau between mountains and a 1 meter really shouldn't do that much damage.
I think some schools were planning to resume school today in Miyagi prefecture, but I'm not sure if they did or not.
The evacuation zone was extended to 30 km. No worries, it's still far away, and I think that a significant number of people had already evacuated.
The nuclear reactors were not hurt in the quake. They remain in their current state.
Classes were good today. I had Comprehensive as well as Listening & Speaking. We just talked about hanami, earthquakes, and the nuclear situation. It was more interesting than learning about what we were supposed to learning about. And since my class was only 4 today, it was easily manipulated.
In good news, I'm going to Tokyo this Friday! I'll get to see Tai and his family, and just overall have a good time. I bought my Shinkansen ticket the other day. I'm so excited.
Source:
Japan expands nuclear evacuation zone as new quake hits (Reuters)
I watched the news today when the aftershock hit, and I have to say it looked a bit end-of-the-world-ish. The sky was dark, even though it was still fairly early in the evening. It looked like the camera honestly was being shaken by someone. It's hard to imagine the entire ground moving while buildings sway on top. It was lightning and promptly began pouring. I'm honestly wondering how much these plates have moved. A tsunami warning was given, but it's only a meter, so it should be lifted soon if it hasn't been already. I admit, I haven't checked since I live on a plateau between mountains and a 1 meter really shouldn't do that much damage.
I think some schools were planning to resume school today in Miyagi prefecture, but I'm not sure if they did or not.
The evacuation zone was extended to 30 km. No worries, it's still far away, and I think that a significant number of people had already evacuated.
The nuclear reactors were not hurt in the quake. They remain in their current state.
Classes were good today. I had Comprehensive as well as Listening & Speaking. We just talked about hanami, earthquakes, and the nuclear situation. It was more interesting than learning about what we were supposed to learning about. And since my class was only 4 today, it was easily manipulated.
In good news, I'm going to Tokyo this Friday! I'll get to see Tai and his family, and just overall have a good time. I bought my Shinkansen ticket the other day. I'm so excited.
Source:
Japan expands nuclear evacuation zone as new quake hits (Reuters)
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Of Sushi
Another bright and sunny day here in Kyoto. Spring has finally arrived, and it's beautiful. With that in mind, classes started the other day. Things are going well so far. I'm in B class. They go from F to A, A being the highest before you're put into seiki level, which is when you can take classes in Japanese with Japanese students. As is, I can take classes in English with them, but not their normal Japanese classes. Not gonna' lie, understanding is fine, so I may sneak into a couple this semester anyway if I get the chance. As is, right now I'm taking a Comprehensive Japanese class, a Listening & Speaking class, a Writing course, as well as International Organizations (which focuses on NGOs, etc.), Political Economies of East Asia (comparing Japan, China, Korea), possibly a Women's Studies course which is focused on women in war (I know. Not my specialty, but interesting), and last but not least, hopefully a International Management course (which looks at the logistics and marketing strategies of an international corporation). Overall, a pretty decent schedule if I do say so myself.
To answer a quick question that was posted in comments, classes will continue as normal. Kansai is in fact so fine that nothing will change whatsoever with regard to classes. We may take in some more students though who are refugees. Therefore, no worries with class schedules changing unless something major strikes Kansai. The rest of Japan is obviously a bit more affected. According to Tai, Rikkyo University is only taking in two international students this semester because the rest cancelled due to fears of going to Tokyo. I'd like to say that I'm personally proud of those students and especially one of them since he is also from Miami.
What people aren't understanding abroad is that Japan is quite a big country. The problem is that it's normally compared to California. People therefore get a little nervous because California is only 1 state in a country of 50 of them. However, Japan is also relatively the same size as Italy. Because Italy is a country and not a state (by the American English definition of course), people suddenly become much calmer. Therefore, I'd like to propose comparing Japan to Italy in size for the rest of time.
