The advent of spring brings all sorts of nice and happy things with it. Flowers, green grass, leaves on trees, frolicking animals... One of the happiest of spring things is POLLEN. Yes, it's that time of year when trees and plants are budding and sending their 'dust' out into the open air. And, consequently, right up my nose. It doesn't matter which country I'm in or what the vegetation, I get hayfever like clockwork.
On Thursday night I realized it must truly be spring because I was having sneezing fits. Meaning I'd sneeze about 5-6 times in succession and then be left with the wild desire to rip off my nose. This charming display continued into the next day by the end of which I sounded as if I'd never learned to pronounce words properly. Not that anyone could really understand since I'd interrupt myself in order to make room for a sneezing fit.
I remembered to bring some allergy medication with me but the directions warn of taking more than one pill a day. So, once I've taken that one, and experienced the rather brief relief of it, I stare sullenly at the box pretty much waiting until I can take the next one. I also stare sullenly at people who don't suffer from this affliction. Namely my fiance. In addition to my angry looks, he's also privy to my constant carping and complaining about how bad I feel (and this on top of constant oh-so-seductive nose-blowing and coughing). He has a rocking good time.
And that's the end. Cheers all.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Jam and cars
It's the return of the sporadic blogger! What will she do this time?
This morning, as I was getting breakfast together for myself, I took out the jam from the fridge. Upon opening said jar I noticed a slight, shall we say, discoloration on the top of it. There were 2 spots of discoloration to be precise. The jam was starting to mold. I've never encountered moldy jam before. And back home we keep the jam in the fridge FOREVER. I don't know if the ingredients of jam are different here or if our fridge just plain sucks. Probably the latter. Yuck.
On a completely different note, I thought I'd write about the interior decoration of cars here in Japan. Since I drive so bloody much and could probably now make my way to the city blindfolded, I look at the cars around me while enroute. The interior of my car is starkly bare. Particularly since the ceiling was stripped of its lining and now only has bits of gluey sponge dotting it. However other cars see no need to always be in their birthday suits. Some cars are lined with Pooh Bears, and I mean LINED. They clamour on the dashboard, they crowd the back windows, and sometimes they wave cheerfully from the seatbelts. Other cars have Hello Kitty similarly vying for space. And still others have, well, it looks like they killed a goat and laid its fur across the dashboard.
For cars with a manual transmission, the stick has sometimes been altered. They take the conventional black knob with the numbers off and replace it with this funky, psychedelic, iridescently clear plastic...shaft. It's really quite attractive and makes me wish I had one for my car. While some drivers have to reach down for the gear shift, other drivers have solved that annoying need by putting so many attachments onto the stick that the thing now is level with their shoulders. I don't know if that might make the ride a little more dangerous or not.
I will write again whenever I see something of interest.
This morning, as I was getting breakfast together for myself, I took out the jam from the fridge. Upon opening said jar I noticed a slight, shall we say, discoloration on the top of it. There were 2 spots of discoloration to be precise. The jam was starting to mold. I've never encountered moldy jam before. And back home we keep the jam in the fridge FOREVER. I don't know if the ingredients of jam are different here or if our fridge just plain sucks. Probably the latter. Yuck.
On a completely different note, I thought I'd write about the interior decoration of cars here in Japan. Since I drive so bloody much and could probably now make my way to the city blindfolded, I look at the cars around me while enroute. The interior of my car is starkly bare. Particularly since the ceiling was stripped of its lining and now only has bits of gluey sponge dotting it. However other cars see no need to always be in their birthday suits. Some cars are lined with Pooh Bears, and I mean LINED. They clamour on the dashboard, they crowd the back windows, and sometimes they wave cheerfully from the seatbelts. Other cars have Hello Kitty similarly vying for space. And still others have, well, it looks like they killed a goat and laid its fur across the dashboard.
For cars with a manual transmission, the stick has sometimes been altered. They take the conventional black knob with the numbers off and replace it with this funky, psychedelic, iridescently clear plastic...shaft. It's really quite attractive and makes me wish I had one for my car. While some drivers have to reach down for the gear shift, other drivers have solved that annoying need by putting so many attachments onto the stick that the thing now is level with their shoulders. I don't know if that might make the ride a little more dangerous or not.
I will write again whenever I see something of interest.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Eyo Hadaka Matsuri - Naked Man Festival
Over the past weekend, I had the pleasure to take in a matsuri (festival) known as Eyo Hadaka or Naked Man. This event took place in Okayama with the festivities beginning around 7:30pm. First, a little background.
The Eyo Hadaka began in the 1500s when priests gave out amulets to coincide with the lunar new year. The amulets became popular and were coveted for their good fortune. In order to better distribute the amulets the priests moved to the balcony where they could toss the sought-after item to the crowd below. The amulet switched to a pair of wooden sticks called shingi. And then, it evolved into what I saw last night, which I will now try to describe.
I inadverdently volunteered Will to run in this festival. I had little to no idea of what it entailed except that he would be nearly naked and running around in cold weather with a bunch of other near-naked men. I duly booked a hotel room and then we organized ourselves to get to Okayama (a 2 and a half hour drive away). We arrived with little incident and were loaded onto spectator and runner buses.
Once in the vicinity of the temple the runners were herded off to change into their fundoshi (a cloth covering the groin area, similar to what you see Sumo wrestlers wear) and tabi (ankle socks with a defined toe). This was all the clothing the participating men were permitted to wear during the festivities. Yesterday evening the temperature hovered somewhere near 0 degrees celsius. Once properly garbed, the men sort of half-jogged down a small street leading to the temple gates continually chanting: "Wasshoi! Wasshoi!" which I was told meant "I'm strong/healthy/happy."
Once through the gates, the men were required to run around the temple 3 times. Included in this circuit was a refreshing run through an icy cold fountain. They came out soaking wet and then jogged up the steps of the main pavilion where they stood chanting for a little while before jogging back down the steps to repeat the torture. Around 11:30pm the men started jockeying for position in the main pavilion. Bascially the men were smushed together so that they hardly had enough room to breathe comfortably. A lot of pushing seemed to be involved and, periodically, an avalanche of men would tumble down the stairs. From my vantage point what I saw was a rather large grouping of back, behinds and legs all scrambling and moving, either to get closer to where the shingi would be dropped or merely in a vain attempt to keep warm. From the center of this sardine-like gathering emitted a cloud of steam, created solely by the heat of the mens' bodies.
Promptly at midnight the lights were turned off and the shingi dropped. The lights came back on and the spectators witness an undignified struggle to grab hold of the shingi. I have no idea who managed to get them and have no idea how anyone could tell what happened in the melee. In about 10-15 min it was all over. The Eyo Hadaka was finished until next year.
Once I met back up with Will, he told me it was a great cultural experience but one he likely wouldn't repeat. I suppose it would be hard to try and recreate the first time of running around in a g-string, willingly dunking yourself in freezing water, getting crushed with throngs of other naked men, and frantically chasing two sticks.
Though I could no longer feel my feet by night's end, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the festival. You couldn't pull off something like this back in North America let me tell you. Cheers all.
The Eyo Hadaka began in the 1500s when priests gave out amulets to coincide with the lunar new year. The amulets became popular and were coveted for their good fortune. In order to better distribute the amulets the priests moved to the balcony where they could toss the sought-after item to the crowd below. The amulet switched to a pair of wooden sticks called shingi. And then, it evolved into what I saw last night, which I will now try to describe.
