(title kindly on loan from the collection of Darren "call me darren" Ede.)
Crikey. Windy though.
Much light is made around this time of year by members of the expat community in regards to the Japanese fascination with typhoons. I have been living here this time for 2 years now and have been warned of an impending typhoon probably 20 times. In all of these instances it started raining, people lashed their potplants, grandmothers and houses to the ground and looked skyward....anxiously. Then the sun would come out, a bird would sing and life would go on.
That was until Monday.
The first sign that something maybe amiss was a BBC weather report on Sunday night that went a little something like;
".....thanks Carly for the sport, now looking at the weather; all looks clear and fine wherever you are on earth, apart from the SUPERTYPHOON approaching Japan really, really fast. And now back to Ted in the Newsroom...."
"SuperTyphoon?" I thought "Hmmmmm......"
Monday dawned bright and early and I looked outside for signs of so-called supertyphoon, our neighbours grandmother was strapped to the ground beside our window and obscured the view somewhat but it certainly didn`t look too typhoon-y. Then I received a text message from Arch that his school had been cancelled because of the "typhoon". Hmmmmmmmm.
So I stroll off to work, things eerily quiet, no birds about- thought that was a little odd- usually theres a couple of VW Beetle-sized crows sitting on the side of the road, staring at you with their big, black eyes, feathers looking none the worse for wear after their morning commute from HELL, just waaaaaaaiiiiting, waaaaaaaiiiting for you to make one slip up....
Anywhoo, they weren`t there this morning. So I get to work and the TV is on in the office and there are some mighty images of pounding waves and shaky boats and trains stopped at stations (an odd picture that they would show for maybe four or five minutes at a time. Some guy, holding his ear peice in, standing on a train platform with a train behind him going;
".......nooooooope still hasn`t moved.....pretty windy though......thats the typhoon y`know...........nooooope, still hasn`t moved........... nooooooooooope...... ........noooot yeeeeeeeet........ nooooope; from Nagoya Station, I`m BlahBlahBlah BlahBlahBlah.")
Then a siren went off. Then a stern looking guy came on the TV and said "Look out for the typhoon". And all hell broke loose. Suffice it to stay I dashed out of there fairly quick, went home, looked at the stuff on our balcony, decided we could live without it, closed the door and started playing Playstation. And then it arrived.
Windy. Ooooooh Crikey. Windy. We had an NZ flag flying proudly off our balcony. We HAD an NZ flag flying proudly off our balcony. There was wind, there was rain, there was wind and rain. Not any thunder and lightening though - I like my `forces of nature extravaganzas` to be more about the thinder and lightening. Still, a bunch of rain and wind which served to stir things up. It really started going bonkers at about 11am, then died away by about 4pm, leaving little permanent damage but certainly something to talk about beside the water cooler.
It was fun, and the next day!!! Ohhhh, the heat blasted out of the air by the rain, the air crystal clear, what with all the crap washed out by the rain and the wind. Twas lov-er-ly. Now its back to being reeeeeeeaaaaaalllllly hot.
Jon and Melody arrive on Friday - Hoorah!!
See ya folks.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
...and so after the grandmother...
...we had a wee rest beside the river and watched the world go by for a bit. Then we saddled up old shanks` pony and strolled up the hill to this temple.
Woah.
In Japan you can`t throw a sumo dude without hitting a temple. there are billions of the things. After a while (and it does pain me to say this), many of them sort of blend into one. That and their surroundings prove to be less than the cliched "temple-vibe" that you really want. Sure, it might well be a few hundred years old, but what with the enormous 6 lane roadway just outside it can sometimes be a little tough to get into that whole Zen-y-one-hand-clapping-in-the-bush-with-a-tree-falling-and-no-one-around type mindset...
This place was a little different. It was quiet. It was at beside a waterfall. It was cool, offering respite from the early summer heat. It was deserted. It was almost in ruins (after a typhoon a while back). It was one big room with no walls (queue CLASSIC phone prank) looking out over a wooded valley, an impressive river and Kyoto, waaaaaaayy off in the distance. There were some friendly monks. On the way up the hill, in the quiet like, there was an enormous 500 year old iron bell, you ring the bell 3 times and then have a bit of a pray. It was a very impressive feeling, almost seeing the deep sound waves of the bell washing over the valley and river below. Zen-y. Oooooh Zen-y.
We sat and looked out at the view, listened to the waterfall and enjoyed the scent of the room, that has absorbed maybe 500 years worth of incense. On the wall, of this open air temple, not in a protective case or anything, just sort of hanging there, was a writing done by the guy who founded the temple. He wrote it in that same room. In 1540. Then he hung it on the wall. And it`s still there. That was cool.
