Sticker discrimination

Remember when you first started driving and you got your drivers permit and the card told you that you had certain restrictions to driving like no more than 2 people in the car, no driving after 9pm etc...But also remember how you broke those rules all the time. Those rules were meant to be broken. There was totally no way to enforce them because there was no way to know if you were under a permit or a regular license unless you were pulled over.
In Japan they have a small step up from that. Here they have stickers, or these metal car decor that identify just what kind of driver you are. Though I have no idea just what those restrictions are. For me, I see it as a way to identify those that can easily be hassled on the road. Oh don't pretend you don't know what I am talking about. Everyone says that they want to fool around with those driving the drivers ed car. It is also a way to identify those you most likely want to pass on the road.
There are two kinds of stickers, both can easily be bought and/or replaced at the local dollar store.
One sticker is that of a yellow and teal colored arrow which is to signify the driver is a new one and is under a 6 month permit. This one is commonly called wakaba maaku. Which pretty much means young driver (though a bit more eloquent than that). I think it is interesting in Japan they like to use nice, nature sounding names for lots of things, like special education classes to make them sound more pleasant and interesting or perhaps as a way to hedge calling them exactly what they are and sound kind of cute about it. I suppose that is really the same thing. It is kind of like when trying to talk about a fat person and calling them big boned or saying there is just more to love. Yeah like that.
The other sticker is a yellow and orange tear drop that is to signify that someone is elderly, over 75. Seeing as the common man certainly does not retire around 60, the senior citizens age is a nice decade and a half higher. Recently though, there has been a lot of fuss over that sticker. You see the name of the sticker was called momiji maaku, referring to the fall color of leaves. Even the color is a tribute to those spectacular Japanese maple leaves. But you know what fall leaves do? They fall. That is right those very leaves are pretty much in their end stage and the elderly think that that factor and perhaps the the tear drop shape is a little bit grim. Seeing as they certainly do not want a constant reminder of just how close they are to their next lives, they would rather have a happier looking decal. So in place of the tear drop, earlier this year they began issuing a four-leaf clover pattern of greens, orange and yellow. Four leaf clovers and luck and happiness right? Problem solved.

Momiji

One of the most beautiful things about Japan, is its fall colors.

Recently I had the splendid opportunity to view the Japanese maples in their full fall foliage. And they were stunning.
I feel obligated to point out that Japanese maples and Japanese cherry trees are two entirely different species. Japanese cherry trees are the ones that have the beautiful sakura blossoms in the spring and Japanese maple trees have the stunning autumn colors. What makes them so stunning is that they are all varying shades of red and orange. And when the light hit them, from a ways away, you might swear the trees are on fire.

In Japan this is an important time of year: it is tourist season once again, especially for places like Kyoto and Tokyo, which have famous locations for momiji viewing. Thus many temples who cultivate these beautiful trees are able to make a lot of money from the visiting tourists from Osaka, Nagoya, and other neighboring cities. Additionally there are many street vendors who open up their stalls at this time in hopes to earn an extra...yen. In Kyoto, some of the best places to see the colors are; Eikando, which specifically engineers their entire temple to display these, and only these trees; Nanzenji, which has a masterfully worked brick waterway which is the perfect backdrop for any momiji photograph; and Tofukuji, which is also famous for its autumn foliage that is spectacularly viewed from its great wooden bridge and its view to the valley below.

Matsuri! on a Boat!

Only there was no T. Pain on this boat.
In Arashiyama this past weekend there was a special matsuri going on. What makes this matsuri so different is that it takes place on boats! Traditionally, in all of the preceding matsuris I have seen, they have all taken the form of elaborate mikoshi with people carrying them around and making their way to the shrine.

So you might be thinking how on earth does one have a festival on a boat. Well about 13 different shrines from all over Kyoto prefecture sponsor a boat and they put on a performance, such as a dance or tea ceremony in front of the Tokgetsu bridge in Arashiyama. Supposedly there was even a Noh play on one of the boats. The boats move in a circular fashion around the lake to appease their large crowd on both banks.

Clad in elaborate costumes and elegant kimono's the entourage of the boats are as much as of the performance as the dancers. These people sit along the sides and rear of the boat as the performance takes center stage on the boat. Some of these people function as singers, singing traditional songs that are possibly for purification, and are often heard at their respective shrine; others would play various instruments such as the gong seen below. The performers donning the most elaborate costume and often a mask or an object with which they dance (a fan, a hat, these things?...).

The name of this matsuri happens to be Momoji Matsuri. For anyone who does not know, momiji is the term for the beautiful fall foliage that Japan is so known for. Unfortunately, this matsuri was planned a little too early and the leave have yet to fully turn therefore having a very slight but still present mottled effect of green and orange tinged leaves.

In addition to watching the matsuri from the riverside, you can also rent boats and tour around the lake. Even during the matsuri allowing you a very up close opportunity to view the festivities.