On my way to Temple University, I passed the Sannohashi bridge, and realized that the river was almost completely covered by an elevated freeway. Later I learned the river is called Furukawa (古川), an extension of the Shibuyakawa.

The freeway destroys all the life the river could support, and also diminishes the value of the houses left in its shadows.

This is just one of many Tokyo rivers, canals and historic bridges buried by freeways. A hopeful vision of what could be is seen in the “daylighting” of Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon (Hangul: 청계천) river. As it is now, what remains of the river is a dead space created through poor planning.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Bureau of Construction has a cool interactive map showing every bridge of this river, with photos of each bridge and the views upstream and downstream. And there are photos of this river during Edo, Meiji and contemporary times.

ari ni plan nak g klinik; jumpa dr sbb ada sakit gatal2 kulit. ntah le, asyik gatal2 je kulit aku ni; naik cam ruam ngan parut pun ade..>_<

x nak le citer pasal benda alah tu..kui3. smngt le bgn agak awal; dlm kul 10. tu pun agak ‘liat’ sbb dh membeku dlm selimut. =)) g le klinik, walaupun ari ni hujan; tmbh2 lagi suhu yg bwh 10°C. :-O tp yg men-tensyen-kan bla smpai je, klinik tutup. lol..ari kamis tutup le plak. (-_-;)

ok lah, g mkn kat hokuo (feymes bakeri kat jepun) jap b4 blk…^^ blk2 jap. relax2 n settle everythin down. rsa gatal2 (bukan gatal mende len k) ni menjadi2 n membuatkan diriku ni nak gak g klinik; even at that is about 1.30 p.m. kna g lab kul 2.40 n presentation kul 3. x pe le; g je lah, sempat blk kut. google 皮膚科 (pakar kulit ?) n jumpa le klinik yg buka ari ni n dekat le gak. tp kna nek tren gak..=( n buka kul 2.

so g je lah. smpai2 ramai le plak..adoyai. terpaksa le tunggu. at that time, i messaged my lab-mate that i will be late to the lab due to this thing..@_@ so, i hope they can do without me *wink* if i didn’t show myself there.

actually this is my 1st time going to the clinic after more than a year in japan. gee~

so, tunggu je lah. smpai abis sumer mende settle kat klinik tu. yg x tahannye mhl le plak caj kat klinik tu; ±1500yen n kna bayar 300yen lak bla nk amek ubat kat farmasi. >_< rsa cam cekik darah le plak. x pe lah..

blk2 rumah smpai dlm kul 4 lbh. kelam-kabut jadinye sbb x smyg asar lg. fyi, maghrib msk kul 4.33 kat kwsn my house ari ni =p dh alang2 nk maghrib, tunggu je lah maghrib terus..gee~

at that time, i messaged my lab-mate again to say sorry for not coming the presentation. (_ _)

ごめんね、行かなくて

大丈夫だよ

i hope dey’all did well.

last2 x g pun lab ari ni..lolz~

rasa bersalah lak sbb agak x ckp byk dgn diorang mg ni. ‘bad mood’ gak le..hahaha.

namaku disalah eja oleh mak cik kat farmasi td..huhu

#hope next week i can tolerate with them, n they too#

pdtnc © Photographer  | Agency: Dreamstime.com

Description:
Free Stock Photos: Old Japanese book from meiji period with chopsticks and Japanese maple leaf.

Keywords:
age, aged, background, binding, book, bound, broken, brown, chopsticks, cover, crease, dirt, dirty, fold, folded, folds, grunge, inside, jap, japan, japanese, kanji, layer, leaf, maple, meiji, mildew, mould, nihongo, old, overlay, page, paper, pdtnc, scan, scuffed, stitched, subtle, texture, thread, torn, wrinkles, writing

Pink Tentacle is running an article showing 3-D stereoviews from the late 19th – early 20th century in Japan during the Meiji period.

A stereoview consists of a pair of nearly identical images that appear three-dimensional when viewed through a stereoscope, because each eye sees a slightly different image. This illusion of depth can also be recreated with animated GIFs.

