Curious Japan

In Shizuoka this time another beautiful manhole cover...

noreply@blogger.com (brian) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 07:20:00 +0000

Shizuoka city （静岡市）put some thought into this. Nice idea! I'm not sure what utility this is, but the S in the center looks like the city icon formed with Fuji san ( 富士山） at the top and the sea at the bottom. At the bottom it looks like the name of the flower depicted on the cover（たちあおい）or Hollyhock has also been thoughtfully included so there is no confusion.

More interesting manhole covers...

noreply@blogger.com (brian) — Thu, 06 May 2010 01:59:00 +0000

Some more decorative manhole covers on the the sidewalk, this time from Nagoya (名古屋）...

Nagoya fire hydrant water supply. (名古屋市　消火栓)

This one looks like a valve for Toho Gas.

This next one, however, I don't know about....

Interesting design-looks like a water bug. So I imagine it must be Nagoya city water supply.

Anybody know?

I've never seem more of these detailed manhole covers than in Japan. They're everywhere!

Looks like someone bought the $50 melons in Shizuoka!

noreply@blogger.com (brian) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 01:18:00 +0000

Everyone has heard of the expensive melons in Japan. I've often wondered who would pay $40 or $50 for one melon. Recently, I spotted these melons inside a produce store in download Shizuoka.

It was the end of the day when we entered the store and noticed these specimens on the middle shelf for ¥4200 (~$40)! But missing from the top shelf are the melons that were priced at ¥5250 (~$50). Looks like someone paid about $50 for a some cantaloupes! Wonder how those taste... Anyone ever tasted one of these? Incidentally, a local told me this is a melon growing area so they are cheaper here than where they are not grown!

What kind of cars are these?

noreply@blogger.com (brian) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 22:19:00 +0000

Spotted at the Fuji Speedway during the Toyota F1 sayonara weekend.

(Click on the photo for a closer look.)

Looks like a car club owner's meeting; one type on the left side and one on the right. The one on the left looks slightly familiar, but I'm not sure what it is. the first one has a Toyota sticker on it, so that maybe it...However what are those on the right side?

Here's a closer look...

Anyone know the make/model of these?

Sign spotted at a 7-11 recently.

noreply@blogger.com (brian) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 20:10:00 +0000

Saw this sign posted on the front of a busy 7-11 recently...

I hadn't seen any signage like this on other rural 7-11 stores, but this one is on a busy road from Numazu to Fuji Speedway. There must have been a lot complaints from the neighbors about people with modified cars, in race mode, rumbling through on their way to and from the track disturbing the peace.

A Numazu hotel with glass bathroom walls!

noreply@blogger.com (brian) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:30:00 +0000

Went to the Fuji Speedway recently and needed a hotel. A quick web search turned up an interesting place close to the track with a room for only 6,800 円 ($75) per night. That's a really good deal. Their web site room photos and other reviews looked good so we booked it. The reason for the low price is that this hotel happens to have a few rooms where the bathrooms have only small glass partitions instead of solid walls. There are also no bathroom doors in those rooms! I imagine most people want a little more privacy, so these rooms are the least expensive in the hotel. There is truly no privacy, so they are best suited for solo travelers or very intimate couples. (click on photos for detail view.)

Inside the "Hotel Inside". Nice, clean, comfortable room. Just no walls defining the bathroom...

Good bed but only one pillow...

Looking into the bathroom where the door would normally would be. There is a small privacy glass partition separating the entry area from a direct view of the toilet.

And the toilet controller mounted on the wall instead of the side of the toilet.

Just a small piece of glass as a back splash for the sink, and to support the mirror, is all that separates the bed from the bathroom. Otherwise the bathroom and rest of the room are wide open. Interesting concept.

Interesting multifunction device. Turn it for temperature, calendar, timer or alarm. Funny that it is written in English...

The hotel is conveniently located next to the Tomei Expressway and a good value for the money. It looks like it has been remodeled recently so it's quiet and comfortable. The exterior looks a bit like a love hotel.
There is a restaurant on the ground floor but the service was the worst I have experienced in Japan. Seems they had a problem with the cook that night so the service was off and the menu was limited. Otherwise it's an interesting hotel. I'd certainly stay there again.

Here's a view of the maze of roads outside the hotel.

On the other side of the hotel is this nice looking building... Tokai Software...wonder what kind of software they write?

