Come out of your shell already

Last Monday saw me, Jayne, Hiromi, Harasaki-san, and Mabro crowded around a cinder block grill adorned with raw oysters and other shell fish from the nearby Ariake Sea. Though I am fond of donning aprons while alone, the reason for wearing them during our sea food barbeque was to protect our clothes and skin from the sizzling oyster shells and all their succulent juices (not to be confused with the sardonic “succulent” of past posts concerning pigs). Snap, crackle…awwww shit! That oyster shell just maced me! Our revenge was had minutes later when we ate our would-be assailants in an orgy of rage induced gluttony. A deadly sin never tasted so good.

Get your head out of the damn clouds!

Unzen-dake. Taken from the summit of

Sasa-dake in Saga-ken.

Lanterns and Dancer and Pig Heads, oh my!

I visited Nagasaki on Friday, February 3, taking in the Lantern Festival and some decent Indian food. An annual event, the Nagasaki Lantern Festival is perhaps the only of its kind in all of Japan and is quite a spectacle. Live dance and music ensembles, acrobats, contortionists, and a myriad of lanterns usher in the Chinese New Year in true style. And there are pig heads, sweet succulent pig heads.

A few choice shots.....

The Contortionist Dancing Girls

One of many lanterns inspired by the sea.

Pig heads?!? Uncle PETA does not approve.

Additional pictures can be seen at: http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&collid=576620476106&page=1&sort_order=0&favorites=true (you'll have to log in)

The Kyoga Connection

Summit Shot

Back row from left to right: Neill, Nick, and Mike. Front row: Laura and Me

A couple weeks back I had the opportunity to take a group of ALTs hiking to the summit of Kyoga Dake, the tallest mountain in Saga-ken (read: not very tall). With five of us crammed into Mike's van, we drove to the Nakayama Campground trailhead, prepped our gear, and set off. We looked good. After about an hour it started to sleet. This turned to snow as we approached the summit. Japanese hikers that we met on the way down confirmed what I already expected; complete white out at the top. In other words, no views. A pity as Kyoga dake affords some fine scenary on a clear day. However, the freshly fallen snow more than made up for the white out. The trees were crystallized in white. The forest was deafeningly silent. The iced over rock rocks more than willing to throw hikers down upon their oblivious little faces. I think it's safe to say that it was a fine day.