Tower Tales

Still here

2011-03-17T11:46:00.001+09:00

We are all still here, and are well, though monitoring the situation. You might get more information from here. These are difficult times after all. Good luck to everyone and don't panic. Worry achieves nothing.

The earthquake - we're OK

2011-03-12T01:43:00.002+09:00

If you are checking in here to find out if we are OK, we are OK. Thanks for dropping by!

Family feast

2010-12-25T19:25:00.001+09:00

Merry Christmas all. Here, we're just about to tuck in. We couldn't get hold of a whole chicken or turkey, and rather than camp out at KFC, we went for crabs legs, tuna bits and octopus balls.

And champagne left over from my birthday and the half bottle of red wine Santa was unable to finish last night.

Bottoms up!

Christmas!

2010-12-25T16:23:00.001+09:00

Merry...

2010-12-25T16:22:00.001+09:00

Fame at last. Fortune still some way off

2010-11-02T22:42:00.003+09:00

Oh, by the way, I'm famous now. Yes, I was in the Japan Times again, only this time pretty high up in the article and with a picture of me and Yoshie (on the right) strutting our stuff in the playgroup. Whether the coverage amounts to a hill of beans is doubtful, but it will make a nice framed cutout for the classroom if nothing else and we can tell our kids we were in a newspaper. Then we have to explain what a newspaper is.

Here's the article here.

Happy Halloween. Now breathe normally

2010-10-31T21:57:00.002+09:00

What a busy day. Ran a half-marathon this morning. My time, for those who care about such things, was 1.52 and 14 seconds. Pretty good, but there was a chap in front of me dressed as Michael Jackson who moonwalked round the big turns. And still beat me.

I did beat Darth Vader, even though the force was weak in me by the end.

And then, we held a Halloween Party for 65 kids at our school. I felt like King Harold marching back from defeating one foe, the Saxons, Jutes or Obtuse Angles or whoever they were, only to face another far more formidable foe.

However, dodged all incoming arrows and the kids had a lovely time. Here's two witches cleaning up after the party.

Two apologies, a link and virtual sock drawer

2010-09-06T22:22:00.003+09:00

Hello all. Just a quick note to say I'm missing you all back in Britain. Three weeks just wasn't enough, and I still haven't got round to apologising to the many decent folk I just couldn't fit in.

So, it's back to Japan - everyday since being back has been like a sauna. Sounds fun I'm sure from chilly Britain, but 30 days on the trot with temperatures over 30C and humidity a few notches away from 100 gets tiresome very quickly.

Anyway, moaning aside, I've got a fun task to do - help sub-edit an article my old school pal Mrunal has written about raising his disabled son and balancing work. I'm looking forward to doing it, but I want to do a great job, so have been putting it off in typical poor time management on my part.

Apologies again, will get to it shortly. In the meantime, here's a bit of proper writing I did for a Washington DC political blog. That was fun too, but think I should spend my time on writing that great unfinished novel sitting in my virtual sock drawer.

Time marches on!

Sherriffs in Britain 2010 - the video is here

2010-08-15T02:31:00.002+09:00

Here it is folks, the video of the holiday. Crank it up and get quick with the pause button.

We all had a lovely time, my only regret was that we didn't have longer. There were many good friends I wanted to meet up with from my Derby and Nottingham days, but just had about two days too few.

Next time.

Hanami - Cherry blossom viewing

2010-04-05T22:56:00.001+09:00

Our two petals with a late-blooming cherry blossom in K-chan's schoolyard.

Guess this constitutes a post for international women's day. Maybe.

2010-03-08T23:17:00.003+09:00

Feeling a bit like I'm on the other side of the world tonight. One of my oldest friends back in Britain is celebrating the birth of his first daughter, and I wish I could be with him to share his joy. Ho hum. Here's a shot of my babies instead taken with my newfangled iPhone thingamy.

Snow - The Tower English musical

2010-02-03T23:03:00.003+09:00

I'm posting this video here, not because I think you need to work on your English, although you probably do come to think of it, but because it features views from the Tower English homestead - and has cameo appearances by K-chan, Emma and a speaking part for Yoshie.

Oh yeah, it snowed the other day, but guess that's not big news for folk in the rest of the world.

Exciting new Twitter thing is here!

2010-01-22T23:14:00.003+09:00

Can't seem to find the time to post much here these days, so I came up with a brilliant solution. Twitter. Ehhh? It's a "micro-blogging site". Ehhh? It means I can write updates that must be 140 characters or less. Look, I don't have time to explain. Just look at the whatsit on the top right there, and if you can figure it out, click on some of the words there and you could even sign up for Twitter and follow me and all sorts. Or just keep an eye on the whatsit at the right and read fascinating updates on the fascinating life of me. Or not. It's your choice.

Happy New Year folks!

2010-01-01T00:00:00.001+09:00

So, Happy New Year to all my faithful readers (and anyone else who typed in "Tiger drinking" into Google). Yes, it's the year of the tiger. I have no idea if that is auspicious or not. I've already given up smoking, I already run regularly and have no intention of giving up drinking, so this year's resolutions will be: learn more Japanese and write a novel. They are useful resolutions, I make them every year.

Merry Christmas from Japan

2009-12-23T02:52:00.002+09:00

Here's what's been taking up our time back at the ranch:

Did you spot Emma and K-chan? Me as Father Christmas?

Katherine's piano show

2009-12-07T11:39:00.001+09:00

Sorry to be late posting this, but here is Katherine playing La Ra Du (is that spelt right? - only know it in katakana). Take it away K-chan:

Did I forget to mention...

2009-11-23T18:06:00.004+09:00

...it was Katherine's birthday last week? To celebrate, we went to the karaoke, but I promised Yoshie I wouldn't post the compromising video, so instead, here are the girls with the cake. You have been spared the worst.

Sweet dreams

2009-11-12T22:20:00.002+09:00

Younger daughter: Mum, my friend has hip hop every Thursday. I want hip hop too.
Mum: Well, we'll see. Are you sure you like hip hop?
Younger daughter: Pleeeeeeeeeeease mum, you know I like any kind of sweetie.

Meet the new member of the family

2009-11-11T18:01:00.002+09:00

It's a nine-year old Nissan Tino, which the kids have christened "Pandi" for its resemblance to a Giant panda. Hope the world's oil supplies last for a few more years.

Please do it at home. Like Tower English!

2009-11-09T22:40:00.003+09:00

Wow. Has it really been since August that I've posted anything here? Sorry folks, if any of you are still reading this.

