Random Japan Questions

Heoy
I have been looking through pictures of my latest Japan trip and have come up with some questions while looking at them. They are quite random and yes I have already used google so please, if your answer is "google is your friend" please refrain from writing thank you.

* Why are most torii-gates red? In the Inari shrine at SE Kyoto they were all red and fences and buildings too. Something about the holiness?

* By the Wakakusayama-mountain in Nara where there is supposed to be a lot deer I saw a fence around and a kind of gate. Is it a toll gate or something?

* At the Inari-mountain in Kyoto there were some kind of huts selling souveniers, are these some kind of resthouses? There were some selling wandering sticks too, are they just for rent or okay to take home? Also, is there a name for these "resthouses"?

* Some questions about Osaka, there was a park near Toyosaki Elementary School east of Nakatsu station, I cant remember the name of that park. Anyone knows? Also the name of the park near Nakatsu subway station between the station and the expressway there.

* I saw this sign in the elevator of a Toyoko Inn (Think it was in Okayama). They mentioned something about curry and rice on certain days but I did not figure out the true meaning of it:
http://oi43.tinypic.com/2i7tmp2.jpg

* In Kyoto there was a temple northeast of Kyoto station with some kind of rocks by the entrance, anyone know what this is?:
http://oi40.tinypic.com/delo9t.jpg

* And by a park in east Kyoto (near Gion) there was a statue of two samurai, my kanji reading is a bit limited so I could not figure out what their names were, anyone recognize the place and statue?:
http://oi41.tinypic.com/2ytte8i.jpg

* By the entrance to a temple in Otaru (Hokkaido) half a mile from Minami-Otaru station was this stone with numbers of height in it. I still cant figure out the meaning of this stone, just to measure your height?:
http://oi43.tinypic.com/35kv1xs.jpg

* In Noboribetsu (Hokkaido) by the roads around the onsen were several of these small stone statues with red scarfs. Is there any specific meaning with them?:
http://oi39.tinypic.com/2uhvfgg.jpg

* Still in Noboribetsu I had some of this meal on the sign, though someone said it would be pork I rather felt it being squid meat. Also I see the word "osusume" in many Japanese menus, is it some typical Japanese kind of food?:
http://oi40.tinypic.com/5zmplf.jpg

* Brought this kind of snack at Hakodate station which unfortunately did not fell in my taste. Anyone know what this is?:
http://oi41.tinypic.com/29p7qww.jpg

* I saw lots of these birds all over Japan, this one in Yokohama. Everyone said these were crows not ravens but I cant agree with that since they do not look like our crows at home and a lot bigger too:
http://oi40.tinypic.com/1zmig5y.jpg

* And finally. I brought some kind of milk someone said was soy milk but it did not taste like that. Anyone knows what this is?:
http://oi40.tinypic.com/2z5jfaf.jpg


Thanks a lot beforehand for any help with these mystery questions. :D

* Why are most torii-gates red?
I'd heard the red is used to ward off evil spirits.
I guess red was a result of way to preserves things from decay.

* http://oi43.tinypic.com/2i7tmp2.jpg
How about morning curry?
Only in the moring on Wed, Thu, Fri!
Subject to being unsold.

* http://oi41.tinypic.com/2ytte8i.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakamoto_Ry%C5%8Dma
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakaoka_Shintaro
near Gion... in Maruyama Koen park?

* http://oi43.tinypic.com/35kv1xs.jpg
Yes, to measure kid's height on ShichiGoSan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shichigosan

* http://oi39.tinypic.com/2uhvfgg.jpg
I guess it's a very common statue called oJizo-san you can find anywhere in Japan.
He ia a guardian deity of children and weak.

* http://oi40.tinypic.com/5zmplf.jpg
Yes, "osusume" is the typical word means "we can recommend this".

* http://oi41.tinypic.com/29p7qww.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamaboko

* http://oi40.tinypic.com/2z5jfaf.jpg
Yes, it's adjusted soymilk. I often buy it.
http://www.sujahta.co.jp/item/soymilk/yuki-chosei.html
ingredients: organic soy beans, plant oils and fats, solar salt, brewed vinegar, emulsifier, sucralose, polysaccharide thickener and so on.

* Why are most torii-gates red? In the Inari shrine at SE Kyoto they were all red and fences and buildings too. Something about the holiness?

I don't know the reason why they are painted that color, but they're usually vermilion rather than red.

* By the Wakakusayama-mountain in Nara where there is supposed to be a lot deer I saw a fence around and a kind of gate. Is it a toll gate or something?

Yes, that's an entrance gate because Wakakusayama is closed for about half the year and charges an entrance fee when it is open.

* At the Inari-mountain in Kyoto there were some kind of huts selling souveniers, are these some kind of resthouses? There were some selling wandering sticks too, are they just for rent or okay to take home? Also, is there a name for these "resthouses"?

Yea, they are souvenir shops and restaurants. If I recall correctly, you could borrow the walking sticks and return them later, although I'm sure some were also for sale.

* Some questions about Osaka, there was a park near Toyosaki Elementary School east of Nakatsu station, I cant remember the name of that park. Anyone knows? Also the name of the park near Nakatsu subway station between the station and the expressway there.

There are several. I'm not sure if they all have names, or at least I'm not easily able to figure them out. Check out this map:

https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=34.712196,135.502753&spn=0.010671,0.01...

* Still in Noboribetsu I had some of this meal on the sign, though someone said it would be pork I rather felt it being squid meat. Also I see the word "osusume" in many Japanese menus, is it some typical Japanese kind of food?:
http://oi40.tinypic.com/5zmplf.jpg

It's horumon, otherwise known as tripe or pig's intestine.

* Brought this kind of snack at Hakodate station which unfortunately did not fell in my taste. Anyone know what this is?:
http://oi41.tinypic.com/29p7qww.jpg

Squid kamaboko (fish cake)

* And finally. I brought some kind of milk someone said was soy milk but it did not taste like that. Anyone knows what this is?:
http://oi40.tinypic.com/2z5jfaf.jpg

There are two kinds of soy milk in Japan, modified and unmodified. Modified has been changed to taste like dairy milk, while unmodified has not had its flavor changed.

There are theories that Torii(the gate at shrines) may come from Tarra, a Aramaic word, and red paint from blood of lamb before the exodus from Egypt. Read here. Facinating!
http://www.biblemysteries.com/library/tribesjapan.htm
Even an ex-Israel ambassador to Japan & rabbis are researching the Lost Tribes connections.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00BP86cks4w&feature=related

* I saw this sign in the elevator of a Toyoko Inn (Think it was in Okayama). They mentioned something about curry and rice on certain days but I did not figure out the true meaning of it:

it said that the hotel(or inn) had started to serve curry rice for breakfast.

About a month ago, I stayed in Toyoko Inn Hakodate, a few times a week (if I remember correctly on Tuesday and Thursday) they had "curry night", free kare raisu between 7 and 8pm.