tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41505661869218065762012-02-20T11:04:18.889+09:00Travels and travails of a Lamford in JapanOliver Lamfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13937917227379168904noreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150566186921806576.post-47715915319533482452007-07-10T22:54:00.000+09:002008-12-09T14:51:47.256+09:00

Oh-ree ehOh-ree daisukiYasashite arigatouHikari no koto Wasurenai de neHikari mo wasurenai yoHikari yoriTo Oh-reeI like Oh-ree loadsThanks for being kindDon't forget meI won't forget youFrom Hikari

Oliver Lamfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13937917227379168904noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150566186921806576.post-26119340452391829632007-07-02T23:56:00.000+09:002008-12-09T14:51:48.347+09:00

The Gotoh Islands (五島列島) - a chain of islands off the far west coast of Japan. If Japan was Britain, Gotoh would probably be the Channel Islands.With my time in Japan swiftly running out, I embarked on a final trip before home. I took the moonlit overnight ferry from Hakata (photos here), and after a hazy night spent photographing the moon and failing to sleep on the tatami floor of a boat full

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I took a night ferry from Fukuoka to the Gotoh Islands, one day before the full moon.These were taken on a slow shutter speed at night, turning the ship's wake into hazy brush strokes of light. See previous (and more successful) attempts here.

Oliver Lamfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13937917227379168904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150566186921806576.post-21013583200568516872007-07-02T23:30:00.000+09:002008-12-09T14:51:51.003+09:00

With the day off lessons, I went to the seaside to dance with a couple of Japanese friends. We swam in the water, and sat in the sun. We walked by the seafront, and found a suitable boulder for a stage. And we danced.Dancer - Ikumi

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Grey suits and grey jobs. Hierarchical offices run by convention and duty.It's distinctly bad form to leave the office before your job.The relationship between salaryman and housewife is notoriously bad.The Guardian recently reported on the annual competition of Salaryman Senryu (short, sardonic poems on daily life, brief as Haiku but with a comic tone).The second prize went to this gem (

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The rainy season has begun.In line with the rest of the world, it seems the weather is bucking all past trends this year, and is doing as it pleases.The snow was light, the winter warm, the cherry blossom late.The rainy season started two weeks late this year.Late it may be, but nevertheless it rains.It rains, and is hot.I don't like the rainy season.The rainy season doesn't like me.I went for a

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For the first time, I've managed to get an article printed in a national magazine.It is in the July/August edition of SONGLINES, Britain's leading world music magazine.You can see the online version of my guide to the best music in Tokyo by clicking here.I also took the picture of the Kabuki Theatre (bottom right).ON SALE NOW!

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The Japanese Haircut - far more than mere depillation.Enter the shop, and, like a smart sushi restaurant, the barbers greet customers with a bright barrage of shouted politesse.Placed in a chair, and the discussion begins. And soon stutters.me: "Er, short please."him: "[unintelligible reply]"me: "Er. But not too short."him: "[unintelligible reply]"Resigned to my fate, I sit back and watch his

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These photos were all taken on ferries at night, some on the boat back from Sakurajima (home of Furasato Onsen - see previous post), and some crossing back from Miyajima in the Inland Sea.

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Not the new model of the ever-popular Russian rifle, but a Japanese pop band.48 girls, dancing in short school skirts, and singing catchy pop songs about their misdemeanours.One classic lyric "お父さん、ごめんなさい" - 'Father, I'm sorry'This is Kayo Noro.She's an attractive girl.I am one month older than her.But I don't think that would be too much of a problem.And this is Aika Ohta.She performs onstage

Oliver Lamfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13937917227379168904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150566186921806576.post-55212070068233870312007-05-12T19:22:00.000+09:002008-12-09T14:51:56.206+09:00

In the mid to late nineteenth century, as the Meiji Restoration finally allowed foreigners into Japan after centuries of enforced isolation, a new economic influx emerged - tourists. To feed the growing interest of wealthy, curious foreigners, early photography flourished in Japan, seeking to give a taste of the exotic orient to well-paying customers.The result is, to me, absolutely

Oliver Lamfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13937917227379168904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150566186921806576.post-80082182626601090602007-05-12T16:05:00.000+09:002007-05-31T15:27:07.773+09:00

I've decided to change the name of my blog, after finding out a bit more about the word 'gaijin'.Gaijin is a short-hand term - the proper word is gaikokujin, using the characters 外国人, which means (outside - country - person, which translates very easily as foreigner). But the shorter word of gaijin, it seems, is much less polite.Times I've heard people use 'Gaijin':1) Sitting on the train one day

Oliver Lamfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13937917227379168904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150566186921806576.post-33251902582698301592007-04-13T14:28:00.000+09:002008-12-09T14:51:58.119+09:00

'Ouragan de Fleurs' - 'Hurricane of Flowers' a performance by the Fukuoka Seiryukai, featuring five talented butoh dancers, and me.It would be performed in Fukuoka at the French Institute, after my teacher and the gang had taken the piece to Paris at the end of March.They didn't like Paris that much. Too dirty, too rude, too many druggies. Just not Japan.Actually, disillusionment with Paris is a

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Hana Mi (literally, 'flower viewing') is one of the great cultural traditions of Japan.Around the end of March, the Cherry trees burst into full bloom. They start in the far south, and move up Japan in a wave of flowers over the following week. So great is the custom of viewing the flowers, the Japanese weather agency publishes official forecasts of the specific blooming dates for each region.

