Year End and New Year activities in Japan

Towards the end of the year and the beginning of the new year, there are a couple of events that you might notice if you happen to be in Japan. Here's a typical list of things you might encounter.

1. Year-end cleaning
It's an annual event where everybody goes all out to clean their class rooms, offices, homes, before ushering into the New Year.

2. Sending out New Year's card
About 1 month before the New Year, supermarkets, post offices, photo-printing companies, and even websites will start to remind us of the New Year's card. Read more about this activity here.

3. Year-end party（忘年会）
Usually after the big year-end cleaning event, a sort of celebration is held. This is called bonenkai （忘年会） which literally means forget-year party. The MC of this party usually will start off with a customary speech telling us to forget all the unfortunate events of the year and look forward to the New Year, before every body starts to dig in.

4. End-of-the-year jumbo lottery （年末ジャンボ宝くじ）
Depending on your habit, you might like to try your luck with the lottery. In Japan the only lottery license is given to a bank. So a bank runs the national lottery making a big bonus for all their employees at the end of the year. If you attend Christmas parties, a common thing nowadays is a Bingo game.
The End of the Year Jumbo Lottery that won me 300 yen. That's a 90% loss for me. Goes to show that gambling never pays. But then again paying 3000 yen a year for hope is not too much a price to pay, is how I always console myself.

5. New Year Food（おせち料理）
Traditionally housewives have to prepare a special meal for the New Year. Nowadays, you can order from the supermarket before hand. I have never had a traditional osechi ryori before, so I can't really comment. One would imagine it to be similar to the big meal for those celebrating the Lunar Chinese New Year.

6. Visit to temples （初詣）
Every year, hordes of people would throng temples and shrines to perform hatsumode. I went for my first hatsumode too. Here's a description of my experience.

7. Prosperity bags （福袋）
On New Year's day, shopping malls and department stores will display what is called a prosperity bag. In the bag are usually clothes, perfume or jeweleries. During this day only, a set of clothes that might cost 20,000 yen if bought separately are sold at half the price to attract customers. I would say this is the best time to get that set of winter clothes that you always wanted.

New Year's Card (年賀状)

2008 is just around the corner. As with previous years, the heavy responsibility of designing next year's New Year card rest on the shoulder of yours truly (seriously, what will mom ever do without dad, eh). So in order to keep the tradition alive, like previous years, I have come out with this years 年賀状 which need to be posted before the post office deadline. I heard somewhere that the cut-off date for sending is Dec 25 if they are to arrive on Jan 1.

OK, what is this New Year's card about? Essentially, it's a postcard that people send to their to friends, acquaintances, teachers, bosses, clients, and just about any other people that they wish to keep in contact with, as greetings for the new year. Think of it along the line of a Christmas greeting card. However, on the card, it is customary to write Happy New Year, or あけましておめでとうございます in Japanese。Then you thank whoever it is you are sending to for all their help during the previous year, and maybe write something memorable and nostalgic about last year, and most important of all, to add a よろしくおねがいしますat the end, which basically means thank you in advance.

So, how did the tradition of sending New Year's card in Japan came about? It all started a long, long time ago according to the Museum of New Year's Card website (年賀状博物館H/P), sometime in the 7th century. But with the establishment of a fixed rate postal service in 1873, it started to gain widespread popularity. Near the end of the year, if you happen to pass by a post office box, take a good look at it. You will be surprised to find one of its slots dedicated to the collection of New Year's cards.

Here's my collection of previous New Year's cards. OK, there are only three. Well, I started four years ago. I reckon, I will continue to do this until the novelty wears off, or when the printer runs out of ink, whichever comes first. Year 2008 card.

Year 2007

Year 2006

Year 2005

Let's Talk Laundry

Have you ever grow tired about all your stacked up clothes in the laundry basket just begging to be folded. Yeah, we all have this household chore since time immemorial. Betcha didn't know that the Japanese with their ever creative ways, have come up with a great and fun way to fold shirts. It only take about 5 s, with practice. Take a look at this video. It's not too difficult. After a couple of tries, my daughter who is into origami really enjoy folding her own shirts now.

Instructions:

1. Pinch shirt 1/4-way from the top with left hand,
2. From that position, run along horizontally to the top of the shirt with right hand, and fold to the bottom,
3. Heres the tricky part. Hold up both hands, which should be criss-crossed, and pull them apart.
With some practice, you should be able to get it right.

