The Japanese Barber Shop

Posted on May 10, 2012 by
Barber shop poles in Minabe Wakayama Japan

If you are looking to distinguish yourself form other barber shops in the area... May I suggest taking multiple barber poles and mounting them in a giant pinwheel. (Minabe City, Wakayama, Japan)

They say that once you are able to talk to a barber and a cab driver in a foreign country, using a foreign language, you are now considered fluent. Of course until you reach that skill level you are considered a jackass (rough translation).  Generally, the service industry is the front line of any country or culture. in Japan, however they have taken it up to a level that is difficult to comprehend for most western self-obsessed societies.

For example, here is a clip from my gas station story:
When you go to a gas station in Japan (to get gas mind you), a team of uniformed attendants converge on your car like trained mechanics from a Formula 1 pit crew.  They fill, clean, and check your car so that it leaves just short of it’s purchase day condition. I was even asked once if I would like a special water resistant spray put onto my windshield because, “He thinks it might rain”. The final member of the pit crew will then dart out into the busy street to hold up his hand to the oncoming traffic using the international “HALT” gesture. The cars all slowdown and stop with no protests.  He then gives you the international “ALL CLEAR” gesture by waving his hand down the now open street. Just when you think that one day you will blog about this because nobody back home will ever believe it, you look out your window back at the gas station. Along the gas pumps, the entire crew have lined up with their heads down, bowing to you as you drive away. Now I love exaggerating just as much as the next comedy writer, but this is no exaggeration. This is just how things are in Japan. Not just one time! This is what happens every time I get gas!

This kind of service is pretty standard throughout Japanese business and culture. It was the one concept from my culture shock list that I had the hardest time explaining to the folks back home. Everyone knows what a pain in the ass it is to use chop sticks, but the whole gas station crew bowing as you leave…  who the hell is going to believe that?

With this in mind, I will try to explain the Japanese barbershop.  I may not be the best person to gauge the differences in technique between U.S and Japanese barbers. Because, I must admit, I have never been to a barber. Any barber. Anywhere. Ever.

It may sound strange, but my uncle is Tony Colucci, the famous Italian barber who is known throughout Chicago as “The Guy”. In fact, my Italian side had a long lineage of famous Italian barbers going back to the immigrants leaving Italy. Why would you go to some local shop or hair salon when your uncle is “The Guy”. He would cut my hair right at my house when I was a boy and later I would just go to his shop.  I’ve been going to him since the Norman Rockwell days.  When waiting kids would get different flavored Tootsie Rolls and waiting men would get Playboy magazine. Because he was “The Guy”, and I was his family, I never made appointments or paid a dime. I showed up, he’d stop everything, throw his arms open, hug me, shake my hand, and make all the other customers wait while he cut my hair. This went on for 30 years. I just didn’t know how good I had it. I also didn’t know what customers actually “paid” for.

The day before I left for Japan he came over to my house and cut my long hair. As my godfather and “barber”, he became a important roll model for how I communicate and interact with people. All people. Including Japanese people. He is “the guy” who transformed me into a clean-cut corporate gentleman. A cultural ambassador to make America proud. It had never occurred to me, that maybe I should have asked him for some advice. What happens at a barber if you don’t know “The Guy”?

 

The Martin Sheen Haircut

Foreigner in Japan equals; The "Martin Sheen" Haircut

My first trip to the Japanese barber is its own crazy story (read it here). When I first started going, I had little experience to bring to the table, or the chair as it were. Now that I have had my haircut in Japan for a few years, I can confidently say this: Every time I walk into a Japanese barbershop, it turns into a two hour salon marathon that leaves me feeling like it’s my wedding day.  And every time I walk out, I end up looking like Martin Sheen. Not Charlie Sheen mind you, there is too much controlled blow drying for Charlie’s look. I’m not sure of the reasoning for why I always end up looking like Martin Sheen. I have been to several different barbers, in different parts of the country, and I could tell you that it’s a cross-platform technique.