I inadverdently volunteered Will to run in this festival. I had little to no idea of what it entailed except that he would be nearly naked and running around in cold weather with a bunch of other near-naked men. I duly booked a hotel room and then we organized ourselves to get to Okayama (a 2 and a half hour drive away). We arrived with little incident and were loaded onto spectator and runner buses.
Once in the vicinity of the temple the runners were herded off to change into their fundoshi (a cloth covering the groin area, similar to what you see Sumo wrestlers wear) and tabi (ankle socks with a defined toe). This was all the clothing the participating men were permitted to wear during the festivities. Yesterday evening the temperature hovered somewhere near 0 degrees celsius. Once properly garbed, the men sort of half-jogged down a small street leading to the temple gates continually chanting: "Wasshoi! Wasshoi!" which I was told meant "I'm strong/healthy/happy."
Once through the gates, the men were required to run around the temple 3 times. Included in this circuit was a refreshing run through an icy cold fountain. They came out soaking wet and then jogged up the steps of the main pavilion where they stood chanting for a little while before jogging back down the steps to repeat the torture. Around 11:30pm the men started jockeying for position in the main pavilion. Bascially the men were smushed together so that they hardly had enough room to breathe comfortably. A lot of pushing seemed to be involved and, periodically, an avalanche of men would tumble down the stairs. From my vantage point what I saw was a rather large grouping of back, behinds and legs all scrambling and moving, either to get closer to where the shingi would be dropped or merely in a vain attempt to keep warm. From the center of this sardine-like gathering emitted a cloud of steam, created solely by the heat of the mens' bodies.
Promptly at midnight the lights were turned off and the shingi dropped. The lights came back on and the spectators witness an undignified struggle to grab hold of the shingi. I have no idea who managed to get them and have no idea how anyone could tell what happened in the melee. In about 10-15 min it was all over. The Eyo Hadaka was finished until next year.
Once I met back up with Will, he told me it was a great cultural experience but one he likely wouldn't repeat. I suppose it would be hard to try and recreate the first time of running around in a g-string, willingly dunking yourself in freezing water, getting crushed with throngs of other naked men, and frantically chasing two sticks.
Though I could no longer feel my feet by night's end, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the festival. You couldn't pull off something like this back in North America let me tell you. Cheers all.
Friday, February 10, 2006
Twins
I had the pleasure of teaching 2 new additions to a class of mine. And I had the worst time getting their names straight. Why? They looked exactly alike. I've never actually met a pair of identical twins before and the experience, while novel, was somewhat frustrating.
The two had the same hairstyle, nearly the same expression and, unfortunately, the almost the same clothing. The one difference was, one wore a black shirt underneath his vest and one wore a brown one. Nevertheless, I still kept screwing up their names. They had to keep correcting me though I think it started to amuse them that I was having such trouble trying to identify them from each other. By the end of class I'd figured identical twins should have identical names if for no other reason than to make my life easier.
I just fear that they'll be wearing exactly the same clothing for the next class.
The two had the same hairstyle, nearly the same expression and, unfortunately, the almost the same clothing. The one difference was, one wore a black shirt underneath his vest and one wore a brown one. Nevertheless, I still kept screwing up their names. They had to keep correcting me though I think it started to amuse them that I was having such trouble trying to identify them from each other. By the end of class I'd figured identical twins should have identical names if for no other reason than to make my life easier.
I just fear that they'll be wearing exactly the same clothing for the next class.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Squatters
Not the most refined of topics but I thought I'd take the time to write about a style of toilet that has haunted my Asian travels. I call them squatters, I have no idea what the proper terminology would be for them. Any of you that have done some traveling will know what I'm talking about.
This style of toilet is situated in the ground. Really, it's quite a space saver. No need for all that extra porcelain to fashion out a seat. Another benefit is that it works out your legs. In order to use a squatter one needs to position their feet on either side of the toilet and then, well, squat. Make sure you're in a relatively comfortable position or you'll have a hell of a time getting back on your feet. People who have a poor sense of balance won't enjoy the experience.
The first time I was lucky enough to encounter a squatter was in Korea. We were at a highway rest stop and these were the only option. For someone who had only ever vaguely heard of the existence of these toilets, I viewed them with some apprehension. Which way to face? Where's the flush handle? (in one country I spent a good 5 minutes searching for a way to flush before finally realizing it didn't come with that option) For the uninitiated, you face the hood. The majority are perfectly clean and sanitary. I've gotten used to them but really, I merely tolerate their existence.
Someone once told me she thinks the best way to judge a country's modernity factor is by looking at the state and condition of the toilets. And you know what? You kind of can. Though I can't quite imagine seeing a headline reading: "2006 World Toilet Survey announces Switzerland is the best place to live, 4th year running."
Hey! This was my 50th post!
This style of toilet is situated in the ground. Really, it's quite a space saver. No need for all that extra porcelain to fashion out a seat. Another benefit is that it works out your legs. In order to use a squatter one needs to position their feet on either side of the toilet and then, well, squat. Make sure you're in a relatively comfortable position or you'll have a hell of a time getting back on your feet. People who have a poor sense of balance won't enjoy the experience.
The first time I was lucky enough to encounter a squatter was in Korea. We were at a highway rest stop and these were the only option. For someone who had only ever vaguely heard of the existence of these toilets, I viewed them with some apprehension. Which way to face? Where's the flush handle? (in one country I spent a good 5 minutes searching for a way to flush before finally realizing it didn't come with that option) For the uninitiated, you face the hood. The majority are perfectly clean and sanitary. I've gotten used to them but really, I merely tolerate their existence.
Someone once told me she thinks the best way to judge a country's modernity factor is by looking at the state and condition of the toilets. And you know what? You kind of can. Though I can't quite imagine seeing a headline reading: "2006 World Toilet Survey announces Switzerland is the best place to live, 4th year running."
Hey! This was my 50th post!
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Construction
One of the more puzzling things I've seen since coming to Japan is the seemingly endless construction work. On one of the local roads within my town the construction has been going on since November of last year and they're STILL at it! All this road work seems to have led nowhere. The street is in even worse condition than when they started what with the bumps and potholes that have magically appeared within it.On the 192, the road most used to get to Tokushima City from our end of Shikoku, construction decoratively dots the road, creating the need to detour into the oncoming lane. The 192 consists of a whopping 2 lanes so detours mean long waits while one lane is allowed to proceed. Depending on the time of day that you're traveling, the waits can be more frequent. The strange thing about all this is that they seem to be tearing and ripping apart perfectly fine roads, in order to repave and repaint the roads to a beautiful hue. They are still reconstructing a 1km stretch of road that was just fine as it was but now the road is made up of strips of faded gray asphalt to startlingly new, black asphalt.
Another thing about construction is that it seems to be a “make-work” program for the Japanese. A length of 300-500m features bright flashy lights, akin to what you would see in Las Vegas as well as at least 7 workers. 3 of these workers carry either white and red flags or a flashing red baton. Their job is primarily to guide traffic on either side of the yellow line. This is fine when the stretch of road is long but when it isn’t it hardly seems necessary to have that many people frantically waving white flags to tell you, yes, you can drive through.
People are also employed in large parking lots to guide traffic out. This seems like a nice gesture but for this Canadian who has managed to get out of sizable parking lots all on her lonesome, the attention is more annoying. You aren’t allowed to leave until these baton-holding officials give you the go ahead. They seem to think you need an awful lot of room to make a simple turn. I was made to wait and wait while several good chances went by. In the end I was ready to run over these men, while screaming with impatience.
