Typhoon Falls

One of the last events before I leave Japan, and a left over from last years to do list; the Nachi Fire festival took place last weekend..... Despite the Typhoon!

12 50kg torches were carried up and down the steps from the Nachi waterfall, as Sake was spat into the flames to make them rage. I got down as close as I could and had to retreat from the heat as they went by. You see more of it here. It happened to be the last long weekend we had before people began to head home, so Saturday night involved taking advantage of the fact the Kate and Lily's apartment building is completely empty but for them. Beaching and onsening on Sunday, follow by a far more subdued party that night involving Teams "The Game of Life" (There were three on our team, so of course we had to be the polygamist family) and chocolate cake. Then swimming at a beautiful, but Typhoon gorged waterfall the next day.

Booked

Just two months left now. My employer has to provide me with a one-way ticket home. They are going to to that, and then I am going to cash it in with their knowledge. They are not concerend, so long as they can point to a flight number in their records and say that they fulfilled their contractual obligations.

My real flight is booked, and that's for Malaysia. And yes, the American lady will be accompanying me there. She'll then be returningto Japan for another year of work at the end of August while I start travelling home slowly. Actually, she was staying with me for a week, all last week. There's loads of hiking and other things to do around here so there was plenty to do if she ever got bored while I was working. And I learned how to play Scrabble.

278 points the first time playing. Apparently that makes me an expert. I won't say what she got except that, clearly, so is she...

Lucas

Is a fecking drinks magent.
That is the lesson from Kobe. It doesn't matter where he goes. Random Japanese people wind up buying him drinks, and more importantly, all of the friends he has around him. Ours is not to reason why.

New Year's Frames

If I were anywhere on the correct continent, this is where I would be on New Years.

http://www.theframes.ie/

The first time I went was 31st December 2000, and it was a fatastic night. Highlights of successive years, all great, have been

Eating pizza in Tamsins kitchen at gods know what in the morning.

Kidnapping Kevin on the way to the gig

and Watching the band keep playing as the management scream for them to come off, already 15 minutes late.

Random Snapshot of September

I realised that I haven't emptied the memory card in my phone for and age.

This album is a collection of the random stuff I found on it that I think gives a nice snapshot into life here.

Enjoy!

(Click Enjoy)

Since I've been gone

Bonjourno bella bambinos

I haven't yet completely sorted out my apartment. That's probably, I hope, a surprise considering I've been back for nearly two weeks now. It seems like longer, but that's a good thing. Things actually happened.

Heathrow was, as expected, a royal pain in the ass. I intended to stock up on supplies for the coming year in Dublin airport on my way back (read red wine and Bailey's, and those Truffles that only I in my family like) but that wasn't going to happen with only my laptop as carry on. A taped up and bubble wrapped camera lay in my bag after I realised I couldn't fit the laptop in.

The queues seemed to move quick enough though, and I had to laugh at the people who, despite being told repeatedly that they couldn't bring lip balm on board, were still emptying their pockets when they approached the x-ray machines.

The flights were fine, 30 hours in all, despite the lack of sleep that morning. I may have slept on the plane for 3 hours, but mostly I took advantage of the films being on demand. And there was a perfect selection.

It may have been me being half asleep, but I though Mission Impossible was really good! Granted, all I was looking for was slightly better than John Woo's sequel and his bloody fetish for doves flying everywhere. This time Butt-Head himself was the star, and not his hair.

And they had "Stick it!" Gymnastic rebel rocker type thingy. Again, perfect fluff for my head, along with The Matador and whatever else they had. Roman Holiday was the Highlight of the other flights.

Actually, about Stick It.

I was not in a good mood about heading back. The sun was out and Dublin was looking fantastic for the last couple of days. Snakes on a Plane came out, and I had to turn down Larry's invitation to go and see it. Brian and Ciaran would be tackling Carrauntuohill the next weekend, the Bulmer's comedy festival was.....etc. etc.

And I was pissed off about something else, but nothing you lot did.

Yes, more time in Dublin would have been good, so long as it didn't cut into time outside of the city.

I was like that until I saw this film. 2 hours of laughing later and I was looking forward to Japan again and the BBQ that weekend.

Before then, Dan moved in. He would be finishing work on Friday and losing the car and apartment as well, so I stuck him on a futon until the following Tuesday, and listened to how much he would miss Ramen and Chees-zu potatoes. I just got back from having some at the inn, Miyasan, and, admitedly they really are quite good.

I was ready to sleep as soon as I arrived Wednesday evening in Koya, but that was not to be. Our friends, the middle aged ladies, were having a dinner for Dan, so of I went. Hiroko brought her daughter who had just spent a year studying English in Iowa, and Noriko brought her
own Pharmacology studying daughter who was back for the Holiday. They were both fantastic! Dan and I were in stitches most of the evening and they were slagging me off the rest of the time for being slow.

