5. Home is where the art is (aka shrines and signs)

Today I'm stuck inside because we're in the middle of a typhoon, and water is trying to flood the roads but being foiled by really excellent drainage systems.  Not just efficient at drainage, but also creative in their decor:

This gutter is filled with koi (carp), and also has statues of everyone from Micky Mouse to Pikachu to Godzilla

So I thought I'd show off some pictures I took when rain wasn't omnipresent.  Tamba is a small farming town "out in the middle of nowhere," which in Japan means two hours away from a major city.  I feel much less isolated than I was prepared for.  The architecture in general is really cool - most of the houses look very traditionally Japanese, and there are tons of shrines and temples.

These are my neighbors.  Their house would look more traditional if it wasn't blue and yellow.

Here's a some pictures of various shrines and temples around town:

Monks gotta have wheels too.

Close up of the bell at the pagoda on the
left.  Somehow I didn't pull it.  I must be
a damn good person or something.

I've always wanted pagoda Japan!  Too far, sorry.

Am I allowed to go in?  I decided forgiveness is easier to get than permission.

For some reason, all the street signs are particularly cutesy and cartoony.  Even the ones telling you not to litter or you'll get a fine look very friendly.  I think this one says something like "let's keep the town clean!"

If Rafael the soda can is able to pick up trash, you can too.
His arms are just metaphors. You have real ones.

There's this tree in "downtown" Tamba whose roots form the base of a bridge over a river.  It has some sort of spiritual, Shinto significance that I would probably understand if I could speak Japanese.

It needs those stabilizing beams because it's so old.  At least
that's what it says to cover its drinking problem.

It's even on the manhole covers!

All in all, it's a pretty cool town.  I'm pretty happy I'm here, despite not being able to communicate with anyone really.  Yet!