A Positive Blur

For shame, I have not been posting as much as I should be in recent times, but the past couple of weeks have rushed by so quickly, it's been hard to keep track of everything that's been going on. It seems like whenever I'm not studying, I'm at either going braindead watching drivel on the internet or attending a nomihodai/karaoke fest. So here's a brief rundown of some of the highlights that pop into my brain:

Nintendo World 2006
Baptiste and I travelled to the Nintendo World 2006 event at Intex Osaka to join the masses for their first taste of Wii (the first and last pun on the console's name I'm going to make). Hundreds had turned up, from all age ranges and usually with a DS in hand, queuing for hours to get their hands on the new machine for just a few minutes. Apart from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (3 hour queues and closed off by the time we got there), biggest attraction was Wii Sports, with most of the show floor taken up by the various minigames included in the package. I opted for WarioWare: Smooth Moves (ingenious), Super Mario Galaxy (return to form) and Sonic and the Secret Rings (fun but weightless), and our patience was rewarded. A lot of fun for Nintendo fanboys such as ourselves. Of course, now it's out in the US and only days from its Japanese and European release, writing about my experience feels somewhat redundant. Still, when I'll have a chance to play one properly again is uncertain.

Children of Men
I'm probably going to give this a more in-depth review on RoryView, but this is the first time I've been to the kinoplex since my arrival in Japan. Usually, it's 1800 yen a cinema ticket, but we have a ticket shop at Doshisha for discount concert/film/theatre tickets, as well as for flights and train journeys. So I got 500 yen off. The Kyoto Movix multiplex is pretty massive, and doesn't really reveal it's size from the exterior alone, as it's part of the covered arcades that run through Shijo. I got a little thrill using the escalators - at first I thought they didn't work, but as I approached, they powered up and started automatically! Wow!
After a little short animation, and trailers for that Kevin Costner - Ashton Kutcher sea rescue film and Casio Royale (in which Bond spells BOOBIES on a calculator to synth music), onto the main feature, Tomorrow World (as it is known in Japan - which makes more sense when you see the film, but still a rather generic silly replacement). And it is perhaps the best film I've seen this year. Truly excellent stuff, and well worth catching on a big screen for a more involving experience. As I said, proper review soon.

Arashiyama
The whole of Kyoto seemed to descend on Arashiyama in western Kyoto (that's the west of Kyoto, not a district home to cowboys and gunslingers) in the last weekend of November to catch the kouyou (autumnal leaves) before Jacobian Frosties and his Winter Minions strip the branches bare. The weather was a blessing and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. Stunning reds, oranges and yellows throughout the area, especially in Tenru-ji, which I had visited in the summer back in 2004, but looked amazing this time round. We spent hours walking about, snapping piccies like billy-o. We then ventured into the bamboo groves for a decidedly different but just as impressive natural spectacle. It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning - shame it only happens once a year.

Meeting Ayaka
Ayaka, who lived down the road from Flat 1, Whitfield St, with Hiroko, was back from Egypt (again), so I went to meet her at Shin-Osaka after her flight had arrived. Realising there was sod all to do in the local area, we headed to Kyoto to have a walk around the station area. We did a bit of shopping (got my dear mama a birthday present), spotted a few items I would purchase a couple of days later (a coat now that it is chillier, some ace Christmas cards and a cheap little Resident Evil 4 toy) and then we decided to take a peak at Kyoto Station's giant Christmas tree. As we went up the escalator, we were ushered onwards by...well, ushers, and realised we'd unwittedly walked into an open-air concert called 'Cool Beat in Kyoto' celebrating 15 years of a local radio station. We stuck around for a few songs from a lady and her drum accompanied by a Jerry Sadowitz lookalike on guitar. It culminated in an interesting singalong version of Close To You which took a good few minutes to get an iota of enthusiasm from the shivering crowd. We then decamped to a nearby Starbucks for hot chocolate and chit-chat before Ayaka left for Nagoya and I went back to Mukaijima.

