When I was a kid, I was always fascinated with the idea of a house that had all sorts of built-in defences like booby traps, secret staircases and underground caverns. Turns out the Japanese actually built one in Kyoto, and it's called Nijo Jinya (二条陣屋).
This house was used by lords visiting Kyoto to conduct business, and it seems the company they kept could be rather suspect. Say a wrong word and a hidden samurai will drop straight on your head from a hidden spot in ceiling above you. Or maybe they'll come crashing through the wooden panel that you thought was just a cupboard.
Pull a lever and a staircase descends from the ceiling. Chase someone without watching where you're going and you'll have your ankles taken out by ankle breakers. And where exactly did that person go? He's already one floor up, through a small hole in the corner of the ceiling.
Fire was a big problem in Japan, with all the dense housing arrangement coupled with all the houses being made of wood. A large part of design of this house was thus to protect against fire, with access to wells, fire-retardant walls, hanging mats that could be splashed with water to ward off the fire.
Really cool place. Just remember to watch your step.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Black water
My friend's parents (they were really nice) brought me to visit this onsen (温泉) near their place in Tokyo. Onsens are really big deals in Japan, and people can spend the entire day soaking in the hot mineral water.
The one I went to had separate areas for men and women, though they do have some unisex ones too. I obviously have no pictures to show for my visit, and anyway they'd just be of saggy men wandering around butt naked. What you're supposed to do is to first wash yourself really clean (apparently people tell you if you haven't done a good job), and then into the hot water you go. And then you sit there till you can't stand it anymore, then you come out and shower to cool down, then you go in again. Repeat as desired.
Curiously, the water is black. My guess is that's because it's so infused with minerals. Apparently some company decided to dig 2 km into the ground to find this water, in an area not known for having hot springs (this is somewhere in sub-urban Tokyo). Why they suspected there'd be mineral water down below is beyond me. Was it good for me? Beats me too.
I could only stay in for about an hour before I was bored to tears, and when I told my host I was going back first he gave me this incredulous look: only one measly hour? My friend's mum stays in there for 3 hours every night, else she can't sleep well.
I guess it's a good thing I didn't really fall in love with it; I'd have to fly very far just to get one.
The one I went to had separate areas for men and women, though they do have some unisex ones too. I obviously have no pictures to show for my visit, and anyway they'd just be of saggy men wandering around butt naked. What you're supposed to do is to first wash yourself really clean (apparently people tell you if you haven't done a good job), and then into the hot water you go. And then you sit there till you can't stand it anymore, then you come out and shower to cool down, then you go in again. Repeat as desired.
Curiously, the water is black. My guess is that's because it's so infused with minerals. Apparently some company decided to dig 2 km into the ground to find this water, in an area not known for having hot springs (this is somewhere in sub-urban Tokyo). Why they suspected there'd be mineral water down below is beyond me. Was it good for me? Beats me too.
I could only stay in for about an hour before I was bored to tears, and when I told my host I was going back first he gave me this incredulous look: only one measly hour? My friend's mum stays in there for 3 hours every night, else she can't sleep well.
I guess it's a good thing I didn't really fall in love with it; I'd have to fly very far just to get one.
Nobody eats while walking in Japan
Except me. Apparently it's rude to do so, and I only found out about 2 weeks into the trip. People really do just stand or sit in one place (convenience stores are a common spot) to eat their food.
Behind closed doors
The traditional Japanese restaurant doesn't give much away. The facades are done so you can't see in and you can't see out, and sometimes you only know the name of the place and not much else. See exhibit A below, Misoka-an Kawamichi-ya. You really would have no clue what this place is all about just by looking at it.
This is actually one of Kyoto's best soba restaurants, and they've been around since 1710. Yes, that's right, 1710, just shy of 300 years. But they really don't shout about it, do they? The typical Japanese restaurant is somewhat reflective of the Japanese mindset: you can't see what's going on from the outside, but there's lots happening inside. You just have to get in first.
This is actually one of Kyoto's best soba restaurants, and they've been around since 1710. Yes, that's right, 1710, just shy of 300 years. But they really don't shout about it, do they? The typical Japanese restaurant is somewhat reflective of the Japanese mindset: you can't see what's going on from the outside, but there's lots happening inside. You just have to get in first.So how were the noodles?
