Keepin' it Cool in Japan

~A large area in the Ueno Zoo is devoted to penguins. There were many different species of penguins, some together, some in separate exhibits. Penguins are quite popular in Japan, their chief mascot being the lovable Pingu. There's also Bad Batz Maru, a naughty penguin by the same people that gave us Hello Kitty.

Because penguins have been one of my favorite animals ever since I wrote that report on penguin species in Mrs. Ezrol's 3rd Grade Class, I spent quite some time taking pictures of them. Here are my favorites:

^ A pool area set up for the penguins. They have little caves in the back to rest in, and a large pool of chilled water. The day was quite hot, and the area around the pool was much cooler than the rest of the zoo. This may have accounted for the large group of tourists idling nearby.

^ This African Penguin (?) demonstrates to us that cranes aren't the only animals that can perform amazing neck stunts.

^ This penguin was quite small, perhaps 1.5 feet tall. While the other penguins were frolicking in the water, he stood there, motionless, watching them. I think he's some kind of penguin lifeguard.

^ Is he hiding a smile?

^ A swimming Adelie Penguin. Note how it's completely black from this angle, while underneath it would be all white. This is a clever form of camouflage against the leopard seal, one of the chief predators of penguin. Penguins are native to Antarctica, which is covered in blindingly white ice. When they're in the water, they look like ice from below and are difficult to distinguish from the reflective water surface, while their black backs blend into the dark water when seen from above.

^ I'm not even sure if this bird is a penguin, but he was there with the rest of the penguins. He was quite the showman, and spent his time posing for the tourists.

^ A gregarious group of King Penguins behind a clear wall. They came right up to the glass and stared people in the eye. I guess there's really not much else to do. Notice how their eyes blend into their black head feathers; you can barely tell where the eyes are.

^ Standing behind the King Penguins was this Macaroni Penguin, named after the orange tuft of feathers on its head. Isn't that a great name? This penguin just stood there, looking a bit out of place amongst the other penguins. I think he was trying to be "cool" and aloof.

~There will be one more post on the Ueno Zoo, so keep your Internet bookmarks set to 'David Does Japan'.

Oyasumi!

Bird is the Word

~After watching monkey antics, I began to explore the rest of Ueno Zoo. The most noticeable feature of the are is a five-storied pagoda found smack in the middle of the Zoo:

^ There was a sign in English behind the pagoda, which reads:

FIVE-STORIED PAGODA OF THE FORMER KAN-EIJI TEMPLE
This was built in 1631 by a leading vassal of the Tokugawa
shogunate Government, and designated as an important cultural
property by the national government.

(What I don't understand is why the first use of the word 'government' is capitalized, but the second use isn't. My theory is that Tokugawa would send ninjas after you if you didn't capitalize his administration.)

If you've been following this blog for a few months, you may recall another five-storied pagoda that I took a picture of on Sado Island.

Near the pagoda was a large area holding exotic birds. I took pictures of the more interesting ones, and even included their Latin names for your "en-Latin-ment":

^ King Vulture (sarcoamhpus papa). Hail to the King, baby! I love the way this guy (or is it a girl?) looks into my camera. Vultures play an important part in the ecosystem as scavengers, and are also useful for laying spider mines.

^ Andean Condor (vultur gryphus). Can't you just picture this bird flying around Machu Picchu, occasionally swooping out of the sky to carry of a small kid, either goat or human? It's hard to tell from this picture, but this condor is BIG; I'd estimate it was at least 2.5 feet tall. You can tell that he's male by the wattle hanging from his throat that is absent in females. Isn't the Internet a wonderful learning tool?

^ Bateleur (terathopius ecaudatus). Also known as the "Serpent-Eagle", which sounds like name of some ancient Aztec God, although this bird is native to Africa. He looks very regal to me, and would look good on the back of a coin.

^ Triton Cockatoo (cacatua galerita triton). Note that there are no bars in front of this picture. The area with the cockatoo had only a small railing. I assume the bird's wings have been clipped to keep if from flying. Can you see how vividly blue the cockatoo's eye is?

^ Speaking of blue, this blue bird was in a small indoor exhibit. I didn't catch its name, but it had beautiful blue-and-red plumage.

Later, I came across a large area of cranes. No, not the kind that build houses and highways; I mean the kind that stand on tall, thin, stilt-like legs, and are used in Tai C'hi stances. Here are some pictures:

^ Red-crowned Crane (grus japonensis). The "red-crowned" designation comes from the red feathers found on the bird's head and around its eyes. The red-crowned crane lives in Asia and is also native to Japan, hence the "japonensis" in its scientific name. This fellow can certainly crane his neck, can't he?

^ Secretary Bird (saggitarius serpentarius). No, I didn't make up the name "Secretary Bird"! That has got to be the coolest name of any avian lifeform, which originated from the feathers behind its head that look like quill pens. Even its scientific name, saggitarius serpentarius, is cool: it means "Archer of Snakes". This is a truly unique bird, which is taxonomically grouped into its own bird family. It's native to Africa.

