tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81599402024-03-13T20:09:25.528-07:00The Witless Clunkery of a Third-Rate MindJeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-2791904395226457992013-10-01T06:58:00.004-07:002013-10-01T06:58:55.887-07:00Back to bidnessHey y'all. I've been back to work for a few weeks now, and although it has been totally fine, I'm kind of feeling the "second semester blues" kicking in. I have the same students as last term, they have all figured out that I'm doing the same basic kinds of classes as last term ... if they had any hopes for some exciting new changes, those hopes have been dashed!<br />
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I've been quite busy writing papers, one for the university's journal, and one for my course. I managed to get them both done, but neither one is particularly great. (Why am I announcing that publicly?!) I did what I could, but the timing kind of meant that I had to submit the one, and then rush through the next one. Ahh, well. Next time, I'm <i>sure</i> I won't procrastinate!<br />
For my birthday, I got a nice new book bag. My old bag had served me well for about 8 years or so, but the handles and strap were starting to get frayed and fall apart. The metal parts were corroded and squeaked horribly whenever I carried anything heavy (like, say, books). So I was happy to get a new one ... but it also meant throwing out the old one. I'm hopeless at getting rid of things, especially personal items. ("But ... but ... it's still usable!! The zippers all work and everything!") I'm compromising by publishing one last photo of Bookie before he goes to his final resting place...<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Godspeed, Bookie. You served me well, old buddy. Now it's time for a rest. You earned it!</span></div>
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(Now THAT is some riveting content, isn't it?? A photo of my dirty old book bag?)<br />
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On to more exciting topics: the weather! Actually, it's been so awesome lately; we are really into the gorgeous fall weather that I love so much. It's sunny and nice most days ... wish it could always be like this. Fall is typhoon season in Japan, so storms are pretty common, but when it's not stormy, it's great.<br />
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I'm looking forward to going on a little trip to Oita mid-October, and I also found out today that I have a week off in November, so hopefully I'll be able to put together another little trip somewhere in Japan or I could live dangerously and go to China or something ... I'm just in the process of deciding where I should go. On one hand, I want to go somewhere I've never been, but my personality being what it is, I almost prefer to revisit someplace I went before but haven't been in a while. (That's like how I prefer to re-read my favourite books, or re-watch movies I like ... I think I enjoy that familiarity, the knowledge of what to expect!)<br />
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Not much else to report. Business as usual, pretty much! Talk to you soon.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-29073659954541799382013-09-16T05:45:00.001-07:002013-09-16T05:45:23.878-07:00Typhoon 18<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">A photo I stole from japantimes.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I just got back from my summer vacation in Canada where, as usual, a number of people chastised me for never updating my Blog anymore. I guess the problem is that I was trying to write epic Blog posts once in a while, instead of smaller, more frequent posts. And those epic posts tended to be pretty daunting!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, I'm going to try and write a bit more often, maybe about once a week or so(?) We'll see how that goes.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I've had a pretty lazy week since coming back. I had a nice birthday dinner at a fancy steak and seafood place in Ikebukuro, and I've also been catching up on my sleep. I always used to say that jetlag was worse going East (i.e., Japan to Canada) and not so bad the other way, but this time at least, I've had a hard time getting back to a normal sleep schedule. I'd get extremely tired around 2 p.m., take a nap for an hour or so, wake up feeling like death, then drag my butt around in a daze until 8 p.m. or so, at which point I would get so tired I would have to sleep. I've gradually been able to wean myself off of the afternoon naps, fortunately. I go back to work tomorrow, so I hope I'm back to normal otherwise I'm going to find myself dozing off mid-lesson.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the news, we had a big typhoon last night and today. It was kind of strange, I thought, because we had a big storm two nights ago with high winds, torrential rain, and apocalyptic thunder and lightning. I thought it was the typhoon come early, but apparently it was just the prelude! The actual typhoon started late last night with high winds and rain. I waited and waited for the typhoon to approach the strength of the previous storm ... and it kind of never did. The winds got quite strong, and sometimes gusts of wind shook the glass doors on the balcony ... but it wasn't all that bad. I guess the storm hit Kyoto and Aichi much harder, resulting in a lot of flooding, some mudslides, and a couple deaths (so far). But Tokyo, despite being directly in the path of the hurricane, seems to have gotten off lightly.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I was going to go into school today to plan for my lessons, but the typhoon meant I couldn't go in. So ... I guess tomorrow I will be flying by the seat of my pants! </span> </span></div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-59810437646661381642012-07-09T05:40:00.000-07:002012-07-09T05:40:22.785-07:00Kyoto Part 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On my third day in Kyoto, I woke up as early as I could (not very) and headed up to the northwest part of the city. My first stop was Ninna-ji, which Wikipedia tells me is the head temple of the Omuro school of the Shingon sect of Buddhism. Shingon is to Buddhism as Roman Catholicism is to Christianity in that it is comparatively old, it has a lot of ritual, and they believe in a lot of magical stuff. (Really stretching an analogy there, but you get the picture.) The temple was built in 888, although it was destroyed by fire (like a lot of things in Japan) and rebuilt. Still ... pretty, pretty, pret-ty ... old. The main gate below, contains the two Nio, muscular deities who guard the Buddha.</div>
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This poor guy's eye has cracked. His mouth is open, forming the first sound of "Om". His companion's mouth is closed, ending the "Om" sound. <br />
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Like I said, Shingon Buddhism tends to have a lot of ritual and like Roman Catholics, they get to wear cool robes and do processions and things. I was lucky to catch a procession (who knows, they probably do a procession every hour or so). <br />
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Ninna-ji was wonderful, and I took a lot of pictures there, especially of the very nice garden, but I'm trying to finish this Kyoto trip (3 parts, already!) so let's keep it brisk ... On to Ryoan-ji!<br />
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Ryoan-ji is home to <i>the</i> most famous zen rock garden in Japan. Answering why it is the most famous would be kind of like answering why the Mona Lisa is the most famous painting in the world. Is it the "best"? Who knows? How do you even define that? But in any case, at some point, it acquired the reputation as the being <i>the</i> representative zen rock garden, and since then people from Japan and around the world have been going to check it out, and (at the risk of blaspheming both Western and Japanese culture simultaneously) as with the Mona Lisa, most people have probably been a bit disappointed.<br />
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Well, I like it. Again, lifting from Wikipedia: "[The fifteen boulders] are also arranged so that when looking at the garden from any angle
(other than from above) only fourteen of the boulders are visible at
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enlightenment would one be able to view the fifteenth boulder." That's pretty cool, isn't it? <br />
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After Ryoan-ji, it was off to Kinkaku-ji. This place is kind of divisive. Some Japanese people I've spoken to think it is gaudy and not really representative of the demure tastes of the Japanese. (Little do they know that its style is typical of the Muromachi period's reliance on visual excess! Thanks again, Wikipedia.) The upper floors are completely covered in gold leaf. I don't care what anyone else says, I think it is spectacular.<br />
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It was getting on and I was getting thirsty, so I took a bus downtown and dropped in at my friend Randy's tea and coffee shop. Randy has been living in Japan for 30 years or so, maybe more, and is a martial artist and expert in the tea ceremony. He decided to open up a tea and coffee shop in Kyoto a few years ago. It's a beautiful little place call Ran Hotei, that captures the spirit of early 20th century Japan by blending art nouveau and traditional Japanese furnishings. Here he is entertaining some customers...</div>
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One of his other customers suggested that, if I was on my way to Kyoto station, I should stop in at Nishi Hongan-ji. I didn't know anything about it, but it was on the way, so I went in. I was immediately told that they would be closing it up in a few minutes. I dashed around and got a few pictures (none of which was very good) before getting kicked out. I got this semi-nice picture of the guards shutting the gates on me. <br />
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I was then approached by a very interesting American-Japanese man, who works at the temple as a priest and as part of their outreach center, I guess. He informed me (little did I know) that Nishi Hongan-ji is the main temple of the Jodo Shinshu sect, the largest Buddhist sect in Japan. It certainly was immense. Unlike some other temples in Kyoto, this temple is a functioning place of worship (respectful veneration?) in addition to being a historic site with a lot of unique treasures. If I have the chance, I'd like to go back there again.<br />
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And so ended my Kyoto trip! Just to try to balance out all that traditional Japanese culture I had soaked up, I grabbed a bite at McDonald's and hopped on the bullet train, which would take me back to the hustle, bustle, and (relative) rudeness of Tokyo. It was great to get out of town for a while. I really enjoyed the kindness and friendliness of people in Kyoto. It reminded me that, pretty much everywhere outside of Tokyo, Japanese people are amazingly nice. Maybe it's time to move out of this city?<br />
<br />Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-35284861477945428662012-06-05T05:02:00.000-07:002012-06-05T05:03:56.715-07:00Kyoto - Part 2Ah, so where was I? It's been a while ... sorry.<br />
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Picking up where I left off: after going to Tofuku-ji, I headed north towards Kiyomizu-dera. Finding the temple was somehow more difficult than I anticipated, especially as I have been there before. I was led astray by the inadvisable method of trying to follow 3 sets of directions simultaneously. In my hand, I had my iPhone and was using the Maps function. Meanwhile, I was also trying to follow the (often irregular) signage, and at the same time, following people who seemed to know where they were going. I ended up following a large group of people down a side street that I thought might be a shortcut. It wasn't. These people were all on their way to wash their family graves and leave off flowers on the tombs in a huge cemetery, this being a custom on national holidays. And so I ended up here:<br />
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That's a lotta graves. My detour didn't actually take much time and I eventually found my way to the temple.<br />
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Literally "Temple of Pure Water", Kiyomizu-dera is one of the most famous tourist spots in Kyoto. The most famous building consists of a large structure overlooking a small waterfall and valley. Historically, it was thought that, if you jumped from the verandah and survived, your wish would come true. According to Wikipedia, 234 jumps were recorded in the Edo period, with a survival rate of 85.4%.<br />
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The temple building was constructed in 1633 and apparently contains not a single nail. They were doing some construction when I visited, unfortunately, but the upside of that was that I got to see how one does (temporary) construction with no nails...<br />
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It is spectacular in spring when cherry blossoms are blooming, and also in fall, when the leaves turn. Unfortunately I was visiting in early spring before the leaves were even out ...<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Another view of the temple and the sad lack of foliage</span></div>
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As the name suggests, the waterfall at Kiyomizu-dera is thought to be very pure and drinking it supposedly grants good luck and/or wishes. (It seems to be an easier way to get your wish than jumping from the verandah.) I didn't try it. (The water, I mean.) The line was really long.<br />
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After Kiyomizudera, I continued north and made a brief stop at Heian Jingu. I just looked up a history of the shrine on Wikipedia, and it doesn't make much sense to me, honestly. But basically, Kyoto was the old capital of Japan, starting in 794, and the shrine was apparently built as a replica to mark the 1100th anniversary of this in 1895. But somehow it only ended up being a scale model of some original building, and then it burned down in 1976 ... I dunno. Somebody needs to rewrite that Wikipedia page! Anyway, my impressions of the shrine were, uh, a bit sterile, maybe? They could do with some more nature in there. But the buildings were very nice.<br />
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Very close to the Heian Jingu is the old Butokuden, or "Hall of Martial Virtue". This place is kind of a mecca for martial artists, so I poked my head in. As it turns out, the headmaster of a sword style called Tennen Rishin-Ryu was visiting from Tokyo and giving an afternoon training there. He actually encouraged me to try practice, which I did for a while, along with a young woman (in the right foreground, who was just anticipating watching I think, and so wasn't wearing a uniform). I was struck by the number of young women in the group. (That would be funnier if I had said "I was struck by a number of young women in the group." They look pretty fierce, don't they?) I think it has to do with a recent increase in "reki-jo", or "history girls" - young women who have become interested in history (particularly samurai history) as a result of the popular portrayals of samurai and warlords on TV and in film. Anyway, lots of girls with sticks.<br />
