tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19812537643526930162024-03-05T00:41:23.883-08:00Tsubu GaiFieldwork in malacology & palentology in JapanJannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-44448857517940208892008-08-19T02:52:00.000-07:002008-08-19T03:18:01.386-07:00Sayonara Nihon!My time in Japan is just about up. A quick reunion with JSPS/NSF students tomorrow, then a flight home the next day. Living in Japan this summer has been productive, surprising, rewarding, and challenging. I learned about things I didn't even know I didn't know about. That is one of the profound aspects of living in another culture. At least it was for me. Putting this blog together has also been lots of fun. I appreciate that you read it. <br /><br />Here are last minute miscellaneous thoughts.<br /><br />I rode the subway very often while in Nagoya. This sign (sorry about the glare, I know is hard to see) indicates the seating available for persons who might need it most. "Priority Seats". Fine so far. Starting from the left of this sign, I identify; old person, pregnant woman, person with a baby, injured person, but the fifth one? Crying person with a broken heart? This has perplexed me for months.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJU2CfcoT9WA2sz2xALyBw92tCsHOuDHz3LB5rS-AXuUAMHmcq5e8uKUaTj5aE9qjT7tDv8AgM821S1CI9c0KAbGZGuOufuAlGtkDfol-qo0GKKxsRERL7WLvwu6WYYfPfbpTvoYOneo/s1600-h/RIMG0009.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJU2CfcoT9WA2sz2xALyBw92tCsHOuDHz3LB5rS-AXuUAMHmcq5e8uKUaTj5aE9qjT7tDv8AgM821S1CI9c0KAbGZGuOufuAlGtkDfol-qo0GKKxsRERL7WLvwu6WYYfPfbpTvoYOneo/s320/RIMG0009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236166007956505938" /></a>Here is the giant green Buddha near Nagoya University. I already posted pictures of it when I first got to Nagoya, but wow. I think it deserves more attention. It is gigantic! If you are ever in Nagoya, it is worth seeing.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybzRVlt0ssClRpCPMZVXyI4ceU7J1T9eScE4uRlw5H7nsEBv_L8IMbppUJGtvsTSI3wzx70YPjYNIHXtDv_OqicbwnfJmfrZ39Z82rYWr75aTEiW1gFzd9R7zmnJbdjw9-PsMTzNoFws/s1600-h/RIMG0017.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybzRVlt0ssClRpCPMZVXyI4ceU7J1T9eScE4uRlw5H7nsEBv_L8IMbppUJGtvsTSI3wzx70YPjYNIHXtDv_OqicbwnfJmfrZ39Z82rYWr75aTEiW1gFzd9R7zmnJbdjw9-PsMTzNoFws/s320/RIMG0017.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236166010477139170" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHitwjm7Mn1gWoeUaq7yKiNwAIdUvGHcA3LYOadRpRvTYuia0X5n8JzMW-4wZYE0tkBMDPTJbjUxUUcMOmLzINjAeGW11i0m0PwpEJJNCGGjtFg2ryV7balGR-L0XgK8sMdvqDYJX4cnU/s1600-h/RIMG0020.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHitwjm7Mn1gWoeUaq7yKiNwAIdUvGHcA3LYOadRpRvTYuia0X5n8JzMW-4wZYE0tkBMDPTJbjUxUUcMOmLzINjAeGW11i0m0PwpEJJNCGGjtFg2ryV7balGR-L0XgK8sMdvqDYJX4cnU/s320/RIMG0020.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236166020913825666" /></a>Here I am (again) next to the also giant Buddha hand that is next to the larger statue.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh95185CSHa2eM12xwgVo4L4WO4EifUQHaerejrRmU3b_vwXVywoHYHA9SgtIig2sqYfCZu0a8I1KRKSAjZEGrcrw6Reb30jj6zF7-w6FlguEyVJubjWFm5fOZCiSwITgtJBOZFJyKbZY/s1600-h/RIMG0022.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh95185CSHa2eM12xwgVo4L4WO4EifUQHaerejrRmU3b_vwXVywoHYHA9SgtIig2sqYfCZu0a8I1KRKSAjZEGrcrw6Reb30jj6zF7-w6FlguEyVJubjWFm5fOZCiSwITgtJBOZFJyKbZY/s320/RIMG0022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236166025654988066" /></a>And finally, this sign is posted near the cash register of the cafe where I ordered the green tea/red bean/rice ball drink and the squid sandwich that I mention in a previous post. I think that Natural Selection should have the final word in this blog. It usually does in life.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMepUhZQMN2nLRYL7R_H7ODoBWKNfDGBqAugnOk4-UtaBHcSZIBFQ8VOHwU4iPLAyDpIdz2mS0-iYnmKRMF_kpPUNG5hIlDDxrtleN6YPSjC5FAZ4pd7CdJeo2vE92w7MnNW8WBEUrHk/s1600-h/RIMG0011.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMepUhZQMN2nLRYL7R_H7ODoBWKNfDGBqAugnOk4-UtaBHcSZIBFQ8VOHwU4iPLAyDpIdz2mS0-iYnmKRMF_kpPUNG5hIlDDxrtleN6YPSjC5FAZ4pd7CdJeo2vE92w7MnNW8WBEUrHk/s320/RIMG0011.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236166039735812146" /></a>Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-91112452629500183102008-08-16T23:51:00.000-07:002008-08-17T01:12:21.197-07:00American Heritage, 1977The other night right after dinner I was fresh out of reading material. Any reading material, in English anyway. I was desperate to read <span style="font-style:italic;">something</span> and the only un-read book in my apartment was a dictionary (once belonging to Yamaki, see below) that I found a few weeks ago in pile of books slated for the <a href="http://www.nic-nagoya.or.jp/en/dailyliving/housingandsettlingin/garbage.htm">"combustible"</a> refuse in Science Building C. So I brought this dictionary home and was now flipping through it. I learned some wonderful things.<br /><br />First, this dictionary was printed in 1977. While flipping through "S" I noticed both San Francisco and San Jose. In 1977, the population of San Francisco was 704,000. In San Jose it was 204,000. Today, S.F. has 744,041 people and San Jose has 929,936. A fascinating beginning!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4nM14-I9urm__YcEFqQBqKXgq3ZkY0IpG7qX7JAUvPfPdmNz3MyLwMkHLfDAy77d0JZ8x-PdUeP3tnySS3FmeJyN2ercMHXd5cyT0ltsXWiiS0qI1Q0YmuHrHxYtNF1ZoZTb5a4PCrzE/s1600-h/RIMG0001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4nM14-I9urm__YcEFqQBqKXgq3ZkY0IpG7qX7JAUvPfPdmNz3MyLwMkHLfDAy77d0JZ8x-PdUeP3tnySS3FmeJyN2ercMHXd5cyT0ltsXWiiS0qI1Q0YmuHrHxYtNF1ZoZTb5a4PCrzE/s320/RIMG0001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235377966968402498" /></a>Here are some dictionary entries of note:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">casino</span>: <span style="font-style:italic;">a place to gamble.</span> This word, familiar to all of us as ever-growing, perversely indulgent <a href="http://daxinganling.china.com.cn/english/MATERIAL/222472.htm">monstrosities</a>, comes from the Italian for "<span style="font-style:italic;">little</span> house." The irony.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">macadam</span>: <span style="font-style:italic;">a pavement of layers of compacted stone bonded with tar or asphalt. After J. <a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1B1-371638.html">McAdam</a>, a Scottish engineer (1756-1836).</span> This entry was so notable to me because I grew up calling the "black top" at my elementary school, "the macadam" never knowing why it sounded like an unusual word. I think having a noun derived from your last name must feel pretty great. And speaking of macadams, here it is outside the Toyoda Auditorium on the Nagoya U. campus. Like I did, you might wonder what all those marks and indentations are. Here is a clue: Nagoya is <a href="http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/47636.html#History">HOT</a> in the summer. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCtEZyWlxYrVAxeeft8Xw9q0Cb7U5FfeyKWA0PQffZ5cPOJOfRB6-k3yWbdh2lcD0-PoRT_H_9QCJLTEpsa9WeuGxxcSWGSfOGWmPBctPwEg1cY8Bmax0Y3AUbLbE70oZP7dP2oeEFHuE/s1600-h/RIMG0003.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCtEZyWlxYrVAxeeft8Xw9q0Cb7U5FfeyKWA0PQffZ5cPOJOfRB6-k3yWbdh2lcD0-PoRT_H_9QCJLTEpsa9WeuGxxcSWGSfOGWmPBctPwEg1cY8Bmax0Y3AUbLbE70oZP7dP2oeEFHuE/s320/RIMG0003.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235382985188515762" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixuUAmi6JQzCD41fctNZ27ncxp64D-ZqThbWKuCWZa8kTyQmD-bvyO4OdRonyMuUnIYG9w1P9gn0wejLjafIfdB9PlTdsrgMgqFLlQQIqop4OGi2ENvIatKc29H_V2VlE0xSNPNPddZkY/s1600-h/RIMG0004.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixuUAmi6JQzCD41fctNZ27ncxp64D-ZqThbWKuCWZa8kTyQmD-bvyO4OdRonyMuUnIYG9w1P9gn0wejLjafIfdB9PlTdsrgMgqFLlQQIqop4OGi2ENvIatKc29H_V2VlE0xSNPNPddZkY/s320/RIMG0004.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235384307844066802" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88qW_WZ40uNPfrZr1XaKxhUd0sr5hRIo3f9WIzTAnKxhOyp1AR7X87Iptp86fi4kvnZGxywZCavIGkZszwWT_7MeHaomDePl_ADkVKvq6ekVWwyrqxTHzIVMJCKzI-34Bb80J5O0r608/s1600-h/RIMG0006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88qW_WZ40uNPfrZr1XaKxhUd0sr5hRIo3f9WIzTAnKxhOyp1AR7X87Iptp86fi4kvnZGxywZCavIGkZszwWT_7MeHaomDePl_ADkVKvq6ekVWwyrqxTHzIVMJCKzI-34Bb80J5O0r608/s320/RIMG0006.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235384318707449106" /></a>Amazing isn't it? And while still on the macadam topic, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Smith_(geologist)">here</a> is another famous Scottish engineer.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />ragamuffin: </span><span style="font-style:italic;">a dirty or unkempt child from the "Ragamoffyn" - a demon in Piers Plowman.</span> I always thought that a ragamuffin was sort of an endearing term for children, certainly without demonic etymology! How <a href="http://www.word-detective.com/back-s.html">wrong I was</a>. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">red letter:</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">memorable, happy. </span>This dictionary does not provide an etymology for this word, but Merriam Webster online <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red%20letter">does</a>. My husband and I will, on occasion, sing parts of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Whole_New_World">A Whole New World </a>from the Disney movie Aladdin. The "every moment red letter" lyric was always totally confusing. Not anymore. Thank you American Heritage. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">rosemary:</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">aromatic shrub, from the Latin, "ros marinus" meaning "sea dew."</span>. Sea dew! How spectacular.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Sikkim:</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">Kingdom between India and China. Capital: Gangtok. Population: 162,000.</span> I had never heard of Sikkim! Sikkim? A kingdom? American Heritage is a bit out of date now, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikkim">Sikkim</a> having become a state of India without a monarchy. Discovering this bit of trivia reminded me of the fun <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tuva-Bust-Richard-Feynmans-Journey/dp/0393320693">Richard Feynman</a> had with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuva_or_Bust">Tuva</a>.Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-67704185505672119932008-08-14T19:36:00.000-07:002008-08-17T20:12:50.788-07:00PhotosToday is one of the days of the Japanese Buddist holiday of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bon_Festival">Bon</a>, or Obon. In Japanese, an "o" is often added as a prefix to the name of something venerated. I think that is why this holiday can be called "Obon", though I am not sure. Other Japanese words, for example, "cha", which means tea is so respected that it is most often called "ocha". Or to say "how is it going?" to a person to whom you should show special deference you might say, "O-genki des ka?" Otherwise you would say, "genki des ka?" Anyway, I was looking at the very helpful (to foreigners) website of the <a href="http://www.nic-nagoya.or.jp/en/nic_photo_contest/index.htm">Nagoya International Center</a> and noticed that they are sponsoring a photo contest. I am not really interested in the contest, but it made me think about the photos I have taken since I have been in Japan. So I sorted through them and selected my favorites. Here they are.<br /><br />Damselfly and exuvium at <a href="http://www.tokugawaen.city.nagoya.jp/english/index.html">Tokugawaen</a> in Nagoya.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1tdI1BdggOyEIXwhqL_KwNcxHLZkSIZOQp-UP9NZPEx2Kx9JgV05vdrjKEdiTOf_JyoaV6LBgoiW7s1mdC4RwZtNzXGD0tZfS9fIM3EYDnS46Ia6PT-aPpekKEo-aN16MWkNFiJvCbM/s1600-h/EXUVIUM.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1tdI1BdggOyEIXwhqL_KwNcxHLZkSIZOQp-UP9NZPEx2Kx9JgV05vdrjKEdiTOf_JyoaV6LBgoiW7s1mdC4RwZtNzXGD0tZfS9fIM3EYDnS46Ia6PT-aPpekKEo-aN16MWkNFiJvCbM/s320/EXUVIUM.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234572316833413234" /></a>Tokugawaen waterfall.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtm0wqyHMJ2CLKJsovKKB7USJPjuGvd77e7lJzYdz9r3lLWncFkfJ0XoST50JNJJS6z9rton-YNTbYaNVQ2XX2oHppuXNP-7G-2XYSBJ6MoZPx-XjaC7E0jyTNtab_1jpbShg_baHcZo/s1600-h/Tokugawaen_3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtm0wqyHMJ2CLKJsovKKB7USJPjuGvd77e7lJzYdz9r3lLWncFkfJ0XoST50JNJJS6z9rton-YNTbYaNVQ2XX2oHppuXNP-7G-2XYSBJ6MoZPx-XjaC7E0jyTNtab_1jpbShg_baHcZo/s320/Tokugawaen_3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234574142678840658" /></a>Japanese fishing canoe, Rikuzen-Takata<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP78ZsiVV0DXoYgoR4ceAd2A_8uV5k_bSlBE7MI9eqNIBHZG9y0CfyZM7Taknwsmf6kCZe4j415_Uta0cciaA7nl2IHr1HGI-ygzjuKmttMX_ksHzfS6Ri7Ys5AqAdel4QOxwTHd95zSA/s1600-h/Japan_+july_2008+101.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP78ZsiVV0DXoYgoR4ceAd2A_8uV5k_bSlBE7MI9eqNIBHZG9y0CfyZM7Taknwsmf6kCZe4j415_Uta0cciaA7nl2IHr1HGI-ygzjuKmttMX_ksHzfS6Ri7Ys5AqAdel4QOxwTHd95zSA/s320/Japan_+july_2008+101.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234572322391567746" /></a>Torii at Suemori shrine, Nagoya.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWumXWPRPY50d6yVtIr0sOZozYWIbfZYB4xHn-oJb96-ewNe7foF1E3UXkojV_cA7KnWggTreMIxx2ySSG_oA2l1jAB_KyoDJRGt36wI3yG9eNZgST80708rcAtWKzxCoLHcxVNqKxfc/s1600-h/Japan_+june+28_Suemori_6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWumXWPRPY50d6yVtIr0sOZozYWIbfZYB4xHn-oJb96-ewNe7foF1E3UXkojV_cA7KnWggTreMIxx2ySSG_oA2l1jAB_KyoDJRGt36wI3yG9eNZgST80708rcAtWKzxCoLHcxVNqKxfc/s320/Japan_+june+28_Suemori_6.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234572327719952482" /></a>Shimenawa (rope) and gohei (strips of white paper) at the Suemori shrine, Nagoya.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvlWMh5f9-XdVTJzS_8JaSwZGioTWK7l17BGmqXJBZ8IH9xjHVuQMmDQR3L9SuRVzZOsRkZcsHvn6KJdQTxCjstIJE2DWJqXIK9rXVFVfjevBiXs0wt4uzmQQLcKReK8ClMGFWy1y2RuU/s1600-h/Japan_+june+28_Suemori_10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvlWMh5f9-XdVTJzS_8JaSwZGioTWK7l17BGmqXJBZ8IH9xjHVuQMmDQR3L9SuRVzZOsRkZcsHvn6KJdQTxCjstIJE2DWJqXIK9rXVFVfjevBiXs0wt4uzmQQLcKReK8ClMGFWy1y2RuU/s320/Japan_+june+28_Suemori_10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234572336542767122" /></a>Cicada at temple in Joetsu.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4c2s6KIqm5bVPX2Sc-PYjc5UyL6IWNIQh2U6qSiIzx0tx3xRLm6YyPYQJEYSXTqAN8L1Kqfq7bcT9PDD5NSjn4jNeKKninlPESGtJ7Gahr6lSFegM9Mugp3W4nop79mRCCkPGSu0t_14/s1600-h/Japan_JoetsuJuly15+178.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4c2s6KIqm5bVPX2Sc-PYjc5UyL6IWNIQh2U6qSiIzx0tx3xRLm6YyPYQJEYSXTqAN8L1Kqfq7bcT9PDD5NSjn4jNeKKninlPESGtJ7Gahr6lSFegM9Mugp3W4nop79mRCCkPGSu0t_14/s320/Japan_JoetsuJuly15+178.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234572344906692770" /></a>Takata (rice paddy) beetle, Joetsu.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifCizQRUx7Sq-2AgvFLhURnDJbB7qTYGPKk2wtzCoPLlpIOrel9QdNxQ8E6IeptofC8upxb9z34hI30kOOV-nVrcY_yHnWXJVvve7vHD5JiGihtL8uRp8vRD7EEXu8KBBdICkvO7Rlrcw/s1600-h/Joetsu_insect_3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifCizQRUx7Sq-2AgvFLhURnDJbB7qTYGPKk2wtzCoPLlpIOrel9QdNxQ8E6IeptofC8upxb9z34hI30kOOV-nVrcY_yHnWXJVvve7vHD5JiGihtL8uRp8vRD7EEXu8KBBdICkvO7Rlrcw/s320/Joetsu_insect_3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234573087230616610" /></a>Graves at Zuihoden Masoleum, Sendai.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7VQg0_4lwu6LjkXdwY6gHiNJNPqAzWKrDBusDOoo9pV8lvi5u14e7g2glPKwDTrhhY7BV4Rf8fh2B8cP3RCyuiKBWyxX7AjEpSoyd41Lcx_sSgJeYDphyphenhyphenVpMk7OpdeR4t4C-O907334/s1600-h/ZuihodenMausoleum_Japan_+july_2008+255.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7VQg0_4lwu6LjkXdwY6gHiNJNPqAzWKrDBusDOoo9pV8lvi5u14e7g2glPKwDTrhhY7BV4Rf8fh2B8cP3RCyuiKBWyxX7AjEpSoyd41Lcx_sSgJeYDphyphenhyphenVpMk7OpdeR4t4C-O907334/s320/ZuihodenMausoleum_Japan_+july_2008+255.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234574153471395874" /></a>Lily pads, Hagashiyama Botanical Garden, Nagoya.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJzkuWMASU1_YCfSxvAc6CWqnYdsamtMKpVnqMR8I2eIzZyXPIj9H-GQnpYdJbR1rBgWwj2-kAXO0ssvZSZ1x0nhBEIQEEjYg0Ftd3d0-kdeHSJJk0ij2IWoFeoUNXyL4WIBZhd408Ng/s1600-h/Japan_July_26+082.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJzkuWMASU1_YCfSxvAc6CWqnYdsamtMKpVnqMR8I2eIzZyXPIj9H-GQnpYdJbR1rBgWwj2-kAXO0ssvZSZ1x0nhBEIQEEjYg0Ftd3d0-kdeHSJJk0ij2IWoFeoUNXyL4WIBZhd408Ng/s320/Japan_July_26+082.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234573066336311522" /></a>Nagoya Castle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zkSjxN3gcQJz3XvnhJWunYHg9Y81dxiGGRrqZhWMlR1ywM7yzo5A1m48YIQIDo9y5tUb_QreX3d685UEcnjy6YT9Ff3tm49kdzswZgGR9hVfAcEJzpGLets5BT5GRUvUHivzz0_iCb4/s1600-h/NagoyaCastle_12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zkSjxN3gcQJz3XvnhJWunYHg9Y81dxiGGRrqZhWMlR1ywM7yzo5A1m48YIQIDo9y5tUb_QreX3d685UEcnjy6YT9Ff3tm49kdzswZgGR9hVfAcEJzpGLets5BT5GRUvUHivzz0_iCb4/s320/NagoyaCastle_12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234588218753242290" /></a>Damselfly at Orchid Gardens, Nagoya.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuXK8EA_0lrWtCvVphuBXpo2_tFyA2scW6H0ejIPuex845D-XK85vQ5pWUVzQzFL6qnuUb5mPx6PWbsx5XMJdal4aquBI841bqcT_Kn9orgbfkzklTG8wx-Vob7VecGZBQTEEDxPy6qk/s1600-h/RIMG0116.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuXK8EA_0lrWtCvVphuBXpo2_tFyA2scW6H0ejIPuex845D-XK85vQ5pWUVzQzFL6qnuUb5mPx6PWbsx5XMJdal4aquBI841bqcT_Kn9orgbfkzklTG8wx-Vob7VecGZBQTEEDxPy6qk/s320/RIMG0116.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234588230160715042" /></a>Dragonfly at Tokugawaen, Nagoya.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnP-whGPqEfCEpmRGHZp81gQ7XLy-iUrv56d36_but6NyIEg-kB0d5vJGaCCZk8IL_-GNTwcREKyrS3ytIIDgqU8cRP4Zh2DITXxB6LKgF7-Voee6sZNr1_ZmJ6-ybBvAxbMGoachQu8Y/s1600-h/Tokugawaen_dragonfly_5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnP-whGPqEfCEpmRGHZp81gQ7XLy-iUrv56d36_but6NyIEg-kB0d5vJGaCCZk8IL_-GNTwcREKyrS3ytIIDgqU8cRP4Zh2DITXxB6LKgF7-Voee6sZNr1_ZmJ6-ybBvAxbMGoachQu8Y/s320/Tokugawaen_dragonfly_5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234588231233472434" /></a>Frog in rice paddy, Joetsu.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYjPmNyytWR2BXelbffkh2T1R_gc4HjoXpVwR9Fe9Q_s5mI9mpG4IUDk2X4AYXadwstMJmnuB-c5paXgu2WC2NDrUYwLhD1k5FXMAtgGrlGpJLop7FDxqMKlksbBNLGu5aRhobal24caY/s1600-h/Joetsu_frog_3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYjPmNyytWR2BXelbffkh2T1R_gc4HjoXpVwR9Fe9Q_s5mI9mpG4IUDk2X4AYXadwstMJmnuB-c5paXgu2WC2NDrUYwLhD1k5FXMAtgGrlGpJLop7FDxqMKlksbBNLGu5aRhobal24caY/s320/Joetsu_frog_3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234573073759398450" /></a>Hemipteran insect, Joetsu.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvO7-BOjMs397H5Y4RyE-id6Byiye2Bv8ClyqzESXpP5ryev7q2tDorNxaMtachfcKZPOiCJWlNtfDNr129nNsvgPHGORbuswSyxPSrULjeTbLDZ_ciAHq1bXHRys2mnAo5Nnhn80J-60/s1600-h/Joetsu_insect_12.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvO7-BOjMs397H5Y4RyE-id6Byiye2Bv8ClyqzESXpP5ryev7q2tDorNxaMtachfcKZPOiCJWlNtfDNr129nNsvgPHGORbuswSyxPSrULjeTbLDZ_ciAHq1bXHRys2mnAo5Nnhn80J-60/s320/Joetsu_insect_12.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234573078012433954" /></a>Gohei at Kasugayama shrine, Joetsu.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkmep8dnHg4NaLKmxsLTPO0xf1_nMCnjcSrd2C8lxIagZSIeQIda5yBmpLtPunnFea_1xjFzp3-y0oJelPk08dCGrh0OKLdm5nhlA7s8CgzX5EVEcIxnW_lAJJZDaAS7Pq1WyirMEvuZM/s1600-h/Joetsu_KasugayamaCastle_11.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkmep8dnHg4NaLKmxsLTPO0xf1_nMCnjcSrd2C8lxIagZSIeQIda5yBmpLtPunnFea_1xjFzp3-y0oJelPk08dCGrh0OKLdm5nhlA7s8CgzX5EVEcIxnW_lAJJZDaAS7Pq1WyirMEvuZM/s320/Joetsu_KasugayamaCastle_11.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234573084512289682" /></a>Graves at Ringseni Temple, Joetsu.