tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41927500525698848982024-02-08T11:41:45.228+09:00A Very Keiotic Yearrigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-3789276887265830712017-07-24T20:53:00.002+09:002017-07-25T19:56:29.064+09:00Between kingdoms, kimchi and K-pop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Hello and welcome to colourful <b>Seoul</b>! The second last part of my journey through Asia. :)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Preparation for Buddha's birthday at Deoksugung Palace</td></tr>
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As I mentioned in my last post, flying short distances overnight is incredibly tiring. No time to sleep, and we were stuck right before the airport while a horrible song was playing over and over again. Grrr! At least it was by far not as hot as in the South East. We could finally use our winter coats we brought along all the way. ;)</div>
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We reached our Airbnb* on the afternoon of March 4th and while we waited for our friends Alizée and Tiffany, with whom we shared the place, we were so exhausted that we slept through the day. In the evening, we managed to go out looking for some yummy Korean food (more on the food theme later).</div>
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So the next day we were eager to make up for the lost time and headed out to the area around <b>Yonsei University</b>, one of South Korea's top three and also the place where most of Korean exchange students at Keio are studying.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue of the founder, Horace Grant Underwood, before Underwood Hall</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the campus stairs</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memorial statue for comfort women during Japanese occupation. There is a lot to say about Japanese-Korean relationships and the inability to admit war crimes, especially now that these statues are highly debated. Are Koreans still mad at the Japanese? Maybe so, nevertheless, they love Japanese food and announcements in train and public places are held in Japanese as well</td></tr>
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The university quarter is a hip neighbourhood with pupular cafés and shops. In fact, every area is full of them. In the city whose population density is double that of New York, café culture is big and shopping malls even populate the underground - some of them open through the night. Drinking coffee, eating and shopping is the youth's favourite pastime according to our Korean friend Becky, whom we met for a quick cup in Seoul.</div>
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But tradition is equally big in South Korea's capital. As you will see, there are palaces, temples and traditional villages at every corner, side to side with grey urban monsters.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many palace gates in Seoul</td></tr>
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Encounters of two kinds</h4>
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While we were visiting the city centre, we noticed a lot of white tents grouped together in front of city hall. They turned out to be protesters in regard to the corruption scandal around the former South Korean president Park Geun-hye happening at the time, although we did not know whether they were protesting in favour of or against her. In case you missed it: The lady, among other misdeeds, abused her power to help a friend by pressing companies to donate huge sums to her foundations. Several people died during the demonstrations surrounding this affair. In the end, Park Geun-hye was suspended and arrested earlier this year and is still in trial. </div>
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While we were on the square, an elderly Korean men approached us and asked in English if we heard about the president. He then proceeded to rail against the Western media apparently portraying her unfouvarably, and said: "She didn't do anything wrong. She did just a little bit wrong (showing "a little bit" with his fingers), but apart from that, nothing". There you have it: The Western media is lying. Geun-hye did just a little bit wrong, but is it worth calling her corrupt because of that? ;) </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Square in front of Seoul City Hall (left) where we were almost recruited as president supporters</td></tr>
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This was not the only time we encountered especially communicative people in Seoul. On one evening in <b>Myeongdong</b>, the street food, shopping and nightlife area, a Korean student in a group of friends started talking to us and asked where we were from and how long we were staying in Seoul, the typical questions. His attention was especially for Alizée, and when he heard we were staying for only five days, he suddenly looked extremely sad and said to her: "But I was going to tell my mum I finally found my future wife!" The guy almost started crying and hugged all of us before we left. I'm still not sure if he was drunk, crazy or just desperate. But according to Alizée, it was not the last time this happened to her in Seoul...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Myeongdong at night</td></tr>
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Speaking of people in Seoul, they - again - generally speak better English than in Japan, but while we thought Seoul would be otherwise pretty much like Tokyo, we found at least one significant cultural difference: South Korean citizens, or at least the ones we met, cut down a lot on smiles and politeness. We had a very ironic moment when we found a brochure in the tourist office advertising the campaign <i>Korean Smiles</i>, that declared the years 2016-2018 the years where South Korea was supposed to show its most friendly face and make visitors fall in love with the country. Meanwhile, during our five days in Seoul, we have not seen a single smile. When you enter a store, shop assistants always greet you with "Welcome to [shop name]", but otherwise, you are either ignored or followed around so closely and constantly (especially in clothing shops) that you eventually lose all interest in buying things.<br />
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Speaking of clothing shops, there was one curiosity in regard to them: Whatever you do, you are not allowed to try on shirts or tops in Seoul. Wondering why, we finally came across the answer: South Korean women apply so much make-up that it's likely to leave stains on the fabric. And it becomes evident if you compare Japanese and Korean faces and realise that Japanese women wear almost nothing on theirs. No wonder Korean cosmetics are so popular around the world. This is not the only un-natural aspect about South Koreans: The country is known as the plactic surgery capital, and apparently, nearly every girl here is gifted an eyelid, jaw or some other kind of makeover once she is old enough to live up to local beauty standards influenced by the West. When you walk Gangnam, the celebrity quarter, you see clinic to clinic all down the road. Last, but not least: Working culture here is said to be even harsher than in Japan.<br />
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However, just to be clear: This was not supposed to be a rant on Korean people or culture, but just an expression of suprising things we found there. In Europe, we simply don't experience this amount of social pressure. But what is equally true is that people in Seoul are generally very kind if you ask them for help, and go out of their way to assist. This being said, let's continue with the brighter side of Seoul.<br />
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Once a tree hugger, always a tree hugger</h4>
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Looking for one of the well-known street art areas in Seoul, we stumbled across a lovely street lined with trees covered in colourful knitware. Turns out we came during the Tree Hug Festival - and you didn't have to tell us twice what to do.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Essi loves trees...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and me too</td></tr>
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Our artsy day was just beginning. On our way to <b>Seoul Museum of Art</b>, we already found interesting sculptures before even reaching our destination.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, the photo is not clinched - the sculptures are</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvSOPg2S4jjsgmDaFICdpYxwLpZ2SAlecXXmZZtNUsgwNurt-eocHNeO1UT3VpZRQrwQQSrgmyn5cI1mdS2zZAWtiZtnci7nQsqm71Wkhi5fcrEWXycZgy8vhb1E9nOc9To-Dl2pjpwAM/s1600/DSC_1424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="1600" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvSOPg2S4jjsgmDaFICdpYxwLpZ2SAlecXXmZZtNUsgwNurt-eocHNeO1UT3VpZRQrwQQSrgmyn5cI1mdS2zZAWtiZtnci7nQsqm71Wkhi5fcrEWXycZgy8vhb1E9nOc9To-Dl2pjpwAM/s640/DSC_1424.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monkeys or people?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFeSnc8ONHxq1crzg3f9VDR79u-kuWPXPacCYfUYf2cLnDZFG59RamfXsDmiVEViir2cve9yA8B67qhn_WyNIA19IgveoqK1hdTe6nthki40CwVOmedqYhPZl2osJkUYIMq82TuNr9Jy7/s1600/DSC_1425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1347" data-original-width="1600" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFeSnc8ONHxq1crzg3f9VDR79u-kuWPXPacCYfUYf2cLnDZFG59RamfXsDmiVEViir2cve9yA8B67qhn_WyNIA19IgveoqK1hdTe6nthki40CwVOmedqYhPZl2osJkUYIMq82TuNr9Jy7/s640/DSC_1425.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The museum had a special exhibition on Renoir as well as works of Korean artists, especially realists. This included the <a href="http://sema.seoul.go.kr/global/exhibitions/exhibitionsView.jsp?&sLangCode=02&seq=361&sType=DD&sStartDate=&sEndDate=#tab" target="_blank"><i>Eternal Narcissist</i> exhibition by Chun Kyung-ja</a>. The painter was one of the most important figures in 20th century South Korean art. You were not allowed to take pictures inside, but I wasn't aware of this and managed to snap a few before I got caught. ;)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIEnOcKVVwU4LSO1bng_6GKPhY5VNGvNY2ii4IrM8Sciars0lBIj7LrkB74cwF9LooI6r26VTJS-T39b-F7GPW8Q8CYuH054T16dWbZaz0x7yZXppiN80-eLcTLMUYCLSaKW1wGfkXNCN/s1600/DSC_1427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1087" data-original-width="1600" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIEnOcKVVwU4LSO1bng_6GKPhY5VNGvNY2ii4IrM8Sciars0lBIj7LrkB74cwF9LooI6r26VTJS-T39b-F7GPW8Q8CYuH054T16dWbZaz0x7yZXppiN80-eLcTLMUYCLSaKW1wGfkXNCN/s640/DSC_1427.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkp_pawWuVUPqs2JXajaLu2SDcR2ej1VOPqzU-70Vt8xiJVbqKHoljme__MJCP67tNbOw2SLaUlPZVt6bx3omQyPTK5-4CnN3tztL0Y8ZHkJMatR5Wbu0dV9voDrNiAg05mtlkx4LcerR/s1600/DSC_1428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkp_pawWuVUPqs2JXajaLu2SDcR2ej1VOPqzU-70Vt8xiJVbqKHoljme__MJCP67tNbOw2SLaUlPZVt6bx3omQyPTK5-4CnN3tztL0Y8ZHkJMatR5Wbu0dV9voDrNiAg05mtlkx4LcerR/s640/DSC_1428.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYxKzl040Uec4r_gEjzX_7sDALQU-0XkvFSHOR8YgF958r5xR4h-iVzDqGvoU5s0Zl3TuWcMepSM29gKiLaQmxNVQOF5g7TzMWvfAIcyv9f2bSW4qCBIuMhtN_lwUFvmecVmTKEb70hmi/s1600/DSC_1431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1306" data-original-width="1061" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYxKzl040Uec4r_gEjzX_7sDALQU-0XkvFSHOR8YgF958r5xR4h-iVzDqGvoU5s0Zl3TuWcMepSM29gKiLaQmxNVQOF5g7TzMWvfAIcyv9f2bSW4qCBIuMhtN_lwUFvmecVmTKEb70hmi/s640/DSC_1431.JPG" width="520" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of Kyung-ja's paintings</td></tr>
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Another museum we visited was the <b>National Museum of Korea</b>, following the country's development from prehistorical times to recent art, architecture and literature throughout the kingdoms, dynasties and empires on three floors.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNyD_24X2PR6MNRkJbmg2wjrzF2s6Xn9qjCjidcz27-quNG3g7Uk-4LWZ5ZU2usrOLGDeTVNgPwS_Q8wVujA5v8E4gMa9_ILJSj39YUM8P_Gbo207SyuMpdrqOXx33QeRkaqnXBTuMO7Tj/s1600/DSC_1449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="1600" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNyD_24X2PR6MNRkJbmg2wjrzF2s6Xn9qjCjidcz27-quNG3g7Uk-4LWZ5ZU2usrOLGDeTVNgPwS_Q8wVujA5v8E4gMa9_ILJSj39YUM8P_Gbo207SyuMpdrqOXx33QeRkaqnXBTuMO7Tj/s640/DSC_1449.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Han River</b> near the museum</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipHok0UKS6BCN91hEa5Ospm2UH9IFEoJNaPGkyYgw0ovT5dzlpyG59Tk1-eYDsJ0zmNSalu3Eokbq8-YmPuDMSktRWp5jcLH5bI7dd8FQ6Ld8yPBlZuGJAdHRjJ_en-ABNMmqwpvarDMeh/s1600/DSC_1450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="728" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipHok0UKS6BCN91hEa5Ospm2UH9IFEoJNaPGkyYgw0ovT5dzlpyG59Tk1-eYDsJ0zmNSalu3Eokbq8-YmPuDMSktRWp5jcLH5bI7dd8FQ6Ld8yPBlZuGJAdHRjJ_en-ABNMmqwpvarDMeh/s640/DSC_1450.JPG" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early seashell art</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyf6z-61I1lZIHFuqzqvISCfGy-6ZGVS4g6PfvCjEziVkGecQ3S2TiZ1ZqKav4wolGDLv4XMRhI9DhWG9d2MBRwzwdia1Vrly1wdrZjggfIbUMprtdsm6LHXY3xNN_Bl0SliZW-v2T4VIg/s1600/DSC_1462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1009" data-original-width="1600" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyf6z-61I1lZIHFuqzqvISCfGy-6ZGVS4g6PfvCjEziVkGecQ3S2TiZ1ZqKav4wolGDLv4XMRhI9DhWG9d2MBRwzwdia1Vrly1wdrZjggfIbUMprtdsm6LHXY3xNN_Bl0SliZW-v2T4VIg/s640/DSC_1462.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ancient tiny animal figurines</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8QllaFs7z1vj7KQlShHmi7zXEIFuzLfbRoGYjbHQYFSrCtoB6DZilDlRV4VnYCoo7n7Y9D8WZyYZedGWBOia_PlI1igLDCsYkGPZW2QFeGrSa-Z60E7pcGte3cFzArYiof2XcV-RX3jd/s1600/DSC_1465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8QllaFs7z1vj7KQlShHmi7zXEIFuzLfbRoGYjbHQYFSrCtoB6DZilDlRV4VnYCoo7n7Y9D8WZyYZedGWBOia_PlI1igLDCsYkGPZW2QFeGrSa-Z60E7pcGte3cFzArYiof2XcV-RX3jd/s640/DSC_1465.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pagoda in the museum corridor</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0nKSV8f8_8gT2jD2kmjqsSMqyK1N88TK-qYnKcOXDva5EuuVwD9fbbUWobkYCGBjpHCNmyscCun2lF5vf18suI2j_RolxTVWXqizLyhd8rZVh_-q5dywGiF5wP_IkGoIPmRs3iu2fSRm/s1600/DSC_1466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0nKSV8f8_8gT2jD2kmjqsSMqyK1N88TK-qYnKcOXDva5EuuVwD9fbbUWobkYCGBjpHCNmyscCun2lF5vf18suI2j_RolxTVWXqizLyhd8rZVh_-q5dywGiF5wP_IkGoIPmRs3iu2fSRm/s640/DSC_1466.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIkS4prHtRQEQqn7CFM9ZBK4qytTL6PK0oAOg2vyPF0ww82tKXO28GYTKj4SSNerBiZxY7xz3vL8mXjzhWMM2s1A3dg3CipJCTfgxi0efjp-UDwjHoKIJLl667ViNXG1zHsfnjCGKam74/s1600/DSC_1475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIkS4prHtRQEQqn7CFM9ZBK4qytTL6PK0oAOg2vyPF0ww82tKXO28GYTKj4SSNerBiZxY7xz3vL8mXjzhWMM2s1A3dg3CipJCTfgxi0efjp-UDwjHoKIJLl667ViNXG1zHsfnjCGKam74/s640/DSC_1475.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tapir-shaped vessels</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-osDVC4-u7m88DjpGmSbYOmdntUT0S2m9KXnYIMxWBne4Fc-K79Aws_p2McU0ffKi4U6Bm8pXnTYLQ3kbEJtsAMeYdO9d83ntacL55k53D-qXoCVQ3_IJLyW7-KGrHvpsOxmiZj6dTwMe/s1600/DSC_1483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1169" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-osDVC4-u7m88DjpGmSbYOmdntUT0S2m9KXnYIMxWBne4Fc-K79Aws_p2McU0ffKi4U6Bm8pXnTYLQ3kbEJtsAMeYdO9d83ntacL55k53D-qXoCVQ3_IJLyW7-KGrHvpsOxmiZj6dTwMe/s640/DSC_1483.JPG" width="466" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Depiction of one of the Buddhist hells (<i>Naraka</i>). There are at least ten of them, each ruled by one hell king, with detailed descriptions how you are punished depending on your karma. It came as a surprise to me that the Buddhists have such afterlife images</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2x4NLh5qQQ_uCYBfy6c5Hk2Ib3IyKgb5d-n8lD03izYfrJOE9o7zzJX-4u2BOj1CjwW1Iab9eN4UYm2ePdq3TbeDltR66KPy9vchSb_dAcqRSjdoXTFqoVEINJF2kPoEEgf-dWVCKV82/s1600/DSC_1486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="983" data-original-width="1600" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2x4NLh5qQQ_uCYBfy6c5Hk2Ib3IyKgb5d-n8lD03izYfrJOE9o7zzJX-4u2BOj1CjwW1Iab9eN4UYm2ePdq3TbeDltR66KPy9vchSb_dAcqRSjdoXTFqoVEINJF2kPoEEgf-dWVCKV82/s640/DSC_1486.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional Korean living room</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
We also paid a visit to the <b>Fortress Wall (Hanyangdoseong)</b>, the remains of a city wall built in the 14th century. It was torn down gradually by the government since then and now only offers around 2 km of a walking route through Mt. Bugaksan.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtDeDTWVl-O1Qup62VqHtOLrvyOUBpD555XApOoZVbiwSMq7hSUdNwYXTJP_lkIAehT2d6QNT2-pCnRXhy0arGgoUWp41MJq2UpQN5eRknV18y6yC-c0k2YcCq0GIEPxaKKNduqOJ2N1vH/s1600/DSC_1488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtDeDTWVl-O1Qup62VqHtOLrvyOUBpD555XApOoZVbiwSMq7hSUdNwYXTJP_lkIAehT2d6QNT2-pCnRXhy0arGgoUWp41MJq2UpQN5eRknV18y6yC-c0k2YcCq0GIEPxaKKNduqOJ2N1vH/s640/DSC_1488.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Fortress Wall</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnuTgDPCWK73Ga_rNTZfHB6dzWl9NV5pDIsmnsEpMYnkJPiq2_nHA_dvrRLHOkAWqYA6fjAurxxxisLb-oEB6bDANPE6-5g7w7nOSWviz6Bse1nkYiGuA2jDs9Fwar-6UmDpm3wniDg9B/s1600/DSC_1489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnuTgDPCWK73Ga_rNTZfHB6dzWl9NV5pDIsmnsEpMYnkJPiq2_nHA_dvrRLHOkAWqYA6fjAurxxxisLb-oEB6bDANPE6-5g7w7nOSWviz6Bse1nkYiGuA2jDs9Fwar-6UmDpm3wniDg9B/s640/DSC_1489.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the wall hill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgheMRCy-3gv5dG4LiWGXy01QGYYjsubQD6g5l_dfsAmutIQBLNsCdYVwcJVRDJPbYMFRQwzXB3Ep6miCaULaEmKR5f98eS5ojZSQi1a91iUvLw9VSpIRe25_iXOPyQ_m9a5roy2XjU1-DY/s1600/DSC_1490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgheMRCy-3gv5dG4LiWGXy01QGYYjsubQD6g5l_dfsAmutIQBLNsCdYVwcJVRDJPbYMFRQwzXB3Ep6miCaULaEmKR5f98eS5ojZSQi1a91iUvLw9VSpIRe25_iXOPyQ_m9a5roy2XjU1-DY/s640/DSC_1490.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<h4>
Following traditional paths</h4>
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Because our friends had arrived a few days earlier than us, they had time to see almost all of the famous palaces in the city. Few were "left" for us, and one of them was <b>Gyeonghuigung Palace</b>. All of these constructions scattered across the city served as primary or secondary king residences, consisting of several halls for audiences and living quarters. This one was destroyed during Japanese occupation and only reopened in 2002.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMOyo7jtADn1hqH7m-hCBQDzRtc71i9bcp-8ypVsyH-27prhKl7yA1ERwEwOdsGzICijnKTfdCU5OIwCxfTB3Xoqwv6YTwYpSZ-M0B-TP6tnF_HwuhipHSdNCa_cRRz6q4L-V1n1oyzXW/s1600/DSC_1434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1019" data-original-width="1600" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMOyo7jtADn1hqH7m-hCBQDzRtc71i9bcp-8ypVsyH-27prhKl7yA1ERwEwOdsGzICijnKTfdCU5OIwCxfTB3Xoqwv6YTwYpSZ-M0B-TP6tnF_HwuhipHSdNCa_cRRz6q4L-V1n1oyzXW/s640/DSC_1434.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gyeonghuigung Palace front gate (Heunghwamun)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taeryeongjeon hall holding the king's portrait</td></tr>
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On another day when our group split up, Essi and I decided to go see at least one more palace on our own. It was Tuesday and most palaces are closed on Monday, so we thought nothing could go wrong - unfortunately, we happened to pick the <i>only</i> one closed on Tuesdays - <b>Gyeongbokgung</b>. Well, at least we could admire it from the outside and even some people in costumes dropped by for a photoshooting.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They are arriving</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gyeongbokgung Palace</td></tr>
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Locals and visitors in traditional costumes are not a rare sight in Seoul, especially in old areas called <b>Hanok</b> villages. You can rent a hanbok, a traditional outfit, for the day and even get free admission to some palaces if you dress up.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional hanok houses near the palace</td></tr>
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The last royal site we visited together was <b>Deoksugung </b>from Joseon dynasty in the 14th century, which was originally intended as a villa for the prince. Some halls are built and furnished in Western style, serving the purpose of receiving foreign diplomats. </div>
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Also everyone was busy preparing for Buddha's birthday which was about to happen on May 3rd, and decorating everything with paper lanterns. According to the workers at the palace, they were supposed to cover the sky so all you could see above you were lit coloruful lanterns. We would have loved to stay for this spectacle.</div>
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But at least we were right on time for the guard changing ceremony at the front gate:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxE9Ffou46sengWulVJUL6BA2wDhEmocWR3U8AejH7TiPjC_qnSmsV-qHipG-4Q5Lm16YvMqINb_4boFCBecw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Oppa Gangnam Style!</h4>
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Everyone who is interested in Korea has probably heard of Korean pop culture (hallyu): Namely the internationally loved drama and K-pop music. If you would like a little introduction into K-pop, the song playing everywhere at this time was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePpPVE-GGJw" target="_blank">this one</a>.</div>
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<i>The</i> place for pop culture fans is obviously <b>Gangnam</b>, which has become well-known through the song by Psy. Alizée and I visited the popular <b>K-Star Road</b> in this quarter, which promised to be a mecca for fans, but actually held nothing but some bear statues dedicated to famous K-pop groups and some tiny shops with merchandise...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ8QMFMvFgYbeBJ1oLhVL7m7q3sMSbNv0mY4PmIrBSn8eXJlSPJo2aAr1OKr_b50tlrDS40xAib_zTY5iGkapQXMBo-p_n5xMuZ7topuAJnVP2Z1fG113hyphenhyphenTaYbYUWG2qGUbKdk4YIkR8O/s1600/DSC_1543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ8QMFMvFgYbeBJ1oLhVL7m7q3sMSbNv0mY4PmIrBSn8eXJlSPJo2aAr1OKr_b50tlrDS40xAib_zTY5iGkapQXMBo-p_n5xMuZ7topuAJnVP2Z1fG113hyphenhyphenTaYbYUWG2qGUbKdk4YIkR8O/s320/DSC_1543.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQpsDlD_FOrix8T8Rg4wj-jjisd3Tyzxc2fjQddc6AsRAsREyHk9H7BO_MR2V6cz6XKq9qRtF564tyNPP_7_7EO6Gc-LiC_v901fIV1EIZaOCstku0EJfGVBCepl9bVoHbuGCp-QQVOuM/s1600/DSC_1547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQpsDlD_FOrix8T8Rg4wj-jjisd3Tyzxc2fjQddc6AsRAsREyHk9H7BO_MR2V6cz6XKq9qRtF564tyNPP_7_7EO6Gc-LiC_v901fIV1EIZaOCstku0EJfGVBCepl9bVoHbuGCp-QQVOuM/s320/DSC_1547.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-idP3Ra1D__jz_4n6E6hli0mYqjh43PANfnSMSYUr2PDs5oz_HxgFbPh6tW63FWr89sGSL4dOkvw_L-vXuhxhT09v0cNjwSZiixZj-6iQ3vz5OjbpNBLvyHYGzlDWy7m9MBkjimHJgwb/s1600/DSC_1548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-idP3Ra1D__jz_4n6E6hli0mYqjh43PANfnSMSYUr2PDs5oz_HxgFbPh6tW63FWr89sGSL4dOkvw_L-vXuhxhT09v0cNjwSZiixZj-6iQ3vz5OjbpNBLvyHYGzlDWy7m9MBkjimHJgwb/s640/DSC_1548.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... and also the beforementioned plastic surgery clinics</td></tr>
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Not in Gangnam, however, you can find <i>the</i> monument for Korean pop culture, probably utterly shameful for its residents but hilarious for tourists. If you remember the Gangnam Style video, you will maybe recognise the COEX shopping center: At its premises where part of the video was shot, Koreans have built a statue in 2015 acknowledging the song's huge international success (it's currently the second most watched video in Youtube). </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2MtWWwVU9SmJss0zwkhMaknlWepmaUgaUn-q0TKgQhmt-uhx4MGOz6FpHdmwsEzkvUn4Kpt-jn-txoVu1krFGkdNs__QQIDQqza1NuJtEqka6ka2G600Ryje1Ji9erPNOKSOFEGugaHSY/s1600/DSC_1560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2MtWWwVU9SmJss0zwkhMaknlWepmaUgaUn-q0TKgQhmt-uhx4MGOz6FpHdmwsEzkvUn4Kpt-jn-txoVu1krFGkdNs__QQIDQqza1NuJtEqka6ka2G600Ryje1Ji9erPNOKSOFEGugaHSY/s640/DSC_1560.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's depicting the <i>horse dance</i> move from the video</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0h3HnwdyOzJesYNXhkOHDKCkMDsJ0wCziUC006j17nqYsLK6MueY3BIcPfNmlb3bx6jdNtE3wNLEmRywXWvZOQZ1RTmzptY3PbquzhwKHX2Ng3WVRkGvQ_Seyy0eIDqYvqTgyUW0RCu5q/s1600/DSC_1556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0h3HnwdyOzJesYNXhkOHDKCkMDsJ0wCziUC006j17nqYsLK6MueY3BIcPfNmlb3bx6jdNtE3wNLEmRywXWvZOQZ1RTmzptY3PbquzhwKHX2Ng3WVRkGvQ_Seyy0eIDqYvqTgyUW0RCu5q/s640/DSC_1556.JPG" width="408" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On this display, you can play the video. In loud volume.</td></tr>
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Because we have not yet walked enough during that day, we took a stroll through Seoul's big <b>Olympic Park </b>and enjoyed the little nature the city has got to offer (although it certainly looks nicer in a warmer season). Its sports arena, which is Korea's largest, hosted the Olympics of 1988.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwGmoAcbJxYKuccMm5TJ3r5PnJpUt2J43WaQz_3M0CP-Yaf8ZUy8IsEwbtb7mkW_hffUJ6zhjo6-LyUN_AVs_rFErZzawIaeWBJSJp7aYNAvNc3w_-3KSBtgQ6nZYOufVruTbSFECeBYb/s1600/DSC_1565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwGmoAcbJxYKuccMm5TJ3r5PnJpUt2J43WaQz_3M0CP-Yaf8ZUy8IsEwbtb7mkW_hffUJ6zhjo6-LyUN_AVs_rFErZzawIaeWBJSJp7aYNAvNc3w_-3KSBtgQ6nZYOufVruTbSFECeBYb/s640/DSC_1565.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSXeisbLRIXfJhnqdrhms01Y5UDWiikMNANeOjgXl0xkWsgQOlyTNiArQ8hFurtgitc4vqy8H5q5yKoZr675OigAnQJxrfJYrtFY997HQO5iOpZA0S1GPegr0Zm_KxWSUFdbxpFpZEBWx/s1600/DSC_1568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSXeisbLRIXfJhnqdrhms01Y5UDWiikMNANeOjgXl0xkWsgQOlyTNiArQ8hFurtgitc4vqy8H5q5yKoZr675OigAnQJxrfJYrtFY997HQO5iOpZA0S1GPegr0Zm_KxWSUFdbxpFpZEBWx/s640/DSC_1568.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyi49LKzlQKTPOqErVB7McsugpG9oyIgWrdsnMrvb1fdsmDvrUkMR1dD3n92WhYRjECtE-V960VJC24f27EPyjBHXIJY6BpTafLctS3LpJd4lCuICERI7ewlrkFDeyQxIKzGtvChzJiMzh/s1600/DSC_1569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyi49LKzlQKTPOqErVB7McsugpG9oyIgWrdsnMrvb1fdsmDvrUkMR1dD3n92WhYRjECtE-V960VJC24f27EPyjBHXIJY6BpTafLctS3LpJd4lCuICERI7ewlrkFDeyQxIKzGtvChzJiMzh/s640/DSC_1569.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigmMVy6W3G67i9AyoaxwTw9nU4Juai-xDJ6AD8UnEYewEMNtjN3XGtbG81xtDJysQ8mnbnPQURGTpgwWui2DMpcXWwLtIsAILh7a8Psc9bantyAGESoNlEWh_gxYHUzH5YJn2LhSGurD7k/s1600/DSC_1573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigmMVy6W3G67i9AyoaxwTw9nU4Juai-xDJ6AD8UnEYewEMNtjN3XGtbG81xtDJysQ8mnbnPQURGTpgwWui2DMpcXWwLtIsAILh7a8Psc9bantyAGESoNlEWh_gxYHUzH5YJn2LhSGurD7k/s640/DSC_1573.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alizée enjoying the park view and calmness</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuI1qWRs2IoE7dTBtlQVXcomDKmApOT_NluUyKaAr_ErDyaXHFruqONv8A1WMfWqJVk76BRDcLyDRByT6WAJFHUVmIH8a5UsCXMCUYFqLgdAzmlRCcKNFvT4vgRos5Buvd-w4iw5u0Js7M/s1600/DSC_1575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="1600" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuI1qWRs2IoE7dTBtlQVXcomDKmApOT_NluUyKaAr_ErDyaXHFruqONv8A1WMfWqJVk76BRDcLyDRByT6WAJFHUVmIH8a5UsCXMCUYFqLgdAzmlRCcKNFvT4vgRos5Buvd-w4iw5u0Js7M/s640/DSC_1575.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fxAoa0U2KQaEIGDr2_rv4mRCAv5o12zwPLkrlSOgWzxwiDcsBlpretS-eSlelfHZV1yQSMoykylhltOTM9QsbJKjlQtjyHa5CI8abBhUpcEELb8CSXINz4jGGuu6VmZxcLyGJvFAL_Sd/s1600/DSC_1578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="1600" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fxAoa0U2KQaEIGDr2_rv4mRCAv5o12zwPLkrlSOgWzxwiDcsBlpretS-eSlelfHZV1yQSMoykylhltOTM9QsbJKjlQtjyHa5CI8abBhUpcEELb8CSXINz4jGGuu6VmZxcLyGJvFAL_Sd/s640/DSC_1578.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h4 style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Seoul: A foodie paradise </h4>
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No post would be complete without food photos. South Korea is known for its variety of great dishes, and I, for my part, was not disappointed. Especially street food is a thing here, and (almost) every meal is delightfully spicy. Let me show you some of the numerous specialties South Korea has to offer:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHnYqRp-9LaQ_-SdHn15yGAU3iPVivSA926RFanjahnLbnhLzZNVjIyvqGONxhPo7pBtTEIG_L3aGk8o4CoeBv7gEwCZfCYRJwJ69l1USrHUQZv_aaiWy2eq-rXZ0bkcI6mkux1wmxg4LR/s1600/DSC_1368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHnYqRp-9LaQ_-SdHn15yGAU3iPVivSA926RFanjahnLbnhLzZNVjIyvqGONxhPo7pBtTEIG_L3aGk8o4CoeBv7gEwCZfCYRJwJ69l1USrHUQZv_aaiWy2eq-rXZ0bkcI6mkux1wmxg4LR/s640/DSC_1368.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mandu</i> (veggie and mushroom dumplings) in the front, Korean sushi (<i>gimbap</i>) in the back, and spicy mandu and soybean sprout soup on the right</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87sU3pZ9q2-455YL4BVi95iCe5AH85pMq1aobD3hCeTqgQscRow2kxDens2piJ7vFIdnRXQ7Rmm2rtSXI2szCbo3s_FRWnFpQjz57hIRVhKJ8EvLWBuJGBaXq3OqCM8g2Qrr39JDbVUwp/s1600/DSC_1369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="969" data-original-width="1600" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87sU3pZ9q2-455YL4BVi95iCe5AH85pMq1aobD3hCeTqgQscRow2kxDens2piJ7vFIdnRXQ7Rmm2rtSXI2szCbo3s_FRWnFpQjz57hIRVhKJ8EvLWBuJGBaXq3OqCM8g2Qrr39JDbVUwp/s640/DSC_1369.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is not Korean, but we cheated on it with Turkish tea, coffee and baklava. Yum...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVBWXFokzq_MkVJV4JUhcR7fE-2W3cGciCLDqsYEPDFn_oie9lMVWlQJXg4pvHcoFyfCCmJtiSNFWBlu8M3Zl1A0oWoYSy9MduXEoZVBi2trfeXOEJVP1L6zmc8XP6xhMBkUxLHjerOFf/s1600/DSC_1396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVBWXFokzq_MkVJV4JUhcR7fE-2W3cGciCLDqsYEPDFn_oie9lMVWlQJXg4pvHcoFyfCCmJtiSNFWBlu8M3Zl1A0oWoYSy9MduXEoZVBi2trfeXOEJVP1L6zmc8XP6xhMBkUxLHjerOFf/s640/DSC_1396.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Korean pancake (<i>pajeon</i>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qG5CK5ZFLhoI0bv-3PynbVssYQgunvWCiAxya-sz7g-HSv-RI-bS5IhltVvEba7FYF7GppwXKbNJKC3I-dBgbMG8s39ZvTD809tTAs4RLO5fej_17UA1EuVcVyP4mw7aEnNwMxJLTMbG/s1600/DSC_1495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1523" data-original-width="1600" height="608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qG5CK5ZFLhoI0bv-3PynbVssYQgunvWCiAxya-sz7g-HSv-RI-bS5IhltVvEba7FYF7GppwXKbNJKC3I-dBgbMG8s39ZvTD809tTAs4RLO5fej_17UA1EuVcVyP4mw7aEnNwMxJLTMbG/s640/DSC_1495.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another sort of mandu with <i>kimchi</i> (famous fermented spicy veggies) and a better view of gimbap</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92SDNga1CinzL9RoXOs1hQUJH7KuyNhsZ8sSTona_TaNlSIPDZKXcvwcoiTVqkLhBrKlZAkMC32Mu5c59XrBeHdQ9QFMHQxVWzkDNq0pbi4HWWSIzxS-cCbMdvz5b0ULG153Ef3J_P4GB/s1600/DSC_1447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1407" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92SDNga1CinzL9RoXOs1hQUJH7KuyNhsZ8sSTona_TaNlSIPDZKXcvwcoiTVqkLhBrKlZAkMC32Mu5c59XrBeHdQ9QFMHQxVWzkDNq0pbi4HWWSIzxS-cCbMdvz5b0ULG153Ef3J_P4GB/s640/DSC_1447.JPG" width="562" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tteok</i>: Cut rice cake in spicy sauce</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_WrDE9FP4CCOlaBl67VIbA9-k9ZNjI3dFBy9VbZx9ECMAstoYaPgvspl_2PBevg3cdUY_CroC3CBbEUp4xSBstU2hGmoesCxjL9DkFp3A_mlLhj99wiSsyltV7IofH0fvcQVMdGIQpH5/s1600/DSC_1532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_WrDE9FP4CCOlaBl67VIbA9-k9ZNjI3dFBy9VbZx9ECMAstoYaPgvspl_2PBevg3cdUY_CroC3CBbEUp4xSBstU2hGmoesCxjL9DkFp3A_mlLhj99wiSsyltV7IofH0fvcQVMdGIQpH5/s640/DSC_1532.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Various soups and kimchi fried rice with egg and toasted seaweed, which is called <i>bokkeumbap</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuLzcq7MuShrCDzuUplYway5OIu5ND5H8zkgJtgcuXRj7P0XMWnBnvOD0yTKCs8d28ze2GEC4gJX6GcLRh1GisHweCEvxCGA-B-68KYlBL6kVDEbct61WVxHe0sSVCTbOqz6td5PRYTan/s1600/DSC_1580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1525" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuLzcq7MuShrCDzuUplYway5OIu5ND5H8zkgJtgcuXRj7P0XMWnBnvOD0yTKCs8d28ze2GEC4gJX6GcLRh1GisHweCEvxCGA-B-68KYlBL6kVDEbct61WVxHe0sSVCTbOqz6td5PRYTan/s640/DSC_1580.JPG" width="608" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curious savoury and sweet egg bun - <i>Gyeranppang</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5KSvjaJOhAp9DRY45UFvzAdMGw2MzQGXTYm-vARbJAX_ZIlCZwJJrM3FwDxZpk-C_1UrSxIcX40tMTAZF80J2yKU8ySWqh57HgxgTw5oXX6WftK3xDqlWoHVRXQ9vx-hSz90kKCoi7hc/s1600/DSC_1581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1598" data-original-width="1600" height="634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5KSvjaJOhAp9DRY45UFvzAdMGw2MzQGXTYm-vARbJAX_ZIlCZwJJrM3FwDxZpk-C_1UrSxIcX40tMTAZF80J2yKU8ySWqh57HgxgTw5oXX6WftK3xDqlWoHVRXQ9vx-hSz90kKCoi7hc/s640/DSC_1581.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One more pancake, filled with diverse veggies</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DOlYHao_Ze4aQAojLORmltAnrfdi3q8ub11tyBkEc3hCJnfmxJ1qyfTcMSJrt5PFHz1jJiJfsXJK9iSuwpOHT5kkFf5RPfwdRKsJrEX9lVUIAJiW1Mkg6r3bzq2F4y_YDmanSU7-mtcq/s1600/DSC_1539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DOlYHao_Ze4aQAojLORmltAnrfdi3q8ub11tyBkEc3hCJnfmxJ1qyfTcMSJrt5PFHz1jJiJfsXJK9iSuwpOHT5kkFf5RPfwdRKsJrEX9lVUIAJiW1Mkg6r3bzq2F4y_YDmanSU7-mtcq/s640/DSC_1539.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They have street Mojito too!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFekKRpmnwcI65ypo4Yafxd3c9LL4WpKwA6bxTTPugrJ3bpMTOYZEaL147iJk-aovY1JEs87njWQsKqWRA2wtn8NRzUdbn-V6qudoFQ9KDqCTLb71IVYZeUKqOYCup_dGPRfj1TcXe-G0R/s1600/DSC_1584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFekKRpmnwcI65ypo4Yafxd3c9LL4WpKwA6bxTTPugrJ3bpMTOYZEaL147iJk-aovY1JEs87njWQsKqWRA2wtn8NRzUdbn-V6qudoFQ9KDqCTLb71IVYZeUKqOYCup_dGPRfj1TcXe-G0R/s640/DSC_1584.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bibimbap, </i>a kind of rice pot mixed with veggies, tofu, sometimes meat, egg and a spicy sauce, and kimchi variety on our last day at Seoul station</td></tr>
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Oh, and because I was asked: Since Seoul is so close to the North Korean border, you can actually make a tour there - apparently right to the room where there is a door which leads you to a place where noone can guarantee for your safety anymore. We didn't have the time to travel there, although it would have been curious to see. I heard when you visit you should take care of your appearance, as workers tend to take photos of sloppily dressed or badly groomed tourists to promote anti-Western propaganda in North Korea.</div>
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And so I said goodbye to my friends one after the other, while I was staying one more night in Seoul because my flight to Singapore was only leaving the following day. Before I left, however, I got a chance to get to know once more the friendly and helpful side of Korean people. On the way to my last Airbnb in Incheon**, I was struggling to find the way and some employees of a grocery store next to the train station noticed my lost expression, so they offered to help. Together, they tried to figure out the address on the map, while one of them didn't hesitate and offered me a ride on his van. I obviously politely declined, especially because the place was only 10 minutes away by foot, thus manageable even with my huge suitcase, and they already described the road to me in detail. So I left, but soon realised the man was following me to make sure I found the right way. A little creepy, but he meant well and I just laughed and thanked him again. </div>
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In Singapore, I was going to meet my dad and also another member of my family, who was surprisingly working in Singapore, and whom I have not met since I was too little to remember. :) Too find out more, drop by again soon!</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJ6kGsOWUIL68xhjBp0L7FzjfKHjajzvSjCfT3lij3T_Xk43rCpxhXVmzWI2exQsH5Jrk6YM_8BwAQo65dwFKTGQ1kMx8f16dV5Mrm-_v9in5CBXdMPosEuHwM22uO_u4QKcHGWCScBvg/s1600/DSC_1586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="1600" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJ6kGsOWUIL68xhjBp0L7FzjfKHjajzvSjCfT3lij3T_Xk43rCpxhXVmzWI2exQsH5Jrk6YM_8BwAQo65dwFKTGQ1kMx8f16dV5Mrm-_v9in5CBXdMPosEuHwM22uO_u4QKcHGWCScBvg/s640/DSC_1586.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Last day at Seoul train station - German spirit?</td></tr>
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* <a href="https://de.airbnb.com/rooms/13951004" target="_blank">Our spacious and convenient Airbnb</a></div>
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** <a href="https://de.airbnb.com/rooms/8692505" target="_blank">Cozy place where I spent my last night near the airport</a><br />
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rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-39117262828352892712017-07-10T22:19:00.001+09:002017-07-10T22:21:13.245+09:00Towers, tales and troubles of Hanoi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Welcome back! I am happy to have you again on our journey through South East Asia. Land in <b>Hanoi</b> with us and have a glimpse into Vietnamese culture. </div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJtSyqt0fT1P0GdTB4gHSrsl80eTHKAYWeZY57BO_ADO1Fff1sBMaIMeDl8Yt58-R7MY38D1DcP7TCnj5paX5UhoUZlCMQUbmjh42AMcukUVmZalPKR9XJM2wM5LzWdVzxE2K-xiftLsQ/s1600/DSC_1248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJtSyqt0fT1P0GdTB4gHSrsl80eTHKAYWeZY57BO_ADO1Fff1sBMaIMeDl8Yt58-R7MY38D1DcP7TCnj5paX5UhoUZlCMQUbmjh42AMcukUVmZalPKR9XJM2wM5LzWdVzxE2K-xiftLsQ/s640/DSC_1248.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hoàn Kiếm</span></span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> lake with the Turtle Tower. According to a legend, a turtle appeared to Emperor Lê Lợi while he was on a boat in 1428 and reclaimed a sword given to him by the Dragon King. This is why the lake's name means "Sword Lake". There are even still some real turtles inside</span></td></tr>
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A city full of cultural surprises </h4>
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Having arrived in Hanoi, we realised that is what not only much colder than we expected (the average temperature being 22 degrees), but also what we considered to be chaotic traffic in Manila, Bangkok and Phnom Penh was really nothing compared to the Vietnamese capital. Crossing the street means: "Close your eyes and hope for the best". Sidewalks are blocked completely by all the shops expanding outside with vendors sitting around on plastic chairs (can anyone explain why?), motorbikes are not only parked but also driven all over on the pavement, and crosswalks are a foreign concept here. Here is a little video to illustrate a part of the everyday madness:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzeX9XC5lNKSqFhsV6K5izdeXHm6ml2P3Ip26adYtPcTmvaqjDP8PZa1ZqS_4sTa0LUA-nVwJPUNRgM_fD3Dg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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In addition to that, despite Vietnam being the second largest coffee producer in the world, finding coffee to fuel our day proved to be a nearly impossible task - at least the coffee we are used to. The small, so-called cafés in Hanoi mainly sell extremely strong black varieties and <i>cà phê sữa nóng</i> - coffee with sweetened condensed milk (don't ask me how to pronounce it). Call it cultural resistance or not, but tea was more appealing to us here:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUiLdA56JhhZBaf8VZTjTqXXHR7K3EIKLq9jQXCDB7ri47UDZNB8_d3A5AqRtNtishLegl1Q-LjFS6swSFCfxhumbRaaxyE4CalK6CG6cZyMjX2xdWJXe1d77zdREx2kXpIpUbWn6GNob4/s1600/DSC_1162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUiLdA56JhhZBaf8VZTjTqXXHR7K3EIKLq9jQXCDB7ri47UDZNB8_d3A5AqRtNtishLegl1Q-LjFS6swSFCfxhumbRaaxyE4CalK6CG6cZyMjX2xdWJXe1d77zdREx2kXpIpUbWn6GNob4/s640/DSC_1162.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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However, things being different does not mean they have to be bad. Despite all complaints, Hanoi has plenty of good "fuel" to offer as well. Concerning coffee specialties, they like to put all kinds of crazy stuff inside, including egg yolks and yogurt. Only in Vietnam!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQafR8wAiQXKgC8Udcev3psAmaIPbmcIHGqkhvxXxAPhw0nMLDHJOlJsa8uHyWUNrJ3fksDaZvbdk-_F35wx_GcxSKJoAx7TA4n0IHW1-ySSR9FOoAhtf8V0nZ3F3yIuL9wNOI_Vma7GV5/s1600/DSC_1245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1538" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQafR8wAiQXKgC8Udcev3psAmaIPbmcIHGqkhvxXxAPhw0nMLDHJOlJsa8uHyWUNrJ3fksDaZvbdk-_F35wx_GcxSKJoAx7TA4n0IHW1-ySSR9FOoAhtf8V0nZ3F3yIuL9wNOI_Vma7GV5/s640/DSC_1245.JPG" width="610" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cà phê sữa chua</i>: yogurt coffee on the left, egg on the right (<i>cà phê trú'ung</i>) - with the obligatory mouth cleaning tea</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNewwDgHpQEEM9G19GWbe9sj7DsPgrmC_exLG9Mz7UQutdnBVtqGAl3WPoNSjKNbNWhHZRB34MhAGd5R8iu_tiyqBl0zXrBzPCxGCGskumMMvBycyM60rdMkrAo_wKxziXbGoS-zLPhEgH/s1600/DSC_1214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1435" data-original-width="1600" height="570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNewwDgHpQEEM9G19GWbe9sj7DsPgrmC_exLG9Mz7UQutdnBVtqGAl3WPoNSjKNbNWhHZRB34MhAGd5R8iu_tiyqBl0zXrBzPCxGCGskumMMvBycyM60rdMkrAo_wKxziXbGoS-zLPhEgH/s640/DSC_1214.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The left one is <i>cà phê đá</i> - Vietnamese iced coffee</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yyulVeAN_Nd31lvfz5kl-jysAKO7kXCd6AbsHqNoryvLuj-a0Dchb7wz8B3FcV5A9PMe76NwFz_dClYoyLlfuv3mU2AFFRPpKrSMpwj_zEs8vpV_OwBeaBQ5wBHPIiXvuxKHoOYQ7ySX/s1600/DSC_1163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yyulVeAN_Nd31lvfz5kl-jysAKO7kXCd6AbsHqNoryvLuj-a0Dchb7wz8B3FcV5A9PMe76NwFz_dClYoyLlfuv3mU2AFFRPpKrSMpwj_zEs8vpV_OwBeaBQ5wBHPIiXvuxKHoOYQ7ySX/s640/DSC_1163.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course, there is an abundance of fried rice and noodle varieties...</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvCFeUxDmY2jHFnUbd6WiQtbok_BjK4c3IPu50prIwIWh8Cb2wH34YRqqY15Szpn3IaCgpTCefsHMaFQvzPj5tDq3BmC8WW_vq3-8abXSpYyxHKlujwa65hEHTxVlUCnR0SAApfpZePGYw/s1600/DSC_1246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvCFeUxDmY2jHFnUbd6WiQtbok_BjK4c3IPu50prIwIWh8Cb2wH34YRqqY15Szpn3IaCgpTCefsHMaFQvzPj5tDq3BmC8WW_vq3-8abXSpYyxHKlujwa65hEHTxVlUCnR0SAApfpZePGYw/s640/DSC_1246.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">.... and fresh fruit</span></div>
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Another thing that surprised me was the omnipresence of the Communist hammer and sickle. After learning what this ideology can cause (not only in Cambodia), it seemed quite surreal to me - but Socialist Republic Vietnam is, after all, ruled by a Communist party. They even have the star on their flag and a Lenin Park.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-KUx0JHuV4KklT3sYMgttkbOWHd-5RVV0dPJvefzvlCBLudzr0GYxG82MQ-2C6M_YxJUEoyWu62cOk4i-X0FW4gXWKJOmBIRdDxZMlAmfby3P_ncBsNdo1BJvHBDF1hyNdexDPvFeRBP/s1600/DSC_1218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1192" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-KUx0JHuV4KklT3sYMgttkbOWHd-5RVV0dPJvefzvlCBLudzr0GYxG82MQ-2C6M_YxJUEoyWu62cOk4i-X0FW4gXWKJOmBIRdDxZMlAmfby3P_ncBsNdo1BJvHBDF1hyNdexDPvFeRBP/s640/DSC_1218.JPG" width="472" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanoi's Flag Tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This symbol is at every corner</td></tr>
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Chinese in Vietnam</h4>
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Our eager hotel* receptionist gave us a map of Hanoi on which we traced our exploration path. First, we visited <b>Văn Miếu - the Temple of Literature</b>. This Confucian temple was the birthplace of the first national university in Vietnam, built in 1070. Subjects were Chinese language, philosophy and history. Apart from its numerous pavilions and halls, it now exhibits school items, uniforms and diploma of former students. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple gate</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">One of the five courtyards</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The names of those who passed the royal exam, conducted by the emperor themself, and graduated are written on these steles</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was a little boy loudly imitating this dragon in the cortyard - adorable!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crane and the turtle are omnipresent symbols of longevity in Buddhism. Together, they stand for a long happy life</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Being a holy place, you find a lot of colourful altars here, often to the important figures of the former university</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the top floor</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In a park outside the temple, people of all ages were playing exercising and resting - indeed, all the life in Hanoi is going on outdoors</td></tr>
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Holy grounds and charity food</h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Interestingly, even though over 80% of the Vietnamese consider themselves atheists, religion still plays a big role here. But maybe this is just for the tourists - a</span>nyway, another Confucian, or in this case also Taoist temple we visited was <b>Ngoc Son, the Temple of the Jade Mountain</b>. To access it, you have to cross the bridge over Hoàn Kiếm Lake and pass the elaborate gates. As mentioned before, the lake is affiliated with turtles and you can even see the body of an apparently 400 year old individual inside the temple.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rAhfptT2LEKhn2sZCrDnhlQE6GvHJaa9sbjv8aXMnWJg2XTuQ2wEbAVq6y1zVewfq_miPAnZFSLIR5XRmMU3yFkLzvycq-xBFzxQstGHg0PehpAnyndyLvv_TD70Zyo01QJLHb8TH1pK/s1600/DSC_1287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rAhfptT2LEKhn2sZCrDnhlQE6GvHJaa9sbjv8aXMnWJg2XTuQ2wEbAVq6y1zVewfq_miPAnZFSLIR5XRmMU3yFkLzvycq-xBFzxQstGHg0PehpAnyndyLvv_TD70Zyo01QJLHb8TH1pK/s640/DSC_1287.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese-style paintings at the second gate</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An altar in the temple</td></tr>
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Then there was also the <b>Trấn Quốc Pagoda</b>, the temple with many names, almost 1500 years old and relocated from Red River to Hanoi's West Lake (Ho Tay).<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsND25wSeavCmxVnqYkO1T6hPqwH6Z-4QQgIftFgTujjRCXPowmAvUq-x0Xd1ZP5BqV0qsRfPvpKkR5_0jC-fQdnNpcqDlTEkkwVXJXzxBst75NFPZ8bG5teO55mTtx5n23cg7VCgBgdC/s1600/DSC_1331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1543" data-original-width="1600" height="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsND25wSeavCmxVnqYkO1T6hPqwH6Z-4QQgIftFgTujjRCXPowmAvUq-x0Xd1ZP5BqV0qsRfPvpKkR5_0jC-fQdnNpcqDlTEkkwVXJXzxBst75NFPZ8bG5teO55mTtx5n23cg7VCgBgdC/s640/DSC_1331.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">View of </span></span><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Trấn Quốc</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> and West Lake</span></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjE-Pc7dqYA8gwOE_lOCgnXSo7RmgKUJ3T2NmYPIAplfJA150_2jMfeyodX8zaM3aPUQzj-jUGdVNWCaJNY6HZmxUl8lXYrTJY1NdQTE4UAWjOQsbuCQc0kkB5uAHftpGZgLwVqXtoZdB/s1600/DSC_1340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjE-Pc7dqYA8gwOE_lOCgnXSo7RmgKUJ3T2NmYPIAplfJA150_2jMfeyodX8zaM3aPUQzj-jUGdVNWCaJNY6HZmxUl8lXYrTJY1NdQTE4UAWjOQsbuCQc0kkB5uAHftpGZgLwVqXtoZdB/s640/DSC_1340.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This pagoda is popular at sunset, but closes around 6pm</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unusual: Female Buddhas are worshipped here as well</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the numerous pavilions where monks pray. We saw some wandering around</td></tr>
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Because Vietnam is (unfortunately) still a developing country, there are many places people established where you can spend your money for a good purpose while enjoying yourself. So we paid a visit to <b>KOTO</b>, a training restaurant where street youth are given the chance to become chefs. Your meal is prepared by cooks who are still learning, so we didn't expect too much. This why we were very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the meals.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2uWCOEY_NV-GJ2v16RSYKp3Uy11yXCGTVnPRSY7E9ChiRHdKjW-lBDRejW3xN50GtSzDHHCn6Xo4NozVVgbGrCI8KnZd1rJ3FBO7tATjnyFwv0hoUpS47Mcrdf0sBMIep6z6bd78shYD/s1600/DSC_1318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1406" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2uWCOEY_NV-GJ2v16RSYKp3Uy11yXCGTVnPRSY7E9ChiRHdKjW-lBDRejW3xN50GtSzDHHCn6Xo4NozVVgbGrCI8KnZd1rJ3FBO7tATjnyFwv0hoUpS47Mcrdf0sBMIep6z6bd78shYD/s640/DSC_1318.JPG" width="562" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Pumpkin-mushroom-veggie delight with chewy brown rice</span></div>
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This fun is a little pricey, but the creative menu and the friendly and genuine service make up for it. Also, by the time we visited, the apprentices were having a meeting near the entrance so when we left, each one of them thanked us and waved us goodbye. :) </div>
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The heavy load of Vietnamese women</h4>
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One of our must-dos in Hanoi was the <b>Vietnamese Women's Museum</b>. On four floors, it covers the family, traditions, history and fashion. Women's fate throughout the ages, their role in war, education, special success stories and bizarre childbirth traditions were just some of the aspects you could learn about.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEzqiUQy-uWlBGJgkhv5EULAkakfPTQeCdhchBLYBkTyb4-CinV7jqI9ASbb4h-eUrW5Tq0_vQDWpST3DVYRVEnHl1XwDqsWy0W9_K0ZpGpkBIGJeYxOzn6_8ZDkLGKvYtWFI5akNInRDh/s1600/DSC_1290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1454" data-original-width="1600" height="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEzqiUQy-uWlBGJgkhv5EULAkakfPTQeCdhchBLYBkTyb4-CinV7jqI9ASbb4h-eUrW5Tq0_vQDWpST3DVYRVEnHl1XwDqsWy0W9_K0ZpGpkBIGJeYxOzn6_8ZDkLGKvYtWFI5akNInRDh/s640/DSC_1290.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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There was also in interactive part where you could try and lift the famous carrying poles with baskets you see everywhere on Vietnamese streets. It was harder than expected - and women drive them around on bikes!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazdjnQasJyoZvvI9IzqWnAztnnv1zSXim_YmykzbrZVJPOswjbs2x1PggfO7WKtMM2-aNpAdWoqNnzUiYbw1p_oY1819pup8k7pbXVXD6irTdQamVWkJ6-awjHKW9Lfn6WpG6XzzKsA0U/s1600/DSC_1291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1351" data-original-width="1600" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazdjnQasJyoZvvI9IzqWnAztnnv1zSXim_YmykzbrZVJPOswjbs2x1PggfO7WKtMM2-aNpAdWoqNnzUiYbw1p_oY1819pup8k7pbXVXD6irTdQamVWkJ6-awjHKW9Lfn6WpG6XzzKsA0U/s640/DSC_1291.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Essi has the situation completely under control...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...while I was struggling to keep my balance :P</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyS_YYgX31hF13EWFXgbspFnGBo9a3xWEOj8ngzWzJ4KrE2bHFWFMSuLL4B71qz8a_xS6ejS_tRLA2H8STJHC1hLoy63kKyS7Apv7z_nHtcUj4R87Bv0Sffot_QLQO55bNhrwBXOA7T8aO/s1600/DSC_1298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyS_YYgX31hF13EWFXgbspFnGBo9a3xWEOj8ngzWzJ4KrE2bHFWFMSuLL4B71qz8a_xS6ejS_tRLA2H8STJHC1hLoy63kKyS7Apv7z_nHtcUj4R87Bv0Sffot_QLQO55bNhrwBXOA7T8aO/s640/DSC_1298.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Traditional costumes for men and women</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86HnQGuBCnGMGKYKAloBAF66-TtsFkbBWP5Qr5w0-aPiEe4Oaevoez_hS9KoGo9u6WpK2HuVYFini4_CN5g7m1xCZ1XV6wWg4FX49LVxXb5GwrzhjBsidiZ3jDIjcdWr7ZQwh22qujdbz/s1600/DSC_1302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1347" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86HnQGuBCnGMGKYKAloBAF66-TtsFkbBWP5Qr5w0-aPiEe4Oaevoez_hS9KoGo9u6WpK2HuVYFini4_CN5g7m1xCZ1XV6wWg4FX49LVxXb5GwrzhjBsidiZ3jDIjcdWr7ZQwh22qujdbz/s640/DSC_1302.JPG" width="534" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">(Thankfully) outdated beauty standard: Dying your teeth black (Japanese did it too)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">An area dedicated to spiritual aspects: The mother goddesses, princes and princesses of different nature phenomena</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Traditional Vietnamese instruments</td></tr>
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Views of Hanoi</h4>
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Our days largely consisted of strolling through the city and finding landscapes worth a closer look. It has to be said that Hanoi is very walkable, so we didn't even need any kind transport to reach our destinations (and honestly, I would have been scared to try). Enjoy our impressions of the day and night in the Vietnamese capital. </div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSeQIN97heA2CBs0wO3errwOzIWPu4kak_w5B6btyQX7LB3OlLztXuvVIPChbpOIoXvSNrNv3ZA-Tih8xOUudyBN_UGCZ5rhEFW_9dO2ZM4LmUCkkWE04ylawtfSD2T17wcx_pP8miT5of/s1600/DSC_1263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1165" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSeQIN97heA2CBs0wO3errwOzIWPu4kak_w5B6btyQX7LB3OlLztXuvVIPChbpOIoXvSNrNv3ZA-Tih8xOUudyBN_UGCZ5rhEFW_9dO2ZM4LmUCkkWE04ylawtfSD2T17wcx_pP8miT5of/s640/DSC_1263.JPG" width="464" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">St. Joseph's Cathedral, Hanoi's oldest church, built by the French colonialists in 1886</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoemL857o8bdNoQg1LK_yRT9UzBlIBvDR0kc_Ds8mmbRMMaj4bnnw9QhSzjuzj8bXpzkJn1v9EEhoE7D_zXEc-L2orBg_u7qUJxB62MewAfitfV3ZxprU_sKSKMiWGPLaS3niL48QummT/s1600/DSC_1320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1283" data-original-width="1600" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoemL857o8bdNoQg1LK_yRT9UzBlIBvDR0kc_Ds8mmbRMMaj4bnnw9QhSzjuzj8bXpzkJn1v9EEhoE7D_zXEc-L2orBg_u7qUJxB62MewAfitfV3ZxprU_sKSKMiWGPLaS3niL48QummT/s640/DSC_1320.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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The back side of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum where the former president lies</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The President Palace. Apparently, Japan was visiting at that time (what a coincidence!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJ9XivY8Si0tq3oeIRKnsIZEBRqO09P022RjCx6GX0iazmXlc-E-4awo1a_-zqDvV-pw5QQKBvug2ScCY1WkHrEXlnKDImSMv9Cn8Gry4KHKr3u2SyqFrqLGcaAl9RIYtp5pJhhLi0RkO/s1600/DSC_1323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1147" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJ9XivY8Si0tq3oeIRKnsIZEBRqO09P022RjCx6GX0iazmXlc-E-4awo1a_-zqDvV-pw5QQKBvug2ScCY1WkHrEXlnKDImSMv9Cn8Gry4KHKr3u2SyqFrqLGcaAl9RIYtp5pJhhLi0RkO/s640/DSC_1323.JPG" width="454" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lotus fountain in a park. Lotus is found here very often as the Buddhist symbol of purity </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmbT5Uw5G1bN8YfD3EG4t9r_Aeb3syOEWJBqscjRaV0byMz2CWADUakPPUNyB6nCdPIS5fvd9Wy9gV1cXK5czicRZawh7RaeyuX7DlC1GtbKD8ecCPwXMOcZg9eyNTsMCSTZV_fZNyEse/s1600/DSC_1324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1485" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmbT5Uw5G1bN8YfD3EG4t9r_Aeb3syOEWJBqscjRaV0byMz2CWADUakPPUNyB6nCdPIS5fvd9Wy9gV1cXK5czicRZawh7RaeyuX7DlC1GtbKD8ecCPwXMOcZg9eyNTsMCSTZV_fZNyEse/s640/DSC_1324.JPG" width="590" /></a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8n_Lf8aRRqwL-1asimATID5jpgXBZvBEbw2CAWi-8Uj_zpyfW2gO11LZ1P4g5bcvdEP92IWl0HlZowKs7_e8W_TYrK06RSx0XnA4s4saNBpXdVIAIKsRFj4Zz3arRrWLPFRvaTEudBvq/s1600/DSC_1244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="1600" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8n_Lf8aRRqwL-1asimATID5jpgXBZvBEbw2CAWi-8Uj_zpyfW2gO11LZ1P4g5bcvdEP92IWl0HlZowKs7_e8W_TYrK06RSx0XnA4s4saNBpXdVIAIKsRFj4Zz3arRrWLPFRvaTEudBvq/s640/DSC_1244.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">View of <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Hoàn Kiếm</span> lake from a rooftop café</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtgRIOPE3fj6SmZ9nYvl0lsE6yJCFSzjBx7-O1oqoc-I2FQXkh9j2kW_-LJYf3i3GNYeLlI7WrmLjlvcAfu3U8LTIgj9VPS9P5DzCLltlbdgVfiXLZkSQ1WX7ccQoaR7NNkcOu-uThaNx/s1600/DSC_1326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="1600" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtgRIOPE3fj6SmZ9nYvl0lsE6yJCFSzjBx7-O1oqoc-I2FQXkh9j2kW_-LJYf3i3GNYeLlI7WrmLjlvcAfu3U8LTIgj9VPS9P5DzCLltlbdgVfiXLZkSQ1WX7ccQoaR7NNkcOu-uThaNx/s640/DSC_1326.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red moon over the Red River</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyOlW3e0itFC3n_HSyTy3MvUfoyTZlfv59jo6vL1tFe5SdncgemK5hwRHoydo_kcoOzzZ5qlgCs17kAEOjhsDIE-HdsexOGkz_xJQZfSf99THxeuUZBjK_IQ-92DvXHdgOFTD71RxeI1bX/s1600/DSC_1330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="1600" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyOlW3e0itFC3n_HSyTy3MvUfoyTZlfv59jo6vL1tFe5SdncgemK5hwRHoydo_kcoOzzZ5qlgCs17kAEOjhsDIE-HdsexOGkz_xJQZfSf99THxeuUZBjK_IQ-92DvXHdgOFTD71RxeI1bX/s640/DSC_1330.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">West Lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhffeF4FUCJaXLS8nYz_mP8tYKquPS6kvM53DlLOnzzZWF4qsj0i3aegg2wqSyrUJE2uVGZUrNW0A6122oA7MqtvooVi4YX33NNrcQXcSm2GfdAE8bJapfPmTe01WzQccru5AFp550Duv4O/s1600/DSC_1224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1121" data-original-width="1600" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhffeF4FUCJaXLS8nYz_mP8tYKquPS6kvM53DlLOnzzZWF4qsj0i3aegg2wqSyrUJE2uVGZUrNW0A6122oA7MqtvooVi4YX33NNrcQXcSm2GfdAE8bJapfPmTe01WzQccru5AFp550Duv4O/s640/DSC_1224.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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House in the richer area</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Hoàn Kiếm</span> lake at night</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">West Lake with <span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">Trấn Quốc</span> Pagoda view</td></tr>
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One night in Hanoi...</h4>
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Not only Bangkok is famous for its nightlife, but so is Vietnam's capital. We were too tired for a proper club night, but we did visit a few bars - especially in the <b>Old Quarter</b>, which is crowded with backpackers and foreign residents every night. Usually the establishments close at midnight, so you better get your share while you can. But some places are also open around the clock if you feel like continuing your after-dark experience.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmZqmYzsMnmDzoQGfSUlW0_g8puC9t2QBDrWAtRRaR8glEc6N9eUjvnvx5V9nWgbXpwjlb67xV4MMGvSF163fh9ERmfli1KZSDzySnLlzWumRv20TN-5SNPOqOd6sjPR2MvHJmR-qAbbr/s1600/DSC_1228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmZqmYzsMnmDzoQGfSUlW0_g8puC9t2QBDrWAtRRaR8glEc6N9eUjvnvx5V9nWgbXpwjlb67xV4MMGvSF163fh9ERmfli1KZSDzySnLlzWumRv20TN-5SNPOqOd6sjPR2MvHJmR-qAbbr/s1600/DSC_1228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1439" data-original-width="1600" height="570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmZqmYzsMnmDzoQGfSUlW0_g8puC9t2QBDrWAtRRaR8glEc6N9eUjvnvx5V9nWgbXpwjlb67xV4MMGvSF163fh9ERmfli1KZSDzySnLlzWumRv20TN-5SNPOqOd6sjPR2MvHJmR-qAbbr/s640/DSC_1228.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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But honestly, the 24-hour bars were a bit of the shady sort. Apart from some suspicious individuals, we came across a very curious but alarming party trend: <i>Funky balls</i>. If you never heard of these (as we didn't): It's balloons filled with laughing gas (nutrious oxide) which you simply inhale. Sounds like harmless fun, but it gets you high very easily and can even cause brain damage if consumed in too large amounts. People didn't seem to care though and those whose empty balloons started to pile up on their tables were behaving <i>very</i> strange. Harmless, but still... strange. The trend only came up last year and you can buy balloons for a few Vietnamese dong at every bar. No, we didn't try.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because you can have fun without balloons :)</td></tr>
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As I already mentioned, the real life is found on the streets in Vietnam, and so is the food. A lot of restaurants and cafés serve outside, so you can relax and enjoy the cool night breeze (so cool you have to wear a jacket).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Vietnamese hot pot on the street - you cook the noodles, meat and veggies ingredients yourself in the broth</td></tr>
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Don't forget street markets - they are everywhere. We stocked up with the last souvenirs on Hanoi's <b>Night Market</b>, which was conveniently close to our hotel.</div>
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Our three and a half days in Hanoi, the city that never ceased to impess us, were over faster than we could think. Around midnight, we boarded our plane for Seoul, South Korea, where we were going to meet our Keio friends Alizée and Tiffany (spoiler: never take a night flight under 8 hours). But that's a story for the next post. See you soon :) </div>
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* <a href="https://de.airbnb.com/rooms/7312623" target="_blank">Lovely place to stay in Hanoi</a><br />
