Category Archives: Asia

Japan

The bicycle museum and the traditional handicraft industry pavilion in Sakai

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Sakai lies to the south-central Osaka, it is Osaka’s the second biggest city in area and population. since the Stone Age, the Japanese had lived in Sakai, so there is the world’s largest acreage Emperor Nintoku mausoleum;  there are many temples and shrines stemming from history, there are tea culture, artisanal knives, bicycle and other traditional industries. We spend a half day go to the traditional handicraft industry pavilion and the bicycle museum.

The bicycle museum in Sakai divides the history of bicycle into five eras, from the world’s oldest wooden bike to the latest Olympic bicycle and so on. In the bicycle experience area, the tourists can touch brakes, gearboxes  and so on, they will learn more structure and principle of bicycle while playing at the bicycle museum. The bicycle square in Daisen Park provide a regular opportunity of test-driving classical bicycle copies for tourists.

There is a earliest bike model at the gate of the park, tourists pose for photographs on the bike.

Bicycle derives its origin from Europe, but now China has the most bicycles. What about Japan, Japan has a handsome lead in manufacturing bicyles, many famous bicycle brands come out of Japan.

The old tandem bicycle is also quite interesting.

The bicycle may be close to the ancestor of the modern bicycle.

Tandem bicycle.

The bicycle delivering milk.

The elongated bicycle.

Modern variable-speed bicycle.

Mountain bicycle.

These are famous brands bicycles.

After visiting the bicycle museum, the children draw all kinds of bicycle paintings, the children’s paintings are beautiful.

There are a good many books about the bicycle subject in the reading room, people can look up information here.

Here are 50 bicycles, to witness the history of bicycle development.

The traditional handicraft industry pavilion in Sakai mainly exhibits Sakai’s handmade knife manufacturing history. Sakai account for 90 percent of Japan’s total kitchen knife output. The traditional handicraft industry pavilion shows the craftsmen’s ingenious knife world, and the tourists also will practice and experience at the scene of the exhibition.

Look at this huge scissor.

Japan’s knife has become more and more specialized, using different knives to perform different ingredients processing on a chopping board, each knife is fine made.

This is the evolution of a kind of knife.

There are some souvenirs in the pavilion, all souvenirs are exquisite.

Handwork and fruit are well-known in Sakai. These really fine shapes, I am reluctant to have it.

The beautiful cloth-wallets.

The elegant handkerchiefs.

Japan

Tokyo: the most popular Beer Museum

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Yebisu lies in Tokyo’s Shibuya shopping district. Yebisu, in Japanese means, loosely translated, the god of wealth. Here was also equal to the countryside during the Edo Period (1603-1867), and then Yebisu brewery was built in 1889. Yebisu brewery was built in imitation of a German architecture at that time, and all production equipment also imported from Germany. Since the birth of Yebisu brewery, this area person was enraged gradually exuberant.

Today Yebisu is also a fashionable area in Tokyo, the former site of Yebisu brewery has been converted into Yebisu Garden Plaza, where is full of business atmosphere. Grand hotels, department stores, cinemas, assembly halls and so on, from soup to nuts, so Yebisu Garden Plaza is usually used as a filming site. The day we went happened to be the afternoon, Yebisu looked much more charming in the brilliant light.

Our aim was to visit Yebisu Beer Museum. The museum was founded by Yebisu brewing company. Described is the development history of Yebisu beer.

It’s just a giant beer brewing jar model.

The giant beer jar model is all made of a lot of small beer jar, it is spectacular.

These are some clay sculptures, which is a symbol of God in the traditional Japanese folk customs. Yebisu is the god of wealth.

Entering the museum hall, because without Chinese speaking guide, we took a look at the exhibits on display at the museum, some of the exhibits was very well done. This is a jar used for keeping beer fresh long ago, it is so cute.

A variety of beer packaging.

Some appetizers with liquor are also very lifelike.

A plate of shrimps and a plate of pickles can scarcely be distinguished from real side dish.

Beer packaging, using a wooden box.

Beside the beer bottle is a bottle opener, perhaps that time beer bottle tops are made from cork.

Beer cask.

There  are also souvenirs, the wheat pattern mean beer being made out of malt, there is another wine jar pattern.

