Beatles

24 September 2007: Hello (soo-a s'day) Cambodia, Goodbye (sayonara) Claire, Lauren, Tomo, and Japan.

Image from: jackie

Battle

23 September 2007: Here are my Sumo Tournament highlights:

During the Yokozuna (highest rank) ceremonial entrance, Hakuho did an awesome rise from a stomp where he worked his feet slowly inside and out while edging forward, bit by bit.

Most winners were from one ringside and most wins were by pushing the wrestler out of the ring. However, there were two ring double-toss outs where judges had to decide the winner, a few flip overs, a few pull/slap down belly flops, and my favorite - a bull fighter getting out of the way of a charging train that never had his eyes on his opponent. These men are nimble dump trucks with strong arms.

After Hakuho won the tournament, he rode out on a car, while all the other sumo walk, taxi, or train out. I turned to look around and found a sumo wrestler and his guard walking beside me.

He was being followed by a crowd and, eventually, lights and a television camera. I put out my hand and asked him: Thumb wrestle?

He gave me a quizzical look and kept walking. Drat.

I should have prepped: Yubi sumo? He was probably intimidated by my mighty yokozuna.

Images from: jackie

Engage

23 September 2007: Where do all the big breasted sweaty people in Tokyo go?

To the final day of the Ryogoku Kokugikan Grand Sumo Tournament - of course!

I'm shocked how they casually these massive men enter the South gate, while standing out so painfully. They arrive on foot (pictured), the arrive by car (dwarfing the taxi to a clown car), and they take the metro. Everyone loves them.

Today is the final tournament day - I'm in box seats, 15th row with an Australian, Denise. I wandered around the stadium first. This is awesome. Lower rank matches have been going on since the morning, senior wrestlers end the evening's bouts.

The routine is simple, routine, and long... The wrestlers are sung into the ring, enter from their respective sides, and stomp out bad spirits. They step outside to their ringside partners to receive water (only from the previous bout's winner) and re-enter the ring throwing salt.

They face each others, squat, and slowly raise their arms to a clap above their heads. Stomp. And exit again. Another salt toss from the outside, next squat - fists to the ground.

Outside salting #3 and inside squat. At this point, the crowd is done with the tease and begins to bellow as they head back out to their sides of the ring - salting 4 - and then... fight!

Images from: jackie

Wear

22 September 2007: Early morning start to beat the heat.

Kiyomizudori has beautiful wooden stilt supports and a great view of Kyoto. The massive wooden structure has been repeatedly rebuilt. Claire's favorite.

The side streets walk to Kodaiji Temple is rich with stone paved streets and elegant homes. Along the main road I finally saw three geisha - only Kyoto still has geisha. The temple area was more spread out than others, but had a great feel due to the bamboo thickets and temple chanting next door.

Down to Fushimi Inari shrine and paths of orange gates, the South Africans tell me all about it. We ran into each other near the train - I am not a spy.

Image from: jackie

Refresh

21 September 2007: I'm completely relaxed on my metro ride back to the city, even though I just saw these four women naked.

Kurama onsen (baths) did the trick: sauna with incense, outdoor hot springs, Japanese showers. It was a tiny stool, but a blessed muscle relief after climbing the mountain to Kurama-dera.

Back in the city bus stop, I got to talking with an Irishman, Brendan. Turns out he knows Claire though the JET Program. He invited me to join him, 2 Japanese guys, and 2 British girls at ING bar in Gion. My first time joining up with a group when I've been traveling on my own.

I got back grinning and brimming with Sapporo and was welcomed back to my house by two awesome South Africans.

Sights

21 September 2007: In much need of solo time, I head to the ancient Japanese capital, Kyoto.

I preferred Konchi-in rock garden to Nanzen-ji because it was the most beautiful experience in-the-round.

Sosui aqueduct (pictured) opened up beautiful brick arches above hovering branches and stone walkways.

Eikando Temple was awesome. The garden pond was busy and the walkway roofs were low, but the best woodwork and trees and temple and space and pagoda set in the mountainside. Also, it is beside a grade school and you can hear the children playing and laughing!

After lunch I was about to begin the Path of Philosophy, Tetsu-gaku-no-michi, when I bump into my Tokyo hotel dorm-mate. I would not make a good spy.

Image from: jackie

Art

20 September 2007: Benesse Art Site - Naoshima.

Despite the heat, there were cool sights to see: Minamidera "Backside of the Moon" light effects by James Turrell felt like walking into never ending space, even though we were in a Tadao Ando building.

Claire and Lauren make the first guard Hachiman Shrine from the beginning, a, to the end, n.

Image from: jackie

Feet Turrell

19 September 2007: Naosaima Island and the Chichu Art Musuem with Claire and Lauren.

Happy Birthday, Claire!

Image from: jackie

Feet Coach

18 September 2007: Coaching at Kyoyama School with Lauren and Claire.

Image from: jackie

Teacher

18 September 2007: Bike ride to Claire's school, Kyoyama.

The bike ride was a blessed relief from the heat. The students here must swelter - they stay in the same classrooms - the teachers come to them!

We met the principal and staff after a warm welcome. Together the three of us gave a quick lesson in translation: Claire in English, Lauren in Swahili, and me in Spanish. We were accepted with the universal sign of I don't know - the smile and nod.

After school, students participate in mandatory clubs. I was thrilled walking around campus, peering into the basketball and ping pong gym, hearing brass band music all over campus, watching baseball boys outside in the dirt, cheering dance performances, and coaching swim team.

We also got to meet up with one of Claire's buddies, Emi, the school gym teacher and very effective Judo instructor. Check it out.

Images from: jackie

Reader

18 September 2007: Lunch with Claire's Japanese mothers.

One mom frames paper scrolls with Japanese characters. I ask her if there is any character whose image is considered most beautiful or wabi-sabi.

To my surprise she responds that the character has been lost - now most people instead only know Kanji, used for foreign words.

Lesson

17 September 2007: Japanese karaoke is a great way to learn.

I learned karaoke in Japan is totally different from karaoke in America. Instead of a free performance space at an American bar, Japanese karaoke is in a paid, private room.

I learned Japanese by pairing the sounds with characters. We later got home and Claire gave Lauren and I a more complete lesson in Hiragana and Katakana.

I also got to teach English through Styx: Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto...

Green

17 September 2007: Off to the Okayama countryside to visit Claire's friends, Sara and Shuzo, at Wallabis Farm.

The 100 year old Japanese farm house, rice fields, and vegetable garden will soon find the addition of a bread shop. After our fresh lunch we heard stories about other ways in which the countryside has changed.

Their 80 year old neighbors no longer cultivate the forests, which have now become overrun with bamboo. Even wild boars are coming off the hills into the garden. Hunters follow and electric fences are turned on.

Walking around the garden, Lauren's in her ecology element.

Image from: jackie

Plans

16 September 2007: In Yoyogi Park beside Harajuku and Meiji Shrine I met two guys on opposite paths of my host, Claire (Rhubarb a la Mode).

The Melbourne natives plan on teaching English in Japan for 3 years, while Claire taught English through the JET Program for 3 years. The guys are hopeful.

I also told them she's now heading to Melbourne. They were impressed. But this is where their paths diverged...

- What's your mate gonna do in Melbourne?
- She's going to meditate.
- ???

Image from: anthonygrimley

Asakusa

16 September 2007: I am proud to report I have the largest breasts in Japan.

I also sweat the most - it must be a gland thing...

In the marketplace beside Sensoji Temple I snapped a clear picture without foot traffic in front of me. Possible because I was on the open air side, while everyone else was below the market AC vents.

Image from: jackie