The World Has Turned And Left Me Here.

Greetings all,

Yes, it's true, this blog is rapidly (cough cough) becoming a bi-monthly post about my experiences in Japan. As it stands, I'm in the midst of a pretty bad block on my writing; and, like the fog, I'm not exactly sure when I'll be out of it. A friend of mine from high school described writers block as "mental constipation - it's all in there, it just won't come out." Lovely.

ANYWAY, there hasn't been a whole ton to write about in the past few weeks. Actually there has, I just need to remember what all has transpired, since I haven't written any of it down. So here goes; please pardon any misspellings, exaggerations, gross inaccuracies, gerrymandering, blatant libel, and references to constipation...

[Open Scene: Calender and notebook out, Thom sits on the couch and tries to remember what all he's done in the past month. Sigur Ros' new album 'Takk...' plays at a medium-to-quiet volume, coming from the TV, as he has no stereo. The wet sound of cars rushing by in the rain comes from the open sliding doors, bringing with it the cool outdoor breeze.]

About three weeks ago, Iain called down and invited me and some others out to the town of Inuyama, his home, to see the sights. Being adventuresome, exploratory types, Francis, Jen, Sarah, and I decided to take him up on the offer, and went out in mid-afternoon on Monday. Through a stroke of incredible luck - and Nova scheduling - we all have the same days off (Tues & Wed), so the possibility of a nice long weekend outside of Nagoya seemed too good to be true. The plan was to see the cormorant fishing on the river that night, spend the night, and then head up and see Inuyama Castle by daylight. (The last time we were in Inuyama, we “saw” the castle at night – which is much less exciting, as you can’t actually get in to see the castle at night.) So we arrived in time to catch the boat out to see the cormorant fishing masters ply their trade.

Cormorant fishing, or ukai, works thus: a long wooden boat sets off from shore after dark, manned by the fishing master (wearing a heavy shirt, chest protector, and traditional grass skirt), his assistant (distinguishable by lack of grass skirt), the pilot (smoking a cigarette), and about ten cormorants (medium-sized black birds who catch and eat fish and are naked and non-smoking). When they reach a good fishing spot, the master lights a large fire in a metal basket hanging from the front of the boat, used to attract the fish and also to help the master see which birds have caught fish. (How exactly it seems like a good idea to light a fire while wearing a pretty flammable skirt is beyond me, but who am I to argue with tradition?) After the fire is lit, the master takes each bird individually and ties piece of string around it’s neck. This is to allow the bird to catch and partially swallow fish. What makes him the master (and not the skirtless assistant) is knowing how tight to tie the string: too loose, and bird eats all of the fish and becomes a pretty worthless pet; too tight, and the bird dies and become a pretty worthless anchor. After tying these “fish-blocks” (for lack of a better term, and a lack of knowledge of the actual term), the master attaches a “leash” (also for lack of better/actual term) to the birds, so they can be “reeled” back in to “deliver” the fish. After this is done, the master launches the cormorants into the river to dive for fish. When one of the birds has caught its fill of fish (they have rather long necks and can hold several), the master pulls it back to the boat, “disengages” the bird of its catch, and throws it back in, hopefully to catch more. And while this seems like a pretty easy task – leash some birds, toss ‘em in, and sit back and collect the fish – it is actually a whole lot more challenging. For anyone who has ever been fishing, and had the opportunity to battle with a reasonably intelligent fish - say, a pike - you know how difficult it is when the wily thing takes a dive under the boat – you need to spin and take the pole around the front/back of the boat, while trying to dodge the other fisherpersons, chairs, equipment, etc. and try to fight it on the other side. Now try doing that with ten fairly intelligent, fish laden birds. Or, more precisely, eight fairly intelligent, fish laden birds, and two novice birds whose only thought at the moment is “Hey, now’s a good time to make a break for it!”. Anyway, the master is the master for a reason – anyone who can keep ten birds-on-strings untangled, dislodge fish from said birds’ throats, and making sure the fire stays well-stoked, while simultaneously preventing his grass skirt from catching fire is, well, he IS the master!

From the bird’s point of view, however, the whole operation is rather sketchy.

Meanwhile, back on planet tourist, there are three boats of “birdwatchers” happily enjoying this night-time scene, and placing large bets on which bird can catch most fish. Just kidding; no bets (that I know of) were placed on the birds. Instead, we all crowded to one side of the boat to watch all the avian fishing action, and rather distracted bird, master, and fish alike with the bright flashes from our eager cameras.

About an hour of piscatorial prowess is all the excitement that can generally be handled by bird and tourist; so all four boats headed back to shore. After “catching” our own dinner at a local late-night izakaya, we headed back to Iain’s apartment to watch a movie, talk, and crash out.