I hadn't slept...

Dan thought someone was trying to set him up. Well, that's Dan. I thought they were great, but given that I teach their Moms and friendships not leading to marriage are something of a rarity between the sexes here, I didn't suggest hanging out at the weekend...

Finally, the Beach Party and the BBQ. A chance to meet all the newbies from the other group. Except they were unfriendly and obnoxious.
They reminded me of the Jets in the Kobe Hotel for the re-contracting conference.
We approached, said hello, and they turned their backs to us. Something similar here.

My group were still brilliant though. They've been hanging out together, opening up their houses to everyone else, and have formed a really solid support group in just a few weeks. I was really impressed. I met them after their orientation last Friday in Wakayama city and got to see just how well everyone was getting on.

There were 10 of us crashing on one of the girl's floor that night, and then the Aussie, Joe, in the closet. He eventually came out of the closet the next morning...
And freaked me out.

I knew his parents were Irish, but I didn't know he was actually born in Dublin. Not only that, but the bastard lived in Kew Park in lucan and was in the same school as me. His younger brother was in my class for a year!

And yes, he still remembers...

A muinteoir, An bhfuil cead agam dul go dti on leithreas, le do thoil?*

Johno, one of the new Kiwis found out about a rock gig with one of his favourite bands, so Joe and I tagged along on Saturday night. They were great, and the support act was hilarious. Lovely little Japanese guys trying to scream and be scary and tough.
Ah Bless.
I showed them the sites of Osaka and we argued over who the English speaking sales rep in the Electronics shop was hitting on. She gave us all business cards, without personal numbers, so I say none, but I'm sure one of them will find out when they go back to get that camera.

So I have a good group now also really interested in spending as many weekends as possible snowboarding.
They even have cars! Woo!

Before I left, David and I were talking about how, as we live in rural areas without people near our age, much of this coming year depended on what the new people were like. I've probably described the last group before. David is less polite in his terms. Anyway, we agreed that they couldn't possibly be as bad as the previous group, and I'm very happy to know it's true.

Next stop now is Mount Fuji. The lovely Erin, who lives 2 hours from Tokyo and has put me up every time I'm there, has asked me to join her in a climb. If I didn't mention her, she's the one who would have plans for, and vice versa, if she didn't live a whole days travel away.
I'm really looking forward to putting my boots to some good use. And now that I have a tripod for my camera, experimenting with a sunrise.

Now I'm going to go down through all those e-mails I have yet to open, and reply to them. Except that one about a breakthrough in medicine.

You can never trust a subject with 5 exclamation marks.

Unless it's from Claire Lyons.

amities

david

"I can see for miles"

*(Teacher, Do I have permission to go to the toilet, please?)

Today's Lesson Plan: ULTIMATE

I guess you could think of it as a promotion.

I am now an Ultimate Frisbee coach, swimming instructor and soccer coach.
Emperor, preserve these poor children.

Ultimate training with all of the Primary school classes begins with an explanation of my expertise. I took part in one tournament, at the beginning of the month, and we came 19th....out of 20 teams. They seem to find that point encouraging.

I think they may have their numbers confused.

Ultimate was the first weekend of this month, and was fabulous. I deliberately didn't bring my camera, but I know a few people who did, and one even put this together.

Tajima Ultimate Frisbee Tournament Album.

You can see us in our Shrivelled Ume Jersey (Alcohol rich plums. We gave them out to the other teams and feasted on them all weekend. The drink itself is syrupy and sweet)
and also see Brad flying through the air.
Next time he tried that he came down and broke his collarbone.
Now he's back home in Canada having surgery....

Ahem, so this non-contact sport is all about "Spirit of the Game", but we concluded that we and our sister team (Juicy Mikans=Oranges ) were almost the only ones there out to just have a laugh. It was very odd to be coming up against people who would actually think about fouling
you, but we had a hell of a lot of fun, illustrated by the number of injuries (8 players knocked out by strained ankles and such.)
Did I mention it rained the entire time...?

It was still fabulous.
I have NEVER run so much, and was thankful for finding those runners in Tokyo the week before.

5 games over 2 days, we drew one....

and came first for 'style'.

Next year, we're even thinking about 'training' before hand. But many still see that as a form of cheating, like using tactics.

I'm curious about what little jobs I'll be given in September after the Holidays. My supervisor gave me a taste this morning. There's a nursery school just down the road from the Secondary school I'm based at, and the town would like me to start visiting it whenever I feel like a break from my base school.