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The great surprise of the Okunoyu Ryokan in Kurokawa Onsen (see previous post), was the wonderful food. It now ranks as the tastiest meal I've ever eaten, and so is worthy of a blog post in its own right. Seizing the luxurious option of having our dinner served to us in our own tatami room, we arrived to find a banquet spread across our table...It was like a Greatest Hits Compilation of Japanese

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Great Baths of Japan - Kurokawa Onsen - ShinmeikanFar inland, in the mountainous regions around Mount Aso (the largest volcanic caldera in the world), there are a few small villages that take full advantage of the natural geothermal activity. Unlike the neon-trash onsen towns like Beppu on the East coast, all cheap bars and tourist traps, they are quiet, green, and exist for only one purpose -

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温泉(ONSEN) - (n.) One of Japan's great contributions to human civilisation. Due to its high level of subterranean thermal activity, hot water naturally bubbles up all over the place. Put that hot, mineral-rich water in a bath, and you have an Onsen.露天風呂(ROTEMBURO) - (n.) The Onsen taken to another level of perfection - outside bathing.NB. Due to the suicidal nature of mixing digital photography

Oliver Lamfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13937917227379168904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150566186921806576.post-43595010031896960552007-02-19T14:13:00.000+09:002008-12-09T14:52:03.408+09:00

*If you don't know what Butoh is, read this previous post first*Koen Debut (公園デッビュー) is a Japanese phrase that refers to the first time that a new-born baby is paraded in the local park (koen). Its meaning has broadened to refer to any first-time presentation or debut, but it still keeps the element of the naive baby, not quite sure what is going on - an element that seems appropriate for my koen

Oliver Lamfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13937917227379168904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150566186921806576.post-22452348152151804492007-01-10T17:00:00.000+09:002008-12-09T14:52:04.920+09:00

It all began on Sunday afternoon when I took the train to Daizenji with my friend Dave. We knew we were meeting a woman called Norika there, that she would take us somewhere, and there we would take most of our clothes off, get drunk, and do something with fire outside. I didn't know any more than that though.Norika turned out to be a lovely middle aged woman with good English and leather

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Leaving Nara behind me, I took the train up to Osaka, the pulsing heart of central Japan. It's a busy place, full of life, but somewhere to live, not a place for travelling. I passed straight through and picked up a fast train out of the city, heading for Koya San - the mountain-top home of Shingon Buddhism, and an absolute world away from urban Osaka.In half an hour or so I was out of the tower

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I'd been planning my Christmas travels for weeks - a big deal, my first extended trip that I'd ever done alone, travelling for three weeks across Japan, after only learning the language for two and a half months.A virulent stomach bug kept me in bed for a week before my travels began, and I was still pretty shaky when I got up for my first morning's travel. I had a three-week rail pass, valid

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Muzak 1The powers that be pipe music into my dormitory canteen. It’s always changing: one day its the New World Symphony; the next, Britney. But yesterday the music sounded like a ten year old on a Xylophone. In fact, I think it probably was a ten year old on a Xylophone. And then I recognized the song. Tinkling along in well spaced notes was the tune from Hitler, has only got one ball,

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It being Autumn, there is a lot of leaf sweeping to be done. There are often university workers to be seen clearing up the heaped drifts, in a suit with broom in hand.At times, they get a little over eager. Last week I saw a smartly dressed man standing five metres up a tree, using his broom to sweep leaves straight from the branch.

Oliver Lamfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13937917227379168904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150566186921806576.post-26115454834697646672006-12-01T16:55:00.000+09:002008-12-09T14:52:09.830+09:00

A funny Christmas it was.

Oliver Lamfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13937917227379168904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150566186921806576.post-59640324679725523662006-11-26T10:36:00.000+09:002008-12-09T14:52:10.998+09:00

Every November, Fukuoka plays host to the last Grand Sumo Tournament of the year. The sumo circus starts in Tokyo, and holds contests in cities all over Japan, before it finally comes into town here. For weeks, Very Big Men in equally big kimonos stroll around town, turn up in bars, spread over two seats on the subway. Then, they fight one bout a day for the two week tournament, their ranking

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In October, I read a short piece in a magazine about the traditional folk dances of the town of Takachiho, nestled up in the mountain ranges in the centre of Kyushu. The 33 different dances have been performed for centuries in the area, and a couple are danced each night in the town for an hour for the benefit of tourists. However, every dancing group (of which there are 19 in the town) also

Oliver Lamfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13937917227379168904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150566186921806576.post-82591170469636532662006-11-20T08:58:00.000+09:002007-06-24T21:59:29.223+09:00

Japan is a beautiful place, but its countryside is scarred with concrete. Flat land is built on, or farmed. Steep land is useless, so allowed to grow free. But even there, the cloud soaked hills bear the weight of large red and white pylons, rivers are strictly channelled, and bridges abound. There seems to be little concept of wilderness here, as all is tamed, directed, sanitised.Bridges seem to

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I have a cold.This is what Japanese people do when they have a cold.It's kind of like a nose burqa.It's not very fun.

