Lukas and Martina in Japan//japan.lukas-prokop.at/blog/2017-02-20T17:29:00+09:00Todaiji2017-02-20T17:29:00+09:002017-02-20T17:29:00+09:00Lukastag:japan.lukas-prokop.at,2017-02-20:blog/todaiji.html<div id="preamble">
<div class="sectionbody">
<div class="paragraph"><p>※ This article discusses our Todaiji visit on 19th of February 2017.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>It’s really difficult to get up early in the morning. We obviously experience how four Aikido/Volleyball practices per week feel like. We generally enjoy long mornings on days without deadlines. Even though we wanted to leave at 09:00, we could not do until 11:30.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>We took the train from Sannomiya to Motomachi. Then a train from Motomachi to Amagasaki. Usually, I do proper research beforehand and we know which trains to pick, but this time we decided spontaneously the night before to take this trip. So I just used the information of the <a href="http://www.hyperdia.com/">HyperDia</a> Android application and picked the cheapest among 5 ticket combinations. However, this trip to Motomachi was a waste of money, because the second train went back to Kobe-Sannomiya anyways. I guess in the future I will this through better. In Amagasaki, we left the train and recognized very soon that our next train is the previous train. The train continues with a different name, but it was the same train. Back in the train again, we left Amagasaki in direction of Kintetsu-Nara, which is our destination in order to visit Todaiji. We spent 1180 Yen and about 90 minutes in order to go there from Kobe-Sannomiya.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p><span class="image">
<img alt="My residence in blue on the left, Osaka in green in the middle, Todaiji in orange on the right" src="images/todaiji.png" width="600">
</img></span></p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>Leaving JR Nara station, you can immediately see Sanjodori Street. This street features a lot of restaurants and booths for food. It was the first time in Japan, I saw a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kebab">Kebap</a> booth. In Austria, we have lots of Turkish migrants opening such shops, but in Japan this is obviously rare. Even though I expected us to grab something for lunch, Martina could not find a proper restaurant. We reached the Three-Story Pagoda next to the street, but I failed to take any photos. A Japanese talked to us and introduced himself as someone working for the Tourism office, which is located nearby. He lead us there and offered us to make Origami deers. He was nice, but reminded us of a marketing agent. A lady in the tourism office taught us how to make a deer and it took 20 minutes to finish it. Depending on the day, they also offer basic calligraphy workshops or chopstick challenges. I think if you want to spend a day at Todaiji and have no guide, a visit is certainly worth it. They also gave us a nice map of the area.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p><span class="image">
<img alt="Martina and me making some Origami deers" src="images/todaiji-tourism-center.jpg" width="400">
</img></span></p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>We left in direction of the Nandaimon Gate ( 南大門 , なんだいもん) and met the main attraction of the area: A lot of deers gather in the streets in order to wait for food bought by the tourists. For 150 Yen, you can buy several round waffle-shaped deer food. The deers are wild animals, but gentle. Their horns are shortened to avoid accidents in the area. They have also been taught to bow in front of the tourists. So if you hesitate to feed them, they will bow in front of you waiting for your offer. This is documented in Youtube videos like "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdrPhHGH2K8">Nara’s bowing deers</a>". The Gate was a old wooden construction and inside the gate’s log a large statue can be found on each side.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p><span class="image">
<img alt="Main gate leading to Todaiji with deers in front" src="images/todaiji.jpg" width="400">
</img></span></p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>Daibutsuden ( 大仏殿 ) is the heart of the Todaiji Temple. We visited it next and it is famous for the largest bronze statue of the world. However, inside Daibutsuden it is quite dark and it was terrible to take any photos. The size of the statue (about 15 meters in height) is of course impressive. After this visit we set down to take a short break and ate a snack. However, the deers joined us and got curious. One deer chewed on my napsack’s strap. We interrupted the snack and continued to take photos of the Great Bell. It also seems to be made of bronze. No deers were visible and we quickly took a break. Once we were finished, a few deers spotted us and wanted to have their share of our snack. After a short toilet break, we reached Nigatsudo Hall, which gave us a nice look at Nara.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>The sun was setting and the light was very nice. At the same time, it was quite cold in the shadow. I liked the colors of the building combined with the color of the bamboo sticks. I think the bamboo sticks protect the stone writings from tourists as they might be in restauration currently. We went back to Sanjodori Street taking a path crossing some more deers. We went in direction of Kasuga Taisha Shrine. The Shrine itself was closed. So we could not enter it and check out the house inside, but I admit it didn’t look interesting anyways. It was merely the appearance of the Shrine and the many stands in the area, that made the place interesting to see. At the same time the sun has finally set and it got dark. I didn’t take any photos of the Shrine because of the darkness in the woods. It was about 17:30. Back at the Three-Story Pagoda, we observed several deers crossing the street. They listened carefully and once no car was coming, they crossed the street.