The 500 (actually "just" 499 now!) Rakans of Morioka's Ho-onji (Photo-essay)

Did you know that Morioka's on the New York Times' "52 Places To Go in 2023" list? I only learnt about it after making my hotel bookings for my October 2023 Japan trip -- and was actually a little horrified to hear this as I feared that this would mean that the prefectural capital of Iwate would be swarming with tourists.  But the only time I saw noticeably non-Japanese tourists in the city was over in the ruined castle grounds on my first day in Morioka -- a very loud Thai group, for the record -- and a couple of forlorn looking Americans looking for a place to shelter from the rain, like me, on my first evening in the city (I guess it's a city but it feels more like a small town by Hong Kong standards).  

 

And when I went over to that which I think is the most impressive of Morioka's attractions/sights, my experience was definitely accentuated by my being the only visitor to it!  I guess it "helps" that the 500 Rakans (Buddha's disciples) of Ho-onji aren't mentioned in the Morioka section of many Japan guide books. (One of the books I had listed just two actual sites in Morioka to check out that were not shops or restaurants!) But trust me when they are quite the sight -- and what an experience to be in a (large) room with them and other wooden carvings/sculptures and no one else! 

 

At the risk of blasphemy, I must say that it can make for quite an eerie experience -- but also a very cool one. And if one is able to resist running out screaming with fear after a few seconds and look closely at the Rakans (or, rather, the carvings of them), it really is very impressive how each and every one of them is distinct in look and, also, perceived personality! ;b

 

Not a Rakan (or Arhat) but Puppet Ponyo pointing at the

awesome gate of Ho-onji that gave me a clue that

this was a temple with some impressive sights within ;b 

 

Seriously, the carvings on the gate (including of this dragon

and another mythical creature) were pretty awesome!

 

Assorted statuary line the corridor between the main building

of the temple and that which is home to the  500 Rakans carved

between 1731 and 1735 in Kyoto by nine Buddhist masters

 

It takes the eye a few seconds to get used to the darkness

inside the hall of the 500 Rakans (and here's letting you

know that it also is eerily quiet in there!)

 

As your eye adjusts though, you'll notice the Rakans -- 

and how each and everyone of the 499 (one's not survived 

the centuries!) really does look distinct!

 

Look closely, and you'll see that the Rakans don't all have the

same clothing style; and that some have beards while others

are beardless, and some are bald but others are not, etc.!

 

They're also not also posed the same way -- and there are

a few that look like they're about to jump off the shelves! :D

 

All in all, I'm pretty proud of myself for staying as long as I

did in that hall -- and, in fact, making two complete circuits

of it to check out the Rakans as carefully as I did... before leaving,

and breathing a sigh of relief once I got outdoors into the sunlight! ;b

An out-of-season visit to Akita Prefecture's Tazawako (Photo-essay)

With a depth of 423 metres (1,388 ft), Tazawako (Lake Tazawa) is Japan's deepest lake. A caldera lake that's not had much development around it (which makes it pretty rural -- and pretty, period!), it's nonetheless reachable by public transportation; albeit with the catch that service there is not super frequent; so timing is of the essence to get there (and out of there)!

Also, if you go to Tazawako out of season (i.e., not in the summer months), there's really not too much that's open or to do there.  That is, if one is not on an organized tour, one can either go on a sightseeing boat that goes around the lake (which runs only once every 2 hours!) or rent a bicycle to ride around the lake.  And while the latter could be a nice option in fine weather, the former's really the one thing to do there on a day where rain was predicted!

 

Thus it was that after we go to the lake shore, all but one of the bus passengers who disembarked at the Tawazako stop ran up to a nearby hut where a woman was selling tickets for a sightseeing boat ride around the lake. Seconds after I got on, the boat took off -- leaving just one person on the shore, looking perplexed at what had happened. As it so happens, that person was the one non-Asian passenger on the bus I had been on.  Unlike the rest of us -- who numbered less than a dozen -- it seemed he hadn't got the complete memo about the place; something which I hope readers of this blog post now will make sure to do prior to going to a locale that's far more off the beaten track than even I had realized before venturing there! :D

 

 
Puppet Ponyo and the ONE Tazawako sightseeing boat in operation 

the morning I was there (Also, this is a post-trip pic as I was 

too much in a hurry to get on the boat to take a pre-trip pic!)

