Finished at long last

After months of searching through wallpaper catalogues, endless discussions about light fixtures and meeting after meeting on floor tiles it is finally done. Our dream house is finished. We actually moved in about one and a half months ago but work on the garden/exterior has only just finished. That and I have been too lazy to update my blog. It really is amazing too. It's even better than I imagined it would be. We both couldn't be happier.



What else do you want to know? As you can see it's pretty Mediterranean in style, mostly due to the fact that I am a mad Francophile. It also has an abundance of arches and curves (for such a square house) as well as a variety of little decorative touches here and there. The interior and exterior are also very colourful by Japanese standards too.



The above two features are mostly a reflection of our personal tastes but in part a reaction to the blandness of so many buildings in Japan today. It seems to me that a lot of people have taken the simple principles of traditional Japanese architecture and modern Scandinavian design and melded them into a colourless hybrid. That or they can't be bothered to take any time to really think about the spaces they live and work in. Either way it means that urban Japan is a sea of off-whites, greys and browns. Anyways, I'd better stop this rant now before I get too carried away.



As I mentioned in other posts, it's also a pretty green house (moreso than Al Gore's from what I hear). Here's a list of then eco-friendly feature we've incorporated:

• Solar panels that generate up to 2.5kw.
• Double glazing and decent insulation.
• An energy efficient heat pump hot water system.
• An IH cooker that uses less energy than either gas or a 'normal' electric stove.
• Modern air-conditioning that uses far less energy than older models.
• Large windows that provide natural light. No need for switching on lights during the day.
• High ceilings on the 1st floor to help keep the room cool.

All this and the land we built it on used to be a car park but which is now covered in grass and will soon be covered in lovely oxygen producing trees. We've done our part, now it's your turn Mr. Bush!

Well that's about all I can think of for the moment, head on over to flickr.com for the rest of the pix.

P.S. If you see my Dad anytime soon, ask him if he has figured out what the "U.P." on our houseplans is yet.

Dinosaurs Dinosaurs

Joshie's latest obsession is with dinosaurs. Thanks to his cousin Hideyo's efforts and enthusiasm, Joshie has well and truly become enamoured with all things Creataceous. Our living room is littered with plastic Tyrannosauruses, Pachycephalasauruses and Spinosauruses. Joshie and I have watched all 3 Jurassic Park movies countless times, so often in fact that I may have to pay somone to take out the author, Michael Crichton:-) Either that, or I could just stop renting them from the video store.

Needless to say, I have been forced to accompany Joshie to Toyohashi's Museum of Natural history twice (in the blazing summer sun) to see their dinosaur exhibition. As well as the usual fossil displays they also have a collection of roughly lifesized fibreglass replics outside. Although their representations were a little old-school (e.g. the impossible standing posture of some of the dinos) Joshie loved them.

We also went to see an exhibition in Nagoya called "Dinosaur Continent" which showcased dinosaur fossils from across Asia. The skeletons were only of mild interest to Joshie but he loved the animatronic replicas. I was surprised he wasn't even a little bit scared when he saw the Velociraptor eating Protocertops. Oh well, kids these days.

For all the pix of the Jurassic action click here

The House Part 2

3 weeks and counting!
At long last our dream house is nearing completion. We will get the keys next weekend although there are a few little jobs that need doing before we can actually move in. But, we have a date now, August 12th and that's all that counts.

We went for an inspection yesterday and it looks even better than we expected. The walls, floors and carpets are all in and apart from the lack of furniture and the tools lying everywhere it looks 97% ready. It is a really amazing feeling to see it all come together especially the design features that we ourselves came up with. As well as all the cutting edge green tecnology I mentioned above two recurrant themes are arches (Dan Brown could probably write a new best seller on the significance of having so many) and lashings of colour (which is a deliberate reaction to the complete lack of colour seen in most Japanese homes). You will all have to come on over (at your own expense of course) to see it in the flesh.

Otherwise these pix will have to suffice.

Lagunasia

Question: What do you do if the sea coast around where you live is too polluted to go swimming?

a. Form a grass roots movement to make the government do something
b. Shed a silent tear for the environemnt and Humanity's continued destruction of it,
c. Get out with a pair of tongs and a grabage bag and start doing your part.
d. Head for a giant man-made pool complete with rental inflatable crocodiles.