It makes you wonder, isn’t there somewhere else all this funding for construction could be spent? Rather than needlessly repaving roads and having 3 people tell you you’re allowed to drive? Maybe it’s just me.
Another thing about construction is that it seems to be a “make-work” program for the Japanese. A length of 300-500m features bright flashy lights, akin to what you would see in Las Vegas as well as at least 7 workers. 3 of these workers carry either white and red flags or a flashing red baton. Their job is primarily to guide traffic on either side of the yellow line. This is fine when the stretch of road is long but when it isn’t it hardly seems necessary to have that many people frantically waving white flags to tell you, yes, you can drive through.
People are also employed in large parking lots to guide traffic out. This seems like a nice gesture but for this Canadian who has managed to get out of sizable parking lots all on her lonesome, the attention is more annoying. You aren’t allowed to leave until these baton-holding officials give you the go ahead. They seem to think you need an awful lot of room to make a simple turn. I was made to wait and wait while several good chances went by. In the end I was ready to run over these men, while screaming with impatience.
It makes you wonder, isn’t there somewhere else all this funding for construction could be spent? Rather than needlessly repaving roads and having 3 people tell you you’re allowed to drive? Maybe it’s just me.
Monday, January 16, 2006
Kyoto
Hi all, I'm on an unexpected break at work. A student canceled and now I have an extra hour and a half to fiddle around with. So, I'll try and finish my blogs about the vacation. On to Kyoto...
Before coming to Japan, I really wanted to see Kyoto. Why? Well, a kind of stupid reason but I had read "Memoirs of a Geisha" and then later, "Geisha of Gion" (do you see a trend here?) and I wanted to see where all these things took place. That and Kyoto is reputed to be a place of historical and natural beauty so there you go.
The drive from Himeji to Kyoto took about half a day. Kyoto roads weren't quite as congested as I'd thought they'd be. It took some maneuvering on small alley roads but we eventually found the ryokan where we'd made a reservation to stay. A ryokan is a Japanese style inn. I found it to be like a Japanese style hostel with more room space and amenities. The washrooms are shared as is the shower/bath. The bath is the fun part. They prepare it for you and call when it's ready. Always soap and rinse yourself off thoroughly before stepping into a Japanese bath. It's not meant for scrubbing. But I'm getting off topic.
The lady was very welcoming and showed us to our room then served us tea and a snack afterwards. After drinking, eating and examining the bath robes that were laid on the futons for our use, we headed out to explore Kyoto at night. Basically we had dinner and tooled around this enormous shopping area. My city-starved self was overwhelmed at all the consumer goods. I wanted to buy everything.
Highlights of Kyoto for me included seeing Gion (the setting of the aforementioned books) and the Golden Pavilion. Gion is part modern night-life and part traditional tea-house. The north side of Gion sports expensive coffee shops, neon lights promoting bars and a lot of well dressed people milling around. The south side is much darker though not creepily so. The streets where the more traditional ochaya (teahouses) are are much less busy than modern Gion. Apparently, you can't even get into a teahouse unless invited by an already established customer. A night in a teahouse includes entertainment by geisha or geikos and usually a very expensive sumptuous meal. From what I've read these parties can cost well in excess of 2000 dollars. A bit too pricey for fun in my opinion. Give me ramen and an 18 dollar movie and I'm happy.
I spotted who I thought was a geisha while roaming around the teahouses. Her hair was done up in a traditonal style and she wore a kimono under her long winter cloak. What did I do after spotting said geisha? The intelligent foreigner thing to do of course, I stalked her, dragging my companions along with me. We could only follow so far as she ducked into a teahouse where we were unable to go. That was my excitement in Gion.
The following day, we took our little Minica and went to Kinkakuji which literally translates to "Golden Temple" but is better known to English speakers as the Golden Pavilion. The entry fee was 400 yen and worth every penny in my opinion. The temple is situated on a very peaceful zen-like pond with very lush trees surrounding it. The temple itself is...GOLD. Not entirely gold but a good portion of it is modeled in gold. After taking various shots of the temple you could walk on the path up to a small but pretty waterfall. Further still you could fall prey to the souvenir stands selling all sorts of knick-knacks. This I did quite gleefully, having been rather prudent with my cash up till then.
The remainder of the trip involved a lot of driving (back to Shikoku) and falling asleep only to be startled into wakefulness by Will's voice saying: "Uh, I need to know where I'm going now." (I was the navigator, being the passenger) We celebrated the New Year quietly at home which was nice since we hadn't been able to be together the year before.
Talk to you all soon, cheers.
Before coming to Japan, I really wanted to see Kyoto. Why? Well, a kind of stupid reason but I had read "Memoirs of a Geisha" and then later, "Geisha of Gion" (do you see a trend here?) and I wanted to see where all these things took place. That and Kyoto is reputed to be a place of historical and natural beauty so there you go.
The drive from Himeji to Kyoto took about half a day. Kyoto roads weren't quite as congested as I'd thought they'd be. It took some maneuvering on small alley roads but we eventually found the ryokan where we'd made a reservation to stay. A ryokan is a Japanese style inn. I found it to be like a Japanese style hostel with more room space and amenities. The washrooms are shared as is the shower/bath. The bath is the fun part. They prepare it for you and call when it's ready. Always soap and rinse yourself off thoroughly before stepping into a Japanese bath. It's not meant for scrubbing. But I'm getting off topic.
The lady was very welcoming and showed us to our room then served us tea and a snack afterwards. After drinking, eating and examining the bath robes that were laid on the futons for our use, we headed out to explore Kyoto at night. Basically we had dinner and tooled around this enormous shopping area. My city-starved self was overwhelmed at all the consumer goods. I wanted to buy everything.
Highlights of Kyoto for me included seeing Gion (the setting of the aforementioned books) and the Golden Pavilion. Gion is part modern night-life and part traditional tea-house. The north side of Gion sports expensive coffee shops, neon lights promoting bars and a lot of well dressed people milling around. The south side is much darker though not creepily so. The streets where the more traditional ochaya (teahouses) are are much less busy than modern Gion. Apparently, you can't even get into a teahouse unless invited by an already established customer. A night in a teahouse includes entertainment by geisha or geikos and usually a very expensive sumptuous meal. From what I've read these parties can cost well in excess of 2000 dollars. A bit too pricey for fun in my opinion. Give me ramen and an 18 dollar movie and I'm happy.
I spotted who I thought was a geisha while roaming around the teahouses. Her hair was done up in a traditonal style and she wore a kimono under her long winter cloak. What did I do after spotting said geisha? The intelligent foreigner thing to do of course, I stalked her, dragging my companions along with me. We could only follow so far as she ducked into a teahouse where we were unable to go. That was my excitement in Gion.
The following day, we took our little Minica and went to Kinkakuji which literally translates to "Golden Temple" but is better known to English speakers as the Golden Pavilion. The entry fee was 400 yen and worth every penny in my opinion. The temple is situated on a very peaceful zen-like pond with very lush trees surrounding it. The temple itself is...GOLD. Not entirely gold but a good portion of it is modeled in gold. After taking various shots of the temple you could walk on the path up to a small but pretty waterfall. Further still you could fall prey to the souvenir stands selling all sorts of knick-knacks. This I did quite gleefully, having been rather prudent with my cash up till then.
