Visiting Ola and the Hansons

I went to Scottsdale to visit Ola and my longtime friends the Hansons. Regular readers from Arizona and longtime friends know Cathy and Craig Hanson were friends (and sometime roommates) of my parents at NAU during the Edo period. As a child growing up in Denver, I got to be good friends with David and Eric Hanson, who, like myself, are both Lumberjacks as well. They moved to Arizona when I was a kid, but our families have always kept in touch. During my time at NAU, I got to be good friends with David Hanson, and another guy named Ola Iranloye.

Coming from Nigeria, Ola is now a computer programmer at a software company in Phoenix. He and I used to hang out with another friend of mine in Flagstaff named Paul Brodar. I stopped in at the Hansons and got to visit with all of them. They served dinner to Ola and myself, while Ola and I consumed said dinner. It was a great arrangement! Seriously though, all of the Hansons are some of my dearest friends. Cathy Hanson in particular is one of the greatest conversationalists I know and is widely regarded as such among our circle of friends.

Eric is still doing his yearlong round the world mission trip with worldrace.org. He is currently in Thailand if I'm correct. Check out his blog here.

David is working as a youth pastor at Crossroads Community Church in the Los Angeles area. I haven't seen him in over three years and I'm hoping I get to see him before shipping out to Kuwait. Here's to the Hansons! Cheers!

Flagstaff and Phoenix

After visiting with my grandparents on Sunday, I borrowed my Grandad's Chevy Blazer and drove up to Flagstaff, Arizona. I left early in the morning so that I could head back down to Phoenix that afternoon. Despite the occasional rain, it was a great drive.
During college I frequently drove 1.5 hours of interstate highway between Flagstaff, Prescott, and Phoenix. I never grew tired of the drive though. Anyone who's driven along I-17 near Flagstaff knows how pretty the Mogollon rim and Ponderosa forest on the Colorado plateau can be. The dramatic descent into the Verde Valley area also make it a worthwhile, if somewhat long commute.

Driving Grandad's Blazer proved to make the trip even more enjoyable. Long gone was my ancient Saturn SL1 and its nonexistent air conditioning system. Not that it was necessary. Flagstaff has been getting tons of needed rain, making the temperature perfect for an afternoon hike through the woods. Unfortunately, it began raining before I even left my vehicle for a jaunt through Sycamore Canyon. Rain alternated with sunshine for most of the day, as Arizona's only precipitation comes in the winter or during its "monsoon season" which takes place in late July and August.

While it ruined any chances at hiking I was glad to see the rain. During my time in Arizona several years ago, the state was enduring a terrible drought. Forest fires raged through the parched pine trees and bark beetles devastated drought stricken trees throughout the state. It was refreshing to see plump saguaro cactus in the desert and green grass with healty pine trees in the high country.

I wandered through the NAU campus to see some of the changes taking place. A new research building went up, as well as a new 3 story parking lot. They also are building a new dormitory right in the middle of a big grassy area. I wasn't too pleased with the last change.

After my walk through memory lane, I descended down into the desert, braving Phoenix traffic for a reunion with my cousins Jonathan, Jessica, Maralie, Lisa, Corbitt, and my Aunt Nancy. I crashed at Jonathan and Jessica's house for a night. Unfortunately, my Uncle David couldn't make it as he was off doing something with his boy scout troop. But we all had a good time hanging out at Macayo's and another locale. Macayo's also has top notch Mexican food in the Phoenix area. We all love them for their quesadillas.

Everyone seems to be doing well. I'm probably closest to my cousin Jonathan. He married Jessica a couple years ago and they live in Tempe with their three dogs. Jonathan's considering a career in law enforcement while Jessica seems eager to give up the rat race for a low key job working with animals. Unfortunately, my Aunt Nancy seems to be dealing with some health issues. We're all praying she starts to feel better.

Maralie is returning for her second year at Brigham Young University this fall. She still doesn't know what to do with her life. She has so many options ahead of her! I suggested she be one of the following:
1. Finish college and go to Japan to teach English and postpone major life decisions!
2. Drop out of BYU and become a craps dealer in Vegas!
3. Get an MBA in finance and become a sleazy wall street stock broker!
4. Become a hip hop rapper in the tradition of MC Hammer and Snoop Dog! Lobby BYU to offer classes in rap, hip hop, and R&B music appreciation!

Lisa and Corbit appear to be doing well also! They now have three children from 4 to 7 years old. Corbitt just returned from a business trip to London. More on their family later!