It was a very temple-y place and we could certainly see you sitting there and getting into some very `Zen` states. It was quite a rejuvenating experience.
We nattered to the Monk dude and his bonkers-cute 1 year old kid and sat and looked at the view and chilled on out, then decided to trek our way back to the real world below. It was back for a slap up feed of Udon noodles, then we were making plans to head on home when lo!! we stumbled upon a Kimono factory. Surprisingly enough Nic made us go.
They didn`t make the acual fabric there, but they did dye it, hand-paint it and make it into kimono. (Can someone say "Crap! That must be expensive"?). We didn`t see prices, but I think if you had to ask, you couldn`t afford it. The painting was the most bonkers part. There was a small room with these two chaps in it with the fabric of the Kimono in a large wodden scaffold type arrangement, in one continuous loop, thread through several rollers, allowing the painter guy access to maybe 2-3 meters of fabric at anyone time. he would hand paint the agreed upon scene, in parts, on the fabric then feed that along as he finished. Get it? steady hand though. You`d be wanting a steady hand.
Kimono are still worn, mostly for ceremonies by the younger generation and young women will generally have at least one. There is a "coming-of-age" day every year where all the 20 years olds get dressed up in traditional outfits and have a good pray. Kimono are still, by-and-large worn for weddings (although the bride and groom will generally change into 3 different outfits during the day, including traditional kimono and Western style wedding attire). There are people who are trained and certified in the art of dressing you in kimono properly, and these will be at the wedding...for a price. You do see mainly older women wearing kimono out and about, but even if a younger women wears one, no-one bats an eyelid. (Except for the foreigners, who run after them, their cameras wildly laying to rest another stereotype). Their prices can vary from crazy cheap, sort of crappy ones to small African nation GDP type prices. Nic tried one on the other day that was one of her workmates that was worth over NZD 20,000. Yes. Twenty Thousand Dollars. Looking after them is pretty pricey too. You can`t dryclean them. You have to take it completely apart - well over 20 pieces - (Quick unpick anyone?) and then wash each piece seperately and then put it back together. Again, this can be done by someone else...at a price. Kimono are also seasonal. This is more governed by colours and shades than cut. Woe betide anyone who wears a Spring kimono in summer...
It was an interesting process and a good chance for Nic to get fired up and add to her burgeoning collection of fabric that "...will come in handy..." Although I did get a swell pair of shorts whipped up for me for the summer months so I`ll just shut the hell up.
Thats enough for today - I hope you enjoyed it. Rainy season started this morning, so hooray for that, hot, humid AND a downpour Wooohooo!! On a better note, I ordered a new cellphone. It`s 3G and perty. I get it on Thursday...
Have fun.
berin and nic
Woah.
In Japan you can`t throw a sumo dude without hitting a temple. there are billions of the things. After a while (and it does pain me to say this), many of them sort of blend into one. That and their surroundings prove to be less than the cliched "temple-vibe" that you really want. Sure, it might well be a few hundred years old, but what with the enormous 6 lane roadway just outside it can sometimes be a little tough to get into that whole Zen-y-one-hand-clapping-in-the-bush-with-a-tree-falling-and-no-one-around type mindset...
This place was a little different. It was quiet. It was at beside a waterfall. It was cool, offering respite from the early summer heat. It was deserted. It was almost in ruins (after a typhoon a while back). It was one big room with no walls (queue CLASSIC phone prank) looking out over a wooded valley, an impressive river and Kyoto, waaaaaaayy off in the distance. There were some friendly monks. On the way up the hill, in the quiet like, there was an enormous 500 year old iron bell, you ring the bell 3 times and then have a bit of a pray. It was a very impressive feeling, almost seeing the deep sound waves of the bell washing over the valley and river below. Zen-y. Oooooh Zen-y.
We sat and looked out at the view, listened to the waterfall and enjoyed the scent of the room, that has absorbed maybe 500 years worth of incense. On the wall, of this open air temple, not in a protective case or anything, just sort of hanging there, was a writing done by the guy who founded the temple. He wrote it in that same room. In 1540. Then he hung it on the wall. And it`s still there. That was cool.
It was a very temple-y place and we could certainly see you sitting there and getting into some very `Zen` states. It was quite a rejuvenating experience.
We nattered to the Monk dude and his bonkers-cute 1 year old kid and sat and looked at the view and chilled on out, then decided to trek our way back to the real world below. It was back for a slap up feed of Udon noodles, then we were making plans to head on home when lo!! we stumbled upon a Kimono factory. Surprisingly enough Nic made us go.
