Sunday, September 11, 2005
Backlog
I'm starting to see a pattern emerge: every weekend I take so many pictures that I fall behind on my blogging trying to keep up with them all. It's not the blogging that's the burden, it's my damned enthusiasm to take pictures and give a more complete picture of my experiences. Clearly, I'm the problem!
Saturday: Indoor Edutainment
After doing absolutely nothing on Friday night I was determined to get out do something (anything) on Saturday. I ruled out any castle or temple trips because I didn't want to put up with the inevitable hours of walking around in the heat and humidity. At some point during the morning, whilst reviewing my various travel guides and brochures, a plan of indoor, air-conditioned fun in Osaka became apparent to me.
I got over to the Hirakata City Station as soon as possible. I e-mailed my ideas (via my new phone) to Scott to see if he was down. He had other plans but suggested we meet in the evening. That was fine by me. I got on the first express train I could and went straight to Yodoyabashi. During the ride I was pleasantly surprised by a television on board which allowed me to see nearly the entire seventh inning of the Yankees/Red Sox game.
The picture was pretty fuzzy but I'll take it!
The end of the inning coincided very well with my arrival in Yodoyabashi. The station is named for an old bridge (pictured below). Osaka is a city with many bridges because of the many rivers flowing in and around the city. I crossed the Yodoyabashi bridge to reach Nakanoshima (literally "center island") where I took a very nice walk along the Tosabori River. This is a very scenic area in Osaka and the paved walkway was decorated with a number of sculptures. There were also quite a few homeless people sleeping/living there. That might surprise some of you to hear that Japan has homeless, but it's the truth. I'm not sure how that rumor got started but the sooner you dismiss it, the better. Anyway, you can look at an assortment of pictures from that area here.
Yodoyabashi Bridge.
From the bridge, looking to the north.
Ten or fifteen minutes of walking down the river (taking my time all the way) I came to my first stop, a pair of museums. The first one I noticed was the Osaka Science Museum although I was actually looking for the National Museum of Art. I could see signs for it, but no building in the area other than the science museum and some crazy looking framework for who knows what purpose.
Osaka Science Museum.
What the hell is this next to it?
I was about to break down and ask for help when I took another look around, realizing the framework was actually the entrance to the art museum! The exhibit space was actually entirely underground. It just opened last year so I guess they went with an unusual design for the entrance to grab people's attention.
The museum was very nice and a bargain to boot: students get in for half off! I was a little dismayed at how empty it was. I know that's ridiculous considering how much I complained about the crowds in the MoMA this summer but I guess I like to know art is being seen on a regular basis, else it might go away or retreat to elite circles away from my vantage point.
Speaking of modern art, this museum was clearly focused on the here and now of the art world. Most of the exhibits were very contemporary (2001 or newer) and much of it was, what's the word I'm looking for...weird? One exhibit required me to wear a set of headphones and then walk a predetermined path on the floor while listening to a recording of someone else walking down the street in Bulgaria or something. Another exhibit was "practical exercise machines" that simulate carrying a wheelbarrow while walking on a treadmill or using a mouse with heavy weights attached to it. These machines were not just for observation; I actually used every one of them (with some help from the staff).
Speaking of the staff, they were all Japanese women. That may sound obvious at first but think about the last time you went to a museum in New York. The staff in the exhibit spaces are usually male and they often look ready to beat your ass if you try anything.
It wasn't all cutting edge though, there were plenty of more "conventional" works like sculpture and paintings. I even saw one piece by Kandinsky although it was very different than the works I had seen in the MoMA this summer. Not nearly as creepy or ominous; I don't know the proper terminology, but it was very angular, like something you might expect from Picasso...is that cubism?
