PHOTO of the DAY (JAPAN) Dial up warning

[AsahinaKimi]

A van travels on a road in Yurihama, Tottori Prefecture, flooded by water overflowing from a pond due to heavy rain brought by Typhoon No. 12, which hit western Honshu on Sept. 3. (Mainichi)

Bonus Photos


Typhoon No. 12 is seen clearly in this photo taken by Satoshi Furukawa, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station on Aug. 31, Japan time. The photo was released by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on Sept. 1. (Photo courtesy of JAXA and NASA)


Surfers ride waves at Nishihara beach in Fujisawa, near Tokyo, on Saturday. Slow-moving Typhoon Talas reached western Japan, bringing heavy rain and strong winds across a wide swath of the country.


Children, their skin tanned from being outside during the summer break, are present for the resumption of school at Koike Elementary School in Ota Ward, Tokyo, on Sept. 1, 2011. The majority of public elementary and junior-high schools in the metropolitan area began their second semesters this day. (Mainichi)


Ginkgo fruit ripens on trees along Midosuji Street in Osaka on Aug. 31, 2011. Their changes in color signal that autumn is on the way. The nut-like seeds of Gikgyo are a popular food in the fall season. (Mainichi)


Outgoing Prime Minister Naoto Kan receives a flower bouquet from his office staff as he leaves his official residence in Tokyo on Friday.


In this photo released by the Imperial Household Agency, Emperor Akihito, left, stands in front of new Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda holding an appointment letter after former Prime Minister Naoto Kan, second from left, during an investiture ceremony to appoint Noda as the new prime minister at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Friday.

mainichi ohatu~ Something new every day!

[NYC_SKP]

1. "mainichi ohatu"

"~Something new every day!"

I LOVE that!

It reminds me a little of the significance of the Japanese Tea Ceremony, the part about how the formality of it is designed, in part, to remind us that every single moment and every encounter is precious.

Students always enjoy hearing that, when I'm able to read it to them effectively.

Every moment counts, and something new every day!

:hi:

[AsahinaKimi]

3. Honto desu! So true!

I am glad you are pleased. Yorokonde kurete ureshii desu.

[HappyMe]

2. Thank you for those.

:hi:

[AsahinaKimi]

4. most welcome

Enjoy posting these often!

[Altoid_Cyclist]

5. The last photo brings back memories of "w" trying to make a hasty retreat.

Very nice photos though.

[AsahinaKimi]

8. I am sure Han was not

As Bad as Bush. In fact, he probably tried his best. He probably made a ton of mistakes, but I seriously doubt he had any kind of motivation, other than the best interest of Japan.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

12. There was no comparison to Han intended, sorry for the confusion.

The ornate setting just reminded me of this photo.



That was my fault for not includuing the shrub photo. Hopefully there will never be another "leader" like bush.

[a la izquierda]

6. What a beautiful country and such beautiful people.

My husband and I dream of traveling to Japan. Some day, when we have more money.

[AsahinaKimi]

9. It is my hope and dream

to visit again also.

[progressoid]

7. Gingko fruit?

I had no idea they produced anything edible. We have a gingko tree and all it produces is about a ton of leaves every autumn. :)

[AsahinaKimi]

10. Ginkgo

We have to be careful, here. In strict botanical terms they are not fruit; they are seeds, with a fleshy coating. But there is a second reason for being careful: not only can you not eat the outer flesh, but it produces a foul smell (butyric acid, as in rancid butter), and can cause nasty skin rash. This is why gardening books in the West normally instruct you to plant a male tree, to avoid this problem. Oh, I forgot to mention, the ginkgo is dioecious ("two houses" in Greek), which means there are separate male and female trees.

But inside this nasty orange thing is a kernel, the seed itself, which can be eaten. There are a variety of traditional methods for removing the outer coat, but I found a different one: I simply trod on it by accident. As you can see, this pops out the kernel, which looks something like a fattened pistachio. This is the shell surrounding the green edible part, or "nut". These are usually grilled, and eaten with a little salt. Quite delicious.

http://imaginatorium.org/sano/ginkgo.htm

[progressoid]

11. Ah, yes the female version.

There are a bunch of the female trees planted around our town fountain. And in the fall, they certainly have an unpleasant odor. :silly: