An Architect in Japan

The Penultimate Post: Kyoto

2010-05-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

Writing this a couple of weeks after returning to Texas, but wanted to wrap it up. So here goes:

Friday dawned cool and drizzly in Osaka. It was our last day in the area, and Kathleen, Kasey and I decided we would like to spend it in Kyoto. Kathleen called her "host sister" Kyoko, who met us at our hotel.

We took the shuttle bus to Osaka station, and hopped on an express train to Kyoto. Our first destination was Fushimi-Inari Taisha, a major shrine to Inari, the god of rice, sake and prosperity. We hopped in a cab from Kyoto Station to make our way there.

The shrine is known for its 10,000+ torii (gates), donated by supporters of the shrine. The orange-lacquered torii wind their way up the mountain, attended by stone and bronze fox statues (foxes are considered to be the messengers of kami, or deities).

We didn't make it all the way to the top of the mountain, since we were running out of time and wanted to reach Ryoan-ji before it closed.

Ryoan-ji is perhaps the most famous Zen garden in the world. It consists of a white gravel field, in which are set fifteen rocks. The arrangement is intended to provide a setting for contemplative thought.

At any one time, only fourteen of the rocks can be seen from any vantage point. I was glad to have the opportunity to visit the garden, but was a bit surprised that it is smaller than I imagined. Quite beautiful though.

We left Ryoan-ji and took a cab to a bookstore Kasey wanted to see. Then we walked around a bit, and found a small restaurant. Once inside, we sat at the counter and waited for the rice to cook. The restaurant specialized in rice, and cooked each batch to order (which took about 30 minutes).

The food was good, and the restaurant had great atmosphere. We finally made it back to our hotel around 10pm and commenced packing for our early morning departure.

Post-trip Haiku #1:

rainy april day
warm inside, where steaming rice
veils the street beyond

Last Week in Osaka

2010-05-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we returned to Osaka from a brief "free" weekend in Nishinomiya at Okuda-san's house. I was picked up by Tomofuji-san, my new host. On the way back into Osaka, he explained that there would be a family dinner party at his house that night, and that his niece and her Australian husband would be there. Though I was tired, it was a very nice dinner, and I enjoyed meeting everyone. Seamus was on the Australian Olympic fencing team; his wife Maki speaks great English and they have a cute 2-year-old daughter, Ami-chan.

The next morning was the last vocational day. I met a large group of people at the "Dai Biru" (big building) in Nakanoshima, the central business district located between two rivers.

The Dai Biru is an impressive building of 35 stories, with over 80,000 square meters of floor area. It uses river water for heating and cooling, and has operable vents in the floor plates to allow fresh air into the building.

After a presentation we made our way to the helipad on the roof. No railing, just a metal grating at the perimeter and then a 400-foot drop to the street below!

After a nice lunch at an Italian restaurant in the building, we continued on to Nanba to view some show houses. In Japan, custom residential design is even less common than it is in the United States.

Typically, a family wanting to build a house will look through a home builder's catalog, pick a house, and it will be completed within four or five months. I was impressed with the show houses-- a lot of good design had gone into them, and there were some nice features. Many of them had green roofs and courtyard spaces, a nice luxury in such a densely populated country.

That evening we had "chorus practice"-- yes, you read that correctly. District Governor Otani had translated the words to a song he wanted everyone to sing at the farewell dinner, so we practiced it for an hour or so, then went next door to an Okinawan restaurant owned by one of the Rotary Club members. Amazing food, and a good time. Okinawa is sort of the Hawaii of Japan, a laid-back tropical island that embraces a slower pace of life.

Tuesday we had a lunch meeting at the largest Rotary Club in Osaka, where I sat across from Mr. Mizuno (president of... Mizuno). It was our last presentation and didn't go off as smoothly as we had hoped, but it was fine. That afternoon we visited Douguya-suji (kitchen town) for some souvenir shopping, and saw a really nice little temple in the middle of the city.

Here's an image of the moss-covered statue that people throw water onto as they make an offering. We walked around a bit more, then headed back to our host families.

The next day we had a demonstration of bunraku, the classical Japanese art of puppetry. It takes three puppeteers to operate each puppet-- the head puppeteer generally must work for 35 years to make it to that point.

The novice puppeteer operates only the feet, and apprentices for 10-20 years. While the puppeteers operate the puppets, the chanters and shamisen players narrate the story on an adjacent revolving platform.

Our lunch was a final kaiseki extravaganza, though it was increasingly hard for us to eat all of the fish put in front of us... especially when it was a lobster wagon.

After lunch we walked around the Tsutenkaku area, where "moxibustion" (a sort of flaming acupuncture) was on offer. I passed, not having any particular ailments that I felt warranted being set aflame...

That night was my last with the Tomofuji family, and we went out for some yakisoba and okonomiyaki. In the morning I said goodbye to Momo the poodle and headed to the Hyatt Regency to prepare for the farewell banquet. I joined Bryan, Kathleen and Kasey in the restaurant, where I had my first cheeseburger and fries in a month. My stomach was completely unprepared...

The banquet was a lot of fun, and we got to see all of the families and other people who were so hospitable during our stay. Unfortunately we had audio-visual difficulties and weren't able to play our slide show, but I think everyone enjoyed the speeches. Next stop... Tokyo (with a brief visit to Kyoto)!

Too much sake man

2010-04-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

On Thursday we met at Temmangu Shrine, commemorating Lord Michizane Sugahara, an ancient patriot. Shinto shrines can commemorate events, honor (enshrine) individuals, or pay respect to natural forces. It is not uncommon for the Japanese to practice both Shinto and Buddhism. As Ohno-san, one of our GSE advisors explained to me today, "Usually we have Shinto rites for birth, sometimes a Christian wedding, and Buddhist ceremonies at death."

