Snowfall in Japan - exquisite and mysterious as the name Yuki

Today it is 4 degree Celsius now in Tokyo, but feels like less than 1 degree. Snow fall is predicted in the midnight in Tokyo. When Balasan conveyed this message that snowfall is predicted in the midnight, I remembered the 3rd February 2008. Almost more than one year now. It was on my fourth day in Japan, I saw the first snow fall.

I was staying in Day nice hotel in Koto-ku. Day nice hotel is near to the Monzen-nakacho Tozai line exit. Initially for around 5 days I stayed in Day nice hotel before moving into the apartment. Balasan invited to visit his home on 3rd February 2008. When I got ready and came down to make a phone call to him, I saw the pure white cotton like snow falling on the road. Balasan told it is snow rain in Higashi Ojima too. The snowfall was there in the whole Tokyo. We could not meet, but I could witness the snowfall for the first time.

Our program got cancelled as it was difficult to go out. The temperature was too low and walking outside was really difficult. It was the first time in life I witnessed a snowfall. When I visited Switzerland and went up all the way near to the Alps mountain on April 1996 also I missed the snowfall. It remained a desire in me to enjoy the snowfall.

On the fourth day in Japan I could watch and enjoy the snow fall. I went outside and walked on the road here and there without any purpose only to experience the snowfall. There were children playing on the road with full body covered with jackets. Their face was only visible and they were fully clad with sweaters and jackets. Small bushes on the roadside were fully covered with snow. Top of the buildings got entirely covered with snow and it looked amazing!

In Japanese language, snow is Yuki. It is a lovely name for many Japanese women too. Yuki – beautiful and mysterious like snow…pure and white in heart….Yuki gave poets in Japan enough food for imagination.

Snow is rare in Tokyo, but a common at the northern prefectures of Japan. The heavy snow area of Japan is probably the Hokaido. Visiting Hokaido is till now realized for me, while many of my friends visited there they say it is a place to see and enjoy. Japan is a land of snow. Japan due to her proximity to the Siberia get the colder wind.

The climate reports say the heavy snowfalls of Japan's snow country are caused by moisture-laden clouds bumping up against the mountains along the backbone of Honshū and releasing their moisture under the influence of easterly winds blowing off the continent or down from Siberia. As a result, the region includes some of the world's snowiest spots at the same latitudes, as well as the northern hemisphere's southern-most ski resorts.

Life does not come to a standstill due to snowfall. Nobody stops walking or take a leave in the name of snowfall. The life continues just in the normal way in most of the cases. If the snowfall is too heavy and disrupts the rail transportation, then it becomes a trouble. I could see even old people walking on the road which was filled with snow. Ward authority staff were engaged in removing the snow from the road which blocked the vehicle movement.

Even though I could not take the snaps of last year snowfall, Balasan had taken some nice photos. The date on the photos says the snow remained on the 4th morning also. I requested him those photos to share them here.

Fully Automatic Hi-tech Japanese Toilets – Ultimate human engineering skills!

At first I was really baffled and thought to use the old manual way of business in the toilet of the Hotel room at Katsutadai. It was the first time I encountered a Japanese hi-tech toilet after I landed in Japan. Confused and bewildered I tried pressing on the buttons randomly to know what happens.

When pressed a button at the keypad provided near to the arm rests, a nozzle like thing looking like a squirt gun came out from the bottom of the flush and started jetting water all over the toilet.

Even though embarrassing at the first experience, the hi-tech toilets in Japan is really convenient. People who are used to it will never like to do their daily morning business in any other old fashioned toilets. I could not see this much automation in any of the toilets used so far in any of the luxury hotels at places I had chance to visit and stay. Japan is home to the real hi-tech toilets.

Virtually the toilet will do almost everything for us. The only thing we have to do is to do the thing properly for what we can in!

There is a control pad with many buttons on the side. The sitting pad can be heated to make it warm during winter. The sprinkling or Jetting speed of the water which will squirt water beam to clean the backside once the business is over is also controlled. There is low pressure, medium pressure and high pressure. As we like we can control the speed by pressing it. Also the warm water and normal water options are there in the control pad.

The toilet senses once the business is over and even if we forget to flush, the toilet will do it. Japanese toilets are also self disciplined!

In public toilets, there is provision to place kids which is very convenient for mothers who carry their kids to the toilets. The safe use of toilet and the baby seat is also displayed inside the toilets through instructions. It is amazing that Japanese care even minute details of every walk of life. It is beyond words to praise those genius minds who planned and implemented all these conveniences to the common people in Japan.

Japan is the world leader in producing automated hi-tech toilets. Japan’s biggest automatic hi-tech toilet maker Toto sells their toilets for a price approximately at US$ 2000 to 4000. There are some toilets which will chemically analyze the urine of the user and tells the medical problems! I am not sure, just heard about it.

