Utsume Beach

Spent my Wednesday off with Jo at Utsume beach. Early concerns about weather ended up being being just concerns as the weather was absolutely fantastic: hot and sunny, with a good breeze coming off the sea. Sure, it was hot, but it is Japan in the summer. The previous night had just pissed down rain, so Jo and I were talking about what we could do of the indoor sort; but Wednesday morning at 8am was bright and sunny, so the beach it was. I was really glad we went to the beach too, it was my first time in the ocean in four years...which is fairly depressing since I've been living on this island for 14 months now. Anyway.

Started out at Kanayama, where we ate a little lunch and watched a bizarre man capture a pigeon and give it a pedicure (picture 1). Weird.

Made it to Utsume, about an hour from Nagoya, and went to the beach. Utsume is a cool little beachtown, complete with the townie/tourist vibe and a twentysomething parking lot attendant with a gas-powered skateboard. Also weird, but in a good way. Passed some really cool old-style Japanese houses and businesses (picture 2) on the way through town, and saw some crabs in a tidal gutter outside the town's (luckily) only highschool band practice (picture 3). At the beach, I smeared myself with sunscreen, not so much to keep from burning but as to try to keep the glare off my pasty white Minnesotan skin to a minimum. It worked for the most part, except for where I sweated it off and on my shoulders, thus leaving me with the ugliest piebald sunburn since Iain's trip to the beach last week. Jo managed to get pretty toasted herself, and was looking a little lobster-esque by the end (picture 4).

We stayed till sundown and watched the sunset, which was absolutely beautiful (pictures 5 and 6), then headed back to the station to try to change out of our sand-, salt-, and sweat-encrusted clothes for the train-ride back to Nagoya. Jo says she can't understand people who go to the beach to look glamorous - it's just not possible. And she's right.

Got back to Kanayama and decided it was time to eat, so we went to perrenial favorite Yama-chan for more food than I thought was possible for two of us to eat. We looked like two Murakami characters before the end of the world. Oh, it was good. I like the beach.

When it all comes down to it...

Um, okay.

Anyway, spent the day out and about; went to the British Consulate in Nagoya to ask about visas for moving to England (!!!), only to be told - through the intercom - that the Nagoya office doesn't handle visas, and that I'd need to talk to the British Embassy in Tokyo. Right. That helps. Thank you little black intercom box on the wall on the fifteenth floor; you're so much better than a real, live human being. I hate people. *sigh*

Next, called Iain to see if he wanted to hang out, which he did, and so I went to Dotour Coffee to wait for him. Advice: if you are going to spend a considerable amount of time reading Murakami in a coffee shop, drinking a considerable amount of coffee, eat some lunch first: walking back out into the veritable soup that is Nagoya summer becomes a strange, disconnected fantasy. The slight paranoia and unease at the sight of the people around you, yeah, that's the coffee and Murakami interacting in your brain...

"Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World" is a fabulous read though.

Met Iain at Maruzen bookstore, which is wonderful. (The bookstore, not Iain; though Iain is really a very nice guy.) Bought CMYK, a advertising and design magazine, and David Mitchell's "Number 9 Dream" which was very highly recommended by Iain and which I'm very looking forward to reading.

After that, it was time for the Hub, a local "British Pub"-style restaurant that has very cheap g&t's until 7. Yay. We were chatted at (rather than to) by a local thespian who apparently suffers from an acute case of the Lake Wobegon effect. Wikipedia it. We also chatted, Iain and I, about different universities in the UK for me to go to for my Masters. (Have I mentioned this yet? I'm thinking not. I'm thinking of moving to England to get my Masters. That England. With Jo.) Edinburgh (which isn't technically in England, being in Scotland) and Leeds are topping the list right now, with Sheffield and Galsgow (also not England) coming in close behind. Iain's the man.

Met up with Fi and Jo and went to Outback (yes, that Outback. The Aussie-themed American Steakhouse.) for dinner. After having about a dozen bastard Japanese people cut in line (they line up for everything, from toilets to tea, but they can't see us waiting for a table?), followed by a 45-minute wait, Iain finally got his wish: a steak as big as his head. Even though it wasn't as big as his head. It was good sized though, so he wasn't complaining. It did make me long for a tipping society though; our waitress was definitely headed for a two-cent tip.

Dinner was good though, Bloomin' Onion (right) and all, and we followed it up by hitting up the most awesome, under-populated bar in Nagoya: Heaven's Door. I like this place a lot: quiet atmosphere, great music from the huge selection of vinyl behind the bar, and the best (albeit smallest) tacos I've had to date in this country. Good White Russians too.

Then caught the subway home, popped on the air-con, and am sitting in front of the 'puter. Good day off. Did I mention that I was up till 3 this morning watching "Shaun of the Dead" with Francis and Mitchell? And that I didn't get up till 11? Good times.

When it all comes down to it, weekends are good things. Even when they're not the weekend.

Okay, all to bed.

t.i.j.

Happy Birthday to...me.

Well, I'm back. ¥18,000 (~$175) in for the new hard drive, ¥19,800 (~$190) for the old drive "repair", and I'm back in the saddle again. The good news is my new hard drive is almost three times as big (80Gb compared to 30Gb) as the last one. I also bought a 40Gb external drive, for a back-up, from former upstairs neighbor and all-around cool guy Conrad (mad props. yo.) who so kindly left about 17 million songs on it for me to peruse. Sweet as.

Anyway, yes, today is/was my birthday; the second of such anniversaries I have spent here. Man, the time flies! It's hard to believe I've been here just about 14 months already! Well, today was pretty non-eventful for the most part; even forgot it was my birthday until I was doing a lesson on talking about news reports, and when prompted a student replied that today was the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. *sigh* Right. Same day. That's how I remember.

BUT, work was over quickly - surprisingly so - and I was off like a light, came back home, chilled a bit, took a shower, then headed off to the hospital to see my friend Elaine...

...but that story is getting ahead of itself.

After the hospital, I met up with the wonderful Jo for drinks at a rooftop restaurant in Kanayama. She is such a sweet thing; she got me Murakami's "Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World" and a card (which far outshines my own meager offering of Austin Powers on VHS for her birthday), and also delivered a card from her mother, who had somehow remembered me. Bless. To Jo's mum, Mrs. H--, you've raised a wonderful young woman. Thank you.


My computer has just informed me that it has just passed 'late' and moved into 'ungodly', so I'll draw this to a close. Take care and be blessed in this next year; I'll write more soon, it's been a busy month.

-the older, wiser Thom In Japan


New updates will include:










SUMO: Rock You Like A Hurricane











FUJI-SAN: The Roof of the (Japanese) World











AND MANY OTHERS...