I took my time in the museum but it wasn't very big so after about two hours I actually saw everything there was to see. I opted not to go into the Science Museum because I felt the language barrier would ruin the experience. Understanding may not be a requisite for art (although nearly everything in the museum was bi-lingual) but science is another story. I grabbed a cheap lunch across the street and began walking west towards the bay area. On my map, there was a clear path down one particular street to reach the bay. After about twenty minutes of walking I began to wonder how much further it would be. My map wasn't too helpful with details like that so I stopped in a convenience store and asked for some help. Fortunately, I had learned some of the words I needed to know to ask this question just this week! They told me it would take about forty minutes on foot so I decided it was time to cave in and take a bus. In all honesty it wasn't that hot on Saturday and I could feel a breeze blowing in from the bay, but that was just too far. I didn't want to spend all day getting there.
This bus stop actually tells you how far away the bus is. Why can't we have this awesome shit in New York?
Waiting for bus led to another wonderful moment in Japanese service. I had my map open and I was staring at it intensely so it was no secret that I was a tourist. A man actually came out of his shop to greet me at the bus stop and offered me help finding my destination. He didn't speak English but he spoke slowly and clearly enough to confirm my choice of bus. Very nice guy.
Once on the bus I found myself in a new predicament. I should explain: in Japan, you pay when you get off of the bus rather than paying up front. You also board in the rear rather than the front but that's not important to this story. What is important is I was five Yen short of the 200 Yen fare. Sure, I had plenty more money in big bills, but Japanese busses only accept coins. There is a bill changer on board but that only accepts small bills. How was I going to solve this problem? In New York (or anywhere in America for that matter), I'd just say out loud "Anybody got a nickel?" So I straight up asked some strangers for five Yen, explaining my shortage. They agreed, I thanked them profusely and the situation was resolved.
The bus took me directly to where I wanted to be: the Tenpozan Harbor Village featuring the Osaka Aquarium and a giant Ferris wheel.
Yeah, that's a big one.
Also big.
That's, well, not so big.
The aquarium was surprisingly expensive (2000 Yen) but considering how cheap it had been to get into the art museum I think the total cost was about right. It was a very large aquarium with one particularly large tank in the middle, but the thing is you end up circling that tank many times during your visit. So the price still feels very high to me. I took plenty of pictures which you can see here.
After having my fill of sea creatures (metaphorically speaking) I decided it was "high" time to check out the giant Ferris wheel. It was also surprisingly expensive (700 Yen) but I rationalized it thusly: If I happily spent five bucks riding The Cyclone for less than two minutes, I should be willing to spend a little more to ride this thing for almost fifteen minutes. I took a lot of pictures on this ride and you can see them here.
As it was starting to get around dinner time I called Scott to arrange our meeting. He had been busy cleaning his apartment and his girlfriend Emi was coming over so he wasn't going out but he invited me to join him at his apartment. It was actually his birthday so we're going to have to come up with a proper celebration to commemorate the occasion later. I made my way over there and he met me at the station. I was sure to snap a picture of him with my new phone; now whenever he calls, I see his picture on the display. It's so much fun!
We had a bunch of snacks and some beer while hanging out in his place. I drank a liter (approximately 33 oz. back home) of Yebisu Beer which tastes great but simply doesn't have enough of a kick to brighten my spirits. The snacks were great; I bought some peanuts which were less salted than their American counterparts and Scott had...well, I don't remember what they were called and I don't know how to explain the taste, but they were mysteriously delicious. Emi showed up and spent a long time preparing a sizeable meal for all three of us. While she cooked, Scott and I were talking about the difficulties of making a good sequel and we played a little SVC Chaos. Emi jokingly called us otaku but I'm sure she meant that in a nice way.
Dinner was a wonderful combination of fried chicken, salad, and "mapo" eggplant. It's like Mapo tofu only without the tofu. It's turning out to be a popular flavor here in Japan and I'm so happy I first discovered it this summer in New York so I knew to look for it here. After dinner I had to hurry to the train station as I wasn't sure when the last train was leaving. I actually made it in plenty of time although I did miss the last bus to my neighborhood back in Hirakata. I ended up taking a different bus which passed close to my neighborhood and walked the rest instead.
