Gagaku

The music that was played at the wedding is called Gagaku 雅楽, ancient court music from the Edo period and very beautiful.
I got a CD with is music and to listen to it is fascinating...the artist apparently is a very modern young guy, Togi Hideki, and well known in Japan.






Forgot to tell you that in Fukuoka, when you walk back on the street at night you see small billboards advertising girls and about every other 100 meters.
They have stickers on them, depicting the girls and a telephone number. It's all very illegal but then again, what isn't here in Japan.

Fukuoka

Saturday Mads and I went to Fukuoka, the largest (1.38 million people) city on Kyushu Island. It was heaven..just great to be in the hustle and bustle of a metropolis. We took the highway bus (2,5 hours), a very convenient and luxury method of transportation (4.000 yen round trip).
Checked in to our hotel and walked through the town...good looking people and very friendly.
Saw some beautiful Buddhist temples (called tera 寺) one of which was the Shofukuji , where a priest called Eisai, after study in China introduced Zen-Buddhism and tea to Japan. The other one we visited is called Tochoji, famous for its large Buddha image (10.8 mtrs= 36 ft). Unfortunately it was too dark to get a nice picture.
Next was a visit to a Shinto shrine, called Kushida, 櫛田神社 where we happen to stumble onto a traditional wedding..very impressive indeed. Old Gagaku music was played and the ritual was performed by a shinto priest. Little childeren were also dressed up in the traditonal outfits and they really do look cute. Picked up a Korean guy called Shin Young Gun on the way and together we saw Canal City, a mega shopping complex with water features and a huge MUJI store over three floors. They do celebrate Halloween here in the sense that people do dress up, parents and kids alike, and there is an overabundance of pumpkins everywhere.
Had lunch at the Ramen Stadium, a whole floor where you can only eat ramen ラーメン(noodle soup) from different regions in Japan. Very busy...you had to stand in line with a prepaid ticket.
Major shopping here with megastores like Mitsukoshi, Daimura and other shopping plazas.

Next was Ohori Park, a oasis of peace in Fukuoka with a small lake, not unlike in Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park in London.
Did go to one gaybar called Overall in a district apparently full of bars, with a nice crew behind the bar but few people inside. Tiny as usual but with a modern decor and huge plasma screens, playing Destiny's Child on and on and on..I think it was a DVD they liked.
Back on the bus to Nagasaki at 17.16 and home by 20.00.

Lost...

After todays class I decided it was time to take drastic action and reduce the lecture load. Went up to Takano sensei 先生 (master, teacher etc.) and told him that I have grave difficulties in following all the classes and do the homework for it too. Better to do some subject well then all of them on a mediocre level. He says he understands and will try and come up with a solution. Skip two hours probably per week. That would definitely help.
Have to meet Aki, my tutor, at 14.00, since she is organizing a party for all of the students and their tutors. I hope that it will work to get all of them together on the 2nd November.
From the home front: Paul is entertaining plenty of people at home with drinks and dinners and is following a strict running schedule for the NY marathon on the 6th november. Maybe he will try and go over to Brighton for the weekend for Sandra's birthday (today actually) .
Will let you know about Takano sensei's decision.
Booked my fights to go to Tokyo 東京　from 17 thru 20 november and will see Shigemi (Japanese) and Damion (american), two friends I met in Kobe. Should be nice hanging out with them in a big city once again.
Matta ne

Health Check

This tuesday we had an obligatory 'Health Check' here at the University at 4 p.m.
40 or 50 or more foreign students lined up to get their weight (yes I lost a few pounds..), fatty tissue measurements (too low on that one also), urine sample (OK) and X-ray (no result as yet) checked and done. Absolutely useless...since we were informed afterwards you will need this in case you aspire to a highly qualified job in one or other ministery or want to proceed to take part in higher education ???.
We all did have a lot of fun though doing all this...standing in with our urine samples, taking our clothes off and then putting them on again and all the while little japanese people in white coats running around shouting things nobody understood.
Today boring lectures (wednesday again) and here on the campus too people are collecting money for the earthquake victims in Pakistan. Laudable cause if there ever was one.
Will buy a printer cause up till now I have to ask really friendly at the administrative office when I want something printed and ,nosy as they are, they want to know what it is, what is for and why I want it printed.
Must dash now as I'm doing this bit in between lectures...
By the way Bob...your picture is in the picture collection of friends etc...go have a look.
And Zoran I will take you to Liberty bar...(n.b. streetcar is a tram)

