Shimogo Town

A typical Shimogo Town scene

Hello all. I have just spent 2 days and nights in Shimogo Town, a place where I lived for 4 years. The official reason for visiting was to attend the interment of my friend's remains in his family grave. However, it was a perfect time to visit as the sun was shining and the cherry blossoms were at their most beautiful. I also enjoyed watching the farmers working in their rice fields.....there is something very therapeutic about watching other people work.

Hard work!

After the funeral ceremony, I walked next to some rice fields and through some small country lanes. Wonderful!! The peace and solitude made a great change from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. In the evening, I met with Dr Tomo for food (locally shot venison and wild boar) and drink - lots of drink.....

Asahida E.S and cherry blossom

Another fun trip back to Minami-Aizu in Fukushima. I may perhaps go back in the summer time for hiking.....if so, I'll be sure to blog about it.

Now I'm in Chicago, Illinois. Will post some USA blogs soon.

West Highland Free Press - Donations to Japan from Skye

A slight twist of fate during my recent visit to Skye, saw me stop off in Broadford at the offices of the West Highland Free Press, the local newspaper for Skye and the surrounding Highlands and Islands. Reporter Keith MacKenzie was keen to learn of the situation in Japan 1 year after the terrible earthquake and tsunami. Keith was also impressed that almost GBP 600 was raised mainly from current and former residents of the Isle of Skye.

The feature in the April 27th edition (which takes up the whole of page 15!) reads:

Aid from Skye to Japan - one year on from quake

The aid team which featured Kane Davidson, pictured in the sunglasses. Also in the picture (grey tee-shirt, middle of front row) is Alan Stewart, a former Portree Primary pupil whose parents live in Wester Ross.

Last month, the world paused to remember the horrific earthquake and tsunami which devastated Japan one year previously. Lending his support to an aid mission, Kane Davidson - originally from Portree but now resident in Japan - recently visited some of areas worst affected by the disaster. Fukushima was a region where, on his arrival to the country eight years ago, he had spent time working as an English teacher. In recent conversation with KEITH MACKENZIE, Kane reflects on what he witnessed and looks back on what has been a distressing year for the Japanese people.


Destruction is still visible everywhere - gutted houses, scrapped cars piled high, mountains of timber. But for Kane the most haunting sight came when he was just walking in an empty field.


"It's the small, personal possessions you notice. Identity cards, CDs - just little fragments of people's lives scattered around. For me, this was the saddest thing," he says of his recent visit to the town of Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture where, even one year on, the duty of the charity worker still involves the clearing of dead fish from the lofts of houses. It could almost be funny, if it wasn't so tragic - the full scale of the horrors revealed in these two accounts told by Kane.


"A guy I was working with digging out ditches told me that when the tsunami hit he managed to make it up the steps of his house but his mother, coming just behind him, was caught and washed away. He made it on top of his roof, and was stuck there for four days. Below, he could see the body of his dead mother floating past on the water."


Another harrowing tale concerned the fate of a nearby junior high school. "The teacher evacuated the kids, but they took a wrong turning. They had to double back to the school, and with that mistake 200 kids were gone."


For some parts of the countryside, which have seen their fortunes decline in recent years, the tsunami simply represented their final death knell. A lack of investment by the central authorities, coupled with the brain drain of talent drawn towards Tokyo (sound familiar to a boy from the West Highlands?) had seen rural populations plummet. Many people, says Kane, now fear that the communities left in the tsunami-affected areas will simply wither away in the coming years.


In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, Kane made the decision to flee his home in Tokyo. It may have been 250 miles from the epicentre but a quake that measured 9.0 on the Richter scale could still be felt - terrifyingly for the millions who experienced it - throughout the Japanese capital.


More worrying still was when news filtered through that the tsunami has caused meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.


As uncertainty raged, Kane and his daughter Clara flew out of Tokyo and headed for Hong Kong to stay with his brother for a week. It's a decision he still feels was the right one.


"I laughed it off at first, but the news just got gradually worse to the point where I found myself looking at the internet for maps measuring the distance of the Chernobyl fallout," he added. "I wasn't too worried about myself, but the thought of my daughter tainted by radiation was not a nice one.


