11.20.09

Autokaupan soiva puu

Posted in Japanese, Word and print at 19:30 by krause

Kuten kirjoitin aiemmin, Subaru on tÀhtikuvio ja Honda on riisipelto, mutta mitÀ tarkoittavat Suzuki ja Isuzu?

ă‚čă‚șキ Suzuki on pÀÀtetty kirjoittaa seksikkĂ€illĂ€ katakanoilla, mutta kaivelemalla Suzukin historiaa selviÀÀ, ettĂ€ nimi tulee tietenkin alkuperĂ€isen yhtiön perustajan, Michio Suzukin sukunimestĂ€. Katakanoilla ja latinalaisilla aakkosilla kirjoitettuna kanjien merkitys hĂ€ipyy, mutta japanilaisille Suzuki-sukunimi on niin tuttu, ettĂ€ kaikki tietĂ€vĂ€t, mikĂ€ sen merkitys on.

鈎朚 (suzu – ki); 鈎 suzu kello, esimerkiksi pronssinen kello, voisi kÀÀntyĂ€ myös heleĂ€ksi ÀÀneksi); ki puu. NĂ€in ollen Suzuki voisi kÀÀntyĂ€ “soiva puu” vaikka sanatarkka kÀÀnnös onkin kellopuu.

Isuzu-nimi onkin sitten hankalampi tapaus. EnsinnĂ€kin nimen kirjoitusasu on outo: se ei ole いすず vaan いすゞ, joka liittyy kalligrafiseen tyylittelyyn. Varsinainen nimi Isuzu (jonka z siis ÀÀntyy soinnillisena s-ÀÀnteenĂ€, ei kovana ts-ÀÀneenĂ€) periytyy mutkien kautta Isen temppelin alueella virtaavasta äș”ćéˆŽć· [いすずかわ] Isuzugawa-joesta. Isuzugawa

Jos tarkastelee sekĂ€ Suzukin ettĂ€ Isuzun suzu-kanjia, huomaa pian yhtĂ€lĂ€isyyden. Kellohan se taas nimissĂ€ kilahtaa. äș” (go) viisi; 捁 (jyu) kymmenen – äș”捁 yhteensĂ€ siis viisikymmentĂ€; 鈎 suzu) kello; ć· (kawa, gawa) joki.

Isuzun kirjoittamiseen katakanalla saattaa myös liittyÀ se, ettÀ Isuzu oli myös 5500 tonninen sota-alus, joka partioi JapaninmerellÀ. Myös se on saanut nimensÀ saman joen mukaan.

11.18.09

Sora-mimi ç©șè€ł or “misheard” lyrics Japanese-Finnish

Posted in Finnish, Japanese, Word and print at 15:23 by krause

Many years back I laughed myself into tears watching Hatten Ă€r din, an animutation internet meme or also a sora-mimi. A sora-mimi ç©șè€ł (lit. “empty ear”) is Japanese for “misheard lyrics” or for homophonic translation of song lyrics, which means interpreting lyrics in one language for similar-sounding lyrics in another language. The video or animutation Hatten Ă€r din has homophonic subtitles in Swedish, although the song is sung in Arabic – that sounds like Swedish…

There are also sora-mimi in other languages, and as I focus mainly on the Japanese and Finnish culture, I will remind of these songs that are sung in Japanese but sound like Finnish.

Lollin vei on Youtube
Hironobu Kageyama’s Lonely Way a.k.a. “Lollin vei” (Meros no Youn Live – Super Robot Spirits 99) and also Hironobu Kageyama’s 鳄äșșæˆŠéšŠă‚žă‚§ăƒƒăƒˆăƒžăƒłă€€Choujin Sentai Jetman = Aviator or Birdman squadron jet man/ Jetto Man a.k.a. “Ghetto Man”, and Vajra on! a.k.a Kenkiin, the first “translated-into-Finnish” song. Many Finnish newspapers and tabloids have noticed the popularity of the Finnish “subtitles” or sora-mimi in their leisure and culture sections.

Lyrics for Lonely Way in Japanese (Requires support for Japanese charachters)

Kenkiin on Youtube

Japanese lyrics for Vajra On (Requires support for Japanese charachters)

Ghetto Man on Youtube

Lyrics in Japanese for Jetto Man (Requires support for Japanese charachters)

Just a Raper on Youtube

Huh, Just a Raper, that is ć軿˜Ÿç„žă‚žăƒŁă‚čăƒ†ă‚Łăƒ©ă‚€ă‚¶ăƒŒ Genseishin Justiriser with Japanese lyrics.

