Timmmberrr!

Deborah is back on the mainland now, but I extended my stay here in Hawaii for a couple of weeks to finish up preparing our newly acquired property for the eventual building of our next house. We don't plan to build until December or so – depending on how long it takes to settle our affairs back home – but I'm trying to get as much done as possible ahead of time in terms of clearing the land, surveying, checking with the building and planning departments, and lining up whatever else I need to develop house plans. 

The biggest project has been pruning or removing several trees on the property. Some were blocking too much sunlight, some had large branches which were hanging precariously over where the house will be, and others were just plain in the way. It has been an expensive project taming the overgrown landscape, but it has made a huge improvement to our lot, which now is sunnier and feels twice as big. Here are some pics:

 Before any tree work, except for one big Fern Tree which sat in the middle of the lot.

 Before: Three of five Eucalyptus Trees on our lot, with Mock Olive Trees behind blocking much sunlight.

 After:  Eucalyptus Trees trimmed and most Mock Olive Trees removed.  Also, much of the jungle-like overgrowth on the upper berm removed.

 Before:  More Mock Olives plus you wouldn't believe how much crap is buried under all those weeds.

 After:  Makes the yard look much bigger.  The big Cypress Tree still has to be sectioned and removed.  Entrance to the property is on the right between a Eucalyptus and Palm Tree.

 All the debris smaller than 8" diameter or so gets chipped.

 Deborah spreading wood chips.

 Working on trimming a Eucalyptus Tree that was overhanging the neighbor's property.

 Michael - I wouldn't want his job.

 Michael's dog Pipi (which means "cow" in Hawaiian)

 The Cypress comes down.

 Deborah's first gardening project with bromeliads.

 Our neighbor to the north.  The covered hole in the ground surrounded by rocks was used as a traditional Hawaiian oven.

 Northwest corner of the property.  The structure was left for us.  It needs a new canvas covering (or other roof) but is handy when rain showers come.

 Northeast corner of the property.

 Looking south to the newly barked upper level.  There used to be some sort of clubhouse here as part of the old plantation, thus the retaining walls and steps.  Another big beautiful Eucalyptus stands in the middle.

Sayonara Japan

I haven't blogged for awhile because we've been working so hard every day on our new Hawaii property, which I'll blog more about in days to come. And that means I haven't yet written a final blog post for our Japan trip, which is a shame as it really was one our best trips ever. Japan – or Kyoto at least – is the epitome of what civil society should look like: clean, efficient, safe, modern yet historical. There's virtually no graffiti, no litter, and very little crime. The cab drivers wear caps and white gloves, and the people put a premium on being courteous and considerate to each other. All this and heated toilet seats. What a country. We'll be back.

 Appreciating the plum blossoms and the coming of spring. 

 Photographing plum blossoms is serious business.

 Plum blossoms

 Beautiful tree on the grounds of Shoren-in Temple

 Roof tile detail

 Potter (not Harry).  The traditional arts are particularly cherished in Kyoto.

 Chion-in

 Shrine gate detail

 A Maiko (apprentice Geisha) off to an appointment.

Osaka

Osaka is second only to Tokyo as Japan's economic powerhouse. Deborah had been to both cities on her previous Japan trip, but I wanted get my own taste of ultra-urban Japan on this trip, and Osaka is an easy day trip from Kyoto. To get the most out of our day we decided to take a guided walking tour in English. It was a new venture for the same tour company that provides similar services in Kyoto – so new in fact that we were their first and only customers. So we had what turned out to be a private tour with our guide Shomi. As an Osaka native, she had a lot of insight into the people and culture of Osaka and how it differed from Kyoto.

While Kyoto is classy, refined and traditional, with hundreds of temples and shrines and limits on building heights, Osaka is jovial, modern and edgy, with skyscrapers and lots of neon. Osaka is not an attractive city – think endless expanses of dreary concrete boxes. But it makes up for this with colorful commercial signage, flashily dressed youth and nighttime neon. Here are some pics.

 Osaka commercial signs are not subtle.

 Tsutenkaku Tower was originally built in 1903, partially patterned after the Eiffel Tower.  It was damaged by fire in 1943 and then disassembled to support the war effort, but was rebuilt in 1956.  It advertises the Hitachi brand.

 Deborah finds a hairdressing comrade.

 Anime and manga pop culture is big here.  There is even a restaurant chain called Maid Cafe where young attractive waitresses dress and act like maid characters from the comics and address their typically young male girlfriend-less clients as "master."  It's kind of a Hooters for geeks.

 

 Those are sumo wrestlers depicted on the building on the left.  It's a good bet that the place on the right is a restaurant that serves blowfish.

 Plastic food displays are an art.

 There is an entire shopping arcade where restauranteurs can acquire anything kitchen related, including amazingly realistic plastic food for their displays.

 The young and fashionable.

 Check out those nylons and shoes.  By the way, we have found out the primary reason for all the face masks is to filter out pollen, which probably actually works.

 Of course, the masks could just be a fashion statement.

Although it can't compete with Kyoto in the temple and shrine department, Osaka does have its share of sacred places, including this one where worshipers regularly sprinkle nourishing holy water on what can only be called a Chia Pet Buddha.

 Or maybe this guy is under all that greenery.

 The neon madness.

A Quick Note

Just a quick not to let everyone know we're back in Hawaii now, but I still want to catch up with a couple more blog posts on our amazing experience in Japan. Look for that soon, followed by more Hawaii blog posts as we work on prepping our newly acquired property.

Cats in Kyoto - part of a large community of apparently wild but friendly and well-fed cats along the Path of the Philosophers.

Religiousity

Although you wouldn't know it in temple- and shrine-saturated Kyoto, most people in Japan aren't religious. At least two thirds tell pollsters they do not consider themselves believers in any religion. Those that do almost always follow either Buddhism or Shinto, or a kind of flexible, complex combination of the two. Shinto is the ancient, indigenous, nature-based polytheistic religion of Japan. Buddhism arrived from China via the Korean Peninsula in the sixth century and eventually came to dominate. What is interesting is how accommodating each religion has been to the other, such that you can often find a Shinto shrine in a Buddhist temple complex. Minority religions like Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism have a presence in this country with full religious freedom, but their presence is only a small one. Only about 1% of the population, for instance, are Christians.

The Japanese people – even the non-religious ones – enjoy participating in rituals and ceremonies derived from various religious traditions as part of their culture, even if they don't take the underlying religious beliefs too seriously. Births are often marked by a formal ceremony at a Shinto shrine, as is the passage into adulthood. Weddings are often performed by Shinto priests, but often in a Western-style ceremony at the chapel of a luxury hotel, with reception to follow in the same facility. Funerals are usually conducted by Buddhist priests. Many Japanese also celebrate Christmas, Valentine's Day and Halloween in addition to the holidays of Shinto and Buddhist origin, as well as many secular holidays. Any excuse for a party I guess.

From the perspective of a non-religious tourist, I'm very glad that the Japanese have managed to maintain a tolerance for irreligion and science while still preserving the beautiful architectural and cultural legacy of its religious heritage. Best of both worlds in my view.

 Every Shinto Shrine has one of these Torii gates marking the entrance

 At Fushimi-Inari Shrine they have literally hundreds, closely spaced, which form these corridors.

 Worshipers at Fushimi-Inari.  They follow a specific sequence of ritual hand and mouth washing, offering, bowing, ringing the bell, more bowing, clapping, more bowing, etc.

 At Fushimi-Inari.

 Graceful temple architecture.

 The Buddhists are pretty good gardeners as well.

 Buddhist Fish.

 Shinto Priest

 Buddhist Monk - not a good career choice if you are into your hair.

 Todai-ji Temple's Daibatsu-den in the city of Nara.  This is the largest wooden building in the world.  Amazingly, the present structure, which was rebuilt in 1709, is only two thirds the size of the original.

 You need a building that big to house a Buddha this big.  This one is over 50 feet (16 m) tall and is one of the largest bronze figures in the world.

 These tiny shines (probably not the right term) are found all over Kyoto.  The swastika-like symbol actually dates back to ancient India and has been used as a sacred symbol in Buddhism for centuries.  One of Hitler's marketing hacks had an interest in ancient philosophies and encouraged its adoption (albeit as the mirror image) as a symbol of the Nazi Party, thereby ruining it for everyone.

 Plum blossoms are appearing, only enhancing the beautiful temple buildings.