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>We went back towards the train station, but first we chose a restaurant for a very late lunch. Martina ate Okinomiyaki and I chose a Vegetables-Oil-Yaki. On a stove inside the table in front of us, the Yaki was kept warm while we were eating. The vegetables were not much, but they tasted good. We finished and took a train home. This time, we knew about the train situation. We sat down in the JR train and directly reached Kobe-Sannomiya with one ticket. This was nice.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>In conclusion: Nara is a touristic location and definitely worth a visit. I guess it is a wonderful trip for a family as far as children can also enjoy the deers. There are many shrines (Shintoism) and temples (Buddhism) in the area and we only saw the most famous ones. I suggest to spend a day over there and we should have left the residence sooner. Anyhow, it was a very nice trip! Recommendation!</p></div>
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New Year’s Eve2017-01-04T18:11:00+09:002017-01-04T18:11:00+09:00Lukastag:japan.lukas-prokop.at,2017-01-04:blog/ikuta-shrine-new-years-eve.html<div id="preamble">
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<div class="paragraph"><p>※ This article discusses the 31st of December 2016.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>New Year’s Eve is a big deal in Japan. Our current holidays at university (formally 2 weeks) are given due to the coming of the new year.</p></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="sect2">
<h3 id="_in_austria">In Austria</h3>
<div class="paragraph"><p>In Austria, people celebrate New Year’s Eve in various kinds. Some people go for a drink with friends into the city. Some people gather at public places in the center of the city to celebrate collectively. Some people stay at home, do some <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molybdomancy">molybdomancy</a>, watch <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinner_for_One">Dinner for One</a> at TV and dance to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Danube">the blue Danube</a>. Sparkling wine (in some countries called more generically <em>champaign</em>) is a common drink after midnight. Some people enjoy the fireworks from distance and hike on a hill/moutain close to the city. Stargazing can following romantically this approach. These activities are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year%27s_Eve#Japan">different in Japan</a>.</p></div>
</div>
<div class="sect2">
<h3 id="_in_japan">In Japan</h3>
<div class="paragraph"><p>Before this day, you can buy chicken-themed New Year’s cards in many places. 2017 is the year of the chicken according to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_calendar">Chinese calendar</a>. Fireworks are not popular, though fireworks are organized in Tokyo (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVHeC8IZuf0">video on youtube</a>). At Shibuya, the large intersection in Tokyo, New Year is celebrated by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk703WCfmT8">collectively counting down</a>. At Zōjō-ji, a Buddhist temple near Tokyo Tower, they <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOqcqTRgMyA">release balloons</a> when the countdown has finished. But most of the families stay, of course, at home and just like in Austria there are popular TV shows like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dhaku_Uta_Gassen">Kouhaku Uta Gassen</a>. Celebrating the end of the previous year and welcoming the next year is reflected on the next day in funny events like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukubukuro">Fukubukuro</a>. NHK reports,</p></div>
<div class="quoteblock">
<div class="content">
<div class="paragraph"><p>People have flocked to department stores in Japan to buy New Year bargain packages known as lucky bags.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>A store in Osaka opened earlier than normal on Monday morning. 7,000 people were waiting outside before it opened its doors. Staffers had prepared 50,000 lucky bags.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>Beside only selling goods in the bargain events, department stores have been working hard to sell bags that let buyers have various special experiences.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>A bag that sold for almost 700 dollars includes tableware for a baby’s first meal, clothing for its first shrine visit and a photography session. Another with a price tag of more than 5,000 dollars features an imported camera and the photo session with a traditional female entertainer in the ancient capital of Kyoto.</p></div>
</div>
<div class="attribution">
— https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170102_13/
