The biggest change is weather! It’s unusually cold in Tokyo and I had to buy a $250-down jacket (original price $350 but cute!), rushing to a year-end sale at a department store.
The northwestern region of Japan had been tragically hit by unprecedented amount of snow for weeks when it's still a fresh memory that they experienced massive earthquakes in 2004. TV news almost daily reported that several people (up to 15) died from slipping from the rooftop while removing snow to prevent a house from being crashed.
People are taking recent dramatic changes in weather as being caused by greenhouse effects and much more serious about taking part in reducing human contribution to those than Northern Californians. “During the 2004 winter, I noticed that the governmental agency ran a TV-ad trying to make “Turn off lights and enjoy moonlight in home” fashionable, using a popular actress in the ad. This winter, I heard the environment minister declare as a guest to a traditional year-end popular TV show, “Let’s defend our Earth. Please stop gunning the motor.” Even my mother says she would not support any politicians who do not give high priority to environmental issues.
Every year on 1/1, NHK (funded by the government and people who own a TV set. So no advertisement) broadcasts a 2-hour economic analysis program.
This year’s theme was “India and China.” This program is good for a quick grab on what are concerned Japanese people/government’s mentionable (vs. unmentionable) economic/political concerns. The panel discussed about the Bush’s move to establish closer ties with India, including nat. gas pipeline issues about which, I think, they took as none issue, meaning the construction would proceed. I thought it interesting that a panel emphatically mentioned Indians' traditional global spread, like Chinese and Jewish people, which would be advantagious to India’s economic growth.
“Onsen,” or hot springs, boom has been at the peak in Tokyo!
You can hit hot springs if you drill deep enough anywhere in this metropolitan city; hence “Onsen boom” in City for the last several years. People used to pay a pretty big chunk of money to travel to outside of Tokyo to soak in hot springs, which is our national pastime. Now you pay $17 or over and enjoy natural hot springs wityout leaving Tokyo.
The one I went had four bathtubs (Jacuzzi, normal, cold-water and bed type) indoor, where bathing suits are not required. There’s one non bathing suit-required outdoor bathtub. After you pass that and through the gate, you see a huge bathing suit-required bathtub and on the top of the hill, one deep outdoor bathtub where you can view tiny Mt. Fuji when weather permitted. I stayed mostly outdoors, wearing a rented bathing suit ($3.00) and moved to indoor to serious washing. My friend said she usually does one-hour outdoor soaking, with sometimes a book to read, moves to a nap room to take one-hour nap and then take one-hour outdoor soaking before getting out and havina a bottle of beer.
“There’s new one opened in Tokyo Dome. Cutthroat competition has begun,” my friend said while we emptying a glass of fresh beer in a clean and cozy restaurant to which we had rushed after Onsen. I thought about Roman bathhouses in Nero’s era, thinking that Japan was moving from the shadow of America to that of China, but why, hot spring bathing was totally relaxing and a definitely enlightened way to spend a holiday with your good friend!
Sea urchin