Prescott Arizona

I haven't lived in Prescott Arizona in about 6 or 7 years. I originally lived with my grandparents there and attended Yavapai College before transferring to Northern Arizona University. I enjoyed living there with my grandparents. While the development that has happened since I lived there is quite sad, Prescott seems to be getting rain, which should be good for the drought.
I flew into Prescott on Sunday morning where Grandad and Evorine picked me up from the airport.

I then drove them back to Prescott where they attended a Sunday school class business meeting with me. Their Sunday school class was much as I remembered, filled with cheerful old people. Their church seems to be undergoing some difficulties however. Their senior pastor left recently and young people seem to be leaving the church. They seem to be shrinking slightly and the leadership is trying to shake things up.

After that, we returned to their home in the Ponderosa forest. I had a great time visiting them and miss them a lot. They showed me pictures of my Grandad's 90th birthday celebration last year where all of the family and grandchildren were present, save myself. I wish I could have gone, but the distance and work demands made things impossible. Their Sunday school class had put on a huge production for his birthday, and Evorine flew out all the family for the epic event. Regardless, it was great to see them again and be reunited.

I also managed to visit hike up Thumb Butte, a popular natural spot that dominates the skyline of the sleepy little town of Prescott. I fondly recall hiking up there with friends and even my Grandad years ago. It also has some great rock climbing along its South face that I remember climbing with friends I've long since lost touch with. Here's to you Will Turnage and Jonathan Dunn!

Natsukashii desune.

Before I Forget.... Oze National Park

Before I completely forget about it and become engrossed in the myriad tasks before me, I should mention that one week before I left Japan, I visited my longtime friend Mie Ito, who now works in a lodge near Oze National Park in Japan. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Oze, it is a large alpine marsh located high in a mountain range in Southwest Fukushima. It borders Gunma and Niigata ken. All you really need to know is that it is a long drive from where I lived up in the mountains.
I drove three hours up through rain to see her and the beautiful park in which Mie resides and works. In one sense I lucked out, as a week of rain preceded and quickly followed the single day I spent with Mie and her friends from the lodge. In another sense I wasn't lucky, as I missed the blooming of the park's famous flowers by about 1 week.

I arrived late in the evening and Mie's co-workers were hospitable enough to let me stay at the lodge. The next morning, Mie and I hiked through famous Oze National Park. And it was definitely worth it. The pristine unspoiled forest and mountains swept down into a waterlogged marshland meandering through the mountains. The trail, constructed of cut timber sections, wandered through the marshland, and kept our feet from getting wet. Old people and photographers flock to see Oze's blooming flowers. They all bloom approximately 1 week after you arrive (late July). Bird watchers blow their bird calls and peer through binoculars at their avian friends.
It was a wonderful hike, if kind of quiet. Both Mie and I knew this was my last hu-rah. Nevertheless, I got some beautiful pictures. I hope you like them. I managed to make a few new friends in the area also. Mie's co-workers all turned out to be wonderful people. One girl named Mayumi, happened to be the aunt of a second year student of mine at Katahira JHS! Small world I suppose.

When I first arrived back in the USA, I found that I had received a letter from Mie and another friend of hers, Takao. I hope to come back again someday.

Days Under the Eastern Sun

This particular post was about 2 years in the making. Below is a highlighted collection of my positive memories and experiences during my three years in Japan. I've chosen all the best stuff and my most positive memories in this compilation. Most recent posts appear first, with special posts highlighted.

