"Stolen" Laundry

I came home today to find a crudely written letter in my mailbox. The paper itself looks like it was torn off a larger envelop. I couldn’t make out everything it said, but there was something about my sheets which I put out to dry this morning before going to school. My neighbor had apparently picked up a sheet that blew off the line and was holding on to it at her house.

I went to the grocery store before I stopped at her house, but half way there I started getting strange looks from a women across the parking lot. It turns out she was my neighbor and had my sheet. I said I would stop by in a few minutes when I was done shopping.

After ringing her doorbell I identified myself as “the person who has a sheet” and she came to the door. What I failed to understand in the letter was subsequently explained to me. My sheet had not been blown off the line, but was apparently hanging precariously enough that she decided to take it down herself before it got knocked into the dirty rain gutter lining the street. I imagine it was partially over the wall separating my “backyard” with the street. She hung it at her place instead so I could pick it up clean and dry later. A little odd, but nice.

Kobe Luminarie

Just under 16 years ago was the Great Hanshin Earthquake. It devastated the city of Kobe and remains (I think) the most costly natural disaster ever, at least in terms of dollars. The Japanese government had a famously poor response to the disaster, with Swedish rescue dogs quarantined for weeks after they would be useful and the Yakuza (Japanese mafia) handing out aid in many areas before the government.

Starting December that same year, Kobe started the Luminarie to commemorate the earthquake. They put lights up on a main walkway downtown and close the roads to traffic for a few hours each night. I went last Sunday with a friend. It was so crowded that people walking on 6 lane roads had to wait 45 minutes to reach the lights from the train station. It was well worth the wait.

Kiyomizu Temple in fall

Sorry I haven't put anything up in a while. I have a Japenese test next Sunday and am busy applying to grad school. Here's a some picture from the fall leaves at Kiyomizu-dera:

Rurikei

On the other side of my town is Rurikei, roughly translated as 'azure cliffs'. Located up in the mountains through narrow, windy roads, Rurikei is locally famous for its onsen, or hot spring. There's also trails and temples along the way. Last Sunday the Kyoto International Society held an event at Rurikei. We went for a hike before stopping at a pavillion to cook lunch. Here's a farm at the start or the trail:


We followed a path along a creek for a mile or two. Along the way were waterfalls and signs describing the plants placed by elementary students from one of my schools. Here's one waterfall:


Towards the end was a retaining wall holding back a reservoir. There was a thin but steady stream of water flowing down the side. At a couple points there were tunnels that led back further through the wall:


At the other end of the wall (and quite a bit further up) was the reservoir. A lot of people were fishing from piers or boats. The area around the dam was roped off to make sure no one strayed too close to the edge:

Early signs of Autumn

Some leaves are starting to change color higher up in the mountains of my town:

Food

A little while ago I went to one of the other teacher's apartment for 'temaki-zushi' or hand made sushi. You basically need seaweed, rice, and whatever else you want to put in sushi (including various fish, cheese, ham, cucumbers, pork, eggs, among other things). She brought me over early to help prepare and most of what's pictured here was cut and arranged by me:


Another great dish from Japan is 'okonomiyaki', a pancake-like dish that could be roughly translated as 'whatever you like grilled'. There's generally a bunch of cabbage or green onions, sometimes soba noodles, and anything else you like. I usually get squid and/or pork, but this giant okonomiyaki was ordered by someone else and includes cheese, potatoes, mochi (rice-cake) and lots of stuff I generally don't like in okonomiyaki. It tasted okay anyway:


One advantage of the apartment I moved to last April is my landlady. She's a sweet old woman who sometimes brings me stuff, like this fruit I got earlier this month. Fruit is comparatively expensive in Japan, with these three things probably costing more than $10. The thing on the right is a 'nashi' or 'snow pear'. Really it tastes like a mix between a pear and an apple with a crispy texture:

Umeda Sky Building

One of the taller buildings in Osaka and located near Osaka Station, the Umeda Sky Building offers a great view of the city with a 'sky garden' and cafe where you can most of the city. It's actually two towers connected at the top by several floors that look at each other from circular windows:


To actually get to the top you have to ride an escalator that spans the gap between both buildings. It's surrounded by glass and you can almost feel the wind blow past as you look some 30 stories below:


The roof is open to the public for a small fee and features a maze of security fences to stop anyone from going where they shouldn't. There's also a great deal of weather measuring equipment visible throughout the tower:


Like I said, the building offers a great view of Osaka: