Japan Pt 2
What the heck is a cormorant?
A Cormorant
(Phalacrocorax
auritus) is a
type of medium to large seabird with black or dark plumage (wikipedia ). In the
Gifu area,on the Nagara river, cormorant fishermen use a technique passed down
through generations for 1300 years to catch a particular fish called the ayu.
The cormorant are leashed at the neck with a ring that prevents the swallowing
of fish, but enables the fishermen to retrieve each bird and its prey. The
pictures were hard to get, but i think you get the idea. The fishing is done at
night under a fire, and us spectators have hired the narrow red boats on the
Nagara river to take us to this area. More info
here
found the above picture on the net. more beautiful pictures here
this is a long exposure shot of the boat drivers. i like the grainy quality from the high ISO setting, and the contrast between the old style boats, the traditional cormorant fishing that brought them here, and the spectacle that is the garish hotel in the background.
The next morning, we toured Gifu castle:
from the top of the castle, looking down at the Nagara river and the city of Gifu. You can see the tiny red boats. Part of the 'Japan Alps' can be seen in the background.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We left Gifu and headed to Aichi prefecture, where Expo 2005 Japan is being held. Some amazing facts about the Expo:
All plates and silverware used to serve food at the Expo (15 million+ people served so far) was made from bioplastic. Bioplastics are made from plant polymers; throwing away a plastic plate is like throwing away a banana peel or a corn husk.
There were 9 garbage cans clustered in easily accessible areas that separated waste into: plastics, plastic bottles, chopsticks, paper, raw waste, burnable garbage, non burnable garbage, and left over drinking water. There were volunteers who would help with sorting your garbage into the categories.
Entire pavilions were self powered through wind, solar, hydrogen, and other green fuel energies. Roofs of some buildings were constructed as to vaporize water to cool the inside of the building.
Buildings were constructed with the ability to be recycled. This included the use of friction plates instead of bolts and welds, and entire walls made of bioplastics.
The toyota pavilion used steel beams with minimal bolt holes and welds so that the steel can be recycled and used for another building after the expo.
Inside the pavillion was a show featuring robots that danced and played instruments. They were very human like. The one on the left is Toyota's latest rapping android.
A futuristic car from Toyota. Check out those hubs!
The energy plant for the NEDO pavilion. Solar panels can be seen in the distant right. The power plant is a combination of various green energy sources.
A rainy day at the expo, but still packed with people
This is a biolung. An entire wall made to exude oxygen and aesthetic wellness. It is made from a type of hemp, called kenaf, that matures quickly, and is thought to have greater CO2 absorption capacities than trees.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
we returned to Tokyo for our final leg of the journey. Mari and I visited the Tsukiji fish market in tokyo, where I had the best sushi I have ever had in my life, period.
We made friends with this vendor who was enamored with American culture. He loves to gamble, and going to Las Vegas was a dream come true for him, but he was shocked at how rude the fast food employees at a McDonalds were. He also had an American girlfriend at one time. Very cool guy.
This lady wanted to pose for us! Look at all that fish!! Yum.
Every morning starting at 3:00am, the Tsukiji fishmarket brings in (2003 figures) 2,246 tons of marine products, 450 kinds of fish, and handles 1.8 billion yen or 16.2 million dollars. This is EVERY DAY!!
Master and student. Father and son??
The master at work. He is wielding a knife longer than 4 feet.
All this seafood gets packed and delivered to stores across Tokyo each morning.
Later, I sample the goods created by chef Crazy Akira.
Look at the thickness of the Hon-maguro (true maguro) This sushi is to be eaten as is, without soy sauce and wasabi. There is a bit of wasabi on the inside, and there is a light brush of a soy and mirin sauce, but really, the taste is in the fish. no soy necessary...
Truly, the best sushi I have ever had, maybe, the best sushi in the world.
----------------------------------------------
Some random pictures:
The largest cell phone tower i have ever seen
The largest cone mari and I have ever seen
An ad in a Japanese magazine. Good to know Bush commands respect overseas as well.
Mom, very stoked to have seen the Ukai (cormorant fishing).
In addition to being a GPS, you can send mail, browse the web, take pictures and videos and send them, video chat with your friends, and watch TV on the newest cell phones.
