Have a blast on Friday nights.

花金！

The life of Salary-man

As you know, most of Japanese "salary man"(office worker) work pretty hard. I may be one of them. The regular work hour is from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM in my company but I usually reach the office before 9 AM and leave the office after 8 pm.

after a party....?

Yes overwork is very common among Japanese office workers. Of course we want to stop working anytime to leave the office for home but are not able to do it.

Lately Japanese government is working on raising productivity of Japanese companies to boost growth. That may mean our Japanese office workers' performances at work are not good. That is why we need to work until late night.

Whatever .... working in Tokyo is kind of hard.

We need to get on the crowded trains to the office and packed in the crowded. Sometimes I feel fear to the irritating people. People say that Japanese people are polite and decent but rush-hour is exception. People are so aggressive. I can't walk without being pushed or bumped by commuting people on my way to the office every morning. We have professional pushers in the station. They help passengers to push themselves in the trains. lol

Can't wait Friday night!

Since we have hard time even to commune and long days at work, Friday night is what every Salary-men are waiting for.

What do they do on Friday nights? Mostly they hang out and drink a lot. You will see many bars and Japanese "Izakaya"(Japanese style drinking places) are buzzing with drunken salary-men.
Some will throw away in the trains or stations.... Even sleep on the streets.

Sleeping drunken salary-men in the trains are commonly seen on Friday night called "Hanakin"...
Hana means flower but it may mean blooming here and Kin is abbreviated word of Friday in Japanese, Kin-youbi. Hanakin implies that salary-men will have a huge blast on Friday night.

Japanese Otaku Culture

日本のオタク文化

What is Otaku ？

"Otaku" is a term of people who are obsessed with something.
There are two different recognition about Otaku. One is positive and another is negative.

If I say that someone is Eiga(films) Otaku, I would mean someone knows films a lot. This is a positive way.

But if I say that someone is Otaku, I would mean someone is nerd(introvert, un-socialized and obsessed with something much.).
Perhaps That person I am talking is supposed to be passionate about anime or games, Japanese idols.
（you can learn about Nard here)

shops for Otaku

I don't know why the Otaku culture grew in Japan but we see Otaku things so often.

This is a "maid cafe" where waitresses are wearing maid cloths. (I haven't visited there)

waitresses are wearing the costumes

 This is a shop where you can get cosplay costumes. There are many people to enjoy wearing costumes that characters in anime wear in Japan. They rush in this kind of shops.

you can find costumes

おたくとは？

「おたく」は何かにハマりまくってる人を指す言葉です。

日本では、「おたく」といったら2種類の解釈があります。ポジティブなのとネガティブなのと。

もし誰かを「映画おたく」と言ったら、その人は映画をよく知ってるというい意味です。

これはポジティブな方。でも、もし誰かを「おたく」と言ったら、それはその人が「ナード」(内向的で、社交性がなく、何かに取り付かてる） その人はおそらく、アニメやゲーム、日本のアイドルにご執心でしょう。

おたくのお店

おたく文化が日本で大きくなった理由はわかりませんが、オタクのものはよく見かけます。
これは「メイドカフェ」で、ウェイトレスはメイドの衣装を着てます。

このお店はコスプレ衣装を手に入れることができるとこ。日本ではアニメのキャラクターの衣装を好んで着る人たちがいます。こういうお店に殺到するわけです。

prices are surprising!! the left one is 10,000yen(100$)

Shopping in Nepal and a cool shop "GANESHA" in Patan

ネパールでの買い物

Simple Nepali handmade items

I picked Nepali fabric before.
What I always buy in Nepal are like them. Mainly handwoven and felt items. And small cute metal works and traditional handmade paper production called Lokta paper.

Nepali Lokta paper produt and a metal work

They are nice really but actually very simple. Perhaps they are not commercialized much. I personally love such things but most regular Japanese girls want more commercialized things.