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362 days a year, Karatsu is an unexceptional fishing town. It is next to a beautiful pine forest (with a big road through the middle of it), and a lovely beach (facing an industrial plant), and has a large C17th castle (built in 1966). But for the three days of the Karatsu Kunchi, the town shakes off the dust, swaps its work clothes for ceremonial garb, and holds its head up high.Fourteen floats,

Oliver Lamfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13937917227379168904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150566186921806576.post-15656329053504263492006-10-30T16:39:00.000+09:002007-05-12T15:50:16.472+09:00

As a gaijin, you possess definite novelty value. In a country where the racial majority makes up 99% of the population, a westerner's height and face immediately marks them out as an outsider. Children wave, strangers say hello, or occasionally just stare. It's almost always extremely friendly, but takes some getting used to. Admittedly, I took this photo on the Saturday before Halloween, in the

Oliver Lamfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13937917227379168904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150566186921806576.post-24186305269218216792006-10-30T16:38:00.000+09:002007-05-12T15:51:43.434+09:00

I've been doing some work at a magazine called Fukuoka Now, which seems to be something of a hub for the gaijin community here. A lot of random things seem to happen due to being associated with it. Like for example, last week, I was in their office doing some proof-reading for them, and they asked me to stand in for a model who had just cancelled on them. Of course, I obliged, and duly found

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Beach life, in late October. Life IS good.We went up the coast to a tiny fishing village called Keya, and managed to find a beach that the civil authorities had managed NOT to ruin. The mile long concrete sea wall next to the beach was a tad excessive, but the beach itself was clean sand stretching into distance. A gorgeous sunny day, a slight chill in the wind, but the sea was easily warm enough

Oliver Lamfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13937917227379168904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150566186921806576.post-53043695059085569002006-10-13T02:00:00.000+09:002008-12-09T14:52:14.181+09:00

Butoh emerged in Japan in the 1960s, a performance art that sought to delve into humanity, and bring out the bitter news from the inside.There is no universal technique, form, or training system in Butoh, just a variety of approaches following up on the blackened trail blazed by its founding fathers, Ohno and Hijikata.It began with a brutal performance in 1959 by Hijikata and Ohno's son, in which

Oliver Lamfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13937917227379168904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150566186921806576.post-42645022997572449362006-10-03T15:34:00.000+09:002007-05-12T15:52:15.649+09:00

noun. 1. [ðɛ zʋːʈɒŋz]Liverpudlian Indie band, commonly found in the U.K. characterised by feel-good rhythms, swinging sax, and long sweaty hair.I went out with my friends last Friday night. Exhausted from a hard week, I caught the last train home, but a few people stayed out. Throughout the night, my friend Hazel had been watching an ungainly, overweight, middle-aged gaijin. Fukuoka seems to

Oliver Lamfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13937917227379168904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4150566186921806576.post-55084276428912410952006-10-02T15:33:00.000+09:002007-06-24T21:59:54.920+09:00

I used to think I wasn't scared of spiders. Then I went for a walk in the woods.I've been in Japan for nearly a month, and I hadn't been for a proper hike yet. So I got suited and booted and cycled up through Dazaifu to a shrine at the base of the very-small-mountains (well, hills). It took about an hour to get up there from my house, and on my skoda of a bicycle it was exhausting. Had a pleasant

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Don't you just hate it when you get on a commuter train, and the only seats left are facing the wrong way. Nausea and lethargy inevitably ensue. Nightmare.Or when you are with three or four friends, and the only seats left are sets of two, all facing in the same direction. Disconnected eye contact; irritatingly raised voices; broken conversations; awkard silences. Again: nightmare.Well, the にしてつ

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Free Dry Ice on tap in the Supermarket.

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Typhoon Shan-Shan had been approaching Japan for a few days, working its way northwards along the Asian mainland. By the time it passed over Fukuoka it was much weaker, but still considered the worst storm in many years.I live on the 8th floor, which overlooks a set of paddy fields, and then a built-up town between there and the facing hills. I went out on our balcony to watch the storm draw in.

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Komyozenji Shrine, about half an hour from my house, is one of the most peaceful places I have ever been to. The zen garden seems silent at first, until you begin to notice the grating cicadas, rustling leaves, and heavy wind. People just come to sit on the walkway, gaze, think, be.The raked pebbles surround various boulders, with deep hues of brown, red, and grey. In between are small oases of

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Tastes like warm sea.

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