Since I have really no time to write anything now, there may be no posts in the next one or two weeks.
Sorry about that.
See you, hopefully, soon! The next post will probably be about climbing Fuji-san. ^^
No posts for some time...
Toyohashi Fireworks
We went to a nearby city of Toyohashi (18.07.2008) to see small fireworks show. The main show was planned on the day after, but since our plan for the next two days was to climb the legendary Fuji-san, we went to see at least the small one that day. Nothing much to report, just see the photos below for better image how did it look like. It really was a small-scale show and almost all of the fireworks looked like rocket launchers transformed into flamethrowers… A nice weapon, could be useful in GTA or whatever. The men held “small” ones in bare hands and created something like golden fire trees… Until the explosion still in hands, which meant the firework is done for… I would be done for as well if I had to hold this piece of dynamite with my bare hands right next to my head. That “small” one is actually big enough to fry your head in an instant with Hollywood-esque special effects. Bon apetit!
The bigger ones made the very same golden tree, the only difference was that they were bigger, explosion was more “BOOM” and sometimes, they shot some colorful shots into the air… Once, pieces of one of the exploded firework landed on us still in flames like small fireballs from videogames. A morbid Japanese version of dodgeball? I wouldn’t be surprised anymore.
Anyway, there was a giant fireworks show 3 days ago in Okazaki, so look forward to a lot better pictures and mainly videos sometime later.
Photos:
Toyohashi City
Trams in Japan are quite rare nowadays
...Toyohashi Castle?
View from Toyohashi City Hall
The main approach to fireworks show with performers
Ready...
...GOOO!!
Very Japanese style ^^
Larger single ones were being launched with short rituals
Firefigh...firelaunchers
Sea of flames...
Videos:
The very beginning... Note that these things explored right in their hands!
During the night time
Circling around and launching a large firework in the end
Monday, August 4, 2008
Observing Okazaki
I only want to show a few casual photos this time, no long stories and galleries. Many photos from stores contain Engrish – a Japanized version of English. ^^ And some texts, to make it better, don’t make sense at all. All of this was shot in Okazaki.
Photos:
White chicken
Canned mango
Do you enjoy smorking as much as Japanese?
Is it really Czech...? O_o
Store for Guitar Heroes
"Kono sekai no naka ni wa 'inbou' ga sonzai suru."
In other words: "In this world, conspiracies exist." For those who know... ^^
Goblins seem to like pink too
There seem to be only few delightful, not damn hot, days in Japan, so no wonder they are paralyzed...
God bress...bless...brest you?
Kichi~chan... Kawaii! ^^
A kind of a border between European and Japanese
This banknote is pretty rare here
And few schoolkids again
Sidetrip to Nagoya - Part 2
Hi there!
Today’s sightseeing program is…
Nagoya again!
Yeah, that sounds boring, but I really liked the city (at least for the first few days ^^ ), so I went there again just the next morning after my first visit. This time I was alone for my friend had his own trip (to Japanese Alps? Maybe) with his host family.
It was quite funny even alone, since I could decide where and when to go freely, but the main fun factor was my T-shirt. ^^ I made it while still in Prague and the text on it says:
変な外人
万歳
Which, freely translated, means something like “Strange gaijin (outsider/foreigner) – banzai!” with a somewhat negative connotation to it, like that the gaijin is quite stupid, or really damn strange. But since I am gaijin and every Japanese can tell so right from the first glimpse on me, wearing this crazy T-shirt and watching Japanese’ reactions was awesome! Just about everyone had read the text aloud, made a WTF face, laughed, or asked a partner if I know what I’m wearing and many even wanted to make a photo with me, or just spoke to me at the very least. But since it was insanely embarrassing at times (mostly while in subway), I’m not sure when will I wear this crazy thing again. But I’ll give it a try in Tōkyō for sure!
Beep-beep! Warning as usual: It may sound funny to try this yourselves, but if you don’t want to end up like a true henna gaijin and be laughed at by everyone (you’ll be either way anyway though… ^^ ), don’t even think to try this if you can’t speak enough Japanese to understand the connotations of the phrase and can’t reasonably explain why the hell had you written and show everyone that you are what you show you are. But if you try it anyway, at least you’d really be what you’d claim you are, so it’d be absolutely OK. ^^
Ahem… I warned you.