Maybe the best tonkatsu place in Shizuoka?

noreply@blogger.com (brian) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:36:00 +0000

A fascinating old time tonkatsu restaurant in Shizuoka City.

Heard about this tonkatsu restaurant, 蝶屋　(ちょうや), from friend that frequents Shizuoka and tried it recently.

Member of the "All Japan Tonkatsu Association". （ぜんにほんとんかつれんめいかいいん。）Hmmm...

Wow! Once inside it's very narrow. The whole place is only about 6 feet (2 meters) wide at the counter/cooking area. In the back there are a few tables and it's a bit wider.

Notice, in the photo above, that the customer's back is in only about 8 inches (20 cm) away from the wall! Every time staff or customers pass, if you're sitting at the counter, you have to sit up so they can get by. Same behind the counter- only one person can pass at a time.

The guy with his back to the camera takes care of takes care of deliveries when they get a call.

The menu is very straight forward. I didn't know there were different grades of pork for tonkatsu until reading the menu here. Tonkatsu-とんかつ, hire katsu- ひれかつ (lean), kushi katsu- 串かつ(on a skewer), minced katsu- メンチかつ, etc.

Someone must be creative personalizing the napkins and hashi (chop stick) wrapper with the restaurant info.

Into the batter and bread crumbs....

And into the fryer while the plates are lined up ...

Then out of the fryer and onto the plate with plenty of ketchup...

And on to the salivating customer...

By the way, this guy (in the photo below) serving the food seems to do most of the work. He cooks the rice, preps the dishes with cabbage and rice, washes the dishes and serves the food. The other 3 guys and 1 woman working there do less. The cook (in the photos above) just focuses on breading the meat and cooking. The guy at the cash register primarily takes care of the cash while occasionally serving tea. The guy with his back to the camera in the first interior photo, when not out on a delivery, picks up the slack setting places, serving drinks and miso soup. The one woman seems to also covers setting places, drinks, soup and clearing dishes when the guy behind the counter is busy...

The old timers running the place must have been working together for a long time. They have it running like a well oiled machine; always anticipating each other's next step.

For example, the guy at the cash register makes change as soon as he can see the bill the customer is handing his co-worker. As the co-worker steps to the register the change is already made and back in the customers hand in a few seconds.

(The photo above is from another reviewer of the same restaurant.)

Despite deep frying in lard the tonkatsu was perfectly cooked and not greasy.

On the way out of the restaurant these delivery boxes and bicycle are ready to go.

And inside the delivery boxes...Wonder how old these are?
Looks like these have seen a lot of deliveries.
Good tonkatsu and a very interesting place!

Maybe the most confusing intersection in all of Japan.

noreply@blogger.com (brian) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 05:16:00 +0000

View from my hotel room at the Hotel Inside in Numazu, Shizuoka ken. This has to be the most complicated intersection of roads I've ever seen. Click on the image for a closer look!

Car trip to kawadoko in Kyoto.

noreply@blogger.com (brian) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 04:22:00 +0000

Starting the trip in Mie ken with a rented Toyota Vitz & GPS

(click the photo for a closer look.)

We started our car trip from Mie Ken to Kyoto with a Vitz (Yaris in the US market)rental from Toyota Rental. These cars are really nice despite being economy cars. They get excellent fuel mileage and come with a sophisticated GPS system. (Compared to the Hertz Never Lost GPS available in the US for an extra daily charge, the system in the Vitz is years ahead for no extra charge.) I wish we could get these systems on the lower priced cars in the US. They are really user friendly. In Japan it is essential to have a good GPS since many times even the locals have a hard time finding out of the way destinations.

The daily car rental fee is about ￥5000 (~$50) per day. That combined with the road tolls can be expensive, but the gas mileage is excellent. The total cost for renting a car versus taking the train is close but the convenience and our destinations tipped the balance for going by car this time.

With help of the GPS, the best route to Kyoto looked like the Meishin Expressway (名神高速道路) This section of the road was recently finished and is really a beautiful roadway. Unlike many of the older expressways in Japan that are narrow, bumpy and crowded, this one is wide and smooth with interesting scenery. A pleasure to drive.

One of the interesting sites along this road in addition to the scenery it the

Oumi Odori Bridge　(近江大鳥橋- おうみおおどりばし）

This one was taken on the way to Kyoto:

These 2 photos were taken on the sunny return trip a few days later to Mie Ken:

MONKEY MESH?