This beats wearing 3-D glasses any day I’ll say.

Pink Tentacle

Kunjungan gw kesini adalah salah satu dari project kurang kerjaan gw. waktu itu lagi liburan 3 hari di jepang, dan gw ga ada acara apa2. jadilah akhirnya gw ngajak 1 temen gw untuk nemenin kesini, krn gw penasaran juga kayak apa sih museum ini. sesuai namanya, konsep museum ini adalah open-air. isi dari museum ini adalah arsitektur bangunan dari jaman edo(1603-1868), jaman meiji (1868-1912), sampai jaman showa. museum ini terletak di koganei park. station terdekat dari sini adalah musashi koganei station, dan harga tiket masuk ke museum ini adalah 400 yen.

Selain dari konsep dasarnya (open air), gw juga penasaran krn letak museum ini ada di dalam sebuah taman. jadi ternyata taman umum ini ukurannya cukup luas, dan ditengah2nya open-air museum. sayangnya gw dateng 1 jam sblm museumnya tutup, jadi di dalem area museum ini gw sama temen gw udah kayak lagi ikutan amazing race. berhubung tempat ini jauh bgt dari rumah gw, gw berpikir ga akan dateng lagi utk ke dua kalinya, makanya gw manfaatin 1 jam gw sebaik2nya disini hehehe.

Dari namanya, gw ngarepin bakal banyak bangunan2 dari jaman edo, tapi ternyata bangunan jaman edo ga terlalu banyak. bangunan yg mendominasi museum ini adalah bangunan dari jaman meiji. setiap bangunan yang ada disini bisa bebas kita masukin, jadi lumayan juga bisa liat design bagian dalem dari rumah2 unik ini hehe.

Bagi yang suka sama arsitektur jadul, kayaknya tempat ini bisa menjadi option sbg destinasi travel. tapi entah knapa, open-air museum ini namanya ga terlalu kedengeran dibanding tourism spot lainnya. kesan2 gw setelah nyoba masuk kesini, lumayan bagus kok, walaupun lokasinya jauh bgt dari rumah gw gila! haha. untung kali ini gw ga kena bom dari burung nakal lagi, krn biasanya di spot2 tipe kayak gini gw sering kejatohan bom dari burung yg ga sopan boker sembarangan di pala orang. untuk official websitenya bisa di cek disini : klik.

Oh iya satu yang masih menjadi teka teki gw, museum ini punya maskot yang ga kalah begonya dengan maskot dari yokohama. maskot open-air museum ini adalah seekor ulet (satuan untuk ulet = ekor bukan?) berwarna ijo! apa hubungannya ulet sama rumah? teka teki yang sangat sulit dipecahkan.

Heute war das “Tagesprogramm Tokyo” angesagt. Aufgrund der Lage des Hotels (Ikebukuro) bot es sich an, zunächt mal den alten Meiji in seinem Schrein zu besuchen. So früh am Morgen ist es da noch sehr ruhig, auch wenn schon die Vorbereitungen zu einer ersten Hochzeit liefen.

Anschliessend Kreiseln durch Tokyo (der Busfahrer schien ein wenig verwirrt und mit dem großen Bus überfordert), oder besser gesagt durch Roppongi Hills. Dort zeigt sich mal wieder, dass man die Namen hier nicht ganz so ernst nehmen darf, denn in 六本木 stehen eindeutig mehr als 6 Bäume herum – und in 青山 hab ich auch keine blauen Berge gesehen (kann mir aber vorstellen, was da abends blau ist). Aber zurück zum Tagesprogramm, hoch ging es zum 52F des Mori Tower, einen Blick über Tokyo werfen. Der reichte leider nicht sehr weit, es war doch arg dunstig.

Nach einem kurzen PitStop am Kaiserpalast ging es dann zum Pier von Hinode, wo das Bötchen für die Fahrt den Sumida hoch abfährt. Hab mich da von der Gruppe abgesetzt und bin kurz mit der Yurikamome über die Bucht nach Odaiba rüber gefahren. Mal was neues sehen.

