In response to a comment about the Dalai Lama blog, I thought I'd explain a little more what I meant about 'giving up', 'letting go', and 'cause and effect'.
I used to think that the harder I tried to do something, the easier it would be.
So I thought one must try hard, but really that just makes effort more difficult(like studying for hours without remembering anything, getting frustrated).
When I felt like I was 'giving up', I meant giving up trying so hard, and instead just dropping the load and walking without it--in other words, trusting whatever might happen if I wasn't so 'prepared' for a future I couldn't seem to predict. Time and time again I got disillusioned by my experiences teaching here. Reality just so rarely turned out as I'd planned so, so hard for!! So I gave up stressing myself out about the reality that only existed in my mind. So that's what I meant by 'giving up' before.
At the lecture, again I stopped trying so hard to understand(i.e., I didn't take notes or think too much while the speech was going on). I took it all as it came, moment to moment, even if I didn't understand a word or concept here or there. Afterwards, I came out feeling that I understood some kind of larger picture that the Dalai Lama was painting.
I could relate his discourse on karma(a.k.a 'cause and effect') to my expectations and disillusionment, and opening to the reality of living without knowing the future. That's what I was talking about when I said 'letting go', and how it was a little different from 'giving up'.
When I said 'cause and effect' I meant it literally, i.e., dropping a ball and it hitting the ground, practicing something and getting more skilled at it, or even having an angry feeling and that feeling creating stress, and so on. Usually, science talks about cause and effect in only the physical or chemical senses, but I think Buddhism talks about it in the physical, chemical, perceptual, and subtle(imperceptual) senses too.
As everyone knows, things change constantly, whether the change is visible or not. All those changes are reliant on previously existing conditions. They are dependent on things coming together in a certain way, all dependent on previous states.
Therefore, I said I thought my view of 'cause and effect' had seemed to mature because I felt more that I was living by it. It's awfully relaxing to see things through this view(viewing change and previous conditions as beyond control), and just deal with things when they come up.
Here's my aspiration: not to try to do many things at once, just take care of each thing as it comes up.
Friday, April 22, 2005
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Mountain of Statues, Koyasan, south of Osaka
A pic from Jay and my trip. I can't figure out how to attach pics to old blogs, or attach pics to blogs written using Blogger instead of 'flickr'. Blogger has more posting options.
thanks to my Uncle Larry for this link explaining the significance of the statues: http://www.thevisualrecord.com/dbphotopages/photopage.php?photo_id=44
thanks to my Uncle Larry for this link explaining the significance of the statues: http://www.thevisualrecord.com/dbphotopages/photopage.php?photo_id=44
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
The Dalai Lama's Speech
It was wonderful!!
At first, there was no English translation available, which I suspected might be the case. I was there with Etsuko, Hiro, and a friend, Nishida Sensei. Etsuko kindly wanted to translate, but she didn't know a lot of the religious terminology, so after a while, we gave up and I just sat and listened to HH's(His Holiness') contented voice.
About a half hour into the speech, and after accumulating a nice sunburn on my face, we, the crowd, were informed that there was a tent being set up in the back where a Tibetan monk would be translating the speech into English.
Quietly weaving my way towards the back, through the 5500 people in attendance, I found my way to the tent and joined 15 or so foreigners there. The translator monk's English was crystal clear, and his mastery of the subtleties of the religious terminology made his translation utterly understandable. (BTW:I made a mistake before. HH didn't speak about wisdom and compassion; he spoke on karma.)
The Dalai Lama's speech very, very concise. He used technical Buddhist terms(like dependent co-arising, emptiness of self, the five aggregates, etc.) to talk very specifically about views on karma. Without having studying that terminology previously, I think it would be impossible for most people to understand his speech.
Afterward, Etsuko told me she and Nishida Sensei didn't understand much of what he was saying at all. For me, having studied the terminology in the past, I was able to relate to most everything he said. So, although I'd hoped to talk about the lecture with them, I was a little disappointed to find that we couldn't talk about it so much.
Therefore, I was very much surprised that when we met up with Hiro to see that he was carrying a notebook filled with notes and comments from the lecture. Hiro is a very straightforward person, but the hidden aspects of his personality continue to surprise and have an effect on me. As it turned out, Hiro had a good understanding of the speech. He had had a great interest in religion when he was in high school. We talked about the speech for several hours at dinner afterwards.
