The Eye of Patrick

So… i arrived in Seoul two days ago. We left hirakata on the 22nd for our trip to korea. I must say i was filled with excitement and worry about it, as it i was my first trip abroad with other people who were not my friend.

When we tried to leave sem house, we ordered a taxi but the first company was unable to come becuase the rain was making them busy. So we had to call another company and they came a few minutes later, but it costed us like 1600 yen, which is a huge sum of money considering taking a bus is only 220. But you live and you learn. After that we went and started taking trains upon trains to get to the airport. The last train we had to take was interesting as it was one of those decoupling trains, like for the first part of the journey it was connected to another train. But as we neared the airport it seperated and the two trains went different ways hehe… i was very amused by that hehe…

Then we went

So on March 5th 2005 I woke up at 5 in the morning to make it to Osaka so i could catch the shinkansen to Hiroshima. This would be my second trip to this infamous city, as I had gone before when my father was here. But I decided to go again on this trip as I was told that there would be a speech given by a survivor of the hiroshima atomic bomb blast, plus the fact that the school would drastically subsidize my train ticket made it even more better. Just waking up so early was a tough thing hehe

So after getting on the train at hirakata and making it down to Kyobashi, i started to worry as I realized to get to the station i needed to get to, shin-Osaka, i had to make another change on the Jr Loop line. But when i planned out how to get there I did not realize that. So after a short moment of fear of thinking about not making it onto the train i arrived at shin-Osaka, to find a place empty of Gaidai Students, so i begun to search the area to see if i could track down anyone in the area. After a couple walks up and down the station i was able to locate a red head girl in my class, the reason i mention her hair colour is that it is so easy to see her. She then directed me to the meeting place.

We were waiting for:

And while we were waiting one of my crazy roommates named Laura decided to make some funny pictures of her self, so i snapped some too.

With the arrival of the Shinkasen, we started the train ride to hiroshima, while on the train one of the people i was sitting with taught me how to make paper cranes.

That was the first paper crane that I had made in over 10 years, well since atleast 2nd or 3rd grade hehe…. but it turned out pretty well, and it got me hooked on making more and more. This was good as it helped to keep me busy until we arrived in Hiroshima, which did not seem like to long of a time as i was so busy having fun.

Once we got to hiroshima we split up into smaller groups as we did not need to go to the main meeting place as the speech was not until 1. So me and a group of friends decided to go for a walk around Hiroshima and see the local As a result of Hiroshima being destroyed with an atomic bomb is that everything in the city seems brand new. The streets are wide like Canadian streets, then those narrow streets you find in Hirakata.

While we were walking we stumbled on a mopad that had been thrown into the water, it proved for some interesting photo shots.

We decided to take a long walk around Hiroshima to get a greater understanding of the area and what it had to offer. As we were walking towards the Peace Museum (the place of our meeting) we saw a castle. We were unsure of whether this was hiroshima castle as the person with the map said it wasn’t. But then we never did see any other castles along the way, so I assume it was the castle. The time we got there was just perfect as it was the perfect light to catch a reflection in the water of the castle.

Then me and my friend decided to break away from the group and head on towards the Atom Bomb Dome as the time of the meeting was slowly approaching. As I walked towards the Atomic Bomb Dome I was filled with a feeling of bewilderment as I tried to take in all the stuff that happen. It was kind of surreal to stand there and look around and see a city, a normal city with cars going to and from and buildings with busy workers doing there job and then think that on this day 50 years ago roughly the city had an atomic bomb that was dropped on it and everything was more or less destroyed. I do not know that was an amazing feeling I thought.

The place that the Americans had decided to drop the atomic bomb was a T shaped bridge as they believe this would be the easiest target to see from the air. The interesting thing is that after the bomb was dropped the bridge more or less remained intact and was able to be used for many years after the war as a functional bridge until it was replaced as a result of use.

Then we decided to go and get some food as we were starving as none of us had a proper meal since we got to Hiroshima. We went for a walk down one of those narrow traditional japanese steets and end up on a Ramen Shop and decided to stop there and get some food. I was not in the mood for some Ramen so I decided to get two orders of Gyoza as i love that stuff. But I think the Ramen shop staff felt sorry for me because they gave me a free rice and soup. I felt very lucky haha…. so i had a good bowl of rice and soup and my lovely Gyoza.