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rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-77355070776891538012017-07-05T23:03:00.000+09:002017-07-05T23:03:26.198+09:00A family for two days, or Stories of seeking and finding<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hello friends :)</div>
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Let's continue on our trip through South-East Asia. Today our destination is <b>Cambodia</b>. </div>
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This is where we arrived after a 10-hour bus trip from Bangkok. The ride was really comfortable, despite having to get up at 5 in the morning - but food, drinks, air conditioning and comfortable seats were included. I would recommend this way of transport, not least because it's amazingly inexpensive: Only 25 euro per person. And don't be scared by the horror stories of the Cambodian border - it's really not that bad. All you have to do is to ideally apply for an e-visa online (which is cheap and fast, and will definitely save you time at the border), then, upon arrival, not let yourself be intimidated by the lurking scammers, queue, get a paper, fill it out, queue again and you're done. Then get back into the bus and let yourself drive all the way to <b>Siem Reap</b>.</div>
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Coming home in a Cambodian village</h4>
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Because we have booked a homestay Airbnb* in some little village near Siem Reap, we have arranged with the host to be picked up by a tuktuk. As we arrived earlier than expected, without any means of communication, we had to wait for about an hour in the bus station building. Then, at 6pm sharp, a man worriedly rushed in, holding a sign with our names on it and telling us that he waited outside for quite some time already, but we just didn't see him. This man, Mr. Bun Then, later turned out to be one of the most gorgeous people we ever met, but all we knew at that time is that it was the tuktuk driver assigned with the task to pick us up. So we loaded our luggage in the vehicle and conquered the bumpy road to Siem Reap's rural outskirts.</div>
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Upon our arrival, we were welcomed by a couple of lovely girls around 10 years old, who showed us our room and asked us in perfect English at what time we wanted to have dinner. Then we had a little time to settle in, relax and explore the surroundings. Our place was a cute bamboo hut without electricity or wifi, but next to a huge field with cows on it. This is where we stayed:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beds with mosquito nets</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simple "bathroom" - no warm water, but this wasn't necessary in such hot weather</td></tr>
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We talked to the girls, who were daughters and nieces of our host (shame on me for forgetting their names), and they happily showed us around the village, which even had a little market with fruit and local baked delicacies. Despite their age, they could all drive a scooter and took us on a short ride. Note that this was my first time on a scooter, and it was driven by a 12-year old. Only one of many things to make this day memorable.</div>
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At dinner, we met our cheerful and smiley host, Tola, and his wife, as well as the other girls. All together, we had a feast of served delicious rice, veggie stew and chicken - and fruit. As we talked with the girls about music, it turned out that we had similar tastes. So they decided to surprise us: Suddenly they put on <i>Dare</i> by Shakira and performed an amazing, professional choreography for us. Then we even danced <i>Macarena</i> together. This was truly an unforgettable evening, and we went to bed happily. </div>
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A journey to the 12. century</h4>
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The following two day, we got a yummy breakfast of fresh fruit, waffles and fried rice (one day we had it three times a day :) and we once even saw one of the daughters cutting a palm leaf, only to see our breakfast served on it minutes later), before setting out to explore the famous temples of <b>Angkor</b>. These were built in the 12. century, under the Khmer kings Suryavarman II and Jayavarman VII of the Khmer Empire. Angkor was the capital of this empire, and over 30 cities or temple complexes were constructed, of which Angkor Wat is the most famous. Many of them are rather ruins now, but a lot still remained to be marveled at.</div>
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Our kind driver was driving us around the whole day around the temples, gave us umbrellas against the merciless sun, and even brought us to a nice place to eat lunch imbetween. Enjoy the photos we took of that day - and forgive me for not remembering the name of each temple, but I will try to give you the most important ones.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ta Prohm</b>: Famous as shooting location of Lara Croft and Indiana Jones movies, it has this cool tree growing out of a building</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xOTw2bTnqdlS_9lLm5_4XN39K36v0hI70uhQvmBteCHFPUFyadrtq2Dr2jfLAno7T139MIZWBRO7GR7eV74Vj17oPqv0br7jN5vqs6oK2vOEqQNflBqTpvwFXof-WrgC_576_hRssI6o/s1600/DSC_0989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1239" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xOTw2bTnqdlS_9lLm5_4XN39K36v0hI70uhQvmBteCHFPUFyadrtq2Dr2jfLAno7T139MIZWBRO7GR7eV74Vj17oPqv0br7jN5vqs6oK2vOEqQNflBqTpvwFXof-WrgC_576_hRssI6o/s640/DSC_0989.JPG" width="490" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visitor art?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GB1t_c-qam1U45cKK8adjKak3Uevg615G6A5leNfIEv7d0s-th-hEKKOc1-dSsziZH9dJv49OKcwlDXueSrJHuMOJMRuoG-Ld-tOehfC33sXzyxe2neJfXuhA4Iy-KNFWgP3udlNs3me/s1600/DSC_0999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GB1t_c-qam1U45cKK8adjKak3Uevg615G6A5leNfIEv7d0s-th-hEKKOc1-dSsziZH9dJv49OKcwlDXueSrJHuMOJMRuoG-Ld-tOehfC33sXzyxe2neJfXuhA4Iy-KNFWgP3udlNs3me/s640/DSC_0999.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My lunch: Veggie something with rice</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshBLWg7KwijbfOzwN0apQv4SRZuUfezjx7F5rQ8A62j3uqgNeLjxpqZ9mcGawjEw8la2oS2gm3U7a7qS0yROzQS8o2-tSCTGbLl3BTPD9uP1muxGsgcY8s3sUQXF5HVwZCT2E0nY112SH/s1600/DSC_1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshBLWg7KwijbfOzwN0apQv4SRZuUfezjx7F5rQ8A62j3uqgNeLjxpqZ9mcGawjEw8la2oS2gm3U7a7qS0yROzQS8o2-tSCTGbLl3BTPD9uP1muxGsgcY8s3sUQXF5HVwZCT2E0nY112SH/s640/DSC_1000.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Essi's lunch: Seafood and veggie something with rice</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roar!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entering <b>Angkor Thom</b>, the last capital of the Khmer empire</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Bayon</b>, a temple of Angkor Thom</td></tr>
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By the end of the day, we reached the famous <b>Angkor Wat</b>, whose three towers are even depicted on the Cambodian flag. The photos are a little less spectacular because I didn't have my usual camera phone at the time. You'll find out why in a moment.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We even saw monkeys!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghd9clid_jbtCZ8w6OCsj7p7ou0uTcR-e_jegow7pJSfl8-tyOsxEwMPnmI3lW0D9khrsRgMnkCI1PaFOugUTWc7nTpjyF7F70ldgypVZtItWwQ8pavepqf1eC-SW-PpO6JadobxAbxJpE/s1600/19758022_10203486191711934_1818441049_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghd9clid_jbtCZ8w6OCsj7p7ou0uTcR-e_jegow7pJSfl8-tyOsxEwMPnmI3lW0D9khrsRgMnkCI1PaFOugUTWc7nTpjyF7F70ldgypVZtItWwQ8pavepqf1eC-SW-PpO6JadobxAbxJpE/s640/19758022_10203486191711934_1818441049_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many people come here for the sunrise, but we do it the other way round</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYnPfnEu5B0omRay4PLnmNCx1pjSIHiHnPg_b891Jlv1T731n8k8wWt8fUHol6JQpdBVGDAXtI1luVbdC7ScvGYEShkzpWGC8Zubulxs8a2KIeIMnc6OWFSf_z701xsCikrcXDENegV70/s1600/19692298_10203486192951965_1610191475_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="960" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYnPfnEu5B0omRay4PLnmNCx1pjSIHiHnPg_b891Jlv1T731n8k8wWt8fUHol6JQpdBVGDAXtI1luVbdC7ScvGYEShkzpWGC8Zubulxs8a2KIeIMnc6OWFSf_z701xsCikrcXDENegV70/s640/19692298_10203486192951965_1610191475_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The most impossible lost-and-found story</h4>
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Some of you may already know this story, but it's still always fun to tell. So I left my phone (the one I take photos with, not my regular one - yes, I have two) at one of the Angkor temples and only noticed it when the temple in question was already closed. Well, I'll ask the guards and surely find it the next day, I thought. When we got back home to our Airbnb in the evening, the first thing Tola asked me was: "Have you lost your phone?" I was startled - how did he know? Has Mr. Bun Then told him?! He replied: "Well, your Dad just wrote me a message!" Wait, how <i>on earth</i> did my Dad find out?!<br />
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Turns out that a couple of travellers found the phone, and since it was unlocked and I had some contact numbers on there, they could call my Dad, who then contacted our host over Airbnb. <span style="font-size: x-small;">As you may also have noticed, they even posted a message on my Facebook profile. When we found out the next day, Essi found it hilarious and I just died of shame. </span>I could use Tola's PC to contact my parents (as I mentioned, no wifi) and also arrange a pick-up at the hotel for the next day with the honest finders. When everything was managed, I came back to the dinner table where everyone was eagerly waiting and asking me: "So, what happened?" All I could do was shrug helplessly. How the hell do<i> I</i> know?<br />
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The next day our loyal driver brought us to the hotel to pick the phone up, and I met the finder who handed it over to me. Thank you again, Julia and Vincenzo, for the incredible help. And Julia even turned out to be from Ukraine - the world is so small. Oh, and the two kindly took a sunset picture from a hill with my fugitive device. :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5NEkpl4dwVr8lwfGoUQ73CGsn3UCP7nZKgQI5oWns5lKRkH4s_vSzsHWyCQZyYjY9pIhRigz_OZaOuWQVI9D97Yc8IuzKORxh7p65L8TsIdAma6PKSaYpO5raHQH9z026uZgogu9aqk2/s1600/DSC_1116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5NEkpl4dwVr8lwfGoUQ73CGsn3UCP7nZKgQI5oWns5lKRkH4s_vSzsHWyCQZyYjY9pIhRigz_OZaOuWQVI9D97Yc8IuzKORxh7p65L8TsIdAma6PKSaYpO5raHQH9z026uZgogu9aqk2/s640/DSC_1116.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MwOA_pcsTfKy4KTxwTM1LL4OpNBkQvbFvTEcrsdbGciBHMlef1RoO6EXs8dgWRT_4duq0t2r53xir5PyyetOcNJlbZWYTqcQknsz4UUyGUQgIxVzd-jLOAnTR437PemEnQ0vMzuv0Aaz/s1600/DSC_1111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MwOA_pcsTfKy4KTxwTM1LL4OpNBkQvbFvTEcrsdbGciBHMlef1RoO6EXs8dgWRT_4duq0t2r53xir5PyyetOcNJlbZWYTqcQknsz4UUyGUQgIxVzd-jLOAnTR437PemEnQ0vMzuv0Aaz/s640/DSC_1111.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this is where I left it</td></tr>
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First-hand crafts and clueless drivers</h4>
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On our last day in Siem Reap, we had to say Goodbye to the Papaya family which was incredibly hard. Almost all of them gathered together and gave us best wishes for our way, along with a letter and a traditional, white and red checkered Khmer scarf. This is where we learned the Khmer expression for Goodbye:<i> Leah sin houwy</i>. And we could say to them the one word we still remember in Khmer: A<i>rkoun</i> - Thank you, pronounced with your palms joined in front of your heart. They all were still waving at us when Mr. Bun Then took off of the village with us for the last time. :'(<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHs5HpCnmwm-ACgg-ZfueOZ1QLRZhDPVfCUf554kEC3JC7YDJ7Q6YIIUaekHQUI_NqkpqYcTPcJhliTj7okpUMD9PhnLsS54sbavauuRVqpiD9CZjlSiKWBjFtWTgKYAE83r97HnFOexsB/s1600/IMG_4100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHs5HpCnmwm-ACgg-ZfueOZ1QLRZhDPVfCUf554kEC3JC7YDJ7Q6YIIUaekHQUI_NqkpqYcTPcJhliTj7okpUMD9PhnLsS54sbavauuRVqpiD9CZjlSiKWBjFtWTgKYAE83r97HnFOexsB/s640/IMG_4100.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group photo time</td></tr>
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On the way, we passed by Mr. Bun Then's house as he had to run some errand and met his beautiful wife and cute little daughter. So many emotions. This day, we actually wanted to see more of the temples but he had more guests to drive around, so he left us at <b>Artisans D'Angkor Arts and Crafts Centre</b>, a museum aka boutique aka workshop where you can see how sculptures, paintings and accessoires from the most diverse materials are made. There was a misunderstanding, because we thought our driver would come back for us later, but he didn't. We already bought our bus ticket to Phnom Penh and had a few hours to spend at the museum and shop before departing. So we were saying goodbye to Siem Reap for good.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikc3KtbTL5c9d96inILDvsa9tMoocsrGWrBv4NIrIr_i-D7zEYhq0TIKJekicLa0scLnoPd4YRaZnpd9JDL6Fr2iFTgPk0715QK-i9ej5URSU3GPCypayBQMWNWLHZK3O58N3VvbW_sYpx/s1600/19692591_10203486192031942_2104694312_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikc3KtbTL5c9d96inILDvsa9tMoocsrGWrBv4NIrIr_i-D7zEYhq0TIKJekicLa0scLnoPd4YRaZnpd9JDL6Fr2iFTgPk0715QK-i9ej5URSU3GPCypayBQMWNWLHZK3O58N3VvbW_sYpx/s640/19692591_10203486192031942_2104694312_n.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvg9xPOVwawNesnlvWaN58lQMC-kaddvEcXFmcjICwTlLB1pX6t6i6UkqD9hRhNWDqbAndsT-o5QfRX1GkqS6HOrfBWqsXXzb7CbvlmMeqyRo6-c8eRSKj9wg8LHCDwP-s40_7Qx4QN1ra/s1600/19758131_10203486192631957_1359509181_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvg9xPOVwawNesnlvWaN58lQMC-kaddvEcXFmcjICwTlLB1pX6t6i6UkqD9hRhNWDqbAndsT-o5QfRX1GkqS6HOrfBWqsXXzb7CbvlmMeqyRo6-c8eRSKj9wg8LHCDwP-s40_7Qx4QN1ra/s640/19758131_10203486192631957_1359509181_n.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpdft71CCBvLZLHiEXYKxUowWsp9xaoKMyoxXkCCEmiKaJA7gbjp9nIadk5UhNB73x-W3u52qGaLxl49-zHu9I-bYC5IPqBX5LiBLXcY9gwc8s54a89XS5TgLuhuwUY1z8ZXfZNCw8Il7/s1600/19692437_10203486192151945_1430066474_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="812" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpdft71CCBvLZLHiEXYKxUowWsp9xaoKMyoxXkCCEmiKaJA7gbjp9nIadk5UhNB73x-W3u52qGaLxl49-zHu9I-bYC5IPqBX5LiBLXcY9gwc8s54a89XS5TgLuhuwUY1z8ZXfZNCw8Il7/s640/19692437_10203486192151945_1430066474_n.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Then we boarded the bus, which was much less comfortable than the one we took from Bangkok (obviously, but also much cheaper). The music was running on maximum volume, the driver was constantly honking and the lights didn't work. We thought we would need 5 hours, turned out it would be 7. As we stopped at a resting place at the middle of nowhere, we could just scrape together enough Cambodian riel to buy a portion of fried rice and fruit for the way. Normally you can use dollars, but it only seemed to apply to the bigger cities.</div>
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Having arrived in <b>Phnom Penh</b> completely exhausted, we caught a tuktuk immediately and told the driver our address**. However, he seemed to have no clue where to go although the host has provided us with instructions including landmarks, and so we must have desperately cruised for almost 2 hours, while he asked literally everyone on the way where that mysterious address might me. On top of all that, he seemed to have consumed a few beers in advance. Essi charged her phone in a shop on the way to be able to contact anyone, and eventually, we found the host's husband's number and could call him. We agreed to be picked up on a motorbike motorbike, just at the moment as we were passing their gate and could see him with a startled look on his face. By then, it was almost midnight. The husband was, nevertheless, very nice and relaxed about this, while his wife was still out for business. Lesson learned: <b>Never trust tuktuk drivers in Phnom Penh!</b> Distressed and even more exhausted, we could finally go to bed.</div>
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<h4>
Saddest episodes in Cambodian history</h4>
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The next morning, we received a free breakfast at a nice nearby café and some tour suggestions as well as a (thankfully skilled) tuktuk driver for the day. Our host, Nathalie, turned out to be a rough but very kind and humorous French architect who has made it her duty to restore traditional Khmer houses and rent them. You certainly need to have a warrior spirit to deal confidently with Cambodian corruption and merciless market. The house we stayed in, her home, was one of them as well.</div>
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This day was destined to be emotionally hard, and requires some brief historical explanation. In 1963, the communist Pol Pot (born Saloth Sar) became the leader of the Communist Party. Its members and followers were called Khmer Rouge. After having studied in Paris, he returned with a head full of insane ideas and was determined to set Cambodia back to a pre-industrial state by extuinguishing "capitalist" habits and resistance to the party. When he took over the country as a dictator in 1975 and named the totalitarian state Democratic Kampuchea (note the irony), in the following four years, he was responsible for the death of over a million people, according to different estimates perhaps rather more than two. No wonder Cambodia's population is pretty young nowadays - effectively one fourth of it was killed only fourty years ago. </div>
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Our way led us to the <b>Killing Fields (Choeung Ek)</b>, where his gruesome orders were carried out. I did not take any photos here, but I believe imagination is enough to picture the remaining horror in this former orchard. Imagine fenced mass graves, signs saying "Please do not step on the bones", and a tree covered in colourful self-knotted bracelets left by visitors, against which babies were once smashed to death. An authentic audio guide made the experience even more poignant. </div>
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This is the Choeung Ek Monument, a Buddhist stupa, which shall remind of the events and which contains hundreds of victims' skulls:</div>
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Then we also visited the T<b>uol Sleng Museum of G</b><b>enocide</b>, a former prison where many of the victims were being kept. There are also survivors: One of them signed his book on the site. I thought it must require a lot of strength to keep coming back to the place where you were once waiting for death.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7g7YZlTyV7na_3LcBAiZNR1Utem9UcRAAwm1DtX7-kWpg5ccywilBt699RIaHtvTAWG83ra0f4xvwVptkJDSoVbRZ_QHXRleKND5VztCdKHgybt8LD8qwk6obXVHfh-3oxGoRWisJl_fQ/s1600/DSC_1121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="1600" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7g7YZlTyV7na_3LcBAiZNR1Utem9UcRAAwm1DtX7-kWpg5ccywilBt699RIaHtvTAWG83ra0f4xvwVptkJDSoVbRZ_QHXRleKND5VztCdKHgybt8LD8qwk6obXVHfh-3oxGoRWisJl_fQ/s640/DSC_1121.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memorial in front of the prison</td></tr>
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We could visit the cells, and see displays of photos and explanations. While Pol Pot died in 1998, only three other ciminals received life sentence in the highly contrversial Khmer Rouge Tribunal. It should be noted that the Khmer Rouge remained a member of the United Nations all the time, with the rest of the world watching.</div>
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<h4>
The bright side of Phnom Penh</h4>
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After such a day, as another guest in the village in Siem Reap has noted, you need something fun to do to distract yourself. So we decided to go out in the evening, much to the amusement of Nathalie: "You will not find a tuktuk at this hour". All the while, they were standing just a few meters away. Even though everything seemed to close quite early (it was a Monday as well), we found one restaurant where we could spend the night with a nice dinner, wine and mojito. </div>
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On our last day in Cambodia, we had to catch up on some tourist activities and see the <b>Royal Palace</b> of Phnom Penh, visit a market to stock up on tourist equipment (colourful trousers, bags and other souvenirs), and take a stroll through the city marveling at the Buddhist monks with their orange gowns and yellow umbrellas.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZmwxxdbjpnanxuUPDA8HjcGi2TOpp-xHwNmMfSRFbRW5flO14KPyFAz1GLShXFQWdTSAcrPSUPc3-bQp4keNkApedgIxUBAVxMbRbGLPn4fRTZ2Vhscg9LcQcOU6qex7nX-3m1ikVCzl/s1600/DSC_1133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="785" data-original-width="1600" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZmwxxdbjpnanxuUPDA8HjcGi2TOpp-xHwNmMfSRFbRW5flO14KPyFAz1GLShXFQWdTSAcrPSUPc3-bQp4keNkApedgIxUBAVxMbRbGLPn4fRTZ2Vhscg9LcQcOU6qex7nX-3m1ikVCzl/s640/DSC_1133.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichgzjtupcE5Ps_xaSDhj1UGuO2Y_pj70723k_qDLIk-SPOGOdJ8R9B9FJKvpHWIkHr0ANSlK41CD6Vz0gmXpLIn0jUqs_zrE26xFbADjUmsZ1ZAZkwivseJqaFtzJExAGDebNoEvz8A3A/s1600/DSC_1136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1600" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichgzjtupcE5Ps_xaSDhj1UGuO2Y_pj70723k_qDLIk-SPOGOdJ8R9B9FJKvpHWIkHr0ANSlK41CD6Vz0gmXpLIn0jUqs_zrE26xFbADjUmsZ1ZAZkwivseJqaFtzJExAGDebNoEvz8A3A/s640/DSC_1136.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A part of the Royal Palace, built in 1860, where the Cambodian king Norodom Sihamoni resides. The palace remained empty during the Khmer Rouge regime</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mekong river</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preah Sisowath Quay</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last meal in Cambodia :'(</td></tr>
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Later that day, our flight for Hanoi was departing. We left Cambodia very reluctantly, an aspiring, beautiful country with a rich history, which, much as ourselves, has experienced ups and downs, and which will hopefully be much luckier in the future. Despite its poor current state, people are extraordinarily friendly and happy here. It was the destination that impressed us the most, and we can't wait to come back one day.<br />
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See you again soon for updates from Vietnam! :)</div>
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* <a href="https://de.airbnb.com/rooms/10483122" target="_blank">Learn about the Papaya family here</a><br />
** <a href="https://de.airbnb.com/rooms/11647189" target="_blank">Extraordinary homestay in Phnom Penh</a></div>
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rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-32881184521035753722017-06-12T19:17:00.001+09:002017-06-15T09:15:19.218+09:00"One night in Bangkok..."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<i>"... and the world's your oyster", as the Murray Head song says. But what happens if you spend four?</i></div>
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Sawadee-kha! Hello and welcome back and let's continue our journey through South East Asia in the beautiful Kingdom of <b>Thailand</b>. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXxKpJj8e2-AwddRLXNXeMSVJhT0MEeg5gGrlXof_2ha7MovEO3WEqqwxb_3IpmhHpZCFCZvWH1psq0k7-OIH2J9CH1C5L6BW3PRpIeTdd6upWoCNTszSII7CnBTJAmBoUnzS3Sxb2iGq/s1600/DSC_0434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXxKpJj8e2-AwddRLXNXeMSVJhT0MEeg5gGrlXof_2ha7MovEO3WEqqwxb_3IpmhHpZCFCZvWH1psq0k7-OIH2J9CH1C5L6BW3PRpIeTdd6upWoCNTszSII7CnBTJAmBoUnzS3Sxb2iGq/s640/DSC_0434.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceremony in a Buddhist temple</td></tr>
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Breakfast in Bangkok</h4>
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We arrived at night at the Bangkok airport and were brought to our accommodation* by a very cheerful taxi driver, where we had a good rest and a cute little breakfast with fresh coffee in the café downstairs, run by the hosts:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is some kind of deep-fried dough, accompanied by a raw egg in a glass. After this, you also get some kind of cold tea, which, as we learned later, is used to clean your mouth and is served very often in Thailand</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg443lQhh0CeTgMh6fpO9_gjuFJ7mLxF1Q8koM47eu_VTiPkgQi1nyFK6RhFitiNcvMCsE_NRN5Qa_W66mq0mN1-tZDBubWYJKSrm77TvQI_a1va78tuNrWp9Os5lTpTfrqnaHVm1OVhMdK/s1600/DSC_0526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg443lQhh0CeTgMh6fpO9_gjuFJ7mLxF1Q8koM47eu_VTiPkgQi1nyFK6RhFitiNcvMCsE_NRN5Qa_W66mq0mN1-tZDBubWYJKSrm77TvQI_a1va78tuNrWp9Os5lTpTfrqnaHVm1OVhMdK/s640/DSC_0526.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoghurt wirh cereal and coconut: Very Western, but very yummy. Still, a second breakfast is necessary after that - preferrably fresh fruit ;)</td></tr>
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But I bet you would like to see more of the city than our food. During the day we explored the city by metro, and saw most of the famous temples in the capital. The metro in Bangkok is incredibly easy to use - you just have to select your desired destination on a ticket machine (that can be operated in English as well) and you get a black coin which you have to insert when you get in and out of the station. Especially the BTS (sky train) is worth a ride. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Priority is given to elderly, disabled, pregnant, children and... monks. And these are everywhere</td></tr>
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We walked around the center, looking for Wat Pho, while other shiny golden temples striked our view and we just had to have a closer look. This is <b>Wat Traimit</b>, the Temple of the Golden Buddha. In fact, it holds the largest Golden Buddha image in the world.<br />
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You will find every holy place in Thailand has <i>Wat</i> in its name, as it means "temple". What surprised me about the specific Buddhism branch in Thailand is that you're not allowed to carry a Buddha image on clothing and accessoires, of which you are informed by numerous signs at temples. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rare opportunity to take a picture of the Golden Buddha (almost) without tourists</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-4h5EZWoZviJ6zrwdDqKnf6_iW5S0s4sNBo8DAyaBzyzHy_En4mFNgkVRWyfREDwtmt8powEU2-kvRAb18L75lQGeLhXaUklBlDa7dwposzk32OmSR9_on86ci2jOKmPV1kuwf_uQOQg/s1600/DSC_0369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-4h5EZWoZviJ6zrwdDqKnf6_iW5S0s4sNBo8DAyaBzyzHy_En4mFNgkVRWyfREDwtmt8powEU2-kvRAb18L75lQGeLhXaUklBlDa7dwposzk32OmSR9_on86ci2jOKmPV1kuwf_uQOQg/s640/DSC_0369.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mL4_GM3885h4_PQRe8eRgZxpW7V-0_qi6PWT4opKHtK3kBRw0KC_6bhV9sPeDaldd8DsuOrTUlt3SN4NVxRBVguquQzU0kT-6qXNwwwz9Uw_moH7RFx2YgS3R5X8bRadBkhcJa44HD_a/s1600/DSC_0373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mL4_GM3885h4_PQRe8eRgZxpW7V-0_qi6PWT4opKHtK3kBRw0KC_6bhV9sPeDaldd8DsuOrTUlt3SN4NVxRBVguquQzU0kT-6qXNwwwz9Uw_moH7RFx2YgS3R5X8bRadBkhcJa44HD_a/s640/DSC_0373.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every one of these Boddhisattvas (Buddhas who came down to earth instead of enjoying Nirvana) has a particular meaning, like the guardian of knowledge</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the 4th floor of the temple</td></tr>
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Then our journey also led us through <b>Chinatown</b>, where you can find a lot of Chinese-style temples and an authentic market full of fascinating food, clothes, kitchenware and all other kinds of stuff - probably one the most exciting parts of the city. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJ-t3f2qnsMUmEw_fA8njqCS5KQns3QkesERo0Uv4KE5i1du4Gst9MDoZQMDosJQseLGecOqoZjf57GgCngy7LcaQ3zmVVgUc9VIU7ato3p__hajGCj-atVgBaSg_Bsd7Ej7lJfA7s229/s1600/DSC_0399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1391" data-original-width="1600" height="552" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJ-t3f2qnsMUmEw_fA8njqCS5KQns3QkesERo0Uv4KE5i1du4Gst9MDoZQMDosJQseLGecOqoZjf57GgCngy7LcaQ3zmVVgUc9VIU7ato3p__hajGCj-atVgBaSg_Bsd7Ej7lJfA7s229/s640/DSC_0399.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't know what these fruits are called - but they were delicious!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_NrChdEvLnNFgjyow-Js2qOXWPre7sjjGwtS7WFSY_xtFUfoqS3IPSfzL6flWNF4oQvgFR0n8Zm8MIcyk7-P-eEOGeh_SV2HIA9ExgDpIfalXKM4FzJbX2Bs7rPGiHqcuI1jUTIg8R8xo/s1600/DSC_0408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_NrChdEvLnNFgjyow-Js2qOXWPre7sjjGwtS7WFSY_xtFUfoqS3IPSfzL6flWNF4oQvgFR0n8Zm8MIcyk7-P-eEOGeh_SV2HIA9ExgDpIfalXKM4FzJbX2Bs7rPGiHqcuI1jUTIg8R8xo/s640/DSC_0408.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are not for sale: Offerings at a temple</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8iHyEn6caIEA5Whav9SgnewZWJ1NqVm1QjYhrugDqyQkb4RQwo9qqayrrLpEZoE8YfKizcfuBYDWt84TcYpe2V1DfbZc3eZBPcelF7Sq7HCnuAeSl7rBc9TkaGi01V_va35d663GzTqh/s1600/DSC_0409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1343" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8iHyEn6caIEA5Whav9SgnewZWJ1NqVm1QjYhrugDqyQkb4RQwo9qqayrrLpEZoE8YfKizcfuBYDWt84TcYpe2V1DfbZc3eZBPcelF7Sq7HCnuAeSl7rBc9TkaGi01V_va35d663GzTqh/s640/DSC_0409.JPG" width="532" /></a></div>
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We also found one really beauriful temple where we were approached by a very communicative Chinese woman. She has been living in Bangkok for many years and explained a lot of things to us, such as the symbolism of the interior, and told us that a commomeration ceremony was about to start. We could then watch the monks and even take photos, all the while listening to the talkative, but nice and helpful lady - you don't always get the chance to gain an insight view on cultural events and sightseeing tips from a local. </div>
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During the ceremony, several monks were chanting and praying in front of the Buddha statue you can see in the following picture, while a man was drumming in the background. Even if we didn't understand a word, it was still very captivating. The event was supposed to go on for hours, but we excused ourselves early because there was still too much to see to stay at one place for too long.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monks about to continue the ceremony outside</td></tr>
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So at the end of the day, we reached the famous <b>Wat Pho</b>. Consisting of numerous halls, pagodas and Buddha images, you can spend hours in this 80,000 square meter area, making this temple one of the largest in Bangkok. At the same time, it is one of the oldest.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjg2dY8C_zNmi01E9OktAOm_gCSD1wWK4CBQcru-qejRFPql6HIn7Le6Jf2C6j5j5yHLTJxxdgG9Ps0GIzqQYcwKM1y-pJgF5l21jURdI30OOAc5vilVSnvxJXwCkHb_ICa5IfnA7CRAO/s1600/DSC_0461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="1600" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjg2dY8C_zNmi01E9OktAOm_gCSD1wWK4CBQcru-qejRFPql6HIn7Le6Jf2C6j5j5yHLTJxxdgG9Ps0GIzqQYcwKM1y-pJgF5l21jURdI30OOAc5vilVSnvxJXwCkHb_ICa5IfnA7CRAO/s640/DSC_0461.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhb6yj3Hnwm7jNxopZ6fguMEXMgELg2Aryy5Xvut76lRM9V9JEaVygP8mSFyd5eSBmTfY0CtAFfEi2uwmdYA6bcwJFDzfRMo-Kk45rNhT6DEaa9XC1zTsasRos8H6szBFkfTAhwTWZJ526/s1600/DSC_0446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhb6yj3Hnwm7jNxopZ6fguMEXMgELg2Aryy5Xvut76lRM9V9JEaVygP8mSFyd5eSBmTfY0CtAFfEi2uwmdYA6bcwJFDzfRMo-Kk45rNhT6DEaa9XC1zTsasRos8H6szBFkfTAhwTWZJ526/s640/DSC_0446.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chinese stone guardians of the temple. They were used as ship ballast in times of trade with China, and now spend their "retirement" at Wat Pho</td></tr>
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Another striking element is the picture of the Thai king that could be found everywhere with a small altar or at least some flowers. The much beloved king Rama IX has died last year in October, and the Thai people have still not stopped grieving: At least all officials and employees of federal establishments are required to wear black for one year after his death. He had been the longest reigning monarch in the world.</div>
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Wat Pho is also home to the Reclining Buddha (Phra Buddha Sayas). This elaborate image of Buddha right before his entry into Nirvana is a Thai cultural icon and a real giant - 46 meters long and 15 meters high. No wonder there was a massive queue of tourists enthusiastically taking pictures.</div>
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After the visit we had a nice lunch at the nearby Chao Phraya river. Getting street food is very easy in Thailand - you just have to find one of the many small stands that offer something edible, and the owners will prepare it in front of your eyes. You can even ask for modifications of the dish - like no meat. Although simple, the food is very yummy and fresh - and amazingly cheap. Fresh veggies and seafood, ingredients like rice, noodles, and especially dishes like Pad Thai (mmmhh!) make Thai food the best we had on our whole trip.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute little park by the riverside</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thai ministry of defense - recognisable, isn't it?</td></tr>
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Our day was rounded up by visiting one of the many small night markets, a huge fair full of delicious food, drinks and typical tourist clothing. After that, a drink at a bar is essential to end a night in Bangkok. However, preparation is necessary for that - ours served only beer and cider (but they had luxurious armchairs outside), and we did not have the chance to visit a "proper" one during our stay. Well, a reason to come back is always good, right?</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coconut ice cream in a coconut at the night market</td></tr>
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All of Thailand in one day?</h4>
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Yes, it's possible - at least in a miniature version. You can find all important attractions of the country without having to travel much, if you just pay a visit to <b>Mueang Boran - the Ancient City</b>. Around 15 kilometers from the southernmost BTS station (Bearing), you can take a taxi to access the place (just be sure not forget its name, as I did! Because outside of the city center noone speaks English - that's why I had to take a picture of this road sign to point at the name for the driver). 30 minutes and 200 baht (or ca. 5 euro) later, you arrive at the huge and exciting area.</div>
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You can explore it by foot, which would take you days, or rent either a bike (free) or a vehicle resembling a golf cart (which costs). We went for the bike - that made me a bit anxious at first, because my last memory of cycling was already many years old and not the best one. ;) But it turned out to be a lot of fun, even though the heat was quite tiring at the end of the day. This open-air museum is a one-of-a-kind insider tip, which is probably why it wasn't crowded at all. And it is huge - in roughly six hours, we barely saw half of it. The Ancient City comprises over 100 buildings - mostly copies, but also a few originals -, statues depicting religious scenes, artificial mountains, lakes, rivers and gardens, as well as several restaurants and shops. Come with us on a tour through ancient Siam!</div>
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Especially interesting for us - because we couldn't make it to the real thing - was the floating market. Unfortunately, the place was completely empty: Noone was riding the boats and selling goods or even occupying the restaurants. All this, however, contributed to a special atmosphere that reminded us of the spirit world in Miyazaki's <i>Spirited Away. </i>The deserted halls by the water seemed to just lie in waiting for dusk, when their real guests would arrive.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkwAHI5lNibrpuyyq5_1u2GpTsFrizawB74vRC1Na3zj6aTGoGGcBYGFNFo1lIrP75jLc64rlrYsjlarogGQ_Nq9N0vtq8HXrEvceufT-flv7XSD4t5IpLq42aIPpi2VvaOii7zEIugKK/s1600/DSC_0593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkwAHI5lNibrpuyyq5_1u2GpTsFrizawB74vRC1Na3zj6aTGoGGcBYGFNFo1lIrP75jLc64rlrYsjlarogGQ_Nq9N0vtq8HXrEvceufT-flv7XSD4t5IpLq42aIPpi2VvaOii7zEIugKK/s640/DSC_0593.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is where we particularly felt the <i>Spirited Away</i> atmosphere - dishes waiting to be served to gods and spirits?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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When sunset did come, we didn't see any spirits - but instead, the light created beautiful views, which I don't want you to miss.</div>
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Back in Bangkok, our quest for some good food ended at a big busy restaurant whose terrace resembled a beer hall, filled with happy tourists, even including Japanese. Eating curious and delicious food outside is one of the best parts of a vacation.<br />
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<h4>
Kings, swings and things</h4>
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In Bangkok, we encountered the inevitable scams as well: On our third day in the city, we wanted to take a tuktuk to the <b>Grand Palace</b>, but the driver told us that it's impossible because the streets were closed for a <i>biiiiig</i> parade dedicated to the late king (note that it was a Tuesday). <i>Coincidentally, </i>he had a map of a boat tour that led straight to the palace. After having politely declined, after a few metres walk, we caught a tuktuk and arrived at our destination in no time.<br />
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The Grand Palace is the former residence of Thai kings (they now live in Chitralada Palace). The complex consists of several courts, palace buildings, halls, pavillons and <b>Wat Phra Kaew</b>. In total, there are four different building groups with different functions.<br />
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In one of the temples, we could witness an interesting phenomenon: There were a lot of donation pots in a row, all along the wall. In order to make a proper donation accompanying their prayer, people had to fill each of the dozens of pots. Simultaneously, a worker of the temple was collecting the coins, all together creating a unique rhythmic sound effect.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_bMvWZvBjk60uZb65yEL7Ly_lvyS7KhxycymGy6GTRJ6Asp0AdaRRq3ru4fgAbKhSV3SfTEltKzEspDn4FMt4lck0igzuTG8hD0ZLDNiLqJHFnx3_TujCiIWOrG31jKkinFt3eo225tc/s640/DSC_0714.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple of the Emerald Buddha - noone is allowed to come near the Buddha except for the king himself</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyffqDOkEd1X3KWFsVAS92Ta43KD9qwzKQB7vELMSReEyw4KOiPfsLClty84691Cbb_UI4q2x9bC2dhSmUk3nQ-dkvq7-6kUlP63-NPJWbna0lGeIJweKkcUyb_jj9YJMEZ7S6h1bJ_n5/s1600/DSC_0710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1284" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyffqDOkEd1X3KWFsVAS92Ta43KD9qwzKQB7vELMSReEyw4KOiPfsLClty84691Cbb_UI4q2x9bC2dhSmUk3nQ-dkvq7-6kUlP63-NPJWbna0lGeIJweKkcUyb_jj9YJMEZ7S6h1bJ_n5/s640/DSC_0710.JPG" width="510" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the giant temple guardians</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbnQvguIZcEK0hiJVljodCSMoMnXCxeWsa2dActrd21VMiOadvLnp_KZJpxIoU-VhDH3gnCZudwKLLD5QUKf6vpdDreIK54_RjXtORhUCOyoFLK0Z6o6tnFBlocZmuGBKNZ7Y4ths5Zqf/s1600/DSC_0728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbnQvguIZcEK0hiJVljodCSMoMnXCxeWsa2dActrd21VMiOadvLnp_KZJpxIoU-VhDH3gnCZudwKLLD5QUKf6vpdDreIK54_RjXtORhUCOyoFLK0Z6o6tnFBlocZmuGBKNZ7Y4ths5Zqf/s640/DSC_0728.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a small representation of Angkor Wat in Cambodia! Which we would see a few days later</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNUn9XzcWrScEnr78J8wYEiwomxMUAftl0I3uPeP4JvL6lTVjneGswIUWejrcrqEAy8_GDGU21u8MTGfmqhkJm6UrtsDf1lQhPG1Wg6Dou26bRPoVVnknx0GwXRYTBigmOSXIzZ2CDNC5/s1600/DSC_0753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1503" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNUn9XzcWrScEnr78J8wYEiwomxMUAftl0I3uPeP4JvL6lTVjneGswIUWejrcrqEAy8_GDGU21u8MTGfmqhkJm6UrtsDf1lQhPG1Wg6Dou26bRPoVVnknx0GwXRYTBigmOSXIzZ2CDNC5/s640/DSC_0753.JPG" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The detail in these painted faces impressed me</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoF2E_Yq5kNPKsLC1sXYrRZtb-6opsPVcu3CkfFFgFgJ9yAljWibJGppMlGwpWxbTKLOXhX8jO1tO5aD8ocCK1VLTQxo1UUh2yBE8pRELbUM63uzPeDXoiPvgF13dRIjGOKDYUaS0as1z/s1600/DSC_0773.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoF2E_Yq5kNPKsLC1sXYrRZtb-6opsPVcu3CkfFFgFgJ9yAljWibJGppMlGwpWxbTKLOXhX8jO1tO5aD8ocCK1VLTQxo1UUh2yBE8pRELbUM63uzPeDXoiPvgF13dRIjGOKDYUaS0as1z/s640/DSC_0773.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chakri Maha Prasat - the main building containing the throne hall</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkk5CYMeJ_zlblOWKhwfRBFA7vGGVY5Kn7ky3CngmAO4kOxA9Nt7bVzpoaSktOspZQD_4oDZ10g5JP93iFeWQ-9s_V96_N9R4fN5wtaII9emCnYmMTK6v1ki_IntHfQj3W_JeSPlkzDNaV/s1600/DSC_0776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkk5CYMeJ_zlblOWKhwfRBFA7vGGVY5Kn7ky3CngmAO4kOxA9Nt7bVzpoaSktOspZQD_4oDZ10g5JP93iFeWQ-9s_V96_N9R4fN5wtaII9emCnYmMTK6v1ki_IntHfQj3W_JeSPlkzDNaV/s640/DSC_0776.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pad Thai near the palace</td></tr>
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Just opposite the palace, there was another important temple watiting for us - the Temple of Dawn. So we took a ferry across the river to visit <b>Wat Arun</b>. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAN7VrtXtUg_8Ho-1F_lsTl47do5ABpr5kccmQQYyu3nsZrF0RNlGwmTMPNlGz9cFWzwfSj9RvVzkUyxtJbETkQ764ffQrghNR7j1qtQwf2IYdXYUaDBaoelwiBvfCpYyRD5luNZe82Qkj/s1600/DSC_0777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAN7VrtXtUg_8Ho-1F_lsTl47do5ABpr5kccmQQYyu3nsZrF0RNlGwmTMPNlGz9cFWzwfSj9RvVzkUyxtJbETkQ764ffQrghNR7j1qtQwf2IYdXYUaDBaoelwiBvfCpYyRD5luNZe82Qkj/s640/DSC_0777.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approaching Wat Arun, you can already see the Prang - tower built in Khmer style. Unfortunately under construction</td></tr>
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Inside the temple, a monk was giving blessings to the visitors - you just had to get in line and when it was your turn, he would say something, sprinkle water on you and tie a small bracelet around your wrist. A lot of tourists lined up but we decided to watch instead - we just saw no point in joining without understanding the religious meaning behind it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NDZVVxG8yTlhmpqWw8RUQe8HOAGC1IPQ3_G72c2-3731fLOvKhVrbivKVgxvU73OtolXcYAMUwG6sjr6I5HdcHKbFz6uRZa2jiP3vfY2uvxNNUXtR_SJhVsi5hy1scwu3S5rWLZ7gVQ2/s1600/DSC_0791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1461" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NDZVVxG8yTlhmpqWw8RUQe8HOAGC1IPQ3_G72c2-3731fLOvKhVrbivKVgxvU73OtolXcYAMUwG6sjr6I5HdcHKbFz6uRZa2jiP3vfY2uvxNNUXtR_SJhVsi5hy1scwu3S5rWLZ7gVQ2/s640/DSC_0791.JPG" width="584" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjdEn8627RaI_OpAXF8pdo7MigS1gxXBEn088aCfgb2Z6Ml7P4wqJfNrXgx4ShYH7Hvv4CCbWFgwvjZiMVWt5nPEFmCgu6fJUJQiY15k_B4Yux00CHo4bNCf81MIw311jjnZvWdFHpVC7/s1600/DSC_0811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1312" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjdEn8627RaI_OpAXF8pdo7MigS1gxXBEn088aCfgb2Z6Ml7P4wqJfNrXgx4ShYH7Hvv4CCbWFgwvjZiMVWt5nPEFmCgu6fJUJQiY15k_B4Yux00CHo4bNCf81MIw311jjnZvWdFHpVC7/s640/DSC_0811.JPG" width="524" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These little bells are supposed to bring luck if you write your name on them and ring them</td></tr>
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In the evening, we made a detour to the city landmark <b>Giant Swing (Sao Ching Cha)</b>, which is no more or less than that. Built almost 300 years ago, it had to be reconstructed thrice, due to environmental damage and erosion. The new swing is now only 4 years young.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv47_CKVXxsQkmCUbFnPrRJFWDLYTEuoZPr5xmXZ6RwRQfBq0N51MgIBrDf6A2EsIvHgq-Kn63G5UDUn5XUSwjpcvSpu7xhiSoJQT1MK4NWP-CEPNDqCbzUnfZlvS8BBqeUSkyx9WMfxld/s1600/DSC_0822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1033" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv47_CKVXxsQkmCUbFnPrRJFWDLYTEuoZPr5xmXZ6RwRQfBq0N51MgIBrDf6A2EsIvHgq-Kn63G5UDUn5XUSwjpcvSpu7xhiSoJQT1MK4NWP-CEPNDqCbzUnfZlvS8BBqeUSkyx9WMfxld/s640/DSC_0822.JPG" width="410" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The swing seems to attract only pigeons</td></tr>
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<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
Dubious retreats, or: Eventful eventlessness</h4>
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After three days of hardcore tourism, we thought we earned ourselves a few days on one of Thailand's famous beaches. So we chose the easiest and fastest way and went to <b>Pattaya</b>, the infamous but still popular tourist destination. Known for prostitution as well as the perfect place for party enthusiasts, it promised to be an interesting place to relax.</div>
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Getting there was half the trouble. There are several affordable busses going from Bangkok, of which the one departing from the airport seemed the most convenient and frequent one. When we arrived there in the evening though, the bus we intended to take was already full, so we had to wait almost two hours for the next (and last) one. Luckily, there is a lot to do at an airport, such as discovering that airport food and service is much worse compared to the city. ;)</div>
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After a two hour ride, we shared an open-air taxi (similar to a jeepney) with a few other (mostly Russian!) tourists to get to our Airbnb**. On the road we passed a few loud and colourful bars and lightly clad girls on the street. Our area, however, was in a different district - our condo as well as all the neighbouring ones seemed to be full of elderly Northern European tourists. We did not feel like we belonged there at all. Still, the beach was closeby and we had a nice view from our balcony: </div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilViKs6LfmLSzDa0PGtz5VKDeSKeXDRtghti6_GYGus5XRgWn2fJc1pFp7qXkNGLIecXV_5v8rC2q0JNhz4RlNYEXittMkgXLqSUa1KwBiKuvQpdrlopUrP0p_iraWifDu-6ssav1s34Y1/s1600/DSC_0865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilViKs6LfmLSzDa0PGtz5VKDeSKeXDRtghti6_GYGus5XRgWn2fJc1pFp7qXkNGLIecXV_5v8rC2q0JNhz4RlNYEXittMkgXLqSUa1KwBiKuvQpdrlopUrP0p_iraWifDu-6ssav1s34Y1/s640/DSC_0865.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Breakfast on the balcony - what is there more to desire?</td></tr>
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We also initially wanted to visit the Elephant Village, which accommodates rescued service elephants and offers to meet them and ride them through a small jungle. Unfortunately, we could not get in touch with the workers anymore after our initial reservation had to be changed. So we spent these days sleeping, relaxing on the beach and trying all kinds of delicious stuff. We even went for a foot massage. Here's my advice: Never go to a cheap massage parlour right before closing time, especially at an extremely touristy place. My masseuse kept talking on her phone all the time ;) In Pattaya, you simply will not find the fantastic service Thailand is famous for. But at least everything is inexpensive - and they have fresh fruit!</div>
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The restaurants next to the beach offer takeout, so you can take your pad thai to enjoy on the beach. Although the beaches in our area are not the cleanest and nicest ones, it was still nice to be by the sea again.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg78zy3qvSnkWKvM5o-OalzXAuhriabGqVhFuWfKw_Pvb8xEP_t8RzQuBMgH-3Ep3nzwBsoBRPSSH1PAHM4wWjZOsgoHxnSEs59N7JtDQfeliV0dJR4z4wJvQbstn3_JnBcGw0kYKEM86P/s1600/DSC_0858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg78zy3qvSnkWKvM5o-OalzXAuhriabGqVhFuWfKw_Pvb8xEP_t8RzQuBMgH-3Ep3nzwBsoBRPSSH1PAHM4wWjZOsgoHxnSEs59N7JtDQfeliV0dJR4z4wJvQbstn3_JnBcGw0kYKEM86P/s640/DSC_0858.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cocktails by the beach :)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImKVYekGHgvZog6kUOmXZmBmjQz1q8WY_i2G0TeLlUlxhK9Sp9sc6sXg43WTP7yf5bxv2gZNtDoy70QpFrXog4Wq_jhxJ19p6t4exe7r5_KNK89dvf0d-43HpYFyO9ZMR5_c9I61Oe9Te/s1600/DSC_0862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1421" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImKVYekGHgvZog6kUOmXZmBmjQz1q8WY_i2G0TeLlUlxhK9Sp9sc6sXg43WTP7yf5bxv2gZNtDoy70QpFrXog4Wq_jhxJ19p6t4exe7r5_KNK89dvf0d-43HpYFyO9ZMR5_c9I61Oe9Te/s640/DSC_0862.JPG" width="568" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pad Thai again :P</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDV1II52_Z41s5GuO1YKZtLGxXvlhRonnReLglYAvWffSJ6ACkbXTSEv-9F9PIAXUKPFnEEidbdZn21NYNRIb7UPvDhFG1n6YndKaH04Dhb-6HVn7VrO80QCpu1gCqsfj2T74cgNM3JYc/s1600/DSC_0863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDV1II52_Z41s5GuO1YKZtLGxXvlhRonnReLglYAvWffSJ6ACkbXTSEv-9F9PIAXUKPFnEEidbdZn21NYNRIb7UPvDhFG1n6YndKaH04Dhb-6HVn7VrO80QCpu1gCqsfj2T74cgNM3JYc/s640/DSC_0863.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the coolest cocktail I ever had</td></tr>
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Because the bus trip to our next destination started very early from Bangkok, we had to get back to the capital for the last night. Finding out how to get back was, unfortunately, one of the most unplesant moments during our travels. We had already booked a bus online, but the station was quite far away from our place so we had no other option than to take a taxi to get there. However, the drivers were utterly unfriendly and offered overpriced rides, discouraging us completely. Coincidentally, at the station 5 minutes away from our accommodation was a bus ready to depart for Bangkok. Boarding it would have been even cheaper than the taxi ride, so we wouldn't have to worry about the lost ticket, and they could even offer us two last places. So after some frustrating moments of arguing, negotiation and decision, we bought a ticket and could go to Bangkok immediately, leaving the pissed-off taxi drivers behind. So long, Pattaya!</div>
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As with most negative experiences, this has taught us a lesson: Deviating from your initial plan is sometimes the best decision, even if you have to lose something in the process. And: Don't tolerate jerks. If it wasn't for Essi's furious split-second decisiveness and action, it could have ended much worse. :)</div>
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After having checked in into our guest house*** (too bad we couldn't spend more than one night there!), we explored the surroundings a bit to find a place for dinner. However, it was quite late and the place was a little far from the center, so we did not have the chance to see a lot apart from some side streets with hidden food opportunities, and a small British-style bar where we spent our last night.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFGRaE7PtVZ39G_SZHJh8RtF6HzKf1juv6ND9Bt52U4puX-Qd6qA7rcOIvGtiRT9G7LghfXu45Gv4jAU6Ikq3bkG0IK5l3bUfCTKKtbC1m4Cpp1FaDHyO10TRMIhzSARhbrZy0RiT7hzy/s1600/DSC_0867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFGRaE7PtVZ39G_SZHJh8RtF6HzKf1juv6ND9Bt52U4puX-Qd6qA7rcOIvGtiRT9G7LghfXu45Gv4jAU6Ikq3bkG0IK5l3bUfCTKKtbC1m4Cpp1FaDHyO10TRMIhzSARhbrZy0RiT7hzy/s640/DSC_0867.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last dinner in Bangkok :(</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiomsPqtr84j9NC9YKxhLHx39fYYpZx2NQDTER5VWSb7xPeRubqtZmCeo3A6zcGwgfCeZHoirqcqQaJS_MdHZ9HV2j8UFA9htuYAsUzUbAEsqHhLE3YEwb8J4V76ETrsV2zgCAWTmeRpx0l/s1600/DSC_0868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiomsPqtr84j9NC9YKxhLHx39fYYpZx2NQDTER5VWSb7xPeRubqtZmCeo3A6zcGwgfCeZHoirqcqQaJS_MdHZ9HV2j8UFA9htuYAsUzUbAEsqHhLE3YEwb8J4V76ETrsV2zgCAWTmeRpx0l/s640/DSC_0868.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One thing you can be certain about: Five days in Thailand are far from enough</td></tr>
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So the following day, we left Thailand for good and began the next, most memorable chapter in our South-East Asia adventure. Tune in again soon for the most legendary temples, the most kind-hearted people and the most moving sites of recent history we have ever experienced - in Cambodia!<br />
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* <a href="https://de.airbnb.com/rooms/6366271" target="_blank">Trendy accommodation in Bangkok</a><br />
** <a href="https://de.airbnb.com/rooms/2421836" target="_blank">Relaxing accommodation in Pattaya</a><br />
*** <a href="https://de.airbnb.com/rooms/12326209" target="_blank">Comfy accommodation in Bangkok</a><br />
<br />rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-12418007583951928532017-05-30T19:07:00.005+09:002017-05-30T19:07:59.423+09:00Cultural encounters, quests and shocks, or: Two (broke) girls in the Philippines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
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Hello dear friends!</div>
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Long time no see. Some of you have asked me why I haven't posted any updates for quite a while. The answer is: Because I simply lacked time and energy. As you might know, Essi and I had been on a big trip through <b>South East Asia</b> and <b>South Korea</b> for almost a month, staying at each country for around five days. Then, my parents and my friend Katja from Siegen took turns visiting me in Tokyo and we travelled, once again, through Japan. This time of travelling and being a tour guide was exciting, enlightening and enriching, but also exhausting, so that I could do next to nothing the following weeks. Still, I had to plunge back into university life without a break. So now, having accustomed myself to a working routine again, I am going to start, little by little, to reconstruct my experiences for you. It feels good to write again and is hopefully worth reading too! </div>
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You might have guessed: This post will not be about Japan, nor will the following ones - there is just too much to tell. We set off to Manila, Philippines, on February 13th and parted ways in Seoul on March 9th. This was our route in total:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87xlFVCKjiv8GNEYLXLBQ7DSyzWviPHpeROAX6BRZaAlhjIpPFPS1JkP-9h1iWUb4TdTdeOwVB9Xlop7whtEpJppq1VuDqTdRzz8Chy7LBOlzN_LDQ2fgzDhCIqjZu_wUQqIsgaP4Nc6k/s1600/Route.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87xlFVCKjiv8GNEYLXLBQ7DSyzWviPHpeROAX6BRZaAlhjIpPFPS1JkP-9h1iWUb4TdTdeOwVB9Xlop7whtEpJppq1VuDqTdRzz8Chy7LBOlzN_LDQ2fgzDhCIqjZu_wUQqIsgaP4Nc6k/s640/Route.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Primitive representation of our travel route</td></tr>
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Why we parted having reached our last destination: While Essi went back to Japan after Seoul, I proceeded to Singapore to meet my dad. But this is a story for a later post :)</div>
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So: Welcome to "my" Manila!</div>
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Valentine's day in the capital</h4>
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Coming on February 13th, we stayed in Metro Manila (Manila for short) for five days. Our first culture surprise was the drink we could buy from a vending machine for 40 Philippine pesos (PHP), which is roughly 74 cents. 74 cents for a cup of melon lemonade from a machine! Just as cheap was the bus from the airport to our airbnb (I don't remember the exact price, but it must have been around 2 euro). By the way: If you ever go to Manila, don't ask the airport staff for a bus. They will tell you there is none and suggest you take a taxi. But the busses are parking right in front of the building, so who are they trying to fool? We suspected they have an arrangement with the taxi companies or drivers, ripping off clueless tourists. </div>
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Anyway, the bus drivers here are extraordinarily nice, or at least ours was. I have misremembered the name of our condominium, so I chased the poor guy around the city twice, passing our destination on the way. He just laughed it off and took care that we were left out right in front of the door. Once arrived on a top floor of a fancy apartment building, we were greeted by a sweet Korean lady renting a room in her apartment*. She welcomed us with a glass of juice and a choco pie each, before letting us rest.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCp9HsCQHKpeycv2no_wmlDZblkig6tluR6yzPDh637O5YdrqT131EQa72tGU7WeXZ88-cigbhhq6GlUm93JLSIlmCWMLuxNTjWaE8SwHeA_Rvl0LBYVzIft-VelMybgIeZnZ8hPpv_zx/s1600/DSC_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCp9HsCQHKpeycv2no_wmlDZblkig6tluR6yzPDh637O5YdrqT131EQa72tGU7WeXZ88-cigbhhq6GlUm93JLSIlmCWMLuxNTjWaE8SwHeA_Rvl0LBYVzIft-VelMybgIeZnZ8hPpv_zx/s640/DSC_0016.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port view from the apartment in the morning</td></tr>
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The next day, we went to explore <b>Rizal Park</b>. José Rizal was a writer, doctor and the leader of Spanish occupation resistance, La Liga Filipina, founded in 1892. No wonder he is a national hero of the Philippines now, with a whole park dedicated to him.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTCnF8D8w2cAs1PCvPit_B_0s0zoKVmsc-XUXAkE_7mNUcn9YaTS-X3C4pUebutqfMUbihqf89BrYan2h9xrKqY1Qo3sl7sKY227RYvVyWnQsPyKSKpyA8ZaqEgegY0QNeWIGfxUbciiX/s1600/DSC_0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTCnF8D8w2cAs1PCvPit_B_0s0zoKVmsc-XUXAkE_7mNUcn9YaTS-X3C4pUebutqfMUbihqf89BrYan2h9xrKqY1Qo3sl7sKY227RYvVyWnQsPyKSKpyA8ZaqEgegY0QNeWIGfxUbciiX/s640/DSC_0017.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the background: Rizal Monument</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04aHUs4n61uvuWgjB4DlV-t5wHQ2GVoqNEGA6iqXKod6bcyNSlG2vtuYjHarVXcROiSSyfhlVbA69UbDpbqAOGRIOJiTP_Z3bPTMdf_MbsfOC5T3AaRTQ9joN0ZV3POEkxpqKIAXm_wzT/s1600/DSC_0038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04aHUs4n61uvuWgjB4DlV-t5wHQ2GVoqNEGA6iqXKod6bcyNSlG2vtuYjHarVXcROiSSyfhlVbA69UbDpbqAOGRIOJiTP_Z3bPTMdf_MbsfOC5T3AaRTQ9joN0ZV3POEkxpqKIAXm_wzT/s640/DSC_0038.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9sBHcRyWkKGmWPzeGxHe_3fq1t7ns-iJRPM2w8S2D3C2_gQyADWO69_qib2zXuE7k9Rlxg8KyDAh_xHPHgum7NBuTIkVa_4_sMhchAWyhTAoART2p77H-QREcsbe13l_4eJS1AiZ0cQH/s1600/DSC_0039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9sBHcRyWkKGmWPzeGxHe_3fq1t7ns-iJRPM2w8S2D3C2_gQyADWO69_qib2zXuE7k9Rlxg8KyDAh_xHPHgum7NBuTIkVa_4_sMhchAWyhTAoART2p77H-QREcsbe13l_4eJS1AiZ0cQH/s640/DSC_0039.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtAKoaNoV8ZZlNC84kc5GtUL033UBwUkwLag06NNhfN99Y80fz634PMETKSLOMUc-XZdgGVvqu2Xf1z-mWSCyBolboQJa4UGBJ4Xp1p7crtZiiAHLGEoN53mkqmo-3RIv3WZg91kPYbfsV/s1600/DSC_0113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtAKoaNoV8ZZlNC84kc5GtUL033UBwUkwLag06NNhfN99Y80fz634PMETKSLOMUc-XZdgGVvqu2Xf1z-mWSCyBolboQJa4UGBJ4Xp1p7crtZiiAHLGEoN53mkqmo-3RIv3WZg91kPYbfsV/s640/DSC_0113.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I can't tell if it was because of the festive mood or an everyday phenomenon, but there was cheerful music playing from speakers all day. Around the park, there was also a small garden for which you had to pay, a Chinese garden and a Japanese one, and several food stalls (mostly selling burgers and hot dogs though, too much for the hot weather - it was over 30 degrees even in February!).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEumS1ALF6vTYBPdJxOqNAG8yfeibR34oNJcQH2hscwqyQKFZsiK9-1JzWJPePtgskOjKjnjBUrHBQ0jFbjOTBFxe50DBRNGRdtk-m7paFWJKkUdPD2L71iMJSUO_RUlmOi_9F-bMT_X0N/s1600/DSC_0029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEumS1ALF6vTYBPdJxOqNAG8yfeibR34oNJcQH2hscwqyQKFZsiK9-1JzWJPePtgskOjKjnjBUrHBQ0jFbjOTBFxe50DBRNGRdtk-m7paFWJKkUdPD2L71iMJSUO_RUlmOi_9F-bMT_X0N/s640/DSC_0029.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As brown and depressing as it looks like, much in contrast to the rest of the park, there were still people hanging around the place...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglgFMHZHfH9Gzw-1FZ4B3aM0ZnETffV6QQGiD-u6X4Q232-wwlEiPWo8o7XbDTEcydZuWSfiL6ZD4W3M6GkvokpynT29ZJO_5Z-yoliUHaaRqQoAyFbEuRwg2Uto08BF2NQOb1pqlsFgv/s1600/DSC_0030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglgFMHZHfH9Gzw-1FZ4B3aM0ZnETffV6QQGiD-u6X4Q232-wwlEiPWo8o7XbDTEcydZuWSfiL6ZD4W3M6GkvokpynT29ZJO_5Z-yoliUHaaRqQoAyFbEuRwg2Uto08BF2NQOb1pqlsFgv/s640/DSC_0030.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...even couples...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKXCJVLB-WF8_FpTTqULo9V8ORXXte7C2LNEX-V0FisQXOrFrrkls4LNEXP9GLLgGXCYhtl_QsgwG5u2ZVn8VMHgTVR99RtFpQd4SdzkjQBkR5_IWa3I3Qo60oZsGyCdpBQ7_LWksmU5i/s1600/DSC_0031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKXCJVLB-WF8_FpTTqULo9V8ORXXte7C2LNEX-V0FisQXOrFrrkls4LNEXP9GLLgGXCYhtl_QsgwG5u2ZVn8VMHgTVR99RtFpQd4SdzkjQBkR5_IWa3I3Qo60oZsGyCdpBQ7_LWksmU5i/s640/DSC_0031.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and people sleeping on mats</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5RlwH9-S2HHtSujjO5lLhY4D3jn2mD9aeIY3LUN4xUGh5vmEKzYlDLwXyDtxAAgdi-my82ydTy7dKbpqr3PnfjyVEpbwbq1iSrb5OHAYqhpMwrvzBPYPQQjSaf9S27xx89gW_J8Is3A6j/s1600/DSC_0032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5RlwH9-S2HHtSujjO5lLhY4D3jn2mD9aeIY3LUN4xUGh5vmEKzYlDLwXyDtxAAgdi-my82ydTy7dKbpqr3PnfjyVEpbwbq1iSrb5OHAYqhpMwrvzBPYPQQjSaf9S27xx89gW_J8Is3A6j/s640/DSC_0032.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Make a wish!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwCP9UM8mv67PE_3IOIPcEYW2GoGEHLfcZU6-nqJIiihFRo7kK_74PTiduucXmmw4uK3pfKvSj9HUYiVM5G6aV-4NKQzQdtxMcg0wOwkroSunijlxRfeVWhwbQlm1IBB-vD2uBFCGezMK/s1600/DSC_0044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwCP9UM8mv67PE_3IOIPcEYW2GoGEHLfcZU6-nqJIiihFRo7kK_74PTiduucXmmw4uK3pfKvSj9HUYiVM5G6aV-4NKQzQdtxMcg0wOwkroSunijlxRfeVWhwbQlm1IBB-vD2uBFCGezMK/s640/DSC_0044.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Japanese garden...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: start;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1nyeTJzbBPNd3Ase3z7HYyjaM2gNZTMU4k7p6G_6ofu4ZoUb-LemU11IfLL7aciSDqAX6OirQDZw3SazJQFtfHBX6xmeEi0iIYEXFNIpMIUCaxDCk4nQ7YQxwosQQ_j2_sTaNnIDB_fe/s1600/DSC_0046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1nyeTJzbBPNd3Ase3z7HYyjaM2gNZTMU4k7p6G_6ofu4ZoUb-LemU11IfLL7aciSDqAX6OirQDZw3SazJQFtfHBX6xmeEi0iIYEXFNIpMIUCaxDCk4nQ7YQxwosQQ_j2_sTaNnIDB_fe/s640/DSC_0046.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...obviously not quite like the real thing...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: start;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99A_e7jvD1zo5s0ZOq0grRG7K_cmtiJhERyuEwA_XeWKKmWbxREemVybdKytLeHHogzh28OkxVTnnpG-z5DdvBAK-8F5eRwdWJqHDFL4sGSaYB-b7b1Q8PTtlXMk429nMe4CjLQ32cZhF/s1600/DSC_0048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99A_e7jvD1zo5s0ZOq0grRG7K_cmtiJhERyuEwA_XeWKKmWbxREemVybdKytLeHHogzh28OkxVTnnpG-z5DdvBAK-8F5eRwdWJqHDFL4sGSaYB-b7b1Q8PTtlXMk429nMe4CjLQ32cZhF/s640/DSC_0048.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...but nice overall, and has obligatory lakes, stones, bridges and greenery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: start;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-21w1I20wkwfB24wL4eSN9369z9GldWhKF7fFgSJLCf54lopcnFV9_NkmUaJCB_4Jcv9Damjv26NozLFfCop5JcGKtN0CSuNAGmDIxRwA7AuHr5v-38sZ4xU3qGeCWCUgnPY-8bTqTB-N/s1600/DSC_0051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-21w1I20wkwfB24wL4eSN9369z9GldWhKF7fFgSJLCf54lopcnFV9_NkmUaJCB_4Jcv9Damjv26NozLFfCop5JcGKtN0CSuNAGmDIxRwA7AuHr5v-38sZ4xU3qGeCWCUgnPY-8bTqTB-N/s640/DSC_0051.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini wannabe tori</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: start;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ONPvJGEV16O97FlxR2nwX-iRrPs2G86MUut0V_SjXfq9Tgx8J36qXa1FC94J4BnbxLcwMg27E-etXsFgw9pbSpyYQCEujt_UxERXFA9r2hyjV6Pf-8qc8voq5SUQLXqZf7CQN0BH5uf4/s1600/DSC_0055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ONPvJGEV16O97FlxR2nwX-iRrPs2G86MUut0V_SjXfq9Tgx8J36qXa1FC94J4BnbxLcwMg27E-etXsFgw9pbSpyYQCEujt_UxERXFA9r2hyjV6Pf-8qc8voq5SUQLXqZf7CQN0BH5uf4/s640/DSC_0055.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to the Chinese garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: start;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmR1y8qrA6xsngbK8jLM58lHpjG0REY0JPCx-c5JMRkM0Wgzqov619SGuBAb75acsqVDtVpFRJCFLhbEn44ker965yFIgJby8INfg0vn-Uq9iw18Iyj5N4zS8fIPPIJbwc0AbTf8yTJMQd/s1600/DSC_0060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmR1y8qrA6xsngbK8jLM58lHpjG0REY0JPCx-c5JMRkM0Wgzqov619SGuBAb75acsqVDtVpFRJCFLhbEn44ker965yFIgJby8INfg0vn-Uq9iw18Iyj5N4zS8fIPPIJbwc0AbTf8yTJMQd/s640/DSC_0060.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the lanterns everywhere!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: start;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgtbDVHupmoWNfb_3V0cbEx4Yl5tuWief2geQXBhBQR8aH3UQiPYpJauDBb0jW2zj0eberxVbRsUtCnmPXxdokO3VZwGzQAUdCpIsGlyy1svJ2Jpl2ooej-_T9CpMIfziF_7oxnImUAA_/s1600/DSC_0062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgtbDVHupmoWNfb_3V0cbEx4Yl5tuWief2geQXBhBQR8aH3UQiPYpJauDBb0jW2zj0eberxVbRsUtCnmPXxdokO3VZwGzQAUdCpIsGlyy1svJ2Jpl2ooej-_T9CpMIfziF_7oxnImUAA_/s640/DSC_0062.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the colours</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: start;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyiF38AFZqXBUKEsXQI_el_4SVCtT1R3OVEmItIlNs3YLVs5hTvl7W_1nAA64cEB57Xl4A9G-d3aC62YC8MEGm7ktaU0byeyjA1UKZhX7WDmmEBn0pGWwWNytUAhfOTW_bVyg_xEah6w91/s1600/DSC_0063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyiF38AFZqXBUKEsXQI_el_4SVCtT1R3OVEmItIlNs3YLVs5hTvl7W_1nAA64cEB57Xl4A9G-d3aC62YC8MEGm7ktaU0byeyjA1UKZhX7WDmmEBn0pGWwWNytUAhfOTW_bVyg_xEah6w91/s640/DSC_0063.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-FDqXdPXM8Ysp6bX2jQir6R20Jvb-Qoph_nRvcFAsMe02fPPXj1sG6utmS7QBydDjiYh5GlvHz-Dzg7-p5pSMspFHVg4WHT1QLo0TCQD1gG_00wwocGNK4i5Lkd88IBr8w1jDKnQ10dIx/s1600/DSC_0068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-FDqXdPXM8Ysp6bX2jQir6R20Jvb-Qoph_nRvcFAsMe02fPPXj1sG6utmS7QBydDjiYh5GlvHz-Dzg7-p5pSMspFHVg4WHT1QLo0TCQD1gG_00wwocGNK4i5Lkd88IBr8w1jDKnQ10dIx/s640/DSC_0068.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wise citations were written on these pillars</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIAYPR4km8rXxwWzAPIaMbnyUd4zbdse0RhuLEknNoUUpbfVKsEeIXBWUCTXJiQuB8L46uOuhdbQ7K2T6c2TP3cwWSLPfCmbaihMo5rwlB1qjOg38i2OUPCJPW_Pnc_grMg7ZwKnvp3_D/s1600/DSC_0071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIAYPR4km8rXxwWzAPIaMbnyUd4zbdse0RhuLEknNoUUpbfVKsEeIXBWUCTXJiQuB8L46uOuhdbQ7K2T6c2TP3cwWSLPfCmbaihMo5rwlB1qjOg38i2OUPCJPW_Pnc_grMg7ZwKnvp3_D/s400/DSC_0071.JPG" width="218" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-c1_9vNI-v6dWr7XFF1o4ZJeB5PZLIMiUbnB-wRnAEYh3OOQSzZuY1rP6IXvzPXGEp8BWkIbJYyuxpYvIDiM_OIIsv88ujVe02OHuwfVWDl8dOYJq2yAkPbwKwuAs0FXdK3BjgFXVict/s1600/DSC_0073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-c1_9vNI-v6dWr7XFF1o4ZJeB5PZLIMiUbnB-wRnAEYh3OOQSzZuY1rP6IXvzPXGEp8BWkIbJYyuxpYvIDiM_OIIsv88ujVe02OHuwfVWDl8dOYJq2yAkPbwKwuAs0FXdK3BjgFXVict/s400/DSC_0073.JPG" width="226" /></a></div>
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We happened to arrive on the day of the lovers, which was evident by the music, game events and decorations set up in Rizal Park...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfmuues5b2pJjB-JG82Zz6gfXe8_o6sURPX2TZwuvbtpcVLNV3sI1i4GQmBT0EbjLLE0d6zWX9gJk9GkY2kFzX-n7rOMKLm80A_Oh6CcKu4xzdp4FMizvInJI0qWUXoFwLg4xYVLrDpQw/s1600/DSC_0023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfmuues5b2pJjB-JG82Zz6gfXe8_o6sURPX2TZwuvbtpcVLNV3sI1i4GQmBT0EbjLLE0d6zWX9gJk9GkY2kFzX-n7rOMKLm80A_Oh6CcKu4xzdp4FMizvInJI0qWUXoFwLg4xYVLrDpQw/s640/DSC_0023.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh01X2WTS5dKrfyYTxRQbPp9HQ1XQYMAAWTXFRU2HqfFS4YkXRNbdx8HOMigJfDwD8bxC7hMcZwibGZSBpgCcErQZtCZy7ACpADipKTVuO_wSHekZnDxH2Iu8pGF2H3WjDSndSU_zlvBai7/s1600/DSC_0082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh01X2WTS5dKrfyYTxRQbPp9HQ1XQYMAAWTXFRU2HqfFS4YkXRNbdx8HOMigJfDwD8bxC7hMcZwibGZSBpgCcErQZtCZy7ACpADipKTVuO_wSHekZnDxH2Iu8pGF2H3WjDSndSU_zlvBai7/s640/DSC_0082.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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... and by last-time gift shoppers in the Robisons mall, a large shopping center near our accommodation.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0_nOYVcGc-w_BAoNEmKH5b9D9oDQGjsoSDvIliRbJgdVN_yI6vCUvIlKCLEjN9GCBoQjIiRuLF5UrE13LxUHKkVCR-ggjl0UkY4_a_6zD5-s0_4N0xdpYXtjgHL6ItDkOO3ydf3noQ5M/s1600/DSC_0118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0_nOYVcGc-w_BAoNEmKH5b9D9oDQGjsoSDvIliRbJgdVN_yI6vCUvIlKCLEjN9GCBoQjIiRuLF5UrE13LxUHKkVCR-ggjl0UkY4_a_6zD5-s0_4N0xdpYXtjgHL6ItDkOO3ydf3noQ5M/s640/DSC_0118.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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The nearby <b>Intramuros</b>, which was a Spanish colonial government seat back in the 16th century, has still preserved the Catholic culture brought by the Spanish, as well as some artillery. As you can guess from the name, it is encircled by a wall, like a small fortress. It has barely one square kilometer of area, still some tuktuk drivers wanted to make us believe we cannot walk this area of the city by foot. But it was easy to get rid of unwanted offers by saying "no", whereas ignoring them, as you may be used to from other countries, just resulted in eager drivers following you around.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOcOkgijWhDAtuIUthbtncFGJWBSS2OAz5L3gTt_H3N15s6g1mhKhk65PboJT0jPRuTXgOp-EbEU38dLbCz5TWfC5B9GbIoJZXQhEzLkZcT5VkeFeRQvn8OWunjh6PRIY8VlSuqu5T8hG/s1600/DSC_0090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOcOkgijWhDAtuIUthbtncFGJWBSS2OAz5L3gTt_H3N15s6g1mhKhk65PboJT0jPRuTXgOp-EbEU38dLbCz5TWfC5B9GbIoJZXQhEzLkZcT5VkeFeRQvn8OWunjh6PRIY8VlSuqu5T8hG/s640/DSC_0090.JPG" width="490" /></a></h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Manila Cathedral of Intramuros</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broken bridges over Pasig river</td></tr>
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<h4>
Intermezzo: Little catastrophies and social justice</h4>
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This first day was memorable for us for another, less pleasant reason. Both Essi and I did not take much cash with us to exchange, relying on our credit and debit cards to withdraw some. However, <i>none</i> of our cards worked at <i>any</i> of the ATMs in the <i>whole</i> city. You can imagine how distressing this is, being in a foreign city with practically no money.</div>
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Adding to our distress was the heat, the poverty and dirt so visibly displayed everywhere, and people constantly honking at us and paying attention by greeting and attempring small talk (I'm not exaggerating - almost <i>every</i> driver that passed us by let us know that he has noticed two white girls in temperature-appropriate clothing. But honking seems to be a means of communication in the incredibly chaotic city traffic). While Essi seemed to enjoy the attention, I just felt like sinking in a hole in the ground. On the second day, however, I just thought: "What the hell" and stopped caring about it. Actually, people in the Philippines are generally very friendly and helpful which you can appreciate once you stop being self-conscious. Everyone passing by wishes you a good day and little boys make you compliments. And they speak excellent English! (Unlike other Asian countries - ahem...). What I could not get used to is being called "Ma'am" in <i>every</i> sentence by <i>every</i> member of service staff <i>everywhere</i>. Seriously, do we look that old? However, we did not mind too much because the service was overwhelmingly good.</div>
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But back to "business": How did we solve the money problem? With no intention to advertise, we just used Western Union and transferred money to ourselves, which we could pick up the next day. You can't imagine how relieved we were finally holding the bills in our hands. I'm not trying to say money solves every problem, but in any case, it makes life easier and in our case more enjoyable. As my dad said: You can't buy happiness, but you can buy things that can make you happy. Like this coffee for instance.<br />
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We learned two things on this day:</div>
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<ol>
<li>Take cash with you wherever you travel. Hide it or save it for bad days, but make sure it's there.</li>
<li>You only truly realise the importance of something once you are lacking it.</li>
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Now it may seem inappropriate or even barbaric to talk about money like that, considering the people living and begging on the street all over Manila. But <i>maybe</i> the only thing you can do for a developing country is to support the economy - and it's what tourists basically do. You cannot fight a corrupt and dysfunctional government on your own, and without deep understanding of people's lives you are in no position to judge it.<br />
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Just a few weeks ago, at one course at my university, we have been discussing the question: If you see injustice in a foreign country, should you accept it or not? The answer, probably, lies somewhere inbetween. Accepting is out of question for most of us, but recognising that it it's a different culture and probably learning a lesson for one's later life is the first step. Our host, who has spent decades in Manila, has told us not to give in to children, however poor and miserable looking, begging for money or food.<br />
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The reason why, however, has dawned to us weeks later, thanks to a sign near the Angkor temples in Cambodia: If you support the begging, you teach children and their families that it's more profitable than going to school, thus inhibiting their education. Immediate relief, encouraging the status quo, vs. withholding, leading to change - the eternal dilemma of social justice? Please feel free to comment if you disagree with me. :) </div>
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<h4>
Scary art and heavy shopping</h4>
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On another day, we wanted to see a different kind of culture and went to the <b>Metropolitan Museum</b>, which displays modern art as in contrast to the free National Museum (which we somehow missed). Little did we know that the exhibition followed a rather dark theme. Ronald Ventura<b> </b>and his <i>Shadow Forest</i> exhibition - meet the carousel of your nightmares...<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzSPLMowWVLxEgHUSoZZZQqt1zLlppoFCG-kHF0_YWfs8ZBZIlaL7BgUKzh5UtW2iJBbavul_GSF2MtMfgd_v7Mv0ls8bKmaWfF5nbumxM2AOFlW26JvyPMBcYlin9PxSkYfDFLMPqLEO/s1600/DSC_0164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzSPLMowWVLxEgHUSoZZZQqt1zLlppoFCG-kHF0_YWfs8ZBZIlaL7BgUKzh5UtW2iJBbavul_GSF2MtMfgd_v7Mv0ls8bKmaWfF5nbumxM2AOFlW26JvyPMBcYlin9PxSkYfDFLMPqLEO/s640/DSC_0164.JPG" width="390" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">If cartoon characters were real..<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCdVskG4-gfglv62Fd1KQ1iBaSzQCkdUVGwD6GzUFF5R3XR_RI3Y6xXTyQIbr5g6399tld7grZxrQebs3WKZQSJBXZAMnYQnI7671x1SP9zFUALlFSHRWysdcezvYjpsZbaqVMoLgYKuS/s640/DSC_0163.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">...they would look like this inside<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-WJhBHIwVPd2frG9F98zTr7ru9dcUUe3HDjlqixPx6cfUgbrbF1ZIk1JIwxqe_jMnywpS01blU3OdOzz0ln_zfRhoG2e4erOHBIpFg8f7vjRXjdVDNhlH62uAqUQdEpbMfUVDXm0Ob6OM/s1600/DSC_0162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-WJhBHIwVPd2frG9F98zTr7ru9dcUUe3HDjlqixPx6cfUgbrbF1ZIk1JIwxqe_jMnywpS01blU3OdOzz0ln_zfRhoG2e4erOHBIpFg8f7vjRXjdVDNhlH62uAqUQdEpbMfUVDXm0Ob6OM/s640/DSC_0162.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2GS8YfKRfECw4isuRLnPd6nGQvcRB22906ZiVIX_CkBXaSkVEMb0QBF41yY70-KrqbgItd7GIzr3imE62EnaCBmCjWVNmu08RVp3NwNprqksiHFzg1n5RoZIt42u1-ZFSyddBHiXtJRe9/s1600/DSC_0184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2GS8YfKRfECw4isuRLnPd6nGQvcRB22906ZiVIX_CkBXaSkVEMb0QBF41yY70-KrqbgItd7GIzr3imE62EnaCBmCjWVNmu08RVp3NwNprqksiHFzg1n5RoZIt42u1-ZFSyddBHiXtJRe9/s640/DSC_0184.JPG" width="520" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy could shine in different colours</td></tr>
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The museum was on the way to the <b>Mall of Asia</b>, which was once the biggest mall of the country (City North EDSA expanded in 2008 is now the biggest, but both are still <i>huge</i>). It took us around an hour on a straight road from our accommodation to get there, which was a pleasant walk partly along the seaside (with police booths at every corner for some reason).</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsVHTkxQBC5pzMa7XQ8scadYTkp01Xzr2CG4vu9JbyiswttXNDqdOoZYdzbB6GNI4CAJ4iAevSfWqoYzSpPwvaLb5egRtn6i4pvP365SB5BdTbPFP5ppaWqaECYliaKSInU95Q5utbtxa/s1600/DSC_0136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsVHTkxQBC5pzMa7XQ8scadYTkp01Xzr2CG4vu9JbyiswttXNDqdOoZYdzbB6GNI4CAJ4iAevSfWqoYzSpPwvaLb5egRtn6i4pvP365SB5BdTbPFP5ppaWqaECYliaKSInU95Q5utbtxa/s640/DSC_0136.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Manila pays credit to its bravest journalists along the seashore</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPXljdafNxVrXlVBAGCyHM07emfW3_0-2v-5BD8nI4TR6Ci2r87KFVO0oy4mBFugK1TN60jZMFaG3uWq5BTGWYPh_CrigqKa_wbYdpUqL6o1a0TNX6SHLMU5Ynsx_44F0UWkyhMy8X6-A/s1600/DSC_0197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPXljdafNxVrXlVBAGCyHM07emfW3_0-2v-5BD8nI4TR6Ci2r87KFVO0oy4mBFugK1TN60jZMFaG3uWq5BTGWYPh_CrigqKa_wbYdpUqL6o1a0TNX6SHLMU5Ynsx_44F0UWkyhMy8X6-A/s640/DSC_0197.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halfway to the Mall of Asia, we treated ourselves with an iced coffee...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUNB2ejzSPVJde7eodhsrltMa88JvzAeFobf5MbiWnpE32AbXn_5xl52FlOE6Ss2UFoaEFj-uvg7bGNgP2iXosPW5D1tHy8khhsQCVcM-LYXprdUGYOvdHLU3Ak2doVqpL7jG65wGturu/s1600/DSC_0202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUNB2ejzSPVJde7eodhsrltMa88JvzAeFobf5MbiWnpE32AbXn_5xl52FlOE6Ss2UFoaEFj-uvg7bGNgP2iXosPW5D1tHy8khhsQCVcM-LYXprdUGYOvdHLU3Ak2doVqpL7jG65wGturu/s640/DSC_0202.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and got these tea-frappuccino-mix thingies for free! Yay to Valentine's day</td></tr>
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Once we arrived, we realised where this mall got its reputation from: It's basically a small town. A paradise for shopaholics, stuffed with everything you can imagine through all the price ranges.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcLV65LcR9HFM20KhIHFsgdtTKETne-pWSRbTaDar9MlNac3BLIHIvPyKJr0bu_t5gJ_98_E2Z4o7jOs9nnRU7OsKdhbNBnHnC-VouTUViKgxBXeWr1JOuJMWx59DxaGGKdk7yTPZR1HL/s1600/DSC_0203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcLV65LcR9HFM20KhIHFsgdtTKETne-pWSRbTaDar9MlNac3BLIHIvPyKJr0bu_t5gJ_98_E2Z4o7jOs9nnRU7OsKdhbNBnHnC-VouTUViKgxBXeWr1JOuJMWx59DxaGGKdk7yTPZR1HL/s640/DSC_0203.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from one of the largest malls in the world</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2l9h6zzanTLL8xDXY14OybWzOoHhb9djGtXlZ-nf3g1eVN3YpH8xGdFLC6bL_0GsWC6bZ52YoBLUzQmnKr5JoyCAu7sv9ChVpGbpTnvNCahdzwmix1YNzmtH_ALqbUprIFWm7JBHCup1/s1600/DSC_0208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2l9h6zzanTLL8xDXY14OybWzOoHhb9djGtXlZ-nf3g1eVN3YpH8xGdFLC6bL_0GsWC6bZ52YoBLUzQmnKr5JoyCAu7sv9ChVpGbpTnvNCahdzwmix1YNzmtH_ALqbUprIFWm7JBHCup1/s640/DSC_0208.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Food street of the mall</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8howY6I-rAg8WywntqmjCIMabA7Jdn6n68ivDew0-DZEbn9gMrRzS3Yyn1X3TBOgVLqW-G7pRnKrvRy8ics6Z8_ELnqJa1WaehA-YaRuby-6lVte0burjp0_GfjJdjEwh7ow7oHFMhjzZ/s1600/DSC_0210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8howY6I-rAg8WywntqmjCIMabA7Jdn6n68ivDew0-DZEbn9gMrRzS3Yyn1X3TBOgVLqW-G7pRnKrvRy8ics6Z8_ELnqJa1WaehA-YaRuby-6lVte0burjp0_GfjJdjEwh7ow7oHFMhjzZ/s640/DSC_0210.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner: A Mexican feast</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qspiTYyBWd4yVDJfZOFTA8TlnQH5xcXLKOOZzCktreT6wuOKmWqozV9KHc9nYwEH_F19HLmcSnHQbeMlNvP4WepP7UB2scqr0BLgDoodZ2URheQeHJX5EH1G7kWgA1xyvtCUQOzYABg_/s1600/DSC_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qspiTYyBWd4yVDJfZOFTA8TlnQH5xcXLKOOZzCktreT6wuOKmWqozV9KHc9nYwEH_F19HLmcSnHQbeMlNvP4WepP7UB2scqr0BLgDoodZ2URheQeHJX5EH1G7kWgA1xyvtCUQOzYABg_/s640/DSC_0220.JPG" width="370" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got each a free rose at the restaurant. Double-yay to Valentine's day!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5H2VZ-LSnd__nisoneHjHB1eEezSyVRNpM6Il4_3wXHJvogH1Tqiz2ESuGdT4tpNX8rawqYHYDZSIcu7yCdzryDrCR0NbrE_mhyvZ_6Ty9DGBlerV5Dib1cOq0WlFjywAZFvv_rPe3i6a/s1600/DSC_0227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5H2VZ-LSnd__nisoneHjHB1eEezSyVRNpM6Il4_3wXHJvogH1Tqiz2ESuGdT4tpNX8rawqYHYDZSIcu7yCdzryDrCR0NbrE_mhyvZ_6Ty9DGBlerV5Dib1cOq0WlFjywAZFvv_rPe3i6a/s640/DSC_0227.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful way home</td></tr>
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Another journey took us to the <b>Greenbelt Mall</b> in Makati area. Slightly smaller, this one still encompassed a lot of greenery along with its shops. Makati is a rather fancy area, and farther away so that we had to take the metro (called LRT and MRT) to get there. By the way, the metro in Manila is as fully packed as that in Tokyo. ;)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4rND42it4zYe0s0RYQ7P_URwXp_9QIkIkeOhGsW4Olrnz6HHy5-9Paf1pTJuSyEwqK1QFiGD5dMZzzIs62FLc_LD8hCdo98ZMNvpaH95zF0-cbEeMfDT8HFAnfezFRbmdh6B_1BAbvAw/s1600/DSC_0239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4rND42it4zYe0s0RYQ7P_URwXp_9QIkIkeOhGsW4Olrnz6HHy5-9Paf1pTJuSyEwqK1QFiGD5dMZzzIs62FLc_LD8hCdo98ZMNvpaH95zF0-cbEeMfDT8HFAnfezFRbmdh6B_1BAbvAw/s640/DSC_0239.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valentine's day apparently lasts for at least a week here - or even the whole year?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbCswXn_rztiXbTngG1siUv-QqHiPD_YX2alChR-BjDAp1RZXBjEUVH6XEb4atbgB4qR6lQTBRBRnxa3IBnPVgsQJBYUy318AK-HAOHft-_p0b3XTNGPikbQcNclwaxM-2dq-oseaMHALx/s1600/DSC_0244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbCswXn_rztiXbTngG1siUv-QqHiPD_YX2alChR-BjDAp1RZXBjEUVH6XEb4atbgB4qR6lQTBRBRnxa3IBnPVgsQJBYUy318AK-HAOHft-_p0b3XTNGPikbQcNclwaxM-2dq-oseaMHALx/s640/DSC_0244.JPG" width="510" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute little chapel at a lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are (probably Japanese) koi carps in there!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnwH2gukhtaXmrZaqdbbkp3a6O0T_POtiOWvBqrRt9_3yDDqp9uNFqmISslkLzs1lwS4LHGDRvR66u5qrzdt5Xv8l5MIiDkp5glB15lIAV5TRnIG16omQ2xQTgeooEC8i7_GMtWVAJ1yKJ/s1600/DSC_0254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnwH2gukhtaXmrZaqdbbkp3a6O0T_POtiOWvBqrRt9_3yDDqp9uNFqmISslkLzs1lwS4LHGDRvR66u5qrzdt5Xv8l5MIiDkp5glB15lIAV5TRnIG16omQ2xQTgeooEC8i7_GMtWVAJ1yKJ/s640/DSC_0254.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art knows no boundaries. If I remember well, this one is related to the war</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fountain near our street</td></tr>
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On that day, we actually wanted to visit the American Cemetery with a famous chapel in Makati as well, but were late since it closes at 5 pm. Well, you always have to leave something for next time, right? At least we found a small festival-ish market with streetfood on our way where we tried fancy kinds of ice cream... </div>
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The race to Taal volcano</h4>
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For our last day, we preserved a real adventure and set off to <b>Taal volcano</b> in Talisay. Thanks to my dad's colleague who is originally from Manila (Thank you, Cherryl!), we got to know about this place. On this most adventurous day, we returned home all tired and sweaty after six hours on the road in total.</div>
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The journey itself was a great part: We had to take the metro, a bus, a jeepney, and a tricycle to get to the lake where the island is where the lake is where the volcano island is in. In this order. A boat and a great deal of walking was included as well.<br />
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But let me first tell you about jeepneys, unique modes of transportation. These were once American army jeeps, which had been rebuilt and decorated to make a mini-bus of them to accommodate dozens of passengers (squeezed together) sitting on two opposite benches. Unfortunately, we haven't taken a photo, so here is a representation from the internet:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRHVwgHq0bgzZ5tTUeBn-KkgXEjqvw0anzLjChXPUYomBQcH0MR6UUw5L5s4OK8siAZ-F1ifDBULOEx3VhyEVyEJl8sZ4Ev59myxs-err3ogx6Vs43DCKdaSiYm4VxTIU_r_6U0wafHy5F/s1600/jeepney-9329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="750" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRHVwgHq0bgzZ5tTUeBn-KkgXEjqvw0anzLjChXPUYomBQcH0MR6UUw5L5s4OK8siAZ-F1ifDBULOEx3VhyEVyEJl8sZ4Ev59myxs-err3ogx6Vs43DCKdaSiYm4VxTIU_r_6U0wafHy5F/s640/jeepney-9329.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjQQoojrFGmxtILdwGrFRyXIYxISIgnTm4hG7vNMIPYliCohWL_M8ZC9a6TDeewZnKE7qKkpJFHiyroXoUpezuI6jWokVIPbriep_FGny2ILFPzdVWv9sjsPZuMj_ya_7oIr5zKv1jz0/s1600/jeepney-9329.jpg" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">source</a><span style="text-align: justify;">)</span></span></td></tr>
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These things are awesome. Although it gets crammed in there and it looks like a cage, it's very comfy and not even hot because of the airflow while riding. So much fun!<br />
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Our next mode of transportation was a tricycle. Similar to a tuktuk, these things consist of a motorbike and a two-seat trailer on the back. Again, it was a lot of fun and quite adventurous to ride curvy, lonely country roads in that. Not recommended for the city though, because of the exhaust gases you have to breathe in sitting right behind them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4fyT3kaXxXD3gxcfAMcN7JA9TGWJcRvDb-iirgXLhyZzHypZoa55GwsF_jKWyWXgiwQ5fzZV7DqWaveobpCn1ut7j5goQWsJqJ6YL7AsVZllR4MMmD3ShrQsKpqYdVElO-YPHo3Jk2bX/s1600/3148145-a-tricycle-in-Manila-the--cheaper--taxi-s-0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4fyT3kaXxXD3gxcfAMcN7JA9TGWJcRvDb-iirgXLhyZzHypZoa55GwsF_jKWyWXgiwQ5fzZV7DqWaveobpCn1ut7j5goQWsJqJ6YL7AsVZllR4MMmD3ShrQsKpqYdVElO-YPHo3Jk2bX/s640/3148145-a-tricycle-in-Manila-the--cheaper--taxi-s-0.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Again, stolen from the intern<span style="font-size: xx-small;">et (<a href="https://photos.travelblog.org/Photos/40144/348190/f/3148145-a-tricycle-in-Manila-the--cheaper--taxi-s-0.jpg" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">source</a><span style="text-align: justify;">)</span></span></span></td></tr>
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After roughly three hours on the road, we arrived at the city of <b>Tagaytay</b> where a boat should take us to the island <b>Luzon</b>, on which you can find the volcano with its Taal lake. At this point, we didn't know that the real adventure just lied ahead of us.<br />
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At the boat station, there was noone but us and a lonely tourist. It was quite late, around 4 pm, and the boat apparently only ran until 5 pm. Just in time - so we wanted to get on as quickly as possible, but the tourist started to speak with us in a quite agitated manner, and had apparently been arguing with one of the workers at the boathouse. He did not speak a lot of English, but it turned out that he was Russian, so I reluctantly admitted to speak his language just to find out what he wanted. Apparently, the Russian tourist was waiting for someone to share a boat, since it was quite expensive to pay alone (around 30 euro, I believe). Separated from the group of Japanese he was originally with (apparently deliberately by the workers, to make more money), he had been waiting for hours to find someone to accompany him on the island. The poor guy also told us that at another boat station the fare was cheaper, so he wanted to take us there. The worker, however, threatened to call the police if we left, since it was "illegal" to offer a lower price for the fare, which made us want to leave even more. Then it turned out that both were the same price. At least we could divide it by three and finally got on the boat after a distressing and time-consuming argument...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6WNnI3kw9_m6DTL8D430MOt6jY_2mFikOcrTlZNN1E-L7G2Cr37mYksysNPmvFTkNFIkAlSp5520BwFJatd8GmdZTT9yvICq274LZkOblAlNO7WfnnFjRx96vDKyhoT9h55RZWB6h6F9h/s1600/DSC_0281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6WNnI3kw9_m6DTL8D430MOt6jY_2mFikOcrTlZNN1E-L7G2Cr37mYksysNPmvFTkNFIkAlSp5520BwFJatd8GmdZTT9yvICq274LZkOblAlNO7WfnnFjRx96vDKyhoT9h55RZWB6h6F9h/s640/DSC_0281.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the waves!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjav1rTA47x2pHsc21tIUHknkp1VEWpFOuiQBRdBy_KtZP6CBMK569UlBIwevFb2Lq1EF_9vDhxfGW-EifS6eaOb50yAIpXq-T7Sh-LZPfnV5i0_d3-A2Gs6Qg29SLDOMmkBXTOk9Bpz6YS/s1600/DSC_0280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjav1rTA47x2pHsc21tIUHknkp1VEWpFOuiQBRdBy_KtZP6CBMK569UlBIwevFb2Lq1EF_9vDhxfGW-EifS6eaOb50yAIpXq-T7Sh-LZPfnV5i0_d3-A2Gs6Qg29SLDOMmkBXTOk9Bpz6YS/s640/DSC_0280.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Mt. Balantoc on Luzon island</td></tr>
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Once arrived at Luzon, you have to pay an entrance fee and are finally allowed to climb quite a steep hill to have a great view over Taal lake in the volcano's crater. There was an option to hire a horse, but fit (and penny-wise) as we were, we chose to go by foot, the Russian guy in tow. Meanwhile, the latter was creating a vlog of his journey and filmed us as well. Who knows, maybe we are going to become Youtube stars one day ;) What was most impressive is that he had spent five weeks travelling the Philippines, without speaking any English at the beginning, and had some crazy adventures to tell about. His tales of breathtaking landscapes and dangerous waterfalls has made me want to visit other parts of the country as well at some point. Five days is very short after all...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRzM0Dw7ADFT_qhXkqvCgYOqTS3l1gfrzreWcE0N2ff4p7XY563DUUCppCV7z0DWUbQJrxNXW61N85GJG0C5pDXcn2nZIk1qeTjuUsqTzQBjP-QOvfZHpK0oEKgpmURWp6VgjGCCa-HtF/s1600/DSC_0283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRzM0Dw7ADFT_qhXkqvCgYOqTS3l1gfrzreWcE0N2ff4p7XY563DUUCppCV7z0DWUbQJrxNXW61N85GJG0C5pDXcn2nZIk1qeTjuUsqTzQBjP-QOvfZHpK0oEKgpmURWp6VgjGCCa-HtF/s640/DSC_0283.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not an easy job for the horses, going up and down all day</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjI6wNZYrKZdlrPJwRYHSZ6uR0-v3OEOrRMmBWrbZVmMnRvW2TwcijPr3P8gMaPJ0fQmgg6vvrQAPO00g-oWCGw7ru1LTr04wkUEc_F75ciqh8VH8YF8ZabRAcelvHQRzb2kF4BcbQPEfW/s1600/DSC_0287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjI6wNZYrKZdlrPJwRYHSZ6uR0-v3OEOrRMmBWrbZVmMnRvW2TwcijPr3P8gMaPJ0fQmgg6vvrQAPO00g-oWCGw7ru1LTr04wkUEc_F75ciqh8VH8YF8ZabRAcelvHQRzb2kF4BcbQPEfW/s640/DSC_0287.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally arrived! This little thing on the right is the volcano island</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JjtVQtaKDfEUu0-12VfxW9Excn3XueYE8OTgW3RQLazKYye2tqdpJ-XtjBg6aeb1Ro6vCHx3CzCNmGMvvUwA4RnzkT5X1b7XsGTfAxJnACQa9TKq9r8v2D4E4cHinOrdqSn0yB6QzmoR/s1600/DSC_0297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JjtVQtaKDfEUu0-12VfxW9Excn3XueYE8OTgW3RQLazKYye2tqdpJ-XtjBg6aeb1Ro6vCHx3CzCNmGMvvUwA4RnzkT5X1b7XsGTfAxJnACQa9TKq9r8v2D4E4cHinOrdqSn0yB6QzmoR/s640/DSC_0297.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local settlements on the hill</td></tr>
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On our way down, we bought a coconut for refreshment (oh delicious coconut water!), and were followed by an elderly local woman who attempted some small talk in English, and told us we were beautiful. Friendliness and pleasant surprises wait for you at every corner - when you least expect it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLRSPLAJA9Jya7mIAZywDMd23nMpujWZAkM3D1ohOCESvsdPIOxZm-ZaSMDtyU0aCFr4glyGdE4CX-IEVKrwcxz-n3SEEn9tQ5MTVYI3GjGj_K_CY0j3HSLCWigYWOf95qhxM9f3PuV-t/s1600/DSC_0328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLRSPLAJA9Jya7mIAZywDMd23nMpujWZAkM3D1ohOCESvsdPIOxZm-ZaSMDtyU0aCFr4glyGdE4CX-IEVKrwcxz-n3SEEn9tQ5MTVYI3GjGj_K_CY0j3HSLCWigYWOf95qhxM9f3PuV-t/s640/DSC_0328.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clever wordplay too great to be left out. Nevertheless, <i>The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf</i> has become our new favourite coffee chain on our travels. But I guess you will notice in later posts...</td></tr>
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The myth of Filipino culture?</h4>
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What has striken us probably most in this country, was the apparent lack of culture. For me, one of the first things I am curious about at a new destination is the food. However, in Manila, all you can find is American fast food chains, Chinese and Japanese shops, and cafés (now I don't say we don't like cafés, we spent a lot of time in them in fact). What Filipino food looks and tastes like is still a mystery to us. </div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJ7ZeXEDSmnImnPIEyWOboVLDbvgibs64JYzgClOKJXEIJ3wfu21Je80TUk8R3reRhdX9aSQ71K8bZDCk4mimy9WY_3YUU3L_g2dE90-r0Fq4-Pq2mX8z_iXUySjpBA3MdwzJZemxz6Uw/s1600/DSC_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJ7ZeXEDSmnImnPIEyWOboVLDbvgibs64JYzgClOKJXEIJ3wfu21Je80TUk8R3reRhdX9aSQ71K8bZDCk4mimy9WY_3YUU3L_g2dE90-r0Fq4-Pq2mX8z_iXUySjpBA3MdwzJZemxz6Uw/s640/DSC_0013.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOlO53eqWtCupiLHsyA-nCgSpogl8nRqgsDIae-Ei-sl7q75_kmMis5-xnPDCNF40qJ7e-rwYkVP6qopw9TyXTaY9q1i3TIJ-qCDxrhwAfA-ltTF2diW_pxeUUcnxE2aGhC6IznrWGkn_/s1600/DSC_0235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOlO53eqWtCupiLHsyA-nCgSpogl8nRqgsDIae-Ei-sl7q75_kmMis5-xnPDCNF40qJ7e-rwYkVP6qopw9TyXTaY9q1i3TIJ-qCDxrhwAfA-ltTF2diW_pxeUUcnxE2aGhC6IznrWGkn_/s640/DSC_0235.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">...Italian...</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdCviKYhafCtFMohhNO6-dK7QyCHrivKy8qnMlhFqSiZJ_oZwPWkEHBlnveoWorNOTucyrPhMzWUROOdqzit0zJ400Qf2F4_edZrSCow8pn_dVbSuIkUPJXWYWRrjo_B_r6T1zkb3ZRqT/s1600/DSC_0337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdCviKYhafCtFMohhNO6-dK7QyCHrivKy8qnMlhFqSiZJ_oZwPWkEHBlnveoWorNOTucyrPhMzWUROOdqzit0zJ400Qf2F4_edZrSCow8pn_dVbSuIkUPJXWYWRrjo_B_r6T1zkb3ZRqT/s640/DSC_0337.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">...and more Chinese</td></tr>
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On the last day, eventually, we had something resembling local, traditional food. There is one aspect about food in South East Asia: Fruit vendors at every corner, selling juicy, delicious and amazingly cheap delights.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTFSiNJgFpvFiOuqjsRGX5WDY3P-OVcxsa5vl7nW-gkJB0Se-vJA3Sal4wVoN-ni2ARPKG_oBKg67GsvAR5AMZqmWMMDcEOYayapDEZh-GSUyXvC6V8RXZGYEt5I64VahCiYvf5s60M2m/s1600/DSC_0346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTFSiNJgFpvFiOuqjsRGX5WDY3P-OVcxsa5vl7nW-gkJB0Se-vJA3Sal4wVoN-ni2ARPKG_oBKg67GsvAR5AMZqmWMMDcEOYayapDEZh-GSUyXvC6V8RXZGYEt5I64VahCiYvf5s60M2m/s640/DSC_0346.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Presumably local dishes: Rice, steamed veggies and meat</td></tr>
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During these days, we thought: Sure, Manila pays honour to its national hero Rizal, has got artists and preserves historical treasures. But what else does the capital have to offer? The Philippines are mostly associated with stunning natural landscapes, waterfalls and beaches, none of which can be found in Manila. What is left here is mostly shopping, shopping, shopping - and eating. The sheer amount of shopping malls (16 major centres and dozens of regional ones), including two of the world's biggest, make Manila the world capital of shopping. You can spend days in them, hanging around in air-conditioned micro-cities. But this is all modern stuff - what about traditions and indigeneous life?</div>
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We had a hard time trying to find a book on Filipino history and/or culture in several bookshops we came across. Because we wanted to find out what this is and if this actually exists. The Philippines have been victim of colonialism: First by the Spanish, making it the only Christian country in Asia, then by the British. Lastly, Japan brought a lot of suffering as well as significant changes to the country during their occupation in World War 2. Thus, our conclusion was that the Philippines simply did not have the change to develop their own culture, since they had not been independent for almost four centuries. It is even named after a Spanish king! Although there was, of course, a traditional culture brought by the indigeneous people from all corners of Asia, it has largely been "overwritten" by occupation. Japanese culture is as evident by the presence of numerous restaurants and shops like <i>Daiso</i>, as well as karaoke boxes.</div>
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There are, however, a few things that characterise local culture. One of them is language: An advantage of the Western influence is that along with Filipino, English has been declared the official language. Meanwhile, Filipino originated from Tagalog, the language of the capital, encompassing other regional nuances and expressions as well. And if you read magazines in English in the Philippines, you will be surprised to find words or whole phrases that you don't understand - because they are in Filipino. It seems normal to mix both languages up and create a unique local version of English.<br />
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What is also westernised is the way of clothing. Most people (not counting those in fancy areas) wear simple, often light clothes, not paying too much attention to their looks or bothering about their body shape. A refreshing attitude in contrast to the Japanese way to dress which is in no way revealing (at least above the waist) and always tidy.<br />
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However, our last culture shock waited for us on our way to the airport, where our taxi driver got out of the car halfway to our destination - just to take a piss on the street. Without washing his hands. Oh, we were certainly not sad to leave Manila at all. But as we now think back at our time there, the five days turned out to be relaxing and exciting, and went by a little too fast, leaving a very mixed impression of the country.<br />
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The aim of this post is not to shed a negative light the Philippines - it is certainly much richer in terms of experiences of all kinds. One just has to spend more time in different places, dig deeper and keep the mind open. Meanwhile, the still developing country has way to go to reveal its full potential.<br />
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This was, however, just the start of our journey through South East Asia. Next destination: Bangkok!<br />
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* <a href="https://de.airbnb.com/rooms/11442628" target="_blank">If you are interested, you can check out our accommodation here</a>.</div>
<br />rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-28927041897839487882017-02-12T03:18:00.001+09:002017-02-12T11:10:39.389+09:00Dreams of Snow - Part Two<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello there! :)<br />
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Here comes part two of our snowy Hokkaido adventures. The last three days were probably the most eventful and memorable, and I hope you enjoy the pictures and memories.</div>
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Day 4: Art indoors and outdoors</h4>
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Our last day in Sapporo was meant to be very cultural, so we visited the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art. There were two exhibitions offered: One dedicated to the Japanese artist Kataoka Tamako, featuring sketches, painting materials and her development of style, and a main exhibition of both local and international artworks. Unfortunately, there were no pictures allowed in the first exhibition, but if you would like to find out about Ms. Kataoka's world, look <a href="http://asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Arts/The-Japanese-artist-who-heard-snow-and-thought-red" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9H_o1ZDTD86H1osLo0snxGWYL1vMQ8hcK4CkNyeC3JAn7mlJMOshYY9e62I-qiGN_jX-imKtFgUTby1tfDu_3Wso1lyLDAkSi71AMfgOK4UzeuIGZYJKdLrTE3hlZjtqjULr901wMenSS/s1600/DSC_0634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9H_o1ZDTD86H1osLo0snxGWYL1vMQ8hcK4CkNyeC3JAn7mlJMOshYY9e62I-qiGN_jX-imKtFgUTby1tfDu_3Wso1lyLDAkSi71AMfgOK4UzeuIGZYJKdLrTE3hlZjtqjULr901wMenSS/s640/DSC_0634.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Museum entrance from above</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHCR-a5vki_XrEeyw1Tf_HKYekVoQiLQzcvRAba5nOwXaJixy7HOjYqfrWSjsjagQAWSI5isjfUq_zr4IO0sLkkP5D4iZnwuOTVtHKQNJI44S6qNsl-6rb5BkcSGWVyBCRoWRAIZqmXFC/s1600/DSC_0631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHCR-a5vki_XrEeyw1Tf_HKYekVoQiLQzcvRAba5nOwXaJixy7HOjYqfrWSjsjagQAWSI5isjfUq_zr4IO0sLkkP5D4iZnwuOTVtHKQNJI44S6qNsl-6rb5BkcSGWVyBCRoWRAIZqmXFC/s640/DSC_0631.JPG" width="546" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Emperor's New Clothes? Or: The museum for kids</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0ICODK6loKY6oztrmX5EXrXA1f_nmdCc1uphaNJQKtoNqDp7qGeX6rPt9tKBfJrd18F9eN5W9eUmT7XZqWsA6e9xU3eF0TwEbCwJgrGQPj51cFF7EOqNubkzFmbossFAsN7jG9zGRzo4/s1600/DSC_0632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0ICODK6loKY6oztrmX5EXrXA1f_nmdCc1uphaNJQKtoNqDp7qGeX6rPt9tKBfJrd18F9eN5W9eUmT7XZqWsA6e9xU3eF0TwEbCwJgrGQPj51cFF7EOqNubkzFmbossFAsN7jG9zGRzo4/s640/DSC_0632.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The snowy landscape in front of the museum looked like an art installation itself</td></tr>
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The place itself was not very big and not very expensive to enter, but had just the right size, at least for me - enough to spend around two hours there. We really wanted to see the Godzilla exhibit, but it was already over... The main exhibition, however, included many artworks on seasons, some of them in a traditional Japanese style on these lovely paper scrolls. </div>
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Another section had more... modern paintings, as these ones for example:</div>
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The final section included interesting lamps, sculptures and 3D paintings - watch the videos to experience their full effect.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwHOTBfJCLhRla2AbRw5YQaBLVyMf4EhDeOOfNLbqEu9dx7FziCmyEt2-X6aVSUV_ooZJy6ps6n0WKYxrBn5A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZuJI9-3c1l1OmhEoMYJ1-obSGqdQIsla1Gs_OYSdSrUOukJrCR8OJXbc2Rc_afJalZJITda_L8HiIOE3yhYtpC5vfzSZ3_8_OYuPO1Wv9ZqOpfNIriU3DvWXqR11vrCUXeijzzL-00f4/s1600/DSC_0622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZuJI9-3c1l1OmhEoMYJ1-obSGqdQIsla1Gs_OYSdSrUOukJrCR8OJXbc2Rc_afJalZJITda_L8HiIOE3yhYtpC5vfzSZ3_8_OYuPO1Wv9ZqOpfNIriU3DvWXqR11vrCUXeijzzL-00f4/s640/DSC_0622.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This piece was a "special selection" and shows an Ainu spiritual scene</td></tr>
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After the museum, our next destination was Otaru, a small and lovely town at the sea, approximately one hour away from Sapporo. It was said to have a beautiful canal and harbour, and we really wanted to see water, being so close to it all the time. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arriving in Otaru</td></tr>
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Despite being very touristy and crowded, Otaru fulfilled our expectations. You cannot do much here apart from shopping for the famous Otaru glassware, visiting the music box museum (which, of course, was already closed on our arrival) and eating (mainly seafood: There is even one street which contains nothing but sushi restaurants). We had to wait for the sunset to see the city in full bloom: A long row of lanterns, blue lights and colourful reflections in the water. Better than any painting :)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One way to keep yourself warm ;)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When your phone camera is slower than the boats</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Blue Light Yokohama to Blue Light Otaru</td></tr>
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<h4>
Day 5: On a visit to geishas, samurai and ninjas</h4>
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In the morning, we left Sapporo to spend our last two days in Noboribetsu. This place is famous for its hot springs, but this is not what we came for. We came to see <i>Date Jidai Mura</i>, also known as "ninja park", or the Hokkaido version of Edo Wonderland: A park in the style of the Edo period, with the authentic feel, food and fun of the 17th to 19th century. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The demon greeting us at the Noboribetsu bus station</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bear seems to be the symbol of Hokkaido - you can encounter these everywhere</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fairytale castle of the Noboribetsu Marine Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anything is possible here, even having a demon in your backyard</td></tr>
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After a two-hour train ride down to the south, we only had four hours to explore the park, which is really not much considering that there are three shows and several museums to see, Edo-style games and activities to try, and a lot of architecture and costumes to admire.</div>
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Because the games and costume rental (you could try them on and walk in them for hours) would have cost us a lot and travelling itself was expensive enough, we skipped them and started by watching the shows. The first one was a short play with geishas, in which a foreign spectator was asked to play the main role of a nobleman. He did pretty well, having to read Japanese text, wave a fan and (pretend to) drink sake. </div>
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Our highlight of the show, however, was this cute Japanese woman who explained the story and the rules for the visitors, both in Japanese and English. The latter version sounded like: "Eating: NO (insert Japanese crossed arms gesture here). Drinking: NO. Phone talk: NO. Photo, video: OK! :))))" She even remembered all our nationalities she asked from us at the entrance. </div>
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At the beginning of each show, along with the explanation sheet (which we could not keep), we were given a sort of white paper and instructed to wrap up a coin or sweets in it if we wanted, and throw it on stage once she show was over. This was apparently the tradition of theatre-going in the Edo period, where people threw money on stage to show their appreciation. Maybe also the actors' main source of income?</div>
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The ninja show was also in the style of a play, with hilarious sound effects (swoosh of the shuriken and cartoon punch noise) and spectacular stunts. Unfortunately, I don't have a good photo of the show, but one <i>with</i> one of the ninjas:</div>
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The most impressive show was the samurai show: It seemed very authentic and professional (although the holding of the sword sometimes differed from what we learned at bojutsu: Is it comparable?), and involved one main warrior fighting against one or several opponents.</div>
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Between and after the shows, we had time exploring the lovingly arranged sites imitating the life in the Edo period. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course samurai drink tea from the finest bowls</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch: 5-minute okonomiyaki (I wonder if it was really that quick back in the 17th century ;))</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6uCTtEUh7TPTN6vor5Whe238Bcfd2Wtk7n2rKzz6lTotaKJOAaTsASBudBdkdgKMKVz3xsBJaCX2cBKBm1BSQzgYs2NOEBT_XfMCU9nhs6Gztpxhd1C5crU8b460Dk_bVIxnO_YHNK5B/s1600/15966412_1212235225528929_1040929985_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6uCTtEUh7TPTN6vor5Whe238Bcfd2Wtk7n2rKzz6lTotaKJOAaTsASBudBdkdgKMKVz3xsBJaCX2cBKBm1BSQzgYs2NOEBT_XfMCU9nhs6Gztpxhd1C5crU8b460Dk_bVIxnO_YHNK5B/s640/15966412_1212235225528929_1040929985_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tilted hall of mirrors causing chaos</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QpylHuD5X93ZdBp7rUMwCwFKerGaKJU1AZZigUARP8l35Qo_en0HsPxRN3DX3_MpanvdYcvsS6CFpQpnUYwVvhfZIL7fhN5jNiTs-KiJ5foK1KE03LMVFzL6enxCoWDDiYH-I2H8lkwI/s1600/DSC_0756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QpylHuD5X93ZdBp7rUMwCwFKerGaKJU1AZZigUARP8l35Qo_en0HsPxRN3DX3_MpanvdYcvsS6CFpQpnUYwVvhfZIL7fhN5jNiTs-KiJ5foK1KE03LMVFzL6enxCoWDDiYH-I2H8lkwI/s640/DSC_0756.JPG" width="452" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Don't open this door" - too silly not to share </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcOwG5rdrAJY-87V3QtxihXmKTXqbVLiKUq2CcLyFu6CHZ3uVV3NF-J45SiwZFOTayHDpdpHLNaa6znHjSS5i3CEcN51rJkeqFCAii8E9u8QGHmrIVH_aTug7h68LizYrmHI29_lblkmE/s1600/DSC_0762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcOwG5rdrAJY-87V3QtxihXmKTXqbVLiKUq2CcLyFu6CHZ3uVV3NF-J45SiwZFOTayHDpdpHLNaa6znHjSS5i3CEcN51rJkeqFCAii8E9u8QGHmrIVH_aTug7h68LizYrmHI29_lblkmE/s640/DSC_0762.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to the cat temple. The explanation says you should join your hands in prayer in front of your chest, with eyes closed, then raise your left hand to your left ear and meow once to worship the cat. Inside, you can find a cat themed ghost train (without the train)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8SdDq4m65LlzYhRjMz4eFGIVY_SG82BThMeOcUmct-RH5NdM9u2op4R9FC0VBCSNKMdm_UJD_NfuZTgBp1HjUYIbWCg8y9rhjuEck38duLK-i-yQ_kL5ssA4UnMk0zPvm63nvBaMhHKH/s1600/DSC_0768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8SdDq4m65LlzYhRjMz4eFGIVY_SG82BThMeOcUmct-RH5NdM9u2op4R9FC0VBCSNKMdm_UJD_NfuZTgBp1HjUYIbWCg8y9rhjuEck38duLK-i-yQ_kL5ssA4UnMk0zPvm63nvBaMhHKH/s640/DSC_0768.JPG" width="392" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese demon (<i>yokai</i>) ghost train</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3VuAQvX21pfGjzfGCoD8duhYaz2H4FWlF6yxhDWoFBlfExszNK1koWEDBOpgSpfYNRmsbgMlyeqgABmYEqdBQ12b0rwNB3kV6_zGi6EMill9tVE69hnYRusrInBVt0NGo8Z9jblAZQGv3/s1600/15942546_1362368470481584_642751642_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3VuAQvX21pfGjzfGCoD8duhYaz2H4FWlF6yxhDWoFBlfExszNK1koWEDBOpgSpfYNRmsbgMlyeqgABmYEqdBQ12b0rwNB3kV6_zGi6EMill9tVE69hnYRusrInBVt0NGo8Z9jblAZQGv3/s640/15942546_1362368470481584_642751642_o.jpg" width="614" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Enjoying tea" in a real movie set</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, historical drama was and is being shot here</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even though it looks like it, this was not part of the park, but a house we found near Noboribetsu bus station</td></tr>
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After the park closed (as everything) at 5pm, we set off to our second accomodation* in Shiraoi, a small town a few train stations away: Another big house with a large bedroom and living room with TV just for us. But this time, we had a real hot spring in the bathroom and flowing underneath the floor, making the house warm and cozy without the help of a heater. Highlight number two was the karaoke machine in the house. Even though it only contained old Japanese songs we never heard about, we spent a fun evening and even almost learned one song quite nice to sing: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xAaO-VeCCc" target="_blank">Love is dreaming</a>. The hosts of the house were very kind and helpful and provided a ride from the train station, and back the next day. Although the location was very residential and the next supermarket could hardly be reached by foot, we managed to buy groceries at the only convenience store at the train station. Our hosts, however, were worried that, clueless as we are, we were left without breakfast and bought us a pack of cereals, milk, biscuits and snacks, which they brought to our door later in the evening. Needless to say that we also found plenty of snacks, tea and coffee in the house. Incredibly thoughtful and kind - I warmly recommend this place to everyone travelling to the area!*</div>
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Day 6: Among demons and hellish steam</h4>
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The day before we left Hokkaido, we boarded the bus from Noboribetsu again. While it was again full of primarily Chinese tourists headed for the onsen, we were getting off at <i>Jigokudani</i>, also known as "Hell Valley" (not to be confused with the Jigokudani on Honshu island down in the south, which is the famous monkey onsen). This is a place where a volcano erupted around 20,000 years ago and left this crater valley with stinky sulphur steam coming out from its depths. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj532TJREP16l1KjVLfZY4bW5Bf1QQkMQbxaYu8WElwwDDEMHe_FAf0lvmTBSMiPXOVYsTH7rGr71rjSMYRaRw_jlaaBPi2YNu-76ezI9edcjj2z4PJVq-MKD3Rf2pDFHBKo7fpklx3QCtd/s1600/DSC_0870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj532TJREP16l1KjVLfZY4bW5Bf1QQkMQbxaYu8WElwwDDEMHe_FAf0lvmTBSMiPXOVYsTH7rGr71rjSMYRaRw_jlaaBPi2YNu-76ezI9edcjj2z4PJVq-MKD3Rf2pDFHBKo7fpklx3QCtd/s640/DSC_0870.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hellish place needs an appropriate image</td></tr>
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In the town, demons were greeting us at every corner. In fact, there were ten demons in the area which could be found - like a quest, or an alternative version of a Pokemon hunt. One of them, the big red one at the bus station, I already showed to you; the others were scattered all around the town and the valley. We felt like proper adventurers after we took the last picture.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quest completed!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In contrast to the demon statues, these were here for the "awww" effect</td></tr>
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Being the bubbling source of the hot springs of Noboribetsu, this valley provides spectacular sights and invites for a hike along the trail (which took us only one hour and a half, but was still nice to take your time and many photos and videos).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The danger could have come primarily from the nasty sulphur smell - but we already had worse in the onsen in Nikko</td></tr>
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Remember our fabulous snowman from the first part? Somewhere along the hiking trail we saw a deep pile of snow and knew: This is it, the moment when we will finally build the snowman we wanted to build the whole trip. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Across from here, little Toshiaki Junior was born</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some trails were rather slippery and required a lot of concentration </td></tr>
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<i>Oyunumagawa</i> river floats through the valley, and is so warm that you can literally bathe in it. So we did - or rather, our feet. There is a special spot for a footbath where even sitting mats are provided for tourists. Unfortunately, I was stupid enough to wear tights on that day, so I could not fully enjoy the advantages of Hell Valley - but at least my hands finally got warm.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This place was very loud too</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fried rice for late lunch at one of the town's restaurants - it was surprisingly hard to find one that was open <i>and</i> offered good food...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...but the place was full of souvenir shops</td></tr>
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Speaking of food, I have not told you yet what we were eating all the time - ramen. We had at least one bowl on our table every day. One reason was because you could find it everywhere, while looking for the famous Hokkaido soup curry or other special dishes was often in vain. The second reason was that it is simply the warmest and most nutritious of the Japanese dishes, perfect for cold and snowy weather.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2nyKSJDOCOo9zIT0ja3owVs3M_EbB4e3ev8kCq6LcmWyvmC9alMZevbNQcKnbyix-8nH5D5LpdznhRcPPclRTvXgqheOXPLgASV5Zz9moGnM-7jibHcVAhsWMo9Tc0yBWz87W-KCDz_Hw/s1600/BeFunky+Collage.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2nyKSJDOCOo9zIT0ja3owVs3M_EbB4e3ev8kCq6LcmWyvmC9alMZevbNQcKnbyix-8nH5D5LpdznhRcPPclRTvXgqheOXPLgASV5Zz9moGnM-7jibHcVAhsWMo9Tc0yBWz87W-KCDz_Hw/s640/BeFunky+Collage.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mine were the lower two ones</td></tr>
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And so our journey ended, and we were back in Kawasaki the following day - which has really become our new home. We felt it not only because it was good to see the familiar train station and city view again, but also thanks to the people around. Upon arrival, we walked down the street to our dorm and greeted the construction workers there as usual. But one (of those standing in front of the site making sure noone enters the site and everyone passes safely) suddenly asked: "You are walking this street often, do you live here?", and then proceeded to ask where we are from etc. Typical curious Japanese you-look-like-a-foreigner questions, but it somehow made us feel happy and welcome, and made our day. You know you are home when the construction workers in your street recognise you. Sad will be the day when the house they are building is finished and they will be gone...</div>
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So we were back to study for our final exams, and finish the last papers. Of course, during our following spring holiday, we have been doing a lot of things too. But this is another story - for the next post. Thank you for reading! Have a great Sunday and week, and see you soon :)</div>
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* <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/15994760" target="_blank">Look here to find the place we stayed in in Shiraoi.</a></div>
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rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-26038397801958266432017-02-08T02:28:00.003+09:002017-02-11T18:48:14.897+09:00Dreams of Snow - Part OneDear friends,<br />
<br />
it has been almost a month since we returned from Hokkaido - the island of ice and snow. And there is still so much to write about! The reason why it took me so long were the final exams and papers, and the subsequent drop in motivation once the semester has ended. Now my spring holiday has already started and I am ready for new adventures. But before that, a reflection on the old ones is due.<br />
<br />
So what is Hokkaido?<br />
<br />
It's not only a well-known sort of pumpkin. The Northern island of Japan is the largest one, but holds only four percent of Japan's population. In fact, Hokkaido seems to be populated by snowmen.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlU4xlIDKMTF4XAzkOA7WUM5vjzd2egH3ueK9situbr0KP3SjcjlZDQhgEBLLvu9KPtiSl0qP1VyZ3OM7cOeTBmwNTtCQSFogseAiIv2bjqE2p_eSzJ4UHTFP98PazGnwuti7_T3R9AxLX/s1600/15878337_1210093362409782_874328803_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="582" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlU4xlIDKMTF4XAzkOA7WUM5vjzd2egH3ueK9situbr0KP3SjcjlZDQhgEBLLvu9KPtiSl0qP1VyZ3OM7cOeTBmwNTtCQSFogseAiIv2bjqE2p_eSzJ4UHTFP98PazGnwuti7_T3R9AxLX/s640/15878337_1210093362409782_874328803_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big snowmen...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZhu4_ALarzeVANyT-doSr10sap82pRHwnVSkIN2grSjTVOL7zfU-DzgIa1hccXZl9QPFa83-dXxkqWM3mPDrxRePOSQI7d1e9hBWy8r8rHZWldsEuZKUSPocmMSC5wa8SYMElBrrGw9B/s1600/DSC_0398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZhu4_ALarzeVANyT-doSr10sap82pRHwnVSkIN2grSjTVOL7zfU-DzgIa1hccXZl9QPFa83-dXxkqWM3mPDrxRePOSQI7d1e9hBWy8r8rHZWldsEuZKUSPocmMSC5wa8SYMElBrrGw9B/s640/DSC_0398.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...improvised snowmen...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNg-5vbV38_hSWOMUN2O_ef-kMZQM0s7a6gyry47wOjLW5EQRQhhPX_pGtNsTF406oB3VQ3bZ7o0Vq7P8Qq0arR1MLDURAcOoshQJMD-yUz7C4afGJlv2-PAI9nIzLEAFTvH_02YzuVJBU/s1600/DSC_0635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNg-5vbV38_hSWOMUN2O_ef-kMZQM0s7a6gyry47wOjLW5EQRQhhPX_pGtNsTF406oB3VQ3bZ7o0Vq7P8Qq0arR1MLDURAcOoshQJMD-yUz7C4afGJlv2-PAI9nIzLEAFTvH_02YzuVJBU/s640/DSC_0635.JPG" width="522" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...cat-eared snowmen...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkouFi0FdCdVSb1gB3jhJmNSbJ9DuG-FB14oBCuBVgsTR_ZjG-YBA32iurYAfdsge4hTbO-tb9T0OlmO7x50-HiFopRSM32-5Sp-RSmib_JZT12M-gDTClgOEOb2zhBgeuN3_xrtX2QDsm/s1600/DSC_0636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkouFi0FdCdVSb1gB3jhJmNSbJ9DuG-FB14oBCuBVgsTR_ZjG-YBA32iurYAfdsge4hTbO-tb9T0OlmO7x50-HiFopRSM32-5Sp-RSmib_JZT12M-gDTClgOEOb2zhBgeuN3_xrtX2QDsm/s640/DSC_0636.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...kawaii snowmen...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0E3wz3tzy-CEh44mYNy6tfxvZIZkPAEyBfE1jOzTnnR2B-DPNeH1LG39mN8dTBwbzJ03o_New5oukkBH3-zhBw6haiGG3aILgmK7wBZSgbl_bO76KzRERbbtWMoFbgniubb2hFcIlNeCK/s1600/DSC_0810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0E3wz3tzy-CEh44mYNy6tfxvZIZkPAEyBfE1jOzTnnR2B-DPNeH1LG39mN8dTBwbzJ03o_New5oukkBH3-zhBw6haiGG3aILgmK7wBZSgbl_bO76KzRERbbtWMoFbgniubb2hFcIlNeCK/s640/DSC_0810.JPG" width="466" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">...shocked snowmen...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6F3VGOh-GkTjnLKgymJ6Ep_Fw61t2QnXt4T2x5Oex_yPTpzUi29-6M5yl7-2jaN06ox3tzFQI0jfDzxatYYwuIgOw1tmCIXtYErABpBO2a9JGONlz8MHqnWCFt9aWiGrf-RrjeMoBtuJ_/s1600/DSC_0669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6F3VGOh-GkTjnLKgymJ6Ep_Fw61t2QnXt4T2x5Oex_yPTpzUi29-6M5yl7-2jaN06ox3tzFQI0jfDzxatYYwuIgOw1tmCIXtYErABpBO2a9JGONlz8MHqnWCFt9aWiGrf-RrjeMoBtuJ_/s640/DSC_0669.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...snowman families...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluYWQz_ZOYMpBhdcAVqPPqj4_hOjig9NPHwhpyxRCyd5vNgNvxjKRXut5D83eBM1MLyvDSnSOUTc4cxIr8a7qS1_CIuakT-lV3spEYvrNoAFQFgH1_di-ZTFBhfCdPsPRUi9-1264Vlkp/s1600/DSC_0696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluYWQz_ZOYMpBhdcAVqPPqj4_hOjig9NPHwhpyxRCyd5vNgNvxjKRXut5D83eBM1MLyvDSnSOUTc4cxIr8a7qS1_CIuakT-lV3spEYvrNoAFQFgH1_di-ZTFBhfCdPsPRUi9-1264Vlkp/s640/DSC_0696.JPG" width="464" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...drunk snowmen...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwMLI9itPNZviHN4lilqYZSW5nquOuzPt_ciC3ydHnR-28sJ8IH9CJTurNGNDTeI_aUBdBvZWv4Wx_B8k9kYNU1rnzcKYju55VkzRdPcNhwX8JjIj4ejxecxgE7E9xaSBHp5Z6g_QLEKw/s1600/DSC_0697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwMLI9itPNZviHN4lilqYZSW5nquOuzPt_ciC3ydHnR-28sJ8IH9CJTurNGNDTeI_aUBdBvZWv4Wx_B8k9kYNU1rnzcKYju55VkzRdPcNhwX8JjIj4ejxecxgE7E9xaSBHp5Z6g_QLEKw/s640/DSC_0697.JPG" width="616" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...edible snowmen...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
