Otohime

音姫

Otohime or "Sound Princess" is a device found in women's public toilets (not men's) throughout Japan to cover unladylike and embarrassing sounds emanating from the cubicles.

Previously Japanese women would cover these sounds by flushing the toilet repeatedly thus wasting precious water. Toilet maker Toto came up with the Otohime to produce the sound of the flush without the actual need to flush the cistern and waste about 6 liters of water.

Simply wave your hand over the sensor and the speaker emits the requisite flushing sound with a button to stop the noise when required.

Toto also produced a portable version for when a lady encountered an Otohime lacking public convenience.

Otohime (with different kanji characters) is also the name of a mythical Japanese goddess that appears more recently in the game of Yu-Gi-Oh.

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Japan in Mongolia

モンゴリアにおいての日本

I paid a short visit to Mongolia last week: two days in Ulaanbaatar and two days in the countryside over two hours drive south-east of Ulaanbaatar.

Mongolia reflects the influences of its neighbors in many ways: in its architecture and predominant writing system (Russia), its Buddhism (China), and its technology, which also reflects Russia and China, but especially Korea and Japan.

Japanese cars are very common on the congested, chaotic streets of Ulaanbaatar, and out in the pot-holed roads of the Mongolian countryside.

Besides cars, perhaps the most conspicuous Japanese presences are in the pharmaceutical and beauty care fields.

As the pictures show, stands of Japanese beauty care products and medicines were frequently seen in stores, with Itoh being particularly conspicuous in Mongolia.

In spite of its tiny population of just under three million and its overall poverty, Mongolians have a clear desire to modernize that shows in the clothing styles and fashions you see on the streets of Ulaanbaatar and the thriving Western-style nightlife that the locals have made their own, blasting out of the clubs just behind the Kempinsky Hotel.

Japan's presence is very much a feature of Mongolia's drive to modernization, and Japan maintains a sizable embassy on Olympic Street in Ulaanbaatar's central district of Sukhbaatar.

Japan and Mongolia held the first round of negotiations for the Mongolia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) in June this year and are set to complete them in fall. It is hoped that this will lead to a first for Mongolia: a free trade agreement with another country, and Japan has been investing in and granting aid to Mongolia. no doubt partly towards achieving this end.

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Yase Hieizanguchi

八瀬比叡山口駅

Yase Hieizanguchi Station on the Eiden Line is where visitors to Enryakuji Temple can transfer to the Eizen Cable Car to ride to the top of Mt. Hiei in Kyoto.

The short walk between Yase Hieizanguchi Station and the Cable Car station goes past some small lakes and follows the Takano River. There are some pleasant walks along the river bank in both directions and people come here for riverside BBQs and to see the autumn leaves. Buses to Ohara also stop at Yase Hieizanguchi  Station.

The Eiden Line runs between Demachiyanagi Station and the village of Kurama in the hills north of the city.
Yase Hieizanguchi map

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Statistics

International Homicide Rate Table (Death rates are per 100,000)

(Year Data Taken)       Population       Total              Firearm       Non-gun     % Households with
                                                             Homocides    Homocides Homocides  Guns

Canada (1992)             28,120,065      2.16                 0.76           1.40             29.1
England/Wales (1997) 51,429,000      1.41                 0.11           1.30             4.7
Japan (1994)               124,069,000     0.62                 0.02           0.60             n/a
South Korea ( 1994)   44,453,179       1.62                 0.04           1.58             n/a
United States (1999)  272,691,000      5.70                 3.72           1.98            39.0

Source: guncite.com

Onsen in Kumano

The Kumano region of Wakayama in the Kansai area of western Japan is famous for its excellent onsen hot spring baths.

Kawayu Onsen is one such hot spring where visitors can simply dig their own hot spring bath in the gravel on the bank of the Oto River.

The so-called Sennin-buro bath is open from December through February from 6.30-10pm and is a large free bath marked off during the winter months.

Shirahama Onsen on the west coast of the Kii Peninsula is a popular onsen resort with hot springs going right down to the sea.

Atashika Onsen and Yunomine Onsen are other popular hot spas in the Kumano area.

Halloween in Japan

Halloween In Japan seems to be celebrated with more and more enthusiasm each year.

There are fancy dress Halloween parties in schools, bars and restaurants, Halloween pumpkins can be seen in many shops and people even hang Halloween decorations on their doors.

The Kawasaki Halloween Parade is now in its 16th year and will take place in Kawasaki at La Cittadella on Sunday 28th October this year. There are also halloween parades at Canal City in Fukuoka, Rokko Island in Kobe and Roppongi Hills in Tokyo.

Kyoto hosts the Kitayama Halloween Festival with a costume parade, pumpkin carving and a food village.

All these areas are major retail districts and the Halloween festivals are a good ploy to drum up new business.

Like Valentine's Day, Halloween is more of a decorative celebration in Japan with shop fronts and department stores using the orange and black colors to entice people in.

Pins From Japan

Whenever I return to my home in California after a visit to Japan, someone inevitably asks: "Is it expensive in Japan?" As a frequent tourist, I respond with the answer: "You can spend as much or a little as you want." And indeed, we have received great pleasure from the smallest and least costly of items.

One of the things we always look for are lapel pins. You can find them in gashapon machines located near historical attractions, in game arcades, and various shops. The pins cost but a mere 200 yen.

There are pins depicting castles and other popular sites of the surrounding area; in addition, historical figures such as Sakamoto Ryoma and Ii Naosuke can be purchased. There are even train and train ticket pins from the various rail lines.

And, as silly as it sounds, there is always that small thrill - drop in your two coins, turn the handle, and the gashapon pops out. Next comes the quick inspection: Which pin did I get?