The remainder of the trip involved a lot of driving (back to Shikoku) and falling asleep only to be startled into wakefulness by Will's voice saying: "Uh, I need to know where I'm going now." (I was the navigator, being the passenger) We celebrated the New Year quietly at home which was nice since we hadn't been able to be together the year before.
Talk to you all soon, cheers.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Kure, Hiroshima and Himeji
Sorry 'bout the lack of updates folks (for those of you who are following this blog). I started one about the winter vacation, copied the text then deleted it only to find I couldn't seem to paste what I'd copied. Argh! So I'm starting from scratch again.
My winter holiday began on Dec.23, or the Emperor's Birthday which a national holiday here. On Christmas Eve Will and I set out on the road in our little, yet trusty kei car to Kure (a 30 min train ride from Hiroshima). No, I didn't choose Kure for the hell of it, I have friends who live there. What would've been a 3 hour drive back in Canada took almost 6 here. For one thing, the car can't go over 80km/h comfortably for more than 10 minutes and for another traffic is slllooooww. At one point we gave up the non-toll, but non-moving, highway in favor of the zippiness of the rather pricey expressway.
Once in Kure, we met up with my friends, ate dinner, exchanged presents, slept and woke up bright and early to meet another friend in Hiroshima. Once altogether, we had a healthy McDonald's breakfast then set off for Peace Memorial Park, the site of the A-bomb dome. This structure survived the point-blank blast though a lot of the walls were seared off. It was strange to be looking at a building destroyed the way it was. Basically parts of it just melted away.
The A-bomb dome is located in Peace Memorial Park which also houses the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. This museum details the creation of Hiroshima as a city as well as the creation of "Little Boy" better known as the atomic bomb. Hiroshima was one of four possible target sites, all candidates being more or less intact unlike other air-raid ravaged cities. Why choose a city that's intact? To observe the effects of course. Kind of like a deadly, huge-scale science experiment. Other sections of the museum showed pictures of the after-effects on humans and objects. A particularly affecting picture shows a watch, frozen at 8:15, the time the atomic bomb detonated above Hiroshima. I won't go into details about the pictures of human suffering. All I can say is there was worse shown in the War Crimes Museum in Ho Chi Minh.
The rest of Hiroshima was walking and taking in a few gardens and one rather mundane castle. (I think I've seen too many Asian castles). The next day we spent in Kure relaxing before taking off for Himeji, famous for its enormous castle, which even this jaded viewer enjoyed.
Himeji Castle is big, even as castles go. One of our first stops was Princess Sen's Quarters. This Princess was first married at 7 to a guy who off and committed suicide. She then met and married the love of her life, Honda Tadatoki and lived in Himeji Castle.
Although the rooms were large and the Princess pretty much had use of the entire building, I couldn't help thinking that, with the bars on the windows and soldiers keeping watch at intermittent posts, it would've been more like living in a glorified prison. The main tower was interesting. Six stories tall and each successive story is smaller than the one beneath it. The bottom floor's walls contained many pegs meant to hold swords and other weapons. The top floor housed a shrine that was moved into the castle after the building took over its former spot.
In order to go into the castle, you had to take off your shoes, put on slippers, then carry your shoes around in a white plastic bag. I think some of the grandeur of the castle was lost on me because I was focusing more on the increasing numbness of my feet. I recommend visiting Himeji in the springtime when the temperature is more agreeable.
Alright, I'm running out of steam. Stay tuned for my take on Kyoto...
My winter holiday began on Dec.23, or the Emperor's Birthday which a national holiday here. On Christmas Eve Will and I set out on the road in our little, yet trusty kei car to Kure (a 30 min train ride from Hiroshima). No, I didn't choose Kure for the hell of it, I have friends who live there. What would've been a 3 hour drive back in Canada took almost 6 here. For one thing, the car can't go over 80km/h comfortably for more than 10 minutes and for another traffic is slllooooww. At one point we gave up the non-toll, but non-moving, highway in favor of the zippiness of the rather pricey expressway.
Once in Kure, we met up with my friends, ate dinner, exchanged presents, slept and woke up bright and early to meet another friend in Hiroshima. Once altogether, we had a healthy McDonald's breakfast then set off for Peace Memorial Park, the site of the A-bomb dome. This structure survived the point-blank blast though a lot of the walls were seared off. It was strange to be looking at a building destroyed the way it was. Basically parts of it just melted away.
The A-bomb dome is located in Peace Memorial Park which also houses the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. This museum details the creation of Hiroshima as a city as well as the creation of "Little Boy" better known as the atomic bomb. Hiroshima was one of four possible target sites, all candidates being more or less intact unlike other air-raid ravaged cities. Why choose a city that's intact? To observe the effects of course. Kind of like a deadly, huge-scale science experiment. Other sections of the museum showed pictures of the after-effects on humans and objects. A particularly affecting picture shows a watch, frozen at 8:15, the time the atomic bomb detonated above Hiroshima. I won't go into details about the pictures of human suffering. All I can say is there was worse shown in the War Crimes Museum in Ho Chi Minh.
The rest of Hiroshima was walking and taking in a few gardens and one rather mundane castle. (I think I've seen too many Asian castles). The next day we spent in Kure relaxing before taking off for Himeji, famous for its enormous castle, which even this jaded viewer enjoyed.
Himeji Castle is big, even as castles go. One of our first stops was Princess Sen's Quarters. This Princess was first married at 7 to a guy who off and committed suicide. She then met and married the love of her life, Honda Tadatoki and lived in Himeji Castle.
Although the rooms were large and the Princess pretty much had use of the entire building, I couldn't help thinking that, with the bars on the windows and soldiers keeping watch at intermittent posts, it would've been more like living in a glorified prison. The main tower was interesting. Six stories tall and each successive story is smaller than the one beneath it. The bottom floor's walls contained many pegs meant to hold swords and other weapons. The top floor housed a shrine that was moved into the castle after the building took over its former spot.
In order to go into the castle, you had to take off your shoes, put on slippers, then carry your shoes around in a white plastic bag. I think some of the grandeur of the castle was lost on me because I was focusing more on the increasing numbness of my feet. I recommend visiting Himeji in the springtime when the temperature is more agreeable.
Alright, I'm running out of steam. Stay tuned for my take on Kyoto...
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Heaters
It's that lovely time of year when all people on the island of Shikoku (and the rest of Japan) freeze their behinds off. Why? Well, the outside isn't actually super cold but the houses and their lack of insulation make it feel like the arctic. You can actually see your breath when inside. Isn't there something inherently wrong with that?
So, to battle the frigidness, we have heaters. They come in all shapes and sizes. The first is the air conditioner/heater which is usually perched above the doorway. It was great as an air conditioner but as a heater you have to sit in a certain area of the room to get any benefit from it. Then there is what I call a heat lamp. It looks like a fan but doesn't blow and gets hot. Good for short distances but useless for a big room. Then there is also the "kotatsu" which is a table that is heated underneath. You throw a blanket under the lid, stick your legs under and enjoy the ensuing warmth.
I recently found out that the toilet in my house has a heated seat. And while it sounds weird, it's great! The bathroom is as cold as the rest of the house and it's not fun to have to answer nature's call in the middle of a very cold night.
This brings me to the kerosene powered heater. This bad boy has a tank which can be filled with kerosene that can be bought from your local gas station. It's warm but it can smell. There is one in my workplace which gives me a headache if I have it on for more than an hour. Possibly fainting or poisoning myself with toxic fumes is not my idea of an ending so I regulate it's usage by obsessively opening windows and gulping in fresh air or turning it off completely. Unfortunately this polluting machine is the only heater that actually warms up a room.