After filling our tummies with good food we decided to return to the Atomic bomb Dome, and look at one of the few remaining builds left from when the bomb was dropped.

This lead us to the Atomic bomb bell, or a bell that was designed to be rung so that the sounds of peace could heard around the world.

I really like this one:

Then we went to the peace memorial museum:

This was were we would hear the speech from an atomic bomb survivor. As we were sitting down i remembered to turn off my flash as we were told that it could bother her, as she sometimes gets flash backs to world War II and the bombing. The speech got under way and she then went through an explanation on what happen that day the bomb was dropped. She said she was on her way to work. The military government had decided that certain buildings would be destroyed to prevent the spread of fire. This was becuse the Allies were fire bombing Japan. So many youth were used to help remove the buildings. But as she was walking to school, she heard a plane fly overhead. But most people in Hiroshima were used to that, as they thought may be they were on their way to bomb Osaka or Tokyo. Hiroshima had not been bombed before because the USA wanted virgin bombing targets to measure the bomb blast damange, so Hiroshima was left untouched.

But then the Bomb hit and she was forced to the ground, her next memory was her waking up and her mother removing her from the rubble. She then walked around hiroshima and saw the destruction that had been created. She saw buildings everywhere that were now rubble. The thing that hit me the most was the image of the rivers. She saw bodies all over the rivers, just floating there. One of her friends was thirsty and she went to the river and drank some of the water. But all the water was radoactive and then she died right in front of our speaker. She said she almost drank the water too, that was just amazing imaginry. I could not imagine what she saw, and i do not think you could, unless you were there. She then talked about how she was given a chance to come to America as one of the young japanese ladies spent to america to get medical attention. She then thought may be the reason she was selected was because she could be cured. This made her upset as she realized she was a poltical tool.

After her speech was done, we were able to get a picture with her.

Then we decided to go to the musuem and see the exhbits.

When I was a grade schooler, we read a book about a Japanese girl who had lived in hiroshima. But as she grew up after the blast, she came down with lukumia and was put into a hospital. To pass her time and a sense of hope she decided to make a 1000 paper cranes as she believed if she made 1000 then her wish of getting better would be granted. She made some everyday, some big and some small. As time passed she got sicker and sicker, then she got to sick to make them and she died. But other people would wake more for her and send them. This was only a story, until i went to the museum and saw the paper cranes. I was so touched by this.

Then we decided to rush to Miyajima and take some pictures of the wonderful tori they have there.

Then we decided to end it all with a wonderful meal of Hiroshimayaki, which is like okonomiyaki, but hiroshima style.

Hope you enjoy my post and please leave a comment,

Patrick

So I had one of those busy weekends, and I was not expecting it either. It started Friday during Japanese class when I was talking with my friend and classmate Phil about what he was doing that day and he said he was going to go to Kyoto to see a pottery fair and do some stuff in Kyoto and I thought I would tag along and see Kyoto. It is a town that is only 45 minutes away from me but I do not normally visit it as I go to Osaka mostly to do stuff. But hopefully I will be able to make more trips to there in the future.

So we met at 1 pm in front of our rez to begin our journey. We biked to Makino and decided to catch the train to Kyoto, but just as we were about to we realized that the sub-express stopped at every stop to Kyoto and that would take us a long time. So we decided to go to Hirakata and take the express train to Kyoto. That was a good idea as we got to Hirakata an Express train rolled into the terminal and we hopped on and rode the train to the end of the line in Kyoto. Phil had a small idea of how to get there, but he thought it would be best that we hitch a bus. But we were unsure of the direction of the place so when we got on the bus I decided to take a chance and ask the bus driver whether this bus went to the temple or not, that was were the flea market was being held. I asked him in Japanese and he replied no this one did not go there, but to go to the other side and take that bus. It was moments like that which made me feel happy that I am learning Japanese, I may not be multilingual like some, but even then a little Japanese goes a long way.