Technically, this is a bird of prey (keep that in mind the next time you talk to a secretary). Here's an excerpt from this web site: "Its equipment for killing differs from all other birds of prey in that its kills by stamping with its long, powerful legs, engaging the short rear talon with the base of the skull of its prey with extreme force and absolute accuracy." Game Over Man, Game Over!

Don't you want one now? "I have a bullfinch!" says your first friend, "It can sing!". "I have a parrot!" says the second friend, "It can talk!". You could retort with, "Oh yeah, well I have a damn secretary bird! It can take notes, call people, keep the office neat, and smash your skull with its talons!"

While I was taking pictures of the secretary bird, a British family with several children came up and gawked at it (while it gawked back). The father told his children that it was like "The phoenix in Harry Potter." I was *almost* embarrassed that I actually understood what he meant.

^ Wattled Crane (bugeranus carunculatus), also native to Africa, although unfortunately quite endangered. Notice the wattle hanging from it's neck, just like a turkey. Ben Franklin would be proud.

^ Bald Ibis (geronticus calvis). Native to South Africa. These birds were quite social and remained huddled together. One enterprising bald ibis was using his long beak to fish through the bars at a small flower. Perhaps he was looking for dessert?

^ Scarlet Ibis (eudocimus ruber). Isn't this bird gorgeous? It reminds me of the cardinal that sometimes alihts on the bird feeder behind my house, with Rascal the Mighty Hunter crouched nearby, tail twitching, wondering if he can eat the cardinal for lunch...

^ White Spoonbill (platalea l. leucorodia). This bird is native to Japan, but rarely seen. One interesting fact is that its bill looks much like a rice scoop, which every person in Japan is familiar with.

What scientists need to do is genetically engineer a white sporkbill. He'd be the ultimate eating machine!

^Another crane, although I'm unable to identify it. This one was wandering around the shore of a lake that takes up most of the western section of Ueno Zoo. Here's a panoramic picture of the lake that I put together:

Stay tuned for more pictures from the zoo! ~Oyasumi.

Darth Vader Calls the Emperor After the Death Star Explodes

~I just have to post this video [Warning: Those of you who haven't seen at least the first Star Wars movie probably won't get most of the jokes]:



^ My favorite lines are, "Go for Papa Palpatine!", "What the hell is an Aluminum Falcon?!", and "Oh jeez, he's crying!". I guess credit rating always matters, even when you're the supreme ruler of the galaxy...

~Oyasumi!

I'm Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo, How About You, You, You...

~As I've mentioned before, the Japanese system of public transportation is fantastic. It's this system that let me take a trip all the way to Tokyo and back in just one day, a journey of a bit over 100 minutes by bullet train. Over the weekend, I did just that, visiting the famous Ueno Zoo in downtown Tokyo.

After some minor problems involving a lost ticket (Mom and Dad, thanks for the honest face!), I exited JR Ueno Station at the gates of the park, only five minutes from the zoo by foot.

^ This is a famous fountain in the heart of Ueno Park, a splash of green in the midst of the largest urban area on the planet. The size and intensity of the fountain jets changes every 30 seconds or so, and in a light wind, it creates a refreshing spray to cool down pedestrians.

Ueno Park is filled with cultural buildings, including museums, concert halls, and a baseball field. My main goal was to visit the zoo, which is the oldest zoo in Japan. It was founded in 1882, but has undergone many changes since then. After a friendly Japanese family helped me use the automatic ticket machine, I stepped inside the zoo and was given a crummy photocopied zoo map...but the map was in English, so I could hardly complain.

^ Far and away, the #1 attraction of the Ueno Zoo are the giant pandas. The Japanese are obsessed with pandas. The kids absolutely adore them. I had to stand in line for around ten minutes just to shuffle past the panda cage, which was quite spacious and well-appointed. The panda was completely bored and lethargic (hey, you wouldn't be too energetic if your diet consisted solely of bamboo), and lay on his bed, idly glancing at the squealing human children and the adults taking pictures. Including me.

There were also a couple of red pandas, which looked like overgrown red racoons, but I couldn't get decent pictures.

^ The zoo has several elephants, although they didn't seem to have much room. From what I understand, there's a larger zoo outside of Tokyo that's set up more like a wildlife preserve, where the animals get lots of space to wander around. I think they rotate the animals between the zoos, to give them space to spread out.

^ De Brazza's Guenon (Cercopithicus neglectus). The "beard" on this monkey inspired some French children to ask their father if the monkey was very old. His reply was, "Oui, oui."

^ Ring-tailed Lemurs (Lemur Catta). Lemurs in the wild are found only in Madagascar.

I took many pictures of monkeys, but looking at them now, I don't like the way most of them came out. They all have cage bars in front of them; it's kind of sad. So instead, here's a video I made of a spider monkey who shows us just how useful a tail can be (click the picture below to play the video):



My own feelings on zoos are mixed. On one side, I think they're great fun to visit, and do an important part in preserving animals that would otherwise go extinct from the tender love and care that human civilization accords them. It's like Pi Patel says, as long as the animals have their own territory, they're happy; it doesn't matter if said territory is large or small. This assumes, of course, that you're not in a boat with Richard Parker...