The Japanese barber, like their blue-collar cousins, the gas station attendants, feel the need to give you your money’s worth. All the barbers I went to possess the very common Japanese ability to look like you are rushing, yet take twice as much time. They always perform some kind of meticulous blow-drying and styling to my hair.  I tell them in my best broken-Japanese, that I would like to keep the same low-maintenance hairstyle that I came in with… only shorter. But that always seems to translate into looking like Martin Sheen.

I imagine that all the barber schools in Japan have a textbook entitled; Learn the Rules Before You Break Them – The Martin Sheen Haircut. From this book, they study.  I also imagine that Martin Sheen himself is there to give the speech at the school graduation ceremonies.  I can see him at the podium donned in a black robe.  A twisted red, white, and blue barber-pole tassel hangs off his square hat. His speech goes something like this:

“You’ve trained hard and practiced everyday.  Now you will go out into the world and make everyone look like me.  I’m proud of you… good luck, and godspeed!”  He walks off the stage, as barber school students yell frenzied chants of “Martin… Martin… Martin!”

Choosing a barber in Japan is easy.  I pick the one closest to where I’m living.  It seems like there is a hair salon on every block in this country. Every third one has a barber pole. I think it’s the second oldest profession. (Probably better than having the first oldest profession on every block.) The Hair Stylist and the Barber have two different licenses. The barber needs an additional skill to allow for straight razor shaving.

A friend of mine in Japan has a different way of choosing a barber. His method is a little more particular.  He chooses a barber he feels sorry for. Maybe his shop is never busy, or he is old, and young guys won’t go to his shop anymore. Once, when in his neighborhood, I inquired about the quality of the barber around the corner. He said,
“I don’t know… I go to the one-eyed barber on the other side of town.”
I paused. That was not what I thought he was going to say.
“Why would you go to a one-eyed barber who is not even conveniently located? Is he a Pirate?”
“He’s a nice guy, I feel sorry for him, ” he said with compassion.
“I would feel sorry for your haircut.”  I mumbled. The English teaching biz is about 95% Japanese women; I can’t afford a haircut with no depth perception. If I can barely speak to these girls in their native language, I feel grateful to come out looking like Martin Sheen.

Very few of the Barbers I went to spoke a word of English. So the burden is clearly put on you (The long-haired person reading this post). I highly recommend visiting the old-school barber shop as a real-world test of your Nihongo skills. If you could talk to these barbers, not only will your Japanese language skills improve, you will probably get a wealth of information along with your Martin Sheen haircut.

 

 

 

Click here for my First Haircut at a Japanese Barber story

Click Here for the main menu for my True Stories series:

 

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My First Haircut at a Japanese Barber Shop

Posted on May 8, 2012 by
Sato Barber Shop in Nagoya Japan

Sato Barber Shop in Nagoya Japan

 

The first barber I ever went to was around the corner from my old apartment near Nagoya Station.  It is a tightly packed neighborhood behind the Toyota Museum. There is a constant clickety-clack sound of trains running in the distance. I had not been in Japan that long as I walked down the small alley-like street toward the barber shop. I thought about my Uncle Tony, I really missed him. It was one of those what-the-hell-am-I-doing-here moments that I got a lot when I first moved to Japan. Those feelings slowly get replaced by the how-am-I-going-to-expalin-this-back-home thoughts.

As I approached the shop, I saw an old man outside the shop door. He was standing in the small street with a 7 iron carefully gripped between his hands.  You could see the concentration on his face as he slowly pulled back the golf club in a big circle.  He was thinking,

“I’m in the rough, but if I could put this drive on the green, I’ll birdie the hole and win the tour.”

I practically step on his feet before he notices me, and then startled, he almost hits me with the 7 iron! He apologized, and caught his breath. I nodded politely as I pointed at the barber poll and then to him. His face totally changed as it slowly dawned on him that this gaijin with the messy hair, had arrived to get his hair cut. With his face still in astonishment he began bowing to me as he rattled off a stream words in Japanese. He led the way toward his shop door with the 7 iron.

The barber shop itself was a small cluttered room with two large barber chairs toward the walls. As we entered, the old man began yelling,

“Takash Takash.” He rested his 7 iron on one of the many dresser-like cabinets in the shop.

