Christmas Holidays

I guess I had planned on coming home for Christmas for quite some time now. This is in fact the longest time I have been away from home; almost 16 months now. But just after I had definitely decided to go home I found out that a friend was getting married in late June in Ireland. So I was faced with a dilemma. Go home for Christmas and miss my friends wedding, a guy who I lived with in 3 different houses over a period of many years. Or go home twice. I decided on the latter, which meant sacrificing most of my holidays going back home to Ireland as opposed to taking advantage of traveling Asia while I am here (again). So I went and bought my ticket home; December 15th to January 6th.

About a month after buying the ticket I found out that another friend was going to get married in mid June! I knew that I didn't have enough holidays left to go for a 3 week holiday at Christmas and a 3 week holiday in June. So again I was faced with another dilemma.

I decided to cancel my trip home at Christmas and go home for a 3 week holiday next June instead, catching the first wedding just as I arrive in Ireland and the second just before I leave again.

I'm disappointed that I won't get to see many of my friends and family this Christmas. I was looking forward to some spending time in Limerick, Galway and of course Kilkenny. My eldest brothers' three daughters are growing up fast, and another sister-in-law is due to have her first baby in January. I was really hoping to see her before she gave birth. All will have to wait until next June.

On a positive note, I've decided to travel to Taiwan for the Christmas and New Year with a mad Irish man from Kerry. We're going to go hiking for a bit and then return to Taiwan for the celebrations. Hopefully it's going to be warmer there than in Akita. We are expecting it to start snowing here in a week or so.

Ringo Bushi

This is my shamisen teacher, Kuroki sensei, playing ringo bushi (りんご節). This is the latest song he is teaching me. This song is an Aomori song; ringo means apple, bushi means song. Aomori is the most northern prefecture in Honshū, and it is famous for apple orchards.

The 9th Ladies Roller Hockey World Championship

The what??

The rather small town of Ouchi where I work was recently catapulted into the world spotlight as the Roller Hockey World Championship took place here. Twelve countries entered in this prestigious event; Japan, South Africa, Argentina, USA, England, Macau, Spain, Portugal, Chile, France and India. The competition took place from October 5th to 11th at the main gymnasium in Ouchi, Yurihonjo.

As my main school is only 5 minutes away from the gym, I decided to go see what all the hype was about. It was the perfect way for me to figure out just what in fact roller hockey was. Many of my co-workers were asking me if I knew what it was, they also had never heard of this strange sport before.


But as a sport it is actually quite interesting to watch. It's very fast, and does seem to require a good deal of skill. Perhaps I liked it because it had many similarities to hurling... if you use your imagination!! The players were even taking the ball up on their stick before striking at goal.

Not too many people outside a few family members had come with the teams, so the gym was never full. And there wasn't even an entry fee. We went to watch the final too. Portugal were beaten by Spain in the final 3 goals to 1.

Zazen

During my first visit to Japan in 2005, I visited a zendo in Hiroshima to try zazen for my first time. I enjoyed it, even though it was quite difficult. At the time, I only got the chance to go to that zendo once. Last weekend I got to go to Chokai-san International zendo (鳥海山国際禅堂), in Yashima, for my second encounter with zazen. The zendo is only about 40 minutes drive from my apt, so I really don't know why I hadn't gone sooner!

We arrived just in time to share dinner with the zazen master, Sato-san and his wife Mariko. Both these people are among the nicest you could meet. Sato-san is a peaceful, jolly man, and Mariko the caring mother type. Both also had a satisfying level of English for easy communication.


After dinner we had a rest period before the meditation was to begin. I took the time to read an English version of the instructions to refresh what I had learned in Hiroshima. Emphasis is put on how you walk in the Zendo, when and where to bow, and how you sit during the meditation, the latter being the most difficult by far. You are provided with a round cushion to sit on. The correct way to sit is to have 3 main points of contact with the ground; your butt, and both knees. Obviously having your ass touch the ground is not a problem, but having both knees is! If you can sit in the full lotus position, this will not be an issue. I, unfortunately, struggle with even the half lotus position.

So while trying to tie my legs into knots – while remaining silent! – I remembered that while in Hiroshima I had the same problem, and was given two cushions before I could get both knees to touch the ground. But... the teacher had left at this stage, so I was going to have to soldier on with just the one. I managed as best I could with two points of contact, with the other right knee refusing to touch the ground, with what resembled magnetic repulsion!


While meditating, you face a wall and are instructed to keep your eyes slightly open while looking down at a 45º angle, while not focusing on any particular point. And just concentrate on savoring every breath. The objective is to quieten the mind. But this is a very difficult thing to do. In fact, in this quite environment, the mind seems to work overtime. Thinking of everything and anything; a thought from earlier in the day, a feeling from last week, or a forgotten memory from 15 years ago!