Religion

Let's talk religion today. If you ask a Japanese what their religion is. You will surely get a very obscure answer. At best you may hear them say that they are Buddhists, at worst, you may be surprised to hear that they have no religion at all. The average Japanese might not think too much about their religion, but they are surely steadfast about discipline, being on time, and team work.

Officially, I am a Buddhist. That's what I will write on a form if this information is required of me. But I am not a real Buddhist at heart. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being a devout Buddhist, I think I am hovering somewhere between 0.922 and 0.931. At home, I pray to my ancestors, the Earth God (土地公) and Celestial God (天公). When I was a child, usually I take turns with my elder sister to do the morning and evening prayers. Its a simple process where we burn joss sticks and ask for good health for the family. And if exams are coming, then we spend a little bit more time praying.

The great thing about my family is the multi-religion tolerance. My mom is a Catholic. But she has no problem whatsoever with with an altar in the house. Who can ask for a cooler mom. Dad's a diligent Taoist. He never misses any important events on the lunar calendar that means celebration and simple offerings to the gods. Maybe it's the businessman in him that motivates him. When we were young, my sister, two younger brothers and myself would help with the preparations of offerings for the prayers. Looking back, I am proud of this tradition and hope to continue it in my future home too. My wife and her family turned to Buddhism for comfort when the eldest boy in the family died in a freak accident in the sea. She used to abstain from meat on Fridays until MacDonald's appeared in her hometown. She still does unless there is other no choice. I think practicing religion is a good way to self-discipline.

God of Heaven

Some of the Japanese homes that I have visited have a special room Japanese style room where an alcove (床の間) is present. This place is decorated with ornaments and cloth paintings and words of wisdom. Come Mar 3rd, when Girl's Festival (雛祭り） is celebrated across Japan, these alcoves will be decorated with elaborately-dressed dolls. One thing great about Japanese is their tolerance for multi-religious celebrations. Christmas as with Valentines are celebrated without hesitation (with full fervor thanks to the department stores of course). I hear that young Japanese can be born in Japanese tradition with the blessings from Shinto shrines, gets their marriage solemnized by a pastor, and die as a Buddhist. What a way to live a life wouldn't you say. My Japanese teacher used to tell me that if Islam were to be introduced in Japan, it might have been adopted and assimilated into Japanese culture are well.

Hina doll set

What is religion but a guide to one's life. Each religion come with teachings (a manual?) about the wisdom that it has to offer, but ultimately it is up to us to interpret those teachings and let us live a life as we see fit.

Job Search

Starting this year, in Japan at least, since the economy has started picking up again, recruitment drive for new staff is also heating up. Looking for a job in Japan can be very different from how you are used to. University students in the bachelor and master's level usually start looking a full year before graduation. PhD students are a little different, while some do look for jobs pretty early, there are those who take are constantly on the lookout for a good match between their skills and the job requirements. A lot of jobs can now be applied on-line. Compared to 5 years ago, recent candidates find themselves inundated with plenty of options for on-line job applications. The other thing that is different about job search in Japan is their resume. A standard form (履歴書) is available in most bookstores (bet you didn't know that! Me neither). You just need to fill in your personal particular including photo, education, work experience, certification all in a chronological fashion. Other misc information like major, interests, work preference, and marital status are also required. My own experience in producing a resume (in English) has been a mixture of creative layout and ideas to spice up the information contained within. Nothing of that sort is required in Japan, as far as I know. Perhaps it's better that way since, we are not applying for a job in the Creative Arts department anyway. On the other hand, no sloppiness is tolerated. That is not to say that you can get away with carelessness and mistakes in the English version. One thing that is absolutely necessary when working in a Japanese company in Japan is proficiency in Japanese, what else! Although I have been toying about that idea for sometime, I am revisiting this option of a working in Japan. Let's see how things go. This is my barebone dual-language resume.

It's a bargain

Malaysia, unlike Japan, is a country where lively bargaining was promoted to an art form. From a tender young age, children taken by their mothers to the wet market learn unwittingly the art of bargaining. Until a few years ago, before the government decided to 'help' consumers who lack this survival skill by making shop owners display pricetags on all goods, some people actually enjoyed their shopping. Such a conversation would go something like, "10.45" says the shopkeeper, "wah! so expensive, 5 lar" comes a reflex response from mom, "5 cannot lar, tell you what, round to 10 just for you-lar" replies the shopkeeper instinctively, "like that dun wan-lar". "OK, auntie, 8, final offer?, And mom would reach for her purse and the deal is sealed. Usually, the bargaining process can extend longer that that. Then it would be a power or stamina struggle. To see who gives up first. It can be quite fun watching the process.

