Seasonal Delicacies

The seasons are very important in most Japanese people's minds. Winter is the perfect time to produce a chocolate and strawberry mochi rice ice cream combination called "Yukimi Daifuku" or the Snow Viewing Mochi Rice Ball". Absolutely sensational! I can't wait to see what variety they come up with for spring!

You know what they mean!

The second last line actually says "I love yu", the kanji means "hot spring". The last line says "Kishida Onsen"

Anyone for octopus?

Japan is the land of famous things. There are famous views, famous trees, famous temples, famous mountains, and so on, and each locality has its famous products, which are packaged up for tourists to take home as souvenirs for their friends. In Izu Peninsula, seafood is the famous product, and you can buy a pack of dried octopus to chew in the train on the way home.

Pachinko!

Pachinko parlours are places where people play slot machines and various games. They are loud and smoky. This is an ad outside a parlour in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, for a pachinko game. The funny thing is that the character on his forehead means meat, which makes him a meat-head, I guess. 

Putting a lid on it in Izu peninsula

A fire hydrant lid in Ito City, Shizuoka Province

Putting a lid on it

Toyono town sewerage access cover - one for the dandy lions?

Can you believe it?

Don't throw it away! Littering is punishable under the law (Kawanishi City)

Stamp Mania!

Japan is a land of rubber stamps. Many tourist destinations and most JR railway stations have a commemorative stamp. We went to the Open Air Museum of Old Japanese Farmhouses and they did not just have one stamp for the museum ... they had one stamp for each house, and even one for the windmill. 

Fire fighting access point

Shoukasen - fire extinguisher stopcock

More Waterworks!

Usui juushadouyou

 (Rainwater cover for heavy vehicle road use)

Great Waterworks Access Points

Minoh-shi osui (Mino City Sewerage) Minoh is famous for its waterfall and its autumn maple leaves

The Wonders of Japanese Packaging Pt 2

Back in the Black...

The Wonders of Japanese Packaging

Wrapping from souvenir cinnamon biscuits from Kyoto; ginger tea from the local supermarket; chocolate that will make you appear crazy...

One day in the subway...

We were travelling on the Midosuji line and as we got off at Namba, a lady lost her shoe between the train and the platform...

As quick as a flash the station attendant got his hooked stick and rescued it in a blur before the next train arrived

The owner was very happy to be reunited with her shoe...

There's Nothing Yukky about Sukiyaki

At a local sukiyaki restaurant, the waitress showed us how it is done.

Copper Cow

We went to Tenri in Nara prefecture and found a temple with this cute copper cow statue. A lot of people had stroked its nose, it seemed.

Gullible's Travels

One weekend we travelled up to a place called Omitakashima to do some hiking. Outside the railway station was this tribute to Gulliver as in "Gulliver's Travels" the real title of which is "Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships." We never did figure out the link between Omitakasima and Gulliver, but it was a really nice feature in an otherwise rather drab area.

Below are the Lilliputians hanging out in their castle.

Scoop!

We went down to Miyajima and found the world's largest rice scoop. Now I want to see the rice cooker that it came with.

We stayed in a hostel at Miyajimaguchi. It was only 2700 yen per night. You can see why...

Funky Figures

We went hiking in Tenri-shi in Nara-ken, and found these funky figures featured in a little udon place along the trail.

Design Delights

Some cute salt and pepper shakers from the 100 Yen store