deweywebster

 
  • HOME PAGE
  • CONTACT
  • JAPAN 2019 JSGTour
  • MOROCCO 2016
    • 1. CASABLANCA
    • 2. CHEFCHAOUEN
    • 3. FÈS
    • 4. BENI MELLAL
    • 5. MARRAKECH
    • 6. ESSAOUIRA
  • JAPAN 2018
    • KANTO
    • KAGOSHIMA CITY
    • MINAMI FAMILY
    • GARDENS - EDO STROLL
    • GARDENS - RESIDENTIAL
    • NARITA-SAN
  • JAPAN 2017
    • ITO
    • SHIMODA
    • TOYAMA
    • MITO
    • KYOTO
    • IWATE
    • IWATE PART 2
    • FUKUSHIMA
  • TANZANIA 2016
    • DAR-ES-SALAAM
    • ZANZIBAR - TOWN
    • ZANZIBAR - ISLAND
    • MOROGORO
    • IRINGA AND HILLTOP LODGE
    • RUAHA GAME PARK
  • DUBAI 2016
  • NORWAY 2015
    • 1) BODØ
    • 2) LOFOTEN ISLANDS
    • 3) MOSJØEN
    • 4) HJERKINN
    • 5) ÅLESUND
    • 6) BERGEN
    • 7A) BERGEN > OSLO TRAIN
    • 7B) OSLO - K. J. GATA & FROGNER
    • 7C) OSLO - WATERFRONT WALK
    • 7D) OSLO - DANSENS HUS
    • 8A) HAMAR & LILLEHAMMAR
    • 9) LYSAKER & SANDVIKA
  • CHINA 2014
    • BEIJING (ARRIVAL)
    • CANGZHOU
    • DEZHOU
    • LIAOCHENG
    • YELLOW RIVER
    • QUFU
    • BEIJING (DEPARTURE)
  • KYOTO GARDENS 2014
    • GARDENS 101
    • CALENDAR: "2015 KYOTO GARDENS"
  • FSW PHOTO ALBUM
    • 1940'S
    • 1950'S (1)
    • 1960'S
    • 1970'S
    • 1980's
  • 404 REMODEL 2013-2014
    • OFURO 2014
  • SEATTLE CHINESE GARDEN
    • SOLSTICE 2014-06-22
    • SNOW FALL 2014-01-05
    • PLANTS BLOOMING 2014-08-16
  • JAPAN 2013
    • GARDEN MISCELLANY
    • TOKYO
    • ITO
    • TOYAMA
    • KYOTO
    • MITO
    • OKAYAMA
    • NAOSHIMA
    • FUKUOKA (A.K.A. HAKATA), DAZAIFU
    • SAGA POTTERY TOWNS
    • GOTO ISLANDS
    • NAGASAKI
  • CLOUD HOUSE 2013
    • ELEVATOR - 2013 NOVEMBER
    • EXTERIORS 2013 DECEMBER
  • MYANMAR 2012
    • OVERVIEW
    • MT. POPA
    • INLE LAKE
    • BAGAN
    • AYEYARWADY RIVER
    • MANDALAY PART 1
    • MANDALAY PART 2
    • YANGON >
      • OVERVIEW AND ACCOMODATIONS
      • SHWEDEGON AND OTHER PAGODAS/TEMPLES
      • BUILDINGS OLD AND NEW
      • STREET WALKING
      • GARDENS AND ZOO
      • THE CIRCULAR TRAIN
      • DELTA TOWN
  • SIERRA TREK 2005, 2012 SEPTEMBER
  • MALI 2012 FEBRUARY
    • BAMAKO
    • DIABALY
    • N'DEBOUGOU
    • SEGOU >
      • FESTIVAL SUR LE NIGER
      • RIVER WALK AND POTTERY MARKET
      • URBAN WALKS
    • NIGER RIVER
    • MOPTI
    • D'JENNE
    • SENOSSA
    • DOGON
  • IWATE PART 2
Picture
Waseda University, International Division, 1963…do the math: yes, 50 years ago, so, when the announcement of an anniversary event in Tokyo to be held 25 October 2013 arrived, I thought it would make a good date around which to build a trip to Japan. Where am I? By then it was pretty typical that I was the tall guy in the back row…and so it is here.
Picture
Waseda teamed up with a lah-dee-dah hotel chain, Rihga, to build this on the edge of the campus, and it was...
Picture
here that the Anniversary was held. The invitees were mostly the current administrative personnel, some of the previous "suits" and a handful of students. Since I was a member of the first group of students, I was asked to observe.
Picture
So  when I was spontaneously asked to make a few remarks, I was quite unprepared, so I just took the audience's photograph instead.
Picture
ForourTokyo nights, we stayed at Kimi Ryokan, near Ikebukuro Station….
Picture
...because our friend, David Kopitske was staying there. (If you go back to that opening 1963 photo, David is the fellow in the middle of the second row.) I did not get to know David so well at Waseda but we later spent a year on the same English teaching program in Toyama, where we did get to know each other quite well. 
Picture
Kimi R. is a Japanese style "business hotel", that is, no meals, shared facilities, but tatami rooms with fold up futon  beds. We chose to roll up the beds and leave out, and use the futon storage closet for luggage.
Picture
In the old days, hotels, inn's and "minshuku" (inexpensive inns) always served breakfast, so finding it on the streets was problematical. With the rise of western style, all day, if not all night too, restaurants, this is no longer a problem, take "Gusto" for example. Located on street level near the station, with a hotel, sauna and massage above, it is well positioned to capture early morning (and late evening) customers.
Picture
Although more and more places have English menus, many more have added photos to be their international language. Some of the details may elude one, but its gets the basic information across.
Picture
Zhufeng had a favorite Chinese breakfast, rice porridge, and I had a favorite Japanese one: rice, seaweed, pickels, miso soup and mackerel. Juice, soup, tea, coffee were all self-serve from the Drinks Bar.