That said and done, Shikoku hasn't yet reached it's coldest temperatures of the year. So an icicle will write to you in those months.
So, to battle the frigidness, we have heaters. They come in all shapes and sizes. The first is the air conditioner/heater which is usually perched above the doorway. It was great as an air conditioner but as a heater you have to sit in a certain area of the room to get any benefit from it. Then there is what I call a heat lamp. It looks like a fan but doesn't blow and gets hot. Good for short distances but useless for a big room. Then there is also the "kotatsu" which is a table that is heated underneath. You throw a blanket under the lid, stick your legs under and enjoy the ensuing warmth.
I recently found out that the toilet in my house has a heated seat. And while it sounds weird, it's great! The bathroom is as cold as the rest of the house and it's not fun to have to answer nature's call in the middle of a very cold night.
This brings me to the kerosene powered heater. This bad boy has a tank which can be filled with kerosene that can be bought from your local gas station. It's warm but it can smell. There is one in my workplace which gives me a headache if I have it on for more than an hour. Possibly fainting or poisoning myself with toxic fumes is not my idea of an ending so I regulate it's usage by obsessively opening windows and gulping in fresh air or turning it off completely. Unfortunately this polluting machine is the only heater that actually warms up a room.
That said and done, Shikoku hasn't yet reached it's coldest temperatures of the year. So an icicle will write to you in those months.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Snow and its repercussions
Yesterday, I woke up, opened the window and saw that the ground was covered with snow. Usually, when I see the first snow of the season, I'm filled with childish glee and delight and have the urge to go and make snowangels. That former delight was thoroughly mixed with despair as the knowledge I couldn't drive to work set in.
I bundled up appropriately for the weather, meaning sweater, fleece, shell, scarf, gloves and toque. Then I ventured outside only to be met with a really heavy snowfall. The 5 minute walk to the station left me nicely coated in the white stuff.
Now, I'm not a huge fan of the train system here. They are infrequent and certain trains have a tendency to interrupt their trip to sit at a station and, well, just sit. For up to what seems like 10 minutes at a time. Why are they sitting? One reason is that there is only one train track. So, occasionally one train must wait until the other coming from the opposite direction has cleared the track. No, messy accidents that way you see. The other reason is solely to tick me off. I've now made it a rule to dehyrdrate myself before getting on the bloody train for fear I'll have to get off to use the bathroom and then wait up to an hour for the next one.
I bundled up appropriately for the weather, meaning sweater, fleece, shell, scarf, gloves and toque. Then I ventured outside only to be met with a really heavy snowfall. The 5 minute walk to the station left me nicely coated in the white stuff.
Now, I'm not a huge fan of the train system here. They are infrequent and certain trains have a tendency to interrupt their trip to sit at a station and, well, just sit. For up to what seems like 10 minutes at a time. Why are they sitting? One reason is that there is only one train track. So, occasionally one train must wait until the other coming from the opposite direction has cleared the track. No, messy accidents that way you see. The other reason is solely to tick me off. I've now made it a rule to dehyrdrate myself before getting on the bloody train for fear I'll have to get off to use the bathroom and then wait up to an hour for the next one.
But I digress. The train ride was its usual thing, once at the station I boarded a bus and arrived at my school's central campus. Only problem, I wasn't working at the central office on this particular day. So, I borrowed a bike from a coworker and realized how very out of shape I am. The 15 minute ride left me tired and sweaty (due to overlayering, and carting around my 10 pound backpack). I taught, sweat my way to returning the bike, got on another bus and train. I now have great respect for my coworkers who have to bike, no matter the weather, to the separate branch offices. I was one tired puppy by the time I got home.
It snowed again this morning. When I now see snow I nearly break down sobbing. But being bound and determined to be lazy (and also having suffered through many a Calgarian winter) I maneuvered our tiny car down the icy hill, onto slushy roads and into greener pastures (the city is inexplicably blue skied and sunny). The car is now reposing in the parking lot, blissfully unaware that it will have to make a return trip into snowland.
And I have to teach soon so I'll stop the bitch fest here. Cheers all.
Monday, December 12, 2005
Slots in Japan
Hi all, today I'm going to write about Japan's 'we aren't really gambling' gambling system. Known to most as Pachinko. Gambling is illegal throughout all of Japan. So, of course, no one gambles. Ever.
When in Osaka with Will and two friends of mine, way back in October, the group of us thought it would be fun to step into a Pachinko parlor. It's not hard to find, every city/town has at least one. In Osaka, they're a dime a dozen. You can find them from their extremely lit up signs declaring either: "Pachinko!" or "Millions!" At night, the signs are almost blinding. It's akin to seeing the bright lights of Vegas but only much more isolated.
Once you step inside one of these parlors you can barely hear anything for the constant sound of balls hitting each other. Pachinko is played, as far as I can tell, by dropping little silver balls into the top (or somehow inserting these things) of the machine and then sitting back and watching them drizzle down through different notches and slots. I think points are accumlated by where the balls hit when they land on the bottom. I wouldn't quote me on that though, since I've never actually played the game. The four of us, wandered around and looked confusedly at the machines and at all the people staring, mesmerized, at their Pachinko machines. On the floor were multiple tubs, sometimes stacked on each other, full of those little silver balls. After a few more moments of looking bewildered, with no one coming to help us waste our money, we left. Our pupils had to readjust to normal lighting once we were back outside.
Pachinko isn't technically gambling because you only receive a ticket or something similar once you're finished for the night (or day). The parlor itself does nothing to reimburse you for your efforts. But, if you go next door to a handy kiosk (which, of course, is in NO way affiliated with the Pachinko parlor), they'll take your ticket and give you something in return. What it is, I don't know, again because I never got to play. Perhaps cash or some prize.
To an outside viewer, Pachinko looks pretty dull. You sit at a machine and stare relentlessly at balls falling through spokes. But then, slot machines aren't much different. You press buttons (or pull the lever) and stare to see if you've managed to randomly match some pictures.
Though really, in either scenario you're pouring your money down the drain.
When in Osaka with Will and two friends of mine, way back in October, the group of us thought it would be fun to step into a Pachinko parlor. It's not hard to find, every city/town has at least one. In Osaka, they're a dime a dozen. You can find them from their extremely lit up signs declaring either: "Pachinko!" or "Millions!" At night, the signs are almost blinding. It's akin to seeing the bright lights of Vegas but only much more isolated.
Once you step inside one of these parlors you can barely hear anything for the constant sound of balls hitting each other. Pachinko is played, as far as I can tell, by dropping little silver balls into the top (or somehow inserting these things) of the machine and then sitting back and watching them drizzle down through different notches and slots. I think points are accumlated by where the balls hit when they land on the bottom. I wouldn't quote me on that though, since I've never actually played the game. The four of us, wandered around and looked confusedly at the machines and at all the people staring, mesmerized, at their Pachinko machines. On the floor were multiple tubs, sometimes stacked on each other, full of those little silver balls. After a few more moments of looking bewildered, with no one coming to help us waste our money, we left. Our pupils had to readjust to normal lighting once we were back outside.
Pachinko isn't technically gambling because you only receive a ticket or something similar once you're finished for the night (or day). The parlor itself does nothing to reimburse you for your efforts. But, if you go next door to a handy kiosk (which, of course, is in NO way affiliated with the Pachinko parlor), they'll take your ticket and give you something in return. What it is, I don't know, again because I never got to play. Perhaps cash or some prize.
