The Slow-furo Life -- In Kansai

Soon it will be getting hotter, and time for some hardcore relaxing. I need to be outside to really relax. Back in Tucson I had a great porch where I would sit, listen to shortwave radio and have a few beers. Well I'm not in Tucson anymore and shortwave reception in Japan isn't that good anyhow--at least for English language stations. So what do I do instead? Go to the onsen! Of course! Here are my top four places for a nice 昼風呂 (hiruburo) or afternoon bath during the hotter months in Kansai. So take a day off, head to the onsen and relax the day away.

All links point back to Kansai Onsen Review, my other blog, where you'll find more information on finding these great spots, prices, and other information.

1. Arimafuji Onsen Hanayama no Yu.
A short bus ride past the last major stop in Kansai on the JR Fukuchiyama line that heads out from Osaka to the Japan Sea. You'll feel the wide spaces and rural scenes without going too far. The afternoon breeze that flows through the little valley where this onsen is located feels great and is never too cold. Combine that with the view and the waterfall baths the entire scene nearly puts you to sleep. Oh, and while you're there you can hit a few balls at the golf practice range in the same building.

2. Nada Onsen Suidomichi
A nice lukewarm bath on a warm day will put you straight to sleep. Heat up in one of Nada's other great baths then find a spot in the sardine can which is the gensen bath. Gensen (原泉) is the straight water from the well at the temperature it naturally flows at. At Nada the water flows at a near body temperature and is very carbonated. This means that it ends up feeling like you have no body at all, a kind of sensory depravation for everything below your head. The little bubbles that build up on your skin also enhance this feeling. Pure bliss. Grab a beer from one of the great old vending machines across the street and head to one of the near by parks afterwards to really make it a day out.

3. Ebisu Onsen
Take a nice relaxing train ride down to Akashi. Watch the coast line float by and go under the Akashi-Kaikyo bridge on your way to this great little sento. The lukewarm gensen bath in the little glass roofed patio that makes up the rotenbro will put you asleep. Get there when they open at 3pm on a weekday to really enjoy yourself by yourself. Otherwise, it might be a bit too crowded.

4. Hanayama Onsen
Same as going to Ebisu, but the other direction. Head down the coast to Wakayama and enjoy some of the best water anywhere. It's opaque and brown like watered down clay. When you see the unworldly shapes and forms the brown calcium deposits make on the bath, you'll know that you've found something special. Various temperatures of the 4 baths lets you heat up and cool down all you want to achieve that state of being completely relaxed. The rotenbro looks out to a simple, but beautiful, Japanese garden. A great place to let the cool air flow over you body.

These are some of my favorite onsen. I hope you get a chance to enjoy them as much as I do when I enjoy the slow life in Japan.

Porn In Vending Machines | See But Not Notice

PornVending-Sakuragawa-1, originally uploaded by sleepytako.

I don't know what books and classes it came from, but I've been taught there's a cultural trait of Japanese to not notice things. Better said, to notice things, but not pay them any heed. Loud kids on the train, people littering, not stopping at stop signs, drunk salary men passed out on a park bench, drunken gaijin speaking loudly, porn in vending machines are good examples. I'm sometimes drawn back at this power to disregard things. Once walking through a redlight district in Osaka, one where girls sit in doorways while the Mama-sans call out to men walking down the street, I witnessed a family riding their bikes oblivious to their surroundings more than once. I wish I could have taken a picture of the scene, but my nerves said that might not be the best idea. I wondered what happens when the little daughter asks what are those pretty girls doing all dressed up sitting there. I wonder if they even ask.

I saw this vending machine next to a chain discount store near Sakuragawa station in Osaka. The machine had 16 magazines in it all around ¥700. As I was taking the photo, late in the evening mind you, 2 elementary aged children walked behind me.

Am I bothered by this. No. I find it all so interesting. I love juxtaposition, if that is what this is.

Suidosuji Tagging

Suidosuji-Tag, originally uploaded by sleepytako.

Graffiti in the Suidosuji area of Kobe.
神戸の水道筋商店街でグラフィティー を見つけた。

Restaurant Review: O'kiny Kurakuenguchi

Okiny-ChigeNabe, originally uploaded by sleepytako.

I love Korean food. It's nice and spicy. There's lot's of meat. It can't be beat.

O'kiny is a new chige restaurant near Kurakuenguchi. It serves chige a spicy stew that's eaten over rice reminiscent of Japanese nabe. This was my first time having it and it was great. The stew and rice come in the pots they were cooked in. You scoop the rice and stew into a third bowl and eat it from there with a spoon. When you're done the waitress will fill the rice bowl with hot tea and you can scrape the super good burnt rice off side of the bowl and eat it too. If you're afraid of it being too spicy you can choose from 5 spicy levels. I had 3, the second hottest, which was just perfect. The meal comes with all you can eat Korean nori, bean sprouts, and spicy cucumber also, if the chige was not enough.

This was my first time having chige so I don't have anything to compare it with, but I loved it. Lunch was about ¥1,300 (around $13USD).

O'kini is a little walk up Shukugawa river from Kurakuenguchi station on the Hankyu Koyo line in the Sunny Garden building.

