We made it to Gifu yesterday for the fireworks spectacular. We left Nagoya around 2:30 pm to make sure we could arrive in Gifu at the hottest time of day. It was hot – no doubt about it. From the train station we had about a 30 minute walk to the river where the fireworks were being held.

We started walking on the sunny side of the street, but fortunately Steve suggested that we walk on the shady side. Not a bad idea. Here’s a map of our journey. Sort of. We did go from Point A to Point B on the map, but Google Maps left us a little short by walking, and seemed to take the great circle route.

View Larger Map

When we got to the river bank, there was no doubt that we were hot, it was going to be really hot, and we had hours to go before the main event actually started. As we got to the river, we saw a thermometer that said it was 39 degC. That’s over 100 deg F. Plus high humidity. If 299,997 Japanese can survive this weather and the fireworks, surely 3 foreigners can. Steve, always on the lookout, suggested we sit by the river under the shade of a bridge. I initially objected because I thought I wanted to be closer to the action. However, I was pretty quick to realize maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. Wouter and Steve found their favorite large rocks to sit on, while I opted for a more distributed pad of smaller rocks. I could have a series of small bruises on my butt at this point, but I haven’t checked and I have requested anyone to check for me.

We were very near the water, and that cools things off as well. Lots of the Japanese wore traditional summer wear – called 浴衣 (yukata). It is sort of like a robe for men, and a lighter weight kimono for women. For the guys I can imagine they are cool – you get a good breeze! For the women – they suffer! You can see the guy and the girl in the picture. Actually, the guy isn’t wearing full yukata. Instead, he’s wearing shorts and a shirt in the style of yukata. I’m not sure why you wear yukata to summer festivals – maybe it is like wearing red, white and blue on the Fourth of July.

Like any summer celebration anywhere in the world, there are food stalls, beer, and people.

We mostly hung out in our shaded river spot and watched the world around us happen.

We all noticed how generally calm people were in this gathering. We didn’t see any tempers flaring as they waited. Just people hanging out with friends and family having a good time and trying to stay cool. Steve amazed the Japanese with his rock skipping abilities. After a few particularly successful skips, he got a few comments of “sugoi!” which means “Great!”

There were a group of Japanese boys that looked like they just stepped out of an anime. They sat behind us at first and were being loud and smoking cigarettes and we thought, “Great.” Then they wandered off and came back in front of us. Their yukata seemed to be purchased from a party store to try to be really hip and modern. But as the night went along, they became more and more entertaining. They were trying to get the courage to come talk to us and you could hear them practicing their English. They never actually got the courage for a full discussion but they did shout some “hellos” to us. Japanese boys can be very confusing – they had lots of bling and painted nails and were probably on the prowl for some girls that looked exactly like them!

The fireworks did not disappoint. The preliminaries started while it was still light, so that was strange. But once the real show started at 7:15 pm (yes, that early). Holy Cow! It was like one grand finale after another. I think it was a competition so all the different manufacturers just strutted their stuff. It went on for one and a half hours. It was overwhelming. It is always hard to take fireworks pictures. I tried to get some, and I think the pictures below capture the flavor. Of course, unless you really focus on the photo and not the show, you won’t get much. I wanted to enjoy the show!

After the fireworks, all 300,000 people start heading for their car, buses, home, or the train station. We stayed until the end, but then Steve was on a mission to get to the very front of the crowd. By this time it had cooled down to maybe 31 degC with even more humidity. Of the three of us, I’m the shortest so our strides were significantly longer than families with small children, the elderly, and Japanese in traditional summer clothes! We were able to pass thousands of people on our way to the train. We got to the train station in front of the mob, hopped on a train, found some seats, and the doors closed and we were on our way home. Definitely a good time. I’m just really glad we avoided the sun most of the day.

I got my first, “Someone is screwing up on the way they sort their garbage and you are a foreigner so you must be stupid and doing it wrong” note today. I was warned that the foreigners are always blamed for any mis-sorted garbage. Sigh. I know it wasn’t me but anyway, what am I going to do? I believe I’ve said before that Nagoya is crazy about trash.

