Todaiji Temple In Nara

東大寺、奈良

Todaiji Temple, situated a short walk from the center of Nara, in Nara Park, is probably the city's biggest draw and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Todaiji, along with Kofukuji and Horyuji, make up the "Big Three" must-see temples of Nara.

Founded in 745 by the Emperor Shomu, the vast temple was constructed as a symbol of imperial power, and took over 15 years to complete at great expense. The main hall, which houses the colossal bronze Buddha statue within, remains the world's largest wooden building, though the present structure - rebuilt in 1709 - is only two thirds the size of the original.

Visitors enter the temple through the massive Nandaimon Gate - rebuilt in the 13th century - and known for its giant guardian gods or nio, 7m-tall wooden statues protecting the temple within from evil.



The Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsuden) houses Japan's largest bronze statue - a darkened figure of the Cosmic Buddha (Dainichi Nyorai). The statue weighs 500 tons and is 16m tall - a masterpiece of Tempyo Period (729-764) art.



Several attempts at casting the Buddha failed before success was finally achieved in 752. Ambassadors from as far away from India, Persia and China attended the dedication ceremony and the gifts they brought with them were kept in the Shoso-in treasure house, behind the hall.

Little remains of the original 8th century statue, however, which has been damaged in fires and earthquakes and subsequently re-cast. West of the Daibutsuden is the Kaidanin, which was set up in 754 as Japan's premier ordination hall for new monks. The present building dates from the Edo Period (1603-1858) but it contains some ancient and exquisite clay statues.

Access

Todaiji is a walk from Kintetsu Nara Station north east of Kofukuji and north of Nara National Museum. Opening hours are 8am-4.30pm or 5pm daily from November to March and 7am-5pm or 5.30pm April-October. Adults 500 yen.

Todaiji
Zoshi-cho 406-1
Nara
630-8587
Tel: 0742 22 5511

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Japan Recession - Causes

日本不景気の原因

The Japanese government formally acknowledged last November that its economy had fallen into a recession.

This recession - two quarters in a row of negative growth - has witnessed the world's second largest economy's GDP contract by 0.4 percent from July to September of last year.

Japan's last recession was in 2001, following the collapse of the dot-com bubble in the USA.

In Japan, there is no doubt as to why the recession is happening. All fingers point across the Pacific at the United States.

Following the subprime lending and banking crises in the US, consumers there stopped purchasing with their usual zeal - or with any zeal at all.

Japan remains heavily dependent on exports, mainly to the US, and this is hurting sales.

Blue chip firms like Toyota, Honda, and Canon have seen profits dip by as much as 70 percent.

Making things even worse is the dollar - yen rate. Most major manufacturers generally budget $1 to 110 yen for their exports. Of late, however, the yen has been trading in the high 80s.

This makes the few Japanese who do travel abroad close to kings (or, more likely, queens) with their tremendous purchasing power. However, for Japanese companies trying to sell from Japan to the US, the strong yen - weak dollar makes Japanese goods in the US more expensive and is a nearly fatal blow.

Hard to believe, but there is still more bad news.

Worse still is the hangover from Japan's "lost decade" of the 1990s: huge public debt. Japan is saddled with the highest amount of debt of any developed nation. This curtails its spending options.

The reaction of the Aso government? A 12,000 yen (roughly $140) handout to all adults, including foreigners with a permanent visa, this spring. This stimulus package is however opposed by a majority of Japanese.

Even for a nation of chicken littles, this is all a bit too much to take.


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Talking about the weather in Japanese

天気

Although the English might be renowned for always talking about the weather, you haven’t heard the Japanese! Perhaps, however, it’s less the actual weather they obsess about than the seasonal climate.

Never, ever - ever - in Japan is the temperature “just right,” or chodo ii. It is always either (grimacing) atsui, i.e. hot, or samui, i.e. cold. In other words, the Japanese love complaining about the climate more than actually talking about it.

