Jūnihitoe, the robe

19 Friday May 2017

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Japan, junihitoe, kimono, travel, traveling, travelingjapan, travelphotography, yukata

While in Japan, we noticed women dressed in kimonos just walking the streets. Quite quickly our guide corrected us explaining that the traditional dresses we see are simple yukatas. For a foreigner it seems to be a kimono, but it is not. But still even a simple yukata made of cotton or synthetic silk is considered a casual but elegant dress.

The main feature of a true kimono is many layers. In Gijon, the Geisha district we saw women, whose dresses or robes were more complex and much more decorated. You could have seen they consisted of many layers. Their faces were painted, their hair carefully dressed. These were professional geishas or geikos (or women learning to become one).

Seen in Gion, the geisha district.

There are of course simpler kinds of kimonos worn on special occasions. Like in the Western tradition, different kinds of dresses and robes are worn on different occasions. The best example in every country is the wedding dresses.

A newly married couple dressed Japanese traditional way posing to a photographer in the bamboo forest in Arashiyama.

And yet another beautiful bride in a beautiful robe.

But the absolute highlight was dresses, robes, costumes and apparel we saw during the Aoi Matsuri Festival. It is a traditional procession of a couple of hundred people dressed according to VIII-XII century court code alongside streets of Kyoto. In the middle of procession there is an unmarried woman, who performs the role of Saiō-Dai. In past times, she was a lady chosen from the sisters and daughters of the Emperor to dedicate herself to the Shimogamo shrine (another shrine on the way of the procession). According to the tradition she is dressed in jūnihitoe that is the most elegant kind of a kimono. It consists in fact of 12 twelve layers of silk garments (hence its name ‘a twelve-layer robe’). The colours of layers depend (or rather depended in the past) on the woman’s position. As the Sao Dai was carried is some kind of a litter it was not possible to see the whole robe. It would be however difficult for the performer to walk in the procession as the junihitoe may weight up to 20 kg.

Sao Dai dressed in jūnihitoe, the twelve layers robe.

Today, only members of the imperial house wear jūnihitoe on very important occasions.

Still of beautiful dresses and robes at the Aoi Matsuri festival.

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Still of Madrid

12 Friday May 2017

Posted by justmovingaround in Sightseeing

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Madrid, photography, Spain, travel, traveling, travelingeurope, travelphotography

Walking the streets and parks of Madrid, April 2017.

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Musei Vaticani

10 Wednesday May 2017

Posted by justmovingaround in Sightseeing

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art, musei vaticani, museum, travel, traveling, travelingeurope, travelingitaly, travelphotography, Vatican, vatican museums

Musei Vaticani belongs to one of those museums where one is simply overwhelmed with all the artifacts, sculptures and paintings gathered in a relatively small space. It would be difficult to recall all of them, not to mention describing or even make photos of all of them. It would be simply too much.

In Musei Vaticani there a couple of routes you can take. Quite often the sightseeing begins with the antique section. Inside there are many sculptures, busts, reliefs, mosaics and other ancient artifacts. There are almost no paintings. That one will be however more than balanced in other parts of the museum. Walls and ceilings are of antique look. In this section of the Vaticani museum one should simply concentrate on the historical value of that, what one sees. The following sections are more about the art, paintings or frescoes as well as craftsmanship. There are a number of chambers that look like an art gallery, so the focus is indeed on the paintings on display. But there are chambers where one has to look around and look up. The most impressive frescoes are probably in the Raphael’s Rooms – a series of chambers painted by Raphael. But there are also at least two passages alongside long but long corridors with frescoes painted on ceilings. These are a couple of hundreds meters long each: one is a corridor with tapestry maps and the other one a series of consecutive corridors in the Bibliotheca Vaticana (>>>).

Visiting this museum one has to be prepared to find oneself in a crowd – there are daily hundreds of tourists, who want to visit this place. As far as the entrance is concerned: there is the official queue, in which one has to wait a longer time (around an hour or so). One can also use a quicker queue that in practice means use a service of a person (or a guide), who has a reservation. But one has to pay more for the ticket. The latter seems to be an under the desk procedure, but it works.