Sunday: Outdoor Chance-Taking
I slept in today, not sure what to do with myself. I didn't want to take any long, expensive train trips but I certainly didn't want to sit around all day either. I came up with a plan to walk to an unfamiliar area that I knew to be relatively close: Makino Station. While I didn't have a map I did ask the caretaker and he told me it was easy to find. All I had to was walk to the nearby Hotani River (which I often cross looking for dinner) and follow it into the station. Thankfully it was overcast so the temperature was bearable although humidity was still a problem. Still, it was an easy walk.
This sign near the Hotani River warns of "danger." What's up with the frogman attacking the little girl though?
Archery competition at a nearby dental school. I'm not kidding.
Makino Station, straight ahead.
Once at Makino Station I then had to actually pick somewhere to go. I was kind of curious to check out the Kuzuha Mall I had heard so much about. It was only one station away so it was pretty cheap. I decided to check it out. Maybe I might even buy something if the price as right.
I'll never understand the proliferation of English in Japan.
Children at play in this curious fountain.
The mall was, well, a mall. It was carpeted, which was nice, but there wasn't anything super distinctive about it. I was happy that it wasn't full of the exact same stores than American malls were, but the goods offered inside were pretty much the same (save for a traditional kimono store). I did check a few prices on shoes as my "future shoes" are actually in rapid decline. I guess I should have worn them less often this summer as I was counting on their easy on/off access here in Japan.
One thing that did come up was a trip to the toilet. Given the mall's overall "newness" and Western style, I was shocked to find a Japanese-style squat toilet in the bathroom. I didn't take a picture because it wasn't, um, "clean." I later learned that the restrooms in the mall have both the squat-style and the high-end Western style toilets. I have to wonder why though; once you've experienced the automated bidet, what possible reason would you have to go back to squatting like an animal?
Here's a fascinating contraption I saw in the stall. It's for parents to put their children into while they're using the toilet. I have a few thoughts. Firstly, there's the name. In Japanese, it's "Baby Keep" but the English translation is "Baby Rest." Was someone worried about the connotation of "baby keep" in English? Secondly, you can't see this but the instructions are written in Braille. Why? Are there really lone blind people carrying children around with them into restrooms?
Other than the mall, I didn't explore Kuzuha that much. I started to walk in one direction but I got caught in sudden shower. I ended up retreating to the station where I decided I should just go back to Makino and start walking home.
Kuzuha station offers a lovely view of these mountains.
Back in Makino, I didn't walk straight home. I decided to walk along the streets that paralleled the river so I would see some new things and eventually pick a spot to eat dinner. It didn't take very long to see this nice little shrine, tucked into a busy intersection.
I ended up walking for quite a while. I saw my share of restaurants but I didn't like them for one reason or another. Maybe there was no menu or samples outside, maybe the prices looked too high, maybe it was a cuisine I had eaten a lot of recently. I ended up picking a tiny place that offered a fairly-priced yakiniku meal. The inside was a real trip; I felt like I was in someone's basement. I was the only customer (not that there more than eight seats in the room) and I was given a knife and fork instead of chopsticks. This was the first time I used those utensils since my plane flight and it felt very strange. I suspect it was their way of being courteous so I didn't try to challenge them on it.
The food was pretty tasty but the atmosphere was really strange. I had a makeshift conversation with the old women who were running the place. You should know that older Japanese people are a lot harder to understand than young Japanese people, although I guess that's universal. Anyway, when I mentioned I was from New York, I immediately received a gift: the May issue of Sôka Gakkai magazine! What are the odds I would receive this amusing piece of information on SGI? Why did the mention of New York prompt this gift? Could this meal get any stranger?
After dinner I walked home using yet another direction than before. So I got my share of exercise this weekend and I feel pretty good about that. I am wondering when I'm going to manage to meet some new people and hang out with them though. Everything I did this weekend would have been more fun if I had shared the experience with someone (anyone) else.
