Today my day of work consisted of catching the train to Osaka at 5:05 pm, sleeping, getting to work at 6:00 pm, being told the class was cancelled at 6:05, getting the train back at 6:15, reading (a jolly good book!) and getting home at 7:15. I will actually get paid for that too.

Here’s the latest article on the oft-mentioned Deep Kyoto of the delightful tea emporium Iyemon Cafe.

The remaining South African pictures which I foolishly promised for this post will be posted in the next one. Honest.

Here’s an important message from avaaz:

For the first time in human history, the North Pole can be circumnavigated — the Arctic ice is melting quicker than many anticipated. The devastating effects of climate change are also accelerating sea level rise and small island nations are preparing evacuation plans to guarantee the survival of their populations.

In a week, these small islands are tabling a resolution calling on the UN Security Council to address climate change as a pressing threat to international peace and security.

But the island states’ campaign for survival is meeting fierce opposition, so they need our help. Sign the petition now — it will be presented by the islands’ ambassadors at the UN next week. The more signatures we raise, the more urgently this call will ring out to protect our common future. LINK

It was brilliant. Udo was a great guide and storyteller (though his jokes leave a lot to be desired “Gerroff the stage!“) and South Africa is a fantastic country (leaving aside poverty and crime and lingering racism and that sort of thing…). On the first day I arrived, after a short nap, Udo said “A trip up Table Mountain would be a great start” and so up we went in a cable car full of Japanese tourists with one young chap saying “sugoiiiii! sugoiiii! sugoiiii!” all the way up. We mooched around up there admiring the scenery for a bit and taking lots of pictures. Then in the evening we had dinner at a swanky restaurant at the Waterfront. And then we did something silly - drinks at the corner bar till 3 in the morning. We had a good chat but we felt rough for it in the morning. Here’s the pics (hover your mouse over them for any extra info or right click for a closer look):

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The following day, feeling worse for wear, we took things easy, visiting the beautiful Cape Town Castle (the oldest building in South Africa) and the District 6 museum. District 6 was a cosmopolitan area right in the heart of Cape Town that the apartheid regime forcibly cleared of 60,000 residents during the 70s. Now they are slowly getting their land back but the museum stands as a memorial to their experiences. That night we ate at the Ritz Hotel (the restaurant rotates!) with its magnificent night views of the city and (oops! somebody’s silly suggestion!) another late night at a Korean karaoke bar. But it was a good laugh and Udo got his mojo back apparently, which is nice (even if he did steal all my songs). Pics below (hover your mouse over them for any extra info or right click for a closer look):

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On day 3 we went to Intyatyambo which I have mentioned on this blog before (link!) and spent some time with the wee kiddies. Check out the pictures to see just how cute they are. And then fork out some cash. Just kidding. Actually, I’m not - FORK OUT SOME CASH!!! Intyatyambo is in the township of Khayelitsha, and after visiting the orphanage we had a beer at one of the few houses in the neighborhood (most people living in shacks) getting some rather odd looks from the passers by and a lady from the orphanage keeping a watchful eye on us to keep us out of trouble. I overheard Udo saying something about the “murder capital of the world” and said “Where’s that then?” and he said “Here.” and I sipped my beer a little faster. After that we went to a winery in Stellenbsoch that had pretty little gardens that made me feel like I was in Italy. A country of extreme contrasts is South Africa. The sunset that night was particularly beautiful so I’ve included some pictures in the next set (hover your mouse over them for any extra info blah blah blah…):

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And on Day 4 we went to Aquila Game Reserve which to be honest I was a little dissapointed by. I was hoping for a real safari type experience, with all the animals wandering free, but Aquila is a little too small for that, so (for example) they have to keep the lions penned up to stop them from eating the other animals (and each other) which makes it a slightly less than natural experience, more like a very very large zoo. However, I shouldn’t complain too much as Aquila is doing its bit for conservation and the animals look a lot healthier and happy than the poor sods locked up in Kyoto Zoo. Also I wouldn’t have been able to see such glorious beasties otherwise due to the brevity of my trip and Kruger National park being on the other side of the country. I shall, as Udo said, just have to go back. At least 21 days he said. Very precise.

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More pictures in my next post!

There’s one more fresh post on Deep Kyoto before I go, this time on Les Freres Moutaux, a cafe/bakery on Aurakoji dori.

And here are a few pics from Saturday night. First the obligatory pictures of flaming Daimonji (taken from Hyakumanben) and then a couple of Mr. Masuda on the occasion of his 32nd birthday. Click on the thumbnails for a closer look.

