Monday 27 July 2009
27/7 Claire
Clear umbrellas, a girls childhood memory from the 70’s… and the popular accessory for all young Japanese in rainy season. Ian’s folding manly black umbrella malfunctioned today in the heavy rainfall of Hakone so Ian has joined the Japanese masses (and young girls of the UK) with his new purchase. At least it cheered him up as he had a right munk on because of the rain and a recommendation from a Fuji guide that we don’t attempt it tonight. Will check the rain forecast for tomorrow.
27/7 Ian - Japanese culture watch (episode 2)
We’re on a Shinkansen again en route to the Hakone region of Japan, just west of Tokyo, hoping for a window in the weather to summit Fuji-san and witness the famous sunrise above the clouds, either overnight tonight or tomorrow night. After that, it’s back to Tokyo for a brief touchdown (and wash), then on to Narita airport. Singapore and Australia are beckoning. There’s a chance then that this will be my last instalment from Japan, so let’s continue from where we left off. If you recall, I was somewhat obsessed with young ladies legs, feet and their footwear. To be fair, I could be obsessed with far worse. Perhaps time to talk about something else though….
First up is the observation that a good proportion of the elders in the population are quite alarmingly bent double as they shuffle by, usually with the aid of a walking stick. Now this one got me thinking about both lifestyle – for example years in an uncomfortable, posture affecting job – and also diet. In the end, both Max and I both think mainly diet, leading to osteoporosis – the traditional Japanese diet, although healthy in other respects, is low in calcium. So the elders we see today demonstrate the results. The current generation take more dairy products, so will probably suffer different health problems as they age. I wonder if this observation is also polarised by actually seeing more elders out and about on the streets, linked to a safer society. You certainly see a more diverse demographic in Japan compared to the UK, unless of course you regularly frequent Gala Bingo.
Next, let’s consider sniffing and slurping. Compared to the quiet and reserved UK (in this respect at least) these are polar opposites, and a real challenge. In Japan, it’s considered more polite to sniff repeatedly (keeping your germs to yourself in public) than to blow your nose. If you have no choice you’d best do it discretely, or as Max says, a good parp will reduce younger Japanese to helpless giggles, while grandma will tsk tsks from behind. Considering slurping, bowls of noodles are noisily and appreciatively slurped down, both to show how delicious they are, and also to help cool them. This cultural behaviour is a real test of our own cultural conventions and tolerances - noodles are delicious, but being surrounded by slurping is most definitely not.
On a different note, the Japanese don’t really seem to wear shades. Once you realise this, it looks really odd on a sunny day! In a society where fashion and self-expression can be taken to real extremes, it’s weird that sunglasses are markedly absent, save for a scattering of Jackie O style goggles on a few young ladies. They’re there in the shops though, so I’m note sure what’s going on with this one. Maybe bright enough for shades for us is not yet bright enough for the Japanese? Or perhaps there’s something cultural about the politeness in being able to see people’s eyes? Either way, wearing mirrored lenses isn’t exactly uncomfortable, but does emphasise your foreignness, even more…!
Narcolepsy also appears to be ingrained, certainly amongst those who commute. We could have taken any number of photos to illustrate this point, but it seemed just a touch too cheeky. Japanese folk seem to be able to hop onto the subway or a bus, instantly fall asleep, then wake just in time to make their stop. It’s as if they have inbuilt hibernate timers. And if they’re not doing that, they’re doing whatever they do on their flip-top mobiles of preference.
Finally, a continuing source of gentle amusement is watching Japanese folk getting in each other’s way, and the subsequent results. Or more specifically, the complete lack of them. We’ve seen cyclists in cities sweeping in front of oncoming traffic without so much as a glance. We’ve also seen delivery wagons at cross roads facing off against each other. In the UK each instance seems to need to be reduced to the black and white duality of right and wrong. Someone is to blame, and this must be pointed out – often aggressively – and acknowledged. Not so in Japan. The result, in almost all occasions is a deliberately passive set of actions to negate the situation and move on. No angry gestures, no beeping of horns, and certainly no road rage. On one level it appears aloof and rude – someone in the way for example just looks in the opposite direction and continues. On another however, the situation is swiftly and easily diffused, and the parties simply move on.
We were sat in a Starbucks in Kyoto eating yet more New York cheesecake for supper (and why not – we’re on holiday after all….) when we were briefly befriended by a young Japanese English teacher waiting for his overnight bus home. I asked him about this behaviour. He seemed both amused that we had noticed it, yet unable to explain why. It kind of just is, I guess. Culturally embedded to the point of unquestioned acceptance, beyond explanation. So in the absence of a native perspective, I’m going to be bold and suggest it’s about the Japanese need to save face, and maybe even about honour. To admit that you are wrong and to apologise, or to aggressively point this out about someone else’s actions rubs so strongly against this pervasive cultural grain as to be unacceptable. Interesting. We could learn a lot from this behaviour, I think.
So I guess it’s time for a conclusion to round off all this culture watching. I’m not sure we’ve even begun to scratch the surface, and certainly we’ve only observed the predominantly conscious, externalised cultural manifestations made available to us. But a strong feeling I get is that in many ways, the Japanese are more similar to us – at least in terms of our ‘quintessential Englishness’ – than many of our closer European and American neighbours. The people are generally polite, courteous and reserved. They don’t display much physical affection in public. They are proud of their heritage, yet they are fascinated by Americanism and everything it brings, both good and bad. Ask for help and they will bend over backwards to assist you, yet go about your business and they will discretely observe you from a safe and courteous distance. Never is anyone in your face. Never do you feel that you are being hussled as a commodity. And if you are engaged with someone who can’t speak a word of English, they do exactly what we do with foreigners, or gaijin – speak Japanese words very s-l-o-w-l-y, over and over again, because obviously then we will understand. So despite the bewildering and unintelligible Kanji symbols, in many ways Japan makes remarkable cultural sense.
First up is the observation that a good proportion of the elders in the population are quite alarmingly bent double as they shuffle by, usually with the aid of a walking stick. Now this one got me thinking about both lifestyle – for example years in an uncomfortable, posture affecting job – and also diet. In the end, both Max and I both think mainly diet, leading to osteoporosis – the traditional Japanese diet, although healthy in other respects, is low in calcium. So the elders we see today demonstrate the results. The current generation take more dairy products, so will probably suffer different health problems as they age. I wonder if this observation is also polarised by actually seeing more elders out and about on the streets, linked to a safer society. You certainly see a more diverse demographic in Japan compared to the UK, unless of course you regularly frequent Gala Bingo.