... and our very own snowman. May I introduce to you Toshiaki Junior? We built him with our own bare, freezing hands amongst volcanic steam and gaping gorges, to leave a mark in this great big white world on our last day here:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijnpzFNNdAv6gPB2Cm_rSvYK-pJ0nYQf9rEXZDe9bIeyMIefdAU7vwtheY3t5yjk4sncvhyphenhyphenp2fNWe0ZJmRe_evPdlVwulJ_e8vpjdx680f3-z4RaYJ6P68iD1h3IMhiFiaI8owKTpTFhJt/s1600/DSC_0887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijnpzFNNdAv6gPB2Cm_rSvYK-pJ0nYQf9rEXZDe9bIeyMIefdAU7vwtheY3t5yjk4sncvhyphenhyphenp2fNWe0ZJmRe_evPdlVwulJ_e8vpjdx680f3-z4RaYJ6P68iD1h3IMhiFiaI8owKTpTFhJt/s640/DSC_0887.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
But let's start from the beginning, and find out how the journey led us to where little Toshiaki (hopefully still) brevely stands, and where he got his name from.<br />
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<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
Day 0: Arriving in the winter wonderland</h4>
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On January 2nd, after one day of furious resting and packing into the new year, Alizée, Tharshi and I left Tokyo via plane for Sapporo, the capital of Japan's biggest prefecture. In the evening, we arrived in our large, comfy house* where we would spend the five days in the city. We had two floors for ourselves, the first of which consisted of a large living room including a <i>kotatsu</i> (Japanese style low table with heating), a gas heater (very important considering the biting cold outside), a TV (which was our main source of entertainment in the evenings) and a kitchen. On the upper floor, there were plenty of tatami mats and bed clothes, so that actually a dozen of people could stay there. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
If you are wondering about the TV and whether Sapporo has nothing else to offer: First, Japanese TV shows (prank shows, comedy, talk shows, game shows, drama...) can be utterly entertaining and hilarious, even if you don't understand a thing. One participant who has been a victim of the most cruel pranks is Kasuga Toshiaki: bodybuilder, comedian and our favourite TV star of the week. He even has his own anime character!<br />
<br />
Second, everything closes around 5pm here, unless you go to a bar or restaurant to spend the night. For poor students like us, staying in the warm, enjoying treats and experiencing Japanese culture in through a screen is the more affordable option. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd4Kd8MCCGPrDxwwNv8WLVJntIeZOYxDiI7Or6qUCk541h3MnvwSwziqn9kwx6rcswispN3VpXpyzQYN-xriSkyQ668r2QVm9q0jCACUiLt5D6FX7LzUXYcDfEvpAiasaPOuJ5uyMzaBoi/s1600/DSC_0253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd4Kd8MCCGPrDxwwNv8WLVJntIeZOYxDiI7Or6qUCk541h3MnvwSwziqn9kwx6rcswispN3VpXpyzQYN-xriSkyQ668r2QVm9q0jCACUiLt5D6FX7LzUXYcDfEvpAiasaPOuJ5uyMzaBoi/s640/DSC_0253.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Once we've figured out how the heater works, even the huge piles of snow outside our window couldn't scare us anymore.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq92UpHiNXHoPKQylRBM0HinymD2384D77feGMDwE8nn1xLAEdjBoqqvIelt_cKWnUZRYbxnFDXtWud8ZkA2ukHf_l24NIomrbeYp19-i5r59nJALi33WnXPLYoiHkFKTCi9iSPMujyaz-/s1600/DSC_0255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq92UpHiNXHoPKQylRBM0HinymD2384D77feGMDwE8nn1xLAEdjBoqqvIelt_cKWnUZRYbxnFDXtWud8ZkA2ukHf_l24NIomrbeYp19-i5r59nJALi33WnXPLYoiHkFKTCi9iSPMujyaz-/s640/DSC_0255.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h4>
Day 1: Crowds of believers and animals</h4>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
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On one of the three first days of the year, most Japanese people visit a shrine or temple of their choice to pray for a healthy and lucky new year. We decided to do the same - or at least watch others do it - at Hokkaido Shrine next to Maruyama station.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHEr0v98CnPy9Q51EH0K7Sngg0XOgBbygAUsWnSWT7RVCGf5qAnaKgkVPb7zwN_PGmiBNvbs5O3SQxHZUNOKwMHpOMrmsr7aU2NMCl8T7fpcuh2I65IyBijNHACPdSmbGema3a9_yrxzS/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHEr0v98CnPy9Q51EH0K7Sngg0XOgBbygAUsWnSWT7RVCGf5qAnaKgkVPb7zwN_PGmiBNvbs5O3SQxHZUNOKwMHpOMrmsr7aU2NMCl8T7fpcuh2I65IyBijNHACPdSmbGema3a9_yrxzS/s640/DSC_0002.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maruyama Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Upon exiting the subway station, all we had to do was to follow the masses towards Maruyama park, where signs led us further to the shrine. As stated above: While having the largest territory of all the Japanese prefectures, Hokkaido holds only 4% of Japan's population. It felt like all of them were there on that day. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKMt9QktsUmPXw1YuN5u3IAGVHGazr4fvzgpboplblQMgU747QzAGnOC0vCxi0Thnm2MsvSV6usyM4wnvSaQ7QXFFk8Zqjty02OTSZmSUItCBHWolT1WOzNxNaq5mFzJUBxwm-x4vMdtAr/s1600/DSC_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKMt9QktsUmPXw1YuN5u3IAGVHGazr4fvzgpboplblQMgU747QzAGnOC0vCxi0Thnm2MsvSV6usyM4wnvSaQ7QXFFk8Zqjty02OTSZmSUItCBHWolT1WOzNxNaq5mFzJUBxwm-x4vMdtAr/s640/DSC_0009.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFsAhpwfcmEtuFXglX-UiYeDlsvI0Qzy0ZFWpNllAf7nyRjyfMN5kUcopCb5MKfUZ6cge0-zYVRbfivya0YTfjG4f_NJDPkHmOxYRlQbh8I323bBbVoIiURp7FurKW-58JSc25rMHvFRNg/s1600/DSC_0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFsAhpwfcmEtuFXglX-UiYeDlsvI0Qzy0ZFWpNllAf7nyRjyfMN5kUcopCb5MKfUZ6cge0-zYVRbfivya0YTfjG4f_NJDPkHmOxYRlQbh8I323bBbVoIiURp7FurKW-58JSc25rMHvFRNg/s640/DSC_0012.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The food market where we tried delicious pumpkin <i>dango </i>(three small balls, normally rice cakes, on a stick) and hot chocolate</td></tr>
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Maruama Park also holds another treasure: The Maruyama Zoo. Because it was apparently one of the top destinations in Sapporo, we decided to give it a try. Sadly, we arrived very late and only had around two hours to explore the rather large facility. That's where we learned that all the good things close by sunset in Sapporo, probably sticking to ancient traditions of its natives. </div>
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The zoo itself had a great diversity of animals, a petting farm, and a small museum. We wondered in the beginning how species that are not used to the cold can even survive here, but they actually have special warm theme houses.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our way to the zoo</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monkey mountain</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating snow?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow-white bear playing with snow</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His relaxed attitude can almost make one envious</td></tr>
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Despite the rush and while we wished to have more time to spend at each enclosure, we really enjoyed the zoo and its cute and lively inhabitants. As a method to escape from the cold, we decided to end our day exploring the Sapporo Factory shopping mall.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas or New Year's decorations? Anyway, it was beautiful in there</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the mall</td></tr>
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<h4>
Day 2: University and beer tasting</h4>
<div>
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Being the curious future academics that we are, Hokkaido University also intrigued us. In fact, we wanted to visit Sapporo's Botanic Gardens, but New Year's holidays did not seem to be over and the gardens were still closed. So we paid a visit to one of Japan's Imperial universities and discovered a few other sights on our way:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sapporo's former Government Office building</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEeqhFQUfGdZL7PD_mS5OqouIdedZHNYVXs8F7M56xj-w1Y_j4D4DbBCIQBbIPDxIgq7iCFm2RN7VWfN5o9rr0v-cwje9MtTHsKDr9r1PHGi_kOzAQG3Ff9AxydQtbAuKMU4aOsFVBSG3/s1600/DSC_0270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><i><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEeqhFQUfGdZL7PD_mS5OqouIdedZHNYVXs8F7M56xj-w1Y_j4D4DbBCIQBbIPDxIgq7iCFm2RN7VWfN5o9rr0v-cwje9MtTHsKDr9r1PHGi_kOzAQG3Ff9AxydQtbAuKMU4aOsFVBSG3/s640/DSC_0270.JPG" width="640" /></i></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A traditional Japanese house open for visitors - we did not really figure out what or whose it was, but a nice spot for photos ;)</td></tr>
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We found out that the university's first president was the American professor William S. Clark, and the motto is "Boys, be ambitious!" - apparently his words of farewell when he left Sapporo in 1876. Do we need to say more about gender equality during that time?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Agricultural College - the origin of Hokkaido University</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can someone explain this?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Curious exchange students can't leave an academic institution without trying the food. Surprisingly (or not), the cafeteria's meals looked exactly the same as at Keio, even though this one is a public university.</span></div>
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With good food comes the appetite for a good drink. Although we all assumed something different under that term, Sapporo is famous for its brewery and one of its main attractions is the beer museum.</div>
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Admission to the museum is even free, if you don't participate in a (Japanese language) tour. Instead of showing the actual brewing process or facilities, however, countless posters and a short movie explained the history of this brewery. Guess where the first brewers here learned their craft?</div>
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Hokkaido brewery was founded in 1876 and has ever since developed different flavours, labels and marketing campaigns. The latter were necessary because Japanese people were not really familiar with this strange barley and hops drink. The first bottle was worth 0.16 yen, or 20 portions of soba noodles - which was very expensive back in the 19th century. The Sapporo star has nothing to do with communism by the way - it is originally a symbol of the <i>Kaitakushi </i>who ruled over Hokkaido and owned the brewery once, can be found all over the city.</div>
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Cute little models show how the brewery looks like in detail, and what is done in each of its rooms.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take a look at the first advertisements...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2SXNrq4GMvq8HOo8V5nfG10J-w1Qfn5KJZl5_umQxostMQ0sGTjd522cENByOsH8pN23HQBQAY43iKN-dh-Kmov_jNwigMmLonvqRpk0G2DAxhjzyMCODdouDqVtTGiWLF6SGirw6CaDa/s1600/DSC_0338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2SXNrq4GMvq8HOo8V5nfG10J-w1Qfn5KJZl5_umQxostMQ0sGTjd522cENByOsH8pN23HQBQAY43iKN-dh-Kmov_jNwigMmLonvqRpk0G2DAxhjzyMCODdouDqVtTGiWLF6SGirw6CaDa/s640/DSC_0338.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and what they look like today. Notice a pattern? ;)</td></tr>
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As Alizée pointed out: After the theoretical part came the practical one. Or the part where they make money. ;) For 600 yen, you could taste the three different sorts of beer Sapporo has to offer.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiOVCcC6W4mZCzGCqwn0Argo8EWCT2DyOdbCTCcSt_Ld6Hs4BsYwH7kPcDogcy7pu7T3xUIQaHRjbognYDsBbISjNX91AmZ4SBuFyXBihIe-A5p2sez91CGA1mkTevVbc0ajvaLNMOwAC/s1600/DSC_0346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiOVCcC6W4mZCzGCqwn0Argo8EWCT2DyOdbCTCcSt_Ld6Hs4BsYwH7kPcDogcy7pu7T3xUIQaHRjbognYDsBbISjNX91AmZ4SBuFyXBihIe-A5p2sez91CGA1mkTevVbc0ajvaLNMOwAC/s640/DSC_0346.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It all starts in this nice hall (notice the bottle lamp)...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpl9TPSVV37rEt_WMD88l9nHuKvpzayupeBIedGMhuvc_UdX_KNt-Of7cdAnN4rjxGa7HDV-B1QFNZeucck3VrGVdksIW3UbtwapjR4XZzaCj6-kgqIGwtA_6z1ZcV2AhsSIq-T4ZZgmtO/s1600/DSC_0348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpl9TPSVV37rEt_WMD88l9nHuKvpzayupeBIedGMhuvc_UdX_KNt-Of7cdAnN4rjxGa7HDV-B1QFNZeucck3VrGVdksIW3UbtwapjR4XZzaCj6-kgqIGwtA_6z1ZcV2AhsSIq-T4ZZgmtO/s640/DSC_0348.JPG" width="294" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and then you are caught inside a beer glass</td></tr>
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Once having gained the appetite, we had the opportunity to try Sapporo's most famous dish called <i>Genghis Khan</i> in one of the three restaurants on the museum's site. It is a sort of grill, where you prepare meat (especially mutton) and vegetables on a hot plate in the middle of the table. In Japan, this kind of food seems to be very popular - see sukiyaki or shabu shabu. Needless to say it was very good, although our clothes smelled like Genghis Khan for the rest of the trip...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Veggie variety with German fried potatoes... mmmh!</td></tr>
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<h4>
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<h4>
Day 3: How we broke our record on speed "museuming"</h4>
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Another interesting and popular spot, a 30-minute bus ride away from Sapporo, is the Historical Village of Hokkaido. It shows four different types of settlements: An American-style historical town, a fishing village, farm village, and a mountain village. The buildings here are replica of houses from the Meiji era (mid 19th to early 20th century) and most of them can be entered. Which was a bit of a struggle because you have to take your shoes off - and this is not fun during hours out in the biting cold (-5 degrees), especially because the houses are not heated. But brave as we are, we made a lot of pictures from inside the buildings for you to enjoy. :)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The historical village entrance was a little hard to find - it is not this stairs covered in snow!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A government building</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8bpKp3GKC4Q5ZYqIc4DaVEvsuRHwqBcxFau2Kkh_UGV76kWNU9AYvpM2-6b7-GFKPzsF_WJIPJfvHJl_ZaUf0Q2ro97npcV3EixjIHQ3tLPez39gTfOWa-q5066cGZ7ueK5owkYHuRng/s1600/DSC_0381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8bpKp3GKC4Q5ZYqIc4DaVEvsuRHwqBcxFau2Kkh_UGV76kWNU9AYvpM2-6b7-GFKPzsF_WJIPJfvHJl_ZaUf0Q2ro97npcV3EixjIHQ3tLPez39gTfOWa-q5066cGZ7ueK5owkYHuRng/s640/DSC_0381.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The governmental office</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCUIolNXkP5v-BtVxDeBmPqF8kwBT_lxwHoGNGj5eeSsmNrI8ktSlr1Lc65b3j_XYNlEG6pUWYTcdUZDtyV7moet4dRFiQwAyeSs7rJ1TTc0DZw-xGRQ324OAqtOa-osTT-ErrNrO61Gx/s1600/DSC_0393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCUIolNXkP5v-BtVxDeBmPqF8kwBT_lxwHoGNGj5eeSsmNrI8ktSlr1Lc65b3j_XYNlEG6pUWYTcdUZDtyV7moet4dRFiQwAyeSs7rJ1TTc0DZw-xGRQ324OAqtOa-osTT-ErrNrO61Gx/s640/DSC_0393.JPG" width="598" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who would not like to have a private shrine at home?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnFQKWn-ONt_iKCLph9Xbsnkzpvf7xiQrsuIiZBcqFGD1plAHjaafYoJ4wyOaoTm8uw0SzuNyTG7dQ6hPC6vqqbLBfXEfYRqa5swlwjFdAm6x-iroyAi5JhsZfFpg1B3unzrC144TKykU/s1600/DSC_0402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnFQKWn-ONt_iKCLph9Xbsnkzpvf7xiQrsuIiZBcqFGD1plAHjaafYoJ4wyOaoTm8uw0SzuNyTG7dQ6hPC6vqqbLBfXEfYRqa5swlwjFdAm6x-iroyAi5JhsZfFpg1B3unzrC144TKykU/s640/DSC_0402.JPG" width="578" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What people in Meiji period looked like</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtxMS1UVhTCQiqyFAPMrvdw5xLbaPizhW23YYRHS5_RX7tYSDbWatS02fUIRS1UI9_fEirYrX5jbEpLJ6GX5mEtCHiHGkCCm6MvN7eU3CKFyK0c_eabwSWha48U9JwW1HOuMW5-jfPsqA1/s1600/15934324_1359937870724644_1642556849_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtxMS1UVhTCQiqyFAPMrvdw5xLbaPizhW23YYRHS5_RX7tYSDbWatS02fUIRS1UI9_fEirYrX5jbEpLJ6GX5mEtCHiHGkCCm6MvN7eU3CKFyK0c_eabwSWha48U9JwW1HOuMW5-jfPsqA1/s640/15934324_1359937870724644_1642556849_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An old classroom in the boys' school building</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35TvkqE0wh1fsB4bPa1GmsJnip_8YqzQM_1VmUDk2gQS7ihgxm3sbD2g47BDNkmYVqn6tpKNF1OJKNwwWSoM2por0Yh2U_9amq7BbqGolvBZ2BE8RkpUF_tDUzvubOJSLxvHNguk_ztm-/s1600/DSC_0410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35TvkqE0wh1fsB4bPa1GmsJnip_8YqzQM_1VmUDk2gQS7ihgxm3sbD2g47BDNkmYVqn6tpKNF1OJKNwwWSoM2por0Yh2U_9amq7BbqGolvBZ2BE8RkpUF_tDUzvubOJSLxvHNguk_ztm-/s640/DSC_0410.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What did they need all these pianos for?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_whwk_45WgQIkGOIto1JSmo2nCoH7C4xaF9I9sF8dcXRvlDTvKZklVkFCYQgkzH1tsFGjd6xFKQDC4Sx_fKD_Ljvmfoe2ckhHfuqmTddQYyBnYe5dCsn1OVEycyaHY1gZRqAnDLCz7d-L/s1600/DSC_0414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_whwk_45WgQIkGOIto1JSmo2nCoH7C4xaF9I9sF8dcXRvlDTvKZklVkFCYQgkzH1tsFGjd6xFKQDC4Sx_fKD_Ljvmfoe2ckhHfuqmTddQYyBnYe5dCsn1OVEycyaHY1gZRqAnDLCz7d-L/s640/DSC_0414.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Former pricipals of the school in the pricipal's office</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZVCdCeWW4ygkF_YWojmz4tuBwFk1If0PXWavLFiQSDdsTaOZzEBW5Lqc6VyNNoIIyJmmi_gpIYmJPWHJqsiXXOE8I1JlM9BJVcBCagoD-ndj3qvFX8vm0j2sVIxly5TerLzyeMCjb0qf/s1600/DSC_0421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZVCdCeWW4ygkF_YWojmz4tuBwFk1If0PXWavLFiQSDdsTaOZzEBW5Lqc6VyNNoIIyJmmi_gpIYmJPWHJqsiXXOE8I1JlM9BJVcBCagoD-ndj3qvFX8vm0j2sVIxly5TerLzyeMCjb0qf/s640/DSC_0421.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fisher's hut</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBXoYHbLzM6hW_Ka86WAFlXzvDtgsISgLTkOgV9NkF-Gq38-bSvBwHIiGJomOcuR8Z2MnYDCp52vI82GKvDBBt6717w1sTZgjU95zydMqMXoqBV-xAqQ5kE349xAClhVG8wiAa-t7Mg4rQ/s1600/DSC_0425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBXoYHbLzM6hW_Ka86WAFlXzvDtgsISgLTkOgV9NkF-Gq38-bSvBwHIiGJomOcuR8Z2MnYDCp52vI82GKvDBBt6717w1sTZgjU95zydMqMXoqBV-xAqQ5kE349xAClhVG8wiAa-t7Mg4rQ/s640/DSC_0425.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was even a chruch for the Christian minority of the village</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGsRfpgmzmdcTI2riJFWNGXQoKKo5vl552YRryk13dzbUfC2cfKi3jl4nJD6d6l5n7e5WJxQ4Mn_Uvhc5v_c3PtRdK_8kw7yL4weTGf2J8rTtC2ctr60a9B_wvnVZUoIU5ecl18GEhnYK/s1600/DSC_0426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGsRfpgmzmdcTI2riJFWNGXQoKKo5vl552YRryk13dzbUfC2cfKi3jl4nJD6d6l5n7e5WJxQ4Mn_Uvhc5v_c3PtRdK_8kw7yL4weTGf2J8rTtC2ctr60a9B_wvnVZUoIU5ecl18GEhnYK/s640/DSC_0426.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Something familiar spotted</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDPUCIJZfp6olnIbTUq9QScN7LjRMlw_gK3qEUcP1FogiNq_1N05HRVl0RQaXneIVogDHsuI9u-4XUOnAjZoK3HgtkMHtdGjV8ttehpFIZzfT0OSuknoxYO6im4Jt8g6j85P6VUvuE3dzj/s1600/DSC_0427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDPUCIJZfp6olnIbTUq9QScN7LjRMlw_gK3qEUcP1FogiNq_1N05HRVl0RQaXneIVogDHsuI9u-4XUOnAjZoK3HgtkMHtdGjV8ttehpFIZzfT0OSuknoxYO6im4Jt8g6j85P6VUvuE3dzj/s640/DSC_0427.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No Japanese attraction without a shrine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4X_MOKMSVXox4ydyNkQ9qrP_n8v1r7S2yHPp-Reei_8M7fxJqCJ5Xp-hU5XMlf3CSD4CMd7tXgQy63Ri0bI6WcaBXkbf74ZuQx2HT5CFvRc7mTCyZNk9LZFJzJ1C5ngjGMe9yXkkFBkA1/s1600/DSC_0437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4X_MOKMSVXox4ydyNkQ9qrP_n8v1r7S2yHPp-Reei_8M7fxJqCJ5Xp-hU5XMlf3CSD4CMd7tXgQy63Ri0bI6WcaBXkbf74ZuQx2HT5CFvRc7mTCyZNk9LZFJzJ1C5ngjGMe9yXkkFBkA1/s640/DSC_0437.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love those tea places!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhAdjf1VISlr6QGhGH5FE7U0dfVkdJBN8Zn4U8RKDYRhWRyhU6-ea5KsDz9aGNCs4mkwQhntZJdgDIjOZUvm-TLoAHyfsReFXNeSo-TZlQ9T5bPxB2P-Z_xOOlKKkNPSTJQu4LoOMk3xW/s1600/DSC_0438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhAdjf1VISlr6QGhGH5FE7U0dfVkdJBN8Zn4U8RKDYRhWRyhU6-ea5KsDz9aGNCs4mkwQhntZJdgDIjOZUvm-TLoAHyfsReFXNeSo-TZlQ9T5bPxB2P-Z_xOOlKKkNPSTJQu4LoOMk3xW/s640/DSC_0438.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fishing equipment storage house</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfJZSpiVlpKhcexzV_UAaED6paX_iICF2vMTWhE3aImO-iL4Uz-zBbWUfEQbXApWtwtXREFMsLc3iWj0JF9yzoutavqT4Ay852PDiJHRll6rf9_EyLt3ZSLGG2IgEWd194pUKI1gTMU_8/s1600/DSC_0440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfJZSpiVlpKhcexzV_UAaED6paX_iICF2vMTWhE3aImO-iL4Uz-zBbWUfEQbXApWtwtXREFMsLc3iWj0JF9yzoutavqT4Ay852PDiJHRll6rf9_EyLt3ZSLGG2IgEWd194pUKI1gTMU_8/s640/DSC_0440.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hpMer5i6zPP59S9nT5XrpVBEEqHorkOPBObShrLZwuZCCQnDQPo28c4rb6BNBVsUCAzgaZxIblLnjylE2rqSiAmc_qCBGYGraOdhUVP5qEl8teiQBJFFRv7DhoE85icXant3ZZ22al7g/s1600/DSC_0442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hpMer5i6zPP59S9nT5XrpVBEEqHorkOPBObShrLZwuZCCQnDQPo28c4rb6BNBVsUCAzgaZxIblLnjylE2rqSiAmc_qCBGYGraOdhUVP5qEl8teiQBJFFRv7DhoE85icXant3ZZ22al7g/s640/DSC_0442.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDeNscN1ok_V8u6ap1SzEDwS9GWBgIJmgyoB8Z_p6jZhaefYk5AglEobB-UQxvPK1NVT32xHb1X3Id3_tE0xi8IJVC0qShaJqDsNw-i6QoKrupNoE_chYMFxNYrikS-hEdTtCIwdedsPlr/s1600/DSC_0448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDeNscN1ok_V8u6ap1SzEDwS9GWBgIJmgyoB8Z_p6jZhaefYk5AglEobB-UQxvPK1NVT32xHb1X3Id3_tE0xi8IJVC0qShaJqDsNw-i6QoKrupNoE_chYMFxNYrikS-hEdTtCIwdedsPlr/s640/DSC_0448.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRWcXNay1weXtmU5sBXSa_ZF914890hgvANYH3WsFVgdR6KkfI_vmoT80qrgyWaKBWmiP5yKYkki6ThC2u3vVPcf20Npkc6_rudJdN_COsMPFeRk2-K3S4CC_UURETReWIzXYGLTc2vlT/s1600/DSC_0449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRWcXNay1weXtmU5sBXSa_ZF914890hgvANYH3WsFVgdR6KkfI_vmoT80qrgyWaKBWmiP5yKYkki6ThC2u3vVPcf20Npkc6_rudJdN_COsMPFeRk2-K3S4CC_UURETReWIzXYGLTc2vlT/s640/DSC_0449.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggr4wescKPbp1B7KgVNVh9D0kW20P_hxKbTgKhbM3NWD5bez8zI-AoQCxRhHvFTvpcSB2G3C_hI2hMfRYdJKMBxhwcL7xkIJKnA80pVDeio-SsK18QmJ3ED-LbVNqld9IwrlCqccZNhGaZ/s1600/DSC_0456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggr4wescKPbp1B7KgVNVh9D0kW20P_hxKbTgKhbM3NWD5bez8zI-AoQCxRhHvFTvpcSB2G3C_hI2hMfRYdJKMBxhwcL7xkIJKnA80pVDeio-SsK18QmJ3ED-LbVNqld9IwrlCqccZNhGaZ/s640/DSC_0456.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What people ate - in the old university dorm</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnv046z-IBADqa-Agm_GJi3nTlK4Fz6v8q52C6X4vl9SQDU8BbP3UnwZKpMcgLEy0URdS6VGxzW3wv-wK_TZvPG57q58huL0KnIysLguNbuSqeWVNDu-uWdGijpVnkTVmcsDQMmxQ6GHFk/s1600/DSC_0458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnv046z-IBADqa-Agm_GJi3nTlK4Fz6v8q52C6X4vl9SQDU8BbP3UnwZKpMcgLEy0URdS6VGxzW3wv-wK_TZvPG57q58huL0KnIysLguNbuSqeWVNDu-uWdGijpVnkTVmcsDQMmxQ6GHFk/s640/DSC_0458.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The local drink is obvious</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnNhYTINUuWHRGbTgvYn9xVPBEWDI6yJl2rMfvf7TrJlwgvoqNT6DpYKP0AJA7rcR5LGpoqnmAQe_ItHW7FxTSpjsFZOS9UdZ5Pzltm9D_HGnxjGk4XqtilhMl4iLzuY3VUTRBA4AxHBz/s1600/DSC_0461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnNhYTINUuWHRGbTgvYn9xVPBEWDI6yJl2rMfvf7TrJlwgvoqNT6DpYKP0AJA7rcR5LGpoqnmAQe_ItHW7FxTSpjsFZOS9UdZ5Pzltm9D_HGnxjGk4XqtilhMl4iLzuY3VUTRBA4AxHBz/s640/DSC_0461.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You could play march music in this room and pretend to be a good loyal student and drummer - as I tried in the video:</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw7X6b4dOq1YHaWtaUzeqipgoOnpNUcuRnfkb1BvMwHjbKVYwbjldutrCXO3mOtsO_f4AMCiDFSAQc0lNhoOg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HrW2VLzpEieH___FR_CWHk6pCyzrhT4NPW-XWeVLsrIyB0gA22s-VKZ_OE9Y9N7SCyuX0eXux1aebkOsQANz5Fsyj6PAzgcTA_BFjbKg2bC8iPW46LvYh1NX9sDK6swa3wh6WF4E-q79/s1600/DSC_0463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HrW2VLzpEieH___FR_CWHk6pCyzrhT4NPW-XWeVLsrIyB0gA22s-VKZ_OE9Y9N7SCyuX0eXux1aebkOsQANz5Fsyj6PAzgcTA_BFjbKg2bC8iPW46LvYh1NX9sDK6swa3wh6WF4E-q79/s640/DSC_0463.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dorm rooms...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0hqBVZDojWlnmRTpgXgwj1fto5RxBxDshow7MMtDVVV_RObXUcbkzjT0MX1JR_fjkexAHLzGfD0pXPaeiy9ZNrzeL9S0HXMQZO88rkWg9lb6OZdlY-TAp9yqk0aVKJ-xOMvHBBQeiBgy/s1600/DSC_0464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0hqBVZDojWlnmRTpgXgwj1fto5RxBxDshow7MMtDVVV_RObXUcbkzjT0MX1JR_fjkexAHLzGfD0pXPaeiy9ZNrzeL9S0HXMQZO88rkWg9lb6OZdlY-TAp9yqk0aVKJ-xOMvHBBQeiBgy/s640/DSC_0464.JPG" width="538" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...have space for tea of course</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The tickets for the Historical Village could be bought together with tickets for the Hokkaido Museum, which we also planned to visit. Unfortunately, we underestimated the time needed for the village and missed the fact that the museum closes earlier in winter - so we arrived there 25 minutes before closing time. Mission impossible? Not for us!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWf3zNmvpY569JQslO-XFCSP6FPwLGrGNd4DNkps2bYxtVwThM5Y0GCsFm5AtwcvYb_LtTJSf8GC1dXbeswj35vHJzxxsxq68_AlmeHHYhYsShMc0pUoXRza7bMrM-aKzgBWDg8DSJuyCF/s1600/DSC_0466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWf3zNmvpY569JQslO-XFCSP6FPwLGrGNd4DNkps2bYxtVwThM5Y0GCsFm5AtwcvYb_LtTJSf8GC1dXbeswj35vHJzxxsxq68_AlmeHHYhYsShMc0pUoXRza7bMrM-aKzgBWDg8DSJuyCF/s640/DSC_0466.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hokkaido Museum entrance</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The museum is divided into five different sections: a historical section on the creation of earth itself; one on Hokkaido's development; one on Ainu, Hokkaido's native inhabitants; one on the history of modern technology; and one on ecosystems, made especially for children. For the sake of time, we concentrated on the ainu and the ecosystems, and kept furiously taking photos (without reading the descriptions) for half an hour, until we risked being locked inside the museum (although this could be fun, remembering a certain movie). </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPv8fd7NIJynupvSUAbSH5tXaoQ2cHCJqgsDvi2evuCeDzC4NBNmZLX0ItFcPotjjOs4gENQCvurzasd9QctZGJBPR6xXhAq3JVFPkS8F6zCJlpWILjeONCqQGiqfZPZcx3_ly1oIhvTa/s1600/DSC_0467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPv8fd7NIJynupvSUAbSH5tXaoQ2cHCJqgsDvi2evuCeDzC4NBNmZLX0ItFcPotjjOs4gENQCvurzasd9QctZGJBPR6xXhAq3JVFPkS8F6zCJlpWILjeONCqQGiqfZPZcx3_ly1oIhvTa/s640/DSC_0467.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy, Naumann's Elephant, has been dug out almost 50 years ago in Hokkaido and is probably over 120,000 years old (well, the original skeleton is - this one is only a replica)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26Q2qDiEaStDovxBIWyJF4bA3Y_rB6HgS1wK7uulRbDOsc3oUVAf90l1qF7A7cBXioYiJrRJtDiixJlio_-5sqJydQ2ZsgBy6nqqDqg1tq2Z3BAWPvc3dYJX3Bq1c_YGtEYOu25H_-gxg/s1600/DSC_0469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26Q2qDiEaStDovxBIWyJF4bA3Y_rB6HgS1wK7uulRbDOsc3oUVAf90l1qF7A7cBXioYiJrRJtDiixJlio_-5sqJydQ2ZsgBy6nqqDqg1tq2Z3BAWPvc3dYJX3Bq1c_YGtEYOu25H_-gxg/s640/DSC_0469.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0qwdKB9HbCswjhcVLy2DH795u0x1Qtlmu6r5TRUA66w1Qjd-aTXb0U69SgGUih1fYXNOgdM76QZCtcuFhbhDXkeYLnRao_uDszbzNfy1H2uiIZIEUdUKfgXr5W3Q0DEGhVH59RTHAlBq/s1600/DSC_0477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0qwdKB9HbCswjhcVLy2DH795u0x1Qtlmu6r5TRUA66w1Qjd-aTXb0U69SgGUih1fYXNOgdM76QZCtcuFhbhDXkeYLnRao_uDszbzNfy1H2uiIZIEUdUKfgXr5W3Q0DEGhVH59RTHAlBq/s640/DSC_0477.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ainu hunter robe and weapons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG22pJT3DMjvwO1AYv6_01R0g7XSdq4ep9GjaaQWF6jRGH0vkMydEaYjAlom7hSGTdTXKgPMR6r4hczm35J8sRt3EHbRdV5NBuLRyB56yVPp-Nyf00fL2Xkfzmo3JVgZNJAfqycffhNC1Q/s1600/DSC_0488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG22pJT3DMjvwO1AYv6_01R0g7XSdq4ep9GjaaQWF6jRGH0vkMydEaYjAlom7hSGTdTXKgPMR6r4hczm35J8sRt3EHbRdV5NBuLRyB56yVPp-Nyf00fL2Xkfzmo3JVgZNJAfqycffhNC1Q/s640/DSC_0488.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL44p-v3AVPEPQnlANNq8ZzwIQ95VM9V5nr8y_8pQuVJFd-D94o9410OBCUp4l_PZvr6-Ki2b7hLo9k_yOdqLHzifphBbRvtuOBfAbYLnHwLuXudakjTYn4CjkFhc0rjIabF4fPSOTMdhO/s1600/DSC_0518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL44p-v3AVPEPQnlANNq8ZzwIQ95VM9V5nr8y_8pQuVJFd-D94o9410OBCUp4l_PZvr6-Ki2b7hLo9k_yOdqLHzifphBbRvtuOBfAbYLnHwLuXudakjTYn4CjkFhc0rjIabF4fPSOTMdhO/s640/DSC_0518.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">...and more...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsWpWRaPr7JsX249NkOPPKAkTckrekZjsX-QrLN5c-sL13ekDcHf30e2Egv8garPz4RfVn9vMBdKqyO09NU7_7mdAPuSMHCir7-qheLBozkMUqRggyCOYgn26uDZ-ew3HkqyNckOQ9Y28/s1600/DSC_0482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsWpWRaPr7JsX249NkOPPKAkTckrekZjsX-QrLN5c-sL13ekDcHf30e2Egv8garPz4RfVn9vMBdKqyO09NU7_7mdAPuSMHCir7-qheLBozkMUqRggyCOYgn26uDZ-ew3HkqyNckOQ9Y28/s640/DSC_0482.JPG" width="566" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and more clothing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8hGZHjUnpER4IyZS4e2CayuT7tOptLdxr6GKB126WW3OsgCFyOlnutjYq__s0mN6CQbKGLgqZk98UkoDbj-5XjZ2SeTIrEjj6pNwabNFGsREAkntubZV5w0VDt8QkJJW2MNNwv8GAnm8/s1600/DSC_0479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8hGZHjUnpER4IyZS4e2CayuT7tOptLdxr6GKB126WW3OsgCFyOlnutjYq__s0mN6CQbKGLgqZk98UkoDbj-5XjZ2SeTIrEjj6pNwabNFGsREAkntubZV5w0VDt8QkJJW2MNNwv8GAnm8/s640/DSC_0479.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ainu shrine with all kinds of population (see also next photos)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLsrifGiT4ApITBnZYoXVO3aM2PGk4gPeq_D2CB12MR6_BO1Y3dG8pQnQeSG9LlXr-BOppbQSw98hWVbYqhzKQLT-qp2EtVmjI6FCt0vcFwSrj67YcuzhXBSIHOpzGoK9CbQPFA6qvZkz/s1600/DSC_0480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLsrifGiT4ApITBnZYoXVO3aM2PGk4gPeq_D2CB12MR6_BO1Y3dG8pQnQeSG9LlXr-BOppbQSw98hWVbYqhzKQLT-qp2EtVmjI6FCt0vcFwSrj67YcuzhXBSIHOpzGoK9CbQPFA6qvZkz/s640/DSC_0480.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbY746dPYtOrxsW8Cy2zNdUIXEVJspWAHaw0yAz8TBrdPKoZTArEEdWv2TjZFA3Sc8p3akCs8lhDFR_u6aymnG966IUXD05azNhOGegmVjQ_78CzELNGbBpIUj4mRtCoDGASOGVvIB9lg/s1600/DSC_0484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbY746dPYtOrxsW8Cy2zNdUIXEVJspWAHaw0yAz8TBrdPKoZTArEEdWv2TjZFA3Sc8p3akCs8lhDFR_u6aymnG966IUXD05azNhOGegmVjQ_78CzELNGbBpIUj4mRtCoDGASOGVvIB9lg/s640/DSC_0484.JPG" width="578" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Does this look familiar?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUTTV2tjOWtNgFww2ROeART1DlkRmwuG7FhhkJL-a6hjvQILlPuQ1HNdy_mroqL0zFGKXq53JFxQcgOApT5aEExuRmx6F8D5mM0W_HQ_G2H09jAMsGc2hgEKDml6vnLN7BGcmC1TUFL6N/s1600/DSC_0496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUTTV2tjOWtNgFww2ROeART1DlkRmwuG7FhhkJL-a6hjvQILlPuQ1HNdy_mroqL0zFGKXq53JFxQcgOApT5aEExuRmx6F8D5mM0W_HQ_G2H09jAMsGc2hgEKDml6vnLN7BGcmC1TUFL6N/s640/DSC_0496.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea cucumber - Sapporo's delicacy?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjIZgpuGdyjXpSPizHLGyot_GVgSJiZto2nGDYkNy6sj0erT6xOrXv5QPQS7Is0lwpBpx_UwSqSBefh7U9Ako_HXj_YuR-NhEyjhPlU-fdYdYuuI7-bd8YX9fxynuJckYynvAEtxsfCW-u/s1600/DSC_0504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjIZgpuGdyjXpSPizHLGyot_GVgSJiZto2nGDYkNy6sj0erT6xOrXv5QPQS7Is0lwpBpx_UwSqSBefh7U9Ako_HXj_YuR-NhEyjhPlU-fdYdYuuI7-bd8YX9fxynuJckYynvAEtxsfCW-u/s640/DSC_0504.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A train with real sound effects</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNXEWkqXxTpUEf-BHIgSACU-omMaUsScJHyYVtWIbvRth9YLJu3QPpjS8dgavkIdMT1jMjwu98iFVjI0UCNrBSxUUnT-1Y2yvAIRGUwY0_fepyMccDaggcBr5YQ4xM_wHp9rvLe3EsmeF/s1600/DSC_0507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNXEWkqXxTpUEf-BHIgSACU-omMaUsScJHyYVtWIbvRth9YLJu3QPpjS8dgavkIdMT1jMjwu98iFVjI0UCNrBSxUUnT-1Y2yvAIRGUwY0_fepyMccDaggcBr5YQ4xM_wHp9rvLe3EsmeF/s640/DSC_0507.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paper umbrellas</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrq2qCdt7skNVQZ3T1ByUnIHWRWzK2n-tMFnKUez5wiNKpxDA5iQGBJYGMr_OuatLtqAce6aNxfYSIQbim9yzWAvwe5Mjo0BFjdiHGMEteOZjhlvOx62QdUUOh49pA10j1tA6saIPMgact/s1600/DSC_0509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrq2qCdt7skNVQZ3T1ByUnIHWRWzK2n-tMFnKUez5wiNKpxDA5iQGBJYGMr_OuatLtqAce6aNxfYSIQbim9yzWAvwe5Mjo0BFjdiHGMEteOZjhlvOx62QdUUOh49pA10j1tA6saIPMgact/s640/DSC_0509.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3meDY4if-l9-Wi7uN6FDS-f_qBRffpkdVBKJ0BxTtiD-2GuunACXw_aoes8igkREgMf0GiIFyqJibzV9vw5SmWjzqi-hqr0rKmiYPfw9_ul132o8RDVkZD0m5mwcx5cNmSGHPgI7IM9d/s1600/DSC_0510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3meDY4if-l9-Wi7uN6FDS-f_qBRffpkdVBKJ0BxTtiD-2GuunACXw_aoes8igkREgMf0GiIFyqJibzV9vw5SmWjzqi-hqr0rKmiYPfw9_ul132o8RDVkZD0m5mwcx5cNmSGHPgI7IM9d/s640/DSC_0510.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVe1uHDJcHvKlF2uldL6JO9IzBfNfas5MA7Vnin_6jEVVRW-cC-Le1JGg48EqEVj8NIMeowq3fWzaTBo_0WWT-i5ij_eIQGVC_c8BPc_7G_XlkOVavFqvgZPCyRx6tTqB29Z-aVZeC6VO/s1600/DSC_0511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVe1uHDJcHvKlF2uldL6JO9IzBfNfas5MA7Vnin_6jEVVRW-cC-Le1JGg48EqEVj8NIMeowq3fWzaTBo_0WWT-i5ij_eIQGVC_c8BPc_7G_XlkOVavFqvgZPCyRx6tTqB29Z-aVZeC6VO/s640/DSC_0511.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A normal daily meal in the 19th century...</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUglUzZrUVW5ffp10aumjvVww1MmUSA0CCv2i57P6fp2BTzzdpg5B4lfIajVl3EmkJiyxl0vhQ_HGnelVshIan4jVicU7HD1NT0lZcz01Tovg0DU7yb1INcFNPgIWO-jpImfgUN-yNOhEN/s1600/DSC_0512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUglUzZrUVW5ffp10aumjvVww1MmUSA0CCv2i57P6fp2BTzzdpg5B4lfIajVl3EmkJiyxl0vhQ_HGnelVshIan4jVicU7HD1NT0lZcz01Tovg0DU7yb1INcFNPgIWO-jpImfgUN-yNOhEN/s640/DSC_0512.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and a festive one</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbsmB8dQtDjoejYLq8MC4ykwlc1DqccXFWtxx3VP9b_BfbjXk_w0WSfrwlmIsNebqHLBJHKSV696g8mAb2-c75xQE9zWLkzuwOI0x_YGXiqzUDMMqLeoyJkP8-IdJhpgUaWJ-3dJVQoU0/s1600/DSC_0513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbsmB8dQtDjoejYLq8MC4ykwlc1DqccXFWtxx3VP9b_BfbjXk_w0WSfrwlmIsNebqHLBJHKSV696g8mAb2-c75xQE9zWLkzuwOI0x_YGXiqzUDMMqLeoyJkP8-IdJhpgUaWJ-3dJVQoU0/s640/DSC_0513.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little highlight for your inner steampunk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6BO0HIbwYdDyWMuSaZWiDIXOA9CNj5jCpMXfj4vjYGNSRByyxbY7UejBf3FL7WDrjHzRqfgG8gNUks0tI99cNRc_sGP9Yr55OuNVOjhoj6Uyn4GsWdxmYvpFkzorybElTRzZthni0zwjM/s1600/DSC_0519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6BO0HIbwYdDyWMuSaZWiDIXOA9CNj5jCpMXfj4vjYGNSRByyxbY7UejBf3FL7WDrjHzRqfgG8gNUks0tI99cNRc_sGP9Yr55OuNVOjhoj6Uyn4GsWdxmYvpFkzorybElTRzZthni0zwjM/s640/DSC_0519.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These traditional carvings were the first souvenirs sold to tourists in Hokkaido</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNseIvilYWep9iM36uErZvcGBDqwFwd267F5VMDI3Bn9GRedN4LYGTpyEBqLS-CG7VK8B6_EbtUKWHAkiHM5x9GybWb0V0WyjSENYK7rgnF-RAjHSlPVamXSjJYf3KECHRXbCPbq96Ilx7/s1600/DSC_0521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNseIvilYWep9iM36uErZvcGBDqwFwd267F5VMDI3Bn9GRedN4LYGTpyEBqLS-CG7VK8B6_EbtUKWHAkiHM5x9GybWb0V0WyjSENYK7rgnF-RAjHSlPVamXSjJYf3KECHRXbCPbq96Ilx7/s640/DSC_0521.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone really loved bears</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlgMnmhtPeg04KfhjYLBNC4hdfenoc0Xw83s9bMOB0544NRzGAmLdi2vDNJqOkd2gi2vNSoKcmdic4OGTjhcQOUW-p0QWbgg0zMA2Tl27MpKdY0wEyKNWwoURvbway5vx_L5eg6C8Z12-/s1600/DSC_0525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlgMnmhtPeg04KfhjYLBNC4hdfenoc0Xw83s9bMOB0544NRzGAmLdi2vDNJqOkd2gi2vNSoKcmdic4OGTjhcQOUW-p0QWbgg0zMA2Tl27MpKdY0wEyKNWwoURvbway5vx_L5eg6C8Z12-/s640/DSC_0525.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to the nasty reality of the ecosystems</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJG6z_WhFPv2fpXpkVFcBy1vJWiiIuarHobtHkp1g-culoStBOyvo8VH-N49RVMcJNm4233clZ0Y7nEhyR1GqERAFlQ58E7gRdtUl2McokQOayP1Ocbr7ndPM9qGD6GrsbfaQ3_OuC-mxp/s1600/DSC_0530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJG6z_WhFPv2fpXpkVFcBy1vJWiiIuarHobtHkp1g-culoStBOyvo8VH-N49RVMcJNm4233clZ0Y7nEhyR1GqERAFlQ58E7gRdtUl2McokQOayP1Ocbr7ndPM9qGD6GrsbfaQ3_OuC-mxp/s640/DSC_0530.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So fluffy!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAYkX2WlR9bouM1-Wz7dmLtDcahoT8no9QqcoWBL07g7JuiuUbAX373mI1rLLnCJbxp1S8ZKTQOeAywS5mvjEmnXUcKJXCpZAx5VrYRAVFJELD6zctClq5rVspLlcv4mci56BflM2BR2e/s1600/DSC_0535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAYkX2WlR9bouM1-Wz7dmLtDcahoT8no9QqcoWBL07g7JuiuUbAX373mI1rLLnCJbxp1S8ZKTQOeAywS5mvjEmnXUcKJXCpZAx5VrYRAVFJELD6zctClq5rVspLlcv4mci56BflM2BR2e/s640/DSC_0535.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
If this overview was too chaotic: You can find more information on <a href="http://www.hm.pref.hokkaido.lg.jp/en/exhibition/" target="_blank">the museum's website</a>, where English explanations are lovingly provided for download.</div>
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While the museum workers prepared for the end of their work day at 5pm, it was a little early for us to go home. So there was plenty of time to go and see Sapporo from above - from the JR Tower, whose observation deck is located 160 meters above ground, in the mall with the same name.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">With its 173 meters, JR Tower may be higher than the TV tower in the same city, but cannot compete with any other similar construction in Asia or the world<br />
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The view from the 38th floor was definitely worth it. See for yourself and enjoy the view!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here, you can even catch a glimpse of the mountains in the background, and the ski park at their foot</td></tr>
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We ended the day with a delicious <i>omuraisu</i> - an omelette filled with rice, which comes with different sauces and sorts of rice - curry for example:</div>
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Because the mall had a cinema as well, we could use our time there to the fullest and even watch "Rogue One" in English. </div>
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Speaking of watching: This was only the beginning, so watch out for the next post - part two of our Hokkaido adventures. See you there :)</div>
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* In case you are planning your own vacation in Sapporo: <a href="https://www.airbnb.de/rooms/13774319" target="_blank">This is the place where we stayed</a>. Highly recommended!</div>
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rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-83273672979250208842017-01-01T20:41:00.000+09:002017-01-11T17:26:14.600+09:00Akemashite omedetou!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Happy New Year!</div>
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I hope you had a good start in the new year 2017. Mine was certainly exciting! Japanese people love to celebrate, and especially this most important time of year gives a lot of opportunities to gather and spend a good time with family and friends.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Illuminated train station on New Year's eve - getting used to everything constantly open in Japan, this special night seemed extraordinarily quiet. For the most Japanese, the holidays will last for two more days</td></tr>
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Saying goodbye</h4>
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A few weeks ago, it was the last time for us to participate in a bojutsu training session for the year (that is, until February when the regular schedule starts again). Because some of the members were graduating and quit the club, including some of the leaders, this training was especially important and almost everyone came, so we were a big circle of maybe 30 people. This 3-hour training was particularly hard - not only due to the length: When we started at 1pm, the sun was still burning hot and made it hard to move on, but as soon as it set at 4pm, everyone was freezing. That's December weather in Tokyo!</div>
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The parting with some of the members included a few rituals such as presents and party pops. But the most hilarious thing was this: The leader had to stand in the middle of the field, all of us surrounding him, our fists ready for attack. Then, at a signal, everyone ran towards him yelling and trying to hit him, while he had to dodge and fend every punch. Unbelievable, but he succeeded!</div>
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At the end, we also had to practice and show a small performance of techniques with a partner. Enjoy watching me fail:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzVuPeRXP1cLQJAKQccXA71z7ZyPB9j-w1OtzKJpW5AhMP8jwzcYbCQEiMjEAd6iKegNS4kcDlfxuQHhISYnw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Why am I telling you all this? It's because after the training, the members gathered together in an American bar for a very Japanese cultural event: A drinking party called <i>nomikai</i>. This is usually all-you-can-eat and -drink event, where everyone shares the food on the table and orders whichever drink they like. If you are new to the group, it's a great opportunity to meet most of the people in a cheerful atmosphere. This goes on for around 2 hours, after which there is a possibility to move on to a next place - and drink some more.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglC-r7ZKAnm8SY8vkkE8kGTsAp4FB8B_nPimHP0zc7n0dxi11ac4bZPXKuWMEf0r2gnd4qKuDRwOF6nZ_3sR93vhCDUEFUFBYbXeXKcNkaj7j_qd6LpjyklfWt-4U0SNFpBbK9GBNsWmEL/s1600/1481378561071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglC-r7ZKAnm8SY8vkkE8kGTsAp4FB8B_nPimHP0zc7n0dxi11ac4bZPXKuWMEf0r2gnd4qKuDRwOF6nZ_3sR93vhCDUEFUFBYbXeXKcNkaj7j_qd6LpjyklfWt-4U0SNFpBbK9GBNsWmEL/s640/1481378561071.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of our jolly group - don't we have adorable reindeer horns?</td></tr>
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A special kind of nomikai is held around New Year and is called <i>bounenkai</i>. It is usually the last time you see your colleagues and friends before New Year's eve and want to ring out the old year together. I took part in two bounenkai: One held by a Science and Technology faculty laboratory (one where I would like to do research - but more on that another time), and once again one by our bojutsu club. This time, just 8 people attended, which gave us the opportunity to talk a bit more and use our (still poor) Japanese language skills. While doing this, we ate a looot of okonomiyaki and drank delicious matcha milk.</div>
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Inviting the good luck in </h4>
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But once the last day of the year has come, what do Japanese usually do? Like Christmas for us, it's mostly a family celebration, although some also go out with their friends or see fireworks in big and famous places. Most people visit a shrine or temple to pray for a good year. Buddhist temples ring their bells 108 times at midnight: Once for every earthly desire or sin, from which the good buddhist seeks to refrain. </div>
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What I liked best about the time between Christmas and New Year were the decorations. There are these traditional bamboo or pine arrangements called <i>kadomatsu,</i> which serve the purpose of greeting the Shinto New Year's gods. They have three elements: One for wealth, persistence and a long life respectfully. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DOBCuBk4VwNFAWM5XqbB_B6PNHniMZ0suCJXIxaliZRls_7eMvjDwJfRPDkUVUVu53dGOBPT24j_BYBRsgb2oF1x1HL3lu5Wn-z2sBKWCvBhrczeM8HtCe7wYuypMFV55InZwdl2IUFT/s1600/Bambus-Kadomatsu_gross_v2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DOBCuBk4VwNFAWM5XqbB_B6PNHniMZ0suCJXIxaliZRls_7eMvjDwJfRPDkUVUVu53dGOBPT24j_BYBRsgb2oF1x1HL3lu5Wn-z2sBKWCvBhrczeM8HtCe7wYuypMFV55InZwdl2IUFT/s640/Bambus-Kadomatsu_gross_v2.JPG" width="314" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bamboo kadomatsu at a store entrance</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8DA4Mv6XRSaUdEJw1Ir9t-4SY2dU81yBK1OJ74e_lGCoRwcHWTIh7ZRPwzckcDPnpUT-xZg6BmPvlF5W9FEBHcIRTQABYkonynxGNmDFB9mGraG2IWfPUFNEGjR-shjAHvhZNQu2pkvn/s1600/Schrein_mit_Kiefer-Kadomatsu_v1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8DA4Mv6XRSaUdEJw1Ir9t-4SY2dU81yBK1OJ74e_lGCoRwcHWTIh7ZRPwzckcDPnpUT-xZg6BmPvlF5W9FEBHcIRTQABYkonynxGNmDFB9mGraG2IWfPUFNEGjR-shjAHvhZNQu2pkvn/s640/Schrein_mit_Kiefer-Kadomatsu_v1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pine kadomatsu at the Kasuga Shrine near the campus</td></tr>
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Because this year is the year of the rooster in Chinese calendar, everything edible and non-edible is decorated with chickens:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh77wrgjW19C4pCqrkuuVcb2ecXPqvqANsYRR4I81KXSigV3Ci6CXyx8zuXUdyFVK13XmFMcHt4GGZ5CA3DAH3rgyMJh4J8Z7yXq_vk5qsIYESnZLzgFlnqDZ5Yt8SbUFg5FeQMNoLhaXn3/s1600/Kekse_in_Hahnform.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh77wrgjW19C4pCqrkuuVcb2ecXPqvqANsYRR4I81KXSigV3Ci6CXyx8zuXUdyFVK13XmFMcHt4GGZ5CA3DAH3rgyMJh4J8Z7yXq_vk5qsIYESnZLzgFlnqDZ5Yt8SbUFg5FeQMNoLhaXn3/s640/Kekse_in_Hahnform.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4c7nq7WjnDhMl20rXU9x_cwjrAPVVUjg4m4nOo0g6eu3KjauAzRsR_pl984G3vWNfXJikKS4AzcnO1pGWtEm-8ZluXmtmMh7Fk16Wd8J4mrj-owUNY_9dtgL9AmTyB-qUGvhI2ff_31xb/s1600/Neujahrsgebaeck.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4c7nq7WjnDhMl20rXU9x_cwjrAPVVUjg4m4nOo0g6eu3KjauAzRsR_pl984G3vWNfXJikKS4AzcnO1pGWtEm-8ZluXmtmMh7Fk16Wd8J4mrj-owUNY_9dtgL9AmTyB-qUGvhI2ff_31xb/s640/Neujahrsgebaeck.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GfLVCB48T6MAOfAJzSOYDTk67WtAE6SbvFzvN66a-8f9J9Krn1MKDhD9PqTRgzd61Oonq0SRWNzdCx8MGEhxs44fE_fx7cTjKNze7RPB1BZL_p6PTyzTaEjBTRQcMeco6nKDkG8QMMjH/s1600/Neujahrsdeko_Laden.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GfLVCB48T6MAOfAJzSOYDTk67WtAE6SbvFzvN66a-8f9J9Krn1MKDhD9PqTRgzd61Oonq0SRWNzdCx8MGEhxs44fE_fx7cTjKNze7RPB1BZL_p6PTyzTaEjBTRQcMeco6nKDkG8QMMjH/s640/Neujahrsdeko_Laden.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The white things you may have noticed in the previous picture are called <i>kagami mochi</i>. These are two mochi on each other, topped by a clementine or a <i>daidai</i>, a Japanese bitter orange. Like all Japanese New Year food, they have a special meaning. Kagami mochi symbolise the two opposites - the old and new year, sun and moon, yin and yang...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPk8vO6eB2n8nxrQL97-oyeV2bQh6_L3Jm8XsJ5aIlq4yDTmVTQmKnZFSKtRyy-_EwSF7KkBFyBjyfPlfGSctQIACmNBxIqWnJ2RG_MP0UQm4EMpcuradcuECtYnAhoWY3yNZbeL701GY/s1600/Kagami-Moshi_v2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPk8vO6eB2n8nxrQL97-oyeV2bQh6_L3Jm8XsJ5aIlq4yDTmVTQmKnZFSKtRyy-_EwSF7KkBFyBjyfPlfGSctQIACmNBxIqWnJ2RG_MP0UQm4EMpcuradcuECtYnAhoWY3yNZbeL701GY/s640/Kagami-Moshi_v2.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I bought and built my own kagami mochi - the packaging says I can eat it on the 11th ;)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2A_wt0l_5m957vWy643GIaJvE99G9ewHjpWn1f67G5qQawxZyme3Dep9FD-6ndrGAvLBzh_6NxCun1bV9_r0iXkwZCaRzIgK3LTQWZwx-0okjimnfTVgOmShZuTHRXQsoIY1VTe1ndh7e/s1600/Mochi_v2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2A_wt0l_5m957vWy643GIaJvE99G9ewHjpWn1f67G5qQawxZyme3Dep9FD-6ndrGAvLBzh_6NxCun1bV9_r0iXkwZCaRzIgK3LTQWZwx-0okjimnfTVgOmShZuTHRXQsoIY1VTe1ndh7e/s640/Mochi_v2.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful kagami mochi in a restaurant</td></tr>
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The rest of the Japanese New Year food is called <i>osechi</i>. Most of it comes in small portions in a kind of big bento box, or in the form of soba noodles. You better start to eat those early: It is said that you have to eat your soba before midnight, otherwise the new year will be unlucky!</div>
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Celebrating like the Japanese?</h4>
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How we spent New Year's Eve - or <i>oshogatsu</i> in Japanese -, however, was not in a typical Japanese way. Although we expected it to be, when Alizée's friend Shousuke invited both of us to a party hosted by his family in their house. When we arrived, we were greeted by dozens of people and three dogs - and there were more constantly coming in. Our concern that we would be the only foreigners was quickly dissolved, with many guests from America, Germany, Taiwan and other countries. Although not many people knew each other, everyone was very nice and open, so it was not difficult to chat and make new contacts. And I got to know some very friendly and interesting people whom I would like to see again.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskbH4u2TiG22EofTzczpqDv-s-xP0p35Wr8qzzTOR-OxgYuueW5Al4KvLGD2653Ox-5-1H5YPheLek6hMDUlC8czBDygqQXpaMzjs-Eq9gmdHu3IFu0crqg4_JutkXoL8eJLBBOYucORE/s1600/20161231_233921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskbH4u2TiG22EofTzczpqDv-s-xP0p35Wr8qzzTOR-OxgYuueW5Al4KvLGD2653Ox-5-1H5YPheLek6hMDUlC8czBDygqQXpaMzjs-Eq9gmdHu3IFu0crqg4_JutkXoL8eJLBBOYucORE/s640/20161231_233921.jpg" width="468" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full table with deer that a friend of the family has hunted herself - it is apperently very rare in Japan, so everyone was excited</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_AWQoldZd2w7zMpmZoZuqhMPAMKez5ZCTc8tj6CTEzpNkqduR6zitK5U3g8CHbcL-OXyAjjpZRBGg7ytfM3Z7OHwY4B-pqis6hsUg36wuy8MZJaXPJXbC6HvPDuvHmo5tLQ7uhYSNhKjc/s1600/20161231_234243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_AWQoldZd2w7zMpmZoZuqhMPAMKez5ZCTc8tj6CTEzpNkqduR6zitK5U3g8CHbcL-OXyAjjpZRBGg7ytfM3Z7OHwY4B-pqis6hsUg36wuy8MZJaXPJXbC6HvPDuvHmo5tLQ7uhYSNhKjc/s640/20161231_234243.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sooo much to eat...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBfAICE5su9ZtWgHIzXn9y5MRJciyATbJ5tqV_bo9U3G-4WjjOOdmMxV3fhq_jr6UUudeG_sdchOeA1_TCjhD8VL4c5MvGxJe98DITlRT5xKuww8BjdIk94Hh5D0RNN_ywIzZhL3DSOHf/s1600/20161231_234257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBfAICE5su9ZtWgHIzXn9y5MRJciyATbJ5tqV_bo9U3G-4WjjOOdmMxV3fhq_jr6UUudeG_sdchOeA1_TCjhD8VL4c5MvGxJe98DITlRT5xKuww8BjdIk94Hh5D0RNN_ywIzZhL3DSOHf/s640/20161231_234257.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and even more to drink (this is only a selection of the variety)</td></tr>
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As soon as the clock struck twelve, everyone raised their glasses to <i>kampai</i> - cheer - to the New Year. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNaQPuTXEy5OXR2ELXSfO1fSpGd_SeQcM0xJx0dN6Z3WrkLqcjyCh19F7NfKQqakSyoi7vc5RIcFwpBAaMyqRR_Ct4uXhG1abKi0JS-1sV5GZcQBTRK7Cy4pGQoUedH4_bXoIhyphenhyphenvxIZ_p/s1600/20170101_002218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNaQPuTXEy5OXR2ELXSfO1fSpGd_SeQcM0xJx0dN6Z3WrkLqcjyCh19F7NfKQqakSyoi7vc5RIcFwpBAaMyqRR_Ct4uXhG1abKi0JS-1sV5GZcQBTRK7Cy4pGQoUedH4_bXoIhyphenhyphenvxIZ_p/s640/20170101_002218.jpg" width="574" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many Japanese watch a musical competition show on TV waiting for the countdown - after midnight, it's boybands and talk shows</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDwWkaq-IoMpEX23qq1w8iPyBGFnwQdwZ1bTI3laTbTDWiuufff36gzPPqef0PzuypljssjKrtz0LOwWojFf0mvKzeLTyepPCNKfMwB3J2G6nfNAnF66DvAA3ERQISJgbEbkNk0lFPfk9/s1600/20170101_003638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDwWkaq-IoMpEX23qq1w8iPyBGFnwQdwZ1bTI3laTbTDWiuufff36gzPPqef0PzuypljssjKrtz0LOwWojFf0mvKzeLTyepPCNKfMwB3J2G6nfNAnF66DvAA3ERQISJgbEbkNk0lFPfk9/s640/20170101_003638.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very own private musical performance!</td></tr>
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Shousuke's family organised the whole event and I was amazed by their hospitality - not everyone would welcome around 50 drunk strangers messing up their house. I felt a bit sorry for his mom, constantly running around, offering meals and drinks and making everyone's stay comfortable, although we tried our best to help her keep the place in order. With a majority of Japanese people, however, there was no need to worry too much - and so everyone parted in good terms and a cheerful mood. Thank you all for this unforgettable night!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVztfN7P2JpVwrecgEaFA0L0IXSEv5UAj_hEJW4Ue4wFVKC2xirAQ_cnE_7Ajybq9Iu7oQ7sFm82N8Qqdzp4T43sxxfs3GjdrRK2cD3eqf8paYW5BtgOZ03b5_30-AFu9x-kEClGnmeO7J/s1600/15824116_1355938094457955_99206309_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVztfN7P2JpVwrecgEaFA0L0IXSEv5UAj_hEJW4Ue4wFVKC2xirAQ_cnE_7Ajybq9Iu7oQ7sFm82N8Qqdzp4T43sxxfs3GjdrRK2cD3eqf8paYW5BtgOZ03b5_30-AFu9x-kEClGnmeO7J/s640/15824116_1355938094457955_99206309_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you spot me? Hint: I am looking away at the wrong time ;)</td></tr>
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Back home, I stayed up until the morning to greet my family just in time when the New Year had arrived for them as well. Meanwhile, I could watch the first sunrise of the new year, which is said to be a lucky thing to do.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjcWg4mVQ0781WBloknN-dnN4SG_GicZGnUQheN1R-0-yGTgBZkEdOPRbcpcUu-Vh7ioBPw5wZbaaQORj4idGJphyBGCGxerhl1JlPubam6-bl64LQSo7dAorhLMTaTAtPDOQ1MfzExUs/s1600/DSC_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjcWg4mVQ0781WBloknN-dnN4SG_GicZGnUQheN1R-0-yGTgBZkEdOPRbcpcUu-Vh7ioBPw5wZbaaQORj4idGJphyBGCGxerhl1JlPubam6-bl64LQSo7dAorhLMTaTAtPDOQ1MfzExUs/s640/DSC_0018.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Tomorrow, a new big adventure is waiting for me: Alizée, Tharshi and I are flying to Hokkaido to spend one week in a winter wonderland. I am already excited to tell you about it. Until then - enjoy the beginning of the new year and let it be full of joy, love, big achievements and new discoveries! </div>
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rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-24420530796867154232016-12-31T16:24:00.002+09:002017-01-11T17:32:25.801+09:00Crafts, treats and wonders<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hello friends!</div>
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Here is the second part of my December memories in Tokyo. I hope you enjoy this one about art, a bit of interesting technology and the gorgeous views of Asakusa (and food, lots of food of course).</div>
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In the footsteps of Japanese artists</h4>
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My university courses and presentations lasted until Tuesday (December 27th). Until that time, particularly one course offered - as always - material for photos and stories: The Arts Workshop. Here, a Japanese silversmith visited us and showed us how he works his magic (thank you for the video, Maria):</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx0feLb5bDzoquydxzOX8h-WXDTlNiYM4vtWdZaj9w4JdmdlKvxITgVsLoW9hUnaM8vMg-StAFvtzNvJwvnyg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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A silver bar is hammered into shape, then ornaments and patterns are applied with hammer, chisel and other tools. For this, the design is made on Japanese paper beforehand and pasted on the product. Resin is usually put into the bowl to make it easier to apply the chisel, then taken out once the bowl is burnt. The interesting thing is that the silverware is soft and formable only before burning.<br />
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Of course, we could see only one part of the complex process. Tokyo silversmithery has been around since the 18th century and they are now making a lot of things including household items, ikebana vases, ornaments and accessory.</div>
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Another week's theme was about Japanese embroidery - <i>nihon shishu</i>. It is part of <i>nuido</i>, which means<i> </i>"way of the techniques", and the ladies visiting us were from the artist group of Kurenai Kai. Learn more about <a href="http://japaneseembroidery.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMo75wCNDv4nM1vVL8yGyA3TIG4BQGoxsYFHo07Ip7xbuPTkYR7hIBrGgtAOwBltCZeuPWjY8b3jRce9x-d0CczfPrP5lFj7qiH78PANzPmv-P_C5AbEc7NutvIU85ths12BwMXJQH1ENo/s1600/20161208_193915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMo75wCNDv4nM1vVL8yGyA3TIG4BQGoxsYFHo07Ip7xbuPTkYR7hIBrGgtAOwBltCZeuPWjY8b3jRce9x-d0CczfPrP5lFj7qiH78PANzPmv-P_C5AbEc7NutvIU85ths12BwMXJQH1ENo/s640/20161208_193915.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWr8kt4TO4aGII_BQhKy2FafMVWPTNCkOhKbI-bDjY3C0dAobxpbMkAAMbzOOgBt3HehFDcOiiVlpSHJCRSd6JsE2RM0UmVY4OUtdFwjpBf6YfFe1pVzzSZs6qjujdyjzEcyXxPSddqxdv/s1600/20161208_193751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWr8kt4TO4aGII_BQhKy2FafMVWPTNCkOhKbI-bDjY3C0dAobxpbMkAAMbzOOgBt3HehFDcOiiVlpSHJCRSd6JsE2RM0UmVY4OUtdFwjpBf6YfFe1pVzzSZs6qjujdyjzEcyXxPSddqxdv/s640/20161208_193751.jpg" width="292" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7wYjsOWl2Ty_5Fh7Bpc8HOFx8qCVThRkmTGf_bMwrN1-gktI7VGAGvz_9QLBGKCTuvclHaXLhcDIeS0KWuQw-wNS3nP3_BxE-gX_pFtGsDPZ2hefhfeTxPzQFQZr4ou3ekaxfAMPfF5g/s1600/20161208_193850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7wYjsOWl2Ty_5Fh7Bpc8HOFx8qCVThRkmTGf_bMwrN1-gktI7VGAGvz_9QLBGKCTuvclHaXLhcDIeS0KWuQw-wNS3nP3_BxE-gX_pFtGsDPZ2hefhfeTxPzQFQZr4ou3ekaxfAMPfF5g/s640/20161208_193850.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And here was something for us to try - a special technique called <i>ise katagami</i>, where a motif, often a flower, is cut out from a special kind of paper (<i>jigami</i>). Then the paper is used as a stencil to create a piece of art - even the printing of a kimono. It is believed that the technique is inspired by cherry leaves which had been eaten by moths.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixyRIZ7w5QoRnq469nmpMC7wQ16-3Zl2PZfwKTMQx9_HRawOH9kgTESFYxW-cS8SFOw_Wkq1FXhWYOzuvwRIr8iriYJhMmntaV3i1VPYW45vxBwAH81SXMW4VJjq82YdwnIJt1UFxj3opz/s1600/20161215_182616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixyRIZ7w5QoRnq469nmpMC7wQ16-3Zl2PZfwKTMQx9_HRawOH9kgTESFYxW-cS8SFOw_Wkq1FXhWYOzuvwRIr8iriYJhMmntaV3i1VPYW45vxBwAH81SXMW4VJjq82YdwnIJt1UFxj3opz/s640/20161215_182616.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jigami engraved by a master...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivg2zcJ5q6MOZp8fJbGydA3XIZ7ZGQJVooqoCXSuOqNI0nOjskpZjyz99xGPmV1T6W1SzivplBk6v9zhJjNBmyv7iDru1D_L6CSd-9YpQi7-AYKo7C5_Xasmsv96mqfXF7VExKUJhX_Y26/s1600/15595722_1193511917391472_454278818_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivg2zcJ5q6MOZp8fJbGydA3XIZ7ZGQJVooqoCXSuOqNI0nOjskpZjyz99xGPmV1T6W1SzivplBk6v9zhJjNBmyv7iDru1D_L6CSd-9YpQi7-AYKo7C5_Xasmsv96mqfXF7VExKUJhX_Y26/s640/15595722_1193511917391472_454278818_o.jpg" width="304" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... and my own attempt</td></tr>
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Delicacy highlights</h4>
