This cat was made of wax too.

This was a strange egg / vinegar concoction I drank. It was supposed to be good for one's health. "Not as bad as I had anticipated" was my immediate feeling after drinking.

For those who don't want to live in an actual houseboat. Why not simply remodel your house to look like a boat?

Who needs a stupid gnome? I want a Godzilla for my garden!

OK...enough fun pictures, back to learning! To this day, Uchiko contains many splendid examples of traditional Japanese homes (known as Machiya in Japanese). Pictured here is the Takahashi Residence Machiya. This home was open the the public and contained various exhibits about the owner, Ryutaro Takahashi. Since he was the president of the Dai Nippon Beer Company, many old beer bottles and advertisements were on display throughout the residence.

This is the Honhaga Residence Machiya. Honhaga was the town's first and foremost wax producing family. They visited the 1900 World Expo in Paris and put Uchiko wax on the international map.

One more fine example of traditional Japanese architecture in action. This is the Omura Residence. One of Uchiko's oldest buildings, this structure dates back to the Edo Period.

This is the Nehan-zo Statue (Reclining Buddha) of Koshoji Temple, Uchiko. Evidently, this is the largest stone reclining Buddha in Japan. When I am mayor of a Japanese city, I am going to erect the largest clay statue of Buddha beating out Michael Phelps in the 100 M butterfly.

I wish I could get as peaceful of a night's sleep as Buddha here. Perhaps if the local train didn't shock me awake every morning at 6 AM!

Maximum relaxation pose.

Decode these secret markings and find your way to Buddha's buried treasure.

Tsubaki Matsuri (椿まつり)

Hello Everyone!

I just returned from a week-long trip to Tokyo. Sorry for the lack of blog posts during my absence!

This update features some pictures I took at Tsubaki Festival three weeks ago. Tsubaki Matsuri is held annually over a three-day period at (where else?) Tsubaki Shrine here in Matsuyama. I was told by a Japanese friend that it is the largest festival in these parts.

I believe the festival is somehow meant to usher in the beginning of spring, though I can say that it is still cold and rainy here in Ehime. I was also told that the female goddess of Tsubaki Shrine is very jealous and that she will notoriously break up happy young couples if they visit the shrine together. Thus, one better leave their significant other at home.

The best part of the festival for me was the absolutely ridiculous procession of food stalls that stretched on for blocks leading up to the shrine gate. I walked there but I waddled my way back, having stuffed my face with too many snacks along the way. I think my total intake was the following:

Tokyo Cake
Sweet Potato Fries
Takoyaki (octopus balls)
Hashiyaki (weird savory crepe thingy wrapped around chopsticks)

Sadly, my favorite drinkable, Ramune Soda, was absent from the festivities. Upon complaining about this to a group of Japanese students, I was politely informed that Ramune is considered a summer festival item.

Enjoy the pictures below!

B.E.W.

The entrance to Tsubaki Shrine in Matsuyama.

My artistic shot of all the unwanted omikuji (fortune) slips tied throughout the temple grounds. Even the colors are festive for spring.

Many wooden prayer plaques (known as "Ema" in Japanese). These days, you often find prayers written in many different languages, as foreigners also enjoy participating in this tradition.

I happen to like this picture. Despite the crummy lighting, I think it is neat how the Japanese flag is the only thing illuminated in the shot. No special effects were used!

Just to show how many people were waiting in line for their chance to pray.

SNOW DAY (雪)

I completely forgot about these pictures. I'm afraid that they are now several weeks outdated. Nevertheless, they stand as proof that snow actually DID fall here in To-on City, Ehime Prefecture. I've been told that it doesn't snow much in these parts - usually just tiny flakes that melt when they hit the ground - so I was especially surprised to wake up to a fresh blanket of snow.

Unfortunately, the white stuff melted all too quickly, making snowman construction impossible.

B.E.W.

Snow finds its way to To-on City...and STICKS!

I guess this could be considered my snow covered front lawn.