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirajL6yUG4Ddr087W7HWP_s2dJFqbHDefHXCzt7Ta_6Gwf0aNWOeXpCNNJOhTAOhnyFkRjUJklcH04tLjRR5HnKsBSYp-WSGJaIYyNUEin5DrfQLsPs8yNu-D43R5r1bA4My9M1BMRLhQ/s1600-h/Joetsu_Ringseni_Temple_8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirajL6yUG4Ddr087W7HWP_s2dJFqbHDefHXCzt7Ta_6Gwf0aNWOeXpCNNJOhTAOhnyFkRjUJklcH04tLjRR5HnKsBSYp-WSGJaIYyNUEin5DrfQLsPs8yNu-D43R5r1bA4My9M1BMRLhQ/s320/Joetsu_Ringseni_Temple_8.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234573757474898562" /></a>Shimenawa at Nagoya shrine. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gT8AiVRa9mjmqjfsc56KIAHqyqwsUEdoERg3Vb8wLPrqcFhr5PxpPyMjvntopvc86fCnAWqoauFwzBO5xfg22GtwnrpSvd5cYLLaXcaNlWfFHatqU85kirjhVOjXmE67OBO6X_hK8aU/s1600-h/Nagoya_Jingu_13.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gT8AiVRa9mjmqjfsc56KIAHqyqwsUEdoERg3Vb8wLPrqcFhr5PxpPyMjvntopvc86fCnAWqoauFwzBO5xfg22GtwnrpSvd5cYLLaXcaNlWfFHatqU85kirjhVOjXmE67OBO6X_hK8aU/s320/Nagoya_Jingu_13.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234573769366877474" /></a>Flower, Joetsu.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEke2KfprrklemE4maWTUALLGVN0qGKruKA_-LXwPjxZLo04ATUNZOTGzWhAaCZMEKgdpJjF5tXRkrnL562QQn4CokX41wXORnsgbfwS0OkVuiG345nr-JqgWvT-Rk5jwEXIcO_HujnA/s1600-h/RIMG0022.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEke2KfprrklemE4maWTUALLGVN0qGKruKA_-LXwPjxZLo04ATUNZOTGzWhAaCZMEKgdpJjF5tXRkrnL562QQn4CokX41wXORnsgbfwS0OkVuiG345nr-JqgWvT-Rk5jwEXIcO_HujnA/s320/RIMG0022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234573772635642434" /></a>Fish @ fish market, Sendai.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSZeRkG5c_SvKo68s1JLYGqwHfr4yHCsN08-8ZVrcL_8HBrlh3R29t6XsintmvHlJMBjFIT8YcZg-MvaG-nJeqJ6NQaPYwtI7RatbDxMeblsZb8PuDYAQdP-Iyuslo_MvhQizjsYRvCo/s1600-h/SendaiMarke_Japan_+july_2008+220.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSZeRkG5c_SvKo68s1JLYGqwHfr4yHCsN08-8ZVrcL_8HBrlh3R29t6XsintmvHlJMBjFIT8YcZg-MvaG-nJeqJ6NQaPYwtI7RatbDxMeblsZb8PuDYAQdP-Iyuslo_MvhQizjsYRvCo/s320/SendaiMarke_Japan_+july_2008+220.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234573781324293938" /></a>Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-36994711250441321012008-08-13T00:33:00.000-07:002008-08-17T19:46:52.851-07:00On foodJapanese food, in character and diversity, could constitute a blog all by itself. For this reason I will only superficially deal with it as a topic. That and because I am a vegetarian most of the time (termed by some clever person, "a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flexitarian">flexitarian</a>") and try not to eat unsustainable fish (e.g. tuna) I have had little to no exposure to lots of well-known Japanese dishes. In fact, being (an almost) vegetarian in Japan is hard! All that being said, here are some of my experiences of Japanese food. <br /><br />My first opportunity to "flex" was with breakfast sandwiches of corned beef at the house of my host family. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZReZ8MYLIEnZZIspE2m2ZG6soZD2r2F7dU5U7LpbB47rcKy1Womx29ekJnU6c5E-DvlH8va0_QsE1cgIOddWItnWw4u7pwFJTp6bwH3TQyFgoSt4-hw0H6KwYizeSut_RZlzvEI23g4/s1600-h/host_family_breakfast.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZReZ8MYLIEnZZIspE2m2ZG6soZD2r2F7dU5U7LpbB47rcKy1Womx29ekJnU6c5E-DvlH8va0_QsE1cgIOddWItnWw4u7pwFJTp6bwH3TQyFgoSt4-hw0H6KwYizeSut_RZlzvEI23g4/s320/host_family_breakfast.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233904939070497394" /></a>This is ocha-zuke, basically rice and seasonings in green tea as a kind of broth. Pretty good!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZjYAUjh6X8PMsTBKtR5uIp46Yg5KDQN5Z8Zv1OEFhcsTfs0GMNWE87PSWT2QF6boNEW-D_O3xeM5kJGAExv4GiAScRjyqbVuqf6iBcFPHJiPpAyAQzoz3S4xQwRWshgxpVF2fgye5Mo/s1600-h/ochazuka_Japan_+july_2008+145.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZjYAUjh6X8PMsTBKtR5uIp46Yg5KDQN5Z8Zv1OEFhcsTfs0GMNWE87PSWT2QF6boNEW-D_O3xeM5kJGAExv4GiAScRjyqbVuqf6iBcFPHJiPpAyAQzoz3S4xQwRWshgxpVF2fgye5Mo/s320/ochazuka_Japan_+july_2008+145.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233904944795865458" /></a>This is nabe from my farewell party. Some of the little light-colored bits are pieces of animal fat that render into the bubbling stew to which cabbage, other vegetables, and meat are added. This was another "flexing" opportunity.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lq9aBCPEGFZM-uPs4fVsumcpEruTdo90WzhVf9YDwyncDVgZv4DIcmS5XTo6ZD6wWhK36ndWniiB9ASOWZez7FuLC0dBJzykuOBgmiUPo1La6lH6MC9s6jCSZ-uvxzzoHf3J1kNqzIc/s1600-h/RIMG0004.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lq9aBCPEGFZM-uPs4fVsumcpEruTdo90WzhVf9YDwyncDVgZv4DIcmS5XTo6ZD6wWhK36ndWniiB9ASOWZez7FuLC0dBJzykuOBgmiUPo1La6lH6MC9s6jCSZ-uvxzzoHf3J1kNqzIc/s320/RIMG0004.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233904961092588962" /></a>This is nabe toward the end of the meal when after all the vegetables and meat have been eaten, udon noodles are added.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQS9rhokeUfpKdg2f5WWIYy1B7OCAIPcnaGGJ00lxxTjg5_I0O0FdvsHbLq3NJJgGdgAmoHIiPfEy3UIS-U4yeQJkomBSiituWs5IDCKfdeIulna4RjB9GU7jz71V2vGc24P78rRBvIw/s1600-h/Japan_+june+28_welcome_party3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQS9rhokeUfpKdg2f5WWIYy1B7OCAIPcnaGGJ00lxxTjg5_I0O0FdvsHbLq3NJJgGdgAmoHIiPfEy3UIS-U4yeQJkomBSiituWs5IDCKfdeIulna4RjB9GU7jz71V2vGc24P78rRBvIw/s320/Japan_+june+28_welcome_party3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233904965604339090" /></a>The other most popular noodle variety in Japan is soba. Here is my friend Ai (who I met at Starbucks!) with a beautiful dinner of soba.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_L5Z0Iz5abqO_T8cwKVIcT2rGJW44SdUoApynXEe8wn_vAX-2tKHWNGqvFZBSsWQ6r9U2RYWyh4j-TFtBNSimVDhNHHfDBlrUftWJtw2km7Ri6uL8XP5E6JSf_urtGgNyFd1WJPV4o8/s1600-h/Japan_July_26+024.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_L5Z0Iz5abqO_T8cwKVIcT2rGJW44SdUoApynXEe8wn_vAX-2tKHWNGqvFZBSsWQ6r9U2RYWyh4j-TFtBNSimVDhNHHfDBlrUftWJtw2km7Ri6uL8XP5E6JSf_urtGgNyFd1WJPV4o8/s320/Japan_July_26+024.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233904970560576898" /></a>This is a plate of sashimi, which is raw fish without rice.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEqtmQvWilaJdaEXRUhyphenhyphen8HgOg7u1cqAnuX-XRhuJR1ri1Iv4SDZzBc4cN_yQK5_OxdDBJN4tnoIt90wSMLITfCRcafqoWWC9iXrHXg3mpPZmrDH7LxPs3umOinMa01OaugVPE88Khuhc/s1600-h/RIMG0005.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEqtmQvWilaJdaEXRUhyphenhyphen8HgOg7u1cqAnuX-XRhuJR1ri1Iv4SDZzBc4cN_yQK5_OxdDBJN4tnoIt90wSMLITfCRcafqoWWC9iXrHXg3mpPZmrDH7LxPs3umOinMa01OaugVPE88Khuhc/s320/RIMG0005.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233908089850719570" /></a>This is the conveyer belt of the conveyer-belt-sushi restaurant I went to during my first week in Japan.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14vXeWyNfQEXNC5wVIQoAXMZ6VYGKirUBvpaX_1ZCJ6FE0aWlajHhoZ7zFCJazlwVfFmA5XkA7osRmLUOULle2h4pgOj0nOgYSA8mNg2ZvbXvUIwV6fIooiFfp6TH1b07rVlN13XU-uo/s1600-h/Sushi_restaurant_host+family6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14vXeWyNfQEXNC5wVIQoAXMZ6VYGKirUBvpaX_1ZCJ6FE0aWlajHhoZ7zFCJazlwVfFmA5XkA7osRmLUOULle2h4pgOj0nOgYSA8mNg2ZvbXvUIwV6fIooiFfp6TH1b07rVlN13XU-uo/s320/Sushi_restaurant_host+family6.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233908092715661922" /></a>And this is a typical lunch of mine from the Nagoya student cafeteria. Clockwise starting between the teas at 12 o clock, is green tea, a salad of cabbage, seaweed, and Japanese pumpkin called <span style="font-style:italic;">kabocha</span> with sesame dressing, miso soup, spinach prepared as <span style="font-style:italic;">horenso no gomaae</span>, rice with soy sauce, more <span style="font-style:italic;">kabocha</span>, and brown rice tea or <span style="font-style:italic;">genmai cha</span>.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBHVI4EYHI8dI30oIwKJepNhD54oxLfn37X35eVOQd4LrPZBYN1-aX1Bqfo8DQh0YwhSVXH8ZONyVJlp9CRjxIf10I9fz7aub34KYwxQkKrpR33Kd7ldAmiKGNdHoxz2ri4HYyvAQwug/s1600-h/Japan_July_26+016.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBHVI4EYHI8dI30oIwKJepNhD54oxLfn37X35eVOQd4LrPZBYN1-aX1Bqfo8DQh0YwhSVXH8ZONyVJlp9CRjxIf10I9fz7aub34KYwxQkKrpR33Kd7ldAmiKGNdHoxz2ri4HYyvAQwug/s320/Japan_July_26+016.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233908100684132162" /></a>This is sweet green tea flavored ice with sweet red bean and chewy rice balls inside. It is gigantic, delicious, and the popular treat to get after visiting Ise-Jingu (see previous post).<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9_X7q0_qU4kvDWlXhYJDHB6_0EwOeXhqHUGoz6FDFKSSjbuv98sXJA_gSiybBg1TOtdanDYB60LrPrQWg_imiO5rIJaQP8phyphenhyphen6K6WR9lb6DzlxCbhQ5oBQ4t-EwT2NMhFDCq__w4YY4/s1600-h/Ise_Jingu_Mie_sweet_3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9_X7q0_qU4kvDWlXhYJDHB6_0EwOeXhqHUGoz6FDFKSSjbuv98sXJA_gSiybBg1TOtdanDYB60LrPrQWg_imiO5rIJaQP8phyphenhyphen6K6WR9lb6DzlxCbhQ5oBQ4t-EwT2NMhFDCq__w4YY4/s320/Ise_Jingu_Mie_sweet_3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233908108904546658" /></a>These are Okinawan doughnuts called <span style="font-style:italic;">sata andagi.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4wvX3ixa_v3q2vudybMDy1NhBGHsLjJ0HqSEdtl2A92Et08Tgf_lrwijLoYpYrqw1e9yKMb6_bNBrb_rVd1MlpKoBuAfeallpI94_NDFqzt8VmLgAW501cZ1Tvlvcc_tDjWzcR_BjM0/s1600-h/Osaka_Kyoto_July+001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4wvX3ixa_v3q2vudybMDy1NhBGHsLjJ0HqSEdtl2A92Et08Tgf_lrwijLoYpYrqw1e9yKMb6_bNBrb_rVd1MlpKoBuAfeallpI94_NDFqzt8VmLgAW501cZ1Tvlvcc_tDjWzcR_BjM0/s320/Osaka_Kyoto_July+001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233908112884818498" /></a>This was my lunch last weekend. The drink was a delicious iced green tea (powered <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matcha">matcha</a> style), red bean, and rice ball concoction (see a trend?). The sandwich was sort of a panini with squid. I cant read Japanese and in the picture menu all the sandwiches look pretty much the same, so I take a gamble and just choose one. This time it was squid.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWg4uT_vp4ePCjLBKmiuFIucHWKUvnZeHVTvu1eGjzpmdbIHCL46SX6ddE92cShp5Vhm9mKkwOMjvO6g9vAihhDZd3fQi2xS7dynG2-9drr9daGbhfIyiLZ-jCuSwWtPD3DIjXEW1aQwI/s1600-h/RIMG0001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWg4uT_vp4ePCjLBKmiuFIucHWKUvnZeHVTvu1eGjzpmdbIHCL46SX6ddE92cShp5Vhm9mKkwOMjvO6g9vAihhDZd3fQi2xS7dynG2-9drr9daGbhfIyiLZ-jCuSwWtPD3DIjXEW1aQwI/s320/RIMG0001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233913499459356530" /></a>At a similar style cafe to one above, this sandwich is an option. I should have ordered it just for its menu description!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8HfEcOXbzHTbTC-92IGvqZ1eW3DKbtES4JRZQB1KNHNvvbu05lmDcZwXUW38J9AzaLaFzlLbjWJQwyAnKdzEnssxAj91nX7_V-1YtKa8owF7b1SbA6-RVM86T2WrcX8GEEk3dq58zSNk/s1600-h/Japan_+july_2008+214.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8HfEcOXbzHTbTC-92IGvqZ1eW3DKbtES4JRZQB1KNHNvvbu05lmDcZwXUW38J9AzaLaFzlLbjWJQwyAnKdzEnssxAj91nX7_V-1YtKa8owF7b1SbA6-RVM86T2WrcX8GEEk3dq58zSNk/s320/Japan_+july_2008+214.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233913501615293650" /></a>Finally, one of the things that I almost cannot believe about food in Japan, is the consistently HUGE size of apples. Seriously. I have never seen anything like it.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCRB2CVt2GJnVH3jFaQtAcBNMe6MkKcK_gjr87KUlruOWjeSvfqinX4EOGFTa-i0kA25apKRwHZ01z0AvDX0GhLED779bDWWp2Ke1z50TXAvDSFgoRrStJVeBm1tlRZ75QYi53-BDgOo/s1600-h/Japan_+july_2008+018.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCRB2CVt2GJnVH3jFaQtAcBNMe6MkKcK_gjr87KUlruOWjeSvfqinX4EOGFTa-i0kA25apKRwHZ01z0AvDX0GhLED779bDWWp2Ke1z50TXAvDSFgoRrStJVeBm1tlRZ75QYi53-BDgOo/s320/Japan_+july_2008+018.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233913514600037218" /></a>Some more information about Japanese food is <a href="http://www.bento.com/tf-recp.html">here</a> as well as all over the internet. Itadakimas!Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-40950538455929850392008-08-11T02:23:00.000-07:002008-08-11T17:38:52.724-07:00Shinto and geologyThough Japan is considered by many Westerners as a mostly secular society, about 86% of Japanese people consider themselves followers of Shinto and Buddhism, so says Lonely Planet. And the "and" in that sentence is not a typo. Most Japanese people are religious pluralists. That is, they observe Shinto, Buddhist, and even Christian holidays as well as take part in rituals of all three. One Japanese woman told me that most Japanese go to a shrine (Shinto) to pray and to celebrate births, a Buddhist temple for funerals, and (often) a Christian chapel for weddings. Neither Buddhism nor Shinto conflicts with evolutionary biology, paleontology or geology, so one nice thing about even deeply religious Japanese people is that they don't try to get evolution out-lawed in their school district. Ah, and all of science in Japan breathes a sigh of relief. <br /><br />This is a torii tunnel at a Shinto shrine in Nagoya.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpV4wHtvexlSddgJDftbZe66WUUaQ5nQmo1Djq6OAQhXXyhh1DQ_K1bAMd2n6o_hMRUUfucAobpb48Inq7WdpdImy1tguDYbC81nyex_oPsRozOUC8-J1D48ZsY3OVxyOBIs226knPX8/s1600-h/Nagoya_Jingu_12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpV4wHtvexlSddgJDftbZe66WUUaQ5nQmo1Djq6OAQhXXyhh1DQ_K1bAMd2n6o_hMRUUfucAobpb48Inq7WdpdImy1tguDYbC81nyex_oPsRozOUC8-J1D48ZsY3OVxyOBIs226knPX8/s320/Nagoya_Jingu_12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233192241577415266" /></a>Near the entrance to a shrine is a a water trough called a chozuya. With the ladles one rinses both hands and rinses their mouth before getting closer to the shrine itself. This is the chozuya from <span style="font-style:italic;">Ise-Jingu</span> in Mie prefecture, the most venerated shrine in Japan.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnrfBv1wzXpQyTURLRxbVW0P7ubYPeGMSDDTRP-aP5tVdSsryidsva_gOisu5nki-WJIUSoRAxrdQj8TBKbns5CJSzAnXuh7_B4i5_M9ixX-y6jfJ8F9jpgnz2VGyQKOHL9rmgZiFvug/s1600-h/Ise_Jingu_Mie_12.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnrfBv1wzXpQyTURLRxbVW0P7ubYPeGMSDDTRP-aP5tVdSsryidsva_gOisu5nki-WJIUSoRAxrdQj8TBKbns5CJSzAnXuh7_B4i5_M9ixX-y6jfJ8F9jpgnz2VGyQKOHL9rmgZiFvug/s320/Ise_Jingu_Mie_12.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233192984785070258" /></a>This is one of the torii of the inner shrine of Ise-Jingu. From here it is about a 10 minute walk to the shrine itself.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacRt1aRV0oOaxwIGRuNiKGe1o_7ggq1CaS5QGJ15WEfU4I3FaC4DjLljWxAOqRtr3SkhUG7rl1A-ZoNQbzd6-RPENohESlwvcyE-GwgSrP21Lt-0zrnVMtjUEplktuBiXzt2d1GnuYbM/s1600-h/Ise_Jingu_Mie_3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacRt1aRV0oOaxwIGRuNiKGe1o_7ggq1CaS5QGJ15WEfU4I3FaC4DjLljWxAOqRtr3SkhUG7rl1A-ZoNQbzd6-RPENohESlwvcyE-GwgSrP21Lt-0zrnVMtjUEplktuBiXzt2d1GnuYbM/s320/Ise_Jingu_Mie_3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233192995625911554" /></a>And a walk on clean gray gravel. Why? My Japanese friend told me, "because Japanese people like the way it sounds when you walk on it."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolf6-lRe2yTbnX4gqIOS8cAkLQlHjPgfESZYyC5Pe2d-lGtDDM4uDsUfraUVy4lxwLQjoPgMzoSAmOlH2yOSggMabIakPahdMqKzpbA7ahcS3sYVRJvcV9g_vtUNcqwDu_MfpWPEkrzE/s1600-h/Atutsu+Jingu6.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolf6-lRe2yTbnX4gqIOS8cAkLQlHjPgfESZYyC5Pe2d-lGtDDM4uDsUfraUVy4lxwLQjoPgMzoSAmOlH2yOSggMabIakPahdMqKzpbA7ahcS3sYVRJvcV9g_vtUNcqwDu_MfpWPEkrzE/s320/Atutsu+Jingu6.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233193004876066738" /></a>So, by the end of all this pleasant-sounding walking to the heart of the famous shrine, you might expect a big "something" to be there. Not really. At Ise-Jingu the closest you can get to the "inner shrine" is a small (maybe 20ft X 15ft) wooden building with little adornment. The simplicity is beautiful as are the huge camphor trees surrounding it. It is a surprise though, coming with the expectation of something like Notre Dame. Also, no picture taking is allowed at the shrine, so for appeasement, here is a beautiful koi!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxPEXePaqcaIr7nrgTt-hawuDhODX6Ay3pH3LMjESh0gZvvr-jGKVtL88g5KVE-ogKaYImYlnPEeivw3oAqz6ZzDEgO0anftCOTkZlS6lzJsyvnv5JeOhyphenhyphenUT6gDBxyzq2VSBRKE6_4IE/s1600-h/Atutsu+Jingu8.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxPEXePaqcaIr7nrgTt-hawuDhODX6Ay3pH3LMjESh0gZvvr-jGKVtL88g5KVE-ogKaYImYlnPEeivw3oAqz6ZzDEgO0anftCOTkZlS6lzJsyvnv5JeOhyphenhyphenUT6gDBxyzq2VSBRKE6_4IE/s320/Atutsu+Jingu8.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233193006329157474" /></a>And to give you an idea about how important Shinto is to many Japanese people; the picture below is of a line of cars (only about one third of it) waiting to enter the parking lots of the Atsuta-Jingu in Nagoya on a Saturday morning. Atsuta is one of the three most sacred shrines in Japan. Ise-Jingu (described above) is the most sacred, then Atsuta and the Imperial Palace shrine in Tokyo.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJeEk_FqjeiZDeZnnUXK3Ak9sMYbcruFKi5ye4j9sga1u8klNfUHB8bHFQGV9YnHbuWMjIe0rxaCViZZFiEXycHjPa3pumqqciV-W-78Ai2nWfb_yg-2-gWMDTfbwdb48mYLQ_0IsKNM/s1600-h/Atutsu+Jingu11.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJeEk_FqjeiZDeZnnUXK3Ak9sMYbcruFKi5ye4j9sga1u8klNfUHB8bHFQGV9YnHbuWMjIe0rxaCViZZFiEXycHjPa3pumqqciV-W-78Ai2nWfb_yg-2-gWMDTfbwdb48mYLQ_0IsKNM/s320/Atutsu+Jingu11.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233193018985366370" /></a>The other reason to visit Mie prefecture with the geobiology students at Nagoya University (which is what I was doing) was to explore the Cretaceous outcrops of the Matsuo Group. Here I am looking for fossils. The rock hammer I am swinging is in my right hand and out of the frame.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJ31Q20ocoz7iZocL-4mtXBp7JXhGJzb-X8d_sDTO7IT-pzkNE3gpoTQLnX2O22G2An_kosrG7yG6WtB-8r4faTKL1kw86dmHiVzx0lc3z7PqfhovbktqNdPYXlJVFC7A5u4-1WecfHs/s1600-h/MieKen_Cretaceous_jann.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJ31Q20ocoz7iZocL-4mtXBp7JXhGJzb-X8d_sDTO7IT-pzkNE3gpoTQLnX2O22G2An_kosrG7yG6WtB-8r4faTKL1kw86dmHiVzx0lc3z7PqfhovbktqNdPYXlJVFC7A5u4-1WecfHs/s320/MieKen_Cretaceous_jann.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233202494717778850" /></a>Here is my first Japanese gastropod fossil!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagpFvEtBw4GbXpVUtersQc1WwjCY_5VFL0k4G9gtNdXYs0wsi5YTLfniJYyXhAdgph364xnjBijWlxbdWQkrFlteAv4zntrjJsU0cWcGmIJXjdGhOCbHf1O4OcraFiaGBsVOe4l7LoTA/s1600-h/MieKen_Cretaceous_fossil2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagpFvEtBw4GbXpVUtersQc1WwjCY_5VFL0k4G9gtNdXYs0wsi5YTLfniJYyXhAdgph364xnjBijWlxbdWQkrFlteAv4zntrjJsU0cWcGmIJXjdGhOCbHf1O4OcraFiaGBsVOe4l7LoTA/s320/MieKen_Cretaceous_fossil2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233202511519999218" /></a>These outcrops bordered the Pacific in an embayment once famous for its <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/aug/24/japan.justinmccurry">pearl divers</a>. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxTJYAdS2WLOBWW4In5MhiCqmCaU07nqErCRUN1rAEleh7cB-lBDsCvMHQ7Tor2kERqDKROMCuPE7r7uXsjqOidSjcQ45iw3NfntykrDU4jc1osbBaw9nwUTdBvXKOWNlhFZ0KV6MbLk/s1600-h/MieKen_Cretaceous_4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxTJYAdS2WLOBWW4In5MhiCqmCaU07nqErCRUN1rAEleh7cB-lBDsCvMHQ7Tor2kERqDKROMCuPE7r7uXsjqOidSjcQ45iw3NfntykrDU4jc1osbBaw9nwUTdBvXKOWNlhFZ0KV6MbLk/s320/MieKen_Cretaceous_4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233202516261914194" /></a>The dominant intertidal invertebrates (all molluscs) were chitons, neritid gastropods, and limpets. Below is a <a href="http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fe20061108at.html">chiton</a>. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnaQfrGt1vnJAcACjU7l2J1EdfATBvBwGcGp0-4q7jSTsjxqG9LmsNT9808EGr-eKyNKI-OaaUOWa83fRkp0zjj42AsJnrB_4HgDblWmIeu7W_oO8AiEmqT9spVOe0Iq8Cmra0bSF40A/s1600-h/MieKen_limpets1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnaQfrGt1vnJAcACjU7l2J1EdfATBvBwGcGp0-4q7jSTsjxqG9LmsNT9808EGr-eKyNKI-OaaUOWa83fRkp0zjj42AsJnrB_4HgDblWmIeu7W_oO8AiEmqT9spVOe0Iq8Cmra0bSF40A/s320/MieKen_limpets1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233202525159350610" /></a>And speaking of geology, today I learned of two very noteworthy geology-related things. <a href="http://www.nps.gov/arch/parknews/news080808.htm">One</a> is the collapse of one of the sandstone arches in Arches National Park in Utah- a site that was amazing (and full of German tourists) when I saw it as an undergraduate on a summer fieldtrip. The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mountains-Saint-Francis-Discovering-Geologic/dp/039306185X/ref=sr_11_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1218451797&sr=11-1">other</a> is a new book about the history of geology and specifically Italian geology written by Walter Alvarez, professor of geology at UC Berkeley. Sugoi!Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-28537492552727381962008-08-09T02:22:00.000-07:002008-08-09T02:51:49.665-07:00Tsukiji Fish MarketTsukiji is a world-famous <a href="http://www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/youkoso/medemi_e/fish.htm">fish market</a> in the <a href="http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3005.html">Ginza</a> area of Tokyo. It is so big and dense that it is really only navigable using the map available at its entrance. The most famous images from the fish market are probably of huge tuna carcases being <a href="http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20010106a5.html">auctioned</a> off for hundreds to thousands of dollars (that's tens to hundreds of thousands of yen or more). I was not "in the market" (ha ha) for tuna, but was instead searching for tsubu gai. Here are some things I saw. <br /><br />The Tsukiji sign under ominous skies.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99hofgNl25E-V2y_dWlNXOKFTotQIT0l0nHCBfeARYBomKrDogsWzY99e93O7QZnud4MuJsJh5g69X62db5qsrFQZZniKn85x5TDjUKVg7HsxYJz8ZI3f6StYe30K9heXwUfWgMsPzKE/s1600-h/Tsukiji_sign2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99hofgNl25E-V2y_dWlNXOKFTotQIT0l0nHCBfeARYBomKrDogsWzY99e93O7QZnud4MuJsJh5g69X62db5qsrFQZZniKn85x5TDjUKVg7HsxYJz8ZI3f6StYe30K9heXwUfWgMsPzKE/s320/Tsukiji_sign2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232449309653755410" /></a>Tsubu gai<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3OVRaiR8abuB8g8ABezbUAK2mbOCPbIqpZWjAU2GkGHnLArUDg4mqB4v1qm9EfttgK8gk74GY4Hat9Q464ey6s20FGm83Mr14ADZ7OJiVC4UctHn9n5bra6pDCBfpUKE_tveYv6GHRA/s1600-h/Tsukiji_tsubugai.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3OVRaiR8abuB8g8ABezbUAK2mbOCPbIqpZWjAU2GkGHnLArUDg4mqB4v1qm9EfttgK8gk74GY4Hat9Q464ey6s20FGm83Mr14ADZ7OJiVC4UctHn9n5bra6pDCBfpUKE_tveYv6GHRA/s320/Tsukiji_tsubugai.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232449317964488946" /></a>Bountiful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katsuobushi">bonito flakes</a>.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3unCEoxlSbaPQupgrBmlu6uIVia_lls73yzpytUTGoNu00DLbSHeSHS394i4aajlY7IM0vstJLNgt6b4Zy5FHHOBuAsffG-ApJeXOSvx1HzERPdUFu9_oAoEe-QZI551I63O1tGT9HHc/s1600-h/Tsukiji_bonito.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3unCEoxlSbaPQupgrBmlu6uIVia_lls73yzpytUTGoNu00DLbSHeSHS394i4aajlY7IM0vstJLNgt6b4Zy5FHHOBuAsffG-ApJeXOSvx1HzERPdUFu9_oAoEe-QZI551I63O1tGT9HHc/s320/Tsukiji_bonito.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232449320766429346" /></a>Wasabi.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpu5thA4Z6ORSAT4Pg38K6gcxd7tZRzgRyA4Pie8FXF8A6Ygg0RJG60B47gSodewlMf8cgG4E9njwDaJX9h1mmnJNs1_3Rfn6q7R-uE7iTphesmX4vZjCgzX4E7CoXsrDJtzQ1nv93ZCY/s1600-h/Tsukiji_wasabi2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpu5thA4Z6ORSAT4Pg38K6gcxd7tZRzgRyA4Pie8FXF8A6Ygg0RJG60B47gSodewlMf8cgG4E9njwDaJX9h1mmnJNs1_3Rfn6q7R-uE7iTphesmX4vZjCgzX4E7CoXsrDJtzQ1nv93ZCY/s320/Tsukiji_wasabi2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232449331148546642" /></a>Large crabs.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZMcFVw2TG4i-bPjgv_mlu7H9PLi0eYI4y1M07KZv8VEd9BMU49qV-pIbYk3zZqCIsskf4RPbpU3VsXrgoGGEeIjjYxPTId3_6Yq4T3rfFlQzmAbKxb7o7hmp1cK_E1y1vl4PRMX-Wm4/s1600-h/Tsukiji_crabs2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZMcFVw2TG4i-bPjgv_mlu7H9PLi0eYI4y1M07KZv8VEd9BMU49qV-pIbYk3zZqCIsskf4RPbpU3VsXrgoGGEeIjjYxPTId3_6Yq4T3rfFlQzmAbKxb7o7hmp1cK_E1y1vl4PRMX-Wm4/s320/Tsukiji_crabs2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232449337629475314" /></a>Little crabs.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGk5CY5OdwYJ3Qo5-MNxisWeUGSpSaoJq8nttPMd9oIBkofSLsk17aSOvnQIbWmzvBpE5yxsMxclNacLhzjglxgRNJBYVNqdJF6tSJO46xOBL3w2O1UlAIujubYEhl4_SEvZpBCg7lRg/s1600-h/Tsukiji_crabs3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGk5CY5OdwYJ3Qo5-MNxisWeUGSpSaoJq8nttPMd9oIBkofSLsk17aSOvnQIbWmzvBpE5yxsMxclNacLhzjglxgRNJBYVNqdJF6tSJO46xOBL3w2O1UlAIujubYEhl4_SEvZpBCg7lRg/s320/Tsukiji_crabs3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232450634688176834" /></a>And the image below was not from the market, but from my hotel room. It is the complimentary shampoo sample and its description is too good to not include.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifB423hFPmQbyPKajIAHIE9YOKoKlryQm_KDbqleTF6MAq3yDutbGqTsI6ukWFHfntcBoclr2RKA4iI-bGEyUyDtvlwtt15K5lzIGMnwsoeF7AXipy_cBJruFn1_WnWJdm5_pM2ZGSzSE/s1600-h/Tokyo_shampoo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifB423hFPmQbyPKajIAHIE9YOKoKlryQm_KDbqleTF6MAq3yDutbGqTsI6ukWFHfntcBoclr2RKA4iI-bGEyUyDtvlwtt15K5lzIGMnwsoeF7AXipy_cBJruFn1_WnWJdm5_pM2ZGSzSE/s320/Tokyo_shampoo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232450646803213170" /></a>In case you can not see it, here is what it says, "Rinse In Shampoo. Soft and sweet. Just like The autumn wind. Bring you The pathos street. You fall in nostalgia and sentimentality."Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-88878877919587685812008-08-07T01:50:00.000-07:002008-08-09T02:54:26.724-07:00Tokyo, steinkerns, and sinistralityLast night I returned from two Tokyo museums; the National Science Museum and the University Museum of the University of Tokyo. I spent three days looking through three gastropod collections and saw a lot of snails! Here is a summary. <br /><br />This is the invertebrate fossil specimen room of the National Science Museum of Tokyo. The atmosphere in this room and in most paleontology collections in general is really wonderful. It is hard to explain, but the smell of fossils in dusty drawers, there is nothing like it.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfjB6rm2TXAYCC-qmClegts0Edn6ZKq8UwownjOAKuUtLBtou8F0ran3NnHDBX5BbM52hkCPuMyHoSwnOpInh0upbbDMys-ih3JMomFMBiwchyphenhyphenQs6npheN2_Iug2Pu8OoiTogYxYaNPbY/s1600-h/NSMT_8_paleoroom.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfjB6rm2TXAYCC-qmClegts0Edn6ZKq8UwownjOAKuUtLBtou8F0ran3NnHDBX5BbM52hkCPuMyHoSwnOpInh0upbbDMys-ih3JMomFMBiwchyphenhyphenQs6npheN2_Iug2Pu8OoiTogYxYaNPbY/s320/NSMT_8_paleoroom.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231696592717487026" /></a>The anticipation when you open each drawer too. Just magnificent!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggAF6IWqc1UIu3R2XlDdF1gZLgMDnqcO596W1RGWpnznOfdXrXoNMdoRaRQsHOAo7mn_7ujhWgYs9BqeW81gw7014l9sxoLkavXMLxd4ucOWPibLitXe0wCqqoY8h2VXFVDZyUQjhws0/s1600-h/NSMT_8_paleoroomdrawer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggAF6IWqc1UIu3R2XlDdF1gZLgMDnqcO596W1RGWpnznOfdXrXoNMdoRaRQsHOAo7mn_7ujhWgYs9BqeW81gw7014l9sxoLkavXMLxd4ucOWPibLitXe0wCqqoY8h2VXFVDZyUQjhws0/s320/NSMT_8_paleoroomdrawer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231696599559282018" /></a>Here I am searching for buccinids.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6pWSsxachVIUj-shIpO3JQBwUP6uK9Yb4O_MVTdgotta7VRfVobD-t_Xn_k8Dpsx85jLlsFOJ64Jw2GY3sp1zf9lhyrvxRS-__9vPqPtLPr8zFXeDcfQzjuk5ivzJjmY6TRI6mutHtg/s1600-h/NSMT_8_paleoroomJann.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6pWSsxachVIUj-shIpO3JQBwUP6uK9Yb4O_MVTdgotta7VRfVobD-t_Xn_k8Dpsx85jLlsFOJ64Jw2GY3sp1zf9lhyrvxRS-__9vPqPtLPr8zFXeDcfQzjuk5ivzJjmY6TRI6mutHtg/s320/NSMT_8_paleoroomJann.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231696602820961634" /></a>One of the amazing specimens I came across was this one, which looks like "just" a round rock, but...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrxUszTIXiId5glk0bQPesf34nEP6KV6wseH_trNCgxCnqghWgzQ33J9bqID2b7Rd8tzKUNMUWrqPiRJ8yX_YjfydYm1_xnZBDNrLQKkH5l-232ztefu3lqJd9369OjEUurKOmHzGKzI/s1600-h/TNSM_paleo_concretion1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrxUszTIXiId5glk0bQPesf34nEP6KV6wseH_trNCgxCnqghWgzQ33J9bqID2b7Rd8tzKUNMUWrqPiRJ8yX_YjfydYm1_xnZBDNrLQKkH5l-232ztefu3lqJd9369OjEUurKOmHzGKzI/s320/TNSM_paleo_concretion1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231698510057224130" /></a>has a snail fossil inside! This kind of rock-surrounding-a-fossil is called a <a href="http://www.australianmuseum.net.au/factsheets/geodes.htm">concretion</a>.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4rNsSFsoTM4LCwAKMjSNmz4_JxYCFH1oes40durdfZrLr0MQQHkDF_q28H0uLMbxBaT3TIWv88RBTmuAtwchsZJjfiDR_O1cwywmzRuyq0TFy6wxNyCPY5nWxgqJioNxycmzXiAAk_4/s1600-h/TNSM_paleo_concretion4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4rNsSFsoTM4LCwAKMjSNmz4_JxYCFH1oes40durdfZrLr0MQQHkDF_q28H0uLMbxBaT3TIWv88RBTmuAtwchsZJjfiDR_O1cwywmzRuyq0TFy6wxNyCPY5nWxgqJioNxycmzXiAAk_4/s320/TNSM_paleo_concretion4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231698512275623010" /></a>Another interesting fossil I found lots of is a steinkern, or the internal mold, of a skeletal part or parts. In this case, I found the steinkerns of snails. Although the calcium carbonate shell can be very resistant and able to fossilize, in these cases the empty shell was filled in with sediment that became more resistant that the shell itself, which dissolved away leaving only the internal snail-shaped cemented sediment behind. Sugoi!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPoCZY7XSLOOtPl0a0SkKXhhBQ8uTTvoFXxmAwDWr-QGTaXFCCzVyQDXAyTXR95tNxA7wCUR0TIr_yMzOKnJCmIK7dlVBSZUAGlfRMqE-6dWqCqZcJ6xafQlSZh-P6mbN9N0O6NNUJXr0/s1600-h/TNSM_paleo_steinkern2a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPoCZY7XSLOOtPl0a0SkKXhhBQ8uTTvoFXxmAwDWr-QGTaXFCCzVyQDXAyTXR95tNxA7wCUR0TIr_yMzOKnJCmIK7dlVBSZUAGlfRMqE-6dWqCqZcJ6xafQlSZh-P6mbN9N0O6NNUJXr0/s320/TNSM_paleo_steinkern2a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231701291725926610" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6U5ioNUUc-tzrtK6k0XtOB_JSK6sbKdDZmTYNuucsRKwlGyYOSV4I7eHTwraIEpM_jbbQ7gd1YmxoB1fik5JIXnC6Z-qxB9jC9Ml4LK3jorcicMrd63zLOWqXohREmSkIe-b8vVzNi0/s1600-h/TNSM_paleo_steinkern3a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6U5ioNUUc-tzrtK6k0XtOB_JSK6sbKdDZmTYNuucsRKwlGyYOSV4I7eHTwraIEpM_jbbQ7gd1YmxoB1fik5JIXnC6Z-qxB9jC9Ml4LK3jorcicMrd63zLOWqXohREmSkIe-b8vVzNi0/s320/TNSM_paleo_steinkern3a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231701294508281586" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7kMHcnf6zgmtwspPTwDSYIBZUohe6A1HDT4mMvSxBAoStVXQ0_Jvu59Py8N57EAJy38RRXbL3mlNB6tgevb5UgWlmTrMp0-1yT74bTdB7NkpnsMn-kVkunw-oiNnYTW6C_Z80Oxakw6s/s1600-h/TNSM_paleo_steinkern6a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7kMHcnf6zgmtwspPTwDSYIBZUohe6A1HDT4mMvSxBAoStVXQ0_Jvu59Py8N57EAJy38RRXbL3mlNB6tgevb5UgWlmTrMp0-1yT74bTdB7NkpnsMn-kVkunw-oiNnYTW6C_Z80Oxakw6s/s320/TNSM_paleo_steinkern6a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231701294987847218" /></a>The shell collection that I was most interested in at the Museum of the University of Tokyo was organized like this.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrsYtj7LNgWu-PCUaZ2cK7PFpjVqF1svI6cMBy5qFatckQylPEqUWhB03iC9W-3p1elI2dG9M7K2C0tb2iFEeu1q6MEymNkhCdsApB5DrHx1rcxxd8AbZLVpEmcQqhp_OpqvXAj-8U0k/s1600-h/TokytoUMuseum3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrsYtj7LNgWu-PCUaZ2cK7PFpjVqF1svI6cMBy5qFatckQylPEqUWhB03iC9W-3p1elI2dG9M7K2C0tb2iFEeu1q6MEymNkhCdsApB5DrHx1rcxxd8AbZLVpEmcQqhp_OpqvXAj-8U0k/s320/TokytoUMuseum3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231701937271347698" /></a>Here are some of the specimens I examined.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2-PAIfgyT93M9mwEKqxZyQ8yfSLRtZY10BgzHjLuJVLDwWaN-OpObrO4TxbGj3JoEoj-wGbYbl-i4Sdl59nF86vVyLOTg0jyWAaUrZe7Hdcw7zfA1VgfdliVVGHWBaigP1t52k_zrqc/s1600-h/UTM_6a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2-PAIfgyT93M9mwEKqxZyQ8yfSLRtZY10BgzHjLuJVLDwWaN-OpObrO4TxbGj3JoEoj-wGbYbl-i4Sdl59nF86vVyLOTg0jyWAaUrZe7Hdcw7zfA1VgfdliVVGHWBaigP1t52k_zrqc/s320/UTM_6a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231703013585597810" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoYOvL7jkljjm_hbuRqLWeZzhNiNnbbhIszJd9htL95qlakw4g_mOPKRJ6YMdeip_gFdYFxgVBTKEZL207k7N_TPA_WWBFEY_ptsKauaGFWSrrcLeO5ti-h2gveXuB0b6-9veiA1n5IE/s1600-h/UTM_13a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoYOvL7jkljjm_hbuRqLWeZzhNiNnbbhIszJd9htL95qlakw4g_mOPKRJ6YMdeip_gFdYFxgVBTKEZL207k7N_TPA_WWBFEY_ptsKauaGFWSrrcLeO5ti-h2gveXuB0b6-9veiA1n5IE/s320/UTM_13a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231703013363385170" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_sQ4n6QODePQ3C8ke0GoxraQiOXu1q7GDmd8aVmfsekj69srkUJXq-AAv7TCg7pDx8wH2dH6CWxMejzqnZ2Vu7pUkrYO7zAYQHqvIaLdnFWDzr3Xtj1UDGUb7pzZtCZGBt4HphNprSgc/s1600-h/UTM_23a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_sQ4n6QODePQ3C8ke0GoxraQiOXu1q7GDmd8aVmfsekj69srkUJXq-AAv7TCg7pDx8wH2dH6CWxMejzqnZ2Vu7pUkrYO7zAYQHqvIaLdnFWDzr3Xtj1UDGUb7pzZtCZGBt4HphNprSgc/s320/UTM_23a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231703015073287474" /></a>Perhaps you trying to figure out what looks odd about these snails. Does the one below look more "normal"?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWI7cLRxdjwbQJLbG3mbkC1M0WF_wxGbWhCa4APtIz8yaEqs3kwQR20bZ4jYyOM_v_e-30a_ftyGBulDYirVYUYgnUaPJFhBYBhIFgQvEa5zbvXEYACZqpwSPY7KF435T6LJLF_GtpkI8/s1600-h/DEXTRALa.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWI7cLRxdjwbQJLbG3mbkC1M0WF_wxGbWhCa4APtIz8yaEqs3kwQR20bZ4jYyOM_v_e-30a_ftyGBulDYirVYUYgnUaPJFhBYBhIFgQvEa5zbvXEYACZqpwSPY7KF435T6LJLF_GtpkI8/s320/DEXTRALa.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231703643330439986" /></a>The first three images were of sinistral or left-coiling snails! The image above is of the more common dextral, or right-coiling shell. Sinistrality can be a characteristic of a species as it is with the three above or it can occur as a developmental anomaly in an otherwise right-coiling species. Here are some anomalous sinistral examples.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTs_wN8FCM1dHcSVF3TLSH2xZT8UqTadbAiVq4uEm17lxqngCf61UWFxKOETJxMKCovpwMlSF8Wc5ERjGXcpAGeC0fa4qtU_OiRaN2ttgkKcKSuAhy4c11EjOwti2rAsa6WAaiEt7TpjY/s1600-h/HiguchiCollection_28.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTs_wN8FCM1dHcSVF3TLSH2xZT8UqTadbAiVq4uEm17lxqngCf61UWFxKOETJxMKCovpwMlSF8Wc5ERjGXcpAGeC0fa4qtU_OiRaN2ttgkKcKSuAhy4c11EjOwti2rAsa6WAaiEt7TpjY/s320/HiguchiCollection_28.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232440953939978098" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZK6Uze4Q5rYzKFBmfp-s-Wwgcnk4bv3EJ4UrPeDbrfU755LkqRXLQmG7a7B3hXV9PVGAp9YMEBLg-cVT84PVs3SDC-4h2tSve2y0CVVSlPiJdUZmLTanvxuOJ9ZF4xVVMWRtsAYawJFo/s1600-h/HiguchiCollection_30.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZK6Uze4Q5rYzKFBmfp-s-Wwgcnk4bv3EJ4UrPeDbrfU755LkqRXLQmG7a7B3hXV9PVGAp9YMEBLg-cVT84PVs3SDC-4h2tSve2y0CVVSlPiJdUZmLTanvxuOJ9ZF4xVVMWRtsAYawJFo/s320/HiguchiCollection_30.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232440965128344418" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3mN4TDD-4K_HC0iCkEJpi3KjGr5yfeJfdbA8nM_ILJVirmVaaxFnXUiYD6Mm7LtSItMqgAUSObawDoC0JIGN5nTHQsjsMKWXIHhAe_x6MQEhnCh-675hykN9L0qD6hOYQjH69XAbwLU/s1600-h/HiguchiCollection_31.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3mN4TDD-4K_HC0iCkEJpi3KjGr5yfeJfdbA8nM_ILJVirmVaaxFnXUiYD6Mm7LtSItMqgAUSObawDoC0JIGN5nTHQsjsMKWXIHhAe_x6MQEhnCh-675hykN9L0qD6hOYQjH69XAbwLU/s320/HiguchiCollection_31.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232440974298797746" /></a>Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-39986226020179760282008-08-06T22:04:00.000-07:002008-08-06T22:07:41.628-07:00GeneThough Gene is neither in Japan nor related to tsubu gai, I could not resist including him. Here he is in Alaska.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhza3drWZuRLnXMrAEpIKwp1QD7M-TqVLFQSTFDDQCYMEyiSGRCWqS4HgDyw-zTW8hAKFK59TBcJgfwCtw43ZYVSA5JvlCkqrdDv1rnf6mZHGpQU77-O0seizCNfrcA_dXAUKNvnf2e-XY/s1600-h/Genea.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhza3drWZuRLnXMrAEpIKwp1QD7M-TqVLFQSTFDDQCYMEyiSGRCWqS4HgDyw-zTW8hAKFK59TBcJgfwCtw43ZYVSA5JvlCkqrdDv1rnf6mZHGpQU77-O0seizCNfrcA_dXAUKNvnf2e-XY/s320/Genea.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231637625448509426" /></a>Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-68246745539284278072008-08-02T22:00:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:46:09.203-08:00Nishinomiya, Osaka, and KyotoLast week I did some tsubu gai related traveling to a shell museum and two fish markets. Here is a short summary;<br /><br />First, I visited the Nishinomiya Shell Museum in...I bet you can guess...<a href="http://www.nishi.or.jp/homepage/foreign/index-e.html">Nishinomiya</a>! This city of almost half a million people sits between Osaka and Kobe in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osaka_Bay">Osaka Bay</a>. In analogy to the <span style="font-style:italic;">other</span> Bay Area, Nishinomiya is to Kobe as Berkeley is to Oakland. From Nishinomiya, Kobe even looks like Oakland with its bay side <a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/06/26/did-oaklands-cranes-inspire-the-at-at-walkers-the-answer-finally-revealed/">container cranes</a>. In what I hope does not become another Berkeley/Oakland similarity, Nishinomiya and Kobe were both devastated in the 1995 Kobe <a href="http://www.ce.washington.edu/~liquefaction/html/quakes/kobe/kobe.html">earthquake</a>. Both have since rebuilt and retro-fitted. Did I mention that Nishinomiya has a shell museum!?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAtyLheGeyYVsdEVlKNkEestl2p9XSwiFhrZJ2KWnmjINZnfaUmvX2bWGQkDPdqzQMgXTuHCA_fX95MYFgR0VRq5teuVYzNySOzTcrwZVHYVgZdhCUVXCDyUSmOxPXSgS7saYn534qro/s1600-h/Osaka_Kyoto_shell.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAtyLheGeyYVsdEVlKNkEestl2p9XSwiFhrZJ2KWnmjINZnfaUmvX2bWGQkDPdqzQMgXTuHCA_fX95MYFgR0VRq5teuVYzNySOzTcrwZVHYVgZdhCUVXCDyUSmOxPXSgS7saYn534qro/s320/Osaka_Kyoto_shell.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230152897336235858" /></a>Here I am in the specimen room of the museum, looking for specimens.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRk3U_vMuB2zJ1C3Oyhc0mlFaQJgDd_Hhqb7cx9sUA2AXwltHbUKB68zeQCAnCW8RdNHjAQBxd50VzAd9aTuCqBxJt4OHjwNzEmP8UJyLIE4Ztxz7C0fcXvxWs8ahDfENxk6U7cC8zE0/s1600-h/Osaka_Kyoto_July+004.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRk3U_vMuB2zJ1C3Oyhc0mlFaQJgDd_Hhqb7cx9sUA2AXwltHbUKB68zeQCAnCW8RdNHjAQBxd50VzAd9aTuCqBxJt4OHjwNzEmP8UJyLIE4Ztxz7C0fcXvxWs8ahDfENxk6U7cC8zE0/s320/Osaka_Kyoto_July+004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230152910527931010" /></a>Here are some of the species I analyzed. Oh the diversity! <embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="288" height="192" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.co.uk&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.co.uk%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjannvendetti%2Falbumid%2F5230143002291656817%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br />Next, Osaka. <a href="http://www.city.osaka.jp/english/">Osaka</a> is one of the largest cities in Japan. It is known for its food, its castle, and (among other things) its recent mention in the Coldplay song, "Lovers in Japan". I am pretty sure, however, that it is <span style="font-style:italic;">not</span> famous for the neighborhood around the Dobutseun-mae subway stop where I spent the night. In the subway map below, you can find it where the brown line intersects the red line. In case you are planning a trip to Osaka in the near future, I would suggest you leave Dobutsuen-mae off your agenda.