Pool
As part of Doshisha's anniversary celebrations we had three extra days off, so myself, Baptiste, Aleksi, Dominik, Brett and Nic were in the mood for bowling on a rainy Monday afternoon. After my second lunch of the day, we headed to the bowling centre (via a couple of games of Mario Kart GP Arcade), but it was a bit too expensive. Instead, we settled on a few hours of pool, in which we all proved to each other we're all a bit rotten when it comes to hitting the balls, let alone potting them. Still, it was fun enough, and while we didn't get round to the darts tournament (I wanted it to be like Shenmue again), we will always have our time in the photo booth. It was a seated one this time round, but from the demo pics, it really looks as if it were designed for two petite Japanese girls and not large, strapping foreign folk such as ourselves. We crushed ourselves into the frame for several snaps, but when it finished, an error message appeared and we had to seek assistance from a member of staff - it looked like we broke the machine. However, it was only a minor technical hitch, but it meant that the machine had automatically selected our pics for us while we had been dilly-dallying. We added a few 'cosmetic' touches and out came our glorious pics. Our tomfoolery is now forever with the ages. We were then given a free chance each on a UFO Catcher game (those claw grabbing machines). Seriously, if you pay to play any of these you are an absolute tool. A real muppet. Probably with a nagging girlfriend, pleading that you spend £1 a go trying to get that A Nightmare Before Christmas/Winnie the Pooh/Lilo & Stitch pillow that's deliberately unreachable and/or stapled down to the bottom of the toy chamber. Toy Story is full of lies. No surprises, we didn't win anything.

Doshisha Eve
The main Imadegawa campus had been transformed into a mini music festival site as part of the 131st anniversary of Doshisha's founding. The big tree at the west entrance had been converted into a lit up Christmas tree, countless stalls peddling their food goods to every passer-by screamed for attention (I only gave into the fried ice-cream), classrooms were taken over by the university's many societies (though I didn't venture indoors) and two music stages vied for our attention. Rock was on the agenda for most of the acts, of wildly varying quality and stage presence. Best of the night was probably a nu-metal covers band, and while I didn't know any of the tracks (Parn recognised a couple), they put on a good show and had matching boiler suits (always a plus to see a band in uniform).

And now for a double bill of bizarre english. First from my old frying pan. Having developed a strange metallic taste in my mouth over the past months, I thought the cheap cooking utensils might have had something to do with it, but research suggests otherwise. Nevertheless, I bought a new frying pan with the base inscription "I will enjoy a delicious meal by new kitchen goods" repeated over and over in a circle, creating a strange hypnotic effect. However, my previous pan will always hold a special place in my heart for this winning blurb, accompanied by a kettle and a cup of tea with a lemon slice perched on the rim:

Roses
Practical cooking!
Tool collection to make you the best chef your dear one.

And finally, how could I let this delicious chocolate pass by without a purchase:


Now, it is supposed to be pronounced A-SE, and is apparently Italian for 'board' or 'plank' which still doesn't make it sound very appetising, but probably refers to the shape rather than the taste. And it is actually pretty tasty, as you'd expect from Morinaga. We spent a good portion of a lunch time asking each other if we wanted a piece my Asse, and so on and so forth. It seems toilet humour rules supreme - from Wii to Asse, eh? DAMN IT! Another pun on Wii! Ah well...

Pictures from some of these escapades can be seen on my Flickr page and Baptiste's own photo galleries.

In Review

This is just a quick post to point out that I have set up a fresh new blog to run alongside this one. RoryView (groan) is where I plan to review all the latest CDs, films, games, and the like that I consume on a regular basis. I've got quite a backlog of CDs I've been listening to (both purchased and rented from Tsutaya), so I hope to give my verdict on them all - well I am the host of London's best contemporary alternative Japanese pop and rock radio show! Well, maybe not best...but you get the idea. First up, I've reviewed the latest Polysics single. And be sure to check it regularly as I hope to review media and entertainment as frequently as I do my day-to-day existence...

