tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-298620072024-03-06T00:37:24.612+03:00The boy is not amused..~ A PAGE OF SAMER ~Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-53692158395480139252008-08-27T01:22:00.041+03:002008-08-30T03:10:14.667+03:00My two weeks in Japan - epilogue: The last sunset<span style="font-family:arial;">This is the last picture I took on Japanese soil. I rushed with Mr. Yemen to the Rinkuu town seaside to catch the sunset. The weather was cloudy so the sunset wasn't clear. Just like the future, I say! I don't know if and when I will visit Japan again, but I sure hope I can; two weeks is a little too short!</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbrHB_KFwXOB9_NOTQ-o5QGILi68xKTGYvccHhryKdVZRdW0xU5xh3vx7qk9hdj0wiv2ka6pHHQYVx_KhzigntK5LOiObFJIg-YzklUsRXjxB-JxxwjQScIaM-IuPErYZeLHP/s1600-h/lastsunset.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbrHB_KFwXOB9_NOTQ-o5QGILi68xKTGYvccHhryKdVZRdW0xU5xh3vx7qk9hdj0wiv2ka6pHHQYVx_KhzigntK5LOiObFJIg-YzklUsRXjxB-JxxwjQScIaM-IuPErYZeLHP/s400/lastsunset.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239306559578895346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">The sun sets on our last day.. and on this blog.</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />It has been almost a year, but I'm finally done reporting and shared [almost] everything I wanted to share about the trip. I hope you enjoyed reading the blog -like I enjoyed writing it- and learned something worthwhile from it. <span>If you have any questions or anything else you want to know, please don't hesitate to ask by commenting on this post or by sending me an e-mail and I'll be more than happy to answer.</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Again, I would like to thank everybody who helped me out in those two unforgettable weeks: The embassy for recommending me (without a test!); the Japan Foundation personnel who took care of us up to the last moment, especially M-san; </span><span style="font-family:arial;">the homestay family which made me attached to Osaka; </span><span style="font-family:arial;">the nice participants especially Mr. Egypt and Mr. Yemen, who made me feel at home in the difficult and awkward moments; my friends and teachers who received me in Japan: Yoshi, N-sensei, Nobu, Ocha no, Sanad, T-sensei and of-course, K-sensei. (K-s: Thanks for the awesome, awesome picture book!)<br /><br />After all the kindness I received in Japan I am willing to help any Japanese person in Jordan in any way I can. This way, hopefully, I can repay the Japanese kindness with Muslim & Jordanian kindness. As the nice expression in Japanese goes: お互い様です<br /><br />Last but most, </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Alhamdulillah.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> Thanks to Allah for giving me this opportunity and a magically smooth, most wonderful trip.<br /><br />To wrap up here is a list of the trip-related posts, oldest first:<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://theboyisnotamused.blogspot.com/2007/09/my-two-weeks-in-japan-intro.html">My two weeks in Japan - prologue: Kokoro</a><br /><a href="http://theboyisnotamused.blogspot.com/2007/09/round-1-home-stay-photo-fest.html">Round 1: Home stay photofest</a><br /><a href="http://theboyisnotamused.blogspot.com/2007/09/my-favourite-place-in-japan.html">日本で一番好きな場所 - My favourite place in Japan</a><br /><a href="http://theboyisnotamused.blogspot.com/2007/09/japanese-children.html">Japanese children 日本のお子供さん</a><br /><a href="http://theboyisnotamused.blogspot.com/2007/10/beautiful-scenery-of-japan.html">The beautiful scenery of Japan - 美しき日本景色</a><br /><a href="http://theboyisnotamused.blogspot.com/2007/11/awkward-moments.html">Awkward moments 気まずい瞬間</a><br /><a href="http://theboyisnotamused.blogspot.com/2007/11/they-arrived-finally.html">They arrived FINALLY!! ヤット届いたんだ!!</a><br /><a href="http://theboyisnotamused.blogspot.com/2007/12/friends.html">Friends!</a><br /><a href="http://theboyisnotamused.blogspot.com/2008/03/long-time-no-post-lost-letter.html">Long time no post: The lost letter 久しぶりにポスト!失われた手紙</a><br /><a href="http://theboyisnotamused.blogspot.com/2008/06/muslim-x-japan-x-2-weeks-xx.html">Muslim X Japan X 2 weeks ムスリムX日本X2週間</a><br /><a href="http://theboyisnotamused.blogspot.com/2008/08/one-free-day-in-tokyo.html">One free day in Tokyo</a><br /><a href="http://theboyisnotamused.blogspot.com/2008/08/coming-soonish-visit-to-hiroshima-peace.html">A visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park 広島平和記念公園の訪問</a><br /><a href="http://theboyisnotamused.blogspot.com/2008/08/playfulness.html">Playfulness ふざける事</a></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">それでは、</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZt5-EAqPKqOOR8L9HH6j1Mg9VuxWgd80ro8Y9ZftJu1-5aJW3fsEsLHaxBfTdni2GhAl8q7cMEJfm9P1L-u1UrPG8K7OfU2OB7Ey9a6IffYK06D4HVLO5vy3t9uwYok84YYg/s1600-h/Kokoro1.JPG"><img style="width: 40px; height: 40px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZt5-EAqPKqOOR8L9HH6j1Mg9VuxWgd80ro8Y9ZftJu1-5aJW3fsEsLHaxBfTdni2GhAl8q7cMEJfm9P1L-u1UrPG8K7OfU2OB7Ey9a6IffYK06D4HVLO5vy3t9uwYok84YYg/s200/Kokoro1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240078369882276850" border="0" /></a> </span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >を込めて終わります。</span>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-69363169359824393402008-08-26T22:56:00.005+03:002008-08-26T23:28:45.161+03:00Playfulness ふざける事<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Question:</span> What happens when you cross famous sights of Japan with plain silliness?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Answer:</span><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TtXUXu2l4cWTHdE9HXiS-iJPkH9UAL5pSDUe1f0q4NuCMHRcnr8p4-drZPVIiOyLET6UqPDW9FCnLcrh22pLa24BQLKKXUJ6B6AIlkvAdep-aV9TILDUbhyEg28aTtEOQU9p/s1600-h/asakusa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TtXUXu2l4cWTHdE9HXiS-iJPkH9UAL5pSDUe1f0q4NuCMHRcnr8p4-drZPVIiOyLET6UqPDW9FCnLcrh22pLa24BQLKKXUJ6B6AIlkvAdep-aV9TILDUbhyEg28aTtEOQU9p/s400/asakusa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238920516196309090" border="0" /></a>Asakusa<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOO5ppUPubYy89MtjktRZ7eibl6ay7xLOB4rU9dnYPT7O3QDYzf2rt3-vEeSHB5wWKLuPrZTgi4dPv-nkwhojVOTZQRFZSxfOC0qhxg1PLPz2AwpJlTOyGrsLlnn3UFxUhhFn/s1600-h/miyajima.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOO5ppUPubYy89MtjktRZ7eibl6ay7xLOB4rU9dnYPT7O3QDYzf2rt3-vEeSHB5wWKLuPrZTgi4dPv-nkwhojVOTZQRFZSxfOC0qhxg1PLPz2AwpJlTOyGrsLlnn3UFxUhhFn/s400/miyajima.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238920506412201634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Miyajima</span><br /></div>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-86185935522827985822008-08-26T14:02:00.023+03:002009-03-28T01:10:36.262+03:00A visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park - 広島平和記念公園の訪問<span style="font-family:arial;">One of the highlights of my trip was the visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. It was part of a three day trip to Kyoto, Hiroshima and the island of Miyajima.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Since it is a cultural educational program and since we're foreigners from various regions of the world, - some of which are war-torn - JF invited us to the Peace Memorial Park as a way to introduce and share with us the Japanese vision of peace, by showing us the hideous effects of war. Specifically, the Second World War and the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />The first thing that we encountered when we entered the park was the remains of the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall. This is the closest building to ground zero to remain standing. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Being around this building gave me a surreal feeling; it constantly reminded me that this beautiful peaceful park around me was the site of unspeakable horrors.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJU0dyFRO3KJhB4qVLadAWQQSfKNGEmf5MiEjGgDZZvOVgs3C4WvEe9mFrhpR6XgBNF72Q8JzMflQ_8NbD1DddajBIZLrfL4IRDSTdMTxbTAmQ3a7UepVpalX5KqhoU06Fx5Pc/s1600-h/dome.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238496164022792594" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJU0dyFRO3KJhB4qVLadAWQQSfKNGEmf5MiEjGgDZZvOVgs3C4WvEe9mFrhpR6XgBNF72Q8JzMflQ_8NbD1DddajBIZLrfL4IRDSTdMTxbTAmQ3a7UepVpalX5KqhoU06Fx5Pc/s400/dome.jpg" border="0" /></a>This is one tough building. The dome is replicated.<br /><br />More pictures of the building...<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: arial;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzxJlYC0pRwe3rV2YIxDyC6drxeNDLyJ7gRU4YTGyq4by7rtidMIOMX6rHcwjl4CCVIgYeOHTntfI0-Cb162lv-hBWFcP-L5TQ4xrzvFh57BLp_-68BhXnowJGKAz7-3tyVWrZ/s1600-h/dome2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238496167269220594" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzxJlYC0pRwe3rV2YIxDyC6drxeNDLyJ7gRU4YTGyq4by7rtidMIOMX6rHcwjl4CCVIgYeOHTntfI0-Cb162lv-hBWFcP-L5TQ4xrzvFh57BLp_-68BhXnowJGKAz7-3tyVWrZ/s400/dome2.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: arial;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKucCf084SA6geVYFX9Ral30Mm6ZuLEe4RiDV3Fb-TbGw-Jp2FwOwhZ0qvCGkldfsYdYd7Kz3LVslUy909VSRy9xxEj7hr_llPzb5cIP2sqTSKqrJtYOMB9GOepXA4Py4KeD3n/s1600-h/dome3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238496167099658530" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKucCf084SA6geVYFX9Ral30Mm6ZuLEe4RiDV3Fb-TbGw-Jp2FwOwhZ0qvCGkldfsYdYd7Kz3LVslUy909VSRy9xxEj7hr_llPzb5cIP2sqTSKqrJtYOMB9GOepXA4Py4KeD3n/s400/dome3.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: arial;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5BQRdcoJXlu5ZVXK6OcHVfIK2TsNSlhUAe7hdEEO5ezh6vpteroSso6JpMRAv9RPM6csXcP704mVdPXlq8kv9WR8_QP4ISYxxnuvHUdiRkwibxdA1LtZNCyYIeqOVpJW8wJN/s1600-h/dome4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238496171690456514" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5BQRdcoJXlu5ZVXK6OcHVfIK2TsNSlhUAe7hdEEO5ezh6vpteroSso6JpMRAv9RPM6csXcP704mVdPXlq8kv9WR8_QP4ISYxxnuvHUdiRkwibxdA1LtZNCyYIeqOVpJW8wJN/s400/dome4.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>We continued our walk along the beautiful peace memorial park...<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: arial;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8zn2FQPQEzZBw5beZ-2TvmkkMtE-cYHdYPw3FTAKX5KZ4fUVbQ7zp7iBoH6Ja1UP0DP4Cjl6V1p-CXBbytS0NlcTFcJqfwrJiNL8eqgnleh6WrsJZ1pYHs9SeG1vPnvJ56IY/s1600-h/trees.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238499517002353650" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8zn2FQPQEzZBw5beZ-2TvmkkMtE-cYHdYPw3FTAKX5KZ4fUVbQ7zp7iBoH6Ja1UP0DP4Cjl6V1p-CXBbytS0NlcTFcJqfwrJiNL8eqgnleh6WrsJZ1pYHs9SeG1vPnvJ56IY/s400/trees.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Look at the beautiful trees or big plants.<br /><br /></span><div style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">While we walked along the park, I noticed a few landmarks...<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMiSsqaYq5WIKyeDGEUN_pixux_LXz9WUqO8AJypJZpGQAoWXgJdLo1Jr9VQ2_37XwZoxwQAlToHkn0PNDHeXH39RzFBqKKrBHqOrw9ZKgRW4wmwxWeD0-cWX-YzmMBkdv_tV-/s1600-h/wakaranai.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238502703116805714" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMiSsqaYq5WIKyeDGEUN_pixux_LXz9WUqO8AJypJZpGQAoWXgJdLo1Jr9VQ2_37XwZoxwQAlToHkn0PNDHeXH39RzFBqKKrBHqOrw9ZKgRW4wmwxWeD0-cWX-YzmMBkdv_tV-/s400/wakaranai.jpg" border="0" /></a>Help. I can't read that. The only thing I can make out is 'kudasai'.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSULVxab-kU39yC7uha9hzV7n1UhThjXOia6rXIKsduxB4fZyAnmdOjwShUKI2VJdJcSv1h5R59OUNAjIm-AfXSgzInhiZLdIT492NM6soeR2I7yPo7MMebkgDjIVmIpei7WRr/s1600-h/zeromilestone.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238502705490862498" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSULVxab-kU39yC7uha9hzV7n1UhThjXOia6rXIKsduxB4fZyAnmdOjwShUKI2VJdJcSv1h5R59OUNAjIm-AfXSgzInhiZLdIT492NM6soeR2I7yPo7MMebkgDjIVmIpei7WRr/s400/zeromilestone.jpg" border="0" /></a>This is where they (used to?) measure distances<br />between Hiroshima and other places from.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzUr-F9ZkOAq5zc6PA4qPFL4gVXN59OmwVMihopxNvJs1IgUCgSryKaYvJUW3RsGmjh3J10GG7_qkExHawM1LRJ0zAQjjuRBr0UUF-FnkJNpA4ytDkr2tOQuXcVmtcztQU8AV/s1600-h/statue.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238499505363661986" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzUr-F9ZkOAq5zc6PA4qPFL4gVXN59OmwVMihopxNvJs1IgUCgSryKaYvJUW3RsGmjh3J10GG7_qkExHawM1LRJ0zAQjjuRBr0UUF-FnkJNpA4ytDkr2tOQuXcVmtcztQU8AV/s400/statue.jpg" border="0" /></a>I don't really know what this is.<br /></div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: arial;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3G9q8Y39boyudg-imnIgYuCB7r33aIiHfxENOH3wt2H6AML4XnhaJdJDI_nwq7zLKFFSs_cbjyr4w6zIcSp28_yZk0siA1d-wanCI5_GJ0_YUY7bs46snDxW2ac8ZrkKR0f2/s1600-h/statue2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238516599985014770" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3G9q8Y39boyudg-imnIgYuCB7r33aIiHfxENOH3wt2H6AML4XnhaJdJDI_nwq7zLKFFSs_cbjyr4w6zIcSp28_yZk0siA1d-wanCI5_GJ0_YUY7bs46snDxW2ac8ZrkKR0f2/s400/statue2.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> Or what this is.<br /><br /></span><div style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">Sometimes we just wandered off or the guide wasn't around to answer questions.<br /><br />While we passed by this river, the guide detailed to me how after the explosion people were running and jumping in the river because of the heat. I imagined the scene of people running towards the river and jumping in.. at that moment was the only thing on their minds wanting to feel cool? Or did they realize that it will be their resting place? Was the river even cool after the explosion and extreme heat wave which set things on fire? I looked down and imagined all those people's bodies at the bottom of the river.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: arial;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_kr-kt2qoXgtd8UmBgo9LWTrbuaE7v8NVWQ3CziIP6H95YUKYftNjoiD6XpQ7rJ75etdrBY0CAoJu9b7Z6RgvHfed2GKcKNStDlMIR9C4ilvdtEU5sti7khBFgt5H1mqoAHpI/s1600-h/river.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238498451078103714" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_kr-kt2qoXgtd8UmBgo9LWTrbuaE7v8NVWQ3CziIP6H95YUKYftNjoiD6XpQ7rJ75etdrBY0CAoJu9b7Z6RgvHfed2GKcKNStDlMIR9C4ilvdtEU5sti7khBFgt5H1mqoAHpI/s400/river.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Next we went to a very famous landmark. </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadako_Sasaki">Sadako</a><span style="font-family:arial;">.<br /><br /></span><div style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOrwAcKgYBZnz0G5kGswSVMwj_bT3i6KYQHxvfu3lNnq7aBW1OUVk-DVryIoRuQb85Bjj4ia7D97MoV8HxZr1jVQ3bbGekmg5aP74CwcJHlqH7TrTT9zog70vbTM2E_jahIY5/s1600-h/sadako1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238498456523532530" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOrwAcKgYBZnz0G5kGswSVMwj_bT3i6KYQHxvfu3lNnq7aBW1OUVk-DVryIoRuQb85Bjj4ia7D97MoV8HxZr1jVQ3bbGekmg5aP74CwcJHlqH7TrTT9zog70vbTM2E_jahIY5/s400/sadako1.jpg" border="0" /></a>Small children taking pictures under Sadako's statue.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjet3kEOmO4S-lrIja4Gmw5eE30_fyLfnjH6mSXVJFD2I6l5u6eGm2z-RYm09kh1u9TK-dHFHD4J1LlGXviEvSu9aFA2I7rs9j_shyphenhyphenXIIGOKSk2R6OIvIgGkBqcxMPfISGH2sf/s1600-h/sadaku2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238498466684762274" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjet3kEOmO4S-lrIja4Gmw5eE30_fyLfnjH6mSXVJFD2I6l5u6eGm2z-RYm09kh1u9TK-dHFHD4J1LlGXviEvSu9aFA2I7rs9j_shyphenhyphenXIIGOKSk2R6OIvIgGkBqcxMPfISGH2sf/s400/sadaku2.jpg" border="0" /></a>Big children taking pictures under Sadako's statue.<br /><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;">Now here's something interesting. This is one of those 'it's a small world' moments. Around this time last year, I was chatting with N-sensei about my trip, and I told her I'll be going to Hiroshima. She said that the writing engraved under Sadako's statue is her mother-in-law's shodou. She was a 15 years old when she wrote it. Her mother-in-law taught shodou in a high school and retired last year. Talk about bragging rights!<br /><br /></span><div style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEuwmxrNJDVioXyJS4X3FSWq1rea9RGSj3HKV5CP_-9s5lrN98XpabC3Bu8-c9xoZ0Soj3sXK_LlXJuwJolNUFj30iOJtA9_sov446k8ZzrYqF1NyE5kNHS30ja-edgaUdBTP/s1600-h/sadakonoshita.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238498463342887538" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEuwmxrNJDVioXyJS4X3FSWq1rea9RGSj3HKV5CP_-9s5lrN98XpabC3Bu8-c9xoZ0Soj3sXK_LlXJuwJolNUFj30iOJtA9_sov446k8ZzrYqF1NyE5kNHS30ja-edgaUdBTP/s400/sadakonoshita.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"> "This is our cry.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This is our prayer.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">For the establishment of peace in the world"</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Around Sadako's memorial thousands of paper cranes were displayed. Cranes of all sizes and colours.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: arial;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5F6sc57hGhTvHpVh92aloEPMCUEHOPwktc70FYx1UL4M5SkkPyUACev7qhgVvYVlywgp6L4jvyAcdXQlEUHPz7_ZznBuU3FRAhHLAn8HZdayMcI_Bz1ka5PhiiF8n61A7bTRI/s1600-h/tsuru2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238499524841102466" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5F6sc57hGhTvHpVh92aloEPMCUEHOPwktc70FYx1UL4M5SkkPyUACev7qhgVvYVlywgp6L4jvyAcdXQlEUHPz7_ZznBuU3FRAhHLAn8HZdayMcI_Bz1ka5PhiiF8n61A7bTRI/s400/tsuru2.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />And then we reached the A-bomb Museum. The Museum claims that it tries its best not to be biased and the underlying theme of the Museum is that the atomic bomb was not necessary to end the war. Here is where I learn some things I didn't know about the atomic bomb.<br /><br /></span><div style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBkSGSMgO26-pmnHZIztFij2u2c9S8Vit6OZnZ9CurFAx_DJ6TlOe-XgNxjBqNQP3RBH3FPaaxVRhWYpOkorza2wezJK1atEfcZWcSORnRYvKSm18MXisKf_enmuAVVf1FU2Q/s1600-h/britishinvolvement.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238495234877180802" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBkSGSMgO26-pmnHZIztFij2u2c9S8Vit6OZnZ9CurFAx_DJ6TlOe-XgNxjBqNQP3RBH3FPaaxVRhWYpOkorza2wezJK1atEfcZWcSORnRYvKSm18MXisKf_enmuAVVf1FU2Q/s400/britishinvolvement.jpg" border="0" /></a>Like Britain's involvement.<br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKDkb2RlSdJ3EPv5k1bxpsU2PkAWml2DABrvmq0agjROB8dPPL1VxFvaSZVV5mg2FdX9Nx8yy_EVSvgKHuYQgFAlZN7Nm6gWVBgSw66Io8Xae8TuwDT7Om4A8kUro3VebKagnp/s1600-h/otherreasons.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238497014842056514" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKDkb2RlSdJ3EPv5k1bxpsU2PkAWml2DABrvmq0agjROB8dPPL1VxFvaSZVV5mg2FdX9Nx8yy_EVSvgKHuYQgFAlZN7Nm6gWVBgSw66Io8Xae8TuwDT7Om4A8kUro3VebKagnp/s400/otherreasons.jpg" border="0" /></a>And the Soviets preparing to engage the Japanese.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrL2x4d1oX_hfZzc3Ico-GNeB-HZN_V1Rdxi1PrWJTs1F1gJE8SBiA4PO3wkGIH3uP2zkxZ3vMWK7EVBsH-bTtqJ9Sg2qJXcs_m7rMhOTSjVsuxvj_W6WAx8Kr2qFmtbbe__9m/s1600-h/nowarnings.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238497009106619106" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrL2x4d1oX_hfZzc3Ico-GNeB-HZN_V1Rdxi1PrWJTs1F1gJE8SBiA4PO3wkGIH3uP2zkxZ3vMWK7EVBsH-bTtqJ9Sg2qJXcs_m7rMhOTSjVsuxvj_W6WAx8Kr2qFmtbbe__9m/s400/nowarnings.jpg" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYx-rPtM-_G9cVIodmw6uGZQut8HLUBOcibIfVcM4QpG31388jGZTztKr3qsCRn0F8JUbIMmrLXKqVb8HJ1Cf8xEqwzYjjV-tnlJUL5E-cZl0XH0hzRwNa8TE-j_J-rD8WHqU4/s1600-h/potsdam.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238893109203810242" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYx-rPtM-_G9cVIodmw6uGZQut8HLUBOcibIfVcM4QpG31388jGZTztKr3qsCRn0F8JUbIMmrLXKqVb8HJ1Cf8xEqwzYjjV-tnlJUL5E-cZl0XH0hzRwNa8TE-j_J-rD8WHqU4/s400/potsdam.jpg" border="0" /></a>And that there was not any warning.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9q26N-zgb60t6OwBZ031wxNBB_9dzC_6-NE4dNI_esr4PL6loTEHVoAfRFw62jdsiVwlkK22SyrqnWxXg4CMsbrzS4eeOt68hyphenhyphenuS-p4UnTs4NhQ49EslJbnnIjdwqf5IV-u4P/s1600-h/bombtargets.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238495232818486274" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9q26N-zgb60t6OwBZ031wxNBB_9dzC_6-NE4dNI_esr4PL6loTEHVoAfRFw62jdsiVwlkK22SyrqnWxXg4CMsbrzS4eeOt68hyphenhyphenuS-p4UnTs4NhQ49EslJbnnIjdwqf5IV-u4P/s400/bombtargets.jpg" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1uZ0a5PjtXjMKZpUyhLxhapF4eu1mnyGdlosskfupV809G0kxKhVwdGWH8g4UohoQAXkhKfbxke3NvPPp2BQOC_9P-GHC5ihX4TxSUbw5FXK3zWEXl7NeF5QwSQDslMD9suqi/s1600-h/raidsprohibited.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238894929116084530" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1uZ0a5PjtXjMKZpUyhLxhapF4eu1mnyGdlosskfupV809G0kxKhVwdGWH8g4UohoQAXkhKfbxke3NvPPp2BQOC_9P-GHC5ihX4TxSUbw5FXK3zWEXl7NeF5QwSQDslMD9suqi/s400/raidsprohibited.jpg" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhe80HgXnLHdIID7VmHJUWssh4vTyiFihXkGvld6Xf3HdjAx78Xh739t9WJ47hgOaHGZsfEC7krcYx0-ZHipCGl5wizfWGflOUh-tg9Z68f2fbKq4inCKnHY9C8OotOaVtUa7/s1600-h/goodweather.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238894935125373986" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhe80HgXnLHdIID7VmHJUWssh4vTyiFihXkGvld6Xf3HdjAx78Xh739t9WJ47hgOaHGZsfEC7krcYx0-ZHipCGl5wizfWGflOUh-tg9Z68f2fbKq4inCKnHY9C8OotOaVtUa7/s400/goodweather.jpg" border="0" /></a>And how Hiroshima was chosen.<br /></div><br /><div style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsyhmsN0mqNpomkokm4MT09WNZ90lkttOrgzT2jEFyLJ7bd8cr7A0pm6-ce9TCsdHlYeJretJRBBPn-uNuBRWspinD9FkQyLOe4kc0VTt16NUfOqKMjPShOK8OIpN7Jhn7BC8/s1600-h/alittlefearful.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238495222551669458" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsyhmsN0mqNpomkokm4MT09WNZ90lkttOrgzT2jEFyLJ7bd8cr7A0pm6-ce9TCsdHlYeJretJRBBPn-uNuBRWspinD9FkQyLOe4kc0VTt16NUfOqKMjPShOK8OIpN7Jhn7BC8/s400/alittlefearful.jpg" border="0" /></a>Not the average thing to lose sleep over.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2MC3q68xa0SHX98jFHGL74rK9rGpBMk-6ClIN4WjRQwiq2mkwV7ToqDe6iDcS0mLqcroXYNZX1uDCKXmU49f1iaeItGLbP9HjZvI5hx0-Zo3w0knikGd_Mu363gbPoQCTrcc1/s1600-h/diary.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238496157689879026" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2MC3q68xa0SHX98jFHGL74rK9rGpBMk-6ClIN4WjRQwiq2mkwV7ToqDe6iDcS0mLqcroXYNZX1uDCKXmU49f1iaeItGLbP9HjZvI5hx0-Zo3w0knikGd_Mu363gbPoQCTrcc1/s400/diary.jpg" border="0" /></a>The culprit who wrote that.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5DAXw65z8HutnT6n-h5_AgB_p7_6ia53Szx5MIZxjc5gJrNr-nV2rfvkCw5zcWpvFixM4gtp2kMw_3dCXD6RRz7W2C72soozVYt_ZYCy_2d-Dp7E2swp_tL3THNFz3t1e4Lj/s1600-h/before.