May 14, 2005..... Kotomi and I have a new edition to the family. We don't know if it is a boy or a girl, but its birthday should be sometime soon. I am not going to tell you what it is, we will all wait for the big day together. Until then, post-up with your best guess!! P.S. Its about the size of a Tube Steak sausage and weighs about as much as a mandarin orange.... for now.

The dramatic serenity of Mount Fuji...... AND THE BEST PREMIUM OUTLET SHOPPING THIS SIDE OF THE PACIFIC!!! Gotemba - May 7, 2005

Reason I Love Japan (Number 13,983) - EBINA SERVICE AREA.... Kotomi, her sister Manami and I headed off to an outlet mall near Mt. Fuji. We kept wondering why so many Ferraris were passing us on the expressway. When we got to the Ebina Service Area, we found out why. This place was a FREAK SHOW of super cool cars - about 50-75 Italian beauties when I counted. It was also a fabulous FREAK SHOW of Japanese mania. Motorcyclists dressed up as cops and motor-cross champions (minus the mud, of course). All of this AND a fabulous place to stop, shop and eat.... all before 9 AM!

Dunno about you, but I think Scott is trying a little TOO hard to be all Zen.

Kotomi at Matsushima.

I tried for 30 minutes to get this shot. Kotomi got it on her second try.

Matsushima, bird, and Shrimp

Scene from a Hitchcock movie? Nope. Boat cruise at Matsushima.

Up at 4:30 am for this picture!!!

Matsushima... A series of tiny, oddly shaped islands with beautifully crazy pine trees growing on them. Also the sight for this picture (Scott's vote for best pic 2005 thus far).

Kotomi chowing down on her scrumtious dinner at the Century Hotel in Matsushima.

Scott enjoyed dinner too...

Scott prays at the site of the legendary Benkei (cool Japanese dude). Learn more here : http://www.artelino.com/articles/benkei.asp

Number 2 in my series of Cool Animal Pics Taken on Golden Week.

A Noh actor exiting the stage at Chusonji.

Another cool shot from Chusonji.

Procession in front of a temple at Chusonji (Iwate Prefecture).

Japanese Beauty

Maybe I was meant to be a Medieval Japanese Lord?

Forget Jaws, these little buggers are more scary... and slimy.

Getting the Wedding Portraits done and out of the way... you can catch this FABULOUS couple LIVE, August 21st at the Aomori Oirase Keiryu Grand Hotel.

Scott in Kawauchi... Why do I look like I'm in High School? Must be the hair.

Kotomi lost in thought in our old Kawauchi stomping grounds.

GOLDEN WEEK ROAD TRIP!!! Kotomi and I decided to travel into the very heart of the Beast: Golden Week on the Japanese Expressways. We prepared ourselves for a courageous 3:00 AM start, and were mildly surprised to find the rest areas almost full by 5:00 AM.

In case you thought you were dreaming when you saw the picture below, here it is again...

Asahi's DVD-TV-Mini Beer Fridge - "Yeah, that's great and all... but I need one about six feet long, CUZ I WANNA BE BURIED IN ONE WHEN I DIE!!"

Thoughts on Marriage

The big day is slowly creeping up. Four more months and I will be a married man. To my surprise, I suddenly realized this week that I haven't dwelt too heavily on the impending destruction of my bachelorhood. Honestly, I have been too busy having a great time with Kotomi to worry about things like when I can go out drinking with the boys, drink milk from the carton, or sleep in till 2 pm.

But I had to seriously STOP and think about, lament even, the end of my swinging days when Kotomi asked me, in all seriousness, when I planned to stop playing video games. ME? STOP? I am almost thirty and almost a husband. Is it time to hang up the controllers, worn and weathered and grimy from all of the days, months, and years of furious, sweaty competition on over half a dozen gaming systems? I grew up with video games!! I was weaned on a daily diet of video games!! My very existence is documented with the help of video games (remember that hole I kicked in the wall after my cheap brother kept kicking my butt with Dhalsim?). Fellas c'mon, help me out here.... Honestly, what do you remember from Junior and Senior High, cuz all I remember is the 1000+ hours of STREET FIGHTER II we put in after school at my house!!!

