Things To Be Thankful For

It is three minutes to sunset on the Saturday after the American holiday of Thanksgiving. I am standing atop the tallest mountain in Nagasaki, looking from the roof of an outlook center down onto the mini metropolis I have come to love over the past eight and a half weeks. I’ve seen and felt many great things, yet there is still so much to be done. Every day I find myself tallying up the things yet unseen that must be seen. I have yet to see Nagasaki’s most important (purely my opinion) attraction, the Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum. I find that my mind is crowded with a sense of urgency. I cling to the feelings of surprise that come when a Japanese taxi driver impresses me with his level of English comprehension and I eat up every sentence of English broken by hand gestures, Japanese, and laughter that comes from my friend’s mouths. I have a mere four weeks left now and it seems like so little. This weekend I watched the neon lights of Nagasaki ripple through the valley like wind through tall grass as night fell, and I saw friends smile as the red, setting sun was lost behind mist and clouds.
On a lighter note I also saw many many penguins. K took 20 of the exchange students to the Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium. It was small and understaffed but the cute awkwardness of penguins overcomes feelings of discontent, and reflective aquarium glass makes for interesting picture taking. After watching these little guys for some time my friends and I all piled into three rental cars and strapped in for one of the scariest rides of our lives as EO drove us to Mount Enasa for sunset watching. No offense to EO but by the gods in heaven and Valhalla Japanese traffic is 10 times scarier than any driving I have ever seen in the States. Narrow roads and seemingly no speed limits equate to a mad cap race around bustle that keeps the passengers and drivers on their toes at all times. I’m sure it really is much less dangerous than I imagine it, but at the time, it felt like every red light was a gift from some divine force that allowed me to loosen my grip on the seat.
This weekend was quiet, but much needed. I have purchased my tickets for an overnight bus trip to Osaka to meet up with my dear friend Andrea. I will be gone this coming Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I’m also planning to visit Kyoto, which is the ancient capital city of Japan. Through World War II it was one of the few cities that sustained little damage so all of the temples and shrines are old as can be. I look forward to writing about that experience.
All in all this weekend was a much needed rest before the storm of my last few weeks. I can hardly imagine coming home on essentially the doorstep of Christmas morning. Strange to imagine that I will have to re-adjust myself to American living. Love to all those I couldn’t call and wish happy Thanksgiving. I miss you all, and wish I could share more. . . but some would argue that my silence says it all.

Until next time.

Enter Thunder-dome!

In a word Sumo is heavy. Laugh all you want. I’m not just talking about the girth of the individuals that practice this ancient sport. When I say it is heavy I mean, HEAVY: soaked, steeped, deep, multi-layered . . . I’m talking about Grateful Dead “Dark Star” heavy. Or, even maybe heavy like Freud’s philosophies. Anyway, Sumo is virtually built from the ground up in Shinto and traditional Japanese beliefs. The ring may only be made from special mud taken from a traditional spiritual center of a river that runs through Tokyo which is where the Sumo world’s epicenter is located. Everything is meticulously planned, down to the color of the floor cushions the viewers sit on. The indoor Sumo arena even has an artificially constructed period {Yayoi 300a.d.) hut roof suspended from the ceiling.
A Sumo tournament can only happen on the odd months of the year and lasts for a week, as I understand it. Each of the virtually thousands of would be Sumo stars wrestles once a day during this week. Their ranking is determined by the number of winning tournaments the have. The highest rank is currently held by two Mongolians who are seemingly unbeatable.
But enough of the specifics. . . plainly Sumo is a great time! It is tradition to bring a nice bento box filled with sushi and other tasteful treats and a nice 6 pack of your favorite beer or bottle of sake and spend the whole day at the Sumo match eating, drinking, and talking with friends. It was really great though because when you walk to the snack bar you actually walk though the Sumo’s waiting room, and these were some of the most intimidating men I’ve ever seen. Anyone who thinks they are simply giant fat slobs is sorely mistaken. These men are so large and muscular they make me feel tiny. Their flexibility is amazing as well. Just for fun try and squat as low as possible then lift your left leg, keeping it straight, to a parallel line with your shoulders, then repeat with the other leg. So after walking amongst these giants I proceeded to watch them battle it out for most of the afternoon. Their one shot is incredibly intense. If any part of their body aside from the bottoms of their feet touches the ring it is over they’ve lost. Strangely, I don’t think I’ve been as pumped up by a sporting event as I was when I saw my first Sumo flip. One man simply picked his opponent up and spun him over on his back. It was ridiculous. I’ve taken some pictures, but the lighting was terrible and they hardly seem to do the athleticism or impressiveness of them any justice. What fun! I’m finally done with the two huge projects that were due last week and am starting on the other projects I have so hopefully I’ll have a little more time to write. Love to all my friends and home.