Rory: Cultural Learnings of Japan for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of UK

Friday 3rd November - Nara

Today was Bunka no Hi (Culture Day), so what better way to spend it than a trip to Japan's former capital and home of really old things, Nara. Besides, it's only a quick trip from Mukaijima and we were meeting the SOAS contingent of Nagoya's Nanzan University for the weekend. We arrived in the afternoon and headed through Nara park towards the Todai-ji. The deer had seemed to disappear from my last visit, replaced with bustling crowds in town for the Shosojin Treasure exhibition displaying national treasures that only see the light of day for a brief period each year, and this being a national holiday, it seemed like everyone in Kansai was making the pilgrimage. We focused on seeing Nara's big attraction, the Todai-ji and its massive Daibutsu-den (Hall of the Great Buddha - pictured above), the largest wooden building in the world and only two thirds its original size as well. I came here in 2004 and still knew my way around, but was again impressed at the scale of everything. The lovely afternoon sun and autumnal colours were out in force, and the deer were now far more plentiful (though recently rendered antler-less). We met Mikael and Bobby inside the Daibutsu-den and then took a walk around the eastern side of the complex, climbing up to the balcony of the Nigatsu-do for sunset views of Nara. It was dark as we passed through Nara park to meet up with Lenka and then we all went out for a delicious okonomiyaki supper (mmm...Calpis Chu Hai and Pizza Okonomiyaki) with Aussies Natalie (from Doshisha) and Jarred.


We then descended upon the nearby Sega arcade for games of Street Fighter, Rockman 2, Air Hockey, Virtua Fighter 5 and Taiko no Tatsujin 8 (see Lenka and Baptiste getting into the beat above), before rounding it all off with a photo-sticker booth session. The whole procedure was very confusing and really pushed you to make quick decisions for photo selections, print methods and the like - at one point, we thought we weren't going to get any photos at all, but lo and behold, out they came and by golly are there some choice gurns and positions being pulled. Shortly after, we headed back to Kyoto, Lenka to Tal's place, Bob and Mike to Mukaijima, where we ate snacks and watched Space Travelers.

Saturday 4th November - Balls and Torii

My glittering football career continues apace! This time, Kenta and chums were playing in a football tournament taking place at the Kyotanabe campus as part of the Doshisha Sports Festival. Our team, Onahaku F.C. International (being the only non-Japanese player, I geuss I'm the 'international' part), was one of 32 competing in the two-day knock-out tournament at the campus, which is home to the large university sporting grounds. I hadn't been to Kyotanabe before, and it was a lovely agricultural area, with the campus itself comparatively massive to the Imadegawa one.

We were to play the first match of the day, so it was an 8am start to meet up with Kenta at Mukaijima station, even though are actual game did not begin until 11am. Nevertheless, we met up with other members of our team (some from last time, including the irrepressible Uza, others I hadn't met before), and started to do a bit of kick-about practice. Unfortunately, Brett, who can actually play football and does so in a team based in Osaka, was under the weather and couldn't make it, but we managed to get someone on temporary loan to fill the gap (it seemed that between match transfers were being employed by every team anyway). The pitch itslf was located at the top of the campus (near the horse-riding area and the inline-skating) and the astro-turf was a welcome change from the sandy baseball grounds of my previous match.

Again, I opted for right midfield. I figured that as the matches only lasted 15 minutes each this time round, that the match would be over before I got too knackered. I think I played a little better this time, and while my input had little bearing on the overall score, I was happy that we actually won this time, a convincing 2-1 victory. This time, I only picked up a minor injury from punting the ball too hard, causing a little bleeding from my right big toe, but nothing too traumatic. Our next game would not be until tomorrow, so I bid my team-mates adieu and headed back through Kyotanabe.

I had not realised that this weekend was a broader Kyotanabe festival at the campus, with the sports competitions and demonstrations just a small part of it. There was a music stage with a beatbox pop song covers group called FullTone perfoming and many Doshisha societies were running a variety of stalls. I stopped in my tracks when I saw a Chicken Kebab stall, with Japanese onlookers marvelling at the food preparation which I consider so matter-of-fact in the UK with the same kind of awe I probably feel when I see your average Japanese meal being prepared. It was 500 yen for not very much and I had to queue for 20 minutes, but it was so worth it and I had a nice little conversation with the Turkish guy running it.


