The most wretched den of scum and villainy in tokyo.

And that's why I keep going back to Kabukicho. 

They are trying to Gentrify it.

But the grime is too thick, and the lure of flesh, too strong.

It's become safer but I don't think it could ever truly be a safe-space.

And in a city that's actively trying to kill of everywhere that is remotely fun. 

And replacing it with corporate friendly, entertainments for the boring, mainstream masses.  

It's the scummy corners like Kabukicho that will be the last refuge for proper fun, in central Tokyo.

Kitamoto Nights #RealJapan

When I meet people, even people from Saitama, and tell them I live in Kitamoto, more often than not, I get asked where (the hell)  that is....

Which means we chose the perfect place to move to.

Morioka

On an off day during the volunteering trip we hit up Jodogahama. We then drove inland to Iwate’s capital city. Morioka was nothing like what I had expected it to be. In a good way.

Hanami Part 2… More pretty flowers

on the way back home from Shikishima Park last week, I decided to take the long way home in an effort to avoid traffic. We came into Shibs on the 34. At the Hydro electric plant on the dge of the city, The flowers were in bloom too. We stopped for a bit.

Shots #39 Gunma at it’s Finest

you want to click the pic and view the large copy…

In Gunma it is easy to think about Isesaki, Kiryu, Ota and to a lesser degree Maebashi and Takasaki and let the negative connotations inherent to the industrio-urban half drive you onto the next shinkansen to Tokyo. But the truth is, One trip to the mountains, Or in my case, a 10 minute drive to a bud’s house is all it takes to remind you that Gunma can be awesome.

If a tree falls in the woods…

A few weekends ago, I took a drive with my lady and camera on a mission to take some decent pics of my new car now that the suspension and front wheels are sorted.. Happened to be one of the best (and probably the most romantic) cruises of my life. marred slightly by the fact that I was sick.

 

We hit up the Nihon romantic highway over Komochi past the Observatory and into Takayama which honestly looked like somewhere better placed in the south of France or Tuscany. Admittedly it was rice and not wheat, but the effect was similar.

 

“GREAT location…

but that was only the beginning.”

 

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We then left the road just before the big tunnel to follow the old road (which has now become a service path for the tunnel). It started out really well. A nice private tree lined roadway. GREAT location… but that was only the beginning.

But then things started going downhill… in every sense. The road narrowed out and was covered in odd logs and rocks… hit the bottom on a number of things and had to stop to clear the path a number of times. it was stressful, but WOW the scenery.

“These are the woods

where trees fall down and

don’t make a sound.”

We expected to be jumped by a bear or possibly a vengeful spirit. These are the woods where trees fall down and don’t make a sound. It was VERY freaky and very cool. Just so happens bizarre exploration mission mungness is the sort of thing both Sayo and I love to do so we both rather enjoyed the detour… though I was a bit worried about scratching up the car.

 

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Eventually however we made it out and back onto the proper road where i put foot and gunned it toward Minakami…

Will I ever go there again? not all the way in my car. But maybe in something a little narrower and with better ground clearence. After all it wasn’t nearly as hectic as the route from Underberg to The N3 in The Drakensberg.

to be continued…

Of Meat and Men

As those of you who knew me when I left SA two and a tiny bit years ago, I have undergone  drastic body reform. I have lost 30 odd kg and have almost doubled my  physical strength. The Kanashima Training room has been an instrumental part of this transformation.

Last night the men of the gym went out and ate some good meat grilled over coals  together. It was a rather manly night.

 

The gym is one of the best in Gunma. Its only 5000 yen a month and it only has the bare minimum of equipment that is needed to get and stay in shape. There is no bling like the JOYFITs and GOLD’S GYMS and there is no posturing of posers. people who go there train hard and train properly. 

Suzuki Sensei himself is a physiotherapist, ex GSDF (soldier), 3 time Kanto arm wrestling champion and a Kanto power lifting champion. The training credentials of some of the other members is also pretty impressive. Olympic Judo, National karate, Pro baseball, lots of power lifting, and one professional Piano mover… oh and a banker.

We also have a few mechanics, a VERY strong and buff Gyaru-o, Physiotherapy uni students and a number of High school athletes (the ones who are likely to be scouted) In fact one of our High-schoolers lives all the way in Takasaki but comes to our Gym cos the training advice is better than any gym there. You think that’s good, Our National Karate athlete comes in from Saitama, not every day but he gets training advice from Suzuki sensei and applies it where he is.

