Saturday, November 05, 2005
Fun Despite the Sun
Wow, it was hot today! Easily the warmest day of November I've ever felt, the high was around 25 C (77 F) but there were no clouds so it felt much warmer. Having no other obligations I spent the afternoon at the festival again, only this time I took more video than ever before.
They're not just cheerleaders, they're Japanese cheerleaders. Think about it.
The first spectacle of the day was a cheerleading show put on by these athletic young women. For a sample of their twenty-minute performance, check this out (warning: 21MB file).
After sweating it out with the ladies in the sun, I retreated to the shade for relief and delicious sustenance. To see a small portion of what I saw, right-click this link (warning: 14MB file). Sadly, the camera can't record the wonderful smells.
What did I eat today? A "curry flavored" hot dog, some more takoyaki, something called hashimaki (okonomiyaki rolled around a pair of chopsticks), a "fagita" (they already knew the sign was misspelled) and some tenpura ice cream. It's a good thing this festival is a once-a-year event our I'd put on a lot of weight here.
After the food I spent a little while inside to cool off and check my e-mail before returning to the outdoors. I watched the cheerleaders perform again (why not?) before taking another break in the little garden Mako and I visited on Thursday. This time, I actually snapped a picture (seen above).
It's all fun and games...
...until they start beating those drums.
Probably the highlight of the day was this taiko performance by a group of young people. I could tell right away from the music and all the "dancing" that was involved that this was not traditional Japanese music. During the interview segment they made mention of Okinawa which has a distinct culture of its own from "mainland" Japan. Whether these people were from Okinawa or just the music, I couldn't say for certain (the interview was in Japanese after all, cut me some slack). I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't originally from Japan since their Japanese sounded kind of like mine: very slow, like they were searching for the right words.
To see (and hear) their work, watch this. I also took this second file when they got the audience to help out. Kind of a clusterfuck but the overall sound was maintained.
I'm still feeling very good about everything and Mako is busy tomorrow with work so I'm going out tonight with Scott. I don't know where we're going or when I'll come home but with the last train being as early as it is, I suspect I'll be up all night. Here's hoping I don't puke! See you tomorrow!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
They're not just cheerleaders, they're Japanese cheerleaders. Think about it.
The first spectacle of the day was a cheerleading show put on by these athletic young women. For a sample of their twenty-minute performance, check this out (warning: 21MB file).
After sweating it out with the ladies in the sun, I retreated to the shade for relief and delicious sustenance. To see a small portion of what I saw, right-click this link (warning: 14MB file). Sadly, the camera can't record the wonderful smells.
What did I eat today? A "curry flavored" hot dog, some more takoyaki, something called hashimaki (okonomiyaki rolled around a pair of chopsticks), a "fagita" (they already knew the sign was misspelled) and some tenpura ice cream. It's a good thing this festival is a once-a-year event our I'd put on a lot of weight here.
After the food I spent a little while inside to cool off and check my e-mail before returning to the outdoors. I watched the cheerleaders perform again (why not?) before taking another break in the little garden Mako and I visited on Thursday. This time, I actually snapped a picture (seen above).
It's all fun and games...
...until they start beating those drums.
Probably the highlight of the day was this taiko performance by a group of young people. I could tell right away from the music and all the "dancing" that was involved that this was not traditional Japanese music. During the interview segment they made mention of Okinawa which has a distinct culture of its own from "mainland" Japan. Whether these people were from Okinawa or just the music, I couldn't say for certain (the interview was in Japanese after all, cut me some slack). I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't originally from Japan since their Japanese sounded kind of like mine: very slow, like they were searching for the right words.
To see (and hear) their work, watch this. I also took this second file when they got the audience to help out. Kind of a clusterfuck but the overall sound was maintained.
I'm still feeling very good about everything and Mako is busy tomorrow with work so I'm going out tonight with Scott. I don't know where we're going or when I'll come home but with the last train being as early as it is, I suspect I'll be up all night. Here's hoping I don't puke! See you tomorrow!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Friday, November 04, 2005
Accepting the Crescendo
Odd day today, really. With the festival still rolling and the weekend looming, my classes were half empty and two of them ended early expressly so we could go out and enjoy ourselves. Of course, that only means something if you don't have any other classes to go to, and I had three.