I returned to Mukaijima and Bob, Mike, Baptiste and I decided to head to Fushimi Inari-taisha for a late afternoon/early evening stroll. Famous for its thousands of red torii lining up the mountain path and its numerous stone foxes, a walk up Mt. Inari at night is a thrilling atmospheric experience, like a ghost train without the "boo!"s, allowing you to fully appreciate the eerieness of it all. As we passed through the winding gates as it became dark, we stumbled across many small graveyards and shrines, encountered various cats and spiders and walked through an area not unlike Ewok village from Return of the Jedi.

We dropped back into reality when we ate at Shakey's again (can't beat pizza/pasta buffet) before an evening of bowling with Doshisha, Kyoto Gaidai and Nanzan students. The Japanese organisation of the bowling experience is perhaps more complex than a typical Pure 3 Maths question, as we had to be split up into two groups of 8, then into groups of 4, then into pairs. We were told that half of us would have to wait half-an-hour to play, but then we played at the same time on the same lanes anyway! Plus I had to get special shoes for my (comparatively) colossal feet. Nevertheless, we had a good time and I managed to get a few satisfying strikes.

Unfortunately, I'd been led to believe this was to be just the start of a heady evening of entertainment and that I wasn't going to sleep before my next footie game the next day (which kicked off at 9am). As a result, I deliberately missed the last train home, only to find the majority of people calling it a night and everyone us saying there was no plan afterwards all along. Downtrodden, those staying in Mukaijima walked from Shijo to Kyoto station (about 20 minutes) and got a taxi back home (which worked out as only 600 yen or so each).

Sunday 5th November - Fireworks on the Field

Well not literally, but with a lack of Guy Fawkes festivities, I was going to explode on the pitch - a soccer explosion that is! Unfortunately, it isn't ideal waking up at 6am on a weekend morning, and much of the time getting ready was panicking about not being able to get in touch with LiLiang. He'd been at the bowling the night before and had promised to play this morning, but was not responding on his mobile, room phone or room buzzer (it later turned out he had missed the last train back and had to stay with one of our classmates - but again, player transfer was easy). Brett was coming, but a difficult train journey meant he was running late.

Nevertheless, the team got themselves psyched up for round two. It was a very warm morning (warmer than any November morning had a right to be - you could see the wibbly waves of heat at pitch level). We played to our best abilities this time around, but it was not as easy a match as last time. Brett arrived a few minutes before the end of another brief game with the final score 1-1. Penalty time - eep.

Either out of politeness or foolishness, they nominated me to take the 5th crucial penalty. As my time approached, both teams had seen all their shots hit the back of the sack. No pressure then. I stepped up to the plate, positioned the ball, and turned to face the goalmouth. And so worried was I that I'd miss the goal entirely, I decided to play it safe - and pretty much passed the ball to the keeper. Hnnnnnn...oops! Never mind. I returned to my team-mates who were supportive of my crapness; besides the game wasn't over yet. Our opponents' turn...and they miss! Joy of joys, and sighs of relief all round. Now it was captain Kenta's turn. He runs up, kicks...and the keeper saves! Oh dear. And when the other team scored their next penalty, it was all over. At least our loss wasn't completely my fault, and I guess if our team captain couldn't score, then I can't be expected to do much better, right? Though admittedly Kenta's shot was far better.

We were out of the tournament, but spent the rest of the morning kicking about some more. Brett joined in the game following ours, and we stormed the pitch every time there was a gap between matches or one of the halves was taken up with another penalty shoot-out. We even squeezed in another full fledged friendly with another team in between official games, which was far more enjoyable with the pressure off. It was a good morning's entertainment and exercise and I still had the rest of the day to do absolutely nothing - what else are weekends for?

Be sure to check out MyFlickr photos in My Links for more Nara and Fushimi piccies!

