Image Of The Week #15

A Halloween special this week:
Following in Harry's 'Nazi' footsteps, I think this costume (Bill Maher - American comedian) wins this year's "most sensitive" award!

Happy Halloween!

I don't know whether it's because no-one else seems bothered about it here, or whether I'm just a big kid, but I'm so excited about Halloween. It's going to be a really busy day - I'm doing a two hour special VOICE on the subject - with games, food, divination etc. Afterwards, I have my Japanese lesson, and the teachers are all anticipating a costume, so I'm going as a cowboy. In the evening, I've organised a Halloween party for everyone at work. Around midnight, Keiko and I are going to watch a horror movie. She doesn't know that yet. Photos will follow shortly.

These are from yesterday. My favourite group of kids were at the small school I helped at, but yesterday was my last day there, so I'm kind of upset. We had a party. They had so much fun dressing up as monsters, pirates, vampires, mummys etc. Aren't they cute.

Happy Birthday Natasha!

Some origami made by me when the typhoon hit and I was stuck inside.
The red thing in the box is supposed to be a rabbit and, yes, I know, the panda looks evil.

Insert Your Name Here

Every country, it seems has a neo-action epic. Where worlds merge, and people realise possibilities beyond restriction. America has 'The Matrix', Russia 'Night Watch'. As for Japan?

'Death Note' is a fantastic idea, originally based on a manga novel but now being made into a trilogy. The first was released half a year ago, but shown on television tonight to hype up the release of 'Death Note: The Last Name' next month.

A school-boy, Light, finds a Death Note* dropped by one of the Sky-Gods. Whosever name is written in the book will die. Light realises the good he can do with this, and sets about killing all the evil people in the world. Known by the public as 'Killer'**, the power and infamy begin to control him. A genius, only known as 'L' so as to deter Killer from using his name within the book, sets about tracking him down. The rest of the movies become more complicated, with more 'death notes' and complicated relationships (Killer and L work together-ish).

It's a very interesting watch, not that I understood most of it, but in terms of exploring the human psyche and responsibility.

As (sadly) usual, expect the Hollywood butchering, I mean remake, within the next year.

*In Japan, 'note or note-o' is a Japanized word for notebook, which helps makes more sense in this context.
**Actually, pronounced 'kira'.

Image Of The Week #14

I walk past this 'shrub' every day.
It makes me laugh.

NOVA Students Say The Stupidest Things #25

Same topic, different student:

Phil: I met the Queen of England.
Student: What's Freddie Mercury like?
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"Mildred, he's at it again"

The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Monkeys

Feeling like I had been to most of the places of interest in and around Tokyo, I turned to the students for advice. One place came up that I’d never heard of before, although it’s supposedly a very popular getaway for Tokyo-ites. Mt Takao, at a tiny height of about 600m is known as ‘the Hampton’s of Tokyo’. So last weekend I went.

It was a little too early for the autumnal red leaves, but at a distance of 40 minutes from Shibuya and a measly train fare of £1.50 (crazy, hey!) each way, it’s very accessible.

A cable-car took us a short distance up Takao-San as it’s too steep to walk in parts.

Being a weekday, it was quiet although there were quite a few school groups. Every big trip I’ve been on, primary and secondary school kids are on nature trails – they seem to have a very broad education here. I suppose I did go to Hengistbury Head and Fishbourne.





These stairs religiously number 108 – an important Buddhist symbol. It’s believed that if you trip while climbing them, you’ll have bad luck. If you’re a Buddhist.


Again, it was that little bit too cloudy at the top to see Fuji.



Some red leaves were starting to show.


On the way down, for some unknown reason Keiko and I talked about tongue twisters. I taught her ‘Peter Piper’ but ‘Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry’ is a no-go for the Japanese as they have a problem separating “r’s” and “l’s” in the first place. Keiko taught me a Japanese tongue twister:

nama mugi nama gome nama tamago*



This tree has an interesting history. Supposedly, when people travelled to the shrine on top of the mountain, the roots were growing increasingly in the way of the carriages. The townspeople decided to cut it down, but that night, the trees roots bent round, miraculously, out of harm’s way.



Near the bottom, we went to a monkey park. This year saw the birth of four monkeys and they were extremely excitable; swinging, climbing and jumping on everything, including each other.





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And the day was completed by this Hello Kitty popcorn machine.

*raw wheat, raw rice, raw egg – which is a bit of a tongue-twister in itself!

And I Said 'Hey', What's Going On?

This has been a dark time in the history of the blog, what with only two/three blogs in the last two weeks. There are a number of contributing factors, such as:

*I'm boring
*No-one says anything stupid at NOVA
*My connection has been near non-existent recently, grrr
*I'm not here a lot, as my house-mate is disgustingly dirty

Now, I have a few more stories to tell...

Happy Birthday Dan!

(taken in Tsunashima, 23rd October 2006)

Have a great birthday!

Autumn's kicking in, and within the next two or three weeks, the whole of Japan will be RED. The four seasons are very important to the Japanese, so this is a very 'exciting' time here.