Oze National Park July 2007
Returning to America: Over the Pond: July 2007
Got the Visa!
Towa Road Race Half Marathon, July 2007
Parasailing at Goreibitsu Pass
Calvin & Hobbes in the Classroom
The Dali Museum in the Hills, June 2007
Very Bad Timing, June 2007
Engrish With the Art Club
Sakuranbo Half Marathon
Student Impressions of Me, June 2007
Teiden (Blackout)
My First & Last Funeral in Japan
Great Persons: Ito Mie
Rainy Season Blues, May 2007
Driving Lessons in the Country, May 2007
Growing Rice with Sanpei Sensei
Sending Hikari to Australia
Crazy Nut on the Phone
Great Persons: Sakuma Kyouto Sensei
Sailing Through Golden Week
Koriyama City Marathon
Sanpei Sensei & Hanami, April 2007
Shinzo Abe, Japanese PM, Comes to Koriyama, April 2007
Hiwada Park Cherry Blossoms, April
Job Hunting & A Party: March 2007
Japanese Junk Food
Skiing with the Hearing Impaired, March/Feb 2007
Okinawa Food
The Sake Factory & Ramen Alley Feb 2007
Ghenghis Khan in Sapporo
Brenden: The Human Bowling Ball in Sapporo
The Sapporo Yuki Matsuri, Feb 2007
Sampling Monja For the First Time
The Crazy English Language
English Camp Happened Awhile Ago, January 2007
The Beginning of the End
English Camps
Himeji Jo Castle and Hiroshima, December 2006
2006 Bon Enkai: Year End Party
Seasonal Road Closings & Fukushima Snow
Deadly Food Allergies in Japan, December 2006
Katahira JHS PTA Party, November 2006
Christmas Shopping in Sendai with Kumiko
Learning In a Taxi
Children's Ballet at the Bunka Centaa, November 2006
Shopping with Brenden & Debbie, November 2006
Sukagawa Fire Festival in November
Friends from Hanamaki
Multifarious Friday Night
Emerging Japanese Fluency
A Day in Nikko with Erika
Around the World Farewell Party
Motomiyamachi Festival & the Dashi, October 2006
Stretching with Students
School Festival Weekend
Japanese Rice Harvest, Fall 2006
Karaoke With 5 Year Olds, October 2006
Whale Meat for Lunch
Sailing Inawashiro with the Koriyama Yacht Club
Saturday At Xaverio JHS
Giant Japanese Wasps
Mount Adatara with the Japanese Class
Yanaizu & Enzou-ji with Jake & Junko
Basketball, Tennis, & Ping Pong
Tarako Pasta Sauce Commercial
New Japanese Driver's License, September 2006
Kamakura & the Daibutsu, Sept. 2006
Befuddled Old Coin Dealer
Coin Collecting & Kamakura
The Aerobics Instructor
My Weekend in Japanese, Sept 2006
September Festival in Hanamaki with Brenden Pitt
Motomiya Song at Japanese Class
Ohze Park Cactus House, July 2006
Lazy Summer Day in Koriyama, July 2006
First Half Marathon in Nihonmatsu in July
Last Saturday's International Day
Yamadera Last Week, June 2006
Crazy Weekend in the Cave, June 2006
Wedding Bells in Koriyama Fashion Show
The Sushi Taisho
Getting Warmer in Japan
8th Grader with a Business Card
My English Conversation Class
Letter from Hazuki, June 2005
Hiking in Sukagawa
Evening with Paipin from my Japanese Class
Today, May 2006
Koriyama City Chutairen in May 2006

Cantina Loredo

While I lived in Japan, I found most of the food quite delicious. I would even go so far to say that I prefer some of it to American food at this point. But Japan has no substitute for good Mexican food and during my entire stay, I sorely missed cheese enchiladas, burritos, chimichangas, chile rellenos, and guacamole.

So I was absolutely stoked when I visited my Aunt Dee and she took me to the best Mexican restaurant in Dallas, Cantina Laredo. My Aunt Dee has been a regular customer there for the 15 years she's been in Dallas, and knows all the managers and wait staff. I ordered the totally awesome Camaron Poblano Asada. It was a steak wrapped around a giant pepper stuffed with shrimp and cheese. Way cool! If you live near a Cantina Laredo, you absolutely must go eat this!

In fact, the dish was so good, I begged my Aunt Dee to drive me back again so that I could eat it twice and photograph it. Regular readers will know I rarely take pictures of my food. I always feel like a cheesehead when I do. But this particular item was one of those rare dishes worthy of a photograph!

I had fun talking with my Aunt Dee during my two visits. We talked about our mutual relatives, politics, careers, life, and just about anything else you can think of. She's always generous and we always have a good time together. She even lets me drive her Benz around!

Denver, Dallas, and a ServiceMaster Convention

I didn't have too much time to recover from crossing the Pacific, as I left Wednesday for Dallas Texas. My mother's sister, beloved Aunt Deanna Godemann resides in Dallas. It also happened to be the location of ServiceMaster's yearly national convention. It is also from Dallas where I would fly to Phoenix and visit Arizona. I was glad to see my Aunt Dee, because working in Kuwait will probably preclude me from visiting her during Thanksgiving, where she hopes to host the entire family.

I also managed to catch Servicemaster's guest speaker this year, Colin Powell. The retired Gulf War General and former secretary of state was invited (paid) to speak to the gathered franchise owners. He gave an entertaining speech for the crowd and is quite funny. I also got a chance to visit briefly with some other ServiceMaster folks I hadn't seen in a long time, including the Dillons and the Isaacsons.

I had more fun hanging out with my Aunt Dee, her feline companion His Royal Highness Sir Winston, and Aunt Dee's Benz. While Dallas leaves a little to be desired (all of Texas is a veritable armpit according to my Aunt Dee), I had a good time hanging with my mother's older sister.

