Lawrence's Tales Of Adventure...

Your Japanese word of the... month... is...

2011-03-24T21:14:00.003-07:00

"keiken" 経験 which means "experience". Firstly, yes it's been basically two months since I wrote something that tags itself as weekly. Secondly, after searching my blog, I'm quite surprised I haven't used this word yet.

Anyways, the big news was that this past weekend (Mar 18 - 20) was the Karate Canada Nationals. As I mentioned before, I went with Team BC and I got a first hand look at what kind of things I need to do to change my karate.

As an experience, going to Nationals was amazing. It was a bit rough in the beginning since I didn't know anyone so even the social aspect of meeting new people was great. The other great part was that I got to be immersed in a community of common interest where everyone speaks the language. We can talk karate and everyone gets it. It's nice to be able to do that sometimes.

First off, the tournament was held in St. Hyancinthe which is about an hour east of Montreal. We all stayed at the hotel which also provided the venue for the tournament. So really, for a week, we basically stayed inside the hotel. However, with two friends, we did manage to rent a car and drive into Montreal for a few hours but it really wasn't worth the hassle. Certainly not for two hours. But we did see... some church...

... and the Olympic Stadium hehe...

Anyways, on to the tournament... Taking place over three days, there were kata and kumite events for a bunch of age groups (starting from 14 yrs) and weight classes. It actually makes for really long days watching lots of events, but being in the hotel meant that we could go outside for some fresh air or a quick bite and then head back to watch more events and cheer for the team. At the end of the day, all the final rounds were held and then medal ceremonies.

Of course, with age and weight classes, the kumite division were by far the largest so that means there are fights all day long. That also means there were a lot of intense moments as people tied or took the lead with seconds remaining.

There were also Team Kata events, which are always fun to watch =P

In terms of the teams themselves, Quebec and Ontario brought the biggest teams and are understandably strong. Team BC consisted of 55 athletes and we did rather well, if I do say so myself.

A member of Team BC (blue) enroute to his gold medal.

For me personally, the experience was eye opening in that it showed me how much I still have yet to learn about competing. I came out of the tournament with lots of good feedback from coaches and officials and I really do think that, with some reflection and hard work, I can keep improving to the point where I could win a medal. The first step, however, is getting onto the team again so I'd have a chance to try haha... so that's what I'll be doing from now til the next selection- training.

More Team BC - Boys 16 - 17 Kata

Admittedly I still have a lot of catching up to do if I want to be competitive in the next few years, but it's not impossible. Someone mentioned to me before that "individual" sports like tennis or golf can be difficult because it gets lonely and the burden really falls on the one athlete. And karate can be like that sometimes in that winning or losing a match depends entirely on the one competitor. But now there's also more support both from within Wado and from the team itself which really helps.

For the rest of the year, there's quite a few karate things happening as well. For starters, I got a call from another Wado dojo that wants to put together an instructional video and they wanted me to do some kata for them, which will be very helpful since a lot of our students have been asking for some kind of reference as well. In June there's going to be a big Wado training camp and we're trying to set up not one but two karate summer camps for July. So lots of cool stuff happening this year and in the fall, hopefully I can report on some other Pacific Spirit members competing... not just myself haha...

My favourite shot of the tournament, and Team BC (red) as well! Men's 18 - 20 Kumite -60kg

Lastly, about the tournament photos. Unfortunately, f4 on my Beercan wasn't enough in the venue's lighting. I basically had to salvage what I could from the RAWs and tweaked them to be presentable. Not all of them turned out but a fair number did so enjoy! =)

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2011-01-25T13:16:00.000-08:00

"kawaru" 変わる which means "to change". As some of you know, I worked at a Lexus dealership for a few years, mostly while I was in undergrad, and a lot changed while I was there. I had changes in supervisors, changes in materials and equipment, and even changes in how work was prioritized.

With the changes came how I dealt with them. Much like anything in life, the beginning saw me trying to do everything I was shown mostly because, without any experience, that's really the only thing I could do. Some time later, with a better understanding of what and how things needs to be done, I began to adapt the work to fit my work style and standards. The latter end of my work, however, fraught with mild frustration as new people, standards, or procedures were introduced that didn't always jive with me.

Some (including me) would say that wasn't really worth putting up a fight about. But more than that, insteading of wasting my time arguing, I tried to find a way stick to my methods while still accomodating and adapting to the new environment. Sounds pretty reasonable but the sheer number of conflicts I've seen at all my places of work and elsewhere suggests that it doesn't happen that often.

And such is the crossroads I'm at now in terms of karate. This past weekend was the Karate BC Provincials and, long story short, I ended up third. But I wasn't particularly happy with how I did, having lost early on and was pulled up because I lost to the eventual second place winner. My big issue is, as one of the coaches explained to me, that while there is nothing wrong with my karate, there is lots lacking from my competition karate.

Rika Usami - gold medal individual women's kata - 2010 Asian Games

Competition kata is judged a bit like figure skating, with a panel of judges looking for technical details as much as presentation. The time I spent in Japan was focussed on learning karate in the martial arts sense- the function beneath the form, the uses of specific stances/positions, the more abstract as well as the concrete ideas that underlie the movements. I still have much to learn (as a recent black belt seminar showed) but that approach has led me to be somewhat critical of competition kata at times.

This, of course, now ties in to the same adapting ideas I mentioned before. I think I had issue with competition kata because I thought that's what some people did all the time. But I realise now that the best martial artists can have a "competition mode" that doesn't sacrifice their "traditional understanding" (technically, the best word for this is budo 武道). In fact, the best ones would most likely be able to blend the two together, streamlining their karate to be competitive while still keeping the core aspects and ideas of their martial arts.

Key to the next stage

Thus is the next step for me, at least in terms of competition. There will be things that I can learn and do that will make my kata more "presentable" and hopefully more competitive. One of the first steps is that having medalled, I can now start training with the BC Team. This medal, then, more represents what I can do now than what I've already done. I'm already further along than I planned for in 2010 and as 2011 progresses, I'll keep refining my goals for this and the following year.

Most interesting (or perhaps stubborn) is that it took something like to make the wholesale change in my thinking. Guess I still have much to learn haha.....

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-12-23T19:54:00.002-08:00

"tetsudai" 手伝い which means to help/assist. It's the holiday season and while it's very important to be at home spending time with family and friends, thinking about gifts, and enjoying (some of) the time off, there's also some other things that we could do with our extra free time.

Two weeks ago, my friend organized a "Sandwich Day" which saw 8 of us spend one Sunday morning making about 130 PB&J and tuna-mayo sandwiches and then walking around the Downtown Eastside handing them out to those in need. We didn't choose who got a sandwich, we simply walked around and offered them to anyone we saw.

Most of the people were extremely grateful but some, interestingly, were rather picky ("No rye bread??", "No chicken salad??") or tried to get more than one. This is particularly interesting because, just as how it was easy for me to take many things for granted and overlook just how fortunate I am, they were doing conceptually the same thing, just on a different level. I wasn't as aware of the time I myself would ask for options when, really, I should've just been more appreciative that I even had an option in the first place. It was a simple yet eye opening thing to have done. And it only took about 3 hours out of my day.

Another thing about "helping" is that I've noticed recently the newly graded belts have been stepping up, both voluntarily and when I ask them, to help out with the younger/lower ranking belts, be it helping them line up, fixing their belts, or teaching them a few moves here and there. It's great seeing the kids grow into their responsibilities slowly and, with some guidance here and there, generally doing a good job.

One curious thing I've seen is how some kids will say or do things that I never noticed I did. I guess because many of the students learned some of what they know from how and what I teach, when it's their turn to do so, they sometimes start with what they've seen me do or hear me say. Unfortunately, that sometimes leads to moments of "Do I do that/look like that?!?" haha...... oh well, it's a bit of a reality check and gives me a chance to be critical of my own teaching since I can essentially take a step back and watch myself... and it's helped me change things here and there as I try to improve as a teacher.

Anyways, it's two more days til Christmas and I wish all of you a very safe and happy holiday season!! Coming up in January 22-23rd is the KarateBC Provincial Championship but I'll check in before then... See you all in 2011!

Christmas train!! Choo-choo-choo-choo...

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-11-30T21:51:00.001-08:00

"hisabisa" 久々which means a "long time". Technically, it's got a very similar meaning to "hisashiburi" which I've written about before but, as I said in that post, "hisashiburi" seems to be used mainly more as a statement whereas "hisabisa", from what I've concluded through hearing it used, seems to be used as part of a phrase where you'd describe something you haven't done in a while (or "It's been a while since..."). Of course, you can use "hisashiburi" in a similar way as well so the details I'm not that sure of....

Anyways, one of the big shockers this past week was the snowfall in Vancouver. It hasn't actually hit December yet but we've had below-0 temperatures and rather large snowfall which is something I haven't seen in a while. Yes, many people in Calgary will scoff at the idea of -5 degrees being cold, but for Vancouver in November, I'd say that's a bit rare.

For the most part, I love snow. I love walking in it, I love driving in it, I love the way it makes everything look, I love the calmness it seems to spread... I don't, however, love what happens to the city when it snows. Vancouverites seem to freak out and a lot of them forget that snow is slippery meaning that it's rather dangerous to travel around the city both due to hooligans and ignorants alike...

But enough griping =P... As I said a few weeks ago, the end of November held a lot of karate and I'm glad to say all of it was rather successful.

The first big deal was the grading we had for most of the coloured belts. I was very happy with how everyone did, especially some of the people that didn't pass previously in April. One of the big principles I try to explain to the kids is that more important than the result is what you do with it. Some of them certainly weren't happy with not passing before but they've worked hard these past months and they deserved their new belts, which I think they're starting to understand the value of.

Beyond that, and I mentioned this to all the students, was how impressive their progress has been. Sometimes it's hard to see their improvements because I see them so regularly, but when I took a step back and really analyzed their work, I definitely noticed a difference from 6 months ago. I take it as a sign that the ball is starting to roll now and if we keep it up, there'll be good things in the future =)...

The second big event was the black belt grading this past Saturday. I wasn't being tested (read: no pressure for me haha) but I did attend to help some people practice as well as be their partners for kihon and jiyu kumite, from which I escaped unscathed fortunately because...

Sunday was the Zone 5 Qualification Tournament. Karate BC, if you don't know, is divided into zones and each zone holds a qualifier and the top 4 from certain divisions get to compete in the Karate BC Provincial Championships early next year. The top 3 in the provincials are also allowed onto the BC Team which will then train for the Nationals coming in the spring.

I signed up for kata but I didn't really know what to expect. It's been a long time since I've competed (see how I tied that back in?? haha) and I don't really know much about the other dojos or competitors around the lower mainland so I went in simply to do my best. With 6 competitors in my division and me NOT being one with a by, I had to get past the first round to consider myself "qualified" for the provincials. And that indeed I did, edging out my opponent in the first round but in the second round, I lost to the eventual first place winner. Ultimately, I came in third, so now I'm headed for the provincials in a few months =)...

A few things I noticed though. First off, and this may sound really obvious, but training and teaching are two entirely different things. I'm going to have to get back on it if I'm going to be competitive in 2011 and onward, plain and simple...

The second thing is that it's rather interesting to be the new boy in the relatively small community that is a Karate BC zone tournament. Everyone else in my division knew each other and have probably competed against each other many times. Then I step up and I just sensed everyone watching quietly and intently to see what the new guy would do. It was strangely quieter when I was up for my two times than anyone else... or it could've just been the nerves... hmm... =P...

The third and final point ties into the second- that Wado is unfortunately under-represented in BC in terms of adult competitors, if not in general. That's changing slightly with the growth of some clubs (mine included), but one of the problems that's reared it's head is that for the zone tournament, I was told I could only perform kata from my own style. Higher level Wado kata simply isn't as competitive as higher level kata from other styles, both due to the comparatively few kata Wado has as well as the philosophical approach Wado has to karate in general. That makes Wado kata, depending on your perspective, look less complex or less flashy/showy. Either way, that puts us at a competitive disadvantage right off the bat...

I'm going to find out if I'm allowed to perform kata from other styles for the provincials because I do have a few non-Wado kata that I can prep. If not, then I'll just be training what Wado kata I have because being less competitive and being NOT competitive are two different things...

Not me =P...

The last thing I haven't done in a long time....... gone skiing!! I just picked up some new boots since my old ones didn't fit right last year and after my skis get a good tune-up next week, I'll be ready for the slopes.

Hope you're all ready for December and I'll check in with you all soon =)

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-11-07T18:56:00.002-08:00

"sanka suru" 参加する which means "to participate". This past month, if I'm honest, I haven't really participated in much. I've been tutoring a bit more and karate's been going strong but there's lots there that's happening this month.

First off, the Pacific Spirit grading week is this month, so we're busying preparing all the students for that. The weeks that lead up to grading are always interesting because although it comes across as a "test" of sorts, it doesn't really work that way. For instance, while there are minimum performance levels each student has to meet for their next belt, it ultimately is partly subjective whether they pass or not. Some may argue that they should pass because they know a certain kata or can perform a certain move, but I value effort just as much, if not more, than the product. And while I do strive for all my students to do better than the bare acceptable minimum (and I push them with that in mind), it's also sobering to keep in mind that not everyone is capable of everything and, as an instructor, I think it's important to keep that in mind.

The next big event this month is a black belt grading. That's not happening at Pacific Spirit but rather at a larger grading where higher ranking black belts will run the test. I'm not, however, going to be grading for another dan but I will be helping a friend with hers. It'll be nice to be at a grading without the pressure of being graded for once haha.....

The last big event is the Karate BC Provincial Championship Qualification round. The actual championship is early 2011 but you basically have to qualify to be in the round. Karate BC is separated into zones and each zone runs their own try-outs and in the provincial championships, all the qualifiers vie for the top spot. I've never competed in any Karate BC tournament and the last time I competed was in 2009 at the Kanto area Wadokai Championships. I'm sneaking in training time before and after classes but it'll be interesting to see how I, and the other students from Pacific Spirit that are competing, will turn out.

Of note is that, as the way these things happen, all three events are happening the same week..... exciting =P

And in keeping with the karate theme, Richard sent me a video of the quarter final match of the WKF World Championships 75kg men's kumite.

In red is Rafael Aghayev, a multi-title winning -75kg fighter from Azerbaijan. I was lucky enough to have watched him fight in the 2008 WKF Worlds where he won the -75kg and the Open classes.

In blue is Ko Matsuhisa, also a decorated kumite fighter that's also in the Wadokai. The year before I went to Japan, he taught at a kumite seminar that my dojo participated in.

Anyways, enjoy the rather epic fight. Of note is that the scoreboard is flipped but this video is kind enough to show you a running tab of the scores. Anyway, enough blabbing, enjoy the fight!

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-10-08T01:36:00.000-07:00

"wake" 訳 which means reasoning/meaning. As part of one of the last phrases in Japanese I ever learned, it's quite useful when you're talking about just how futile or unlikely something could be. For example, "aruku wake wa nai" basically means "no point in walking" or, depending on your tone of voice, "No way I'm walking". Another example is "kaeru wake wa nai" which would be "no reason to return" which, again depending on your tone, is synonymous with "Why would I go back?". Anyway, like any language, there are instricacies to it but that is essentially how "wake" is commonly used.

For me, well, it's more like I have no reason/excuse for not updating my blog recently. If I'm honest, the time has sort of slid by unnoticed because the days blend into weeks then blend into months. But I'm back and all is well =)...

One of the things I've been doing recently is going out for walks/hikes. There's a local hiking trail here called The Chief which consists of 3 different peaks. I've done two of the three so far and will soon doing the final one. Pics of that coming soon.

Another place I went to is Lynn Canyon in North Van. It's a great area with a huge variety of trails ranging from gentle "nature walks" (aboev) to the steep climb to its peak. I went a few days ago with a friend and, seeing as it's October now, decided to try and capture some autumn colours.

Some of the leaves had started to turn and fall but for really great autumn pictures, I think a few more weeks is needed. Of course, that's a hard balancing act in Vancouver since fall usually means rain and if I wait too long, there won't be any more leaves to take pictures of. In the meantime, here are some other ones I got...

One of the best parts of the Lynn Canyon park was that even in the bright sunlight at midday, the canopy casted amazing shadows all across the forest floor. The lighting was never too bright nor too dim and certain patches would always be illuminated in the places lesat expected. This, along with the serenely quiet forest atmosphere and the atypically abundant ferns and mosses made it feel very special indeed.

And then, of course, are my personal favourites from the day, including:

A tone mapped picture of a maple leaf.

This one that I call, "Fall"

And my personal favourite from the day because I think the lighting really makes the picture.

Anyway, I promise to be more consistent with these posts. We've also started a Sunday evening karate class at Pacific Spirit Wado Kai so I'll let you know more about how that class develops as we grow it.

Stay tuned!

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-09-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

"ame" 雨 which means rain. Even the pictograph kanji looks sort of like water falling from clouds. That's the interesting thing about kanji... they seem to bear more resemblance to what they're representing the simpler the kanji. Although, on second thought, maybe that's not overly surprising... Anyway haha...

What I meant to talk about was my recent trip up to Lund on the Sunshine Coast. It's not particularly far but you are at the mercy of the ferries, which means early starts and, if you want to make sure you get home, earlier returns. But we actually stayed the night in Lund so that made it much more relaxing.

As you can see, quite a lot of twisties which makes the drive rather fun. The roads on the last leg up to Lund get a bit more broken but for the most part, it's nice and smooth which is always comforting.

After arriving, we had a bit of time to relax and around 6pm, we (me, my parents, and 7 others) all boarded a boat that one of them chartered. It's basically a privately owned charter company and the owner/operator will plan out a tour based on what you want to see. You can do multi-day trips, you can do a short half-day or full-day trip to anywhere to see or do anything. If you want to go fishing, he'll take you to some great fishing spots. If you want to see waterfalls, he can take you there as well. For us, we went on a tour around Desolation Sound which included a dinner prepared by his wife (they run the business together).

One of the surprises of the boat trip were the prawn traps that our guide laid out the day before. The haul wasn't particularly large (though more than enough for the 10 of us) but the more adventurous of us ate a few fresh from the traps. I must say, they're particularly delicious like that haha..... very tender with just a tiny bit of the sea salt flavour.

Of course, no trip through a provincial park would be complete without a lot of wildlife being spotted. Highlights include seals and dolphins (the latter which I wasn't fast enough to grab a shot of) and bald eagles.

And this rock which resembles a seal...

With all that done, we headed back to the quaint shore-side hotel which had one of the most comfortable beds I've ever slept in. Although that could also be due to the long day that we had... who knows heh.... oh, also, if you manage to be in Lund on a clear day, the sunset is amazing I'm told since the pier faces west and looks out towards Vancouver Island. Unfortunately for us, we were hampered by clouds...

The next day we headed back with a stop at the Ruby Lake resort. And, despite the occasional downpour, what started as a brief rest turned into an all afternoon photography session by everybody because of the sheer amount of flowers and interesting bird-related items hidden around the acreage. In fact, the resort's a bird sanctuary so going on a clearer day would probably net you quite a few bird sightings if that's your thing. Here are a few of the flower pics I took.

Capping it all off was lunch at the Italian restaurant at the resort where the chef served us an absolutely delicious meal of pasta with a seafood platter of mussels, scallops, prawns, and clams in a tomato sauce. As always, there's something to be said for simple, hearty, skillfully prepared meals.

And that was it- a pleasant two day trip right in our own backyard. It's actually easy enough to get to that I'm considering going again. It's even possible to head out to the restaurant for lunch and easy make the ferries back for home... and it's worth it too!

Anyway, now that September's hit, it's back to the normal life which includes yet another season of Pacific Spirit Karate. We've got some changes coming along and one of them includes a blog which will be online in a few weeks. So check back for that!

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-09-01T18:32:00.000-07:00

"fuukei" 風景 which means "scenery" or "landscape" which, of course, is a major focal point of the 1-week road trip I took to Yellowstone with my parents.