A SELECTION OF MY PHOTO IMPRESSIONS: M U S E I V A T I C A N I (2015)

: Bibliotheca Vaticana

: A painting in the modern art section

: Egyptian section

: Pottery. Ancient section

: Bibliotheca Vaticana

: A tapestry

: Just got out the Sistine Chapel

: A goddess in the Sala Rotonda

: Window Carpentry, one of Raphael’s Rooms

: Sala Rotonda, a pantheon of gods and emperors. In front statues of the emperors Claudius (left) and Galba (right).

: A wall fresco, Sala di Constantino, Raphael’s Rooms

: A ceiling decoration

: Ceiling decoration in a long but long room with maps

: Raphael’s Rooms

: A head of a painted Egyptian mummy coffin

: Mosaics, ancient section

: Ceiling decoration

: Statue of Zeus

: A painted Egyptian mummy coffin

: Ancient section. Look at the crowds

: An old ceiling decoration

: Bibliotheca Vaticana

: Raphael’s Rooms: The School of Athens

: Ancient mosaics

: A piece of the oldest ceiling decoration

: Ancient section

: Floor mosaics. Sala Rotonda

: Tapestry

: Ancient floor mosaics

: A ceiling decoration

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Japan diaries 2.0. Late hours in Shinjuku

08 Monday May 2017

Posted by justmovingaround in Society

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Japan, Japanese, Japanese society, Shinjuku, travel, traveling, travelingjapan

Japan, already a year ago. But looking through my original photos I still discover petty memories that summed up changed for good my initial comprehension of Japan and the Japanese society.

During our two weeks trip, we spent four nights in Tokyo. Each of those days sooner or later in the evening we went to Shinjuku, that is a special ward (kind of a district) of Tokyo known for its night life. In popular language, Shinjuku is the area in the neighbourhood of the Shinjuku railway station (considered the biggest in the world), where people enjoy the nightlife or to be precise late evenings as the most commuter trains depart around midnight. People come there straight after work.

THE LIGHTS OF SHINJUKU

The first thing that attracted out attention as we arrived there for the first time was the street views full of colourfull neon advertisements and the atmosphere, the noise, the crowds and the party feeling. Below some pictures.

The streets of Shinjuku during night time, only few of many.

THE CITY OF CONTRASTS

If looking closely, Shinjuku is a place of contrasts. At the first sight the streets have a modern fleur. Office building, quite much lights, modern transport infrastructure including railway flyovers, very modern underground passages. In quite close neigbourhood from the ‘neon’ streets, there are many elegant office skyscrapers and other office buildings like those on the photo below.

But if you look closer and visit some side streets full of small izakaya (restaurant and pub all in one), which are usually full of locals and tourists enjoying delicious food and alcoholic drinks you will see pictures you do not expect to see in that kind of a modern place. They look like out of a different world.

An entrance to an izakaya in one of the side streets of Shinjuku. If you look closer on the left upper corner you will see a small fragment of a railway flyover. The office district you can see on the picture above, was just behind it. Would you believe?

The inside of a small izakaya. I did this picture from the street, a quite narrow one, maybe of two meters width, quite close to the main streets that can be seen on the series of pictures above.

Of course not all izakaya and restaurants look like that. Most of those in main streets have quite a regular look. You will also find there many international and Japanese chain restaurants.

Inside a more regular Japanese style izakaya. The first one we visited in Japan. In one like that you will be asked to take off your shoes. I photographed it as we were about to leave. Only a quarter before the room was full of Japanese enjoying a drinking party. If you look closer, you can see the frames when movable panels may be installed. This way the open space may be turned into private lounges. They are of course not sound proof, but still you are among yourselves

SAKE FOR BEGINNERS

In all Japanese izakaya you may drink sake, which is the traditional Japanese rice wine. Unlike typical wine, sake is produced in the brewing process (and not by fermentation). Sake may be drunk either cold or hot (warm). In most restaurants during our journey we were served sake in simple glasses. However, while in Shinjuku we visited one izakaya, where we knew sake was served traditional way. We wanted the experience.

Cold sake served traditional way.

We decided to try sake served cold. The glasses were first put into small boxes. Then sake was richly poured into glasses so it overran the glass edge. First we were supposed to drink that what was inside the glass, then we drank the sake that overran either directly from the box or from the glass after pouring it back into it.

