It's raining (on) naked men!

Hallelujah!

Yes, saturday 17th February. It's bitterly cold. It's Okayama. That can only meanone thing: get very drunk and run around town naked (almost) with 5000 drunken japanese Salary men (office workers). Oh Joy! No, seriously, joy.

Getting there last year was an adventure in on itself, and Carlton's and my participation ended up being by chance. This year, there was some organisation. Aftr much cajolling, with most of the Jets in Wakayama going skiing that same weekend, I convinced three other lads and one lass to make the journey. Susanne drove and got very wet, while we ran around in a bunch in front of her, and got very hot. It was my camera most of the time, so I'm not in any of them. There are more here, where maybe I'm in the background

Last year, my only photo from the bevent was the one on the front cover of the next day's newspaper with me in the centre. There was no topping that this year, but still a hell of lot of fun! I let theb lads know that any attempt to actuaklkly get the agic stick itself would only lead to them getting betan by the 5000 others trying to grab it.

Only one person died this year, and thankfully no injuries on our parts.

I'm in there somewhere, on the left, well away form those danmed deadly stairs.

"Acting for their lives"

John,

To keep you informed for the next wedding. This time about the arts.

Nervous Censors and Staged Rebellions

I found the article dramatically (no pun intended) informative about changes since the last election. Not directly though. Just by comparing descriptions to memories. The colour of the head scarves for instance. Now plain, before multi-coloured, with hair poking out freely to the front and rear. It seems doubtful today. And the air. Even worse from lead 'enhanced' petrol.

It's long. But make it to the end.

The last paragraph is worth it.

Setsubon

With no other plans, I spent the day hiking around Koya in the snow. On my way back through the town, I heard some chanting, and was gestured into a small side Temple by an old lady exiting.

It was the Setsubon, the Bean throwing, Holiday, and I had completely forgotten. One monk was offering prayers while another beat out a rhythm, as the fathful looked on.

Tapping away in the Shogakko

Here's what I'm up to if you're bored today.

I'm just finishing up in Koyasan's Primary School, and I've got to say, these kids are probably solely responsible for me being in anyway fit. They are ALL little Ninjas. I said a long while back about the transformation during cleaning time from cute little kids to Sweeping-Brush-Samaurai's. Today was just us "playing" a game wherein I battle them off with swirls from my scarf and they come in with flying kicks. Dodge ball on crack perhaps.

Rhapsody in Blue is playing....Actually, check that. It's ended and been replaced with Red Hot Chili Peppers. Huh, I'm just back from the Music room where I was just talking to the 11 year old who is playing DJ now during break. They're his own cds. I can see a lesson involving lyrics here...

Yesterday in Fuki was another Primary School visit. The whole PrimarySchool (so that would be 12 students then, no 1st Class) was playing basketball together and I help Tatsuya, the smallest boy in 3rd class, score by holding him up to the rim to dunk.

He held on.
I pulled.
He held on.
I stopped supporting him.
No change.

I think he's a about half a hobbit in size, and he seemed willing to hold on, with one hand, all day. I had to jump, yank, and pry him off.

Feckin' legend of a kid.

Because the Primary and Middle School (7 students) next door to each other in Fuki are so small now, they've joined together, and you can see some pics of the 1st 2nd and 3rd years last November kicking my ass at Othello here.


http://s114.photobucket.com/albums/n267/davidlmorrison/JapanAug2006toJul2007/TeachingatFuki/

Meanwhile in Hanasaka, the even smaller village I teach at half waydown the mountain, (11 students) there is a slightly different school of martial arts to Koyasan: Cardboard Tube Samaurai. Just as honourable, but with a lot less pain. For me at least. There's some photos from December of 4th, 5th and 6th class here.


http://s114.photobucket.com/albums/n267/davidlmorrison/JapanAug2006toJul2007/TeachingatHanasaka/
Looks like an unidentifiable lunch is up.

Amities

david

Du-Ri-AH
After a year and a half with it, I've just discovered a new Kanji on my washing machine. It has a drier function. God damn it.