"As we left and the plane was rising up I could see Mount Fuji and I did wonder - I may be back here in a week, I might not be back for months."


Geiger counters have now become common accessories in Tokyo and the fear that another "big one" - this time hitting the metropolis directly - is never far away. 


"There is always this tension and everyone's guard is up. It's a sort of post traumatic stress situation," Kane adds, pointing out that Government projections estimate a Tokyo quake of magnitude seven or above could cost some 30,000 lives. "Guaranteed it's going to happen, and I suspect it's going to be quite soon. Before March 11th last year it was very rare to get a quake, but since then the aftershocks have been fairly regular. It's just a matter of time, I think."


In north-eastern Japan, meanwhile, the death toll stands at about 15,000 with a further 5,000 or so still missing. The full impact of what happened at the Fukushima Daiichi plant could take years to assess, as Kane found out in conversation with one of the area's medics.


"I was told that on regular patient X-rays, spots are noticed on the film. That's background radiation, and I'm certain there will be leukaemia cases coming up."


Despite the horrors, Kane feels the Japanese government have failed to fully heed the lessons from March 2011.


"Daiichi will now be a write-off - the land will probably be a no-go area for centuries," he said. "The official word is that it has reached a cold shutdown, but other people are saying that's not quite correct.


"I'm more angry that is ever got to this stage. Those plants shouldn't have been built where they are and the way they are. Lots of landowners in rural Japan cashed in, sold up to the nuclear power companies and became very wealthy.


"There has to be a big question-mark over Japanese reactors and there technology. But Japan is still going ahead and selling reactors to Vietnam. How can they do that?


"Surely there should be a moratorium on any sales, at least for a few years."


In terms of rebuilding efforts, Kane sees stoicism and resolve as qualities not lacking in the Japanese as a people. After a year the focus is now gradually shifting from remembrance to recovery.


"It's best not to get too morbid. That time is now over," he says, adding that he intended to head north from Tokyo soon for a second visit to help with the reconstruction efforts.


Working for "Team Tsukuba" and the "JEN" charity Kane recently collected about £600 in the space of a week - most of it coming from folk in Skye - following an online appeal.


And as the gloom of the past year slowly begins to lift, he says he's confident Japan can eventually bounce back from the trauma.


"It's a lot of work, and the place will never be the same again, but if anyone can do it the Japanese can. They're a determined lot.


"It's been terrible, but the Japanese are best in times of crisis. I'm sure they will step up to the plate."

One building still standing amongst the destruction

More on Kane in Japan and how to contribute to the relief efforts can be found on his blog at www.kanedavidson.com

Just Divorced

Well, many of you by checking Facebook may already know that Yuki and I recently separated. Today we made it official and completed the divorce agreement - so I guess I am officially single.

The divorce has been reasonably amicable and Clara is coping well. Yuki and I are both now looking forward to new chapters in our respective lives and there is little ill feeling.

I have found a nice new apartment very near to our old home so that it will be easy and convenient to see Clara. I hope Clara finds it reassuring that her dad is only a couple of minutes walk away. So, what are my plans for the future? Well, I plan to remain in Japan for at least a couple more years - I have important projects to finish, and to be honest, I am quite comfortable living here.

I am also considering going back to university for a year or so, perhaps to do an MBA or law degree. We shall see, but I think it is time to up-skill and move forward.

I have to say that I was extremely grateful (and pleasantly surprised) to receive many messages of support via Facebook and email. Many thanks. Now I am trying to have a positive new start and plan to exercise more, eat well, and study a bit of Japanese. Life goes on, and I am looking forward to the next chapter.

Hanami

Hanami in Komaba Koen, Tokyo

The beautiful cherry blossom has returned once more to Japan.....truly wonderful and uplifting. However, at the same time, I know that within a week of so, the blossom will have fallen and Tokyo will return to the usual concrete and steel. It's funny how the cherry blossom can invoke such contrarian feelings.

Because of the multiple disasters in March 2011, I think that the cherry blossom passed unnoticed and perhaps unappreciated by many. Not only did all people in Japan have a lot to worry about, it would perhaps have been inappropriate to have celebrated the cherry blossom season last year when so many people had lost their lives in the north east of the country.