And finally, Kimil’ on Corolla… You know, the Finnish F1 driver Kimi RĂ€ikkönen, may soon be driving a Toyota…Kimil on Corolla

with lyrics (ć…‰æˆŠéšŠăƒžă‚čクマン Hikari sentai masuku man = Light squadron mask man).

æ—„æœŹäșșに

KenkiinăŻăƒ•ă‚€ăƒłăƒ©ăƒłăƒ‰èȘžă§ă€ŒéŽăźäž­ă«ă€ă€‚Kimil on CorollaăŻăƒ•ă‚€ăƒłăƒ©ăƒłăƒ‰èȘžă§ă€Œă‚­ăƒŸïŒˆç”·ăźćć‰ïŒ‰ăŻăƒˆăƒšă‚żCorollaがある」。

07.20.09

Finrando no desain (Finnish design in Japanese)

Posted in F-Design, Finnish, Friends, Japanese at 16:06 by krause

Some time ago I blogged some Japanese traditional garments (kimono and obi) made of Finnish design printed cotton (Marimekko’s Unikko). Now I spotted the same design on the cover of a booklet about Finnish fabric(s): Finland Fabric 2.
Finland fabric 2After all, it is not surprising that there are books about Finnish design in Japanese – one can search for more Finnish related stuff in Japanese just by typing (or copying) ăƒ•ă‚Łăƒłăƒ©ăƒłăƒ‰ into the search engine. It was actually entertaining to look at what for example Google finds on that search string. Somehow it tells us how the Japanese see Finland. Who would have guessed Santa, Lapland, Aarikka, Iittala, Arabia, Marimekko, Moomin, the cathedrals and churches of Helsinki, big ferries to Sweden, old Russian coins, snow, salmiakki, wooden artifacts, kahvila Suomi are well documented? Haha.

I would have liked to find more of viili, acidofilus / lactobacillus products, piimĂ€, xylitol – just to name a few. No Eliel Saarinen, not much Alvar Aalto. But true, this was only Google. I found some funny ones, though.

Pikku Finland day Pikku Finland day21.6 was a surprise. First of all the place for the festival is Kanazawa, the city where I happened to live. The caption is about sausage being served, Iittala and Artek…

I also found a calling card I received in Japan: Café Kiitos (Thank you in Finnish).
Kahvila Kiitos So we have Kamome Shokudou (Kahvila Suomi) and the Japanese have ă‚«ăƒ•ă‚§ïŒ†ăƒŹă‚čトラン ă‚­ăƒŒăƒˆă‚č that is Kafe & Resutoran Kiitosu! Here’s anohter blog entry on kafe Kiitosu.

What’s more, there is a bakery by the same name:
Bakery Kiitos (Blogged in Yuki-san’s blog Another Time).

And if I do kumihimo, there is Finnish himmeli straw craft in Japanese: Himmeli

From the category Finnish horror stories, メンミ = mĂ€mmi, the black stuff fermented from
blogged by “Malion” form Japan: If you can’t understand the Japanese description of this traumatic event, look at the numerous smilies :D .

06.17.09

Honda on riisipelto, Subaru tÀhtikuvio

Posted in Japanese tagged , at 20:42 by krause

Japanilaisten yhtiöiden nimet tai japanilaiset merkit eivĂ€t ole pelkĂ€stÀÀn merkityksettömiĂ€ tavuja, vaan useimmiten niillĂ€ on merkitys, joka selviÀÀ vasta kun tarkastellaan niiden japanilaisia kirjoitusasuja.  LĂ€hes aina japanilainen nimi tai merkki kirjoitetaan kiinalaisperĂ€isillĂ€ merkellĂ€, kanjeilla (siis niillĂ€ monimutkaisen nĂ€köisillĂ€) eikĂ€ helpommanoloisilla katakanoilla, hiraganoilla tai latinalaisilla aakkosilla – paitsi tÀÀllĂ€ lĂ€nnessĂ€.  LĂ€nsimaalainen kirjoitusmuoto on yleensĂ€ valittu englannin ÀÀntĂ€missÀÀntöjen mukaan, joten jollei tiedĂ€, miten parhaiten ÀÀntĂ€isi japanilaisen nimen, kannattaa ÀÀntÀÀ englanniksi, lukuun ottamatta natiivin enkunpuhujan t-, r-, ja diftongi”ongelmia”. Esimerkiksi Kyocera saattaa tuottaa pÀÀnvaivaa, sillĂ€ c saattaisi jonkun mielestĂ€ ÀÀntyĂ€ italaialaisittain ch – mutta se on kjoosera (tai englanniksi kyousera),  Kyoto Ceramics eli kyooto seramikku. NTT on en-tii-tii, englantilaisittain, mutta lyhenne tulee sanoista Nippon Telegraph & Telephone, æ—„æœŹé›»äżĄé›»è©± (ni-ppon den-shi den-wa).

