"The Solution Is Elementary, My Dear Watson"

 After my previous post, I am glad to announce that my rather messy situation has been resolved thanks to a few very helpful individuals. During the time between the 8th and the 19th, I will stay in a total of three different households!

The first, as I mentioned before, will be that of my friend Tatsuro, although he will only be there one of the four days I will be staying there. Luckily, his sister will be around to keep an eye on me which is lovely since we get on very well. The day will go something like the following:

Upon arriving at Narita airport, I will take a one hour train ride to Tokyo station. As everyone knows, it is the main hub of Japan, or what I call the Labyrinth of train stations. It is even worse to maneuver than Euston Station in London. Standing at any point in the station, it is hard to tell which way is up or down, north, east, south or west. I usually end up trying to track down a grumpy officer to guide me in the right direction, only getting a few meters away before having to ask another grumpy officer the same question. At times, I strongly dislike this station, but at others, I take a weird kind of thrill in the idea of getting completely and utterly lost in its maze of endless stores and platforms, as well as the satisfaction of getting to my destination. I guess it suffices to say that Tokyo station and I have a very complicated relationship. :P The toughest part of my journey, though I won't elaborate here, will be finding the store at which Tatsuro's sister works to pick up the key, and getting from Tokyo to N---u, but since I have done it a few times before, I think I can trust my instincts (says Heather as she heads off in the completely wrong direction).

The second stop will be Kyoto where one of my best buddies Ayumi lives. Though the train trip is costing me an arm and a leg, in the end, it was impossible to turn down a week of izakayas (Japanese bars), karaoke, girl talk and the beauty of Kyoto city! The last time I saw Ayumi in Kyoto, we hardly knew each other except for through our email exchanges. Actually, come to think of it, it was the first time we had ever met so we were just figuring each other out. However, this time we can ditch the formalities and take on Kyoto as old friends - should be a lot of fun!

The final stop was truly unexpected. After posting my last post, I received a very "out of the blue" email from my professor who suggested that I stay at his parent's house if necessary. Seeing that I had already arranged two separate visits, I gladly accepted, figuring why not meet some new people, and see a new place!

...and so stands my present situation! Three different houses, three different groups of people, one kooky traveller - it is almost like a trip within a trip, or one of those crazy variety shows you might see on late night TV! And by the time I reach Gunma, no doubt I will have completely settled in.

To end this post, I would like to say thank you to Tatsuro, Ayumi and my professor - without you, I would certainly be sleeping in a small, dusty corner of Tokyo station for two weeks. ;-) Domo arigatou gozaimasu. 

Disaster Strikes Thrice!

Do you ever have one of those days - I mean, those really bad days when you just want to don a clown suit and run around the neighbourhood screaming just so everyone knows you are gradually going insane? Well, today could be classified as one of those days, minus the clown suit and the erratic screaming. After finally booking my plane ticket a couple of days ago, I was feeling pretty at ease...that is, until I received an email from Gunma university stating that I cannot arrive on the 8th since all of the preparations will not have been completed by then. And to add to the confusion, each time I suggested a new date (three times in total), it was shot down. To be fair, the lady who sent me the email probably had nothing to do with the confusion. As I said to my mum, it is always the highest rung of a bureaucracy - that is, the principal and his/her ring of cronies - that makes the decisions while dismissing the little people. No doubt even the lady herself wasn't even informed about the change until the last minute. Anyway, no sooner had I received this rather unwelcome announcement were my fingers sweeping across the keyboard sending off emails to my two good friends in Japan, on my digital knees asking for a place to stay. To my relief, my friend in Tokyo, Tatsuro, has offered a place to stay for a few days, and after that, I may go to Kyoto for a week, money and time providing. Really, all I can do is make the best of a bad situation, and sometimes even bad situations can become memorable adventures and sources of endless laughter in years to come. A good example is when Trin and I got lost on top of a massive mountain in Hokkaido - we laugh about it even to this day, but at the time, we were ready to throttle each other! (Actually, I think it was more a case of her wanting to throttle me for my pigheadedness at the indignity of being lost and reluctance to turn back. :P) Plus, who could possibly say that seeing two good friends is a "bad situation"? It will be nice to see a couple of friendly faces before year three of me saturating my blood with day old coffee/tea, living off of broccoli and carrots, and hours spent crouching over a little computer screen in a dark room begins! (Hey, come to think of it...that's pretty much my life during the summer as well! How sad...)