Well, I've been doing my bit for Queen and country, running the Teganuma Eco Marathon at a snail's pace and been a bit busy with other stuff. While I've been using the internet to - how you say - goof off? I've had a brainwave and thought, why not use my newly acquired knowledge of cheap digital cameras and free uploads to YouTube and do something worthwhile-ish for the business (You know, Tower English? The best darn tootin' English conversation school in Kounoyama no less).

Here's my latest wheeze. I do look a bit pasty and I was a bit subdued as it was after midnight when I filmed myself, but I'm hoping I'm onto something with 3-minute English lessons once a week as a way of promoting the school on its blog (over there on the right) and having fun making them. Whaddaya think?

Something else that's been taking up my time...

2009-08-02T21:57:00.002+09:00

Here's what's been taking up all my time recently...

2009-07-15T00:08:00.001+09:00

(Oh, best if you click on one of the buttons under the video to make it full screen!)

Why did the snake cross the road?

2009-06-14T18:04:00.002+09:00

...to get to the other side. Oh, it's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry about that. Look what we came across the other day on our way to the lake. The fellow in the video told us that the snake is a regular visitor and all the neighbours are used to it.

You're not in Leicester anymore, kiddoes.

Ode to enjoyable wastes of time

2009-05-12T23:36:00.001+09:00

It's been a while, huh? Well, here's a little ditty that K-chan has been working on, y'all may appreciate:

Happy meals

2009-04-26T22:56:00.000+09:00

Who says McDonald's is bad for kids (errr....)? Here, the girls demonstrate the play equipment at the Abiko branch. It always strikes me as odd that the packaging on the Coke and Double Quarter Pounders with "Cheese" have pics of Olympians engaged in heroic pursuits. Still, the kids enjoy it and the Happy Meals with free toy must keep thousands of Chinese peasants gainfully employed. Oh, Emma's sweatshirt was a present from Ba-chan, so no nasty comments please.

Don't throw Easter eggs in grass houses (or something)

2009-04-15T00:18:00.003+09:00

Hello folks. Happy Easter, I'm a bit busy (as always) but check out the pics here of yours truly and the "double kids" of Abiko doing an Easter egg hunt on the roof of the Abiko library (it's a grass roof - you gotta see it - right here).

Rocking and rolling (the dough)

2009-03-30T01:05:00.002+09:00

Hey there, betcha thought I'd forgotten about you? Nahhhh, 'course not. Here's a little Sunday bread-making to warm your hearts.

I told you there would be fewer posts and more of the kids...

One year older, one year wiser

2009-03-19T23:15:00.003+09:00

As the kids say, OMG OMG - I've only gone and missed a key anniversary. Yep, this blog was one year old as of March 2nd. Dang.

This blog has been theraputic for me, allowing me to find my feet in this odd brave, non-English-speaking new world I 've found myself in, and it has allowed me to keep contact with the old one. Recently, the posts have been fewer. Does this mean I'm more at home now?

Maybe.

Certainly, the newbie "Wow, look at this crisp packet, isn't it peculiar" phase has passed. And I've lost any appetite for boosting hits at this site. If I may lapse into a little French, the raison d'etre has changed for this blog. Now, I'm not quite sure what the raison is for it, it may be completely d'etred, but T-Tales is still a loyal friend, and one that I am happy to return to when my other blogs are not the right place for my thoughts. Don't wish to sound pretentious, but, dear readers, you have a right to know what's what.

So what to expect for the next 12 months at T-Tales? A little more introspection and maybe fewer posts, and more of the kids. Don't say you weren't warned.

Message from the President

2009-03-16T01:15:00.000+09:00

Recovered from the rock and roll archive...

2009-02-22T23:49:00.006+09:00

Yes, there it was in all it's faded glory. Here's a transcript of what Sherriff-sensei said (or meant to say):

Sherriff-sensei: Hello (applause). Let me introduce myself, I'm Patrick Sherriff. Nice to meet you. In 2007, I escaped from Britain (laughter), that's why my Japanese is not very good, my guitar playing is not very good and my singing is no good. But, I'm very good at being taught, er, teaching English. My conversation school, Tower English's phone number is 04-7100-1235 (laughter). Do you understand? Let me repeat... do you have a pen? 04-7100... OK, with apologies to Mr Lennon...

Miyauchi-san: Got to sort my strap out... time for a commercial break. Let Mr Sherriff talk to you...

Sherriff-sensei: Nice weather today, isn't it? ... OK, Let's start the lesson.

(Well, despite battling a drooping microphone stand and an urge to sing flat, it wasn't too bad...)

After dinner entertainment

2009-02-21T00:31:00.003+09:00

In a little over 36 hours (that's a sun-down and a half in old money) I'll be strutting my stuff as a bone fide Foreign Entertainer, singing and dancing for my supper. But before I do my take on Hey Jude by the Beatles and Sing by the Carpenters (there was no avoiding it) here is a warm-up act with Emma's own version of Hey Jude and Katherine's Ponyo Ponyo routine she is learning at school. Take it away girls:

The week that was

2009-02-15T23:24:00.006+09:00

Well, what news to report? It's been a week since the last post, has there really been nothing worth mentioning? Probably, but that never stopped me before. No, I've been helping out Our Man in Abiko at his blog so there's been little of the candle left to burn at either end. Anyway, here's the week in review chez Sherriff:

Taught loads of lessons.
Ran round the lake twice (once with shacho)
Giri-no-shacho has also discovered the joys of walking round the lake and has one of those step counters. She maybe overdid it a tad, coming back after six hours one afternoon - her step counter read 40,000 and something.
Found a guitar shop in Kashiwa - the nearest big city - and rediscovered the joys of staring at beautiful guitars I can (still) never afford to buy.
Rehearsed twice for the upcoming gig.
Watched the final episode on cable of the first series of Life on Mars (was there a second? Yes, yes, we're a couple of years behind over here).
Had a Valentine's lunch at our local Indian (actually Nepalese) restaurant with 13 of our students (so they could practice their English! No, really! (And it was fun, too - see the pictures here.)
Went round the lake with the family (see above).

That's it. Hope to get back to you in less than a week...

Take a sad song and make it, er, better?

2009-02-08T22:05:00.004+09:00

Sherriff-sensei's stage debut nears (just a fortnight to go) so he got his guitar and blues harp out for a little pre-practice practice (the organiser was coming round in 30 minutes). Maybe you are supposed to practice more than 30 minutes a week, still here's the show so far:

By the way, Yoshie remarked that usually parents video their kids, not the other way round. There's probably a darned good reason for this, as you can see. Roll on the 22nd!

