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Friday Flash..Nagoya Summer Sumo Tournament
2007-07-20 16:15:00
I went along to the thirteenth day of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament held in the Nagoya Prefectural Gym adjacent to Nagoya Castle.I had the above bento mid-morning as I'd woken up late and skipped breakfast.The bento came in a bag which contained the two polystrene boxes above.The left hand box contains various vegetables and pickled food as well as a huge prawn lurking on the bottom of the box.The right hand box contains rice on which is shredded egg,a small piece of eel which I almost choked on,pink ginger and orange salmon roe.All of which add flavour to the somewhat overcooked and otherwise bland rice.Not really a bargain at 1500 yen,more a part of the ritual of going to the sumo. As for the sumo itself,well that can wait till Monday.
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Ugly Babies and Big Cars
2007-07-16 01:59:00
The Nagoya Boston Museum of Fine Arts currently has two exhibitions on show.I biked down last Friday in the tyhphoonal rain to see them.The first was titled Children in American Art.44 paintings from various American artists ranging from 1670 to 1944.As the program notes suggest the paintings depict changes in how society sees children at first as miniature adults and later as children in their own right.One of the earlier paintings reminded me almost of a Diane Arbus photo.The child or "man-child" is perched on his sisters knee.He has a huge head,saucer-sized eyes and a five oclock shadow.Really freaky.Another painting depicts a young girl.Again like the painting above, her physical proportions seem out of kilter with those of a child.It seems she has been put on a rack as her arms appear unnaturally long and her shoulders belong to someone much older.Her pose seemed to exaggerate this physical imbalance.Odd yet strangely rivetting as with the painting above.Later paintings in the ...
More About: Cars , Babies , Ugly , Babi

Book Review...Watching The English
2007-07-16 00:46:00
Watching The English .The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour. Kate Fox.2004.416pages.Hodder and Stoughton.This is an engaging analysis of what makes the English tick.Its author attempts to set out the rules of Englishness as she sees them.The book is at the serious end of what might be called "pop anthropology".At the start Fox spends some pages defining various terms she will use through the book to identify Englishness such as "culture","class" and "race".After the preamble,chapter by chapter she takes on various features such as humour and dress and what part they play in English daily life and society.At the end of each chapter she sums up what that feature adds to the sum total of her rules about Englishness.It is very detailed.She obvivously spent a lot of time observing and talking to her subject matter.What one plants in your garden and what reading material you have in your loo apparently indicates what social rank you belong to.Then again its possible to identify a fellows b...
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Friday Flash
2007-07-13 12:43:00
Whats The Story Morning Glory?I took this shot of a morning glory flower,known in Japan as asagao(literally "morning face") earlier in the week.A popular ornamental plant here,it apparently arrived via China in the ninth century.The vine like creeper with its green foilage and iridescent blooms are a feature of the rainy season and early summer.That was earlier in the week,for as I type,Typhoon Number 4,so-named as its the fourth of the season, is bearing down on the country.The asagao blooms are all firmly closed.Despite temperatures in the high 20s the rain has stopped them opening.The typhoon has already hit Okinawa and the bottom of Kyushu and should reach the main island of Honshu on Sunday.Its packing strong winds as the news reports say and has led to flooding,evacuations and travel disruptions.We are already feeling the effects here in Nagoya as its been constantly raining the last two days here and the humidity level has increased.Almost as though in anticipation of the app...
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KiwiFruit KitKats
2007-07-09 02:25:00
Another addition to the expanding range of KitKats .I found these Kiwi Fruit KitKats at my local convenience store over the weekend.I found the colour,kind of vivid limey a little off putting and unnatural.The KitKats themselves did have a distinct kiwifruit taste and were quite tasty.The chocolate around the kitkat biscuits tended to melt in your fingers due to the humidity and heat of the day and I think they would be best consumed after being put in the fridge.If you can wait that long that is...

Shiny Shiny Monk
2007-07-09 02:08:00
Teru Teru Bozu are traditional handmade dolls made of tissue paper or cloth.They are said to have magical powers to bring good weather and stop rainy days.They appear hanging outside windows during the rainy season.Teru is a Japanese verb for sunshine while bozu is Japanese for monk literally then shiny shiny monk.Today children make them to wish for sunny weather before a special event,say a sports festival or school outing.Apparently to ward off the rain you must hang them head up.Hanging them upside down is said to have the opposite effect though some of my students doubted this.They were also unsure as to the fate of those dolls that failed to prevent rain.However should they be successful,one tradition holds that you paint a face on the doll,pour some sake over its head and throw it into a river having accomplished its mission.