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238495228010951874" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5DAXw65z8HutnT6n-h5_AgB_p7_6ia53Szx5MIZxjc5gJrNr-nV2rfvkCw5zcWpvFixM4gtp2kMw_3dCXD6RRz7W2C72soozVYt_ZYCy_2d-Dp7E2swp_tL3THNFz3t1e4Lj/s400/before.jpg" border="0" /></a> Before the bombing<br /></div><br /><div style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMPG_SFQwULVEfIEnvfIeO1Dvdzafhkx1AjT3bNny7mkzHT_N9iJXhTqG3qp32L6pTx_4Y-TYlGh_Vxh-3-A8MzckmNBZlq0R_bLnvgv4g9PxKrJmxMZil7_yDCIqfZaX5THV2/s1600-h/after.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238495221531791106" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMPG_SFQwULVEfIEnvfIeO1Dvdzafhkx1AjT3bNny7mkzHT_N9iJXhTqG3qp32L6pTx_4Y-TYlGh_Vxh-3-A8MzckmNBZlq0R_bLnvgv4g9PxKrJmxMZil7_yDCIqfZaX5THV2/s400/after.jpg" border="0" /></a>After the bombing<br /></div><br /><div style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRYGdt2hYOeZMrOAHl7vG7HX_Gb92Q88digSF1UqIwP11L9DDhcEPIWQSSUG-XI9FwuT6pX7TVBKFXpMbdak1k1zEE50SBGai6x0AzHs2DLrsHt2FfzIozEJWlIBVj6gGAytYY/s1600-h/peacefest.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238497018678846642" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRYGdt2hYOeZMrOAHl7vG7HX_Gb92Q88digSF1UqIwP11L9DDhcEPIWQSSUG-XI9FwuT6pX7TVBKFXpMbdak1k1zEE50SBGai6x0AzHs2DLrsHt2FfzIozEJWlIBVj6gGAytYY/s400/peacefest.jpg" border="0" /></a>The first seeds of the Japanese people's peace efforts.<br /></div><br /><div style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkSpP8KGr7Tuyysx4xkv5DpJpDC3ZfSL3JBVwEhKIRx00abFS43xHe5XGQBEhd0jU-VsMbjezY_BtCmd1J8zplxknOLzGHMCnnPTb8C5qcqaCYdUpq3lXLux9PtaHGopkdJKz/s1600-h/koreanwar.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238497005712349666" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkSpP8KGr7Tuyysx4xkv5DpJpDC3ZfSL3JBVwEhKIRx00abFS43xHe5XGQBEhd0jU-VsMbjezY_BtCmd1J8zplxknOLzGHMCnnPTb8C5qcqaCYdUpq3lXLux9PtaHGopkdJKz/s400/koreanwar.jpg" border="0" /></a> Prohibition of the peace festival during the Korean war.<br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Sorry for the blurry pictures. I am bad at close-quarters shooting; I couldn't keep a steady hand. I took many other pictures also including the effects of the atomic bomb. I don't want to post them here because of their quality and also because they are sort of saddening and disturbing. Besides, you can research them on your own.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">One week later, during the Tokyo bus tour, I learned something unexpected and ironic. For all the attention the atomic bombing of Hiroshima gets one would think it was the most devastating raid in history. Apparently it was not!! The tour guide detailed to us why Tokyo is all-modern, unlike Kyoto which is a wonderful mix of old and new Japan: The </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_firebombing">Firebombings of Tokyo</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> which torched more than 30 kilometers of the city. The guide detailed how due to the heat, the 'fireproof' suits worn by citizens melted on their skin. She detailed how the raid was carried out, calling the Americans 'very smart'.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I deeply respect the Japanese peace efforts, especially those by the individuals and civil groups there. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">In the park there were peace activists who were victims of the atomic bomb.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> Even here: I met a JICA Jordan intern who left his work in the engineering field after 4 years to pursue 'Peace studies'. Truly admirable. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Alright. This ends the last detailed report about my Japan trip. Please expect some more light-hearted pictures and the closing post soon.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Salam..<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: arial;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyG_ypNVIZdDAqwmPp4BV_Q3FtvD0KX83AWyZlWdnKHWwj4GqirtFMTpb3KhyphenhyphendhLcwBOGCZgKidGjMBHOWYSIMHPd8OelU3bvBDhV6Oi7JOC_9dbDec1Jg-fgNBHp9X36zE2Ry/s1600-h/tsuru.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238499522794460754" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; cursor: pointer; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyG_ypNVIZdDAqwmPp4BV_Q3FtvD0KX83AWyZlWdnKHWwj4GqirtFMTpb3KhyphenhyphendhLcwBOGCZgKidGjMBHOWYSIMHPd8OelU3bvBDhV6Oi7JOC_9dbDec1Jg-fgNBHp9X36zE2Ry/s400/tsuru.jpg" border="0" /></a></div></div></div></div>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com120tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-19377425388307974522008-08-09T17:18:00.004+03:002008-08-22T20:33:41.679+03:00A reminder 思い出させるもの<span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki">On this day</a>, I would like to congratulate all those who graduated and all those who will graduate...</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CB4NE3IXk5OeuHR5U6UwBDftw2iB0nMGSX7u1pOieMrUZ0ilm9Nc8GjompDO_kj3-3qhGWscQ6SPRO7_7FsKi3ooWzmLHgC4nI5p6J-oMLQlieaxz6gnlTkrQ90lFTFl5TqF/s1600-h/Nagasakibomb2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CB4NE3IXk5OeuHR5U6UwBDftw2iB0nMGSX7u1pOieMrUZ0ilm9Nc8GjompDO_kj3-3qhGWscQ6SPRO7_7FsKi3ooWzmLHgC4nI5p6J-oMLQlieaxz6gnlTkrQ90lFTFl5TqF/s400/Nagasakibomb2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237350190124090258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Don't forget that, because you will be asked about what you did with the knowledge you acquired.<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 0);font-size:85%;" ><br /><span>Update: It was brought to my attention that this post can be misunderstood, so a clarification is in order. See comment #5. I also made the caption bigger in the picture, because some might have missed it.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span></div>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-43468430807126410812008-08-02T19:51:00.000+03:002008-12-10T22:23:13.825+02:00One free day in Tokyo<span style="font-family:arial;">Alright, this time it's about one free day in Tokyo. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">During our Tokyo trip, on the next day we were given the choice between an optional trip to some landmarks or 'one free day in Tokyo'. I went with the latter. I spent one free day in Tokyo with Saqf. It was Ramadan and I wanted to experience fasting in Tokyo (besides Saqf was fasting, so it would have been unkind to eat and drink infront of him, especially with the insane heat and humidity). So, at night I had suhur on the Tunamayonigiri that I bought with T-sensei.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />I woke up early, bid T-sensei 'bye-bye' and 'see you next week in Amman' and left to the station.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">I was supposed to meet Saqf in Ueno station at 9, but miscommunication happened and I ended up alone for a couple of hours. So, I figured I'd spend some time inside Ueno Park. Here are some pictures.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirbMAKSUHz5a_IJLKEGOiJUyoZV5WplpBqfELhyVv7p9X5qGwT-wx5aZIK3XNLHrxkL7L9Mnz4WSAzxtulm5NOgZ3Rjcdm4YS1mfXmINYxPg9o-ha874VDZtTzIhf5eHwsEDAw/s1600-h/station2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirbMAKSUHz5a_IJLKEGOiJUyoZV5WplpBqfELhyVv7p9X5qGwT-wx5aZIK3XNLHrxkL7L9Mnz4WSAzxtulm5NOgZ3Rjcdm4YS1mfXmINYxPg9o-ha874VDZtTzIhf5eHwsEDAw/s400/station2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229928975429691986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Ueno station: Pretty and huge from the inside..</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEnK74FR8xK3tHdmeyXQbcCOHNqFW5Oh6yyq82GMO2ma1Qr5fsB6tS1qvB6-__LtwmyqlZ4XyydwI8LnUDMi1pfZV4NF4f0TbO4fUxnDUoPfzIedXXRsZ4_75_0SgxFbK9qnH/s1600-h/station1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEnK74FR8xK3tHdmeyXQbcCOHNqFW5Oh6yyq82GMO2ma1Qr5fsB6tS1qvB6-__LtwmyqlZ4XyydwI8LnUDMi1pfZV4NF4f0TbO4fUxnDUoPfzIedXXRsZ4_75_0SgxFbK9qnH/s400/station1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229928970768955458" border="0" /></a>...small and normal from the outside.<br /><div style="text-align: left; font-family: arial;"><br />Here are a few landmarks in Uenopark:<br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjy8mWJnMkNFVVkre5_1bTsju2EWl6wHBuu_wIr2FrNSpooLyRUGNxwPdfqyWcKzka9Izj5ezOoWB0mQrbFELIEdDS-w_DbIXwTwjqdyGJrfJ57aUlTydTyfknltZBvnAivqC/s1600-h/statue.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjy8mWJnMkNFVVkre5_1bTsju2EWl6wHBuu_wIr2FrNSpooLyRUGNxwPdfqyWcKzka9Izj5ezOoWB0mQrbFELIEdDS-w_DbIXwTwjqdyGJrfJ57aUlTydTyfknltZBvnAivqC/s400/statue.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229930147904694242" border="0" /></a>This is a statue of some<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saigo_Takamori"> famous Samurai guy</a> who did seppaku to himself.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihiv-liscJ78HAHG8KwRf328QmFoWFS5eZWhWqWSnDpzVkG4y0QthuJK12WrfPZSK3_D2qY3zz3uiv9-NAASZ3DupCmNRcp4o3UFSfwO74FxZOcjmR9jVWF-fWioNmkq8mdPUu/s1600-h/tokiwasureji.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihiv-liscJ78HAHG8KwRf328QmFoWFS5eZWhWqWSnDpzVkG4y0QthuJK12WrfPZSK3_D2qY3zz3uiv9-NAASZ3DupCmNRcp4o3UFSfwO74FxZOcjmR9jVWF-fWioNmkq8mdPUu/s400/tokiwasureji.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229930156259724962" border="0" /></a>時忘れじの塔 <br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">This landmark looks peculiar, so I had to take a picture. I don't know the story behind it or what 'toki wasureji no tou' means. If someone other than google can tell me, please do.<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJhetRKsGL9uCT8pC1sTseCRHzl1fNytA6ZZ1xkNgk3gFOOuztlJgda6-c6gAA7z1DAZWhETJ48tmcuOT6jN8lTvyVJaFvV9tvYUq5-iPLx8gGl7AFsLZ4qi9rAmwCiIoNPWs/s1600-h/stonelanterns.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJhetRKsGL9uCT8pC1sTseCRHzl1fNytA6ZZ1xkNgk3gFOOuztlJgda6-c6gAA7z1DAZWhETJ48tmcuOT6jN8lTvyVJaFvV9tvYUq5-iPLx8gGl7AFsLZ4qi9rAmwCiIoNPWs/s400/stonelanterns.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229930147788149026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">And more stone lanterns! AARRGH!!</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />And the most famous landmark:<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr1YfvoHoYiKKEe7LtI7GGamNo5Kkhwuc08piQZJBztp2AElCyzlGBr1LFC8QBHXZRrSk36SleAPaWAQ-kwLjDHXJ2ZHUX51R1CGKkdkKW43tH_mrhAJO6rG9jcHbxi1pBaN3-/s1600-h/napsters.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr1YfvoHoYiKKEe7LtI7GGamNo5Kkhwuc08piQZJBztp2AElCyzlGBr1LFC8QBHXZRrSk36SleAPaWAQ-kwLjDHXJ2ZHUX51R1CGKkdkKW43tH_mrhAJO6rG9jcHbxi1pBaN3-/s400/napsters.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229927985888564178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">The bench.</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrjWDMw-xDoG3-bC4AXZ2XuZEqgpsKfyuYnLtlD6UGTFXnXzIbe_NflhWag3H9blADqKCOBSHEMyyV3zXv1oT7JR-ObBK4h8u83tRajP-lbZxcqsQxOcppRYfeIMCY6666cwG/s1600-h/westernart.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrjWDMw-xDoG3-bC4AXZ2XuZEqgpsKfyuYnLtlD6UGTFXnXzIbe_NflhWag3H9blADqKCOBSHEMyyV3zXv1oT7JR-ObBK4h8u83tRajP-lbZxcqsQxOcppRYfeIMCY6666cwG/s400/westernart.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229930159225537922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">This might or might not be the Museum of Western Art, I forgot.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Ueno park is huge and I actually did not plan out my visit to it. I only knew about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Science_Museum_of_Japan">National Science Museum</a> and that's what I went for. I did not know about the Zoo and other stuff that I still don't know about. I wanted to go there because my dad's friend told me that in the seventies he went to the national museum while in Japan and saw flat panel TVs. I was like "flat panel TVs in the seventies!" Maybe if I go there I can tell my children later about how I did time travel back in the 2000s!<br /><br />When I arrived at the museum, I didn't look carefully around and thought there was one entrance, and I saw people (mostly Japanese) lined up and paying to enter and there was all those banners about Aztec and Mayan exhibits. When I went in, sure enough it was an exhibit about Mayan and Aztec civilizations. So I stopped and thought "Why I am I inside a Mayan museum in JAPAN?!!" I was the only white guy there, this alone is testimony that I'm in the wrong place. So, I left the exhibit and although it was not allowed, I took one picture because it described my feelings perfectly at that moment:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1cDz3Y4y8ZYu6lvWw4F2kOQDoQ2zl7HH0Vgwy0Gn9sGzOkjk0x2uOMGHkeIJis5ggWGoUdrZJ75lI76Zd-xKbhasPKmQcXOAlzsWlqddpYNBBx7BhukSce-KayPA1Jv0AXtx/s1600-h/wrongplace.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1cDz3Y4y8ZYu6lvWw4F2kOQDoQ2zl7HH0Vgwy0Gn9sGzOkjk0x2uOMGHkeIJis5ggWGoUdrZJ75lI76Zd-xKbhasPKmQcXOAlzsWlqddpYNBBx7BhukSce-KayPA1Jv0AXtx/s400/wrongplace.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229930676937813090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />So I left the voodoo mumbo jumbo exhibit and went into the permanent exhibits in the upper floors. I saw lots of amazing stuff, but nothing about the future. Maybe the miraikan wasn't open in the seventies I thought to myself sighing. I should have gone to Odaiba instead and danced with Sony's Aibo or Honda's Asimo. :'( Instead I was stuck with these guys:<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQvs8Okl3HBeaxORwNGXj0zzKPhIec9KF3ZXZaU74Kx0b5smNGD1RpQC_DDRgk43tAVqgphmE4FcHkcuNIC5xuGXV-zuTKUCVK4PxQ2VUavDx6VER3AVoHdUNpiA9iYzbZMCG6/s1600-h/plane.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQvs8Okl3HBeaxORwNGXj0zzKPhIec9KF3ZXZaU74Kx0b5smNGD1RpQC_DDRgk43tAVqgphmE4FcHkcuNIC5xuGXV-zuTKUCVK4PxQ2VUavDx6VER3AVoHdUNpiA9iYzbZMCG6/s400/plane.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229927992537883986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Plane.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyCRoLez7BCgzFxiPZsOB0mqNpkdQlcg5ggpWr22Bj9ANOb3EkFKk6jDvqC2vdPLashb-wmOTKWO0m7ahiCwSbhPvvjwgzwc7lPDPKkII7keG7U4SgU8v3DSmaaxiC2xjn0WP/s1600-h/shuttle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyCRoLez7BCgzFxiPZsOB0mqNpkdQlcg5ggpWr22Bj9ANOb3EkFKk6jDvqC2vdPLashb-wmOTKWO0m7ahiCwSbhPvvjwgzwc7lPDPKkII7keG7U4SgU8v3DSmaaxiC2xjn0WP/s400/shuttle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229928968340158994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Shuttle.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;">How so last century and boring!! Annnyways...</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;">So then I met Saqf and we went around Tokyo. We went to many places actually and it was pretty fun. It's fun not to be alone, especially in Tokyo. We went to... let's see: Shibuya, Shinjuku, Shimokitazawa, Komaba and Setagaya, and so on.</span><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4EHjZossqAqaY75AqVcGPFpqgMCbneqGKFXCursfF1PDytoJp4BfTdHSUEy5rWDvBIM9OIeAY6qAjJe3VT3e6NABkPSEHrFqpVgfZ3550XrSvdBCTOIk9UU8bEJN4_pyaPqW/s1600-h/shibuya.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4EHjZossqAqaY75AqVcGPFpqgMCbneqGKFXCursfF1PDytoJp4BfTdHSUEy5rWDvBIM9OIeAY6qAjJe3VT3e6NABkPSEHrFqpVgfZ3550XrSvdBCTOIk9UU8bEJN4_pyaPqW/s400/shibuya.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229928001449730338" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:arial;">IF the internet is to be believed, this is the busiest<br />crossing in the world, busier than manhattan,<br />NY and Leister or Picadilli in London.</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I also went to Akihabara, which I forgot to mention above. I forgot to mention it due to lack of interest. I just wanted to see what's the fuss about. I'm not crazy about manga, anime, games or electronics (Saqf forced me to buy Zelda for the DS from Yodobashi though!). I also wanted to buy a denshi jisho, but failed.<br /><br />We then went to Komaba to rest somewhere. Komaba is on one of the sides of Tokyo university, so if you live there, chances are you are smart.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mLEOLDNZJUMQNgt8rp0WmHdve_c1r27wNHivvyKg9cirbclDxIRGgwm9htcMZnrB58mi00LH00hbZd0pf5YUnRpLyYLHNmZxfVKDLCfILVJM7GWrAoKz3-_5ph6W9qlbyRPN/s1600-h/room.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mLEOLDNZJUMQNgt8rp0WmHdve_c1r27wNHivvyKg9cirbclDxIRGgwm9htcMZnrB58mi00LH00hbZd0pf5YUnRpLyYLHNmZxfVKDLCfILVJM7GWrAoKz3-_5ph6W9qlbyRPN/s400/room.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229927997421250738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Can you guess what this place is?<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWyqsBtrcJHPE4vD6c8JyevQ2eZ4o6NYwGMOSPSoT8UKRjPBhw2PAtt4tuPHyMFkBHFyw4tUQSQl_obi09z-M3xQOmc_51mcQk3tXzHNEdFNsgkLK4EnWd0oCOFUaaB_A5g3BP/s1600-h/teashelf.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWyqsBtrcJHPE4vD6c8JyevQ2eZ4o6NYwGMOSPSoT8UKRjPBhw2PAtt4tuPHyMFkBHFyw4tUQSQl_obi09z-M3xQOmc_51mcQk3tXzHNEdFNsgkLK4EnWd0oCOFUaaB_A5g3BP/s400/teashelf.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229930149677848914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">If you are a Japanese language student and still can't </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">figure out this place, you fail miserably!</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; font-family: arial;">Right. So we rested for an hour from the crazy heat and humidity outside in Saqf-dono's quarters. This is a place far, far away from visual noise and crimes.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Then it was almost sunset, so we hurriedly went to Shinjuku, where Tokyo masjid is, and we prayed maghreb jama'a there. It was really a refreshing moment for me. First time to go into a masjid since coming to Japan (10 days plus).<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihZWa9R9cA8QYL3ajORUGrXHgPxNTQ_iMy-KLnDazeIlUPTPC0ZMiVs8kWb6VZbenWUJFDFVpaLW4PtUXNPyADNziB-Obs1MKtw7jKUsCWoNTHX8Jx69MDECx0H-NBuc1hyphenhyphenLvF/s1600-h/jamitokyo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihZWa9R9cA8QYL3ajORUGrXHgPxNTQ_iMy-KLnDazeIlUPTPC0ZMiVs8kWb6VZbenWUJFDFVpaLW4PtUXNPyADNziB-Obs1MKtw7jKUsCWoNTHX8Jx69MDECx0H-NBuc1hyphenhyphenLvF/s400/jamitokyo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229926941384580242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">I couldn't take a good picture. The trees were in the way.</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />After the [much needed] spiritual power-up, we headed to Setagaya-ku, to have iftar in Islamic Center Japan. During Ramadan, there was a free iftar every Sunday. How nice and community-like! Actually, I didn't go there only for Iftar. I was planning to go there from the start and insisted on going there. During the trip, i wanted to learn about life in Japan. In addition to that, I had a special interest where our cultures intersect. I was interested in Islam in Japan and how Muslims (Japanese or non-Japanese) live there.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlSt3MOo58oQNmrhLzugG41nmXq4ADg5itt2M-4wIqFi68BaBbMCvz4k8nwv_Yw1MMRwggZgGVLzUwnl2LXdB3JRb3aZCOZ8kzg6ZhYCQnEGW5maSMHDJjNtbESreYYH1jko9/s1600-h/islamiccenterfront.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlSt3MOo58oQNmrhLzugG41nmXq4ADg5itt2M-4wIqFi68BaBbMCvz4k8nwv_Yw1MMRwggZgGVLzUwnl2LXdB3JRb3aZCOZ8kzg6ZhYCQnEGW5maSMHDJjNtbESreYYH1jko9/s400/islamiccenterfront.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229926937133028626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">This is the entrance to the Islamic Center Japan.</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhllVuvMz-czZPwaOKG5reGG4bp0AMeVl-L-NVkHq7eJ0gxzdZ0Y-FzCELEVT7Sdge6BEn65SbQbAjxib-KbCeUyIGeQ1k5mqu4_x-YaJhqvc5CcwuZJVLUU2AKd8HHYiwmw0Y8/s1600-h/floors.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhllVuvMz-czZPwaOKG5reGG4bp0AMeVl-L-NVkHq7eJ0gxzdZ0Y-FzCELEVT7Sdge6BEn65SbQbAjxib-KbCeUyIGeQ1k5mqu4_x-YaJhqvc5CcwuZJVLUU2AKd8HHYiwmw0Y8/s400/floors.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229926928890010386" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The Center itself is a shadow of what it used to be. It looks old and rugged inside and out. The reason is the so-called 'war on terror'; I was told there that the Islamic Center was once 40 full-timers strong, now those who stayed are there on a part-time best-effort basis, because they stopped receiving grants and donations after September 11th, because everybody was afraid of becoming suspicious and black-listed. The ICJ guys told me that ICJ didn't receive cash donations since 9/11 and they're spending from their personal pockets. This is all in spite of the good relations the Islamic Center enjoys with the Japanese government and press. While I was there, there was actually a reporter from <a href="http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/">Yomiuri shimbun</a> interviewing the cook.<br /><br />Anyways, when we went in, we were lead to the prayer room where the food was placed on sheets on the floor.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCs43SFBUOZzRf3-svFpiozhq3RpTZ-DwsS5vfQ9SzFLpHXXhgLnMX8bWU3Yrey-LRtYyih-F_8NAr71Yp-ToDrZzZwNSKod1x3-JB6LU28g-KloBnwdfhMk5Z_z17O0jHP1y3/s1600-h/islamiccenter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCs43SFBUOZzRf3-svFpiozhq3RpTZ-DwsS5vfQ9SzFLpHXXhgLnMX8bWU3Yrey-LRtYyih-F_8NAr71Yp-ToDrZzZwNSKod1x3-JB6LU28g-KloBnwdfhMk5Z_z17O0jHP1y3/s400/islamiccenter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229926940186849010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Saqf putting the yummy in the tummy after a good day's fasting!</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDp0bJFsY1peZ5_MAia1SiUYIrfNteva5ULwblab1ZzkmwaFTMk4PS2zEHani95NaGbIDu459Q3QNfa09B9hJ6Mhx3rJJg7qOPjHMs4wx4NWdCVQ4cdW0Y_lohcgJKdcmrVg6/s1600-h/donor.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDp0bJFsY1peZ5_MAia1SiUYIrfNteva5ULwblab1ZzkmwaFTMk4PS2zEHani95NaGbIDu459Q3QNfa09B9hJ6Mhx3rJJg7qOPjHMs4wx4NWdCVQ4cdW0Y_lohcgJKdcmrVg6/s400/donor.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229927983710065602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Not only did you have me born in you </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">but now you're feeding me halal meat in Tokyo.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Thank you Kuwait, I love you.</span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;">The food had red meat. I'm really picky when it comes to red meat. If you see me eating red meat, you will really hate me. But at the time I was so hungry that red and white looked all the same to me. I was eating like the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk9l6fyxcBE">cookie monster</a> himself and the f.. ..ooood was delicious!!