Aesthetics

I have been hearing it on the news and online. “The rainy season has started in Japan”. Well so what I thought to myself, a bit of rain won’t hurt anybody. How wrong I was, about the first part that is, the part about “a bit of rain“.
A few days ago I had my first experience with the rainy season in Japan. It was like a Amazon torrential monsoon unleashed upon Japan, and my poor little head.

Bad things about Japans rainy season:

1. Humid, hot, wet and clammy.
2. You can’t hang out your clothes after they get wet because of the rain, because of the rain.
3. Sitting in the office with wet clothes does not increase productivity.

Good things about Japans rainy season :

1. Fresh freshwater supply.
2. Everybody complains about the rain, so you have something in common with everybody and your all friends for the day.
3. Umbrella’s failing… you know what I’m talking about ;).

Those who love Japanese horror and mythological story’s will be delighted with today’s news. Apparently the International Research Center for Japanese Studies has scanned in drawings and ink-tings from scrolls and old literature with Yokai depictions, creating an online visual database.
Yokai make for interesting characters and are widely used in manga and anime these days (GeGeGe no Kitaro anyone?). I always wondered what the original depictions looked like , and what horrors must have been imagined by the original artist. Now we can have a first hand look without having to visit archives or museums.
These drawings most have been the cause of a few nightmares don’t you think?

I wanted to share with everyone a bit of how Asia warms up for the World Cup.
Thanks to the fellows at reallycuteasians.com for bringing this hot Holland supporter to my attention. Check out the blog post for more pictures, or moko.cc for all the goodness this lady brings us.

You will also find some very warm models with paint on there body’s supporting all of the World Cup nations. Something to keep the supporter and players warm during the winter colds in South Africa.

And other models posing for there favorite teams over at 2010.sina.com.cn.

Looks like this is going to be a very enjoyably and warm summer, or winter ;).

Japan is not all sparkly, soap-bubbles and neon-lights. Japan has texture as well. A bit of the gritty and dirty side of Japan you don’t see advertised on bill-boards and export products.

The main road I cross everyday has been degrading bit by bit and piece by piece.
The little cracks in the tarp are starting to turn into potholes.

In japan you will find lots of steel covers, iron-grating and the sort covering little ditches and gutters.
This little fire-escape could use a lick of paint.

Finding an orange T-shirt turned out to be more of a convenient problem then I had anticipated. I figured that Uniqlo would be a place to start looking for something orange. Uniqlo being the most probable change I had of finding cheap T-shirts my size.
Turns out that orange is a summer colour this year, so I actually had my pick of T-shirts.
Oyea, they also had these way-to-awesome-not-to-buy printed T-shirts.
So I kind of ended up buying 2 orange T-shirts, and a collection of printed shirts that reveal my inner nerdiness.
For those wondering about what my thing is with orange T-shirts… Orange is the Dutch national colour, which means the national teams play with orange outfits. So if your rooting for the Dutchies for this upcoming world cup, get some orange!

Japan has a very wide variety of wildlife. Some very dangerous, others not so. The funny thing is that a lot of animals have their own place in historical or mythological stories (Naruto anyone?).
Here are some of the encounters I managed to survive.

You will find ninja-cats every where around my neighbourhood. I have been the victim of a few ambushes. Luckily I spotted this one before he could get me, so I think he must still be in training.

Exhibitionism is considers a big problem in Japan. For some reason they come out mostly on rainy damp mornings….mostly.

Even the fish are adamant about maintaining the status quo. Staying stationary in one place with as little effort as possible seems to be a very popular Japanese sport.

You will find these critters close to big historical tourist spots around Japan. Females tend to roam around in hordes, the male variant in packs. If faced with a pack or horde of uniformed keitai (cell-phones) wielding kids, remember this. They are more afraid of you then you are of them.

As I was saying, they are more afraid of you, then you are of them. Although this one almost did give me a hart attack! I scared him so much he thought the best getaway route was up a vertical wall.

