Archive for the ‘Japan’ Category

Man, this is weird. I feel so down at the moment. Just flat. I thought that Nanae’s birthday would be weird. I expected it. I even expected the sadness when she didn’t return my email (as I knew that was going to happen) but this is different. It feels like there is something fundamentally wrong, just wrong.

Work has been a total drag, frankly in places it’s been awful. Just going there has been a downer. Totally strange.

Things happen that I should find joy in and there’s nothing, just hollow.

I need to raise my game or I am going to become a right dour sod but in a weird way that just makes me feel worse.

What’s wrong? I wish I really knew…..

Today is my ex-girlfriend’s birthday. This time last year I was in Yufuin with her. I can safely say that it was one of the happiest times of my life. Just bliss.

Sadly, the relationship was not to be. It’s a shame. We never actually argued, never really got angry with each other just grew apart or something equally weird. I suppose these things happen in life and I am very grateful for the joyous times she gave me. So…

Happy birthday Nanae!!!!! I hope you are having a good time and are happy.

I’m back! Hiroshima was cool! I had to come back a day early to get mightily drunk last night.

I finally made it to Miyajima. I really like it there but yesterday the weather was terrible. It put a real downer on the day and I didn’t stay too long. I managed to do some shopping in the souvenier shops. I bought a kamikaze headband which is way cool.

I spent too much money but had a great time.

Back to work tomorrow. (

In my desire to get away and recharge I had no trouble picking a destination. Hiroshima is a fantastic city. As I become more familiar with it I grow to love it more and more. It offers me everything I want, bookshops, record stores, good food and night life.

It’s strange that it I find it a little too crowded though. By Japanese standards Hiroshima isn’t huge. But I just like the atmosphere here. The people seem friendly and kind. The foreigners are friendly (mostly).

I’m going to Miyajima tomorrow and I want to do a little last minute shopping too. I’ve spent WAY too much money these past two days. I am looking forward to browsing the souvenir shops on Miyajima.

I meant to go today but I took the wrong tram in completely the wrong direction. I am a total dope! So I had a wee walk around Hiroshima port so that I didn’t look like a total idiot getting off and back on the same bloody tram!

I was supposed to be staying here until Monday night and actually considered going back to Onoda on Tuesday morning. However, the folks I work beside had other plans and organised a leaving party for tomorrow night. They told me about it on Thursday night and were surprised to find out I was in Hiroshima. Gee wizz guys, I took vacation to sit on my ass in Onoda. Smart, ain’t ya? Don’t enter Mastermind! You’ll lose.

The person who’s leaving as been very helpful over the last year and I want to be there so my vacation comes to an end a little quicker than I hoped.

It will give me a day to scruff about the house in Onoda. Play with some of the new things I hve bought and hopfully clean up some as my room is a mess and I am working six days this week.

Anyway, it’s almost 3 a.m. and definitely time for bed!

This entry is dedicated to Rie! p She told me to post about Hiroshima. Am I smooth or what? He he.

Oh good god! Recently I have been getting into country. The image I’ve had of country in the past is that of the Dolly Parton variety. How wrong can you be. So I have been listening to Willie Nelson, a lot of Kris Kristofferson and of course Johnny Cash. It’s such great music. I am rapidly beginning to adore it.

Today I was shopping in Hiroshima (more about that in a later post) and bought The Highwaymen (Nelson, Kristofferson, Jennings AND Cash!!!!!) and Johnny Cash – Personal File. I can’t wait to listen to them thouroughly. I rented a laptop from my hotel and I decided to check out Johnny’s web site. It’s cool. It has WHOLE songs (not samples) that you can listen to. It also has videos – which I clicked on straight away. And watched the video for ‘Hurt’.

Now I have heard quite a bit about how good his cover of this song is. Words don’t do it justice. Not in the slightest. Are you beginning to see how much I am falling in love with this song? Oh god. Watch the video. Cash filmed it six months before he died. He looks old and frail. While sad, it’s nice that he was doing what he loved right up until he died (he said his childhood dream was to be played on the radio). His wife, June, is in it (she died two months after the shoot). It’s obviously become especially poignant.

The song is on his album American IV: The Man Comes Around. I had thought I had bought enough CDs on my jaunt but now I am off to Tower Records in the morning to get that album. I NEED that song. It’s an example that mp3s and digital media do create sales, that’s one extra album I’ll bought because of them!

I have really only been listening to what you might call ‘Classic’ Cash. Today as I said, I bought Personal File. I hve listened to CD1 (interrupted by my ‘discovery’ of ‘Hurt’), it’s a wonderful collection of songs, many of which are introduced by Cash. It’s my first foray into his later minimalist style (despite the fact all the songs here were recorded before 1983). I’m looking forward to getting American IV: The Man Comes Around, ‘Hurt’ could easily become one of my all time top five songs.

