J League Football - FC Tokyo v Shonan Bellmare

Clara suggested going to watch an FC Tokyo game a few days ago, and I have to say, I'm glad she did. We had a great day out at FC Tokyo's Ajinomoto Stadium. Yesterday was a perfect autumnal day, the home crowd were in good voice (including Clara), and the final result sent us all home happy.

Despite living in Japan for a number of years, and despite enjoying a good game of football, I have never quite managed to get to a J League game. I've often talked on a number of occasions about going to watch FC Tokyo, but it never quite happened. After yesterday's game, I'm eager to see more. Great fun!

In spite of FC Tokyo being a mid ranked team over the last few years, I thought they performed really well. I certainly believe the quality of football on show was better than that in the Scottish Premier League.

Stadium starts to fill up

During the first half, FC Tokyo dominated the game but could not score the opening goal. After going behind in the second half, they were galvanised and scored twice, the winner coming during injury time, or lost time, as they say in Japan.

The final goal was worth waiting for, a cooly taken shot by the Tokyo number 32, Vucicevic from Serbia. When that goal went in, Clara and I were jumping around, exchanged a hug, and plenty of high fives. A great finish to a match of good quality. I think I have caught the J League bug.

Passionate FC Tokyo fans

Clara seems to really enjoy watching the football. She is now quite familiar with most of the FC Tokyo chants and enjoyed being part of the crowd - it seems she has a new hobby.

FC Tokyo celebrate

An excellent day with Clara at the football. It is now less than 1 month till our trip to Scotland and I guess there will be a lot to organise before we leave on the 21st December. The final FC Tokyo game this season will be held on 7th December, so perhaps we can squeeze in another game before our holidays begin.

2-1 to FC Tokyo!

Passport received, flight booked

It has been a busy week, but with great relief I can say that my passport has finally arrived from Hong Kong. I don't need another passport until 2024! I wonder what will happen over the next 10 years…?

As soon as I received my passport, I started looking at the price of flights back to Scotland for Clara and I. Upon advice from a former colleague, I checked the KLM website and discovered some very competitive prices. On Tuesday, the price quoted for two return tickets from Japan to Scotland was 300,000 yen - manageable. Based on this price, I used the KLM website to reserve and pay for the tickets. However, the VISA payment would not work. I tried using my Mastercard, and still no success. As the KLM customer service helpline closes each day at 6pm Japan time, I had to wait until Wednesday afternoon before I could try once more.

Apparently, because my credit cards were both issued in the UK, they cannot be used on the internet to pay for tickets in a foreign country. Hmm……what's the point of having a bloody credit card then?

I ended up having to ask my bank to purchase the tickets in the UK and then having the funds debited from my account. However, the 24 hour delay resulted in the tickets increasing in price by 100,000 yen, or a little over £630.

Despite all the delays, frustration and additional cost, Clara and I are now excited at the prospect of spending 2 weeks back in Scotland. Clara's first full day back in Scotland will be her 13th birthday.

Between now and our departure, we will be busy buying Christmas presents, birthday presents, and planning how to spend our days in Scotland. Looking forward to some fun and relaxing days.

Waiting, waiting, waiting…...

2013 has passed quickly. I'm surprised to find it is already November and that thoughts of Christmas holidays start to take up a lot of my time. Clara and I are both excited to be going to Scotland for 2 weeks.

Unfortunately, I have so far been unable to book the flights as I am still waiting for my new passport, despite it being 5 weeks since I sent off my application. I really do hope it arrives next week as I'm concerned that the price will increase the closer we get to the festive season. It really should arrive sometime over the next few days.

There will be a lot to celebrate:

• 22nd December - Clara will be a teenager. I'm really looking forward to celebrating with her and hopefully providing her with a memorable occasion
• 25th December - Christmas Day. My parents have booked Christmas dinner at a hotel in Inverness. It will be nice to get dressed up and enjoy each others company
• 28th December - Joep's birthday. It will probably be another one he'd rather forget
• 31st December / 1st January - no plans have been discussed yet, but it will be nice to see in the New Year with Clara and the folks

During our time in Scotland, Clara and I will probably do our own thing for a couple of days. Perhaps book in somewhere nice on Skye or somewhere else.

It was a long weekend here in Japan, so Clara stayed last night. We had dinner at the nearby Italian restaurant and just relaxed in my apartment in the evening. She hung around until about 4pm and then I did the very mundane laundry and ironing.

Hopefully I will soon have news of my new passport and flight reservations to Scotland. Thanks for reading.

BBQ at Okutama

The expanse of Tokyo

Last week, Japan had a 3 day weekend as Monday was a national holiday (Sports Day). National holidays used to be spread randomly throughout the week, but in an effort to force the notoriously hardworking Japanese to take a prolonged break, the government has placed many on Mondays. I have to say, I feel pretty refreshed and positive after a weekend of great variety and weather.

My recent routine is to have a quiet Friday night at home, perhaps with a bottle or two of beer, with a book (I'm currently reading about nuclear accidents), or watching a film. I revisited Trainspotting on Friday night, and enjoyed rewatching the performance of Robert Carlyle as Begbie.

Okutama Bridge

The highlight of the weekend was a Saturday (12th October) night BBQ in the periphery of Tokyo at a place called Okutama. Despite being officially part of Tokyo, Okutama is very much the countryside, with a great river and thickly forested surrounding mountains.

I participated in the BBQ with about 20 members of the Tokyo IOC (International Outdoor Club). A pretty decent group of people who organised everything to perfection. One French guy (called Piere?) volunteered to be the barman for the evening and even printed laminated drink menus. A nice group of people, although I don't think I'll become an IOC member as perhaps the clock on my time in Japan is starting to tick...

Booze menu

Sitting around the BBQ chit chatting was enjoyable, although the main drawback came at 10pm when the camp security guard carried out his job instructions to the letter by declaring that all groups had to retreat to their lodges. Such a shame, as it was a very pleasant evening with good temperatures and talk. The weather was really fantastic on both the evening of the BBQ and the following morning as I made my way back to Tokyo on the train. Okutama is actually not too far to travel from where I live in Kumegawa, so perhaps in winter, I'll get the train back to Okutama and find a hot onsen.

Apologies for the poor quality and scarcity of photos - due to the space limitations of my bag, I didn't take my regular camera with me, and settled for photos taken with my iPhone.

On my return to Tokyo, mid-Sunday afternoon, I was pleased to receive a call from Clara asking if she could stay in my flat on Sunday night. We had a lovely dinner together at the Italian across the road, she read some manga after dinner and promptly fell asleep. It seems Clara is quite busy these days with the demands of school and her art club.

Another memorable weekend of fine weather, different scenery, and the company of Clara.

Lake Tama

Compared to July and August, September has been a quiet month. Little much of note has occurred and my free time over the weekend has been quiet, albeit with a weekly trip to my local bar for a few beers.

At long last, the temperatures in Tokyo have started to drop and the humidity is barely noticeable. Travelling by train, walking around, and sleeping at night has become a lot easier over the last few weeks. I am now looking forward to autumn and winter, and am even considering an overnight trip to somewhere new in Japan, perhaps Hiroshima or Kobe.

Lake Tama and Seibu Dome

The more comfortable climate has encouraged me to do a little exploring on foot around the area where I live. Although I have always been aware that Lake Tama was relatively close to where I stay, I was unsure how to walk there, or indeed whether it was really walkable at all. A week or two ago, I decided increase my local knowledge and attempt to find Lake Tama on foot.

Dam and Seibuen

With the help of Google Maps on my iPhone, I found Lake Tama with ease and was pleasantly surprised to discover that it is only a brisk 25 minute walk from my apartment. I suppose it is not exactly the countryside, but it does offer a lot of open space with trees and green vegetation. A pleasant walk indeed! I may even try and convince Clara to walk with me on weekends, although she'll probably use homework as an excuse for not coming along.

The year is fast drawing to a close, despite summer only finishing recently. Clara and I will visit Scotland over Christmas and New Year (and perhaps her 13th (!!) birthday), but before I can get the tickets booked, I need to order a new passport.......I have to get that organised once and for all. Clara also plans to visit Scotland next summer with a friend from junior high school - I'm trying to encourage as many visits as possible as I am worried she'll slowly drift away from her Scottish roots.