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0R178DWwNOcpEK13_TMk-e0EV0dkSOoyvxViPJFtBPsBeS05YIVDgPhIdrk75mkaW9zAc0W7WtHLkMlNJpswsgrSznhC0aNv3_y938o5yiWPtG3aAHzUv4-urYXDzn8-gQ_wLuSWurU/s1600-h/osaka-map.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0R178DWwNOcpEK13_TMk-e0EV0dkSOoyvxViPJFtBPsBeS05YIVDgPhIdrk75mkaW9zAc0W7WtHLkMlNJpswsgrSznhC0aNv3_y938o5yiWPtG3aAHzUv4-urYXDzn8-gQ_wLuSWurU/s320/osaka-map.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230159851894050770" /></a>The morning market was pretty interesting though, including lots of pickled, Korean-style vegetables, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xzR0mnLY7zcLuqdaTgaP6cptW1TA8nTmnJXB7j5HvPdXynDDhM9NwFIH1FulTlIPNVlQxnjDY5vl3bv4UqAUtj00ai5i_SsGbhryLitkm8DpV9sK9wSQYkbiX8V2Pj3JvnYd_18Yf5c/s1600-h/Osaka_Kyoto_July+025.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xzR0mnLY7zcLuqdaTgaP6cptW1TA8nTmnJXB7j5HvPdXynDDhM9NwFIH1FulTlIPNVlQxnjDY5vl3bv4UqAUtj00ai5i_SsGbhryLitkm8DpV9sK9wSQYkbiX8V2Pj3JvnYd_18Yf5c/s320/Osaka_Kyoto_July+025.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230152920746815474" /></a>and the HUGE bivalve, <span style="font-style:italic;">Atrina pectinata</span>.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-KgPcR9Nv4L-Yod-Jen7JVoL32Q64ZzQzIHx8P_5KS57xTq3cx172Xdue3Hos_rj3_i0rq4ZSvjoC8beBSZ-w2qZKt2OR63KaA4KLQl_wCuwKtVY8f9D_79n5LghPNLHe1sHm-FPoc8/s1600-h/Osaka_Kyoto_July+026.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-KgPcR9Nv4L-Yod-Jen7JVoL32Q64ZzQzIHx8P_5KS57xTq3cx172Xdue3Hos_rj3_i0rq4ZSvjoC8beBSZ-w2qZKt2OR63KaA4KLQl_wCuwKtVY8f9D_79n5LghPNLHe1sHm-FPoc8/s320/Osaka_Kyoto_July+026.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230152932932859394" /></a>On to Kyoto! <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto">Kyoto</a> is very famous for its castle, temples, and shrines. Here is the entrance to the temple, Higashi Honganji. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrSob551em_n_rcG4dnoIPR6-s1s1otdUh84gthvtj9CLgeBn4QrawHBJALORxtYRi78OeT7QtqWrd1UewsliuPz52q-rup-Fr_UHTbMs_K6EVf9NyilzWOU2rNKPWGPzZabgyswWEj8/s1600-h/Osaka_Kyoto_July+033.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrSob551em_n_rcG4dnoIPR6-s1s1otdUh84gthvtj9CLgeBn4QrawHBJALORxtYRi78OeT7QtqWrd1UewsliuPz52q-rup-Fr_UHTbMs_K6EVf9NyilzWOU2rNKPWGPzZabgyswWEj8/s320/Osaka_Kyoto_July+033.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230152938452756338" /></a>Here it is next to the ultra-modern Kyoto Tower.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPxQHHfoOBPjPR1SVy9nNUoIH3UmV3p8t1saBV9Infa2KU8snxw0-yNu-SQpOebchCjmzfb3tzw6czsKSofaBQOy8QY1GHWtSW_S7UI95K7prZ2ogMzzUXOy3P_swZ-bqfe32_VbhKp4/s1600-h/Osaka_Kyoto_July+034.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPxQHHfoOBPjPR1SVy9nNUoIH3UmV3p8t1saBV9Infa2KU8snxw0-yNu-SQpOebchCjmzfb3tzw6czsKSofaBQOy8QY1GHWtSW_S7UI95K7prZ2ogMzzUXOy3P_swZ-bqfe32_VbhKp4/s320/Osaka_Kyoto_July+034.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230153506488643090" /></a>This is one of the gardens on the grounds of Nijo Castle.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpbUQOu1DvmvQHl4yYNXSglHHu5cVLeGKmTtOjTdVkuNn8qiphxx-NQDIipA2-6gXp7nYKDAyT-GOybio4wQ5SHfdHT62QlcIjDvMQYeGdW-iki7WPeTGuE73LvVdzQx8zQ5EWn2a4Ws/s1600-h/Osaka_Kyoto_July+051.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpbUQOu1DvmvQHl4yYNXSglHHu5cVLeGKmTtOjTdVkuNn8qiphxx-NQDIipA2-6gXp7nYKDAyT-GOybio4wQ5SHfdHT62QlcIjDvMQYeGdW-iki7WPeTGuE73LvVdzQx8zQ5EWn2a4Ws/s320/Osaka_Kyoto_July+051.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230153516569329522" /></a>The best part of Kyoto for me was Nishiki Market, which sold traditional Japanese food, green tea ice cream, souvenirs, and seafood including molluscs. But alas, no new tsubu gai species.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjEaFw8lubJxRGAFdE1Sh1T2lOIDvdmLCZ_nideJamIxRLhvTQyhSgqc6Qc4xXJDmcwcmS8dXexBvWKsDL7jWOypjhc-yWX887mLIannFcmh0zdzBnjDP6KMFdAE00Q1G_NfOargFvhE/s1600-h/Osaka_Kyoto_July+077.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjEaFw8lubJxRGAFdE1Sh1T2lOIDvdmLCZ_nideJamIxRLhvTQyhSgqc6Qc4xXJDmcwcmS8dXexBvWKsDL7jWOypjhc-yWX887mLIannFcmh0zdzBnjDP6KMFdAE00Q1G_NfOargFvhE/s320/Osaka_Kyoto_July+077.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230153518245514530" /></a>And here is that enigmatic raccoon dog again. Apparently it is very popular throughout Japan. I am not yet sure why. (But see below)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvWEXmYwYGPkCPCC08bpzbEOV7leywNksjLTrWFKJ52Leqw3accv8r-xyxyDH-nPTns0cMd6VxjMW8BV71c88JyNpqUV88duDEaCcM6JOChybM7yRE6ZIN77tBuE4HPgwNnGt5Mk_Iqo/s1600-h/Osaka_Kyoto_July+078.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvWEXmYwYGPkCPCC08bpzbEOV7leywNksjLTrWFKJ52Leqw3accv8r-xyxyDH-nPTns0cMd6VxjMW8BV71c88JyNpqUV88duDEaCcM6JOChybM7yRE6ZIN77tBuE4HPgwNnGt5Mk_Iqo/s320/Osaka_Kyoto_July+078.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230153530235808898" /></a>After a quick internet search (thank you Wikipedia) I discovered that this animal is indeed a raccoon dog that has been depicted in Japanese mythology as a mischievous shape-shifting spirit called a tanuki. More can be found <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanuki">here</a>. And if you are puzzled as I was by the um, "anatomy" below the belly of the tanuki, you would be correct in guessing that it is its "enormous, dragging scrotum." Yup. I am not making that up. You can learn more <a href="http://www.obakemono.com/obake/tanuki/">here</a>. <br /><br />Here are more Kyoto pictures...though no more of giant testicles belonging to beloved spirit-animals. <br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="288" height="192" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.co.uk&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.co.uk%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjannvendetti%2Falbumid%2F5230135666424418017%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-46219616825500239002008-07-29T03:01:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:46:10.986-08:00SpecimensGiven the theme of this blog, I thought it was about time to show some snails. So here they are! <br /><br />This is <span style="font-style:italic;">Babylonia japonica</span>. Historically, this snail was made into a toy top for Japanese childern by cutting off the apex (pointed coiled part) and filling the whorls with wax. It and the whole <span style="font-style:italic;">Babylonia</span> genus, however, probably do not belong with other tsubu gai. That is, it and its closest relatives are different enough from whelks to be classified into another yet-to-be-determined snail family. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVaTVxXwaR24cNCnReNpNW36FN4KEWWSb4sG-N93wRanl1fo8HRYhC4AUpMsnR1lffrqHuGD1jV5zepMGfbS71_cJTki4gQvdjltWwaEAHO_qz-7KbsIKq3QhW77NpGslx8vOP8Y7s40g/s1600-h/image_specimen_1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVaTVxXwaR24cNCnReNpNW36FN4KEWWSb4sG-N93wRanl1fo8HRYhC4AUpMsnR1lffrqHuGD1jV5zepMGfbS71_cJTki4gQvdjltWwaEAHO_qz-7KbsIKq3QhW77NpGslx8vOP8Y7s40g/s320/image_specimen_1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228375127292544882" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Buccinum middendorffi</span> is a smallish species that lives from the intertidal zone down to 20 meters off the rocky coast of Northern Japan.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZVaRRnfDUjzUTdU8oGDj0Ax-l8IqlE5xc16zkmwMzdERJyf_SEoT4YbDaEGNqohJKepol_ft3RZprjmXYPolOsdxPaAK1_toRtD8qY_kDmFJoJ_D7D6NeRw45jy6GkfenLkaBAIE_3A/s1600-h/image_specimen_4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZVaRRnfDUjzUTdU8oGDj0Ax-l8IqlE5xc16zkmwMzdERJyf_SEoT4YbDaEGNqohJKepol_ft3RZprjmXYPolOsdxPaAK1_toRtD8qY_kDmFJoJ_D7D6NeRw45jy6GkfenLkaBAIE_3A/s320/image_specimen_4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228375131484954898" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Neptunea intersculpta</span> is one of many in the genus <span style="font-style:italic;">Neptunea</span>. Sources say that its flesh is delicious!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_wi8JpPNkDt9ohM7U3QRbgQwba1mRYF-oY8cnv7kS8ql9moW346Va_VPs0ydYH_MLgmUXnYeZ-DR0KEan4r1qIESSe4OhRTXewezwSreL5hZwmNeA-l_72mwo98zHiPv3wVkgZbmmiI/s1600-h/image_specimen_6.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_wi8JpPNkDt9ohM7U3QRbgQwba1mRYF-oY8cnv7kS8ql9moW346Va_VPs0ydYH_MLgmUXnYeZ-DR0KEan4r1qIESSe4OhRTXewezwSreL5hZwmNeA-l_72mwo98zHiPv3wVkgZbmmiI/s320/image_specimen_6.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228375137828884770" /></a>The color variation within <span style="font-style:italic;">Neptunea arthritica cumingii</span> is pronounced as you can see from the following images. It is found in the Japan Sea.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuEG15wND8vCmWO0T2jemcFQZpnb40LdTvj5OmtcQiz05GOj6bR9roijG3v-hAZuugyTVTuMaLR_l1rCJs64ogt3n78hpoWwd-bWlX61aSaHYXyHkZqrXDfYKgD0a5NqgwxDzOpoPpaI/s1600-h/image_specimen_8.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuEG15wND8vCmWO0T2jemcFQZpnb40LdTvj5OmtcQiz05GOj6bR9roijG3v-hAZuugyTVTuMaLR_l1rCJs64ogt3n78hpoWwd-bWlX61aSaHYXyHkZqrXDfYKgD0a5NqgwxDzOpoPpaI/s320/image_specimen_8.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228375136533339474" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQCmFIN-xrhvOc9qY1CaUzj7ZmaOSSxf6KPEy5oa42-ZhIL2msgAKnGMP-G3GP5QAoxwtY0xlnByGJuMaOnzt_tCdIUmu46Gu8PEdJSKEd5pwhlzJTEoIvI3xh_nsaDyYaYYcaMFmcBE/s1600-h/image_specimen_9.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQCmFIN-xrhvOc9qY1CaUzj7ZmaOSSxf6KPEy5oa42-ZhIL2msgAKnGMP-G3GP5QAoxwtY0xlnByGJuMaOnzt_tCdIUmu46Gu8PEdJSKEd5pwhlzJTEoIvI3xh_nsaDyYaYYcaMFmcBE/s320/image_specimen_9.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228375139880341154" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio22YCXIHsQYED_7F9gRWzXHkw9PlWqbS5qn0XLiXSDeEdkhLDtCgxEdwtiozIyS4plvr-3tLU7WDEpDBV9dLeq7SzrEXlYaMjcsjAnpX_amBPkjjRHSksjsin9xdHOYtvR3w4K-tKVNc/s1600-h/image_specimen_10.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio22YCXIHsQYED_7F9gRWzXHkw9PlWqbS5qn0XLiXSDeEdkhLDtCgxEdwtiozIyS4plvr-3tLU7WDEpDBV9dLeq7SzrEXlYaMjcsjAnpX_amBPkjjRHSksjsin9xdHOYtvR3w4K-tKVNc/s320/image_specimen_10.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228378745089893410" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Neptunea polycostata </span>is a heavy-shelled member of the <span style="font-style:italic;">Neptunea </span>genus and is found in waters off of northern Hokkaido.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaFy49jS-n7h8k2JEqrBIN0hgXGpbHTXabjux2-PyV1x8wTaOX40DyoFQMa0hMe7t1nPphBpituzgyO_YdQqgnsTP4CC30hXLzBXaYKrD6qQpwIP-mDzvfDiYsenhlVYN_RvBkhfuZCW0/s1600-h/image_specimen_11.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaFy49jS-n7h8k2JEqrBIN0hgXGpbHTXabjux2-PyV1x8wTaOX40DyoFQMa0hMe7t1nPphBpituzgyO_YdQqgnsTP4CC30hXLzBXaYKrD6qQpwIP-mDzvfDiYsenhlVYN_RvBkhfuZCW0/s320/image_specimen_11.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228378744978426722" /></a>Despite its small size, <span style="font-style:italic;">Buccinum tsubai</span> is one of the most commercially important whelks in Japan.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVMk03waCtOKBTO6bMS9JWXD45ZkRDt7uSqtoQT5YxYgeL2J1savPqsQFuFDvdoJ69ZZAeEcIYWFci-CeJm8wMFrMzY3WSiMeHCFvyrX_frp7fv3_paqO2cqwS8Yg-zKYMtodNlU10gU/s1600-h/image_specimen_14.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVMk03waCtOKBTO6bMS9JWXD45ZkRDt7uSqtoQT5YxYgeL2J1savPqsQFuFDvdoJ69ZZAeEcIYWFci-CeJm8wMFrMzY3WSiMeHCFvyrX_frp7fv3_paqO2cqwS8Yg-zKYMtodNlU10gU/s320/image_specimen_14.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228378750536523746" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Neptunea constricta </span>has a pretty shell, tasty flesh, and is found from central Honshu to Hokkaido.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmRIsSYJ9ekY1wa9HfXOl0NftQVreHcYCY_w8KYRTFxXPSiEUA_mJ5RBvM7pjuCNKrmjUPTA1a0ITReBZWQH1psFrPevOu66SX4aQTFdzwASgUDvmAsD2Jw4Soi9lsBMxjy_nLozWIKo/s1600-h/image_specimen_16.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmRIsSYJ9ekY1wa9HfXOl0NftQVreHcYCY_w8KYRTFxXPSiEUA_mJ5RBvM7pjuCNKrmjUPTA1a0ITReBZWQH1psFrPevOu66SX4aQTFdzwASgUDvmAsD2Jw4Soi9lsBMxjy_nLozWIKo/s320/image_specimen_16.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228378748263480354" /></a>This whelk, <span style="font-style:italic;">Buccinum tenuissimum</span>, holds the impressive title of "the most delicious of all Japanese molluscs" (Kira, 1972).<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWdF-0qYeYDlZPMTT5ocQC9hwXFGP86FjBeetTgS5WC3IO6wcYWUKJoDwxFD3Yy3rcMsMooHX3Ie8WiWTkO81I0wjiUbkuEtgNzAuCGxUbcYFupalBduBm-EOtv0iirTdRNqQArYWy40/s1600-h/image_specimen_18.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWdF-0qYeYDlZPMTT5ocQC9hwXFGP86FjBeetTgS5WC3IO6wcYWUKJoDwxFD3Yy3rcMsMooHX3Ie8WiWTkO81I0wjiUbkuEtgNzAuCGxUbcYFupalBduBm-EOtv0iirTdRNqQArYWy40/s320/image_specimen_18.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228378752068800770" /></a>The brown color on <span style="font-style:italic;">Japelion pericochlion</span> is the pigment of a thin layer of tissue called the periostricum.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbJ5GMrW2cVpCHx8XkiTvooFyJKCDHbIU4YJILHzNfmVnenJ69SNcsZlFi0ZMD_tdNdQxid6NnDbuxeYSt7rj-nNkY6isGsvjLKLCDPRjGYMYl2wYmP56MUtnu8rQGtehzTPqFn5M3wM/s1600-h/image_specimen_21.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbJ5GMrW2cVpCHx8XkiTvooFyJKCDHbIU4YJILHzNfmVnenJ69SNcsZlFi0ZMD_tdNdQxid6NnDbuxeYSt7rj-nNkY6isGsvjLKLCDPRjGYMYl2wYmP56MUtnu8rQGtehzTPqFn5M3wM/s320/image_specimen_21.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228381853810223106" /></a>On this specimen of <span style="font-style:italic;">Volutharpa ampullacea perryi</span> you can also see the light brown periostricum. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQKnnl8k80AjQIhoRtEwe1KKDjnIcepQC6tnll4zRVln2IS1ElbQwzMOAfJu7llLfLvf0gbgElFUJNfe3X-QvplJLnxAeXiFaQYMoKh6siXj12RSR21x9bXfpjeXaVKPgEnWtvNI-gQv0/s1600-h/image_specimen_24.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQKnnl8k80AjQIhoRtEwe1KKDjnIcepQC6tnll4zRVln2IS1ElbQwzMOAfJu7llLfLvf0gbgElFUJNfe3X-QvplJLnxAeXiFaQYMoKh6siXj12RSR21x9bXfpjeXaVKPgEnWtvNI-gQv0/s320/image_specimen_24.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228381852646542258" /></a>One other note; if you look closely at the specimen labels you will see the last name of a person after the underlined name of the genus and species. This name indicates the person who described this species and the year that name was published. If the name is not in parentheses it means that the genus name and the species name have not changed since the species name was established by the person named. If the name is in parentheses it means that the genus name has been changed since the species was named. Fun with taxonomy and systematics!Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-40637612177533187382008-07-28T02:06:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:46:12.409-08:00Ceramics and captive animalsNagoya has a well-known ceramics factory tour at Noritake Garden and a sizable zoo and botanical garden. I visited these sites over the weekend and will tell you about them! First, Noritake.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3I61sb6TRCxMl2bNCdxrPrf79PJSPCL3fkU41xijvfNCfmGzIDlbCQ3qeXWJnBAB-lsNzX3o-K2VCOeTU3v7SojC2jaPeAJwrz80Rmhp1p1-3aTvJjwHdCQphsJOMPCMMpApz9D0hPaI/s1600-h/Noritake1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3I61sb6TRCxMl2bNCdxrPrf79PJSPCL3fkU41xijvfNCfmGzIDlbCQ3qeXWJnBAB-lsNzX3o-K2VCOeTU3v7SojC2jaPeAJwrz80Rmhp1p1-3aTvJjwHdCQphsJOMPCMMpApz9D0hPaI/s320/Noritake1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227990387359271506" /></a>As you would guess, there was lots of fine china made by the <a href="http://chinaware.noritakechina.com/shoppingCart/noritakechina/Catalog.asp?category=Casual&family=EveryDayPatterns">Noritake company</a>. In the mid-1900s, most Noritake china was designed with American buyers in mind, so much so that Japanese artists were sent to America to draw American landscapes, flora, fauna, nautical themed objects, and American Indian motifs, which were sent back to Japan and hand painted onto plates, serving dishes, cups, saucers, etc.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikAn0j5NTl34nUDbMyZobfBwYxUG7QgzccF6itOaK0hwwEe3XDEKHIQ6kD5-qMrv8laVwLzDemGPDbeCc-hHU6IoOMQi17zf847G_Q_IOgaBcVV5uI-b92TepJvF6zJHpwsn_W883bzhE/s1600-h/Noritake3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikAn0j5NTl34nUDbMyZobfBwYxUG7QgzccF6itOaK0hwwEe3XDEKHIQ6kD5-qMrv8laVwLzDemGPDbeCc-hHU6IoOMQi17zf847G_Q_IOgaBcVV5uI-b92TepJvF6zJHpwsn_W883bzhE/s320/Noritake3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227990391055018706" /></a>Next, the Zoo. Sadly, most of the animals here have it pretty bad. The enclosers are small and many of the large carnivores had <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotypy">stereotypies</a> like pacing and repetitive rocking. By far, the best part about the whole zoo experience was encountering this little friend, the Japanese <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raccoon_Dog">racoon dog</a>! I think it is the inspiration for the enigmatic bear-like animal in the picture with me in Arimatsu (see previous post). <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfNs6SMbNTfZ3_vVZ-npZNlpBw56oP0kPmxu0Dx8-ZoUBWM78ajGhqlP4XohyBsjRRoGSVwhM-Di72T0UVYSJS7twwxaqjTInn2xcykh_OYwTozU2cx97YnsJNrIyJ3HmjFGgCVxKR2c/s1600-h/racoondog_2a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfNs6SMbNTfZ3_vVZ-npZNlpBw56oP0kPmxu0Dx8-ZoUBWM78ajGhqlP4XohyBsjRRoGSVwhM-Di72T0UVYSJS7twwxaqjTInn2xcykh_OYwTozU2cx97YnsJNrIyJ3HmjFGgCVxKR2c/s320/racoondog_2a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227994494978216786" /></a>Amazingly, this zoo also had motionless, un-caged dinosaurs! They had huge eyes and were morphologically similar to those from the 1985 Sean Young movie, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088760/">Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend</a>. Mokele-Mbembe!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCmViyGe6ShJ8TjfP8YOPcaGJEMnOntUtVLg9ADEjEC5enHiZ5LezKfY93MuPHw05Z5Ct-5yII32bjle5bGlTHMHyfrjfaEGPqcqYsqngkipXPysTlJCQ_kNjJnN082ob5NvsqpVO0fM/s1600-h/Zoo_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCmViyGe6ShJ8TjfP8YOPcaGJEMnOntUtVLg9ADEjEC5enHiZ5LezKfY93MuPHw05Z5Ct-5yII32bjle5bGlTHMHyfrjfaEGPqcqYsqngkipXPysTlJCQ_kNjJnN082ob5NvsqpVO0fM/s320/Zoo_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228001123288768898" /></a>The botanical garden was far more impressive (maybe except for the dinosaurs) and had a huge greenhouse as well as a Wollemi pine, a gift to Nagoya from Sydney, Australia. More information about this amazing tree is <a href="http://www.ancientpine.com/">here</a>.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEAqZ5Ci65Ba0gEfj3hn8ycJV-9nxwAqUmclX-ORho2-VoPg80vQPniumuY-AIOksIUZ-LuXdZgEqYh3enBsBNWCR8-RqU0L5MLI41dMqGEYCAoh30hVl6Ty4yqCWSl6KkwC0Pe4tYl0g/s1600-h/Wollemi_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEAqZ5Ci65Ba0gEfj3hn8ycJV-9nxwAqUmclX-ORho2-VoPg80vQPniumuY-AIOksIUZ-LuXdZgEqYh3enBsBNWCR8-RqU0L5MLI41dMqGEYCAoh30hVl6Ty4yqCWSl6KkwC0Pe4tYl0g/s320/Wollemi_2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227996645950257042" /></a>An insect collection was also housed nearby, and it was the highlight of the trip! First, it had beautiful displays of beetle biogeography in Japan.