The other CD I bought was The Highwaymen “The Road Goes On Forever”. I’m listening to it now. I love their eponymous song and regularly murder it at karaoke! This is the first time I have listened to one of their CDs and it’s bloody good.

But ‘Hurt’ though ………….Damn!

Now where this title came from I have no idea. It just popped into my head when I sat down to type this.

Which was over a week ago ….. hmm.

Well in the past week I have been working in Tokuyama. I also had to work six days this week because ……

Another week passes.

This is seriously gonna become the longest gestation for a post in the history of the world. If it wasn’t for Performancing I would have stopped writing it weeks ago. Sweet.

Things here are actually quite good. I have been having a good time going to barbeques and hanging out. I went out with the big boss last week and while the day after was messy (my first hangover vomit in a long time!) the night out itself was cool and fun.

Last night was one of the Ube girls birthday party. Some friends and I went out to all you can eat Yaki-niku beforehand and had a few bevvies to get in the mood! It again (while being a little weird because of some of the folks one person there but probably more because of me) was fun. So happy birthday Emma! Thanks for the invite!

We went to karaoke, which I really like, but I haven’t been going much recently (no karaoke partner, woe is me!) and despite the fact I am FAR from a decent singer I noticed my voice has gotten a lot worse, very strange!

I got a new game for my PSP last week called Lemmings, anyone remember it? It’s awesome, but dead addictive! I’ve been progressing through the levels quite well but have gotten stumped on one! Guess what my geek aim for this week is?

I have also reformatted my laptop and completely switched over to Linux, specifically SimplyMepis 6.0. Even though I have been using the beta (which for an OS that I a not familiar with is seriously risky!) it is stunningly good! I can safely say that I have missed almost nothing from when it was a windows computer. It’s fast, safe and reliable. Updating ALL my software is a breeze! And something of a challenge from time to time aswell. Not everything has been plain sailing and I couldn’t reccomend this for a novice/basic operator (unless it is presetup) but I am absolutely loving having my very own solo linux box, it’s been something of a dream.

Right I just remembered I need to update my laptop and I think I have waffled enough as it is. Live long and prosper! )

P.S. Listen to Nirvana’s song You Know You’re Right, it’s kiinda where I’m at right now.

HOLY CRAP!!!! I’ve been thinking about registering my domain in Japan, I thought it would be fun to have the .jp version ……. until I saw the price!!!!! $99.99!!! WTF???? Seriously, I could buy the .com version of the name for $8.95, which do you think is higher profile?

For some sad reason nothing surprises me pricewise in Japan. It’s not that this is a hugely expensive place to live, after the UK what could really be worse??? But I bought my domain years ago as a hobby. I bought it to celebrate finishing university. Can you see many Japanese kids being able to afford a hundred bucks (about 50 pounds) a year???
 It’s pretty sad. The Japanese just seem top accept stuff like this.

“I’ve always known, I’ll die alone.”

Drag and highlight to find the answer – James Tiberius Kirk

More Stumble! found goodness:

2005 has been and gone and it has been a strange year. I am still in Japan (or about to head back there to be more precise) and I didn’t envision that 12 months ago!

I’m writing this is Scotland when I should be packing, God I feel depressed. More than ever I am at a crossroads in my life.

This year has been one I could never have predicted. Things that happened this year include:

* I fell in love. I haven’t talked about it on here but I met a wonderful girl.
* I visited China. An amazing country but one visit is enough for me.
* My afforementioned relationship (seems to have) disintegrated – with a little help from an (ex) friend!!!
* I stayed in Japan. I made one of the best, if not *THE* best “friend”:http://whatmanner.blogspot.com I have ever made. I have another brother now.
* I visited Scotland!!!
* Recently Jim and I have started producing a “podcast”:http://andy-thomson.co.uk/2db

Things in Japan are pretty good. Life is a lot of fun. But is it enough fun to stay another year? I honestly don’t know. I have had people asking me left, right and centre when I am coming home and when I tell them I am unsure they either assume that I am staying forever or think I am being funny! Seriously folks I don’t know!!!

So targets for this year? Well if I am being honest with you losing wieght and getting fitter is my number one target. You want more honesty? I want to either fix my former relationship or start a new one. God I feel like a dork. Learning more Japanese would be nice. It’d also be good to visit Tokyo. I need to go to Fukuoka and Hiroshima. I am hoping my days off will be changed to the same days as Jim (afformentioned best friend!) and if that happens life will be so good. If Nova screw me and it doesn’t then I will most probably return home in the summer.

2005 was OK. Some fantastic memories, some very bad ones, and several hilarious ones!!! But I hope 2006 is better.