This week was difficult on a domestic front. As I reported my internet was out at the beginning of the week. I got home on Thursday night and the internet was down again. Oh no! “Welcome to the 90’s,” said Tomo. I spent at least 30 minutes with a help desk that spoke no English. I got nowhere on that. I determined that I was having a power supply problem and insisting the company replace the modem (or what I was led to believe was a modem). My communication solution was to conference call from work with Tomo or a translator to get to the bottom of the problem. My mobile phone does not have three way calling capabilities. Things were much easier with a translator. It turns out that it isn’t a modem in my closet – just a hub. Oh, that’s it? I can replace that myself. I did a quick test with a hub already in use and everything worked. Yeah! I bought a hub and joined the 21st century again.

I got a late notice on my gas bill as well. I thought I could take the bill to a convenience store to make the payment. Nope. No bar code. So I took what I thought was the bill. Nope, just a meter reading. I couldn’t find the bill anywhere. That is, until I asked for help on the phone. I did one last rummage through my computer bag and found a bill. I don’t have to worry about getting gas cut off!

I’m frustrated that my Japanese isn’t better. It really comes through in phone calls. Plus, customer service people speak very formally (keigo) so it is even more difficult to understand because all verbs are modified to show their respect. I don’t need respect, just help! I need to start taking private lessons again soon!

Wouter is in from Europe this week for a visit. Yeah! Why in from Europe? He’s Dutch, we met in Luxembourg, and he currently lives in Spain. A true European. We are going to Gifu tonight for a fireworks festival with over 30000 fireworks. Yes, that’s right. 30000 fireworks. It should be fun. That is, if Wouter ever wakes up. I guess the futon is comfortable. He’s sleeping in the “cave” so he probably has no idea what time it is.

It promises to be extremely hot for today’s event. It is going to get up to 37 degC in Nagoya, or about 99 degF. Yikes. Well, at least the humidity is high too! I’m definitely wearing shorts!

Last night I had a very strange orthodontics dream. I had bands and wires coming lose all over the place. I haven’t worn braces since 1993. I wonder what that dream means?

I’m typing this entry as I sit in the green car of a Tokyo / Hiroshima shinkansen. I’ll be rolling in to Nagoya from Shinagawa in 1:34. A quick run on a very, very fast train. Green car is the equivalent to first class. It isn’t that much more and it is a little easier to deal with on a very busy holiday weekend.

I was able to enjoy a long weekend away from Nagoya and for the most part away from the influence of work. It was so nice to be in Tokyo and being with friends who have known me for a while and who are not work colleagues. Tokyo feels like home to me. Although I like where I live in Nagoya, it doesn’t have the “home is where the heart is” feeling of Tokyo yet. I miss my friends and having a network outside of work to get me away from work. This weekend I also saw a movie that takes place primarily in San Pedro. The location was important to the movie, and it also made me feel homesick for Southern California. I really like living in LA. There are few places or reasons to take me away. This opportunity to live in Japan is one of those things.

Last week was a stressful week for a variety of reasons that are not really a part of what I want to write about for all to read. Don’t worry, fair reader, it is nothing too serious. Just kind of a convergence of things to make me stop and think.

The upcoming week has the potential to allow me to catch up on some stuff at work so I am grateful for that. All that could change the moment I turn on my computer or walk in the door on Tuesday (whichever comes first).

Wouter arrives from Spain on Friday. My first visitor and I am very excited! Both of us have been so busy that we’ve made no plans for his visit. Will I be in Tokyo next weekend? Will I go to Kyoto? Hiroshima? Or just hang around Nagoya? Will I rent a car and road trip it somewhere? Ah, the possibilities!

NOTE: This wasn’t actually posted until Tuesday night because - GASP! - my internet was down last night. Oh no! I was lost. LOST! I got a colleague from the office near my apartment to come over and sit on the phone with Tech Support and help me debug. There’s a box in a closet with a modem that lost power. Go figure!

Note – don’t get bored by the story and give up. The after-match action is pretty cool.

Today I went to my first sumo match ever. It was the opening day of the 15 day Nagoya match, one of the country’s major meets. Although I had never been to a match, I had seen some on TV. Still, TV didn’t prepare me for actually going.

One of my Japanese work colleagues arranged the tickets. It turns out he got the tickets from one of the wrestlers who is a friend of his. Pretty cool. Here’s a picture of some of the advertisements as we made our way in to the stadium. The gymnasium is within the Nagoya Castle grounds.

We had box seats, which I thought was a pretty good deal. Well, the boxes make the Hollywood Bowl boxes look spacious. Pretty tight quarters. You can see from the picture that the box was a surface with some mats and pipe boundaries. Luxurious! I went with Steve, Shuji, and Adryan. A very international crowd.