Due to the belief that Japan is a small country, people are refusing to buy fish from Japan. I understand as much as the next person that when you hear about radioactive materials being dumped into the ocean, the last thing you want to do is go eat fish. Most of Japan's fishing is done farther away from the coast though. This is due to past overfishing problems. But Michelle, you might say, fish swim. They can swim close to the coast. And yes, they can. I don't deny it. But if you're concerned about that, then don't eat fish that live close to shore. Those that live out in deeper waters should of course be checked, but if they make it into your markets, they are safe. Japan's economy depends on exports. They will be responsible in this.
In order to prevent more radiation from escaping to the ocean though, TEPCO has installed steel barriers and silt fences. Although I'm not sure about the effectiveness of this, we can only trust them for now.
I love me a good plate of sushi and honestly, if I can eat it here, then you can eat it thousands of miles away. Furthermore, most sushi restaurants abroad are actually switching to fish from other places. Even Japan is not necessarily making sushi from locally caught fish at times. If you're eating salmon sushi for example, it much more likely that it will be from Norway, and your tuna will likely be from Spain. The term sushi (寿司) refers to fish that is offered with vinegared rice. It is a preparation style, and in no way requires the fish to be harvested from Japanese waters. The only requirement of that fish is that it must be of an exceptionally high quality to serve raw. If it is not, you could end up making your customers sick.
So, this begs the question, which is sushi? In the West, it often refers to what is called makizushi (巻寿司) here in Japan. This is the rolled sushi. It is rice, fish, and sometimes vegetables wrapped with rice in a piece of nori (海苔) or seaweed. A second of type of sushi is nigirizushi (握り寿司). This is hand-formed sushi which is a bit of rice, some wasabi, and fish or something on top. There is also oshizushi (押し寿司), which is literally "pressed sushi." This is specialty in Osaka, where a block-type sushi is formed. There is also inarizushi (稲荷寿司), which is a wrapper made of fried tofu filled with sushi rice. It was believed to be a favorite of the god Inari. I actually find this to be quite sweet, and normally reserve it as a dessert-type sushi for this reason. Second to last, we have chirashizushi (ちらし寿司), which is literally a "scattered sushi." This is when the fish is put on top of rice in a bowl. Lastly, there is narezushi (熟れ寿司), which I actually haven't had yet, but it's been fermented. Considering that Kyoto is known for it's fermented foods, I'll have to check it out.
So, now that we got cleared up. Please don't put your local sushi restaurant out of business. Go support them. It's delicious, and you should at enjoy it when you know its safe.
Oh, and before I go, I'd just like to state that I want a subscription to NIKKEI Shinbun so bad. Because I currently don't have a subscription, their newest articles right now are locked. I have to figure out the cost of it, but I think it'd be nice.
Sources:
Friday, April 8, 2011
Another Earthquake
I don't want to write about these anymore. They're depressing. But I'll uphold my duty and write about it because otherwise who knows what will appear overseas. Plus, this is a sort of catalogue of my time in Japan, so I should at least catalogue correctly I suppose. Another earthquake just hit Japan. The Japanese news says that it was a 6, about 74 miles from Fukushima. Reuters says it was a 7.4 at the epicenter. There's a tsunami warning, but it looks like it's only around .5 m in the Tokyo and Touhoku areas. Near the reactor though it's closer to 2 m. No worries. Obviously, I still remain nothing of an expert on the topic of earthquakes and tsunami prevention, but the Fukushima Daiichi Plant is on a hill. So things should be ok. I was skyping Tai when it hit. The camera was shaking pretty bad in Tokyo where it registered at a 3, but otherwise it seems like things are ok. The only worry is that it really was a long earthquake. Like it seemed like it went on for a couple minutes. I don't know what's the earthquakes here recently, but the earth should never shake for a couple minutes, get stronger, and then weaken in strength. It's just wild.
Don't be worried though. To be honest, we expected this. The chance of us having another M7 earthquake this month was about 50% or so.
Is there any other news? I'm not sure. It's almost 1 am and I'm exhausted.
Japan is trying to get back on its feet, but these earthquakes are making it more difficult. I urge everyone to continue to donate in order to help those affected.
Still felt nothing in Kyoto. Everything continues to be safe here. Though I almost wish that it would hit here rather than continuing to hit those who are already affected and struggling to return to normal.