Once more, with feeling

2009-02-03T02:03:00.005+09:00

Just figured out how to upload to Youtube, which means this here video is now global, baby. Wow. Anyway, it shows a bossy but quite good older sister showing the ballet ropes to a younger, but quite forceful sister - all in our living room/classroom.

Compare with here, from half a year ago.

Mission less impossible

2009-02-02T10:40:00.004+09:00

News just in, I've been given a reprieve from my mission impossible... I just have to mime along to "Sing" (La la la la la, la la la la la, la la la la la). Then, one blast of me blues harp (that's harmonica to you non-Mississippi Delta blues aficionados) and the boss of the show agreed to my sheepish request to jettison some of the more difficult B sus 4 F#Minor-0nce-removed chords in Hey Jude, and turn it into a (simple) bluesy romp ala Status Quo. Rockin' all over the world! Just got to work on the singing part. Why'd McCartney have to sing so darned high anyways?

My home is my castle

2009-01-27T18:14:00.007+09:00

So, you don't post anything for a week and when you do, all I get is a picture of the side of a block of flats? Yes, rubbish eh? Well, I've been a bit busy what with teaching (got three new students signed up this month - don't they know there's a recession on?), doing unpaid work for Our Man in Abiko (go on, cut and paste that into google and see what you get) and now practising to play Hey Jude in front of hundreds of people (maybe). I got roped into playing in a family's community-centre variety show after my protestations that "I'm not very good" were taken as modesty, rather than the truth that they really were. The organiser, the father of one of my students, then told me I also have to play Sing by the Carpenters. In Japanese. The Beatles have a song for it: Help! Oh, and I ran a 10k race on Sunday - time was 52 minutes, since you ask.

Anyway, so what's with the side of a building? Well, I noticed it while dropping the youngest off at nursery the other day. Just thought the, how you say, utilitarian nature of the corrugated aluminium walls contrasted oddly with the flowery name. Allow me to crop a little closer...

So long, W.

2009-01-20T22:49:00.002+09:00

I don't know if I should stay up for the Obama coronation - it's at 2am local time - but I think I probably will, there's so little else worth watching on TV, don't you know. In the meantime, ya'll might enjoy this little game I found on my virtual journeys. Will Obama prove to be a let down like Blair? Probably, but then he doesn't have to do much to be better than the last guy. Here's hoping for the best...

Goodbye Mr. Bush
Bush goes away from the White House... Tell him goodbye YOUR WAY (throwing boots, eggs, daisies or candies) This is a multi-highscore and cumulative-score game!

First day at nursery school

2009-01-14T23:39:00.002+09:00

Sorry for not posting much recently, hope this makes up for it.

Natural selection

2009-01-08T22:15:00.000+09:00

Here's a picture I snapped at about 4.45 pm on the seaside at Kamakura on New Year's Day that I forgot to share with you all. It's a little taste of the forces of nature, which we gave thanks to at Kamakura's largest shinto shrine below, wishing for a lucky new year in health, business and miscellaneous life, with several thousand other folk. In order to do that, we were shunted around by loudspeaker, in a very unnatural way:

Far better was a little local shrine a stone's throw from where we were staying, where, apart from an impatient foreigner (me) we could get on with it at our own pace:

Compare with the shrine round the corner, back at the ranch, by clicking here.

What we did on our holidays

2009-01-06T15:00:00.002+09:00

1. Followed a map. Abiko is the red station with the arrow. Kamakura, our destination, is the last but one station on the bottom left. The journey took two and a half hours. The big circle in the middle is the Yamanote Line which circles Tokyo and is a bugger to get off when you have had a few.

2. To get to our friend's house, we crossed over a river, and look what we saw. Nice colourful koi (carp). Can you see his black brothers? Can you see the photographer's shadow?

3. Watched the surfers waiting for their wave to come in.

4. So, this is the sea. We've heard so much about you.

5. Can you make out Mount Fuji? (Hint: It's the snow-capped mountain in the distance to the left of my head, between the green cliffs).

A very belated Happy New 'un

2009-01-05T16:42:00.003+09:00

Here's the pesky video that refused to upload, anyway, without further ado:

A belated HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-01-04T00:40:00.007+09:00

We just got back from Kamakura, a former capital of Japan back in the olden days before foreigners had been invented, so I haven't had a chance to wish you all a Happy New Year, allow me to do the honours:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I did spend the last hour trying to upload a nice video of the beach, but the system is conspiring against me, I will try again another day. As you would have been able to see, it was lovely, sunny, warm and full of middle-aged and elderly surfers. The place had a Bohemian feel to it, and was much like Brighton, apart from being sunny, warm and full of surfers, who incidentally would ride to the beach on bicycles with their boards held on purpose-made panniers. Oh, and Kamakura has a big Buddha. (Remember him?) It's been a full year since we were last there, so it is becoming something of a family tradition, though next year I'd love to be able to come back to the UK before I forget all my English.

Picture that, Mk iv

2009-01-03T00:00:00.000+09:00

Picture 4: How old did you say you were?

Picture that, Mk iii

2009-01-02T00:01:00.000+09:00

Picture 3: The only way is up

Picture that, Mk ii

2009-01-01T00:00:00.000+09:00

Picture 2: Katherine all made up for her end-of-year ballet show

Happy New Year, all.

Picture that

2008-12-31T01:42:00.004+09:00

The year is almost up, and we still haven't sent any Christmas cards or the New Year postcards you are supposed to send over here. So, apologies. Been a bit busy, but thanks to those who did send cards and e-mail. Instead, how about some photos I took that haven't made it to any blogs yet?

Photo 1: Emma finds a comfortable spot to cat-nap

Reggie Perrin's worst nightmare

2008-12-29T00:00:00.002+09:00

I came across this video (courtesy of Andy in Tokyo) of the horrors of the morning rush hour. The video looks a little old, and most rush hour journeys are not quite this cozy, but this kind of thing does go on, it has to be said. This one's for you, Dr Datsun Kildare. Once again, can I just re-iterate, there are definite advantages to working from home. Oh, excuse me I think I dropped my newspaper...

Remains of the day

2008-12-27T13:36:00.000+09:00

Clearly, Father Christmas (or Santa as he is known in these parts) enjoyed the cookies and wine the girls left for him, and Rudolph ate the carrot. Here are the results of his night's labours, chez Sherriff, in two acts:

Act I: The bicycle

Act II: The discovery

A belated ho, ho, ho

2008-12-26T20:29:00.002+09:00

We've had a hectic Christmas, and while I still haven't got round to uploading a video of Emma jumping for joy at seeing her new bike (and Katherine marvelling at how Santa managed to get a bunk bed in her bedroom while she was asleep in mum and dad's - bloody hard work at 1.30am I can tell you), instead here is a little Christmas musical to keep you all entertained. I do love a good musical, as you know...