Classes prevented me from participating in any festival activities during the day but once my work was finished I did peruse the food stalls for a few snacks. Walking around that area is a true assault on the senses: everything smells terrific, the signs are (mostly) all in Japanese which I feel obligated to try and decipher, there's people everywhere walking in every direction and each stall has at least one (often two or three) people out front shouting to get your attention (occasionally in funny costumes). Some of them are very proactive and they'll run right up to you and try to encourage you to buy some food. I should film some video of this tomorrow when I go back for Day Three.
What did I eat today? I went to the cafeteria for lunch which was practically empty, since nearly everyone was either working at or enjoying the festival outside. After classes I had a hot dog, some "nachos" (Dorito-like chips with some kind of red sauce and grated cheese on top which I ate with chopsticks) and an "ice dog" (a toasted hot dog bun with a squirt of soft ice cream in the middle). Junk food, I admit, but new experiences must be had from time to time, no?
I've also spent a good deal of time today thinking about the events of yesterday, especially the mysterious midday escapades that I feel I can't discuss here. I've got a million reasons not to tell you about it (most of them very good ones) but I think I can at least disclose this general statement: Mako and I crossed a "line of intimacy" that I feel has brought us closer together as a couple. The details of that line and the nature in which it was crossed are still off-limits to the blog (although e-mail requests for more details will be considered) but I feel I can at least announce to you that much without embarrassing myself or Mako.
What does this mean? It took me nearly 24 hours to come to terms with it but I believe I'm happier about it today than I was yesterday. There were a lot of questions I had about "us" and I feel that experience answered most of them. It also (naturally) raised a list of new questions which will be answered in due time. When I was faced with these new questions yesterday I felt a little overwhelmed so I sent out an e-mail to a few close friends back home. They all responded promptly and gave me a lot of advice (thanks again guys, you've been invaluable). So today I've had a lot of time to think about what happened in context with their words of encouragement and it's allowed me to look back on yesterday with more fondness than I was capable of at the time.
All of this vague rambling means that today I was able to realize how lucky and deliriously happy I am. I've got so many things going right in my life, what with the increasing fitness, studying in Japan, returning to romance, and ultimately my progress as a person dealing with my problems instead of postponing them. I've still got worries and concerns (perfection cannot be achieved), but I'm in the midst of the greatest time of my life right now.
On that note, play that victory sound! I don't think it can get much better than this!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Classes prevented me from participating in any festival activities during the day but once my work was finished I did peruse the food stalls for a few snacks. Walking around that area is a true assault on the senses: everything smells terrific, the signs are (mostly) all in Japanese which I feel obligated to try and decipher, there's people everywhere walking in every direction and each stall has at least one (often two or three) people out front shouting to get your attention (occasionally in funny costumes). Some of them are very proactive and they'll run right up to you and try to encourage you to buy some food. I should film some video of this tomorrow when I go back for Day Three.
What did I eat today? I went to the cafeteria for lunch which was practically empty, since nearly everyone was either working at or enjoying the festival outside. After classes I had a hot dog, some "nachos" (Dorito-like chips with some kind of red sauce and grated cheese on top which I ate with chopsticks) and an "ice dog" (a toasted hot dog bun with a squirt of soft ice cream in the middle). Junk food, I admit, but new experiences must be had from time to time, no?
I've also spent a good deal of time today thinking about the events of yesterday, especially the mysterious midday escapades that I feel I can't discuss here. I've got a million reasons not to tell you about it (most of them very good ones) but I think I can at least disclose this general statement: Mako and I crossed a "line of intimacy" that I feel has brought us closer together as a couple. The details of that line and the nature in which it was crossed are still off-limits to the blog (although e-mail requests for more details will be considered) but I feel I can at least announce to you that much without embarrassing myself or Mako.
What does this mean? It took me nearly 24 hours to come to terms with it but I believe I'm happier about it today than I was yesterday. There were a lot of questions I had about "us" and I feel that experience answered most of them. It also (naturally) raised a list of new questions which will be answered in due time. When I was faced with these new questions yesterday I felt a little overwhelmed so I sent out an e-mail to a few close friends back home. They all responded promptly and gave me a lot of advice (thanks again guys, you've been invaluable). So today I've had a lot of time to think about what happened in context with their words of encouragement and it's allowed me to look back on yesterday with more fondness than I was capable of at the time.