Maeda House

So the cherry blossom this year feels a bit more special. I was kindly invited to attend a hanami (the Japanese world for a cherry blossom party) at Komaba Koen, near Shibuya in central Tokyo. I didn't actually know most of the people at the party, so it was good to meet and talk to new folk. In true Japanese style, we sat on plastic sheeting under the cherry blossom trees, drank, snacked, and exchanged small talk. Very pleasant indeed!

After the hanami, a small group of us went to the Hobgoblin pub in Shibuya for a couple of pints. I was pretty pleased to be able to order a pint of Scottish Belhaven beer. A good day spent with good people.

iPhone 4S

Well, I finally surrendered and bought a new iPhone 4S. My iPhone 3G was old, and most annoyingly, the battery would only last a few hours.......I was desperately trying to wait another 6 months or so until the iPhone 5 (or new iPhone) is released, but my patience could not last that long.

So, my list of 'likes' for the new iPhone 4S is:

1. Battery. It should see me through the whole day without too much worry (also good in a country prone to serious earthquakes).
2. Speed. Much easier now to use the iPhone applications. Checking Facebook used to take 3 or 4 minutes but now only takes 30 seconds.
3. Camera. Great quality 8 megapixel photos and also HD video.
4. iPhone locate application. Now if I lose my iPhone, I will be able to find it by using my PC. I've already lost one iPhone in a taxi, so hopefully if it happens again, I'll be able to find it without too much stress.
5. It's new. Nice to have a pristine phone without any dents or scratches (although these will appear quite soon I am sure).

Spring is now coming to Tokyo and today is a lovely bright and fresh day. I am looking forward to a few hanami parties (to enjoy the cherry blossom) and there will be a lot of other new things to blog about over the next few months. Thanks for reading.

Rosemarkie, Scotland

A visit to Scotland would not be complete without a walk along Rosemarkie beach with my parents. Rosemarkie is a lovely little beachside village brimming with character. The walk is always refreshing and is it also great to see other people enjoying the great Scottish outdoors. I particularly like seeing people's dogs playing on the beach and running in the surf.

As usual, the beach walk was finished with a pint in The Plough Inn - quite amazing to think that it is over 300 years old. The pint was very tasty but it was a little surprising there was not a larger selection from the Black Isle Brewery, just a couple of miles away down the road.

Although the video function on my SLR is rather rudimentary, I thought it would be nice to include a short clip of the beach on this blog.
The skies brightened on the drive back to Inverness and the views were soothing on the eyes. Since living in Tokyo, I have really come to appreciate the scenery in Scotland.

The final couple of days in Scotland were spent shopping (mainly in the supermarket), relaxing in my parents' house, or having some pints with Neil. As usual, a very nice trip home, made even more enjoyable by the unexpected nature of my visit.

29th February - Off to Skye

As my visit to Scotland was relatively short, I planned to spend only 1 day and night on the Isle of Skye, the island where I grew up and where many of my relations still live. The weather on the west of Scotland was pretty unpleasant with constant drizzle and strong winds. I did not mind to be honest, and felt the unforgiving Scottish weather rather refreshing.

On the 29th February, my schedule was pretty light and stress free. I visited my Auntie Marie in Braes, paid a brief visit to the cemetery to see the new headstone at the grave of my grandparents, collected some stuff for my mum, and went for a brisk walk over to Scorrybreac and the Black Rock.

The Scorrybreac walk brings back a flood of good memories, making it pleasant to retrace steps made many years previously. I did not mind the wind and rain at all, in fact it made the walk seem more of an achievement. Portree looked typically foreboding considering the weather conditions, as the below photo shows, but I was extremely satisfied to take a little time for this walk.Towards late afternoon, I drove a short distance to the Skeabost House Hotel to check into my room. Once again, the hotel is another place which brings old memories rushing back.Skeabost Hotel has (or had) the reputation of being one of the higher quality hotels on Skye. From my experience staying the night, I felt it was very average indeed. The menu appeared very limited, the staff did not bother to make you feel particularly welcome nor did they seem particularly interested in their guests, and the crisps were months out of date. A fairly disappointing stay, although I was not overly surprised. The hotel is a lovely old building in a great location next to the sea and a salmon river, but the need for heavy investment is readily apparent.

