JapanLive - Little Stories from Japan

   The city of Narita in Japan has recently tested a new local transportation concept.   The results are still pending.  

Have you seen these "street signs" in Japanese malls? Stop and bow It is a sign for the employees. It says, "here you enter the customer zone, stop and greet(bow)". Also, when the employee leave, they have to stop here, turn towards the customer area and bow again.

Aeon Mall in Narita is worried about the health of it's clients. So, they introduced a new kind of work-out. They call it MALLWALKING. They lead you around the two stories of the shopping mall. And they made sure that you pass in front of the restaurant area. At the end, the calculation will be most probably like -      50 kcal (walking) +1000 kcal (eating) A better idea: start at Narita Mall for a walk or run. The area behind the mall is beautiful. Here are some routes. ex.1: Google Maps ex.2: Google Maps ex.3: Google Maps  Any of these walk/runs will have a better health result than the mall walking.

I am impressed. Today, I went by bicycle from Narita to the Museum for Japanese History in Sakura cross-country - using navigation by Google Maps (ca. 20km). I used the pedestrian navigation. Not a single mistake. Very exact guiding. Google sent me along roads and pathes which I would never have even thought about being the correct ones, some as small as 1 meters. But it also sent me up and down the hills when there were roads around the hills. Well done, Google. However, a recommendation: use an MTB with broad tyres if you do such cross-country riding. Not all of the roads today were made for road bikes. I came through an area with lots of sacred ponds.

What a drag - only water. Seen at the Ryuushouin Kannon Temple - 龍正院 （滑河観音） in Namegawa, Narita

Hopefully, the request was successful.

Beware of the Japanese giant hornet Vespa mandarinia japonica (licensed from wikimedia ) They are really dangerous . Being stung is extremely painful and can require hospitalization. Ultrarunners consider wasps the most dangerous animals in the woods. (click on a picture to see a slideshow with larger pictures) A bridge near Narita with a nest of the wasps.

There is a Satoyama walk and biotope near Narita. The start of the walk is the small way perpendicular to the way parallel to the river going from Crown Plaza hotel to Aeon Shoppingmall. The maintainers have planted beautiful flowers, in May you find iris and corn-flowers. If you are lucky, you can also meet colorful pheasants. (click on a picture to see a slideshow with larger pictures)  You cross the biotope on wooden planks before strolling through the woods. Centaurea cyanus Iris pseudacorus Centaurea cyanus or cornflowers, originally blue but now also red and white Iris sanguinea Male Phasianus versicolor or Japanese green pheasant Yellow iris ( Iris pseudacorus ) Iris ( Iris sanguinea ) "The Japanese green pheasant is the national bird of Japan" says Wikipedia