All of this vague rambling means that today I was able to realize how lucky and deliriously happy I am. I've got so many things going right in my life, what with the increasing fitness, studying in Japan, returning to romance, and ultimately my progress as a person dealing with my problems instead of postponing them. I've still got worries and concerns (perfection cannot be achieved), but I'm in the midst of the greatest time of my life right now.
On that note, play that victory sound! I don't think it can get much better than this!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Festival!
Oh billy, today was a wild one. Wild. I just wish the best parts of the story could be told.
Today is "Culture Day" here in Japan so that meant no classes. I went to school anyway because today was the first day of Gaidai-sai (外大際), the school festival. Mako and I were making plans to go see some sights but when I told her about the festival she said we should just go there instead. After all, the temples and shrines aren't going anywhere!
We met on campus at the main gate and took our time walking around. The entire campus was decorated in some fashion of another with every thing from giant banners to makeshift torii. I took a lot of pictures which will appear on a separate page right here (might take me an hour or so to get that up). I was surprised by how few people I recognized around campus; the crowd seemed to be mostly non-students, especially families with young children. It's not like I wanted to show Mako off or anything, I just figured I'd run into more familiar faces than I did. I guess most people took off for the long break (there are classes tomorrow but otherwise this is practically a four-day weekend).
What did we do? We sat in on a collection of student bands which cost 100 Yen but that included a free (soft) drink. We watched some singing and dancing on the outdoor stage and sampled a variety of foods from the booths around that area. Some of it was stuff we had never heard of: takoban (which was disappointingly free of tako), tamasen (a portmanteau of tamago and senbei) and poutine (who knew Canada had cuisine?). We also found room for old favorites like takoyaki and yakitori. Everything was incredibly cheap; nothing we bought was more than 200 Yen which somehow made everything taste a little better.
As the sun set and the crowd began to disperse, we walked towards a corner of the campus I had never been to before. It turned out to be a pleasant little garden with an actual Japanese tea house! Since it was festival time there was a bevy of kimono-clad ladies welcoming guests inside. Mako asked if we could go inside and attend a tea ceremony. Of course the answer was "yes." I had never been to a real tea ceremony before but I knew what to expect: lots of silence, a small snack and very little tea. The ritual itself is the reason you go in there, not because you're hungry or thirsty. I figured I would get by so long as I sat quietly and just did what the other guests did.
However, I failed consider one thing: to attend a tea ceremony you're supposed to sit seiza-style. If you recall from my past posts about trying to join the shodō club, you'll remember that I find sitting in that position excrutiatingly painful. I wasn't about to make an ass of myself (especially in front of my girl) so I rolled right in there and sat down the right way. Within seconds everything from the knee down hurt like hell. I tried to discreetly adjust my position but it was obvious to everyone in the room that I wasn't feeling so good. Of course, being the only white guy in the room probably led them to that conclusion from the start. When one of the kimono-ladies saw my face she offered to let me sit more comfortably which drew a laugh from everyone but I had no choice but to comply. Posture aside, the experience was most pleasant and tasty to boot. Afterwards I admitted to Mako that was the first time I had ever done that; she said the same thing!
Our taste for snacks satiated we went to the station to find a suitable dining spot. I didn't have any particular spot in mind but I knew where the restaurants were in that area so I took charge. We quickly found a nice looking yakiniku joint which is derived from Korean cuisine so they served a lot of Korean dishes on the side. I noted that Mako and I ate Korean food on our first date in September and we laughed in remembrance. The food was good but what else would you expect: we cooked it ourselves!
Tend to the hearth, baby.
That's about the whole day, save for the really interesting part right in the middle. If you want to hear about that part and you're a man, you can ask me and I'll consider telling you via e-mail. No offense ladies, but that story is very private and to be honest, you wouldn't understand. Check that, you couldn't understand.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Today is "Culture Day" here in Japan so that meant no classes. I went to school anyway because today was the first day of Gaidai-sai (外大際), the school festival. Mako and I were making plans to go see some sights but when I told her about the festival she said we should just go there instead. After all, the temples and shrines aren't going anywhere!
We met on campus at the main gate and took our time walking around. The entire campus was decorated in some fashion of another with every thing from giant banners to makeshift torii. I took a lot of pictures which will appear on a separate page right here (might take me an hour or so to get that up). I was surprised by how few people I recognized around campus; the crowd seemed to be mostly non-students, especially families with young children. It's not like I wanted to show Mako off or anything, I just figured I'd run into more familiar faces than I did. I guess most people took off for the long break (there are classes tomorrow but otherwise this is practically a four-day weekend).