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I started to work up a sweat, and I still had places to be, so I made my excuses and left. It was a fun, random experience though.<br />
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Next stop: Ginkaku-ji, or the "Temple of the Silver Pavilion". This temple is a favourite of a lot of Japanese people, I think because it embodies a lot of the qualities that Japanese people themselves think of when it comes to Japanese gardens. The landscaping is busy and extremely well-controlled. There are some interesting sand-gardens, this one in the shape of a miniature Fuji. I don't know, but I would guess that it has to be painstakingly tidied up every single morning. <br />
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There is also a Kinkaku-ji ("Temple of the Golden Pavilion") that many Japanese tell me they consider to be rather gaudy (see my next entry!) By contrast, the main building at Ginkaku-ji is quite plain, although elegantly shaped. <br />
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The grounds at Ginkaku-ji are quite amazingly tended, and I took dozens of pictures there because there was just so much to look at. Unfortunately, most of the pictures didn't really convey the atmosphere well. Sometimes, I thought "Wow, look at all that amazing moss!" but then, pictures of moss aren't so impressive, are they?<br />
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By this time it was late afternoon and I was tired, hungry, thirsty, and sunburnt. So it was time to retire to my hotel for a nap, followed by dinner, and a quick trip to Yasaka Shrine, which was quite close to my hotel. On the way, I met a couple girls from Osaka who said hello to me. People from the Osaka-Kyoto part of Japan are notoriously friendly, although I think it is just the case that everyone who is not from the Tokyo area is friendly by comparison. In any case, these girls struck up a conversation with me. Here we are on the steps of Yasaka Shrine, striking a pose with some other random people. I think I thought I was doing Disco Fever, and they thought they were doing Power Rangers. Cultural differences, I suppose.<br />
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It turned out that Yasaka Shrine was having a light-show that night, so we went and took that in. The endposts of the beams in the eaves are painted white, while the building itself is dark brown / black. So projecting lights onto the side of the building creates a digital effect that was really cool. Hard to describe, but pretty amazing. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZvNgYZpflU">Here's a video</a> that somebody else took and posted on YouTube!<br />
<br />Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-6947955721055454712012-04-09T07:46:00.007-07:002012-04-09T08:31:09.447-07:00Kyoto Trip - Part 1I was fortunate to have the whole month of March off. The problem is that, when you have a lot of time off, there's not really any urgency to get anything done. Before you know it, 2 weeks have slipped by and you haven't done anything or gone anywhere. So, at some point in mid-march, I woke up and just decided to go to Kyoto. I went online and booked a hotel, then hopped on the bullet train and went. It was a fantastic trip, for a lot of reasons.<br /><br />One was the ease with which I went there. About 2 hours by bullet train, and I was there. I suppose I was also lucky to find a good hotel so easily. I booked online without investigating things much at all. My friends recommended a hotel, I booked it, and it turned out to be great - cheap, clean, comfortable, and central. (The 4 C's!) And, lucky me, I got upgraded to a double for free. So that worked out well.<br /><br />I arrived in the evening and by that time, it was too dark to do sightseeing. I picked a restaurant from a guide they had in my room. It was supposed to be recommended, but on what basis, I have no idea; probably because the restaurant had paid to be included in the guide. The food was ... well, here's a shot I took of the menu.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IT3oq_WmjhU/T4L77PSusBI/AAAAAAAABDk/vwLl_DPdgzw/s1600/IMG_0747.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IT3oq_WmjhU/T4L77PSusBI/AAAAAAAABDk/vwLl_DPdgzw/s400/IMG_0747.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729418671104634898" border="0" /></a><br />I left there and went strolling into the bar area of town. I eventually found a very small bar with large glass windows in front, lined with shelves displaying dozens of different kinds of sake and shochu (Japanese vodka). That looked like what I was after so I went in, and was immediately greeted by the other patrons. This was to be a theme of my trip: the friendliness of Kyoto people! We got to talking and I quickly felt like I was befriended by this group of strangers. It doesn't sound like much, I know, but when you are in a strange city, it means everything to be welcomed and treated like an old friend.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CgDEZ0hqri4/T4L70U40IEI/AAAAAAAABDY/GpWFGtTeyac/s1600/IMG_0756.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CgDEZ0hqri4/T4L70U40IEI/AAAAAAAABDY/GpWFGtTeyac/s400/IMG_0756.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729418552347467842" border="0" /></a><br />I don't even know the name of that bar, nor do I remember the names of the people I met there. I would like to send them a postcard from Tokyo, thanking them for their kindness, but I'm not sure how.<br /><br />I went back home feeling very good, and woke up early the next morning for a full day of sightseeing. Day 2 was going to feature temples on the east side of Kyoto station. I started with Tofuku-ji. According to the pamphlet I received, and Wikipedia:<br /><br />Founded in 1236, Tofuku-ji is (one of?) the main Rinzai-sect Zen temple(s) in Japan. It has maintained its Zen architecture since the middle ages, and boasts a wealth of medieval Zen artifacts, including a rarely-seen image of Buddha on his death bed.<br /><br />Tofuku-ji isn't one of the most famous temples in Kyoto, and as it was only 10 a.m. on a weekday, the place was almost deserted. Perfect for pictures!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r44__06elWI/T4L7zo0Y4MI/AAAAAAAABDM/DXG7VOeFOQ0/s1600/Tofukuji1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r44__06elWI/T4L7zo0Y4MI/AAAAAAAABDM/DXG7VOeFOQ0/s400/Tofukuji1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729418540517744834" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pzOOM5Nw9WY/T4L7y9VNbAI/AAAAAAAABDA/qJwHSwixRKg/s1600/Tofukuji2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pzOOM5Nw9WY/T4L7y9VNbAI/AAAAAAAABDA/qJwHSwixRKg/s400/Tofukuji2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729418528844246018" border="0" /></a><br />I don't know why Tofuku-ji isn't more famous; its rock gardens are better (in my opinion) than the much more famous one at Ryoan-ji, for example. (More on Ryoan-ji later.)<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wsmcOTjoF1E/T4L7xewNfnI/AAAAAAAABC0/aMUvv5VZ1TM/s1600/Tofukuji3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wsmcOTjoF1E/T4L7xewNfnI/AAAAAAAABC0/aMUvv5VZ1TM/s400/Tofukuji3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729418503456128626" border="0" /></a><br />Many temples in Japan have a dragon painted on the ceiling. I took a sneaky shot of the Tofuku-ji dragon ... not sure if I was allowed to do that but ...<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0vaiuMYMMm0/T4L7v9Y3YuI/AAAAAAAABCo/JeiKAJ4g_Ek/s1600/Tofukuji4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0vaiuMYMMm0/T4L7v9Y3YuI/AAAAAAAABCo/JeiKAJ4g_Ek/s400/Tofukuji4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729418477319971554" border="0" /></a><br />The rock garden is one of 4 very interesting and unique gardens surrounding the Abbot's residence. Rock gardens are often meant to evoke islands in water, mountaintops poking up out of cloud banks, or other natural imagery. Sometimes, they are more abstract. In any case, they are designed to lead the viewer into quiet contemplation, which this garden certainly does.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y4x0G0n-3kQ/T4L7eZFpsgI/AAAAAAAABCM/v7fYO0Cos6c/s1600/Tofukuji6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y4x0G0n-3kQ/T4L7eZFpsgI/AAAAAAAABCM/v7fYO0Cos6c/s400/Tofukuji6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729418175517929986" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LnSihixFEGM/T4L7d_oiSRI/AAAAAAAABCA/tMdsEGl_ySM/s1600/Tofukuji7.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LnSihixFEGM/T4L7d_oiSRI/AAAAAAAABCA/tMdsEGl_ySM/s400/Tofukuji7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729418168684923154" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QMJYq2yFdkw/T4L7ddEDwKI/AAAAAAAABBw/1uiHcwCYylc/s1600/Tofukuji8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QMJYq2yFdkw/T4L7ddEDwKI/AAAAAAAABBw/1uiHcwCYylc/s400/Tofukuji8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729418159405121698" border="0" /></a><br />Another garden on the opposite side of the Abbot's residence is this more modern moss garden. I don't know exactly what the gardener had in mind, but one thing that struck me is the strength of nature, held in check by careful and constant pruning and weeding, but suggested in the readiness of the moss to overwhelm and engulf the stone squares.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eUohHG-AIYA/T4L7dGgbXhI/AAAAAAAABBo/ZZ7tHu5NilQ/s1600/Tofukuji10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eUohHG-AIYA/T4L7dGgbXhI/AAAAAAAABBo/ZZ7tHu5NilQ/s400/Tofukuji10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729418153350094354" border="0" /></a><br />The main gate is the oldest 3-doored gate in Japan. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U0j-rmsATPE/T4L7epZUftI/AAAAAAAABCU/2YIwYJDXy9g/s1600/Tofukuji5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U0j-rmsATPE/T4L7epZUftI/AAAAAAAABCU/2YIwYJDXy9g/s400/Tofukuji5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729418179895394002" border="0" /></a>I notice that the Japanese are very fond of stating, very specifically, that something is the oldest example of this exact kind of object. It's kind of amusing. They also like making lists (for example "This garden is considered to be one of the top 3 most beautiful gardens in Japan") but it is not always agreed what the other entries are (which means there are sometimes 7 or 8 temples vying for "top 3"). Very Japanese - nobody has to feel bad about being left out.<br /><br />That brings us to lunchtime on Day 2. My afternoon was a busy one, so I'll make that a separate post.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-70100824322848343672012-04-03T03:59:00.005-07:002012-04-03T04:44:54.593-07:00Failed Blogger ReturnsSo one of my friends called me a "failed Blogger" in jest, but I suppose it's a pretty accurate label insofar as a Blog is supposed to be updated on a daily (or perhaps weekly, but at the very least regular) basis. Whoops!<br /><br />It's not like I've been busy. Perhaps the opposite. I've just been trundling along in my rut, so I haven't really felt like there's been much to post. But I've accumulated a few things in the last 3 months, so here we go.<br /><br />We had New Year's. Here's a picture from the shrine I went to at midnight on New Year's eve.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m7_O4WMD3cI/T3reNIN6fVI/AAAAAAAABAI/cDVdPXVeGQU/s1600/NewYearsShrine.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m7_O4WMD3cI/T3reNIN6fVI/AAAAAAAABAI/cDVdPXVeGQU/s400/NewYearsShrine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727134193280515410" border="0" /></a><br />Winter came and went. Thankfully, winter in Tokyo is no big deal at all. It's pretty pleasant, actually. The air is cool and dry, but rarely frigid by Canadian standards. Sure, it gets cold at night, and Japanese apartments aren't well insulated, so you really feel the cold in your bones when you get out of bed in the morning. But the days are often sunny and bright. It is unusual that it actually snows (perhaps this is due to global warming? Edo-era woodblock prints show no shortage of snow in old Tokyo, it seems) so I took a picture from one of the classrooms at school.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--dYFnq78NM8/T3rY1IzEgTI/AAAAAAAAA_k/jZ3xqaR_plQ/s1600/SnowyDat.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--dYFnq78NM8/T3rY1IzEgTI/AAAAAAAAA_k/jZ3xqaR_plQ/s400/SnowyDat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727128283561361714" border="0" /></a><br />I had a couple months off work in February and March. Well, I had to work a couple weeks in there, but that was actually a welcome distraction from the boredom of having all that free time! I had planned to try and get to the pool every day. That happened for the first little while. I had also planned to try and eat healthy. This was also good at the start, but petered off gradually. One thing that helped me though, was the fact that, just around the corner from my place (literally a 1-minute walk or so) there is a vegetarian, organic cafe that serves really nice lunches. The people who run it are really nice, too.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KO1IZpxDykw/T3rY0SNkS4I/AAAAAAAAA_A/jPSkqMhRF5o/s1600/FatoLunch.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KO1IZpxDykw/T3rY0SNkS4I/AAAAAAAAA_A/jPSkqMhRF5o/s400/FatoLunch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727128268908546946" border="0" /></a><br />So anyway, spring is coming and the first sign of spring is the plum blossom. People usually associate spring in Japan with the cherry blossom, but the plum blooms first and is, in my opinion, quite underrated. The cherry is more delicate, so it gets all the praise, but the plum is pretty great too. And, it smells nice.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vu8lCnT-Y1o/T3rY0ht0i8I/AAAAAAAAA_I/0Gt8-WbHwqA/s1600/PlumsDay.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vu8lCnT-Y1o/T3rY0ht0i8I/AAAAAAAAA_I/0Gt8-WbHwqA/s400/PlumsDay.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727128273070361538" border="0" /></a><br />I went to a park that is famous for its plum trees. They light up the trees at night, too. This shot reminds me of a VanGogh painting, which is funny because of course Van Gogh got his inspiration from Japanese woodblock prints of plum blossoms, among other things.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m2eOVoI_p7w/T3rY1CpgRZI/AAAAAAAAA_U/xg1ke7ZsS0s/s1600/PlumsNight.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m2eOVoI_p7w/T3rY1CpgRZI/AAAAAAAAA_U/xg1ke7ZsS0s/s400/PlumsNight.