Whee!

Japan seems to agree with me. I am bombing all over the place on a bike, walking for miles and miles, drinking far too much alcohol (oh, the drawbacks of staying with relatives!) and still feeling pretty lively - almost normal! This is - well, it's rather unprecedented for January!

I still have not learnt the word for no but I managed to have three whole conversations in Japanese today! The first was with a small lamppost-hugging two-year old who evidently thought I was some kind of alien, but (after much prompting from his amused mother) konnichiwa-ed me with a super little bow all the same.

The second was with three middle-aged kimono-clad Japanese ladies at a tea-ceremony house in Uji and went on for ever and ever about all sorts of things. Everyone here talks Japanese to me which I rather like; I am blatantly NOT Japanese but it doesn't stop them from trying. Anyway I now know all about the tea ceremony, or at least I would if my Japanese had been up to it. Japanese tea tastes like vaguely palatable moss. Hmm.

The third was in an electronic store on Shijo as I had to buy another memory card for my camera. It took four assistants to do it, I think they were bored. It is not exactly tourist season - which is good, I can do most things in peace - so I am something of a novelty, evidently. But it does slow things down a lot as one has to do vast amounts of bowing.

Anyhow, it's nabe time. Which is some kind of food. Oooh.

* posted by nat 8:58 AM

Friday, January 21, 2005

I am in Kyoto and it's actually light! There is sun! There is brightness! Also there is a bit of snow but only up on the hills. There are puffed-up herons and poseur cormorants in the river and huge hawks floating round on the air currents over the main road. There is MMM tempura and I have not learnt the word for no yet so I just say 'yes' to everything which is potentially quite dangerous but so far so good!

There was a wonderful moment on the plane over when the four year old Japanese kid the other side of the aisle from me, who was generally very well behaved, decided, at some point over Mongolia, that he'd had enough of this flight and he'd like to get off now, please. He packed all his stuff up and put on his sweater and then had to have it gently explained to him by his parents and two air hostesses that you can't just get off a plane when you feel like it. He was very disappointed!

(It's now 13:31pm Japan time - the date stamps will be messed up for the next couple of weeks...)

* posted by nat 4:22 AM

Sunday, January 16, 2005

I own a digital camera! (Actually, I have owned it for over a week, but I have spent most of my time being ill and generally not happy to really notice.)

So now I can treat you to exciting photos of what goes on around me, such as this:



He is doing the research for me as I have not really got the energy to do it for myself. I felt if I was going to feel alienated, bewildered and confused I might as well give myself a reason for doing so.

So I am going to Japan on Thursday.

* posted by nat 8:33 PM

Monday, January 10, 2005

Insomnia is evil. Omega-3s are great. Chocolate is necessary.

I know I am in a bad mood because I don't even want to read.

* posted by nat 4:11 PM

Sunday, January 02, 2005

I am definitely having 2005 failure.

And I'm still eating nut roast!

* posted by nat 9:29 PM

Saturday, January 01, 2005

New Year, New Hangover. Mostly caused by drinking about half a bottle of Becherovka after midnight, whilst dancing badly to bad music. There was one of those head massagers involved at some point, also misspelt texting and Kat in a field in Scotland, which is one of the few things I remember. Apart from being very, very ill, which I remember in quite too much detail, although not how I came to wash my socks.

This afternoon, when I rolled out of bed, I met Ella, who is the sweetest little baby, and then I stumbled home and was Dead On Couch for the rest of the day. Watched The Incredibles again, and drank banana-clementine-ginger smoothie. Then baked beans on toast, which was Very Necessary. As always.

New Year's Resolution: look after self and drink sensibly. Ha ha. More like Never Drink Again Ever Ever Ever What An Idiot.
And as ever: visit at least one new country. (Failed miserably last year so this year I had better aim for two.)

* posted by nat 10:52 PM