Izumi= Fountain

Tonight I watched the wonderful Izumi dance in a performance series at 'Die Pratze', a performance space. She wore a beautiful kimono and entered the theater beautifully, in fact she looked so exquisite, powdered and perfect, with the richness of the fabrics, gold, red and black, I couldn't believe it. The kimono was stuffed with white feathers at the back, and this mirrored the feathers on the half tatami mat in the center of the space. In the middle of this was a lovely Japanese doll her Aunt had given her as a child, and there were a couple of rubber ducks set there, to counteract the perfection.
Classical music played on Lp's, interchanged with the Beatles, and Earth, Wind and Fire, then back to Tchaikovsky. She breaks all conventions, her delicately manicured feet charmingly revolving around, so considered, understanding the past of dance and movement, then melding her many styles, many different techniques into this hybrid performance. The fountain overflows, and she is funny, and silly, her presence huge, her special nature shared. I understand many of her moves, having gotten to know her over the last couple of months, and it is so gratifying to hear such a response. She is strong and unfailing, no compromise, she breaks the rules and crosses the borders, I am delighted. It makes me very happy, to be in a packed theater seeing her engage the audience, after these months of watching her in the 'private' space of the cemetery.
Other performances were interesting as well, only one I hated. Its the first time I have sat down indoors for a show for I don't know how long, I had forgotten how interesting it is to watch other people in a theater, and watch them not looking! Funny.
So I had some culture today, despite my dreadful hangover. I am not going to mix any more drinks.

Lucky girl

How do I decipher this?
Finally had a good Sunday. Actually it was super great, after last night's fuck-up, I totally deserved some goodness. Went to Yoyogi Park and found the Hoopstars, wonderful Deanne (right), and the beautiful Kristen. Tried hooping for the first time, and could hardly keep that hoop going around for more than 2 turns, no matter, it was fun.

Rushed to the opening of Johnny Walker's new space in Shibuya, which was actually not yet built, but full of potential, bare earth glowing. Next to Nightingale River, which had been diverted in 1964, to celebrate the Olympics. At 5pm a sweet bell played, and this is a gentle reminder to get on home and quiet down, I am not accustomed to this. As far as I'm concerned, 5pm is when you get out and start making noise. Nice people there, nice sake, lots of business cards, a few Aussies and at the end the few of us remaining decided on dinner, and went to a fabulous restaurant nearby.
They served sake in bamboo containers, very sexy, and raw fish was brought to the table and blow-torched right there, so delicious. I had this creamy tofu, it was like mascarpone, with honey! Oh, yummy. And fugu sperm, OMG, sublime! Better than men's! Below is Hiroshi, Claudia and Julie. And the tastiest fish to enter my body yet.

We were getting a bit trashed, and so went on to karaoke, where we murdered some songs, I don't know what I was drinking by then, but was pretty unstable. The beautiful Julie Harrison lives also in Takadanobaba, so we went home together. I quote her saying "I am a JAP, Just Another Person". I used to say, 'I'm just an artist' or 'I'm just this', but I think, no, be proud of who you are, I understand being humble, but each of us is so important, never forget that.

So anyway, I scored. Woke up pretty fresh, considering, and excited about seeing Izumi do her half tatami mat performance tonight.

I must add

another photo, I took so many in Kamakura, and they all seem so great! But this is like the traffic lights, but in nature! I hope you are not sick of these very touristy shots, but thats what I am.
Last night was a lovely treat, Mori-san and I were the only ones at Yanaka, so he danced alone for me, a dance called "Fuse". It was half an hour and incredibly full-on, I just sat there, entranced. He is a magnetic performer, and the power and play was emanating from him. I felt taken away, and so focused, such a great thing to be dancing alone in the night, as the city rushes past, to be moving for altogether other reasons touches me deeply. I feel like I was meant to meet them, and this experience just would not be the same if I hadn't. I don't think I would have survived actually if it weren't for them, too lonely. We went for a drink afterwards and I had sake with salt on the rim, yum.
This evening I was meant to go to some open studios and foolishly assumed I knew my way there. I had been a couple of times before, and should have known, but got dreadfully confused and found myself in a part of town I didn't recognise at all. I found a police box and asked the kind man directions, it is right near the United Nations University I kept saying, and he had no idea, he's picking up maps and shaking his head, really trying, he has these books of HAND written numbers and addresses, I'm like United Nations, peace? No go. I gave up and just wandered, there were massive crowds, and finally I found the avenue they were crowding to see, a tree-lined avenue, quite long, with some beautiful building down the end of it, a real landmark sort of place, and the trees were big and very gold, and people were falling over themselves trying to photograph it all. I couldn't bare to be part of it, and just wandered away, trying to get away from all the cars. Wandered for a few hours, till I found a station then went about a mile underground. Disconcerting for me.
So the day was a little more laid back than I wanted, but no matter, I got a lot of things done at home and really enjoyed unkinking with yoga. Now I am having a nice glass of Jacobs Creek and toasting life. Cheers!