We had a pretty good view of the arena, and we were right behind the television crew so we got to watch instant replays.

We arrived at about 2:30 pm. We could have arrived at 8:30 am. Matches were going on that long. But we didn’t really need to see the wrestlers who are moving up in rank. We got there around the middle rankings. We were there in time to see Shuji’s friend win, and another lose. There were a fair number of foreigners in the crowd, and the ones who kept standing in our way and blocking our view were, of course, foreigners! Down in front!

We watched the matches with our legs wrapped like a pretzel. Fortunately I am able to still sit Indian style. It’s not so easy. A colleague of mine was elsewhere and I doubt he had a lot of fun trying to sit in the box.

Finally the big boys came out.

They are a mixed bag – Russians, Bulgarians, Mongolian, and Japanese. The speed and power were clearly different from the previous matches.

There were some pretty nasty head blows by some of the wrestlers. The crowd was glad to see dirty wrestlers and foreigners lose. The final match between the current grand champion and a challenger was the best. The tournaments are basically a 15 day round-robin type event – it isn’t a one and done situation. Good thing too, because the current grand champion lost in a highly entertaining scrum. Matches last from about 10 seconds to a couple of minutes. This match was probably about a minute. You could tell these guys were strong. After the grand champion Mongolian Asashoryu lost, all the seat cushions came flying! Apparently Asahoryu is not well liked. The seat cushions typically come flying when the yokuzuna (grand champion) loses. Adryan actually bumped in to him last night and he was not too friendly to anyone.

Today’s match was also eventful as we saw Kotooshu (the first European to win the Emperor’s Cup) lose his match as well.

Check out this WSJ article on sumo. It is better than I can report.

The after party

But what I can report that the WSJ can’t is that I had dinner with at least two of the competitors at their Nagoya training temple! How about that? Pretty cool. Shuji talked to his friend and he invited us to the temple to join them for dinner including chanko nabe (a typical sumo meal). Apparently it is rare to be invited to a “heya” or training house. It took us a while to find the place – the cab driver and Shuji had a failure to communicate. Shuji got one part of the name of the area wrong and the taxi driver kept giving Shuji a hard time. He sounded pretty rude to me. We finally got to the general area and the taxi driver dropped us off at a temple. The WRONG temple, but it was a start. We wandered down the street a little bit and found another temple. Shuji learned it was the correct temple and we wandered back into a wooded area and then stumbled upon a sumo ring on the temple grounds.

We entered into the temple and it was a typical tatami room full of very, very, very large men in shorts and an occasional t-shirt. There were two tables set up on the floor. Not even tables, really, but discs on the floor with mats around them. We were assigned four seats and then served food while the younger wrestlers waited. One of my colleagues was uncomfortable and didn’t want to eat until everybody started eating. It was a little uncomfortable to dig in while others stood around, but it was also the expectation. So I dug in – no problem! I can’t imagine the food budget. I’m sure the four of us counted as one wrestler. We enjoyed some sashimi, eggs, fried something, fried pork, chanko nabe, rice, and beer. In moderation it was fine. It was quite a unique experience though, and I think a very rare opportunity. I wasn’t really sure of the protocol and how much I should speak and to whom I could or could not speak with. Once they discovered I could speak Japanese folks got a little friendlier. Today is the first day of the 15 day match, so it really was nice of them to allow us to join. Here’s a picture of Steve, Adryan, Shuji’s Mongolian friend, Shuji, and Shuji’s Japanese friend. The shiner on Shuji’s friend is from training – not today’s match. They don’t look so big in the picture. But trust me, they are.

I have a picture goofing with one of the guys, both flexing for the camera. Which one is the sumo wrestler?

Tonight was a rare opportunity – I certainly know that. It will be a special night that I will always remember. These guys live sumo 24 x 7.

As I was riding around the city today I heard the first cicadas of the season. We don’t have those in Cal-li-for-nee-a (think Ahhnold). Certainly had them in Indiana and around Australia. If you get near a whole bunch of them it feels like they are in your head rattling around. They aren’t that thick in Japan yet but they will be soon. I really like the critters, they remind me of summer time. They drive me a little crazy when they feel like they are in my head but that’s the price you pay for cool bugs sometimes.