Also wer in Toky bleiben, aber trotzdem mal so etwas wie Einsamkeit erleben will, für den ist Odaiba genau richtig. In den Parks entlang der Küste dieser künstlichen, in die Bucht von Tokyo gebauten Insel ist nix los. Nur ein kleines Grüppchen Chinesen lief mir über den weg. Hab ein paar Panoramen fotografiert, aber da sich die Sicht seit Roppongi leider nicht merklich verbessert hatte sind die Ergebnisse sicherlich nicht berauschend.

Den Rückweg über die Rainbow Bridge habe ich dann zu Fuß angetreten, muss man ja auch mal gemacht haben. Hab dann unterwegs auf der brücke noch mal das Stativ für ein Panorama aufgebaut. Als ich gerade fertig war, kam ein Japaner (samt kleiner Familie) vorbei, musterte meine Ausrüstung und plapperte dann drauf los – und zwar direkt auf japanisch. Also entweder er sprach überhaupt kein Englisch, oder er ging davon aus, dass ein Fremdländer, der mitten auf der Rainbow Bridge steht, einfach japanisch sprechen muss. Naja, so einigermassen hab ich ihn verstahnden: Wetter sei ja eigentlich nicht so doll, schade eigentlich. Schlechter Kontrast. Aber nettes Objektiv da auf der Kamera. Hab ihm freundlich zugestimmt, nochmal bekräftigt dass das mit dem Wetter wirklich schade sei, um dann abschliessend ein “Shoganai” von mir zu geben – woraufhin er lächelnd nickte und weiter ging.

Die Überquerung der Brücke selbst lässt sich übrigens leicht in einer halben Stunde bewältigen. Zu den schönen Orten in Japan gehört der Fußweg aber sicherlich nicht. Und beliebig kann man da auch nicht rüber, bis Ende Oktober wird der Fußweg um 21:00 dicht gemacht, danach sogar schon um 18:00. Allerdings eignet sich der gelegentlich recht stark schwingende Boden auch nur bedingt für Panoramen, wenn man dann auch noch HDR mit ins Spiel bringen will, sollte man wohl besser von der Brücke absehen.

Am anderen Ende angekommen ging es dann wieder mit der Yurikamome weiter, gefolgt von einem Spaziergang ins Ginza Viertel. Dort hab ich dann später auch den Rest der Reisegruppe wiedergetroffen. Zusammen sind wir dann noch nach Shibuya, einen Blick auf das dortige Treiben werfen. Anschliessend sind wir mit der Yamanote nach Ikebukuro zurückgekehrt.

Damit ist dieser Tag auch vorbei, morgen gehts noch nach Nikko, und am Tag darauf ist es schon wieder Zeit für den Rückflug.

walaupun bgn x bape awal, aku cepat2 (ppalli2) bersiap tuk g kelas bhs korea a.k.a hangugeo stlh 3 minggu tak g. hehe…(1st week kat mesia; 2nd week g kyoto; 3rd week bgn lmbt..lol) sbnrnya cam x nk teruskan blaja bhs korea ni. cam mls n nk fokus kat kenkyu @ research (kononnyer la.. ) tp ari ni cam rsa nk g gak.

tp niat di hati tak kesampaian pabila kunci bilik 606 tu x leh buka; ‘alamak, kunci la plak’ kecewalah diri ini. turun jap kat lobi cyuoukan tuk tgk kalo ade2 notis pasal kelas cuti. tgk2 smpai 4 kali cuti. wow~ cuti sakan la jawabnya. seonsaengnim (cikgu) g korea kut…kui3 ^^

pasal smlm; interview tuk biasiswa ypm, aku x nak komen ape sngt ler. sbb agak tensen dgn intebiu via video conference yg x bape dgr..wawawa. tensen gak le sbb asyik suruh ulang je..tensen gak dgn diri ni yg ckp english agak terabur..(-_-”) harap2 le ahli2 panel tu faham apa yg aku ckp. ngeh3 XD bnda tu dh selesai, jadi serahkan pada Ilahi tuk tentukan. tp aku mmg x menaruh harapan tinggi sngt. bak kata besday gurl smlm a.k.a yana comot;

ok, ciao tuk msa skang.

malas plak nak g lab ari ni.x nak jmpa sensei sbb dia nk tau psl interbiu X_X

Perhaps the most fascinating feature of Japanese culture is the ability to take an outside influence and amalgamate it with their own rich heritage to make a unique, yet ostensibly Japanese phenomenon.  This effect is seeded in its relatively isolationist beginnings and resulting opening up to the world after the arrival of Commodore Perry and his “Black Ships.”