Over the Pond

After getting my visa at the Kuwaiti embassy, I went on down to Shibuya to gather some coins at the coin dealer. He didn't have what I needed.

I then wandered over to Narita Airport and boarded a Boeing 777 bound for San Francisco. The flight was uneventful. The food wasn't very good. The movie with Mark Wahlberg was OK. I passed an inordinate amount of time watching stupid sitcoms and a screen with a map on it like this one. I arrived in Denver later than expected.

But I had a heavy heart the whole time, as my life in Japan is over. I'm getting in touch with friends and family again, but I'm finding it difficult. My life and home were and in some ways still are in Japan. People over here don't really get that. Everyone talks of me being home. But I don't feel home at all.

Got the Visa!

Endless frustration, stress, and a drain on the wallet ended Tuesday Morning (Tokyo time), when the Kuwaiti Embassy in Tokyo granted me my work visa to travel to Kuwait. Unlike the JET Programme, whose army of bureaucrats take it upon themselves to do everything for JET participants, my school in Kuwait has decided to do the more grown up thing and let me bumble my way through the process myself! To get a visa to Kuwait it seems, you need most or all of the following. As this varies considerably depending on who you are talking to, its best to have them all in your posession. 1. A work permit from your Kuwaiti employer 2. A valid passport that has a few more pages left and isn't completely over-run with all that worthless junk that the Japanese customs officials keep pasting, and stapling into it. 3. A visa application form to apply for a visa. (duh.) 5. A copy of your residency permit in Japan (if you live there and you aren't Japanese). They don't seem to mind if it expires the day after you show up. 6. A criminal background check from your hometown. (The Kuwaiti embassy in Japan wanted a background check from Koriyama. I thought they wanted one from the USA). Of all people, they don't realize that if I commit a crime, the Japanese will deport me? In the end, they were cool though, and let me just give them the one I had from Littleton. 7. A health check showing myself to be free of communicable diseases, including tuberculosis, polio, measles, mumps, SARS, bird flu, chicken pox, ADHD, athlete's foot, bad dandruff, Tourette's syndrome, Anthrax, halitosis, strep throat, and cheesy Mexican food induced constipation. 8. Shots for Tetanus, Hepatitis A, and 5 other conditions above. (may or may not be required. No doubt necessary for the next mountain of paperwork I'll face when I actually arrive in Kuwait). Also not available at the same location as the health check. 9. An HIV test. Because this is Japan, getting this test at the same time and location as the health check and the shots would be too sensible and convenient! So you will have to go to four different locations throughout your city, as each hospital only performs one test and/or gives one shot! Four to 5 days of time off will be required to collect all required health documents. 10. Passport pictures. Crosseyed pictures or other silly nonsense strictly forbidden! At least they don't have a restriction on smiles like the Japanese DMV. 11. Second copies of all of the above. Awhile ago, I discovered to my charign that I must make a trip in person to the Kuwaiti embassy in the USA to get my visa. So I call the Kuwaiti embassy in Japan hoping that I can get my visa taken care of there, as I don't really have the time, money, or desire to go to Washington, DC. They tell me that I'm usually supposed to go the Kuwaiti embassy in the USA in order to take care of this matter. But they also tell me that they will ask for "permission from the ministry" to do it here in Japan. Great. So I wait a bit. I haven't heard back so I call/email again. They repeat the line from above and ask for my residency permit from Japan. I wait another week and ask about things again. They repeat the same line and ask me wait for their response. I have about a week to go before I leave for the USA when I hear this, so I give up and resolve to start the process over when I get back home. At this point I'm really stressing about getting my visa. Then, less than 24 hours before I'm scheduled to depart for Japan, I get an email from the Kuwaiti embassy that they can process my visa application here. Fantastic! Except that your website states that it takes two days to process the visa. The earliest I could arrive would be 8:00 AM the following morning, giving them 6 hours at best before I would have to leave for the airport. Waking up at an unholy hour, I travel down to the Kuwaiti embassy, leaving 80 kg of my worldly posessions in 3 "king size" coin lockers in Tokyo's Ueno station. I even have to unpack one bag so it all fits. I get to the Kuwaiti embassy wondering if they are going to be able to do it in record time, as I have to be on a plane that evening. They quickly point out that I forgot to get everything notarized. So they give me the location where I can get everything "notarized." I had forgotten what that term even meant. They tell me to hurry. So I take a cab down there. I get to the office and a little old lady has me sign a piece of paper that simply says " I do solemnly affirm that these documents are whatever I happen to say they are." She then lets me write a description of the things I need notarized. She then stamps everything with a big official looking rubber stamp thing. I try not to snicker and laugh at the absurdity of it all. Then she charges me 11,500 yen (almost 100 US dollars) for the privilege. I try not to get angry at the absurdity of it all. I manage to get out of the office and back at the embassy by 10:30. I'm still not sure whether they will be able to process the visa in less than 2 days. They go ask the consul about getting it done today and tell me that they can have it done in time for my flight home. Success! The Kuwaiti Embassy in Japan is currently the most awesome place in the world! Then they fill my passport with more papers, stamps and junk. It will be completely full by this time next year. I now have just enough time to go down to Shibuya and find that coin dealer who should have all the pieces I need to fill my collection. Unfortunately, he only has 4 of the 15 or so that I never managed to find on my own. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

