We are just back from a wonderful Christmas holiday. We took the Shinkansen south to Hiroshima, then a boat to Miyajima, car across the mountains to Hagi, a town on the northern coast of Honshu facing the Japan sea.
Hiroshima was a sobering and in some ways uplifting. Every visitor to Japan should pilgrimage; the city is rebuilt and vibrant, the memorial restrained, the A-dome and peace-park poignant and pointed. And let’s remember all those who are not remembered.
Miyajima is a small island just off the coast, judged one of the three most famous views in Japan. It being winter, we seemed to have the island to ourselves, but judging by the number of ferries and tourist shops, it may be difficult to jimya anyone else in come summer. We climbed Mount Misen 530 meters (with the help of a cable car), lit our candles at Kiezu-no-Reikado, dedicated to eternal love, (ahhh) in which the fire has been burning so they say for 1200 years (would you ever admit it if you let the fire go out?) then down the thousand step path, some steps, I guess, laid 12th and 13th centuries, for a splendid sea food meal in the Ryokan.
Back to the mainland and a hired car to drive over the mountains, guided by a neurotic GPS computer, nicknamed Doris. She’d get very upset when I went the wrong way (“Migihoko Uturno desu”). Deep snow on the way across the mountains, beautiful on the trees, but pleased I had snow tyres. We stopped off in Tsuwana, which had a museum dedicated to the artist Hokusai. Just wonderful stuff. Apart from the famous Ukiyo-e prints (like the Great Wave of Kanagawa, or 100 views of Mount Fuji) there are dozens of sketches and manga full of brilliant caricatures drawn with an incredible economy of line. Plus the inevitable temple, this one with a thousand Tori to walk through (all dripping melting snow down our necks).
Then Hagi, ancient castle town, the ancient bits are fascinating, most of the rest is a dump. We had two splendid days in an Onsen resort, soaking in the hot tubs in between visits to the castle, the best museum we’ve been in (the joinery and woodwork is fascinating), local potteries (ho hum), a glass factory, and trips along the the Japan Sea coast through fishing villages drying squid on the washing racks, and mountain paddy fields underneath giant wind generators. How many rice fields would feed a family?
We tasted fugu, (tasteless and expensive), oysters, eel, squid, Hiroshima beef (gave me indigestion) bean jam patties (bin jammed full), getting a taste for Sake and Bento boxes.
Love to you all.
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16th December.
Happy Christmas everyone. Two more days for Linda at school, then I have a couple more ham acting parts on Japanese TV, before we take the Shinksansen to Hiroshima. We’ll tour Western Honshu for a few days before returning to Tokyo for Christmas.
Seems incredible that we have been here four months. We’ve settled into the routine and the apartment, we’re taking Japanese lessons, (bit of struggle) and generally enjoying life.

Linda is beginning to find her way about work. Lovely group of teachers and students. She is busy and happy. We’ve had a number of interesting sessions with other staff involving large quantities of food and booze. Japanese restaurants have set price menus where you book the restaurant for say two hours, then the food and sake just appear; one eats and drinks as much as one likes, usually more than is advisable.

I am busy with writing and science paper editing; I’ve read more science papers in the last three months than in the last three years. It’s quite a challenge but I’m really enjoying it. I’m also acting as an extra in various productions for Japanese TV. Ham acting it is, who cares, good company. Fortunately didn’t get picked as Father Christmas.

I’ve also joined a brilliant woodworking group called Shuko-kai. I think all woodworkers should go back to basics from time to time. I spent three hours on Sunday trying to tune my plane, under the watchful eye of the Master Woodworker and finally managed to get one shaving about a micrometer thick. I struggle to work cross legged, but I’ll get there. I have two goals, one is to be able to use a Japanese plane, the other is to speak, or at least understand enough Japanese to get the jokes! Practice, practice, practice.

Joe is planning to visit next June - he is giving a paper at a conference in Vancouver in May and discovered it would cost him $40 more to go right round the world. So he is flying to the UK and Paris (UNESCO) then back via Tokyo. He is back in Vanuatu at the moment collecting more data for the Doctorate, we hope, the last trip into the interior.

Sarah keeps busy with her ARC job but manages to find time to go canoeing down weirs, has joined a synchronised swimming team (this we have to see!) and is playing in the Manukau orchestra. She joined Joe in Vanuatu in July for a holiday.

Tom sailed from NZ to Vanuatu in August in a 40 foot yacht; crewing for a German skipper. An interesting journey we heard, especially when the position reports stopped coming. He is nearing the end of his horticulture apprenticeship and thinking about the next move. Ideally, he would like to get an internship somewhere in Europe or the US, but it is fairly competitive. Meantime he is having a wonderful social time in Wellington, swinging fire pois for a hobby.

So that’s us, you’all have a really good Christmas, here’s to the next decade.

Photographs are here.

Life is fun
Love Nigel

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Well this is different. During Aida, some of the students told me about various modeling agencies in Tokyo. You read it right, modeling agencies. I am signed up with the Inagawa Motoko all star modeling agency, and have started appearing in junk TV shows. So far, I have been a Doctor, cancer patient, American Police Chief and auditioned for a drama called a Dog from Franders (true)

Tomorrow, well I am not too sure, but we start shooting at 5.30 am and I have to wear casual clothes.
Gee whiz