The day before, I was at a meeting where only two of us were not wearing our winter coats and scarves. So I was determined to figure out how to be warm all day. And I choose a rainy day.
Waking up under the thick covers in my thick jammies, I was warm.
Now I understand that the minimum number of layers (not counting coats) is 3. So I tried 4 layers.
Thick cotton turtleneck, thin wool sweater, down vest, and large cotton Japanese sweater. And on the bottom, tights and a very long skirt and boots ($20, from China).
And for outside, down coat and wool scarf.
This worked in Kyoto, and also in Shiga Prefecture where I went for my research. Shiga is colder, and it was raining there too.
At the end of the day, I was still warm, and after dinner tucked under the kotatsu to get very very warm before getting under the covers.
Some Japanese have scarves the size of small blankets. If it gets colder, I will try that.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Keeping warm in Kyoto
The temperatures are not much worse than DC. And we do not have any snow yet. But not much heat is used indoors. And we are out a lot -- waiting for the bus, bicycling, hiking, walking to the store, walking around temples and shrines. The Japanese are under the same weather constraints.
So how do you keep warm in Kyoto?
Here is what is being sold now:
Kotatsu -- low coffee table-type table with a heater on the underside -- cover it with a quilt, and cozy up under it.
Padded jackets (no, not with sleeves that tie). How else would you keep your upper body warm when you lower body was under the kotatsu?
Long underwear -- lots of it, including extra layers around your middle, where the body is supposed to be particularly vulnerable to cold.
Layers -- lots of them. I saw a woman recently with patterned socks, scrunchy ankle warmers , patterned leggings, and shorts. On top they have 3 or 4 layers, and a big scarf too.
Hot water bottles -- all sizes from less than a liter (for a baby?) to over 3 liters. There are plastic and metal ones. And there are covers for these -- including one that looks like a teddy bear.
Electric carpet -- at least you will be warm sitting in that spot.
Kerosene heaters -- used indoors as a space heater -- smells bad.
Japanese bath accessories -- washing thoroughly outside the tub, then soaking is a great way to get warm. Even when I walk the 4 blocks to nearest public bath, I am still warm when I get home and still warm at bedtime.
Fleece --made in China and very cheep.
Down sweaters -- likewise probably made in China, not too expensive, and everyone has one (now including Will and I.
They still are not running the nuclear plants, and energy imports are terribly expensive. And there is just a long term conservation mindset. Here at work, the corridor is not heated, nor is the bathroom (except for the toilet seat). We each control our heat (though it cannot get all that hot), and we turn off the heat when we leave for the day.
So how do you keep warm in Kyoto?
Here is what is being sold now:
Kotatsu -- low coffee table-type table with a heater on the underside -- cover it with a quilt, and cozy up under it.
Padded jackets (no, not with sleeves that tie). How else would you keep your upper body warm when you lower body was under the kotatsu?
Long underwear -- lots of it, including extra layers around your middle, where the body is supposed to be particularly vulnerable to cold.
Layers -- lots of them. I saw a woman recently with patterned socks, scrunchy ankle warmers , patterned leggings, and shorts. On top they have 3 or 4 layers, and a big scarf too.
Hot water bottles -- all sizes from less than a liter (for a baby?) to over 3 liters. There are plastic and metal ones. And there are covers for these -- including one that looks like a teddy bear.
Electric carpet -- at least you will be warm sitting in that spot.
Kerosene heaters -- used indoors as a space heater -- smells bad.
Japanese bath accessories -- washing thoroughly outside the tub, then soaking is a great way to get warm. Even when I walk the 4 blocks to nearest public bath, I am still warm when I get home and still warm at bedtime.
Fleece --made in China and very cheep.
Down sweaters -- likewise probably made in China, not too expensive, and everyone has one (now including Will and I.
They still are not running the nuclear plants, and energy imports are terribly expensive. And there is just a long term conservation mindset. Here at work, the corridor is not heated, nor is the bathroom (except for the toilet seat). We each control our heat (though it cannot get all that hot), and we turn off the heat when we leave for the day.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Nara as a respite from crowds
Nara was the capital before Kyoto -- from 710-794, and offers the largest wooden building in the world -- containing a giant bronze Buddah. It also is home to about 1000 sacred deer that are all over hoping for a handout of deer crackers (purchased for 150 yen). The sellers of the deer crackers seem to have reached a truce with the deer such that the deer do not go directly to the source, but look for a handout from a customer.
There are also hundreds of stone lanterns that stand taller than humans -- leading the way to the 8th century shrine. This was rebuild every 20 years until the late 1800's. We hiked up there in the fading light of the end of the day.
We went to Nara this past weekend to escape the crowds of leaf peepers creating neighborhood gridlock in Kyoto. Our first stop was the Isui-en garden. Every inch was exquisite! The view backs onto the hills, making the garden appear very large. I was particularly taken by the very small tea house (2-tatami mat). I took enough pictures to think carefully about building one in Arlington....
The gardens take constant care:
Brushing with bamboo
Reveals deep moss and buds for spring
Underneath the leaves
We were still there for dinner, and found a restaurant where we were tucked into a tiny private booth for 2 with cushioned banquettes and a door closing us in. The food came in courses -- grilled rice balls, sashimi, fried tofu in light broth, and some pork thing for Will.
There are also hundreds of stone lanterns that stand taller than humans -- leading the way to the 8th century shrine. This was rebuild every 20 years until the late 1800's. We hiked up there in the fading light of the end of the day.
We went to Nara this past weekend to escape the crowds of leaf peepers creating neighborhood gridlock in Kyoto. Our first stop was the Isui-en garden. Every inch was exquisite! The view backs onto the hills, making the garden appear very large. I was particularly taken by the very small tea house (2-tatami mat). I took enough pictures to think carefully about building one in Arlington....
The gardens take constant care:
Brushing with bamboo
Reveals deep moss and buds for spring
Underneath the leaves
We were still there for dinner, and found a restaurant where we were tucked into a tiny private booth for 2 with cushioned banquettes and a door closing us in. The food came in courses -- grilled rice balls, sashimi, fried tofu in light broth, and some pork thing for Will.
Light-ups and leaf peepers
Growing up in New England, there was a mild influx of people wanting to come see the fall colors, leaf peepers. Well it is over the top here in Kyoto. My host indicates that you can hear accents from all over Japan, and there have been tour buses lined up along our street every day for several weeks. The traffic jams and overcrowded buses are putting the place into weekend gridlocks in our part of town.
But there is no question that the colors are spectacular!
A few koi shaped leaves
Hanging from the dark branches
Swimming upstream.
The cherry leaves are almost gone, but they were a grand array of orange, tangerine, persimmon, rust, red, and other shades, leaf by leaf. The momiji (Japanese maple) are mostly red/scarlet/burgundy. But some of their leaves are yellow and orange -- even mixed on the same tree and mixed on the same leaf. The ginko are bright yellow, and they place a pile of sunshine at the base of each tree.
The ephemeral nature of the leaves is emphasized by the constant sweeping.
Bamboo broom chasing
The cherry leaves -- awaiting
Tomorrow's wind.
It seems to be good etiquette to keep the leaves off the sidewalks, and it is a constant effort.
In the evenings, the various temples have "light-ups" with lights on the trees. It is quite pretty, and the lights are not not adding color, but highlighting what is actually there. The temple near us must be quite famous for its light-up -- there are security guards at each intersection for several blocks around to keep out the cars, and make sure no one gets run over by the oversized tour buses that are negotiating the narrow streets.
At several locations we have seen posters that track the stage of the momiji leaf colors at each of about 20 temples! Each day some industrious person adds stickers where needed to track the progress from green to part red to red, then rust and gone-by.
But there is no question that the colors are spectacular!
A few koi shaped leaves
Hanging from the dark branches
Swimming upstream.
The cherry leaves are almost gone, but they were a grand array of orange, tangerine, persimmon, rust, red, and other shades, leaf by leaf. The momiji (Japanese maple) are mostly red/scarlet/burgundy. But some of their leaves are yellow and orange -- even mixed on the same tree and mixed on the same leaf. The ginko are bright yellow, and they place a pile of sunshine at the base of each tree.
The ephemeral nature of the leaves is emphasized by the constant sweeping.
Bamboo broom chasing
The cherry leaves -- awaiting
Tomorrow's wind.
It seems to be good etiquette to keep the leaves off the sidewalks, and it is a constant effort.
In the evenings, the various temples have "light-ups" with lights on the trees. It is quite pretty, and the lights are not not adding color, but highlighting what is actually there. The temple near us must be quite famous for its light-up -- there are security guards at each intersection for several blocks around to keep out the cars, and make sure no one gets run over by the oversized tour buses that are negotiating the narrow streets.
At several locations we have seen posters that track the stage of the momiji leaf colors at each of about 20 temples! Each day some industrious person adds stickers where needed to track the progress from green to part red to red, then rust and gone-by.
Thanksgiving in Japan.
Too many things to see and do to spend the day cooking. Oven the size of a shoebox. Great need for vegetables in our diet. Very small table. Serving 6 in the very small apartment.
With these constraints, we had a delicious and felicitous Thanksgiving dinner:
First course -- salad (what?! -- something green for Thanksgiving?!)
Second course -- Fried oysters. Oysters were very much a part of Liz and my New England Thanksgiving history.
Third course -- Fried Chicken (with thanks to Col. Sanders), boiled potatoes, steamed kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), two cranberry sauces (cook-off with Liz and Will), shitake mushrooms, homemade rolls and butter. Thanks to Liz and Dave for importing the cranberries.
Fourth course -- 2 small pumpkin pies in premade tart crusts (L&D imported cans of pumpkin and evaporated milk) and a small apple/cranberry/walnut cake.
So here is the sequence on the oven -- pie number 1 (with the filling mostly precooked on the stove), pie number 2 (similarly pre-cooked), apple cake, rolls.
We were particularly thankful for family, present and distant, living and passed on -- except for Dale (age 2) who was thankful for playdough. He spent a fair bit of time with imaginary playdough -- I was not going to give him any real play dough to grind into the tatami mat. Kids were good with the tatami mat, shoji, and hanging kimono. And they loved playing in the storage closets.
And the Haiku to capture it--
Harvest matsuri
With Hiroshima oysters
and cranberries
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Bicycles in Kyoto are really everywhere
In spite of almost no bike lanes, and lots of places without bike parking areas, bicycles are really everywhere. Now that I have my own (hand-me-down) bicycle, I see this in a whole new light. I have been working to understand the implicit "rules of the road."
