Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

2009-04-15T08:52:00.001+09:00

Baby's First Bender

2007-06-17T22:52:00.002+09:00

At just shy of two months old, it was high time for Ez's first proper party. Plus, we've got some friends over here that were looking forward to meeting our small wonder.

The occasion was a double b-day bash for great peeps Rachel & Rene. We made our way up to Ibara for the first time since last year's good time hangi event. And once again, this year did not disappoint. Despite the rain that attacked in waves, on-and-off, we made do and had a very excellent bbq. Complete with delectable food, a singalong jam session, good conversation, and rounds of sake, it was a fitting way to say sayonara to a load of great people we've met in Japan.

And we got to pass Ez around too...

B-boy Rene & Ez make fast friends.

Good Kids.

The Birthday Pair.

And the irrepressible Gary gets the music going.

The Sisters' Sojourn

2007-06-17T22:52:00.001+09:00

Visits in Ez's honour continued in May.

This time we welcomed my mom, who just couldn't wait a couple of months to meet her newest grand treasure, and she brought along her sis' - who's also quite fond of small people - to keep the travels interesting.

They both took to Ez like he's the world's newest amazing gift - which he is. They also took to the Pretz that we offered, and decided it's another of the world's amazing gifts - which it is.

For Ez's part, he seemed quite happy to make more friends, but at times they had to compete with his imaginery companions who lurk on the ceiling, particularly around the lights. Then there were also those captivating 'beeige' curtains.

As for the 'rents, we were sure glad to have T & P's help for near 3 weeks. We ate delicious veg. food with no dishes to do. We got pleasant breaks while they took Ez for his much loved strolls around the neighbourhood. And we had plenty of laughs.

Thanks so much Miss Kitten & Ladybug...

Here's Ez getting the love from his grandma.

And here's more love from his graunty.

School's Out FOR--EVER!!

2007-06-17T22:51:00.001+09:00

Well for Japan anyway...

Yes, that's right. It's all over. No more teaching uninterested, half-wit (bad teacher!), mouth-breathers a subject they have as much interest in as I have for J-Pop, and expecting they actually try.
I, for one, am all through trying.

Yeehaa!

Of course, that's a somewhat unfair characterization. Only somewhat though. I met lots of stellar students who really made me feel like my help was worthwhile. However, these students don't change my overall impression...

Instead, I'm left clicking my heels that my time teaching in this educational wasteland is over.

For the record, here is my very last class in J-Land:

And here's some of the good guys:

Now, on to bigger and brighter things.
That'd be taking care of my remarkable son.

Ahhh, yeah.

Take it away, Mr. Mom.

A Parting Gift

2007-05-30T15:01:00.000+09:00

Just finished watching my last sumo tournament in Japan. I'm sad to say sayonara to sumo (don't think the CBC carries it...yet), but at least my last basho did not leave me disappointed. My boy Hakuho won his second straight tournament in dominant style going undefeated, and laying out yokozuna Asashoryu once again. In my post about the Fukuoka basho last November I noted that Asa is unstoppable. Well, he was, but Hakuho was out with an injury that time. Now my boy is firing on all cylinders and Asa looks in need of a tune-up.

With Hakuho's two straight tourney victories, he was rightly promoted to top dog yokozuna (grand champion), and looks set to ratchet up the Mongolian rivalry with fellow yokozuna Asashoryu. Finally somebody's cracking Asa's dominance and making sumo really exciting, and I gotta go...drat!
Maybe I should have recontracted...
Yeah, right.

Congrats Hakuho!

Saturday Surprise

2007-05-30T15:00:00.000+09:00

A few weeks ago I was coming back from the drug store, with a new pacifier for Ez in hand, when I noticed a white bearded foreign looking man coming down our small street. It took a few seconds to register his identity as he wasn't in his usual surroundings. Sure enough it was Miss Yaki's dad making a surprise visit to meet his new grandson on the eve of Mother's Day no less. Apparently he'd bought his plane ticket the day after Ez was born, and had made it from Toronto, through Vancouver, to Osaka, through Okayama, and then finally right to our door without so much as a hint of his imminent arrival. It was a stellar surprise.

Ez and his grampy took to each other right off. Grampy was so taken with the young man that he was more than happy to take him off his parents hands at three in the morning near everyday. It seems grampy's clock left T-dot time, but never really made it to J-land time. He was stuck somewhere in the middle with heavy eyelids at 7pm, and waking refreshed around 3am.

Anyway, it was great having him here. It was perfect timing. He got in some early bonding with his grandson, and did dishes like a man possessed.

Thanks again Craigers!

Happy Birthday to Us!

2007-04-30T18:45:00.002+09:00

Today was great as Ez and I shared a b-day. He clocked in at two weeks while I hit a backwards 13. We celebrated our day with generous vittles supplied by our friends Dave and Rachel. Don't think they realize how much the veg lasagna and blue cheese salad was appreciated as a b-day meal. Anyway, the good times continued with a few beers for me and warm milk straight from the source for the little beaver.

Here's to the first of many fantastic Aprils to come!!

Ez's First Visit

2007-04-30T18:45:00.001+09:00

Despite his far flung foreign birth, Ezra's first official visit was from family afterall. The timing was right as cousin Dr. Tiff was in J-land for an ob/gyn conference. We decided if anything went wrong we'd be able to call in our own ringer to get things figured. Fortunately, everything went well, so only a family visit was required.

Unfortunately, due to obvious circumstances, their visit was too short. Only had time for some Japan trash talk, and a couple of meals out including the requisite okonomiyaki. Anyway, it was great to see you Tiffany & Keir. You've got an early spot in Ezra's scrapbook.

This Charming Man

2007-04-19T10:27:00.000+09:00

He's here!!!

Ezra checked in on April 16th. Took his time and worked his mom over a bit, but she's already forgetting. We're both completely smitten.

Who wouldn't be? He's perfect.
And his mom is amazing!

He's the star of the maternity ward with his 9 pound frame, dashing good looks, and foreign parentage.
He's shown himself adept at sleeping like an angel so far. Here's one with his proud papa during one of his more awake moments:

We are so excited and fortunate to have this miracle in our life!

Japan the Strange

2007-03-23T16:05:00.000+09:00

This past weekend we took a wander in our neighbourhood and came across the annual local music festival in all its glory.

This appeared to be some kind of woman on woman folk dancing. Everyone watching looked to be north of sixty, and the whole thing had a kind of local community class performs for local community feel. It is a city of almost half a million, but it usually feels like a very small town.

Further along the canal we came upon this picturesque scene:

The historic quarter of Kurashiki is indeed a beautiful spot, but look closer for the bonus. Those are community stalwarts dressed in traditional 'alpen' dress blowing away on their alp horns. The melodious mountain moans transport us to another place...like Switzerland.

The gentleman in the middle is none other than the VP of my school. Some years ago he traveled to Switzerland on behalf of the city to purchase the horns. It seems the city was looking for something special...or strange.