ONE special shrine?

I think not. Maybe 100, maybe more. Kamakura was yet another mind blow, I got the real deal, mountains, shrines, temples, cemeteries, and best of all BAMBOO. It bamboozles me! I am so ignorant, but fortunately I had the sense to take an overnight bag, but I would need a week at least to see all the good things around there.

Even the drink machines have art in them.
I arrived in the morning with thousands of other colour lovers, and caught a bus from the station to somewhere, I never found the temple I went there for, because before I knew it, I was climbing a mountain, and then another and another and another. The day was spent lost, wandering through still forests, and admiring amazing caves full of sacred rocks and carvings, and wow. It just kept going on and on. I had fortunately bought an apple and some seeds with me, and monk like, munched on these, and they were truly the most delicious things I had ever eaten. I was so high, high up and exultant, eyes very wide.

The day was going quickly and I found more than I could have hoped for, having trusted that being lost was part of the process, but found a road down, and there was a sign for a shrine; Zeniarai Benzaiten Shrine, I thought oh goody, a Zen shrine. You entered through a tunnel carved into solid rock and the place was full of incense smoke and dark pools of water, filled by natural waterfalls. I wandered around, and in the back found the real excitement. In a cave hung with paper cranes, queues of people with baskets crouching by troughs washing their money in the water. So strange, so much enthusiasm and delight. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing, and there was a sign "Dries naturally", outside people were sitting waiting for this to happen.
Made my way back to town and found a small hotel to stay. The woman at the Tourist Info place told me about a temple in the next town that had special night lights, so after dropping off my bags I got the tram to Hase. I am a sucker for the lights, as are many, and had to race around, which is not my want. I find I always make a friend in these sorts of places, as so many people are trying to take photographs, and often I see people struggling to get a photo of themselves, so I offer to take one, and then they offer to take one of me, and so on.


It was very very beautiful at Hasedera temple there, and I could see the ocean below, so made my way down there afterwards, and wandered on the dark sand smelling the Pacific, but it smelt different. Surprised some lovers with my loud exultation, and realised this was the first couple I have seen actually in an embrace. People here do no more than delicately hold hands. A few times that day I came across single men in lonely places, and wondered about gay beats, I mean, Sydney is one huge gay beat, and yet here I haven't caught a whiff of any untoward business. Very hetero where I have been.
Anyway, got the tram back, bought some shochu and wandered up the main avenue towards the big temple in town. Its nice at night, the crowds desert, and the place was all my own, bar some priests in their good-looking robes, hurrying and worrying. Very lovely, yet I felt empty and alone.

And hungry! Found a quiet sushi restaurant, where I ordered some beautiful sushi. Got to talking to one of the chefs who said he caught his own fish, and then proceeded to make me a piece of sushi with said fish. Wonderful, horse mackerel, very big fish, very tasty. I was stuffed by then, and more than wobbly, every ounce of me was crying for bed, so I paid and made a quick exit. I must have said something funny, because when I slid the door shut I heard them break into great peals of hilarious laughter. I am glad to have entertained them, they fed me well.
Slept wonderfully, though short, and got up early and went straight to the bamboo temple, as it is known. Hokokuji Temple was possibly the most beautiful one I have seen yet, as the priests care for a bamboo forest, which you can walk through. Each step was taken slowly and with great aplomb.
It felt monumental there, and my status was "heart soars", indeed drinking whisked green tea in the tea house, gazing at the gardens around me, made me teary with bliss.




I was refreshed and revived so hit that part of town, wandering here and climbing there, seeing more and more. The standout piece that afternoon was an enormous tree in one garden. When I asked a fellow how old it was (there was a sign in Japanese below it), he didn't know so went and asked at the desk, 900 years old! The oldest tree I think I have ever seen, such a girth! I felt positively skinny next to it.
I also felt that age myself by then so called it a day, and made my way back to the city. Only one hour away, and so worth it. As soon as I got back to Shinjuku and got stepped on, and my wrist got knocked hard by someone very bony, I knew I had done the right thing by getting out.