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727128281910625682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">The park was freezing cold at night and my fingers were so numb I could barely take this picture.<br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>I took a day trip to Kawagoe, which is not that far from where I live, but I haven't been there for a long time. Kawagoe still preserves some old <span style="font-style: italic;">kura</span> or warehouses from the late Edo-period. You can still see the thick shutters and the bars over the windows on the second floor of many of these warehouses, which were to deter burglars. Most of these warehouses are shops selling traditional sweets or handicrafts.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S3tUoyIIjn0/T3rY1hR6zpI/AAAAAAAAA_w/e1c4p8Lo7Bk/s1600/Kawagoe1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S3tUoyIIjn0/T3rY1hR6zpI/AAAAAAAAA_w/e1c4p8Lo7Bk/s400/Kawagoe1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727128290133200530" border="0" /></a><br />Kawagoe's most famous building is its old bell-tower. They rung out the hours on a large bell which you can see at the top. Presumably, most Japanese towns and neighbourhoods in large cities would have had towers like this. Unfortunately, most are no longer standing. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6kQdnWSPE7Y/T3rY7zks5ZI/AAAAAAAAA_8/NNaObTzXExw/s1600/Kawagoe2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6kQdnWSPE7Y/T3rY7zks5ZI/AAAAAAAAA_8/NNaObTzXExw/s400/Kawagoe2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727128398123034002" border="0" /></a><br />Japanese buildings were usually made of wood and paper (stone and brick did not fare well against earthquakes) so they easily succumbed to fire. I heard that Japanese buildings were (and by weight of tradition, often continue to be) flimsily built to (a) be flexible in the event of an earthquake (as mentioned above) and (b) so they could be torn apart easily by firemen in the event of a fire. Since there was no way in the Edo-period to transport large volumes of water, firemen did not battle fires directly but tried to stop the spread of fire by tearing down buildings to create a fire stop.<br /><br />So that's what I got up to in January and February. I was busy in March, so I should have updates soon!Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-92111998230363398442011-12-27T22:35:00.000-08:002011-12-27T22:55:30.116-08:00Merry Belated Christmas and Happy New YearSo Christmas passed without any major disasters here, and I hope you had a nice holiday too. Christmas is always a bit of a bummer in Japan, I've found. Christmas is of course highly commercialized in Canada, but I always felt that, on some level, people were a little bit friendlier to each other, too. It always seemed that most people were taking the whole "goodwill towards men" thing to heart.<br />In Japan though, Christmas is a commercial nightmare of flashing lights and screaming hawkers in Santa hats, and there is none of the underlying gentleness or goodwill. I guess they don't know it, because they've never experienced it.<br />Back home, I feel like there was always a sense of decorum and an appreciation of Christmas as a time of peace. Music, for example, was at least somewhat tasteful (as I recall). Here (as I've mentioned before) you go shopping and you just hear Mariah Carey and some awful synth version of "Last Christmas" by Wham on repeat. You almost never hear any of the Christmas music that I like, which is of the more somber, old-school variety like "O Come All Ye Faithful" or "Good King Wenceslas" - the kind of music that highlights Christmas as a time of light in darkness, warmth in a world which can be literally and figuratively cold.<br />So anyway, Christmas was fine, but I've come to expect almost nothing from Christmas in Japan. The only way to avoid feeling depressed, I think, is to lower your expectations and treat Christmas as "just another day", basically. I did go to a friend's house though, and had dinner and drinks with a few people from work, so that was nice.<br />For New Year's, I am going to Nagoya for a few days. New Year's is a much bigger deal in Japan than Christmas, so maybe I will be able to get my fill of festive feeling in a few days' time!<br />Meanwhile, here's wishing you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! All the best in 2012.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-85562469876855201952011-10-24T06:11:00.000-07:002011-10-24T06:29:39.065-07:00Update ... ?I'm feeling a bit of pressure to update this Blog, but I don't have a lot of news to report. The one thing that did happen recently is that I passed my 5th-dan in Jodo on Saturday. Is 5th-dan a lot? Well, it's supposed to take you about 11 years or so to get to 5th dan, and it's taken me about 17 ... a lot of that delay is due to the fact that when we started doing Jodo in Guelph, there were almost no other people doing it in Canada, and so there were no gradings for the first few years. And the other problem is that I was always moving when I was in Japan, and missed grading opportunites time after time. Oh well. I passed, and everyone said we did really well.<br /><br />Otherwise, no news. The weather is getting cool, which I love. The leaves are starting to turn. Halloween decorations are everywhere, which is a new thing in Japan in the last few years. A woman I work with said that 10 years ago, there were no Halloween decorations to be found, even in Tokyo. (I wouldn't know because I was out in the sticks 10 years ago, and it's probably still like that now!)<br /><br />I have a week's vacation coming up after next week, and so I'll probably go to Kyushu, if I can get myself organized. I'll post pictures if I go.<br /><br />I don't know whether you are still getting "disaster news" over there, but radioactive hot spots have turned up near Tokyo. I had long been predicting that places where rainwater accumulates would end up being radioactive, and that seems to be what is happening. But it's still no cause for alarm ... the levels aren't high enough to be really dangerous ... but it does show that people are still checking these things and the clean-up continues.<br /><br />I'm just doing my thing ... swimming from time to time, working a lot. Business as usual!Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-49368478482476436892011-09-21T04:36:00.000-07:002011-09-21T05:57:46.470-07:00WeatherIt has been hot and muggy here for a while. I don't generally watch the news much at all, so I didn't pay much attention when I heard vague reports that a typhoon was coming. They always seem to be coming, and nothing much ever comes of it.<br />But it seems that a large typhoon struck Japan west of Tokyo, and caused enough damage and flooding that 80,000 people were evacuated in the Nagoya area and another million (!) people advised to leave their homes for safer territory if possible. Wow!<br />The storm was headed pretty much directly over the capitol region, and this morning it was raining heavily at times. Mid-morning it was announced that our afternoon meeting would be cancelled, and then it was announced that the entire university would be shutting down and all staff and students sent home at 1 p.m.<br />I dutifully went home (reluctantly, too, since I had a lot of planning to do) and as I did, the storm was clearly intensifying. My umbrella was popped open by the wind, bending a bunch of the vanes and turning it to garbage. I was quickly soaked down to the skin by the rain, which was coming at me from all sides, it seemed.<br />Once I got home, I had absolutely nothing to do, so I tried to take a nap, but the gusting wind was making too much noise, so I couldn't sleep. The storm got more and more intense, but it didn't top some hurricanes I've been through when I was in Kyushu.<br />Anyway, the storm has passed now, without any major problems for me. (A lot of trains were temporarily stopped, but luckily I was already home by that time.) If you hear about a hurricane or typhoon "blasting Tokyo" or some other hyperbole on the news, don't worry. I'm fine!Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-56060343123204236982011-09-16T20:04:00.000-07:002011-09-17T19:56:43.070-07:00Jan Svankmajer Exhibit in HarajukuI still have a few days off before I start back to work (lucky me!) so I met up with a friend from work and we went and had ramen at our favourite ramen shop. Real ramen is so different from the pre-packaged stuff that I kind of feel sorry for people who have never tried it. (I know that sounds obnoxious ... but then again, last year I had Peking Duck for the first time and I remember thinking, "Wow! Why have I never eaten this before? This is amazing!") In fact, there was a poll recently on <a href="http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/eat/readers-choice-worlds-50-most-delicious-foods-012321?page=0,0">"the best foods in the world"</a>. Ramen came in at number 8, which is perhaps a little bit high, actually, but I agree that, when you're in the mood for some rich, salty pork broth and noodles, there's nothing quite like it. (And remembering my experience with the Peking Duck, I am looking forward to trying some of the other foods on the list that I have never eaten.)<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TanaqRI9i6s/TnVdG04grII/AAAAAAAAA8s/kAha7ENoxrE/s1600/ramen.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TanaqRI9i6s/TnVdG04grII/AAAAAAAAA8s/kAha7ENoxrE/s400/ramen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653527279089790082" border="0" /></a><br />After lunch, I decided to go to an exhibition of some works by Jan Svankmajer. He's a Czech surrealist filmmaker whose movies I have really enjoyed in the past. His films usually have a lot of stop-motion animation and puppetry, and he is not only a painter and a photographer, but a sculptor who makes all kinds of strange, organic looking objects to use in his films.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hmkExA18aGU/TnVdTq0yB-I/AAAAAAAAA9E/VGgODLw6C1A/s1600/JS1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 221px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hmkExA18aGU/TnVdTq0yB-I/AAAAAAAAA9E/VGgODLw6C1A/s400/JS1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653527499728095202" border="0" /></a><br />Most of his pieces are really bizarre and creepy, which means I find them really interesting! It was cool to be able to see the pieces up close, but I was left wondering how he made a lot of them. Because they are to some extent "movie props", I was surprised how good they look up close.<br /><br />Any time I see a really good exhibition, I feel a little bit sad that I haven't kept up my art. I used to draw a lot in high school, and at one stage I considered going to art school, but I went to university for physics instead. It seemed like the more responsible thing to do, but I wonder what my life would be like now had I pursued that direction.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8k5RfS3RVPE/TnVdM5imD7I/AAAAAAAAA80/dkP589kkSG0/s1600/JS3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8k5RfS3RVPE/TnVdM5imD7I/AAAAAAAAA80/dkP589kkSG0/s400/JS3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653527383419260850" border="0" /></a><br />I think it's one thing to do art as a hobby, but life seems to intrude, and you never devote enough time to the art. But if you are a full-time artist, I think one thing inspires the next; you get drawn deeper and deeper into your work, and projects spawn other projects. Certainly, that seems to be the case with Svankmajer, who is extremely prolific and is still active and pursuing new directions now at age 77. One of the most interesting parts of the exhibition was a series of collages on the theme of Japanese ghost stories. Really cool!<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hCvmM9L1B80/TnVdP1T5CII/AAAAAAAAA88/i-u_Ft6-5hA/s1600/JS2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hCvmM9L1B80/TnVdP1T5CII/AAAAAAAAA88/i-u_Ft6-5hA/s400/JS2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653527433823455362" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-78915551214443315112011-09-11T22:27:00.001-07:002011-09-11T22:45:36.684-07:00Back in TokyoTony brought me to the airport from Fergus (thanks Tony!) and I got on my flight without too much difficulty. It was actually about half-empty, so I not only had an emergency exit seat with lots of legroom, but I didn't have anyone sitting beside me. That makes a big difference and I was quite comfortable. Unfortunately, the movies were the same ones as when I came over, so I was really scraping the bottom of the barrel to find something to watch. I saw "Win Win" though, which I wasn't really interested in at first, but which turned out to be quite a nice little movie. I highly recommend it! (And I see it's scoring 94% on Rotten Tomatoes!)<br /><br />Canada had been very cool before I left, (downright cold at times) and then the plane was of course very chilly ... so I was in for a shock when I left the plane and immediately upon setting foot in the gangway (is that the right word?) got hit with a blast of hot air like out of an oven. Wow. The airport itself was also quite warm, as they are trying to save energy in Tokyo and have the air conditioning set at about 28 degrees or so. I was sweating as I stood around waiting for my suitcase to come off the carousel.<br /><br />I got home with no difficulty and Yoshie came over to see me. She enjoyed her presents from Canada, I think, and was happy to see me. Unfortunately, I was tired from my flight and a bit jet-lagged, so I fell asleep at about 9 pm. I got up for an hour or so, but then fell asleep again at around midnight.<br /><br />Today is my birthday (very mixed feelings about that!) so Yoshie has gotten reservations for tonight at an interesting-looking Thai restaurant we saw in Akasaka a couple months ago. There is a Belgian beer bar next door, so I am looking forward to having some expensive, delicious Belgian beers after dinner. Tonight is just the two of us, but I will probably go out with some friends later this week for a post-birthday get together.<br /><br />Oh, in other news, when I got home, my score from the Level 1 Japanese Language Proficiency Test (I took it in July) was waiting for me. The whole time I was in Canada, people were asking me, "So how's your Japanese? You must be pretty fluent by now, right?" I never know how to answer this question. First of all, as a language teacher, the very word "fluent" conjures up a concept which is very slippery and hard to define. In fact, I have been reading academic papers about the very topic of measuring fluency, and it is by no means agreed-upon or easy to do. But even in general terms, I never know how to respond. Can I order food in a restaurant? Usually, yes. Can I discuss politics or philosophy like an adult? Not a chance. So does that mean I'm fluent? I usually say no. This answer is supported by the results of my test. I failed pretty dismally (69 points out of 180) ... although it is the highest-level JLP Test going, and the one that, if you pass it, you are eligible to study at Japanese Universities. So, if/when I ever pass that test, I will say, "Yes, I'm fluent." Until then, I don't think so ...Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-67663337262764945862011-09-11T22:13:00.000-07:002011-09-11T22:19:26.308-07:00A Week in Ontario<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_CheeVZuIPA/Tm2VOMEJ9II/AAAAAAAAA7s/5MwfHP5GkOM/s1600/12KipKCZambo.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T_2WBfVpCbE/Tm2VOPgWeoI/AAAAAAAAA70/nzfPuOUY5Ho/s1600/13DaveGarnetMe.jpg"><br /></a><br />I went back to Ontario on August 31st. Because my holidays are slightly shorter this year than they were last year, I only had a week in Ontario. Although I was fortunate enough to see some friends...<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_CheeVZuIPA/Tm2VOMEJ9II/AAAAAAAAA7s/5MwfHP5GkOM/s1600/12KipKCZambo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_CheeVZuIPA/Tm2VOMEJ9II/AAAAAAAAA7s/5MwfHP5GkOM/s400/12KipKCZambo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651337178409202818" border="0" /></a><br />I didn't get to see some people. I only have myself to blame because of my poor organizational skills. Sorry about that.<br /><br />It was also the first time I've been back since my father died, so we had a burial and memorial service in Bond Head where my grandparents are also buried. The service was simple but very touching and it went as well as could be hoped, I thought. I got to see my cousin Garnet for the first time in I don't know how long. 15 years, maybe.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T_2WBfVpCbE/Tm2VOPgWeoI/AAAAAAAAA70/nzfPuOUY5Ho/s1600/13DaveGarnetMe.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T_2WBfVpCbE/Tm2VOPgWeoI/AAAAAAAAA70/nzfPuOUY5Ho/s400/13DaveGarnetMe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651337179332770434" border="0" /></a>Dad wasn't a big drinker but he did enjoy a shot of rye whiskey from time to time. We had a drink by the grave and reminisced together.<br /><br />One week in Ontario went by all too quickly. My sincere thanks to everyone who was able to take time out of their schedules to visit with me and/or put me up at their place and/or chauffeur me around the province. It was appreciated.<br /><br />I'm hoping to update this blog a little more often ... but I've said that before! I'll do my best to keep up to date and to stay in touch. Feel free to drop me a line or give me a call on Skype or something! Talk to you soon.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-37197665997834461352011-09-11T21:47:00.000-07:002011-09-11T22:12:58.109-07:00Tokyo Bay Cruise, and Home to CanadaAfter finishing work for the summer, I went with a bunch of coworkers on a Tokyo Bay Cruise. This is great fun and I wonder why I haven't done it before now. You go down to the harbour and buy a ticket for the 2-hour cruise, which is all-you-can-drink. (Wheeeee!) The cruise attracts mostly college-students and people in their 20's, and many Japanese people tend to dress up in their yukata (colourful summer-weight robes) and sandals. It makes for a very fun atmosphere.<br /><br />There were about 10 of us, and of that number, 5 or 6 of us wore Japanese-style clothes. (I didn't, because when I dug out my jimbei - a kind of casual, summery shirt with short pants - it was hopelessly wrinkled and needed to be washed.) We made a funny group because a number of us are really tall. I'm about 6'4" but my coworkers Rob and Matt are even taller than me! And then there are a couple guys around 6'. So when we were all standing together, we made quite a group, and attracted a lot of stares (and friendly smiles).<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i9GA301IU9o/Tm2PGGT1bnI/AAAAAAAAA58/f2t8sQUGRI4/s1600/291665_648329323535_285400451_5828434_5139552_o.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i9GA301IU9o/Tm2PGGT1bnI/AAAAAAAAA58/f2t8sQUGRI4/s400/291665_648329323535_285400451_5828434_5139552_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651330442355633778" border="0" /></a>The cruise just sort of goes out into Tokyo Bay, floats around for a while, and then turns around and comes back. Tokyo is very pretty at night, although my photos (taken with my crappy iPhone camera) don't really convey that very well.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FsgStNMQYuU/Tm2Oj8Z2QAI/AAAAAAAAA5s/RRrkNZHYrCI/s1600/01TokyoBayCruise.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FsgStNMQYuU/Tm2Oj8Z2QAI/AAAAAAAAA5s/RRrkNZHYrCI/s320/01TokyoBayCruise.jpg" border="0" height="239" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">That orange thing-y is actually Tokyo Tower.</span><br /></div><br />A bit after the Tokyo Bay Cruise, (or perhaps it was before, I don't recall) I went for a picnic beside a river outside of Tokyo with my friend Tyler and some of his Japanese friends. It was quite enjoyable to splash around a bit in the river. I didn't actually dive in, but some people did! Here I am goofing around with Tyler ...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U0XPj4y_CFc/Tm2OtbHMORI/AAAAAAAAA50/fi05Nl0HhFw/s1600/206157_10150741167180113_638940112_20084571_1090496_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U0XPj4y_CFc/Tm2OtbHMORI/AAAAAAAAA50/fi05Nl0HhFw/s320/206157_10150741167180113_638940112_20084571_1090496_n.jpg" border="0" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br />Before long, it was time to go back to Canada. This time, I flew into Toronto and then directly on to Moncton. My flight to Toronto was delayed, and I was worried I would miss the last flight to Moncton, but it all worked out in the end.<br /><br />It was great to be back, although to be honest, I do feel a bit out-of-sorts when I am home. It is hard to explain why, exactly, except to say that after 6 years away, everything is rather unfamiliar. And at the same time, there is something weird about one's sense of time. Although I have been away for a year, it feels like it has only been a few months. Japan and Canada seem like different worlds, and time flows at different speeds in each of them, somehow ...<br /><br />Anyway, going back to New Brunswick is my summer ritual, and is something I have done almost every summer since I was a little kid. It was great to be back to the cottage and to see everyone enjoying themselves. David and his kids love oysters, although I don't partake.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s75rvzLukC4/Tm2RVN8I7RI/AAAAAAAAA6E/5ysLQ4IiT18/s1600/02KidsOysters.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s75rvzLukC4/Tm2RVN8I7RI/AAAAAAAAA6E/5ysLQ4IiT18/s400/02KidsOysters.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651332901125025042" border="0" /></a><br />Although it's very small, the cottage is always full of friends and family. It is amazing to see the kids getting bigger every year.<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-013MrHvjHuc/Tm2RVhZPdDI/AAAAAAAAA6U/SrJsMgv5_4s/s1600/04ElizabethWill.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-013MrHvjHuc/Tm2RVhZPdDI/AAAAAAAAA6U/SrJsMgv5_4s/s400/04ElizabethWill.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651332906347361330" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SEG8hF3fl1c/Tm2RVSr9NnI/AAAAAAAAA6M/6kJGPI2Bfdk/s1600/03LilyFrankLexy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SEG8hF3fl1c/Tm2RVSr9NnI/AAAAAAAAA6M/6kJGPI2Bfdk/s400/03LilyFrankLexy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651332902399325810" border="0" /></a>We celebrated cousin Kate's, and her daughter Lily's, birthdays...<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-46FqpJulTJY/Tm2UbO8V0mI/AAAAAAAAA7k/ZchgwNRLk3c/s1600/KateLily.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-46FqpJulTJY/Tm2UbO8V0mI/AAAAAAAAA7k/ZchgwNRLk3c/s400/KateLily.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651336303008404066" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LDf18v3KgMs/Tm2RV7AJN2I/AAAAAAAAA6c/0t5EuMMRX3Q/s1600/05BobWill.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LDf18v3KgMs/Tm2RV7AJN2I/AAAAAAAAA6c/0t5EuMMRX3Q/s400/05BobWill.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651332913221416802" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wsUlm4YmGqI/Tm2RWN97ntI/AAAAAAAAA6k/b6d69Z7bDCI/s1600/AnnaPigNose.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wsUlm4YmGqI/Tm2RWN97ntI/AAAAAAAAA6k/b6d69Z7bDCI/s400/AnnaPigNose.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651332918312410834" border="0" /></a>Rob had us over to his cottage for a lobstravaganza...<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vlvaofmk2dE/Tm2RifaAg5I/AAAAAAAAA6s/QvmEYa8Hndo/s1600/06Lobsters.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vlvaofmk2dE/Tm2RifaAg5I/AAAAAAAAA6s/QvmEYa8Hndo/s400/06Lobsters.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651333129152005010" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eQYkNcSKhnU/Tm2RizUVZQI/AAAAAAAAA68/ET1zHPNb4mo/s1600/MomBarbLobsters.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eQYkNcSKhnU/Tm2RizUVZQI/AAAAAAAAA68/ET1zHPNb4mo/s400/MomBarbLobsters.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651333134496916738" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uHgCTPwIDYc/Tm2RitYK6oI/AAAAAAAAA60/VD8-SEjavxk/s1600/07Harts.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uHgCTPwIDYc/Tm2RitYK6oI/AAAAAAAAA60/VD8-SEjavxk/s400/07Harts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651333132902394498" border="0" /></a><br />Before I got to NB, I heard that the weather was lousy, but it seemed to clear up around the time I got there. Coincidence? I think not.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ms1sxylDxqo/Tm2RjNXlvsI/AAAAAAAAA7E/9rdKoAeVS2U/s1600/08CottageArea.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ms1sxylDxqo/Tm2RjNXlvsI/AAAAAAAAA7E/9rdKoAeVS2U/s400/08CottageArea.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651333141489893058" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9teHHK3jJBI/Tm2RjDpW9DI/AAAAAAAAA7M/4YgZm9ckS0o/s1600/10TheBeach.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9teHHK3jJBI/Tm2RjDpW9DI/AAAAAAAAA7M/4YgZm9ckS0o/s400/10TheBeach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651333138880066610" border="0" /></a><br />Rob had some flippers, snorkels, and masks, and I learned how to dive for quahaugs. You have to look for 2 little breathing holes, and then dig down quickly before they have a chance to dig themselves in deeper. I was quite successful, I think!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EdksmZYMO2s/Tm2RnjEzVpI/AAAAAAAAA7U/66hC1GQrVDM/s1600/11Clams.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EdksmZYMO2s/Tm2RnjEzVpI/AAAAAAAAA7U/66hC1GQrVDM/s400/11Clams.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651333216036148882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">What am I supposed to do with these things now?<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">All too soon, it was the end of August and time to go back to Ontario.<br /></div></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-37131164430666377362011-04-17T21:17:00.000-07:002011-04-17T21:40:14.403-07:00Cherry BlossomsIt has been cherry blossom season for the past couple weeks. This is a precious season that always goes by so quickly that it feels like it only lasts a few days, but it does actually last about 2 weeks from start to finish. I was lucky this year in that I had a lot of free time to get out and enjoy it, a few times and in a few different places.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gdpjeasmk0Y/Tau8kQQGbYI/AAAAAAAAA4w/O5KY6hWfSvY/s1600/blossoms3.jpg"><br /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6-xegg9l7TU/Tau8kdNuj0I/AAAAAAAAA4o/mMh74vcJPQo/s1600/Blossoms01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6-xegg9l7TU/Tau8kdNuj0I/AAAAAAAAA4o/mMh74vcJPQo/s400/Blossoms01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596774296441491266" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Taken near my place, on about the 2nd day of the season. <br />One day there were only buds on the trees, the next warm day, suddenly everything was white.<br /><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ust50bn624o/Tau8k0sYlMI/AAAAAAAAA5A/ctWZa9EyhOU/s1600/Streetview.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ust50bn624o/Tau8k0sYlMI/AAAAAAAAA5A/ctWZa9EyhOU/s400/Streetview.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596774302744089794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">These 2 photos are the view on my street...<br /></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AhaoMc6ageM/Tau8lC1x7iI/AAAAAAAAA5I/rLtP6qxfa0g/s1600/Streetview2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AhaoMc6ageM/Tau8lC1x7iI/AAAAAAAAA5I/rLtP6qxfa0g/s400/Streetview2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596774306541596194" border="0" /></a><br />One of the cool things about cherry trees is that the trees themselves are so ugly: rough black bark, twisty limbs ... but then suddenly they explode in these fantastic blossoms.<br /><br />A week later, we went to Shakuji Park, a couple stops away from my place. A lot of the blossoms had fallen already, but depending on the species, some blossoms start later. These trees were in full bloom.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gdpjeasmk0Y/Tau8kQQGbYI/AAAAAAAAA4w/O5KY6hWfSvY/s1600/blossoms3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gdpjeasmk0Y/Tau8kQQGbYI/AAAAAAAAA4w/O5KY6hWfSvY/s400/blossoms3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596774292961783170" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9izEfDhywac/Tau8kniHSHI/AAAAAAAAA44/rXuQVFUCKCw/s1600/blossoms4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9izEfDhywac/Tau8kniHSHI/AAAAAAAAA44/rXuQVFUCKCw/s400/blossoms4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596774299211352178" border="0" /></a><br />Then about a week later, I went for a walk around Shinjuku and ended up in Shinjuku Park. It was also nearly finished, but it was still beautiful. When it is in full bloom, it is stunning.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qyFNKbYdWIg/Tau8WHTogLI/AAAAAAAAA4A/mgpkJ1gAD_A/s1600/Pickle.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qyFNKbYdWIg/Tau8WHTogLI/AAAAAAAAA4A/mgpkJ1gAD_A/s400/Pickle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596774050042511538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Random picture of a cool building: this looks like a pickle to me but I think Japanese people call it "the coccoon".<br /> It's actually a college of art and design, I guess.