A bit further down the road this wire mesh appeared over the roadway. Just before this there were signs warning - beware of monkeys...

So could this be to keep monkeys off the road?

Does anyone know about this?

Next stop, Ippodo Tea in Kyoto:

Ippodo Tea has been in business nearly 300 years! Their teas are excellent and their shop in Kyoto is an interesting place to visit.

They remodeled recently creating a beautifully designed seating area next to the bulk tea sales counter. You can have a seat and try most of their teas along with a sweet. It is a great way to sample the wide variety they have and decide which you like best.

The servers all seemed well trained and able to answer any questions. They also show you, at your table, the recommended steps to brew twig, leave and macha teas. If you don't get the water temperature or steeping time right, you won't get the best flavor.

As you leave the serving area you pass the bulk tea sales counter which looks as it may have when they first opened. You can see and smell the teas displayed on the counter, try small brewed samples, and buy what you'd like to take home. If you like tea, Ippodo (map in English on their web site.) is definitely worth the trip while in Kyoto.

Next stop, Takao (高雄)

The Takao area is a lush area northwest of Kyoto by the Kiyotaki river (清滝川). Apparently the weather here is about 10 degrees cooler than in Kyoto. As a result, for relief from the summer heat, many years ago, someone came up with the idea for river side dining (川床料理 -かわどこりょうり).
Sounds like a good idea, doesn't it?

One of the places offering this summertime treat is the annex of Momijiya Roykan. They have one location a couple miles up the road and the annex is next to the river. They've been open here since 1907! Riverside dinning is only available from May to September.

This is roadway into Momijiya Roykan Annex next to the Kiyotaki river (清滝川）View from the bridge with the ryokan slightly visible in the distance on the hill.

Looking back at the bridge

Approaching the entry to the ryokan annex:

Entry to the suspension bridge leading to the ryokan annex.

Suspension bridge walkway to the ryokan:

View from the suspension foot bridge looking toward the river side dining area:

One of the reasons we chose Momijiya over the other places nearby is that they had a lot of good reviews from previous customers on Jalan travel web site . And few of the customer reviews said that they also had their rooms upgraded upon check in.

We chose this strategy on a weekday and lucked out. We reserved the lowest priced room of about ￥17800 (~$178)per person at the original ryokan (本館- ほんかん）on the road away from river. However, when were checking in they said they were not full that night and offered us a complimentary upgrade to a much nicer room (￥30000 ($300) per person!)at the riverside annex for no extra charge!

Rock garden in front of the check in desk at the ryokan annex:

Inside the room looking out on to the deck and ofuro area:

Interior of the room ( photo from the ryokan website)

Outside of the room with the ofuro in the foreground

Outside of the room showing the ofuro, shower, and deck.

Rustic table and chairs on the deck next to the ofuro.

I was a bit concerned that, with no wind in the sheltered valley next to the river, there would be mosquitoes, but either there were none or the proprietors have it under control somehow.

On to the riverside dinner:

Staff prepping to serve guests dinner: The kitchen is up two flights of stone stairs from the dining area, so the servers really spend the whole night running up and down the stairs serving meal courses and drinks. There is no tipping in Japan, but watching how hard the staff worked to serve the customers here they really deserved a huge tip.

Then the entertainment started ...

With dinner service mostly complete the entertainment started with a few Maiko(舞妓）san (geisha- 芸者-apprentices）taking turns dancing and visiting each table to chat with the customers. It's an interesting glimpse into Japanese history. The Maiko san that came to our table spoke English despite the fact that she was only 16years old. Another that only spoke Japanese was 18 years old. I was really surprised that they start so young.

It was a bit dark to take photos of the excellent food they served, but there are some beautiful photos on Momijiya's animated Japanese web page here.

Kawadoko is an experience that probably most Japanese haven't enjoyed. For a gaijin it is a privledge to get a glimpse into Japanese culture. If you don't want to stay at the ryokan, some of the hotels in Kyoto offer excursions to Momijiya for kawadoko. The over all experience was great, I recommend it highly and would definitely do it again.

The Oldest Tea Field in Japan?

While at the ryokan we learned that the oldest tea field in Japan was nearby, so we decide we had to take a look at that.