Old books, and lots of them

At David's recommendation, I visited Jimbucho today where the antique bookstores are. Well! I went without eating, drinking, and smoking for six hours as I lost myself completely in the dusty annals of time (I love that line). It was phenomenal, the stacks of editions, right up to the ceiling, hundreds of books I knew then millions in Japanese, and scrolls, and prints and old manga and maps and just beautiful. The piles, the matching editions, the labelling, I was so taken, my jaw wouldn't close. When you have easy access to so much, do you start to take it for granted? I just went from one to another, bought a couple of small things, and wandered through the day in a heady state of excitement. I got the guide to the area and there are 18 pages of listings, 14 per page, thats 242 bookstores!!! Many porn ones which I couldn't bring myself to enter, but I was feeling pretty wide eyed just looking at what they had on the stalls outside. There was one giant old world map in one window, and it just captured my imagination, I couldn't make out what the hell I was looking at, but it was incredible. Also many many thousands of Yen, I could just take it in with my wee eyes...
I went to an art shop there, and once again felt the shame of my ignorance. The many floors of the real deal shouted out to me, the printing equipment, the wood carving tools, the copper plates and wood blocks I just never imagined so much was available...everything, they had it all...brushes, inks, brush holders, all the things I covet in the museums, this was sort of primary source! I was dumbstruck, I just wanted to turn to someone and shake them, OMG! Stuff I never knew existed, but seeing it makes all the sense in the world, I am just a naive country bumpkin indeed.
My excitement level has gone back into overdrive, I can't believe how well I am surviving on just 6 hours sleep per night, I try to sleep later, but just can't. I wear myself out during the day, but that means nothing, the energy in this city drives me crazy, it can be so good, I just sit on the train grinning ear to ear like a big idiot, and what do I care? I'll never see any of these people again! It is so great being free, I just want to yell out, "I love you" when I get off the train, but fear it would alarm too many honeys.
Yesterday I ran for the train and got my bag caught in the door, and wouldn't you know, the only thing in there that was at all fragile was my camera, and it was the only thing that got wedged in the door, and it isn't feeling too well right now, so I must perform emergency resuscitation on it for my future sanity.
Tomorrow I am off to Kamakura, a place with a special shrine, about an hour out of the city, might even spend the night there, thats how free I am!

Where would I be without music?

For HRH, some purchases
Thanking PJ officially for sending CD, gosh it cheers me so much to hear music. My poor very quiet neighbour, Taeko must be suffering. I listen to a bit of online radio, but it wrecks havoc with the computer, and when I am out I need earphones to shut out all the noise, so my ears feel pretty hammered. But its so uplifting to get a good song, and I get so charged, invincible, connected with the lyrics, which I am sure are written just for me, for that moment. I have been loving Wolf Parade for some reason, but last night on JJJ there was a winsome song, that I heard and loved so much, I couldn't find it's title or who it was by, frustrating. Why can't the radio station post all their play-lists?
Yesterday was quite warm and I took a little outing to find some supplies. I had been down one road before, and noticed a few shops, and went there again, then saw a small path by the river and assumed it would lead me back to the river near my place, but what do you know. Two hours later I found a police box, and asked for directions, and the guy is just shaking his head, and rotating the map ten times, like he didn't know where he was. I am confounded by the confusion that not speaking the language ensues. I'm sorry, but it seems simple to me! It took another hour before I got home and I sure was relieved. Got some eel to celebrate.
Did some work in the afternoon and then went out to the Outsider Bar again. Yay for there, Machiko put on a Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell movie, in English! I could just hear their dulcet tones, and matched with some vodka shots I got along very nicely. We talked about music, and she loved 70's rock. Deep Purple, Led Zepellin, Elton John! So funny. I commented on how clean and shiny everything was in there, and she loved that I noticed, the place is spotless, I really must take more photos in there, but I took one in the loo;

I saw Machiko go in and I thought, I bet I know what she's doing, I knew, because many places I go to do this folding of the end paper. I even saw a show on telly advising this. I know it happens in hotels and stuff, but it just cracks me up that there is this decorum in every detail possible. And such luxurious loos as well, so spacious sometimes, like a whole room with a carpet and pictures, Oprah would be jealous, and clean as, electronic toilets that do more than I ever knew a toilet could do! In the winter those warm seats are very welcome. But there are the opposite of what I have described, and of those we shall speak no more.
Speaking of Oprah, have I mentioned how nice it is to be living in an Oprah-free zone? In fact, the celebrities here are all people I have never heard of, so have been wonderfully out of the loop as it is, in most Western matters. Not that it matters at all, I mean, I am much much more concerned with how you all are, than Britney...