If you've seen this picture, Thank You, for taking the time to look at the entire blog! This trip was truly unforgettable. Thank you Mom for organizing this trip. You were a real champ. I must go back before another 10 years passes, and i think Mari agrees. See you all soon!
found the above picture on the net. more beautiful pictures here
this is a long exposure shot of the boat drivers. i like the grainy quality from the high ISO setting, and the contrast between the old style boats, the traditional cormorant fishing that brought them here, and the spectacle that is the garish hotel in the background.
The next morning, we toured Gifu castle:
from the top of the castle, looking down at the Nagara river and the city of Gifu. You can see the tiny red boats. Part of the 'Japan Alps' can be seen in the background.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We left Gifu and headed to Aichi prefecture, where Expo 2005 Japan is being held. Some amazing facts about the Expo:
All plates and silverware used to serve food at the Expo (15 million+ people served so far) was made from bioplastic. Bioplastics are made from plant polymers; throwing away a plastic plate is like throwing away a banana peel or a corn husk.
There were 9 garbage cans clustered in easily accessible areas that separated waste into: plastics, plastic bottles, chopsticks, paper, raw waste, burnable garbage, non burnable garbage, and left over drinking water. There were volunteers who would help with sorting your garbage into the categories.
Entire pavilions were self powered through wind, solar, hydrogen, and other green fuel energies. Roofs of some buildings were constructed as to vaporize water to cool the inside of the building.
Buildings were constructed with the ability to be recycled. This included the use of friction plates instead of bolts and welds, and entire walls made of bioplastics.
The toyota pavilion used steel beams with minimal bolt holes and welds so that the steel can be recycled and used for another building after the expo.
Inside the pavillion was a show featuring robots that danced and played instruments. They were very human like. The one on the left is Toyota's latest rapping android.
A futuristic car from Toyota. Check out those hubs!
The energy plant for the NEDO pavilion. Solar panels can be seen in the distant right. The power plant is a combination of various green energy sources.
A rainy day at the expo, but still packed with people
This is a biolung. An entire wall made to exude oxygen and aesthetic wellness. It is made from a type of hemp, called kenaf, that matures quickly, and is thought to have greater CO2 absorption capacities than trees.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
we returned to Tokyo for our final leg of the journey. Mari and I visited the Tsukiji fish market in tokyo, where I had the best sushi I have ever had in my life, period.
We made friends with this vendor who was enamored with American culture. He loves to gamble, and going to Las Vegas was a dream come true for him, but he was shocked at how rude the fast food employees at a McDonalds were. He also had an American girlfriend at one time. Very cool guy.
This lady wanted to pose for us! Look at all that fish!! Yum.
Every morning starting at 3:00am, the Tsukiji fishmarket brings in (2003 figures) 2,246 tons of marine products, 450 kinds of fish, and handles 1.8 billion yen or 16.2 million dollars. This is EVERY DAY!!
Master and student. Father and son??
The master at work. He is wielding a knife longer than 4 feet.
All this seafood gets packed and delivered to stores across Tokyo each morning.
Later, I sample the goods created by chef Crazy Akira.
Look at the thickness of the Hon-maguro (true maguro) This sushi is to be eaten as is, without soy sauce and wasabi. There is a bit of wasabi on the inside, and there is a light brush of a soy and mirin sauce, but really, the taste is in the fish. no soy necessary...
Truly, the best sushi I have ever had, maybe, the best sushi in the world.
----------------------------------------------
Some random pictures:
The largest cell phone tower i have ever seen
The largest cone mari and I have ever seen
An ad in a Japanese magazine. Good to know Bush commands respect overseas as well.
Mom, very stoked to have seen the Ukai (cormorant fishing).
In addition to being a GPS, you can send mail, browse the web, take pictures and videos and send them, video chat with your friends, and watch TV on the newest cell phones.
If you've seen this picture, Thank You, for taking the time to look at the entire blog! This trip was truly unforgettable. Thank you Mom for organizing this trip. You were a real champ. I must go back before another 10 years passes, and i think Mari agrees. See you all soon!
Posted: Sat - August 20, 2005 at 08:03 AM
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Published On: Jul 15, 2007 11:24 PM
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Published On: Jul 15, 2007 11:24 PM