It is particularly interesting that the arrival of Perry during the late Takugawa Shogunate (1853-1867) and the resulting Meiji Restoration that resulted from it (1868-1912) intersected nicely with the Victorian era (1837-1901).  This parallel between two contrasted histories that both experienced industrial revolutions during a reasonably overlapped period allows room for great discussion in the field of speculative fiction, namely Steampunk.

Perhaps the reason why Steampunk was primarily associated with Victoriana was due to the fact that science fiction in general was born in England by the pens of Verne and H.G. Wells.  The two fathers of SF postulated a future of machinery, invasionism and romantic voyage, while infusing the romanticism of their non-genre counterparts.  Meanwhile, in Japan, literature was shaped primarily by their own brands romanticism and classicism.

It would only take a century after Wells for Japanese Science Fiction to take form in its own uniquely Japanese aesthetic.  With the worldwide popularization of Gundam, Evangellion and others, the meccha was the foremost symbol of Japanese technological speculation.

But the problem in trying to associate meccha with steampunk is the technology involved in creating such beings.  Steampunk was speculative in the simplicity of the technology available at the time, whereas meccha was penned during an age where the Japanese were touted as technologically ahead of the rest of the world.  It was only natural for both genres to be essentially different.

But what if we reversed the roles?  What if we set the industrial revolution as originating in Japan, or more logically, reaching and taking off in Japan long before the Black Ships?  Realistically, this is a plausible train of thought, considering that the Japanese were not isolated in the most literal sense of the word.  Rangaku, or literally Western Learning, had its roots in Dejima, the sole foreign outpost in Japan during the isolated years of the Edo Period.

It was due to their connections with the Dutch that the Japanese learned of technology as it was being developed in Europe.  This means the Industrial revolution.  While idealistically traditional, the pursuit of technological advancement in Japan was strictly under the table, mainly against the wishes of the emperor and shogunate.  One notable example of this is Wadokei, or Japanese clockwork.

Wadokei, or Japanese Clock

One can imagine the possibilities of Japanese ingenuity and artistry when extrapolated to more grander designs.  In particular, note the artistry of Japanese automata, or Karakuri Ningyo:

Japanese Automata, or Karakuri Ningyo

If automata were originally constructed to serve tea, imagine the other functions that could be imagined and realized through speculative Japanese fiction.  Think Memoirs of a Fully Automated Geisha.

The steam in steampunk is fully applicable to Japanese speculative history when looked at through these avenues.  However, while similar to Victorian era technology, the punk aspect is the ultimate difference maker in the genre, one that would make Bafuku Steampunk stand on its own apart from Victorian, and perhaps my favourite aspect of the genre.  But that will have to wait until another day and another post.

orang selalu ckp; bila fajar ari baru menyinsing (betul ke ayat bm aku nih..huhu), akan ada harapan baru. tp, kalo matahari terbenam, bermakna harapan tuk ari tu dh tiada ker….hihi. saje je terpikir cam2..

camne pun, kita sentiasa berharap yg ari ni lebih baik drpd smlm dan esok lebih baik drpd ari ni, kan? esok ade interbiu dgn ypm, so diriku ni menaruh harapan spy dpt wat yg terbaik dan sebaik mungkin. ~ameen~

*semangat tuk esok – berusaha chayok2 faito~ aja2 fighting*

Aoyama Gakuin, one of Tokyo’s oldest schools, is a green oasis between Omotesando and Shibuya. Founded by American Methodist Episcopalians 135 years ago, the campus includes elementary to university education and has educated many of the country’s elite. The grounds include soaring trees, gardens that combine Japanese and Western styles, and neo-Gothic buildings.