</div></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>As far as our time in Kobe is concerned, we wanted originally wanted to be in Tokyo during the holidays. 3 days in Tokyo, followed by 1 day in Kyoto during New Year’s Eve. It was told that near the Imperial Palace, many local people are going to celebrate at midnight. Going to Tokyo by Shinkansen is expensive (10000 Yen) and therefore we considered the night bus (around 3200 Yen). Other international students did so. But planning the hotels and sightseeing points takes its time and I am also currently out of funds for such events. So we didn’t put enough effort into organizing this trip and stayed in Kobe. Because of that, I wanted to finish some Kobe sightseeing points from my bucket list. I blogged about these points in my last posts. Staying in Kobe, we didn’t leave the residence during the day. In the evening we headed towards Ikuta Shrine at 21:00. There were only 3 people in the train going towards Sannomiya from Minatojima.</p></div>
</div>
<div class="sect2">
<h3 id="_videochat">Videochat</h3>
<div class="paragraph"><p>We were told the most interesting spot for New Year’s Eve is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikuta_Shrine">Ikuta Shrine</a>. This large shrine in the center of Kobe represents the door in Kobe’s name. Remember that 神戸 consists of two Kanji, where 神 (こう, kou) stands for "god" and 戸 (べ, be) stands for "door", hence "God’s door". And Ikuta Shrine basically defined the location of Kobe.</p></div>
<div class="quoteblock">
<div class="content">
<div class="paragraph"><p>Kobe did not exist in its current form until its founding in 1889. Its name comes from "kanbe" ( 神戸 ), an archaic title for supporters of the city’s Ikuta Shrine. Kobe became one of Japan’s 17 designated cities in 1956.</p></div>
</div>
<div class="attribution">
— https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe
</div></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>We went there and found many food festival booths. As it is New Year’s Eve, we wanted to do something special. Just like every other week, my parents wanted to have a video chat session with me. This week they were at my brother’s. So I was able to see my brother, his wife and children after a longer time. Unlike the previous times where I was at the dormitory, I was in front of the Shrine chatting with them. It was kind of fun though we had no clue how it would affect our 2GB mobile data limit. In the end chatting with them for about 75 minutes resulted in to ~700 MB traffic via <a href="http://appear.in/">appear.in/WebRTC</a> which is unexpectedly little in my opinion. Also my other brothers joined in and it was a nice conversation. The video chat took roughly an hour.</p></div>
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<div class="sect2">
<h3 id="_new_year_8217_s_eve_at_ikuta_shrine">New Year’s Eve at Ikuta Shrine</h3>
<div class="paragraph"><p>At ~23:20 we investigated the ongoing activities at the Shrine. During our video chat, people organized themselves in front of the Shrine. Before midnight, the Shrine is locked up. People gather in front in a queue and wait for entry at 00:00. When they enter they can go to booths, buy <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omamori">Omamori</a> (amulettes and charms) and make their first prayer of the year. I was told the queue was extraordinary long ranging several blocks inside the city. The police took care to control the traffic. The booths in front of the Shrine (accessible before midnight) include all kinds of food like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy_apple">Candy apple</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mochi">Mochi</a> (I love these!) and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_candy">cotton candy</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldfish_scooping">Gold fish scooping</a> ( 金魚 すくい, きんぎょすくい) and <a href="https://duckduckgo.com/?q=shooting+gallery+carnival&ia=images">shooting galleries</a> are also popular, available games (watch this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpmL2szf6s0">video by Ronin for a goldfish scooping introduction</a>).</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>I was never allowed to eat cotton candy in my childhood, so I bought some for 500 Yen. They had a Pokemon design. This coincides with me playing Pokemon Yellow edition in the last few days (Hey, I am already in Vermilion City!). I think this was the second time in my life I ate cotton candy (the first one was at <a href="https://events.ccc.de/congress/2012/wiki/Main_Page">29C3</a>). Martina bought some <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnut">chestnuts</a>. In the city, we thought we had to bake them first, but at home we found out that you only have to make a hole and squeeze them to get them out. In Austria, they are always partially cut.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>Martina got cold and we decided to go back home even before midnight. So we experienced the year switch in the train and obviously there were very few people in the train again. I guess we could have done more, but it’s something.</p></div>
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Christmas Eve2017-01-03T22:50:00+09:002017-01-03T22:50:00+09:00Lukastag:japan.lukas-prokop.at,2017-01-03:blog/christmas.html<div id="preamble">