Let's Go To The Ex!

My goodness, never have I been to Toronto so many times in one week! The first time was simply a stopover on the way back from London, but I also went down a second time to pick up my Japanese visa with Trin, and a third today with Nick, my brother, to see the Cat Show at the Toronto Exhibition, more fondly known to Torontonians as The Ex. I'll start with my second trip, just for the sake of order.

Originally, I had planned to make a brief trip back and forth on the GO bus to the Japanese consulate but seeing as it is 12 dollars for a round trip, it hardly seemed worth the money to go JUST for that sole purpose. So what was supposed to be a rushed and extremely over priced waste of time became a smashing day out with my best friend! We decided to make five stops starting at the Eatons Centre, working our way round in a loop to Funland, the Pickle Barrel restaurant, China Town, and finally a Japanese paper store. However, somehow along the way, despite having an extremely obvious landmark to guide us (a.k.a. the CN tower) and a very, very good map, we managed to go in completely the opposite direction, and ended up starting out day out in China Town and working backwards.

In China Town, Trin bought a belt from an elderly street vendor, and we both treated ourselves to a small bubble tea each - me with my watermelon and Trin with her lychee. The next stop, the Japanese paper store, was a very interesting place with decorated paper for all fathomable uses, as well as origami books, homemade boxes, books, bookmarks, and tea containers, boards for writing Japanese calligraphy, staplers that don't need staples, mini clothespins meant for clipping paper together...the list goes on! In the corner, they also had a table for people to try out origami. They even seemed to have a massive print shop in the backroom. Even without buying anything, one could get lost simply looking at all of the interesting things this store has to offer, and I'd like to go back again if I have the chance. The Eatons Centre was next, where Trin stocked up on paper for her final portfolio at school and chose some materials to design her resumes. I wasn't of much help but lent a hand where and when I could by giving her moral support when she looked at the rather extravagant bill. (Trin: I can't believe I spent THAT MUCH on paper! Heather: Don't worry! Money spent on succeeding at an interview is totally worth it since you will earn it all back after a day of work!) Finally, after a short stop at the arcade for a game of DDR, we went to the Pickle Barrel for supper. Both of us had wraps but with different fillings followed by a tiramisu afterwards, by which time we were both stuffed, tired and completely ready to go home. But we were completely satisfied nonetheless! Overall, I am glad I got to spend a proper day out with Trin since it will be a while before we can do that again,

Today was very similar except this time my travelling buddy was my brother. I had planned to see a Cat Show, being the unabashed cat enthusiast that I am, and Nick offered to keep me company, though I am sure he wasn't object to seeing the odd cat himself. (I know he secretly loves them! :P) We took tons of pictures of the cats on show, our favourites being the Maine Coon, a cat with a very long body and fluffy coat, the Lynx, resembling a real lynx of course, the Shark cat, and the Pug faced cats. I was astonished at how most of the cats had no objection to being flipped over by the leg and brushed all over. If that were either of my cats, I wouldn't have an arm or a brush to speak of - literally. We also bought a cat toy for our two to see if we can give them some exercise and slim them down a little - a false hope I am afraid, but worth a try. In the same building was a barn animal show as well, so we looked around and found some very ugly turkeys along with an ostrich, the first I have ever seen. It was a strange bird because its eyes look intelligent but it is obvious that its brain is very small. We were also surprised at, when seen up-close, just how unattractive it was as birds go. Either way, it was interesting to see the animals and worth the admission fee to the Ex. Afterwards, we charged to China Town (again!) to grab a meal at our favourite Chinese restaurant on Spadina. Though the food isn't overly cheap, the important thing is value for money. With about seven dollars, one can get a soup about three times the size of a large cereal bowl, and with eight, a full course meal packed with lots of good things like pork, noodles, and boc choi. For my starving brother, it was the perfect remedy. Finally, since Nick was feeling exhausted from getting only three hours of sleep, we went back to Union station where we saw three guys dressed up in hilarious pirate costumes. On the way over, we had seen a sign for a Pirate Convention so we assumed they had just come back from that. Or in Nick's words: "I hope for their sake they have just come back from the convention...!"So, as we waited, we saw the same three guys walk out of the main entrance at which time Nick yelled, in the complete silence of the station hallway, "YAR!" so that it echoed right through the halls. I laughed so hard that if I had been drinking milk, I am sure it would have come spewing out of my nose. I'm sure they heard but what can you expect when you walk around looking like Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean?