So talking about the weather in Japanese is actually remarkably easy. Forget about grammar and sophisticated vocab. With atsui and samui - and the appropriate body language and grimaces - you’ve basically mastered it.

However, it you’d like to add a few descriptive touches, here are some extra words that might come in handy:

weather - tenki
climate - kiko
temperature - ondo
rain – ame (rhymes with lamé)
snow – yuki (rhymes with spooky)
wind - kaze (also "cold" as in "to catch a cold)
cloudy - kumori
sunny – hare (like “hurray!,” but with the stress on the first syllable)
muggy / humid – mushi-atsui (mooshy atsooey)
warm - atatakai

Example conversation

Mrs. Tanaka: Ohayo gozaimasu! (Good morning)

Mrs. Bando: Ohayo gozaimasu! (Good morning)

Mrs. Tanaka: Kyo wa honto ni samui desu ne. (It's really cold today, isn't it.)

Mrs. Bando: So desu ne. Honto ni samui desu yo. (Yes, it really is cold.)

Mrs. Tanaka: Kaze o hikanai yo ni ki o tsukete kudasai ne. (Please take care not to catch a cold.)

Mrs. Bando: Arigato gozaimasu. (Thank you very much.)

Mrs. Tanaka: Kotoshi wa toku ni hayatte imasu mono. (They are particularly prevalent this year.)

Mrs. Bando: Desu yo ne! (You're telling me!)

Mrs. Tanaka: Konna samui hi ga tsuzuku to nakanaka naorinikui mono desu shi. (And with the cold days persisting like this, it's very difficult to cure.)

Mrs. Bando: Tashika ni so desho ne. (I'm sure you're right.)

Mrs. Tanaka: Toku ni kodomo ga hiku to kawaiso desu mono. (And you feel particularly sorry for any children who catch it.)

Mrs. Bando: Tashika ni! (Without a doubt!) Atatakaku suru to ii desu ne. (It's good to dress up warm.)

Mrs. Tanaka: So nan desu yo. (So true.)

Mrs. Bando: Ne! (But isn't it just!)

Mrs. Tanaka: Dewa, dewa. Soro soro shitsurei shimasu ne. (Well, well, I'd better get going.)

Mrs. Bando: Hai, hai! (Very well!)

Mrs. Tanaka: O-karada ki o tsukete kudasai ne. (Look after yourself won't you.)

Mrs. Bando: Hai, domo domo. (Yes, thank you.)

Mrs. Tanaka: Dewa, shitsurei shimasu. (All right, goodbye.)

Mrs. Bando: Hai, shitsurei shimasu. (Goodbye)

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Ninenzaka & Sannenzaka - Kyoto

京都二年坂と三年坂

One of Kyoto's most beautiful walks is in the hills of the eastern part of the city, or Higashiyama (east mountain).

Among the many attractions that can be seen in a day, on foot, in this area are: Kiyomizu Dera, Kodaiji Temple, Nene no Michi, Yasaka Shrine, and Gion.

At the top of the list for many tourists is Kiyomizu Dera (temple). It is a stunning structure that affords a panoramic view of Kyoto.

After exiting Kiyomizu Temple, a short stroll down the narrow road leading to and from the temple will lead you, after a right turn, to Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka.

These contiguous streets are filled with quaint shops in Japanese style buildings. Aside from the telephone wires over head, this part of Kyoto is among the very few areas that present a unified wooden cityscape.

The shops offer many traditional items, from incense to fans to woven goods.

The two sloped stone paths will lead you to Nene no Michi.

This wider but equally elegant road has Kodaiji Temple above and to the right, Ichibei no Koji on your left, and Gion farther ahead.

For those with energy to spare, it is possible to press on and see Chion-in and then the museum area of Okazaki.

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Nagoya City Tram & Subway Museum

レトロでんしゃ館

The Nagoya City Tram & Subway Museum near Akaike Station on the Tsurumai subway line is a favorite for parents and their train-loving kids, especially on weekends.