Ghoulish

While Halloween is recognised in the UK as an excuse to watch horror movies, buy fake blood and indulge in childish shenanigans, it is celebrated on a greater scale in Japan, with seemingly every shop taking on a supernatural theme. My personal favourite was the giant inflatable vampire Mickey Mouse outside the Neo Mart in Shijo, complete with cape and pointy fangs. Try telling the kids that their favourite Disney mascot has become a blood-sucking Lord of the Undead - though admittedly, he has done far worse; how's about raping a snowman while Goofy does the nasty with Minnie?

Two Halloween parties were on the agenda this year, with the first being held for residents at Mukaijima Gakusei Center and Kyoiku Daigaku students. Looking around the shops for costumes proved somewhat fruitless, with few under the 3000 yen mark (£15 for a novelty item of clothing I will wear twice?). Among the ghosts and witches, there were some particularly Japanese cozzies, with Ringu-esque wig and robe kits, and, of course, Hard Gay accessories (if you don't know who I mean by that, don't be afraid to click the link, as it is mostly innocent).

I decided to create my own costume, and thanks to the local 100 yen shop, my total costume price amounted to around 400 yen total. I give you the most evil medical practitioner known to humankind...Michael Jackson's plastic surgeon. The outfit consisted of a shirt and tie (already owned), a raincoat, a red permanent marker (for blood splatters), pinhole glasses (to make reading/watching TV/driving/etc. less harsh on the eyes) and driving gloves with the fingers snipped off. All in all, I think it was a very effective costume indeed.

I had already helped make a couple of decorations for the party - a couple of pink pumpkins (the orange paint had run out), which were displayed on the wall as we entered the hall near Sumizome station. There were familiar faces (a bunch of fellow Doshisha amigos plus Taavi, Risto and Marcus) and many unfamiliar ones too (I was surprised to see adults and small children present for what I expected to be more of a student shindig). Anyway, there was lots of food and punch to keep us happy and while not a lot happened, apart from someone turning off the lights mid-munching, it was a good try-out of my costume for a bigger party on actual Halloween organised by Kyoto Gaidai at an underground bar called Den-en near Sanjo.

While the food and drink was a complete rip-off, most of Kyoto's costumed youth appeared to be gathered here. The Nightmare Before Christmas played on a big screen, people posed in their spooky get-ups and various party games were organised, including a rock, paper, scissors tournament and bingo (after a disastrous start I was one away on two different lines, but, alas, those numbers forever eluded me). Highlight of the evening were the two live bands, one playing mellow jazz and the next playing some groovy funk, followed by good ole party standards like Johnny B. Goode. I got my groove on, I can assure you - it was like the Enchantment Under The Sea Dance all over again! Then came the costume competition, which I entered but failed to even make the audience judging round! I mean, it wasn't the best, but it was certainly the cheapest and completely home-made! Surely there must be some kind of achievement prize for that! Never mind...Tal and Anthony were runners up for their samurai garb, so I guess that's some consolation. Of couse, no-one can compete against a transvestite - particularly when he had the uninitiated completely fooled.

You can view my Halloween party pics on my Flickr page. Halloween is also central to my Engrish of the week. While scouting for costumes, nestled next to the official Jason Voorhees Friday the 13th hockey masks were unofficial imitations that chose a rather roundabout way of differentiating themselves from their inspiration:

FRIDAY 13 DAY
KILLER MAN MASK
SHOCKING HORROR
THIS PRODUCT
GLOWS IN THE DARK

And as an extra special treat, I knocked out a new movie edit on YouTube. I downloaded footage of Biohazard 4D-Executer, a 3D thrill ride a la Terminator 2: 3D, or maybe Captain EO, based on the Resident Evil series. It was entertaining to watch, even if the CG is rather basic by today's standards, and it probably loses its impact on a little 2D screen. Neverthless, I've cut it up with the Gorillaz track 'M1 A1', which features samples from George A. Romero's Day of the Dead (see what I did there?). It's no Cheeky or Bouncy, but it only took me an hour, and for that I think it's fine.

NOTE: Said movie has been removed from YouTube for Copyright Infringement. Oopsie-daisy!

Such Sights To Show You

Here's a selection of images I have gathered from the past month and a half of my time in Kyoto that defy categorisation, logic and explanation. But despite all this, I'm going to try my darndest to make sense of them all. Give them a click to enlarge (reminds me of some spam I've received before).

