Post Title: Hiwatari Festival
Excerpt: A little while back - somewhere before the big night out with old buddies Billy and Sean, and another big night out with the J-ster, and another big night out for the walkers at their itterashai party, somewhere before I started archiving all my stuff to photoshelter (nothing visible to the public yet) and somewhere in amongst an excessive schedule of private lessons over a 6 day period, I had a lovely day out at Takao with Mountaingoat. This is a pretty pic I shot of him at the end of the day. He looks so pretty and huggable,...
March 18, 2008 3:59 PM | Hiwatari Festival | Comments (0)
Post Title: Kenta
Excerpt: My friend Kenta is an awesome artist. We met up for lunch and coffee on Sunday, in Nishi-Ogikubo. He knew a cool organic restaurant there. The food was delicious, we both had the vegetarian set. I loved the use of a peanut as a chopstick rest. After lunch we wandered around and found one of those little old-school Japanese style coffee shops, full of the owners eccentric tastes - an owl hooted every time someone walked through the door, the walls were covered in old clocks and strange memorabilia and dozens of chandeliers hung from the ceiling. In one corner...
October 10, 2007 1:17 PM | Kenta | Comments (10)
Post Title: Mishaal and miscellania
Excerpt: Mishaal is a Tokyo based belly dancer.
July 3, 2007 2:34 AM | Mishaal and miscellania | Comments (10)
Post Title: Crack and almighty mundanity.
Excerpt: In other news, I am on crack and its name is facebook.
June 27, 2007 8:04 PM | Crack and almighty mundanity. | Comments (5)
Post Title: It's 44 degrees in Delhi and 30 degrees here in Tokyo (finally!)
Excerpt: A lot of people assume that Inokashira Koen is just that little park around the lake, but actually, it's a huge horse-shoe shaped thing that streches from near Kichijoji Station, up, around and across to Studio Ghibli on the other side, in Mitaka. Recently it seems that every man and his dog has discovered Kichijoji and the lake-part of the park, especially on weekends - the crowds have been getting insane.
June 20, 2007 6:44 PM | It's 44 degrees in Delhi and 30 degrees here in Tokyo (finally!) | Comments (6)
Post Title: Losing my anonymity
Excerpt: Boo! Thought I'd surprise you with a post.
May 26, 2007 2:32 PM | Losing my anonymity | Comments (3)
Post Title: A Day in Photos
Excerpt: In lieu of any real news, apart from the fact that things have been pretty quiet around here, I figured I'd follow in Flickr's footsteps and do a Day In The Life Of Me for Saturday, May 5, 2007.
May 6, 2007 9:15 PM | A Day in Photos | Comments (0)
Post Title: Tokyo Earthday
Excerpt: I went to Tokyo Earthday with Yama-chan and Christian on Sunday. My old buddy Shen played with some friends, and Pete came along with his wife Amanda and his super-kawaii 3 year old Charlie.
April 25, 2007 1:22 AM | Tokyo Earthday | Comments (2)
Post Title: Impermanence....
Excerpt: The rains of the past 2 days have blanketed the streets and parks in cherry blossoms. Hanami season is almost gone already. A lovely spring night suddenly vanished while we viewed cherry blossoms - Haiku from the master, Basho. Now it's time to get back to work.
April 4, 2007 1:15 AM | Impermanence.... | Comments (3)
Post Title: It's here...
Excerpt: Yesterday was a magnificent day, brilliant blue skies, 22 degrees and cherry blossoms everywhere.
March 30, 2007 7:01 PM | It's here... | Comments (0)
Post Title: they seek it here, they seek it there, that damned elusive.....
Excerpt: Riding to my first lesson of the day early this morning, I passed by this “freshman” office worker stuck with the job of setting up and guarding the office posse's spot for cherry blossom viewing. No doubt he was given this job a couple of weeks ago when it was announced that the sakura would be out by the 18th.
March 22, 2007 7:03 PM | they seek it here, they seek it there, that damned elusive..... | Comments (2)
Post Title: Nihon Minkaen
Excerpt: I just put some pics up at Flickr from our day at Nihon Minkaen yesterday.
March 22, 2007 6:02 PM | Nihon Minkaen | Comments (1)
Post Title: My baby's back!
Excerpt: Picked up the newly repaired Canon 300D from Fujiya this afternoon.
March 16, 2007 1:51 AM | My baby's back! | Comments (6)
Post Title: Araku rocks...
Excerpt: Araku is a new-ish bar in Golden Gai, Shinjuku. You should check it out!
March 13, 2007 1:38 AM | Araku rocks... | Comments (7)
Post Title: I miss the good, old-fashioned summer storms of Australia!
Excerpt: Last nights weather in Tokyo was quite typhoon-like, with up to 50 knot winds and rain.... Seems there was a lot of wild weather around the region last night. These spectacular pic's were emailed to me by my cousin Georgia who was cycling home in this phenomenal electrical storm in Sydney.
March 6, 2007 10:34 AM | I miss the good, old-fashioned summer storms of Australia! | Comments (14)
Post Title: Obi
Excerpt: One of my students turned up to class wearing this magnificent obi (the cloth piece that wraps around the waist of a kimono).
March 3, 2007 6:05 PM | Obi | Comments (2)
Post Title: Tokyomade Online Shop: Tokyo style by Tokyo and Japan-based designers
Excerpt: Tokyomade Online Shop: Tokyo style by Tokyo and Japan-based designers: Brizzy girl Deanne and her BF have been working hard to get together an online shop of cool Tokyo stuff and today is their launch day.
February 14, 2007 5:29 PM | Tokyomade Online Shop: Tokyo style by Tokyo and Japan-based designers | Comments (4)
Post Title: TELL me about TOKYO
Excerpt: The Tokyo English Lifeline (TELL) has released a great handy new information guide for the English speaking community in Tokyo. And... I went to see the Album Leaf again last night....
January 14, 2007 3:24 PM | TELL me about TOKYO | Comments (3)
Post Title: New Years Day 2007
Excerpt: After a leisurely New Years Day breakfast and coffee, we made the trek out to Asakusa to join the other million or so temple-goers to visit Sensoji. I've always avoided such activities out of fear of crowds, but you know what?!
January 4, 2007 12:51 AM | New Years Day 2007 | Comments (3)
Post Title: Fucking laugh big loud on train
Excerpt: MissSin & I have been entertaining each other with fairly ridiculous Engrish message texting of late.
December 14, 2006 9:56 PM | Fucking laugh big loud on train | Comments (6)
Post Title: The Silly Season
Excerpt: Einstein is alive and well and hiding out in the little bars in Kichijoji's red light district....These hilarious JR (Japan Rail) posters warn salary men about getting too drunk and falling off the platform in this crazy silly party season.....
December 12, 2006 11:19 AM | The Silly Season | Comments (2)
Post Title: しあわせ (Shiawase): A fortunate life.
Excerpt: 4 years in Japan. I was thinking of calling this post “the girl who stopped running” but that seemed kinda naff and I figured “a fortunate life” was more adult and appropriate.
December 11, 2006 11:16 PM | しあわせ (Shiawase): A fortunate life. | Comments (7)
Post Title: A beautiful part of the world
Excerpt: It's been indescribably beautiful in my part of the world recently. The Autumn colours have really kicked in and the weather has been magnificent with blue sky days and relatively warm days.
December 3, 2006 11:46 PM | A beautiful part of the world | Comments (3)
Post Title: This week in pic's
Excerpt: Really gotta settle down on the burning-the-candle-at-both-ends-thing. Ha!
