Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn

Today marks the beginning of Autumn. It's pretty nice because the equinox is considered a holiday, although nothing is really celebrated.

Last night some of my Japanese friends and I went to a club in Kyoto. I was expecting it to be pretty chill being a Wednesday night, but I couldn't have been more wrong. There were more people than oxygen molecules, and the music was fantastic. The cover charge for the club was about 4000 yen which is pretty expensive in Japan. Usually cover prices are about half. But with big names such as RIP SLYME it's no wonder. Most names aren't known internationally, but it would be like going to a venue with 3 or four famous people in the U.S. With that considered, I guess the 4000 yen cover wasn't even that bad.

The energy was high, and it was probably some of the best House music I have heard in a long time. To be honest though, the club was a little too packed. It felt impossible to try to meet new people because there was just too many of them. When everyone is packed together so tightly, your not sure if they are friendly or just standing next to you. Also dancing was almost impossible, so it was basically jumping up and down and yelling. However it was a blast!

When my friend was driving home, everyone was passing out from exhaustion in the car. I tried staying awake but kept dozing. My friend was so tired that while he was driving he was constantly slapping his knee as hard as he could so that he wouldn't fall asleep. It was humorous, and at the same time it is too bad that I can't drive four wheeled vehicles in Japan. Needless to say, we all made it back alive. So I guess knee slapping does work.

After sleeping until about 5PM I decided it was time for dinner. I rode my Honda Cub to the nearby town, Minakuchi, for some spicy curry. Recently I have been riding my motor bike a lot. I am actually surprised how much I like it! Within this month I have already put on about 500 km. Which is pretty insane. But if I don't know what to do, I ride. When I want to explore, I ride. When I feel bad, I ride. When I need to go somewhere, I ride. I may be on that bike more than I am in my apartment.

Yesterday was hot like summer. Ironically on the first day of Autumn, today, it became much cooler. I actually wished I packed a light sweatshirt while I was riding. The feeling is strange. The smell has changed, but its familiar. I can feel Autumn in the air. It is nostalgic, and also a little depressing. I now know for sure I have been here for over a year because I can easily remember what I was doing at this time last year. It will be getting colder again. Somehow it seems like winter just ended. This means I only have about 5 months to decide my next move. To go back to the U.S. To move to another place in Japan. It's a tough choice because my current apartment is nice and the job pays well and is one of the best English teaching gigs in Japan. If I leave JET I could be thrown to the dogs. But I could also live in a more urban environment and possibly have a better life. After thinking a lot, I decided I want to stay in Shiga or move to Kyoto instead of Kumamoto if I decide Japan will still welcome me. I like the Kansai area and want to be closer to Kyoto. I hope when the time comes I know what to do. If I can become a JET prefectural advisor, that would be ideal. Move to a more populated area, help ALTs, and teach once and a while while still keeping all the benefits of JET.

Now I am thinking of returning to Thailand and exploring Vietnam. Soon I will have to buy my tickets if it is really going to happen.

Oh, and after 14 months of sitting on the floor. I finally bought a sofa.

Philosophical Picnic #3

I stand in the center. The middle of my existence. Nothing pulling on any side. It would be peaceful, but without any direction I just float, uncertain and empty. Maybe this is how it feels to be in space?

It as if I had to make a choice to stay or to leave. But nothing is pulling me to go either way. I want to keep running though. Keep going. I know now this is not because I am running away because I am not being chased, but I am running towards an undeniable goal. I also want to stay, because I am tired of running in space. Maybe it would be easier to embrace this perpetual solitude in my life. It seems fate draws me cards to keep me alone. When the cards are dealt I am givin' isolation.

When floating in space, it's hard to know who you are. Which way are you floating?

Wheels of Freedom

Classes started last week. Summer 'vacation' is officially over. Although I still had to go to school during summer I miss my 2 hour lunch breaks and the ability to come into work an hour later than usual.

Even though summer is over, except for the persistent sweaty heat wave this year, I am pretty happy. Last Friday I finally got my Honda Super Cub 50. After my school made a big deal about me getting a motorbike, which they really have no real say in except if I use it for work, I finally got to drive it home last week. The only thing I really needed help with from my school was someone to sign as my co-signer for a 100,000 yen ($1,200 USD) loan. Since I am a foreign resident, they wanted reassurance I would pay for the next 6 months and not just flee back to America on my new freedom machine. Thankfully my Board of Education supervisor signed and it was approved. If I had to pay for the bike upfront then I would have to wait until after the 10th of September and live for a month on bean sprouts and rice.

Anyway, after picking up the bike and enjoying Indian curry and naan in good company, I drove about 35km on the highway from Kusatsu to Hino. Since it was late, traffic wasn't too bad but there were a lot of trucks on the road. Overall it was great though! The summer night breeze was a great relief from the abundant hot and humid that I have grown accustomed to. I was back at my door step in about an hour and saved about 500 yen ($6) in train fees.

In 2006 the Honda Cub was named the best motorcycle of all time on a show aired by the Discovery Channel. You can watch their review of it with Chinese subtitles!

Today I took it out for its second spin around my area. I went to Minakuchi to make a spare key for the bike and buy some groceries. Minakuchi is about 20 minutes away from Hino. But when I came back I wanted to drive some more. So I headed up to Yokaichi which is north of me by about 25 minutes. However I got lost so spent about 20 minutes wandering around, which I didn't care about too much.

For being a 50cc engine, it seems pretty quick to me. Granted it maxes out on flat areas around 60km/hr. Which can be scary on the highway sometimes although the speed limit is 60km/hr. Most cars go about 80km/hr. The roads out to Yokaichi were very hilly though, so I was maxing out at about 40km/hr up hill on a road with cars whizzing by at about 70km/hr. Technically for 50cc vehicles if you go over 30/km you are breaking the speed limit. But it seems like nobody except grandmothers follow that rule.

My hundred million yen ride!


Not new, but beautiful.