Japan manhole lids, street markers, etc.

Aside from the place stamps, I also wanted to get more photos of Japan’s interesting manhole lids and street markers.  I just love how much art you see under your feet.  It also worked well with how I like to photograph my trip.  I rarely ask other people to photograph me on my travels.  I prefer to take photos of my shadow or my feet.

The manhole covers and street markers give a hint as to where I am.  There are designs though that do not include the name of the place, but the patterns are still interesting.  Others are not really manhole covers, just small lids or markers of the city’s various services (fire hydrants, sewage system, tree root guards even!). I photograph those, too. Here are the ones I was able to collect on my recent trip. 🙂 This has the potential to become yet another one of my obsessions…

Kurashiki

Kurashiki

Kurashiki

Kurashiki

Kyoto manhole cover with a shuriken design at the center.

Osaka manhole cover

消火栓 – shoukasen – fire hydrant

Omihachiman. It reads おすい (osui) which means waste water.

Kurashiki

Dotonbori street marker

Tree root guard (Omihachiman)

Station stamps

When I visited Japan last year, I noticed a stamp on a table at the Nippori station.  Luckily, I had my journal with me, so I stamped it.  Right behind it was a poster featuring the stamp designs of 77 Japan Rail train stations across the country.  Ever since then, I’ve been on the look-out for these 駅スタンプ (station stamps).  Aside from train stations, other places like museums may also have stamps.  Last year, I was able to stamp my journal with the Nippori Eki stamp and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building stamp.  I saw the stamp in the Torokko Sagano eki, but sadly, I didn’t have my journal with me.

This year, one of the things I wanted to do on the trip was collect more of these stamps.

I had decided to travel lighter, leaving my DSLR and lenses home.  I brought only my trusty point & shoot camera. This way, I always had space in my street bag for my journal.  And I am happy to report that I was able to get quite a number of stamps

Kurashiki-kan and Kurashiki Local History Museum

Okayama Eki (JR and Anpanman stamps)

Haku’unkan and Omihachiman Eki

Osaka Eki and Taisho Eki

Hikone eki

Okayama Eki

Omihachiman

Hikone Castle Museum

Hikone Castle

Hikone Castle Museum

At first, I thought only the JR stations had these stamps, but it turns out that stations in the Osaka Subway system also have them.  During the time I was in Osaka, it had turned into an obsession.  And since I used the subway more than the JR Osaka Loop line, I was hoping that the subway would have them.  And as I was walking past the glass doors of the Station Master’s office one evening, I saw it.  A plastic tray with a stamp lying on its side, exposing the design.  I snooped through the glass and saw that it could be a station stamp.  The day before my trip ended, I got the nerve to ask one of the station’s staff and yes! it was an ‘eki no hanko.’  Oh happy day.  So, from the Osaka Subway, I got two stamps:  Awaza and Nishinagahori, the two stations closest to my hostel. 😀 And a quick visit to the Osaka Aquarium got me a few more.  I’m a happy collector.

Osakako Eki and Awaza Eki (overpowered by the seal lion stamp)

Osaka Aquarium stamps

Nishinagahori Eki

Good eats in Kyoto

Being the hobbit that I am, I am very much interested in the kind of noms one can get in a place.  Before the trip, I did some research on the subject.  A very good site to browse for this purpose is Kyoto Foodie.  Armed with articles from that site synced to my handy Evernote app, I went to Kyoto with the intent to attack its food places.

My first meal in Kyoto was the breakfast that comes with the room booking at Guesthouse Kingyoya.  You can choose whether to have breakfast during your stay at the time you book.  They serve a traditional Japanese breakfast meal which consists of beautiful steamed rice (I cannot live without rice), hot miso soup, fish (mackerel or salmon), pickled vegetables, tamagoyaki (rolled omelet), tofu and beans. This kind of meal, when I have it at 8 am, fuels me until around 2pm.

Salmon breakfast

Waiting for the salmon

Twin room at Guesthouse Kingyoya

Mackerel. We also had natto with this set. It was ok, but I’m not crazy about it.

Breakfast at Guesthouse Kingyoya Kyoto

Alas, with all the things I had planned, naturally I did not have time (or stomach space) for all!  So much for the sakura ice cream and the kinako ice cream, the karaage donburi!  But, thank goodness I was able to go to Izuju, also featured on KyotoFoodie.  It was a chilly night, but we didn’t mind queueing outside to get a table in the small restaurant.  The shop specializes in inarizushi and hakozushi (box sushi).  It was worth the wait.  I really liked the inari — it was strange at first, as I was used to the usual nigiri-style sushi.  The inari comes in little pockets of tofu skin which had a sweet taste to it.  The hakozushi featured different seafood, although I’m not sure what kind they were, except for the shrimp.  The others were fish, I think!

inarizushi and hakozushi

Izuju sushi shop

Sushi chef (on the right)

inarizushi and hakozushi

I was also able to go back to a shop that I had passed on my way home one night during my Kyoto trip last year. I had only taken photos of the dish which was prepared outside the shop.  It turns out to be a Kyoto-style okonomiyaki called issen yoshoku.  Also a filling dish.  It served as dinner one night.  There was also one time when I had an omu rice (omelette rice) for a late lunch.  We entered the nearest eatery we could find around the Keage incline.  Very simple but very good! I do love a good egg dish. For a snack, there’s the usual tea and a wagashi (sweet).  A textile museum we visited served us some green tea and a jellied kind of wagashi with a sweet bean in the center.  Really nice!

