Tachikawa Part 2 Out of the creepy looking mist...

Peaceful Green
In Tachikawa was a rather large park, so large that they we had to pay money to get into the bloody place! The park is called Showa Kinen Park- Showa is the era that saw the reign of Emperor Hirohito and Kinen is peace. So the park is a wish for peace- so I think that explains the odd steamy looking place that I captured on film up above. Actually it was a cold mist, and is a great idea on a hot summer's day!
There were actually quite a few photo opportunities around the park, so I had to wade through a few pics, the view of the pond and the green scenery always wins out, not only for my pic, but also Ritsy's...
And what pay-for-use park isn't complete without a very large tree somewhere inside.
All joking aside, the park was a beautiful and very large and was a good place to go to sometimes. It was especially amazing around Cherry Blossom time as the entire place was packed and the sakura were everywhere!
Top Gun
Also near the place that I was living was the U.S. army base, Yokota. We weren't in the path of the sounds of the planes but could often see them running their drills pretty close, and I remember being treated to a fireworks show that year's July 4th. Well once a year they open up their gates and people can come in and enjoy the friendship between America and Japan. This was the year after September 11th and I was pretty surprised that the security on entering was a lot more lax than I expected. Of course I know that I don't really look like a threat, but what if I were an actor that had been Valmorphisized?
I was able to sit in the cockpit of one of their helicopters. Naturally, in my mind I was reliving a Star Wars scene ("don't get all cocky kid").
We had a good time that day, but I remember getting seriously sunburnt and then Ritsy and I had our faces stuck together for some reason.

Another Peace-bringing solution from Todd

Well Steve O said that I get a little political sometimes in the blog, and I had an idea while reading today- so I guess it is political time!

Reading the Vancouver news online today, I noticed a little article (here) where Canadian immigration officials are asking Sikhs named Singh and Kaur to change their names. The reasoning is that it will avoid any confusions as there are too many applicants with the same name.

Predictably, this is causing an outrage. Are they going to ask Chinese named Chang to change their names too? The final answer is completely ignorant, lazy and (okay I'll say it -) stupid! Our names are part of who we are, they are more than just a word that hangs around us, they encompass every second, every year of our lives. To callously say "you must change your name to come into our country" is just the wrong answer to a problem.

This is not to say I don't understand the problem encountered by immigration. There must be an incredible amount of confusion, and as recent statistics suggest, Indians are becoming the #1 immigrant into Canada recently- the problem will only grow bigger.

In such times the best answer is to come up with a timely, inoffensive solution to the problem. To adapt to the system around the issues in a way that is just and fair for all involved. My thoughts are it's time to create a new system- called the Canadian Identification Name [CIN]. The people get to keep their names as their true identity, but they have to take an extra step and in advance fill out registration paperwork with the Canadian embassy or immigration authority to register a special name that will uniquely identify them. Of course, the Canadian government can charge a fee to the applicants to cover the costs of implementing the new system (and probably make a little money) and they will basically have this name added into the Canadian database so that it is a separate word, that they can proudly hold with their new Canadian identity. In police reports their names can turn up like this: Gobhinder Singh (Paul). The government would include a fingerprinting in the application process, so that they can easily be cross referenced to their new CIN should trouble arise. They can also regulate the usage of the names - like a website regulates nickname usage (though I don't think he will pick Paul89 if that moniker is already taken) so there is no repetition.

Thank you very much! Canadian government please remember to send my royalty check for this idea to my address in Japan!

Tachikawa pt 1 - The standing river

The view from outside the front door at Leo's palace

Looking back to 2003... the March of that year was the outside of my first journey to live in Japan. At that time I was fresh off a 12 year stint as a cook, ready and eager to take on new challenges and to grow into new experiences. To be honest I thought I may end up cooking again, or worse, washing dishes because my resume didn't stack up very well for diverse jobs. I sucked it up though and searched hard and managed to find 2 part time teaching jobs relatively quickly. It was all I was going to need as the part time hours filled themselves up quite nicely, and the rest is, as they say, history.

