Showing the knot I tied...

Showing the knot I tied..., a photo by dtk_guy on Flickr.

..No I'm not going to show the front view shot. Let's just say I'm not 100% sure about the expression on my face at the time the photo was taken.

Nonetheless, I'll be taking this ensemble out for a spin tonight. An acquaintance has asked me to hang out at the Yonezawa Joshien beer garden tonight. Supposedly there's a decent selection of food items at the beer garden so it might be safe to just munch there rather than making dinner before going.

I'll also be wearing my yukata when I head out to catch the fireworks on Monday. The reason why the fireworks display is on Monday is because it's always held on July 30th. Supposedly it's an hour long pyrotechnical display with a much earlier start time than the fireworks events back home in Vancouver (7:30pm start here as opposed to 10pm back in Vancouver).

Now if we could only do something about the over 30˚C heat...

The full set

The full set, a photo by dtk_guy on Flickr.

I got my new made to order yukata last Sunday. Right now it's still in the paper wrapping it was delivered in. One can't see the pattern of small crosses in the fabric until the photo is viewed in its highest resolution.

I got a quick lesson on how to tie the obi last night. Fundamentally it's not a difficult task but there are plenty of details which must be attended to for the final result to look right. I suppose I ought to be practicing nightly but right now I just want to toss myself back onto the sofa and relax. I guess practice can wait until tomorrow...

Obi and geta

Obi and geta, a photo by dtk_guy on Flickr.

These are the elements of my yukata ensemble which I picked up this week. How I got to here is a bit of tedious story so I'll spare my audience the details. Anyways, I now have a yukata on order from a local kimono and yukata making shop. It was interesting going through the process of picking out a fabric, picking out a matching obi (sash) and geta (wooden clogs) to my liking. I went with the bright light blue obi because it will be in contrast with my navy blue yukata. I could've gone with something a bit more staid but I figured I'd go with a colour which stands out.

One thing I found myself doing when picking out the fabric for my future yukata was that I was consciously using a set of rules I had learned when picking out Western style clothing. So in a way I found myself thinking that perhaps I ought to not go by those rules. After all a yukata is a bathrobe which over time has evolved into a form of outdoor casual wear for the summer months. It's humble beginnings are a few steps away from the kind of price I'll be paying for its distant offspring in the second millennium.

I expecting to receive my new yukata sometime close to the end of this month. So it will be a while before I post a photo of it here.

日本酒

日本酒, a photo by dtk_guy on Flickr.

I have no idea if the Tencho-san at Odaidokoro decided to serve sake in wine glasses or if he got the idea from somewhere else. Anyways, it was a brew (I read somewhere that sake is technically a beer and not a wine) and it went down well with the appetizer (which is referred to as "o-toshi") which came with my meal. I didn't order that much that night. Just this sake, kara-age octopus and deep fried Camembert cheese balls.

A Bit Out of Place

A Bit Out of Place, a photo by dtk_guy on Flickr.

This is a record of one of those pure dumb luck moments in life. I had wandered over to take a photo of a mural painting on a shutter door to a building which is going to be demolished. I took the photo, turned to my right and there smack dab in my field of view was a Maryland licence plate. I hadn't noticed it when walking over to take the photo so I was quite surprised to see it there.

There's one thing I do which I've started to take more notice of recently: I often turn the hot water handle on a faucet without remembering that it takes a good two or three minutes for warm (not hot) water to come out. This is a far cry from back in Canada where hot water could be trusted to come out in under a minute (or so I recall). The point is that turning on and running water from the hot water side engages the water heater which uses gas. So running water through the heater and turning it off before the water gets hot is a waste of fuel. It may not be much but it's something I can conserve during the summer months. The winter months are another story unto themselves.

One last thing.... Back in February when I visited Kyoto with my mother and a group from the Vancouver Buddhist Temple I was asked to read and write a short article about the English translation of book "The Buddha's Wish for the World" by the Gomonshu-sama. The article was to be published in the Hongwanji monthly newspaper. It took me a little longer than I had expected to get that done but apparently some people were pleased with the results. The publishers of the book, the American Buddhist Study Center, have asked my permission to post an abridged version of the article on their web site. It's not a big deal but I'm kind of tickled pink. I guess all those years of writing COBOL code and requirements documents didn't completely damage my English writing abilities.

My new bicycle

My new bicycle, a photo by dtk_guy on Flickr.

I had been eying the bicycles lined up in front of a local bike shop for some time. The hand me down "chari" I was riding had seen better days but it was still functional. The front tire was bent up, the front light worked from time to time, the brakes squealed when applied, the basket had rusted off and the frame had a sprinkling of rust on it. It wasn't glamorous or charming but it did the job.

Last Sunday I pumped up the tires a bit and headed off to the gym. Along the way I stopped at a light and then a loud "Bang!" sound went off. The front tire of my bike had exploded. The sound of it going off was like that of a pistol. I didn't have a patch kit or tools on me so I turned around and walked the bike home.

I carted the bike over to the bike shop to ask how much it would cost to replace the front tire and put in a new inner tube. That was going to cost me ¥5000. I hummed and hawed about it. I checked out the cost of a low end bicycle similar to what I had. The cheapest one was ¥19800 and one with a three speed shifter was ¥22800. I said "What the heck" and decided on getting a new bicycle.

The bottom line is that I can't afford not to own a bicycle (given that I don't own a car). My quality of life certainly takes a hit if I don't have the mobility a bicycle affords me. The train station, the gym, the movie cineplex, Book-Off, and a bunch of other stores I check out regularly are all at least a mile or more away from where I live. Some of the little morning or afternoon shopping excursions I've undertaken would be day long treks without a trusty two wheeled steed.

"Cut Throat 2012"

Gig poster, a photo by dtk_guy on Flickr.

That's the title associated with the concert I went to on Friday, May 4th. I had seen Aiko and Hisae perform previously as 時既に遅し so I went equipped with a pair of foam earplugs. When I met Aiko I explained to her that I was using the ear plugs to preserve my hearing. She was cool with that as she said one can still hear most bands even with them in. How true that was.

Essentially I was treated to a handful of very loud and often fast playing bands. The styles of music ranged from standard punk, fast metal punk to deathcore punk. In other words the differences were there to be found by those who know the genre to some degree. If anything the most fascinating element of the night's proceedings was the youngest member of the audience: a young boy who I would've pegged as being about 12/13 years old. I suppose there wasn't much harm (other than to his hearing) as the deathcore band's vocals were completely incomprehensible. Of course I have no idea what impression he will have of watching a couple of the bands being showered with beer.