My Japan Adventure18829
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| Iwakuni has some odd things to offer as far as tourist attractions go. One is its SNAKES. Iwakuni is home to a small and unique population of rat snake. It's a separate species unique to the area and they are rare in the extreme. At some point in the distant past, this species differentiated from other rat snakes. The Iwakuni White Snake is a completely albino species, furthermore, they have smooth, shiney scales as opposed to the ridged scales that other rat snakes have. I went to the Iwakuni White Snake Museum, and I was able to take photos of some of the residents.   These snakes are very beautiful and there's quite a lot of folklore around them. They are the source of rainbows (nothing to do with leprechauns), and they can make it rain. They are also the messengers of Benten, goddess of music, arts, poetry, and water. |
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 It gets old smelling it everytime I go outside my door.
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Quote:Originally Posted by BronteI don't know about that can of soup, but I do enjoy a cold ginger-ale every now and again... |
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Quote:Originally Posted by dfoster43 Yeah, I wondered about that. By no means do I want to hijack this thread, but I didn't really want to start a copycat thread, either. And @Byrdibird invited me to share. So far we haven't really posted the same kinds of things. I'm not saying I won't get to a temple or shrine eventually, but those are pretty good signs that a post isn't mine. |
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Where's his Bat-package?
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by scratchtasia I have no problem sharing this thread at all. Like @scratchtasia said, we're posting about very different things, and there's just as much interest in modern Japanese culture, and I'm barely touching on that at all. I think @scratchtasia 's posts are complementing mine. |
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| Today's fun was all about going far away. Far away enough to escape the pouring rain in Osaka! I re-visited a place I haven't been to in a long time: Iwakuni. Iwakuni is a place that friends and I call the Land of Ice Cream due to all the soft serve ice cream establishments that don't just have one or two or a dozen flavours. They have many dozens of flavours! It's the soft serve mecca. Anyway, my goal when I reached Iwakuni was Kikkō Park. In the park are the aforementioned ice cream vendors, a very picturesque bridge, the Iwakuni White Snake Museum, a couple of shrines, and Iwakuni-jō Castle. When I got there, I bought my multi-use ticket that would get me entry to the castle and a means to reach the castle (I will get to that), discounted admission to the snake museum, and a walk to the park and back over the bridge. Reaching the park means walking over the stunning Kintai-kyō Bridge, with its five arching spans over the Nishiki River.  Can you see wa-a-a-ay up on top of that mountain? That's Iwakuni-jō Castle. I went there after fortifying myself with some ice cream. The first priority was making sure that the ice cream really was as good as I remembered it. I had a lovely tiramisu soft serve and it was delicious. I also had a mandarin orange soft serve later, and it was just as yum. As odd as it sounds, part of the reason the ice cream here is so much fun has to do with the history of the region. Iwakuni was the home of Sasaki Kojirō, a skilled and courageous samurai who had the misfortune to challenge Miyamoto Musashi to a duel. Ever heard of the duel Musashi had and he didn't even bother to bring his swords? The duel was on a boat and Musashi opened up a can of whoop-ass on his opponent by hitting him upside the head with an oar. The guy who lost was Sasaki Kojirō. Iwakuni has never really gotten over it. Anyway, there are two ice cream vendors right across the street (dinky street) from each other. One is named 'Musashi' and the other is named 'Kojirō.' They scream abuse at each other and try to steal customers! It's feckin' brilliant!! Sadly, Musashi was closed so today all my ice cream came from Kojirō, but that didn't make it any less yummy.    Next was a trip up the mountain to get to Iwakuni-jō Castle, and that meant taking the ropeway. Ropeways are just a fact of life in Japan, where it can get very steep and mountainous. They're just one of the legitimate means of transportation. I've taken them a bunch of times, and this was the first one on this trip (possibly the only one - I don't think I have anything else I'm going to that's up a mountain).     Once my ropeway trip was done, I hiked to the castle. Iwakuni-jō is a re-built castle (most Japanese castles are re-built - very few original castles left), and I first passed the old stone foundation of the original castle. When they re-built it, they decided to put it in a more picturesque location. That made it a better tourist attraction and it also left what little remained of the original structure undisturbed. The castle now has a museum with a surprisingly extensive sword collection and some exhibits on the Kikkawa family whose castle it was in the Sengoku Period (mid-to-late 16th century). The castle itself looks very nice, and the view from the top of the turret is stunning.     I came down from the castle and went to the snake museum and the two shrines in the park. One was Kikkō-jinja that venerates members of the Kikkawa family, and the other is Shirayamahime-jinja that venerates a goddess who is embodied in the mountain the castle is built on. Then it was mandarin orange ice cream before I headed back to Osaka. I didn't have very long in Iwakuni because it's so far from Osaka, but I knew that going in, and for all that it was short, this was a much more entertaining day than a wet, soggy day in rainy Osaka! Tomorrow I plan to go to NARA, that place with all the deer. Do they still serve deer poo ice cream in Nara? Tomorrow I'll find out!   |
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Hey, it was a Golden Arches evening with my yummy Samurai Mac!! I had to try it. It has a 'secret sauce' made with soy sauce and there's no dill pickle! Two great things happening in the same burger. I would eat this again. |
