Masks

Every day I see people wearing masks.  I’m not talking about the Halloween type masks, I mean medical masks. These are the kind of masks dentists and doctors, and sometime bank robbers wear in the US. People of all ages wear them here.

It doesn’t seem to bother anyone, except maybe foreigners, to see people wearing these masks.  People even wear them for group pictures.

I don’t know if the people who wear them are sick and trying not to pass on germs, or if they are healthy and don’t want to get germs, or if they are trying to filter out the cigarette smoke, or if this is a fashion statement, or if they are traveling in congnito.  Or maybe all of the above.

This is another mystery in Hokkaido.

Aliens no more!

When we moved to Japan, we registered at the City Hall and were issued Alien Cards. The cards have our names and address and picture and tells how long we can stay in Japan.

We received this in the mail this week.

One of the booklets says “In accordance with the partial amendment of the Basic Resident Registration Act, foreign residents will be eligible to receive a Residence Record (juminhyo)”. The alien registration act will be abolished in July, when this new system comes into effect.

I googled Juminhyo and found out that currently only Japanese citizens are listed, with foreigners, even those in the same household as Japanese citizens, are registered as aliens in another system. Japanese citizens are required to register in this system for tax, national health insurance, and census purposes. When proof of residence is required, such as opening a bank account or registering children in the local school district, you need a copy of this record from the local government office.

One controversy with the two tiered systems comes in international households when Japanese citizens are not listed along side non-Japanese household members. The booklets we received state that the reason for the change it to make administrative procedures in local government simpler and more convenient.

The Japan Times online (2/23/03) reported on a protest by foreign residents in Tokyo after a seal living in the bay was granted a residence ID card, but they were not eligible for one. The protesters dressed up as seals and painted on whiskers demanding the same rights as the stray seal.

From the mailing we received, it doesn’t look like we have to do anything.  It says we will automatically be issued a Resident Record on the day the law comes into effect and there is no need to fill out any extra paperwork. There are instructions on what to do if we change our names or address or lose our cards. I will keep these booklets for informational purposes.

Hokkaido Weather

The winter weather is changing.  I wouldn’t call it spring yet, but the daytime  temperatures have been getting above freezing since we’ve returned from our trip last week.  The snow on the roads is melting and the roads are visible. A couple of days we had some light snow flurries in the mornings.  Then, yesterday we had this:

It looked like we were really going to get some snow, but it stopped late morning and the sun came out.  It’s probably going to be awhile before all the snow is melted, but it is good to feel like spring is coming.

Hokkaido Earthquake

There was an earthquake here last night, followed by several others in northeast Japan.  We felt shaking twice – when we were eating dinner, then again a few hours later. It was mild - nothing fell off shelves or anything like that.  Not having a television, we couldn’t check to see the news when it happened. I did check the internet news later and have received several email messages from friends in the US.

The news reports I’ve read said there were a series of quakes last night with the strongest being a magnitude 6.8 or 6.9 that was centered off the coast of Hokkaido. Several other earthquakes followed the first.  One was a magnitude 6.1, centered off the coast east of Tokyo, causing Narita airport and the bullet trains to shut down temporarily. Some coastal towns on Hokkaido were evacuated, but so far it appears there are no injuries or damages.

One report said last night’s quakes were aftershocks from the massive earthquake that hit Japan a year ago. While we were on our trip we had talked with our friends about last year’s earthquake.  They told us where they were and about trying to call their families.  Ted and I talked about putting together some things we would need if there was a disaster, but there hadn’t been an urgency to doing it. We’ll be talking more and doing something about it today.

Vacation Food

We ate (and drank) very well on this trip. Most of the time we ate Japanese food, being in Japan and all. We had pizza twice – once with our friends Anthony and Noriko in Tokyo, and we had pizza delivered to our hotel in Kyoto one night. We ate at a Chinese buffet in Chinatown.  It didn't have as many selections as the buffet in Myrtle Beach, but it was still very good. We learned that salad is a breakfast food in Japan.  Before this trip, I didn’t know that. Nabe and sushi have become my favorite foods here.

Sometimes I try to guess what signs mean.  I thought the sign with the children and 110 meant parents of children who misbehaved would be fined 110 yen.  We were later told it meant call 110 (the Japanese equivalent of 911 in the US) if a child is hurt or kidnapped.

Temples and Shrines

You could probably spend a year visiting Temples and Shrines in Kyoto and not see them all. We visited some of the larger and more well-known in Kyoto and Nara.  Many of the old Temple and Shrine buildings have been destroyed by fire, lightning, or earthquakes, and have been rebuilt. I was surprised that candles and incense burning were allowed in these huge wooden buildings for that reason, but they were.

Todai-Ji

This great temple was founded in 745 by Emperor Shomu to ward off the epidemics that regularly swept the nation and to cement imperial power. The main hall is the world’s largest wooden building and was last rebuilt in 1709. Japan’s largest bronze statue, a 15 meter Buddha on a lotus throne is housed here. This temple is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Tōdai-ji has been used as a location in several Japanese films and television dramas, as well as a music concert site. It was also used in the 1950s John Wayne movie The Barbarian and the Geisha when Nandaimon, the Great South Gate, doubled as a city's gates.

This temple and the surrounding subtemples are home to more than a thousand semi-wild deer. Originally they were thought to be divine messengers of one of the Shinto gods. Vendors sell special deer crackers for feeding them and workers go around scooping the poop up.

Monkey Shrine

We came across this small shrine on a side street in Gifu. It’s not in the guidebooks, but we found it interesting.

Kiomizu Temple

This temple dates back to 778, and its present buildings were constructed in 1633, during a restoration ordered by the Tokugawa Iemitsu. It takes its name from the waterfall within the complex, which runs off the nearby hills. Kiyomizu means clear water, or pure water.  In 2007, Kiomizu was one of the 21 finalists for the New Seven Wonders of the World, but it was not ultimately chosen.

Kinkaku

Kinkaku or Golden Pavilion is the popular name for the main building of the Rokuon-ji Temple.  This site dates back to 1397, but the current three story structure was rebuilt in 1955, after burning down in 1950.  The upper two floors are covered with Japanese gold leaf.  It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Heian Jingu Shrine

This Shinto Shrine was built in 1895 and mirrors the architecture of the Imperial Palace in Kyoto.  The Torii before the main gate is one of the largest in Japan. The structure was damaged by fire in 1976, but was quickly repaired.  We enjoyed the beautiful gardens here.

Young English students
After leaving the Heian Jingu Shrine, this group of middle school students and their teacher interviewed us in English. They had all their questions memorized, asking them in unison and were very cute.

Stitching Update
I purchased this Lee canvas and a small purse at the French Knot before it closed, so I’m guessing I’ve had it a year and a half or so.  That’s not so long for a stitching project. My friends Rhoda and Martha were working on small canvases in beads, so I thought I would try it also.  Initially, I chose beads that were too large, so I had to start again.  This is what I have completed so far.