They don't expect, or want, them to learn any English, oh no. My job is much more fun: They want me to hang out, play, and, hopefully, hold them upside down by their ankles.
That is, of course, why the Department of Foreign Affairs pays for half of my salary:
Make the young Japanese not afraid.

For now though, I'm kept busy with a little project that landed in my inbox

http://www.geocities.com/wakayamaajet/

It's my first website (Does this mean I am now a "Master"?) and is waiting on the new arrivals and their terrible orientation mugshots. I'll be taking them and will go out of my way to show them as the jet-lagged stragglers they are.

While I'm there, about 30 or so people from my prefecture will be heading home. We had our goodbye party for them the weekend before last, and after a quick glimpse around the room I realised that most of those leaving didn't bother to show up, and hardly anyone knew them
because they're hermits.

Less of a queue at the all you can eat Ice-cream bar so..

Of those leaving I do know, Carlton is the one I'll miss. Along with the other David, we spent some of the evening inventing new drinks. Me the Chuhai Shake, and they the Beer Shake. Mine was nicer (A scoop of Vaniila ice ceram, and another scoop of Cookies and Cream
mixed with the Chuhai, the Japanese.... drink. It's difficult to describe, but it's what one gets if you want a pint but don't like beer. )

You might remember him as the one I got lost in Kobe with for 3 hours.
Damn Expressway.

We did still make the Naked Man festival. He's on his way to St. Petersberg now to take a train to Beijing and then on to Oz mostly overland. Well, maybe. His plan, like all of our road trips, is completely fool proof due to the lack of planning. All he has is a Russian visa and a ticket. And a lovely Aussie friend of ours for company. I expect to see him commanding his own pirate crew
some time next year.

I've put up some photos of some guys on their bmx bikes form a trip to Kobe

http://www.bebo.com/PhotoAlbumBig.jsp?PhotoNbr=1&PhotoAlbumId=1387159800.

and from a camping and fire festival evening for my 5th class students

http://www.bebo.com/PhotoAlbumBig.jsp?PhotoNbr=1&PhotoAlbumId=1387321008

If anyone wants to see

Last weekend bad winds and zero visibility scuppered my attempts to dive the Northern most Coral Reef in the world, which happens to be in my prefecture. I was the only one with a licence of those who met up anyway. The waves were too choppy for even some snorkeling, so we
retreated to the river, and hummed the Jaws theme at Japanese canoeists as they floated by.

Terrifying locals.
Twas a fun weekend.

For now, I'm looking forward to the closest one can get to negotiating an asteroid field in a Correllian Freighter: Cycling down a busy Dublin Quay.

Before that trip comes though, I have the pleasure of showing my sister around, and answering the questions of the jet lagged newbies.

until then,

amities

david

"and he will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world shall
be in love with night and pay no worship to the garish sun"


P.S. I've put the research into that sabis position in Beirut on hold.....

Surfing on Sand
Part 2.

I thought my Adult class the word Bittersweet on Friday, but that's a different story,

That weekend, I headed off to a beach party in Tottori-ken, about a five hour train ride from Osaka. It was certainly fun, but so would have going to Tokyo early. I got there about 5, met with some friends from the other kens and press-ganged Rachel, another Irish Jet, into helping me with the tent. Gods bless her camping-mad mother. We got it all set up just in time for my first ever Yoga class.
Beach Yoga.
Twas a good way to watch the sun go down.

With the light beneath the waves, the Beach World Cup and Frisbee training came to a close as a guitar armed Japanese TV presenter from Dun Laoghaire (Ronan) found his place by the fire, and we let out a country and western freestyle version of that Classic tune,

"Pinky and the Brain"

One's an idiot, the other's insane.

The lyrics go remarkably well to an acoustic Beastie Boys tune.

At another fire, I even saw a Bodhran, and a girl named Brid was practicing earlier with two hurls and a sliotar. And so the great art of talking shite was passed on to others throughout the night. There was a DJ elsewhere, and there was dancing, but singing and talking shite on logs by the fire was my highlight.

Next day, Peter, Ben and I took a detour home and climbed a mountain of sand. Everything went fine until we tried to race up. Arrgghh my heart. I'm too young for coronary problems.

There were no sand boarders that day, but plenty of Para gliders (I think) and retirees with professional camera equipment. They took a shining to Peter as he relaxed on the crest of a dune, and easily went through a couple of rolls before he realised he was being watched.

Ben then discovered that his car's engine is set up to stop one from going over 145kmph as he pushed it to it's rattling limits on the Expressway to get back in time for my last train. 5 minutes to spare.

Legend.

http://www.bebo.com/PhotoAlbum.jsp?PhotoAlbumId=1187709101

amities

david

"as she moved through the fair"