The 8-day trip took us from Vancouver through to Coeur d'Alene, West Yellowstone, inside Yellowstone, Livingston, Hungry Horse, Pincher Creek, Grand Forks, and then back home for a grand total of 3500km. The driving, overall, wasn't too bad. Past Seattle the traffic really thins out and you spend a lot of the four-lane highway by yourself with a fair bit of space around you. There are some really fun windy roads on the way back through the Rockies but overall, just a nice, calm, quiet cruise through the north western US.

Nice, calm, and quiet thanks in no small part to the car. Here it is at the north entrance of Yellowstone.

Travelling was Days 1 and 2. For Days 3 and 4 we were actually inside the parking and that's where the real landscape viewing begins. The park is almost unfathomably large and different areas actually look different. As in, you could be driving through a forest and come out onto a huge plains area... it really is that big. And that pretty too...

One of the first stops if you enter from the west entrance are these basins of hot water, this one being the "Sapphire Pool". There are actually quite a few basins in the area and they all look somewhat similar with different colours for each.

A bit further down, of course, is Old Faithful. We actually skipped a few sights just to be sure we could see Old Faithful blow and then went back to see the ones we missed. If I'm honest, all that "hurry up and wait" hyped it up to the point that when the water did flow, I was a bit cynical about it all. That's not to say Old Faithful isn't great to watch because it is. It's just that we skipped over some equally nice stops to see it. And we were lucky we had time to go back but some people might not...

Sights like these thermal pools. Looks of bacteria that thrive on the high temperatures live here and they give the pools and runoffs these colours. Again, very pretty and entirely possible that, because of how close they are to Old Faithful, some people would skip it. If you go, make sure to stop by these basins because they're worth your while.

And no trip to Yellowstone is complete without buffalo. These are easy to spot- just watch for the crowds of people pulled over on the side of the road. This one was a particularly huge traffic jam and so we jumped out and caught a herd swimming across the stream. And for what people say about them being scary up close, they actually are. I'm not sure if it's the cold, beady eyes or the fear of them charging, but as soon as they climbed up the banks, people started running haha...

There's also the Mammoth Terraces where years of calcium carbonate deposits have left the landscape mostly devoid of colour. Even these dead trees stand in stark contrast to the paleness around them.

On leaving Yellowstone, we drove north towards Alberta and crossed Glacier National Park along the way. Compared to Yellowstone it's not nearly as large or spectacular, but certain places (like the pine forest) are amazing at the right time. And for all that Yellowstone is large and rather obvious about its sights, Glacier is a bit more subtle and takes a moment to be appreciate. Such as this view of a lake just after a rainstorm.

And Glacier's not short on wildlife either...

Near Cranbrook is an old heritage town called Fort Steele. If you like that kind of stuff, it's worth stopping by. All the people are dress up and there are horse carriage rides and performances throughout the day.

We also stopped in Osoyoos on the way back, although this picture is still from Fort Steele.

Anyways, the trip was a nice way to cap of the one year I spent at UBC. I'm all finished now so the next challenge is to find some work and put these new skills to use.

And Pacific Spirit Wado Kai, which starts again on Sept 14th. We've got loads planned including new classes, new events, and a new Pacific Spirit blog. Stay tuned for that!

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-08-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

"orora" オーロラ which is just the phonetic translation of "aurora", the famous Northern Lights. The aurora lights, being an interaction of solar wind particles with the Earth's magnetic field, is a rather rare occurance since it can only be seen further north and in dark areas than, let's say, Vancouver. So when the news said that a rather large solar wind was going to light up skies near the 49th parallel, I grabbed my camera and headed out of the city to try and snag a picture of it.

Unfortunately, despite what has been a rather awesome Vancouver summer, one of the few cloudy nights we've had was the same night I went up so there really wasn't much to see... so in the end, I just took a few night shots with some friends and headed home. I suppose if I was really desperate I could always venture further into the interior or take those "aurora watching" tours to Yellowknife but... well, we'll see haha....

The other big piece of news is that I'm officially done my Bachelor of Education program! It was an interesting 1 year and I certainly learned a lot... the challenge now is to find work that will let me test out my skills haha...

So come September, Pacific Spirit Karate will be kicking off again with the bar set slightly higher, I'll be able to update this blog more frequently (check back next week for pics from my upcoming trip to Yellowstone Park), and hopefully I'll be working and teaching so I can share my experiences about that.

Til then...

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-07-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

"seiko" 成功 which means "success". And the big success this past while was the PSWK Summer Karate Camp 2010 which ran from July 5-23rd, every Monday - Friday 3-5pm. We had hoped for about 6 kids to register which was the minimum we needed to make the rent and we got almost double that. The picture below was the class on the second last day, minus one family of 3 and Sensei Erica.

One of the best parts of the camp was that every student had at most one year's worth of lessons. This meant we could have the whole class working together on lots of stuff and that just makes it more fun. And for the slightly higher ranking belts, I had a team kata project to work on for the three weeks which turned out GREAT!

Of course, summer = fun as well...

It was also a great chance to introduce lots of new students to karate and to PSWK so here's to hoping that they all show up again in September! And make sure to scroll down for more pics.

In the meantime, school is winding down and I've got a few more neat little outings with pictures I'll be posting in a little bit. Til then... =)

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-07-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

"kimoii" which is slang for "gross!". It's actually "kimochi warui" 気持ち悪い which literally means "feeling bad/gross", but then people (teens usually) just take the first two syllables and the last and shorten the phrase to make it easier to yell.

To be honest, I don't really use it that much because, for some reason, it really seems (and sounds) to me like a word only high school girls use. Maybe that's because I spent a year in a high school and those were the people that used it. It also lends it self to high pitched, dragged out versions of "kimoi~~~~"...

Now, this (sort of) connects to this week's topic in that at Science World, one of the workshops I taught was called "Grossology". As you can see, I finally secured some pictures of me leading the workshops and while it may seem a bit "lecture"-esque, the workshops really do use a lot of very simple, very cheap props to help the students along the way. Here we're talking about the digestive system and in a few moments, the TV beside me will show clips of a real, live endoscopy. It's great fun listening to the kids' reactions as they watch the camera slide down a person's throat and into the stomach.

Another part of the workshop includes the making of fake blood, again with really simple, cheap materials. And because it's made with corn syrup and cocoa powder, it's edible!

The best part of all this is that by using real items as examples, the learning becomes that bit more experiential and that make it all the more useful. They may not remember all the names of all the body parts, but if they even remember that I had put water into the "corn syrup blood" to make it thinner and easier to pump, then that's learning in itself.

I'm actually in the middle of a PSWK Summer Karate Camp and I try to make sure that I don't overload the students with "explaining" and instead have them "doing". And it seems to work because they're all having a great time, they feel like they're getting "more" out of it, and I still have chances to tweak them as they're going along.

Nothing gross about that... =P

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-07-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

"tesou" 手相 which is "palm reading". Yes, like astrology or tarot cards, the type of palm reading that is supposed to decipher the mysteries of your life.

Now, I certainly don't think that palm reading is something exclusive to the Japanese (and it's not) but I do distinctly remember one time when I was intrigued by it...

I was riding the train home from a karate training when, out of boredom, I was reading the many ads on the train. One on the window beside me was about a palm reading service and included a handy (no pun intended) chart describing some basic palm lines and what they mean. Of course, that's what I can only presume since, at that point, I couldn't read any Japanese.

I'm reminded of this because yesterday, again out of boredom, I was flipping through the channels and stumbled upon a Chinese show which had invited a palm reader (or "palmist") to explain some of the finer details of palm reading.

Now, I should point out I don't believe in any of this stuff. I even find Wikipedia is overly kind in calling it a "psuedoscience". But I do find it interesting what they read into.

For example, on your dominant hand, the one line that goes from the edge of your palm (between your thumb and index finger) and arcs down towards your wrist tells tales about your life. One thing I remember hearing about was how the "choppier" the line was, the worse your health would be. And that the closer the "choppiness" was to your wrist, the later the onset of said disease.

This, to me, is pretty hard to believe. How would a palm crease tell of illness as a child or as a senior? I suppose MAYBE if you were sick as a child and you spent a long time clinching your fist, perhaps the line would be less smooth. But to be able to say that you'd be sick LATER in life? Right.......

Anyway, just a funny story I thought I'd share. In other news, Happy Canada Day!!

Perhaps someone can read Canada's lines and creases and figure out what kind of future it has...

Oh wait, that's geology isn't it?... and that IS real... =P

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-06-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

"sankaku" 三角 which means triangle. This week I thought I'd share some of the drills that we do at karate (since nothing of interest is happening at school hah). In karate class, I try to keep the sheer amount of talking/explaining to a minimum, especially with the young kids. A lot of them might be interested in the inner workings of karate but often times they have more fun if they're moving around. And if taught properly, their foundations will be good enough that when I explain the details later, they'll still get it.

In terms of keeping them moving, kumite drills are a great, fun way of doing that while still using some karate skills. So what we did last week is we set up the "Triangle of Death" (I called it the "Triangle of Cardio" but I was soon overruled on the name... hah).

Not the Triandle of Death...

Anyways, the triangle works like this:

One sensei stands at each point at the triangle.

At the first point, the kids do a kizami-tsuki (lunging front punch) and basically try to score a standard kumite point.

Then they run to the next "vertex" where they work on their counter; the sensei will throw a punch and they have to block it and counter with their own attack.

Then they run to the last corner where the sensei is holding a kick back and they do 3 mawashi-geri (roundhouse kicks) in a row.

Then they complete the triangle by running back to the first sensei to start again.

Of course, this is all expandable in terms of having the sensei making it easier or harder for the students to hit them (especially at that first corner), adding more vertices (a Square of Death perhaps?), and/or spreading the corners out.

Aside from working a number of different skills, it also gets them moving and keeps the cardio up. And it's also a fair bit of work for the people at each point since they're dealing with a stream of people.

And it's fun! Which is a crucial aspect to training with kids =P....

Anyway, we're gearing up for a summer karate camp this July, M-F 3-5pm so if you're interested, make sure to get in touch.

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-06-14T00:57:00.000-07:00

"joba" 乗馬 which literally means "ride a horse". I bring this up because last week, walking through North Van, I saw a "Joba" in a store window.

The Joba is actually a peculiar little fitness machine which, as you can see from the picture, mimics the motions of riding a horse. And you sit on it, pretending to ride a horse, gyrating your hips in an effort to lose weight and get fit.

Some of you might remember me mentioning this way back in 2007 when I first saw it. It really is a bit of a weird sight to see and I never expected it to break into the American market, yet there it was, sitting in a display at the front of a store. And if you do come across a Joba, I suggest you take it for a ride. It's fun for about 5 seconds though the novelty then wears off. But for more entertainment, you could always convince your friend to give it a try and then crank the speed setting to max and then watch them hang on... that'd be worth a few laughs... =P

Anyways, not much happened this past week but next week is grading at PSWK! A big portion of the club is testing for their next belt and I'll be sure to have a few pics for you.

Til then!

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-06-01T11:25:00.001-07:00

"machigai" 間違い which means "mistake" or "error" which is a funny thing to think about. I mean, there are mistakes like these:

which is clearly just a case of not having checked with someone knowledgeable about what the answer it. My dad went to explain that the Chinese actually said "Yogurt Bar" but they just translated it word for word and ended up with "Lactic Acid Bar".

But it brings up an interesting point- Is making errors always so bad? Obviously in terms of marketing, selling something called a "Lactic Acid Bar" is probably a bad thing since the number of people interested in giving themselves flavoured-muscle-cramps-on-a-stick are relatively few. But what about other cases?

For example, in karate there is a lot of focus on "doing the move right". But that interpretation changes depending on who you talk to. Before I left, a lot of "correctness" came from exact positioning. My knowledge of the inner workings was pretty limited so I was left with basically imitating what I saw. This meant that "bring right" was simply that I was able to reproduce a specific stance or arm positioning.

As I trained in Japan however, I began to see that while there is still a ballpark range for a move to be right (a high block is different from a low block), it's more important to be understanding the principles behind the movement and the positioning. In fact, often times focusing too much on positioning inhibits people's ability to do the move properly because they become overwhelmed with details. Sometimes it's just step back, point out one or two critical things they should work on, and simply let them get on with it. It's quite difficult to do because it's many people's first reaction to simply fix everything right away but the reason we practice is to give us many opportunities to fix things over a long period of time.

Then again, making mistakes is sometimes crucial to development. I lost tournaments for nearly a year straight before finally placed somewhere I could be proud of. And for many, the failure is quite a deterrent and while it can be a bit rough at times, I made mistakes in the ring that I probably never could've predicted.

This also ties into education since there's always talk about steering students away from testing and performance based assessment towards experiential learning opportunities. Again analogous to "doing it right" vs "trying it out", it's something I've had a few chances to try out, particularly at Science World. Now I'm not here to say that all testing is bad, I really do think that it's necessary. But I would never judge a student purely on achievement either. Take the following picture:

We were given materials (a few sheets of paper, some tape, scissors, and a paper clip) and told to make a house. Our group built a motorhome. By all intents and purposes we didn't exactly build a typical "house" but by no means are we wrong.

The difficult part then is separating mistakes that occuring along the path of progress and mistakes veer off in a different direction. And then it's deciding of those "different direction" mistakes have merit of their own, which many argue they do.

With PSWK's grading coming up in a few weeks, this is something I'll be thinking quite a bit about...

In the meantime, one final mistake which is quite clearly a mistake. But at least they learned something... maybe...

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-05-25T23:12:00.000-07:00

"tadashii" 正しい which means "correct" or "right". Now before I start, I should point out that I will by no means claim to have all the "right" answers or that anything is 100% "correct". But perhaps I should set up some context...

A few weeks ago, Takagi Sensei (front row, centre, with the Japanese flag on his karate dogi) came to visit. Some of you may remember Takagi Sensei as one of the sensei I trained with while I was in Tokyo and is one of the few remaining people to have trained with Otsuka Sensei, the founder of Wado karate.

But since the founding of karate, Wado or otherwise, it's been governed by people and, unfortunately, people are governed by any number of motivating factors. As such, factions and splits arise in karate just as they would anywhere and, in some ways, it can be worse in something like karate which essentially involves the passage of knowledge rather than simple ownership of an entity.

And the end of one of the sessions, someone asked Takagi Sensei how do they know if they are doing the "right" moves. His answer, typically, was that it depends; it depends on what you're doing and your beliefs. But more importantly than that, he stressed that whatever path you choose, you still need to take ownership of it and learn as much as you can. The onus is on each person to do the find exemplars to follow and work hard.

While it seems rather broad and blanket-y, I will say that it is true to a certain degree. I really feel that having had the chance to train with a variety of instructors, I can decide for myself who's example I'd like to follow, be it the kind of person the instructor is as well as their technical knowledge. People like Marta Sensei (R) and Takagi Sensei (Centre).

Speaking of techincal knowledge, the seminars really focussed on the basics and other foundational aspects of movement. We did a lot of ido kihon (moving basics) and only on the last day did we do any kata. Then again, it's often the simple stuff that's hardest to do well and it probably helped a lot of people to be able to see Takagi Sensei demonstrate the principles behind the moves.

Special thanks for Norma Sensei for sending me these pics. And here's one I never expected..... Takagi Sensei hugging me haha.....

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-05-12T20:35:00.001-07:00

"hokoku" 報告 which means "report". Although it generally refers to longer "accounts" of an event, I'm using it in reference to the feedback my students gave me about my 10 weeks teaching them. And also because I couldn't find a good translation for "feedback" heh....

Anyways, with practicum officially over (including my stint at Science World), I've been enjoying my time off and I'll be sure to update this weekly again.

But for now, back to what the students wrote about me. I gave them a small form that had 5 statements which they could agree or disagree with and on the back they could write down comments on what I could do to improve as well as what I was doing well. I haven't compiled the comments but here is their "voting", as it were.

Overall, I'd say it's pretty good. Obviously you can't please everyone all the time and I certainly had no qualms about dishing out (appropriate) consequences for certain actions (or non-actions), but it's really not that bad. The last one about making the concepts understandable is the most important to me, and that most of them agree at least somewhat is good to see. The respectfulness is probably second in terms of importance and again, the overall feedback is pretty good though there are places I can work on there and there.

Anyway, not bad for 10 weeks I think....... still room to improve but I have the rest of my life for that. Now the next step is finding a job where I can put these improvements to the test haha....

Oh, and one last thing, seeing that I finished my practicum just in time for a week full of sunshine, I managed get the camera out and take some pics. Although they are, predictably, of cars haha..... and a duck... Enjoy =)

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-04-27T00:04:00.000-07:00

"tsukuru" 作る which is "to make/create". I didn't mention last time that I was on my final practicum week. In reality, I've been off practicum since Apr 16th and from Apr 19th - May 7th I'm actually teaching at Science World, which is a great experience in itself.

Anyway, back to the practicum. It was a lot of work (like, a lot) but I enjoyed it for the most part. Admittedly I had a lot of very helpful people around me, supporting my progress through the ten weeks and while the prep work never got any easier, I did enjoy my experience in the classroom for the most part. It wasn't always easy and I wasn't always kind, but most of the time I left the classroom feeling pretty good about what I did in the classroom and how I was relating to the students.

I got some useful and positive feedback from them which I'll compile for you next week.

But for now, I wanted to show you some of the great pieces of work that some of my students made and graciously allowed me to keep (or in one case, presented me with as a gift).

In my grade 9 class' human reproductive system unit, the students put together a small project on the "Journey of the Gametes", where they traced the path in the development of a sperm or egg cell. A pair of students put together this big picture book called...

It's actually a neat little read and it was surprising when the two of them offered it to me as a present since I figured they would've wanted to keep it considering all the work they put into it. Here's a look at what they put on the inside.

For my Biology 11 class' algae unit, I had the students work in groups to build 3D models of algae. One of the groups paper mache'd welding rod and painted them red to make a rather good red algae model.

Along with their model they had to put together a small info booklet/poster and on an "Algae Fair" day when the students had to present their projects, they all voted for the best booklet and it came down to a tie followed by a vote. This booklet lost the tie but I still think it's very well put together and very well done.

Along with the best booklet, there was a vote for the best model and this one, of a dinoflagellate, won. Made from a paper mache'd balloon, it had walnut shells on the outside (because the outside of a dinoflagellate is rough) with cell structures strung on the inside. The "face" is because I said the model could be anthropomorphic if they wanted heh...

The amount of work that some of the students put in and the amount of creativity some of them show when given a chance really impresses me. The great thing about having these with me is that, as many have suggested, I can show them the next time I give the project to another class and that'll help raise the level of work that the next group does. So here's to hoping that this is only the beginning...

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-04-16T23:47:00.002-07:00

"kaminari" 雷 which means both thunder AND lightning. And this is completely true; they aren't distinct terms like they are in English. I asked once while I was in Japan, what's the word for just the sound component- "kaminari"... So then I asked about the light component- "kaminari"... Then I asked how they would talk about each part separately- "Don't they always happen together?"... Which I suppose, in a profound way, is very true.

I even asked is "kami" was lightning and "nari" was thunder... I was just met with an incredulous look most likely reserved for people butchering another's mother tongue... It was worth a try at least =P...

Regardless, this week in my Science 9 class, we learned about static electricity and one of the classes included various demos with the Van de Graaff generator. It was a blast with lots of neat demos that involved this mystical, invisible force that could move things.

Even better was when we got the charges to jump between students, shocking them with what is basically lightning.

The crowning acheivement, however, was when I managed to jump a spark between my finger and a bunsen burner to get the gas to ignite. I told the class I'd only try 3 times (it's not really that fun to have sparks coarsing through your body so often) and, lo and behold, it lit on the 3rd try.

And who says science isn't fun? =P...