After-tour tea and wagashi

Omu rice

issen yoshoku

issen yoshoku

I may not have been able to sample all the things I read about, but I think I had really good eats in Kyoto!  Wish I could have brought home all sorts of wagashi.  If only I had a magic bag that didn’t get heavy even if you stuffed it.  Alas.

Sakura above our heads and under our feet

It’s tricky timing your trip to hit the sakura season.  This year, many a travel plan was foiled by the early blooming of the cherry blossoms in Tokyo.  Luckily, my trip to Kyoto allowed me to catch a good number of flowers still on the trees, even if the shedding had started.

Every time a fairly strong gust of wind blows, petals would fall from the trees like confetti.  On the Philosopher’s Path, shopkeepers would sweep the bit of road in front of their shops and transfer the petals to a patch of earth where it can decompose properly.  It was a really pretty sight – pink and white blossoms everywhere, above and below.

People come wielding cameras of all sizes – phone cameras, point-and-shoot cameras, even big professional equipment complete with heavy tripods.  But you’ll also find some locals simply sitting and looking at the trees, without anything to record the scene. 🙂

Sakura canopy

Sakura (Somei Yoshino variety)

Sakura (Somei Yoshino variety)

Locals enjoying their neighborhood

Rain of blossoms

Shidarezakura (Weeping cherry)

Pinks and greens

The Kansai Airport Express “Haruka” Train

I entered Japan via the Kansai International Airport (KIX) at around 7:10pm.  My first real stop was Kyoto, so I was some ways away still.  In order to get there, I took advantage of the Haruka-ICOCA (IC card) package that cost ¥4,000.  The package includes round-trip tickets in the free-seating cars of the Haruka and an ICOCA card worth ¥500 and loaded with ¥1,500 of credit.  The package is offered to non-Japanese citizens only, so you will have to present your passport when buying it at the Japan Rail office.

I had with me a wheeled luggage (the 20-25-kilo capacity size ones, bigger than a carry-on) and a small street bag strapped across my body.  I was a little worried about seats, since our tickets only allowed us in the non-reserved seats car, but as my Osaka-based friend reassured me, the Haruka was not full.  My friend told me it rarely got full, since more locals take the regular train.

Another worry was how to fit my luggage on the train.  The train had a luggage rack, but since we were trying move fast and not hold up the queue, I just wheeled straight to the first row I saw that was available.   And since we were the first ones on the train, the first available row was the actual first row of the car which had a slightly bigger leg room that the other rows.  This worked well for me.

I remember looking for photos of the inside of the Haruka before my trip, specifically the leg room, in order to gauge whether I could keep my luggage with me.  I couldn’t find any.  So, here I am posting my own photos in case it helps someone else. 🙂 Unfortunately, I only have photos of that first row.

Haruka

My luggage. My street bag is sitting on top of my luggage, as is my jacket.

Actual leg room. Please note I am not a tall person. I only stand 5 feet 2 inches.

Leg room view from the side. That’s my friend across the aisle. Please note she is even smaller than I. 🙂

The trip from KIX to Kyoto Station took a little over an hour.  You can check out the JR West website for more details on the Haruka-ICOCA package. 🙂

Summer’s here

It’s been a while since I wrote anything here.  I’ve just returned from a lovely vacation in Japan (Kyoto, Kurashiki, and Osaka) and I am trying not to die from the severe change in weather.  From the spring temperature range of 6-14 degrees celsius of Japan to Manila’s hellish 35 degrees celsius.  I am still on vacation from work until Sunday, so I am inside my home hiding and decompressing from the trip.  I am also catching up on my reading! My current read is Jane Eyre.  I downloaded the free ebook on Amazon.

As mentioned in my previous post, my goal this year is to read 40 books.  I have happily done 13 out of the 40 already; 33% into my goal.  According to my Goodreads tracker, as of today I am 2 books ahead of my schedule.

My 2013 reads so far are:

1. The Child Thief by Brom
2. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
3. The Search for Wondla by Tony DiTerlizzi
4. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
5. Flame of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier
6. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
7. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
8. Tokyo on Foot by Florent Chavouet
9. The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey
10. The Isle of Blood by Rick Yancey
11. The Principles of Uncertainty by Maira Kalman
12. You Have To Stop This by Pseudonymous Bosch
13. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

This is one of the bridges that span the Hachiman-bori.