Of other Japanese alcoholic beverages we tried in Japan were the Japanese beers (most popular), shochu (a kind of vodka made of rice), umeshu (plum wine) and Japanese whiskey.

A small hint: In Japan, you theoretically do not give tips. However, you are served some small appetisers of your host choosing like the one on the picture, for which you will be billed.

THE DRINKING PROBLEM

Japanese drink much alcohol, one may say too much. However, the alcohol consumption per capital in this country fell in recent 20 years or so. Tokyo ranks top on the alcohol consumption map. Drinking parties, among co-workers are considered as a way to bond and build a team. Although Japan is quite low in international comparisons that assess the consumption of pure alcohol per capita (around 70th position) looking on that what is going on in Shinjuku one can only confirm the opinions that the Japanese have a drinking problem. Our observation was that unlike here at home (our country ranks much more higher in those ranking lists than Japan) this may lay in constant drinking parties (a couple of those a week) and weaker heads. But this is only speculation.

White collar, who seemingly missed the train home. I made this picture in one of the Japanese major cities at the entrance to bank premises. around 8 am.

The late trains from Shinjuku are full of more or less sober people. But often you can see white collars indeed very drunk, barely keeping straight. Sometimes they do not manage to take the last train like this one on the picture. The view like that is rare, but not unusual.

/to be continued …/

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Japan diaries 2.0. Transport

06 Saturday May 2017

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Japan, Japanese public transport, Japanese society, travel, travel in Japan, traveling, travelingjapan

Japan, already a year ago. But looking through my original photos I still discover petty memories that summed up changed for good my initial comprehension of Japan and the Japanese society.

As professionally I deal with transport and infrastructure economics, one of my special interests all around Japan was its transportation system. And already on our first day in Japan I got quite a nice experience pack.

A photo made a couple of days later. The very impressive entrance to the Kanazawa railway station.

A JUMBO JET ON PILED PIERS

My first ‘wow’ happened as our aircraft was rolling alongside the taxiway at Haneda, the Tokyo airport. Haneda is ranking the fifth busiest airport in the world. I was aware that because of increasing traffic the airport had to be extended several times. At a certain point this was possible only by additional land reclamation. That what I did not know, was that the airport runways/taxiways were built on a combination of reclaimed land and piled pier sections. Our jumbo jet indeed moved on a taxiway constructed upon piled piers!

THE JR PASS

The first thing we had to do after we cleared the airport closed area was to claim our Japan Rail Passes (or shortly JR Passes). (We paid for them earlier at home.) The JR Pass is a document that for a lump sum paid upfront allows travelling by most Japanese trains without limits within a certain period of time, for which the pass was bought. Only a couple of times we had to pay some additional amount to use a Shinkansen (high speed) train.

As I understand, the concept of the JR Pass is about making the railway transport affordable to those, who come visit Japan. Almost all of us traveled on a tourist visa. Only our guide/interpreter was supposed to stay longer upon a working visa. This excluded him from the JR Pass system. Each time he had to pay the full ticket price.

As a tourist with a JR pass issued on your name you can use all Japanese Railways (JR) lines for a lump sum up-front payment. However, you must be prepared to pay additional fee in some Shinkansen (high speed) trains. You must also reserve a sitting place. The JR pass is not valid in metro trains.

THE EXPENSIVE RAILWAY TICKETS

The tickets were expensive even if compared to Western European standards. The railway prices in European countries differ. But two months later I paid less for the Eurostar ticket (from Paris to London) than he paid for even shorter Shinkansen trips in Japan.

The Shinkansen and Japanese Railways (JR) ticket machines.

As I understand, most employers in Japan offer their employees (on a regular contract) a travel allowance (for commuting purposes) that is tax deductible. Without it, even Japanese would not be able to afford the train tickets.

The tickets are expensive because unlike in Europe the Japanese railways are not subsidized. The European authorities subsidize railways upon the assumption that passengers can afford only tickets that pay for train operations as well as regular maintenance of infrastructure. In case of commuter trains this would be even less. But if ticket prices had to include the investment costs, including building new infrastructure, upgrading or heavier repairs, the prices would be prohibitive. In Japan, the problem was solved by means of privatizing the railway companies, that are allowed to keep a relatively high price of railway tickets. On the other hand, the government grants the employers tax deductions on travel allowances they pay to their commuting employees (indirect subsidy). Besides that, the railway companies are given incentives to finance their railway business though other business activities with higher rates of return (like housing).

