Aestetica

My favorite musician, Mari relieased a New album, Aestetica a few weeks ago. Of course, I rushed into a store once it'd been on sale. The word, "Aestetica" is "Aestetics" in English which means the state, or the creation of beauty and art. She says, she picked up this word for her new album because she was searching her own Aestetics of her vocal style, or her life itself. I think, she implies that she never gives in anything. Now I'm searching my own Aestetics, and it is like it's just started, but it also is like it'd started many many years ago..... It is like I've just grabed a glimp of my own Aestetica, but it is also like far far away from me....

These days

Hi, everyone!!!

How are you doing thesedays??? I've been working whole this month for domestic tours because the tour to Peru assigned had been canceled due to a flood around Machupichu. It was really pity that I missed a chance to visit there again, but I was able to bring a fresh air into my Here and There life.

I now consider wroking for domestic tours as review trainings as a tour leader for Japanese people. How to cope with drivers and guides, how to give our clients pricise information in using proper Japanese, how to behave properly....

I'll be back to int'l tours next month, and make what I reviewed during this month for next trip to Italy.

Hope you enjoyed some photos I took.

The town of Kurashiki preserved area, Okayama.

Me taking a snap photo at a narrow street.

This is a hospital for delivering babies.... It is located in Takayama, Gifu.

Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima

The red gate behind me is a main gate of Itsukushima Shrine, a world heritage site. The lower part of the gate was in the sea, but with a low-tide, it all appears. The Shrine itself is located on the Miyajima island which is considered as a sacred land where the God lives.

Can you imagine that babies are not allowed to deliver here, or even sugical operations are not allowed because Blood is considered as "Kegare" in Shintoism which is equivalent as Sin in Christianity. When that kind of situations happens, people there take a boat ride to hospitals in main land. And also there are nomaly no trash bins in this land due to the same reason.

"Ootorii", a main gate of Itsukushima Shrine. A world heritage.

"Anago", a conger dish. Very dericious!

Deers in Miyajima island.

Shirakawa village

Shirakawa villege was designated as a world heritage site in 1995. I visited there for the first time a week ago. I was lucky enough to see this beautiful winter snow view. The temp. was around nearly minus, but many tourists was visitting there not to miss the chance to see this view.

Like many other thatched-roof houses in Europe, it is very difficult to preserve, and cost a lot. I think that the old Japanese houses are made of wood which makes us more difficult to preseve, and that is a reason why the number of sites designated as a World heritage is less than in European countries, but there may be other factors.

Shirakawa village in Gifu, a World heritage site.

With snow men....

Time trip back to "Showa" era

I went to Takayama, Gifu several days ago, and visited a Showa museum. Showa is an era between 1929-1989 with the throne of Emperor Showa(Hirohito). It features mainly about the life in 60's-70's, I guess.

I imagined that the streets and shops must have been like the first photo. The second photo is a class room, and the third is a text book. In Katakana words, it says "Sunmer text book". Wrong spelling!!!

It should have been "Summer text book", but the word "Summer" sounded to the publishers like "Sunmer".

A funny mistake...

Osaka vs Hiroshima

This is "Okonomiyaki" which is my favorite Japanese dish.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okonomiyaki

I grew up with the Osaka version, and eat it almost once or twice a week. I really love it!!! This one is Hiroshima version, but it is nothing but just a dericious Okonomiyaki to me.

The land of Gold, Jipang

Japan used to be called "Jipang" by westeners, and Malcopolo introduced it as the land of Gold, Jipang in his book, "Le Livre des Merveilles". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Travels_of_Marco_Polo)

He acctually didn't come to Japan, but he must have heard about maybe "Kinkakuji-temple"(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%87%91%E9%96%A3%E5%AF%BA), or "Chusonji Konjiki-do"(http://www.chusonji.or.jp/guide/precincts/konjikido.html), which are both decorated with Golden Leafs.

I went to Kanazawa one day, and visited a very interesting museum called "Hakukokan". It is a museum about Kanazawa gold leaf(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_leaf). Kanazawa is famous for Gold Leaf production.

Golden "Yoroi Kabuto"

1/3 of 10 yen becomes......

One tatami size of gold leaf!!!