Japanese People, Machines and Bathtubs
In lieu of the dyeing photos that I forgot at home today, I have more photos from Japan. So much is visually and graphically expressed in Japan that the oft-mentioned contradictions and contrasts are made even more apparent. In Kyoto, we bumped into a Maiko getting her photos taken by an American pro photographer…and then at Harajuku station in Tokyo, we found pockets of people all dressed up for the weekend in their costumes:
And here some of the girls that were sitting outside the GAP in Ometosando. Too shy to take a photo with these girls, I took a photo of _other_ tourists getting their photo taken.
We spent quite a bit of time at the Robot Station at the Expo too…watching little Japanese kids play with the “child care robot”. This robot, called PaPeRo, actually responds to pats on the head and verbal instructions — it blushes and “plays” with the kids!
The yellow robot is Mitsubishi’s Wakamaru robot — a hospitality robot that speaks and understands four different languages. It can recognize faces and, in the shot below, was actually looking at me — creepy but very cool. Many of the robots on display at the Expo were actually in use onsite!
And finally, we spent on night at an onsen in Osaka called “Fushioukaku”. _So_ relaxing. It was a perfect way to spend a day between train rides and luggage hauling. I mean, you take as many baths as you like in their hot springs…next to a waterfall…under cherry blossoms! The only thing you have to think about is when you’re going to have your next bath!
See the lovely stone bathtub on the hotel balcony outside our suite? I want one. We’re renovating our bathroom this summer and it’s starting too look like a real challenge. Our house is old old old to start with and the bathroom is tiny. I’ve measured the old bathtub and it’s 57″ x 27″. WHAT?!? All “standard” bathtubs are 60″ x 30″ (or 32″) nowadays! How will we find a new tub to fit our silly little bathroom? I was thinking of installing a tiny Japanese-style soaker tub instead!
