Locked up in Jurassic Park

Being that it's pretty much Zach's fault that I was in Japan in the first place, and that I hadn't been down to Osaka to visit him in a while, I figured it would be a good idea to swing by his tiny bachelor pad for a few days and hang out with one of my oldest pals.



The weekend kicked off with a trip to Lockup, a prison themed restaurant that involved sexy police women, prison cells, escaped monsters, and mad scientist style drinks. The highlight of the night wasn't the sexy police women, it was the gloriously delicious fried potato-cheese creations that we ordered three times!



The next day, while Zach peddled gamely through downtown Osaka to his Japanese lesson, I met up with Travis and our friend Lynnsie at Universal Studios Japan. USJ is an almost exact carbon copy of the original park in LA, only everything is in Japanese and the lines are a LOT shorter. Maybe it was just the heat of late summer in Kansai, but the park was certainly on the empty side, which made waiting in line a lot more convenient that it could have been. We rode every ride we had on our "To Do List," and even rode the excellent log-flume style Jurassic Park ride twice!




Why I wanted to plummet straight down almost 10 stories twice, I'm not quite sure. But it was great fun, and the adrenaline rush helped clear my mind of the fact that in three days, I was leaving Japan.

2 AM Takoyaki

Yesterday afternoon, approximately 14 hours after departing Kansai International Airport, I landed in back in Denver. It felt weird. For one thing, I've gone from higher and wider than average right back to short, and if not slim than certainly not large!

My reunion with my family, and the dog, was as joyous as would be expected being that its been over nine months since we last saw each other. A delicious homecooked meal was just what the docter ordered, and then it was time to sleep. For all of four hours.

I woke up around 2 AM, after dreaming of takoyaki (octopus balls) and going out to an izakaya. I never really liked takoyaki as I've never really liked octopus, so I find it strange that I'm dreaming fondly of them.

Note: I have several exciting posts from my last weekend in Osaka just waiting to go up, so don't worry loyal readers, this blog isn't over yet.

Frodo Baggins?

Leaving is going to be more difficult that I could possibly have imagined.

They say that "You can't go home again." I wonder just how true that might be. If home is where the heart is, then what happens to home when the heart changes? I'm certainly not saying I don't hold a passionate attachment to many things back in Denver. I eagerly anticipate going hiking, eating Chipotle, and of course spending lots of quality time with my family and friends.

But what about everything else? I'm not who I was two years ago. To take up the reigns of my old life not only doesn't interest me, it terrifies me. Of course, expectations can change and morph, I've proved that by the very fact that I've changed over the course of the past two years. Things that scare us one day can be the very things we cling to the next.

I suppose a large part of it is simply expectations. Not only is Japan "normal" to me now, but it is the United States that is unknown. We all make plans in life, and I had made my plans, encompassing a move to Tokyo, trips to Fuji and Hakone, Tokyo Disneyland, the mountain paradise of Nikko. Teaching lots more English. Eating lots more okonomiyaki. Its hard to change your expectations, and its only been a bit over two weeks since that future evaporated. I've done wonders in retooling my expectations, but its hard to change so much so quickly. My future is Denver is completely unknown, I have no expectations. I don't know who I will meet, what I will do, where I will go. That sort of limitless "freedom" is both inspiring, and terrifying. Humans like to be limited, to an extent. It gives us security and comfort.

In the Lord of the Rings, Frodo Baggins saved the world he loved, but at the cost of his ability to be at peace there. While my journey has certainly been far less traumatic than his (I still have all my fingers), I still wonder if I will be able to be at peace in Denver. Having tasted the outside world in all of its glory and heartbreak, can driving up to Best Buy on a Saturday afternoon really interest me? I suppose the answers to these and all related questions will be revealed in less than two weeks. Far sooner than later, and that in itself is rather frightening. For better or worse, this is my last weekend in Ishikawa.

Next Stop: The wild blue yonder.

and Roxborough State Park. ;-)

Two year Japanniversary

It is hard to believe that two years ago today I stepped off of my flight from the United States and into the muggy Aichi heat. It has been a long, strange, wonderful trip. The things I've done, the people I've met, the places I've seen, the food I've eaten, it really has been a fantastic two years.

Now, I've reduced those two years of intense experiences into an 8 minute video, roughly in chronological order. Of course, I wouldn't blame anybody if they can't sit through all 8 minutes of tinny rock music and slightly pixelated pictures. After all, I am the one with an emotional attachment to all these images. Though, I imagine that a few of my blog readers can find themselves buried in the avalanche of Grant's memories. Enjoy.

Goodbye Grant

I've been to so many farewell parties over the past two years, but it was pretty surreal to be at my own farewell party. We had a fantastic time, with all you can eat Okonomiyaki, plenty of beer, and lots of good cheer. It was pretty emotional for me, and its only getting worse as I say final goodbyes to my students, day by day. It's hard to believe that two weeks from now, I'll be getting on an airplane and flying home.

Profusion of Confusion

I just can't keep changing my mind!

Last Monday I was all set to leave. Then On Wednesday I decided to try and stay. On Friday I talked to my Mom and Sister, and realized just how much I truly missed them, and now I've been horribly homesick, and determined to head home at the earliest opportunity.

Hah!

Life: Subject to Change Without Notice

Well, I can honestly say that this stay in Japan/ leave Japan debate has been one of the most difficult choices of my life. Add in my still rather fragile emotional status, and the incredible time pressure, and it hasn't been an easy week.

I had made the decision to leave, and even booked a flight, but I think I'm going to cancel that flight today. For some reason, inexplicable even to myself, I just don't feel good about leaving right now. When I think of seeing family and friends, I feel great, but the thought of leaving Kanazawa just makes me sick to my stomach. While I think I must leave, and should leave, I've come to the realization that I just don't want to leave.

There should be an ALT position or two opening up in early October, and if I get that job it would come with an apartment and be good till March, so that would really help me iron some things out in my mind and my life, without a full years commitment.

As always, thank you everybody for your support and love in this time of trial. I've been hurt before, but those were preludes to the main event. I guess nobody can make it through life without at least one major heart break. I just hope I can keep the number of times something like this happens to a bare minimum. Once is far too many times to feel this kind of pain.

The Final Decision

Obviously, this blog had been destined to be renamed Tokyo Tales, and would have chronicled my adventures in a new and exciting city.

Events have changed that plan, as they have so many other plans.

The past few days have seen a LOT of soul searching, but in the end I have decided to leave Japan, and travel to Europe for a little while. This was not an easy decision to make, but I had to look at my reasons for staying. While I love Japan, and Kanazawa, I had to look towards my future. As long as I was making a good investment in my future, for example courting a beautiful woman with a strong wedding bell possibility, I could stay and enjoy myself. With that option gone, I had to think about whats next. Staying here would be staying in the past, and I think half the reason I want/ed to stay was so if she had a change of heart, I'd be available.

This is obviously a VERY bad reason for staying. I have rather painfully, but successfully so far, put the past behind me. While a planned happy future is gone, I have made it my goal to plan an even happier and better future for myself. To this end, I think I have learned what I needed to learn here, and that further time in Japan, while very enjoyable, wouldn't really be putting me on the path that I need to be on.

So, I have three weekends left, two in Kanazawa, one in Osaka. Then I will fly to Hong Kong for five days, and then I will bid the Orient adieu (for now) and jet off towards the Occident and a family rendezvous in Paris! I'm certainly going to keep my blog going, and update from my new European adventures as much as possible. To that end though, I'm going to need a new title. Any ideas, loyal readers?

Kurobe Gorge

Last Saturday I went on a great day trip with two of my students and two delightful children. Our destination was Kurobe, a city, gorge, and river located next door in Toyama prefecture. Both students have a link with Kurobe city, one will move there this spring to be a doctor, and one grew up there. Kurobe Gorge is one of the premier autumn colors spots in Japan, and even in summer is very picturesque.



As Japan has very little in the way of coal supplies, most of the electrical power that fuels the industry and the bright lights of the night spots comes from nuclear and hydroelectric power. Huge dams are dotted all over the mountains, and the steep fast grade of the Kurobe river make it an ideal spot for multiple generating stations.



The cute mini-railway that was built to construct and maintain the series of damns was then put to another use, as a tourist trap! Luckily, the area is still increadibly beautiful, despite the rather high incidence of concrete!



There are stacks and stacks of river side open air onsen, but we didn't have any towels or other onsen gear so we had to be content with the foot bath, which was still pretty relaxing, if not quite as relaxing as the whole onsen experience. Of course in some ways its better, as it features 100% less rampant public nudity.



Sadly, for me, with the kids in tow there was no way we could hike up further up into the mountains, but even without that we had a really fantastic Saturday, capped off with a delicious stop at MOS Burger.



僕は　ともだち　と　先土曜日　に　黒部　に　行きました。黒部　は　どんな　ところ　ですか？　きれい　な　ところ　です。秋　すごい　あざやか　な　葉　です。　黒部　の　日本　の　一番　大きい　ダム。たのしい　週末　でした。ありがとう　れい　と　のぼる！　　

A few days later.

I guess that I am starting to feel better about myself, my life, and the drastic change in my future fortunes that has occurred.

I may have lost a girl I loved, but I still have my health, my family, and friends all over the world. I have to say, the outpouring of sympathy and generally friendly love from all over the world has really helped me get through all this. Of course, it's still hard, but it's always hard.

The worst day in a long while.

This morning my delightful girlfriend of four months has dumped me mere weeks before I was to move to Tokyo to be with her. To say I am shocked and devastated would be to massively understate the matter.

I do not know what to do, I am in total shock. This was as out of left field as it could possibly be. Just Friday night she swore she loved me, and then a mere few days later she said she doesn't love me, that she loves somebody else more, and that she lied to me on Friday. Wow, Ouch.

Obviously, I am not going to move to Tokyo, thats out. I may try and stay in Ishikawa, I may try and move to Osaka, or I may go to Europe for a while and just travel. I am not really in a place to make decisions right now, but unfortunately I have only three weeks before i have to move out of my apartment, so I don't have a lot of time to decide what to do.

Life goes on, even if it doesn't feel like it.

Obon Sachiko

Obon is a major religious holiday season in Japan that most people have off. Set in the middle of the summer holidays in August, it is a time for people to return home, visit their family and honor their ancestors. While I didn't have any extra time off, luckily for me Sachiko did have some time off. Rather than swing by to visit her family all week, she came to Kanazawa instead.

I took her down the local commuter line train to the outlying suburb of Tsurugi. Not only is the town almost in the beautiful mountains, but it is also home to an excellent wood fired pizza restaurant. The trip out was nice, but the stroll up to the restaurant was marred by the ungodly mid-August heat. We still had a great time, though unfortunately our troubles were just beginning...



The last stop on the Hokutetsu Nomachi station line sees service once an hour on Saturday. We ran, in the heat, from the restaurant to the station only to see the train pull away just as we got there. Oops. We just plopped down in the station with some water and dozed until the next train arrived. Having lost an hour, we went straight home, and grabbed swim trunks and towels for a trip to a big party at Uchinada Beach. We jumped on the bus, ready for a quick 10 minute ride to the train station, where we could catch the 5:00 train to Uchinada. Perfect.

Only, did I mention that in addition to family reunions and grave visiting, Obon also involves dancing festivals? Dancing festivals that block off main street for over a kilometer? Dancing festivals that take normal traffic patterns and send them spiraling into oblivion? Well I didn't know this when we got on the bus, but 50 mintues later when we got off I sure did! The entire main street, from near my house almost all the way to the station, was blocked off. The bus was rerouted way out of the way, which didn't help, and the stop, stop, and go really slowly traffic put the final bit of pain on us.

At least we caught the 6:12 train to Uchinada ok.




The beach was fantastic, but sadly we didn't have time to swim as the sun was setting as we arrived. Still, we got to see a gorgeous sunset, so all was not wasted, not by a long shot!

In other news, I'm sorry about the updated schedule of late. Things have been pretty crazy, with job hunting, and preparing for my move to Tokyo. Time has not been a something I have all that much of in recent weeks.

In other other news, I'm going to copy Zach, and post a little bit in Japanese too. This is not to be pretentious, but mostly for practice, and also because I DO have some students who read my blog, and sometimes my writing can be a bit difficult to understand. So this way, they can (hopefully) get the gist of what I'm talking about.　Notice, it is NOT a direct translation, or even anywhere near a direct translation!



幸子は　八月に　金沢に　来ました。土曜日　に　鶴来　に　行きました。　鶴来　に　すごい　おいしい　ピザ　の　レストランが　あります。僕　は　幸子　と　ひるごはん　を　ピザ　を　食べました。ほくてつ　野町線　で　電車　は　一時間　に　一度　に　動かす。電車　に　のり　おくれた。

内灘の浜に　ばんごはん　を　食べました。たくさん　きれいな　日没　見ました。

Phew, that was hard. A big thanks to Kanazawa Zach for some important help. I have a headache now!