To an outside viewer, Pachinko looks pretty dull. You sit at a machine and stare relentlessly at balls falling through spokes. But then, slot machines aren't much different. You press buttons (or pull the lever) and stare to see if you've managed to randomly match some pictures.
Though really, in either scenario you're pouring your money down the drain.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Japan in December
Hi all, it's quickly approaching my favorite time of year...Christmas! Being in Asia, the season is a bit less festive than in North America. Okay, a LOT less festive. Although there seems to be no shortage of twinkly lights on the outside of some houses. The homes I've seen with Christmas lights are literally draped with them. The blinking and twinkling is too frenetic for these human eyes.
Being the Christmas lover that I am, the lack of it in Asia is depressing. Sure, they have Christmas trees and even carols but something of the holiday spirit is missing. I suppose it's something that just can't be reproduced. I can picture the malls back home being covered with X-Mas periphernalia and carols lilting out at every corner. In Japan, the malls are decked out but in a somewhat stilted fashion. Kind of like my Japanese (or Korean) writing.
Determined to celebrate Christmas despite my location I duly visited the novelty and 100 yen stores to compile a small list of Christmas decorations. The fake tree I got makes Charlie Brown's look enormous. Still, it's been laddered with lights and ornaments that are slightly too large for it. It also keeps falling over but that's alright, we'll just prop it against the wall.
Hope you're all doing well.
Being the Christmas lover that I am, the lack of it in Asia is depressing. Sure, they have Christmas trees and even carols but something of the holiday spirit is missing. I suppose it's something that just can't be reproduced. I can picture the malls back home being covered with X-Mas periphernalia and carols lilting out at every corner. In Japan, the malls are decked out but in a somewhat stilted fashion. Kind of like my Japanese (or Korean) writing.
Determined to celebrate Christmas despite my location I duly visited the novelty and 100 yen stores to compile a small list of Christmas decorations. The fake tree I got makes Charlie Brown's look enormous. Still, it's been laddered with lights and ornaments that are slightly too large for it. It also keeps falling over but that's alright, we'll just prop it against the wall.
Hope you're all doing well.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Being illiterate - Kanji Part 2
I thought I would try to update this thing more regularly. Which means I'll go through a spurt where I update every two or three days, and then sink back into lethargy where I don't update at all. This is one of the former periods.
I was thinking last night about my inability to read here. In China, I didn't even attempt it since every character was so alien to me. In Korea, learning to read was relatively easy and I was reading at a pseudo-decent speed by the time I left. In Japan, with the 3 different writing systems, one is tricked into thinking he/she can read but then some kanji is tossed in to throw everything off. I think the worst part of kanji is that each character can have a Chinese and Japanese pronunciation. When do you use which? Who knows, I think it's something you learn over time. The native Japanese can't explain why they use a certain pronunciation.
The interesting (strange?) thing about this country is that children in elementary/middle school can, of course, speak their language but have a hard time reading all the signs they see around them. You have to have a high school education to really be able to get around and read everything you want (signs, comic books, novels etc.) That struck me as odd. Being raised as an English speaker, I learned to read in elementary school and by the time I entered junior high I had no problem reading signs or books. Not so here, an elementary graduate can probably only read about 50% of the kanji they see.
The breakdown, as I can understand it, goes as such:
Elementary students are taught kyoiku kanji, equaling 1006 characters.
Middle school students are taught joyo kanji, (an addtional 939 characters.)
On top of this there is jinmeiyo kanji, those used in registering names. Lord knows, when this is taught. I would guess throughout junior high, high school, university and right on until DEATH (possibly kanji continues to torture the Japanese soul into the afterlife). I take this to mean that elementary school students are unable to read the official writing of names. I assume they are taught to read at least their own names.
My official thoughts on kanji are: it's way too complicated and I have no desire to learn it. What with the ten different meanings any one kanji could have depending on context, nuance and blah blah blah. Where would I use it after I leave this country? I watch Will study diligently pretty much every night and sometimes the vague thought that I should learn it too crosses my mind but the thought leaves as quickly as it came and I'm left in happy oblivion. Am I lazy you ask? Most definitely! Disrespectful? Probably. Actually, being here makes me realize that I should've studied Korean harder while I was there. My bad.
This is the illiterate, mute gaijin signing off for now. This post is bit longer than I intended.
I was thinking last night about my inability to read here. In China, I didn't even attempt it since every character was so alien to me. In Korea, learning to read was relatively easy and I was reading at a pseudo-decent speed by the time I left. In Japan, with the 3 different writing systems, one is tricked into thinking he/she can read but then some kanji is tossed in to throw everything off. I think the worst part of kanji is that each character can have a Chinese and Japanese pronunciation. When do you use which? Who knows, I think it's something you learn over time. The native Japanese can't explain why they use a certain pronunciation.
The interesting (strange?) thing about this country is that children in elementary/middle school can, of course, speak their language but have a hard time reading all the signs they see around them. You have to have a high school education to really be able to get around and read everything you want (signs, comic books, novels etc.) That struck me as odd. Being raised as an English speaker, I learned to read in elementary school and by the time I entered junior high I had no problem reading signs or books. Not so here, an elementary graduate can probably only read about 50% of the kanji they see.
The breakdown, as I can understand it, goes as such:
Elementary students are taught kyoiku kanji, equaling 1006 characters.
Middle school students are taught joyo kanji, (an addtional 939 characters.)
On top of this there is jinmeiyo kanji, those used in registering names. Lord knows, when this is taught. I would guess throughout junior high, high school, university and right on until DEATH (possibly kanji continues to torture the Japanese soul into the afterlife). I take this to mean that elementary school students are unable to read the official writing of names. I assume they are taught to read at least their own names.
My official thoughts on kanji are: it's way too complicated and I have no desire to learn it. What with the ten different meanings any one kanji could have depending on context, nuance and blah blah blah. Where would I use it after I leave this country? I watch Will study diligently pretty much every night and sometimes the vague thought that I should learn it too crosses my mind but the thought leaves as quickly as it came and I'm left in happy oblivion. Am I lazy you ask? Most definitely! Disrespectful? Probably. Actually, being here makes me realize that I should've studied Korean harder while I was there. My bad.
This is the illiterate, mute gaijin signing off for now. This post is bit longer than I intended.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Japan life - Autumn
Finally I can stop carping about the intense heat and go straight into carping about the intense cold. Well, ok, not really intense but building up to there I think. Japanese houses don't really do much to keep the heat in. I've taken to pestering my students to help me figure out which option says "heat" on the air-conditioner/heater remote. When in my house I bundle up attractively in track pants, t-shirt and some sort of hoodie (hoody?). I'm afraid to get out of bed in the mornings because I don't want my bare feet to touch the cold wooden floor. I miss the "ondol" heating system in Korea (where the entire floor is heated).
On Monday, on my usual drive to work, I spent half of the drive behind a white sedan. While this in itself isn't anything interesting the antics the driver was going through were. He spent that entire half hour slapping and/or hitting himself. And I mean the entire half hour. The slapping and hitting were pretty much continuous. At one point I actually saw him ball his hand into a fist and then, ram himself with it. In the rare 2 seconds he wasn't doing this, he would run his hand through his hair. I don't know, maybe there was a bee or wasp in the car with him. Or maybe he has some strange driving rituals. Who knows?
