1 == Bernie's brain backup of April 2009 ==
7 Eating in japan can a challenge for a vegetarian who also happens to dislike fish and crustaceans.
8 The average menu has about 5% of veggie dishes, but many restaurants in tourist areas specialize
9 in traditional food such as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushi|sushi]] and
10 [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempura|tempura]]. Imitations of Italian kitchen are close to
11 perfection, of course: in Tokyo, we had perfectly reasonable spaghetti with eggplants.
13 Even with my options severely limited, I could still find several exquisite dishes.
14 I quite like soups, including [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miso_soup|miso shiru]],
15 [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramen|ramen]] and others I ordered by pointing at the
16 fake dish in the restaurant window without ever knowing their name.
18 My favorite food so far is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omurice|Omurice]]. Yeah, perhaps
19 it's not as sophisticated as the average Japanese recipe. Hmm... I guess learning to
20 appreciate complex and delicate flavors takes some more time.
22 Now I'm looking for a place where I could taste vegetarian [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukiyaki|sukiyaki]],
23 the favorite food of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ataru_Moroboshi#Ataru_Moroboshi|Ataru Moroboshi]].
25 {{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Ryoanji/00016.jpg}}
29 ==== Great temples everywhere ====
31 Yesterday was rainy, but it didn't stop us from biking around and visiting quite a lot of stuff:
33 * the [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Ninnaji|Ninnaji temple]];
34 * the [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Ryoanji|Ryoanji temple]], with its puzzling rock zen garden;
35 * the [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Kinkakuji|Kinkakuji temple]] (aka golden temple);
36 * the [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/NijojoCastle|Nijojo castle]], which is actually two castles for the price of one;
37 * a quick tour of the [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/KyotoDowntown|Kyoto downtown]];
38 * the [[http://www.kyotomm.com/international/english/|International Manga Museum]] was closed already. Grrr....
40 {{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Kinkakuji/00012.jpg|the golden temple of Kinkakuji|maxwidth=800}}
42 ==== x264 goodness ====
44 I re-encoded all videos from MJPEG, the crappy native format of my Canon camera, to x264 (aka MPEG4).
45 Firefox 3.1/3.5 still doesn't grok it with the ##video## tag, but I didn't have a
46 [[http://theora.org/|Theora]] encoder installed.
50 ==== Best hostel ever ====
52 The [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/UtanoHostel|Utano hostel]] in Kyoto would rival many
53 five star hotels I've seen. Sorry I couldn't take any photos in the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onsen | Onsen]].
55 {{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/UtanoHostel/00005.jpg|the hostel provides a traditional goan too|maxwidth=800}}
57 ==== Impressive station ====
59 The [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/ShinKyoto|Kyoto station]] is an impressive modern building,
60 worth a visit by itself.
62 {{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/ShinKyoto/00015.jpg|Anime characters by Osamu Tezuka|maxwidth=640}}
64 ==== Shinkansen tour ====
66 In a jounery report, the details of transportation are usually left out as uninteresting.
67 Except if one takes the fastest train in the world! We took the
68 [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%8Dkaid%C5%8D_Shinkansen|Tokaido Shinkansen]] line from Odawara to Kyoto,
69 riding on a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/700_Series_Shinkansen|700-series]] train for the
70 [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikari_%28Shinkansen%29|Hikari]] service (not the faster
71 [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nozomi_%28train%29|Nozomi]], but still very impressive).
73 The ticket cost a whopping 11240 yen per person, and I'm not even getting a
74 [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy_Express_999|machine body]] with it! ;-)
76 See [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Shinkansen|the the photos]] and don't miss the
77 [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Shinkansen/00009-x264.avi|pass-through]] and the
78 [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Shinkansen/00011-x264.avi|on-board]] videos.
80 {{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Shinkansen/00006.jpg|Shinkansen|maxwidth=800}}
83 === April 19th - Hakone day 2 ===
85 {{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Hakone/FujiSanBernieSan.jpg|The Fuji-san (left) with Bernie-san (right)|maxwidth=1024}}
87 We took the suggested touristic itinerary around the Hakone mountains which employs all sorts
88 of transportation means: bus, cable train, rope way, cruise boat and bus again.
90 Along the way, we could see the volcanic sulfuric vents and pools, the Ashi lake with its breathtaking
91 view of the Fuji-san, the ancient cedar avenue, the old post, the detached palace gardens and the
92 beautiful [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto_shrine|shinto jinja shrine]] of with its
93 [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torii|torii]] diving in the lake.
95 Of course, I took plenty of [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Hakone/Trip|photos of the Hakone trip]].
97 === April 18th - Hakone ===
99 {{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Hakone/Hostel/00008.jpg|Our japanese style room at the Senkyoro YH|maxwidth=1024}}
101 We arrived in a small town near [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakone,_Kanagawa|Hakone]]. I'll publish photos later.
103 **Update**: [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Hakone|photos of the hostel]] are now available.
106 === April 17th - Ghibli museum in Mitaka, Ginza ===
108 {{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/GhibliMuseum/00005.jpg|Robot from the ancient city of Laputa|maxwidth=800}}
110 The museum was actually a bit of a disappointment, but maybe just because I had my expectations so high.
111 Cameras weren't allowed inside, so I only took [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/GhibliMuseum|few photos]].