<br /><br />So, after the food, I talked a little with ICJ people before taraweeh prayers and they gave me some books and materials (such as the books I talked about <a href="http://theboyisnotamused.blogspot.com/2007/11/they-arrived-finally.html">here</a>).<br /><br />After Iftar, we went to Shimokitazawa, which was by far my favourite place in Tokyo. It is packed full of all kinds of shops and full of young people everywhere. We walked around a lot and shopped at the local <a href="http://www.muji.net/">Muji</a> there and we played taiko no tatsujin in a small game center on the street (awesome, awesome music game). But the best part was a shop called 'Village Vanguard' which is full of mostly Japanese (and some western) popular culture items such as books, manga, clothes and accessories. You'll find all kinds of popular stuff and obscure and geeky stuff there. I got me a kinoko lamp and a mario bros. bonus towel. I also found stuff I was looking for all over Osaka and Tokyo: 8-bit video game motif'd T-shirts</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> (Pacman, Space Invaders, Mario bros. etc)</span><span style="font-family:arial;">! But they were all small sizes :( I advice everybody to go there if they find the chance. It's a pleasure just walking around and looking at the things on sale.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5tK8pvy2l8Q8bwld9HkNfkihRgO0Q-zuHjYVKWU-bM9jk8SbdLbWG3afCCKccRbKWVjzpVfbWiR6iqsVFmtMuBpfBfIT01CTE6YdF8btyLDRf915qqr7t7ghEHl0kSc8qrcy/s1600-h/shisha.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5tK8pvy2l8Q8bwld9HkNfkihRgO0Q-zuHjYVKWU-bM9jk8SbdLbWG3afCCKccRbKWVjzpVfbWiR6iqsVFmtMuBpfBfIT01CTE6YdF8btyLDRf915qqr7t7ghEHl0kSc8qrcy/s400/shisha.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229928958347512930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Hora! Argeelah in Shimokitazawa. </span></span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Why do they always take these things from our culture? Argeelah, belly dancing, etc.. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Why don't they take the nice, healthy, meaningful stuff? </span><br /><br /></div></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJG4A5yACvISvbEy6kYxFUjd5oL6WqKxbOv5I9REzFqN34qwD9nd8mX17cJ9CwICgsavQvDQhCH8TSbie4LF5nUYwvnKz7edj0L0CtZJu54qrScPGYoYYjl8t0vnAz6PMK88ZM/s1600-h/shishamenu.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJG4A5yACvISvbEy6kYxFUjd5oL6WqKxbOv5I9REzFqN34qwD9nd8mX17cJ9CwICgsavQvDQhCH8TSbie4LF5nUYwvnKz7edj0L0CtZJu54qrScPGYoYYjl8t0vnAz6PMK88ZM/s400/shishamenu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229928961733415106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Closer look at the argeela flavors available.<br />Cola? Banana? HONEY? No thanks!<br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;">That's all about my 'one free day in Tokyo'. The Tokyo trip was actually three days and we went to Tokyo tower, Asakusa and the Edo Tokyo museum. But I wanted to focus on this one fun day.<br /><br />Thank you a lot Saqf-dono for taking me around Tokyo. I had a great time.<br /><br />Next and last time: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (or "Where all the poor jordanian souls stuck in Tokyo didn't go!")<br /></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-53711909885178415622008-07-02T04:25:00.000+03:002008-07-02T12:58:36.557+03:00It's been five years! 日本語勉強開始5年記念<span style="font-family:arial;">I just noticed that the summer semester in JU started. Five years ago around the same time I took my first lesson in Japanese.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Five years is a lot of things happening; a lot of things that I wouldn't have experienced if I didn't start studying the language. Whenever I think about all this, I involuntarily take a deep breath...</span><br /><div style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/samer.abbas/SGtJrmmzQGI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/VaUW2_Fw4o0/J101summer2003.jpg?imgmax=576"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/samer.abbas/SGtJrmmzQGI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/VaUW2_Fw4o0/J101summer2003.jpg?imgmax=576" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(192, 192, 192);font-size:85%;" >Japanese 101 class - Summer 2003</span><br /></div><br /><div align="left">Lots of memories. Lots of feelings. Lots of things changed. Lots of stories to tell, both about my personal experience learning the language and about the progress of Japanese education in Jordan. I really don't know what to mention or where to start. For being one of the old-timer, higher level students, I feel I have bragging rights, but at the same time I feel very disappointed in my language level after 5 years. Lately it's also kind of boring because most of the faces I was used to are now spread out in other countries. When I visit JICA (or JAAJ now) or go to gatherings (like sensei farewells) I barely recognize anybody. But enough about that.<br /><br />I want to say one thing to all the senseis that taught me until now, especially K-sensei and T-sensei: <span style="font-style: italic;">Thank you very much</span> for your effort, time and support. Without your support, progressing would have been really difficult, if not downright impossible.<br /><br />I'm really busy with work and other things these days, but I hope that before the next five years are over, that I really master Japanese (spoken, written, casual and polite).<br /><br />これからも、頑張らせてください :) </div></div>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-23911081422048591762008-06-22T19:19:00.000+03:002008-06-23T22:30:00.688+03:00[not so] important announcement:<span style="font-family:arial;">In this completely unrelated and pointless post, I would like to announce that I am now in the outskirts of London. Specifically, </span><a href="http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/savillcourt/index.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;">here.</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">A nice redbrick building surrounded by greenery in the middle of nowhere. As my boss (who I'm traveling with) put it "It's nice. We'll be bored to death, but it's nice."</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But this is not important. What is important is that with my arrival to London, I have officially completed the "hotel reception world clock cities" collection. That is, when I return to Amman, I will have visited the three most featured cities in the world clocks behind hotel reception desks!</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I'm talking about New York, Tokyo and London, of-course! <span style="font-size:85%;">(sorry Paris, you are disqualified)</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">All at the little age of 2#!!</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I went to New York in 2000, but Tokyo was especially tricky. It took me four years of studying Japanese and two sempais to reach it. And I learned something very helpful: If you wait long enough and keep trying, eventually you will run out of rivals and hopefully you might win.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">I think I will write two more posts about the Japan trip and then pull the plug on this blog. Next will be about 'one free day in Tokyo'. Just you wait!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">dewa, cheers mate.</span>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-38321393393605965072008-06-06T18:57:00.001+03:002008-12-10T22:23:16.074+02:00Muslim X Japan X 2 weeks ムスリムX日本X2週間<span style="font-family:arial;">Just as the title says, this post is about my thoughts and feelings, as a Muslim, on two weeks in Japan.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Two clarifications first:</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />- Although it was an intense program and I tried to '<span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">take in</span>' as much I could, two weeks are just <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">too short</span>. So, while I speak my observations, I understand that I might be off somewhere. You too, please understand this.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">- By saying "as a Muslim" here, I mean a Muslim who puts Islam in front of him/her and not on the side; a Muslim who constantly tries to learn about and abide by Islam's teachings to the best of his/her effort.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">With this out of the way, be warned that this is a very, very long post and prepare for a detailed, frank and unapologetic report (with pictures!).<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;color:#ffff99;" >On the way to Japan</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,153)"> </span><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">After all the urgency and stress of preparation for travel, I finally stepped into the plane and took my seat. For me this was the beginning, and I found myself thinking, just like I did on the bus seat on my way to Madina and Makkah 3 years ago, what will this trip hold for me? Will I be better off after it or worse? or will I just return without gaining anything? So, during the flight, I kept hoping and asking God just a small request: That I return a better, even if a little better, person than when I left. That I come back with more understanding and useful knowledge; just like I asked Him on my way to Madina.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I will first get the basics out of the way and then talk about the more important stuff.</span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,153);font-family:arial;" ><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Hygiene</span></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,153)"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />The west always trumpets hygiene as something very important, and yet for some reason, in the two times I went to the US, I did not find any toilet with a flusher. Don't they use water?! I don't know, but I had a very difficult time because as someone who prays frequently during the day, I need water for me and all my clothes to stay clean at all times.<br /><br />In Japan on the other hand, using toilets was, I'll venture to say, <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">delightful</span>. Unlike America, they use water and the toilets they design are super convenient. As a product design enthusiast, I think that the large variety of 'toilet solutions' is worthy of a seperate post, but unfortunately, I did not take pictures and without pictures it will need too many words to describe. In short, the toilets had all sorts of things to ensure that you and the toilet are clean before and after you use it. whether it is sterilizing wipes, flushable paper seats (wonderful idea that works perfectly) and so on. Japanese toilets are also designed to save precious water. In the high tech electronic toilets, there are sensors around almost every water outlet to ensure that no water is wasted or spilled on the floor. In some of the lesser tech toilets, when you flush the urinal, the refill water flows externally from a faucet on a small basen above the flush water container, meaning that in addition to using it for filling the water container, it can also be used for washing. Again, <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">delightful</span>.<br /><br />Very clean and very environmentally friendly. Two things that are very important to a Muslim.<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,153)">Food</span></span></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,153)"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />The story with food isn't as nice. As you all probably know, a Muslim's diet should not include any alcohol or products from pigs, be it pork, lard or gelatin. We also can only eat Halal meat. Halal meat means two inseperable things: First, the livestock should be slaughtered from its neck, not electricuted, suffocated or drowned to death, etc. Second, it has to be slaughtered either by a Muslim, Christian or Jew. All livestock meats that don't meet these two conditions are not halal.<br /><br />At first, I thought that things would be easy because I like Japanese food and they use a lot of veggies and fish. But it wasn't that simple, because a lot and I mean <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-STYLE: italic">A LOT</span>, of products include pork products and alcohol. It appeared to me that they put pork and/or alcohol in almost everything. A lot of bentou shops put nihonshu in sushi and onigiri rice. Once, in a combini, I thought to myself "hmmm, I didn't try chips in Japan" so I took a fish/shrimp flavoured chips from the shelf and turned the pack around to find 豚を含む (includes pork) in the back, I put it back and rushed outside the combini without buying anything. "Even in SHRIMP chips!!" I thought to myself as I returned.<br /><br />During homestay, when we were in Kappazushi, a beef sushi passed away on the conveyor belt and, as a joke, I lowered my head on my hands and said whiningly "美味しそうだったのに" ("but it looked so yummy :(") and this cracked up homestay mom. Hehe. Homestay dad's reaction was to hold the next beef sushi and give it to me and I refused, of-course.<br /><br />That is not to say I didn't enjoy the food. I loved many dishes, including Kitsune Udon and I recommend it to everybody. I also tried a rice with salmon eggs and other stuff at "ザ・ドン" and recommend it. Many tasty stuff, but I had to be careful and trust my Japanese friends at the same time. It was very awkward for me sometimes when I asked them about what a dish infront of me is, they think I'm checking for pork and alcohol and they say "大丈夫、大丈夫" (It's alright), when I'm only asking to know what the dish's name is or ask about a new ingredient I never saw before.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRXWEUt42e7Bgclhc0RgdKmoQ9-W6r_SFYAc86jCPge0BpUOglfEwTbhn5xGfK4hXZrBs5O-St8qHuyx1WKnN8j-wGjSZX7eXFP9uaDajittxkzrXk3Xc4-nG6gINHytiQJvzt/s1600-h/whatthehell.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206309897353148210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRXWEUt42e7Bgclhc0RgdKmoQ9-W6r_SFYAc86jCPge0BpUOglfEwTbhn5xGfK4hXZrBs5O-St8qHuyx1WKnN8j-wGjSZX7eXFP9uaDajittxkzrXk3Xc4-nG6gINHytiQJvzt/s400/whatthehell.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Introducing the '</span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic;font-family:arial;" >What the HELL is this</span><span style="font-family:arial;">' look<span style="font-size:78%;">(tm)</span>.</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />In Jordan, on S-sensei's birthday, I ate a really tasty sweet sembe called 'yuki no yado'. It was so tasty in fact that I was planning to bring loads of it back with me from Japan. So before I went to Japan I checked it on the Internet and I found that it had gelatin. When I arrived to Japan I called Sanko Seika (the company that makes it) many times to check what kind of gelatin it had in it and finally got the answer "豚の肌" (from pig's skin)..<br /><br />Halal meat is particularly an issue. With the exception of Tokyo, finding halal meat anywhere in Japan is very difficult. There are companies offering halal meat with shipping services but because of limited demand and freshness issues, I guess.. They are expensive. Fortunately for me, the JF cafeteria offered halal meals every day. Unfortunately for me, since anybody can buy the halal meals, they finished fast. Really. I rarely ate halal meat in the cafeteria, but no worries. When I returned to Jordan I compensated for those two weeks.<br /><br />And now here's something very amusing to me:<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Uj0eEQ_VR6Zz-RfDX5MqAcu4pzg996s9PMcZ-lgpjZWchzwKFOoAVgVdYntjJCsTCU-J5kQmhqe4bZxoZL7cjh_Smas_4XQAwIF77SPB9XqIiCUGMnC_Rca8Dri1c9tnrqa9/s1600-h/Mcpork.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206180631722440450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Uj0eEQ_VR6Zz-RfDX5MqAcu4pzg996s9PMcZ-lgpjZWchzwKFOoAVgVdYntjJCsTCU-J5kQmhqe4bZxoZL7cjh_Smas_4XQAwIF77SPB9XqIiCUGMnC_Rca8Dri1c9tnrqa9/s400/Mcpork.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">美味しそうぅ~・・・ ジャナイ!!<br />Looks so very not yummy!!<br /></span></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />A few years back, I heard that Mcdonalds in the UK was preparing halal foods, and the initiative was unofficially referred to as "McHalal". If so, then this must be "McHaram"!!</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,153)">Prayer and worship</span><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Again, since I was constantly travelling for two weeks, prayer was not much of an issue for me. When travelling, a Muslim can shorten and group the five prayers into three. I had a compass and a praying carpet at all times. The Kansai center also had two rooms fully dedicated for praying (for males and for females).<br /><br />You know, I read on the Internet that some workplaces in Japan give Muslims hard time because they pray and fast during work hours, but this might be the usual press reporting extreme cases. I heard from friends there that they don't have any problem and that they are given complete religious freedom and that Japanese people helped them and escorted them.<br /><br />I for one had a great experience with the Kansai center, especially since Ramadan started while I was there. They had special preparations for Ramadan with the cafeteria changing closing hours to give Muslims time to eat after sunset and they prepared take away 'suhur' meals everyday. They also held a brief meeting with Muslims to explain the special changes for Ramadan. Basically, they did everything they could to help us, short from spoon feeding us.<br /><br />I fondly remember sitting in the center's cafeteria, waiting for the sun to set over the ocean beyond Rinkuu town's shoreline to start iftar after we returned from the hiroshima/kyoto trip.<br /></span><br /><br /></span></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoU4J44k44_WMEnFWBJPktCRd2E-zmtHNTFrY_ZUmyMDmW7dV6JCBNBDFLdAToNX2hLgQ_gpM0Cf6Lrn_NBdSwedwkConlZ0OlM_4BM8xzNo54AnCWewJBahyVm4IJkJPCRQ1v/s1600-h/kobe+mosque.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206561032680879938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoU4J44k44_WMEnFWBJPktCRd2E-zmtHNTFrY_ZUmyMDmW7dV6JCBNBDFLdAToNX2hLgQ_gpM0Cf6Lrn_NBdSwedwkConlZ0OlM_4BM8xzNo54AnCWewJBahyVm4IJkJPCRQ1v/s400/kobe+mosque.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Kobe Mosque, the oldest (but not first) masjid in Japan.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Picture taken for me by my friend from Osaka</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">As for living anywhere outside Tokyo, I'd imagine it would be difficult. The Muslim community in Japan is small and dispersed, so outside Tokyo, there are few mosques and it would be difficult to go to group prayers like Jumua (Friday prayers). For example, the closest mosque I knew of in Osaka was in Ibaraki, which was around 1 hour away from where I was staying (Rinkuu town).<br /></span><br /></span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-family:arial;color:#ffff99;" >Life and the environment</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,153)"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Everywhere around you, you will see respect for life and nature.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> The city planning is great and almost everywhere the streets are clean. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">I say 'almost' because I happened upon a heavily littered street in Rinkuu town and heard from other program participants about some poor and dirty districts they saw in Osaka. Anyways, let's forget about this, shall we?<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">In many places provisions are made for the handicapped, especially the blind. In the pedestrian walkways and train platforms, sections of the ground are specially paved for the blind. And there is a recorded announcer and brail on buttons in elevators and some cars even speak when they are about to turn left or right.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNETlKLCgYmZ_HTTqrvpa_ApG766zBx-yTodkivFdIznE20MOQdI9FtpZmcW76wUZORpaZubfHQy1oChm3dKz0cFEvH9fg1Y7rW82t62lF7w1p3ZcD_Fvxb7n3sLqzuSayzpAt/s1600-h/convincer.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208447429190918354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNETlKLCgYmZ_HTTqrvpa_ApG766zBx-yTodkivFdIznE20MOQdI9FtpZmcW76wUZORpaZubfHQy1oChm3dKz0cFEvH9fg1Y7rW82t62lF7w1p3ZcD_Fvxb7n3sLqzuSayzpAt/s400/convincer.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">I guess this guy's job is to convince you to buckle up your seatbelt.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><br />(psst, am I the only one who finds this highly amusing?)</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />I remembered a silly thing: I always used to make fun of the elevator in the center which keeps saying "~階です" "ドアが閉まります" "ドアが開きます".. I would continue "人が入ります" "人が出かけます" and extend to other stuff "人が寝ます" "車が動きます".. I said this to my Japanese friend in Osaka and he said "this is not a joke by the way, some cars do speak when they move". And then I gave him the blank stupid look (Those who know me know what I'm talking about).<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGzly-YtwoDxuFv7B1UJJMkoBTxR9K4erYd7Q_QHq6oaLAweTA-jrtECz6VIk3_iV5rAKT4agVXFBjnoka5Mc-YeLE8pPQfaD5JRc1_aDtIs4hBsXH-PViclABFS967xVJBIH/s1600-h/vending-machine+for+disabled.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206219844773852946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGzly-YtwoDxuFv7B1UJJMkoBTxR9K4erYd7Q_QHq6oaLAweTA-jrtECz6VIk3_iV5rAKT4agVXFBjnoka5Mc-YeLE8pPQfaD5JRc1_aDtIs4hBsXH-PViclABFS967xVJBIH/s400/vending-machine+for+disabled.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Vending machine for the disabled (Nanba station, Osaka)</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />There is also an elaborate recycling system in place (that can be confusing sometimes). Really, there is nothing overlooked when it comes to the environment.<br /><br />On top of the natural beauty given to Japan, being a wealthy country, it not only looks after the environment, but also decorates it and makes it more beautiful. Check out <a href="http://saqf.vox.com/">Saqf-dono's blog</a> for more about visual Japan.<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJq34bqjmAljHlhj7533kIOOQ8stCYTW1PlBLCYt8-ccBa2IsOh3i2kyRil4h6mHABrzyJYbNp0dlK0P6JLYISG7WBO4CpN33kiEnHFyzOdpCcnrzaxYYc05LoAypVkCzRblT/s1600-h/manhole.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206309893058180898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJq34bqjmAljHlhj7533kIOOQ8stCYTW1PlBLCYt8-ccBa2IsOh3i2kyRil4h6mHABrzyJYbNp0dlK0P6JLYISG7WBO4CpN33kiEnHFyzOdpCcnrzaxYYc05LoAypVkCzRblT/s400/manhole.