福岡 と 温泉

Well have just spent a pleasant weekend in Fukuoka and visited Kikuchi Gorge.

It was interesting going around Fukuoka again as although I had been there quite a few times I hadnt seen much of the city so it was nice to get a better feel of it. I think its going to be a very important Japanese city as the years go by due to its proximity to mainland asia. It has already received massive investment and has changed dramatically over the last few years. A good tip for the top.

Having now travelled quite a lot around Japan, I now have a clearer idea of regional identities and particularly Kyushu regional identity. One gets the impression of immense homogeneity of Japan when you arrive, that there is no real difference between peoples of north and south, east or west. Even some Japanese people i have met have struggled to define their regional identity. But it is definitely there, partially masked by the incredible centralization of Tokyo, lack of regional autonomy and Japanese mindset. I have always found regional identities important as I think they complement rather than demean national identity and show the cultural richness and diversity of a nation. Living in France I was very interested by the strong regional characters of the Bretons, people from alsace lorraine and Provence (not to mention the Corsicans, but thats a different story.) I think strong regional identity furnishes confidence and pride and I dont think its any surprise then that Osakans who have one of the most clear cut regional identities in Japan are also seen as the most outgoing and friendly.

One thing that I have noticed about travelling around the cities of Japan, well actually everywhere in Japan that there is a certain sleepiness, despite the frenetic pace of change that pervades this country. This is particualrly noticable the further you are from the Tokyo- Osaka urban belt. Kyushu is sleepy and shikoku I am led to believe is even sleepier hooked on temazapan. However it was intiguing that even when I was central tokyo staying next to the emperors palace that it felt quite empty a bit like the void in the centre of a hurricane. Here I was in the centre of one of the most bustling urban megalopolises in the world standing at the very heart of Japan and it seemed eerily calm. Is this something telling?

But now on to Steven Seagall (sorry bout spelling). There is an enormous poster of him in Kumamoto near where I live. Swathe, smooth and sophisiticated he sits casually in an exquisite velvet suit, he seems the very height of sophisitication and class. Then, one eyes wander to the adjacent photo on the poster and one sees.... thousands of mushrooms that look surprisingly like willies. Above the caption reads Steven Seagall loves Mushrooms. Buy Buy Buy buy!
Well maybe not literally but that is the message, but in a world where materialism has usurped any kind of meaningful religion Steven Seagall is the god of mushrooms, Collina is the god of profiteroles and Bae bum yon bumhole is the god of virtually everything else.

I hate Bae bum yon bumhole (of whose name i have never been able to pronounce but anyone who knows Winter Sonata soap will inderstand who i am talking about.) He seems to be everywhere, on books, tv, down toilets, in drains, everywhere! He resembles something of an asian weedy harry potter turned overnight sex god. Asian middle aged women are seen around bookshops fancifuilly staring at magazines dedicated to cult of Bae bum yon bumhole. You can even now by an A3 sized book for the price of a small developing country dedicated to pictures of him as "the psychic and traveler". Its unlikely that they will have a photo issue of him dedicated to the "cheesy knobber" or his "cabbage smelling farts" but i hope to publish about one soon.

ps anyone who is living in Japan go to Kinokuniya and buy Japan. A Reinterpretation by Patrick Smith, its a great read.

Sorry!

Sorry for the lapse in blogging. I guess I just havent had the urge recently. Well theres a lot to talk about now!

I have just had a very busy nine days touring extensively around japan with my parents. I flew to Tokyo from Kumamoto the friday before last arriving sometime in the morning. The first thing that struck me about the city is its size. Its enormous! A vast megalopolis that seems to go on forever. We spent two days there but i felt i only saw a mere smidgen of the city, i think you need to allow quite some time to do the place some justice. We stayed right next to the emperors palace. I was hoping to catch the emperor taking a dump or something next door but to my disapointment I caught not a glimpse. Visited some excellent museums, monstrously tall buildings and a giant gaijin bar called Roppongi. Also dined in the oldest Yakkitori in Ginza street. To visit Tokyo maybe a megalopolis but maybe to live there it would become a bit of a smegalopolis because its too darn huge for me. Despite being very much the centre of the Japanese world it also seemed to have a different spirit of its own and a vibe i hadnt encountered before in Japan. More dynamic, insanely busy and where a gaijin doesnt stand out so much.

Then on to skiing in Niigata prefecture, staying in a delightful Ryokan or traditional Japanese guesthouse. We our own maid who couldnt have been much taller than an oompah lumpah and who had mastered the art of hobbling, bowing and hobbling and bowing at the same time. She also served us a banquet in our own private room with special menu and name banner. Much food was eaten including an balonie that was cooked alive in front of our eyes. Poor creature! Much sake was also consumed much of it some of the best sake i have ever tasted.


Skiing was remarkably easy for me to pick up after eleven years. It just seemed to click back quite naturally where i had left off. Although i did get rather cocky and tried a black run which i managed to complete after about an hour. Also met the famous folk singer Kayama whom we had our photo taken with. I didnt press him about my own singing career obviously as i didnt want to give him an inferiority complex.

Then on to Hiroshima and the peace park. Hiroshima has a very nice atmosphere similiar to that of Nagasaki. The peace park is an extremely comprehensive museum and can leave you a little emotionally overwhelmed but is well worth the visit.　Gave my parents a quick stop at Kumamoto and had delightful dinner with my friend Miwa and her parents, then on to Nara for the night and bid farewells in Osaka from where I went back to Kumamoto with a shopping stop in Fukuoka....Phew! I think i will never again have taken so many trains (and so many good trains at that) in such a short space of time unless i interail on the ネコ　バス ((nekko bus)　to the moon!