More About: Monk , Shin , Shiny

Friday Flash..Cheap Snack
2007-07-06 10:30:00
Too hot and tired to cook or indulge in the fast food of the Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet that spews out its fatty fumes daily from 7:30am to 11pm at the foot of my apartment building I happened upon this lunchbox at a local supermarket.Seems a relative bargain at 298yen.Certainly more colorful and nutritious than the oil saturated offerings five floors below.Thirty odd degrees celsius today and very humid with omninous clouds building up.Theres a likelihood of a brief respite from the sticky weather if it rains.Though its only passing relief as the temperature and humidity rise to evaporate the puddles from the spent shower clouds.
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Athletes Foot and Panda Pooh
2007-07-02 01:16:00
Been a strange week.Both weather-wise and at work.Often strange topics of conversation arise.Take on a life of their own.Like panda pooh.Apparently because the panda dines solely on bamboo,panda pooh smells sweet.Not sure how this topic originated nor how one goes about checking the veracity of such a claim with pandas being so rare.The other unusual subject that caught students interest and "ran" as it were for a couple of classes was athletes foot.This foot infection is particularly common during the fetid,inclement rainy season.Moisture,sweating and a lack of proper ventilation of the feet all combine to provide the ideal environment for the fungal infection to thrive.Symptoms vary.For some sufferers the skin between their toes peels,cracks and scales.Others suffer redness,scaling and blisters.These symptoms may also be accompanied by itching and a burning sensation if the skin is scratched.Translated literally from Japanese mizumushi means "water insect".There are reportedly aro...
More About: Panda , Athletes , Foot , Athlete , Pooh

Friday Flash..Anko
2007-06-29 12:51:00
I spotted these colourful sweets in the local Daiei supermarket.Shopping between showers earlier today Im surprised how many people werent carrying umbrellas despite it being the middle of the rainy season and the leaden clouds threatening to explode into torrents of water at any moment.The sweets,I was reliably informed by the cashier,are anko or crushed red azuki bean paste that has been sweetened with sugar and water.Despite their appearance they taste rather bland to me,the reason being Ive been told that they balance the strong,bitter matcha or green tea with which they are often served.Anko paste filling often pops up in various bread products which can be a shock to the unwary.Ive managed to remember and recognise the three simple kanji that denote anko so usually check the labels before making a purchase.
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Book Review..
2007-06-25 01:20:00
The Surgeon of Crowthorne. Simon Winchester.1998.Penguin Book s.198 pages.This is the second Winchester book Ive read.He seems to have the knack of unearthing stories that are stranger than fiction.He seems to possess the ability and gift to find unusual characters and vividly bring them to life through detailed descriptions of their social circumstances and place them in a context a simple reader like myself can grasp.This book concerns two different men and the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary that brought them together.The author traces the early history of dictionaries and the background leading up to the decision to create the OED, its birth pangs and slow development through to its completion.The sheer logistics,organisation and paperwork in pre-computer Victorian society are impressive."The total length of type-all handset,for the books were done by letterpress is 178 miles the distance between London and the outskirts of Manchester".(pg 189).Further down the same pag...
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For A Variety of Reasons..
2007-06-25 00:54:00
The current Nova saga ground on in the background last week overtaken by other stories including a meat plant scandal in Hokkaido and the bigger Social Insurance Agency story that dominated the papers and media before and since the Nova one surfaced.A small article featured in The Japan Times Sunday 17th June which described plans to issue further shares and possible commercial tie ups.It was also noted a company net loss of 2.5 billion yen loss for the year ending March 31st.Meanwhile at work staff continue to wallpaper the building with posters of short sales campaigns and apologies.Nothing in English.Except for a fax from Anders Lundquist Director of the Education Quality Control Center addressed to all instructors. It begins "It has been announced in the media,that for a variety of reasons,the Ministry of Economy,Trade and Industry has required the company to suspend enrollment of new students in courses of longer than one year in duration and courses of more than 105 lessons(7...
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Friday Flash...Rainy Season
2007-06-22 11:04:00
Although the rainy season officially started last week round here,today Frida y is the first time that we've any substanial rainfall.It was raining when I woke up and now towards the evening it shows no sign of abating.One shrub that flourishes this time of year is the hydrangea or ajisai.There are many of the plants coming into bloom now.The flowers come in a myriad of colours ranging from pinkish red through to purple and deep blue.The original Japanese species is gaku-ajisai or big leaved hydrangea and many ornamental varieties have been developed from this native type.Some of these ornamental species especially those with pink and white flowers were developed overseas and then re-imported back into Japan.The damp,dank weather and grey cloudy skies add to the flowers subtle colours.