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If you did not have enough food pictures in the last post, let me show you the most delicious experiences I had this month.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFsNej4n-R-9OkflKzXZL4HqDXFig_rSUiruA8Uf9cQaq6zV8PEq7ylsm6cDqUHMxXTv4ouhggWDVNzmjARrImuO9h5iR0FXef5go6_fjQwCa9g9UF9WnP61kacaUzuK2CCQA9ql2JlOP/s1600/20161218_170808_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFsNej4n-R-9OkflKzXZL4HqDXFig_rSUiruA8Uf9cQaq6zV8PEq7ylsm6cDqUHMxXTv4ouhggWDVNzmjARrImuO9h5iR0FXef5go6_fjQwCa9g9UF9WnP61kacaUzuK2CCQA9ql2JlOP/s320/20161218_170808_LLS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Café on the top floor of Tokyu Hands (a huge department store). The amazing thing here was that you could sit outside without freezing in the evening - in December. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJogaG0THG6_w4xH8MhLSg8vv29VKjVPBh6LCrpd9NQDE7EHBK7Uwd7d34libT4JVox5U7VRv7_-JNrIedVvvs1Gcj-46HB1ehrNOVhQFZYJgJB9CKxxG3ORWaShNstnd5okfye2IbJISP/s1600/20161211_173405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJogaG0THG6_w4xH8MhLSg8vv29VKjVPBh6LCrpd9NQDE7EHBK7Uwd7d34libT4JVox5U7VRv7_-JNrIedVvvs1Gcj-46HB1ehrNOVhQFZYJgJB9CKxxG3ORWaShNstnd5okfye2IbJISP/s640/20161211_173405.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A curry place I visited with my friend Anshuman from India. He confirmed that it tasted quite like the real thing (despite the cheese on top). Plus, you could choose how spicy you wan<span style="font-size: x-small;">t it to be by selecting a level between 1and 20 (!). Level 5 was already burning!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoYnCEVLJQvkxyhfgBWIchrPdr9um2FYt7l40J48Kb5QOigfeuF6giKc-4kwckoZhyphenhyphen93I7gfX8McyOrf1o4QQkk8f9W8sJB7Fi-GZN8gvBIWUW2b7SayOVmIGIBMAceNiXM9irUNhWL52w/s1600/20161223_210425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoYnCEVLJQvkxyhfgBWIchrPdr9um2FYt7l40J48Kb5QOigfeuF6giKc-4kwckoZhyphenhyphen93I7gfX8McyOrf1o4QQkk8f9W8sJB7Fi-GZN8gvBIWUW2b7SayOVmIGIBMAceNiXM9irUNhWL52w/s640/20161223_210425.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almond cocoa in Harajuku</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXht_lZdvqmPahV4GCMY94bGFFP4Ld_N1duiTKSiswOAwHmwpeAF3l_RjQOnzZq1v0-zgO7OzIGR-atKa8eP5fX35OkdgJiii2VC_F2ubP_P6pftSAyKyL8XoUZAZ6nuuEGahSbwB7Mhn0/s1600/20161222_121147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXht_lZdvqmPahV4GCMY94bGFFP4Ld_N1duiTKSiswOAwHmwpeAF3l_RjQOnzZq1v0-zgO7OzIGR-atKa8eP5fX35OkdgJiii2VC_F2ubP_P6pftSAyKyL8XoUZAZ6nuuEGahSbwB7Mhn0/s640/20161222_121147.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Keio cafeteria offered Christmas cakes up until the 23rd</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vS4dMxJCStZQr5PpWPxutncXnU7Hwr3RGDHiLKST0O8p3FWYQdJkqJq4IY1r2dURiVBhXvSUYTozOZPUpeFC0qF0qoS6_1oD16Cv-pNzyxXzax0u6JyZo67Z-e9ueVmS2rvuJN_NNRzu/s1600/DSC_0121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vS4dMxJCStZQr5PpWPxutncXnU7Hwr3RGDHiLKST0O8p3FWYQdJkqJq4IY1r2dURiVBhXvSUYTozOZPUpeFC0qF0qoS6_1oD16Cv-pNzyxXzax0u6JyZo67Z-e9ueVmS2rvuJN_NNRzu/s640/DSC_0121.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">This is called "German steppen cheese tomato cream pasta". It didn't taste very German, but definitely like cheese</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9vBIp3OspG7PBqZipCsJB34K4Xvg-89E0vF3sfzM73ecJvCKnQNZbgpGVapzW_JknMsO6X0zIeEwrgzKKyUw6f3IlPuhAY0elQJZc5YCcpxpYuFsQyMqOhXyVZcmfhPozTuS2NUV5b9g/s1600/20161216_130253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr9vBIp3OspG7PBqZipCsJB34K4Xvg-89E0vF3sfzM73ecJvCKnQNZbgpGVapzW_JknMsO6X0zIeEwrgzKKyUw6f3IlPuhAY0elQJZc5YCcpxpYuFsQyMqOhXyVZcmfhPozTuS2NUV5b9g/s640/20161216_130253.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very nice café in Harajuku - you get this whole meal for 1000 y<span style="font-size: x-small;">en. Unfortunately, the cheesecake you get for dessert is </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">tiny </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhIEPdnUB6zzYrS5C_1-6uhs5pxWWhCLX2IH9jJkqHOBzZE22UKUGFpWyeECxXVTcFv5wuhOj061_20g5PPB0nk2Tl5Zgcr9KJC5LnPRtP1u0Jqwd7J95XWqlKOGguZdf5FlDOEXjHCd6/s1600/20161217_183637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhIEPdnUB6zzYrS5C_1-6uhs5pxWWhCLX2IH9jJkqHOBzZE22UKUGFpWyeECxXVTcFv5wuhOj061_20g5PPB0nk2Tl5Zgcr9KJC5LnPRtP1u0Jqwd7J95XWqlKOGguZdf5FlDOEXjHCd6/s640/20161217_183637.jpg" width="506" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Our favourite café, <i>Lattest</i> in Omotesando, just makes the best café latte</td></tr>
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Little paradise for usability people</h4>
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With our course in "Innovative Technologies for Japan's Aging Society", we had a field trip to the Toto showroom. Ever heard about it? Especially when you come to Japan, you can see Toto in almost every bathroom. It was originally a ceramics company which now seems to make everything - from toilets over kitchen equipment and windows to door security systems (although I am not sure if they were really the manufacturers of all the things displayed in the showroom). They are known as the ones who invented the washlet - these strange toilets with dozens of features you always hear about when it comes to Japan.<br />
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The show room was organised like an interactive exhibition with a possibility to purchase single items, but also, if desired, entire home furnishings. If you are not familiar with a typical Japanese home, it was an interesting opportunity to peek inside without invading anyone's privacy. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what a Japanese bathroom looks like: A separate cabin for shower and bathtub. After showering (normally while sitting on the small black stool), you then take a hot bath...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nDN29vishxSBNyr7CR6ymqYliVT20xbfzSn1NunI2mjwkLfXHcRbUnfu1y7BztTTct3ahuFQe86e-6-6BAl3k_yWW2qf11mQUPupC_Qfdu21Fr4-LMYFfdZQSlxAOHoLTTrzSv7ciTid/s1600/20161209_155343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nDN29vishxSBNyr7CR6ymqYliVT20xbfzSn1NunI2mjwkLfXHcRbUnfu1y7BztTTct3ahuFQe86e-6-6BAl3k_yWW2qf11mQUPupC_Qfdu21Fr4-LMYFfdZQSlxAOHoLTTrzSv7ciTid/s640/20161209_155343.jpg" width="520" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... and can watch TV while doing so </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
Toto also creates new ideas for kitchens and involves special user groups such as senior citizens. Some of the features are new and good in terms of usability and made my HCI heart happy.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwypvPQlWb1bYkcTOaeN6ptAIXIopzrk0dTHLzu656eiYxWGrf0ZVAbdKlF76U5JQTSId_8nVwcHMwznWZAnU1r6AVQuvqRJbgLdp3N3LP-7GDWY3xLT2QhYIBC5DUhYgedVY84lvJO-eD/s1600/20161209_153813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwypvPQlWb1bYkcTOaeN6ptAIXIopzrk0dTHLzu656eiYxWGrf0ZVAbdKlF76U5JQTSId_8nVwcHMwznWZAnU1r6AVQuvqRJbgLdp3N3LP-7GDWY3xLT2QhYIBC5DUhYgedVY84lvJO-eD/s640/20161209_153813.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having multiple ovens for different purposes and a fancy control you can open by touch - who wouldn't want that?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; padding: 6px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXfQcgqKiE6dbOzK1rhQN9CtOCFmIdMPMylgeb95Iq033I7kV1qo7oE5uMWzuz-SwbCDY61YWA7181SGPP5-9yDnA369hg6OY-hqh5ijdNgr89T-7Xp-35uDy_H5JIPfnTGr2aby7r5lP/s1600/20161209_163829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXfQcgqKiE6dbOzK1rhQN9CtOCFmIdMPMylgeb95Iq033I7kV1qo7oE5uMWzuz-SwbCDY61YWA7181SGPP5-9yDnA369hg6OY-hqh5ijdNgr89T-7Xp-35uDy_H5JIPfnTGr2aby7r5lP/s640/20161209_163829.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">A kind of interphone where you can observe the surrounding of your house. Note that red means "open" in Japan, while the green light is on when the door is locked</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Also, even though you can find him in a lot of shops here, it was my first time to interact with the Softbank robot known as Pepper. Say hello!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTY67DbRe3-0LdVssVI_i_3ZD7R-JUzG9fGfV8U2mzJOk86TjqiuJm6r6KSmwa_dD15h-ZG2Tckn4rDGHocmPJSuGZlNMlLKGhARpRlYGAjojYo9oA-KMwttj51GFKKmiJFCLsj-c1Mwmk/s1600/20161209_163210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTY67DbRe3-0LdVssVI_i_3ZD7R-JUzG9fGfV8U2mzJOk86TjqiuJm6r6KSmwa_dD15h-ZG2Tckn4rDGHocmPJSuGZlNMlLKGhARpRlYGAjojYo9oA-KMwttj51GFKKmiJFCLsj-c1Mwmk/s640/20161209_163210.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once he spotted you, he follows you around with his eyes. Creepy. And he complains when you touch his head</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzPb6KF1V0By5ZKkgKCpkZIaPDbXxV8oeDpmwTlvOc3pRXblruCoFvnAhVU46QCV___ehIkkkYCjn0Uz-1YIw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
</h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
Trip to Asakusa</h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On Thursday, we (which is Tharshi, Brianne, Jess, Anshuman and me) planned to go to the earthquake museum in Ikebukuro, but what we didn't know was that it was closed for the winter holidays. So we just had a relaxed time shopping and eating in Ikebukuro Sunshine City.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJSsHzjSSGnquBSti6FdfJlIout8n2VHSJnoRSJ1vo4-KQ76-0N_Fx1wTdKttdvdWvUgqX0bafoB6kWGQMul5mNeY_vJJDGHZlT5X-wv4XF4CTE5OM_gKxDdM6JkSDWvCr3iGCL1C3Quf/s1600/DSC_0118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJSsHzjSSGnquBSti6FdfJlIout8n2VHSJnoRSJ1vo4-KQ76-0N_Fx1wTdKttdvdWvUgqX0bafoB6kWGQMul5mNeY_vJJDGHZlT5X-wv4XF4CTE5OM_gKxDdM6JkSDWvCr3iGCL1C3Quf/s640/DSC_0118.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Character donuts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpw6MuwzFUZGYYGpbGvGrDnvUnB5DwGuCVIuKYfe17lCj4JfwVRKgLZb0P1oNWO8ySPm28PcFVL2-AtP6QEFi_8G6fDAg-VYdr9sc3msWTifun1tImb42sx76rk7FojZRFnDerm9vO4PYT/s1600/20161229_123952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpw6MuwzFUZGYYGpbGvGrDnvUnB5DwGuCVIuKYfe17lCj4JfwVRKgLZb0P1oNWO8ySPm28PcFVL2-AtP6QEFi_8G6fDAg-VYdr9sc3msWTifun1tImb42sx76rk7FojZRFnDerm9vO4PYT/s640/20161229_123952.jpg" width="496" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Moomin bubble tea</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44Zzgsa4BzDN790a4Hc7d1C9k8edLG-oTDYfj6Ak0-tTXxCOM9dgkaBkDZZ-Z8Dp60ON8YD2HAJoJd59kYC07QYyEsYhhwiVRbUL-_E5IDVghNuSoIv-VShWRAjt5TVRMnH0IlovNbaIG/s640/DSC_0122.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tokyo metro station</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
Since some of us still had time after that and it was not far away, we decided to go to Asakusa - one of the city parts I have not yet been to - primarily to visit the famous Asakusa Shrine and Senso-ji Temple. Thanks to Anshuman for providing some of the photos!</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_d0edpFaauRmf73t6vIaDOq-awGeJKIj65JdECVO3K0KQniD5lL0xl32SY9ssDSgC5YL3dxaOJ1AJtGza_kmfA-LV8r8AacpoFQ1RT_TnUo1o12ZynK1mINiGzqLRph7lFcSs1WPFvtlU/s1600/DSC_0123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_d0edpFaauRmf73t6vIaDOq-awGeJKIj65JdECVO3K0KQniD5lL0xl32SY9ssDSgC5YL3dxaOJ1AJtGza_kmfA-LV8r8AacpoFQ1RT_TnUo1o12ZynK1mINiGzqLRph7lFcSs1WPFvtlU/s640/DSC_0123.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tokyo Skytree to the left, Asahi Beer Hall with the famous "golden turd" on the right. This hollow golden thing on the top should originally represent a frothy head, but apparently, the construction went wrong and turned out like this ;P</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGp8-hh8VxempYVaj4PtlJLg0muNI0_9P02E5rIDBsT4tyvIKq8_9Ax5uNR_9C9fL0J13BKRsrbbenZGufbI2SX0plb2MPrfwS3mKxaxLkhEiHwMNizkLeA_yxkM15ihKKZOq4cqQSOsn-/s1600/DSC_0134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGp8-hh8VxempYVaj4PtlJLg0muNI0_9P02E5rIDBsT4tyvIKq8_9Ax5uNR_9C9fL0J13BKRsrbbenZGufbI2SX0plb2MPrfwS3mKxaxLkhEiHwMNizkLeA_yxkM15ihKKZOq4cqQSOsn-/s640/DSC_0134.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlS5CwWxUdf-vgErpEaf7oCK59lpmuXljFQy7qoOkdeUI3QiA3sZjJOZrXCcOy_ASz_4HRuaQfGsBweV3PyBsCjIaoAwqDuKbMLJXQpD7YQyAxAJuYCZdsBljiK0YbNvegiv_7fv5-fJX/s1600/DSC_0126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlS5CwWxUdf-vgErpEaf7oCK59lpmuXljFQy7qoOkdeUI3QiA3sZjJOZrXCcOy_ASz_4HRuaQfGsBweV3PyBsCjIaoAwqDuKbMLJXQpD7YQyAxAJuYCZdsBljiK0YbNvegiv_7fv5-fJX/s640/DSC_0126.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Azuma Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWfubUJuby7b1vBoIGirtIEoke2Kco-IPOA2UWNPC3es8VFzjHURcOshtRm6qX0ZaUf8m2-RCFTp454bCGLMFk1ox4gWSa37BAzloS50awALhspv5Zcc4Pe_tctgIjfkRamHsSyO4lvXa/s1600/DSC_0132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWfubUJuby7b1vBoIGirtIEoke2Kco-IPOA2UWNPC3es8VFzjHURcOshtRm6qX0ZaUf8m2-RCFTp454bCGLMFk1ox4gWSa37BAzloS50awALhspv5Zcc4Pe_tctgIjfkRamHsSyO4lvXa/s640/DSC_0132.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAas6y36BwUtcj9qhjdYNMJMAywW9n_beGqwhdxXRbiDF5dQJA1T-b48a8NqNq2ZG1R6X6TwgB-nCcECbkfA7PMRqMTGUJlWQtgj6K_ktRleWFrStgCILcfdhZvsmRtZYIJPK-FpNmdKkQ/s1600/DSC_0138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAas6y36BwUtcj9qhjdYNMJMAywW9n_beGqwhdxXRbiDF5dQJA1T-b48a8NqNq2ZG1R6X6TwgB-nCcECbkfA7PMRqMTGUJlWQtgj6K_ktRleWFrStgCILcfdhZvsmRtZYIJPK-FpNmdKkQ/s640/DSC_0138.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dozens of lanterns decorating the path to the shrine</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHLhPhVcSiy-mdRk38EFr3blmWq9ivvjEhGWFh3ElcePOHTZqB4Lk-DFvuCFfGOl3dCa6CAYhSCTXqkQE9OP91PLL6qmvz64n_eRPkZsdfWO36fFvWxFRrDN0IAhbvaqNuvtp3J-Uc7gY/s1600/15785749_10154809150317086_633649627_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHLhPhVcSiy-mdRk38EFr3blmWq9ivvjEhGWFh3ElcePOHTZqB4Lk-DFvuCFfGOl3dCa6CAYhSCTXqkQE9OP91PLL6qmvz64n_eRPkZsdfWO36fFvWxFRrDN0IAhbvaqNuvtp3J-Uc7gY/s640/15785749_10154809150317086_633649627_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally: The Asakusa Shrine with the famous lanterns at the entrance!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7SzKvbU-0TzRb_YM3uzj776aLggApprpFrTXHU4wXRPx3NdQMfmdoQmuJ6CwF77iKSqVdV5z5xzo9bsuczSMYk9zgPLdsCOKBv8_ab_LeK63rKCMQBt1ci80g_WSv06y4ogEzT23b-acB/s1600/DSC_0159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7SzKvbU-0TzRb_YM3uzj776aLggApprpFrTXHU4wXRPx3NdQMfmdoQmuJ6CwF77iKSqVdV5z5xzo9bsuczSMYk9zgPLdsCOKBv8_ab_LeK63rKCMQBt1ci80g_WSv06y4ogEzT23b-acB/s640/DSC_0159.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCHxNTUrnnPqOje57vhW_gQ-vNmc7jIxAQzZT11_frAvCFQPIbtPypx63SDPIyjlyfnyvQ7ZHFO1ZWe-lWLdB7BWXF2ia56QzvT1YVdWvzqr3-9SPB4PrXm6LvqFYKfrOLi3Co6UjItdy/s1600/15748281_10154809150497086_99110230_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCHxNTUrnnPqOje57vhW_gQ-vNmc7jIxAQzZT11_frAvCFQPIbtPypx63SDPIyjlyfnyvQ7ZHFO1ZWe-lWLdB7BWXF2ia56QzvT1YVdWvzqr3-9SPB4PrXm6LvqFYKfrOLi3Co6UjItdy/s640/15748281_10154809150497086_99110230_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this is Senso-ji</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6ty8m6h_dOiCnjH2sR_YxSADuyrtsqAMQ9oAG3iMO864G3vrR6OTPKcYrb5D-p17JxMaDlW5-Y6n9zoOtF72WPFYR3CDlCrmP3C-QA1iED_EgDzzGeIoZv0bHWcnDNthqoTJwzwuiQnL/s1600/DSC_0168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6ty8m6h_dOiCnjH2sR_YxSADuyrtsqAMQ9oAG3iMO864G3vrR6OTPKcYrb5D-p17JxMaDlW5-Y6n9zoOtF72WPFYR3CDlCrmP3C-QA1iED_EgDzzGeIoZv0bHWcnDNthqoTJwzwuiQnL/s640/DSC_0168.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThiBU417tkjM5yiSENqjW9hpV659itprJd_6shd1tZSZXBwHCIcWRl7a5GidDytFWkVgTYyZXgBsKPAJxhyYS180XG7iAzkkILFRt2ZeklsHkIkN7KSZ134Z1UWd1CLgPD-FMu-AzfFne/s1600/DSC_0172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThiBU417tkjM5yiSENqjW9hpV659itprJd_6shd1tZSZXBwHCIcWRl7a5GidDytFWkVgTYyZXgBsKPAJxhyYS180XG7iAzkkILFRt2ZeklsHkIkN7KSZ134Z1UWd1CLgPD-FMu-AzfFne/s640/DSC_0172.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Because the place is so popular among tourists, Japanese merchants don't miss the chance and sell a whole lot of souvenirs and traditional snacks and sweets in a long market street.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiARrAHLJBuDpzjhX3yzY6eppTux8R1dzCUqIyjrTp0_bPAmflDuLP17QXLwqih5hCbqiW7vNuZxfdo-_wfnGhlms7Dqym8lMPZZv9b3Kio7vI0KEX7yWGwgU-GpnFzi_Wt_1iJgWwoxWH/s1600/15748937_10154809149477086_1073130275_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiARrAHLJBuDpzjhX3yzY6eppTux8R1dzCUqIyjrTp0_bPAmflDuLP17QXLwqih5hCbqiW7vNuZxfdo-_wfnGhlms7Dqym8lMPZZv9b3Kio7vI0KEX7yWGwgU-GpnFzi_Wt_1iJgWwoxWH/s640/15748937_10154809149477086_1073130275_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5K6BUtuPYKardVCl4-1onZ2lnXDfwSTTwD0Rbdu_mxfjWBvtk4p0xbtuRvsBXVSOnOrE2TJt-1Iv-zCcrTfn1CD6pu1amfklOEOOPjffBSC5ZCGCgpoJ69D4iNWhtIapWdZNJEsxIvMEz/s1600/DSC_0185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5K6BUtuPYKardVCl4-1onZ2lnXDfwSTTwD0Rbdu_mxfjWBvtk4p0xbtuRvsBXVSOnOrE2TJt-1Iv-zCcrTfn1CD6pu1amfklOEOOPjffBSC5ZCGCgpoJ69D4iNWhtIapWdZNJEsxIvMEz/s640/DSC_0185.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who recognised the character?</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqrFgUSEwK8tumbJngiWeiydg7BJIP9z_uMfrNHOKqYnnxJcRvWhBD8FBK8KZoXm4-Nj3NzPO4FjlUnrjtWRnNIhK0f2MYmHe2rIkxRJCoP95wX_YBiSdOzCtJMNmZBnupK8RSgLqNu12/s1600/DSC_0188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqrFgUSEwK8tumbJngiWeiydg7BJIP9z_uMfrNHOKqYnnxJcRvWhBD8FBK8KZoXm4-Nj3NzPO4FjlUnrjtWRnNIhK0f2MYmHe2rIkxRJCoP95wX_YBiSdOzCtJMNmZBnupK8RSgLqNu12/s640/DSC_0188.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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On our quest through the city for a warm place to stay, we have found a lovely little café offering reasonably priced cake sets. I got this matcha sponge cake and Darjeeling tea:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjDfqPDySPvEyCby9mr8AOICcwRVuGh8GrnafET5cfbfDZ3r1xW3JycAHxGPYEPfbeFL6_AOyQ3k3J764rtH2CRB3aMNEvxe8bWLdOH73rYhrUXg8D5fBbN3fvScta6DP_WVUYKUaab7m/s1600/DSC_0201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjDfqPDySPvEyCby9mr8AOICcwRVuGh8GrnafET5cfbfDZ3r1xW3JycAHxGPYEPfbeFL6_AOyQ3k3J764rtH2CRB3aMNEvxe8bWLdOH73rYhrUXg8D5fBbN3fvScta6DP_WVUYKUaab7m/s640/DSC_0201.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry, I have to end this with another food picture - but the table setup was to cute not too share</td></tr>
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So this was 2016 - hard to believe! If you are curious how the Japanese celebrate New Year - make sure to drop by here in the next few days, when I can tell you about the numerous festivities Japanese people hold around this important day. Have a wonderful celebration yourself and a happy, healthy and fantastic 2017! Hold on to your goals and dreams, and don't forget to appreciate everyone and everything that is important to you. <i>Yoi otoshi o!</i></div>
rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-89737178102143905172016-12-30T22:40:00.004+09:002017-01-11T17:34:29.050+09:00Merii kurisumasu!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Dear friends,</div>
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long time no read! I am finally on holiday and one of the first things I am thinking about is updating my blog. ;) First, I would like to thank each one of you - I have received wonderful comments and I am genuinely surprised and delighted as to who is actually reading this. You have been giving me a lot of motivation to keep it going and to make sure you enjoy it as much as I do. Thank you!</div>
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So what was going on this month? As always - a lot... This is only the first part of my December adventures. Let's dive into the world of Japanese Christmas illuminations, markets and celebrations.</div>
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It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas</h4>
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At this time of year, Tokyo beams and shines wherever you go. As rapidly as autumn turned to winter, the landscape changed and now every street, shop, mall and square is trying their best to impress passersby. Here are some highlights of the Christmas illuminations:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5TKs9Be7vubST1mfm9GMOpd1c2mik3lWH74rAQoBBpLyBePmT8KZA2d4s2GfomIy9vFt2zpf5gUjE8QpnVZj9ZipAO2e5k-zsP7Lgve8vn2iqBqr8o34Gi68o_L5e2CWiwP2svU45CPl/s1600/20161204_195254_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5TKs9Be7vubST1mfm9GMOpd1c2mik3lWH74rAQoBBpLyBePmT8KZA2d4s2GfomIy9vFt2zpf5gUjE8QpnVZj9ZipAO2e5k-zsP7Lgve8vn2iqBqr8o34Gi68o_L5e2CWiwP2svU45CPl/s640/20161204_195254_LLS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Ikebukuro<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiI_cWwOLuHqSMuRCGf_-1rmy_jVBCL-N_kdPp-u0xq0E5m6640NDe67wbC4spJswMC3fMwTTQrvz8wRgP2IEG9jPjHdR3BkDBo2f2Bp1i0kkF8QrSEpPuJZNLBbq7q6Eowmhiq8KYGAR2/s1600/20161204_191631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiI_cWwOLuHqSMuRCGf_-1rmy_jVBCL-N_kdPp-u0xq0E5m6640NDe67wbC4spJswMC3fMwTTQrvz8wRgP2IEG9jPjHdR3BkDBo2f2Bp1i0kkF8QrSEpPuJZNLBbq7q6Eowmhiq8KYGAR2/s640/20161204_191631.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunshine City Ikebukuro</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ith3BVQfQrT5gYv6L9mP6QWuI2hb13-wV0lc8rvKeXm-QaBRgDE8oKmlNFKX8nYXjhxAtpDbF1t5b9agVQswWi-YoAkqNLxWi8i1ZKbwHo13vOCvX6JnJXhrfEMeWaqJEBeZf-Vqj7aq/s1600/20161209_171520_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ith3BVQfQrT5gYv6L9mP6QWuI2hb13-wV0lc8rvKeXm-QaBRgDE8oKmlNFKX8nYXjhxAtpDbF1t5b9agVQswWi-YoAkqNLxWi8i1ZKbwHo13vOCvX6JnJXhrfEMeWaqJEBeZf-Vqj7aq/s640/20161209_171520_LLS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Shinjuku</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmLkUpf9S-EweAAm931Ci2Y_9nrSVsavdhgSPDncN0qInjpmLLcXSQU4NUymO8gFDyFAPX2NFQRAYFphv8ncfRDEu4IJilt07JKQ7WFqoZ4laW7zOoV_DiBoTr37SxvOioOqtNZf2KcvF/s1600/20161221_160539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmLkUpf9S-EweAAm931Ci2Y_9nrSVsavdhgSPDncN0qInjpmLLcXSQU4NUymO8gFDyFAPX2NFQRAYFphv8ncfRDEu4IJilt07JKQ7WFqoZ4laW7zOoV_DiBoTr37SxvOioOqtNZf2KcvF/s640/20161221_160539.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next to Hibiya station</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORAv47CfpM_CZRS-7kIa-dDXyW9mWg6oTibQwr4c1GRBo7zbzVGzdBFF1Fcl_NcABQrYQs8Q1JA2RNnpTw3eobusUrVPfaBDuCCM13mkdkycj62G5V3RWfeWzaycsiURl9vuWcfTmHkGF/s1600/20161217_192817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORAv47CfpM_CZRS-7kIa-dDXyW9mWg6oTibQwr4c1GRBo7zbzVGzdBFF1Fcl_NcABQrYQs8Q1JA2RNnpTw3eobusUrVPfaBDuCCM13mkdkycj62G5V3RWfeWzaycsiURl9vuWcfTmHkGF/s640/20161217_192817.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harajuku</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRv9P52G-VIt1VYIuOYe2kZxooNJNP-6GKPxoa69772pys2LB1wWn7bnMFOcnJ-QTz93t_4Zow1xajz0M0ZOFtJjaxVi36ONNAP5qZM0lWeRP7G_Y72KHVdh2ChwwDhYjfNgkvEsrGBIVw/s1600/IMG-20161222-WA0008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRv9P52G-VIt1VYIuOYe2kZxooNJNP-6GKPxoa69772pys2LB1wWn7bnMFOcnJ-QTz93t_4Zow1xajz0M0ZOFtJjaxVi36ONNAP5qZM0lWeRP7G_Y72KHVdh2ChwwDhYjfNgkvEsrGBIVw/s640/IMG-20161222-WA0008.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somewhere between Hibiya and Ginza</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJmjUpo0MOjRNraCmgk5HA0P81-MrkAma2nhMXBFTIAQP6C6fkqJEoOs5pcwGjTXtyjh91jDxpLXKK7_fFRqFnB_FKpCxabzP83G3tr7Red8XaHACzuNt46YXxMj2WK8dDfqgXebGhRWp/s1600/IMG-20161222-WA0011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJmjUpo0MOjRNraCmgk5HA0P81-MrkAma2nhMXBFTIAQP6C6fkqJEoOs5pcwGjTXtyjh91jDxpLXKK7_fFRqFnB_FKpCxabzP83G3tr7Red8XaHACzuNt46YXxMj2WK8dDfqgXebGhRWp/s640/IMG-20161222-WA0011.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ginza</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The Sunshine city mall in Ikebukuro even had a special show:</div>
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<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
Feeling like at home</h4>
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Because Japanese love to celebrate and especially seem like German culture, there were a lot of Christmas markets to find around the city. The first one I visited was the <b>Aoyama Christmas Market</b> in Shibuya. </div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5xbok9SeGvbHn056Jj1SfSBavr5EfhlDFdu1LPQFgdhVOnfP-ZdwLjW_o7nDDOKjCNI1ztxTnLXQLMFMAvA9r4Ec0xpVmoJgF2m-_upWtYyYQqO2xDu3TbNzkmV9kI57xoYwBdBVQffx/s1600/20161218_142827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5xbok9SeGvbHn056Jj1SfSBavr5EfhlDFdu1LPQFgdhVOnfP-ZdwLjW_o7nDDOKjCNI1ztxTnLXQLMFMAvA9r4Ec0xpVmoJgF2m-_upWtYyYQqO2xDu3TbNzkmV9kI57xoYwBdBVQffx/s640/20161218_142827.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">German sweets come in tiny, expensive amounts here</td></tr>
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Although it was rather small and not really impressive, you could find hot wine and delicious vegan hot dogs here:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLP2NFRPM4vtPIJqhtZs1ONv6u1EFTTkvHir3BpDHZCwv5-8KYy8Nayh-RlUI5qdvZgV7dKflp85M0HbCaDOFvvGqchrX01HcXgRri4QzlmgPpXGwzsOjhPguBV6kF0jrxscIStys55itW/s1600/20161218_152214.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLP2NFRPM4vtPIJqhtZs1ONv6u1EFTTkvHir3BpDHZCwv5-8KYy8Nayh-RlUI5qdvZgV7dKflp85M0HbCaDOFvvGqchrX01HcXgRri4QzlmgPpXGwzsOjhPguBV6kF0jrxscIStys55itW/s320/20161218_152214.jpg" width="198" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCRC9qMnz_H0cAbnwrOykgv07OseiFxppaSyfqHAI6jCrFB2bqMov7HYIlGOGs_dNE30lvZckF6bdEQus29ru5Uk40sxSRDNGbTU3ZuceEdf3d0JFV-I51CIPCSrtbTHfz9rH1tdz7zei2/s1600/20161218_145537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCRC9qMnz_H0cAbnwrOykgv07OseiFxppaSyfqHAI6jCrFB2bqMov7HYIlGOGs_dNE30lvZckF6bdEQus29ru5Uk40sxSRDNGbTU3ZuceEdf3d0JFV-I51CIPCSrtbTHfz9rH1tdz7zei2/s320/20161218_145537.jpg" width="269" /></a></div>
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Real dogs were present as well - in fact, you could even adopt one. It seemed like the animal shelter took the opportunity to find homes for their inhabitants.</div>
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Another market I heard was worth visiting was the one in Roppongi hills. Takara and I went there when I promised to introduce him to German food. Before visiting the market, however, we first went to a German restaurant called <b>Bernds Bar</b>. </div>
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Now this was a true culture shock for me. Not only were we greeted in German when we entered (note that it was a visitor, not the waiter), the menu was also in German (with doubtly helpful meal names in katakana). German radio was playing from the speakers, and the interior resembled a Kneipe (German bar/pub) just too much. Should I mention the food was very authentic as well?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGl76M16rEuw1u5hUHJvQ-AkF2-i57jt2_ltzSJepWfhpLCHJX6Tz_xH8Lh-zSoumj-iGY9VdzIyr0TyZLGE9wG_EaOKtnK5uh7e7o8Akybz_HOFw9uIRv-ij8SZ7LihEpPudfROP2em4/s1600/20161220_191801_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGl76M16rEuw1u5hUHJvQ-AkF2-i57jt2_ltzSJepWfhpLCHJX6Tz_xH8Lh-zSoumj-iGY9VdzIyr0TyZLGE9wG_EaOKtnK5uh7e7o8Akybz_HOFw9uIRv-ij8SZ7LihEpPudfROP2em4/s400/20161220_191801_LLS.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green asparagus cream spaghetti</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxDrncanAyNlCU4HgpsKiBfFSz1RBo71XEQr95hLRLWLX-vRbFpDNo1KjOIf_d9ksZChLp3YC_v6u0S79wgxFsimGNUoC7YcqqgNi1BSdW_ayO81Jbt5m2YMX23tz8Y59lt5XON8-4n4E/s1600/20161220_191831_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxDrncanAyNlCU4HgpsKiBfFSz1RBo71XEQr95hLRLWLX-vRbFpDNo1KjOIf_d9ksZChLp3YC_v6u0S79wgxFsimGNUoC7YcqqgNi1BSdW_ayO81Jbt5m2YMX23tz8Y59lt5XON8-4n4E/s400/20161220_191831_LLS.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White sausages with potatoes, sauerkraut and mustard</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtE-zxwbz7BJpjS9fbhoBiiEC-YZQ2wfdtLDOkNsW0IZoomNxx7ftA_7aE721Brx2LFHrDU8GsEDZYEHFpPVcWumkYzDLnHo6SkRcDtl0DxRu2b_8JafdsfmyOP8Ex3WVoAwztY5NpzO5/s1600/20161220_191824_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtE-zxwbz7BJpjS9fbhoBiiEC-YZQ2wfdtLDOkNsW0IZoomNxx7ftA_7aE721Brx2LFHrDU8GsEDZYEHFpPVcWumkYzDLnHo6SkRcDtl0DxRu2b_8JafdsfmyOP8Ex3WVoAwztY5NpzO5/s640/20161220_191824_LLS.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also, I may have turned this Japanese guy into a beer lover... oops</td></tr>
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We were equally impressed by the <b>Roppongi Hills Christmas Market</b>. It offered so many cute souvenirs and sweets, plus it was the first time for Takara to try hot wine ;) Although it was all under a roof, I was still happy to finally have found something resembling an authentic Christmas market. Because my phone died at this time, the photo credit goes to Takara - thank you!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dashing through the snow...</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9xKs4pV7WGjPNnUtpdj6ADlHGWM3izB90UknmNJqiILD-4prvDijV6H_H_Ly_dog0dvljeeurcWn97xq04YxAEbewavayv1MS6JFwqmd7wqhvImi0xtQBlXZXbNtgV_wvpHSJjYAZatb/s1600/15682055_1037115396434903_1420244497_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9xKs4pV7WGjPNnUtpdj6ADlHGWM3izB90UknmNJqiILD-4prvDijV6H_H_Ly_dog0dvljeeurcWn97xq04YxAEbewavayv1MS6JFwqmd7wqhvImi0xtQBlXZXbNtgV_wvpHSJjYAZatb/s640/15682055_1037115396434903_1420244497_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTOU1gQK3k-noVXwzv38-UmgwLSs1tj0muUKMT_1ojd6HN6-ZX1HaoYYOX1kScE53zofNSyQIqdCuHUAI2GgJb4dGRW-SylwCecjVwN0QxT3pqMu9f-y7jRwyRgjtyQ1nasbRCcofCq6K/s1600/15631394_1037115329768243_214267309_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTOU1gQK3k-noVXwzv38-UmgwLSs1tj0muUKMT_1ojd6HN6-ZX1HaoYYOX1kScE53zofNSyQIqdCuHUAI2GgJb4dGRW-SylwCecjVwN0QxT3pqMu9f-y7jRwyRgjtyQ1nasbRCcofCq6K/s640/15631394_1037115329768243_214267309_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhof6hxNbGav8zDtPwUV73em0V97p2se9sJcV8udbrN4-wmbgZAsbXqGNLOM73LZGvXKz87uyyN4wjce9UtTuskNN8EqFp5hXJDAj5S9Wd2ckx5rIRC3mV130bnnRBXRYWoCrlN9lRelMeC/s1600/15681940_1037115363101573_1329130203_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhof6hxNbGav8zDtPwUV73em0V97p2se9sJcV8udbrN4-wmbgZAsbXqGNLOM73LZGvXKz87uyyN4wjce9UtTuskNN8EqFp5hXJDAj5S9Wd2ckx5rIRC3mV130bnnRBXRYWoCrlN9lRelMeC/s640/15681940_1037115363101573_1329130203_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczfnqDtG_hLV-9swoYLoUp4DAXMD4B400tQQb30dgR33unHMbtzNkOkXeCK3-WFT9vZ5IzTm87KVdHYxCmYaoc_gevaNzXdU1Hxk8ECEigP6seXQQ-VzNSDYqJ4ZlhnM-v9uD6-XOd6w7/s1600/15657945_1037115366434906_1696528466_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczfnqDtG_hLV-9swoYLoUp4DAXMD4B400tQQb30dgR33unHMbtzNkOkXeCK3-WFT9vZ5IzTm87KVdHYxCmYaoc_gevaNzXdU1Hxk8ECEigP6seXQQ-VzNSDYqJ4ZlhnM-v9uD6-XOd6w7/s640/15657945_1037115366434906_1696528466_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQ7oxe-4Bq9k7C0ekW2PcfZ8LwlqqAqTZRcpm6Wz8eQ4IRCKG2-7yJMrJ06ae9zyjhbre4k6k4wBUZQ986Lly_Aj1G7E1c7QsBewvK3RtJ6zr9J27UwrHRWB4i-x9ZOyqnGtlcOvjci2j/s1600/15681821_1037115353101574_973723013_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQ7oxe-4Bq9k7C0ekW2PcfZ8LwlqqAqTZRcpm6Wz8eQ4IRCKG2-7yJMrJ06ae9zyjhbre4k6k4wBUZQ986Lly_Aj1G7E1c7QsBewvK3RtJ6zr9J27UwrHRWB4i-x9ZOyqnGtlcOvjci2j/s640/15681821_1037115353101574_973723013_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's how I like my Glühwein</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1iglVpRDp5ER7A-XL-lNASDi_sF8UOfXXMXwivR5ryhwS7Au7nNVPBLSu1-HDIfJfRonzK0WX32H79NAD1FKZnSdw1nfiW1iLodOEBm9dLqvkzSgY9CtG8L0vYoZcCWXp_o0F5o_-tFK/s1600/20161220_225619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1iglVpRDp5ER7A-XL-lNASDi_sF8UOfXXMXwivR5ryhwS7Au7nNVPBLSu1-HDIfJfRonzK0WX32H79NAD1FKZnSdw1nfiW1iLodOEBm9dLqvkzSgY9CtG8L0vYoZcCWXp_o0F5o_-tFK/s320/20161220_225619.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gingerbread and cinnamon star *-*</td></tr>
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The illuminations around Roppongi and in Ebisu were definitely worth seeing as well. Especially the big chandelier they are displaying not far from Ebisu station.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNYkTuOzBQN0Cbs6YO3yDoCG6QJzNbxXuqDpk5w7ls2drSt94Kf39-aY0W1RmH2M5kMzvfw6_AXG4K5PHe6F_HqDG7ruTvXvkJKFTsAeGunzc1vm47dGy0uA_-5Ag-icHZuKytivYFc88/s1600/15658164_1037115083101601_1791941525_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNYkTuOzBQN0Cbs6YO3yDoCG6QJzNbxXuqDpk5w7ls2drSt94Kf39-aY0W1RmH2M5kMzvfw6_AXG4K5PHe6F_HqDG7ruTvXvkJKFTsAeGunzc1vm47dGy0uA_-5Ag-icHZuKytivYFc88/s640/15658164_1037115083101601_1791941525_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdNLqYPshB3mbHRoPfOAbbTRQSlxlyTaF-AVHPjxKWU0YPm07YTTMtjc1LOb62npeRXCLVuSb0_93cfXzr9Pmv4KY9VBkYurVuW_zPnwrkpZnBGcZTb9XQX98fU_XjZ7_ocOW7Mh2Jv1Z/s1600/15658873_1037115286434914_527039208_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdNLqYPshB3mbHRoPfOAbbTRQSlxlyTaF-AVHPjxKWU0YPm07YTTMtjc1LOb62npeRXCLVuSb0_93cfXzr9Pmv4KY9VBkYurVuW_zPnwrkpZnBGcZTb9XQX98fU_XjZ7_ocOW7Mh2Jv1Z/s640/15658873_1037115286434914_527039208_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is a small French Christmas market as well - too bad it was closed when we arrived</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The chandelier in front of a Christmas background</td></tr>
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Also make sure to check out this cool video Takara has made on our expedition to German culture! ;)</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxv1iopmbgETPdBZU5wp4yTtPDBwGr5Z5StJvhB_N5aAb8oTLnduC6tUQwrEEvLTEA0v8YIUmNOQgwV1Y4vNw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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But the biggest and most important of them all was the <b>Tokyo Christmas Market</b> in Hibiya park, where I went with Tharshi. You can probably quickly recognize why. Thanks to Tharshi for providing some of the photos!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LuiuQq_qPTf4VZinAAuEz7WYMrsqvrbxcgOyAd6Voo_heziLK3_MoPzWNWEDeoChR-TB33qVCD1WqUsC0evWiO5VR6h9R98oQ9WL6f5BAGQKVahyheEnTvXCFpNm7irPwNwSRd9X7ogw/s1600/20161221_161819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LuiuQq_qPTf4VZinAAuEz7WYMrsqvrbxcgOyAd6Voo_heziLK3_MoPzWNWEDeoChR-TB33qVCD1WqUsC0evWiO5VR6h9R98oQ9WL6f5BAGQKVahyheEnTvXCFpNm7irPwNwSRd9X7ogw/s640/20161221_161819.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8I2kxMXW7B7XxLcorydSIjY6QQS3Db3-xoCe0hTuket98WD5nWfgQ6SAoUdiTOUaTTNyjd70-q3zmBLdvZFo_LDwFooD5ymV_rAELIQvDJ_AgzicajP928zcmri36SFU3jlVn4lIsuMhP/s1600/20161221_161854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8I2kxMXW7B7XxLcorydSIjY6QQS3Db3-xoCe0hTuket98WD5nWfgQ6SAoUdiTOUaTTNyjd70-q3zmBLdvZFo_LDwFooD5ymV_rAELIQvDJ_AgzicajP928zcmri36SFU3jlVn4lIsuMhP/s640/20161221_161854.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBP7ohC8kIAul5sN-S4mHl5AnUWBpU3SbdiWZ1kZWsYtvtGkEF_pVPm3JxUaz1AaE49sNYkkFYwFYvlpK_nv0LwhnbUgvdXqlHLifLfqJBs-SlnHmjg5ZFfgmoBNayWuebyPCNadghF4KS/s1600/20161221_162100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBP7ohC8kIAul5sN-S4mHl5AnUWBpU3SbdiWZ1kZWsYtvtGkEF_pVPm3JxUaz1AaE49sNYkkFYwFYvlpK_nv0LwhnbUgvdXqlHLifLfqJBs-SlnHmjg5ZFfgmoBNayWuebyPCNadghF4KS/s640/20161221_162100.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegF1DHpWr8DlwODz7egYGmwmZfy_q_88aTBRNZRcxiaBpfWsaBtDrX0AMoc6g_qOm4ReLK5hHBgQBn2z_tN_6751iE7WpX7QRaaXej_cSXBjhUTAYiU981Dif44dPKetoxalb1NVuhvOK/s1600/20161221_162737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegF1DHpWr8DlwODz7egYGmwmZfy_q_88aTBRNZRcxiaBpfWsaBtDrX0AMoc6g_qOm4ReLK5hHBgQBn2z_tN_6751iE7WpX7QRaaXej_cSXBjhUTAYiU981Dif44dPKetoxalb1NVuhvOK/s640/20161221_162737.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Even a Russian place - oh dear...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkzElghpXJcBmDkZB9aU0FT-jTsSYtsiJhiBDaXsA5q6NkhyphenhyphenaLubBPm_7NF_9FAhI-FpYKdDooDHqxqUeIeNoK18T2uBAiIs4kDsFTQjcP3UUMibp3jMY7ZTjNeR4xl3YemDGiIKByvVN/s1600/IMG-20161222-WA0018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkzElghpXJcBmDkZB9aU0FT-jTsSYtsiJhiBDaXsA5q6NkhyphenhyphenaLubBPm_7NF_9FAhI-FpYKdDooDHqxqUeIeNoK18T2uBAiIs4kDsFTQjcP3UUMibp3jMY7ZTjNeR4xl3YemDGiIKByvVN/s640/IMG-20161222-WA0018.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The booth is called "Dress of the cakes". Artistic, isn't it?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtBKgnNTxsHCe1vyxxebb5LyklA7B0s9OeTlNNd8fPvUfG8YSmruTosMsFZBKiOhFKpqYu5reXNXizBaF456HIAvaZdJRR0AAp_HlYpRMvN_WqrjbJGYUhCD4YYSUaGICBq1iiuwKnId9/s1600/IMG-20161222-WA0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtBKgnNTxsHCe1vyxxebb5LyklA7B0s9OeTlNNd8fPvUfG8YSmruTosMsFZBKiOhFKpqYu5reXNXizBaF456HIAvaZdJRR0AAp_HlYpRMvN_WqrjbJGYUhCD4YYSUaGICBq1iiuwKnId9/s640/IMG-20161222-WA0003.jpg" width="610" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This pyramid was imported directly from Dresden</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dGVheDMgcEDS_3egc2tZgdswSL_Jcz8DQr4_jiWHZ6_tgnbQmSHdewaS-tnlCixdtLoygvrG2mYkp0vkU1pl6iOz5LzlbXRP54x6SXM6LadQzrWslf66fiP3i3tlwJ02J9rfX8blE7Yd/s1600/IMG-20161223-WA0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dGVheDMgcEDS_3egc2tZgdswSL_Jcz8DQr4_jiWHZ6_tgnbQmSHdewaS-tnlCixdtLoygvrG2mYkp0vkU1pl6iOz5LzlbXRP54x6SXM6LadQzrWslf66fiP3i3tlwJ02J9rfX8blE7Yd/s640/IMG-20161223-WA0003.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhysPCX1mG3utkJdqlE-bRjwlqiSxi8bCiQFoHtSLcMQv_WJc-GkEJezrscxa3ww9rmN_Acl187Pk-z9Wmw_7uuXqODGc_eU8ay4UY9g9hdKuXY8YDlmPKNE8-GbEs30_OQthKeddX1rQOc/s1600/20161221_171154_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhysPCX1mG3utkJdqlE-bRjwlqiSxi8bCiQFoHtSLcMQv_WJc-GkEJezrscxa3ww9rmN_Acl187Pk-z9Wmw_7uuXqODGc_eU8ay4UY9g9hdKuXY8YDlmPKNE8-GbEs30_OQthKeddX1rQOc/s640/20161221_171154_LLS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We don't even have such elaborate decorations in Germany</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GXTtu-nNTRlrvksQdyLDeMs7Gg4QB_lGxCdRyY_ylUIgZd4Etf5yD082AUKOPLRNdgZ2OReXq_q6a0myD3TlHhc0V8cYbbTMfRZOO4vRzd5Nd0oPM7A3KVGmV0O-djqW43_XfpUI_owf/s1600/IMG-20161222-WA0016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GXTtu-nNTRlrvksQdyLDeMs7Gg4QB_lGxCdRyY_ylUIgZd4Etf5yD082AUKOPLRNdgZ2OReXq_q6a0myD3TlHhc0V8cYbbTMfRZOO4vRzd5Nd0oPM7A3KVGmV0O-djqW43_XfpUI_owf/s640/IMG-20161222-WA0016.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pTFhHyks_EZkPR_5F1TyXOxhGyqXxagcf5obMXh0tpra-SstnEu51bsxJU3k2lOGtq1zzHakHCbVtNtlW1LZliPCfXgI6H9auLdBZ4NZBulxg6eUdIYmTB6KYAFke_2gnbK9MVmDA8kW/s1600/20161221_165613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pTFhHyks_EZkPR_5F1TyXOxhGyqXxagcf5obMXh0tpra-SstnEu51bsxJU3k2lOGtq1zzHakHCbVtNtlW1LZliPCfXgI6H9auLdBZ4NZBulxg6eUdIYmTB6KYAFke_2gnbK9MVmDA8kW/s640/20161221_165613.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wait, isn't it all a Doitsu (Germany) center?</td></tr>
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It sure gave you the genuine German Weihnachtsmarkt feeling - with yummy food (although significantly more expensive), hot wine, cute decorations and souvenirs, and even live performances (which we don't have in Germany).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZabpBLJHJX2gX3GMu1JHH9Xpg-jvZV8KIKd91ahVR_kl8tdWCxXCJIjgyAeUDUo8nCAsMNK7xdMbaROIZWGEjg-xjLGMGpOvzGK-W9qT1Jl5UB2KKjq6A3Tq605l711DfRGOvJ1hc7_S/s1600/20161221_163519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZabpBLJHJX2gX3GMu1JHH9Xpg-jvZV8KIKd91ahVR_kl8tdWCxXCJIjgyAeUDUo8nCAsMNK7xdMbaROIZWGEjg-xjLGMGpOvzGK-W9qT1Jl5UB2KKjq6A3Tq605l711DfRGOvJ1hc7_S/s640/20161221_163519.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Bavarian potato"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ho ho ho!</td></tr>
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This evening was made perfect by our visit to a cinema nearby to see "Fantastic beasts and where to find them" (in English, of course). The cinema in Hibiya impressed me by offering free warm blankets for the visitors, and you could buy chocolate cake. In a cinema! By the way, the movie was good as well. ;) It is interesting how almost every cinema in Tokyo offers major movies in the original version. As a foreigner, you sure have less trouble finding something to watch as, for example, in Germany.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbZ_OZyDnjtDQk_AM8ZU70IcS0gXw8YvyuJ9h_qzRdQRh4btXV52h_WChyhj3zq1q-B2eb4w_VMw4n5Y5NW93SS_agzupgkjVxN9qsMpTdHMTuo97XsWXau84jHv0cZI8tZ2ayWNVIDug/s1600/IMG-20161222-WA0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbZ_OZyDnjtDQk_AM8ZU70IcS0gXw8YvyuJ9h_qzRdQRh4btXV52h_WChyhj3zq1q-B2eb4w_VMw4n5Y5NW93SS_agzupgkjVxN9qsMpTdHMTuo97XsWXau84jHv0cZI8tZ2ayWNVIDug/s640/IMG-20161222-WA0007.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Merii kurisumasu!</h4>
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Last but not least - a merry (belated) Christmas! Or, as Japanese say, <i>merii kurisumasu</i>. The Japanese traditionally go to KFC on these days (apparently after imitating American soldiers who got homesick during the holidays) and use it as couple time rather than meeting the whole family (as they do on New Year's eve, but more on that in one of the next posts). </div>
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The organisations around Keio held their own Christmas parties. The one I went to together with Tharshi was hosted by Keio Welcome Net and was also for social workers from Japan and around the globe (as far as I understood from the Japanese speeches at the beginning). And we had to wear these stylish things (again, the photo credit here goes to Tharshi - looks like this post is a collaborative work after all):<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK79jg9ZeoEVg8Js7w5eyUF-V9Gm_xfhh5eWo8bDc4faOVlWMSKl5jbNvDJiNoJjiIbV_vDv9OmRXk0dkB-MMz9Lv6TS_okPOWSblB3xPlUh6YryCjVjiWUzWZgQt-xrlXanToMtH60Q5Z/s1600/IMG-20161216-WA0027-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK79jg9ZeoEVg8Js7w5eyUF-V9Gm_xfhh5eWo8bDc4faOVlWMSKl5jbNvDJiNoJjiIbV_vDv9OmRXk0dkB-MMz9Lv6TS_okPOWSblB3xPlUh6YryCjVjiWUzWZgQt-xrlXanToMtH60Q5Z/s400/IMG-20161216-WA0027-1.jpg" width="345" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because a namecard is not enough</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7d_NAcVExYo0CliML3YPvMsl7y7XQFQxWY7bn7pphT9yaCjwxNSriQE2kMAezM1DWTJjQ_27RmdE5T6Q14KqeqTxpPlONL_vBASFECwZ_mDjI6pH8vjyUfLNAYC6hSU4WGv3xE9_mO_La/s1600/IMG-20161216-WA0021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7d_NAcVExYo0CliML3YPvMsl7y7XQFQxWY7bn7pphT9yaCjwxNSriQE2kMAezM1DWTJjQ_27RmdE5T6Q14KqeqTxpPlONL_vBASFECwZ_mDjI6pH8vjyUfLNAYC6hSU4WGv3xE9_mO_La/s400/IMG-20161216-WA0021.jpg" width="355" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Does anyone know what it says?</td></tr>
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The party already promised to be totally different from what I expected. Sitting at a table with a fixed seat number we all got beforehand, I got to talk to drunk Japanese workers, which can be very funny. As soon as everyone was mellow and full from the buffet, each one of the international participants had to come to the front and hold a speech - in Japanese or English. Although we had only two minutes, it was still awkward enough because we had to go unprepared. However, the atmosphere got relaxed when Akeboshi-san - the lively old man organising the whole thing - encouraged some of the speakers to sing a song in their native language. This is why we got to sing German and Indian songs as well. And in the end, everyone joined in dancing a traditional Japanese dance (which was more like a train line dance in our very own, creative interpretation). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJ_pIe1AX5hyRp4eEzpTyoeN7_XSn-Ii6Vr4XATG_mrh5-ZaOmZpVEPK0ko2sBxTZJRUoIwd2Xo-Ac0yUpSkA_hgjLcuBrN3zM1uzp8wIgKxffsfQPGWd542kgPTbibq0XmCplDIK4KEM/s1600/IMG-20161216-WA0022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJ_pIe1AX5hyRp4eEzpTyoeN7_XSn-Ii6Vr4XATG_mrh5-ZaOmZpVEPK0ko2sBxTZJRUoIwd2Xo-Ac0yUpSkA_hgjLcuBrN3zM1uzp8wIgKxffsfQPGWd542kgPTbibq0XmCplDIK4KEM/s640/IMG-20161216-WA0022.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDYS2bccIdyprqv1csCr_0h9wayhy-u3mzSxgIv8TETE1ZueDLydFhAdeA3yMZF9bwYGsagbV6_yAzKUb6R3QEOE-gWxXSFewh5IMyLyIQrD0FMgYGZG-oF_zf5fyDhMF3_ChnGUOI_sE/s1600/IMG-20161216-WA0016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDYS2bccIdyprqv1csCr_0h9wayhy-u3mzSxgIv8TETE1ZueDLydFhAdeA3yMZF9bwYGsagbV6_yAzKUb6R3QEOE-gWxXSFewh5IMyLyIQrD0FMgYGZG-oF_zf5fyDhMF3_ChnGUOI_sE/s640/IMG-20161216-WA0016.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREDehTHmkIlLsj4hY0f02eaNxpJ6YqRWgW97kw9szdiIdVLkcrTg0U45zOWqq-mnNlUgeSsq-41XQ_3pPctaEH4mbOpT55huJDelut4rA6EeKfYvT1-zVE3qPTsv7sWySGDBk3B6o2NaG/s1600/IMG-20161216-WA0018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREDehTHmkIlLsj4hY0f02eaNxpJ6YqRWgW97kw9szdiIdVLkcrTg0U45zOWqq-mnNlUgeSsq-41XQ_3pPctaEH4mbOpT55huJDelut4rA6EeKfYvT1-zVE3qPTsv7sWySGDBk3B6o2NaG/s640/IMG-20161216-WA0018.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buffet consisting of delicious food from Eastern Europe, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other countries</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfd1llmt5caMOrzV3X7wtjkaKCWujVYPlJhkygU2Uc_T9Xb5kNfcZ3Nac9BWdA8HFnVFufOwvCXW359ApyQQCEE65c0rg4IOV1jHCWoWLzphkMyQrEK54ZPWJz9TIozVvNBtA8LrmZt6u/s1600/IMG-20161216-WA0023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfd1llmt5caMOrzV3X7wtjkaKCWujVYPlJhkygU2Uc_T9Xb5kNfcZ3Nac9BWdA8HFnVFufOwvCXW359ApyQQCEE65c0rg4IOV1jHCWoWLzphkMyQrEK54ZPWJz9TIozVvNBtA8LrmZt6u/s640/IMG-20161216-WA0023.jpg" width="324" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Japanese Santa raffling off presents - and he even got one himself!</td></tr>
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When the 24th came, Alizée and I (because everyone else either went home or was busy doing something else) spent the evening in a relaxed way: Going out to eat at our favourite okonomiyaki place and drink in a British pub not far away from our dorm.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOQ1qybnW-4tAOuC91kOOH8s46L9MMf55V9rAp9RbkZXXS2f7D158W38Qguwegg0ojhVWsTdIidxE8besw9-lh0BasNjSRIxuDeEzt8nkDh2JlZwtu1CB4NRi8icOlkBmyCByCJLwlp3w/s1600/20161224_224047_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOQ1qybnW-4tAOuC91kOOH8s46L9MMf55V9rAp9RbkZXXS2f7D158W38Qguwegg0ojhVWsTdIidxE8besw9-lh0BasNjSRIxuDeEzt8nkDh2JlZwtu1CB4NRi8icOlkBmyCByCJLwlp3w/s640/20161224_224047_LLS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cocktails, fried spaghetti (it tasted like salt stick without the salt) and churros</td></tr>
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On 25th, the plan was to watch a lot of Christmas movies in the dorm lounge. We were well equipped.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbaxW2wOJH8NHa2n4jeIbXsRch89-4ouwvqXmELUYFrF0B-QVGa0K87h3L0VKqpND1astBIW8x0InkxUS_xJiTW82azc5apFOX99ijy03XUwYfMXGDjqR-QPyAD5Z5rkATGlB-37BetP-3/s1600/20161225_150341_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbaxW2wOJH8NHa2n4jeIbXsRch89-4ouwvqXmELUYFrF0B-QVGa0K87h3L0VKqpND1astBIW8x0InkxUS_xJiTW82azc5apFOX99ijy03XUwYfMXGDjqR-QPyAD5Z5rkATGlB-37BetP-3/s640/20161225_150341_LLS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had matcha pancakes, cute cookies, clementines, kitkat, berry tea and hot wime *-*</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBY2PzBdH7jslkLPcTFdWwwDqwpRakFFW6yzgQgxWniR1AJGZg2m2pKSqVQ1xN8fOJrz531pFEIsPQdNGtSCAZD7e2itz6_2tgE52zdsywEJH4D_7eqAJLKL2GTgKdY_YNZjpP90ZnKaF/s1600/15731028_10202664705135283_1097047426_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBY2PzBdH7jslkLPcTFdWwwDqwpRakFFW6yzgQgxWniR1AJGZg2m2pKSqVQ1xN8fOJrz531pFEIsPQdNGtSCAZD7e2itz6_2tgE52zdsywEJH4D_7eqAJLKL2GTgKdY_YNZjpP90ZnKaF/s640/15731028_10202664705135283_1097047426_n.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Alizée enjoying the tea</td></tr>
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However, it turned out not to be the best idea to do this on Christmas day, as everyone seemed to need wifi badly. So it was working very poorly and we only managed to finish the movies in our room. But nevertheless, we had a good and delicious time ;) And I even could unwrap adorable presents:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8Y_AxUBIaCsB1aucqIRe0IDPEuCZHGymFcurIeOEyqXb3n5R_c5FmiCbTotgoFXk5Rhwz_cBp_Wsgl6OkaIOufAFfb0ZXJN8TPEXOj7zwb3jN4QczKs-tJeiUvNryLVPgc_JUhPdpzcA/s1600/DSC_0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8Y_AxUBIaCsB1aucqIRe0IDPEuCZHGymFcurIeOEyqXb3n5R_c5FmiCbTotgoFXk5Rhwz_cBp_Wsgl6OkaIOufAFfb0ZXJN8TPEXOj7zwb3jN4QczKs-tJeiUvNryLVPgc_JUhPdpzcA/s640/DSC_0007.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa hat and super-soft scarf from Alizée, and a cute Finnish purse with sweets from Essi (who went home for Christmas)</td></tr>
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I hope you had a harmonious and fun Christmas with your loved ones. Happy holidays and sope to see you soon!</div>
rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-32294157765826221222016-12-06T21:14:00.000+09:002016-12-06T21:20:01.997+09:00A week full of celebrations<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hello friends :)</div>
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A little warning beforehand: This post might not be very interesting in terms of Japanese experience, especially for those of you who don't know me (well). But it has to be written to capture all the good memories and express my thanks to everyone who made this last week so utterly delightful. It all started on Tuesday, which was my birthday. A cute surprise waited for me once I stepped outside my room: Dozens of balloons in front of my door! Thank you, Essi and Alizée :-*</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjL_459B6J0qMRZDBfaI8seW7ewf8TwNi-VzwptDz51b7unVfyLnNiitXejRXll00pDXPzMpSlyMy9kFczsZeysL5UbCmg3fbrEif8Rs4hLW7ybIGPcv40IxKIT4wxDudnr3_WY-HOArE/s1600/20161129_120348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjL_459B6J0qMRZDBfaI8seW7ewf8TwNi-VzwptDz51b7unVfyLnNiitXejRXll00pDXPzMpSlyMy9kFczsZeysL5UbCmg3fbrEif8Rs4hLW7ybIGPcv40IxKIT4wxDudnr3_WY-HOArE/s640/20161129_120348.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They are all decorating my room right now</td></tr>
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In the evening, we were planning to meet in the lounge and watch our favourite Japanese TV drama (<i>Hana Kimi</i>). I brought some sake, plum wine and snacks, but little did I know that there will be even more guests than I expected - and such a gorgeous cake! Everyone made sure it was a very fun and cozy evening :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLm6SpO0EN8-aKoR6GFklbrw3MVqrz6le26f0RoYOHf-4_Q9FZrx3tYTnRM5oxnnzEYOVA3WYywWFfvXNpGRInf-xwhjl7wb0WFAWkoqESnchElHqXH7yso_mJQ-KhxDJKY1A4-LwzbyRn/s1600/15303969_1001893479936028_1420235613_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLm6SpO0EN8-aKoR6GFklbrw3MVqrz6le26f0RoYOHf-4_Q9FZrx3tYTnRM5oxnnzEYOVA3WYywWFfvXNpGRInf-xwhjl7wb0WFAWkoqESnchElHqXH7yso_mJQ-KhxDJKY1A4-LwzbyRn/s320/15303969_1001893479936028_1420235613_o.jpg" width="251" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFg16gWFuOP3tH5QsqMCu_HpG2d9zUWSUXCdRFz97n09FMnzvs2Y3TrzF8-KvvsQCY9Ks6C_qTkIORD0dGhGXFNx7YuXnfWUNrF0DTWN73VScC31RcWCvHK4XL_knoPrnMat19o4Em39Ht/s1600/15322323_1001893649936011_1962810712_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFg16gWFuOP3tH5QsqMCu_HpG2d9zUWSUXCdRFz97n09FMnzvs2Y3TrzF8-KvvsQCY9Ks6C_qTkIORD0dGhGXFNx7YuXnfWUNrF0DTWN73VScC31RcWCvHK4XL_knoPrnMat19o4Em39Ht/s320/15322323_1001893649936011_1962810712_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqFgVJkeRGpDpgvORKIOiwfBmWd4MhNZSGwvylv_IGUv04pWV7Kl2NmFgilyiny9S19h9FZ-unybVlq2BnIR7LnWfpGpwVJpBP2F-16-eoneyKbWz7CK5bSqoVf3UMkqGKKsHU0dktG9C/s1600/15311626_1001893506602692_30885725_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqFgVJkeRGpDpgvORKIOiwfBmWd4MhNZSGwvylv_IGUv04pWV7Kl2NmFgilyiny9S19h9FZ-unybVlq2BnIR7LnWfpGpwVJpBP2F-16-eoneyKbWz7CK5bSqoVf3UMkqGKKsHU0dktG9C/s640/15311626_1001893506602692_30885725_o.jpg" width="550" /></a></div>
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Oh, and of course I got some very adorable birthday presents as well. One was from my Japanese friend Takara. He must have somehow read my mind and knew that I needed a new wallet for change, so that was exactly what he gave to me. It even has the Keio logo on it! :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieME3pFFXNUK3h3KZhPw10CA3oXK-fwBHji3tDkGqX9WDEgdwJSUyfE-_ZF5mRTF0_f-8jyfNB4TJiJEKdEkjB8VxysTTWRo5N_baEsK7CP0BG3diqiFxE-OHze2EjbcMJDsDJ4JbvEgie/s1600/20161201_010207-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieME3pFFXNUK3h3KZhPw10CA3oXK-fwBHji3tDkGqX9WDEgdwJSUyfE-_ZF5mRTF0_f-8jyfNB4TJiJEKdEkjB8VxysTTWRo5N_baEsK7CP0BG3diqiFxE-OHze2EjbcMJDsDJ4JbvEgie/s640/20161201_010207-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The other was from Laurien, who got it from Disneyland *-* perfect for writing down Japanese Kanji and words.</div>
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In the night, I was very happy to meet my friends from Bielefeld, as well as my family, who all gathered together to wish me a happy birthday. It was so sweet, and so great to see all of you again :-*</div>
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The birthday treats did not end there. I met Takara on Thursday and he took me to Shibuya to try <i>purikura </i>(short for "print club")<i>. </i>If you have neveer heard of this popular Japanese activity: It is a photobooth, but not your usual boring one for passport pictures. In what felt like 5 minutes, you have to:</div>
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<li>select the number of people participating</li>
<li>choose a theme </li>
<li>pose for 5 photos </li>
<li>choose how your eyes should look in the photos (from tiny to Manga-style)</li>
<li>select the photos you would like to edit</li>
<li>again choose a colour/theme for the printout</li>
<li>edit these photos</li>
<li>send them to your phone (I failed here because I couldn't enter my Gmail address, which is the only one supported)</li>
<li>get them printed!</li>
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And all this in Japanese, while the machines were constantly talking to you and the screen was showing countdowns all the time. It was probably one of the craziest things I have done here so far - and I would totally do it again. Japanese youth, especially girls (according to Takara, boys don't do that unless they have female company) love this thing and readily spend 500 yen for a (unfortunately very tiny) printout of cute pictures together. Here are our results :)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As I said, it is tiny...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmt4gpr0ZMsIiOYCwKKCHjnNo11X5ntjf5rM_NNeYH0QFTmhtY9WuhlfL9R83kF_i_8YfzbK1VHpP8tkckIT3uhpmmmubSRI7rhW6Q479J3Vd3tkvZioioyg2BXiKjkrj0RMm-NqMdL1p/s1600/20161202_000653-1%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmt4gpr0ZMsIiOYCwKKCHjnNo11X5ntjf5rM_NNeYH0QFTmhtY9WuhlfL9R83kF_i_8YfzbK1VHpP8tkckIT3uhpmmmubSRI7rhW6Q479J3Vd3tkvZioioyg2BXiKjkrj0RMm-NqMdL1p/s400/20161202_000653-1%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... but I have to state that this one is my favourite</td></tr>
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After that, we went to an all-Asian restaurant where they serve free coriander so you can feel like a rabbit waiting for your meal. :3</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5IIadyQ9zdSUoAqNsalQH0qku9STyL5TuvRHO2Vgz8vDX90Dh7ymcApU8EW55e-tyCqjQLHVlWup6v2hZwGGwhvJ9fXreU3ukHvTdYRZJ9XCnn9bTJKaEweiqZDLSVmGrxU-7jvcCEf3M/s1600/20161201_213625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5IIadyQ9zdSUoAqNsalQH0qku9STyL5TuvRHO2Vgz8vDX90Dh7ymcApU8EW55e-tyCqjQLHVlWup6v2hZwGGwhvJ9fXreU3ukHvTdYRZJ9XCnn9bTJKaEweiqZDLSVmGrxU-7jvcCEf3M/s640/20161201_213625.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Pak Thai was very delicious!</td></tr>
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Thank you for the great evening and interesting conversations (and trying to teach me Japanese, which is hard on a long day's evening :D)! Oh, and I also have to mention the beatiful Christmas trees in Shibuya:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disney-themed Christmas trees everywhere</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-_u3wS7qNGTFbWPFTRa-WjGj4Gp2ZD9MNA1tcZtpBf049F8y8xHd6WL7me9AsdXn5yZ4iPZagNz_iiRixpczxv0zD2pMyZVdi0LJO2su-NAzYOtuDlfhvSCijO25eZSJ0miBWBlra_r8/s1600/15271353_1020426138103829_930443532_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-_u3wS7qNGTFbWPFTRa-WjGj4Gp2ZD9MNA1tcZtpBf049F8y8xHd6WL7me9AsdXn5yZ4iPZagNz_iiRixpczxv0zD2pMyZVdi0LJO2su-NAzYOtuDlfhvSCijO25eZSJ0miBWBlra_r8/s200/15271353_1020426138103829_930443532_o.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheumZ3GzMaQpP4sOL_8uzzyfhTam9NsY318SPd71ZNgdNgG8VX7dNZvxqyJ5TN9EdUc8yUeuts5978I4pCcbYRh-_CRQUo6MRW4bdt_pnJTkPuh__LVJiBn7P7Oy4GAwVxpmsvb9f3fcmZ/s1600/15321539_1020426131437163_1767292543_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheumZ3GzMaQpP4sOL_8uzzyfhTam9NsY318SPd71ZNgdNgG8VX7dNZvxqyJ5TN9EdUc8yUeuts5978I4pCcbYRh-_CRQUo6MRW4bdt_pnJTkPuh__LVJiBn7P7Oy4GAwVxpmsvb9f3fcmZ/s200/15321539_1020426131437163_1767292543_o.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOw4VeFJz54dR-tg7MChkICcPSaymtixai9qD7YcqLbLXT0lVe26euR5S3Hr7EeMm4BaBBsVPJnZ04oD-6PS-y12KDJKCL1FR6ok4ksp8EiVjSZCmOetFvyCBFlc4ggDqzSWyNRV-a-Bee/s1600/20161201_211203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOw4VeFJz54dR-tg7MChkICcPSaymtixai9qD7YcqLbLXT0lVe26euR5S3Hr7EeMm4BaBBsVPJnZ04oD-6PS-y12KDJKCL1FR6ok4ksp8EiVjSZCmOetFvyCBFlc4ggDqzSWyNRV-a-Bee/s640/20161201_211203.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rapunzel Christmas tree</td></tr>
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Another big surprise was waiting for me on Saturday, when Essi, Alizée and Maria "kidnapped" me and we went somewhere I didn't know in advance. When we reached the place in Shibuya, it turned out to be <i>Nagi</i> - a vegan restaurant! I didn't even know this existed in Tokyo. The best thing: I could select everything on the menu without worrying about the occasional meat that is put in almost every Japanese dish. And everyone agreed that the food was amazing - and stuffing. ;)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curry, brown rice, luchi (Indian deeep-fried flat bread), miso soup, some small veggies, and diverse tofu creations along with plum wine varieties. Now who still thinks vegan food can't be tasty?</td></tr>
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After that, they took me another one of my favourite things - karaoke! *-* We sat together in a very small, cute, cozy room and sang our lungs out for an hour drinking cocktails. Sadly, we had to take the train home around midnight (the Japanese train system is just ridiculous during the night). However, it was so much fun and we are already planning a Christmas all-night karaoke (and probably clubbing). </div>
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The many greetings and wishes which reached me from my family and friends, of course, also have to be honoured. Today, all of them made their way to Kawasaki - from Germany, Ukraine and even Peru! *-*</div>
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It is still unbelievable how lucky I am to have such fantastic friends :) :-* Love and a fabulous week! :)<br />
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P.S.: <a href="http://oryoki.de/blog/japanischer-gruentee/" target="_blank">Lust auf grünen Tee?</a></div>
rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-16524038338723204522016-12-03T16:56:00.001+09:002016-12-03T16:56:46.795+09:00Moshi moshi!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Hello friends! :)</div>