Police bike!
I found a plastic bag under the sink which says "Art of yourself, by yourself, for yourself", which I cut out to keep. It is a curious line, but perhaps true.
Finished reading Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata, a strange and haunting tale, very good. The passive man, the unrequited love, very sad.

The voluptuousness of the Sumo's bodies

I have looked at many cartoons, and noticed the curvature of each line, there are no straight lines, it is all curves. The calligraphic swirls, squiggles and eddies form rippling flesh. It mirrors me, and my many curves. I read that the origins 1500 years ago were to celebrate peace on earth and bountiful harvests. They remind me of the enormous women kept well-fed in Africa, to exemplify bounty and richness, let alone gorgeous booty.
The spiritual content here is full-on. Some of the statues at temples look so gnome and Disney like, I wonder if there is a connection. And they are all fat, huge protruding bellies and roly-poly chins. It makes me all the more curious as to why so few people are large size. Sometimes I see women who are credit card sized, so slim when they turn they disappear, except for the jut of their chin. I have seen many more porky guys, and at the train station the other day, I saw a couple of guys with a woman, and she was stroking one of their bellies, almost in disbelief at his rotundity. He seemed proud of the distension, and she couldn't keep her hands off it, muttering all the time. I don't know for all I know he'd suffered chemo and was recovering.
I went to a store to see if there were any trousers near my size, the 3L was like a dainty size 10, but it was the length of them that cracked me up, they are made for much shorter people. Next time I come, remind me to bring more than 2 pairs of jeans.
It's the attitude towards flesh that dismays me, when I sat down on the train the other day, between 2 people, one woman cried out, as my body inserted itself there, she made a big noise, like I'd sat on her, but I hadn't, so rude. A couple of times I have said in English "calm down", this usually shocks whoever it is into panic.
The train etiquette when you are sitting is to touch no-one, not a shoulder, or thigh. But if you are standing it is on for young and old, whole bodies leaning against you, as the sardine tin races along. Bloody backpacks, there are luggage racks, but few people use them.
I have never observed a culture more into pens and especially pencils as here. Maybe cos they are such high quality, but when a pencil is put on the table, there is virtually a battle to get it, and doodle and scribble and simply use up that nice graphite. It's cool. I bought a new pen here, and on a number of occaisions have proffered it to someone, who invariably (100%) comments "nice pen". I don't know why I find this so funny, but it is.
Today I had a coffe at The Royal Host, a chain of diners all around, I got an espresso, and sat in the warm dining hall, surrounded by business men eating a bit of pasta, a sausage and a few opther un-identifiable things, with a bloody bowl of rice on the side, at like 11 in the morning. Strange. I cannot understand McDonalds, or any of that crap here, I really can't. Theres enough fried food to sink every ship on the planet! My tastebuds have changed radically since being here, it is wonderful, I feel free of the shackles of cheese and all the shit I used to eat, the thought of it repulses me. Maybe I only need 6 hours of sleep because I am not eating any sugar! I think so.
The fridge agrees with me.
I like how I get to feel what I feel, with no distractions sometimes, I am far less moody than I thought I was, and find myself in joy for small things. I must admit, I do not miss the Huntsmen spiders that plague me in Oz.

Villa of the Detached Heart

Life-sized
After tearing myself from the cosiness of my bed this freezing morning (futons hold your body's warmth for more than an hour I have noticed), I took a long hot bath.
Made my way to a temple where I was told they made costumes out of chrysanthemums, which they did. I went into one area, and watched as Mothers lined their traditionally dressed children up in front of a screen and photographed them. I was bemused by even the youngest children's abilities to hold more than one 'action' pose.
Wandered down the road and found a garden, it was the former home of the Mitsubishi family, with both a Western and Japanese style house. Sat in the Japanese house and had green tea, but there wasn't anyone else there to talk to.