Next, let’s consider sniffing and slurping. Compared to the quiet and reserved UK (in this respect at least) these are polar opposites, and a real challenge. In Japan, it’s considered more polite to sniff repeatedly (keeping your germs to yourself in public) than to blow your nose. If you have no choice you’d best do it discretely, or as Max says, a good parp will reduce younger Japanese to helpless giggles, while grandma will tsk tsks from behind. Considering slurping, bowls of noodles are noisily and appreciatively slurped down, both to show how delicious they are, and also to help cool them. This cultural behaviour is a real test of our own cultural conventions and tolerances - noodles are delicious, but being surrounded by slurping is most definitely not.
On a different note, the Japanese don’t really seem to wear shades. Once you realise this, it looks really odd on a sunny day! In a society where fashion and self-expression can be taken to real extremes, it’s weird that sunglasses are markedly absent, save for a scattering of Jackie O style goggles on a few young ladies. They’re there in the shops though, so I’m note sure what’s going on with this one. Maybe bright enough for shades for us is not yet bright enough for the Japanese? Or perhaps there’s something cultural about the politeness in being able to see people’s eyes? Either way, wearing mirrored lenses isn’t exactly uncomfortable, but does emphasise your foreignness, even more…!
Narcolepsy also appears to be ingrained, certainly amongst those who commute. We could have taken any number of photos to illustrate this point, but it seemed just a touch too cheeky. Japanese folk seem to be able to hop onto the subway or a bus, instantly fall asleep, then wake just in time to make their stop. It’s as if they have inbuilt hibernate timers. And if they’re not doing that, they’re doing whatever they do on their flip-top mobiles of preference.
Finally, a continuing source of gentle amusement is watching Japanese folk getting in each other’s way, and the subsequent results. Or more specifically, the complete lack of them. We’ve seen cyclists in cities sweeping in front of oncoming traffic without so much as a glance. We’ve also seen delivery wagons at cross roads facing off against each other. In the UK each instance seems to need to be reduced to the black and white duality of right and wrong. Someone is to blame, and this must be pointed out – often aggressively – and acknowledged. Not so in Japan. The result, in almost all occasions is a deliberately passive set of actions to negate the situation and move on. No angry gestures, no beeping of horns, and certainly no road rage. On one level it appears aloof and rude – someone in the way for example just looks in the opposite direction and continues. On another however, the situation is swiftly and easily diffused, and the parties simply move on.
We were sat in a Starbucks in Kyoto eating yet more New York cheesecake for supper (and why not – we’re on holiday after all….) when we were briefly befriended by a young Japanese English teacher waiting for his overnight bus home. I asked him about this behaviour. He seemed both amused that we had noticed it, yet unable to explain why. It kind of just is, I guess. Culturally embedded to the point of unquestioned acceptance, beyond explanation. So in the absence of a native perspective, I’m going to be bold and suggest it’s about the Japanese need to save face, and maybe even about honour. To admit that you are wrong and to apologise, or to aggressively point this out about someone else’s actions rubs so strongly against this pervasive cultural grain as to be unacceptable. Interesting. We could learn a lot from this behaviour, I think.
So I guess it’s time for a conclusion to round off all this culture watching. I’m not sure we’ve even begun to scratch the surface, and certainly we’ve only observed the predominantly conscious, externalised cultural manifestations made available to us. But a strong feeling I get is that in many ways, the Japanese are more similar to us – at least in terms of our ‘quintessential Englishness’ – than many of our closer European and American neighbours. The people are generally polite, courteous and reserved. They don’t display much physical affection in public. They are proud of their heritage, yet they are fascinated by Americanism and everything it brings, both good and bad. Ask for help and they will bend over backwards to assist you, yet go about your business and they will discretely observe you from a safe and courteous distance. Never is anyone in your face. Never do you feel that you are being hussled as a commodity. And if you are engaged with someone who can’t speak a word of English, they do exactly what we do with foreigners, or gaijin – speak Japanese words very s-l-o-w-l-y, over and over again, because obviously then we will understand. So despite the bewildering and unintelligible Kanji symbols, in many ways Japan makes remarkable cultural sense.
26/7 Claire
For our last night in Kyoto we popped out to a local restaurant for Yakatori and other grilled delights. Yakatori are items grilled on skewers and you buy each in a set of 3. This allows you to try many things and to share in the same way you do in a tapas style restaurant I guess. This place was, again, traditional in it’s style with shoes off at the door and a few low tables with cushions for sitting on. There was also a bar that you could sit at facing the food cooking area, not a high bar though… you still sit at floor level with a gap below for your legs to dangle. We sat at this bar directly in front of the owner/chef guy so we could see what was going on. The place was very, shall we say, “rustic” and was, as we later described, “lifting” but the food was really delicious. We ate chicken and spring onion, pork, peppers, Japanese mushroom wrapped in bacon and finally mini eggs (perhaps quail we couldn’t decide) that were repeatedly dipped in some kind of sauce before being replaced on the griddle yet still managed to get to us with slightly soft yolks. I think the flavour was enhanced by the years worth of burned on food on the griddle and probably wouldn’t have been half as good if there had been daily scrubbing or disinfecting of the cookware. I may revert to this technique on my BBQ as it’s clearly done us no harm.
Sunday 26 July 2009
26/7 Ian - Claz gets played....
Right. You're gonna love this. When you buy the bags of apple to feed the already papmpered and well-fed monkeys with (see, told you locals always know how to play tourists), the sign specifically says 'don't let the bag get near the monkeys'. Easy, yes?
Apparently not. Watch the one on the left set up a classic diversion with the two midgets on the right. They all want you to think they're up against each other. Not quite. Bottom left is where the action happens, as Claz gets well and truly suckered.
Sorry about the framing towards the end - couldn't stop laughing....!
Apparently not. Watch the one on the left set up a classic diversion with the two midgets on the right. They all want you to think they're up against each other. Not quite. Bottom left is where the action happens, as Claz gets well and truly suckered.
Sorry about the framing towards the end - couldn't stop laughing....!
26/7 Ian - This one's for you, Judy....
