june and july are the 2 months that rain the most in japan. they call it 梅雨 (tsuyu). the term comes from "霉" in 霉雨, which means mold. you can imagine how much rain fall there is that makes things moldy. i'm not quite looking forward to it... but to prepare myself for the rainy season, here i am under my new umbrella (ella ella eh eh eh...) hahahaha :P
Friday, May 30, 2008
let the rain begin
june and july are the 2 months that rain the most in japan. they call it 梅雨 (tsuyu). the term comes from "霉" in 霉雨, which means mold. you can imagine how much rain fall there is that makes things moldy. i'm not quite looking forward to it... but to prepare myself for the rainy season, here i am under my new umbrella (ella ella eh eh eh...) hahahaha :P
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
history of lamps
remember the comic travelogue i talked about 2 weeks ago? i had been reading about attractions that may be interesting and found a couple of museums which are worth visiting. the first one i visited was the kobe lamp museum.
the purpose of the kobe lamp museum is to display the various lighting devices from past centuries that reflect the lifestyles and cultures in early japan. the museum is located on the second floor of an office building (next to robinson!), and has a fairly small exhibition area. although not a big show floor, the collections are divided into distinct eras and designed to let visitors stroll smoothly through the exhibits.
just like any other civilizations, it all began with the natural resources - sticks, straws, and wood.
松明 taimatsu (torch made of sticks)
かがり火 kagaribi (wood fire in a metal basket hung from a tripod; or bonfire)
during the edo period, oil was discovered as a source of fuel, and oil lamps were invented.
these oil lamps are called ねずみ短檠 nezumi tankei. inventors created a mechanism that automatically allows oil to be fed to the top, which is designed into the shape of a mouse, and dripped onto the fuel plate.
then came the "paper boxed lamps" to protect the flame from being blown out by the winds.
with the invention of candles, people learned to make matches to strike fire in an instant. there were millions of designs on matchboxes - one of the earliest forms of advertisement.
"XXX" and "impregnated"??
impregnated means the flint had been infused with different particles, in this case.
in the late meiji period, gas/petroleum lamps were introduced by the europeans. but the japanese incorporated some of the traditional japanese designs, such as sakura, onto the glass shades.
in order to fit the japanese market, how can they not have these 豆ランプ (miniature lamps)? each of these are in the range of 10 to 19cm.
and last but not least, the invention of the light bulb in the 19th century by thomas edison made life so much easier.
with only a ￥400 adult admission, the kobe lamp museum is a good way to take a quick 45 minute break from the busy kobe streets. :)
Kobe Lamp Museum
〒650-0034
神戸市中央区京町80番 クリエイト神戸2 & 3F
the purpose of the kobe lamp museum is to display the various lighting devices from past centuries that reflect the lifestyles and cultures in early japan. the museum is located on the second floor of an office building (next to robinson!), and has a fairly small exhibition area. although not a big show floor, the collections are divided into distinct eras and designed to let visitors stroll smoothly through the exhibits.
just like any other civilizations, it all began with the natural resources - sticks, straws, and wood.
松明 taimatsu (torch made of sticks)
かがり火 kagaribi (wood fire in a metal basket hung from a tripod; or bonfire)
during the edo period, oil was discovered as a source of fuel, and oil lamps were invented.
these oil lamps are called ねずみ短檠 nezumi tankei. inventors created a mechanism that automatically allows oil to be fed to the top, which is designed into the shape of a mouse, and dripped onto the fuel plate.
then came the "paper boxed lamps" to protect the flame from being blown out by the winds.
with the invention of candles, people learned to make matches to strike fire in an instant. there were millions of designs on matchboxes - one of the earliest forms of advertisement.
"XXX" and "impregnated"??
impregnated means the flint had been infused with different particles, in this case.
in the late meiji period, gas/petroleum lamps were introduced by the europeans. but the japanese incorporated some of the traditional japanese designs, such as sakura, onto the glass shades.
in order to fit the japanese market, how can they not have these 豆ランプ (miniature lamps)? each of these are in the range of 10 to 19cm.
and last but not least, the invention of the light bulb in the 19th century by thomas edison made life so much easier.
with only a ￥400 adult admission, the kobe lamp museum is a good way to take a quick 45 minute break from the busy kobe streets. :)
Kobe Lamp Museum
〒650-0034
神戸市中央区京町80番 クリエイト神戸2 & 3F
Sunday, May 25, 2008
kobe sannomiya
one of my frequent hang out places in kansai is kobe sannomiya 神戸三宮. although not as busy and crowded as tokyo's shibuya 東京渋谷, it is a centralized shopping area filled with department stores, local boutiques, and restaurants.
there are 3 major stations at this crossing: hanshin 阪神, hankyu 阪急, and JR.
the green building in the picture is called MINT Kobe. it opened just last year, with floors of shops and restaurants, a tower records, and a brand new cinema. the top 6 floors are office spaces.
close to MINT Kobe is the SOGO department store and Loft creative living store (Loft was once very popular in hk too).
and across from SOGO is the department store for young people - Marui OIOI
on the other side of town, you can find Tokyu Hands - another famous japanese creative living store. i can easily spend hours cruising in this building!