Toto have their market in the United states. They sell the automated toilets at a lower price in US as per information I have, which I am not sure to comment. Please check with Toto USA for prices and related inquiries.

The use of tissue paper is also almost eliminated in Japanese modern toilets, but the option is still there. The work instruction for use and change of tissue paper is also displayed in the toilet.

Japanese hi-tech toilets are good example of ultimate human engineering skills. First embarrassed though, once get used to, people get addicted to use these hi-tech toilets even though it is a few minutes business. Some models display the time too. The clock will say how much business we did inside! Wow!

Visit to the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa with many memories of bygone years

Once upon a time, but Japanese history says it is in the year AD 628, there lived two brothers in Asakusa near to the Sumida River. Their names were Hinokuma Hamanari and HIinokuma Takenari. They used to fish from the Sumida river. Everyday they got lot of fishes and people enjoyed good meal with fishes they caught. Fishing from the Sumida river was their job and they continued doing that sincerely.

One day as usual they went for fishing in the Sumida River. The brothers were astonished to see that they got a statue from the river. They realized that they fished a statue of Goddess Kannon. Goddess Kannon is the God of mercy in Japan.

They thought that statue has no value and threw back into the river. Again they started fishing, but to their surprise they again got the statue back to them! The statue was ready to leave them. They brought the statue to the village and told their experience to the villagers. All of them were surprised. The village chief Hajino Nakamoto san realized the divine value and sanctity of the statue.

Hajino Nakamoto-san preserved the statue of Goddess Kannon at his home in Asakusa. It is believed that he remodeled his own home to a small temple to preserve the statue. He thought that the statue possess divine power and the villagers by worshipping will get the mercy of Goddess Kannon.

The Sensoji temple was thus formed in AD 645 to worship the Goddess of Mercy in Asakusa. Thus Sensoji temple became the oldest temple in Tokyo. Japanese people worshipping at the Sensoji temple started getting good results in their life by the blessings of Goddess Kannon. The word spread throughout Japan soon and people started flocking to Asakusa to seek the blessings of Goddess Kannon.

I heard all the story of Sensoji temple from my friend and told him that I will write this story in my personal blog. After visiting the Omiyage shops in Asakusa I decided to visit the Sensoji temple.

Sensoji temple is also known as Asakusa Kannon temple. I entered through the Kaminarimon. The meaning of Kaminarimon is Thunder gate. This is the outer gate of the Sensoji temple in Asakusa.

Asakusa is symbolized by the Kaminarimon, we can say. Walking through the gate I entered to the Nakamise dori, which is about more than 200 meters length starting from the Kaminarimon to the second gate of Sensoji temple. The second gate is known as Hozomon. The gigantic paper lantern was painted Red and black and some Kanji letters were also written in that. This is really thunder!

I could see many Japanese Omiyage shops and traditional local snacks prepared and served there itself in Nakamise dori. People were enjoying the snacks. There were shops of Kimono, Yukata, Ukiyo-e and painted and colored folding fans.

Passing through the Nakamise dori, I reached to the Hozomon gate. Hozomon means ‘Treasure House Gate’ in Japanese. Sure, there is treasure inside, that is the treasure of Mercy! Built in traditional Buddhist architecture, with dramatic color combinations and structures, Hozomon gate stood with its dragon like corners.



Entered to the temple complex, I could see smoke and a small crowd in the forecourt of the temple. There was a small structure inside which a incense sticks were burned as part of traditional worship. Devotees were seeking blessing by waving their hands to the flame and smoke coming out of the metallic pot and showing it to their head. It is a concept that they are blessed.

At the side of the Sanctum sanctorum building, I could see a big statue of Lord Buddha. My mind travelled back to 563 BCE to one of India’s small kingdom where Gautama was born. The prince Gautama left all his worldly wealth and went in search of ultimate truth and meaning of life. Now, even at this 21st century, He is being worshipped by one the world’s most intelligent people in the world – Japanese people!

I entered to the main worship area where the idol is placed. Stepping up to the sanctum sanctorum, there were many devotees throwing coins (Japanese yen) to the metallic box placed in front of the idol. There were lights all around. It reminded me the Hindu temples in India. Hindu people do the same kind of worship.

Stepping down from the sanctum sanctorum, I decided to take snaps of the five storied pagoda. It looked gigantic in the sky. The Asakusa shrine was built by the Tokugawa lemitsu.

World war II destroyed a major part of the temple and Japan rebuilt. But in the courtyard I could see a tree to remind us of the Second World War, which was hit by the air raid bombings by Allied forces. The tree is a symbol of Japan and its people, I believe. The tree has grown again from its old husk! Exactly the same way Japan has grown after world War-II keeping almost all its traditions and customs!