Shinagawa Aquarium

We had a great day out at Shinagawa Aquarium on Saturday the 1st of November. Although it is nice to sit at home and recharge the batteries after a long and busy working week, by the time Monday comes around again, it often feels as if the weekend is wasted unless at least one activity of worth has been completed.

It took about an hour and a half to get to the aquarium and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was located within a large park that was surrounded by trees and which also had a reasonably sized lake. It is rare for me to see such large and numerous trees and I was truly happy to be surrounded by them. It must be a sign that I am being deprived of the very basic things that people living anywhere else but Tokyo would describe as normal everyday sights.

Clara volunteered to be in charge of the photography and produced results which are probably better than I could have managed.

There were 2 main highlights to our to trip to the aquarium. One of those highlights was of course the dolphin show. We were all really amazed by the power of the dolphins and it is always satisfying to add to Clara's catalogue of good experiences. Unfortunately, the pool that the dolphins swam around in did seem to be really small and I would estimate that it measured about 25m x 20m.

The main highlight for us all seemed to be an added afterthought by the aquarium. It was a pool (and a couple of Jack o Lantern style hand-basins) full of Doctor Fish. The fish are supposed to be beneficial for a number of skin problems and other ailments. Doctor Fish have really captured the imagination of the Japanese over the last few years and it was nice to finally see them in real life. Clara and I stuck our hands into the pool and the fish promptly nibbled away at the dead skin. Embarrasingly, when I stuck my hand in the water, a whole shoal of fish started to feast on my hand. A freaky sensation which has left me wondering about what the reason is for the interest shown in me by the fish....any ideas?

Japanese Banking

Yesterday, it was announced that Karaoke Bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song while today shares in Kamikaze Bank were suspended after they nose-dived. While Samurai Bank are soldiering on following sharp cutbacks, Ninja Bank are reported to have taken a hit, but they remain in the black. Furthermore, 500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop and analysts report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank where it is feared that staff may get a raw deal.

In the last 7 days Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and Bonsai Bank announced plans to cut some of its branches.

Thanks to Alan Thomson for emailing me this little joke. In reality, Japanese banks seem to be benefiting in some ways from the global financial crisis. Japanese banks are involved in a number of overseas acquisitions and this bargain hunting could result in them being in a prime position once the latest financial storm subsides. The Japanese are coming.

Andrew MacDonald

Andrew MacDonald, a friend from the Isle of Skye, arrived in Japan on Friday the 26th of September. His stay in Tokyo was short as he had to travel down to Kobe today (Sunday 28th September) to attend a parasitology conference in Kobe. Despite the briefness of his visit, Andrew managed to cram a good deal into his time with us in Tokyo.

Andrew's arrival gave me a good excuse to leave work 'early' at 6pm on Friday. When I was walking home from Kumegawa Station on Friday evening, it felt strange to know that I was meeting up with Andrew after not having met him for a good many years. Despite his long journey, Andrew seemed well rested and ready for a couple of beers on Friday evening.

On Saturday, Yuki's dad kindly offered to drive us all to Mount Fuji and the surrounding area. Unfortunately, Mount Fuji was mostly covered in cloud and we only managed to see brief glimpses of the summit. We still managed to see a lot of other sights and Andrew seemed to appreciate the chance to a side of the Japanese countrside that he would not have seen if confined to public transport.

We drove to the town of Fujiyoshida and visited Shiraito Falls (White Thread Falls) and Narusawa Ice Cave. Neither place was too busy and I was thankful for the opportunity of briefly escaping Tokyo for the day. We spent some time looking through the souvenir shops and Andrew seemed interested in the large spiders dangling from some of the surrounding trees.

After our visit to the waterfalls, we stopped off for lunch (and a beer). Andrew was keen to try as much of the Japanese food as possible and was quick to tuck into the selection of tempura that he ordered. After our road trip around Mount Fuji, we returned to Tokyo for a nice dinner which Yuki's mum had prepared. Following dinner, Andrew suggested a trip to a karaoke box. Yuki, Clara, Andrew and I crammed a lot of songs into the hour we spent there and we all left in good spirits. Later in the evening, Andrew and I returned to my local bar (Bo Jangles) for some beers and rum and then returned to the karaoke box once more. The quality of the singing seemed high and after 2 more hours we returned home slightly the worse for wear.