November 18, 2006 11:47 AM | This week in pic's | Comments (2)
Post Title: Rain, coffee, coding...
Excerpt: frangipani might get a bit gnarly over the weekend as I attempt the upgrade to MT 3.3...
November 11, 2006 3:59 PM | Rain, coffee, coding... | Comments (5)
Post Title: Finished the Mitake photos
Excerpt: Finished the Mitake-san photoset at Flickr.... better still, just go and visit Mitake-san when you get a chance!
Goddamn, I just can't get enough of Band of Horses at the moment.
November 10, 2006 11:24 PM | Finished the Mitake photos | Comments (5)
Post Title: Another fabulous weekend in Tokyo
Excerpt: It's been a great weekend. Actually, after a week of illness I wasn't sure I'd be leaving the house at all over the weekend but I was determined to just soldier on. Saturday saw Charlene, Kazuma and I head out to Western Tokyo to the Okutama region, to go hiking on Mt Mitake.
November 6, 2006 1:06 PM | Another fabulous weekend in Tokyo | Comments (4)
Post Title: W.I.G. out. Part One
Excerpt: Today was the inaugural W.I.G. out event. I haven't mentioned W.I.G. here yet and I really should have written about it when I got home last night and posted this entry but I was a wee bit tipsy and forgot.
October 29, 2006 10:38 PM | W.I.G. out. Part One | Comments (1)
Post Title: Yamanakako
Excerpt: please slip on over to my Flickr photostream to see some photos from my fabulous trip out to Yamanakako on Sunday to Tuesday.... It was totally overcast and cold and windswept and Fuji-san was nowhere to be seen.
October 26, 2006 7:00 PM | Yamanakako | Comments (4)
Post Title: Holla!!!!
Excerpt: I apologize for this break in regular programming to make a public EUREKA announcement.....
October 26, 2006 6:00 PM | Holla!!!! | Comments (6)
Post Title: How little we know...
Excerpt: Technorati Tags: friends, japan, kichijoji, life, portraits...
October 13, 2006 2:59 AM | How little we know... | Comments (1)
Post Title: Komichii Festival
Excerpt: Spent the day at the annual school festival today and had a blast.
October 1, 2006 11:28 PM | Komichii Festival | Comments (2)
Post Title: Hot! Hot! Hot!
Excerpt: This post is for my Australian friends who don't understand how hot Japanese guys can be. Really, really, really hot. Forget about the old guard in their black suits, the phenomenally exciting younger generations are tall, beautiful, stylish, casual, relaxed, creative, prolifically talented and want to break every possible cliche the world has about Japan. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the hottest man in Japan: Mr Tadanobu Asano.
September 30, 2006 10:39 PM | Hot! Hot! Hot! | Comments (21)
Post Title: Going global
Excerpt: Recently I've been spending a lot of time with Japanese friends, honing my Japanese skills and drinking way too much. Ta-ching, Yamachan and Minoru all work at the local Thai restaurant-bar I frequent.
September 29, 2006 6:57 PM | Going global | Comments (2)
Post Title: wine-vision
Excerpt: As we sat up on the second level landing of the new wine bar in harmonica yokocho last night we were entertained by the antics of the local strays parading on the various awnings and roof overhangs around us.
September 25, 2006 12:40 AM | wine-vision | Comments (1)
Post Title: JuggsVSJapan: front back and sides...
Excerpt: On documentaries, Pride fights, politics and oh, so much more.
September 19, 2006 3:32 AM | JuggsVSJapan: front back and sides... | Comments (3)
Post Title: Bubbles in the last days of summer
Excerpt: Last days of summer....?
September 11, 2006 9:37 AM | Bubbles in the last days of summer | Comments (6)
Post Title: A smooth transition
Excerpt: My last evening in Phuket was spent at Nikita's Bar in Rawai, with the teaching team from the course: Pete, Greg, Clare, Simon, Mark and their respective partners. This was the view at sunset....
September 6, 2006 11:11 PM | A smooth transition | Comments (7)
Post Title: Singin' in the Rain
Excerpt: I opened an account with a new bank today and I am so happy with them that I need to sing their praises to anyone who will listen. SHINSEI BANK is really the only place to do your banking in Japan. Seriously.
July 19, 2006 12:17 AM | Singin' in the Rain | Comments (7)
Post Title: So, you wanna hear a saga?
Excerpt: So, you wanna hear a saga? I got a good one for you.
July 17, 2006 5:41 PM | So, you wanna hear a saga? | Comments (6)
Post Title: A day out at Showa Kinen Park
Excerpt: Showa Kinen Koen is a massive recreational park in Tachikawa - I've mentioned it before and well, I'm sure I'll talk about it some more in the future coz it is an excellent place to go for an entire day of fun and games.
July 17, 2006 2:15 PM | A day out at Showa Kinen Park | Comments (2)
Post Title: Just some people
Excerpt: Just some happy snaps of friends...
July 9, 2006 7:46 PM | Just some people | Comments (5)
Post Title: Sunday
Excerpt: Sunday. In pictures.
July 9, 2006 7:02 PM | Sunday | Comments (0)
Post Title: The Jicoo
Excerpt: Last weekend I joined some friends onboard the floating bar, The Jicoo, which purrs back and forth between Hinode Pier and Odaiba.
July 6, 2006 10:22 AM | The Jicoo | Comments (2)
Post Title: That secret place...
Excerpt: One of the delights of living in a huge metropolis like Tokyo is uncovering the secret places.
June 30, 2006 8:07 PM | That secret place... | Comments (4)
Post Title: Bare arms, bare legs.
Excerpt: The weather has been glorious here in Tokyo over the last 2 days.... Bare feet.
June 29, 2006 2:21 AM | Bare arms, bare legs. | Comments (5)
Post Title: How will you get home after the big one?
Excerpt: Satoshi Takisawa, writing in Japanese in the Yomiuri Weekly and translated here, asks: “How Will You Get Home After the Big One?”What will happen when a major earthquake strikes the Tokyo area and transportation systems are paralyzed? Just for argument’s sake, if 100 people try to walk from their offices in Shinjuku to their homes in Yokohama in such a situation, how many of them will be able to reach home? None, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government
June 19, 2006 10:08 PM | How will you get home after the big one? | Comments (9)
Post Title: Feeling gritty
Excerpt: Yeah, I know it's self inflicted but I'm feeling gritty and grumpy and I needed some gritty grey on the blog. You may have noticed some tremendous gnarliness around the site over the past 4 or 5 days.
June 13, 2006 10:38 PM | Feeling gritty | Comments (10)
Post Title: About last night....
Excerpt: Approximately 6 Australians, and a small handful of Europeans and Nth Americans all cheering Japan. At least 50 Japanese, many wearing their blue jerseys and with the flag painted on their cheeks.
June 13, 2006 9:31 PM | About last night.... | Comments (6)
Post Title: Enoshima Ensoku and summer parties
Excerpt: It's been a pretty social week. On Friday I went to Enoshima with a class of 42 16/17 year old from my high school for their annual class fun outing. We played beach volleyball then headed off for lunch at a local Denny's.
June 4, 2006 12:03 PM | Enoshima Ensoku and summer parties | Comments (5)
Post Title: Bondi Books is all-systems-go
Excerpt: It was a pretty cruisy week this week so I go a chance to go visit Josh and Natsumi and check out the new Bondi Books location on Itsukaichi Dori, just around the corner from the old shop in Kichijoji.