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">美しさはマンホールまで.. (上野公園、東京)</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Beauty to the last manhole (Ueno park, Tokyo)</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">When I see all these right things being done, and I see almost none of them being done in my country, I keep asking "why?" Why don't we also do so? Why don't we do so when we have divine orders telling us to respect life and the environment?..<br /><br />A rhetorical 'why' that is, because I know the reasons very well.<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,153)">The people</span></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">This is bumpy territory, because of all the subjects I talk about here, this is the only one that can read what I'm saying about it!<br /><br />When I first went into the plane in Amman, everything was normal, but when I was checking in on the JAL plane in Bangkok, I was like "damn, this is the real thing!". Everybody around me was Japanese. This is the first time I was surrounded by this much Japanese people and being alone I felt like an absolute stranger!<br /><br />So, about the people in Japan. I noticed many things, somethings I liked and others I didn't. The first most important lesson I learned was that my conception of Japanese people was <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">ways off</span>. In my head, I split them to traditional Japanese and Japanese who acquired western traits (I used words like 普通の日本人 and 本物の日本人) but when I went there and met lots of Japanese people, I realized that it's very erroneous to hold the concept of ordinary Japanese in my mind; everyone is different than the other and I really can't simplify and have expectations, especially if I want to avoid mistakes and impoliteness.<br /><br />You don't need to go to Japan to know that Japanese people are polite and hardworking. Other things I noticed only there from meeting everyday people, is that they are highly educated and highly organized. Where else would you meet a person at random in the station and he'd tell you the capital city names of your group's countries? When I was in the US, I'd say Jordan and they'd go "Michael Jordan has a country?! The guy's damn rich!!".<br /><br />Once I was in a combini and a bunch of rugged dusty girls (wearing what looked to me like pajamas) riding rugged dusty motorcycles entered into the store. If you saw them you'd think they're unrefined, vulgar, uneducated, etc.. I personally was intimidated because I didn't see anything like this ever before. Anyways, one of them asked me where I was from and I was sure she wouldn't know Jordan, so, fingers crossed that she might not even know that, I said "中東" (Middle East) to which she replied "イランとか" (Like Iran and such) and I point my finger at her in surprise and let out "そうそうそう!" (Right on!). If I said Jordan she would have probably known it.<br /><br />And about their organization, one example is homestay dad: on farewell day he gave me a paper with a table detailing every place we went to and at what times we went there and what I ate. Maybe JF requested this, but that's still freaky if you ask me.<br /><br />One thing important to me as a foreigner, is how much the Japanese would be understanding of our differences. I had a general idea that they are respectful of such things and they respect a person's believes and convictions.<br /><br />Sure enough, I didn't have trouble explaining to my friends there things like I can't drink or sit down with people drinking and they respected that (but those are mostly people who already spent a considerable amount of time in Jordan). Other people, like the JF cafeteria staff and teachers were very graceful about it (but again JF's job is cultural exchange). Homestay mom's reaction was unique. Everytime she saw me checking the ingredients and politely refusing some stuff she offered, she would be impressed and say stuff like 偉い (you're great). </span><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />I actually had a very bad experience with one Japanese person who didn't respect our different customs and cultures but I don't want to mention this here. I will just say that I understand that this person is the exception, and not the rule, but that it left a very bad taste in my mouth and was perhaps the only low point of my entire trip.<br /><br />One thing in particular that I didn't like, especially when I was walking in the streets, was that I didn't feel warmth in the people around me and I didn't feel liveliness. I don't know why I felt this. Could it be because I was in a completely different country and I couldn't properly read the faces? Maybe a Japanese person would feel the same way in his first weeks in the streets of Amman? I don't really know and I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but what I know is that many times while I was walking in Osaka, I felt a strong urge to leave the open and just return to my room in the center. I also really missed the angry drivers who would shout at me "احلق لحتك ياشيخ" "shave your beard, sheikh!" if I made a mistake or something they didn't like while driving. Now those guys were lively!<br /><br />I felt that everybody was composed and minding his/her own business and that relationships were difficult in Japan. In the last session of the program, the teacher said stuff that made me think that my feelings were spot on..<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,153)">Lifestyles</span><br /></span>Many of us in Jordan have quite unhealthy lifestyles. We eat a lot. We eat unhealthy food. We don't do regular exercises. Many of us have a Pepsi belly (the Arabic equivalent of a 'beer belly'?). Most of us don't read books outside of school textbooks and so on. Most of us spend all our free time unproductively. If you're from Jordan, chances are that atleast two of these sentences describe you.<br /><br />This actually doesn't only apply to Japan. If you go to any western country you will also see people doing it 'right'. People eat healthy food, read non-school books, exercise and so on.<br /><br />Once me and my Arab fellows wanted to buy fruits (why? refer to the food section and you'll understand), and we asked the hiroshima program guide, an elderly lady easily above 60 or even 70, if there's a supermarket around, she said 'follow me'. I never though that 'follow me' would be so difficult to do. she started walking so fast, and I was barely following her while breathing loudly. I looked at my Egyptian fellow in amusement (and disgrace).<br /><br />Did you know that the average age in Japan is increasing year by year? Did you know that the average length of an American is also increasing year by year? We here are the only ones becoming shorter in length and lifespan as time passes.<br /><br />So, I ask again even though I know the answers: Why?<br /><br />One thing I strongly noticed in Japan is how the infrastructure affects lifestyles. Homestay dad asked me "do you have trains in Jordan?", I said "No". "Why?", "because the infrastructure doesn't allow it". Again "do you ride bicycles in Jordan?", "Very little". "Why?", "the streets are all bumpy and there are no spaces made for bicycles like in the West and Japan".<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,255,102)"><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,153)">The train stations</span></span><br />I feel I have to talk seperately about train stations. In the stations, I saw all kinds of people and felt many emotions. I saw the whole spectrum of civilization, from the bottom to the top. I saw the rugged homeless people with no family or house to return to, I saw drunkards staggering left and right and moaning loudly, I saw women wearing so unbelievably little on themselves and school girls with their skirts rolled upwards to shorten them (the shorter the skirt, the cooler) and then I saw very decently and elegantly dressed people, I met very knowledgeable and cultured people, and very helpful and friendly people and I saw a woman reading a book as she walked and went over a staircase without taking her eyes of her book. All in the train stations. What an amazing panorama of human lives, subhan Allah.<br /><br />I love and hate trains. I love them during daytime because there is a lot to see and because my hands and eyes are free to hold a book and read it. I hate them in the night because they are so quiet, lonely and gloomy. I hate the train's repetitive mind-numbing sound, I hate the boring and sad looks on people's faces. I hate the loneliness.<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(255,255,153)"><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,153)">The final session</span></span><br />The last session of the program was "Training conclusion" (研修のまとめ). We sat with one of the many JF teachers and talked about the new words and things we learned, the things we liked and the things we didn't. Towards the end of the session he said something that <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">sunk in</span>. I'll paraphrase in Japanese (keywords emphasized) and then translate. 「日本にはいいことも良くないこともあります。国へ帰った後、家族や友達に良くないことも教えてください。例えば、たくさんの人が<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">寂し</span>く感じて、そして、<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">心</span>が<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">病気</span>になります。その人の中、<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">自分を殺す</span>人 がよくいます」. "There are both good and bad things. When you return home, please also tell your friends about the bad things. For example, many people feel loneliness and their hearts become deseased and then they kill themselves" As he said that he motioned with his hand to show someone jumping from a building.<br /><br />When I heard this I really felt sad. I felt how harsh life can be even if we have everything we materially need. For more than twenty years now, more than 30,000 people kill themselves in Japan every year.. this is somewhere between 500k and 600k who took their own lives in 20 years. Everytime I remember this and I remember what this teacher said, I also remember the Japanese word "mottainai" (It's a waste). It's a popular expression used to express displeasure if something is wasted, such as water, food, time, etc.. And I ask, doesn't anybody think about those people's lifes as "mottainai"? Aren't all their emotions, memories and energies 'mottainai'? Or are they 'muda' (another popular word in industry, which means 'waste') and should be eliminated?..<br /><br />Whenever I think about this, I can't help but think that all the recorded voice and special pavements I mentioned above, all the precautions made to protect life and make it more convenient, are superficial.<br /><br />Why isn't anybody concerned about life? or about the young people and even children who take their lifes? And if people are concerned, why are the suicides not going down?<br /><br />This time its a real 'why' because I don't know all the answers.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,153)">The most important lesson</span><br /></span>So going back to the first paragraph, do I feel that I was better off after going to Japan for two weeks?<br /><br />I definitely saw and learned a lot of things. There's no going wrong about that. Through seeing and learning about an absolutely different culture, we can learn a great deal about ourselves and what it means to be a human. We can also come to appreciate more and more the similarities and differences between us and the haves and have-nots of both sides.<br /><br />I remember that many Japanese volunteers in Jordan were trying to tell us to appreciate the things that we have here, but we didn't really listen much. When I went to Japan, I experienced firsthand what they meant. I saw the things they have that we don't and the things we have that they don't.<br /><br />The biggest impact this trip had on me was when I saw the many things done right around me (the same things that are done wrong in my country) and I thought "What the hell was I doing all this time?! Thinking that I was doing okay and improving.." "We all were idling all this time".<br /><br />The truth is there are different conditions and legitimate reasons for each country's status. But this should not deter me from learning and working on the double. We have to work harder than everybody, we have to sacrifice our time and our energy if we are to achieve our hopes and go forward. We should force ourselves outside the comfort zone. Japan wouldn't have achieved all this if it was in its comfort zone all this time. Millions in Japan were hungry and suffering during and after the war, and the end result is Japan now. But I was never hungry, so I have to sacrifice time spent having fun and energy spent doing the things I enjoy. And finally I should not shy away from any improvement, no matter how small.<br /><br /><br />Congratulations, you reached the end of this post. I feel happy for you.</span>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-61511816307706329932008-05-25T00:25:00.000+03:002008-05-26T01:50:16.325+03:00Intermission 2 休止 その2<span style="font-family:arial;">Okay, I still can't find enough time and the right mood to finish the next post about the trip.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> So in the interest of keeping you.. *ahem* interested, I will post something I wrote in Japanese last February.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">You can say that this is my very first Japanese piece, or half-piece, because it is not complete. Basically, during this year's speech contest preparation, we were given a homework to write a speech based on the "If" theme of last year's contest. I only completed half of the homework and here it is (after many corrections):<br /><br /></span> <p style="text-align: center;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" lang="EN-US" >もし空っぽの部屋で起きたら・・・</span><span style="font-size:12;"><o:p></o:p><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">私たち人間は生活に必要なものを得るために苦労するものです。</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p><br />そして順調になっていくと、すぐに快楽を追い求めるようになっています。<br />仕事が終わって、友達に会って遊んだり興味深い本を読んだり映画を見たりしています。<br />私たちはいつも現在の活動が終わったあと、次の活動を始めるようにしています。<br />眠くなるまでこうして、そして、眠ります。<br />次の日に早く起きて仕事場へ行って働きます。そして</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">・・ </span><span style="font-size:100%;">繰り返します。<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">それは日常生活ということです。</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p><br />あまり</span><span style="font-size:100%;">、じっくり</span><span style="font-size:100%;">考える時間がないように見えます。</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p>ところが、もしすべての当たり前だと思っていることが消えたら、もし行きたいところへ行けなくて会いたい人に会えなかったら、どうなりますか。</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p><br />もし次の日に、ドアも窓もないまったく空っぽの部屋で起きたら、どうしますか。</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">少し、目を閉じて想像して見ましょう</span><span style="font-size:100%;">・・</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">知らない場所で目がさめて、すぐに迷います。ここはいったいどこかと自分に聞きます。</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p><br />時間を調べるように窓や時計を探して見回しますが、壁や床しか見えません。<br />ドアさえありません。</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p><br />誰かが近くにいるかどうか調べるために声を出しますが、返事がまったくありません。動きがぜんぜん聞こえません。</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p>いったい何が起こっているのか</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p><br />僕はなぜここにいるのか</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p><br />また、みんながどこにいるのか。</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p><br />様子を考えば考えるほど、答えが分からない質問がどんどん増えてくるのです。</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p><br />どんな気持ちになりますか。迷い?恐怖? それとも、どんなに面白い事情か分かって微笑みますか。</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >僕は頭が可笑しくなる間際ですか。<o:p><br /></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >そして、どうしますか。周りに本やテレビなど時間をすごしやすくするものがないので、一瞬はまるで永遠のように見えます。<o:p></o:p>どうするか考えて最後に分かりした。考えるしか何もできません。<o:p></o:p><br />心しか、遊び場がないと言うことになりました。<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">つづく・・</span><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:12;" ></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:arial;">That's it. When I submitted it, I got encouraging feedback from the senseis. So, I felt "hmm, I should complete it". But then I thought "If I complete it, I might break it" (assuming it is not broken already). "Better to have a good half than to have a broken whole" I thought. I still would like to complete it though, but this kind of writing can't be planned for; it depends on the whim (気まぐれ). Maybe someday I will sit down and write the other half.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:arial;">So? What do you think? I would like to hear your honest opinions, so I was thinking of disabling comments and inviting you to send your comments by e-mail. But last time I did that nobody sent any comments, so I will never underestimate your laziness again.</span></p>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-80886190171211834872008-05-07T01:42:00.000+03:002008-05-18T01:37:28.149+03:00Intermission 休止Work, work, study, 仕事, 勉強, 仕事, 仕事, 勉強, work, study, study..<br /><br />Lately, I have neither the time nor the capacity to write more about the trip :'(<br /><br />旅行レポートを書く暇がないなぁ~!<br /><br />ちょっと、責任のない時を覚えよう...<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3FYj3TbY8V4&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3FYj3TbY8V4&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />そして、アラビア語版<br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bpLiyk8xfFQ&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bpLiyk8xfFQ&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />もう一つの気に入りの昔のアニメ(ED)<br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tjyA8ZCRLqs&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tjyA8ZCRLqs&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br />「<span style="">最初までしか、物語がおわらない... </span><span style="">...想像の庭、その実りは美しさ</span> キラキラ輝いてる...」<br /><br />(溜め息)昔のアニメの歌、最近のに比べて... すごい良かった。<br /><br />日本語版はちょっとちがう...<br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zcBQLZkm6aE&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zcBQLZkm6aE&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />それじゃ、また次のポストでSaemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-75793568354898862182008-03-29T00:09:00.000+02:002008-12-10T22:23:17.269+02:00Long time no post: The lost letter 久しぶりにポスト!失われた手紙<span style="font-family:arial;">I'm returning with a light-hearted post. Next post will be a longer, more serious report. I'm not sure though, if after all this time (6 months since I returned) my blog lost it's significance or not. Annnyways...</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Two posts ago, when I received my delayed books, I said that I have completely returned from Japan. Truth is, this was a lie. I should have said 99% returned. There was something else chipping or nibbling at my conscience all this time.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In the last program day, when I and Mao-chan exchanged gifts, she gave me a cute little envelope and I promised her that I will read open it and read her letter in the airplane on my way back. Not sure if a 7-year old girl would understand the courtesy I meant with with promise, but atleast her grandparents did.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />The next day after the last program day was departure day (say this 3 times fast!). I was very hectic and nervous because of the luggage limitations and having to send stuff by mail. On this day I also gave the program supervisor a gift, a book in Japanese I found in Holiday Inn Amman about Jordan's history and arts. I received a generic letter of appreciation from the JP Kansai Center library prepared for any book donors, but it was enough to make me feel nice in the inside. I went to the library again to sign the book, and I was told by the librarian that before this book they only had a small poster of Jordan. What do you know? My give and take approach to Japan and Japanese yielded results.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Anyways, so, back to the letter, as I said I was hectic and nervous and so on, when I was packing my stuff, I missed the envelope! I started looking for it everywhere in the room. I turned it upside down; didn't leave any nook or corner unchecked. But I didn't find Mao's letter. I got more nervous.<br /><br />Then I took a deep breath, calm down Samer...</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Whenever this happens I tell myself not to put doubts in my mind. If, for example, I park the car somewhere and I come back to that place and don't find the car, this does not mean that I parked it somewhere else; This means that the car was stolen! This is what I tell myself. Don't doubt yourself.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">I faintly remember putting the envelope inside one of the books, so I start searching all the books, all the time worrying that I will not find it and fulfill my promise to Mao.<br /><br />After searching all the books and papers, I didn't find anything.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;">So it's not in the room and not inside the books. Where is it?.. Could it be in the book I gave the library?.. This is the only possibility, but something about the timing tells me it's not there and I didn't see it when I went to write the dedication on the cover's backside.<br /><br />I turn the room and the books one more time then I gave up on searching, but didn't lose hope in finding it someday.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> I felt guilty because I couldn't do as I promised her; I didn't read it in the plane.<br /><br />After returning, everytime I remember losing the letter I feel bad, but I didn't lose hope. When I received the books after 2 months from returning, I looked inside the books again, nothing. But there was a small gleam of hope inside me that I'll find it. I didn't feel any finality about losing it.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">So, around the end of December just before new year's, I started eyeing a book on the shelf with suspicion. It was the other book I got from Jordan to show to people, a book about Islamic geometric art. The book started looking suspicious and I started feeling that maybe I didn't search it. This feeling kept growing inside me, until I fetched it and opened it, and 'lo! Mao's letter in all its colourful cuteness was there!</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtemKBbHY8AwAcfVJEGkezLE1AWEWsl3oGlqn1QvSeIrf8-g-6mC_NpDHUu4K-5PfbjwffLJjOKdJNjRKTpyAbjSZc99D38AtowkWe9S8MqcVTfmj-chzb1SBppSi97D6PM53j/s1600-h/envelope.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtemKBbHY8AwAcfVJEGkezLE1AWEWsl3oGlqn1QvSeIrf8-g-6mC_NpDHUu4K-5PfbjwffLJjOKdJNjRKTpyAbjSZc99D38AtowkWe9S8MqcVTfmj-chzb1SBppSi97D6PM53j/s400/envelope.