<br /><br /><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-st1vNfJQoZM/Tau8Xb2FnMI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/5zG-JhVP8ss/s1600/ShinjukuGyoen3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-st1vNfJQoZM/Tau8Xb2FnMI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/5zG-JhVP8ss/s400/ShinjukuGyoen3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596774072735603906" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4pqPK9U2HJ0/Tau8WaSA3FI/AAAAAAAAA4I/A6oUzxnsRY8/s1600/ShinjukuGyoen1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4pqPK9U2HJ0/Tau8WaSA3FI/AAAAAAAAA4I/A6oUzxnsRY8/s400/ShinjukuGyoen1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596774055135992914" border="0" /></a>The park wasn't very crowded because it was near the end of flower-viewing season, because it was a bit cloudy and rainy, and also because the governor of Tokyo called for people to hold off on hanami (flower viewing parties) this year because of the disaster. Although I understand his sentiment, I think it's counterproductive to tell people not to celebrate life. Also, the sake-makers from the northeastern areas, who have already been hit hard, have been imploring people to drink and make merry and keep buying their products. These good people are doing their part...<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rTj_J2VHc78/Tau8Wjde02I/AAAAAAAAA4Q/071_L1TbA_k/s1600/ShinjukuGyoen2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rTj_J2VHc78/Tau8Wjde02I/AAAAAAAAA4Q/071_L1TbA_k/s400/ShinjukuGyoen2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596774057600013154" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qyFNKbYdWIg/Tau8WHTogLI/AAAAAAAAA4A/mgpkJ1gAD_A/s1600/Pickle.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yd4QGeZQCpM/Tau8X5FchTI/AAAAAAAAA4g/pEp7RCbEyKQ/s1600/ShinjukuGyoen4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yd4QGeZQCpM/Tau8X5FchTI/AAAAAAAAA4g/pEp7RCbEyKQ/s400/ShinjukuGyoen4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596774080584647986" border="0" /></a>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-3139628721977977352011-04-10T19:53:00.000-07:002011-04-10T20:51:44.194-07:00One month on ...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Uo3MnOFAW3A/TaJ53A2JxRI/AAAAAAAAA34/Q1CfU_bqVQM/s1600/CarMuseum4.jpg"><br /></a><br />One month has passed and we're finally starting to get a handle on the enormity of this disaster. About 27,000 people dead or missing; 150,000 people displaced. Before-and-after pictures, as well as videos of the tsunami itself, show the incredible power of nature.<br /><br />Aftershocks have been continuing almost daily. Some of them are almost too weak to even notice; they feel as if the house shivered a little bit. Others last over a minute and are quite strong. The ones in the week or so following the quake were the scariest. These constant aftershocks, plus all the scary news out of Fukushima concerning the failing reactors, was making it a terrifying, nerve-racking situation.<br /><br />One week after the quake, I decided to get out of Tokyo. In the wake of the disaster, it seemed as though foreigners were splitting into 2 camps: alarmists who eagerly reported every bit of bad news and every panicky rumor, and the pacifiers, who insisted that everything was going to be all right, without providing any evidence whatsoever. I went back and forth between these two extremes about 5 times a day, believing deep down that everything was going to be fine, but unable to stop thinking about how bad it could ultimately get.<br /><br />At times, the alarmists seemed like they hoped the worst-case-scenario would come true, so they could say "I told you so!" Meanwhile, the pacifiers were turning it into a big show of their manhood - if you joined the other foreigners who were leaving Tokyo, you were a big pussy.<br />But more and more people - not just foreigners - were getting out of Tokyo while the getting was good, and the real criterion seemed to be that, if you <span style="font-style: italic;">could</span> leave, you left. The people who stayed, despite all their claims of being unworried and unafraid, really stayed because they couldn't get the time off work, or their Japanese families would have looked down on them and been terribly disappointed, or they just had no place to go.<br /><br />The pressure from both sides was really stressing me out, and ended up leaving me really disappointed in a lot of people who I had considered my friends. And in the end, March was supposed to be my vacation time. I had nowhere to be, no responsibilities ... so, as planned, I left Tokyo. As you can tell by my lengthy explanation, I felt guilty about going, and wanted to justify it to somebody ...<br /><br />On Friday, one week after the intial quake, we got on a bullet train for Nagoya. As soon as I got on the train, I felt a lot of stress dissolving. I was happy to put distance between myself and the reactors, but also, I felt like I was beginning my holidays.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fQuXWimePgU/TaJ2GvBT9aI/AAAAAAAAA2o/3nljghlgObk/s1600/Nagoya.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fQuXWimePgU/TaJ2GvBT9aI/AAAAAAAAA2o/3nljghlgObk/s400/Nagoya.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594163545220838818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Japan has a lot of groovy, futuristic architecture.</span><br /></div><br />Nagoya was nice, although I admit I spent a lot of time parked in front of the TV watching the news. We just sort of laid low and relaxed, but one day we went to the Automobile Museum in Toyota city. I'm not overly interested in cars, to be honest, but Toyota has spent a lot of money acquiring and restoring historically-important cars and displaying them in perfect condition. I'm going to go out on a limb and say this must be one of the best collections of old cars in the world. These photos are only a small fraction of what they had on display.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r8a6f3ZedFA/TaJ2c1SKr-I/AAAAAAAAA3Y/ID1iG_nWFwg/s1600/CarMuseum1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r8a6f3ZedFA/TaJ2c1SKr-I/AAAAAAAAA3Y/ID1iG_nWFwg/s400/CarMuseum1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594163924859269090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">First ever automobile? By Karl Benz, 1885.<br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G7sYEEAX-aE/TaJ2cxiJR1I/AAAAAAAAA3g/kdyMcbGlS7I/s1600/CarMuseum2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G7sYEEAX-aE/TaJ2cxiJR1I/AAAAAAAAA3g/kdyMcbGlS7I/s400/CarMuseum2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594163923852543826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Most magnificent automobile ever? Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. The engine was so quiet it was said to pass by like a ghost.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l78hBxJPBcg/TaJ2dNCKN7I/AAAAAAAAA3o/oqfapd28IWA/s1600/CarMuseum3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l78hBxJPBcg/TaJ2dNCKN7I/AAAAAAAAA3o/oqfapd28IWA/s400/CarMuseum3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594163931234580402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">The Stanley Steamer - an automobile powered by a steam boiler! The BetaMax of automobiles.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Uo3MnOFAW3A/TaJ53A2JxRI/AAAAAAAAA34/Q1CfU_bqVQM/s1600/CarMuseum4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Uo3MnOFAW3A/TaJ53A2JxRI/AAAAAAAAA34/Q1CfU_bqVQM/s400/CarMuseum4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594167673174476050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">No idea what this is - except I seem to recall it's Italian - and it's super cool.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GRP3UStIsFw/TaJ2HIcXPxI/AAAAAAAAA2w/rDAqGJn5PRw/s1600/CarMuseum8.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GRP3UStIsFw/TaJ2HIcXPxI/AAAAAAAAA2w/rDAqGJn5PRw/s400/CarMuseum8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594163552045186834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Is this Honda the smallest car ever? I dunno, but it's pretty damn small.<br />It seriously looks like a toy car that a rich kid would get on his birthday.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Yp8McK2Dgg/TaJ3heUOnfI/AAAAAAAAA3w/MU6Iaxu2XRE/s1600/CarMuseum5.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Yp8McK2Dgg/TaJ3heUOnfI/AAAAAAAAA3w/MU6Iaxu2XRE/s400/CarMuseum5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594165104104873458" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Most beautiful car ever? My vote might go for the simple, elegant but shark-like lines of this Jaguar E-type.<br /><br /></span></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gDmTSVgwwrw/TaJ2HGxBZaI/AAAAAAAAA24/PJdmHNPiSUA/s1600/CarMuseum6.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gDmTSVgwwrw/TaJ2HGxBZaI/AAAAAAAAA24/PJdmHNPiSUA/s400/CarMuseum6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594163551594964386" border="0" /></a><br /><br />From Nagoya, I caught another bullet train to Okayama, and then a normal express train across the Seto Bridge to Shikoku, the smallest of the 4 main islands that comprise Japan. It was my first time in Shikoku. I went to Matsuyama city, in Ehime prefecture, and stayed with my friend Mike, who is a former co-worker. Mike is starting teaching at Ehime University, but he had a few weeks off before the semester started, so I stayed at his place for a few days.<br /><br />Matsuyama is a really lovely, smallish city with a beautiful castle in the middle of town. The castle is one of only 12 original castles in Japan. The others were either torn down in the wave of modernization that swept Japan following the restoration of the Meiji Emperor, or were burned during the bombings in WW2. In fact, Matsuyama castle burned down after being hit by lightning in the late 1700's, I believe, but was rebuilt in the early 1800's, so it qualifies as being an "original" castle.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U3wtqF8NYKc/TaJ2GeyducI/AAAAAAAAA2g/Mpjq3Tr9jTw/s1600/MatsuyamaJo2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U3wtqF8NYKc/TaJ2GeyducI/AAAAAAAAA2g/Mpjq3Tr9jTw/s400/MatsuyamaJo2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594163540863596994" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sLQdTfJiMJg/TaJ2GYewSrI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/aS0wcDgmZCE/s1600/MatsuyamaJo1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sLQdTfJiMJg/TaJ2GYewSrI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/aS0wcDgmZCE/s400/MatsuyamaJo1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594163539170314930" border="0" /></a><br />It was built by Kato Yoshiaki, whose statue stands on a side street near one of the castle entrances.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2YdXeeqJJkc/TaJ15FaadKI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/u8owZQPZJYg/s1600/KatoYoshiaki.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2YdXeeqJJkc/TaJ15FaadKI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/u8owZQPZJYg/s400/KatoYoshiaki.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594163310713533602" border="0" /></a><br /><br />One of the nice things is that they have an interactive exhibit where you can try on some samurai armour. I've been to quite a few castles and this is the first time I've seen something like this. I wish more museums and historical sites would let you try things like this. I was at the castle by myself, so I had to snap this picture from the hip, reflected in a mirror. Oh, the helmet was WAY too small for me too. Very painful.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TX1Cl6YDUSo/TaJ14vut1GI/AAAAAAAAA2I/SN4rfdyaV9Q/s1600/SamuraiJeff.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 297px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TX1Cl6YDUSo/TaJ14vut1GI/AAAAAAAAA2I/SN4rfdyaV9Q/s400/SamuraiJeff.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594163304893109346" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Speaking of samurai armour, I went to an annual demonstration of samurai fighting arts back in February. These guys demonstrate their sword skills in full armour. Very cool!<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yUt-GbQZoyI/TaJ14qslEQI/AAAAAAAAA2A/566V1VVyJQk/s1600/KobudoDemo.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yUt-GbQZoyI/TaJ14qslEQI/AAAAAAAAA2A/566V1VVyJQk/s400/KobudoDemo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594163303541969154" border="0" /></a><br /><br />At some point prior to the earthquake, I went to an exhibition hall in Odaiba, Tokyo and saw some of Toyota's prototypes and concept vehicles incorporating their robotics technology. One is a mobile platform for people with disabilities, that can walk up stairs, etc. and across rough terrain.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TJcuX-SDopA/TaJ14BuKWvI/AAAAAAAAA14/TjUs1ros8kU/s1600/Walker.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TJcuX-SDopA/TaJ14BuKWvI/AAAAAAAAA14/TjUs1ros8kU/s400/Walker.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594163292542753522" border="0" /></a><br />Another area they are developing is the "personal urban vehicle" sector - something which the existence of the Segway scooter proves there is a real demand for. They had a number of small scooter-like devices, but they also had this cool chair-car-thing which was shown zipping along the road at about 50 km/h in an accompanying video. Cool!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WhEwb1BXwEM/TaJ14JZsgaI/AAAAAAAAA1w/VhLRvKPG6dI/s1600/ChairCar.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WhEwb1BXwEM/TaJ14JZsgaI/AAAAAAAAA1w/VhLRvKPG6dI/s400/ChairCar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594163294604394914" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Anyway, this was a super-random post, wasn't it? Earthquakes, nuclear reactors melting down (almost), samurai and castles, walking robots. Practically a typical month in Japan ...Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-66708464417567601192011-03-14T00:52:00.000-07:002011-03-14T01:32:00.668-07:003 days after...Hi everyone. I'm okay!<br /><br />I was about to launch into a long and tedious description of my experience in the earthquake, but then thought better of it. Long story short: I was in a coffee shop on the 3rd floor of a 10-storey building. The higher up you are, and the taller the building that you are in, the more you get shaken up, as a general rule. The building started shaking like crazy, people started screaming, I threw decorum to the wind and got under the table like everyone else. We just waited under there for a couple minutes, praying and waiting for the earthquake to subside. Afterwards, we decided to go outside. The streets were full of people and traffic had stopped.<br /><br />We figured that a park was the best place to be, away from any tall buildings. We went to a small local park and on the way saw a few buildings which had lost windows, or which had panels coming off. One building had a burst water pipe on the 8th floor or so.<br /><br />At the park, a lot of people had gathered. The general atmosphere was a combination of nervous laughter and genuine fear, with a few people taking pictures. Everyone was checking their phones, wanting to contact loved ones and seeking information, but nobody could get through. A few aftershocks struck over the next half hour or so. You could see buildings shaking, especially when two buildings were close together and you could see the space between them opening and closing. A few army helicopters flew overhead, and at one point a jumbo jet flew quite low over us, probably diverted away from Haneda airport.