This past weekend was certainly not unique as our everyday life here has provided a veritable catalogue of the strange. I think it appropriate to note a couple of things that have become commonplace to me, but should be noted for posterity...or more likely, me looking back at this blog in the future.

The Foot Fetish:
I'm all for taking your shoes off when inside the house. It makes good cleanli-sense. It starts to wear after awhile though when so many other places require the removal of shoes often followed by the donning of ill-fitting, grandpa-style slippers. Understandable for temples, and the like. I prefer to avoid the slippers altogether in these cases, but understandable nonetheless. It's school that really irks. The entrance ways of the school have banks of cubby boxes, each with a name plate reminiscent of kindergarden. One for everyone; students and teachers. The exchange happens on arrival and departure. Indoor sandals for students. Indoor sandals, sandals with heels (best for men), sneakers, quasi-dress shoes or whatever for teachers as long as they're 'clean'. In point of fact, I think my outdoor shoes are cleaner. As I've noted before, the students clean the school here and do so in typical teenage manner; therefore, no cleaning. Anyway, this indoor/outdoor shoes is all symbolic anyway. The school has open air hallways and courtyards so one is always going outside. I even see teachers going to their cars wearing indoor shoes. People, those are your indoor shoes! Speaking of cars, some folks even take their shoes off in the car and store them away in a convenient tray that appears designed for this purpose. The car's an extension of home I guess. Still, it's a little awkward when a fellow teacher picks me up on the way to school and I have to scramble out of my shoes just to catch a ride.
This foot phenomenon reaches its strange peak during graduation ceremonies. Despite the fact that the gym floor is covered to protect its buffed finish, outdoor shoes are not permitted. Parents and guests bring their own slippers. The students are decked out in their uniforms with gym shoes (their indoor sandals not appropriate for the occasion), while the teachers sport black suits and white shirts with white ties for the guys, and pearls for the girls. On teachers' feet any 'indoor' footwear flies. The principal dons tails for this solemn occasion and cuts an imposing figure with white reeboks on his feet.
Strange indeed.
Miss Yaki's supervisor from last year was the best though. He took his shoes off in his car, but couldn't locate the necessary respect to do the same at school. He'd just roll in with outdoor shoes flying. Rebel.

The Uniform Fetish or Smell the Glove:
This is a nation of uniforms. School uniforms are not strange of course, but they serve a deeper purpose here as they ready the young for a life of uniforms. The salaryman wears the grey or blue suit. Formal occasions call for the black suit/white tie combo as noted above. Housewives wear bib-like aprons with floral patterns. Old ladies sport bonnets and long gardening gloves all over town. Grocery store employees wear full polyester uniforms from the paper hat down to knee high socks. Parking lot attendants stand at attention in uniforms that look like they may call for the rank of admiral. Then there's my favourite, the drivers. Bus drivers and taxi drivers in full uniform with name tags, conductor hats, and white gloves. Between them and the parking lot attendants, one can never be sure who the cops are.
As noted, with some of these uniforms come gloves. They're the hand equivalent to indoor shoes. They denote cleanliness. Campaigning politicians stand by the side of the road waving at passing cars with their white gloved hands. Regular people wear white gloves while driving (and probably remove their shoes.) Old ladies have gloves permanently attached to their bicycles to keep their hands warm and/or keep the sun's rays at bay.
And I call this strange place home...for now.

While I track down some photos of uniformed weirdness, enjoy this shot of a local eccentric's pad:

A Year Ago

2007-03-13T21:22:00.000+09:00

In honour of the upcoming one year anniversary of Mike, Moose, and Derek's wild sojourn in J-land:

Shogunning the 1 Litre

The Asahi brewery has never seen the likes of this. Indeed.

What's been goin' on...

2007-02-12T22:19:00.000+09:00

It's food. I'm keeping up with Miss Yaki here as best I can.
She eats, as she should.
I support her, as I should.
In the meantime, I think I might be getting about ready to give birth to something myself. Not sure what it'll be, but suspect it'll be angry.

Seriously though, we've been eating great. Just a quick rundown to make others living in Japan or other sketchy climes envious.
Here we go:
Arugula Pesto on Spelt Penne w/Roasted Vegetables.
Falafels w/Tahini sauce on Whole Wheat Flatbread.
Roasted Sweet Potato Quesadillas w/Smoky Chipotle Sauce Garnished with Toasted Pepitas.
Vegetarian Lasagna w/Tofu Spinach Filling
HomeMade Chocolate Chip Cookies
Tofu Mattar Paneer on Brown Basmati served w/Cucumber Mint Raita
Killer Banana Bread
Honey Lemon Ginger Spinach Salad
Greasy Pork Sammys served on a Dirty Ash Tray...

Sounds great eh?
I could be eating this...

...if I was deeply disturbed.
Seriously though, a friend at work was equally put off by the lower picture. He looked at it incredulously and told me that it is in fact a sweet sammy...a sweet pork something wrapped in sweet dough. He looked near as disgusted as me.

I'm counting the days...

Blog's B-day!

2007-02-12T22:07:00.000+09:00

Here we are.
It's not only my first official post of '07, but yesterday marked this blog's first birthday. Seems like only yesterday I was posting it's first pictures and wondering if it would talk.
It's still here anyway.

A very quick catch up:
We celebrated the New Year in Kyoto with Miss Yaki's family and had a great time. The following pictures document the general flavour of their trip:

Since bidding farewell to the Simpson/Abbot caravan we've been rather quiet. My ridiculous book reading is only distracted by the occasional trip out to eat, go bowling (once), or more frequently ripping around on my bike. Oh, and can't forget scrabble, cards, and hospital visits with my sweetheart of course.

2007: Bring It On!

2006-12-30T00:26:00.000+09:00

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

2006-12-30T00:23:00.000+09:00

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

2006-12-30T00:08:00.000+09:00

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

2006-12-14T16:42:00.000+09:00

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

2006-12-14T16:18:00.001+09:00

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

2006-12-14T16:18:00.000+09:00

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

2006-12-14T16:17:00.000+09:00

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.

Modern Times

2006-10-29T00:06:00.000+09:00

I've had been listening to this for over six weeks and still can't get enough. Bob Dylan continues to amaze me. The roots and history of American music are moving through him. He's reached a point now where age is strengthening him, and his experience is settling in him, creating a soundtrack for the modern world. Slow and thoughtful; just what our world needs more of.
This record makes for 3 remarkable releases in a row. Contrary to earlier criticism, the kid is aging very well.

New Old Man's Pants

2006-10-28T21:57:00.000+09:00

I recently bought some new pants for work. Colder weather is just around the corner and it's time to put the summer light-weight-relaxed duds away. For me, second year in Japan means goodbye to dress pants and hello to something more casual and requiring no crease. Anyway, upon returning home with my new gear I discovered the label I hadn't noticed at the store.

If I'd seen this label before I might've had to buy a third pair.
It's all about lifestyle for me.
In Japan, Clint just stars as himself.