Sadly, for Mother Nature, we chose 'd'. As you can see by the pix, I wasn't kidding about the inflatable crocodile. Anyways, Lagunasia is part theme park, part pool complex and part outlet mall in Gamagori the next town over from Toyohashi. Joshie just happened to get a free ticket from his kindergarten so off we went for a day at the 'beach'. While the theme park part looked pretty lame, the pools were great fun. In true Japanese style they even had a wave machine in one of the pools for those wanting to do a little body boarding etc However despite the great facilities etc it just wasn't the real thing. While I can do without sand in my toes it's the atmosphere of the beach that's half of the attraction.

Check out the rest of the pix here.

Nieces and Nephews

Somehow over the past 3 and a half years I have accumulated quite a collection of nieces and nephews in addition to my own cherub, Joshie. However, I have been rather remiss in my duties as an Uncle by not introducing them to y'all. Most of you will have met the wonderful Miss Juliet Elizabeth, daughter of my little/big brother Kevin but I actually have three others.

Hideyo, the oldest, is in a few of Joshie's photos over at flickr.com if you look hard enough. He is Kanako's older sister's son and he goes to the same Kindy as Joshie. Joshie also stays with him two afternoons a week after kindy while Dad jets off to work. Naturally, the two of them are firm comrades although arguments over which dinosaur is cooler, Tyrannosaurus or Anklyosaurus, occasionally come to blows. "Full of beans" would probably be the best way to describe young Hideyo, scion of the Koishi clan.


My second niece, is Saki, who is Kanako's younger sister's daughter. She lives down in Kyoto but she comes up to Toyohashi about once a week with her Mum so we get to see her quite often. She is about 16 months now and is doing her best to catch up to her older male cousins. She is also just starting to talk properly, although she hasn't mastered the phrase "Uncle Mike rocks" just yet.

The newest addition is Natsuki, Hideyo's youger brother who is only 3 months old. In contrast to his boisterous brother he is pretty quiet, hardly making a sound. That might be because he is always asleep when I go round to see him.

All 3 cuzzies are real cuties although all pale in comparison to the radiant being that is Joshua Patrick Koishi-Pryor.

Check the out here.

What's new? Part 4

Whaddya mean I haven't posted since May?
Well, I I've been pretty busy with the house and work and ...

Actually, we have been pretty flat out aound here over the past couple of months. Joshie is still loving Kindergarten even in his quasi-Prussian uniform. He especially loves all the singing he gets to do. Luckily he's a better singer than his dad so the neighbours haven'tcomplained yet. He is even enjoying his violin lessons! If he gets good enough we will be hitting you all up for donations to send him to Europe to study with Yehdi Menuhin. Kanako is flat out as ever at work and has recently started commuting to her old hospital a couple of days a week to continue her research into possible genetic markers for preeclampsia. Meanwhile I have been flat out too. On the sofa! Hahaha! No change there I guess.

Anyways, as always I have addes heaps of photos over at flickr.com for your approval.
Check 'em out here.

Classic All Blacks vs. Japan

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see Jonah Lomu, in person, stomping his way through the Japanese rugby team like Godzilla through downtown Tokyo? No? Neither have I, but last Sunday I got the opportunity to see just that.

The new coach of the Japanese Rugby Team a.k.a. ‘The Brave Blossoms is none other than John Kirwan, ex-All Black and childhood hero of thousands of Kiwi kids (including Kevin and I) and in order to steel his new charges for the rigors of the upcoming world cup he invited a few of his Kiwi mates over for a couple of exhibition games.

Sponsored by Master Card, the team was called ‘the Classic All Blacks’ although not everyone therein had played for the ABs in the past. Still, as well as Jonah, there were some of the biggest names of the last generation of All Blacks, including Justin Marshall, Andrew Mehrtens, Eric Rush, Tony Brown and my fave Carlos Spencer. While a good few years older than the Japanese on average, most of the players are still plying their trade somewhere in the world, so it was definitely no ‘Golden Oldies’team.

The CABs only just managed to beat the Blossoms 35-36 in the first game in Kobe (see story here) so Game 2 in Tokyo was all set to be a thriller (of sorts). Could a team in black, even if they were all a wee bit old, lose to the Asian champs but world minnows? And that is why Joshie and I (plus my mate Steve) donned our AB shirts and took the Shikansen up to the Big Smoke on a brilliant, sunny Saturday afternoon.

We definitely weren’t disappointed either, Jonah played more than 18 minutes this time including one busting run through half of the Japanese team a la the atomic powered monster I mentioned above. If he hadn’t lost a yard or two of pace (I reckon it was the kidney transplant’s fault) it would have been a fantastic try, but alas he was dragged down just before the line by his speedier opposite number. Still, King Carlos had brought his A game and that more than made up for the lack of a Jonah Try. The king banana kicked, side-stepped and goosied his way around the hapless Japanese for the majority of the second half setting up two tries in the process. Brilliant is all I can say! Suffice to say, the 36-6 score line was a bit more reflective of the gap in abilities, strength and power between rugby in Aotearoa and ragubi in Nippon than the game in Kobe.