The weekend is once again upon us. Clara will stay at my apartment tonight and we will probably have dinner at a new Italian restaurant in Kumegawa. Perhaps I will be able to encourage her to walk to Lake Tama with me. I am hoping it will be a pleasant and productive weekend.

A short trip to Shimogo

Shimogo sunset

Clara and I have just returned to Tokyo, after our brief visit to Shimogo, Fukushima Prefecture. Although it was a short visit, we both had a great time and enjoyed reminiscing about the old days when we lived there for 4 years.

I had originally planned to visit Shimogo by myself, but asked Clara as an afterthought if she wished to come along. Rather surprisingly for me, she was extremely eager to come up to Shimogo and very keen to meet some of her old friends.

Instead of staying at the usual place, an inn called Suzukiya, we actually stayed at the house of the local doctor. Clara and I both appreciated the hospitality which Tomo and his wife gave us. We had our own tatami room next to the rice fields, and the breakfast which we were given was substantial.

Soon after we arrived, Tomo drove us to Yunokami in Shimogo, a place well known for onsen (hot springs). A perfect reintroduction to Shimogo. We were all clean and fresh for the evening events. The lady who runs the onsen also kindly gave me a number of souvenirs to take back to Tokyo with me.

Clara and I had slightly different plans on Saturday evening. While I was eating and drinking with Tomo at Wakatsuki, a popular local restaurant, Clara was having dinner in a different restaurant with friends she knew from nursery school. Clara impresses me - not only does she have a very good recollection of her time and friends in Shimogo, but she has the confidence and desire to meet up with people she knew from the dim and distant past. I don't think I was so confident and outgoing when I was her age.

Tomo very kindly provided a bottle of 1974 Chateau Trotanoy. I have never before tried a wine of such vintage, and would imagine that I will rarely have such fine wine in future. Trying to drink and savor the wine slowly was a challenge of monumental proportions.

Enjoying the wine

The slow pace of life in Shimogo is something that Clara and I both miss. The gentle walk to and from Wakatsuki was a pleasure, and I am very proud of the photo at the top of this blog entry which I took of Clara and Tomo as the sun set. Moments after the photo was taken, the red sky had almost completely disappeared. Most of my photos are stored electronically, but that photo has given me the motivation to buy some albums and a good printer to ensure I have my favourite photos at hand.

Lovely weather

A short but enjoyable return to Shimogo. Clara's only complaint was that we didn't stay long enough.

Thanks again to Tomo-sensei and his wife for looking after us.

Country BBQ and visit to Nikko

Adding to my unusually busy August, a group from my local bar and I headed out of Tokyo and up to Gunma Prefecture for a short excursion. The main event of the trip was the evening BBQ, although the following day we drove to Nikko (in Tochigi Prefecture), a place most famous for the grave of the former shogun / warlord, Tokugawa Ieyasu.

We stayed in a fairly basic Japanese ryokan (I guess it would equate to a cheap hotel in the Western world) in a village called Katashina. Although it was basic, we were certainly not slumming it and we all enjoyed the chance to take an onsen in the hotel's main building. It's a little odd - in previous years I used to take an onsen a least once a week, but since I moved to Tokyo, that almost never occurs. However, this August, I have had 3 onsen experiences and will probably have another during my forthcoming trip to Shimogo this coming weekend. From famine to feast in the space of only a few weeks.

Some of the group

After some fooling around in the very chilly river next to the hotel, we set up the BBQ and cracked open the beers. As night fell, I took a few minutes out to watch the disappearing sun silhouette the distant mountains. The different intensity of shadows indicated how far each mountain was from where I was standing. After this solitary moment of peace, I rejoined the revelry. Towards the end of the BBQ, we unwrapped some simple fireworks, including the excellent senko hanabi (which I mentioned in my previous post of the camping trip to Lake Ashinoko).

A few more hours of drinking in the hotel made sleep come very easy, but I was surprisingly fresh the following morning. Unfortunately, I didn't take many photos of the ryokan or BBQ, so you'll just have to imagine what it was like. We all decided that a visit to Nikko would be in order, and it was certainly worth the additional miles in the car.

Approach road

Although I've been to Nikko 2 or 3 times before, I enjoyed this visit just as much as previous occasions. Although very crowded (no surprise there), the wide open spaces and approach roads did not cause a strong feeling of claustrophobia.

Nikko is very impressive indeed! Perhaps the reason is because of the level of detail put into each building or object. Everything that can be seen is exquisitely made and detailed. Each component has been completed to the highest order with no compromise in terms of expense or time. Gilt is everywhere, but it doesn't give the impression of bling....quite the opposite. The scale of the shrine complex is also impressive.

Moss covered stone lanterns

The circumference of the cedar trees and the amount of moss on the stone lanterns and other stonework also helped to convey the historical value of the shrine complex. I liked the feeling of continuity which the trees and stonework gave out. The scene will hopefully remain unchanged for hundreds of years into the future.

Red lacquered (?) railing

We all returned to Tokyo relatively late on Sunday evening but everyone seemed to enjoy the opportunity to get out of Tokyo and see some new sights. Next weekend, Clara and will make a return to Shimogo. Another update soon.

Sake barrels given by corporate sponsors of the shrine

Camping at Lake Ashinoko / Hakone

A rather rare experience for me these days was an overnight camping trip on Saturday to Lake Ashinoko, about an 80 minute express train journey from Tokyo. Although I've been there on numerous occasions in the past, I was looking forward to a change of scene and to perhaps escape the blistering heat wave which is currently making life difficult (and electricity bills more costly).

An acquaintance kindly invited me along, and rather unusually for me, I accepted the invitation. Usually I like to ring fence off my weekends and prevent anyone from getting in the way of my plans, but this time I decided to sacrifice my own independence for the company of others.

Lake Ashi(noko)

BBQ area

The only part I was not looking forward to was sharing a tent, and that did prove to be an uncomfortable and sleep depriving experience - next time I'll buy my own tent so that I can sleep undisturbed.

Senko hanabi

The experiences on this trip, though, were for the greater part, good ones. Rather surprisingly, the camp site next to Lake Ashinoko was not too busy. We had plenty of space to cook our food on the BBQ and to let off some Japanese fireworks, mostly similar to sparklers, but also the subtly hypnotic senko hanabi. These little fireworks give off lovely fine little needles of light and only last for 20 seconds or so.

After a tentative start to the BBQ on which our food was not cooking, we threw caution to the wind and all combustable materials onto the fire. The result was a fire with the capacity to double as a funeral pyre.

BBQ

After the BBQ and fireworks, we all headed off to the onsen before sitting outside and chatting until just after midnight. Then it was to the tent for a rather unsuccessful attempt at getting some sleep. Not the best sleep I have had, but I think I still managed a few hours of shut eye.

The next morning we were up early, had a quick breakfast, and then took a bus to the Lalique Museum. I had already visited the museum a few years before, so I sat admiring the immaculate lawn from the shaded comfort of an outdoor table with a cold bottle of Heartland Beer in my hand. Perfect.

Soon after, we took a cable car up the mountain to Souzan, famous for volcanic activity and eggs with blackened shells from boiling in the volcanic spring waters. As it was only a few years since my last visit there, I was more interested in eating kakigori, the Japanese name for a slush puppy (also called shaved ice). My cola flavoured slush puppy certainly was very welcome as the temperature on the mountain was about 35C!

Kakigori

A very pleasant trip away. This coming weekend, I am visiting Oze in Gunma Prefecture and the following week, Clara and I will take a trip back in time to Shimogo for a brief visit. More to follow on my August adventures soon.

Final thoughts of Vietnam

And for my 300th blog posting on 'Kane in Japan', I would like to share my closing thoughts on my recent holiday to Vietnam.

TripAdvisor
Before I travelled to Vietnam, for some reason, I trusted what was written on TripAdvisor. Now, I am not too sure. The Majestic Hotel was a big disappointment and bore little resemblance to the reviews which convinced me to book this hotel. I found my hotel room faded and lacking in any great ambience. The hotel staff were for the most part disinterested, and the early morning pneumatic drill on my penultimate morning resulted in an angry call to reception. Poor, perhaps due to the hotel being scheduled for renovation / demolition next year.