Sturm und Drang, signifying everything.

Monday morning saw the arrival of our first rain in weeks. The weather has been glorious, so mother nature decided the area needed a major storm to shake things up.



Rather than just drop some light rain on the city, the weather decided to summon a thunderstorm the likes of which few are privileged enough to encounter. Being the photographer I am, I dusted off my tripod and headed out to get some lighting shots. These are difficult to get, for the obvious reason that you just never know where those jagged little guys will strike.



Luckily, the storm was of such violence and intensity, that I got a few pretty good shots before I headed back inside. As the evening turned into the morning, the storm grew closer to Kanazawa proper, and started hitting us pretty hard, heavy rain and tons of very, very close lightning and thunder. The moron in me decided this was a good time to go out and get some more pictures from my open to the elements front porch...



This one was pretty close.



A much more comfortable distance!



OH MY GOD.

This last one was so close, and so loud, that I picked up my tripod and made great haste for the 'safety' of my apartment. Once I got inside I remembered to breathe, and found myself shaking and on the verge of tears. I've had close encounters with lightning before, one would think I had learned my lesson. I think this one may have actually struck the building, or indeed very close by, as something knocked out my internet for the next two days, which explains why I'm late in posting these photots!

Shinjuku Station in HDR

Shinjuku Station (新宿駅）is the primary transportation hub for Western Tokyo and is the busiest train station in the world. Combining three different rail companies and two different subway companies, the station complex is the second largest in the world (after Nagoya Station) and sees an average of 3.1 million users a day. Standing on a foot bridge over the tracks, it seems like the rails cut a huge canyon through the surrounding cityscape. Some of the trains are so long that the front of the train is arriving at Shinjuku while the back of the train is still leaving Yoyogi, the next station down the line! To battle your way onto a commuter train here at rush hour is a task not to be undertaken lightly!

The Mikasa

Located south of Tokyo, the city of Yokosuka doesn't have much to offer the normal tourist. Luckily, I am not a normal tourist, so I had a great time in this naval oriented town.

Yokosuka has a long history of ship building, indeed William Adams, the inspiration of the character in the Novel Shogun, lived and is buried in in the city. Yokosuka is still heavily involved in the defense of Japan. The city is has both a major American Navy Base and a Japanese Self-Defense Force Base.



I arrived to take a peek at the battleship Mikasa, a museum ship that has been preserved in a small park along the waterfront. The Mikasa is a rather important icon, as in addition to being the flagship of the Japanese fleet in the battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese War, it is the last remaining pre-dreadnaught ship of the line.



There exists an interesting progression of design, from the broadside cannons of the ironclads of the late 1800s to the turreted main guns of a modern battleship. Ordered from Great Britain in 1898 and delivered to Japan in 1900 after three years of construction, Mikasa was a masterpiece of state of the art naval-design, but she exists as a transitional form. She has two large turrets, with 12-inch guns, but maintains a rather extensive broadside of smaller caliber artillery as well. This design was soon made obsolete by the launch of the HMS Dreadnought, the first "all big gun" battleship that disposed of the broadside armaments for larger numbers of larger guns mounted in turrets.



While the technology is interesting, the history is fascinating. The battle of Tsushima is one of the most lopsided naval victories in History, ranking with the Greek victory at Salamis and the English triumph at Trafalgar. The Russian Baltic Squadron dashed around half the world to relieve the besieged Pacific Fleet in Port Arthur. Port Arthur fell before they could arrive, yet they came on anyway, and right into the teeth of the Japanese Battleships.



Despite having more heavy ships, the Russian fleet was demolished, losing eight battleships and 5,000 men to Japanese losses of only three small torpedo boats and 116 lives. This marked the end of the war, and in many ways the beginning of the end of Czarist Russia. While the actual revolution would wait, unrest at home and a marked decrease in international prestige, as well as the loss of two major fleets, put the Czarist government on notice.

The actual museum ship was fantastic, many of the guns could be handled, and you could aim at sailboats in the harbor. Almost everywhere on the ship was accessible, and they had some good history lessons, in case you didn't know about the background of the Russo-Japanese War. For a naval buff like myself, it was a perfect day out.