Judy, knowing how much you do like to worry, I thought you might like to see your daughter hessing down some rapids at the hands of four Japanese chaps. The signs on the boat said lifejackets were required, but no one seemed that bothered....
This last video shows the snack boat leaving our side. Hilarious. Wherever you are in the world, the locals have always sussed every which way to squeeze yet more money out of their pray, sorry tourists.
This last video shows the snack boat leaving our side. Hilarious. Wherever you are in the world, the locals have always sussed every which way to squeeze yet more money out of their pray, sorry tourists.
26/7 Claire
Needless to say, I didn`t abide by the rules. I had my big lens with me today so managed a few close ups. Ian got some really, really great video which he can put up later.
26/7 Claire
I got some fab shots of them, some were roaming around and the little ones playing. It was a really hot part of the day and many of them were asleep in the trees. This shot makes me laugh out loud each time I look at it as he was clearly too knackered to make it to the tree, let along climb it, and he sat watching what was going on around him for a couple of minutes while we approached then literally feel asleep sitting upright.
Love it, we all have days like that.
Love it, we all have days like that.
26/7 Claire
We have been to the monkey park. It was amazing. Apart from the leaflet you were given on entry that stated you weren`t allowed to:
- Show the monkeys food
- Look the monkeys in the eye
- Take photos of the monkeys on the way
26/7 Claire
We managed to get out of the main city centre today to take a river boat ride. The trip was about an hour and a half and we were in a wooden boat that held about 20 people and was powered by a couple of guys rowing and a couple of guys steering with long bamboo poles. We were given a sheet of plastic to cover us from getting wet as they took us through the white water rapids, I guess they were only gentle rapids but it feels a little more extreme when you are actually in the boat. Ian has some great videos of this trip so he can fill you in later.
Strangely, another boat pulled up to ours toward the end of the journey and a swear they had a shop of refreshments, beers, drinks, snacks plus a guy with a griddle cooking fish and stuff for you to take out on carry out containers. Genius!
Strangely, another boat pulled up to ours toward the end of the journey and a swear they had a shop of refreshments, beers, drinks, snacks plus a guy with a griddle cooking fish and stuff for you to take out on carry out containers. Genius!
25/7 Claire
More curry tonight, we found two Nepalese curry places recommended in Kyoto so of course we had to try both. The Yak and Yeti was a few nights ago as I mentioned, and tonight it was the turn of Himalaya. They sold Indian red wine, a Shiraz no less! The bottle explained how India was well known for its vineyards and wine production (is it?) and I was a little in need of a good glass of wine, it`s been a few weeks. And you know, it was lovely! All of it! (hence cross eyed look in pic attached)
This restaurant was one where it was shoes off at the door, leave your shoes on a set of shelves and enter in to take a seat on the cushioned floor. After beer and a little help with my wine bottle Ian was pissed enough to start rearranging all of the other guest`s shoes, so they weren`t in pairs anymore, on the shelf by the door as we waited for the lift. Oh the shame...
This restaurant was one where it was shoes off at the door, leave your shoes on a set of shelves and enter in to take a seat on the cushioned floor. After beer and a little help with my wine bottle Ian was pissed enough to start rearranging all of the other guest`s shoes, so they weren`t in pairs anymore, on the shelf by the door as we waited for the lift. Oh the shame...
25/7 Claire
...instead we went to the international Manga museum. Now, interestingly, comic books are not only for geeks in Japan but people of all ages, young and old, cool and geeky are all into it. In fact you see grown men in business suits with their noses in one of these books on the tube. This place was literally wall to wall comic books and masses of people finding anywhere they can to sit and read them, a little like a library but you can`t take them home.
See heavily bearded man reading Japanese manga
See heavily bearded man reading Japanese manga
25/7 Claire
Rain stopped play, we were due to go out today to walk the philosophers walk. The rain got that that bad that we decided (or I decided through a strop) that it might not be the most enjoyable experience... in shorts... and a vest top!
25/7 Ian - Anthropological research, honest....
Ok, so we needed to sample a Japanese McDonalds. Purely for ethnographic research reasons, you understand, and nothing to do with my dirty cheeseburger habit at all. Glad we did though, as once again a number of cultural differences shone through. Apart from the one similarity - the same, ubiquitous, odour de McDonalds stench, consider these:- The restaurant space was actually clean, tidy and well designed. You'd even be happy to hang around and eat something
- There was no evidence of damage or vandalism by any of the punters
- The toilets had superloos (yes, with aforementioned fanjita option if required) and were similarly clean, well maintained and odour free
- The staff looked genuinely happy to be there, without a pimple or any lank, greasy hair in sight
- Fillet o' fish (for my wife) was a big seller on the menu, rather than a niche market
- And get this - the gentle sounds of trad jazz playing in the background, to aid digestion of your 100% beef*
(* which clearly doesn't mean 100% meat, even here - that would be just too good....)
Saturday 25 July 2009
24/7 Claire
After the heat today and all this walking we decided to get a late lunch in the building around Kyoto Station. This building is one of the most enormous places I have been in, hotels, restaurants, a department store, a theatre is in it, plus loads more... oh and trains. And we might have had pizza for lunch (sorry).
Back to the station building for dinner as we stumbled across a floor of "Ramen restaurants" and Ian loves his noodles. There were the usual food photos and plastic models but we were confused by the vending machines at the doors of the restaurant. When you are a foreign speaking tourist you forget your inbred british-ness of not staring when it comes to fumbling around so we just got close and watched people use them. There were pictures of food on the machine and people furiously popping money in, pressing the buttons and I was half expecting a take out box to pop out of the bottom but it was a ticket. You basically order your food and drink, take your tickets and take a seat. Pre-ordering at it`s easiest. Actually, no, scrap that. We arsed it up tremendously and needed help from one of the waitresses who had to pop inside to make sure the chefs realised she was dealing with a couple of dimwit tourists so she would have to tell them in a short while which order they actually should prepare. Or I guess that`s what she said to them...
Back to the station building for dinner as we stumbled across a floor of "Ramen restaurants" and Ian loves his noodles. There were the usual food photos and plastic models but we were confused by the vending machines at the doors of the restaurant. When you are a foreign speaking tourist you forget your inbred british-ness of not staring when it comes to fumbling around so we just got close and watched people use them. There were pictures of food on the machine and people furiously popping money in, pressing the buttons and I was half expecting a take out box to pop out of the bottom but it was a ticket. You basically order your food and drink, take your tickets and take a seat. Pre-ordering at it`s easiest. Actually, no, scrap that. We arsed it up tremendously and needed help from one of the waitresses who had to pop inside to make sure the chefs realised she was dealing with a couple of dimwit tourists so she would have to tell them in a short while which order they actually should prepare. Or I guess that`s what she said to them...
