Things Japanese XXV: Bunnies, Tokyo Style

If you’d be looking for the world’s most fashionable pet rabbit, Tokyo’s hip Roppongi district would not be a bad starting place. This specimen I spotted nibbling on the greenery at Roppongi Hills. We already know that Tokyo dogs are dressed in style, so why would Tokyo’s fierce fashion stop short of our other four-legged friends? No good reason at all for that, really!
Deciphering the label on the bunny’s dress, I was actually able to dig up the website of tortue et lapin. So, yes, rabbit clothing is totally a thing in Japan!

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Things Japanese XXIV

In a Kyoto restaurant (the type where you leave your shoes and use slippers to go to your table), I encountered an upright cabinet, glowing with blue light from within. What now, was that? Even after years, Japanese electric appliances continue to surprise and amaze me. Noticing my puzzled look, a colleague inquired with me whether these were not common in other countries? No, really, we do not have electric slipper disinfectors, in fact this was the first I ever laid eyes upon. Of course, we have less need to disinfect large numbers of slippers in public use. Japanese cleanliness is as always admirable, and to have an electric appliance take care of the problem with UV light, well, nothing less of the Japanese!

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Things Japanese XXIII

This I spotted at a very fancy ryokan. I have to say that this arrangement leaves me a little at a loss for words. But I can say that much: it strikes me as very Japanese.

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Things Japanese XXII: Onsen

The famous bath house in Dogo Onsen (Shikoku)

A very Japanese thing is the onsen (温泉) or hot spring. The volcanically active country is blessed with countless natural hot springs with many different types of mineral waters, some alkaline, some highly acidic, which are usually ascribed specific health benefits. The Japanese flock to the public bath houses in regions with famous hot springs, and a resort hotel stands and falls with the quality of its baths.
Hot spring resort towns often have the word “onsen” added to their name, such as for example Beppu Onsen. Going to the onsen is integral part of the experience of traveling in Japan. Nothing is more restorative after a train ride or a hike than soaking in the mineral waters of a hot spring.

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Things Japanese XXI

Japan, being prone to a rainy season, typhoons, and a lot of general wetness, bestows a lot of attention to the management and general care of the umbrella. In fact, the Things Japanese series started out with umbrella-related gadgets. The umbrella topic was actually revisited another time, and yet we are not at an end. Japan has something else for us in store, namely the electronic umbrella dispenser! Discovered in a hotel lobby, this imposing contraption is waiting to help out the distressed hotel guest. No more awkward begging for an umbrella at the front desk. Japanese ingenuity has been able to replace yet another human interaction with operating a machine.

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Things Japanese XX: Ehime Wind Wheels

During our trip through Ehime, we have seen a number of wind wheels made from old beer or soda cans. They turned so nicely in the wind and looked like such a fun idea that I studied their design. The next weekend was rainy and gave me the opportunity to construct my own as an addition to our terrace!
To make such a wind wheel is not hard, all that’s needed is and empty beverage can and some wire. To cut up the cans, sturdy household scissors with good points will do (don’t take the best ones you have!). I realize that the cuts on the Ehime originals look cleaner, it seems the locals have figured out a better way of cutting the cans…
The first step is to make a hole as centrally as possible into the top of the can (it’s important to do it before cutting open the sides of the can, since it will lose all stability). I first drew the lines to cut along with a ruler on the cans and then used the scissors. In the next step, you have to push the cut sides out to the desired bulge.

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Things Japanese XIX

Who doesn’t sometimes wonder how to divide a cake into a certain number of pieces? In Japan, you need not wonder for long. Chances are high that the cake you bought came with a cake divider plate. 3, 5 or 6 pieces? No problem. It is assumed that 4 you can do by yourself.

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Things Japanese XIIX

Since the Japanese specialize in cute things, they have found ways of making mundane everyday objects cute and special. Paper clips are an instance of this. You can buy them horse-, elephant-, or car-shaped, to name only a few. But the colored cherry blossom edition is the crowning achievement!

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Things Japanese XVII – Lucky Days

I recently noticed that on my calendar, under every day, something else is written, the meaning of which I ignored. I learned that it is the Rokuyo (六曜) that are marked: a series of six days which differ in their luckiness. These days are calculated based on the lunisolar calendar. Some are lucky before noon, but bring bad luck after (先勝, sensho), or the other way round (先負, senbu). Butsumetsu (仏滅) is simply unlucky all day, since it symbolizes the day Buddha died. In fact, yesterday (butsumetsu), the hard disk of my office computer broke, I’d call this corroborating evidence!
Dates for weddings and funerals, but also shop-openings and the like are often chosen in accordance with the rokuyo.

For today, there’s no need to worry by the way: it’s Taian (大安), the most lucky of the six days.

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Things Japanese XVI – Maneki Neko

Maneki Neko (招き猫), the beckoning cat, is well-known around the world. Abroad often wrongly thought to be Chinese, since Chinese restaurants tend to display one. It’s a little cat statue (usually white) which is beckoning invitingly with its raised paw, a symbol of good luck, often used by small businesses to invite costumers. In Japan, it is omnipresent. Me, I am particularly proud of my solar powered model which not only beckons but also wobbles its head.
We foreigners often mistake the cat to be just waving, but the Japanese beckoning gesture is actually done with the raised hand. In fact, some cats made for export are made with the paw turned the other way around, so its beckoning gesture is compatible to the Western one.

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