"hinomaru" 日の丸. "hi" represents day (of the month, of the week) or sun while "maru" means circle. Some people even use "maru" while reading the number 0.
Together, however, "hinomaru" means something much stronger to the Japanese- the Rising Sun. The same Rising Sun found on the Japanese flag.
Having been in Hong Kong and China for the past three weeks, I wasn't sure how long it would be before I could spot the Japanese-ness as I flew home. But just before taking off, I looked out the window of my JAL 747 and saw the big hinomaru painted on top of the wing (for some reason, the first thing I thought about was the Mitsubishi Zero Fighter, but I don't know why...). So I guess that makes the Rising Sun the first real Japanese-y thing I saw on my way back. Well, that and the Japanese people in the airplane, computer animated safety video, and Japanese newpapers they were handing out....
Anyways, for my last week in Hong Kong, I headed off into China (and 20ft into Vietnam!) for an eye-opening trip. I'm still putting together all the bits and pieces but here's a preview of what's to come.
The Tian Tan Buddha atop Ngong Ping 360 in Lantau Island, Hong Kong.
The Detian Waterfalls right on the Sino-Vietnam border.
The terraced rice fields of Longji, about 100km from Guilin.
Dog..... well, people (and animals) live in mountain-top villages in Longji. I just like the picture though...
Check back soon for more...
3 comments:
Thank you for the reference to DeTian water falls from Wikipedia. It appropriately puts it as number 4 "cross border" water falls in the world, after Niagara, Victoria and Iguacu. Some Chinese sites claim it to be the "second", which is obviously wrong.
Dad
woah, they opened the ngong ping thing, how was that? and howd u get the pictures from the high view?
Geoffrey
Ngong Ping 360 wasn't anything special. Just a huge Buddha. The gondola right up is interesting though.
If you mean the high view of the waterfall and the rice fields, it's cuz we walked all the way up =).
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