 

The view encompassing the now distant shore that I had 

boarded the  sightseeing boat seconds after getting on it!

 

The water at the Goza no Ishi Jinja side of Tazawako

was an incredibly bright, almost unnatural blue!

 

At the western end of Tazawako, what first caught my eye 

was the tree on the side of the lake with red leaves on it...

 

But, actually, what this section of Tazawako is famous for is 

the golden statue of Tatsuko, a local beauty who, legend has it, 

got cursed and turned into a dragon after drinking water from the lake! 

 

Imagine how this was look during the height of koyo season...

 

Still, it's not like I didn't see much beauty on my visit to Tazawako! :)
 

Au revoir, Tazawako, its swan boats and all. (And yes, 

there really not being that many other people around when

I was there made the experience feel all the more precious!) :)

Visiting the flagship Kiddy Land for the Funassyiland within it once more! :)

  

One of my favorite stores in Tokyo :)

 

The "land" within Kiddy Land that was my main reason to visit :)

 

Even before I became aware of the existence of Funassyi, I had already considered visits to the flagship Kiddy Land over in Harajuku to be a "must do" on my visits to Tokyo.  But now that I am very much aware of the existence of Funassyi and the fact that that Kiddy Land is home to a Funassyiland, it has become even more of a "must not" miss; this even though there is a larger Funassyiland not too far over in the Pear (Fairy)'s hometown of Funabashi -- which technically is in Chiba Prefecture but which still counts for many as being part of the Greater Tokyo area! 

 

So it should be no surprise that I went there once more on this recent Japan trip -- and on the first full day of the trip too!  Indeed, the only reason why it was not the very first place that I went to that day is because Kiddy Land only opens at 11am; two hours later than Shinjuku Gyoen!        

 

When I finally got over there, I found that the Funassyiland there is now on the second floor of the building rather than the first floor, as was previously the case.  (A note: the Japanese use the same method of counting building floors as the Americans -- so that the first floor is what the British would call the ground floor, the second floor what the British would call the first floor, etc.)  Also, it's smaller in size now than it was on my previous visits.    

At the same time, the part of the Harajuku Kiddy Land that has been designated as a Funassyiland still is crammed with Funassyi merch (that includes -- but is no means confined to -- cute plushies of various sizes; instead, there are such as chopstick holders, kitchenware, smartphone covers, fans, various types of staionary, bags, t-shirts, Hawaiian shirts, caps, hats, slippers, etc. with Funassyi's face on them!) -- and brought a smile to my face; and this especially as the merch included the one thing I absolutely wanted to get on this trip: i.e., next year's Funassyi calendar!  

 

So 2024 will be the seventh year in a row that I will have a Funassyi calendar in my possession.  For yes, I got Funassyi calendars for 2021, 2022 and 2023 (as well as 2018, 2019 and 2020).  How, you might want to know, since I didn't make trips to Japan -- or, for that matter, anywhere outside of Hong Kong -- in 2020, 2021 and 2022?  In short: with a little help from friends who live in Japan!

 

Here's the thing: While there is an online Funassyiland (i.e., the Funassyiland webs shop), it doesn't ship outside of Japan.  So I've had to get Japan-based friends to place orders for me and then, after receiving my order, send them over to me.  Most times, this kind of thing isn't too difficult -- but there was one year when air mail service between Hong Kong and Japan was suspended for a time. (Thanks, Covid -- not!)  And so my Funassyi Calendar had to be sent by sea mail; prompting me to worry that it wouldn't arrive in time for the start of the new year and my friend to ask, "What's next?  We use pigeon post?!"   

