2007: Bring It On!

The new year is upon us, and it's fixin' to be our best yet.
Here he is, and he's a boy!



Check out that grin. It's a bit sly, cool, and satisified.
We can't wait to meet him.

Happy New Year All!!

A Christmas Miracle

Must be some kind of a miracle. Something like that, or else impressive incompetence.
Just days before Miss Yaki's family arrived for the holidays, our camera started working again. The screen went clear and pictures were once again possible. I blame it on the fact that the camera is a Canon, and Japan has been giving me a hard time lately. Maybe this is a sign of better J-land days ahead.


Or maybe not.


Well it sort of works anyway.
Welcome to Miyajima!


Dig those colours.

Christmas in the Country

We spent Christmas at an old farmhouse in Hattoji. The setting was idyllic.
Well, for the most part.


Not sure what these beached paddleboats were doing in this dodgy campground in this otherwise picturesque countryside. Aside from rusting. Gotta love the way the camera makes it worse.

The playground was slightly better.
Hit it!


You couldn't call it traditional, but it was great. Christmas' number one requirement is family, and we had that in spades.



It was unseasonably warm at something like 15 degrees during the day with the sun a shining. Christmas Eve saw us ripping into a traditional repast of pasta with roasted vegetables while Christmas Day's main meal was soba at a local restaurant. The food was fantastic, but what we didn't have in tradition we made up for in laughs. Slightly competitive card games and wacky charades kept us in seasonal mirth.

My Camera Died

Granted, this was awhile ago, but I'm gonna go a ahead and blame my most recent lull between posts on this fact. One minute I was snapping away then the next minute, as I attempted to photograph some the oldest, dirtiest, most suspicious plastic food ever displayed at a restaurant, the screen went wild and the camera would work no more.

Since then we went to Korea; camera-less.
Then we went to the last Sumo Basho of the year in Fukuoka; camera-less.
In between these trips, my cousin and his wife stopped off for a visit during their odyssey across this crazy land. Once again though, I was camera-less.

Fear not, if you were, these events have not been completely lost to the blog: Jane rode to the resue in Seoul and diligently documented our weekend visit. Then in Fukuoka, who would have thought, a disposable camera became available. All was not lost. And of course, to no one's real surprise, my cousin brought a camera. Though I'm not sure about posting any of his photos yet. I fear I need to get his signed release. He's a lawyer you know.

If you're still reading, proceed below for some accounting of these events.

Da Basho

The last basho of the year, and it's in Fukuoka, and we weren't going to miss it.

Since seeing sumo live for the first time last March, Miss Yaki and I have really taken a shining to it. We've learned most of the characters' names and have got our favourites. For those out there picturing rolly polly fat men waddling around a ring and belly bouncing each other out, you're off the mark. Admittedly some of these guys could use the support of a bra, and are packing a lot up front, but when you see them throw their legs in the air and the sheer brute force when they match up, you can't not be impressed. They really are athletes. Athletes that tuck into a lot of vittles and sake, but athletes nonetheless.

Here's Miss Yaki and I posing with one of our favourites:

Unfortunately, he was out with a broken toe so we had to settle for the cardboard cutout.


I try to look tough beside the absolute number one, the yokozuna, Asashoryo.


Miss Yaki gives hometown favourite Kaio some love.

We didn't just pose with cardboard. We did manage to see the real thing too.
Here's a quick rundown for posterity:
The bouts were great. The second match of the Makuuchi division
was between Homasho, who came in at 11-2 and the only one still alive
to take the emperor's cup, and Tamakasuga. We've dubbed Homasho the
chief because he looks like the Native American of sumo wrestling.
Anyway, he's actually Japanese so the crowd was going nuts for him.
After some exciting back and forth he managed to get the win and the
place exploded. Another memorable bout was between Miyabiyama and
Kotomitsuki. I really can't choose one of these freaks to cheer for,
so I just enjoyed the slap happy match. It was so entertaining that I
briefly applauded Miyabiyama when he won, but quickly stopped. The
next match saw Kisenosato beat hometown hero Kaio which was
disappointing, but he ended up having a decent tournament. The
penultimate match had the hairy back beast Tochiazuma beating
Chiyotaikai. Then, too quickly, it was down to the last one of the
day: Asashoryu vs. Kotooshu. Asa could clinch the cup or Kotooshu
could keep Homasho's hopes alive. After a short dance on the lowdown
while each tried to get a good grip, Asa got the grip and tossed
Kotooshu like someone's skinny uncle. He finished the tourney 15-0.
He really is the man.

Alas, all this action and our pictures turned out mostly useless. After Indonesia, I said, "no matter what, I'm not buying another disposable camera. They're worthless." Embarassingly short memory on me it seems.

Anyway, here's a few from the action:

The big boys do some pre-match theatrics.


Look at that leg kick.

Asa's ritual observed in the flesh.



He's unstoppable.

A Bit of T & A

My cousin A and his wife T dropped by for a short visit along their Japan odyssey. Unfortunately, we only had one day off from school and just managed to show them our town, but it was good times. We had some great discussions and really enjoyed catching up.



On one of the nights we took them out for okonomiyaki...



...which proved a hit.



Not surprisingly, later we had to hit the karaoke. My cousin's a lively character in the best possible way, so we couldn't miss experiencing the song parade with him. Two hours later after everything from showtunes to Wham! and we were not disappointed as both T & A hit the mic hard!

