Travelog for: Kioko

Today I'm in a small park called Kikaku Koen, about 15km South-East from Takamatsu.
It's a warm day, though it is December.
Colored leaves are still there.

Takamatsu Symbol Tower, Sunport
Hi, Mum! In Japan Christmas is not a holiday. They go to work as usual. 
This is a landmark building in Takamatsu city. Look, a lighting Christmas tree on the wall (Can you see?) 

And this is a Christmas deco "Tiramisu" cake!!

Omisoka - New Year's Eve is the last day of the year (December 31).
We decorated Rabbit dolls.
2011 is the year of Rabbit, one of the 12 zodiac signs which were composed in China more than 1000 years ago.
Originally it's a traditional Chinese calendar system. Today Japanese uses the name of animals for the new year.
Buddhist temples start ringing their bells late on New Year's Eve and continue into the early hours of New Year's Day, 108 times in all.
People watch this on TV everywhere in Japan.
We were also watching it like Japanese.
And it's the opening New Year!
"Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!" Happy New Year!

New Year's Day
The first nice thing on the New Year Day is receiving Nengajo - New Year's card.
Japanese custom of sending New Year's cards is somewhat similar to the Western practice of exchanging Christmas cards.
However, Japanese New Year's cards should not arrive before New Year's Day. Commonly, New Year's cards are mailed in the middle of December, and they are delivered early on the morning of New Year's Day.

2011 is the year of Rabbit in Asian countries.

Here is hanachan's nengajo this year. hanachan has Rabbit's ears 
It's the 12-year animal cycle based on ancient Chinese calender system.
In Japan 12 animals' order is :
Rat - Ox - Tiger - Rabbit - Dragon - Snake - Horse - Sheep - Monkey - Rooster - Dog - Wild Boar
(Each Asian country has some differences)

Specially prepared New Year's food, Osechi ryori is arranged in lacquer boxes.
And a special New Year's soup with Mochi (rice cakes), vegetables, etc. It called Zouni.
In Takamatsu, they use Anko-mochi (sweet red bean paste in rice cakes). It's very special one which is not in the other areas.

Traditional Crafts

Hatsumoude - Visiting shrines and temples to pray for health and happiness for the New Year

Okayama Jo - Okayama Castle
more about : Okayama Castle

Hello mum,
Sakura cherry blossoms started to bloom.
This is Ritsurin Garden, one of the most beautiful and famous Gardens in Japan. It is located in the center of the city, among the modern buildings. Stepping inside it is like slipping into another world and another time.
For 228 years long since 1642, the Matsudaura family, the Lord of Takamatsu owned and maintained the garden. Today the garden is open to public.
hoping you like it!
Kioko


more about Ritsurin Garden

Sakura
Hi mum,
Sakura is in full bloom. It's so beautiful!
Japanese really love this flower. They bloom fully soon and go away in a few days. Sakura is the symbol of the beauty and the life.
Everything in life is so fleeting. But they are beautiful.
hugs
Kioko

Hi mum,
Today I enjoyed picking strawberry.
The price of picking strawberry includes 60 minutes at the farm, in which time you are allowed to eat as many strawberries as you can.
This big red one looks so sweet.

Hi mum!
Our train run across the Inland Sea and came here Kurashiki city.
In this old city there is the canal like our homeland 
The canal was once important transportation and there were many boats loaded with goods and supplies. Now tour boats are going.   

And I found some interesting objects in the street

Hey, mom!
Today I arrived to my next host in Moscow. Wow, it was a long voyage! I'm a little bit tired, but I was happy to meet a relation of troll, that I met in Japan - an indian troll. Isn't it funny - indian troll in Russia? 
It's really hot here, so we bought a lot of beverages in local Internet-shop with free delivery. This family doesn't have a car, so they have some troubles with buying heavy things.
I try to write to you again as soon as possible and make more beautiful photos. Bye!!