So, what the heck did the old Dalai actually say? Well, it's difficult to sum it all up in a short space, but, mostly he talked about the different ways one might view the meaning of the term karma. He talked about the different schools of thought regarding religion, namely religions with a creator and religions without a creator. He went on to discuss the importance of exploring many different views on the path of realization of 'truth'. He talked about the divisions in the ways of thinking about karma and then he began to focus specifically on the Heart Sutra, that being the text derived from the actual words of the Buddha. He talked about it from two main views of the text: the first being that of things arising from their own side and things arising from the mind of the perceiver that notices them. Within that, he discussed five levels of realization into the nature of cause and effect. These are summed up by the mantra(chant) near the end of the text, GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHISVAHA(Gone, Gone, Gone Beyond, Gone Completely Beyond to the Other Shore, Realization!) (this is my memory of the translation, so please take my words lightly!).
He was able to explain the way to practice each of the five levels of realization, and from there talked about the Noble Eight-fold Path, being the methods for attaining understanding the nature of cause and effect
When the hour and a half speech finished, he thanked us for taking time to see him on a workday, and thanked us for listening to him. He carried the jolliness, 'holy' presence, and air of intelligence that he always seems to have, and although he must be around 70 now, he seemed lively and full of humor.
I was surprised at the clarity of my own mind during the talk. When the speech did finish, I didn't feel an extreme high in the same way as I had in the past after hearing such mind-expanding words. Rather, the same feeling I had months ago of giving up manifested in a positive light of 'letting go'. I do think this has come from some kind maturing of my understanding of cause and effect, and I think that living in Japan has contributed a large part to that change.
p.s. I'm sorry if some of my explanations weren't clear. I must have certainly made some mistakes. Hope some of the *experience* comes through!
At first, there was no English translation available, which I suspected might be the case. I was there with Etsuko, Hiro, and a friend, Nishida Sensei. Etsuko kindly wanted to translate, but she didn't know a lot of the religious terminology, so after a while, we gave up and I just sat and listened to HH's(His Holiness') contented voice.
About a half hour into the speech, and after accumulating a nice sunburn on my face, we, the crowd, were informed that there was a tent being set up in the back where a Tibetan monk would be translating the speech into English.
Quietly weaving my way towards the back, through the 5500 people in attendance, I found my way to the tent and joined 15 or so foreigners there. The translator monk's English was crystal clear, and his mastery of the subtleties of the religious terminology made his translation utterly understandable. (BTW:I made a mistake before. HH didn't speak about wisdom and compassion; he spoke on karma.)
The Dalai Lama's speech very, very concise. He used technical Buddhist terms(like dependent co-arising, emptiness of self, the five aggregates, etc.) to talk very specifically about views on karma. Without having studying that terminology previously, I think it would be impossible for most people to understand his speech.
Afterward, Etsuko told me she and Nishida Sensei didn't understand much of what he was saying at all. For me, having studied the terminology in the past, I was able to relate to most everything he said. So, although I'd hoped to talk about the lecture with them, I was a little disappointed to find that we couldn't talk about it so much.
Therefore, I was very much surprised that when we met up with Hiro to see that he was carrying a notebook filled with notes and comments from the lecture. Hiro is a very straightforward person, but the hidden aspects of his personality continue to surprise and have an effect on me. As it turned out, Hiro had a good understanding of the speech. He had had a great interest in religion when he was in high school. We talked about the speech for several hours at dinner afterwards.
So, what the heck did the old Dalai actually say? Well, it's difficult to sum it all up in a short space, but, mostly he talked about the different ways one might view the meaning of the term karma. He talked about the different schools of thought regarding religion, namely religions with a creator and religions without a creator. He went on to discuss the importance of exploring many different views on the path of realization of 'truth'. He talked about the divisions in the ways of thinking about karma and then he began to focus specifically on the Heart Sutra, that being the text derived from the actual words of the Buddha. He talked about it from two main views of the text: the first being that of things arising from their own side and things arising from the mind of the perceiver that notices them. Within that, he discussed five levels of realization into the nature of cause and effect. These are summed up by the mantra(chant) near the end of the text, GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHISVAHA(Gone, Gone, Gone Beyond, Gone Completely Beyond to the Other Shore, Realization!) (this is my memory of the translation, so please take my words lightly!).
He was able to explain the way to practice each of the five levels of realization, and from there talked about the Noble Eight-fold Path, being the methods for attaining understanding the nature of cause and effect
When the hour and a half speech finished, he thanked us for taking time to see him on a workday, and thanked us for listening to him. He carried the jolliness, 'holy' presence, and air of intelligence that he always seems to have, and although he must be around 70 now, he seemed lively and full of humor.