The following morning, I had a rather pleasant breakfast chatting to a couple of other hotel guests. I then made a visit to see my Great Auntie Annie - the welcome is typically warm and Highland. Always a pleasure!! I really feel like I am back home when I speak to Annie and I am sure she would be pleased to hear that.

And that was that - time to drive back to my parents' home in Inverness, albeit with a brief stop at the West Highland Free Press in Broadford to give them my views one year after the large earthquake and tsunami which struck Japan. Perhaps there will be a small article in the next copy of the newspaper.I stopped off a couple of times on the drive back to Inverness. The mountains around Kintail were dark and moody - I found their permanence extremely compelling. Wonderful to see the fantastic Scottish scenery, irrespective of the weather.

Real Ales and Pool

One of the great developments in Scotland over the last decade or so has been the growing success of Scottish produced real ales. During my brief stay in the Highlands, I have managed to visit a good number of bars which have sold some absolutely delicious ales. The best bar selling real ales which I have visited over the last week is called The Castle Tavern, near the center of Inverness. The Castle Tavern has about 6 real ales on tap at any one time and these ales change regularly when the cask is emptied. Not only are the ales in the pub quite excellent, but the atmosphere is friendly and convivial. If you are looking for some great Scottish real ales, the Castle Tavern is the place to go. Although the Isle of Skye Brewery does indeed produce some excellent beer e.g. Flora and Blaven ales, I really became fond of some of the produce from the Orkney Brewery, especially Northern Light Ale.Last night Neil and I had a good night out in Inverness. We placed a few small bets on the football results, drank a number of great beers (mostly in The Castle Tavern), and played 10 games of pool in the pool hall in Inverness. I was obviously very happy to wipe the floor with Neil, beating him 7 games to 3. Neil looked slightly shell shocked after 'The Tokyo Typhoon' taught him a few lessons on the green baize.

I am now nearing the end of my stay in Scotland, but will have a few more blog entries (with photos) to make over the next few days.

Slainte bha! / Cheers!

Scotland - An Impromptu Visit

Well, I wasn't at all sure I would manage a trip to Scotland in 2012, but fate has decided otherwise. From looking at flight prices, it seems that February is the cheapest month when flying from Japan. I managed to get a last minute British Airways flight (Boeing 777-300) for about GBP 650. Quite reasonable!

I arrived in Scotland late on the 23rd February and will be here for a total of about 10 days. So far, I have managed to meet up with my friend Neil, do a bit of shopping in Tescos supermarket, and have eaten some great Scottish food. Today (Sunday), my parents and I had a lovely Sunday lunch at the Dores Inn near Inverness. I ordered the haggis, neeps, and tatties along with some great ale from Orkney (Scapa Ale and Northern Light). Excellent food, only bettered by the location of the Dores Inn on the banks of Loch Ness. The wind was cold and brisk and the waters of Loch Ness were quite choppy. It was really surprising to see three swimmers working their way down the loch.I plan to travel to Skye on Wednesday and spend a night there, meet a few relations, and do a couple of odd jobs. On Wednesday night, I'll stay in the Skeabost Country House Hotel and have a nice bar meal along with some more ales - really looking forward to it!

More blogs and pictures to follow soon.

Kitchen Keiji

Well, an excellent end to the weekend indeed! We ate in a local Kumegawa restaurant called Kitchen Keiji tonight to celebrate the birthday of my sister-in-law. As usual, the food was excellent and the service was very good. Rather remarkably, despite the quality and quantity of food, we only paid 2,500 yen per person......about GBP15.

Saturday was also a pretty good day. Late afternoon, I met up with a Hungarian friend and we visited a few watering holes in the Ebisu area of Tokyo. First stop was The Footnik Bar where I drank a pretty good pint of Scottish St Andrew's Ale and ate a bacon butty. Beer was good, bacon not so good. I still haven't found decent British bacon in Tokyo, and it now looks like I will have to admit defeat.

Following The Footnik, we walked a short distance to Ebisu Garden Place and entered The Beer Station (the name bode well). Much to the interest of our fellow customers, we ordered a beer tower which contained 4 litres of quite tasty beer for a quite reasonable price. The schnitzel we ordered to eat was absolutely fantastic - I will return just for that.