Miami apparently cancelled their trip to Japan. They do something called PacRim every year where they go to China, Korea, Japan, but they're not coming to Japan this summer. It's normally only a week that they spend here but it's a shame. In order to fully appreciate the business world, especially in this region, one needs to understand how Japan influences and is influenced by the surrounding countries. They still continue to support us who are studying abroad. No problems there. I understand they don't want to necessarily assure the safety of a large group in an area which has had so many natural disasters recently, but it's a shame. Japan is being hurt by the lack of tourists. Normally, Kyoto would be teeming with tourists who want to see the cherry blossoms. But there are significantly less than normal. Sure it makes the commutes easier, but it's depressing in a sort of way. Japan needs the tourism in order to boost its economy. But taking care of tourists right night would also be a mess. So who knows what the right decision is.
Is my English bad right now? I feel like it is. My grandpa just skyped me and I swear I almost spoke to him in Japanese...That's amazing honestly because my Japanese speaking continues to be at the top of the lousy scale.
Had classes today. It was nice to start class again, but more on that in another post. I'm going to class again tomorrow. Luckily they don't start till later (round 4). Sure the current earthquake will be the topic of conversation there. If you have questions, comment in the posts. I'll do my best to answer them and prevent more unfounded panic. More soon.
Michelle
Don't be worried though. To be honest, we expected this. The chance of us having another M7 earthquake this month was about 50% or so.
Is there any other news? I'm not sure. It's almost 1 am and I'm exhausted.
Japan is trying to get back on its feet, but these earthquakes are making it more difficult. I urge everyone to continue to donate in order to help those affected.
Still felt nothing in Kyoto. Everything continues to be safe here. Though I almost wish that it would hit here rather than continuing to hit those who are already affected and struggling to return to normal.
Miami apparently cancelled their trip to Japan. They do something called PacRim every year where they go to China, Korea, Japan, but they're not coming to Japan this summer. It's normally only a week that they spend here but it's a shame. In order to fully appreciate the business world, especially in this region, one needs to understand how Japan influences and is influenced by the surrounding countries. They still continue to support us who are studying abroad. No problems there. I understand they don't want to necessarily assure the safety of a large group in an area which has had so many natural disasters recently, but it's a shame. Japan is being hurt by the lack of tourists. Normally, Kyoto would be teeming with tourists who want to see the cherry blossoms. But there are significantly less than normal. Sure it makes the commutes easier, but it's depressing in a sort of way. Japan needs the tourism in order to boost its economy. But taking care of tourists right night would also be a mess. So who knows what the right decision is.
Is my English bad right now? I feel like it is. My grandpa just skyped me and I swear I almost spoke to him in Japanese...That's amazing honestly because my Japanese speaking continues to be at the top of the lousy scale.
Had classes today. It was nice to start class again, but more on that in another post. I'm going to class again tomorrow. Luckily they don't start till later (round 4). Sure the current earthquake will be the topic of conversation there. If you have questions, comment in the posts. I'll do my best to answer them and prevent more unfounded panic. More soon.
Michelle
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Of the Loan
So I really don't want to focus on the nuclear situation this post, but I'll mention it just to keep you all updated. It definitely looks like this will be a process of months to get this plant under control in Fukushima. To try to find all the leak, TEPCO resorted to using bath salts the other day to produce a milky color in the water that could then be traced. The superabsorbent polymer method did not work. I'm not sure when things will be under control. I have a quick revision to my last post. I had mentioned that three mega-banks were going to give a loan to TEPCO. This loan is extremely risky, even for them. The amount that they're loaning is equal to their consolidated net profit. This was actually in that NIKKEI article, but I had to learn the word 匹敵する(hitteki suru) first.
Radiation levels in the ocean have risen significantly. Fish must now be checked in order to be sold.
I attended the Ritsumeikan Entrance Ceremony yesterday. The first half was full of serious speeches. The second was more light-hearted with music, interviews, and club recruiting. It was interesting. I managed to get a high-five from one of the football players.
