Smooth touch of water 2

The moon and a lady

smooth touch of water and a girl

buildings over the pine trees

Reality bites

This photo was taken at Asakusa, one of the oldest entertainment spots in Tokyo and now also famous for the sightseeing spot for travelers from other countries. Asakusa has also a big betting office for horse races and the races are popular among, so called, working class. They go to this area to buy some tickets for horse racing every weekend and they earnestly discuss and analyze the races, as economic analysts examine stock price trends. But though I think they all are pretty genius and talented analysts, they seem to be poor at winning.

Looks fresh but... part2

This is a collection of sliced raw fish, sashimi in Japanese. But it is not real, as same as the post on two days ago.

A big beetle

When I was a child, I preferred catching some cicadas, semi in Japanese, and beetles or some insects in parks or near trees along the river during summer vacation.

Now the situation has totally changed! Because of the global heating, the insects seem to become bigger:-))

To keep the insects from attacking us, we are sure to have a spray of insect killer with us in Tokyo when we go out:-))

Looks fresh but...

These sushis look very fresh and delicious but I never want to eat them! Because they are made of vinyl chloride resin. These are usually displayed at the entrance of middle or low class sushi restaurant.

If these are on a dish at a sushi restaurant, I will almost eat them!

seats making you relax and feel better

These are not seats of first class in airplane but seats which give people a relaxing massage. When we sit on the seat, the seat can press and rub every part of our bodies, ranging from our calf, back of upper leg, to hip, back, neck and shoulder.

a control in a toilette

This remote control is attached on the wall in a pay toilette and the toilette allows you to play Nintendo DS with it, one of popular TV game in Japan, during getting a wash. Since the guests enjoy playing the game for a long time even after having a wash, many people are queuing in front of the toilette.

Oh, I sometimes become a liar!!

This is a control for the toilette. Pushing these buttons, we make a spray nozzle brush something off our bottoms, adjust the water volume and the position of spray nozzle. We can also make our bottoms dry and the odor eliminate with it very speedy. The other machines can also adjust the water temperature.



Some persons wipe toilette seat with bathroom tissue and attached disinfectant liquid next to the tissue before sitting on the seat.

We might sickly love the cleanliness.

Sunrays on the leaves

Have a nice weekend!!

Lolita fashion

Escalator

We prefer rules, or manners: for example, when I get on elevator with some of my bosses at an office building, it is quite natural that I stand in front of operation buttons, close to the door. When I get on taxi with two of my bosses, I will sit on front passenger seat and the bosses sit on the back of the car. When I have a dinner with a few of my bosses and our customers in a traditional Japanese room with tatami mat and tokonoma, the main alcove, my bosses will be very angry with me if I sit just in front of the alcove. It is quite natural that I sit on a tatami just close to the entrance of the room.

By the way, people in Tokyo stand on the left side when they take an escalator. The right side is a space for those who are in a hurry and would like to walk up or down the escalator. Surprisingly, people in Osaka, the second largest city in Japan, do the opposite. They stand on the right side. I don't know why... Some people in Nagoya, the third largest city and located between Tokyo and Osaka, stand on the right, and the others in Nagoya do on the left side. So on which side do you stand when you get on escalator?? My answer is that you have a choice. I think it is best for you to follow person ahead of you to keep a space for people in a hurry.

Without rules, only a little care and attention to the others and some imagination will work well and be enough, I suppose.

Neo-futuristic agriculture

Now office buildings in the middle of Tokyo are dramatically changing. About 8 percents of all the office buildings in Tokyo surprisingly cultivate rice like this photo, with no sunrays and only artificial light of something of fluorescent lamp.

Since the oil is and will be staying in a state of high price, the government gives financial aids to companies making rice and developing bio-ethanol, using the rice, as an alternative energy.

Oh, just kidding, though it is not April 1:-))

Actually a recruitment agency in Otemachi, one of the biggest office districts, makes rice on the second basement floor to let people feel familiar to the agricultural industry, perhaps as well as to promote its corporate identity.

LCD display on the train

Above each door of Yamanote line, loop line running in the middle of Tokyo, are installed two LCD displays. One show us the information on the train situation and the other gives us Commercial Message, Weather info, some small news about stock, sports, fortune-telling and more.