An excellent weekend, only soured by watching Scotland get beaten in the rugby up at Murrayfield.

Rondo Sports

Since we left the Japanese countryside, I have really done very little exercise and have been inactive for way too long. It was clear that sitting at a desk all day and drinking a lot of beers on the weekends was not a sustainable lifestyle to have. Some changes were long overdue.

I have never really been interested in going to the gym and would always prefer the chance for outdoor activities such as hiking, skiing, cycling etc. However, my favourite activities are not possible in Tokyo, at least to the standard I would prefer. The prospect of a busy Tokyo cycle path is far from appealing and would in no way satisfy me.

As a result, I have been left with no other option but to join the local gym, called Rondo. I would never claim to love going, but it is tolerable and I doubt whether many other gyms can be as good. I am certainly a satisfied customer and try and go about 3 times a week.

I usually just try and use some of the exercise machines, although I occasionally go to one of the two swimming pools. The machine which I have really come to like is the cross-trainer. Great exercise with no impact on the joints.

Some of the facilities on offer are:

1. Climbing wall
2. Large exercise machine room
3. Two swimming pools
4. Outdoor jacuzzi
5. Tennis courts
6. Squash courts
7. Golf driving range

Perhaps the most important aspect of Rondo is the cleanliness. There are always a number of staff on cleaning duties and I never feel uncomfortable.

Rondo certainly appears to be a very successful business. During the daytime, most customers appear to be senior citizens in their mid-60s. After 6pm, the clientele changes to businessmen and women who are trying to exercise after a busy day in the office and an unpleasant train journey home.

I hope I can continue my exercise regime long into 2012.

Happy 2012!!

Wishing you all a great 2012. I anticipate that this year will be a challenging one.......however, I like a good challenge.

We have just finished our traditional New Year lunch and now I am about to have a nap under our heated kotatsu table. I imagine that we will also pay a visit to the local shrine soon, as is the tradition in Japan, to pray for an auspicious New Year.

2012 is the Year of the Dragon. People born in the Year of the Dragon are supposed to be brave and quick tempered. Both Clara (2000) and Yuki (1976) are dragons.......Clara certainly demonstrates the quick temper at times.

More posts to follow over the coming year.

Festive Tidbits

In the end, I never managed to take pictures of the family dinner to celebrate Clara's 11th birthday on 22nd December. Well, that's not exactly true.......in the 3 pictures that were taken, there were at least a couple of people who either looked deeply unhappy or mildly aggressive. I thought it best to delete those from the memory card of my camera.

Despite what the pictures might have indicated, we all DID actually have a very nice dinner. Clara was very proud to be the center of attention and happy to be growing up. The food in the restaurant was adequate as always, but nothing special. What was special was the occasion. Lovely to see Clara soaking up all the attention.

On the 23rd, Clara hosted a party for 4 of her school friends. Really nice kids - very polite and well behaved. Clara did not want me to cramp her style, so I headed off to Kinokuniya book shop in Shinjuku and then had some beers. Nice.

Christmas Day was pleasant, but typically low key for Japan. We opened the presents under the tree and had a great dinner later in the evening. My friend in Shimogo, the local doctor, sent us an extremely tasty bottle of Napa Valley wine called The Prisoner (2009). According to this link, the 2009 vintage actually debuted in a real prison! All in all, a very satisfying day. Christmases in Japan used to be a difficult time for me in the past. Everything is much more low key in Japan and it was difficult to hear about the fun others were having in other parts of the world. Now I know what to expect, it doesn't phase me anymore.

We are all now in limbo waiting for New Year to arrive. I am sure I will soon make another visit to my local bar and am equally sure we will have a nice lunch on New Year's day. I will endeavor to be a more active blogger over the next couple of weeks. Better go.....dinner time.

'Tis the season to be jolly

I've been a bit of a boring boy recently, hence the lack of updates to the blog. However, as with most people at this time of year, there are a number of noteworthy events coming up.

