> > Yesterday I got back from two weeks in Japan. The trip was beyond description.
> >
> > If I could sum up the experience in one word, it would be "contrast". It seemed like two worlds. ... with nothing in between.
> >
> > Brunnen-"if I could sum up the experience in one word, it would save a lot of trouble"G
>
> One word? Just ONE? How about a suggestion.
>
> Let's see, was your experience more like: _Pahoehoe_ (pronounced "pah-hoy-hoy") or was it like _aa_ ("ah-ah")? If those terms aren't immediately familar, I'll just say they describe two different types of volcanic lava flows. 'Pahoehoe' is smooth, expansive, and billowy; while 'aa' is convulsive, jagged, spiny, and wild. Of course, if you've experienced either of them, you know immediately that they are BOTH volcanic in origin. :-)
>
>
> > I'll put a more detailed account on my website after I get the photos.
>
> Wolf "Can't wait to hang her wretched eyes on your glittering webgarden" spirit

The Japanese have their problems with volcanism, but it was the Hawaiians who named the two types of lava. For a fresh look at pahoehoe and aa, go to Hawaii (the island, not the state). They produce a fresh supply of lava everyday. Liquid rock underground is called magma. Once on the surface, it's called lava. Same stuff.

The Japanese word, "tsunami" is used for siesmic sea waves such as the killer that hit Hilo, Hawaii in 1946. Knowing how geologically active the sea floor is, you have to wonder why tsunamis don't happen every day.
How"old science teacher"ard