Dusk on the water

2008-12-20T08:00:00.001+09:00

As I've said before, there are advantages to teaching from home. The best is that I can nip on (Nippon!!! Nippon!!!) my bike between lessons and make it round the lake and back in under an hour. Well, the other day I happened to have my camera handy and snapped the last embers of sunlight (at about 4:45pm or so). By the way, I used no photoshop trickery on these shots. The orange glow really was, well, getting orangier.

You must be satisfied with it!

2008-12-19T08:00:00.004+09:00

I'm a 100-yen kind of person. The coin, worth about 50p (or probably about twice as much as that by the time you get to the end of this post, given the fall in the pound) is king of the 100-yen shop, like the pound-stretcher shops in the UK, only the stuff they carry is a lot better made (China is closer to here you know) -- and there is no social stigma to shopping in the places. Where would I be without the 100-yen-shop? Well, I wouldn't have the following:

A wallet with the following plastic label still on after a year: "We would like to hand our goods to you. You must be satisfied with it!"
A metal meishi (business card) holder
White board markers for the classroom
Baskets for, er, putting other 100-yen-value things in
A wall clock (actually, it cost 300-yen, but who's quibbling)
A whisk for whipping cream for the Christmas trifle I promised to make this year
A cupboard full of glasses, bowls and mugs all from the local 100-yen emporium

The list goes on. And I never tire of asking assistants in the shop "How much is that?" and watching their pained attempt to explain to the dimwit foreigner that everything is 100 yen. "Really, and how much is that?"

As they say in America, I really must get out more often.

Tower Talk: Christmas trifle

2008-12-19T00:50:00.001+09:00

Tower Talk: Christmas trifle

Even more festive fun

2008-12-16T01:48:00.006+09:00

I've worked at a fair few newspapers in my time, and just about every one had a rule: no use of the word "festive" with "fun" until you get within firing range of Christmas. But hey, I found this video on Fatblueman. Have all the festive fun you can stand.

'Bigger than God'

2008-12-12T22:38:00.009+09:00

What's it like to be pointed at and constantly made to feel different from others because of the way you dress or look? Is this the gaijin (foreigner) experience? I wouldn't know, I'm too busy to give it much thought, but this morning Santa very graciously allowed me to step into his shoes and red suit to entertain 75 kids across town at a "mansion" complex (in British English we would call this a block of flats). Getting on the bus was a doddle, only retirees got on with us (Yoshie was Mrs Claus) and seemed too pre-occupied with staring at the back of the seat in front of them to notice us at the back. We got a few more stares crossing over Abiko station from the south to the north exit. But once in the party, the screaming adoration of the kids and flickering of flash bulbs gave me delusions of grandeur: So this is how John Lennon felt!

For more pictures of St. Nick, click here.

Learning between the lines

2008-12-09T22:34:00.006+09:00

You'd be surprised what you can learn as an English teacher. When teaching, especially one-to-one (or man-tsu-man as it is called in Japanese, even when your student is a woman) your role becomes less of a lecturer bestowing wisdom from on high, and more of a co-conspirator, a sort of cross-between a catholic priest and psychiatrist, there to offer advice (and correct verb endings) in exchange for a glimpse into another life. Here's just a sample of what I have learnt between the syntax:

It is considered rude for women to wear strong perfume while at a sushi restaurant, as others will be unable to appreciate the taste of their food.
Most kids want a Nintendo DS (cheap portable computer game with extortionately expensive software) for Christmas.
While others dream of becoming doctors or lawyers, one bright boy said he wants to be a "freeter" when he grows up (a temp worker, not tied to one company for life).
Japanese are apathetic or cynical about politics because "the bureaucrats run everything anyway".

The great trek

2008-12-07T17:39:00.006+09:00

The girls and I set off on a journey of discovery (to find the fabled northern passage avoiding the traffic) to the far off Abiko McDonald's. We lived to tell the tale. Here's what we encountered:

Mush, mush, we've got to get there before Emma collapses from starvation...

We could pick up some veg on the way (you have to drop a donation in the tin), but no way to cook them...

Creep past the OK Corral...

Past the futons airing in the sun...

Through the ginkgo leaves and back in one piece.

Dango etiquette

2008-12-04T19:34:00.004+09:00

When eating a dango (an unobjectional ball of rice flour dumpling), you can seek help if you desire:

... make sure you chew well:

... give it a good tug:

... and enjoy!

Window shopping, Oba-chan no Harajuku style

2008-12-03T19:18:00.008+09:00

Tower English raised its drawbridge last weekend (it's a rare thing to have two days off on the trot, hence the tardy return to blogging ways for Tower Tales) so the Tower troupe trooped off to Tokyo to visit old friends. I took the opportunity to video us walking down the street, which, while not earth-shatteringly interesting, gives a slice of life one Sunday afternoon at the fag end of 2008 in an area known as the Oba-chan no Harajuku (fashionable area of Tokyo for grandmas). Compare with other meaningful shopping experiences here.

Highlights...

0:14 Shoe shop (not much use for me as most shops carry shoes only up to 27cm in size - about size 9 in old money.)
0:30 Manju shop (flour balls with sweet beans inside)
0.52 bloke whose job is to greet customers
0.58 another greeter
1.15 fibre glass green-tea flavoured ice cream
1:28 fashion conscious oba-chans (grans)
1:43 bored kid playing a computer game while waiting for his mam.
2:27 either a Buddha or a sweets display, not sure which.

5...3...1...2... oh, forget it

2008-12-02T18:30:00.006+09:00

I thought Japanese were good at maths. Years of being sent to abacus school as a child at the insistence of grandma, plus the high denominations of cash you need (can you believe around ¥270 for a can of Suntory Malts at our local 7-11) should have instilled a healthy command of the things. But I'm beginning to think folks here have a problem when the numbers are more, er, little. It's not rocket science counting backwards from 10, but the chap in charge of numbering the parking spaces near our 7-11 clearly shouldn't be given the job of counting down for blast off. Must have been at the Malts again.

Dancing in the street

2008-12-01T00:01:00.000+09:00

Sorry I missed the last couple of days, but I was busy having a few days off in the real world. Anyway, (ab)normal service has resumed... may I present an odd slice of street life it was a my, er, pleasure, to witness:

Now, I don't know about you, but when I see a white-bearded chap dancing barefoot maniacally down the middle of the road, I tend to think he's not all there (or he's recently escaped from KFC) and perhaps should be avoided for safety's sake. But not round here. This is art. Public art. Free public art.

