Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Snow on the way up
All the pictures are taken from outside the train, except the one of the window which was the view from inside. Pictures are from Morioka to Odate to Takanosu.
New Year
We arrived back from Akita last night.
New Year was toned down this year.
Hiro's brother died unexpectedly in November and by custom there are no new year celebrations. There is no New Year card sending or receiving - a "cold winter greeting, death in the family" card goes out and the correct response is to send no greeting card for New Year. It seems very harsh - more than ever people need to know that there are people out there thinking of them.... I don't know the origin of the custom, but I dislike it. There is no making or eating of traditional "osechi' New Year foods - which didn't bother me particularly as I can't get excited about eating cold foods to celebrate in minus temperatures , no annual mochi (rice cake) making. For some reason it's not OK to make osechi, but it's Ok to eat it the osechi that thoughtful neighbours give. (knowing that it's not ok to make them). There is also no (Shinto) shrine visiting (though the Buddhist grave visiting is encouraged - though with the snow and the location of the grave at the top of a long stairway up the side of a mountain - we opted out) Hiro & I popped into the local shrine anyway on the way back from Hiro restocking his tobacco, obviously we weren't meant to though as I stepped in a snow covered gutter on the way back and fell into a snow hole a metre deep... very fortunately I didn't fall as far as the water. Hiro's parent's burned incense burned the whole time we were there.
The snow in Odate, and the whole Japan Sea side, is particularly heavy this year. I was quite excited to be taking the Hanawa train line through the mountains again since there has been so much snow. Alas it blizzarded the whole way, both ways, and we could only see the snow that was stuck to the window.
Hiro's mother was beside herself with a mix of fright, shock and disbelief to find Hiro's father up on the roof peak shovelling snow. He thought it was a bit of an over reaction until the evening news reported a 37 year old man in the south of Akita dying because he fell shovelling snow from the roof.... Seeing that he decided he wouldn't get back on the roof . I have mentioned to them before it makes Hiro's and my life much easier if they stay healthy... I doubt I will be winning prizes for filial piety, but it's true.
2011 wasn't the best year for Japan. May the year of the dragon be brighter and better.
Happy New Year to all.
New Year was toned down this year.
Hiro's brother died unexpectedly in November and by custom there are no new year celebrations. There is no New Year card sending or receiving - a "cold winter greeting, death in the family" card goes out and the correct response is to send no greeting card for New Year. It seems very harsh - more than ever people need to know that there are people out there thinking of them.... I don't know the origin of the custom, but I dislike it. There is no making or eating of traditional "osechi' New Year foods - which didn't bother me particularly as I can't get excited about eating cold foods to celebrate in minus temperatures , no annual mochi (rice cake) making. For some reason it's not OK to make osechi, but it's Ok to eat it the osechi that thoughtful neighbours give. (knowing that it's not ok to make them). There is also no (Shinto) shrine visiting (though the Buddhist grave visiting is encouraged - though with the snow and the location of the grave at the top of a long stairway up the side of a mountain - we opted out) Hiro & I popped into the local shrine anyway on the way back from Hiro restocking his tobacco, obviously we weren't meant to though as I stepped in a snow covered gutter on the way back and fell into a snow hole a metre deep... very fortunately I didn't fall as far as the water. Hiro's parent's burned incense burned the whole time we were there.
The snow in Odate, and the whole Japan Sea side, is particularly heavy this year. I was quite excited to be taking the Hanawa train line through the mountains again since there has been so much snow. Alas it blizzarded the whole way, both ways, and we could only see the snow that was stuck to the window.
Hiro's mother was beside herself with a mix of fright, shock and disbelief to find Hiro's father up on the roof peak shovelling snow. He thought it was a bit of an over reaction until the evening news reported a 37 year old man in the south of Akita dying because he fell shovelling snow from the roof.... Seeing that he decided he wouldn't get back on the roof . I have mentioned to them before it makes Hiro's and my life much easier if they stay healthy... I doubt I will be winning prizes for filial piety, but it's true.
2011 wasn't the best year for Japan. May the year of the dragon be brighter and better.
Happy New Year to all.
Beer & plebian product differentiation.
This is a photo I took weeks ago.
Three cans of almost beer for tax purposes - malt reduced beer AKA happoshu. Japanese breweries, in an effort to circumvent tax laws that tax according to malt content, have developed a range of low malt, same alcohol beer.
It used to puzzle me that the decorated seasonal cans were always with happoshu rather than regular beer. I've deduced that "real" beer drinkers buy according to preferred taste; happoshu drinkers buy on price. Faced with an undecorated can at the same price as a decorated can, the happoshu drinker, with no product loyalty goes for a tin that resonates with them.
In the lead up to New Year the competition was fierce - from left to right
Kirin's Nadeshiko can - (the Japanese women's world cup soccer champions), Asahi's Tokyo Sky tree which opens this year, and Kirin's winter look. The winter look beer came out in October... important to be ahead of the game...
Bring on the cherry blossom cans, I'm sick of winter already.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)