Read another match report here.

Oigawa Tetsudou

I hate to say it but my son is a bit of a geek. He is just about the cutest little guy on the face of the planet but even at the tender age of three he has developed into a hardcore trainspotter. Our house is littered with Thomas the tank engine paraphernalia, as well as dozens of other train toys, DVDs and books. He didn’t get any of this from me by the way. The finger of blame must be squarely pointed at his Grand Dad in New Zealand, who is something of an anorak himself (please note, the previous comment was a gross understatement, typed in the interests of preventing a flame war) :-)

Which is why, on a wet and horrible day, Joshie, Kanako and I set off to Shizuoka-ken to ride on the Oigawa Tetsudou (railway). Japan being a country of trains, has it’s fair share of ‘Rail Enthusiasts’ including one group that have set up a live steam attraction on a working branch line near Kakegawa in Shizuoka prefecture. Actually, despite the rain, the 80 minute ride up the Oigawa river valley was quite pleasant. On a sunny day with a picnic basket packed full of goodies and Grand parents in tow (hint hint) it would be a fantastic day out as the scenery from the train is rather picturesque.

Anyway, check out the pix here and then tell me what you think.

The House Part.1

As some of you know, Kanako and I are in the process of building our first house in Kana-chan's hometown of Toyohashi. It should all be done and (hopefully) ready for us to move into about the first week of August.

Now, we hadn't exactly planned on home ownership at this stage in our lives but Mama Koishi made us an offer we couldn't refuse. As an incentive to move back to Toyohashi, as well as maternal generosity, Dr. Koishi has given us a piece of land to build our dream house on. While house prices aren't that unreasonable in Japan, the price of land in anywhere remotely desirable is astronomical. So with this hurdle unexpectedly overcome how could we say no?

The next challenge was to find an architect/design firm that could make our dreams come to fruition. After hours and hours pouring over magazines, catalogues and websites and days spend trudging around model homes we finally found a bunch of like minded souls at Top Maison. As you may guess from the name, the guys at Top Maison build French inspired houses, which as a pair of Francophiles, suits us just fine. Then, after further hours of discussions we had a plan and we were one step closer to making our home reality.

Fast forward to January, when we held a Shinto ground breaking ceremony on a freezing cold day just after New Year’s. Despite the icy wind, sake and rice were offered up and things got under way. Jump ahead again to May and things are going really well. The exterior is finished, save the painting and work has now started on the interior. Naturally, we are all very excited and drive by for a look every other day. And naturally, our new temporary apartment is littered with furniture catalogues and interior design magazines as well as the usual debris.

I have posted pix of the house in progress over at flickr if you wanna see how things are going as well as scans of the Architectural elevations.

Check them out here.

Oh yeah, Did I mention that it’s going to be a “Green” House. No, not the kind you grow your tomatoes in, “Green” as in environmentally friendly. We are going to install solar panels on top of the garage to provide most of our energy needs. In the sunniest months we will actually be able to sell our excess electricity to the power company which is rather nice after years of hefty power bills. We have also bought an IH (Induction heater) cooker to save power and be more energy efficient. Then there is the eco-cute system which uses heat pumps and lotsa other cool technology to heat our water more efficiently, safely and cheaply than either gas or a regular hot water tank. Naturally, the house has tons of insulation and double glazing too. Sounds like it’s gonna cost a lot, doesn’t it? Yes and No. While the initial outlay is pretty expensive, it’s actually gonna save us a bunch over the years we live in the house. And then there is that nice ‘moral high ground factor’ too. Now we can make everyone else feel guilty about being such global warming, ozone depleting, harp seal clubbing eco-terroristsJ

Letters and Lurve (a coupla film reviews)

Letters from Iwo Jima

I was rather surprised that Kanako actually picked this one out at the video store not being a fan of war movies and all. Just in case you haven't heard it's the second in pair of movies about the battle of Iwo Jima at the end of WW2. The first part, which we haven't seen, was told from the American point of view and focused on the marines and sailors who were in the famous photo of the raising of the flag on the top of Mount Suribachi. 'Letters' is told from the Japanese side and focuses on two main characters, the general in charge of the island's defense and a young conscript who doesn't exactly relish the thought of being trapped on the island with no chance of escape.