Doya-Doya Festival


http://s114.photobucket.com/albums/n267/davidlmorrison/JapanAug2006toJul2007/OsakaDoyaDoyaSun14thJan07/

It's the Doyadoya (No idea what it means) Festival in the main shrine of Osaka. It's in one of those compounds that houses both Shinto and Buddhist buildings, where the Buddhist monks pray to the Shinto gods to protect their buildings, and vice-versa.

This willingness to take the foreign and adapt it to native needs is all over Japan, most notable in the use of foreign words within the Japanese language. Bread was introduced by the Portuguese, so it's "Pan". They didn't have a word for part time job, so they borrowed
the German "Arbeit". The list is endless, especially when it comes to things that can be described in English in far fewer syllables than in Japanese, even when there are Japanese words than could do the job.

Back on track. It's a Naked Man festival, in which men (high school boys in this case) wearing sumo nappies crowd into a temple and try to grab the good luck charms dropped by a priest from a platform above them. It's a daylight, less violent, less crowded version of the
Festival I took part in last February, the one where I'm visible in the newspaper clipping, and was hilarious to watch this time around.

ESPECIALLY when the participants screamed as ice cold water was poured over them. Here's the photo I submitted to the agencies to put on the wire.

And it was already bloody cold out to start with.

What's the German word for pleasure from someone else's pain? Schadenfreude, I think is how you spell it. Japanese entertainment, TV and Live, is all about the Schadenfreude.

END OF BREAK

The rest of my time in Gunma was mostly spent engaged in my favourite pastimes of eating, sleeping, and watching films. And more sleeping. It reminded me of being back in Dublin those first few days. Bed, bed, and more bed.

And then an expedition at the end to another Ski slope, this one with over a metre of snow.
Everything was alright for the first two hours, it was snowing, so visibility wasn't so great. And then, WHITE.

I lost all sight of everyone else on the mountain, and of, well,everything! The wind was so hard that I wasn't even sure if I was still standing; moving or still. My experiences on a board went from too little snow to a BLOODY BLIZZARD! They had to close the mountain because the ski lifts were going to attempt loops. Before their gymnastics practice could happen though, some people were using themto get DOWN; as it had become more dangerous to ski down.

Anyway, you can see photos of the entire break here.

http://s114.photobucket.com/albums/n267/davidlmorrison/JapanAug2006toJul2007/Christmas2006/

New Year's Sa-ke

New Year's in Tokyo was.... interesting.

A big group of us went to Roppongi, which is infamous for being about as dodgy as Japan can get. Before we had even left the Metro station, we had come across the first of many DUMB AS SHIT Marines. How did you SURVIVE growing up? And then 10 metres from the station, I started hearing voices.

"Hashish-Hashish"

But no bodies to accompany them....

Not even very pale little Japanese boys wearing eyeliner, or little girls crawling out of wells.

"The Grudge" and "The Ring" being documentaries in their original Japanese form.

There was Mexican food (Tokyo having surprisingly few Japanese restaurants. Does Dublin have many “Irish” restaurants?), and dancing, and watching "dancing" and lots of laughing at other people's expense. And a bizarre set up on one floor whereby the men and women had to sit on separate couches, only there was no couch for the men.

Just as it ended, Erin and I left the rest and took a chance. We really wanted to see the fish market in Tokyo at it's busiest time, 5 to 7 a.m. Apparently the sight of Multi-Tonne Tuna being tossed through the air as people argue on price is well worth the lack of sleep. What a way to go, being decapitated by a flying dead Tuna. I'm sure it's happened. So we took the metro there, but, as expected, it was closed for the National Holiday. The restaurants weren't, so we had some of the BEST sashimi (raw fish) EVER. The monster feed was stunningly gorgeous, as was the Knife Master who was preparing it right in front of us.

Maybe he was just stunning.

Desert was provided by a Buddhist Temple we stumbled upon on the return to the station. We joined the crowd for the New Year's ceremony, and were poured a bowl of Sake at the end. It was just after sunrise, but it's very hard to say no to a guy on his 34,567th incarnation who has just blessed the unpleasantly early alcohol for you.

Completely knackered, there was another site I wanted to see.