Bicycles are usually ridden on the sidewalk, and there seems to be an overall "keep left" plan. There is frequently a moment where the eyes of two head-on riders are locked, and each is deciding who will veer left (or right). On some crosswalks there is a marked area for bicycles, but it is usually ignored. If the sidewalk gets busy with bikes and people, it seems to be OK to ride in the street for a while. It does not seem to matter if you are going with the cars or against the cars.
Having my own bike is freeing -- I see more, and can do errands and make stops easily. For example, I
found a glass shop quite near my office that is now cutting the acrylic panel for our prototype solar dryer.
"Mama chari" is the term for a "mother's" bicycle -- the front wheel of the bike is smaller than the back wheel so as to fit a carrier for a small child up front where Mom can keep an eye on the baby. I also see father's riding these bikes.
And another variation -- I saw a mother walking, wheeling her bicycle with one child (maybe age 7) sitting on the seat, another in the front carrier, and another in the back carrier. I have also seen a mother riding with 3 children -- one in a front pack, one in the front carrier, and the other in the back carrier!
Bicycles are usually ridden on the sidewalk, and there seems to be an overall "keep left" plan. There is frequently a moment where the eyes of two head-on riders are locked, and each is deciding who will veer left (or right). On some crosswalks there is a marked area for bicycles, but it is usually ignored. If the sidewalk gets busy with bikes and people, it seems to be OK to ride in the street for a while. It does not seem to matter if you are going with the cars or against the cars.
Having my own bike is freeing -- I see more, and can do errands and make stops easily. For example, I
found a glass shop quite near my office that is now cutting the acrylic panel for our prototype solar dryer.
"Mama chari" is the term for a "mother's" bicycle -- the front wheel of the bike is smaller than the back wheel so as to fit a carrier for a small child up front where Mom can keep an eye on the baby. I also see father's riding these bikes.
And another variation -- I saw a mother walking, wheeling her bicycle with one child (maybe age 7) sitting on the seat, another in the front carrier, and another in the back carrier. I have also seen a mother riding with 3 children -- one in a front pack, one in the front carrier, and the other in the back carrier!
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Change of the seasons
Yes, the first few trees are changing colors -- the green of the ginko is becoming yellow-green, and the green of the momiji (Japanese maple) is becoming bronze on the first few trees.
But indoors the changes are more apparent. The stores are now selling gloves, vests, blankets, jackets, long underwear, warm socks, and so forth. Even though it will get up to 90 today, I am remembering how cold it was inside in Japan. Heat is expensive, energy is short, and outside is cold, and sometimes damp.
Another sign of fall is the appearance of the 2013 Winter Gift Catalogs. The window for ordering these gifts is Oct. 10 to Dec. 27. The Japanese apartment is very small, and there is not a lot of room for storage, so the gifts are mostly food. For example, fancy meringue cookies are 16 for $35. Or two small hams of 350 grams each for $45. For $35 you can get delivered to your friend or colleagues' home 6 creme caramels. For $35 you can get 4 little (5cm X 8cm) one layer (4cm tall) bear shaped cakes. Cute, yes.
But indoors the changes are more apparent. The stores are now selling gloves, vests, blankets, jackets, long underwear, warm socks, and so forth. Even though it will get up to 90 today, I am remembering how cold it was inside in Japan. Heat is expensive, energy is short, and outside is cold, and sometimes damp.
Another sign of fall is the appearance of the 2013 Winter Gift Catalogs. The window for ordering these gifts is Oct. 10 to Dec. 27. The Japanese apartment is very small, and there is not a lot of room for storage, so the gifts are mostly food. For example, fancy meringue cookies are 16 for $35. Or two small hams of 350 grams each for $45. For $35 you can get delivered to your friend or colleagues' home 6 creme caramels. For $35 you can get 4 little (5cm X 8cm) one layer (4cm tall) bear shaped cakes. Cute, yes.
Kyu-do (Japanese Archery)
Will was very interested in exploring Japanese archery while he was here in Japan.
The guidebook from the international center indicated that there was a Japanese martial arts center not too far from our apartment -- with Japanese archery. So one day we stopped by to observe. We were asked to observe from outside, which was towards the target from where they were standing to shoot. This made us very nervous, so we stayed well back.
After a while, the fellow who had directed us to this spot came around to check on why we were so far back. He indicated that we would in no way be in danger from these arrows. So we moved closer.
A few days later we returned with more intent on signing Will up for Japanese archery. We were told that this would be difficult. We were told that the class was already underway. We were told that it was difficult because will did not speak Japanese. This time we were giving sitting positions indoors to watch the archery for a while.
There is a very stylized form of foot, hand and body movements that go with Kyu-do. After we observed for a while, it was suggested that we might return at 10 o'clock on Saturday. Will was a little discouraged that he was not signed up for class, but I saw this as being like the Little Prince and the Fox. The Little Prince came to see the Fox everyday at the same time so that they could gradually build the relationship.
When we returned, in fact, we found the beginner's class. I was asked to go back to the office and sign up for an hour's lesson, at ¥250, or $2.50 (though I did not quite understand the specifics). Will had brought along a T-shirt, and he was shown the locker room for changing. He was given a rope with knots at the appropriate positions and taught the steps. I actually had bought a ticket for 2 hours, so both Will and the teacher got more than they expected. I stayed nearby to do a bit of translating but my Japanese is pretty limited to. At one point, they asked him if he was OK. Instead of translating, I said he was fine -- they found that very amusing.
Will returned the next week, and after more work with the rope, was given a bow. And by the 3rd lesson, his teacher was bragging on him to another one of the teachers! Although they looked down on western style archery as something entirely different, they did concede that his skills there might be helping him. What was particularly heartwarming was the lack of their insistence that he do things exactly as the Japanese. For example it's pretty hard for Will to get to the floor in the seiza position for the formal bowing. And some arthritis in his neck makes full turning difficult. They were OK with this.
By the 4th class Will was on his own without me there to translate, and he was even given an arrow. Another 20 years, and he too will be an expert!
The place where these lessons are taking place has space for the other martial arts -- sumo, kendo, and others. The big hall was built more than a 100 years ago. I love that it is low cost, accessible, and draws a range of people.
The guidebook from the international center indicated that there was a Japanese martial arts center not too far from our apartment -- with Japanese archery. So one day we stopped by to observe. We were asked to observe from outside, which was towards the target from where they were standing to shoot. This made us very nervous, so we stayed well back.
After a while, the fellow who had directed us to this spot came around to check on why we were so far back. He indicated that we would in no way be in danger from these arrows. So we moved closer.
A few days later we returned with more intent on signing Will up for Japanese archery. We were told that this would be difficult. We were told that the class was already underway. We were told that it was difficult because will did not speak Japanese. This time we were giving sitting positions indoors to watch the archery for a while.
There is a very stylized form of foot, hand and body movements that go with Kyu-do. After we observed for a while, it was suggested that we might return at 10 o'clock on Saturday. Will was a little discouraged that he was not signed up for class, but I saw this as being like the Little Prince and the Fox. The Little Prince came to see the Fox everyday at the same time so that they could gradually build the relationship.
When we returned, in fact, we found the beginner's class. I was asked to go back to the office and sign up for an hour's lesson, at ¥250, or $2.50 (though I did not quite understand the specifics). Will had brought along a T-shirt, and he was shown the locker room for changing. He was given a rope with knots at the appropriate positions and taught the steps. I actually had bought a ticket for 2 hours, so both Will and the teacher got more than they expected. I stayed nearby to do a bit of translating but my Japanese is pretty limited to. At one point, they asked him if he was OK. Instead of translating, I said he was fine -- they found that very amusing.
Will returned the next week, and after more work with the rope, was given a bow. And by the 3rd lesson, his teacher was bragging on him to another one of the teachers! Although they looked down on western style archery as something entirely different, they did concede that his skills there might be helping him. What was particularly heartwarming was the lack of their insistence that he do things exactly as the Japanese. For example it's pretty hard for Will to get to the floor in the seiza position for the formal bowing. And some arthritis in his neck makes full turning difficult. They were OK with this.
By the 4th class Will was on his own without me there to translate, and he was even given an arrow. Another 20 years, and he too will be an expert!
The place where these lessons are taking place has space for the other martial arts -- sumo, kendo, and others. The big hall was built more than a 100 years ago. I love that it is low cost, accessible, and draws a range of people.
Observing disability
A gentleman in a wheelchair sometimes gets on the bus at my bus stop. The driver is able to lower the left side of the bus a little closer to the curb. Then he hops out, runs to the rear entrance door, and puts a short ramp from the sidewalk into the bus. A couple of passengers are asked to change their seats, and their seats are folded away to make a spot for the wheelchair. Then the fellow drives his motorized wheelchair up the ramp, and, with a couple of back-and-forth movements, parks the wheelchair in the designated spot. The whole process takes a couple of minutes.
This morning a group of 6 students with disabilities got on the bus for some kind of field trip. They were wearing the regular middle-school uniforms of the school near our apartment. A teacher and 2 aides got on with the children, and although all children walked onto the bus, 2 wheelchairs were also brought on board.
While we were writing, the aides were communicating amiably with the students. It seemed to be a group of children with significant developmental delays, and perhaps the stereotypic motions indicated some level of autism. One of the students, who seem to be nonverbal, clapped her hands very loudly and then immediately put her finger to her mouth to say shhhhh. The teacher calmly came over to her and showed her a little picture the green face with the finger indicating shhhhh. On the other side of this sign was a red image with an X through it, as a way of communicating stop.
Overall, my impression was of the normality of it all. The students were scattered in different spots in the bus, and their teachers were very calm and upbeat. I got off before they did so I don't know the destination for today's outing.
This morning a group of 6 students with disabilities got on the bus for some kind of field trip. They were wearing the regular middle-school uniforms of the school near our apartment. A teacher and 2 aides got on with the children, and although all children walked onto the bus, 2 wheelchairs were also brought on board.
While we were writing, the aides were communicating amiably with the students. It seemed to be a group of children with significant developmental delays, and perhaps the stereotypic motions indicated some level of autism. One of the students, who seem to be nonverbal, clapped her hands very loudly and then immediately put her finger to her mouth to say shhhhh. The teacher calmly came over to her and showed her a little picture the green face with the finger indicating shhhhh. On the other side of this sign was a red image with an X through it, as a way of communicating stop.
Overall, my impression was of the normality of it all. The students were scattered in different spots in the bus, and their teachers were very calm and upbeat. I got off before they did so I don't know the destination for today's outing.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Christmas Cake: Partner foods
I picked up a flier for ordering Christmas Cakes -- orders must be placed by Dec 17. I have no idea how they put together this particular tradition, but Christmas cakes are usually white cakes, sometimes a bit of chocolate, often with fruit and Santa on top. There are usually a few strawberries in the creamy white filling. Prices seem to go from $30 or $40, to $100 for a cake that might serve up to 6 people, and is only good for one day.