We got an early start the next day (1pm), and headed out to the castle. Inuyama Castle is one of the oldest original castles in Japan. (Note: munitions storage during a World War and frequent earthquakes can be detrimental to castle longevity.) Iain had already visited the castle several times, so he took the opportunity to check out some other local museums while the rest of us went in to it check out. The castle is amazing! The top floor of the castle is about sixty feet high, and all three floors have different displays on the various “owners”, the history of the castle and its defensive importance, and what function each of the rooms had. If anyone is to come out for a visit, definitely ask me to take you there; it’s beautiful, commands a great view of Inuyama, the river, and the surrounding countryside, and only costs ¥500 admission.

While the castle was definitely a blast, the weather was definitely hot; so we were all pretty exhausted after the castle. We decided that the other museums and shrines in town could wait for another trip, and headed back to Iain’s for dinner. We couldn’t make up our minds about which restaurant to hit for dinner, so Iain suggested we stay in and make spaghetti for dinner. It didn’t take much mental effort, so we agreed. Luckily for us, Iain just happens to be a fantabulous cook. He prepared an exquisite spaghetti dinner, complete with wine and garlic bread so garlicky that my arteries are still clear. After dinner, we took the opportunity to relax around the apartment, listen to a wonderful selection of music, and read our various books. (Iain was a writing major at the U of Glasgow, so he and I get together pretty regularly to exchange books and talk about different authors. And to go shopping for books. Man, I’m gonna have a library on two continents soon!) Hanging out in Inuyama with Iain was one of the most perfect weekend trips I’ve had so far: good friends, delicious food, and very relaxing. I think I might like it here. =)

Iain came into town last week to check out a café I’d discovered, but hadn’t tried yet. The “Smash Head Café” caught my eye one day, partially because of the name, and partially because it has “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” written above the door. And partially because they serve Guinness. “Why,” you ask, “didn’t you immediately go in? Are you daft?” Well, y’know, I really don’t know. Anyway, I went there with Iain last week, and discovered that they serve the best hamburger in town. Most hamburgers in Japan are roughly the size of nothing, and are served with a side of mayonnaise. Not at Smash Head. At Smash Head, the burger was so big that it was literally difficult to hold with both hands. So what if it cost nearly ¥1000, it was a nice, big, delicious hamburger, with tomato, lettuce, onions, and pickles on it. Oh, and egg too – everything in Japan has either egg or mayonnaise on/in it. Smash Head also serves some of the best dark roast coffee I’ve had in Japan, and they’ll even help you fix your scooter if it should break down nearby. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a keeper.

Right now, future travel is kind of up-in-the-air; early plans to go to Bali were cancelled (for me, the American, at least) when a group of cowardly terrorists decided that tourists dining in outdoor cafes make a pretty easy target. Some others are still planning to go in mid-November, so prayers for their safety would be greatly appreciated. As for me, I have some tentative plans this autumn to go to Kyoto and Tokyo (which contain the same letters in different order, which still, after four months in-country and I-don’t-know-how-many years out-of-country, makes me chuckle every time I write them together) to visit friends. I should be pretty safe terror-wise – I’d be going to Kyoto with a Japanese friend from Nagoya, and Tokyo is pretty safe for foreigners, especially when you have friends there. I’ll also hopefully be going to Osaka next week with Iain to pick up a friend of his from the airport, and to do general touristy things like shopping and sight-seeing. I really want to see more of Japan while I’m here, and will hopefully have lots of opportunities to do so!

In other, non-travel news, Nova thinks I’m doing well enough to send me to work “help shifts” at other schools. I’ve now had two different schools where I work on a semi-consistent, monthly basis, and a four-schools-in-one-week week in mid September. My current (re)assignment is in a little town northeast of Nagoya, called Seto. It’s famous (in Japan) for ceramics; and I’m hoping to take one of my days off to do a little exploring around town. All in all, my help shifts have been a good experience: I’ve met other Nova teachers, made new friends, and had good experience doing more Kids classes and a TOEIC/TOEFL class. My marketability has definitely improved, and, hopefully, Nova thinks higher of me as well. (If anyone knows of any TOEIC/TOEFL or ESL teaching jobs in/around the United States area, please leave me a note. Also, if you know of any good reading/writing jobs, DEFINITELY leave me a note!)

In the more distant future are opportunities for travel in Southeast Asia, and post-Nova/Japan travel/living possibilities in Europe, and grad school options in Scotland. The future is looking as bright as the Sakae skyline at night, and I’m excited to see what it will hold.

I’m currently reading “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams and “Underworld” by Don Delillo; and listening to “Takk…” by Sigur Ros.

This post hasn’t covered nearly everything, but I hope it gives you all some idea of what has gone on for me in this past month. I’m working on a photo-hosting site, and will hopefully have a URL for you to see more photos of my expeditions soon.

Blessings and peace for you all, and I hope to write again soon!

-Thom in Japan