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184735934478168338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Happiness</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" > 喜び</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Sweet relief! I was right from the beginning; I did put it inside a book. See? "No need to doubt yourself, the car was stolen!" I told myself. Now I can say for sure that I fully returned from Japan (and repeat the happy dance).</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Full of curiousity, I opened the letter and here's what I found:<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPkf_VFkhfpb8YATcGtivf4nTDfUF27LNuVoWsy0dZmTGmQq6ZNnJ3GwzqrOXd8lZ1EjaPQyghz0GmFYXTj0YnMx_EV2OJS1YXiV9rXhdfUpAjHaPv2kOJ4QNfKshZ4uXPWMv/s1600-h/letter.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPkf_VFkhfpb8YATcGtivf4nTDfUF27LNuVoWsy0dZmTGmQq6ZNnJ3GwzqrOXd8lZ1EjaPQyghz0GmFYXTj0YnMx_EV2OJS1YXiV9rXhdfUpAjHaPv2kOJ4QNfKshZ4uXPWMv/s400/letter.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184735994607710498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Mao expresses her true feelings towards me</span><br /><br /></div> <span style="font-family:arial;">This reminds me: In the first homestay day, while we were preparing for lunch, Mao started drawing something and her mother came to her and asked her, what are you drawing? She answered "hen na hito" (a weirdo). Then after a short while, she came up to me and gave me that same drawing finished and with Samer written under it in Katakana. So then I was the 'hen na hito'. Nice to know that!</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />ookini, Mao-chan!</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YaUWoN9VddPZ1hIBIViIoFZpuGSxha1_zorXu8UTMs414Q4b_DCI-KVN_5hBQ-eqHPWi4q9RmRbQ7xDu5gbLE0yc2CJJT8GcxAkww3kBXkXopshQMbqV3UfFx4SMjnGu3y28/s1600-h/mao-upclose.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YaUWoN9VddPZ1hIBIViIoFZpuGSxha1_zorXu8UTMs414Q4b_DCI-KVN_5hBQ-eqHPWi4q9RmRbQ7xDu5gbLE0yc2CJJT8GcxAkww3kBXkXopshQMbqV3UfFx4SMjnGu3y28/s400/mao-upclose.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183109473312846082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mao, upclose and personal </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">まおちゃん</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">クローズアップ</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Now I'll tell myself: sassato uskot.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Yoroshiku habeebis. see you next post.</span>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-52784998009597000282008-03-13T14:33:00.000+02:002008-03-14T14:31:53.987+02:00私の弁論大会の三番目のスピーチ<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><span style="">どうして流れに反しても頑張りたいか</span></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:14;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">私は、子供のころから いろいろな所へ行って、その経験から たくさんのことを学びました。その中で一つ強く印象に残ったのは 環境がどんなに人の振る舞いに影響を及ぼすか ということです。</span><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">家でも 学校でも 会社でも、私たちは 努力しなくても 気づかないうちに 周りの人の考え方や 行動を 学んでいきます。</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">例えば、積極的な雰囲気の家では ほとんどがプラス思考の人になります。</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p><br />もし、周りの人みんなが頑張っているところにいたら 自分も頑張り、みんなが怠けているところにいたら だんだん怠け者になるでしょう。</span><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">環境からいいマナーが 自然に得られるのは幸運なことですが、</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p>残念ながらそこから 悪い癖も得やすいものです。</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">もし 自分達が いやなことをしている と気づいたら、どうしましょうか。</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p><br />他の人と同じように そのままにしておきましょうか、</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p><br />それとも やめる努力をしましょうか。</span><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">流れに沿っていく方が易しいので、流れに反するのは難しすぎる、無理だ、と考えて あきらめるのも当然です。そして、その気持ちは よくわかります。</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p>でも、私はそれに挑戦したい と思っています。</span><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">もし 人が何かを正しいことだと気づいても それをしない、<br />何かを悪いことだと気づいても それをやめないでいると、<br />その人の中に 大きな矛盾が生まれて 生産性が落ち、</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p>目標を達成できなくなる と思うからです。</span><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">自分達の行動を変えて 周りの人達に影響を及ぼすことで 環境は変えられる と思います。</span><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">例えば、たくさんの人がスピードを出して 自分勝手な運転をしているとき、ある人がスピードを落として 隣の車に道を譲ろうとすると、その人の後ろの車からクラクションを何度も鳴らされたり、ヘッドライトをフラッシュされたりすることが よくあります。</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p>でも、たまには、「うん、思いやりがあっていいな~」とか</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p>「いいことをしているな、自分もやってみようかな~」と思う人もいて、</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p>そんな人が 少しずつ増えていきます。</span><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">ここで 私の経験を お話ししたいと思います。</span><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">6年ぐらい前、私の弟は 友達とイスラム教の祈りについて 議論しました。</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p>友達が、「僕は神を信じている。それだけでいいと思う。祈りは必要じゃない。」</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p>と言うのに対し、弟は「イスラム教にとって祈りはたいへん大切なもので、正当なイスラム教徒には欠かせないものだ」と主張しました。しばらく押し問答をした後、友達に「お前は祈りが大切だと言っているけど、自分はしているのか?」と聞かれて、その時、祈りをしていなかった弟には 返す言葉がありませんでした。</span><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">以来、弟は 毎日 祈りをするようになったのです。</span><span style=""> <o:p></o:p>その頃、私の家族や友達は、イスラム教に毎日五回の祈りが 不可欠だと信じながらも、</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p>実行している者は 一人もいませんでした。</span><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">はじめは、同じライフスタイルを続けている私たちの間で、</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p>この新しい経験を分かち合える人も、彼の行動を支持してくれる人もなく、</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p>弟は一人で大変苦労しました。</span><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">でも、時間が経つに連れ、彼の祈る姿を見ているうちに、私や両親を含む周りの者たちが、少しずつ、「自分も祈りをするべきだと思うのに、どうしてやっていないのだろう」と考えはじめ、この心の中のかすかな声は、やがてアザーン*のように大きくなってきました。</span><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">こうして、</span><span style=""> </span><span style="">一人また一人と、弟の側で祈るようになり、</span><span style=""> </span><span style="">家族や友人の間で祈りをしない者がほとんどいなくなりました。</span><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">ここまで変わるのに、およそ2年かかりましたが、</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p>この経験から、私は、周りの人の流れに逆らって、更に彼らに影響を及ぼすためには辛抱強くそして根気強く頑張ることが大切であると 教えられました。</span><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">ムスリムでない方々には、祈りの大切さをご理解いただけないかもしれませんが、</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p>自分の信念に沿って行動することの大切さは、どなたにも分かっていただけると思います。</span><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">最後にアイルランド人の作家ジョージ・バーナード・ショウの名言で</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p>締め括りたいとおもいます。</span><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">「分別のある者は自分を世界に合わせようとする。</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p><br />分別のない者は世界を自分に合わせようと頑張る。</span><span style=""><o:p></o:p><br />ゆえに、分別のない者がいなければ進歩はありえない。」</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><br />さて、皆さんはどちらですか。</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">*</span><b>アザーン</b>(<b>اذان</b> adhān)は、イスラム教<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>における礼拝(サラート)への呼び掛けのこと。</p>---<br /><br />以上です。読んでありがとうございました。<br />今回のポストにはコメントが不可能です。何かコメントがあれば、メールでぜひ教えてください (samerabb {at} yahoo.com)<br /><p class="MsoNormal"></p>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-26811048605537475582007-12-11T14:39:00.000+02:002008-12-10T22:23:20.320+02:00Friends!<span style="font-family:arial;">Everytime I think about September's trip, I involuntarily say 'Alhamdulillah' again and again. Alhamdulillah for many things. Alhamdulillah, because it was a very smooth trip with very little trouble. I'm a hectic person and this lends to trouble most of the time, but with this trip, everything went magically smooth. Well not everything as in EVERYTHING. Well, actually it's everything except when I set foot in Jordan; one of my check-in bags didn't arrive and the books I sent arrived a month late. But aside from that, almost everything on the way to Japan and in Japan went really smooth and easy.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />One of the things that I was very fortunate for was that I met friends everywhere I went to in Japan (okay, except Hiroshima) in addition to some wonderful participants in the program. This really made me feel at home and enjoy the trip to the max.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Osaka (and Kobe):</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Before this trip, I knew nothing at all about Osaka. One of my friends in Amman was good friends with an acquintance who studied Arabic in JU, and he told me that he's now in Osaka. So he offered to send our Osaka friend an e-mail telling him about my visit and he did. So, I connected with N-san and we met twice in Osaka after my lectures in Rinkuu town ended. </span> <span style="font-family:arial;">The first time we met, he offered to take me to Nara or Kobe and I chose Kobe, which then became my favourite place in Japan. In fact, I already miss Kobe. Kobe, can you hear me? I love you. So, anyways, we went to Kobe and it was around sunset we entered Kobe university (where N-san is studying) and there we waited infront of a beautiful view of the city; we waited for N-san's French friend, S-san, who's doing his masters also in Kobe university. Together we had a lot of interesting conversations and learned a lot of things from each other. For example, I learned how bad my Japanese was, N-san how bad his Arabic was, and we both learned how good S-san's English and Japanese were. And I also learned a lot about Osaka and various other things. </span> <span style="font-family:arial;">N-san, I can't stress how thankful I am for taking me to and showing me around Kobe! I hope you can come again to Jordan to return the favour (although, I'm sure you saw almost everything already).<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxx8c9Q7R0hxlKGsUJdS4Iw41al_Jt0XnR8m_2s8cRd6JMUScPFIUNp05x5tR7VREWV9R2fVqLnCP6Vev9u8PysrCednp3l6Oj7CR5G-kkWxBoH1fikuJPIMRa2FtdOZox4Hbu/s1600-h/kobe.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxx8c9Q7R0hxlKGsUJdS4Iw41al_Jt0XnR8m_2s8cRd6JMUScPFIUNp05x5tR7VREWV9R2fVqLnCP6Vev9u8PysrCednp3l6Oj7CR5G-kkWxBoH1fikuJPIMRa2FtdOZox4Hbu/s400/kobe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142694981916784530" border="0" /></a>Anybody's got razors, please?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kyoto:</span><br /><br />My knowledge about Kyoto is a little better than Osaka. For example, I know that nature in Kyoto is beautiful and I know that Nintendo is headquartered there. That's all.<br /><br />In Kyoto I met my dear friend Y-san, who was a JICA Intern researching Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan. We arranged to meet by e-mail while I was in Amman, and my sensei at that time, N-sensei, was going to return to Japan just a week before I went there, so she gladly joined the gang. Last February, before Y-san left Jordan, I invited him for Palestinian food at my home (Msakhan, Mnukhiyeh and Maftool) and at that time two of his friends in Japan were touring the Middle East and they happened to be in Jordan so he brought them along. So, in Kyoto one of them H-san was in Kyoto and she also joined us and brought along another friend. Y-san had a Jordanian friend working in Kyoto who was all too happy to join because someone is visiting from Jordan and he also brought along a colleague from work. It was a much bigger gathering than I expected, but it was a good one, or as they say in Japanese: 「いい集まりでした」<br /><br />I was really delighted that I could meet Y-san, N-sensei and H-san once again and we had a good time. Although it was raining that night, I felt warm :)<br /><br />Y-san got me a mamori for my family and H-san got me some delicious Gion festival Maccha cookies, which were so good I had to hide them from my friends (and greedily eat them alone).<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgbt3seMgkZrh3OZdUj8R15Scnvrbp_RPVyqh-ae-WhbZgw5rG7fzzPDcxHFoi2XfUsrG7q-k7h-6gFqTiVUxNZ485O_CIu4bcp8W2JwFGpCdFlns2lZkStAETl6pHed3mK8C/s1600-h/kyoto.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgbt3seMgkZrh3OZdUj8R15Scnvrbp_RPVyqh-ae-WhbZgw5rG7fzzPDcxHFoi2XfUsrG7q-k7h-6gFqTiVUxNZ485O_CIu4bcp8W2JwFGpCdFlns2lZkStAETl6pHed3mK8C/s400/kyoto.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142694986211751842" border="0" /></a>Group picture in Shin-miyako hotel, where I was staying the night.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tokyo:</span><br /><br />In Tokyo, fortunately, I was able to meet two of my neighbours in Amman and K-sensei, who taught me Japanese for the better part of her two years stay in Jordan and still supports me in my studies until now. In Tokyo, I stayed in the Japan Foundation's Center in Kita-Urawa, Saitama-ken. T-sensei who was doing his Masters in Japanese language at the time was staying at the very same center and he had already completed his thesis and presentation and getting ready to return to Amman's warm bossom. I arrived to the Urawa center on the night of September 15th, and he left to Amman the 10am the next morning (whew, that was close). I also met my dear neighbour Saqufu-dono (as T-sensei fondly refers to him), better known in JICA as 'Occha no Ahmad' who is doing a Master of Arts in Tokyo and I also met S-san who is doing masters in Electronics Engineering in the best and most famous university in Japan, Tokyo University. The atmosphere in Urawa center, where we all gathered was wonderful, especially after a tiresome trip to Tokyo.<br /><br />We had dinner in some restaurant and I chatted to my hearts content with Occha, S-san, T and K-sensei. I exchanged gifts with K-sensei: a bottle of Wadi Rum's purest and reddest sand for a popular Japanese picture book. Afterwards, I walked in Urawa a little with T-sensei and he took me to a supermarket to try the much talked about 'Tunamayo-nigiri' and I went into the place were he spent most of the last 365 days in: his room.<br /><br />On the next day, Occha no Ahmad took me around for "One free day in Tokyo".<br /><br /></div></div> <div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBCJxb8P0QT2OewbwTj6VJdONUGPTNzI0wGFUvdYtq1-wbKpWwhwI8Qv4WavyWrsFwWDIHnmAUMRh9jErqSA4JRYqs8_dGcB0FS0eytQztzQb1JoluxiUS4PKMwNIbI4s0DLj/s1600-h/tokyo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBCJxb8P0QT2OewbwTj6VJdONUGPTNzI0wGFUvdYtq1-wbKpWwhwI8Qv4WavyWrsFwWDIHnmAUMRh9jErqSA4JRYqs8_dGcB0FS0eytQztzQb1JoluxiUS4PKMwNIbI4s0DLj/s400/tokyo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142694999096653762" border="0" /></a>Group picture in Urawa with K-sensei, T-sensei, S-san and Occha no Ahmad.<br /></div> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Kishiwada, Osaka (Homestay family)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The following picture is of homestay family's youngest daughter, Hiroko-san. I met her in the homestay family's house only for a few minutes. In a few minutes talk we somehow arrived to Miyazaki and Ghibli and I told her that 'Grave of fireflies' is one of my favourite movies and said I saw a picture on the internet of a large version of Setsuko's 'fruit drops' in some outdoors location in Japan. I thought it was well known but she only recognized the Laputa soldier outside Studio Ghibli. Anyways while I was out, she bought and left home one 'Sakuma drops' and when I first saw it, I was very surprised and affected as I thought it was based on Setsuko's drops, but then I realized that Setsuko's drops were based on Sakuma drops. I know it isn't expensive or not that special in Japan, but I was very delighted when I saw it and I was surprised that a 10 minutes talk caused her to go and buy my this present. It tasted good by the way, when I finished the last drop last week, I understood why Setsuko cried!</span><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNn6Q2MPwvAPc1aDhgta0RyrJCTbO6R0dlpWlTdVkucsFHGM_cFnEt6RoDaiMpxLcRYbKotqhzItYi3sEpB1FPRU0gcw91VED3BVaFzpvsHtaXX1q3ohEbiaWE0fYzS-y8pdXH/s1600-h/kishiwada.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNn6Q2MPwvAPc1aDhgta0RyrJCTbO6R0dlpWlTdVkucsFHGM_cFnEt6RoDaiMpxLcRYbKotqhzItYi3sEpB1FPRU0gcw91VED3BVaFzpvsHtaXX1q3ohEbiaWE0fYzS-y8pdXH/s400/kishiwada.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143923489024930658" border="0" /></a>I didn't take pictures of Hiroko-san and her little Takuto, so she sent me this picture by E-mail. This is infront of the Amanohashidate (天橋立 Heaven's bridge) one of the three scenic views that represent Japan. It is a natural bridge covered pine trees connecting two opposite sides of a bay. By the way, I visited another one of the scenic three: The huge torii in Miyajima (pictured in the 'beautiful scenery of Japan' post)<br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Everywhere else (The participants):</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In this program, there were 61 participants from 59 countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South America (Sorry North America and Europe, you can come with your own pockets!!). There were people of all colours and languages and from countries I never heard of and while some weren't very friendly and quite introverted, others were extremely friendly and outgoing. Naturally, people clustered according to their continents and languages mostly, South Americans were together most of the time, Western Europeans, Africans and even the Arabs (ahem)..<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMG9acd8ucHN1GErxr8zInPezneVvcjOhv5IVen5EnZOC8VM6xyk8VgglEZ8fJndkPFImRCr8voNN4OP_VWd8mVEyNdRxmVur3Wk1M47Bkec7sChV_mY4hDcxkRjLGzCWDyKij/s1600-h/miyajima.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMG9acd8ucHN1GErxr8zInPezneVvcjOhv5IVen5EnZOC8VM6xyk8VgglEZ8fJndkPFImRCr8voNN4OP_VWd8mVEyNdRxmVur3Wk1M47Bkec7sChV_mY4hDcxkRjLGzCWDyKij/s400/miyajima.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142694994801686450" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Me and my Egyptian and Yemeni friends (and my backpack to the far left) in Miyajima.<br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRl_t72RaKJKMPj1af274fz6vdpgkjIqBSatku5ykeIiSZKSM8VfTjwxX9nbUBwVI9oRi6DI0YPVKpVlfXUTtTBGWnMxIIPTyRUf5PU-TfOhHOdfh7n-ZrGnEn4cTZbTtWd2pc/s1600-h/miyajima2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRl_t72RaKJKMPj1af274fz6vdpgkjIqBSatku5ykeIiSZKSM8VfTjwxX9nbUBwVI9oRi6DI0YPVKpVlfXUTtTBGWnMxIIPTyRUf5PU-TfOhHOdfh7n-ZrGnEn4cTZbTtWd2pc/s400/miyajima2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143923497614865266" border="0" /></a>Also in Miyajima with Chile, Turkey, Madagascar and Vietnam-san<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Two participants who were always together and interacted a lot with me, Egypt-san and Yemen-san are Madagascar-san and Vietnam-san. Madagascar-san was really kind and silent most of the time, but she picked the wrong company (Vietnam-san). Vietnam-san is the one I talked about in the awkward moments post. At first, we all thought that she was acting crazy, but in the end we agreed that she might be indeed crazy! As for Madagascar-san, she kept coming to me and telling me "anaaaa bahebak, anaaaa bahebak".. yoroshiku habeebti!!<br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuX9e1OJqbIDyTU60djiQyOK9nYHoVAfdhqxOgCI55-gGWCCohFlrohue4rO4N8tATNW8npsPSQg3B23dusuSDCI34IFNBHojjQh2mj9_xtOo0Sg5QNuiwSug2b0-DtUCG_zIK/s1600-h/participants.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuX9e1OJqbIDyTU60djiQyOK9nYHoVAfdhqxOgCI55-gGWCCohFlrohue4rO4N8tATNW8npsPSQg3B23dusuSDCI34IFNBHojjQh2mj9_xtOo0Sg5QNuiwSug2b0-DtUCG_zIK/s400/participants.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143517867585927122" border="0" /></a>All participants in the program during the farewell party<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Last but not least are the Japan Foundation program organizers. They all were so helpful and understanding. Always trying their best to help us with our troubles and special needs.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISSMdu6QJTyqx06Kcldt-Ao1hXh_pRrIG158wrZJ69IabpL44ejlU2BoV4Cbzbmp_IKy_cMnvNqdljyz6Ig0niveFbPWd2WWxNfBX9MZgWLSlZCVkIug2OS7e7uifQ4xBuWWF/s1600-h/tantousha.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISSMdu6QJTyqx06Kcldt-Ao1hXh_pRrIG158wrZJ69IabpL44ejlU2BoV4Cbzbmp_IKy_cMnvNqdljyz6Ig0niveFbPWd2WWxNfBX9MZgWLSlZCVkIug2OS7e7uifQ4xBuWWF/s400/tantousha.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143517880470829026" border="0" /></a>In addition to being a very nice person, M-san helped me a lot during the program.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">So in the end, all I can say is thank you to everybody who took care of me and Alhamdulillah for such good friends, teachers and people.<br /><br /></div></div></div>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-45973307135206006502007-11-03T13:26:00.000+02:002008-12-10T22:23:21.268+02:00They arrived FINALLY!! ヤット届いたんだ!!<span style="font-family:arial;">Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, おかげさまで.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Today, I picked up from the post office half of my trip to Japan! 5Kgs of books, all dear to me, have arrived!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Aaaah, what a relief!! I was SO VERY worried. They were supposed to arrive one month ago! Because of baggage limitations, I had to send some stuff to Japan and I chose to send books and printed materials, which was the most cost effective way: 5000 yens for 5Kgs to arrive in two weeks by Airmail.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">For some reason, it took one month more to arrive and I was getting really, really worried. I consider those books to be half of my trip to Japan!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Some hastily taken photos with my mobile's crappy camera:</span><br /><br /><div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOV7WKKiZBiH_RXY6-xuDxm3hyws84r8-sgZXMaQ5PVpQPkqM4DXFSPb7qPUH7YJ9bDaC4yiiu-jTz765qdAWsBRIkvIAhzFSj2f8Yo8-b3oZLQ_14ceSoo6tUQLVICdPvL2_C/s1600-h/Image004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128577304509009042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOV7WKKiZBiH_RXY6-xuDxm3hyws84r8-sgZXMaQ5PVpQPkqM4DXFSPb7qPUH7YJ9bDaC4yiiu-jTz765qdAWsBRIkvIAhzFSj2f8Yo8-b3oZLQ_14ceSoo6tUQLVICdPvL2_C/s400/Image004.jpg" border="0" /></a>You have no idea how much I was happy to see this.<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">One of the worst feelings ever is to lose something you really value.<br />One of the best feelings ever, is to find it again..<br /><br />Introducing the books.....</div><br /></div><div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128577325983845538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXV-geiVUmf_SEbtmC5CYHLWb3Ll-GdU7PwYXNW5L0M72DsFm887xQzz0zQuzKpUaXGv7iRRz0djHZxBRzi6D1tXeJKNzILpyLRD4UYDcMuKQqqv73QQgjxW6HRdthf3IWzWnz/s400/Image005.jpg" border="0" />Don't bother clicking, the picture quality is so bad that the titles are unreadable.