The positive reviews on TripAdvisor are a puzzle. I surmise that many reviews on this site and others are intentionally skewed by each contributor in an effort to convince friends, acquaintances, and colleagues about what a great holiday they are having.

Beer
It is a shame to see Vietnam being flooded by crappy foreign beers such as Heinekin and Tiger Beer (the latter is advertised everywhere you look). My personal rule when travelling is to drink the local beer, not imported foreign crap. The rule holds true for Vietnam - the Saigon Red, Saigon Green, and 333 were excellent indeed!

Saigon Red Label

Girls
Vietnamese women are absolutely stunning!

Ho Chi Minh City
We had fun, but it is perhaps best to use this city as a transit point. It was grotty and the repetition of people looking for money was rather tiring. However, once out of the city, Vietnam seems to have a lot to offer.


Vietnam is certainly a country on the up - it cannot be too many years until it rivals Thailand for popularity. I will certainly return, hopefully visiting Hanoi and Hue on my next visit. Overall, a very happy holiday and great to see somewhere different.

Da Nang

Immediately after our stay on Phu Quoc Island, we took a flight up to Da Nang, on the eastern coast of Vietnam. Da Nang was not actually our first choice destination, as we had originally hoped to fly to Hue, the cultural centre of Vietnam. Unfortunately, the runway at Hue is closed for 6 months so that essential maintenance can take place. During the Vietnam War (or the 'American War' as the Vietnamese call it), the same airport was the busiest in the world.

Despite this apparent setback, we were happy to see another location in Vietnam and to compare it to Ho Chi Minh City and Phu Quoc Island. Travel can be quite a lottery. We booked the HAGL Hotel for 1 night in Da Nang, which was half the price of The Majestic Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. For half the price, you would expect half the quality, right? Wrong. The room at the HAGL Hotel was clean, spacious, with a great bathroom, and a panoramic view of the surrounding area. I would certainly recommend this hotel to anyone who visits Da Nang. The staff were absolutely lovely - attentive and willing to help in any way.

HAGL Hotel, Da Nang

Apart from briefly sampling the city and nightlife, we did very little else. Da Nang in many ways is the opposite of Ho Chi Minh. It is clean, whereas Ho Chi Minh is grimy. The nightlife fades away at 1am, whereas in Ho Chi Minh you could stay out all night. The people in Da Nang do not approach you to sell transportation services or sundry items, whereas in Ho Chi Minh you are bothered to the brink of losing your temper.

Da Nang was merely a taster for my next trip to Vietnam. I would like to visit this city again, as well as the northern capital of Hanoi and the cultural centre, Hue (once the airport reopens).

A brief closing summary of my thoughts on Vietnam to follow soon.

Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

After some deliberations, Mark and I decided that our first foray outside Ho Chi Minh City would be to Phu Quoc. This is an island, roughly the same size as the Isle of Skye (after checking Wikipedia, it is actually a third the size), 12km south of Cambodia.

Phu Quoc was chosen as it was only a short 1 hour flight on Vietnam Airlines from Ho Chi Minh City. On the flight to the island, I could see the shallow waters of the Gulf of Thailand from my window seat. There were many shoals and lovely small islands circled with white sand.

Apparently, sovereignty of this island is disputed between Vietnam and Cambodia, hence perhaps the reason for seeing a Vietnamese Navy frigate berthed at the southernmost tip.

Some brief research on suitable hotels on the island saw us opt for the Eden Resort, a short 10 minute taxi journey from the new and modern airport arrivals terminal. The hotel rooms were adequate, but nothing special. I had some problems getting hot water flowing from the shower, apparently due to the hotel having to use a diesel generator as the island does not yet have a fully functioning electricity grid. Another irritant was the constant knocking noise from the air-conditioner in my room, although not a big problem as the climate was quite comfortable, even with the air-conditioner turned off.

On the first night, we took a taxi to a nearby town to see the night market and find potential places to eat and drink. One pleasant surprise was that we were not harassed constantly by taxi or scooter drivers, as had been the case in Ho Chi Minh City. The port was crammed full of fishing boats, hence the night market consisting mainly of stalls selling a bewildering array of fresh (and still writhing) seafood.

