Nagoya (名古屋) Japan

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2008 Jan-Mar.news^1.0

The latest news from the Riley household

Website Reformat - 30 Mar 2008

A lot has changed. I have widened the site so that it accepts larger photos. But it is now less forgiving of older computers with smaller screens.
The background is now black and ther have been some minor formatting changes
I have added a tourist section on Japan. Hopefully it is worth a look.
I have updated the useful links page with tourist and transport links

Pam in Thailand - 19-28 Mar 2008

No, not for a holiday...just work and one weekend in Bangkok

Michael in Kyoto - Mar 23 2008

There were three reasons to go to Kyoto. The plum blossum (Ume) were blooming, there were many gardens I had to had a chance to see and finally there was a night festival and some of the most famous temples would be lit up at night.

This was one of the busiest trips I have had to Kyoto. I saw many temples and many gardens. The photos are worth a look.

Goodbye parker - March 19 2008

We had some very sad news when we returned from Australia on Sunday. We took Parker to the vet due to his deteriorating health and found out he had a heart tumor. He deteriorated quickly and did not return from the vet. By the Wednesday we had to make the awful decision to have him put down.



We picked up Parker 15 years ago when he was a tiny puppy. He came from an animal shelter in Melbourne. We named him Parker, as right from the start he stuck his nose into everything (A Nosey Parker). His name fitted him well and even till his last days his need to see what was going on was very high.

We got Parker when we lived in Heidelberg, later he moved with us to Rosanna, then Macleod and finally to Japan. His easy going nature gained him many friends along the way.

He was always a placid dog. He did not bite and rarely barked. Actually he loved to be barked at and one of his favorite pastimes in Japan was to wander along the fence line until the dogs on the nearby tennis court saw him and started barking. He loved it, I think he liked to tease them as he never barked back and looked so self satisfied we we called him inside.

He was also a smart dog, he did well at obedience training and was hard to trick when playing games.

Finally we loved him dearly and the house is very empty without him. We will miss him and will alwaysremember the time we had together.

Gunnamatta Beach on the Mornington Peninsula - 10 March 2008

Just before having to retun to Melbourne, John and Kati took us down to the local beach for a quick walk. Walking along reminded me of just how much I like Australia and how stunning it can be.

Wine Tasting on the Mornington Peninsula - 9 March 2008

We were invited down to stay with John and Kati at there place on the penninsula.

We met them at there place and went wine tasting together. Kati had booked a table at a local winery for lunch, unfortunately it was one of those experiences you laugh about later. The winery was trialling live music in the dining/tasting room but with poor acustics and choice of music well...I dont think it will be a successful venture. Anyway we left quickly after lunch.

I should assure Kati that the day was wonderful. We enjoyed the company, the wine, the tripping about and we had a laugh along the way.


Isis at the Cups Estate winery.


Some good old fashioned wine tasting at Port Phillip Estate. Not bad..we bought a few bottles here.


The vines on Port Phillip estate. This is where we parked our car.

In Melbourne - Nouvelle Vague - 3 March 2008

We went to see a French band called Nouvelle Vague (New Wave) at a club in Melbourne. Their albums are done in a Bossa Nova style - (get it 'Bossa Nova' is' new wave' in portuguese.) and that is what I expected of the concert, but they really rocked it up in concert and sounded great. We had a good position in a small venue and even though we had to stand, it was a great stage show. They are probably better in concert than on the album. If you get a chance to see them.. definitely take it.

Bande a Part is very much an album for those who lived through the 80's. All songs on the album are reinterpretations of early New wave and Punk. Some of the most familiar are
covers of 'Ever Fallen in Love?' by the Buzzcocks, 'Dancing with Myself' by Generation X and "Heart of Glass" by Blondie. The different twists on familiar tunes is fairly popular nowdays, but this is done with style and verve. I would recommend it for background music rather than something to sing along with in the car, but for a splash of something different it is worth a try.

In Melbourne - Melbourne Symphony Orchestra - 23 Feb 2008

I went to see the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl

This was the fourth in a series of free concerts and I was invited to go with friends from work. We had a great night and thanks to the others experience and good planning we had great seats down the front.

The soprano Yvonne Kenny sang beautifully with pices that were familiar but I did not know them by name. I had never been to a concert by an orchestra before, and it impressed me enogh to want to do it again.

