Recently, after returning home from work I’ve been hiking up Mt. Magata, conveniently located just down my street. Right now, the cicadas are out in full force and their incessant cries drown out the sound of my own footsteps as I ascend the paved hiking trail. The heat under the (natural, not planted!) forest canopy is quite oppressive, and the mosquitoes dive bomb at fresh meat quite mercilessly, so I usually only hike up and back down again.
Yesterday, though, I was feeling spunky, and after descending halfway down the slope I turned around and jogged another circuit up the steps. I like exercising up there because it’s basically deserted; the only time I’ve seen people other than joggers up there is in the spring, for the majestic sakura bloom. Then it becomes crowded with the drunk and merry – basically the bane of my people-hating inaka existence. So it was with great disappointment that I spotted a young couple ascending the trail as I carefully made my final descent.
As I got closer, I realized that they were high school age, and that they were fighting about something. The guy was yelling at the girl in that ear-grating, wannebe-tough Japanese guy sort of way, and my feelings of resentment at them for invading my territory gradually gave way to pity for the girl for having an asshole boyfriend. More than anything, I did not want them to ruin my mountain vibe.
So as I passed them, I said in a friendly manner, “Hey, watch out – there’s a snake at the top of the stairs!”
The girl actually bowed and thanked me politely for the heads-up, and the guy said excitedly, “let’s go check it out!”
And with that, they bolted off, all worries forgotten.
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PS – The question you are burning to ask, it is not the point.
Author: Justin
Marriage in Japan, redux
Found this interesting (and, as far as I can tell, accurate) node over at everything: How to marry a Japanese person
The author’s conclusion is that “international marriages do not work under Japanese law.” I think this a bit extreme, but some of the points outlined certainly defy all logic. Interesting reading, anyway.
Speed Tribes
Holy shit! I just read a supercritical review of Speed Tribes! By a real Karl Taro hater!
Karl Taro does drugs! Karl Taro ineffectively mixes fact and fiction! Karl Taro BAD!!!
Now, I can see why some think the book is overrated (it was covered in both Wired and Time back in the day; it is apparently required reading in some Japanese courses back in the states). I can see how some might not agree with the subject matter. What I fail to see is how this can be considered a book not worth reading.
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As for the authenticity of it – did people like the characters in his book really exist in Japan? – I assure you, they still do, and in great numbers. If that doesn’t matter, have a fun time living in that wonderful bubble you’ve created, even as you accuse others of doing the same.
Worst nightmare
I have a hole in my bottom left molar, I assume from a cavity. I thought I’d wait until I go to Bangkok to get it worked on (medical care in Bangkok is excellent and cheap), but I spent a few minutes examining it in the mirror, and I basically think the tooth is being held together by a previous filling. It probably needs to be removed, or at least I’ll need a crown.
Going to the dentist in Japan is just a major pain in the ass – they make you visit multiple times for any work, sometimes even for routine cleaning. Nam had to get a couple fillings and a cleaning a couple years ago, and she ended up going every week for three or four months!
Plus, there’s the whole thing about me being a gigantic pussy about dental work.
Dog vs. Lizard
Nam sent a series of her crazy minpin mix, Gen, going after a lizard in our yard in Mahasarakham. (Click on any of the photos to open a larger version of it in a new window.)
Note the wild beady eyes of a predator on the hunt.
Can’t quite figure out who is attacking who in this photo.
Nature is cruel, but one thing is apparent – our side yard at the new house is a veritable Thunderdome (and I already have an idea of who the current champion is).
why I love my local baker
I walk into his store after not buying any bread for three months and he says, “thanks for coming by last night.” Which makes no sense coming from a normal baker, but this guy usually opens his store at 2 or 3 in the morning so I guess it’s possible, perhaps in a food-oriented bout of somnambulism…
One loaf of homemade bread and a heaping dose of self-puzzlement, coming right up!
August 6th
Let’s just pretend today is still the sixth. With that in mind:
- Today I ate my favorite dish at my favorite seafood place in town (anago-don at Uomasa)
- I walked to the beach with friends, both old and new
- I washed nary a dish, because we ate out all day
- We watched 5,000 fireworks at the annual show in town, barely 200 meters from the launch area
- We watched Breakin’ and the Last Dragon (Sho ‘nuf!) in a sudden fit of 80’s nostalgia (anybody remember Vanity? Also, we discovered perhaps Jean Claude Van Damme’s earliest movie appearance – as a silent [thank god] extra in Breakin’)
- I received calls and messages from all over the world, all day long
- I congratulated myself for having the foresight to take tomorrow off work – this, if nothing else, shows some promising personal growth
Today was a good day to turn 32 – I feel special things are gonna happen this year. It’s gonna be a great one.
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Cultural Point of Interest – Japan’s Economy Fueled Entirely by Cellphone Packet Fees
We watched the fireworks show from Ohama Beach, a ten minute walk from my house. Like I said, we were right by the mortars and the sound was felt more than heard. The fireworks with low trajectories lit up the surface of the sea to reveal a fleet of pleasure craft anchored just outside the danger zone; I saw twenty times more boats off the coast of Sumoto on this single night than I’ve ever seen before. But that wasn’t the most interesting thing:
The fireworks were great, but in the end they are just fireworks…
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Much more impressive was the sheer number of LCD screens lighting up the night as people recorded photos/video on their keitai cameras:
Hey, if a massive tsunami had hit us right then, at least our demise would have been very well documented…
Guess my cynicism isn’t really improving with age…
Or, maybe it is.
Pugalicious
Damn I posted a lot today. But there’s a link a reader sent me that made me laugh out loud: Go forth
Uh-oh, that’s the second pug link in a week… Guess I’m turning pansy. Here’s a nasty joke to compensate for my self-perceived emasculation. (Check out the whole site that link’s from – hilarious!)
