Tuesday, 31 December 2013
Unfortunate shop signs
Sorry, no accident-prevention signs today. Instead, here's an unfortunate shop sign. We didn't venture in. The mind boggles.
Location:Kobe, Japan
From Kyoto to Kobe
Day 5 in Japan, starting in Kyoto and ending in Kobe. After the usual breakfast in our local cafe - doorstep thick toast and boiled egg ...
... we set off to the extreme east of Kyoto, the districts of Higashiyama and Gion. Here there are warrens of tiny streets and traditional houses.
Towering above them is a huge statue of Buddha,
an ancient Pagoda,
and the impressive Kodaiji temple. Though far less well known than many other temples in Kyoto, we found this one to be really impressive, with its 16th century buildings, tea houses, gardens, pond and bridges.
Sitting at the border between mountains and city, Kodaiji also seems to bridge the old and the new in Kyoto. Being the first to arrive, we also had the temple almost to ourselves.
After a long explore of Higashiyama in the sunshine, we squeezed in a visit to Yasaka shrine, and then headed to the train station to go to our next destination - the port city of Kobe.
Kobe was, of course, badly damaged by a giant earthquake in 1995, but much has been rebuilt. We are staying right in the centre, amidst the bright lights, neon signs, food stalls and pachinko halls. The hotel itself had styled itself on a 'British theme', including Oxford college crests on the dining room wall (!) which seem crazily incongruous in this setting.
Above 'feeling at home'; below 'sushi on the Union Jack'
It is now New Year's Eve, and so for our last adventure of 2013 we headed to Ikuta shrine in Kobe to see the preparations for the celebrations. Dozens of stalls were being set up to sell food, including toffee apples and fried chicken (which the boys headed for), and fried octopus on a stick (which seemed less appealing).
... we set off to the extreme east of Kyoto, the districts of Higashiyama and Gion. Here there are warrens of tiny streets and traditional houses.
Towering above them is a huge statue of Buddha,
an ancient Pagoda,
and the impressive Kodaiji temple. Though far less well known than many other temples in Kyoto, we found this one to be really impressive, with its 16th century buildings, tea houses, gardens, pond and bridges.
Sitting at the border between mountains and city, Kodaiji also seems to bridge the old and the new in Kyoto. Being the first to arrive, we also had the temple almost to ourselves.
After a long explore of Higashiyama in the sunshine, we squeezed in a visit to Yasaka shrine, and then headed to the train station to go to our next destination - the port city of Kobe.
Kobe was, of course, badly damaged by a giant earthquake in 1995, but much has been rebuilt. We are staying right in the centre, amidst the bright lights, neon signs, food stalls and pachinko halls. The hotel itself had styled itself on a 'British theme', including Oxford college crests on the dining room wall (!) which seem crazily incongruous in this setting.
Above 'feeling at home'; below 'sushi on the Union Jack'
It is now New Year's Eve, and so for our last adventure of 2013 we headed to Ikuta shrine in Kobe to see the preparations for the celebrations. Dozens of stalls were being set up to sell food, including toffee apples and fried chicken (which the boys headed for), and fried octopus on a stick (which seemed less appealing).
Location:Kyoto and Kobe
Monday, 30 December 2013
Monkeying around in Kyoto
Fourth day in Japan. Another bright and sunny day, frosty and cold. After an early breakfast at our local friendly cafe, we caught a tram, on the only remaining tram line in Kyoto, to the extreme west of the city - an area called Arashiyama.
Here the city abruptly meets the mountains, and in them there mountains there be monkeys! Lots of monkeys!! Japanese macaques or snow monkeys to be precise, a species endemic to Japan. We hiked for half an hour up the mountain, learning about the habits of macaques - such as this one....
Yes, looks like they eat 'beatles' - so Paul McCartney had better be careful.
At the top, the macaques were everywhere...
... and if you went in a cage (the humans not monkeys in the cage) you could feed the monkeys through the bars. The cage is for safety, as these guys can be pretty aggressive at times. They are a wild colony and not tame.
Then back down the mountain, a walk through a bamboo garden, visits to a few assorted shrines and temples, and up to the top of Kyoto's tallest landmark, the Kyoto tower.....
... before a well earned beer from the ubiquitous vending machines.
Here the city abruptly meets the mountains, and in them there mountains there be monkeys! Lots of monkeys!! Japanese macaques or snow monkeys to be precise, a species endemic to Japan. We hiked for half an hour up the mountain, learning about the habits of macaques - such as this one....
Yes, looks like they eat 'beatles' - so Paul McCartney had better be careful.
At the top, the macaques were everywhere...
