Temple near the Ginza

On Sunday we went to a flea market near the Ginza. It wasn't very good. It used to be that the Japanese just threw things away when they didn't want them. But, after some Japanese students in America saw our garage sales they realized they could do things differently. Now flea markets (yard sales) are all the rage but Japanese style: pre-arranged, in a park or parking lot, and you pay a small fee to put your tarp down and display your goods. Even older people attend now that they are hip.

Since we were nearby we went to a temple. Here is the smaller one-


As you walk to the larger one, you stop and "wash" with smoke from incense. You are supposed to direct the smoke with your hands to wash it over you. If you have a body part that is unwell, you should direct the smoke towards it and it might get better. Generally, you should only try for those above the waist!



Then you wash with water (just the hands) before you enter the temple-


The temple is famous for its large lanterns-

This is the main gate. there were lots of people there and I thought it was because it was a Sunday but on the news later that night I saw that a famous Tokyo marithon started near this temple.

Another Hottie!

It is damn cold here! No central air only isolated kerosene heaters. My in-laws bought I new one for my room and I'm eternally greatful!

Come to mama...just a little closer baby...that's it


Oh sorry, I'll tear myself away to show you my room-


Not bad huh? Its a traditional tatami room.

Its a Good Thing: Vending Machines

One of the great things about Japan is the vending machines. You can buy nearly anything out of a vending machine. I especially love the hot drinks. Many of you who worked with me know how much I loved milk tea from Uwajimaya. Well you can get that hot here in a vending machine for about a $1.20.

Mmmmmm...Yes, come here baby. Yes, you the hottie. That's right, just snuggle up!



This is your typical vending machine at a station. Some of the items have blue tags for cold and red tags for hot.


You can get fruit juices, water, cold tea, vitamin drinks, hot coffee, hot green tea, hot milk tea. See, my favorite-Milk Tea!

Take a look at this site for more types of vending machines. If you don't believe it when I said nearly anything, take a gander, its well worth wasting time on! http://www.photomann.com/japan/machines/

My train is coming! Got to go!

Cccold!!

I made it to Japan and to home. This is the first time I did it on my own. Once I got through customs, I found the Keisei trainline and bought the correct ticket to make one transfer to the Shin-Keisei line to home.

I did it and didn't get lost! I even bought my ticket from a vending machine that was not written in English.

So, now I'm here and boy, is it cold! I forgot to tell you another reason why that electric seat warmer is soooo good: no Japanese house has central heating. They only have kerosen heaters in some rooms. Even so, its cold baby!

More cats

These are the Japanese cats in our family.



Higei is on the right. She is about 5 years old. She is very sweet and loves fish. Kutaro is the new kitten and I have not met him yet. They are both Japanese Bobtails. Japanese bobtails have about a three inch tail that is fused so it doesn't bend. The end of the tail bones form sort of a ball. They are a very athletic cats and like to jump up to the highest point in the house. They also like water. Higei always tries to sneak into your shower and she looks forward each day to being brushed with a wet brush!

Please remember that I'm easily entertained and have little better than an adolecent humor rating!

Japanese public toilets are always interesting. You never know what you are going to get. It could be the oldest on record, a little more than a porcelain hole in the floor or a technological marvel that seems like you could send your butt to the moon!

Let's start with your old style toilet-


Suffice it to say that you plant a foot on either side, squat, get all your clothing out of the way, and hold on to those pipes for dear life.

Lets move to your basic home toilet-


Now you might be saying "T1, that doesn't look much different. Oh, is that a fuzzy toilet seat? Would I ever want to put my rump on the same towel as the rest of the family?" Au countraire, mon aime, you would like to put your rump on this because its HEATED! Japan is very cold in the winter and it is too cold for your bare heiny. You will thank who ever thought this little miracle up! (see the little cord to plug it in on the left?) . Even houses without the electric seat at least purchase the terry cloth covers so their butts won't ice on to the seats.

You can't see it but the Japanese built one more thing into this little gem: the top of the toilet lid is the sink! Instead of wasting space in the bathroom, they pipe the fill water (perfectly pure) outside the tank to pour through an opening in the top. So, voila, when you flush, you can wash your hands too (but not in the winter, its far too cold. I'll be heading to the sink in the other room.)

Now let's see one of the technological marvels. Here it is in the show room (Note the remote control. How much fun could you have with that!?-



Lets take a closer look at a real one. Here a close-up of the control arm on your public toilet-


Orange button - Stop - This scares me why would I have to tell a toilet to stop?
Lavender button - Warm Air - At least I hope its warm air to dry your heiny, I'm pretty sure it is, but I can't read it
Pink button - water - Yes, to wash your heiny but its pretty strong and not too warm. It is not pretty to jump off the toilet and duck for cover when you can't stop it (maybe that's what stop is for!) Not that moi has ever done that.
Green button - flushing sound - This is for your shy pee'r. Notice that you can even adjust the volume! It sounds like a damn river is beside you at full volume (not that I would know first hand)

We have to move in for a closer look now-


And last but not least. You can set the water pressure. Why? I'm not sure, I ran.