That joke wasn't as funny then as it is now that regular postal services have resumed -- and I myself, not just my Funassyiland order, can fly between Hong Kong and Japan!  And I also have to say that while it was nice that I wasn't completely cut off from my Funassyi merch supply between 2020 and 2022, it really is so much nicer to be able to visit a Funassyiland in person and be able to look around, and see what else there is in the shop to entice me! :D

After dark in Shinjuku (Photo-essay)

On my very first visit to Tokyo back in 1982, I was put up in a hotel in Ginza.  On each visit to the Japanese capital city since, however, I've been based across town over in the Shinjuku.  The first time was not by choice -- since I was visiting with my parents and they were the ones deciding where we would be staying.  But this western section of Tokyo has become one that I do prefer to stay in; this not least since it's become fairly familiar to me and there are things and places there that I do like (including a plethora of eateries and drinking places to check out).

 

For the most part, however, I've tended to stick to locales to the west and south of Shinjuku Station -- though a friend did once take me and our mothers to Shinjuku Ni-chome, which, in addition to being another part of the area with lots of eateries and bars, is the gay part of town!  This time around, however, I decided to venture out to the eastern part of town to check out the famous Golden Gai and notorious Kabukicho on my first night back in Tokyo; albeit only after I had first had dinner in an izakaya over on the west side of Shinjuku Station and, also, really just to take in the sights and soak in the atmosphere rather than for much more feasting and drinking -- but, truly, that was fine and fun enough as is... ;b

 

The izakaya I went to on my first night back in Japan

 

A sign outside another izakaya that, I must admit, did tempt me some! ;b

The nicely lit path to Hanazono Jinja, which the Golden Gai abuts

 

A giant crab sign for a crab restaurant nearby

can be seen from the grounds of Hanazono Jinja :D

 

One of the alleys of the Golden Gai

 

The Golden Gai's establishments appear to be a mix of

tourist-friendly -- even touristy -- ones and those catering to locals

 

Kabukicho's central road is known as Godzilla Road

 

In case you couldn't see why in the previous photo... ;b

Looking ahead to some upcoming events without being inclined to celebrate all of them!

 

What's that blue inflatable object in Victoria Harbour?

 

On closer look, I'm guessing it's supposed to be a blue moon! :D

 

Some days ago, I read a post over on Bluesky (which I'm now also on!) from a man living in the USA complaining about how he's already seeing lots of Halloween decorations up in stores and such in his area.  I've already seen some here too in Hong Kong but, for the most part, their numbers (still) pale in comparison to the decorations for two other events that will take place before October 31st comes along.  

The first of these is variously known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lantern Festival and Mooncake Festival and is one of my favourite Chinese traditional festivals even though Hong Kong's temperatures whenever it comes along never strike me as autumnal, never mind mid-autumnal!  I do love mooncakes though, and also the lantern displays that are set up in locales such as Victoria Park.  An added bonus for this mid-autumn: the fire dragon will be parading through the streets of Tai Hang again for the first time since September 2019!

A few days after the Mid-Autumn Festival will come an anniversary that I'm not all that inclined to celebrate.  Some people and organizations are though -- or, at least, seek to look to be -- and have opted to bypass putting up lantern displays in favor of those involving the flags of the People's Republic of China (and sometimes -- but not always -- the flags of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region).  On even an aesthetic level alone, I tend to find this disappointing and, often, horrifying.

 

Maybe my mind's playing games on me but I can recall a time not so long ago when, even on October 1st, PRC flags weren't flying or hanging about in so many parts of Hong Kong.  In any case, as I told a few friends yesterday, I am planning to celebrate World Sake Day on that day since it also falls on October 1st, and -- let's face it -- I would be lying if I were to deny that I love sake far more than I love the People's Republic of China!