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-04-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

"azakeru" 嘲る which is "to mock/ridicule". No, this isn't about me mocking my students or the other way around. This is more about the state of the car market currently.

As I mentioned last week, I went to the Vancouver International Auto Show with fellow car friends and, while lacking in truly exceptional cars, there was endless scope for us to make fun of bad ones. We got into lots of different ones and pushed buttons, turned dials, knocked on panels, and ran our fingers over surfaces. What did we look for? A generally high quality feel. A button should "press" with a dampened solid feel, not "click" in a plasticky sound. Dials should turn smoothly with consistent resistence, not stiff at the start and sticky like it was set in molasses. The same goes for materials- panels and surfaces should feel substantial and pleasant to touch, not feel and sound like plastic painted to look like wood.

In fact, high end luxury car makers actually spend money into research and development on what kind of pressure it should take to turn a dial, what kind of sound each button should make, and what materials to use.

So it's no surprise that the Europeans seem to do it best, with the Japanese in a close second. It's also not surprising that expensive cars tend to do it better.

What ~IS~ surprising is just how poor some cars are built, despite being expensive. Not to sound biased, but the majority of these were American cars. A Lincoln Navigator is, for example, atrociously put together. Door handles have visible seams where the plastic was moulded together; the gauges are incredibly small and hard to read; the covers for the storage compartments rattle and sound cheap.

Similarly, the Lincoln Mk S is just as bad. The materials are woeful, the gaps in the panels are consistent only in their inconsistency, and the feel of all the controls the driver touches just reeks of budgetary constraints. The worst part is that, at $66,000 as displayed at the Auto Show, it's not cheap. In fact, you can get the ridiculously fast and aggressive Mercedes C63 AMG for ~LESS~ money which, despite being a bit smaller in the back, is a no-brainer in terms of choice. And if you opt out of the performance, you can buy a similarly equipped Audi or Lexus for less as well.

Then again, it's not just the Americans. One of the most hideous cars of the show, the Porsche Panamera, is equally affected. All the controls feel fine up front, but some of the stuff in the back seats are just awful. The lid for the cupholder, for example, springs open with a tinny "clack" and the cover for the storage area only manages to open itself halfway before getting stuck. That kind of stuff is unacceptable for cars costing $50,000, let alone $100,000.

Perhaps some people don't care. Perhaps some people don't have a chance to compare. But even so, most people should have a sense of what feels expensive to them. But more critical than that, the upper management of these companies shouldn't settle for second rate standards.

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-03-30T21:53:00.000-07:00

"raku" 楽 which means "comfortable" or "relaxed/relieved". And so I was, since last week was spring break. I managed to get a bit of work done but only the work for this week.

Of course, that's not really a problem since this weekend is Easter long weekend, so that's another 4 days off. Coupled with a short week next week, that makes these two weeks pretty simple. After that, I have one full week and then I'm finished the school portion of my practicum! Excited isn't really the word I'd use since, aside from the prep work, I rather enjoy my time in the classroom.

I'm by no means a "good teacher" but at least I feel somewhat comfortable in front of a class. I'll be glad when I'm at Science World for the slightly reduced work load but it'll be weird not seeing my students daily. Of course, I'll still be working with students (this time of all ages) as well at Science World, so that brings with it new challenges which will be fun.

But in the mean time, I'm just enjoying my relaxing days off as I make the final push towards the end of practicum.

In other news, I'll be finally breaking the camera out again this Thursday as I head for the Vancouver International Auto Show. Cars, friends, and photography...

I could even enter for a chance to win a Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet! Fingers crossed haha....

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-03-20T19:10:00.000-07:00

"kitsui" きつい which means "laborious; difficult". I like to think of it as "tough". And not to worry, although I did miss a week, the blog's not stopping anytime soon.

But back to the word...

When practicum started, it wasn't too bad. The school schedule includes 4 classes a day and I only taught 2. And they were separated by spares even. More than that, it was the same lesson twice. I didn't even have to plan that much since it was done for me. So, for a month, everything was fine and dandy. I just focussed on honing my classroom skills.

Since the beginning of March, I swapped one of those classes for a different class. So now it was still two classes, but back to back, and different lessons for both. A bit more work but at least most of the planning was done for me still.

UBC mandates that all student teachers must spend 4 weeks teaching at a "full load" which they deem as 80% of the available classes or, in my case, 3 blocks a day. I started that last week and they're all different courses, 3 in a row, and I plan one of them entirely on my own.

Now, that's not to say I have it particularly hard, considering most others are doing 3 classes (or more if their school is linear) planning everything. But this whole teaching business is tough.

To be honest, it's not the "teaching" part. I actually enjoy being on the floor and working with the students. The planning is the tought part. So I can see how established teachers manage to get through a year's worth because once the material is all set and you're used to the delivery, it's not too bad. Challenging, but not nearly as tough as it is now.

And, of course, you really do have to give it 100% and it is tiring. Because, like our frog friend below shows us, giving 100% and missing the mark means that at least you haven't left anything on the table...

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-03-08T22:38:00.000-08:00

"hokori" 誇り which means "pride". I should apologize for the last post but the past two weeks have been pretty hectic at school.

But back to the word. There are many many reason why the past two weeks have been a source of pride for any Canadian.

Vancouver, for instance, hosted what I felt was an amazing Olympic Games. Regardless of where your opinion lies on whether the Olympics are good or bad, it's hard to argue that Vancouver did an excellent job of turning it into an EVENT for people to take part in. The sheer amount of stuff available to do in the city meant that it got people out and about. And the buzz that created (along with the uncharacteristic stint of amazing weather) helps solidify just how fantastic of a city Vancouver is. It's not without its faults (as any British newspaper will tell you), but in terms of making the Olympics accessible to all, it was one of the best.

It was also a great time to be Canadian, considering we set a historical record for the number of gold medals earned by any nation in one Winter Olympic Games.

And, of course, more important than any other event- Men's Hockey. With the goal seen across the nation, Sidney Crosby helped Canada claim top spot we've long claimed as our own. But it wasn't just the winning, driving around the city afterwards and seeing the sheer amount of Canadiana out there further cements point #1 - Being Canadian and being in Vancouver is something I've very proud of.

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-02-25T21:33:00.001-08:00

"au" 会う which means "to meet". And tonight I met (some) parents at the school's "Meet The Teacher" night.

It wasn't anything particularly lengthy since the parents would visit each of their student's 4 teachers for 10 minutes at a time, and not many showed up (3 parents in one of my classes, and 5 in the other) but it was nice to see that some parents have an interest in their child's education. Even more interesting is that sometimes the similarities are apparent and you can almost guess who their child is as soon as they walk in the door.

Otherwise, it's business as usual at the school. I'll be finishing up one of my Science 10 classes and switching to Science 9. Covering Biology... including the human reproductive system. That'll be good for a few laughs =P

In other news, Canada's Olympic medal haul continues to climb. And congrats to the Canadian Women's Hockey Team on their gold medal win over the US!

Next up? The Canadian Men's Hockey team as they take on Slovakia in the semi-finals...

Here's the entire Team Canada roster.

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-02-16T16:37:00.000-08:00

"kibishii"　厳しい which means "strict". Obviously, when tied in with teaching, the context sort of explains itself.

But really, I don't think I'm that strict. Conversely, I don't think I'm strict enough in certain aspects... but there's the problem. Just because the class isn't running the way I like it to be doesn't necessarily mean it's "abnormally bad".

Teenagers are teenagers. They're physically growing, mentally adapting, hormonally influenced, complicated creatures that deal with a multitude of expectations not only when they go between school and home, but between classes. I suppose I should be sensitive to those things but the other part of me thinks my expectations are rather reasonable. Like not talking when I'm talking... that kinda stuff...

So do I keep it up based on my belief that these expectations are reasonable? Or do I let off because they need the space?

Personally, I don't want to nor will I let off. Why? Because if the rope goes out too far, it'll be impossible to pull it back. And I'd rather deal with keeping the strictness and wait til they fall into step, at which point we can all enjoy the extra freedom.

But, if you have a different philosophy on teaching, do let me know...... I'm all ears =P

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-02-08T20:43:00.002-08:00

"yokoso" ようこそ which means "Welcome!". I figured I'll talk about something other than my pracitcum, since I have another 10 weeks to do that in.

So, in other news, there's this little sporting event called the "Olympics" happening in Vancouver. Regardless of the controversy, it's close enough that beyond how one personally feels about it, we should at least make an effort to host our guests properly. It's like having an unwanted houseguest over; you should be mature and polite enough to make do for the duration.

I haven't really decided how I feel about it all. A part of me agrees that the money could've been better spent elsewhere and a lot of the inconveniences really are.... well..... inconvenient. But the other side of me thinks it's exciting that Vancouver can take centre stage as well as being around during the buzz of the Olympic events.

The torch is currently circulating the city and apparently it's quite a sight to behold. And I've seen some members of the Dutch Olympic team at a shopping mall... exciting.... =P

In case you don't know what I'm talking about, here's the Vancouver you're missing...

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-02-02T12:06:00.000-08:00

"mada" まだ which essentially means "still" or "not yet/yet", such as "He's not here yet". Sometimes it's doubled up and, if you've ever watched any anime that includes fighting or persevering somehow, you'll hear them shout "mada mada" as in "I'm not finished yet".

For me, however, it's more like "I've still got a long way to go".

This week saw the actual start of my teaching during long practicum and while it wasn't disastrous (I didn't fall down, for example, nor did the classroom go up in flames), there's still a lot for me to consider, do, and improve on.

The biggest hurdle is not so much "what" is being done in the classroom, but "how" it's being done. All the minor details and tricks to being efficient, those are the hardest to do because they work differently for everyone. And they need to work in such a way that I'm comfortable with sticking to them (lateness, homework not done, etc.).

One thing I do like, however, is that I'll be seeing the same classes everyday for at least a month straight, so I can set up routines and build repore- both things I couldn't do on the short practicum.

Some still say I shouldn't be so be critical but really, I don't mind so much as long as every class I'm doing something slightly better.

Luckily, I've got 11 weeks and that's still a ways to go......

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-01-24T20:39:00.001-08:00

"kenshuu" 研修 which means "training". Adding "suru" after it turns it into a verb....

Though this doesn't refer exactly to training in the exercise sense, more like the practicing of a skill. For example, the training I did as an intern in Japan (although that does have an exercise element to it).

Another example is the practicum I'll be doing, which is another form of "training". I'll be there, "training", from January 25th til April 16th. And during that time, I'll be taking on Science 9, Science 10, and Biology 11.

The normal long practicum ends May 7th but for me, after April 16th sees me shift my practicum to Science World where 9 students have been accepted to take part in the "Extended Practicum Beyond the Classroom Option" (EPBCO) which allows me the chance to not only broaden my teaching skills to environments different from a traditional classroom, but also to students of all ages. Essentially we'll be teaching Science World's special "school field trip" classes for the three weeks while we're there. There'll be things from teaching kindergarteners about roller coaster to teaching high school students about "Grossology" (like what boogers are made of and such).

There's also two other similar programs at the Aquarium and the HR Macmilan Space Centre.

Fun fun but I'll have to put on my best while I'm on practicum so....... here goes =P

Oh, and if you haven't heard of Science World, here's a picture of it.

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-01-17T23:56:00.000-08:00

"nichiyoudaiku" 日曜大工 which means "Do It Yourself", like DIY. And so goes the theme for this weekend.

The first real "DIY"-y thing I did was swap out my winter tires for my summer ones. Despite all the ominous warnings people have given me, this past winter has been pretty mild. One day of snow (when the snow tires did actually help... a lot) and just lots of low temps. Winter tires, aside from working well in the snow, also are made of rubber better suited to cold temps but this past week it's high 10+ degrees so... really... there's no point anymore heh......

But the big news this past weekend was that I put a hole in my wall! But perhaps some context first...

Ever since Japan, I've been using my laptop as my computer and it's spent its entire two year time with me sitting on a desk with its battery removed. It worked great in Japan because it was essentially a temporary stay so it was fine for all my needs. But having moved back, I've been considering on and off about switching to a real PC. As usual, cost being the thing that turns me off about the idea.

(Sorry about the picture quality, I just snapped a pic from my point-and-shoot)

But this past week, a friend offered up his two year old, yet built-with-premium-parts PC for a great deal. And thus began my search to piece together a desktop on the cheap. I'm pretty happy to say I managed to piece together the whole thing with used items. And it's all pretty good stuff too.

Best of all, when I sell my laptop, it would work out that I've spent about $100 total on switching to a more powerful desktop PC.

The only problem came when I had to hook it up to the internet. With the router being in the room next to mine and my desire to not run on wireless anymore, I decided the best (line-speed and cost wise) solution would be to drill a hole between the rooms and run a cable through it. Simple enough...

So, I borrowed a stud finder and drill, measured twice, and drilled once. For reasons unknown to me, I was off by about 1/8 inch but by taping the cable to a wire coat hanger, I passed it through.

That sounds easy but it doesn't take into account having to pull my bed out, clear out the other room's closet, drilling, test fitting the wire, hunting for the mis-matched holes, discovering I had bought a cable that was too short (seriously, I did haha), buying another cable, and then putting the two rooms back together.

DIY indeed =P... and it was pretty fun actually.... except for the part when the wire pulled taut and I was still about 5ft from the router... that kinda sucked haha....

But, it paid off. As you can see below.

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-01-10T12:48:00.001-08:00

"kigatsuku" 気が付く which, according to the dictionary means "notice" or "become aware of". Although I seem to have been using a slightly different word which now makes me wonder if there's another way of saying it or people have just been nodding in agreement to avoid having to converse with the weird foreigner...

Anyway, two things I've noticed this past week:

1- Lead By Example

On Friday at karate, I had a cramp in my calf muscle a bit and was relegated to standing and commenting for the better part of the second class. Normally when I teach, I try to be as active as possible, both for myself (as exercise) and for the students (as a model for the movements). And normally I never have issues with students being distracted and unfocussed (aside from the really young students).

But on Friday, the teenagers in the second class were noticeably more distractable, something which I attributed to the fact that I wasn't as able to circulate to be more "among them" nor could I really demonstrate the things I was trying to explain. Then, towards the end of the class and my muscle relaxed enough that I could start doing things again, their behaviour improved.

A robot I am not, but this really does prove to me (yet again) that I really need to keep it up within myself if I want my students to keep it up within themselves.

2- Smell & Taste

Our sense of smell and sense of taste are linked, that much we know is true.

But today I realised that, in Cantonese, the commonly used word for smell is exactly the same as the word for taste. Of course, there are other ways of saying smell and taste but the common word can be found in both still.

Interesting.......

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2010-01-03T14:43:00.000-08:00

"akeome" あけおめ which is really just a shortened form of 明けましておめでとう which functionally means "Happy New Year!!" And I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season.

For me, 2010 represents the real-world test of the past few years of prep. I'll be finishing school then looking for work and Pacific Spirit Wado Kai will be growing its student base and technical level. A lot (actually, almost all) of what I've been doing the past few years have led up to this point and while it's certainly not the end, everyone likes a good start =)

Besides that, I said last week that I'd try to put up some HDR's of the Festival Of Lights pics but for some reason they weren't turning out that well. Instead, I've just tone mapped two of them.

The last thing for the first post of 2010 is a look at Popular Science's Best Of What's New 2009. It's inevitable that everyone thinks technology can't possibly improve ("Something better than a telegram?! Impossible" or if you've seen Avatar), it's a great look at what kinds of things are in store for the future. Understandly, a lot of these are hideously expensive but in a few years time, they'll be more ubiquitous and affordable. Best of all, some of these things are simply new approaches to old solutions to prove that old dogs can indeed learn new tricks.

Here are my top 5 from their list of 100.

X-Flex Bombproof wallpaper

No really. It's a rollable sheet of Kevlar sandwiched by elastic polymer with an adhesive backing so you can literally stick it to your wall. Developed along with the US Army, it withstands impacts and helps keep walls intact after impacts. While it does say bombproof, it could very easily be applied to homes in hurricane threatened areas not only to add structural strength, but to help keep debris out.

Diverging Diamond Interchange

A rather simple yet effective way of managing traffic flow, this intersection was put into place this past year in Missouri and it not only reduced the number of traffic accidents, it sped up the flow. It works by switching the traffic lanes at the overpass (see the two X's on either side of the green highway). This allows cars to both exit and enter the highway without having to make left turns across an opposing lane. After the overpass, the lanes switch back and it's traffic as normal.

Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W1

Humans see in 3D because we have two eyes each seeing a slightly different image. The brain puts these images together to sense depth and it's this depth perception that creates a 3D image. This camera take 3D pictures by using two lenses and image sensors spaced 3 inches apart, mimicking human eyes. It can even playback images on the screen in 3D by flashing the images separately to each eye. Then there's 3D picture frames and computer software (with or without 3D glasses) so you can show them to your friends...

China Central Television (CCTV) Headquarters

A refreshing break from the skyscraper race, the CCTV building is a neat architectural design. Conceived as a continuous shape (there's another L shaped corner on the ground pointed away from us), it's an amazing engineering feat to build. Built in an area threatened by earthquakes, the problem was not producing a building strong enough (which would shake itself apart), but rather strategically weak enough to dissipate earthquake forces (so it sways like an antenna) yet still strong enough to hold up the shape. The result is the diamond lattice structure where the number of numbers is higher in areas that require lots of strength and lesser in areas that don't. Then they made it visible for an attractive form following function design.

PS- This image, being an HDR shot of the CCTV building, fills my promise of something HDR in this post heh...

Lastly,

Google Wave

In Google's bid to take over the world, they've reinvented nearly everything and then made it accessible to all, by all. With Wave, they've taken online communication and merged it all into one interface. Part email, part instant messaging, part document sharing, each wave is an open conversation where users can contribute seemlessly. Start a new wave, invite the friends you want to speak with, and type in an email. If they're offline, they can read it later; if they're online, they can response in real time messaging even responding to specific parts of the message. Invite friends to join later and they're immediately privy to the entire wave, with a playback feature that shows the history of changes (much like Adobe's Buzzword). It's even hooked up to Blogger (since Google owns Blogger) and you can posted pictures directly from your wave and then comments will show up instantly. They've also made it open source so it will continue to expand as people develop new applications for it.

The most impressive part is that they've made all this work real time. Type and people can watch you type letter by letter, so there's no waiting and wondering. Even picture thumbnails show up instantly.

I'm not a big fan of being plugged in all the time (I loathe people who constantly text unrelated crap despite being at dinner with their friends), but I do love the streamlining of all the various communications type into one interface.

So thanks for reading this past 2009 and keep checking back in 2010 =)

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-12-28T00:46:00.003-08:00

"hikari" 光 which means light or ray (of light). And this being the Christmas season, festive lights are everywhere. Such as the VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver. It's really a rather nice garden with a huge variety of plant life and every winter many of the plants are draped in lights to celebrate the holiday season. This year, me and my dad braved the cold to check it out.

As you can see, a lot of the setups are quite nice- like this tree with "balls" of LED's hanging off them like ornaments.

And then, posted along the various paths, are hot chocolate shacks and some tents with heaters for a brief respite from the cold.

They also had a neat model train display near the gift shop. And, being a model, it lends itself to some more tilt-shift heh.....

Also, the new Windows Live Photo Gallery that comes with Windows 7 is actually quite good in terms of minor post processing of photos. I was quite surprised when I fired it up because it really adds a lot of accessibility to a variety of changes you can make to your photos.

Lastly, being a night scene, I shot a few HDR's so when I get around to compiling and tone mapping them, they'll be up here. Check back soon and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-12-19T17:51:00.000-08:00

"kumiawase" 組み合わせ which means combination/pairing. I actually just picked this word up watching Best Motoring, an awesome monthly DVD-zine that has racing drivers testing new cars. Less awesome is the fact that it's all in Japanese but that's ok, I persevere and get as much as I can out of it. Like this new word.