They didn`t make the acual fabric there, but they did dye it, hand-paint it and make it into kimono. (Can someone say "Crap! That must be expensive"?). We didn`t see prices, but I think if you had to ask, you couldn`t afford it. The painting was the most bonkers part. There was a small room with these two chaps in it with the fabric of the Kimono in a large wodden scaffold type arrangement, in one continuous loop, thread through several rollers, allowing the painter guy access to maybe 2-3 meters of fabric at anyone time. he would hand paint the agreed upon scene, in parts, on the fabric then feed that along as he finished. Get it? steady hand though. You`d be wanting a steady hand.
Kimono are still worn, mostly for ceremonies by the younger generation and young women will generally have at least one. There is a "coming-of-age" day every year where all the 20 years olds get dressed up in traditional outfits and have a good pray. Kimono are still, by-and-large worn for weddings (although the bride and groom will generally change into 3 different outfits during the day, including traditional kimono and Western style wedding attire). There are people who are trained and certified in the art of dressing you in kimono properly, and these will be at the wedding...for a price. You do see mainly older women wearing kimono out and about, but even if a younger women wears one, no-one bats an eyelid. (Except for the foreigners, who run after them, their cameras wildly laying to rest another stereotype). Their prices can vary from crazy cheap, sort of crappy ones to small African nation GDP type prices. Nic tried one on the other day that was one of her workmates that was worth over NZD 20,000. Yes. Twenty Thousand Dollars. Looking after them is pretty pricey too. You can`t dryclean them. You have to take it completely apart - well over 20 pieces - (Quick unpick anyone?) and then wash each piece seperately and then put it back together. Again, this can be done by someone else...at a price. Kimono are also seasonal. This is more governed by colours and shades than cut. Woe betide anyone who wears a Spring kimono in summer...
It was an interesting process and a good chance for Nic to get fired up and add to her burgeoning collection of fabric that "...will come in handy..." Although I did get a swell pair of shorts whipped up for me for the summer months so I`ll just shut the hell up.
Thats enough for today - I hope you enjoyed it. Rainy season started this morning, so hooray for that, hot, humid AND a downpour Wooohooo!! On a better note, I ordered a new cellphone. It`s 3G and perty. I get it on Thursday...
Have fun.
berin and nic
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
we went to kyoto a while back...
...and stayed with Arch, which was nice. We swent to a place by the name of Arashiyama, about an hour and a half drive from Archs place, through downtown Kyoto, off page 26 of our map, back on and just to the left a little. It was fun.
The Friday night saw Nic and I driving down in seemingly record time, after having encountered roadworks on the expressway. They had closed one lane of the two lane highway, at 4:00 in the afternoon on a Friday to fix two (2) potholes on the entire stretch of road. So Nic and I took turns making up new cusses to describe the enormous traffic jam and passed the time quite nicely.
Following a slap up feed at a restaurant just down the way from Archs it was back to his place for lots and lots of beer and a marathon game of Risk on the `puter. I called it quits at about 2:30 and left my poor defenseless troops to the savages that are Nic and Arch, and they battled it out towards world domination until Nic wasted Arch at about 3:30-4:00. She kept her victory dance limited to a couple of laps around the tiny apartment and let me slumber. Archs tears however kept me awake for hours.
So. Next day, fortified by German potatoes and egg-y wegg-ys we headed for this Arashiyama joint. First off we decided to go see monkeys. Up a hill. A very steep hill. It`s getting pretty summer-y here in Japan-towne and we are not getting any younger. `Twas a hot, steamy cliff climb to go see these monkeys.
The only advice we had was "Don`t look at the monkeys". How do you step around a monkey and make sure you are not standing on its` rabies infected tail without looking at it? You can`t. There were some hissing, stary old monkeys that day. But the little ones? Cute as buttons. Ooooja Boooja Boooo. OOooooja Boooja Boooja Boo. Oooja Boo. They were pretty damn cute. There must have been 50 odd monkeys just sort of "being" on this hillside. You stroll in and out of them, always steeling yourself for flight from the rabies infected pointy, pointy teeth and there undoubtedly rabies infected grabby, grabby fingers. If you want to feed them then it`s you that goes into a cage and feeds them as they hang at all sorts of odd angles from the side of the cage with their arms thrust out. Most of them are love-er-ly and calmly take your proffered apple slices (there was choice between apples and peanuts, and while peanuts it could be argued would have helped to keep them "regular", I went for apples - it was a hot day and what would you prefer? Drrrrrrryyyy old dryyyyyyy peanuts that would drrrryyyyy you out with the drrrryyyy drrrryyyyness or sweet, thirst quenching apple? There. I thouught so.)and then there are the angry, old "I`m not as cute as I once was and I ain`t getting no suger" grabby, grabby fellas, who frankly scared the crap out of me and had me looking over my shoulder once we left the cage to make sure they weren`t going to mug me for my sweeeet, thirst quenching aaaaapppples.
