December 2002

December 30, 2002

Woo hoo! We're off to Toh-kee-oh-my goodness this is going to be fun! TTYL! Happy New Year!

December 27, 2002

It's been a bit too hectic around here to put much of anything up on the site, but with the Christmas rush behind us things are returning to some semblance of normalcy.

It has certainly been a strange Christmas, what with having to work on Christmas day and, well, being in Japan. Although we managed to have a great time, it was a little trying, at times.

Japanese Christmas is a strange mixture of mock-observance and indifference, in which they don't quite celebrate but they don't quite ignore it. When asked if they celebrate Christmas, many students say that "of course" they do. When queried further, they often reply that in order to celebrate Christmas, they eat a Christmas cake.

More than anything, Christmas here is a bizarre reflection of Western culture, through a very hazy mirror. All that survived the journey from the West is schlocky music, crass commercialism and burlesque Santa outfits better suited for strippers than shop employees. The whole experience was strange to say the least, and at times I felt that it might be better if Christmas didn't make it here at all...although the boxes of "Christmas Chicken" at the train station being sold by women wearing the above-mentioned outfits did seem particularily festive.

On Sunday our holidays begin, and Laura and I are anxiously anticipating our trip to Tokyo...by local train. Should be fun!

December 20, 2002

With Christmas fast approaching, Laura and I had to finalize our plans for our winter vacation. We have decided to go to Tokyo to check things out, and to visit both some Yoga schools and Aikido's world headquarters. This will hopefully mean that I will be able to put up a whole bunch of new pictures and stuff on the Aikido page.

We are also considering this a sort of advance trip to explore the capital, as we are - in fact - considering a move to the Big City in the New Year. Very exciting.

If yo didn't already, check out the Luminarie page...the link is below. Lots of fun in Kobe.

December 16, 2002

Laura and I took a trip to Kobe yesterday to check out Luminarie, a festival of lights. Although the proceedings were, at first, a tad ridiculous (I'll explain later), the sight itself was rather spectacular. The spectacle draws people from all over the Kansai region, and it is meant to symbolize the city's dramatic recovery following the 1995 earthquake that left over 6000 people dead.

Laura and I were also there to celebrate our 5th anniversary...it's rather difficult to imagine that it's been that long. All told, it was a pretty nice way to observe the occasion.

I suppose I should also include this photo, which shows our rather desperate attempt to create a Christmas mood here in Kyoto...

Yes, yes...that is a palm plant. And yes, we did put decorations on it. You do what you can!

December 12, 2002

Well, I may be a few days behind the news on this one, but I'm very heartened to hear that Canada has decided to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Frankly, I found it a bit embarassing talking to my students about it, having to admit that Canada had not yet made a decision on the matter. It is really good to see Canada taking some action on this, especially in the face of George Bush saying that he wants a further 10 years of study before a decision is made...ridiculous. It's also nice to hear that after soooooooo many years in office, Cretin (sic) has - at long last - done something worthwhile. Who would've thunk it?

December 8, 2002

I just spent the day in Osaka with Laura today, and it was a real eye opener. After going there, Kyoto really seems like a quiet backwater. We spent the whole day there, and realistically we never actually left the station complex...there was just that much packed in there.

The whole experience is actually quite overwhelming, and it really gives a bit of a clue as to how small Canada really is. I mentioned yesterday about the economy of Osaka compared to Canada...the same goes with just about any other comparison as well. I ventured into one electronics store the likes of which I have never seen before...it made Future Shop look like a concession stand. After an hour in there I felt as if I had only just gotten my bearings; I think there were at least five floors of electronics, and each floor seemed to be about the size of a standard Walmart store. Unreal.

After tottering out of there, feeling more than just a little overwhelmed, Laura and I headed for another part of the station where we went to a wine and cheese tasting (hooray!) and to dinner at a kushi (skewer) restaurant. We also managed to procure some Belgian beer (Leffe) which we enjoyed while exploring another level of the station, where the locals were engaged in some sort of frenzy at a cell-phone display (I might have found it stranger had I not been drinking...it all had something to do with the Mario brothers).

We also realized today that when our students say that shopping is their hobby, they're not joking, and nothing has been confused in the translation. Shopping has been elevated to some sort of high art form, and the throngs of people surging through the shopping centres were unlike anything I have seen before. It seems hard to imagine that that many people even live in one city, and what's more that they could all be out buying things at the same time.

December 7, 2002

Laura and I are tossing around the idea of going to Osaka this weekend, although we haven't decided between that or Nara yet. The two are pretty much polar opposites.

Nara was the capital before Kyoto, and as such is an even older city than this, and is peppered with some of the most spectacular temples in the country. It is also known for having the biggest Buddha in Japan, and for having deer that bow politely when asking for food.

Osaka, on the other hand, is the big commercial powerhouse of the Kansai region (the area we live in) and is the largest city around here. It apparently has a bigger GDP than all of Canada. It is also the place to go for shopping and eating...not a bad combination. Where Kyoto restaurants are famed for their excrutiating prices, Osaka restaurants are well known for their variety and affordability. Sounds good to me.

December 6, 2002

I started doing my Christmas shopping yesterday (I figure there's no need to 'beat the rush' in a nation of Buddhists) in downtown Kyoto. I have to say that shopping here is certainly a unique experience. I was looking for a funny t-shirt, and my search brought me to a second-hand store that was selling used t-shirts for about $75 each. Why so much? They were used American t-shirts...I couldn't believe it.

Shopping is definitely central to the culture here, and is cited frequently as the pass-time of choice for most of the people that you meet. The city reflects that, too. I spent five hours roaming the shopping areas on foot, and the shops seemed to sprawl endlessly in every direction.

The most surprising stores are the 100 yen shops, which are the Japanese equivalent to North American dollar stores. The difference is that everything in a 100 yen shop is actually really good. The variety and quality of the goods for sale in these shops is absolutely shocking...so far we've bought tupperware containers, stationary, a stainless steel knife; all for about $1.20 CDN apiece. They even have bowls and plates, casserole dishes, cutlery...you name it. The crazy thing is the quality is about as good as what you would find for full price in a regular Canadian store. I don't know how they do it, but it sure must put the pressure on traditional stores here in Japan.

December 1, 2002

December is here! Hands quaking with excitement, the first door has been opened on the advent calendar...hooray!

Around here, people are feverishly working on putting together their greeting cards for the New Year. We are entering the Year of the Sheep, and so sheep-related stamps abound. By Japanese custom, cards are sent out to just about everyone that you know, with some people's mailing lists running into the hundreds (not unusual!).

Laura bought a map of Japan yesterday, which as can be expected, got our minds working once again. We've decided that New Year's this year will be spent riding the rails into Southern Japan and doing some onsen-hopping. It will be nice to strap on the backpack again, and amazing to sample the many famed volcanic hotsprings of the South.

I'll be putting up some more pictures this week...if I can keep this room a little warmer. The front room was so cold last time I tried that the lamp on the scanner wouldn't warm up...sad. Time to bust out the heaters!