Where are you wind?

I knocked on the door to drop off a piece of paper to one of the girls. As I walked into the hall, I heard grunting and wondered what was going on. There they were; Beverly, Stacey, Amanda, and Yoko were all getting dressed in their yukatas (summer kimono). We were going to Gion Matsuri today. It is a month long festival that's been happening since the end of the 10th century. The festival's highlight is the parade down the streets of Kyoto. This is one of the largest festivals in Japan and we had nearly front row seats to the spectacle. Above is a photo of one of the floats that gets pulled around the streets of Kyoto to ward off evil spirits. This float is called Kankoku Boko, and according to the legend written in the Gion Matsuri guidebook, "a lord named 'Moshokun' needed to pass through the barrier named 'Kankoku' in the midnight. Since the rules stated that the barrier had to be opened at the first crow of a cock in the morning, the lord mimicked a cock, and thereby tricked the guards to let them open the barrier." The day was getting hot and the girls in their Yukata started to overheat. Since we were in the middle of a country wide heat wave, we decided to leave early for the streets of Gion.


Gion is the part of the city that houses traditional Maikos. They are the modern day geishas. As we walked through the cobblestone covered streets of Gion, I was inspired by the architecture of the little houses that lined the street. I was amazed at how the Japanese uses every square foot of what little space they have. Although I could only see the main entrance and the genkan, "the little porchlet at the entrance to every Japanese residence where visitors remove their shoes," (Reid, 68) I could only imagine the ingenious ways they store and save space. I once looked through a book about modern Japanese houses and the architect used every single nook and cranny for usable space. I wondered if it was the same in the houses we walked past. At the end of the street, there was a colorful gateway to the Gion Temple.

There and Back Again

Our first full day in Kyoto was exactly what I said. It was a full day. We walked across the street to scale the stairs/escalators to the top of Kyoto station. While everyone was enjoying the view of the city from atop the viewing deck, I was marveling at the site of one of the most modern pieces of architecture in Japan. I loved the way the architect used steel and glass to show how far Kyoto has come from the days of wood and shingles. Andy also pointed out how the escalators formed what looked like mountains and the main floor was a valley, just like how the city of Kyoto is surrounded by the mountains. Although I could imagine how far the city of Kyoto has changed over time, I was going to find out just how far they have come.

The first temple we visited was the famous Toji Temple. According to Eyewitness Travel: Japan, "Toji's magnificent five-story pagoda...[is] the tallest wooden structure in Japan." This was a stark contrast to what I just saw an hour earlier. Although both structures were different in many ways, I noticed how intricate both structures were. The attention to detail in the truss formation of Toji Temple is essential to its design and the same exact comment can also be made to the describe the truss formation of Kyoto Station. For many people who appreciate modern architecture, Kyoto station could be a symbol of Kyoto. For people who appreciate tradition and history, Toji Temple is their symbol of the city. Many of the brochures I saw of Kyoto showed this temple in a silhouette in front of a setting sun. Something that the brochures did not prepare me for were the wooden carvings of Buddhas. The wooden statues were as tall as a two-story building and were carved from one solid block of wood. As I walked through the lecture hall, I started to think to myself what kind of person would have that much dedication, that much passion, to carve something as intricate as this Buddha and the others surrounding it. I learned, however, that this was the where the foundation of the city's Buddhist beliefs began. Eyewitness Travel: Japan states "[This used to be] the main headquarters of Shingon Buddhism. The sect's esoteric rituals relied heavily on mandalas."
Another thing that separated this temple from the others we visited was the shear beauty of the gardens. In the middle of the summer season, the trees were still green and lush. Although there were no cherry blossoms blooming from the largest cherry blossom tree in Kyoto, it was still a beautiful sight. As a photographer, I really enjoyed how there was no way I could make a bad photograph. The way that the landscape was designed, gave the visitor a view of the temple from nearly every point of the garden.

Kyoto Station highlighted modern architecture, while Toji Temple is known for its height. Nijo Castle is known, on the other hand, for its noise. I asked myself the same question you're probably asking yourself now. Noise? How is noise an architectural aspect? According to Eyewitness Travel: Japan "the nightingale floors were carefully laid so that the cramps and nails below the floorboards would rub together and squeak gently when disturbed." I didn't believe it at first, but as soon as I stepped onto the wood floors with my socks, I immediately heard the squeaks. It's called nightingale floors because the squeaks it makes sound a little like a nightingale. What impressed me even more was the fact that there were no light bulbs in the whole castle. The use of paper on the sliding doors let enough light into the rooms to keep the whole place well lit. Honestly, I didn't even notice it until the end of the tour.


