July 23, 2008

It's really hot here. I understand it's also hot in Ottawa but Japan's hot is ridiculous. The past several weeks have involved de-fogging my glasses when I step out of the house. Thank goodness for AC. So with all this heat a couple of weeks ago we thought we would go to a beach I read about in a local English magazine. An island that guards the entrace to Tokyo bay just offshore from Yokosuka. That's where the U.S. naval base is. The island known as "Monkey island" (Sarushima island). (On Google Earth at 35°17'5.95"N and 139°41'37.19"E)

It takes about an hour to get there on the train and then you have to take a fifteen minute ferry to the island.

The beach turned out to be, like the rest of Japan, packed unbrella to umbrella. It seems everyone had the same idea.

So with no space on the beach, we headed up into the middle of the island because this place has been used as a defensive post up until the second world war and there were ruins. It was also a lot cooler in the trees. Not a lot of shade trees in the city.

A large trench runs down the middle of the small island with bunkers on either side. It also served as a causeway from one end of the island to the other to supply the large guns once there. No guns anymore. The trace of them were the big concrete platforms on which they stood.

When you get to the other end of the island, it is easy to see its strategic importance as you can easily see the houses on the other side of the bay.

There was a nice shady area there where you could watch all the ships come in and move around Tokyo bay. We also saw the biggest floating crane that I have ever seen in person being pulled to a docking bay.

A week later we embarked on another adventure. July 14th was the embassy's Canada day holiday instead of July 1st due to the G8 affair. Being a Monday and that Japanese schools were not yet on their mid-summer break we decided to take th opportunity to go to an amusment park at the foot of Mount Fuji. I figured, less people so shorter lines. While I was correct and there were a lot fewer people, I forgot that there are 127 million people here and thus 'fewer' is a relative term. So the big rides had 1 hour wait times so we waited with everyone else. Clearly we are inexperienced at waiting in lines as many of the Japanese came prepared with books, PSPs and other things to pass the time. Nice thing about rides here is that there are lockers when you get on the ride to put your stuff. Anyway, there were, that day, unused signs indicating the point in the line where it would have been a 2 hour wait. I hate cues but clearly this does not bother the Japanese. Or maybe there just used to it.

The place is called Fuji-Q and it is on the edge of Fujiyoshida (Google Earth 35°29'14.17"N and 138°46'49.34"E). It had the usual drop tower and sit in a car roller coaster that starts at 80 m above ground. I thought I might lose my head on the cross beams we went under. Most rides had a height limit of 2 metres which I am not near to but also not far from (1.83 m).

There was also a coaster which holds the Guiness Book of World Records for the most number of inversions. They have a plaque and everything. At least it did when it opened a few years ago. This was a crazy ride where apart from the loops and rolls the coaster does along the track, the carriage itself spins you on an axis perpendicular to the track. So sometimes your travelling forwards, other times backwards, on your back etc. Quite an exhilarating ride.

You know what somone should do, that will never get done, is have a park where you have limited number of people in to reduce the lines. Charge extra, of course. It might just work. It'll never happen though

Finally the latest sweets from our last tea lesson. The one with the two dark beans have flecks of gold as they are supposed to represent fireflies. I forget the explanation of the other one.

July 10, 2008

G8 is over finally. Well almost. The PM is in Tokyo today and leaves tomorrow but the embassy can get back to normal work I guess. There hasn't been very much exciting or interesting to tell you about. Japan is covered by a perpetual cloud with sporadic rain so we haven't gone anywhere and haven't really seen much.

I interviewed for a job at the embassy but didn't get it. So we'll see what comes up next.

Canada Day was not a holiday at the embasssy as the G8 was approaching so there were no celebrations. The Americans, on the other hand, with 400 or so people at their embassy were able organise a 4th od July party at a hotel that we were invited to. A lot of people were there and a lot of food.

There was also the 7th Fleet dixieland band who were all right and added a nice festival atmosphere.

A guest singer, Jimmy Angel, who was famous in his day with such hits as "Teenager in Love", has 10 gold records and went to school with Elvis, was also there. Voice still strong. Hair still looks like Elvis'. Apparently he lives in Tokyo because he is in hiding from the Mob or something. I didn't catch a picture of him though.

More importantly, Mickey Mouse and Goofy came from Tokyo Disneyland to celebrate too. If you go to Tokyo Disneyland you need to wait upwards of 45 minutes to get your picture taken. We got it done in 2 minutes.

It was also a chance to see the various contacts from other embassies and say goodbye to some who are off to new posts. Here is Mika with her US embassy contact on her way to Bangladesh, her Panamanian contact and his wife and Autralian contact.

Now that G8 is over, the mass exodus from the embassy will begin next week. I think 15 families in total will be changing and they are all leaving in the next two weeks or so. Moving trucks galore.