We only put up our rickety old tree a few days ago, but it makes a welcome addition to our living room. I'm not sure how comfortable our dog is with the tree beside his bed, but he has not cocked his leg at it yet. Clara commented that we she was younger, the Christmas tree appeared massive in her eyes. I'm sure there is a song about that somewhere.....yep, it is called 'The First of May' by the Bee Gees.

The start of all the special events is today, 22nd December. I'm very proud to say it is Clara's 11th birthday........11 years ago today I was pacing up and down the Simpson Memorial Maternity Hospital in Edinburgh waiting for a little noisemaker to arrive.

11 years later, she is coming along great and Yuki and I are very proud of her. Happy Birthday Clara!! We will all go out for a special birthday dinner to celebrate. I'll try and post a couple of pictures on this blog tomorrow.

So, it looks like it will be a very busy and enjoyable couple of weeks. I'll be sure to post a few more blog entries in the near future.

Thanks, Apple!

An electronics brand manufactures your rather expensive laptop with a defective component which fails 3 years after purchase. Not long after, the same brand announces that the MP3 player you bought 6 years ago has a potentially faulty battery. If that were the end of the story, I imagine you would never buy a product from this company again. I would imagine there would be wholesale defections of consumers, possibly permanently, to other brands.

Well, the brand in this case is Apple. And in this case, far from moving my allegiance, I think I will probably be hanging around for a few more years yet.

About 1 month ago, my MacBook Pro started acting funny. Strange lines appeared across my screen, the computer seemed unusually hot, and eventually all that would appear would be a fault message in 6 different languages. I took my laptop to the Apple store in Shibuya and a week later I was told it was ready for collection - no charge! The logic board which forms the majority of the internal gadgetry required replacement due to a manufacturing error. I am now the proud owner of a MacBook Pro which has had most of the internal components replaced. Had I have had to pay for this myself, the bill would have been approximately £350. It is not unreasonable to now expect my laptop to carry on going untroubled for a few more years yet.

Last night, I received an email about my long forgotten iPod Nano which was been gathering dust for the majority of the last 6 years. The mail informed me that there is a potential problem with the battery which therefore requires some form of remedy.

Dear iPod nano owner, Apple has determined that, in very rare cases, the battery in the iPod nano (1st generation) may overheat and pose a safety risk. Affected iPod nanos were sold between September 2005 and December 2006. This issue has been traced to a single battery supplier that produced batteries with a manufacturing defect. While the possibility of an incident is rare, the likelihood increases as the battery ages.

Apple recommends that you stop using your iPod nano (1st gen) and follow the process noted below to order a replacement unit, free of charge.

After following the additional instructions on the email, it turns out that my iPod Nano is from one of the manufacturing batches which require replacement. The official line from Apple is that this would be a like for like replacement i.e. 1st generation iPod for 1st generation iPod. However, according to other sources such as The Guardian Newspaper, the replacement will come in the form of the latest 6th generation iPod Nano. Perfect! Can you guess what one of Clara's Christmas requests was? Yep, an iPod Nano.

So, all in all, despite the problems with some of the Apple hardware I have bought over the years, it would seem that I am now an even more loyal customer. In admitting their errors and providing replacements with little stress or effort, they have ensured that my hard earned cash will flow in their direction for some years yet.

This experience reminds me of the Tylenol saga from 1982 - product problems which were dealt with openly and without too much focus on the bottom line. The result? A greater market share and a brand with an even stronger market reputation.

Shimogo - A Sad Return

On Saturday, I woke up early and travelled up to Shimogo in Fukushima Prefecture, a place where I lived for 4 years. I had planned on visiting Shimogo on 26th November to meet my friends Tomo and Satoshi. Unfortunately, my trip was earlier than planned and for an altogether different reason. Satoshi died very suddenly - heart attack. He was only 57.

Although I was worried about being a liability at the funeral, I really wanted to do everything I could for an old friend. Attending his funeral was all I could really do to demonstrate the value I placed on our friendship.

Despite prior doubts, my attendance at the the funeral was very warmly received by Satoshi's family. I am glad that I played a small part in making their grieving process a little easier. It brought a tear to my eye when his family told me Satoshi liked to drink from a Scottish cup I gave him as a present and that he often talked about me.