Women over 30 or 32 or 28 are referred to as Christmas Cake -- their time is over.....they did not marry in time.
Anyway, on the last page of my catalogue is a section,"Dog and Cat Cakes" that is accompanied by a sign "Partner foods" with a handprint and paw print. Apparently for 1800 yen, about $18, you can order a 9cm across whole white cake with a Santa, cookie, "Merry Xmas" and green leaves on top. The expectation is that you will share this with your dog or cat (note, no chocolate). Or for 1500 yen, you can get two pieces of cake with cream and fruit on top, one red and one yellow, again, for sharing.
Is this a new business model for the US?
We can put forward the "partner foods" trademark on foods that are suitable for you and your pet!
Women over 30 or 32 or 28 are referred to as Christmas Cake -- their time is over.....they did not marry in time.
Anyway, on the last page of my catalogue is a section,"Dog and Cat Cakes" that is accompanied by a sign "Partner foods" with a handprint and paw print. Apparently for 1800 yen, about $18, you can order a 9cm across whole white cake with a Santa, cookie, "Merry Xmas" and green leaves on top. The expectation is that you will share this with your dog or cat (note, no chocolate). Or for 1500 yen, you can get two pieces of cake with cream and fruit on top, one red and one yellow, again, for sharing.
Is this a new business model for the US?
We can put forward the "partner foods" trademark on foods that are suitable for you and your pet!
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
September weather
The fierce heat of summer has abated, and we have days in the high 80's or low 90's, and it cools down every evening now. The ginko trees are turning ever so slightly yellow/green. And an occasional momiji (Japanese maple) has some red leaves.
To keep track of the weather, it is necessary to track the incoming typhoons (also known as cyclones). The Japane Meteriological Agency has a good site for tracking:
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/
The next typhoon is turning north, and looks like it will stay off the coast of Japan. This will give us some clouds, and possibly rain, but not a fierce storm.
To keep track of the weather, it is necessary to track the incoming typhoons (also known as cyclones). The Japane Meteriological Agency has a good site for tracking:
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/
The next typhoon is turning north, and looks like it will stay off the coast of Japan. This will give us some clouds, and possibly rain, but not a fierce storm.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Climbing Mt. Omifuji & Mikami Shinto Shrine
Will and I responded to a flier, "Climbing Mt. Omifuji & Mikami Shinto Shrine" from the Kyoto Guide Club. This volunteer group carefully planned a day-long outing. It was promoted,"Have you ever been attracted by Greek Mythology or Roman Mythology? There was a similar one in Japan, too."
Apparently the great grandchild of Amaterasu (the sun goddess) landed on Mt. Mikami from Heaven. This area was sort of a playground for gods and nobles where they played, hunted and wrote poetry.
For this human outing, folks met at the main Kyoto Station at 9:00 -- checked in with a person with a clipboard, and got name tags. I think our group was about 24 people -- maybe 8 Japanese from the committee/club. The rest of us were from Bahrain, Czech Republic, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Serbia, Cameroon, and the US (Will and Peg).
We took a train ride of about 45 min, prayed at the appropriate shrine for caution and good fortune with the hike. Then we took short taxi ride, then a bathroom stop and a stop at a combini (convenience store) in case anyone needed more water or forgot to pack a lunch. From there we hiked at a good clip up this fairly steep mountain. With a little more understanding of what we were getting into, I would have brought my hiking poles. The pace was fast, and Will lagged a bit, but they had build in a couple of rest stops. There was a spectacular view from the top. the pace was fast on the way down too, and it was even steeper. I gave my ankle a minor twist, but kept going.
The route we had hoped to take back had been washed out by the typhoon, so we took a combined road/path around the mountain to return. For some time we walked along a strong fence which was designed to keep the wild boar out of the rice fields. The women hand harvesting the rice were covered very traditionally in layers of clothes, and a wide brimmed bonnet, so that no sun would get on any part of their bodies.
All in all , this was a successful international outing -- with a chance to speak informally to folks from several countries.
Apparently the great grandchild of Amaterasu (the sun goddess) landed on Mt. Mikami from Heaven. This area was sort of a playground for gods and nobles where they played, hunted and wrote poetry.
For this human outing, folks met at the main Kyoto Station at 9:00 -- checked in with a person with a clipboard, and got name tags. I think our group was about 24 people -- maybe 8 Japanese from the committee/club. The rest of us were from Bahrain, Czech Republic, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Serbia, Cameroon, and the US (Will and Peg).
We took a train ride of about 45 min, prayed at the appropriate shrine for caution and good fortune with the hike. Then we took short taxi ride, then a bathroom stop and a stop at a combini (convenience store) in case anyone needed more water or forgot to pack a lunch. From there we hiked at a good clip up this fairly steep mountain. With a little more understanding of what we were getting into, I would have brought my hiking poles. The pace was fast, and Will lagged a bit, but they had build in a couple of rest stops. There was a spectacular view from the top. the pace was fast on the way down too, and it was even steeper. I gave my ankle a minor twist, but kept going.
The route we had hoped to take back had been washed out by the typhoon, so we took a combined road/path around the mountain to return. For some time we walked along a strong fence which was designed to keep the wild boar out of the rice fields. The women hand harvesting the rice were covered very traditionally in layers of clothes, and a wide brimmed bonnet, so that no sun would get on any part of their bodies.
All in all , this was a successful international outing -- with a chance to speak informally to folks from several countries.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
And did I say there is no lifeguard at the pool?
In the US we are very used to the idea of a lifeguard -- someone in a red suit or shirt who sits up on a raised chair and scans the pool every 10 seconds. In Arlington, they cannot even talk to another person, and are spelled every so often. When they change lifeguards in Arlington, one set of eyes always continues to scan the pool.
Not so much here. And maybe it is OK because the pool is only between waist and chest deep. Adults can touch everywhere, and teachers are in the pool with kids during their lessons. There is a staff person who greets me when I enter the pool area, and walks around straightening things, and is mostly looking down....
The pool does not open until 10:00am. It has no free swim from mid-afternoon to 7:00pm because of classes for children. In the evening there are usually 2 lanes for adult lessons or some very rigorous water aerobics. Then there are two lanes for free swim -- usually 3-5 people sharing a lane. And then there is one lane for people walking in the pool.
The pool is only 25 meters, and it is too warm (for kid's learning), but I need the exercise!
Not so much here. And maybe it is OK because the pool is only between waist and chest deep. Adults can touch everywhere, and teachers are in the pool with kids during their lessons. There is a staff person who greets me when I enter the pool area, and walks around straightening things, and is mostly looking down....
The pool does not open until 10:00am. It has no free swim from mid-afternoon to 7:00pm because of classes for children. In the evening there are usually 2 lanes for adult lessons or some very rigorous water aerobics. Then there are two lanes for free swim -- usually 3-5 people sharing a lane. And then there is one lane for people walking in the pool.
The pool is only 25 meters, and it is too warm (for kid's learning), but I need the exercise!
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Sept 15 Typhoon
There was a serious Typhoon, and Kyoto was impacted, but not Will and me.
It
had been coming for some time, and we had been following it on the
weather map with the Japanese Meteorological Agency I am signed up with the Embassy, and had an e-mail from
them alerting us about the upcoming typhoon. I bought a big 20 liter
jug for storing water, and we have food and flashlights.Sunday the 15th was my birthday, so we went out in the morning to see a Temple not too far from the house that we had not yet explored. An elderly couple were getting some sort of special blessing, and the priest was chanting. The temple also had a great garden -- and unlike many of the more famous ones, you could walk through much of it.
We went anyway to the nearby Temple handicraft sale, and explored some of the art-fair like booths. Some of the vendors had tents, some were huddled around the perimeters of the various Temple buildings. Most of the work was unimpressive (clearly not juried), but I found 3 interesting bowls.
On Tuesday, Will walked further up the river and saw a big hunk of path and wall washed away, and the huge stones that had been providing support were gone. We never felt much wind, though there certainly was a lot of rain. Again, we seemed to have slept through the wind also. Even with all the damage, it was downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm.
And, delightfully, the weather is cooler and clear now.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
The Japanese kitchen
Scissors. Our most important kitchen utensil is a pair of scissors -- EVERYthing is wrapped in plastic. Seldom can you just chose your own vegetables -- it is all pre-wrapped.
Rice paddle. Good for getting the rice out of the rice cooker. The rice cooker also works well on barley. The Japanese mix in a bit of barley (10%) to make the white rice healthier. We use brown rice, but sometimes mix in barley, or make the barley by itself. We have not found oatmeal yet.
Chopsticks. Best to have your own so that the Chinese do not need to chop down so many trees. When you buy a lunch at a convenience store (combini), or eat out, they want to give you disposable chopsticks.
Wooden spatula. Two of our 3 pans are teflon, so the wooden spatula is good.
Combined microwave/oven/grill (toaster). Since the kitchen is so small, this one appliance is supposed to do it all (and none of it very well). I found a toaster oven at work that is doing a good job. And sometimes we can find whole wheat bread.
"Garbage disposal". Actually, where there would be a garbage disposal, you put a mesh bag. Then every couple of days you throw away the mesh bag and put in a fresh one.
"Dishwasher". Only the human kind.
Stove. Two burners, gas, quite hot. It also has a small broiler, labeled "fish".
Silverware. We have an apartment that is considered suitable for 4 people, so we have 4 forks, 4 spoons, 4 plates, etc.
Rice paddle. Good for getting the rice out of the rice cooker. The rice cooker also works well on barley. The Japanese mix in a bit of barley (10%) to make the white rice healthier. We use brown rice, but sometimes mix in barley, or make the barley by itself. We have not found oatmeal yet.
Chopsticks. Best to have your own so that the Chinese do not need to chop down so many trees. When you buy a lunch at a convenience store (combini), or eat out, they want to give you disposable chopsticks.
Wooden spatula. Two of our 3 pans are teflon, so the wooden spatula is good.
Combined microwave/oven/grill (toaster). Since the kitchen is so small, this one appliance is supposed to do it all (and none of it very well). I found a toaster oven at work that is doing a good job. And sometimes we can find whole wheat bread.
"Garbage disposal". Actually, where there would be a garbage disposal, you put a mesh bag. Then every couple of days you throw away the mesh bag and put in a fresh one.
"Dishwasher". Only the human kind.
