Traveling to the UK - other things

Garbage box / Litter basket for dogs
I was able to see lots of garbage boxes for dogs in a town in the UK. I think it's very kind that the government provides them. When we walk our dog we always have to have a plastic bag to put the waste in and then take it back home.




Roundabout
I often saw this intersection in a town. I knew it was called s "roundabout" later. When you enter a roundabout you're supposed to drive around the circle of the intersection. Roundabout systems don't need any traffic lights so they say it goes a long way towards easing congestion and is friendly for the environment. Also it is said that the number of traffic accidents in roundabouts are fewer than in intersections with traffic lights. We don't have roundabouts at all in Japan. Most of the intersections have traffic lights.


CHATCH THIEF Poster
I found it when I was walking in a town. This bicycle seems to be very expensive and I can easily imagine that the person who made this poster was feeling totally frustrated. In fact it happens quite often in Japan that a bicycle or an umbrella is stolen. If you have an expensive umbrella you shouldn't put it in a public umbrella stand. One of my acquaintances said to me, "An umbrella goes around the world. I don't carry any umbrellas around. ". That's an awful idea.

Traveling to the UK – Sight seeing

It's very much like being a tourist but I wanted to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Place.
There were lots of tourists around there 2 hours before the event started. Some policemen shouted "Don't cross the street!" and "Don't climb on the statue!" Also they told the tourists "Take care of your bag. Unfortunately there are often some pickpockets during the Changing of the Guards."




I was amazed that some policemen were riding on horses in the middle of the city. I've never seen policemen riding on horses before in Japan.


The guards looked like dolls and they were very cute but I was standing in the wrong place, so I couldn't see all of them. I didn't know the changing was done in front of the Palace over the fences so the right place to stand is near the gate of the Palace.




Another tourist site I went to was Tower Bridge. Japanese people tend to mistake Tower Bridge for London Bridge. I couldn't see the bridge opening but it was very beautiful. I was especially interested in its bases. The River Thames has a rapid current so they needed very strong bases which were able to withstand the current. I heard that ellipsoidal bases would let the force of the current go along the either side of the base smoothly.

Traveling to the UK - Shopping

Before I visited the UK I was planning to go to market stalls and charity shops. In London I went to Portobello Road Market and Spitalfields Market, which had lots of market stalls and was crowded with lots of people. I didn't buy anything but it was fun to just walk and look around. Most of the stalls sold clothes, accessories, tableware and bags but I found some military goods at a stall. They sold military clothes and even gas masks!





Also I found lots of food stalls. I ate vegetable kebabu which has a lot of julienne cabbage, tomatoes, onions and beans wrapped by something thin, which was made from wheat flour and water. This stall was really crowded and Indian workers were working very hard.







In Japan I don't usually see such roadside market stalls, at least in Osaka. We have some flea markets here but I think they are a bit different from the ones in England.

I was surprised that there were many charity shops in the UK, even in a small town. I liked going to Oxfam and had a look inside whenever I found the shop. I was able to buy a denim jacket for about 13 pounds! In addition to that I bought some Fair Trade instant coffee and tea at the shop.

Traveling to the UK - Parks

One of the things which I envy about the UK is that they have lots of parks with lawns. They can lie down on it or play with their dogs or just read a book. In Japan we don't have many parks and most of the parks don't have lawn areas, so we can't lie down or sit down on the ground. Also it becomes an object of public concern that lots of homeless people live in the parks, especially in the big cities. They make a kind of tent to live in with blue mats. Japanese people tend to think the small parks in towns are usually for kids not adults, so there are just lots of play equipment and some trees.





(Common Japanese park)


The British-style gardens are pretty famous in Japan. Some people are interested in these gardens and try to make it in their own land. However many people don't have enough land to make gardens in Japan. You might see some photos on the internet, but their gardens are actually very tiny.



I went to Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Green Park and St. James' Park during my stay in London. They were huge parks and lots of people enjoyed themselves there. I was staying in London alone so I bought some sandwiches and fruit near the supermarket and had supper in those parks to save money.

Traveling to the UK - Food 2

Marmite
I knew there was a food called 'vegemite' but I didn't know about 'marmite' in England. My English teacher said Japanese people don't like it because of its smell. I ate it in such a way as to put a bit on my toast with butter. It tasted a bit salty but I didn't smell anything bad from the marmite. I think marmite goes well with toast and butter. Speaking of toast, I saw only a very thin slice of toast in England. In Japan a slice of toast is twice as thick as the British one.



Rhubarb with Ginger Preserves
Maybe we can't find such preserves in Japan, at least near my house. These preserves are quite tasty. I can enjoy a sweet and sour taste at the same time.


I found other kinds of preserves from this company 'Wilkin & Sons' in Hanshin department store in Umeda, Osaka though they don't have any Rhubarb with Ginger Preserves. I only found raspberry, orange, grapefruit and lemon preserves. (In Japan we say 'jam' instead of 'preserves' and I found preserves are also called 'jelly'.



Cream tea
A cream tea means a tea with a combination of scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam. I haven't had clotted cream before. It's lighter than whipped cream and not too sweet. This is how to eat a scone. First of all split a scone in two, put on lots of clotted cream and then add strawberry jam on top. I felt quite full after only two scones.

Traveling to the UK - Food 1

I visited the UK in April and May for 2 weeks. It was an exciting experience for me and at the same time I realized I must study English much harder than now.
By the way many people who have been to or lived in the UK have warned me that British food is awful. (I'm sorry!) But to be honest I was able to eat lots of delicious meals in the UK! I think it depends on where you are staying. These are the dishes which I thought were pretty tasty.

Rhubarb Crumble
The cooking book says 'Crumble' is one of the simplest puddings. I've never seen the plant 'rhubarb' because maybe it's not sold in Japan. I learned you couldn't eat its leaf (I heard it was a kind of poison). You could eat only its stem. It tastes a bit sour but I like the sour taste. I ate the pudding with warm custard.


Fisherman's pie
When Japanese people hear the word 'pie' maybe most of them think of something sweet, like an apple pie or peach pie. The pie I ate in the UK called Fisherman's pie wasn't sweet at all and doesn't have even any piecrust! Maybe Japanese people think it's like gratin potato. To me this is the best meal I had in the UK.

FREEZE IN PLACE AT THE EXACT SAME MOMENT

If you are walking in a city and then the people around you suddenly stop, you are surprised aren't you? I found these videos on YouTube. This place is called "Ebisu bashi," which is one of the busiest places in Osaka. Many people pass to and fro on the bridge every day. One day 130 of them suddenly froze for 5 minutes…

At least on YouTube people wrote critical reviews of those videos, such as "It's just a nuisance." or "They just want themselves to stick out." However I think it seems to be an interesting performance.

This video is filmed in Ginza, Tokyo.


Also I found an American version. Probably it's the original performance. I think the Japanese videos are made in imitation of this American one.

It's much more interesting and artistic than Japanese ones. Their poses were excellent. They look like mannequins, which they would be about to move, in a store window. Then just after the performance finished, the audience burst into applause. It didn't happen in Japan. I laughed at what the man who rode on the small vehicle said. Too funny!


This is a similar video. I think it was filmed in LA and the performers were professionals. It would be fun if you were eating lunch in a food court and suddenly the employees started singing and dancing! Please give them some napkins!