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| Post 331 • IP flag post | ||
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| I'm running a little bit behind. Better do some catching up before it becomes too daunting to even try. On Sunday morning I left the Turntable hostel and went to nearby Hotel Fukudaya, where I also stayed one night in 2018. While it has wifi and other modern conveniences, it's also more of a traditional Japanese inn. It was built in its present location around 1923-34, after a previous location was destroyed by earthquake/fire. The interior has traditional Japanese paneling and architecture, and the tops of some of the door frames are at eye level for me. Lots of ducking.  Next I hopped on a train to Harajuku, a short one-stop journey. I got there a little early, so I walked around to see what was there. Takeshita Street is full of shops catering to kawaii culture, with fashion stores, sweets shops, Hello Kitty merchandise, cute cafés, and the like.  My destination was on a much quieter pathway just off busy Takeshita Street: MiPig, a "micro-pig" café. Most people have heard of cat cafés by now, and I've seen a fair number of those (along with dog cafés) here in Tokyo. But Tokyo doesn't stop there--I've also seen owl cafés, an otter café (over on Takeshita Street, in fact), and rabbit cafés, and I'm sure there are more types. The pig café was the one I wanted to see. The pigs range in age from a couple of months to about two years, and they're very friendly and like to cuddle. They do unfortunately get into some squabbles with each other, and you don't want those breaking out on your lap. Staff is quick to intervene, but it can be a bit disconcerting. Otherwise, it's fun.   When I left MiPig, I stumbled upon the Peanuts Café, which I hadn't even realized was in Harajuku (I knew there was one in Meguro and wasn't sure I'd get there). It also happened to be lunchtime. The café offered a variety of cute Peanuts-themed items, but I ordered a less photogenic dish. A portion of the café is devoted to souvenir Peanuts merchandise, which was fun to look at.  I left Harajuku and returned to Shibuya to recharge my electronics and my feet. My evening plan for entertainment was to see a Tokyo band called Freefunk. Almost five years ago on my last visit, I was looking for things to do and found a Prince tribute night listed as a Facebook event--as a major Prince fan, I decided I should check it out. Freefunk was the main band that night, and they really impressed me. Before my return to Tokyo for this trip, I looked them up and happily discovered that they were playing a show I could probably attend. So that brought me to a basement bar in Shibuya, and while it wasn't a Prince night, they did a good variety of funk, from fine originals to a funked-up cover of the BTS song "Dynamite," to a knockout cover of Eddie Hazel's treatment of "California Dreamin'." They closed with a Parliament cover. To my non-technical ear, bandleader Toshi is a great guitar player--he can get tones reminiscent of Hazel, Hendrix, and Prince. He's very friendly and welcoming, as well. The whole band sounded great to me, and the lovely and charming Momoka is a talented vocalist. It was a real treat to see them in such an intimate space.   During the halftime break in the Freefunk show, there was a special guest burlesque performer who began by dramatically lip-synching "Total Eclipse of the Heart" with her hand puppet. And then it got weird.  On Monday I mostly shopped. I started at RECOfan, a record and CD store on an upper floor of a building near the Shibuya scramble. On the other side of the floor is a whole shop devoted to the manga/anime series One Piece. All I know about One Piece is that it exists (but it's comic-related content!). On a lower level is a Sanrio Hello Kitty store. Anyway, the 100-yen bargain bin CDs at RECOfFan are about 73 cents at current exchange rates and I grabbed a few. I got a couple of records, too, but I have to be careful about those because they're bigger, heavier, more fragile, and harder to pack for a flight.   One record I bought was something I would never have looked for: a Japanese pressing of the cornball 1976 hit "Convoy" by C.W. McCall. I was surprised there even *was* a Japanese pressing of that one, as much as it relies on spoken U.S. slang words. Something about the sleeve really appealed to me, too--the image, with the kanji lettering. I considered it for a second, but quickly realizing that its 400 yen price tag made it only about $2.95, I went ahead with the purchase, and I'm glad I did. The more I look at this sleeve, the more I like it.  The Disk Union rock store in Shibuya had an interesting basement entrance. I found a few things to buy, but I started wishing I had a solid wantlist of Japanese pressings and releases to look for. I might have to work on that. There are separate Disk Union stores in Shibuya specializing in jazz and club music. It's interesting to me how specialized some of the stores are.  After a stop at HMV, wearying of record shopping for the day, I made one more stop at the Shibuya Disney Store, where I found a couple of small souvenir gifts for friends before getting aboard the train to Tachikawa to meet back up with my brother. He found an apartment for me and my parents to stay in for the bulk of our time here, so I got situated here and used today to regroup a bit and prepare for the arrival of our parents, who reached the apartment this afternoon. The apartment is in Fussa, next to a small city park called Hotaru Park. "Hotaru" is the word for "firefly," and apparently the park holds a firefly festival every June. The sign for the park is also illustrated with fireflies.  The next couple of days will probably be less active, but I'm working on some plans for later. |
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Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd THAT looks fantastic. I wish we had the vending machines Japan's got. Everything from Underwear to Sushi and beyond ... |
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| Post 333 • IP flag post | ||
 -Our Odin-Rest in Peace |
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Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd The white snake museum looks awesome!!! |
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| Post 334 • IP flag post | ||
 Masculinity takes a holiday.