Stove. Two burners, gas, quite hot. It also has a small broiler, labeled "fish".
Silverware. We have an apartment that is considered suitable for 4 people, so we have 4 forks, 4 spoons, 4 plates, etc.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Kyoto City Industrial Exhibition Hall
The Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts on the lower level of the Kyoto City Industrial Exhibition Hall. The building is sort of a medium sized convention center. After visiting the museum, I visited 3 large rooms in the convention center. Presumably, different groups had rented each space.
The first room had hand made items, and lots of older people. There were, for example, 10 similar calligraphy hangings, 10 similar hand-sewed bags, and other crafts including knitting, oil painting, origami, wood projects, paper flowers and so on. It was as if I had been dropped into an Iowa County Fair, or even the Arlington Co. Fair.
Except here, everything was in multiples, with slight variations. There were no price tags, and there were no prizes pinned on things. I looked at some crocheted slippers -- slightly different sizes, and an assortment of colors. The nearby woman explained to me (in Japanese) that each slipper was made from 8 squares. Then she showed me with great reverence the work of her teacher. Suddenly I understood that the work was being displayed in groups as students displayed their work together. Now I related it to the displays at the end of our week of classes at the John Campbell folk school.
The second room had signs, "Home Do", and its focus was home remodeling. There were a couple of sample kitchens, some sample pieces of flooring, and lots of before/after remodeling posters. As well there were lots of empty tables, presumably at which it was hoped that contractors and homeowners would be sitting down. In fact, there was only one couple in the whole place. The recession may not be over yet....
And the third room was some sort of college student art show from an "Art Club". Almost all was two dimensional art, and a lot of it was "cute". There were a handful of students at tables by the entrance, and a handful of folks looking at the art. There was an interesting notebook available that showed some of the pieces as they were being done. Three of the pictures were quite striking large format oil paintings -- one of the head of a mountain sheep, one of a wooden carving that guards the shrine gates, and one of two koi.
The first room had hand made items, and lots of older people. There were, for example, 10 similar calligraphy hangings, 10 similar hand-sewed bags, and other crafts including knitting, oil painting, origami, wood projects, paper flowers and so on. It was as if I had been dropped into an Iowa County Fair, or even the Arlington Co. Fair.
Except here, everything was in multiples, with slight variations. There were no price tags, and there were no prizes pinned on things. I looked at some crocheted slippers -- slightly different sizes, and an assortment of colors. The nearby woman explained to me (in Japanese) that each slipper was made from 8 squares. Then she showed me with great reverence the work of her teacher. Suddenly I understood that the work was being displayed in groups as students displayed their work together. Now I related it to the displays at the end of our week of classes at the John Campbell folk school.
The second room had signs, "Home Do", and its focus was home remodeling. There were a couple of sample kitchens, some sample pieces of flooring, and lots of before/after remodeling posters. As well there were lots of empty tables, presumably at which it was hoped that contractors and homeowners would be sitting down. In fact, there was only one couple in the whole place. The recession may not be over yet....
And the third room was some sort of college student art show from an "Art Club". Almost all was two dimensional art, and a lot of it was "cute". There were a handful of students at tables by the entrance, and a handful of folks looking at the art. There was an interesting notebook available that showed some of the pieces as they were being done. Three of the pictures were quite striking large format oil paintings -- one of the head of a mountain sheep, one of a wooden carving that guards the shrine gates, and one of two koi.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
"Do you know the common rules for the disposal of garbage in the area where you live?"
These were among the instructions in the "Guide to living in Japan" that came with my visa.
In my first apartment, I was instructed to sort the glass bottles/cans/plastic PET bottles into clear bags for putting out on Thursdays, and to put the rest of the garbage/trash out in yellow bags on Tuesdays and Fridays. The bags were put just in front of the building at (more or less exactly) 8:00 am.
But they were not telling me the full story. On Wed. they also picked up clear bags that had all the other plastic in them. (There is a lot of other plastic, with bento boxes, plastic trays for the vegetables, and plastic boxes for the prepared food.)
As foretold in one of the newsletters for foreigners, I held my breath returning home the first few times on trash day, hoping that I had not screwed up, and that they had taken my garbage.
Sometimes I saw red bags with paper and cardboard at another location on another day of the week....
And in the office, there are 4 bins by the elevator:
raw garbage
burnable garbage
plastic/aluminum
PET bottle (but not lid)
Now at the new apartment, there are two big bins for "raw garbage" with any type of bag accepted. I see quite a lot of plastic in those bags. And there is a small bin for recycles -- somewhat unspecified. I am putting my plastics and other re-cycles there. My volume of re-cycles to regular (raw) garbage is about 6:1. Apparently this is privately collected.
"Easy Living in Kyoto," put out for foreigners in Japanese and English describes it a bit differently.
Burnables twice a week
Recycles: empty cans, glass bottles, and PET bottles, once a week
Plastic containers, once a month
Small metal items, once a month
Large items, furniture, etc. call
Dead pets, call and pay 4600 yen, unless it was a stray
Then there is a recycling section:
Appliances and electronics -- return where they were purchased, and pay a fee
Newspapers, magazines, and cardboard -- ask nieghbors or building superintendant -- there are trucks that come around, making music, that will take these and give you toilet paper or a few coins (I have not tried this yet)
Paper cartons -- wash cut open and dry. Collected at the Ward office and supermarkets
Dry Cell Batteries -- look for special collection boxes at Ward offices and other places
Used Tempura Oil -- bring to your Ward branch office
Lighters -- bring to your Ward branch office
I am doing my best!
And to reduce my catalogs coming to the Arlington address, I am using a service supported by the city of Arlington that makes it easy to stop each one (must enter some information from the labels):
https://arlingtonva.
-------------------
Now I have obtained from the Kyoto International Community House a 30 page set of instructions in English about the full system of protecting the environment through recycling. I have not fully studied it, but do note that there is an 800 yen fee for recycling a bowling ball -- I recall Dan at approximately age 6 finding a bowling ball in someone's trash on his way to school -- he rolled it to school and kept it for years.
In my first apartment, I was instructed to sort the glass bottles/cans/plastic PET bottles into clear bags for putting out on Thursdays, and to put the rest of the garbage/trash out in yellow bags on Tuesdays and Fridays. The bags were put just in front of the building at (more or less exactly) 8:00 am.
But they were not telling me the full story. On Wed. they also picked up clear bags that had all the other plastic in them. (There is a lot of other plastic, with bento boxes, plastic trays for the vegetables, and plastic boxes for the prepared food.)
As foretold in one of the newsletters for foreigners, I held my breath returning home the first few times on trash day, hoping that I had not screwed up, and that they had taken my garbage.
Sometimes I saw red bags with paper and cardboard at another location on another day of the week....
And in the office, there are 4 bins by the elevator:
raw garbage
burnable garbage
plastic/aluminum
PET bottle (but not lid)
Now at the new apartment, there are two big bins for "raw garbage" with any type of bag accepted. I see quite a lot of plastic in those bags. And there is a small bin for recycles -- somewhat unspecified. I am putting my plastics and other re-cycles there. My volume of re-cycles to regular (raw) garbage is about 6:1. Apparently this is privately collected.
"Easy Living in Kyoto," put out for foreigners in Japanese and English describes it a bit differently.
Burnables twice a week
Recycles: empty cans, glass bottles, and PET bottles, once a week
Plastic containers, once a month
Small metal items, once a month
Large items, furniture, etc. call
Dead pets, call and pay 4600 yen, unless it was a stray
Then there is a recycling section:
Appliances and electronics -- return where they were purchased, and pay a fee
Newspapers, magazines, and cardboard -- ask nieghbors or building superintendant -- there are trucks that come around, making music, that will take these and give you toilet paper or a few coins (I have not tried this yet)
Paper cartons -- wash cut open and dry. Collected at the Ward office and supermarkets
Dry Cell Batteries -- look for special collection boxes at Ward offices and other places
Used Tempura Oil -- bring to your Ward branch office
Lighters -- bring to your Ward branch office
I am doing my best!
And to reduce my catalogs coming to the Arlington address, I am using a service supported by the city of Arlington that makes it easy to stop each one (must enter some information from the labels):
https://arlingtonva.
-------------------
Now I have obtained from the Kyoto International Community House a 30 page set of instructions in English about the full system of protecting the environment through recycling. I have not fully studied it, but do note that there is an 800 yen fee for recycling a bowling ball -- I recall Dan at approximately age 6 finding a bowling ball in someone's trash on his way to school -- he rolled it to school and kept it for years.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
"You are welcome to participate in the "Disaster Drill'"
We responded to this flier and signed up for the Kyoto City Comprehensive Disaster Drill. The flier was in English, Japanese, and Chinese, and the event was translated into the English and Chinese.
When we arrived at the spot this morning, there were lots of people, and someone holding a sign. It took a minute to realize that this was our event. They checked off our names, gave us name tags, and reimbursed us for our bus fare. Everyone got a vest with the name of the event, and we were moved from spot to spot for a bit (much as we would be in a real disaster).
When we came up out of the station as a group, we could see that this was a very large event with lots of other groups of people, tents, emergency vehicles, stations. After some more waiting, we were given the chance to practice using AED devices on the same type of dummies that you train CPR on in the US. This was particularly useful for me because I was wondering how I would use an AED that spoke Japanese. There are lots of AED devices visible here, and response time for an ambulance is 7 minutes, so it makes sense to have everyone ready, foreigners included.
Call 119, not 911 in Japan.
Next station was water course. We put on boots, and walked through murky moving water with uncertain footing (we were given canes) to practice. And we had a chance to try to open a door that had 40 cm of water pressing against it (impossible).
Next station was an earthquake simulator. Four people stood at a kitchen table, then the truck shook like a 7 level earthquake. Each person needed to get the chair out of the way and crawl under the table in the midst of lots of movement. Will held on, but did not get under the table. Ooops.
Next stop was a seating section where we were given emergency rations to taste. Turns out it was more or less instant fried rice, and was quite good.
Then we watched an emergency scenario -- smoking bus, "person" squished under an heavy block and a smoking "building". When those were fixed, many "wounded" were taken off by firefighters, police, Red Cross, and "Self defense force" people.
Then there was smoke on top of a building with about 8 stories -- a helicopter delivered a person to the rooftop, and another person repelled down the outside. Then, a group of volunteer firefighters sprayed a lot of water. Finally the mayor gave a 5-minute speech.
For the firefighters, police, Red Cross, and "Self defense force" people, this was real training.
When we arrived at the spot this morning, there were lots of people, and someone holding a sign. It took a minute to realize that this was our event. They checked off our names, gave us name tags, and reimbursed us for our bus fare. Everyone got a vest with the name of the event, and we were moved from spot to spot for a bit (much as we would be in a real disaster).