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Book Review..Waterloo
2007-06-18 01:57:00
I recently read two books on what is probably one of the most written and published campaigns.The first was Waterloo .A Near Run Thing.David Howarth.Phoenix Paperback.1968. 196pagesDespite only being 196 pages its a very detailed account.It comes with lots of maps,portraits of the leading figures and photos of the battlefield.The author covers such things as weapons and tactics of the day and describes the various arms such as artillery,cavalry and infantry.Medical treatment and the aftermath of the battle are also included.The book opens on the dawn of the final day and concludes later that night.In the intervening pages you get a good overview of the campaign with its ebb and flow and the final outcome on the evening of the 18th June 1815.The second is entitled Four Days in June.Iain Gale.Harper.2007.369pagesThe author notes in the final pages that this is a novel rather than a history of the Waterloo campaign.It follows five men who fought in those four days.Prussian,French and E...
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LunchBox Snack
2007-06-18 01:46:00
A small bento or lunchbox from the local Daiei supermarket.As well as being colourful I liked the polystyrene container with its cane basket like pattern.If you look carefully the small red saveloy has small zig zag cuts in it so someone took time to assemble and make the bento.
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Friday Flash..Nova in the News Again
2007-06-15 12:52:00
Works been in the news again this week.Again for all the wrong reasons.Headline news on NHK television.Headlines in the two main English language broadsheets on Thursday.More fodder for the local tabloids.In a nutshell METI the Ministry of Economy,Trade and Industry ordered Japan's largest English language school chain from solicting or accepting applications for contracts longer than a year or new contracts exceeding 70 hours.The order will stand for six months and is the result of investigations earlier in the year in connection with the law regulating commercial practices and cancellation of contract procedures.In February METI inspected the company's headquarters in Osaka.One of the more vitriolic reports quoted an METI offical thus "We have concluded that Nova's way of soliciting students was extremely malicious..."It engaged in illegal acts, with the top management at its head office authorizing the irregularities"...."the company even compiled a manual advising staff about...
More About: News , Flash , In the News , The News , Friday

Book Review..
2007-06-11 15:35:00
The Places In Between. Rory Stewart.2004 Picador.324pages.This book recounts the authors walk across Afghanistan from Herat to Kabul.Just after the fall of the Taliban in January 2002.He follows the route taken by the Mogul Emperor Babur and quotes relevant sections of his diary throughout the book.Some things such as the severe climate,harsh environment and feudal society seem little changed since Barbur was born in 1480.On his trek he encounters different factions and leaders.Some fought against the Russians,others against the Taliban some the Northern Alliance.I got the impression that the political and military situation is as fractured as the mountains and as unforgiving and harsh as the plains and desert between.Stewart has a great eye for detail and descriptions of people,buildings and animals."There was something ponderous about his movements.There was no eagerness,no playfulness and no curiosity.I couldnt tell whether he was very depressed or very old or both."(pg145).He ta...
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Soba Bento
2007-06-11 02:24:00
Similiar to the lunchbox I put on here last week this bento features soba as one of its main ingredients.Once again the bento contains various packets of sauces and garnishes to add flavour.
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Friday Flash...More Chocolate...
2007-06-08 10:50:00
Seems every week theres a new kind of chocolate bar or flavour on the shelf awaiting chocoholics like myself.This week I spotted these new additions from Meiji a local confectionery company.The two boxes differ in that one contains 86% cacao(the silver box) while its green counterpart boasts having a lower 72% cacao content.I found the silver 86% cacao too bitter for my taste and while the 72% chocolate is still bitter at least I could finish the small bite sized portion enclosed in the foil wrapper.Im sure theres a market for this kind of chocolate otherwise it wouldnt be on the shelves..maybe Im not sophisticated enough to appreciate how delicate and refined it is,having been bribed and reared on such sugary sickly sweet diabetes inducing delights as chocolate marshmellow fish,gum snakes,Cadbury Caramel Eggs and Whittakers Peanut Bars.
More About: Flash , Chocolate , Friday , Late , Frida

Book Review..
2007-06-04 00:59:00
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive. Alexander McCall Smith.218pages.Polygon.2007.Book number eight in "The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency " series sees the focus move from the main character Precious Ramotswe and concentrate more on a couple of the minor characters.Mma Ramotswe's assistant Mma Makutsi begins to get a bit big for her boots or rather her shoes and faces the consequences while apprentice mechanic Charlie also features as he tries to gain his independence and leave his employment at the garage.The cases the Agency investigate in this book provide the chance for some more philosphical writing and comments about relationships,society and justice.Its not heavy handed and some of the observations are amusing and humorous such as the need for people to have job titles or why men never throw away old clothes.As with the earlier books in the series I enjoyed reading about a different life,society and country.I particularly liked the opening as Precious potters about in the morning...