<br /><br />We waited at the park until it seemed like most of the immediate aftershocks were over. Then, seeing as how all trains were stopped, and buses and taxis were impossible to get, we decided to walk home. I was quite lucky: I live only 2 hours away from Ikebukuro so I got home while it was still light. Some of my friends walked for 5 or 6 hours and some people I know had to spend the night in their offices.<br /><br />Now I am back home, and things are surprisingly normal, at least for now. I have electricity (which, apart from my computer and my refrigerator, I am trying to conserve) and hot water. I have food and drink. It is worrying, however, that most places have little or no drinking water (other drinks -beer, pop, juice, milk - are available) and there has been a run on bread and other ready-to-eat foods like instant ramen. Overall though, at least for now, there is still food and drink available.<br /><br />This might change, though, because gasoline seems to be impossible to get at the moment, and I'm sure this will impact shipping and distribution of food and other supplies. Hopefully this situation gets rectified soon, because it is a bit worrying. I don't want to go and hoard all kinds of food, but I wonder if that is the smart thing to do now...?<br /><br />The next worry is the nuclear power plants in Fukushima. There are 4 of them side-by-side that all seem to be having trouble. There was an explosion at #1 on Saturday, an explosion at #3 today, and now they are reporting that the cooling system at #2 has failed. This can't be good. Well-meaning friends are kind of fanning the flames of panic by suggesting that we all go and get potassium-iodide pills to protect ourselves from radiation poisoning. I don't know what to make of that, frankly...<br /><br />Another worry is the increasingly obvious fact that the government is controlling the media, limiting what they can and can't report. This is evidently to control panic, but I think nothing causes panic quite like mis-information, rumors, and the feeling that you're not getting the full story. They have an obligation to tell us what is really happening, but it is obvious now that they are waiting until events are no longer deniable before confirming them. Scary. <br /><br />Train service seems to be sporadic, and they have announced scheduled power outages for lots of places. On top of this, the meteorological agency (also responsible for earthquake predicting and reporting) is saying that there is a 70% chance of another quake of magnitude around 7, in the next few days.<br /><br />In other words, everything is okay right now, but there is a lot of anxiety about the immediate future and the next couple weeks. I'll try to stay in touch.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-22346764574340286102011-02-13T03:41:00.000-08:002011-02-13T04:07:36.935-08:00Update, at long lastWow, I wasn't intending to leave things this long, but I guess I lost track of time!<br /><br />It wasn't a particularly eventful autumn. I injured my knee doing iaido, and so I was forced to stop practicing both iai and jodo for a while (I have since resumed jodo). I couldn't walk without being in a lot of pain for a long time, but I'm pretty much okay now.<br /><br />Fall was very pretty on campus. The gingko trees turn a really wonderful, bright yellow colour that would look even more impressive if this picture had been taken on a clear day instead of a cloudy one.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d1P5O1p257M/TVfD5cDwVMI/AAAAAAAAA04/r087E5aP7qc/s1600/Rikkyo3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d1P5O1p257M/TVfD5cDwVMI/AAAAAAAAA04/r087E5aP7qc/s400/Rikkyo3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573138455446181058" border="0" /></a><br />Rikkyo is one of the few university campuses in Japan that is old enough to look like what I consider a university to look like: ivy-covered, church-like brick and stone buildings. Most universities in Japan are fairly new and most buildings are concrete.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-diLEY5vbFoQ/TVfD5NwhShI/AAAAAAAAA0w/7mbyu8pxGik/s1600/Rikkyo2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-diLEY5vbFoQ/TVfD5NwhShI/AAAAAAAAA0w/7mbyu8pxGik/s400/Rikkyo2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573138451607407122" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4ePG_nzCVyE/TVfD49VeA4I/AAAAAAAAA0o/eWRdNAdSUFA/s1600/Rikkyo1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4ePG_nzCVyE/TVfD49VeA4I/AAAAAAAAA0o/eWRdNAdSUFA/s400/Rikkyo1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573138447198978946" border="0" /></a><br />So autumn went by pretty quickly. Christmas came and went without too much fanfare. For New Years, my friends Ed and Miki were in town visiting her parents, so we went to the National Museum in Ueno to see a performance. Here is Ebisu, god of fishing... he's got his little fishing rod ...<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uA4I5omphn4/TVfD5q-QGNI/AAAAAAAAA1A/yRekjctLxaI/s1600/NewYears1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uA4I5omphn4/TVfD5q-QGNI/AAAAAAAAA1A/yRekjctLxaI/s400/NewYears1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573138459449628882" border="0" /></a><br />And here is Daikokuten, god of wealth and commerce. Why he has a mallet, I'm not exactly sure. To crack open sake kegs to start the celebration? Does he symbolize carpentry as a representative trade? No idea. A quick check of Wikipedia says something about a "magic money mallet" ...<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4aLvbORHE1U/TVfD537bwEI/AAAAAAAAA1I/kI9re1WoPjs/s1600/NewYearsDay2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4aLvbORHE1U/TVfD537bwEI/AAAAAAAAA1I/kI9re1WoPjs/s400/NewYearsDay2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573138462927470658" border="0" /></a><br />There were also lion-dogs dancing. After the performance, people tried to get the lion-dogs to bite them, as this is evidently good luck.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GSw9tAk4k4k/TVfEGS7ZInI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/r661ne16hO0/s1600/NewYears3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GSw9tAk4k4k/TVfEGS7ZInI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/r661ne16hO0/s400/NewYears3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573138676333486706" border="0" /></a><br />After the performance, we wanted to go to a shrine, because I hadn't been yet. I suggested Yushima shrine, because I had worked in that neighbourhood before, and was familiar with the shrine. I didn't realize, though, just how crowded it would be! Look at all the people lined up to get in! The wait must have been 3 - 4 hours, at least. There was an almost-equally long line behind me, inside the shrine gates.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CwBNZt645uQ/TVfEGp50FlI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/cz2NDth91Hs/s1600/NewYears4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CwBNZt645uQ/TVfEGp50FlI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/cz2NDth91Hs/s400/NewYears4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573138682500879954" border="0" /></a><br />So anyway, we said forget it. I ended up going to a much smaller shrine, a couple days later.<br /><br />In mid-January, a friend and I went to see an exhibit of some Albrecht Durer etchings and woodcuts. They are insanely detailed and surprisingly small. I'm sure he had a lot of assistants, but even so, producing even one of these pictures must have taken hundreds of man-hours. And he produced quite a volume of them in his life. We wouldn't think of making something like that without a computer, nowadays. How strange... technology has made us helpless!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HxDo_SKdtEs/TVfI8k9PS8I/AAAAAAAAA1o/4kBPkn_om_Y/s1600/durer3212.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HxDo_SKdtEs/TVfI8k9PS8I/AAAAAAAAA1o/4kBPkn_om_Y/s400/durer3212.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573144006932515778" border="0" /></a><br />Outside the museum is a cast of Rodin's "The Thinker". Wikipedia says that there are actually dozens of "Thinkers" around the world. I had no idea.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ioawdQXpYEM/TVfEG-VhIKI/AAAAAAAAA1g/u9pfAfCnFR8/s1600/The%2BPooper.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ioawdQXpYEM/TVfEG-VhIKI/AAAAAAAAA1g/u9pfAfCnFR8/s400/The%2BPooper.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573138687985787042" border="0" /></a><br />I'm on vacation now, and doing very little. Well, that's not entirely true. I'm taking Japanese classes once in a while, meeting friends, going swimming, going to jodo practice, reading lots of books, going to galleries, going shopping ... and I may get a short little trip in. I don't want to spend too much money, though, so we'll see what happens!Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-77706548026316466072010-11-16T04:19:00.001-08:002010-11-16T04:52:35.863-08:00Lots of PhotosHi everyone. Well, it was a hell of a September and October. My deep gratitude to everyone who helped in any way, shape, or form. Thanks for helping me get through it.<br /><br />Without further ado...<br /><br />A couple weekends ago I went to the Tokyo Design Festa at a convention center called Tokyo Big Sight [sic]. An appropriate place for an art and design show, the building itself is interesting architecturally. I felt it somehow takes inspiration from traditional Japanese building styles, but re-imagines it in steel and glass. Kinda cool, I thought.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3upyeFSI/AAAAAAAAA0I/oeYF3kJzMsk/s1600/01TokyoBigSight.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 264px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3upyeFSI/AAAAAAAAA0I/oeYF3kJzMsk/s400/01TokyoBigSight.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540122134994359586" border="0" /></a><br />It is hard to say what the Design Festa is all about, except that there don't seem to be any real rules. There were a lot of things that I would describe as "whimsical".<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3tnsiDjI/AAAAAAAAA0A/KG89fzAlvbQ/s1600/02SnotNose.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3tnsiDjI/AAAAAAAAA0A/KG89fzAlvbQ/s400/02SnotNose.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540122117252714034" border="0" /></a><br />One of the really nice things about the show is that, over the course of the weekend, artists were working on things. Not only does it keep them from going crazy with boredom, but I think it is part of the attraction. People enjoy seeing artists at work.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3luNDbLI/AAAAAAAAAz4/7_9oHKuJCj4/s1600/03Cartoonist.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3luNDbLI/AAAAAAAAAz4/7_9oHKuJCj4/s400/03Cartoonist.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540121981560777906" border="0" /></a><br />Alongside the weird/graphic/whimsical/un-categorizable stuff, there was quite a lot of traditionally-inspired arts and crafts. Calligraphy was popular, like this fellow's very appealing, chunky style of writing. Samurai-themed stuff was also in abundance.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3lPGIewI/AAAAAAAAAzw/IvF8i5oN_as/s1600/04Calligraphy.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3lPGIewI/AAAAAAAAAzw/IvF8i5oN_as/s400/04Calligraphy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540121973210249986" border="0" /></a><br />This guy had built this strange sci-fi mech-looking vehicle, and was driving it around the show. He occasionally let other people (particularly if they were cute, and female) drive it too.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3k_JYgTI/AAAAAAAAAzo/3MRmX5f-iWs/s1600/05Mech.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3k_JYgTI/AAAAAAAAAzo/3MRmX5f-iWs/s400/05Mech.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540121968928915762" border="0" /></a><br />Ummm...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3kdqPzvI/AAAAAAAAAzg/JsZ9_qy4NvE/s1600/06KeyboardBaby.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3kdqPzvI/AAAAAAAAAzg/JsZ9_qy4NvE/s400/06KeyboardBaby.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540121959939952370" border="0" /></a><br />A lot of artists had plain white backdrops and were painting them. If I had've had more patience, I might have tried a few shots spaced out over the course of the day to show the progression from blank wall to finished work ... but alas ...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3kD-c5CI/AAAAAAAAAzY/SvtyY9RgZU8/s1600/07ArtistAtWork.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 307px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3kD-c5CI/AAAAAAAAAzY/SvtyY9RgZU8/s400/07ArtistAtWork.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540121953045373986" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3Qh1aaUI/AAAAAAAAAy4/e4Nh18PVlJ0/s1600/11ArtistWorking.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3Qh1aaUI/AAAAAAAAAy4/e4Nh18PVlJ0/s400/11ArtistWorking.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540121617463142722" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3Qcwy37I/AAAAAAAAAyw/U4Qh_DXeo4U/s1600/12ArtistWorking.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3Qcwy37I/AAAAAAAAAyw/U4Qh_DXeo4U/s400/12ArtistWorking.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540121616101597106" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3C5PDVqI/AAAAAAAAAyo/bEtAPcR5mzQ/s1600/13BigFaceSmallGirl.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3C5PDVqI/AAAAAAAAAyo/bEtAPcR5mzQ/s400/13BigFaceSmallGirl.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540121383226529442" border="0" /></a><br /><br />One young guy caught my eye with his highly-detailed, unique painted sculptures of alien creatures. His stuff really reminds me of Wayne Barlowe's "Guide to Extraterrestrials".<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3RmjXxEI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/aW1BxaOBAZI/s1600/08WeirdCreatures.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3RmjXxEI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/aW1BxaOBAZI/s400/08WeirdCreatures.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540121635909518402" border="0" /></a><br />I can't tell you how great it was to go to this event. Everyone was in a great mood, chatting, smiling, and laughing. It sounds terrible to say it (and it will give ammunition to everyone who keeps telling me, "Get out of Japan, already") but it was really weird to see so many happy, friendly Japanese people. When your main interaction with people is on the public transportation, I suppose it is easy to develop a negative view. But here, everyone knew that, at least on some basic level, everyone shared the same interest in art.<br /><br />As an example, I thought the following scene was funny - mother and young child laughing and playing right beside a painting that seems to be a more depressed companion-piece to "The Scream". They caught me looking so they gave me obligatory "peace sign".