Perfect. The closest I get to perfection is waking up with my friends late on a sunday morning, slipping in Hitch and reclining for another 2 hours while my nose is teased by the smell of cinamon coming from the kitchen. That was the scene Sunday March 20th, 2005 at 10:52 .
At 10:53 the apartment decided to creak and move as if in response to the comedy. I was momentarily taken aback as I remembered reading or hearing something about Kyushu not having earthquakes (jishin).
We waited for the shaking to stop, a whole second.
Then we reacted, Porsha was concerned about our heads, I remember her saying "cover your head" as I was passed through to the kitchen area, and decided maybe the doorway was not the way and returned to take refuge under the Kotatsu.
Buildings, furniture and appliance are not the only things that get shaken during an earthquake, senses get shaken as well. I have always been taught to run for the doorway in the event of an earthquake, move away from things that can fall etc, so its still unclear to me why three intelligent people found themselves under a blanket when the shaking stopped.
A full 30 seconds later it was steady, we emerged and looked around, all was well except for the Video that had taken a fall from its position atop the television, and a few frames that had bowed to show thier respect to mother nature.
Since then, there has been in excess of 140 aftershocks (yoshin) and I have felt 139, could not sleep, kept getting up, not sure what was shaking me or the earth.
All and all, Japan maybe prone to earthquakes, but there is nowhere else I would rather be during one, the buildings are made to withstand the shakes and they literally sway with the force of the earths movements, gas goes off almost simultaneously, thus limiting breakouts of fires, and the Internet still works!
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Houses to Go
I have always said the Japanese have processes down to an art, hence they appear very mechanic. I give the edge to these Asians in the race towards man becoming machines .
In Jamaica, we are all too familiar with buiildings associated with the Jehovah's wintnesses faith being put up in a matter of weeks sometimes days...almost overnight. Other places there are agencies that make houses in record time for example, Habitat for Humanity.
When was the last time you saw a house come in a box?
Toyota's Ready to Assemle Homes. On route to the train station I pass a quite a few dwellings, however one morning I saw that a house was being demolished. It was nicely surrounded and was being taken apart bit by bit but quite methodically. The following day, there was no evidence that a house once stood there. The plot remained vacant for about a week, when on another trek to the station I saw it was surrounded once again and a truck was removing boxes, two days later there was a structure up and a sign that read Toyota Homes.
There is more to be done to make it liveable, like moving in furniture, creatring the essentail rock garden and other little tid bits but all in all, I think they just glued and screwed and nailed stuff together, not a hint of concrete.
To the untrained eyes, it looks like concrete, but on further inspection, it seems more like a derivative of plastic. It stands up to mother nature's mood swings as was evidenced Sunday March 20, 2005. And its pretty!
In Jamaica, we are all too familiar with buiildings associated with the Jehovah's wintnesses faith being put up in a matter of weeks sometimes days...almost overnight. Other places there are agencies that make houses in record time for example, Habitat for Humanity.
When was the last time you saw a house come in a box?
Toyota's Ready to Assemle Homes. On route to the train station I pass a quite a few dwellings, however one morning I saw that a house was being demolished. It was nicely surrounded and was being taken apart bit by bit but quite methodically. The following day, there was no evidence that a house once stood there. The plot remained vacant for about a week, when on another trek to the station I saw it was surrounded once again and a truck was removing boxes, two days later there was a structure up and a sign that read Toyota Homes.
There is more to be done to make it liveable, like moving in furniture, creatring the essentail rock garden and other little tid bits but all in all, I think they just glued and screwed and nailed stuff together, not a hint of concrete.
To the untrained eyes, it looks like concrete, but on further inspection, it seems more like a derivative of plastic. It stands up to mother nature's mood swings as was evidenced Sunday March 20, 2005. And its pretty!
Thursday, March 10, 2005
The Sound of Tinkle
'If you sprinkle while you tinkle, please be neat and wipe the seat.' Its not unusual to see signs of similar content in the West, but in Japan I have not not seen any.(It may be written in Japanese)
Have you ever wondered what your tinkle sounds like or rather who is listening? Maybe not, but in Japan its such a concern especially in ladies toilets that it prompted the creation of a technology that distracts and obscure tinkling sounds,mamalian farts and other toilets emissions that are better kept private.
The otohime has a waves-crashing-on-a beach or rustling of water kind of a sound. As soon as one enters the bathroom, with a wave of the hand over a sensor or a touch of a botton the sound comes on and the tinkling can begin.
When I just came to Japan and joined the toilet queues, I was alerted to a flush almost immediately as one enters the bathroom, I enquired, only to find out that in the absence of a otohime,ladies flush to mask the sound.
This leads me to ask, when will they have something that addresses the smells?Air freshners seems to make it worse if it ever works at all.
Have you ever wondered what your tinkle sounds like or rather who is listening? Maybe not, but in Japan its such a concern especially in ladies toilets that it prompted the creation of a technology that distracts and obscure tinkling sounds,mamalian farts and other toilets emissions that are better kept private.