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_yxZ1T47TVfMJ3YysT3jhUX3hf2x_0EJL52fSBCb5gpoNvwfnrUZFJSVTZAqrhwfXo1lxX8AiTi_dvh8BFnuKMQ6iTO5dSRzLvhv1s02EoQZ97-hVuWgo24KEtIxbDWetVES9fy6DLw/s1600-h/Insect_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_yxZ1T47TVfMJ3YysT3jhUX3hf2x_0EJL52fSBCb5gpoNvwfnrUZFJSVTZAqrhwfXo1lxX8AiTi_dvh8BFnuKMQ6iTO5dSRzLvhv1s02EoQZ97-hVuWgo24KEtIxbDWetVES9fy6DLw/s320/Insect_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227996658018288290" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxf1HZMEIanBtJOkxLZg2anJmUhtwUgvPrlcdKgy57koJFPe8ZYx5p-VFJ0UwrQS-VCgrXxosBcpIMtTjfKkXz3IE_gwc4ZedNIoKmSnH2lMIl12LyOsIQqcfZuxhSBSjqrLWCjUMXRk/s1600-h/Insect_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxf1HZMEIanBtJOkxLZg2anJmUhtwUgvPrlcdKgy57koJFPe8ZYx5p-VFJ0UwrQS-VCgrXxosBcpIMtTjfKkXz3IE_gwc4ZedNIoKmSnH2lMIl12LyOsIQqcfZuxhSBSjqrLWCjUMXRk/s320/Insect_2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228001116247562082" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVblmZSlIB_-26-jeA7DK3IVadDtsnl2Tw8N_0JlNhZZ374dhI_npM77uaKms27js024oMgZ2krgoPumUuGL0STNsKZMLKBvmOLrvigtZ7c1zuNkydG3a_OIPgC-0wCb9H3S69QWnSjUI/s1600-h/Insect_3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVblmZSlIB_-26-jeA7DK3IVadDtsnl2Tw8N_0JlNhZZ374dhI_npM77uaKms27js024oMgZ2krgoPumUuGL0STNsKZMLKBvmOLrvigtZ7c1zuNkydG3a_OIPgC-0wCb9H3S69QWnSjUI/s320/Insect_3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227996664548803874" /></a>And what looks like a display of butterflies, but is actually...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLqU8cp4jWFdpbJfwBvSctdD_fajXLlSqiZ852zOPv-SWpzDlgtOp9hkMC2nVnauAROImrPDeKHImEWgbUqciwUYhSbhrKdX9KLfNVjQow07PhuoXIOfyhD3vLrFLO6YSD86ZaxdtIv8/s1600-h/Insect_4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLqU8cp4jWFdpbJfwBvSctdD_fajXLlSqiZ852zOPv-SWpzDlgtOp9hkMC2nVnauAROImrPDeKHImEWgbUqciwUYhSbhrKdX9KLfNVjQow07PhuoXIOfyhD3vLrFLO6YSD86ZaxdtIv8/s320/Insect_4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227996669571053810" /></a>Cicadas!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDj6JgALCbP9b0iqzc42xc-AjshazCuJsQ6q_wnUw-1OWc8lYbOG0My-bjU1f2zbSuMiIN8zvucUdh9BM6kCGQvOZPw1C9UgFV1fihYiRAzdZynftrsbSFZn_Z_ZoXQs_Uj7djmiSedvQ/s1600-h/Insect_5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDj6JgALCbP9b0iqzc42xc-AjshazCuJsQ6q_wnUw-1OWc8lYbOG0My-bjU1f2zbSuMiIN8zvucUdh9BM6kCGQvOZPw1C9UgFV1fihYiRAzdZynftrsbSFZn_Z_ZoXQs_Uj7djmiSedvQ/s320/Insect_5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227996678370595522" /></a>Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-86433378297459107082008-07-27T17:15:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:46:13.442-08:00To produce amusementOver the weekend I discovered the very creative use of English by some Japanese establishments. It is an interesting phenomenon. Here are some examples, first from the menu of a chain resaurant called Pastel.<br /><br />Almond topping often <span style="font-style:italic;">does</span> produce amusement!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzm1yAkfcNBmz44puSIil6uwKBn5pKqq3h46CVhtjNfdcGSEi5Y47GpbZGoYs5Qy_7rhAXQh1Xbm2FxNv2JBxCQYZUEfIN5AXHlhmUCmh2q49XKZGl_h9J4EvsejV8e1cNPrubn1EtvEo/s1600-h/Menu_pastel_1a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzm1yAkfcNBmz44puSIil6uwKBn5pKqq3h46CVhtjNfdcGSEi5Y47GpbZGoYs5Qy_7rhAXQh1Xbm2FxNv2JBxCQYZUEfIN5AXHlhmUCmh2q49XKZGl_h9J4EvsejV8e1cNPrubn1EtvEo/s400/Menu_pastel_1a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227858316199841538" /></a>Mmm, famous Danish mozarella and delicious thick, threading daintiness.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2PRO3qT_VuPONcK1LpVbPrvBM6D_zCp1RHBWKs1UeqyXt2xJLh6lsA-7jBE85eKU4KtbaGLImwAufNvHW8zJ18t4BvnE80SYfkzgBar4JV57MlmcXJ7VoHEfd8YBdLi_RxkhFRBcvzNM/s1600-h/Menu_pastel_2a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2PRO3qT_VuPONcK1LpVbPrvBM6D_zCp1RHBWKs1UeqyXt2xJLh6lsA-7jBE85eKU4KtbaGLImwAufNvHW8zJ18t4BvnE80SYfkzgBar4JV57MlmcXJ7VoHEfd8YBdLi_RxkhFRBcvzNM/s400/Menu_pastel_2a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227859197354872258" /></a>This dish is self-confident! But I still wonder if the cream sauce is spicy...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn7Z3JMomJAe89bvxk4yC5cIBWT3NW0kx9sikfgoAs7GwDtLSaGHeXlCPbL_ZAGdzjd8Wki4AK6ZtDxQPzUqnia-0v8dgH4r6-oqZ2wyIyG81CTi_Pq5jUO7K6YDYbPALEQbqNpR7UAT8/s1600-h/Menu_pastel_3a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn7Z3JMomJAe89bvxk4yC5cIBWT3NW0kx9sikfgoAs7GwDtLSaGHeXlCPbL_ZAGdzjd8Wki4AK6ZtDxQPzUqnia-0v8dgH4r6-oqZ2wyIyG81CTi_Pq5jUO7K6YDYbPALEQbqNpR7UAT8/s400/Menu_pastel_3a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227859200120301634" /></a>The following are packaged sweets bought as souvenirs (called "omiyage") for family and friends. <br /><br />Ah, chocolate cake healing time...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-vy4gIUQE4l56MQOZH8eG_yJF7lISqHsDoKcXMl1QpBVy53-CXNtp7YDzRdA17U8Sc6fNl98ouZQUPVJlJhOEvyZe50I0aztIEHLLYurYIDua4UjZgtEkxbtYa67qmZobb5qlXz11q0/s1600-h/English_1a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-vy4gIUQE4l56MQOZH8eG_yJF7lISqHsDoKcXMl1QpBVy53-CXNtp7YDzRdA17U8Sc6fNl98ouZQUPVJlJhOEvyZe50I0aztIEHLLYurYIDua4UjZgtEkxbtYa67qmZobb5qlXz11q0/s320/English_1a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227863085925866706" /></a>and with a more straightforward approach.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvLlbjumTUomovqy0dnHEe81TG6rDdXi3yvknmnu6fyxQTYR58cZh2aCXGaTqzoVgI3gDFjlacmPI6QPr1KBWMrYOertAdLypNFef1Iu9KFQaiO2zrQ69BNKovWSHawXlsRD0vJZjgv8/s1600-h/English_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvLlbjumTUomovqy0dnHEe81TG6rDdXi3yvknmnu6fyxQTYR58cZh2aCXGaTqzoVgI3gDFjlacmPI6QPr1KBWMrYOertAdLypNFef1Iu9KFQaiO2zrQ69BNKovWSHawXlsRD0vJZjgv8/s320/English_2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227853348539779458" /></a>The next two photos are of businesses with (in the case of the first one) a very odd combination of services and (in the second) an unfortunate choice of name.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWDK0etj9TaFq0G0i-PVXxyIlXRzWmIUxWrcfFUOCPP0wpUXMp8z1pRHlfE2SEekkD66SL_laCjarigL5wUzzQiTXw9uz7UYQ8P6GFA60YKWlBfC9NqdURoy3kiuLOPHrIVxJvxxeHNo/s1600-h/Nail_Foot_Scuba_Diving.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWDK0etj9TaFq0G0i-PVXxyIlXRzWmIUxWrcfFUOCPP0wpUXMp8z1pRHlfE2SEekkD66SL_laCjarigL5wUzzQiTXw9uz7UYQ8P6GFA60YKWlBfC9NqdURoy3kiuLOPHrIVxJvxxeHNo/s320/Nail_Foot_Scuba_Diving.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227854917447883954" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghiQG44YbelenqiZBjY4PqFY43LX7xmBmOl2mIOPqs4IXPpUdZRKU0bAfPfBuIMm3hyqABbCuOwR8NzuQ4dpUgvZ6rGxKxo7QEYgsabBHAbT3FjduXrWnSFLb6qXYPDiomPa8JNNJvXw/s1600-h/Cafe_Fat.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghiQG44YbelenqiZBjY4PqFY43LX7xmBmOl2mIOPqs4IXPpUdZRKU0bAfPfBuIMm3hyqABbCuOwR8NzuQ4dpUgvZ6rGxKxo7QEYgsabBHAbT3FjduXrWnSFLb6qXYPDiomPa8JNNJvXw/s320/Cafe_Fat.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227854922775262482" /></a>Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-10886624580355679472008-07-24T01:39:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:46:14.493-08:00Arimatsu ShiboriNot far from Nagoya is an artisan community who practice the Japanese tie-dying art of shibori.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1i7nQusKTF7wARGqikpsm7SB4zFf4iGl6WMoheRof-O8ECUA5UTf0pZzTOMJNsAoPhyphenhyphend2sOQuDJl00qL3a3G_X2ExTWgc3IPQBgeKkPEtz4YGlhTQ-p6tAy6mtscArGGsB-3-nIIbuQc/s1600-h/RIMG0041.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1i7nQusKTF7wARGqikpsm7SB4zFf4iGl6WMoheRof-O8ECUA5UTf0pZzTOMJNsAoPhyphenhyphend2sOQuDJl00qL3a3G_X2ExTWgc3IPQBgeKkPEtz4YGlhTQ-p6tAy6mtscArGGsB-3-nIIbuQc/s320/RIMG0041.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226499232462544386" /></a>There is even a shibori museum with a very long name (Arimatsu Narumi Shibori Kaikan) where you can make your own shibori! Over the weekend, my Japanese host Seiji and his family took me there. This (very bleached out) picture is from where we had lunch (cold udon with dipping sauce). I am standing next to my hosts daughter and what I thought was a bear, but was told was definitely NOT a bear. Hmmm.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpjp-51aXEuk7XtVdDmWsdBkuhqakX25m8Cv9NoGer1Do5Jl6I1K5jq9Ulww5Rc3QFaM5WjTYtPfVqym9bpvA6on7jobEw2pgf3fdsefJG0LB3d_LXRq53ePumB8sSddSH0NJN4Ohqys/s1600-h/RIMG0061.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpjp-51aXEuk7XtVdDmWsdBkuhqakX25m8Cv9NoGer1Do5Jl6I1K5jq9Ulww5Rc3QFaM5WjTYtPfVqym9bpvA6on7jobEw2pgf3fdsefJG0LB3d_LXRq53ePumB8sSddSH0NJN4Ohqys/s320/RIMG0061.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226499247501828290" /></a>Shibori is sort of like 1960s American-style tie-dying, but an intricate pattern is stitched into the cloth, then the cloth is dyed and the stitching is removed. The artistry of doing this has passed primarily through women most of whom are now very old and totally mesmerizing to watch. Here is the one practical use of shibori (at the museum),<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfuv9Oti4sjnlSY122-ywMBvz0pMJ84Jd4KksL8Xzt-l0mQChfsyCFxCAOEXreA9hYiJXE7XBLNzf78ZlQAZqZlV4nsBpx__ZfxM3hAbDjmVISngNK6KMF5kvyfKG_3KG4eepmWLQGDJ4/s1600-h/RIMG0049.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfuv9Oti4sjnlSY122-ywMBvz0pMJ84Jd4KksL8Xzt-l0mQChfsyCFxCAOEXreA9hYiJXE7XBLNzf78ZlQAZqZlV4nsBpx__ZfxM3hAbDjmVISngNK6KMF5kvyfKG_3KG4eepmWLQGDJ4/s320/RIMG0049.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226499259559853874" /></a>and here is a shibori Nagoya shachihoko.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJGoKXs7Ym4S2rOw53DRC8z97W0-Bk2udgcUi0qekDNwlptVyGwauSXHRoU_THzQcN01BvCBaGbyhbFbvq6jgRIkjmwEf9dqMAoT75AxAYSZG7DolHR2Xusy00Ad9ytOPVJuwT0xf37Y/s1600-h/RIMG0058.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJGoKXs7Ym4S2rOw53DRC8z97W0-Bk2udgcUi0qekDNwlptVyGwauSXHRoU_THzQcN01BvCBaGbyhbFbvq6jgRIkjmwEf9dqMAoT75AxAYSZG7DolHR2Xusy00Ad9ytOPVJuwT0xf37Y/s320/RIMG0058.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226499242363607906" /></a>After a shibori-making afternoon, we went to a museum of local festival floats. The festival happens once a year and the highlight is that the dolls on this float "perform" famous scenes from Japanese antiquity and write Chinese characters. These actions are controlled by mechanisms in the dolls as well as skillful puppeteers inside the float.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVNII6MLnw1w0KJqwYUOmHMPzZczuLIwR5qCtuU5eSZ0-98ebP4X3TXruSukWjourT4rx7sPWGuvblD7GfviywTof-WVVX2NwgLhnNk3YqUOFxKqhR8IScK_0NFxdnC_PunOrO4gcAA7Q/s1600-h/RIMG0057.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVNII6MLnw1w0KJqwYUOmHMPzZczuLIwR5qCtuU5eSZ0-98ebP4X3TXruSukWjourT4rx7sPWGuvblD7GfviywTof-WVVX2NwgLhnNk3YqUOFxKqhR8IScK_0NFxdnC_PunOrO4gcAA7Q/s320/RIMG0057.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226505074809601698" /></a>Behind a glass case upstairs was a huge mask also worn during the festival. There was no English label so I asked my host what it was. He told me that it was a mask...then after a pause, continued that it is of a famous Japanese goblin called a yamabushi-tengu with facial features (big nose, blond hair, and large eyes) modeled after foreigners (!). After a little research I discovered that although the inspiration for this goblin <span style="font-style:italic;">could</span> be the hairy, blond, big-nosed Westerner, the Japanese tengu history is long and complicated with so many versions and incarnations (tengu literally means "heavenly dog") that historians can not be sure of the big-nosed tengu origin, or at least they arent saying...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnvLvr2as5k41M7C2mFuyY85tg3CQSTNJ9LrmfkkmP01fk_9KDj3lNS-fC_3hkZSwZBBzPgjXdDjvJMrZzJGZxVKLLkUb4EZE3elEpYpmNZ20qIZmqBt7gl_g4QeICjesG5y0MAn6yg8/s1600-h/RIMG0060.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnvLvr2as5k41M7C2mFuyY85tg3CQSTNJ9LrmfkkmP01fk_9KDj3lNS-fC_3hkZSwZBBzPgjXdDjvJMrZzJGZxVKLLkUb4EZE3elEpYpmNZ20qIZmqBt7gl_g4QeICjesG5y0MAn6yg8/s320/RIMG0060.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226503765299042834" /></a>Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-78319613584114420242008-07-23T17:26:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:46:15.352-08:00Facts and FiguresRecently I was impressed by two books, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Whirligig-Beautiful-Basics-Science/dp/0547053460/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216867135&sr=8-1">The Canon</a> by Natalie Angier and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nature-Economic-Geerat-J-Vermeij/dp/069112793X/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216867217&sr=1-7">Nature: an Economic History</a> by Gary Vermeij. The following are some facts, factoids, and simply wonderful things that I learned from them. I thought that they were amazing enough to share.<br /><br />1. In the sky at night you are seeing only about 2500 of the 300 BILLION stars in our Milky Way galaxy, and there are maybe 100 BILLION other star-studded galaxies in our universe. (More information is <a href="http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es2808/es2808page01.cfm?chapter_no=visualization">here</a> and <a href="http://www.astrodigital.org/astronomy/milkywaygalaxy.html">here</a>.)<br /><br />2. Electron comes from the Greek word for amber, which is readily charged when rubbed with a cloth. (NOVA did a program on amber with David Attenborough discovering the history of his own piece of amber. Priceless! It is <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/jewel/">here</a>.)<br /><br />3. <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalassocnus">Thalassocnus</a></span> is a genus of marine sloths from the <a href="http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/tertiary/pli.html">Pliocene</a> of Peru (5.3-1.8 million years ago). Marine sloths!<br /><br />4. There used to be an North Atlantic <a href="http://www.petermaas.nl/extinct/speciesinfo/seamink.htm">sea mink</a>, sort of like a Altantic Ocean kind of otter, but it was hunted to extinction.<br /><br />5. Amphibians and reptiles (and their ancestors) cannot run and breathe at the same time. As the body flexes the lung on one side of the body is compressed, making breathing impossible. So these animals must do one or the other; walk/run or breathe, because they cannot do both at the same time. <br /><br />6. After the Arctic Oceans and North Pacific were joined when the Bering Strait became a seaway (5.5 million years ago) marine animals began to move from the North Pacific to the North Atlantic. Today, 22% of the marine animals on the <a href="http://maine.washcoll.edu/rockyphoto6.htm">North American east coast </a>are Pacific in origin. These animals include periwinkles, mussels, kelp, seastars, sea urchins, hermit crabs, and barnacles. <br /><br />7. <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.toyen.uio.no/palmus/galleri/montre/english/cam01.htm">Campanile</a></span> was a herbivorous marine snail in the Eocene (50 million years ago) that could grow to a meter long!<br /><br />8. One group of caddisfly larvae (freshwater invertebrates) make protective cases for themselves that are shaped like marine snail shells!<a href="http://watermonitoring.uwex.edu/wav/monitoring/coordinator/ecology/trichoptera.html"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-i0tIakjSDV6xZFv0RWsXn-tZ3A7dT4K9Rjd6gkNVGTaa24cQrmuTzPieCAL-c2wHdXcz4f81rmPEuumiHKXMpZrmwd8_aGjmAPxLtvw1un1Q_1j6AzrRA4mprhLyNB246Z2MxvwFHdo/s1600-h/Helicopsychidae.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-i0tIakjSDV6xZFv0RWsXn-tZ3A7dT4K9Rjd6gkNVGTaa24cQrmuTzPieCAL-c2wHdXcz4f81rmPEuumiHKXMpZrmwd8_aGjmAPxLtvw1un1Q_1j6AzrRA4mprhLyNB246Z2MxvwFHdo/s320/Helicopsychidae.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226382516773318962" /></a></a><br />9. Not all marine crabs are each others closest relatives. That is, the "crab form" has evolved multiple times within crustaceans. More <a href="http://www.reefs.org/library/aquarium_net/0397/0397_3.html">here</a>. And to bring the theme back to Japan, <a href="http://www.docbug.com/blog/archives/000701.html">here</a> is a fascinating story about the Japanese samurai crab.<br /><br />Incidently, samurai armor included a helmet and mask that you can see below.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19Z3nUolk49qrTWaxfzlL-CFmiPqVk5LcXV82jSG84-tZ_xUFGUxPstuzDZ2jnPaFYfSxTMPglAwnRrTYrfye_pnjSsjxZjfzZAg7oquZcWf6xFnJOxa2XKFrBIebojAzwUm2c8hj9qM/s1600-h/date-masamune-samurai-sword-armour.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19Z3nUolk49qrTWaxfzlL-CFmiPqVk5LcXV82jSG84-tZ_xUFGUxPstuzDZ2jnPaFYfSxTMPglAwnRrTYrfye_pnjSsjxZjfzZAg7oquZcWf6xFnJOxa2XKFrBIebojAzwUm2c8hj9qM/s320/date-masamune-samurai-sword-armour.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226401726286089298" /></a>This armor was, presumably, the inspiration for the costume of the Star Wars character, Darth Vader.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTHJ4beTQwthqGGg_fd8y8us5EQulgbAySCOhBoDQu0TGOkaKq594pIx2SDT5rbz1eZSQOWJSq7YZuNrGhnJUXwnY1VU22Iiz4rkGYrt9CqlHQ6-6eJ3FkOqLuteKpPCQ8P0NFaQR5Io/s1600-h/DVader.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTHJ4beTQwthqGGg_fd8y8us5EQulgbAySCOhBoDQu0TGOkaKq594pIx2SDT5rbz1eZSQOWJSq7YZuNrGhnJUXwnY1VU22Iiz4rkGYrt9CqlHQ6-6eJ3FkOqLuteKpPCQ8P0NFaQR5Io/s320/DVader.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226402499413151362" /></a>{All facts have been paraphrased from their source and all emphases (e.g. ! and BOLD) and additional comments are mine}Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-91908479998551068782008-07-22T02:04:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:46:18.372-08:00July 22ndToday was a banner day in Nagoya for buccinid tissue sampling! I unpacked the snails that I collected and froze (*thank you for donating your lives to science*) from Rikuzen-Takata, Sendai, Joetsu, and Nagoya and put small slivers of their tissue into alcohol for DNA analysis back at UC Berkeley. My goal was to sample 25 different species and I already have 17. Conclusions, (1) Japanese people demand fresh tsubu gai at their fish markets and (2) species sold are not the same throughout Japan. This is very good for my research! Here is my hand holding one of the snails.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFTfR6C6aLv2C5lCoYyQKOBHDFqwKtnvhlSzK8flcVPok7-mmywHZJbgVhIS680WKiqDFlziPh-9NyxQUGQFdEYFtTP08uAeo8BZ_bMHLru3RwZrLGJO3_280QiRcn2soeHnUBAV9Vnk/s1600-h/Specimen_10a.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFTfR6C6aLv2C5lCoYyQKOBHDFqwKtnvhlSzK8flcVPok7-mmywHZJbgVhIS680WKiqDFlziPh-9NyxQUGQFdEYFtTP08uAeo8BZ_bMHLru3RwZrLGJO3_280QiRcn2soeHnUBAV9Vnk/s320/Specimen_10a.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225763614845508562" /></a>Rather than regale you with images of frozen snails, I thought that I would take you instead on a journey from one subway stop (Nagoya University) to its nearest neighbor, Motoyama. I went there today to buy apples and specimen cases (thrilling, really) and I thought to chronicle that little adventure might be more interesting than displaying a dozen or so frozen snails. Thrilling indeed! Here is one of the million+ vending machines in Japan being refilled. It was like seeing your parents put Christmas presents under the tree.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkBKsgmrJrctWmgN1R76txAJ-LO3yhsMcn8pvf8OfOY0iXVF2ljxKWK5cgwuPH1e8pC8JpJrOVy-8fqZ69MA3JX-GmqN7inB5_cHnA0vFRBLtZXXqk3ZOrf9fuw8aGxzKhAdQri2UYYI/s1600-h/REFILL.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkBKsgmrJrctWmgN1R76txAJ-LO3yhsMcn8pvf8OfOY0iXVF2ljxKWK5cgwuPH1e8pC8JpJrOVy-8fqZ69MA3JX-GmqN7inB5_cHnA0vFRBLtZXXqk3ZOrf9fuw8aGxzKhAdQri2UYYI/s320/REFILL.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225767164145918354" /></a>Skipping then to Motoyama station...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2eu6c543v32Bq2fdeqxEd2IGjHvu4NWIGgVsXBVrIzNjjK9WAbZ2sM6eiPLj4LL48cHaGuYVn5W6fG9OwRRGrZO-XJceUeckxbl0OnEM9Dy3rk6L_B9EoqbDy0XpT2fHwCH3nGtgDr6c/s1600-h/MOTOYAMA.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2eu6c543v32Bq2fdeqxEd2IGjHvu4NWIGgVsXBVrIzNjjK9WAbZ2sM6eiPLj4LL48cHaGuYVn5W6fG9OwRRGrZO-XJceUeckxbl0OnEM9Dy3rk6L_B9EoqbDy0XpT2fHwCH3nGtgDr6c/s320/MOTOYAMA.