Saturday: Indoor Edutainment
After doing absolutely nothing on Friday night I was determined to get out do something (anything) on Saturday. I ruled out any castle or temple trips because I didn't want to put up with the inevitable hours of walking around in the heat and humidity. At some point during the morning, whilst reviewing my various travel guides and brochures, a plan of indoor, air-conditioned fun in Osaka became apparent to me.
I got over to the Hirakata City Station as soon as possible. I e-mailed my ideas (via my new phone) to Scott to see if he was down. He had other plans but suggested we meet in the evening. That was fine by me. I got on the first express train I could and went straight to Yodoyabashi. During the ride I was pleasantly surprised by a television on board which allowed me to see nearly the entire seventh inning of the Yankees/Red Sox game.
The picture was pretty fuzzy but I'll take it!
The end of the inning coincided very well with my arrival in Yodoyabashi. The station is named for an old bridge (pictured below). Osaka is a city with many bridges because of the many rivers flowing in and around the city. I crossed the Yodoyabashi bridge to reach Nakanoshima (literally "center island") where I took a very nice walk along the Tosabori River. This is a very scenic area in Osaka and the paved walkway was decorated with a number of sculptures. There were also quite a few homeless people sleeping/living there. That might surprise some of you to hear that Japan has homeless, but it's the truth. I'm not sure how that rumor got started but the sooner you dismiss it, the better. Anyway, you can look at an assortment of pictures from that area here.
Yodoyabashi Bridge.
From the bridge, looking to the north.
Ten or fifteen minutes of walking down the river (taking my time all the way) I came to my first stop, a pair of museums. The first one I noticed was the Osaka Science Museum although I was actually looking for the National Museum of Art. I could see signs for it, but no building in the area other than the science museum and some crazy looking framework for who knows what purpose.
Osaka Science Museum.
What the hell is this next to it?
I was about to break down and ask for help when I took another look around, realizing the framework was actually the entrance to the art museum! The exhibit space was actually entirely underground. It just opened last year so I guess they went with an unusual design for the entrance to grab people's attention.
The museum was very nice and a bargain to boot: students get in for half off! I was a little dismayed at how empty it was. I know that's ridiculous considering how much I complained about the crowds in the MoMA this summer but I guess I like to know art is being seen on a regular basis, else it might go away or retreat to elite circles away from my vantage point.
Speaking of modern art, this museum was clearly focused on the here and now of the art world. Most of the exhibits were very contemporary (2001 or newer) and much of it was, what's the word I'm looking for...weird? One exhibit required me to wear a set of headphones and then walk a predetermined path on the floor while listening to a recording of someone else walking down the street in Bulgaria or something. Another exhibit was "practical exercise machines" that simulate carrying a wheelbarrow while walking on a treadmill or using a mouse with heavy weights attached to it. These machines were not just for observation; I actually used every one of them (with some help from the staff).
Speaking of the staff, they were all Japanese women. That may sound obvious at first but think about the last time you went to a museum in New York. The staff in the exhibit spaces are usually male and they often look ready to beat your ass if you try anything.
It wasn't all cutting edge though, there were plenty of more "conventional" works like sculpture and paintings. I even saw one piece by Kandinsky although it was very different than the works I had seen in the MoMA this summer. Not nearly as creepy or ominous; I don't know the proper terminology, but it was very angular, like something you might expect from Picasso...is that cubism?
I took my time in the museum but it wasn't very big so after about two hours I actually saw everything there was to see. I opted not to go into the Science Museum because I felt the language barrier would ruin the experience. Understanding may not be a requisite for art (although nearly everything in the museum was bi-lingual) but science is another story. I grabbed a cheap lunch across the street and began walking west towards the bay area. On my map, there was a clear path down one particular street to reach the bay. After about twenty minutes of walking I began to wonder how much further it would be. My map wasn't too helpful with details like that so I stopped in a convenience store and asked for some help. Fortunately, I had learned some of the words I needed to know to ask this question just this week! They told me it would take about forty minutes on foot so I decided it was time to cave in and take a bus. In all honesty it wasn't that hot on Saturday and I could feel a breeze blowing in from the bay, but that was just too far. I didn't want to spend all day getting there.
