Eco-Products show @ Tokyo Big Sight: Dec. 13, 2014

Eco-Products show is one of the biggest environment-related exhibitions in Japan. I visited the show held in Tokyo Big Sight in the Tokyo Bay area today.

There were about 700 exhibitors (companies, local governments and NGOs etc.). Tens of thousands of visitors were there.

Various eco-friendly products as well as advanced technologies were displayed. They included:

wooden products, 

toilets with high efficient water consumption, 

results of research activities in the universities,

services and products by NPOs and NGOs

a place to play with aqua creatures.

Mascots of companies and local communities were moving through the site (the top photo). 

Local cities and communities held their exhibitions. One of the examples was presented by Toyooka City in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan. They aim to develop a community where people and storks can live together. Storks cannot survive if the rice fields are polluted with agrichemicals (the 2nd photo from the top).

There were many children – this differentiates Eco-Products show from other events. The kids enjoyed looking the exhibitions, listening the explanations and playing with exhibition products.

It is reported that more than 160 thousands people attended the event in three days.

Imperial Palace Open Day: Dec. 6, 2014

The main part of Imperial Palace, where the Emperor and the Imperial family live, is usually closed to the public. It opened the door to citizens for the first time in the autumn color season. The decision was made following the Emperor’s words.

I visited the palace. It was a nice day. The sky was blue and the wind was comfortably cold.

Thousands people were making lines in front of the palace when I arrived there. 

It took about an hour before entering the palace through the “Samashita” Gate. Policemen and women controlled the visitors well.

We walked slowly through the Inui Street in the palace. There were tens of maple trees along the street. The leaves were glowing red and orange. There were other trees with red and yellow leaves, too.

There lied a moat at the side of the street. I walked about 20 minutes and arrived at the Inui Gate.

The palace was open from Dec. 3rd to 7th. About 79 thousands people visited the place today, according to the news reports.

I moved to the East Gardens of the Palace, which is always open to the public.

There were various autumn color scenes in the gardens.

Some trees were on the ruins of buildings.

Macau (off off Tokyo)： Nov.23, 2014

I visited Macau for the first time in about 20 years.　The city has dramatically changed.

It was returned from Portugal to China in 1999.　Islands are being expanded by land reclamation. New commercial and tourism facilities are being built. About 28 million Chinese visit here from the mainland.

Historical Portuguese atmosphere remained in the center of the city. Visitors were talking pictures at the stairs in front of St. Paul ruins. They enjoyed walking in the narrow streets of cobbled stones.

Huge hotels with casino were found in many places in the city. The buildings of state-run Chinese banks stood aside.

I felt the atmosphere of Portuguese, Chinese and modern capitalism flavor in the town.

City of Zhuhai locates beyond a narrow channel. I found tall buildings of the city.

World's Largest Electronic Town @ Shenzhen (off off Tokyo): Nov. 22, 2014

I walked around central Shenzhen, China. There were many surprises.

There are many electronic shops gathering in Huaqiangbei Commercial area. Tens of huge commercial buildings as well as hundreds of smaller shops are open.

Huaqiang Electronic World was one of the largest commercial buildings I had ever visited. Hundreds of electronic parts shops were open in the 1^st, 5^th and 6^th floor respectively. (2nd photo ftom the top)

There were many shops of smart phones, PCs and other electronic goods in the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th floor.

Tokyo’s Akihabara may be more sophisticated, but Shenzhen’s town is overwhelming in its size. It is said to be the largest in the world. The area not only sells the products, but also buys the goods (The free markets develop here). This may support many built-ups in electronics in Shenzhen.

New shopping centers opened in recent years. I visited the centers in Laojie district、Jin Guang Hua Market and other places. I also visited a big bookshop. All of they were full of energy.

A big picture of Deng Xiaoping was displayed at the corner of Lizai Park in the central city. Skyscrapers stood around and boys enjoyed roller skating in front of the picture. The city has become rich. I wonder what would Deng have said if he were here.