24/7 Claire
we ended up quite close to our next stop of the day which was a temple called Tofuku-Ji. Another Japanese chap, a security guard, befriended us and showed us around the site. He had learnt English from a translation tool on his mobile phone and was pretty damn good. His pronunciation wasn`t great but I can`t believe he had learnt so much from a mobile application.
24/7 Claire
Regardless, the shrine is a beautiful place with walks through up to 10,000 of these gates all donated by businesses looking for good fortune. Apparently around 4k of winding paths through these gates and shrines and a view from the top of the mountain of Kyoto but Ian and I took a wrong turn. Although we had reach somewhere close to the top as we started walking down steps again rather than up we somehow ended up off the main track and walking through the wooded hillside in a different direction.
24/7 Claire
Later today we took a train to Fushimi-inari shrine which is incredibly photogenic. This is not a standard Buddhist shrine but a shrine of the Inari cult and dedicated to the god of rice and sake.
I`d say that you can`t say fairer than that however I have also eaten rice nearly three times a day since getting here (I know I may have mentioned before but this does give you "digestive" issues) and sake gives you the mother of all headaches.
I`d say that you can`t say fairer than that however I have also eaten rice nearly three times a day since getting here (I know I may have mentioned before but this does give you "digestive" issues) and sake gives you the mother of all headaches.
24/7 Claire
The parade included children chanting, ladies drumming, dragons the works. There were loads of press, a few TV cameras and more Japanese with cameras than I had seen of international tourists my whole trip.
24/7 Claire
This area is also one of the most historic areas with many of the traditional wooden fronted town houses still there in the side streets.
It`s great how many wise old men come over to talk to us just to practice their English speaking. As we were lined up on the streets of Gion a man of about 70 came over to chat and tell us about the parade, I got the gist of what he was trying to tell us but possibly because I had also read up on the subject in the rough guide. He was very helpful nonetheless and handed us a map and overview of the parade that was happening later that night.
It`s great how many wise old men come over to talk to us just to practice their English speaking. As we were lined up on the streets of Gion a man of about 70 came over to chat and tell us about the parade, I got the gist of what he was trying to tell us but possibly because I had also read up on the subject in the rough guide. He was very helpful nonetheless and handed us a map and overview of the parade that was happening later that night.
24/7 Claire
Today we started out in Gion a district of Kyoto that is known for itç—´ tea houses and Geisha. It`s not expected that you will see real Geisha around in the streets so we went for a parade that is part of the Gion festival, we missed the main day of this which was 17th July but other parts of the festival go on throughout the month.
23/7 Claire
Sorry for the delay in updating this. Ian has started updating the blog and I can`t get him off the laptop for long enough for me to update. I have locked him in the bathroom for 10mins
Most of our meals have been included for the last 5 nights or so we haven`t had much choice in the way of food. If dinner is included you get the set meal. Beautifully presented, many different dishes at once and the effort that has gone into these meals is tremendous. We are sick of eating fish. I feel bad for saying this but I could not face another fish meal, cooked or raw. We`ve arrived in Kyoto and are bed and breakfast in the new ryokan... and have been out for curry.
Most of our meals have been included for the last 5 nights or so we haven`t had much choice in the way of food. If dinner is included you get the set meal. Beautifully presented, many different dishes at once and the effort that has gone into these meals is tremendous. We are sick of eating fish. I feel bad for saying this but I could not face another fish meal, cooked or raw. We`ve arrived in Kyoto and are bed and breakfast in the new ryokan... and have been out for curry.
Friday 24 July 2009
24/7 Ian - Japanese culture watch (episode 1)
I've been meaning to get around to this piece for a few days now, but I wanted to double check a few things with Max first for an insider's perspective, just to make sure I wasn't stepping over the line or making any blinding indiscretions. So thanks Max for the clarifications and additional explanations to some of these points. I hope you don't mind me working your answers into this piece. I feel like I'm proper researching for our travelogue now and everything, even if I did just phone a knowledgeable friend...!
Ever since strolling the streets of Tokyo, we've both observed certain bits and bobs which have stood out culturally. Here are some of the ones that have particularly intrigued and fascinated us. Sometimes we got the explanations behind them ourselves, and sometimes Max came to the rescue.
The first is ladies' toes. Or where they point, to be more precise. A good proportion of the younger ladies, particularly in the cities, both stand and walk along extremely pigeon toed. To an untrained western eye, sometimes this looks reasonably cute and attractive, but often it looks rather odd. More alarmingly, in some cases it looks like it will ultimately cause muscular or skeletal issues if uncorrected, if it hasn't already. Max comes to the rescue, explaining that from a Japanese perspective it's more 'ladylike' to have toes pointing inward (uchimata) than outward (ganimata). It forces the girls to take 'cute' baby steps. From a historical perspective the skirt of the traditional lady's kimono is so tight that the wearer can only take tiny shuffling steps. This is perhaps a modern cultural manifestation. Not everybody delights in this affectation though - Max once saw a diagram in a doctor's surgery showing the dreadful things a pigeon-toed posture does to the skeleton. You can see this in action out on the streets.
Another observation relating to the younger ladies - I'll get to other demographics later, trust me, I haven't just been looking at the young ladies ;) - is that many of them wear big heels. Big as in high, even when climbing mountain sides up to religions shrines etc. But also big as in just way too big - sometimes several sizes! Max comments on the former, saying that he saw one advert that was written in simple enough Japanese for him to understand 'Shoes tall enough to really irritate your dad'! Again, it probably also promotes a gait of little lady-like steps. There is also the pretty universal element of heels just looking good (on a lady, obviously - less so on a man). But as for the shoes just being too big, who knows?! Some we've seen are quite literally falling off like flip-flops, causing the owner to shuffle along. Perhaps a designer bargain in Ginza too good to refuse, even if they don't actually fit? Or the current trend borrowed off an older sister, maybe? I think I'll have to keep pondering this one.
That's all for now, as it's time Claz had a turn on the laptop! Stay tuned for episode 2....
Ever since strolling the streets of Tokyo, we've both observed certain bits and bobs which have stood out culturally. Here are some of the ones that have particularly intrigued and fascinated us. Sometimes we got the explanations behind them ourselves, and sometimes Max came to the rescue.
The first is ladies' toes. Or where they point, to be more precise. A good proportion of the younger ladies, particularly in the cities, both stand and walk along extremely pigeon toed. To an untrained western eye, sometimes this looks reasonably cute and attractive, but often it looks rather odd. More alarmingly, in some cases it looks like it will ultimately cause muscular or skeletal issues if uncorrected, if it hasn't already. Max comes to the rescue, explaining that from a Japanese perspective it's more 'ladylike' to have toes pointing inward (uchimata) than outward (ganimata). It forces the girls to take 'cute' baby steps. From a historical perspective the skirt of the traditional lady's kimono is so tight that the wearer can only take tiny shuffling steps. This is perhaps a modern cultural manifestation. Not everybody delights in this affectation though - Max once saw a diagram in a doctor's surgery showing the dreadful things a pigeon-toed posture does to the skeleton. You can see this in action out on the streets.
Another observation relating to the younger ladies - I'll get to other demographics later, trust me, I haven't just been looking at the young ladies ;) - is that many of them wear big heels. Big as in high, even when climbing mountain sides up to religions shrines etc. But also big as in just way too big - sometimes several sizes! Max comments on the former, saying that he saw one advert that was written in simple enough Japanese for him to understand 'Shoes tall enough to really irritate your dad'! Again, it probably also promotes a gait of little lady-like steps. There is also the pretty universal element of heels just looking good (on a lady, obviously - less so on a man). But as for the shoes just being too big, who knows?! Some we've seen are quite literally falling off like flip-flops, causing the owner to shuffle along. Perhaps a designer bargain in Ginza too good to refuse, even if they don't actually fit? Or the current trend borrowed off an older sister, maybe? I think I'll have to keep pondering this one.
That's all for now, as it's time Claz had a turn on the laptop! Stay tuned for episode 2....
23/7 Ian - Shinkansen
Just on a Shinkansen (bullet train) en route to Kyoto. One of the many perks is the most polite, courteous, and usually rather pretty trolley ladies I have ever seen on a train. They wait to board an incoming train in little groups, all made up like air hostesses. Don't compare Shinkansen to the National Express east coast service or you'll remain forever disappointed.They also run sharp to schedule, look well futuristic, bank into corners, stop perfectly on the platform, placed to meet orderly queues, and hess along at a fair old clip (100mph+ to those who don't mountain bike or snowboard). And to top it all, the staff, whether conductors or pretty trolley ladies, all bow and address the carriage politely upon entering and exiting, even if just passing through. Amazing.
But I'm off the point. I have just bought some Coke. But is it in a bottle or a can? Claz says Cottle. I say Botan. What do you think?
Place your bets....
....betting........ends!
Banzai!
23/7 Ian - An easy target
Ok, time to talk superloos. An easy target for a travel blog about Japan, I know, and I'm sure much has been written of them before. I'm going to make the bold claim though that not that many of them have included repeated use of the word 'fanjita', so this is my USP and I'm sticking with it. Claz says I'm breaking the blog code of conduct again, so if easily offended (or perhaps work with/for Mrs Ellison) then maybe you should move on, or mentally replace the word 'fanjita' every time it is encountered with 'foo-foo'. You get the picture. Actually, I reckon Janette will be the one who cries with laughter at this the most. She makes out like she doesn't, but my sister loves the toilet humour. Boom boom!Right. Let's get down to business, as it were. Ahem. Oh, this is just too easy.... Superloos, or washlets as they also get called, are quite simply amazing. Check this badboy out in the picture. This is a Panasonic version, although most we've sampled have been made by a brand called Toto. Here are the features:
- Heated seat. Various settings, from gently buttock warming to so blisteringly hot that you break sweat when you enter the toilet, let alone sit on it
- Courtesy waterfall. Starts as soon as you sit down for a few seconds. Think it's designed to disguise embarrassing sounds, but reckon the encouraging water noise also helps you get started if you're a bit stuck
- Bumhole jet. Once you've nipped one off (I put that bit in for Janette in particular) and have come to a satisfactory conclusion, press bumjet button (can't read the Kanji symbols as usual, but if I was designing an English language control pad, I'd definitely call it a bumjet) and a little stainless steel protrusion extends down below your bum, takes aim, and fires - wahey! It tickles a bit, but you soon get used to it. You can adjust the pressure, but be careful: if you get it wrong it's involuntary colonic irrigation time!
- Fanjita jet. Can't say I've tried this one, but pressing the politely discrete lady+spray symbol button triggers the jet protrusion to extend a bit more, so that the ladies can freshen their fanjita up too. For the blokes, I guess it could freshen up your nutsack, if you felt the inclination. How very considerate of those clever Japanese chaps. Again, watch that pressure level....
- Integrated wash basin. As soon as you flush, the top of the cistern also provides a convenient hand-washing facility. And because it's on top of the cistern, it just drains back into where it came from. Now just how clever is that?!
As an interesting digression, it's worth noting that Orange put two of these superloos into their Nexus building in Darlington around 1997. One in the ladies and one in the gents, because, well, Orange used to be a bit wacky before those French civil servants got hold of it, you know. Unsurprisingly however (this is the UK we're talking about here, after all) they were taken out of use almost immediately and have remained locked off ever since. I'm pretty sure this was due to some H&S decision, but it was just before my time. Or maybe it was about sourcing spares from Japan? Not sure. Either way, what a load of crapola. Paul or Vicky - if you're reading this, make it your business to resurrect the Nexus superloos!
So there you go. Fascinating stuff, I'm sure you'll agree. Go have a look at your own toilet now. Boring, isn't it? And the moral of the story is - if you ever encounter a superloo, definitely have a go!
Thursday 23 July 2009
23/7 Ian - Jelly pop....?!
Here I was, thinking this was some cunning Japanese version of Fanta grape (which is actually bubblegum flavoured). I thought the 'shake the can' imagery suggested real fruit pulp or something similar, like Orangina maybe. Oh no. That would be far too sensible. Much to my amazement, it actually meant 'shake the can to agitate jelly inside', resulting in bubblegum flavoured frog spawn. Despite my love of all things sweet even I was defeated by this one....