Masuda and Koji:

Masuda:

I’ll be back in Japan on August 30th. Expect lots of pictures.

Last weekend I went to see the long-awaited follow-up to Batman Begins (which I loved), The Dark Knight. I’d heard it was dark, but man, that’s a really dark movie. I think it’s less a Batman movie than a movie about three people (one of whom happens to be Batman) who decide to take a stand against the crime and corruption in their city and then are totally and utterly thwarted by a twisted psychopath called the Joker. Forget any other portrayal of the Joker you have seen, they were just cartoon characters. Heath Ledger’s Joker is a flesh and bones character you can believe in: creepy, scary, nasty, he lives for mayhem, pain and fear. And did I mention scary? He’s really scary. Oh, he also likes to corrupt people. He loves that. Moral quandaries - he likes those too. It’s a complex story and not for the kiddies. I’m wondering how they are going to follow that up.

On Sunday, I went to see the Ujigawa fireworks. Great display. I’ve always thought 花火 or fireflowers is a great name for fireworks. On Sunday, they had fireworks that looked like flowers, hearts, cats, smiley faces and Doraemon. Yet all I managed to take were these lousy pictures:
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People weren’t kidding when they told me it would be packed though. It took ages to get home when it was over. Still I enjoy the summer festival atmosphere, the yatai stalls with their crap-but-tasty food, the girls in yukata, the street beers, the excited children…

Now, once again the Japanese festival of the dead, Obon, is upon us and it’s time for another message from Hozouji.

Obon
kono yo to
ano yo no
tsunagari wo
kakunin suru
kikai

Obon:
a chance to reaffirm
the ties between
this world
and the next.

During Obon, the traditional belief is that the departed spirits of our loved ones return to visit their homes. Families get together during this time to honor their departed relatives and visit their family grave. In Kyoto, they light fires on the hills around the city on the 16th, to guide the spirits back to deads-ville. I’ll be there watching on Saturday in my jimbei. And then I’m going to Joao for Masuda’s birthday party. I think that’ll be my last blast for the summer. Off to South Africa next Tuesday for ten days, and it’s winter there…

I went to Osaka Kaiyukan last weekend. They have nice collection of wonderful beasties and weirdy creatures from another world. It’s all set up to be both entertaining and educational and so a good place to take the kids (if you have any) and get them interested in the natural world. Or you could take a date and repeatedly exclaim “kawaii!” and “kimoi!” together. Weekends are crowded though, so to avoid being jostled by over enthusiastic amateur photographers (like me) or having your feet stomped on by harum-scarum kiddies take advantage of the summer hols and go on a weekday. Here are some pictures.

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Here are some very pretty jelly fish:
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And here are some pictures of and from the big wheel outside:
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And this fellow was very entertaining. In these pictures he was balancing on a bowling ball but he can also toss it up and catch it on his neck. (Don’t try that at home kids).
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You have to click the forward button to see him move, yeah?

Thanks for the new poem. It’s a simple poem but I like the message in it.

And your translation and explanation are very good.

The poet tries to see positive aspects in negative things. It’s very Zen, isn’t it?

I like this attitude. It helps people cope with sufferings.

When we are having difficulties in our lives, we can tell ourselves, “This sadness is good for me because it helps me grow”, or “This suffering is good for me because it helps me become myself.”

The poem is for those who are suffering. It encourages them to be positive.

The concept of 自分が自分になる (you become yourself) is interesting.

It implies that you are not what you are now, doesn’t it?

Perhaps you are fake now. Or perhaps you have the potential to become something different.

You can realize your truer self through suffering and sadness.

Thanks Masaya!

Then up on Pink Tentacle I love these beautiful 19th century Japanese ghost scrolls. Nice and creepy for the Obon season.

Now for today’s message from Hozouji which is a poem by the poet and calligrapher Mitsuo Aida. Mitsuo Aida was (and still is!) a popular poet, who spoke in frank warm terms of our everyday human and emotional quandries. I have a book of his work on my shelf, いまここ：The Here and Now,, that a very kind colleague gave me many birthdays ago. I frequently return to it and flip through it’s pages and find myself thinking: “Yes! Yes! That’s so true!” His work has been extensively translated, so probably this one has been too. That’s not going to stop me having my own little crack at it though. Here’s the poem:

あの苦しみ
悲しみも
自分が
自分になるための
みんな肥料

Ano kurushimi
kanashimi mo
jibun ga
jibun ni naru tame no
minna hiryou

The poet is talking about sadness and suffering and how they help us to grow and to find ourselves. The implication being, without any suffering we wouldn’t be able to prove ourselves or find out what we are really capable of. We would never really grow up into real adult human beings. For that reason, all that pain and suffering and shit, it’s all 肥料 he says. Now the kanji 肥 (hi) means to enrich, fatten, to make fertile and the kanji 料 (ryou) simply means stuff. What they mean together is manure! Here’s my translation:

That suffering
and sadness too
is all rich fertilizer
to help you grow
into you.