Later when I came out a nice woman struck up conversation with me, and it always gets around to the weather and how Australia is opposite. She was a bit kooky and I liked her. When she left I watched her cross the garden to a huge ginkgo tree where she performed a ministration worthy of great applause.
Kept wandering and actually found my way back to another area I had been before, another connection. Had to check in the mirror that I didn't have something all over my face, for all the stares I got today, there wasn't anything on my face except my face.
I got some yummy gyoza on the way home, and some kimchi, are you allowed to eat them together? I did and liked it.

Hello sludge

What a place, so much mundaneness and then brilliant bursts of incredible beauty and diversity. Surprises!
The variety of people, I counted 5,000 passer-byes tonight in the space of 2 minutes, all that humane energy, thinking about the myriad things that we think of...I just love it, my mind races along with them and I want to run and kiss them and take them in my arms and jump up and down 'we're alive! here and now!'. Am I dag or what? It is so extreme.
Have such a strong desire to soak in as much as possible, on the train me and the little kiddy next to me are the only ones looking around with wonderment. How can so many people be pretending to be asleep when there is so much to look at? I know how rude it is to be stealing glances and I do catch others surreptitiously staring, and even my eyes need a rest now and then, but the shut eye thing is amazing, I watch people get on and sit down and shut their eyes, head down just like someone switched them off completely.
Customs and rituals to the foreign visitor seem so quaint and unusual. I watched the drunk young ones tonight hugging and showing huge emotion, so funny. So uncomfortable and estranged, needing to get tanked before hanging off eachother.
I try to hang out close to the very physical ones, maybe they will mistake me for a friend and come and hang off of me.
Body gestures crack me up, the official symbol for 'no' seems to be arms crossed in front of the chest, but this can also mean 'stop'. When someone does this to me, I can't help laughing, 'cos they look like they are either practicing flag skills or going to break into a dance routine. In the last couple of days I have seen some very diminutive actions, with younger men deferring to older men, and holding their hands in a very plaintive way, wringing them in front of their crotch. So strange, and exposing the distance between generations, and respect I suppose, they were making themselves look like little boys, or thats what it seemed to me, little ashamed boys fumbling and begging for the elders grace. All supposition naturally. But its as though they are protecting their genitals, as though they older might point and laugh, and is exactly the pose struck by soccer players in front of the goal when the kick is about to happen.
I met some really nice people last night at the TWS Shibuya opening, some amazing artists, a few galleryists and a few people from LA, who smelt like perfume and one who wore a ton of gold from Israel, a richly stimulating night. I was totally comfortable, after feeling like a fish out of water the night before, when I came home I had to remind myself that it was not my opening. I had such fun, just being myself.
The Lebanese artist in the show, Vartan Avakian, said "being too polite is blasphemous", I loved that. So wise.
Dinh Q Le, the Vietnamese artist in the show made a great work concerning a farm that occupies a busy air force base near Tokyo, in Hyakuri. They plant for peace...OMG, there is a temple there with Article #9, The Renunciation of War document "The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognised", framed at the center. So powerful. There are more fighter planes than ever there, and the farmers have land within the property.
I really identified with the peace by Yuken Teruya, a Japanese fellow who lives now in Queens. His cardboard box shelters housing videos of paper boats floating in the fire-hydrant formed puddles in gutters of NYC was a delight, and a perfect metaphor of fragility and human endeavour but so so much more. Upstairs was a ping pong table, nearly fully streched out, with 2 etched glasses, precariously balanced, one for a river of tears...I have seen a number of works just so recently, tear collection agencies. There is always a plaintive cry of distress in the world.
We went for dinner, and it was such a funny place, all private rooms off the main corridor, some with tiny entrances I would find difficult to squeeze into. I wandered the halls, observing the exasperated staff, drunk idiot patrons and strange goings ons.

Text as art

Strange sign for a coffee shop
Went to the National Art Center yesterday, as I was told they had a huge calligraphy show. The place was enormous and pretty cool architecturally, all glass and bulbous shapes. I browsed one of the other galleries before getting to where I wanted to be...so terrible, such a vast amount of crap, I couldn't look at it. I walked hastily through a mile of furiously bad paintings, trying to avert my eyes, as I thought I might scream in horror. Such a great building, such nice floors, and such bad art.


