August 2003

August 29, 2003

Yesterday I received notice at my dojo that I will be allowed to test for my next grade in Aikido this September, which is very happy news. The test is coming soon, so I have to train hard to get ready...one more thing on the list of things to do!

I'm also planning on taking the Japanese Language Proficiency Test which is coming up, if only because everyone else seems to be doing it.

We've recovered fully from our trip up Fuji, but unfortunately our trip there and back on the Shinkansen has rendered me unable to develop my film (bit of a cash flow problem!). I think I'll put together a temporary page with our digital photos.

August 25, 2003

Today I started my day above the clouds, clinging onto the edge of a rocky peak almost four kilometers up, being buffeted by winds strong enough to snatch anything not firmly bolted down...like me, for instance. Naturally, Laura and I had had to climb to the summit during the night to get there for this time, which means that as of now I have gone exactly 36 hours without sleep. Strangely enough, I wasn't alone in this insane undertaking. Laura and I were there - on top of Mount Fuji - with scores of others who had come for the same reason; to watch the sunrise.

This is no ordinary sunrise, mind you. This is watching the sunrise from above the clouds. Despite the mild hypothermia, it was truly one of the most incredible sights I have ever seen. The only trouble was that I - being afraid of heights - had to clamber to the edge of the above mentioned precipice to get a good picture. The winds were gusting so strong that I had to crawl, and I had to wait for the sun to rise with my feet firmly jammed into crevices so that I didn't lose my balance. Needless to say I can't wait to get my film developed!

I was also immensely proud that Laura was able to make it to the top of Japan's tallest mountain. Please recall that as of four years ago she couldn't sit in a chair without pain. This weekend she was able to hike up a mountain for eight hours to a height of 3,776 meters (that's 12,388 feet). Not too shabby, if you ask me.

There's tonnes to say about the trip, so I'll be putting together a page for it in the near future.

August 23, 2003

So much fun last night! One thing that you have to love about the Japan is the tendency to have festivals for no reason during the summer. On our way home from work last night we came across a little street festival celebrating who-knows-what. Great fun! There's nothing quite like being able to buy a cup of draft beer on the street right as you walk out of the subway station...that beats anything. You could even buy a squid on a stick at this festival. How good is that? Myself, I had a seaweed pancake on a stick. As was observed in 'There's Something About Mary', it's hard to find enough good food on a stick...all they had to do was come to Japan.

Good food on a stick here includes: chicken on a stick; beef on a stick; a whole squid on a stick; boiled gluten on a stick; hot-dogs on a stick; seaweed pancakes on a stick (yum); candied grapes or strawberries on a stick; and various other items I have yet to identify on a stick (some are in strange shapes and are evidently derived from fish).

We also met an interesting man tonight whose vocabulary in English consisted only of "Do you know me?!", "That's right!" and "Fish"...all said repeatedly and with great enthusiasm.

August 22, 2003

This weekend Laura and I will be headed West to pay a visit to Fuji-san. Climbing season is almost over, so this could be our last chance to make an attempt at summitting Japan's most famous mountain.

The whole experience should be rather interesting, I think, as Fuji-san is not only the most famous mountain, but also the most climbed mountain in the country. From what I've heard, the climb is made in the midst of a solid flow of people struggling up to the top. The climb is also usually done at night, in order to arrive at the top for sunrise. We'll see what it's like to try and climb a mountain with thousands of our closest friends.

August 18, 2003

I got a bunch of film developed yesterday, including some great pictures from the Daimonji festival. I put them together with last year's, and you can check them out on the new Daimonji page. I also got my pictures together from the Uji Fireworks festival, which came out really nicely. I'll be getting those up shortly. Lastly, I also got my pics from Byodo-in Temple, which is depicted on the Japanese ten-yen coin...a rather famous temple indeed where I managed to sneak some illicit photos of the Amida Buddha (after which I got a tongue-lashing over a megaphone). I'll be putting all of these up soon, though the schedule is booked solid right now so we can take advantage of summer, such as it is this year.

August 17, 2003

Yesterday was the Daimonji-Okuribi festival, officially marking the end to the 'O-bon' period here in Japan. The massive flaming symbols lit on five (actually six) mountains around the city of Kyoto were the guiding lights meant to show the visiting spirits the way back to where they come from. The spirits of one's ancestors are believed to come back to earth during this period to visit with the living.