O'kini Homepage

Google Map

Osaka Fukushima 大阪 福島

Some photos from the area around Fukushima station near Umeda in Osaka.

The local 遊歩 yuuho (promenade) has a UFO and fortune telling theme.



The Osaka loop line, Fukushima station



I've never seen a train use these tracks, but I believe they are operational.



The elevated freeway from below.



Nice day. Nice smoking.

HAT-APT-BLG-NTE

HAT-APT-BLG-NTE, originally uploaded by sleepytako.

HAT KOBE - Hanshin Kasuganomichi St.
Unrealistic sky color. Having fun with Lightroom.

Mirrorballs and Three Seven at TakuTaku

久しぶりライブに行った！

This was my first live show in a long time, and I made a good choice. It was my first time to see either band. A few months back a coworker lent me this comp CD from a Japanese indie label. One of the songs was by Mirrorballs. They are from Nagoya and said this was their first show in a long time. I would describe their sound like a combination of Julie Cruse, Mazzy Star with a touch of Asakawa Maki, a Japanese Jazz/Blues singer kinda like the Japanese version of Nico.

The Mirrorballs set was transportative. It was great to really watch a band a get into the music like I did. I will totally go see them again.

The second band was called Three Seven. It was the first time I heard them. They started with a very Ethiopiques style instrumental and moved on to do some great Cuban, Ska, and Big Band style numbers.

Although most of their set was instrumental, there were some vocals. The singers, who also played sax and guitar, sang in English and Japanese. The English songs were really good too. The whole 8 person band was filled with great musicians. A very cool band. The people there to see them were really into it to. It was a great live show. Sadly they didn't do an encore. Also I can't find much about them online. They have a BBS (in Japanese) and that seems to be about it. Their one CD "Homerun" was recorded in 2004. They mentioned they were recording over the last few months during the show so another disk might come out soon.

TakuTaku, the venue was great. Beside the mic feedback and the buzzing, the service and the 300 year old building great wood benches and tables was great.

Oh and remember to rock the door.

Here's a video for "Aoi Tori" (Blue Bird) by Mirrorballs that I found on YouTube.

Botan Nabe - ボタン鍋

Japan is full of rare meats, and I've had my share of them. On of my favorites is wild boar, or inoshishi (猪) in Japanese. I had it the first time years ago in sukiyaki. Last night for my birthday I had it for the second time in a miso flavor nabe or hotpot. Nabe cooking is quite simple, we had it at a restaurant where they prepare the food and give it to us to cook in the pot. The meat was thick and red with wide white strips of fat on the out side. It looked like the smoked pork you get in ramen. After being boiled in the pot for a while it shrank a bit and turned a dark brown. The meat was tough, natural, but not so tough that it was hard to eat. It had the un-farmed taste and texture that makes botan nabe a real experience.





It cost ¥5,000 per person for the nabe. Pricy, but worth it!
Here's the restaurant's homepage: Momochan.co.jp
Here's a map to the restaurant: Google Maps

Very Hard Towel Old Man Towel: Masato

VeryHardTowel, originally uploaded by sleepytako.

I like my towels hard.

Brown and hard.

Brown, hard and themed after some oji-chan named Masato.

I don't know if Masato is real, but I sure like his towel. Really, hard should have been translated as rough. This nylon towel is the closest you could get to scrubbing yourself off with steel wool without, well, using steel wool. Also I bet steel wool would leave you bloody and not so clean. You see, I'm a bath nut. I have an entire different blog about my bathhouse habit. And I like feeling totally clean when I get into the bath. This towel scrubs off any dirt and that first layer of pesky skin the same time. I love it.

There's a whole line of oyaji* themed bath towels for men at your local drugstore or discount shop. Which oyaji* are you?

*親父 (おやじ) - Old man

Retrospective 2008 - Part 3

Here I present my best photos of 2008. As usual this year I continued the themes of detritus and the vernacular landscape. Be it the remains of city infrastructure or the everyday objects that facilitate our economies, I try to highlight things that we see everyday, but might not notice or think about.

I was helped this year by the trick Lensbaby lens and Adobe's Lightroom software. Most of these photos were shot in RAW and converted to JPEG for posting to flickr. I use a Canon EOS 40D camera.

These photos can also be found at my flickr set: Restospective 2008
Part one can be found here. Part two can be found here.

Abunai - Nishinomiya, Hyogo
Don't go swimming in the pond.


Sea Dice II - Kata, Wakayama


Matsuri Girls, Watching - Sanda, Hyogo
I try to avoid taking shots of people or people in Japanese dress, but this shot jumped out at me.


Storage Room - Kaizuka, Osaka


Garden Path - Kanazawa, Ishikawa


Parking Spot #1 - Kameyama, Mie


Gun-Hunting - Kaizuka, Osaka


Raising the Flag for the Sports Festival - Nishinomiya, Hyogo


National Railway Fan - On the JR Nara Line, Kyoto


Hidden Flower - Kishinosato-Tamade Station, Osaka

Retrospective 2008 - Part 2

Here I present my best photos of 2008. As usual this year I continued the themes of detritus and the vernacular landscape. Be it the remains of city infrastructure or the everyday objects that facilitate our economies, I try to highlight things that we see everyday, but might not notice or think about.