On Sunday, Andrew caught an early afternoon bullet train to Kyoto where he was booked into a Japanese inn for a couple of nights. It was great to see Andrew again and I suspect that it won't be his last visit to Japan. Andrew seemed impressed with the feeling of personal safety in Japan, the punctuality of the trains, and the fun of Japanese style karaoke.

5 Merchiston Grove

After much time, stress, and expense to a number of people, our Edinburgh flat is now finally on the market. With all the global economic turmoil, I am the first to admit that a sale (at the price we want) may be harder and take longer to achieve. We will see what happens and may decide to re-let the flat around New Year. We are in the lucky position of not being under pressure to sell up and can adopt a wait and see approach. As prices in Edinburgh stagnate or even fall, it seems that the rental market is growing stronger and returns from the letting of a property are increasing. Not a bad dilemma to be in.

Anyway, we have spent a bit of money recently getting some work done to the flat and it is now looking pretty nice again. A lot of the money was spent at Homebase, which gave them a mandate to run rings round us and generally waste a lot of our time. Unless it is a product I can wheel out in a trolley, I will not be spending money at Homebase again.

I guess that I had better take some time to thank a few people who have helped with the process of finally getting the flat on the market. In no particular order : Lee, Lorna, and Kit, Mr & Mrs Noble, Mrs McMeeking, Murdo MacSween.

The biggest thanks go to my parents who accepted (as usual) all the burdens placed upon them. They spent a couple of weekends in Edinburgh after work on the kitchen and bathroom were completed, and have got the place looking great.

We will see what happens.....

The Model

Apologies for the scarcity of updates. Life has been busy for us all but we now have the pleasure of a long weekend as Monday is a national holiday in Japan.

Work has been tough at Weathernews (with lots of stories I would be unwise to discuss), Yuki has a new job at the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, and Clara has a new American friend at school. I'm hoping they'll develop a strong friendship as I am sure that Clara's English has started to slip behind that of her peers in Scotland.

Last November, we took Clara to have photos taken for the 7-5-3 tradition in Japan (click on the 7-5-3 tab at the bottom to see the blog that I wrote last November) and we were pleasantly surprised to have recently been called by the photographer as he wanted to use Clara for his advertising campaign.

We have no major plans this weekend, but we'll all visit an udon restaurant tonight. I may venture into central Tokyo tomorrow to meet up with a chap called Graham Taylor who was also an English teacher during my time living in Fukushima. It will be nice to catch up again and I'll try and write another blog in a day of so with an update.

Summer Trip to Nasu - Part 2

As mentioned briefly in the previous post, we recently went to Nasu to escape the oppressive Tokyo heat and and enjoy a bit of respite in the countryside.

We hired a house for one night and took plenty of food and alcohol with us for the BBQ. I really appreciated the chance to get out of Tokyo for a short time and enjoyed the peace of the countryside. We ate and drank until quite late and then spent about half an hour lighting fireworks. After a couple of hard weeks at work, I could feel all the stress ebbing away.

The following day (Sunday), we were in no rush to return to Tokyo. At about 10am, we all hopped in the car and drove to a high mountain which was mentioned in the previous posting. Despite us being on a trip to the countryside, it took a long time to find somewhere to park as there were hundreds of other cars. In a valiant effort to completely destroy any remaining tranquility, the car park attendants needlessly shouted out instructions from their handheld loudspeakers. The noise pollution in Japan is one of my biggest bugbears. We got on the cable car and travelled a good way up the mountain before joining the hoards at the top taking photos and eating slush puppies. We all seemed to enjoy the small hike higher up the mountain and I felt a few pangs of regret for leaving the beauty of the countryside for life in the city. A short trip but some more happy memories to look back on.