Meiji Jingu, Harajuku, Free Hugs and Farewell

One of my reasons for barreling down to Tokyo all in rush was to see Michael, as it was the big Kiwi's last weekend in Japan. We tried to meet up at the big fireworks display on Saturday night, but crush of the massive crowd made a meeting unlike, and the crash of the local cellular network made a meeting impossible!



So we met up the next day for a slice of heaven at Wendys (chili cheese fries), and a traipse about Tokyo. The destination in mind was Harajuku, land of a thousand fashion disasters. Harajuku has become a destination of both those who want to see, and those who want to be seen. Unlike the usual expression of this dynamic, Harajuku is all about Gothic fashion, the more outlandish the better. And as we found, it was also all about free hugs.



Right next door to Harajuku is the massive Meiji Jingu, a paradise of trees in the heart of Tokyo. It had rained quite heavily that afternoon, so the early evening sun slanting through the trees made for an amazing sight.



We boys met up first with Mikes friend Waka, and then with Sachiko when she got off of work. After enjoying Meiji Shrine and the adjacent Yoyogi Park, we decamped to Outback Steakhouse, for the first steak to grace my plate since Zach and I went last October. It was delectable, to say the least.



Then it was time for some farewells, as Michael caught the night bus back to Kanazawa. By now, he is back in New Zealand, and itching to come back to Japan already!



Bye Mike!

Childhood: Revisited

On a bit of a whim, I flew to Tokyo last weekend. I flew out Saturday afternoon, on one of the typical All Nippon Air 747s. When selecting my seat, I was afforded an unprecedented privilege, a seat on the upper deck. Now, it wasn't a 1st class seating area, really it was pretty much the same as the main deck, only shorter. However, the chance to sit on the upper deck of a 747, that was really cool, certainly an event that thrilled my (rather vocal) inner 10 year old.



While reading the paper on the 45 minute flight, I noticed a small article about a model train show in Ginza. I knew I'd have some time to kill on Sunday morning, so I kept the article and made plans. The Japanese model trains were pretty interesting, but as with anything in Tokyo it was a madhouse. I can take the pushing and shoving for about 10 minutes, before I feel the need to start knocking heads together.



Walking along the road in Ginza afterwards, I saw this toy store. Anybody that knows me knows that I was in the store for some time after this photo was taken. They had every Lego set imaginable, and I'll admit the temptation to dust off my credit cards was present, and strongly so. Certainly if I was 15 years younger, this place would have been pure paradise on earth!

Next: Fireworks, Rain, and those crazy Harajuku girls.

Summer at Last?

If there is one weather change between Denver and Kanazawa that drives me crazy, it is the rainy season. While Kanazawa has more than its fair share of precipitation anyway, between mid June and late July the rainy season brings even moisture than usual.



Actually, this year hasn't been as bad as last year. I recall a period where it rained nonstop for over 5 days, almost causing some flooding. While we didn't have any truly torrential downpours, it has certainly been gray and humid enough to keep me indoors much of the time.



That helps explain a distinct drought in my blog update schedule, I simply haven't been up to much of anything lately. The earthquake scotched a quick trip to Tokyo, and aside from another birthday party and a few couchsurfers, I have led a pretty boring life.



Luckily, the sun started coming out this week, even if just for a bit, and everything is picking up for August. Uchinada beach my be no Phuket, but it is better than no beach at all!

Japanese TV and other interesting tales

Japanese TV is... interesting. The sheer profusion of crazy game shows and the willingness of people to be subjected to extremes of pain and suffering make for very entertaining viewing.



This particular clip features a human tetris game, and if you fail, watchout!



This one is even more painful. Say the tongue twister correctly and all is well. Mess up and get a mousetrap like smack to the groin. Ouch!



Perhaps the best of the bunch, this famous feature from the same show as above furnishes contestants with hilarious situations, and then requires that they refrain from laughing. So much as a giggle and you get smacked across the rear, hard!



Some may remember Jared, who pops up in this video advocating a new and improved handshake. May we all find happyness and luck with the...SLIDING HAMMER!

Kamakura in a new light

I had fun with this picture, swapping in a new sky and tweaking the colors. It doesn't quite look real, but it does look undeniably cool.