June 4, 2006 1:13 AM | Bondi Books is all-systems-go | Comments (3)
Post Title: Latest Earthquakes in the World - Last 7 days
Excerpt: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program » Latest Earthquakes in the World - Last 7 days: This impressive US Gov website has a massive database of current and historical information about Earthquakes. In light of recent events, and the “whatever-you-do, don't-mention it” curse (activated during saturday night drinks with Christian and Yuiko) in which if there hasn't been a quake for a while and someone casually points that out then without fail it'll bring one on in a matter of days, I decided to take a look around the web for recent (and please-let-it-exist: future predictions) quake activity....
May 29, 2006 4:31 PM | Latest Earthquakes in the World - Last 7 days | Comments (4)
Post Title: Design Festa
Excerpt: Last weekend I spent both days out at Odaiba Big Sight helping out Andrea with her exhibition of illustration art at Design Festa.
May 28, 2006 1:34 PM | Design Festa | Comments (1)
Post Title: Bondi Books
Excerpt: Josh and Natsumi from Kichijoji's only English second hand book store, Bondi Books, have been pretty busy lately relocating the shop from its old location to a much bigger one just around the corner. Josh says: It looks absolutely fantastic and very different from our previous shop. The new poetry section looks excellent as does the graphic design, photobooks, packaging and advertising sections and the rare book and first edition sections. The classics and beat generation sections are double the size of our last shop and there is a lot more non-fiction of interest as well. The new shelving system...
May 6, 2006 10:53 PM | Bondi Books | Comments (2)
Post Title: Where did all the flowers go?
Excerpt: Sayonara cherry blossoms! Inokashira Koen was just beautiful last week all covered in a blanket of cherry blossoms.... it was really cool to see the boats floating in pure pink. So sad I didn't really get to enjoy a drunken hanami party this year. Too busy, too much rain and unfortunate clashing schedules.......
April 16, 2006 11:41 PM | Where did all the flowers go? | Comments (4)
Post Title: The madness of Tokyo in April
Excerpt: In Japan everything that runs annually starts in April - schools and university years, the tax year, the new intake of staff at companies, new wait-staff at restaurants and cafes... e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. - all this on top of the annual wild displays of public intoxication under cherry blossom trees all over the country makes for a heady mix of well.... insanity. And on the verge of insanity is where I am living right now. School entrance ceremonies, staff meetings and lesson preparation, my usual circuit of around 19 private students and not 1, not 2, but 3 photo jobs to...
April 10, 2006 3:04 PM | The madness of Tokyo in April | Comments (5)
Post Title: Happy Hanami!
Excerpt: Just got back in from a few days away in the Southern tip of the Izu Peninsula with Andrea - had a fabulous time wandering around sleepy fishing towns and craggy cliffsides and white sand beaches. Even got a little sunburnt. If I get a little time next week I'll get a little album together, but with all the usual hanami silly season activities I may not get it done for a while. (I have, though, already uploaded some new, very very cute manholes from the trip). Tomorrow I'll be photographing (and celebrating) Sarah and Keisuke's wedding at Yoyogi...
March 31, 2006 10:49 PM | Happy Hanami! | Comments (4)
Post Title: Spring! Spring! Spring!
Excerpt: There ain't nothing like spring, is there! The city is waking up again. Suddenly there is green everywhere - the sakura have started blossoming and the parties have started in the parks and people are spring cleaning their apartments and packing away the winter coats. I fucking hate winter. I don't think I can do another one. I belong in the tropics. But we'll see how the year pans out, 'ay. It's great to be on holidays - my last break was back in October when Dad died, and it was hardly a holiday even though it was a...
March 28, 2006 11:17 AM | Spring! Spring! Spring! | Comments (3)
Post Title: Living in Tokyo in 2006
Excerpt: You know you are living in Tokyo in 2006 when 1. You accidentally try to scan your ATM card on the train ticketgate suica pad, and then try to insert your Suica or Passnet train cards into the ATM... 2. You haven’t been to a real cinema for years - you just download movies and TV shows and watch them at home on your computer or ipod video because (a) going to the cinema is around $20 a pop and may involve waiting in a really long queue, (b) International films get released about 6 months behind the rest of...
March 25, 2006 5:38 PM | Living in Tokyo in 2006 | Comments (4)
Post Title: Shinjuku nights
Excerpt: Japan Tokyo oden+cart streets street+photography Shinjuku nights
March 6, 2006 7:49 PM | Shinjuku nights | Comments (9)
Post Title: Ofuro Rock
Excerpt: On Thursday night I went to a live gig at BenTen Sento in Kichijoji with Kat, Darin and Tyler. It was an awesome night. There was this great sense of local community - lots of oldies mixing it up with kids, hippies, punks and uni students, with everyone singing the praises of Kichijoji. Sento's are Japanese public bath-houses and in years gone by they were an integral part of daily life. This sento was really old school, and came complete with the obligatory handpainted mural of Mt Fuji. The womens half was full of gorgeous old hair dryer chairs...
February 27, 2006 12:10 AM | Ofuro Rock | Comments (4)
Post Title: Walking from Shibuya to Daikanyama
Excerpt: These pics were taken yesterday evening as I walked from Shibuya to Daikanyama for the Snow Patrol show (which I didn't end up getting into because I'm a moron and didn't get round to buying advance tickets.)...
February 22, 2006 10:13 AM | Walking from Shibuya to Daikanyama | Comments (3)
Post Title: More snow....
Excerpt:
February 7, 2006 10:07 AM | More snow.... | Comments (7)
Post Title: I'm exhausting! By Takeaki.
Excerpt: Tokyo schoolboys checking out a poster for Final Fantasy at Shimokitazawa station...
February 4, 2006 4:14 PM | I'm exhausting! By Takeaki. | Comments (0)
Post Title: The sky is falling!
Excerpt: When I opened the curtains this morning I squealed "oh my god it's snowing" over and over until Charlene got up. He he he. We have such a good sunroom for snow viewing. Looking out at it now. Big fat fluffy yummyy flakes of snow fallin' all over Tokyo. Have to venture out into it soon. My camera is fully charged.... You may notice I have reinstalled the google ads so I can pay for all this damn bandwidth. You know what to do... Tags: japan, tokyo, snow...
January 21, 2006 9:20 AM | The sky is falling! | Comments (5)
Post Title: Exodus
Excerpt: The annual western mass christmas exodus of Japan has begun, leaving me with approximately, erm, 2 friends to enjoy the festive season with... I helped my flatmate Charlene get to the airport limousine bus yesterday. It is her first time back to Manitoba in around 18 months and was suitably insane to mark the occasion. If anyone out there has also been left stranded with no playmates, please feel free to drop me a line. I will be B.O.R.E.D as f*ck and up for some mischief for sure. Pic taken with the ol' Canon G3...
December 21, 2005 6:25 PM | Exodus | Comments (4)
Post Title: Earthquake preparedness
Excerpt: Japan correspondent Kjeld Duits has a chilling read on Earthquake preparedness. As a survivor of the '95 Kobe quake which killed 6 400 and injured around 25 000, he is well qualified to comment. I've taken some of his suggestions on board already (ie show friends or family how to access your blog so they can post news on your situation for you), and plan to work towards achieving the rest of his suggestions. If you live in Japan, you really should read this article. It's excellent to read a first hand account of the immediate and long term problems...