“Dozo dozo dozo!” (please follow me)  he kept politely saying as he cleared a path through the shop. Again he began yelling, Takash Takash. I did not know what “takash” means in Japanese. Maybe it is some kind of barber battle cry. A “Let’s-Do-This” kind of thing. Very interesting I thought, I have obviously come to the right guy. He ran through the shop in a flurry as he flipped switches, turned knobs, and pressed buttons. Again he yelled Takash Takash. This time I thought about joining in with him, maybe with an arm-raised fist pump. Lets Do this!

Just then a head popped out from behind the dirty Mt. Fuji printed curtain in the back of the shop. It was a young man. He had chopsticks in one hand, and a bowl of instant noodles in the other. A long piece of ramen was hanging from his mouth.

“Takash” was not a Japanese battle cry, it was the old man’s son; Takashi. He was as shocked as the old man was to see me standing in the middle of the barber shop. He wiped the noodles from his face and rushed into the shop to flip switches, turn knobs, and press buttons. The old man bowed to me and left the room. Takashi introduced himself as he showed me to one of the barber chairs.

TM Revolution showing off his cool hair.

T.M. Revolution showing off his cool hair.

Takashi looked a lot like T.M. Revolution, or at least his hair did. T.M. Revolution is a Japanese pop music singer that started getting popular in the late 90′s. His name means “Takanori Makes Revolution”, which is comical on several levels. But his hair is what I noticed the most. Like T.M., his hair was long in the front and ended in lighter red-ish highlights. I told Takashi this and he was very thankful. As if finally somebody had noticed.

Takashi and I established very quickly that we did not know each others languages. Luckily, I had memorized some Japanese barber vocabulary in the event that this situation should arise. Some common terms like; short (mijikai), long (nagai), and hair (kami). I also learned the word nai (not), in case I needed to explain them in negative. But my crowning achievement was to memorize the word for sideburns; “momiage”. I had asked several Japanese co-workers to help me pronounce it correctly, and felt confident enough to use it.

Everything was fine until I began to speak. When Takashi asked me how I would like my hair cut, (Or I assumed that’s what he was asking me.) I went right to my vast hair vocabulary, and my sideburn-removal request.

“Omiyage nai” I said with confidence. Takashi stared at me. “Omiyage nai” I said again with a slightly higher tone.

Takashi paused for a moment, and said “daijoubu… daijoubu…” (Its ok) and shook his hands in a “no” fashion. Which I took as him saying that I should leave the sideburns, that they look fine. But the side burns were the main thing I wanted to get ride of.

“omiyage nai” I said again with more conviction. This time I pointed to them on the side of my face and made a cutting motion. Takashi stared at me again.

“Ah… MO…  MO-miage”, he said. “Momiage deshou… side-o-burno desu.”

“Yes sideburns.”

In my nervous state of mind I had forgotten the all important “m”, and had blurted out the very common Japanese word “omiyage”. I had in fact been telling Takashi that “I had no gift for him.” He had been responding by saying that a gift was not necessary. I had then proceeded to “insist” that I did not have a gift for him. The strange thing being that it would not be that unusual to bring an omiyagi (small gift) to somebody you are just meeting. Or to someone that is helping you with something as a thanks ahead of time. But in this case it was another one of my classic Nihongo (Japanese Language) screw ups.

With that information established, he scrabbled around the room collecting everything he needed to get started. Most interesting is when he went to his CD player. He looked at me and then froze, a smile came across his face. He then started flipping through all his music. A stack of cd’s here, a row of cd’s there. He obviously had a certain album in mind for this occasion. Born in the USA perhaps… or the Barber of Seville? After he found it, he gave out a big, “Yataaaa!” (the “I found it” expression.)

I had a brief chance to see the cover as it flashed by. It seemed strangely familiar. But it was not until he popped the cd into the player, and set the case down that I recognized the unmistakable primary colors of Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual.

Cyndi_Lauper_Shes_So_Unusual_1983

Cyndi Lauper's She's So Unusual. An 80's classic. But why the hell am I listening to it now?

Cyndi Lauper… That’s what he was looking so diligently for? This was the music that puts English speakers at ease during a hair cut? I had another what-the-hell-am-I-doing-here moment.