But it actually turns out to work quite well because this week, I discovered Mike Stimpson and his site RedBubble.com, which specializes in Lego.

Most specifically, he's combined (see how I transitioned there?? heh) Lego with some of the most famous photographs in history to produce recreations, which you can find on his Flickr page.

To give you an idea of what he's done, here's an example that I'm sure everyone will recognize.

The key to making pictures work (as Stimpson so dutifully describes in his Flickr descriptions) is the lighting, which has to be done in such away as to reproduce the lighting found in the original. Luckily, Stimpson usually provides a picture of the setup to show just how much thought goes into each shot.

In other news, congrats to all those who graded at PSWK's last grading of 2009!

Lastly, I hope everyone has a very happy holiday season and thanks for checking into the blog all this year =)

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-12-12T16:54:00.003-08:00

"matomeru" まとめる, to compile. Some of you may remember it was almost a year ago that, for Christmas, I bought myself a new camera. Then I took it all over taking pictures, the two big ones being my travels around Japan and to Hawaii.

So, to celebrate it's one year, I've put together this compilation of some of my favourites pics from this past year.

I should preface this with a note that it seems like Windows MovieMaker turns up the saturation and it's noticeable in the really deep reds and oranges in the pictures. I didn't do this and the pictures certainly don't look like that on my computer, but there's not much I can do about that.

Anyways, the song is "Giving Up The Ghost", by DJ Shadow.

Enjoy!

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-12-05T19:39:00.000-08:00

"yatta" やった which translate roughly into "I did it!/Yes!!". No really- It's the past tense form of "yaru" やる which means "to do". It's generally heard in a slightly childish way once you've accomplished something. Here's some examples of when you can use it.

1- I'm finished first term and am now on holidays to January ____ (I actually don't know the date I'm supposed to go back to school heh)... Plans for the holidays?? Relaxing haha.... and spend my first Christmas home in two years.

2- In our bio class, we, in groups of 4, had to design an activity that could be used in a high school class. I helped my group make these cut out flower pieces which the students would label, colour, and assemble. Then we made a presentation to show the class how we'd run the activity and everyone did it. Surprisingly, it was quite a hit...... I supposed there's something everyone likes about personalizing and assembling things.

3- I think this one speaks for itself. I've never done a regular 3x3 Rubik's Cube, let alone a 5x5 Rubik's Cube (aka- Professor's Cube). It took me 2 days, 3 restarts, and a few Google hints to solve. A far cry from some of those 2 minute speed-solvers... but, with time heh....

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-11-28T23:07:00.000-08:00

"keikaku suru" 計画する which means "to plan". If memory serves me right, this is more about planning projects and "things", as opposed to planning a schedule. So using this to ask if someone has any "plans" isn't really correct.

In my case, however, it does sort of work since I've been doing a lot of lesson planning for various assignments. Lesson planning is interesting in that detailed planning is highly encouraged and it's something all teachers do, yet the degree they do it do varies. Some get away with nothing but a scribble on a napkin while others have every minute of every class figured out.

In some ways, the analogy I was given on my first day of practicum explains it best- it's like learning to drive. It doesn't matter if everyone you see eats a donut, adjusts the radio, and talks on the phone while make a left turn. It doesn't even matter that they shouldn't be doing that. The point is that, as a new driver, you should do everything you're expected to and as thoroughly as possible. There will come a point when you've proven to yourself that you can handle the task and, from then on, you can adjust it to fit your needs.

Case in point- right now when I plan lessons, I write down approximations for how much time I think it'll take students to do things. But really, I have no idea how quickly or slowly students will do certain things and it's really easy to over or underestimate them. And so, I take it easy and err on the side of too much, just in case. But even during the two weeks, you get a feel for the classes and the students and eventually, you know right away whether one activity will take 15 minutes or 50.

Case 2- I don't really remember what this box held when I took the picture, but from what it says, it looks like bite-size pieces of mochi (gelatinous rice). Probably given to me some time around New Year's, since that's when mochi's consumed. Anyway, the point is, maybe they should've planned some time to get the English checked?? Har har =P

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-11-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

"atsumaru" 集まる which means to gather/collect. And it can apply to anything- people, coins, stamps... assignments hah....

Like I said last week, all I've been doing lately is homework but I'm glad to say I'm still alive and the brunt of the work is done. And whatever I have left should be, compared to what I just did, a walk in the park.

I don't have much else to add cuz I didn't do anything else all week but I will say that since I now have a bit more spare time, I'm collecting something else as we speak.

What exactly I won't say, but you'll see in a few weeks =)

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-11-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

"shukudai" 宿題 which means homework. Having taken two weeks off for the practicum and now being in the home stretch before school ends, the homework load is piling up. Particularly for this week, with 3 presentations and 3 other assignments due.

I'm not complaining though, really... there certainly is a lot but I'm actually revelling in how technology has transformed how nice I can make my assignments look. Everything from producing sample worksheets to presentations is now all done in the computer which in some ways takes the mystique out of doing things but also means the quality goes through the roof.

Gone are the days when presenting meant printing paragraphs on paper, attempting to cut them out with straight edges, and gluing them down on construction paper.

In fact, even PowerPoints are being out paced by newer, slicker, and more innovative presentation methods.

One that I learned about two weeks ago is Prezi.

Essentially a giant board, it offers a place to lay out presentations that progress in an organic fashion with views that zoom in or out, pan, and rotate as you move along. The most amazing thing, however, is that it's incredibly easy to use. It really is a triumph of design and while it isn't as powerful as PowerPoint or other types of presentation methods in terms of manipulation, it's a got style that very few, if any, other presentation methods can offer.

Check it out; I highly recommend it.

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-11-05T21:59:00.000-08:00

"erabu" 選ぶ which means "to choose". This week I won't talk much about school or whatnot mostly because school is just a mass of school work. Instead, I'll talk about my other love... cars.

Last weekend I was chatting with some friends and we were trying to decide what our perfect 5 car garage would be. We could pick any car but they'd have to be able to do anything and everything we do in a year, from summer time jaunts to ski trips.

Naturally lists like these change all the time but this is what I've decided..... for this week.

Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder

This, being a convertible, would be the perfect summer cruiser. While not as pure of a driver's car as a Ferrari in its hardtop form, the convertible lends itself more to cruising. It's also unbelievably pretty and sounds amazing.

I'd have one in graphite grey. Although, this might have to go to make room for the F458 Spyder that's sure to come in a few years...

McLaren MP4-12C

Despite the rather uninteresting name, this is an incredibly significant car not in the least because of its rarity. McLaren is one of the longest running Formula 1 constructors and, from 1992-1998, produced the McLaren F1 which was one of the most technologically advanced road cars of its time and is still heralded as one of the greatest.

Mercedes and McLaren teamed up to build the SLR a few years ago but that was more Mercedes than McLaren.

With the MP4-12C, McLaren are back with a car designed entirely in-house. Lightweight carbon fibre, a 600bhp twin turbo V8, and a twin-clutch 7-spd gearbox.

And while Ferrari had just released its brilliant new F458, the McLaren just feels that tad bit more special.

I'd take mine in black.

Range Rover Sport

This one's simple- it goes off road. It'd be perfect for ski trips or when it snows. And the Sport has a supercharged V8, so it hustles as well.

Silver, since it's the easiest to clean.

Brabus E V12

This one's a bit neat. Brabus is a tuning company that specializes in Mercedes' and, more often than not, can be found cramming ridiculously large engines into smaller, lighter models.

This one comes with Mercedes' twin turbo V12 found normally in their bigger sedans. Then Brabus bump it up to 800bhp.

Being a big comfy sedan this would be perfect for driving friends around and with so much power it would be ideal cross-country road trips. I'm not ashamed to admit I picked this purely because of the engine.

And since these cars are built to order, I'd be tempted to make it a station wagon just to haul that extra bit of stuff.

Black for the stealth look.

Porsche 911 GT3

The daily driver. It's all about purity with this one and when the car drives like an extension of your body, it makes even the shortest trips exhilarating.

In white.

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-11-01T08:00:00.001-08:00

"yoku kangaeru" よく考える . Yoku is actually an adjective in the sense that placing it in front of the verb represents "thoroughly" or "well done". Kangaeru is the verb "to think" so putting them together sort of means to "really think about" or, in my case, "reflection".

People who have been or are in the B. Ed program may take a moment to laugh and/or gag at the word reflection, which is tossed around all the time in the program but it's a much less trivial thing to do while on practicum.

The first week of my practicum went quite well mostly because there wasn't much to go wrong. I spent the bulk of the time going to various classes and observing teachers to see how they taught their subject, managed their students and time, and set up their classroom atmosphere.

The second week, however, was different. Although I only had to teach 4 full classes, the planning took a fair chunk of time because I don't have much experience running a 75-min class of 30 students. This means I have to consider what I'm doing for every minute as well as gauging how long it would take them to do things.

The hardest thing though was I felt one of my lessons didn't go that well. The students were great and the majority of them got the material towards the end (and the next day, in the review class, they all aced it which was great) but I wasn't very happy with how I did what I did. I thought I had rushed through the intro to an activity and that caused a lot of confusion partway through the class whereas what I should've done was eased into it more slowly, trading quantity of work done by some students for quality of work done by all students.

To be honest, I was quite frustrated with myself but the day after, after much careful consideration (note word of the week), I adjusted my approach and it went much better. And while it's easy now to say that having a bad class is a useful if not necessary part of the learning experience, it was much much harder to dig myself out of that rut while being stuck in it. And in an evening no less.

Perhaps I was too critical of myself on the day of, but ultimately, it helped me reach the next step.

In the meantime, it's back at UBC until the long practicum. Also, one of my fellow student teachers took some great pictures of some amazing costumes and artwork around the school so once I get those, I'll throw them up =)

Speaking of costumes, the Halloween Dance went without a hitch. As for all the teens bumping and grinding, we the chaperones just turned a blind eye heh....

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-10-24T14:12:00.001-07:00

"arienai" ありえない which, at its most technical, means "couldn't exist" but the way it's used is more like "unbelievable" or "unfathomable".

This week's post comes a bit late because I've been busy at a high school in Richmond doing my 2-week practicum (Oct 19-30). And while not at the extreme end of unbelievability, it really is quite eye-opening just how much work it is to be a teacher. It's not that I never knew, I just didn't think it was nearly this much. The interesting thing is that most of the teachers I work with make it seem easy.

I used to feel that classroom management would easily be the hardest thing I'd have to deal with but it turns out that lesson planning is the most critical, not in the least because a well planned lesson takes care of many of the classroom management issues that might come up. And starting out as a teacher means planning many things from scratch as well as having to consider all the possibilities (what might students ask, how might students act/react, what would I need to prepare).

But as time goes on and the same lesson comes up again, the amount of planning drops and just some tweaking might work for the day. Then there are things like being aware of time and just generally how to run a class which, once I get a feel for, I'm sure I'll be less concerned about.

This is, of course, not to say it's boring. It's great fun interacting with the students and taking part in a Pro-D Day meeting with the science department. Next week I'll be teaching 4 classes and chaperoning the Halloween Dance. =P

As for the unbelievability, how's this-

A Windows 7 Whopper from Burger King in Japan. 7 patties for 777yen. All served up on 13cm "American-sized buns".... whatever that means heh....

Here's something not related to Japanese...

2009-10-18T20:56:00.006-07:00

As you might have noticed, I've been getting into photography for the past 8 months and while I was in Hong Kong, I decided to try shooting an HDR image.

HDR (High Dynamic Range) is a method of taking the same picture multiple times, each at a different exposure. In other words, some of them will turn out way too bright while others will turn out way too dark. Normally cameras try to balance the light with the dark to get a decent image but when one area is too bright, the other parts show up too dark for the sake of balance. This can be seen when taking a flash photo even in a decently lit restaurant; the people are really bright while the background may turn out darker than normal.

While the multiple shots are not that interesting on their own, each picture brings with it something special. The overly bright one also manages to draw out the light in darker spots. The overly dark one subdues all the bright lights so they don't overwhelm. Combining them (along with a normal exposure where everything is more or less in balance) creates an image where the darkest of spots can still be seen without the brighter spots drowning out the rest of the photo. Coupled with tone mapping, the result is an image with almost unbelievable detail.

I tried this back in Hong Kong with some pictures I took while going for a walk outside my hotel. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the software to work properly on my computer and ended up with something that looked strange. Luckily, on the eve before my practicum, I think I've figured it out...

All this stuff is still a work in progress, so feedback is welcome.

Also, I don't know why there's a huge dark spot in the crane photo... it might just be how the software rendered the images...

And I've included the normal exposure versions of each picture so you can see the difference. Note particularly how HDR is useful in shots with both bright and dark areas, so the final product shows both.

Enjoy!

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-10-14T18:22:00.001-07:00

"hajimaru" 始まる which means to start. And indeed it begins because next week, for two weeks (Oct 19-30), I'll be doing my short practicum.

The point of this practicum is mainly for observation but I will get a chance to teach. It might not be a full 75min period (certainly not in the first week) and it'll probably be something my sponsor teacher has planned out, but it'll be a great experience and I'm quite looking forward to interacting wtih the students.

One thing I'm quite ready to admit, however, is that I'm not looking for a walk in the park. Obviously I'm not asking to run a gauntlet for two weeks but if nothing ever happened during my practicum, I'd be less ready when I do find a real job in the "real" world. I really do think that some element of a challenge is necessary to get the most out of it.

Case in point-

This was one of the very first pictures I took when I went to Japan in 2007. It was the third day of what ended up being a two year journey and while it wasn't easy (especially the first few months), that's what makes it rewarding. Had I went there and been frolicking in the daisy fields, laughing as I glided through the two years, I wouldn't treasure what I got out of it nearly as much.

Which brings me neatly to one of the things I've been learning about, particularly in my social justice class among many others. In dealing with students, especially those who underachieve, lowering the bar is never the answer. More often than not, the successful way of dealing with them is maintain the expectation that they meet the high standard. The difference, however, comes from the support structure (they used the term scaffolding) set in place for the students. Simply expecting them to reach the standard is a recipe for failure but outlining goals along the way and then helping them reach each ledge on their way to the top not only provides a system for them to succeed, but also allows them to retrain their self-esteem in that they can look back and see that they did indeed reach the top. The real top.

I learned that in Japan. I'm hoping to learn that here too.

So check back next week to see if I'm eaten alive or if I'm still alive =P

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-10-05T14:01:00.005-07:00

"isogashii" 忙しい which means "busy". Dragging out the last syllable also puts emphasis on the word, just like you would in English ("I'm so busyyyyyy") =P......

Anyway, I really wish I could write about more than just how school and karate are going but, really, nothing else much happens aside from that. So, seeing as I can't help it, I might as well keep on =P...

Right now school's about a 70/30 balance between practical, "let's examine how to properly conduct a class" lessons and more theoretical, "let's discuss some of the issues in the classroom" lectures. The former includes stuff like giving mini-lessons in front of the class (which are video taped) and the latter involves quite a lot of discussion.

One of these discussion classes is a course on social justice and focusses on the topic of discrimination and oppressiveness and how, as teachers, we could or would deal with them, both internally with our own views and externally with our students.

As one might imagine, a class that focusses solely on topics like racism, sexuality, or class often result in some rather heated discussions. But last week we had a guest speaker from Out In Schools, a registered charity and a branch of the Out In Film society (which organizes the annual Vancouver Queer Film Festival) that attempts to educate students about the issues that surround homophobia and discrimination (and the wider theme of bullying, be it due to race, sex, class, etc.) through film.

It was a really interesting look at some of the resources available for victims of bullying as well as a great chance to see some eye openingly short films made by students. Some included a short made by some grade 5's about the still-common usage of the term "That's so gay" and another was about two students in a high school in a very conservative rural town in America who were the victims of bullying due to their sexual orientation.

It's particularly eye opening because not only are many of these issues not given enough exposure (I mean, sometimes you watch it and think "Seriously?? Do people still think like that??"), but that what we might deem as "modernized" or "globalized" thinking isn't nearly as inclusive as we imagine. Coupled with the fact that while many are perfectly happy to nod their head in agreement that certain social values need changing, few are truly comfortable discussing them at length.

Aboriginal issues suffer from the same, if not worse, stigma. The topic of residential schools came up and it's something that's extremely touchy to discuss. What's worse than the actual topic itself is how, in Canada, discussing Aboriginal issues has become such a conversational faux pas that the discussion never even gets off the ground. And how are we supposed to confront the topic if it's nearly impossible to comfortable bring it up in the first place??

So despite the required reading for the class, it's incredibly interesting to have that class foster a space where there is less fear of tackling the truly difficult issues. Of course, the trap is that many end up trying to think of ways to change the world when, in reality, we should be trying to think about these issues and how we interact with them. And, be it as teachers or citizens, move towards changing our daily spaces (work, home, etc.) to be conscious of how we're treating the people around us.

Lastly-
私の友達がブログに日本語の場合がほしかったと言ったけど、全部を翻訳できないかも。。。　=P　少なくとも日本語入ったね　haha

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-09-27T10:04:00.005-07:00

"manabu" 学ぶ which is "to learn (a skill)". And seeing that all I do these days is go to school, come home from school, and do schoolwork, it seems inevitable that it's something I think a lot about.

Learning isn't an easy task in itself, but learning to facilitate learning is a completely different beast. The B. Ed program tries to show the difference between what the commonly held belief of learning was (more or less rote memory) and what the new direction of education is taking (understanding and critical thinking). It isn't, however, to say that one is more important than the other, but that education as a whole is quite caught up in whether or not facts become "known", as opposed to "understood. This was further broken down by famous American educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom into Bloom's Taxonomy of Thinking.

There are two versions, one which is simpler and structured like a ladder in order of increasing difficulty and complexity. There's also this one, known as Bloom's Rose, which doesn't necessarily imply a ranking to them. Either way, it'll be useful as I think about what level I'm getting my students to learn at and how to move them away from the details and into concepts.

Otherwise, things are good here... the weather is typical Vancouver fall, karate is going well with everyone enjoying the classes, and the people in my class are great. Here's us at Science World for a Teacher's Night Out (read: pick up free posters night). =P

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-09-19T19:04:00.005-07:00

"tsuzukeru" 続ける which means "to continue/go on". It's my second week into school and my first week back at Pacific Spirit Wado Kai and lots have been going on. Probably more than I expected...

The biggest thing that struck me is that this really is a launching point for what I'll be doing for the next few years. More so than any other "transition point" I've ever had in my life. I feel I've got more direction now than ever and that's always a good thing...

But I never noticed it til last week when, in one of my classes, we had to talk about one of our teaching experiences and how it related to us. Try as I might, I always end up referring to my time in Japan (because it's recent and a lot did happen there heh) but this time, it was quite relevant because I noticed just how the process of learning was reinvented within me over time.

I started karate almost 13 years ago and I've been through a lot of phases. It took some time for me to learn the ropes and get my black belt. Then I had to learn how to lead classes and help teach the students. From there we joined the Japan Karatedo Federation Wadokai and I had to again learn some of the subtle differences found in the JKF Wadokai's karate. That lead me to Japan where I had to learn (again) and refine my karate, including some of the most basic aspects.

But while I was there, I also learned what it takes to run a successful dojo, to better teach what I know to students, and even a new language (somewhat =P).

And now I'm again learning at UBC and, being back with PSWK (above), I can continue the process of learning both by helping my students learn and learning myself.

Most importantly for me is how this is continual. At every stage I learned from someone and hopefully helped someone learn. And not only that, I've been learning to help myself and others learn better.

Now it's just about putting all this theory to practice... =P

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-09-11T13:16:00.005-07:00

"kekkyoku" 結局 which means "after all" or "finally". And after what has technically been a 2 year "delay", I've finally started school.