When we came up out of the station as a group, we could see that this was a very large event with lots of other groups of people, tents, emergency vehicles, stations. After some more waiting, we were given the chance to practice using AED devices on the same type of dummies that you train CPR on in the US. This was particularly useful for me because I was wondering how I would use an AED that spoke Japanese. There are lots of AED devices visible here, and response time for an ambulance is 7 minutes, so it makes sense to have everyone ready, foreigners included.
Call 119, not 911 in Japan.
Next station was water course. We put on boots, and walked through murky moving water with uncertain footing (we were given canes) to practice. And we had a chance to try to open a door that had 40 cm of water pressing against it (impossible).
Next station was an earthquake simulator. Four people stood at a kitchen table, then the truck shook like a 7 level earthquake. Each person needed to get the chair out of the way and crawl under the table in the midst of lots of movement. Will held on, but did not get under the table. Ooops.
Next stop was a seating section where we were given emergency rations to taste. Turns out it was more or less instant fried rice, and was quite good.
Then we watched an emergency scenario -- smoking bus, "person" squished under an heavy block and a smoking "building". When those were fixed, many "wounded" were taken off by firefighters, police, Red Cross, and "Self defense force" people.
Then there was smoke on top of a building with about 8 stories -- a helicopter delivered a person to the rooftop, and another person repelled down the outside. Then, a group of volunteer firefighters sprayed a lot of water. Finally the mayor gave a 5-minute speech.
For the firefighters, police, Red Cross, and "Self defense force" people, this was real training.
"Please wait for a few minutes for the change of the driver."
"Please wait for a few minutes for the change of the driver."
Subtitile: Learning to ride the bus in Kyoto.
We do understand the basics -- get on the bus in the back, and pay 220 yen when you off in the front. Each bus stop has a name, and the name is posted electronically in the bus as well as announced. There is an excellent bus map well worth carrying with you. If you pay very careful attention, this can get you where you are going. At the bus stop there is a route map for each of the buses that stops there, as well as separate time schedules for weekdays, Saturdays, and Sundays/holidays.
But there are puzzling things. We are a couple of stops from a bus yard, and sometimes they will announce in English, "Please wait for a few minutes for the change of the driver." The driver undoes his seatbelt as we approach the stop, and collects his name plates from two display slots, bows to the passengers, and gets off. The next driver is ready to go with his microphone already attached to his hat, slips in his name plates, and heads off.
Occasionally, at the same spot, the bus will give its end-of-the-line announcement and everyone unloads. We walk to the next stop, and another bus comes along with the same number, but seems to cost two fares.
And one time, after this announcement, the driver got off, and a uniformed fellow stood in the doorway. After the bit, the driver came running back, probably from a bathroom break, and the other fellow left. All I could think of was the wonderful children's book, "Please don't let the pigeon drive the bus." Clearly the fellow in the doorway was making sure that the pigeon would not get on an try to drive the bus.
We recently learned that you can get a 500 yen pass for the day -- thus getting on and off as often as you wish. And today I learned that I can get a monthly pass and be done with always rummaging up cash. (Actually, you have to put the exact change in the slot, but the machine gives change from another slot.) It turns out that, with my pass, Will (as a family member) can come along for only 100 yen (instead of 220) on weekends and holidays.
Today we hopped on a bus to Kyoto Station, and as we were getting off, learned that it was not a copy bus -- and thus not covered by our 500 yen day pass......
And you have to think a lot about which side to wait on (since they drive on the opposite side of the road, and since the stops are not necessarily opposite one another.)
Overall, they come on time, run often, and work well.
Subtitile: Learning to ride the bus in Kyoto.
We do understand the basics -- get on the bus in the back, and pay 220 yen when you off in the front. Each bus stop has a name, and the name is posted electronically in the bus as well as announced. There is an excellent bus map well worth carrying with you. If you pay very careful attention, this can get you where you are going. At the bus stop there is a route map for each of the buses that stops there, as well as separate time schedules for weekdays, Saturdays, and Sundays/holidays.
But there are puzzling things. We are a couple of stops from a bus yard, and sometimes they will announce in English, "Please wait for a few minutes for the change of the driver." The driver undoes his seatbelt as we approach the stop, and collects his name plates from two display slots, bows to the passengers, and gets off. The next driver is ready to go with his microphone already attached to his hat, slips in his name plates, and heads off.
Occasionally, at the same spot, the bus will give its end-of-the-line announcement and everyone unloads. We walk to the next stop, and another bus comes along with the same number, but seems to cost two fares.
And one time, after this announcement, the driver got off, and a uniformed fellow stood in the doorway. After the bit, the driver came running back, probably from a bathroom break, and the other fellow left. All I could think of was the wonderful children's book, "Please don't let the pigeon drive the bus." Clearly the fellow in the doorway was making sure that the pigeon would not get on an try to drive the bus.
We recently learned that you can get a 500 yen pass for the day -- thus getting on and off as often as you wish. And today I learned that I can get a monthly pass and be done with always rummaging up cash. (Actually, you have to put the exact change in the slot, but the machine gives change from another slot.) It turns out that, with my pass, Will (as a family member) can come along for only 100 yen (instead of 220) on weekends and holidays.
Today we hopped on a bus to Kyoto Station, and as we were getting off, learned that it was not a copy bus -- and thus not covered by our 500 yen day pass......
And you have to think a lot about which side to wait on (since they drive on the opposite side of the road, and since the stops are not necessarily opposite one another.)
Overall, they come on time, run often, and work well.
What can be done while riding a bicycle in Japan?
I have seen the following things being done while riding a bicycle in Japan:
Holding an umbrella
Talking on the cell phone
Texting
Cleaning the fingernails of one hand with the nails of the other hand. Look Ma, no hands.
Carrying two kids in bike seats -- as well as their bags and some groceries. This is not unique to Japan -- daughter-in-law Liz does this in DC.
Playing a harmonica
Smoking
Carrying an 8 foot long Japanese archery bow
Carrying your boyfriend on the back of the bicycle, seated sideways.
As a high school student, carrying a large duffel bag on the back, a regular backpack on the front, and a medium sized bag from the handle bar.
As a middle-aged couple, biking together, each having a small dog in the front basket.
Carrying your girlfriend on the back of the bicycle, seated sideways -- with each of you having a back pack and a medium sized duffel bag.
With the typhoon coming, the carrying baskets had elastic-edged nylon or plastic covers like you can see on a backpack.
Carrying bags of bottles and cans for recycling. This morning a fellow came by on his bike with two gigantic bags strapped to the back, two very large bags dangling from the back of the bicycle, and 3 very large bags dangling from the front of the bicycle.
(Kids often wear helmets, adults do not.)
And today I saw two mothers, each with a child on the back of her bicycle, probably on their way to preschool. The mothers were chatting, and the children were content. The children's bike helmets were in the bike's front baskets.
Alternatively, I saw two children with their mother at the bus stop, and one of the children was wearing his bike helmet there -- no bike in sight.
Locking bikes:
Instructions from George Washington University:
"Know how to properly secure your bike. Use a steel U-lock and consider using multiple locks."
And to lock a bike in Japan, there is a flimsy lock ($2?) that keeps the wheel from turning. That is it. The bike is not locked to anything.
Holding an umbrella
Talking on the cell phone
Texting
Cleaning the fingernails of one hand with the nails of the other hand. Look Ma, no hands.
Carrying two kids in bike seats -- as well as their bags and some groceries. This is not unique to Japan -- daughter-in-law Liz does this in DC.
Playing a harmonica
Smoking
Carrying an 8 foot long Japanese archery bow
Carrying your boyfriend on the back of the bicycle, seated sideways.
As a high school student, carrying a large duffel bag on the back, a regular backpack on the front, and a medium sized bag from the handle bar.
As a middle-aged couple, biking together, each having a small dog in the front basket.
Carrying your girlfriend on the back of the bicycle, seated sideways -- with each of you having a back pack and a medium sized duffel bag.
With the typhoon coming, the carrying baskets had elastic-edged nylon or plastic covers like you can see on a backpack.
Carrying bags of bottles and cans for recycling. This morning a fellow came by on his bike with two gigantic bags strapped to the back, two very large bags dangling from the back of the bicycle, and 3 very large bags dangling from the front of the bicycle.
(Kids often wear helmets, adults do not.)
And today I saw two mothers, each with a child on the back of her bicycle, probably on their way to preschool. The mothers were chatting, and the children were content. The children's bike helmets were in the bike's front baskets.
Alternatively, I saw two children with their mother at the bus stop, and one of the children was wearing his bike helmet there -- no bike in sight.
Locking bikes:
Instructions from George Washington University:
"Know how to properly secure your bike. Use a steel U-lock and consider using multiple locks."
And to lock a bike in Japan, there is a flimsy lock ($2?) that keeps the wheel from turning. That is it. The bike is not locked to anything.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
More on the weather in Kyoto
I have discovered the "official" weather forecast for Kyoto from the Japan Meteorological Agency. Previously, some of the weather reports have been from the airport in Osaka -- nearby, but much cooler.
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/week/333.html
In the forecasts, they actually acknowledge an error band around the predictions and they rate the accuracy of their estimate as A, B, or C. And they even give you the percent correct for A and C predictions. The accuracy of the precipitation forecast was 86% for A level of confidence and 56% for C level of confidence.
I think this level of information is great -- and it make sense when you realize that all students get some statistics in high school.
None of this detail changes the fact that it will continue in the 90's and high 90's more or less indefinitely. Apparently fall comes with fall colors and cool weather in November. Kyoto is known to be particularly hot because it is surrounded by mountains that hold the air in.
Being surrounded by mountains was strategically a good idea back in the 8th century.......
None of this detail changes the fact that it will continue in the 90's and high 90's more or less indefinitely. Apparently fall comes with fall colors and cool weather in November. Kyoto is known to be particularly hot because it is surrounded by mountains that hold the air in.
Being surrounded by mountains was strategically a good idea back in the 8th century.......
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
So how hot is it? And why is the heat so oppressive?
This matters so much because it is not an automobile based society -- we, and the Japanese, are out in this sun. For me it is a 15 minute walk to the grocery store, and a 10 minute walk from the bus stop to my office. To go from the office to the gym/pool is a 20 minute walk, or a bit more. And it can take 10 minutes of waiting to get a bus mid-day. And, of course, visiting all these temples and shrines involves walking.
Sometimes we take a great interest in what is in the little shops that we pass -- just to enter and enjoy a few minutes of air conditioning.
