Happy and germ free!
4/27/05
Sort of Arbitrary Really
To continue on my observations of the more odd culture found in Japan, my next subject is SARs masks. At least that’s what I know them as because other than doctors or dentists I never saw people wearing these white masks in public until the threat of SARs broke out, which was shortly before my first visit to Japan in 2003. In Japan they are just called “masks” or more accurately “masku” and people wear them all the time. Students wear them when they serve school lunch (kids dish out the lunches in Japan, not Lunch Ladies) and adults wear them if they have a cold or the flu or if they don’t want to contract a cold or the flu. I just think it’s creepy. To see so many people looking like they walking into surgery, but really are on their way to teach a class. I even see people wearing them alone, while driving in their cars, protecting themselves from what? They give people an expressionless mute-like quality that reminds me of Hello Kitty, because she too, has no mouth. But there is a sort of sinister element, a sort of obsessive-compulsive germ-a-phobia about the whole thing. But it’s Japan, so they’ve taken some dark and made it cute. I’ve started collecting children’s SARs masks which come in brightly colored packaging, with cute character details, because something about them is uniquely and thoroughly Japanese.
!Outbreak!
My prize collection of SARs masks, ranging from monkey endorsed to Hello Kitty and Winnie the Pooh. It's too cute and weird to resist.
4/13/05
Culture Shmulture
Okay, I vowed this cherry blossom stuff would be my last highlight of traditional Japanese culture for a while. Because what I am equally, if not more so fascinated with is Japanese pop culture or just plain weird stuff. So I'll begin at the beginning. Most people, coming to Japan for the first time will go to Tokyo, and once in Tokyo, after a fitful night of sleep in a hotel, will venture out into the streets. And for most, hoping for a little normalcy and comfort from home, will do what they often do at some point during the day, and that is stop into a convenient store. Convenient stores, or "com-bee-knees" as they are called in Japan, have been just that for me, comforting, if not normal. I’m sure this obsession is just something I inherited from my dad, whose passion and compulsion for convenient stores would be hard for even me to match.
My favorite chain here is Lawson's, which I recently learned is named after a defunct chain that didn't make it in the US. The other top dogs are 7-11 (just like at home), Poplar, Daily Yamazaki, Sunkus, and Family Mart. What makes Lawson's so special in my heart, is for one, its color scheme and employee uniforms. The bubble gum pink, blue, and white stripes smocks and a big milk bottle as it's logo smacks of a seventies revival of the 1930's milkman/ ice cream parlor. I also believe Lawson's to have the highest quality of crust cut off sandwiches in Japan, (A good sandwich is hard to come by here, and it's even harder to find one that doesn't have the crusts cutoff already, but Lawson's does a good egg salad and ham) as well as a superior selection of bottled beverages and chocolate.
My favorite chain here is Lawson's, which I recently learned is named after a defunct chain that didn't make it in the US. The other top dogs are 7-11 (just like at home), Poplar, Daily Yamazaki, Sunkus, and Family Mart. What makes Lawson's so special in my heart, is for one, its color scheme and employee uniforms. The bubble gum pink, blue, and white stripes smocks and a big milk bottle as it's logo smacks of a seventies revival of the 1930's milkman/ ice cream parlor. I also believe Lawson's to have the highest quality of crust cut off sandwiches in Japan, (A good sandwich is hard to come by here, and it's even harder to find one that doesn't have the crusts cutoff already, but Lawson's does a good egg salad and ham) as well as a superior selection of bottled beverages and chocolate.
My Beacon in the Night
Lawson's, recently lovingly portrayed in a New York Times's magazine article.
Lawson's Girl
You can count on Lawson's for a lot of things, including a clerk with elaborately fashioned hair, dyed just the right shade of orange to really set off the lovely blue striped smock they must wear...
Lawson's Kitty
Lawson's is so cool they even have their own Hello Kitty doll, which is the offical seal of cool in Japan. The longer I'm here the harder it becomes to resist Hello Kitty, she taunts me with her patient mouthless persistance, she is everywhere, all the time, watching me with that wide blinkless stare.
Eek, O-den!
So this is the Japanese equivalent to nasty convenient store hotdogs and brats, this vat of mysterious broth draining the life out of unidentified food products... The guess here is some kinds of tofu, processed fish on a stick, noodly rice things, goat liver, I don't know. Smells horrible though...