Summer trip to Nasu

We all had a lovely trip to Nasu, not far from Shimogo, the town where we lived in for 4 years. Unfortunately, I have neither the time nor the energy to write a longer blog posting, so I have quickly uploaded a picture of Clara which was taken today when we climbed a large way up a 1,915m mountain called Chausudake Mountain.

I'll try and do a few postings later in the week. I will also get broadband connected to my new apartment in about 1 weeks time so I should be fully back in cyberspace soon.

Michael Palin

Since I will be on my lonesome for 3 or 4 nights a week, I guess I will be watching a lot of DVDs. I have just ordered the Michael Palin Collection, a box set containing all the travel documentaries that Michael Palin has done for the BBC. 2,104 minutes (35 hours) of viewing pleasure.

I also have a considerable library of my own to choose from. However, the best person I should talk to regarding DVDs is Yuki's dad who has over 1,000 titles in his collection.

Work and Life

Sorry for the delay in making a posting. As you might have guessed, things have been a bit busy recently. I started my new job at Weathernews on the 14th of July. It's been pretty hard going for a number of reasons. Firstly, there are a lot of new things to learn and it is really tiring trying to focus constantly for 10 hours each day. Secondly, travelling 4 hours each day has left me a jibbering wreck. Thirdly, we are now approaching the peak of the Japanese summer where the temperatures and humidity make sleep, life, and work hard.

Anyway, some aspects of my life will soon improve. I have found a small apartment that is only 5 minutes cycle from my new job. That will mean I can get up at 7.30am and easily make it to work for 8.30am. That also means when I get home, I will have time to relax or do something constructive. I will try and take my camera to Kaihim Makuhari next week to get some pictures of the area and my new pied a terre.

The area seems to be a good place to stay. I will be in a quiet neighbourhood area which is close to some great shops and restaurants. The only drawback is that I won't see Clara and Yuki for 3 or 4 days each week. More information to follow soon.

MacBook Pro

I am now the proud owner of a MacBook Pro. After 2 trouble free years using our iMac, it seemed a no brainer to opt for Mac when I needed a laptop computer. As I will soon be spending 4 hours on the train each day, I now have the option of doing a bit of work, watching a DVD, or playing the odd game or two.

I was torn between buying the high end MacBook or going for the Pro. I decided to 'future proof' the purchase and eventually went for the Pro. It has a few more bells and whistles, and should last me at least 2 or 3 years. I fully realise that Steve Jobs was waiting for me to make my purchase before he announces the new model MacBook Pro, but in this day and age, most things become obsolete soon after they are bought.

The next time I blog about my new computer will probably be when I leave it on the train whilst commuting to and from work. Until then, I look forward to some computing whilst commuting.

Weathernews

Big news! I have been lucky enough to have secured a job with a Japanese company called Weathernews. Full details available if you click on the link. The company has a finger in a lot of interesting pies such as shipping, aviation, and disaster mitigation. I will be working in the shipping area and my main role will be to present voyage data to shipping businesses so that they can decide whether to enter into an arbitration process to resolve disputes.

It has been nearly 3 months since I made the initial application. Thankfully this long and drawn-out process has borne fruit and I am scheduled to begin on the 14th of July.

Despite enjoying English teaching and having a great quality of life over the last 5 years, the job has provided little long term security or opportunities for advancement. It is time to join the real world and knuckle down. Knuckling down will mean that I will have to get up at 5.30am every day and will probably not return home till 10 or 11pm each night. Four (4) hours of my day will now be spent commuting on one of the busiest rail networks in the world. Ouch!! If things go well, we will probably all move home early next year to make my life a bit easier.
My new office will be in a place called Makuhari. Makuhari is an area of reclaimed land which sits next to the Pacific. I will be based on the top floor (24th) of a building called Technogarden B. I am not really worried about the job - I'm sure that I will pick it up over time. I am really worried about my long and punishing days. I will have to manage.

I will be in the building on the left of the photo, on the top floor. The area reminds me of the London Docklands, with all the new buildings, spacious pavements, and relatively few cars. I am really excited to start and I think that talking about ships (and planes) all day should suit me down to the ground.

