Thursday, 11 June 2009
Thursday, 21 May 2009
The Run-in
With about 10 weeks left in Japan after nearly 3 years, I've decided to pick 10 things I'd like to do before I go. Here's the run-down, in no particular order:
-Get back into studying Japanese. It's been 4 or 5 months and I hate the feeling of losing something I worked so hard to gain.
-Cook more Japanese food, drink more sake.
-Learn how to make an oshibori cock. Oshibori are the wet towels you get before a meal in a restaurant. Someone I know made a penis out of his once. They even stand up!
-Go on a gokon- a kind of arranged, group date. Never been on one. Who knows, if it goes well it might be easy to...
-Go to a Love Hotel. Never been.
-Get back to Yamagata one more time to say goodbyes.
-Sort out my tax and pension stuff. Kind of dull that one, but there's about a grand a half of pension moneys from the JET programme just waiting for me beyond forms to be filled out hoops to be jumped through.
-Visit a sumo stable. Got a mate who writes about sumo for The Japan Times. Should be a shoe-in.
-Get a notebook and start using it again.
The shrewd amongst you will notice this list of 10 so far numbers 9. That's because I haven't thought of a tenth yet. Suggestions?
-Get back into studying Japanese. It's been 4 or 5 months and I hate the feeling of losing something I worked so hard to gain.
-Cook more Japanese food, drink more sake.
-Learn how to make an oshibori cock. Oshibori are the wet towels you get before a meal in a restaurant. Someone I know made a penis out of his once. They even stand up!
-Go on a gokon- a kind of arranged, group date. Never been on one. Who knows, if it goes well it might be easy to...
-Go to a Love Hotel. Never been.
-Get back to Yamagata one more time to say goodbyes.
-Sort out my tax and pension stuff. Kind of dull that one, but there's about a grand a half of pension moneys from the JET programme just waiting for me beyond forms to be filled out hoops to be jumped through.
-Visit a sumo stable. Got a mate who writes about sumo for The Japan Times. Should be a shoe-in.
-Get a notebook and start using it again.
The shrewd amongst you will notice this list of 10 so far numbers 9. That's because I haven't thought of a tenth yet. Suggestions?
Sunday, 17 May 2009
A few months back, I found a girl
I wanted to wine and dine and sleep with. I didn't know her surname but that didn't seem to matter. I still don't know it and it definitely doesn't matter now.
The sakura front swept through Japan, all the hats and scarves got put away, I went to Shanghai and came back and those few months passed. Finally I met this girl again last night, in a club in Shibuya I hadn't been to before, nor noticed.
She was with lots of friends and told me immediately she is to leave Japan this summer. Me too I replied. Next she pimped me off on her friend Ai. I think Ai was offended when I couldn't tell her she was pretty.
Earlier, my housemates had said over a can of beer that I am a shokubutsu danshi- that's 'vegetarian boy'. Don't go for the kill. Shy away. Miss the girl you like.
So I found myself asking myself, 'What would a carnivore do?' in that club last night when the girl I liked turned and melted into the crowd after I asked her if she wanted a drink.
A little later, I decided to get out of the club. When will I see you again? she asked and then answered herself, Let's do lunch sometime and patted my head three times, which I hated the more I thought about it. I cycled home in light rain and it felt good.
The sakura front swept through Japan, all the hats and scarves got put away, I went to Shanghai and came back and those few months passed. Finally I met this girl again last night, in a club in Shibuya I hadn't been to before, nor noticed.
She was with lots of friends and told me immediately she is to leave Japan this summer. Me too I replied. Next she pimped me off on her friend Ai. I think Ai was offended when I couldn't tell her she was pretty.
Earlier, my housemates had said over a can of beer that I am a shokubutsu danshi- that's 'vegetarian boy'. Don't go for the kill. Shy away. Miss the girl you like.
So I found myself asking myself, 'What would a carnivore do?' in that club last night when the girl I liked turned and melted into the crowd after I asked her if she wanted a drink.
A little later, I decided to get out of the club. When will I see you again? she asked and then answered herself, Let's do lunch sometime and patted my head three times, which I hated the more I thought about it. I cycled home in light rain and it felt good.
Monday, 20 April 2009
Dad came
Dad went, this time without a collection of serious facial injuries and punctured lung cartilage (last year there was a fall down a mountain in the dark).
The highlight was a weekend away, driving around the Izu peninsula as our fancy took us. The hills were spotted with orange groves and sakura spread in hybrid, pink and white blushes while the coastline bristled with matsu pine trees. Everyone was friendly, we ate piles and piles of ise ebi (crayfish) and sashimi for breakfast and dinner and we even found a cafe near a famous waterfall run by an avid golf-fan, to Dad's delight.
The highlight was a weekend away, driving around the Izu peninsula as our fancy took us. The hills were spotted with orange groves and sakura spread in hybrid, pink and white blushes while the coastline bristled with matsu pine trees. Everyone was friendly, we ate piles and piles of ise ebi (crayfish) and sashimi for breakfast and dinner and we even found a cafe near a famous waterfall run by an avid golf-fan, to Dad's delight.
Monday, 23 March 2009
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