Anyway, those were my two trips to Toronto. Life cannot possibly get more exciting than this. Haha.

Countdown till Japan: 10 days! Holy Camoli!

Change In Travel Plans

Big news, everyone! I have decided to change my flight date from September 22nd to the 7th. The main reason I was sticking around was for the Keane concert that was supposed to be on the 20th, but since the lead singer has apparently gone into re-hab, I won't be around for the rescheduled date. On top of that, my apartment will be completely ready by the first of September so it seems a shame not to make use of the time I've been given. So, basically, I have exactly two weeks left to see everyone and say my farewells! To be totally frank and honest, I am shaking in my boots right now at the prospect of not only simply being in Japan again, but being submersed in the language and culture for a year as well. Last time I went through it, the experience was like being thrown into a lion's den - I had no idea what to expect and the ups and downs were all surprises to me. This time, though, I have a pretty good idea of what I like and don't like about Japan, and it is dealing with the tough stuff that scares me. I also don't think I am ready for a 14 hour plane flight with stopovers in America on United Airlines but that is a whole other pot of worms. Anyway, I am sure these are just pre-flight, pre-exchange heebie jeebies that every living and breathing soul gets, so for now, I am going to try and roll with the punches and live for each day as it comes.

From One London to Another

Well, I’ve had a nice break from blogging so I think it’s high time that I write something! It has been hard winding down from such an exciting six weeks, but at the same time, it is probably good to be home both in terms of being on call to answer any last minute emails about Japan, and also saying a few “so longs” before the big day arrives. I wouldn’t want to disappear off of the continent without saying goodbye to a few people!

One of my goodbyes was to my old roommate Erin. I traveled out to London (Ontario, of course!) to attend a British Garden Party she had invited me to on the weekend, and also to take a final peek at the Western campus. Her two friends who had stayed for the night made the decision to drag us to Snakes on a Plane – not really my cup of tea as movies go, but entertainment-wise, very amusing. In short, basically every imaginable stereotype boards a plane on which a CIA officer (S.L. Jackson) and a witness to a terrible murder are being transported to testify in court. The murderer discovers that the witness is on the plane and vows to kill him so he cannot testify – even at the expense of hundreds of others. Hence, he devises the wacky idea of putting snakes on a plane! The movie is funny simply because you do not care about any of the passengers that are killed. It is also pretty random; like when a massive boa constrictor falls down from the glass ceiling of the plane. 1) How on earth could anyone smuggle a 20 foot long boa onto a plane in the first place? 2) How could you hide it?? Anyway, it just goes to show that internet fan bases really do have some clout, or else I doubt a movie like this would have ever made it to the big screen!