But another part of me doesn't like how the animals are kept in cages, especially the larger ones that were built to run around. As Dr. Alan Grant says of another kind of captive animal, "[He] doesn't want to be fed, he wants to hunt!" I can't help but feel that if a highly-advanced alien race were to suddenly descend on Earth and conquer it, perhaps they'd keep us in zoos, to gawk at and take pictures of. Doubtless, the alien overlords would think they were doing us a favor by preserving us, a species that would otherwise go extinct.

I doubt the animals have the intelligence or sentience to appreciate this, but seeing monkeys jumping around in a cage the size of my apartment bedroom is kind of depressing. I'd rather watch animals in the wild and take pictures of them without the bars. Or rather, without the bars in my face. Which raises an interesting question: if the walls of a prison are far away, rather than in front of us, is it still a prison? Don't we all live in prisons, if only in our minds?

I've been trying to get more sleep lately, so that's it for tonight. Check back later for more!
~Oyasumi.

The Ultimate Manly Gadget

~Guys, forget what I said yesterday about the Laser Snow Depth Gauge. What I have to show you today is the REAL ultimate toy for guys:

^ The "Super Beer Walker" is a remote-controlled robot that walks around and pours beer at the touch of a button. Without a doubt, the Japanese have outdone themselves on this one!

It's at times like this that I contemplate the evolution of the human brain, and its radical increases in computational capacity compared to species predating Homo Sapiens. Agriculture, then writing, then metalworking, then vaccines, then nuclear power, then space travel, and now...the Super Beer Walker. A true masterwork of human creativity, combining perfect engineering with the very essence of guy-ness. Only one word in the English lexicon is sufficient to express the sheer awesomeness packed into this machine.
Together now:
3...
2...
1....

BRILLIANT!!!!!

~Oyasumi.

Amster, Amster, DAM DAM DAM!

~The final part of my free tour was a visit to a hydroelectric dam near Nagaoka. We were shown the control room (which included a large red button which was just begging to be pushed), and then got a few minutes to relax on the roof. Here's a panoramic view of the dam:

^ The dam connects a large canal to the Shinano River, which goes on to run through the middle of Nagaoka. It also helps control flooding that even nowadays kills many people in Japan.

^ The roof of the dam was packed with strange weather sensors and communications equipment. This bizarre antenna is about 1 foot in diameter. To me, it looks like a giant metal koosh ball.

^ Farther down the river ws this bridge (bashi in Japanese), against a backdrop of low mountains. In a few months they'll all be covered with snow and skiers.

Adjacent to the dam control area was a small museum detailing the dam's construction and operations. I located some interesting items there:

^ A diorama of the canal's construction. I couldn't read the writing, but judging from the clothes the workers are wearing and the technology they're using, I'm guessing it must have taken place at least 75 years ago.

Speaking of canals, did you know that the lease on the Panama Canal is currently owned by a Hong Kong company with ties to the Chinese government? Considering that the canal was built and paid for by the U.S. and is the most strategically important canal in the world, I am vaguely disturbed by the current ownership.

^ A seismograph for displaying tectonic movements. In earthquake-prone Japan, construction projects such as dams and nuclear power plants must be very carefully built and placed to resist destruction during earth tremors. If buildings aren't constructed properly, the results can be catastrophic.

^ Aside from earthquakes and volcanoes, Japan also gets lots of typhoons (we call them Hurricanes in the Western hemisphere). This page is from a large logbook of daily weather conditions all over Japan, in both Japanese and English. Here's a transcription of the English text:

"The barometer is yet rising generally, the lowest reading 749 mm being off SW-rn Kyushu, the highest 757 mm at Ghoshi. N or E-ly winds prevail in the W, S-ly or E-ly in the E, with rainy weather, 55 mm at Tokushima. Temperature ranges from 27 in S-rn Kyushu to 18 at Kushiro."

^ Another page of a different weather log, showing weather readings across Asia and the Pacific. You can see the regional highs and lows, as well as warm and cold fronts near Japan.

^ A surveying tool used in construction of the dam and/or the canal. I think it's a sextant.

^ A map showing the area around the dam. Note all the rectangular rice fields everywhere. Somebody went through a lot of trouble to create this map--there were even tiny cars and bushes. I had this sudden urge to buy a Godzilla action figure and have him rampage across the land, crush pedestrians underfoot, and destroy the dam.

^ This machine is a "Laser Snow Depth Gauge". Attention all guys: you need to get one of these! Snowblowers and GPS trackers don't do it anymore; now you need a laser to have true gadget bragging rights.

^ Insects found near the dam. I know a certain student of mine that would enjoy this collection.

^ At the end of the day-long tour, everyone was worn out. We're here relaxing in the museum lobby, but now it's time to go home. What a great day it was!

Next: A Trip to Tokyo. ~Oyasumi!