æœŹç”°Â  Honda (hon – da); æœŹ = (hon, bon, pon, ppon) juuri, alkuperĂ€, alku 田 = (ta, da) pelto mutta yhtenĂ€ sanana Riisipelto…

䞉菱  Mitsubishi 侉= (mittsu) kolme; 菱 = (hishi, bishi) tĂ€hti tai suunnikas (rhombus) – siksi logossa on kolme suunnikasta tĂ€hden muodossa.

æ—„ç”ŁÂ  Nissan Motors (ni- ssan) aloitti Tokion pörssissĂ€ lyhentyneenĂ€ alkuperĂ€isestĂ€ muodostaan (Nippon Sangyou æ—„æœŹç”Łæ„­).  æ—„æœŹ = (ni-hon);  Japani ; ç”Łæ„­ = (san-gyou tai suomeksi ehkĂ€ san-gjoo); teollisuus eli Japanin teollisuus

䞉掋  Sanyo tai sanyou 侉 = san; kolme 掋 = you (tai nada, hiroshi, hiro, yo, yoshi jne.. );  meri, lĂ€nsimainen – kolme merta, siis.

コマツ Komatsu maansiirtokoneet ovat suomalaisillekin tuttuja, mutta Japanissa Komatsu on kuin meillĂ€ Nokia tai Iittala,  Karhula tai outokumpu – yhtiö tai merkki, joka on saanut nimekseen paikkakunnan nimen.  Komatsu sijaitsee melko lĂ€hellĂ€ Kanazawaa, kaupunkia, jossa asuin. Paikka kirjoitetaan ć°æŸ (ko-matsu) ja se tarkoitta pientĂ€ mĂ€ntyĂ€.

明 Subaru eli Pleijadit eli Seulasten tĂ€htikuvio.

ć·ćŽŽ Kawasaki ć· = (kawa, gawa) joki, 殎 = (saki) pieni niemi eli Jokiniemi

ăƒ€ăƒžăƒ Yamaha tulee perustaja Torakusu Yamahan nimestĂ€ ć±±è‘‰, yama-ha; ć±± = vuori; 葉 = lehti
æ—„ç«‹ Hitachi tulee kanjeista æ—„ = (hi) aurinko; 立 = (tatsu, tachi) pystyttÀÀ

Joidenkin japanilaisten yhtiöiden tai merkkien nimet ovat vaikeampiselkoisia, kuten Toyotan. Perustajan nimi on ollut Toyoda, mutta nimi on myöhemmin muutettu Toyotaksi, jotta se olisi helpompi ÀÀntÀÀ – kaupan pÀÀlle tuli piirtojen mÀÀrĂ€n vĂ€heneminen kahdeksaan, joka on Japanissa onnen luku.

LisÀÀ Wikipediassa eglanniksi.

Engrish vs. Hoono soomi; soomi wins.

Posted in Finnish, Japanese, Word and print tagged , at 16:31 by krause

Ei ole todellista! Hervottoman hauskaa kaikille, jotka osaavat englantia, mutta nyt huonon enkun lisÀksi Engrish.com -sivustolla on myös epÀkelpoa suomea (Kirjotusvrihekuva vie tÀlle saitille):

Hoono soomi @ Engrish.com

Muutoin saitti on kyllĂ€ ihan viihdyttĂ€vĂ€, siis niin kauan kuin voi nauraa muiden virheille.    Omat eivĂ€t niin naurattaneetkaan. Kuka tekee noin huonoa jĂ€lkeĂ€!!?? EipĂ€ ole varaa enÀÀ hihitellĂ€ engrishille…

03.05.09

Japanilaisia nÀyttelyitÀ

Posted in Japanese, Outings tagged , , , , , at 12:46 by krause

EnsinnÀkin, kÀvin siis vuodenvaihdetta ennen Ateneumin Hiroshige ja Hokusai -nÀyttelyssÀ.

