Okayama Pt. 2

Back to the trip…

First of all, this trip would have been a lot less comfortable without the support and care of Hisako and Kazu Okamura.  Kazu Okamura is the chairman of a hospital, one of the most technically advanced in southern Japan, and Hisako is a social activist and agitator.  Much more on some of this a bit later.

The short of it is, they put up up at a beautiful hotel- Kurashiki Ivy Square- our first night in town.

The City of Kurashiki, near Okayama City, was a center of textile production in Japan.  Kurashiki Ivy Square is an immense red-brick structure that used to be a textile factory and is now a very nice hotel!

The front gate.  The whole structure is red brick, which is a rare building material in most parts of Japan.  The nearby city of Bizen is one of the pottery centers of Japan and provided all the bricks used in the region.

The outer courtyard.

The view from our window.  The outer wall did a wonderful job of blocking traffic noise.  A very strange view, but filled with a strange sort of beauty… but then again, I’m a fan of old architecture, especially industrial architecture.

Part of an inner courtyard, converted into a lily pond.

You might be able to see why they call it “Ivy Square”… All of the outbuildings and storage facilities were also pressed into service as shops, museums, etc.  It was beautiful and haunting, rather like coming upon an ancient city swallowed by time.  Sort of like a live-action Myst.

Out into the streets… Kurashiki has been partly preserved and developed along “old school” lines of Japanese architecture, and is a very pleasant walk.  If the powers that be were smart, much more of Japan could look like this.  I’ll do a piece someday on the uglification of Japan, but for now, let’s enjoy a place that got it somewhat right…

Nice!

Narrow little streets (yes, this is a street, not an alleyway) wind away to interesting places…

A canal runs through the heart of the tourist area.

…and you can take a boat ride!  We didn’t, but it was fun to watch.

More to come…

Okayama, part 1

This is a quickie.

Masako and I went to Okayama to visit some friends.  Many adventures were had.  They will be posted on this blog in the next few days.

Okayama is in the southern third of Honshu (the main island) and is the furthest south I’ve been in Japan.  It’s a 4-hour-and-change drive via expressway from Toyota, and in the process one passes near or through the major metropolitan areas of Nagoya, Gifu, Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe, before finally entering Okayama Prefecture and then Okayama City.

In the meantime, I give you a couple of random photos from the trip:

Stray cat, on the line… midnight, 10-second exposure, historical Kurashiki City, near Okayama.

A bit past midnight, again on the historic streets of Kurashiki.

Much more to come, including an explanation of why Kurashiki is historic…

Fireworks!

Back to the more normal side of this blog…

For the Obon holiday, Toyota, like many municipalities in Japan, has a big fireworks display.  Instead of braving the insane crowds and traffic downtown, we decided to head up… up into the mountains, near where I teach, and watch the fireworks from the observation deck up there.

The deck is at something like 500 meters (1650 ft) high on a mountain, allowing an excellent view of the cities of Toyota, Kariya, Okazaki, and beyond into Nagoya.

The fireworks looked a bit distant but in the context of the panoramic view, it was really very nice.

I like this photo a lot, not least because it illustrates some illusions of perspective when there are few reference points for size and distance. The fireworks are being launched from a riverbank, directly in front of the domed stadium (the pinkish area is light reflecting off the open, retractable roof), visible almost directly below the burst.  This is Toyota Stadium.  It and the fireball are, in a straight line, approximately 10 km (6 miles) distant.

Now, look just below the firework burst.  There’s a yellow, lighted needle-shaped tower almost touching it.  See?  This is the Higashiyama Sky Tower in Nagoya.  It’s about 134 meters (442 feet) tall and is about 40 km (25 miles) distant in a straight line.

Now look at the upper left, at the two tallest buildings there.  Those are the twin office / hotel towers at Nagoya Station.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/JR_Central_Towers.jpg

They are 245 meters (805 feet) tall, and are about 50 km (31 miles) distant.

Another shot, one of a distressingly few number that aren’t terribly blurry.  I don’t have a tripod and was using the railing of the deck to stabilize the camera for the 2 to 3-second exposures these required.

Blurry, but purty.

A wide-angle view.  The lights in the lower left are just down the mountain from us.  The foreground lights are Toyota, Kariya, and Okazaki, the more distant ones Nagoya, and the darkness beyond Nagoya that isn’t the sky are the mountains on the other side of the flat plain that Nagoya is built on, about 70 km (43 miles) distant.  I’m still hoping for a clear enough daytime when I can get good pictures, but with the haze and pollution, it might be awhile.  It might have to wait for winter.

More to come.  Thanks for tuning in.

A Nightmare I Had…

Apologies, first and foremost, for any perceptions that I’m making light of a horrible situation… I’m not.  I’m making fun of our lovable national embarrassment.

I had a nightmare.

The scene:  Bush is futzing around at the Olympics when an aide sidles up to him.

Aide:  Sir?

Bush:  Not now, kaintcha see ahm tryin’ ta watch basketball here?

Aide:  But sir, this is important.  The Russians are attacking Georgia.

(The wheels begin to haltingly turn)

Bush:  Georgia?  Ain’t that near Florida?

Aide:  Um, no sir, Georgia is a country in…

Bush:  Ya cain’t fool me, son.  I studied my gea… my geogara…

Aide:  Geography, sir.  Yes, but…

Bush:  Wait a minute… Florida!  That’s where th’ Magic Kingdom is, ain’t it? Has Mickey been informed?

Aide: …

Bush:  An’ that Goofy!  Why, he’s like a brother to me!  We gotta protect our interests… get mah plane ready.

Aide:  (sigh)  Yes, sir.

Bush:  Them Russkies better know who they’re dealin’ with, if’n they want to avoid a noo-kyoo-ler war…

(Many apologies, but I wouldn’t have even had this thought were it not remotely plausible… and that’s the scariest thing.)

An Olympic Interlude…

Masako and I watched the Olympic opening ceremonies.

The Olympics are my very favorite sporting event, edging out the World Cup. I know this is an odd thing for any American to say, but hey, I’m different.

The opening was spectacular. As my cynicism continues to grow as I get older, the Olympics are a wonderful reminder of hope, of what could be if everyone put their minds to it.

Think about it.

Late last year, I was listening to a radio show back in the States. The host lamented that the world’s problems were just too big, and where was the energy for change going to come from?

Look at sports.

Imagine going to a sporting event, say a hockey or football game. What do you see?

Thousands and thousands of people, all wearing team colors, face paint, costumes. No one told them to. No one gave them any sort of instructions. They just did it, coming together for a common cause.

Look at the Olympics. The same spirit, multiplied greatly. A pageant, a spectacle, and a learning experience.

My favorite is the parade of countries, as the athletes come into the stadium, marching behind their respective flags. It’s educational, it’s interesting, it’s a reminder of the size and complexity of the world. It lets you put some faces to those mysterious names on the globe, reminds you that our brothers and sisters are living and breathing and more than just statistics.

It’s a reminder that governments start wars, not people. Iran and Iraq, bitter enemies for so many years, marched one behind the other. The U.S. came in right behind Syria. Russia and Georgia were not too far apart, and sadly would be at war a day later. A spark of hope- after the women’s 10m air pistol competition, in which Russia won silver and Georgia bronze, the athletes from those two countries embraced and called for an end to the fighting.

“After all,” The Georgian athlete said, “We live in the 21^st century.”

The Olympics prove that we have the spirit, and the ability.

All we need is the will.