And while the memories are flooding your mind, your legs encourage you not to forget about them. They do this in a number of ways, first are uncomfortable, then they tingle, then they throb. And your back is sore because the muscles are not used to supporting your back so straight. So it slowly curls down and down until you finally realise, and try to correct it, but each time you do correct it, you can't straighten it as much as the last time, and eventually you just give up altogether. Meanwhile you eyes have become heavy because of the relaxation, and the fact you are in a dimly lit room is not helping matters. And all this time your mind is constantly trying to guess how long you have been in this awkward position, and more importantly, how much longer you must endure it. You knew when you started that it was going to be a 30 min session, so you have been trying to keep track of the time, not an easy thing to do. Your logical mind says maybe 20 minutes, while your evil mind flashes up a clock showing only 7 minutes have past.

Finally the bell rings. And it's the sweetest sounding bell you have ever heard! You release your legs and then can fully appreciate how much pain you were actually in. And after you lift your dead legs with your hands and direct them towards the sandals you wore when walked in, the pins-and-needles party starts! You struggle to your feet, still remaining silent of course, and follow the master in a slow and mediating walk around the zendo and out. At which point your legs are back to normal, and for some reason you feel peaceful and very proud of what you just accomplished.


That night I slept on the same place as we had mediated, and dreamt dreams that were nowhere as peaceful as I had felt before going to bed. We awoke the next morning to the sound of the bell, that no longer sounded sweet, at 5:30 in the morning. We had another meditation session at 6am. I managed to get 3 points of contact for most of the session. After having breakfast with Sato-san, he left us saying he had some work to do. He told us to stay as long as we liked, just requesting we close the doors as we left. We decided to go for one more session before departing.

I do like zazen. I think once I become more competent at sitting in the correct position it will become much more enjoyable. I have practiced a few times at home since then, and am finding the sitting easier, though I'm not quite able for the full lotus position just yet. I hope to return to the zendo again soon.

Shaken

When I arrived in Japan, over 14 months ago now, I bought my car from my predecessor, who in turn had bought it from his predecessor, who had bought it second hand. So for the past 7 years the same car has been going to the same schools in Ouchi every day.

I own a 1995, 2 door Subaru Impreza coupe, 1.4 . Now the image that comes to your mind when you read the words Subaru Impreza is probably the rally car, at least that's what first came to my mind. It's far from what I own however! Now being over 13 years old, and having been involved in numerous accidents while in the ownership of my predecessors, it's starting to look tired!


Last week my motor-vehicle inspection test, or shaken (車検), was due. Shaken is the equivalent of NCT in Ireland. Its purpose is also to ensure that cars on the road are safe. There are however some fundamental differences. The main one being: cost.

The cost of the NCT in Ireland is €49 (¥7,600). But this is just the cost of the actual test and does not include the cost of service or repairs in order to pass the actual test. The NCT centres do not make any repairs, they simply carry out the test, and you either pass or fail. In Japan, when you get shaken both are done together. You can however take your car there before hand and get an estimate of how much it will cost, this estimate takes a day but is free of charge. The usually cost of shaken, however, is usually between ¥100,000 and ¥150,000 (€650 and €970), and usually takes 2 days.

The following is my translation of my receipt.

Vehicle inspection	¥	13,900
Cleaning and painting the under of the car	¥	16,000
* Discount because I requested no painting	¥	-7,413
Engine oil & change	¥	4,500
Oil filter & installation	¥	1,700
Preservation verification inspection	¥	9,000
Brake oil & change	¥	2,600
Brake cleaner	¥	1,500
unspecified part replacement	¥	1,000
Exhaust pipe repair	¥	20,000
New sparkplugs & installation	¥	3,280
Fan & A/C belt & installation	¥	3,300
Thermo unit	¥	500
3 second hand tyres & installation	¥	7,500
Disposal cost of old tyres	¥	900
Weight tax	¥	37,800
Compulsory Insurance	¥	22,470
Shaken sticker	¥	1,100
A representation fee	¥	5,000
Association costs for private use	¥	1,200
General excise tax	¥	3,913
Consumer tax	¥	250
	========
Grand total	¥	150,000

Oh but I did get given a box of laundry power and a pack of tissues after paying, so I guess that evens things out!

Water

As most of you know already, I worked in Dargan Healthfoods for about 4 years after I finished college. I always really enjoyed working there; the staff and my bosses were great people to work with, and have remained good friends of mine. Another thing I really liked about working there was learned about all the herbs and vitamins, and alternative ways of living. And if I were to pick the one most useful thing I learned during my time there it would have to be drink more water!

It is definitely the best information I learned for myself and was able to give to people. Unfortunately it was also the one piece of information which I think people had the least amount of belief in. Why? Well, probably because it sounds too easy, and because it doesn't cost anything! People, in my experience, put way to much value in things that cost a lot of money, and sometimes overlook the basic free things in life. Many are happier going to expensive specialists and paying huge amounts of money for a new drug that has just been released (read: you are going to be a guinea pig for this new drug!). Countless times we would speak to people in the shop who said they had tried everything for their specific condition; tried all the orthodox medicine, and gone to the most expensive specialists. But nothing had worked for them, and as a last resort they decided to try the alternative angle. Often we would talk with these people about their lifestyle and find major flaws; drinking 10 cups of coffee a day, not eating vegetables, or not moving their bowels. And with slight and simple changes we often achieved positive results with many of these people.