If you watched this expecting a great 'war' movie you would probably go away a bit disappointed especially if you saw it on the small screen like we did. For pure visceral action 'Private Ryan' is much better (even if the story got a bit far-fetched at times) but I don't think that was the kind of movie Clint was trying to make. 'Letters' is a much more human story. For the first time, World War Two Japanese are characterized as more than two-dimensional, banzai shouting suicidal stereotypes (although there are scenes of banzai shouting and multiple suicides within). After years of John Wayneist imagery it was refreshing (in a gruesome, blood soaked way) to finally see and hear things from the other side. Sure, a large percentage of the garrison did kill themselves or mount futile charges against the encircling Americans, but the motivations behind such actions are explained to a certain degree as well as exploring what the 'other' guys were thinking and feeling.

Clint's message, delivered not-so-subtly when the Japanese soldiers read some letters found on a dead GI, is not overly profound but nonetheless important. That is, that despite different nationalities and ideologies when it comes down to it the average 'grunt' in the trenches and his family back home have the same simple wish, to return home safely and soon. As an aside, it was interesting to note that the last surviving Japanese soldier's name was Saigou, which, amongst other things, translates as 'last' or 'final'.

Love Story

An oldie but a goodie this one. Panned by a lot of critics and full of genre staples such as characters from different social classes and disapproving parents I still love this film despite being an avowed cynic when it comes to romantic movies.

Perhaps one reason is that we find out that the female character has just died in the very first scene and then leap backwards in time from there. Perhaps it's because Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw seem to have had a real chemistry and personalities. Kanako and I both agree that 70's heart-throb turned Naughteys lard-ass O’Neal really seems infatuated with Jenny something missing from more recent Tom Ryan/Meg Hanks outings.

It's not without it's flaws especially the choppy editing and the slightly cheesy catchphrase 'Love means never having to say you're sorry' but still, in my humble opinion, one of the best I've seen in a genre which is generally devoid of anything really meaningful. Unashamedly emotionally manipulative but hey it’s a love story. Duh!

Busted!

D'oh! I was on my way home the other day from work when I blundered into a Police speed trap and was pulled over. Aaaaarrrrgggghhhhh!!!! There goes my clean licence. 58kph in a 40kph zone is hardly Grand Theft Auto territory but the local plods weren't having any of my excuses/reasoning even if it was on a deserted stretch of road, down an incline and miles from the nearest pedestrian. Curses!



I don't even have the slight satisfaction of whingeing about being singled out for being a foreigner as three Japanese were caught in quick succession right after me. Nor can I go on about them being fascist bully boys, they were actually very polite and well mannered unlike that hollywood movie cop wannabe %&#@* (complete with mirrored sunglasses) who pulled my mate Ben and I over all those years ago on our way to watch ‘Macbeth’ in Auckland. Oh well, I'll just have to be angry at myself for being so dumb:-(

Rant over!

More Pix

I've added loadsa photos over at flickr.com. You have probably seen most of them before but check them out anyways and leave your comments.

Tons of photos

What's new? Part 3

It's hard to believe but our little man Joshie is already 3 (see photos from his birthday party here). The so called 'Terrible Twos' are now behind us, so in Japan that means it's time for kindergarten. Being Japan however, kindy is not exactly like it is back in New Zealand. First of all, it's 5 days a week from 9am to 2pm and secondly, the kids wear uniforms. Yep, that's right, uniforms! Nothing modern or practical either. Think the Von Trapp kids in the ‘Sound of Music’ and you will get a pretty good idea (see Joshie von Trapp here). Despite looking like a refugee from a Prussian military academy Joshie really seems to enjoy it. The presence of his cuzzie/accomplice/fellow monkey Hideyo helps a lot too.

As for the rest of us, Kanako is working at her Mother's clinic while her sister Asako is on maternity leave and I am doing some freelance teaching at a couple of companies. Kanako will go back to Uni part time from July to finish her Post-grad research (into possible genetic markers/causes of preelampsia) and I'll keep teaching 'till there's no-one left to teach. I must say corporate teaching is pretty different to teaching at a school. The hours are short, the money is good and there's no 'boss' to speak of, which suits me just fine but on the other hand there's not much security, the classes are pretty big and not always quite as motivated. Still, shouldn't grumble it beats flipping burgers:-)

Anyways, that's about it for major developments in the Koishi-Pryor-verse so I'll sign off there.

