The terrifying form of Godzilla in downtown Tokyo

The terrifying form of Godzilla in downtown Tokyo
Originally uploaded by Yukata Me.

Nah ni-nah nah! to you too Nick! Some of us don't have cushy jobs in useless government departments with time to burning relentless cruising the intermanet criticizing others for their evidently more interesting lives that mean they are too busy to blog for your reading benefit!
Tee hee

So for your viewing pleasure here is a humorous little snap from our trip to Tokyo. Ianto insisted that we find the statue of Godzilla, and despite having heavy misgivings about the rationale into pursuing such a destruction-wreaking monster I decided to give in to his enthusiasm.
After some toing and froing this is what we discovered . . . a terrifying sight striking fear into the hearts of all those busy passersby!!
Actually, I thought it was interesting to note that while I was posing of this we evidently drew the attention of two businessmen who had previously failed to note the existence of this creature in their bear vicinity!

Giant city-devouring monsters seemingly don't have the same powers of attraction as they used to!

Korean rope-making

The girls at rope-making
Originally uploaded by Yukata Me.

I suddenly realised that my life has been so consumed by constant study, also sometimes known as karaoke and shopping with friends, that I have failed to post in almost two weeks - Shocking!

I hope you weren't all too worried . . well, I wasn't inundated by a flood of concerned enquiries so I'll assume you were all too busy to notice . . .

残念 (zannen - 'Oh well') Where is that jar of worms I was keeping handy ?

This a photo taken last week on Daniel's camera that he so kindly lent me as I had forgotten mine in the morning rush.

It's me with Ryoko, Keiko and Kaori at the rope-making that was going on at school as part of preparations for a festival last weekend. The weather turned out to be perfect for the occasion, though Saturday was very wet. Sunday was one of those perfect clear blue days that I'm sure are occuring like a rash right now in Adelaide.

Speaking of rashes, I must admit that on the day of this photo we didn't do much rope-making as they appeared ot have plenty of voluneteers and the day before when we'd had a go, fun though it may have been it left me super itchy during the following class . . . Thus most of us absconded to sit and chat over coffee.

The festival was also fun but we got carried away checking out the food festival that was on going in full swing around the castle moat and resultingly missed seeing the 綱引き (tsunahiki - otherwise known as a good old fashioned tug of war) but this was one rope to remember! It was about 70 cms in diameter! Primary School Sports Day eat your heart out!

Special thanks to those lovely people who have put bright spots in to the past two weeks that have been particularly hard. To Sarah for my fabulous scarf, Pips for the parcel that arrived today with peanut flavoured goodies and fancy socks for the coming winter. To Ianto for the pretty artwork that is now adorning my tidy bench space. To my impressively diligent letter-writer, thanks for keeping me in the know both electronically and in hardcopy. Special thanks to Ryoko for being one of the best friends I've made here so far and always encouraging me! And to Maki for the great Saturday lunch that lasted from 1:30 til 4pm with much eating and chatting done.

Right, must away back to that enormous pile of work that never seems to diminish.

There's no art . . .

I have learned many things from many people but there are always a few whose place will never be taken . . .
I miss you all.

This post is for one of the most influential people in my life.
It has become increasingly to clear to me what they mean as I have travelled and lived so far from home.

It's funny the things that drift up so strangely and randomly from the depths of your mind when you loose that daily input that has made up your life for so long . . .

Thus my travels around Japan will somehow always be inextricably link with this song . . . though perhaps with some of the verses remembered in my own idiosyncratic way.

The lights in the harbor,
Don't shine for me.
I'm like a lost ship,
Adrift on the sea.

Sea of heartbreak, lost love an' loneliness;
Memories of your caress, so divine.
I wish you were mine again, my dear.
I am on this sea of tears:
Sea of heartbreak.

How did I lose you?
Oh, where did I fail?
Why did you leave me,
Always to sail?

This sea of heartbreak, lost love an' loneliness;
Memories of your caress, so divine.
How I wish you were mine again, my dear.
I am on this sea of tears:
Sea of heartbreak.

Oh, what I'd give to sail back to shore;
Back to your arms once more.

Oh, come to my rescue;
Come here to me.
Take me and keep me,
Away from the sea.

Yes, this sea of heartbreak, lost love an' loneliness;
Memories of your caress, so divine.
How I wish you were mine again, my dear.
I'm on this sea of tears:
Sea of heartbreak.

It's a sea of heartbreak.

Now I'm going to be late!

Lacquerware 漆器

Lacquerware
Originally uploaded by Yukata Me.

