Oh right, photoblog
I should probably post them once in a while. Let's go back in time a month:
Okay, over a month. This was the day I went to my interview at the gallery. Because it was rush hour, and they had them, I decided to ride in one of the women-only cars:
Twice a man got on by accident. The first one stood there for a bit before realizing something was odd and than moved down a car; the second was informed by someone that they were on the wrong car. I was going to say something to the first guy, but they had one of those faces that looks both male and female, and I was afraid I'd make the wrong gender assumption, which would have been horribly embarrassing.
KFC delivers in Japan:
Akihabara is sort of on the way home, so I looked around there for a while. Here are some various pictures of stuff:
Was curious, but not 400 yen curious:
I later went to see this movie:
An add for Kaoru Mori's new manga, not available in book form yet:
Eva will never, ever die:
I think this store asked me to come in enough times that I agreed:
An ad for the lastest Hokuto no Ken pachinko incarnation:
On April 4 and 5, I went with my host father to Nagano prefecture, which takes about 4 hours by car. The main reason we were going was for him to change the show tires on their car. There's no room to keep 4 tires where we live, so he keeps them at the family home in Nagano, where his older brother lives. Here's a picture of the car we drove in, which is quite large by Japanese standards:
It had GPS, a voive warning about traffic jams and onramps, and a tv. I was impressed.
fruit grove:
what the Japanese schoolkids crossing sign looks like:
Onto the highway! Which are all tolled in Japan :(
The sakura were in bloom:
I made a joke about the powerline tower being shaped like a padoga, but they aren't all like this:
We stopped at a rest area/shop for lunch. In Japan these places are seriously nice and clean, with plenty of tasteful souvenirs to buy for family and friends in case you forgot to do so coming or going. I had some tasty curry for lunch:
Stuff on sale:
a hot food vending machine!
mountains in the distance:
These nikuman looked really really tasty:
Ah, trash sorting in Japan. Burnable trash is well, burned, and used for energy. Aside from that, there are many different things to sort out for recycling.
Trying to find a trashcan for non-recyclable or burnable trash is a PAIN in Japan. Sometimes I carry trash around for 15 minutes until I find a place I can throw it out.
On our way out of the parking lot, a lady came up to us and apologized because she had backed into our car. We had a few scratches, she had some dents. Now, in the US, I'm pretty sure insurance cards would have been exchanged, possibly the police would be called, and we would have been on our way. Not so here. I sat there for
OVER AN HOUR
as they talked, went back and forth looking at both cars, and called a highway policeman. Both my host father and the lady called their insurance agents. After the policeman arrived, they again went back and froth between the two cars pointing at the dents and scratches at least another 10 times. It looked something like this:
Finally, were were ready to leave, and my host father appeared from the back with a Nausicaa DVD in hand. "Let's watch this," he said. I didn't object. I don't think I've ever seen such a clean copy, so at times it felt like I was seeing the movie for the first time. This is also why I don't have pictures of the rest of the drive, but at that point it started raining and visibility was very low.
However, when we arrived at the house, we were just in time for the portable shrine from the local spring festival! It makes stops at all the houses in the neighborhood. I look many pictures of it and the scenery around the house: (by the way, my host father's brother fixes Japanese-style roofs for a living, hence all the tiles and such)
After the people finished their break, which involved a lot of beer, they entered the shrine and played music:
After a bit of music, it's time to move to the next bend in the road, and everyone pulls the shrine to the next stop. Some people sit inside while this is going on, which I would pass on, given the beer consumed and the three foot ditches on either side of the narrow road, but hey, what do I know :)
After this, we went to visit my host mother's parents for a few minutes. No pictures this time, but there will be plenty later, since I went there for Golden Week. We started dinner, then partway through decided to go look at the sakura tree at the city's (non-portable) shrine. This nighttime viewing is called yozakura. Please excuse the quality of these pictures, as it was dark and raining.
I am pleased with this one, however:
While we were there, we saw the mayor and one of his secretaries. My host uncle, more than a little tipsy by that point, called out to him "hey! How about taking a picture with an American!?!?" The mayor agreed, and greeted me in very nice English. Of course, my host uncle was in the picture too. On the way back, my host aunt remarked she was surprised that her husband had recognized him. "Why not?" my host uncle said. "He's on TV all the time..."
So, hospitality in Japan. When visiting someone's house, you're pretty much guaranteed a nice meal. LOOK AT THIS SPREAD. This is after we had been eating for an hour, and I couldn't fit it all in one shot. The lower left plate in the first shot is gohei mochi, and it is absolutely yummy.
Here is the room I slept in, very nice traditional style:
Thus ended Saturday night, and also a good place to end this post, I think.