The calligraphy on the other hand was phenomenal. Miles of scrolls, huge and small in display cases, not one translation, just miles of texts, not a single character identifiable to me. The Japanese must walk through there with the words screaming at them from the walls, all I see is Cy Twombly and smidgens of my own scribblings and ink paintings! I have copied a fair amount of characters in my time, and could recognise a few, but have no idea what they represent. I spent hours in there, looking at the display process, crowded but impeccable, and the colours of the papers, wow. It reinforced what I do, and made me feel I am on the right track once again. Some had gold ribbons, which I assume meant they won a prize, and after looking at everything, I could see why. Such variation in the styles, and all black ink, though sometimes more grey as though washed out.
I am in love with calligraphy, I look at the signage and its just pictures to me, I see trees and they have a much calligraphic spirit as the letters do, and mean as much. Tree roots spell out ancient dynasties, the shadows on my wall from the sunlight peeking through my washing is calligraphy.
Went to Nobuhiro's opening last night, the stairs were bedecked with amazing orchids, a lot of them. I saw him right away and was glad. I met a New Yorker who lives here now and runs a gallery, and was so full of himself I had to get away. Nobu gave a speech, there was lots of clapping and then I left, after a couple of wines. I just lose my confidence sometimes and was kicking myself when I got home, as who knows who else I might have met. Silly me, I just get perturbed and desert the premises. Got stuck into some work at home, and the evening went past amicably.

Back with the living

Processing Hiroshima is too much for words. All I know is that the term 'Emotional tourist' can be applied. Just such madness, and for all the resilience and re-building, I couldn't sweep the truth of the past away, and felt like I was walking on the crunching bones of the dead. It made me sicksicksick and that made me even angrier at myself, for what good is all that empathy, how is that going to change things? Humans are such crazy creatures, I just could not stop crying.



Beautiful but so sad, seeing her tiny cranes was monumental.





I have no answers, and just want to live in peace, like most other people.
After visiting the Peace Park and Memorial Museum I had to get away, so went to Miyajima Island, south from there. Let me say, this place was exactly the Japan of my dreams, with temples beyond my dreams and deer roaming the streets, and old old buildings. I got there in the afternoon, and the pilgrims were all leaving, there must have been some festival at one of the temples, as there were thousands of kimono clad ladies, and robed gentlemen. It was a great time to arrive, as it became deserted over the course of the evening. Once again I got energy I didn't know I had, and I climbed mountains, always seeing another temple in the distance. It had gotten quite dark and I just wanted to stay forever, kicking myself for having booked a place in Hiroshima, where I dreaded returning.

Most wonderful moment
There was a 5 storied orange pagoda near the water, next to a huge dark wooded temple, on a hill. I climbed up there and was the only one, except for deer. There was just enough light to see by, and views over the water and to the rear, mountains, with lit temples, so grand. I realised I was completely alone, so took off my coat (it was freezing), and started doing some yoga under the 5-story pagoda. My movements were so necessary and as I warmed up and my muscles started relaxing I found I was moving with a grace and ability I had never encountered. I have become stronger from all the walking, and there I was dancing and reflecting back the beauty and agony that I had encountered...it was magnificent. I started feeling hungry so had to stop and of course, right when I descended the mountain there was a fruit shop and I got an apple that was the best apple I have had in my life. There was hardly anyone about, and I just wandered the darkened streets imagining. It was so beautiful, everyone I encountered nodded or said hello, I found a coffee shop where the owner spoke good english, and I could express some of my worship...and buy a trinket.