I was surprised at the clarity of my own mind during the talk. When the speech did finish, I didn't feel an extreme high in the same way as I had in the past after hearing such mind-expanding words. Rather, the same feeling I had months ago of giving up manifested in a positive light of 'letting go'. I do think this has come from some kind maturing of my understanding of cause and effect, and I think that living in Japan has contributed a large part to that change.
p.s. I'm sorry if some of my explanations weren't clear. I must have certainly made some mistakes. Hope some of the *experience* comes through!
From my brother Jason in America: Buddhism, Homogeneousness, and other Non Sequitur Thoughts
It has now been nearly one week since I returned from Japan. After catching up to the speed of life, addressing all that had changed while I was gone (change being all that ever really happens,) and spending a precious few moments in my own domicile, I have a few minutes to write.
It is something of an honor to write a guest entry for a blog that gains new readers daily (or so the word is on the street,) and I am thankful for the opportunity. I want to briefly share some of my thoughts regarding the trip with Julie before it begins to shrink in my mental rearview mirror (along with my 30th birthday.)
In addition to being able to post a blog, I am also thankful that I had the opportunity to visit Japan and my sister, who is remarkably living and finding her place there. I learned a little about that place. I met her charming friend, Hiro. I met her English tutor and friend, Etsuko, as well as some of Etsuko's family members and their friends. They were all very kind and helpful throughout our trip. Julie and I discussed many things during our week of travels together, had some good laughs, and rekindled some familiar sibling annoyances.
What else should a good trip be? As a wise man might have said, had he thought of it, "If left uneaten at room temperature, the ice cream cone will melt." As it was with our trip - we were determined not to let the trip melt before we ate it. It certainly was full of activity the whole way through. (Actually, we could have just put the ice cream cone in Julie's frigid apartment and it would've kept just fine. And if you know what any of this has to do with anything, please post the explanation.) I will add that Buddhism has taught me that all life can be related to the various stages in the life cycle of an ice cream cone.
Because Julie speaks some Japanese, because she speaks English fluently, and because she has established some connections there, I was able to see many things I never would have otherwise: a happy-go-lucky child of 6 or 7 smiling at us in a restaurant and innocently referring to us as "gaijin," loosely translated to 'foreigner' but with a distinct hint of "outsider." [From Julie: he shyly said "Konnichiwa," and they blurted out loudly in Japanese: "Are you foreigners?!"]. A traditional home-cooked meal at the traditional home of a friend's mother's house, complete with Japanese museum-style everything, but the aura of an everyday household. Even a discussion about Buddhism from the inside
with an insider – a rare opportunity, indeed. Perhaps I will write more on the topic of Buddhism on another day, I have been giving that subject more thought of late.
Another insight on being foreigners: moving through Japan, it felt at times as if we were shadows in a crowd. A crowd which seemed to be knowingly oblivious to us, as if we were invisible, yet somehow imposing. I suspect that most Japanese who caught sight of us were keenly aware of our presence. Japan is a most proper society and we are latecomers to their archetype. Part of this unique character comes from its homogeneousness, both historically and today. In fact,
to say that Japan is a homogenous country is a gross understatement. Only in the most risqué sections of Tokyo and at the major tourist attractions in Kyoto did we encounter any significant diversity, and by that I mean any at all. And by "any at all," I am referring to any people who are not of the Japanese race, living in Japan, and speaking the Japanese langauge. It's a bit different than being American, where you just have to want to be American enough, and if you have the means, you can do it. A Japanese can certainly become an American, but an American can never become a Japanese. Now how did things get that way…But what is this? A history lesson? Another blog entry?
Ok, I realize that there are too many ideas for such a short blog, so I will conclude this overview of our trip across Japan before it gets more muddled. I hope it provokes a thought or two, even if it is sporadic - I wanted to get something out today! Perhaps I will yield to the motivation to write more in the future…
The Other JT
It is something of an honor to write a guest entry for a blog that gains new readers daily (or so the word is on the street,) and I am thankful for the opportunity. I want to briefly share some of my thoughts regarding the trip with Julie before it begins to shrink in my mental rearview mirror (along with my 30th birthday.)