Before our departure, one of Ritsy's former colleagues, a doctor now working in the Hino area of Tokyo called and said he could probably help her get a job! Well that settled it, we were bound for the region and we discovered the wonder of Leopalace (the link shows the location we lived at!).Which seemed quite appealing to us because there was no key money, thank you money etc. The monthly rate was quite high, but if we paid the year in advance the amount was deducted to quite a reasonable rate. So we entered into our year of living in a shoebox. The above picture is taken against the far wall of the apartment and you can get a good idea just how spacious it was. The kitchen was off to the right on the way to the exit door, our room was the loft on top of the ladder, next to Ritsy.
This picture is taken from the spot we saw Ritsy standing in the previous picture. You can also get an idea how quickly the place would get messy.

The quality of accommodation didn't really matter though, it was such a buzz to be living in a new city and culture experiencing new things daily. What an amazing city to live in. Tachikawa I always referred to as the 'inaka' of Tokyo as it was quite outside of the busy area and there was even a few farms in the neighborhood. It was pretty quick, though, to venture into the hubbub of the city - basically any direction you went you could find somewhere to go or something to do.

It was also pretty fun to teach in that first year. Making the mistake of talking too much in the classes or learning to deal with annoying kids- it was all part of the fun. Here a couple of my 10 year-old students made an artistic rendering of my girlfriend Ritsy and I, which they found quite amusing.
Well as the clouds set on our year in Tokyo, I regretted that I didn't experience more and had to go back home. Of course at the same time I was so happy to return home and get on with my life, but I grew more fond of the times in Tokyo and am usually pretty stoked to head back every now and then for a visit.

A Concert

On the weekend, my student Josh (shown above) had invited Ritsy and I to take in a small private concert put on featuring two members that live and play music in Vienna and Yuka-chan (his niece?!?!) who lives in Gifu. The seating capacity was rather limited but we were invited as Josh thought it would be good for the baby to listen to some live classical music.
Kouji-san and his wife brought their baby too, but he was a little overwhelmed by the loud noise. He however was very good at brushing his teeth.
The trio had to adapt some of the musical choices to be played by only three people. They played a lot of Strauss and my favorite was a haunting rendition of Schubert's Ave Maria.
The two band members from Vienna brought their son with them, that could speak not only English, German,and Japanese but he will soon be studying Latin ! He was 14 years old and had a great head on his young shoulders! Above is Taro, with my wife.
Afterwards we had a great bbq with fresh fish from nearby Yaizu! Also Kouji's wife made her world famous Thai Curry to which everyone scream- karai! which means hot. Of course we know that she probably only made it half as spicy as it would be back in Thailand!
To end the night we had a cup of beer and listened to the performance again, to which the musicians all took turns grimacing- not sure why- it sounded beautiful!

It was a very special and unique night with great music and an opportunity for meeting some fantastic people! A great way to spend a weekend.

The Journey Through Aunt Liz's eyes part 2

Continuing with a look at my Aunt's version of the trip here in April. She has so many great pictures of flowers and gave Ritsy and I some advice about what to do with our garden. However, since I am not a flower expert, I can't really explain the pictures, so I thought I would lead in with one of my favorites.
I liked this picture of my mother and I at Bentenjima, though we are quite small in the picture.
I found this picture amusing, taken inside Aeon's Shitoro mall. They were quite amused by the big box shopping center and all the shops inside. Shitoro is the main place to shop here in Hamamatsu. It is the largest shopping center and offers the ultimate in convenience for shoppers.
In this picture we look like explorers delving into the caves at Ryugashido. This is taken seconds before I dove into the water.
This picture, taken as we walked away from Ryotenji is a perfect exit photo, you can see my mother and I walking away, counterbalanced by Red Maple and richly Green bushes. It is the perfect way to draw to a close my picks of favorite pics from my mom and aunt and the trip in general. One last time thanks to them and to Ritsy for making it such a fun time!