What did we do? We sat in on a collection of student bands which cost 100 Yen but that included a free (soft) drink. We watched some singing and dancing on the outdoor stage and sampled a variety of foods from the booths around that area. Some of it was stuff we had never heard of: takoban (which was disappointingly free of tako), tamasen (a portmanteau of tamago and senbei) and poutine (who knew Canada had cuisine?). We also found room for old favorites like takoyaki and yakitori. Everything was incredibly cheap; nothing we bought was more than 200 Yen which somehow made everything taste a little better.
As the sun set and the crowd began to disperse, we walked towards a corner of the campus I had never been to before. It turned out to be a pleasant little garden with an actual Japanese tea house! Since it was festival time there was a bevy of kimono-clad ladies welcoming guests inside. Mako asked if we could go inside and attend a tea ceremony. Of course the answer was "yes." I had never been to a real tea ceremony before but I knew what to expect: lots of silence, a small snack and very little tea. The ritual itself is the reason you go in there, not because you're hungry or thirsty. I figured I would get by so long as I sat quietly and just did what the other guests did.
However, I failed consider one thing: to attend a tea ceremony you're supposed to sit seiza-style. If you recall from my past posts about trying to join the shodō club, you'll remember that I find sitting in that position excrutiatingly painful. I wasn't about to make an ass of myself (especially in front of my girl) so I rolled right in there and sat down the right way. Within seconds everything from the knee down hurt like hell. I tried to discreetly adjust my position but it was obvious to everyone in the room that I wasn't feeling so good. Of course, being the only white guy in the room probably led them to that conclusion from the start. When one of the kimono-ladies saw my face she offered to let me sit more comfortably which drew a laugh from everyone but I had no choice but to comply. Posture aside, the experience was most pleasant and tasty to boot. Afterwards I admitted to Mako that was the first time I had ever done that; she said the same thing!
Our taste for snacks satiated we went to the station to find a suitable dining spot. I didn't have any particular spot in mind but I knew where the restaurants were in that area so I took charge. We quickly found a nice looking yakiniku joint which is derived from Korean cuisine so they served a lot of Korean dishes on the side. I noted that Mako and I ate Korean food on our first date in September and we laughed in remembrance. The food was good but what else would you expect: we cooked it ourselves!
Tend to the hearth, baby.
That's about the whole day, save for the really interesting part right in the middle. If you want to hear about that part and you're a man, you can ask me and I'll consider telling you via e-mail. No offense ladies, but that story is very private and to be honest, you wouldn't understand. Check that, you couldn't understand.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Marlon Brando, Man's Man
Since I was able to tell you yesterday about Sunday, perhaps today I can tell you about today? Maybe Monday and Tuesday too?
Monday: For our Japanese class we were recently given a new assignment where we had to break up into small groups and prepare a short skit. Monday afternoon was my group's first chance to get together and write the script. It was also our last chance since we had to hand it in on Tuesday. However, two of the four people in the group (one guy and one girl) suddenly couldn't make to our planned meeting so it was left to me and one other guy. We had already discussed an overall "story" to present so it wasn't like we were starting from scratch. Indeed, I wonder if having two of us write it actually saved time (as opposed to four people bumping heads).
Anyway, we banged the script out in Japanese pretty quickly which I'm quite proud of, especially when you compare it to the last time I tried this. Back then we wrote most of it in English and Kazu had to help me put it into Japanese. This time, we worked it straight into Japanese with a little help from a dictionary. Here's the fun part: as "penance" for not helping, we wrote the other guy's lines in a distinctly feminine voice and we made him act very girly.
As for the story, we stuck to our original idea that there would be a couple going on a trip to Hokkaido (which happens to be where our teacher comes from). Once in Hokkaido, I was supposed to be an annoying guy who started harassing them, in particular the young lady. The major change is that now I actually succeed in stealing the girl away from the hyper-feminine guy. You might accuse me of turning this into a vanity project but I assure you that my writing partner was strongly pushing this idea forward; I merely accepted his suggestions and helped shape them into an amusing script. We got the script back today and I was pleasantly surprised at how few grammatical errors there were, considering how much slang my character used. Guess I'm getting better at this whole "foreign language" business.