Okay, over a month. This was the day I went to my interview at the gallery. Because it was rush hour, and they had them, I decided to ride in one of the women-only cars:
Twice a man got on by accident. The first one stood there for a bit before realizing something was odd and than moved down a car; the second was informed by someone that they were on the wrong car. I was going to say something to the first guy, but they had one of those faces that looks both male and female, and I was afraid I'd make the wrong gender assumption, which would have been horribly embarrassing.
KFC delivers in Japan:
Akihabara is sort of on the way home, so I looked around there for a while. Here are some various pictures of stuff:
Was curious, but not 400 yen curious:
I later went to see this movie:
An add for Kaoru Mori's new manga, not available in book form yet:
Eva will never, ever die:
I think this store asked me to come in enough times that I agreed:
An ad for the lastest Hokuto no Ken pachinko incarnation:
On April 4 and 5, I went with my host father to Nagano prefecture, which takes about 4 hours by car. The main reason we were going was for him to change the show tires on their car. There's no room to keep 4 tires where we live, so he keeps them at the family home in Nagano, where his older brother lives. Here's a picture of the car we drove in, which is quite large by Japanese standards:
It had GPS, a voive warning about traffic jams and onramps, and a tv. I was impressed.
fruit grove:
what the Japanese schoolkids crossing sign looks like:
Onto the highway! Which are all tolled in Japan :(
The sakura were in bloom:
I made a joke about the powerline tower being shaped like a padoga, but they aren't all like this:
We stopped at a rest area/shop for lunch. In Japan these places are seriously nice and clean, with plenty of tasteful souvenirs to buy for family and friends in case you forgot to do so coming or going. I had some tasty curry for lunch:
Stuff on sale:
a hot food vending machine!
mountains in the distance:
These nikuman looked really really tasty:
Ah, trash sorting in Japan. Burnable trash is well, burned, and used for energy. Aside from that, there are many different things to sort out for recycling.
Trying to find a trashcan for non-recyclable or burnable trash is a PAIN in Japan. Sometimes I carry trash around for 15 minutes until I find a place I can throw it out.
On our way out of the parking lot, a lady came up to us and apologized because she had backed into our car. We had a few scratches, she had some dents. Now, in the US, I'm pretty sure insurance cards would have been exchanged, possibly the police would be called, and we would have been on our way. Not so here. I sat there for
OVER AN HOUR
as they talked, went back and forth looking at both cars, and called a highway policeman. Both my host father and the lady called their insurance agents. After the policeman arrived, they again went back and froth between the two cars pointing at the dents and scratches at least another 10 times. It looked something like this:
Finally, were were ready to leave, and my host father appeared from the back with a Nausicaa DVD in hand. "Let's watch this," he said. I didn't object. I don't think I've ever seen such a clean copy, so at times it felt like I was seeing the movie for the first time. This is also why I don't have pictures of the rest of the drive, but at that point it started raining and visibility was very low.
However, when we arrived at the house, we were just in time for the portable shrine from the local spring festival! It makes stops at all the houses in the neighborhood. I look many pictures of it and the scenery around the house: (by the way, my host father's brother fixes Japanese-style roofs for a living, hence all the tiles and such)
After the people finished their break, which involved a lot of beer, they entered the shrine and played music:
After a bit of music, it's time to move to the next bend in the road, and everyone pulls the shrine to the next stop. Some people sit inside while this is going on, which I would pass on, given the beer consumed and the three foot ditches on either side of the narrow road, but hey, what do I know :)
After this, we went to visit my host mother's parents for a few minutes. No pictures this time, but there will be plenty later, since I went there for Golden Week. We started dinner, then partway through decided to go look at the sakura tree at the city's (non-portable) shrine. This nighttime viewing is called yozakura. Please excuse the quality of these pictures, as it was dark and raining.
I am pleased with this one, however:
While we were there, we saw the mayor and one of his secretaries. My host uncle, more than a little tipsy by that point, called out to him "hey! How about taking a picture with an American!?!?" The mayor agreed, and greeted me in very nice English. Of course, my host uncle was in the picture too. On the way back, my host aunt remarked she was surprised that her husband had recognized him. "Why not?" my host uncle said. "He's on TV all the time..."
So, hospitality in Japan. When visiting someone's house, you're pretty much guaranteed a nice meal. LOOK AT THIS SPREAD. This is after we had been eating for an hour, and I couldn't fit it all in one shot. The lower left plate in the first shot is gohei mochi, and it is absolutely yummy.
Here is the room I slept in, very nice traditional style:
Thus ended Saturday night, and also a good place to end this post, I think.