Nowadays, lively conversation like that is nowhere to be found. Of course, you hear stories about customers from hell that bargain with street peddlers just for the sheer fun of it, but I think there is a lot to be learned by knowing how to making your verbal-sparring partner agree to your point of view. I know that bargaining is still pretty wide spread in some other Asian countries. Thailand and China for example where you can practice your persuasive skills. In countries where shopping are done in supermarkets and huge hypermarkets, you get a bargain only when there is a sale going on. Come to think of it, bargaining may not be a lost art form. In Japan, I heard that big deals still go through some form of bargaining. But then, they call it business negotiation.

You can't handle the truth!

Today, allow me talk about something different. About politics that is. Having no direct confrontation with this strange concept before, I found myself mysteriously drawn to it quite recently. In this one particular aspect at least, Japan and Malaysia are not so much different from each other. And that is, to deny their citizens the right to know the truth. There are obvious reasons for this. Mostly selfish, I think.

History may not always be what is seems. Propaganda from the ruling government to self-propagate often put them in the best light to the common citizen (voters). What ever the cause maybe, the interest of the disadvantaged are ignored or often trampled-on because of someone else's selfish agenda.

Take for example,
i) The lies that are being told of the rioting incident in Kuala Lumpur during that faithful day of May 13, 1969. Fortunately, we have blogs that gives us a second account of the real version.

If you tell one lie, you will have to tell another lie to cover that first lie, and so on. Pretty soon, your story will collapse under an Everest of lies. Those who know the truth but choose to remain quiet are just as bad as those protecting their own sick interests. Why, because as Thomas Jefferson remarked, "Evil triumphs when good men do nothing."

ii) Corrections upon corrections of the official version of the atrocities of Japanese troops during WWII.

Sometimes, the hardest things to do is to admit ones' mistakes or the mistakes of our forefathers. If the reason for seeking forgiveness is difficulty in swallowing ones pride, then I say the bitter pill of pride is just the medicine needed to sow friendship and trust. I believe that when children are exposed to a wrong, they can learn from that lesson much more than just being ignorant about it.

Having said that, without the privilege of knowing the whole story. I realize that my comments are just as shallow as my knowledge. Perhaps like Jack Nicholson as Col. Jessep barked in A Few Good Men, "You can't handle the truth!"

One way to visualize the dilemma faced by politicians would be conjure a fake scenario. Suppose that the world is being threatened by an imminent deadly and contagious disease (bird flu, maybe). The government in all its earnest efforts wants everybody to stay indoors and, to reduce pandemonium, be ignorant about the current situation. Everything is on a strictly need-to-know basis. The government then diverts the peoples attention by staging a disaster to encourage people to stay indoors while taking care of the real outbreak. Finally, with the disease under control, the government then issues a statement that it is safe once more to come out, hence saving millions of lives instead of the thousands that died due to the outbreak. (Story adapted from http://www.slate.com/id/2126479/). However, what if the government couldn't contain the outbreak and the masses finally found out about the lie, or even if everything was OK but soon the information about the disease got declassified. What would happen? Would people be better off being ignorant?

I think that these are some of the dilemmas that politicians have to face everyday. They are controllers of information. Filters if you will. Good filters do their jobs unbiased. But how many Solomon-type filters are there to fill up all the politician jobs? I understand humans have feelings and feelings control our actions more than thoughts. Politicians face a lot of daily pressure and when they make a decision that pushes them into the limelight, they are assaulted by critics and supporters alike. Boy, I am just glad that I am not in that line. Otherwise, I don't think I can sleep soundly every night.

A fine country she is

You know what they say about Singapore being a fine country. Well I have got a picture which says it all. It was taken inside the MRT train. To be fair, Malaysia is also a fine country. In comparison, in Japan, warning signs, be it no smoking or no littering, do not come with an offensive deterrent.

I was just talking to my wife about civic-mindedness in Singapore the other day. I think that Singapore will need to work harder to get rid of the stigma of fines and concentrate on the real problem that they are trying to address. The government are taking many positive steps, of course, like public awareness campaigns to educate their citizens to be more civic-minded. But why do you think the results are less than desired. I guess if one cannot see beyond a direct cause-effect scheme to things, there will be less incentive once the effector is no longer around.