Anyhoo, I hope this post find all of you who read it well! Cheers!
On Monday, on my usual drive to work, I spent half of the drive behind a white sedan. While this in itself isn't anything interesting the antics the driver was going through were. He spent that entire half hour slapping and/or hitting himself. And I mean the entire half hour. The slapping and hitting were pretty much continuous. At one point I actually saw him ball his hand into a fist and then, ram himself with it. In the rare 2 seconds he wasn't doing this, he would run his hand through his hair. I don't know, maybe there was a bee or wasp in the car with him. Or maybe he has some strange driving rituals. Who knows?
Anyhoo, I hope this post find all of you who read it well! Cheers!
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
More about me
Hey, my week is off to yet another inauspicious start. I locked the keys in the car for the 2nd time in two weeks. (I've never done this back in Canada!!) I paid an exorbitant fee to have someone come and break into my car for me (a hundred dollars, stupidity is expensive), trudged into work and flopped down to plan lessons. The day actually went well teaching wise but then when I was back in the car, I promptly nearly ran over an innocent cyclist. At that point I just about got out and walked home but figured that would be completely irrational.
But, I have hope that the week will end more positively than in started. In the meantime, while I'm at this laptop I'm going to list things I often see on other people's blog/journal sites. That being, inane senseless trivia about myself.
Currently reading: Some book called Playing Away. About a selfish idiot who knowingly cheats on a loving, faithful husband. Also in the middle of Things My Girlfriend and I have Argued About.
Listening to: Nikka Costa, a new discovery for me though she's been around for awhile. Great great stuff if you like soul mixed with funk.
Watching: Office Space. I don't think I paid proper attention the first time I watched it. Damn funny film.
Eating: These strange amalgamations of fortune-cookie type cookie mixed with soy nuts. Bizarre but tasty. Also eating these chocolate filled things with pictures of koala's on them. They're called "Ko-a-ra no machi"
Drinking: Apple juice. Sorry, not very interesting or inspiring.
Useful Japanese phrase of the week: Mochikairi de onegai shimasu. Or just mochikairi. It means "take out" (as in food).
Annoying occurence of the week: Aside from the repeat performance of locking my keys in the car, I was visited by Jehovah's Witnesses. The main lady rattled off in Japanese for a while before I made it clear I didn't understand her. Undeterred, she pulled out an English version of her handy Jehovah's Witness manual which I rejected. These people are equally annoying no matter what country you're in.
Admiring: My heat lamp. It's toasty if starting to scald my face.
Pondering: How to not lock my keys in the car ever again.
Alright this is too much even for me. Take care y'all.
But, I have hope that the week will end more positively than in started. In the meantime, while I'm at this laptop I'm going to list things I often see on other people's blog/journal sites. That being, inane senseless trivia about myself.
Currently reading: Some book called Playing Away. About a selfish idiot who knowingly cheats on a loving, faithful husband. Also in the middle of Things My Girlfriend and I have Argued About.
Listening to: Nikka Costa, a new discovery for me though she's been around for awhile. Great great stuff if you like soul mixed with funk.
Watching: Office Space. I don't think I paid proper attention the first time I watched it. Damn funny film.
Eating: These strange amalgamations of fortune-cookie type cookie mixed with soy nuts. Bizarre but tasty. Also eating these chocolate filled things with pictures of koala's on them. They're called "Ko-a-ra no machi"
Drinking: Apple juice. Sorry, not very interesting or inspiring.
Useful Japanese phrase of the week: Mochikairi de onegai shimasu. Or just mochikairi. It means "take out" (as in food).
Annoying occurence of the week: Aside from the repeat performance of locking my keys in the car, I was visited by Jehovah's Witnesses. The main lady rattled off in Japanese for a while before I made it clear I didn't understand her. Undeterred, she pulled out an English version of her handy Jehovah's Witness manual which I rejected. These people are equally annoying no matter what country you're in.
Admiring: My heat lamp. It's toasty if starting to scald my face.
Pondering: How to not lock my keys in the car ever again.
Alright this is too much even for me. Take care y'all.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Fighting in the new millenium
Remember when the only way to have a fight with another person was to be face to face with them? Well, I don't, always having had the option to fight over the phone, but with the advent of internet there is yet another way to duke it out (mentally not physically)...via email, chat and message forums.
I had a fight once with a friend, all done over a series of emails and it ended our friendship. To this day it is still the most random, idiotic fight I've ever had and I wonder what the hell we were both thinking. I want to believe our friendship was on its deathbed anyway but this might be wishful thinking.
I fought with my mother the same way so we didn't actually speak to each other for weeks. I was overseas at the time and this arrangement didn't make me happy.
The reason this suddenly popped into my head is that, during a fit of insomnia (from which I'm still currently suffering, it's past midnight here) I was browsing on a message forum I frequent and noticed a thread starting to turn very sour. (for internet forum newbies, a thread consists of an original message with all its replies) Now you can fight without even having to hear the other person's voice, much less see their face.
A major problem with internet chatting, messaging and emailing is that tone doesn't come through. What one person intended as a joke, is taken at face value by another. Sarcasm is probably one of the hardest things to express via type and has prompted many a confused reply from friends. Then you send a reply to the confused email explaining what you really meant. Imagine, if you were face to face, or even on the phone, none of that would've happened. Of course on larger message boards some people seem to lurk for the express purpose of dumping on what everyone else has to say.
Perversely, internet is also one of things that keep people in contact who would otherwise drift apart from each other. In the pre-internet days, my mother lost track of her friends in Korea due to a series of moves and general life busyness. She managed to locate them again and now keeps in contact mainly through email. I myself adore email, actually I'm probably unhealthily obsessed with it. Messenger programs are great too, particularly with the addition of sound and video (for free!). A close friend, from my Korea days, and I regularly chatted via messengers and kept up our friendship this way. But I digress...
I can never conclude my posts properly so I'll just say this is the end of it. Oi but I need some sleep. Take care y'all.
I had a fight once with a friend, all done over a series of emails and it ended our friendship. To this day it is still the most random, idiotic fight I've ever had and I wonder what the hell we were both thinking. I want to believe our friendship was on its deathbed anyway but this might be wishful thinking.
I fought with my mother the same way so we didn't actually speak to each other for weeks. I was overseas at the time and this arrangement didn't make me happy.
The reason this suddenly popped into my head is that, during a fit of insomnia (from which I'm still currently suffering, it's past midnight here) I was browsing on a message forum I frequent and noticed a thread starting to turn very sour. (for internet forum newbies, a thread consists of an original message with all its replies) Now you can fight without even having to hear the other person's voice, much less see their face.
A major problem with internet chatting, messaging and emailing is that tone doesn't come through. What one person intended as a joke, is taken at face value by another. Sarcasm is probably one of the hardest things to express via type and has prompted many a confused reply from friends. Then you send a reply to the confused email explaining what you really meant. Imagine, if you were face to face, or even on the phone, none of that would've happened. Of course on larger message boards some people seem to lurk for the express purpose of dumping on what everyone else has to say.
Perversely, internet is also one of things that keep people in contact who would otherwise drift apart from each other. In the pre-internet days, my mother lost track of her friends in Korea due to a series of moves and general life busyness. She managed to locate them again and now keeps in contact mainly through email. I myself adore email, actually I'm probably unhealthily obsessed with it. Messenger programs are great too, particularly with the addition of sound and video (for free!). A close friend, from my Korea days, and I regularly chatted via messengers and kept up our friendship this way. But I digress...