Any thoughts, Masaya?

Not sure what they were up to. Didn’t stick around to find out.

Before I sign out for the evening, here’s a link to Joss Wheedon’s latest creation, a three act musical super-villain comedy which you can watch for free until Sunday when it is due to vanish from the net like the snow in springtime. I watched the first two acts yesterday, and was entranced. The third and final act goes up tomorrow. Watch it while it’s free! Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog

And here’s an amusing video from The Onion: Bush Tours America to Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency.

And here’s my friend Thomas Schwegler’s website Tropical Mountains.

Tropical Mountains was formed in 2005 in Bolivia. We saw and experienced the need of small scale coffee farmers to have support in quality control, access to pre-financing and international markets. Many producer groups and cooperatives have now moved to direct export and away from selling their coffee to the local market or local traders. We are happy to support them on their shift towards direct export…

I met this guy in Italy in 2002, a nice chap, charming, multi-lingual and a hit with the ladies. I got the impression he was looking for his place in life. He went to South America and found his place selling coffee on behalf of coffee farming co-operatives over there. As a result of his work (he has the gift of the gab see), the guys who are growing the coffee aren’t selling to the big corporate masters anymore, but direct to consumers, and that way they get to see more profit for their work. And why am I posting a link to his company’s website? Because he’s a pal, that’s why. LINK

There aren’t enough posts on bars on Deep Kyoto. This summer I aims to remedy that. God help my liver! Anyway, the first of many is up tonight: Bar Hawkwind. It’s a good place. I like it.

And this will make you smile if you haven’t seen it already: Where the hell is Matt?

Now on to tonight’s topic. The last meditation from Hozouji, if you remember went like this: すべてが割りけれぬところに人生の妙味がある
Which I somewhat lazily translated as: Not everything can be broken down into simple solutions, and therein lies life’s beauty.

Well, Masaya was good enough to write to me with some thoughts on it and here they are:

There are two tricky parts in the original, which are difficult to translate.

The first is 割り切れぬ（割り切れない, the opposite of 割り切れる）.

Maybe you know, but it’s originally a mathematical term.

If you divide 10 by 2, you get 5. That’s 割り切れる.

If you divide 10 by 3, you get 3.333333333333333333(and 3 continues forever). That’s 割り切れない（= 割り切れぬ）.

We use this idea metaphorically for something that you have to decide, you have to make choice, or even how you feel about.

For example, if someone ask you whether you like your job, and your answer is either ” Absolutely” or “Absolutely not”, then that’s 割り切れる.

If your answer is “Yes and no. I like it because such and such, but I don’t like it because such and such, but then …, even so …. but on the other hand … (arguments for and against continues on and on like the never ending decimal places)”, that’s 割り切れない.

It is also used to describe feelings. When you decide something or accept something, and you feel that something is not quite right about it, that feeling can be described as 割り切れない.

割り切れない indicates there is no simple solution, it’s not easy to find a simple answer.

In your translation, you use “simple solutions” to capture the idea, which is very good.

The next one is 妙味. This is an interesting word. It’s a combining 妙(strange) and 味(taste). “Strange taste” in 妙味 has a positive meaning. It’s strange, unusual, not boring, not common, so it’s interesting. Life is interesting because not every thing has a simple solution, and you have to find answers to many things. And even when you think you’ve found an answer, you have an uncomfortable feeling of unsettledness（割り切れない）.

I like this poem. Thanks.

Thank you, Masaya! Now the thing is, when I first translated this poem there was something, an uncomfortable feeling of unsettledness in fact about my translation that bugged me. That strong sense of life being “interesting” in 妙味 was completely lost in my translation because I stuck too closely to the dictionary definition of beauty. This despite the still small voice at the back of my mind telling me that something was amiss. Of course I could have gone with charm as my friend Osamu suggested, but that word didn’t seem to carry enough weight (not in it’s light and fluffy modern meaning anyway). So Masaya’s commentary got me thinking again and I think I finally hit on the right word:

Not everything
can be broken down
into simple solutions,
and therein lies
life’s fascination.

Seems kind of obvious now… Lesson learned: trust your instincts, not the dictionary!

I shall be posting a fresh meditation very soon.