December 15, 2005 1:12 AM | Earthquake preparedness | Comments (2)
Post Title: Lets Dance
Excerpt:
December 7, 2005 11:18 PM | Lets Dance | Comments (4)
Post Title: The difference a few days makes....
Excerpt: The wonders of plane travel. Only days ago I was soaking up the magnificent blues of the Australian spring on Mooloolaba beach. Now I'm watching the changing of the leaves in Inokashira Park, all wrapped up in winter clothes....
November 6, 2005 2:12 PM | The difference a few days makes.... | Comments (6)
Post Title: Kichijoji happenstances
Excerpt: Monks chanting and begging in the streets. The local park cats get fed and watered by local park regulars in Inokashira Koen. Sing it loud, sing it proud: I love Kichijoji. The best town in Tokyo. (Just FYI, The Tokyo we all know and love is actually a state made up of 23 different, adjoining city districts.) Off to the futon now. Nighty Night....
September 29, 2005 8:20 PM | Kichijoji happenstances | Comments (9)
Post Title: Takao oozes green and amber
Excerpt: Last weekend I trekked out to the heady, paper-lantern-lit heights of the Mt Takao Beer Garden for 2 hours of all you can eat and drink mayhem with Pinku, Darin, Tyler, Clair and Jess. Photo op's abounded as the amber fluid flowed, this pic is a result of trying to capture Pinku's red-flushed booze face and not having much luck......
September 15, 2005 5:36 PM | Takao oozes green and amber | Comments (0)
Post Title: Standing still
Excerpt: This evening, on my always pleasant twilight bike ride home from work through the park, I stopped to buy a beer from the little kiosk near the bridge, and then sat and drank it as the sun died. The days are getting shorter fast and I have seen some leaves with orange tips, not a good sign. But, I must confess, I will be glad to be past this summer. Maybe one of the worst, most boring, barren, broke, lonely and enervating summers of my life. Way too much free time (school holidays) and way too little company (because...
September 12, 2005 8:31 PM | Standing still | Comments (4)
Post Title: Getting out of Dodge
Excerpt: Just a quick note: I'm off to Miyagi-ken for a while to stay with my dear friend Misae. Not sure when I'll be back (maybe in about a week or so) but I am not taking my computer (shock horror) and I won't be checking emails or comments till I get back, unless I stumble on an internet cafe somewhere. Thank golly gosh for the seishun 18 kippu, 'ay. See ya when I see ya...
August 14, 2005 12:35 AM | Getting out of Dodge | Comments (0)
Post Title: The Shibuya Apple shop opening and other nerdy stuff
Excerpt: The new Apple shop opened in Shibuya this morning - I went down there with Aiko (not my landlady Aiko but my student and good buddy Aiko) to check it out at around 1.30, but alas - even 3 and a half hours after the opening, there was still a line around 200 metres long. Needless to say.... I just snapped some pics and agreed to meet Aiko back there same time next week....
August 6, 2005 6:37 PM | The Shibuya Apple shop opening and other nerdy stuff | Comments (7)
Post Title: Waterpark afternoon
Excerpt: Japan has the greatest array of water-floatie rings in the world. Seriously....
August 2, 2005 2:26 PM | Waterpark afternoon | Comments (3)
Post Title: So just where the hell are we?
Excerpt: Summer in Tokyo is just sooo much fun. So much to do, everyone is out and about and happy and drunk and misbehavin'. I had another great weekend, this time mostly hangin' with Kat and Darin. We cooked up a nachos storm on Saturday night and then hit western Tokyo on Sunday. But see if you can guess where we went........
August 2, 2005 1:34 PM | So just where the hell are we? | Comments (8)
Post Title: Darth and Yoda in Tokyo
Excerpt: I know these ads have already made it to... aherm, just a few websites around the place but they are so clever and cute, I had to put them up here too. They put a smile on my face every time I see one (and yes, they are all over Tokyo). They are selling phones for the phone company AU, in case you need to know.......
July 30, 2005 5:47 PM | Darth and Yoda in Tokyo | Comments (1)
Post Title: Feet VS Wheels
Excerpt: I am having a most serious internal dialogue. Most serious indeed. Ragingly so. 0_^/* I love my camera. I love my bicycle. When I ride, I can't take photos. When I'm taking photos, I can't ride....
July 30, 2005 5:23 PM | Feet VS Wheels | Comments (4)
Post Title: Random catch-up
Excerpt: Since I haven't actually blogged much lately, I've decided to make a kind of composite blog post of lots of random little happenings and memories, so it'll be a rambling non linear essay of sorts.
July 24, 2005 4:39 PM | Random catch-up | Comments (5)
Post Title: Chofu Hanabi & Quake!
Excerpt:
July 24, 2005 3:19 PM | Chofu Hanabi & Quake! | Comments (4)
Post Title: Homemade Twig Brooms
Excerpt:
July 17, 2005 2:24 PM | Homemade Twig Brooms | Comments (0)
Post Title: Ahhhhh, the serenity!
Excerpt: The fruitloop has been driven from the living quarters....
June 27, 2005 10:32 PM | Ahhhhh, the serenity! | Comments (8)
Post Title: Tokyo House Bureau Co Ltd
Excerpt: This is a lot of money at my feet......
June 15, 2005 11:16 PM | Tokyo House Bureau Co Ltd | Comments (6)
Post Title: New York, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo...
Excerpt: Look! Is it Paris? Is it San Fran? Is it New York? No, it's Odaiba, in the Tokyo bay area. That's the fake Statue of Liberty (maybe half the size of the real one?), Rainbow Bridge (which bears more than a passing resemblence to the Golden Gate), and Tokyo Tower - a not-so-miniature copy of the Eiffel Tower in the far distance, all lit up red. Damn, sometimes Japan can just be so tacky. I love it. Odaiba is a section of reclaimed land that has become a kind of shopping mecca and daytrip outing for young couples looking...
June 9, 2005 2:07 AM | New York, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo... | Comments (5)
Post Title: My new home
Excerpt: Look at this gorgeous picture and weep, all you 6 mat-confined Japanites! This is my new home (well, it will be in about 3 weeks) . It's the bottom floor of a house in Mitakadai - just 2 stops out of Kichijoji, and a bike ride to the park, and the school. 1 x 10 mat tatami bedroom with extra timber bits, 1 x 13 mat timber floored bedroom, 1 x timber floored sunroom/living room, a HUGE kitchen with ample bench space and dozens of cupboards, a store room, and... a garden! With GRASS we can lounge on! Our...
June 4, 2005 6:10 PM | My new home | Comments (14)
Post Title: Golden Gai on Saturday Night
Excerpt:
May 24, 2005 10:46 AM | Golden Gai on Saturday Night | Comments (5)
Post Title: Sumo Banzuke
Excerpt:
May 17, 2005 10:56 PM | Sumo Banzuke | Comments (2)
Post Title: New Gallery!
Excerpt:
May 7, 2005 4:25 PM | New Gallery! | Comments (7)
Post Title: Cherry tuckered out
Excerpt: This wobbly little hobbit is a long way from home. I guess all those damn rowdy Hanami parties have been keeping him awake at night. I'm sure that unless you have lived in Japan through a winter, and witnessed the joyfully debaucherous festivities that the blooming Cherry Blossoms bring, then you will be scratching your head as to why virtually every single blog in Japan has photos of Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) and Hanami parties this week. It really is something that has to be seen to be believed. Especially when the weather is great, as it was this weekend....
