This Tuesday report will present some insights into life for a westerner (me) who’s working for an prolonged interval at Kyoto College in Japan however who over time of working right here has more and more started to grasp the language and native cultural traditions
The gorgeous Kamo river
Out operating early yesterday, after a stormy night time, that is the view north as I crossed the 青龍町 (at Seiryucho).
I really lengthy for this view when I’m away from Kyoto.
The mountains to the North are superb strolling areas and are a part of the string of mountains that encompass town.
The paths alongside the river go for a lot of kms and are nice for operating with out visitors.
Suica app
Catching native trains in Japan is reasonable and the service distinctive.
Nonetheless, for first time travellers, it may be a bit daunting as a result of there are a number of choices one has to make when shopping for a ticket, together with sorting by the cash in a single’s pocket to search out the best ones – for those who don’t have an app or a bodily IC card.
The Suica IC playing cards are simply obtained but additionally straightforward to mislay and/or lose outright.
The Suica app, which is likely one of the many IC card programs obtainable in Japan permits for ticketless journey throughout your entire Japanese rail community, besides the Shinkansen providers.
It’s it issued by the JR East, which is centred on Tokyo, however works throughout the nation on most traces.
There is no such thing as a English model although which makes configuring it just a little tough (however doable).
Anyway, this 12 months, with my iPhone, I’ve a digital model of the bodily card (which bypasses the App), which is saved within the Apple Pockets.
Practice journey has turn out to be that a lot simpler.
Simply faucet the telephone on the IC sensor on the gate, and faucet off when completed and it mechanically calculates the fare and deducts it out of your bank card, additionally saved within the Apple pockets.
Swimming modesty
This 12 months I’ve been doing a variety of lap swimming in addition to operating.
I began with the motivation to take part in a protracted ocean swim (a number of kms) subsequent January again in Victoria and whereas I’m an okay swimmer I assumed I higher prepare up a bit to do the space.
So in between operating so much I’ve been heading to the ocean some days however principally to the pool to do a variety of laps.
And motivation shifted just a little as a result of I’ve turn out to be extra keen on approach (as one does) and growing velocity over 2 kms and that has been an finish in itself.
My swimming effectivity is tremendously improved and I’m plotting additional features (as one does).
Anyway, the query then emerged – whereas I’m working over right here in Japan for a number of months, how can I preserve the momentum up?
The reply was to affix the native swimming membership in my neighbourhood which has a 25m pool obtainable for lap swimmers.
Now that I name myself a lap swimmer in coaching (-:, one fairly appears down on a 25m pool, in fact.
At residence, the College of Newcastle has a 50m competitors pool, which is a very nice place to coach.
In regional Victoria, the place I spend a few of my time (a declining proportion it needs to be mentioned), I solely have a 25m pool obtainable and it looks like I’m slumming it.
At any fee, when confronted with shortage and necessity, one has little selection – so it was off to the swimming membership and after a fairly onerous means of interview, I’m now a full member.
Among the many questions I needed to signal NO for had been:
1. Do you’ve any tattoos? The swimming membership bans individuals with tattoos.
2. Have you ever presently or ever had any connections with organised crime? I questioned the place swimming golf equipment had been targets.
3. Do you’re taking any unlawful substances?
Anyway, NO, NO, NO and an entire lot of different NOs – and I grew to become a member.
Among the many situations, is the requirement to put on a swimming cap.
Downside: I didn’t convey swimmers, goggles, or my swimming cap with me, pondering they’re low-cost objects that any good sport’s retailer may have right here.
Ever the journey packing minimiser!
So it was off to a sport’s retailer on my bike – which I usually do to get odd objects – weight bands, operating socks, and many others.
To my shock, and that is the cultural word that’s the rationale for this little vignette, I couldn’t discover any Speedos within the males’s swim put on part.
The part was replete with all the newest gear – coaching aids, loads of goggles, a number of totally different swimming caps, and many others – however no Speedos.
Properly there have been Speedos however there was additionally none!
That is a kind of conditions the place capitalism has imposed a selected product on us as a normal descriptor of a category of merchandise.
Like Hoovers, Aspro, and many others.
So I used to be in search of Speedos, these well-known Australian cossie for me, temporary however ample.
However the part for males’s swimmers was stuffed with Speedo model swimmers that had been like boxing trunks.
And accompanying them had been different merchandise not identified in Australia – males’s under-swimmers.
Additionally within the ladies’s part there have been all these additional modesty gadgets to cowl pores and skin, suppress form and bumps and many others.
Modesty is paramount it appears.
Nevertheless it additionally taught me that what constitutes modesty differs throughout nations.
I contemplate my swim apparel to be fairly modest relative to among the swimmers which are obtainable.
However on this main sport’s store in Kyoto, my modest swimmers had been unavailable and seemingly a stretch too far.
Palestine activism
I used to be down close to the Metropolis Corridor in Kyoto, simply close to the game’s store (as above) on Saturday, and there was a Palestinian protest march getting underway with about 100-150 individuals on the road – it is a very busy and vast road that has a significant subway system beneath.
The realm from there south to the primary station may be very crowded, particularly on Saturday afternoons.
I used to be observing the rally and I heard somebody name my identify. Huh?
Properly it was a buddy, Professor マツオ タダス (Matsuo Tadasu_, who’s a professor within the Division of Economics at Ritsumeikan College and an skilled on Marx.
What a shock.
He’s a part of the activist motion in Kyoto and defined to me the character of the Palestinian protest motion in Kyoto.
I joined the march because it proceeded down Kawaramachi-dori (a really busy road), crossed the Shijo intersection, and continued till turning left to complete at 仏光寺公園 (Bukkoji Park), the place some speeches had been made.
Solely a distance of 1.3 kms however by the busiest purchasing streets of Kyoto.
It was a very nice group – very noisy – each vocally and with drums, saucepans and different devices of noise.
On the finish, we ate some rice muffins and talked about issues.
A solidarity expertise that happens each Saturday at 15:00 from Metropolis Corridor.
Subsequent week, the marchers will then go on to 円山公園 (Maruyama Park) for some speeches and music displays after the march is completed.
The issue right here is the Japanese authorities is so cowed by the US bullying that they may discover it tough to recognise a Palestinian state, as many different nations have finished in current weeks.
However the activists listed here are additionally closely selling the – BDS motion – of which I’ve been a protracted supporter.
Quite a lot of info as to boycott targets had been handed out to these on the footpaths because the march proceeded encouraging them to take ethical choices as a part of their client behaviour.
I’ve lengthy believed that customers have vital energy to destroy firms that do the bidding of these concerned in things like genocide, environmental destruction and extra.
That’s sufficient for at this time!
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