Besides the model railways, Play Station-style computer train simulators and a collection of old subway and tram carriages (ideal for reading a book or newspaper, while the kids play on the trains and ring all the bells) - there are some interesting black and white photographs of Nagoya in the 1960s, when the last trams were still running in the city.



The trams in Nagoya were finally phased out in 1974 as the subway system began to cover much of the city.

Nagoya City Tram & Subway Museum
Tel 052 807 7587
Hours: 10am-4pm

Walk north from Akaike Station Exit 2 down the hill, cross Route 153 and you will see two giant subway drills. The museum is here. Admission free; closed Wednesdays.



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Nagoya Friends @ Tsurumai w/ Belly Dance Show! 1/31

Nagoya Friends is holding it’s 64th party in Nagoya!

• Date: Saturday Jan 31st, 2009
• Time: 18:15 - 20:45
• Drinks will be served between 6:30pm-8:40pm.
• Place: Nagoya Tsurumai City Public Hall, 1-1-3 Tsurumai (very close to JR Nagoya Station)
• Fee: 3000 Yen Gentlemen, 2500 Yen Ladies 1st 15 foreigners 2000 yen each!
• Dress code: Anything (Casual, etc)
• Reservations: Not necessary but recommended and appreciated. Just show up to the party!
• Over 25,000 Yen worth of exciting prize giveaways each month!
• Special Belly Dance performance by Jansu Belly Dance Company!

Kofukuji Temple Nara

興福寺、奈良

Kofukuji Temple, situated in the center of Nara, in Nara Park, is one of the city's most beautiful and historic temples and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Founded in 669 by the Fujiwara family, the temple was moved from Yamashina in Kyoto to its present location in 710, when Nara became the new capital of the Yamato state. Along with Horyuji and Todaiji, Kofukuji Temple is important is the establishment and acceptance of Buddhism in Japan at this time. However, none of the buildings date from the Nara Period (710-794), with most of the structures having been built between the 12th-18th centuries.




Kofukuji is noted for its fine 50m-tall Five-Story Pagoda, a Three-Story Pagoda and the Tokon-do and Kokuhokan, which house beautiful collections of priceless, Buddhist art and statuary.
The rather drab, concrete Kokuhokan (Admission, 500 yen) contains arguably the best collection of Japanese sculpture in the world. A set of guardians, including a standing dry-lacquer figure of Ashura (one of the Buddha's eight protectors) and the bronze head of Yakushi Nyorai (the Healing Buddha) are standouts. The Tokondo (Admission, 300 yen) has more Buddhist statues including a large image of Yakushi Nyorai and a beautiful seated image of Yuima Koji (the Indian Buddhist sage Vimalakirti).



The Five-Story Pagoda, which was completely restored in 1427, is the second tallest pagoda in Japan, behind the 55m-tall pagoda at Toji Temple in Kyoto. The Three-Story Pagoda dates from the early 12th century and houses some Buddhist paintings.

The Kofukuji temple complex has two octagonal buildings containing yet more ancient Buddhist treasures: the Hokuendo (Northern Octagonal Hall) and the Nanendo (Southern Octagonal Hall). Both have resticted opening hours to the public.

Access

Kofukuji is a short walk from Kintetsu Nara Station at the entrance to Nara Koen (Nara Park). Admission to the temple grounds is free, the Kokuhokan museum is 500 yen for adults. Opening hours are 9am-5pm daily.

Kofukuji
Nopporioji-cho 48
Nara
630-8213
Tel: 0742 22 7755

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Japan This Week: 25 January 2009

今週の日本


Tourists allowed back to Tsukiji Fish Market

Japan Times

Grandson of Toyota Founder Will Lead

New York Times

Seoul lures tourists with cheaper won

Korea Herald

Japanese gangsters claim welfare benefits

Guardian

Japan Works Hard to Help Immigrants Find Jobs

Washington Post

Out of the ordinary: How hard can it be to make sushi?