Back in business...again

2006-10-18T18:59:00.000+09:00

Looks like this blog is becoming a seasonal thing. Looking back at my posts I see the most recent comments are about summer's arrival and before that the rainy season. Well, here we go again. Time races by and now another season turns with the arrival of autumn.

Not that so much has changed seasonally yet. It's still quite warm though teachers and students have slipped into their winter gear as they like to go by the calender. Any remaining rice fields are a golden brown and beginning to lay down. The rest have been cut and burned filling the air with a smoky fall aroma. Could be pleasant, but it makes me wheeze and sneeze.

So where have I been? I think 2+ months between posts is a new record for my sporadic blog.

I feel justified because my head really hasn't been here lately.

There was our trip to Indonesia and all we learned there. Not only the experience of living a simpler life, but on the even more personal level. We will always remember our trip, above all, for the sneaking suspicion that grew each day to the point that confirmation was a moot point. It began with Miss Yaki being turned off certain smells. This soon lead to her giving the crossed arm X (dame!) to all the wonderful Indonesian food entirely. We're talking all vegetarian here, and tempeh and curries and everything! Our suspicions were all but confirmed when one day in the jungle she remarked to our guide, "hey, what's that smell?" He sniffs, pauses, "monkey...maybe...yesterday."

The final confirmation came back in J Land with a printout of a wee bean, and my Princess Yaki is pregnant! And of course this means, we're pregnant!!

So this blog has sat. It's sat while we've tried to share our wonderful news with as many people as possible. It's sat while I've worked my head around this exciting surprise. I must say, though of course a little scary (I'd be a fool not to have some of that feeling), this change has felt good from the beginning, and somehow right, and right now. Our plans will change in the short term, but I'm looking forward to the beginning of a great adventure as our family is set to grow by one.

And now, in convenient non-blog-style top-to-bottom linear order: Our trip to Indonesia.

Orang Project

2006-10-13T23:43:00.000+09:00

Our journey started ridiculously early one morning in Kurashiki.

A walk led to a train. Another walk led to an extremely fast train. Yet another train, and soon we were at Kansai airport; ready to board a plane and rock and roll out of Japan.

It would take 2 more planes (both with wonderful 'rush' seating), waiting at 3 more airports, 2 airport shuttle/taxi rides, a night at the terminal hotel in Jakarta airport, and finally a 3+ hour ride down dodgy roads before we reached our destination: The Orangutan Health Project.

These were our modest, but adequate digs for part of the next 2 weeks. No running water. Squat toilets. Cold bucket showers. Spotty electricity with blackouts referred to in Indonesian (with a detectable hint of affection) as mati lampu. With cockroaches, rats, chirping geckos, and the occasional toad stopping by.

The buildings were perched over fish ponds and surrounded by rice fields. Our neighbours were regular families engaged in farming and raising fish. Sounds of an early morning and frequent daytime rooster crowing, lambs amid the rice fields bleating, and cicadas singing at night. It was a great spot. Smack in the middle of real life in Sumatra.

The first couple of days were mostly spent settling in to our new surroundings. I quickly discovered this spot...

...and found some much needed relaxation accompanied by a book.

We also explored some of the local area; getting supplies in the nearby towns of Bukit Lawang and Bohorok. A major hightlight of these outings was the transportation itself. Collective style buses with everyone grabbing a ride on the back, on the roof...wherever there was room. I love traveling like this!

One thing that took no time settling into was the food provided for us. We were truly pampered. Batwa, a local woman, arrived every morning to prepare our lunch and dinner which she would leave for us. We were treated to proper, delicious, Indonesian home cooking. All vegetarian fare featuring spicy curries, tempeh done in various ways, spring rolls, omelettes, peanut dishes, and rice. After a year in the vegetarian wasteland that is Japan, I thought I may have stumbled on to heaven.

Time to introduce our 'fellow travelers'.

First, the volunteers:

Richard

Michele

Caroline

Matt

Bob

Anne

My beloved Miss Yaki

Some guy we found by the side of the road

Our fearless leaders, Andrea and Clare

Our local guides and friends:

Mbra

Wanda

Romi

Ah, those ginger monkeys...

2006-10-13T22:12:00.000+09:00

Time to get down to why we came.

As everyone should know, rainforests the world over are disappearing at an alarming rate. Nowhere are they vanishing faster than in Indonesia, and particularly on the island of Sumatra. Check this graphic showing the rate of loss on Sumatra (the sixth largest island in the world...just shy of twice the size of Great Britain ) over the last 60 odd years:

With the loss of this rainforeset comes a loss of habitat putting thousands of species at risk of extinction. The rainforest of Sumatra is home to critically low numbers of tigers, elephants, rhinos, and of course orangutans. These species are not only among the most identifiable to people, but their continued survival is of upmost importance to the survival of diversity in the rainforest environment. Orangutans for one, help maintain the continuity of thousands of species of plants, trees, and the animals that rely on them, by recycling and redistributing seeds found in the food they eat.

The Orangutan Health Project, with which we volunteered, is dedicated to studying the overall health of the local population of Sumatran orangutans with an eye to learning about how they self medicate. It's a scientific study looking to gather invaluable data that will aid in their survival both in the wild and in captivity. The project helps to shine a light on the plight of the Sumatran orangutan by inviting international volunteers to assist in the program by bringing resources with them, and by then returning to their home countries with a desire to share what they've learned.

We decided to step up to the opportunity. The opportunity to go beyond tourism and try to be of some help; to experience the remarkable environment of a majestic South Asian rainforest while it's still possible.

We saw this remarkable creature on our way to visit the orangutan feeding platform for the first time. We were passing by the home/business of a local friend of the project when he asked if we wanted to see a snake. He called it a 'moon snake' because it only comes out with the new moon. He said it'd been in the tree for days which was to be believed because we would see this same 'moon snake' again a few times over the next days. According to the story, it doesn't move because it doesn't have to. Birds bring it food so this snake can be the branch.

Anyway, back to our morning at the feeding platform. There used to be a rehabilitation centre on the outskirst of the Gunung Leuser Park for orangutans that had been rescued from kidnapping. The centre is gone, but twice a day they still feed any semi-wild orangutans that wish to drop by. In reality it's mostly for tourists, but this would be our first chance to see orangutans in their natural habitat.

After watching a mother and baby grab some bananas and then return to frolicking in the jungle canopy above, we noticed some of the park officials brining another orangutan to the platform in a net. Apparently this female orang was one of only a few still left at the rehab centre and they have been slowly trying to introduce her to the jungle setting. She prefers to spend her time hanging out with people, and sadly is not yet comfortable in her natural home.

After spending some time watching the orangutans, and some time watching them get dangerously close, we headed off deeper into the jungle for our 'practice trek'.

We'd only been hiking along for maybe 15 minutes when out of nowhere an orangutan hopped into our path splitting our line as we moved a safe distance away in opposite directions. Mbra sent the orang up a tree. Seems it was the same friendly female we'd seen earlier at the feeding platform. I felt bad for her because I think she just wanted to join our hike, but we had to leave her behind. The potential disease germs we volunteers were carrying, and her incredible strength and unpredictability just didn't lend themselves to the make of a good treking team.