Takashi showed me some Japanese hair magazines. He would pick one up that had a bunch of Japanese guys and with different haircuts. He would look at one and then look at me. His face would have no expression. Then there was a pause and he would repeat the process with a different magazine. It did not take him long to realize we were going to have to work outside the book.

He meticulously dressed me in all the barber “stuff”. Towels, paper strips. smocks. None of them too tight, none of them to loose. Then started in with the cutting and combing. This soon led to trimming everything from nose and ears, to a tight trimming of the eyebrows.

I had another how-am-I-going-to-expalin-this-back-home thought, as he ran his fingers through my hair while listening to “Girls just want to have fun”.

After what seemed like hours, he took a steaming towel out of a small refrigerator-looking thing in the corner. I assumed it was steaming hot, and not steaming cold. He walk toward me and lifted it to my face. I’ve only seen this in the movies… when they are trying kill somebody. I also recall, in my short time here, that the Japanese have a tolerance for hot water that is markably higher than the rest of humanity. Whether its making tea or bathing, it was always just below the boiling point. The effect that this could have on my Irish, cold-Chicago blood may leave permanent scars. I tried to act as though I knew what was going on, and did my best tough-guy imitation. But when the towel touched me it took only seconds before I squirmed and practically jumped out of the chair. He was surprised by the reaction and apologized profusely.

When he came back with a slightly “cooler” hot towel. I began to wonder why I needed a hot towel wrapped around my face for a haircut. The answer was revealed after the towel was unraveled from my face. He was sitting in front of me with a straight edge razor and a coffee cup. He stuck a brush in the coffee cup and started mixing up the contents. He pulled out the soapy brush and smacked it all over my face. With an old-school razor in his hand, he began shaving my face. It was another thing I had only seen in the movies. I remembered the shaving scene with Clint Eastwood, In High Plains Drifter. I did not know this kind of shaving was still done outside of cowboy movies. I might remind you, that was also a scene in which they were trying to kill him.

 

 

During the shave, It had dawned on me that I am not sure what I am paying for. I am not sure what services I am getting because I did not ask for any services. At the rate I was mispronouncing Japanese words, who knew what Takashi had in store for me.

I could say, “You look like T.M Revolution.”

and he hears, “I am getting married tomorrow morning,  please make me beautiful!”

Even if he asks me about “barber things”, I would not know any better because this is the first time I have been to the barber. Everything I know is based on what I have seen in the movies. I cursed myself for not talking it over with Uncle Tony. I decided to just go with it and let Takashi do his thing. My only fear was that it would cost me my whole paycheck. The shave was followed by a long shampoo and conditioning session. Of which my head was placed face down into the sink. A difference I had not noticed until I went to other hair salons.

We were now into the deep cuts of Cyndi Lauper’s 1983 classic. It seemed like I knew every song on that damn album. Had it been that long since I spoke English to anyone? Do the smallest bits of my cultural upbringing surface in full detail when they are threatened with extinction? Does the face of massive cultural diversity put more value on the information you’re familiar with? I even started to wonder how “sideburns” got their name. I’m sure there must be a movie about that I thought.

Then the blow drying began. This is where Takashi works his magic and does all the subtle twist and turns until I magically begin to look like Martin Sheen. After what seemed like another 2 hours, he picked up a mirror and held it behind my head. I looked into the mirror… that looked into the other mirror… that looked back at the mirror. Somehow through this maze of reflections I was looking at the back of my head. Everything looked good to me. Takashi asked me something in Japanese that I did not understand. but he gave me a look that said, “If you don’t look exactly like Martin Sheen… I swear to that barber pole, that I will have my father come out and hit me with the 7 iron until I have done it correctly.”

I assured him that Martin Sheen was more than I had hoped for, and thanked him. I was assuming we were done and was wondering why I was still wrapped up in towels and things. Just like when I thought things were done in my gas station story, we must remember we are in Japan.

Takashi then loosens the towel around my neck, and begins giving me a shoulder massage. This honestly startled me like a hot towel to my face. It took a few minutes for me to adjust and “relax”. It was not just a shoulder rub, he spent about 20 minutes on my shoulders and arms as if I had just finished a triathlon. I began to wonder if this is what happens at all the barber shops in America. Perhaps the world. It was just another thing from Japan that has helped me shed light on my own experiences. Or, I should say, the lack of experiences.