The tea field is on the grounds of Kozanji Temple. The monk Myoe founded and named the temple and is alleged to have plated seeds brought back from China by Eisai, a Zen priest. The story goes that the seeds were planted here at the beginning of the Kamakura period, about 800 years ago, and launched tea cultivation throughout Japan. Every November 8th tea growers from Uji come to make an offering of new tea at the temple. Map is here.

Old tea field marker with tea plants in the background:

And, here it is, the oldest tea field in Japan. Considering how important tea is in Japan I expected something a bit different. Can tea plants keep growing for 800 years?

Apparently we missed the crowds as there was no one there except the two women at the gift shop across the street.
Bus parking lot and gift (omiyage) shop in front of the old tea field.

We took a different route back to Mie Ken and passed by some very green rice fields. Sure looks healthy! (Click photo for a larger image)

Fish Therapy?

noreply@blogger.com (brian) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:36:00 +0000

Rurikei Onsen:

Went to Rurikei Onsen near Kyoto recently. The prominent place to soak in the warm water is Rurikei Eco Resort Village. Not the typical countryside onsen that I expected, but a huge relatively new complex. Checking it out for the first time, just inside the front door, I noticed a tank with a sign above ( photo below) that says "Fish Therapy" and below that "Medical Fish". Sounds interesting, right? What could this be, a tank with hundreds of small fish. The sign also says, massaging & relaxing. You sit on the ledge, rollup your pant legs and let the fish nibble on your feet! Sounds a little creepy, but how will it really feel...

To try it you have to first go to the vending machine (photo below) and buy a ticket.

Interesting ticket vending machine system:
Here you can buy tickets to use any service they have from massage, to swimming, to fish therapy, to a one year membership. "Fish Therapy" via "Medical Fish" is ￥1000 (~$10) for 20 minutes.

Click photo below for close up of choices:

The white button on the top right is karaoke (カラオケ)￥1000, the next button below it is fish therapy. There are whole body and local massage tickets for various times, swimming, hot rock therapy....

Okay, with ticket in hand next stop is the fish tank. In English these fish are called "Doctor Fish" among other names, and are from the middle east; Turkey. Apparently useful for treating various skin diseases.

Okay, first one foot in...

Wow! Really creepy feeling. Tickling like a small electrical charge, but it moves around over your skin....

Okay 2nd leg in...

It's hard to resist pulling my feet out. .

20 minutes seems a long time with fish nibbling all over your feet. I wondered if they would eventually bite through the skin, but my feet felt the same after the nibbling session as they did before.

The 2 girls in the video below show 2 extreme reactions people have when putting thier feet in a tank of hungry, flesh eating, fish for the first time; from relaxed to freaked out.

Have you tried fish therapy in your neighborhood?

How to get there: Take the JR Sagano Line from Kyoto to Sonobe. From there you can take a shuttle bus to the resort.

Naked?

noreply@blogger.com (brian) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:36:00 +0000

I saw this car in a parking lot recently and noticed it looked very utilitarian, like a military vehicle with undersized wheels...

Curious about the make and name, I looked at the back and saw that it is a Daihatsu. Diahatsu is Toyota's small car & truck division making the keijidosha (軽自動車【けいじどうしゃ】), or light weight vehicles. They are identified by the yellow license plate. The current maximum engine displacement for kei cars is 660 CC! Many motorcyles have larger engines than this!

However, this one is called "Naked". Hmmm...Pretty racy name for such a plain looking car.

Turns out that it is actually an older Daihatsu introduced to the market in 1999 and produced until 2004. The one in the photo looks much newer than that. The owner must take good care of his/her Naked.

Yes, definitely n-a-k-e-d in English. Interesting name for a car. I wonder if many women bought these?

Delicious Matcha Soft Cream!

noreply@blogger.com (brian) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 03:06:00 +0000

This is a really delicious Japanese treat, called Azukisofuto (あずきソフト)! Like many things in Japan this was an unexpected surprise.

Click on the photo for a closer look...

It is a combination of sweetened azuki beans with green tea (matcha) flavored soft ice cream. This time at a place in Nagoya Higashi-ku called Kanmidokoro Aioi (甘味処相生 The rough equivalent of kanmidokoro (甘味処- かんみどころ) in English is dessert place or sweet shop. This is a fairly common dessert in Japan but this place has been doing something right since they opened in 1954 (昭和二十九年）! I happened to be there on a weekday afternoon and the place was full.

While particularly nice on a hot day, this combo is delicious anytime. Mildly sweet balanced with matcha flavor.