Picture
I usually find time to visit Meiji Shrine, as much for the large park it is in (and its Inner Garden) as the shrine itself. 
The approaches are marked by grand "tori'i" gates and flanking lanterns, and….
Picture
…the gates to the shrine have a stylized 12 petal chrysanthemum, the Imperial family crest.
Picture
The main shrine building is marked as an important Shinto place by the straw rope, tassels and folded white paper charms. 
Picture
It is always pleasing to see well maintained traditional post and beam architecture. It is not so often to be there to see a wedding procession as well.
Picture
Out in the courtyard, the tradition of writing a wish on a plaque ("ema") is going strong, of course in Japanese but more and more in English as well.

Picture
To contrast the Shrine's architecture, we went to the Edo-Tokyo Museum, designed by the venerable modernist, K. Kikutake (d. 2011) in 1993. Before 1868, this city was known as Edo. After the Emperor moved from Kyoto to Edo, the name was changed to Tokyo ("Eastern Capital"). The museum highlights the city of Edo and its chage to Tokyo.
Picture
Needless to say, high on the school excursion list.
Picture
It is full of models: large, small scale ones with binoculars to see the details.
Picture
To much larger scaled ones which illustrate some of the traditional activities of the era.
Picture
And of course, full scale artifacts as well….such as Subaru's first mass produced car, the 360, from 1958 to 1971.
Picture
I wonder, did "THE museum shop" develop in Japan…?
Picture
Contrasting traditional and contemporary is a full time activity….here a facade of paper lanterns announce what is inside, while….
Picture
…here a glass curtain wall opens the interior to speak for itself.
Picture
The firm of another of Japanese's pioneering modern architects, K. Tange (d. 2005) is still going strong, winning the Skyscraper of the Year award with Cocoon Tower in 2008.
Picture
It houses three educational institutions, so it's not surprising to find on the first floor a …..
Picture
…..right from good old Seattle.
Picture
So it was an appropriate place to visit with Shoko Majima. While her husband was posted in Seattle, Shoko was an active and informative guide at the Japanese Garden…a delight with whom to do special events. We miss her!
Picture
One gets to ride lots of trains in Japan, and watch the passengers watch their digital screens.
Picture
The days of folded over newspapers, large "Manga" comics, or tiny pulp fiction books, are gone. 
Picture
And the "bullet trains" just get faster and faster, and more and more stylish. One line departs with two 8-car trains together, and splits to distant destinations on down the line. Contrasting colors assist passengers in getting on the desired section.
Picture
One thing which has NOT changed is the impeccable condition of the rolling stock. A line of pink uniformed cleaning ladies await the arrival of a train, which, in less than 10 minutes will have her seats rotated, head-rest papers replaced, floors swept, trash removed, supplies refreshed and another load of passengers on board ready to head back from whence it came.
Picture
Meanwhile the departing passengers wait patiently, if not exactly in the designated waiting lane, for the boarding announcement. Or grab a "bento", sandwich or drink from the platform shop.
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.