Is this kind of thing common? Is this a frequent affliction for maturing Gen-Xers? Are other men approaching a similar crossroad? Is there a support group I can call? What about MY Dad? He was even younger than me when he married my Mom. Did he go through a similar crisis saying good bye to his bachelorhood??!!
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I doubt it. If I remember right, at around my age, my Dad was booting around in his BMW convertible, busy with plans to build my Mom and me a new house. Kinda puts my ALT salary to shame, and my life into perspective... but I think I understand now. Problem solved.

So, although I accept my passing from this former care-free, debt-free, beer filled world into a higher plane of blissful existence, I do lament the comrades I leave behind. Sorry boys, its getting dark and my wife's calling. I gotta go home. I know it won't be the same without me, but I have a feeling you guys will be ok. Just look at all the cool stuff you get to play with! A DVD player in a mini beer-fridge??!! Maybe I can put this wedding off just a little longer?

OH MY GOD!! See the story below...

Better than Hiroshima??

My first experience with Japanese Curry occured a number of years ago when my brother and my two best friends took a trip down to Hiroshima to check out the sights. We were lucky enough to grab tickets to a baseball game, drink 1.75 beers per inning, then stumble into the center of town for a bite. It was there that we fell into this tiny corner shop that specialized in curry of various styles to the 8 customers it was capable of serving at a time.

That is where I fell in love with the Katsu-Curry. If there is a culinary equivalent to dropping acid, this would be it. First of all, the practice of breading and deep frying a pork cutlet is something that is done FAR TOO SELDOM in Canada. There are still people in Canada who need to accept the universal truth in the following equation: Breaded Pork Cutlet + Deep Fry = Happiness.

On top of, or rather below, this deep-fried crispy slab of heaven is the Japanese curry. Not as outrageous as its Thai or Indian cousins, and with a more rebellious edge than its bland Beef Stew ancestry , Japanese curry typifies the innovative conformity that is Japan. Put more plainly, Japanese curry is gooooooooooood.....

That is where it started, Hiroshima. I mention this to you because I believe that I am hot on the trail of a curry EVEN BETTER than the Katsu-Curry I had all those years ago. It was our first time at Go Go Curry last sunday, and Kotomi and I felt a sense of urgency, from our stomachs as well as the 5 people cued behind us, to quickly select a lunchtime meal from the ticket vendor. I had the standard Katsu-curry, K-chan just the regular curry. At that time, we failed to see the MAJOR Curry. I will not make the same mistake again...
One Deep Fried Pork Cutlet,
One Deep Fried Chicken Cutlet,
Three Deep Fried Weiners,
One Deep Fried Shrimp,
One Hard Boiled Egg,
Grated Cabbage Side,
On a mountain of curry and rice,
Served on a foot-long silver platter.

Yes, all of this together. All of this at the same time. All of this for the price of 1000 yen (lunchtime special). You even get another topping FREE if Hideki Matsui hits a homerun. I think I just became a Yankees fan.

Chances are I will not brave the tiny little nook that serves this treasure again until I am with some serious back-up (sorry K-chan, but I literally do not think you have the stomach for it). When my team is assembled, I will report back here with pictures and a documented account of the action. Any volunteers?

www.gogocurry.com

SUPER Kabuki! For an explanation, check out this link: http://www.japanvisitor.com/jc/kabuki-venues.html

Shinjuku at dusk. The FABULOUS curry was along this road (right-hand side) and about 100m forward. Look for the sign with the big ape head. Mmmmmm.... curried Ape.

Once Young Darth learned to dress and co-ordinate, the galaxy trembled in fear...

Ever seen anything as beautiful?

Here's a Hanami scene you DON'T usually see... from 45 floors up!

There I go again!! What's with the stupid look? Must be the altitude.

Ok, it MIGHT be the altitude, but Kotomi thinks I look high in this picture.

Kotomi and the vast expanse of modern civilization.

"Tokyo Municipal Government Building"..... just saying that sounds big and important

Kotomi + Tokyo = Adventure

Had to warm up the camera with a couple of shots of a train... My God, I really AM turning Japanese, aren't I??

What more could you want in a Sunday?

I dunno if its the city, the time of year, or the girl I am with, but often I have had days in Japan where everything just seems to go right...
On a particularly ordinary Sunday, Kotomi and I set off for downtown Tokyo. We ended up towering over the city, eating Godzilla's favorite curry, strolling through the Sakura, and watching Kabuki of the SUPER variety... Dang, what a great day. Check some of the pics above...