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<div class="paragraph"><p>※ This article discusses the 24th of December 2016.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>In Austria, Christmas Eve (the 24th of December 2016) is the day, when family gathers together, they join in some activity together and finally exchange and open gifts. Our family met during the day, ate in the afternoon/evening and discussed issues. At night, we went upstairs to the christmas tree and opened the gifts found under the tree. Singing or playing instrument might be part of the ceremony in front of the christmas tree. In the morning or the days afterwards, grandparents are visited and cookies are an integral part in order to have some snacks while chatting. Though most of our family members are without religious denomination, we celebrate the same tradition most Austrian families do.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>The first thing, I learned in Japan, is that in the international Christian community mostly opens Christmas presents on 25th. So one Christian was confused when I offered him to study verbs with me on 25th.</p></div>
<div class="quoteblock">
<div class="content">
<div class="paragraph"><p>In most parts of Austria, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Switzerland, presents are traditionally exchanged on the evening of 24 December. Children are commonly told that presents were brought either by the Christkind (German for Christ child), or by the Weihnachtsmann. Both leave the gifts, but are in most families not seen doing so. In Germany, the gifts are also brought on 6 December by "the Nikolaus" with his helper Knecht Ruprecht.</p></div>
</div>
<div class="attribution">
— https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Eve
</div></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>We did not have any special plans for Christmas. On the one hand, we attended the <a href="kokui-christmas-party.html">christmas party at Kokui residence</a> and on the other hand, being in Japan as an atheist means I am more interested in understanding Shinto culture than Austrian traditions. Martina talked to Shoko about our missing plans and Shoko spontaneously asked us on Tuesday before to come to the restaurant, she is working part-time at.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>The restaurant is located close to Rokko-michi station. So in some way close to university, but much closer to the sea. The name is 翔龍 (しょうりゅう, shoryuu) and focuses on Chinese dishes. Shoko was serving us in German and her boss was cooking for us. I got some spicy, thick soup with thin noodles. Martina got vegetables on top of a pile of thin noodles. We were told both dishes are Chinese and also our dessert, almond jelly in a honey sauce, follows Chinese traditions.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>Afterwards we got home again. The gallery shows some photos of a bakery on our way home. But we didn’t buy anything. Dewin played Shogi with me at the residence. So for me, it was the first time of my life. By the way, American <a href="https://www.hersheys.com/reeses/en_us/home.html">Reese’s</a> (brand name for peanut butter cups) are very good.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>It was a nice evening and if the servant speaks German or English, it is so much easier to find a vegetable dish. My dish was very saturating. Nice!</p></div>
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Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area2016-10-31T11:50:00+09:002016-10-31T11:50:00+09:00Lukastag:japan.lukas-prokop.at,2016-10-31:blog/horyuji.html<div id="preamble">
<div class="sectionbody">
<div class="paragraph"><p>※ This article discusses the 29th of October 2016.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>In my Japanese class "Japanese Culture" on Monday, we briefly discussed UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan. I looked up all of them and found a <a href="http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/indepth/scenic/worldheritage/index.html">nice list</a>. "Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area" is kind of close to my place and therefore I decided to go there for event day. It features the oldest wooden architectures of the world. <a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=11/34.6888/135.5205&layers=H">This map by OpenStreetMap</a> shows the location:</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p><span class="image">
<img alt="Map ranging from Kobe to Hōryū-ji Area" src="images/horyuji.png" width="400">
</img></span></p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>I started around lunch time again. Martina stayed at home. I was a little bit scared whether I can find the destination. <a href="http://www.hyperdia.com/">HyperDia</a> showed one possible, direct route from Sannomiya (provided by JR), but all information at Hyperdia is provided without Kanji. So reading the same trains might be difficult. 1080 Yen is a bit more than my previous travel costs, but I assumed it will be worth it. I started my journey and actually the train’s direction and its time was written in Latin script. So it was not difficult to find the train. I sat down and had a pleasant journey. The chairs are very comfortable and I made an old man’s day by helping him with his luggage. He thanked right after I helped and additionally before he left the train… in English. This was nice.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>I left the train. I was confused. There was no sign giving me the name of this small station. Is this Kyūhōji station (and I need to take the next train again) or is it Hōryūji station (where I want to go)? I went up the stairs and saw a promotional poster "Welcome to Hōryūji station!" with some images of the temple. Apparently I was at the right place, but I got confused by the station name I heard when leaving the train.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>I takes less than 15 minutes to go from the train station to the temple by foot. I read online there is also a bus, but I was not interested. You immediately recognize the special roof tiles, they use close to the temple. They are crafted beautifully. From a map, I understood the basic structure of the ground and I discovered the ticket office. I wanted to know what parts of the area are public and which required a ticket. So I started with the public parts and basically went from West to East. Not a lot of people were on the Site in the early afternoon (I arrived around 14:00), but this changed at 16:00, when the sun wasn’t covered by any cloud anymore.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>Horyu-ji grounds consists of the following buildings:</p></div>
