It happened in...
Farmers are revolting
SAT 28 JULY
Ahead of tomorrow's upper house elections, the ruling LDP (Jiminto) are nervous, we are told. And if the Japan Times (JT) are right, they have just cause to be. This report in the JT tells of a desire for change coming from an unexpected quarter - the farming sector.The very factors that kept the farmers staunch LDP voters in the past are now turning them to the DPJ (Minshuto). As well as those things swaying other voters away from the ruling LDP, namely the countless scandals and the pensions fiasco, some farmers are also angry that present government policy is hitting them in the wallet and, in general, are concerned that it puts the future of the whole farming sector at risk.
DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa campaigning for the rural vote in Kumamoto ken
Photo: Hiroko Nakata, via JT
"Facing global pressure to liberalize agricultural trade, Koizumi promoted food imports and scrapped a policy to shore up rice prices in favor of price competition. Farmers say prices were already edging down in earlier decades, and Koizumi only increased the strain after taking office in 2001. Frustration with LDP policy is now bubbling to the surface."DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa has been paying frequent pre-election visits to communities like these.
"In contrast with the LDP's policy of propping up rice prices by controlling supply, and also prodding farmers to combine their operations to cut costs, the DPJ's proposal is more attractive to many farmers - letting them grow rice freely but subsidizing them for any drop in market prices that might ensue.I'm no expert on the economics of farming, and can't say whether the DPJ policy is in any sense 'better', but the implications are clear. If traditionally conservative voters in a strongly conservative constituency can consider such a change, the desire for change in the political landscape could run a lot deeper.
The DPJ sees that as a compromise necessary to help Japan's farmers stay afloat in a competitive global market while ensuring a homegrown food supply."
'Tache the way, uh-huh uh-huh, I like it
THURS 26 JULY
When I was growing up, Liverpool players were hairy. They also won the league quite a lot. As I got older and hairier, Liverpool got younger and smoother. And they stopped winning stuff.Back in the day, there were 'taches all over the field. Now, nary a one. It's a fact that 'taches win matches, and a hairless upper lip increasingly in vogue has meant a dearth of championship medals.
Remember the mighty Samsons of Liverpool's golden
age. Terry McDermott had a particularly fuzzy head, a great mop on the top and of course, a thick manly moustache that he
kept his half-time snacks in.
Alan Kennedy sported a no-nonsense popping down to the
shop for the paper and 20 Regal kind of 'tache. That's why he scored the winning goal against Real Madrid in the 1981
European Cup final with a fine dribble and shot even though he was a left-back. Liverpool won 5 championships in 6 years
thanks to Alan Kennedy's moustache.
John Wark's moustache inspired fear and admiration in
equal measure. It was awesome. Being Scottish, and therefore naturally hairy, John was obliged from a young age to
demonstrate his manliness through facial hair, and his handlebar was a thing of beauty.
Bruce Grobbelaar's was the source of all his
powers. His wizardry depended on that great facial crop. The power of his 'tache was so great, and of course being in such
close proximity to his larynx, it made him speak with such a barely intelligible accent that the club had to invent a story
about him being from Zimbabwe.
Jimmy Case. Steve Heighway. John Aldridge. Ian Rush.
They've all seen the danger of shaving. But none has been affected quite like Graeme Sounness. He often let his moustache
take the field in his place, so fear-inducing was it. Sounness's 'tache could break legs. But one day, when he was sitting
on a park bench with Terry McDermott, who still had his, Sounness reached up to find... nothing. A bald top lip. He may
never get over it.
"Terry! It's... gone!"
And then the moustaches just stopped. Suddenly everyone
was either too 'cool' or too young to grow one. What have we had in recent years? Abel Xavier and Djibril Cisse don't really
count in terms of moustaches, as their top lips seem just a small part of some much larger expression of... personal
grooming.The problem now is that, in general and with the exception of Liverpool players, modern footballers are a fairy collection of girlie men. Most of them are so lacking in testosterone that even a Mickey Pierce would be out of the question. These so-called men probably spend more time shopping for cosmetics than their girlfriends do. They probably use conditioner. They probably even use shampoo.
A new football season is almost upon us and the excitement's growing. As we Liverpool supporters once again ponder the possibilities that this year holds, I have news of an interesting development.
The recent arrival of (about) £27m Fernando Torres was a cause for rejoicing. Not just because he's a bit handy. And certainly not for his facial hair, for fresh-faced Fernando has none. But in the press conference that Liverpool called to announce the boy's signing, he was led out by the club's new lucky charm - a Spanish gypsy.
The future's bright. The future's hairy.
Things to do when it's hot
TUES 24 JULY
1. Run away.2. ...
We've been very brave so far. The air-conditioning at home hasn't been switched on yet this year, though the temperatures are beginning to climb up into the mid 30s, and now that the rainy season has finished, it's humid and steamy.
So when it comes to a day off, not wanting to while away the day shut away in one room, having a lazy day at home is out of the question. And with the air-con in the car a touch hit & miss (get this - it doesn't work when it's too hot...) that means only one thing you can do. Run away to the mountains.
So this weekend we did as we do so often, we fled to Aso where it's ten degrees cooler. In little Ichinomiya town, you'll find Aso shrine. Aso shrine is one of the biggest and most impressive in the area, and its custodians claim a history of nearly 2300 years, though the current building dates from 1854.
One of the things I like about the run up from Mashiki through Ozu into the Aso crater is the railway line that runs alongside the road most of the way. Trains in this part of the countryside are infrequent to say the least. Every now and again a little single red carriage comes chugging along the line. In the summer, a special black version carries 'rail-tourists' up and down the line from Kumamoto city to Miyaji station in Aso. I rather fancy taking a trip on this one day, perched at one of the high tables at the window, watching the countryside whizz (well, perhaps saunter) past, occasionally sipping from my flask of iced gin and tonic.
When we realised the danger of being identified with the obsessional sorts gathered on the platform at Miyaji station posing for photographs next to the train, we put Plan 1 (see above) into operation again.
And our wandering took quite literally into pastures new. In the centre of the Aso crater rise the five peaks of Mt Aso. And on the northern slopes, I've often spied a white domed building but any attempts we've made to get to it have taken us up the wrong road and somewhere completely different. Purely by accident, we found the right road. And it took us up to this shining white dome, where a golden buddha looks down over the towns and villages in the distance and is presumably in honour of the volcano. I was really taken with the contrast between the sun shining on the white dome, and the black slopes of the volcano in the shadow of the grey clouds rolling in. Again it's a composite HDR of 3 different exposures. Impossible to see all of it in one shot.
And just a little way further up the mountain, we stopped. With the mountain peak swathed in cloud for much of the year, this feeds a little stream that runs down the slopes through a series of pools and waterfalls. And one particular pool was a perfect place to stop and rest our hot feet.
With the volcano pumping out sulphur dioxide not too far away, this little spot had the distinct feel, and smell, of an onsen, though the water was cold. We could have stayed there all the day.
Bless his little heart
FRI 20 JULY
Meet
Heart-kun. He's an 8-week-old long-coated chihuahua born with a heart-shaped pattern on his coat. And you can bet
this kawaii little fella was all over the news net last week.Breeder and owner of Pucchin Dog's shop in Odate in Akita prefecture in northern Japan, Emiko Sakurada is reported to have said that this is the first time a puppy with these marks has been born out of a 1,000 that she has bred. But before you get on the phone, Heart-kun isn't for sale.
This news.com.au story also has some photos (click the link in the story).
What day is it...
FRI 13 JULY
The rainy season and the typhoon season are usually separated by a good stretch of hot, humid summer. This year however, the two seasons are separated by a good stretch of... Friday.Yesterday promised to be the first fine day in a fortnight, the sun even shone briefly. But then we were hit by flash-floods that turned the high street into a river and lifted concrete drain covers out of place. Shame then that we'd decided to leave most of our windows open at home. And news is that we can expect to be hit by a typhoon tomorrow.