April 12, 2005 1:16 AM | Cherry tuckered out | Comments (5)
Post Title: Spring in Kyoto
Excerpt: Ah, Spring in Kyoto. Fabulous. I got all zen at Roanji, the worlds oldest and greatest stone Zen garden.... Soaked up the Hanami evenings in the ancient Geisha district of Gion... Played paparazzi with Geisha's dashing to their appointments... Went for lots and lots of long walks in lovely, strange, mysterious places (and so slept extremely well every night)... Had a cuppa with a coupla geishas... Thoroughly enjoyed myself at the Miyagawacho Kaburenjo Spring Geisha Revue... Soaked up the exotic history and achingly beautiful architecture and gardens of Kyoto and Nara.... Drank lots of free beer.... Soaked in the public...
April 4, 2005 5:00 PM | Spring in Kyoto | Comments (4)
Post Title: The place where I live....
Excerpt:
March 28, 2005 1:28 PM | The place where I live.... | Comments (4)
Post Title: A Sunday Stroll around Inokashira Koen
Excerpt:
March 28, 2005 12:34 AM | A Sunday Stroll around Inokashira Koen | Comments (2)
Post Title: It's the little things that matter
Excerpt: This, my friends, is a bowl of HEINZ BAKED BEANS and TOAST....
March 25, 2005 3:19 PM | It's the little things that matter | Comments (9)
Post Title: Tokyo: The neverending story of sayonara parties
Excerpt:
March 18, 2005 3:26 PM | Tokyo: The neverending story of sayonara parties | Comments (0)
Post Title: So where the hell is it?
Excerpt: These pretty flowers in the school hall suggest that something springy this way comes. But goddamn it's still so cold and yesterday - in the freakiest weather I've seen yet - there was a crazy 30 minute snow storm in Shibuya/Harajuku in the middle of the day... and only minutes later it was a blue sky day again....
March 15, 2005 2:03 AM | So where the hell is it? | Comments (0)
Post Title: Tobacco Bob
Excerpt: Hands up every one who has either been hit up for, or had a friend hit up for a ciggy at Shibuya station by Tobacco Bob. He always has a wry grin on his face but he looks so astonished when people try to talk to him. I guess he's used to being invisible. His mate, Dreadlock Sam - you know him, the guy who dances from foot to foot in the one spot for hours at a time, with the amazingly fat, long dreads and gangrenous feet - only ever appears when I'm in a screaming hurry, but...
March 13, 2005 10:53 PM | Tobacco Bob | Comments (4)
Post Title: Self Sponsored Visa in Japan: SUCCESSFUL application
Excerpt: My first self-sponsored visa application, submitted in Jan 2005, was successful. I am now the proud bearer of my very own shiny self-sponsored visa. Read on to hear how it happened, and be sure to read the comments from other readers as they may shed some light on your particular situation. __________________________________________________________...
December 6, 2004 4:14 PM | Self Sponsored Visa in Japan: SUCCESSFUL application | Comments (50)
Post Title: Tokyo Clothes Swap Debut
Excerpt:
December 6, 2004 3:55 PM | Tokyo Clothes Swap Debut | Comments (0)
Post Title: Tokyo Clothes Swap
Excerpt: "Your Clothes Friend - Tired of wearing the same clothes but struggle to find something new in your size and style? Have garments hiding in the back of your closet, too embarrased to throw them out unworn? Want to give your used clothing to a charity but are unsure of where to go? Bring them to "Your Clothes Friend" clothing swap. December 5th from 3:30 - 6:30 at the Pink Cow. Entrance fee is 1500 yen which includes one drink. Enjoy a glass of wine while searching through the treasures, adding your own to the pile. Whatever you like and...
November 18, 2004 11:21 PM | Tokyo Clothes Swap | Comments (1)
Post Title: This is the garden: colours come and go
Excerpt: Red leaves in Miyagi-ken....
November 2, 2004 12:55 AM | This is the garden: colours come and go | Comments (5)
Post Title: Life in the Slow Lane. Part 2.
Excerpt:
October 25, 2004 2:57 PM | Life in the Slow Lane. Part 2. | Comments (6)
Post Title: Life in the Slow Lane. Miyagi-ken. Part 1.
Excerpt: Gallery coming, in the meantime, read on......
October 24, 2004 2:49 PM | Life in the Slow Lane. Miyagi-ken. Part 1. | Comments (3)
Post Title: Heading North
Excerpt:
October 23, 2004 6:14 PM | Heading North | Comments (0)
Post Title: Shimokitazawa Variety Show
Excerpt:
October 23, 2004 12:08 PM | Shimokitazawa Variety Show | Comments (2)
Post Title: Soggy damn soggy
Excerpt: One GOOD thing about late night typhoons is that all the office workers get sent home early, leaving the later trains nice and empty - albeit soggy. So yes, another typhoon. Ho Hum. A stinking, record shattering summer, a rocking typhoon season, the wettest October ever.... wonder what winter holds for us? Maybe that film The day After isn't such a fantasy after all. Yeah, who gives a shit about the Kyoto protocol eh. More pictures inside....
October 21, 2004 1:49 AM | Soggy damn soggy | Comments (4)
Post Title: Common Threads
Excerpt: Last weekend I popped into my fave watering hole with my flatmate Chioma when I heard a booming voice in my ear:...
October 10, 2004 2:07 PM | Common Threads | Comments (1)
Post Title: Saruhashi
Excerpt: This is where I woke up this morning. The very laid back little town of Saruhashi - in Yamanashi but still on the JR Chuo line. Mountains, rivers, gorges, arched bridges and lots and lots of green space and flowers. It has all the necessary ingredients to make this little frangipani a very happy girl....
September 21, 2004 2:56 AM | Saruhashi | Comments (4)
Post Title: Go Go Go
Excerpt: Alright, the Google ads are up. So, go on, ya'll! Get clicking! Every time you click on an ad, it sends some cash to help pay for the increasingly growing bandwidth expenses. They do have a clause about fraudulent clicking though, so please don't overdo it too much (Bro, this means you! \^_^/ )... Tokyo residents may not know that there are actually 2 onsens in town. OK, so they are not "real", but they do use onsen minerals and aim to achieve maximum relaxation for customers. After my soak at the Rendaiji Onsen last weekend, I really felt...
September 7, 2004 11:01 PM | Go Go Go | Comments (8)
Post Title: Feelin Zen
Excerpt: These are some of the photos from the incredible Butoh performances I watched at the 2004 Tokyo Spring Design Festa. There are more of them, I will make a proper gallery with them when I get a chance. First up, I must give a big shout out to my wonderful hosts at Earthfirst for giving me a few extra gigs of bandwidth space this month (free) as, for the first time ever, frangipani has exceeded its bandwidth limit. August has seen the busiest month ever for this site, which is weird cause I feel like I have been totally...
August 27, 2004 1:37 AM | Feelin Zen | Comments (8)
Post Title: in sangenjaya one night
Excerpt: ___________________________________________________ happy birthday bro! today is my brother, davids' 34th birthday. must.not.forget.to.call.home. ___________________________________________________ i went to a party at a bangladeshi restaurant in sangenjaya with my student/hairdresser misaki a few weeks ago. this genki fella was a minor bollywood star before he hit japan. he knew some seriously sexy moves and had us all up participating in a riotous little dance step and dissolving into hysterics. i took the bottom picture while i was waiting for misaki at the sangenjaya police box (koban). there are so many cool little alleys like this one all over the country. great fun...
