Hiroshima

Friday night at 19:00 my trip started from Yokohama station. Got just in time to the night bus. Fell a sleep in half a minute. Woke up an hour later in Shinjuku Tokyo and couldn't sleep for a few hours. Next morning I woke up in Hiroshima. Bus was empty like always when I'm sleeping...



Hiroshima station. Looks like a any other "big" city...but only 1.1 million people in this town.


Luckilly big eneough to have names of the stations written in romanji.



First stop in peaceful garden...perfect way to start a day.


Hehehe, look who's here; isn't it Leonardo, Donatello, Rafaello and Michaelangelo themselves.


The day was childrens day and in this temple (or shrine?) parents were taking their babys to talk with this old munk. All children which I saw were crying their eyes of though... Popular thing anyway 'cause there was queue of about 150 meters of parents with their heirs.


Hiroshima castle. Not much left from original fortifier.


Heehee! They have trams here! ;)


Atom bomb dome. Remainder of the horrible tragedy from the past.


Origami cranes. Children's peace memorial, in memory of the seriously ill girl who who started to make 1000 paper cranes in order to get her wish to become true, as it is an old believe. Brave girl died in leukemia before finishing her mission. Nowadays people are sending thousands paper cranes all around the globe. If you have extra time and want to make your wish come true...I'll give the address if needed.


Peace memorial park.


A bit bigger cranes.


Whole city was one big carneval that day and peace memorial park was decoreded with huge amount of candles.


Each candle was handmade.


Peace memorial park again.


Nice.


Loud music and acrobatic dance perfonmances.


Seems like soon here will be a parade...


...and the parade.


Funny puppet which all childrens seemed to be afraid of.


Found the source for the candles in the park.

Wappu in Tokyo

How wappu (=labour day party...for students in Finland couble of weeks) in Tokyo differ from Helsinki or any other city in Finland. Not much...or maybe so. It is shorter, warmer and everybody over 18 in outdoors is not drunk. ;) And the dark comes earlier. Here few pics from my latest wappu (finally updating my blog...sorry to be so lazy...have been busy, watching TV-series...). Night before Vappu I was working till morning so slept to afternoon before starting celebration.

Btw, wappu eve happened to be Monday which was luckilly public holiday. Unfortunately Tuesday morning we had the lab meeting (which you have to attend and be there on time...always).


Picnic in Yoyogi-park. Not all people attended were Finns. But most of them quite drunk as it is the tradition of the day.


American-ninja...saving a small and innocent frisbee from an evil tree.


Antti&Jussi.


Night comes early around here.


Antti (no.2) and a beer glass.


Karaoke.


Sandman attacked without warning among the merry group of ours.


Traditional morning karaoke is over and time to head home...or where ever...like in the lab.

You may try fill the blanks with your imagination...

Back in business

The trip is over and relaxed boy is sitting back in his office...sorry, meant to say that in his lab. Great trip once again! The best pictures out of almost 700 pics (mountains, castles, gardens, delicious foods, many many onsens and blowfish, etc.) which I took will be comming soon (or later...). Right now a bit busy with my thesis.

Oh, and by the way summer is here! At least if counted in Finnish standards...


Pic I took while bicycling here this morning. Rice fields are filled with water now.

Golden Week

Holiday week is on and I'm working in our lab. Hehe...could there be better things to do on a free day when temperature is +23. Nope, I don't think so. Writing thesis is priority no.1 now.

Actually the real reason why I'm spending my Golden week here and writing the thesis is simple. Couldn't get any tickets to travel anywhere this late. So I decided that my holiday starts on Friday evening and continues to next Wednesday. So I'll see other Golden Week travellers (which I have heard to be many) only on Sat and maybe on Sun. But Sunday I'll be spending in one of the oldest bath place in Japan. Like always I started to plan my trip really early. But this time the trip is planned better than ever before. Normally I know only the first and maybe the last destination...now I have full schedule where to visit: Tokyo-Hiroshima-Matsuyama-Beppu-Fukuoka-Tokyo. Still my friends here are wondering how do survive...if only they would know how do I travel in Europe. ;D



Last Friday Fujita was giving a presentation of Finland in our campus for people interested of exchange year. After that we were together answering to questions concerning studying in Finland and especially HUT (TKK).


This morning on my way here saw this poster...maybe it's best for Finnish people.

But any way, today was the first day that I was able wear shorts and t-shirt while bicycling to school! Summer seems to starting. :D

Sea Paradise

Last Sunday we (Me, Antti (jp), Orime, Jussi, Antti (fin), Roope and Orime's friend whose name I forgot now) headed to amusement park called "Sea Paradise". Sun was shining but wind from the sea kept weather chilly. Day included some basic amusement park stuff like roller coaster and etc. (we went to this machine which dropped us down from 107 meters maybe 5 times), ice-cream, water action show, sea mammals show and of course BIG fireworks. A good way to spent Sunday but a bit expensive...but think it's the same in everywhere.


White dolphins...


Our friend Donatello...or is he Leonardo?


No one had balls to put his hand in this box.


Me, Antti and all the other kids (size of fire extinguisher) were competing to get a chance to keep this and his fellow mates in our hands.


Antti(jp) the master of the shooting game. No one could win him in a duel.


After trip to the coast of Yokohama it was time to go to work in a lab. Had to finish my presentation for Tuesday (which I learnt on Tuesday that I don't have). Picture taken when I was returning to home. The morning of Wappu eve.

Latest parties (except Vappu)

Some pictures from latest parties happened here. All the stories behind them not included (censured).


Last Friday we had the first drinking party with our lab M1 (first year students) and Iyoda (co-lab) M1 students. Everybody did catch the last train.


Last Thursday after judo lesson we went to drink with my judo sensei and one trainee from Austria (who lives and works here in Japan). Had really good time but next day was like a living hell. Atsukan straight after training is not one of the best things you can do...




Almost month ago we were celebrating Jussi's birthday in a tiny bar called....hmmm...forgot the name already. Everybody didn't catch the last train and some not even the first.


How many candles?


And the hero him self.

muumi liquorice

Our researcher visited Finland some time ago and brought a box of Muumi liquorice candies. Guess how many people in our lab likes liquorice? I'll give a hint, so far I haven't found any japanese who would have liked it...