Crisis

Crisis - which is my all-time favourite film? The desert island DVD? Up until tonight it was always Jean de Florette / Manon des Sources, but having just re-watched Dr. Zhivago for the tenth time ....

Open Air

We went up the ajisai (hydrangea) railway - the steepest conventional railway in the world apparently - and re-visited the great Hakone Open Air Museum

http://www.hakone-oam.or.jp/eng/

Inspiring stuff for projects this summer - my favourite being Symphonic Sculpture by Gabriel Loire (top - the other photos are of things in Hayama).

Ended up at a birthday bash in Odawara, where a good time was had by all. The quote of the evening, that I can recall, from a European lady married to a Japanese: "He is a very nice man, but a terrible husband".

Fuji from Zushi

http://jun2.pro.tok2.com/zusi/syounan-3/syounan-3.htm

Wet Saturday morning in Japan

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http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/exhibns/month/previous.html
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http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=L5C99JyP2ns
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http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=NDXgKIpJyIk

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http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=jzqMJWlKMsY&feature=related




William Blake, Plate 4 from 'Europe: A Prophecy' 1794

Kite, feet and fish

Question: What do you most like about your partner?

Answer from F (18, after some deliberation): His feet.

Answer from H (50 something, spontaneous): The long time we have been together.

We went to watch the kite flying at Sagami River the other day, which seemed to illustrate some of the significant differences between humans and the rest of the living world - while most organisms aim for the efficient use of energy, many human activities often appear to be irrational and senseless on the one hand, but filled with optimism and hope on the other. Huge resources and amounts of time had gone in to attempting to fly enormous kites, up to one ton in weight and 100 tatami mats in area - against all odds and in defiance of logic and experience they battled on in a desperate attempt to get them off the ground and keep them there for a few seconds.

I guess they were quite efficient at getting large numbers of people together on a rather wet and blustery day, to scratch their heads and wonder what they were doing there.

We went sailing in Sagami Bay and snorkelling in the Izu Peninsula over the last couple of days - and how beautiful it was - like diving through a membrane, a thin curtain, separating two co-existing worlds, whose occupants are largely ignorant of each other. We snorkellers and divers are the lucky ones, the papalagi, swimming, floating in a 3D world of art - everything is beautiful - the fish, crabs, rocks, squid, puffer fish, rockfish, sea weed, shells, urchins... and such abundance, depth and variety of colour.

Could be a moral there - look within, don't go by first impressions, go deeper, further - seek the beauty below the surface of things, etc.

http://www.papalagi.co.jp/english/english-top.html

Dolphins

Sometimes I think about Saturday's child,
And all about the times when we were running wild,
I've been out searching for the dolphins in the sea,
Ah, but sometimes I wonder, do you ever think of me,

This old world will never change the way it's been,
And all the ways of war won't change it back again,
I've been out searchin' for the dolphin in the sea,
Ah, but sometimes I wonder, do you ever think of me,

This old world will never change,

Lord, I'm not the one to tell this old world how to get along,
I only know that peace will come when all our hate is gone,
I've been a-searchin' for the dolphins in the sea,
ah, but sometimes I wonder, do you ever think of me.

Tim Buckley

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=LtU-9EMSYu0

Henry's Bar

Bit of a blowy wet Saturday afternoon so spent it playing pool in Kabukicho. Had a look round the Golden Gai area of tiny bars, some with less than 8 seats, and ended up in Lucky's bar, Esogie - drinking Nigerian beer, eating, among other things, cow's entrails, and playing the djembe, while Lucky sang. Must go back!