<div class="ulist"><ul>
<li>
<p>
Saiin Garan, with its significant Gojū-no-Tō (5-story pagoda)
</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>
Daihōzōin, with its gallery
</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>
Tōin Garan, and I personally considered Tōin Shōrō most interesting
</p>
</li>
</ul></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>You can see them on this map:</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p><span class="image">
<img alt="Ground map of Hōryū-ji Area" src="images/horyuji_ground_map.jpg" width="400">
</img></span></p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>Basically I traversed the whole area first without a ticket, hence missing the inner parts of Saiin Garan, the gallery of Daihōzōin and Tōin Garan. As far as a ticket at Saiin Garan costs 1500 Yen, Daihōzōin 500 Yen and Tōin Garan 300 Yen, I thought it sums up to 2300 Yen. Spending 23 Euros on visiting those temples is certainly too much. So I only paid the 1500 Yen ticket afterwards and it turns out that this is a collective ticket for all halls. After recognizing this, I traversed the whole area again with the ticket. I was happy about the actual price, but I was annoyed that you are not allowed to take photos within the galleries.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p><span class="image">
<img alt="Toin Shoro at Horyuji in daylight" src="images/horyuji_toin_shoro.jpg" width="300">
</img></span></p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>Whereas it was very sunny at 15:00, at 16:30 many areas were already covered by the shadows of buildings. So it was getting cold and I left the area. I ate Tsukine Udon at a restaurant close to the temple. Then I took JR line back to Kobe. However, at Osaka I had to change trains (just like when I got here), but no train on the track headed towards Kobe. I wondered why. I recognized a red warning color for the stations behind Kobe with a note "Level Crossing Check". Of course, it might be a Level Crossing Check, but it is unsual in my opinion that regular trains are interrupted for that. Often people commit suicide with trains and therefore this might be the reason. I was getting cold in my shorts and I exited the JR line at Osaka even though I bought the ticket for Kobe. I joined Hyanku line. I guess they share the same tracks, but I wanted to give it a shot. It was worth it. I took a local train to Kobe, so one hour later I arrived at Sannomiya, Kobe. I tested whether I can enter Hankyu line with my Osaka-Kobe ticket and leave it with my university pass. This does not work. Hence, my university commuter pass stores at least one boolean flag.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>In conclusion, the Horyuji area is worth its recognition as UNESCO heritage site. Beautiful wooden architectures. There are comparable sites in China (as it was pointed out to me by a Chinese person showing photos), but I cannot judge on that. On the other hand it is sad, that you cannot take photos inside the galleries.</p></div>
</div>
</div>
First event day: Jinjas in Kobe2016-10-09T15:00:00+09:002016-10-09T15:00:00+09:00Lukastag:japan.lukas-prokop.at,2016-10-09:blog/kobe-jinjas.html<div id="preamble">
<div class="sectionbody">
<div class="paragraph"><p>※ This article discusses the 8th of October 2016.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>To access the internet, we currently use two connections: Martina’s eduroam account (mine does not work at all after an initially successful phase) or a temporary username + password combination provided by the International Student Center. Eventually we should get our own password, but apparently this did not happen within 8 days we are at the Residence. Therefore Martina discussed it with her advisor (as a minor question). She got informed that there are technical difficulties and we should expect our credentials in the mid of next week. Her advisor was also worried whether "Academic Writing" interferes with her intensive course. Apparently, he must also have found "Academic Writing" in a different session. Anyways, it sounded like her advisor is really trying to help her whereas I didn’t get informed. My conclusion is that information you receive really depends on your advisor and tutor (remember translation issues at the Bank and the incident related to National Health insurance).</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>It is Saturday and therefore Event day. So like every week, we leave the Residence and do something tourist-like. This week: Jinjas in Kobe.
Python users might know <a href="http://jinja.pocoo.org/">Jinja</a>. Its logo shows a shrine and this way you can remember <a href="http://jisho.org/search/jinja">Jinja is Japanese for shrine</a>.