30 = 86
35 = 95
40 = 104
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
What are they wearing, and what does that mean for me?
Mindful of the ongoing heat, the well dressed business man is wearing his dark suit and white shirt, but with no tie and an open collar. More men are wearing short sleeved shirts, with or without a tie, and no jacket.
There is a serious energy shortage -- all but a couple of the nuclear plants are turned off, and those remaining ones are going to be turned off in September for inspection. The high cost of imported fuel is cancelling out the impact of the favorable exchange rate on exports. So the air conditioning levels have been kept quite warm. The implication might be that layers are not needed indoors or out.
What are the women wearing? They are wearing layers, apparently for protection from the sun, and sometimes for modesty with short skirts or skimpy tops. The leggings come in white, black, and black/white patterned, and in lengths from above the knee to full length.
Women often have a sweater or long sleeved cotton or linen shirt to protect their arms from the sun. Sometimes a cotton scarf keeps the sun off the back of the neck. Women also wear sleeve protectors (like I wore to keep warm running) in various lengths to keep off the sun. Sometimes this takes the form of full length gloves, or fingerless elbow length gloves.
For the head, many women are wearing a hat, and carrying a UV umbrella for portable shade.
And the styles vary, from eclectic mixes of prints, stripes and patterns to tailored clothes that seems to come right from Eileen Fisher. Colors are muted: as a friend once described the fashions in New York, squirrel colors -- black, tan, grey.
I have looked for models of what professional women my age are wearing. But, there are almost no professional women my age.......
Some days I feel defiant and wear a bright print skirt with an orange top. In one shop I overheard them saying my print/orange outfit was cute! Not my usual category. Or I might wear a bright blue top or scarf with my wonderful going-away bright blue earrings. Other days I am as muted as the Japanese. I have been coveting, and so shopped.
I picked out a couple of things to try on, and was invited into a try-on-booth. Immediately I was corrected for stepping onto the round rug in the middle of the booth with my shoes. And I was asked to use the face cover when trying on -- presumably so that I would not get my makeup (?) all over the clothes. The face cover was lightweight non-woven fabric more or less shaped like a bag.
I now have some of the proper accessories -- lightweight hat, grey cotton scarf, 100% cotton long sleeved shirt in off white, lightweight dark blue sweater, and UV umbrella with lace around the edge. I will seek out more sun protection, even though I put sunscreen on my face and arms every morning.
There is a serious energy shortage -- all but a couple of the nuclear plants are turned off, and those remaining ones are going to be turned off in September for inspection. The high cost of imported fuel is cancelling out the impact of the favorable exchange rate on exports. So the air conditioning levels have been kept quite warm. The implication might be that layers are not needed indoors or out.
What are the women wearing? They are wearing layers, apparently for protection from the sun, and sometimes for modesty with short skirts or skimpy tops. The leggings come in white, black, and black/white patterned, and in lengths from above the knee to full length.
Women often have a sweater or long sleeved cotton or linen shirt to protect their arms from the sun. Sometimes a cotton scarf keeps the sun off the back of the neck. Women also wear sleeve protectors (like I wore to keep warm running) in various lengths to keep off the sun. Sometimes this takes the form of full length gloves, or fingerless elbow length gloves.
For the head, many women are wearing a hat, and carrying a UV umbrella for portable shade.
And the styles vary, from eclectic mixes of prints, stripes and patterns to tailored clothes that seems to come right from Eileen Fisher. Colors are muted: as a friend once described the fashions in New York, squirrel colors -- black, tan, grey.
I have looked for models of what professional women my age are wearing. But, there are almost no professional women my age.......
Some days I feel defiant and wear a bright print skirt with an orange top. In one shop I overheard them saying my print/orange outfit was cute! Not my usual category. Or I might wear a bright blue top or scarf with my wonderful going-away bright blue earrings. Other days I am as muted as the Japanese. I have been coveting, and so shopped.
I picked out a couple of things to try on, and was invited into a try-on-booth. Immediately I was corrected for stepping onto the round rug in the middle of the booth with my shoes. And I was asked to use the face cover when trying on -- presumably so that I would not get my makeup (?) all over the clothes. The face cover was lightweight non-woven fabric more or less shaped like a bag.
I now have some of the proper accessories -- lightweight hat, grey cotton scarf, 100% cotton long sleeved shirt in off white, lightweight dark blue sweater, and UV umbrella with lace around the edge. I will seek out more sun protection, even though I put sunscreen on my face and arms every morning.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Fears, founded and unfounded
Two Japanese encounters are especially scary. First, taxis. The driver more or less expects you to know where you are going, and he expects you to be able to give him directions. The first time I tried to get to my old apartment, we drove right past it because I had never approached it from that direction. I got about 3 blocks away. Next time I got within a couple of blocks. then I got right around the corner.
We have practiced giving directions in my Japanese class, and those were very practical lessons.
The new apartment is easier for directing a taxi because it is near a major intersection. It is easy to take a taxi to the station because little direction needs to be provided.
The second scary encounter is getting my hair cut -- my hair is getting longer and longer while I work up my courage. When I was here 25 years ago, the first time I went for a haircut, I took 3 dictionaries. And the first thing they did was take my purse and put it, with the dictionaries, into a locker. I will keep you posted.
Actual fears -- getting run over by a car or a bicycle. Many people get around by bicycle, without either helmets or bike lanes. They ride on the sidewalks -- which vary from particularly narrow to quite wide. There is no system for who gets which part of the path, and bicycles seem to assume some right-of-way. Sometimes they signal when overtaking, but not necessarily. I try to find someone to walk behind who would be hit before me.....
And the cars also seem to assume some priority, even when I am in the crosswalk, crossing with the light. They come quite close to pedestrians when making their turns.
Actual/not? The Lonely Planet guide suggest that Japan is not a safe place for a woman -- even though it is particularly safe in so many other ways. I use caution, and stay away from where men have been drinking at night.
When to bow
In Japan, bowing these days is often just a small lean or a small nod of the head. So, when is it called for? Meeting up with people you know or saying thank you (arigato gozaimasu) is usually accompanied by a small bow. But when else?
As the conductor on the train is leaving the car, he or she turns to face the car, says some thing softly and bows.
A car slowed down as it was turning turn to let two pedestrians cross in the crosswalk. They paused for a short bow before scurrying across.
In the museum, the guards bowed as we entered the room. (And it turns out that an airconditioned museum is a good spot on a hot day.)
The fire truck was coming along with its siren, and a couple of firefighters bowed to the driver who pulled over so it could pass.
As the conductor on the train is leaving the car, he or she turns to face the car, says some thing softly and bows.
A car slowed down as it was turning turn to let two pedestrians cross in the crosswalk. They paused for a short bow before scurrying across.
In the museum, the guards bowed as we entered the room. (And it turns out that an airconditioned museum is a good spot on a hot day.)
The fire truck was coming along with its siren, and a couple of firefighters bowed to the driver who pulled over so it could pass.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Immigration/Will's arrival
After 17 days at sea, Will's ship, the Figaro, arrived on time in Yokohama. He had been given access to e-mail on the ship, so was able to give some updates to the arrival plans. We agreed to meet at the immigration center -- an agent would guide him there.
I took the shinkansen (bullet train) to Yokohama from Kyoto, then a taxi to the port. I was very relieved to see water when I was dropped off. I was left off near immigration, and guided to the large passenger terminal. Someone was going towards the port with a suitcase, and away from the port with a Port Yokohama shopping bag. But as I went up, it was clear that it was closed for immigration.
No Will.
I found an information desk, and the woman there explained that immigration was only open when passenger ships came in. She made a couple of calls. She was just finding out about the second immigration office when Will called my Japanese cell phone on his agent's Japanese cell. The two offices were only a 5 minute walk apart, and we were quickly united!
It was quite a schlep to haul his gear back to Kyoto. After one night in the small apartment, we moved to the new larger apartment, with more room for stuff and Nick!
For more on Will's journey, take a look at his blog.
wchayes142.wordpress.com
I took the shinkansen (bullet train) to Yokohama from Kyoto, then a taxi to the port. I was very relieved to see water when I was dropped off. I was left off near immigration, and guided to the large passenger terminal. Someone was going towards the port with a suitcase, and away from the port with a Port Yokohama shopping bag. But as I went up, it was clear that it was closed for immigration.
No Will.
I found an information desk, and the woman there explained that immigration was only open when passenger ships came in. She made a couple of calls. She was just finding out about the second immigration office when Will called my Japanese cell phone on his agent's Japanese cell. The two offices were only a 5 minute walk apart, and we were quickly united!
It was quite a schlep to haul his gear back to Kyoto. After one night in the small apartment, we moved to the new larger apartment, with more room for stuff and Nick!
For more on Will's journey, take a look at his blog.
wchayes142.wordpress.com
Hiking near Nara -- Yama-no-be-michi
Nick and I set out for a hike near Nara last weekend. We chose one that is recommended in "Hiking in Japan": Yama-no-be-no-michi. First, when we got off the train, we saw several large hotel-like buildings in the direction of the temple complex that we were to pass through. Less than 200 years ago, a 41-year old woman had started this new branch of Buddhism, and there are now 3,000,000 followers worldwide. What we were seeing was lots of housing for the pilgrims.
Then we entered 3 or 4 blocks of covered market. There was the usual assortment of pickle shops, sweet shops, small restaurants, small hardware-type shops, clothes shops, etc. Plus there were a large number of religious shops with statues, clothes, incense.
As Nick was in the bathroom, a man came by and asked if he could practice English with me. I agreed to do so for a few minutes. First he asked if I was a believer. He was pleased that I could tell him somethings about this sect. He was a believer, and was born and lived in this town.
Next we entered the grounds of the huge temple, and entered the main temple building. As with the other temples, there were 3 large areas (right, left and center), but in this case, each was large enough to probably seat a thousand people on the tatami mats. There were only 50 people there at that moment, but they were worshiping with hand motions and some chanting/singing. It was an incredibly peaceful spot (and out of the sun).
Nick and I had bought bentos (lunches) as the trail turned past a "Family Mart" conbini (convenience store) on its way to the edge of town. As soon as we were in more countryside, we ate our lunch by bamboo, cooled by the sounds of a stream. Even with the high heat, we agreed to go along a bit further. The trail was puzzling, and it was hot, so we decided to follow the signs with maple leaves (to guide those seeking fall colors) because they went into the cooler woods.
Those signs did lead us into the side entrance of the small temple that was out next stop. From there the trail lead past some rice fields, persimmon trees, and grape vines. We also passed the site of a very old, now gone, temple from 1100.