The tall pine trees reminded me of Tokyo University of Agriculture, also founded in the Meiji period, and the buildings seem intentionally Ivy League, versus the more Bauhaus buildings at Nodai. Aoyama Gakuin’s location in central Tokyo makes it a natural oasis for people and wildlife.

sesaje nak tulis post kali ni dlm bahasa melayu lak. asyik tulis dlm english jer, cam borink lak. lagipun, bulan ni bulan bahasa kebangsaan. so, mari2 lah semarakkannya walaupun tulis dlm bhs melayu rojak. hehe…lolz~

cintaku tertinggal di malaysia

may be cam ‘over’ le plak statement di atas, tp aku rasa camtu le perasaan aku time smpai jepun slps lebih sebulan blk mesia. rasa cam x nk blk sini jer. time first2 smpai sini, kna g dai (universiti) sbb nk kna selesaikan dokumen2 yg perlu tuk interbiu dgn pihak jucte. penat gak, tp kna siapkan gak. sbb aq baru sedar yg aku pny turn kul 11. memang x smpt sbb flight yg aku nek smpai narita dkt kul 8. seb bek izyan nk tukar tmpt dgn aku, aku leh le g ptg. huhu..

tp time jln2 tu, aku terpk; betul ke aku kat nihon nih. cam mimpi ler, cam first time smpai ler…ish3. ntah pape. mungkin ni le padahnye blk mesia lama sngt. pastu duk rumah je. jadi rasa best sngt duk kat rumah, dgn ♥family♥ lak tuh. huk3. seronok sngt men n buli adik2 kat rumah. wawawa…tp aku rasa cam dh hilang self-esteem n keyakinan diri waktu smpai2 sini dan pd masa yg sama perlukan motivasi yg besar atau pembakar semangat tuk menyambung dan menyelesaikan tanggungjawab di sini. (-_-”)

proses pemulihan diri perlu dimulakan dgn segera dan diharapkan berjaya…kui3

p/s: tajuk lagu sebenarnye…lagu kumpulan dewa (kalo x silap). check it out at youtube…;-)

pengalaman baru

ari esok tu pulak, kna siapkan poster tuk conference kat ritsumeikan university. dgn bantuan senior, kak mimah dpt gak siapkan. aku dh wat tp, bla wat dgn senior aku tu, berlain giler..zen2 chigau. haha…x pe le. first timer kan. nak wat camne. tp sumer dh ok, mlm tu bertolak le kmi ke kyoto tuk conference selama tiga hari. aku bermalam kat rmh saido, adib & lan pali sementara kak mimah bermalam kat hotel. aku bukan x nak duk hotel, dah x dpt support dari dai n sensei, so aku malas le nak bazirkan duit duk hotel. kui3. duk rmh diorang pun ok gak, tp jauh nak mampus dari eki (stesen). letih naek beskal; dah le berbukit, dgn brg2 aku yg agak bnyk. sabar je lah…kui3

tuk conference a.k.a gakkai tu, aku hanya terlibat tuk poster session; jaga poster ttg hasil research kak mimah. aku rasa cam spoilerΨ le plak sbb bnyk soalan yg aku x leh jwb. kak mimah pun jwb sket2 je dan lepas tu blah g jln2 tgk poster orang len. X_X nak wat camne. dah nasib. lepas ni kna wat persediaan yg cukup. dah le kak mimah terang kat aku psl research dia tu sblm aku blk mesia. lps blk mesia, sumer ilmu2 tu keluar dari otak ini dgn ketidak-sengajaannya (alasan jer tuh…) camne le plak final paper aku nanti. harap dpt wat dgn jayanya. ~ameen~ ^_~

taufan melur

ari pertama conference tu diramalkan ribut taufan. cuak gak le sbb tgk berita mcm2 hal berlaku. dijadikan cerita, waktu aku blk dari conference hujan lebat giler ditambah lagi dgn angin kuat. lencun lah aku mlm tu yg berpakaian sut lengkap menaiki basikal smbl berpayung. nek beskal kejap berhenti sbb payung rosak kna angin kuat; kayuh2 berhenti lagi sbb x larat nak nek bukit dgn angin kuat; ingt nk tolak je smpai rumah bdk2 rits tu tp rsa kalo tolak je bskl, mesti baju aku akan bertambah lencun. lastly, aku bertahan tuk mengayuh basikal dlm hujan. >_< aku rasa tu le pengalaman yg x dpt dilupakan kut sepanjang duk shiga.