Temmangu was built 1070 years ago, and is famous for the Tenjin Festival, one of the three largest annual festivals in Japan. The symbol of the shrine is the plum, seen in an icon on the glass in the adjacent photo. Plum carvings also decorate the rafters, and we received a gift of plum sake from Terai-san, the head priest (#3 priest in all of Japan).

We participated in an offering ceremony, then got to listen to the temple priests play gagaku. Gagaku (literally "elegant music") is Japanese classical music which was introduced from China around the 6th century, and consists of wind, string and percussion instruments. Makoto later told me that we know more about Japanese culture than he does now-- most Japanese never get to enter the temple interior where we were, or hear gagaku.

In the afternoon we visited the Sakai power plant of Kansai Electric Power Company.

Our hosts were very excited to see us, and gave us the best tour they could give. I left my camera on the bus though, so just got a few phone pics...

That night I joined Ohmichi-san and a few of his friends at an izakaya where we had "salt rock" beef and fish-- a flat salt rock was heated at the table, and we cooked the food on the spot. It was delicious, but I ate way too much and made the mistake of telling them "Nandemo ii desu" ("Anything is good") when they asked me what I could drink.

After way too much beer, cold sake, warm sake and whiskey, we went next door to a karaoke bar. I acquitted myself on the mike, but this is what the world looked like as I sang "Fly Me to the Moon"...

Needless to say, I was not feeling too well the next day. We had a nice visit to a Noh theater in the morning though. The theater is owned by Akihiro Yamamoto, and has been in the family for 80 years. Noh is a classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed for over 600 years. It is highly stylized, with costumes and masks playing a large part in telling the story. Male actors play both male and female roles.

Most of the masks are very subtly different-- the two in this photo depict a young girl on the right, and a woman in her 20s on the left. Michelle got to play dress-up and put on the whole ensemble, which took about ten minutes. Yamamoto-san invited us to a play on Saturday night, but we were scheduled to have a "free" weekend outside of town so we had to decline.

After a lunch meeting, the group split up-- Bryan, Kasey and Chris went on the scheduled boat cruise while Michelle, Kathleen and I opted for some rare free time. We were left at Osaka Station, which is literally the first time we have been left alone in public. After some brief confusion, we found our way to a coffee shop to relax...

The next day was my last day with the Ohmichi family. Ohmichi-san and I walked around the neighborhood for a while, and I suddenly realized we were less than a block from the Hamatani residence.

We walked down the street and saw Emiko-san out front-- she was surprised to see me, but it was great to chat briefly. We took the chin-chin densha to Sumiyoshi Shrine, then headed home to pick up Sachi-san and Makoto for lunch.

After a delicious bowl of tempura udon, the Ohmichis dropped me off at the hotel. From there it was onward to Okuda-san's house in Nishinomiya, Texas bar night with the Stampede band, and a bit of relaxation...

Haiku # 13

lotus flower floats

in a bowl of steaming broth

colored red with shrimp

Sharp swords and Mt. Koya-san

2010-04-20T06:42:00.000-07:00

Last week the group met with the Osaka Prefectural Governor's office, and also with Kunio Hiramatsu, Mayor of Osaka, who graciously spent about an hour with us in his office. One of his staff, Asuka Shinagawa, will be traveling to Austin in a few days on the opposite side of the Group Study Exchange-- hopefully we'll have a chance to meet up with her back home.

After a lunch meeting, we went to a dojo adjacent to Osaka Castle, where we were treated to an iai-do demonstration. Iai-do is the art of the "quick draw," though here it's a katana (sword) rather than a six-shooter. Iai is considered to be a defensive art, and is only employed when under attack. The samurai trained to parry a blow and counterattack while seated, standing or walking.

The counterattack involves an upward- or downward-sweeping motion (or a thrust of the sword if in close quarters) designed to cut through the shoulder and spine of the attacker. Upon completion of the lethal blow, the samurai would quickly draw the blade free in a sweeping motion to shake the blood off, before wiping the sword and returning it to the sheath.

We were able to examine and handle two katana and a tantou (short sword). The tantou was typically worn by the samurai for two reasons only: for pride (decoration), and to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) upon failure.

Seppuku involved self-disembowelment, with a fellow samurai completing the act by beheading the disgraced samurai. The swords were amazing-- one katana was 400 years old and had been used numerous times in battle, as evidenced by some minor marks and the thinness of the blade from reworking it.

The next day was a vocational day. Kasey, Bryan and I were taken to see the Umeda Sky Building, a "super high-rise" that is formed by two connected skyscrapers with a "floating garden observatory" at the intersection 173 meters above the ground. During construction, the sky garden was lifted up in between the two skyscrapers at a rate of 35cm per minute, reaching the top in around 7 hours.

I took a photo of Bryan and Kasey on their prom date...

In the afternoon, we took a long bus ride to Mt. Koyasan, the site of the Okunoin temple, where Kobo Daishi (the founder of the Shingon Buddhist sect) is enshrined. Okunoin is surrounded by Japan's largest graveyards, and is considered one of the most sacred sites in Japan. Unfortunately, the bus ride was so long that we didn't have much time to visit the temple.

The walk to the temple is lined with the grave markers of feudal lords, politicians, and corporate commemorative headstones (?!).

That evening I went to an izakaya with Ohmichi-san and Makoto to drink and dine with Ohmichi-san's office staff. Izakaya are small Japanese bars, usually with room for no more than a dozen or so customers. Cooking is generally done right behind the bar; the food is typically relatively inexpensive. Izakaya are great neighborhood spots, and a lot of fun. Makoto taught me some good Osaka-ben (Osaka dialect) and my exclamation of "Umai wa kore, yamerarehen!" got some good laughs.