Why is it then that Japanese are so successful in getting their act together. I suspect that it is ingrained in their culture as much as their language. Everyone here is so considerate about the feelings of others. It is so apparent in their language. Try to count the number of すみませんs (I am sorry/excuse me) you get when you next meet a Japanese, or, the number of "I am so sorry to have troubled you". You will be surprised. Japanese are even sorry when their name seems hard to pronounce. All this high-level empathy just makes it easy to be civic-minded. Think about it, if people feel that when they litter, they would inconvenient others. When they smoke, speed, or behave irrationally, others will be annoyed, endangered or honestly concerned, then everyone would practice self-restraint. Isn't this much better than mere punishment or fine. I am not questioning the effectiveness of punishment as a deterrent, but then, an enforcement agent is needed. Whereas, civic-mindedness just takes care of itself and the problem.

While we can definitely learn from the Japanese, short of being a Japanese, how can we install civic--mindedness. Some examples I think which promotes such a desirable quality are religion and education. Civic-mindedness is indoctrinated in most rational religion and this is where religious institutions can help. The other being education. I believe, most educated people have the propensity to be level-headed enough to be civic conscious. If, when next I see a warning sign without a fine tagging under it in Singapore, I would finally agree that she has reached a higher class of social maturity.

A sign pasted inside the MRT train

A sign pasted at the Putra LRT station

Bento lunch-box

Recently, my bento lunch boxes has grown in number. From 2 to 4. Previously, it was just a rice and one-dish stacked box. Now, it's a super combo meal which includes, 2 side dishes, rice, and snack/fruit. With that kind of combo meal two things generally follow. Great urge for afternoon siesta and bulging tummy. Let's talk about the bento and leave out the side-effect for next time.

Although getting no less popular nowadays, the bento has been traditionally prepared at home and brought to school or work. With advance in food-packaging technology and catering services, more and more bentos are bought elsewhere or ordered and delivered. I once read an article on the newspaper that mentioned about the additives that is put into the bentos sold at convenience store. In that article, the author, who has worked for many years preparing bentos said that he wouldn't let his family eat the bentos, for they contain so much presearvatives, it would make it to the world record for the most amount of preservatives used to keep the food looking fresh. So be extra careful when where you buy your bentos next time.

When I was in Malaysia and Singapore, I wasn't really acquainted with the concept of lunch boxes. Food was pretty much available everywhere and cheap too. I guess the hot weather there will make your rice with 汁 (broth?) into anything but palatable food by noon.

So what did I have for lunch today? Take a look at the picture. Rice with furikake (an assortment of minced fish, sesame seeds, seaweed), siew mai, pickles and kacang kuda. Needless to say, after this hefty lunch, I needed a lengthy workout.

2nd hand (recycled) goods shop

All the talk about waste management got me thinking about recycling in Japan. And where else can you find 2nd hand goods with such good quality but Japan. In Malaysia, about the only recycled stuff worth buying is probably a motor vehicle. But even then you'll have to be careful with kereta potong (literally, cut-up cars).

The proliferation of recycled shops in Japan, I believe, all started with the annual winter/spring flea-markets. Then someone must have thought of the cool idea of making it a permanent event, in the like of shops. Now recycled shops are the next big hit after the 100yen Daiso. Just google 中古 or 創庫 with your local area name and you'll bound to come up with in inexhaustible list of links. Some of my favorite ones are See You, Book Off, and the local favorite on route 163. When I first arrived here in Japan, and couldn't afford the outlandish prices for brand new electrical appliances, these are some of the places that I looked at. If you can find the things that you want, and don't mind that it's not new, you will surely get a bargain at these shops. I once sold a baby stoller (ベビーカー) for a handsome profit there. Of course, these shops do keep their standards. The other day, after spring cleaning, we wanted to get rid of an old computer but the shop refused since it has no resale value. It was understandable.

So if you are in Japan, do consider these recycled goods shops. You never know what you may find.

Waste management in Japan

Rubbish is big deal in Japan. I only realized how I missed the waste management in Japan when I visit other countries. In Japan, different municipals have different management styles, but generally, rubbish are sorted by 2 categories at the-point-of-disposal. They are burnable and non-burnable waste. These categories are further divided into categories such as PET bottles, cans, foam (polystyrene) packages, paper cartons, etc. If you had visited the 2005 World Expo at Aichi, Nagoya, you would be surprised at the number of categories that were available.