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225768202934021554" /></a>Many buildings surround Motoyama Station, most interesting perhaps is this one containing "LOOP, the place where you can realize your future."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnq9BKfF9jJ8nhuxjFn21jijikdquNgBgkNAMuYEa0VN_i7AL5QVorVXZGdMVotRb1b00bnp6cONDViInUhNSI_kw2F9weZOhDSd_sv69vj_fcEm9r9VyI5pikLHjAZVgTAZfAZ-ZlJp4/s1600-h/Loop.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnq9BKfF9jJ8nhuxjFn21jijikdquNgBgkNAMuYEa0VN_i7AL5QVorVXZGdMVotRb1b00bnp6cONDViInUhNSI_kw2F9weZOhDSd_sv69vj_fcEm9r9VyI5pikLHjAZVgTAZfAZ-ZlJp4/s320/Loop.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225770083650686434" /></a>There is also a KFC<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpjOsjaR0MaxHF40ws6hU_xXqcDyqs28YAu6fZtVi1K2LuOkN22zZr7ZJjfpCz8oVsuYPF5H-nzM4mbrk_jVDxmW-vpnZydTg-hXVarH1Pwc4Fo7R-eHQhDiLaDDl_euYDYxsb_cN6bo/s1600-h/KFC.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpjOsjaR0MaxHF40ws6hU_xXqcDyqs28YAu6fZtVi1K2LuOkN22zZr7ZJjfpCz8oVsuYPF5H-nzM4mbrk_jVDxmW-vpnZydTg-hXVarH1Pwc4Fo7R-eHQhDiLaDDl_euYDYxsb_cN6bo/s320/KFC.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225770904329030226" /></a>and place for Pachinko as well as a Mister Donut (not pictured).<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMRGA4R2kCb7jxEsfonjF4i9J1YTB-kbkCqgo58Iv9Dl5YjFrceoiz6x_O-gPfDkoKpXE4r1g_-HxWM_yBxBBZTzR16jTheLli36h1HvpOqlstJimr32v9TUWWg-Y-ipU0KUygNNvvU0/s1600-h/PACHINKO.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMRGA4R2kCb7jxEsfonjF4i9J1YTB-kbkCqgo58Iv9Dl5YjFrceoiz6x_O-gPfDkoKpXE4r1g_-HxWM_yBxBBZTzR16jTheLli36h1HvpOqlstJimr32v9TUWWg-Y-ipU0KUygNNvvU0/s320/PACHINKO.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225770671877650514" /></a>The primary reason I went to Motoyama was for the "Matsuzakaya Store".<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_hK1yiw1bnz6AbKJLpwLbOr3M-Eai2IvXr9LqURynK0GjXj2TkGiI2wPFLzr5bESAOCcmdEb-a-27yXS7sZaw9wLg1yZ2dm8mry7qZHhkhkKb7fbTQVYha92ZRX4_Xhq7RB4h2kT7Fs/s1600-h/STORE.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_hK1yiw1bnz6AbKJLpwLbOr3M-Eai2IvXr9LqURynK0GjXj2TkGiI2wPFLzr5bESAOCcmdEb-a-27yXS7sZaw9wLg1yZ2dm8mry7qZHhkhkKb7fbTQVYha92ZRX4_Xhq7RB4h2kT7Fs/s320/STORE.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225771526666584594" /></a>In the basement is the grocery store, the first floor has imported food (where I bought a bag of pretzels that I just finished), the second floor has "Fashion" and the 100Â¥ store, then the third floor is for "Living." The 100 Yen store was my first stop. It is the equivalent of the dollar store in the U.S. (100 Yen=$1) All these things can be YOURS for just one hundred yen!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwj3S3T0jjZLq3qKyicF7c5pr_FhfMUPmWtuygel8yEX4mozIoAoHCzBZYdsLqIiVF9GR_VyRCpG9lgG4VYXLk9Iqz3P7KnoUPPZuzoxFfwt6V4RgZXPumfc_Khj0t4TvjLd0YI2Ke8w/s1600-h/100YEN.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwj3S3T0jjZLq3qKyicF7c5pr_FhfMUPmWtuygel8yEX4mozIoAoHCzBZYdsLqIiVF9GR_VyRCpG9lgG4VYXLk9Iqz3P7KnoUPPZuzoxFfwt6V4RgZXPumfc_Khj0t4TvjLd0YI2Ke8w/s320/100YEN.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225772886544519762" /></a>Next I went to the basement to buy some apples. Japanese grocery stores are pretty much the same as American ones, except for; bento boxes,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTGzG0IkPwRlDcKO8V4I7zR9enOhc1lwzigvKpvqS3ycSUjoRiEU_AuqddD8mlG_DdDPVYQ3wpJUOJ2YSDUiV_oNRMlTN1v9ef-LDhEbGCvCu-mvh9k75aJnGo8NOe7hIZJ3SWHUmQHI/s1600-h/bentoboxes.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTGzG0IkPwRlDcKO8V4I7zR9enOhc1lwzigvKpvqS3ycSUjoRiEU_AuqddD8mlG_DdDPVYQ3wpJUOJ2YSDUiV_oNRMlTN1v9ef-LDhEbGCvCu-mvh9k75aJnGo8NOe7hIZJ3SWHUmQHI/s320/bentoboxes.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225774019106606210" /></a>eel fillets (unagi),<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioLDAg52fxrY5gNfwTYH9PXDUTxQ1_UcomionuLJWjIU5kr6soFi8Exb4fuSpsBhBJANIizQsbED-SLawgyFhmESwIq8E5mtTCXgRVin6RhI1sx6GdKTVGm__t1tSTLG0Q-Fkp3A_OLMw/s1600-h/unagi_eel.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioLDAg52fxrY5gNfwTYH9PXDUTxQ1_UcomionuLJWjIU5kr6soFi8Exb4fuSpsBhBJANIizQsbED-SLawgyFhmESwIq8E5mtTCXgRVin6RhI1sx6GdKTVGm__t1tSTLG0Q-Fkp3A_OLMw/s320/unagi_eel.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225774040470928642" /></a>one unfortunately named (and shaped) brand of snack,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmomjf9lPIUOR5nJK3_FEoOavkhPIshmXDzNESlkiO_eAAOMVLJ1Y3IT_Qt1soRsXmWVFusW0XpAxThlCHsa0e_at94ZaJA9Py0SXBqL2u_RyVdV3LzYk_U35s_khofECGE4Y69sy4bI/s1600-h/COLLON.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmomjf9lPIUOR5nJK3_FEoOavkhPIshmXDzNESlkiO_eAAOMVLJ1Y3IT_Qt1soRsXmWVFusW0XpAxThlCHsa0e_at94ZaJA9Py0SXBqL2u_RyVdV3LzYk_U35s_khofECGE4Y69sy4bI/s320/COLLON.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225774022356986562" /></a>a diverse selection of cold coffee,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqP8F27KbMr1sN3j7Ne6ki70xdygMJgIUfBgiAykwJL7knS7zqJIgGlJdRHBDj7HYKYwHOXLC5IdUrSxDVJ5cHaLoG1LqwxuLmynz_vjNxWFKuqI79dDIuXQ7UTLf4dBqdYli39d2Cdu4/s1600-h/icedcoffee.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqP8F27KbMr1sN3j7Ne6ki70xdygMJgIUfBgiAykwJL7knS7zqJIgGlJdRHBDj7HYKYwHOXLC5IdUrSxDVJ5cHaLoG1LqwxuLmynz_vjNxWFKuqI79dDIuXQ7UTLf4dBqdYli39d2Cdu4/s320/icedcoffee.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225774036852710962" /></a>and a curiously named creamer for said coffee.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUZVUBuEhGyjJq3S5yPs8HZ5_O3gqMBD-xr1UjepTXy1B-XR8MNo9Q2vE0HVBlnfDq1p1Zph-px23qLITFsVUvqY4-e421DYfSwxW2KSD0Xmlf_CtcS3mUA03bjyOrLD-UPhCg56hpbo/s1600-h/Creap.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUZVUBuEhGyjJq3S5yPs8HZ5_O3gqMBD-xr1UjepTXy1B-XR8MNo9Q2vE0HVBlnfDq1p1Zph-px23qLITFsVUvqY4-e421DYfSwxW2KSD0Xmlf_CtcS3mUA03bjyOrLD-UPhCg56hpbo/s320/Creap.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225774027577620834" /></a>Some notworthy sites on the walk back to campus included, Beverly Hills Chicken, which of course sells...clothing,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs-4A4gKvC-GGsrYAjTTbzvhX96UdqxgPc4YcyNCeTagWD4otIgJvZcNDs4eSQtM3ILdJbc3jurTrmGqoYP6iJ77hqfw5RX9Y5o_xAk14X380k6fBJaY76CoX8HLJZqP_IcaLbNtyKpAw/s1600-h/beverlyhills.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs-4A4gKvC-GGsrYAjTTbzvhX96UdqxgPc4YcyNCeTagWD4otIgJvZcNDs4eSQtM3ILdJbc3jurTrmGqoYP6iJ77hqfw5RX9Y5o_xAk14X380k6fBJaY76CoX8HLJZqP_IcaLbNtyKpAw/s320/beverlyhills.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225775487029762226" /></a> 7 Eleven,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIRgE-StepBNZidyv0RwqymswKhORXdsNuahMRp21JSGx0z-TOvRrhfqhMq0a2iN0hgr33-VRkuqpKTarKtX6PAQynaAct8O1CTJT3XgyBwz8VrofjRLI1yfGJWqjKF6U8K4fTYCeE7U/s1600-h/7_ELEVEN.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIRgE-StepBNZidyv0RwqymswKhORXdsNuahMRp21JSGx0z-TOvRrhfqhMq0a2iN0hgr33-VRkuqpKTarKtX6PAQynaAct8O1CTJT3XgyBwz8VrofjRLI1yfGJWqjKF6U8K4fTYCeE7U/s320/7_ELEVEN.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225775735529401874" /></a>Mos Burger,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhSVArURb7s63fZjjMAtAL6BwzLkUfLGp29z0ZbvSagZ4EcqOqTZSL_P1ySj5nzDBwdyJ4HWar861YsRinMEUCHVfszDI47vSB033qpW-LUGRknV_STHA4QC4luOJKi2RN26J2Jkf410/s1600-h/MosBurger.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhSVArURb7s63fZjjMAtAL6BwzLkUfLGp29z0ZbvSagZ4EcqOqTZSL_P1ySj5nzDBwdyJ4HWar861YsRinMEUCHVfszDI47vSB033qpW-LUGRknV_STHA4QC4luOJKi2RN26J2Jkf410/s320/MosBurger.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225776337088237202" /></a>and a pretty typical gas station that sells its cheapest gasoline for 158 yen per liter, which converts to a whopping $5.98/gallon, and you thought U.S. gas was expensive!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7GG128PIlrq1vRoR_LQ-1MSEz-Puq2irwbcpSGiyNhMwjIO-Ze9OeyMuLoZspIRIt8F9mGpS6OZmyha1zW27sFNsypBjZS8gcrU7k7epLnMRdkfMS6SdJRyKZ9dbYRsekZYaQiPdLnw/s1600-h/Gas.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7GG128PIlrq1vRoR_LQ-1MSEz-Puq2irwbcpSGiyNhMwjIO-Ze9OeyMuLoZspIRIt8F9mGpS6OZmyha1zW27sFNsypBjZS8gcrU7k7epLnMRdkfMS6SdJRyKZ9dbYRsekZYaQiPdLnw/s320/Gas.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225777541180914594" /></a>Finally, the journey was capped off by cicada exuvia!Sugoi!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmVls1_Sy_KnWW6gTAv5Az2BKBzZCCpFZ4wQTW2wkanIwex5gq_z7LgEUJHarf93_eHODcdmjfkGSJJ-LxVaNH_0wHJ514EJg7ecFY8eNP-u2cNyuNupMwlNBC-qNti0ITS5_lzm-GMCM/s1600-h/EXUVIUM2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmVls1_Sy_KnWW6gTAv5Az2BKBzZCCpFZ4wQTW2wkanIwex5gq_z7LgEUJHarf93_eHODcdmjfkGSJJ-LxVaNH_0wHJ514EJg7ecFY8eNP-u2cNyuNupMwlNBC-qNti0ITS5_lzm-GMCM/s320/EXUVIUM2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225776357747556322" /></a>Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-39552377625880579182008-07-19T16:41:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:46:19.418-08:00Orchid GardensMy Nagoya tourist guide listed the city Orchid Gardens (<a href="http://www.rannoyakata.net/">Ran no Yakata</a>) as a desination of note. It informed me that Aichi Prefecture, of which Nagoya is the capital, is the number one producer of orchids in Japan. It also told me that the Orchid Gardens are "<span style="font-style:italic;">a new space born in a city that proposes a new life for people and flower with the theme of orchid</span>." With such an endorsement I had to check it out! As you might imagine, there were lots of orchids. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSeuSsbeYM627ykconNMH0JiBGXpvtaJyKKdn6hhMVJKLipZuwE9bdKf0o7JwovYYg0sedyAZ_JGGnkBGh3mR9-Kyh_ZEjlULbFo0xE0ceMFHn4Gbsk1w6YIYA46q0OAYWMiaA6GrmVbo/s1600-h/ORCHID_7.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSeuSsbeYM627ykconNMH0JiBGXpvtaJyKKdn6hhMVJKLipZuwE9bdKf0o7JwovYYg0sedyAZ_JGGnkBGh3mR9-Kyh_ZEjlULbFo0xE0ceMFHn4Gbsk1w6YIYA46q0OAYWMiaA6GrmVbo/s320/ORCHID_7.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224876345083054802" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgWfJE-YShGpnG-3Wa8ujx6fBjn7kxWbAZdxQu4HPlmsAZyawWMXnmnAKY2w-xUuH2x5T4tpAK-D78q3FBuH5Q23yLIMpfT5Qd3bvEAwfv1JJtWHxWQF-vC9mv-YPvbvz8uCgytSrN5o/s1600-h/orchid_10.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgWfJE-YShGpnG-3Wa8ujx6fBjn7kxWbAZdxQu4HPlmsAZyawWMXnmnAKY2w-xUuH2x5T4tpAK-D78q3FBuH5Q23yLIMpfT5Qd3bvEAwfv1JJtWHxWQF-vC9mv-YPvbvz8uCgytSrN5o/s320/orchid_10.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224876350004916130" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuY9AAeM1FYk2EHf57ScLe1Lif0CCbMNtecM7Rxg3rerPCekUMzxUSzLnlD-nrzzc98dZqVXWbcufoj5OOpaW3CltctKQ6EhS6Lhj7R4eV69GBGKf1qv6NsfLIRTIJr7QFCi0IFO4fK3A/s1600-h/orchid_28.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuY9AAeM1FYk2EHf57ScLe1Lif0CCbMNtecM7Rxg3rerPCekUMzxUSzLnlD-nrzzc98dZqVXWbcufoj5OOpaW3CltctKQ6EhS6Lhj7R4eV69GBGKf1qv6NsfLIRTIJr7QFCi0IFO4fK3A/s320/orchid_28.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224876359663378802" /></a>And lots of dragonflies and damselflies in an outside pond.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOZ2Ua9552SpV2Ec5OsZQ-uL2hqBdVqlvhy6xdQ1sFIBTDdsMppTvL70KY_XLUUYBnwOtlrwvDUmdDeDvGiGpid8G7EWomrF8rUKPO4BhkdBlS3G6mkLL-_pFt1CQ8bjZtsQebGdU1ys/s1600-h/DAMSELS.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOZ2Ua9552SpV2Ec5OsZQ-uL2hqBdVqlvhy6xdQ1sFIBTDdsMppTvL70KY_XLUUYBnwOtlrwvDUmdDeDvGiGpid8G7EWomrF8rUKPO4BhkdBlS3G6mkLL-_pFt1CQ8bjZtsQebGdU1ys/s320/DAMSELS.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224876365042571954" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJ6yioehDWtDDiRtIO_PPH4N8krHz1NqW49J4gaGJ0kZEY6_b3T6m91m5uN9OPuXn7Z4fhiQS-MhGldH-J5nCSbcrtHAnyB4mQ6esfGBEDF7y4H39BIk90sbXOZGQRfxA4H4nqHOdggw/s1600-h/EXUVIUM.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJ6yioehDWtDDiRtIO_PPH4N8krHz1NqW49J4gaGJ0kZEY6_b3T6m91m5uN9OPuXn7Z4fhiQS-MhGldH-J5nCSbcrtHAnyB4mQ6esfGBEDF7y4H39BIk90sbXOZGQRfxA4H4nqHOdggw/s320/EXUVIUM.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224876370101656690" /></a>More pictures of orchids are below.<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="288" height="192" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.co.uk&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.co.uk%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjannvendetti%2Falbumid%2F5224865552953913665%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-42113545184892024382008-07-19T16:20:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:46:19.902-08:00Vending MachinesAnother thing that Japan has lots of are vending machines. LOTS! It is quite incredible. I did a simple survey of the vending machines in the area between my apartment and Science Building C, where the geological sciences are housed, and counted 17 vending machines. 17! This was walking within campus for about 6 minutes. Here are some of the highlights.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASYXNFZoE1S3gPMfIMOgMxTVz8GWi_CHFyVa9C4YX_VEPKMWVMPlmVoJpoP7HFXXAq1q6IhgRXHh_tCgGeDPwUfeVnlEMmNG5131jrak_ESlOEY6qdnBxFhvpYF4wzwcPPeWi1p_Kw-I/s1600-h/vending_5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASYXNFZoE1S3gPMfIMOgMxTVz8GWi_CHFyVa9C4YX_VEPKMWVMPlmVoJpoP7HFXXAq1q6IhgRXHh_tCgGeDPwUfeVnlEMmNG5131jrak_ESlOEY6qdnBxFhvpYF4wzwcPPeWi1p_Kw-I/s320/vending_5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224870592289313442" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrftcNxt77SJTLo9fA85AlrPPSkTLIDCgleNegqL1yuczKFMtIkGmFLKzNs_uPK7RolGn0_-t9QSbPCQ3IdEEEIKMW5ZQfZL9vo4bdISK45HsG6WEk2N1_ST0bLU7sQGmv7dA08IsM64/s1600-h/vending_6.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrftcNxt77SJTLo9fA85AlrPPSkTLIDCgleNegqL1yuczKFMtIkGmFLKzNs_uPK7RolGn0_-t9QSbPCQ3IdEEEIKMW5ZQfZL9vo4bdISK45HsG6WEk2N1_ST0bLU7sQGmv7dA08IsM64/s320/vending_6.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224870601978978130" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAlOpfnHSQaoD5E2ERk56Crjmt8qtEOGcXiQy8Hi9StCQbLNyLpew0gM4mQW0gMhORm6SBxePiT63jAU7EZ8wOsNb8iQ90TuKvHssOg4lSyJ_L0o4IST5CNrztRlUfbBAxOFwU8gUUN8/s1600-h/vending_7.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAlOpfnHSQaoD5E2ERk56Crjmt8qtEOGcXiQy8Hi9StCQbLNyLpew0gM4mQW0gMhORm6SBxePiT63jAU7EZ8wOsNb8iQ90TuKvHssOg4lSyJ_L0o4IST5CNrztRlUfbBAxOFwU8gUUN8/s320/vending_7.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224870606704039810" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LCcrCZUMS1-m8aoH_h6NhyIm54K_EjrAhgou9P6nSh25PiG4aJqv4if0dXckMAfo_5Iu4aoGtohPx0VHmzSpJr_clNCbXCjFfYbkvhFv5oF0BvytPaNnzmi48ptMIatY7Bde7KQH5e4/s1600-h/vending_15.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LCcrCZUMS1-m8aoH_h6NhyIm54K_EjrAhgou9P6nSh25PiG4aJqv4if0dXckMAfo_5Iu4aoGtohPx0VHmzSpJr_clNCbXCjFfYbkvhFv5oF0BvytPaNnzmi48ptMIatY7Bde7KQH5e4/s320/vending_15.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224870612554501506" /></a>If you think of these vending machines as species, you can see two different ones; the liquid-release-into-a-cup species (species A) and the plastic-bottle-dispensing species (species B). In the pictures above, all are species B, except the third one down with "Relax" written on it. On the Nagoya campus and in Japan in general, species B is much more common than species A. There is also a great deal of intraspecific variation within species B; in color, type of beverage dispensed, advertising, and overall size. Alas, I have too small a sample size to be able to characterize the variation within species A (N=1).Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-83250317563759114522008-07-16T21:42:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:46:20.511-08:00Cicadas and Cameron DiazJapan has lots of <a href="http://homepage2.nifty.com/saisho/Zikade-e.html">cicadas</a>. In Japanese they are called, "say-mee." Just this morning I noticed 3 cicada exoskeletons on tree trunks, leaves, and cement posts around the Nagoya campus. So far two <a href="http://images.google.com/images?um=1&tab=wi&hl=en&lr=lang_ja&q=+%E8%9D%89">cicadas</a> have flown into me (all of us are okay). It reminds me of New Jersey! The cicadas are LOUD and start their noises at about 4:30am and go until sunset around 7:45pm. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BNwQ1PnHb2ywfU7NAAX14hocROVqMwtHXv1lwTUdpONQkZKNfly_k4fFQyoHJT9Z4Ku1ES5CEV2zzoBHICsbTZymVodwp7v0dwSiLhoTtBqSKuBrUO14here7a5HLivie_AqjzuorCk/s1600-h/Japan_cicada.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BNwQ1PnHb2ywfU7NAAX14hocROVqMwtHXv1lwTUdpONQkZKNfly_k4fFQyoHJT9Z4Ku1ES5CEV2zzoBHICsbTZymVodwp7v0dwSiLhoTtBqSKuBrUO14here7a5HLivie_AqjzuorCk/s320/Japan_cicada.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223842378676442258" /></a>Another thing all over Japan are advertisements with Cameron Diaz! She is the spokesperson for <a href="http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/">SoftBank</a> -a big Japanese phone company- and therefore is on billboards, the subway, and television commercials in which she dances through the streets. It is pretty funny.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8cDWIqPo660552FOz2um-IWfuXaZiR0rZCkjTSkCQ-6hE3PGxyaCvwbK2SeY_eZ5yl9jUxVxcz2S5z3rZBdMWsPZ4u9z_WpVp4ATvez0VIvaTZCH_pSneB8exgpfkS464YI1OmjBKLbI/s1600-h/Cameron_Diaz.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8cDWIqPo660552FOz2um-IWfuXaZiR0rZCkjTSkCQ-6hE3PGxyaCvwbK2SeY_eZ5yl9jUxVxcz2S5z3rZBdMWsPZ4u9z_WpVp4ATvez0VIvaTZCH_pSneB8exgpfkS464YI1OmjBKLbI/s320/Cameron_Diaz.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223842401528820386" /></a>Interestingly, many other American movie <a href="http://www.japanads.net/?p=36">celebrities endorse</a> various products sold in Japan such as watches (Brad Pitt), coffee (Tommy Lee Jones), and Nescafe (Meg Ryan). <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjhj0N_90oSJvgsJX_kfqLyRw_9bzYUnNFqI8QarHZHHznNdubiCKfOu4-NWntzdZfRCjJOK8iC1OihtD_l-bqdNFHD3SjIXzIJtLIdwJorYZfzDDVEieYu9p9zKI6hLA63oqKBcf9LM/s1600-h/TLJonesCoffee.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjhj0N_90oSJvgsJX_kfqLyRw_9bzYUnNFqI8QarHZHHznNdubiCKfOu4-NWntzdZfRCjJOK8iC1OihtD_l-bqdNFHD3SjIXzIJtLIdwJorYZfzDDVEieYu9p9zKI6hLA63oqKBcf9LM/s320/TLJonesCoffee.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223842394278311858" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggP5GTkYOq2BSRlQj1Gr2ufbTjoDTFO-eu7z0ABMgM46IUgc9J0bdTDRSiRK0Qal8HsF5JC2BctiCzIoLXv2eVAshQvF_PPqK2zegXh7HC95ndqWqoWWT-QYNhQgqmTaT8gjFlmhc2hNo/s1600-h/MegRyan.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggP5GTkYOq2BSRlQj1Gr2ufbTjoDTFO-eu7z0ABMgM46IUgc9J0bdTDRSiRK0Qal8HsF5JC2BctiCzIoLXv2eVAshQvF_PPqK2zegXh7HC95ndqWqoWWT-QYNhQgqmTaT8gjFlmhc2hNo/s320/MegRyan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223842388888894450" /></a>In addition to Japanese buccinids, Japanese insects, and Japanese maples, I am now somewhat obsessed with Japanese advertising featuring Americans.Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-46372806065983291482008-07-16T20:31:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:46:22.758-08:00JoetsuYesterday I came back from a trip to <a href="http://www.city.joetsu.niigata.jp/english/contents.files/Temples.html">Joetsu</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niigata_Prefecture">Niigata Prefecture</a> on the eastern, or Japan Sea, side of Japan. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivH-lfgIDh2KRapjcrtri-jEtqQE9-lPyXvlKm6DR6wt0wv8lm7itllR-WdBhC4574uYjB9HN-W0be2r7zOiCGbQDOWlHHjudqJZJRKo1SMTZj7rkMpJt3DacuIt81F7QLiqIblWIZhzQ/s1600-h/Japan_Joetsu.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivH-lfgIDh2KRapjcrtri-jEtqQE9-lPyXvlKm6DR6wt0wv8lm7itllR-WdBhC4574uYjB9HN-W0be2r7zOiCGbQDOWlHHjudqJZJRKo1SMTZj7rkMpJt3DacuIt81F7QLiqIblWIZhzQ/s320/Japan_Joetsu.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223820848194142162" /></a>The purpose of this trip was to talk to Dr. Kazutaka Amano at Joetsu University, look at his collection of fossil buccinids, and see if I could sample some Japan Sea buccinids from the Joetsu fishmarket. Success!