S

Would have liked more time to line up this shot, but a nice little old lady was whacking me out of her way with her cane...

Shibuya at noon

Yeeeeaaaaah.... this is what I am talking about. This bowl stayed practically the same temperature for the whole 20 minutes it took me to eat it. How come? That nice layer of oil on top...soooo good.........

At last, Laap Cheung, at last...

A thousand apologies for not sending this shout-out sooner: www.laapcheung.blogspot.com Let the netwerking begin... Pho sucks. Nothing beats a nice bowl of Sapporo miso ramen, complete with inch-thick layer of oil and several thick cuts of slow-roasted pig. Banzai!! Looking forward to those Euro Trip pix.

A Soggy Graduation

It is funny how I associate a rainy day at the end of March not with Easter, but with school graduation. Have I really been here that long? My Mom wished me a happy Easter last week, and for the tiniest fraction of a second, I had NO idea what she was talking about.

Maybe I have been here too long. Sixth Graders finished up their elementary education today with a very lovely ceremony. Instead of taking the time to reflect on all the great moments we had (or didn't have) together, I found myself counting and categorizing all of the graduating students: the criers, the almost criers, and the ones who you could tell were trying their best just to sit still and let Mom and Dad enjoy the moment. In their final message, the kids were kind enough to mention their English classes. Really, they were much too kind in telling everyone how much fun they had with all the English games and songs. If only they looked like they were having fun - nay, if only they looked alive - in class, I might have taken their comments with a smaller grain of salt.

Enough.... All water under the bridge. I still remember enough of life in Canada to know that anyone in my Elementary School who was dumb enough to loudly proclaim that they LOVED their French classes was worthy of receiving a beating. I wish you little rugrats the best in Junior High, and hope you can drop by from time to time.

While I am in the spirit to congratulate, I will publicly GUSH my joy and excitement onto the pages of this blog for Sam and Ellen Tang and the wee little Tang that is due to arrive in September. Dr. Sam and Ellen will be missed greatly at our wedding, but considering the circumstances, I think I am just as happy as if they could come.

Since I have NOTHING to do, YOU all should check out Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss. Did you ever lament over the rapid decline of proper punctuation usage in this age where electronic mediums of expression dominate? I thought not, but if you agree with the saying that a good writer can craft something interesting from nothing, then this book is worth a read.

Lastly, with all this free time I have in between school years, I present for your enjoyment a series of pictures I call "Keitai Captures". Peace!!

Scott

All I need is my cell phone, my PS2 and about 11 hours of sleep a day, and I am fine.

This was our New Years greeting card for Japanese friends and family. Fuji, August 1st, 2004.

>Insert Clever Social Commentary Here< The name of this piece is "Forgot the Chin Chin".

I don't know how you would describe this...

Fuji at Sunset...

Wedding Fairs are fun, and an excellent source of FREE stuff.

Wedding Hotel 1

Wedding Hotel 2

Noheji in Winter..... right about the same time our car broke down.

August 21st, 2005

I just blinked, and two and a half months flew by... I realize I left some of you hangning with the Christmas message. First, BIZ... The wedding will be on August 21st, 2005 in Aomori. Preparations procede in fits and spurts, but we are currently putting together the reception plans as we speak. The ceremony will be SHINTO, with the reception being a mosaic of Eastern and Western influences. Here is a peek at the location... http://www.komaki-onsen.co.jp/komaki-en/home.htm ... go to the section "Hotels Along Oirase River".

It is proving to be more of a challenge planning for a Canadian/Japanese wedding, but Kotomi and I are having fun with it and are enjoying putting it together. Hopefully we will have a surprise or two for our guests when the big day comes ;)

Other than that.... school is finishing up here. The tiny First Graders aren't so tiny anymore, and the "too-cool-for-school" Sixth Graders can't wait to get out. As for us teachers, we sit here and try to look busy, but really there is nothing to be done until we find out if we stay at the same school again next year. That should happen......oooooh.... about 5 days before school actually starts. That's ok... Spring is here and the sakura are just about ready to bloom. I will just sit under a tree and watch the flowers until it is time to go to work again. Maybe the downtime will inspire me to hit you all with a Haiku or two.

More to come...

Scott


P.S. I have a large stockpile of pictures that need posting, but I currently cannot access my Picture folder. Hope to have the issue resolved soon.