I'm indebted to Andrew at my work for switching shifts with me, as I wouldn't have wanted to miss this festival for anything.

While last year Laura and I watched the 'Left Dai' from Funaokayama park in the northeastern area of the city, this year we were looking for something a little more intimate and considerably less chaotic. We found our answer in Matsukahashi, a small area in the northwest, just at the foot of the mountains that bear the 'Myo' and 'Ho' symbols, which together refer to the Supreme Law of Buddha.

Going to the same event two years running was also interesting, in that it let me see how far my photography has come, though I can still see how far I have to go (this guy's shots are great).

August 15, 2003

Pretty crazy news from Canada this morning...Laura and I got woken up by a call from Laura's Dad, telling us about all the fun that people are having right now in Eastern Canada and the North Eastern US. The thing was, as I heard Laura talking on the phone in the next room, my first reaction was to think that some sort of terrorist attack had happened or something. Maybe I'm just getting paranoid, or maybe it's just that getting woken up by the phone makes me nervous.

Strange writing a weblog when very few of the people you know have access to electricity. Funny, email has become my primary mode of communication, yet I can't email anyone for details on what's going on over there! Hope all are well; I don't like reading about home in the newspaper.

August 12, 2003

The fireworks in Uji were pretty spectacular...those guys sure know how to put on a show. What I found most interesting with the whole production, however, was the planning and preparation for the event itself. The Uji fireworks festival attracts over 200,000 spectators every year, so needless to say, something has to be done to deal with the influx of visitors to the small town. Fanatically protected rope barriers? Check. Small flags placed every few feet - by hand - on the rope barriers saying 'do not cross'? Check. Giant safety fencing complete with banners boldly pronouncing 'safety first'? Check. Guards with blinking batons to keep people away from the rope barriers? Check. How about vending booths for liquor and food? Check! Wow, you might be thinking, these guys really covered their bases...but just one more thing. How about toilets? Toilets? Yeah, you know, those things that 200,000 people might want to use after having a few at a summer festival? You know, port-a-potties, johnny-on-the-spots, outhouses, ditches...shady corners...toilets.

No toilets. Somewhere during that 35 degree day I realized that there was no way to relieve myself...so I had to stop drinking fluids...maybe that's how I got heat stroke. Maybe.

The fireworks were great, though. Fireworks in Japan are something of an enigma to me. I loved that this incredibly elaborate fireworks display that lasted over an hour and a half was held for no other reasons than a) it's summer, and b) explosions are cool. No struggle for independence. No Founding Day. No proclamations or emancipations. It's just that fire is fun. I agree. God bless the Japanese.

August 10, 2003

This morning I awoke to the heavy air that follows a storm. The mountains were obscured by the remnants of the clouds that were slowly passing over the range into Shiga. Typhoon Number 10 paid us a visit last night, leaving the trains, restaurants and streets deserted in anticipation. Today, high winds were replaced once again with humidity, and the brief respite from the relentless heat that summer storms give from the heat was over. Another day here in Kyoto.

Tommorrow brings the Uji Fireworks festival, a massive display lasting over one and a half hours and expending somewhere in the range of 7,500 fireworks in the process. We'll be biking into the city for the day to try and check out a tea ceremony, and to see some of the more famed shrines in the area.

August 5, 2003

Today I'm applying a pound of cure...making up for my foolishness on the weekend. Laura and I went out with friends onto Lake Biwa on the weekend, and I got absolutely scorched. I've been swimming in aloe vera ever since.

Boating around on Biwa was an excellent experience; a really unique way to see all of the countryside. As we went up the Western coast of the lake, we got to see the Southern Alps, along with the many beaches that dot the coast. I never thought that I'd be able to take in such historic scenery while bouncing along behind a boat on an inner tube!

Seeing a Japanese marina for the first time was pretty interesting, too. In Canada the boats are all kept in the water, for the most part. Here in Japan, though, the boats are actually all kept out of the water, presumably because shoreline on the lake is at such a premium. The result is that the boats all have to be raised and lowered using a giant lift system every time you want to use them. It was really interesting being shuttled around on land through a giant boat parking lot...while still sitting in the boat. I'll put up pictures as soon as I get the chance.