What's new? Part 2

After Joshie and I got back from Aotearoa and Kanako got back from the Frozen North we had only a week to catch our breath before we had to move to Toyohashi. We had originally planned to move at the end of the month but we couldn't book a moving truck at that time for love or money so we had to bring the date forward by nearly two weeks. Despite the change in schedule the big move went off without any problems... nearly.

Our new place is a lot smaller than our old one with only a fraction of the storage space. Being a family of hoarders we have accumulated a lot of junk over the years so we were nearly buried by boxes. Luckily Mama Koishi let us stash some of our trove at her place so that we could actually move around our new digs.

Hopefully the move to our house (we told you about the house we are building, right?) at the start of August will be less stressful and go a bit smoother.

What's new? Part 1

Where should I begin? The last month or so has been a bit of a whirlwind for the three of us. To say that have changed a bit around here is a bit of an understatement. There have been trips back to New Zealand, graduations, sudden moves across the prefecture, new jobs and kindergarten all within the last four or five weeks.

Why don't we start with our trip back to Aotearoa? This time around it was only Joshie and I heading to the Southern Hemisphere as Kanako had to jet off to Sweden to attend a conference. I must say Joshie travelled really well, so well in fact that his grumpy old Dad actually managed to get a little sleep on the plane. That is, until we were descending into Christchurch when he decided to suddenly regurgitate his breakfast all over himself and Dad. A word of advice, greasy bacon, sloppy, cheesy omelets, two year olds and air travel don't mix.

The rest of the trip went much better however. After a couple of days chilling out at Nana and Poppa's we headed down to Wellington to see Judith and Dan. The last time I had seen them both they weren't yet married and Joshie was but a twinkle in his Dad's eye. Auntie Judith and Joshie got on like a house on fire. Generally Joshie's pretty shy around strangers and even with adults he knows he isn't overly friendly, but after a day together he was asking Jude to hold hands and carry him, a privilege usually only reserved for Kanako and I. Despite the changeable weather Wellington was brill and I can see why Jude and Dan like it so much and why Peter Jackson won't leave it for Hollywood (by the way, we saw his house).

The rest of the time we spent back in Hamilton doing some hard-core shopping (for kids books and toys) and catching up with everyone. The whole Northern-Southern hemisphere thing worked well for us too. While Mum was chilling out in an Ice Bar in Stockholm Joshie got in lots of paddling pool time at Nana and Poppa's and with his cousin Julie. Juliet Elizabeth is definitely one of Joshie's favourite people even if she is a "bit" bossy at times:-) and the two of them had great fun tearing round various locales in the greater Waikato creating mayhem. I also got to catch up with my mates Roger and Troy too and my little/big bro' Kevin.

As always, one of the best things about being back was the scoffing. I don't know what it is but food just seems to taste better in New Zealand. The lamb, the cheese, the veggies. All of it. The tastes and varieties of food are also so different to back here in Japan too. Oddly enough, I put on a kilo or two while I was back thanks to monster size (i.e. normal Kiwi servings) portions of Hell pizza, BBQ lamb, Mexican and Malaysian to name but a few. We also stocked up on some necessities too for the return home.

This time we were also home for Mum's birthday (March 9th) which was really nice. I have missed out on countless birthdays,Easters and Christmases since I have been away which is one of my few regrets about my whole time in Japan. Next time we will definitely have to try and get the whole clan together in the same place at the same time for once.

So, all in all, a fantastic trip back to Aotearoa. and hopefully one we will be able to repeat in the not too distant future.

To see lotsa lovely photos of our trip click this link:

New Zealand Trip photos

Photos, photos everywhere...

I've just spent the best part of two hours uploading tons of pix, both old and new, over at flickr.com. Go on over (see links below) and check 'em out. Have a chuckle, download your faves and leave comments.
Cheers
Mike

Christmas and New Year Photos

In New Zealand 2007

Joshie's 3rd birthday

Cherry Blossom Viewing

Joshie's first day at Kindergarten

My Graduation

P.S. There's more to come tomorrow too!

In the beginning...

Hi there everyone! Welcome to my blog. Now, just like everyone else out there I've got my own little piece of cyberspace to populate, blather on about myself in, rant in etc etc. Once you have finished reading my pearls of wisdom feel free to leave your comments here too for the rest of the world to see.

I really hope this will be a place where all my friends and family can drop by and check out what I've been up to. And I promise to do my best to keep it up-to-date too. Unfortunately, as you probably know that promise isn't likely to last very long so please bare with me, I will try.

You can also go over to check out some of my photos over at flickr.com .

Just in case you forgot what your erstwhile host looks like:




















There you go, first post done.
Cheers
Mike