I can never conclude my posts properly so I'll just say this is the end of it. Oi but I need some sleep. Take care y'all.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Crazy Product
Yesterday, in an attempt to go for a hike, I bought some water to drink at the local supermarket. It was unusually cheap at 58yen. Not bothering to read the label closely I picked it up, duly paid for it, then headed back to the car.
Once in the car, I opened the bottle and took a sip. The flavour was strange considering it was water and after I took another swig only to be met with the same weird aftertaste, I looked at the label. It read "DIET WATER" 0 calories. When in the hell did water ever have more than 0 calories?? Have mountain streams suddenly begun containing sugar or fats? Are they adding calories at the purifying plants? I have no idea but now, in Japan, they have diet water.
There may be some "valid" reason behind it but I think this has to be the most useless product ever made. And also clearly nothing more than a ploy to sell to girls who want to be thinner and avoid all the weight they can gain by drinking normal, fat-filled water. I myself, am always fearful that I'll no longer fit into my jeans whenever I take a drink of the clear stuff. So really, no matter how dehydrated or thirsty you are, be careful. You could be adding inches to your waistline.
'Till I update again. Cheers.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Driving in Japan part II
Everyday I commute to Tokushima City to where I work. I know a lot of you have no idea what this means geographically but let me tell you that there are 50km between where I live and where I work.
Now, this might take me about 40min or so under normal circumstances but the speed limit on the local road here is a rapid 50km/h. So it takes me a little over an hour to get to and from work everyday. On the bright side, I'm slowly becoming a better manual-car driver. There is another road called the Tokushima Expressway where the limit is a resounding 80km/h. No one actually follows this and cars regularly whiz by at 100k+. I took my little car to explore this highway only to find the poor thing just couldn't keep up. It only goes up to a 4th gear and anything beyond 80 was really pushing it. At one point I had managed to push it up to 90 and thought the engine would explode at any time. Not to mention I was the front car of an unintended convoy.
There are some other idiosyncrasies about driving in this country, mainly because of the whole driving in the left-hand lane thing. For instance, coming out of parking lots I naturally tend to veer to the right side but here, that's where cars enter. Pulling up to a toll booth the other day made me realize I really hadn't totally adjusted to driving here. I drifted to the left side, and looked up expectantly only to see a smooth expanse of metal. Momentarily confused, I looked to my right to see the toll booth worker looking at me with a "what does she think she's doing?" expression on his face. He was nice enough to come out of his booth and actually hand me the ticket I was supposed to take from the machine.
And that, my friends, is the end of this story.
Now, this might take me about 40min or so under normal circumstances but the speed limit on the local road here is a rapid 50km/h. So it takes me a little over an hour to get to and from work everyday. On the bright side, I'm slowly becoming a better manual-car driver. There is another road called the Tokushima Expressway where the limit is a resounding 80km/h. No one actually follows this and cars regularly whiz by at 100k+. I took my little car to explore this highway only to find the poor thing just couldn't keep up. It only goes up to a 4th gear and anything beyond 80 was really pushing it. At one point I had managed to push it up to 90 and thought the engine would explode at any time. Not to mention I was the front car of an unintended convoy.
There are some other idiosyncrasies about driving in this country, mainly because of the whole driving in the left-hand lane thing. For instance, coming out of parking lots I naturally tend to veer to the right side but here, that's where cars enter. Pulling up to a toll booth the other day made me realize I really hadn't totally adjusted to driving here. I drifted to the left side, and looked up expectantly only to see a smooth expanse of metal. Momentarily confused, I looked to my right to see the toll booth worker looking at me with a "what does she think she's doing?" expression on his face. He was nice enough to come out of his booth and actually hand me the ticket I was supposed to take from the machine.
And that, my friends, is the end of this story.
Monday, October 17, 2005
My week so far
I should make a list of the things that I did right last week. They'd pretty much amount to 0. If you ask me what I did do last week this would be my answer:
1. I accused Will of taking my keys only to discover that I'd locked them in the car. Since I commute everyday and have no spare this was a problem. So, I called Will and after it was found that my keys were dangling from the ignition on the car, I went into a panic, causing him to have to drive a combined 60min out of his way to unlock the door for me.
2. Once I got into the car, it was discovered that I'd not only locked my keys inside but I'd also forgotten to put on the park brake (the car is a standard so it needs the park brake). Luckily for me the car wasn't in neutral which is probably the only thing that kept it from rolling into our neighbour's half of the house.
3. On the weekend, I withdrew a sizable amount of cash for both Will and I, and naturally placed it in my wallet. Then, I promptly left the wallet at home on the precise day we'd needed to have spent at least 10 000yen. In Japan, the use of credit cards (particularly foreign ones) is almost unheard of. Cash is the main way to pay for things. I discovered I'd done this once we were at a highway toll booth where cash was very necessary. Somehow, we managed to scrape by on the 6000yen that was in Will's wallet. This included a 3300yen highway fee, 1000yen parking fee and buying some food and water at the raceway. After this we needed gas and had about 150yen to spend. There was a 7-11 that took all sorts of bank cards and spit out some much needed cash for us. I came home to find the wallet peacefully reposing on the kitchen table.
4. Today, at work, while attempting to open the door, I managed to idiotically get my foot in the way and scrape and bruise the hell out of it. After some swearing and gritting of teeth, I examined the foot to find it bleeding and missing some skin.
All of this started on Thursday and it's now Monday. I want to see what else I can do until Thursday rolls around again.
1. I accused Will of taking my keys only to discover that I'd locked them in the car. Since I commute everyday and have no spare this was a problem. So, I called Will and after it was found that my keys were dangling from the ignition on the car, I went into a panic, causing him to have to drive a combined 60min out of his way to unlock the door for me.
2. Once I got into the car, it was discovered that I'd not only locked my keys inside but I'd also forgotten to put on the park brake (the car is a standard so it needs the park brake). Luckily for me the car wasn't in neutral which is probably the only thing that kept it from rolling into our neighbour's half of the house.
3. On the weekend, I withdrew a sizable amount of cash for both Will and I, and naturally placed it in my wallet. Then, I promptly left the wallet at home on the precise day we'd needed to have spent at least 10 000yen. In Japan, the use of credit cards (particularly foreign ones) is almost unheard of. Cash is the main way to pay for things. I discovered I'd done this once we were at a highway toll booth where cash was very necessary. Somehow, we managed to scrape by on the 6000yen that was in Will's wallet. This included a 3300yen highway fee, 1000yen parking fee and buying some food and water at the raceway. After this we needed gas and had about 150yen to spend. There was a 7-11 that took all sorts of bank cards and spit out some much needed cash for us. I came home to find the wallet peacefully reposing on the kitchen table.
4. Today, at work, while attempting to open the door, I managed to idiotically get my foot in the way and scrape and bruise the hell out of it. After some swearing and gritting of teeth, I examined the foot to find it bleeding and missing some skin.
All of this started on Thursday and it's now Monday. I want to see what else I can do until Thursday rolls around again.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Update
Hey all, haven't updated in awhile. I got busy with work and other stuff.
Just a short note to let y'all (who are actually checking this blog) that an update is coming soon. Hope you'll check back then!
Cheers,
-Yuri-
Just a short note to let y'all (who are actually checking this blog) that an update is coming soon. Hope you'll check back then!
Cheers,
-Yuri-
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