Libby's Pardon: Something to Chew On

Here's something for you all to chew on while I'm busy. So first, they illegally expose an undercover CIA agent. Then this guy lies and obstructs justice to protect the administration from this crime. Then Bush commutes his sentence and refuses to rule out a full pardon (No doubt in the works after the 2008 elections are conveniently over.

In any event, here's the op-ed piece from the Washington Post.

Pray for Me

I'm under an intense amount of stress right now and I've got way too much on my plate.

I feel like I'm on a boat careening toward Niagara falls as I vainly try to backpedal.

Seriously, I'm going to be really busy, really stressed, and crazy these next few weeks. Be patient if I don't update as much as you'd like.

Also, if you all don't mind saying a prayer for me (or two) I would be grateful.

Towa Road Race Half Marathon

This marks the second time I've run the Towa Half Marathon. My time this go round was 1 hour 41 minutes and 15 seconds. Kind of Disappointing, considering I came in at nearly exactly the same time last year, down to the minute.

Towa is actually a town outside Nihonmatsu. Despite the time, things were a little better during the race this time around. It was a sunny day as opposed to the rain last year, so I got to see what a beautiful area the place was. I ran into Peter, my English teaching counterpart in that town. Somehow or another he'd gotten browbeaten into volunteering for the race and was sporting an official looking (i.e. dorky) uniform. I did compliment him on how pretty his town on the hill is.

It was a beautiful day, and as I ran down the hill, I could see the entire valley painted green and Mount Adatara standing on the opposite side of the valley. The flowers were blooming and they were selling cherries at the finish line. Besides a disappointing finish, a little knee trouble afterwards, and tons of stressful things to occupy my mind, it couldn't have been a better run.

Para Sailing at Goreibitsu Pass

Emi and I were enjoying a cloudy day hike at Goreibitsu Pass when we encountered all these Para Sailers. Here are the shots we took with our camera phones. I'm having Emi email me her pics later on as well. Its a lovely drive up to Goreibitsu and I was always puzzled by the sight of this big bald spot on the saddle between the mountains. Now I know what people use it for.

I was a bit surprised to see parasailers. If there is any generalization you could make about Japanese culture it is an immensely safety consious country and extremely cautious. But if you look hard enough you find folks doing just about everything.

I've never done para-sailing, but I've always wanted to try it. If I play my cards right, I might get a chance to go sky-diving this summer instead.

Calvin & Hobbes in the Classroom

The Japanese love comics. Half their bookstores are devoted to “manga,” which means comics. The English textbook my schools use contains a reading passage about Japanese Comics. Before class Kanno Sensei asked me if I wanted to share about American comic books. I immediately thought of Bill Watterson’s Calvin & Hobbes.

I explained about newspaper strips in the United States and their significance and mentioned Peanuts, Snoopy being recognizable and popular in Japan. I then presented comic strips with no words and easy English that I thought the students could read. These proved difficult to find, because Calvin is known for his big vocabulary! To help the kids relate to the unfamiliar boy and his tiger companion, I compared him to his Japanese counterpart, Kureyon Shinchan.

Like Calvin, Shinchan is a boy who drives his parents crazy with rudeness, crazy antics, and misbehavior. By Japanese standards, Shinchan can be quite outrageous, at times offending more traditional folks. On the TV version he moons everyone at least once a week.

Luckily the kids took to the idea of Calvin as the American Kureyon Shinchan. Unfortunately, they seemed more interested in which Japanese manga and anime (cartoons) were popular in the USA than Calvin & Hobbes. They found some of the prints quite funny though. A few kids asked for more after class. I happily obliged.

Kureyon Shinchan might be difficult for American audiences. Without knowing social expectations in Japan, Shinchan wouldn't be very funny. But he's hilarious if you live in Japan. Even if Calvin was heavily marketed, I honestly don't know how well he would be recieved in Japan.

I've decided to include a few Calvin and Hobbes strips for everyone to see. These do not necessarily constitute the best strips, but I think they are all above average.
Also, here's a great website with most, if not all of the Calvin & Hobbes comic strips.
Here's the official daily Calvin & Hobbes website from gocomics.com.

The Dali Museum

Koriyama is not the center of the Japan by any stretch. Japan’s economy, society, and culture orbit around Tokyo, Osaka, or Kyoto. Their rich histories date back hundreds and sometimes thousands of years. Large cosmopolitan populations congregate around the money and jobs of thriving automobile and consumer electronics firms. Koriyama would be like the Mobile, Alabama of Japan.

In what I’m guessing was typical at the time, the Meiji era brought an aqueduct to irrigate rice fields that continue to define the landscape today. Thus Koriyama was born! There are no castles, truly remarkable landmarks, or other historic sites in the area. While I like Koriyama and its people, I must admit Koriyama is a jumble of drab, concrete eyesores surrounded by rice fields and mountains. There’s a reason I don’t have many pictures of my city in this blog. Surrounding areas are more scenic, but also much more provincial and rural. The “inaka” consists of tiny hamlets of old people tending their rice fields (young people typically leave after high school for obvious reasons).

So you may be surprised to learn that along a tiny two lane highway through the mountains, (in an area roughly analogous to Pagosa Springs in CO, Camp Verde in AZ, or Needles in California) lies the Morohashi Museum of Modern Art. Locally people refer to it as, “The Dali Museum.” About 2/3 of the museum’s floor space is nothing but Dali. You know Salvador Dali right? The Spanish guy who painted all the melting clocks, elephants with insect legs, and naked people with drawers coming out of them? Surely you’ve seen his trademark melting clocks! Why somebody built a very decent Dali museum in a rural mountain backwater like Inawashiro is anyone’s guess, but that was the museum to which Emi and I went.



I learned a few interesting things about Dali. A prolific sculptor as well as painter, his sculptures are just as strange and intriguing as his paintings, although it is obvious that many times he just started sculpting what he had previously painted. The melting clocks and paintings were very cool. All of his melting clocks are stopped at the time Atomic bombs detonated. One famous painting I saw, The Three Sphinxes of Bikini features people’s heads and tree branches as symbols for mushroom clouds over Bikini Island. Havent seen this one since that Humanities class in College. He drew inspiration for a great deal of his paintings from the early Atomic Age.



They also had a large collection of boring paintings by some woman named Marie Laurencin (yawns and snores). Her dainty pastels of melancholy ladies cured my persistent insomnia and could be developed into alternative anesthetics for the oral surgeon’s office! Let’s hope for the museum’s sake that these do not make up their permanent collection. But the one Picasso I saw there definitely rocked.

OK, I won't lie! While I enjoyed Dali and wanted to take his paintings home, I didn't learn all that much. I spent most of my time joking around with Emi and making fun of Marie Laurencin. Still, Dali is something to be seen. Also, I can't claim to have seen every painting of Dali's featured on this blog. I saw a sculpture that looked just like the Anthropomorphic Dresser, and I saw the Three Sphinxes of Bikini, but the other paintings I can't claim to have seen (yet). Still, an impressive museum devoted to Dali. If you ever find yourself in the village of Inawashiro, go see their Dali Museum!

Very Bad Timing

Most readers know I'm not thrilled about leaving Japan. I seriously contemplated a fourth year for a number of reasons. Quite frankly, I like life here in Japan. While life isn’t perfect, and can be downright frustrating, I like my social life and my group of friends. While I was definitely growing tired of some of the more tedious aspects of my job, I was willing to do it for another year for the opportunity to stick around. I certainly didn’t see myself in Japan forever, but I’m not quite ready to leave.

Professionally, I should be leaving. The fact is, an Assistant English Teacher can’t really go anywhere here in Japan. Pay is livable, but stagnant. The job is nice, but a dead end. My job is easy so other skills I possess are at risk of eroding. I consider myself extremely lucky to have landed the job I did in Kuwait with Universal American School. Quite frankly, the position looks thrilling, exciting, (and I must admit somewhat intimidating).

But what do you do when you meet someone new that you really want to know? I suppose readers want to know that I’m spending a lot of time with a girl named Emi. We met at the gym I frequent. Everything about her is great except for the completely awful timing. She’s a nurse in a nearby town called Nihonmatsu. She’s funny, lots of fun, very pretty, always smiling, and brightens everyone’s day. She goes to the same gym but I never even saw her until a few weeks ago! Why couldn't I have met her a year ago?


On the day we took these pictures, we were hiking near Lake Hibarako and went to the World’s most out of place art museum to look at paintings by Dali.

Duke: Someone Else's Editorial & My Rant

I never followed the whole sordid story at Duke until the players were exonerated. I also don't claim to know more about the American legal and criminal justice system than most educated Social Studies teachers. While I can talk intelligently on the subject, I can't say I'm an expert by any means. Nor did I investigate the article's statistics. But I'm still going to recomend this article for no other reason than I think he's right.

One Off Offing: Why you won't see a disbarment like Mike Nifong's again.

Call me cynical and pessimistic, but I think this editorial is right on the money. Mike Nifong went down in flames as he should have! He should be cained for ruining those guys. They plan on suing him, but lets face it: DAs and prosecutors get fabulous immunity from lawsuits (for obvious reasons). Even the best lawyers will probably have an ordeal getting any kind of settlement out of that jerk.

Seriously, let's all admit it. The only reasons these guys aren't in prison right now is because:

• Their folks were filthy rich and hired the best legal guns and PR talent that only old moneyed people at a place like Duke could possibly afford.
• They were demonstrably innocent to a degree most defendents never are.
  
• They're white. Come on folks, would the media really care so much had they been black guys on Duke's basketball team? Que our last point...
  
• The entire nation was watching everything on TV.

Nifong was a bad prosecutor. But I have trouble believing that he was particularly incompetent or dumb. He probably just did what he would normally do under similar circumstances. Media attention was on him, so he probably wanted to appear tough (harboring political ambitions are we?). This time though, he underestimated who he was up against. A few simple mistakes spiraled out of control. Even so, the best lawyers money can buy show up and commentators STILL say the boys are lucky! Gosh, What would have happened to me in their shoes?

While I consider myself relatively privileged by American standards, I certainly wasn't in the same league with these lacrosse players. I'm convinced my parents love me. Had something like this happened when I was at NAU, they would probably have taken out a second mortgage and maxed out the credit cards to make bail and help out. But my folks don't have hundreds of thousands of dollars lying around to keep me out of the slammer! Eventually, I'd get stuck with some lazy, two bit, court appointed, law-school grad rookie begrudgingly doing Pro bono work!*

Even if I got off like the lucky boys at Duke, my folks certainly wouldn't have had the millions in legal fees to extract a modicum of justice in a lawsuit (probably a crapshoot anyways). I shudder to think what would have happened to me or my friends in similar circumstances. A shortened prison term in exchange for a plea agreement? Shorter if I ratted out friends? Parole after a few years? Calling all legal experts to speculate on what my fate would have been!

*Disclaimer: I'm just being sarcastic and cynical here. I don't really mean to demean all court appointed criminal defense lawyers! I'm sure many of you are the dedicated, hard working public servants that everyone deserves (including folks at Guantanamo)! If nothing else, this case certainly highlights the desperate necessity for good criminal defense attorneys!

Engrish with the Art Club

I can't live in Japan and not do at least one post about the silly English you see around here.

I was hanging out with Asaka JHS’s art club the other day. They are a fun bunch of mostly girls who sit around after school, gossip, and draw or trace cartoons in the distinctive Japanese manga/anime style. The characters have big oversize eyes, flat faces, and very dramatic hairdos. We were talking and laughing and the subject of the English on their bags, notebooks, and folders came up. I was telling them that they often have big errors, are incomprehensible, or outlandishly funny. They instantly asked me to start translating the stuff on their bags. Here are some of the following:

• Who is the person who ate my cake?
• Stars are always twinkling on our heads.
• I want to see strange people in South and North country.
• There’s no reason for loving.
• Special Happy Time! (With accompanying photo of a morbidly obese blonde girl shoveling ice cream into her mouth; kind of disturbing.)
  

The kids couldn’t stop laughing at the translations I provided. I’m not sure whether it was my lousy Japanese or the absurdity of the messages printed on their things. Probably both. I’ve become immune to most of the bad English used in graphic design and only occasionally find something hilarious anymore. If you aren’t so jaded and desensitized to it as I am, feel free to look at this website for a few laughs. www.engrish.com

But bad English isn’t limited to Japan. Its quite prominent in some of the other asian countries I’ve been to, such as Thailand, Cambodia, and Korea. I even spied some strange things during my trip to Europe (although I don’t recall anything specific or particularly funny). Anyways, just go to www.engrish.com for a good laugh.

Also, don't think this is because Asians are lazy and can't translate English. These are part of the graphic design of products and aren't really intended to communicate anything. Americans with Chinese character tattoos might be an apt analogy for understanding what's going on. Americans with chinese tattos like the look and wouldn't be expected to have the communicative competency to avoid a silly error.

Forgive Me if I'm Skeptical: Nigerian E-mail

I've been in Japan for awhile, a notoriously safe island country. Its people definitely posess a naivete and gullability befitting such a safe and orderly island culture. I suppose some of this has naturally rubbed off on me.

Moreover, my father has even at times accused me of being a "bleeding heart liberal," and I plead guilty as charged on many counts. Yesterday, I even had a student at Asaka JHS try to slap a large piece of tape on my back with "fool" scribbled in Japanese. (Wow! Nobody ever thought of doing anything like that before!) My folks can verify that I even flunked kindergarden! (The kids on the playground never let me forget it either!) And I'll be the first to admit my Neanderthal demeanor and poor table manners leave people thinking that perhaps I'm not playing with a full deck.

But do I truly look so boneheaded as to respond to the following?

With Respect,

I am Olivier Thomas and My sister is Rosemary Thomas. Our parents Mr. and Mrs.David Thomas were assassinated here in IVORY COAST. Before my father died, he had SEVEN MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS kept in a well concealed trunk box and deposited with a security company here in Abidjan. I want you to do me a favour to receive this fund to a safe account in your country or any safer place as the beneficiary. I have plans to do investment in your country, like in real estate and industrial productions or any other profitable sector in your economy. This is my reasons for contacting you. Please if you are willing to assist me and my only sister, indicate your interest by replying.
Thanks and best regard.
Olivier Thomas

Seriously, to all Nigerian/Ivory Coast email scam dudes out there, if you want to swindle me out of my money, the least you could do is use my first name! Get a clue Olive Boy!

Sakuranbo Half Marathon

今日は山形県の東根町さくらんぼマラソン大会走りました。1時間39分懸かりました。楽しかったよ！でも私の足が痛いですね！後で高いさくらんぼを買いました。おいしかっただよ！

Like most Japanese road races, the Sakuranbo Marathon is not actually a full Marathon, but a 5K for old people, a 10K for the slightly less adventurous, and a half marathon for everyone else. This particular race was in Higashine, high in the mountains of Yamagata prefecture Northwest of Koriyama. This race is quite well known and popular for “Sakuranbo,” or cherries. The entire region’s economy and reputation revolve around exporting exceptionally delicious (and exceptionally expensive) cherries.

Despite weather concerns, the race itself proved quite pleasant. Cherry orchards and rice fields cover the lush green valley system as it carves a path through rugged Japanese Mountains. The course meandered through the heart of Yamagata cherry country and the biggest cherry and apple orchards with commanding views across the valley. The orchards and valley might have been the most beautiful in Japan, were it not for the fact that translucent plastic tent structures covered every single cherry tree. Forgetting my camera proved no great loss, as all the orchards across the countryside lay beneath a blanket of rusty scaffolding and white plastic sheeting.

Having previously spent the night with Yohei and family, I didn't have very far to go.

The tiny little hamlet of Higashine hosts the race at the local Jeitai (Japanese Self Defense Force) military base in the area, being the only place large enough to handle parking, thousands of racers, and all the spectators. I was shocked that such a remote race was is also one of the most popular races in the region.

A minor snafu almost turned into a complete tragedy when I FORGOT MY NUMBER TAGS AND TIMING CHIP! Fortunately I explained what happened to the race coordinators and they had an extra tag for me to use. No problems there. The rain from the previous night and the morning also had me worried, and I almost decided to forget the whole thing. 30 minutes before the race started, the rain cleared up. 10 minutes before the race, blue skies were peaking out from the west. By the time the race was finished, I knew I was getting sunburned.

The race proved to be easier than the Towa Half Marathon, as the area was relatively flat. About half way through the race though, I found that my target pace was simply not sustainable, and I was going to be lucky to finish in 1 hour and 35 minutes. I ultimately finished in 1 hour and 41 minutes, almost exactly my time for the half marathon in Towa. My knees and left ankle certainly weren’t happy with me.

I also ran into (literally) a guy I had met on a couple of occasions before named Nathaniel. He drove us to an onsen hot spring after the race to soothe our muscles. All the racers got a t-shirt and a small package of cherries and onigiri at the finish line. I suspect the entire race is one big conspiracy between cherry growers and the local chamber of commerce. Regardless of their sinister purposes, the cherries they gave away were undeniably delicious.

Note to Readers: This post is two weeks behind schedule but I will try to be caught up tomorrow.