The otohime has a waves-crashing-on-a beach or rustling of water kind of a sound. As soon as one enters the bathroom, with a wave of the hand over a sensor or a touch of a botton the sound comes on and the tinkling can begin.
When I just came to Japan and joined the toilet queues, I was alerted to a flush almost immediately as one enters the bathroom, I enquired, only to find out that in the absence of a otohime,ladies flush to mask the sound.
This leads me to ask, when will they have something that addresses the smells?Air freshners seems to make it worse if it ever works at all.
I am looking forward to it.
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Friday, March 04, 2005
we all long for
I think we can all relate...
I long for a friend for all seasons of my life.
Someone that I can lean on when I am not strong, who can party and drink with me, who can go to church with me, who can argue with me, who can laugh with me, who can play with me, who can talk with me, who can read read with me and who can cry with me. I long for a friend that will help me when times are bad and celebrate with me when times are good.
I long for openess and mutual acceptance and to not be punished for that.
I long for...
I long for someone with whom I may party on a Saturday and enjoy galleries on a Sunday and enjoy both equally. I long for someone who reads with me, watches movies with me, dances with me, travels with me, enjoys pottery with me, drinks wine, vodka and umeshu with me and gets drunk with me and then goes to the ballet, art exhibition, Taiko drumming concert, dancehall and summer music/poetry festivals with me.
I long for...
I long for someone that does yoga with me and then Zen meditates with me and then goes to a Christian church with me and still accepts the theory of evolution...I want someone that shares my religion with me.
I long for....
I long for someone to play badminton with me on Saturday and admires Japanese gardens on Sunday. I long for conversations on philosophy and politics and humanity and social order and religion and world peace and love and hate ....
I long for...
I long for someone that goes on hikes and will carry me up the hill, watches every sport though not being that athletic. I long for someone who admires nature with me and takes photographs with me and listens to music and just sits and does nothing with me. I long for someone to drive in the countryside with me. I long for a friend that will follow my lead. I long for a friend whose lead I can follow....I wait longingly for a friend I can trust.
I long for....
I long for someone that enjoys eating as much as I do, just the pleasure of good food and great company and good wine. I long for the spirit of adventure coupled with a sense of responsibility.
I long for a relationship where I can curse and not apologize and at the same time speak in perfect English and not be made to feel pretentious.
I long for someone that longs for all this too and will allow me to be all this in their life.
I long for freedom, I long for ... me.
*Adopted from Marcelle (said so well)
I long for a friend for all seasons of my life.
Someone that I can lean on when I am not strong, who can party and drink with me, who can go to church with me, who can argue with me, who can laugh with me, who can play with me, who can talk with me, who can read read with me and who can cry with me. I long for a friend that will help me when times are bad and celebrate with me when times are good.
I long for openess and mutual acceptance and to not be punished for that.
I long for...
I long for someone with whom I may party on a Saturday and enjoy galleries on a Sunday and enjoy both equally. I long for someone who reads with me, watches movies with me, dances with me, travels with me, enjoys pottery with me, drinks wine, vodka and umeshu with me and gets drunk with me and then goes to the ballet, art exhibition, Taiko drumming concert, dancehall and summer music/poetry festivals with me.
I long for...
I long for someone that does yoga with me and then Zen meditates with me and then goes to a Christian church with me and still accepts the theory of evolution...I want someone that shares my religion with me.
I long for....
I long for someone to play badminton with me on Saturday and admires Japanese gardens on Sunday. I long for conversations on philosophy and politics and humanity and social order and religion and world peace and love and hate ....
I long for...
I long for someone that goes on hikes and will carry me up the hill, watches every sport though not being that athletic. I long for someone who admires nature with me and takes photographs with me and listens to music and just sits and does nothing with me. I long for someone to drive in the countryside with me. I long for a friend that will follow my lead. I long for a friend whose lead I can follow....I wait longingly for a friend I can trust.
I long for....
I long for someone that enjoys eating as much as I do, just the pleasure of good food and great company and good wine. I long for the spirit of adventure coupled with a sense of responsibility.
I long for a relationship where I can curse and not apologize and at the same time speak in perfect English and not be made to feel pretentious.
I long for someone that longs for all this too and will allow me to be all this in their life.
I long for freedom, I long for ... me.
*Adopted from Marcelle (said so well)
Roadtrip
Dance Festival in Miyazaki(Last Summer) 
Kyonen, Natsu Yasumi, Marcelle and I took to the road and in Miyazaki (South Kyushu) we ran into a wonderful display of Japanese culture...I love the dress design and the hats-- people of all ages participate- these ladies are a good sport!
Kyonen, Natsu Yasumi, Marcelle and I took to the road and in Miyazaki (South Kyushu) we ran into a wonderful display of Japanese culture...I love the dress design and the hats-- people of all ages participate- these ladies are a good sport!
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