In other academic news, I got one of my midterms back from last week, in particular the easier of the two. I got a B+ which is not as good as I expected although still quite good. It's going to get better since it was determined during class that one of the multiple-choice questions was unfairly worded so I'll be receiving credit for that one. That may bump me up to an A- which looks a lot nicer than (although it is functionally similar to) a B+. No word yet on the harder of the two exams yet.
Tuesday: I only had two classes yesterday and most of my free time was devoted to catching up on the blog. We had a bit of fun in our Japanese class when the teacher decided to give us a brief overview of Kansai-ben, the (in)famous dialect of Japanese used in this region. I don't think there's truly an American equivalent although given its association with comedy, I'm tempted to compare it to the Boston accent since it has an inherently silly sound to it. If you ever want to make a Japanese person laugh, no matter how serious they might appear, using some Kansai-ben is guaranteed to make them crack (especially if you're a foreigner)!
I'd also like relate an amusing anecdote about shopping here in Japan. As you might expect, American music is quite popular here and it is often heard in stores and many public venues. The funny part is you never know what kind of music you're going to hear. In major department stores and malls, I hear a lot of Beatles tunes. In bars the music is usually classic rock like Jimi Hendrix. Dance clubs play, well, dance music like...whatever it is people dance to! You can read about my club experience from last month and read the comments for a little more on that.
Anyway, there's one particular supermarket nearby called "Top World." Nearly everytime I go in there, they're playing rap music. While rap in a grocery store is already incongruous, the hilarious part is it's often hardcore or gangsta rap and it's always uncensored to boot. Imagine walking through the produce section and hearing "Slam" by Onyx or "Gin and Juice" by Snoop Dogg. It doesn't bother me at all; indeed, I'm down with a lot of rap being an amateur rapper myself. I just can't get over the juxtaposition of mundane activities like picking up eggs with "Rollin' down the street smokin' endo..." in my ears.
Wednesday: Hey, that's today! Consider yourselves up to date on me! I have four classes every Wednesday which is a bit of a pain. I had a Japanese test this morning but I'm sure you all know by now that I destroy Japanese tests...if I get anything less than a 96% I'll be stunned.
It ended up being a later Wednesday than normal because our class met for an evening viewing of Sayonara starring a young Marlon Brando. I've got to admit I've had precious little experience with young Brando; nearly all of his work that I've seen has been from the 1970s or later. If you haven't seen this one, Brando plays a very masculine man: an ace fighter pilot with a curious Southern drawl and apparently a knack for soft kisses. Now I consider myself to be a pretty good kisser but this guy was something else. He kisses one girl in this film and it's so good she tells a friend about it and the friend falls in love with Brando. Now that's a kiss!
There's no school tomorrow because it's "Culture Day" here in Japan. As you can guess I'll be spending the day with Mako but you'll never guess where we're going. You'll have to wait and find out the answer tomorrow.
P.S. In the last week there's been a lot of chatter about the comments getting "offensive." This puts me in an awkward position because I don't want to censor anyone but I don't want people to feel hurt either. So if anything you read was offensive, allow me to apologize. On the other hand, I don't want to discourage anyone from leaving a comment they think might amuse others. Hopefully, we can find a middle ground and everyone will be happy.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Monday: For our Japanese class we were recently given a new assignment where we had to break up into small groups and prepare a short skit. Monday afternoon was my group's first chance to get together and write the script. It was also our last chance since we had to hand it in on Tuesday. However, two of the four people in the group (one guy and one girl) suddenly couldn't make to our planned meeting so it was left to me and one other guy. We had already discussed an overall "story" to present so it wasn't like we were starting from scratch. Indeed, I wonder if having two of us write it actually saved time (as opposed to four people bumping heads).
Anyway, we banged the script out in Japanese pretty quickly which I'm quite proud of, especially when you compare it to the last time I tried this. Back then we wrote most of it in English and Kazu had to help me put it into Japanese. This time, we worked it straight into Japanese with a little help from a dictionary. Here's the fun part: as "penance" for not helping, we wrote the other guy's lines in a distinctly feminine voice and we made him act very girly.