I started this sketch on a different platform in a different train station. I didn’t finish it right away, so I had to continue it the next time I was waiting for a train 🙂

I also pressed a fallen cherry blossom in my notebook. 

I’m glad the vacation didn’t put my reading behind too much! I didn’t bring my Kindle on my Japan trip, partly because I knew I would be out exploring and partly to force me to sketch and write in my journal (having a Kindle would have meant that downtimes would be spent reading!).

It worked.  I got several pages of journal entries, with sketches and what not, from my trip.

Hello, 2013!

The 39 books I read in 2012

Happy New Year! 🙂

I am happy to report that I was able to fulfill my goal of reading 39 books (no more, no less) in 2012!  The year started with a reread of The Hobbit and ended with a reread of The Lord of the Rings. The screencap on the left shows the list of books on my 2012 list, with the first book of the year shown last, and the most recent shown first.  I used Goodreads to track my progress.

And now, for 2013, I am aiming for 40 books as I will be turning 40 at the end of the year 🙂

Got lots of titles lined up already! For my first book, I’ve started reading “The Child Thief” by Brom.

That’s it for now.  Good night!

Reading and other updates

Three more weeks and the year is through!

I’m still on track for my reading challenge, thankfully.  I am 71% done with my 37th book “The Fellowship of the Ring.” Yes yes, it’s a reread.  And yes, I know the Lord of the Rings is NOT a book trilogy, but ONE book published in three volumes.  But, humor me — for Goodreads Reading Challenge purposes :))

I have been quite busy the past weeks, and will get busier still as Christmas approaches.  There are always TOO many parties at the office — a company-wide party, one for the department, one for the press, one for this show, another for that — it’s RIDICULOUS.  They hardly give you time to have Christmas get-togethers with friends from outside work.  We were also invited to another party and it’s on a Saturday.  I just had to get excused from that.  Weekends are my only time for friends AND family.  If the office takes even that Saturday, I’d have no more time to have other get-togethers.

In other news, I have been able to write and doodle in my journal again. I realize I have so many pens and pencils (regular and colored). I even unearthed some of my old Sakura Gelly Roll pens and they still write! Amazing.  I also found my old Inoxcrom pen – an Agatha Ruiz de la Prada fountain pen with an orange barrel with blue polka dots. I had thought that I had messed it up, but it turns out it’s ok! It was my first fountain pen, and I really liked using it.

Inoxcrom converter in Muji Fountain Pen (top) and Inoxcrom 2022 fountain pen

Last weekend, I was able to track down some Inoxcrom converters for fountain pens.  I was looking for some so I could use my bottled ink in my Inoxcroms.  I had also read that the Inoxcrom converter would fit the Muji fountain pen.  I got the converters today (I bought all five that were in stock) and they do fit the Muji pen! Oh, joy! Can’t wait for my inks to arrive. 🙂

And finally, my reading chair was delivered today.

My happy reading corner.

I bought a nice reading lamp (red) from the mall to complete my reading corner.  This is my first ever honest-to-goodness reading chair.  I am so happy! 🙂

Reading challenge update: 35/39

I finished my 35th book, Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie, last night and I loved the development of the plot and especially the characters in this volume.  I’ve come to realize that I appreciate the way this series is written — I find the language so casual that the gory scenes seem more horrific.  One simple description and the scene explodes visually in your head.  There are no unnecessary words to smother your imagination.

Now I’m 3% into Last Argument of Kings.  And with the long weekend coming up, I think I should be able to tick off my 36th before Monday comes.

It would be great if the reading chair I ordered last October 21 were to arrive this weekend, but it’s unlikely.  It hasn’t been three weeks yet!  But I’m so excited for it.  I’ve already scouted for a good lamp I could put beside it.  Can’t wait!  A proper reading corner.  🙂

Weekend

The weekend is over and I did not get any reading done!

For the past nights since I finished The Woman in Black, I have been sidetracked by Downton Abbey.  During the day, though, I would be able to sneak in a few pages of Before They Are Hanged, but no real progress has been made.  I spent the weekend by going to nihongo class (got the results of the midterm exam, did well!) and researching for my trip to Osaka and Kyoto with my friend next spring.  I’ve decided (and my friend agreed) that the main theme of the visit will be food.  Of course, we’ll go around and see the sights, but we will also prepare a list of food to try.

Luckily, we live in the age of the internet, so the research is a comfy thing.  I have a few notes already tucked into my Evernote and just tonight I found kyotofoodie.com which is a gold mine of info.  I got some of the articles from that site stored in my Evernote as well, and I’m excited to show Riza.

All in all, it was a good weekend, even if I didn’t read much.  But, it’s good to slow down a bit and do other things.

Tomorrow, Monday again! Gah, I feel the need for a vacation.  But, I must wait til next year for a substantial one.  For now, I shall just have to look forward to the upcoming long weekends; October 26 has been declared a holiday and November 1 and 2 are also holidays.  Quite grateful for the upcoming break. 🙂