The British Garden Party was also good fun. The idea began when Erin’s mum tried twice to write in for an invitation to the real Buckingham Palace garden party, and was twice refused. As a result, she said “To hell with Buckingham Palace! I am going to start my own garden party!”…and so she did. This year’s was the fifth annual get together, with 20 members in attendance, and a real character actor of Queen Victoria. (The only dead giveaway that she wasn’t Old Vickie was the blatantly obvious Canadian accent. :P) Although I didn’t know anyone except for Erin and her other friend Jill, it was interesting to participate. I particularly enjoyed the game where everyone receives a Victorian object in a bag, has to figure out what it is, and then act out (without speaking) how it could have been used during the 1800’s. Jill and I picked a stamp for a wax letter seal, probably the easiest to act out of the lot! Sigh…no matter where I go, I can’t escape the influence of England, can I? ;-)

I also went downtown yesterday to apply for my Japanese visa which will apparently be ready in a few days. Thus, on Thursday, I will officially be going with only my plane tickets left to buy. I was actually checking out some flight prices online yesterday and was bowled over to discover that return ticket prices that start this September and end next August cost a whopping $5000! * gags * So my plan is to visit the Flight Centre in the mall and get some much needed advice, because there isn’t a snowman’s chance in hell I am paying that. :P

Backtracking to Greenwich

Before I post a proper blog, I would like make sure I briefly highlight the last couple of days we spent in England. We stayed with my mum’s cousin Carl, his wife Philippa and her sister Yvonne in a town called Greenwich on the outskirts of London. I have only met them each a few times in my life but we had such a good time. The highlight was seeing Carl and Philippa’s 10 month old baby Alfie, who I dub the friendliest baby in the world. He would let everyone hold his two arms as he flailed his legs precariously in an attempt to run across the floor, and never failed to give a massive grin when you looked his way. (I was definitely getting the motherly urges!)

On the first night, when Alfie was put to bed, we enjoyed bangers and mash over a glass of wine and a melodic ambiance created by the music of Frank Sinatra. I could almost see the musical notes dancing around the dining table under the dim light of their London flat, but that was probably the wine speaking! The second night, we went to a fancy pizzeria where I had a delicious anchovy, mushroom, and olive pizza doused in garlic. We drank so much water and wine that by the time we were through, we were waddling home, bursting for the toilet – but it was all part of the fun!

The flat was also an interesting place to stay. It was one of the flats that missed being bombed during the Second World War, and thus retains most of its Victorian charm, though certain parts have been renovated for modern use (i.e. the kitchen). It has five floors connected by a long, narrow staircase and if you laid it out flat, you would probably end up with the same surface area as our house. However, since flats in Greenwich are so close to downtown London, the prices are easily five times as much as that of an equally sized place here.

If I get the chance, I may be able to meet up with Yvonne while I am in Japan since she often goes on business trips for her company, Monsoon Accessories, so that will be nice. I guess it all depends on how busy I am and where she is at the time!

Safe and Sound

Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I am back and unscathed by evil terrorists! As you know, the terror alert was about a week ago, and since then, Heathrow airport in London has gradually calmed down. Now the only kind of chaos you might find is an extremely long line-up here and there, or a few extra personelle on duty. Anyway, I am pooped so I will leave the proper update for another day.

PS: It is definitely good to be home. :-)

Last Days in Aberdyfi

Hello everyone! I finally feel I can sit down and write a proper post. To be honest, it has been during this last stretch that it has been hardest to write, partly to do with the fact that nothing truly blogworthy has happened, but also because, for some reason, this particular place - being the closest to the lifestyle of medieval Wales I can think of - sends my mind into a dreamy haze. For instance, I see my laptop on the table and think "Laptop? What's a laptop?" Well...its not quite THAT bad, but you know what I mean. Anyway, since I can't very well sum up a week as that would take up a good ten pages, I'll once again summarize the important happenings as best I can.

As I've said, I am still in Aberdyfi, the final town in my line of journeys, relaxing with my dad and grandma. Since going on the Talyllyn Railway, we have done a few things of interest. One day, we went to see my "aunt" Rose and her daughter Elaine at their nearby cottage on what my dad calls "millionaire's lane" because of the recent increase in value of the properties. I place the word "aunt" in quotations because she is actually my grandma's oldest friend and of no relation whatsoever. Even so, she has been like an aunt to my dad and his siblings, so we call her "aunt" to indicate affection, and of course, just to make life that much simpler. We started the day by getting completely hammered on cheap ice wine and rose, and ended it with tea on the beach and a paddle in the sea. My dad and I only went in up to our knees whereas the rest went in as deep as they could, until we lost sight of their heads bobbing under the waves. As I've emphasized before, I'm not much of a swimmer and would feel just as happy watching the waves as being in them, if not significantly more. (It goes without saying that said bathing suit stayed packed for the entire week.)