23/7 Ian - Smiley land crab
Found this l'al fella at the hotel doors this morning at 5am, on the way out for a run. Not sure he liked the extreme close up, but there you go. Reckon he was as sick of raw fish as we are, and wasa trying to trigger the motion sensors on the automatic doors, so he could get in for a western style breakfast, which, incidentally involves a sausage molded to the end of a chicken bone in this place - tasty!
Wednesday 22 July 2009
22/7 Ian - Cartoon time....
Oh dear. I'm in trouble with the missus again, because I'm not following the strict (although unwritten) blog code of conduct. This is a video of a video we saw at the Sake museum in Kotohira, a few days ago. So it's out of order, but I wanted to put it up as it shows (I say shows - I actually haven't got a clue, but let's just go with this and use our imagination) a ninja bear (I think it's more of a marmot but Claz says it's a bear) and this wise old man with a very red nose (clearly from far too much sake) extolling it's virtues. Shortly before this there was a classic video of a sake advert from the 1970s shown, with extreme close ups and ninja action shots and stuff, but I was so excited I couldn't turn the camera on in time. So sake promotional cartoon it is. Enjoy (and sorry for all the brackets on this one).
22/7 Claire
As we started the walk this morning we met a guy from the Czech Rep called Martin who was travelling Japan in a similar way to us but doing the route in a slightly different direction, this means he had great advice for us on Kyoto and Mount Fuji which are our next stops. He spoke really highly of both places which we feel good about as it means we probably have left the best til last. I am chuffed we have stayed in Miyajima for a couple of nights too as it’s the best place we have been to so far.
22/7 Claire
Miyajima IS beautiful and peaceful and even if there are a fair number of tourists it’s nothing at all compared to where we have been. We’ve taken a walk up Mount Misen on the island today which is about 530ft above sea level, not extremely high but it’s a killer in the heat and humidity here. It took us about 2hrs to get up to the top. One thing that is amazing here is that there are deer wandering around completely tame. There are small bambi’s letting you walk right up to them, we were about 3 feet away.
21/7 Claire - Miyajima
We are getting good at this unassisted travel. This morning we travelled by bus to the ferry terminal, a 2hr30min ferry to Hiroshima, two trams in Hiroshima and a second ferry to Miyajima. Miyajima looks like it could be the more beautiful place we have visited so far in Japan and we are here for a couple of nights.
Tuesday 21 July 2009
18/7 Ian - Tea in Okayama
21/7 Ian - It's rainy season in Japan (extra shots)
Isn't it great what you can do with technology these days, eh? Collage of additional shots to go with the previous post. Picasa is our friend.
21/7 Ian - It's rainy season in Japan....
So we’re moving on again today from Matsuyama to Hiroshima for the afternoon, then on to an island Miyajima. And, sweet lord, it’s absolutely tanking it down. Big, warm rods of torrential rain that would bring England to a standstill. The sort that soaks you through in seconds. It might stop by Hiroshima – who knows. In the mean time, we’re stranded in a ferry port for an hour or so, so I thought I’d wander around and take a few shots to try and capture some of the joys of urban Japanese living.
First up are the plastic food displays. These are in the windows of the majority of restaurants, tempting would-be punters in to sample their delights. If no plastic food, photos are often substituted. And yes, even the drinks are plastic, along with the sauces and broths. Mad as a box of frogs I tell you….
Next are the vending units. They're everywhere – outside convenience stores, on street corners, half way up hillsides, in parks, on ferries, in stations – everywhere. Actually, they’re a godsend as it’s so damn hot most of the time, so us westerners need to keep our fluid levels tip top. You can get water, pop (Fanta Grape is phenomenal – tastes like bubblegum, but don't get it mixed up with the Japanese jelly version, which is like slurping down bubblegum flavour frogspawn), isotonic electrolyte balancing stuff (‘Pocari Sweat’ is a favourite, although I suggest they consider a re-brand), ice cold coffee, hot coffee, jelly coffee (?!) any manner of green tea varieties (plus green tea-based soft drink subset), ice cold sweet milky tea, sake, sake alchopops (difficult to track down – we keep buying pure sake) and lots and lots of beer! They’re ace – everything costs about a quid or less, with 24 hour convenience. Kampai!
Ok, what else? Oh yes, in this particular ferry terminal you can get married if you fancy it. Seriously. The sign says so, just up the elevator on the left, before departure gate C. How very romantic.
As we get more confident, we’re also starting to look a little more closely at the produce on offer in the various shops we’ve visited. To be fair, you could snap away all day long, so much of it is so weird and different, but at the moment I particularly like discovering western products which have been transmogrified for Japanese taste preferences. Here’s one such beauty – a green tea Kit-Kat! Tastes like Caramac – sweet, but no chocolate flavours coming through. Odd, but nice!
And finally, here’s a shot of the booze we managed to ‘sample’ our way through last night. A couple of different beers, three different types of sake (our western taste buds couldn’t really discern significant differences), and a tin of Suntory whiskey and club soda. All very tasty actually, helping that aforementioned fishy badness slip down. And all perhaps a touch stronger than we had originally anticipated when we went back down to the 24 hour Family Mart for more! Suffice to say that we were rather ratted by the end of the evening, and definitely aren’t our usual spritely selves today….
20/7 Claire
On arrival at Dogo Onsen we were really disappointed with the hotel as Ian mentions. Every place we have stayed at has plus and minus points and the feast, albeit slightly overwhelming, was the plus point of this ryokan. I can’t believe that they put on this feast for both breakfast and dinner for all guests.
The reason for visiting Dogo was the Onsen which is a public bath that is a natural spa bath used for centuries from royalty to your every day jo bloggs like us. It’s kind of like going to the public swimming baths in the UK without the swimming. It’s a cross between the baths and a Jacuzzi pool in a leisure centre. You can pay for various levels of bath experience. Basic = go in, stuff in a locker, into the bath and out again. Level 2 = you get to bath in the same bath but get to relax in your robe with green tea and biscuits afterwards (we did this one). Level 3 = you get to bath in a more exclusive pool on level 2 but chill out where we did and Level 4 = the exclusive pool but with a private chill out room with tea and rice balls.
