(no subject)
I just recently got back from a few weeks in Japan visiting my friend. We went on a road trip all over the place. It's really quite weird being in a place as technological as Western society but with a very different psychology behind it. The country is massively forested, mountainous and depopulated everywhere with a few massive cities where everyone lives. How can this be- it's an island nation, did they never have a navy? The few big highways are one or two lane affairs and the rest is all windy roads through amazing scenery.
Shinto is a beautiful religion. Particularly striking rocks and trees are enshrined and given offerings- and often clothed! How does widespread nature worship square with the national conduct? I can understand chopping up living things while you watch to consume them raw- that's just the law of the jungle in action. But where are the eco-warriors out to stop the environmental damage of industry and the pillaging of endangered species? Perhaps it's that old cookie of using a church alter to separate the people from the object of worship. Actually there was a bit of environmental action going on. It was "Green Tokyo" time, for which they employed a real-life scale giant robot, erected massively in the middle of a park. Because giant robots 'protect the Earth' of course! How awesome is that. Of course the park was trampled by crowds into a huge mudpit completely trashing the once beautiful location but hey.
The best thing about Japan is the toilets. Intimidating machine noises ensue as one sits, then the seat suddenly warms. Very relaxing, When the business of the morning is finished, choose a button, labelled in Japanese script. The choices from which you shall pick at least one at random are: concentrated-warm-water-jet-up-jacksie-suprise, wider spray for the surrounding area, the ladies only button, and the undercarriage hair dryer. Also the water you wash your hands with is the same water that fills the cistern. Most efficient!
I have eaten many fish products and mysterious gelatinous substances. The most horrific was a soup with very large and genital looking shellfish among the noodles. The meaty foot bit was kind of ok. The tongue-like protrusion was a lot like liver. The tentacular bit in between was horridly gristly. It was the stuff of nightmares and I had to eat it with chopsticks.
I have two new favourite crypto-beasts from Japan. Number one is the Kappa, which looks a bit like a malnourished teenage mutant turtle, with a small pond in the top of it's cranium. It lives in water and comes out to pull people in and it is very strong. But is is very polite, and when greeted with a friendly bow, it is obliged to bow back, thus spilling the water from it's head-pond and robbing it of it's magic powers. In the Gion Kappa, Kyoto, I consumed and entire small conger eel while live squid squidded around in the aquarium behind me.
Crypto-beast the second is the Fox. They live for many centuries, and grow more tails as their magic increases, up to a maximum of nine after a thousand years. Their function is a bit like faeries and leprechauns, what with being wise tricksters and assuming human form to marry unsuspecting humans, and possessing people. But they are also the agents of Inari, the rice god, and protect the rice by catching mice. In Kyoto there is my favourite place, Fushimi-Inari which is a massive labyrinthine walk through the forest, the path of which is completely lined by orange Shinto arch things. At irregular intervals are fox shrines. More cute fox statues than you can shake a stick at.
And that is everything, and there is nothing more to say about Japan.
Shinto is a beautiful religion. Particularly striking rocks and trees are enshrined and given offerings- and often clothed! How does widespread nature worship square with the national conduct? I can understand chopping up living things while you watch to consume them raw- that's just the law of the jungle in action. But where are the eco-warriors out to stop the environmental damage of industry and the pillaging of endangered species? Perhaps it's that old cookie of using a church alter to separate the people from the object of worship. Actually there was a bit of environmental action going on. It was "Green Tokyo" time, for which they employed a real-life scale giant robot, erected massively in the middle of a park. Because giant robots 'protect the Earth' of course! How awesome is that. Of course the park was trampled by crowds into a huge mudpit completely trashing the once beautiful location but hey.
The best thing about Japan is the toilets. Intimidating machine noises ensue as one sits, then the seat suddenly warms. Very relaxing, When the business of the morning is finished, choose a button, labelled in Japanese script. The choices from which you shall pick at least one at random are: concentrated-warm-water-jet-up-jacksie-suprise, wider spray for the surrounding area, the ladies only button, and the undercarriage hair dryer. Also the water you wash your hands with is the same water that fills the cistern. Most efficient!
I have eaten many fish products and mysterious gelatinous substances. The most horrific was a soup with very large and genital looking shellfish among the noodles. The meaty foot bit was kind of ok. The tongue-like protrusion was a lot like liver. The tentacular bit in between was horridly gristly. It was the stuff of nightmares and I had to eat it with chopsticks.
I have two new favourite crypto-beasts from Japan. Number one is the Kappa, which looks a bit like a malnourished teenage mutant turtle, with a small pond in the top of it's cranium. It lives in water and comes out to pull people in and it is very strong. But is is very polite, and when greeted with a friendly bow, it is obliged to bow back, thus spilling the water from it's head-pond and robbing it of it's magic powers. In the Gion Kappa, Kyoto, I consumed and entire small conger eel while live squid squidded around in the aquarium behind me.
Crypto-beast the second is the Fox. They live for many centuries, and grow more tails as their magic increases, up to a maximum of nine after a thousand years. Their function is a bit like faeries and leprechauns, what with being wise tricksters and assuming human form to marry unsuspecting humans, and possessing people. But they are also the agents of Inari, the rice god, and protect the rice by catching mice. In Kyoto there is my favourite place, Fushimi-Inari which is a massive labyrinthine walk through the forest, the path of which is completely lined by orange Shinto arch things. At irregular intervals are fox shrines. More cute fox statues than you can shake a stick at.
And that is everything, and there is nothing more to say about Japan.