Until I start, I am taking advantage of my evenings and trying to make the most of them. Soon the only free time I will have will be on weekends. I am hopeful that it will be a sacrifice worth making.

A Trip to Gunma

We all recently went on a trip to Gunma Prefecture, only about 3 hours drive from Tokyo. Our trip was to celebrate the 60th birthday of Setsuko, Yuki's mum. Any trip outside of Tokyo is always eagerly awaited, and so the promise of 1 night away in the countryside was extremely appealing. We stayed at a small (and relatively unknown) resort called Sarugakyo The hotel bedroom was not the best I've stayed in, but who cares, we were out of Tokyo for the night and nothing was going to spoil our fun.

The highlights of our stay was the hotel's onsen (hot spring) and the local cuisine. The onsen was one of the nicest I have seen and guests were able to bathe inside the hotel in a lovely wooden bath or outside, under the green foliage of the surrounding trees.

The food was pretty enjoyable and I particularly liked the liquid tofu. The tofu was served in a shallow pan, under which a candle was placed. Once the candle heats the tofu, a skin forms on the top of the tofu which is known as yuba in Japan. The diner needs to continually remove and eat the skin with a bamboo stick as it forms on the surface. It may not sound appetising, but it was extremely delicious (creamy) and is apparently great for your health.

After dinner, we all made our way down to a room with an irori to sit and listen to an old crone regale us with Japanese folk stories. The folk stories were then followed by a mochi making lesson. Mochi is a popular Japanese cake made from rice. Part of the process involves beating the rice mixture with wooden hammers to create the right texture.

After mochi making, we returned to our rooms to drink a little wine and relax a bit more. Shortly afterwards, I promptly fell asleep on the futon and slept extremely soundly. A welcome break away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.

Alan and Akie

Alan, a friend from Scotland recently tied the knot with Akie. To celebrate, I met up with Alan on the 12th of May and then also met up with them both on Saturday the 17th of May.

On the twelfth, we had food and beers at the top of a famous department store called Takashimaya. It was a very enjoyable afternoon as we sat outside with our food and drink. We were both on holiday so I guess that was an added bonus. I felt slightly the worse for wear the following day.

On the 17th of May, Alan and Akie had arranged a small party in Shibuya, one of the most popular night spots in Tokyo. The place was teeming with people, all set on a night out on the town. We went to an Indonesian restaurant for dinner and the food was quite agreeable. It was good to meet some of Alan's other friends again and we were all in good spirits. The video should give you some idea of how busy Shibuya gets.

We had planned to go to a nightclub but that fell by the wayside and we eventually ended up in a Japanese eatery for more refreshments. We all had a good evening and Alan was on his best behavior as he only kicked one stranger all night.

Congratulations to Alan and Akie!

Esslemont Academicals 1996

BACK : Kane 'Kano' Davidson, Graeme 'Grambo' Campbell, Willie 'Goat' Barrett, Ruaraidh 'Rory' Obrien, Craig Campbell, Gordon Stuart
FRONT : Graeme 'Glovesy' Glover, Josh Magar, Martin 'Mellor' Fraser, Fergus 'Bash' Thomson

It has been a slow news week so I thought I would post a picture of Esslemont Academicals, quite possibly the finest team to compete in the Aberdeen University Inter-mural Football League. A team mostly lacking in skills but with plenty of heart. If someone can jog my memory with the final two surnames, it would be appreciated.

Some scenery.....and final holiday comments

Coming from the Isle of Skye, it should have not been a surprise to see some fairly changeable weather. However, it has been a while since I left, so I was given a reminder of the vagaries of island weather. In the course of my visits to Skye, I have experienced all 4 seasons in their extremes. I loved every minute of it!

The holiday was a complete success. I made progress with the sale of my flat in Edinburgh, saw a plethora of friends and family, ate and drank all items that had been causing me withdrawal symptoms in Japan, and was recharged by the scenery and weather.
I am pleased to be back in Japan and still have some time before I return to work. A lot of things have been happening recently so hopefully I will fill you in with the details soon. We also have a weekend away in the countryside to look forward to as Yuki's mum will shortly turn 60 years old. More updates in the near future.