I dedicate this entry to Pips as it's apparently her birthday today (and if I only had millions I'd give her one of these - but maybe only the sheath cause swords can be dangermouse) and I somehow missed that this week and her parcel is thus not in the post (a hoola-ha a hoola-ha a hooooola-ha!). I hear that is was very rainy in Adelaide today but I'm glad to hear that some of you still had the moxy in you to do your planned ride none-the-less!

If only I could have taken a good photo of the whole thing . . . but still I think you can get the idea of just how kick-arse it would be to come up againist something like this is really life. No wonder the Shogun's kept the country underthumb for so long! This one seems to be a rather unusual colour. Lacquerware is usually red and black with gold, though I did see some more a little like this much later on when I was in Shimane-ken at the Adachi Museum. Whilst this colour is a bit reminiscent of that horrid colour of mustard orange cars that were around about 5 years ago this sword sheath was way classy! Inlaid mother of pearl and all! It seems amazing to me the degree of skill and perfection craftsworkers of hundreds of years ago were able to attain! It makes the mind boggle - and we think machines are so great.
Speaking of levels of invention . . . Until not long ago, apparently Lacquerware was so synonymous with Japan, that like porcelain is called China, laquerware was called Japan. Maybe to people of an elder generation this is not news, but I thought it was interesting! Edifying . . you know!

Something that really caught my interest whilst travelling during the holidays was the different crests and insignias that you see around on the castles, apparel and domestic wares. I really love them and it's really interesting to trace the history of the different crests from place to place and person to person. I'd like to find out more but am not sure where to start looking, plus I've already got an itimidating workload at Uni this semester anyway!

This crest is Hollyhocks, from memory, that of the Shogun. As I said, these things tend to get a little convoluted in terms of who used what depending on their intermarriages and the like. At 姫路城 (ひめじじょう Himeji-jou Himeji Castle) there are about four different crests that feature from the various points in history when it was owned by or warded to different families. Sometimes I would get a bit confused with the different crests but I think they such great images. I wouldn't mind having one of those as my signature. Maybe we need to reinstitute the idea of family crests in the west - that'd so rule! (as someone I know is fond of saying)

I think that living in 東京 (Tokyo) and visiting it would be two very different experiences. We spent a lot of time in the inner city areas, and I get the feeling thet these places are not where the residents of Tokyo live out their daily lives. It's hard to talk about any concentrated 'city' (like you get in so many Australian cities) because the place is just so big that many areas in Tokyo seem to function like cities in and of themselves.

We spent at least the better part of a day and a half in the area of Ueno Park (上野公園). One smart thinker found out the Tokyo National Museum would be open late on friday night and so we headed there in the late afternoon and we rapted in the exhibition we saw. There was some expensive temporary thing on but we just went for the 150yen option of the permanent collection and spent the better part of 3 hours engrossed in their wonderful gallery with detailed English explanations. Definitely on my recommendation list for people going to Tokyo who have an interest in Japanese handicrafts and history.

Anyway, Tokyo rocked for its museums and the like even if the Ukiyoe Museum (浮世絵美術館　うきよえびじゅつかん) was shut.

Now it's almost time for me to be going out and I've spent most of the afternoon doing nothing much that has resulted in any visible product - except one tidyish cupboard and a balcony full of washing.　I'm not sure that this will make much sense, but that's about your blooming lot for this week - use it for manure if it's that bad . . .

Tomorrow I'm going out with Ryoko which should be fun - hopefully get some new clothes so I don't feel like such a dag now that there are people around who feel like going out on the weekends and the like.

We have a holiday Monday which I should try to spend catching up on study - 頑張ります！

Further to the legend of Engrish . . .

Did I ever say what Bump of Chicken was ?
I'm sure you are all dying to know . . .

I think there's needs to be a competition about it . . . In all seriousness . . . what on earth would you buy if it was called Bump of Chicken ?


In another quick PS . . . I think we can expect interesting times ahead in the limited world of Shudo Hakujin . . . The group has increased considerably since last semester and so the need to bond with all has diminished and this is quite evident already . . . I am fascinated to see how it will all progress . . . I hear that human flesh most closely resembles that of a pig.

Back to School

Today was the second Monday at Uni, and the first real week of work for most classes. However, my first class wasn't on and the second two for the day are ones I am no longer enrolled in. My teacher is so great though I figured I'd just keep on rocking up as long as she'd accept me and I could keep up with what I expect will be a big workload this semester. I'm kind of glad I resolved upon that after the farcical events of 4th period.

Just as background, last week Evan and I took the placement test and were resultingly moved into the middle level class with the Koreans who arrived at the start of the year when we did. Thus I no longer have to go to my old basic level Japanese classes of 2nd and 3rd period on a Monday. However, while these classes with the new exchange students were a little on the slow-paced side the middle level class today was nigh on impossible. We only got the text in class so unlike the others could not have prepared but still . . . arghh! Evan turned glassy eyed and I managed to catch some words. The explanations during class being only Japanese wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't that the textbook too is wholly in Japanese as well. I can see this one is not going to be a walk in the park . . . .

