Goody

During the month of August, Japan 'celebrates' (if I can use that term) the festival of Obon. To show due respect to their deceased ancestors, people return to the family home for a round of grave visits, meeting and greeting relatives, and eating and drinking as much as they can in the sweltering summer heat.

We are no different, heading east to Memuro where Sanae's from. I though, tend to go further east again, to what I regard as my original 'home' in a small fishing village called Hiroo.

I spend three and half wonderful years there, made many friends and met my wife. So it is a place of happy memories for me.

I should make a special mention of 'Goody', home of the finest beef stew east of Dublin (or so my father swears). Toru, or rather 'Master', his wife and his wife's mother, have been my family since I first arrived in Hiroo, and continue to be so.

They are kindness personified and the warm welcome we receive on those unfortunately rare occasions we get back to Hiroo make me feel like I have come home.

Plus, they let Cian go up on the roof of their cafe and he thought that was the coolest thing ever.

And my father wasn't exaggerating about the stew - it's incredible, and you have choice of creamy mashed potatoes or chunky chips.

Summer Holidays Day 5: Army Base

Mammy's new car.

Cian's new car.
On patrol, Horobestsu, the western quarter.

As you were, Mammy.

And finally, some edgy footage from a front line patrol.

Summer Holidays Day 4: Date Matsuri

Summer is festival time in Japan and we took ourselves off to our neighbouring town of Date to watch their parade.

I am tired, it's late, and yes, that's all your going to get in the way of explanation.

Oh, alright, here's a video clip too of the locals giving thanks to the great God of Centrifugal Forces.

Summer holidays Day 3: Beans

Niseko has become an exceptionally popular destination for Australian tourists, particularly in winter when the town becomes a little bit of down under up north.

As a result, the local shops have taken to stocking food that appeal to the antipodeans such as Marmite, kangeroo jerky and ... baked beans! Yes, baked beans!

Oh culinary joy.

So we bought some. And bought some more. And now winter will seem that little bit less harsh. Albeit that little bit more, ahem, smelly.

Summer holidays Day 2: Fishing

We went fishing.

And caught, eh, seaweed.

But that was alright as Mammy ate it. She's Japanese.

Summer holidays Day 1: Niseko

Lean and mean.

"Water, malone, water, malloy, water, unnameable"

Mr. Outside, 2011.

The look...

And not satisfied with merely rafting, we climbed a mountain too.

Sweet Mother of...

...Jesus, but it was feckin hot today.

31 degrees feckin Celsius which, if I remember my Leaving Cert chemistry correctly, corresponds to the melting point of platinum. Or was it plastic? I always get them confused.

My office is on the south-west corner of the building and I swear around midday my sandwiches began to bake in their lunch-box.

Over the past week or so we have been out and about, but as I am too hot and too tired to write much, I'm just going to put up the photos accompanied by some sparse, Beckett-like comments.

As there are a fair few photos I am going to break them up into separate posts.

And let us begin with the great day out at Niseko...

The 'Betsu.

Helmet and life-jacket: Montbell; Rash guard: Quicksilver; Trunks: Mizuno; Sandals: Crocs; Attitude; model's own.

"Man, we're not going up that goddamn river, man. No way, man. I'm too short, man.

"I can't feel my legs! Man, what the ...."

"Did you squash it?" "Yeah, I squashed it".

"INCOMING!!!!!!!!"

Forest Kozan.

Forest Goddamn Kozan.

This time they had us trekking through 80 yards of unrelenting, watery hell.

The bastards.

70 desperate parents and kids battling for survival in the bear-ridden, snake-plagued forests of Noboribetsu. Or 'the 'Betsu' as us 1000-yard stare vets of that campaign have come to call it.

Man, you don't know what it was like. You weren't there.

Man.

Actually it was a great day out. Organized by our local communist cooperative, sorry, residents' association, 'the chonaikai', the trip was designed as a day out amidst nature's splendor for the kids in the area. There is something to be said for living in a predominantly retired community whose members have the time and motivation to put together such a wonderful day. Not only did they organize the river trekking / falling down/ flailing in the water activities, but they also prepared, cooked and served a heart meal of curry rice; they also organized the bus, the equipment, the post-lunch competitions (Cian being the surprise winner of the much coveted "Who can kick their shoe the furthest" competition); the sugary snacks for when energy levels began to slip; and they did all this for free. Yes, free.

And to all that I say, "God/Buddha/various Shinto deities of indeterminate origin, bless this country I currently call home".