Back to Japan

Running out of time to post some more Scottish blogs so will do a few more once I am safely back in Tokyo. I will return to Tokyo early on Sunday the 27th April.

Portree

This posting was originally supposed to show some of the magnificent scenery that I have come across during my time back in Scotland. Unfortunately, it seems to have been largely highjacked by my negative thoughts about Portree, the capital of the Isle of Skye.

Whilst the beauty of Skye amazed me, the apparent deterioration of Portree disappointed. Perhaps I am better placed to see the changes in Portree because I visit intermittently. Others might say I have just become out of touch. Anyway, whatever the case, Portree has become more of a town than a village. The small-town heart and camaraderie that once existed did not seem readily apparent anymore and I really did not enjoy retracing some of my steps. In one bar (The Camanachd), the place fell silent as soon as I entered. Soon after I had ordered my pint, one of the twats in the bar accused me of being in CID i.e. an undercover policeman. This combined with being hassled by some scum-bag who claimed he was a surgeon, led me to finish my pint half way through and escape into the relative safety of the town square.

The Camanachd Bar was then followed by The Isles. To be fair, it was not a bad couple of hours as I got talking to about 5 tourists who seemed to be having a lovely time on the island. However, I had been warned that The Isles has turned into a bit of a shit hole and was now a magnet for all sorts of low life. I guess I got lucky.

After chatting with a few people regarding present day Portree, it would seem the place is in decline. Feral youths seem to be roaming the streets, sometimes beating up people walking home at night, regularly breaking into businesses and homes, and trying car doors to see if they are unlocked. Whilst Portree has had problems in the past, these were generally self policed and people were quickly brought back into line. Today, this control seems to be absent.

To be fair, some things in Portree have improved, but overall, the place seems to be losing elements that made it special. Hopefully, by the time of my next visit, some action will have been taken to arrest the decline.

The Campbell Wedding

One of the many highlights of our trip to Scotland was seeing Graeme Campbell (Grambo), my friend from Aberdeen University, getting married. Not only was I looking forward to the nuptials and associated events, but I was also looking forward to meeting up with my other friends from university. I cannot believe that we all graduated 12 years ago......sorry for the cliche, but time flies (when you're having fun).

The choice of wedding present was slowly torturing me in the run up to the wedding. I always attempt to buy presents from my friend from Skye called Len who owns his own pottery called Crieff Ceramics. Unfortunately, I have been so busy that I never had the chance to drop by, say "Hi", and then buy one of his creations. He really needs to embrace the computer age and have some rudimentary means of viewing products and then ordering online.

As Crieff Ceramics was unachievable, I was faced with the dilemma of buying Grambo and Mandy vouchers from John Lewis or thinking of something else. I chose the 'thinking of something else' option and ended up buying a print from a local artist in Skye called Tommy MacKenzie. Although I do not like to brag, it turned out to be an inspired choice and seemed to go down very well with the married couple. Grambo is a bit of an outdoors type and loves nothing better than scrambling over Scottish mountains or rambling through Scottish glens. Therefore, the idea of buying a print from a Skye artist gathered momentum. Once in Tommy MacKenzie's studio, the dilemma was which picture to select. I settled on a print of the Old Man of Storr, a prominent Skye landmark about which Grambo jokingly wrote a poem on a dark winter Aberdeen evening in 1994. It is titled 'The Old Man of Storr' and reads ;

Oh ye big black rock
Standing tall you do not talk
From Portree you catch the eye
And unlike me you'll never die
Like MacLeod who once stood tall
I hope you will never fall
But big black rock I hope you stay
From dusk to dawn for eternity
I printed off a copy of the poem and stuck it on the back of picture with a small message from Yuki, Clara, and myself. Grambo appeared to be really happy with it and I hope it will grace the wall of their house for years to come.

Unfortunately, I did not take a photo of the picture that I gave to Grambo and Mandy so I have had to use a photograph that I took of the Old Man of Storr the week we arrived in Scotland. Beautiful!

