tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315849142012-02-17T03:58:21.094+09:00Land of Divine Winds; Born Again Barbarian; Turning Japaneseeyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.comBlogger341100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-32290253832287017372008-07-25T18:55:00.002+09:002008-07-25T19:05:23.246+09:00

Just in case anyone was wondering,  my blog is now here. Come take a look.

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-33316482007988526122008-02-16T01:49:00.005+09:002008-04-16T22:49:17.912+09:00

Super Happy Random TripAfter a brief trip to Australia in November last year, to visit friends and family, I returned to Japan and embarked upon another little trip. This trip, like many of my trips in the past, was completely random. I had not made a single hotel reservation in advance; had not checked bus and train prices, or times; and I wasn't even sure where I wanted to go. All I knew was I

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com333tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-39549759067512941242008-01-17T23:46:00.000+09:002008-01-20T23:55:44.771+09:00

Some of you may remember that not so long ago I visited the port city of Shiminoseki where, being the risk-taker that I am, I risked my life by eating the local delicacy, fugu.Shiminoseki has another famous local delicacy, not life-threatening but very controversial. If I were to tell you that late last year a certain fleet of Japanese ships set sail from Shiminoseki bound for the Antarctic Ocean

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-78775252030161285442007-12-31T14:26:00.000+09:002008-01-18T17:27:27.102+09:00

So ends 2007. For the Japanese it was the 19th year of the Heisei era, and also the year of the wild boar. For myself, as for many of you, it was a year of change; of mistakes made and lessons learnt; and of big decisions. Some were difficult, others heartbreaking. When I think back to this time last year, I can’t help but shake my head in amazement.There were, in fact, plenty of good times.

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-59030177351437226112007-12-21T14:06:00.001+09:002007-12-21T14:06:50.079+09:00

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-9131473534743661782007-12-01T01:25:00.000+09:002008-01-18T17:31:57.436+09:00

Well that was quick. A week in Australia--in Newcastle, in Sydney--and before I know it I'm here typing this in a tiny internet cafe booth (1x2M) in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The booth, by the way, is also my accommodation for the night, costing about AU$12.No more meat pies. No more roast dinners or legs of lamb on the barbie. No more schooies, no more middies, and definitely no more punting. The best

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-22732746501004764212007-11-14T17:31:00.000+09:002008-01-18T17:33:42.070+09:00

So I went to Ganryujima the other day, a place I had been wanting to go to for quite some time. It's a tiny island off the port city of Shiminoseki, famous throughout Japan and among martial arts enthusiasts the world over, though many don't know where it is. Luckily for me, it is not so far from where I live, taking about two hours by train and ferry to get there.But why is it famous, and why

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-58812590627586497452007-10-20T02:15:00.000+09:002008-01-18T17:40:14.025+09:00

What the hell have you been doing? you ask.Let me tell you. NOVA, the 英会話 (= eikawa = English conversation…yes I’m showing off because I’ve just learned how to use—intentionally—Japanese script on my computer) company I work for is now insolvent and about to collapse. It all started earlier this year with the media reporting (not falsely) that there had been a huge number of student complaints

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-42087096382295373562007-08-14T02:51:00.000+09:002008-01-18T17:44:47.713+09:00

The life of a foreigner in Japan is at times a double-edged samurai sword. The Japanese, it must be said – and I’m sure it’s been noted by many others before me – are one of the most proud and prejudiced peoples in the modern world, and foreigners here, like foreigners elsewhere, will from time to time come up against some form of discrimination. Oddly enough foreigners from western countries

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-47947409429278486662007-08-01T21:36:00.000+09:002008-01-18T17:47:12.170+09:00

After posting about my recent travels I've realised something: In the year or so that I've been blogging I haven't actually posted a great deal about the city I've been living in for the past two and a half years. Clearly this is an injustice of the highest order and one which cannot be allowed to continue. And it won't. Starting from now I'll be doing a series of posts which highlight exactly

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-66886614121423143312007-07-12T18:55:00.000+09:002008-01-18T17:47:44.969+09:00

Mongolia was a mixed bag. My time there (5 days) was both enjoyable and, owing to some typically half-assed planning on my part and a bit of bad luck, a waste. I spent three days in the capital city, Ulaan Baatar (or UB as the locals call it) which was about two and a half days too many. It's a poor city with poor people, thus making the astounding abundance of banks and currency exchange

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-829603374083845552007-06-29T14:49:00.000+09:002008-01-18T17:48:30.516+09:00

I've been tagged! For those of you who don't know, this means that I've been set a task by a fellow blogger. That blogger is Paz, and the task, as you can see above, is for me to disclose 8 random things about myself.Now far as I can tell, from what I've seen in the past, I'm supposed to begin with a few mildly condescending remarks as to why I don't normally do this kind of thing. However, as