New Year's is THE big holiday in Japan, and the first visit to a Shrine of the New Year is a grand occasion. We took the Metro to The Meiji Shrine

(First Emperor, and former father figure for the Japanese state, after Imperial rule was restored at the end of the 19th century; Hirohito's grandfather)

the most important Shrine (Shinto, not a Buddhist Temple) in Tokyo to see the first visitors of the New Year. Some wore Kimono, many were with their whole family, and all were deep in thought and prayer for a prosperous coming year.

The police were there just as crowd control at the front of the Shrine where people pray, but had to wear visors to protect them from the offerings being thrown at the Shrine.

A couple of days later, just before the Tokyo stock exchange opened, the Shrine to the god of business was the place to be.

Inventing the Sport of GrassBoarding

Just after Christmas, Erin and I headed to the site of the '98 Winter Olympics for some downhill action. It was about a four hour drive away and we had a room in a pension booked for the next two nights, giving three days there. (I opted to navigate....even though the rental car had it's own dedicated satellite armed with Turbo Laser Batteries; Ion canons were extra.)

We ended up spending one.

We arrived at Hakuba at 8 in the morning, commenting on how lucky wewere that the roads were snow free, only to realise that the mountain was green. No, the Japanese have not yet invented green snow. Actually, they probably have. It was grass. Grass, grass, grass. As far up as the eye could see. In fact, there wasn't any snow until we got to the top most runs! Even then, I gave my rental board a good few scratches when I progressed from snow boarding, to grassboarding to ROCKboarding in amatter of seconds.

One day was enough, and we did have fun once we found the actual snow. The pension though, was FANTASTIC! A family run place, and we were the only guests! They even had a little onsen (hot spring) inside to soak in.

Warning, if you spend too long in one, you may feel a bit dizzy, but if you then stick your head under a cold tap, you may not be able to stand up. Or maybe just feel like getting sick. Not that I'd ever do such a thing.

Closing our eyes for a second after dinner, I deliberately left the light on so we wouldn't fall asleep. She woke up for a moment, 7 hours later, and turned it off. I remained unconscious.

Big Round Red Christmas

Erin lives about as far North of Tokyo as I live South of Osaka, so it was an easy journey to take. A bunch of us got together on Christmas Eve in one of her friend's houses and we found the temple to those little dolls whose left eye you paint before the New Year.

Daruma, the legendary founder of Shaolin King-Fu.

We think.

Going to the temple made us even more confused about whether you burn them or not, and if so, when. But we did meet a baseball team using the temple's steps for training, by which I mean running up and then falling down from exhaustion. Until they saw Ashlee, a blonde American with a camera. Then they came back to life,

some of them.
What made the day was the old man we met at the top. He's the reason we're even more confused about it. As he began to explain it: modelled on the legendary founder of Kung-Fu etc., he realised that he didn't actually have a clue himself!

This made us feel much better. If an old person in Japan doesn't understand or know something, thenit's not worth knowing. So goes the Gospel according to David. We walked down with him, and just before he drove off, he handed us a doll each! And then jumped in the car as a picture was attempted.

Legend of a man. Still not sure if I painted it properly....

The Emperor's New Birthday.

I took an overnight bus to Tokyo after work that Friday (22nd). Erin and I met the next morning to have a look at the Imperial Palace. The grounds are a massive walled enclosure that take up a big chuck of the centre of Tokyo, and normally the entirety of the grounds are closed to the public. They open twice a year, and one of those times, the Emperors Birthday, was that Saturday. So we arrive at on of the massive gates, and there is security everywhere. No barriers here, just lines and lines of police, sometimes with their arms linked.

Bit like a Céilí really.

X-ray machines, frisks, etc. And then we're allowed to get within 200m of the walls. BIG ASS STONE WALLS. Although they looked fun to climb.


Next comes the "not so secret" service. Towards the entrance gate, the crowd is funneled through a series of barriers, lined with men, and a tiny number of of equally severe looking women, all uniformly dressed in black trench coats, all with the eyes and a look that let you
know that they are taking in EVERYTHING. There's a lot of talk in Japan about security, but that's it, just talk. Their security is a joke, but in this case I think they were working on
the principle that they all knew what the three most wanted people in the country look like: two men and a women accused of involvement in the sarin gas attacks 10 years ago.

Still at large.

And standing right behind you.