Typhoon Man-yi is
apparently the fourth of the year, although I can't say as I noticed the previous three. But it's all rather earlier than
one might have expected.It's apparently tearing up Okinawa this afternoon, and most folks in Kyushu are hoping it's going to hang a sharp right some time in the next 6 hours. Otherwise it's forecast to come right over the top. Which means the usual routine of bringing everything moveable in from outside, both at home and at the shop, and of course cancelling and re-scheduling the busiest day of the week for the school.
I shall also spend the evening charging up all the electronics and filling the bath, all the sinks and some plastic bottles. Once that's done, I shall go to the off-licence and stock up.
Flown the nest
WEDS 11 JULY
Our swallow babies have all fledged. Assuming it was the same pair of parents that returned, they raised 8 babies this year - 3 in the first clutch and 5 in the second.Tich, the last baby of the second clutch, born a day or two after the others, stuck around for a few days after the others had gone, and got some extra maternal attention, but by the beginning of last week, the nest was empty. I was going to post a photo of an empty nest, but as it's been raining constantly since before then, it's not been possible to take one, and after waiting all this time, I figure a picture of an empty nest isn't that interesting, and probably isn't worth the dramatic pause.
It's been absorbing, watching the babies all grow up so extraordinarily quickly, day after day. Now that they're gone, I have to find myself a summer hobby. I might wait until the rain's stopped though.
This'll make y'laugh
WEDS 4 JULY
In a country that loves its fads, the latest sensation to sweep the nation is
Billy's Bootcamp - the series of
instructional exercise videos by American fitness expert, martial artist and Tae Bo inventor,
Billy Blanks. The ads have
been everywhere for months. I was flicking through the channels just the other night and came upon three channels showing
the Bootcamp commercial simultaneously. And Billy's just completed a promo tour in Japan that had him appearing on
many prime time shows (and torturing the tarento which is always entertaining). For many, Bootcamp is the
topic of conversation du jour. Families up and down the country are having a go at it. Kids are even doing it in their P.E.
lessons at school.As you may know, Mrs C and I are not great practitioners of physical exercise. There is sofa space for 7 people in our living room. We enjoy clean mountain air by winding the car windows down. We've made a bit of a hobby of comfort. In short, we went soft a long time ago.
But we got a copy of the dvd, and in order to report on the Bootcamp phenomenon, I've put my money where my mouth is, and have submitted to the daily harsh routine of Billy's tutelage. The first week went something like this.
Day 1
We lasted approximately 15 minutes. I didn't even break a sweat. Mainly because my creaking muscles gave up all motor functions before I was even warm.
Day 2
I ache all over. But the exercises get yesterday's lactic acid moving about and today we last 20 minutes.
Day 3
Not in quite so much physical pain this morning, but can't really say that I'm actively looking forward to beginning the workout today.
Day 4
I can actually feel muscles I haven't felt for quite a while. Today I break a sweat, something I'm immensely, and rather pathetically, proud of. We're up to half an hour.
Day 5
This has become a buzz. When Billy shouts "Feel the burn!", I dutifully comply. This is not, however, Billy's most feared phrase - that's "One more set!", not only because you're usually hurting quite a bit by the time he says it, but also because he frequently fibs and has you doing two, three, and once even four more sets.
Day 6
I'm bouncing and ready to go this morning. I've begun to change shape. As Billy promised, I'm starting to reverse years of hideous neglect in just days.
Day 7
For the first time, we completed the routine and saw the end of the video. I feel like I've climbed a mountain. (This is only Basic Training, though. There are 3 more routines...) There are still parts of it I can't do. Billy can't train a couch potato to do the splits in just a week. But lasting an hour of full-on working out is a massive achievement for us, and it's a great way to start the day.
Big rain come
WEDS 4 JULY
Tsuyu - the rainy season - is truly upon us. TV channels warn of o-ame - big rain - and flooding, and
landslides, and getting washed away by swollen brown rivers.We have some lovely tall schooner glasses, which are positioned about the living room floor catching the drips coming through the ceiling and, because of their shape, are excellent at preventing any splashes from escaping. As long as you do all your outdoorsing between downpours, it's really rather pleasant at the moment. The view's not up to much, mind.
Back to June?