... and if you went in a cage (the humans not monkeys in the cage) you could feed the monkeys through the bars. The cage is for safety, as these guys can be pretty aggressive at times. They are a wild colony and not tame.
Then back down the mountain, a walk through a bamboo garden, visits to a few assorted shrines and temples, and up to the top of Kyoto's tallest landmark, the Kyoto tower.....
... before a well earned beer from the ubiquitous vending machines.
Sunday, 29 December 2013
Snow and temples in Kyoto
Third morning in Japan, and we awoke to a cold Kyoto, with snow on the mountains but blue skies above. After breakfast, we took a bus to the north west of the city, to visit the famous Golden Temple, Kinkaku-ji - entirely coated in gold leaf, gleaming in the sun and with the snow not fully melted from its roof.
Then after a stroll around the gardens, a cup of green tea with real gold leaf flakes in it and a quick lunch stop, we walked on to another famous temple, Ryoan-ji, with its famous rock garden. Some say it has is a mysterious aura and perfectly designed for zen meditation - others say its a bunch of stones in a bit of gravel. Decide for yourself, or can you?
To be honest we were a bit tempelled-out by this stage, so after a short break, we decided to potter along Kyoto's Nishiki marker. Well, not exactly a quiet potter, more like a surging sea of people, but certainly memorable. Hundreds of stalls crammed into a narrow, ancient covered alleyway, selling fish, pickles, vegetables, tea, rice balls, more fish, strange marine creatures and more.
Then after a stroll around the gardens, a cup of green tea with real gold leaf flakes in it and a quick lunch stop, we walked on to another famous temple, Ryoan-ji, with its famous rock garden. Some say it has is a mysterious aura and perfectly designed for zen meditation - others say its a bunch of stones in a bit of gravel. Decide for yourself, or can you?
To be honest we were a bit tempelled-out by this stage, so after a short break, we decided to potter along Kyoto's Nishiki marker. Well, not exactly a quiet potter, more like a surging sea of people, but certainly memorable. Hundreds of stalls crammed into a narrow, ancient covered alleyway, selling fish, pickles, vegetables, tea, rice balls, more fish, strange marine creatures and more.
Location:Kyoto, Japan
Saturday, 28 December 2013
Games and golf in Tokyo
The train from Tsukuba to Tokyo took us right to the heart of Akihabara - with good views of Mount Fuji against the bright clear skies!
Akihabara, or "electric town", is a crowded maze of shops in central Tokyo selling retro-computer games, computer components, manga and anime comics, and is also a swarm of people and a cacophony of noise. The favourite was a weird shop called Super Potato, found down an unmarked alleyway and packed with rare and vintage games consoles.
We met one of Peter's colleagues Hidetoshi for lunch, an excellent meal advertised simply as "8 different species"!!
And then the boys found a video arcade .....
.... and then - amazingly - a golf driving range on the roof of a Tokyo high-rise!!
Finally, dropping from tiredness, we staggered onto the Shinkansen (bullet train) heading for Kyoto.
Akihabara, or "electric town", is a crowded maze of shops in central Tokyo selling retro-computer games, computer components, manga and anime comics, and is also a swarm of people and a cacophony of noise. The favourite was a weird shop called Super Potato, found down an unmarked alleyway and packed with rare and vintage games consoles.
We met one of Peter's colleagues Hidetoshi for lunch, an excellent meal advertised simply as "8 different species"!!
And then the boys found a video arcade .....
.... and then - amazingly - a golf driving range on the roof of a Tokyo high-rise!!
Finally, dropping from tiredness, we staggered onto the Shinkansen (bullet train) heading for Kyoto.
Location:Tokyo
Friday, 27 December 2013
Cyborgs alive!
Move over Ironman. Move over Terminator. They're fiction. This morning the boys became Cyborgs (part human, part robot) for real. The robotics company Cyberdine based in Tsukuba has developed a powered exoskeleton that fits on the body, reading the human neuromuscular signals and translating them to power motorised limbs. Now in use for rehabilitation of patients with limb muscular damage, a human-robot hybrid can lift great weights, use minimal energy, etc.
Location:Karima,Tsukuba,Japan
Thursday, 26 December 2013
Arrival!
A super-efficient flight - arriving an hour early! Great views of the snow-capped mountains in northern Japan.....
And then we met up with Hiroshi who kindly drove us north from Tokyo to Tsukuba. Too much traffic! A quick meal of Udon noodles and tempura -and then collapse. See you tomorrow!!
And then we met up with Hiroshi who kindly drove us north from Tokyo to Tsukuba. Too much traffic! A quick meal of Udon noodles and tempura -and then collapse. See you tomorrow!!
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