I also went to 花見 (hanami), flower-viewing, tonight. The cherry blossoms 桜 (sakura) are blooming, so it's really beautiful. It was nice to just spend time with friends, make new friends, and for a little bit just appreciate the beauty around us. It's a stark contrast with the news that we're being surrounded with every day. On campus, the main topic is still the earthquake and what we can do to help. Everyone is checking on their friends, making sure they're ok. What we're finding is that often our friends our ok, but their families and homes are not. However, order remains. And the most common phrase you'll here now is 無事でよかった (buji de yokatta), I'm glad that you're safe.
I have to go to class tomorrow to figure out my classes. The semester starts Thursday.
I'm off now to get some sleep and prepare for a new day. Everyone take care!
Michelle
Radiation levels in the ocean have risen significantly. Fish must now be checked in order to be sold.
I attended the Ritsumeikan Entrance Ceremony yesterday. The first half was full of serious speeches. The second was more light-hearted with music, interviews, and club recruiting. It was interesting. I managed to get a high-five from one of the football players.
I also went to 花見 (hanami), flower-viewing, tonight. The cherry blossoms 桜 (sakura) are blooming, so it's really beautiful. It was nice to just spend time with friends, make new friends, and for a little bit just appreciate the beauty around us. It's a stark contrast with the news that we're being surrounded with every day. On campus, the main topic is still the earthquake and what we can do to help. Everyone is checking on their friends, making sure they're ok. What we're finding is that often our friends our ok, but their families and homes are not. However, order remains. And the most common phrase you'll here now is 無事でよかった (buji de yokatta), I'm glad that you're safe.
I have to go to class tomorrow to figure out my classes. The semester starts Thursday.
I'm off now to get some sleep and prepare for a new day. Everyone take care!
Michelle
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Of a Return to Normalcy?
Not quite so. Those here in Japan right now are trying their hardest to return to normal life. Companies are attempting to stay open, people are going to work, and students are preparing to start school again, but things aren't quite normal. In fact, they definitely aren't normal. Companies are closing around 6, even here in Kansai where the power outages have not been put in place. Workers are still staying home sometimes, finding it difficult to get to work, or their companies are asking them to do work from home. Students, despite getting ready for school, still have the feeling in the back of their minds that their classes might be delayed. And some even know that their classes are delayed. Those of us in Kansai aren't really sure how to react. We watch our neighbors up in Kantou and Touhoku suffer power outages, etc. We hear of food shortages, possible radiation, but yet we're - at least directly - unaffected. The collections for the earthquake and tsunami continue, but we all wish we could do a bit more.
Possibly the first US death was identified the other day. It was a young woman, serving as a JET here in Japan. She had stayed at school despite people telling her to leave. Her reason? She felt that she had to make sure her students all made it home safely. After the last one left with their parents, she started to bike home. Around 10 or 15 minutes later, the tsunami hit.
To those that fled Japan or fled to safe-havens, they are finding it difficult to return to work. Their coworkers are ostracizing them for abandoning their community when they were needed the most. It's a shame. On one hand, you completely understand their flight. They wanted to ensure their safety and reassure their families and friends as well. On the other hand, those people that fled would have been extremely useful in helping to rescue survivors, hand out food and supplies, or just generally help the community with whatever it needed.
Those in Tokyo have been advised not to give their infants (less than a year old) tap water for fear of radioactive iodine. That requirement does not hold for anyone older.
Here in Kyoto, classes at Rits will start up in just 13 days. The placement test for Japanese level is in 8. I'm studying for the JLPT, hoping that will also count as studying for this placement test. Those around me are also job hunting. The job hunting process has been delayed as well, which is rather telling of the effect of this disaster. I'm actually considering buying some job hunting books. When you apply to a company here, like many in the States, you take a test that is extremely similar to the SAT or ACT. These tests are basically full of math that you have not used in years, language skills, problem and puzzle solving. Since I'm planning to come back here to work, I'll likely have to take these. I looked at some online, and they are helpful, but I'll be honest, I haven't done some of these things since high school, and even middle school if you consider word analogies. Anyway, the point of this is that the books are not only helpful for preparing for those tests, but they also help me to learn and use words that I might not use normally.