In the distance we heard some shouting, chanting, and metallic drumming. Those sounds faded, then started up again around another bend. I suggested that this might be some celebration for Obon, the welcoming back of the spirits of the ancestors that is underway. I also suggested that there were many parts of the world where the enthusiasm and even aggression of those noises might have been scary.
Finally, in the distance, we saw the high net fences that indicate a baseball field! We had been hearing enthusiastic cheering for local games!
Next stop was a "small rural shrine" that was closed up. There was, however, shade, and benches for resting. This was another peaceful place.
A little further along, 3 hikers were coming out of a shed-like building. They explained that for 100 yen we could get a dish of watermelon out of the fridge, and that we could have free mugicha (roasted barley tea). This proved another nice shady resting stop. We pretty much ignored the small town with "traditional Japanese homes" because it looked more or less like Kyoto.
At that point, it was too hot to go on, so we cut short the hike by walking a kilometer or so to the next train station, and returned to Kyoto. The weather report seemed to indicate a high of 97 (plus high humidity) -- no wonder we were hot!
Understanding and using Japanese as an altered state
I have just finished the Kyoto International Community Center's second level Japanese class. It is called Easy Japanese, but was, in fact, difficult at times. It was particularly well taught and participatory. As I indicated, each of us did in fact improve our Japanese. I will probably re-take it when it starts again in the fall.
When I look at a page of homework written entirely in Japanese, I am immediately convinced that I cannot possibly understand any of it. But there is another place, an altered state, that I can enter and slowly decipher the written Japanese, and even provide written answers. And I no longer plan everything I want to say during an encounter -- for example ordering my cell phone or guiding a taxi. Instead, I enter that other place in my mind, and muddle through with limited Japanese.
I even took a phone call from my gym in Japanese. I am not saying I understood much of it, but we communicated what we needed. And the next day, we did our business in person in Japanese.
When I look at a page of homework written entirely in Japanese, I am immediately convinced that I cannot possibly understand any of it. But there is another place, an altered state, that I can enter and slowly decipher the written Japanese, and even provide written answers. And I no longer plan everything I want to say during an encounter -- for example ordering my cell phone or guiding a taxi. Instead, I enter that other place in my mind, and muddle through with limited Japanese.
I even took a phone call from my gym in Japanese. I am not saying I understood much of it, but we communicated what we needed. And the next day, we did our business in person in Japanese.
What has changed in the 25 years since I lived here before?
Very little.
The air quality is better, and there are not belching smokestacks. There is seldom open burning. (Though smaller towns do have some open burning.)
Children's playgrounds had rusting equipment and weedy yards 25 years ago -- they still do.
I see more father's carrying and playing with their babies.
There is less visible pornography.
You can still get beer, cigarettes, and sake out of vending machines.
Children still wear school uniforms for middle school and high school.
Most everyone is still quiet, polite, and well dressed.
More Japanese families seem to be tourists, but perhaps it appears that way because I am in Kyoto. The biggest groups of tourists come from Taiwan, China, and South Korea.
There are still a myriad of small shops and small restaurants on regular streets and in covered markets.
There still appears to be a recession, but the news indicates that things are looking up.
"Universal accommodations" has meant that many of the squat toilets now have grab bars to facilitate getting up.
There are still no paper towels or air driers in the bathrooms (bring your own handkerchief), though there is now usually toilet paper -- which used to be another bring-your-own-item.
Bathrooms smell better.
The air quality is better, and there are not belching smokestacks. There is seldom open burning. (Though smaller towns do have some open burning.)
Children's playgrounds had rusting equipment and weedy yards 25 years ago -- they still do.
I see more father's carrying and playing with their babies.
There is less visible pornography.
You can still get beer, cigarettes, and sake out of vending machines.
Children still wear school uniforms for middle school and high school.
Most everyone is still quiet, polite, and well dressed.
More Japanese families seem to be tourists, but perhaps it appears that way because I am in Kyoto. The biggest groups of tourists come from Taiwan, China, and South Korea.
There are still a myriad of small shops and small restaurants on regular streets and in covered markets.
There still appears to be a recession, but the news indicates that things are looking up.
"Universal accommodations" has meant that many of the squat toilets now have grab bars to facilitate getting up.
There are still no paper towels or air driers in the bathrooms (bring your own handkerchief), though there is now usually toilet paper -- which used to be another bring-your-own-item.
Bathrooms smell better.
How I know that I am not in greater DC
I have only seen two escalators out of order in 6 weeks (and one looked like routine maintenance with a vacuum cleaner).
Almost no one is overweight.
Most people get around by public transportation or bicycle.
The fireworks that Nick and I went to lasted an HOUR. There were a few pauses of 3 to 4 minutes, but still.... And they were spectacular with many multiple deployments and interesting shapes like the dragon flies and smiley faces.
Police officers ride scooters.
The taxi cars are clean, with white fabric covers on the seats and white gloved drivers. No smoke smell, no phone calls, no radio. The driver opens the doors some secret way from the inside. A couple of times a cab has signaled that it would stop, then has driven on by when it saw who we were. (That might not be so different from some people's experiences in DC.)
Almost no one is overweight.
Most people get around by public transportation or bicycle.
The fireworks that Nick and I went to lasted an HOUR. There were a few pauses of 3 to 4 minutes, but still.... And they were spectacular with many multiple deployments and interesting shapes like the dragon flies and smiley faces.
Police officers ride scooters.
The taxi cars are clean, with white fabric covers on the seats and white gloved drivers. No smoke smell, no phone calls, no radio. The driver opens the doors some secret way from the inside. A couple of times a cab has signaled that it would stop, then has driven on by when it saw who we were. (That might not be so different from some people's experiences in DC.)
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Wire transfer
In order to have more of a financial cushion, I initiated a wire transfer of money from my Credit Union to my Japanese bank. Quite an ordeal.
1. I went on-line to get the Credit Union form.
2. I took it to my bank here to get the routing numbers and codes.
3. I brought it to the office here at the university, and asked if they could FAX it for me. They did, and indicated that I should check back in a few hours for confirmation that it had been received. It was received.
4. I used Google Voice (at one cent a minute) to phone the Credit Union and answer all their security questions. They had the FAX, and made the transfer.
5. When I finally got my cash card yesterday, I looked at the balance to see if the funds had been credited. No.
6. This morning I went to the bank to enquire (in Japanese). They showed me the wire transfer form -- it had only "Marguerite Barratt" on it, thus not matching my bank book, "Barratt Marguerite Elizabeth". I had to fill out a form, in my own writing, attesting to the fact that this was one in the same person. I made an error as I completed the form, crossed it out with a straight line drawn by ruler, and marked the strike-out with a stamp from my hanko (seal).
At this point they went into Japanese that I could not understand. I asked them to repeat slowly. I still did not get it, so they had someone in back write it out in English. They wanted to know what I was going to do with the money????? I indicated (in Japanese) that I would buy food and drink, and do usual things. That seemed to be a satisfactory explanation.
After 45 minutes at the bank, they indicated that the funds would be deposited later in the day today!
1. I went on-line to get the Credit Union form.
2. I took it to my bank here to get the routing numbers and codes.
3. I brought it to the office here at the university, and asked if they could FAX it for me. They did, and indicated that I should check back in a few hours for confirmation that it had been received. It was received.
4. I used Google Voice (at one cent a minute) to phone the Credit Union and answer all their security questions. They had the FAX, and made the transfer.
5. When I finally got my cash card yesterday, I looked at the balance to see if the funds had been credited. No.
6. This morning I went to the bank to enquire (in Japanese). They showed me the wire transfer form -- it had only "Marguerite Barratt" on it, thus not matching my bank book, "Barratt Marguerite Elizabeth". I had to fill out a form, in my own writing, attesting to the fact that this was one in the same person. I made an error as I completed the form, crossed it out with a straight line drawn by ruler, and marked the strike-out with a stamp from my hanko (seal).
At this point they went into Japanese that I could not understand. I asked them to repeat slowly. I still did not get it, so they had someone in back write it out in English. They wanted to know what I was going to do with the money????? I indicated (in Japanese) that I would buy food and drink, and do usual things. That seemed to be a satisfactory explanation.
After 45 minutes at the bank, they indicated that the funds would be deposited later in the day today!
Cash card (and the ceramics festival)
About 10 days after I arrived, my host professor took me to open a bank account. This was a moment of great relief for me because I had in my possession over $12,000 worth of cash from Fulbright. Yes, a huge stack of 10,000 bills ($100) worth over 12,000 dollars.
We ordered a cash card (debit card). I kept thinking it would come into the mail slot on my door. But it did not. After maybe 2 or 3 weeks, nothing had come, so I searched for another mailbox. Turns out there was one on the side of the building that held a lot of junk mail, PLUS a postcard addressed to me and written in Japanese.
One of the support staff at work helped me realize that this was an attempted delivery notice, and it had taken so long for me to find it that the mailed item had been returned to the sender (presumably the bank).
So I went to the bank with the notice and asked if it might be possible to pick up the card at the bank. They indicated that was not possible, but that they would try to send the the card again. They emphasized the importance of putting my name on my mailbox. Unaccompanied women everywhere are reluctant to announce their presence, but I cut the name off my name card (in katakana) and taped it on the mailbox.
Monday I discovered an item with my name on it in the mailbox on my door. Since this door is inside a locked lobby, I thought it might have to do with my rental. I was paying the rest of the rent that day, so shared the notice with the rental agent. He indicated that it was an attempted delivery notice, phoned the post office, and asked me to choose from several time slots. I thought that it would be re-delivered in that time slot.
But nothing happened during that time slot. So Wed. I went to the nearest post office. The clerk kindly showed me on my map where my main post office was, and I went there, was shown to the right window, and got my card!
My first attempt at using the card was at a combini (convenience store). I pushed the button for English, it lead me on a couple of steps, then it said it could not provide guidance in English, and this I must press cancel. Finally, the machine at the post office gave me cash! And, I noticed, I could have put in my bank book at any time to get cash........
Wait, I said above that I paid the rest of my rent. What this means was that I paid $5000 cash (in yen) to complete the payment for the entire 6 months that we will be in the larger apartment. Yes, I have not moved in yet, and have paid the entire rental amount in cash.
As I was walking from the small post office to the main post office for my neighborhood, I saw a multilingual sign like they use at historical sites. It said that this was a neighborhood famous for potters, and that they had a pottery festival every year from from August 6 to 10. Darned if it was not the morning of August 6, and tons of vendors were setting up for the pottery festival! And I now have some interesting small items.