kyoto bandar bersejarah

ari terakhir conference tuh, bdk2 rits (saido, adib n salmi) ajak aku n kak mimah mkn kat kedai mskn india raju. mknn yg mmg enak banget – tandoori set. smpai diorang bdk2 rits sendiri x abiskan. =p…tp bagak tul roti nan dia. ditambah lagi dgn pulut kuning & ayam tandoori. ^^ pastu g bb; game arcade n men smpai sejam. enjoy gak tempat tu ditambah lg dgn harganya yg berpatutan. nsb bek esok tu aku blk. kalo x, nak g lagi jawabnye..haha

sblm blk ke ikuta, aku n kak mimah g jln2 sekitar kyoto dgn bantuan adib sbg pemandu pelancong. =) disebabkan kyoto ni besar yak amat, x smpt le nk g sumer tempat cambest. kami smpt g kyoto tower; seronok tul teropong kwsn sekeliling smbl tgk tmpt2 menarik sekitar kyoto, g jln2 kat gion; mkn set unagidon tuk mkn tghari, g nijojo (nijo castle); x leh msk sbb smpai lmbt tp leh le tngkp gmbr kat luar..hehe. ade gak tmpt yg teringin nk g tp x leh g sbb masa yg mmg sentiasa mencemburui kami x leh g gak; golden pavilion a.k.a kinkakuji temple (bkn pavilion kl k…haha), nek tren kat arashiyama n jumpa geisha kat gion. T_T tapi kehendak di hati nak makan takoyaki tercapai gak. \(^0^)/lps g nijojo, kmi g kyoto station tuk blk ke rmh…

terima kasih daun keladi

terima kasih kat saido, adib n lan sbb bagi tumpang tido kat rmh, plus servis mkn lg. ^_^ trimas gak kat salmi sbb bg pinjam beskal tuk 4 ari. thanx again kat adib sbb jadi tour guide pd ari last kami kat kyoto n ur treat too. *wink2* insyaAllah ade ari n rezeki, aku bls blk…kui3 x lupa gak kat kak mimah tuk conference tuh; dari bwa saya ke conference, wat poster, mkn2, jln2 dan sumernye…tp sori le sbb x wat yg sebaik mungkin tuk sesi tu. insyaAllah kalo ada rezeki lg, saya akan wat lebih bek lg. ^_^

sekurang2nya skang aku dh recover cket; mgkn lps g conference n jmpa kwn2 lama kat rits kut. huhu~

p/s: mintak maap kalo post kali ni panjang sngt. sbb rasa cam nak tulis je ape yg terbuku di kepala otak & hati ni, sbb tu jadi berjela2 pnjgnye..hehe. (_ _)

I am completing a project of photographing a trove of old photos I found at a community center near where I live. The majority are from the 1930’s on but there are 3 albums from the end of the Meiji period into the Taisho period. The photos I have attached are from Meiji 42 March graduation 1909.

Asakusa Kannon Temple

How to get there:

From Tokyo Station, take the JR Yamanote Line to Kanda Station and transfer to the Ginza Subway Line for Asakusa Station.

Asakusa Kannon Temple, also known as Sensoji is in Asakusa, Tokyo and is a Buddhist temple. Various events are held throughout the year in the Sensoji Temple area. Some of them are:
Sanja Matsuri – May
Hozukiichi (Hozuki Market) – July
Asakusa Samba Carnival – August
Tokyo Jidai Matsuri – November
Hagoita-ichi (Hagoita Market) – December

I was there during the New Year (1 Jan) and there was a countdown and carnival held there.