I tells ya, you try to start a conversation with a lady and she just freezes up and ignores you. It's like Mannequin all over again! Just joshing of course. This was at the Nishijin Textiles Center, which was informative but had some bizarre elements, namely the kimono show. Hordes of camera-toting tourists gathered round the catwalk to see kimono-clad models walk a bit, smile enigmatically, stare into middle distance and walk off. I didn't know how to react - do I smile politely at them? Should our eyes make contact? I just found the whole experience rather strange (plus fellow Doshisha student Josh was convinced one of them was really a guy).

This is the Godzilla statue outside the local entertainment emporium. Its such a strange, brilliant shop. I've only bought a YMO CD off them, which I had to quickly return (this being Japan, it was a Super Audio CD, only compatible with special Sony players, but, of course, this being Japan, where customer service is top priority, I got a full refund), but it is purchase haven. CDs, DVDs, comics, capsule toys and a vast library of console games from all makes and eras (the Super Famicom corridor is something to behold), and all at competitive prices. But past the card games section, it reveals a further section, with clothes, arcade machines, imported action figures, and guns and ammunition (well, the BB variety). It's certainly worth a trip for anyone around Mukaijima way.

The front gate of Doshisha always has big painted boards advertising upcoming events which always catch the eye, none more so than 21th Century F.B.I., concerning films about everyone's favourite alien-chasing bureau. Someone could make a fortune proof-reading English in Japan, but it would make it all less fun, wouldn't it?

The Shijo covered arcades are weirdness central. What better way to demonstrate than Colonel Sanders outside the KFC (or just 'Kentucky' as it's predominantly known in Japan), dressed in samurai attire.

Or how about Mr. Giraffe Man, advertising the nearby Cybex internet den? We first saw the giraffe outside without a man inside, just resting by the building. It was only some weeks later that we realised it was a costume, and the giraffe could go walk about. I love how his little legs don't really fit the rest of the character.

Unfortunately, this photo isn't so clear, but it is a lit up sign for a very scary looking hair-dresser. In tight white suit and pink-orange hair, he looks like he was kicked out of the Scissor Sisters for being too camp. Would you let this man near your head? The sign does attract attention, but everyone who passes just points and laughs, so I don't know how he keeps in business. I assume it's all a front for some seedier operation, but I'm never going up those stairs for a look.

And finally, a pic of me in an electronics shop, playing Everybody's Tennis on PS2 through some telly-specs, which were glitchy, not especially comfortable and tricky to view the entire screen with. Another case of technology before technique, but it makes me look like a member of Polysics, so I enjoyed it anyway.

In other news, I'm referenced on the Adam and Joe Xfm Podcasts! Download episodes 4 and 5, and while my voice isn't featured, I get namechecked at the end of the former and start of the latter. I had phoned into Crap Commentary Corner, where they play an excerpt from a DVD commentary and you have to name the film and people speaking. As it was Resident Evil, I knew immediately, phoned in and won. Then I had an in-depth conversation with Joe about zombies and Resident Evil 4 at which point he said "Let's meet tonight at the Virgin Megastore Piccadilly Circus". Later on in the show, they joked about meeting up with me later and I thought I'd text to see if they were serious. No reply, but me and Pete went along anyway as I wanted to buy a few CDs. No show, but no real disappointment.

The following week I think I went back to Somerset, but listening to the subsequent podcast a year later, it turns out that wasn't the end of it. In podcast 5, Joe says that he feels bad he didn't meet up with me. Apparently, not only did he get my following text, but other listeners texted in to ask if we had met up! He then asks "Rory, if you're listening, please call in" - but that week I wasn't listening...oh, what could have been! Never mind - at least I am forever enshrined on the podcasts...and I will be sure to make reference to it next time I enter a competition. That's if the show is on when I'm back in London. Anyway, be sure to check out podcasts 4 and 5, but it's worth listening to them all, as they are funny shows indeed (especially Joe's diatribe on R. Kelly's In The Closet single soap opera).