As it’s male and female segregated we paid for our tickets, took our shoes off and locked them up in separate shoe lockers on the ground floor as were escorted up to the level 2 chill out room, given a locker for our valuables, handed a towel and a robe. At this point a lady pointed Ian off to the male changing room and but personally showed me down to the ladies changing room. At this point I was on my own. It was literally as busy as the public swimming pools at home after school’s out. Masses of women getting changed between more lockers where your clothes go. I wish I had read up more on what to do next. I had to get the attention of a young Japanese lady next to me and ask for the direction of the washroom through a demonstration of washing and pointing. Fortunately she understood and pointed me towards a door. Still not completely ready I had to act out whether my robe should be on or off when entering the room, she kindly repeated my “robe off” actions. I thanked her in Japanese to which she replied “You’re welcome”. Either the comedy of my last few minutes acting had tickled her enough to let me carry on or “You’re Welcome” was just part of her very limited English, I’m hoping the latter.
Upon entering there were about 20 women showing on the 10in high shower stools I have mentioned before and another 10 or so soaking in the bath in the middle. I washed up, wrapped the mini towel around my head and gingerly stepped in. I can’t bear the heat in my bath at home for more than about 10mins and this was REALLY hot. After about 20mins and feeling like I was going to faint I had to get out, staggered toward the door to the changing room, robe on and popped upstairs for a cup of hot tea!
21/7 Ian - Chopstick ninja
Check out the skills! One slipperly little golden ball of roe. Me. Chopsticks. Done.
21/7 Ian - Unfinished fishy business (part 2)
The past 24 hours has really taken it to a whole new level though. We’re currently on route from Matsuyama to Hiroshima on a ferry, having spent the night at Dogo Onsen spa town (which I’m sure Claz will be filling you in about sometime soon). When we arrived at our ryokan we were pretty horrified – probably one of the grimmest hotels we’ve ever stayed in. And of course, being flashpackers, we are also swanky hotel snobs. The room itself was ok though, but we weren’t prepared for the feasts (note the plural, with as much amazement, disbelief and horror as we did) that were presented to us for dinner, and then breakfast the following morning. Take a look at those pictures if you don’t believe me. That’s for two people. Turns out Miyake-san back in Naoshima was a tight-arsed, drunken, lazy old get.
So, over the course of my last lunch, dinner and breakfast meals, I have consumed the following fishy business:
• Octopus (purple skin, cute little suckers on the tentacles, cooked)
• Lobster (cooked)
• Crabs legs (those big ones I was talking about from Tokyo fish market, cooked)
• Big balls of bright orange roe (fishy and fragrant, delightful, they pop in your mouth!)
• Squid (sashimi - raw fish - it becomes sushi with the rice bit with it)
• Tuna (sashimi)
• Unspecified grey coloured fish (sashimi)
• Unspecified white coloured fish (sashimi)
• Salmon (sashimi)
• Salmon (cooked)
• Prawns (just to say pink, almost sashimi)
• Prawns (cooked)
• Mussels (or similar, cooked and in a pickled sauce)
• Small, whole sardine looking chap, but bigger (pickled and cooked)
• Tiny, whole whitebait looking stuff, only smaller (possibly dried, for breakfast?!)
• Mackerel (cooked, in a soup that you added a whole raw egg to yourself)
• Unspecified white coloured fish (cooked in tempura batter)
Now for a kid who thought mushrooms were disgusting, and up until about a year ago wouldn’t touch prawns unless he was paid handsomely, that is not bad going. Nor did I gip, not even once. It’s fair enough to say that in Japan, Bourdain-esque culinary adventures are to be had around every corner, so long as you’re prepared to take a deep slug of Japanese beer (Kirin or Asahi recommended), chase with a swig of sake to strengthen your resolve, and get stuck in.
Although I’m still not eating anything which is still moving when presented to me though, or any fermented raw fish. No way.
Onward.
So, over the course of my last lunch, dinner and breakfast meals, I have consumed the following fishy business:
• Octopus (purple skin, cute little suckers on the tentacles, cooked)
• Lobster (cooked)
• Crabs legs (those big ones I was talking about from Tokyo fish market, cooked)
• Big balls of bright orange roe (fishy and fragrant, delightful, they pop in your mouth!)
• Squid (sashimi - raw fish - it becomes sushi with the rice bit with it)
• Tuna (sashimi)
• Unspecified grey coloured fish (sashimi)
• Unspecified white coloured fish (sashimi)
• Salmon (sashimi)
• Salmon (cooked)
• Prawns (just to say pink, almost sashimi)
• Prawns (cooked)
• Mussels (or similar, cooked and in a pickled sauce)
• Small, whole sardine looking chap, but bigger (pickled and cooked)
• Tiny, whole whitebait looking stuff, only smaller (possibly dried, for breakfast?!)
• Mackerel (cooked, in a soup that you added a whole raw egg to yourself)
• Unspecified white coloured fish (cooked in tempura batter)
Now for a kid who thought mushrooms were disgusting, and up until about a year ago wouldn’t touch prawns unless he was paid handsomely, that is not bad going. Nor did I gip, not even once. It’s fair enough to say that in Japan, Bourdain-esque culinary adventures are to be had around every corner, so long as you’re prepared to take a deep slug of Japanese beer (Kirin or Asahi recommended), chase with a swig of sake to strengthen your resolve, and get stuck in.
Although I’m still not eating anything which is still moving when presented to me though, or any fermented raw fish. No way.
Onward.
21/7 Ian - Unfinished fishy business (part 1)
It really is all about the fish over here. That blasted BBC documentary said it. Bourdain-san said it. Everywhere you turn, fish is in your line of sight – pictures of fish, fish on your plate, fish in ponds, dried fish, prepared fish, fish in vats ready to be swiftly dealt with, sliced and diced according to your needs.
Here are a few fishy pictures to illustrate the point. The fish in the tank are the infamous fugu – in a restaurant window in Toyko. You choose your poison (literally) and the licensed fugu chef has off with its head, then slices and dices for your delectation and delight, carefully removing the bits that kill you. We didn’t go for this – not because I was scared to try – it was more about the fact that we would likely be presented with the recently deceased little chap to eat, except that they aren’t actually that little, and we feared the volume of fugu sushi we would be expected to consume.
The fish in the pond are obviously koi, in a pond in the famous Japanese gardens at Okayama. Note how many there are though, and there are a good few out of shot. At approaching two feet in length for some of them, you’re quite literally looking at thousands of quid’s worth of fishy action, right there.