For something completely different I went to Mexican food tonight at Jerry Uno’s in Nagoya. Yum, it was pretty good. It wasn’t Pachanga’s, but it was the best I could do. It was a welcomed change. I had a couple of Corona’s, some chips and salsa, a bean soft taco (with mayonnaise of course – why does everything have to have mayo?), and a spicy burrito. Yum. It was a welcome change of pace. I rode my bike to my boss’ apartment and then we met up with another colleague and walked to the restaurant. I enjoyed using the bike as transportation.

I am going to the opening day of the sumo wrestling tournament in Nagoya tomorrow. It should an interesting cultural experience. I’ll try to get some pictures.

Today I woke up with no plan. That’s good and bad. It can lead to sloth and lethargy. I succeeded in napping again before actually getting out of bed.

I decided to take the mamachari out for a spin and check out the grocery store in the nearby area. I wasn’t impressed with the store but I had fun on the bike. I was out for over an hour, just riding around. I discovered a Catholic church and the home of the Toyota Antelopes. Huh? I think it turns out that the Antelopes are a women’s basketball team. Go ‘Lopes! I’m still enjoying the freedom of the bike. I bumped in to a different colleague while I was out and about. I see more colleagues out on the street here in Nagoya than I do in LA! It isn’t like I’m hanging out right by the hotel or anything. OK, when I went to the Hard Rock Café on the 4th of July it didn’t surprise me seeing others there. But just bumping in to people on the street?

(Oh, I just realized I didn’t confess to going to the Hard Rock Café on the 4th of July. Hey, I figured some good old American food was the best I could do for the holiday where I worked all day long. So I had a pulled pork sandwich, fries, cole slaw, baked beans. And I LOVED every bite of it. So sue me!)

There was a thunderstorm brewing while I was on my bike so I decided to cut my ride short. Who knows, if it wasn’t for the rumbling thunder maybe I’d still be out there riding around like a little kid. I ♥ my ママチャリ.

I parked my bike in my $42/month parking spot and walked to Muji to buy a couple of glasses to replace the one I broke the other day. Then I planned to get some pillows at Tokyu Hands. I debated about buying an ironing board at Muji. It was a table top type board and I just didn’t know if it was practical. As I was getting ready to head to the up escalator, I heard, “Jon!” Busted again! This time it was my boss. He had been to Tokyu Hands after looking at his apartment and deciding maybe it was time to clean.

I had hoped Tomo would help me shop for cleaning supplies. But it is hardly fun. I remember now that when I lived here before I lived in a serviced apartment. So I never really actually had to clean. Oh. Therefore I didn’t really have any product knowledge. My boss inspired me though to at least get some cleaning supplies. I mean, he can’t speak a word of Japanese or read a single character so if he can do it so can I. But that’s what I mean – some times it is the simple things that can be difficult. Almost paralyzing. How do I know this is the right product? How do I know it is safe? What if I mix it with something accidently? That’s why I bought Tide when I bought laundry detergent. Because I knew it. I chose Pax Naturon. I guess I probably bought it because it has English on the label. I quote, mistakes and all, “Naturon is soap series.(natural ingredient) for new families who care for nature and health.” OK, sounds good. I care about nature and all. For the shower I got “パックスナチュロンお風呂洗きせっけん” I knew that お風呂 was a bath so I was in good shape. And now I am reminded that 洗 means clean. I got a similar product for the toilet. Hey, peace and nature. What more can you ask for? They look safe and friendly!

While I was riding around I was struck by what a cool experience this is. Yeah, I complain about work and sometimes the job can really get me down. That’s the same anywhere. I’m out of the hotel though, making it on my own (with a ton of help) in this foreign land. That I’ve been to about 30 times .. but STILL!!! It remains an interesting experience.

I was talking to friends today. Something about my upbringing tends to steer the converstation to, “What’s the weather like there?” We’ve grown out of the, “What time is it there” question. But now it is, “How much is gas? Really? Wow.” And they have a Prius. And their response is, “What’s the dollar at?” It is a different world these days.

Today was really hot. I had to go in to work in the morning. I left a little after lunch and the spur train wasn’t running so I decided to walk about 20 minutes to the main train station. BUT IT WAS TOO DARN HOT! So I flagged down a taxi. Ahhh, it felt much better. When I got home I found a note from the post office telling me something related to held mail. One phone call later I at least knew where the post office was (sort of) and that there was a 24 hour window I could use. Hey, that’s cool. I consulted the map and found the exact location! I wished I had my bike because it would have been fun to ride there. I had to do some other errands so I decided to walk to the bike shop. My bike had arrived. Yippee!!!!!!! It was ALMOST like the picture except the basket wasn’t the black wire mesh basket. I wanted the black wire mesh basket. Oh well.