<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3RV9uS0I/AAAAAAAAAzI/vl0OkKfOTbk/s1600/09SadPaintingHappyPeople.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3RV9uS0I/AAAAAAAAAzI/vl0OkKfOTbk/s400/09SadPaintingHappyPeople.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540121631456643906" border="0" /></a><br />These girls were just posing for photos and giving away bookmarks. I struggled with my Japanese but finally just decided to be blunt and asked them, "So ... what are you selling?" Their answer: "Nothing!" I guess they just like hanging out and having their picture taken. I happily obliged them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3RBRdXwI/AAAAAAAAAzA/bNeq3s6mFL4/s1600/10WeirdLovelies.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3RBRdXwI/AAAAAAAAAzA/bNeq3s6mFL4/s400/10WeirdLovelies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540121625902276354" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3Qh1aaUI/AAAAAAAAAy4/e4Nh18PVlJ0/s1600/11ArtistWorking.jpg"><br /></a>There was a lot of weird-ish stuff, and that tends to get the most attention (for better or worse). I liked this woman's pop-ish pictures of pregnant schoolgirls. I have no idea what they are supposed to mean, but they seemed fun, and combined with her wearing a schoolgirl's outfit ... (No, I don't have a thing for school uniforms, honestly.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3CONVv_I/AAAAAAAAAyg/70UnCQS9cU0/s1600/14PregnantSchoolgirl.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3CONVv_I/AAAAAAAAAyg/70UnCQS9cU0/s400/14PregnantSchoolgirl.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540121371676622834" border="0" /></a><br />I talked with this girl for a while about her art and its resemblance to "Rat Fink". Neither of us could remember the artist's name, but I looked it up when I got home. Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, of course!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3BNnQWuI/AAAAAAAAAyY/tBcQ2apYkmY/s1600/15RatFink.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ3BNnQWuI/AAAAAAAAAyY/tBcQ2apYkmY/s400/15RatFink.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540121354337016546" border="0" /></a><br />Some stuff just defied categorization. Middle-aged salaryman / schoolgirl hybrid as Buddhist statuary (complete with halo) ... ?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ2_-jotHI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/SSxkgbMivl8/s1600/16BuddhistSchoolMan.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ2_-jotHI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/SSxkgbMivl8/s400/16BuddhistSchoolMan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540121333115434098" border="0" /></a><br />My friend Rob got his portrait drawn by this girl. Her sign is hard to translate without it sounding awkward, but it basically amounts to "I'll draw you but it won't look like you." For a dollar (I think that's how much it was...), who could possibly refuse?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ2_QnEJjI/AAAAAAAAAyI/RFu7odAlbQ8/s1600/17RobPortrait.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/TOJ2_QnEJjI/AAAAAAAAAyI/RFu7odAlbQ8/s400/17RobPortrait.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540121320781784626" border="0" /></a>So I talked to more strangers in one day than I have in a year, and saw tons and tons of stuff that I didn't photograph, because I just wanted to spend time enjoying things and not taking pictures of everything. It was a lot of fun - the atmosphere alone guaranteed that I'll be back again.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-23275936263912878482010-09-13T04:59:00.000-07:002010-09-13T05:16:08.866-07:00And soon I'll be back to workIt has been really hot (it was 38 - or 62 with the humidity - the other day) so I've been hiding out and not doing much, but this weekend I took a quick trip down to Nagoya and Gifu to see and stay with a couple friends of mine. One of my friends is a teacher I worked with before, and the other guy is a martial artist I met through iaido. I went down Thursday, stayed in Nagoya Thursday night, and then on Friday went to Gifu and stayed over until Saturday. I didn't get up to anything too crazy; just visiting and went out to eat a couple times. Saturday afternoon I came back to Tokyo. From Tokyo to Nagoya is about 2 hours on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) so it's pretty convenient.<br />Sunday was my birthday, and a lot of people sent messages or called, so thanks. It was nice to hear from people. Yoshie took me out to a Hawaiian-Asian-Japanese restaurant on Sunday night. It was excellent, and not outrageously expensive, so we both enjoyed it a lot.<br />I haven't bought a camera to replace the one I stupidly lost (on almost my last day in Canada - grrr!) so no pictures, but when I get something, I will post what I can.<br />I go back to work on Wednesday. After being off for almost 2 months, it's pretty hard to imagine going back to work. I really don't like these long, long holidays; you get bored and at the same time, accustomed to doing nothing, and very lazy. I think everyone I work with would prefer to only work 5 days a week in return to correspondingly shorter holidays, but that is the lot we've been given, I suppose. Last semester was tough because we had a 7-week (?) stint with no extra holidays (just Sundays off). This fall semester is much better because we have a few public holidays to break things up. We actually have a few "weekends" in there, I believe, i.e., a Sunday-Monday combination. Then, we have a week or so off around New Year's, which will be very welcome.<br />Tomorrow is my last day of freedom for a while, so I'm going to enjoy it by doing as little as I can. Maybe - just maybe - I will go for a swim tomorrow, but that's as far as I'm likely to go.<br />Talk to you again soon!Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-54715978533051171192010-09-03T18:25:00.000-07:002010-09-03T18:35:18.618-07:00September alreadyI'm back home in Tokyo now. I got in last night, after a trip that was probably the smoothest I've ever had. I stayed at my friend Tony's place in Fergus, got up at a totally reasonable time, had a relaxed breakfast, went nice and early to the airport without any difficulty (thanks Tony!), checked in (almost nobody in line), went and had a coffee, and sat and read my book until it was time to board the plane. I was quite comfortable in the extra-spacious seat I had booked. There wasn't even anybody in the seat beside me, and I was actually able to sleep a couple hours. I watched a few surprisingly good movies (no problems with the video system this time!), and there was nobody was kicking my seat. Upon arrival in Tokyo, I got through customs in about 5 minutes, and picked up my suitcase 15 minutes later. I took the express train home and was eating dinner about an hour after I left the airport. Simply amazing how smoothly everything went - but it is precisely these event-free trips which make us frustrated when things DON'T go smoothly, so I will try and be thankful that I didn't have any problems rather than the other way around.<br /><br />Canada was great, although it was too bad I couldn't really see people more. Maybe next summer I will have more of a chance to spend time with everyone. But, until then, please remember to send me a short e-mail, or to try and hook up with me using Skype.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-35443921046454912502010-05-01T21:40:00.000-07:002010-05-01T22:09:49.400-07:005 Months?? Seriously?!Wow, I can't believe it's been 5 months since my last post! Whoops! Sorry about that.<br />I finished up January with my old employer, and then spent February and March unemployed. I got a new place in Nerima-ward, Tokyo, which is kind of in the northwest of the city, close to where I have started working.<br />At the end of March, the best season of the year, cherry blossom season, started. Yoshie and I took a few pictures in a park towards the start of the season, so the blooms aren't really full yet.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/S90DXj-C9hI/AAAAAAAAApw/q2v4v0biIOI/s1600/JeffYoshie.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/S90DXj-C9hI/AAAAAAAAApw/q2v4v0biIOI/s400/JeffYoshie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466529226025006610" border="0" /></a><br />(Eek! Where's my hair?? Oh well.)<br /><br />About a week later, we went to the Meguro River in Tokyo, which is a nice spot for blossom viewing. A long stretch of the river is lined with cherry trees overhanging the canal. It's really beautiful.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/S90Dv0gtMfI/AAAAAAAAAp4/a2IMAnF2EMk/s1600/CherryRiver.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/S90Dv0gtMfI/AAAAAAAAAp4/a2IMAnF2EMk/s400/CherryRiver.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466529642782208498" border="0" /></a><br />Aside from the beauty of the blossoms themselves, though, the nice thing is the festive atmosphere. Everybody is drinking calmly and laughing with friends. There are food and drink stalls set up everywhere, so you can buy all kinds of "festival" food - meat on sticks, sweets, fried noodles - yummy!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/S90DMYX5ZgI/AAAAAAAAApo/qvIRyoAIPYU/s1600/BlossomViewing.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/S90DMYX5ZgI/AAAAAAAAApo/qvIRyoAIPYU/s400/BlossomViewing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466529033933645314" border="0" /></a><br />After a leisurely stroll up and down the length of the river, we decided it was time for dinner. Yoshie found a highly-rated restaurant in the area, so we went to check it out. This is the door to the place, my right hand indicating the height of the door, and my face indicating my unwillingness to go in on my knees:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/S90DMCxX73I/AAAAAAAAApg/yMcfcS8QVCg/s1600/VerySmallDoor.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/S90DMCxX73I/AAAAAAAAApg/yMcfcS8QVCg/s400/VerySmallDoor.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466529028134924146" border="0" /></a><br />It's actually a nod towards traditional Japanese tea-houses. These were designed with the radical notion that "everyone is equal" so the door was made extra-low (even by Japanese standards) meaning that, whether you were a high-ranking noble or the meanest peasant, you would have to bow upon entering. Well, in my case, it would be more like crawling in on my hands and knees. Fortunately (?) the place was full, so we couldn't get in. Whew! Disaster averted.<br /><br />We eventually found a place to eat, but not before the bathroom situation started to get pretty desperate for both of us. We had to duck into a Pachinko parlour to use the facilities, and so I snapped this picture of some die-hard gambling addicts. The trays of balls represent their winnings. The guy towards the end of the aisle has about $1000 worth of winnings stacked up behind him. He probably wouldn't be happy if some clumsy oaf kicked them over.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/S90DLniN24I/AAAAAAAAApY/Oo6YE70EylM/s1600/Pachinko.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/S90DLniN24I/AAAAAAAAApY/Oo6YE70EylM/s400/Pachinko.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466529020823591810" border="0" /></a><br />When we went blossom-viewing, the trees weren't actually in full bloom. The thing about cherry blossoms is that the trees are in full bloom for about 7 seconds, and then it's all downhill from there as the blossoms start falling. I suppose that's why they are such a strong metaphor for the brevity of life in Japanese culture. I took this shot on the street near my apartment. It's as close to full bloom as I could find. Pretty, huh?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/S90DLeFupeI/AAAAAAAAApQ/2JlnZ-9lbrY/s1600/CherryStreet.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/S90DLeFupeI/AAAAAAAAApQ/2JlnZ-9lbrY/s400/CherryStreet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466529018288186850" border="0" /></a><br />Interesting how some of the trees are white, some are pinkish, and some (which are further along in the blooming cycle) look minty-green.<br /><br />Have you seen "American Beauty"? Remember that scene with the plastic bag being carried aloft by the wind? Towards the end of the blossoms, it was a very windy day. The wind was blowing the flower petals off the trees, and also picking up the piles of petals from the ground, and creating these mini-tornadoes of blossoms everywhere. It was like it was snowing! Really, really incredible.<br /><br />Meanwhile, at the beginning of April I started my new job at Rikkyo University here in Tokyo. It is one of the top 6 or 7 private universities in Tokyo, and is very well-regarded. They have a new "experimental" English program, where every freshman student takes English in a small class (up to 8 students per instructor). The goal of the class is to teach discussion skills. It has been really enjoyable teaching it so far. The students are great, the directors are extremely knowledgeable, and the other instructors are great. It's probably the best job I've ever had, all things considered!<br /><br />Meanwhile, iaido practice is going fairly well. My knee hurts at the moment, but this has been a passing thing in the past, so I'm just waiting for the pain to go away. I was signed up to join the Tokyo Iaido Tournament ... but long story short, I had to work in the morning, rushed to get to the tournament in time, didn't make it, and ended up just taking pictures of the Sensei demonstrating. Here's one picture. It was pretty depressing not to be able to participate, but oh well.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/S90DKxl0KMI/AAAAAAAAApI/5vEQ-dbyQi0/s1600/Iaido.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/S90DKxl0KMI/AAAAAAAAApI/5vEQ-dbyQi0/s400/Iaido.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466529006343170242" border="0" /></a><br />Today is the Sunday of Golden Week, 6 days (or so) of national holidays all in a row. Most people travel of go back home. Yoshie has gone back home for a couple days, and I have no plans. Today I'm just relaxing, cleaning the apartment, and catching up on things (like Blogs) that I have been meaning to do. It's a fantastic day, though - sunny, and warm - so I should probably finish this up and go outside! Next update will be in fewer than 5 months, I promise.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-25137689192271862602009-12-26T20:13:00.000-08:002009-12-26T20:46:31.184-08:00Christmas in Japan... is kind of crappy, to be honest. This is because the Japanese have transplanted all the obvious things about Christmas (buying presents, stringing up lights, putting Santa hats on everyone and everything, etc.) while leaving behind all the intangible things (family, peace, hope, goodwill toward men, etc.) that actually make Christmas pleasant, and something to look forward to.<br />I heard my first Christmas tune playing over the speakers in a bakery on November 1st. One day after Halloween! This invoked a shudder of dread as I thought, "Oh no ... 