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Quote:Originally Posted by Jesse_O Yeah, but how many times can one listen to a loop of Here I Go Again, Still of the Night and Is This Love? |
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| Post 335 • IP flag post | ||
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-Our Odin- Rest in Peace |
Jesse_O private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by EbayMafia If it's just those three, I'd say three or four times through. Whitesnake on shuffle I can, and have, listen to for hours!!! |
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| Post 336 • IP flag post | ||
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Where's his Bat-package?
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by dfoster43 The vending machines are fantastic. You find quality stuff, too, not just generic Cokes and bottled water. Soups if you're hungry, dessert items like a pureed flan in a can, excellent coffees, you name it. |
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| Post 337 • IP flag post | ||
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| @Jesse_O It's a small museum and it's really interesting. They're working with a couple other places in town to preserve the snake species. No one is even sure how many there are in the wild. I would love to have gone to Shirohebi-jinja. (White Snake Shrine) that venerates Benten and the white snakes, but it was too far away from everything else. |
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| Post 338 • IP flag post | ||
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| I'm on a local train going to Nara now. I don't need a bullet train or anything fast because Ōsaka (the SE bit I'm in) and the city of Nara just aren't that far apart. I'll be going to Nara Park, the place that has all the deer. 🦌 🦌 🦌 In addition to deer, Nara Park also has two MAJOR temples (Kōfuku-ji and Tōdai-ji) and one MAJOR shrine (Kasuga Taisha Grand Shrine). I'm going to Nara today because I hear there's supposed to be an event going on. We'll see.  |
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Tasty breakfast in Nara today.  Yummy weiner danish and bacon & mashed potato danish plus a cuppa! |
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Seriously, they get full-on gangster if they think you have food. |
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I found it! It's... DEER POO ICE CREAM  !!! |
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This little fawn came up to me hoping to get something he was only going to get from his mama. Better luck next time, Deer. 🦌 |
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Had I been peckish at the time, I could have had a Bambi Curry 🦌  (I swear, that's what it's called) or a Great Buddha curry. I've had Bambi's head for lunch before. It was delicious 🤤  |
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| I went to Nara today, another one of my favourite places. Nara was the first permanent capital city in Japan. Prior to Nara becoming capital, the capital was moved every time a new emperor came into power. No matter how long or short (even if only a matter of months) an emperor's reign, the capital would move again as soon as a new emperor ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne. This rubbish came to an end when Empress Genmei ordered the capital moved to Nara for good in 708. By 710, Nara had become the first permanent capital city. It remained so until 794, when Emperor Kanmu got a wild hair and ordered it moved to Nagaoka and a few months later (after Prince Sawara's onryō brought the property values down) to Kyōto, where it stayed for over a thousand years. During Nara's time as capital (called the Nara Period), the city became a religious center as well as a political one. Many prestigious temples and shrines were established there, and some are still extant. I went to the ones in Nara Park: Tōdai-ji Temple, Kasuga Taisha Grand Shrine, and Kōfuku-ji Temple. [I'm going to be up loading things piecemeal this evening. This is the fourth time I've tried to do this and every time I get part way through and my connection dies and I lose all or part of this.] |
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| Post 345 • IP flag post | ||
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| I first went to Tōdai-ji, best known for its massive Daibutsu-den ('Hall of the Great Buddha') the largest standing wooden structure in the world. The current building is 187 feet long, 160 feet wide, and 161 feet high. Rumour has it this hall (built in 1708) is 30% smaller than the previous hall that burned down. The huge Buddha inside is over 50 feet tall and one of the largest cast bronze statues in the world. Despite all that, I didn't go to the Daibutsu-den first. When I arrived at the temple, I found that one of the small halls, the Senju-dō Hall, was open to the public and the Thousand-Armed Kannon inside was on display. This is a rare event, so I went there first.    I managed to get a picture of her from down the path, as photos were verboten inside the hall. After the Senju-dō Hall, I went to the Daibutsu-den. Unlike most religious buildings, you're allowed to take photos inside the Daibutsu-den.     That last photo is of a huge Kokūzō that sits at the right of the Great Buddha. Kokūzō is the guardian for people born in the years of the ox and the tiger. I went to Nigatsu-dō Hall next. It is up a hill and overlooks the rest of the temple. There was a ceremony going on and I was able to get a shot of that and of the priests leaving afterwards. I also took photos of the view from the verandah.     After Nigatsu-dō Hall, I decided to go to Kasuga Taisha Grand Shrine. |