The trek was a great introduction to the Sumatran rainforest. With Wanda leading the way pointing out plants used for medicine, tree bark used as glue or a firestarter, a fresh orangutan nest, and a massive bee hive. It wasn't too strenuous a day, but still challenging at times. Making our way through the dense foliage, crossing steams, and swinging from vines as we went down steep slopes made us all feel a bit like Indiana Jones or something. Well, me anyway.

The best part of the trek was when we came across of couple of orangutans lounging in the trees. This time we were far from the feeding platform making it a more authentic experience. With birds chirping, and the calls of gibbons as our soundtrack, we watched these two climb about the foliage swinging from vines in a seemingly haphazard way. One climbed down low, and almost seemed to be posing at one point. It was remarkable to be able to make eye contact with her and wonder what she might be making of us. Eventually the other orangutan got a little annoyed with our hanging about and bared its teeth. We decided it was time to move on.

While we were observing these orangutans I tried taking footage instead of many pictures. So if I ever become web savy enough I'll post that footage right here...

Anyway, our trek was soon over and everyone survived. Here's the picture to prove it.

That's Wanda checking his checking his text messages at the edge of this tropical wilderness.

Our next day was the last before we set of for a six day camp in the rainforest. We spent the day doing research tasks and generally being useful.

Anne and I being very useful.

Matt and Caroline looking busy. I think Caroline's work is fecal matter related. Nice one.

Here's Miss Yaki getting the job done with Bob anxiously awaiting his turn.

Wow, that Miss Yaki can't help but be helpful.

Out in the rainforest

2006-10-13T22:04:00.000+09:00

The next day found us saddling up and heading out for our camp in the rainforest. Our transportation was well worn, but ready for the bumpy dirt roads that would take us to the jungle. It was actually a marvelous vehicle. Simple in its utility. I checked out the cab and found no dashboard to speak of. The wheel just kind of hung there with a stick on the floor to throw it into gear. The best part was that it required no key for ignition. A crank fed through the grill did that trick. And we were off!

Here’s our campsite. Set up lickity split by our guides. They leave the bamboo frame at the site for future camps and just bring in the tarps. On clear nights, it was open air sleeping at our feet. When it rained we closed the tarp door. The open fire kitchen is on the left.

Ah, the kitchen. The culinary pampering continued. These guys produced some stellar dishes with fire, river, and rocks for tools. Here’s Dany getting the spice ready.

Now for the ‘work’: Our days were spent making transects of various lengths. A transect is a hike in a relatively straight line while recording the presence of orangutan nests for each 100 metres. This required the guide with one end of the measuring tape leading the way, a volunteer holding the other, and the remaining people looking for nests. The great thing about these transects was that they were straight lines through the jungle - up and down and around. Truth be told, the attention it took to just watch your step and keep from falling seriously distracted from the nest watching. Fortunately, our guides were quite adept at walking (often barefoot), holding the tape, and catching potential orang nests. The point of these transects is that by extrapolating the information, an estimate of the orangutan population in a given area can be calculated.

Our landscape for full four days of trekking…

Here’s a typical scene after a day of trekking. We’d come back soaked with sweat and often just lay down right in the river to cool off, hoping our clothes would dry for the next morning.

Another typical scene: Leeches! I counted 25 bites by the time our trekking was through. They seemed to like me; mostly going for my ankles, but I also pulled one out of my armpit and another that was making a move for my belly button. Good times!

In addition to our wanderings overland for transects, we also found time to make a couple of forays up river. We would wade through the leech-free water marveling at the incredible surrounding landscape.

Being in the rainforest like this is something I will never forget. Moving through the water with the jungle walls rising beside us on both sides, and dimming the sun, was like moving in another world. As we swam through stone tunnels with jagged teeth like tops that looked as though they’d taken millennia to form, past long mossy vines and roots hanging in the water, it felt as though we’d stepped into the Jurassic age. Upon seeing enormous green leafed plants on shore, someone remarked that it was like being in a Tim Burton movie or something. It was almost unreal. This says a lot about our experience living as we do. People go to the movies, and Disneyland, and the Rainforest Café. So much of our lives are a simulation that when we finally see and experience the real thing we can hardly believe it.

The reality is that the rainforest really is an amazing and magical place. It seems primeval because it is. It has taken millennia to foster the kind of complexity present in a single square hectare. A tall tree’s roots stand exposed; the tree may only be a few hundred years old or less, but the roots are twisted and turning and looking back a million years. This place is remarkable and a treasure. It can’t be recreated in our lifetimes or our great-great-great-grandchildren’s lifetimes, or at Canada’s Wonderland. It must be protected and cherished because it cannot be replaced. If we kill it, we’re killing complex diversity and in effect, killing what makes us possible.

On that note, that’s my head taking it all in.

And check out our luxurious bathing facilities. Sarah demonstrates that this spot kills a bucket shower and many a conventional shower.

Out of the rainforest...and back to Bali

2006-10-13T21:42:00.000+09:00

Our time in the rainforest came to an end rather quickly bringing to a close the Sumatra part of our trip.
Our last two days volunteering were spent doing some more research tasks related to our trek, visiting the local market, and a stop at the orang feeding platform to say farewell to the ginger monkeys.

Our last night meant it was time for a party. More delicious food, and many a bintang were consumed at Wanda’s place.

And a few songs sung too.

Saturday morning came early and we were off, back along the bumpy road to Medan where our flight back to Bali via Jakarta awaited. I say back to Bali because we had a brief stopover there on our marathon journey to Sumatra. We sat at an outdoor airport bar watching the sunset and remarking on the perfect weather. Finally, it was relief from the oppressive heat of Japan and we looked forward to returning.

Our return trip took some time as we waited through a massive delay at the Jakarta airport. Fortunately we happened upon a waiting area there where for a fair price we could surf the internet, drink sprite, eat tempeh, and relax in lazy boys to our heart’s content. I liked the style, but it’s probably the closest I’ll ever get to one of those executive class airline lounges. It also marked the first time we’d seen this thing called toilet paper in 2 weeks. I considered refraining as I’d grown rather comfortable with the water style, but my 30 years of programming kicked right in.

The delay kept getting delayed. The crowd at the gate got downright rowdy with the gate agents at one point, and ended up essentially storming the plane. Enough was enough, and we were right there with ‘em as we wanted a seat too.

Another really long travel day and we finally arrived in Bali about 2am or so (that’d be a 17+ hour travel day.) Fortunately, we’d taken the unusual step of planning ahead so a taxi was waiting to take us to Ubud. The first thing we noticed in the dark night was the working streetlights, and well-paved road. We sailed up to Ubud in no time and were soon fast asleep in our bed.

The next morning it looked like this:

We didn’t get up to much for the next five days. We wandered around Ubud. Tried out the shower and flush toilet. I swam in the pool and went for a hike. Miss Yaki wasn’t up to much. To be honest, I was quite wiped myself. The rest and relax thing looked good on us.

