New Year in Japan

Happy New Year!

I was pretty busy at the end of last year through January this year. I spent couples of days with my parents and friends in Osaka and Kyoto. Ways of spending new year are like:

• Eating Soba (buck wheat noodles)
• Eating Osechi (special menu only eaten when celebrating new year)
• Eating Zouni (soup with rice cake)
• Going to Hatsu-moude (going to temples and shrines to wish good fortune)
• Giving Otoshi-dama (giving children some money)

Pretty neat huh?

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Autumn in Mount Takao

Cherry blossoms in the spring is the best season to visit Japan, but I would say autumn is another great season you can fully enjoy in Japan. Leaves in the trees changes its color from green to yellow and red, which is so beautiful that any painter can not copy in their paintings.

Just an hour ride on a train from Tokyo, Mt. Takao is the best place you can visit to enjoy this natural painting. Mt. Takao marked 3 stars in the Michelin guide, one of the world’s famous tour guide book. And yes, 3 stars is well deserved.

When you imagine Tokyo, what color do you see? I believe most of the people will not say green. Mt. Takao will break that! Full of nature, gourmet and shrines. This place preserves ancient Japan, not filled with skyscrapers like now a days…

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Typhoon Hits Mainland Japan

Early today, Typhoon Melor (18th typhoon this year) landed mainland Japan and according to the forecast, this typhoon will trace the mainland of Japan having strong wind and rain. Last time when large typhoon hit mainland Japan, it was two years ago. I do remember that transportation system stopped and water flooded on the street at many places in Tokyo.

Same as last time, today many trains stopped by this typhoon and people on the way to the office stuck in the train stations. Well, I decided to work at home

There is no reason to go outside when typhoon is raging.

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Zekkei The Main Gate of Nanzen-ji.

This picture is scenery from San mon, the main gate of Nanzen-ji.

The View from Sanmon

 This is the place that Ishikawa Goemon who was a legendary bandit in Japan exclaimed “What a view (Zekkei kana)! What a view (Zekkei kana)! The spring view is worth a thousand gold pieces, or so they say, but it is too little, too little. These eyes of Goemon rate it worth ten thousand!” in the kabuki ,” Kinmon Gosan no Kiri” (“The Golden Gate and the Paulownia Crest”).
I came up there, then I agreed this is a wonderful view.

The gate of Nanzenji temple

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Dawn on Mt.Fuji

Last weekend, I went to Mt.Fuji for climbing and to watch sunrise from the peak. Mt.Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan, and also is the symbol of Japan. Fuji is 3,776 meters high, so it will be really tough to conquer this mountain.

We drove a car for about a half of its way to the peak and then started to walk then. As altitude getting higher and higher, temperature will get lower and lower. Not only temperature, but density of air will be thinner and thinner that some people will suffer from altitude sickness. Climbing Mt.Fuji is not so easy.

But when we overcame this challenge, we can see the most beautiful sunrise

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Rush for Eels!

What is your favorite Japanese food? Sushi? Tempura? Well, those are very delicious, but ask the same question to Japanese. Maybe you can hear surprising answer. Japanese like to eat eels. I do love to eat eels too

In Japan, there is a culture to eat eels in “Doyou no ushi” day. “Doyou no ushi” day is a day defined in Japanese traditional calender. This year, July 19th is the day. In this day Japanese people rush to eel restaurant to have eels. Exciting, isn’t it?

This culture is made by Gennai Hiraga, a famous inventor in Edo period. People in Edo period did not eat eels in summer, and so the owner of eel restaurant asked Gennai how to sell eels in summer. Gennai’s idea was to make advertisement saying “Today is ‘Doyo no ushi’ day”. By this advertisement, people rushed to that eel restaurant believing that eating eels in “Doyo no ushi” day will help to gain power to overcome hot days in summer.

Today, it is proven that eating eels really help to gain power. Eels contain vitamin A and vitamin B a lot. So let’s eat eels and be healthy.

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Beautiful Festival in Japan

I went home to Kyoto to see the Gion festival (Gion Matsuri) from July 16th to the 19th .  If you say Kyoto’s summer, we say, “Gion Matsuri”.  Soon after the Gion festival,  the rainy season ends and humid summer begins in Kyoto.

The Gion festival is one of the three main festivals of Japan. And it is most beautiful festival of Japan! The festival peaks on the 17th July, when 32 beautifully decorated floats (Yamaboko floats) parade through the city. These Yamaboko floats are described as a “moving museum”.

Though I repeated visits to this festival, every time I am impressed by this festival’s beauty . If you visit Japan in summer,please visit the Gion festival in Kyoto!

The scenes of Gion festival at the corner of Oike and Shinmachi streets.

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Gundam Stands in Odaiba

“Mobile Suits Gundam” is the most famous giant robot featured animation in Japan. For about 30 years, this animation is respected from fans. I also like Gundam too, and I heard from my friend that 1:1 scale Gundam RX-78 now stands in Odaiba, Tokyo. Woo! I must go and see it!

Mobile Suits Gundam RX-78

Look at this realistic and detailed form! It was so cool. I wanna request building Char’s Zaku standing right next to this Gundam.

Dear all Gundam fans, this is worth seeing. Ahead to Odaiba now!

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This is My Name

This t-shirt has a kanji on it. This kanji symbol is “Susumu”. Yes,it is my name.

Front of Kanji T shirt

Back of Kanji T shirt

Pictures on it were drawn carefully by hand ! This clothing was made by the craftsman in Kyoto. Um… cool!
What is the reason why this t-shirt is pretty cool? I think that the reasons are because the craftsman’s technique is amazing and because my name kanji symbol is cool both.

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Digital Camera for Public and Private

You know,yesterday Akiba Mart opened !  And….  I bought my first digital camera!   I didn’t have a digital camera until yesterday. I had used a cell phone camera.

 After today, I will take pictures of Akiba mart contents and our lifestyles by using my new camera.

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