Skipping School for Seoul

So we slipped over to Seoul last month to visit friends. They've since returned to Canada so it was our last chance to see them again on this side of the world, and to check out a bit of Korea with proper guides. It was a short trip, but a great time. It took no time at all for the laughing to begin and it never really stopped until we said goodbye.

The best part of our trip by far:


Our friends, hosts, guides, and photographers.

I was looking forward to a taste of Korea (both figuratively, and quite literally looking for some spicy kimchi) and to see how it compares to Japan. They are so close geographically, and it seems these Japanese people came from Korea a long time ago though you won't hear many shouting it. Anyway, it didn't take long to realize we were in a very different country when the bus driver proceeded to lay a shouting smackdown on some hapless fellow before our departure from the airport. It was a breath of fresh air to see someone getting it off his chest after many months of fakey politness and repressed emotion in Japan.

With that we were off for the long traffic snarled trip to downtown Seoul. Our hosts apologized profusely for our delay, but it was a great chance to catch up with them in a captive environment. It also afforded opportunity to gaze out at the endless, grey apartment block landscape. The ride from the airport actually competes with Japan for uniformity of dull ugly urban dwellings, but takes J-land on the height of the apartos it seems. We were blessed with bright sunlight and a deep blue sky that we were assured was a rarity as it is usually a grey choked atmosphere that complements the tombstone apartments.

Here's a glimpse (from the net):





The mountains are nice.

Once we made it into the city proper we wasted little time getting to the food. We stopped in at a local place where our friends are regulars and seem to be part of the family. We tucked into some fine cuisine. We managed to get some things minus the meat including a kimchi soup. We had another spicy bean curd type soup that rocked along with a bunch of sides. It was full flavoured, spicy, and therefore certainly not Japanese! Yipee!!



From here we wandered around our friends' lively happening hood. We stopped in for the requisite photo booth shoot:





With hats and everything.

Soon it was time to experience a Korean bar and try out the local beverage of choice: Soju. It's quite smooth especially in its lemon form and therefore quite dangerous. Delicious!
The place we went was decorated in a traditional style with great atmosphere aside from the ubiquitous cigarrette smoke, but that's nothing new in Asia. Unlike Japan, in Korea people really dine together. They share out of communal dishes and even drink water out of the same bowl. Well, in this place anyway. It was like a metal dog bowl filled with ice water.



Looks like I got crazy eye or something in that picture.



That's a bit better.

Next it was time for some karaoke action. Oops, I think that's a Japanese word. We'll call it a singing room.



The Shanman rips it out.



Oh, the passion.
And on into the night.


The next morning we awoke and enjoyed a delectable breakfast.



Soon it was off to continue the cultural exploration with a visit to the Gyeongbok Palace. We took the subway and enjoyed the wonderful aroma of stale soju breath and body that filled the car from all sides. It was quite likely that the lot of them were completely gunned the night before.



I think the sun was a little bright for us. But dig that blue sky. A second beautiful day. Apparently most days the mountains behind the palace are not visible. Well they're not visible in this picture either, but I swear they were.
The palace was erected in the late 14th century and later burned by the Japanese. It was restored in the middle of the 19th century, but then the Japanese arrived and dispatched of the monarchy and destroyed a good part of the palace grounds (again.)

These guys won't let that happen again.







They took on the role of stolid stoic guards quite well; standing still and enduring the photos with tourists and the like. One thing that wasn't still though was their eyes. They followed you around with them. It was a tad creepy.



The grounds of the palace and around were quite impressive. On one end were views of the surrounding mountains, and views of the towering city on the other.







The intricate decoration of the buildings was refreshingly colourful and alive. A marked difference from Japan's more two-toned stylings.





Time to make like these guys and do some posing.



Autumn Jane


Beatlesque? Except for the nard in the background.


True Rock Stars


Next Year's a Big One: Year of the Boar/Pig


Shannon bonds with his...Rooster


We made a brief stop at a museum (the National or Folk or something) and checked out some interesting models of what life was like in the past and what the area looked like.


Not sure what this guy's up to.





While looking we were accosted by a serial English speaker whom we'd encountered earlier and successfully shaken. He was an older guy with booze on his breath talking some trash. When Miss Yaki mistakenly let it drop that we lived in Japan (much to Jane's horror...apparently some find it a dirty word here), he quickly switched over to the Nihon-go. Fortunately I don't speak much of the Japanese language and his was sloppy anyway, but annoying nonetheless. We made our getaway.


We wandered around some more and soon found ourselves in the Insadong area. We found a veg restaurant previously sourced through the internet and tucked into some traditional Korean temple food. We felt bad as it was Jane's birthday, but she embraced it as a cultural experience. The food was a veritable feast and very good. Well, aside from some moutain roots that almost made Miss Yaki vomit. Good times.



Day was soon night. We wandered around some more checking out shops and making our way to a temple right in the heart of the city.





After a couple of drinks and great conversation in a likable cafe we made our way back.

We took a cab and I was struck by one of those moments where it seems strange to be where you find yourself. Floating along in a cab passing enormous bright billboards on both sides while the driver watched a TV on the dashboard with one eye. The program was set in historical China while we drove through some surreal future world that would have looked like an unsettling dream only 15 years ago.

Our night was soon gone, and the next day flew by. We reluctantly said goodbye to our friends, and on the bus back to the airport, reflected again on how fortunate we are to know them.