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0ttnWdxPIlP0WcsrH6HYwnwtQpskM-M7ZoYws4-ocAL7i7-lWeJpN9AHTwtLJHNA2BtyQf4OdF9W0HjhF32IXcl16E6_P1MlYGXhF-YP3wNK6swsJ8ayW_MQl8YFlQsuDw1Vx0u8HMo/s1600-h/AmanoBuccinid.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0ttnWdxPIlP0WcsrH6HYwnwtQpskM-M7ZoYws4-ocAL7i7-lWeJpN9AHTwtLJHNA2BtyQf4OdF9W0HjhF32IXcl16E6_P1MlYGXhF-YP3wNK6swsJ8ayW_MQl8YFlQsuDw1Vx0u8HMo/s320/AmanoBuccinid.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223821781344130882" /></a>Dr. Amano at the fishmarket.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7oMscRJaJ1fcXpbRfuYtoH1g-tBCRXrIxecu00r5eLk43vyO8uDRQNqAc-FU0ApNz8RWGRh5h9Gcibk1soDDQ8v1ieeJqjOz87TZkyYxWxqt6haxhu755uBfQHp34chymjo9Qh_HpLmc/s1600-h/JoetsuJuly16_fishmarket_4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7oMscRJaJ1fcXpbRfuYtoH1g-tBCRXrIxecu00r5eLk43vyO8uDRQNqAc-FU0ApNz8RWGRh5h9Gcibk1soDDQ8v1ieeJqjOz87TZkyYxWxqt6haxhu755uBfQHp34chymjo9Qh_HpLmc/s320/JoetsuJuly16_fishmarket_4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224120558149783314" /></a>Buccinids at the fishmarket.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6fI5H2y4uuvj0H_Ti6LGlEBENL4SFhJQBzIoyjDVyS43PJJGvIEVDHWN3z0ziU7T3p1xuO66x_g4Q-oMjmYYeW6BgDFrUB-Sn9T_G7-kh6Z9QuAfp8NtoAUnrdhIhvTjzin324vyumY/s1600-h/JoetsuJuly16_fishmarket_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6fI5H2y4uuvj0H_Ti6LGlEBENL4SFhJQBzIoyjDVyS43PJJGvIEVDHWN3z0ziU7T3p1xuO66x_g4Q-oMjmYYeW6BgDFrUB-Sn9T_G7-kh6Z9QuAfp8NtoAUnrdhIhvTjzin324vyumY/s320/JoetsuJuly16_fishmarket_2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223821789355062754" /></a>Me by the Japan Sea. I could almost see Korea! (well no, but I was as close as I have ever been).<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeD9jE4PWxYEjUx4ep0HwiC8sXcDOEN1kr1Qje8luOGri1zO_5vgrDV2qtzkUYY4Im75XRilvGyB21sxzwWtm7mliNCirEsLTyllu0Mo1bdECzXF3OyHtpwW9T7PRo0rBV17HC45lQl9A/s1600-h/JapanSea_Jann.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeD9jE4PWxYEjUx4ep0HwiC8sXcDOEN1kr1Qje8luOGri1zO_5vgrDV2qtzkUYY4Im75XRilvGyB21sxzwWtm7mliNCirEsLTyllu0Mo1bdECzXF3OyHtpwW9T7PRo0rBV17HC45lQl9A/s320/JapanSea_Jann.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223836378817864306" /></a>To get to Joetsu I took the Japanese railroad through the Japan Alps and cities including <a href="http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=2&OLGY=1998">Nagano</a>, home of the 1998 Winter Olympics. The evidence of the very active <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4126809.stm">tectonics</a> of Japan was all around.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYz0Z1g0rpjg67CrTuSFmETNd02z1L7eQcQq7WtasTAm63kgelTUs5yQOWY8vLLg9-EyNjwhHkVk8WaWAqNTF11rLE5MzKkz2mvqpHHS8hkifsV_5Hh3BMioHZjtqIzlUw_uL71mndlY/s1600-h/Joetsu_landscape_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYz0Z1g0rpjg67CrTuSFmETNd02z1L7eQcQq7WtasTAm63kgelTUs5yQOWY8vLLg9-EyNjwhHkVk8WaWAqNTF11rLE5MzKkz2mvqpHHS8hkifsV_5Hh3BMioHZjtqIzlUw_uL71mndlY/s320/Joetsu_landscape_2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223824561176317010" /></a>Dr. Amano took Seji and I to some of the famous spots in the city including castles, shrines, and temples.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCY_k2tgBIpdzsPed-7oqmBQS-M9fKpmtQrtC9dYG38o-bq7wBQKkRrKVudkclNkNMO2jC-rU_ymNGB7pPM2AQE0-mv9TesvTMG6HWUJyXjQE5TlZnN1B8lJlzNMpRP4vMt_TMjFfxiwI/s1600-h/Joetsu_KasugayamaCastle_21.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCY_k2tgBIpdzsPed-7oqmBQS-M9fKpmtQrtC9dYG38o-bq7wBQKkRrKVudkclNkNMO2jC-rU_ymNGB7pPM2AQE0-mv9TesvTMG6HWUJyXjQE5TlZnN1B8lJlzNMpRP4vMt_TMjFfxiwI/s200/Joetsu_KasugayamaCastle_21.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223825619114059170" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vO6kVo6ru9FI8pzDXkmAXdWYS8c-n3qLHLEyRclJrQZU2hGq4811elnxo_4gtwgrMiAM7evbLOAPz4g5o3_GF0BDKdwFcPDkBtWywYTutDTmI5ml1tu0VKgEFo53ueSCHKXROLcsW6Q/s1600-h/Joetsu_KasugayamaCastle_8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vO6kVo6ru9FI8pzDXkmAXdWYS8c-n3qLHLEyRclJrQZU2hGq4811elnxo_4gtwgrMiAM7evbLOAPz4g5o3_GF0BDKdwFcPDkBtWywYTutDTmI5ml1tu0VKgEFo53ueSCHKXROLcsW6Q/s200/Joetsu_KasugayamaCastle_8.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223825613788230914" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FQ6bStTD4lthCklvW7-dXZ2F_fyQ_8DvaUom3OtX3QSKsLVeSceCBeRYF-_0E6qMk8MkEhkiYpK3PQqb39dbujZdBrZ7YstM1jkBEdelRA98Js3F29YttQ2Ykzve0TcopvzRHRJQ1w0/s1600-h/Joetsu_KasugayamaCastle_14.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FQ6bStTD4lthCklvW7-dXZ2F_fyQ_8DvaUom3OtX3QSKsLVeSceCBeRYF-_0E6qMk8MkEhkiYpK3PQqb39dbujZdBrZ7YstM1jkBEdelRA98Js3F29YttQ2Ykzve0TcopvzRHRJQ1w0/s200/Joetsu_KasugayamaCastle_14.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223825626978487570" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyp1JfgsPeaS3t7czaaR2h2dmDm6VQLPWW-Ir84awTDIaDiEygj9U8k7axchrGmogeHmhUGp55Ic5JqZokHOZH23xjfc5b8jt2KaCv0lu0P-koceP5_p5uwvma0CruavGctgD8UHv2SQ/s1600-h/Joetsu_KasugayamaCastle_11.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyp1JfgsPeaS3t7czaaR2h2dmDm6VQLPWW-Ir84awTDIaDiEygj9U8k7axchrGmogeHmhUGp55Ic5JqZokHOZH23xjfc5b8jt2KaCv0lu0P-koceP5_p5uwvma0CruavGctgD8UHv2SQ/s200/Joetsu_KasugayamaCastle_11.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223825636225734818" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFvVpoXz7SrxzQ8NorKKvigEuM2jY1lelmI2xlYo0jkCFvEWl3PPe8Ms6bMrHa6K9R5nznLJDBYVGI21ta64d7WJn_ZOYVb8BlMec7iy_CoHZ7EL6GoVYpqsP_pEQGaYGW9XgQxfkaQ0o/s1600-h/Joetsu7_15TakataCastle.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFvVpoXz7SrxzQ8NorKKvigEuM2jY1lelmI2xlYo0jkCFvEWl3PPe8Ms6bMrHa6K9R5nznLJDBYVGI21ta64d7WJn_ZOYVb8BlMec7iy_CoHZ7EL6GoVYpqsP_pEQGaYGW9XgQxfkaQ0o/s200/Joetsu7_15TakataCastle.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223825646145819650" /></a>There were two distinct environments that dominated Joetsu. One was the rice paddies,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMPA54am5dan5i7I5P4SJ96Xc_8CZRGO4O0CgslKrTOGg8MNj_jxDHdSY8ITevotMlIb9fGnsjHvHqxpIxwF5SW71ZUR13za_IloCFyFQnXAeaLRgkqOALp8ob6eVz73fUW1ePio98n8/s1600-h/Joetsu_rice_paddy_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMPA54am5dan5i7I5P4SJ96Xc_8CZRGO4O0CgslKrTOGg8MNj_jxDHdSY8ITevotMlIb9fGnsjHvHqxpIxwF5SW71ZUR13za_IloCFyFQnXAeaLRgkqOALp8ob6eVz73fUW1ePio98n8/s200/Joetsu_rice_paddy_2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223826585572802562" /></a>and the other was the lotus from the moat the surrounded Takada Castle and much of the city.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUiPNoOV4v-mPOCUjkMfs9gbUJix5AAj4Q7zFw0fn-HixozLWH9Bl1m7uLwkvE40cZtriZE2h4JS0E5QYkkljreDeogytZEDpBbyTQfAfzb4R4O66bMqUb67UbGVLt1rA7WQB0YJ9xPM/s1600-h/Joetsu_lotus.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUiPNoOV4v-mPOCUjkMfs9gbUJix5AAj4Q7zFw0fn-HixozLWH9Bl1m7uLwkvE40cZtriZE2h4JS0E5QYkkljreDeogytZEDpBbyTQfAfzb4R4O66bMqUb67UbGVLt1rA7WQB0YJ9xPM/s320/Joetsu_lotus.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223835893478921202" /></a>The life in these environments was spectacular! Here are some pictures:<br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="288" height="192" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.co.uk&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.co.uk%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjannvendetti%2Falbumid%2F5223817058759595105%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-45673415968790107262008-07-14T01:11:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:46:24.458-08:00Nagoya fishmarket and Nagoya CastleOn Saturday I decided to give the fish market a try (alone) with my limited Japanese language ability then go see Nagoya Castle. It was an adventure! Here is the fishmarket.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirrFylbrCHjVb6QnVjCtFfEtUFQifBbMWxU2cUvjgB27Sf9RPNQurOmV35kn_-wSI8zGFHNfsuXr0Mw8uc664vsZnxQcRENEaAAkSNrTM9stCywwVzoFzOdYpOGQ-E2HFRmVTRf1opAIw/s1600-h/NagoyaFishMarket_1a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirrFylbrCHjVb6QnVjCtFfEtUFQifBbMWxU2cUvjgB27Sf9RPNQurOmV35kn_-wSI8zGFHNfsuXr0Mw8uc664vsZnxQcRENEaAAkSNrTM9stCywwVzoFzOdYpOGQ-E2HFRmVTRf1opAIw/s320/NagoyaFishMarket_1a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222795345035633458" /></a>I was excited to find it and find tsubu-gai there too. Because I can say pretty much only "this one, please" in Japanese, the interactions I had with the vendors was comical. Some gave me whelks for free, while others I could hear saying the equivalent of "here she is again!" because I kept getting lost between the indoor and outdoor parts of the market and passing the same stall over and over again. Hah! By the end of the morning I had successfully bought (or was given) 4 tsubu gai species. Another small detail added to the bizarre but kind of wonderful atomosphere of the whole experience- the 80s song "She Blinded me with Science" was playing inexplicabley from somewhere as I walked around.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEh7Sy_o6142tjS52lWJ1dYcmFE7OLMm4vJDYcT8BbvVq7ijywY6e7SkZX2FltiansATXd7BmnHE2FGgPn8021vEJ9K2lJXbukT3DIc-ncNFsQurGHCmRaNGcPpq93s8o86yHeoE8UKY/s1600-h/NagoyaFishMarket_3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEh7Sy_o6142tjS52lWJ1dYcmFE7OLMm4vJDYcT8BbvVq7ijywY6e7SkZX2FltiansATXd7BmnHE2FGgPn8021vEJ9K2lJXbukT3DIc-ncNFsQurGHCmRaNGcPpq93s8o86yHeoE8UKY/s320/NagoyaFishMarket_3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222782937407672658" /></a>It was a marine menagerie including octopus, who I felt really bad for...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijE6Upg3trHx1hIEtUvtTo6USCfsWwX3FpDcx0yXvcNcsFG7PdDiDA8lurYNwupA2lzmlpv0Sir8BjBhU2d-t_LsvVawcwxJ8ixdzmAI5TQlTsRO1dTHG016y8XIKN_fMmSqVucOjOrKY/s1600-h/NagoyaFishMarket_6a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijE6Upg3trHx1hIEtUvtTo6USCfsWwX3FpDcx0yXvcNcsFG7PdDiDA8lurYNwupA2lzmlpv0Sir8BjBhU2d-t_LsvVawcwxJ8ixdzmAI5TQlTsRO1dTHG016y8XIKN_fMmSqVucOjOrKY/s320/NagoyaFishMarket_6a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222782939818638898" /></a>sea urchins<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ZVrbmBkeVphysqF0XODEp7HwQez18XxBzlwrOZvcrwdWeVnL9jSI1XD85ni-xvoQ50iohFd8Z-6nhWHVh3avMYLj1cj7CUhKrxg1ioFxdK3zTb-BgbMBSBiGLfn1lXKlii6yrkNAr-g/s1600-h/NagoyaFishMarket_9a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ZVrbmBkeVphysqF0XODEp7HwQez18XxBzlwrOZvcrwdWeVnL9jSI1XD85ni-xvoQ50iohFd8Z-6nhWHVh3avMYLj1cj7CUhKrxg1ioFxdK3zTb-BgbMBSBiGLfn1lXKlii6yrkNAr-g/s320/NagoyaFishMarket_9a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222782945038220290" /></a>and tuna.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghej8nZ7UOCGUriQO36xSdNWReXC0EUGNbgIE7I02JKtp2-uCt9YT8lstFFFpzOCj1ZzfcAz1LVG_TBd2UMqJbzK-KymyNDn0O7_4GpEDz7t_H-n306-JsYGGegiGSVbhVciJN3ckdpVs/s1600-h/NagoyaFishMarket_2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghej8nZ7UOCGUriQO36xSdNWReXC0EUGNbgIE7I02JKtp2-uCt9YT8lstFFFpzOCj1ZzfcAz1LVG_TBd2UMqJbzK-KymyNDn0O7_4GpEDz7t_H-n306-JsYGGegiGSVbhVciJN3ckdpVs/s320/NagoyaFishMarket_2.jpg"border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222782945038220290" /></a>I then went to Nagoya Castle, the emblem of the city.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vk7HtfgGjgblQ-Y83taoS8Pa-MD0hqvUYm1eOuWmmKfsme8enChRZvryFuCkzNVjGoq3bmaJLpahLRV1xtO0i91qyo1n0T1SiBXp2XgblmfrPEmao9cbCHNeVqOu9Fhp8vlDS96Ip5w/s1600-h/NagoyaCastle_9.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vk7HtfgGjgblQ-Y83taoS8Pa-MD0hqvUYm1eOuWmmKfsme8enChRZvryFuCkzNVjGoq3bmaJLpahLRV1xtO0i91qyo1n0T1SiBXp2XgblmfrPEmao9cbCHNeVqOu9Fhp8vlDS96Ip5w/s320/NagoyaCastle_9.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222787472633069762" /></a>The castle boasts the famed (in Aichi Prefecture at least) golden "shachihoko" on its top.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1TINbtuRjSurksHQqoJT6PKAJ2JVCs5GxqExmy8E7TT1XlT_jkfwcbBa_feILZqHuGohYo1t0sQMwXRcStOVhNZeZ0-EAJBwNixDdwVWpoL3bDHVdDh88fesGo9ahcrs61crz2_kWVQ/s1600-h/NagoyaCastle_8.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1TINbtuRjSurksHQqoJT6PKAJ2JVCs5GxqExmy8E7TT1XlT_jkfwcbBa_feILZqHuGohYo1t0sQMwXRcStOVhNZeZ0-EAJBwNixDdwVWpoL3bDHVdDh88fesGo9ahcrs61crz2_kWVQ/s320/NagoyaCastle_8.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222787479651218242" /></a>Images of these animals are ubiquitous around Nagoya in a variety of forms. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lJ8I2T_AILWortIBm1LdVSBHbxMN0_FgzOvu2m0t7JF2WBgVe1QsDwaeDLV1ImKIIX_0aIoQYH1KpvkgyYFLmMBN1Ld3UCRwlPtPQpjNL3mLOwbui6yvV7AVT0N3eJJvtnDKcP9xEFw/s1600-h/Golden_Dolphin_2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lJ8I2T_AILWortIBm1LdVSBHbxMN0_FgzOvu2m0t7JF2WBgVe1QsDwaeDLV1ImKIIX_0aIoQYH1KpvkgyYFLmMBN1Ld3UCRwlPtPQpjNL3mLOwbui6yvV7AVT0N3eJJvtnDKcP9xEFw/s320/Golden_Dolphin_2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222789150656129330" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxL6MviEaVGDOVwEyQjvhPfep9o1cxbM5qSb8OfQkkWIueQJDd2cU8EHcHzkeCg1nPNk3P9svRDIPMFFbBYrr8Q5i-dBa7eyEXD1w9b0gORRa5jPwu5OUTxiu_RX_K1vzOXoKB8pcKNbQ/s1600-h/Golden_Dolphin_3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxL6MviEaVGDOVwEyQjvhPfep9o1cxbM5qSb8OfQkkWIueQJDd2cU8EHcHzkeCg1nPNk3P9svRDIPMFFbBYrr8Q5i-dBa7eyEXD1w9b0gORRa5jPwu5OUTxiu_RX_K1vzOXoKB8pcKNbQ/s320/Golden_Dolphin_3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222789158355097202" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPCB7HgezlxQXMKUoSP2Cd9C1jvZZndcU6Oc-kqWBixbWrXWFXV97OQdNDD8eEECIWtgSjmR2d3cjmgvPUAPZrn7VrrP_BmQxZ6nDlsr-FKP_Gf9M0DBmG7Sj6Kf2_MbwPPTvc0x4rdI/s1600-h/Golden_Dolphin_5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPCB7HgezlxQXMKUoSP2Cd9C1jvZZndcU6Oc-kqWBixbWrXWFXV97OQdNDD8eEECIWtgSjmR2d3cjmgvPUAPZrn7VrrP_BmQxZ6nDlsr-FKP_Gf9M0DBmG7Sj6Kf2_MbwPPTvc0x4rdI/s320/Golden_Dolphin_5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222789161496273602" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KxB9HpxFv5rdhmk_tpgtASosuumG6fzAOqv99YhyFfedNrSKOfcrDIJlbslXtBLJrCLan2_KH4NAtjvd-7w5e0-SOjiZWO-5FMuCfJUdTDwb9M0_lmaRHi6h8rKoV3gnIcrp_wsI7yo/s1600-h/Shachihoko_cartoon.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KxB9HpxFv5rdhmk_tpgtASosuumG6fzAOqv99YhyFfedNrSKOfcrDIJlbslXtBLJrCLan2_KH4NAtjvd-7w5e0-SOjiZWO-5FMuCfJUdTDwb9M0_lmaRHi6h8rKoV3gnIcrp_wsI7yo/s320/Shachihoko_cartoon.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222789171836271890" /></a>I consulted various sources trying to discover the nature of this animal and was told that it is;<br />1. An imaginary dragon-like fish (Nagoya Tourist Guide)<br />2. Fish-like statue (Another Nagoya guide)<br />3. Golden Dolphin (Nagoya Castle pamphlet)<br />4. Dolphin-like sea creature (Lonely Planet, Japan)<br />5. A mythical creature with a tiger head and fish body (My Japanese host)<br />6. A killer whale (a new Japanese friend from Nagoya who I met at Starbucks)<br />The verdict? The characters for shachihoko are Chinese and mean "Orca", so my Starbucks friend was right. However, the depiction of the shachihoko has tiger head and fish body characteristics, so my host is correct too. The schachihoko that you can ride (!) on the 5th floor of the castle shows these dual characteristics nicely. As you can see, I am not bothered by such taxonomic and phenotypic inconsistencies and instead just enjoy having my picture taken on a large, sort of weird, golden statue.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMipFLUupe9EZhKWi_3uoaHHzy-DqAiOMzhIhzqBKERk0oCI_3kxEGJmZBqG2Prgp0uwNxKFGQrTuvchcXcLrdV3DWn2tg9W2ER3IVY549pJ4MOQna0n35KEgTCK4rhAAhm9fIEzsJtQ/s1600-h/shachihoko_4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMipFLUupe9EZhKWi_3uoaHHzy-DqAiOMzhIhzqBKERk0oCI_3kxEGJmZBqG2Prgp0uwNxKFGQrTuvchcXcLrdV3DWn2tg9W2ER3IVY549pJ4MOQna0n35KEgTCK4rhAAhm9fIEzsJtQ/s320/shachihoko_4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222789174835950962" /></a>Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-32315021859611110262008-07-13T18:19:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:46:25.438-08:00Nagashi SomenRight now the Geology Department of Nagoya University is housed in Building C while the permanent home builing is being renovated.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOTPk7BiSwIhnxudKrm9DQUsowK1VuIOgjTyF289H0fwZ4PbbgrFtVTeJqcTlN7qDR2AMYuf_fLZXYitjU-bw7FpUxypoC1avTj-Z2zUfL8vKOre1SmYuZ64ItFpZqfBVkAjYZe4yeZM/s1600-h/building.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOTPk7BiSwIhnxudKrm9DQUsowK1VuIOgjTyF289H0fwZ4PbbgrFtVTeJqcTlN7qDR2AMYuf_fLZXYitjU-bw7FpUxypoC1avTj-Z2zUfL8vKOre1SmYuZ64ItFpZqfBVkAjYZe4yeZM/s320/building.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222673575703448562" /></a>On Friday, to celebrate the move out of the old building there was a nagashi somen party. This is a "flow of noodles" party that I was told is pretty common in Japan. Wheee! Somen is a kind of Japanese noodle thinner than udon. It is like vermicelli and is eaten cold flowing through a halved bamboo chute with flowing water (=nagashi). The architecture and operation of the nagashi somen contraption look something like this:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFU0TNcoERostkRlKKu5p1taD8v3mnz1IePTuOvsoUD0O6LIwJ-x7RXE8cqI1WUrI1T7iwJk0Ac0dmK6bRC0vCFKHTbYl1TBBsPK62x3tJOAG89YbrP53wisIMwT0-CHe_KIHmdNt4mrU/s1600-h/Nsign.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFU0TNcoERostkRlKKu5p1taD8v3mnz1IePTuOvsoUD0O6LIwJ-x7RXE8cqI1WUrI1T7iwJk0Ac0dmK6bRC0vCFKHTbYl1TBBsPK62x3tJOAG89YbrP53wisIMwT0-CHe_KIHmdNt4mrU/s400/Nsign.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222684782186692994" /></a>Here are the noodles being loaded into the bamboo halfed-tube.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzorEkspjpqlQyFgSHAxmb9EgRtvdjLNCTcy8E88WUxisDi3b_HNJ6EitJ_S_3tX4IXLVFjfQENwnYINXAXZ2LLW8LGs6U0uq-mCyYaTptQqnaqwVvXO_q2Buxn7lU_7hxhbkIubKeOE/s1600-h/Nagashi_somen_2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzorEkspjpqlQyFgSHAxmb9EgRtvdjLNCTcy8E88WUxisDi3b_HNJ6EitJ_S_3tX4IXLVFjfQENwnYINXAXZ2LLW8LGs6U0uq-mCyYaTptQqnaqwVvXO_q2Buxn7lU_7hxhbkIubKeOE/s320/Nagashi_somen_2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222676267569818690" /></a>Here you can see the sink and the noodles being picked up toward the end of the chute.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJWKAJAO5Jr-ddbHGsLnys8g6dxLi3gYNM0U2IdNrbIP79cHT6txlM4jnfJFygFUyfydTsegNR1KesfxaeF2p2VoJWoZc8wkS_pdIb2RR8wo6y0epK6LlLMfhE-MY3oBR5A6AIk-r8To/s1600-h/Nagashi_somen_4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJWKAJAO5Jr-ddbHGsLnys8g6dxLi3gYNM0U2IdNrbIP79cHT6txlM4jnfJFygFUyfydTsegNR1KesfxaeF2p2VoJWoZc8wkS_pdIb2RR8wo6y0epK6LlLMfhE-MY3oBR5A6AIk-r8To/s320/Nagashi_somen_4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222678870610344738" /></a>Here I am loading the noodles. This was an important job so I am very focused.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOMUQgcwltqGaDJXt80wVn9CVers7oCdwXLPL1q5aehA0yhA8TgdxFgg-yFN9hyphenhyphen0kWMXkE0bDtx_zYeU9T-rjx3Q1YduUXdKO5gFDAHBcC3UQxU1RZjz08rXs8z1M41WW-H60BpFyK1o/s1600-h/Nagashi_somen_7.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOMUQgcwltqGaDJXt80wVn9CVers7oCdwXLPL1q5aehA0yhA8TgdxFgg-yFN9hyphenhyphen0kWMXkE0bDtx_zYeU9T-rjx3Q1YduUXdKO5gFDAHBcC3UQxU1RZjz08rXs8z1M41WW-H60BpFyK1o/s320/Nagashi_somen_7.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222679210703400658" /></a>Here is my Japanese host, Seiji, doing the same.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvRhQF1HaPNDi6pxNnkc2VwzWek0ROIekXWFTCCy9cHr9mSrT-vQyFMmVWVVM_eAU1EXmRPUQRczZdxaRk5OaZUGQeu14uex_h0RHYpv6SGIthRSmsoA0YFfNZ3jWHvyOGYL7Mo-hXrY/s1600-h/Nsomen_8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvRhQF1HaPNDi6pxNnkc2VwzWek0ROIekXWFTCCy9cHr9mSrT-vQyFMmVWVVM_eAU1EXmRPUQRczZdxaRk5OaZUGQeu14uex_h0RHYpv6SGIthRSmsoA0YFfNZ3jWHvyOGYL7Mo-hXrY/s320/Nsomen_8.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222679612102846546" /></a>Here I am about to enjoy the somen that I "caught"! Seiji and his family are behind me.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEf_I0sz6z9g7P6CV7MoEre4-aHN3-JCKkrl9-ecEln5pxE_IsbGStZ1OhWaXm5YZ8AToC_ye7beQOKcsc0GNABKOMaPR63IyY7GoNkWrMqhY-QJsAqvYApBTs864JAqZ_SvqcjMIbQ0/s1600-h/Nsomenjann.