I've been keeping up with the U.S. news recently and there seems to be this fear that the radiation from Japan will reach the U.S.' West Coast. I admit, I'm a little upset by the whole matter. There have been so many people who have died from this quake. The estimates for the initial cost of the quake alone to infrastructure is in the hundred billions. I believe I saw 300 bil on the WSJ yesterday? There are even people who survived the quake only to die in the shelters from the cold and starvation. I know of course that this is not the majority of the population, and that this also extends to people out in Europe, parts of Asia, etc. but all some of these people can think about is how they might possibly be exposed to a tiny amount of radiation. With everything that's going on here, it's frankly just upsetting to see that it's come to this. To all those news sources that are supplying the nonsense, or the chain letters fueling the panic, I'd just like to point out that if you don't have anything constructive to say, then perhaps you shouldn't say anything at all?
So moving back to the original topic of this post. When will the return to normalcy occur? Weeks? According to news sources, it looks like most of the important work of dealing with the nuclear reactor will take another couple weeks. Months? It will certainly take that long to continue to build houses. Years? For the Japanese economy and for those who have lost everything, it will definitely take years. Just like the earthquake that occurred in Kobe in 1995, this earthquake will haunt people's memories. So, therefore, the complete return to normalcy? Perhaps never. People will remember what happened to their family, friends, and complete strangers as they made frantic phone calls while watching their tvs or listening to their radios.
But Japan survived, and even thrived after the atomic bombs. It rebuilt Kobe after the earthquake. The Japanese have proven they can overcome seemingly impossible hardships in the past, and so, with time, they too can overcome this one. It certainly won't be easy, but by no means is it impossible. This earthquake will live on as a horrible tragedy, but it will also be learned from and used to develop new methods to protect people in the future.
Possibly the first US death was identified the other day. It was a young woman, serving as a JET here in Japan. She had stayed at school despite people telling her to leave. Her reason? She felt that she had to make sure her students all made it home safely. After the last one left with their parents, she started to bike home. Around 10 or 15 minutes later, the tsunami hit.
To those that fled Japan or fled to safe-havens, they are finding it difficult to return to work. Their coworkers are ostracizing them for abandoning their community when they were needed the most. It's a shame. On one hand, you completely understand their flight. They wanted to ensure their safety and reassure their families and friends as well. On the other hand, those people that fled would have been extremely useful in helping to rescue survivors, hand out food and supplies, or just generally help the community with whatever it needed.
Those in Tokyo have been advised not to give their infants (less than a year old) tap water for fear of radioactive iodine. That requirement does not hold for anyone older.
Here in Kyoto, classes at Rits will start up in just 13 days. The placement test for Japanese level is in 8. I'm studying for the JLPT, hoping that will also count as studying for this placement test. Those around me are also job hunting. The job hunting process has been delayed as well, which is rather telling of the effect of this disaster. I'm actually considering buying some job hunting books. When you apply to a company here, like many in the States, you take a test that is extremely similar to the SAT or ACT. These tests are basically full of math that you have not used in years, language skills, problem and puzzle solving. Since I'm planning to come back here to work, I'll likely have to take these. I looked at some online, and they are helpful, but I'll be honest, I haven't done some of these things since high school, and even middle school if you consider word analogies. Anyway, the point of this is that the books are not only helpful for preparing for those tests, but they also help me to learn and use words that I might not use normally.
I've been keeping up with the U.S. news recently and there seems to be this fear that the radiation from Japan will reach the U.S.' West Coast. I admit, I'm a little upset by the whole matter. There have been so many people who have died from this quake. The estimates for the initial cost of the quake alone to infrastructure is in the hundred billions. I believe I saw 300 bil on the WSJ yesterday? There are even people who survived the quake only to die in the shelters from the cold and starvation. I know of course that this is not the majority of the population, and that this also extends to people out in Europe, parts of Asia, etc. but all some of these people can think about is how they might possibly be exposed to a tiny amount of radiation. With everything that's going on here, it's frankly just upsetting to see that it's come to this. To all those news sources that are supplying the nonsense, or the chain letters fueling the panic, I'd just like to point out that if you don't have anything constructive to say, then perhaps you shouldn't say anything at all?