We mostly ate yakitori (grilled chicken on skewers) but most of it was parts that Americans wouldn't recognize: skin, gizzards, and other "expensive parts" (as Makoto put it). A lot of fun...

Haiku #12

geta on white stone

clip-clop sound of walking monk

swish of saffron robes

Hiroshima and Miyajima

2010-04-17T22:48:00.000-07:00

On an appropriately gloomy and rainy day, we traveled to Hiroshima to visit the A-bomb memorial museum. The first part of the museum is heavy on facts and information about Hiroshima prior to the dropping of the bomb.

The second part of the museum has photos, clothing remnants, and other graphic displays that really convey the horror of what happened. The tricycle in the photo belonged to a three-year old boy, who was riding it in his backyard less than 500 meters from ground zero. He died the next day, and his father buried him with the tricycle in the back yard so that he would be able to ride it in heaven. One of the saddest things I've seen in a long time.

The Hiroshima Dome building in the city center remains as a symbol of the pain and suffering that the people of Hiroshima endured.

From Hiroshima we traveled by train and ferry to the island of Miyajima. Known as the "Island of God," Miyajima is home to a beautiful Shinto shrine on the water, Itsukushima, which was built in 593 (like most Japanese shrines, it has been rebuilt several times). It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

We had a relaxing evening in a seaside hotel with kaiseki, beer, sake and our first karaoke. Hopefully those videos don't get posted to YouTube...

We returned to Osaka on Monday, and I was picked up by Ohmichi-san, my host for the week. After a brief visit to his office (he has a 6-person architecture firm) to pick up his son Makoto, we went to his fitness club.

Wow, do I wish I had photos of that. Since I don't, I'll just drop some random photos in and describe the experience. The fitness club is in a fancy hotel (I don't remember which one) and we parked in the basement. I asked Ohmichi-san if I should get my running shoes out of my bag, and he said "No, rental."

So we got to the front desk, checked in, and were each issued a matching two-tone lavender-on-periwinkle outfit of acrylic shirt and shorts, along with a pair of light yellow socks. Oh, and a speedo to put on underneath. Placed shoes in a shoe locker, then proceeded to the locker room to gear up. Walked down into the fitness area, where I was handed a pair of running shoes.

There were three treadmills, three stair climbers, a handful of weight machines and two vibrating belt machines. A small rack of chrome-plated dumbbells that topped out at 10 kilos. A raft of pink exercise mats in the center of the room, where a uniform-clad trainer led group stretches. After a 25-minute treadmill run, I followed Ohmichi-san to our next station, the sauna.

I could only take about ten minutes of it, then entered the main bath area. Short plastic stools in front of low mirrors with hand showers to rinse off, then one can enter the hot bath. After the bath, on to the "hair combing room"-- two long counters with chairs and sterilized combs, razors, and various hair tonics.

Then into the lounge area, for a choice of coffee, beer, milk, water, or soda. Smoking section or non-smoking section, or one can recline in a lounger equipped with a television. Then completed the circuit to the locker room to get dressed, retrieved shoes from shoe locker, and the experience was complete.

Haiku #11

sake sushi beer
karaoke bar next door
fly me to the moon

Himeji Castle and Engyoji Temple

2010-04-14T02:56:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning we left Osaka for Himeji, Himeji Castle is located in Hyogo Prefecture. It is a hilltop castle, perhaps the most famous in all of Japan, and is also known as Hakurojou or "White Heron Castle" due to its white stuccoed exterior.

The day we visited was Himeji Castle's last day to be open before extensive repairs; it coincided with the last weekend of sakura, so it was very crowded. Chris and Bryan opted to wait in line to see the castle proper; Kathleen, Michelle, Kasey and I decided we would have a hanami on the castle grounds.

We purchased some beer and some kasutera (little cakes) and relaxed in the sun for a while.

We left late afternoon for Engyoji Temple, a Buddhist complex located on a mountaintop. Engyoji was founded around 1000 years ago on Hakusan, a part of Mount Shosha. Word soon spread that anyone who climbed the mountain would be purified in both body and spirit.

Even today, people from all over Japan make pilgrimages to the mountain and Engyoji, and its buildings and seven of its Buddha statues have been designated "Important Cultural Properties."

We were fortunate to be able to spend the night at the temple dormitory. Bryan, Chris and I shared a room with Sato-san, a dentist who will be travelling to Austin at the end of the month as part of the Rotary District exchange.

We were given yukata (Japanese cotton robes) to wear after the ofuro (bath), and relaxed on the tatami mats in our room with some shochu (grain alcohol) which I had received as a gift at another Buddhist temple.

We awoke early and walked through the forest to the kongodo, one of the temples on the grounds. There we observed a Buddhist monk reciting sutra and mantra prior to meditation practice.

Afterward we walked up a hill to the jogyodo, the training hall. It sits directly across from the daikodo, or great auditorium, and adjacent to the jikido, which serves as dining hall and living quarters for the monks. This part of the complex was featured in scenes from "The Last Samurai."

At the jogyodo, we were instructed in meditational practice. The monk who led us kept with him a wooden stick, which he used as requested during the meditation-- if anyone felt their concentration wavering, they could hold their hands together in front of them, at which point the monk would come over and whack them three times on each side of their back. I took advantage of this when I started to fall asleep, and was immediately awake again! The twenty minutes we spent in meditation felt like a long time, but was probably just right for novices...

Tadao Ando and Firefly Squid

2010-04-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

I returned to the Minagawa home on Thursday night to find a Rotary party starting. Since our group didn't make a formal presentation to Jun-san's club, I was the guest of honor and made my presentation in Japanese. Though I was tired, it was a nice party and I enjoyed meeting everyone-- Jun-san explained to me that "house parties" are quite rare in Japan, and this was the first at his house in around ten years.