As for the story, we stuck to our original idea that there would be a couple going on a trip to Hokkaido (which happens to be where our teacher comes from). Once in Hokkaido, I was supposed to be an annoying guy who started harassing them, in particular the young lady. The major change is that now I actually succeed in stealing the girl away from the hyper-feminine guy. You might accuse me of turning this into a vanity project but I assure you that my writing partner was strongly pushing this idea forward; I merely accepted his suggestions and helped shape them into an amusing script. We got the script back today and I was pleasantly surprised at how few grammatical errors there were, considering how much slang my character used. Guess I'm getting better at this whole "foreign language" business.
In other academic news, I got one of my midterms back from last week, in particular the easier of the two. I got a B+ which is not as good as I expected although still quite good. It's going to get better since it was determined during class that one of the multiple-choice questions was unfairly worded so I'll be receiving credit for that one. That may bump me up to an A- which looks a lot nicer than (although it is functionally similar to) a B+. No word yet on the harder of the two exams yet.
Tuesday: I only had two classes yesterday and most of my free time was devoted to catching up on the blog. We had a bit of fun in our Japanese class when the teacher decided to give us a brief overview of Kansai-ben, the (in)famous dialect of Japanese used in this region. I don't think there's truly an American equivalent although given its association with comedy, I'm tempted to compare it to the Boston accent since it has an inherently silly sound to it. If you ever want to make a Japanese person laugh, no matter how serious they might appear, using some Kansai-ben is guaranteed to make them crack (especially if you're a foreigner)!
I'd also like relate an amusing anecdote about shopping here in Japan. As you might expect, American music is quite popular here and it is often heard in stores and many public venues. The funny part is you never know what kind of music you're going to hear. In major department stores and malls, I hear a lot of Beatles tunes. In bars the music is usually classic rock like Jimi Hendrix. Dance clubs play, well, dance music like...whatever it is people dance to! You can read about my club experience from last month and read the comments for a little more on that.
Anyway, there's one particular supermarket nearby called "Top World." Nearly everytime I go in there, they're playing rap music. While rap in a grocery store is already incongruous, the hilarious part is it's often hardcore or gangsta rap and it's always uncensored to boot. Imagine walking through the produce section and hearing "Slam" by Onyx or "Gin and Juice" by Snoop Dogg. It doesn't bother me at all; indeed, I'm down with a lot of rap being an amateur rapper myself. I just can't get over the juxtaposition of mundane activities like picking up eggs with "Rollin' down the street smokin' endo..." in my ears.
Wednesday: Hey, that's today! Consider yourselves up to date on me! I have four classes every Wednesday which is a bit of a pain. I had a Japanese test this morning but I'm sure you all know by now that I destroy Japanese tests...if I get anything less than a 96% I'll be stunned.
It ended up being a later Wednesday than normal because our class met for an evening viewing of Sayonara starring a young Marlon Brando. I've got to admit I've had precious little experience with young Brando; nearly all of his work that I've seen has been from the 1970s or later. If you haven't seen this one, Brando plays a very masculine man: an ace fighter pilot with a curious Southern drawl and apparently a knack for soft kisses. Now I consider myself to be a pretty good kisser but this guy was something else. He kisses one girl in this film and it's so good she tells a friend about it and the friend falls in love with Brando. Now that's a kiss!
There's no school tomorrow because it's "Culture Day" here in Japan. As you can guess I'll be spending the day with Mako but you'll never guess where we're going. You'll have to wait and find out the answer tomorrow.
P.S. In the last week there's been a lot of chatter about the comments getting "offensive." This puts me in an awkward position because I don't want to censor anyone but I don't want people to feel hurt either. So if anything you read was offensive, allow me to apologize. On the other hand, I don't want to discourage anyone from leaving a comment they think might amuse others. Hopefully, we can find a middle ground and everyone will be happy.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Sunday's Story
Alrighty, let's see if we can get back on track with this whole "diary" business. Allow me to recall the events of Sunday, October 30th with words and pictures.
Mako and I went on a medium-sized journey to Himeji Castle, possibly the most famous and magnificent castle in all of Japan. Thanks to the relative tranquility of the Edo period, the castle did not face any major sieges or battles for hundreds of years. It also managed to survive the horrors of WWII when our warplanes bombed the shit out of every major city Japan had, Himeji included. So this castle is clearly something special.
The weather was, for a change, perfect. The temperature was nice and cool with a steady breeze blowing throughout the day. The sky was clear of any threatening rain clouds and the news called for these conditions to remain so I was free to leave my encumbering umbrella at home. The news would prove to be wrong, but I'll get back to that later.