Until next time!

God and the Golden Field

I’m sore and cold and my stomach may never be the same again, and I’ve just had probably the single most empowering and spiritual experience of my life. Just 24 hours ago I finished backpacking in Northern Kyushu. Mark T., Johnny (his son), Danny M. (older friend of Mark T.), Danny (my roommate), John-O, and myself decided to climb the second tallest mountain in Kyushu for fun. It was a two hour drive from Nagasaki to the base of the hiking trail. After donning our packs we headed off into a field of wheat-like 5 foot tall golden grass. These golden fields were accented by crisp blue skies and ominously tall orange brown mountains in the distance. We hiked a good hour and a half of hard up hill climbing until the mountain finally leveled off. Then, in a very Land Before Time moment, we crested the hill and looked down on a great valley of rippling golden grass, with a dark blue river cutting through it, and mountains steaming with volcanic activity on all sides. Add a quick forty minute hike down the hillside and with rubber legs we set up camp. This was easily the most spectacular place I’ve ever spent a night! The sounds of rushing water and wind rushing through grass made campfire chili that much better as we settled in for the night. As soon as it got dark it dropped to freezing and all the dew from the day froze creating a cold hard shell over everything. Luckily we had harvested a small forest worth of firewood to get us through a night of stories. The next morning came all too soon as we got up at 9 and ate a rushed breakfast. This was the big trek up the second tallest mountain in all of Kyushu. It was hard, but we didn’t have the packs this time so it went slightly quicker. After about three hours we reached the peak and oh what a glorious view it was. Clouds whipped around me and a frozen breeze chilled me to the bone, but I loved every second of it! At one point I mentally revisited my childhood fear of heights after looking down over a very steep drop off. So I crouched down between two rocks and watched the blasts of wind whip about through the ice encrusted azalea bushes that bloom pink in the spring. No fear, no remorse, just a sense of peace with the world and sheer wonder at the fact that I was having an experience like this. My sleep pattern needless to say has been greatly thrown off yet again and I’m drop dead tired. I’ve posted half of my photos from this trip and the days that led up to it. On flickr you’ll see some pictures of a family with a little girl dressed as a cat. They own a bar that loves Americans and serves the best fried chicken stomachs in all of Nagasaki. The man is hysterical, the woman is beautiful and 6 months pregnant and the little girl is cute enough to make your eyes explode! I’ve only been to the bar twice but they have come up and eaten lunch with me at the school many many times. There are also some pictures of my friends Charlie, EO, and K. Enjoy. I’ll put the other 50 up when I catch up on sleep. The weekend was such a joy! This trip is such a joy, and words will never do it justice. . . how can they.

do work!

Well, where to start. I’ll start with an apology for not having written sooner, but I’ve been totally exhausted. Last weekend was the university’s big student festival. During this festival students make international food booths and sell food for two days in the hopes of making a profit. This goes on as all the school clubs perform at a center stage that the food booths encircle. I made the ever American cheeseburger. It turned out wonderfully and we were completely sold out of burgers by 2:00 on the second day. It was fun and I got to know some of the other Jasin students a lot better however the festival days started early and ended late so sleep and relaxation did not happen. This week is also a big week in terms of my actual classes because I have several major projects due all at the same time so forgive me if this seems brief. I’m very very excited because this weekend I’ve been invited to go camping with Mark T., his son, John-O, and Danny in the middle of Kyushu’s deciduous forest. It also just so happens to be the peak of the leaf-changing season so it should be beautiful. I’ll have more later after things settle down a little.

All Night or Bust!

This is Mark T.