We then switched buses and were on our way, it was a long bus ride and during that bus ride I questioned whether we had or had not passed the place as my mind was tired and I worried during my periods of eyes being closed that somehow. But just as I was starting to worry we saw a place with a bunch of tents and decided that most likely that is where a flea-market would be held. So we got off and begun our flea market experience.

While we were walking around I saw little stuff, which I would like to buy later, like for the longest time I have been trying to see stuff that I would like to buy for my friends but I have been unable to do that. Either it was too expensive or it was too tacky, but at the flea market they had many things that I want to buy for gifts. But I was so overwhelmed by ideas that I decided that I would go next month with a better idea of who I need to buy gifts for.

Here are some pics from the temple

Then after we went to the temple we had a lot of time to kill as it was a Friday and nothing to do the next day, so we decided to explore Kyoto. We tired to find some Geisha’s but we only knew they were in Gion. But we did not know when or what part of Gion we should find them. So we decided that it was more of an exploratory venture to see the area and to know where to hit when we went there next. But it was funny when we were looking for Gion, we went and asked a police officer and one of those many police stations located in most Japanese city. They did not speak English that well and we did not know Japanese that well, so we reverted to the international communication language of using hands and making hand motions. I wish I had gotten a picture of them as they were so friendly and kind. So after we asked them we went and looked for Gion and walk around there. It was interesting as I was reading about Kyoto and supposedly the Japanese during World War II destroyed a lot of the historical or older looking districts of Kyoto for use of materials in the war. This could explain why most historical places in Kyoto are located on the outer areas of Kyoto.

Photos:

Then after we explored the Gion and downtown area we decided to go to a bar that my friend wanted to visit, so we headed towards the subway. We got on the train and started riding it when the train stopped at one of the stops and did not continue forward, so we were confused why it stopped going. But just as the confusion was about to get to us we were met by a kind Japanese stranger who decided to inform us that the train stopped here but we had to take the next train. Little did we realize that he was drunk hehe…. so he was a “little” more friendly then most Japanese people. He started talking to us, he asked if we spoke Japanese and we would say a little or stuff like that. After that began a 20 minute train ride filled with laughs and other interesting moments as he guided us to the station we required. During that trip he told us he was 73 years old and was just returning from a night of drinking. It was amazing as he did not look 73. He then said I was tall and he hit me on the head friendly. It was funny as he would speak in fast Japanese to us and we would try or pretend to understand what he was saying, and after he was done talking he would say “do you understand” and we would be like chotto or something like that and then he would laugh hehe… he had one of those laughs that at first you see nothing funny but you start laughing because his laugh is so great. He told us about his family and where he studied English. Then he tried to explain what we could find once we got to the station. Sadly our ride with the special stranger had to come to an end and we got off promising to say hi if we ever ran into each other. All through the trip I wanted a photo of him, but I was only able to get a reflection shot of him.

In Japan there is a problem of people killing themselves by jumping in front of trains so to counter that they have installed doors and other devices used to prevent people from being able to jump. This was just one of the many I have seen in Japan. This was the most advance one I have seen.

We found the bar that my friend wanted to find, but not after we walked left instead of right on the exit of the station and explored a different district of Kyoto. It was a more residential area. We were asking people where to go and they would try to help us but we kept on getting lost. Just as we were about to give up we found it. But before that we found Kendo club and we were scared to go near and take photos so we took them from afar.

At the bar we were the only ones there and so the women who owned the place came and talked to us. She was 37 and had visited Canada in her high school age. She and the old man are so far some of the most unique and cool people I have met in Japan. For many people the perception of Japan is of a country that is conservative, but when we found these two people they brought so much joy to my heart as they were people who were living their own life to the rules that they thought were best, whether people thought it was correct or not. She is 37 and her parents wish her to be married so when friends or family ask why she is not married they say she is sick because for them that can be the only reason why she is not married. But she said maybe I never will marry and I thought that was cool as she was doing what she thought was right and not what others made her believe. As we were leaving we checked the bill and realized that it was only 3100 yen, when it should have been closer to 4000 yen, because she had given us the teas for free. That just made me respect her more and more. Even though I may not use the device my friend was using, I will go there to drink Tea as she seemed friendly.