I was helped this year by the trick Lensbaby lens and Adobe's Lightroom software. Most of these photos were shot in RAW and converted to JPEG for posting to flickr. I use a Canon EOS 40D camera.

These photos can also be found at my flickr set: Restospective 2008
Part one can be found here. Part three can be found here.

Address Sign - Inari Shrine, Kyoto


Supporting Failure - Himeji, Hyogo
A support from what was the Himeji Monorail.


Brilliant City / Maroon Train - Juso, Osaka
A Hankyu train crosses over the Yodogawa into Umeda.


Kaijyohoancho - Kata, Wakayama


Abandoned Cable Car - Hiei-zan, Kyoto


Bicycle Parking - Wakayama-city, Wakayama


Take the Other Route - Hasedera, Nara


Waiting in Line - Inari Shrine, Kyoto,


Shimbun Signs - Hasedera, Nara
Newspapers have local delivery distributors in Japan. In urban areas most only sell papers from one company, but in rural areas one distributor might take on many papers. These signs advertise which papers this store distributes.


1963-1 - Joto-ku, Osaka

Retrospective 2008 - Part 1

Here I present my best photos of 2008. As usual this year I continued the themes of detritus and the vernacular landscape. Be it the remains of city infrastructure or the everyday objects that facilitate our economies I try to highlight things that we see everyday, but might not notice or think about.

I was helped this year by the trick Lensbaby lens and Adobe's Lightroom software. Most of these photos were shot in RAW and converted to JPEG for posting to flickr. I use a Canon EOS 40D camera.

These photos can also be found at my flickr set: Restospective 2008
Part two can be found here. Part three can be found here.

Sea Dice I - Kata, Wakayama
The ubiquitous concrete blocks that cling to Japan's coasts and river banks.


Waiting for a Taxi in a Juso Blur - Juso, Osaka
The Juso area of Osaka is a major junction for the Hankyu line, but also a large entertainment and pink light district.


Mattchi-Tabako-Takihi - Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto
A rusted sign warning of fires sits in a bed of dry leaves in Kyoto's famous Fushimi Inari Shrine.


Iko-do - Himeji, Hyogo
A rusted storefront in Himeji


Ohmi-cho Ichiba - Kanazawa, Ishikawa
The entrance to Kanazawa's famous Ohmi-cho market street.

MonoBakery - Engrish

MonoBakery, originally uploaded by sleepytako.

McDonald's can sell smiles for free. Here they bake them.

Mono is for monorail, the Osaka Monorail to be exact.

Wedding Party Live Webcam

Sorry I had to shut off the webcam before Yuko got to the party. There were way too many people. Thanks to everyone who came we had a great time, and thanks to Wexford Tavern and staff for hosting the party. Photos will be up soon.

If you're coming to our Wedding Party Tomorrow...

Here is a map of Coin Parking lots dear the Wexford Tavern.
こちらはWexfordTavernの近くのコインパキンーグの地図です。

大きな地図で見る

We are looking forward to seeing everyone there tomorrow night!

Connections and Disconnections

20081103-Connections, originally uploaded by sleepytako.

The mechanism that changes the curve of the track to allow the cars to move from the inbound track to the outbound track is astonishing. Watching what should be a straight solid object can bend and move like that was beautiful. You can't assume every line is unbroken.

Megane Shopping

My previous pair of glasses, which I got maybe 4 years ago, were getting well beyond old and the coating on the lens had begun to peel off. So two days ago I decided to head out to get some glasses after work. I didn't know what to expect seeing that this will be my 4th pair of glasses. I first starting wearing them my senior year of high school. A quick google search brought up this blog which recommended the Japanese retailer Muji, a brand that I like. Free eye check, only an hour, only about $100, I was amazed.

I headed to the Umeda Loft Muji store because I had seen another eyeglass store near by. Getting there I found another store making a total of 3, including Muji, in a short distance from eachother. (Map Here) Prices seemed to start around 6000 yen for a test, frame and lenses. Speical order or uncommon lenses will cost more, and of course some of the more expensive frames were around $200. Still very cheap.

I was able to find some classes fairly easily. I ended up buying a pair at Muji for ¥10,500 out the door. The test didn't take a long time and was done very professionally. These glasses are much better than my older pair, although they took a few hours to get use to. The lenses I got are smaller than my older pair, but the frame was big enough to get around my melon of a head. The hardest part was chooseing the right frame and color. I was helped by a very sweet lady that kept asking me if I was sure if I wanted black or blue. I suck at choosing things like this. She said the blue made me look more 明るい (bright), so I went with blue. It took them 1 hour to fit the lenses then a few minutes to adjust the frame.

<-- My new glasses.

A note for those who go: if you don't speak Japanese at all it might be best to bring a Japanese speaker, but basic Japanese can get you through. During the test there will be lots of compairative questions like "which one is clearer" and commands like "read the second row from the left" which wasn't hard at all for me. Also remember the reading test is in hiragana.