NĂ€yttely esitteli Hokusain (1760-1849) ja Hiroshigen (1797-1858), kahden Edo-kauden tunnetuimman maisemantekijĂ€n monivĂ€ripuupiirroksia 1830-luvulta 1850-luvulle (n. 200 kpl).  NĂ€yttelyn tunnetuin työ oli Hokusain Suuri aalto (n. 1831), josta on tullut yksi Japanin taiteen tunnuskuvista. Blogissani onkin kuvia sen jĂ€ljennöksen painovaiheista museossa Japanin Kanazawassa, jossa alkuperĂ€istĂ€ grafiikkalehteĂ€ (yhtĂ€ niistĂ€) kĂ€vin viimeksi ihailemassa. KyseessĂ€ oli jo kolmas kerta, kun kĂ€vin alkuperĂ€isversiota katsomassa – ensimmĂ€inen oli RetretissĂ€ 20 vuotta sitten!

Toisekseen, lisÀÀ visiittejÀ japanilaiseen kulttuurimaisemaan:

Auringonjumalattaren tyttĂ€ret – Japanilainen naisellisuus

29.1. – 17.5.2009 Sinebrychoffin taidemuseossa

sekĂ€ samassa talossa, kellarissa: ChadĂŽ – Teen tie 29.1. – 28.6.2009.
Bulevardi 40 00120 Helsinki; Vaihde: (09) 173361;                Avoinna  ti, pe  10 – 18  ke, to  10 – 20  la, su  11 – 17  Maanantaisin suljettu Lippujen hinnat 7,50/6 € tai 5/4 € alle 18-vuotiaat ilmaiseksi
Ilmaisilta joka kuukauden ensimmÀinen keskiviikko klo 17-20. Alennuslippuun oikeutetut:
1. ElÀkelÀiset 2. Opiskelijat  3. Siviilipalvelus- ja varusmiehet/-naiset  4. Opettajat ja kuvataitelijat (silloin kun eivÀt lunasta vuosikorttia)    5. City-kortti ja Euro26-kortti

09.28.08

Japanese wood block prints and photos in Helsinki

Posted in Japanese, Uncategorized, Word and print tagged , , , , , at 20:45 by krause

Hokusai & Hiroshige until 7. 12. 2008 saakka

Mustaa ja valkoista / Black and white

until 8. 2. 2009 saakka

at Ateneum / Ateneumissa.

Ti, pe 9-18, ke, to 9–20, la, su 11–17.

Tue, Fri 9-18, Wed, Thu 9–20, Sat, Sun 11–17.

Oik. Hiroshige:Rankkasade Shin Oohasin sillalla (jonka olen
ihka omin silmin nÀhnyt nyt kolmatta kertaa!)

On the right:Sudden Shower Over Shin-Ohashi bridge, 1857

Olen itse nĂ€hnyt mm. Hokusain Suuren aallon yhden vedoksen RetretissĂ€ lĂ€hes 20 vuotta sitten, ja uudestaan muutama vuosi sitten Japanissa . Kanazawan taidemuseossa oli nĂ€ytillĂ€ samat Katsushika Hokusai, Hiroshige ja Utamaro. Kaikki ovat Edo-aikakauden (æ±Ÿæˆžæ™‚ä»Ł Edo jidai, 1600–1867) “kelluvan maailman” (æ”źäž–ă€€ukiyo) kuvaajia, jonka aiheita olivat aluksi Edon, nykyisen Tokion kurtisaanit eli “kauniit ihmiset” (矎äșș bijin), kabuki-nĂ€yttelijĂ€t, sumopainijat, teetalojen ihmiset sekĂ€ “city-ihmiset” ja taiteenlajin saadessa lisÀÀ arvostusta, maisemat ja jokapĂ€ivĂ€iset aiheet.