I can understand how this came about in Japan. First of all, Japanese are crazy about presentation. Everything must be presented such that they are pleasing to the eye. You won't believe how many layers packing goes to gift-wrap something. And once you open the gift-box, you are presented with even more packaging before you even lay your eyes on the gift. You can say that the power of anticipation is brought to a new level here in Japan. With so much packaging materials to dispose of, you will need to have a good way to handle all that.

Also, Japanese are generally pretty civic minded about the environment. I believe this happened after WW2, and after Japan became industrialized. I once watched a Japanese movie, I believe it's called Hula Girl (フラガール) about this soon to be bankrupt mining company that tried to reinvent itself. It then occurred to me that the developing Japan was just like the developing China, or Taiwan or Singapore. During the time of economic boom, money is always first, while the environment takes second place. But the general public will sooner or later realize unchecked pollution and contamination due to improper waste disposal will only lead to more problems in the future. That is why the Japanese has a great system for garbage disposal. I think it is something other city municipals should really learn from. All this talk about rubbish reminds me that it's take-out-your-rubbish time today. Yes, we are limited to just twice weekly for disposal of burnable waste here in Nara-shi.

Theft in Japan?

I have parked my scooter next to this superbike at the school compound for the 2nd day. And this guy just left his keys stuck to his bike all this time. I think in some other parts of the world (Malaysia?), this poor chap would be at the police station crying out his eyeballs while reporting his lost bike. Theft cases in Japan are extremely low (I think). It could be that everyone (well, almost everyone) are contended that they don't touch other peoples' stuff. Or it could be that their are too chicken to deal with the consequences of their actions be it mental anguish or just plain physical torture when he is confronted by the owner with a steel pipe.

A friend that came by to visit me in Japan noticed all those nice umbrellas stacked up at the bus stop. "Doesn't anybody help themselves with those umbrellas?" he asked. The truth is I hadn't noticed them before that. So I just made a passing remark that those umbrella's were for good people with good intentions who will use and return them. Or it could be that the owner left it there for a rainy day. In anycase, if you don't want to loose any of your belongings, leave them in Japan. I think there's a good chance you'll find them at the Lost and Found.

All this reminds, me of my own experience about lost and found. I was maybe 7-8 years old then. Walking back home, minding my own business when I saw a guy had accidentally dropped a MYR50 note on the floor. Without hesitating, I took the money and handed it back to him. There was a witness nearby. An old lady selling bean curd. She related the story to my mom and she keeps reminding me of this up to today.

And yes, the last time I checked, the bike was still there, minus the keys. Only in Japan I suppose.

Cortisol and Stress

I talked about my stress induced sickness sometime ago. And recently I just read about how stress can change ones brain literally. It seems that stressed-up people are not normal. OK, we all knew for a fact how our stressed-up spouse should not be called upon to sharpen that blunt kitchen knife. Or iron our favorite shirt. But how abnormal can stressed-up people be?

An article from Time magazine talks about stress and how it affects our body. It seems that stress causes a certain chemical (cortisol) imbalance in the bloodstream. And the higher the stress level, the higher is the amount of cortisol found in the blood. Our brain is equipped to handle a reasonable amount of stress. When the hippocampus part of the brain senses excessive cortisol level flooding into the cerebrum, it sends out signals to shut down that cortisol cascade. In other words, its our feedback control system to reduce stress. However, beyond a certain threshold level, damage-control should be the next course of action. Try a long-vacation, or a guilt-free trip to the masseur. One thing is for sure, constantly elevated cortisol levels can only mean one thing, bad mojo. Health related illnesses like accelerated aging (read: wrinkles), unresponsiveness, and withdrawal syndromes. So try to keep that stress level low. For me, some quick aerobic exercise like jogging helps.

Pornography

I always wonder about the social impact of censure and control of pornographic materials on the general public. In Japan pornographic materials are within easy reach, as even local convenience stores carry hordes of softporn manga and magazines. When I tell my friends here in Japan about how closed the society is in Malaysia and Singapore, I often get raised eyebrows from them. Pornography is outlawed in those countries. Anyone caught in possession of pornographic materials there can be fined. But the internet is changing all that. The once exclusive distribution channels for porn has been evolving so much so that anyone with a hand phone may be deluged with indecent and suggestive materials almost daily. And if you have an internet connection and an innate adventurous spirit of the unknown, you too will soon discover the world of porn. Just be careful of trojan horses, malware and spamwares. If unsure, always use your friends computer to surf for porn.