I wish we could watch some sports live on the display

A big earthquake in Niigata

This is not my photo but I stolen from TV. Just a hour before, there are a big earthquake in Niigata, far from Tokyo. The earthquake had the magnitude of about 6. It shook Tokyo a little but for about 30 minutes.

Just after the typhoon is leaving Japan, another natural disaster attacked us. Anyway, I just pray for their safety in Niigata and Nagano.

No please like home:-))

As is often happened in this season, a big typhoon, carrying rainstorm with it, is above Tokyo now and heads to the east.

I'm off today and tomorrow (tomorrow is our national holiday, called marine day) but need to stay home. So I will do some writing and read unread books, which pile up high on the shelf.

Have a nice weekend.

At a glance of Tokyo

Groupies, Okkake in Japanese

The women are sitting along a pathway just close to a theater in order to wait for a star of Takarazuka, a girls' operetta troupe, going out of the theater. By the way, there seems a rule among the groupies. To follow a star as a groupie, she needs to wear certain clothes, or clothes with a certain pattern or color. Other group wear green scarf and other wear black clothes. And this group wear shirt with leaves pattern. The color or style of clothes they wear seems to change up to the preference of the star whom they follow.

Karaoke Box

This is called Karaoke Box, a shop where guests will rent a small room with a sofa and table for singing with friends. They usually sing some songs using the Karaoke machine, drinking and eating something. Karaoke Box is a typical entertainment spot for young people after having a dinner with friends.

But we can use this box in the other way. If we would like just to drink and rest relaxed in the middle of Tokyo after wandering around, the box will satisfy us. The fee during daytime is very reasonable, only about 1USD per person and per a hour, and the fee allows us to have an temporary private room.

Bunko, small paperback

What do you do on the train if you have to get on a train for commuting for a hour, as is very common in Tokyo? I would read some books, listening some music with iPod.

Many piles of A6 size, 105mm x 148mm, paperbacks, called Bunko in Japanese, are sold at bookstores in Japan and very popular among people commuting on trains. Such books will cost us USD 3 at least, USD 7 at most and more reasonable than the hardcover ones.

I believe that books are one of the best investment and that good food and reading make us health physically and mentally.

At a glance of the city, Ginza, Tokyo

Cheers!!

It is now in the middle of rainy season and Tokyo will be heading for the season of beer. Beer is very popular especially among summer and we prefer very chilled beer of Asahi Super Dry perhaps because of the hot with high humidity of summer.

Have a nice day!!

A paradise of camera

Ginza district is undoubtedly the paradise of camera and perhaps has the most camera shops in Tokyo. The shops deal with many kinds of cameras, ranging from brand new digital cameras to antique cameras. Some small show rooms of Nikon, Canon and Fuji sit there, too. Plus, there is a big electric shop just close to GInza.

By the way, why do so many camera shops sit there?

Because in those days, some major newspaper offices were there, drawing many advertising agencies into there. So the shops were open to sell them cameras.

I advise you to go to Ginza district if you would like to see many kinds of cameras:-))

When you wish upon a star...

Today is 7th of July, and also Tanabata in Japan. Tanabata is a kind of star festival and children write their dreams and wishes on the tanzaku, small colored strips of paper, and fasten them to branches of bamboo trees to come true.

This festival comes from a Chinese legend in which the star Altair crosses the Milky Way once a year and meets the star Vega. Today's night, the prince of the Altair and the princess of the Vega, from both sides of the Milky Way, are allowed to meet. If it rains today, the Way flood and they cannot meet. But it is cloudy and will not rain, so they will meet.

It is rather romantic!!

By the way, the photo was took near Brooks Brothers, a business and casual clothing shop from US, at Ginza street in Tokyo. Bamboo trees have been put in front of each shop along this street from some weeks ago.

Tell me your wish, and I will write them on the paper to come true!!

Have a glorious weekend!!

Food model

These sliced beefs looks yummy?

Actually these are not real but just the samples, which will be displayed at some restaurants to show what kinds of food they will serve to coming guests.

These samples are made of vinyl chloride resin and colored by hand. These are just sample and sometime look more delicious than the real. Such samples are sold at Kappabashi district, near Asakusa, and many travelers from other countries are said to get them as souvenirs.