In addition to being able to post a blog, I am also thankful that I had the opportunity to visit Japan and my sister, who is remarkably living and finding her place there. I learned a little about that place. I met her charming friend, Hiro. I met her English tutor and friend, Etsuko, as well as some of Etsuko's family members and their friends. They were all very kind and helpful throughout our trip. Julie and I discussed many things during our week of travels together, had some good laughs, and rekindled some familiar sibling annoyances.
What else should a good trip be? As a wise man might have said, had he thought of it, "If left uneaten at room temperature, the ice cream cone will melt." As it was with our trip - we were determined not to let the trip melt before we ate it. It certainly was full of activity the whole way through. (Actually, we could have just put the ice cream cone in Julie's frigid apartment and it would've kept just fine. And if you know what any of this has to do with anything, please post the explanation.) I will add that Buddhism has taught me that all life can be related to the various stages in the life cycle of an ice cream cone.
Because Julie speaks some Japanese, because she speaks English fluently, and because she has established some connections there, I was able to see many things I never would have otherwise: a happy-go-lucky child of 6 or 7 smiling at us in a restaurant and innocently referring to us as "gaijin," loosely translated to 'foreigner' but with a distinct hint of "outsider." [From Julie: he shyly said "Konnichiwa," and they blurted out loudly in Japanese: "Are you foreigners?!"]. A traditional home-cooked meal at the traditional home of a friend's mother's house, complete with Japanese museum-style everything, but the aura of an everyday household. Even a discussion about Buddhism from the inside
with an insider – a rare opportunity, indeed. Perhaps I will write more on the topic of Buddhism on another day, I have been giving that subject more thought of late.
Another insight on being foreigners: moving through Japan, it felt at times as if we were shadows in a crowd. A crowd which seemed to be knowingly oblivious to us, as if we were invisible, yet somehow imposing. I suspect that most Japanese who caught sight of us were keenly aware of our presence. Japan is a most proper society and we are latecomers to their archetype. Part of this unique character comes from its homogeneousness, both historically and today. In fact,
to say that Japan is a homogenous country is a gross understatement. Only in the most risqué sections of Tokyo and at the major tourist attractions in Kyoto did we encounter any significant diversity, and by that I mean any at all. And by "any at all," I am referring to any people who are not of the Japanese race, living in Japan, and speaking the Japanese langauge. It's a bit different than being American, where you just have to want to be American enough, and if you have the means, you can do it. A Japanese can certainly become an American, but an American can never become a Japanese. Now how did things get that way…But what is this? A history lesson? Another blog entry?
Ok, I realize that there are too many ideas for such a short blog, so I will conclude this overview of our trip across Japan before it gets more muddled. I hope it provokes a thought or two, even if it is sporadic - I wanted to get something out today! Perhaps I will yield to the motivation to write more in the future…
The Other JT
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
and now for something completely different
In light of the internet communication from yesterday, #1 Elementary called the Board of Education. This morning my supervisor called me. He said that the Board had a meeting and decided to stress the issue to the schools that I am a support teacher, an assistant teacher, and that I am not in charge of curriculum decisions or the main teachers' responsibilities. They told me to go to the school tomorrow, participate in support of regular classes(with English themes), and report back to them at the end of the day to discuss how it went.
I guess sometimes we complain because we don't know what to do. We hope that if we complain, someone will hear what we need and try to help. Unfortunately, my complaining, I think, has fed a negative mindset.
But if a change is made because someone actually does hear you, you also have to be willing to turn over a new leaf. So if this change really does occur in school tomorrow, I hope it will be the end of my negativity about the elementary school schedule. I think if this issue gets resolved, it'll change my experience here a lot.
In other news, today I will go to see the Dalai Lama give a lecture on Wisdom and Compassion. Hee hee, I think he will speak in Tibetan with a Japanese translator, but we'll see. I wonder if I can still understand any Tibetan. I studied it for about two years back around 1999...
It'll be interesting to these things from my past and present together like that!
I guess sometimes we complain because we don't know what to do. We hope that if we complain, someone will hear what we need and try to help. Unfortunately, my complaining, I think, has fed a negative mindset.
But if a change is made because someone actually does hear you, you also have to be willing to turn over a new leaf. So if this change really does occur in school tomorrow, I hope it will be the end of my negativity about the elementary school schedule. I think if this issue gets resolved, it'll change my experience here a lot.
In other news, today I will go to see the Dalai Lama give a lecture on Wisdom and Compassion. Hee hee, I think he will speak in Tibetan with a Japanese translator, but we'll see. I wonder if I can still understand any Tibetan. I studied it for about two years back around 1999...