All I would add is, you get what you pay for.

Signs of recession - DIY dental treatment

2008-11-27T23:37:00.003+09:00

Normally, in large train station concourses in Japan there are stalls selling rice crackers and such souvenirs for weary travellers to present to loved ones and the boss on their return. But these are not normal times - here is a nice collection of dental tools for sale in Kashiwa, presumably to save money on seeing a real dentist. Think I'd rather have the crackers.

Caption competition: The meaning of life

2008-11-26T17:29:00.003+09:00

I took this shot the other day, thinking there must be some good cracks about the name of this supermarket I could use for an oh-so-witty caption, but when I sat down at the computer, my mind went blank. The best I could do was: The meaning of life? Eight items or less. Pretty rubbish, I think you'll agree. Any improvements? For more fun shopping, click here, or here for more brain teasers.

Festive formula

2008-11-25T10:24:00.005+09:00

It must be Christmas again in Japan. November is barely done and already the Colonel Sanders triplets (remember them?) have their red rags on. How is it that a Buddhist/shintoist country gets so excited about Christmas? Welcome to globalisation 1.01. One of the strangest sights I recall the first year I was in Tokyo, a good decade ago, was seeing lines stretching round the corner for KFC on Christmas Eve. Why? Allow me to explain mathematically:

x= (c-t)+ch*130,000,000@KFC=¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥!!!!!!!!!!

(where x= Festive fun, c=Christmas, t=Turkey, ch= Chicken)

Pleasant little numbers

2008-11-24T16:30:00.001+09:00

I'm chuffed. Last night I was looking at the Tower Tales analytics (that means numbers - you can too, just click on the number of visitors at the top right) and was pleasantly surprised to find my usual Sunday/Monday tally of two relatives and a couple of passers-by looking for low impact aerobics (it's odd what search engines will throw up) was multiplying before my very eyes to more than one hit an hour. Granted, these are not numbers to get Murdoch worried, but for a site that doesn't do sex (as much as it would like, ahem) and has an awful lot of gratuitous chat about my family, what gives?

Well, in a moment of foresight between glasses of cheap Australian plonk from the Seven-11, I registered this blog on the Total Politics site and blow me, political uber-blogger Iain Dale graciously put a link to Tower Tales (see the post below for the link). By the way, get well soon Dad (Grandad). This non-political, non-aerobics-related video shot today is dedicated to you.

Iain Dale's Diary: Ten New Blogs

2008-11-24T16:04:00.000+09:00

Iain Dale's Diary: Ten New Blogs

Re-ordering reality

2008-11-22T21:15:00.000+09:00

While collating some good stories about Japan, I thought there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good list. While I have as little power over my life as anyone else has over theirs, when you write a shopping list, you are master of the universe. You are free to order the vegetables according to size, sweetness or even the Dewey Decimal System if you so desire. But why stop with shopping? Here's my list of things worth listing:

Books that you told people you were reading, but you haven't actually got past the blurb.
Top 10 ambitions you had as a teenager you have conveniently forgotten.
The worst jobs you have ever had.
Things you wish you hadn't done while drunk.
Things you wish you had done while drunk.

For a more useful list that actually goes to 10, click here.

Top 10 tales of the week

2008-11-21T12:00:00.000+09:00

If anyone has been following the discussions in the comments bits of recent posts with Doctor Datsun Kildare (not his real name), you'll know that I'm mulling (that's one of those newspaper words again - means thinking about, but uses up less newsprint) making another blog specifically to inform and entertain those outside Japan who know little about the place (much like me, eh readers). One of the ideas is to have a daily briefing of the key stories, according to me, doing the rounds about Japan in cyberspace. Well here's a little taste:

Here's your briefing of the 10 best Japan stories, according to yours truly, that have crossed my consciousness. Enjoy. Oh, not sure what kind of order the stories are in, you decide.

Throw-away comment

2008-11-20T01:16:00.008+09:00

Here's a nice shot of that dapper Taro Aso, Japan's Prime Minister, looking feisty in a campaign poster (presumably left over from the rubber stamp competition for leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party a couple of weeks ago, because no General Election has been called to my knowledge). Shame that his supporter chose to plonk his image beside a rubbish collection point. Is this an unwitting editorial comment on his party's perennial unpopularity?

Beware kappa!

2008-11-19T08:00:00.001+09:00

Here's another kappa sighting, proving beyond doubt the existence of the mythical green water sprite, at least on public information signs. This one, beside a brook between Teganuma lake and some rice paddies, says "Beware", though whether we should beware of the brook or the kappa is not clear.

Spokesman for the language

2008-11-18T08:00:00.000+09:00

True to predictions of being gaffe-prone, Mr Aso, Japan's illustrious prime minister (centre), has been making Bush-like "non-words" and misreading the kanji in his speeches. You what? Allow me to explain, as Basil Fawlty might say... here's an extremely basic guide to reading Japanese (quick learners might want to skip this post and read something more interesting):

There are three alphabets in Japanese - hiragana, katakana and kanji
There are 46 hiragana letters that can be used to spell out any word in Japanese phonetically - for example "I" (as in "I am not from round here") could be written わたし (pronounced "wa-ta-shi")
There are 46 katakana phonetic symbols with identical sounds to the hiragana, but are reserved for names and words of foreign origin, such as "Coca-Cola" or "Patrick" - パトリック ("Pa-to-ri-ku")
Then there are the big daddies - thousands of kanji, based on Chinese characters which are not phonetic and can be pronounced in at least two ways. So "I" would be 私 (pronounced wa-ta-shi or shi or wa-ta-ku-shi). Think of them as Greek or Latinate prefixes and suffixes which give the language meaning.

Still with me? Right, well seems that our Aso, lover of low-brow manga comics and late night drinking (is that bad?) has been misreading fairly common kanji, causing hilarity and consternation. The best was when he meant to say "Japan reiterates its apology for wartime wrongs" but instead said "Japan reiterates its stench of wartime wrongs". Ahh, just details. Still, I feel his pain when it comes to trying to decipher kanji. English is much easier, don't you think?

Flash Gordon

2008-11-17T16:00:00.000+09:00

Forgive me if this is a well-worn joke, but I saw this video on Guido Fawkes, which despite its rightward-lean, is an entertaining and rewarding read.

Anyway, it amused me, and helped me regain my equilibrium after a day at Puroland.

