Switzerland II

Today it snowed! Actually not today but yesterday night. So when I woke up this morning we had about 10cm of snow out there... I tell you, it's quite hard to walk 200m on a street covered with snow! Your shoes get wet and your feet get cold as ice! But finaly I made it to the station and got the train to Zurich...

Comment to the pictures: Made it yesterday evening. Nothing seemed to announce the snow...

Switzerland I

It's getting colder and colder now. It was almost one year ago (25th of November 2004) when I went to New Zealand. So I could escape the cold temperatures and the monotone grey days in Switzerland's winter. But this year it's different. I have to go to university. Well, have to is not the right word, I mean I do it for myself and so I shouldn't complain. One think I'd like to do is to participate in a mobility program. So I could spend a semester or two at an university somwhere in the world. Right now I tend to Tokyo University because I've already been in Japan and Tokyo University also has a high reputation same as the ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) in Zurich. Other options would be the National University in Canberra/AUS or Georgia Tech in Atlanta/USA. The future is bright, the future is ...

Right, the pictures...

The first two pictures are from Schaffhausen, sunset seen from the main window gallery in my room. The last one is Zurich by night, seen from my University. Do you see any lights? No? Go down and see the pictures from Japan, then you'll understand why Japan by night was great for me!

Japan X

These are 2 pictures of Himeji Castle. As I wrote in a previous blog it's the most magnificient castle I saw in Japan!


Here is a list of cities in Japan with a population over 1 million people

1. Tokyo 8.336.599
2. Yokohama 3.574.473
3. Ōsaka 2.592.413
4. Nagoya 2.191.279
5. Sapporo 1.883.027
6. Kōbe 1.528.478
7. Kyōto 1.459.640
8. Fukuoka 1.392.289
9. Kawasaki 1.306.785
10. Hiroshima 1.143.841
11. Saitama 1.077.730
12. Sendai 1.037.562
13. Kitakyūshū 1.011.471

(Source: wikipedia.org)

Japan IX

Hello Kitty! I'm sorry, but I can't explain the entire story about Hello Kitty... It's some insider knowledge and only people from AUT in Auckland/NZL might know something about it... ;-)

Though, if you want to know, feel free to ask...

Japan VIII

My last trip was from Osaka to Hiroshima. On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima was chosen by US armed forces as the first ever target of an atomic bomb employed over a populated area. As a result, 200,000 civilians lost their lives, and Hiroshima became a city vehemently engaged in the promotion of peace.
The Peace Memorial Park which you can see on the pictures was built to commemorate the dropping of the atomic bomb and to promote a peaceful world. It is located in the area around the atomic explosion's epicenter, and houses the Peace Memorial Museum and many other a-bomb related monuments.
The Atomic Bomb Dome is one of the few buildings around the explosion's epicenter that partially survived the blast, and the city's only remaining bomb damaged building. The former Industrial Promotion Hall is now an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Japan VII

As I wrote in the previous post I made some 1 day trips from Osaka to Himeji, Kobe and Nara. Himeji Castle was the most impressive and most beautiful castle I saw. Not only because of it's size. It has a very special atmosphere. Undescribable... No wonder, the castle is designated both, a national treasure and a UNESCO world heritage site.

Kobe, located between the sea and the Rokko mountain range, is considered one of Japan's most attractive cities. In January 1995, Kobe was hit by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, which killed over 5000 people and destroyed tens of thousands of buildings. A decade later, the city is completely rebuilt, and few signs of the terrible event are left, except for the Earthquake Memorial at the waterfront.

Japan VI

After having spent several days in Tokyo I went to Osaka for 4 days. Actually I went to Kyoto, Himeji, Kobe and Nara during this stay in Osaka. Eating... That's what you have to do there. Osaka is bloody famous for its food... and for its castle. But unfortunately it was raining and quite misty when I visited the castle. Anyway, I saw Himeji Castle, which is even more impressive, so I can't complain.

To the pictures:
JR Shin-Osaka Station
Yodobashi-Umeda Shopping Mall
Shinsuke and me (after an expencive but most delicious dinner ^0^)

Japan V

Kyoto... Hmm, many non-japanese people just know Kyoto from the Kyoto-Protocol which should regulate the CO2 emissions. But Kyoto is much much much more than this protocol! Kyoto was Japan's capital from 794 to 1868. It is now the country's seventh largest city with a population of 1.4 million people and a modern face.

Countless temples, shrines and other historically priceless structures survive in the city today.

No question, the most famous temple is Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavillon, which attracts loads of tourists a day. Not less impressive is Kiyomizudera on top of a hill, where you have a nice view from its wooden terrace. In 1994, the temple was added to the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.

Pictures from top:
Toji pagoda
Kiyomizudera gate
Kiyomizudera temple
Kinkakuji temple
Ginkakuji areal at sunset

Japan IV

Since you can see and do so many things in Tokyo, I recommend to stay at least one week!

By the way: Watch the movie "Lost in Translation" by Sofia Cappola. There you can see a lot of Japan as well as from Tokyo, where the plot of the movie is set.