Hallowe'en Party!

Firstly, thanks for all the B-day wishes everyone! I had a great night, and realised that I have some good friends here in Japan.

Now, here are some pics from the Halloween Party! I was Suntory Boss, just in case you are wondering.

caterpillar

fig. 6: The biggest caterpillar I've ever seen! I think it was eating its way into the centre of the Earth. It was about the size of my thumb from where it connects to the wrist.

mentaiko

Recently, things have been a little mentaiko around here. Firstly, blogger wouldn't let me post. Then there was a major shitstorm at the office, which took about 3 days to settle. And finally, I had to get a medical check-up sponsored by work.

I woke up early today and waited for Kazuyo to pick me up in her bright red car. About 5 of us went to the hospital for a company medical. When we arrived at the hospital, I realised that I had peed our all the liquid in my body a few minutes before, so I bought a bottle of green tea and chugged it all down. The first test was the urine test and I literally stood in the bathroom for about 10 minutes trying to pee. In the end, imagining waterfalls and fountains, I squeeze just enough out to fill it to the line. Finally!

The next test is height and weight. Very basic. Then an eye-test. I had no idea what was going on. My eyes aren't that bad, but I couldn't tell if it was arrows, hiragana, alphabet, or anything. I hoped to god it wasn't katakana, because even after 10 months here, I still have problems reading it! Eventually, I figured out it was a circle. So I say "maru". And then she enlarges it slightly. "Maru". Bigger again. "Maru". And now she puts it on the largest setting, displaying a circle broken a the bottom. So I realise, I'm supposed to say the direction of the break. "Shita", I say, meaning 'down'. But when she shrinks it down again, I can't make anything out. Like the light bleeding around the circle floods my vision. So I just keep saying shita, because somehow the image of the incomplete circle is burned into my retinae. "shita. shita. shita. shita" So I basically failed the eye exam.

Next there's a hearing exam, which Remi buggered up by mixing up his left and right. Then, after a lame, 30 second check by an actual doctor, we're sent to the X-ray room. The girls go first. And Kazuyo tells me I have to take off my shirt because it has buttons. So I do. But when the radiologist sees me, she points at my belt buckle and says something I interpret at "take that thing off". So I do. Then I stand, in a very familiar way, with my chest against the lead shield. With my back away from her, she tugs at my pants. Tug. Tug. Tug. Until it comes to just under my butt. Of course, she's a doctor so I don't question it. But after I finish I ask the girls: "Did they make you take off your belts too?"
"No"
"Remi, did she make you take off your pants too?"
"No"

..............We laughed and drove outta there throwing our weight into the G-force turns of Kazuyo's bright red car. It was only 5 minutes later that I really needed to pee. Damn that green tea!

Anyways, Jordan is here visiting me. It's nice to have someone familiar around. Yesterday we went to the beach. There were hundreds of jellyfish all washed up on shore. Some pink, some blue.

eiheiji temple

In the temple there's a reception hall with 230 paintings of birds and flowers on the ceiling. It's said that if you find 2 koi and a moon, then you will have good fortune. I stood there, staring upwards for about 15 minutes before giving up. Actually, I don't think there are any fish up there, only birds, but the idea of staring up was very satisfying. I'm sure it's the same reason the Sistine Chapel is so famous. I always thought there's something spiritual about a human looking skywards.

The garden by the main gate, entering from a small mountain path. The Temple is still being used by monks and you see them walking to and fro in their robes.

Light coming through the leaves. The complex is massive, and built on terraces on the mountain.

This is the biggest of the buildings, called the Hatto, or dharma hall. Inside monks were praying to a giant, statue of Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion.

natto and the ocean

Whenever I find myself living far away from home, I always end up beside the sea. When I lived in Scotland, I never took enough advantage of that fact. I mean, I do remember some encounters with seals, going for a dip in the icy-cold North Sea in March, as well as sitting on the cliffs and thinking about the vastness of the waters.

Anyways, I've made myself a promise to enjoy the sea here. So here is yet another picture of the sunset over the waves. I stood there, on the beach in a shirt and tie, amazed at the redness of the sun. The photo is incapable of showing the true red. See, here, if you ask a child to draw a picture of the sun, they would scribble a red blob. Originally, I thought it was just because of their flag. But Japanese people really think of the sun as red...........And maybe for good reason!

Also, I've caught my first Japanese cold. It's been more than I year since I've been sick. First I thought that the viruses here were weak, but now I'm pretty sure that the Japanese diet can make a man immortal. I eat a lot of seaweed here and even eat this thing called natto. It's notorious for being hated by foreigners of all kinds. Basically, it's fermented soy beans. They're very sticky and smell a bit of alcohol. But I swear to you, if you eat natto 3 times a week, it will make you immortal! So I blame myself for skipping my natto these last few weeks.

culture tip #5

the green telephones are specifically for international calls and they never take change. strangely, inside there is still a local phonebook.