Times on Line

H-2A rocket sends 1st probe aloft to monitor gas emissions

Asahi

Okinawa’s Turbulent 400 Years

Japan Focus

Japanese firms unveil 'robocop'

BBC

Japan's output drops in November

BBC

Golf-Japan’s Ishikawa stunned at U.S. Masters invite

Yahoo Sports


Last week's Japan news

Japan Statistics

Japan Population Estimates by Age and Sex, January 2009

0-14 years old: 13.4%
15-64 years old: 64.3%
65 and over: 22.2%
75 and over: 10.4%

Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

The metropolitan Tokyo subway system is at significant risk of flooding in the event of heavy rains, according to a government panel.

Almost 70 percent of the tracks on Tokyo's extensive subway system could flood if rains cause riverbanks to burst. Moreover, 97 subway stations on 17 lines could flood.

550 cm of rain - once thought to occur once every 200 years - falling over the course of three days would cause banks on the Arakawa River to break. Because of climate change, however, that type of rainfall is now predicted to happen much more frequently.

Source: Kyodo News

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Horyuji Temple Nara

法隆寺、奈良

Horyuji Temple, about 10km south west of Nara, contains the world's oldest surviving wooden buildings.

Founded, according to the wishes of his dying father, in 607 by Prince Shotoku, Horyuji is a UNESCO World Heritage site, the first to be so designated in Japan.



Horyuji ("Temple of the Flourishing Law") supposedly burnt down in 670 and was then rebuilt; the ancient wooden structures in the temple complex are thought to date to that time.

Most striking is the 32.5m-tall Five-Story Pagoda (Goju-no-to) - the oldest five-storied pagoda in Japan. Inside the building is a collection of clay statues from the Nara Period (710-794).



The Main Hall (Kondo) contains the main sacred statues of the temple. These priceless Buddhist images include a bronze Shaka Triad showing the historical Buddha and two bodhisattvas, dating from 623. To the right is the Yakushi Nyorai - the Buddha of Healing - to which the temple is dedicated. A 12th century Amida Buddha commemorates Prince Shotoku's mother.

The eastern precinct (Toin Garan) added in 739 contains the octagonal Hall of Visions (Yume-dono). This delightful, wooden building contains the Kuse Kannon (Avalokitesvara), said to be a life-size statue of Prince Shotoku.



Access

To reach Horyuji Temple, which is located in the Ikaruga district take a JR Yamatoji Line Osaka-bound train to Horyuji Station and then walk the 20 minutes to the temple of take a local #72 bus. Alternatively, take a bus from Nara to Horyuji-mae bus stop. Bicycles can be hired at the information near the bus stop on National Highway 25 at the entrance road to the temple.

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Japan Recession - Car Industry

日本の不景気

As in the USA and Europe, the car industry in Japan has felt the full force of the present recession.



Toyota Corp, Japanese largest company and the world's largest automaker, has been particularly hard hit.

This month, Toyota announced the closure of all 11 of its factories in Japan for a period of 11 days to reduce stocks of unsold vehicles. This move came after the company declared in December an annual operating loss (of US$1.7 billion) - the first-ever in its 70-year history. This unprecedented loss follows a record profit for the Aichi-based company only the previous year. 3,000 temporary workers are to lose their jobs this year in Japan, as the company moves to shed all its workers on fixed-term contracts.

The shockwaves have spread to Toyota factories overseas, with shifts being cut and job cuts threated in Europe, Thailand and the US with new manufacturing and research projects delayed or canceled. Domestic production in February and March will be halved compared with the same period last year.

Toyota is not alone among Japanese carmakers feeling the pain. Honda Motor Company, Japan's number two automaker, saw annual profits fall by 67% this year and will also reduce its non-regular workers in Japan to zero during 2009. Honda also pulled its team from Formula One due to the present economic downturn.