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-61683074540804549832007-06-15T13:45:00.000+09:002008-01-18T17:49:56.678+09:00

As the Confucius-sounding saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Be thankful then that I have for you here 55 photos, not 55,000 words, beautifully written though they would have been. Of course I couldn't resist entirely. And so there are a few notes of explanation scattered throughout. Marco Polo Bridge. 700 years ago this bridge greatly impressed Mr Polo. Said he: "It is a very

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-9268253882056267422007-05-29T01:34:00.000+09:002008-01-18T17:50:49.042+09:00

I won't even try to write about everything I got up to, it'd take forever. But I will post some pics, starting with those I took in Seoul.Seoul, I'm sad to say, did not impress me all that much. There's nothing wrong with it per se, but it just seemed like a less vibrant version of Tokyo. Plus, I did not get to do the thing I had most wanted to do, that is, visit the DMZ, because the tour bus had

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-36070649636224505872007-05-06T23:29:00.000+09:002008-01-18T17:52:07.917+09:00

Greetings, friends and fellow blogstars! How is life treating you? I haven’t been very active in the blogosphere of late because (1) I’m lazy and (2) I’ve been busy preparing for my 16 day trip to Korea, China, and Mongolia – actually a lot of time was spent procrastinating and most of the preparing has been done in the past few days and is actually still under way e.g I get my credit card

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-51599682903757092522007-03-23T04:57:00.000+09:002008-01-18T17:54:36.535+09:00

A few weeks ago I told you all that I had “discovered” haiku after reading Matsuo Bashou’s masterpiece The Narrow Road to Oku. The book inspired me to try my own hand at the ancient poetic art form, though the results were often less than impressive and probably not worthy of being called haiku at all. And so to avoid the wrath of any purists who may happen to chance upon my blog, or any of my

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-34634058325240406132007-03-22T00:58:00.000+09:002008-01-18T17:57:45.020+09:00

(Yes, eventually I will stop counting)To all you smokers out there, JT (Japan Tobacco) says:Indeed it is. JT would also like to say: Don't stop smoking! Our tobacco plants soak up CO2 in the atmosphere and are an integral part of the fight against global warming. By purchasing and smoking our products you are helping the environment. Your consequent health problems are, unfortunately, the

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-32432704397190228202007-03-16T04:26:00.000+09:002008-01-18T17:58:23.007+09:00

I’m excited, people! At work yesterday, I got word that my request for a holiday in May has been approved. For two weeks, starting from 9 May, I’ll be travelling through Korea, China, and Mongolia. Did I mention that I’m excited?My planned itinerary, as it stands at the moment, looks like this: From the port of Hakata I’ll catch the ferry across to Pusan, Korea. From there I’ll catch a train up

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-91234405271270734732007-03-14T18:04:00.000+09:002008-01-18T17:59:55.707+09:00

Two posts in the one day. What on earth has gotten into me, you may be wondering? I'm not sure exactly, but it may be that I'm procrastinating. You see, there is another story I want to share with you, but I feel that I'm completely incapable of keeping it to a sensible length, and the laborious task of actually writing it out is not very enticing. Don't worry (I'm sure you're not) I will post it

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-47517439968837719612007-03-14T02:22:00.000+09:002008-01-18T18:01:51.230+09:00

Eh? What’s white day, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you in just a moment; but first I must quickly explain about Valentine’s Day here in Japan. On Valentine’s Day females give chocolates and whatnot to their husbands and boyfriends. What’s more, they give them to their male coworkers, too. This is known as giri-choco, or obligation chocolate. The guys are not expected to return the favour. That is,

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-27696344213299211382007-03-08T03:14:00.000+09:002008-01-18T18:03:35.291+09:00

Introducing JT (Japan Tobacco) and their ‘Meet Your Delight’ public awareness campaign. Now, being a tobacco company and all, the focus of this campaign is not so much on the health risks of smoking as it is on how individual smokers can improve their smoking manners. The centrepiece of this campaign is a series of posters—which, far as I know, appear mainly in trains—featuring very subtle, and,

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-73028125009795186232007-03-04T04:13:00.000+09:002008-01-18T18:07:20.603+09:00

(The original title of this post was February in Review, but as usual I've been a bit slow, hence the new title)…I took part in a feed-the-homeless project, resumed taking Japanese lessons, and discovered haiku.The homeless project was organised by my work colleague and good friend, Faisal. He’s a Pakistani-born Briton; he’s a Muslim; he’s a vegetarian, and he doesn’t drink or smoke. Above all,

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-67977373769747546032007-02-25T02:59:00.000+09:002008-01-18T18:07:57.992+09:00