Yes, Japanese girls like "brands". Then I always struggle to find "good" souvenirs to female colleagues(My friends are like me so I can pick my favorite Nepali staff). Indeed last time I got something for them at the airport of Thai where I change the airplane....

shopping in NEPAL GANESHA

But finally I found a nice shop in Patan. Actually a Japanese lady runs the shop. You will find every items more sophisticated than others. My friend San let me know it.
Why not visiting there when you stroll in Patan? The address is Swotha No-11 Patan Nepal.

The front of the shop. Cool

Very organized

素朴なお手製ネパール製品たち

以前、ネパールの布製品を紹介しました。わたしがネパールで買うのはだいたいあんな感じです。だいたいハンドメイドの織モノやフェルト製品。または小さな金属のフィギアとか、ロクタと呼ばれる伝統的なハンドメイド紙製品。

全部ステキなんだけど、素朴。多分、あまり商業化されていないのか。わたし個人はそういうの大好きですが、普通の日本人の女性はもっと商業的なモノが好きです。”ブランド”好きですから。そのため、女性の同僚への「良いと思われる」お土産探しはちょっと大変（友達は私と同じなので、わたしのお気に入りを選べば大丈夫）。前回実は、乗り換えのあるタイの空港で買いました・・。

ネパールガネーシャで買い物を

でも、ついにパタンでいいお店を見つけました。日本人の女性が経営しています。どの品も洗練されたもの。オススメです。友達のサンに教わりました。これで日本へのお土産は一安心・・・！

お店はパタンにあります。

Rato Machhindranath Jatra in Patan ~ No2

赤いマチャンドラナート

Bee??

People say that it is one of the oldest festival in Kathmandu Valley. Lord Machhendranath who is a rain-maker god, came to Kathmandu Valley to rescue people suffering from a severe drought and let people have a plenty of rain.

I found a mysterious thing about this story. The load transformed to a bee when he came over there, in a vase. Why bee??? The name “Rato Machhindranath” literally translates into “Red Fish God”....

the chariot is huge

the top of the chariot

Red

Anyway "Rato" means red then the status of Machhendranath is in red like this. They have another Machhendranath festival in Kathmandu, called Set Machhendranath. The status is in white.
They light up butter-lamps in front of the chariot making the site even more beautiful surrounded by those lights.

the statue in red

蜂??

このお祭りはカトマンズ地方で太古から行われているお祭りの一つです。マチャンドラナート神は、雨の神様ですが、申告干ばつに苦しむ人々のためにカトマンズ地方にやってきてたくさん雨を降らせたそうです。
でもこのお話には不思議な点が・・、、神様は蜂に姿を変えてやってきたそうです。ツボにはいって。何で蜂？？
「ラト・マチャンドラ　ナート」は、「赤い魚の神様」ですが。。

the wheels of the chariot are also huge

赤いお祭り

ともかく「ラト」は赤という意味で、マチャンドラナート像は赤いです。カトマンズ市でも同じマチャンドラナートのお祭り「セトマチャドラナート祭」があるのですが、そちらは白だそうです。

Golden Temple in Nepal(Patan) and Japan(Kyoto)

"Golden temple" Kwa Bahal 

Kwa Bahal which is so called "Golden Temple". We also have "Golden Temple". Both are beautiful in Japan. Japanese one is called "Kinkaku-ji". It is situated in Kyoto which is one of the most popular places to visit among travelers.

Golden temple in Patan

Kinkaku Temple in Japan

Guarding inner shrine 

 I liked a pairs of these statues in both sides at the entrance They are like Komainu in Japanese shrines maybe. But another statues are sitting on their heads. Japanese Komainu doesn't have anyone on their heads, sitting on elephants. My picture doesn't cover entire elephants....

I didnt notice someone working inside when I took this picutre....

"ゴールデンテンプル"

クワ・バハール寺院はゴールデンテンプルと俗に呼ばれてます。日本にもゴールデンテンプルあります、そう、金閣寺。金閣寺は、観光客に人気のスポットの一つ京都にあります。

狛犬？

この像たちが気に入りました。日本の狛犬みたいなのかな。でも頭の上に別の像がいて、蔵の上に座ってますね。写真切れちゃってるけど、、。