And by school, I mean UBC. As a student. I'm in the B. Ed (Bachelor's of Education) program for Secondary school teachers, specializing in Biology. This is something I actually planned on doing back in 2007 but I turned it down so I go could to Japan to do the Shiramizu Karate Internship. It was also the very same program I ended up not re-applying to because I chose to stay another year in Japan at Seiritsu Gakuen. I knew both of those experiences would be useful in this program, but it wasn't til I finally started class and listened to what the instructors and other students had to say that I realised just how relevant Japan was to this program.

The program's set up interestingly in that it's broken up into cohorts that learn the B. Ed curriculum in the context of their specialized subject. In my case, I'm in the science cohort and, within that, have a special course that focuses solely on the biology material in official BC-prescribed curriculum. And then there's a general science class so we can brush up on our chemistry and physics as well as other theory of teaching courses, such as social issues in the classroom or working with special needs children.

The most interesting aspect, I've found, is that I see members from my own cohort nearly everyday. It's got a bit of that high school "same class" feel which certainly helps everyone get to known each other and that, in turn, becomes handy considering all the group work that we do. And there are people from all walks of life from freshly graduated UBC biology students to a mother of two with a PhD in biochemistry. It makes for a really dynamic classroom and, with everyone's mind staying open, is a great chance to absorb the experiences of others.

And while not unexpected, the workload's managed to sneak up on me quite quickly. It's not "heavy" per se but relentless. Already I have an assignment to teach a mini-lesson (I'm going to teach everyone how to do a drumroll!), a group project to find out about Prince Edward Island's categorization of children with special needs, a positionality paper, and various readings to finish.

But I'll be fine. It's all about time management and if I'm going to be able to do this as a career, I should....... well, need to be able to handle something like this. So keep checking back to see how it goes!

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-09-02T23:38:00.015-07:00

"kanshin suru" 感心する which means "to be impressed". This past week, I've been meeting with various language exchange people and it never ceases to interest me just how many varied walks of life there are. The path that people have travelled to end up having a coffee with me is really interesting and I really learn a lot......

One of the most impressive things that was shown to me was how to conjugate verbs.

Let's take, for example, "ugoku" 動く which is the verb "to move" .

Taking the last syllable ("ku"), you make a chart with all the characters in the "ku" family.


     ka | nai    - negative
     ki | masu   - present/future
ugo  ku | -      - perfect tense
     ke | ru     - possibility (ability to)
     ko | u      - "Let's"

While this wasn't technically "new" information, it was amazing to see it laid out in such a simple and easy to understand manner. In actuality, my friend told me she learned it from a Japanese teacher and that this isn't normally the way it's taught. There are, of course, variations of this chart depending on how a verb needs to be conjugated ("taberu" 食べる or "to eat") but this brings a bit of order to what I thought was just a jumble of grammar rules...

The other thing that's impressed me lately is my friend's new car........ he's also a car nut and we look for similar things in cars, so he ended up buying a pristine 2000 BMW M5. Not only it is fast, it's quite a rare car as well, which means it'll hold its value for longer. Of course, having not yet found my own sporty car to drive, I offered to take some pictures of his and my other friend's car (1974 Datsun 270Z) to celebrate the occasion. Enjoy! The last one is my favourite from the night.

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-08-25T21:28:00.006-07:00

"mizu-umi" 湖 which means lake. However, this is technically the term for "a body of water". In referring to a specific lake, such as the famous Lake Biwa near Kyoto, -ko is actually used thus Lake Biwa is known as biwako 琵琶湖. Don't ask me why, that's just how the Japanese language works heh.....

As such, I suppose that means this past weekend I went to Lost Lake-ko.... uhh...... yeah.... wait, that would be Lost-ko?? And since lost is mayotte 迷って, that means this lake is mayoko 迷湖?? But then that just says lost lake............ and sounds like "lost child".... nevermind heh......

Either way, Lost Lake and the walking trail that goes around it can be found a short walk from the centre of Whistler Village and is an easy, pleasant way to spend a few hours taking in the nature that Whistler has to offer. Including ducks!

The other interesting thing about going to Whistler is that in preparation for the 2010 Olympics, they've expanded and repaved nearly the entire Sea-To-Sky highway. The section from Vancouver to Squamish is entirely new, much wider with a usable hard shoulder, and two-lanes for a large portion of it. Now this is great because the old road used to be a treacherous little bugger with narrow lanes, unforgiving walls, and mid-corner bumps. And then when it got wet and slick it was worse. And then rocks would occasionally fall on people......

The new road, however, is much safer....... but in doing that, it also means it's much easier to go faster without noticing. Which in turns puts that danger element back in. So while the road itself is safer, it can lull drivers into a false sense of security and then it becomes dangerous once again. However, it's not like people didn't speed on the old highway and no road, no matter how good, can protect against uncontrolled drivers. Thus the new highway is indeed a huge improvement. And on a sunny summer day, early in the morning with no traffic, it's a dream to drive on =P......

Anyway, I spent the better half of the day up there with my friend from Japan including that walk, a bit of lunch, and a lot of laughs. A good day all around then =P......

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-08-20T10:22:00.003-07:00

"sagasu" 捜す which means "to look for" or "search". There's also "mitsukeru" 見つける which means "to find" or "to locate". It seems then, the easiest way to think about them is that "mitsukeru" is more for items to be found whereas "sagasu" is more for larger things, some perhaps intangible.

The thing I've been looking for lately is a language exchange mainly because it's not easy to keep up a language in a city that doesn't speak it on a regular basis. So I put up an ad looking for a language exchange and while I expected 2 or 3 emails, I ended up with surprising 10 (thus far...). I haven't met any of them yet and nor did I really do any formal "language exchanges" in Japan, but we'll see how it works out heh....

In other news, I'm mostly just cruising through the last few weeks before school starts. I'm still doing the whole MWF karate thing and it's really helping me refine how to teach karate. At times, it's easy to get caught up in the details (for me, anyway) and turn it into a science. But what I've found is that I've brought back a lot of timing or "feel" knowledge that can help others build the same foundation by narrowing the range of how each move "feels".

As I've said before, a lot of it is intangible and often times, it takes countless hours of self-aware practice to stumble upon the once or twice when the move just "feels" right. But having done that and then move towards doing it more consistently, it's also important to consider how to explain the feel. From there, the students can watch and try with a much more focussed target on how things should be. It's like being asked to guess a number from 1 to 10, and then being told that the number falls between 2 and 6. It's just that bit easier.....

Other than that, I haven't really been doing anything substantial aside from just hanging out with friends. However, it looks like I'll be headed up to Whistler for a day this weekend, so I'll be sure to bring my camera and grab some pics......

Cuz, y'know, reading pages and pages probably isn't as interesting heh..........

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-08-14T20:10:00.005-07:00

"sukkiri" すっきり which means "completely" or "thoroughly". I've heard it used as "I completely forgot to do it" so I suppose it could also be applied to these following....

"I'm trying to completely transfer what I learned in Japan to the people in my dojo"

Indeed I am. I've started practicing MWF mornings with the other two instructors of my dojo, Pacific Spirit Wado Kai, and it's been great. It obviously won't be an overnight transformation (as it wasn't for me in Japan either) but they're eager and motivated. The best thing, however, is that they've been telling that training again and being able to learn new things has re-ignited their interest in karate.

And that, to me, is the most important step in helping everyone improve.

We also have lots of plans for PSWK come September and there's lots to look forward to in the near future!

"Tokyo's completely different from Vancouver"

Really it is. It's something I've always known but never really felt. Not even last year as a lot of Shiramizu competitors were here, so I was immersed in a quasi-Japanese culture bubble during the time I spent with them.

But without said bubble, it's quite clear just how different things are. From how people interact to the physical presence of the city, it's the total opposite. Interestingly, however, I find I appreciate Vancouver's attributes more now that I've been away. Things like walking along the SeaWall or just enjoy the multitude of parks and greenery were things I never did or noticed til I stayed in a city where such things were at a premium.

Then again, there are things found in Tokyo not found in Vancouver. But I do concede that a lot of the Tokyo things would be hard to transplant into Vancouver. The transit system, for instance, would never work in Vancouver.

Or this, a life-size Gundam robot built in Odaiba to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Gundam series. I don't think that would happen in Vancouver here either heh....... I'm not sure if I posted this earlier but I wanted to go see this before I left. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance but enjoy the pics I found on the internet instead heh.....

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-08-06T22:44:00.004-07:00

"(noun) shika (verb)-nai" ~しか～ない . It sounds really complicated but it's another double negative like this one. This time, however, the shika part can be thought of as "other than" and the nai part is "not".

As an example, futari shika inai 二人しかいない means "Only two people are here" or, technically speaking, "Other than two people, no one else is here".

Likewise watashi wa beeru shika nomenai 私はベールしか飲めない is "I only drink beer" or "Other than beer, I don't drink anything else".

If I'm honest, it makes perfect sense but it's having to wrap your head about the double negative while hearing it said quickly in a conversation that's confusing..... what makes it particularly difficult is that most people learning Japanese soon find that listening for the "nai" at the end of the sentence/verb usually helps them understand that it's a negative verb. However, in this case, the negative modifier has nothing to do with what the sentence means and thus it's very easy to mistake "I only drink beer" with "I don't drink beer".

I bring this up mostly because this is a bit of Japanese I only picked up quite recently (two months ago perhaps) and it's actually used quite often. It comes in handy because a friend of mine from Japan is in Vancouver and every so often, she needs to switch back to Japanese to full express herself, and these bits and pieces show up so..... well, I guess it's quite convenient I figured it out haha......

Besides that, being back in Vancouver is nice.......... for the most part. It's hard to explain because I quite like it here and while there are things to do, they're much less accessible than they are in Tokyo; I have to drive everywhere to do things. And while I love driving, it doesn't change the fact that it's a bit of a hassle considering where to park, paying for parking, decided if going somewhere after is worth the time, etc. But, for now anyway, Vancouver being the novel city that I haven't seen in a long time, it's still nice to be here. And seeing all my old friends again is great...

Of course, culturally it's also different. Vancouver doesn't have, for example, the awesome "Manner Posters" like in the Tokyo Metro. This month's is particularly ridiculous....

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-07-28T22:18:00.026-07:00

"kazan" 火山 or volcano. Yes indeed, despite having just come back from across the Pacific, on July 17-26, I headed back out across the Pacific to Hawaii for a one week vacation with my family.

We started with a night's stay in Honolulu just up from Waikiki beach. The next morning I tried my hand at surfing and, I must say, it's not really my thing. I dunno if it's just me, but it seems like it's a lot of paddle in exchange for a short ride back. I'll stick to my motorized ski lifts thanks =P... Anyway, later that day, we boarded our boat, the conveniently named "Pride Of America".

NCL is Norwegian Cruise Lines although, since the cruise only goes to American ports, the boat itself is registered as an American vessel. As cruise ships go, it wasn't the best nor was it the worst. The ship was a decent size though a bit lacking in things to do... luckily there were ports of call everyday so that kept the trip interesting.

The first port of call was Maui. We had a rental car book so we headed off to a beach for the morning (Sunday the 18th). I really don't remember the name of the beach but I suppose they all look like this haha......

For the afternoon we headed up the Haleakela, a dormant volcano on the eastern side of Maui. Maui's actually made of up to overlapping volcanos and Haleakela is the taller of the two at 10,000ft. While the upper panoramic shot is a bit small, the second shot does a better job of showing off the iron-rich redness of the crater on Haleakela. It truly is a magnificent place mostly because it looks like nothing else. In fact, it's special enough that NASA uses it to test Mars probes and such.... They also recommend walking slowly at 10,000ft because the air is thin, but I really found no problems up there.....

As might be expected from such a high place, it's a popular vantage to watch the sunset from. It's also popular with the military, universities, and other sky-watchers as near the summit look-out are observatories constantly scanning the skies and beyond. Maui's western mountain, Pu'u Kukui, can be see in the second picture above. It stands a measley 5800ft compared to Haleakela =P...

Our second day of Maui included some other sights on the island such as the Needle (some geological mountainy feature that pales in comparison to Haleakela) and a fruit plantation. The plantation was actually quite neat since it has a flower garden filled with neat flowers and duckies (see above). The neat flower in the first picture is the Bird Of Paradise. Another interesthing plant to note was the Miracle Fruit Tree. This rather unassuming looking plant produces Miracle Fruit, which has the ability to, after eating the seeds, make anything eaten afterwards taste extraordinarily sweet. It's likely to do with something about blocking off the other taste receptors. I tried it in Japan and it made grapefruit (!!) incredibly sweet tasting heh..... water, however, doesn't work =P....

Day 3 of the cruise saw us visit Hilo's Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. As its name suggests, it's a huge park with active volcanoes (unlike Haleakela) as its focal point. Lava flows have and are still occurring and while they're a bit hard to spot (since the volcanoes aren't erupting), the energies involved do manifest themselves in other ways, like this steam vent.

The main road leads through the park and down to sea level with various look-outs and points-of-interest along the way. Some main ones include the road cutting across old lava flows. Interestingly, while the lava had destroyed whatever life it came in contact with and rendered the landscape bare, life has managed to find its way back there as seen in the first picture. Other interesting things include the world's largest Hawaiian petroglyph (rock carving) site in the world (second picture). It's really amazing just how harsh the volcanic activity can be to the landscape and yet how alive it can still be....... nature sure is resilient...

One of the ship's big "events" is the watching of the lava flows at night. As the ship circles around the island to its next port, it slows down near some known lava flows so everyone can admire the burning hot lava pouring into the ocean. Unfortunately, despite how the picture look, there isn't that much to see. I expected rivers of lava like strings of red Christmas lights draped over the mountain side and giant pools of cooling lava in the ocean. Instead, the not-so-active night only showed a couple of lava dribbles. Consistent as they were, I think I built myself up a bit too much haha.......

Day 5 was spent at the port of Kona. Kona is essentially a tourist town and goes to great lengths to play up the importance of whatever buildings it has, including its shopping mall (read: two and a half stores in one building). After a short walk around the town, we decided to turn the day into a boat day, so I just chilled out on the deck, did some karate in the aerobics studio, etc. And also took this shot of the setting sun while the boat was out at sea =).

Day 6 was the final port before returning to Honolulu and we spent it on Kauai. Our main destination was Waimea Canyon but on the way there we stopped at a tiny little town called Hanapepe. It really was one of those "one street" towns and its claim to fame appeared to be this wooden swinging bridge in the picture. Oddly, if you look closely at where the "swinging" section meets the supports, it looks like it doesn't have to swing at all... as if they modified it to let it swing so that it'd be more interesting....

Waimea Canyon itself is very interesting because, like most of Hawaii, it was created by volcanoes but this time its unique looks have been due to Waimea River and the frequent rainfall on the island. Indeed, this is one of the wettest parts of Hawaii and, living up to its reputation, it poured on and off and threateningly hung clouds in the sky for most of the day. But when it did clear up slightly, the canyon was quite the sight to behold.

Overall, the trip was rather interesting mostly because these volcanically derived areas are a bit hard to come by and thus by nature (no pun intended heh) unique to behold. On the other hand, most people go to Hawaii to sit on the beach and relax and we didn't do much of that, so it was quite a tiring trip as well. But in the end, it was a good way for me to see lots of Hawaii on my first trip around it =P.

Stay tuned next week as we return to our regularly scheduled "regular" Canadian programming =P.

Oh, and because of the boat's height or certain craters' depth, I got to take some more tilt-shift pics. Enjoy =).

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-07-16T22:54:00.012-07:00

"hatten suru" 発展する which means "to evolve". I figured for my first post back in Canada, I'll talk about one of the last things I did in Japan.

Last Saturday (July 11th) I was invited by Okano-san to the Tokyo Kaiyo University Karate Club's (東京海洋大学空手部) practice because he is an alumni. though he graduated from the Shinagawa campus and we went to the one in Odaiba. The two universities were actually separate until recently when they joined to for the Kaiyo University. There students study everything about marine science and technology, from boat design and maintenance to marine biology and oceanography. I, however, was there for the karate club.

As you might have noticed, Louise and I were actually asked by Okano-san to go and teach kata to the club. I was a bit hesitant at first, considering most university clubs train a lot and it can be hard to compare my personal training to theirs. But I was assured that they had a lot to learn from the two of us and so I agreed, not in the least because I realised I might not have another chance to once I returned to Canada.

It turns out that many of them had only started karate in university, which means some of them at most had 4 years of practice. They also were lacking in any real instruction aside from the experience of the senior students and occassional visits to other dojos. And thus, what I thought was going to be a lesson on various mechanics and details of certain kata, ended up being a rather straight forward class teaching the kata itself. Which suited me just fine because that is, essentially, what I would be doing a lot of the time back in Vancouver.

In the end, I had a lot of fun working with the students. We would go over the kata once or twice with me explaining certain key points, I'd let them work on it for 15 minutes while Okano-san, Louise, and I walked around helping them, and then we'd do it two more times. And it's good experience for when I'm back here teaching. Which brings me to my point about evolution - that when I came I was always the one in the back, working my butt of in each class. And after working that hard, I had a chance to (and enjoyed) sharing what I had learned. I'm still learning but it's this passage of knowledge that is really what brings about evolution as well.

Of course, some things just never change haha......... like me and Louise scaling a wall near the Imperial Palace Gardens =P...

Or pretending to be samurai and having a sword fight... Note to self: Don't bring a twig to a stick fight... =P

Note to Louise: Don't bring a stick to a gun fight =P heh....

Anyways, I'm back but tomorrow I leave for Hawaii for a week..... expect loads of pictures! See you guys soon =P

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-07-09T04:36:00.010-07:00

"iwai" 祝い which is a "celebration". Strangely, I've never heard of anyone call it it a celebration. It's always a something-something-kai (---会) whether it's a bonenkai (year end party) or sobetsukai (farewell party), -kai meaning a meeting. But still, there are certain things to celebrate. The first being that this is the 100th Word of the Week! I find that awfully convenient considering it'll be the last Word of the Week (from Japan anyway...) but it also means, having been here for two years, I managed to skip two somewhere down the road haha...... oops.....

Anyways, seeing as my last week here has started, so have some of the "farewell" dinners/parties/coffees/etc.

It was, for example, this past Saturday was my last practice at Shiramizu before I leave for Canada.

I particularly want to thank Okano-san (front L, he has his knee up) who's been extremely kind throughout my past two years here. He's invited me to fancy Christmas buffets, shown me around Kyoto, and, this coming Saturday, has invited me to help him teach at his alma mater's karate club. The latter I'm not sure I can do, but Okano-san assures me I have a lot to offer and I relish the challenge. At the very least, it'll be a great work out.

It was also my last practice at Guseikai.

I apologize for the non-centred picture... I didn't take it =P

I've written about Guseikai before and everything remains true. Headed by Takagi Sensei, it's a well of technical knowledge for all things Wado. Karate aside though, I've also come to know a lot of the members quite well too. The other thing is that, on pure comparative terms, Guseikai is really very different from Shiramizu. Be it practical things like the size of the training space or demographical things like the ages of people there. Despite that, both places have been very welcoming and I'm really grateful for the chance to have met and trained with everyone there.

I'm also grateful, I suppose, for Takagi Sensei asking me to lead the class on Tuesday haha..... well, by lead I mean stand up front and do the count. Things like basics are not often led by Takagi Sensei himself, so this time I got to go up there and keep count. It's harder than you think, counting haha...... mainly because it's easy to succumb to the natural timing of everyone else. But I just stored it in my "Useful for future teaching purposes" box and went with it. In the end though, it was fine. And after class I joined them for their regular dinner-after-practice at the local izakaya.

As for Takagi Sensei himself (see right), it was an amazing opportunity to have trained under him for so long. His has an incredible understanding of the technical aspects of karate and while some of the things he has asked me to understand have left me confused for weeks on end, I'm eternally grateful that he took the time to help me.

Of course, while karate is a huge part of my life here, it's not the only thing. Here's something else...

