Plum Blossoms

Ohayo!

I can tell spring is coming because the plum trees are blooming. The past few months have whizzed by. We had a very nice visit with Dave and Alec in October. I spent December in Germany, consuming as much mushroom cream sauce and gluwein as possible. The highlight was visiting the town of Neanderthal, where there is (predictably) an early man museum. At this museum is a photo booth where I underwent a Neanderthal transformation (photographically - the one on the left is the original).

COMMUTING WITHOUT GROPING

After many months, I found a faster and better way to get to work! It turns out there is a train that takes me from my home station (Ebisu) to a convenient station on the monorail line (the Tokyo rail system is VERY COMPLEX, and it is not immediately obvious that some trains on the Saikyo line continue on the Rinkai line). The best thing about the new train is that during rush hour there is a "Women Only" car. It is marked with a big pink sign (on the train and on the platform). I guess it is a reaction to the problem of "chikan", or non-consensual groping on crowded trains. In addition to the absence of groping, the Women's Only car is pleasant in many other ways. It does not get as crowded as the regular cars (so the timing of my departure in the morning is not nearly as critical), and everyone generally looks and smells quite nice.

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SNOW MONKEY HOT TUBBING

In mid-January Ross and I went away for the weekend to the Nagano prefecture, to visit Jigukudani Monkey Park. This park is famous for its "snow monkeys" (macaques), who like to sit in natural hot spring pools (a pastime very popular in Japan, usually with humans). We stayed at the traditional inn next to the park. The place is a bit rustic, and is accessed via a 30-minute walk through the forest. Many monkeys visit the inn. They climb on top of it and soak in the hotel's outdoor hot spring bath. Ross and I were in the bath early in the morning, and two monkeys came over to hang out with us. They did not actually get IN the bath, but stayed on the edge. Later on, inside the inn, while I was brushing my teeth in front of the window, I was able to observe two monkeys cuddling on a ledge. When I returned with my camera, they were doing considerably more than cuddling, and I turned away in shame.

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BAR YAMAZAKI

During a visit with our operator in Sapporo, I was taken to "Bar Yamazaki", which is a refined drinking establishment in Japan's snowy north. Mr. Yamazaki recently celebrated his 80th birthday, and is famous for his hand cut silhouette portraits. My host had generously arranged for me to have my portrait done. While Mr. Yamazaki cut the portrait, a Canadian flag was placed in front of me and the Canadian national anthem was played over the sound system. I was very touched. The portrait is ok, but after the Neanderthal thing the bar is set pretty high.

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WIRU SUMISU

One day, walking home from Ebisu station after work, I saw a lot of people milling around Ebisu Garden Place (the entertainment / shopping centre near our apartment). There was a red carpet and lots of lights and cameras. I saw a figure working his way through the crowd. While I could only see the back of his head, I was able to deduce from the cries of "Wiru!" that it was Will Smith. It turned out he was in town to promote "7 Pounds". Rosario Dawson was also there. There was a little press conference and they talked about the movie a bit. There was a miniature Japanese translator.

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SINGSTAR CHANGED MY LIFE

I cannot express my gratitude to SONY enough. They have given me the gift of song, through the magic of a Playstation game called Singstar. As many of you are aware, I am a very bad singer. I know everybody says this, even (bizarrely) people who are actually good singers and have contemplated singing as a career. I, however, am the real deal. For example, in Grade 4, I was the ONLY PERSON IN MY GRADE who did not pass the audition for the school choir. My handicap has been painful for me. I have always considered my inability to sing as a great tragedy in my life.

When we moved to Japan I knew of the cultural importance of karaoke, and knew that my participation in it would be required at some point. Ross and I visited a karaoke box place in Toronto's Korea-town before we left, just so I could find some songs I could manage without making a complete idiot of myself. A couple of months after my arrival in Tokyo, my colleagues and I went out with the senior management of one of our operators, and the evening predictably ended with karaoke. (ASIDE: I know many of you associate karaoke in Asia with moral depravity. I must correct your impression. Karaoke in Japan is good clean fun. It takes place in small rooms with groups of friends or colleagues, free of any sordidness.) To be a good sport, I played along. My attempts at singing were met with condescending remarks such as, "Good effort", and, "It is very difficult to sing a whole song".

A few months later, Playstation and Singstar entered our home. I quickly became an addict. Suddenly I had a tool to practise singing, with an objective assessment of my performance. I found songs in my (very limited) range and practiced them until my scores became somewhat decent. Now my singing life is completely changed. At a more recent operator visit, the evening (again, predictably) ended in karaoke. This time my performance was a success, with my hosts cheering me and clapping along. I cannot fully express my amazement at this development.

Here are a few assorted photos. One is a statue of a stylized pig bum from a pork restaurant in Kagoshima. The dentist poster is for Sarah and Simali. I don't know what the deal is with those people dressed as cheese.