Tokyo Notes

Free Japanese lesson at the Fujisawa Youth Centre. I always love these: they're multicultural and fun. Today my class contained the following nationalities: Thai, Peruvian, Brazillian, Vietnamese, UK (me) and Tibetan.

On the way home, I went to the Halal food shop, where I've been meaning to go for the duration of my stay in these parts. As expected, they had big bags of cumin and coriander for the same price as a small jar in the supermarket. It seemed rather run down - not the bustling centre of the Muslim community in Fujisawa which I had rather imagined it would be. Next to an overflowing ashtray sat a smiling Filipino woman and her morose Japanese husband, both smoking frantically. Their infant daughter was blowing soap bubbles from a straw, in order to develop her hand to mouth co-ordination, ready for the day when she can begin her contributions to the family fag-end production effort. The shop too was somewhat hand to mouth: the shelves seemed to have been stocked just enough to stop the place looking completely empty. There wasn't a vast choice of spices, but if you're in need of extra large tins of jackfruit, that's your place. Perhaps the main business comes from the contents of the freezers, which is presumably Halal meat. I bought my curry ingredients, including red lentils, which I haven't had for about 3 years, and returned to the sunshine.

I've belatedly posted some pictures of the area around the Yokohama History Archive, housed in a Western-style building which was formerly the British Embassy to Japan. We went there in March, during the blossom season, and was the closest we came to hanami this year. The reflective structures in the courtyard outside were fascinating.

The museum was interesting too: it emphasised the extent to which the Opium Wars influenced Japan's opening it's ports to international trade in the 19th century. The Japanese were shocked by the strength of the West's naval power, as seen to have been exercised over China. So when Perry and his Black Ships appeared, they didn't really have to think twice.

I've also put up a picture of Enoshima station, taken on a grey day in February.

A couple more pictures from Guy's visit a few weeks ago. He was here again on Thursday evening, before leaving on Friday. He was concerned about getting a large aikido practise sword through security. Fortunately, he'd acquired the proper documentation - a certificate stating that it was blunt. Whether this was enough I don't yet know.


One of the odder things happened today. At the end of a normal demo lesson, the student asked me if she could take a picture of me, "for her Blog". This is normal enough, but surely putting these glasses on isn't.

Ever eaten a whole crab, in one mouthful?

I'd forgotten about this place.

Fixed up the pictures from Kamakura a few weeks ago. Every year, at Hachimangu, the main shrine in Kamakura, there is a horseback archery contest. They dress up in samurai gear and gallop past, trying to hit three targets in a row.

A day at home, catching up with emails - though not enough: sorry to you if you've been left out this round. Followed by a sudden urge to go to Shibuya, disguised by a need for a new lamp, some photo paper and muesli, which is only available at a reasonable quantity/price ratio at a catering supplies shop which I have discovered in a back street. It also has, not only has, but has a wide range of, Aussie wine boxes - the kind with a little tap; and cans of Guinness Bitter, which I haven't even seen in Britain for about 10 years.

Going to Shibuya is always a cure for tedium. It's chaotic, energetic and full of people doing extraordinary things, or hoping that they will see something unique, or that something unexpected will happen to them. There are also plenty of people going about their daily business, sidestepping the chaos. The cure for tedium works in one of two ways. The first is the straightforward one - one is revitalised by the buzz: "I'm part of this; how can I be bored?" The second is the opposite - one reacts to the garishness and vulgarity: "How foolish I am. I had mistaken tranquility for boredom."

Last proper day of the holiday: I don't have to go to work until Tuesday, but tomorrow and Monday are just my usual days off. So today was the last day on which I could luxuriate in the feeling of knowing what I would usually be doing at that time of the week, and not be doing it, but instead be doing something interesting and worthwhile. This feeling is only bettered on those occasions when I take an extra day off (one which is not a general school holiday) and can contemplate not only the fact that I am freed from my usual schedule, but also that my usual schedule is happening in my absence and someone else is doing it.

Today's interesting and worthwhile activities were: lunch in Shinjuku with Tapi at our favourite Korean restaurant, a movie, a visit to a pool hall, where I played significantly worse than usual. As Tapi departed to have dinner in Marunouchi with her chums, I went to Yaesu Book Centre, whose 8th floor has the best selection of academic books in English in Japan. I acquired some books on those bits of philosophy which I didn't really study properly when I was at University but now wish I had.

Returned from short trip to Hokuriku - the region North of Osaka and West of Tokyo on the Sea of Japan - on Wednesday. Photos are up.

Last day in Kanazawa. As always, a packed schedule. We started at Kenrokuen, regarded as one of Japan's top three gardens, because it has all six of the qualities to which a garden should aspire. These are: spaciousness, panoramas, antiquity, artifice, watercourses and, um, tranquility. Very pretty, then rushed off to make wagashi, wander around near the river, and visit the Ninja Temple. "Ninja" is just a nickname, I was disappointed to learn. I had been expecting figures swaddled in black to crawl across the ceiling and leap down on us, like the not particularly scary apparitions which try to surprise the participants in Edinburgh's ghost walk. They didn't, but we were shown the secret staircases, hidden doors, paper steps for knifing your enemies' feet through and so forth which earned it its handle. A brief pause at a green cafe for a green pancake followed. Nagamachi, one of the old parts of Kanazawa, was nearby, so we filled in the time before our train home by taking it in during the low, evening sunlight.

Day trip to Shirakawago. It's a village in the mountains which contains a good number of gassho style buildings, a very distinctive, and charming, thatched, A-shaped construction which is good at withstanding winter snow.

Very pleasant day, although it did rain a lot, and was cold. The mountain scenery reminded me of Scotland, too. We had sansai, or mountain vegetables, for lunch.

Return to Kanazawa: fishmarket, gold-leafing workshop, and Higashi Chayagai, where we found a tea-room serving, exotically, cheese and ham toasties, which we ate, to demonstrate our sophisication.