I don’t intend to turn this blog into a daily list of links, but today I’ve got a random assortment of stuff, some of which can’t wait until I get time to write a full post about it, some of which has been hanging around waiting for me to get around to write about. And some stuff which doesn’t deserve its own post. But I’ll let you guess which ones are which. It’s basically a whole bunch of random that I’ve somehow managed to connect together. Food, technology, courtship & marriage, and more!
Yearly Archives: 2005
Kokura Fashion Report Postscript
Or, The Screaming Toddler, or The Real Reason I Had To Revise the Fashion Report
This post is only about fashion because it has to do with the Kokura fashion report posts. Other than that, it’s a rant about the strangeness of Japan. So if you’re traversing my site by category, you might want to skip this one. The rest of you will either be amused or horrified.
It Smells Like Victory
Today you get an ode to the anonymous queen of Japan’s flowering trees: the humble jasmine bush. I first noticed it last year in early May, but even more so this year. My first encounter was while walking through a pedestrian lane one evening with Lia, near Tobata station. We actually backtracked to make sure we hadn’t imagined it.
A year later it doesn’t surprise me as much. Every so often, the scent of jasmine comes floating out of nowhere and brings a peaceful smile to my face. I get to experience flashes of this serenity at four or five points on my daily commute, though at 30kph—on a bike—they’re fleeting. The scent is subtle but unmistakeable, and a welcome change from the usual smell of factory emissions and exhaust.
Bovine Pilicular Achromatitis
The recent wave of long posts have taken their toll so I’m going to return to writing about one-part posts until I recover. But don’t worry, this condition is just a by-product of laziness and isn’t related to exposure to diseased ruminants.
Do you remember our trip to the volcano-rich Aso area of Kumamoto? If not, please read the second paragraph of my horse archery post so I don’t have to retype it.
Kokura Spring 2005 Fashion Report, Day 4 Part 2
Continuing from yesterday’s post of pictures from May 5—today’s are from the same day—we’ll work our way back through the arcades near Kokura station and finish up at Riverwalk. We’ve got moms and daughters—two sets!—as well as a bit of navel gazing, someone who appears to have given up his worldly possessions for a higher purpose, and the usual short skirts. Thankfully, this is the final installment of my five-part series on this year’s spring fashions in Kokura.
Kokura Spring 2005 Fashion Report, Day 4 Part 1
First, a confession. Because Lia knew that I’d finished writing this fashion report and then serialized it, she demanded to immediately read it through to the end. This is an exclusive privilege limited to people who don’t yell at me too much for filing my tax returns late have physical access to my computer so the rest of you will have to wait. But that’s just backstory.
Kokura Spring 2005 Fashion Report, Day 3
I’m sure you’ve all been wondering what a dog, an incognito Marvel superhero, and the sacred feminine have in common. The answer is: Green Day in Kokura!
Friday April 29th marked the start of Golden Week, a series of civic holidays that are very close together. The rest of the Golden Week holiday was the Tuesday through Thursday of the following week. We also took the Monday and Friday off, and had a ten-day weekend. April 29th is Green Day, named in honour of an American rock band.
Breaking News: Fire
Your regularly-scheduled Kokura Fashion Report has been pre-empted by curling NHL Playoffs for a news flash about grade-school antics in the House of Commons the neighbourhood fire that woke us up at around 4:30 this morning. Apologies in advance if there are typos, grammar mistakes, and sentences that stop mid-thought. I’m tired and haven’t had a chance to read through this very thoroughly.
Kokura Spring 2005 Fashion Report, Day 2
A week later, another visit to Kokura. This is the second of five posts of photos I took in April and May 2005 in Kokura. They’re a moderately random sampling of what people are wearing these days in this part of Japan. If you haven’t seen the previous posts already, I suggest you read the Introduction and Part 1.
Kokura Spring 2005 Fashion Report, Day 1
This is the first of five posts of photos I took in April and May 2005 in Kokura. They’re a moderately random sampling of what people are wearing this season in this industrial Japanese city. I think I said enough in the introduction so we’ll go straight to the pictures. If you haven’t read the intro yet, here’s the link again.