After the massage, I was dusted-off with baby powder, and helped up. I was like a new person. I felt like taking the old man out golfing and asking for his daughter’s hand in marriage. The whole thing cost me about 60 U.S. dollars. Which was very high for me at the time, but not as crazy as I thought it was going to be.

Takashi bowed to me and gave me a small box. An “omiyage.”  Inside the box was a high quality nail clipper with the name of the shop on it. I was not sure if he gave it to me because he felt bad for my gift-giving language screw-up, or if every customer gets one. I bowed and thanked him.

Nail clipper from the Sato Barber Shop in Nagoya Japan.

Nail clipper from the Sato Barber Shop in Nagoya Japan.

As I was walking back home I took the clipper out and examined it more closely. It was heavy and looked very expensive. It says, “理容サトウ.”

理容 (riyou) – Barber

サトウ (Satou) – Family Name (written in Katakana)

On the box it said, “Made in Japan.” I still use today.

I survived my first trip to the Japanese barber shop. Unfortunately I moved before I was able to go back to Takashi. In fact, I never went to the same barber twice in all my time in Japan. Those stories are compiled in a collective story called – The Japanese Barber Shop.

 

This story is part of my True Stories series.

You can reach the main True Stories menu by clicking this link.

 

 

 

Copyright info: She’s So Unusual. Album art Copyright Portrait Records. TM Revolution photo. The images are is used as the primary means of visual identification of a topic in article.

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Kumamoto Castle and The Last Samurai

Posted on February 24, 2012 by
The intimidating walls surrounding Kumamoto Castle in Kyushu, Japan.

The intimidating walls surrounding Kumamoto Castle in Kyushu, Japan.

Kumamoto Castle (熊本城)

Kumamoto Castle (熊本城) in Kyushu is one of the most beautiful and fascinating cultural landmarks in all of Japan. The Castle plays a key role in two of the most important plot points in Japanese history.  Though not as well known internationally, and not really located in a popular tourist location, it is definitely worth the trip down to Japan’s southern-most main island.
Kumamoto Castle’s combination of history and 400 yearly blossoming cherry trees make it a highly admired destination in the hearts and minds of the Japanese people. They have rated it one of the top three castles in the country using the Japanese “Three-Most-Whatever” rating system. It also does well on Japanese Castle Explorer (ranking #2) and J-Castle.com (getting “5 stars”). These are both excellent English resources for Japanese castle information.

Statue of Kato Kiyomasu greeting you at the start of your walk up to Kumamoto Castle

Statue of Kato Kiyomasu greeting you at the start of your walk up to Kumamoto Castle

Kumamoto-Jo, as its called, started as a fort in 1467. But the imposing and intimidating form of the Castle you see today was the work of Kato Kiyomasu in 1607. Kiyomasu was a cross between a civil engineering genius and a ferocious military warrior. He was known as Japan’s greatest castle builder through out Japan, China, and Korea. He was a military leader in a powerful clan in Kyushu leading up to the Battle of Sekigahara. This famous defining battle that established the Tokugawa family as Shogun, and established Tokyo as the Capital of Japan. Though Kato Kiyomasu was not directly involved in the famous battle near present day Nagoya, Tokugawa Ieyasu had asked him to attack opposing clans in the island of Kyushu. Which he did successfully. For his efforts, Tokugaewa Ieyasu rewarded him with a huge raise and more land around Kumamoto. With his newfound wealth he turned Kumamoto Castle into the formidable powerhouse you see today.

The Satsuma Rebellion

Fast forward to the end of those 2 centuries of Tokugawa rule. Its 1877 and we now have Kumamoto castle in the hands of the newly established Meiji Empire. The countries newly reinstated Emperor is attempting to bring Japan up to date with other turn-of-the-century industrial powerhouses. To do this he introduces huge sweeping changes to the Japanese people. Two of these changes were a political power system, and a national army.

