Where Technology meets Tradition: Japan - Take 2

When I first got off the plane at Kansai airport and made it through customs, I headed out to this new land with weary eyes, but wide with wonder. The airport already showed signs of being high-tech--the escalator had CURVED fluorescent tubes (HUH????)... The lines in immigration were relatively fast, and I did have to have my photo taken and gave a thumbprint as identification too. A little high-tech, a little big-brothery, but okay...

I exited immigration, headed through customs, and out the gate... To be greeted with a big smile and a big hug from my friend Daizo, (we met in Ushuaia, Argentina and traveled to Antarctica together! Read the blog if you haven't! :) ). It was SO NICE!

Daizo led me to the ATM, the money changer, and finally out the trains, which we took for 45 minutes until we got to his house in Nara (Said, 'Nala')

On the way from the Nara train station to his house I noticed the first of many, many, many, many, many vending machines I'd see in Japan. This one sells the sport drink "Pocari Sweat" (Nara, Japan)

This one sold water under the name "Safeguard", which is a brand of deodorant in the United States. (Nara, Japan)

The neighborhood where Daizo's family lives looks like this. Each of the house plots has the family name on it. In Phoenix, it's normal to change houses every few years (Nara, Japan)

When we got to the house, Daizo's mom had prepared a FEAST... The picture is Daizo, Shoji (who keeps a poker face all the time, especially during delivery of one-liners), and Tomoko. On the night I arrived, Tomoko prepared a real feast, and in front of Tomoko is the most marbly, beautiful beef I had yet seen in all my life. After the diet of less-than-spectacular food in Peru and Australia (Marmite, anyone?), it was not only a refreshing change, but it was EXCELLENT!!! This was to be my first taste of Tomoko's incredible culinary talents (Nara, Japan)

I always like going to grocery stores in foreign countries. This one is a discount grocer, and they have great deals. The thing that fascinated me here was the cash register. It's set up to give you your total, then, you get your money ready to pay. WHILE you get your money ready to pay, the cashier starts ringing up the next person. The cash register actually handles two transactions at once. What a GREAT and simple idea!!--yet this was the first time I'd ever seen it (Nara, Japan)

Grocery store sight: Japanese Pumpkins! YUM! (Nara, Japan)

In this electronics store, they sell heat pump units. In the US, climate control is usually for a whole house. Here in Japan, it's usually for one room. In this case, here is a wall-mount unit (it is a split unit--the outside portion is not shown). The unit of measure for how big of a room it can cool or heat is given not in meters of square feet, but tatamis. Tatamis are woven grass mats used as floor covering here in Japan. This unit is capable of controlling the temperature in a 20-tatami room (Nara, Japan)

Dish-washing machines are not common here. Daizo is posing next to this one to show the general size of the units which are most common (Nara, Japan)

This is a torii, ('tor-ee-ee'), the marker of a Shinto Shrine. Bicycles are used very commonly as transport, and the baskets are too--to carry groceries, bookbags, etc. Some of them even have holders for umbrellas attached to the handlebars (Nara, Japan)

Roofs are different here.. This roof is actually made of stacked Cedar bark (Nara, Japan)

Not an uncommon scene: a monk awaiting donations into his cup (Nara, Japan)

All the taxis I have seen in Japan are these big luxurious boxy Toyotas--called the "Toyota Crown Comfort" (Nara, Japan)

On the way to see Todai-ji ("Eastern Great Temple") which is a temple complex known for having the world's biggest wooden building. We had to pass through this gateway. Huge!! (Nara, Japan)

One of the great Nio guardians (Created by Unkei in 1203) at the entry gate to the Daibutsuden (Nara, Japan)

The smell of incense permeats the air as one approaches the Daibutsuden (Nara, Japan)

The Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsuden), the world's largest wooden building. Those little dots are people! (Nara, Japan)

Inside the Daibutsuden is the Buddha Vairocana. Notice the people at the bottom (He's HUGE!) (Nara, Japan)

This small hole in the column of the world's biggest wooden building is said to bestow enlightenment upon those who pass through it. I am happy to report that although I did not pass through the hole, my bag is going to be enlightened ANYTIME now (Nara, Japan)

Bronze Sika Deer (considered messengers of the gods in the Shinto religion). The Sika Deer roam freely around the temple complex of Todai-ji (Nara, Japan)

The Sika Deer are addicts: they are cookie-crazed and NOT shy. (Todai-ji, Nara, Japan)

The guy with the really cool ninja-boots is a rickshaw driver/runner (Todai-ji complex, Nara, Japan)