<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Free Japanese books of my choice from the Japan Foundation:<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Practical Japanese Workbooks series: </span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">擬声語-擬態語 (初/中級) Onomatopoeia (Elementary/Intermediate)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">接続詞 (初/中/上級): Conjunction (Elementary/Intermediate/Advanced)</span><br /><br />The Japan Foundation displayed and organized all the books that we can choose from and there were JF Japanese language teachers present to give us advice and recommend books according to our needs. I was looking for books to improve my conversation skills, in particular, to get read my frequent pauses and to improve the flow of my speech. So I asked for advice and got recommended the series above.<br /><br />Onomatopoeia refers to the characteristic Japanese words with the same syllable repeated twice. For example, ぺらぺら (perapera)、すらすら (surasura)、にこにこ(nikoniko) and にやにや(niyaniya). Such words are used very often by Japanese people and also are used to emulate and describe animal cries and musical instrument sounds. Sweet!<br /><br />As for the conjunction book, I seriously hope to get rid of the stiffness in my speech and enhance its flow.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">にほんご敬語トレーニング Japanese polite speech training</span><br />I am completely behind with Keigo and I don't know how good this book is, but I hope it helps me some.<br /><br /><br />While I was in Tokyo, I visited Islamic Center Japan office in the Setagaya ward and I had iftar there, but this is the topic for another post. I recieved a lot of documents from them about Islam and Japan and I also recieved the following Japanese books about Islam:<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">イスラームの理解 Towards Understanding Islam</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">コルーンとハディースの根本教義 Basic teachings from the Qur'an and Hadith</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">イスラームの信仰 The Muslim's believes</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">40のハディース 40 Hadiths (For those muslims in the know: These are what we call 'the 40 Nawawis')</span><br /><br />For me, learning Japanese is not just about taking, it is also about giving. I don't like the one-sided approach of many students of the language, were they embrace Japan and Japanese to the point of forgetting themselves and their cultures. I want to exchange viewpoints; I believe that I can offer something equally beneficial and interesting, just like I'm learning a lot of stuff through my study of the Japanese language and interaction with Japanese people. So, I requested Japanese language books about Islam to read them (if I can) and to lend them to whoever is interested.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">ぬすまれた月 The stolen moon</span><br />This is a wonderful picture book I got from my dear K-sensei, when I met her in Tokyo. What a relief that it has arrived. Thank you sensei, I will read it and try my best to translate it to Arabic.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Practical Japanese Cooking</span><br />A cookbook for my mom. Too bad she just left yesterday to Kuwait for a few weeks. :'(<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Unequal Equities</span><br />A book I got for a dear friend who is specialized in finance. Too bad, he too will leave to Dubai today for a few days. I hope he finds it informative.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Hiroshima</span><br />A book I got from the Peace memorial museum. In the museum, Camera flash was not allowed and my hand was not steady at all, so most of the pictures I took in the museum were not clear. Fortunately, when I opened the book today, I found many of the pictures of the effects of the Atomic bomb, which I tried, but failed to take good pictures of.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Muji catalog and magazine</span><br />I like Muji and IKEA. Simple, plain, minimalistic and comfortable. So I took the season's Muji catalog for my family and my twin brother's family to take a look at and get some ideas from.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Plus, many brochures and print out documents...<br /><br /></span>Alhamdulillah, now I have fully returned from Japan.<br /><br />Excuse me now, as I perform the happy dance..<br /></div></div>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-52334122737257376262007-11-02T03:13:00.000+02:002007-11-10T21:20:13.176+02:00Awkward moments 気まずい瞬間<span style="font-family:arial;">Awkward moments. We all had our share of them and they won't stop coming anytime soon.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">When I was in Japan, a combination of cultural differences, Japanese language deficiency and my not-so-refined (read: vulgar) nature have caused me to endure some of the most awkward situations ever. Below are some of the situations which I masterfully put myself into. Read on!</span><br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-family:arial;" >The thing I enjoyed most in the first homestay day:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">During the first day of homestay, after a fairly eventful day, we were having lunch at some restaurant in Osaka. Homestay big sis came to the restaurant and joined us and after we left the restaurant, while walking outside, since I had a long day and we barely met, she asked me the million dollar question:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">"what was the thing you enjoyed most today?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">At first I hesitated. Y'know, I met homestay dad's rich friend, ate a fancy homemade lunch and went to a lot of places, So, I paused and - it pains me to say - <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">thought</span> about it. Then after consideration, I dropped the bomb:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">"The electric toilet."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">..... You know, if I had said it on impulse, it would have been not half as bad, but I paused and I <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">thought.</span> I went to Kishiwada castle, Danjiri hall, a Japanese game center, met and got acquinted with a guy who owns 20 malls, a personal jetplane and God knows what else, ate lots of new delicious homemade Japanese dishes, ALL for the first time, and what did I tell homestay big sis? The damn electric toilet!!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">How awkward can things get!!.. I mean, what if her parents hear this? what would they think? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But in my defense: It was the first time ever to enter an electric toilet and the one I entered had 'extra options'. You see, I saw all these buttons and I started testing them, and while I was testing them, I was smiling all the time as I imagined 'how will I tell my friends in Amman about this', and I was really amused by the volume-like control of water strength, but what really cracked me up was that there was a 'move' button, after I tried it I started laughing! But I didn't stop there. I wanted to see the thing that sprayed the water and so, I pressed the button while looking at the urinal and nothing happened. Then I noticed a sensor, and put my hand over it and pressed again. A small flat stick electrically expanded exactly like the stairs come out of the landed spaceships we saw in cartoons and started spraying water on me.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This was a very culturally shocking and amusing experience for me. So, while my answer was stupid and vulgar, I can't help but think that there was some truth in it, in terms of impact.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Annnyways, the very next morning, during breakfast, I waited for a moment when only I and big sis were on the table and quickly rolled out my apology and expressed my shame, and how my answer was incorrect and it was because of the culture shock. All the while she was saying 'daijoubu' and 'wakaru' (it's okay, I understand).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Too bad I didn't take a picture of the electric toilet.</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br />My homestay family's son's husband!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I have this kind of mental bias in my mind, which I think a lot people also have but to a much lesser degree, that makes me group every two similar words or words that have something in common and interchange them by mistake, even though I fully know their meanings and the difference between them. A famous example of this is when people mix between left and right. The problem with me, is that sometimes I don't feel that I switched the words. For example, I would say 'left' and think that I said 'right' in my mind.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In the homestay photo-fest post, I recounted how I met my homestay family's son-in-law by accident in Nanba, and how he guided us to Dotonbori, where we met Mie-san and her Japanese friend, also by accident (all pictured in the post below). </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">At first I introduced Tomoya-san to my Egyptian and Yemeni friends and said "My homestay family's daughter's husband" and again when I met Mie-san and her friend "My homestay family's daughter's husband". Everything was fine until I was alone again with my fellows. They said "Samer, what's the problem with you? you said 'homestay family's </span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic;font-family:arial;" >son's</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> husband twice, when you introduced him to us and then to Mie-san". Of-course, my white face immediately became red with embaressment. And they continued "Everytime you said, son, he would correct you and say daughter. At first it was okay, because we were all guys, but then with Mie-san and her friend, he got red faced and corrected you again 'daughter'. I didn't hear him when he corrected me at all.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">A little explanation: Son in Japanese is 'musuko' 息子 and daughter is 'musume' 娘, but because musuko ends with 'ko' which means 'child' and because the same 'ko' also comes at the end of many, many Japanese female names (like 'Youko','Masako' and 'Mitsuko') I keep confusing musuko and musume, but after this episode I don't think I will ever confuse them ever again ever...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">While we were going back to the Center in Rinku town, my fellows kept mocking me about this and how its a very basic mistake and I, in turn, was boiling inside and outside, angry at how simple my mistake is even though i started learning Japanese 4 years ago, angry at how I might have looked stupid while repeatedly saying 'Son's husband, son's husband'. I think I really overreacted...</span><br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-family:arial;" >Kanji Master</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Okay, this is a milder story than the ones above, but it is still awkward nonetheless. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I was in Kansai airport, in my last moments in Japan and I was buying last moment snacks and souviners in order to shut the mouths of a handful of my friends and colleagues. So, I was doing the routine check on one of the chips snacks in a shop, before buying it and I was rotating the cyclindrical container as I checked the ingredients for the "two no-noes". Two clerks were staring at me eyes wide open and then one of the let out "SUGOI, zenbu yomemasuka" (You can read everything? AWESOME!). </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">"Iya, Iya" I said while I automatically raised my hand and made a peace or victory sign (depending on where you live) with my fingers and assumed a humble look in my face "fututsu no kanji dake o sagashiteimasu, buta to sake ga dame desu kara" (No, no, I'm only searching for two characters, I can't eat pork or alcohol). </span><span style="font-family:arial;">"Aaa" they said in unison and one of them offered to help. I gave her two cans (different flavours) and she said one had pork and the other was okay. After I left the shop, I thought "I wish". I wish I could read them all; maybe in 5 years time..<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">That's all. Darn, I feel awkard after all these awkward stories. Please, try not to post awkward comments. I've had enough awkwarding!!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Oh oh!! I almost forgot!!...</span><br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-family:arial;" >Unintended impoliteness at the Aikidou lesson<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">As part of the program, we had cultural experience lessons and I chose Aikidou and Ikebana (flower arrangement) because I had a lot of Shodou (Calligraphy) lessons in Jordan and I don't like Tea ceremony (sorry K-s!).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">During the Aikidou lesson, one of the exercises involved one of the Aikidou team members sitting low and waving a stick from left to right slightly above the group and we had to run through without getting hit by the stick and we should touch the man's shoulder. The member doing this was a fairly old ojiisan with a bald head and grey hair. I watched the line before me as a participant ran, leaped and tapped his shoulder, then the next participant ran, leaped and tapped his shoulder and so on, until my turn came:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I ran, I leaped and I tapped his... HEAD!!!!! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">How embarressing! Everybody who watched laughed and another member of the Aikidou team, realizing that I'm one of those boorish foriegners, came to me and said (paraphrase) 'shitsurei deshita, ayamari shita hou ga ii desu yo' (you did something impolite, you should probobly apologize). And then I realized my folly and kept apologizing to him in 5 minute intervals until the lesson ended. Actually, I still think it's not enough; allow me to apologize one more time: "ごめんなさい! 許してくださいお願いします"</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-family:arial;" ></span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-family:arial;" >Mr. Jordan</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">One of the Vietnamese participantes (there were two) kept insistently calling me Joudan-san (Mr. Jordan). Joudan is 'Jordan' pronounced with Japanese syllables, but it actually does not mean Jordan; Jordan is 'yorudan' in Japanese. But she kept saying it, Joudan-san, Joudan-san. Anybody who's beyond toe-deep in Japanese knows why this is awkward for me. So, everytime she said Joudan-san, I tried to correct her 'Yorudan, Yorudan desu'. But she insisted 'Joudan no hou ga oboeyasui!' (It's easier to remember Joudan). </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So, during the Ikebana lesson she came and sat beside me and said it again for what seemed like the 100th time, so I said: 「冗談じゃなくて、ヨルダンです!」 (it's not Joudan, it's Jordan) and everybody around us started laughing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">To clarify for those who don't get it, 'Joudan' in Japanese means Joke. So I was telling her something like "It's not a joke, it's Jordan" or "It's Jordan, no joking!"</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Alright, that's about enough, I'll stop before I remember any more awkward stories..</span>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-43423056309617743872007-10-21T23:16:00.000+03:002008-12-10T22:23:30.044+02:00The beautiful scenery of Japan - 美しき日本景色<span style="font-family:arial;">Salam everybody,</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Ramadan has departed, the Eid is over, the Ma'mul is all gone and it's been one month since I returned from Japan. In other words, everything is back to normal.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But not quite yet; I still feel that my mind is travelling in Japan. I'm still thinking over the things I saw and did, sometimes with a smile, sometimes with a frown. After a wholesome meal, your body takes time to digest the food, much longer than the time it took to eat the meal. Likewise, I'm still digesting my experiences in Japan, one month later.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Anyways, enough sentimental talk and on to the post. I have a lot of ideas for interesting posts and don't know where to start, should I post about the Hiroshima peace memorial park? One free day in Tokyo? Food? Friends? Being a Muslim in Japan? Lots of things to talk about! So in the end, I figured, let me start by what the people want to see: pictures and more pictures.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This time it will be about the beautiful scenery of Japan. Lots of beauty, lots of pictures...</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion Temple), Kyoto</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPcFqIyAkVaGpijbQucj3kRqM1Omk6eHG7c8KAvPhX8gVTdyHxIssUqBiLK08SJMqHOSo_X8cfAbvYhHCchSbilgYcSZnWcFmRMIAqm3TuKZ8yVEl2XO50unTwuGUiQ8MQSAS/s1600-h/kinkakuji.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPcFqIyAkVaGpijbQucj3kRqM1Omk6eHG7c8KAvPhX8gVTdyHxIssUqBiLK08SJMqHOSo_X8cfAbvYhHCchSbilgYcSZnWcFmRMIAqm3TuKZ8yVEl2XO50unTwuGUiQ8MQSAS/s400/kinkakuji.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123899926142672930" border="0" /></a>Yes, I was there. Yes, I took this picture.<br />Yes, you can use it as a wallpaper.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LnD-exItvRnIJLEu8lV66V6ejKdZa-3mxRPse7A8i2XKxe7zhDLbaXllXtfKdHsnPu8IhLdXV20Syzv1FyPkSVdT3q9l_YV2MYRq1nQPjXwt3y1dY_mhyVvc6jvDSCDONRpc/s1600-h/kinkakuji3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LnD-exItvRnIJLEu8lV66V6ejKdZa-3mxRPse7A8i2XKxe7zhDLbaXllXtfKdHsnPu8IhLdXV20Syzv1FyPkSVdT3q9l_YV2MYRq1nQPjXwt3y1dY_mhyVvc6jvDSCDONRpc/s400/kinkakuji3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123899934732607554" border="0" /></a><br />The golden pavillion temple..<br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHM_eTniNN_yYV0d4N7V_zH6DPCMyYURneMQk3GLdu970AOPUME6FDH7EVaJZZjCAQNzUizYW0tNqrfhr-_0Dyz5njPYOvi6WFayBZQ1MruxDbepsg7lvIGZrDsUQxkhgztzSp/s1600-h/kikakuji2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHM_eTniNN_yYV0d4N7V_zH6DPCMyYURneMQk3GLdu970AOPUME6FDH7EVaJZZjCAQNzUizYW0tNqrfhr-_0Dyz5njPYOvi6WFayBZQ1MruxDbepsg7lvIGZrDsUQxkhgztzSp/s400/kikakuji2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123899930437640242" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSbEnwHVCO0M2jaUVFpD7Eml54wbUZLvs_f6k793sGCS7iu9hbLhsLwEWgSwsWk8aAS06eJ7Hdagjkq713PqrflLic1JtD_vYxiYaNZlpFbzClX-y26p358ueJINVDCm-KPWt/s1600-h/kinkakuji5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSbEnwHVCO0M2jaUVFpD7Eml54wbUZLvs_f6k793sGCS7iu9hbLhsLwEWgSwsWk8aAS06eJ7Hdagjkq713PqrflLic1JtD_vYxiYaNZlpFbzClX-y26p358ueJINVDCm-KPWt/s400/kinkakuji5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123899939027574866" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnlt1f3nmjTu4NaklYvMrjnDQm218lGaXUm42EyzrceLXMDKQD7xTfkRVfYFIL2K8GUZTHzreTXpTv0WsLIxiFWmQBxt_a-2kWeE5Cb86cGzC3cpnzVrubCjl4jJu_YEcE-gA/s1600-h/koi.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnlt1f3nmjTu4NaklYvMrjnDQm218lGaXUm42EyzrceLXMDKQD7xTfkRVfYFIL2K8GUZTHzreTXpTv0WsLIxiFWmQBxt_a-2kWeE5Cb86cGzC3cpnzVrubCjl4jJu_YEcE-gA/s400/koi.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126008441619598178" border="0" /></a>Koi (Japanese Carp).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Koi are pretty popular in Japan. One reason is that they have nice colours and patterns on them (ahem, like the one in the picture above) and another reason is that Koi also means 'love'. There are also those long, snake-like fish in the lake surrounding Kinkakuji. They are of a dark colour, so I couldn't take a good picture of them. Maybe you can see them in this picture (I can't).<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0yk1Q0WxEBNa8Yz03X4BekHAm5-U0kqEKnL4MACJXUW58N6fmNa0OvS2RFvewk07vMu98NoCjjsLgk9Yp5TErDEGCw3ezIi75f9xzRCBf6p41WH2IQDd0G69ScGinKEGgzx11/s1600-h/stonelantern.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0yk1Q0WxEBNa8Yz03X4BekHAm5-U0kqEKnL4MACJXUW58N6fmNa0OvS2RFvewk07vMu98NoCjjsLgk9Yp5TErDEGCw3ezIi75f9xzRCBf6p41WH2IQDd0G69ScGinKEGgzx11/s400/stonelantern.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126008450209532786" border="0" /></a>This is a stone lantern. You will find a lot of them in Japan as they're a basic ingredient of Japanese gardens.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkUDz5Y4WJJ5knbavG3JXBiS-xloLQ34gidFsZ6Wrpp29oJbeWvzVuqJlgIbvtfd5fg0R7VjScDCS6jjlYTjz-3tbUqzUv7D0ZRwmWXtvV-YoETRT5IoE9_9dX_y_JE0TCrvU/s1600-h/stonelantern2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkUDz5Y4WJJ5knbavG3JXBiS-xloLQ34gidFsZ6Wrpp29oJbeWvzVuqJlgIbvtfd5fg0R7VjScDCS6jjlYTjz-3tbUqzUv7D0ZRwmWXtvV-YoETRT5IoE9_9dX_y_JE0TCrvU/s400/stonelantern2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126008488864238466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">you will also find a lot of them in this blog.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Kiyomizudera, Kyoto</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7DBFIc1L9ETXFqoaEmaNxr9bP77JZt3dniDg2dzYB2uQFop7whdzcMqMKWUNI_x0g6qbLSTQEcGxfIKl8Zp_aY6vT8iMmZG5xKzCVwWjRY9Qjrr18ZVsGtG_ziz6Iy9JZZ9Qp/s1600-h/kiyomizu.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7DBFIc1L9ETXFqoaEmaNxr9bP77JZt3dniDg2dzYB2uQFop7whdzcMqMKWUNI_x0g6qbLSTQEcGxfIKl8Zp_aY6vT8iMmZG5xKzCVwWjRY9Qjrr18ZVsGtG_ziz6Iy9JZZ9Qp/s400/kiyomizu.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126019385196268434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">This is the main gate to Kiyomizu-dera. It looks out of proportion with it's huge top, but this only adds to its majesty.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenPlmDHJSr8uK7WY-CGxVEiJOZthkNUIbiNsun-SZU8ul844xxhm5HMecL989MKHkbS5_q1oQjntDSYPMsYd3L3bNL-DOA__mnWjSkwt7ETtWPikXwYQWXkEjOdfF6i0CMtva/s1600-h/kiyomizudera.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenPlmDHJSr8uK7WY-CGxVEiJOZthkNUIbiNsun-SZU8ul844xxhm5HMecL989MKHkbS5_q1oQjntDSYPMsYd3L3bNL-DOA__mnWjSkwt7ETtWPikXwYQWXkEjOdfF6i0CMtva/s400/kiyomizudera.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126019398081170338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">They speak the truth.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Kyoto must be busy with visitors now as it is the 'kouyou' (autumn leaves) season.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_f8DW3ByXgbhsrFgVGFhYJ9RfKWAgmnnjzce-3K90ekLBc-bKzD0PZggqEvixemiNfth8KSScUjpdGVeX5kDybhbSXZnqr8bWVFT6Kq8dBDrGNA4D64DN3Fe0s0w997wUTizn/s1600-h/woodfixture.