Hi, mom! It's really cloudy in Moscow, so I can't do good photos outside. So I decided to visit one of the most famous and interesting museums - Darvinovskiy museum (in honor of Darwin). At first, you can see scary prehistoric animals (of course their sculptures, but in their REAL SIZE). Can you find me near the huge idler? Even a man looks small near such a titanic animal. And can you believe that Sid from Ice Age is that monster? Wow! And the huge bustard impresses me a lot too.
Then I had a lot of fun, watching hundreds of different animals. The exposition shares in habitats, so you can understand, how important is a balance of nature. Each animal is on its place. I saw fishes, insects, birds, grass-feeding animals and predators. Also I studied an exposition about Africa, and there were two giraffes! Mmmm, may be I'll visit my native land once 
See you soon! (I'll finish my letter about Darvinovskiy museum next time - too many photos  )

Hi again! Let's continue 
The most pleasant and funny thing in Darvinovskiy museum is its multimedia devices. For example, you can see me on a big toad that croaks like 4 different kinds of toads from over the World! And a machine that sings like a bird. Now I know, how a snipe and black grouse sings  It's fantastic!
Also I really enjoy scales that can tell you, how much mice or bears or gorillas do you weight. And another one - how much would you weight on Moon or Saturn. Interesting!
There were a lot of special pictures on the walls with real wool and fur of different animals, so you can touch them! Look at me, I'm embracing a white bear! 
You can learn many things from expositions of this museum and it's a really good idea - slowly walk there with your child. You can see the similarity of structure of rabbit's skeleton and snake's skeleton and you can see the difference between two elks, living in different areas. And of course, you can learn a lot about history of zoology, with a global role of Darwin in it

And last but not least - I also visited there a huge exhibition, called "Bestiary" - from the word Beast. And there were a lot funny and picturesque creatures - fantastic and real. They look so beautiful!

Hi, mom! Today my host has shown to me some russian churches, and has explained that they can be so different! 
First, we viited the Epiphany cathedral at Yelokhovo - blue with golden domes - the vicarial church of the Moscow Patriarchs. This building was designed and built by Yevgraph Tyurin in 1837. The Christmas and Easter night services, which featured President Boris Yeltsin and Patriarch Alexy II, were aired on national television until the consecration of the rebuilt Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in 2000.
Then we saw Intercession of the Theotokos temple in Red selo (village) - yellow with black domes - it was bilt in 1701. This temple had difficult time at 1930s - the factory took place in a building! Can you believe? Many churches were closed in Soved Russia and reconstructed as factories and warehouses. Horrible! But now people start to restore them and celebrate by a Liturgy. 
And of course, we visited  the tallest Orthodox church in the world - Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The ground floor of the gallery was a memorial dedicated to the Russian victory over Napoleon. The walls displayed more than 1,000 square meters of Carrara bianca marble plaques listing major commanders, regiments, and battles of the Patriotic War of 1812. The giant dome of the cathedral for the first time in history was gilded using the technique of gold electroplating, replacing the older and insecure technique of mercury gilding.
After the Revolution the prominent site of the cathedral was chosen by the Soviets as the site for a monument to socialism known as the Palace of the Soviets. This monument was to rise in modernistic, buttressed tiers to support a gigantic statue of Lenin perched on top of a dome with his arm raised in the air.  On 5 December 1931 the Cathedral was dynamited and reduced to rubble. The construction of the Palace of Soviets was interrupted owing to a lack of funds, problems with flooding from the nearby Moskva River, and the outbreak of war. The flooded foundation hole remained on the site until, under Nikita Khrushchev, it was transformed into the world's largest open air swimming pool, named Moskva Pool.
A construction fund was initiated in 1992 and funds began to pour in from ordinary citizens in the autumn of 1994. In this year the pool was demolished and the cathedral reconstruction commenced.
And last three photos we took on a footbridge across the river. On the slope of the hill to the right of the cathedral is the monumental statue of Alexander II.