Apparently our Thursday class textbook has English explanations in it - thank goodness!
But what I'm really looking forward to is the 3rd period class on Thursdays for which we set our own topic. Thus we have to watch a movie and transcribe it or read a manga and note unknown words or somesuch - Sounds great to me - I'm thinking of attempting Miyazaki's Nausicaa manga . . . ganbarimasu! man, it'll be heaven when I get Japanese langauge function on to this new computer . . .

Also note that despite school having gone back I spent the weekend in Kyoto - Ahh - The Shinkansen - a wonderful beast for getting from A-Z (that's Zed, Karl - thanks for the postcard) in no time at all! I even managed to use my advanced skills and conversational arts to barter down the price on some Hagi-yaki (pottery from Hagi in Yamaguchi Prefercture - not terribly appropriate for when in Kyoto, but hey ?! All who know me know I can't refuse a bargain!)

Now I have spent far more time than I had alotted (oh the best laid plans of mice and me . . . ) to 'communications' and it's probably time for some dinner and some study!

Just one of the many

Just one of the many
Originally uploaded by Yukata Me.

Something that occupied the minds of two of my travelling companions in the past two months was Engrish tshirts and signs. As I have failed to locate any other photos of Tokyo right now I thought this could be a representative . . . Seen in Ueno Zoo this shot was attempted a few times by my excited but nervous young playmate so eventually, hardened gaijin that I am, I had to take over the reigns and capture this young lady's unwitting taste in fashion . . .

Pooj also has a penchant for crazy Asianglish and we did manage to find him some off-kilter pieces. (Hope you like them - Now Australia can be informed of the true meaning of Curiousity)
The only problem with Japan in this regard is that, unlike Thailand or Vietnam, these ridiculous items often come with an insane designer price to match their warped language!

Sunshine to cap off our triumph

Sunshine to cap off our triumph
Originally uploaded by Yukata Me.

Dekita! Asahi-dake conquered! We win Japan!
Damn! There were times when I didn't think that I would make it but we did. It was flipping cold to boot, but then the clouds suddenly scudded off for a brief minute and sky shone clear blue like an Australian spring day. The clouds were perfect Ghibli.

2000ms!! And unlike most people we didn't wimp out and take the rope-way (otherwise known as a cable-car . . . though Japan has befuddled my English a long time hence and I couldn't remember that).


Why am I still up ? I'm in a posting frenzy
I have school tomorrow and I only returned from Kyoto at 8pm this evening! Shinkansen is an amazing way to travel but I think that if you really want to see the coutry and have the time then locals far and away beat the Nozoomi on the experience stakes!

You know what this reminds me of ?

You know what this reminds me of ?
Originally uploaded by Yukata Me.

Asahi-dake is one of the more famous areas situated in the middle of Hokkaido. One day a wished was expressed to go mountain climbing so we went along to the Twinkle Plaza at the Sapporo station to see what could be arranged. After some toing and froing we decided to splash out and stay in the fancy hotel (because we had no choice) and pay an obsene amount that would blow the week's budget waaay out of the water.

It was worth every minute and is definitely one of the highlights of the trip.

The catch-cry for our day of climbing Asahi-dake: You know what this reminds me of ? Well, given my obsession for Tolkien is it hard to guess ?
"We've been here before!" "That's because we're going in circles"
Oh nerddom!

It really was a most breath-taking site. Also a lot of picture-taking got done. This is one big-f**k-off mountain! Yet as we struggled up it these spritely Japanese grannies would be making their way down!

We spent the entire day roaming up and down, with my bear-scaring bell tinkling away in a most annoying fashion.

At a point I got the idea in my head that it was more likely to attract them as they'd probably figured out that when the bells start jingle there's stupid defenseless city-folk meandering about. Thus my intended warning was warning alright only in the opposite way from that which I wanted - it was like a supper bell peeling out across the valleys to all attentive bears.

As twilight darkened rapidly I started to get immensely concerned and made a headlong dash down the track which was simply a not-so-dry creekbed. This in turn led to a signifcant amount of ridicule but hey, I'm sure I saved us from those predatory bears!
Back in time for a huge 'baikingu' (Viking=buffet)dinner, followed by solo adventures into the fabulous world of Onsens!

This was also one of the first times in months well I'd felt cold! Yippee! That was cause for celebration.
As with much of Hokkaido, it was heavily populated with native tourists - only in this case, solely so - we were the only gaijin for miles!
Definitely a place to save up for and return to in the future!