 

 

And the training advice is unbelievable. Apart from Suzuki sensei himself the simple fact that you are doing squats in the same room as actual athletes means if your feet are off by a cm (and I really do mean a cm) you will be corrected. Which is great. I have learnt an un believable amount about the mechanics of human motion and how to train just about everywhere (and how to recover from it) just by chatting with the guys.

Many of you will be thinking yeah whatever. and I can think of SOME of you who will probably accuse me of just talking out of my arse.

Look at my results. the proof is in my body. Yeah I know I still have a bit of a fat jacket but if you can look at me then and look at me now and still talk shit you are a bitter jealous fool.

The night itself was an unbelievably good time. Manly men eating Meat… I daresay the meat in Japan doesn’t look all that manly, but it was an eat as much as you like affair… and wow did we ever. Most yakiniku nights I have had (even the eat as much as you like ones) are slow. people don’t actually do a lot of consumption, but we were eating through plates of meat faster than Pink Salon workers eat through cock.

It was a never ending stream of sizzling protein and talk about strength and training.

There was a whole bunch of arm wrestling too. It was a very manly night in what as up till today been a very manly weekend.

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Shots #23 How ya like dem apples!?

 

Cheapest apples I have found in Gunma Y400/kg (R40/kg) and pretty damn tasty too!

 

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Kusatsu, Gunma, Japan (an update)

Kusatsu is regarded by everyone who counts as the best onsen (hot spring) town in Japan. Yes. the best in ALL Japan. Don’t believe me, ask the royal family. They will agree.

It just happens to be an hour and a bit drive away from Shibukawa. The only reason I don’t go there as often as all that is because Ikaho (the third best onsen in Japan) is just 15 mins away.

Regardless. I went there with Sayo for a day not too long ago and had a wonderful time there.

What makes the onsen in Kusatsu so famous is the extremely high sulphur content in the water curtsey of the nearby active volcano, mt.Shirane. it adds a beautiful hue and a putrid stench to the water that is pretty good for you. It is also extremely hot.

 

As it was a day trip, we perused the narrow streets of the town, taking in the beautiful ambiance and each other’s company, and generally had great time. But seeing as I only ever seem to have great times if you read this blog, that goes without saying :p

So lets just say present company made for an even greater time that I usually have.

:D

  …and we even met an alcoholic dog.

 

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Suma-Kobe-Hyogo (I can’t find an appropriate song title for this one)

 
Hung over after a rather epic night at Club Giraffe in Osaka. Takeyasu picked us up in his little yellow plate and took us for a ride. We first secured ourselves some accommodation for later that night. Deposited the luggage and went on little trip.

Through the highways and byways between the two cities, we made our way to the sea. Vast, wide and salty. One forgets Japan is a tiny ass little Island because when you live in landlocked Gunma.
  

It was long overdue.

There was this bizarre fishing pier jutting into the bay. which let us get a pretty nifty view of the surroundings… Yeah. What surroundings? but it was pretty damn awesome nonetheless.

We spotted Suma beach from the pier and we decided to head over there.

“Strand has bigger waves… but the local birdage made up for it”

Suma is a Japanese anomaly. The Sand (though a little coarse) is sand colour as opposed to the dodgy black volcanic sand that seems to be standard here. It is sealed off and enclosed by piers and break waters so you can’t go too far out and get yourself in real trouble. There were no real waves. not by South African standards anyway. Hell, even Strand has bigger waves than Suma, but the local birdage made up for it.

Capped it off with sundowners before heading back into Osaka that night for one last sleep in Kansai.
It was the perfect end to a perfect holiday in the most awesome place on earth.

I love Kansai and I cannot leave Japan till I have tried to live there for a little. It has given me a goal to push for… Now I just need to decide how much longer to ride the JET gravy train before I jump off.

2 Hours in Kyoto

We left Tokyo at 5:21 using the Seishun Juhachi Kippu.

8 and a half hours later we were at Kyoto Station.

Kyoto station is a modern marvel. A beautiful piece of architecture and civil engineering that as a concept needs to be expanded on in future buildings… especially in the new ‘lets be green hippie veggie eaters’ world.

 

Once you leave the station however you get transported back in time. I honestly didn't see too much but what I saw was rather spectacular. We hit up one of the many many famous sights… Kinkaku-ji.

 

The pictures don’t do it Justice… You have to go there.. You just have to!

 

It was a rather mind-blowing start to what would become one of the more awesome experiences of my life. Sadly I couldn’t see Ginkaku-ji or Kiyumizudera… but I intend to visit Kansai again soon enough so I will see it all in good time.

 

<I love Kansai>