Strange Tokyo. Bashny.Net

Alexander writes Zhelezniak:

Anticipation of Japan.

This feeling is often, if heard many things about the country and its culture is very different from what had ever seen before. Especially because the main Japanese Association - it is rather a scene from "Memoirs of a Geisha", yutyubovskih scenes clips of the disastrous tsunami and anticipation that you will enter into the world of the future from the first minute in Japan ...

2. Reflections pines

In fact, nothing like that. Normal train, though speed, interchanges, skyscrapers - if you were ever in the city, not surprising. The most unexpected moments suddenly appear, if you look closely to the details. The first thing that really surprised - cleanliness. Not just carefully, but as in the operating room. Nothing sticks out and is not lying. Because it is ugly.

Beauty - one of the key concepts in Japan. All that on the surface, all that kind to be beautiful. Dirt, it's not pretty, untidiness - not beautiful, they say that seppuku (Japanese seppuku) should be done after three days of fasting that everything was clean and tidy. In general, at some point, after hearing the story gets comes "understanding of the absolute lack of understanding" of the Japanese concept of "beautiful." As well as all the Japanese mentality, behavior of the Japanese, which have to communicate, not in local moments, but in general. The logic is absolutely incomprehensible to us, we can only watch, hoping that at some point there will come enlightenment.

3. I was lucky - from the balcony was visible Fujiyama when the afternoon we climbed the skyscraper, the main mountain of Japan has already disappeared into the haze of the day.

4. The most famous crossroads of Tokyo, favorite broadcasters for the mass "passing" of the people on the green light

5. View of the channels from the imperial palace from the room

6. Japanese McDonald's, where they teach the lessons of Japanese schoolgirl and consume "non-traditional" for Japanese dishes

7. Again, disciplined Japanese

8. And in the alleys of life rages even worse

9. separate phenomenon - gambling halls. They do not remove, probably because here the locals absolutely blow your socks off - as they are wound too tight on the button, hoping to beat the machine. Each machine individually make a loud cutting hearing sounds, it all merges into unimaginable sound porridge and in fact, any normal person, after ten minutes in the room Dolen get crazy ...

Purity as one of the fetishes of Japanese society is supported in every way possible. In Japan, a lot of onsen - hot springs. Since the country is at the junction of four tectonic plates, volcanic nature of the islands erupts to the surface in the form of thermal waters. This is a manifestation of the Japanese managed to tame and use for their own benefit. All sorts onseny ennobled and arranged bath. Japanese bath tradition is very old, before baths were common. But with the penetration of European culture and Christian traditions common bath and finally began to prohibit the tradition disappeared after the war. Because now the Japanese have to bathe in the company of friends, but not neighbors and friends.

We go to the onsen is almost in the center of Tokyo. Near the same bath, but ... dogs. From there, go to the happy hostess even more pleased pudelkami freshly scrubbed. Once you understand that you are not in neighboring Korea. It happened in Tokyo Hachiko Monogatari - dog breed Akita Inu, who waited nine years at the station suddenly deceased owner. In short, the dog should be beautiful, so clean and tidy and you should start with the dog onsena.

The very first ad in the "human" onsen - Do not remove the photo, but because there is nothing to show. But clearly in the onsen should go. At first a little unclear how to navigate in the hieroglyphics, but if you do not get nervous, it can be found next to the map onsena where clear enough to draw the circuit baths and transitions between them. The main thing to remember is that the blue color - male. Red - women. This color coding is used everywhere - from the marking on the toilet door on a random gas station on the road to the most expensive hotels. Respectively in the onsen blue curtain leads to the men's locker room and the red in the female.

Should not be confused, because some who may lose face ... This is the worst sin that a man may face in the Japanese system of values. Redeem this can only be timely harakiri ...

Two of my fellow journalists, a few years ago in a forgotten Onsen Hotel camera and decided to return. Meanwhile onsen instead became the male - female. Being a drunk they met there a cheerful young girls, but later in the onsen came their mother - the wife of a senior official ...

About how much is serious, it became clear in the morning, when the head of the Japanese delegation, which included the Russian journalists on his knees and begged forgiveness. And one of his colleagues jokingly asked:

- Well, drank and did not understand where to hit, now what do hara-kiri?