So moving back to the original topic of this post. When will the return to normalcy occur? Weeks? According to news sources, it looks like most of the important work of dealing with the nuclear reactor will take another couple weeks. Months? It will certainly take that long to continue to build houses. Years? For the Japanese economy and for those who have lost everything, it will definitely take years. Just like the earthquake that occurred in Kobe in 1995, this earthquake will haunt people's memories. So, therefore, the complete return to normalcy? Perhaps never. People will remember what happened to their family, friends, and complete strangers as they made frantic phone calls while watching their tvs or listening to their radios.
But Japan survived, and even thrived after the atomic bombs. It rebuilt Kobe after the earthquake. The Japanese have proven they can overcome seemingly impossible hardships in the past, and so, with time, they too can overcome this one. It certainly won't be easy, but by no means is it impossible. This earthquake will live on as a horrible tragedy, but it will also be learned from and used to develop new methods to protect people in the future.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社)
For months, I've been asking friends, boyfriend, everyone that I meet to go with me to Fushimi Inari Taisha （伏見稲荷大社）. The normal answer is something the lines of, "Michelle, it's on the edge of Kyoto. It's too far. It's a full day trip. Go another day." So for months, I've given in. But finally, with a couple month break, and nothing better to do than to spend time with friends, experience Japanese culture, and work on my language skills, I finally had the time to convince both Jazmin and Kengo to go with me the famous shrine.
For those of you that aren't familiar with the name, Fushimi Inari is a shrine devoted to the god Inari, who is the god of fertility, rice, agriculture, etc. in Shinto. The shrine itself is known for being one of the biggest in Kyoto, and definitely one of the biggest, if not the biggest, shrine to Inari in Japan. It's most famous though for the fact that it has a row of red torii gates, which lead around the mountain. These are donated by companies especially for good fortune. The whole focus on Fushimi Inari began in 965 or so in the Heian period. During this time, the Emperor Murakami decided to have all official documents reported to the gods. Fushimi Inari was of course included in the list of important shrines. Inari is also tied closely with foxes because these were believed to be Inari's messenger of choice. It has been hypothesized that this is due to the fact that during the planting and harvesting seasons, foxes would move into the farms to search for more food, etc., and this eventually came to be associated with the god Inari. Whether this is true or not is still up for debate though.
So with the history lesson over, let's move to some pictures.
We decided to walk the mountain trail, which takes about 2-3 hours, because we honestly had nothing better to do. Unfortunately for Kengo, he had run earlier in the morning, so walking up thousands of steps didn't sound like the best idea to him. Luckily though, we were able to persuade him, so we headed off up to Mount Inari.
For those of you that aren't familiar with the name, Fushimi Inari is a shrine devoted to the god Inari, who is the god of fertility, rice, agriculture, etc. in Shinto. The shrine itself is known for being one of the biggest in Kyoto, and definitely one of the biggest, if not the biggest, shrine to Inari in Japan. It's most famous though for the fact that it has a row of red torii gates, which lead around the mountain. These are donated by companies especially for good fortune. The whole focus on Fushimi Inari began in 965 or so in the Heian period. During this time, the Emperor Murakami decided to have all official documents reported to the gods. Fushimi Inari was of course included in the list of important shrines. Inari is also tied closely with foxes because these were believed to be Inari's messenger of choice. It has been hypothesized that this is due to the fact that during the planting and harvesting seasons, foxes would move into the farms to search for more food, etc., and this eventually came to be associated with the god Inari. Whether this is true or not is still up for debate though.
So with the history lesson over, let's move to some pictures.
We decided to walk the mountain trail, which takes about 2-3 hours, because we honestly had nothing better to do. Unfortunately for Kengo, he had run earlier in the morning, so walking up thousands of steps didn't sound like the best idea to him. Luckily though, we were able to persuade him, so we headed off up to Mount Inari.
The beginning of the walking adventure. Note how there are no steps here.
Over time, it got to be more like this, which is when we realized our mistake. We had already climbed so many steps by this point that it would been pointless to turn back. In fact, I think Kengo ran it for a while, but then he realized that it was getting steeper and the steps weren't stopping, so we waited for a bit.
At the top of the mountain. Note all the small sub-shrines surrounding the main shrine.
As we were walking back, it started to get darker. We grabbed some dinner, which was a classic kitsune-udon （きつねうどん）, which is a fried tofu slice inside a bowl of udon noodles.
Overall, it was a really great day.
Michelle
Friday, February 4, 2011
Of Bookstores
Well, it's break, so I don't have as much to say at the moment. I've been studying, exploring through the city, getting lost, and enjoying myself though. This is just something that I've noticed among my travels. And that is that I have no idea how bookstores stay open here.
People seem to read most of the book or all of the magazine in the store, and I've rarely seen anyone walk up to the counter and buy something unless it's for some TOEFL, TOEIC, or similar exam. Tsutaya also rents DVDS, CDs, etc., so I can understand how that part of their company keeps the store open, but surely supplying thousands of books isn't cheap, especially if you basically become your neighborhood library. If anyone else has any clues as to why this is, please feel free to enlighten me.
People seem to read most of the book or all of the magazine in the store, and I've rarely seen anyone walk up to the counter and buy something unless it's for some TOEFL, TOEIC, or similar exam. Tsutaya also rents DVDS, CDs, etc., so I can understand how that part of their company keeps the store open, but surely supplying thousands of books isn't cheap, especially if you basically become your neighborhood library. If anyone else has any clues as to why this is, please feel free to enlighten me.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Of Harry Potter
Had a priceless moment the other day. After this semester's completion ceremony, around 110 of us decided to head off to a bar for a good old-fashioned 飲み放題(nomihoudai), "all-you-can-drink party." The best part of this is that most of this group was exchange students and because we have no idea where we're going, we decide to all head in a massive pact of about 50 people to the local bus stop. When the bus comes, we were surprised to find that there was not a single person on it. Luckily, that means all of us could find a seat. So we all seat down, taking up every seat on the bus might I add, and at the next stop, a few Japanese students get on. They look as if they've just seen a ghost. "Where on earth have all these foreigners come from? And why do they all know each other?" Those were probably their thoughts as we joked around, and had a general good time for the next 40 minutes of our bus ride.
When we got of the bus, we walked to the bar where we would be meeting all of friends. We're waiting outside the elevators to get on, when the elevator doors open. Unfortunately, it's full, but that doesn't mean we didn't have a bit of a laugh first. It went something like this:
Doors open.
The Japanese people inside let their jaws drop and stare at us like we're some kind of crazy foreign being. One guy goes "How-how 何と言う("how do you say it?") How do you do?"
The guy next to him sees our British friend and goes "Harry Potta-"
And then the doors close.
We board the next elevator and go up to the fifth floor where the bar is.
Doors open.
Small band of middle school children stop dead in their tracks and wonder what on earth is going on.
Our friend goes "How do you do children?"
Children look terrified.
We enter the bar and have a great night.
Oh, the fun of being a group of 50 people in a foreign country.
Michelle
When we got of the bus, we walked to the bar where we would be meeting all of friends. We're waiting outside the elevators to get on, when the elevator doors open. Unfortunately, it's full, but that doesn't mean we didn't have a bit of a laugh first. It went something like this:
Doors open.
The Japanese people inside let their jaws drop and stare at us like we're some kind of crazy foreign being. One guy goes "How-how 何と言う("how do you say it?") How do you do?"
The guy next to him sees our British friend and goes "Harry Potta-"
And then the doors close.
We board the next elevator and go up to the fifth floor where the bar is.
Doors open.
Small band of middle school children stop dead in their tracks and wonder what on earth is going on.
Our friend goes "How do you do children?"
Children look terrified.
We enter the bar and have a great night.
Oh, the fun of being a group of 50 people in a foreign country.
Michelle
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