Eventually inside the gates, and I realise that the grounds are not, in fact, open. Just a courtyard below a balcony surrounded by suspiciously thick glass... We're handed some crappy paper flags, and some old men start yelling "BANZAI!!!" when the Emperor and his family appear on the Balcony.


He looked like a Teddy Bear! This tiny old man with his sons towering over him (they've stepped backward above), taking in the crowd (old Japanese, and young foreigners, no young Japanese...) and thanking us for our Birthday wishes. Then, as quickly as it started, it was over and we were politely asked to
leave...release the hounds.


Ninja hounds.

So well trained in the arts that I couldn't even see them. But they were there...

I was disappointed. Not at the spectacle, that was all very interesting, but by the lack of crying. I wanted to see old men and women cry. Is that too much to ask?

http://s114.photobucket.com/albums/n267/davidlmorrison/JapanAug2006toJul2007/Christmas2006/

Not memory...

Good morning! (My time)

I can't really remember what happened in November..... not right now anyway......

I've had a stressful day dealing with the inadequacies of Japan's two main travel companies. Who would have thought that trying to book a Hotel at a ski resort that does, in fact, have vacancies would have been such a chore. After 2 hours of waiting while someone did unneccessary research

(No, I don't care what type of hot spring they have, so long as the chemical composition doesn't include sulphuric acid I'm happy. No, you don't have to check.)

At the end, just as I was about to hand over the money, it turned out that they place they had been talking up for so long wasn't even opening until mid-January! I think I managed my most sarcastic "Doomo Arigato" before I left to head home. The highlights of the day, which brought a smile as I took the train though, were the foot long sandwich for lunch and the success in finding armour plated underwear that fits.

The Vice Principal at my base school has organised a staff trip to a ski slope for some fun in the snow. In my case, since I began snowboarding in February and have just three days under my belt, and 8 months in between to forget everything, I expect my......everything?..... to ache like last year. Everything except my ass! Ha! Outsmarted you Gravity!

Another reason to smile is the back up plan for the school Holidays, which is more appealing than any other plan I've had. The original plan was to spend some days on a mountain until around new year, then go to Okinawa for a week of swimming, snorkelling et all. Thanks to
some folk on couchsurfing, and no thanks to travel agents, it doesn't look like we'll be going to Okinawa as it's too cold for the water stuff I like, even there. Also, after today, it doesn't look like we'll have any hotel booked in advance for the week after Christmas.

No panic though. The back up plan is to load my laptop with movies, get on a train to Tokyo and then to Erin's. Hang out there, break into the Emperor's palace, watch some films, rent a car and drive (She'll be driving, I'm navigating, relative strengths) to the slopes whenever we feel like it, eat ice cream when we don't, and have some fun in the snow. Preferably at high speed in a downward direction. She's a pretty damn good skier, and I'm a reckless ass armour clad snow boarder, so fun should be had.

There was another plan that I tinkered with.

Dublin.

Erin has a very romantic notion of Dublin, and I liked the idea of showing her around. Plus, she can drive, so I could show her some other spots as well. Again, me with the navigating, not the driving.

Relative Strengths. Very relative when one doesn't have a licence.

Or ability.

Apart from those epic lessons courtesy of Dad in August. But then again, the Dublin Sligo road is pretty easy now.

The qualification for that idea was price. Japan is expensive, and snow sports and Okinawan trips are more so, so for a while I thought that it might be the same price, or a little more, to fly home and offset the carbon. I was wrong. The flights, even before taxes came in, were well above what I would have been willing to pay. In fact, at about one months wages, well above what I would have been capable of paying.

So staying here.

I'm going to go through some photos to jog the noggin, upload them, and get back to you later.

daveeeeeed

or

day-beee-doooo

Never David theses days......

*sniff*

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.

40 years old!?!


According to the Japanese Doctor!

They arrived this morning and have been measuring our bone density. The Doctor said I MUST drink more milk, and I already drink more during lunch than all of the staff combined!

40 years old....

And the English teacher I work with is singing "I'm young, I'm young" while she walks through the staff room 'cause her test came back as 20 years old!

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.....

Remember now the rule of three.

Part 3.

In my best ST:NG computer voice, "And now the conclusion"

Got in at 11, and then up at 5 the next morning.