The funniest part of the day was the whole concept of "tea on the beach." I found myself thinking, "What other culture in the world would possibly fathom preparing a thermos of hot tea, bringing down not only the basic sugar, milk and cream, but also a tea strainer and stand, and sitting on the beach, all the while trying to keep the sand out of the tea, and shading it from the wind to stop it from cooling too quickly?" I'm sure any other culture would have said "Just bring me a beer/coke/orange juice for god sake and be done with it!" but not the British! But what is really funny is that I probably enjoyed that cup of tea more than anything else someone could have brought me. A Brit through and through I am afraid.

These past few days have been spent with Christine and David who decided on the spur of the moment to join us at the tail end of their trip around Wales. Due to intermittent spells of torrential rain and burning sun, we didn't really have the chance to do much but instead enjoyed reading our books and working on a couple of crosswords together that had been left for a rainy day at the bungalow. Dad and I thankfully did manage to pop out for a pint of Bank's Original Beer at The Britannia Pub, and he told me of how he had been visiting that particular pub ever since (and before!) he was legal to drink. I can see why though - it is a lovely pub and sits directly on the shoreline that looks over the Irish Sea. No matter the weather, the view from the Britannia is always beautiful, and I found myself feeling choked up at a point at the thought of leaving the almost idyllic scene from the balcony - of bobbing boats, crashing waves, and people hobnobbing about as if the rest of the world hardly mattered and only Aberdyfi existed.

As for today, the most exciting event was dads and my trip out to Bearded Lake. It is so called because of the cover of lily pads on the surface of the lake. If you happen to go at the right time, the lake will appear yellow because of the lilies. Unfortunately, they were just starting to bloom for us so the effect wasn't quite there. Another interesting factoid about the lake is that it is located on the top of a mountain, This led us to believe that it is a kettle lake - a lake derived from the melted part of a glacier that had formed a deep gorge in the ground. (Picture dropping a ball in the sand. If the ball (glacier) were removed, it would leave an impression (lake) in the sand (mountain). That is a kettle lake.) Also, when you yell from a certain vantage point, your voice is echoed off the surrounding mountain faces. In short, it is a small lake, but it certainly has much going for it.

And if that didn't interest you enough, just wait until you hear the story about us getting there. I'll put you in the mindset - baking heat, no water, no map, and a long eight-mile walk there and back. Since we had no map, when we reached a fork in the road that had the sign "Bearded Lake" posted on it, we didn't know which way to turn. The first route we tried seemed to lead downhill to the town of Penal. The second was a steep drop into Happy Valley. After a good hour of pacing back and forth, unsure of which route to take, we ended up straying off the path completely, clambering up the mountainside through the miles and miles of overgrown brush and heather. By this time, we were 5 miles into our walk, parched and feeling very tempted to turn on our heal and go back home. However, thanks mostly to my dad's good sense of direction, the top of the mountain showed us the lake and we also saw, to our dismay, that either path would have eventually led us to our destination. But what can you do when you live in a shoe, eh? So, we rushed down the mountainside, with brambles and thorns catching upon our trousers, jumped a sharp barbed wire fence (well, dad jumped and he pulled me over), and stumbled to the lake. I can tell you, a picnic never tasted so good as it did sitting there, looking over the gorgeous scenery and resting our legs. Although we didn't have water, my dad had the forethought to bring a couple of Bank's and in the end, I was glad we saved them for that moment. We were actually contemplating going to Penal and calling grandma from there to pick us up, but for fear of getting lost for the second time that day, we took the safer option of going back the way we came.