It'll be interesting to these things from my past and present together like that!
Monday, April 11, 2005
homesick2
Last night I dreamed that four big carp were sitting in a bowl of water. One was black, one white, one orange, and one with patches of each. The water barely covered them; in fact, their fat bodies were drying out on the parts that the water wouldn't cover. They heaved heavily when they breathed, and occasionally one jumped as if to escape the bowl. My job in the dream was to find fresh water for them. I asked my mother where I could find water, but she only knew where there was polluted water. I felt that they would die soon without fresh water, but I wasn't able to find any before I woke up...
The feeling I had in this dream was the same feeling that is overshadowing my mind lately. That is, dissatisfaction, frustration, confusion and sadness.
Today I read about the second and often more severe culture shock that many foreign people living in Japan experience. The handbook I read offered several possible coping strategies. I still would like to go home.
The feeling I had in this dream was the same feeling that is overshadowing my mind lately. That is, dissatisfaction, frustration, confusion and sadness.
Today I read about the second and often more severe culture shock that many foreign people living in Japan experience. The handbook I read offered several possible coping strategies. I still would like to go home.
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
almost 4:15
I'm back at the City Hall, in the office of the Board of Education, without a computer.
For the week I was gone there were a lot of changes back here in Arao.
This is a hands-on kind of country, a learn-by-experience type of place. My old nice boss is now the principal of #2 Elementary School. My new nice boss is from Arao Chuou Elementary.
Several teachers that I worked with got transfered to schools in different cities. I inquired about the purpose of this upheaval between the school year. I was told, 'This is the way things are done in Japan. Every teacher must teach in both the country and the city. If they are married, sometimes the couple must live apart for some time until their transfer is up. It can be years...'
Several dozen teachers got their new placements over the past two weeks. Of course, I kept my place, but my desk in the main office was moved to the opposite wall, and my computer was removed for 'community use.' So I'm typing on the 'community use' computer... ;)
Cheers and a shout out to all the people who helped me and my brother with our trip last week: Etsuko, Yoshimi, Naoko, Sakurai and the other Naoko, and Kenji, of course
Special thanks to Yuji for all his help
For the week I was gone there were a lot of changes back here in Arao.
This is a hands-on kind of country, a learn-by-experience type of place. My old nice boss is now the principal of #2 Elementary School. My new nice boss is from Arao Chuou Elementary.
Several teachers that I worked with got transfered to schools in different cities. I inquired about the purpose of this upheaval between the school year. I was told, 'This is the way things are done in Japan. Every teacher must teach in both the country and the city. If they are married, sometimes the couple must live apart for some time until their transfer is up. It can be years...'
Several dozen teachers got their new placements over the past two weeks. Of course, I kept my place, but my desk in the main office was moved to the opposite wall, and my computer was removed for 'community use.' So I'm typing on the 'community use' computer... ;)
Cheers and a shout out to all the people who helped me and my brother with our trip last week: Etsuko, Yoshimi, Naoko, Sakurai and the other Naoko, and Kenji, of course
Special thanks to Yuji for all his help
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
this is a recording...
this is what my brother and I learned this week: time goes at the speed of life.
a flash and a blur of
Arao
Fukuoka
Osaka
Nara
Wakayama
Kyoto
Tokyo
am I forgetting someplace?
memories
Tokyo
Japanese Beatles impersonators
at that same bar, big women from Kyoto who invited me to stay with them...and I might
Lion, the coffee shop that plays classical music til dawn
my bro, whom I love
Sakurai and Naoko, our gentle hosts and guides
Kenji, the time was too short--we'll host you anytime
(Edo) castle, which is not there any longer
did I do my taxes?
arguing
loving a city for once
airplane
(for a more detailed picture of our time with Sakurai, Naoko and Kenji, check out Kenji's awesome English blog: http://www.hiroken.net/blog/archives/000690.html#more )
Kyoto
running to get to our traditional ryokan 8000yen dinner on time.(we were late and it got cold. oh yeah, and boy, did Jay dislike fish for breakfast!)
the golden pavillion and the Australians we met there, but moreso,
the silver pavillion, where I found some peace amongst the flowers amongst the crowds
blur blur
taking some funny pictures of my brother late at night : )
train
Wakayama
Koyasan--green, beauty, moss, graves, a glimpe of (123) temples, graves, 5-pillared graves, beauty
Yoshimi, our other gentle host and guide
monks and priests
graves
car
Nara
cute deer
5-pillared pagoda
aggressive deer
the Great Big Wooden Buddha(--side note:I see a future blog delving into my relationship with Buddhism, as per my brother's comments that I'm always talking about it. I thought I rarely talked about Buddhism.)