The set played is listed below:
Repertoire HEROLD, Louis Joseph Zampa:
Overture KALMAN Heia, in dem Bergen ist mein Heimatland (Gypsy Princess)
ZELLER Shenkt man sich Rosen in Tyrol (Der Vogelhaendler)
LEHAR Meine Lippen sie kuessen so heiss (Guiditta)
LEHAR The Merry Widow: Third Act Ballet (arr. Gamley)
MAILLART Les Dragons de Villars: Overture
STOLZ Mein Liebeslied muss ein Walzer sein
SIECZYNSKI Vienna, City of My Dreams
LEHAR Hoer ick Cymbalklaenge (Zigeunerliebe)
STRAUSS Joh. II Die Fledermaus: Bal de Vienne

Himeji Jo and Kobe - Feb 16-17 2008

We had planned to go to Kobe for a long time, and even though it was the middle of winter, this has been one of our few chances to go and have a look.

We spent an afternoon looking around Himeji-jo, the most famous castle in Japan, we tried Kobe beef (in Kobe) and then had a look at one of Kobe's landmarks, the Akashi bridge, one of the biggest in the world.

Feb 9 2008 - 13cm of Snow

The first snow in Nagoya this year and did it ever come down. We had 13 cm of snow through the day which blanketed the town.

We took some photos to capture the moment.

Parker's Birthday - Happy 15th - Feb 2008

Yes the old boy turned 15. Going deaf and wobbly on his feat, but Parker is still inquisitive and enjoying life.

Happy Birthday Parker. (Click on the pic for a few shots)

Pam back to Belgium - for work - Jan 27 2008

After getting back to Japan, Pam was sent back to Belgium for a two day business trip. Lucky Pam caught a flu and spent most of the time on the trip and for the following week feeling terrible.


This is a shot of a mountain probably in Nagano, taken from the plane.

Not Kyoto .....Again! - Jan 22 2008

Yes back in Kyoto in the middle of winter. So what do we do, but drive up a mountain, stand in the rain on a bridge and mumble about how unimpressed we were by the final temple of the day. Have we become temple snobs? ...maybe

Anyway, join us (and Jan) on another Kyoto adventure.

Christmas in Belgium - 2007/2008

10 Days in France, Belgium and Amsterdam were cold but a lot of fun. We ate cheese, mussels and gouged ourselves on bread as well as enjoying the abundant french wines and belgium beers. A great experience and quite a contrast to Japan.

Oh, we also saw some stuff too.. really, not just eating and drinking.

Oddities

There are many websites that specialize in weird Japan, so I do not really try and compete there, but lately there has been a range of odd things that are worth checking out.

Convenience stores selling "Men's Desserts" (Asashi Shimbun)
Men's desserts are bigger and less sweet than the ones for the ladies. I had better go get a photo

Using ridges on the road to create music as you drive, as a tourist attraction
Watch the video and laugh at the awful sounds.

Crocs sandals cited in 40 escalator accidents
One of the big talking points in December at our house. There was talk crocs would have to be banned or special Japanese ones made. There are many stories of lost toes and reasons why.

From another page:
>> By SARAH KARUSH, Associated Press Writer Mon Sep 17, 7:47 PM ET
>> WASHINGTON - At rail stations and shopping malls around the world,
>> reports are popping up of people, particularly young children,
>> getting their toes caught in escalators. The one common theme seems
>> to be the clunky soft-soled clogs known by the name of the most
>> popular brand, Crocs.

A new style of Maid cafe but catering to girls, themed as a boys boarding school
Cafe Edelstein in Harajuku, Tokyo, dressing up the boys in school uniforms.

Pet Rental
Yes you can rent a pet. Actually not a bad idea considering the cost of Pets.

Hoades of older ladies chase teenage boy celebrities
From the article "...And though some husbands may grumble at the prospect of working long hours while their wives travel around indulging their crush, some of them are just happy their spouse has a hobby. "

Human Tetris (Oshiri Kajiri Mushi)

Looks like this has recently been part of a big brother competition in Australia, but the original is from Japan. Check out Human Tetris from a famous gameshow calledHaneru no Tobira.

Bits and pieces

Japanese/Brazilian conflict at Homi Danchi Housing estate in Toyota City
This story is about racial issues in Japan but what caught my interest was a bit about those black vans. The vans using fear and sprouting their propaganda are one of my least favorite parts of Japan, it would have been a shock for them when someone faught back.

Racism surfaces over bid by foreigner to buy land, settle
Another story showing the depth of feeling on protecting culture by excluding others. Remember that this is a story about a 3rd generation resident.

Secom Security Ad

I saw this on the fuckedgaijin website. I did not like the name so never went there before, but it is full of interesting stuff and worth a visit or two



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