Just on a walk

Here are some pics I took when I went on a walk near my apartment.

Yamanashi produces the most wine of any prefecture in Japan. Here in Kofu, the harvest season for grapes is just ending. Near my apartment you can see the leaves on the grape vines slowly withering and dying.
Oh look, I found some grapes still left on the vines!
Because Yamanashi-ken is such a mountainous prefecture (i.e. so there is a limited amount of agriculturally suitable land) you'll find, even in the capital city, many green spaces nestled in wherever space is available.
birds-eye view over Kofu (my apartment is just a little bit to the left of this picture)

Oh and here's a little Japanese trivia for you.

Q: Why is this house (and many others in Japan) surrounded by plastic bottles full of water?



A: To keep away cats! Yes, really. It is said that cats don't like to look at their reflection (maybe because they associate it with puddles and other such bodies of water which they hate). So, when they see their reflection in these bottles of water they turn away.

Why such the concern about keeping the cats away? Well, because in Japan there are MANY stray cats. Unfortunately, there is no humane societies to help find homes for such cats. There are only a few grass-routes efforts made by small groups of citizens to care for and house strays (a friend of mine in Kyoto became heavily involved in such a group after she found 6 stray cats abandoned under a bridge. She took all these cats into her home and then realized how hard it is to find homes for strays.)

In other random Japanese trivia.

Q: How much do Japanese people like rice?

A: A LOT!

In evidence I bring you....


the baga raisu (rice burger) Look closely at the "bun" it is actually just a pressed rice paddy. mmm...oishi! (delicious!)

Oh and in related news, in Japan you have to be careful about how you order your haburgers.

If you ask for a ham baga

you will get a traditional burger that you would expect.

But,

if you ask for a ham bagu

you will get a burger paddy but no pan (bun).No, this is not an off-shoot of the Atkins diet craze. Many people in Japan just prefer there baga sans pan (but maybe with rice bun :)

As a final note, I leave you with some friendly graffiti near Kofu station.

yes, yes I do. :)