They're here!

Well, the wait is over. The cherry blossoms have finally hit Tokyo.

It's still very early in the cherry blossom season, so most of the trees are still just in bud and not in full bloom.



As the weather this year so far has been pretty awful, I decided to go out and grab as many photos today as I could while the sun was actually shining. Beautiful and all as the day looks, it was actually pretty cold, so this should help draw out the notoriously brief bloom of the trees. Even so, some hardy souls are getting there traditional blossom-shaded drinking parties (お花見ohanami parties) under way.


I went to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine. I knew from past experience that the trees there are big and get a lot of sun, so I thought there'd be a fair amount of flower to see.



This is taken from inside the gates to the shrine.



I really like this one of the inside of a flower - I'm happy how much detail came out.



This one is kind of dreamy.



And I think this one looks like wallpaper.



I love the contrast of the very dark wood and the very light petals.





And this is a weeping cherry blossom, because the branches go down instead of up.



Chiyoda ward is holding its cherry blossom festival at the moment, and as part of the festivities, they put on some free music. This led to the fairly incongruous sight in the photo below, a real mish-mash of cultural identities:


It is a Japanese evangelical choir taking the stage at the Shinto Yasukuni Jinja - infamous for the convicted war criminals enshrined there - singing Christian gospel music and laying down some Jesus-themed rap. I didn't quite know what to make of them and did cringe a little when they rapped the line, "I'm gettin' down with the g.o.d. Are you down with the g.o.d.?" But I sure did envy them their extreme happiness.

The journey home called from stopping off at my favourite French bakery; I got this puppy for desert.


I do not know what is wrong with me. I used to be renowned for my surprising ability to put away obscene amounts of food, and then come back for seconds. With age, though, my stomach must be shrinking, or something, but I could only eat half of this tarte au chocolat. It was SO delicious, but just too rich for my blood.

Last night saw me go to my first gig of the year. It was looking like the evening was going to be a complete bust, because - as usual - I couldn't get out of work on time, even though it was a Friday evening. On the train in, my friend texted me that the band he really wanted me to see (Deerhoof) had already taken the stage. So, I arrived in a bit of a mood, to say the least, and unfortunately only caught about three of their songs before they finished up for the night.

But there was a silver lining to this cloud; the other act on the bill - that I hadn't given a thought to - turned out to be really excellent. I have embedded a video of one of their songs. Please don't be put off by their name; they are not at all aggressive, as you might expect. Instead they have a really mellow, positive vibe. L'il bro, maybe Fur Immer can hook up with these guys and organize a wee tour of Japan. Why not get the Rizza on the case?

You guys, this is where I am going to be in 39 days...

This little slice of paradise is called Ishigaki Island. It's in the prefecture of Okinawa, the tropical archipelago lying a couple of thousand kilometres south of the Japanese mainland.

I have been feeling a bit down of late. Being the 'head-in-the-sand' kind of guy that I am, I decided to live a bit in a fantasy rather than take active measures to deal with my issues!!!! Hahaha. So I booked and paid for my golden week holiday yesterday almost on a whim. I know it's not exactly an intensive course of psychotherapy, but I am feeling a lot better today, that's for sure.

I cannot wait to go back to Okinawa. It's like going to Hawaii: as soon as you land at the airport, there is something in the air that tells you this is a place to relax, forget your worries and have a good time. I am so looking forward to spending a week kayaking, cycling, walking, snorkeling and sailing my way around this little island.



The islands of Okinawa still have remnants of their own indigenous 'Ryukyu' culture. One expression of this comes in the use of the 三線 (sanshin) in their musical tradition. This is a kind of three-stringed, snake-skin-covered banjo, and it makes a very distinctive sound. I was taught first to call this a 'jamisen', but when I went to Okinawa I was told that doing so quickly points you out as a main-lander. When I hear it being played it makes me feel a sweet sadness that is magical. It must be the 'Danny Boy' Irish DNA in me.

You can hear the sanshin at the start (and throughout) one of my favourite Japanese songs: Natsukawa Rimi singing Nada Sousou. I've posted the video below.

Asian Markets

I have been to quite a few countries in Asia now; it is a big, diverse place. One common thread I have noticed in my travels, though, is Asia’s love of markets - centralized places to come and buy a book, some fruit, a mop, a jumper... The markets in Thailand or Korea or Hong Kong will assault you with fish guts and live chickens and saw dust and haggling. But the ones in Japan are altogether a more moderate affair - ordered, inoffensive, maybe a bit sterile. They are still fun, though, and a window-shopper’s delight.

It’s getting harder and harder to find these old-fashioned markets in Tokyo, but there are still a few around. Here is a video of one in Jiyugaoka in the suburbs of Tokyo. A nosy person like me could get lost in one of these places for days just marvelling at the original one-stop shopping. Take a look – next time you need to pick up a kimono, some fish cutlets and a bag of pet food in a hurry, you will know where to go.




I was in a bit of a rage on Friday. It’s a three-day weekend here and I went into work with the mindset of being out of the office at 5.30pm sharp. Of course, this is when my boss comes up to me at 9.15am and surprises me with the news that we have a group dinner at 7pm that night. Now, even though I am trying to start refusing these things, it was clear from his tone that attendance was not optional. I guess I got so mad because there is clearly this assumption that I have no life outside work. Japanese companies are so like a family that they tend to the same dysfunctions. I mean, I know that the company will look after me and take care of me more than many blood relatives ever would. On the other hand, I have this debt of gratitude, guilt and obligation that can weigh a bit heavy when all you want to do is go home and forget about work.