This is me at a little place called Bauhaus. Opened in 1981 in Roppongi, it's a bar/lounge with a live house band that plays covers of loads of rock songs and is, I'm convinced, one of the best nights out in Tokyo. It's not just that they're good, but the whole atmosphere of the place. They have a mainstay of two guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer to which they add a handful of singers. The best part is that between sets, they all work the bar. It feels like it was something started by some friends and they all work hard to keep it going. Actually, that's exactly what it is...

People can even ask to get up on stage and sing or play an instrument of their choice. Those not as skillfully inclined can request songs from a pretty big list that includes most of the popular songs in rock. In terms of performance, Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen is the funniest to watch, while I find Highway Star by Deep Purple to be the most insane in terms of crazy solos.

I originally discovered the place through my friend Justine back in May (right before I went to Hong Kong actually). She sang for them a few times and became friends with everyone there, so eventually I got to know them as well. Enough that they let me get away with not paying the cover charge haha...... actually, if I did have to pay cover, I probably wouldn't go nearly as much, since it's an exorbitant ￥2835. I suppose though you'd just spend as much if not more on other nights out in Tokyo... still...

Anyway, it's just a good night out with a great band that puts on a great show.

In fact, here a video of them I found in Youtube, covering the aforementioned Deep Purple song (which, in a bit of trivia, was nominated as one of the best ever driving songs on Top Gear, but lost to Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now").

The guitarist in white is Masato (who's amazing) with Kei on the other guitar (who's very kind and young beyond his years) and Tomo on bass (who... I almost never talk to haha). The drummer I don't recognize because now there's a different one, who's really nice to talk to as well......

Unfortunately, Masato's left last month to study music in America and they're seaching for a new lead guitarist. Even so, it's still a great night out and, because you can catch the last train home, you can forego the "stay out all night and then try to fix your sleep schedule" routine that clubbing forces you into... wow I sound old haha.....

Anyways, if you're in Tokyo and even remotely enjoy rock music, I highly recommend checking out Bauhaus.

For the rest of the week, I have that university karate session on Saturday and then it's just loads of seeing people one last time kind of thing.

I also have to be all packed by Monday because I'm sending my luggage ahead to Narita because it'd be silly for me to try to carry two suitcases, a carry on, and a messenger bag by myself =P...

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-06-30T18:17:00.007-07:00

"omoide" 思い出. "Omoi" 思い is a thought, while 出 is to come out, so omoide are "thoughts that come out/back". Memories, in other words.

I wouldn't have made much of my trip if I didn't have hundreds of memories of my two years in Japan. And all of these memories I owe to Richard having created the Shiramizu Karate Internship program as well as Arakawa Sensei's Shiramizu Shuyokai Karate Dojo for agreeing to take the interns in.

As I said in my short speech at the "Farewell to Lawrence, Carl, Amy, David, & Ueno-san and Welcome Erica & Louise" party last Saturday (yeah, we killed 7 birds with 1 stone heh), I originally came thinking that I was to train tons of karate and just become generally good enough to go back and show what I've done.

In actual fact, while karate ability is important, I've realised that karate is not magic and everyone can enjoy and succeed in it so long as they work hard. It is creating the environment within which everyone WANTS to work hard that's the challenge. Fostering a positive and encouraging environment is first and foremost in getting students to come, stay, and work hard, karate or otherwise.

This was something I noticed particularly in my second year as I trained less at Shiramizu and more at a variety of dojos around Tokyo, meeting lots of different sensei. While the first year here was crucial in helping my karate improve (which it still needs LOTS of heh), the second year was equally important in terms of developing my... "theory" I suppose, towards all the things that are needed to support a successful dojo.

Anyway, I had tried to think about how to condense two years of Japan into one gift that Arakawa Sensei and everyone at the dojo could enjoy and I came up with this.

It's made with about 1700 pictures I picked out from my two years here (that took nearly two hours to do) but the mosaic itself was, I'm almost ashamed to admit, incredibly easy to make using AndreaMosaic. Best of all, it's free! =P... But printed in A4 size and put into a frame, it looked great!

Anyway, I've got two weeks left in Japan as of this writing. Onwards and upwards! =)

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-06-24T03:42:00.010-07:00

"shushou" 首相 which means prime minister. I bring this up because...... well...... no reason really.... it really was just some word I learned today.....

In case you don't know, Japan's government is stubbornly old-fashioned on the inside. As an example, many on the inside still harp on family lineage as an indicator for political ability, as if governing was some sort of genetic trait passed down through the generations. And we've all seen from a certain US President from Texas that it's clearly not the case.

The other thing that I should note about Japan's government is that the main ruling party is comprised of smaller parties that can (and do) disagree with other. As such, the bickering often results in prime ministers changing as often as the weather with around 4 or 5 different ones holding office for the two years I was in Japan. The current one, Mr. Taro Aso, seems to be meet with extreme disapproval, at one point last year sinking lowering in rankings than the aforementioned G. W. Bush... that's bad...

But I digress... as the weeks wind down, I'm not really doing much but training (above is all the interns, Arakawa Sensei, and Okano-san having a apres-training dinner) and just hanging out. Last Sunday I was in Odaiba for the Tokyo Special Import-car Show. Held inside a big exhibition hall at the Tokyo Big Sight, it is, as the name implies, a show dedicated to "import cars". It even included a huge section of used imported cars for sale which, in Japan, means loads of German and American cars.

Better than the cars for sale was the actual "car show" part which included loads of uber-expensive cars. More even, I'd wager, than the Tokyo Auto Salon in January. The ultimate in expensive cars was the Ferrari Enzo (above) which is the most recent (2003) hyper car from Ferrari, named after the company's founder. Oddly, I used to think this car was, while interesting, actually not that pretty, since "cool" and "pretty" mean two completely different things in car styling.

But seeing it in person is entirely different, since the car uses its size and shape to justify its styling cues. You actually become rather absorbed seeking out the various details and staring in awe at just how small yet large the whole car seems. The wheels are also much better than the standard ones. Most interesting, however, is seeing it side by side with the 288 GTO just behind it. Old cars seems to look exactly like they do in pictures, so a pretty car is always pretty (and the 288 GTO is indeed very pretty). Modern cars, with their overly stylized creases, look and feel completely different from their photos.

Like this one. It's a Bentley Continental GT with some insane bodykit (This being ASI's 800bhp Bentley Tetsu GTR). And while the picture is clear, it's hard to grasp just how ridiculous some of the things are with no frame of reference. That front grille, for instance, is actually large enough to swallow 3-yr olds whole.... maybe Testu is slang for vacuum in Japanese =P...

Til next week =P...

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-06-14T20:16:00.018-07:00

"enkinhou" 遠近法 which means perspective (in the spatial sense, not the point of view sense). And two of the places I visited the past few days have been wrecking a bit of havoc on my sense of scale.

The first (and lesser havoc-wrecking) of the two was the Koishikawa Korakuen (小石川後楽園) gardens. Located near Iidabashi Station and Tokyo Dome, it's one of the oldest Japanese-style gardens in Tokyo having been created in 1629. With a strong Chinese influence on the garden's design, it's found nestled amongst the high rises in the Tokyo Dome area.

What's so perspective bending about this place is partly the scale of the city compared to the garden and how, though the garden isn't large, it can feel worlds away from the city next door. In fact, the garden is now smaller than it used to, having had sections amputated for the sake of the ever growing Tokyo. But now that it's designated both as a place of historical significance and a place of scenic beauty (one of only 7 such places in Japan to have acquired both statuses), it's protected from further intrusion. And at 300yen to enter, lots of people pay just to go in and have lunch (McDonald's no less... perhaps that's how they justify the 300yen entry fee??).

The other thing is that when I went (Wednesday afternoon), it was absolutely packed with older (read: retired) people with expensive cameras taking pictures of ducks... Seeing that I was also there snapping away and sensing a bit of irony, I dusted off the old 70-210mm (which I haven't used since I got my new Minolta lens) and shot some... well... flowers mainly, as the ducks weren't that interesting... The lily pond (below) was rather pretty though.

I will say that for all the ribbing Tokyo gets for people working 18hrs a day (and many do), there are also lots of people who don't seem to work at all. This was especially apparent at the Ueno museum where it was jam packed with 20-40 year olds in the middle of day. I mean, I have no job but I didn't expect everyone else to be out of work too.... crazier even was the Museum of Western Art next door, which had a continuous 90min line-up for their display of pieces from the Louvre. This phenomenon was explained to me by a friend over dinner last night; she says, apparently, many Japanese take a day-off (a paid holiday, not a "cough cough I have swine flu" holiday) purely to go see things like museums and art galleries.

Patrick Hughes' Sea City, photo from PatrickHughes.co.uk

Which brings me to my second place of visit, the Bunkamura Art Museum in Shibuya where I duly waited 30min to get in to see their "Visual Deception" exhibit. The exhibit centred around art that is not what it seems, from painstakingly painted Trompe-l'œil ("Trick the eye") works like Pere Borrell del Caso's Escaping Criticism to M.C. Escher's or René Magritte's famous pieces to what you see above, Patrick Hughes' Sea City from his collection of "reverspective" art. It might not look like much from the picture, but the scene is painted on three pyramids that stick out towards you, with the small square of ocean horizon being the top of each pyramid. The tops and bottoms of the buildings lie on the pyramid seams and, as you view it from different angles (side to side and even up and down), the whole sense of perspective shifts with you. You can see it in action below.

Despite the crowds (being that it was Sunday) and photography being prohibited, it was great to go around and see all the art. I was particularly taken by pieces from Naoki Honjo's Small Planet collection in which Honjo uses special lenses to photograph things in such away as to make them look like miniature models. It intrigued so much so that I bought a book of his works. Then, when I got home last night, I did some digging around and found that it's a technique called tilt-shift miniature faking, using tilt-shift lens can actually slide on its mount in order to slightly change the perspective of the image that results on the film. That, coupled with tweaks to colour saturation and contrast, ends up producing an image with the sense of scale and nearly-artificial colour of models.

Of course, while Honjo uses real film cameras and real tilt-shift lenses, computers can do most of the work on any picture these days. So I dug out some old (well, April 2009) photos to try it out on (above). They're probably not as good as those found in Honjo's book (which now seems destined for my coffee table). If I'm truly honest, the book was slightly tainted by my discovery that I could approximate his photos in 30 seconds with a computer and that other people do it as well, but Honjo really does have an eye for what makes a realistic miniature (is that an oxymoron?) as well as some truly inspiring angles. And there are pictures from all over the world, including one I recognize from Hong Kong.

Anyways, it was a good few days out and I leave you with some more samples of my tilt-shifted photos.

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-06-11T06:38:00.012-07:00

A 360 view of a display in the Bio-Diversity floor of the museum.

"kyoryu" 恐竜 or dinosaur! Yay...... Ever since I heard that the National Museum of Nature and Science (in Ueno Park) had dino skeletons, I've been itching to go. Lucky for me, when I went there was some special exhibit with even more dinosaurs. The actual exhibit is called the "Dinosaurs of Gondwana", Gondwana being the landmasses in the southern hemisphere 200 million years ago as Pangaea (the "singular" continent when all the world's land was joined as one) began breaking up. In the modern day, ex-Gondwana continents include pretty much all the landmass that extends into the southern hemisphere like South America, Africa and Madagascar, Australia and New Zealand, and Antarctica.

Being a science nerd, the Gondwana exhibit was interesting although it is rather short and more than doubles the entry fee to the museum- the regular museum is a bargain at 600yen, rising to not-so-bargainy 1500yen for access to the special exhibit. Either way, the exhibit was a bit of a treat especially since it contained many dinosaurs I've never seen before, such as the Megaraptor namunhuaiquii (L) and both adult and young forms of Mapusaurus roseae (centre and right, respectively). While these, at a quick glance, could be mistaken for other well known, bipedal, large skulled, sharp clawed, carnivorous dinos, there were other varieties of flying and herbivorous species as well.

The best part however (and this might be the future-science-teacher in me speaking) is looking at the mess of bones and thinking "I've seen them somewhere before". It's extremely easy to draw parallels between the structures of the bones in the dinosaurs and those in us or other animals. The thing I like the most (and this is something that particularly interests me) is how their bones have adapted to whatever conditions these dinosaurs experienced. Whether it's the nearly hoof-like front legs of the quadrapedal Maxakalisaurus topai (think 2/3-size Brontosaurus) or the various pelvic girdle sizes to shift the centre of balance on the bipedal species (think T-Rex), nature has a particular way of refining and defining everything for a specific purpose. Then there are, of course, biological elements that don't exist anymore, such as the huge nose hump on the Anhanguera sp. (above). While the lower jaw is reminiscent of a pelican beak, a pelican doesn't have that huge hump nor the pine-needle-like teeth...

The "normal" museum was surprising in its own right. Split among two buildings (one being for "global" science, the other for "Japan" science...) and many many floors (3 basement floors, 3 upper floors), it houses a bit of everything, from various types of kelp found in oceans (above, top), to how proteins are made (above, middle), and a taxonomist's heaven worth of butterflies (above, bottom). Then there are floors for Animals Of The Earth with stuffed animals (taxidermy stuffed, not plush stuffed =P), Progress in Science And Technology (with old machines like computers that take up a whole wall), and The Natural World (with explanations for various phenomenae and even a periodic table with real samples- no Lawrencium though, sadly =P).

The "Japan" building is laid out similarly but includes various samples of animals, plants, precious metals/minerals, human development, and technologies from all across Japan, both geographically and historically. And both buildings are amazingly visual, with lots of displays (above, top) both man-made and natural- I'd be hard pressed to believe that all the animals on display (I mean, 50 species of beetles or nearly-extinct felines??) to be real, but the fakes look real enough and there is a vast collection of everything, even dinosaurs (with kid favourites like the Stegosaurus and, of course, the T-Rex). They even have a replica blue whale outside! (above, bottom)

All is not perfect, however, as the museum is rather foreigner unfriendly. Very little of it includes any English explanation except for the overviews, the audio guides are Japanese-only (I asked), and various touch-screen info panels for the exhibits aren't finished yet (I tried to read about a snow hare only to get a screen that said "Display incomplete"). I could only handle so much reading of furigana (hiragana above the kanji to help people pronounce them) and guessing before I became mentally exhausted...

But it's enough of a visual spectacle that the 600yen entry fee for the regular museum is actually worth it. Even if you just wander around and look at some of the replicas of humongous beetle jaws or spin and push things in their hands-on science lab, it's good for a couple hours.

Oh, and I saw some "Beef Kebab" Pringles on my way home which I just had to try..... there's a very faint beef flavour, but otherwise just comes across as a slightly skewed (no pun intended heh) barbeque flavour.... =P

One last thing...... the weather is warming up in Japan and the bugs are back, which means I'm being eaten alive..... again..... I absolutely despise mosquitoes..... they must be the single most useless creature on the planet >.<......

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-06-03T05:17:00.008-07:00

"toukei" 統計 or "statistics". Since I've officially finished using my rail pass, I thought I'd let you guys in on just what exactly I did with it.

JR Rail Pass valid dates - May 10, 2009 - May 30, 2009
JR Rail Pass cost - Adult Ordinary, ￥57,700

Number of Shinkansen rides - 21
Most ridden Shinkansen - Hikari 501 for Shin-Osaka, departing at 6:34am from Shinagawa (7 times)

Note: All travel costs, distances, and time calculated from Takadanobaba to destination's main station. It does not include in-Tokyo use of the train pass or any train/bus travel at the destination

Total retail price of rail tickets - ￥287,910
Amount saved (Retail price minus JR Rail Pass) - ￥230,210

Total distance covered - 12,125km
Time spent (includes train changes) - 90hr 55min

Average speed - 133.35km/h

Unpunctual* train departures - 0 (!!!)
Unpunctual* train arrivals - 1 (on my way to Sapporo, late due to high winds)
*Unpunctual denotes a train that does not depart/arrive at EXACTLY the quoted time. In other words, a punctual train departs/arrives neither earlier nor later, even by a minute, than its scheduled time

Some notes/thoughts-

- my entire travel plan can be done at a lower cost than my quoted retail price by not reserving seats on the Shinkansen since the Rail Pass offers seat reservation at no extra cost. Reserved seats can cost an extra ￥1000-2000. However, reserved seats are much better than non-reserved because there are usually fewer people, which makes for a quieter and more pleasant journey.

- my entire travel plan can also be done in less time for retail-paying travellers since Nozomi trains do not cost any more than regular trains. Short trips make little difference (30min difference to Nagoya) but that quickly jumps the further you go (2hr difference to Hiroshima). Of course, doing my journeys in less time is mutually exclusive to doing them at a lower cost because of how the JR Rail Pass works (no Nozomi trains allowed).

- not included in my stats are various journeys on buses (Twin Ring Motegi), ferries (Miyajima), and local trains (eg- Sapporo - Otaru) I took at each destination. The Rail Pass is truly far reaching.

- obviously with many of my journeys being to nearby places (eg- Himeji then Osaka), it makes sense time-wise to have stayed overnight. However, with the Rail Pass, I can sacrifice a bit of time in order to save on hotels/hostels.

- reading train schedules a lot recently, I've noticed that Nozomi services are rather abundant. Assuming the Rail Pass continues to deny its users the joys of Nozomi travel, planning trips on dwindling non-Nozomi trains might prove difficult. However, JR's application of the pass is rather strategic in that anyone serious about travelling (business or otherwise) will travel on a Nozomi while more frequent, short haul trips are cheapest on non-reserve, non-Nozomi trains. This leaves the reserved seats on the non-Nozomi trains stuck in the middle and makes perfect seats for Rail Pass users.

- the Rail Pass requires you to carry your passport with you at all times. Number of times my passport was checked - 0

- the Rail Pass also requires you to be prepared to show it to any train conductor while he/she is checking the passenger's tickets. Number of times my Rail Pass was check on-train - 2

- considering the above odds, you might be tempted to try sneaking into a non-reserved seat on a Nozomi train. I would not recommend it lest your pass be revoked and a fine levied (and I would presume they're slightly more strict about tickets on Nozomi trains), but the possibility is there... I should warn that despite my Rail Pass being checked only twice on-train, my seat ticket was checked everytime.

Is the Rail Pass worth it?
In a word, yes. I paid off my Rail Pass within my first week of use and even those not going to all the places I went to can easily travel enough to pay off the ￥57,700.

However, it must be said that short-/day-trips may not be everyone's ideal way of seeing Japan. I liked it because it meant I never had to carry a heavy bag (or any bag, if it was a day trip) and I got to see lots of things. And lots of different things, as I could jump from cultural heritage sights to modern art museums. After which I could be back home to hang out with friends.

I will concede though that travelling like this leaves little time to really get a good grasp of a city. If you try really hard to can sense how one place might be different from another, but it is by no means a clear picture. It can also be a bit stressful, as a lot of time is spent on or catching trains, the latter being particularly hard when I just got home very late at night the day before.

But in the end, even travelling to only three cities within the three weeks, the Rail Pass would easily pay for itself. My only complaint is that they don't sell it in Japan; any tourist should be allowed to purchase a Rail Pass so long as they can prove they have a tourist visa and keep that status for the duration of the pass.

Last trip...

2009-05-30T04:19:00.015-07:00

Although technically my pass ends on the 30th, the 29th was my last "real" trip (read: Shinkansen ride). For this final day, I headed back to the familiar tourist haunt of Kyoto. Kyoto's an interesting city not only because it used to be the capital of Japan, but because it was recognized for holding so many culturally important buildings that it was spared the brunt of the USAF's brutality in the second World War. As such, there are many so many things there that you could easily spend a week seeing everything if you so wished.

I would say, however, that visiting all of them isn't really necessary unless its some sort of personal goal. All shrines and all temples are, essentially, the same and only the really famous ones stand out because of certain features. Whether it's Miyajima's floating torii or it's Ise's stark simplicity, there has to be a reason to visit them. And more often than not, it has to be something visual- the shrine or temple must be visually interesting to really pull tourists in; the shrine of the 46 Ronin is, though historically interesting, visually bland.