Sunday (Part 2/2)
My second day in Nagoya started a bit late, at half past 10 AM, surprisingly at Nagoya Eki again. I wanted to check out one shop nearby, so I went out and started sniffing around, but my locators seemed to be completely turned off, because even though the shop should had been right in the place I was standing on, I saw nothing at all. Only a giant electronics store called Big Camera (with other things on sale as well), a legion of schoolgirls passing the road, a few obaachan in kimono with parasols and what not, but not the shop I wanted to get into. I spent about half an hour exploring the neighborhood, when someone finally told me where it is… It was not since that moment that I realized how stupid I am to forget, that Japan has more already mentioned “up & downs” than “left & rights”, which means the shop I was looking for was right under my feet. So I went underground and was finally able to find it…
I guess I’ll remember for ever what does the “not enough space” phrase exactly mean when Japanese build everything vertically.
After that I, through another shop of the same chain in Sakae (that place with Oasis 21 and Nagoya TV Tower), finally reached Shiyakusho (City Hall) Station, which is located right near the Nagoya Castle. The Nagoya Castle indeed looks magnificent, even if it isn’t, speaking of beauty, any particularly special place, and I spent there about 3 or 4 hours. There is one big minus (and minus * minus isn't plus in this case) to the castle itself though. And this Mr. Big Minus lives in many castles throughout all the Japan, not only the Nagoya’s one. It was destroyed (burned down) in fires of the damned World War II and thus the present is a reconstruction from 1959. So, in spite of its outside beauty, it’s quite annoyingly modern inside and once you get in, the castle really loses much of its magical atmosphere. There are even modern elevators inside. Well, it wasn’t that bad after all and there were quite interesting things on display, like reconstructions of old rooms, swords and armors, big scale models of the castle area, castle parts etc. There just wasn’t the feel I expected there to be. But since I’m planning to visit one of the Japanese most famous and original castles – Himeji-jyō – I don’t really mind that Nagoya’s isn’t so magnificent or whatever. It’s pretty outside and really – does anyone plan to live there?
I spent plenty of time around the castle as well, since the surroundings were pretty wide and it was interesting to just walk around. There is a doll exhibition building nearby the castle, with many beautiful dolls there… I’d have even taken them home if I could. ^^ And, of course, everyone was staring at my insane T-shirt and few people will have memories of visiting the Nagoya-jyō with henna gaijin on their photos… At least I made someone happy. ^^
My next stop was Nagoya-kō Suizokukan (Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium) located, you wouldn’t guess it, in Port of Nagoya. I haven’t seen a sea (or ocean...) from so close for 7 years, so even though it wasn’t any beautiful, I really liked the port… Do I just like about every place in this country?
You can see the port on photos, so see for yourself… Photo session of henna gaijin № 150 took place there again and I went to finally see those slimy fish making circles behind a thick glass.
I’ve never been to any sea/ocean aquarium (or at least I don’t know about it), so it surely seemed pretty (except for the Japanese prices for a ticket…). Tons of water, tons of fish, tons of glass, tons of water, tons of fish, tons of glass, tons of water, tons of fish… What the hell?
So to speak, there wasn’t much to see except tons of water, tons of fish and tons of glass, but it surely was interesting. Unluckily this time, I didn’t quite make it in time (to be honest, I’d just spent half an hour talking to Japanese there, half an hour in another place… You have the idea), so I couldn’t see the second building with tons of penguins, tons of water, tons of fish, tons of glass and tons of whatever, but for I plan to visit Ōsaka, with its aquarium ranked as one of the largest public aquariums in the world, with all of this + tons of floors, I don’t really mind. I don’t know if I can make it to Ōsaka yet though… But it surely would be nice.
I, however, managed to see at least a short show with dolphins and because, as I’d already said, it was the first time for me, I loved it.
On my way back after some more gaijin photos, I rode a ferris wheel, but it was quite lonely up there… And my next and last stop supposed to be Ōsu district, half again.
Ōsu is an electronic district of Nagoya located just nearby Ōsu Kannon Station. You could see Ōsu Kannon Temple on night photos from the last time, but this time I have daylight photos. Not that it differs too much. ^^ Maybe more than the temple itself (which is pretty), I maybe liked a painting on nearby building. Looks like a giant graffiti with devil and some unreadable set of characters, but it’s just an original sign for Ōsu Niōmon Dōri (Street)… Note the dialogue bubble with very casual Japanese for “This way” and the arrow nearby. As you can see on the photo, it’s shot right from Ōsu Kannon Temple area.