In praise of Japanese transport (which includes Hello Kitty shinkansen and Funassyi trains)! (Photo-essay)

At long last, I think this will post be my final entry about the most recent Japan trip I took -- some three and a half years ago now -- one which saw me spending time in Okunoshima, Ikuchijima, Akishoyishido and Hagi, among other places.  On this trip, I took a number of boat, bus and train rides; some of which made for enjoyable experiences in themselves.  

 

At the very least, they made me appreciate once more that Japan really is one of those parts of the world with great transportation.  And so great is the transportation that I think it merits a photo-essay of its own.  So, without further ado:

 

One of the boats that plies the route between Mihara 

and Okunoshima (AKA Rabbit Island) 

 

On a bus going between Yamaguchi (which I've only ever been to 

on transit to a number of other places!) and Akyoshido

 

On the more comfortable long distance bus between

Hagi and Shin-Yamaguchi train station

A bus advertising the Hello Kitty Shinkansen...

 

...which I spotted upon arriving in Fukuoka's Hakata station

from Shin Yamaguchi later that day!

 

Should anyone doubt: the Hello Kitty Shinkansen really exists! :)

 

And yes, it really does transport passengers! ;b

 

And yes, part of me does wish that I had gone on it! 

(Ah well, next time, eh?  Though it's also true enough

that I would like to go even more on the Funassyi train!)

Supermoon spottings in Hong Kong last night (Photo-essay)

When I was making my way over to the Hong Kong Cultural Centre to view The Wild, Wild Rose on Sunday evening, I saw the moon in the sky (even though it was not yet dark) and noticed that it was close to full.  A day later, I read that the moon would be full not only in two nights' time but that it would be a supermoon -- and the first of two that this August will have as well.  So I decided to make it a point to go view and take photos of it last night.

 

After doing so, I now plan to make it a point to catch the larger supermoon that's due to appear on August 30th!  This is because: on the one hand, the moon last night wasn't as large as I had expected and wanted it to be; but, on the other hand, the sight of it already was pretty cool and beautiful to me... :)

 

The not-yet-full moon in the Hong Kong sky

on Sunday evening

 

The supermoon shining bright in the sky last night

 

The supermoon with corona

 

What's that you say -- the moon's not looking large enough for you?

 

How's this?

 

Getting larger...

 

...and larger still! :O

 

Thanks to my camera's nifty zoom lens! :b

Dark clouds over Hong Kong (literally!) as Typhoon Talim came close to the city (Photo-essay)

Typhoon season is here!  On Saturday morning, the Hong Kong Observatory issued its first Standby Signal Number 1 (T1 as it's popularly known) alert of 2023.  Strong Wind Signal Number 3 (i.e., T3) was raised early yesterday.  And before the day was over, Hong Kong saw its first Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal Number 8 (T8).  

I went to bed expecting it to be back to a T3 by the time I got up this morning.  But the T8 actually stayed in force until 4.20pm today!  Strangely though, it was pretty calm and quiet -- and not that wet -- in my part of Hong Kong for much of today.  And, in fact, it didn't get really wet and windy until this evening (after Typhoon Talim's threat had been downgraded to a T3)! 

Indeed, the biggest sign that there was a typhoon in the area for much of today was how much darker the sky was than normal.  To see what I mean, check out the photos I took this afternoon (close to the time that the Hong Kong Observatory changed the warning signal from a T8 became a T3)! :b

 

No way as bright as it normally would be on a mid afternoon

 

Not as busy (and noisy) as it would be on a mid afternoon too!

 

 

A far grayer view across Victoria Harbour 

than would normally be the case too!

 

It's not just that the sky was cloudy but also that

so many of the clouds were on the dark side this afternoon

(especially over on the Dark Side (i.e., Kowloon)!)

 

It may look like doom and gloom but, actually, the

atmosphere felt calm and rather peaceful!

No entry to the breakwater because of the typhoon though!

 

At the same time, things were so calm (and cool compared

to the past couple of week's heat wave) that people were happily 

occupying spaces in what might be called the lounge area! ;b

I, meanwhile, was content to walk around taking 

dramatic looking photos like this :)