Well, not World Heritage, but still a masterpiece!
Don't know what this is, but it looked great!
Tuesday 27 November 2012
Lego Unesco World Heritage Sites
As a celebration of their 40th anniversary, Unesco held this exhibition which travelled around various countries. Lego models of many of the World Heritage Listed sites! They were amazing! Sorry about photo quality, didn't have a real camera with me.
A reformed smoker in Tokyo
As some of you will know I am one of those reformed smokers who hates cigarette smoke! Japan is not a great place for a person like me! 65% of Japanese people smoke.
As a result, I have become a self appointed vigilante to police the "non smoking" areas of Tokyo. (Sadly these are not frequent enough). I think the council needs to put me on their payroll!
I begged this man to hand over his vest to me, I need this to compensate for my lack of local lingo!
Unfortunately, he wasn't forthcoming.
Recently I was hurrying to the station, hot and bothered with heavy bags, breathing deeply with exertion. Unfortunately there was someone ahead of me "sharing" his cigarette smoke for all those within 30 meters behind him.
That was the last straw for me in my grumpy state, I hurried ahead to catch up with him. He had earphones in, but that didn't deter me, I have to play charades most of the time to communicate here anyway!
Fortuitously, one of the "no smoking" footpath signs came into vision at this very moment, and I pointed at it, coughed and spluttered vigorously, waved the cigarette smoke away from my face, and did the big "cross the arms meaning NO". He got the message, looked shamefaced, quickly took a few dying drags on his cigarette, and stamped it out. A WIN to me!!!
I don't always have such success. Sometimes I just get a bemused stubborn look. Japanese men are not used to being bossed around by women they don't know. Japanese people in general are not used to being challenged, most people put up with the rare misdemeanors that occur.
One of the best scenes was outside a building where a couple of vending machines stood. It was a quiet back street, the perfect place for the salarymen to come and have coffee from the machine and smoke themselves stupid. But.. hello.... there was a "no smoking" sign on the footpath. So, what do you think I witnessed? Five salarymen standing around the sign smoking happily away. I missed getting a photo, but it would have been a good one.
What really disturbs me is when I see them smoking in a closed car with young children or babies in it. There are so many dreadful coughs in this society.
As a result, I have become a self appointed vigilante to police the "non smoking" areas of Tokyo. (Sadly these are not frequent enough). I think the council needs to put me on their payroll!
I begged this man to hand over his vest to me, I need this to compensate for my lack of local lingo!
Unfortunately, he wasn't forthcoming.
Recently I was hurrying to the station, hot and bothered with heavy bags, breathing deeply with exertion. Unfortunately there was someone ahead of me "sharing" his cigarette smoke for all those within 30 meters behind him.
That was the last straw for me in my grumpy state, I hurried ahead to catch up with him. He had earphones in, but that didn't deter me, I have to play charades most of the time to communicate here anyway!
Fortuitously, one of the "no smoking" footpath signs came into vision at this very moment, and I pointed at it, coughed and spluttered vigorously, waved the cigarette smoke away from my face, and did the big "cross the arms meaning NO". He got the message, looked shamefaced, quickly took a few dying drags on his cigarette, and stamped it out. A WIN to me!!!
I don't always have such success. Sometimes I just get a bemused stubborn look. Japanese men are not used to being bossed around by women they don't know. Japanese people in general are not used to being challenged, most people put up with the rare misdemeanors that occur.
One of the best scenes was outside a building where a couple of vending machines stood. It was a quiet back street, the perfect place for the salarymen to come and have coffee from the machine and smoke themselves stupid. But.. hello.... there was a "no smoking" sign on the footpath. So, what do you think I witnessed? Five salarymen standing around the sign smoking happily away. I missed getting a photo, but it would have been a good one.
Wednesday 6 June 2012
Island life
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| Windswept sailor |
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| The Seto inland sea |
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| Nature or man? |
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| Gorgeous! I thought of you Richard! |
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| Abandoned, as so many places are on these dying islands |
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| Even on the one island different villages have different methods of building their walls. In past times they didn't go from one part of the island to the other due to the mountains in the middle.These are very small islands, its amazing. |
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| Almost the Mediterranean! |
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| Buried alive |
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| This is how all sea walls should be made |
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| This is how all walls should be made! |
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| I opened the toilet door and couldn't believe my eyes!!!! Maybe the builder couldn't read plans????!!! |
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| And then he forgot to finish the walls! Very cosy! |
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| Is it a whale? Is it a jumbo jet? Is it a rock?.... |
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| Hairy house |
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| Outdoor living Inujima style! |
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| I like these electric bikes!!!! What hill????!! |
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| Fire retardant treatment??? |
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| Typical old Japanese construction |
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| It looks great, but don't touch it. |
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| Hello handsome! |
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| Reminds me of the "whack a mole" game! |
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| Weird and wonderful |
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| The aliens have landed |
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| Naoshima Ferry terminal, great design by SAANA architects. |
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| Naoshima bath house. Eclectic! |
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| Bath house entrance |
For more info here is a link:
http://www.benesse-artsite.jp/en/naoshimasento/portfolio.html
For lots of images of the bath house use this link:
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=naoshima+bath+house+pictures&hl=en&sa=G&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ei=2TjPT-u5KeLcmAWuv-WBDQ&ved=0CFYQsAQ&biw=1311&bih=504
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| 007 museum. This island was the setting for the Bond book, "The Man with the Red Tattoo" |
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| A vending machine for every occasion in Japan |
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| Love these walls |
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| Lovely laneways |
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| Temple roofs |
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| A treasure trove of 50's memorabilia in the middle of nowhere! The owners were dressed rockabilly style too! |
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| Rock encrusted tori |
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| Who else would have thought of that?! |
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| Seaman Jaspar |
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| Japan's beautiful coastline, as long as man hasn't built anything, its always beautiful |
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| Naoshima Port. They grow mutant vegetables here. |
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| Another mutant vegetable |
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| An artist has gone around the island creating personalised norens (entrance curtains) for many houses and businesses |
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| Those glimpses are magic |
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| Not quite the usual Japanese aesthetic, but practical I guess! |
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| Pumpkin by Yayoi Kusama, a crazy old lady who does fabulous artwork! She loves her dots, and so do I. |
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| Comfy pumpkin |
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| Rivers of dots |
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| Looks a bit like an American football player! |
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| Cosy pumpkin |
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| Again, unadulterated Japan is beautiful |
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| One of the nicest beaches in Japan. There are not many! |
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