Bali was so different from Sumatra. It’s hard to believe they’re in the same country, but that’s what makes Indonesia such a special place.

Religion is everywhere. It’s threaded deep in the fabric of life. Offerings are ubiquitous. If you’re not careful you step on them.

A religious procession or ceremony can break out anywhere. Families have their own temples inside their housing ‘compounds’.

One day, we struck out from Ubud to do the sightseeing thing. One of the guys at the hotel took us around. We checked out some traditional dance and music (we’d also gone for some the night before which seemed more authentic in its length and quality.) We visited some rice fields and temples whose names escape me at the moment. As often happens when we rent a car it rained, but was still a great day.

I loved these guys. Such enthusiasm.

Sayonara II

2006-08-05T23:42:00.000+09:00

I guess it's not really a sayonara, but rather a see you in a bit.
We're off to Indonesia early tomorrow morning and are really jazzed for a break from this place. After saying goodbye to friends it's nice to also say goodbye to our life here for a few short weeks. We're heading to Sumatra first to volunteer at an orangutan research project. Soon I'll be sleeping in the jungle and wiping my ass with my hand. Should be good times.
Seriously though, I'm really excited to see and feel the rainforest, and try to be a tad more helpful than just another tourist. The Sumatran rainforest is yet another front losing out to environmental destruction.

Please help me:

After saving the planet, we'll head to Bali for some much deserved R&R.

Sayonara

2006-08-05T23:09:00.000+09:00

Along with the arrival of summer, the last couple of weeks saw the departure of some dear friends. We were sad to see many new friends leave, but the flying away of two couples in particular left an empty space. It's great to meet new and interesting people, but to meet kindred spirits is something special. These new friends are people I'm confident we'd be friends with under any circumstances (not just Japan). So we say sayonara for now!

I wish that I had Jesse's girl...

Summer...

2006-08-05T22:43:00.000+09:00

...it turns me upside down.

Yes, indeed summer finally arrived recently. It rolled in with a sick oppressive wall of heat that makes sweat the rule of the day. It took awhile for it to finally land. We made our way through the rainy season that just kept raining. It was biblical at times and summarily proved to me that Japan does indeed have a rainy season. I was a little skeptical at first with all the talk and no water, but when it hit, it hit something awful. In Okayama, the rivers filled up, mud slid, trains were delayed, students were late, and in some cases school was actually cancelled. It looked like end times for awhile.
Alas, it passed. Now the day greets us with brute force sun and heat. Nonetheless, the cicadas are out and carrying on noisy parties. People are smiling. Summer festivals are in full swing with yukata clad merrymakers filling the streets.
In this spirit, I headed out to a fireworks festival last weekend with a few friends and my gorgeous Japanese girlfriend.

We did it up wearing traditional clothing. I was quite comfortable though I'm not sure my Japanese Princess was able to breath normally.

She sure looked beautiful though.

The only uncomfortable thing I had to deal with was getting used to these things:

It didn't take long though and soon walking on wood platforms seemed relaxing and right.
Here's a shot of my date with friends:

Yeeha! Hanabi yo!!

I should really watch more tv...

2006-06-28T22:49:00.000+09:00

Gotta share these links of Japanese TV.
They're truly side-splitting.
Nothing like practical jokes with the real possibility of injury.

Takes awhile to load but be patient. It's well worth it.

Insane Practical Jokes

Insane Practical Jokes Part II

Moustachio

2006-06-25T20:50:00.000+09:00

I don't know...you go away for a year and people really change. I recieved an updated pic of my brother this weekend and it appears that he's slipped into an 80's timewarp.

Before:

After:

Truly frightening.
Where's your camero? Does it have a bra?!

Another season arrives in Japan

2006-06-25T20:33:00.000+09:00

Japan prides itself on its distinct seasons. Another one has rolled around though at first I didn't see how 'distinct' it was. They call it the rainy season and it took awhile, but the rain is indeed here. Fortunately, it's not just rain. The much needed rain bathes the rice fields; then the sun comes out and shows off the bright green landscape.

I took a ride on the Kibi plain this weekend and basked in the heat, sunshine, and countryside.

They came, they saw, they sat on the floor...

2006-06-06T21:21:00.000+09:00

Well, it came and went too fast.
My parents arrived some six weeks ago and stayed with us for about a month.
When I tell people about it, I often see their jaws drop at mention of the length of their visit.
It might seem like a long time in words, but when it was upon us, it really flew by.
I enjoyed having my parents settle in for such an extended stay.
It felt like we could get beyond the kinetic energy of a frantic visit to the relaxed enjoyment of one another's company that we were used to back home.
I feel truly blessed having an adult relationship with my parents, and their visit reinforced my respect for them as people and parents.

So, here we go, my highly serious parents settling into Japan...

And us, making them feel welcome!

Weekend on Shiraishi

2006-06-06T21:14:00.000+09:00

Our first order of business, once the weekend rolled around and the parents had settled in, was to head to Shiraishi Island. This island lies in the Inland Sea near our place and we'd heard good things about the International Villa located there.

We had real good times catching up, drinking some vino, and exploring some of the nearby hiking trails. Well, at least I think that last part was enjoyable. I did hear some complaints referring to endless hiking trips of my youth led by my father, only this time I was in the lead. I think that's what I heard, but I didn't listen too closely....

Let's Golden Week on Shikoku

2006-06-04T22:22:00.000+09:00

First Stop: Kotohira

Next, we set out to enjoy Golden Week on Shikoku. We made our way to Kotohira, Kagawa Prefecture, and settled into these money digs:

My Birthday in Kotohira...posing with my parents who came so far!

Dad goes for a kinger in honour of #30...

...then he gets the sake in line for me. What a father!!

The next day we conquered Kompira-san, one of the most famous Shinto Shrines in Japan.

Many stairs later and lamps like this, we reached the top.

That's me, and below it's me and my parents with the pictures to prove it.

After our descent, we checked out this old Kabuki theatre. One of the oldest intact theatres in Japan. It really retains its atmosphere.

Kabuki, for those not in the know, followed the Elizabethan style (unknowingly of course) and staged their dramas with only male actors. Something about 17th, 18th century theatre seemed to really dig man on man action...

Exploring the Iya Valley

Later that afternoon we set off for the Iya Valley by train.

I must have said something funny.

We soon stopped and traded our train styles for a rental car. It was to mark my first time driving in Japan and my first time behind the wheel in 9 months. The challenge wasn't just driving on the opposite side of the road, but also the roads themselves. I had chosen to enjoy my first time driving in Japan on some of the most narrow roads I've ever seen. Well narrow that is for the type of traffic expecting to pass on them. It was steep mountain walls on one side, and on the other precipitous drops to the valley below. Good times!

Responsible 30 year old that I am now, I soon brought my family safely to our destination.