By the way, some big electric shops amazingly sell USB Flash Drive with the sample of sushi. The mixture of electric goods and sushi seems to be very Japanese, I suppose.

An antiquarian bookshop in Tokyo

There are still now many used and antiquarian bookshops in Tokyo. These books shops are concentrated, above all, along a big street at Jinbosho district. I love such books and the texture of yellowed papers and slightly smell of ink, floating out from printed characters on them, make me relaxed.

By the way, there are some Ukiyo-e, Japanese woodblock prints, shops in this district and I advise you to go there if you would like to buy real but reasonable Ukiyo-e.

Sushi restaurant

This is a sushi bar, called Sushi Dai, the most delicious and reasonable restaurant in Tsukiji market, and I have never seen nobody waiting in a queue in front of the restaurant. (By the way, here is the photo from outside)

Sushi chefs and guest face each other across the wooden counter like this at traditional sushi bars. On the lower table are put a cup of hot green tea, some plates, chopsticks, a small container of soy sauce and more. The chefs put sushi on the higher table and guests take them by hand or by chopsticks and soak them for a brief while on the small plate, full of soy sauce. The higher one plays something of a dish. On the higher table is also put vinegared ginger. We usually eat them a little bit after we finish eating each sushi to take away the aftertaste.

The conversation with the chefs is also one of funs in such sushi bar.

By the way, where is sushi's photos??? OK, no problem! Here is the sushi photos and small comments on them.

Are you hungry?

This photo is in front of a crape shop in Harajuku. Just in front of such shops are exhibited samples, made of plastic, and they looks very real.

In Harajuku there are many crape shops because Harajuku is for young girls and they love sweets especially and crape is suitable to be eaten outside while they wander around streets.

Which do you like of these crape?

I agree with a girl's choice on the photo!! The combination of blueberry, cranberry and strawberry looks yummy!!

City lights 5

Theme Day for the month of July: The Color Red, red papered lanterns, Aka-chochin

These red lanterns are often seen to hang in front of a Japanese style pub, Izakaya in Japanese, or a restaurant, serving Oden, a Japanese winter pot dish consisting of various ingredients, stewed for hours in kelp, such as Japanese radish, fish-paste, boiled egg and more.

By the way, the red of the lanterns seems to draw the passengers strongly inward.

Many other city daily photo blogs participate in this theme day today, why don't you pay them a visit? Remember, due to time difference they might not all be ready when you visit them.

Shanghai, China - Mumbai, India - New York City (NY), USA - Manila, Philippines - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Hamburg, Germany - Stayton (OR), USA - Los Angeles (CA), USA - Hyde, UK - Oslo, Norway - Brookville (OH), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Stavanger, Norway - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Joplin (MO), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Selma (AL), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Chandler (AZ), USA - Stockholm, Sweden - Seattle (WA), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Arradon, France - Evry, France - Baton Rouge (LA), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Boston (MA), USA - Grenoble, France - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Hilo (HI), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - La Antigua, Guatemala - Brisbane (QLD), Australia - Singapore, Singapore - Tel Aviv, Israel - Hong Kong, China - Sequim (WA), USA - Paderborn, Germany - Saarbrücken, Germany - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Tenerife, Spain - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Sydney, Australia - Naples (FL), USA - Cologne (NRW), Germany - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Mainz, Germany - Toruń, Poland - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Singapore, Singapore - North Bay (ON), Canada - Jakarta, Indonesia - Montréal (QC), Canada - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Baziège, France - San Diego (CA), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - New York (NY), USA - Kajang (Selangor), Malaysia - Sharon (CT), USA - Newcastle (NSW), Australia - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Nottingham, UK - Villigen, Switzerland - Chicago (IL), USA - Torquay, UK - Brussels, Belgium - San Diego (CA), USA - Mexico (DF), Mexico - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Cape Town, South Africa - Paris, France - Seoul, Korea - Manila, Philippines - Milano, Italy - Chennai (Tamil Nadu), India - Austin (TX), USA - Chennai, India - Madrid, Spain - Seoul, South Korea - Wailea (HI), USA - Toronto (ON), Canada - Ajaccio, France - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Zurich, Switzerland - Sydney, Australia