To that end, I placed the Fushimi Inari Shrine on my list because of its famous "tunnels" of torii gates. You might have seen this in various pictures or, rather famously, in "Memoirs Of A Geisha" where the little girl runs down the tunnel of bright red shrine gates. The shrine is dedicated to Inari, the god of prosperity (be it fertility, rice/agriculture, industry, or general worldly success) and foxes. As such, many businesses pray for success at the shrine and many of them donate a torii gate (each with the business' name inscribed on the pillars) for sure a purpose. Receive a few thousand donations and you end up with...

The shrine itself is just beyond the entrance (first picture) with various other buildings in the area (second picture). The gates (above) lead to a small hiking path that goes up nearby Inari mountain to various other smaller shrines.

Amazingly, I expected just a short tunnel section of these gates but it way surpassed my expectations by having torii tunnels all over the walking route, which takes about 2 hours to loop around, which results in both climbing the mountain and coming down the other side. It's worth noting that in striking comparison with the so-modest-everything-is-brown tone to the Ise Grand Shrines, the Inari shrines and gates almost glow with vermilion on a bright day, as you can see above. Also seen above is the inscriptions on the gates themselves.

As you walk along the path, you may notice that, like many other shrines, their defining feature has become the theme by which people may worship and Fushimi Inari is no different. Various sizes of mini torii are available (from ￥1200 to ￥10,000 sizes) for people to write their wishes to present to Inari (above).

And because Inari is also the god of foxes, there are fox-themed ema as well! Oddly, it's turned out that photographing ema at shrines has become a theme for me and I have a (small) collection of various ema shapes.

And then there are the obligatory statues of foxes. Many of them hold keys in their mouths, which is another symbol towards a prosperous life.

Overall, the shrine is definitely worth visiting simply because it's so visually interesting and it follows through with the notion that there are torii gates everywhere, not just some short section that everyone is allowed to walk through once. And at 2hrs to walk the main looping math, it's not only worthwhile to see, it's quick as well.

And finally, on my way back to Kyoto station, I visited the Rengeo-in, more commonly known as the Sanjusangendo (三十三間堂). The building is one of the longest wooden buildings in Japan (possibly the world) and its nickname comes from that fact that there are 33 spaces between the columns.

Within the spaces are a giant Thousand-Armed Kannon, 1001 life-size Kannon, and the 28 guardian deities from Buddhist scriptures. Unfortunately, because it is an extremely sacred building, photography is not allowed but I do highly recommend visiting this place because the statues are impressive.

As a sort of Buddhist Terracotta army, each of the 1001 life-size Kannon are slightly different and the guardian deities have small pieces of crystal inserted into the eye sockets to give a slightly more realistic look.

The best part about these two places is that they're right next to Kyoto station on the JR Nara Line. In fact, if you plan on visiting Nara as a day trip, I would say that taking the morning to see these sights on your way there works great, especially since the main sights of Nara can easily be done in an afternoon (by main I mean the park, its surroundings, and Todaiji).

Alas, that saw the last of my tour of Japan. I hope you guys enjoyed riding along and while I'm sure there's a lot I've still yet to see, it wasn't a bad way get the travelling started.

Stay tuned for some stats that I've collected on my journeys around this country =)...

Week 3 - Off the beaten path...

2009-05-27T19:37:00.016-07:00

It's only a few days til my friend Alan visits so instead of embarking on some far overnight trip, I took two day trips to some rather more unique places.

The first of the two trips (Tuesday, May 26) was to what's known as the Tsumago-Magome Hike. Tsumago and Magome were two post towns (aka: rest stops) along the ancient route between Edo (to use Tokyo's "old" name) and Kyoto. The route, having been designed for and became popular amongst shogun and daimyo's, has 69 stops along the way, with Tsumago and Magome being the 42nd and 43rd respectively.

Both towns have recently become tourist attractions and you can even stay overnight in one town and send your luggage to the other, allowing you to hike between the towns at your leisure. I started in Tsumago (above) which, of the two, has a slightly more "preserved" look to it, as if it was well kept throughout time. In all honesty, the towns offer very little aside from neat tea houses or souvenir shopping. Tourists seem to like it though, as bus after bus drove in and people wandered up and down the street.

A quick walk through the town sees you at the start of the Tsumago-Magome hiking trail which winds its way 8km towards Magome. The hike, having been made for dignitaries to cross, isn't difficult by any means even with one or two steep sections. It actually makes for a nice, short hike (I did it in well under two hours) which is unfortunate because it's rather hard to reach the trail in the first place, requiring rides on local trains and a bus. There's also really tiny neighbourhoods that live along the trail so you can walk past quiet houses with subsistence gardens and calm dogs, which just add to the atmosphere.

However, as modernity required linking everything with roads, some parts of the trail have actually be paved over and require you to walk from one section to the other on what is basically a paved mountain road. Traffic is few and far between so it's not dangerous though, just so you know =P... anyway, about halfway along, you can take a slight detour and see the Odakimedaki (Male & Female) Waterfalls (above, bottom). While not the most amazing waterfalls in the world, you can get quite close to them and, coupled with the clearest streams I've ever seen in Japan, do make for a great highlight to the hike.

The other reason why I suggesting walking to Magome instead of the other way around is that because Magome is slightly higher in altitude than Tsumago, the scenery make for a good cherry on top of the ice cream. Here you can see the surrounding Nagano countryside.

Magome, in interesting contrast to Tsumago, turned itself into a tourist attraction by almost reconstructing the old town look and feel, as you can see here with the neat stone paths. Lastly, the reason why you want to end up at Magome is that more busses from to the nearest train station, so you can leisurely make you way through the trail without have to worry about waiting an hour in a town that offers, quite frankly, very little to do. Also, many people stay the night in either town but I really feel there's not much to do there and certainly not enough to warrant a night's stay.

The next day (Wednesday, May 25) I headed to Ise in Mie prefecture. Ise is home to the Ise Grand Shrines, two Shinto shrines that together are known as the most scared shrines in all of Japan. It's easy to notice the distinctly greater number of people here praying to the various gods, including one couple expectating their first baby. The two shrines are divided into the Geku (Outer Shrine) and Naiku (Inner Shrine). Such is the importance of these shrines that photography is prohibited in the main shrines (the picture above is of another building in the Geku area) and they've even put up wooden barriers to prevent guests from entering too far without the guidance of a shinto priest.

This is about as close as you'll get to a picture of the main shrine at the Naiku. The shrines are particularly famous for their simple, almost determinedly basic buildings. Everything from the stones on the ground (light coloured stones on the paths, dark ones on the sides) to the tile-less roofs are humbling to see. Something even pictures cannot describe, however, are just how well built and intricate these structures are- the wood is selected from all of Japan, the fitment of the pieces are snug, and even the straw in the roof seemed to be aligned straighter than normal. The entire natural area around it even has the same feel, where all the trees seem just a shade browner and more "natural" to them. It's hard to describe but it feels like the whole place has a patina of natural yet cared for development to it.

The other thing that sets these shrines apart is that they're completely rebuilt every 20 years. As I mentioned before, the best wood is brought in from all over Japan and carried through Ise in cermonial fashion. As such, both shrines feel very different from other shrines or temples across Japan and they're so humbling that I almost felt bad for taking pictures. There's just something so down-to-earth about the atmosphere that the buildings and surrounding areas produce that it really is something that has to be felt to be believed.

Having said all that however, I do feel that, like Dr. Samuel Johnson said about the Giant's Causeway, the shrines are "worth seeing but not worth going to see". I say that because while the temples are definitely worth seeing, the town of Ise isn't. It's a rather long train ride (about 90 minutes from Nagoya) and the town itself is surprisingly rundown, or at least more so than I expected. A town with the most sacred of Shinto shrines deserves better than grimey stucco houses or rusted-over steel wall panelling. As you walk between the station and Geku or take the bus between Geku and Naiko (it's only a 1hr walk and you might be tempted, but don't... trust me, there's not much to see) you can't help but think that the whole laissez faire and basic nature of the shrines simply doesn't translate to much more temporary items like parking garages or cookie cutter houses...

At any rate, despite the city, the shrines are incredibly important, as the bus loads of elderly Japanese tourists can attest to- it's a place that is a must see, particularly because pictures can't really describe it. And for that reason and that the city is not exactly easy to get to, I do feel particularly proud for having made it there.

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-05-25T08:00:00.023-07:00

"saisho" 最初 which means first. I'm mostly saying this because while many people learn "saigo" 最後 as last, it technically means final. The "last" train of the day, for example, isn't the final train to run, since it will start again the next day. Unfortunately, last is "saishuu" 最終 which, if you ask me, sounds a lot like "saisho". And that, doubly unfortunately, means mistaking one for the other results in a certain blog writer asking the same question 3 times to the hotel clerk... oh well haha......

Anyways, these past two days I was in Kanazawa, about 4 hours from Tokyo and up near the Sea of Japan coast. While known for many historic things, it also contained some rather nice modern things.

Quite obviously modern is Kanazawa's 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. Designed as a giant circle with multiple entrances so visitors can "approach" the art from many angles. Kanazawa itself also seems to been taken by modern yet artistic flair. Sculptures can be seen all around the city (above) and there are some neat architectural elements that just somehow look slightly more stylish. It even includes the cool lattice-work structure of Kanazawa station's entrance and a gorgeous re-interpretation of the famous torii gates found all over Japan (see first picture).

The art museum itself contains a few permanent and free pieces as well as lots of open space, inviting people to use the museum as a meeting spot and not just as a destination. Some of the free pieces include Leando Erlich's Swimming Pool (above), where 10cm of water and cleverly made pool bottom make it look like a real pool while people underneath the glass stare back up at you.

Now, I should admit I used to be quite critical of modern art; I once read about a new gallery in South Africa that hung all its paintings backwards, claiming there was much left unseen on the blank canvas behind. This pool I would've found cool but many things I tended to over-rationalize, quickly breaking them down into their component pieces and claiming ambivalence towards them (it's just a lamp post...), like when I went to visit the Pompidou Museum in Paris. But more recently I browsed through the modern art section of the Hong Kong Art Museum (twice) as well as saw an art film while I was there (all three of which, I now realise, is due to my aunt! Thank you! =P) and I think I've started to understand how to approach modern art- I force myself not to think about anything and then, with my mind sufficiently blank, I think about whatever thoughts bubble up as I view a piece. Some piece are easy to appreciate, like 100 Labyrinths (above), a maze made entirely of salt. The backwards South Africa idea, however, I still find ridiculous...

But these bicycles you can rent to ride around the museum halls or James Turell's Blue Planet Sky, which is a giant square room with a giant square cut out of the ceiling so visitors can sit and quietly watch the sky and light change, are great in and of themselves. Unfortunately, their special exhibit (which currently costs a whopping 1700yen for access to both zones) doesn't allow photography, but when I say one of the pieces is a giant black oval painted on a sloped off-white wall, you can understand why it might be something I would write off right away. It turns out, however, the piece is really intriguing as the lighting in the room makes it seem like it's an actual hollowed out section of the wall; an actual hole instead of a painted hole. In truth, I have no idea if it actually is a hole, as visitors aren't allowed within 2 feet of it, which makes it all the more interesting. Then there's a silent film about factory workers in China and how each garment they make contains a piece of the worker's history. Sounds plain, but the way it was filmed and the use of old and new footage make it more powerful than that. My favourite was Open Dialogue, which used a ping pong table with shock sensors so that each time the ball hit the table, a synthesizer would play a note. The exhibit asked visitors to play ping pong with someone for a while so despite the players focusing on keeping the ball on the table, the erratic pings and pongs from the speakers mimicked how a conversation would progress. I have no idea what exhibits will come next, but the entire place comes highly recommended, even if they do charge 1700yen for access to all the galleries.

A short bus ride from the museum drops you off near Myoryuji, a temple more commonly known as the Ninja Temple although it has nothing to with ninjas at all. I should warn that the temple requires reservations for tours and the tours are completely in Japanese. However, they do provide a comprehensive booklet that briefly covers, in the same order as the tour, all the things the guide covers. The temple itself was built in the Edo period as a defensive structure. As such, there are many tricks and traps hidden up the temple's sleeves... again which you can't take pictures of. The biggest trick, though, can be seen above. What looks like a simple two storey building actually has 7 "floors", 23 rooms, and 29 staircases. There are perilous pitfalls, secret pathways, and sneak lighting arrangements so that warriors can stand guard in a dark room watching guests in a lit room through rice-paper walls. Some of these tricks aren't too special (we close this door and it looks like a closet!) but others are really intricate, like a secret staircase entrance that automatically locks when the door is shut. There's also a well that is believed to connect to Kanazawa castle a few km away and then the entire maze-like layout of the temple with multiple passage ways- some rooms have up to five exits.

The next day I headed off to Kenrokuen, a landscape garden widely regarded as one of the best in Japan. And it didn't disappoint. Built off the principle that a beautiful garden should possess "spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, watercourses, and panoramas", it impressed even on a dreary overcast day. The garden also includes one of the symbols of Kanazawa- the Kotojitoro Lantern whose shape recalls that of the bridges supporting the strings on a Japanese koto (above, right). It even appears on their manhole covers =P...

Here's another view of the lantern with the "Rainbow Bridge" in front of it. I'd also like to take this time, since it is my blog, to rant about something...

See, people work really hard to keep the garden looking nice. I mean, "artificiality" is one of the principles the garden was built around, so it takes people to produce it. And it irks me to no end just how disrespectful some people are. When there's a fence somewhere, DON'T step over it into the groomed moss just so you can get your sorry head into a picture. When you're walking around cultivating your throat cancer, DON'T flick cigarette ash towards the trees lest you burn down the entire garden. When the weather gets a bit hot for you, DON'T toss your jacket onto a pruned bush because you don't have enough hands to hold it. I simply don't understand how some people can be so damn self-centred that they can stand around proclaiming how beautiful the garden is while crushing flowers under their feet because they couldn't stay out of the fenced off areas... And I'm certainly no generalist, racist, or stereotypist but all the people I saw doing this came from mainland China...

Fuming, I left and, walking by a tea house, I decided what I needed was a place to take my mind off all of it. The Shiguretei Tea House is the perfect place for that as you get served some nice green tea in a quiet room. Better than that, however, was the view of the tea house's garden exclusive to the serving room (above). At 300yen for the regular green tea (700 for the powdered version), it's worth the 300yen to see the garden.

Kenrokuen, however, is fully deserving of the praise it gets, as can be seen in the first of the two above pictures showing, on the right, a tortoise shell-like island representing the mythical island of perpetual youth and longevity. Even better is that it's rather close to the train station (about 30minutes should be enough to walk there, or a 10 minute bus ride) and it's right across from Kanazawa Castle, although the latter is current under re-construction.

Aside from the garden, Kanazawa is also famous for its many "tea districts" where visitors can experience an authentic tea house. Above is the Higashi-chaya (East) district which is probably the best of the 3 main ones (East, West, and Kazue-machi). While walking around it doesn't really provide much aside from interesting old buildings, spending some time (and money) at a tea house will enhance the experience.

My last stop before heading home was the Nagamachi Buke Yashiki District, which is to samurai what the tea districts are to tea houses. Walking through it does offer some contrast to the tea districts (all the buildings have strong outer walls; all the decorations are that bit more expensive looking) but there is a preserved samurai house (Nomura-ke) that serves as a mini-museum. You're free to enjoy the various rooms it has, take in some of the Edo-era items on display (two above), or gaze at the seemingly bursting garden (above).

All in all, Kanazawa is a surprisingly nice city to visit. It's got a great mix of old and new without feeling uncomfortable at the melding of the two aspects. It's a simple city to get around and everything is within a reasonable walking distance. And while it doesn't deserve (or need) more than a day or two to really see the core sights, at two hours from Nagoya, it makes for a very decent side trip.

Tomorrow I'm off to Kiso Valley, which is part of an old postal route with old post towns on either end of it. Then it's even more history on Wednesday, as I head to Ise Shrine, one of the most sacred shrines in Japan. Stay tuned...

Week 2 - Day Trips

2009-05-22T03:27:00.028-07:00

For the latter half of week 2, I took two small day trips since I had plans for the nights back in Tokyo. Despite not being "far" (although it was still 3 or 4 hours each way on the Shinkansen...), they're both stuff I've been wanting to see. May 21 was the first trip out to Himeji...

As I mentioned in the previous posts, many of Japan's sights are historic. Unfortunately, many of these sights went through tough times and thus equally many of them are reconstructions. And while these reconstructions are still nice (Todaiji, for example), it's hard to beat something that's actually lasted. Himeji Castle is one such sight- a castle that's lasted more or less intact until now.

Like pretty much all castles, this was constructed in a time when enemy attacks were a real and common threat, so the castle construction reflects this. While the main entrance is reasonable straight forward, the inner paths (above) quickly become a spiralling maze designed to force intruders into sudden dead ends so they can be conveniently attacked through "hidden attack holes" in the walls. Of course, the tour route follows a specific path but you do often find yourself wondering if you've walked a certain area before or come around a corner only to notice you've ended up behind where you were 5 minutes ago.

The tour route starts from the outside and winds through some of the outer walls before finally ending up at the main keep. While it's a bit hard to see in the picture, it's rather cramped and many of the overhangs are quite low as you make your way across. However, the priority was on defensive ability, not luxurious livability, and a peep through those number attack holes show a good view of the outer area. One thing I noticed throughout the castle was that the staircases are REALLY steep... like really... I suppose it makes sense in a small space, but I can't imagine it be very easy (or fast) to climb 65 degree slopes wearing armour...

The closer you get the more impressive the castle becomes as everything from the gleaming white walls (the castle's also known as Hakurojo, or White Heron Castle) to the intricate detailing on the roofs. Also of interest is that despite the castle looking like it has 5 floors, it actually has 6 with another floor like a basement in that stone foundation. Lastly, while temples aim for aesthetics with their roof corners lining up perfectly, each floor is actually slightly offset for what I can only assume is a better defensive view...

Inside the castle, you're greeted by a very traditionally feeling space, what with the dim floors, the creaking wood, and the surprising breeziness of the whole place. However, it's been thoroughly renovated into a one-way tour route up and down all the floor. And while they've placed lots of memorabilia and artifacts from the castle's era, make sure not to get so caught up that you forget to enjoy the simple but functional construction of the whole castle interior.

Of course, this is a castle lived in by important people, so it's not all counter-attacks and sight-lines. There are lots of amenities for the royalty living there... like a sink... well, I suppose life back in the day wasn't the quite the same heh... but as you can see above, there are other details like this sample of various crest tiles used in the castle's constant updating as various owners improved it.

The castle really is beautiful and while many of the outer moats have been destroyed or reclaimed for the sake of an ever growing city, the actual castle and main area itself has remained. Knowing that certainly makes it just that slight bit more impressive and there are lots of intricate details as you walk around, such as an area specifically for committing ritual suicide or the "fan"-like curve to some of the stone walls to prevent intruders from scaling them.

The day after (Friday May 22), I headed off to Osaka, despite the recent spat of swine flu scares, which is home to one of the world's largest aquariums. There's also Osaka castle but having been to a castle the day before and it was raining the day I was in Osaka, so I headed for the aquarium. It does cost a rather unbelievable 2000yen to get in, but it does claim to hold quite a lot of rare and special animals in its 16 tanks. So once you've grimaced and paid the entry fee, you walk through the entrance tunnel (above) containing a small sample of things to come. Also in the picture above is a diver using a hose to clean the tank and divers are found in various tanks all day long keeping things looking... underwater-y =P...

The entire aquarium is based on various environments from the Ring Of Fire found in the Pacific Ocean. The route opens with a short walk through a tropical forest and then quickly gets into the tanks. And nothing gets guests excited as much as penguins, so the Antarctic tank is one of the first ones you reach.