Our destination was Chiiori nestled in the mountains of the Iya Valley. Chiiori isn't typical accomodation. It's actually a volunteer project set up in hopes of infusing some new life in the surrounding community. This part of Shikoku faces the same reality as most other rural parts of Japan, and so many other rural areas around the world. It has a rapidly aging community with no young people seeing enough opportunity to stick around. Amid this quiet community, Chiiori is a positive, progressive space that operates as a small scale farm and stakeholder in the area.

We were completely pumped to get away from the city and finally hear the wind whistle through the trees and see the stars again.
Life at Chiiori was pretty simple. Comfortable, but simple. We ate some of the most delicious food I've had in all my time in Japan and we all slept in the same big room on futons. S helped with some of the cooking and I washed some dishes.

S even tried to help out catching the chickens that tried to get away!

Day Trip to the Vine Bridges

Mom chats with a local.

Our last morning at Chiiori. It's a gorgeous day and we really don't want to leave.

Back in the City - Tokushima-shi

Curious:

We check out the first few temples on the 88 Temple Pilgrimage.

Along with our spiritual challenges, we are a little directionally challenged. We quickly lost our way and found ourselves at a shrine instead of a temple..."Hey, wait a minute, that's a Tori. This is Shinto action..."
So, we followed this father and son pilgrim pair for the rest of the way.

Kurashiki, karaoke, and around...

2006-06-04T21:36:00.000+09:00

Father and son rip into some Johnny Cash

Husband and wife serenade each other; "Leather and Lace" style...

Friends blast out some John Cougar

Rene get up...get on up...

Alas, no pics of my Mom singing...worthless.

Well, here she is on Mother's Day...I was so pleased that she was here for that day. It was really good to be able to spend time with my Mom, and for awhile forget all the family days I've missed like birthdays, and 'births' etc...

Next we said, "Let's Castle!" and soon found ourselves in Himeji.

/4804/2265/1600/IMG_7339.0.jpg">

Ahhh, my loved ones!!

My parents rounded out their trip with a visit to one of my schools during their "Tokusai" aka "School Festival". This turned out to be some pretty good luck as it gave M & T a chance to actually see the fun (which is often opaque) side of Japanese schools.

At the ol' ballgame...

2006-06-04T14:17:00.000+09:00

This is from quite awhile back, but I'm thinkin I should really share these pics.

So we checked out a little pro baseball action with the Hanshin Tigers and Hiroshima Carp (yeah, that's carp) making a stop in our town. The action on the field was quite similar to what I'm used to but what was going on in the stands was worth pause. Not surprisingly the food was a little different. Nothing quite like a bento box at the ballgame with treats like fried noodles and fried octopus balls to make the night out complete. Popcorn was non-existent and the only hotdog to be found came on a stick sans bun. Perhaps the low-carb diet has hit stadiums across Japan.
Anyway slightly nutty food is to be expected. What was more interesting was the behaviour of the fans. We quickly realized that heckling is not standard practice as our 'swing batter batter swing batter' chants were met with several stink eyes. It's not that the fans were sitting on their hands or anything. It's just that the cheering was measured and mostly led by some kind of a conductor. Each team's fans took turns. It was disturbingly ordered.
As the seventh inning approached we began to notice people holding phallic shaped balloons. Many held them appropriately near their groin. As my friends and I are easily amused we thought this was just great and started taking some stealth photos.
Soon it seemed that everyone had a bulbous balloon poised.

We quickly discovered their use as the seventh inning stretch arrived. After a lengthy build-up of conductor led cheering the crowd climaxed by shooting their missles into the air. The sky was filled with thousands of minnows swimming their way skyward before loosing steam and falling back onto the field.

Who says baseball is boring?

Back in Business...

2006-04-08T00:17:00.000+09:00

Well, I’m finally back online. After my laptop, which I kindly care for and often praise, took a major crap last week. I was once again facing the loss of major data, and wondering about my luck with computers. It turned out to be a manufacturing defect that Apple was willing to fix with few questions. Of course, like everything else here, it proved a bit difficult arranging for the actual repair in Japanese. Fortunately, a teacher looking to kill time at work was happy to help. So here I go with an attempt to update what’s been going down…

Big One

2006-04-08T00:04:00.000+09:00

First, and most important news: I am now an uncle twice over! My brother and his wife welcomed an enormous baby into the world on March 24th. This brick shithouse weighed in at over 10 pounds. Needless to say my brother is already pumped about his son’s future pro wrestling career what with, in his words, “fists like soup cans”. I can’t wait to meet this guy, and I figure with some encouragement he’ll be able to take his dad in a few short years.

His name is Jackson. Unsurprisingly, being related to me, he’s a beaut!

Givin'r in Japan

2006-04-07T23:57:00.000+09:00

Just before the big one’s birth we had a rather big week here. We hosted the Mike, Moose, and Derek show while they were touring west Japan.
This show featured 5 straight days of just givin’r. Upon arrival in Japan, the boys quickly discovered the ubiquitous availability of the kinger. These large beers fueled the proceedings contributing to some of my best times, and no doubt most laughs in Japan.

I think dubbing their tour “Shogunning Across Japan” is most appropriate. For those not in the know, Shogun is actually Japanese for shotgun or at least that’s what we figure. The art of shotgunning is a tricky one, but I know of no one else who has mastered it quite like Mike.

He only brings it out on special occasions of course. Wow, beautiful temple! Anyone got a pen?

Sumo & Song in Osaka

2006-04-07T23:27:00.000+09:00

We kicked off our part of the tour when we met up with the guys in Osaka. We had plans to check out some sumo in the late afternoon, but I didn’t know when we’d actually see them figuring they’d be moving a bit slow after what I suspected was a big first night in Tokyo. We were just sitting down for lunch when we got the surprisingly early call: “Hey, it’s Mike. We’re in Osaka. Tokyo’s a pretty wild city. Moose got five staples in his head last night. Where should we meet?” From then on any doubts that this show would be rolling along at anything but full bore quickly dissipated. As Moose would later say, “I’ve got two speeds. Off and full f*cking bore!” It seems that Moose and his brother ‘borrowed’ some bikes somewhere past two in the morning, and somehow he took a spill. A visit to the hospital, five staples to the head later, and he was once again ready to rock.
And ready to rock in Osaka we were. After taking in a few of the sights…

(btw the crab is in motion)

And a requisite stop at the golden arches (I was informed it’s “the international symbol for delicious”) so the crew could fuel up on 100 yen McChicks…

We were off to Sumo!!

I’d checked out Sumo on TV before and found it somewhat interesting, but mostly for the novelty. I figured checking it out live in Osaka would be a cool cultural experience; however, I found it to be really captivating as a sport in it’s own right. The ceremony, suspense, and sheer force of the proceedings proved extremely exciting.

Following sumo the evening was young so we headed to a local Irish pub for a few pints. A guitar was quickly found and soon the five canucks (and only people in the place) had turned the joint into a raucous spot featuring live music. Lead by Moose & Mike, the pub was serenaded with originals, Neil Young covers, and other assorted material. Sarah hit with some Berner and soon the Irish lass tending bar was requesting the Cranberries. Of course with this kind of live entertainment the place filled up, but we were soon off for more fun in the Osaka night.