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_f8DW3ByXgbhsrFgVGFhYJ9RfKWAgmnnjzce-3K90ekLBc-bKzD0PZggqEvixemiNfth8KSScUjpdGVeX5kDybhbSXZnqr8bWVFT6Kq8dBDrGNA4D64DN3Fe0s0w997wUTizn/s400/woodfixture.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126019402376137650" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">This is just under the roof of one of the buildings. Notice that there is nothing holding the wooden beams together; no nails or adhesives. This is traditional Japanese architecture; beams are held together by snapping or locking them together.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmcacBGkUe62QiX2cQfR3RchI4sQ90upm4WXgdI7W-9NFxxYQyAwVlTsW1yCHVm1dD-HoGfaNfv5Qth3Vl7S2rmZGragPC3ROC1mk0mnjpau7ZD_sK6OC_dyR2IWJlV87PEm_u/s1600-h/dark.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmcacBGkUe62QiX2cQfR3RchI4sQ90upm4WXgdI7W-9NFxxYQyAwVlTsW1yCHVm1dD-HoGfaNfv5Qth3Vl7S2rmZGragPC3ROC1mk0mnjpau7ZD_sK6OC_dyR2IWJlV87PEm_u/s400/dark.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126031608673193074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Look at the fixtures under the roof. Very strange, almost evil colours.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHiBfN3l8Ygkm09QLOGT1rd972_3cTcryTSc8uQTjmM-s32I6LO7Jibn241ELuQiCVmUrkqMxnIsHadrYmB8x-_ZFjtrqNLcwT6At_zcsW4-FRb9X-ErmjoMmMSqJsZeh2c76/s1600-h/dragonfaucet.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHiBfN3l8Ygkm09QLOGT1rd972_3cTcryTSc8uQTjmM-s32I6LO7Jibn241ELuQiCVmUrkqMxnIsHadrYmB8x-_ZFjtrqNLcwT6At_zcsW4-FRb9X-ErmjoMmMSqJsZeh2c76/s400/dragonfaucet.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126019410966072258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">All this time, I thought dragons breathed fire...</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This must be the coolest water fountain ever concieved.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicuBKhwr_V6VjTyVcfEljwgRcI553qbS07C9RoPwfGUYRgG4keqV7K3I9JM9QwViRvlOjM42yXaA8k_o0pkCEMFoYrPEp-VRRsr-ZB64Zo2ge0enSsij0pWmXzqa-TGOwu8bPd/s1600-h/cave.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicuBKhwr_V6VjTyVcfEljwgRcI553qbS07C9RoPwfGUYRgG4keqV7K3I9JM9QwViRvlOjM42yXaA8k_o0pkCEMFoYrPEp-VRRsr-ZB64Zo2ge0enSsij0pWmXzqa-TGOwu8bPd/s400/cave.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126019415261039570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">hmmm, cave = curiousity.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPi1O65wBXpZYuYVCYhOiPmr-D1_OxI84oH3in2ithL2cpuh_ZghUJXY4r3wbuj83Nm0_IRyCUgIu3_tB4zPwL1vjp94CllotL33pI9GQ345SrDf_fgszH9Kx4UVr_HNtdhtK/s1600-h/water.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPi1O65wBXpZYuYVCYhOiPmr-D1_OxI84oH3in2ithL2cpuh_ZghUJXY4r3wbuj83Nm0_IRyCUgIu3_tB4zPwL1vjp94CllotL33pI9GQ345SrDf_fgszH9Kx4UVr_HNtdhtK/s400/water.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126026136884857826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">This explains the 'mizu' part of the name..</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPpRuUClBfu2M9sUlLrAsFmWHXeShmYhwYKbM7GWdcHPoyQib1Bl57wAzqLuXqfiKByGJaFB1-hi0h7kHU9B9JEU7jSY1qeyoOmOqOz_RvWtcJ9gY5lqDm8fX62qEeu2ZhNVV/s1600-h/trees.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPpRuUClBfu2M9sUlLrAsFmWHXeShmYhwYKbM7GWdcHPoyQib1Bl57wAzqLuXqfiKByGJaFB1-hi0h7kHU9B9JEU7jSY1qeyoOmOqOz_RvWtcJ9gY5lqDm8fX62qEeu2ZhNVV/s400/trees.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126026154064727026" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdj5wJCIR-JvvYSfqcdGS5HqI51w54xrj7LxSyCCfPwPEbURWzC1oC99lLSDvXumj-sHgvRYkK32dOXUEfhx2wpesmqXs9yAN3W0601KbdSEIiggvI2p_SNNzVgFyR64PPo4kK/s1600-h/tree.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdj5wJCIR-JvvYSfqcdGS5HqI51w54xrj7LxSyCCfPwPEbURWzC1oC99lLSDvXumj-sHgvRYkK32dOXUEfhx2wpesmqXs9yAN3W0601KbdSEIiggvI2p_SNNzVgFyR64PPo4kK/s400/tree.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126026162654661634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Apparently this is one tree...</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsc61bz-NcBfWZ3a8xSW031eRxW2-Iml3OIw6A7fzES9ZHNPBP1Uxfd5u_0yL1BvA5Skr9LA87CNEk99rj6_dxopwjTxp0Y4S7UUf0sZ8HtfxDK9u9BoUijysKPqzS1_kw83K/s1600-h/slimtorii.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsc61bz-NcBfWZ3a8xSW031eRxW2-Iml3OIw6A7fzES9ZHNPBP1Uxfd5u_0yL1BvA5Skr9LA87CNEk99rj6_dxopwjTxp0Y4S7UUf0sZ8HtfxDK9u9BoUijysKPqzS1_kw83K/s400/slimtorii.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126028292958440482" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">In temples and shrines, you will find a lot of standalone gates called Toriis. This is one small and slim torii. Don't worry, in a moment you'll see a huge one.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Miyajima</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiScBDbyWLbM_sCPkhl5R5fLPU8FAulekZNKFt0hARueJEAoymV9qfwBVZaVmKMN9Np1gs8udU3BYLv_Zw2rdBewQDTeoaiCMp-6w2xualIPdq3NOJPPJvfCLwTuX2lH0GN7bk6/s1600-h/waytomiyajima.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiScBDbyWLbM_sCPkhl5R5fLPU8FAulekZNKFt0hARueJEAoymV9qfwBVZaVmKMN9Np1gs8udU3BYLv_Zw2rdBewQDTeoaiCMp-6w2xualIPdq3NOJPPJvfCLwTuX2lH0GN7bk6/s400/waytomiyajima.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126026171244596242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">On the way to Miyajima..</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZ_rW4SYYtgbsEdcpFrdifv4zIeuuS5ZvkrlIyezK9en7nyQuLUo2gAllhWs7VoQ5sUNzoBvNVlB7xok542zTn2YsJF3u597acvSnSCG-F2xkLuotgEvHT1KXzr3wbJu7IZJC/s1600-h/miyajimatorii.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZ_rW4SYYtgbsEdcpFrdifv4zIeuuS5ZvkrlIyezK9en7nyQuLUo2gAllhWs7VoQ5sUNzoBvNVlB7xok542zTn2YsJF3u597acvSnSCG-F2xkLuotgEvHT1KXzr3wbJu7IZJC/s400/miyajimatorii.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126029615808367666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Now that's one huge Torii</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39JM2O8kbXtKUE0DRzEJBTEDPHi34015tYmk7Sbb9uooiwV5PxDCmnWw6r36Y4As8DqDVAipYvBdwHpe8T1DBai6jToQQZcztZ5AT5F9MCXMadAfvgLv4rh0RDK9sv8rNLwwZ/s1600-h/deers.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39JM2O8kbXtKUE0DRzEJBTEDPHi34015tYmk7Sbb9uooiwV5PxDCmnWw6r36Y4As8DqDVAipYvBdwHpe8T1DBai6jToQQZcztZ5AT5F9MCXMadAfvgLv4rh0RDK9sv8rNLwwZ/s400/deers.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126031587198356562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">This is the laziest pose I have ever seen.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Someone should find work for those deers.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPJEgNWADL10ZO6Y8ik5g29d9RHBKTOPo9dsUPr8ueCqPn4OSHaamh5S4348k-qMRtQ5FAL4un145M8vwlZ8bb3ifYhLzE-hEUS3UrWKZ0VTW0s5XqVnhX3pEypxq0KaDI0Io/s1600-h/bird.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPJEgNWADL10ZO6Y8ik5g29d9RHBKTOPo9dsUPr8ueCqPn4OSHaamh5S4348k-qMRtQ5FAL4un145M8vwlZ8bb3ifYhLzE-hEUS3UrWKZ0VTW0s5XqVnhX3pEypxq0KaDI0Io/s400/bird.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126031565723520066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">It's nice to have animals around you for a change. In Jordan, birds and cats always run away (or fly away) from you (unless you have food with you). The stone lantern included in this picture was unintentional, I swear.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Back in Osaka..</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_t9qsG5VyvlhonQrUL7k3xpI4jVPRxsYlI8B89HMlD1_o0kVNPCzYnKUMUp-YEfQWKkElYIvjgZd-NouhEcDpHwx22Jrkt5mLrkV855J-h3FJ67jxFUblsZhBqgTxU0iOwYdk/s1600-h/Osakajou.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_t9qsG5VyvlhonQrUL7k3xpI4jVPRxsYlI8B89HMlD1_o0kVNPCzYnKUMUp-YEfQWKkElYIvjgZd-NouhEcDpHwx22Jrkt5mLrkV855J-h3FJ67jxFUblsZhBqgTxU0iOwYdk/s400/Osakajou.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126031612968160386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">This is taken from Osaka castle.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Notice how the reflections on the building are continuous with the scenery behind it, making it appear transparent.</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Soredewa, See you next post!</span><br /></div></div>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-28060864197272188932007-10-05T17:38:00.000+03:002008-12-10T22:23:30.728+02:00More posts after the break, just you wait! イードの後、続ける!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdrGTNmvGZQq15gSedTw548GIS6Di7RBUOES79-c-tMeLOVWnKO5dNeGPtMmMV521L_QM57o3ukQRKeiLs82VEUvgeQrsc3ytAp1nN-E2jHZm1hPadeGmSrAUMKetwABTwlc4/s1600-h/PAIN+progress.bmp"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdrGTNmvGZQq15gSedTw548GIS6Di7RBUOES79-c-tMeLOVWnKO5dNeGPtMmMV521L_QM57o3ukQRKeiLs82VEUvgeQrsc3ytAp1nN-E2jHZm1hPadeGmSrAUMKetwABTwlc4/s400/PAIN+progress.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5118205465228107794" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >It was especially a PAIN when it interrupted a movie/song I was watching/listening to.</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Salam friends,</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Since I started blogging about my trip and until the last entry, I posted every few days. But since then things slowed down and I will also not be posting in the next two weeks. As you may know, we're in Ramadan. Now, we're also in the last ten days of Ramadan. So, between work and getting the most out of the beloved month before it ends, I can't find time to update with photos or stories.</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8shMZwlFZqvtXwSKd4Mjh0eEgrLtQZltd9LHTlwYhlRI707I2FH2mm3RCyi1VVkEGK6LxfUP4MH8ul_PKdpFiGCxEQNIPFD1Fj1zHZZIpBy194rHLbfjjAbzUde5EYBNTCj0/s1600-h/special.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8shMZwlFZqvtXwSKd4Mjh0eEgrLtQZltd9LHTlwYhlRI707I2FH2mm3RCyi1VVkEGK6LxfUP4MH8ul_PKdpFiGCxEQNIPFD1Fj1zHZZIpBy194rHLbfjjAbzUde5EYBNTCj0/s400/special.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117866476344336386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Special treatment for a special month.</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I still have lots of interesting photos and stories up my sleeve, so look forward to more posts after Eid Al-Fitr ends (after around two weeks).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">dewa, mata ne!</span>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-23365317228274318992007-09-28T22:31:00.001+03:002008-12-10T22:23:33.562+02:00Japanese children 日本のお子供さん<span style="font-family:arial;"><br />I love children and I get along with them very well. Everybody who knows me well knows this much. But Japanese children are different, because they are.. well, different!! So, while in Japan I took pictures of my little friends and with my little friends.<br /><br />In the home stay post you already saw pictures of Mao-chan and Shoutarou-kun. Here's another picture of Mao holding the picture book I bought her and wishing for peace, like all Japanese people in almost every picture..<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BZuITHuoAXs/Rv1Z0tJiX4I/AAAAAAAAAGU/VVDPS3_gvsU/s1600-h/mao.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BZuITHuoAXs/Rv1Z0tJiX4I/AAAAAAAAAGU/VVDPS3_gvsU/s400/mao.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115343513770418050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">She's got style, doesn't she?<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">In the first real day of the program after orientation day we went to Nanba in Osaka and rode the train for the first time. While there a mother and her two kids enter the train and stand in front of me. The mom looked nice so I asked her for permission to take pictures of her children (In Japanese, I swear) ...<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7LrhYkcfDp4dNmHq2Jurg2SqUNVMB_a7DNg9q8QuXiU2IB3fU01MPk6GiYrirnovJToRvJQc2qZdEKjISCZCG3mlvd606AXlldWY3K1fIHxPE2JoQkU_7TJp26B5PX_pIVeu/s1600-h/train.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7LrhYkcfDp4dNmHq2Jurg2SqUNVMB_a7DNg9q8QuXiU2IB3fU01MPk6GiYrirnovJToRvJQc2qZdEKjISCZCG3mlvd606AXlldWY3K1fIHxPE2JoQkU_7TJp26B5PX_pIVeu/s400/train.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115344480138059666" border="0" /></a>That little devil in the green shirt looks cool!<br /><br />I try to take another shot and he glues himself to his mom, then pulled her hands and tried to hide behind them, but I caught the culprit at the right moment..<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ8fU1AYD2mLrHwNnGaG7uunPXzR8WxfPIR9-7zF5J1BcPIVa-vCpPr1Wh570UqqVLOKl4OL4I67UZvgpm_B-C9c979sex4EtIDX5cMKBT7nOiZkOyvNyFuXk_3Sv7M_YaWjF8/s1600-h/train2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ8fU1AYD2mLrHwNnGaG7uunPXzR8WxfPIR9-7zF5J1BcPIVa-vCpPr1Wh570UqqVLOKl4OL4I67UZvgpm_B-C9c979sex4EtIDX5cMKBT7nOiZkOyvNyFuXk_3Sv7M_YaWjF8/s400/train2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115346765060661154" border="0" /></a> Kakkoi na~, omae!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">In the Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima, I found a group of students in a school trip, so I took a picture of them and then they noticed me and started flocking towards me and posing and saying 'san kyuu, san kyuu, san kyuu' (Thank you). Great, I started a scene in the Peace memorial museum, a very grim place. Other program participants started taking pictures and the students -and their 'san kyuu's- kept increasing. I don't know how old they are, but obviously they have passed the 'cute' age and are well into the 'annoying' age. Someone has to teach them a thing or two about smiling though...<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXlNkIwoM4zsWKvN1Y97lId0aNfiIRAj1vx3OPYIY_WooZdppHEkOBPbCPV-SdGwOM3gWPF0AXzC_nTpdAo3lgqsTv922Q1XCyeL798TPPNk3kCGZCc1u47KNj9FJR8sYYf0L/s1600-h/hiroshima.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXlNkIwoM4zsWKvN1Y97lId0aNfiIRAj1vx3OPYIY_WooZdppHEkOBPbCPV-SdGwOM3gWPF0AXzC_nTpdAo3lgqsTv922Q1XCyeL798TPPNk3kCGZCc1u47KNj9FJR8sYYf0L/s400/hiroshima.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115346769355628466" border="0" /></a>Cheezu! Peesu! SMILE!!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And now, the stars of the show! This was in the last day of the program, duing the farewell party. I tried to avoid the adults who were drinking (and drinking) and look who I found!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrRazzyymurea0HQOBJXSd1BBIS_keDx9TFo-SPeEs5hG_CwxTswAjDsnE847fVK4ZUejhgQOmIGTzhyphenhyphenkqoWQ4w3EavgoI22-gKhXdXaCK96l9wNMzmgPkfKJZSZ9QZ6ckjcQ/s1600-h/farewell.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrRazzyymurea0HQOBJXSd1BBIS_keDx9TFo-SPeEs5hG_CwxTswAjDsnE847fVK4ZUejhgQOmIGTzhyphenhyphenkqoWQ4w3EavgoI22-gKhXdXaCK96l9wNMzmgPkfKJZSZ9QZ6ckjcQ/s400/farewell.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115351695683116994" border="0" /></a>Sticking her tongue out in shyness. Gotta love the hairdo<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />There was another little girl beside our starlet but she was shy and didn't want to take a picture. So, to 'break the ice' I walked to her asked 'what's your name?' she said something incomprehensible. Again, 'what's your name?', incomprehensible. I give up. 'Let's take a picture' Nod! Easy!...<br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bZmvw-6EeHxk8DqvIkdiShPRpZUJqIGwED_QY_o9K3_JsKOcU39Nh-VRo5w2owAxRlm4q-e9U5VdZ44HkN4UKsFRcgMAtqerEB-wDVPHKK1Lmy1SKXYt3Aij1IUg9QTMaMLy/s1600-h/farewell2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bZmvw-6EeHxk8DqvIkdiShPRpZUJqIGwED_QY_o9K3_JsKOcU39Nh-VRo5w2owAxRlm4q-e9U5VdZ44HkN4UKsFRcgMAtqerEB-wDVPHKK1Lmy1SKXYt3Aij1IUg9QTMaMLy/s400/farewell2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115351699978084306" border="0" /></a>Lovely expressions..<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXmdEKT0Sqny0BTDYyz6eit6bKjoVEnZNufIGWGTeqRCx7tVGCnQY0OAISOZWJtuz1RAP3Qu4IrZS7tSPj4Vmag9qfS5HX-FDztBs9k3L8SLdKYkVA6NIScOHcKiiAA30Soed/s1600-h/farewell3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXmdEKT0Sqny0BTDYyz6eit6bKjoVEnZNufIGWGTeqRCx7tVGCnQY0OAISOZWJtuz1RAP3Qu4IrZS7tSPj4Vmag9qfS5HX-FDztBs9k3L8SLdKYkVA6NIScOHcKiiAA30Soed/s400/farewell3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115351712862986210" border="0" /></a>Look at me; I keep smiling as I have no idea what's going on.<br /><br /></div>That's all I got, I didn't see much children and sometimes I didn't have the courage to ask their parents permission for a picture.<br /><br />During home stay, home stay mom noticed that I got along with Mao and Shouta and she told dad 'there's a sense of attachement, because Samer speaks Japanese'. It was a new word for me in Japanese.. shinkinkan.. I tried to guess the kanjis to understand it.. 親切のしん、最近のきん、感... 親近感. 単語ゲット! :D<br /><br />See you next post.<br /></div></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-6449594366156493012007-09-25T20:15:00.000+03:002008-12-10T22:23:36.453+02:00日本で一番好きな場所 - My favourite place in Japan<div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintmM78apkRG8BzRsSqsdb1sZbmNYiI2ybsKQfnodekblXaET3B0qzbkwyiRB0fsGKbcuhFCMIZxzsjLadDSZ5VzRvJJntfn25fRqeCA0WU9L1kIF_f_ClqiGF1i6T_1zqE8_r/s1600-h/hajimete.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintmM78apkRG8BzRsSqsdb1sZbmNYiI2ybsKQfnodekblXaET3B0qzbkwyiRB0fsGKbcuhFCMIZxzsjLadDSZ5VzRvJJntfn25fRqeCA0WU9L1kIF_f_ClqiGF1i6T_1zqE8_r/s400/hajimete.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5114194068852858530" border="0" /></a>駅を出た後、初めての写真<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKJfMm4O0U42LN5JGUYjVqmWDrcpAytCBLywJZjhaQvW3ZZtOhUN5tphUBH5D9i1j21SetjeiUnBopqbrDB6RjJL0wvgyb3VueGwmFqzltrOnuqTJrycWfPmVMR5kpwWB6Fe0/s1600-h/shirushi.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKJfMm4O0U42LN5JGUYjVqmWDrcpAytCBLywJZjhaQvW3ZZtOhUN5tphUBH5D9i1j21SetjeiUnBopqbrDB6RjJL0wvgyb3VueGwmFqzltrOnuqTJrycWfPmVMR5kpwWB6Fe0/s400/shirushi.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5114192690168356498" border="0" /></a>どこの印だろう??<br /><br />さて、<br /><br />日本で一番好きな場所は...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEvJnmzsCX6OUVwIjQtDeXr5VbHeqRwV2OCQ-73jOTUUKYB2S65CL0LhdB9o5J7F941P7d-RNbM1OQR6NLNB5azmOkm9lKDRhJKjPcEMprJlG-lxiZlsOMZNZpH4c01scXwtS/s1600-h/yama.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEvJnmzsCX6OUVwIjQtDeXr5VbHeqRwV2OCQ-73jOTUUKYB2S65CL0LhdB9o5J7F941P7d-RNbM1OQR6NLNB5azmOkm9lKDRhJKjPcEMprJlG-lxiZlsOMZNZpH4c01scXwtS/s400/yama.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5114200678807527154" border="0" /></a>山と...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uhZp9grIRtOUDlPTLgu8DjQEKFri0TfIiwvovIz5sqGkanFzYGfcYGy-C7FWG0rIfqR2FsJosFEvRlNwYqsvCTD17orIhpXUwDMpwm8Xbu-ZyiPSZ8gjVv-DG9rmn2rJHH2L/s1600-h/umi.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uhZp9grIRtOUDlPTLgu8DjQEKFri0TfIiwvovIz5sqGkanFzYGfcYGy-C7FWG0rIfqR2FsJosFEvRlNwYqsvCTD17orIhpXUwDMpwm8Xbu-ZyiPSZ8gjVv-DG9rmn2rJHH2L/s400/umi.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5114200687397461762" border="0" /></a>海の間の...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ps_NMYsVWbGuggjJDa9mMSwopK-ankSr8Q8NaNw4dpm_Npyp42p-KkH4XFrdWYFuOY-u0Tj7emAULWhYvL2Y4fLe8pJrLLQwTTMaI4TylfZgctrVDeK5OldorNCHVjLriS55/s1600-h/sakamichi.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ps_NMYsVWbGuggjJDa9mMSwopK-ankSr8Q8NaNw4dpm_Npyp42p-KkH4XFrdWYFuOY-u0Tj7emAULWhYvL2Y4fLe8pJrLLQwTTMaI4TylfZgctrVDeK5OldorNCHVjLriS55/s400/sakamichi.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5114202237880655634" border="0" /></a>アンマンのように、坂道いっぱいの...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmzx3sxQIa6KMaKFQoneLJ-EQz1jnvruQ6717FOdSiXS839T30MIw4vCu44-431YpooNFaUem7VP1JV97k-S-SiLbVmMaoyNHZqBQ0QEhR7XTMn_bXQPB56RXJ3E3IrMNoXkz/s1600-h/DSC02698.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmzx3sxQIa6KMaKFQoneLJ-EQz1jnvruQ6717FOdSiXS839T30MIw4vCu44-431YpooNFaUem7VP1JV97k-S-SiLbVmMaoyNHZqBQ0QEhR7XTMn_bXQPB56RXJ3E3IrMNoXkz/s400/DSC02698.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5114203380341956402" border="0" /></a>雰囲気の良い町です。<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">皆さん、もう分かりましたか。<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIOtrTrj-E0jvu6UVUeILzXk7_2N-ORY8l6AutVJBSefh8PRN3cZyfGmguANiOgKSimUNm12v4J1JZB3LaYL_vhzbBajMzO1ege4eZ7ERvSQKRmfg6VwVqEjJof7MaMMlD_wi/s1600-h/daigaku.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIOtrTrj-E0jvu6UVUeILzXk7_2N-ORY8l6AutVJBSefh8PRN3cZyfGmguANiOgKSimUNm12v4J1JZB3LaYL_vhzbBajMzO1ege4eZ7ERvSQKRmfg6VwVqEjJof7MaMMlD_wi/s400/daigaku.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5114206043221679938" border="0" /></a>まだ分からない人、問題がありますから。<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">「そやそやそや!神戸!神戸やで!」 <br /><br />景色が美しいし、雰囲気がいいし、天気が快適だし、神戸は気に入りました。大阪に住んでいる、神戸大学で勉強している友達は神戸へ連れて行ってくれました。もとは、日本で最古のモスクへ行きたかったですが、その前、神戸モスクの近くのレストランで食べようと、おなかがすいたみんな、そう思いました。レストランの中で、楽しくて、時間のたつのも忘れてしまいました。時間に気付くと、早く最後の電車に乗るため、急ぎました。<br /></div></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkuJWvz_57m7-Q84tZKz8o_82ZSVvEVZyPoDn5MwEm_ECyJWMTMjnKW71zIrib0jLnTVxYJecAF6Ovkf-RI8F511tuUDBbDVly7Mt2G33LjtM3pO68yKxZQZj_8Bs4vYFqP5v/s1600-h/resto.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkuJWvz_57m7-Q84tZKz8o_82ZSVvEVZyPoDn5MwEm_ECyJWMTMjnKW71zIrib0jLnTVxYJecAF6Ovkf-RI8F511tuUDBbDVly7Mt2G33LjtM3pO68yKxZQZj_8Bs4vYFqP5v/s400/resto.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5114202237880655650" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">日本に、二つの所があります。一つは私がどんなに写真が得意か表す所です。もう一つは、私がどんなに写真が苦手か表す所です。残念ですが、神戸は後者の一つでした。<br /><br />それでは、今度の日本語のポストまでまたね!<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />*これは初めての日本語のポストでしたから、間違いがあるはずです。気付いたら、間違いを指してください</span><br /></div><br /></div>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-78489781846672615652007-09-23T15:21:00.000+03:002008-12-10T22:23:45.754+02:00Round 1: Home stay photo-fest<span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Greetings,<br /><br />Here is the first wave of photographs, all taken during home stay or with the home stay family.<br /><br />My home stay family lives in Kishiwada, Osaka. Dad is a business man, who works in trading textiles among other things (mainly ornaments) and mom is a hard working housewife. They have one son (Shosaku) and two daughters (Tomoko and Hiroko). They also have three grandchildren: Mao (7 years), Shoutarou (5 years, not quite sure) and Takuto (1 year), who just started walking recently.<br /><br />When I first met them at the center, I was treated to the unexpected. This dark skinned guy with an earing on his left ear comes and embraces me! (My feeling at that moment can be summarized as follows: ほほっ!) Mom was also there and told me to call her just 'mama'. The family is much richer than your average Japanese family as they live in a 4 floors house (the last floor is equipped with a theater covering one of the walls).<br /><br />Anyway, lets get to the photos!<br /><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogHOSzHo3BIZIYnkiybEv_8FGz6qE3g9SlsSD0iDtSstzn2lRF9o2k4SAXsHnXYXVq6QY9HZTz-YAfQggRDix2DsfaokaoaxWJt61QM6E5Xp-1Cu8cMdhtpfmkhJMoWOrTMff/s1600-h/Lunch.