When I arrived at the Newton Hotel in Nairn for the wedding reception and looked at the table plan, it became evident that the picture was even more appropriate. Grambo and Mandy had named each table after a Scottish mountain or region. I think one table was called Cairngorm, another Quirang. The top table where the bride and groom sat was called The Storr. When I saw that, I knew my wedding present was a masterstroke and that has left a smile on my face for the past week.

Needless to say, the whole day was fantastic. Mandy and Grambo seem to be the perfect match and perfect companions for each other. The food at the wedding reception was spot on, and I really enjoyed the Pimms which was served upon arrival at the hotel. I especially enjoyed seeing 'The Posse' again.BACK : Alan Thomson, Graeme Campbell (groom), Fergus Thomson.
FRONT : Graeme Glover (Best Man), Kane Davidson

The guys in the above photo are friends I made at Aberdeen University. We have all gone our separate ways, but when we meet up, the banter still flows and it becomes easy to see why we are all friends. The banter was extended when Alan and Gillian kindly gave me a lift down to Edinburgh on Sunday morning. Alan seemed to drive at 50mph the whole way, but we eventually arrived unscathed.

A great day and night which allowed me to reabsorb some Scottish culture and catch up with long lost friends. A fuller range of pictures will soon appear on Webshots.

Clara in Scotland

Clara has certainly been the star of the show during her 2 weeks in Scotland. She managed to do so many things during her time in the country and will no doubt take many great memories back to Japan with her. Indeed, these memories will surely be with her for the rest of her life.As you can see, one of the things Clara did was horse riding. She actually went riding a couple of times, accompanied by her grandparents and Sophie, the daughter of a colleague of Joep's. Clara and Sophie got on very well and I was really happy for Clara to have another friend to visit when she is next in Scotland.
After horse riding came ten pin bowling. I'm not a great fan of bowling so I decided that bowling with my eyes closed would provide a bit of excitement. Clara on the other hand decided to use the ramp to launch the balls down the bowling alley. The results of the bowling are as follows :
1. Pauline 2. Clara 3. Joep 4. Kane 5. Yuki
The biggest mystery of the day is how on earth my mother managed to come first!! She even managed 3 strikes!!!

Up next was ice skating. I wisely opted out of this activity and occupied myself with taking a few photos before retreating to the car to listen to the radio. This was probably the best decision I have made in a long time. All and sundry were crashing into each other and falling to the ice. When the skating had ended, Clara was complaining of sore ankles, Yuki was breathless, Mum was complaining that she was hot, and Joep had sworn that this was definitely the last time he would be seen on ice.

There is no doubt that Clara had a lovely time in Scotland. My parents had arranged a full schedule for her and had even made up a room in their house solely for her to use. There were no downsides to the time Clara spent in Scotland. Only good memories which will remain with her for many years to come. The problem is now we have to start planning for her next visit...........

Loch Ness, Skye, and Granny

Yuki, Clara and I drove to the Isle of Skye on Tuesday the 1st of April. It was a lovely drive but I was still a little tired as I had driven to Edinburgh the previous day in a large truck to empty my flat (which I am selling) of furniture. We stopped off at a number of places on the way to stretch our legs and take photos. The photo above shows Yuki and Clara in front of a fiberglass Nessie at the Loch Ness Exhibition Centre. On the drive past Loch Ness, Clara was adamant that she really did see the Loch Ness Monster - maybe she did......

The visit to Skye was only brief as we had the intention of seeing my Granny who is in an old folks' home. The island looked beautiful and made me feel nostalgic for the days when I used to live there. We stopped off at a couple of places to get a few photos but we needed to brave the strong wind. I actually enjoyed seeing Yuki and Clara being blown around and watching the expressions on their faces. It was great to see my Granny again, although I am always apprehensive as I wonder how fit she will be both mentally and physically. The day of our visit seemed to be a good day for her as she was lucid and managed to keep a conversation going. She was smiling a lot and seemed really interested in Clara. Clara in turn was gentle and kind to her Great Granny and fully realised that her Great Grandmother was quite frail. The icing on the cake was when Clara performed one of the dances that she has learnt in her dancing school in Tokyo.More adventures to follow........