The next day was another "vocational day," and Kasey and I started out with a tour of a building under construction in downtown Osaka. We donned white hardhats and white gloves, and took the job elevator to the rooftop. Great views of Osaka from the roof and elevator, but we had to watch our step! The exterior of the building is clad in autoclaved lightweight concrete panels, which are attached to the concrete building frame using metal clips.

The owner of the construction company, Kenro Kakeya, is a really interesting guy. He attended Tokyo University, and lived in Washington D.C. for 6 years as editor of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. He returned to Japan and gave up his journalism career to take over his father's company. I've found this to be a frequently occurring phenomenon in Japan, with multi-generational family businesses. My first host father, Hamatani-san, is the fourth generation to run his family company. My current host, Ohmichi-san is an architect, and his son Makoto just started working at the architecture firm.

On our way to lunch, we stopped at another building under construction, this one designed by Tadao Ando. Kakeya-san's company did the concrete work (which is a lot of work on an Ando building!). He told me that it was a demanding job, and Ando specified that all formwork be new. Kakeya-san was justifiably proud of his company's work, but explained that it was not a very profitable job for them, nor for the general contractor, but that it was a "desirable" job due to the association with Ando.

After a nice lunch we drove to the hills of Oyamazaki outside of Osaka, to visit the Oyamazaki Villa Museum (owned by Asahi Beer!). The museum is the former home of an Anglophile named Kaga Shotaro, a Kansai businessman. The house was built in the early 1930s in what might be described as a "Japanese Tudor" style. It was later purchased by Asahi, and now functions as a showplace for folk crafts.

In 1995 a new hall was designed by Tadao Ando. The hall serves as a modern foil to the original building, acting as a link to the exterior-- from the museum approach, it appears as a concrete frame with large sheets of glass that allow views through it to the garden beyond. A cylindrical room known as the "Sunken Jewel Box" sits below grade, and in it are displayed Impressionist paintings by Monet.

Next we visited Bentenshu Meioji Temple, operated by Jisho Omori, another of our hosts that day. It is a beautiful temple of folded concrete, with luminous blue-green tiles covering its exterior surface.

The temple is surrounded by a pond, on the surface of which sakura petals had collected.

Our final stop was in Ibaraki, another pretty hill town outside of Osaka. Here we saw one of Ando's most famous buildings, and the first Ando project that I learned of in architecture school.

The Church of the Light is a concrete box with a cross incised on the wall behind the altar-- this cross of transparent glass illuminates the chapel. We weren't able to get inside, but I pressed my camera up against a narrow window to get a photo of the interior.

It was a busy but great day, and I ended it with a final dinner with Jun-san and Masako-san. We had a lot of good food, some beer, wine and plum sake. There were three little raw squid on a plate that I was a bit afraid to eat. When Masako-san told me what they were called, I knew I had to try them. Hotaru-ika, or "firefly squid" are caught only in springtime, and only in Toyama prefecture.

Their name derives from the method used to catch them-- fishermen set out lanterns at night, and the small squid are drawn to the light and caught in nets. No more than 2-3 inches long, they are considered a springtime delicacy. I learned the hard way you are meant to remove the eyes (hard as bb's) before eating them. Masako-san explained that in Japan, there are very specific foods to eat for each season. For instance, many of the foods I have eaten on this trip reference the sakura, an indication of springtime. She also mentioned the New Year's tradition of eating kuromame, or black beans. When I stayed with the Hamatani family, I saw an old recording of Doi Masaru (Emiko-san's chef father) preparing this dish. The color of the beans references a worker in the fields, whose skin turns dark under the sun-- thus they are a portent of hard work and prosperity. Doi Masaru's recipe called for dropping a couple of rusty nails into the bean pot, which was to be heated at a simmer for 8 hours. The rusty nails turn the beans to a deep, inky black.

The dinner was an enjoyable end to my stay with the Minagawa family, shown here in front of their house with their friend Mrs. Shoji and her grandson. Shoji-san (who treated me to the baseball game earlier in the week) took the picture, then he and his wife and grandson drove me to the train station and waited with me for 45 minutes. Hard to describe the hospitality I have been shown here in Osaka...

Haiku #10

think i'll close my eyes
just for a minute or two
and dream of my home

Asahi Brewery

2010-04-12T07:24:00.000-07:00

On Thursday we had a morning tour of the Asahi Brewery. Asahi was founded in 1889, and currently has a 40% share of the Japanese beer market. Our tour started with a brief introduction and a short film which described Asahi's quality control measures.

They have beer tasters who will taste each batch at the end of the day-- there are about 40 of these tasters, and only about 6 will work on any given day (they have other duties at the facility), consuming an average of 2 beers before leaving for home. I was assured that they all either walk, bike or ride the subway home. My favorite line from the film: "Beer is a gift from nature.""

After the film we walked through a display of hops then saw a demonstration of the brewing process, concluding at the canning/bottling/packaging area. Prior to bottling, the beer is kept in giant beer silos (I'm sure there's another name for them) that are 7 meters in diameter, 23 meters high, and hold 500 kiloliters. The bottling and canning operation was impressive: over 600 bottles per minute are filled; cans can be filled and topped at a rate of 1500 cans per minute.

After the tour, we got treated to a beer trolley and cold cuts in the executive dining room. Nothing like a couple of pints before 11am!

Lunch was "Nouvelle Chinoise" at a fancy restaurant owned by a Rotarian. Ostrich meat, tasty! Then a 2-minute stroll through a private sculpture museum adjacent to the restaurant-- some great Nakashima furniture, and sculptures by Zadkine, Rodin, Giacometti and some others.

We continued on to Arima Onsen Resort but we were late, so we didn't get to try the hot springs. Instead we sat through the last half of an incense guessing game and a long explanation of it. I was very relieved to have a 20-minute break to relax outside.