Vietnamese street snack

Our evenings (and perhaps our days) were spent drinking in the local bars and talking to the mostly extremely welcoming local population. We took a taxi to the very south of the island along a slippery muddy road and then spent a few hours walking around a rather ramshackle and dirty little town. Although the local Vietnamese obviously did not have much wealth or comforts, they seemed happy and provided us with unconditional welcomes and smiles.

Although not overly impressed with the Eden Resort room, I can certainly say that the dinner and drinks on the last night were exceptional. As I am a noodle lover, I experienced Vietnamese rice noodles for the first time with beef and local vegetables - wonderful!

Eden Resort Beach Bar

The best memory I have of our visit to Phu Quoc Island is the sandy beach which completely circles the island. Although we visited in the off season, the waters from the Gulf of Thailand were warm and pleasant. On a couple of occasions, both by day and by night, we strolled barefoot in the surf and enjoyed the strong wind and rather dangerous waves.

Overall, Phu Quoc Island is still a bit rough and ready. Roads and other infrastructure are still not in place and some of the small villages and towns are dirty with pot-holed roads and with ill-kempt people walking about. It looks like the Vietnamese Government has big plans for the island (probably to strengthen the claim against Cambodia) evidenced by the sparkly new airport, road building, and resort construction. It is clear that the island will be a very different place in 5 or 10 years time.

Beach outside the Eden Resort

Having spread our wings in the extreme south of Vietnam, Mark and I decided we would next venture north of Ho Chi Minh City, to the coastal town of Da Nang. More to come on Da Nang soon.

War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City

Douglas A1 Skyraider

One of the few, or perhaps the only touristy activity that Mark and I did in Ho Chi Minh City, was to visit the rather awkwardly named War Remnants Museum. Our visit to the museum had nothing to do with an interest in the Vietnam War and all the associated horrors (as we both are fully aware of all the history), but solely to see the aircraft on display.

Aircraft on display included the Douglas A1 Skyraider, Boeing CH47 Chinook, Northrop F5 Freedom Fighter, Bell UH1 Huey, and a Cessna A37 Dragonfly.

We briefly looked at all the other military hardware (including tanks and unexploded ordnance) and entered to main display building to skim over the other items on display and photographs of atrocities supposedly committed by US troops whilst they were fighting in Vietnam. The museum does take a wholly one sided view of the war, so a lot of the information provided should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Selection of aircraft

A brief, but satisfying diversion from the bustle and grime of Ho Chi Minh City.

Start of the Vietnam holiday - Ho Chi Minh / Saigon

The holiday has started well, although by the end of last night I was struggling to stay awake. Mark and I did a brief night tour of Ho Chi Minh City and visited a few bars to get a vibe for the city.

Initial impressions - crossing the road is an exercise in faith rather than skill or prediction. You have to trust that the hundreds of scooter and taxi drivers will avoid you. The smell of Ho Chi Minh is quite repulsive in places. Lots of people hawking goods and street children selling tobacco, tourist trinkets and the like.

We had a very interesting and seemingly suicidal scooter journey last night which ended in a predictable debate with the drivers regarding an appropriate price for the journey. I was just happy to pay up and get rid of the scooter driver as he stank like a cesspit.

The biggest challenge so far has been getting used to the local currency, the Vietnamese Dong. I'm either paying far too much or far too little, although judging by the demeanour of the local population, the former seems more likely.

The Majestic Hotel

The Majestic Hotel is nice enough. Large room with a bed that provided me with one of the best nights sleep I have had in a long time. However, when we visited the rooftop bar of the Rex Hotel earlier today, that hotel seems to be noticeably better, but at a similar price to the Majestic Hotel. This is the view of the Saigon River from the Majestic Hotel's M Bar. It gets much better as the light fades.

Tonight, after freshening up, we are venturing out for a big dinner, probably followed by more beers. We also hope to have a planning session tomorrow morning to determine how we will spend the next 9 days.

Just stuff......

3 blog entries in the month of June - quite an unusual event these days.

