SPring-8

Before I forget that... last week in backlog as always.

First, I went to the other aikido dojo again. I don't know if that's because I've practiced aikido with the university club before or if that's because their "style" is closer to the way I practiced judo in Brazil, but I feel like getting the basics a little faster (still very poor though).

One thing that I noticed... the way ukemi (the way one falls when thrown, more a less...) is taught differently in this dojo than in the university dojo. and they're also different from the way I learned in judo. Only slight differences, but one way isn't completely correct in the other method... not that it matters that much. Just an interesting point.

Second, a Japanese tea ceremony (茶道). I've been in those before, but that was the first time there was a "tea master" (or something like it) and some relics whose details he could explain (some things were from the Edo period...). My legs hurted, but it was nice ^^;

Last, but not least, a visit to SPring-8. I'll quote part of the site as explanation:

"Synchrotron radiation is extremely powerful light which is used for studying the structure of matter at the atomic and electronic levels and in various physical and chemical processes in a number of research fields ranging from materials science to life science.

SPring-8, which is the largest third-generation synchrotron radiation facility in the world, provides the most powerful synchrotron radiation currently available. The Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) and RIKEN (The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research) started construction of SPring-8 in 1991, and with support from Hyogo Prefecture, universities, research institutes and industry, completed the construction and opened the facility in October 1997.

Since the completion of the facility, management, operation, upgrading of the facility, userservice, and R&D on SR science and technology have been performed by the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI), which was designated by law as the sole institute for the management, operation and development of SPring-8.

At SPring-8, many researchers from around the world are making efforts to unlock the secrets of nature using synchrotron radiation as the key."

Nice trip to get my scientific self awake again. Too bad I lacked some knowledge to know further about the thing.

Sorry for making it so brief, but have things to do. Check the site for more information. The SPring-8 system and work are interesting...