August 12, 2004 12:11 AM | in sangenjaya one night | Comments (0)
Post Title: bang the drum
Excerpt:
August 11, 2004 3:39 PM | bang the drum | Comments (3)
Post Title: yokosuka hanabi
Excerpt:
August 1, 2004 11:06 PM | yokosuka hanabi | Comments (3)
Post Title: look up!!!
Excerpt:
July 28, 2004 3:49 PM | look up!!! | Comments (8)
Post Title: monkey in the city
Excerpt: taking my usual post at shimokitazawa station the other day i had a particularly interesting view. a man walking his monkey. as i watched he inhaled an orange, thrown to him by his handler, and then promptly let fly a long, strong stream of piss across the vacant lot. and then my train came. i haven't seen him since. hope he's coping in this stinky city heat. things have been pretty crazy trying to juggle a million classes, a heavy commute and a social life but strangely enough, it's not really overwhelming. in fact - it is, much to...
July 25, 2004 10:05 PM | monkey in the city | Comments (1)
Post Title: yasukuni mitama matsuri (with beer goggles)
Excerpt: here is a great link to a list of all the summer festivals in tokyo...
July 23, 2004 2:44 PM | yasukuni mitama matsuri (with beer goggles) | Comments (3)
Post Title: restoration. rehydration.
Excerpt:
July 19, 2004 12:06 AM | restoration. rehydration. | Comments (6)
Post Title: crafty
Excerpt: there is something about japan that brings out the inner artsy-craftsy craftsperson in us foreigners. many of my friends here have immersed themselves in a variety of new found arts and crafts. pinku is probably the most well known of them, but j-ster is an amazing sewer, the 2 daves i live with have become amazing musicians, tim and seth are writing all the time, and many others have returned to old hobbies with a grand passion. it's a wonderful thing....
July 2, 2004 1:31 PM | crafty | Comments (2)
Post Title: bonsai!
Excerpt: some exceptional bonsai's were on display at meiji jingu recently....
June 30, 2004 2:30 PM | bonsai! | Comments (0)
Post Title: a text message to the gods
Excerpt: at meiji jingu, a teenager prays that johnny depp stops smoking....
June 30, 2004 1:53 PM | a text message to the gods | Comments (3)
Post Title: beach
Excerpt: enoshima beach a few weeks ago. the environmental neglect of japans coastline is depressing. dark sand. rubbish everywhere. aggressively scavanging birds. as i sat at this beach, a big sea eagle swooped down between a couple beside me and grabbed their lunch. actually quite an impressive sight. it prompted some crows to do more of the same until the couple gave up and scrambled back up to the road....
June 27, 2004 1:24 PM | beach | Comments (4)
Post Title: full of life
Excerpt:
June 23, 2004 12:47 PM | full of life | Comments (5)
Post Title: a bit of much needed r'n'r on sarushima (monkey island)
Excerpt:
June 20, 2004 2:26 PM | a bit of much needed r'n'r on sarushima (monkey island) | Comments (2)
Post Title: open letter to jackie, adrian and russell
Excerpt: dear friends, i'm writing this as an open letter to you because you're probably the only people in the world who know how much the above picture (taken in my kitchen 5 minutes ago) means to me..... being a vegetarian can be bloody hard in this country. eating out at traditional japanese restaurants is usually fraught with awkward requests to alter a menu item which is often not-negotiable, and eating at japanese homes can mean plate after plate of some side dish like inari sushi or steamed greens (which ain't all that bad, it is true). so i find...
May 25, 2004 3:47 PM | open letter to jackie, adrian and russell | Comments (9)
Post Title: the catch up
Excerpt: hey folks, long time no speak. sorry i've been so slack on the update front. guess i have developed an allergy to my desk and all it's attachments. i have been going through employment hell but due some unexpected repercussions to some previous frangipani content i have been reluctant to make comments here about it (and in fact reluctant to blog much at all as it's not the first time i've had unpleasant incidents as a result of innocent blabs on the site). and besides, i had been moaning about jobs for a few months already and goddamn it...
May 22, 2004 7:54 PM | the catch up | Comments (10)
Post Title: fan-freekin'-tabulous ueno
Excerpt: a new gallery is up: ueno. photos taken in april, while i was doing the mega tourist thing in my new city, with visiting aussie buddies justin and evette....
May 11, 2004 2:12 AM | fan-freekin'-tabulous ueno | Comments (3)
Post Title: club cave-be
Excerpt: shift from osaka, rockin' the house in shimokitazawa last night....
May 10, 2004 2:30 AM | club cave-be | Comments (8)
Post Title: more butoh
Excerpt:
May 3, 2004 3:23 AM | more butoh | Comments (0)
Post Title: a cool small world experience
Excerpt:
April 20, 2004 1:03 AM | a cool small world experience | Comments (0)
Post Title: rooms for rent
Excerpt: if you are looking for a room in tokyo, please check this out. a new 5 room house in yoyogi-uehara from the same people who provide the great house i live in. close to yoyogi, cable TV and internet provided, fully furnished. go for it....
April 17, 2004 4:09 PM | rooms for rent | Comments (0)
Post Title: this new life 'o mine
Excerpt: betty boop is big in japan. a very good thing....
April 10, 2004 2:35 PM | this new life 'o mine | Comments (6)
Post Title: raining petals and music
Excerpt:
April 9, 2004 4:39 AM | raining petals and music | Comments (9)
Post Title: big cheesy grin
Excerpt:
April 7, 2004 10:38 PM | big cheesy grin | Comments (1)
Post Title: inokashira-koen night hanami
Excerpt:
April 3, 2004 9:36 PM | inokashira-koen night hanami | Comments (6)
Post Title: saying hi to the new 'hood and bye to old 'hood
Excerpt: shimokitazawa - where all the cool cats hang out. this photo was actually taken at a cafe in shimokitazawa on sunday afternoon. for junot - a shimokitazawa fan....
March 22, 2004 11:27 PM | saying hi to the new 'hood and bye to old 'hood | Comments (8)
Post Title: a recipe for perfect melancholy
Excerpt:
March 20, 2004 12:45 PM | a recipe for perfect melancholy | Comments (4)
Post Title: boys day already?
Excerpt: seems the japanese have mastered the art of consumerism beyond all reckoning. the calendar here is littered with a vast array of special days. it's hard to keep up with them. but you always know when there is an impending "boys day" because the landscape becomes this kaleidoscopic clutter of big colourful floating fish wind-socks. it's really quite beautiful. i was surprised to see the fish floating in the air already! my how time flies. has it already been a year since the last one? tomorrow is st patricks day which is a very special day for me, and...
March 16, 2004 12:29 PM | boys day already? | Comments (3)
Post Title: oshino hakkai
Excerpt:
March 10, 2004 11:14 PM | oshino hakkai | Comments (0)
Post Title: the optimist vs the pessimist (aka smeagol-esque dialogues)
Excerpt: BOOM Optimist: what is that mighty crashing noise? Pessimist: that, my dear friend, is the sound of our future employment dreams crashing down around our ears. Bloody typical....
March 2, 2004 11:31 AM | the optimist vs the pessimist (aka smeagol-esque dialogues) | Comments (6)
Post Title: big fat and fluffy
Excerpt: this mornings drizzle has turned into great big fat fluffy snowflakes, and they are coming down hard and fast. i think this is gonna be a big snowfall. it's beautiful. only our second big snowfall of the year. what an easy winter it's been. here hoping that march isn't going to try to make up for the mild february by being insanely cold and snowy....