I am really being overly ungrateful. As it turns out, the dinner didn’t go on too late (I was home by midnight) and I really do like my colleagues and have a lot of fun with them. And even though it was a Chinese restaurant – I dislike Chinese food and find it to be oily, unappetizing, and very vegetarian-unfriendly - it did serve the most amazing desert. Look at these puppies; goma dango, handmade rice dumplings filled with sweet bean paste, and rolled in white sesame seeds. So good served with fragrant jasmine tea.



Blossom watch 2010
Well, we’re probably about a week or ten days away from the big reveal. That’s right, the cherry blossoms should finally be opening in Tokyo before the month is out. In the meantime, Mother Nature has been busy; last week was the first week of the year with a bit of heat in it after a colder than normal winter, so things started blooming all over the place. Here are some photos I took walking from Shibuya to my old home in Shimo Kitazawa. Once again all these flowers were just by the busy roadside.

Happy Me Day

I am a bad Irishman. I completely forgot it was paddy's day until a
colleague - with whom I have exchanged NOT ONE WORD in all my time in
the company - comes up to me, a vision in green.

He says (in clearly rehearsed English), "today I am wearing a green
shirt, green tie and green waistcoat to show respect to you," and then
just walks away.

I was flumoxed and felt like a right git for forgetting. I told you
Japanese people are crazy nice. So anyway, happy St Patrick's Day to
one an all.

iPhoneから送信

風林火山 (fu-rin-ka-zan; wind, forest, fire, mountain)

I went hiking on Sunday with the specific intention of seeing Mount Fuji. Winter is the best season to see the mountain, as this is usually when the air is crisp and clear. However, this winter has been pants - grey, drizzly, cold - and such Irish conditions have prevented me from making plans to take the trek out to Yamanashi up till now.



It was pretty warm at the bottom when I started into the hike. This meant that there were a few plum blossoms to be seen.




However, once I made it nearer the top, it got a wee bit colder, and there was even some snow still on the ground here and there.



When I take a break on a hike, I like to lie down and spend some time spotting cloud animals. But as it was a clear, blue day, I had to look down on my rests and imagine animal shapes in the snow. Here's a pretty good rhino.


The cold meant that the further up I went, the bearer the trees got. But imagine how beautiful this place will be when dusted in papery pink cherry blossoms.


Cherry-blossom season - with its pink tones - tends to give the countryside a very feminine presence for a couple of weeks every year. But I think Mount Fuji has a very female energy whatever the time of year.


Maybe it's the whole 'mother earth' thing. I mean, it is a dormant volcano and is ready to give birth to new molten ground any day now. To be honest, we had a quaker on Saturday, and then a slightly bigger one on Sunday, so I guess I was lucky that I made it home without the mountain erupting all over me.

As you can see, if she does blow, a heck of a lot of people are going to be toast. This is Otsuki City; a tiny, conurbation of Yamanashi Prefecture. But even here you can see how high the population density is and how little livable space there is in this country.



This was supposed to be a relatively easy course that I had planned; I really wanted to just chill out and make the most of the good weather. In the end, though, it turned out to be a bit more challenging than expected. The hike up to a certain point was fine, but then the last bit is this 660 metre rock. You have to slap on the cramp ons and push up to the summit. I exaggerate, of course. It's no Mount Everest. It's just that I think I'm pretty fit right now, and yet this final part of the climb definitely took it out of me.





It wasn't without it's rewards, though. In addition to the great views, you get to check out the rock face up close. There was some kind of jadey moss or fungus on it that made it look more like wood.


I'm amazed at the variety of life you can see in fairly unwelcoming conditions. These little yellow flowers must be made from hardy stuff. They were right at the top.


As too, this little guy. I really thought it would have been two cold for butterflies, but what do I know, right?



The main attraction at the summit was doubtless Fuji, but the view to the other side of the peak wasn't half bad either. I think it could pass for somewhere on the west coast of the States like Oregon or Northern California.




Being the contrary person I am, I spent a lot more time soaking in this view - I found it very peaceful in its simplicity. Once it started to get hazy I knew it was time to head home.



The way back to the station was pretty unspectacular. However, at one point you had to cross a bridge and I really liked the colour of the water below. I considered making my way down, but my jelly legs couldn't take another descent.


I also passed a restaurant with this sign displayed outside.


It reads 風林火山 (fu-rin-ka-zan; wind, forest, fire, mountain) and is the most famous saying associated with Yamanashi. It describes Takeda Shingen's battle strategy (he was a Japanese military hero of the Sengoku Period) :

First, be quick like the wind; then make no sound like the forest; after that, you must be strong like fire; and finally remain as unmoving as a mountain. A pretty efficient way to communicate a plan of war with poor old soldiers that probably didn't have that much education or experience of strategic thought.

More importantly, these were the words I got my brother to write in his one and only calligraphy lesson when he visited me here in Japan, and which now hang on scrolls in our kitchen in Dublin. No matter where I am, home is never very far away.