and last but not least, a more traditional taste - ikuta temple 生田神社
many locals come to wish for good luck at this temple on special festivals like new years day and shichi-go-san (七五三 - when boys turn 5 years old and girls turn 3 and 7 years old).
sannomiya is really at the heart of kobe, with easy access to the moutains (六甲山) and to the bay (ポートアイランド). if you ever come to town, don't forget to visit this city!
there are 3 major stations at this crossing: hanshin 阪神, hankyu 阪急, and JR.
the green building in the picture is called MINT Kobe. it opened just last year, with floors of shops and restaurants, a tower records, and a brand new cinema. the top 6 floors are office spaces.
close to MINT Kobe is the SOGO department store and Loft creative living store (Loft was once very popular in hk too).
and across from SOGO is the department store for young people - Marui OIOI
on the other side of town, you can find Tokyu Hands - another famous japanese creative living store. i can easily spend hours cruising in this building!
and last but not least, a more traditional taste - ikuta temple 生田神社
many locals come to wish for good luck at this temple on special festivals like new years day and shichi-go-san (七五三 - when boys turn 5 years old and girls turn 3 and 7 years old).
sannomiya is really at the heart of kobe, with easy access to the moutains (六甲山) and to the bay (ポートアイランド). if you ever come to town, don't forget to visit this city!
Friday, May 23, 2008
someone needs a translator
the other day i went to visit a friend who's staying at a hotel in kobe. his wife found this card in their room and she brought it down and asked if anyone understood the english part. do you?
(click for a bigger image)
the english translation seemed like it was done on a google translator or something... maybe the hotel should just find a true human translator.
we all took turns to take a picture of it and had a good laugh. haha~
what the card really meant...
Attention
In order to conserve the limited resources, the (water) pot is not plugged into the electric outlet. Please kindly plug into the outlet if you wish to use the pot. Thank you very much for your cooperation.
(click for a bigger image)
the english translation seemed like it was done on a google translator or something... maybe the hotel should just find a true human translator.
we all took turns to take a picture of it and had a good laugh. haha~
what the card really meant...
Attention
In order to conserve the limited resources, the (water) pot is not plugged into the electric outlet. Please kindly plug into the outlet if you wish to use the pot. Thank you very much for your cooperation.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
all you can eat... bread!
if you ask me which is my favorite kansai restaurant so far, i have to pick robinson in kobe. robinson is a modern french restaurant that has its own bakery. i've only been there for lunch, which they only serve a few set courses everyday.
for the pasta lunch, robinson provides two choices each day, and for the few times i've been there, they have a pretty good variety of pasta dishes.
in addition, over 10 types of bread are baked hourly and served straight out of the oven. and the best of all, the waiters keep refilling them for you for free! what can beat 焼き立てパン (fresh from the oven bread)?!
the restaurant is often packed with people but the wait is not too bad. it's located in the heart of the shopping area, so it's definitely a popular lunch spot for many shoppers like me!
Robinson
〒650-0034
神戸市中央区京町80番 クリエイト神戸1F
(2 blocks away from Daimaru)
pasta lunch ¥1,000
salad + pasta + bread
salad lunch ¥900
cup of soup + salad + bread
robinson lunch ¥1,200
salad + entree of the day + bread
salad + pasta + bread
salad lunch ¥900
cup of soup + salad + bread
robinson lunch ¥1,200
salad + entree of the day + bread
for the pasta lunch, robinson provides two choices each day, and for the few times i've been there, they have a pretty good variety of pasta dishes.
in addition, over 10 types of bread are baked hourly and served straight out of the oven. and the best of all, the waiters keep refilling them for you for free! what can beat 焼き立てパン (fresh from the oven bread)?!
the restaurant is often packed with people but the wait is not too bad. it's located in the heart of the shopping area, so it's definitely a popular lunch spot for many shoppers like me!
Robinson
〒650-0034
神戸市中央区京町80番 クリエイト神戸1F
(2 blocks away from Daimaru)
Sunday, May 18, 2008
shopping at the outlets
outlet malls are becoming more and more popular in japan. this weekend, i went to the mitsui outlet park at marine pia kobe (三井アウトレットパーク マリンピア神戸) in tarumi (垂水区). it isn't a very big outlet park, with only 2 wings and about 80 shops. they are mostly japanese brands, but you can also find some american brands like nike, adidas, lacoste, and juicy couture. the quality is above normal outlet standard, and it's definitely a popular attraction because of its great ocean view!
from home, it is about 40 minutes away by train.
you can enjoy a spectacular ocean view during the last 10 minutes of the train ride too!
the outlet park is built around the theme of a lively southern european seaport town
the shops face a boat pier and an open piazza for weekend outdoor events
and just a few steps away is the akashi kaikyo bridge (明石海峡橋) that spans over to awaji-shima (淡路島), then further reaches over to shikoku (四国).
you can enjoy a spectacular ocean view during the last 10 minutes of the train ride too!
the outlet park is built around the theme of a lively southern european seaport town
the shops face a boat pier and an open piazza for weekend outdoor events
and just a few steps away is the akashi kaikyo bridge (明石海峡橋) that spans over to awaji-shima (淡路島), then further reaches over to shikoku (四国).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