Aberdeen Football Club

Being an Aberdeen fan in Inverness, it would have been a crime to have missed the chance to see The Dons play Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Aberdeen have never lost to ICT so I was keeping my fingers crossed that this run would continue. Not only did this run continue, but it continued in style. Aberdeen won 4-3, with the winning goal coming deep into injury time. Before the game began, I paid £6 for an Aberdeen scarf and then joined the rest of the Aberdeen fans in the away end. I really enjoyed being part of the crowd and was lucky to see a great game with the right result. In the newspaper the following day, it said that the game was one of the best of the season. Lucky me!!

The good run of results continued when Aberdeen beat Falkirk 2-1 on the 7th of April to book their place in the top half of the league for the final 5 games. C'mon The Dons!!

Good to be back

The journey was long and tiring, but we made it to Scotland on the 27th of March, after a short transit in Amsterdam. Our decision to avoid Heathrow Airport (because of some bad experiences in the past) proved a wise decision, as Terminal 5 had just opened and the airport was reportedly in chaos.

Yuki and I did not do much on Friday the 28th March as we were still tired after the journey from Japan. We just chilled out in my parents' house and visited the local supermarket to marvel in the opportunity to buy some of our favourite British products. Clara had a bit more energy and was taken horse riding by my parents.

Saturday the 29th of March was a lovely day and will live long in the memory. In the morning, we all went on a trip to the remote village of Cromarty which has some quaint old buildings and streets and also visited a fantastic beach in the village of Rosemarkie. The sun was shining but we were battered by a ferocious wind. The wind really blew away the cobwebs and we were all windswept but refreshed. I took the chance to get some pictures of the area and it was nice to see the snow capped hills in the distance.After a cup of tea in a nearby hotel, we briefly looked at the small harbour with its colourful boats, visited a local antiques shop, and then drove back to Inverness as I was planning to watch Aberdeen Football Club play Inverness Caledonian Thistle. The refreshing morning walk was a great reintroduction to Scotland and whetted my appetite for more outdoor adventures.When I return to Japan, I'll try and upload my pictures to webshots and then post a link for you all to be able to browse through my pictures from Scotland. More to follow....

To Scotland

We are all off to Scotland tomorrow (Thursday) and looking forward to our time away. Yuki and Clara will be in Scotland for 2 weeks while I will stay for 1 month.

We need to wake up at about 6am and our flight from Narita leaves at 12.10pm. After a 2 hour stop over in Amsterdam, we then fly to Aberdeen.

Highlights will include (in no particular order) :
1. The wedding of a friend from university.
2. Seeing my family and friends.
3. A return to the Isle of Skye.
4. Food and drink.
5. Decorating my flat.
6. A bit of camping / hill walking.

I plan to update my blog whilst in Scotland, so keep watching.

All the best.
Kane

V-E-R-N

It is Vernal Equinox Day in Japan, which means it is another national holiday. Got up at around 9.30am and then we went shopping in preparing of our trip to Scotland next week. Had a nice dinner with Yuki's parents and now I'm considering heading out for a couple of shandies as I am now in the mood. If I head out, it'll be the last time before our trip next week.

We had originally planned on visiting the graves of Yuki's deceased relations (very Japanese!) but it was pissing down so those plans fell by the wayside. Only 1 more day at work before the weekend so things are good. I'll do a quick update before we depart on Thursday.

Hina-Matsuri

We recently held a small party to celebrate Hina-matsuri (Girls' Day). This festival is intended to ensure a girl's future happiness and is principally aimed at daughters under the age of 20. A feature of this festival are the dolls which are supposed to represent an Emperor and Empress from ancient times. Japan has a dazzling array of festivals and celebrations throughout the year and I have come to enjoy them. It is nice to have something to celebrate on a regular basis and also interesting discover the history behind each event.

The dolls are supposed to absorb bad fortune or sickness, thus ensuring a happy and healthy life in the girl's future. I can't argue with that!