So good I forgot to take a photo till I was done.
A tale of two kujis
This is Ginkakuji (銀閣寺), which translates to 'Silver Pavilion'. As you can see from the above, they never got around to putting on the silver coating. I guess the morale of the story is to name something after you're done?In contrast, they clearly got it right with Kinkakuji (金閣寺), the 'Golden Pavilion'.
Random message of the day
"Please collect your odd sized baggage from the odd sized baggage belts."
- Changi Airport
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Does Japan really have vending machines selling used panties?
Used to, but apparently not any more. See here.
Death by atom
I visited Hiroshima, and the devastation visited upon the city by 'Little Boy' was nothing short of incredible. Everyone should visit the city to know that we can really blow the entire planet up if we mess up.
Interestingly, the mayor of Hiroshima will send a letter of protest to a country each time that country tests a nuclear weapon. The mayors have been doing that since they rebuilt the city after they got hit. That's a lot of letters.
Interestingly, the mayor of Hiroshima will send a letter of protest to a country each time that country tests a nuclear weapon. The mayors have been doing that since they rebuilt the city after they got hit. That's a lot of letters.
Strange Housing 2
As part of my responsibility as a guest at my ryokan, I was summoned to eliminate a dastardly intruder: a millipede. The old dame called me from my room and gesticulated that I was to kill and dispose of the creature.
In addition, ensuring that a certain hallway door will be closed at night also seems to be under my purview. The old lady even called my room to make sure I had done so!
In addition, ensuring that a certain hallway door will be closed at night also seems to be under my purview. The old lady even called my room to make sure I had done so!
Building their own country
Every time I pass by a construction site in Japan, I tend to find myself surprised. Why? Because the construction workers aren't Bangladeshis or Indians or Thais, but actual Japanese folk. Being in Singapore too long gives you certain assumptions.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Chasing shadows
Travellers of foreign lands will tell you your shadow is a most useful thing. It can tell you where north, south, east and west are, critical information for getting around.
While this works pretty well most of the time, it can be a bit confusing if you're not sure what you're doing. In Singapore, at 12 noon you won't have much of a shadow, but in Japan, you'd have a shadow that's pointing north. Similarly, your shadow would always be slightly northwards in Japan until near sundown or sunrise. I can't tell you how many extra kilometres I've walked because of this. And the other thing is that this doesn't work at all at night.
Luckily, the 100 Yen shop comes to the rescue and I am now the owner of something I should have bought ages ago: a compass.
While this works pretty well most of the time, it can be a bit confusing if you're not sure what you're doing. In Singapore, at 12 noon you won't have much of a shadow, but in Japan, you'd have a shadow that's pointing north. Similarly, your shadow would always be slightly northwards in Japan until near sundown or sunrise. I can't tell you how many extra kilometres I've walked because of this. And the other thing is that this doesn't work at all at night.
Luckily, the 100 Yen shop comes to the rescue and I am now the owner of something I should have bought ages ago: a compass.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Strange housing
I'm presently staying in a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) in Kyoto. Incidentally, the old dame who runs the place is a bit off her rocker.
On the first day I checked in, I received the strangest check-in package ever: the key to my room, a local area map and also a banana. Now I have stayed in many, many places, but never have I received a banana as a welcome gift.
The room I stayed in employed a sliding door. The shower is outside my room, so I have to lock the door and then make my way to the shower. One night after my shower, I make my way back to my room and find the door jammed. So I explain to the owner that I can't open the door, to which she gesticulates and rambles on in Japanese I don't understand, like it were my fault. And then she promptly hands me a butter knife.
So I gathered from her hand gestures that I was to use the butter knife to somehow jiggle the lock to get the door open. So for the next hour I am outside my room meddling with the door, and seriously contemplating taking the door down (this is entirely possible - the door is quite flimsy).
Before I do, however, the old lady appears with a mattress in hand, and indicates that I can sleep in the doorway outside my room for tonight. How about that, I pay good money to sleep in a hotel hallway...