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEf_I0sz6z9g7P6CV7MoEre4-aHN3-JCKkrl9-ecEln5pxE_IsbGStZ1OhWaXm5YZ8AToC_ye7beQOKcsc0GNABKOMaPR63IyY7GoNkWrMqhY-QJsAqvYApBTs864JAqZ_SvqcjMIbQ0/s320/Nsomenjann.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222679984909818226" /></a>Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-84750357598341867612008-07-13T17:25:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:46:26.901-08:00SendaiAfter the trip to Rikuzen-Takata I went to Sendai for (a) the meeting of the Paleontological Society of Japan, (b) to look at some fossil tsubu-gai at the Tohoku University Museum of Natural Hisory, (c) to photograph some extant tsubu-gai from a private shell collector, and finally (d) to search for tsubu-gai at the Sendai Fishmarket.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkVMK1vq1eLeHDxy7MiL03hn544bG1-QArw0iIwmTyeKuyZK1Y-tFmc-OTeWKjgORgTz7h7kPJrNDL8dvwy7Km5J1oHa5EeC9qRqO52qxSUDijOKZDdzPw13qBiye5ZBh10mvhXZufBU/s1600-h/maproute2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkVMK1vq1eLeHDxy7MiL03hn544bG1-QArw0iIwmTyeKuyZK1Y-tFmc-OTeWKjgORgTz7h7kPJrNDL8dvwy7Km5J1oHa5EeC9qRqO52qxSUDijOKZDdzPw13qBiye5ZBh10mvhXZufBU/s320/maproute2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222666821163531746" /></a>The meeting was a bit of a challenge for me because almost all of the talks and posters were in Japanese.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7T-ujXwQYUaYi17NB8orjl-_04XsyrDFHIjwDnlUtbgOsvoIN9yJDi_pph8T9bfTDapQzk6N2uLypoE6Yvx_iz_QaFMWPnOx0ycCfWzxJ_eBeupECZTu3kbdvUdECS7iZJB_mftzHKs/s1600-h/Meeting.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7T-ujXwQYUaYi17NB8orjl-_04XsyrDFHIjwDnlUtbgOsvoIN9yJDi_pph8T9bfTDapQzk6N2uLypoE6Yvx_iz_QaFMWPnOx0ycCfWzxJ_eBeupECZTu3kbdvUdECS7iZJB_mftzHKs/s320/Meeting.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222687656757831746" /></a>However, everyone I met was gracious and friendly. Here I am with the Society president.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuB4HvJ7NLrP0Yrqym6gon358rbfYkXbo-2pfkA7M8VmJ6H-RTJLPIyuc_b3MWhrNd_0Jc2xKRlEaCoQ9S0pQdtPsu46TcAqS7lpop_XnnrSWjKNLQXhWHYyKMFgmzkDxI-Xxb2x7Vk2g/s1600-h/Sendai.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuB4HvJ7NLrP0Yrqym6gon358rbfYkXbo-2pfkA7M8VmJ6H-RTJLPIyuc_b3MWhrNd_0Jc2xKRlEaCoQ9S0pQdtPsu46TcAqS7lpop_XnnrSWjKNLQXhWHYyKMFgmzkDxI-Xxb2x7Vk2g/s320/Sendai.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222661783660780370" /></a>Next I visited Higuchi-san, a Sendai native who has been collecting shells for over 10 years. In addition to this room of specimens, he has another ENTIRE HOUSE devoted to his collection. It was amazing.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Xlbo8V19sJC_bTTegoEt52918E8NKEFDk1RIAzqzErXfUu7DycUyVhp7lBONKUFuxreSxcjt1UW-mmxTriDj-smsk567Wunc0x0MI4bDxLbyiQLlembMgMzF6tDea1katppsJGqJMBE/s1600-h/Higuchi2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Xlbo8V19sJC_bTTegoEt52918E8NKEFDk1RIAzqzErXfUu7DycUyVhp7lBONKUFuxreSxcjt1UW-mmxTriDj-smsk567Wunc0x0MI4bDxLbyiQLlembMgMzF6tDea1katppsJGqJMBE/s320/Higuchi2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222777834391637874" /></a>He had some rare specimens including these sinestral (left-handed) shells from species in the Neptunea genus.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6IGdfXTqCA08xUSWyV0jZouM-2GEXEaC894s1iPP9ZU6XgS9R1C-P7lINA5aVUeq2oBYmW1bZn8FCdZCgFXfJZi4MzfODqZsVEOIcbnMb8LfNVUJVMirMY5U5f_BvMVdZiyv5Wyd8U50/s1600-h/Higuchi1a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6IGdfXTqCA08xUSWyV0jZouM-2GEXEaC894s1iPP9ZU6XgS9R1C-P7lINA5aVUeq2oBYmW1bZn8FCdZCgFXfJZi4MzfODqZsVEOIcbnMb8LfNVUJVMirMY5U5f_BvMVdZiyv5Wyd8U50/s320/Higuchi1a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222777836977850338" /></a>Here are tsubu-gai at the fishmarket!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3R8Tp4pa3RtzW2AocoQU9hrEPWgUD4_Mee9IlfBVoQP0IguAt1bMYtcjqkzn-Y_ncOWNYmISmOV5GFZmTFsKLzXKFCbjN_PHQaUnXJ0f2-EvW-Vftb_0DQYUBS291iYUxQcwJY7UmuYU/s1600-h/SendaiMarke_tsubuA.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3R8Tp4pa3RtzW2AocoQU9hrEPWgUD4_Mee9IlfBVoQP0IguAt1bMYtcjqkzn-Y_ncOWNYmISmOV5GFZmTFsKLzXKFCbjN_PHQaUnXJ0f2-EvW-Vftb_0DQYUBS291iYUxQcwJY7UmuYU/s320/SendaiMarke_tsubuA.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222667694329735794" /></a>There was quite an assortment of other sea creatures at this market including ascidians (tunicates!),<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCqOpHOr93mns2J1BGbk1c1pHg08S4tjQgPB_DGd1jyp8DU9vzNsbeR5thqmhMLprGQSkJYtR3oVdpGkMegbaFSCH59zGWZ3RrYgUFEzC3Em1AQm268tzXaIOujtw4nnsjgftzaiLRC8/s1600-h/SendaiMarke_acidian.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCqOpHOr93mns2J1BGbk1c1pHg08S4tjQgPB_DGd1jyp8DU9vzNsbeR5thqmhMLprGQSkJYtR3oVdpGkMegbaFSCH59zGWZ3RrYgUFEzC3Em1AQm268tzXaIOujtw4nnsjgftzaiLRC8/s320/SendaiMarke_acidian.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222668950845097634" /></a>and barnacles, which perplexed both my Japanese host, Seiji, and me.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYXnILCJWSNdQyijK8hQTdyq8ZnlTKE2k2erNTmNDEomgN72E4j-m5_DxkmP9grO-CxJUxFGLUeb7IDzyq3wB9WL6a295r9Z6itanjDuoL3rzI2u5cvcSSXI-b-NdPR0ED5W0fJBr3Yk/s1600-h/SendaiMarket_barnacles.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYXnILCJWSNdQyijK8hQTdyq8ZnlTKE2k2erNTmNDEomgN72E4j-m5_DxkmP9grO-CxJUxFGLUeb7IDzyq3wB9WL6a295r9Z6itanjDuoL3rzI2u5cvcSSXI-b-NdPR0ED5W0fJBr3Yk/s320/SendaiMarket_barnacles.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222668963067066114" /></a>I also got a chance to explore some of Sendai on my own. As per usual, there was a plentiful assortment of shrines but also castle remnants and one pretty spectacular mausoleum to Date Masumune from 1637. Here I am running to get in a picture with the Sendai castle gate at second 9 of the 10 second camera timer.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfECmGvC4Zn_xnoNwf9tnrA5SEYOKzja9wgLI_xvIPNR2gAFDqYfB5A8MH8k6rR1XFqwdr_16kK2x5IiX49F4LNAe1nl8H_GcTxreC6TcFvYuPMDCn4b9csFAvXmRvyu5L1Fv1_j_eG8/s1600-h/running.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfECmGvC4Zn_xnoNwf9tnrA5SEYOKzja9wgLI_xvIPNR2gAFDqYfB5A8MH8k6rR1XFqwdr_16kK2x5IiX49F4LNAe1nl8H_GcTxreC6TcFvYuPMDCn4b9csFAvXmRvyu5L1Fv1_j_eG8/s320/running.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222665478145718802" /></a>Here is the Date on horseback, a famous image of Sendai.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmO12F1rB8F7W8UMd4k_yHB6QwZqvpZWMtvXjDRVJZBjVd9e5orpqNRiWs0Sy7NAE4TsvbnpxCxTdUYLgRl14y07kszL-lCaeqmjRKgm-ICMCYEjyhPrChdDVq1d85ckL6KyGoTKO300/s1600-h/SendaiCastle_DateBig.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmO12F1rB8F7W8UMd4k_yHB6QwZqvpZWMtvXjDRVJZBjVd9e5orpqNRiWs0Sy7NAE4TsvbnpxCxTdUYLgRl14y07kszL-lCaeqmjRKgm-ICMCYEjyhPrChdDVq1d85ckL6KyGoTKO300/s320/SendaiCastle_DateBig.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222669972983275874" /></a>Some more pictures are <span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/jannvendetti/Sendai/photo#s5220940649624192258">here</a></span>.Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-403699553372362092008-07-10T01:43:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:46:27.748-08:00Happy Birthday Gene!My husband Gene turns 29 today! Happy Birthday! I wish I could be with you!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWMoZe7Q3_-5oAGH1eZRAyHW8GxEQwglhn3R4RvhxmWIr6MHJoHVLefW-xyeMwxE-B1PXhh1HFk7I6M8CtKqwzUNWGVqLNiAUl3QLwUgOqUZJSRmr7rbe5tznf9mP1MbEmY5Bfh9Ks5s/s1600-h/Genebaby.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWMoZe7Q3_-5oAGH1eZRAyHW8GxEQwglhn3R4RvhxmWIr6MHJoHVLefW-xyeMwxE-B1PXhh1HFk7I6M8CtKqwzUNWGVqLNiAUl3QLwUgOqUZJSRmr7rbe5tznf9mP1MbEmY5Bfh9Ks5s/s320/Genebaby.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221304112585901570" /></a>Gene and the UCMP <span style="font-style:italic;">T. rex</span>.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvY9rRv9hPRmgLbQS_kNfPtZYIOBqxYbJkieVP0YfH7rPEXo37-0otGGmfFk_JOQZ1gxHg9fRUWdjA-DZ8APl5A2HBtbRcsqA_0MJu9LovwmhoXDLkfYcy_CBI-IJ7vzUFXo13nyqs_g/s1600-h/t_rex_Gene.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvY9rRv9hPRmgLbQS_kNfPtZYIOBqxYbJkieVP0YfH7rPEXo37-0otGGmfFk_JOQZ1gxHg9fRUWdjA-DZ8APl5A2HBtbRcsqA_0MJu9LovwmhoXDLkfYcy_CBI-IJ7vzUFXo13nyqs_g/s320/t_rex_Gene.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221304116915403330" /></a>Gene in Point Reyes.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuT5-YvmTPCm2oHwFeNFH2ZaBLJ_lPjVFdBJYWQU7p1dywJ-awEW0Yl2WA9Y2SoHNHaxVra3WXM7xdxWYXTrQqsUVhcnBJdg9Vv2EV2HUjowgQMuHpDsYfu4-WHfHyGipesYWmpVmZyQ/s1600-h/GeneMonterey.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuT5-YvmTPCm2oHwFeNFH2ZaBLJ_lPjVFdBJYWQU7p1dywJ-awEW0Yl2WA9Y2SoHNHaxVra3WXM7xdxWYXTrQqsUVhcnBJdg9Vv2EV2HUjowgQMuHpDsYfu4-WHfHyGipesYWmpVmZyQ/s320/GeneMonterey.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221304125317880050" /></a>Gene in action (!) curling in our apartment with our friend Emily.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKITdfk-2t1t-8nnDZR51aBp2MnTFm0vVrlPq01UWnjPLMKWpjwKTGI00aCEb-1wa1LxoPAsq5GLxnyMY58VeuDmtnHzJlXRVx8dup7ZKi4URxvZTi5ni3cjHPmFsWVCp6a_kCpyUyAqw/s1600-h/Genecurling.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKITdfk-2t1t-8nnDZR51aBp2MnTFm0vVrlPq01UWnjPLMKWpjwKTGI00aCEb-1wa1LxoPAsq5GLxnyMY58VeuDmtnHzJlXRVx8dup7ZKi4URxvZTi5ni3cjHPmFsWVCp6a_kCpyUyAqw/s320/Genecurling.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221304129313620594" /></a>Gene the REI hero.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIknKNP2d82jdBtXK1vZQ3RADAw-uNCODcFHc3MVAn2dUH4vt5prgG4B8q9i8N0qY4NC6KJYJer45Rs9sY986UBHwsJGwzP0AWijW9qxIXCWlbTHuS5ibqzpAurISSuntFC9b6ChE4THE/s1600-h/GeneREI2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIknKNP2d82jdBtXK1vZQ3RADAw-uNCODcFHc3MVAn2dUH4vt5prgG4B8q9i8N0qY4NC6KJYJer45Rs9sY986UBHwsJGwzP0AWijW9qxIXCWlbTHuS5ibqzpAurISSuntFC9b6ChE4THE/s320/GeneREI2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221304140096973554" /></a>Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-14112985992205924882008-07-10T00:36:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:46:28.399-08:00Nagoya University<a href="http://www.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/index2.html">Nagoya University</a> is one of the Imperial Universities of Japan. Much of the money that has funded it in the last 30 years has been from Toyota Corporation. Yup, the car-maker Toyota. When Japanese is converted to English the letters "t" and "d" are often switched or used interchangeably, so the building below is "Toyoda Auditorium."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RY4rFEAoZJw4oSS_WLvtTa5Izo_yVQ1N-wOj1MMmK6UQLr7ev8QYFstmG5aq-sen_Rfy7VgdM53cdOpqeBWRgArSb4MWqIi0ioMIOi2E8HxZw5JUfpo2PrHj1ye4Noadwk40Ss2_Qh4/s1600-h/Toyoda2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RY4rFEAoZJw4oSS_WLvtTa5Izo_yVQ1N-wOj1MMmK6UQLr7ev8QYFstmG5aq-sen_Rfy7VgdM53cdOpqeBWRgArSb4MWqIi0ioMIOi2E8HxZw5JUfpo2PrHj1ye4Noadwk40Ss2_Qh4/s320/Toyoda2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221292779206984882" /></a><a href="http://www.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/index2.html"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbO57kaR9omKP_ZBUU_3aTlL-OXkhIskh77-bN4JJOnXLEyAcVrdGtY6pOpajkBW1GmUuvRiXNqoP9kC7BP493oVqN-FZyVBq0MN9j1Hn2B6B-e1VMh04QAIsb29svKM4A9ctItwnm5Ug/s1600-h/NagoyaU_sign.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbO57kaR9omKP_ZBUU_3aTlL-OXkhIskh77-bN4JJOnXLEyAcVrdGtY6pOpajkBW1GmUuvRiXNqoP9kC7BP493oVqN-FZyVBq0MN9j1Hn2B6B-e1VMh04QAIsb29svKM4A9ctItwnm5Ug/s320/NagoyaU_sign.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221289539072862850" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLaUBtBHT7rXGxmhIW-eHZXPmCP34Rp9aHIPqHaYzIzCkjU0IJNhaZFT48m3aLxodSfy3pr_sQE2kSQK1J4DFoYE9-wKvwjc2JcTE2u60-DpoFiZIlnp54ileQn3shCY6XReWyKNIt1o4/s1600-h/NagoyaU_bicycles.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLaUBtBHT7rXGxmhIW-eHZXPmCP34Rp9aHIPqHaYzIzCkjU0IJNhaZFT48m3aLxodSfy3pr_sQE2kSQK1J4DFoYE9-wKvwjc2JcTE2u60-DpoFiZIlnp54ileQn3shCY6XReWyKNIt1o4/s320/NagoyaU_bicycles.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221289550235962450" /></a>In 2001, a Nagoya professor won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. My Japanese host told me that in recognition of this accomplishment the university gave him a chemistry BUILDING. I told him that if you win a Nobel Prize while at Berkeley the University gives you a parking space. Hah! And given the theme of this blog...I wonder why the Nobel Prize certificate has two whelks...hmmm, buccinids? maybe.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyTz8eZytiOdqoiMPIvetT8K0_lTuAF4MqamIkKzi_StZ2NEWOGtnYEnwTO37uN8UBJfUfgYZrAnA9ylfOmJCzAcmte5UfxZi4If1uduH8YkqIASkAx7L6H4_GDZ0jRaHgqpmTNpylLg/s1600-h/Japan_+june_Nobel_snail.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyTz8eZytiOdqoiMPIvetT8K0_lTuAF4MqamIkKzi_StZ2NEWOGtnYEnwTO37uN8UBJfUfgYZrAnA9ylfOmJCzAcmte5UfxZi4If1uduH8YkqIASkAx7L6H4_GDZ0jRaHgqpmTNpylLg/s320/Japan_+june_Nobel_snail.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221290120437212578" /></a>Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981253764352693016.post-21630028037414898722008-07-08T23:00:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:46:29.560-08:00Rikuzen-TakataOn July 1st I traveled north of Nagoya to <a href="http://www.iwatetabi.jp/en/index.php">Iwate Prefecture</a>, which among other things is home to the town of Rikuzen-takata and its <a href="http://www.city.rikuzentakata.iwate.jp/kakuka/umikai/">Sea and Shell Museum</a>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJApsCGXEHat8NZwTa29tuzCitV29q1uaL-Cki7qPrEU99P6KtOxyvFL_aXdUxH7QwPgoZVdaNOE3P-ddasF2dPzWpavKEhrBD23su9Qt0zW7_6qpxu4v2izk9NFnXLXa96rwy6LEbUxs/s1600-h/Japan_+july_2008_015.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJApsCGXEHat8NZwTa29tuzCitV29q1uaL-Cki7qPrEU99P6KtOxyvFL_aXdUxH7QwPgoZVdaNOE3P-ddasF2dPzWpavKEhrBD23su9Qt0zW7_6qpxu4v2izk9NFnXLXa96rwy6LEbUxs/s320/Japan_+july_2008_015.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220898794520090898" /></a> There were lots of holotype and paratype specimens and I got a chance to sample 35 buccinid <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protoconch">protoconchs</a>, which is part of my project.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYd8w4sEr9m2jXtgg7uXx9dNFElou2uSViycrJ6TEikVihy9REh5AYChyphenhyphenYwNsuEQSmC80gdwAv8Hvx8L9QazJxTecWQQOkdHXsAfUNYVH2FRPFNCzs9UdMDc95uKFRrgM7_KAWK8nSi1I/s1600-h/Japan_+july_2008_023.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYd8w4sEr9m2jXtgg7uXx9dNFElou2uSViycrJ6TEikVihy9REh5AYChyphenhyphenYwNsuEQSmC80gdwAv8Hvx8L9QazJxTecWQQOkdHXsAfUNYVH2FRPFNCzs9UdMDc95uKFRrgM7_KAWK8nSi1I/s320/Japan_+july_2008_023.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220899663351879234" /></a>Amazingly, this was covered by the local <a href="http://nagoyaseiken.com/Photo/20080704JannPaper/20080704Jann_Paper.html">newspaper</a>!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-f3xwMzHR0jLOs85lw2hzc-VgRnPeqpXR5cvdD1RpF4S_X5gjKgS-CwaQMfgl4ST856YHSveAIkKKx4kxPv4_EqStJNaJFXxIDV5gKnv5HDtqNAR8qrU6IJzOWYCgs5VZhCp-2dVe-8/s1600-h/newspaper_Japan1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-f3xwMzHR0jLOs85lw2hzc-VgRnPeqpXR5cvdD1RpF4S_X5gjKgS-CwaQMfgl4ST856YHSveAIkKKx4kxPv4_EqStJNaJFXxIDV5gKnv5HDtqNAR8qrU6IJzOWYCgs5VZhCp-2dVe-8/s320/newspaper_Japan1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220903156980402290" /></a> After a fews days of museum work and exhausting media attention (hee hee) I was antsy to explore the area. With the assistance of the curator I rented a bike. He checked my tire pressure and advised me to stay away from trucks.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkUqqMtLPCV2vJwPyW9xTj2DWbxXogS1xLjb0Wx9NH_87MypvX61FNbR88t2AoFMxN3nFE1Jm9wYQVRP-fW19zt_tXBIw9dYVul1dEe9-GGykZOQZQUlM-Y5bWJecFEC5-U3yBlYo6j8/s1600-h/Japan_+7_bike.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkUqqMtLPCV2vJwPyW9xTj2DWbxXogS1xLjb0Wx9NH_87MypvX61FNbR88t2AoFMxN3nFE1Jm9wYQVRP-fW19zt_tXBIw9dYVul1dEe9-GGykZOQZQUlM-Y5bWJecFEC5-U3yBlYo6j8/s320/Japan_+7_bike.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220906461410315378" /></a>Then I was off for a few hours with a Japanese map and my camera! For more pictures, see <a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/jannvendetti/RikuzenTakata"><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/jannvendetti/RikuzenTakata/photo#s5220912821102421106"><span style="font-weight:bold;">here<span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span></span></a><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span></span></a>.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Avhbi2jRT7fBreeWDHp1LxrC6WASfcuI41204R33kPl7xoliyq6agF_6I7xIpU3i_shgsDhoVnNn9VOH2gZBh5KsMfrNYx5bZ8QNEkCCYAS3k770l4GRh3mdi0hqkzIfeDlK3Cp5G28/s1600-h/Japan_+jannbike2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Avhbi2jRT7fBreeWDHp1LxrC6WASfcuI41204R33kPl7xoliyq6agF_6I7xIpU3i_shgsDhoVnNn9VOH2gZBh5KsMfrNYx5bZ8QNEkCCYAS3k770l4GRh3mdi0hqkzIfeDlK3Cp5G28/s320/Japan_+jannbike2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220927549439184658" /></a>One other thing that was <span style="font-style:italic;">particularly</span> interesting about Rikuzen-Takata was the kind of pet sold in the local Family Mart.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNembwj7gye8WTs14llTXjRnKIFQqoDhKMR60UQCHdQUbZYWST111PrLNzslLxhRy8eqqowNN8eRU9H_JcEDORXgUqqJPrssnNykPF1CqmRHKickwPK8n_mLVawc0nKgGSyd3oJlmLvA/s1600-h/Japan_+beetle2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNembwj7gye8WTs14llTXjRnKIFQqoDhKMR60UQCHdQUbZYWST111PrLNzslLxhRy8eqqowNN8eRU9H_JcEDORXgUqqJPrssnNykPF1CqmRHKickwPK8n_mLVawc0nKgGSyd3oJlmLvA/s320/Japan_+beetle2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220921926971104482" /></a>I loved having small pets as a kid, though mine were fluffy hamsters (see below) usually named after WWF professional wrestlers.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAgANIRfuRkRon1jljLLAQnAPgihyphenhyphendDhpb3kgBRhPiAHBRqwHg76VJV9MrzQoHkzJprGs3tlI9Ng-ZKO6cXJtIS62AEuNrEyu7fvlwHss9VuKfOp301eraEcHb_cSCw2A-he_Y9jLWSw/s1600-h/new_jann_hamster2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAgANIRfuRkRon1jljLLAQnAPgihyphenhyphendDhpb3kgBRhPiAHBRqwHg76VJV9MrzQoHkzJprGs3tlI9Ng-ZKO6cXJtIS62AEuNrEyu7fvlwHss9VuKfOp301eraEcHb_cSCw2A-he_Y9jLWSw/s320/new_jann_hamster2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220921925168397394" /></a>The childhood pets of choice in northern Japan are not hamsters, but <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_rhinoceros_beetle">Rhinoceras beetles</a>! Sugoi!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGQg4dhhmhKRBwoCLQLQdPlM97H_v-7WrrEA7iezeOvLYPS5NfA3IYg6Ls0VOi5mAe-6TyuIinWKux-ZjQIT5Of-Qow8cpBJV3eulunQxuZ4C2o7KI5rlJywXrJ5h7aC3qKE9S-dV4ps/s1600-h/Japan_+beetle3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGQg4dhhmhKRBwoCLQLQdPlM97H_v-7WrrEA7iezeOvLYPS5NfA3IYg6Ls0VOi5mAe-6TyuIinWKux-ZjQIT5Of-Qow8cpBJV3eulunQxuZ4C2o7KI5rlJywXrJ5h7aC3qKE9S-dV4ps/s320/Japan_+beetle3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220921934260184722" /></a>These <a href="http://www.kuwasta.com/index.php?id=cat&cat=1">beetles</a> are in a subfamily of the scarabs, the group immortalized in ancient <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/egam/ho_10.130.910_27.3.206.htm">Egyptian art</a>. The rhinoceras beetle group has around 1,400 species and the scarab family in total has around 27,000 species. The snail family that I study, the Buccinidae, has maybe 1,000 or so species, though the relationships of all of these snails to each other is not well understood. For comparison; there are about 250 species of primates including us, about 4,500 species of mammals, 65,000 species of snails, 350,000 species of beetles, and 800,000+ species of insects nearly half of which are beetles.Jannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17676998303499481513noreply@blogger.com0