This bus stop actually tells you how far away the bus is. Why can't we have this awesome shit in New York?
Waiting for bus led to another wonderful moment in Japanese service. I had my map open and I was staring at it intensely so it was no secret that I was a tourist. A man actually came out of his shop to greet me at the bus stop and offered me help finding my destination. He didn't speak English but he spoke slowly and clearly enough to confirm my choice of bus. Very nice guy.
Once on the bus I found myself in a new predicament. I should explain: in Japan, you pay when you get off of the bus rather than paying up front. You also board in the rear rather than the front but that's not important to this story. What is important is I was five Yen short of the 200 Yen fare. Sure, I had plenty more money in big bills, but Japanese busses only accept coins. There is a bill changer on board but that only accepts small bills. How was I going to solve this problem? In New York (or anywhere in America for that matter), I'd just say out loud "Anybody got a nickel?" So I straight up asked some strangers for five Yen, explaining my shortage. They agreed, I thanked them profusely and the situation was resolved.
The bus took me directly to where I wanted to be: the Tenpozan Harbor Village featuring the Osaka Aquarium and a giant Ferris wheel.
Yeah, that's a big one.
Also big.
That's, well, not so big.
The aquarium was surprisingly expensive (2000 Yen) but considering how cheap it had been to get into the art museum I think the total cost was about right. It was a very large aquarium with one particularly large tank in the middle, but the thing is you end up circling that tank many times during your visit. So the price still feels very high to me. I took plenty of pictures which you can see here.
After having my fill of sea creatures (metaphorically speaking) I decided it was "high" time to check out the giant Ferris wheel. It was also surprisingly expensive (700 Yen) but I rationalized it thusly: If I happily spent five bucks riding The Cyclone for less than two minutes, I should be willing to spend a little more to ride this thing for almost fifteen minutes. I took a lot of pictures on this ride and you can see them here.
As it was starting to get around dinner time I called Scott to arrange our meeting. He had been busy cleaning his apartment and his girlfriend Emi was coming over so he wasn't going out but he invited me to join him at his apartment. It was actually his birthday so we're going to have to come up with a proper celebration to commemorate the occasion later. I made my way over there and he met me at the station. I was sure to snap a picture of him with my new phone; now whenever he calls, I see his picture on the display. It's so much fun!
We had a bunch of snacks and some beer while hanging out in his place. I drank a liter (approximately 33 oz. back home) of Yebisu Beer which tastes great but simply doesn't have enough of a kick to brighten my spirits. The snacks were great; I bought some peanuts which were less salted than their American counterparts and Scott had...well, I don't remember what they were called and I don't know how to explain the taste, but they were mysteriously delicious. Emi showed up and spent a long time preparing a sizeable meal for all three of us. While she cooked, Scott and I were talking about the difficulties of making a good sequel and we played a little SVC Chaos. Emi jokingly called us otaku but I'm sure she meant that in a nice way.
Dinner was a wonderful combination of fried chicken, salad, and "mapo" eggplant. It's like Mapo tofu only without the tofu. It's turning out to be a popular flavor here in Japan and I'm so happy I first discovered it this summer in New York so I knew to look for it here. After dinner I had to hurry to the train station as I wasn't sure when the last train was leaving. I actually made it in plenty of time although I did miss the last bus to my neighborhood back in Hirakata. I ended up taking a different bus which passed close to my neighborhood and walked the rest instead.