113 In the afternoon, we walked around the shiny neighborhood of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginza|Ginza]].
114 See the [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Tokyo/Ginza|photos]].
116 === April 16th - Fish Market, Gardens, Tower of Tokyo, Temple ===
118 {{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Tokyo/Tsukiji_Fish_Market/00013.jpg | Tsukiji Fish Market |maxwidth=800}}
120 We had a very intense day where we visited a lot of places all around central Tokyo:
122 * [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Tokyo/Tsukiji_Fish_Market | Tsukiji Fish Market]] ([[http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3021.html|Japan Guide]])
123 * [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Tokyo/Hama_Rikyu_Gardens | Hama Rikyu Gardens]] ([[http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3025.html||Japan Guide]])
124 * [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Tokyo/Zojoji | Zojo-ji Temple]] ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zojoji|Wikipedia]])
125 * [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Tokyo/Tokyo_Tower | Tokyo Tower]] ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Tower|Wikipedia]])
126 * [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Tokyo/Reiyukai_Temple | Reiyukai Temple]] ([[http://www.reiyukai.org/|official web site]])
127 * [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Tokyo/Imperial_Palace_Gardens | Imperial Palace Gardens]] ([[http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3017.html|Japan Guide]])
128 * [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Tokyo/Edo_Museum | Edo-Tokyo Museum]], which was already closed.
129 We'll try again when we come back to Tokyo ([[http://www.edo-tokyo-museum.or.jp/english | official web site]])
131 NOTE: photos still being uploaded, gomen nasai!
133 Seeing so many beautiful things at such a high frequency might make one's head spin.
134 In fact, this evening I've been dangerously close to faint in an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onsen | Onsen]],
135 which was really scary because I had never lost consciousness before. I had walked all day with very little
136 food and drink, which might have been part of the problem, but diving in thermal water for a long time has
137 certainly triggered it. What a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaijin | gaijin]] who can't even take some
140 {{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Tokyo/Zojoji/1.00011.jpg | Zojo-ji temple (left), Tokyo Tower (center), Bernie (right) |maxwidth=800}}
142 === April 15th - Skyscrapers everywhere ===
144 Compared to Tokyo, every other city I had visited would seem dirty, old, boring and disorganized.
145 I can't find the words to describe my amazement walking around this amazing city full of wonders.
147 {{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Tokyo/Roppongi/TokyoMidtown/00023.jpg|Tokyo Midtown Gardenside seen from the Galleria building|maxwidth=800}}
150 * [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Tokyo/Shinjuku|Shinju-ku]] -- The district of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Metropolitan_Government_Building|Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building]].
151 * [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Tokyo/Roppongi|Roppongi]] -- A rich district hosting modern art museums (Art Triangle) and night life ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roppongi|Wikipedia]])
152 * [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Tokyo/Pachinko|Pachinko]] -- Popular Japanese slot machines
154 **Update**: now finished uploading the photos
156 === April 14th - Arrival in Tokyo ===
158 {{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Tokyo/Sensoji_Temple/00081.jpg|The way to the Sensoji temple in Asakusa|maxwidth=800}}
160 I couldn't resist grabbing a super-cheap round trip to japan, a place I've always wanted
161 to visit. By "always", I mean: since when I was in kindergarten, watching great series
162 like [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_Jeeg|SteelJeeg]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazinger_Z|MazingerZ]] on TV.
163 My dad accepted to accompany me in this trip even though he wasn't particularly fond of Japan. Until now, that is!
165 The first day was simply amazing, but I'm way to tired to tell a lot about it.
166 The [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Tokyo|many photos and videos]] that I'm still uploading will hopefully serve
167 documenting this long day appropriately.
169 NOTE: if you can't watch the videos embedded in the wiki, get yourself a recent browser featuring HTML5 or
170 send me a patch adding support for old-style HTML video embedding.
174 Yes, I've neglected to update this blog for a few months. This isn't because I had nothing
175 to talk about. In fact, these months were quite intense, with a lot of notable events, including:
177 * 2009 Jan: Visited the [[Pictures/vacation/EastCoast2008|East Coast]] with Silvia
178 * 2009 Jan: Attended the [[Pictures/conf/XOCamp2009|XO Camp 2]]
179 * 2009 Feb: Attended the [[Pictures/conf/Fosdem2009|Fosdem 2009]] with a few friends from Italy and SugarLabs colleagues
181 [[Pictures/vacation/brussels_riga_stokholm_2009/Brussels | Brussels]],
182 [[Pictures/vacation/brussels_riga_stokholm_2009/Riga | Riga]] and
183 [[Pictures/vacation/brussels_riga_stokholm_2009 | Stockholm]] with Tommaso
184 * 2009 Mar: Organized a small revival of [[SystemShockBBS]] with a few original users
185 * 2009 Apr: Attended a meeting/miniconf in [[Pictures/conf/Bolzano2009|Bolzano]] with WalterBender
187 I am currently back in Florence, trying to find a way back in the US.