Dinner was great, a multi-course kaiseki dinner with the Ibaraki East Rotary Club. I couldn't keep up with all the dishes, they just kept coming (along with sake and beer). I told one of the servers that Kathleen doesn't eat meat, so they brought her this giant sea creature, still alive. It moved a bit when it was touched. Kathleen wasn't inclined to eat it, and really felt bad after the server put it in the hot pot and cooked it alive!

We sat with a fun group though, especially the guy next to us who had a little rubber stamp with his face on it. He wrote our names out in kanji: Kathleen's name means "arrow frost nowhere bush birdhouse" and mine means "temple picture stone red dance stay."

Haiku #9

i've had too much, but...
beer is a gift from nature
rude not to accept

Kyoto

2010-04-10T06:22:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday we visited Kyoto, which was the capital of Japan for nearly 1,100 years, from 794 until 1868. With a population of 1.5 million people, Kyoto is Japan's 5th largest city.

Most people make the visit to see the numerous shrines and temples that dot the city. Kyoto is situated in a sloping basin between two rivers (the Katsura and the Kamo), surrounded by a horseshoe of mountains.

Our visit was to Ten-Ryu-Ji, a Zen Buddhist temple located in the Arashiyama district. The buildings were quite beautiful, but it was the gardens that were most enjoyable.

For lunch we joined the Arashiyama Benkau Rotary Club for a lunch of kaiseki (traditional Japanese food served in multiple courses). It was an amazing lunch, and everyone left in a good mood after generous quantities of warm sake, cold sake, and beer.

The last stop of the day was at To-Ei Uzu-masa "movie town," a film and television set (and tourist destination) populated with ersatz buildings, ninjas and samurai.

I was hassled by a ninja and took him out with a roundhouse kick.

His samurai friends tried to come to his rescue, but I dispatched them with a lethal combination of "duck mouth karate."

Haiku #9

ninja cannot win

roundhouse kick to abdomen

duck mouth style is best

2010-04-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning was a vocational day. Breakfast consisted of cold cuts, lettuce slaw with mayonnaise, a large piece of toast, yogurt, orange slices, hot corn chowder in a mug, juice and coffee. My guides that day were Julie (aka Akiko, translator) and Gojo-san (dentist). Within the first 5 minutes it came to light that Gojo-san is a personal friend of Tadao Ando. He said he would have been happy to set up a meeting, but Ando is currently out of the country.

Our schedule was to include a morning visit to Osaka Castle, followed by a trip to Tennoji Shrine. Gojo-san suggested that we might be able to go see some of Ando’s architecture, except that the shrine was on our schedule. I told him we have already seen many shrines, and asked if we could go to Kobe instead. This normally is the kind of impromptu request that would fluster a Japanese host with schedule in hand, but Gojo-san and Julie thought it sounded like fun and quickly agreed. We met Kasey at Osaka Castle (she concurred with the deviation from our itinerary) and took a quick tour.

I tried a samurai helmet on for fun. Beware the duckmouth shogun...

We walked back through the park to the car, passing numerous groups enjoying hanami .

Our next destination was a kushi katsu restaurant—we ordered two big plates of tonkatsu (fried breaded pork), and two servings of shabu shabu (thin sliced beef cooked at the table). Several beers later, we were ready to proceed to Kobe.

Our first stop was at a residential project designed by Ando. It is now an antique shop, and though it was closed we were able to finagle a tour (it helped that Gojo-san bought an antique to take home). It was an interesting juxtaposition, seeing Ando’s stark architecture filled with quite traditional furniture.

Next we went to the Hyogo Prefecture Museum. It was designed by Ando after the Kobe earthquake to help revitalize the area (Ando worked pro bono). The museum’s exterior is clad in panels that at first glance look like concrete, but are actually galvanized steel.

On our way back into Osaka, Gojo-san dropped me off at Koshien Stadium to meet Shoji-san, who had invited me to the Hanshin Tigers opening home game. He produced a yellow Tigers jersey and hat for me to wear, and we entered the stadium. I sat next to Shoji-san senior, who has season tickets.

Shoji-san junior bought me some tako yaki and yakitori (grilled octopus and chicken), while Shoji-san senior ordered beers from a mini-keg toting pink-clad Asahi beer girl, and we toasted the start of the season. At first I thought the beer girls were kind of cute, but they walked in front of me every 5 minutes, which increased to literally every minute during the last two innings.

It was a great game, and a very interesting cultural experience. The fans in the bleachers are incredibly loud, and don’t stop yelling/cheering in unison the entire game. The Japanese version of the seventh inning stretch involves letting fly with tens of thousands of screaming balloons—quite a sight (and sound). I actually took a video of the game-winning home run on my Japanese rental phone. The video quality is pretty lousy, but it gives a good idea of the atmosphere (can't figure out how to post it though).

An excellent day all-around…

Haiku #8

seventh inning stretch

balloons stream into the night

baseball in japan

2010-04-07T07:32:00.000-07:00

On Monday we went to the Japan World Expo Park, which was created for the 1970 World Expo. The centerpiece of the park is Taiyo no To or "The Tower of the Sun,"a large statue by Taro Okamoto. The tower is 70 meters in height; its diameter is 20 meters and the base; its wingspan is 25 meters.

The tower has three faces: two in front and one in back. The golden disk face at the top of the statue, 11 meters in diameter, represents the future.

The face between the two arms represents the present, and a black face on the rear of the tower is the sun of the past. The jagged red markings on the front of the tower represent lightning.

After walking around the tower we visited the National Folk Museum, which had some interesting exhibits. I was most interested in the masks. Here are a few that I photographed...

After lunch we went to the Instant Noodle Museum commemorating the invention of the Cup 'O Noodle. It was a fascinating way to spend fifteen minutes. We were each given approximately 30 seconds to decorate our own cup and design our own flavors. Kasey's expression captures the excitement...