PEOPLE IN WHITE GLOVES, QUEUING AND THE MUSIC PLAYING

People in white gloves, always ready to assist.

Of things that are noticeable at the first sight about the Japanese railways is that there are relatively more employees working in the passenger service (than in Europe). You can recognise them easily as they wear uniforms and white gloves. The other thing is that on most railway platforms there are marks on the floor indicating the place where the passengers should queue. So it is the role of the train driver to stop the train so that the door opens exactly in front of the queue. I do not understand Japanese. But a friend of mine, who speaks the language says that if the train driver does not manage to fit the exact spot a speaker says a polite excuse formula though megaphones. To be frank, all of us had a problem of queuing this way (preferred to spend the waiting time on conversations standing in a circle). Once even we were brought to order by a man in white gloves (ups!).

Us (this time orderly) queening to get to the train. Shinkansen platforms are protected like this one. Door opens only when a train is standing at the platform. The regular trains usually do not have protection like that.

Of other specific things we noticed was that when trains were about to depart music was playing for several minutes indicating to people approaching the platform to hurry up.

THE SHINJUKU AND THE MIDNIGHT COMMUTERS

Our first day in Japan was a short one. We were tired after the eleven hours flight from Munich. As we landed at Tokyo Haneda airport it was already 2 p.m. We needed additional 4 hours or so to get to the hotel. We lost about an hour and a half because not knowing the local specifics. Accidentally, we took a train that serviced commuters living far outside the city centre. As the train left the city centre, it did not stop for the first 30 km or so. Quite quickly we were approached by a Japanese, who explained the system to us but it was already too late to leave the train. After we got to the hotel, we gave us some time for a shower and left for Shinjuku, the Tokyo district (to be exact the so called ‘special ward’) combining office and leisure area.

The lights of Shinjuku. As I did this photo the entrance to the Shinjuku railway station was to my right. If you watch closely you will see a train flyover. There are many like that in Japan.

As we arrived, it was raining. The streets were full of colourfull lights of all possible kinds of advertisements and of Japanese, who just left offices crowding in the restaurants (izakaya) and game plazas (pachinko). Going out after work with work colleagues and often the boss is traditional in Japanese companies. We joined the crowds and quickly landed in an izakaya. We enjoyed the evening. But, we were under a time constraint – the last commuter trains leave the district around midnight. So before midnight we came back to the Shinjuku railway station, that together with other public transport means stopping there is considered the biggest railway station in the world. And we were not alone. Around us were thousands of Japanese, who after spending the evening in Shinjuku, more or less sober, headed home.

Shinjuku railway station. It is 11.57 p.m.

And already in the train. It is 11.58 p.m.

I do not recall the name of the station we headed for, but as we left the train and looked at the crowds the first thing some of us did was to check the hour. I have a colleague, age 28, who works in a Japanese company. He parties with his colleagues 3-4 times a week. At first he had fun, but after two or three months the fun was gone. Nevertheless, that evening in the crowded midnight commuter train, the first time I realised why it is said that many (more or less younger) Japanese do not have a private life.

The crowd of commuters at the local stations somewhere in the greater Tokyo area. It is already 12.30 am.

Some other things worth to remember

On many Japanese buses you enter by the middle / back door(s), and leave by the one close to the driver’s seat where you validate your ticket. So if it is crowded inside, it is better to prepare for the exit a bit earlier.
You cannot drive a car in Japan unless you have the local driving license. So you have to rely on the public transport. Japanese public transport closes lines relatively early during the day, sometimes beyond bigger cities area at unexpected hours. It is better to check the public transport itinerary in advance.
In most places the train and bus schedules contain names of stations and stops written in English letters. But it is not the thumb rule. A photo in your cell of a line map with names in English and in Japanese can help you sometimes out.

The air conditioning works extremely well in Japanese public transport. Even on warm days it is good to have something with long sleeves.
I many big cities we walk miles changing the metro lines. But I was under the impression the Tokyo transport nodes are at the extreme. Be prepared to walk miles.
Loud talking, in particular on the cell phone, is considered as impolite.

/to be continued …/

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