We got a map showing some jinjas in Kobe. Researching its locations, we found out that the map is very accurate and Kobe with its long coast does not fit onto a DIN A4 page. Therefore distances were very wrong. I was glad we prepared our goals.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>Because I was coughing badly and wanted to go into public, I decided to test some surgical masks. We dropped by at a conbini and bought some masks. One package containing 7 one-way masks costed 246 Yen.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>Certainly my first and major goal was the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikuta_Jinja">Ikuta Jinja</a>. It is located close to Sannomiya and I use a picture of it on the <a href="/">homepage</a> and as background image on <a href="https://appear.in/meisterluk">appear.in/meisterluk</a>. An appropriate final destination seemed the Okurayama Park. So at 12:00 we started off at Sannomiya and went to Ikuta Jinja. It is our first contact with Shintoism. The most interesting point of Japanese religion in my opinion is its combination of old traditions and sociological progress. If you look at Austria and its religious representatives, you will find a conservative group of traditionalists. As far as I can see this is different in Shintoism. People are proud of their old traditions, but separate it from political issues. At shrines you will find many people sticking to their traditions. First, you need to clean yourself by washing both hands by pouring water over them. In front of shrines, you will find boxes where you donate some money and wish for good health (or alike). Then you are allowed to ring the large bell to make the wish become true. Charms are small widgets offered for ~300 Yen which should bring you luck in a certain part of your life. This is another way to get luck or donate money. Inside a shrine, photographs are not allowed. I was wondering about that and many people took photos at Ikuta Jinja. It seems like you are not allowed to take photos inside the shrine building, but from outside it did not seem like a problem. Ikuta Jinja is really a beautiful shrine and worth looking at. It comprises a typical Japanese design. In terms of photography, I had difficulties photographing it. Because of the curvy roofs, many parts below the roof are in shadow which gives poor quality for my photos. I need to improve upon it.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>Our next destination was the NHK main building in Kobe. NHK is Japan’s public broadcasting company. However, we discovered a ramen restaurant (Japanese noodles) beforehand and went into it. A nice chef greeted us and due to Martina’s Japanese skills we found some appropriate ramen. This was the first time I felt saturated after a meal, because meals are typically smaller than in Europe or America. At the ramen restaurant, the TV was running and we watched some melodrama while eating our ramen. Our hashi skills (chopsticks) got trained as well.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>We only saw the NHK building from the outside and it was not spectacular at all. We immediately headed to our next goal: Kobe Mosque, the first Mosque in Japan. When taking our first photo, a man in a car mentioned we could go inside to look at the Mosque. We decided not to but looked at the Mosque from outside. It was a very nice building to look at.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>Our next destination was Sorakuen; which I expected to be a general garden. We were asked to pay 300 Yen entrance fee and wondered whether it would be worth it. First we passed some palms and the Kodera stable; it features a German design. The Hassam House was designed as fusion of Eastern and Western design elements. Currently, they are construction sites inside, because they are preparing for an exhibition. So far I thought that was not worth 300 Yen, but then we found the second part of the garden. It has a pont where we found some koys and turtles. Some kids were throwing stones at them and Martina teached me that "Dama" is used to shout, making them stop. At the pont, a typical Japanese boat house - with golden decoration - and a tea house - reconstructed after war - can be found. I totally wanted to see a Japanese garden and wondered why it was not considered a Japanese garden in one of the tourist websites I found. The 300 Yen were worth it and we proceeded to our next destination which was a Catholic church.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>Again we did not enter the church, but we recognized that we can spot several building in Japan made of red brick. This is something I commonly associate with Great Britain. In the following, we briefly saw the Chuo Police Department, which was a tall building and as often, a single man in the front took care of surveilling it. We headed towards the first protestant church in Kobe. This building reminded me more of Austria than the red brick Catholic church. Because fire cars in general look cool, we went to the "Chuo Fire Department of Yamate Branch". The fire cars looked indeed very cool, but we did not find the departmet initially. So we traversed the streets consecutively. I mentioned that cars in average are narrower than in Europe. This also holds for Japanese fire cars. We continued through some small side streets and wondered how people can actually drive into their parking spot. In the first floor they park their car and go up the stairs. In the second and third floor, they are living on narrow space.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>Finally we arrived at Okurayama Park. It consists of a large baseball field. People use it for jogging around. In the rear, the area has many trees and people actually practice their instrument there. A woman was practicing an etude for flute lessons. I guess when living in a small Japanese house with several family members, this seems an admissible alternative for practicing the instrument. Because insects kept biting us the whole day (and especially in this area), we were sped up and finished our journey. We went to the next train station. We dropped by at the bakery within Sannomiya train station. I got something I would describe it as "Zuckerreinkerl mit Schokolade statt Honig" in German. In English I describe it as dough of multiple layers. In between there are raisins, sugar and chocolate. It tasted delicious, but I ate it at home.</p></div>
<div class="paragraph"><p>Enough for the day. Considering I felt sick with my bad coughing, it was an eventful day we spent together, even though we mainly walked around (about 4.5km) and litte action was involved.</p></div>
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