Pocky Aisle
Ah, Pocky, it's a tasty stick dipped into something even tastier, chocolate, white chocolate, banana chocolate, green tea chocolate, strawberry white chocolate, sesame seed white chocolate...
Should All Acquaintance Be Forgot...
This park/castle grounds in Tsuyama is covered with cherry blossom trees and we arrived at the perfect time to view them in full bloom. The park turns into a party as food stalls sell various sea creatures on a stick and the locals bring blankets and coolers of beer to enjoy the festive atmosphere and romantic lighting... The only downfall is the park closes at 10pm and the "get the hell out of the park" music is the New Year's Eve song (sorry, don't know it's proper name) played over and over and over again, which just seems wrong to use out of context, but somehow reminds you intensely of the fact you are in Japan.
Tsuyama Castle
This castle is probably recently rebuilt, but the steps up to it are not. But once at the top there is a lovely nighttime view of the city to behold, which is a good thing, because I've seen Tsuyama in the daytime, and it's not much to look at...
4/6/05
Springtime Blooms
Finally, I made it to the cultural treasure chest of Japan, Kyoto. It is a prime Spring time tourist mecca as the cherry blossom trees burst forth in abundant pinkness. Japanese folks all over the country are enjoying the same, as the cherry blossom, sakura in Japanese, begins to bloom and many a hanami party takes place. Hanami, which roughly means flower viewing, is basically a well-placed picnic. Folks get blankets, food, and drink and sit under one of the blooming trees and wile the afternoon way, gazing at the loveliness.
Unfortunately, the blooming was but a whisper in Kyoto when I went, maybe 10% of the buds had graduated in flowers. Still, Kyoto has more to offer than just flower watching. It is said to be more cosmopolitan than Tokyo, and the art and culture hot spot. But like all of Japan, the old culture is fused with an increasing modernness. Like when I was at Starbucks in Gion (the geisha part of town) just a block down from an old temple, and a fully dressed geisha, sans makeup was behind me in line waiting for a latte. Now, I�'m used to seeing the occasional woman dressed in kimono in my town or nearby ones, but the geisha have the really elaborate hair going on and often times the five inch tall wood sandals so they make quite an impression.
Kyoto is also home to temples, shrines, castles, imperial villas, and just general old stuff. I heard something about the US purposely not bombing it because of it historical value. So you could spend a week seeing just those things, but really, I think they are best seen in small doses. Luckily Philip was of the same mind so we kept the temple viewing to a minimum. The best of which was Chion Temple. The Golden temple is said to be a good one, with an interesting history, the original was burned down in 1949 by a monk whose obcession with it had to end with him lighting it effectively aflame.
Unfortunately, the blooming was but a whisper in Kyoto when I went, maybe 10% of the buds had graduated in flowers. Still, Kyoto has more to offer than just flower watching. It is said to be more cosmopolitan than Tokyo, and the art and culture hot spot. But like all of Japan, the old culture is fused with an increasing modernness. Like when I was at Starbucks in Gion (the geisha part of town) just a block down from an old temple, and a fully dressed geisha, sans makeup was behind me in line waiting for a latte. Now, I�'m used to seeing the occasional woman dressed in kimono in my town or nearby ones, but the geisha have the really elaborate hair going on and often times the five inch tall wood sandals so they make quite an impression.
Kyoto is also home to temples, shrines, castles, imperial villas, and just general old stuff. I heard something about the US purposely not bombing it because of it historical value. So you could spend a week seeing just those things, but really, I think they are best seen in small doses. Luckily Philip was of the same mind so we kept the temple viewing to a minimum. The best of which was Chion Temple. The Golden temple is said to be a good one, with an interesting history, the original was burned down in 1949 by a monk whose obcession with it had to end with him lighting it effectively aflame.
The Geisha Get Down
These geisha are doing the autumn dance. There was amazing scenery changes for each season, ending with the spring time cherry blossom set. There were also geisha playing traditional instruments and singing. It was an hour thoroughly well spent...
Little Bloomin' Bit
One of the few trees in full bloom at the park we went to, but I'm pretty sure these are not cherry blossoms...
The Japanese Bride
This is a traditional wedding I had the good fortune to intrude upon, but I take comfort in the fact I was one of many taking pictures...
Run Kenji Run
This was a shop front in Gion in Kyoto. I'm sure this is depicting some old fable, but I don't know it, there are so many reasons the dog would have effectively ripped the boy's pants off, I can't really venture a guess, but the two main crimes in Japan are bike and umbrella theft.
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