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Sumo...New Yokozuna
2007-06-04 00:39:00
Following two good displays in the March Spring Tournament and winning the recent Summer Tournament with a 15-0 performance Hakuho was promoted to the rank of yokozuna late last week.He becomes the 69th yokozuna, the top sumo rank and the first promotion since 2003.The last wrestler promoted was fellow Mongolian wrestler Asashoryu whom he beat on his way to winning the Emperors Cup and securing his promotion bid. Barely 22 years old,he becomes the third youngest yokozuna after making his debut in March 2001.His promotion augurs well for the upcoming tournament in Nagoya.I havent seen two yokozuna since the days of Takanohana,Akebono and Masashimaru back in 2002-2003.Asashoryu will be fighting to show his 10 win 5 loss record in the last basho was a glitch while Hakuho will be trying to show he is worthy of the top rank.I'll also be hoping to see Baruto on the comeback trail after injury and Kaio the veteran ozeki who downed Asashoryu on the way to keeping a winning record last ti...
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Friday Flash...
2007-06-01 11:33:00
Fine clear weather for the first of June.I ate this bento from the corner store in the sunshine.In the left section you can find(left to right) meguro or tuna atop a finger of rice and a dash of wasabi.Nestled in the middle is tai or snapper (white flesh and kind of rubbery) and on the end ebi or shrimp.The middle section contains various sachets and garnishes to mix with the sushi rolls and soba noddles which occupy the right hand side of the bento.The blackish sachet in the centre contains a watery vingeary sauce which you drizzle over the noddles.Sitting on the noddles as a garnish are radish like sprouts.Eating the cold noddles is refreshing on such a warm day.
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Dali Multifaceted Exhibition
2007-05-28 01:37:00
"I dreamed I saw Dali with a supermarket trolley"(U2).Dodging the rain Friday afternoon,I braved the crowds to view the Salvador Dali exhibition currently at the Nagoya City Art Museum.Billed as "Dali Multifaceted".In my ignorance I thought of him only as the eccentric spiky mustachioed gent who was into melting watches.On show from his sixty odd year career were those dissolving timepieces but also examples of clothing,furniture,magazine covers,advertising campaigns and perfume bottles he had created and designed.For a Friday afternoon the gallery was crowded.Populated with schoolkids and businessmen who should have been elsewhere at that time of the day.Not gazing at decaying birds and swarms of ants.Packed with pushy older women haughtily pushing in front of others and jostling to get a view while most people filed orderly past each piece on display.It was difficult on occasions to spend enough time trying to decipher the hidden meanings behind the surreal creations as other view...
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Book Review. The Beautiful Game?
2007-05-28 00:53:00
The Beautiful Game ? Searching for the Soul of Football. David Conn 388pages.Yellow Jersey Press.2005I read this detailed,informative book recently.Appropriately enough at the time I was going to see a lower league football match.David Conn is an investigative journalist but first and foremost the book comes across as a labour of love from a football fan.Detailed,yet not bogged down with facts and figures it covers the origin and growth of the game.It describes the "whole new ball game" of the Premier League and finishes in the 2005 season.Included are chapters on such events as Bradford and Hillsborough and the stories of Wimbledon and York City Football Clubs.The work covers the changes in the financial and governing situation of the game.How the splitting of TV and sponsorship money,the creation of the Premier League and the floating of clubs has changed the landscape in which clubs operate and survive.How it is possible for some Premier players to earn more than 100,000 pounds a ...
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Friday Flash....Food Photos
2007-05-25 09:30:00
I bought this bento in London near the Embankment tube station on my vacation last month.The shop belonged to a chain called Wasabi.The website helpfully printed on the paper bag is www.wasabi.uk.com if you are interested.Price wise it worked out similiar to what I`d pay here in Nagoya.There was a good selection of lunchboxes on the shelves including some non strictly Japanese fare such as California type rolls sporting avocado filling.From my brief sojourn in London it seems Japanese food is popular if the number of chains is any indication.There seems to have been a rash of different kinds of KitKats available recently.The upmarket brandy and orange kitkat is a little more expensive than the other two recent additions to the range.The kitkat which proclaims to contain 72% cocoa is definitely more bitter than its 61% counterpart which I found milder and more to my taste.Im not sure what the marketing strategy is but I wouldnt be buying the higher cocoa containing chocolate again. H...