Once again it is Sunday and I am drop dead tired. This weekend was the JASIN program’s annual Halloween all night party hosted by the incredible Mark T. (Japanese Culture professor). Mark T. happens to live on the third most scenic road in all of Japan. From his back porch, which overlooks a coastal panorama dotted with skyscraperesque rock formations miles out to sea, I spent most of the night chatting away with an Argentinean Spanish professor and my fellow classmates. However I’m getting ahead of myself.

My weekend started in unrest with a trip to an old resort built in the mountains during Japan’s economic bubble. Unfortunately that bubble popped and places like this lovely country resort are understaffed and seem very much like a ghost town of the old west (complete with plastic bag tumble weeds). I came to the resort to help the college’s English department do a day long workshop with their 30 English majors. We spent most of the day in a clean, but drab, conference room playing games with freshman from Nagasaki University and just speaking in English. Aside from meeting some friendly but shy new people the highlight of this excursion was without a doubt the two hour lunch break that I used to explore the grounds of this strange mountain resort. There were marble fountains filled with water lilies, ram's head fountains, fields of purple and white flowers that stretched to the horizon, and two huge greenhouses filled with the best smelling roses in the world. All of these sights are maintained by a handful of landscapers who work all day to a droning child like theme that plays on continual loop over strategically place loudspeakers all throughout the park. If you’ve seen the film “Spirited Away” this place is right out of that film. This blog’s title is Wakarimasuka which translates to "do you understand"? I always mention the little moments of clarity that stick out week to week in my travels but to mention all of them would take more time than I have to write. Saturday’s moment of clarity came while standing amidst red and yellow roses that towered over me and listening to the mountain breeze blow ripples across the loose tarp that covered the green house. This rippling rustle blocked out all other sounds and for just one moment I wasn’t in a rundown resort anymore. Hell I wasn’t even in Japan anymore. For one moment I completely lost myself, and then in a second I snapped back and continued walking. It was wonderful.

After helping all day with the English students, Mark T. drove me back to his house out in the country. The sunset and the party began. Schoolgirls, witches, zombies, Edward Scissor Hands, Quail Man, and Ninja’s all came out for this event. Spaghetti and sangria were served and the dancing began. I’m not much for dancing so I spent the first four hours on the back porch talking about home and travels with the usual crowd (John-O, Danny, EO, Asaka, and so forth). Then around midnight Mark T.’s fellow professor friends showed up and brought the party to life. The music turned up, cameras came out, and for all, the good times truly rolled. At two thirty, when the younger kids were falling asleep Mark T. bellowed out a request for better dance music, made a round of coffee for the crowd, and kicked things into a triumphant round three. Then after a group picture, in costume, the rowdy professors left at 3:45 and the kids changed into normal clothing. John-O and I fired up Mark T.’s grill and literally threw some shrimp on the barby. Nothing is better than soy and ginger shrimp at 4 in the morning. After this feast of shrimp, kabobs, and giyoza (pot sticker dumplings) we decided to hike down to the beach to watch the sunrise over the ocean.


BEST IDEA EVER! The hike brought a wave of energy after a sleepless night. The beach had no sand; mostly cold black rocks and driftwood. So being the only somewhat outdoorsy person in the group I gathered some driftwood and started a fire to warm us all up as we waited for the sun to come up. And for those of you who have never done it, nothing is a better party trick than starting a fire with nothing but a lighter, gathered wood, and dry bamboo leaves.

So while sitting next to all my newly found friends on cold black rock, we warmed our hands over the small fire and watch in awe as nature continued the spectacle that is Japan in the early morning. I’m sure you are all wondering where the pictures of this magical event are. Regretfully my camera ran out of batteries on the ride to Mark T.’s house and no one had any extra ones. Bummer right! Anyway, this weekend left me more tired than I ever thought possible, but the memories were well worth it.

Japan has now surpassed everything I could have expected, and gone seemingly beyond my ability to describe. There are many words for beauty. But, none of then seem to accurately represent the sights and feelings I’m experiencing on a weekly, perhaps daily basis. All I can do it seems is try my best to chronicle what I see and hope that the combination of captured images and my written interpretation of splendor can communicate on some level what I am experiencing here. I miss my friends and family very much back in the states and hope everyone is doing well. I’ll post again later this week.

