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13. 05. '10

Yuans For Yens

Chinese guy in his fifties stops me in front of a bank. He is wearing a worn jacket of very Chinese indeterminate dull colour. Calculator in one hand, stack of banknotes in the other. He smiles encouragingly at me. I am not much encouraged, though. I don't even know the exchange rate. And we are standing in front of the bank. I shake my head and walk off inside. More

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13. 05. '10

Very Communist Qingdao

Ocean. Columns of smoke on the horizon. From huge freighters, water castles of containers. I cannot see them now. I saw them an hour ago from the deck of ferry from Shimonoseki in Japan. Now the ship is gingerly passing wharfs and cranes of cargo harbour. It is headed to tiny passenger terminal that is hidden betweet warehouses of a industrial zone. I am in Qingdao. I am in China. More

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12. 05. '10

Motion Blur From Shinkansen Window

Acceleration. Countryside turning into motion blur. Chopped by darkness of tunnels. As if you were passing damn fast by a giant barcode. Even though the train is going 300 km/h the ride is quiet and soft. Like the blue plush seats inside. I am in Shinkansen, Japanese high speed train. In the latest and fastest model. The N700. More

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11. 05. '10

Japanese Machines

In Japan they are everywhere. They glow in the big cities and attract passers-by. They stand on lonely corners in remote villages on forgotten islands. Or lost on the meadows and in the woods. They are on ships and in trains. Five and half million of them in total. Bigger number than population of Norway. Every year Japanese spend five trillion yen shopping at them. More

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10. 05. '10

In Osaka People Cross On A Red Light!

„Do people really cross a red light in Osaka?“ Chihiro – character from Japanese cartoon Azumanga Daio – was wondering. „Wait till you get to Osaka. People there are irachi. Always in a hurry. They have countdowns next to traffic lights so they know how long they need to wait for a green light!“ Jun from Tokyo was laughing. Japanese from other parts of the country are simply fascinated by Osaka's traffic lights and crossing on a red. More

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09. 05. '10

You cannot go to Japan and not visit Kyoto

You cannot go to New York and not see Statue of Liberty. You cannot go to India and not see Taj Mahal. You cannot go to Paris and not see Eiffel Tower. And you cannot go to Japan and not visit Kyoto. More

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08. 05. '10

Beware! Deer Butt And Bite

If you have no food deer will ignore you. But take out shika sembei – special deer crackers made from rice bram and cereals – and they will surround you. More then you would want to. They jostle and nudge and nod. People say they imitate traditional japanese bow. But do not be fooled. They are insidious beasts. More

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