What do you like about Japan?

[Mukonoso 266]

I've check two of my computers and no manhole pics so far. I must have been stupid and deleted the pics I took last year. I thought for sure I still had the pics from Nigawa after I hiked Kabutoyama in May 2011. Still two more computers to check for older trips to Japan. Of course there are plenty of pics on Google of the subject.

[Morty 1,426]

More manhole covers. To go in depth on this, you might want to subscribe to the Journal of Sewage, Monthly .

I love the internet. Whatever you want you can find it there.

What I didn't notice in Japan was a standard Bell Manhole cover. It's the most popular manhole cover design and you see it all over the world (I can't work out how to embed a photo or I would) but I never saw one in Japan.

Edited August 2, 2012 by Morty

[Mukonoso 266]

Another thing to love about Japan is the honesty of the majority. A friend of mine living in Kobe who does a video blog forgot his $1400+ MacBook Pro on the train. He was quite upset about it not only because of the expense but because all of his photos and videos of his two year old son were on it and he hadn't gotten around to backing them up yet (or enabled Find My Mac). After calling into the station it wasn't in the lost in found yet, but later the next morning they called him and told him that his computer and been found. I'm sure he did the Snoopy Dance of joy. He even vlogged about it.

His vlog is pretty interesting the rest of the time too. Especially the ones where he is just wandering through neighborhoods and back streets.

Edited August 2, 2012 by Mukonoso

[Mukonoso 266]

I was talking to my friend in Kobe last night (the guy in the previous post's vlog) and he reminded me about another thing I (and he) love about Japan. Hiking in the mountains in late October is awesome there. Though I guess that could be said about any mountainous area in Autumn, but I like it better than the hills here in Kentucky. We don't seem to have near as much color around here as they do in the Rokko mountain area around Kobe or the mountains over Minoo.

[Bugman 377]

Just thought of another thing i like about Japan, they can place a vending machine in the street and come back 24 hours later to find it still standing and not smashed to pieces, an as of yet unheard of achievement in my local area, we're working on it but it's just a pipe-dream at the moment. (Laughing...)

[勝 Katsu 20]

Shinto

The Language

Mt. Fuji

Yokai Parades

Sake...Sake...Sake...:)

The traditional clothing (like fundoshis...and the men who wear them) :)

Yakuza tattoos

Public baths

Anime (in general)

Dragonball....mmmm...Dragonball

Manga

Samurai stories

The mythology

The peoples inherent ability to improve an existing idea

The fact that they're the only country to keep their

spiritual identity even after the advent of Christianity

Shonen Knife

Kurosawa

Kodo drumming

Vegetarian Sushi

Bonzai gardening

I'm sure there are more things on this list, but I can't recall them just now. :)

[Mukonoso 266]

Just remember something else I like.

In the winter the ladies on the train go from summer skirts to short shorts & tights with cowboy boots. (Dribbling...) (Heart...)

[Vikanohara 171]

I'm sure there are more things on this list, but I can't recall them just now. :)

Hint : check out what I wrote in this topic. I'm sure you'll like that too. ;-)

[勝 Katsu 20]

I'm sure there are more things on this list, but I can't recall them just now. :)

Hint : check out what I wrote in this topic. I'm sure you'll like that too. ;-)

Hey Vik'

naw...you must've missed my "fundoshis....and the men who wear them" statement...

But you know, I have nothing against ur hetero-ness. ;)

Edited September 17, 2012 by 勝 Katsu

[Mukonoso 266]

Just thought of another thing i like about Japan, they can place a vending machine in the street and come back 24 hours later to find it still standing and not smashed to pieces, an as of yet unheard of achievement in my local area, we're working on it but it's just a pipe-dream at the moment. (Laughing...)

In a strange way this just reminded me about all the tiny little Shinto shrines that I see around Japan both in the city and deep in the mountains when I'm hiking. Some of them are really out of the way but still have someone who makes regular (or semi regular trips) to take care of them and leave offerings. Even the ones that are obviously abandoned still seem respected as they age and fall apart naturally rather than be destroyed or sprayed with graffiti by vandals.

[勝 Katsu 20]

Just thought of another thing i like about Japan, they can place a vending machine in the street and come back 24 hours later to find it still standing and not smashed to pieces, an as of yet unheard of achievement in my local area, we're working on it but it's just a pipe-dream at the moment. (Laughing...)

In a strange way this just reminded me about all the tiny little Shinto shrines that I see around Japan both in the city and deep in the mountains when I'm hiking. Some of them are really out of the way but still have someone who makes regular (or semi regular trips) to take care of them and leave offerings. Even the ones that are obviously abandoned still seem respected as they age and fall apart naturally rather than be destroyed or sprayed with graffiti by vandals.

"The fact that they're the only country to keep their

spiritual identity even after the advent of Christianity" :-D :-D :-D

[Mark.Buckton 68]

Just thought of another thing i like about Japan, they can place a vending machine in the street and come back 24 hours later to find it still standing and not smashed to pieces, an as of yet unheard of achievement in my local area, we're working on it but it's just a pipe-dream at the moment. (Laughing...)

In a strange way this just reminded me about all the tiny little Shinto shrines that I see around Japan both in the city and deep in the mountains when I'm hiking. Some of them are really out of the way but still have someone who makes regular (or semi regular trips) to take care of them and leave offerings. Even the ones that are obviously abandoned still seem respected as they age and fall apart naturally rather than be destroyed or sprayed with graffiti by vandals.

"The fact that they're the only country to keep their

spiritual identity even after the advent of Christianity" :-D :-D :-D

spiritual identity? 16 years in Japan, never seen anything that could be labeled spiritual identity. Lots of 'spiritual do-it-because-it-is-traditional' but next to no real belief on the part on 99 percent of folk I have met - including a couple of shinto priests hired 'by the hour' to purify construction sites ahead of buildings going up!

[IzumoTaisha 2]

Christianity came and Christianity was forced to leave. More Christians in Japan in 1600 than there are today. Religiousity is not a part of Japanese conscious. The surroundings of spirituality are, everyone understands the connection between life and the spiritual, even if they don't actively practice. it's refreshing to me. I learned a lot in the countryside about the nature of spiritual world that is just "there" whether we actively pursue it or not.

[勝 Katsu 20]

Just thought of another thing i like about Japan, they can place a vending machine in the street and come back 24 hours later to find it still standing and not smashed to pieces, an as of yet unheard of achievement in my local area, we're working on it but it's just a pipe-dream at the moment. (Laughing...)

In a strange way this just reminded me about all the tiny little Shinto shrines that I see around Japan both in the city and deep in the mountains when I'm hiking. Some of them are really out of the way but still have someone who makes regular (or semi regular trips) to take care of them and leave offerings. Even the ones that are obviously abandoned still seem respected as they age and fall apart naturally rather than be destroyed or sprayed with graffiti by vandals.

"The fact that they're the only country to keep their

spiritual identity even after the advent of Christianity" :-D :-D :-D

spiritual identity? 16 years in Japan, never seen anything that could be labeled spiritual identity. Lots of 'spiritual do-it-because-it-is-traditional' but next to no real belief on the part on 99 percent of folk I have met - including a couple of shinto priests hired 'by the hour' to purify construction sites ahead of buildings going up!

RE: The cat meme. ;-)