Thankfully, it was at this point she actually looked at the door, and through some black magic with the butter knife manages to get the thing open. Thereafter, she promptly tells me not to lock the door any more, and conficates my key. So now I had a room; I just couldn't lock it.
It gets better. So I decide to extend my stay in Kyoto, and ask the old dame if I could do so. She mumbles something about needing to change to another room, which was bigger and had television and air-con and something else I didn't understand. I said fine, and left it at that.
Turns out that the something else was that the room was also used for spare bedding. So now I am sleeping in the utility room that is stacked to the ceiling with mattresses. I wonder what else she will throw my way.
On the first day I checked in, I received the strangest check-in package ever: the key to my room, a local area map and also a banana. Now I have stayed in many, many places, but never have I received a banana as a welcome gift.
The room I stayed in employed a sliding door. The shower is outside my room, so I have to lock the door and then make my way to the shower. One night after my shower, I make my way back to my room and find the door jammed. So I explain to the owner that I can't open the door, to which she gesticulates and rambles on in Japanese I don't understand, like it were my fault. And then she promptly hands me a butter knife.
So I gathered from her hand gestures that I was to use the butter knife to somehow jiggle the lock to get the door open. So for the next hour I am outside my room meddling with the door, and seriously contemplating taking the door down (this is entirely possible - the door is quite flimsy).
Before I do, however, the old lady appears with a mattress in hand, and indicates that I can sleep in the doorway outside my room for tonight. How about that, I pay good money to sleep in a hotel hallway...Thankfully, it was at this point she actually looked at the door, and through some black magic with the butter knife manages to get the thing open. Thereafter, she promptly tells me not to lock the door any more, and conficates my key. So now I had a room; I just couldn't lock it.
It gets better. So I decide to extend my stay in Kyoto, and ask the old dame if I could do so. She mumbles something about needing to change to another room, which was bigger and had television and air-con and something else I didn't understand. I said fine, and left it at that.
Turns out that the something else was that the room was also used for spare bedding. So now I am sleeping in the utility room that is stacked to the ceiling with mattresses. I wonder what else she will throw my way.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Photos
Here are some photos from my trip so far. I'm not much of a photobug, so don't expect too much. On the plus side, whatever you see here is likely to look even better in real life =)
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/jason.ng/JapanHoliday
Enjoy!
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/jason.ng/JapanHoliday
Enjoy!
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Kyoto
Kyoto probably has more temples, shrines and gardens than 7-11s. There's history and divinity to be found on every corner, and it's seamlessly integrated into the city's core. The place oozes culture from every pore.
Travelling alone
I've been walking for 3 straight days now, and I've seen but a fraction of all the temples on offer. It's all very majestic and awe-insipring, but at the same time it brings to me a sense of hollowness. Beauty, like all things in life, is best experienced with other people. I see all this grandeur around me, but have no one to share it with. At times I want to exclaim to someone, anyone how fabulous the sights I behold are, but then realise the only place those thoughts can go is the inside of my head.
Travelling alone has its merits. You go at your own pace, you only see what you want to see, when you want to see it. If you change your mind about anything at all for whatever reason, that's perfectly fine too.
But it can be extremely boring at times. You can't really make for interesting conversation with yourself, and you can't crack jokes or anything because you can't surprise yourself either. The other thing is that it can be really tiring to make every single decision yourself. And you can't just sit back and not think about it, because then you'd just be going nowhere anytime soon.
Zen gardens
There is something very bewtiching about the manner in which the Japanese have done their Zen gardens, and I think it's the way they seek to put order into nature's randomness. The trees may seem to branch whichever direction they like, and the moss may appear to accentuate the rocks by chance, but the reality is that it's all been meticulously planned and executed. It's just like Japanese flower arrangement (Ikebana), but on a larger scale.
Travelling alone
I've been walking for 3 straight days now, and I've seen but a fraction of all the temples on offer. It's all very majestic and awe-insipring, but at the same time it brings to me a sense of hollowness. Beauty, like all things in life, is best experienced with other people. I see all this grandeur around me, but have no one to share it with. At times I want to exclaim to someone, anyone how fabulous the sights I behold are, but then realise the only place those thoughts can go is the inside of my head.