The beer bottle looks nice, from my view, I consider it is more beautiful than the beer bottle being used.

To better propaganda and extend Yebisu beer, the comic book is used. Yebisu beer matching German sausage is also a very popular drink method.

Vegetables and beer model look quite appetizing.

This picture is special, the women portrayed in the painting are not like Japanese women, they are just like Chinese women.

After visiting the museum, visitors are able to enjoy drinking the beer here, this is a special tasting area, every tourist can drink two cups of beer, although the beer is free, but having bought that ticket, so it is not free.

The narrator showed us how to pour a beer, she was professional for us. Listening to some knowledge introduction of drinking beer, do you know what is the best combination when drinking beer? Three kinds of food selected by people in Japan are Bean fruit, Sausage and chips.

This is real beers, dark beers, more natural, very refreshing, it’s very tasty.

Alongside tasting area, there is a restaurant to eat and have a drink.

This is a souvenir shop selling some snack foods with liquor.

Japan

Ice Village, the most romantic experience in the severe winter

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Ice Village is born of the coldest Hokkaido in Japan. For two years, Ice Village located at TOMAMU resort has become the preferential choice for foreign tourists who come to Hokkaido to seek the white dream. The so-called Ice Village is composed of those igloos made of large slabs cut from compacted snow, such as ice shops, ice restaurants, ice bar and so on. Since I am actually there, I should also have a taste of the Ice Village life.

However you come, be sure to come early, because Ice Village closes its doors before 10 pm every night.

Standing on the higher ice slide, I overlook Ice Village, this is a very good angle, very dream isn’t it?

Every ice-house has different function in Ice Village. ice bar, ice restaurant and so on.

Come early to Ice Village, and as an added benefit, the tourists are few, walking on the inside can become only more dream.

This is Oasis skating rink, it’s a pity I can go roller skating, but currently only a little contact with skating.

This is the entrances to Ice Village. By the evening, the blue flashing lights come up on the white building,  stepping into Ice Village, the tourists can see a dreamy forest footpath to Ice Village.

This is a skates rental log cabin next to Oasis skating rink, it is really very dream.

The fairytale – style log cabin has an appealing force against a background of the huge trees.

Ice church is the most romantic place in Ice Village. Each year, approximately forty newlywed couples decide to have a wedding ceremony at the ice church. I am curious, in such an environment, what kind of wedding dress they should wear.

Inside the ice church, it is really a chaste and glacial world, many couples are choosing wedding here, I estimate, it makes them very unforgettable.

The cross on the roof of the ice church, under the lights, as if it speaks to the tourists an oath, doesn’t it?

WOW, ice bar come~

The music and atmosphere in the ice bar are wonderful. And here the tourists can make delicious cocktails, it is the favorite place for the young.

Wine in a ice cup, sucking wine through straws is a really good idea, otherwise, the tourists lips become so smeared with ice.

All kinds of wine are now for the tourists to experience.

Ice bar stereo systems and lighting effects work well, plus the ice-cold stimulation, I’m impressed! ha-ha

There are two big icicle at the ice bar.

The bartender is very nice looking! He wears a thick overcoat as a protection against the bitter cold.

The ice restaurant experience begins with a heart-warming corn soup.

The environment of ice restaurant is wonderful, accompanied by a warmer colour light, plus hot foods, and all of these are great for relieving the winter cold.

Many young people admiring come from all over and taste the ice restaurant’s Cheese Fondue.

There are some fresh vegetables and fruits frozen to the ice on the wall at the ice restaurant, which is a good creative interior decoration.

A small blackboard hung in the ice restaurant’s sliding door covered with the thin snow, in this place like Hokkaido, maybe, it may snow later, I never will have imagine that it will come so quickly.

The ice shop selling little polar bear tchotchkes.

The ice shop selling little cockhorses, it’s really cute.

More visitors spends much time watching all goods than buy in the ice shop, the ice restaurant is more lively in comparison with the ice shop.

This is the Ice Laboratory for all to know ice and snow better after the visit. snow can be made into snow crystals pendant here, the visitors keep it as a memorial of their travel.

Ice Village in the daylight is not nearly as dreamy as Ice Village night, just wait a couple of hours, the day is dark, stepping into the little door, the tourists are able to go to an entirely different ice and snow fairy-tale world.