Most restaurants have plastic display food outside so that customers can see how the food looks. There always seems to be great attention paid to appearance and presentation--and this is present in the general culture as well. People pay attention to their own appearance--you just don't see people in tattered or dirty clothes. Everyone is very well-dressed, and everyone is extremely polite. All you have to do is aim your camera somewhere and people dodge and dive to get out of your way. (Nara, Japan)

Most of the streets in Daizo's neighborhood are not big enough for two cars to pass comfortably. Usually one has to move over and "park" while the other goes by. There are some areas that even this isn't possible. Even as small as the cars are here, it can be seen in this photo how much of the roadway the vehicle takes up! (Nara, Japan)

This cute vehicle is called the "Lapin", which means "Rabbit" in Japanese (Nara, Japan)

Most Americans won't know that this is a WEIRD house. When this house was built in Daizo's neighborhood, it created quite a stir because it was the first (and still the only) "Western Style" house to be built in the area. (Nara, Japan)

Striking fear in the hearts of some westerners, this is a Japanese Pit Toilet. (Nara, Japan)

When I took this picture, the exchange rate was 11,550 yen was equal to $114.69 usd (Nara, Japan)

I had never seen these flowers before and thought they were beautiful! (Nara, Japan)

Japan is filled with cute little cars! (Nara, Japan)

Inside of Toshodai-ji is this equisitely carved buddha. Believe it or not, this is ancient wood. The draping of the fabric is stunning (Nara, Japan)

Tomoko organized a Tea Ceremony for us! It was a great experience! Here is the tea ceremony teacher (seated, left), the student (standing, left), and Daizo, Tomoko, and me. (Nara, Japan)

Tomoko's kitchen is always cooking something and never disappoints! (Nara, Japan)

Me, Akio, and Daizo, about to devour one more of Tomoko's delish meals! (Nara, Japan)

Daizo and I went to see Osaka Castle, and on the way there was this bakery (Osaka, Japan)

On the way to the Osaka Castle was this bicycle sitting in front of a bunch of flowering beautiful brush. The bicycle is unattended but unlocked. Such a feeling of security and innocence here! I love it! (Osaka, Japan)

Thirsty? Maybe it's time for a Dorink! (Osaka, Japan)

Osaka Castle. A beautiful edifice, but it was a little disappointing inside. I was hoping to see some sort of re-creation of original rooms with original furniture, clothes, that sort of stuff. Instead, there are about 732 different floorplans explaining how different armies came in, burned things, changed the floorplan, reinforced the moat, destroyed the moat, flooded the castle, dethroned the shogun, burned the castle, etc. Not stuff that sticks in my memory much. (Osaka, Japan)

From the top of Osaka Castle was this view... Cool modern building (Osaka, Japan)

What WASN'T disappointing was the beautiful garden surrounding Osaka Castle!! (Osaka, Japan)

I went to a sumo match!!! I was lucky enough to be in Nara in March--when the Osaka tournament was going on. This photo shows the dohyo--the ring where the matches take place. In Sumo, everything is dictated by tradition--the clothing, the training regimen, the opening and closing of a game. The roof (suspended above the wrestling ring) resembles that of a Shinto shrine and has tassles of four different colors representing the different spirit directions. (Osaka, Japan)

Even though much of the sport is dictated by tradition, it is of course still a sport involving guys who like to bash each other... They get up in the ring, face each other, glare, get up, drink water, throw some salt around, slap their belts, stomp around, then repeat--up to 4 minutes of this. Finally they launch at each other, and the battle is on. Frequently the match is over in 5-10 seconds. One guy hyperextended his knee and left in the biggest wheelchair I've ever seen (Osaka Sumo Tournament, Osaka, Japan)

The Ikedas and me at the Sumo tournament! (Osaka, Japan)

They have cardboard-cutouts of the sumo wrestlers so you can compare your height and girth. Turns out I was bigger front-to-back (I'm a LOT thicker than cardboard!), but he had me beat side-to-side! (Osaka, Japan)

The biggest Fugu (puffer-fish) I've ever seen (Osaka, Japan)

After the sumo matches, we had a dinner of Puffer fish!! It was course after course of food--they JUST KEPT BRINGING MORE FOOD for us! And all of it was beautiful! (Osaka, Japan)

Close-up of Fugu sashimi on the left. They later brought fugu salad, fugu soup, more fugu sashimi, fugu SAKE... It was a full-on-fugu immersion! And none of us died! WOO HOO!!!! (Osaka, Japan)