It turns out that Yuki's mother made the dolls. Many families have dolls which are passed down from generation to generation so it will be interesting to see whether Clara will use these dolls for her own future daughters. Well, that's the latest installment detailing my rock n' roll lifestyle complete.

Leap Year

No news, but it's not every year I get to blog on February 29th. We have a quiet weekend planned but will have a small party on Sunday night to celebrate Hina Matsuri. This is Girls' Day in Japan - more details to follow early next week.

After work, I visited the Imperial Palace to take some pictures of the grounds. Unfortunately, I forgot that the Palace is closed to visitors every Friday (and Monday). I guess I'll attempt another visit in the near future.

Clara is really starting to look forward to her trip to Scotland. I'm also looking forward to escaping from Tokyo as the daily commute is wearing me down. It's no fun being jammed against my fellow passengers for 2 hours of every day.

Sick Boy

I have been feeling pretty ropey over the last 10 days. Yuki thinks that I have a severe case of hay fever whereas I believe I have a persistent cold.

It has been difficult to speak as I have had a sore throat and bunged up nose which occasionally can be coaxed to give up some thick green material that the layman would term as 'snot'. I am hoping that it is indeed a cold. If it is hay fever, I can expect to suffer the same symptoms for 3 months of every year for the duration of my stay in Japan.

Hay fever is an especially severe problem in Tokyo for 2 reasons. Firstly, the pollution exacerbates peoples' sensitivity to pollen. Secondly, since World War Two, there has been a long and sustained programme of cedar afforestation. However, the expected demand for this timber did not materialise and these plantations have been left to grow and produce large brown clouds of pollen during February and March. These cedar plantations cause misery to millions of Tokyoites every year. The most common method of battling the pollen is to wear a surgical mask. I have not gone down this road yet, but may have to 'go native' if things get too bad.

Not only do these trees cause hay fever, but they are also responsible for soil erosion as they have shallow roots when compared to the natural growth trees which they have replaced. The cedar tree is certainly the curse of Japan.

Due to my cold / hay fever, I have done very little over the last 2 weeks and have stayed at home as much as possible. My condition seems to be improving so I think I will visit my local bar for a couple of beers later. As pollen levels are currently rising, I can only conclude that I have been suffering from a cold as my condition is improving.

The weather seems to be improving and we have had a lovely few days with blue skies. I intended to pay a visit to the Imperial Palace at lunchtime so that I could take some pictures of the plum blossom for the blog. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera so I guess that will give me an excuse to do another blog next week.

Tokyo Snow and Setsubun

We had planned on visiting the Isetan Department Store in central Tokyo, but were put off by the snow which had fallen overnight. Unlike Shimogo, Tokyo is vulnerable to paralysis and chaos once a slight dusting of snow accrues. The thought of attempting the train journey into Shinjuku convinced us all that it was best to remain at home.

Unfortunately, our house suffers from a problem which is common throughout Japan - a complete lack of insulation. We are spending a fortune keeping our house warm using a gas heater. It feels like the heat is almost immediately lost. In summer, the cool air generated by the air-conditioner is promptly lost for the same reason. I don't really understand the reasons why the majority of houses have been so poorly constructed, but it is possible the situation is starting to improve. People outside of Japan would be surprised at some of the primitive conditions faced by the Japanese, even in a megalopolis such as Tokyo.

Today was Setsubun, a day which is supposed to mark the end of winter and beginning of spring. Judging by the weather, some greater power had other ideas. During Setsubun, it is traditional to throw beans around each room to exorcise bad spirits or bad luck. A family member (me) has to wear an ogre mask while the other family members (Yuki and Clara) drive the evil apparition from the house in a hail of beans. Whilst this is going on, the brave ogre slayers shout, "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" This loosely translates into, "Demons out! Good luck in!"

Anyway, it is now February and I am starting to get excited about our forthcoming trip to Scotland at the end of March. Yuki and Clara will visit for about 2 weeks and I should be around for about 1 month. I will attempt to get the flat in Edinburgh organised for sale, although it promises to be a long and complicated process. Another highlight will be going to the wedding of Graeme Campbell, a friend from Aberdeen University.