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogHOSzHo3BIZIYnkiybEv_8FGz6qE3g9SlsSD0iDtSstzn2lRF9o2k4SAXsHnXYXVq6QY9HZTz-YAfQggRDix2DsfaokaoaxWJt61QM6E5Xp-1Cu8cMdhtpfmkhJMoWOrTMff/s400/Lunch.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113381838997576914" border="0" /></a>First thing I was treated to was a fancy, fancy lunch. Tamagoyaki, sushi, yakisakana, nasubi no goma-ae and oden.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Let's pause a little bit here. This lunch was not just for yours truly, as dad's rich, rich German friend was in Osaka and he was invited too. He told me that his rich, rich friend had just recently bought a personal jet plane for 80,000,000,000 (8 hyaku oku) yen (don't bother counting the zeros). And when we picked him and his Japanese wife we kept talking and talking in English and he kept asking me questions about the Middle East and what's in my opinion the problem there and how to solve it and so on and so forth. I began to wonder when will I speak Japanese today.<br /><br />So in the end, the guy liked me and asked for my contact information and although I bought 50 business cards with me to Japan, I had none on me (Duh!). He then gives me his business card which has the logo 'Turk Mall', I look at him and say 'Ah, a mall!'. He smiles and says '20 malls'.<br /><br />Just great!<br /><br />Next, the first excursion in Kishiwada<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTHU7RNO7R5EDzNXtojhH20uwSx_Cg57BUxAtBknEnANFAzqqzwAUXRv2lSgHNP7-yhqkgbn2RKvsyxuu2H76rRhLnuChvGyOcKY8UyerVw2fMeD65IrXmGcx5YR8By8DSxvLv/s1600-h/kishiwadajou.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTHU7RNO7R5EDzNXtojhH20uwSx_Cg57BUxAtBknEnANFAzqqzwAUXRv2lSgHNP7-yhqkgbn2RKvsyxuu2H76rRhLnuChvGyOcKY8UyerVw2fMeD65IrXmGcx5YR8By8DSxvLv/s400/kishiwadajou.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113381843292544226" border="0" /></a>Following my family to Kishiwada castle. Fancy isn't it?<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcmeHE6yy0MoQN4FJWs8ObQ_V9Dl86asevVKdMjFy1t9cTvgQo9QBXcUnEX7yDJ2GZHDqNj2ifLJrmwqocpqsvWS0YOcHF6A7vI9NIlPD08cbloyKZb4OcznakMOl_u9Tu3zE/s1600-h/danjiri+matsuri.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcmeHE6yy0MoQN4FJWs8ObQ_V9Dl86asevVKdMjFy1t9cTvgQo9QBXcUnEX7yDJ2GZHDqNj2ifLJrmwqocpqsvWS0YOcHF6A7vI9NIlPD08cbloyKZb4OcznakMOl_u9Tu3zE/s400/danjiri+matsuri.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113381847587511538" border="0" /></a>This is inside the kishiwada danjiri hall. Some intricate wood work used on the danjiri cart which is hollered around the city in the danjiri matsuri.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Let's pause again here. The Kishiwada danjiri matsuri is one of the most famous matsuris in Japan (Top 3 according to dad). It is well known because of the high speed and energy compared to other danjiri matsuris. I think, 200 guys pull or ride on the danjiri cart and pull it with big ropes around the city. It's a feat that requires a lot of strength, timing and coordination.<br /><br />When the family knew that I'm into game design they took me to a game center and look what I found there...<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OIMzbbCcDWW60qVQ6Vu_OsPNf2DljxCMSt0YWuesBzJ7Hri5GhyTVGV1qLwhGjZdCq0Xxwu-5tx-PJQDaUlrGgyDJX7-0GU5D-mXzSop0ExrZUWoSm0CwMQt6DahXuKs4bEo/s1600-h/virtual+betting.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OIMzbbCcDWW60qVQ6Vu_OsPNf2DljxCMSt0YWuesBzJ7Hri5GhyTVGV1qLwhGjZdCq0Xxwu-5tx-PJQDaUlrGgyDJX7-0GU5D-mXzSop0ExrZUWoSm0CwMQt6DahXuKs4bEo/s400/virtual+betting.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113381856177446146" border="0" /></a>People betting on a virtual horse race. I am still stupified by this..<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5nkASv6FO7QOjtxt-GFhnaDdts1xQriwjcbi3ljGrm96R69_vKruS4LtM9hqx-Ta7Uph9pBcelomXjFYF-NcR5D5BqW65Aobq8afbFFM4VHahfVX6do-Uo0pXiu1NmOctaS8/s1600-h/more+food.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5nkASv6FO7QOjtxt-GFhnaDdts1xQriwjcbi3ljGrm96R69_vKruS4LtM9hqx-Ta7Uph9pBcelomXjFYF-NcR5D5BqW65Aobq8afbFFM4VHahfVX6do-Uo0pXiu1NmOctaS8/s400/more+food.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113381860472413458" border="0" /></a>More food. This time it's Ikayaki (squid) and the Japanese pizza thing which I forgot the name for.<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFKEljOhW6m-DABB3lwuWs4k2gtfZ1uGVKXqjMQzf5tXRgpAHJ06h0_Uaxtbeew8c5u2_AR8sEZJWj2zbEdXFeuoM3hj-C7pvmG3SY2KEnMlpjKkiWiwN_0dQLnCmFBcAtksB/s1600-h/mom+and+dad.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFKEljOhW6m-DABB3lwuWs4k2gtfZ1uGVKXqjMQzf5tXRgpAHJ06h0_Uaxtbeew8c5u2_AR8sEZJWj2zbEdXFeuoM3hj-C7pvmG3SY2KEnMlpjKkiWiwN_0dQLnCmFBcAtksB/s400/mom+and+dad.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113393564258295074" border="0" /></a>Mom and Dad<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBwJZO0ojPvUrPe5sth2LYSQ_Ty1Bksf8YO2MEcRQqB2cNAfQu48g1STFjMCjHmngOy6R4s5jD1Imj8PwCC-KdD60MvVsc5FYJ8VHwPJDkUhkxlMPdvLGLqJkiAS3KetcNnFj/s1600-h/daughter+and+grand+daughter.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBwJZO0ojPvUrPe5sth2LYSQ_Ty1Bksf8YO2MEcRQqB2cNAfQu48g1STFjMCjHmngOy6R4s5jD1Imj8PwCC-KdD60MvVsc5FYJ8VHwPJDkUhkxlMPdvLGLqJkiAS3KetcNnFj/s400/daughter+and+grand+daughter.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113393602913000754" border="0" /></a>Big sis (Tomoko) and niece (Mao)<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVCb2DRF9Ux2ojqO_OQRfIpYeqA3pAj5fgWoEaoOy_W-Na-xXlGqW-sScqBjoo2aXx2vtVMQ05AFHp2F6P52bXDpzDdfFZwYx7HTa6DwVmBsaLJ8n8xbZcoBm__2SRJTcQu5l/s1600-h/dotombori.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVCb2DRF9Ux2ojqO_OQRfIpYeqA3pAj5fgWoEaoOy_W-Na-xXlGqW-sScqBjoo2aXx2vtVMQ05AFHp2F6P52bXDpzDdfFZwYx7HTa6DwVmBsaLJ8n8xbZcoBm__2SRJTcQu5l/s400/dotombori.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113393607207968066" border="0" /></a>In Dotonbori Osaka, a very famous and very crowded area.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpKbqOvfBatRSxtLZHyJFUFKJ7nslb9iBydlkuOhJLKJ0pcbGCbZ4QQAKF_1sLOtspC5sW-4XjeFO3pF8C9gZ-8T2o5UEMwJ2o0uDxhXjwz8dUDpM2n-ssrfN-l20QiLDBC3Z/s1600-h/gokurakushoutengai.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpKbqOvfBatRSxtLZHyJFUFKJ7nslb9iBydlkuOhJLKJ0pcbGCbZ4QQAKF_1sLOtspC5sW-4XjeFO3pF8C9gZ-8T2o5UEMwJ2o0uDxhXjwz8dUDpM2n-ssrfN-l20QiLDBC3Z/s400/gokurakushoutengai.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113393663042542930" border="0" /></a>Inside the Gokurakushoutengai.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">My family was kind enough to take me to Gokurakushoutengai, which is a place that looks exactly like Osaka in the Showa period (1926 - 1989).<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8q3UkMevyJDrN2hyphenhyphen14figz5TI2Ujn77WbA07sDn78oTVd1sONHknWlLIJhNK0pXwAJJR-ONB876T70v8ZrJBKXZcELxK_4Y31rdqrKFemYwP2RhDSLUHHXQHpWToY6ucCHFP/s1600-h/gokuraku2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8q3UkMevyJDrN2hyphenhyphen14figz5TI2Ujn77WbA07sDn78oTVd1sONHknWlLIJhNK0pXwAJJR-ONB876T70v8ZrJBKXZcELxK_4Y31rdqrKFemYwP2RhDSLUHHXQHpWToY6ucCHFP/s400/gokuraku2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113393671632477538" border="0" /></a>Notice that horizontal writing was - like Arabic - from right to left..<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAseagBfzEU6WH8FzpVdHIsvnU4N7td95EpKvPG8WfUMzFm6-TeGSfwuLMPZL0oBTYRn60Yo7aVxM6EghVAKrq87D5HCajwdShroizQq4U096U23Lj1KP0qzUkZSoSycRuC_o/s1600-h/coca+cola.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAseagBfzEU6WH8FzpVdHIsvnU4N7td95EpKvPG8WfUMzFm6-TeGSfwuLMPZL0oBTYRn60Yo7aVxM6EghVAKrq87D5HCajwdShroizQq4U096U23Lj1KP0qzUkZSoSycRuC_o/s400/coca+cola.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113397708901735794" border="0" /></a>In Jordan, we got Coca Cola long after the Showa period was over.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhewqD6k07rYRmlbyr4ddwGrrDqLgyCviQM_umyu5IKmzXVL6wZDWdrxTXP003s1zjzibownpe74TcBaDnr0sN7u9g5I3dSN0aF38YF_hqN9gLBHVqQy7SprHY9FyO-sHgZPF0/s1600-h/fish+catching.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhewqD6k07rYRmlbyr4ddwGrrDqLgyCviQM_umyu5IKmzXVL6wZDWdrxTXP003s1zjzibownpe74TcBaDnr0sN7u9g5I3dSN0aF38YF_hqN9gLBHVqQy7SprHY9FyO-sHgZPF0/s400/fish+catching.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113397713196703106" border="0" /></a>Amusement the old fashioned way.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Next up is Houzenji, where you'll find a shinto shrine for cooking and a restaurant supplies/cookingware market.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOsQt74IR9MBqE4nrGqXiQcI5hnObUypXLusRyjR4MNh5MI_uoEm4mdMX0wDDdGe4qp4gosuY9FaQn55Ly9RHYlt8GK0qrR_0ytZEj7N3PR3xv1HRE8Jg5fjM7WRM5OiMBl-L/s1600-h/jinja.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOsQt74IR9MBqE4nrGqXiQcI5hnObUypXLusRyjR4MNh5MI_uoEm4mdMX0wDDdGe4qp4gosuY9FaQn55Ly9RHYlt8GK0qrR_0ytZEj7N3PR3xv1HRE8Jg5fjM7WRM5OiMBl-L/s400/jinja.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113399152010747330" border="0" /></a>Here, people come to pray to become better cooks, faster. The plant statue, flowers and water flow sounds give the place a serene feeling.<br /></div><br />In Houzenji, we had lunch in an old restaurant..<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PFY2iTyUrORrdL8p48DF3TNLj9qBw4ebefjj_ECde8W-bocA_YNnXNsqLFtEBG_z5t9iWFRIBPB0ZazYl8B3RSxL9VJyAzEwB3orplReVIDG3l5L2CGn-qcsfFB25DA_TCRJ/s1600-h/shoutarou.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PFY2iTyUrORrdL8p48DF3TNLj9qBw4ebefjj_ECde8W-bocA_YNnXNsqLFtEBG_z5t9iWFRIBPB0ZazYl8B3RSxL9VJyAzEwB3orplReVIDG3l5L2CGn-qcsfFB25DA_TCRJ/s400/shoutarou.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113397730376572322" border="0" /></a>Shouta getting ready for the..<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHQL7rQ1q3HdA7us2vp07V_W0q8X1C6bkP2g0nqhwB7feQeFl_rMjop5_4HD5jErOzbcEeMMkpGRV2z1bivZ5xl7M3pbemAJMLWr6GvHxmt8A-mlOSGh9GILygjcHyaGOH7Fx/s1600-h/omuraisu.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHQL7rQ1q3HdA7us2vp07V_W0q8X1C6bkP2g0nqhwB7feQeFl_rMjop5_4HD5jErOzbcEeMMkpGRV2z1bivZ5xl7M3pbemAJMLWr6GvHxmt8A-mlOSGh9GILygjcHyaGOH7Fx/s400/omuraisu.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113397734671539634" border="0" /></a>ladies and gentlemen, omuraisu! (omelette rice)<br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7S1otRU8MoJKGGum0iyo6U4yP1pGpjkUgYH_yEc4dhZTRLhAVJtzgoZd_fE62440Rtm4D0r0HM4Ks9de6-AbmlE2_cKzctvDchbKiP5p4oTRGiewBS34I4Vyuf-1DiaH3nIZQ/s1600-h/the+market.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7S1otRU8MoJKGGum0iyo6U4yP1pGpjkUgYH_yEc4dhZTRLhAVJtzgoZd_fE62440Rtm4D0r0HM4Ks9de6-AbmlE2_cKzctvDchbKiP5p4oTRGiewBS34I4Vyuf-1DiaH3nIZQ/s320/the+market.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113404116992941522" border="0" /></a>In the market<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BJaW8UEfDlIqNciGE_GEqpnD3mvW9cPmLQO1tTT8T3Kn1TeClAa4K5e06VwFnAjGqqETKSj7qTORmaUmMHmQRY53osBXcluiGz-Q1IbbuO0LanPTCr-QEibg_OAao_tkP9hc/s1600-h/takoyaki-chan.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BJaW8UEfDlIqNciGE_GEqpnD3mvW9cPmLQO1tTT8T3Kn1TeClAa4K5e06VwFnAjGqqETKSj7qTORmaUmMHmQRY53osBXcluiGz-Q1IbbuO0LanPTCr-QEibg_OAao_tkP9hc/s320/takoyaki-chan.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113404121287908834" border="0" /></a>Shouta and Mao with Takoyaki-chan. In Japan, there's a -chan version of everything.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6isbdeqEHiFo0CL0DHLpx9zBK0yBOBlQ4ntU6Au7nzB5H-_61SjPZFpTmdRbQhhL6VPrjNsz-Atn124lB8IN1ZV1U2pgxL9o7uEckW-i-NWtAbLKPpWpMeICsYxAO81e3zk8/s1600-h/hottoshite.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6isbdeqEHiFo0CL0DHLpx9zBK0yBOBlQ4ntU6Au7nzB5H-_61SjPZFpTmdRbQhhL6VPrjNsz-Atn124lB8IN1ZV1U2pgxL9o7uEckW-i-NWtAbLKPpWpMeICsYxAO81e3zk8/s320/hottoshite.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113404129877843442" border="0" /></a>Don't ask me. I just found this amusing!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Before returning home, we went to Tsutaya and suddenly while there, mama decides that she wants a Wii. They buy it with three games and extra controllers, unpack it at home and start playing. Simple! compared to me, who was following the Wii 2 years in the news before it was even released. It was my first time to touch and try playing Wii, by the way.<br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2g1c2jad5jqmavc-RUHc7juVf1yTL6kCiPZXmjc2C93aOFqYrOW83ltlmXPCrK3eYxjGWNi8v20tTx2y2haN4Oxb3DLo5ocjjyM-3itI9E3OrfMcJbEHR5oTpqMJwlHkEkaq/s1600-h/playing+wii.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2g1c2jad5jqmavc-RUHc7juVf1yTL6kCiPZXmjc2C93aOFqYrOW83ltlmXPCrK3eYxjGWNi8v20tTx2y2haN4Oxb3DLo5ocjjyM-3itI9E3OrfMcJbEHR5oTpqMJwlHkEkaq/s320/playing+wii.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113404138467778050" border="0" /></a>Mao-san and her mom playing Wii Tennis<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Finally, what better way to end the day than with Kappazushi?<br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0SeBKaDHTGfUdAQ4j22P5k84tpkNcu3s2Y7qkUGriU65HF2Bh5ek1-LaBj7zBfmVYtOnl0xzL7TRduIaw4_qIazVkpyBXCBhvrAhTUnsC4b4utU8BpeAjxYFDfh4to7y7STk/s1600-h/kaitenzushi.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0SeBKaDHTGfUdAQ4j22P5k84tpkNcu3s2Y7qkUGriU65HF2Bh5ek1-LaBj7zBfmVYtOnl0xzL7TRduIaw4_qIazVkpyBXCBhvrAhTUnsC4b4utU8BpeAjxYFDfh4to7y7STk/s320/kaitenzushi.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113404142762745362" border="0" /></a>Something looks suspicious!...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuN8QWv4PGcLN5WuA2XjW_jVZvwXyV-rnucg4aCriDADAADNangkLo65eH7TOjSYN__mrsE9WXJdr-CWBZTJz_2IMaIBdCXwm28ppCF8t4zeIZSgRmPD78P2AD7mDUwL0LQv1b/s1600-h/hamburgersushi.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuN8QWv4PGcLN5WuA2XjW_jVZvwXyV-rnucg4aCriDADAADNangkLo65eH7TOjSYN__mrsE9WXJdr-CWBZTJz_2IMaIBdCXwm28ppCF8t4zeIZSgRmPD78P2AD7mDUwL0LQv1b/s320/hamburgersushi.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113407737650372130" border="0" /></a>Hamburger sushi! Beef instead of fish and Mayonnaise instead of Wasabi!<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Leave it to the Japanese to commit such crimes in the name of innovation. If you've been following Tymoor-sensei's blog, you already know about the Tuna-mayo-nigiri and the Ice cucumber Pepsi..<br /><br />The thing that drives me madder is that sometimes it actually works. I tried Tuna-mayo-nigiri and it was good. But still I have the 'chigau! CHIGAU!' ('That's not right!') feeling inside me whenever I see rice with mayonnaise.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9D_2tldYq57afZH37yjkndoaGvzvEEToHkwClVjNaz4WGwBrx7LXI0GuKHdNZMUWBcZccZs_57AfC4YpltURRmVfCbiOL00xY9jEIfSngycL0hsSHdUqRxYxsofb1Vgprgc5/s1600-h/with+mama.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9D_2tldYq57afZH37yjkndoaGvzvEEToHkwClVjNaz4WGwBrx7LXI0GuKHdNZMUWBcZccZs_57AfC4YpltURRmVfCbiOL00xY9jEIfSngycL0hsSHdUqRxYxsofb1Vgprgc5/s320/with+mama.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113407746240306738" border="0" /></a>Shouta-kun and Mao-chan with their mom, Tomona-san.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Kappazushi marks the end of homestay, but not quite yet..<br /><br />One day, I was going to Namba with my Egyptian and Yemeni fellas and just when I slid the ticket in Namba station I accidentally met Tomoya, Hiroko's husband (Did you notice how many Tomo's there are in this family?). I had only met him and Hiroko for 10 minutes in the morning of the second home stay day. He was returning from work and was kind enough to take us to Dotonbori (where he has an accessories shop). There, accidentally also, we met with Mie-san, a program participant from Brazil (she is of Japanese origin, a nikeijin).<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfEoPvTphrboe099DxtPbIDQNKyF_zU_EpRBW8AX12OEzfd_3_axFiGtSQ9kf86t7uWSeB4AblcGmcivCnFP1XRW_jb1WrUPVAAm5Yo2KkaogpAmvwrzox46BXZY9TRjoIcbjW/s1600-h/dotonbori.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfEoPvTphrboe099DxtPbIDQNKyF_zU_EpRBW8AX12OEzfd_3_axFiGtSQ9kf86t7uWSeB4AblcGmcivCnFP1XRW_jb1WrUPVAAm5Yo2KkaogpAmvwrzox46BXZY9TRjoIcbjW/s320/dotonbori.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113407754830241346" border="0" /></a>Two accidental encounters and a group photo.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />When dad took me back to the Center after kappazushi, Mao-chan fell asleep in the car and I couldn't tell her a proper good bye. Tomoya-san told me that when she woke up, she cried. Aww! I was gonna meet the homestay family again in the last day, so I sent dad an e-mail telling him to bring along Mao-chan to give her a suitable farewell.<br /><br />In the last day, dad and mom picked up Mao-chan from school before the school day was over and they took me to have lunch in Rinku-tower, the tallest building in Rinku-town (where the Japan Foundation Center is located) . Mao-chan gave me a letter and I gave her a picture book!<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV027z9iw752Zvz1DEa1-HgU3gjN8ToTgWHh9ybKUXcisD8JRmTTCD9Top93QejhahvYsx7O9zy_poqb9QTKw71kViw6i_7H6iUaTTCcAwwwTB54YW5khdkgYlAcyXchjjsJSN/s1600-h/Osaka.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV027z9iw752Zvz1DEa1-HgU3gjN8ToTgWHh9ybKUXcisD8JRmTTCD9Top93QejhahvYsx7O9zy_poqb9QTKw71kViw6i_7H6iUaTTCcAwwwTB54YW5khdkgYlAcyXchjjsJSN/s320/Osaka.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113407763420175954" border="0" /></a>The view from Rinku tower, the tallest building around.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQBJGzXsetUmlvbYR0GxQ3D8zYBgfewdWz0OLEFl8SQTDiCC1J8du6lFI1QoPV77lBO0vQW2uYzxqdK4XCqUoca6742EaT0gW6M7puNmw7rxvtoWAaHO_CFhOVunpq-zlRi6A/s1600-h/Osaka2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQBJGzXsetUmlvbYR0GxQ3D8zYBgfewdWz0OLEFl8SQTDiCC1J8du6lFI1QoPV77lBO0vQW2uYzxqdK4XCqUoca6742EaT0gW6M7puNmw7rxvtoWAaHO_CFhOVunpq-zlRi6A/s320/Osaka2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113407772010110562" border="0" /></a>Osaka from above.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />After an open buffet lunch where most of the food had pork or alcohol (i.e. i barely ate anything) and some nice conversations we returned to the center for the last time.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsUZ0uB98dFSPUpIC3ybOAwxi5ZY92nnaspXffsZ2uJgjoce0Keqx0gxLZacG2KM03SJWA7DGoDpu7N-_4sasg-jlfq6ua5RH1lVI3-hYUz2N8KnUJpEjovE-4ZAp6FKvwSX2/s1600-h/farewell+picture.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsUZ0uB98dFSPUpIC3ybOAwxi5ZY92nnaspXffsZ2uJgjoce0Keqx0gxLZacG2KM03SJWA7DGoDpu7N-_4sasg-jlfq6ua5RH1lVI3-hYUz2N8KnUJpEjovE-4ZAp6FKvwSX2/s320/farewell+picture.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113413132129295986" border="0" /></a>I think this answers the question: Who's your daddy?!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmJSRaM28c4z2sjNf4GZ_8bk5Nnu1xubcQk3FmKQjqoc8HN3QmSmcPpUsBpBuGZFqwbvctDzf9S5T9L5AbxZBzlaKbhRGtaF8MacHAzoSUhfyKYgElR6k6we7nXc9hN5xR_O1/s1600-h/farewell+picture+2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmJSRaM28c4z2sjNf4GZ_8bk5Nnu1xubcQk3FmKQjqoc8HN3QmSmcPpUsBpBuGZFqwbvctDzf9S5T9L5AbxZBzlaKbhRGtaF8MacHAzoSUhfyKYgElR6k6we7nXc9hN5xR_O1/s320/farewell+picture+2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113413140719230594" border="0" /></a>With mom and Mao (doing a cat pose).<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">That was the home stay related part. I feel regretful because I didn't take as much pictures as I wanted. If I had time I would have taken more pictures of the house and of Hiroko-san and her little Takuto, and of my room and the electric toilet.. Ah, zannen da na~!<br /><br />But this is not the last time I will meet the home stay family, I believe. Dad comes to Greece and Turkey around 4 times a year and he and mom sounded serious when they told me that they will visit Jordan next time. They told me that every time I tried (and failed) to pay for the food and tickets. I actually brought with me a Japanese book about Jordan and they showed great interest in it.<br /><br /></div></div>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29862007.post-55850475950147370032007-09-21T10:30:00.001+03:002008-12-10T22:23:46.237+02:00My two weeks in Japan - prologue: KokoroS<span style="font-family:arial;">alam friends,</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I've created this blog sometime ago but never really started blogging or anything. This will change temporarily as I will be posting some pictures and accounts of my two weeks trip to Japan.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">What trip? In July, I received a letter of invitation from the Japan Foundation to participate in a two week trip called the "Japanese-language program for outstanding students" 日本語成績優秀者研修プログラム starting from September 5th.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In two short weeks I had the experience of a lifetime. I've been to Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Tokyo. I've met my friends and teachers, both Japanese and Jordanian and together we spent good times and made good memories.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNwt2tovb3INzYPTo7YQ0bPygkwsMJ47nMNZunNYpLDiLX00FpBsIf6Kr80hp3F9pvbNGCastJt8fJ-eIq0pLA3nn4t3vPa155-iZHTac25sHUQmBFT_X493CCAyggEQQeKvj/s1600-h/Kokoro+sign.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNwt2tovb3INzYPTo7YQ0bPygkwsMJ47nMNZunNYpLDiLX00FpBsIf6Kr80hp3F9pvbNGCastJt8fJ-eIq0pLA3nn4t3vPa155-iZHTac25sHUQmBFT_X493CCAyggEQQeKvj/s400/Kokoro+sign.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112570107358502082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >Something I left part of in Japan</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But that was the easy part! I knew from the outset that I'd have lots of fun. The challenging part was to learn as much as I can within those two weeks. I hope to share some of the fun experiences and learning experiences, and also the fun learning experiences.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">To wind up this post here's a new song in Japan by Oda Kazumasa. I heard it the first time in the JAL airplane on my way to Japan and many times in supermarkets and kiosks and now I just can't get it out of my head. It has become the theme song of this trip . I couldn't find the music clip for 'kokoro' (the song's name) so here's the song used as the opening for a drama series.</span><br /><br /><object style="font-family: arial;" height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DPriQHhnqoI"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DPriQHhnqoI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Enjoy and expect more posts and pictures soon..</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:arial;" >Edit note: I just noticed that the sign above and the song name are the same. This nice coincidence led me to change the post's title as you can see!</span>Saemon 左衛門http://www.blogger.com/profile/05308428770124663671noreply@blogger.com4