So we played with the monkeys for a bit, then strolled down the mountainside and decided to stick to the river, with its cooling, cooling water and stroll along a pathway up into a valley, just to see what happened. We wandered along for maybe half an hour, enjoying some good old fashioned nattering and came across a handdrawn map on a sign. It said that there was a temple some ways along the path, and us being the adventurous type decided to go. The map showed that there would be a hill, some twists and turns, a pathside cafe, a grandmother (the sign said "grandmother") and then the temple.
Along we strolled. We climbed the hill, rounded some twists and turns, passed a pathside cafe and lo!!!! around a corner, seated, more reclined actually, beside the path was a woman who looked to be about a thousand years old. It was grandmother. She was cute. She also sold ice cool drinks to parched dry strollers at frankly outrageous prices. We fell for it. She lknew we would. She didn`t even have to try.
Temple comes soon. Out.
The Friday night saw Nic and I driving down in seemingly record time, after having encountered roadworks on the expressway. They had closed one lane of the two lane highway, at 4:00 in the afternoon on a Friday to fix two (2) potholes on the entire stretch of road. So Nic and I took turns making up new cusses to describe the enormous traffic jam and passed the time quite nicely.
Following a slap up feed at a restaurant just down the way from Archs it was back to his place for lots and lots of beer and a marathon game of Risk on the `puter. I called it quits at about 2:30 and left my poor defenseless troops to the savages that are Nic and Arch, and they battled it out towards world domination until Nic wasted Arch at about 3:30-4:00. She kept her victory dance limited to a couple of laps around the tiny apartment and let me slumber. Archs tears however kept me awake for hours.
So. Next day, fortified by German potatoes and egg-y wegg-ys we headed for this Arashiyama joint. First off we decided to go see monkeys. Up a hill. A very steep hill. It`s getting pretty summer-y here in Japan-towne and we are not getting any younger. `Twas a hot, steamy cliff climb to go see these monkeys.
The only advice we had was "Don`t look at the monkeys". How do you step around a monkey and make sure you are not standing on its` rabies infected tail without looking at it? You can`t. There were some hissing, stary old monkeys that day. But the little ones? Cute as buttons. Ooooja Boooja Boooo. OOooooja Boooja Boooja Boo. Oooja Boo. They were pretty damn cute. There must have been 50 odd monkeys just sort of "being" on this hillside. You stroll in and out of them, always steeling yourself for flight from the rabies infected pointy, pointy teeth and there undoubtedly rabies infected grabby, grabby fingers. If you want to feed them then it`s you that goes into a cage and feeds them as they hang at all sorts of odd angles from the side of the cage with their arms thrust out. Most of them are love-er-ly and calmly take your proffered apple slices (there was choice between apples and peanuts, and while peanuts it could be argued would have helped to keep them "regular", I went for apples - it was a hot day and what would you prefer? Drrrrrrryyyy old dryyyyyyy peanuts that would drrrryyyyy you out with the drrrryyyy drrrryyyyness or sweet, thirst quenching apple? There. I thouught so.)and then there are the angry, old "I`m not as cute as I once was and I ain`t getting no suger" grabby, grabby fellas, who frankly scared the crap out of me and had me looking over my shoulder once we left the cage to make sure they weren`t going to mug me for my sweeeet, thirst quenching aaaaapppples.
So we played with the monkeys for a bit, then strolled down the mountainside and decided to stick to the river, with its cooling, cooling water and stroll along a pathway up into a valley, just to see what happened. We wandered along for maybe half an hour, enjoying some good old fashioned nattering and came across a handdrawn map on a sign. It said that there was a temple some ways along the path, and us being the adventurous type decided to go. The map showed that there would be a hill, some twists and turns, a pathside cafe, a grandmother (the sign said "grandmother") and then the temple.
Along we strolled. We climbed the hill, rounded some twists and turns, passed a pathside cafe and lo!!!! around a corner, seated, more reclined actually, beside the path was a woman who looked to be about a thousand years old. It was grandmother. She was cute. She also sold ice cool drinks to parched dry strollers at frankly outrageous prices. We fell for it. She lknew we would. She didn`t even have to try.
Temple comes soon. Out.
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