The rest of the night included heart shaped falafels and all us guys taking a bath together. Make with that what you will…

Hangi in Ibara

2006-03-15T15:54:00.000+09:00

Went to Ibara last weekend and took part in a hangi for a friend’s birthday. A hangi is a Maori style barbeque. The food, usually vegetables and lots of meat, is wrapped up and placed on hot rocks then buried underground. Here are some shots of the guys digging up dinner and what it looked like…

The white things in the pic are potatoes & various Japanese veggies. The meat's buried underneath the veggies.
Check out this shot of the sketchy bonfire going in the yard.

As you can see, the yard we gathered in wasn't exactly idyllic. Nothing really is in Japanese cities. It's actually a work yard out back of my friend's place. It made the whole scene particularly dodgy, but good times all around...

A wooden spool found nearby really got the fire underway.
This was being filmed by a local TV station. Foreigners burning stuff makes great TV.

Do you know Randy Bass?

2006-03-15T15:48:00.000+09:00

This is a question sometimes posed to me here in Japan. I’ve heard it maybe a dozen times. The other day a graduating student came over to talk to me. After some chit chat there was a silent pause and then, “Do you know Randy Bass?”
These days, I have an answer, “Ah yes. Do you think I look like him?”

Apparently I resemble this former Hanshin Tiger who reached baseball glory in Japan during the 1980’s.

I don’t know. We both have beards. We’re both white and sporting a bit of a gut. I was never much of a baseball player though.

Too bad they don’t ask if I know this Randy…

Philippines I: The Island of Palawan

2006-03-01T22:33:00.000+09:00

We were really looking forward to Christmas & New Year’s in the Philippines. December was horribly cold in Japan, and the lack of central heating, insulation etc. meant we could see our breath inside the house. We knew we had to get away just to get warm.

Things got off to a worrying start though as I found myself quite ill starting about 24 hours before we were set to leave. I fought my way through my last classes. I just couldn’t call in sick before a 3-week vacation…next year maybe, but I was still feeling too new here. Anyway, I persevered knowing that sunshine, a warm breeze, and waves lapping the shore would do me good.

Train to Osaka. Overnight in Osaka. Train to Kansai Airport. Airplane to Manila. That warm breeze hits me as I step outside the doors of the terminal. The sun is bright and palm trees sway and I’m feeling better already.

We spent the night in Manila and set off early the next day by plane to the island of Palawan. We spent a rather quiet Christmas in Palawan’s capital city, Puerto Princessa. It’s really more of a town with its small layout of dusty streets. It was a good place to finish my recovery though, and we enjoyed relaxing in a very pleasant inn. It was mostly quiet aside from the riotous sound of fireworks that began Christmas Eve day and carried right through with increasing volume to Christmas Day. It was like the local young people had spent a month’s wage on all these explosions. They just kept getting bigger and louder. We would walk down the streets bracing ourselves for eardrum breaking blasts. At one point, I saw a pair of boys loading what looked like missile launcher. I told Sarah to cover her ears as the sound of mortar fire erupted.

After the Christmas “war” was over, we were ready to get started exploring Palawan. We caught a ride bright and early for Sabang in this thing…

It’s called a jeepney and they’re all over the place in the Philippines. They’re old American jeeps that have undergone some sweet modifications to make them into sort of buses. Many are wonderfully decorated, but the ride inside is usually not so flashy.

On this ride to Sabang there were around 25 people inside and more on the roof. We traveled some ridiculously bumpy roads for about 3 hours and as far as I know no one fell off.

I really dig this kind of collective transport. Whether in the dolmus’ of Turkey, the collectivos of Mexico, or in Filipino jeepneys, people share common space as opposed to the sealed individual bubbles of our cars. Of course I’m sure many of these people would appreciate the convenience of their own car; however, not only is affording the luxury not really an option, but it seems collective transport serves the whole community in a more sustainable way. Easy for me to say, I'm just a traveler passing through!

Anyway, we made it to Sabang and checked into this cool cottage…

Here we are at Sabang’s main attraction: The Underground River. It’s one of the longest underground rivers in the world. We took a ride on a boat about 2km up the river in total blackness except for the light being operated by some tourist kid at the front. The light revealed thousands upon thousands of bats apparently sleeping on the ceiling. Glad to say we didn’t wake them. My hair is getting near long enough that they might have wanted to nest in it. The light also revealed some truly amazing rock formations, but unfortunately I’m not skilled enough with a camera to have anything to show…

Here's something to show. Outside the entrance to the underground river are some unsettlingly tame monkeys and monitor lizards. With all the visitors, these locals have no fear, but that doesn't mean I didn't have just a bit...

This is the beach at Sabang. Unfortunately we didn’t have the best weather. It poured something awful that night. It sounded like a typhoon pounding away on that little cottage.

The next morning we decided to keep moving and traveled by boat up the coast to Port Barton. The ‘pumpboat’ chugged along through the waves (some quite massive) for a few hours causing Sarah to lose her breakfast along the way.

Port Barton is a quiet and pleasant seaside town. We relaxed for a couple of days, but decided that we wanted to get to El Nido as quickly as possible as we weren’t sure how or when we would return to Puerto Princessa for our return flight to Manila. The dodgy road connecting El Nido to Puerto Princessa had been washed out by a storm before we arrived so we figured maybe we could just fly back from El Nido or something. We weren't really into taking a pumpboat all the way back.

After a longer pumpboat ride further up the coast we began to encounter large, dramatic cliffs jutting out of the sea. This meant we were getting close. Soon we floated into the bay around El Nido. We pulled up on the beach and got ourselves a cottage with this view.

The beach right in town is really narrow, but it’s still a great spot to sit on a veranda and while away the hours.

Here I am on our veranda. All this was ours for around $10 a night. Of course it was pretty basic. No flush toilets & no real service to speak of. Of course this is just fine with me except that one day I discovered that I had inadvertently clogged our hole in the ground toilet. Feeling a little embarrassed, I went to the main house to alert the owners to the problem. The lady of the manor quickly darted inside and returned handing me a plunger. Ah, I just love these vacations. Get away from it all in paradise, and do some plumbing. This would be but the first time on our holiday odyssey that I engaged in toilet repairs. Towards the end of our trip, we encountered a finicky flush toilet in Banaue, but a couple of quick adjustments and I was back in business there too.

So what did we do in beautiful El Nido?

Not much. Upon our arrival we discovered that most flights out were already booked. Nonetheless, we decided to cancel our return flight from Puerto back to Manila and find a way back direct from El Nido. This left us with an uncertain amount of days so we quickly slipped into some serious relaxation.

We hired a boat on a couple of different days to take us to some of the islands around El Nido where we snorkeled and found quiet places to read. I’ve never really done snorkeling before where I can actually see cool stuff so I was very impressed. Lots of colourful fish and ‘breathing’ plant life.
Look, it's the swamp thing...