Mako and I took our time exploring the castle grounds, mostly a maze of narrow passageways and sharp inclines. On those rare moments where we found ourselves without another tourist watching us, we snuck in a few kisses. I was continually surprised by the scale of the construction. There were lots of occasions where I had to practically bend over to fit through a doorway or even climb the stairs inside the keep. Even Mako found herself cramped at least once or twice. I don't know if they intentionally designed these close-quarters or if modern people really are that much taller than 17th century people.
When I look at this picture, my first thought is "Wow, that coat hides my weight very well." Then I notice how much I am slouching. Enjoying the scenic surroundings and the beautiful woman next to me comes in third. Guess I've got a lot of work to do!
After the castle we found a small Vietnamese restaurant which was surprisingly expensive (by Vietnamese cuisine standards that is) but very enjoyable. We explored a small garden next to the castle but it seems the weather was too cold for most of the flowers to bloom. It's funny, I find the weather here far too warm considering the time of year but I guess I'm the only one. The people and wildlife of Japan, it seems, are living their life quite normally.
From Himeji we returned east and stopped in Kobe to see one of Japan's 三大夜景 or "three great night views." Via bus and cable car we ascended Mt. Rokko to take a look out over the combined urban areas of Kobe and Osaka. It was an amazing sight to behold and I just wish we could have enjoyed the moment alone instead of on a tourist "platform" with a dozen other people chit-chatting away. I had expected some kind of public park or garden we could roam in but no such luck.
Searching for solitude and waiting for our stomachs to empty, we went into Kobe to a nice park where we had gone before. Almost immediately after we sat down in a lovely (and secluded) spot, it started to rain. Not pouring rain but it was pretty hard and we had to move. We found an overhang just a few steps away though and I realized that the rain was actually quite beneficial. Everyone else we had seen in the park ran elsewhere for cover! We spent some time kissing and being close in that spot while we waited for the rain to die down again. I think it was pretty romantic, actually.
The rain did go away and we went to a cafe where some of her friends work. I knew it would be awkward meeting her Japanese friends but they seemed pleasant if entirely unintelligible. The cuisine was Hawaiian of all things; I tried something called Loco Moco while Mako had some Taco Rice. I saw some whale dishes on the menu which made very nostalgic for my last trip to Japan, so maybe I'll have to go back to that cafe again. You just can't get good whale meat in the States!
For pictures and a brief video clip of Sunday's excursion, please go to this separate page. I haven't slept so much in the last few days so I'm going to try and turn in early tonight. Wednesday is my busiest day of the week but at least this Thursday is a day off. Guess who I'll be spending it with? ^_^
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Mako and I went on a medium-sized journey to Himeji Castle, possibly the most famous and magnificent castle in all of Japan. Thanks to the relative tranquility of the Edo period, the castle did not face any major sieges or battles for hundreds of years. It also managed to survive the horrors of WWII when our warplanes bombed the shit out of every major city Japan had, Himeji included. So this castle is clearly something special.
The weather was, for a change, perfect. The temperature was nice and cool with a steady breeze blowing throughout the day. The sky was clear of any threatening rain clouds and the news called for these conditions to remain so I was free to leave my encumbering umbrella at home. The news would prove to be wrong, but I'll get back to that later.
Mako and I took our time exploring the castle grounds, mostly a maze of narrow passageways and sharp inclines. On those rare moments where we found ourselves without another tourist watching us, we snuck in a few kisses. I was continually surprised by the scale of the construction. There were lots of occasions where I had to practically bend over to fit through a doorway or even climb the stairs inside the keep. Even Mako found herself cramped at least once or twice. I don't know if they intentionally designed these close-quarters or if modern people really are that much taller than 17th century people.
When I look at this picture, my first thought is "Wow, that coat hides my weight very well." Then I notice how much I am slouching. Enjoying the scenic surroundings and the beautiful woman next to me comes in third. Guess I've got a lot of work to do!
After the castle we found a small Vietnamese restaurant which was surprisingly expensive (by Vietnamese cuisine standards that is) but very enjoyable. We explored a small garden next to the castle but it seems the weather was too cold for most of the flowers to bloom. It's funny, I find the weather here far too warm considering the time of year but I guess I'm the only one. The people and wildlife of Japan, it seems, are living their life quite normally.
