While on the subject of security gurads in Japan, I was approached in English by an older gentleman at Meiji Jingu who told me, “no photography”. I was standing on the top step of the altar area where you give your offering, but on the stairway side, taking a picture of the shrine courtyard – opposite the sacred inner-sanctum (It’s pretty obvious to me to not be a cultural boor and take a picture of the sacred areas). He pointed at the one step down from the top. I stepped down one level and he walked away. Essentially, if I wasn’t on the top step, I was out of his jurisdiction and responsibility, and I could go and do whatever I pleased and he didn’t care. This is the kind of compartmentalized thinking that leads to nuclear powerplants melting down.
(0)Archive for the 'Culture' Category
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There’s a security guard here that has been by a couple of times since I’ve been sitting here. He has gone to the window to look to see that nothing has been placed between a partition wall and the glass and opened the recycling bins. Not exactly sure what he’s actually been trained to look for, but there’s a bottle half full of fluid a couple of rows of seats behind me that has been there since three that he still hasn’t noticed. I feel really safe. This is totally “three-ring binder” security – he was given explicit instructions of specifically what to look for and where, and anything outside that scope, although potentially a threat, gets ignored. He’s totally following “the rules” and not actually “doing the job” and providing security.
(0)The track on my GPS from yesterday wandering around in Roppongi, Shibuya, and Azabu looking for art museums while avoiding the suspicious glances of the high keisatsu presence looking for one of the fugitive Aum guys looks like a hanamaru mark. My tacti-geek TAD/Patagucci/Scarpa kit kept me comfortable in the heat though. It’s 90% chance of rain today, and 20C (Chris, I wish I had those softshell pants today!). My darned email gateway won’t let me through on this network for some reason – I’ll have to d!ck around with it later – but now it’s time to find breakfast.
Off to Tokyo this evening on Hawaiian Airlines. I get to see how their new Airbus equipment is like.
Sunday, 09 June 2012
Chris, Dave, and Root hike Mariner’s at night, though not on a full moon.
D = 4.16 km, Vavr = 3.0 km/h, Vmax = 9.7 km/h. T = 1-hour, 21-minutes
It’s pretty difficult starting a sentence with, “so I was listening to NPR this morning…” and not come off sounding pompous. Both Fabio and I are guilty of this!
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I’ll sometimes grab a salmon-on-multi-grain-rice onigiri from Mamaya on Shirokiya’s second level for a snack after work on days I linger in town instead of going straight home. Today, they had something new – Hatogarashi onigiri. The English translation on the label said “seasoned redpepper [sic] leaf” so I gave it a try. The flavor was similar to a takana onigiri, but with a hint of smokiness, and maybe the suggestion of tea. The rice was seasoned, so was slightly tan, and also had shiro goma (white sesame seeds) mixed in. With that whole pepper leaf thing going on, there was a light capsicum burn in the aftertaste. Very good. Continue reading ‘Mamaya Hatogarashi Musubi (Onigiri)’
Today was that Venus Crossing, but I only had a Panny LX5 and free cardboard ND filter, but I think it came out okay.
Sunday, 20 May 2012
Chris, Dave, and Root did the Lanikai pillboxes from the Enchanted Lakes side via the Kamahele Street trailhead.
D = 6.22 km, Vavr = 3.0 km/h, Vmax = 6.6 km/h, T = 2-hours
Pictures here