As is normal for me, I didn’t make it in time to Ōsu district (particularly Akamon Dōri (Street)) again and most shops were closing already. I wanted to look for used red Nintendo DS there, but… Late again, late as always. ^^
All the photos, even if there aren’t much, after Ōsu Kannon are from Ōsu district. There is a cosplay (refer to Google if you don’t know it…) called GeeStore in Akamon where I met a bunch of otaku buying some dubious stuff… One of them was wearing yukata, the second one, under his shirt, a T-shirt full of skulls and skull-shaped rings on every finger and the third one…just see the photo. It’s nothing compared to Tōkyō, but I’d still rename the store from GeeStore to GeekStore. It’s a store for geeks anyway.
It was already getting late and most shops were closed already, so I asked a group of about 8 girls nearby where is the nearest subway station (I was quite lost again, Ōsu is like a labyrinth) and they let me join them, since they were heading for a subway too. After about 20 minutes, one of them noticed that the gaijin T-shirt is handmade, which made a common Japanese “Ōōōōō” out of the rest of them and another photo session commenced. It was like being a strange idol, but idols earn millions and I earn damn nothing. But it was funny at the very least and I finally got back home after 2 days spent in Nagoya.
Bye-bye Nagoya for…well, only 2 weeks. ^^ (I went there again the previous weekend to see the sumō tournament. And will go there again this weekend to see international cosplay event held in Nagoya... But I’ll leave these stories for the next time. またね！).
Photos:
One of million Nagoya Eki's exits... This "flower" thing is colorfully lit up during the night time.
Legion of schoolgirls
And legion of obaachan
Henna gaijin banzai! o_o
Right next to the Nagoya-jyō (Nagoya Castle) the Nagoya sumō tournament had been held
Near the enrance to Nagoya-jyō
The building in the back isn't Nagoya-jyō... I'm not sure what it is though.
And here you can finally see the Nagoya-jyō... I'm not sure what it is though.
Statue of... Ahem, who was it again? ^^
Nagoya-jyō, Nagoya-jyō and Nagoya-jyō again
Engrish again
This is a symbol of Nagoya-jyō, you can see two of these tiger-headed fish on the top of the castle. They are called kinshachi and they represented the feudal lord's authority as well as they are talismans for fire prevention
A cart for lords
A scale model of Nagoya-jyō and the surrounding area
An annoyingly modern interior...
A reconstruction of rooms and streets from old times
This devilish monster is armor with helmet
Some small firearms ^^
And elevators again...
Some information about 3 most powerful men of 16th century - Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu
A model of how stones were moved. You could acually try it yourself.
View from Nagoya-jyō
These balls are called takoyaki and are delicious... There is an octopus inside.
Surroundings of the castle
There was a small house with these amazing dolls on display
As I have already said... The castle is pretty new.
And surroundings again
Finally back in the streets again
A pair of sumō wrestlers
Shiyakusho Station
Port of Nagoya ^^
Ferris wheels are really everywhere, no kidding
And the aquarium itself... I think no special comments are needed since it's just animals and water. But it was indeed pretty.
The exterior basin... Performances were being held here.
Double bow with applause, please!
He can fly o_O
No more fish...
The ferris wheel
And now from the inside ^^ But it was quite boring alone...
Small amusement park right next to the aquarium
Ōsu Kannon Temple... Yes, it's the same from yesterday.
I love this original sign!
Inside the Ōsu Kannon Temple
The large rope is for a large bell above
An incense burner
And Ōsu District again
A videogame shop
Nothing rare
Akamon Dōri (Street)
And nearby streets... Right next to this was a videogame shop.
Like this one ^^ With a PS3 on the street.
This store is full of cosplay costumes and anime accessories...
...and otaku nearby.
Want some clothes full of nature?
A huge manekineko in the middle of nowhere... Not sure what for this is, but there is a display under the cat.
One of many passages in Ōsu
Video:
A very short performance with dolphin in Nagoya-kō Suizokukan (Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium). Unfortunately, I arrived quite late, so I couldn't see anything of a larger scale.
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