Birthday treat

2008-11-16T22:49:00.013+09:00

It was my eldest's birthday on Friday, and to celebrate we braved a three-hour trek today to the other side of Tokyo to visit a key shrine in the cult of the kawaii - Puroland - home to hundreds of singing and dancing 20-somethings dressed as Hello Kitty and her litter. Puroland is a massive building filling a city block devoted to the high priestess of cuteness and her minions, the Sugar Bunnies. Naturally, my girls felt right at home, but after tolerating the unadulterated sweetness of the place for five hours, I could barely contain the urge to do something adult (I settled for cracking open a beer). It was all too reminiscent of Tokyo Disneyland. I can't bear to write much more, so without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, believers and non-believers, I give you Hello Kitty. Enjoy the show...

... this poor chap certainly did:

Black, white and dead all over

2008-11-15T00:50:00.009+09:00

I got a nice e-mail from a good friend, a former colleague of mine at a local newspaper in England, who was one of the best sub-editors I've worked with. He told me he's resigning on Monday and taking up a post in public relations. This from a local newspaper "lifer" came as a bit of a surprise. But, he said now was a very good time to get out of newspapers into the world of PR.

It's probably too soon to write the obituary for the newspaper industry, but certainly the patient is looking rather gaunt. Circulation has been noticeably weakening since the early 1990s. There have been good days, when the global economy was booming and advertising revenue flowed from estate agents, but the lifeblood of numbers of readers has been declining steadily since even before the explosion of the internet. Now as the ad money dries up, it's time to talk of a crisis. Small papers are closing down in Britain and even bigger ones like the Manchester Evening News are fighting for survival, a surprising fact brought to my attention by avid Tower Tales comment-leaver Dr Datsun Kildare (whose amusing name makes up for his atrocious spelling).

Why should anyone outside of the business care? Information is power, if you don't have any, you are at the mercy of those who do. Can the internet and Tom-Paine-like citizen journalist bloggers fill the shoes of local newspapers to keep democracy alive? They have to, for all our sakes. And on the upside, rather the citizen journalist than the Citizen Kane.

North by Northwest... to Akebonoyama Park

2008-11-14T00:43:00.010+09:00

I had a bit of a Cary Grant moment the other day. It was quite sunny and we decided to head off on a picnic to far distant Akebonoyama Park (at least 20 minutes and two buses away). We'd never been there before so were a bit perturbed when the bus driver got to the end of his route and ordered everyone off at a makeshift bus stop on a long straight road by a field and, er, more fields. It was the closest I've come in this urban country to a prairie, and I found myself looking over my shoulder for evil crop-duster pilots. But we found the park and the kids managed to clamber over everything, in cliff hanger after cliff hanger. There was no Mount Rushmore in sight, alas.

No wonder no-one's buying any cars...

2008-11-13T00:00:00.003+09:00

We have survived here without a car for almost a year and a half now thanks to three factors:

Public transport is great here. Buses are almost always on time, trains to Tokyo frequent and cheap (about ¥690 to get to Tokyo, 40km away, - about four pounds).
We work from home, so a car really is not vital.
We've got no money anyway.

Even if I weren't worried about the cost of running a car, or the fact our garage roof is so low we would have trouble squeezing a priest's mini in there, you could add a fourth factor: car names in Japan are just too darned silly. You can imagine the debate at Toyota central:

Hmmm. Our gas-guzzler is a bit boxy, wish it were foxy. I know, let's combine the words...

But it's not a patch on Daihatsu's attempt to reclaim some sex appeal for its otherwise unappealing box on wheels:

Week away from politics

2008-11-12T00:00:00.004+09:00

In my travels through my links list, I found this cartoon on the New York Times website and thought I should share it with the fair folk who visit Tower Tales for the zen-like political enlightenment here (I'm joking, already). And for the politics junkies who have been missing their fix since the US elections finished a week ago, here's a romp down memory (and the bowling) lane:

Chame-chan, 1993-2008

2008-11-11T00:00:00.000+09:00

It was a sad day yesterday. Chame-chan (pronounced cham-may-chan) died in the morning. My wife bought him 15 years ago to keep her mother in Japan company, way back when Yoshie was living in Arkansas and wasn't even a Sherriff yet. Back then, he could fit in her hand. In his prime, you'd need both hands and a good back to pick him up. For the last 15 years he has been a constant companion to my mother-in-law, moving with her around Japan when she was working in Tokyo; to England when she retired and Katherine was born; and flying back to Japan when we all moved here last year. He mastered miaowing in English and Japanese, but never did take to the Derby accent. To see the full picture of him in his prime, click here.

Cut out for life as a crime-fighter

2008-11-10T08:00:00.001+09:00

It is always reassuring to see a policeman keeping watch as you take money out of a bank cash machine. Well, not that reassuring at our local bank. Our officer is less a man of steel, more a man of cardboard. Is this an example of cash-strapped banks skimping on security? Actually, our recyclable bobby is just a friendly reminder to impressionable old folk to beware of con artists impersonating their cash-strapped grandchildren with designs on their pensions. And I thought Japan was a crime-free paradise...

Life outside my front door

2008-11-09T08:00:00.001+09:00

Thanks to the internet, I can live my life in Japan, but do a pretty good job of fooling myself that I am somewhere else. Want a taste of America? It's just a click away. Fancy visiting England? I can log on to the BBC website to catch the latest news or Facebook for more mundane fare from friends and former colleagues. But every now and then I escape the confines of my virtual world and professional little England life of Tower English to see the life outside my front door. And here's a slice of it from the other day, with Mizuki, a neighbour's seven-year-old, on her way back home from visiting a temple for her 7-5-3 blessing. Our kids took part in theirs the other week, but have reverted to even more traditional pursuits of children the world over: climbing on things they are not supposed to:

Anybody mind if Obama starts a little early?

2008-11-08T01:00:00.004+09:00

Ok, Ok, I know I said, "welcome back to Japan" in yesterday's post, but, hey, I just couldn't resist this I-told-you-so moment on the Letterman show:

To see what on earth Dave was talking about, click here.

Mellow fruitfulness... or how 'bout them apples?

2008-11-07T08:00:00.001+09:00

For a start, these aren't apples, they're kaki, otherwise known as persimmons, a sort of cross between an apple and a tangerine, but neither crunchy like an apple, nor juicy like a tangerine. Anyway, I thought it was time to say welcome back to Japan after Tower Tales' trip through the US elections and return to less weighty matters, such as these fruit in my garden. I can't get excited about persimmons, but folks here (and the local crows) can't get enough of them, so I thought I would snap a picture of them before they disappear. To see more fruit and veg in the raw, click here. Hmmm. I'm missing the elections already.

