Photographs from a small group of islands
Japan is the second largest market for Apple, and a visit to the nation’s first Mac store in Ginza amply proves this. Whatever time of day you arrive there are always masses of pilgrims, all paying their respects to the luminous logo.
The birth of the iPod mini has further increased attendances, bringing in believers and converts alike. Even relatively late on a Sunday evening, the place was awash with worshippers.
Forget Viagra (no matter how cheap those friendly e-mail vendors may be offering it), as for a measly 135 yen you can now simply buy yourself some Horn.
And as you can see by the display, sales were expected to be brisk.
Many of the U.S. military bases in Japan hold open days of some kind or another. With visitors generally consuming vast numbers of hamburgers and hotdogs. Plus perhaps having a quick look around a fighter jet or two.
The so called “American Fest” at Okinawa’s Kadena airbase yesterday was no different. Except that (perhaps to celebrate the expiration of the 1994 assault weapon ban), young children were allowed to play with helicopter machine guns.
Here is a wonderful picture of Mount Asami in central Japan, spewing smoke up to a kilometre into the sky.
The eruption was classed as small, but still resulted in nearby towns being covered in ash. And possibly more worrying for local residents is that it’s the second eruption in the space of two weeks.
The 2,568-metre mountain is one of Japan’s largest and most active volcanoes, and in 1947 eleven mountaineers were killed after being hit by molten rocks. Yet these recent eruptions have all been classed in the minor-to-medium bracket, and those in the surrounding area can perhaps take some heart in the fact that Asami-san has not had a major eruption since way back in 1783.
Having grown up in England (where volcanoes are just something to stare at it in awe on the TV or in books), seeing this kind of thing happening in the country I live in is just extraordinary. And the events at Mount Asami are by no means unusual either. Japan has a hefty 108 active volcanoes.
This fascination however could quickly turn to fear, as a year or two ago rumbles were felt around Mount Fuji, causing experts to consider the possibility of an eruption. Something that really doesn’t bear thinking about…
The name means flower sound, and the contraption consists of a donut-shaped magnet and coil that sits at the base of a vase and can be connected to a CD player, stereo, or TV. Then all you need to do is place some flowers in the vase, and the magnet and coil relay the sound vibrations up the stems and through the plant’s water tubes.
Ka-on vases and amplifiers come in various sizes and prices, the most expensive set retailing at 35,000 yen (175 pounds). Which it has to be said is a lot of money to have the sound of your favourite albums destroyed by playing them through a flower.