I don't want to go into issues regarding pornography and sexual related crimes here, but from casual observation it seems that there maybe an inverse relationship between the two. I am sure more thorough investigations may come up with actual numbers. But, let's digress and talk about some thing I find really funny. In Malaysia recent news about social politicing have again reach the lime light. There are suggestions by religious leaders that 'Mat Skodengs' and 'chastity belts' be enforced to lower sexual crime. How backward in thinking can these people be. This must be the epitome of moral policing being taken to the hilarious levels it sounds like some kind of mental-illness. Are you going to tell an adult how to behave? And for how long can one keep this up? Although I think that sexual crime and abuse is nothing to laugh about, there must be a better way to deal with erosion of morality and sexual criminals. What do you think?

I may be wrong, but why is it that the religious leaders are the ones most vocal on subject of this nature. Could it be that they are the ones needing the most help, and not the other way around. Or maybe they have figured out what pornography producers knew all along. Sex sells!

Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT)

I just got word that I passed my JLPT Lvl1. Now that's cheerful news. Both me and my study companion, my wife, have been struggling with the preparation for this test for the past year. Actually I only started 3 months before the test. But it was pretty intense mind you. The test as well as the preparation. Early mornings, hectic lunches, busy weekends. Phew! That was some ride. I'm glad that's over.

Now, back to my original objective. Must get rid of my stupid Kanji-phobia. I have this phobia ever since I started learning Japanese. I really would like to be able to read a Japanese book or newspaper without sweating it out with the dictionary. Maybe I should start with manga. But for now if you'll excuse me. It's time to open that expensive champagne and party!

My proud certificate. BTW, passing mark is 280

Melbourne

I am on a one week trip to Melbourne courtesy of NICTA. My first impression of Australia is the wide and expansive landscape. From the airplane, you can really see up to the horizon and to the clouds where flat land and sky meets.

Melbourne city itself is a very pleasant city. There are so many foreigners here that I am sure a that a local might find himself being the foreigner (a joke that a friend shared with me when he was told by a local Californian how he felt about LA).

After being used to the clockwork transportation system in Japan I was a little bewildered when I reached Brisbane international airport. Being a bumbling idiot like I am, I almost miss my connection flight. I was really glad when I found my seat on the domestic plane to Melbourne. I wanted to tell how all that running was the best exercise that I ever got in a year but the guy sitting next to me promptly changed seat when the seatbelt sign was turned out. Go figure. I mean, I was huffing and puffing and that might put some people off, I thought he just went to the toilet but he never came back. That wasn't the best of it. It seemed that my luggage was stuck in Brisbane when I arrived in Melbourne. I had to make 4 calls to get my bag back and it was 1 day late. Not bad huh for my second trip to Australia. I had an exciting day in Melbourne yesterday evening. I locked myself out of my apartment and the key was left in the office which I had no access to. Talk about being a perpetual bumbling idiot. You know that was not the only airport drama that I had while traveling. Did I tell you about the time I forgot about my poster while on the way to my New York flight at Narita airport last September. Which reminds me, I should document that trip on this blog soon.

Anyway, back to Melbourne. There's a lot of things to like about this city. The buildings, the attractions, and most of all the food. I had no idea I would be having claypot chicken rice with Chinese ginseng soup for dinner. It was after dinner that I found out that I was near Chinatown. The tram ride was cool. Just like the tram ride in Frankfurt. These electric trains share the road with cars and they run in the middle of it. What more can I say about this city. It's pretty clean. No, not squeaky clean like Singapore but fairly clean. There are giant vacuum cleaners on the walkway in the city that keep it that way. And I am lucky to be experiencing mild weather during this summer period in Melbourne. I heard it can get a scorching 40degC sometimes here. Boy am I glad that's not happening right now.

OK enough talk. Here are some shots of the city and the university. I wonder if I will have time to see more of it before I head back to Nara this Saturday.

somewhere from Brisbane to Melbourne taken from the airplane

Visitor Center at Federation Square

St. Paul's Cathedral (opposite Flinders St. Station)

Outside the Claypot King restaurant at the end of Chinatown along Swanston St.

Old Quad Upper Theater in the University of Melbourne (looking from the South lawn)