Until next time. . . .

The Mountain, the Bibbed Buddha, and Everything Geothermic

It’s official I am trapped in a perpetual state of joy and wonder that is thankfully balanced by extreme exhaustion. If I didn’t collapse on to my bed by midnight every day my heart would surely explode out of pure wonder. This weekend my entire class went to Japan’s first national park, Unzen. The town of Unzen is built right below a Geothermic (word of the day, kids) Sulfur Spring. This means that scalding hot naturally heated sulfur water is constantly pumping through the drains of this small mountain town. This circulation of heated water give the town a very T.S. Elliot like feel as yellow white smoke curls around most of the buildings hiding Shinto gates, friendly cats, and fruit vendors. We stayed in a very nice hotel that has harnessed the water from the hot springs and pumps it into their huge bathhouse. Naturally this water, having a high concentration of sulfur, smells like . . . farts. In truth the whole town had a slight sulfur stink. I loved this weekend despite all that.

We started the trip with a much needed venture into the wilderness. Unzen is also home to one of Japan’s live volcanoes. The mountain we climbed is right next to this smoking, smoldering, heap of volcanic ash which is clearly and ominously visible from the top. The hike was a rather intense lesson in Mother Nature’s ability to create breathtaking, magnificent, ass-kicking landscapes. Most of the hiking was up hill and joyously physically challenging (I’ve been craving physical activity). There are many things I could say about breathtaking views after hours of climbing rocky, ankle turning, “steps” that led up to the summit, but none of those words seem to do it justice. The climb was simply everything I’d hoped to do in Japan. During my adventure I came across two Buddhas wearing bibs, overlooking the surrounding harbor and rice fields, a view of a rippling field of tall golden wheat like grass, and a freezing wind swept mountain top whose rocks have seen thousands upon thousands of faces come and go. After this epic five-hour hike, we raced back to the hotel, and slipped into comfortable mint green pajamas. The next two hours were spent talking about how unbelievably nice it is to sit in a warm room filled with steam and scalding water after freezing our buns off on the windy mountain decent.

One thing to know is that when the Japanese go to these bathhouses their goal is to take as many baths as possible during their overnight stay. It is common for most Japanese visitors to take upwards of 5 baths in one stay. Thus, the bathhouse stays open 23 hours a day. I find myself again at a loss for words to describe the joy of eating a simple and clean meal of baked salmon with miso soup, jasmine rice, and an assortment of pickles that look nothing like anything most western pallets would consider edible (all of them were delicious). All of this served with green tea and cold water, and just after dinner you return to the soothing hot waters for another soak. Then up to my culture professor’s room for a drink of Japanese Whiskey (they don’t make it very well) and down to the karaoke bar for fun with friends who sing just as bad as or worse than me. After a two A.M. round three of hot spring goodness, I crashed happily into my bed.


A quick note on my sleep in Japan. I don’t think I have ever slept so well for a month straight. No restless nights since the jetlag wore off.

The next day came and we were back on the bus and pulling away from the cool mountain air and smiling faces of the waving hotel staff (that’s right, the hotel staff comes out to wave goodbye to all their guests). We stopped at the actual geothermic geyser sight on our way out of town. This was a strange vision of a sci-fi moonscape combined with a Brazil- (the movie) esque piping system that runs the naturally heated water all through the town. It was great for taking pictures but hard on the nostrils.

I’m sorry, this post feels completely scatterbrained in comparison to the incredibly clear sensation I had while I was in the moment. I guess it goes to show that even though you write down your experiences and try to put emotions into words sometimes certain moments are simply indescribable. I can’t convey just how magical this weekend was but I hope that my pictures and these words give all those who can’t experience this with me a glimpse into my experience. Again I’ve posted everything on Flickr, and hope all is well with my friends and family.

Till next time.

Walking Dead

OK. . . so here is the deal. I've uploaded a whole slew of new pictures to flickr but it is late tonight and I have a very full day of classes tomorrow. I'll go into depth about my amazing weekend tomorrow, but for now I leave you with pictures and the promise of many great stories. Much love to everyone back home. I'm gonna pass out.