2 months of awful Christmas music to endure." And it is truly, TRULY awful. Sorry to paint the Japanese with a broad brush, but their taste in Christmas music is utterly appalling. First of all, "Last Christmas" by Wham and "All I Want For Christmas" by Mariah Carey are in near-constant rotation. I would like to point out that, before I came to Japan, I was barely aware of the existence of these songs. Now, I have probably heard them about 1,000 times each. If you're not trying to ignore the original version, you are trying to ignore the dance remix, the bossa nova remix, the slow jazz remix, or the steel pan drum remix. Which brings me to my next point: the Japanese seem to have absolutely nothing against taking a beautiful, tasteful, atmospheric Christmas carol, and perverting it utterly by making a J-Rap version, or a Euro-beat remix. Imagine the Club mix of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". Makes the gorge rise, doesn't it? If you or I heard any one of these songs, we would immediately rip the needle off the record while screaming, "That is an abomination!" and then break the disc in half over our collective knee.<br />The whole idea of "peace at Christmas" seems to be lost on them, as does the idea of "taste" or "simplicity". It's funny that these ideas are such a central part of traditional Japanese culture. Perhaps because Christmas is a foreign holiday, and everyone knows that foreigners are brash, loud, and tasteless ... so Christmas must be too! And thus, barkers stand outside of stores in ill-fitting Santa suits, screaming "Irasshaimase" - the equivalent of "Come right in, come right in!" at the top of their lungs. I've never seen anybody with an air horn, but frankly, it wouldn't surprise me. Meanwhile, they are standing beside a neon-pink Christmas tree decorated with strobing multi-coloured lights, while (you guessed it) the marching band remix of "Last Christmas" blares in the background.<br />And forget about "goodwill toward men". I took the train on Christmas eve, and again on Christmas day. Maybe it was just me, but I really think everybody was actually a bit <span style="font-style: italic;">grumpier</span> than usual. A buddy of mine told a similar story: he was riding the train with another foreign friend. The friend, feeling a bit of yuletide gladness, suggested, "Why don't we start singing a Christmas carol?" but my buddy sized up the situation and told him, "Are you kidding? Look around - everyone is miserable. They'd lynch us." And they <span style="font-style: italic;">were</span> miserable. Perhaps they were resentful that they had to work on a day which, on one hand is hyped as a big holiday, but on the other hand, is just another day at the office.<br />In Japan, Christmas isn't really for kids, or for families, but rather, it's for lovers. Grab your sweetie, go for a nighttime stroll around some flashing lights, whisper some sweet nothings, slip her the necklace you were coerced into buying her, eat a bit of Christmas cake - done! Time to take down the decorations. And believe you me, on December 26th, there is not a Christmas decoration to be found. The same uncompromising efficiency that keeps the trains running on time is applied to removing all traces of Christmas cheer. So much for "the 12 days of Christmas".<br />But fair enough - they're getting ready for New Year's, which is the REAL celebration. It's a time to get severely drunk, to eat traditional food, to commute vast distances to be with your whole family, to give children presents, to go to the shrine and pray ... all the things we do in Canada, at Christmas. With so much overlap, I guess it's understandable that Christmas pales before New Year's in Japan.<br />(But still ... why is everyone so damn grumpy at Christmas?)<br />Hoping everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and wishing you all a Great New Year!Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-50890664996251758592009-11-23T02:13:00.001-08:002009-11-23T02:48:49.658-08:00Catching UpA few things happened in the past couple weeks that I wanted to share. Yoshie and I went to Oktoberfest in Yokohama. It was held at the Akarenga or "Red Brick" buildings, which were warehouses constructed by the port of Yokohama at the end of the 19th century. It's kind of funny that, in a country with buildings that are a thousand years old, these 100-year-old buildings are considered "historical". I guess because they are among the first buildings constructed in the "Western" style in Japan ...?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SwpgsHgN0WI/AAAAAAAAAiI/KsRN2Sxfw4s/s1600/CA340089.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SwpgsHgN0WI/AAAAAAAAAiI/KsRN2Sxfw4s/s400/CA340089.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407240613656383842" border="0" /></a><br />The Oktoberfest itself was kind of fun, although the beer was expensive, it was really crowded, there were long lineups to get food, to get beer, and to use the bathroom, and there was no place to sit down. Okay, on second thought, it sucked and I probably won't go back next year. Yoshie and I sat on the ground to drink our beer and eat our sausages. After 20 minutes or so, a couple of seats came open at the table right by where we were sitting; we jumped up to claim them, and another couple tried to grab them at the same time. It was a staring contest for a while, but eventually they relented, I guess because they could see that we had been sitting there before they arrived. Once we had a place to sit, it became a lot more enjoyable. Oh, did I mention that there were people dressed up like Nazis in the crowd? In the above photo, you can see a guy wearing a military costume of some sort. Well, there were also people dressed up like Nazis ... it just doesn't carry the same anti-social stigma here that it does, well, basically everywhere else in the world. Weird.<br /><br />After I took that picture, I turned around and took this picture:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SwpgsCK8mUI/AAAAAAAAAiA/xy0grs6ZWIQ/s1600/CA340088.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SwpgsCK8mUI/AAAAAAAAAiA/xy0grs6ZWIQ/s400/CA340088.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407240612224997698" border="0" /></a>Which is just to say that Yokohama is an interesting place. Huge skyscrapers beside Ferris wheels beside sail-shaped hotels, beside Red Brick buildings. Lots of interesting architecture in a very small area.<br /><br />The next week, I went to the Ramen Museum in Shin-Yokohama with a few of my former students. That was fun; you can order half-bowls of ramen so that you have enough space in your stomach to sample the noodles from 2 or 3 different shops. We went to three shops, so that equals about 1.5 bowls, so I was pretty full by the end of it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SwpiIhOhPpI/AAAAAAAAAiw/2i4ssKyki0E/s1600/ramen2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 352px; height: 198px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SwpiIhOhPpI/AAAAAAAAAiw/2i4ssKyki0E/s400/ramen2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407242201109446290" border="0" /></a><br />Yoshie and I went to Zenzoji in downtown Tokyo one gray and cloudy afternoon. I still find the clash between old and new, as cliched as it is, to be pretty interesting. Here's an interesting contrast shot, kind of crappy though, because it was taken with my phone.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/Swpg5s4pnrI/AAAAAAAAAiY/z_CEQcL0SaY/s1600/CA340093.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/Swpg5s4pnrI/AAAAAAAAAiY/z_CEQcL0SaY/s400/CA340093.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407240847029280434" border="0" /></a>On November 3rd, I went to see a demonstration of traditional martial arts on the grounds of the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. This particular school of martial arts dates back at least 500 years:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/Swpgrm4G0nI/AAAAAAAAAh4/iMi6xO96JZo/s1600/BudoDemo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 288px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/Swpgrm4G0nI/AAAAAAAAAh4/iMi6xO96JZo/s400/BudoDemo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407240604898218610" border="0" /></a>There was also a display of Yabusame, or archery from horseback. It is a ritual offering to the gods, asking them to give a bountiful harvest. It is believed that it has been conducted for 1000 years or so. Archers wear the full regalia from the 1300's, including doe-skin chaps.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/Swpg5b3fHnI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/KlwUHaX8T60/s1600/yabusame.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 288px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/Swpg5b3fHnI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/KlwUHaX8T60/s400/yabusame.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407240842460995186" border="0" /></a><br />I was wandering around in Tokyo one afternoon, when I spotted this balloon. I approached for a closer look, and got this shot of them firing up the burner.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SwpgrZCsqeI/AAAAAAAAAhw/l4lZMRB2Ukg/s1600/Balloon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SwpgrZCsqeI/AAAAAAAAAhw/l4lZMRB2Ukg/s400/Balloon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407240601184545250" border="0" /></a><br />A couple weeks ago, I went to a huge sword show. Hundreds upon hundreds of amazing swords, costing anywhere from about $500 (for a small blade in rough condition) to over $100,000. The average price for a sword was probably somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000. Too rich for me. It was fun looking around, though.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SwpgrMn8GcI/AAAAAAAAAho/Nx3FIteysI0/s1600/SwordShow1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 288px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SwpgrMn8GcI/AAAAAAAAAho/Nx3FIteysI0/s400/SwordShow1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407240597851085250" border="0" /></a>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-22909501822852161702009-11-04T04:18:00.000-08:002009-11-04T04:33:56.596-08:00Back to Enoshima!As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, we had a nice time in Enoshima, but we felt kind of rushed, so we decided to go again while the weather was still nice. We went back a couple weeks later (which is now about a month ago!) It was a weekend, again, so the place was really busy, but instead of being annoying, the crowds gave the whole place kind of a festive atmosphere.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SvFxQ2a11rI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/MMhskigWyJo/s1600-h/Enoshima1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SvFxQ2a11rI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/MMhskigWyJo/s400/Enoshima1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400221962493875890" border="0" /></a><br />We went up to the temple near the top of the hill where you arrive from the mainland. There is a special "knot" which is supposed to give you good luck (or fertility, or a long life, or something good, anyway) if you pass through it 3 times in a designated way. If I recall correctly, you go through once and go around to the left, again and go around to the right, and one last time, around to the left. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SvFxQtuvu5I/AAAAAAAAAhI/jUTonr4TIeI/s1600-h/Enoshima2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 288px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SvFxQtuvu5I/AAAAAAAAAhI/jUTonr4TIeI/s400/Enoshima2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400221960161442706" border="0" /></a><br />At the very top of the island, there is a pavilion with a garden, where a British merchant established a botanical garden in the late 1800's. Apparently, he was the person who introduced Darwin's theory of evolution to Japan, and he set about cataloguing the flora and fauna of the area. More importantly, there's now an observation tower up there.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SvFxQMyx3hI/AAAAAAAAAg4/FarM3UFV7Ic/s1600-h/EnoshimaTower2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SvFxQMyx3hI/AAAAAAAAAg4/FarM3UFV7Ic/s400/EnoshimaTower2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400221951319989778" border="0" /></a>From the tower you can look out over the ocean, and back over to the mainland.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SvFxQdA5xEI/AAAAAAAAAhA/qAV0Ap9w2YQ/s1600-h/Enoshima3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 288px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SvFxQdA5xEI/AAAAAAAAAhA/qAV0Ap9w2YQ/s400/Enoshima3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400221955674195010" border="0" /></a><br />Climbing up to the top of the island and then up the observation tower (who am I kidding; we took escalators and elevators the whole way!) gave us quite an appetite. Never ones to take a chance, we ate the same thing we did the last time - little fish on rice. It was just as delicious the second time!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SvFxPg2mk8I/AAAAAAAAAgw/6SuIWzq2zAM/s1600-h/Enoshima4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 288px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/SvFxPg2mk8I/AAAAAAAAAgw/6SuIWzq2zAM/s400/Enoshima4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400221939524867010" border="0" /></a>We had a great time on Enoshima. The weather has really been cooling down the last few weeks, so I'm glad that we got there while it was still warm. Further updates to come...Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8159940.post-47754721166466972052009-10-09T04:31:00.000-07:002009-10-09T04:39:30.517-07:00The Stuff I Eat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/Ss8fUracC_I/AAAAAAAAAgo/VBz8TOM6prU/s1600-h/GetAttachment-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lo6nWsiyWok/Ss8fUracC_I/AAAAAAAAAgo/VBz8TOM6prU/s400/GetAttachment-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390561719097232370" border="0" /></a><br />After my next-to-last post, I was thinking about the kind of food I eat here. I had a few questions like that over the summer: "What's an average meal for you over there?"<br />Average would be a bowl of rice with some meat on top; either shredded fried beef and onions, or a deep fried hunk of chicken or breaded pork. In the west, Japanese food has a reputation for being healthy (sushi is low-fat, at least) but everyday food is just as bad as in the west. The traditional diet used to be better until everyone started eating meat.<br />Anyway, you sometimes get more exotic fare. This was an appetizer at a little bar I went to a while back. It was pretty tasty. Pate of pork heart, with a dollop of salmon roe on top. The pate is mixed through with green peas, and the whole thing has a little bit of sauce. When I was a kid, the peas alone would have made me retch.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270835566747161077noreply@blogger.com0