More About: Food , Flash , Photos , Friday , Frida

Friday Flash...A Few More England Pics
2007-05-18 11:15:00
Just a few more photos of my recent trip to England ... Problems with Blogger trying to post but I think Ive resolved it with a little help...The first shows one of the colourful flowerbeds in St James's Park,Central London.This next photo is near dusk looking from Nelson's Column down to Big Ben in the distant background.One thing I noticed that was very different between London and Nagoya was the quality of the light.It seemed clearer and sharper in London.Another shot of Lincoln Cathedral from the walls of the nearby Castle.Finally a photo of The Honest Lawyer pub in Scunthorpe.One of many venues on Saturday 5th May full of happy Scunthorpe United Football supporters from the four corners of the world celebrating the teams promotion.
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England Trip Part 1.
2007-05-13 14:36:00
What follows is a review of my recent trip to England .One of the highlights was being a spectator at the final game of the season between Scunthorpe and Carlisle on Saturday May 5th.After the game,Scunthorpe United was presented with the League One Champions Trophy and winners medals.Next season the team will play in the Championship for the first time in fourty odd years.A remarkable achievement considering the size of the club and its resources.I'll write more about it next week.Before the game I spent a few days in London before heading off to Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire.A slow six hour bus ride.I also visited Lincoln,an interesting spot about two hours from Scunthorpe by bus.
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London Museums and Other Attractions
2007-05-13 13:58:00
It goes without saying there are many museums and other attractions in London .Unlike Japan many of the museums are free to enter or merely suggest you give a small donation.Imperial War MuseumThe first museum I visited was the Imperial War Museum.It is devoted to conflicts in the twentieth century from World War One to the present day.From the battlefield to the homefront,from conscientious objectors to Holocaust victims the museum has a diverse number of displays.The IWM features a huge atrium displaying various tanks,missiles,guns and military hardware.Overhead WW1 and WW2 planes (such as a Camel and Spitfire) are suspended from the ceiling.Various floors are devoted to different conflicts e.g WW1,WW2,Post 1945 and theaters of war e.g the Home Front and the Gulf War with lots of uniforms and medals on display.Theres a WW1 trench display you can walk through and a Holocaust Exhibition which is harrowing and disturbing to view.Apart from the archive film playing,the display of shoes...
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Kew Gardens Kew Gardens in West Londo...
2007-05-13 13:36:00
Kew Garde ns Kew Gardens in West London contains the worlds most comprehensive botanical collection on earth within its 120 hectare grounds.As well as enormous hothouses containing palms,orchids and cacti there are specimen trees,seasonal walks and decorative flowerbeds.Last time I visited in winter the grounds were bare so it was great to revisit in late spring and see trees in leaf,drifts of bluebells and magnolias in bud.Victoria and Albert MuseumFinally I made a quick whistle stop tour of the V and A Museum which contains collections of decorative art and design.There are over 150 galleries containing such things as Chinese Ceramics,Rodin sculptures,jewellery,glass,metalware and clothes amongst other things.The two and a half hours I spent werent enough and I'll have to revisit it in the future.
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Lincoln City
2007-05-13 12:49:00
Lincoln,the county capital of rural Lincolnshire,Eastern England is dominated by a hilltop Gothic cathedral which overlooks the town centre below.As well as the Cathedral which featured in "The Da Vinci Code" there is a Norman Castle and steep streets lined with Tudor style buildings and a number of interesting museums.The Cathedral dates from Norman times and has three huge towers.There are various tours for visitors to take including a floor and roof guided tour.I took a roof tour which gave me an insight into how it was built as well as some great views of the city below and surrounding countryside.The Norman Castle nearby used used to house the city court and prison.Again,there are some great views of the centre and a chance to walk around the castle walls.Lincoln MuseumsA ten minute signposted walk from the castle finds you outside the Museum of Lincolnshire Life.The museum has an interesting mixture of collections and displays of life in Lincolnshire.Theres a domestic wing wit...
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Friday Flash...Back from Blighty
2007-05-11 06:35:00
Arrived back from England late last Wednesday after a whirlwind tour of London,Lincoln and Scunthorpe. Some photos I took while away with more to follow...Tube sign near the Houses of Parliament London.An exhibit from the ironware section of the Victoria and Albert Museum LondonOne of the glasshouses at Kew Gardens just outside London.Some Scunthorpe United players after the Carlisle game and presentation ceremony.Lincoln Cathedral in Lincoln probably best known for its appearance in the movie "The Da Vinci Code".
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