20/7 Claire
A few observational updates
After two sweltering days we have rain again today. We are lucky that today is both travelling and the hot spring bath day so no need for much outdoor pursuits. Apparently it’s rainy season which means you get a couple of days at about 34 degrees whilst the humidity builds up then a day of rain at a temperature of about 25 degrees and still very humid. So it’s either sunny and hot or rainy and hot.
I am now starting to get used to rice with every meal even if my digestive system is not. And my chopstick skills are coming on slowly but looking around it could be that I am still eating like a child by holding the chopsticks in the middle rather than at the top.
I am still trying to get used to the slurping of noodles. Noodles are picked up with the chopstick and sucked into your mouth (as you might with spaghetti) however the noise some of the Japanese gentlemen make slurping up the noodles is REALLY loud. I think perhaps it’s expected but haven’t noticed any of the ladies doing this yet so I am still attempting to eat these sans slurp. Being a little obsessive about noisy eaters at home this has been a little bit of a challenge to get used to.
Talking about digestive systems, although there are many western style toilets there are also as many Japanese style. When I say western style I mean they look like our loos but in fact they are all “washlets”. This is an electric toilet/bidet combo. Buttons down the side allow you a number of different settings depending on the quality of the product and so far I have seen all or a combination of the following; Heated seat, bum spray, front spray, drier. The latter being similar to having a hairdryer in the loo and I am just not sure about this. The Japanese style toilet is much less advanced but requires much more skill. This toilet is floor level but with no handles or bars to hold on to. This requires a squat-like balancing act in an attempt to not get your trousers wet on the floor, you don’t pee on yourself and you don’t fall over backward – all of these outcomes would get you quite wet.
Outside of the big cities there seems to be a lack of available internet access so we are a little sporadic with our updates. These are being written on the computer and we will upload them as soon as we get access.
After two sweltering days we have rain again today. We are lucky that today is both travelling and the hot spring bath day so no need for much outdoor pursuits. Apparently it’s rainy season which means you get a couple of days at about 34 degrees whilst the humidity builds up then a day of rain at a temperature of about 25 degrees and still very humid. So it’s either sunny and hot or rainy and hot.
I am now starting to get used to rice with every meal even if my digestive system is not. And my chopstick skills are coming on slowly but looking around it could be that I am still eating like a child by holding the chopsticks in the middle rather than at the top.
I am still trying to get used to the slurping of noodles. Noodles are picked up with the chopstick and sucked into your mouth (as you might with spaghetti) however the noise some of the Japanese gentlemen make slurping up the noodles is REALLY loud. I think perhaps it’s expected but haven’t noticed any of the ladies doing this yet so I am still attempting to eat these sans slurp. Being a little obsessive about noisy eaters at home this has been a little bit of a challenge to get used to.
Talking about digestive systems, although there are many western style toilets there are also as many Japanese style. When I say western style I mean they look like our loos but in fact they are all “washlets”. This is an electric toilet/bidet combo. Buttons down the side allow you a number of different settings depending on the quality of the product and so far I have seen all or a combination of the following; Heated seat, bum spray, front spray, drier. The latter being similar to having a hairdryer in the loo and I am just not sure about this. The Japanese style toilet is much less advanced but requires much more skill. This toilet is floor level but with no handles or bars to hold on to. This requires a squat-like balancing act in an attempt to not get your trousers wet on the floor, you don’t pee on yourself and you don’t fall over backward – all of these outcomes would get you quite wet.
Outside of the big cities there seems to be a lack of available internet access so we are a little sporadic with our updates. These are being written on the computer and we will upload them as soon as we get access.
19/7 Claire
Our second ryokan was basic but with great bathrooms exactly as described in the rough guide. Wet rooms with a shower, a mini stool about 20cm high to sit on whilst washing, get thoroughly clean and rinsed before getting into the bath to soak. We certainly didn’t pull the plug here.
Although the rooms were basic, dinner this evening wasn’t. We were all brought to a communal dining room with low tables and cushions to sit on. The meal set out across the table included beautifully presented sushi (three types) a cooked fish dish, rice and pickled veg. We finished this only to also be brought tempura vegetables and prawns, then finally came a bowl of udon noodles in broth. I wish I had taken my camera down for dinner as this was a truly amazing meal.
I have yet to get used to sitting on the floor for meal times. My Western joints are not up to it. My knees can’t take kneeling on the floor Japanese style with my feet under my bum, in fact my knees will bearly allow my bum to touch my feet as they are so inflexible. The alternative is that you sit cross legged, not the appropriate way but you can get away with it, but my hips give me jip doing this. I end up shuffling and wriggling throughout the meal trying to find a comfortable position… which of course I can’t. Hopefully a little more practice I may loosen up a little.
Although the rooms were basic, dinner this evening wasn’t. We were all brought to a communal dining room with low tables and cushions to sit on. The meal set out across the table included beautifully presented sushi (three types) a cooked fish dish, rice and pickled veg. We finished this only to also be brought tempura vegetables and prawns, then finally came a bowl of udon noodles in broth. I wish I had taken my camera down for dinner as this was a truly amazing meal.
I have yet to get used to sitting on the floor for meal times. My Western joints are not up to it. My knees can’t take kneeling on the floor Japanese style with my feet under my bum, in fact my knees will bearly allow my bum to touch my feet as they are so inflexible. The alternative is that you sit cross legged, not the appropriate way but you can get away with it, but my hips give me jip doing this. I end up shuffling and wriggling throughout the meal trying to find a comfortable position… which of course I can’t. Hopefully a little more practice I may loosen up a little.
19/7 Claire
Today we also visited a sake museum and tried a couple of type of sake, these were (unsurprisingly) much nicer than the vending machine version I tried in Okayama which tasted a little too much like tequila for it to be a pleasurable dinner accompaniment. Those we tried today were much less harsh, although still an acquired taste, and I think I will try some with dinner over the coming days.
19/7 Claire - How many steps? Part 2
Another point to note about this climb was the number of Japanese ladies who managed to walk up in high heals, in fashionable clothes and seemingly without breaking sweat. I felt like a frumpy tourist, which of course I am.
19/7 Claire - How many steps?
The climb to the highest part is 1368 stone steps
… in the heat
… during the mid day sun
… glad I had that beer
… in the heat
… during the mid day sun
… glad I had that beer
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