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Last weekend felt as if I travelled a lot, although I didn't get that far away from home. Our dorm's resident assistants organized a tour to <b>Kamakura</b> for us - only a few stations away. Kamakura is famous for its history, being the governmental centre of Japan in the Kamakura period, and for its scenery. Trained guides showed us some temples and shrines amidst the beauty of colourful autumn leaves.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBuHqZjHYgTLcLv6B1vS7MHPnxR4Kn8z-b3Epu6zK6CFNMkfmNSbhR5uxLBX-3ZTLCgNIalX_400McZXjtVIyU_oPQMqZY03gSD45uC7LxqzghGM51vDiCy1t-2UD-0AGknF23srwJ8EVh/s1600/20161126_140127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBuHqZjHYgTLcLv6B1vS7MHPnxR4Kn8z-b3Epu6zK6CFNMkfmNSbhR5uxLBX-3ZTLCgNIalX_400McZXjtVIyU_oPQMqZY03gSD45uC7LxqzghGM51vDiCy1t-2UD-0AGknF23srwJ8EVh/s640/20161126_140127.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Engaku-ji temple: Border between the human and spirit world</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVK7a1U7ff4gU4rU41qaagqQ9_RxKN4dVJo7FyUSS9s7dUlCySm7qkAxzcu0hKMEZTO_GZYue0slv4cboeSoG7Mi17P12-XCIAi4TnaQbiUqQbCSuGerVqN4TVDSNybC1kUEesQDcoutc/s1600/20161126_140734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVK7a1U7ff4gU4rU41qaagqQ9_RxKN4dVJo7FyUSS9s7dUlCySm7qkAxzcu0hKMEZTO_GZYue0slv4cboeSoG7Mi17P12-XCIAi4TnaQbiUqQbCSuGerVqN4TVDSNybC1kUEesQDcoutc/s640/20161126_140734.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUiSdQ5sV6kGMJAFja-fqW6hc2h5k046EVuFnre_kG5ac_TMptyAza4fC_KXiOtxjXP2uhJ-6G5gP2uU7WYo7OERfSjpgdMoKjxjqI1Et5aqBhpFXmoqB0El-RPeN0P0lzRpGcNXcZBqp/s1600/20161126_140748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUiSdQ5sV6kGMJAFja-fqW6hc2h5k046EVuFnre_kG5ac_TMptyAza4fC_KXiOtxjXP2uhJ-6G5gP2uU7WYo7OERfSjpgdMoKjxjqI1Et5aqBhpFXmoqB0El-RPeN0P0lzRpGcNXcZBqp/s640/20161126_140748.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7yp-h0nhlEa6OX8mq8As57Gcc_OesWi-cpSZsPL_seS71L4UM5Z02nwpVihctKPe-8XuPkivVgxRSkKOjZtiETIjDBHlMNq6D3RgdNDUM2m2YN2Gph7t_LIw-EcMxW7NYrATzyEkEkudz/s1600/20161126_140844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7yp-h0nhlEa6OX8mq8As57Gcc_OesWi-cpSZsPL_seS71L4UM5Z02nwpVihctKPe-8XuPkivVgxRSkKOjZtiETIjDBHlMNq6D3RgdNDUM2m2YN2Gph7t_LIw-EcMxW7NYrATzyEkEkudz/s640/20161126_140844.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese dragon with 3 toes: Apparently, those with 5 toes are the most important. Therefore, this one is rather "middle-class"</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jkyhxpQQhMwv9yNPKy00M6JCc95T28cl8FU1TXAifbK7U6CpLEEY-S7e0lI1mFqWHPBwXx72lYF_lvOym8ursVb79spC8vdGLFY4GewCbD8LvGr_fvRq2hMaRzjCnVFCoQL6qaJ_Knrv/s1600/20161126_140904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jkyhxpQQhMwv9yNPKy00M6JCc95T28cl8FU1TXAifbK7U6CpLEEY-S7e0lI1mFqWHPBwXx72lYF_lvOym8ursVb79spC8vdGLFY4GewCbD8LvGr_fvRq2hMaRzjCnVFCoQL6qaJ_Knrv/s640/20161126_140904.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hiG88UfNI1i1XBJrwHG02y4MV-46Wyraj8oXCqBBfwaUQKVww2tXVMUPR6QyaxIeipn3IDjSjtvk8tO_pT7C2G0kX6FzO_i6mkjHgIEWEB2fqROgefkR1S9XcAE3Nw_efN5sSMhRatJf/s1600/20161126_141254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hiG88UfNI1i1XBJrwHG02y4MV-46Wyraj8oXCqBBfwaUQKVww2tXVMUPR6QyaxIeipn3IDjSjtvk8tO_pT7C2G0kX6FzO_i6mkjHgIEWEB2fqROgefkR1S9XcAE3Nw_efN5sSMhRatJf/s640/20161126_141254.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A place where only monks can enter: It is holy ground and therefore not open to unworthy visitors</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYTxAQY-EtZJUkjkZmb0CuXlkeQ3G9DbVaJUXCgebGD0VqZBRh1z1mzLgJJ6WKJeQyRrEyp9fPyMbCRnNWk6BPx8lVFU8Fd0Pt7Wv0xqYEavvVaa9KXiObP3-XMbc3axCJmEQcRv2Cqa5/s1600/20161126_142141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYTxAQY-EtZJUkjkZmb0CuXlkeQ3G9DbVaJUXCgebGD0VqZBRh1z1mzLgJJ6WKJeQyRrEyp9fPyMbCRnNWk6BPx8lVFU8Fd0Pt7Wv0xqYEavvVaa9KXiObP3-XMbc3axCJmEQcRv2Cqa5/s640/20161126_142141.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuV7pujmimfOKnaoHymse12MNOiIHOoW-z_eXXpNHz9cD3HWLwxbcoUix3K5JygDGDZmsfAy_UZG3bYSjkgvMZeoCa7MOkbGfEvQYvDa-cDBmv3L-IKF2r9DTb-gbjJaReI11FNFk6-z6j/s1600/20161126_143249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuV7pujmimfOKnaoHymse12MNOiIHOoW-z_eXXpNHz9cD3HWLwxbcoUix3K5JygDGDZmsfAy_UZG3bYSjkgvMZeoCa7MOkbGfEvQYvDa-cDBmv3L-IKF2r9DTb-gbjJaReI11FNFk6-z6j/s640/20161126_143249.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Ginkgo tree is from the dinosaur age!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCb_kbO_hIuFqqgaIDT4yqEz8J8vVD5O_9ex8s6bOwRIbj0t8f6gt-PXQkmGDutcCab1-EW5T9wmz8eq4H-aAcMvF99fROrR_HfrGmVcjzy85g9QPhwx8Yju-bYOPkEhGkGzDHdboZ6xZ/s1600/20161126_151922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCb_kbO_hIuFqqgaIDT4yqEz8J8vVD5O_9ex8s6bOwRIbj0t8f6gt-PXQkmGDutcCab1-EW5T9wmz8eq4H-aAcMvF99fROrR_HfrGmVcjzy85g9QPhwx8Yju-bYOPkEhGkGzDHdboZ6xZ/s640/20161126_151922.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We saw a bamboo forest for the first time!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgYSm6g13IcFlqzuBl3qwhZ5HGH4xlN7cKAH-JRH8suFuaLNqdczfAfJnn3X2X4kcgmsUEpY0r2NzC1HDKMcFGydYIHXehqjsr_fV3Z_8Mwhwi_HY2q8GCJd76P8RaQOe4XiCMD-FfJSW_/s1600/20161126_152029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgYSm6g13IcFlqzuBl3qwhZ5HGH4xlN7cKAH-JRH8suFuaLNqdczfAfJnn3X2X4kcgmsUEpY0r2NzC1HDKMcFGydYIHXehqjsr_fV3Z_8Mwhwi_HY2q8GCJd76P8RaQOe4XiCMD-FfJSW_/s640/20161126_152029.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxSQv470BcsfsWcI1eEL_7H_QKtLX0lshiwirGKODdsiJmR3AI-JSj5n4x_L8MNDdvDkMT0emW0sJ8-KgHAPjVISGmnKqjcoIy6SkWZFQt1SoGRYj2K4CYuLn13-uh0DLo4RXsBES5enLU/s1600/20161126_151846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxSQv470BcsfsWcI1eEL_7H_QKtLX0lshiwirGKODdsiJmR3AI-JSj5n4x_L8MNDdvDkMT0emW0sJ8-KgHAPjVISGmnKqjcoIy6SkWZFQt1SoGRYj2K4CYuLn13-uh0DLo4RXsBES5enLU/s640/20161126_151846.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what treehuggers look like</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VEkQDip7TFCa1G0x57TCZVybun6z4r0cX7gOoqO6rS295F3tB55dLnf89_nfkgxpi-DQZ-yJm5m0n8WeVOKfNQ5Lk56U9Z4kGU54EIEULlzTr2_pTd4h84I4oNoBghrKSV0yDxMiS9aT/s1600/20161126_152450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VEkQDip7TFCa1G0x57TCZVybun6z4r0cX7gOoqO6rS295F3tB55dLnf89_nfkgxpi-DQZ-yJm5m0n8WeVOKfNQ5Lk56U9Z4kGU54EIEULlzTr2_pTd4h84I4oNoBghrKSV0yDxMiS9aT/s640/20161126_152450.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beatiful graves and statues can be found all over the Meigetsu-in temple area</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwZ1A7Z6pAqYr8tpZleREfHHaxwL4DO4E7kDNhV6oH5cKbc8X_r5KKAzMmdO6hT2hCA8-huaIN9PYMHU1lOaxiAztBf0I76SEKGo0idMXT57fpZD8Ud1RuwRc4SuKMSVRsjUvWVmxh3n6/s1600/20161126_152510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwZ1A7Z6pAqYr8tpZleREfHHaxwL4DO4E7kDNhV6oH5cKbc8X_r5KKAzMmdO6hT2hCA8-huaIN9PYMHU1lOaxiAztBf0I76SEKGo0idMXT57fpZD8Ud1RuwRc4SuKMSVRsjUvWVmxh3n6/s640/20161126_152510.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uatQabUWmyfdc7SVyhnNMh27eWwlwVa52Ks4O_JFFLYPTVF1yxDIMrjiiV01JQ5_IMwgpUmzpc5keHi9DLJmww59I4oOLRFGR7A2Tvc4QmloiK50flyNhCmEbSt-_TcJf6frtVRmNkJi/s1600/20161126_152630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uatQabUWmyfdc7SVyhnNMh27eWwlwVa52Ks4O_JFFLYPTVF1yxDIMrjiiV01JQ5_IMwgpUmzpc5keHi9DLJmww59I4oOLRFGR7A2Tvc4QmloiK50flyNhCmEbSt-_TcJf6frtVRmNkJi/s640/20161126_152630.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meigetsu-in Founder's Hall</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3lnOKdOj81dKXkYFi95D6af_kqwG0YtKFR2QauRg-UWV5lTWRVzBKVB2OlWvCAil6rjkEzStSMihpylw4Y7eRwQVHmBc_LGp3vyzTPkcNxrAkVXOoaki1_6e_2s8IWRwJmUwOJ4gmHfd/s1600/20161126_152720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3lnOKdOj81dKXkYFi95D6af_kqwG0YtKFR2QauRg-UWV5lTWRVzBKVB2OlWvCAil6rjkEzStSMihpylw4Y7eRwQVHmBc_LGp3vyzTPkcNxrAkVXOoaki1_6e_2s8IWRwJmUwOJ4gmHfd/s640/20161126_152720.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These cave tombs have been built in the Middle Ages. You can see a Buddha figure, gravestone of samurai Uesugi Norikata and a Zen-style incense burner</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_vFXVFZ_VJMRy00sBFELBo2DLzmmOXTCL8WaBupBcjC1DNvUZze_lkUVAZ4IhRaf_GzB9WSJZ4JJ-2JoE_p5ldmxAZz1wms17TxHAmJJfbtxxxBlzw_T4-n9DhFeYhDb9ojVGyVfLSUb/s1600/20161126_152803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_vFXVFZ_VJMRy00sBFELBo2DLzmmOXTCL8WaBupBcjC1DNvUZze_lkUVAZ4IhRaf_GzB9WSJZ4JJ-2JoE_p5ldmxAZz1wms17TxHAmJJfbtxxxBlzw_T4-n9DhFeYhDb9ojVGyVfLSUb/s640/20161126_152803.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The legendary 16 Arhats (Buddhists who have reached Enlightenment) are pictured here</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2IVmgzxlvst32aw6-K74BDPZci4SdF8kvTvlMYRqidhlSvN1uJ_qGsIeoevXEwxds7LVQkjv00UdYdU8fpV1e9ENmETuhX_x10Jp1RtIiszvt2bFOeXFmStHyr13d8LjVl_rzz56p0Ty/s1600/20161126_152827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2IVmgzxlvst32aw6-K74BDPZci4SdF8kvTvlMYRqidhlSvN1uJ_qGsIeoevXEwxds7LVQkjv00UdYdU8fpV1e9ENmETuhX_x10Jp1RtIiszvt2bFOeXFmStHyr13d8LjVl_rzz56p0Ty/s640/20161126_152827.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure if ikebana</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMaCgQOyoWcDAzx2WS5eVIzUL5K0-KOyvTcwhfYYYeVH9cgwqe9RIFNOAY1omvO6pWEeshQUUv4XHsFYe2townkp1SR8E6hH3sVGFN98VEMlDLPJNgtJ713L17jmkSzI6Lh6qGo7xYDsS/s1600/20161126_153320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMaCgQOyoWcDAzx2WS5eVIzUL5K0-KOyvTcwhfYYYeVH9cgwqe9RIFNOAY1omvO6pWEeshQUUv4XHsFYe2townkp1SR8E6hH3sVGFN98VEMlDLPJNgtJ713L17jmkSzI6Lh6qGo7xYDsS/s640/20161126_153320.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is supposed to bring luck beside from being just extremely adorable</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TiBks982Dz-uLSnZ4fn-NGEiYkwIpdsdMeMenVMxmJ3IlAeTo-bF3bHVKcQeDRaeRooSNLTeyIp65qP_RU_-qOEgLn1EnUuqbiioBLg-W4sjtyfb5hbihoYRtvCpPUi4K17OgSSU6cJ_/s1600/20161126_153539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TiBks982Dz-uLSnZ4fn-NGEiYkwIpdsdMeMenVMxmJ3IlAeTo-bF3bHVKcQeDRaeRooSNLTeyIp65qP_RU_-qOEgLn1EnUuqbiioBLg-W4sjtyfb5hbihoYRtvCpPUi4K17OgSSU6cJ_/s640/20161126_153539.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bird houses - can you find the squirrel?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlpQyqrLfz2yusqPq6_iORe5nbNx3QRBbrmvbW725AhtXA0sfAT3SCqEfTnRCLQVjJL8mwVj75uG9OfXRlQmrfXnW1hGI7lf3Rn_ZTw-vRbrj9azehPGSsPVdQfEQt_83sWKqyEmyXysi/s1600/20161126_154011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlpQyqrLfz2yusqPq6_iORe5nbNx3QRBbrmvbW725AhtXA0sfAT3SCqEfTnRCLQVjJL8mwVj75uG9OfXRlQmrfXnW1hGI7lf3Rn_ZTw-vRbrj9azehPGSsPVdQfEQt_83sWKqyEmyXysi/s640/20161126_154011.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A real Japanese stone garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLbg3QllD6wfXNa-y5NiDb1BNKq02OGFs2lWSSzMF6zHaRqQFVsyipGrIU65Pq6HZfYuSnM1PKw5Tc7d_-J4yZXOvLxZn9BXqSX3DCjgRfYtByojNDSEe4ti8djhLF45SBSslKdycjtAw/s1600/20161126_162159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLbg3QllD6wfXNa-y5NiDb1BNKq02OGFs2lWSSzMF6zHaRqQFVsyipGrIU65Pq6HZfYuSnM1PKw5Tc7d_-J4yZXOvLxZn9BXqSX3DCjgRfYtByojNDSEe4ti8djhLF45SBSslKdycjtAw/s640/20161126_162159.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wave!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLbJ4Rcqvcmuv12OsABYGQnwoCK4RjAj41NKgwzP4pkM0HiVxAxbmMOZ7ujQZlGOvILrwdg3Q6GjosJ5PA1Pz9cplZBmRHqdzvw1-TWCst4xrU54dmLCDMkA6YWRPJjDIGUhOvY06txxS/s1600/20161126_162904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLbJ4Rcqvcmuv12OsABYGQnwoCK4RjAj41NKgwzP4pkM0HiVxAxbmMOZ7ujQZlGOvILrwdg3Q6GjosJ5PA1Pz9cplZBmRHqdzvw1-TWCst4xrU54dmLCDMkA6YWRPJjDIGUhOvY06txxS/s640/20161126_162904.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I tried dango for the second time with a sesame sauce - much better!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This stylish tree reminded us of a professor's haircut...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mwYE__R5VxRKTdDa0xfEG3mqBue2Pk5tuYc7ASP2oy4jlUTLc1zEQ3mO07MqruniLtQHF0eDrD5cOjTjYT3il5sA3IlnvlzXZ0n9YaUnjBBYBN86RVx5Lbi_MIDjzuYaiDvrme9JszaT/s1600/20161126_164548_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mwYE__R5VxRKTdDa0xfEG3mqBue2Pk5tuYc7ASP2oy4jlUTLc1zEQ3mO07MqruniLtQHF0eDrD5cOjTjYT3il5sA3IlnvlzXZ0n9YaUnjBBYBN86RVx5Lbi_MIDjzuYaiDvrme9JszaT/s640/20161126_164548_LLS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our way to Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu shrine (which was once a temple) - Apologies for pictures looking blurry when it's getting dark</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvx9Xm2rLo3L8EnQOrYS3ImE1j4RKxSR5gyrm2DTKbGIx0-p40Yj-8BaJTov4NfuBxmIpizppWrAC_xKggXP-2TNLrYnAdtGzkWdATIKBFSyH7ufh-6WQFiOl_Xps6xTEA40i2agVFFMyV/s1600/20161126_164757_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvx9Xm2rLo3L8EnQOrYS3ImE1j4RKxSR5gyrm2DTKbGIx0-p40Yj-8BaJTov4NfuBxmIpizppWrAC_xKggXP-2TNLrYnAdtGzkWdATIKBFSyH7ufh-6WQFiOl_Xps6xTEA40i2agVFFMyV/s640/20161126_164757_LLS.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That night, you could actually see Jupiter</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9EkEKVhIApvyImZBXhsSlvN6w9FoYpGjNsc4hmcH1vvf31wtmeRuDQ6tdCz1LDCHeof1_TWL7XtVnGyan3MOUkJhcUTw9nxYuZy1ORNVtL6OyzHV0l8g1HeNhIMbbSVClTQYX8G9TBXzZ/s1600/20161126_165639_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9EkEKVhIApvyImZBXhsSlvN6w9FoYpGjNsc4hmcH1vvf31wtmeRuDQ6tdCz1LDCHeof1_TWL7XtVnGyan3MOUkJhcUTw9nxYuZy1ORNVtL6OyzHV0l8g1HeNhIMbbSVClTQYX8G9TBXzZ/s320/20161126_165639_LLS.jpg" width="197" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURPVBTXo4UavQJpik0qc4eBO3u378Ih1d19SsQuBVUIPwje07kZ8AHbyx3zvLepj5kAzebVrUQ2rFwZSN688TgkYjm2iKFTSzXlT7i0jrfNEgWdtlJ-1qvj6b0Xh6KpvcAPbwT6NJ5QMM/s1600/20161126_165734_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURPVBTXo4UavQJpik0qc4eBO3u378Ih1d19SsQuBVUIPwje07kZ8AHbyx3zvLepj5kAzebVrUQ2rFwZSN688TgkYjm2iKFTSzXlT7i0jrfNEgWdtlJ-1qvj6b0Xh6KpvcAPbwT6NJ5QMM/s320/20161126_165734_LLS.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgisZq-IrUlpBBCuMUK0C1Hbpe2MDO5PfNKyqPiRtIgZHr-lATOCUl0C0Ov5EHbGbimmM-IZgk4FZCZvgwD8PmVkeRf3-GgMsbR5eRwZlfy_SBOuY6GTVhUKcY7_cjKYZfxEkSVA8tcCib5/s1600/15192733_1149492105099544_4735772641372310306_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgisZq-IrUlpBBCuMUK0C1Hbpe2MDO5PfNKyqPiRtIgZHr-lATOCUl0C0Ov5EHbGbimmM-IZgk4FZCZvgwD8PmVkeRf3-GgMsbR5eRwZlfy_SBOuY6GTVhUKcY7_cjKYZfxEkSVA8tcCib5/s640/15192733_1149492105099544_4735772641372310306_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our fabulous group (from left to right): Shogo, Essi, me, Morgan, Alizée, Edna and Chloé :)</td></tr>
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While some of us headed home in the evening, Shogo, Alizée, Essi and I went to eat delicious tempura in Yokohama. A fantastic way to end an enjoyable day!</div>
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A glimpse into the hardships of modelling business</h4>
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If you want to experience culture, then there is nothing better than one of the countless festivals and exhibitions Tokyo is organising frequently. Especially when it's free when you're a foreigner - which applied to the <b>Moshi Moshi Festival</b>, a big cultural event taking place on the weekend in the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Maria and I decided to pay a visit on Sunday.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWz-fSlB8BgoNGEIJMciTNZe9wI66o08qEY9BuLALnhv2fNRgOSNcqiblkGvFkadoL0N-RiigrtfvNHt0zlk2W7w1Zl6rSaUt-8fZeHVMFF-3VPHjcnOp9hBjhqDpMQqTVzZ2sxHcgPjW/s1600/20161127_130901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWz-fSlB8BgoNGEIJMciTNZe9wI66o08qEY9BuLALnhv2fNRgOSNcqiblkGvFkadoL0N-RiigrtfvNHt0zlk2W7w1Zl6rSaUt-8fZeHVMFF-3VPHjcnOp9hBjhqDpMQqTVzZ2sxHcgPjW/s640/20161127_130901.jpg" width="586" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unusual ride outside of the festival hall</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">With food stalls, Mario karts and cosplayers outside, the hall itself was full of musical performances, workshops and souvenirs - exhibition-style. It was loud, full and flashy, but a lot of fun as well. The purpose was not selling stuff as it is often the case, but rather promoting Japanese culture and products for tourists. This is probably why we didn't have to pay for a ticket.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_yi-Xb9fuxracLCmddvwa-YdXM4BM9r1E_-ZC3ONNyT4sQO74lmCH_NR4NJSBNSNMsnqTW7-GVi7XokFZ2KJX7REFy-NCzTlecK7Ln3Y7iMTt7e9N8iQ7j7RNPOmPnVpV7mFIUJnJOtYz/s1600/20161127_132705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_yi-Xb9fuxracLCmddvwa-YdXM4BM9r1E_-ZC3ONNyT4sQO74lmCH_NR4NJSBNSNMsnqTW7-GVi7XokFZ2KJX7REFy-NCzTlecK7Ln3Y7iMTt7e9N8iQ7j7RNPOmPnVpV7mFIUJnJOtYz/s640/20161127_132705.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A J-Pop girl band was performing later on this stage (sadly, no photos or videos were allowed)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MLlpu4YFBRoT-j7M-DNOINSdul9t2cZ_89MgPmB0Ie3cRWEzZQr4f1CbHTTw0oTgKDThcma3N2PWJeXCVVFDp9wbmKwgwwBDW9uozsTU7A56qJQNBRHDfGp1mtxmvGkS38rOEmmjq1ti/s1600/20161127_144435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MLlpu4YFBRoT-j7M-DNOINSdul9t2cZ_89MgPmB0Ie3cRWEzZQr4f1CbHTTw0oTgKDThcma3N2PWJeXCVVFDp9wbmKwgwwBDW9uozsTU7A56qJQNBRHDfGp1mtxmvGkS38rOEmmjq1ti/s640/20161127_144435.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smaller stage preparing for a big performance...</td></tr>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwsZV0PUJEVkccX2AsCzL7zVh-Zocmoa-pq_XcKdZUWjFPzWvU52YaJcjNBbyN6r2Te5R8AqWMqzQPObMY9ZQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-tb8ac4EIW-v3JWsJdBDystsnQnelCLRQS8beYpzZKxQ5i-WqxR1iDD5797iPZaqmstY5U8-VfUgKiedHveuGa02ORK9CZGfSnOZWcEZfxIF9HtYcaTpuA4khHfsN5Mj4EfwBvlDdzY4/s1600/20161127_165616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-tb8ac4EIW-v3JWsJdBDystsnQnelCLRQS8beYpzZKxQ5i-WqxR1iDD5797iPZaqmstY5U8-VfUgKiedHveuGa02ORK9CZGfSnOZWcEZfxIF9HtYcaTpuA4khHfsN5Mj4EfwBvlDdzY4/s640/20161127_165616.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Mini tea ceremony with tasty matcha and wagashi (sweets)</td></tr>
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What was very overwhelming was that the exhibitors approached you from every side and suggested that you try their thing - mostly dressing up and taking a photo. Then, you could upload the photo and receive gifts: Stickers, vouchers, beauty products and even hoodies. Another reward for our hard work are these cool photos:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRo2wEyWrLdRKvgeLvuYU6qf5W1inbXCPM6MkF9ro0bIseHcU0f5XPEl5Cf9Okabaynuaf7y6OPvCOIjL2S-RZHCy4E9y6U3JcuXc3-9T1rv2SqWXAB-It47yOA0k-4_OaNZNJTz5iwmcz/s1600/IMG-20161127-WA0012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRo2wEyWrLdRKvgeLvuYU6qf5W1inbXCPM6MkF9ro0bIseHcU0f5XPEl5Cf9Okabaynuaf7y6OPvCOIjL2S-RZHCy4E9y6U3JcuXc3-9T1rv2SqWXAB-It47yOA0k-4_OaNZNJTz5iwmcz/s640/IMG-20161127-WA0012.jpg" width="562" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GCVgnzwzy_6nQixiTGu1wQOCoiBhHVbeHNihuawGInTd7hi2xHDxY3XSrFu9ev3Tl91CT3rF0ii6KdCTdZxeATVh8XE0dJ8k7PNuDnWiQSH_t0Y-FIEwLemRClP_tFhIB3Rdf37RajMR/s1600/IMG-20161127-WA0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GCVgnzwzy_6nQixiTGu1wQOCoiBhHVbeHNihuawGInTd7hi2xHDxY3XSrFu9ev3Tl91CT3rF0ii6KdCTdZxeATVh8XE0dJ8k7PNuDnWiQSH_t0Y-FIEwLemRClP_tFhIB3Rdf37RajMR/s640/IMG-20161127-WA0006.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_rYTiI8qlC4YJk-1GQfwLIlbTBqbCjuhMN5XUCTBBhg3kmEWfmnOENGs5RZQpf1IMuDTNdyUWu_ro7DgRPrb-xaXpnVQshGZ5ZfHSZq7lymsenElf5lO51l3Bf7fiXKVx55yXzxYG5Tz/s1600/IMG-20161127-WA0009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_rYTiI8qlC4YJk-1GQfwLIlbTBqbCjuhMN5XUCTBBhg3kmEWfmnOENGs5RZQpf1IMuDTNdyUWu_ro7DgRPrb-xaXpnVQshGZ5ZfHSZq7lymsenElf5lO51l3Bf7fiXKVx55yXzxYG5Tz/s640/IMG-20161127-WA0009.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9L3SzFL51HdnpcEj20CTOGri4pg8y7OgQYDmcohxyGUxzIJYCatDPaqiONnFkv0Kg7zCUPXTr0FyIDcxgtr1ChV38u61wnRv3iCBJGcFssF-wKQr_hz3Hu7KifzDQYcvhbHtrpvF6se3Q/s1600/20161127_134848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9L3SzFL51HdnpcEj20CTOGri4pg8y7OgQYDmcohxyGUxzIJYCatDPaqiONnFkv0Kg7zCUPXTr0FyIDcxgtr1ChV38u61wnRv3iCBJGcFssF-wKQr_hz3Hu7KifzDQYcvhbHtrpvF6se3Q/s640/20161127_134848.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MWnY7aGiZZ2G6az94pZ87u2DueGbvBhfegeVYyPiRioa0em_Mz7ij0PPaHuQ5KeBeS-xXA27dKHnqDtKxhi0I3lVPD-ai5RKxWJmybGQLoKPspHcbfYayc54jIL0zVZp1a2Z4N4eS1OA/s1600/IMG-20161127-WA0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MWnY7aGiZZ2G6az94pZ87u2DueGbvBhfegeVYyPiRioa0em_Mz7ij0PPaHuQ5KeBeS-xXA27dKHnqDtKxhi0I3lVPD-ai5RKxWJmybGQLoKPspHcbfYayc54jIL0zVZp1a2Z4N4eS1OA/s640/IMG-20161127-WA0002.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gothic lolita makeover by a Kawaii Monster Café</td></tr>
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It was, however, a bit of a shame that we could not try everything offered in only one day, including a calligraphy workshop, a lesson in playing traditional musical instruments and so much more. But we came home with great memories and loads of leaflets, bags and other small gifts we received at every corner. </div>
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That's all on last weekend - stay tuned for the next post about how amazing this week has been. Thank you for reading and enjoy your weekend! :)</div>
rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-31572139065009476642016-11-28T22:28:00.000+09:002016-11-28T22:32:04.277+09:00The lights of November<div style="text-align: justify;">
Dear friends,</div>
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It's almost been three months since I came to Japan, and already has the country been shaken by a major earthquake and even tsunami warning. No one has been hurt, thankfully - but I received a few concerned messages last Tuesday after the Fukushima earthquake could also be felt in Tokyo. Everything is alright and I am already getting used to be woken up by an earthquake early in the morning ;)</div>
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But let's talk about something more cheerful: It's almost Christmas! And Japan is already busy preparing. This is the reason for this post's title - the most prevalent thing in this time of the year. Because, for example, this is what Ginza, Tokyo's high-end shopping area, looks like now:</div>
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In fact, it has also been snowing here a few days ago. I heard this is the first time in 50 years that Tokyo got snow in November! However, there was little time to appreciate this wonder it all melted away...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snowy view from my balcony</td></tr>
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Celebrating like anime characters</h4>
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The reason why we recently had one week off from class was a big campus festival called Mitasai - Mita Festival. All Japanese students had been preparing all week to finally be able to start on Thursday. The Keio University's Mita campus had been decorated, food booths stocked up and performances rehearsed. We visited the festival on Sunday and I must say: It was worth the effort! We felt like in one of the high school festivals you can so often see in manga and anime. And we had a lot of delicious things to eat - Takoyaki, noodles, french fries, crêpes, Korean pancakes, ice cream,...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to Mitasai!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Food, food, food... and a lot of people</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoseg0MAdPyWzpkXvGvNadpgu_8b0RBgp54UVZyaHgshab-koUP3mVdFfxwgBDke6KbI0lsKS09Oc7YH-W7BrYUND8sUrhNvS3Gm0Tc52TJ0uKG2BnEL9A3XSZjjqtD5_Sg4coqwVufcLr/s1600/20161120_161810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoseg0MAdPyWzpkXvGvNadpgu_8b0RBgp54UVZyaHgshab-koUP3mVdFfxwgBDke6KbI0lsKS09Oc7YH-W7BrYUND8sUrhNvS3Gm0Tc52TJ0uKG2BnEL9A3XSZjjqtD5_Sg4coqwVufcLr/s640/20161120_161810.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRAlAbBNvbLw4Dbnf5_elIcsZtivHeEaJi-kWBEbPqgwqLq6NRjWXfkYhXWp0vnfjghq30YTYtr_mfw_PWsFjgUZSLHDJTiKlScLPCTroXaeWMj_NmFqNkL48Zylyz0aDVRpr3w-Oc9pU/s1600/20161120_115521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRAlAbBNvbLw4Dbnf5_elIcsZtivHeEaJi-kWBEbPqgwqLq6NRjWXfkYhXWp0vnfjghq30YTYtr_mfw_PWsFjgUZSLHDJTiKlScLPCTroXaeWMj_NmFqNkL48Zylyz0aDVRpr3w-Oc9pU/s640/20161120_115521.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A small stage - see the following video for proof that Japanese can get very enthusiastic about their favourite music ;)</td></tr>
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The main reason why we had to go there was to see our Bojutsu club performing. Although we ourselves were not yet skilled enough to participate, we could watch all members demonstrating various techniques of this martial art. We were impressed and are even more motivated to learn all these amazing moves now. But see for yourself! </div>
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When it was time for the obligatory group picture, the members saw us watching and called for us to come to pose for the photo as well. It was so touching - we felt welcome and like real members of the club!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35_VWJ3CFXaroqGbdAYTFbvc-SQEJiR_1L4ChHpu1EL2k7la_Ysus2jFWaZP00auO3g206-HBNkjxqsDCakKkvnl-4Vj1QQoAWVnxj-8EjbVigxu3Nz6U5VhVrwkvNR6hxj3o6pt7fVcW/s1600/1480254241296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35_VWJ3CFXaroqGbdAYTFbvc-SQEJiR_1L4ChHpu1EL2k7la_Ysus2jFWaZP00auO3g206-HBNkjxqsDCakKkvnl-4Vj1QQoAWVnxj-8EjbVigxu3Nz6U5VhVrwkvNR6hxj3o6pt7fVcW/s640/1480254241296.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It won't be hard to find us in the photo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINJK0CVFronlGlv9hltx7MVXVJK6nqU5lfsm_d8vlVVH6xynuBG0KlrtPWlbHh-HJQcSigpmrH5BGPnWqbi5tUzARQ4eTvxx9WtGUb26P_Bax2jFPzg_3YbG2rOn5gVFWr6zUVlkSVDC8/s1600/20161120_135809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINJK0CVFronlGlv9hltx7MVXVJK6nqU5lfsm_d8vlVVH6xynuBG0KlrtPWlbHh-HJQcSigpmrH5BGPnWqbi5tUzARQ4eTvxx9WtGUb26P_Bax2jFPzg_3YbG2rOn5gVFWr6zUVlkSVDC8/s640/20161120_135809.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A big stage with continuous performances - like those in the videos below</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40FjlPgvcY6OD2eQ79Dz4Pb5Shp0xpIU1Erb3mkgMacj7_F3omNL6Jfi-j8Xd3tblmmmmW3bGYwpZ86Jsl4FlldsGsTf_T5Zl0tSoZP58eMhA3F3ExYaNFK4CP7ej0s7wzHtm4RRWy9Xa/s1600/20161120_142951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40FjlPgvcY6OD2eQ79Dz4Pb5Shp0xpIU1Erb3mkgMacj7_F3omNL6Jfi-j8Xd3tblmmmmW3bGYwpZ86Jsl4FlldsGsTf_T5Zl0tSoZP58eMhA3F3ExYaNFK4CP7ej0s7wzHtm4RRWy9Xa/s640/20161120_142951.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They were apparently actually fighting - I heard that "Trump" was seen on this ring as well. Even here, you are not safe from talks about the US election...</td></tr>
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In one of the school buildings, all musical clubs of Keio gathered and gave performances in each of the rooms. A diversity from classical music over folk and jazz to metal. And some of them were really good!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXmK2dw-PxMit8MkXfecJWNihHbkOU6FfFy_1peUEQpxHbXjFOemUod4zeMz9XaeIodsXy5XN1hJnFtGG-7t1xw42qUFp7-6pKOHCCGbAUUFELLpuqMYDqPIZETZvsagTz5qJWncMXIEh/s1600/20161120_152124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXmK2dw-PxMit8MkXfecJWNihHbkOU6FfFy_1peUEQpxHbXjFOemUod4zeMz9XaeIodsXy5XN1hJnFtGG-7t1xw42qUFp7-6pKOHCCGbAUUFELLpuqMYDqPIZETZvsagTz5qJWncMXIEh/s640/20161120_152124.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rock/metal stage</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDhJ_kuCqL_GANdTN3AagKyUiSD5B4WIt4q-yBbJdPRnO0rCDWCTFnpJCYJgNeD6ZhHTl5754dAR1yT_640XNLjV6m0gIFYwyTC9P_57FjlNTC7EK8X-NeQ-_SEIaOXxhvjYVXMcZPySj/s1600/20161120_154205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDhJ_kuCqL_GANdTN3AagKyUiSD5B4WIt4q-yBbJdPRnO0rCDWCTFnpJCYJgNeD6ZhHTl5754dAR1yT_640XNLjV6m0gIFYwyTC9P_57FjlNTC7EK8X-NeQ-_SEIaOXxhvjYVXMcZPySj/s640/20161120_154205.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our favourites: A jazzy style music with rock elements</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2yIsrPzHWKjnybkkdYljgVU16-KB-T_hTO61uDdZoDTuwqRzVW7p1u2-F4Fs6EqWTyZbPJc3cW0Ee69UO_hUZ1gzYxViD3y0PLBo3LnQiXQ7CwfhNxX4519yxsJTBYmNkR65zOoE91OtY/s1600/20161120_160533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2yIsrPzHWKjnybkkdYljgVU16-KB-T_hTO61uDdZoDTuwqRzVW7p1u2-F4Fs6EqWTyZbPJc3cW0Ee69UO_hUZ1gzYxViD3y0PLBo3LnQiXQ7CwfhNxX4519yxsJTBYmNkR65zOoE91OtY/s640/20161120_160533.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6zZvpKGBBjupJSATp3Kcuec-RAUzdlvRplfNQCX4U9bjcTLm_rBs-anTDk2_QUme1b7-rXAMH_G1KjDxy__OtbtOcni0x4lLCuPbR7bU5mfRM-BPZX1TJw4oQy0TFXMCwGoLbdm8Dwfpi/s1600/20161120_161629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6zZvpKGBBjupJSATp3Kcuec-RAUzdlvRplfNQCX4U9bjcTLm_rBs-anTDk2_QUme1b7-rXAMH_G1KjDxy__OtbtOcni0x4lLCuPbR7bU5mfRM-BPZX1TJw4oQy0TFXMCwGoLbdm8Dwfpi/s640/20161120_161629.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A capella performance on the small stage</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrlZJGCbxGzR0NHJReX5dREHthk7uc7VPWZsOi1ewosFmHnUEeLi_XDin5yHej0IWTijWfSQ39SLxVrmzB45g02s2XagZs5NQTduSkT22V0VsjSrokBZFLP9pATAz-pUXqainpLgVbri7/s1600/20161120_162240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrlZJGCbxGzR0NHJReX5dREHthk7uc7VPWZsOi1ewosFmHnUEeLi_XDin5yHej0IWTijWfSQ39SLxVrmzB45g02s2XagZs5NQTduSkT22V0VsjSrokBZFLP9pATAz-pUXqainpLgVbri7/s640/20161120_162240.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dancing performance at the end of the day</td></tr>
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Disneyland for drunkards</h4>
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Last week, the Keio WelcomeNet organised a tour to a sake brewery - <i>Ishikawa</i> in the Fussa area of Tokyo. This brewery is quite old, founded in 1863 and also incorporates a museum and a couple of restaurants. A friendly guide showed us around the premises and explained about the process of brewing sake.</div>
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Sake is not quite wine and not quite beer - but something inbetween. While yeast and fermentation of a starchy grain are involved in the process, the variety of flavours more likely resembles wine. However, it contains more alcohol than both of them - 14 to 16%.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Zx_CyRJj7BMIdRZPDoprJ-UyUmLqdXduThV_cQioYekPX9qSOduX_T3KV8D6-lPob9iId4K0VY5YSJEqQTcLBz4LLZyJA-ctHRxsLD5ivTxo1R8MzC1OYv6LKBjeVVzk_zM9DvEHmliR/s1600/20161121_162000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Zx_CyRJj7BMIdRZPDoprJ-UyUmLqdXduThV_cQioYekPX9qSOduX_T3KV8D6-lPob9iId4K0VY5YSJEqQTcLBz4LLZyJA-ctHRxsLD5ivTxo1R8MzC1OYv6LKBjeVVzk_zM9DvEHmliR/s640/20161121_162000.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Our guide in front of a sake tank</td></tr>
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To make sake, rice is steamed in mineral water (tap water is not used, but water from natural sources only), then made into a mold called<i> koji</i>. This mold serves to turn the starch in the rice into glucose. The koji is then mixed with yeast and lactic acid and left to ferment. This mixture is called <i>shubo</i> and is cultivated in a smaller tank first to maintain a necessary temperature, then, after 14 days, it is put into a large fermentation tank. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszgfGpMxHnvLZLKmY73FskTTk7Z-0g74zDotPpjmEChFgB_JqsXn_XeM0YcBLeFBvJTMzn973CZJcovUdTZGI4xahpCNWbkenS13Ecwz2lIXNEsM3YlEzPRAEapcQJspZVZPqFs0nPSUq/s1600/20161121_160943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszgfGpMxHnvLZLKmY73FskTTk7Z-0g74zDotPpjmEChFgB_JqsXn_XeM0YcBLeFBvJTMzn973CZJcovUdTZGI4xahpCNWbkenS13Ecwz2lIXNEsM3YlEzPRAEapcQJspZVZPqFs0nPSUq/s640/20161121_160943.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sake mixture is fermenting in these tanks - up to one year</td></tr>
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The sake here is only produced in winter, which is due to the rigid rice economy policy by the government on the one hand, but on the other hand, the necessary low temperature with fewer germs also plays a role.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSO3JE9H3ITDvEsKeqIVGePul9ON9TwgXwyx6ktgc1yAU6Z3O1zjuehRnbsIzR7KGquJ4BiXJavJA8N7WwsiSD-PsU2-RxcdnVTNldbVjLVfnSzEj8ACO8xHtyuzy4moh_ryYZaPgtp_vk/s1600/20161121_162536_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSO3JE9H3ITDvEsKeqIVGePul9ON9TwgXwyx6ktgc1yAU6Z3O1zjuehRnbsIzR7KGquJ4BiXJavJA8N7WwsiSD-PsU2-RxcdnVTNldbVjLVfnSzEj8ACO8xHtyuzy4moh_ryYZaPgtp_vk/s640/20161121_162536_LLS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A giant kettle - I forgot what it is for :(</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_A0SW5Ryq7uWhjYcAZyEdwWVr6HhiWAy7JJOoofP3_VLCTiIf8TlADS_C3s-ofG5e3QHg68WPwCdQzjyhYVeHgM288GJ7hiQZTRTnFeYOR29I87rpndgpWoIvy2fKsfyErK6nRg8VAsh/s1600/20161121_163314_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_A0SW5Ryq7uWhjYcAZyEdwWVr6HhiWAy7JJOoofP3_VLCTiIf8TlADS_C3s-ofG5e3QHg68WPwCdQzjyhYVeHgM288GJ7hiQZTRTnFeYOR29I87rpndgpWoIvy2fKsfyErK6nRg8VAsh/s640/20161121_163314_LLS.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The brewery itself is considered a holy place, this is why you can find Shinto paper charms and tiny shrines all over the place.<br />
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Ishikawa does not only produce sake, but also beer. Since you can learn so much about the things brewed here and try them in the local restaurants, this place is called the Disneyland for sake and beer lovers. They make all kinds of beer with German names - so funny when our guide told us of Helles, Pilsner, Dunkles, Weizen... </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course, you could buy all this in a shop on the site</td></tr>
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The highlight was, of course, the sake tasting. We got three different flavours: One was very dry, the second a lot more sweet fruity (the best sake I ever had!) and the third one was, in fact, plum wine. They even have sake flavoured cake and sweets... indeed a Disneyland if you are into the Japanese rice drink.</div>
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The world of Noh</h4>
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In our Arts Workshop, we had another special guest lask week. It was the Noh player Kohei Kawaguchi, who taught us about this traditional Japanese type of drama, and even performed an excerpt of a play he recently participated in. As it seems to be the custom in this class, we were also invited to sing with him - not exactly easy with a complex Japanese text and a very unusual tune! Unfortunately, I even forgot to take photos or videos - but in January, we will be attend his performance in the Umekawa Theatre. Hopefully, I will be give a small insight into this art form then.</div>
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Noh had recently been proclaimed UNESCO Cultural Heritage, and have been around for over 700 years now. The unique thing about Noh is... well, there are quite a few things. A Noh drama is mostly based on mythology and religion, which is why we can often see a pine tree in the background: Pine trees are considered to be inhabited by gods, and so the play is performed for the particular god in the tree. Since there are hundreds of plays, a Noh actor only has the chance to play in each of them once. He also trains alone, without stage rehearsals. Kawaguchi-san said that the particular song we learned took him one year to learn. One year!</div>
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Another remarkable feature of a Noh drama are the masks. They stand for different characters as well as states of mind. The latter can often be changed using only one mask, which is achieved by slightly changing the position of the head. The different angle creates a new expression - for example, sadness with a head tilted downwards. Other ways to express moods and feelings are gestures and fan movements.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This mask is supposed to show a sad young woman. Could you have guessed?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These fans, as well as the masks, are hundreds of years old</td></tr>
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Thank you for reading! Enjoy this pre-Christmas season and come back to visit here in the next few days, when I will tell - and show - you about the beautiful city of Kamakura and one of the biggest Japanese cultural festivals. :)</div>
rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-15155784158837091232016-11-25T21:48:00.003+09:002016-11-25T21:57:20.483+09:00Trip into the wild<div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
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Hello friends :)</div>
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Last week was off for us and so the time came to go on vacation! This means: Finally exploring other parts of Japan. Our hunt for adventures lead Essi, Alizée and me to Nikko, a small city surrounded by mountains, said to be full of beatiful autumn colours, mesmerizing landscapes and cultural treasures. So we hit an early morning train on Tuesday and went there to stay there for two nights.<br />
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Crying dragon and sleeping cat</h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">First impression of Nikko: Small, village-like town with tourism as the only industry, where shops close very early</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Famous Shinkyo Bridge - we would have had to pay to go on it, but this was enough to see</td></tr>
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Our first destination was the UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Nikko National Park, a twenty minute walk away from the train station, containing not only hundreds of years old trees, but also 103 buildings, belonging to one temple and two shrines. The largest of them all, a shrine complex called Tosho-gu, costs 1300 yen to enter but offers much to see. We could even walk inside a shrine for the first time - sadly, no photos were allowed.<br />
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On this day, it was also <i>shishi-</i><i>go-san</i> (7-5-3) day, meaning that all children aged 3, 5 and 7 are dressed traditionally and taken to a Shinto shrine. Because these ages, being odd numbers, are considered unlucky in Japan, the visit is used to thank the local gods for past favours and pray for health and safety for the following years. It's done on November 15th since it has traditionally been a lucky day in the Japanese calendar. For us, it meant seeing a couple of cute children in kimono and hakama (traditional trousers). :)<br />
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An attraction Nikko is famous for, and which can be found on ALL merchandise products, are the three wise monkeys. I mean these:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil</td></tr>
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Other well-known animals pictured above the entrances and inside the shrine buildings are the crying dragon and the sleeping cat (unfortunately, I don't have any good photos). The crying dragon can be found inside a shrine, and a motivated tourist guide demonstrated how sounds change in the room due to the structure of its walls and floor - creating something that sounds like a crying beast.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately, the most beautiful of the buildings was still under construction. This is one of the few parts you could see</td></tr>
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Seeking to see other shrines and temples inside the area, we found some of them closed at 4pm - the time where Japan gets dark at this time of the year (while it is as early as 5pm even in summer!). One temple which was not restricted was one in the forest next to the Shiraito falls. Bad idea it was to go into this forest in the dark. But we were very confident in Japanese security and went on, not expecting to encounter our probably most memorable adventure.<br />
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When we reached something that lookes like the temple we were looking for, an elderly Japanese man whose car was parking there asked if he could help. He said the temple we were looking for was deeper into the forest, after a set of stairs, and he used his flashlight to show us the way. When we thanked him, he even gave us the flashlight to light our way there and waited for us at the street at his car - which was strange enough. But we guessed it was just Japanese politeness. When we reached the temple, a rather spooky place in the dark - a perfect setting for a horror movie - he also suddenly came upstairs and showed us around. He then proceeded to tell us that the stairs we came up were too slippery and dangerous to come down, so he offered to show us another way to go back. We became really suspicious when he said something that sounded like "hotel", as if he wanted to lure us somewhere. So we politely refused and climbed - or rather ran - down the slippery stairs instead.<br />
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When the man came down as well, we gave him back his flashlight and thanked him for his help before moving back to the train station. It was then when we remembered the Japanese word for temple, which is <i>otera</i>. Sounds quite like "hotel", doesn't it?<br />
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Living like the Japanese</h4>
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A highlight of our journey was certainly the accomodation. We found a Japanese woman on Airbnb offering rooms in her own for guests. Apart from the room, she offered free dinner and breakfast! That sounded like a really authentic exciting cultural experience - and it was indeed. When we arrived at the designated train station 10 minutes away from Nikko on our first evening, she was already waiting for us in her car and took us to her place. Living in a real Japanese house, we enjoyed the benefits of a Japanese bath - with a whole small extra shower room including a bathtub for a hot, relaxing bath in the evening, and a high-tech toilet which greeted you opening each time you entered (yes, always the toilet stories...). The room itself was very comfy. It has three beds and was decorated all in pink - maybe it was once a children's room? Softdrinks, tea and coffee was provided for us together with a waterboiler in the good, guest-friendly manner.</div>
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But the food! It was the best of all. Sumire-san - the woman who hosted us - took a lot of effort to make us and our bellies happy. Look at these pieces of art:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First dinner: Radish in soy sauce, miso soup, fried veggies, gyoza, cooked veggies, rice and deliciously prepared soy beans </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First breakfast: yoghurt with banana, cinnamon sugar, persimon and apples, omelette, cheese, pumpkin and cucumber salad, orange juice. Not in the picture: Toast and coffee :3</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second dinner: matcha salt (!), beans, a loooot of deep-fried veggies (pumpkin, mushroom, sweet potato, leeks), onigiri, radish in soy sauce</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Genmaicha (green tea with rice) after dinner</td></tr>
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I forgot to take a picture of the second breakfast, which contained: Blueberry tea, toast with butter and lemon curd, yoghurt with clementine, omelette, grilled mushrooms, mushroom soup, and a salad of lettuce, tomato and corn.</div>
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While we ate, Sumire-san stayed with us in the living room and talked to us, occasionally laughing and commenting on the TV program running in the background. Like this, we were able to practice our Japanese skills and watch some real Japanese game shows. Sumire-san was a very kind, patient and funny conversation partner and took the time to explain to us about the meals, Japanese words and customs. Furthermore, she brought us to the station and picked us up at any time we desired, despite her having other guests and going to work in a company en passant. It was such a pleasure to stay with her and I can highly recommend it to everyone travelling to Nikko. <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/8925873" target="_blank">You can find her Airbnb offer here</a>.<br />
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Beware the bear </h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtAfSbJJx14TuA2S5sqqfinLjkIKMRTL_QkgepdLCQT43RIMZr7Gyen2qcyTaiqgFv3msMIRSkUgrB2WI0mItIue7tKYEQKhjwgqtJA1xt-SZHkUdgeCYGSfqB2O8PALw9j0JZiwaO_EUM/s1600/20161117_141755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtAfSbJJx14TuA2S5sqqfinLjkIKMRTL_QkgepdLCQT43RIMZr7Gyen2qcyTaiqgFv3msMIRSkUgrB2WI0mItIue7tKYEQKhjwgqtJA1xt-SZHkUdgeCYGSfqB2O8PALw9j0JZiwaO_EUM/s640/20161117_141755.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A proof that we were moving in dangerous areas </td></tr>
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A second adventure in Nikko? Unfortunetely, neither bears nor monkeys, not even deer crossed our way while we hiked for hours on our second day. This time, we took the bus who brought us further away from Nikko: To Chuzenji Lake, one hour from the centre. (For 3000 yen, you can get a two-day Nikko bus pass which allows you to go back and forth as many times as you like, and as far as the Yumoto onsen. What that is? More on that later.)</div>
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The beatiful Kegon falls awaited us there, as well as a 3-hour hike. It takes 11km to walk around the lake; We planned on going for 6. But unfortunately, some parts of the trail are closed from October. So are the mountain trails, which destroyed our plans to climb one of the mountains around the area. Well, at least we could walk a couple of hours and see some holy places as well. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74T99WXuTUep8BYWF9LcoTvEaPoFwWaezwQRGXj-o17SokrfSDKZts8Nj7-7Em91wCXME3B0GFS67dNHfblYhGEG9wLK4rW2WlynS84I9u0___1egAOn2Yn-lq06DSTWotVK1wMZ7DDqq/s1600/IMG_20161118_171506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74T99WXuTUep8BYWF9LcoTvEaPoFwWaezwQRGXj-o17SokrfSDKZts8Nj7-7Em91wCXME3B0GFS67dNHfblYhGEG9wLK4rW2WlynS84I9u0___1egAOn2Yn-lq06DSTWotVK1wMZ7DDqq/s640/IMG_20161118_171506.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kegon Falls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-U9BfqJdoqAE-Icw_57OHXKpBS4W8ymctK1h4e1box1d_32wLj0MMTG5RW8mOsNPS0EHdO9g-UnKIH8oG7yrXCYqY3rOLdBv6qs-fI7Yd_ENOGXTzU94pKD9d4N1Jbl2ZERBCsWS5gqo/s1600/20161116_155202_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-U9BfqJdoqAE-Icw_57OHXKpBS4W8ymctK1h4e1box1d_32wLj0MMTG5RW8mOsNPS0EHdO9g-UnKIH8oG7yrXCYqY3rOLdBv6qs-fI7Yd_ENOGXTzU94pKD9d4N1Jbl2ZERBCsWS5gqo/s640/20161116_155202_LLS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A place where you could throw a plate for 200 yen each. Something for hidden aggressions?</td></tr>
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<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
We are not alone in the woods</h4>
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On our last day in Nikko, we checked one big item on our to-do list: Visiting a real Japanese onsen (hot spring). Our destination was theYumoto onsen, half an hour away from Chuzenji, a small and authentic hot spring in a forest area. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHR8LiHHtA9jveNFjUQ7ZDk1NXfJk1Z9Pa7XmKV2v-u4i8K1kEDepInB9DEq6xhJTkhjBtivR7tJYAmwYr9iIudblevaXon_bK-1mwyFfqByGzcr0fQEXMmEx2KTNXbK6Y1iZyP5LPQomi/s1600/20161117_111119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHR8LiHHtA9jveNFjUQ7ZDk1NXfJk1Z9Pa7XmKV2v-u4i8K1kEDepInB9DEq6xhJTkhjBtivR7tJYAmwYr9iIudblevaXon_bK-1mwyFfqByGzcr0fQEXMmEx2KTNXbK6Y1iZyP5LPQomi/s640/20161117_111119.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entering Yumoto - there was noone around except for us</td></tr>
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The place proved to be anything else but crowded. It had several onsens and the one we visited was also a buddhist temple. As the place was rather small, we had basically a whole room for ourselves, after sharing it a while with a woman with whom we could even practice having a really basic conversation in Japanese. </div>
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Onsens are an authentic Japanese experience worth trying. It is better and even more relaxing than taking a hot bath, although it can be intimidating to be naked among strangers. Yes, in most Japanese hot springs you have to be, but fear not: Only few of them are not separated by gender. Furthermore, as soon as you enter the hot water, you forget about everything and give in to the effect of the hot, natural source water with lots of health benefits. The only bad thing about all this is the nasty sulphur smell. Here's my warning: Wash yourself and your clothes very thoroughly after taking such a bath! </div>
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We then could sit a while in a tatami room, sipping tea and eating a rice cracker after bathing.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNWzrpU2Dj903m5-CN2TVpADhADxJmQTPV09ob2WvEwfYbKlSHJJ8bu3j56bZD2hJIjIFiRpmksw1U1oGPPqK1XVD0sTMn-RM9Uwha4SXxr4Uetz3y6uTsJv86qIDMJS9Z4SQSsywYhCZ/s1600/20161117_124255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNWzrpU2Dj903m5-CN2TVpADhADxJmQTPV09ob2WvEwfYbKlSHJJ8bu3j56bZD2hJIjIFiRpmksw1U1oGPPqK1XVD0sTMn-RM9Uwha4SXxr4Uetz3y6uTsJv86qIDMJS9Z4SQSsywYhCZ/s640/20161117_124255.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The onsen aka temple from outside</td></tr>
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In order to explore the area a bit more, we went to hike the 3-hour trail back to Ryuzu Falls, where we would take our bus back to Nikko station to catch a train home in the evening. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0vvJOhO7002FMRpPrvPLaV0H8YlrN3l-LbX0SSCSFzeb2vm8i8zocOswLcrNZxGJFkE8sXhB-Xys1VuGnMnYbGyAMonwYSetVDyyJIY2d2AmHIaUmr9JVIMFXBuem4LHOQKSXq_QkJtx/s1600/IMG_20161118_172537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0vvJOhO7002FMRpPrvPLaV0H8YlrN3l-LbX0SSCSFzeb2vm8i8zocOswLcrNZxGJFkE8sXhB-Xys1VuGnMnYbGyAMonwYSetVDyyJIY2d2AmHIaUmr9JVIMFXBuem4LHOQKSXq_QkJtx/s640/IMG_20161118_172537.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yutaki Falls</td></tr>
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On our way, we finally tried dango, traditional Japanese rice dumplings covered with a sauce. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zH1UyXk-HXY-4um72q10rFqLFU8pXTgL9uiRAuXDc51YTdbe__womO3bPEWp3L6GPhxWLr537BVEgzIVod0COP21cnwtIquHCJrSwj66xEZEqVr4JN-sKDAf9tROKN0tmbF6jaPGxP9k/s1600/20161117_131757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zH1UyXk-HXY-4um72q10rFqLFU8pXTgL9uiRAuXDc51YTdbe__womO3bPEWp3L6GPhxWLr537BVEgzIVod0COP21cnwtIquHCJrSwj66xEZEqVr4JN-sKDAf9tROKN0tmbF6jaPGxP9k/s640/20161117_131757.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How dango is made... reminded me of marshmallows</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNX97SFn6FRXOKqsrKlv7n-_6zDe_aNeJovd2F-G8RYO5D7ORrFfJbt0y5KeQhOKBO-hVLhuZICO8ymToOLe5zBnO7e7AGJlHWr9_Kmnr1WFmVlwCz1OR3siPbRUCFNs_-lZzzd35zYsi/s1600/20161117_131956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNX97SFn6FRXOKqsrKlv7n-_6zDe_aNeJovd2F-G8RYO5D7ORrFfJbt0y5KeQhOKBO-hVLhuZICO8ymToOLe5zBnO7e7AGJlHWr9_Kmnr1WFmVlwCz1OR3siPbRUCFNs_-lZzzd35zYsi/s400/20161117_131956.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was not even sweet - but rather salty, and a very new taste</td></tr>
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While walking through the amazingly diverse, wild landscapes, we noticed quickly that we were not the only ones. It seemed as if all the schools in and around Nikko decided to go on hiking day, and so we met hundreds and hundreds of school children, dressed in uniforms and colourful (yellow, red or green) hats. Foreigners seem to be rather an exotic thing in that area, so they were totally excited to use all of their English skills, greeting us with "Hello!", "How are you?", "Nice to meet you!" and so on, chattering and laughing, while the teachers bowed with a polite "Konnichi wa". Just when we thought the storm was over, another large group suddenly appeared on the distant horizon. It was our hour of fame. Some of us enjoyed it, some not so much ;)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "tree trunk challenge" was not Alizée's idea and fun to do :P</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another one of the numerous waterfalls on our way</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A teahouse at the end of our road</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some art next to the teahouse</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally: Ryuzu Falls</td></tr>
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These three days were a trip into the wild not only due to the prevaling nature, but also due to the opportunity to explore a less populated area, where you have to rely on your (poor) Japanese skills. It was an amazing experience and I would love to visit Nikko again somewhere in spring, to marvel at blossoming landscapes from the top of a mountain. Thank you for reading and have a fantastic weekend :)</div>
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rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-22867132787459549492016-11-20T23:04:00.000+09:002016-11-20T23:04:09.296+09:00Mountaineer for one day<div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Hello friends :)</div>
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The Sunday before Mitasai festival, when the whole week was free of classes, the PLURIO international club of Keio University invited us to go on an adventure: Climbing Mount Takao and marvelling at colourful autumn leaves! Because the season has not started in Tokyo yet, I took the opportunity and went almost 2 hours by train to the foot of Takao-san.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Autumn leaves down near the Takaosanguchi train station</td></tr>
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We hiked the 3km, steep road in around 90 minutes, trying not to trip over mighty tree roots and fall into lively mountain streams (okay, it was not <i>that</i> bad)... </div>
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... and were rewarded with red and yellow leaves in bright sunshine and views from 599 meters above ground. We stayed for an hour looking at the scenery and eating lunch, before heading down a different road. Unfortunately, peak season for autumn colours on Mount Takao is only at the end of November. I would highly recommend to go there at this time - it must be even more wonderful!</div>
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I also got to know some very kind, interesting and funny people along the way :) Meet Sae, Sin Yee and Yu!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJAm89SsYsH_97ZCE07dPZHZdDmHgTPb-wYA6tyqWkEjtfb-E5R_UmDkgwvHuIGc87ZFR-W-0oNyyn1pGOTvZL9KZHzXv1ujl_L6nCT1_q6JO1ApiUe20GBhzljWt7Aw3aa2pzhrkNpwsf/s1600/15037339_1187664671300524_9096457241531593459_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJAm89SsYsH_97ZCE07dPZHZdDmHgTPb-wYA6tyqWkEjtfb-E5R_UmDkgwvHuIGc87ZFR-W-0oNyyn1pGOTvZL9KZHzXv1ujl_L6nCT1_q6JO1ApiUe20GBhzljWt7Aw3aa2pzhrkNpwsf/s640/15037339_1187664671300524_9096457241531593459_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our group! You can see me hidden in the back, hehe</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuazZ2xeDbdXJdoJU8NF8BgluCzYXiqLZlygIm4IGmr8bTpWuyYS_URGUezgJglOtGphrbij3zaxzQTRbjN0TJYCmvHru9z_CkWOj65wabvXLGX0S78P-tkzHU6bQQlsazgq79-rF7XNl/s1600/20161113_132442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuazZ2xeDbdXJdoJU8NF8BgluCzYXiqLZlygIm4IGmr8bTpWuyYS_URGUezgJglOtGphrbij3zaxzQTRbjN0TJYCmvHru9z_CkWOj65wabvXLGX0S78P-tkzHU6bQQlsazgq79-rF7XNl/s640/20161113_132442.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently, you can also see Fuji-san from here - but it was just too misty</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">On the way down - Burning incense at Takao-san Yakuo-in Yuki-ji temple</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tokyo from above</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can find these everywhere along the road and each of them has a different symbol on it for the six buddhist senses: Nose, tongue, ear, eye, body and mind</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tengu decorating a sweets shop - Takao-san is associated with this mythical creature from Japanese folklore</td></tr>
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rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-1459341819081248852016-11-15T08:55:00.001+09:002016-11-19T16:05:15.666+09:00Food and other things that make one happy<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Note: If you accessed this page from Facebook, please scroll all the way down and click "view web version" first. Otherwise, the layout is distorted due to a wrong link. Thank you :)</i><br />
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Dear friends,</div>
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These days, we probably all could use something to cheer us up and distract us from the madness out there. If you are tired of only one subject coming up whereever you go, over and over again, you are welcome to discover some of the yummiest cultural experiences Japan has to offer. :)</div>
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We came for the coffee... and discovered so much more</h4>
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Because Shimokitazawa, as you may <a href="https://followmetokeio.blogspot.jp/2016/10/hipsters-cats-and-street-art.html" target="_blank">remember</a>, is just a very lovely place and Essi and me are big fans of cafés, we revisited it a couple of weeks ago only to discover new fantastic places - like this cupcake heaven:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kawaii!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can tell it was still Halloween time</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIngqMT0qrLxJX2vhBLEbhPODo75s7reXlAOyJkyKDdF680Jd-yqmdjwmKips_sNL50-9JNcWRAToa4pHAORxxB4B-drO7v6RD8XnLQUT1v-NT7DgbSsy00ajsp95aLeothyphenhyphenIF6p7G9geK/s1600/20161028_114802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIngqMT0qrLxJX2vhBLEbhPODo75s7reXlAOyJkyKDdF680Jd-yqmdjwmKips_sNL50-9JNcWRAToa4pHAORxxB4B-drO7v6RD8XnLQUT1v-NT7DgbSsy00ajsp95aLeothyphenhyphenIF6p7G9geK/s200/20161028_114802.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUDweQBV8KcJVbQ8LCoKRuDrozJ-ASW-AySVUxXah_Xa4epIu5dnzQ-GQ4hhcOpqt2BpnTArvF-boUCvqRnKhN2BqEM91AeFePoIQw_RFY1Dtia36cyaJQTcBfGmePCVrMpHfITW-Y51G2/s1600/20161028_114812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUDweQBV8KcJVbQ8LCoKRuDrozJ-ASW-AySVUxXah_Xa4epIu5dnzQ-GQ4hhcOpqt2BpnTArvF-boUCvqRnKhN2BqEM91AeFePoIQw_RFY1Dtia36cyaJQTcBfGmePCVrMpHfITW-Y51G2/s200/20161028_114812.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Even at noon, Shimokita is amazingly empty. In all cafés we visited, we were the only customers! Like in this tiny café called "Ballon D'Essai", where all you can find is two of these small tables, one couch and a couple of armchairs. And, of course, one worker making your delicious coffee. Very hipster indeed ;)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Affogato (espresso with ice cream) and cafe latte... mmmhhh</td></tr>
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Unlike the numerous chain cafés that can be found all around Tokyo, these are all small and cozy places lovingly designed in an overly cute, cartoonish Japanese style.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is where you get amazing crepes - and it' all pink inside!</td></tr>
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Of course, you don't need to go this far to have a good coffee. Should it happen that, let's say, your class gets cancelled, you can just go to a place next to campus - like we did with ChocoCro...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiramisu latte *-*</td></tr>
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... or Café Veloce ;)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZ0rvMFe5ukDGHm0JLEEa_XUxFHFhIex65s9Ix0SIHSJnJYhbiMuKgrn8I0_nwzLkFbB2rIpn96ZKPFblQYuFIJLvHWXAE1xBDKVofhBT2rYUAtpFScDKnm3ko3iQdoigAH0kAYmD261u/s1600/20161104_141842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZ0rvMFe5ukDGHm0JLEEa_XUxFHFhIex65s9Ix0SIHSJnJYhbiMuKgrn8I0_nwzLkFbB2rIpn96ZKPFblQYuFIJLvHWXAE1xBDKVofhBT2rYUAtpFScDKnm3ko3iQdoigAH0kAYmD261u/s400/20161104_141842.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maple latte - it's autumn, after all</td></tr>
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Next to Shibuya, there is an area called Omotesando, where another great - no, even one of the best cafés is waiting for you. Its specialty, Lattest, has the same name as the shop and it is a small, but strong shot of coffee flavoured with whatever you like. It is so addictive we even had to come back some five minutes after we left, just to take another cup of coffee for takeaway. The workers were very happy about that :D</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chestnut and hazelnut lattests</td></tr>
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Going traditional...</h4>
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When my family asked me if there was any food in Japan I didn't like, I had nothing to answer. This is simply because everything I ate here so far was just damn good. Of course, if you don't like certain things it doesn't mean you will like them in Japan, but it seems like there is no such thing as bad quality food - even in convenience stores.</div>
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Thursday is foodie day - it's the day we girls meet up for lunch since we have class at the same time. While we sometimes go to the university cafeteria, there are the special occasions when we explore the area around the campus where you can find dozens of different restaurants. Usually, you see businessmen on their lunch break hurrying around, and then four lost girls inbetween who can't even decide on what to eat. </div>
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Well, when we do decide, we end up somewhere like this:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jBwDn-8c1jbKA1W84OmE8aHJ3BclsO2g3wMWOGiqMVKLBndYtoDa0ynoV6fQSH8EZDWveHSJ5HFsydFjyZC3hPeYQkbyLCrUoRJIAtbSx_iKY-NLuM5Q3upcOp_wXkrJXJP8C7O40IVu/s1600/20161027_121702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jBwDn-8c1jbKA1W84OmE8aHJ3BclsO2g3wMWOGiqMVKLBndYtoDa0ynoV6fQSH8EZDWveHSJ5HFsydFjyZC3hPeYQkbyLCrUoRJIAtbSx_iKY-NLuM5Q3upcOp_wXkrJXJP8C7O40IVu/s640/20161027_121702.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first tempura! Zucchini, pumpkin, mushrooms, beans, sweet potato... Do I still need to say it was GOOD?</td></tr>
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Even our field trip to <a href="https://followmetokeio.blogspot.jp/2016/11/deep-culture-and-universe.html" target="_blank">Zoshigaya</a> was not only interesting in terms of culture, but also when it comes to food. I tried something very traditional and oishii - delicious! It's<i> tayaki</i>, a pastry filled with <i>anko</i> - red bean paste. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOT39ObdnWnDrg2vlva9OSwsa3rtA6PgFsNqm26x8N3hwXCCm4RApzY70WYj-1qddEymTmS74u54S4I4GQjJ6Jxf0kCADjaeKUvIWtxj8VcQ1YLYfATcd_tmj_nDFgrMBeIRnBumJfpgBl/s1600/20161030_144444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOT39ObdnWnDrg2vlva9OSwsa3rtA6PgFsNqm26x8N3hwXCCm4RApzY70WYj-1qddEymTmS74u54S4I4GQjJ6Jxf0kCADjaeKUvIWtxj8VcQ1YLYfATcd_tmj_nDFgrMBeIRnBumJfpgBl/s400/20161030_144444.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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On Friday two weeks ago, my Chinese friend Shosei took me for a really traditional Japanese dinner: Shabu-shabu, which can be best described as Japanese fondue, but much more diverse. Several ingredients are cooked in different kinds of broths directly at the table. The ordering process was very complicated to understand the first time, and I am grateful for Shosei's patience in translating and helping me to choose. :)</div>
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So you can select two different kinds of broth, and then choose between dozens of ingredients, including meat and vegetables to be cooked in the broths, as well as several side dishes - like a kind of mashed potato with cream. You get sauces as well, and we drank <i>shochu, </i>a kind of liquor, with tea.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Chinese five spices on the left and seaweed broth on the right</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The spice broth comes with an explanation what every spice means and does for your health. If you like the benefit, you can order more of them individually<br />
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Shabu-shabu is a very social dish - you spend a lot of time preparing and eating the food, and it is especially nice in the cold time of the year. The restaurant is also used as an <i>izakaya</i>, a Japanese bar where salarymen usually come for a drink after work together.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sauces: A sweet sauce with soy, and sesame sauce as well as our ingredients: cabbage, tofu, mushroom and radish</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZysUWZMzy4sunM8jbp1ePWpMNjD1WYpWb8-1T2fDhhnNObS-g9Mz7tRxdehYPoOAAMEetTVW00zpHoB40k9vqaxqSnm81TYvhFGIb-UGa7TW-K6tl0180HPL5dEq-KOTIos5o0lfmoYb/s1600/20161104_172010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZysUWZMzy4sunM8jbp1ePWpMNjD1WYpWb8-1T2fDhhnNObS-g9Mz7tRxdehYPoOAAMEetTVW00zpHoB40k9vqaxqSnm81TYvhFGIb-UGa7TW-K6tl0180HPL5dEq-KOTIos5o0lfmoYb/s640/20161104_172010.jpg" width="412" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shosei :)</td></tr>
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<h4>
... and being unfaithful </h4>
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Living in Japan means eating only Japanese food? Maybe it's true for the first couple of weeks. But you get tempted to explore foreign food as well, even if it's just to see if it's any different from what you get at home.</div>
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One day, Essi and I visited a Korean restaurant for lunch. Korean food is known for being much more spicy that Japanese food, which relies on the ingeredients' natural taste without modifying it too much. I ordered rice porridge because it sounded interesting, and definitely didn't expect this:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RoUOt2SwTjjfrEFzKXtnlPAyOXZKXgSj60dZsLkDsjDJWtocBQK01JVGl5YVmvaCVB65SAAMZayobemrT8m8YrUfjnUPtPigbdx7sBDBOMqpafb_guaZJbH81ZBKbUIqg8_1DAbsbmgi/s1600/20161104_131512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RoUOt2SwTjjfrEFzKXtnlPAyOXZKXgSj60dZsLkDsjDJWtocBQK01JVGl5YVmvaCVB65SAAMZayobemrT8m8YrUfjnUPtPigbdx7sBDBOMqpafb_guaZJbH81ZBKbUIqg8_1DAbsbmgi/s640/20161104_131512.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even if I didn't know how to eat it properly and the spicy part was missing, it was still yummy - and probably even healthy</td></tr>