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| Post 346 • IP flag post | ||
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| Kasuga Taisha Grand Shrine was founded in 768 as the family shrine of the powerful Fujiwara family. It is now the head shrine of hundreds of Kasuga shrines across the country. It is known for its beautiful hanging bronze lanterns and many paths lined with hundreds of stone lanterns. I went to the main hall first.  This is where I found that even if you rake the gravel thoroughly for the upcoming event, deer can still happen.  My goal, though, was the small Wakamiya sub-shrine. This shrine had been restored and items it had contained were on display at the National Museum. This was an event that happens only once every 60 years, so this was a huge deal.  After visiting the Wakamiya shrine, I went to Kōfuku-ji Temple. Unlike Tōdai-ji and Kasuga Taisha, there weren't any events going on here. Still, of the three places I went today, this is the oldest, having been established in 669 - the only one of the three to pre-date the establishment of Nara as capital.   The reconstruction if the Chūkon-dō Hall ('Central Golden Hall' - the one in the second photo) was completed in 2018. Last time I was here it was very new and was open to the public. It was closed today, and I wonder if that's how it will usually be, and I just lucked out last time I was here and was able to go inside. My feet were done at this point and I headed back to Ōsaka. I may get more into the Nara stuff later (there is A LOT of Nara stuff) when my Chromebook isn't being such a douchebag.   Tomorrow I think I'll go back to Kyōto. I still have a few things I hoped to do there. I had originally planned to do some things here in Ōsaka, but somehow I just feel like finishing my time in the Kansai region with another visit to Kyōto. |
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| Post 347 • IP flag post | ||
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Deer Poo ice cream, by the way is a soft serve cone sprinkled with goobers (chocolate-covered peanuts) or raisinets and some rainbow sprinkles. Why? Because sacred deer poo rainbows, of course!!!  |
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Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd LOL My Dad used to give us bowls of pistachio or vanilla ice cream with goobers and call it "rabbit poop ice cream" LOL much to the annoyance of my mom. But we loved it  |
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| Post 349 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by dfoster43 It still tickles me and I'm approaching 60! I would have been so disappointed if I hadn't been able to have my deer poo ice cream.  |
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It gets old smelling it everytime I go outside my door.
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Nearmint67 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Byrdibyrd Amazing how many Halls, Shrines, Temples & Castles you have visited this week. I won't visit that many in my lifetime. Great deserts too. Glad you got your deer poo ice cream.. lol.... |
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| @Byrdibyrd Such amazing statues and structures. | ||
| Post 352 • IP flag post | ||
 Feel free to use my post as a checklist.
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Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd@Byrdibyrd I’ve been reading the entire post. Love the amazing photos. I have a few questions while you have some down time. 1. Do they have any “Japanese” published comics? (Stupid question of course, but I’ve never been out of the USA, so I’m sheltered. Lol). Do they have a comic book grading process over there? (Again I’m sheltered). 2. Is this a self guided tour (you doing it yourself)? Or is this through a tour company in a group? 3. Your photos are fantastic! |
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| Post 353 • IP flag post | ||
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @multi007 I'm sure there are translated western comics here, but I've never actually sought them out. I might give it a try, though. If they have original art on the covers that could be very interesting. I'm on my own for this trip. With just one exception, all my trips have been self-guided with just me and friends. I speak Japanese and so does one of my friends (my usual traveling companion), so we get along quite well when we're here.  I'm glad you're enjoying my posts! I'll only be here for a few more days. It all seems too short. I'm going back to Tōkyō tomorrow, and it's the last day for my JR Rail Pass  .Already planning my next trip, though! Looks like March next year could be the one, and I'll be with my friend on that upcoming trip. |
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| @multi007 Oops! Forgot to answer one of your questions. As far as I know, Japan doesn't have a grading system for comics/manga. I'm pretty sure they can send things to CBCS/CGC as long as the books will fit in the capsules, though. |
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