Look! Monkey Likes to Enjoy Hot Spring and Play iPhone, Too
Along with Mt. Fuji and the Shibuya scramble intersection, a snapshot of a woman chatting on a cell phone while dressed in a kimono is one of the must-have photos from any extensive stay in Japan. That seamless blending of the traditional and high-tech is a perfect encapsulation of just what makes Japan such a compelling society.
Hmm, you know what? We forgot to include a picture of a monkey in a hot spring on our photography checklist. That's another one of those "Only in Japan" scenes, right? But what if you're running short on time? Is there any way to multitask and combine our subjects?
Sure there is, with this picture of a primate taking a dip in a hot spring with his very own smartphone.
In Japanese, when something is extremely simple, it's referred to as saru de mo wakaru, or"Even a monkey can understand it." You could apply the phrase to the design of consumer electronics, seeing as how young kids have no problems intuitively figuring out how to operate their parents' high-tech gadgets. Of course, saru de mo wakaru isn't usually meant to be taken literally. No one told that to this monkey though, who's enjoying a relaxing soak at an undetermined location in Japan.
Zooming in on the image shows that the phone in the animal's grasp is an iPhone, thereby shattering the popular image of bananas as monkeys' favorite fruit with the unexpected discovery of an Apple preference.
The photo of the sophisticated primate generated both surprise and envy, with Internet commentators saying the following:
"Don't eat it! Whatever you do, don't eat it!"
"He's got a nicer smartphone than I do."
"Hello? Yes, this is Monkey speaking."
"God, I hope he's talking to someone with Face Time."
"Do monkeys use Skype?"
As cute as it is to imagine the little guy calling his friends or updating his Facebook page, he's obviously not doing either. Monkeys are highly intelligent creatures, and it stands to reason that with the sudden access to mankind's collective cultural and intellectual knowledge to be found on the Internet.
Japan's hot springs part of social, geologic, historic fabric
Japan is dotted with mineral-rich natural "onsen", both indoors and outside, many offering a warming dip amid a frozen setting.
Following are questions and answers about the historical, geological and social aspects of onsen.
What is an onsen?
Although the term onsen literally means hot spring, it can also be used for a cold spring if it contains any of 19 different minerals specified by the onsen law that was enacted in 1948. The law requires spring water to be 25 degrees or above and to contain certain levels of hydrogen ion, fluorine ion, sulfur or any other of its listed components.
Many people soak in onsen for relaxation and to cure certain ailments.
Why does Japan have so many onsen?
Volcanoes play a key role in their formation. Japan, 75 percent mountainous and with many of its peaks volcanic, thus boasts more than 3,000 hot springs. There are plenty of volcanoes elsewhere in the Pacific Rim, and hence hot springs, including in the United States, China, Taiwan, South Korea, New Zealand and Indonesia.
In Japan, most hot springs are clustered in volcanic belts in Kyushu and the Tohoku and Chubu regions, activated by four plates across the nation and its surrounding seabeds. Many hot springs come from heated groundwater near volcanoes.
But there are some that are not directly the result of volcanoes. Some hot springs draw their heat from diastrophism or radioactive elements underground, according to a book written in 1994 by Haruo Shirouzu, a professor emeritus at Kyushu University.
There are meanwhile many hot springs in central Tokyo, and these do not originate from volcanoes. Experts say there is a layer of warm water, heated by the Earth's core, under southern Kanto. Machines are used to bore for this water so it can be pumped into hot springs baths.
The mineral content of hot springs is linked to geographical and geological features. Some studies, for example, indicate a spring's given proximity to magma below a volcano can determine its mineral makeup.
sources: [http://en.twwtn.com/Bignews/58650.html]
Hmm, you know what? We forgot to include a picture of a monkey in a hot spring on our photography checklist. That's another one of those "Only in Japan" scenes, right? But what if you're running short on time? Is there any way to multitask and combine our subjects?
Sure there is, with this picture of a primate taking a dip in a hot spring with his very own smartphone.
In Japanese, when something is extremely simple, it's referred to as saru de mo wakaru, or"Even a monkey can understand it." You could apply the phrase to the design of consumer electronics, seeing as how young kids have no problems intuitively figuring out how to operate their parents' high-tech gadgets. Of course, saru de mo wakaru isn't usually meant to be taken literally. No one told that to this monkey though, who's enjoying a relaxing soak at an undetermined location in Japan.
Zooming in on the image shows that the phone in the animal's grasp is an iPhone, thereby shattering the popular image of bananas as monkeys' favorite fruit with the unexpected discovery of an Apple preference.
The photo of the sophisticated primate generated both surprise and envy, with Internet commentators saying the following:
"Don't eat it! Whatever you do, don't eat it!"
"He's got a nicer smartphone than I do."
"Hello? Yes, this is Monkey speaking."
"God, I hope he's talking to someone with Face Time."
"Do monkeys use Skype?"
As cute as it is to imagine the little guy calling his friends or updating his Facebook page, he's obviously not doing either. Monkeys are highly intelligent creatures, and it stands to reason that with the sudden access to mankind's collective cultural and intellectual knowledge to be found on the Internet.
Japan's hot springs part of social, geologic, historic fabric
Japan is dotted with mineral-rich natural "onsen", both indoors and outside, many offering a warming dip amid a frozen setting.
Following are questions and answers about the historical, geological and social aspects of onsen.
What is an onsen?
Although the term onsen literally means hot spring, it can also be used for a cold spring if it contains any of 19 different minerals specified by the onsen law that was enacted in 1948. The law requires spring water to be 25 degrees or above and to contain certain levels of hydrogen ion, fluorine ion, sulfur or any other of its listed components.
Many people soak in onsen for relaxation and to cure certain ailments.
Why does Japan have so many onsen?
Volcanoes play a key role in their formation. Japan, 75 percent mountainous and with many of its peaks volcanic, thus boasts more than 3,000 hot springs. There are plenty of volcanoes elsewhere in the Pacific Rim, and hence hot springs, including in the United States, China, Taiwan, South Korea, New Zealand and Indonesia.
In Japan, most hot springs are clustered in volcanic belts in Kyushu and the Tohoku and Chubu regions, activated by four plates across the nation and its surrounding seabeds. Many hot springs come from heated groundwater near volcanoes.
But there are some that are not directly the result of volcanoes. Some hot springs draw their heat from diastrophism or radioactive elements underground, according to a book written in 1994 by Haruo Shirouzu, a professor emeritus at Kyushu University.
There are meanwhile many hot springs in central Tokyo, and these do not originate from volcanoes. Experts say there is a layer of warm water, heated by the Earth's core, under southern Kanto. Machines are used to bore for this water so it can be pumped into hot springs baths.
The mineral content of hot springs is linked to geographical and geological features. Some studies, for example, indicate a spring's given proximity to magma below a volcano can determine its mineral makeup.
sources: [http://en.twwtn.com/Bignews/58650.html]
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