Travelling alone has its merits. You go at your own pace, you only see what you want to see, when you want to see it. If you change your mind about anything at all for whatever reason, that's perfectly fine too.
But it can be extremely boring at times. You can't really make for interesting conversation with yourself, and you can't crack jokes or anything because you can't surprise yourself either. The other thing is that it can be really tiring to make every single decision yourself. And you can't just sit back and not think about it, because then you'd just be going nowhere anytime soon.
Zen gardens
There is something very bewtiching about the manner in which the Japanese have done their Zen gardens, and I think it's the way they seek to put order into nature's randomness. The trees may seem to branch whichever direction they like, and the moss may appear to accentuate the rocks by chance, but the reality is that it's all been meticulously planned and executed. It's just like Japanese flower arrangement (Ikebana), but on a larger scale.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Day 2 - A walk in the park
Went for a walk in Ueno park in the morning, which in my book means around 10am. To really get into the Japanese groove, I thought the best thing to do would be to eat like one, so breakfast was onigiri from a nearby 7-11. These rice cakes are the epitomy of functionality - no nonsense carbo-loaders to kick start your day. What's amazing is the sheer quality of the food they have in Japan. Even the sushi you get from a convenience store is really fresh.
There were some demonstrators (very peaceful) just outside of Ueno park, trying to get signatures for something related to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The park is much used by the local populace, and this park in particular seemed to be the preferred home for many of Tokyo's homeless.
The heartbeat of a city - the train station
All life in Japan revolves around the train station. You really can live in and off these stations. There's food, books, video shops, and there was even a Snoopy speciality outlet in one particular station. A lot of times, you have to get past the gantries just to get access to the shops
Taking a train in Japan tells you a lot about how the Japanese view communal living. The trains tend to be devoid of conversation, and you're even told to put your phone to silent and avoid conversation while on the train. It's just another reflection of the respect they have for people's personal space, and it makes living amongst so many people all the time much more bearable I'm sure.
The electronics mecca
I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering Akihabara, where you can find every conceivable electronic doodad ever invented by mankind. That's probably an exaggeration, but I'll bet I'm not too far from the truth. Imagine Sim Lim Square expanded to an entire district, and you get Akihabara.
Space is certainly limited in Japanese cities, and to get around this most shopping spans many floors. One electronics store had a whopping 10 stories worth of gizmos.
Being invisible
It's both a blessing as well as a curse to look Japanese but not actually be one in Japan. Nobody looks at me twice (at least I don't think so), so I don't have problems blending in. But I don't the leeway that being obviously foreign brings, and I'm sure I've confused many a local by my strange manner.
So much for Tokyo for now. Tomorrow Kyoto beckons.
There were some demonstrators (very peaceful) just outside of Ueno park, trying to get signatures for something related to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The park is much used by the local populace, and this park in particular seemed to be the preferred home for many of Tokyo's homeless.
The heartbeat of a city - the train station
All life in Japan revolves around the train station. You really can live in and off these stations. There's food, books, video shops, and there was even a Snoopy speciality outlet in one particular station. A lot of times, you have to get past the gantries just to get access to the shops
Taking a train in Japan tells you a lot about how the Japanese view communal living. The trains tend to be devoid of conversation, and you're even told to put your phone to silent and avoid conversation while on the train. It's just another reflection of the respect they have for people's personal space, and it makes living amongst so many people all the time much more bearable I'm sure.
The electronics mecca
I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering Akihabara, where you can find every conceivable electronic doodad ever invented by mankind. That's probably an exaggeration, but I'll bet I'm not too far from the truth. Imagine Sim Lim Square expanded to an entire district, and you get Akihabara.
Space is certainly limited in Japanese cities, and to get around this most shopping spans many floors. One electronics store had a whopping 10 stories worth of gizmos.
Being invisible
It's both a blessing as well as a curse to look Japanese but not actually be one in Japan. Nobody looks at me twice (at least I don't think so), so I don't have problems blending in. But I don't the leeway that being obviously foreign brings, and I'm sure I've confused many a local by my strange manner.
So much for Tokyo for now. Tomorrow Kyoto beckons.
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