March 1, 2004 12:20 PM | big fat and fluffy | Comments (4)
Post Title: kimono-dressing, tabis & shoji
Excerpt: check out the new gallery...
February 24, 2004 12:59 AM | kimono-dressing, tabis & shoji | Comments (2)
Post Title: a bundle of nerves
Excerpt: my dear friend and teaching colleague, akihiko, has been a complete bundle of nerves for the past 3 days. today, as the day wore on, he started to giggle nervously out of the blue, and bang into doorways as he paced anxiously from room to room. he must have gone through a whole pack of cigarettes. why?...
February 19, 2004 10:26 PM | a bundle of nerves | Comments (4)
Post Title: kawaguchiko
Excerpt: on my break yesterday i popped down to the lake for a coffee (kawaguchiko). lots of snow and ice and die-hard fisherman. been quite busy tonight: after a little lull of activity over in the "other" photoblog, on a certain day, i have thrown some fresh images up. i hope you like them. there is also a new gallery up - i found an old abandoned cementworks in the forests at the foot of mt fuji, on the outskirts of kawaguchi. took a bunch of pics, please check 'em out....
January 28, 2004 9:44 PM | kawaguchiko | Comments (2)
Post Title: shirakabako winter wonderland
Excerpt: go straight to the album...
January 24, 2004 11:44 PM | shirakabako winter wonderland | Comments (5)
Post Title: mootah
Excerpt: the photo above is for the shoemakers......
January 23, 2004 1:41 AM | mootah | Comments (7)
Post Title: the king of croon on the first day of snow
Excerpt:
January 17, 2004 12:52 PM | the king of croon on the first day of snow | Comments (1)
Post Title: green tea in the staffroom
Excerpt:
January 13, 2004 12:20 PM | green tea in the staffroom | Comments (8)
Post Title: a sort of purgatorial pause (aka the winter blues)
Excerpt:
January 11, 2004 12:42 AM | a sort of purgatorial pause (aka the winter blues) | Comments (4)
Post Title: time to breathe 1
Excerpt: i can't believe how very busy i have been over the last month. it seems that every single blog entry was done on the run, on my way to something else. but now, things have finally started to settle down and i am finding time to breathe again. no complaints, or course, I love being busy as much as i love not being busy, as long as there is an equal share of both in the long run. my motto used to be "i thrive on stress", and it was true. at the time. not any more, of course....
January 7, 2004 11:07 PM | time to breathe 1 | Comments (3)
Post Title: heading into 2004
Excerpt: sunset with the moon, from churieto jinja late sunset on fujisan from churieto the steps to churieto drenched by late afternoon sun morning ice crystals on a windscreen kim, me, our cameras and the toilet mirrors at itchiku kubota's museum me, sleep deprived at sunrise this morning my hilarious friend kim has been staying for the past few days. she has never had much luck with the weather and fuji-san, but this time around she's been in luck: the weather has been magnificent, and she's been effervescently appreciative of the wonder i have on my back doorstep. and she's...
December 29, 2003 11:27 PM | heading into 2004 | Comments (7)
Post Title: winter garden maintenance, japan style
Excerpt: outside my window, a gardener builds all sorts of snow protection/shields and branch support for the trees and bushes. still no sign of snow yet....
December 28, 2003 1:09 AM | winter garden maintenance, japan style | Comments (0)
Post Title: the gig went off. yeah, we rocked the house. can we have another go now?
Excerpt:
December 27, 2003 2:37 AM | the gig went off. yeah, we rocked the house. can we have another go now? | Comments (2)
Post Title: a sight i don't see very often: mt fuji from a distance
Excerpt:
December 26, 2003 11:55 PM | a sight i don't see very often: mt fuji from a distance | Comments (3)
Post Title: the yanagisawa family alcove scroll
Excerpt: sorry! so many stories to tell, so many photos to share, so little damn time at home.... so here is a little eye candy just to ease the pain of the hoffy christmas image down the screen a little.... this is the scroll in the yanagisawa family tatami room alcove. every japanese home has a special alcove where special treasures are kept and a small shrine maintained. we were there on tuesday for the official housewarming and christmas party..... my holidays start on saturday, i can't wait for the mad frenzy to cease. although it's been great fun. ciao...
December 26, 2003 12:54 AM | the yanagisawa family alcove scroll | Comments (5)
Post Title: sugar and spice and all things nice
Excerpt: such a crazy busy week. not much chance to use the camera. i have photographed a lot of hanging persimmons recently so i thought i'd share a look at the finished product. one of my ever-giving adult students, tamako, brought in 2 dried persimmons for me, and of course, one for herself to eat with me. how did it taste? beautiful but incredibly sweet. they are apparantly full of good stuff, and the japanese call the persimmon season the season of "no doctor", because they get tons of vitamins from eating the sweet stuff. i reckon it could also...
December 19, 2003 11:05 PM | sugar and spice and all things nice | Comments (0)
Post Title: december madness
Excerpt: well it's been a busy week. we've been preparing for our christmas kids party, and also christmas craft week. now, i know i haven't mentioned the band for a while. i'm delighted to announce that we have our first (and probably ONLY) gig coming up, to a guaranteed crowd of 120 people. and we even have a name now. yup. we're called senseii-tional (with tongue firmly in cheek), and our 40 minute repertoire includes such stadium-pleasers as jingle bells, rudolf the red nosed reindeer, i'm dreaming of a white christmas, you are my sunshine and another japanese song, unknown...
December 13, 2003 11:39 PM | december madness | Comments (3)
Post Title: and you think japan is a country of riches...
Excerpt: there are many thousands of homeless people in tokyo. they live in cardboard boxes under stairwells, in little side corriders, traffic islands, parklands and anywhere they can leave their cardboard, tarpaulins and plastic bags. on the way into yoyogi park in harajuku on sunday, i noticed a slight, proud man dozing in the corner of the seat. looking down, you could see his toes poking out through his socks, and his shoes. one hand was tucked in under his vest, the other rested, cuplike, on his knee. the only giveaway was the shoes. and what a giveaway. in yoyogi,...
December 9, 2003 1:55 AM | and you think japan is a country of riches... | Comments (2)
Post Title: pop pop pop
Excerpt: now the boys in the staff room are very fond of the plastic drink top figures you can get here in the convenience stores. mostly though, they collect anime adventure figures called gandum's. but i saw in the 7/11 today, a new drink top range that may challenge the gandum figures. cheesy, cheesy dancing chicks with legs all the way to their necks.... thought i'd share my birthday cake with you, too. that's my name in katakana - the japanese script for foreign words. my dads present arrived on saturday. eric meyers "cascading style sheets: the definitive guide" and...
December 3, 2003 2:19 AM | pop pop pop | Comments (2)
Post Title: the oldest house in fujiyoshida
Excerpt:
November 22, 2003 9:48 PM | the oldest house in fujiyoshida | Comments (0)
Post Title: a tokyo weekender....
Excerpt: just got home from an amazing weekend in tokyo. very tired, got a truckload of photos to tidy up and a very tempting, soft, cozy futon ready to fall into... hmmm but, before i collapse, i must talk a little about the tokyo design festa. and how bloody excellent it was. a celebration of art, creativity, individuality, colour and music. professionals and amateurs - artists, crafts-folk, dollmakers, sculpters, fashion designers, photographers, musicians, DJ's, performance artists, bands, drag queens, and a truckload of locals and foreigners in 3 huge rooms. the amount of raw talent here in japan is astonishing....