So my whole point here is drinking water is a simple everyday process that can lead to a much healthier life. Everybody has heard at some stage that you should drink 8 glasses of water a day. But most people have never even tried it. If you wanted to see if it actually makes a difference to you, you should try drinking 2 litres of water a day, every day, for 2 weeks. After that time you can make a valid decision, for yourself, whether it makes a difference in your life or not. An important note is not to drink over 3 litres a day for a sustained period of time, as this much water washes water soluble vitamins from the body.

But I'll have to go to the toilet more often!
Yes you will, but after a while your bladder will accustom itself to receiving the amount water, and stabilise itself. Your body will be able to detoxify itself better, and many things in your life will improve. Your concentration and sleeping patterns will improve, your mood will be lighter, and you will have more energy.

In Japan, people do not seem to drink much water!
In the offices that I work in at least, there is no water filter! There is a coffee machine and a water boiler which people use to make green tea. So I keep a bottle at work and fill it from the tap. Unfortunately however, most of my colleagues drink mostly coffee all day. One of my Japanese teachers of English (JTE), the teachers I work with, drinks 6 cups of coffee a day, no water but occasionally one cup of green tea. Many people argue that coffee is good for you. That may be so, personally I'm not convinced - and definitely when people add white sugar to each cup, they are also adding many health risks. (I’m not going to go into the known health risks of white sugar here.) Coffee is a diuretic, which means it takes water from your system. Water, on the other hand gives water to your body.

My JTE suffers from constipation, and regularly takes medicine to alleviate this. One of the primary causes of constipation is lack of water. If the stools are not moist they cannot move. I have encouraged her many times to drink water, unfortunately she didn't try for more than 2 or 3 days. Not enough to have an effect. It's a pity she didn't give it a real try.

I wonder how many people are suffering because they are dehydrated.

Regatta 2008

On Monday 15th September 2008 the annual regatta for amateur rowers took place at Aquapal Boat Plaza in Honjo. Our Board of Education entered 3 mens, and 2 ladies teams. In total there were 54 mens teams and 19 ladies teams. Our team name was Aburakoji Guys. Aburakoji is just where our BoE is located. There are 5 members in a rowing team, 4 rowers and a coxswain. The coxswain sits in the back of the boat facing in the direction the boat moves and gives us instructions, all the rowers face the opposite way. I was in stroke position, which is just in front of the coxswain. On my team was Takafumi (Japanese), Jon (Canadian), David (Tasmanian) and Brett (American). We had about 6 practices before the competition, which was a 50% increase on the amount of practices we had last year!


In our first race there were 3 boats, and we needed to finish in the top 2 to qualify. Despite me getting my oar stuck in the water at the start of the race and almost dragging the boat underwater, we managed to recover and passed out a much slower boat to finish in 2nd place. So we progressed to the next round, though we were going to face much stronger teams from there. For our 2nd race we were supposed to be in a 3 boat race, but one boat did not turn up. This was a very good thing for us as we needed to finish in the top 2 again to progress. But obviously we wanted to win our race. And as the gun fired and we had a very strong start we quickly pulled into the lead. However another oar got stuck, not mine this time. But as that rower was sorting that problem out, his seat came off the rails... so we were going nowhere fast! Eventually when we did get going again, we accepted the fact that there was no way we were going to catch the other boat, and laughed and acknowledged how lucky we were that the 3rd boat hadn't turned up!


After having progressed from a awful last round we were finally in a race with 4 boats. We were also racing against another boat from our BoE. Before the race Jon and myself studied the previous race times of the boats involved in our next race. We needed to make a 6 second improvement on our first race time to be in with a real chance. I was hoping that my mistake may have lost us close to that, unfortunately I was wrong. For out final race we gave a very good performance, we beat the other BoE team, but were far from catching the much stronger 2 boats in that race. Had we finished in the top 2 we would have advanced to the semi finals, where we would have been embarrassed!

Our best time, over 500m, was 2:17. The overall best time in the competition was 2:02.

One of the ladies teams however, made it to the final! Two of the ladies, Amelie and Sophie, were on the same team as me last year when I was coxswain for them. They showed amazing strength and speed in the 2 rounds before the final, finishing in 1st position both times, and by a long way! They started strong in the final race too, but one boat gained a sizable lead. The ladies were neck and neck with 2nd/3rd position for the majority of the race, as the last boat seemed to lag way behind. But in the final stretch the last boat steamed forward and with a very tight finish between the 3 boats our ladies were robbed and finished in 4th position. Overall it was an excellent display from a very competent team, who were all very pleased with their performance.

Their best time was 2:27 with overall best time in the ladies at 2:22.

During the day the BoE had a tent by the river, and they cooked us lunch and gave us drinks. And after we took down the tents at the end of the day we all went out for dinner and more drinks.