Hommage to Takashi Homma #nofilter #nara #japan
Have I mentioned recently how much I love living here? ||| #Sahogawa #nara #sakura
From matsuri/festival a couple of weeks ago.
Annual visit to Shoryakuji Temple to see the Fall colours. Brrr! And lovely.
8..6.12. bon odori
solarflares — nara soundscape
solarflares: recording fields
Bon Odori at Gokoku Shrine. August 6, 2012.
Recorded on a humid August night at what I learned later to be a “Defend Japan” shrine in Nara. The snaky guitar lines give it an uncanny African feel, love the clipping on the PA system.
Recorded using iRig app on my phone. Pic by me as well.
Busy days.
FRIDAY: Showed Colin Marshall around town. We did the full circuit: Day-long walk around Nara: JR Nara, Sanjo-dori, Sarusawa Pond, Nanendo, Kofukuji pagoda, Nara Park, National museum was off limits due to crazy long line-ups for the last day of the annual Shoso-in treasure exhibition, then off to Todaiji/the Big Buddha, up to Nigatsu-do overlooking Nara city, back down and through Nara-machi including Gangoji, then shotengai maze-guiding and finishing off with okonomiyaki and beer.
Two realizations:
a) I still marvel at the beauty of my new hometown,
and
b) I could start charging, doing the tour guide thing. A little extra yen on the side….
Oh yeah, I got interviewed for his podcast. Stay tuned.
SATURDAY: Up early for work, and then friends’ going-away party in Osaka. Glad we had to catch the last train back, as everyone was smoking in this cozy little basement bar and 6 months in on my quit, that kind of party atmosphere is still too tempting. One drink and then split, feeling old. Review copies for the Liminal showed up in my inbox. Start listening/scribbling. Up late.
SUNDAY: Up early, off to Kyoto for Chagall exhibition and to order New Years osechi. YMO vinyl and got a new watch at my favourite shop, United Arrows: Happy birthday to me! Back to Nara for dinner with the in-laws. Mmmmmm, yakiniku.
MONDAY: My birthday, Japan time. Long walk to Kasuga Shrine to set official wedding date, long lunch, then off to hire a photographer, set date for kimono fittings, then dinner again with the in-laws.
TUESDAY (today): Good morning! I have two birthdays, as it is now November 12, N. America time. My phone lighting up every few minutes with fb push notifications of b-day well-wishes; I love my pals back home. Just spent my Amazon gift card (thanks mom!), much needed books coming my way in the mail. First issue of my WIRE magazine gift subscription showed up today!
And now, finish this coffee and back to teaching all week. Phew!
La Forêt de Mogari, Naomi Kawase (2007)
I am still astounded that this is within walking distance from my home.
Autumn
Country drive, Simon Scott’s “Below Sea Level” for motion ambiance.
Our annual fall picnic at Nunome Dam. (Taken with Instagram)
One year in and still playing the “ride until you get lost and find your way back again” game.
The area around Kyobate station is creepy to ride around at night. Not in a “bad area” kind of way, but in the way that there’s barely any street lights, it’s easy to get lost down cramped, winding labyrinthine back streets that give way suddenly to expansive rice fields with maybe one light and mountains in the distance, pavement gives way to dirt paths, there’s a river with a steep drop and no guardrail, wandering posses of stray cats, abandoned-looking factories…and I’m sure the neighbourhood is perfectly non-threatening by day.
In other words, it’s good fun.
Late bike ride, found demon cats.