These fast changes set the stage for the Satsuma Rebellion. An uprising and revolt against the Government by disenchanted samurai warriors who were upset over said changes, and their loss of power because of them. The “new” Japan was not   samurai friendly.

This Rebellion led by Saigō Takamori leads right back to Kumamoto castle. The new Imperial troops were in Kumamoto City as Saigo’s samurai army started its march north to Tokyo. Cut off from the main military and low in numbers, the new Japanese Army decided to hold out and defend Kumamoto Castle until the main army can arrive with support.

Kumamoto Castle View from the top

View from the top of Kumamoto Castle looking west as the sun sets.

Saigo arrived with his 20,000 samurai and attacked Kumamoto Castle. Saigo’s army was not only well trained samurai warriors with superior sword skills, they are also armed with the latest guns, rifles, and artillery that the imperial army had been using to their advantage. The few thousand defending troops learned very quickly that the 250-year-old wooden structures of the castle were no match for modern artillery. The main tower of the Castle (called the tenshu in Japanese) was blasted by artillery and burned to the ground. To make matters worse, another one of the buildings that caught fire was holding their food supply.

the stone walls and steps of Kumamoto Castle

the stone walls and steps of Kumamoto Castle

Even with all these factors in Saigo’s favor, He could not penetrate the defensive structures of Kumamoto Castle. It is a tribute to Kato Kiyomasu’s design and engineering skills that the samurai army could not get through the maze of gates or over the curved stone walls.
The Castle and defending troops held out for 7 weeks cut off from support and under constant attack. When the main Imperial army of near 100,000 troops arrived by land and sea, the tired and depleted samurai army was chased out of Kumamoto.  It is such a dramatic and epic story that they should make a movie about it.  Oh wait…  They did make a movie abut it. Its called The Last Samurai.

The Last Samurai.

Kumamoto Castle's main tower (called a "tenshu" in Japanese).

Kumamoto Castle's main tower (called a "tenshu" in Japanese).

The problem with The Last Samurai is that Kumamoto Castle is not part of the movie. In fact I am very disappointed to report that there is barely any part of “actual” Japan in the movie. Aside from a few temple stairs and garden shots, Japan has been relocated to Hollywood and New Zealand. So in the same way that The Wizard of Oz was not filmed in Oz, The Last Samurai was not filmed in Japan. Which disappoints me as much as it disappoints the people of Oz.

The most puzzling part of not filming on location is that, as opposed to Oz, there is already a place that looks like a Japanese countryside. Is called the “Japanese countryside”.  And there is already a castle built that looks like something out of a movie. It’s called Kumamoto Castle: A visually stunning cultural icon that literally bookends the Edo period that the Meiji restoration has ended.

But alas, I can’t harp too much about the producers of the movie. I always give Hollywood a little suspension of disbelief. Filming on location is difficult and costly. To their credit, the creators of the movie have said that they are not following the factual account of Saigo Takamori and his samurai army. The last Samurai is loosely based on the Satsuma Rebellion, and by loosely based, I mean no belt, pants down around your ankles loose.
I have a lot of respect for the Producers, Writers, and Set Designers of the Last Samurai. They were captivated and motivated by Japan’s history and culture in the same way that I was. That includes Tom Cruise, who was influenced by Japan in similar ways to the character he plays in the movie. So much so that he became a co-producer of the movie.

In the end The Last Samurai was not intended to show you the Japanese countryside, or Kumamoto Castle, or even how good-looking Tom Cruise is.  It was made to showcase the Japanese value system and how much it is different than our own. And in that light, it is an incredible movie.

Entrance ticket to Kumamoto Castle. (¥500 is about $6 US)

Entrance ticket to Kumamoto Castle. (¥500 is about $6 US)

Kumamoto Castle’s main tower, which was destroyed in the Satsuma Rebellion, was rebuilt in 1960. By the time of the Castle’s 400th anniversary in 2007, many of the renovations and restorations of the area buildings, gates and turrets had been completed.  Kumamoto Castle also houses an excellent museum with detailed information about its history. It also has a reconstruction of the Honmaru Goten Palace, the house of the Higo Prefecture daimyo during the Edo Period.
In the spring you are greeted by hundreds of pink cherry blossoms lining your path up to the main tower. At night it is illuminated to show its majestic stature as the guardian of the city. If you are in Kyushu, Kumamoto Castle is a must see attraction.