Asakusa

Meiji Shrine

How to get there:

1. Take the JR to Harajuku Station on the JR Yamanote Line
2. Take the subway to Meiji-jingu-mae Station on the Chiyoda Subway Line

Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingu) next to Yoyogi Park in Tokyo.is a shrine dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken.

Meiji Shrine on New Year Day

You know what I just can’t find here in Japan?

Blu Tac.

And on that note, some pictures of “The Day We Went To See Harajuku Girls But They Were On Holiday (by that, it turned out they were all too busy queuing for a Hello Kitty exhibition for around seven whopping floors in La Foret)”. Faced with the bridge somewhat lacking in frilled dresses, parasols of an exceedingly lacey nature, striped knee socks and platform shoes to put Sarkozy to shame, we set off for the nearby Meiji-Jingu instead.

Me & Karen were being utter shutterbugs when we were told that there was a wedding proscession doing the rounds! Camera toting gaijin rushed out of the woodwork to surround them. I might have appreciated the beauty more, though I could not stop thinking how awful it must’ve been for the bride, swaddled in layers and layers of silk and god knows what else, trotting about under the blazing Sunday sun at midday. The guests didn’t seem too chuffed either, tagging along and trotting like a line of disgruntled zombies. OK, zombies is maybe a bit harsh. Less undead and maggoty, more lights-are-on-but-nobody’s-home. Plus I don’t think zombies wear pretty dresses.

Post obligatory shrine trip, we pottered about Harajuku for a while, and fled for cover from the sun, stopping off at the delightfully quirky Kokoro. I had, as always, a maccha iced latte and from the vantage point of an awesomely decorated cafe, watched the world roll by.

Mmmmm! My very yummy drink – in Japan they often serve these things with your drink, like the little containers for milk at fast food places or hotels, but instead of dairy, you get liquid syrup. Maccha can be served bitter (like the tea) or sweet (like whot Starbucks do) – even the ice cubes were tasty!

Photographed by Okinawa Soba

The last hints of a pale red dawn are already over-powered by the cold blue winter sky.

Ca.1898 Hand-tinted glass lantern-slide by T. Enami, Japan’s Meiji-era Master of the small format image. Produced from one half of a stereoview negative. www.t-enami.org

– License

The first comb is not in perfect condition. There are bug bites, and the seller is accurate in showing them. However the comb takes you into a Japanese water garden with lillies. I have not identified the plant whose leaves line the pond. A Meiji artist painted this. Right now, it’s at $90 with 7 days to go. I assume it will go higher, but I have no idea what the winning bid will be. I’ll update this post in a week.

There is another late 1800s Edo comb for sale, lovely gold, black, and red design. There are also bug bites on the tines, but this one is selling for $67.99 with 16 hours to go.

por Bárbara Vidal

“Bunka no Hi” traduzindo do japonês para o português é o Dia da Cultura, que é comemorado todo o dia 3 de novembro desde a era Meiji, originalmente sendo celebrado como o aniversário do Imperador.

Feriado nacional no Japão, este dia é um marco para a promoção de valores adotados no país a partir do ano de 1946- pós-guerra- em que também foi oficializada a Constituição japonesa.

De acordo com o site da Sociedade Brasileira de Cultura Japonesa e Assistência Social, no “Bunka no Hi”, desde 1937, é realizada uma premiação chamada “Bunka Kushou”, em que o imperador entrega um prêmio ao intelectual de destaque do ano, que pode não ser, necessariamente, do país.

As comemorações do Dia da Cultura serão também no Brasil, com a 3ª Grande Exposição de Arte Bunkyo até o dia 8 deste mês, que reunirá quase 300 obras de artes plásticas e arte craft distribuídas em três ambientes do Edifício Bunkyo, no bairro da Liberdade (São Paulo-SP).

Espetáculo Mawaca

 Além de apresentações musicais aos domingos que acontecerão no Pavilhão Japonês- no Parque do Ibirapuera- nos dias 11, 18, 25 de novembro e em 9 de dezembro, das 11h às 12h.