What spring vacation?

Those of us employed by the Niimi City Board of Education are not blessed with time off during school holidays. So Marilu and I took two days of nenkyuu, or annual leave, and used the vernal equinox public holiday to spend a few days in Korea.I shall bore you with the details of our Seoulful experiences at a later date here: www.infernalmilitarisation.blogspot.com

Get some Irish in you!

The Cornelius Group gig happened to coincide with St Patrick's Day, which led to a no holds barred weekend in Hiroshima.

Kicking the evening off with sake at the hostel, we met a brother and sister from the Isle of Man who joined us at Molly Malone's where there was no green beer or silly hats on offer.

They came with us to Club Quattro where a few hundred people were packed like sardines into a small space to see Cornelius. As with the Tool concert, nobody moved or made a peep except us, and Marilu was given the evil eye when she took this photo.

Never the less, it was a great gig with a fantastic light and video show, and it will probably be the only time I will ever see a theremin played.

After the gig we headed back to Molly Malone's for more drinks, only to find it jam packed and with a door charge. In a classic "only in Japan" moment, an American guy who was at the bar when we arrived earlier told the woman on the door that we were there and had just stepped out, so in we went free of charge.On a mission to find Mac, we got lost and ended up in a bar beginning with R where everything on the menu was 500 yen. Inside, there was a group of 32 year olds having a JHS reunion with their art teacher. As old school punk music blared, and Sam from the Isle of Man screamed along, the USMC guys from Iwakuni who came along with us arm wrestled some of the guys, and then left without paying their tab. Nice one guys. After eating the best "juicy chicken" ever, it was time for bed.

The next day was mostly spent recovering. As we waited in the queue for our first taste of "Bikkuri Donkey" a strange thing occurred. The Hiroshima Metropolitan Police marching band walked past on a anti-drugs campaign.

Goodbye, thank you for playing

Graduation Day this year was spent at M JHS, the school where I have no contact at all with the third grade. It was therefore a rather uneventful day for me.


I was put in my place this year, literally. Tecnically in the school hierarchy, I am a teacher, just like the other teachers. But only at this school, I am the lowest ranking person in the staffroom, and thus, I was seated behind the school nurse, and the lunch lady. In fact, there were two empty seats between them and I.Just like the boys sitting opposite me, I struggled to stay awake for the proceedings.Days like these are a drag, but it's all made worth it when you get thank you messages from your favorite students, like these from N JHS:

T'was a bit chilly

When I walked to S JHS this morning.

Fukuyama, Fuk Yeah

It took an invitation to a celebratory nomihodai event to finally get me down to Fukuyama in Hiroshima Prefecture, and I can't believe what I've been missing.

What a messed up night. Here's some party people.

Does anybody have group photos with me in? I know about a million got taken at one of these bars, but I've not seen any!

Mix your milk with my coco puffs

Look what I found in my coco pops box just as I was about to throw it away! It's a dinosaur DVD. That's better than a plastic toy anyday!

Kyou wa tanoshii hina matsuri

Last weekend was Hina Masturi, or Girl's Festival, also known as the Doll Festival. Last year, I simply walked though the Niimi Ginza admiring the displays, but this year, a group of Japanese friends put on a traditional dinner for us.

The table was decorated with two large dolls, and hishi-moshi, diamond shaped rice cakes representing peach flowers, snow, and new growth. Laid out in front of us was a heaped plate of chirashizushi, a colourful mixed rice including sushi and vegetables, and ushiro-jiro, or clam soup, among other things, and there was amazake to drink.

Here's the display at the reception of Manabi Hiroba in Niimi.

And here's Obina and Mebina, the emperor and empress dolls.

Tobacco Karma

Do you ever have those moments where you're sitting in the local izakaya, like Yoro no Take in Niimi for instance, staring into your Last Samurai, Bob Marley, or whatever the hell you're drinking, and you hit on a fantastically insightful and thought provoking idea only to loose it because you continued drinking at Billiards + Bar = Y's, or Izumi Snack until the dialect-speaking Mama-san stuffed you into her car at 4 am along with her dog and some Japanese guy who's decided to follow you home?