Nagasaki gay scene

During this weekend of regular chores (laundry, cleaning and going to a flea market with Alexandra ... not that there was much to buy, mind you, more old clothes for old women, cups and saucers and loads of Hello Kitty stuff) I decided to explore the Nagasaki Gay Scene (Oxymoron if there ever was one). It does exist and even though there remarkebly few people in the bars (there are three)the people in them are very nice and eager to talk to a stranger.
The first one is called "Ban Ban", close to Ohato, a tiny place on the 1st floor where Kurumi, the owner runs the show. About 48 say and a lively old queen. You can also eat there...as two out of the 4 people present (me included) did. Even met a professor from my University (other department). After this beer onto the next one (10 minutes by streetcar) in Urakami-machi, called "Gu Gu" (names are simple here!), run by Shinsuke a tough looking guy, who laughs a lot (goatee and glasses).
Some of the other people I met are Fukuda (cap the other way around) and Joe ?(with hip glasses and cap).
People don't mind if I take pictures since that is what Japanese people like to do themselves too.
Apparently Friday night is the big night out here..so I hope to go there again sometime.

N.B. The prices are steep....the first drink, whatever it is, costs 1500 yen (ca. 11 euro) and the second 600 yen (ca. 4.40 euro). You do get free fingerfood if you like and can sing to karaoke songs...but nevertheless it is not going to be a regular happening. The third bar, called Liberty, is a bar for the extremely young..i.e. 17 - 19 year olds..so I didn't even bother to go there.
One more drawback..the streetcars stop running at 23.00 hours so after that it's taxi time (or as Zoran calls it 'Public Transportation'). It's not that expensive but after a night out another 1000 yen is just to much.
Thanks for all the emails, folks. I really enjoy them eventhough I do not always respond..since my time at internet access is limited here till I get my own high speed internet connection in about 3 weeks. Mattane (See ya later in Japanese)

Canteen(food)

Like every major institution, this University too has a canteen that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner at reasonable prices. Mostly deep fried food like pork cutlets and fried fish. They have small salads and very good fruit (melon, pears or ananas).
Special here is the Noodle soup time: from 10.00 till 15.00 hours only...and it pays to go there. Three kinds of noodles..ramen, udon and the dark soba are served here with different kinds of broth, made of dashi (fish stock made of bonito, a dolphin look-a-like but not a mammal) and ofcourse the old mizo, water mixed with a soybean paste and really delicious. With that you get either fried oysters, 賭けうどん kake-udon, or a few green leaves and coloured fish slices or even some meat 肉 cut up in stripes.
The only time not to visit here is at 12.00 noon...the whole university seems to be converging upon this place and it's havoc. The other thing is that the tables are quite low and they also have steel beams under them, normally meant to put you bags and coats but for the foreigners it basically means to bash your knees time and time again...
On the right you see Alexandra, Bart and Colin enjoying this great daily event.

And now to the major event of this week...I finally managed to locate the stores where they sell tonicwater...a small osakeya お酒や, liquorstore, with tiny bottles and a supermarket with more western things but again only in small plastic bottles like the ones they sell coca cola in everywhere.. I bought all four bottles to makes sure I will last a week.
So here it is my first G & T created at home and enjoyed on the balcony in the sun at 5 pm...the perfect time.

Did buy some Vodka, V8 (vegetable juice), tabasco and worcestersauce to make a fab Bloody Mary for next Sunday..... Life is looking good...!!!!

Nagasaki town

As promised the view from my window...very pleasant indeed with green hills and little japanese houses creeping up.
Yesterday I had to go to City Hall to get my "Alien registration Card", quite a masterpiece in holographic technique. I need to keep this with me at all times so the police knows who you are, same like in Holland or many other countries where an ID is required. With this I could als go to the Fukuoka Immigration Office, Nagasaki Branch, to get my multiple re-entry permit (only 6.000Yen) in order to be able to travel in and out of the country.

Her are some more snapshots of nagasaki town with it harbour and palmtrees.

They also have trams, 電車, densha. They are a little old from the '50s and all were made in Fukuoka, a big town on Kyushu island. You get in at the back and pay the driver while leaving at the front. A good system and they come around evety 5 minutes or less.

During rush hour it is quite frustrating to be in the back and you have to go all the way to the front..shouting : Sumimasen, sumimasen..in other words..excuse me, excuse me!

Make-over

First of all the view is marred by a huge green net that is to prevent birds coming in or us throwing us of the balconies in despair after a couple of months ...., who can tell.
I will try to get some stunning pictures from another part of the building next time.
There are some very big, and I mean extremely big green coloured spiders hanging in these nets .. and yes I do know they're supposed to eat musquitos etc. but I can't help feeling just a bit scared...so if I'm missing part of my face you will know what has happened.. and no I cannot afford plastic surgery here.

My room was basic , needless to say, but with a few touches it was transformed into a small but luxurious palace befitting a queen.


Please not the darkblue Obi and the handcrafted fan with the Samurai logo on it plus the delicate handwoven cloth in earthtones; all made by women who are appointed to the Imperial court no less.. Well as they say there is royalty and there is royalty !!!





Today we had or kanji-class with an extremely boring woman; she doesn't look at you and just talks for an hour and a half nonstop. Probably hasn't got much going on in her life from the looks of it. She could do with an extreme-make over!!!!

Already had a reaction concerning the picture assembly and yes, Marjan, I'm looking forward to your grandiose picture among most men friends.


Sayonara.....

Room with a view

Today is a glorious day for a couple of reasons.
1st: I got to talk to Paul who is back home safe and sound from Pakistan and went on to run the Amsterdam half marathon yesterday (what's your time ?)
2nd: Got to talk to Chris from London too for quite a bit, as he said with his new job (green frog recruitment agency.co.uk) he's not counting the pennies.... and
3rd: I moved in to my new room 部屋, heya, on the 5th floor (penthouse suite is what the call a top floor appartment, isn't it?) of the International student house in Nishimachi, about a twenty minutes walk from the University. The room itself is a bit small but with rearranging the furniture and accessorizing it looks absolutely fabulous. One drawback...the bathroom is as could be expected, extremely tiny and we do have to share with three guys.
A big kitchen 台所, daidokoro, is provided with oven, stove and washing machine ... the big fridge is in the livingroom...
We had to buy everything new from sheets, crockery, cutlery and chopsticks, rice cooker, iron and ironingboard to towels etc. Nothing is provided at all and there seem to be no secondhand stores around either for electrical appliances or so.

Did sod all this weekend except for shopping (essentials only) and making a photo assembly of my friends (have a look at the picture and see wether you're on it; if not mail me a small passport sized picture and I will put it up there too.)


My address here is:

Paul M. Jager
Nagasaki International Student House # 501
Nishi-machi 12 - 1
Nagasaki 852 -8043
Japan

or for those who can write Japanese :

ﾔｰｶﾞ ﾎﾟｰﾙﾏﾘｱ
長崎県　長崎市
西町　８５２－８０４３
12－1 長崎大学国際交流会館 ５０１ 五室
日本

I will show you a picture of my new abode (with all the trimmings shortly) and ofcourse the stunning views from the room.
Hope you're all well..here the weather is good and lectures are about too begin..so must dash..!!

Keitaidenwa

Keitaidenwa 携帯電話 is the name of a mobile telephone and yes we finally managed to get one.... With a subscription for a year costing 3000 yen (about 23 euro) per month with all modcons installed (radio, camera, e-mail, internet and easy download of pornpictures ....very popular here) and no costs for the phone itself, we all thought it be an absolute bargain. Gijs did most of the translating in the AU store and we're totally greatful for that.
You can now email me at : paulmjager@ezweb.ne.jp or
call +81 9082961662
Needless to see that it won't accept large amounts of data.

One of the major problems in Japan is garbage and how to dispose of it. Since the Japanese love to wrap anything twice or three times wit a lot of plastic and like to eat their meals with hashi, wooden chopsticks, every meal or snack with new ones, you can imagine the problem.
Upon arriving here we received an informationsheet (see picture) with all the relevant ways of how to dispose of your rubbish, separating them into combustable, noncombustable etc. And they are very strict about it. Heavy fines are placed if you do not comply.


By the way you can enlarge the pictures just by clicking on them.

Good news....we can move out of the monastery and into our new rooms tomorrow, friday the 14th. We were all very excited about it. We will need to pack our stuff tonight, hoist it downstairs and tomorrow morning people from the studentcentre will pick it up by car and take it over there...we just need to walk there after the lectures. We will have a washingmachine, microwave, own kitchen and most of all our own private space...so people can do all their human thingies within the confines of their own room.
Pictures of my new found heaven will be published a.s.a.p.

Earthquake....

Sometimes not being able to get information from the rest of the world has its good sides...otherwise I would have been scared and worried about Paul in Islamabad, where a major earthquake 地震, jishin, (7.6 Richter Scale) occurred saturday morning around 08.00 am. Paul got out unharmed but a lot of buildings did collapse and thousands are feared dead. His hotel and office are still standing (his beloved pool hasn't lost any water either) . I didn't hear about it till I talked to Paul yesterday morning...what a relief. I don't know whether or not he can go on working there or what...he is not supposed to go home till the 14th october. Will see him not till the 3rd december in Bangkok...can't wait.
Down here in rather uneventful Nagasaki, the weekend was spend exploring the town together with Son, a Korean exchange student, Kim and Alexandra, with the Festival still going on...mainly small groups of people running around with replicas of dutch ships and carrying dutch flags, commemorating the arrival of the Dutch in 1602 with their ship 'De Hoop'.
On the left you see replicas of the old houses on the Deshima Island (now surrounded by the rest of Nagasaki), the trading post of the Dutch from 1602 till 1868, at dusk. Sometimes the streets are so narrow that you can just about enter them and they still have shops that sell all kinds of everything.
Saw 'Chinatown' a 2500 square meters only settlement with chinese restaurants and shops that sell anything from ground tiger teeth to 'Mao Tse Tung' postcards.
Received a present, a 'Obi 帯び, a beautifully woven belt to be worn around a summer yukata 夏浴衣, a cotton kimono basically for the summer, from a shop where they only had very expensive ones. Upon commenting this the presented me with one...can you believe it !! Thrilled to bits I was.
Had dinner in the smallest 'Sobaya' そば屋, a normally family run noodle shop where they serve noodles in soup or fried noodles...it had 5 chairs at the bar and that was it. Granddad doing the cooking and the daughter serving it all. Cheapo prices too. Loved it.
Here are some pictures to give you an impression of the weekend.
Tomorrow lectures will start as once again today is a free day (National sports day).
You will find Paul Smith and Katherine Hamnett stores right next to 100 yen stores....weird..no upscale area or so.
Me with my Obi, not draped in the customary way, at 'Starbucks' where the Cafe Latte is fabulous....

Weekend

The presentation and opening ceremomy was interesting....we got to see all the other foreign students, most of them are from China and Korea, some from Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia and one from Mexico. Everybody introduced himself in english...so I did the same...eventhough I had prpared this fab speech in Japanese; next time......
The orientation as given by the head of the international section (almost an hour and a half) was A) extremely boring and B) totally unnecessary since it was in the book handed out to us on the first day...
Went out for dinner to our local hangout (great butakimchi, spicey cabbage with pork, and cheap beer) once again.
Bought a fan (see picture) with the character of 'Samurai' written on it, handmade by a local craftsman and just very beautiful in its simplicity....bit like myself.
Earlynight again...due to curfew. Can't wait to get my own space in a weeks time.
Tried to call Paul in Pakistan this morning but he was out..too bad. You have to get a telephone card from a convenience stor (conbini) for 1000, 3000 or 5000 Yen, scratch till a number shows and then dial a multitude of numbers to get through...
Missed the Kunchi festival.....takes place really early in the morning.....well between 8 and 10 am......so most of us are still in bed. Maybe we'll see some groups of people running around in costumes etc.
The international student centre is closed today and tomorrow, so I'm sitting in a huge internet cafe with all sorts of booths for gaming, surfing and emailing somewhere in town. I's called Cyback and quite cheap about 500 yen for an hour.
Not having a phone is awfull..no way contacting your friends etc. We managed to get an intermediate piece of paper begore obtaining our alien registration card, so we can open a bank account..necessary to get a cell phone and other things. Life is very bureaucratic..you need a piece of paper for everything..except for going to the toilet (and that's where you would need it most).
Anyway no update of my blog tomorrow...sunday...day of rest...

P.S.
Have not seen any cuties here at all.......

Presentation

Today is 'the day'.....since we will have to present ourselves to all other international students here at the University. I'm all dressed up for the occassion and even prepared a tiny little speech (1 minute) to impress everybody...
By the way the placement test result.::: intermediate level, not advanced, thank god, that would mean way too much work and that's definitely not why we are here. Have to let you all in on a little secret..there are only two levels so.....at the bottom once again.
Thanks for your nice reactions..keep em coming.
This weekend the Kunchi Matsuri (festival) will start and will try to mingle with the local folk.
Have my first bridge appointment on the 22nd October.
Hope to go to Bangkok on the 2nd December for a long weekend to see Paul. It has been too long already..................

Urakami High school

Today was spent at Urakami Junior High School...choice between sport and cooking (the choice was easy for me) and then lunch (our own stuff was shared out....nigori sushi (Rice with several things like fish sausage ???, omelet, surimi sticks, natto [fermented awful smelling soybeans], cucumbersticks and ofcourse sticky rice, rolled in a seaweed sheet [maki])....butamizoshiro, a sort of vegetable soup with porkmeat, tofu and mizo paste [soybeanpaste]) and crunchy noodles with more pork and vegetables....oishikatta..i.o.w. totally delicious. They showed us Japanese things like kendo (fighting with sticks) , typical japanese outfits...happy coats, kimono's and yukata (summer kimono's). Like all kids they were laughing a lot and and impressed by our knowledge of the Japanese language.
Tomorrow lectures about life..no idea what that means.
Saw two spotty mormon boys, freshly flown in from Utah, about to enroll on their two year mission work. Hope they give life in general a chance and do everything their god has forbidden.

Aki Tominaga....

The University of Leiden all of a sudden informs us that we will not get a genaral scholarship for this year in Nagasaki....how erratic and warped can you be with all the students already here..!!!
It certainly needs to clean up its act..among other things. God knows maybe our delightful Professor Boot (Department head of Japanese Studies) can do something about it.

Apart from that we were introduced to our tutors (very handy indeed) who will help us with all kinds of things (especially the bureaucratic ones). Mine is called Aki (see picture) a very nice girl indeed, who thinks that gay marriage is totally COORU (cool). Went to City Hall to apply for 'Alien registration card" wich will take another two weeks to process..then I can apply for a 'cell phone' and bankaccount, needed for all kinds of verification.


Had drinks with everybody at the wharf again (our local favourite hangout) and showed Alexandra (now with blond hair) (finally arrived after being bumped off an oversold flight by Cathay Pacific, but 600 euro richer) where we are staying...she loved it ...so not !!
Anyway today we have orientation day..to familiarize ourselves with life on the campus and life in Japan in general.
Will keep you informed....

Thanks everybody for your nice comments and emails......

Just heard that we will have X-mas vacation after all...back to Amsterdam???

Placement Test....

Today is the day for our 'placement test'. We will be tested about our proficiency in the Japanese language, written and spoken, so they can put us in the appropriate classes. Will end up really low cause I haven't looked at a Kanji for about three months...conversation will be even worse. On the other hand, I'm here just to learn all that and on top of that I don't want to be too good..creates high expectations with teachers..so no good !!
Alexandra still hasn't arrived. Where the hell is she????
Temperatures (weatherwise) have cooled down a little so it's more bearable.
Keep you posted.!!

Festival

Well it proves to be extremely difficult in this sleepy town to find a hotel right now...because once a year (you've guessed it...now) there is a major religious festival : Kunchi Matsuri and loads of folk from all over the country who are doing the 'matsuri trail' will flock down here as of tomorrow for this festival in which a mikoshi , a palanquin, will be carried around by strappy young Japanese on their shoulders through the streets of Nagasaki. Pictures will be provided later..!!
Had a nice day yesterday reading Mishima at the Dejima Wharf in the sun and drinking a beer.
Dinner with Kim, Rob and Pim at an Okonomiyaki (Japanese omelet with mayonaise) restaurant. It was tiny, just for 8 people but very good food indeed.

Paradise or Hell......

Till the 15th of this month when the International student house will be remodelled we have been transferred to a catholic monastery, run by a seventy year old Jezuit priest, Father Joe, who looks like he hasn't washed for those last seventy years. We're in a room sharing with 8 people, no airconditioning (it's 32 degrees here), one bathroom, one toilet japanese styl (i.e. hole in the ground) and with a curfew. Doors close at 10.30 pm, lights out and no talking after 11.00 pm. I think thatI'm a little too old for this......

Needless to say everybody is very dissatisfied....

Did have a nice dinner last night together with Yoshi, a Japanese guy we picked up on a streetcar, whoo has studied in Delft for a couple of years. Ate jellyfish for the first time and it was delicious...!! Beers are a little expensive here (550 yen = 4 euro per glass).

Here is the gang on Dejima wharf enjoying the scenery and a beer.

Will let you know more soon..will I have moved to a hotel for 14 days or stay in Paradise?

I miss my good life in Amsterdam.....