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Archive for June, 2007

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Osaka Life Part II: Late June

Saturday, June 30th, 2007

The past two weeks that I’ve settled in Osaka the days have been drenched from the rain season. Fortunately, the rain has slowed down. Alas, in its wake the area has been suffering a terribly humid heat wave. According to all of the locals I came during the worst month for climate conditions. Not ideal for days spent exploring, but since muggy is better than rainy I set out a couple times this week.    [read on]

Nara

Tuesday, June 26th, 2007

I finally escaped the grasp of Osaka for a day and took a day trip to Nara, the first permanent capitol of Japan.  About a week ago I talked to a university student from the city who offered to show me around when I came down.  I met Yang at the train station and she began to show me around Nara-koen and the collection of temples and shrines.    [read on]

Pangainoon Uechiryu Karate and the Apartment

Monday, June 25th, 2007

Monday, Osaka was spared another downpour but had to endure an incredibly hot and humid day.  Unfortunately, it was a day filled with a good deal of strenuous activity.  Around 10am, I checked out of the hotel, strapped on my full travel gear and biked to a friend’s house to drop it off for the day.  I then took the ride across town to meet Hugh at the Pangainoon Uechiryu Karate-Do dojo.   [read on]

Tsuruhashi and Karahori-Ezu

Sunday, June 24th, 2007

In Osaka, it is easy to fall into a perpetual night life and only rest during the light of day. I’ve worked hard over the last few days to shift back to a more reasonable schedule. My efforts paid off with a few unique adventures under the old familiar shine of the sun… or what would be the shine of the sun, if it weren’t raining or cloudy all the time.    [read on]

Addicted?

Saturday, June 23rd, 2007

Osaka… this is already a special place in the world for me. I’ve been playing music at live houses and bars every other night. When I’m not behind a drum kit, a large portion of my time has been spent drinking mass quantities of shochu and eating delicious meals with my friends. Everybody is friendly here; there is a sizable Aussie expat crowd and the local Japanese are unlike the majority of Tokyo-ites (whos friendly outlook is cold in comparison to Kansai). [read on]

Osaka Life

Wednesday, June 20th, 2007

On Friday, I took the day to explore the city using my new found bicycle freedom. I pretty much headed north, with no real destination in mind. I made a few stops to browse through stores along the way, but didn’t find anything worth mentioning. About an hour into my ride I came a cross a recording/practice studio. It only cost ¥700 to play drums for an hour so I popped in to get my chops up to speed.   [read on]

Otaue-Shinji

Thursday, June 14th, 2007

I awoke just in time to catch the opening ceremony of the Otaue-Shinji (rice planting ceremony) at Sumiyoshi-Daichi.  This annual Shinto ceremony was recommended to me yesterday when I went to pick up a subway map at the info desk.  Even after being here for two months, it was still the first traditional-culture event that I’ve had the opportunity to witness.    [read on]

Kansai Bound!

Wednesday, June 13th, 2007

 

Yesterday was a wake up call.  I think I’ve seen enough shrines, temples and historical artifacts from Japan.  Sightseeing is wearing a bit thin, but every experience with the current culture has been most exciting and has appealed to me most.  Every day that passes, my visa expiration inches closer and I still haven’t been to Kansai to see the famed cultural heart of Japan.  So I decided to say goodbye to Nagoya.  It has been an extremely friendly and welcoming city, but I’ll just have to come back someday when I have more time.    [read on]

Tuesday the 12th, Part II: So this is what the cool kids do…

Tuesday, June 12th, 2007

I returned to Nagoya, feelin’ fresh with the new haircut.  But I’ve been getting bored of the same shirt I’ve been wearing for the last few months, so I was eager to find a new one.  Osu is the district renowned for vintage/used clothing shops and other cheap shopping, so I set off in that direction.   [read on]

Tuesday the 12th, Part I: A Castle and A Cut

Tuesday, June 12th, 2007

 

A popular day trip from Nagoya is the nearby castle town of Inuyama.  Inuyama-Jo is the oldest standing castle in Japan, and was declared a national treasure.  That sounded interesting enough to justify a ¥1000 round trip.    [read on]