November 17, 2003 1:01 AM | a tokyo weekender.... | Comments (4)
Post Title: yesterday
Excerpt: happy birthday Mum. weather sucks. design festa in tokyo tomorrow will be very cool. maybe a touch of karaoke tomorrow night with kim and matt....
November 14, 2003 3:16 PM | yesterday | Comments (6)
Post Title: country market
Excerpt: we visited a small market at kawaguchiko. ate superb home cooked tempura soba, tasted raw wasabi, bought fresh, uncooked udon noodles and nibbled on some of the biggest pears we've ever seen. incredible weather and 2 memory cards of photos. more to come soon....
November 3, 2003 12:02 PM | country market | Comments (4)
Post Title: glorious
Excerpt: i think i love autumn. the weather has been just glorious. last friday i walked to churieto (the shrine on a mountainside 10 mins from my place) and took these pics. in other news, the 3 hour photo expedition in shinjuku yesterday was great. ran into andrew, a fellow australian - from melbourne, and we hung out together wandering the male impersonator bars and basketball courts at the back of kabuki-cho. highlights? the rolls royce in front of the male impersonator club, the basketball courts and standing in the traffic island of crazy traffic making the headlights look like...
October 26, 2003 2:02 PM | glorious | Comments (6)
Post Title: pretty pretty
Excerpt: gorgeous scene in kawaguchiko today late afternoon in a kawaguchiko lane way today (yes that is fuji-san in the distant sky) i must apologize for the mind-numbingly dull posts of late. i've been really quite pre-occupied with working behind the scenes on my new galleries and new software and new design concepts (like CSS and validation)(phew, the ongoing discussion over at the japan bloggers list about this same stuff has been quite substantial and interesting) and have really only been posting just to show people that i'm not dead... not putting a lot if thought into content. i'm sorry....
October 22, 2003 3:56 AM | pretty pretty | Comments (2)
Post Title: it's all about fertility
Excerpt: the contented look of a frog with a healthy hard-on the contented look of an earthy, lop-breasted she-frog leaving nothing to the imagination: the carrot is a love hotel a little more subtle... now they just have to decide which one... of course, love hotels are a huge part of daily japanese life. because of the lack of space, it's not uncommon to have 3 or 4 generations living under one roof. obviously it's just not kosher for young couples (pre-marriage) to be getting it on with old gran snoring away in the next tatami room.... so the done...
October 22, 2003 3:36 AM | it's all about fertility | Comments (4)
Post Title: fuji-san... again.
Excerpt: a few more delightful shots of the lady of the skies...
October 22, 2003 3:28 AM | fuji-san... again. | Comments (0)
Post Title: the nutcracker suite
Excerpt: ...shadows shadows peter-pan-esque the leading dancers the welcome speech in front of the beautiful tapestry of the view from Churieto one of the highlights: the confusion of the littlest ballerinas my gorgeous student Yumiko in the centre. she gave me the tickets. sunday was a totally rockin' day for a number of reasons. 1. the long awaited software discs arrived (macromedia studio MX, photoshop 7, etc etc: greygoo you rock) 2. i signed up at the local pottery club and made my first pot in 20 years! (god-damn, told ya i'm getting all arty) 3. gary, stephen and i...
October 21, 2003 12:37 PM | the nutcracker suite | Comments (4)
Post Title: the big smoke.. again
Excerpt: no photos today... sorry.... woohoo. off to tokyo for the day. meeting with an email buddy from paris (bert), who's only in town for a week or 2. kimberley is also coming along. we're meeting in harajuku and checking out the sights and sounds. I haven't been to tokyo for almost a month, so I'm looking forward to it. in site news, been working away on the new galleries, taking forever but i'm happy with the progress. really enjoying investigating web design too, CSS and validation - a whole new world to me. the little gold mines i spoke about...
October 18, 2003 10:43 AM | the big smoke.. again | Comments (1)
Post Title: the rice harvest on a sunday afternoon
Excerpt: it's rice harvest time and all over the country the rice is being cut down and hung out to dry. i went for a great bike ride this afternoon with stephen - we rode down unexplored roads and found great things to photograph (well, OK - stephen watered the horses and tried to settle them when they got restless during a long photo shoot.... [yeah, you had to be there i guess]), including heaps of freshly harvested rice fields. we went down into one and found dozens of tiny frogs jumping around - they have nowhere to hide now...
October 6, 2003 2:36 AM | the rice harvest on a sunday afternoon | Comments (0)
Post Title: indelible
Excerpt: i'm going through one of my "don't feel like blogging" periods. these happen at semi-regular intervals and last night, in the moments before sleep, i realised why. they are always at times what i am realizing the indelible, profoundly poetic, intimately personal changes that japan is making to me. living in another country - with a foreign language and foreign culture - is always going to be exciting and challenging. the sounds, smells, colours, textures, shapes - all serve to add to the excitement. but there is also a much deeper and more personal series of experiences going on....
October 2, 2003 1:40 PM | indelible | Comments (8)
Post Title: very wonderful
Excerpt: my sanity (regularly dipping dangerously under the sheer boredom threshold here in small-townus) is being kept on the up and up by these regular weekenders in tokyo. so today i'm off to the big smoke again, meeting up with amanda for dinner in shibuya. then we're off to the webmasters party. looking forward to meeting some interesting folk. staying at amandas in chiba overnight and then... excitement beyond anything words can express: my first (international) gig in japan. THE EELS are playing at club quattro on sunday night. i have an old faded t-shirt that i have slept in for...
September 27, 2003 2:27 PM | very wonderful | Comments (2)
Post Title: ichi-mai kudasai
Excerpt: goddamn i have to get better at japanese. i'm great at phonecalls and requests when i've had time to practice...but then they go and screw it all up by hurling a truckload of speed-rambling questions at me and my eyes make like a trapped kangaroo in the headlights of a mack truck. busted! this gaijin is a big faker who has been appallingly lazy with her nihongo benkyo [japanese study]....
September 27, 2003 1:50 PM | ichi-mai kudasai | Comments (1)
Post Title: love and slavery part 3
Excerpt: so i have been having weekly meet ups with the friend who inspired the original love and slavery post a month back. she picks me up and we go to a lovely italian style cafe on the shores of lake kawaguchi, and gaze out at the mountains and the lake and drink cafe lattes and ponder the meaning of life, love and marraige. she is in hell. there is no doubt about it. ok, she has 3 kids, the youngest one is 5. she and her husband have become increasingly estranged over the years as he follows the stereotype for...
September 26, 2003 12:27 AM | love and slavery part 3 | Comments (2)
Post Title: Login ver.2.0 - Net-media & Tokyo scene get-together!
Excerpt: Hey folks, this weekend is the second webmaster party organised by Damon from X-Box. I went to the first one and had a great time, making some great friends and putting faces to the names i read so regularly. I'll be going to this one too. See you there. Login ver.2.0 - Get connected! Atomic Taxi presents Login ver.2.0! our premier net-media get-together that brings together the foreign and local media, internet and Tokyo scene community for a night of fun and interaction. Everyones invited! Whatever your reason you'll find it an excellent opportunity to mingle, network, make new friends...
September 25, 2003 11:41 PM | Login ver.2.0 - Net-media & Tokyo scene get-together! | Comments (1)