The answer was simple Japanese guide:

- It's too late, so if you made harakiri to 8 am, then you would not lose face ... And so all ...

10. After the bath. If not immediately clear, this bath for dogs. This is not Korea))

11. On the fiftieth floor offers one of the classic "neboskrebnyh" species in Tokyo.

12. Peep the locals - a very interesting lesson

13. Just living in a big anthill

14. Japanese life in pictures and in reality

15. Above the city is flying a blimp with unclear functions

16. The iron-concrete and glass honeycomb Tokyo

17. By mid-afternoon in the haze dissolved dozens of skyscrapers, Fujiyama not see any eyes or binoculars

18. TV Tower seems a copy of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

Our hotel in Tokyo, right on the shore of Tokyo Bay, opposite a small copy of the Statue of Liberty. The room on the tenth floor offers a great view of the Bay Bridge. I admire maple red spots on the waterfront, when I was suddenly distracted air wave, which has a slightly webbed. How strong draft, but no cotton. The next moment, I understand that the walls shake and go to my eyes collapsing one of the principles of Euclidean geometry - angles cease to be. Since childhood, taught that if zeplyatreseniya not worth crawl under the table, and to become the doorway open the door into the corridor to practice safe position. But in the corridor silence, guests ignored earthquake of 5.5 points. A hotel poskripel another minute and a half, as the boat met on a calm sea of random waves and again befriended klasscheskoy geometry, if not retracted.

Our guide Ishida-san, a very optimistic person. With a smile, he tells us that the Japanese are very fond of different's Disaster (although I think it is disingenuous of us playing on a misunderstanding of the Japanese mentality). Especially fires, all gather around, watching as the fire chief gives orders ... Then came the date: 1657, a terrible fire in Tokyo, and there was no bridge, and all the people crowded into a bay and there burned. Seyas in place of their death Buddhist temple. Kanto Earthquake in 1923 8.1 points almost completely destroyed Tokyo and Yokohama ... in 2011 was 9.1 points. Tsunamis often come the most terrible happened when Chile shook, and wave to us. My mother was in gospatile in the House on the fourth floor, and the water came up to the third ... Japan is at the junction of four tectonic plates, then shakes us continually eruption pyroplastic flows ... Recently, during the tsunami crew stood on the shore, the water above They removed joke then the phrase: "Yet perhaps dangerous .." and at this point shooting stops. - Ishida-san does not seem very pleased with the impression on us and continues the story, almost in the style of horror films - especially in Tokyo dangerous to walk the streets, if an earthquake, the glass skyscrapers fly particularly long and it is very very dangerous ... Once and everything will cut like a hot knife through butter! Can be injured or killed at any time, with a smile finishes Ishida-san. Positive yapontsets. Like all.

But it seems to me that this is not courage. Since you are Japanese, even horror must be beautiful, but falls transparent glass with 89 floor, it's so beautiful!

19. The view from the hotel window, immediately after zeplyatreseniya. In holee all was quiet, no one in particular did not even responded that the walls had just walked shaking

20. All the chefs in Japan is very positive guys. Other castes such as smiling and courteous Japanese - drivers.

21. Master sushi - hands work tirelessly

22. Watch the like sushi - a separate pleasure

23. Kitchen of Japan - a topic for another study. Everything is very unusual, ranging from serving before cooking. But the main thing for the Japanese - everything must be beautiful and elegant

24. do not eat caviar spoons, as in the neighboring Kamchatka - caviar is a delicacy. And indeed the rest of the food served in tiny plates and saucers

25. A Japanese garden should be everywhere and even a sushi restaurant

26. The first acquaintance with real wasabi - the bottom of the plaque is the root of the wasabi, which is rubbed on a grater and get familiar green mass. Only here you need to understand at once - a real wasabi can be found almost exclusively in Japan - the rest of the grated horseradish with dyes and substitutes taste

27. A lot of cups, plates, and serving not seek, and reached sovershestva

28. After dinner, accidentally hit on a photo tour of Japanese photographers. They flock go for the teacher and from all sides rented ordered model

29. Well, I built a company of Japanese photographers, though, and caught a couple of disgruntled views from the organizers, "they say, drew lover freebies»