 

 

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Okinawa, A new direction in travel and tourism

Posted on February 22, 2012 by

Combining electric rental cars, dedicated tablet PC’s and a spring-training-baseball tour may not seem like much. But this is a game changer, excuse the pun.

This is the next step in travel tourism.

Camploo - okinawa! Campaign 2012 Website.

Camploo - okinawa! Campaign 2012 Website.

Imagine having all the current baseball team information and player stats available to you in a tablet computer that is also telling you how to get to the stadium and where to eat. Better yet, have it come with the electric car you just rented instead of the useless dated “area map” that rental car companies give you. Have the tablet give you constant information about the car you are driving using real-time telemetry. Then top it off with a few touchscreen games based on the area and teams you are there to see.

This is what NISSAN Motor company is doing this spring in Okiniwna Japan. It is called “Camploo – okinawa! Campaign 2012”

Some big Japanese companies have come together to make this happen. Organized by one of Japan’s biggest touring companies, JTB, The idea is to combine Okinawa’s eco-friendly electric cars with the Japanese spring baseball season. The Nissan LEAF, The Bandai Namco game company, and Family Mart are all in on the fun.

When you think about the possibilities of this form of tourism, it is pretty exciting. Why stop at spring training baseball. Why not have one for the Temples of Kyoto, or the restaurants of Paris, why not have that handheld electronic gizmo you get in a museum plug in to your electric car and start taking you around town.

Nissan News Releases – Jan-March 2012

 

 

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Featured Photo: Storm clouds near Kariya Japan

Posted on February 7, 2012 by

Storm clouds near Kariya Japan.

Featured Photo:  Dark storm clouds start rolling in over rice fields and power lines near Kariya. Aichi Japan.

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Koyasan’s Wood Covered Temple Stamp Book, Go shuin chou.

Posted on January 25, 2012 by
Koyasan Wakayama wood cover temple book goshuinchou

Koyasan in Wakayama offers a wood covered temple book (goshuinchou). Click the photo... you can smell the cedar wood if you get close enough to the screen.

 

I have great photos of the very rare wooden-covered Japanese goshuinchou (temple stamp book). Most large temples in Japan offer the Goshuinchou . But this one from Koyasan Wakayama offers the book made with a cedar wood cover from the surrounding Koya forest. The forest is part of the sacred Kii Mountain Range that is host to no less than 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Map of the Koyasan Wakayama Area

Map of the sprawling Koyasan temple area in Wakayama. (courtesy of the Koyasan Shingon buddhism website)

 

Koyasan_goshuinchou_temple_stamp

Koyasan goshuinchou temple stamp. This is the resulting art work done by the Monk you see in the picture below

Kōya-san (高野山) or Mt. Koya, is an area nestled between 8 Mountains near the border between Nara and Wakayama. It started as a temple in the year 826 and has evolved into a sprawling complex of more than 100 temples. It is the Headquarters of Shingon Buddhism.

Koyasan has 2 excellent websites. The Koyasan Tourist Association, and the Koyasan Shingon Buddhism site. both are packed with information on places to see and history. You can download a better version of the map above at the Koyasan Shingon site.

Shingon Buddhist Monk writing the temple name and date in calligraphy.

Shingon Buddhist Monk writing the temple name and date in calligraphy. This is the main temple in Koyasan Wakayama.

As I have said in previous posts, the go-shuin-chou stamp book is the best kept secret in Japan. I think it is an excellent and inexpensive souvenir you can bring back from your trip. The journal-like book is a collection of hand painted calligraphy from the temples that you visited, and dates that you were there. You simply hand your stamp book to the friendly monk at any temple in Japan. He then takes your book and paints a unique stamp and date in it. You donate a few bucks to the temple, and by the end of your trip you have this beautiful collection of Japanese calligraphy to take home with you.

I have found a few more comprehensive goshuinchou websites. This one by Waru Emon has a book cover for each temple he has been to.