We had to leave sadly as we would have missed the last train back to Hirakata if we didn’t. So we caught the train, as it was so late we had to local train it back to makino. This turned a 10 minute train ride into a 30 minute train ride, but I did not care as it was blast. I think it was one of the most fun days I have had in Japan.

Sorry for long post, but I wanted it to be good, leave comments please.

I was planning to update my journal two day ago, but i never got about it.

On thursday I went to Oshou with my friend Kevin, this a resturant that serves Chinese food. It is a fairly popular chain in Japan. They have Ramen, gyoza (chinese dumplings) and other stuff. It is a great place to go and eat becuase it is so cheap. I think i have gone there atleast 10-20 times since coming to Japan. But because i have gone there so much with my friend the owner has started to recognize who we are and so a couple months ago we got a Gyoza card. This card is a reward card and I have forgotten it a few times on my trip there. So when we went Thursday I only had 5 stamps.

But i ordered two gyoza as i love that stuff and a bowl of rice. So me and kevin joked about whether i could eat two whole things. But i started and near the end i ate them all. I was amazed hehe…. but then becuase they are so amazingly good I was able to do that.

So we were checking out and paying our bills and I gave him my card and he said “chotto matte” or wait a second, so i was like sure. I thought may be i was just getting a discount as usually when i go there i pay the bill and some young worker does it and then the owner comes over and saids no no, and changes it and we end up with a lower bill. So i thought may be that was it, but nope, he was stamping my book. At first i thought i would only get two stamps as i had only ordered two orders of gyoza. But after he got to the second stamp and i thought he would quit. He kept on going and going and going, until i had the whole book filled! That was 15 stamps he gave me, so i was happy. That he went and got me the gyoza premimum club card hehe…. this means that whenever i go there i will get a discounthehe…. now that means I must keep going hehe…..

Today…. is tuesday?

Yes it is hehe…. so I woke up today and was thinking whether i should or should not go to class. For the most part i was thinking of not going as my Japanese teacher is not the most wonderful educator. But i decided I would feel too guilty if i skipped class so I went after all and it turned out we had a quizz that day so I was lucky. The next thing was I had not prepapred for my quiz as i was not sure it was today. But luckly I knew most of the vocab and one ??? which is magazine, but i did not know, but for some reason i was listening to a converstation with other people and they were talking about this word (before class) so i just guessed and on another one i also guessed. So that was very lucky of me. Then we were able to get an extension on our skit we had to do the next day.

Then I went to my Peace, conflict and Human Rights and somehow go suckered into giving a presentation on foreign Aid and what is it and how it effects developing countries in the SE asian region. I like this topic as it mixes my strong interest in more political side of development, plus it is in a topic that i am interested in and good thing it is a topic that could possibly lead to future employment. So i will see, i like the topic, it is just getting around the topic and getting a feel of it. But i remember I took a class with a prof last year at trent who’s speciality is this topic, so may be I will give it a look. I can’t wait to finally dig into an assignment.

Then i was walking out and i ran into a friend and was like lets go eat and he said sure. So we ended up eating and then his friend came and a japanese girl who i had not met before. I wish i spoke better japanese as they were gabbering away and I was left sitting there understanding a small part of the converstation. Like i could understand it and follow it pretty good, but I could not reply as my vocab was not good enough. But with due time, and i need to stop being shy.

Then… i had to leave to go to teach english class again, i love the train ride as usual as it gives me time to think and sometimes just to look around and see the real Japan. I enjoy it a lot. My class was as fun as usual, we usually just talk about pointless stuff and it is fun. We did an example today, where I was a customer who wanted to buy stuff from his company and he was trying to sell me it. It was a break from our usual english which is more causal to a form that is more formal. But it was a good mix.

Oh yesterday was V-day in Japan, and it is interesting experience, i was able to get Chocolates from other girls, just friends. As the custom in japan is to give chocolates to friends or bf on the 14th and you will get something back a month later on white day.