Following on from my recent entry about Spitfire Ale, the local supermarket has started selling a few other traditional British ales from the Shepherds Neame brewery. It is quite remarkable what some cloudy liquid in a cold bottle can do for the mood. The fridge at the supermarket has been completely emptied so the other customers clearly have a taste for the ales as well. Hopefully the supermarket will recognise the strong demand and continue selling the beer indefinitely.

The weekend could not have come any quicker as last week was a bit tedious and I didn't enjoy getting soaked a couple of times (as it is the rainy season here at the moment). On a positive note, the summer has mostly gotten off to a cool start and sleep is still comfortable and easy. The merciless heat and humidity will arrive, but the delay is certainly welcome.

One big event I am looking forward to is a holiday in Vietnam (with perhaps a day and night in Cambodia). It is possible that my time in Japan will come to an end in the not too distant future (this blog will have to be renamed Kane in *******), so I wanted to see some other countries in the local 'neighbourhood' whilst I am still able. I've booked 10 nights at The Majestic Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City (still known as Saigon in Vietnam). Plenty of time to relax in the hotel, see the sights in and around Ho Chi Minh, and possibly a night away in Cambodia to see Angkor Wat. Obviously July will be a busy blogging month, so stay tuned.

Earthquake wise, the recent weeks have been very quiet.....too quiet. Got a nasty feeling another large event is in the making, but no-one really knows.

It's Saturday night here, and I'm still recovering from one of the spiciest bowls of noodles I have ever had. Perhaps this evening I'll watch a couple of films with some Spitfire Ale, and then venture to my local bar later on for a brief visit.

2013 MacBook Air

Almost exactly 5 years since I purchased my MacBook Pro, I am now the owner of a new 13 inch MacBook Air. Although initially reluctant to buy an Air due to my perception that they were mostly a compromise solution that failed to excel in any specific area, feedback and recommendations from Facebook friends convinced me to dip my toe in the water.

I would have happily continued with my old Pro had it not started to crash regularly and not sound like a playing card strumming the spokes of a bicycle. As my old Pro started to fail around April, I decided to hold off making a new purchase until the Apple World Wide Developer's Conference (WWDC). I was hoping Apple would refresh the current Retina Pro but was left disappointed they only upgraded the Air.

Still, the new energy efficient Haswell processor seems to do a great job, the flash memory makes startup lightening quick, and the Air is a doddle to carry around. Although I'm a little disappointed Apple didn't outwardly change the design of the Air, it seems to be a great new computer which I hope will last as long as my last.

The Bottle of Britain

Seiyu, my local supermarket, has the capacity to pleasantly surprise me on occasions, perhaps because it is part of the rather dark Wal Mart empire, which also includes Asda in the UK.

On the way to the beer fridge on Thursday to pick up my regular summer thirst quenching 6 pack of Sapporo, my attention was drawn to a pleasantly familiar product - Spitfire Ale from the Shepherd Neame brewery in Kent, England. Although almost double the price of a 330ml can of Sapporo, the extra cost is somewhat offset by the fact that the bottle contains 500ml of England's finest.

Today, I made another sortie to the beer fridge with the intention of bagging another Spitfire or two. The mission had a big surprise in store for me as I encountered another friendly sight that goes by the name Whitstable Bay organic ale, another Shepherd Neame product. I am not sure which I like more, the actual beer or the novelty of being able to drink some good old traditional British style ale.

Judging by the near empty beer fridge in the supermarket, the population of Higashimurayama in Tokyo are also rather fond of the new additions.

I wonder what will be in the fridge next week? Tally Ho!!

Some people from the past

Alan and I go way back........all the way back to the days of Portree Primary School (over 30 years ago). As fate would have it, we have both found ourselves living in Japan, for better or for worse. His parents recently visited Japan, and although I had no clear recollection of them, I was interested to meet up with them as we share some common history from the Isle of Skye.

Alan's mother, Maureen, and my mother were friends in the distant past, so perhaps after this recent meeting in Japan, they will find the motivation to meet up again. Old stories were exchanged, and they kindly gave me a couple of gifts from Scotland.

A very pleasant evening indeed!