Nihon fashions

This is a prime example of Japanese eccentric fashion sense. These girls are dressed in the 'gothic lolita' style. True lolita style has the frills and the little hat, but is usually in a pastel colour. These goths are all black.....except for their cutesy, pink purses. They obviously shop together.

This is a picture of where I work. The second building from the left, which has an old, faded, imperial flag at the top is mine. I work at the top floor on the rightmost side. There is a hotspring on the roof.

lanterns

An installation in the park across the street from where I work. It was fashion week here and the city has been full of surprises.

the samurai house and Hattori Hanzo

fig 5: a garden in the samurai house down the street from me. It's very peaceful and has some of the biggest koi I've seen.

I had a couch surfer stay with me for the last two nights. It was quite interesting since I don't really have a couch. His name is Alex and he lives in Florida. Interesting guy. When he left me he was looking for a man named Hattori Hanzo in Gifu. Well, at least that was his name according to his couchsurfing profile! I say goodluck.

documentary of (almost) conquering Haku-san

So this weekend I climbed Haku-san with Michiyo and Remi. It was an insane experience. And I definitely want to do it again. This time I want to be as prepared as the Power Rangers we saw on the mountain.
We arrived hungry and Michiyo was the only one who brought food: 2 pieces of bread. And so we start the climb...
This is the second pitstop. A place we hated on the way down because it took forever to get down there.
On the way up, we saw the Power Rangers. These people were HardCore...with a capital 'H' and a capital 'C'. We let them pass us so I could take a picture. Then we passed them again. I think they thought we were crazy because we weren't wearing gortex, rain-proof, wind-proof, colourful uniforms.

Third interview was at a lookout in the clouds.


About 5 kilos farther we realised why they were wearing those exploration gear. We saw the first signs of snow, and soon it was slow going over icy trails, skirting treacherous precipices. Then is started hailing, then snowing. But we were determined. Gloveless....and in running shoes.....but determined.
I guess this is where we realised we were ill-equipped. Michiyo reaches the plateau and we rejoice....Remi has a cigarette in celebration. The next part is the serious challenge, though. The peak of the mountain is in sight and the winds and snow has picked up. This is what we Canadians would call a blizzard.
Luckily, we arrive before we freeze to death. The storm was really getting bad and it was hard to see more than a few meters in front of you.

Interview 4: the lodge
That night, I needed to pee so badly, but decided that I'd rather stay awake under the blankets than go out in the freezing cold. It was a long night, but I got up around 5am to relieve myself -- just in time for the sunrise. So I woke up Remi and Michiyo to get this deed done.


We were freezing, waiting for the sunrise. When it stuck it's head out and I snapped a few pics with my gloveless, frozen hands, I looked at Remi and said: "Ok. Let's go."
But Michiyo was adamant that we stay. She told us that she wanted to enjoy it. So I guess, there on the mountain, we discovered that watching a frozen sun rise over the clouds, is really just another metaphor for sex. Us guys were like, "Ok. We saw it. Now, let's go back to bed." While, the girl, on the other hand, didn't feel just satisfied with the peaking crest of light. She wanted to see the completion of the sunrise and enjoy herself while doing it. So there you have it folks! Nothing really changes. ever.

Interview 6: the list
We also forgot to mention gloves, extra socks, and food for two days. But the whole experience was great and I definitely want to do it again. And so I'll leave you with this final tidbit of footage.

culture tip #4

fig 4: origami cranes are given to people who are sick. if someone is in the hospital 1,000 of them are folded as a "get well soon" gift.

a heavy flow day

According to this picture it's going to be a hectic, hard working day. But from the clarity of the water, I can tell that at least I'll be able to think fast.

(Most likely this'll be true because Akiko, our head teacher has gone to a wedding in Texas and so the 3 foreign teachers are sharing her classes.)

1.1618 on the richter scale

So, it turns out that there was a small earthquake last night at around 11:40pm. I felt it because I was in a building on a high floor. When I asked Katy, my co-worker about it, she said that around 11:40 she felt really dizzy. Apparently, if you are walking around in the open and a small earthquake hits, you just feel dizzy. Weird, huh?

Maybe because you don't see anything shaking and the feeling is so small, you just think it's in your head. It was less than 2 on the scale, and I thought it was pretty cool, actually! Man, the Earth is alive!...........and it has gas.

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Last month I had some trouble trying to get my pin number from the bank in Canada. I finally gave up, but I got to speak to about 4 different people from all over the world. If it were a competition, the Pakistani man who tried to speak to me in French wins.....

Anyways, this is a photo of my credit card. No wonder my money was just flying away!

a little shakey

Tonight at around 11:30-ish i felt a shakey-shakey. Mild, as though my neighbour was moving furniture and accidently bumped into the wall near me. I don't know, but it might have been the first earthquake I've felt. I'll let you all know tomorrow.

I also had to post a pic of this little flower that's been growing on the canal wall. It stuck its head out recently and makes a nice addition to my walk to work.

a weekend of reflections