The stuff of dreams (and nightmares)

2008-11-06T00:00:00.004+09:00

In the heat of the moment, it's easy to believe that our actions are more important than they really are. I was in the crowd in Little Rock, Arkansas, one cold November night back in 1992 when the election was called for Bill Clinton. I don't remember exactly what he said that night, but there was a feeling in the air that we were making history. I think my brother still has a copy of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette and the New York Times proclaiming Clinton as the 42nd President, he thought they might be worth something one day. Bush Sr was vanquished, the first baby-boomer was about to enter the White House and we thought things were going to get better.

And they did, sort of. Sure, there was death in the Balkans and murder in Rwanda, but there was hope in the Middle East and peace in Northern Ireland. And the good guys were in charge. The cold of Reaganism was out, a warmer third way was in.

Then came the son of Bush, the neo-cons and the disaster of Iraq. Now, thinking back to that chilly night by the Arkansas River, I can't say that 1992 was the beginning of anything historic. But what happened on Tuesday in the United States, surely, was.

A man who argued for peace is in charge of the world's most powerful country. He got there by forging a coalition based on unity, rather than exploiting division. Oh, and he's black.

We hear so much about the American Dream, but are all too aware of the reality of racism and war. Well, here is a man who could put both nightmares to bed. I only wish my mother and grandmother were alive today to witness this moment.

Hail to None of the Above

2008-11-05T00:00:00.003+09:00

It's odd being out here in Japan waiting for the results of Tuesday's vote in the US, not least because it is Wednesday here already. As a former newspaper journalist I can attest to the tedium of collating local council results while wishing I could be at home to watch the national results on the telly. This time round I will be watching the results as best I can exclusively via the internet, and you can too with the handy widget I've bolted onto the bottom of this post, or watch the TV above. I will miss the traditional newsroom feast of delivery pizza, but I will raise a glass if the best man does indeed win.

By the way, the voting is complete in the Tower Tales presidential poll. If its unfeasible results from 24 votes cast sometime in the last 185 days were replicated in real life, here is what would have happened:

In fourth place with 8 percent of the popular vote: John McCain
Third, with 20 percent: Hillary Clinton
Second, with 29 percent: Barack Obama
First, with 41 percent: None of the Above.

The last word

2008-11-04T00:01:00.008+09:00

Oh, and this from Obama at his last campaign rally in Virginia:

Thinking about the election

2008-11-03T08:00:00.002+09:00

Tired of all the brouhaha of the competing candidates, but still can't decide who would make the better leader of the Western world? (If you haven't decided by now, what planet do you live on?) Why not consider the "game changing" endorsement of Obama by Colin Powell, with a fair summary of McCain's failings:

Still can't decide? Click here to see the moment McCain lost it.

The new, new McCain

2008-11-02T08:00:00.002+09:00

Never let it be said that I've got it in for McCain. It's just I couldn't resist posting this video from a couple of weeks ago:

Think Tower Tales is taking politics far too seriously, click here for a little brain teaser.

Busting a few myths

2008-11-01T08:00:00.004+09:00

If you thought Americans had the option of choosing a maverick war hero with a hatred for the politics of the Washington elite, think again. Take a look at this video from Rolling Stone (the magazine, not the group, sadly):

But I still think McCain's Pooh-san's double.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T00:00:00.000+09:00

Pretty scary, huh? Mind you, John McCain seems like a breath of fresh air in Japan, which has been stuck with one-party rule since 1945 (with a brief exception in the 1990s after the Japanese economic miracle bubble miraculously burst). Japan does have a new prime minister who promised new elections, but he has decided the severity of the world's economic crisis means it's a bad time to exercise democracy (that, and his extremely low approval ratings).

By the way, don't worry, the white background will be back tomorrow once the, er, excitement of Halloween has passed.

All aboard the political express

2008-10-30T08:00:00.005+09:00

Just to give you a clue about Tower Tales' coverage of the American Presidential Election on November 4th. I wanted to make sure every reader is completely clear on the political objectivity of Tower Tales. Allow me to demonstrate with the aid of a handy graphic I found lying around in my Google in-box:

As you can see, from here on in, the election coverage will be completely partial, biased and one-sided. For your chance to vote in the election, click here.

After the harvest

2008-10-29T08:00:00.002+09:00

I rather liked this sight of, I suppose you would call them haystacks, in rice paddies shortly after the harvest near Teganuma. And in a not entirely unrelated shot, here is my dad and little sister with their harvest. This picture was beamed via mobile phone all the way to Tower Tales from their allotment in Leicester on the same day I took my picture. Now there's a good use of technology.

You don't have any bananas do you?

Architectural feat

2008-10-28T08:00:00.001+09:00

I've been told that the Japanese don't go in for DIY, that they prefer things made expertly by others and are prepared to pay top dollar (especially at the current exchange rate) for the finished article. So it was particularly refreshing for me to discover this homemade monstrosity 10 minute's bike ride away in the wilds of Shibasakidai.

Is this a warehouse, shed or sport utility vehicle? No matter, whoever made it was happy to use whatever was at hand, be it a couple of old doors, piece of corrugated iron or tarpaulin and the end result is, well, more borg collective than des res. I'm not that sure the neighbours, a swanky old folks' home, are too chuffed with the view though...

For more fun with buildings, click here.

Photo finish?

2008-10-27T16:09:00.004+09:00

Not only did my neighbours show up in force to cheer me on through the Teganuma Eco-Marathon yesterday, but one of them, Ishihara-san, captured a few key moments in the race:

The "athletes" clear the 15km point, marked by the family restaurant Coco's and a whopping great bridge over the lake.

One of the highly professional runners spots his family in the crowd...

... and proceeds to lose his place in the race posing for his wife, who somehow pressed the wrong button and videoed her thumb.

I made it!

2008-10-26T17:03:00.004+09:00

Just a quick note to say I finished the Teganuma Eco-Marathon in one piece. My somewhat ambitious target time for the 21km was 2 hours and I finished only 22 seconds over. I owe a lot of thanks for that time to the British-like overcast weather, Nick and the folks at the NEC running club who took me under their wing and showed me how to warm up properly for the race, Taiko who waved a homemade Union Jack at me, my neighbours who ran alongside me for at least 10m, Sabri and family who cheered me on in far distant Kohoku, and my own family who hung around to cheer me and later let me nap through the afternoon. A final word of thanks goes to all the people who have donated some cash in these hard times for books for poor folk in sub-Saharan Africa. So far, you all have helped me raise 170 pounds - about ¥30,000 - but there is still time to donate if you haven't done so already. The target is 250 pounds - about ¥50,000 - which would buy 200 books. Right, cheers all. Where did I put my Suntory?