A temple that highlights its own architecture is Kinkaku-Ji, also known as The Golden Temple. As I walked through the gates, showing the guard my paper ticket, I tried to imagine what the crazed monk was thinking when he decided to burn down the original temple. When I finally saw the temple, I had to stop to take it in. A feeling came over me that can only be inspired by something beautiful. As I took in the sight, I thought of that monk and couldn't help but think, this would look very beautiful when engulfed by a wall of fire. I don't know what came over me, but I immediately stopped thinking about it to take this photo.

The final temple of the day was definitely the best. Each attraction we visited today all had their own unique traits. However, what summed it all up was Ryoanji Temple. The architectural aspect of this place was not it's height nor was it its walls. The main attraction of Ryoanji is rocks. That's right...rocks. As I sat on the meditation steps, I thought about what I saw today. Each large rock started to take the shapes of the sites we visited today. I felt like I traveled through time. We started in the future with Kyoto Station and went back in time to the days when Toji Temple, Nijo Castle, and Kinkaku Ji were built. When I returned from my time travels to present day Japan, I found myself sitting on the same steps I left, what felt like, a hundred years ago. Jayson reminded me that the temple was closing in a few minutes. Was I sitting there that long? I lost track of time. Maybe that's what Zen Buddhism is supposed to do. Everyone has a different experience at that temple. Whatever that experience is, I believe, the temple forces you to meditate. As I walked down the steps to the pond that fronted the temple, I felt refreshed and ready for a new day.

どんぐり

"Can you believe it?" Aaron said again. "We're in Japan."

"Aah. I know yeah. It feels like I was here yesterday." Travis chimed in.

I could see the excitement in their eyes as we got onto the limousine bus. "What time are they meeting us?" They both asked.

"I told them, hopefully, we're going to be at the hotel by 8pm." I replied.

As we left the man made island/airport/landfill we watched the city of Osaka fade into the sunset as darkness took over. It felt like a literal transition from reality to fantasy. I was now in a different place and time. Gone were the days of sitting in my office and drawing up plans for the next antenna tower. Now was the time to explore, get lost, and learn.

I watched the clock on the bus as it was nearing 8:00 pm. We were about 30 minutes from our destination and it was already 7:56. As as old local tradition, we were still on "Hawaiian time," and we were going to be late. My first realization that we were somewhere different was when the clock ticked to 8:00 pm. Less than three seconds later, my phone started to vibrate and ring.

"Whoa! Right on time, yeah?" Aaron said.

A smile gleamed from my face as I read Erica's name on the caller i.d. screen. I answered the phone and all I heard were giggles. Erica asked where we were and welcomed us to Japan. She passed the phone along to Miwa and she asked the same question. A feeling of excitement came over me as I talked to them. I remembered the days I spent with my friends when they were in Hawaii 4 months ago. I passed the phone along to Travis and Aaron and I watched them go through the same exact thing I went through just minutes earlier. We couldn't wait to get to the hotel.

As soon as we arrived at the hotel, we checked in to our rooms and called our friends. We arranged to meet them in the lobby. We were so excited to see them, we decided to walk out to the street instead. As we stood on the sidewalk wondering where they were, we were startled by the sudden screaming across the street. We turned to look at the commotion and found out it was our friends. They ran across the street and were very excited to see us. We were all very happy to see each other again. "What do you want to do?" asked Miwa

Travis, Aaron, and I replied in unison, "eat!"

We walked a few blocks and stopped at a restaurant called どんぐり (Donguri), literally: acorn. Why the restaurant was called that? I don't know. We talked and had our first taste of Kansai cuisine. This was our first night in Kyoto and it started off with okomiyaki and a reunion.

When we got back to the hotel, the three of us reflected on our night. "If our first night here is this much fun, I wonder what the next 7 days are going to be like?" commented Aaron.

As I drifted into sleep, I asked myself the same question.