We ordered a cash card (debit card). I kept thinking it would come into the mail slot on my door. But it did not. After maybe 2 or 3 weeks, nothing had come, so I searched for another mailbox. Turns out there was one on the side of the building that held a lot of junk mail, PLUS a postcard addressed to me and written in Japanese.
One of the support staff at work helped me realize that this was an attempted delivery notice, and it had taken so long for me to find it that the mailed item had been returned to the sender (presumably the bank).
So I went to the bank with the notice and asked if it might be possible to pick up the card at the bank. They indicated that was not possible, but that they would try to send the the card again. They emphasized the importance of putting my name on my mailbox. Unaccompanied women everywhere are reluctant to announce their presence, but I cut the name off my name card (in katakana) and taped it on the mailbox.
Monday I discovered an item with my name on it in the mailbox on my door. Since this door is inside a locked lobby, I thought it might have to do with my rental. I was paying the rest of the rent that day, so shared the notice with the rental agent. He indicated that it was an attempted delivery notice, phoned the post office, and asked me to choose from several time slots. I thought that it would be re-delivered in that time slot.
But nothing happened during that time slot. So Wed. I went to the nearest post office. The clerk kindly showed me on my map where my main post office was, and I went there, was shown to the right window, and got my card!
My first attempt at using the card was at a combini (convenience store). I pushed the button for English, it lead me on a couple of steps, then it said it could not provide guidance in English, and this I must press cancel. Finally, the machine at the post office gave me cash! And, I noticed, I could have put in my bank book at any time to get cash........
Wait, I said above that I paid the rest of my rent. What this means was that I paid $5000 cash (in yen) to complete the payment for the entire 6 months that we will be in the larger apartment. Yes, I have not moved in yet, and have paid the entire rental amount in cash.
As I was walking from the small post office to the main post office for my neighborhood, I saw a multilingual sign like they use at historical sites. It said that this was a neighborhood famous for potters, and that they had a pottery festival every year from from August 6 to 10. Darned if it was not the morning of August 6, and tons of vendors were setting up for the pottery festival! And I now have some interesting small items.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
U Vou tex
U Vou tex is the tag on my new umbrella. This umbrella is made in China, and labeled only for sale in Japan.
This one is for the sun -- which is terribly hot and oppressive. Rather than use my basic rain umbrella for the sun, I now have a sun umbrella which is edged in a bit of lace like the ones carried by the Japanese women. For the grand sum of 525 yen, about $5.00, I have an umbrella complete with instructions:
Precautions for use
*This product has a pointed end. Be sure to check the safety of your surroundings before using this umbrella.
* Do not use this umbrella as a walking stick
*Do not use the umbrella if the handle or the rip tips are damaged
*Do not swing or throw the umbrella around
*Do not use the umbrella against gale force wind and downpours as it may break
*Do not touch the rib structure fo the umbrella
*When the umbrella is not completely dry, keep it away from clothing and other itmes as it may cause color transfer.
*PLEASE WATCH YOUNG CHILDREN WHEN THEY USE THE UMBRELLA
This one is for the sun -- which is terribly hot and oppressive. Rather than use my basic rain umbrella for the sun, I now have a sun umbrella which is edged in a bit of lace like the ones carried by the Japanese women. For the grand sum of 525 yen, about $5.00, I have an umbrella complete with instructions:
Precautions for use
*This product has a pointed end. Be sure to check the safety of your surroundings before using this umbrella.
* Do not use this umbrella as a walking stick
*Do not use the umbrella if the handle or the rip tips are damaged
*Do not swing or throw the umbrella around
*Do not use the umbrella against gale force wind and downpours as it may break
*Do not touch the rib structure fo the umbrella
*When the umbrella is not completely dry, keep it away from clothing and other itmes as it may cause color transfer.
*PLEASE WATCH YOUNG CHILDREN WHEN THEY USE THE UMBRELLA
Friday, August 2, 2013
Climbing Mount Fuji
Peg, Nick and Nick’s friend Derek set out yesterday morning
from Kyoto for Mount Fuji. Preparations included assembling and sharing all the
warm clothes that we had. A trip to the hundred yen store helped out with extra
rain gear, batteries for the flashlights, and as recommended by the guidebook,
a small towel for each of us. We also accumulated a number of ¥100 coins, as
suggested, for the pay toilets. The outfitting process also including finding a
replacement backpack for Derek -- his backpack blew out earlier on the trip.
We took a taxi to the station, and the Shinkansen (bullet
train) to Shin-Fuji. A very helpful
person at the information desk got us onto the right bus for the Fujinomiya
trailhead. Kyoto is at an elevation of
near sea level, and the bus took us to the 5th station at an elevation of 2,400
meters. The bus stopped for about 10
min. at a shrine on the way up so that we could pray for a successful ascent of
Mount Fuji.
We started hiking at a little before 2 PM with the goal of
reaching the 8th station, where we had a reservation for the night, by 6 PM for
dinner. Clearly Nick and Derek hiked faster than I did, but they waited at each
of the stations for me to catch up. This is not a wilderness experience. As far
as the eye can see in all directions is volcanic rubble, with a very few
flowering plants. There are lots of other hikers taking the same route, so we
were constantly greeting and greeted by people coming down, “Konichi-wa.”
6th station 2,490 meters
new 7th station 2,780 meters
old 7th station 3,010 meters
8th station 3,250 meters
top 3,776 meters
The map actually gives the times traveling between the
stations instead of distances because the distances are so deceptively short. We stayed fairly close to the time estimates,
even with me walking somewhat deliberately.
I was following along with the family with 3 children, one
of them are girl quite young, so I asked how old she was. Dad indicated that
she was 7, and the other 2 kids were about 10 and 12. Dad added that he was 44. This family had a guide, and we saw other
guided groups. We also saw quite a few
other children, with families, with one parent, or with one grandparent. And we saw a school group of about 125 middle
school girls, attended to by about 5 adults.
Mostly we saw young adults, but there were certainly elderly people too.
The estimated time between the old 7th station and the 8th
station was listed as 40 minutes. But I
was clearly lagging on this leg. It wasn't until I was fully at the 8th station
that I realized that I was experiencing a mild level of altitude sickness. This
feels approximately like a combination of the flu, morning sickness, and car
sickness, but without the fever. Dinner was served at the station, but I was
only deep able to eat a couple bites of white rice. Derek and Nick were pleased to help eat the
rest of my dinner. I was trying to
figure out what to eat when I remembered the value of crackers in morning
sickness, so I bought Ritz crackers. The sports drink Aquarius that I had
carried up, and Ritz crackers got me through till morning, when I was feeling
quite a bit better. I felt better
sitting up, so slept part of the night sitting up – I have had a lot of
practice sleeping sitting up in semi-darkened rooms with Power Point
presentations and on economy flights.
For sleeping accommodations, we climbed up a ladder to a
space for the 3 of us that was about the size of a queen bed. Walls of about 15 inches height separated us from the
other groups. There was a very thin
mattress on the bottom and 2 thick quilts for the top. Very cozy. And not terribly sanitary. There was room to sit up, and for the people
below us to sit up. There were hooks for hanging the backpacks, but once the
backpacks were hung, it was hard to sit up.
They explained to us that there would be to wake up calls at
2 AM and 4:30 AM. The 2 AM wake-up call was for people like Nick and Derek who
were going to climb to the top to watch the sunrise from the top of Mount Fuji.
The 4:30 wake-up call was for those of us who were going to watch the sun rise
from station 8.
Needless to say everyone went right to sleep after dinner.
In fact, most people were asleep before 8 o'clock lights out. I looked outside a couple of times in the
night, and you could see dots of light from people's headlamps as they were
climbing Fuji at night.
Nick and Derek made to the top, with about 20 cold minutes
to spare before the time for the sun to come up. Unfortunately the top was in
the clouds. They did walk by some patches of snow. Because the clouds were
close in and visibility was low, they did not walk all the way around the
caldera before descending. We met up at station 8 and ascended more or less
together. Because it was now morning,
“Ohio Gozaimasu” was the greeting.
The whole thing felt like a cultural experience. Most of the
hikers were Japanese, many were carrying wooden hiking sticks that they had
branded, ¥100, at each of the stations as they went up. We saw the towels tied on people’s backpack,
draped around their neck to keep off the sun, and tied around their heads.
Not surprisingly, we slept most of the bus trip down to the
station, and train trip back to Kyoto. Seems incredible that we did so much in
so little time. People suggested that it
was disappointing that it was cloudy, but the clouds were visually interesting,
and with only intermittent sun, we did not need to worry about sunburn. We felt very fortunate that we did not have
the harsh rainy windy weather that can come to Mount Fuji, even this time of
year.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Japanese class
At the Kyoto International Community Center I am taking a second level Japanese class twice a week for 2 hours at a time. The other students are from China (2), Korea (2), France, and Canada. The teacher is doing a good job -- Japanese only. We have to stand in front of the class with a classmate and present dialogues, write answers on the board in hiragana (one of the phonetic alphabets), and complete written homework. What is amazing is that it is working! Each of us is getting better with our Japanese.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Volcanologists, Peg as tour guide
Volcanologists, Peg as tour guide
After the volcanology conference in southwestern Japan, I
had a visit from 3 researchers who were sent my direction by daughter-in-law
Liz. They had a short stop in Kyoto
between their conference and the old capital Nara. We had a really nice several course lunch at
a low table in a tatami mat room.
Featured was a warmed soft tofu dish served with a soy sauce-type sauce
that is typical of Kyoto.
Then we went to the Kyoto food market – maybe more like
Eastern Market in DC than a farmer’s market.
Lots of pickled things, strange seafood, dried fish, and other
oddities. One of the more strange items
was a small octopus on a stick, with a note that the head had been stuffed with
a quail egg. I did not try it.
They were also able to find a good assortment of souvenirs –
hand painted fans with bamboo stands and chopsticks engraved with their names
and those of their friends. They selected katakana – the writing system for
foreign words – for the engraving. And
there is an awesome knife shop where they got a handmade fish knife. It was sharpened right as they bought it -- with the front 4 inches very sharp, then
the back of the blade not so sharp – so that the back would be stronger for
cutting the bones as needed.
The flier from the knife shop says, “For over 4 centuries,
the Aritsugu family has been creating Japan’s finest quality cutlery and
cookware. Since 1560, 18 generations of
the Aritsugu family have continued to pass along the forging techniques
preferred by the Imperial family.
Located on nishiki Market, known as ‘Kyoto’s Kitchen’, Aritsugu provides
Japan’s leading chefs with hand-crafter knives and cooking utensils, especially
those used in preparing traditional Kyoto cuisine.”
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