A Cat Nap from Japan

I thought I'd give you a break with cat pictures. Here's Wolfgang surveying his domain.




Smudgie is currently traumatized from a Kailey Coo attack and will not leave the corner of my bed. (22lbs tries to pick up 11lbs).

Streets in residential areas

Of course, Tokyo is a very old city. It started before people ever conceived of cars or trucks. The city is like a rabbit warren with hidden streets, crooked streets, sharp corners and very skinny lanes. The street system has never changed from the old days. Nothing is straight. This was an attempt to outwit invaders so they could not find the Emperor. Here is a great example of a street-


If you look down the road, you'll see that people can only walk about three abreast comfortably. People DRIVE down this! Here is a sharp corner, so sharp it needs mirrors for drivers to not kill anybody! (This pic is a wide view. It really is sharp.)


We're blessed to live in a more residential area of Tokyo. This is what most of the city looks like-



And yes, this is a roller coaster going through a high rise building to save space and for the thrill of it!

A beautiful day in the neighborhood...

I love looking around the neighborhood. The mix of older and newer houses and gardens are amazing. The tight use of space is a wonder to behold.



Most older houses grow these wonderful fir trees. They train one branch to shelter the entrance to the house. In this picture, it is clear that they started to grow the tree and most likely the road changed and they re-built the wall to protect the house.

This apartment house has one of the longest fir tree arms in the neighborhood. Note all the bikes. This is the main mode of transportation in the local area.



In this next picture this garden plot nearby always makes me shake my head. Many of the fresh veggies in the market are local grown on little plots like this. But, this plot that is probably less than an acre is probably worth 4 to 5 million dollars! These diakon radishes cannot possibly be less than a $1000 each! Its like my old job. I often would help a client who stopped me in passing (just good customer service really!) but my boss would say "You're way too expensive to do direct service! You're an analyst not a case manager."

The Typical Newish Japanese Home

One of my friends wants to know about typical life in Japan and a little about the environs I'm staying in. I have a few pictures from my last trip to share (This way, I have a head start on the blog in case I run into trouble over there computer-wise). Some of you may know that very little of the Japanese public have or know how to use computers. All their internet activity is done on their cell phones while traveling to and fro on the train. I'm lucky to have a family with a computer and internet connection.)

Here is the homestead.



The newer houses are close to the street like this but still have the wall between the house and the street. Despite being so small, the Japanese defend their little plots strictly: no encroaching, no one walks through a property, and they plant every last bit of land in a garden. To reduce city noise, the living parts are in the back of the house. The balcony is for drying clothes and airing futons rather than lounging on. The Japanese do not have clothes dryers in their laundry rooms to save space in the house (In fact, I've never even seen one on sale in stores!)

View from the left:


That lovely bay window on the first floor hides the bath/shower room!

Around back is where I'll be staying. It has a typical window.



These amazing bits of architectural achievement are useful as well as decorative. Japanese windows have many layers. Starting from inside you have the shoji screen that can be slide beside the window or in front of the window to shade sun. You then have the window itself. Then you have the wooden or metal panels that can be slide into the shutter box. These panels protect the house during deep cold, wind and typhoon rains. They are very tight and block out ALL light.

You typically close these at night to sleep. I find these very disconcerting. I am often very tired at first with jet lag and sleeping with these on and being so tired makes me not know if I'm up or down when I wake up (gravity not withstanding)! We are talking pitch black here! Not a hint of light even from the hall. I'm planning on finding a nightlight as soon as landing!

Start of a new Era

Well, I've finally did it. I started a blog. Let's hope this is slightly less painful than writing grants! I've always fancied that I'd like to write but I find going to the dentist preferable!

At first, this blog will just be about by trip to Japan. I'm going to stay for a month at my mother-in-law's home. Japan is always interesting. It's like peeling an onion: just as you think you know Japan, you peel another layer off and you have to examine it again.

After the trip is over, I'll be sharing this blog with my sister (T3). By the way, this is basic nomenclature for my family since we all have the same initials. I'm T1. T3 makes the most amazing jewelry and she would like to sell it on Etsy but it seems you need a blog.

In between that, you may also have to endure some whining about my current joblessness state. I decided to make a huge change in my life and quit my job of ten years to do something different. I saved a butt-load of money to do this and now I don't want to part with the dough so, I have to find gainful employment or start a business soon.