Nissan has already axed 1,200 jobs at its plant in Sunderland in the UK and will not renew the contracts of upto 2,500 temporary workers at its other overseas factories in Spain and the US.

Smaller Japanese producers Suzuki, Subaru and Daihatsu all announced substantial production cuts for the end of the financial year in March.

Related Japanese automotive industries are also suffering with Bridgestone, Japan's largest tire maker declaring falling profits on the year.

The "unprecedented crisis" in the automotive industry may get worse in what is looking like a brutal year for global car sales.



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Japanese Language: Bra-wearing Otomen

乙男 (Otomen)

In a recent article on male bras, the Daily Yomiuri newspaper introduced the world of otome, or girlish side of men and several related terms.

In addition to the opinion of a few sociologists and other "experts," the article featured an online seller of men's bras, WishRoom. This is apparently the tip of the proverbial sociological iceberg.

Terms related to these men, mainly in their early 20s to mid-30s include:

草食系男子（soshoku kei danshi) = herbivorous men; a girlie man
お女マン（o jo man) = feminine men
オトメン(otomen) = a play on words, that combines 乙女（otome, a young lass in the full bloom of life) and the English word "men."

A last term is 萌（mo-eh), common in the otaku underworld, which means "budding."

In Otaku-land, though, it refers to the "sensation of being blissfully overwhelmed by cuteness or attractiveness."

These "otomen" are said to have little interest in sex, like to cook, and prefer cute things to more masculine items.

Last week's Japanese language lesson


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SHO PROJECT III with DURHAM PRESS

ギャラリー・ショウ・コンテンポラリー・アート

SHO PROJECT III with DURHAM PRESS including JEAN-PAUL RUSSELL, John Giorno, Tom Slaughter, Ray Charles White



Galerie Sho Contemporary Art is pleased to announce Sho Project III with Durham Press including Jean-Paul Russell from 8 January to 31 January, 2009.

g-sho.com

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Galerie Sho Contemporary Art
B1F Sansho Bldg., 3-2-9 Nihonbashi Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0027
Tel: +81-3-3275-1008 Fax: +81-3-3273-9309
Weekdays 11:00 - 19:00 / Saturdays 11:00 - 17:00
Closed on Sundays & Holidays

The gallery is a short walk from either Tokyo Station or Nihonbashi Station on the Ginza and Tozai subway lines.

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Mode Gakkuen Towers

モード学園タワーズ

The eye-catching designs of two recent skyscrapers built for fashion school Mode Gakkuen are winning plaudits from architects and the students who use them.



The two new towers are located in Shinjuku, Tokyo and in the Meieki area of Nagoya, in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan.



The Shinjuku building, was designed by Tange Associates - the architectural firm established by the late Kenzo Tange, and the earlier 170m-tall Nagoya Station structure, Mode Gakkuen Spiral Towers, is the work of Nikken Sekkei.



The 203m-tall Mode Gakkuen Cocoon Tower symbolizes a cocoon fostering and nurturing the latent talent inside, according to the building's proud owners. The sleek, glass tower will be the home for Mode Gakkuen and two other Tokyo vocational schools, with 10,000 students altogether using the building from April.



Mode Gakkuen
1-6-2 Nishi-Shinjuku
Shinjuku-ku
Tokyo 160-0023
Tel: 03 3344 6000

4-25-13 Meieki
Nakamura-ku
Nagoya 450-0002
Tel: 052 582 0001



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Meteor Plaza Shichirui

メテオプラザ

There were violent thunderstorms along the Shimane coast near Mihonoseki on the night of December 10th 1992, so when Mr. Matsumoto and his family in Sozu village heard a loud noise they thought nothing of it. A little later they were amazed to discover a hole running through their house from the roof down through 2 storeys and the floor. Next morning under their house they discovered a 6.8 kilogram rock that is now officially named as the Mihonoseki Meteor.



