Sometimes people will hang them in public of signs, or low cables in some kind of gentle act of guerrilla art. They are sometimes seen with an umbrella. And if they are hung upside down they are said to bring rain.
Here's the whole team. This was set up for a display selling umbrellas.
OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets
I just got back from Yakushima, a small island 5 hours south of the tip of Kyushu, the southermost of the main islands. The whole island is covered by an ancient rainforest and has been a World Heritage Site based on exceptional natural beauty as well as showing the importance of on-going natural development. The island has some of the world's oldest trees. Japan's oldest stands at 7200 years old, and there are a number of other 2000 plus trees on the island. Anything over 2000, but under 3500 is called ko-sugi, or baby sugi! 
We took a ferry out to the volcano, walked around the base until we came to a spot where we had a clear view of the top, sat down and drank some beer. Getting near the active cone is forbidden, but we found ourselves next to a shrine to the volcano. 
After 2 or 3 cans of beer, I noticed that my foot was covered in tiny, little black dots. I guess the wind shifted and when we looked up, it was raining ashes on us. A fine black mist, really. But you could smell fresh lava on the air. The volcano is really pretty to look at—pretty and menacing. The last real eruption joined it to the mainland by a tine isthmus, altered the tides and spewed out an enormous amount of lava. (A rarity for Japan, because every other Japanese volcano has explosive eruptions, rather that lava flows.)
The path takes you through thick forests, some of the most beautiful scenes with monkeys and white-tailed deer wondering around freely, fearless of humans. There are spiderwebs of old roots everywhere.
More roots.
This is actually an enormous root crawling over a bolder. You have to pass under the root on the way to the big tree.
After the 5 hours walk up the mountain, you first get to Wilson's stump. The stump itself could easily fit a large living room inside it (I promise I will post a movie of this later). Then you climb farther to Jomon sugi, the 7000 year-old hulk. It is indescribably big...And there is no way a photo does it justice. I wanted to lay a pencil beside it to show scale, but you actually can't get close to it due to too many tourists eroding the soil around it. At one point there was a family of deer that stood next to it, but I couldn't get my camera out in time. The whole place reminds you of Princess Mononoke.
Like this guy, for example. The water smalls of sulpher and is salty, but it is incredibly relaxing to hear the waves and soak.
The local fish is called tobiuwo, or directly translated "flying fish". They are very different from the fish Gavin had hanging on his wall as a child, but they have wings, do pop out of the water in schools and do kind of fly. While I was swimming, a school of them virtually jumped over me in a blue-silver rainbow of fish. 
They love him so much that they named a drink after him! 
You climb into a POD (Pilot Operating Device) and control a giant robot, along with any of your friends who are in other pods. You communicate through head sets and fight people in other game centres in far off places.
This is the inside of the pods. It's impossible to take a decent picture of it without a fisheye lense, since it is literally a 180 degree sphere. There are better pictures of it here at the official site.
Every week there is a different map. This one was in the Himalayas. 
Outside of the pods there is a game screen where others can watch the battle. It is also where you upgrade your mech and get new ranks.
This is a bad shot of the battle. 
My robot is one of the bad guys. The type is called a Domu and it fights with a giant laser katana.
'Hanami' is the custom of going cherry blossom viewing. This is an important part of all Japanese people's lives. The cherry blossoms are so fragile and they arrive spontaneously and disappear within a week or two. During this time schools, businesses and friends have cherry blossom viewing parties. It is against the backdrop of the pale pink sakura that people meet their new schoolmates, co-workers, as well as say goodbye to old friends. Although they fall off the trees in a matter of days, the beauty of the blossoms never fade. I mean, I have seen the same scene for 3 years now and I have never gotten sick of it. I still take the same pictures every year! And you may never be able to show the true beauty in a photograph, but still somehow you can't stop taking pictures. This year I took some new pictures, as well as some of the same ones as before. And I too have said goodbye to many students under the pink trees. (Bye bye Chizuko! I'll miss you!)
Along one of the many canals in Kanazawa. I think this one used to be part of the castle moat.
This is the first tree to open in Kanazawa every year. It is part of a private garden in of an old samurai house.
An old favourite.
Sunset at the castle
Night time in the park looks like you are walking through the milky way, especially if the blossoms are reflected in the black water.
Relaxing along the Sai river. Some pigeons were also enjoying the cherry blossoms. 
A road with a sakura canopy.
Still laughing about it...
Japan has two official religions: Buddhism and Shinto. This is a Shinto Shrine. Shrines can range from massively big to cupboard-sized, like this one. They are all devoted to a different aspect of life. For example, this one is for good fortune. But they can be for anything from business, to love, to a famous person, to studying. And yes at university entrance exam time, the ones reigning over study are filled with high school students, praying to pass their exams.
These are Jizo statues. Jizo is a kind of healing stone. They are carved into the shape of a man and dressed with a red bib and hat. Sometimes these shrines pop up when accidents happened in order to heal the spirits around the spot.
We went to the museum the first day and visited the samurai house near my apartment. This is a snapshot of her descending the stairs in the Nomura Samurai house.
We went to an onsen the same day. This is supposed to be the best onsen resort on the main island of Japan.
I went with my good friends Akiko and Kazuyo. Here's a photo of everyone in kimonos. I'm wearing a yukata that the onsen provides.
The dinner was kaiseki ryori, a traditional 14 course meal. Even though my mom was kinda full, she ate absolutely everything. The food was incredible! Mmmmmm delicious!
This is my mom and me in front of some amazing rock formations in Noto Peninsula. There is a photo-montage of this one in my very first post!
Known for it`s Chinatown, Kobe is an exciting city. It`s very modern because of rebuilding after the 1995 Earthquake, which left about 5000 people dead.
This is the Chinatown. It`s lively and offers delicious food. Remi and Erin posing for the Camera.
We couldn`t go up the mountain, so we decided to ascend the Port Tower to get our spectacular night view.
This is Harbourland! Fun fun fun! Erin and I rode some mechanical animals, and Remi hung out with Pikachu!
This is the money shot. Remi by the harbour.
Kanazawa station. It's designed in the shape of a shrine. There is a very modern looking torii gate outside of it.
A sunset in Korinbo, one of the main intersections of the city.
Random city scape I took while walking around the city.
You know in Canada, the cops would bust a place like this pretty quick. But maybe they find it hard to read the Roman letters or something, because this place has been here for a while.