Tutustuin ystĂ€vĂ€ni Madokan kanssa kuuluisan Suuren aallon (Katsushika Hokusai) uusinnan valmistamiseen. Puupiirrokseen tarvitaan puuhun kaiverretut laatat, yksi laatta jokaista vĂ€riĂ€ kohden. Laattoihin hangataan vĂ€riĂ€ erityisellĂ€ ohuesta “bambunnahasta” taiteiljan itsensĂ€ valmistamalla sienellĂ€. Sitten laatat kohdistetaan tarkasti samaan kohtaan paperia, ja painetaan. Koska kyseessĂ€ on painotyö, kuvia voidaan valmistaa sarjatyönĂ€ ja siis monta kappaletta samoilla puulaatoilla. Taitelija valmistaa vĂ€lineensĂ€ itse, ja suuret taiteilijat ovat kaivertaneet alunperin laattansakin itse alkuperĂ€isten maalaustensa ja piirrostensa pohjalta.

One wood block per color. Blue parts of the boat.
Applying the color with a “sponge” made of bamboo skin by the artist her/himself.
Work in progress. Many copies are made to the same point at one time, then the same copies are given another layer in another color until all needed colors have been applied.
Blue colors applied, still for example lacking yellow.
One of the originals to compare with.

The Great Wave of Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai,

around 1830.

ćŒ—æ–Žè‘›éŁŸă€€Katsushika Hokusaista on elokuvakin, joka nĂ€ytettiin Suomen televisiossa joskus 1980-luvulla. Sen mukaan hĂ€n aloitti taivaanrannanmaalarina, asusti getantekijĂ€n ylĂ€kerrassa, teki itsekin hengenpitimisksi  puukenkiĂ€, oppi nĂ€in puutyöt, piirteli alastomia naisia tai suoranaista epĂ€siveellistĂ€ materiaalia jkĂ€yden samalla kuuluisien taiteilijoiden opissa, kunnes maalasi kuuluisat 36 nĂ€kymÀÀ Fujille, joka toi hĂ€nelle kypsĂ€llĂ€ iĂ€llĂ€ mainetta taiteilijana. Monet Hokusain puupiirroksista on pannassa Japanissa, sillĂ€ ne luetaan epĂ€siveellisiksi. HĂ€nen maisemakuvansa ovat kuitenkin sangen suosittuja siellĂ€, kuten monien muidenkin siistejĂ€ kuvia kaivertaneiden teokset, nĂ€iden joukossa Utamaro ja Hiroshige (jonka Shin-Ohashi -sillan luumupuutarhan jĂ€ljennös minulla on olohuoneessa – oikealla).

Monet ovat huomaavinaan yhtĂ€lĂ€isyyksiĂ€ nyky-mangan ja puupiirrosten vĂ€lillĂ€. Muun muassa “kuvaa kuvassa” pidetÀÀn usein riittĂ€vĂ€nĂ€ syy-yhteytenĂ€, mutta totuus lienee se, ettĂ€ manga on kyllĂ€ kopioitu lĂ€nsimaalaisista sarjakuvista. On tietysti totta, ettĂ€ piirroskuvat olivat jo saaneet hyvin jalansijaa Japanissa kun manga ilmaantui markkinoille, mutta missĂ€pĂ€ ei – valokuvaus keksittiin vasta 1800-luvulla. Japanissa tosin tuotettiin huimia mÀÀriĂ€ taidokkaita piirroksia painotyönĂ€, myös tarkasti tehtyjĂ€ vĂ€rillisiĂ€, hĂ€ivytyksineen, kaiverrettuine kanji-teksteineen. Kanjeja, kiinalaisia merkkejĂ€ ei siis ladottu, vaan kaiverrettiin puuhun kuvan kanssa.

Nimi ukiyo-e tulee sanoista “kelluva”, “maailma” ja “kuva”. Kelluvaksi maailmaksi sanottiin nĂ€yttelijöiden, kurtisaanien, gishojen, teetalojen ja punaisten lyhtyjen kortteleiden elĂ€mÀÀ. Samantapainen nimi on vielĂ€ nykyÀÀnkin geishojen elĂ€mĂ€npiirillĂ€, joka on japaniksi èŠ±æŸłç•Œă€€karyuukai eli kukka- ja pajumaailma tai kukkien ja pajujen maailma (flower and willow world).

09.05.08

Isle of Sheep [ I Love Sheep ]

Posted in Dance, Finnish, Friends, Outings tagged , , , , , , , , , , at 16:42 by krause

Isle of Sheep The one and only, legendary Isle of Sheep event hosted by Vallilan Tango was a success, once again. August 29th the evening started around 4 PM, when people took off to the trail through the marsh. We were invited to have juice, cookies, and candy, then to follow the signs to Lammassaari along the path.