“I want to see mountains again Gandalf mountains”!
Today we visit the historical Takayama and Shirakawa-go. Located in central and inland Japan, which means it is a mountainous area. That is a special thing for somebody from the ‘Low Lands’, seeing mountains always gets me exited.

The train ride to Takayama is a slow and relaxing trip, and you get to enjoy some beautiful scenery.

At Takayama I happened to find the most kitsch Ryokan ever, like finding a treasure trove in the attic. A most definite recommendation to anyone who want to try a traditional Ryokan and get a bit of the old Japanese feeling. They even have a samurai suit of armor at the entrance.
Takayama is well known with tourists for its traditional crafts and it’s ‘old town’, preserved like it was in the Edo period (1600-1800). Here you can find sake-breweries, crafts shops, eateries and museums. There are also a few temples around the area and a morning market.
From Takayama there are a few side trips you can make to onsens and other villages.

A 50 minute bus trip will get you to Shirakawa-go, a world heritage registered site. A beautiful village in a valley with old thatched roofed houses. This little trip made me go “Wow” a few times. The scenery’s just took my breath away.

Right next to Ueno station you will find Ueno Onshi Park. This huge park has a number of museums, temples and even a zoo. Great to hang out at during the weekend (although it will be crowded), and a must visit if you are in Tokyo. You will also find street performers and food stands. It is probably the best spot to experience the mixture of history and modern culture through its range of different museums and temples.

Historical temple at the park.

Hippo’s at the zoo are a big attraction.

“No pointing at the little critters!”

Little house at the lake.

To complete the experience you have to visit the Ameyoko market.The market is centered around the railway going from Ueno station to Okachimachi station. And they sell just about everything. From fruits on a stick to perfumes and military outfits.

The Golden week ‘Koi’ are out! Around Golden week a lot of people hang out these ‘flags’ that are shaped like the Japanese carp. It gives a colorful and somewhat festive atmosphere.

Per request some pictures from around the area I live. So here are a few pics from Okazaki’s South side.
It is a quiet neighborhood, and compared to other cities you could call it a countryside village.
Although to Dutch standards it would be a sizable city ;).

Sunset by the lake. Around here there a few ‘lakes’ that serve like water-basins and help with water management (at least that is my theory). This bigger lake is a favorite for joggers, or just to take a relaxing stroll.

THE most wonderful garden I have ever seen. It is a little terraced garden and the vegetable patch is garded by bonzai tree’s.

Old men fishing by the lake (another lake). I wonder if they ever catch anything…

Little pots and plants finally come to life with lush greens and the colors of spring. You see little setups like this everywhere in Japan.

Neighbors traditional garden.

This time a setting sun into the hills, with the apartment building I live in to the left (the one with the blue stairs). Snapped this shot last night getting home from work.

If you want to see more or have a special request, let me know. I’ll continue on posting the Tokyo series, and the occasional sketch for now.

Now, on to some of the neighbourhoods in the largest metropolitan area of the world (and my favourite city), Tokyo!

Asakusa is a major tourist spot in Tokyo. Naturally this area houses many hotels and Japanese style Ryokan, and even a capsule hotel (for those interested ;)). It was my first time visiting Asakusa, and I liked it. Main attractions: Senso-ji temple and the river cruise, going down the Sumida river to the Hinode Pier.

Stampeding tourists all over the temple grounds. The surrounding streets feel like walking onto the set of an Edo period movie. Traditional and souvenir shops everywhere.

One of the gates.

Temple gate guardian. Not sure if it’s Fujin or Raijin.

The Tsukiji fish market from the river side. Used to be a huge tourist magnet until they banned the tourists from the “inner market” because they where getting in the way of the actual auctioning.

From the river you can get a great view of the Tokyo Sky Tree, currently under construction. After completion it will be tallest structure in Japan. (I wonder what will happen to the Tokyo Tower?)