The meteor is on display in its own museum, part of the Meteor Plaza complex in nearby Shichirui. The unusual building, designed by Shimane architect Shin Takamatsu, houses an indoor seawater swimming pool, a 500 seat auditorium, and the terminal for ferries to the Oki Islands as well as the museum.



The ovoid-shaped structure represents the meteor and inside it is a cavernous cinema that shows a couple of videos on the meteor. The narrow cone represents the trajectory of the meteor's descent to earth, and inside it the meteor itself is on display in an other-worldly blue light. The actual museum is quite small and has lots of photos, maps, and press clippings as well as sections of the roof, tatami etc from the house that the meteor passed through.

The museum does not get many visitors. The ferry terminal is busy with daily ferries to the Oki Islands, the swimming pool is made good use of by all the local schools, but the auditorium is rarely used. The building is already showing wear and tear and is starting to look quite drab.



Worth visiting if you are particularly interested in modern architecture or meteors, or if you have time to kill while waiting for a ferry, but otherwise not worth making a special trip.

Meteor Plaza
Matsue-shi, Mihonseki-cho, Shichirui 3246-1
Tel: 0852 72 3939
Open: Thur - Tue, 9am to 5pm
Entrance: 600 yen adults

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Japan This Week: 18 January 2009

今週の日本

Japan’s Governing Party Is Plunging in Polls

New York Times

Japan’s Outcasts Still Wait for Society’s Embrace

New York Times

Japan parties ready for annual conventions

Washington Post

Japan strikes gold from cremated ashes

Guardian

Japan's 'Oscars' welcome Departures

Guardian

United on jobs, but divided over wages

Asahi.com

Prof fatally stabbed on campus

Daily Yomiuri

Rent a friend in Japan

BBC

Japan's machinery orders plunge

BBC

Nissan Motor set to post first loss in a decade

Times on Line

Braves reach 3-year agreement with Kawakami

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Last week's Japan news

Japan Statistics

2008 witnessed a decline of 4.7% in crime in Japan. That is the sixth year in a row of decrease in crime.

The total was 1,818,337 crimes in the year just ended.

Police said that the main reason for the decline was a decrease in motorbike and petty theft.

Of serious offenses - murder, robbery, arson, rape - only murder showed a rise. There were 1,300 murders in Japan in 2008.

Source: Kyodo News

40% of people notified that they have been selected as lay judges have declined to serve. 295,000 people were selected as lay judges to serve in the new trial system which begins in May.

Source: Supreme Court

Doctors per prefecture, per 1,000 patients:

Top 5

Tokyo: 41.85
Kyoto: 40.82
Fukuoka: 39.70
Fukushima: 36.98
Osaka: 36.77

Bottom 5

Saitama: 21.94
Ibaragi: 22.17
Niigata: 23.62
Iwate: 23.86
Aomori: 24.14

Source: Asahi Shinbun

There were 486,398 foreign workers in japan in October 2008. Tokyo had the largest number 118,488, followed by Aichi 60,326, Shizuoka 31,453 and Kanagawa Prefecture 27,473.

Source: Health, Labor & Welfare Ministry

543,981 students are sitting university entrance exams this weekend at 738 test sites for 797 schools this weekend.

Source: Yomiuri Shinbun

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Nagoya Friends @ Tsurumai SAT, Jan. 31st, 2009

Nagoya Friends is holding it’s 64th party in Nagoya!

• Date: Saturday Jan 31st, 2009
• Time: 18:15 - 20:45
• Drinks will be served between 6:30pm-8:40pm.
• Place: Nagoya Tsurumai City Public Hall, 1-1-3 Tsurumai (very close to JR Nagoya Station)
• Fee: 3000 Yen Gentlemen, 2500 Yen Ladies 1st 15 foreigners 2000 yen each!
• Dress code: Anything (Casual, etc)
• Reservations: Not necessary but recommended and appreciated. Just show up to the party!
• Over 25,000 Yen worth of exciting prize giveaways each month!
• Special Belly Dance performance by Jansu Belly Dance Company!