Dan-San On Japan

ありがとう (arigatou) to Dan-San who, firstly, recommended Sengaku-ji to me and, secondly, kindly agreed to be the guest editor for this special edition of the blog. Apart from the photos, I take credit for nothing. And it means, I get to write a comment instead:
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The story of the 47 Ronin is one of Japanese legend and reflects the samurai code of honour – ‘bushido’. In 1701 two ‘daimyo’ (warlords) were ordered to arrange a reception for the envoy of the Emperor. They took advice on etiquette from a powerful official of the region known as Kira Kozuke-no-Suke Yoshinaka. He became greatly annoyed at them due to the lack of a sufficient bribe for such instruction.

One of the daimyo appeased him by meeting his demands, the other, Asano Takumi-no-Kami Naganori did not and Kira continued to insult him. This continued until one day when Kira called Asano, ‘a country boor with no manners’, and Asano lost all self-restraint and attacked Kira. Unfortunately he did not kill him and was forced to commit ‘seppuku’ (ritual suicide by disembowelment / hara-kiri), all land went to Kira and any samurai under his command became Ronin (masterless samurai).


Of Asano’s men forty-seven refused to let their master go unavenged even though this was strictly prohibited. They knew they were being watched and under orders from their leader Oishi dispersed and took up trades or became monks.

After a year Oishi sensed that Kira had finally let his guard down and gathered all the Ronin together in a secret meeting place. And so it was 14 December 1702 that they attacked Kira’s mansion to finally avenge their master. They split into two groups one led by Oishi, the other by his son Ōishi Chikara and after a fierce struggle, the last of Kira's samurai were subdued.

In the process they killed sixteen of Kira's men and wounded twenty-two, including his grandson. Of Kira, however, there was no sign. They searched the house, but all they found were crying women and children. They began to despair, but Ōishi checked Kira's bed, and it was still warm, so he knew he could not be far.

A renewed search disclosed an entrance to a secret courtyard hidden behind a large scroll; the courtyard held a small building for storing charcoal and firewood, where two more hidden armed retainers were overcome and killed. A search of the building disclosed a man hiding; he attacked the searcher with a dagger, but was easily disarmed.

He refused to say who he was, but the searchers felt sure it was Kira, and sounded the whistle. The ronin gathered, and Ōishi, with a lantern, saw that it was indeed Kira - as a final proof, his head bore the scar from Asano's attack.


At that, Ōishi went on his knees, and in consideration of Kira's high rank, respectfully addressed him, telling him they were retainers of Asano, come to avenge him as true samurai should, and inviting Kira to die as a true samurai should, by killing himself. Ōishi indicated he personally would act as a ‘second’ (known as a ‘kaishakunin’ the seconds would stand behind the one who had committed seppuku and behead them at the moment of agony – as in the film ‘The Last Samurai’) and offered him the same dagger that Asano had used to kill himself.

However, no matter how much they entreated him, Kira crouched, speechless and trembling. At last, seeing it was useless to ask, Ōishi ordered the ronin to pin him down, and killed him by cutting off his head with the dagger. They then extinguished all the lamps and fires in the house (lest any cause the house to catch fire, and start a general fire that would harm the neighbours), and left, taking the head. One of the ronin, the youngest, was ordered to travel to Akō and inform them that their revenge had been completed.

As day was now breaking, they quickly carried Kira's head to their lord's grave in Sengaku-ji temple, causing a great stir on the way. The story quickly went around as to what had happened, and everyone on their path praised them, and offered them refreshment.



On arriving at the temple, the remaining forty-six ronin washed and cleaned Kira's head in a well, and laid it, and the fateful dagger, before Asano's tomb. They then offered prayers at the temple, and gave the abbot of the temple all the money they had left, asking him to bury them decently, and offer prayers for them. They then turned themselves in; the group was broken into four parts and put under guard of four different daimyos.

During this time, two friends of Kira came to collect his head for burial; the temple still has the original receipt for the head, which the friends and the priests who dealt with them all signed.

The shogunate officials were in a quandary. The samurai had followed the precepts of ‘bushido’ (by avenging the death of their lord) but also defied shogunate authority (by exacting revenge which had been prohibited). In addition, the Shogun received a number of petitions from the admiring populace on behalf of the ronin. However, as expected, they were sentenced to death, but the Shogun had finally resolved the quandary by ordering them to honorably commit seppuku, instead of having them executed as criminals.



The forty-six ronin did so on February 4, 1703. (This has caused a considerable amount of confusion ever since, with some people referring to the "forty-six ronin"; this refers to the group put to death by the Shogun, the actual attack party numbered forty-seven.) They were also buried in Sengaku-ji temple, as they had requested, in front of the tomb of their master.

The forty-seventh ronin eventually returned from his mission, and was pardoned by the Shogun (some say on account of his youth). He lived until the age of seventy-eight, and was then buried with his comrades.

Wake-Up Call

I was literally shaken awake this morning by an earthquake. It wasn't very big but it's a strange sensation. Like living inside a Jenga tower.

Happy 18th Birthday Leoni!

(taken in Shibuya, 13th October 2006)

Good luck with all your exams this year and choices - and remember the advice I gave you last week, whether you use it or not.

This flower's beautiful - does anyone know what it is?