The Leopard Man

I would have perhaps have hoped that the Isle of Skye would have been on TV in Japan for the scenery, wildlife, history, food, or locally made whisky. However, Skye hit the small screen for an altogether different reasons last week. The popular variety TV show The Best House 1-2-3 did a feature on the Leopard Man of Skye. I have always thought that the whole story was a bit creepy and that has not changed.Fortunately, it seems the Leopard Man has finally been tamed and now lives in sheltered housing in Broadford. I will have to buy him a pint in the King Hakaan Bar sometime.

Tokorozawa Aviation Museum

We all had a thoroughly enjoyable day today. Yuki, Clara, and I paid a visit to Tokorozawa Aviation Museum and the adjacent park. The weather was lovely - clear blue skies and a warm sun which made ambling round the park quite a pleasure. Sora seems to be learning how to walk properly on the lead and even had the self confidence to growl at a couple of passing dogs.

I was really pleased to get an aviation 'fix' and I really enjoyed seeing the YS-11 (left) aircraft which was domestically produced in Japan and also seeing a C-46 Commando (top) for the first time. Ever since I was a kid, I always thought the C-46 was a cool looking plane and I can now add it to the list of aircraft I have seen first hand. After looking at the YS-11 and C-46 which were displayed outside, we went into the museum and looked around inside for an hour or so. Clara liked looking inside some of the aircraft and having a shot of the flight simulator. On my turn on the simulator, I did a kamikaze attack on the airport control tower - not sure what the people who were watching me thought......

To cap what was a very enjoyable day, the three of us went to a monjayaki restaurant near our house for a cheap but delicious dinner. Admittedly, it does look like a pavement pizza, but I am sure it is much more tasty. Now I am debating whether to pop out for a couple of beers to put the icing on what was a great Saturday. No big plans for Sunday but I predict it may be a bit of a lazy day. Next week will be slightly easier as I will have a 3 day weekend so hopefully more fun and games to follow soon.

New Year's Day and beyond...

A welcome change to recent New Years in Japan was the fact that the whole family (including Clara) stayed up for the countdown to New Year. That felt a bit special, although I am never in my best form during the Festive Season in Japan as I feel like I am missing a lot of fun back in Scotland. The next Festive Season will be different though, as we will all return to Scotland for a couple of weeks as Joep will be 60 years old on 28th December. Even though that is a year away, I am starting to look forward to it already.

However, New Year's Day was nice nonetheless and it was spent relaxing, eating, drinking, and singing karaoke from the new microphone and software bought for the Nintendo Wii. My excuse for not singing was that I had a sore throat. We ate the traditional soba on New Year's Day (thank you Satoshi) and then slowly worked through the rest of the food and wine.

The best part of my 9 days off was simply spending time at home. I now spend most of my time working at Weathernews and then by myself in my small Makuhari apartment. The time spent at home was greatly valued.

On the 2nd January, we all went to Hon Kawagoe to make the yearly visit to a temple to pray/wish for good fortune throughout the year. Clara's wish was that I would find a job closer to Kumegawa so that I would not have to live in Makuhari. That really is pressure!

Happy New Year - 2009

Belated Happy New Year to you all! Apologies for not posting an update sooner. My 9 days off work between the 27th December and 4th January were fantastic and the only holidays I have had since June. As is usual, the 9 days disappeared in the blink of an eye and I now find myself back at work with the pressures building. The first half of 2009 promises to be a tough period at work so I will have to steel myself and get on with it.

We travelled up to Shimogo on the 27th December and were all looking forward to seeing Minami-Aizu again and meeting up with some old friends. I really used to love the harsh winters in Shimogo. The heavy snow made each winter day feel like an adventure and created picture postcard landscapes. During the course of our drive to Shimogo, Yuki and I came to the conclusion that we would both happily live in Shimogo permanently if we could secure jobs like the ones we have in Tokyo. A dilemma that is probably common around the world.

Our first task upon arrival in Shimogo was to meet up with Miyu-chan, one of Clara's best friends from Shimogo Nursery School. The meeting was very brief, but they had 5 minutes or so to chat and exchange presents. I hope Clara manages to keep in touch with some Shimogo friends as the time she spent there was a really important part of her life.

After Clara's rendezvous, the three of us killed a little time and went to a newly opened coffee shop in the 'center' of Shimogo. Yuki and Clara stayed a short time and then drove to their hotel at the nearby hot spring resort of Ashinomaki. The lady in the coffee shop was very chatty and kind and did not mind me mooching around for another 2 hours while I waited to meet up with Tomo and Satoshi at 6pm. Despite me being the only customer there, and perhaps being the only customer she had all day (judging by the lack of footprints in the snow leading to the front door), she gave me a free pizza.

There seemed to be a handful of new restaurants since our last visit to Shimogo. Apparently, since a new road has opened which links Shimogo to Shirakawa, the local economy has improved. I have my doubts whether there will be any long term benefit and suspect that Shimogo will only see more through traffic with few visitors stopping or staying for the night. I have my own personal reasons for disliking the new road - it has been built along one of my favourite former cycling routes. The countryside along the route was really special and gave me a chance to escape all the construction that has blighted other parts of the area. Now, there will be the usual juggernauts billowing out sooty smoke and rubbish strewn along the road. Anything new that has been built using concrete is termed "progress" in Japan. It doesn't matter what cost there is to the environment. I know I sound like a broken record, but if the Japanese countryside is to have a future, then it needs to remain special. These projects are another nail in the coffin of rural Japan.

Just before 6pm, I left the cozy coffee shop (with nice log fire) and trudged up to Wakatsuki restaurant in the thick snow. Feeling like Scott of the Antarctic, I was glad to make a return to Wakatsuki to meet up with Tomo and Satoshi. The only problem was that I had to return to my minshuku in Yunokami onsen at 10pm. This is the latest that a taxi is available and meant only having 4 hours to catch up on the Shimogo gossip. However, Satoshi phoned his sister who kindly agreed to drive my back to Yunokami at midnight. That was much appreciated and allowed me an extra 2 hours of time in Wakatsuki.

After being dropped off at my minshuki (Ebisuya), I went up to my room to find it freezing. I had planned to read for a while but it was so cold I got straight into my futon. I didn't sleep well to be honest - the room must have been sub-zero!!! It was only when I got up the next day that I noticed the heater in my room. Doh! The best part of any hotel, minshuku or ryokan in the local area are the onsens (hot springs). The onsen at Ebisuya was satisfyingly scalding and removed the chill from my bones which had built up during the night. Lovely!! The photo was taken from my room just before Yuki picked me up - an ever thickening blanket of snow.

And that was that! A short visit to Shimogo, but a pleasant visit none the less. I have no idea when we will visit next - perhaps I can arrange a hill walking or camping trip sometime in the summer with my old colleagues.