Part way through dessert and the matcha tea arrived (in the orange bowl).

This combined with the matcha sofuto is like a bit of Heaven on Earth if you like the flavor. Not only that, there are a lot of healthy disease preventing qualities in the matcha too. So it is easy to justify having this treat.

Here is a good video of how to prepare matcha from YouTube user KoyuMatcha:

It's amazing how delicious this aromatic tea (matcha 抹茶）and soft ice cream can be. I recommend it highly. What do you think, have you tried matcha?

Here is another video that covers processing green tea from YouTube user Kevangogh:

Is there any thing like this where you live?

An automated hotel clerk!

noreply@blogger.com (brian) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:13:00 +0000

Since reserving the hotel room for 2, including dinner and breakfast was only about ￥8000 (~$80)I was a bit leery before arriving at hotel. Upon checking in I was pleasantly surprised to find a new, clean, well managed establishment at the AB Hotel in Toyota-Motomachi （豊田元町）After checking in with the human desk clerk, I noticed this automated clerk in the lobby. Apparently that is for after hours transactions when the desk clerk is away.
Click on the photo for a larger image and you can see that the machine takes room cards, credit cards, and cash to settle your transactions. Was also surprised to see a couple of computers and printers available for guests in the front lobby. Very nice for a "Business Hotel"!

SMALL ROOMS.

The rooms are nicely decorated, and comfortable but a bit small. Here's an example in the bathroom; the sink extends into the bathtub/shower space. That's not code compliant where I live, how about where you live?

Most Japanese rooms have an electric pot for making tea, but this one caught my eye since it has a plastic tank attached. On closer inspection it turn out that it is also a room humidifier.
Brilliant idea! Kaizen desu ne.

Instructions for the dual use in English and Japanese! What more could you ask for?
Click for a larger image.

Have you ever seen these in your area?

What's this, a konbini or toy store?

noreply@blogger.com (brian) — Fri, 29 May 2009 06:56:00 +0000

Continuing walking from the "King's Treasure Box" machine (shown in the previous post photo) toward the AB Hotel (seen in the photo background) I spotted this curious place called "Mini Mini". It's too cute. At first glance it looks like a convenience store, laundromat or kids toy store or something. Turns out that is actually a real estate rental office! Sure looks like a fun place. But I don't know if I 'd rent a house from them.

I wonder if all the cute characters and fun colors generate business.

Anyway, the AB Hotel is coming up and has some interesting things as well. I'll post some photos from there soon.

What kind of vending machine is this?

noreply@blogger.com (brian) — Sun, 17 May 2009 19:49:00 +0000

Sighted recently in the Motomachi area of Toyota City, Japan, an interesting vending machine.

On the bottom, it says, "King's Treasure Box". Hmmmm... Click on the photo for a closer look.

There are lots of Japanese vending machines, but I've never seen anything like this. On a recent trip to Japan this was near the AB hotel in Toyota Motomachi. The only nearby businesses are a hotel, a real estate office and a laundromat. Otherwise there is very little foot traffic and nowhere to park on the busy adjacent street.

Roughly translated, it looks like you can buy any of the items displayed that you've been dreaming about owning, but haven't been able to purchase. Until today! Now 1 dream costs ¥1000 (about $10)! What a deal! I wonder what the owner of the vending machine was thinking to locate the machine there?

Very unsual and interesting train in Osaka, Japan

noreply@blogger.com (brian) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 05:27:00 +0000

I had to get from Osaka to Kansai International Airport today. Usually I take the Haruka from Shin Osaka Station. But it made sense to leave from the Nanba Station today since there was another, cheaper train leaving there to the airport that I hadn't used before. I was shocked and amused seeing this train roll into the station! (See below for pix and video.)
This train is about ￥１３００ (~$13.) from Nanaba versus about ￥２９００ (~$29.) for the Haruka, from nearby Shin Osaka to KIX.

Looks like a relative of Darth Vader or some sort of insect!
It's called the Nankai Rapid Beta. What will the gamma look like?

Very oval like a Jules Vern submarine or a space ship...
It is called the Nankai Rapid Beta. What will the gamma look like?

A bit difficult to see, but notice the panther pattern seat covers. A bit gaudy but it looks good in context.
Have you seen any trains like this in your neighbor hood?
Here is a good video of it in action from You Tube user Zawaja: