Mahalo nui loa

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Some things you can get addicted to and the one thing that I really love in Japan is miso, the fermented soy bean paste that is used in soups.
I had to stop in to a ramen shop to get a bowl of miso ramen plus several toppings and to make it a little more spicy I added karashi miso (Also fermented soy paste but with chillies) Loved it.
Today is our last day in Honolulu and we’re flying out at 4.15 pm. on the friendly skies of United to Chicago and from there on to Montreal for the Outgames 2006.
Had to say goodbye to Hula’s and all the pretty and not so pretty boys.
Just as to show how it is situated I took this picture of Hula’s from the park across.
Mahalo and see ya’ll in Montreal

Aloha

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Arriving at an airport way before your flight can be good or it can be bad, depending on how you look at it of course.
Kansai, Osaka’s international airport at 3.30 pm., ready to check in with United for my flight to Honolulu (HNL) at 7 pm. Due to oversold flight to HNL the following offer:
Go to San Francisco (SFO) now and from there to HNL arrive there two and a half hours later than scheduled but in First Class all the way plus some USD on top of that to be redeemed for a future flight. You have to decide now as the flight is about to depart.
“I’m glad I can be of assistance” I mutter and luggage retagged, I run to the gate with my money check and new boarding cards.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, United is sorry to inform you of a delay for flight 886 to SFO due to air traffic control. As soon as we will get clearance we will start boarding”. Two hours later we do indeed board the aircraft. Fabulous flight of course with flat beds, great food, champagne plus all the attention one could need. To cut the story short I finally arrive 8 hours later in HNL and basically missed out on a day at the beach but in time for Happy Hour at Hula’s.

I passed the date line and so even though I left Japan on Saturday the 22nd at 5.30 pm. I arrive in SFO on Saturday the 22nd at 10.45 am.

We have this great two bed roomed apartment, sundeck, huge kitchen, fancy TV and CD player ………. but no wardrobes and drawers. Who ever designed the lay-out of this place wasn’t thinking. So a week of living out of our suitcases will be our fate.
The weather is super; the surf great and floating on our water beds in the ocean is a delight.

Do we really have to leave next Thursday………….???

Sayonara II

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Even simple things can in Japan turn out to be extremely difficult and in the end can end up being very annoying like cancelling a cell phone subscription. It is not an easy task and in my case an impossible one.

I went with Alexandra to the AU KDDI store where I got my cell phone in order to cancel the subscription. “Can I pay cash for the total sum please” I said. Yes, no problem the sales person said. She subsequently disconnected my phone from the system, printed some forms (one of which was a 3.150 Yen fee for cancelling abruptly which I knew) and then proceeded to phone all kinds of people. After half an hour it turned out I couldn’t pay cash and I couldn’t pay through the bank. They put somebody on the phone to tell me in English but the person could only stammer “wakaranai” meaning I don’t understand. I left to go to bank to close my account and when I returned Alex was still there, having to explain that she was not Paul and what her relationship with me was????
There seemed to be no solution to the problem so one hour and a quarter later we left the store still not understanding why we could not pay……….??
So either I’m 10.000 Yen richer or I will be stopped leaving the country or worse I will never be allowed to re-enter this country.

Mai and Akitaka took me for dinner to this beautiful place called Ume no Hana where a traditional Japanese food is served. We had a tofu menu and by Jove the thing one can do with tofu. Different tastes, different structures and different colours all are accompanied by several cold or hot dipping sauces, dashi broth and condiments. Simply loved it.

I really do hope to see them again in Amsterdam or where ever in the world. Even Akitaka seems to have acquired an ambition to venture outside of Japan and have a better more relaxed way of life.

My Taxi is waiting ... got to go.
Bye, Bye Japan

Sayonara I

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This is my one but last entry here in Japan. I noticed how my entries have changed from observing the unusual, the fascinating and the odd to just the trivial. That probably means it really is time to go. The novelty wears off and all that remains are the banal day to day occurrences.
So for the record.:
Had my last dinner with Diana on wednesday at our favourite Yakitori place (her treat). She has decided to stay on in Nagasaki for another 6 months but concentrate on writing articles for Canadian newspapers and trying to find a job as a journalist either in Vancouver or Toronto after her time her is up.

The caretaker of the building (the witch) came to check up on my room to see if all the precious furniture and fixtures were still there. She managed to screw up the air-conditioning at the same time. There’s definitely a jinx on her…..

I attended the last lecture of our head teacher Takano Yasukuni (wonder why his parents give him the same name as that infamous shrine) who was surprised to hear that I was leaving on Saturday. “Had I filled in the proper forms”, “Had I notified the authorities”, “Had the Emperor himself been informed of my leave” .. It’s funny how people’s concerns here are with formalities. Are they too afraid to interact on a direct emotional level I or was he just chuffed for not having been informed immediately.
I did manage to have a nice chat with my favourite teacher here called Nagai. In my view she a little borderline which makes her seem probably a total wacko to regular Japanese. She has lived in Colombia for a long time and misses that “how to enjoy life attitude” that Latinos have. She’s not too keen on Japan (by the way she’s from Osaka, the most informal and straight forward kind of people in Japan) and their weird working ethics. She still has a year to go and wants to return to Colombia a.s.a.p. I invited her to come on over to Amsterdam when ever she feels like and she told me she will.

Together with Bart, Kim, Rob, Colin and Alex I had my last dinner on Thursday night at Tenguto a.k.a. butakimchi because that’s what we eat there most of the time.
Today I will withdraw all my fortune from the Shinwa bank 親和銀行 , discontinue my cell phone subscription, buy a book on Japanese noodles, have lunch with Alex and will have my absolutely last dinner with Mai and Akitaka to whom I have bequeathed in my utmost generosity my Epson state-of-the-art printer and copier.

Saul will see me off at the station on Saturday morning and then I’m off to Hula’s Bar and Lei Stand. Every time is MaiTai time…………..

My friend Christoph has just arrived in Tokyo for business but I won’t be able to see him unfortunately and Aty is worrying that I will start partying the moment I set foot on Oahu all the way through Montreal till I get back to Amsterdam. I also have to take care of my health so she says.
She knows me well.

Meshi 飯

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It appeared that I had accumulated more stuff than I had anticipated and in the end needed to ship 4 boxes with about 18 kg each in contents back to Amsterdam. It costs about € 60 per box (overland/boat shipment and takes about 45 days) so that’s quite cheap considering the costs of having a shipping company do it for you. Of course I know that some of the stuff could have been left behind (sheets and pillows, sake bottles) but then again, apart from the obvious sentimental reasons, I really didn’t want to leave anything behind in this country.
Since I’m flying via TC1 (US/Canada) the piece concept luggage rule is applicable instead of the 20 kg. That means I can take two peaces of checked luggage weighing no more than 64 kg together.

“Impeccable” アンペキャブルwas impeccable. It turned out that is is situated on the 2nd floor of the same building that houses Club “Jah Rules”, the first and only place I ever went dancing here in Nagasaki. They served a “Menu Fixe” so you basically eat what they serve that day. Of course you can inform them of certain things that you really do not like. Since Christoph doesn’t eat fish he was served other meaty things. The six course menu was a wonderful concoction of French food with Japanese touches… very refined and of course great attention was paid to the presentation. We downed it all with a great rosé wine and could even speak French with the owners.
On top of that I received a wonderful book from Saul called Meshi about seasonal dishes with rice. The word meshi, same character as the word han 飯 (meaning rice or also a small bite) comes from mesu 召す an archaic word for eat and drink and you still hear it being used in the polite meshiageru 召し上げる .I will have to translate the rest with my word tank since it is of course in Japanese.

I’m basically ready to go now. Do not feel like going to lectures anymore, just waiting for the days to pass by quickly.

海の日

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The official beginning of the summer season in Japan starts on the weekend of Umi no hi 海の日 , or day of the sea, a recently introduced national holiday on the 3rd Monday in July to celebrate the ocean. The day marks the return of Emperor Meiji from a boat trip to Hokkaido in 1876. That weekend all of a sudden the beaches are clean, you can get food and beach amenities work plus the fact that tons of Japanese descend on the beaches en masse. And they do love to bring their toys…anything to float on.
I prefer the solitude of the beach though, no screaming kids, dogs or crazy Japanese.

We had dinner tonight at the house of Yoshi and his wife opposite the medical faculty. It was a big place by any standard and huge for Japanese standards. They prepared an enormous dinner for the Dutch students. We met Yoshi last year on a street car and he , noticing that we were Dutch and he himself having studied in Delft for a couple of years, took us to our first Japanese restaurant in Nagasaki. He has now just come back with his wife from Holland and decided it would be nice to have us over for dinner. After several beers, sake etc. I decided it was time for the old man to leave.
Did manage to sell my bike to a recently arrived Dutch man, called Eric, who’s here on an internship at Mitsubishi.

On top of that I sold my side table and lamp too.

Here are the backs of the cards that Paul has send over the last 10 months...... It certainly did keep me going.

p.s.
Tomorrow Saul is taking me out for dinner in the “best French restaurant in town” called “Impeccable”. Alex and Christoph will join us. Looking forward to all these nice things this last week.

Love

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At times people and men in particular can be extremely stubborn and thus ignoring the well meant advice of others.
Last Wednesday Christopher and I ventured out to the island for a day at the beach. Netting had been put about 100 meters out in the water to prevent any waste or jelly fish coming into the swimming area, the beach had been cleaned and pontoons had been anchored in the water so you could swim there and then sun yourself and dive in the water every so often. Christopher decided he was somebody who didn’t burn so there was no need to put on any protection. Well you can imagine the result……… so bad that he had to go visit a doctor to get medication and he’s still suffering. When André and I went on our honeymoon in 1982 to Rio we too decided that having gone to so many sunny spots in the world we wouldn't need any thing at all.... the result was a honeymoon without sex.

There are Japanese people who believe that their pet dog cannot swim…??? So of course it needs a swimming vest with a handle on the back so you can teach it how to swim at the same time.

Finished the day with cool beers at the Wharf and dinner afterwards with some friends

Annette and Jesse moved into the International Student House yesterday the 14th and Alex, Kim and I decided to make a dinner for them and our friend Tony. The guests brought drinks. I hope they will throw a house-warming before I leave next Saturday. Managed to convince them that the mirror and lamps were an absolute adornment to any home…….

One of the things I will miss are the regular small packets that Paul would send me from Amsterdam stuffed with magazines, cheese, newspaper clippings, drop (Dutch liquorice) etc. and always accompanied by a nice card with a loving scribble on the back.
God, do I love that man and I just can’t wait to see him again in Montreal at the end of this month.
Promise…: Will never ever go abroad again for a longer period of time without him.

Agnoek

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The Monday was spend going to all the main tourist sights in Kyoto. Saw Nijo castle (the old residence of the Shogun) with its nightingale floor and beautiful garden together with hordes of American school kids, the Kinkakuji (“The golden temple” which was way too kitschy for Hans) together with busloads of Chinese tourists and finally that morning the Zen rock garden in the Roanji temple.
After lunch we headed for the Imperial palace where we were to take part in a free English guided tour at 2 pm. Had already made the reservations online at the Imperial Household Agency …. Real easy.
Just like the tour Chris and I took in the eighties, one still couldn’t understand the tour guide even though she now carried a microphone and amplifier. But she didn’t bat an eyelid and went on with her tour undeterred by questions and not understanding faces. People just wandered off and looked around themselves.

Agnoek, who is a fellow student of mine at Leiden University, came by our house and after drinks we all headed for the “River Oriental Restaurant” where we had more drinks and a fab dinner. Leave it to four queens to drool over our stunning waiter (Nigerian-Japanese hybrid) who could have done with a just little less attitude.
Agnoek will return the beginning of September to Leiden and her place will be taken by Rianne.

Had breakfast at Starbucks once again and then Marco went to Kansai Airport to take the plane to Haneda, Hans & Pim left on the Shinkansen for Shinjuku and poor old me had to go back to Nagasaki. What a great couple of days this trip has been. I will see Hans and Marco again next week in Honolulu and Pim in Montreal on the 28th for the Outgames.

Machiya

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On Saturday the 8th July we got on the train (46 minutes) to go to Nara, the old 8th century (710 - 784) capital of Japan. Apart from the ubiquitous deer, Nara is known for its shrines and temples like the Kofukuji, the Todaiji ("Great Eastern Temple") the world's largest wooden building which houses the largest Buddha statue in Japan and the Kasuga Taisha, the tutelary shrine of the Fujiwara clan. The buildings were stunning and the weather swelteringly hot. Had a nice walk through wooded landscapes and enjoyed the view over Nara from the Nigatsudo ("Two moon hall") in the afternoon.

Coming back to Osaka we noticed that the summer sales had begun. In Hep 5 ( shopping mall) the shop attendants (or specially hired staff) were shouting their lungs out and swaying placards stating that the Sales are on. The noise was deafening.......... The reductions (50%) are huge compared to the regular 2 thru 5 percent discount. Unfortunately there wasn't anything that we fancied.....so, alas, no overdose of shoppingbags.

Sunday we left for Kyoto for the last three days of our communal trip. Through Alex Kerr I managed to rent a typical "machi-ya", a Kyoto town-house with on the ground level a tearoom, tatami rooms, garden en furo (wooden bathtub) that overlooked the small garden plus sleeping quarters (Futons of course) and a comfy couch on the 2nd floor. Great location close to the river with it's array of restaurants and bars. The house has only one snag and that is that it was build for small Japanese people so you really have to be careful not to bang your head time and time again.

After an evening walk along the river streets and through Gion (the old Geisha quarter) we had a Tonkatsu dinner (deep-fried pork but also chicken, prawns and potato croquets). It was a first for me. Honestly though I do prefer the more subtle flavours of this land.......

Atomic Bomb Museum

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Even though I'm not too keen on Nagasaki I still feel some pride in showing my friends the place I have called home for the last 10 months. I even went to places I hadn't been to before.
Since wednesday wasn't a day to go to the beach we decided to see all of Nagasaki that day. From Glover garden to Deshima and from the Suwa shrine to the Historical museum. This was the 2nd time I acted as a guide (first time was in May to show Paul around) and it's nice to be able to share insider info with others. The guys were also impressed with my mastery of the Japanese language not being able to read, write or speak it themselves. This year has not been wasted so it seems. The only complaint about Nagasaki was the Japanese breakfast in the hotel (rice balls and miso) so they had to venture out to Starbucks for their cinnamon roll and latte.
Thursday was spend at the monuments erected here to commemorate the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki at 11.02 a.m. on august 9th. There is the Atomic Bomb Museum (you certainly do not come out a happy camper but more wondering if humans will ever learn at all), the Peace Memorial Hall (very modern, sleek and very impressive because of its austerity) and the Nagasaki Peace park.
Did the beach in the afternoon and the onsen afterwards. It's always nice to get out of the city and enjoy the boatride.
Dinner with Saul and Alex & Christoph at our favourite Yakitori place in Hamanomachi.

Took the train to Osaka to check in to Hotel Kinki (very cheap place for ￥7000 for a double room without breakfast) bang in the middle of the Doyama area with friendly staff.
First karaoke experience for Hans, Pim and Marco in Frenz. Unlike Tokyo there is no "Happy Hour" system at 6 pm in Osaka and bars do not open up untill 7 or 8 pm and do not get crowded till after 10 oçlock. Did the Bears Bar and also Bacchus and had a great time with Japanese and gaijin alike.

It's the 11th July ............ so here's to Chris....
"Happy Birthday" 誕生日おめでとう (Tanjóbi omedetó)

Barbados

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The boys love Japan. After Russia, China and Korea they think it's just absolutely squeaky clean with friendly smiling folk (irasshaimase いらっしゃいませ ) and great food. I will try and let them taste as many varieties as possible from the ubiquitous sushi and sashimi, via the okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake) and udon (noodles) to agemono (fried foods).

Paul is leaving next sunday for his first assignment for the British Department for International Development (DFID) to the Caribbean. This is new territory for him so starting of on Barbados will be just fab. He will probably stay on for some more days... wish I could come along.

Spend our day visiting shrines, having coffee, and just having a great laugh. July 1 through 15 is the time of the "Hakata Gion Yamagasa" in the Hakata district of Fukuoka, linking it by name to the famous Gion Matsuri in Kyoto. Several mikoshi (palanquins) are carried on the shoulders of brave men in a race through the city while onlookers throw water. For more info click on the link.

On the train back from Fukuoka to Nagasaki the weather turned rather rainy and after nibbles and beer here at the International Student House we experienced the downpour together with the onset of a slight typhoon on our way to the restaurant . Soaked... absolutely soaked.

Somehow I don't think it's going to be beach weather tomorrow......

HMP

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One of the things I will definitely miss will be my weekly sessions with Saul over coffee or beer. It's always great to get together and talk, complain and discuss world politics and other pressing (or non-pressing) matters. Time really flies. He invited me for a farewell dinner before a go to the best French restaurant in town called "Impeccable"..... I certainly hope that the place lives up to its name. He was surpised to having received a substantial bonus even from the University here and he's spending some of it on me. I even get to invite friends......Wow.

Went to Fukuoka this monday to pick up Hans, Marco and Pim from the "Beetle-ferry" from Pusan, Korea. The ferry was 15 minutes late (highly unusual in Japan) and of course being the foreigners they had to unpack everything in order to clear customs. White middle aged Dutch men are more likely to smuggle drugs into Japan then any Japanese or Korean of course.

It was great fun to see my friends again after such a long time. The moment they came through the doors we just chatted non-stop, got shown all the pictures from their (H & P) Trans-sibérian rail trip and after a couple of beers and a delish ramen at the Raumen-Stadium (Don't know why they call it raumen instead of ramen) we ended up wit more beers in our room in the hotel having a Pyjama Party dressed in the silly, way to tight, blue cotton hotel coats. But it felt like being 20 all over again........

The weather in Amsterdam has reached tropical temperatures and people are swimming in the IJ-haven in front of our house in Amsterdam plus sailing all day on the canals with plenty of booze and finger food. I'm so looking forward to get back on my boat again in august.. can't wait.