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Japan loves Italian food (is there a country that doesn't?). So it was just a matter of time when I would visit one of the countless Italian restaurants, apart from a <a href="https://followmetokeio.blogspot.jp/2016/10/hello-friends-this-has-been-really-busy.html" target="_blank">pizzeria</a> of course. It all started when I was invited to join fellow exchange students and dormmates Kelton and Tatia to a chain restaurant near our dorm, called Saizeriya. It also has a restaurant next to campus - surprise! - and very low prices for good quality food and reasonable portions. This pasta was only 300 yen: </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDHvdrz9qM2wn3OQff1RwDD_rCFbfMZEFWdi0-1ACY8OMtYfzgzDv_TB7K5Ds5giMJZsenjbqE0mvE1rBs5iqHUKckgBFuCnA9fayYaPtg9Hjj8u1GyQDRVGYm-e6CdxmWC2zxxUruJDE/s1600/20161108_150350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDHvdrz9qM2wn3OQff1RwDD_rCFbfMZEFWdi0-1ACY8OMtYfzgzDv_TB7K5Ds5giMJZsenjbqE0mvE1rBs5iqHUKckgBFuCnA9fayYaPtg9Hjj8u1GyQDRVGYm-e6CdxmWC2zxxUruJDE/s640/20161108_150350.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pasta peperoncino</td></tr>
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Now you may know that Japanese love curry, but their curry is quite different from original Indian food - which we tried last week in a restaurant next to Shibuya. We happened to come in just in time for lunch buffet, where you could get as much naan bread, salad, rice and four different sauces. Too good to stop!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMkEmkTyFd-rH5CoSLlXdcCuN4WdU4idCdqISMUL3Z5v8hKv_cBDwI3jZy5YkFAGmz6DNnE285kH9CQhdDigAGXyqZaL4Zv0o8oKQ5ztYwxlPvb1BY_k3O9lSQH8qTktflZSmTDaDFhMX/s1600/20161111_141546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMkEmkTyFd-rH5CoSLlXdcCuN4WdU4idCdqISMUL3Z5v8hKv_cBDwI3jZy5YkFAGmz6DNnE285kH9CQhdDigAGXyqZaL4Zv0o8oKQ5ztYwxlPvb1BY_k3O9lSQH8qTktflZSmTDaDFhMX/s640/20161111_141546.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not in this picture: green naan bread *-*</td></tr>
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And at home?</h4>
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In case you were wondering if I ever cook at home - sometimes I do, and then it looks like this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0NJIefpsI-U0KUhDFSb-_scwT9BKW46Q-dJzrvw_1lzttK52Usky2-x1skz7CBEHJiwIDpuFD3qTPluG4aogZj-XEeASpasjZznkND3BvSFo8KEiIz5ApFFeMEwDmcLRMYV_gEDiLAwB/s1600/14962284_10202435705010423_699971604_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0NJIefpsI-U0KUhDFSb-_scwT9BKW46Q-dJzrvw_1lzttK52Usky2-x1skz7CBEHJiwIDpuFD3qTPluG4aogZj-XEeASpasjZznkND3BvSFo8KEiIz5ApFFeMEwDmcLRMYV_gEDiLAwB/s400/14962284_10202435705010423_699971604_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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While fruit and vegetables are incredibly expensive, you can get a big pack of mixed veggies for sauté for less than a hundred yen in any supermarket and make uncomplicated dishes with them. Lately, we also invested a little more time and made sushi on our own:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiEOcwHEddBZht1aN-5_YgCySb1n5DclaLokICo574nHNzi-Qv1RYxVk28ncTy72H13dKiJUbE53NyZG6e3SZLBp2tzt3M_HykIVPJQP4uZSXKDtj-z8IqJzJJyfnT4el34x5niLrz26L/s1600/20161113_201833_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiEOcwHEddBZht1aN-5_YgCySb1n5DclaLokICo574nHNzi-Qv1RYxVk28ncTy72H13dKiJUbE53NyZG6e3SZLBp2tzt3M_HykIVPJQP4uZSXKDtj-z8IqJzJJyfnT4el34x5niLrz26L/s640/20161113_201833_LLS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okay, we cheated just a little bit</td></tr>
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Since the day a big parcel full of warm clothing, cute gifts and lots of love from my parents and family friends arrived, I definitely don't need to worry about getting good coffee anymore. I can now brew the best morning coffee ever - Turkish style! Now this has nothing to do with Japan, but rather with missing home...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHp5o9XzgydoSznjgVrgs7vhgzAzvLcOzXIdeXCZQfoNy-GzjNflVNfpiP9FPkF70aLEUOfrz_XlUEQWQEi9ZyN1rLwlyNOvFzsO0dtnVVnSuLJ2BGWabwTaUL9R6pgcP_R60d_ZqGj_T/s1600/20161029_080915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHp5o9XzgydoSznjgVrgs7vhgzAzvLcOzXIdeXCZQfoNy-GzjNflVNfpiP9FPkF70aLEUOfrz_XlUEQWQEi9ZyN1rLwlyNOvFzsO0dtnVVnSuLJ2BGWabwTaUL9R6pgcP_R60d_ZqGj_T/s200/20161029_080915.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4gJXeMedWWWMydGqmYr_f5BvLQEarxjt4O4vFEys2B9YURadPKnoAGhwiNDNs5dyN4gXa1cls7L9CkXHliz5Nteta9n4Sa1I9Ep2qIw0cmzZvFeuEjH4656bHqS_neGrysw3SZWE5E53/s1600/20161030_113835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4gJXeMedWWWMydGqmYr_f5BvLQEarxjt4O4vFEys2B9YURadPKnoAGhwiNDNs5dyN4gXa1cls7L9CkXHliz5Nteta9n4Sa1I9Ep2qIw0cmzZvFeuEjH4656bHqS_neGrysw3SZWE5E53/s320/20161030_113835.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now winter can start! :) Enjoy the beginning of Christmas time and have a great and delicous week!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUXggNhkHtpRIU8fmoY_uXourDhad_fKYKq436vCH7uId_RCGbRNJesjHmrfko-eE3saMV8IyRcu5mMONinxqtKF-te9p6ZpW16NqG7a5mQBLIqaE5ChYSoK31A-8f4BbzsZYbVIITbc2/s1600/20161029_080851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUXggNhkHtpRIU8fmoY_uXourDhad_fKYKq436vCH7uId_RCGbRNJesjHmrfko-eE3saMV8IyRcu5mMONinxqtKF-te9p6ZpW16NqG7a5mQBLIqaE5ChYSoK31A-8f4BbzsZYbVIITbc2/s640/20161029_080851.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*~ Christmas time is coming! ~*</td></tr>
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<br />rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-36733683267555354382016-11-07T13:56:00.000+09:002016-11-07T23:34:24.684+09:00A special guest, baseball and Halloween<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Dear friends,</div>
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Hope you are all doing well and enjoyed your weekend. Spending one weekend at home, I thought I would have more time to keep my blog up to date - but unfortunately, with having a lot of assignments for university, I didn't... So I'm still trying to catch up on events from almost two weeks ago :P</div>
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Singing session with...</h4>
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Our Arts Workshop class on Thursday (October 27th) was very special. We had none other than singer Mai Fujisawa and her pianist (whose name I forgot) visiting us. Never heard of her? Well, have you ever wondered who sang the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejnDXnNIBD0" target="_blank">requiem</a> from <i>Nausicaä from the Valley of the Wind</i>? Okay, she was only 4 years old back then. But what about <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxrV2pqroDY" target="_blank">Lily's Theme</a> from the last Harry Potter movie? And what baffled me even more was that she actually is the daughter of the composer creating all this fantastic music for Studio Ghibli movies - Joe Hisaishi.</div>
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So she visited us, presented a bit about her past and future projects (her latest project was the documentary <a href="http://www.paperlanternfilm.com/" target="_blank">Paper Lanterns</a>) and gave a "private concert" including the Nausicaä theme and a song from Ojarumaru, an NHK anime for children.<br />
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This is her singing for us - thanks to Maria to providing the video:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzKPo6R0lth5Mz4Wv3pV8VfGahCW2_rf0X-XUvyscoeLXXcF_fS_d7ONA-ed29HzE0__o06r6tEl7NrBskocg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Then came the embarrassing moment: For this session, we had to translate <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ENHACSmlWI" target="_blank">"Sanpo"/"Stroll", the opening theme</a> from <i>Totoro</i> from Japanese into our language. What Mai did was writing each line of the song in a different language. For every line, someone who translated it had to come to the front to her and explain how it is pronounced. Even though about 4 people from our class had translated into German, I ended up being the one who had to go! Oh my God! I got to shake Mai's hand and teach her how to speak German. I think she did pretty well ;)</div>
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If you want to know more about Mai: She likes American drama (especially The Walking Dead and Dr. House), french fries, and soon she will go on a world tour promoting her dad's music. I will be sure to be there!</div>
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Go go Keio!</h4>
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On the last weekend of October, a very important event for Tokyo's college students took place: The Tokyo Big6 Baseball League. This means Keio University had to play against Waseda University at least two times, on Saturday and Sunday. Weeks before the big event, the students start to sell tickets and organize cheerleader performances on campus. Exchange students are not excluded: The KOSMIC international club invited everyone to go together to the Jingu stadium on Sunday, but because I had a field trip with my Arts Workshop course on that day, I couldn't join. That's why Essi and I went on Saturday and this even turned out the be the right decision!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGAVldBRr3iXtQbwqMULx55r0lq2e-xudqUQDBAK54JCu4WOcElQVxC9IM00ySrzA_3anDfs0q-dMIObTYQQU1329LqL44I_UWvLtp1Estov0AWsm1wMfnp28xbCaUz-htPJFg5B3LIeX/s1600/20161029_131444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGAVldBRr3iXtQbwqMULx55r0lq2e-xudqUQDBAK54JCu4WOcElQVxC9IM00ySrzA_3anDfs0q-dMIObTYQQU1329LqL44I_UWvLtp1Estov0AWsm1wMfnp28xbCaUz-htPJFg5B3LIeX/s640/20161029_131444.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheering, cheering, cheering</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdh39BhPI_FOeMkDrUEvuViOfyHxwdXkStz9PG5LcOF42jt0HrlOwyHOO4M69VaBIfsKJSIqeEK-pDcSYTkB6JtuKb61Q5jID-7UJx25j5i3dAYe_QgsDEi6PXb6yaBtMsCPsv9LvZRPSd/s1600/20161029_131451%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdh39BhPI_FOeMkDrUEvuViOfyHxwdXkStz9PG5LcOF42jt0HrlOwyHOO4M69VaBIfsKJSIqeEK-pDcSYTkB6JtuKb61Q5jID-7UJx25j5i3dAYe_QgsDEi6PXb6yaBtMsCPsv9LvZRPSd/s640/20161029_131451%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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If you don't know anything about baseball, this doesn't affect your enjoyment of the game. In fact, baseball here seems not to be about watching - it's more about cheering. All throughout the game, the male cheerleaders (or screamers or singers, or however you may call them) in black Keio uniforms encourage the audience to clap, sing, beat those balloon-like things everyone has in their hands... and meanwhile, the female cheerleaders dance and all this draws your attention completely away from the field. I knew something good has happened when everyone seemed even happier than before, but apart from that... I still have no idea what actually happens on the baseball field, even though I tried to understand. ;)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6TF4ZnD0RbBtkD8hqVO_S1u-07w6BD6dfV1eP_adBSUxtEHi_lLubIHmd_xpQMdplSpxQPTVMeM0RpxwE-OAJABOBgfOMGNRgKNib4JalxUf0saPckXEL8IjZYUoBLXACQj34yNXYmwC/s1600/20161029_133949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6TF4ZnD0RbBtkD8hqVO_S1u-07w6BD6dfV1eP_adBSUxtEHi_lLubIHmd_xpQMdplSpxQPTVMeM0RpxwE-OAJABOBgfOMGNRgKNib4JalxUf0saPckXEL8IjZYUoBLXACQj34yNXYmwC/s640/20161029_133949.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXVXoJa6gdRWPyKrqN_UMVVn5RJjtkSUpGeOp2ySWpTt09BrDvLM8eobd_e3Xaepuok33Et54H5LKX88NxvfC9LGqqeB6x8X7EzaIzEAoIF06ONv0abLAf1y4cqWl7iElhxhfB7O3SE1Q/s1600/20161029_151922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXVXoJa6gdRWPyKrqN_UMVVn5RJjtkSUpGeOp2ySWpTt09BrDvLM8eobd_e3Xaepuok33Et54H5LKX88NxvfC9LGqqeB6x8X7EzaIzEAoIF06ONv0abLAf1y4cqWl7iElhxhfB7O3SE1Q/s640/20161029_151922.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">At the end of the game - the flags are ready</td></tr>
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Even when the game was over, we were not sure if Keio has actually won or not - the score on the screen said so, but noone was overly emotional. Instead, every team bowed respectfully to each other (even with the flags brought up to the stadium!), and sang their respective hymn. Later, I learned that this was the first time for Keio to win in a long time - and we witnessed it! :)<br />
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However, the next day, they lost, so another match had to be scheduled for Monday. Guess who won this one? ;)</div>
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<h4>
Cultural Sunday </h4>
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As mentioned above, Sunday (October 30th) was field trip day again. This time we met at Nippori station in the morning and visited Taito city, an area with lots of temples, shrines and shoutengai. Not very different from the Zoshigaya area - that's why I loved it! Another area unfamiliar to many Tokyoites, offering curious shops and good food to try. Our task was to take many nice photos ;) </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTq8-qosrBgTqKXP3aHGynUwtBeccMsvUkqDVNoYmmqWvtGvA6O6lDHFheXQFk_wkad1ExxqtHosQKwT1nO_anz2w848CR-njgXl_fqk1FUxgHr35bb8-yvMXKl3iKq54OsHO3XLH2ohg7/s1600/20161030_141642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTq8-qosrBgTqKXP3aHGynUwtBeccMsvUkqDVNoYmmqWvtGvA6O6lDHFheXQFk_wkad1ExxqtHosQKwT1nO_anz2w848CR-njgXl_fqk1FUxgHr35bb8-yvMXKl3iKq54OsHO3XLH2ohg7/s640/20161030_141642.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry, I don't remember the name of this temple </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKpsFEUz5cmlCzO1Fi-8cXXnilVIk2asKuVt8rsl1xa9WDaUAu1wGoDvkZWZj0RepcdxbTAhG83SeAoV3OaJV9Yylnm3vk5BAwDsBRz0-izLueGH37uqKIKeGUMetLiHVr_Xm2XmFrL7y/s1600/20161030_144728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKpsFEUz5cmlCzO1Fi-8cXXnilVIk2asKuVt8rsl1xa9WDaUAu1wGoDvkZWZj0RepcdxbTAhG83SeAoV3OaJV9Yylnm3vk5BAwDsBRz0-izLueGH37uqKIKeGUMetLiHVr_Xm2XmFrL7y/s640/20161030_144728.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many cat-themed shops :3</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ucmsCGMzSMEG88r7EU0spLYUbwGLX3TvShF-Ggn7on82C-Et58i1kSJ1TyKQW_xREHFb8ggdAEw4RkqHYprN0-y1QNH4xBitol8VMiS1YwRgpZUb0ieYhdyj2mBHITHtGGQc-pxaUJs_/s1600/20161030_151715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ucmsCGMzSMEG88r7EU0spLYUbwGLX3TvShF-Ggn7on82C-Et58i1kSJ1TyKQW_xREHFb8ggdAEw4RkqHYprN0-y1QNH4xBitol8VMiS1YwRgpZUb0ieYhdyj2mBHITHtGGQc-pxaUJs_/s640/20161030_151715.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">... and another<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eBDCXklWYR2u5E_Ugnqb0w0xzzulCfCzRt0uFfoi3nMxHB89pWopP8JCPfqZuCHYyu_oeToh7zOlKKTZJMlRSR5wVDWWAPMqIku07SA4te9ajcZlOt2OEYJiWgieoXyIQ4lAaHUyE8mc/s1600/20161030_144930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eBDCXklWYR2u5E_Ugnqb0w0xzzulCfCzRt0uFfoi3nMxHB89pWopP8JCPfqZuCHYyu_oeToh7zOlKKTZJMlRSR5wVDWWAPMqIku07SA4te9ajcZlOt2OEYJiWgieoXyIQ4lAaHUyE8mc/s640/20161030_144930.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street market sellers demonstrating their toys</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjps_hZcnEmGTZmD2TAI3LGZs6uUT5Z7dj2FMEz1IgJIEvOUm_39rAROfiC-M511tnLDjWWDw7htzkT-oKKHHkW_WfK7IqHeiv1ZTxL4NAIJdj4KdDZDXzC1UeZ1dOONmlwF_KwJZ-qvbKa/s1600/20161030_145204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjps_hZcnEmGTZmD2TAI3LGZs6uUT5Z7dj2FMEz1IgJIEvOUm_39rAROfiC-M511tnLDjWWDw7htzkT-oKKHHkW_WfK7IqHeiv1ZTxL4NAIJdj4KdDZDXzC1UeZ1dOONmlwF_KwJZ-qvbKa/s640/20161030_145204.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An arabic shop?</td></tr>
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The highlight of the tour was a visit to the atelier of <a href="http://www.allanwest.jp/index_usa.html" target="_blank">Allan West</a>. The artist from the US came to Japan decades ago to learn a painting technique - and then he just could not leave. So he just settled down and designed his own atelier. The reason why he chose Taito city was that there are three shops selling natural mineral pigments in this area - apparently one of the few in Japan. The following pictures with their bad quality don't do his work justice:</div>
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The technique he uses for painting is mixing these dry pigments with animal protein, which has been used by Japanese artists for centuries. This traditional style is called Nihonga ("Japanese painting"), and is often found on folded screens. But he has not just copied the traditional painters - he discovered the technique by himself, only to find out that he was not the first having done so. When painting kimono (which he also does!), the animal protein is replaced by soy.</div>
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Halloween madness</h4>
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I mentioned before that Halloween was everywhere in Tokyo - and when the time finally came, I even managed to go on one Halloween party with Essi. It was held in one of the Keio dorms and we were there for only one hour - but it was still fun and we could wear the "costumes" we bought for this occasion. ;)<br />
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On actual Halloween, everyone kept talking about Shibuya, Harajuku and Shinjuku. Apparently, it was crazy - so I just went there to find out. And they were right, it was! I needed almost half an hour to walk from the station to another place where you usually walk 5 minutes. So many great costumes - and it was funny how people liked to walk in groups where everyone was wearing the same costume, rather than each of them having individual disguises like it is common in the West. But see for yourself:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzmnSJzFdf-IyqEB6_mHyC4dpyKE07YerfdfUAsSUf5Wp6QVVf_GomoXU_yUKnKoV2bbolu5ejatg0cXxq9EA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Because this post turned out to be quite long (again), another thing that has been the part of my time here will be described in the next post: Food. Lots of delicious Japanese (and other) food. And coffee. So be prepared for a mouthwatering foodie post in the next few days! Have a fantastic start of the week :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Toho Cinema in Roppongi Hills, where Maria and I went to see "Tale of Tales"</td></tr>
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rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-85686192101364580462016-11-01T01:22:00.000+09:002016-11-01T01:38:01.754+09:00Deep culture and the universe<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hey there :)</div>
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I hope you had a great week! Mine was busy as usual, and there so much to tell about. I won't be able to fit the whole week in one post, but I will just start at the beginning ;)</div>
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Deep cultural encounters</h4>
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So last Sunday, we had a field trip with our Deep Culture Difference class (my favourite! ;P if you are ever going to Keio, make sure to take this one!). It led us to Otsuki and Zoshigaya, narrow streets and areas which even Tokyo locals don't really know about. We were 20 people and maybe seven of us were Japanese, so we split up in groups and had one Japanese "interpreter" explaining the things we saw on our way. We started at a <i>shotengai</i>, a traditional Japanese shopping street, where we found a traditional sweets shop. The sweets called had different delicious fillings...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Sun mall" - The way it is written in Hiragana, characters used for Japanese words (and not for foreign words), shows that it is a proper Japanese word now</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmhhh</td></tr>
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Then we also visited a shrine, practiced worshipping and bought a fortune paper (I got a good one - again! :))<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bad fortune tree: The tradition is that if you get a bad fortune, you must place them here in order to prevent it from coming true</td></tr>
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Our professor, Joseph Shaules, seemed to know every shop owner in this lovely area, and recommended good places for coffee. The shops were passed through generations, and where geta - traditional Japanese shoes - were once produced, there were hair salons now. It is also lovely how the area has churches and even a mosque as well - open to every culture.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retro hair salon from the 60s - marked by the turning pillar</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-TcF2dVUP1OlHsYx89zD4lSpQoriUEaKzecwoMJDzfxK1BrxNv5W3eMAq3qA6363XzxSH6aO-yo5-JuiGQtKtQIwLvgEOT1Yk6aoBJrXKTRivT4w0XKDWCpcpA8wY6GpEoEmdvlpWZ88/s1600/20161023_112223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-TcF2dVUP1OlHsYx89zD4lSpQoriUEaKzecwoMJDzfxK1BrxNv5W3eMAq3qA6363XzxSH6aO-yo5-JuiGQtKtQIwLvgEOT1Yk6aoBJrXKTRivT4w0XKDWCpcpA8wY6GpEoEmdvlpWZ88/s640/20161023_112223.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The smallest mosque I have ever seen!</td></tr>
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He even invited us to his home which is furnished and designed in a mix of Japanese and Western style called <i>wayosecchu</i>. He even had a piano on which he and some fellow students played for us - even in a trio! :) For privacy reasons, I won't post photos of his home, but of the amazing view from his roof instead:<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Read an <a href="http://www.protocolww.com/interview-with-author-joseph-shaules/" target="_blank">interesting interview with our professor here</a>. </div>
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Our next attraction was one of the last Japanese trams (or streetcars) - the<b> Toden</b> Arakawa Line. This really felt like arriving in a new city, while our large group occupied almost all the space in the small car.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPKRQ5Zc-KvADIZYB5cE4U34teopU0kRvbKyJv7zzWXwUtDRVJmUSmdNbskrzEG562OubrYe7EXPaRWyUbLG-CVWYzbomR1C6ECZhVHzNTEK57oQ9JLUdhPxhDdW9zHULxjiTj0ECscCs/s1600/20161023_123646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPKRQ5Zc-KvADIZYB5cE4U34teopU0kRvbKyJv7zzWXwUtDRVJmUSmdNbskrzEG562OubrYe7EXPaRWyUbLG-CVWYzbomR1C6ECZhVHzNTEK57oQ9JLUdhPxhDdW9zHULxjiTj0ECscCs/s640/20161023_123646.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last of its kind </td></tr>
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The Toden car took us to <b>Zoshigaya</b>, where the Kishimojindo temple and the cemetery waited for us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfSk_Fz_s0bObU6h1os_qTyLh2UetAk7sHFPHngkJtAcNI1o7ylVe1n9h21kjQuWx2zwaprKPzbmCXC9Cq_6Uy3pGEhxMzAbURSqD0xDqja1mqeCHlvXMSX6Se68UKKwmsELehXzek-Wxd/s1600/20161023_123842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfSk_Fz_s0bObU6h1os_qTyLh2UetAk7sHFPHngkJtAcNI1o7ylVe1n9h21kjQuWx2zwaprKPzbmCXC9Cq_6Uy3pGEhxMzAbURSqD0xDqja1mqeCHlvXMSX6Se68UKKwmsELehXzek-Wxd/s640/20161023_123842.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This indicates a temple where you can pray for childbirth and easy delivery</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OimwuRwdHxWDdpbLs4bF31EmxRsOWb9URmoTNouTBurBJY70N_Z_YdvW_Rl26bl3NYIraoNlvgsOfmaSF_8DGQtGh8GARLit7xx2QZmRpeZ8tezYqCCKvrz4DvDppWkB8LISALpou8tx/s1600/20161023_125055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OimwuRwdHxWDdpbLs4bF31EmxRsOWb9URmoTNouTBurBJY70N_Z_YdvW_Rl26bl3NYIraoNlvgsOfmaSF_8DGQtGh8GARLit7xx2QZmRpeZ8tezYqCCKvrz4DvDppWkB8LISALpou8tx/s640/20161023_125055.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here, you can buy <i>dagashi</i> - cheap (and good!) Japanese sweets </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5qZ2T7ZrFOeeXEE0LnBBnxim6MZLJEYESnLLYZ-r6P0QBdKBUwBUH-boOyjQtpgaWqXbnsSW-FWDkecbjDh41KTL7uCZpBFg_4VtQrWHsZZY2PZLw08c7HlV78UlNuSs8T3F01kKcKBl/s1600/20161023_131025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5qZ2T7ZrFOeeXEE0LnBBnxim6MZLJEYESnLLYZ-r6P0QBdKBUwBUH-boOyjQtpgaWqXbnsSW-FWDkecbjDh41KTL7uCZpBFg_4VtQrWHsZZY2PZLw08c7HlV78UlNuSs8T3F01kKcKBl/s640/20161023_131025.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A glimpse inside the temple</td></tr>
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In the cemetery, we had the "assignment" to look for graves of famous people, like the writer Natsume Soseki, Japan's first female doctor Ogino Ginko and Lafcadio Hearn, who brought us Kwaidan, the well-known book of Japanese ghost stories.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUv_y-NiBhP_K1BE0y9Xr8ngEujluatjHzhKgN4JMI3fGfpbNYyWUAuXeta45jufkmin6xrrHTAFNlIjryzuuYB9aphi3CQkNmtjS06UvndtlFm8UucF_wLligSykgctYtoikNL1qclWT4/s1600/20161023_133853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUv_y-NiBhP_K1BE0y9Xr8ngEujluatjHzhKgN4JMI3fGfpbNYyWUAuXeta45jufkmin6xrrHTAFNlIjryzuuYB9aphi3CQkNmtjS06UvndtlFm8UucF_wLligSykgctYtoikNL1qclWT4/s640/20161023_133853.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natsume Soseki's grave, who is considered the greatest modern Japanese writer</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGx2D-Lp-ACrWn1ws7makny33Ji6bF5HzSdndnBdfP23qb-kQ6BnKCToIZ45TowCJwT8OzCDNUq29COGiqqbCttACHpujkixZcHitZdL2ksRynWkhOjYrqDli5bfsodsAwL3fSiyfkAmx/s1600/20161023_134551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGx2D-Lp-ACrWn1ws7makny33Ji6bF5HzSdndnBdfP23qb-kQ6BnKCToIZ45TowCJwT8OzCDNUq29COGiqqbCttACHpujkixZcHitZdL2ksRynWkhOjYrqDli5bfsodsAwL3fSiyfkAmx/s640/20161023_134551.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ogino Ginko came a long way fighting for her right to become a physician as a woman back in the 19th century - a possible inspiration for today's feminists</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
All this tour was made unforgettable by so many amazing people I got to know on the way. Thank you so much! :)</div>
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<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
Coloured lights in the night sky</h4>
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Since it was still the early afternoon when we finished, I decided to go to Ueno park and see the <b>Suki Festival</b>,<b> </b>which took place over the weekend. I found live performers, music, lots of food and drinks, as well as a cute bonsai exhibition there :) The park is really big and I certainly did not see everything, but still spent many hours walking around and sitting between the trees while enjoying coffee and the cool evening air.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFYDFhw-N6z4OVoPSUwC3pW0U4dxaOwAcjPdY10omEMb44CuCQTCRrSoFObNNIrKCwIjNspBImtN4G3c7F36HBi0lQq2i3XAQLB3eFgzR8CGu9AUngIvphDrTsD3ruakgX5GxgclLrOFac/s1600/20161023_165542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFYDFhw-N6z4OVoPSUwC3pW0U4dxaOwAcjPdY10omEMb44CuCQTCRrSoFObNNIrKCwIjNspBImtN4G3c7F36HBi0lQq2i3XAQLB3eFgzR8CGu9AUngIvphDrTsD3ruakgX5GxgclLrOFac/s640/20161023_165542.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course, there are a lot of temples and shrines here as well</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhirwdHndsdbR_lnrSFZ6APDyfUwfe_P_l60f6pv8Hy-z4YVUTaHbcTx0cuJbfe_zCeKvJAC-RnfaO3OZYkC4H9M7EyHl6yx-Sme4AQlvY2Ru7Vypb-OLOcS9Yh3qu949o3_lp5Y_VCYDdr/s1600/20161023_165923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhirwdHndsdbR_lnrSFZ6APDyfUwfe_P_l60f6pv8Hy-z4YVUTaHbcTx0cuJbfe_zCeKvJAC-RnfaO3OZYkC4H9M7EyHl6yx-Sme4AQlvY2Ru7Vypb-OLOcS9Yh3qu949o3_lp5Y_VCYDdr/s640/20161023_165923.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I still wonder what the sculptures actually mean</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6oubDFoxcJmlFWrJOvNvfV0pVzVosJOPRhMz7CWTwP_f-3gnqn8Rf-CUhexlA4MpKacauysl7d0svxys20XGirgHO8Q1Lm_9C-pzI3jBhjk_HRDVxc5WGlD6ZAMRYnODuMvCGE2TuJNh/s1600/20161023_170424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6oubDFoxcJmlFWrJOvNvfV0pVzVosJOPRhMz7CWTwP_f-3gnqn8Rf-CUhexlA4MpKacauysl7d0svxys20XGirgHO8Q1Lm_9C-pzI3jBhjk_HRDVxc5WGlD6ZAMRYnODuMvCGE2TuJNh/s640/20161023_170424.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little bonsai exhibit</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqptYhCZ3qGAdHDVTJ-ZHZdtLFfdCyIpC3-sQ1kd3QKfPl3xzerciiNr2WAGt0tsngNf5XXqTPqqJKIF22zqzt9xPKuQ_PoImEv886Hj8W0YcSvgY0aYSjSHPof0zaT1xazWcCvB-NnpLP/s1600/20161023_170844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqptYhCZ3qGAdHDVTJ-ZHZdtLFfdCyIpC3-sQ1kd3QKfPl3xzerciiNr2WAGt0tsngNf5XXqTPqqJKIF22zqzt9xPKuQ_PoImEv886Hj8W0YcSvgY0aYSjSHPof0zaT1xazWcCvB-NnpLP/s640/20161023_170844.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Acrobat perfomances</td></tr>
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As soon as it got dark, however, the real magic began...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZSv2wU4k4zN0rhwmBh_opsm3SrGnCGKNnbmqT-l_ihIRP0ygboE1pbs4sdaGd1i8wwYcsMwVAqDcsXLNZKKt6f4YEebD9-xg-bvSfIekErLwVOBQziaFE-MDdKRVcETVtwjLpO7UcS-O/s1600/20161023_172252_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZSv2wU4k4zN0rhwmBh_opsm3SrGnCGKNnbmqT-l_ihIRP0ygboE1pbs4sdaGd1i8wwYcsMwVAqDcsXLNZKKt6f4YEebD9-xg-bvSfIekErLwVOBQziaFE-MDdKRVcETVtwjLpO7UcS-O/s640/20161023_172252_LLS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even the temples were illuminated</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSI5kojaJv-b6JpwTHDQ4GPg8JeXgMb4-R7XcmSo20ZXAJ6XPNkfr1_glBZWmoVZJ7y8-AKmBXb4wZwVG9mNh-zKRdmZyawmI95xnqYMsHiuOKydLByk1pqu7nAVaL4aOCvYb8ldDQQ5n/s1600/20161023_173842_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSI5kojaJv-b6JpwTHDQ4GPg8JeXgMb4-R7XcmSo20ZXAJ6XPNkfr1_glBZWmoVZJ7y8-AKmBXb4wZwVG9mNh-zKRdmZyawmI95xnqYMsHiuOKydLByk1pqu7nAVaL4aOCvYb8ldDQQ5n/s640/20161023_173842_LLS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were a lot of signs pointing to these coloured balloons - but they were still hard to find</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt3ruPjEuWj_txU8Aq3Q26EU6swuTH4z4sGS-H60CTsSz7fdFhyphenhyphen_REp_4KIawRG1CSVOP8uYfA1aWXl14emMvPHyJa1kxXiz3UPHtUvpixLeECruEqP4XxtHDn5tG_Z32GxTXyJMRUnmno/s1600/20161023_173919_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt3ruPjEuWj_txU8Aq3Q26EU6swuTH4z4sGS-H60CTsSz7fdFhyphenhyphen_REp_4KIawRG1CSVOP8uYfA1aWXl14emMvPHyJa1kxXiz3UPHtUvpixLeECruEqP4XxtHDn5tG_Z32GxTXyJMRUnmno/s640/20161023_173919_LLS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found them!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo18-u-1YQsyQV2UJKKrNJh_aXb2PvE7h1TIippY3-UA8Ar3hiTAKUxKOX217v1rvBCl3REhk28db_Kbmy8R2CKYrJ9l0ZjVrLsOMspRM9Mu8oBecddtlGAIv15jkrEuNVxTdmA2FRBsXZ/s1600/20161023_174250_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo18-u-1YQsyQV2UJKKrNJh_aXb2PvE7h1TIippY3-UA8Ar3hiTAKUxKOX217v1rvBCl3REhk28db_Kbmy8R2CKYrJ9l0ZjVrLsOMspRM9Mu8oBecddtlGAIv15jkrEuNVxTdmA2FRBsXZ/s640/20161023_174250_LLS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the hill</td></tr>
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Here's a little impression of the colourful balloon show:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxjSIiDbbiBjAV3-sTFnhp1OMTuBvWNQMzRzExCG6Da0sUW_7oST050esqMuaavXJR0F7WMrfbWHkTvB1CsFw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQemOv9EUo2_m5cEScgzNqUXtuxZK-RoKZwKsSY0x5-Wl8pWB4wijwsyDwJIVWEAh-u5WarcpLQWT4z3uwfi8IadHenfXyg2RG617cRpMf0OpwRht3pFF7QuX5__AQ-g9LWfSmqGKxGZQ/s1600/20161023_175254_LLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQemOv9EUo2_m5cEScgzNqUXtuxZK-RoKZwKsSY0x5-Wl8pWB4wijwsyDwJIVWEAh-u5WarcpLQWT4z3uwfi8IadHenfXyg2RG617cRpMf0OpwRht3pFF7QuX5__AQ-g9LWfSmqGKxGZQ/s640/20161023_175254_LLS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found water!</td></tr>
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<h4>
The Universe and Art</h4>
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Another day, another field trip! On Monday, the Mori Art Museum was on my schedule, where we went with the course "Science and Technology in Japanese Culture". The exhibition was called "The Universe and Art" - a title which made me wonder how these two can even fit together. But it did surprisingly well! It all started with the history of space research (featuring traditional paintings, Japanese folklore and a replica of Galilei's telescope) and ended with aliens, space travel and amazing digital installations. Irritating noise rooms and videos of insects was also something you could find there. I won't show too many photos in order to avoid spoiling the fun for those who still want to go there. But here is a glimpse into this unique exhibition.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggra2iXPmtSTQru74TJLbOj1Oce5KojmcGL3oFqu4fIJ08XUfVoeTtlxh4fjiVgZREHwQZKpyFdF0q1DNsU2hKt47_B9Ns8estDgCO8uw1MX3xAekQLrUQztmnRMoyf2PNjum__8zSwIde/s1600/20161024_164721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggra2iXPmtSTQru74TJLbOj1Oce5KojmcGL3oFqu4fIJ08XUfVoeTtlxh4fjiVgZREHwQZKpyFdF0q1DNsU2hKt47_B9Ns8estDgCO8uw1MX3xAekQLrUQztmnRMoyf2PNjum__8zSwIde/s640/20161024_164721.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was supposed to represent the black hole / M-spheres</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj43h7WhyidOJe4g45YoLjLc3X2-VWPkqTzmPMiwBq2yQHR4fbXmMs7yERQT3_xzN4Y2TXC6cmk_tPU7soGNBCyiD-_aj6QJtxsb9x0vx5OUgErWdjLsJiOhYvwhDvacZ7ZcYTSEswR6_Ig/s1600/20161024_165053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj43h7WhyidOJe4g45YoLjLc3X2-VWPkqTzmPMiwBq2yQHR4fbXmMs7yERQT3_xzN4Y2TXC6cmk_tPU7soGNBCyiD-_aj6QJtxsb9x0vx5OUgErWdjLsJiOhYvwhDvacZ7ZcYTSEswR6_Ig/s640/20161024_165053.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original copy of Newton's book!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMc3ldFMG16afQdYaTrdwnT94VhSiM5gW445DOfib7yQPM1ucNEyXtQabd1w4zMW6BdE9bNHeXFJ5wNa3G-ywBdjvP34RXkBZYj6wPmtcwbzr4KH4KNF-oi2OGRvRQLa7oYKqwF_FrWPl/s1600/20161024_165112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMc3ldFMG16afQdYaTrdwnT94VhSiM5gW445DOfib7yQPM1ucNEyXtQabd1w4zMW6BdE9bNHeXFJ5wNa3G-ywBdjvP34RXkBZYj6wPmtcwbzr4KH4KNF-oi2OGRvRQLa7oYKqwF_FrWPl/s640/20161024_165112.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The Crawler" - model of a rocket transport vehicle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgQZ9lbFlw1NhUFbIdwhKZcTx2r6yUNcmD_qtp68zDI5xVx79gpzNZSCfstNnUz5tFGxNgr5RH5Pgf6ZtFMJSRkNOf1_4956IieNxdg4sjmBjgLsnHSWe8CIJ3pjXTZCmXf4QsarN0Xou/s1600/20161024_173420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgQZ9lbFlw1NhUFbIdwhKZcTx2r6yUNcmD_qtp68zDI5xVx79gpzNZSCfstNnUz5tFGxNgr5RH5Pgf6ZtFMJSRkNOf1_4956IieNxdg4sjmBjgLsnHSWe8CIJ3pjXTZCmXf4QsarN0Xou/s640/20161024_173420.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This digital installation was, both visually and auditorily, the highlight of the museum (it was just a dark room where you could sit in, and I watched the 5-minute show maybe 5 times :P)</td></tr>
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Don't watch the following video if you're still planning to visit the Mori Art Museum - it shows the work by the <a href="http://www.team-lab.net/" target="_blank">teamLab</a> artist group (which is better than the quality makes you believe):<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxN2daYUspTYe3JTq6F2pBjG7M2dx9oI3U5d5ih0A2GqvFWC2nSLWbhr_ZkjU322wimBW4BuVAYiacHJplK2w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Because the museum is located on the 53rd floor of the Mori tower in Roppongi Hills, we had a fantastic view over Tokyo - you can even see Tokyo Skytree above all the other buildings:</div>
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Of course, this is not all there was to the week. In fact, it got even more exciting: We had a very special guest in our Arts Workshop, and watched a very Japanese sports event. Read more about it soon and have a good start of the week :)</div>
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rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-18226197808855669182016-10-25T23:56:00.001+09:002016-10-27T21:42:53.242+09:00Hipsters, cats and street art<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Dear friends,</div>
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As promised, I will continue with last week's experiences here. Still so much to catch up on, I barely get everything done! :P Hope you enjoy.<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
I came here for the coffee</h4>
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On Wednesday, I had some work to finish, but also wanted to use the time when I didn't have classes to explore new places. So I thought: Why not combine the two things and find a nice café in an interesting place to write in? That's why I grabbed my laptop and headed for <b>Shimokitazawa</b>, Tokyo's hipster area which is said to have lots of vintage and second-hand shops, alternative cafés and restaurants. It is often called a more relaxed version of Shibuya.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghX8HhsLD8Lz7spWfXrs5miOQTxEdz79Kihimt06UB650DrLuQ_dW-skvxbitLtYcbmMWKDBrafuDCrSUC95gDxxYuBK5WUPiR7a6FYh5hE3s1LQsRAtC1HqGjltqnK_cHnEz_IXhKF241/s1600/14872443_10202376166802005_761396646_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghX8HhsLD8Lz7spWfXrs5miOQTxEdz79Kihimt06UB650DrLuQ_dW-skvxbitLtYcbmMWKDBrafuDCrSUC95gDxxYuBK5WUPiR7a6FYh5hE3s1LQsRAtC1HqGjltqnK_cHnEz_IXhKF241/s400/14872443_10202376166802005_761396646_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I was there around 6 in the evening, and it was already (or still?) quite empty in some areas. Shimokita, as its called by locals, is definitely not crowded, plus it offers unique clothing and other weird shops like these:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you want a caricature of someone (or yourself), you know where to go</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dquZWIFgUWnD3H_ZaCBgosBvdT79UdCpp5b6dQlDl2jaLkZ5nFhKQJQJkNBY7RWNlqo4YvEOs_VBPljU0QLADp_t1icc3cTCmDiHlGGr3P5c7Cb9ITW0UmoBaVU93-wC-pG2fJHAn8HL/s1600/14825525_10202376169002060_1187418606_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dquZWIFgUWnD3H_ZaCBgosBvdT79UdCpp5b6dQlDl2jaLkZ5nFhKQJQJkNBY7RWNlqo4YvEOs_VBPljU0QLADp_t1icc3cTCmDiHlGGr3P5c7Cb9ITW0UmoBaVU93-wC-pG2fJHAn8HL/s400/14825525_10202376169002060_1187418606_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have no idea what this shop was about</td></tr>
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Searching for hipster cafés, unfortunately, I found them all either too full, too small or closed. So I ended up in a Segafredo. ;)<br />
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Cats, so many cats!</h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DaoVF-R_PNYUqcBx6Op-vFarVClBvnrAvgZt5E_6gLdqyX7m3I99cR2VW7vSZN6-79ShjlnRY_kScIPz1N8_NPMZ1icZlsJRD71ZLzM1NHKGrjJo95n6zidzc1TA6_vXnAgBGpEP8tqP/s1600/14826476_10202376185562474_458999325_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DaoVF-R_PNYUqcBx6Op-vFarVClBvnrAvgZt5E_6gLdqyX7m3I99cR2VW7vSZN6-79ShjlnRY_kScIPz1N8_NPMZ1icZlsJRD71ZLzM1NHKGrjJo95n6zidzc1TA6_vXnAgBGpEP8tqP/s400/14826476_10202376185562474_458999325_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pompompurin Train at Shibuya station</td></tr>
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Thursday after class, I was spontaneously invited by Tharshi to join a cat café visit together with Brianne, Jess and Iwana. We went the <b>Mocha Cat Café</b> in Shibuya, which is home to around 20 cats - several different sorts, from kittens to older animals. They roam the café freely and you can pet them and play with them if they let you, and there are also cats snacks to purchase :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner time!</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: start;">At the entrance, you have to take off your shoes and change into slippers, and desinfect your hands. The whole place looks like a nice, cosy flat whose furnishing reminds me of Butlers. You can buy hot and cold drinks from vending machines and the whole fun costs 200 yen for every 10 minutes + 500 yen for all-you-can-drink. Sooo cute!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doesn't it look comfy?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tablet shows you the name of the meowing residents</td></tr>
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<h4>
Roppongi Art Night</h4>
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Saturday was my usual lazy day, but I still wanted to go to make use of it because there were two major festivals taking place. One of them was the Roppongi Art Night, which featured sculptures in different areas of Roppongi, as well as street performances.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sculpture at the National Art Center</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roppongi Mid-town</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">On the way to Roppongi Hills</td></tr>
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I must say that I expected more of it. Maybe I was just disappointed that I could not watch the big performance in Roppongi Hills, because there were just too many people - no matter how high you got on the tower nearby. I could only hear music and let my imagination fill in the rest. You can see the crowd here:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">German teahouse?!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">This was between the Ebisu and Meguro stations, where I had to change</td></tr>
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On Sunday and Monday, however, a LOT of new cultural and artistic "Wow" moments had been waiting for me, which I will tell you about in the next few days. Prepare yourself for fantastic pictures and have a good week! :)<br />
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P.S. for German speakers: Habt ihr schon meine neuen Artikel über <a href="http://oryoki.de/blog/japanische-anrede-hoeflichkeitsformen/" target="_blank">Höfliche Anrede in Japan</a> und <a href="http://oryoki.de/blog/sukiyaki-japanischer-eintopf/" target="_blank">Sukiyaki</a> entdeckt? :)<br />
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rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-75459761272522065672016-10-22T01:38:00.002+09:002016-10-22T11:46:38.024+09:00A weekend of culture clash<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hello friends :)</div>
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Another exciting week has passed by and even though I wanted to write this post a bit earlier to avoid too much content at once, it was quite difficult to find time to do so. That's why I decided to split it up in two posts, since there are so many different experiences I want to share with you. The first one will be about the last weekend, which has been intense in terms of cultural experience. Although you may have already seen some of the photos, here I will go a bit more into detail... Enjoy! :)</div>
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A day full of Japanese culture</h4>
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Last Saturday, Essi, Alizée and I headed for the Hamarikyu gardens to attend the Grand Tea Ceremony - a weekend festival full of cultural events in a beautiful, traditional Japanese garden next to the Shiodome area.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyu83jfh4ErnkfpNw4NKjycH-Nug19Tn6b2oti2gIQtyEZvE64O_Zcy_MAhb2mYToTx3ZjisAz2pbe4NmazogtXE_GYjp_TwsvR_qtQVtjo-skxNle3EtPNB4uYC8pA_syJqIM5OfG31fb/s1600/14555655_10202355933376182_634842882_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyu83jfh4ErnkfpNw4NKjycH-Nug19Tn6b2oti2gIQtyEZvE64O_Zcy_MAhb2mYToTx3ZjisAz2pbe4NmazogtXE_GYjp_TwsvR_qtQVtjo-skxNle3EtPNB4uYC8pA_syJqIM5OfG31fb/s400/14555655_10202355933376182_634842882_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High buildings in Shiodome - we've been there before when we wanted to go to the 28 bar</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYX-txkK8nzaKLNmIIv8tl99FsPsENO6jxB4pXVFDv7lvCNqX8x-eo2D2NpNzXTJ_BYRNvBOeFkDvZuCKyVdkUvACH5bGWO2a80IGP9xTe3X8yrmwRBYA7glsSqMAtWt-rqrg8bCQmxdO/s1600/14793783_10202355932056149_238367656_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYX-txkK8nzaKLNmIIv8tl99FsPsENO6jxB4pXVFDv7lvCNqX8x-eo2D2NpNzXTJ_BYRNvBOeFkDvZuCKyVdkUvACH5bGWO2a80IGP9xTe3X8yrmwRBYA7glsSqMAtWt-rqrg8bCQmxdO/s400/14793783_10202355932056149_238367656_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here is the perfect harmony...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...of old and new</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BM9-ZskmyJL5KhKnDXfzQ2WsQ-E0HlZTxkrQkQ-FhlV0KPiWi_TEPDpq1ROSqKc1SN8h61-ZJPAV1rBKSDKrf_2YLHD8eQ-4_dXd-zm0U7AvX6x87d3FZpZPMwF9X1Npc_FQB6j7VQkn/s1600/14800966_10202355933616188_1974703593_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BM9-ZskmyJL5KhKnDXfzQ2WsQ-E0HlZTxkrQkQ-FhlV0KPiWi_TEPDpq1ROSqKc1SN8h61-ZJPAV1rBKSDKrf_2YLHD8eQ-4_dXd-zm0U7AvX6x87d3FZpZPMwF9X1Npc_FQB6j7VQkn/s400/14800966_10202355933616188_1974703593_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We went there early in the morning to secure tickets for the tea ceremony conducted in English. Little did we know that the festival also offered lots of other events such as a trying on a kimono and an ikebana workshop. We have been made aware of those, as soon as we ented the park, by the eager workers at some of the numerous event booths. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tea houses and office buildings</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNjoIFkyMTtgUseMF9RdYhy-Tu0oZwelCDstVvWO-Oo0GnMou4ZTxsO0aYxYzWsEu04NjIVyGiFYGfxMnxc2RR0unC7wQPbP4hXOwU8WCT1er9Drmga-E24wvBmbbGqI536nqjvjO_0m7/s1600/14804799_10202355932656164_530638666_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNjoIFkyMTtgUseMF9RdYhy-Tu0oZwelCDstVvWO-Oo0GnMou4ZTxsO0aYxYzWsEu04NjIVyGiFYGfxMnxc2RR0unC7wQPbP4hXOwU8WCT1er9Drmga-E24wvBmbbGqI536nqjvjO_0m7/s400/14804799_10202355932656164_530638666_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">On this day, we were incredibly lucky: First, with the sunny weather, which started to feel like summer again; Then, we were the last three people (for the whole day!) allowed to sign up for the kimono thing, and we could even secure a place at the ikebana workshop.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSZAWoEanV_tTb0umOjk3g0GG14VrYiscgLJV3VNpULkDiobEq9s2-v7ZtThhsLuh0ZYputZqAMe7hb7XQah0bih-K0YfgJFqR58LyDR7_mzPwBxoUZgxeuhVxiWxtG1lb4l3WJqEiooP/s1600/14804800_10202355934736216_200403638_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSZAWoEanV_tTb0umOjk3g0GG14VrYiscgLJV3VNpULkDiobEq9s2-v7ZtThhsLuh0ZYputZqAMe7hb7XQah0bih-K0YfgJFqR58LyDR7_mzPwBxoUZgxeuhVxiWxtG1lb4l3WJqEiooP/s400/14804800_10202355934736216_200403638_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-k5p7UVQCLi5O0v80JYc4mqxljSrAlCQGWulJml0jdpWRdgUCcXffUoT5CmbKld8YbqQg2GAZjaFkrAhLyve7EfTk1SprWX4rnsp-7zU3yfXvJ_QjzKhUYGmNSsv4AJu69mLxkS5Qpzdu/s1600/14813603_10202355932936171_515566303_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-k5p7UVQCLi5O0v80JYc4mqxljSrAlCQGWulJml0jdpWRdgUCcXffUoT5CmbKld8YbqQg2GAZjaFkrAhLyve7EfTk1SprWX4rnsp-7zU3yfXvJ_QjzKhUYGmNSsv4AJu69mLxkS5Qpzdu/s400/14813603_10202355932936171_515566303_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Having registered for these free (!) events held later in the day, we made our way to buy our ticket for the outdoor tea ceremony (which was only 300 yen for 25 minutes - sadly, the indoor tickets had been booked out at least several weeks before the festival). Then, we took our seats in the waiting area until the next slot started. From our chairs located directly at the place where the ceremony was held, we could watch the entire event from further away, before being called to our actual places as guests of our very first tea ceremony. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJcXvNgUg5rNkYMKbGuMRMyJLsurL1m-8DJZfkpQx5-IbaqMl1NqHAYl2gv4vogwxE5EzfDxPoPklBx8ckyYMTx6PncX4xdAmHUVjv6QBjMkrnn8KLQ7wZ7QpmMxAN9338lDWF0__nDQn/s1600/14794232_10202355933736191_766442143_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJcXvNgUg5rNkYMKbGuMRMyJLsurL1m-8DJZfkpQx5-IbaqMl1NqHAYl2gv4vogwxE5EzfDxPoPklBx8ckyYMTx6PncX4xdAmHUVjv6QBjMkrnn8KLQ7wZ7QpmMxAN9338lDWF0__nDQn/s400/14794232_10202355933736191_766442143_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for our tea ceremony</td></tr>
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We were lucky (again :P) to sit in the "VIP row" right next to the "stage" where the tea master prepared our matcha. A speaker commented on the process into her microphone. First, we were handed these sweets called <i>wagashi</i>: </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filled with red bean paste - yummy!</td></tr>
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It should be said that the colour and content of the sweets varies according to the seasons. So do the tools used by the tea master and the tea box (this one has autumn leaves on it). We were allowed to eat the sweets as soon as the tea master told us to. </div>
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Then, we could observe the tea making process. We were told to draw attention to the smooth, elegant movements the tea master made, their slow pace corresponding to the traditional Japanese patience and mindfulness of the moment.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_HMc7f6xrZNTsqLzIq0Hbd_UN1IaQQzrNqFIwI_AETOjg5jdpPvgmquLl2fW2pmVqeSsnNkCXFLs16dvFiv6xAicFV_aq1GFvhTSzwtRXKzOR8GNlGmMnjXW7cB9blgYWZEUjweLTwkC/s1600/14797478_10202355933456184_900136002_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_HMc7f6xrZNTsqLzIq0Hbd_UN1IaQQzrNqFIwI_AETOjg5jdpPvgmquLl2fW2pmVqeSsnNkCXFLs16dvFiv6xAicFV_aq1GFvhTSzwtRXKzOR8GNlGmMnjXW7cB9blgYWZEUjweLTwkC/s400/14797478_10202355933456184_900136002_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tea master working magic</td></tr>
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As soon as the tea was prepared, the assistants dressed in kimonos brought it to us in a beatifully ornamented, probably handcrafted bowl. Again, their design depends on the current season. Having received the tea, we had to turn it counterclockwise twice to avoid touching the precious ornaments with our mouth.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying matcha - Photo by Essi</td></tr>
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It was probably the best matcha I ever had: It has been whisked with the bamboo brush called<i> chasen</i>, until it got a foamy consistence which made it nice to drink. It was not too strong either, indicating that it has been the thinner version of tea, <i>usucha</i>, in contrast to <i>koicha</i>, the thick brew.</div>
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The paper we got together with the <i>wagashi</i> was then to be used to wipe the part of the bowl our mouth has touched. Once we finished the tea and complimented the assistant on its good quality, they took the bowl back. With a word of thanks, the tea ceremony was over. We then had the opportunity to marvel at the elaborate tools and the matcha powder used in it.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksSezmRM2-mOKucqzRXDYUawgvcLlmNdRORz-uniJDhTIwL6WewFl1iXVOGorM-YIhGMwXlB2iwdmwsqtKy9-2Wnst8DNXVOifdPBu-vonGgL7fYpdfreSYKcdRVDiB0imorVfWymm3xZ/s1600/14813576_10202355933336181_438446017_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksSezmRM2-mOKucqzRXDYUawgvcLlmNdRORz-uniJDhTIwL6WewFl1iXVOGorM-YIhGMwXlB2iwdmwsqtKy9-2Wnst8DNXVOifdPBu-vonGgL7fYpdfreSYKcdRVDiB0imorVfWymm3xZ/s400/14813576_10202355933336181_438446017_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tools and seasonal flower decoration</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqXyqxcxg98SeN9uTQSjrmwB958cyj2-ezjQchhyphenhyphenscGe_f3YtIta1FNGPN0dDgi_lcpFTQlyqTLdy2kpNzshzev-QY2GtpqZKKCgEWJQxGIk8yff8tHSMkP4XwiFkITnvsHkrN-4NArCs/s1600/14793961_10202355933136176_1852205424_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqXyqxcxg98SeN9uTQSjrmwB958cyj2-ezjQchhyphenhyphenscGe_f3YtIta1FNGPN0dDgi_lcpFTQlyqTLdy2kpNzshzev-QY2GtpqZKKCgEWJQxGIk8yff8tHSMkP4XwiFkITnvsHkrN-4NArCs/s400/14793961_10202355933136176_1852205424_n.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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However, this was a very short version of a tea ceremony for curious tourists, and I still want to attend a "real" one some day. :) Many of them are held in tea houses, involve only few participants and require a knowledge of specific rules.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfUukkmJgqKmmHjTlLxp0F17gkobevTtA5zpMLnCJbqyKpINvhgCTlqKqJk47DhTBb_UM8lIupb32HvdeYBBS-0_MhqaNUjpXF3tdoIwmSqvX8uw4gR36fjGfuMMfwty1EHZ9Pk6fz67N/s1600/14794158_10202355933896195_758160097_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfUukkmJgqKmmHjTlLxp0F17gkobevTtA5zpMLnCJbqyKpINvhgCTlqKqJk47DhTBb_UM8lIupb32HvdeYBBS-0_MhqaNUjpXF3tdoIwmSqvX8uw4gR36fjGfuMMfwty1EHZ9Pk6fz67N/s400/14794158_10202355933896195_758160097_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another tea ceremony going on - there were lots of variations: Japanese, English, indoors, beginners...</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoLk80VEnPZUUe0bwIko9PZie3BvOr1lnRExQOzXlFRoTdRbdfmBJGhRmB3ubKdBNZ3VGhW31hMpG0DhEEl_4ukQiLoFQWIgw1c2VUzPk8BSFUlzALfga9xUXRnz3XJHQ8xOzuOPBytFQu/s1600/14804906_10202355934416208_927525851_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoLk80VEnPZUUe0bwIko9PZie3BvOr1lnRExQOzXlFRoTdRbdfmBJGhRmB3ubKdBNZ3VGhW31hMpG0DhEEl_4ukQiLoFQWIgw1c2VUzPk8BSFUlzALfga9xUXRnz3XJHQ8xOzuOPBytFQu/s400/14804906_10202355934416208_927525851_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">I believe it's Rainbow Bridge in the background</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAei1rdJTOOlOP3P-y93k-194p4G3D_caWn6jm-h5ekcIk5cYPS5V0WTB3cyLsS7KU6QhLl4YazUPwBmR7VWyrkFi8hSOgfq6JujHQJiowQzKp6mPept7nxl5kRg68h-gwg3KftNDDqFaK/s1600/14800947_10202355932856169_258620567_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAei1rdJTOOlOP3P-y93k-194p4G3D_caWn6jm-h5ekcIk5cYPS5V0WTB3cyLsS7KU6QhLl4YazUPwBmR7VWyrkFi8hSOgfq6JujHQJiowQzKp6mPept7nxl5kRg68h-gwg3KftNDDqFaK/s400/14800947_10202355932856169_258620567_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Our next stop was the ikebana workshop. This was a one-hour event where we received a warm welcome and an introduction to the art of flower arrangement. The organisers' English was quite good (something that I'm not used to in Japan), and they took their time to explain that ikebana was around since the 6th century, originally having served as offerings to the Buddhist and Shinto gods. The form varied through the time, and today, there is even a mixture between Japanese and Western flower art. The interesting thing is that Japanese don't distinguish between flowers and other greenery - trees, grass and other plants deserve to be called flowers, too. That's why flowers are only part of the material used for ikebana.</div>
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The ikebana master showed us how to arrange the greenery which was stuck into the <i>kenzan</i>, a round spiked platform, swimming in a bowl filled with water. We then had to try to arrange our own flowers similar to his model. </div>
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In contrast to the Western aesthetic, the plants are not standing upright, but should be slightly stick out to the side. Starting with the green things (I don't know how to call them), they had to be chopped to different sizes so that they corresponded to the 9:7:3 formula. This means that the longest part is stuck in first, then the second-longest has to be two thirds of the first one, then the third has to be half the size of the second one. Sounds complicated? It definitely was! </div>
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The same process had then to be done with the yellow plants, which needed to be half the size of the green ones; Then with the roses added in the middle. The assistants were very helpful, so that we could finish our first flower arrangement pretty fast. We could then even take it home with us!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Oa4jxPNfjO1FbB5bVVOnR5MergDsQEzZ1tj14YfJsGxKmYfhIy-KK27UYxSCKBN8nowwKk-tkCOahyphenhyphenfX8vV-4mOwf-zOQbP15azD9PX06gvSKWlZs32hj-G_GlnGqP7X3jxV1_k4huWu/s1600/14801205_10202355933096175_1787613095_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Oa4jxPNfjO1FbB5bVVOnR5MergDsQEzZ1tj14YfJsGxKmYfhIy-KK27UYxSCKBN8nowwKk-tkCOahyphenhyphenfX8vV-4mOwf-zOQbP15azD9PX06gvSKWlZs32hj-G_GlnGqP7X3jxV1_k4huWu/s400/14801205_10202355933096175_1787613095_n.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tadaaa! My first ikebana</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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But the kimono part was definitely our highlight of the day. The dressing up took around 10-15 minutes, and we were then allowed to walk around like this for an hour. It was, in fact, difficult: We could barely breathe under the tight <i>obi</i> belt, and only take small steps in the <i>geta</i> shoes (socks included!). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_GTGbNhhUKsMPAdi0jI62ZDGUTcU94-t40Dsm6z5ujTGIvKIdwi5vZUZOLMqsy7IsJoz4ts7xd8aVVSGzv-FL_CX8fBdNiuufjMuhqll63cTDppACJxjwf0xl1TBfTk7ITngYqaYOPSE/s1600/14794196_10202355932976172_1032035145_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_GTGbNhhUKsMPAdi0jI62ZDGUTcU94-t40Dsm6z5ujTGIvKIdwi5vZUZOLMqsy7IsJoz4ts7xd8aVVSGzv-FL_CX8fBdNiuufjMuhqll63cTDppACJxjwf0xl1TBfTk7ITngYqaYOPSE/s400/14794196_10202355932976172_1032035145_n.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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To observe people's reactions made up for it all. While we had been walking through the park as normal tourists before our "make-over", suddenly, everyone started to compliment us and especially Japanese women, dressed in stunning kimonos themselves, looked impressed. Several tourists wanted to take photos with us, which we found surprising because we were clearly not Japanese. But we must have looked kind of exotic to them... Anyway, was a very interesting experience. Too bad that we did not have time to attend another tea ceremony because it would have been perfect :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3IUEKzptKg0uh_Z4MY2eiHErJ7cMP2HrBbNagdtaaspoeeyaYcCEzCWuff5nWUn8PJvU3YKu4T_huhigxCTS_lrSkm_DQ_RGQtqPACbQDKRNZJV3XBDTx0rpShp7Z6GGg3bs6vvVieXY/s1600/14800941_10202355934176202_92538242_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3IUEKzptKg0uh_Z4MY2eiHErJ7cMP2HrBbNagdtaaspoeeyaYcCEzCWuff5nWUn8PJvU3YKu4T_huhigxCTS_lrSkm_DQ_RGQtqPACbQDKRNZJV3XBDTx0rpShp7Z6GGg3bs6vvVieXY/s400/14800941_10202355934176202_92538242_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdrkM0q1iRhDRSzmNZmd8b9zaZ4E9qisdZ-QCIlnXdEbdKidsVa2ElEJSnVnWLx7YRyY9Oi4CXim5FqoRqgBpsmzMRNn2lTeCXcrUXggbo0Dz-qqsmunnEfFg1kCyyxjMy58F5p3cVBEyB/s1600/14804944_10202355932176152_803065826_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdrkM0q1iRhDRSzmNZmd8b9zaZ4E9qisdZ-QCIlnXdEbdKidsVa2ElEJSnVnWLx7YRyY9Oi4CXim5FqoRqgBpsmzMRNn2lTeCXcrUXggbo0Dz-qqsmunnEfFg1kCyyxjMy58F5p3cVBEyB/s400/14804944_10202355932176152_803065826_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You could even see Tokyo Tower</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim9WBxnBhp2IRV14Tl_d7OAbXlDgGb71i9eGrR3nCed5qYt6ATZv-daCNr2G7qt02YDDg4o4LBw5oZLgkAeryt05DyR0J_tF482wp1LjmvxMUPd6axSa7VNQ4dYM3gAlXD5LITDRywyVM0/s1600/14813584_10202355933856194_1235568714_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim9WBxnBhp2IRV14Tl_d7OAbXlDgGb71i9eGrR3nCed5qYt6ATZv-daCNr2G7qt02YDDg4o4LBw5oZLgkAeryt05DyR0J_tF482wp1LjmvxMUPd6axSa7VNQ4dYM3gAlXD5LITDRywyVM0/s400/14813584_10202355933856194_1235568714_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCa1SM1b2LMPyt5VpRw8JNy4fMAFQCb0RWg-GIsIzGBL5ivuKFZnHnuvBMJw_5uXCuuWTH50QXaSoGqZuj7fcqqfblE5aIrzZftFwtD5Cwvtf0nMGW-8-X1ltB6oHGhgz2syUlhd8p38Jz/s1600/14825635_10202355934336206_526738083_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCa1SM1b2LMPyt5VpRw8JNy4fMAFQCb0RWg-GIsIzGBL5ivuKFZnHnuvBMJw_5uXCuuWTH50QXaSoGqZuj7fcqqfblE5aIrzZftFwtD5Cwvtf0nMGW-8-X1ltB6oHGhgz2syUlhd8p38Jz/s400/14825635_10202355934336206_526738083_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
</h4>
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Beer and chopsticks</h4>
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Our program on Sunday was very contrary, as we shifted from Japanese to... German culture! Yokohama was celebrating the last day of the Oktoberfest, so Laurien, Essi, Alex (Canadian student, also living in our dorm) and I just had to take the opportunity. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_9mtVWP2htQAW6a0pSgVvOIBUFf7jKzkBgYOfv7walTFj4R2vgXJZPl-j8cCW1GEEFjIxsMnaryR8v9CVCeoaLwuM7n3a22-mJ_WXXh6W04Jm_mhnvehdPqpYypjg7qA5bMqNC1fzyMY/s1600/14797370_10202356089340081_1564339963_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_9mtVWP2htQAW6a0pSgVvOIBUFf7jKzkBgYOfv7walTFj4R2vgXJZPl-j8cCW1GEEFjIxsMnaryR8v9CVCeoaLwuM7n3a22-mJ_WXXh6W04Jm_mhnvehdPqpYypjg7qA5bMqNC1fzyMY/s400/14797370_10202356089340081_1564339963_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our way from Yokohama station - isn't it gorgeous? <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">A view of the Cosmoworld amusement park from Yokohama</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5uQtAqPtj_bZhWdwvZo4X_fDtHUu6P1n9uRCXUb0dkQYMz5ySlQwYyVqAOjk4RfV6GaLoB_MEgzhiwLWOUd5im2Y6GOq6sVeKSDSVtKo12gh_OA-hWhEob98g84-5fDrBX6NCukSHV59/s1600/14794126_10202356086540011_1043227279_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5uQtAqPtj_bZhWdwvZo4X_fDtHUu6P1n9uRCXUb0dkQYMz5ySlQwYyVqAOjk4RfV6GaLoB_MEgzhiwLWOUd5im2Y6GOq6sVeKSDSVtKo12gh_OA-hWhEob98g84-5fDrBX6NCukSHV59/s400/14794126_10202356086540011_1043227279_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we are!</td></tr>