Marsh
[Photo: Jakke. Path to Lammassaari]

A short person, all I could see for 20 minutes, was grass. Halfway, there was a platform from where I could see the beautiful city skyline in the evening sun. After a while we heard a voice coming from the grass, reciting old thruths about social dancing in the olden days. The player was hidden so it was a surprise – an “experience”, as the organizers called it.

Pohjolan pirtti
[Photo: Jakke. Pohjolan Pirtti / Koitto]

When arriving at the site we were greeted by Mustalaisprimas plays blonde, a blond violinist playing outside the century-old red villa originally a social club for a sobriety society. No alcohol was to be sold, but we were well prepared. There were some other performances, as well. A band called The Barn Sparrows (Musiikkia syvĂ€stĂ€/-ltĂ€ etelĂ€stĂ€) entertained us with music from the deep south or from deep … and as last year, also Granny (Mummo) had a word or two to tell us.

Musician peeking at Mummo
[Photo: Jakke. Antti the musician peeking]

Valtiovarain ministeri
[Photo: Jakke. Guests and hosts]

“Jyrki Katainen”, both a female and a male version greeted everybody and reminded us to make a deposit – to buy badges and neckties to support the band.

Mr. Playback Boy
[Photo: Jakke. Mr. Playback Boy]

The show inside started with Mr. Playback Boy, the only Drag King I’ve ever seen. I’m soo in love with him (her). Mr. Playback Boy is Laura , a “theater and music professional” as she calls herself.
Mr. Playback Boy
[Photo: Jakke. Mr. Playback Boy = Laura Murtomaa]

(S)he was the slimiest latino ever, the playboy evergreen singer, the obscene pop star, a frustrated base vocalist in an acappella group, a pompous male choir member, and finally, a director of orchestra.

Vallilan Tango
[Photo: Jakke. Vallilan Tango]

After a short while of dance instruction, the band started to play, and people floodedon the dance floor. Vallilan Tango is this strange but excellent band featuring among other things, a vocalist who sings in broken English or broken Finnish as I think he is Dutch. And, they excel in Finnish tango, although they play cha cha, waltz, fox, and even polka, too.

As the villa is old and has no heating, it was chilly when I first arrived. I had to change clothes halfway in the night, as I was soaking wet, and it wasn’t the slight rainfall we got that night.. The Youngest R had found me a pussikalja somebody forgot in the bus, so I drank my present – I was so thirsty I didn’t care what it was.

There are more pics and even more to come. All photos are taken by Jakke. To contact Jakke, leave a comment.

There are more photos of the event by Jakke. These require you to log in to Facebook.
These are in Picasa (Isle of Sheep 2008) / Reeta Viljakainen.
These are also in Picasa (Isle of Sheep 2007) / user: Christian
Also Isle of Sheep 2007 photos by Jungle/Arctic at Flickr

08.10.08

Another Dome, the Hiroshima Atomic

Posted in Friends, Japanese, Outings tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , at 15:07 by krause

Genbaku August 6th and August 9th are not and should not be forgotten, although this year they are left in the shadows of the Olympics. 63 years later, the artifacts collected in the cities are still somewhat radioactive, not to mention the suffering of individual people and the collective devastation of the nation. Estimates of direct casualties range from 90,000 to 140,000 according to Wikipedia. Some estimates state up to 200,000 had died by 1950, due to cancer and other long-term effects. The building on the left is the ćŽŸçˆ†ăƒ‰ăƒŒăƒ  Genbaku Dome, Hiroshima Peace Memorial, a former industrial exhibition hall.

I had the opportunity to visit 金æČąć€§ć­Šè‡Șç„¶èšˆæžŹćżœç”šç ”ç©¶ă‚»ăƒłă‚żăƒŒ,ă€€äœŽăƒŹăƒ™ăƒ«æ”Ÿć°„èƒœç ”ç©¶æ–œèš­ ć°Ÿć°ć±‹ćœ°äž‹æžŹćźšæ–œèš­ (ć°Ÿć°ć±‹é‰±ć±±ăƒˆăƒłăƒăƒ«) Kanazawa University’s Ogoya Underground Laboratory of Low Level Radioactivity ïŒˆïŒŹïŒŹïŒČïŒŹïŒ‰ in Noomi shi, Ishikawa kenă€€ïŒˆé‡ŽçŸŽćž‚ă€€çŸłć·çœŒïŒ‰ă€€with Professor Komuraă€€ć°æ‘ć…ˆç”Ÿă€€and his wife Komura san ć°æ‘ă•ă‚“.

