Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil

I’d heard stories about people been squashed onto Tokyo’s subways at peak hour by attendants with planks of wood. I didn’t see any. I got off at Asakusa and met my buddy Tim. We were headed north for the shrines of Nikko.

Nikkos’ history stretches back to the 8th century when the Buddhist Priest Shodo established a hermitage there. But it rose to its grandeur in the 17th century under Tokugawa Iemitsu who built the mausoleum in honour of Tokugawa Ieyasu, a war lord devoted to conquering all Japan. It evokes mixed opinions among Japanese. My impression was that it was of a style more Chinese than Japanese. This would be one reason why Japanese don’t identify their culture and history to the magnificent site.
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Imperial Palace, Tokyo

My Shinkansen hurtled silently towards the pulsing metropolis of Tokyo. I stepped off, admired the stealthy nose of the bullet train, and set off into the city. Only a stones throw away is the royal palace and vast gardens, which are largely off limits. I took the compulsory stroll around, able to glimpse only a corner of the palace itself, styled much like Japans many castles.

My buddy Tim who is now living in Tokyo was laid low by a dodgy fish curry the night before, so I had the day to myself. My self designed walking tour took me from the palace grounds, across the moat and to the national gallery. I’ve seen a little of Japanese art now and I am most impressed by both the power and subtleties some artists can express in a single brush stroke. The best lines seem so natural that they can bring to life a stem of bamboo, a flowers petal, or a swan’s neck so effortlessly.
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I was asleep. ‘Roger its an earthquake!’, Naomi said, shaking me awake. I lay on my back and felt the room rock me back and forth for a few moments. ‘That’s nice’, I said, and I let it gently rock me back to my dreams
It was a nice earthquake, an aftershock from one in Mie prefecture just south of Gifu that was 5.3 and caused no injuries.

Figure 1

A dodgy curry can give your butt a burning feeling next morning.But spare a thought for those Japanese who sat down on their throne with their daily Shinbun (newspaper) and found that their butt really was burning up! Click here

From the country that bought us electronics giants like Mitsubishi, Toshiba and Sony comes another household name, Toto. (Well, maybe only in Japanese households). On a freezing winter’s day there’s nothing quite like spending half an hour on a warm toilet seat. And I don’t mean warm from the flatmate before you. I’m talking electric.

Lets get ‘under the hood’. Click the image for the dirty low down on the Japanese loo. (figure 1). First thing that you’ll notice is there are more controls than an airline seat. Don’t fret, your seat is warm, take your time to play with ALL the buttons. For more of an eyeful check out Wikipedia

One last tip, don’t walk out forgetting those anime toilet slippers you put on!