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It was truly an authentic miniature version of the real thing, only without the rides (and the clothes, unfortunately). They even had a German band there playing original Oktoberfest songs (Ein Prosit, ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit!):</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz7ntIPOcfYqdFWFtBcE1RNO9mR2BGA2gSMcbagOM7d0mJSnQVVnny57fjom7ne1NQjmjkKm2B_O6mBlLULfg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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It just felt very weird to see all this in Japan, and as we walked through the rows, I noticed visitors trying to eat their German sausage with chopsticks. Is this what culture shock feels like?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0paXqMygvtaj0HQ3XxIYXvVTWI81O__QB3Mro3Btrx95pyaX9UQ9pI8_LRCtRCtzgOKSbH2AAY9Os4nlBHoHWwhYtBDuhsjqtj0Fk-eIgMvOTUNfghGQa45sDduP-9S1DSvMDIa9K_EmD/s1600/13900484_10202356085339981_88140028_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0paXqMygvtaj0HQ3XxIYXvVTWI81O__QB3Mro3Btrx95pyaX9UQ9pI8_LRCtRCtzgOKSbH2AAY9Os4nlBHoHWwhYtBDuhsjqtj0Fk-eIgMvOTUNfghGQa45sDduP-9S1DSvMDIa9K_EmD/s400/13900484_10202356085339981_88140028_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZmeTZrdJ3DEfLRKJ5VoWwNeBNrfS6LeIQlxvfrtXF8NQA5WPc74PMofPJjfdutxuzHMYZD2V2QHWi4QcPI6VamB16pq9VjtdafbUoAWr-btAx77Fm48V1XhxLFE3Bs9-MqNDTNCUkUn-8/s1600/14793897_10202356086380007_821449660_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZmeTZrdJ3DEfLRKJ5VoWwNeBNrfS6LeIQlxvfrtXF8NQA5WPc74PMofPJjfdutxuzHMYZD2V2QHWi4QcPI6VamB16pq9VjtdafbUoAWr-btAx77Fm48V1XhxLFE3Bs9-MqNDTNCUkUn-8/s400/14793897_10202356086380007_821449660_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylvonqJH0MY0LcWiEadqqL_l4VV6tF61u4-BtmwnawG16QAulur8RQR1TgLFRff-j6ArvEucR5vmwfLvFUkagfVQobivorIxNIPXPJeZ-8Jxp8YdtoUraaDPRCFzE5EEAOCkIcBQ-_oBg/s1600/14813463_10202356084859969_1736448655_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylvonqJH0MY0LcWiEadqqL_l4VV6tF61u4-BtmwnawG16QAulur8RQR1TgLFRff-j6ArvEucR5vmwfLvFUkagfVQobivorIxNIPXPJeZ-8Jxp8YdtoUraaDPRCFzE5EEAOCkIcBQ-_oBg/s400/14813463_10202356084859969_1736448655_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhukch0NOS3hHCgObUZ9sQ0yJHN2iLPR6nSa-VKs91JR_q-eAa6puD3JMD7TisQdzAbaZa2cDzIsVjQFb4kCCzvFCjLh9B5Rz7EGxrz7br_zH53bYzJqr3exBMbA6VICPlBCY-rD4MnzI/s1600/14055776_10202356084539961_766657603_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhukch0NOS3hHCgObUZ9sQ0yJHN2iLPR6nSa-VKs91JR_q-eAa6puD3JMD7TisQdzAbaZa2cDzIsVjQFb4kCCzvFCjLh9B5Rz7EGxrz7br_zH53bYzJqr3exBMbA6VICPlBCY-rD4MnzI/s400/14055776_10202356084539961_766657603_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">They seemed to have every sort of German beer there</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8utDcLMRYsGDdqibz8xx_PjSSS6PluiuuB0HtitVgJlSc_mR3uBF9TFBWy2fT9B29K6amTUzZP3_dfGqwx-B1X7aBQDMbBrKW_F4KV-3FKMZQBCpZSzCsKyQhFXjjzU68i9X3Nu6VTRCq/s1600/14801109_10202356084499960_721605044_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8utDcLMRYsGDdqibz8xx_PjSSS6PluiuuB0HtitVgJlSc_mR3uBF9TFBWy2fT9B29K6amTUzZP3_dfGqwx-B1X7aBQDMbBrKW_F4KV-3FKMZQBCpZSzCsKyQhFXjjzU68i9X3Nu6VTRCq/s400/14801109_10202356084499960_721605044_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This looks so much like Hamburg to me</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZNUHFszVs5KipQ1iJOw5LoAMSssn1eD_zfE660gJEhAyKkArVH4KRyJUcRk65XzyJKYkjqhSHBAJDkL49-JMBb2bpDvjMuOUM-zulfltrZP_5PXo3sb60mHoRcLfHUZPC8kZY1vUb8_MY/s1600/14801146_10202356089300080_494214460_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZNUHFszVs5KipQ1iJOw5LoAMSssn1eD_zfE660gJEhAyKkArVH4KRyJUcRk65XzyJKYkjqhSHBAJDkL49-JMBb2bpDvjMuOUM-zulfltrZP_5PXo3sb60mHoRcLfHUZPC8kZY1vUb8_MY/s400/14801146_10202356089300080_494214460_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVjazH0NqcG1weOs_rC1Lxc4bw_kem2XR7zhkNFxZZjIYdSzgdbr1EsEXPCDIobLoBh44oLJxA7qTu_1JdLzwL26V9ZzvFRJd8i0rqSSdh_AWkcTP28YplsmO9QPZG49g5o-wX15Ouwu9/s1600/13900471_10202356088540061_1022219346_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVjazH0NqcG1weOs_rC1Lxc4bw_kem2XR7zhkNFxZZjIYdSzgdbr1EsEXPCDIobLoBh44oLJxA7qTu_1JdLzwL26V9ZzvFRJd8i0rqSSdh_AWkcTP28YplsmO9QPZG49g5o-wX15Ouwu9/s400/13900471_10202356088540061_1022219346_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The largest (and only) beer hall</td></tr>
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As to food and drinks: We did not try the beer - but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be different from the one in Munich ;) only that the price was a lot higher. They had nice pretzels, and I had very German Spätzle (egg noodles) with a very un-German sauce (sorry, I forgot to take a photo).</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge61o9mWfCnLxulEqFeCN7O0_pgHaqog4IcqVtUII-EVedlIWw-RAZn47Xzg1kSgFnS9Jwhurm4zD5uNVWjHPxJiqExaQAVU-F0E-kBBS8KIOfS07z8HRi_k7eUVlfcqiDaxBf7e6H1yr3/s1600/14798780_10202356085659989_1143711531_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge61o9mWfCnLxulEqFeCN7O0_pgHaqog4IcqVtUII-EVedlIWw-RAZn47Xzg1kSgFnS9Jwhurm4zD5uNVWjHPxJiqExaQAVU-F0E-kBBS8KIOfS07z8HRi_k7eUVlfcqiDaxBf7e6H1yr3/s400/14798780_10202356085659989_1143711531_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same places, different lights</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favourite picture</td></tr>
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So long for the weekend post - I will make sure to tell you about Tokyo's hipsters and cafés with lots of cute cats very soon! Thank you for reading and enjoy your weekend :)</div>
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rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-33934331911200920852016-10-15T01:32:00.000+09:002016-10-15T01:32:15.960+09:00<br />
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Hello friends! :) This has been a really busy week. Not only with seminars and studying, but also with other exciting things! Be prepared for another looong post ;)</div>
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Welcome to Hogw... ahem, Keio</h4>
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Last Friday, Keio was holding a welcome party for exchange students. It was a rather short event, but full of speeches with warm welcome words and delicious food. They even have cute mascot in the form of a unicorn (that looks like a cat to me) and an epic hymn they sang for us! Especially when they said they wanted us to feel as a part of the Keio family, somehow, we truly got the feeling that we are in Hogwarts now. :) An upcoming baseball match against Waseda University, which is an important event everyone is already looking forward to, is only adding to the impression.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the treats were completely gone after half an hour</td></tr>
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Between the speeches, we had a good time just talking to everyone we knew and meeting new people, before at 19:40 they said: "Okay, the party is over, please go outside". I mean, isn't this cute?</div>
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Before the party, Tharshi, Brianne, Jess and I discovered this fantastic view from the seventh floor of a university building:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGp23oCpz1Mih-t5CP4S98Qw7aAfgnU4PGDEI6TJnzbMDfKHbUVpw44jnKGVfOG6vOxs-kbMk5GedrSoEtlQWxgpWDbQbD_mTdqT0u4FWBE7SmjWCrafHM-rWplwm49ygjDCL65r1rkbi/s1600/14699781_10202320118160824_1090065023_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGp23oCpz1Mih-t5CP4S98Qw7aAfgnU4PGDEI6TJnzbMDfKHbUVpw44jnKGVfOG6vOxs-kbMk5GedrSoEtlQWxgpWDbQbD_mTdqT0u4FWBE7SmjWCrafHM-rWplwm49ygjDCL65r1rkbi/s400/14699781_10202320118160824_1090065023_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">On our way home - view from the bridge to Tamachi train station</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiSw8wPuq3_xZ8gL6JvG_MVAQaX_R2iDdx-LynokaTvcza6ouiWeDeMD3mzbbt6RcTYxAGGqp86PXF-MH8AYik_Xgs9mcu_M-nhaOt6245Au7kpqrtccvpEAKkSDg8q9CVLldW0Bjk1E7O/s1600/14686146_10202320117440806_714558706_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiSw8wPuq3_xZ8gL6JvG_MVAQaX_R2iDdx-LynokaTvcza6ouiWeDeMD3mzbbt6RcTYxAGGqp86PXF-MH8AYik_Xgs9mcu_M-nhaOt6245Au7kpqrtccvpEAKkSDg8q9CVLldW0Bjk1E7O/s400/14686146_10202320117440806_714558706_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Funky Saturday</h4>
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On Saturday, Essi and I visited a Japanese club for the first time. It was a concert where one of our resident assistants, Shogo, was playing drums for his band <i>Sideburning Gorilla</i>! The club named LOOP was in the Daikanyama area next to Shibuya, a rather expensive quarter with lots of fancy shops, cafés and restaurants (all of which were foreign, we did not spot a single Japanese restaurant or konbini). Because we had yet to satisfy our hunger, we visited a Vietnamese restaurant called Monsoon. It was the first time we had to wait long for our food, but it was a stylish place and the food was worth the wait.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOrccQCE7g0mFtTaRdvnvMVvYdPkt5fRV0uLuRn_Av0Mdc_C2oEni1TZikUZgAoBWBxv0X1opwEuivmEacAMUOatlEbqdVfU-smlzOryF_DN_v4jcdXiiLxNWiKDKu97cFyF6JDJ0X2J-e/s1600/14741081_10202320086400030_271430576_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOrccQCE7g0mFtTaRdvnvMVvYdPkt5fRV0uLuRn_Av0Mdc_C2oEni1TZikUZgAoBWBxv0X1opwEuivmEacAMUOatlEbqdVfU-smlzOryF_DN_v4jcdXiiLxNWiKDKu97cFyF6JDJ0X2J-e/s400/14741081_10202320086400030_271430576_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vietnamese fried rice</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monsoon restaurant from the second floor - looks expensive, but has surprisingly reasonable prices</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Beautiful Daikanyama</span></td></tr>
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Fortunately, we made it just in time for Shogo's band's performance. It was part of an event dedicated to funk music, and the band was covering <a href="http://georgeclinton.com/" target="_blank"><i>Parliament Funkadelic</i></a>. We had never listened to funk before, therefore we were excited to see what was to come. Being the only foreigners in the club, we mixed in the Japanese crowd in anticipation...</div>
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At the beginning, the audience was standing still, attentively listening to the music. However, as soon as it gained speed, the people suddenly went wild! They danced and jumped like crazy, and we got carried away by the enthusiastic spirit. The band put on an amazing show and we did not expect the music to be so powerful and engaging. In addition to this, the singers were wearing creative costumes and - for some reason - used long noses and modified, squeaky voices, making it all even more surreal and funny. The performance lasted only half an hour, but we had an unforgettable time!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry for the bad quality - my phone is not good with dark settings</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally you can see the drummer :D</td></tr>
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DIY food</h4>
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Our first opportunity to try real <b>okonomiyaki</b>, a kind of Japanese pancakes, came on Sunday. This is an experience of its own kind: You get a bowl with the ingredients - in my case, raw eggs and a variety of vegetables - which you mix together and fry on a hot plate in the middle of the table. Then you eat the pancakes with special okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise. Mmmhhh...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In anticipation of the feast</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKHDD-by-rzq2uPrrR4gPKEZpFNfJryYHzC84zMrq2qd6Wf49WuigU6Lu7iYNoVE_nqkAdsSln2hN-uhtGzxAZyctDxIPJW_CmwzDR3QWEfQBZMU2zLJkh73Jds4VcbFTiLgDqwgGzjCy/s1600/14599957_10207172512457501_2053814313_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKHDD-by-rzq2uPrrR4gPKEZpFNfJryYHzC84zMrq2qd6Wf49WuigU6Lu7iYNoVE_nqkAdsSln2hN-uhtGzxAZyctDxIPJW_CmwzDR3QWEfQBZMU2zLJkh73Jds4VcbFTiLgDqwgGzjCy/s400/14599957_10207172512457501_2053814313_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Laurien</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHckH4CtXwWUqK9oK6AF_GIMv__IA2dp1AHfE_CweU7kzSVz-T4UHNE5ppMvBgqlZqkCIygrcx-kSoYfAoe1khF8p_Ladi9HcogkwifhOAxhU6qNyW_bKhZzt99P6GQXJMSxzJh49JbyZ/s1600/14610798_10202301337571321_634059499_n+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHckH4CtXwWUqK9oK6AF_GIMv__IA2dp1AHfE_CweU7kzSVz-T4UHNE5ppMvBgqlZqkCIygrcx-kSoYfAoe1khF8p_Ladi9HcogkwifhOAxhU6qNyW_bKhZzt99P6GQXJMSxzJh49JbyZ/s400/14610798_10202301337571321_634059499_n+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfmade pancakes in process</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaC0-_F2WylLFLMGsjd07dBillQIRPhmXsWRaeSMRNZ1bOG7UX5kVwstQs4QRdJsW0-raRv-_ZDEu52HpsgwF4gaboZ0wVU0ANhFC7rymCp8G_VAlsyIYna13J2U5iYI77DzSYN5gqG3E/s1600/14694645_10202320084919993_1336129097_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaC0-_F2WylLFLMGsjd07dBillQIRPhmXsWRaeSMRNZ1bOG7UX5kVwstQs4QRdJsW0-raRv-_ZDEu52HpsgwF4gaboZ0wVU0ANhFC7rymCp8G_VAlsyIYna13J2U5iYI77DzSYN5gqG3E/s400/14694645_10202320084919993_1336129097_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Voilà! A piece of art</td></tr>
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Unexperienced as we were, we had been a bit scared to make a mess at the beginning, but we were lucky enough to sit next to a friendly Japanese couple, who gave us advice on the art of okonomiyaki, making sure, for example, that we used the right oils and sauces and put them in the right place. ;)</div>
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The real pain of cultural experience</h4>
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Keio has a lot of different student clubs to offer, and we all had a hard time to choose which of them to join. Alizée and I both like sports, including martial arts, so we decided to try a traditional Japanese kind of sport which is called <b>bojutsu</b><i> - </i>the art of fighting using a staff (called <i>bo</i>). So on Wednesday evening, we showed up to the club meeting place, encountering a group of ten Japanese students who could speak no or only little English. A good start ^^'</div>
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Despite the difficulties in communication, we received a warm welcome by the club members and were fully integrated into the practice. The training took place outside on a field, which you had to bow to before entering. Whenever working in pairs was required, the students practiced with us and were really eager to teach us the basic positions, how to hold the 1.82m staff properly, as well as the techniques of attack and defense. </div>
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The staff part itself was not very hard once we have mastered the technique - it was the warm-up which made the training session very intense. It started with 240 kicks, or 20 per member. Standing in a circle, everyone had to perform ten kicks for each leg while counting them in Japanese. Not an easy task when you are a) out of breath and b) not very confident with your language skills... The worst part of the practice were "frog jumps". My legs still hurt from this one. Watching the others hopping happily across the field and back, we could barely do five of these jumps in a row... ^^ </div>
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I could write a lot more about bojutsu, but if you would like to get an impression of what it looks like, you could start <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Vrj7HoPCg" target="_blank">here</a>. If I join the club, I will make sure to share more experiences in the future. </div>
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Regardless of the tough parts, the two hour practice was a lot of fun and we already learned a lot. The members even invited us for dinner which they always eat together after training - but since we had no changing clothes with us and still some homework to finish, unfortunately, we could not join. I still feel a bit bad about this because they were so kind, but next time we will be prepared. It promises to be a great opportunity to make new friends and pracitce Japanese :)</div>
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Yummy, yummy, yummy</h4>
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Because Tokyo has so much delicious stuff to offer, I cannot resist sharing with you my newest discoveries of the week - the best curry place (so far), my first Japanese pizza and seasonal pumpkin latte.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgOWxHcd89Z5U9SQkIMkEvMdm5kUrL5JBhPS0JQVIye_PDga6BOTDOxVyZJ_6QCZXyjCsDhUgkSdBTkkvj9iDL3j5RakbsEaheJDvET3VurJ721iNAGReflSbIuQZXBIjpZ-LkxqFXmKh/s1600/14696809_10202320112240676_369519837_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgOWxHcd89Z5U9SQkIMkEvMdm5kUrL5JBhPS0JQVIye_PDga6BOTDOxVyZJ_6QCZXyjCsDhUgkSdBTkkvj9iDL3j5RakbsEaheJDvET3VurJ721iNAGReflSbIuQZXBIjpZ-LkxqFXmKh/s400/14696809_10202320112240676_369519837_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Tomato and asparagus curry for lunch - the standard portion is already HUGE. I get the impression Japanese people can eat a lot. Especially of this popular dish<br /></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsH5TOoYBGgZqDJig1XNVGTQU6biA1YMBQ_NXoucnv4Al3WeWC2P-Yo4uHt6fOWtebqLtoWjbtj3dPXxtjw0L6l2uvDfeL9kWfP0UEfE6TlhZFD0tMqdOClWWKvHVvkI_oHarDiiiocLQ4/s1600/14686385_10202320090880142_1479988688_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsH5TOoYBGgZqDJig1XNVGTQU6biA1YMBQ_NXoucnv4Al3WeWC2P-Yo4uHt6fOWtebqLtoWjbtj3dPXxtjw0L6l2uvDfeL9kWfP0UEfE6TlhZFD0tMqdOClWWKvHVvkI_oHarDiiiocLQ4/s400/14686385_10202320090880142_1479988688_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very cool, little standing pizza bar suggested by our arts professor, where Maria, Alex and I went after class on Thursday...</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPB4CILkdSS-jLmmT5mcYFo1mVnIl8FITdjRrqYamxCTNsaXEDhzPbmk9K9f8nuYmordYE_YW5Y0r6M4_tse3dJSdCVmnDapj1IRr5ZmUwtuc_YSDmqeZaZz0mNFpJJF15k6XJ3soUKBe/s1600/14658256_10202320091080147_1449063031_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPB4CILkdSS-jLmmT5mcYFo1mVnIl8FITdjRrqYamxCTNsaXEDhzPbmk9K9f8nuYmordYE_YW5Y0r6M4_tse3dJSdCVmnDapj1IRr5ZmUwtuc_YSDmqeZaZz0mNFpJJF15k6XJ3soUKBe/s400/14658256_10202320091080147_1449063031_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">...and I had this basil and mascarpone pizza prepared right before my eyes. It exceeded my expectations - although pizza in Japan is certainly different from the European version<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6l4XRpQ0gvqR_2woLSOFWNTXQsr6EhJk6VLRC98m2JSAfuIGiiv3ZZdrrThm2yn7eZQQppSqo8XxI6Zitxq69NqrvSTVLLYSSAz2h1CxOqAhU3i_yJjufNEliqvQG1oc7XRohQ_CFFsY/s1600/14694909_10202320091040146_1024321161_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6l4XRpQ0gvqR_2woLSOFWNTXQsr6EhJk6VLRC98m2JSAfuIGiiv3ZZdrrThm2yn7eZQQppSqo8XxI6Zitxq69NqrvSTVLLYSSAz2h1CxOqAhU3i_yJjufNEliqvQG1oc7XRohQ_CFFsY/s400/14694909_10202320091040146_1024321161_n.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After having my hair cut in a very nice hair salon (Shinka) in Roppongi today, I treated myself with this Halloween pumpkin latte</td></tr>
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Lastly, I am pleased to announce to you that I am now also busy creating posts for <a href="http://oryoki.de/" target="_blank">Oryoki</a> - a German online shop specialized on high-quality, hand-crafted Japanese goods! I am very happy and honoured to have received this opportunity, and excited to share my fascination for Japanese culture with a broader, like-minded audience. A huge thanks to my friend Jenny for establishing contact, and to Francesca for providing valuable help with my research on tea ceremony, which is the subject of my first blog post. You can find it <a href="http://oryoki.de/blog/japanische-teezeremonie-chado/" target="_blank">here</a> (German only).</div>
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Thank you for reading and have fantastic weekend! :)</div>
rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-51204916970555857082016-10-10T01:31:00.004+09:002016-10-10T02:13:27.109+09:00Five things that surprised me about Japan<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hey there! As I mentioned in my earlier post, this will be the first part of my impressions of Japan. I have been using my notebooks some of you gave to me back in Germany (thanks a lot again! :)) over the last month to write down everything amazing, funny or paradoxic people do here. Japan never fails to surprise. Even doing your research in advance does not prevent you from the occasional "culture shock" ;) Hope you enjoy!<br />
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1. When life gives you... tissues</h4>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">While western stores and companies tend to have people standing around distributing flyers to passersby, in Japan, the same people will give you a free pack of paper tissues with their ad. They are always there where you don't expect them: At train stations, store entrances or just at random places on the street. When I was at Bic Camera for my SIM card and had to leave and re-enter three times, I had collected three packs of tissues by the end. That is why I never need to buy any and still always have a steady supply. Pity is that Japanese tissues are very thin and not very solid - but free stuff in this rather expensive country is nothing to complain about. Maybe it all has to do with traditional Japanese cleanliness?</span></div>
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2. Let's all look fancy</h4>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">On Japanese streets, you will almost never see a Japanese girl or woman who is poorly dressed. "Kawaii" dresses, jewellery and high heels seem to be the standard fashion, even (or especially) at university. When strolling through one of the numerous shopping malls, you will rarely find clothes that are not tasteful, elegant and cute. In addition, I noticed that a lot of men are wearing women's handbags. Not in bright colours, mostly black, but still, it is fun to see the mix of briefcases, backpacks and handbags amongst male Japanese in the train. I don't know if handbags are considered feminine here at all, but it does add a certain feminine touch :)</span><br />
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3. Your loyal servants</h4>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">You may have heard of Japanese vending machines selling everything: From cup noodles over flowers to used panties. However, I must disappoint you at this point: The only machines I have seen in Tokyo so far are drink machines (and only one snack machine at a train station). But they offer a lot of different drinks: Green tea, juice, ice coffee, energy drinks, beer and other alcoholic drinks, and among them - well disguised - water. I am emphasizing this because when you are new to vending machines, it can be tricky to figure out what is normal water and what is not. Sometimes to have to apply a trial-and-error technique. But the most striking about these vending machines is that they can be found <i>everywhere</i>. You turn around a corner or just walk 100 meters, there is a vending machine. It is impossible to die of thirst in Tokyo, especially because the machines never seem to get empty. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">And the best of all: You can sometimes even get hot drinks from such a machine!</span><br />
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4. Anime voices</h4>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Over time, you get used to the fact that everyone welcomes you with an obligatory and mostly female "Irasshaimase!" at every store - and you start to like it. The voices, however, are incredibly high and penetrating - comparable to the way cute anime characters exclaim their excitement (I could not believe real people could and would do it on a regular basis that until then). It is impossible to go visit boutiques in a big shopping mall without almost getting deaf, because the shop assistants are not only greeting, but also advertising their goods in a loud manner. But I guess you get used to it. I am, however, still amazed how they can keep their voice working all day. Maybe I should ask for their secret?</span></h4>
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5. Can we take a selfie?</h4>
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People's reactions to foreigners here are hugely ambiguous. Take restaurants for example. Some waiters like to chat, especially when you demonstrate some language skills. When you tell them you are from Germany, they will <i>always </i>add a "Dankeschön!" when you are leaving. :) Others may politely claim to have no English menu or to be booked out, while actually meaning to say "LEAVE!" (this really happened to us several times). One of the funniest reactions from random people we met on the street or with whom we were sitting in a café was asking to take a selfie with us :)</div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Of course, there is a lot more Japan has to offer. I will make sure to share more impressions with you soon. Until then - have a good start of the week! :)</span></div>
</h4>
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rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-39708578697145764022016-10-05T00:41:00.001+09:002016-10-10T02:11:37.493+09:00One Month Anniversary (almost)<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Hello
friends! :) It's been a while, but right now I'm catching up on many things,
including keeping you up to date. </div>
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</span><span lang="EN-GB"></span>
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<span lang="EN-GB">It has already been four weeks since I boarded the
plane to Tokyo. I can't believe how fast this month flew by, while I was busy
not getting lost in the big, confusing city, meeting so many amazing people,
and getting started at university.</span></div>
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</div>
</span><span lang="EN-GB"><div style="text-align: justify;">
Now it’s already my second proper week of classes and
so far, I enjoy it a lot. The workload may be high, but the courses are interesting,
which is mostly due to our professors being very energetic and passionate about
their subjects. Also, the great diversity of cultural backgrounds adds to a
completely different experience. I still hope to meet more Japanese students,
since my courses consist mostly of international students.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenb8xZjVcurpjcLEEarPm59vKRJqScQ_rTGbO8iAbW5nyQyhDWXdkTxnF-9Lie6bsvP5uGY1l6u4yGE-kyxpu3lq82eUNvsUzKOBroTpKOYCItS6PgZFDVoisVBKR0GwFN7xy208vrJ97/s1600/14569613_10202278751646687_241436568_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenb8xZjVcurpjcLEEarPm59vKRJqScQ_rTGbO8iAbW5nyQyhDWXdkTxnF-9Lie6bsvP5uGY1l6u4yGE-kyxpu3lq82eUNvsUzKOBroTpKOYCItS6PgZFDVoisVBKR0GwFN7xy208vrJ97/s320/14569613_10202278751646687_241436568_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favourite dish at the university cafeteria: Kamatama Udon *-*</td></tr>
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The
strange thing about the university itself is that it reminds me more of my high
school: School-style classrooms, bells which indicate the beginning of each
lesson, and weird period times. If you would like to get an impression of what
I am studying, here is my schedule (I was genuinely surprised that you are able
to access it online and don't get it as a print-out like everything else at
Keio ;))</div>
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</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvDLtb1HdVx13f4sDysWJJUjStFoJkyLBTTZHqdnpkcZt46wT58xLnCR1CdjQ6yMfwCDIHL1flCIzj1S1ZUn97geBsDr1hJ1XhhSI4JS2s0S_zADhVQDidBmtu-lLd6ZW4pWNrN6K9xVt/s1600/Timetable.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvDLtb1HdVx13f4sDysWJJUjStFoJkyLBTTZHqdnpkcZt46wT58xLnCR1CdjQ6yMfwCDIHL1flCIzj1S1ZUn97geBsDr1hJ1XhhSI4JS2s0S_zADhVQDidBmtu-lLd6ZW4pWNrN6K9xVt/s320/Timetable.PNG" width="320" /></a><span style="text-align: right;"> </span></div>
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As to seeing new places, unfortunately, there was too
little time and on the weekend, I got a bit sick (it's this kind of Welcome-to-Japan
cold everyone here seems to get at the moment).</div>
<span lang="EN-GB"></span><br />
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</div>
<span lang="EN-GB">
</span><span lang="EN-GB"></span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">But nevertheless, over the week, I took the time to
stroll around in Kawasaki a little and go to karaoke with Maria and many people
from different dorms on Thursday. It was a Caribbean-themed place only 20
minutes away by walking, and it offered an amazingly good deal: For roughly
2800 yen, we had unlimited drinks and free ice cream all night. Not to mention
lots of fun :) We even talked to a (quite drunk) Japanese guy which is always a
hilarious experience :D</span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidSRKZRfuwK461u0uXqH9ZEaFHaJVPx3dGg6gaPOjZsyicj4VTms6Q8mKAKn32fbQ7BBeUpXyZxOS29l5pIPJ4e3Hcc_MDa7QdM7n9WOD_IeBbwHRljxY9mlLSV80pfdLpj4wusUmFLS-U/s1600/14580380_10202278752406706_824017096_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidSRKZRfuwK461u0uXqH9ZEaFHaJVPx3dGg6gaPOjZsyicj4VTms6Q8mKAKn32fbQ7BBeUpXyZxOS29l5pIPJ4e3Hcc_MDa7QdM7n9WOD_IeBbwHRljxY9mlLSV80pfdLpj4wusUmFLS-U/s320/14580380_10202278752406706_824017096_n.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a regular street in Kawasaki</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5vYvb-S36iQfrwM8rc5yNBJCLAtMaNlcqprfYd_LhSqoh6f5donV5UOpB2KqOzUxtwwAnmsCH0k1yFsBC393ywnPAkP-7qcagjRzpkCacmOXEC-0LDnOpxcC7DkHwhRWWoS0duUqk3Gr/s1600/14569626_10202278752526709_609389899_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5vYvb-S36iQfrwM8rc5yNBJCLAtMaNlcqprfYd_LhSqoh6f5donV5UOpB2KqOzUxtwwAnmsCH0k1yFsBC393ywnPAkP-7qcagjRzpkCacmOXEC-0LDnOpxcC7DkHwhRWWoS0duUqk3Gr/s320/14569626_10202278752526709_609389899_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mozart would have approved</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCWZ7tu-lFSAgtKTMcrMDYAyt31_UysDiLqr8wKZxJ_tH92O6aWIdt7Qqu2U1U-UzFY1q_K34dWV6tv4WpO_6LGFjMX2l2XAL0rBT6O5eCyjYWEARpJEsWt_lnlJKYWFk14pcQNNsZmDJ/s1600/14585473_10202278752366705_1529277418_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCWZ7tu-lFSAgtKTMcrMDYAyt31_UysDiLqr8wKZxJ_tH92O6aWIdt7Qqu2U1U-UzFY1q_K34dWV6tv4WpO_6LGFjMX2l2XAL0rBT6O5eCyjYWEARpJEsWt_lnlJKYWFk14pcQNNsZmDJ/s400/14585473_10202278752366705_1529277418_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
On
Sunday, Essi, Francesca and I started a super-secret project: Organising a
surprise birthday party in our dorm for Laurien and Alizée, whose birthdays
were both on October 3<sup>rd</sup>. The first one each of us ever had, so we
were totally excited. We spent almost all day in Harajuku and Shinjuku, buying
everything we needed, while discovering new, wondrous things only Japan has to
offer (like cyclists with cats on their shoulders). Look at these adorable tiny sweets from Harajuku:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsYVK3QkIgHAiirmw6eKXJI8pVjB3ANOG1H75F34_jaiPEQKqnBgHFcnq-jWstHC-vP0kA22Lhrvdu17M5JtUvY-cvncdrO3bca0kRbqTmFBKU6OiW5EOFksLztoQPH7trxFBdf1_t8VN/s1600/14555609_10202278752126699_871056056_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; font-size: 12.8px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsYVK3QkIgHAiirmw6eKXJI8pVjB3ANOG1H75F34_jaiPEQKqnBgHFcnq-jWstHC-vP0kA22Lhrvdu17M5JtUvY-cvncdrO3bca0kRbqTmFBKU6OiW5EOFksLztoQPH7trxFBdf1_t8VN/s200/14555609_10202278752126699_871056056_n.jpg" width="200" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4KRPbso352hnwrm-R8BG0QvzT2JWcpEVUqzpWfH289bq00xo4dHqLZsgWedD8uIJora3iYSDMsEfKvjuRzD0NnyRqGfOaBBpyhbD84q6N4eQ9AlDBMANc5YROTTJgE2tMRfSwP1W1i6E/s1600/14555601_10202278752006696_186439427_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4KRPbso352hnwrm-R8BG0QvzT2JWcpEVUqzpWfH289bq00xo4dHqLZsgWedD8uIJora3iYSDMsEfKvjuRzD0NnyRqGfOaBBpyhbD84q6N4eQ9AlDBMANc5YROTTJgE2tMRfSwP1W1i6E/s200/14555601_10202278752006696_186439427_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1-vADsgF3Yh8GxwMQXiEcTMT4pE24bEpTdAHMTHSKq969ExBGVtUcEBmDIMS2wNuvES1wsYT-hXh0Tcp6Qo2u51eiYAWjEjlndLQ2TnkD8izVpOYv7KGdFlGRF6ESNCHZKOv-gzARGPg/s1600/14593517_10202278751806691_1158445773_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1-vADsgF3Yh8GxwMQXiEcTMT4pE24bEpTdAHMTHSKq969ExBGVtUcEBmDIMS2wNuvES1wsYT-hXh0Tcp6Qo2u51eiYAWjEjlndLQ2TnkD8izVpOYv7KGdFlGRF6ESNCHZKOv-gzARGPg/s400/14593517_10202278751806691_1158445773_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Halloween :D</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQ93alPBTZNQofDCuU0-xABBT7qSS7MeOWRFIyzFfH1F8QCV6eGMBjRVeWvvdFtTB_4kLT7qvMgSsNUSWk3jh6YZvyTHlTxEBuczEUu0ij3t0H0tltmbDpEe-73a2Om34rzuP-RIiGABJ/s1600/14555823_10202278751926694_937958738_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQ93alPBTZNQofDCuU0-xABBT7qSS7MeOWRFIyzFfH1F8QCV6eGMBjRVeWvvdFtTB_4kLT7qvMgSsNUSWk3jh6YZvyTHlTxEBuczEUu0ij3t0H0tltmbDpEe-73a2Om34rzuP-RIiGABJ/s400/14555823_10202278751926694_937958738_n.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Everything is HUGE in Shinjuku</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The
party on Monday evening was a success – even though we invited people a bit too
spontaneously and we had a hard time keeping it secret in the first place ;) But
we had fun being hosts and made the girls very happy, which was the whole
purpose of it :D</span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB">
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYeO64RCaEDiYKl4J7BjdX0yeslSd830oq_y7EJ5U5kM5PYvSVGWaAsQngIiA98z6y3A1IpQkPR_jjxCdtKzKfLi0aAsTXx1u21m-_ja7LW7mIMQMqafTGzF2miT2AEGzVyM3RtDUq2bjP/s1600/14580492_10202278751726689_2097402353_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYeO64RCaEDiYKl4J7BjdX0yeslSd830oq_y7EJ5U5kM5PYvSVGWaAsQngIiA98z6y3A1IpQkPR_jjxCdtKzKfLi0aAsTXx1u21m-_ja7LW7mIMQMqafTGzF2miT2AEGzVyM3RtDUq2bjP/s400/14580492_10202278751726689_2097402353_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The hardest part: Picking a cake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4vZFERXr6IwnwsKLpW9tBYianr74Ucb4gkSreVeBDXHpk40Lin3JYuKMuL5-fH71BxIG-kcbO5NeQnqoZjj8l12zf_roUhscLmTrO_MgWMzEsMWlvXR9vgG6EC287aRQ8k4OxelvKYl5/s1600/14585345_10202278751886693_2085874537_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4vZFERXr6IwnwsKLpW9tBYianr74Ucb4gkSreVeBDXHpk40Lin3JYuKMuL5-fH71BxIG-kcbO5NeQnqoZjj8l12zf_roUhscLmTrO_MgWMzEsMWlvXR9vgG6EC287aRQ8k4OxelvKYl5/s400/14585345_10202278751886693_2085874537_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">German Baumkuchen is more popular in Japan than it is in Germany!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IPSyHERVhvPhp48X8tlk0vzfLHAuwiesbOHK-VJzx-6wCaci1LJdjhlma6PT5Od75MzDIQ71o-y8xdfpxAl4jfuH25eQ53C56ALDype0i2OvgJmz9cTz56D_vIU439itXCpvLRlX9rWS/s1600/14580523_10202278752926719_1635622953_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IPSyHERVhvPhp48X8tlk0vzfLHAuwiesbOHK-VJzx-6wCaci1LJdjhlma6PT5Od75MzDIQ71o-y8xdfpxAl4jfuH25eQ53C56ALDype0i2OvgJmz9cTz56D_vIU439itXCpvLRlX9rWS/s400/14580523_10202278752926719_1635622953_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">We had prepared for everything</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVkuxehwY22eBRmOtkgd72a-dOtMOcINTWXfo4nU2uKLoc3TT2iW_0ufjBLCW6gM2Xj_wupXP4RFOXCs64tWw5tZKBCXhkDr4E0N-CfZWFpYY_6cziPP4ob50hWcVowEKp9WcX4lyDcK3/s1600/14555623_10202278752726714_364495362_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVkuxehwY22eBRmOtkgd72a-dOtMOcINTWXfo4nU2uKLoc3TT2iW_0ufjBLCW6gM2Xj_wupXP4RFOXCs64tWw5tZKBCXhkDr4E0N-CfZWFpYY_6cziPP4ob50hWcVowEKp9WcX4lyDcK3/s400/14555623_10202278752726714_364495362_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos with people will follow as soon as I have them ;)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: justify;">As there are only few exciting things to write about at the moment, next time I am going to share with you a few general observations and impressions of Japan, which I have been writing down throughout the month. Stay tuned and have an amazing week! </span><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; text-align: justify;">:)</span>rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-78034283248894294412016-09-25T23:59:00.000+09:002016-10-10T02:11:37.539+09:00The beginning of a new chapter<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hello there :) I hope you enjoyed your weekend and are ready for a new productive week. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="text-align: justify;">Mine kind of started on Friday - well, it was only one course where some introduction was done, so nothing particularly demanding. Next week, however, the real fun is going to start with all the 11 courses I will be taking ;) </span><br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
A night out with obstacles</h4>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEputWGwglWLE0_ciwb8l5MkZlynsXSawqia4WzgrB5vGFw89KmNC0D30mz-UT-_yvlt9Q-ygDeYVblHChO_w4fTvG_rC4rs9R1mkDCzyZ_NnUlw52_V9t4xt2xLF1udC-QpEVlJRlrfb/s1600/14445335_10202242865629559_594905977_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEputWGwglWLE0_ciwb8l5MkZlynsXSawqia4WzgrB5vGFw89KmNC0D30mz-UT-_yvlt9Q-ygDeYVblHChO_w4fTvG_rC4rs9R1mkDCzyZ_NnUlw52_V9t4xt2xLF1udC-QpEVlJRlrfb/s400/14445335_10202242865629559_594905977_n.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tokyo Tower during the night</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGc4EqU-81EoZZN0uTeIswMFcfe8aGZBSNzuXDOPs70P-ASFhFNOjExZSSgRLgoTWT2TR4KGlyLSTz8KI8oSanhAiQB9bjXkp91LHs61QNXcWq3Gu0I1bhjPKd0CKBY6ldiit1XvdX_Ef/s1600/14459788_10202242865349552_2082326505_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGc4EqU-81EoZZN0uTeIswMFcfe8aGZBSNzuXDOPs70P-ASFhFNOjExZSSgRLgoTWT2TR4KGlyLSTz8KI8oSanhAiQB9bjXkp91LHs61QNXcWq3Gu0I1bhjPKd0CKBY6ldiit1XvdX_Ef/s200/14459788_10202242865349552_2082326505_n.jpg" width="111" /></a>To celebrate our first day of studies, Alizée, Essi, Tharshi and I went out for dinner and drinks. We were aiming for a particular bar which was located on the 28th floor of a hotel, promising live piano music a spectacular view over Tokyo. 45 minutes of walk from campus and we entered a totally new area - which was, as we found out, a financial district. Very high buildings and people in fancy clothing - of course, food there was not very cheap either. Nor was entering the bar: 1800 yen per person just to get seated! However, it did look very exclusive, so we have decided on going there dressed appropriately and maybe with some reason to celebrate ;)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLotBjLiF6RUbZGt5w9VIcoVqBaC5WYTFDzZEiiQAba5spyNZ8UY5gMyGzY6VKCKuBppukqh5bO7eX4HSyVyS-CIqUBKu_FI67VtdK394OxITiuL7GSTgOZl_r6wfFIwnV9CblyhHpEUGF/s1600/14470834_10202242865509556_1809464119_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLotBjLiF6RUbZGt5w9VIcoVqBaC5WYTFDzZEiiQAba5spyNZ8UY5gMyGzY6VKCKuBppukqh5bO7eX4HSyVyS-CIqUBKu_FI67VtdK394OxITiuL7GSTgOZl_r6wfFIwnV9CblyhHpEUGF/s200/14470834_10202242865509556_1809464119_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuT1em52YfmpJUgJy_4fxRASXCgTEhams1mE64G5GrJBwbsJhWwt7O38CGlMdy8OpVanepxkK05zeY_0dGTYZb_fzZy2f5soqAo-o1MSFI7TGIKQbJfkOWnfqonZp4G-51nQjKNoOlhMds/s1600/14454628_10202242865429554_390681066_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuT1em52YfmpJUgJy_4fxRASXCgTEhams1mE64G5GrJBwbsJhWwt7O38CGlMdy8OpVanepxkK05zeY_0dGTYZb_fzZy2f5soqAo-o1MSFI7TGIKQbJfkOWnfqonZp4G-51nQjKNoOlhMds/s200/14454628_10202242865429554_390681066_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLK5BgCjdfxIjF5fODfhddZBkBuK0Yw9CV-PlyttLjXdZlTKGz_wdNRnaciyZJ5wL75Y3qZC4ptgutd9SUER2M0iuu7C1uUQJV2Xs1tY-4DtMCC7_0YPmdfbmdXdtfoyZ31qheupaqswmW/s1600/14459052_10202242865469555_817072427_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLK5BgCjdfxIjF5fODfhddZBkBuK0Yw9CV-PlyttLjXdZlTKGz_wdNRnaciyZJ5wL75Y3qZC4ptgutd9SUER2M0iuu7C1uUQJV2Xs1tY-4DtMCC7_0YPmdfbmdXdtfoyZ31qheupaqswmW/s320/14459052_10202242865469555_817072427_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bit of Steampunk is never wrong</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxFKfRNFA4S5-E1Qcz8kp3B75OXRf7fGD7JtzND3PBtE6WNio_oPUhK-lWGiwCO-6TIk1saW9gxbMaPSZ7pwZ0E_6EoYfOgDo6ixGLvv2L-CtN4mO1wt5X0R_-zDxPxm09o95iCAkhwQM/s1600/14459105_10202242865549557_297247962_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxFKfRNFA4S5-E1Qcz8kp3B75OXRf7fGD7JtzND3PBtE6WNio_oPUhK-lWGiwCO-6TIk1saW9gxbMaPSZ7pwZ0E_6EoYfOgDo6ixGLvv2L-CtN4mO1wt5X0R_-zDxPxm09o95iCAkhwQM/s320/14459105_10202242865549557_297247962_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner :)</td></tr>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXuXJsjythenjsibkbYHZvFi7be-gE1cXycCGINZyun-6G34ysX9pXaOfRHdpiVaMZepArDKSHzmM0P-Zv0vJPT_IewECO6Me45aGAN9IPiYpqxRl1AyDlIga6KzawuQHK5l5zeRTVrX6/s200/14459030_10202242865149547_1074161033_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="112" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Kamikaze and a<br />
Tequila Sunrise, <br />
onegaishimasu</td></tr>
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At the end of the night, when it was just Essi and I left because the others were too tired, we still wanted something to drink. So we went on to explore Shinagawa - which was halfway home - and found it very difficult to even enter a bar. Either it was really full everywhere, or they didn't want us in because we are foreigners - who knows? Eventually, we managed to find a table at Virgin Café.</div>
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If you ever go out to a bar in Tokyo, be warned (we have been warned, but somehow didn't really expect it nevertheless), that there is a fixed table charge of which no one informs you in advance. So with each of us having just one drink, however good it was, we ended up paying over 2000 yen!<br />
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While we were sitting there, we missed our last train. Yep - trains in Tokyo go only until half past midnight or so. We were already worried we would have to spend the night in a capsule hotel, but in the end, we were able to catch a different line which stops just a couple of meters away from our usual station. Phew! </div>
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Dolce vita at its finest</h4>
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Such a long and fun night requires some sleep afterwards, and also because it was raining all day and I needed to get some work done, I didn't feel like going out on Saturday. Today, however, was the last day of the Tokyo Coffee Festival - we just had to drop by! Especially because it can be a challenge to find "real" coffee in Japan.</div>
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The festival was located at the United Nations University (which is indeed an autonomous organization within the United Nations), at the Farmer's Market. It was basically a large food market where they have <i>everything</i>, even falafels (I realised how much I missed them at this point). And, of course, lots of coffee. Expensive coffee, exotic coffee, beer coffee, cold pitch-black coffee in bottles... oh, and sweets, cups, books, and live music as well. We could try ourselves through a lot of things - or rather, we were almost forced to do so. Even some sake - which was the best one I ever had. Maybe I should give it a try, even though I didn't like sake back in Germany...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3dyULnA8iAsbDOzrlOkN8GxvkOTaTklN9gkqWjn-dmtbaPJDuiDE1oDT8VGN6dZTIgH9ftOwz9PA_lOKpbB3h81FIpFrFPLop23_yhFw4u4IQZEGLjwPn2M9g-ZkixKrnYqJcNFBbFOC/s1600/14483556_10202242864989543_2004767696_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3dyULnA8iAsbDOzrlOkN8GxvkOTaTklN9gkqWjn-dmtbaPJDuiDE1oDT8VGN6dZTIgH9ftOwz9PA_lOKpbB3h81FIpFrFPLop23_yhFw4u4IQZEGLjwPn2M9g-ZkixKrnYqJcNFBbFOC/s400/14483556_10202242864989543_2004767696_n.jpg" width="225" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEAv93PHCEvNbJTcMUe8AQl9fyk9w-6kmuAdytmlm96SBqu5l2emGv5sJ7eQjy4GXqCD_hkTF1SGYm0UtG_XZ7ZNPvYOy2pj2Td5k6UoiMsTmgOslyC-5i6b-gnPD8n9CzFYQpVmw4LUw/s1600/14445655_10202242865069545_223857919_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEAv93PHCEvNbJTcMUe8AQl9fyk9w-6kmuAdytmlm96SBqu5l2emGv5sJ7eQjy4GXqCD_hkTF1SGYm0UtG_XZ7ZNPvYOy2pj2Td5k6UoiMsTmgOslyC-5i6b-gnPD8n9CzFYQpVmw4LUw/s320/14445655_10202242865069545_223857919_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The University with a strange sculpture</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKHsU8h7G_5W35xABjMjLCVASS4KJzG996VRJMM122jArL1ozXT287_sxYVdnL06PssbELbJ0esSbIS2Od-bk-pdtdCbWUUW8vh-3HT_4wHeSy9xzcM_le5-BIH-_JEhOG1szCC9KgOzo/s1600/14442638_10202242864909541_1385112442_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKHsU8h7G_5W35xABjMjLCVASS4KJzG996VRJMM122jArL1ozXT287_sxYVdnL06PssbELbJ0esSbIS2Od-bk-pdtdCbWUUW8vh-3HT_4wHeSy9xzcM_le5-BIH-_JEhOG1szCC9KgOzo/s320/14442638_10202242864909541_1385112442_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Avocado curry at the Farmer's market. Yes, I always take a picture of my food</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghl4Ri5GEwNYbAVpzKCcoi2ELRGyJqnaHxzUfU-2nmoCdNIDqPi83qFIjE7d5culGLYxnzk0yHhgaQ0zp6nNs3zeNeM6mif3hOS-BG9YKZdu1CZ7HlEfNd4O-ekdAwAB98T3nNDSbl11Lt/s1600/14463758_10202242864789538_1751750151_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghl4Ri5GEwNYbAVpzKCcoi2ELRGyJqnaHxzUfU-2nmoCdNIDqPi83qFIjE7d5culGLYxnzk0yHhgaQ0zp6nNs3zeNeM6mif3hOS-BG9YKZdu1CZ7HlEfNd4O-ekdAwAB98T3nNDSbl11Lt/s200/14463758_10202242864789538_1751750151_n.jpg" width="112" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Purple sweet potato bagel<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8P9YQvJGJg5mXtX74qKEmwJXzZCM8mbtoUkdc1gYpNg-1UTj_vIRqTe5YWlGmhDPJ4kdOZQUtgpSoTInLAe35Zt4UKujzmX2oBrftBoiRQmqD9GKme_Ucs4fG6rpbkLuL7ZtYGTN9tS6p/s1600/14483611_10202242864949542_1574904805_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8P9YQvJGJg5mXtX74qKEmwJXzZCM8mbtoUkdc1gYpNg-1UTj_vIRqTe5YWlGmhDPJ4kdOZQUtgpSoTInLAe35Zt4UKujzmX2oBrftBoiRQmqD9GKme_Ucs4fG6rpbkLuL7ZtYGTN9tS6p/s400/14483611_10202242864949542_1574904805_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="http://thelagerphones.com/" target="_blank">The Lagerphones</a> bringing very lively atmosphere to the crowd - as you can see in the following video</td></tr>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyAxYaNeXexa4TKAlG-Jcst--w_IlJxZNI3Kho6oatpNCxwsnnOQNr2SI8l1oIi80hIScuPZd299nNUd1bxOQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-muTXmV6JbCTWqAWZ_wdoDPgBc66q4X711elNT9twfUYssqmDcujiBdUc2zfgr-ciiCA5h3ta64QL9q0FOjlP69OfRPt9GIwprhoiQm_MmG4fFXr6tLH368CiDW4e7OmnS71HFlNKYep4/s1600/14454598_10202242864869540_1203501367_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-muTXmV6JbCTWqAWZ_wdoDPgBc66q4X711elNT9twfUYssqmDcujiBdUc2zfgr-ciiCA5h3ta64QL9q0FOjlP69OfRPt9GIwprhoiQm_MmG4fFXr6tLH368CiDW4e7OmnS71HFlNKYep4/s320/14454598_10202242864869540_1203501367_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second-darkest Matcha ice cream ever</td></tr>
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Another place to visit nearby is the "Tea and Spoon", an ice cream parlour which offers seven different sorts of Matcha ice cream - from light to dark. You can't miss it because there is a long queue in front of it, consisting mostly of locals, so you can already see how popular this place is. And it is for a reason. My plan is now to try all the different sorts :P</div>
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Because Shibuya is one of the many shopping districts in Tokyo, it was an obvious thing that we also paid a visit to one of the giant malls named "Shibuya 109". While shopping, you can discover many characteristics of Japanese culture which you thought were just stereotypes - like super-cute clothing, loud high-pitched female voices and large crowds everywhere you go. But I was amazed how much really good, tasteful clothing they offer - and mostly for a reasonable price. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTINueHsSCo4Rdiatj39YQDlnxg_PxS8wWEGKd8zIX7_SW5pk4Ngfsrn7Sdc8ZMpAz6j6bcZwvjpRNZJCPH2lE8o-YvKYcoOazMhJpNAN9Td5ko6oJ4idSt8UAGmxPiEKKzzmkDBCQVpGJ/s1600/14454455_10202242864829539_768722269_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTINueHsSCo4Rdiatj39YQDlnxg_PxS8wWEGKd8zIX7_SW5pk4Ngfsrn7Sdc8ZMpAz6j6bcZwvjpRNZJCPH2lE8o-YvKYcoOazMhJpNAN9Td5ko6oJ4idSt8UAGmxPiEKKzzmkDBCQVpGJ/s400/14454455_10202242864829539_768722269_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shibuya on a Sunday night - view from the train station (hence the dirty glass and reflections)</td></tr>
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Now tomorrow, it's getting serious. I have to be at my first Japanese language class at 9am - rarely been to University that early! <span style="text-align: center;">Have a good night and make it well through Monday. :)</span></div>
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rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4192750052569884898.post-67622912640232171612016-09-23T00:43:00.005+09:002016-10-10T02:11:37.533+09:00Typhoons and heady heightsWelcome back :) Wow, the week is almost over, having brought a lot of experiences to share with you. I hope you enjoy!<br />
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Japan's natural phenomenons - part two</h4>
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Full of motivation, Essi, Laurien and I stood up early on Monday to get to the ward office and finally complete our student discount request (you have to pay only 30% of the National Health Insurance fee if you are a student, so it's definitely worth it). But we had made our plans without the Japanese calendar. While waiting at the bus station, we were kindly informed by a lady that it was a national holiday - Respect for the Aged Day! So, of course, the office was closed and we had to return home.</div>
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Because we still needed to pay the rent for our rooms, we went to Hiyoshi campus later for the first time. It was surprising how many shops there are in the school building, so it actually looks more like a shopping mall than a university. Having successfully fulfilled at least this one task, we also visited a so-called "mini mini bazaar" for students, held in a dormitory near the campus, where you could buy dishes, cutlery, towels and so on for very low prices. Well, I did not expect THAT small a bazaar. However, it was also holding a treasure: You could get kimonos for up to 500 yen (that's less than 5 euro). REAL kimonos with <i>obi</i> (the wide belt) and other accessories. Where they actually cost tens or hundreds of thousands of yen. Wow!</div>
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The next day we finally managed to get things done at the ward office (third time lucky!) - despite the heavy rain, which, as we found out later, was actually a typhoon. While this storm called Malakas caused lots of flood and landslide in Taiwan and southern Japan, it passed Tokyo in the form of just more rain and wind than usual. Still, I was very glad to be able to stay at home the rest of that day...</div>
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Not for those with a fear of heights</h4>
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As quickly as it had appeared, the scary typhoon disappeared the next day. So nothing stood in the way of a meeting with the Tomodachi program group on Wednesday. After having lunch in the Keio University cafeteria, we visited the Mita Kasuga Shrine just next to the campus. Everyone had the chance to ring the bell at the entrance :)</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihngV-8MnT-k0mcpLuk3yYy4A5AueGd6CyliZOA3Br9jI-Y1HLDLA5XNNjcDHgQdJ_hzhf3EeWHvRoDnbhAAsGTfMDkaWZsK9J4Lx50pvPTLZBJg9qzUd78PGjWytnmWDHxvjQNrTOhFIt/s1600/14445850_10202229567697119_1487153670_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihngV-8MnT-k0mcpLuk3yYy4A5AueGd6CyliZOA3Br9jI-Y1HLDLA5XNNjcDHgQdJ_hzhf3EeWHvRoDnbhAAsGTfMDkaWZsK9J4Lx50pvPTLZBJg9qzUd78PGjWytnmWDHxvjQNrTOhFIt/s320/14445850_10202229567697119_1487153670_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The entrance to Mita Kasuga shrine - photos of the shrine will follow when it is less crowded</span></td></tr>
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The highlight of the day was a visit to Tokyo Tower. For 900 yen, you can go up to the Main Observatory, which is 150 meters high. It also has the Special Observatory 250 meters above ground (which is apparently not worth the extra money, especially when there are places which offer a similar view for free), and for One Piece fans, there is even a special One Piece Tower! :) Here are some views from outside and inside</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdAv5xCyTQhsiP5__QAv04AOemkP6HBeiCfC1WfhAdcmLC0uALRx7aMfpJgmwhKbHhHdFmyhh-AWb1boCIg3Vyt_DUYkSoQT7uamB-MEhtSujmPmwY7pLpoTrPZAHZg-PYJ-3-IYy46uJ/s1600/14442654_10202229569177156_237879303_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdAv5xCyTQhsiP5__QAv04AOemkP6HBeiCfC1WfhAdcmLC0uALRx7aMfpJgmwhKbHhHdFmyhh-AWb1boCIg3Vyt_DUYkSoQT7uamB-MEhtSujmPmwY7pLpoTrPZAHZg-PYJ-3-IYy46uJ/s400/14442654_10202229569177156_237879303_n.jpg" width="225" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVqk0g2M4csSjOEeYkCokMobUREOHqCJ0ZKVAWvby0lxDYu4QrytUOcdUwHB9BEH6sz1JB8ann5kB6s5bKFDE0aLJNqImzd09SozSIhqDdgo7JPDFNn1mhdI5TIvPuX-31BeGjWk6JXmF/s1600/14459879_10202229569217157_972496248_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVqk0g2M4csSjOEeYkCokMobUREOHqCJ0ZKVAWvby0lxDYu4QrytUOcdUwHB9BEH6sz1JB8ann5kB6s5bKFDE0aLJNqImzd09SozSIhqDdgo7JPDFNn1mhdI5TIvPuX-31BeGjWk6JXmF/s400/14459879_10202229569217157_972496248_n.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCvP1uf3a3oJ4j8ITraKUEcQQGKoFDwJpiKzqH2K8YHQajVgLrB3SNFHnlGytFVZITNSOtXA8zwIpArNxZh8hxyYlVlzkc6H4ZBF-s1xxs05C3Izz-_8de7ud6I-YAZ7bFoMUKPJjxpkJy/s1600/14429392_10202229569137155_1159270015_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCvP1uf3a3oJ4j8ITraKUEcQQGKoFDwJpiKzqH2K8YHQajVgLrB3SNFHnlGytFVZITNSOtXA8zwIpArNxZh8hxyYlVlzkc6H4ZBF-s1xxs05C3Izz-_8de7ud6I-YAZ7bFoMUKPJjxpkJy/s320/14429392_10202229569137155_1159270015_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A warm welcome at the entrance</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmC5cGVdH9hGnKR70Ov_VDkO_43XCMSaLI0AsfkzWm8Hz3gu_EjBigDLevE0dAtXosRVW49bWybhn04NSlk2O-6IlNJ2FtMiVA43y8AWnCxStvXOjFutPQN0qjCZxWYSPEmjINDt0B4743/s1600/14429198_10202229568617142_217891976_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmC5cGVdH9hGnKR70Ov_VDkO_43XCMSaLI0AsfkzWm8Hz3gu_EjBigDLevE0dAtXosRVW49bWybhn04NSlk2O-6IlNJ2FtMiVA43y8AWnCxStvXOjFutPQN0qjCZxWYSPEmjINDt0B4743/s320/14429198_10202229568617142_217891976_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was even a small shrine inside</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79RoKajr6hMdyrrx7356zsGhSJeBQ_hCWxd0jkzUh03Vd8LK2WIoi5s2O-eGVdnebEZU1pxMINp_nZ7aMkfWcsSNx9YmcL_wiVfPhl-ugh_GeC8ZdxPsgaQWv24ihtWe6tVrBwTsnfijY/s1600/14458845_10202229567937125_83402249_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79RoKajr6hMdyrrx7356zsGhSJeBQ_hCWxd0jkzUh03Vd8LK2WIoi5s2O-eGVdnebEZU1pxMINp_nZ7aMkfWcsSNx9YmcL_wiVfPhl-ugh_GeC8ZdxPsgaQWv24ihtWe6tVrBwTsnfijY/s320/14458845_10202229567937125_83402249_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks more like an expensive hotel</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnA5gTlHsiOyTNKCKg9ElpKOYdK0CF-N1AzP8SJNedcoOLZOfJF1chGE4kAl5-zsQDlKCrWOYAynIdqn008RG6Przxr29z-18kRASVVGr2njpZctwfmDWVpjUvnAnVE6efVbMwc9AL4CAV/s1600/14459895_10202229569017152_1211931921_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnA5gTlHsiOyTNKCKg9ElpKOYdK0CF-N1AzP8SJNedcoOLZOfJF1chGE4kAl5-zsQDlKCrWOYAynIdqn008RG6Przxr29z-18kRASVVGr2njpZctwfmDWVpjUvnAnVE6efVbMwc9AL4CAV/s400/14459895_10202229569017152_1211931921_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUC8t-tELWoPiVjyTTwo-t1X6BUdU8poPZbrL6X1Z5qqPlDdueY7ADp43damYD_N4jHkzp68A00XuRqVTuk6_BTUZFJTRIJsJjbchyOIFL3gV1GvGoIOkMJPf6uBoIxolsSvoGP4RDTNxf/s1600/14459864_10202229568457138_409669140_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUC8t-tELWoPiVjyTTwo-t1X6BUdU8poPZbrL6X1Z5qqPlDdueY7ADp43damYD_N4jHkzp68A00XuRqVTuk6_BTUZFJTRIJsJjbchyOIFL3gV1GvGoIOkMJPf6uBoIxolsSvoGP4RDTNxf/s400/14459864_10202229568457138_409669140_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lookdown window - my Tomodachi buddy Jenaida took this photo for me because it was too scary to even approach it. Thank you :D</td></tr>
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With all the nice and (finally!) cool weather, I decided to go for a run in the evening. Of course, as soon as I was outside, it started to rain again. But enjoying the view of nightly Yagami river was definitely worth it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMiWWXEQ12xdCuW7GykUvZ9qJsGJ-CPPNJUNf05k4hiEYb4pa1aA1Tux1J8s9xP9_JCkKwPePRfpkCJDG_xGn0pj6wez8tp8bqT2M4GuB92dmvORFrPRNd1NpzO7PM5DVNPRRgX8Jq8ZXG/s1600/14371815_10202229567537115_469160317_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMiWWXEQ12xdCuW7GykUvZ9qJsGJ-CPPNJUNf05k4hiEYb4pa1aA1Tux1J8s9xP9_JCkKwPePRfpkCJDG_xGn0pj6wez8tp8bqT2M4GuB92dmvORFrPRNd1NpzO7PM5DVNPRRgX8Jq8ZXG/s400/14371815_10202229567537115_469160317_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Because high is not high enough...</h4>
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... fellow Siegen student Tharshi and her friends, Brianne and Jessica, invited me to join them on a trip to Tokyo Skytree today - the world's tallest broadcasting tower and second-tallest structure with its height of 634 meters.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgex_ETZ5axRAHx3nIJV3fFN_HMydgIeWi1qELjLBFC_L7IMCyr5XaS9XQjPhZC_WM9RLOsWrEh7fYOhykj6ktK6yVFiqMsH1Rv4YZCnh4bjaeLdP8zJfs8EgXhD5wnR-3H-vgn1UsYj7US/s1600/14454738_10202229567297109_1617625493_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgex_ETZ5axRAHx3nIJV3fFN_HMydgIeWi1qELjLBFC_L7IMCyr5XaS9XQjPhZC_WM9RLOsWrEh7fYOhykj6ktK6yVFiqMsH1Rv4YZCnh4bjaeLdP8zJfs8EgXhD5wnR-3H-vgn1UsYj7US/s320/14454738_10202229567297109_1617625493_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's huge!</td></tr>
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I hope you will not be too disappointed to hear that we didn't go up, because it is very expensive and the weather was too rainy and foggy, as you can probably see in the photos. I still need to do that some day with better conditions. So be prepared for startling pictures!</div>
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At the Skytree base, you will find a large shopping mall on 9 floors (the Skytree restaurant is on 31st floor, by the way ;)). You could even see a bit of rainy Tokyo from above:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DdmPsc9_AUEhMAJEfuoHRTFXWdzjDY-WzCt4vfR9RcHf3d3OXOTQHdRz8Y_IGuDXOigkedEuiz9yq1X4-H6zkriKj_BcHdI7TJgVq1fzY8Pgkb8q1TQCCK3we7XQoXzMiiMg0K77_HTI/s1600/14445426_10202229567137105_151024220_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DdmPsc9_AUEhMAJEfuoHRTFXWdzjDY-WzCt4vfR9RcHf3d3OXOTQHdRz8Y_IGuDXOigkedEuiz9yq1X4-H6zkriKj_BcHdI7TJgVq1fzY8Pgkb8q1TQCCK3we7XQoXzMiiMg0K77_HTI/s320/14445426_10202229567137105_151024220_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Also, the area called Skytree Town bears lots of designer shops, character cafés (Moomins!), a variety of Disney and other cartoon stores and gourmet restaurants... there is even an aquarium (with baby turtles!) we wanted to visit, but the line in front of it was just ridiculously long. Maybe that was because today was yet another national holiday (Autumn Equinox). But that was fine with us, because exploring all the cuteness and craziness of this place was fun and adventure enough!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmc2H-KgBU4iQ-kYGzh43-RB95f8XKSKu3bydxKIZNDO_YVW0poGS0VF3AQ4g5iDyKyTo5XWXs6EYir5MhOL0-Lxu1EGFtJsisjhuQxN9s-CdYZUzixPwYGIJqKCbO_eN_VG590oyPjtA8/s1600/14429664_10202229567257108_693824934_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmc2H-KgBU4iQ-kYGzh43-RB95f8XKSKu3bydxKIZNDO_YVW0poGS0VF3AQ4g5iDyKyTo5XWXs6EYir5MhOL0-Lxu1EGFtJsisjhuQxN9s-CdYZUzixPwYGIJqKCbO_eN_VG590oyPjtA8/s400/14429664_10202229567257108_693824934_n.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a sculpture outside of Skytree Town</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZjXVmuAAdBDZJPtjtuLhv9iSnGNxTvKA2M1IjfyJXHugDt5iaVfFNVf_CD7SsUA2lDARenOb7nQHayzGXwYtRCU2m7-9ElGDfmo0Ews3bFaIOe051EFrVuLjzkXHswjN0-WzS8l-fhwD/s1600/14429395_10202229567177106_561904157_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZjXVmuAAdBDZJPtjtuLhv9iSnGNxTvKA2M1IjfyJXHugDt5iaVfFNVf_CD7SsUA2lDARenOb7nQHayzGXwYtRCU2m7-9ElGDfmo0Ews3bFaIOe051EFrVuLjzkXHswjN0-WzS8l-fhwD/s400/14429395_10202229567177106_561904157_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What else did you expect?</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkgsTiTedsbOgPhfw83zyxfmJkrIwyquvAD_VUlflXkuxQ57thbmuK-i1cf_L40y_BmGXOvHWl_dAg-Z7AUZH_zvVUla-3zTeWPdxn1P6wOFPP9pvzvmWyXMz68w8l9mwWcLkeNxK1dnk/s1600/14459106_10202229566937100_722382726_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkgsTiTedsbOgPhfw83zyxfmJkrIwyquvAD_VUlflXkuxQ57thbmuK-i1cf_L40y_BmGXOvHWl_dAg-Z7AUZH_zvVUla-3zTeWPdxn1P6wOFPP9pvzvmWyXMz68w8l9mwWcLkeNxK1dnk/s400/14459106_10202229566937100_722382726_n.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Lovely interior of the Moomin café - sadly, another long queue prevented us from entering</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very stylish banana sweets, indeed</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMKLqa087JwdhW09J4SGmR5wTWE8BYdAuBE_DmvYUYd2jGZT3SGgT6nJ36JHrRRHanSk2VXVhLX35DTjXJzCGztmiCLcFtC8IW-E_9JR8GtviLxnX6jk0xeHsIq0JeDCuFhrt3NWh0V7Jl/s1600/14459703_10202229567017102_889447331_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMKLqa087JwdhW09J4SGmR5wTWE8BYdAuBE_DmvYUYd2jGZT3SGgT6nJ36JHrRRHanSk2VXVhLX35DTjXJzCGztmiCLcFtC8IW-E_9JR8GtviLxnX6jk0xeHsIq0JeDCuFhrt3NWh0V7Jl/s320/14459703_10202229567017102_889447331_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAD8P2OKVggt7SJ7IJJXEbFRpueFOXZBPZhcbrmNFoNg8fVzj7TdKskTTJ6_jpx2hT0obbi0yGKYtMhjCMM6XkuSOyu-eXF1J7KBEOLLbWg1yNRNwzPAh2iIWBbyW1ahdUnxotjKWMfcX6/s1600/14445284_10202229566977101_633827279_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAD8P2OKVggt7SJ7IJJXEbFRpueFOXZBPZhcbrmNFoNg8fVzj7TdKskTTJ6_jpx2hT0obbi0yGKYtMhjCMM6XkuSOyu-eXF1J7KBEOLLbWg1yNRNwzPAh2iIWBbyW1ahdUnxotjKWMfcX6/s320/14445284_10202229566977101_633827279_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For those who missed the real view, probably</td></tr>
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Tomorrow, my tourist weeks will be over: The semester is officially starting and I am going to attend my first class at Keio University. I'm already excited and will make sure to keep you up to date! Take care and hopefully see you soon :)</div>
rigrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00569237278938722095noreply@blogger.com0