While all this excitment goes on at the embassy, I hang out with Henry who follows me from room to room. He demands a lot of attention and we are still working on getting him to recorgnise that he will not be getting people food.

Oh I almost forgot that we had a return visit from an Australian guest who was here 18 months ago. He was here with a teacher who I taught with in Ottawa when she was there on an exchange. Anway, he's a principal in Oz and also a Rotary international member which was sort of the reason that he ended up in Japan again. Plus he does a lot of exchanges with Japan and now has a full Japanese immersion program in his school. At any rate he found this quaint street in Shinjuku that is scheduled to be demolished where we had lunch.

June 20, 2008

Don't get rid of your old cottage furniture in a garage sale. Send it to an antique dealer in Japan and you could earn a bundle. You think I'm kidding? There is an antique dealer down the street from us that sells what you would see on sale for a few bucks at a garage sale. For example this chair.

Take a guess at the price? How about $400. Can you believe it?! 

A couple of weeks ago, we attended a tea and ikebana gathering. A little different because a table version of the tea ceremony was done. I was instructed the week before on the differences between the table version and the traditional version on tatami mats, so I could participate and do the ceremony for some of the guests. What I was unaware of, was the one who would do the majority of tea sessions. No problem for me because I'm used to performing to some extent. But there was an element of a zoo atmosphere too. Look at the foreigner doing the Japanese tea ceremony.

Now don't get me wrong. This is not upsetting. If you live in Japan, or any country where you stand out from the monoethnicity/culture, you have to get used to the locals being fascinated by a foreigner participating so intimately with their culture. Especially the higher forms that require significant training and so closely tied to the countries identity. That and it is uncommon for a foreigner to be doing tea ceremony at all. It happens to a lesser degree with language too. Speak a few words of Japanese to someone and they are immediately impressed. This is more the case for the older Japanese who have little contact with foreigners.

At any rate, the zoo like feeling shades you judement of their comments too you. Everyone seemed impressed with my ceremony, but there is still that nagging thought in my head about whether they were impressed in comparison with other Japanese or impressed that I was doing it at all. I'll never really know but Mika assures me they were genuinely impressed.

The Chabana (tea ceremony flower arranging) and Ikebana (flower arranging) exhibit was also impressive to see. The pictures from this I have put in a photo album in the photo section for you to browse.

I continue to take carving lessons in the Kamakura style. 2 months ago I got back my first piece from the lacquer works. I may have mentioned this before but the lacquer used is called urushi and does not cure in the same way as paints and lacquers that most people know of. It has to be cured in a humid environment and it takes a long time. Add on the many layers and you have a process that can take up to a year to do. So one year later I have recieved my first piece which is of two carp fish. I have included here a picture of a plate I have just finished and sent to be lacquered. I should see it about this time next year. The dark dirt looking stuff in the new one is pencil lead that gets rubbed around as a result of my hands on the surface of the plate while carving.

Finally, it is hydrangea season again and thus one of the tea sweets from the last lesson are meant to give the impression of hydrangeas. The second sweet represents a Japanese plum.

June 5, 2008

It is down to the last two days of this school year. A relief for everyone involved. Grades are done and submitted to the office and all I have left to do is collect textbooks.

This week the Japanese government has declared that the rainy season has begun. Apparently people can't figure this out on their own despite the on and off rain for the past three weeks. Sounds typical though. Restate the obvious.

Despite the cloudy days and rain, we lucked out last weekend and had a sunny day on Sunday. The forecast was correct and we planned to drive the two hours to Nikko (North of Tokyo) to get some fresh mountain air and greenery. This was our first time going to Nikko where it wasn't cloudy, windy or raining. So much for forecasts. But, as I said, we lucked out this time.

It really is a nice place when the sun is shining. Just outside the city of Nikko is Lake Chuzenji where there are some nice hiking trails. We picked one that didn't have too many large elevation changes and started at Ryuzu Falls. Where all the photographers were out taking snaps of the flowers and water. Rightly so, but you have to marvel at the intensity with which they undertake this hobby (well any hobby really). This took us along the river/stream that feeds the falls and across the Senjogahara plateau where a great battle took place. A mythical one anyway. The two gods of Mt. Nantai and Mt. Akagi fought for control of Lake Chuzenji on this plateau. In short Mt.Nantai won.

Unlike hiking in Canada, the undergrowth here is not grass, ferns and the like but bamboo grass. It gives the woods a very different feel. A perfect day to go hiking.

Henry is making himself more at home and we've tried taking him outside on a leash. His tail puffs up everytime because there are a number of strays in the neighbourhood. He managed to escape from the harness once (tighten that some more) and went after one cat nearly giving me a heart attack as he disappeared around the corner of the house. We eventually found him hiding under a porch. Mainly, though, the excursions out the front door have been a success.

He has also made himself quite at home and is a very affectionate cat who likes to sleep on people.

Finaly the okashi (sweets) of the last tea lesson.