The van
from Osaka airport to Kyoto takes about two hours. The driver has a sharp
looking uniform and cap, and wears white gloves. Seats are protected with white crochet covers and the van is spotless. Lisa and I are groggy
from the 12 hour flight, but I am peering out the window to get a sense
of the surroundings, which right now is a huge highway and a mix of business
signage in Japanese kanji characters, mixed with some unexpected English
(Bowling!?!). It's Monday evening and the roads are full but the traffic is
moving surprisingly smoothly, even in the light rain. When we get onto the streets of Kyoto, the rain picks up considerably and the people in the crosswalks are dashing, with umbrellas leaning forward into the rain. The driver who speaks a little English with a heavy accent, turns with a smile and says "catsanddogs".
Two weeks coming up in Japan and I have done a little flag study to get ready. Thankfully, his one is pretty easy; the flag represents the sun. Or,
more specifically, the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, from whom the emperor traces his
lineage. Oh, and the white background is
representing purity. Simple.
- These are not quite so easy to interpret -
KYOTO
"The city emblem is composed of stylized kanji δΊ¬ KYO and an ancient style court carriage in gold and
dull purple representing ancient capital of Japan." (I don't see the kanji character, no matter how hard I try.)
HIROSHIMA
"The city emblem was made to be inspired by the
former Aki Clan
lord’s flag design of three horizontal stripes and modified to wavy style. It
represents river flow and the water city Hiroshima." (Nice graphic for a port city.)
OSAKA
"The main device of the emblem is a Miotsukushi
used for a beacon in the shallows of Osaka.
The prosperity of Osaka
is greatly due to transportation by water. The Miotsukushi was chosen for the
emblem as it is deeply connected with its port." (Makes sense if you know what it is. Otherwise...)