We spent New Year in El Nido, and like Christmas it was kind of quiet for us. We rang in the New Year on the beach with a few other foreigners and watched the fireworks erupt over town. Like Christmas though, the noise of M60s and other gun-powder filled cylinders was truly deafening at times and went on most of the day and night.

Philippines II: Wandering in the North

2006-02-17T22:01:00.000+09:00

We managed to get a charter flight off of Palawan a little earlier than expected. It was actually a little earlier than we wanted, but figured maybe it was serendipitous because this way we would have enough time to make it to the ancient rice terraces of the north.
We flew back to the mainland with Japanese and Korean tourists who had just celebrated the New Year at one of the two very overpriced resorts near El Nido. We got a taste for the gouging they were subject to with the cost of our airfare...yikes...of course this is coming from someone who hasn't really paid anything for airfare over the last few years.
Anyway, the flight was phenomenal though a little dodgy. We flew on a prop plane taking off from a dirt runway. First, we got to watch it and its twin brother arrive and drop off two more groups of resort tourists. They were greeted by traditional music being played by locals on an ox cart. It made for a strange scene as cameras flashed and a Korean couple in identical outfits walked past. When we made if off the ground in that little plane seating about 25, we flew over the most breathtaking sea fading from azure to emerald as it met the rugged green coast of Palawan.
After arriving safe and sound back in Manila at the charter company’s hangar, we took our life in our hands and tried to walk to one of the main airport terminals hoping to find information for a bus to the north. Maybe I’m exaggerating but things didn’t feel quite right as we made our way along the darkened road despite the traffic and the fact that it was only about 6pm. Perhaps it was the dark shadows of squatting figures under the bridges of the canal next to our path, or the crowd of boys that pushed up against us asking our name with feverish energy, or maybe it was the other boys on their periphery sniffing glue, but something made us really want to get to the bright lights of the airport quick. When we got there we discovered there wasn’t much in the way of info, but eventually we found our way to a bus terminal on the other side of the city and an all night bus that would take us most of the way to Banaue.
After having to change transport at about 4am, we eventually made it to Banaue at just past dawn.

After stopping for some contemplation in Banaue, we elected to keep on moving to Sagada. After finding a place to stay, and fighting off the sleep that called us, we decided to make the most of the day. We went for a hike in Echo Valley. This place is well known for its hanging coffins. Instead of burying their dead, the locals took to hanging coffins from the rock face. The idea being that this way the spirits wouldn’t have as far to travel or so I believe. American missionaries suggested awhile back that they start burying their relatives in the church bone yard like normal folk and the practice has mostly died out. However, take a look at the blue and white coffin on the left in the photo below. It was placed there last August. Someone told us that if you live real long you’re put on the mountain like that…

During our hike we met up with some other hikers who were in the company of an unsolicited guide. We had seen him earlier looking for his cows near the church at the top of the valley. He said his herd grazed the valley and surrounding area. He insisted on showing us the way as we had already turned back due to the very muddy and treacherous paths. He assured us that it wasn’t that bad considering his cows wandered these parts. Not to be outdone by cows, we went with him and two American travelers. It turned out to be a lucky meeting as he led us all the way down the trail and added insight to what we were seeing. At the end, he pointed us to the road and was gone back in the bush to look after his cows.

The next day we made our way with a mostly silent guide past these remarkable scenes to go caving.

It was a unique experience climbing down and over the limestone ‘paths’ in the cave. We were in the deep dark save for a temperamental kerosene lantern. The way was slippery, but much better when we came to the spot where we could remove our shoes and go barefoot. At one point our silent guide had us use his body as a ladder. It was amazing that he could walk the treacherous way with one hand holding the kerosene lantern. I suspect he’d been in this cave thousands of times before with other travelers and with his friends playing as a child.
The water was icy cold as we waded in at points up to our waists. At the farthest point in we took a dip in a frigid pool to make the experience complete.
Unfortunately, we didn’t really get many good photos from the cave.

On our last night in Sagada we met some really cool travelers and went for a few drinks with them…

…and we met this guy! He was actually running the place. Suspect he was drinking well past the profits!!

The next day, after waking a tad later than planned, and enjoying a gorgeous breakfast (if only it could be like this in Japan…), we made the slow, bumpy, mountain drive back to Banaue. Funny how short distances on a map can take damn near a day!

After arriving in Banaue, we found a place to stay and arranged for a guide to take us to the rice terraces of Batad bright and early the next day.
The next morning we set of with Lawrence of Banuae to hike the mountains of Batad. We set of around 7am on Lawrence’s brother’s tricycle…that’s four people on a motorbike w/sidecar, good times!
We made our way along muddy mountain roads stopping a few times to take in the remarkable views.

The trip truly begun when we lost the tricycle and started hiking up the mountain on foot. We meandered our way up a wide path to the top of the ridge where we met parked jeepneys and soft drink vendors. We stomped past and kept hiking the path. After hiking for about 20-25 minutes we came upon these amazing scenes...

Welcome Party

2006-02-17T20:51:00.000+09:00

I didn't really realize this was going to be a full-on "welcome party" when the idea was first suggested to me that some teachers wanted to take Sarah and I out for dinner before the holidays. Afterall it was December by now, and we had gone out with a few teachers for lunch before so I thought it was a similar plan. When asked if there was somewhere I might want to go, I innocently replied that I knew of a good Indian place in Okayama. Next thing I knew an all-you-can-eat/all-you can-drink (that's how they like to do it here) party had been arranged. My Kocho-sensei (school Principal), 2 kyouto-senseis (VPs) would be in attendance. It is very unusual for a "welcome party" to be held at anywhere other than a Japanese restaurant. So I was a little nervous that people might find the food too hot, too strange, and not like it. Well, it was hot. The sweat was pouring down foreheads as people reached for their beer glasses. The food was definitely strange as this was the first time most of my collegues had ever experienced this kind of Indo taste explosion. However, I think they liked it. Whether they ever want it again I don't know, but I think most everyone enjoyed themselves. I sure did!

Autumn in Kyoto

2006-02-17T20:08:00.000+09:00

Hiroshima

2006-02-17T20:05:00.000+09:00

A weekend in Hattoji.

2006-02-16T22:06:00.000+09:00

Kojima's School Festival - Sports Day

2006-02-16T15:45:00.000+09:00

I got in on the sports action with my athletic prowess...too bad I have no pics of my masterful 100m sprint. It was remarkable.

Students kick it with wild dance routines.

Obon festivities in Takahashi

2006-02-11T17:44:00.000+09:00

A peaceful zen garden

2006-02-11T17:38:00.000+09:00

The view from my school.

2006-02-11T17:30:00.000+09:00

Our Home & Neighbourhood

2006-02-11T17:14:00.000+09:00

2006-02-11T15:39:00.000+09:00

2006-02-11T15:35:00.000+09:00

2006-02-11T15:32:00.000+09:00

2006-02-11T12:26:00.000+09:00