Giant Glorious Temples
mangy deer
Tourists feeding mangy deer
pancake-esque sweets
Yoshimi again
feeling the living collision of old and new
car
Osaka
Umeda Sky Building
the skyline
my brother learning to use his camera...very slowly
the other Naoko, who found us the ryokan in Kyoto
the post office
pizza ball house takoyaki(uhh, 'octopus balls')
talking to Yuji on the phone
yummy crab sushi
Lemon Jelly concert
train
Fukuoka
Fukuoka SoftBankTM Hawks
かった！！they won! yippee!
Jason leaving to use the little gentlemen's room just as the crowd blew up their balloons and let them go
Jason's utter fasination with Jap-English and J-culture
train
Arao
Jay's jeto lago
going to the shrine(the one I placed my previous guests at for a long time. but look at all the beautiful pictures you were able to take..!?)
okonomiyaki(ditto)
dinner with Etsuko, Yuji and Hiro
picking Jay up at the Ooooomuta train station, thinking how handsome he looked
gosh, i was hoping this would turn into some sort of Mimento-type blog. it would go in reverse and then it would all come together at the end here. The blog would make complete sense and be really eery.
oh well, as the Buddha once said, "let it go." Wait, wait, no, it was this band me and Jay saw in, what was is '99? Cowboy Mouth.
a flash and a blur of
Arao
Fukuoka
Osaka
Nara
Wakayama
Kyoto
Tokyo
am I forgetting someplace?
memories
Tokyo
Japanese Beatles impersonators
at that same bar, big women from Kyoto who invited me to stay with them...and I might
Lion, the coffee shop that plays classical music til dawn
my bro, whom I love
Sakurai and Naoko, our gentle hosts and guides
Kenji, the time was too short--we'll host you anytime
(Edo) castle, which is not there any longer
did I do my taxes?
arguing
loving a city for once
airplane
(for a more detailed picture of our time with Sakurai, Naoko and Kenji, check out Kenji's awesome English blog: http://www.hiroken.net/blog/archives/000690.html#more )
Kyoto
running to get to our traditional ryokan 8000yen dinner on time.(we were late and it got cold. oh yeah, and boy, did Jay dislike fish for breakfast!)
the golden pavillion and the Australians we met there, but moreso,
the silver pavillion, where I found some peace amongst the flowers amongst the crowds
blur blur
taking some funny pictures of my brother late at night : )
train
Wakayama
Koyasan--green, beauty, moss, graves, a glimpe of (123) temples, graves, 5-pillared graves, beauty
Yoshimi, our other gentle host and guide
monks and priests
graves
car
Nara
cute deer
5-pillared pagoda
aggressive deer
the Great Big Wooden Buddha(--side note:I see a future blog delving into my relationship with Buddhism, as per my brother's comments that I'm always talking about it. I thought I rarely talked about Buddhism.)
Giant Glorious Temples
mangy deer
Tourists feeding mangy deer
pancake-esque sweets
Yoshimi again
feeling the living collision of old and new
car
Osaka
Umeda Sky Building
the skyline
my brother learning to use his camera...very slowly
the other Naoko, who found us the ryokan in Kyoto
the post office
pizza ball house takoyaki(uhh, 'octopus balls')
talking to Yuji on the phone
yummy crab sushi
Lemon Jelly concert
train
Fukuoka
Fukuoka SoftBankTM Hawks
かった！！they won! yippee!
Jason leaving to use the little gentlemen's room just as the crowd blew up their balloons and let them go
Jason's utter fasination with Jap-English and J-culture
train
Arao
Jay's jeto lago
going to the shrine(the one I placed my previous guests at for a long time. but look at all the beautiful pictures you were able to take..!?)
okonomiyaki(ditto)
dinner with Etsuko, Yuji and Hiro
picking Jay up at the Ooooomuta train station, thinking how handsome he looked
gosh, i was hoping this would turn into some sort of Mimento-type blog. it would go in reverse and then it would all come together at the end here. The blog would make complete sense and be really eery.
oh well, as the Buddha once said, "let it go." Wait, wait, no, it was this band me and Jay saw in, what was is '99? Cowboy Mouth.