At the time, Professor Komura was measuring radiation of a men’s pocket watch found after the Hiroshima A-bomb had been dropped.

Ogoya underground lab entrance

Tunnel entrance and the Komuras

Nature here is subtropical, like a jungle, and the road to the entrance is small. Neareby there is a mining and railroad museum. The temperature was around 40 centigrades, but inside the tunnel it’s so cold one needs a jacket.

Ogoya lab sign

Previously there was a copper ore mine, now the tunnel hosts a laboratory 300 meters inside the mountain. The tonnes of stone covering the tunnel makes Ogoya lab one of the most sensitive radioactivity labs in the world. Stone blocks cosmic radiation to its minimum and makes it possible to reach more exact results in measuring low levels of radioactivity found in, for example, items found in Hiroshima after the nuclear bomb was dropped.

Komuras and me

An ore mine 100 years old, there used to be little artificial light. Now as there is electricity, wall begin to get color from moss and other growth. Also pretty stalagtites grow from the ceiling, which is dripping water.
Stalagtites1

Stalagtites2

Inside the mountain
300 meters in, there is a small construction site trailer-like cubicle where the detector and other instruments are. The tunnel is damp, slippery, badly lit, wearing a helmet is mandatory, the lab, only a few square meters, is very crowded but the computers are state-of-the-art. What an interesting contrast.

The lab

Being a professor does not mean your work is purely white collar. Professor Komura needs to put in place and remove 300 kg of lead blocks every time he needs to measure the radioactivity level of an object.
300kgă€€ïœŒead

Whether Japan’s history as the only nation being attacked with atom bombs has impacted the radioactivity research in the country, I don’t know. I do know that Ogoya lab is one of the most sensitive labs in the world, and that they have a world wide cooperative network. I have never met a person who has been to the Antarctic before, but professor Komura has – measuring radioctivity, of course.

08.09.08

Doomu vs. Futuro

Posted in F-Design, J-Design tagged , at 13:56 by krause

We have Matti Suuronen’s Futuro, designed 1968. Now the Japanese strike back with the styrofoam home Dome.

Futuro village:
Futuro

Dome village:
Dome

There are interesting dome houses, spherical, round and even revolving houses around the globe (pun intended), not to mention all sorts of traditional habitats like huts (Africa, Celtic etc.), teepees, Sami fur kota teepees, yurts, and of course, igloos. This dome house in Hakui, Nooto hantoo (Nooto peninsula, Japan) was photographed by me in 2006.
Hakui Dome house
Recently, the Futuro sold at Christie’s for €140,000 (¥23,200,000 or $210,600). The production has been discontinued, so the only way to acquire one is to buy a second hand Futuro.

A brand new Dome will sell at 3 million yen (under $30,000 or €18,100), but there are more expensive extended homes / public building solutions.

Futuro will arrive at your door step fully assembled. Only “legs” or supports and plumming, electricity etc. will need to be completed after transportation.
Futuro on the road
Dome modules
The Dome modules are assembled in a fraction of the time required to build a traditional house. The modules can be lifted by two or three people, and once the modules are snapped into place, the house is covered with plaster, painted, and customized.
Dome customized

Dome customized

Mushroom Dome
Karaoke place in Suijin no mori.

Dome gallery

Dome gallery inside

Dome customized

Pool

Futuro will blend into the Finnish lake side landscape perfectly (?):
Futuro bu the lake

Interior of Futuro:
Futuro inside

Futuro kitchen

The interior is more versatile than in Futuro, which is always the same size, and not very spacious: The Dome can be used as a sauna, shop, bar, office, hotel etc. in addition to just being a home.
Dome sauna

Dome steamroom

Dome bar

Bed room

Living room

Shower

Some videos of Dome.

The Finnish Futuro and Japanese Dome are not the only round, dome etc. shaped or spherical houses. There are lots of ufos around. As this is not a blog dealing with architecture, here are links to non-Japanese and non-Finnish round houses.

Dymaxion
Sunspace Homes
Bulle“ à 6 coques
Kugelhaus
And a blog with unusual living solutions:
Flatrock
And you can always search for “dome home” or “dome house” “round house” “rotating house” “spinning house” or “revolving house” – lots of interesting images there.

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