Sunday: Outdoor Chance-Taking
I slept in today, not sure what to do with myself. I didn't want to take any long, expensive train trips but I certainly didn't want to sit around all day either. I came up with a plan to walk to an unfamiliar area that I knew to be relatively close: Makino Station. While I didn't have a map I did ask the caretaker and he told me it was easy to find. All I had to was walk to the nearby Hotani River (which I often cross looking for dinner) and follow it into the station. Thankfully it was overcast so the temperature was bearable although humidity was still a problem. Still, it was an easy walk.
This sign near the Hotani River warns of "danger." What's up with the frogman attacking the little girl though?
Archery competition at a nearby dental school. I'm not kidding.
Makino Station, straight ahead.
Once at Makino Station I then had to actually pick somewhere to go. I was kind of curious to check out the Kuzuha Mall I had heard so much about. It was only one station away so it was pretty cheap. I decided to check it out. Maybe I might even buy something if the price as right.
I'll never understand the proliferation of English in Japan.
Children at play in this curious fountain.
The mall was, well, a mall. It was carpeted, which was nice, but there wasn't anything super distinctive about it. I was happy that it wasn't full of the exact same stores than American malls were, but the goods offered inside were pretty much the same (save for a traditional kimono store). I did check a few prices on shoes as my "future shoes" are actually in rapid decline. I guess I should have worn them less often this summer as I was counting on their easy on/off access here in Japan.
One thing that did come up was a trip to the toilet. Given the mall's overall "newness" and Western style, I was shocked to find a Japanese-style squat toilet in the bathroom. I didn't take a picture because it wasn't, um, "clean." I later learned that the restrooms in the mall have both the squat-style and the high-end Western style toilets. I have to wonder why though; once you've experienced the automated bidet, what possible reason would you have to go back to squatting like an animal?
Here's a fascinating contraption I saw in the stall. It's for parents to put their children into while they're using the toilet. I have a few thoughts. Firstly, there's the name. In Japanese, it's "Baby Keep" but the English translation is "Baby Rest." Was someone worried about the connotation of "baby keep" in English? Secondly, you can't see this but the instructions are written in Braille. Why? Are there really lone blind people carrying children around with them into restrooms?
Other than the mall, I didn't explore Kuzuha that much. I started to walk in one direction but I got caught in sudden shower. I ended up retreating to the station where I decided I should just go back to Makino and start walking home.
Kuzuha station offers a lovely view of these mountains.
Back in Makino, I didn't walk straight home. I decided to walk along the streets that paralleled the river so I would see some new things and eventually pick a spot to eat dinner. It didn't take very long to see this nice little shrine, tucked into a busy intersection.
I ended up walking for quite a while. I saw my share of restaurants but I didn't like them for one reason or another. Maybe there was no menu or samples outside, maybe the prices looked too high, maybe it was a cuisine I had eaten a lot of recently. I ended up picking a tiny place that offered a fairly-priced yakiniku meal. The inside was a real trip; I felt like I was in someone's basement. I was the only customer (not that there more than eight seats in the room) and I was given a knife and fork instead of chopsticks. This was the first time I used those utensils since my plane flight and it felt very strange. I suspect it was their way of being courteous so I didn't try to challenge them on it.
The food was pretty tasty but the atmosphere was really strange. I had a makeshift conversation with the old women who were running the place. You should know that older Japanese people are a lot harder to understand than young Japanese people, although I guess that's universal. Anyway, when I mentioned I was from New York, I immediately received a gift: the May issue of Sôka Gakkai magazine! What are the odds I would receive this amusing piece of information on SGI? Why did the mention of New York prompt this gift? Could this meal get any stranger?
After dinner I walked home using yet another direction than before. So I got my share of exercise this weekend and I feel pretty good about that. I am wondering when I'm going to manage to meet some new people and hang out with them though. Everything I did this weekend would have been more fun if I had shared the experience with someone (anyone) else.
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It still doesn't work. I think I might try buying a voltage adaptor before bringing it to a repair shop. I've heard that the "frequency" of the current here in Japan is different and while small devices work (like my razor) a computer might not.
コメントがあります？ Type something, please. It's less work for me.
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