I want to thank Carol for sending in these photos. It was her comments on the Japanese temple book post that started this whole info seeking journey.

 

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Nagoya Station JR Towers and Chicago’s Sears (Willis) Tower

Posted on January 3, 2012 by
Nagoya Station JR Towers and Chicago's Sears Tower

Nagoya JR Station Towers and Chicago's Sears Tower. (Photo JNTO/Wikipedia)

 

There are many parallels and similarities between these 2 buildings…  From a personal point of view, the most obvious one is me.

Chicago and Nagoya are my hometowns. For the longest time, they were the only two cites I have ever lived in. When I started living in Nagoya, it took me a while to understand why I felt so comfortable there. In Chicago, you wear the second city label like a badge of honor. No matter what influences come from the coasts, you know that deep down, you are the one holding them both up on your broad shoulders. There is a similar vibe that the Japanese have in Nagoya. I could not see it or understand it at the time. I only new that to feel at home in the face of such massive daily culture shock was a strange feeling.

Over time, the similarities between Chicago and Nagoya would slowly start to reveal themselves:

They are both centrally located working class cities. The locations of the two cities have allowed them at one time to claim these very prestigious rankings.

Chicago:

  • The busiest airport in the world.
  • The largest train yard in the world.
Chicago's Train Line with The Sears Tower to the left

Chicago's train yard with the Sears Tower looming on the left

Nagoya:

  • The largest train station in the world.
  • The largest and busiest port in Japan.
Nagoya Station Towers under construction as seen from the top of Nagoya Castle

Nagoya Station Towers under construction as seen from the top of Nagoya Castle

They are both cities that first-time tourist never quite make it to. This is due to more popular destinations within their respected countries.

They are both known as culinary capitals, becoming famous for some of their unique and original foods.

At the heart of each of these cites is a huge tower that has become a symbol of that particular city: Chicago’s Sears (Willis) Tower, and Nagoya’s JR Station Towers.

Nagoya Station Towers rising form the Shinkansen (bullet train) platform

Nagoya Station Towers rising form the Shinkansen (bullet train) platform

I have emotional ties to both buildings. I used to work at a travel store right across the street form the Sears (Willis) Tower and I would eat lunch in their basement cafeteria. In the summer I would sit on the patch of grass in front of 311 S Wacker Drive building and stare up at the tower in awe. It was the travel store that allowed me to read up on Japan and its culture. The irony being that one day I would be working my first job in Japan almost the same distance across from the Nagoya Station Towers, and eating lunch in its basement. I would stare in awe at the bullet trains quietly sliding in and out of the station platform.

On the list of the world’s largest buildings, Chicago’s Sears Tower is snuggled right between two Japanese buildings that I spend a lot of time in. Narita Airport, and yes. The Nagoya JR Station Towers.

Of all the buildings, in all the world, the two that mean so much to me are right next to each other on the list. I feel like it’s a relationship by fate.

The towers themselves have very impressive resumes:

The legendary Sears Tower dominating the world’s tallest building rank for almost 25 years, and still number one in the United States. The Sears Roebuck Co. was the largest retailer in the world when they built the largest building in the world. Another parallel with Nagoya station is that Richard Sears (company founder) was working for the Railroad when he started selling catalog items as a second job.

The Nagoya JR Station Towers are the world’s largest train station. Home to Japan Railway’s (JR) Central Headquarters. It is also a station for two other train companies, two subways, and and the Shinkansen (bullet train). The JR Towers host the tallest hotel in Japan, The Nagoya Marriott Associa Hotel. Where there are 759 rooms. yet none of those rooms are available below the 20th floor.

The rankings for tallest and largest buildings are changing as fast as I can type. Osaka is renovating their massive train station and Tokyo has debuted the Tokyo Sky Tree. The US has several proposed buildings in the New York area. Asia and the Middle East have gone bonkers with possible skyscraper ideas.

With all this exciting building going on I feel comfortable calling these two buildings my homes. I’m not sure if it’s the numerous similarities of the towers or that they each have had such an important impact on my life.

They are the symbols of huge cites that I never feel lost in. Nagoya and Chicago have made me who I am.

 

Photo Credit: Japan National Tourism Organization.

 

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