Noodle cups designed, it was off to visit Kyu-An-Ji Temple. A beautiful place, and we were guided by Hakubun-sensei, the head priest.

Haiku #7

on a verdant pond

petals fall like lucky coins

sinking slowly down

Walking Around

2010-04-06T07:10:00.000-07:00

tired tonight... here's some stuff to look at.

These plastic water bottles are supposed to keep cats away.

Tadao Ando and baseball to come soon...

2010-04-05T07:44:00.000-07:00

Sunday was my last day with the Hamatani family. I had a bit of free time before lunch and decided to go for a stroll. The park was in full hanami swing, with hundreds of families in the park to grill, picnic and look at the cherry blossoms.

Beautiful spring weather! There was a group of older ladies practicing hula, other groups doing tai chi, kids playing soccer... I decided I would have my own little hanami, so I stopped by 7-11 to get a snack.

I wasn't in the mood to get Crunky...

And Cream Collon didn't seem quite right...

So I opted for a taste of my youth, with Aquarius and Baby Ramen. Good choice!

After my hanami, I headed back to the Hamatani house for lunch before leaving for my next host family's house. I spent a few nice minutes with Hamatani-san in his rooftop garden. He now has a "Texas section" where he planted the bluebonnet seeds I brought!

We arrived at the Minagawa home mid-afternoon, and after I settled into my room, Jun-san took me for a walk in Mino City Park.

I was expecting an urban park, but it was a 3-km forested mountain trail that ended at a waterfall. On the way up, we passed a shrine dedicated to a samurai warrior. There was a small statue with the characters "Ishi no ue ni mo san nen" inscribed on a rock. I started laughing when Jun-san read the kanji to me-- it's what my old boss at Mitsubishi told me when I explained that I was hoping for more of a challenge in my job. The literal translation is "three years on a rock," a suggestion that patience is rewarded. I left Mitsubishi after three years...

Anyway, the mountain stroll was quite peaceful until... MONKEY ATTACK! At dusk, groups of wild monkeys wreak havoc on weekend strollers, molesting them for scraps of food. The family right in front of us had their bag snatched from their hands and watched helplessly as the monkeys tore it to shreds...

Fortunately the park rangers showed up to kick some ass, in their little truck going 7mph, playing "Pachelbel's Canon" to scare the monkeys away...

Haiku #6?

maple leafs shimmer
springtime mist from waterfall
monkeys stole my lunch

Free Day with the Hamatani Family

2010-04-04T06:37:00.001-07:00

Saturday was a “free day” with my host family. We took a nice walk through the park near the house, where the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Then Hamatani-san and Emiko-san took me to see Sumiyoshi Shrine, a beautiful shrine in Osaka where they were married.

Sumiyoshi Shrine was founded in the 4^th century and enshrines the guardian gods of seafarers. Its bridge is a well-known symbol of the city of Osaka.

The roofs of the shrine offer good examples of chigi and katsuogi; chigi are the decorative “crossed swords” at the ridgeline, while katsuogi are the log-like elements laid perpendicularly across the ridge (originally intended to hold down thatched roofs).

After visiting the shrine, we took the chin-chin densha (vernacular term for the cable car) to a cafe that Emiko-san likes called Maronnier, located in an old Japanese house. Tasty lunch of bacon and omelette sandwich. Our next stop was "Den Den Town," Osaka's electronics hub. It was quite a contrast with the peace and quiet of the shrine, and we walked quickly through to our main destination, Doguya-suji, the place to go to buy all things kitchen-related.

I really like the form and heft of the takoyaki griddle for cooking octopus balls (an Osaka favorite and no, it’s not what it sounds like) but it would definitely weigh down my luggage.

Another store sold an incredible variety of knives, many for very specific purposes (like deboning a particular river fish that is typically caught in the summer). Beautiful implements, but I think I could only afford a vegetable paring knife…

After a stroll through Doguya-suji, we headed to Takeshimaya department store to buy a few groceries. I had promised Hamatani-san and Emiko-san that I would cook dinner, and wanted to find the ingredients for “southwest chicken stew.” Only later did Emiko-san casually mention that both of her parents had been professional chefs and written cookbooks—her dad, Doi Masaru, was basically the Julia Child of Japan, the first and best-known TV chef here. Her younger brother is also a chef, with his own TV show.

Fortunately the meal went over well, with my host family going back for seconds. A very enjoyable last evening with the Hamatani family, though unfortunately Nobuko-san (Hamatani-san's mother) and Toshiki-san (15-year-old son) weren't able to join us. Nobuko-san tried some leftover stew for breakfast though!

Vocational Day, April 2

2010-04-04T05:30:00.000-07:00

Friday was “Vocational Day.” I was picked up in the morning and traveled by car to Shijonawate, a small town outside of Osaka. It was a very full day, with visits to a cultural museum, an old Japanese farmhouse, a Buddhist temple, a resort (for lunch and a tour), a shrine, an apartment complex, a high school and Mr. Yamaguchi’s 240-year-old house. Here are a few pictures…

A terrace outside the main theater at "I and I Land" Resort...

a snack at Daikokuten Temple...

dragon statue at a Shinto shrine dedicated to a 24-year-old samurai...

Shijonawate High School is a public school with approximately 360 students. It is one of the most prestigious high schools in the Osaka area, and is very difficult to get into. The principal, Ikeda-sensei, gave us a one hour tour of the facilities. The school has been dedicated a National Treasure, and would put most American high schools to shame. Students (and faculty) must remove their shoes at the entry and place them in a locker; slippers are worn inside the school (hence the beautiful wood floors). No gum under the desks here...

There is a swimming pool on the roof of the school, with a view of the mountains. I told Ikeda-sensei I would like to send my sons here. He said he would be happy to receive them as exchange students. Corbin and Beckett, you have 6 years to get your Japanese up to speed!

the view from the "bedroom" of the studio apartment I visited...