Occupy movement @ Mongkok and Causeway Bay, Hong Kong (off off Tokyo): Nov. 19-21, 2014

It was not only Central Hong Kong (around the Hong Kong government office) where occupy movement developed. Similar movements took place in Mongkok, one of the busiest areas in Kawloon, and in Causeway Bay, a big shopping centere in Hong Kong Island.

A part of Nathan Road, the main street of Kawloon, was occupied by hundreds of tents around Mongkok area.

The traffic was blocked. The stores at the sides of the street were open. I saw people enjoyed shopping in the stores, came inside the occupied area, listen the speeches of the activists, and read the messages.

(The occupation in Mongkok area was cleaned up by the police on November 25^th.)

The occupation area was smaller and the number of the tents was limited at Causeway Bay district. Instead, there were impressive displays.

The picture of Chinese President Xi Jinping with an umbrella was placed in the corner. Visitors were taking pictures. 

Hundreds of small umbrellas were hung around a gathering place. (the top picture)

It was Friday evening when I visited Causeway Bay. Sales staff members of stores were trying to attract guests. Tens of thousands of local people walked through the area. Someone took a glance at the occupation, another watched it carefully and others stopped at the site.

Occupy Central @ Hong Kong (off off Tokyo): Nov.19, 2014

The world pays attention to Hong Kong as Occupy Central movement by pro-democracy activists continues.

I had a trip to Hong Kong and visited the site.

The road in front of the Hong Kong Government Office (Harcourt Road) was occupied by thousands of tents. The scene was very impressive. I had not seen such number of tents. 

They have been here for nearly two months (amazing !).

Other hundreds of tents were placed in different places around the office.

The stickers to demand normal election were placed everywhere – on the tents, roads, walls and so on. So did the umbrellas. Small papers with comments from all over the world were posted on the wall.

The atmosphere was calm as it was daytime when I visited there. Some protesters were talking with their colleagues and some were sleeping in their tents. It becomes noisier in the night as people gather here after their jobs, according to a freelance journalist I talked with.

There were many tourists. Camera persons were waiting in the pedestrian walkways.

I do not know what will be in the future of the movement. Reports say that several moves are taking place at unofficial levels and that anything could happen.

What seemed clear for me was -- (1) It is nearly two months after the start of the movement and (2) There still stay thousands of tents (or tens of thousands of protesters) gathering here. Then, I felt large energy from them.

John Lennon’s lyric was displayed. “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one”. It was also impressive.

No one knows what the situation will be. We just know that the movement will be surely recorded in the history.

Blind Soccer Championship @ Yoyogi: N0v. 18,2014

I had not had the opportunity to see the sports games played by disabled people. Today, I watched the World Blind Soccer Championship.

The event was held in Yoyogi near Shibuya. The match was between Japan and Morocco. 

Each team has four players without view and anon-blind goal keeper. Is also has a guide, who makes noises to show the directions. The ball makes noises when it moves.

The movements of the players were unbelievable. They dribble the ball very well. They shot the ball exactly to the direction of the goals.

I found the communications were essentially important. The goal keeper, the guides and the coaches sent directions to the field players.  

I sometimes forgot that they are blind. 

I was moved and learned a lot from them. Thank you !

Interesting attractions -– fake Michael Jackson and his team’s songs and dances – were played during the interval. 

The makeshift stadium was crowded with both Japanese and foreigners, mainly from the countries which participated in the event.

The championship and the Paralympics are the two major events in the world level.

More attentions are being paid to the sports played by the disabled partly because of the Paralympics in 2020 in Tokyo. I hope this trend will grow. 

Mt. Fuji (Off Tokyo): Nov. 3-8, 2014

I had opportunities to take the photos of Mt. Fuji from Shinkansen bullet train.

The top was covered with snow on Nov. 3^rd. The sky was blue. The mountain was beautiful.

People spent their lives at the foot of the volcano. The factories were running.

It was cloudy on Nov. 8. People enjoyed sports in the river field of Fuji River.