To have had the contrast in the day of such pain and then pleasure, I felt I grew a centimeter.
Went to a great okonomaki restaurant where I had beer and sake and agedashi tofu with my pancake, delicious as usual. I find the locals stare and laugh in the beginning but then grow bored and leave you alone.
Spent the night in my ryokan, in a tiny smelly room but woke up refreshed and anxious to get the hell out of there. Went to the train station and asked for a ticket as far from there as possible (not in those words), I spent half the day on a train going west to Kanazawa where I was assured there were many Onsen, and not too crowded.
Amazing country, passing through giant mountains and I could see snow on the peaks. I found a hotel with a spa near the station and just collapsed in the hot baths for hours, washing clean and steaming myself to lobster colour, severe yum. Got up in the morning and did it some more. I asked at the front desk if I could be taken to the top floor just for a minute to see the town, and a fellow took me up and showed me the view from 4 windows. He was so sweet, and told me about a mysterious mountain shaped like a temple in the distance. I love the way the Japanese allude to the spiritual. When I said I would love to return, he said "I hope I will see you", it made my day.
Went to town, found a castle, a big garden and a sweet lady who spoke excellent english who told me about some of the mysteries. Walked my ass off for half the day before getting the train back to Tokes.
On the train near me were 4 bouffy aussie fellas, and I had to put my earplugs in to drown them out. I sat next to a businessman, who I asked when we would be passing Fuji-san. He got all excited, and every 5 minutes he would tell me how far it would be. The mountain was encased in stormy clouds, although the weather elsewhere had been super-fine, but I got to see it's vast base, and just know I will get back to see it somehow.
Arriving back in Tokes, I felt like a local, I knew where to go, I knew how to negotiate the throngs of suit-clad armies, and it felt good! I tell you, the people here suffer the idiocy of tourists constantly, it must be exasperating. There should be a virtual city course where you can train for the experience. For the first time people were smiling at me, like they knew that I knew, I can't explain, but it made my heart soar.
The kindness of strangers should be the title of my book, as without their kind ministrations or just a casual nod or grin, life would not be worth living. I really notice it, being alone so much of the time, if someone acknowledges me, it lifts me. The small children are terrified of me, and most of the animals hate me. It makes me realise how much we need others, we are pack animals at our core, and sharing the world is our cause.
So good to be back in Takadanobaba, the flat looked even more beautiful when I returned, and I felt privileged to have the experience.
I was scared before coming that what I saw would change me, or change the way I make my work. In fact I feel as though it has simply reinforced my path, and I feel even more secure in what I do, I know what my path is, and I can relish in making that and living up to my own expectations and beyond.
The fish love me, but I want to eat them
Kazanawa gardens

I am a rock

This is what I look like, this is what I think; rock thoughts.

It is Sunday

And I am in Osaka, having spent the day traipsing and sight seeing, now I have some shochu, and a ticket to Hiroshima in the morning.


Went to an open air museum of old farmhouses today. Thatched roof city! Along with the bamboo and farms around I was enthralled, all the structures had been transported here from all over Japan, and some were huge. Spent a few hours imagining myself in that environment, sitting on porches and around fires inside the houses and totally loving the bamboo. There weren't many people there, bar a few artists doing sketches, and some artisans weaving and doing origami stuff, cool!
Later I went to a Ceramics museum, yay it was free, and it had quite a collection of blue and whites, I hesitate to say I blew another gasket! But then I found the snuff bottles...wow! Literally hundreds in glass and other materials, tiny and incredibly beautiful, I struck up fort there and wouldn't budge. Josie I saw a Korean celodon ware bowl from like the 12th Century that I think you would like.

I certainly did. Timeless.
Walked along the river for a bit, in fact there were 2 rivers, and saw something triangular and organic moving swiftly along. I have no idea what it was and since I was just about the only person there (other than the street sweepers) I might never know what it was. It was definitely alive.
Tried to find some other living museum, but found instead the longest shopping strip I have seen in my life, which is really a 'living museum'. Literally kilometers of covered 'mall' to use the term loosely as cyclists were using it, and it was on for young and old. I had to shut my eyes a few times to recover my sight from all the looking, seriously.



Shop with $1 bunches of bananas, bananas!
Outrageous sights, and sounds and way-out smells, all good mate, really good. I ate octopus balls and then an octopus pancake for like 130Yen. Had great fun identifying the octopus in one place, by acting out my version of their movements.
I had some great searing joy crossing one of the bridges in the train, looking out at a size-able mountain range in the distance. I saw how much I do not know, and how daft I am for not studying up on practically anything before I visit somewhere, my naivety surprises me, thats how naive I am. Stupid some might say. But then I get these delightful surprises.
Altogether not a bad day, though there was some confusion over what size glass my beer was going to come in...oh dear, talk about flustered, but I got a schooner in the end, which was exactly what I needed after a day of massive movement. I didn't speak to anyone all day, bar the waitress and the JR travel info lady. Strange having so many ruminations to share but no-one to share them with. I would love to come back, but not on my own. Went looking for a bar near the hotel and couldn't find anything, so here I am back in my room...
As a matter of fact I am able to report that there was not one place in my travels today where I didn't see someone cleaning or tidying up. Well done, Switzerland of Asia capital #1, gold star!
May I say that the toilet where I am staying pisses for me, truly, when you sit down water starts flushing. My ears and bladder are confounded.