The day concluded with tea at Mr. Yamaguchi's house. Here's a view of the interior garden...

Action Figures

2010-04-03T08:43:00.000-07:00

We visited the Higashi-Osaka "Creation Core," a regional business center that showcases local business products. I met this guy in the lobby... he looks so much bigger on screen!

The center was quite impressive and there were a lot of interesting products, but this one caught my eye for some reason...

Hiraoka Shrine

2010-04-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

On Thursday we visited Hiraoka Shrine, in Higashi-Osaka City just outside of Osaka. Hiraoka is a Shinto shrine dating back to 3 B.C., though the shrine buildings themselves have been rebuilt numerous times.

Shinto is Japan's native religion. The earliest Japanese writings about Shinto do not refer to a unified "Shinto religion", but rather to practices associated with harvests and other seasonal events. Shinto is characterized by the worship of nature, ancestors, polytheism and animism. It is a religion in which actions and ritual, rather than words, are of the utmost importance.

A Shinto Shrine is typically built to house a kami, or spirit. Ritual purity plays an important role in the practice of Shinto; the first ritual enacted in visiting a shrine is the passage through the torii, or gate which marks the division between the spiritual and the material world.

We were able to participate in a blessing during our visit to Hiraoka Shrine. The ritual involved the playing of a flute by the priest and a dance by one of the shrine attendants; we each approached a small altar, where we placed a branch, clapped twice, briefly bowed our heads, and clapped once more. The ceremony concluded with a ritual sip of sake. Unlike many monotheistic religious practices, Shinto typically does not require professing faith to be a believer or a practitioner.

At most shrines it is also possible to purchase a fortune. My fortune indicated good luck (although the way the translator said it, it was more like "ok luck). Kasey's fortune was "big luck" so she kept it; I tied mine onto the lines outside the main hall, following tradition.

Haiku #5

water tastes so sweet

from bamboo dippers resting

on moss covered stone

Nara

2010-04-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

Two days ago we visited the ancient city of Nara, a repository of Japanese culture that was established in 710. As the last stop on the Silk Road, Nara absorbed Chinese art, religion and architecture, fusing it with native Shinto tradition. Nara was the capital of Japan from 710-794 (when the capital was moved to Kyoto); in 1998 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Todai-ji is the most important temple in Nara. It was founded in 743 by Emperor Shomu as the seat of authority for Buddhist Japan.

The Daibutsu-den, or Hall of the Great Buddha, is said to be the largest wooden structure in the world.

The Todai-ji complex has been rebuilt several times, due to damage by earthquake and fire. The current incarnation was constructed in 1709.

Nara is also famous for its deer. Legend states that Takenomikazuchi-no-mikoto, one of the five gods of Kasuga Shrine, landed atop Mt. Mikasa riding a white deer. The deer of Nara are thus regarded as sacred messengers and have been designated National Treasures. Treasured they may be, but they are quite aggressive in their quest for snacks, and numerous warnings are posted in the temple complex.

After Todai-ji, we visited the less-touristed and more intimate temple complex of Tosho-dai-ji. The temple was built in 751 for a Chinese priest named Ganjin, who was invited by Emperor Shomu to give formal instruction to Japanese Buddhist monks.

Despite numerous travails, Ganjin finally made it to Japan and shared his knowledge of Buddhism with his Japanese hosts over the course of many years. He is also remembered for bringing the first sampling of sugar to Japan.

The Golden Hall, also known as the Kondo, has a single story, hipped tiled roof with a seven bay wide facade. It is considered the archetype of "classical style," and borrows many elements of Chinese architecture. Large wooden columns serve as the load-bearing and stabilizing element of the structure. Each column sits atop a single large stone, anchoring the building. The walls, floors, and complex bracketed roof structure are then built around these columns.

The ceramic tile roofs at Tosho-dai-ji exemplify the Buddhist belief that temple roofs should be curved, in order to help ward off evil spirits. The ridge lines (both the main ridge and ancillary ridges) arc downward, avoiding any semblance of a straight line.

Special pendant tiles called nokimarugawara decorate the eaves, and feature a circular disk attached to a half-round tile. The disk, or gatou, serves a practical purpose in closing off the end of the last tile, but also features a decorative image thought to act as a protective charm. The corner tiles also feature an onigawara, or ogre that gives additional protection from evil

The image at left shows the temple complex storehouse, where canonical texts were stored and protected from the elements. Elevated above the ground on piers, it is constructed like a log cabin, with triangular logs stacked horizontally to form its walls. In wet weather, the logs would swell and seal any gaps, preventing water from entering. In dry weather they would contract, allowing air to ventilate the building.

Haiku #4

across an old wall

tiles chatter like loose teeth

smiling in the wind

Tea Ceremony - Urasenke

2010-03-31T07:40:00.000-07:00

The Way of Tea concerns the creation of the proper setting for the moment of enjoyment of a perfect bowl of tea. Everything that goes into the serving of tea, even the quality of the air and the space where it is served, becomes a part of its flavor. The perfect tea must therefore capture the 'flavor' of the moment -- the spirit of the season, of the occasion, of the time and the place.

The tea ceremony which we attended had the theme of sakura, or cherry blossom (the cherry blossoms are nearing full bloom in Osaka). We began with a supplication before the tokonoma, an alcove that displays a scroll and a budding cherry tree branch in a vase.

Next we were served a small sweet cake flavored and colored with cherry blossoms.

The tea was prepared from matcha, or powdered tea leaves. A small amount of matcha was placed into each individual tea bowl, using a bamboo scoop called a chashaku, then hot water was added and the mixture was whisked using a bamboo whisk known as a chasen.