Satoshi's family and friends welcomed me with open arms and we had many good conversations about him and other subjects. I certainly know that Satoshi would have approved of all the events. I felt extremely privalaged to be asked to attend the cremation and to assist with the placement of his remains in the funeral urn. I am sure that such a ceremony may seem macabre to many readers, but it does not feel that way. Japanese mourning gives the deceased great dignity and respect and helps those left behind to move on with their lives with fond memories of the departed.

The trip back to Shimogo was undeniably sad, but undeniably worthwhile. Given the circumstances, I don't think that it could have been much better. I will always remember the good times I had with Satoshi and may even visit the Donzoko restaurant / bar (in Tokyo) soon to have a pint in his memory. On a visit to Tokyo a few years ago, Satoshi was very keen to visit Donzoko as it was his stamping ground when he was much younger. At the time, I felt very privileged to be taken to such a place where he had so many happy memories. It was nice to see Satoshi reminiscing about happy times in his past.

After the events connected to the funeral, I met up with Dr Tomo in Wakatsuki, a local restaurant we used to frequent with Satoshi. Of course the evening was tinged with sadness, but we certainly managed to have a good time - Satoshi would certainly have approved. Tomo kindly brought 2 bottles of very nice wine which were quaffed with unknown quantities of beer.

I took a few photographs in Wakatsuki, but they all turned out blurred. Obviously the Canon designers have not yet worked out a solution to alcohol induced camera shake.

Nursing a hangover, I slowly walked to Shimogo Station this morning (Sunday). The autumn colours were splendid and the air was chilly and refreshing. I was extremely pleased to bump into Fuminori, my old work supervisor, although he nearly caused a car accident when he pulled over to speak to me. Another nice event was meeting an old student from my time at Shimogo Junior High School. He got off his train and was hanging around the platform for 5 minutes while he plucked up the courage to speak to me. I remembered him from school - the Shimogo students were really a fine bunch!

The visit to Shimogo was certainly worthwhile. I celebrated the life of a friend and met people who I associate with happy days.

Satoshi Yuda

Very sad news - my friend from Shimogo in Fukushima, Satoshi, died suddenly today. I do not know any details of his passing but am sure to find out over the next day or two.

Satoshi and I usually used to meet up every Friday night in the local restaurant called Wakatsuki. Very fond memories of spending Friday afternoons on the Aizu ski slopes and then meeting up with Satoshi for some food and drinks. We had some very good times indeed and that is how I will certainly remember him.

I regarded Satoshi as somewhat of a unique character. He was frank and honest about any subject we discussed - quite unusual in Japan where people tend to be very guarded with their thoughts. I learnt a lot from him and he helped me view Japan from a different perspective.

Condolences to his family and other friends. RIP.

Ishinomaki - 7th to 10th October

The trip up to Ishinonaki was certainly a success. Our group (Team Tsukuba) arrived in Ishinomaki late in the evening of the 7th with the aim of starting work promptly on Saturday morning. Saturday saw us prepare lunch for locals living in the area where we were residing. On both Sunday and Monday, our time was spent clearing debris and unblocking drainage channels.

It is fair to say that I was not actually looking forward to the lunch event on Saturday. I wasn't really sure what to expect from the survivors and was concerned I would somehow be a hindrance to them. However, the event was a resounding success. In all, we served over 100 lunches to mostly elderly people. It seems that many of those who turned up have nothing left - no money, no clothing, and perhaps no more family. They are really living on a knife edge as the world slowly forgets them and the Japanese Government provides feeble assistance. It was sad to see such a proud group of people relying on charity to survive.

Memories of Saturday:

• People keenly collecting their lunches which really illustrated the dire position they are in.
• An elderly lady who despite all the travails was friendly and extremely jovial. When I helped carry her box of food, she jokingly asked if I was interested in marrying her.
• Watching the locals talk amongst themselves - the weekly lunch provides perhaps the only opportunity for the remaining community to meet.
• An elderly lady with a baby on her back - made me wonder where the mother was.