While they were putting my bike together they had about 5 people come in for stuff and I’m not sure I saw anyone pay. It is that kind of shop. They were cool. They ordered an extra long seat post for me and registered my bike with the city.

I didn’t know how to operate the kickstand! The bike feels like a limousine compared to my racing bike. Or maybe like a canoe when you are used to a kayak. Long and slow to react with a big keel. But it so cool to now be a little mobile! I was like a kid again. So I rode down to the post office. It is so much faster getting around by bicycle. I just need to make sure I stop and enjoy the city and not race from place to place. I went to the post office and got my new ATM card (I think I said that I was denied a Visa card …) and then just rode around the central city. I found some museums. As I was riding home I bumped into my colleague again – this time with his wife and child. They were on their mamacharis too! I kept rolling around the area, letting the wind pass by me and checking out the town.

When I was at the bike shop I bumped into another American who called my bike a knee destroyer. I guess because it is single speed. Today I noticed there were more hills than I thought but nothing to bad. Just gentle grades. Anyway, this bike shop will be a good resource in general. If I decide I want a real road bike I should be able to arrange something through this shop. I did bring all my clothes just in case. Well, except I think I forgot my winter wear.

The first thing I had to do was to buy a somewhat traditional Japanese futon as the guest bed. Something I can roll up and put in the closet when the visitors are gone. So where did I end up? Muji of course. I feel like a Muji representative. But they always have exactly what I am looking for. For all you visitors, here is the futon pad and futon you will be using. It is a double – special order!

Today I got home at a decent time (well, not too late) and was able to walk to the semi-local bicycle store and order my new bicycle. It is cool! I think I’m gonna make people jealous, but I’ve gotten some strange reactions. Here’s a cool picture of my new Bridgestone ブリッド bicycle. Lights, fenders, baskets … isn’t it cool?!?

These bikes are ubiquitous. Very convenient with a basket in the front. I may order a rack for the back and really trick it out. Seriously, some people just can’t imagine why I actually want this bike. It’s no Litespeed but what the heck. I’m looking forward to rolling around the neighborhood and checking it out.

The bikes are called ママチャリ (mamachari) because it is typical of a Japanese mother to ride – a mother’s chariot. The ads are geared towards women. But as I said, they are ubiquitous. It is my way of living the high school student life I never had in Japan!

I got the bike at ズノウ　チューブ (Zunow Tube) where I’ve already started to develop that personalized service that will pay off in the end.

While I was navigating some side streets walking home from Zunow Tube I noticed little restaurants, clothing shops, etc, just existing off the main streets. How do stores survive? Who are their customers? How do people find out about them? It totally perplexes me and is something that I’m not sure that I will ever understand.

I am not a morning person. I have never really been a morning person. And while I can’t sleep until noon anymore, sleeping until 9:00 am or so on a free day is a possibility. That’s what makes my mornings here so difficult. In order to get to work when it is expected I have to catch a train at 6:45 am. That reminds me of the 6:15 am bus ride in High School (usually barefoot in the snow …). I have to walk to the subway station (about 5 brisk minutes), catch the 6:45 am train two stops to Nagoya Station, transfer to the Meitetsu train line by walking about 4 minutes to the 6:53 am train. I take that 3 express stops to my next station, transfer to a spur train (about a 5 minute wait) at 7:10 am, go the entire one stop length of the train line, and walk 7 minutes to the office. That results in about 16 minutes of walking every morning and every night. If I miss the 6:45 train, that results in a later Meitetsu train and a later spur train. And significantly larger crowds so I am kind of stuck.

Every morning I am startled awake at 6:00 am and immediately know I am running late. I’ve even started arranging all my things the night before. Funny! This morning I thought I was doing OK and then I looked at my watch and realized, “TIME TO HURRY!!!” That happens every morning.

The train is a little helpful though. It forces me to get up and get going. I KNOW if I had a car I’d find 100 ways to distract myself and just keep getting in later and later. Also, honestly, it is nice to have some definite deadlines for the return trip. The last spur train departs at 8:47 pm. I have taken that more times than I planned.

I’m really tired tonight. So that’s all!