A tea bowl was placed in front of each of us. After bowing to the bowls, we picked them up and turned them in our hands two times. The tea was consumed in three-and-a-half sips.

In its association with Zen, tea goes beyond entertainment, medicinal value, or temple ceremony; the preparation and drinking of tea can be an expression of the Zen belief that every act of daily life can potentially lead to enlightenment. This belief manifests itself in an aesthetic which seeks beauty in the imperfect and in the simple objects of everyday life.

Haiku #3

sakura float down

stillness in a city park

pink and ashen grey

Duck Mouth

2010-03-30T03:00:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post...

The TV was on during breakfast with my host family this morning (grilled ham/cheese/egg/cucumber, peanut butter sandwich quartered, coffee, blueberry yogurt) and a talk show was reviewing a phenomenon called ahiru guchi, or "duck mouth." This is a current fad in Japan where younger people (mainly women but sometimes men) purse their lips a bit for photos to approximate a "duck mouth" look. Apparently this is attractive to someone...

(here's a link if you would like more information on how to bring "duck mouth" to your neighborhood: http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo/none/quacking-current-craze-duck-mouth-japan-093969)

Haiku #2

2010-03-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

if i were the rain
i know which path i would choose
to reach dirty streets

S U M O !

2010-03-29T07:22:00.000-07:00

The first sumo matches were a form of ritual dedicated to the gods, with prayers for a bountiful harvest. They were performed together with sacred dancing and dramas within the precinct walls of shrines. Under the peaceful reign of the Tokugawa Shogunate, which began in 1603, sumo transformed into entertainment for the rapidly expanding plebian class and became the national sport of Japan.

The sumo ring is called the dohyo, and takes its name from the buried straw rice bags which mark its circumference. The raised dohyo area is 18 feet square, with the dohyo itself a bit over 15 feet in diameter. The hard clay surface is 2 feet high, and is covered with a thin layer of sand. Over the dohyo, suspended by cables from the ceiling, is a roof resembling a Shinto shrine, with four giant tassels hanging from the corners (symbolizing the seasons of the year and the ritual importance of the sumo match).

A bout is won by forcing the opponent out of the inner ring or throwing him in the dohyo. The rikishi (or sumo wrestler) who touches the ground with any part of his body other than his feet, loses the match. If any part of his body touches down outside the dohyo, he loses the match. There are no weight limits or classes in sumo, so it is not uncommon for a rikishi to face an opponent who outweighs him by as much as 200 pounds.

We were lucky enough to see the last day of the spring sumo tournament in Osaka (there are only six tournaments per year, and only one in Osaka). I ran into a former rikishi (now a manager) outside the main hall, and thought I could take him... I was wrong.

Unfortunately we weren't able to see the final match since we had to leave, but we definitely saw some amazing wrestling.

Tommy Lee Jones and Electric Toilets

2010-03-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

If it's true that Japan is where American celebrity comes to die (Bill Murray in Lost in Translation), then I'm worried for Tommy Lee Jones. But I also saw Leonardo DiCaprio's face on an ad, so who knows...

Vending machines are ubiquitous in Japan, and one can find machines vending 10+ types of coffee... hot with milk, cold with sugar, etc. I haven't had the free time yet to partake but hope to before long. When I do, I'm definitely going with the Boss...

The next image is the inspiration for Haiku #1:

crazy japanese
toilet with a microchip
which button to push?

Actually, the graphics make the operation pretty clear. The stop button is very important...

Welcome to Osaka!

2010-03-27T21:05:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Osaka at around 3:45 pm, after a 12-hour flight from San Francisco. This will be a quick blog entry, off to see the sumo championship match in a few minutes.

Here's the night view out my hotel room window. The next picture is a view of our hotel from a little shrine down the street.

Haiku to come later...

Ando: A Japanese Architect

2010-03-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

Tadao Ando is one of Japan's best-known architects, and a native son of Osaka. Ando's work is executed primarily in concrete, enlivened by a deep understanding of how light plays within a building. In Ando's words: "Light gives objects existence as objects and connects space and form. A beam of light isolated within architectural space lingers on the surfaces of objects and evokes shadows from the background. As light varies in intensity with the shifting of time and changes of season, the appearances of objects are altered..."

Ando received the Pritzker Prize (architecture's version of the Nobel) in 1995. Among his recent projects is the Museum of Modern Art in Fort Worth, Texas. Some of Ando's most successful projects have been religious buildings, figural "vessels for light" designed with a purity of form that alludes to their spiritual significance.

Osaka: A Brief History

2010-03-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

Osaka lies approximately 200 miles southwest of Tokyo, in the heart of the Kansai region in western Japan. Situated at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, it is known as Japan's "water city." With a population of 2.6 million people, Osaka is the country's third largest city, after Tokyo and Yokohama.

Osaka was the capital of Japan during the reign of Emperor Kotoku in the seventh century, and has remained an important commercial center ever since. The people of Osaka are often considered Japan's friendliest and most outgoing residents, and are known for their fierce independence and love of food.

2010-03-01T18:47:00.000-08:00

And here's my driver's license from 1986...

Tokyo circa 1979

2010-03-01T18:44:00.000-08:00

In preparation for the trip (less than 4 weeks away) I was going through some old photos from when I lived in Tokyo. Here's one of my brother Chris and me in the family Honda Civic.

Welcome to my blog!

2010-01-21T08:32:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is J.C. Schmeil, and I'm an architect in Austin, Texas.

I'll be traveling to Osaka, Japan at the end of March on a "Group Study Exchange" with Rotary International.

I lived in Tokyo when I was in junior high and high school, and I'm looking forward to spending four weeks reconnecting with the Japanese culture and language.

I plan to post to this blog on a daily basis while I'm there-- mainly photos and my observations on what I see. I'll arrive in Osaka on March 28, 2010, so stay tuned...