It was getting late by the time we had tidied away the marquee, tables etc. We drove to an onsen to wash the dust and grime off us before driving into Ishinomaki center for pizza. Business is recovering in some parts of town, and we were happy our money was helping make a difference. The pre-dinner onsen was lovely with the outside bath (called rotenburo) having a fantastic view of the waterfront. It was hard to believe that such awful events occurred there only 6 months previously. In the pictured neighbourhood below, the tsunami waters reached all the way to the roofs of the houses. Some houses were flattened whilst other stood firm. There appeared to be no rhyme or reason to the destruction - completely indiscriminate.

As mentioned above, both Sunday and Monday were spent doing manual work, mainly trying to clear drainage channels of accumulated sludge and debris. Perhaps the hardest part of this work was lifting off the heavy concrete covers to gain access to these channels.

We were extremely lucky with the weather all weekend - lovely blue sky and not too chilly at night. I did however get a bit of sunburn on my arms and neck, but that is a small price to pay. It was heartening to see other volunteer groups assist in the clean up and nice to see people of different nationalities lending a hand. Over the duration of the weekend, I met fellow Brits, Americans, a German, a Canadian, a Chinese, and a Dutch woman.

We also paid a visit to the immediate waterfront where the tsunami was at its highest and most destructive.

This building (a police station) was knocked over by the force of the water and remains where it fell. Some buildings will be left untouched for posterity and will perhaps serve as a useful warning to future generations not to ignore the threat of further tsunamis.

The following picture shows a building that somehow remained standing.

The tsunami reached the very top floor of the building as can be seen by the absence of windows and the twisted railings. I doubt anyone survived in either of the buildings pictured above.

The strongest memories of the 3 days in Ishinomaki are the sad stories told by survivors and the sight of personal possessions strewn around wherever you look. ID cards, broken crockery, kids chairs, CDs, vinyl records, golf clubs, toys.

One man who worked in our group was stranded on the roof of his home for 4 days before he was rescued. During that time, he could see the body of his mother floating nearby. The junior high school near our lodgings lost 200 students, in part due to confusion and delay immediately after the earthquake struck. This confusion meant they did not evacuate in time to avoid being swept away by the tsunami. I think it is best not to dwell too long on the fate of those who died.

So, I will probably be making another visit there in the near future. The immediate concerns are now the onset of winter and the mental health of survivors. In the street where we stayed, 4 people have committed suicide since the disaster.

May I also take the chance to thank those who generously contributed to my fundraising page. At the time of writing the amount collected is £560 (against the original target of

£250). The money will be used to buy tools and other essential supplies.

Let us all hope those that survived will one day regain some semblance of normality.

Donations for earthquake / tsunami victims

If anyone wishes to donate some money to contribute to the clean-up and relief efforts after the Japanese earthquake / tsunami, please click on this box. I'm not expecting too many donations due to 'fundraising fatigue', but a couple of quid would certainly be appreciated.

I'll soon post some text and pictures on this blog to show you the ways in which your donations make a difference. To all Scottish readers, now is your chance to dispel the stingy Scotsman myth.

Destination Ishinomaki (Miyagi Prefecture)

Well, it is over 6 months since the devastating earthquake and tsunami hit the Pacific coast of Japan. On Friday 7th October, a friend and I will join a group which has volunteered to assist with the clean up operation. We will be slumming it for 3 days.

We'll be mostly in Ishinomaki, a town which bore of brunt of the natural disaster on 11th March. According to the most up to date of information, 5,000 people in Ishinomaki have been confirmed as dead or missing. I assume that there will be a great deal of work to be done over the next few years, so this will perhaps be the first of many trips up north. I feel a certain responsibility to contribute something to the work up there as I lived in neighbouring Fukushima Prefecture for some years. The people up there were really very welcoming, so it is time to return the favour.As can be seen from the above picture, there is not much left standing in Ishinomaki. I'm not really sure what to expect, but I will post a new blog on my return.

I have just bought some hardwearing work gloves and N95 face masks which are apparently required to deal with the toxic particles blowing around. I now need to find myself a sleeping bag - still have a few days yet to get that organised.

We should be able to stay inside a building during our time up north. If not, I believe that tents are also available.

I'll take my camera with me, so I will be able to give you an update once I return. Although the radiation levels are noticeably elevated up north, I do not think it is a major concern for an adult making such a brief visit. I would however be more concerned if my children lived in the area.

Update to follow upon my return.