Got to run

2008-10-26T00:00:00.000+09:00

While you are waiting for the results to come in to see if my strenuous training routine has paid off for the Teganuma Eco-Marathon -- results due around 2:00pm Sunday Japan time (6:00am Blighty Standard Time) -- why not sponsor me here. All the money raised will go to buy books for folk in sub-Saharan Africa. Why should you make a donation? Let's review:

Reason #7: What with the global financial meltdown, money's not worth anything anyway.
Reason #6: Donate even a little, and then I'll stop going on about it, and get back to funny videos of cats on treadmills and mildly subversive swipes at Republican presidential hopefuls.
Reason #5: Using your credit cards to make a charitable donation is like giving twice - not only will you help the poorest kids in Africa, but you will also alleviate the credit crunch thus oiling the wheels of capitalism (which oppressed the continent in the first place). Er, on second thoughts...
Reason #4: Every five pounds (¥1,000) raised means four new books for the poorest people in the world. If they read all of them, they are more than qualified to be Vice President of the USA.
Reason #3: Consider a donation a small repayment on the hours of fun you can get from reading Tower Tales.
Reason #2: Sub-Saharan Africa is pro-Obama.
Reason#1: If you don't help these folk, who the hell will?

If the world could vote...

2008-10-25T08:00:00.003+09:00

...Obama would be president. Speaking as a resident of the rest of the world, it comes as no surprise that Obama has streaked ahead of McCain in the affections of non-Americans. He can string more than three sentences together, he's not related to any former presidents and his middle name doesn't bother two-thirds of the world. Anyway, here is a little Gallup map of the world according to voting intentions, if we had the right to choose our world's leader. The grey/blue parts are pro-Obama, the yellow, don't know/don't care and the red are pro-McCain. Not a lot of red is there? Click here to visit the interactive map and see how your favoured country would vote. Peeved about having no vote? You have eight days left to vote in the Tower Tales poll on the right. I note that "None of the above" is giving my Grandma's Party a run for their money, but I have hope Obama can swing it.

Speaking of a world desperate for change, I'm running a half-marathon round the lake near my house on Sunday. You can still sponsor me here. Why should you?

Reason #2: Sub-Saharan Africa is pro-Obama.

Fish tales

2008-10-24T08:00:00.003+09:00

It almost goes without saying, but Japanese love fish. They love ornamental fish and of course they love to eat fish. They eat just about every kind there is, from jellyfish to whale (neither of which are really fish). Baked, fried, marinated, stewed, pickled, dried and of course raw, fish can be consumed in a startling variety of ways here. So, it is a little disappointing to see the keen angler eager to pit his skills against the natural world to catch his own dinner stuck on the banks of a congested manmade pool with half of Abiko's retirees in attendance.

Speaking of a congested manmade pool, I'm running a half-marathon round the lake near my house on Sunday. You can still sponsor me here. Why should you?

Reason #3: Consider a donation a small repayment on the hours of fun you can get from reading Tower Tales.

Shichi-go-san, part III - or 'Give us a twirl, girls'

2008-10-23T08:00:00.005+09:00

Is it possible to move gracefully while wearing a kimono? The fleeting beauty of the kimono-clad young geisha serving green tea with subtle nods of the head and flashes of the nape of the neck is often celebrated. But how easy is it to actually get up and move in something that takes an hour and several pairs of hands to put on? Well, here is a video from the girls' 7-5-3 ceremony to demonstrate how to move with - here come some technical terms - all the bits and bobs that hang down:

Speaking of moving gracefully, did you know on Sunday, I'm running a half-marathon round the lake near my house. You can still sponsor me here. Why should you?

Reason #4: Every five pounds (¥1,000) raised means four new books for the poorest people in the world. If they read all of them, they are more than qualified to be Vice President of the USA.

Nothing to fear but beer itself

2008-10-22T08:00:00.001+09:00

It looks like my worst fears are being realised... Obama is behind in the polls? My wife has bought a family ticket for Disneyland? No, far worse. In the wake of the banana shortage due to the stupid banana diet, I stupidly spoke my mind in the blog post:

Here's hoping no-one ever loses weight on a Suntory Malts beer diet.

Well, it looks like the agents for the beer giants have taken my advice to heart. My friends, I was only joking. I take it back. Please.

Speaking of losing weight, ahem, on Sunday, I'm running a half-marathon round the lake near my house. You can still sponsor me here. Why should you?

Reason #5: Using your credit cards to make a charitable donation is like giving twice - not only will you help the poorest kids in Africa, but you will also alleviate the credit crunch thus oiling the wheels of capitalism (which oppressed the continent in the first place). Er, on second thoughts...

Insider's view - Shichi-go-san Part II

2008-10-21T08:00:00.001+09:00

It's not everyday that you get blessed by a shinto priest (pictured above), and even rarer when you video it and put it on the internet for everyone to see. Granted, these are not the most exciting clips you can get on the internet. I'm aware that there are far more "world's funniest cat/dog/rabbit on a treadmill" clips than anyone could possibly dream of out there, but I figured you don't see this everyday. Normally, the closest even an adventurous tourist might get to this is wandering aimlessly around a shrine wondering what on earth it is all about. Well, wander/wonder no more. The first clip features our friendly parish priest getting the attention of the gods and chanting a prayer to wish good luck upon the handful of three, five and seven-year-olds gathered for their 7-5-3 ceremony:

Have you even been blessed by a shinto priest? No? Well, here's your chance, just bow your head reverently when he starts, er, doing his bit:

Speaking of doing your bit, on Sunday, I'm running a half-marathon round the lake near my house. You can still sponsor me here. Why should you?

Reason #6: Donate even a little, and then I'll stop going on about it, and get back to funny videos of cats on treadmills and mildly subversive swipes at Republican presidential hopefuls.

Shichi-go-san, part I

2008-10-20T08:00:00.003+09:00

The girls got to live out their dream yesterday - not the one involving moving to Tokyo Disney Sea - but to be proper little princesses for the 7-5-3 festival. At least, that's what we told them to keep Emma happy (she had a temper tantrum in the morning at home, declaring she was not going to wear a kimono). I think you might agree from the pictures, we're glad we convinced her royal highness to do the business.

By the way, on Sunday, I'm running a half-marathon round the lake near my house. You can still sponsor me here. Why should you?

Reason #7: What with the global financial meltdown, money's not worth anything anyway.