The entire route also takes you up to the highest floor first and then winds its way down amongst all the tanks. This means guests can see the same tank but from 3 or 4 different angles and depths, so while you can watch penguins preening themselves in the upper most level, a few floors down you can watch them swim.

Then there's also the dolphin tank. This one deserves two pictures mainly because it was so incredibly hard to shoot swimming dolphins. I mean, shooting race cars is easy because they're so predictable but dolphins?? And they're really fast considering you're only a few feet away, so panning with them is extra hard... I don't think I've had so many failed shots before heh...

Further down is the Great Barrier Reef tank which is filled with colour. The displays are quite good about labelling the kinds of fish in the tank, but sometimes it's just nice to step back and admire the scene as a whole...

The aquarium's biggest tank is their Pacific Ocean tank (which famously touts its largest sheet of acrylic glass as requiring 1.5 times the normal annual production of acrylic) which has manta rays. I've never seen a manta ray. I've also never seen a manta ray (or any ray) do backflips... it turns out, however, this one had a sharksucker stuck pretty much to the top of its "head", which explains it...

But the crown jewel of the aquarium is its two whale sharks, Dai and Kai. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world and the way the tank is set up (with other fish swimming around) really exaggerates its size. These, however, just swim lazily around the tank making much easier to shoot... actually, that's partly a lie because they're still difficult to shoot but mostly because they're almost always too big for the frame...

Hello Mr. Green Seaturtle. I should also mention that my new Minolta lens came in VERY handy at the aquarium because the huge aperture meant I could take shots in little to no light at acceptable shutter speeds. The down side is the severely limited depth of field but with a bit of tweaking and careful focusing, it worked out just fine.

This giant spider crab came from the tank replicating the deep trenches around Japan. And towards the end of the tour, they have more interactive exhibits such as ones where you can touch rays and sharks.

Anyway, the aquarium is a great place to check out if you're in Osaka, though I wouldn't really recommend going from Tokyo just to see it (unless you have a Rail Pass). Just make sure to budget enough time (2.5-3hrs) so that you can slowly make your way through the tanks and really take in all that the place has to offer, as many of the best sights are hiding behind rocks or in dark corners.

I'm taking today off but tomorrow I plan to head to Kanazawa, which has one of Japan's most beautiful landscape gardens, a modern art museum, and a ninja temple!! This is me being multi-interested heh.... I'll leave you with a few more shots of the aquarium.

Your Japanese word of the week is...

2009-05-20T08:01:00.023-07:00

"kuraberu" 比べる which means "to compare". While this is relevant in a few different ways in my recent trip to Sapporo, let's just dive into the journey and pick out the comparisons along the way...

I've been meaning to go to Hokkaido for a long time now although I never really knew why. Perhaps because it was far enough away from Tokyo that it has a certain "mystique" to it or that I've heard lots about how great it is up there. Either way, I made it a point in my trip to go and that was no small feat in itself. No Shinkansen goes directly to Sapporo and two train changes are required. What's worse, for the first time in my 5th or 6th Shinkansen trip, the train was late! The announcement said something about strong winds requiring the trains to slow down, but either way, I made it to Sapporo just before 6pm.

Sapporo is home to quite a few great sights and one of the first I went to was Odori Park. Stretching 10 blocks long and found in the middle of Sapporo, it's a colourful and interesting way to mix nature into the scenery. At one end of it is the TV Tower which offers a panoramic view of Sapporo. But for the same money (700yen) you get access to the 38th floor of the JR Tower attached to Sapporo Station, and from there it looks like...

This is where one of the first comparisons gets drawn. Sapporo is a lot like Vancouver. Everything from how vast the city is, how low most of the buildings are, and how grid-like the street layout is. Then there's also the mountainous backdrop and its closeness to the coast. Sapporo is also known for its winter sports and held the Winter Olympics at some point, the ski jump being visible at night. There's also a gigantic park in the midst of the downtown landscape. Even the city atmosphere is rather laid-back... All of it made me feel very much at home.

Anyways, I didn't do much at night and instead got up early the next day for yet another whirlwind tour. I caught the first train to Otaru, a coastal town 45min from Sapporo. Otaru is famed for its preservation of historic buildings and has actually divided up the town into different locales that represent something significant in terms of heritage and building design. Going at 7:30am, however, meant everything was still closed... but that was also a good thing as I got to take in the town at my leisure.

This is an example of one of the "preserved" buildings in Otaru. This building was "The Former Otaru Branch of Hyakujusan Bank" when it was built in 1908. There are various other buildings around the area that are similarly old with similarly clear descriptions but being that most of these buildings have been renovated to perform some other task (I believe this now serves as a cafe), it does require the costumed staff to be there to prop up the atmosphere. But as it stands, a lot of these buildings just look old without the charm or appreciation until you read the descriptions. Maybe it's the signs selling touristy things or the rather new buildings next to it, but it's sometimes hard to differentiate between what is simply an old building (which are also found in Otaru) and an old but important building...

Aside from age, Otaru's also known for its glassware, as this unfortunately named shop can attest to. I wonder if anyone's ever told Mr. K what some of the many misinterpretations of his store name are =P...

After walking around for an hour and a half, I was ready to leave. And, as it turns out with these things, I found this interesting building which belonged to the Kyosei Co. Ltd, a rice milling and dealing company. If the steam clock in front looks familiar, it's because it is. Donated by the very same Vancouverite and built using the same wood patterns as the steam clock found in Gastown.

Having had my fill of Otaru, I headed for the Historic Village of Sapporo. This is a really interesting place that initially feels like Disneyland. It's a bit out in the middle of nowhere and contains buildings from different time periods right next to each other, so it looks almost a bit constructed. Unlike Disneyland, however, all the buildings in the Historic Village are authentic, having been donated by their owners across Hokkaido, relocated to Sapporo, and mildly restored. After that, the interiors are filled with period correct items and/or displays showing photographs of what the buildings were used for. For instance, the building above was a fishing residence built by the Aoyama family in 1895. Inside the huge main building was sleeping areas for almost 60 people and found attached to the building are numerous store houses for nets/gear, rice, and wine.

Even better is that this place does actually do a good job of replicating the feel of an old town. The gravel crunches under your foot as you walk along and the wind sweeps through the plants all around you. You're free to enter the buildings and walk around, feeling the floorboards flex, seeing the patched up rice-paper doors, and smelling the musky wood and books. And because these buildings were owned and used by real people, very many of them reflect the trends of their era. Like the building above, owned by the Matsuhashi family who's upper-middle class wealth saw the installation of a Western-style study, a trend popular towards the end of the Meiji era.

You're also greeted by more authenticity entering the barn once owned by the Ogawa family. Built using plans acquired from the US, it housed his dairy farm and despite there being no cows (or dairy farming) taking place anymore, it still smells faintly of cows. And while that sounds rather uninteresting, these little details help you visualize what it must've been like to run a dairy farm back in the 1920's. It even helps that many of the original tools are placed around the barn, and you can see just how the cows were led in and out or where new calves were born.

One of the best parts of this place was a chance to see the Sapporo Normal School Martial Arts Hall built in 1929. This one was used for kendo on the left side and judo on the right. Again, kendo practice dummies and judo dogi's hanging on the window sills help to create the atmosphere. In other rooms, you can see photos of the original students using the hall and practicing. Next to it is a university dorm were speakers play a soft recording of the students signing the anthem while other buildings have recorded conversations and/or dummies mid-activity to help you visualize what it was like when these buildings were really being used.

Oddly, I found this place to be a better representation of classical buildings than Otaru. Perhaps it's the chance to see all the minutiae that really help give a sense of age, but whereas Otaru's old buildings had to explain their significance to be appreciated, these ones are easily to appreciate right away. Another example is the above building, built by Dr. Seikichi Kondo in 1919. This building was actually used up until 1958 and was noted for its then rare Western styling. If this building was found among a bunch of newer buildings, it might be easily overlooked but getting into the "sense" of heritage buildings means certain features like the balcony and woodwork in the arches stand out.

Exploring the Village took a good 3 hours and by that time I was ready for a break. And what better break than the Sapporo Beer Museum! The museum, run by the Sapporo brewing company, is a free tour which documents the history of the company as well as providing this cute display of how barley and hops are grown, how beer is produced, and how it's delivered. Although I'm not sure who the intended audience is because it seems like it was built for 4 years yet only 20+ year olds can enjoy the results... strange =P...

Starting on the 3rd floor and winding down, you soon reach their Beer Museum Bar which serves various Sapporo products for 200yen, including Sapporo soft drinks for kids and a special Sapporo beer not sold outside of Hokkaido. Or, for an entirely reasonable 400yen, you can have their 飲み比べセット, or Drink Comparison Set (above). From left to right, they serve the Black Label, Yebisu [The Black], and the Kaitakushi (brewed from the very first Sapporo recipe). It also comes with a choice of crackers or a piece of cheese, the latter which goes quite well with the beer. In terms of tastiness (since this is a comparison), Yebisu [The Black] (middle) was the best, the Black Label (left) was second, while the Kaitakushi (right), though by no means bad, came in third.

With that done, I headed for Nakajima Park, my last stop before returning to my hostel. The park isn't anything spectacular but it is nice and quiet with a small Japanese-style garden (above). I should also mention that Sapporo is famous for its Shiroi Koibito treats, which are essentially two soft crackers sandwiching an equally soft piece of white chocolate. It's particularly delicious and, if you have time, there's a Chocolate Village to visit built by the company that makes them.

Anyways, the park has a pond that, in the summer months, had rowboat rentals. Hey, boat 21 =P...

By this time, it was about 5:30 although it felt like I'd been out for a million years... I do sort of regret my method of travel and my time frame doesn't let me really get a feel for each city, but I think I get as much as I could out of each one and I leave them with at least a slight feel for what makes them unique. Anyway, I went out to grab a bite for dinner around 7:30 and managed to find a few interesting buildings back at Nakajima Park.

As for tomorrow, I'm off for a day trip to Himeji where one of the oldest original castles in Japan still stand. There is, of course, been lots of talk about the swine flu and such but... we'll see how it goes. Maybe I'll wear one of those mouth masks for the first time ever... =P

Week 1, Part 2

2009-05-17T10:24:00.002-07:00

The last half of my first week bash across western Japan included Nara and Nagoya.

First off, I do realise that I'm in none of my own photos so far and while that's partly because I'd much rather be taking the shot than being shot, I also get quite caught up in shooting whatever or wherever I am. But I suppose I should prove that I am indeed going to all these places, so this is me on the Shinkansen headed towards Nara. =P

Nara is interesting in that while it served as Japan's capital city from 710-784 and there are many temples and shrines that attest to this city's ancient importance. However, perhaps precisely because its importance was so long ago or that it was important at some point in time (or both), it's now just a giant tourist attraction. The modern city is nothing special but Nara Park, which contains quite a few of these historically important sights, is constantly filled with tourists, including various elementary and junior high kids while I was there.

But that would sell the place short, since some of the things are still impressive. Things like the rows of lanters found all over the paths (two above) and a particularly curious shrine dedicated to... buxom-ness?? (above) I will, however, admit that after 4 days of constantly seeing shrines and temples, I'm a bit shrine-and-temple'd out. It was a bit like being back in Kyoto; all the sights are great, but they're similar enough that I felt like I'd seen it before...

There is, of course, Todaiji Temple which is the world's largest all-wood building. It's a bit disappointing that the original Todaiji was destroy and the current one is a reconstruction that's only 2/3 the size. But it's still massive and amidst the visitors looks like a giant chocolate pastry being descended on by ants. Despite that, I was actually quite fed up with fighting through the crowds and such by 2pm so I went to check into my hostel and wound up chatting with some of the worker's and guests there.

The girl that worked there suggested I go back to get a new perspective on Nara by watching the sunset as well as some of the lights. Seeing as there was nothing else to do in Nara (according to her, not me =P) I went. And she was right- the crowds had cleared and Nara Park turned from a buzzing playground to a quiet sanctuary. I made my way back to the Nigatsu-Do Hall, one of the highest points in the park, and watched the sunset. Surprisingly, very few people came up despite the great view (above) and the park was left open so I could explore it at night and see the lights, including:

... the various lanterns on the Nigatsu-do Hall balcony...

... the Five-Story Pagoda...

... the entrance gate to Todaiji Temple...

... and the Sarusawa-ike Pond near the Five-Story Pagoda.

I think Nara really reinforces my discovery this past week- sometimes it works out great to have no plan and no watch. I have a list of things I'd like to see but I try not to confine myself to a schedule because it leaves me free to do things like go back at night and re-visit the places to get a different view. I will concede that going to any tourist attraction and complaining about other people being there is a rather ridiculous comment, but that doesn't change the fact that it can and does destroy a bit of that suspension of disbelief. However, the crowds can sometimes be a great thing in the right location, like these souvenir shops on the street leading up to the park (above).

After a great sleep at a small but clean hostel, I headed to Nagoya. Nagoya, despite being one of the largest cities in Japan, is known for few but important things (like Nagoya Castle and Atsuta Shrine) though I found one of the greatest treasures here at two of Toyota's three museums. I first headed to Toyota's Automobile History Museum (above) and, being all history'd out, it was a refreshing sight to see.

The museum is absolutely incredible, more so than the Honda Collection Hall. It's incredible mostly because while the Honda museum has lots of Honda with other vehicles significant to Honda's development, Toyota's museum is dedicated to the automobile itself and Toyotas only comprise of half the cars on display and, while it is Toyota's museum, it actually takes its curative role rather objectively. As such, it's a really complete collection of some of the most important, interesting, and innovative cars from... well... the very first car, the 1885 Benz Patent Motorwagen (above).

Laid out chronologically, it was careful in its layout to compare and contrast various avenues of thinking, some of which would not be out of place in the modern world. For example, they had a 1902 Cadillac Model A (red) next to a Baker Electric (blue) of the same vintage showing a gas vs electric competition that has recently been revived. In terms of alternative energy, they also had steam powered cars and (a first I've ever seen) a charcoal powered car (well, steam powered, by heated by charcoal and not gasoline).

Other comparisons included this Ford Model T (left) and Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost (right) which showed how the Americans viewed the car as a method to move the masses while the Europeans still saw it as a pleasure for the upper class.

But cars weren't the only thing on display, as various exhibits would branch away from cars to discuss the current influences at the time. The 30's were dominated by efforts to produce streamlined cars without actually understanding much about streamlining and aerodynamics. While they might have never actually worked, this model shows the forward thinking of the time and this 1932 model of a streamlined ocean liner by Norman Bel Geddes looks positively modern.

Continued in Part 2

Week 1, Part 2 - Part 2...

2009-05-17T10:23:00.027-07:00

More contrast can be seen here between the 1938 Cadillac Series 60 Special (left) and the 1938 Fiat 500 Topolino (right) which exemplifies the differing directions the companies were headed. Cadillac was trying to produce an innovative and desireable car while Fiat was headed in the opposite direction size-wise to produce a car that was mechanically advanced but more compact. Again, its easy to draw parallels with SUVs and the upcoming crop of mini-cars like the Smart or Toyota iQ.

The museum, of course, had its fair share of high performance cars many of which are some of the most famous racing machines in the world. Machines like this 1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport (left) and 1926 Bugatti Type 35B (right). Elsewhere in the museum they had a 1914 Stutz Bearcat Series F and just beyond the Bugatti was a 1930 Bentley Speed 6.

As I mentioned before, many of the most important cars in the first half of the 1900's were European and the museum shows very little bias by providing examples of these. Cars such as the 1937 MG Midget Type TA (left) and the 1937 SS Jaguar 100 (right) show the tastes and technical ability of the UK in those days.

Taking a "break" from the cars meant visitors could see one of their temporary exhibits, this one being a look at various glass "mascots" (read: hood ornaments) made by famed French glass artist Rene Lalique. Imagine sticking one of these things on your hood =P...

Then again, Toyota didn't let everyone else have the limelight and, towards the end of the tour, steals the spotlight back with a pristine example of their 1970 Toyota 7 race car as well as a 1967 Toyota 2000GT.

But by far and away one of the most surprisingly beautiful cars was this 1936 Lancia Astura Tipo 233C. I'm not sure if it was the blue colour, the tear-drop front and rear fenders, or the body shape tapering to that pointed nose, but it was striking in person.

There was also the museum annex, which at the time had display with various cars together with memorabilia from that era. Examples like this 1960's Mazda Carol was backed up by a collection of 1960's plastic dolls like Barbie's.

But while the Automotive History Museum was amazing, the most unexpected surprise of the trip came at the Toyota Industry and Technology Museum. Located on the grounds of Toyota's original textiles factory (Toyota was originally a textiles company and still is, amongst its other interest), it houses a collection of innovative looms invented by company founder Sakichi Toyoda as well as other weaving machinery from around the world. The above is a functional replica of the circular loom that Toyoda invented.

The amazing part is that almost all of these machines are kept in working order and visitors are welcome to press a button and watch them run. It's fantastic to watch and hear these machines do their work and marvel at the amount of engineering that went into them to make it work. Particularly eye opening was reading some of the descriptions, which talked about ring and travelers spinning a ring frame (above) to draft and twist a rove (??). I mean, when people mention an engine has three Solex twin-barrel side draft carburetors, I get it.... but reading these loom descriptions must be what its like for people to hear me talk about cars....... so I apologize for that haha.....

Anyway, the museum also had lots of display showing the advances in technology, from simple punch cards to the development of sensors to modern robots used in manufacturing. This display, again with a push of a button, shows a robot filling a pencil with 0.5mm lead repeatedly at high speed and with high accuracy.

But that's not all. After this you enter the metal working exhibit which has a professional metal worker demonstrating how metal parts are cast, forged, and welded with various modern parts (mostly from cars) on display. Further on shows how the founder's son, Kiichiro Toyoda, developed and tested various metals in developing Toyota Motor Co's first car. The above picture is a diorama showing how metal panels were formed to produce the car body.

Just beyond that, however, is one of the absolute best exhibits I've ever seen- a gigantic hall showing not only the development and mechanics of car parts, but the manufacturing process as well. The huge circle above is actually a 3-screen movie theatre showing a film tour of a Toyota assembly plant producing a car from start to finish.

A place like this is just what a cutaway-o-phile like me enjoys, with displays of nearly all the mechanical car components and how they work. You can turn a steering wheel and watch the rack slide, press a button to see how a differential works, step on a clutch pedal to watch a clutch engage and disengage, or shift gears and watch the transmission swap cogs (above).

Moving to the main floor shows how car assembly have progress from men on assembly lines to robots performing a large part of the production and assembly. Many of the machines there are 20 or so years old and, likely, were retired from Toyota factories and brought here to be used as learning tools. As seen above, pushing a button allows guests to watch a body shell move down the line to be "welded" by various robotic arms.

And it covers all the processes from beginning to end. So there are 2500-ton body panel stamping machines, connecting rod forging machines, engine block casting machines, and these final assembly machines (above). All of them, of course, run with a simple push of a button.

As I mentioned before, I love how things work and I love learning about them interactively. I do admit that forgoing Nagoya Castle may seem a bit petty but to me, these things point toward the future and there is just as much history and progress found here as there is going to a temple or watch a city sprawl outward from a holy shrine. And having done lots of the latter, the museum was a great chance to see something else.

Tomorrow I head off to Sapporo which is something I've been looking forward to. The train ride is nearly 9 hrs long but I have my music and my books, so it'll be good.

Before I forget, I also managed to (finally, after almost a month of searching) find a Minolta 50mm f1.4 lens. I went to Kawagoe to test it out (not much in Kawagoe except some particularly old looking buildings) and while it's hard being limited to only one focal length, the limitation does force you to be more creative and think more about composition. The advantage, however, of such a fast lens is that it creates beautiful protraits. And the bokeh on these Minolta primes are particularly famous, so I thought I'd show you what the big deal is.

The following three pictures are shot at (from top to bottom) f22, f8, and f2.

Speaks for itself I think =)... one last one...