Canadian Gardening: Trip to Japan, 1 by ViolaAnn

ViolaAnn wrote:
After lunch, we bused to Otaru - same city I visited earlier in the week. Primary focus of the visit was the Nishin Goten which was essentially a dormitory for herring fishermen.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6703.html
This large building has enormous timbers in it. Not in its original location, it was moved here some years ago. It also sustained severe damage in a 2004 typhoon but has been rebuilt. Note the very low ceilings.
And the railings that look like birch are actually made from concrete.

Low ceilings could be a theme in Japan as traditionally the people are shorter than we see in the west, although I had a sense that the average height has increased over the last 18 years. Or maybe the people of Hokkaido are taller than those on Honshu. The door to our hotel room was barely 6 ft. high and the hall ceilings were similarly lower than one would see in North America.

This message was edited Sep 15, 2006 1:55 PM