I must say I have the best gf in the world, she got me M&Ms that had custom sayings on them, i did not notice at first but then later on i looked at them and was shocked to realize that they said Meu Amor Patrick hehe, i loeve her hehe…. and she gave me salt and vingear chips, they are yummy. But i hid them or i would eat them all in one day.

Patrick

I think no matter how many times I visit Kyoto I will ever get tired of it, there is something about that town that is enchanting and draws me back again. The 2nd day of my girlfriends trip to Kinki was a trip to Kyoto. We were going to do the traditional stuff, like visit Kyozumi Temple. This was my second visit in a long time, as the first visit was at the beginning of the year and I was unable to visit it during the changing of the leaves. But I was lucky this year as the leafs changed not so quick this year so I was able to get the tail end of the change in colours.

We entered the temple in the afternoon, so I was worried we would not be able to get any good pictures. But we were able to get a lot of the golden afternoon light, so I was lucky. The reason that I like this temple so much is that it stands out their on top of a hill and you look out on Kyoto and you feel this is a old country. In Canada so many things that we call old would be considered new. But in Japan they have been able to perserve a long tradition of culture.

I feel lost for words so I will just cut to the chase and post my pictures.

Please leave comments

So I have not fully updated my journal in what has been a while, i do not know a lack of interest in updating it. But I saw a beautiful picture site and I realized I should update it.

My winter vacation started with me picking up my girlfriend at the airport as she was flying in from California, it was the first time I had seen her in 4 months so i was very excited and looking forward to it. It was scary to think of it, as we had spent the last four months chatting but from the moment she exited the gate we would spend every moment together.

But it was funny as I was waiting for her, I ran into two friends who had decided to go to the airport as they had just seen the movie “terminal” and wanted to visit the airport. That was good, as i was talking to them, my girlfriends mother called me, i was so nervous and I did not speak japanese. So they were able to speak for me.

As I was waiting for her to exit, I kept on imaging how it would be when she exit, i ran it through my head a million time, then i worried I would think someone else is her and run up to them and hug them hehee. But that was not the case and when i saw her my heart was filled with joy as I ran forward to hug her That is where my winter holidays begin.

I think the next day or the day after, my mind at the moment is jumbled, but we went to Osaka aqurium. This was my second time going there, as I had gone there when i arrived here, but my girlfriend wanted to go, so well I could not say no to her, could i?

So i am updating my journal and I feel a surreal mood of sorts, I am now working in Osaka and teaching English to a student. The reason that i consider a surreal moment is the beauty of being alone among the crazyness of the people around you. I swear one day I just want to stand in a crowd of people and twirl around with my hands open and feel so free. It is a crazy feeling. People say it is horrible for you to have to take the train to osaka as it is about a hour each way for only a two hour lesson. But i say no as i am a person who enjoys movement and the train is that beautiful thing, it is kind of like a metaphor to my life in some ways. Since i have left Calgary I have not turned back and have kept on moving forward towards the final resting place. But along this trip I have picked up people and let people off as the have entered and exited my life. Sometimes I am alone along the journey and other times i am crammed together on an a local train to Kyobashi, but every moment is a movement of progress.

I think i have found myself to a degree in Japan, I know it is cliche to say that and I do not want to follow in the steps of most gaijans that come to Japan and fall in love with it, i want my love for Japan to be an unique experience. I feel comfortable in Japan because it is an interesting culture that gels with my personality so well. It is hard to explain it, but in a country where I can’t read a thing hardly and only speak a few words of the language I feel comfortable, i feel like i belong. That is not the case at Gaidai where I feel it is a different reality from Japan, where I wish i could break free from. But I feel I belong in japan when i go somewhere and enjoy it, whether it is alone or with friends. The people i find are so kind to me, but at the same time, i can be alone. I think because I am so different that i feel so comfortable. In some ways I don’t want to return to Canada as I worry I will return to normality and to a life of blah. But at the same time I miss some aspects of Peterborough, mostly my friends, i miss Trent. Some how the most unique and wonderful people have ended up there.

The World is a place of imperfections of where things you want to make your perfect world can be found, bu they can’t be found in one place, so somehow you have to either accept the imperfections of your world or spend a entire life searching for it. I do not know what my road will be.