So, that is the Cole's book version of my week. You know, I can hardly believe that I only have ten days left in this country. As the saying goes: tempus fugit - time flies. I just wish it wouldn't fly so fast. Being here in Aberdyfi, I feel as if I've been thrown back in time to my childhood days, while Newmarket is my present, and Japan is my future. Three different worlds held together by my existence only. But I guess the only thing to do is enjoy it while it lasts, so if you will excuse me, I am off to dip my feet in the sea, lest it be the last chance I get.

A Journey Down Memory Lane

There is no memory that stands out so clear in my mind as the one of my family and I sitting on the Tal-y-Llyn (pron. tallithlin) train with our friends the Cipins, precariously balanced on a rusty train track pressed into the steep and brambled mountains of Tywyn (pron. towin), Mid Wales. Back then, the steepness of the mountains, the smells of burning coal, the sounds of the engine, and the thickness of the brush were all accentuated by childish imagination, burnt into my mind as an abstract memory obscured by feelings rather than actual recollection. This time, however, sitting on the same carriage I sat in half a lifetime ago, it was as if my wild memories had come into sharp focus. The sounds, smells and visions were all there, but had been finely tuned into a tangible reality as opposed to a larger-than-life dream. In other words, the beauty remained but my interpretation of the beauty was different. I don't know if that makes any sense, but it was how I felt as my dad, his cousin Anthony and I sat on the train as it chugged up the mountainside from Tywyn to the village of Abergynolwyn.

As I have mentioned, the railway that leads up the mountain is quite steep. One might almost think that the train could fly backwards at any point because of the angle of the incline plus the weight of the passengers, but it never does. From the carriage, it is possible to see a magnificent variety of terrain. Clusters of sheep graze in the field, worn and wiry fences bend sadly over the track, lines of trees create crisscross impressions on the otherwise flat and grassy farmland, and colourful mountains loom whichever way you look. According to my dad, the mountains of North Wales were cut by large glaciers during the Ice Age. Subsequently, the lower portion of the mountains is quite steep since they've been cut by erosion, while the higher areas, untouched by the sandpaper effect of the glacier, remain relatively flat. It is due to the unusual shape of the resulting valleys that they are called "Hanging Valleys".

At the end of the line is a town called Abergynolwyn (pron. aberganolwin). It is situated in a valley so deep and isolated that it is even impossible to receive a cellphone signal. Half way up, Anthony actually sent my mum an email from his cellphone, but once we reached Abergynolwyn it suddenly gave out. Despite the lack of certain technology in the area, it is a very beautiful little town with a lot of charm. We stopped in a pub called The Railway Inn (what else?) almost as soon as we arrived and sat down to a filling lunch of jacket potatoes (the most delicious I've had in ages), brown beans, veggies and sausages. The funny thing was, we had promised Grandma, who had decided to stay at home, a proper meal of sausages that night since the night before, Anthony had accidentally bought chicken for dinner rather than sausages. And seeing that we had gone to The Railway Inn especially, we couldn't very well turn down a traditional British meal. Thus, in the end, we wound up having two full sausage meals in one day (though Grandma doesn't know!). Even so, we managed to polish both meals off and probably walked off all of the fat we put on.

I forgot - I haven't even talked about Aberdyfi (pron. aberdovey) where we have been staying! Well, for those of you I haven't told, in Aberdyfi we have a bungalow shared between my grandma and her four children. It has been in the family for years and has always been a place we can come to escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. A fishing port and tourist town in Mid Wales, it is located directly on the Irish Sea and is the place where my parents first met. I guess it goes without saying that this little town of 850 has a deeper meaning for our family than for the average tourist. It is probably the one place where I feel separated from the rest of the world. Things that concern me back in all other places fade away here simply by standing on the sandy beaches and watching the rhythmic movement of the white waves creeping in and out of the estuary. It is truly a lovely place and I feel it is a shame I cannot access a computer at the moment to share the experience with you. Nevertheless, I will post when I get a chance, though the magic of the moment will have passed by then.