A Working Holiday to Tokyo. Essentially that's what the end of the week was for me. After a mixture of Cable cars, local, and Shinkansen Bullet Trains, I arrived in Tokyo along with Katherine for the Orientation of the Orientation. We would be helping out with the
babysitting of homesick culture shocked new JETs at the beginning of August, and had our own get together to prepare for the event on Monday and Tuesday.

This left me with Tuesday afternoon and Monday morning to get to know a city I had seen before only from a Hotel window and aeroport shuttle bus.

(Back when I first arrived, I was too busy on the phone to London, arranging for them to post over the money belt I had left behind, to enjoy the free evenings.)

Limited time, so I visited the one Shrine I could remember from photos, Asakusa, on the Wednesday and another, the Meiji Shrine, I discovered by accident while looking for a place to sit after finding runners in my size (I know, shock!) on the Tuesday. In between, there plenty of wandering and a lovely mattress to sleep on courtesy of Erin.


http://www.bebo.com/PhotoAlbum.jsp?PhotoAlbumId=1187737534


And just as I was about to get my train back to Osaka, a beautiful discovery:

The World Press Photo 2006 exhibit.


http://www.worldpressphoto.nl/

Beautifully humbling.

And absolutely worth not getting back, yet again, until 11.

Hannasake Primary School was the next day. Owww*.

So a weekend of rest was a damn nice change.

And if those links don't work, you can find them, as usual, at
davidmorrison2.bebo.com and in the Photos section.

Now I think it's time to go home,

amities

david

P.S. If I said I would send you photos, and haven't yet, remind me.
Clarence, did I send you that photograph from the cafe in Osaka?
Carlton, did I send you the ones of you in the Corcaigh jersy from that Friday Himmeji after the Kobe conference?
Everyone: Hey, what's the story? How you getting on?
Francsico, I'm not going home this time via Paris, so you are spared the sound of me destrying your language for a while. And Karima's address no longer works.

Como é você?

*I'm their soccer coach. See "Chocolate covered ....." for details...

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"

A bloody busy week
Part 1.

One of my sisters said something a few days ago about length of e-mails, so I'm going to try something with this overly long one. I'm going to spit it up.

This last weekend, I did nothing

And it was fabulous.

Although not technically true, I did do some grocery shopping, the rest was much needed. The previous week was bloody busy; which, yes, is how I like it.

It started off on the Wednesday of the previous week, with a night parade. The 15th of June marks the Birthday of Kukai, posthumously called Koba Daishi, the founder of my town, Koyasan, and of Shingon Esoteric Buddhism.

He's not dead, but in a state of deep meditation at the end of Okunoin cemetery, where our Birthday celebrations for him begin. He's a great guy all round, and still has monks bringing him
food each morning as well as changing his clothes every few months.

It may sound gross, but think about it: How often would you really need to change if you spent nearly your entire day in deep meditation?

The parades glowing floats glided through the town with the Conan-esque pushing of the local scouts and primary school students.

I followed them to the Great Gate, Daimon, chatting with different friends taking part, or the other JETs who had driven up to see it.

On the way back, I met an interesting young lady who was researching the commercialisation of the Kukai, and we serendipitously came across a friend's cafe that was open late for an impromptu session of freestyle music. We all stayed there until the small hours, and I listened
apprehensively as first Sonia, the Croatian nun, and then Dan, the private English teacher, were asked about their feelings on the commercialisation subject.

If you read his blog you'll already have a good idea of how awkward that could have been.

The next morning, I was tasked with pushing the large float of Kukai from the night before along with my students. The other students from the Junior Secondary School danced down the street, while my Primary school students did what they did best, made musical noise. The "rain" (drizzle at worst) terrified the monks into a phalanx formation of Umbrellas, and we marched through the town, using pikes to move braches away from Kukai's delicate paper-mache head.

It was another great opportunity for us to grab our festival gear and shout at people, and the pre-schoolers loved the chance to take over the road. And, as per usual in this country, the Oba-chan (Grannies) showed up everyone else taking part.

http://www.bebo.com/PhotoAlbum.jsp?PhotoAlbumId=1189188052

amities

david

"Veni, Vidi, Vomiti"