Long time no blog! Again, I must apologise for taking so long to update, and also for writing what is, I’m afraid, another long post (possibly the longest yet). So, kudos to anyone who reads the whole thing, and arigatou gozaimasu to anyone who leaves a comment!Now, if you cast your minds back, many moons ago, to my post entitled Ten Minutes in Tiffany’s, you may recall that despite having made

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-77117180285215599752007-01-31T18:01:00.000+09:002008-01-18T18:09:38.420+09:00

It’s been a month of milestones, celebrations, and achievements!The 11th—Happy B’day dad!The 26th—Two years in Japan! And Happy Australia Day!Today—This post, marks post #4 for January: my highest post tally yet. In view of my New Year’s resolution (to increase my rate of posting) and considering that I’ve never before posted more than twice in a month, this could be viewed as a minor achievement

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-7538475851294409182007-01-23T23:38:00.000+09:002008-01-18T18:10:42.711+09:00

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-43682205274788165392007-01-15T01:34:00.000+09:002008-01-18T18:11:48.704+09:00

You’ll just know is what they often say in the movies. I’ve never been entirely convinced of this, believing myself to be the possessor of a below average emotional IQ. True, I’m sentimental; at times a little sensitive; a bit of an all-round bleeding heart, you might say. But it’s often the case that I’m unable to determine, at least not right away, the cause of my feelings, or even to know

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-54426083395210982102007-01-06T05:51:00.000+09:002008-01-18T18:12:44.723+09:00

(Please treat me favourably again this year)Well hello everyone! Happy New Year! Welcome to my first post for 2007. I hope you all had a fun and relaxing time with your friends and family over the break.How are the New Year’s resolutions going? I usually stay away from them, because I once resolved never to make one again having discovered that I was completely incapable of sticking with them for

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-47094529111149776982006-12-23T02:10:00.000+09:002008-01-18T18:15:19.353+09:00

It’s been almost a month since I last posted, but I’m sure you’ll agree by the time you’ve read through to the end of this one (if indeed you don’t lose interest within the next paragraph or two) that I’ve more than made up for my lack of posting with quite a sizeable word count here. For this I apologise, and I sincerely thank any of you who stick with me to the end.And now, on with the story .

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-42697595128072553922006-11-29T13:13:00.000+09:002008-01-18T18:16:04.176+09:00

I spent much of last week duking it out in cyberspace with one very staunch supporter of Bush and American foreign policy. He goes by the name of Rock. He is a religious man; a patriot; leans well to the right; and he’s not keen on questioning the motives and activities of his government. To him, in a world where it’s “good vs. evil” and “us against them” the U.S. is beyond reproach.Rock has a

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-1163090152312519022006-11-10T01:34:00.000+09:002008-01-18T18:16:50.170+09:00

A few weeks ago, I had what I would call a great weekend (my weekends, by the way, are Wednesdays and Thursdays). It all started with a phone call from Masa, a friend of mine. However, before I go on, I feel I should give you some background on Masa. You may recall, from previous emails, that at one stage I suspected Masa of being some sort of mafia kingpin. This was due in large part to our

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-1161621960962841872006-10-24T01:41:00.000+09:002008-01-18T18:17:53.133+09:00

Truly it will be long before cursed war will be swept from the surface of the earth, for force seems to be the final court of appeal even in the private affairs between man and man. Sorry for the dramatic opening, but I thought those words were fitting given the current state of things. Those words are not my own, of course, but were written in 1904 by Natsume Soseki in his first novel, Botchan.

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-1160752181252844312006-10-13T23:40:00.000+09:002008-01-18T18:18:41.871+09:00

Tomoki: voice of reasonMy girlfriend, Tomoki, has known me long enough now to know that occasionally I make decisions without fully thinking them through. After all, that’s how I ended up in Nippon.I had told Tomoki that despite all of my reservations about Sugar and his apartment, I was still thinking of taking it because, I believed, there was nothing better out there for the price, and in that

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-1153904282782121352006-07-26T17:56:00.000+09:002008-01-18T18:19:28.794+09:00

Where to begin?It was a few weeks ago that I decided that it was time for me to find my own apartment. At present I live in a relatively large apartment with two other guys. Both are English teachers, both are American, and, to be blunt, I can't stand them. It's not because they're American. It's because I have little, if anything, in common with them. Also, I'd had enough of things like all of

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31584914.post-1153846864715361902006-07-26T01:31:00.001+09:002008-01-18T18:20:43.588+09:00

Hello, all!Before I get down to some real blogging I would like to clear something up. That is, given that the title of this blog contains the word 'memoirs' you may be under the impression that I will be writing about things that happened many moons ago. Not so. I've only been in Japan for a year and a half, you see. No, this blog will be a diary of sorts, which I'm more than happy to share with

eyechanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01086454656809600169noreply@blogger.com2