From Himeji we returned east and stopped in Kobe to see one of Japan's 三大夜景 or "three great night views." Via bus and cable car we ascended Mt. Rokko to take a look out over the combined urban areas of Kobe and Osaka. It was an amazing sight to behold and I just wish we could have enjoyed the moment alone instead of on a tourist "platform" with a dozen other people chit-chatting away. I had expected some kind of public park or garden we could roam in but no such luck.
Searching for solitude and waiting for our stomachs to empty, we went into Kobe to a nice park where we had gone before. Almost immediately after we sat down in a lovely (and secluded) spot, it started to rain. Not pouring rain but it was pretty hard and we had to move. We found an overhang just a few steps away though and I realized that the rain was actually quite beneficial. Everyone else we had seen in the park ran elsewhere for cover! We spent some time kissing and being close in that spot while we waited for the rain to die down again. I think it was pretty romantic, actually.
The rain did go away and we went to a cafe where some of her friends work. I knew it would be awkward meeting her Japanese friends but they seemed pleasant if entirely unintelligible. The cuisine was Hawaiian of all things; I tried something called Loco Moco while Mako had some Taco Rice. I saw some whale dishes on the menu which made very nostalgic for my last trip to Japan, so maybe I'll have to go back to that cafe again. You just can't get good whale meat in the States!
For pictures and a brief video clip of Sunday's excursion, please go to this separate page. I haven't slept so much in the last few days so I'm going to try and turn in early tonight. Wednesday is my busiest day of the week but at least this Thursday is a day off. Guess who I'll be spending it with? ^_^
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Holiday Bonus
First of all, a Happy Halloween to everyone. It may have come and gone here in Japan but it's still October back in the United States as of this writing. It's also Dave's birthday, so Happy Birthday Dave.
I wish I had more time to write, but as you can see I'm up late again after a long day. I was actually about to return home from school when an unexpected message invited me to a Halloween party in Osaka and off I went. I suppose it was less of a "Halloween party" than it was a party on Halloween. No one wore any funny outfits, we just talked and drank and ate some snacks. Lots of fun but very low key.
So hopefully tomorrow I'll have time to post the pictures from Sunday's trip. If not, well, you'll have to keep waiting. Trust me, I'm doing all I can to get you the latest news.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
I wish I had more time to write, but as you can see I'm up late again after a long day. I was actually about to return home from school when an unexpected message invited me to a Halloween party in Osaka and off I went. I suppose it was less of a "Halloween party" than it was a party on Halloween. No one wore any funny outfits, we just talked and drank and ate some snacks. Lots of fun but very low key.
So hopefully tomorrow I'll have time to post the pictures from Sunday's trip. If not, well, you'll have to keep waiting. Trust me, I'm doing all I can to get you the latest news.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Feeling Fine?
Gotta get to sleep but I didn't want to go two days without posting something, however brief.
Yesterday I truly did nothing of consequence. I did some homework, read more Lovecraft and spent a good chunk of my evening watching JFK on Japanese TV.
Today I had another wonderful day with Mako. We went sightseeing to new and exciting places and we made plans to see each other again very soon. I want to say that I've very happy right now but I feel like I have nagging doubts which are completely unfounded. It's like I'm anticipating (or manufacturing) problems to worry about!
OK, I'm really tired and Monday mornings are the worst, especially given my 9AM class. You'll hear a lot more about today's trip and see some lovely pictures tomorrow (right here actually). By the way, now that Daylight Saving Time has ended in the US, Japan is now 14 hours ahead of EST. Keep that in mind if you want to call me sometime.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Yesterday I truly did nothing of consequence. I did some homework, read more Lovecraft and spent a good chunk of my evening watching JFK on Japanese TV.
Today I had another wonderful day with Mako. We went sightseeing to new and exciting places and we made plans to see each other again very soon. I want to say that I've very happy right now but I feel like I have nagging doubts which are completely unfounded. It's like I'm anticipating (or manufacturing) problems to worry about!
OK, I'm really tired and Monday mornings are the worst, especially given my 9AM class. You'll hear a lot more about today's trip and see some lovely pictures tomorrow (right here actually). By the way, now that Daylight Saving Time has ended in the US, Japan is now 14 hours ahead of EST. Keep that in mind if you want to call me sometime.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
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