The Morning I Met George

He had the biggest smile on his face when Aaron said, "we're in Japan!!!"
His eyes were lit up and he reminded me of a similar moment last year when Travis said those same exact words at practically the same exact time as we were leaving the Japan Airlines 747.
"Can you believe it? We're in Japan!!" Aaron exclaimed.
I've got to be honest. I was not as enthusiastic as he was. I tried to see it from his eyes. I tried to imagine what he was going through, but I couldn't.

All I could think about was the rubber chicken hanging from my neck. His name is George, and this is how we met.

I woke up at about 8:00 am on that Monday morning. I was nearly done packing and I was double and triple checking all of my luggage for the trip. I had my cameras, clothes, and I was printing out the take home quiz.

9:45 came and my sister was not there to pick me up. She's supposed to come and take me to the airport. Today was a special day for her too. She just graduated from college a few months ago and she was searching for a job. She was at a job interview and I did not want to hurt her chances of getting the job. I sat at home with luggage to my right and a dog to my left. I was starting to get worried.

10:30 clicked on the clock and my dog jumps off the couch and starts barking at the front door. There was my sister opening the gates to the driveway. I got up and checked my belongings one last time. We packed my father's truck and were off to the airport. I was already late.

11:11 showed on the dashboard as I stopped the truck at the JALWays drop off point. I grabbed the luggage out of the truck and bid my sister goodbye. I made my way down the ramp and greeted and apologized to my fellow students for being late. They all looked at me as if to say sorry and then snickered to themselves. I hugged Barbara and then I shook Andy's hand. That is when I met George. Andy told me, since I was late, I had to wear the rubber chicken, named George, until the next person was late. I was not aware of this new rule, but I was just relieved to be at the airport. I just hung the chicken from my neck.

One year later...

Once again, I find myself sitting in the UH West Oahu classroom listening to Professor Jayson Chun giving his lecture about survival Japanese. As I sat there listening to him, I couldn't help but think about how I felt the moment I walked through the doors one year earlier.

I was nervous about my trip to Japan. I didn't know anyone in the class and I felt like a deer in headlights. I did not know what to expect.

This time around, I knew what was expected of me. I had friends to help me understand the culture. I sat there listening to him almost mouthing what he was going to say next, until he said...

"For those of you who went to Tokyo last year, do not expect this trip to be the same. Aside from being different from each other, Kyoto and Osaka, are not like Tokyo."

I immediately sat up like a meerkat hearing the call of a hawk. I started to feel nervous again. My heart started beating a little faster and my palms were starting to get clammy. As Jayson went over the history of Japan from the creation of "Kami" to the Tokugawa Shogun period, I slowly realized, we were going to see a different side of Japan. We were going to see the beauty and traditions of Kyoto and Nara, and taste the raw and "in your face" attitude of Osaka.

Journalism redefined

For years, I thought journalism was a lost art. I grew up thinking reporters would go through anything to "get the story." Usually, the story is about what a certain celebrity did or a way to ruin someone's life by bringing up their past. Everyone is out for themselves and take the story that pays the most money. I thought the days of reporting a situation for the sake of informing the public was gone.

On Monday, China's Sichuan province had a massive earthquake. According to the press, thousands of people are dead. After siphoning out the usual stories about how many people died and the amount of aide needed to help, I found a piece from National Public Radio's All Things Considered host Melissa Block titled "Couple Frantic to Find Loved Ones in Rubble" There was something different about the piece. I felt the humanity in her voice. I could hear her emotions as she interviewed the family and learned about their situation. I felt like I was there. I could imagine what was happening and I found myself swelling up.

Never have I experienced that before. That is what journalism should be.

The transformation

This right here is my bike. I know it doesn't look like much, but it's what I have to work with. My coworker gave it to me after he realized his father was going to throw it out. It was sitting in his dad's garage collecting dust and fighting off "bike cancer" (rust). He saw it just in time to save it. Now, it has made its way to my parent's house. I had to strip it down to bare metal so I could paint it.

Like this blog, it took me a while to get started. However, once I started putting things together, I couldn't stop. I'd rush home after school at 7:45 pm to work on it a little at a time. I started with the bottom bracket and worked my way from there. Slowly, things started coming together. Every week it started to look more like a functional bike.

I have to be honest, I almost didn't finish the bike. It was going to be one of those things that I started and never finished (story of my life really). The thing that kept me going was my coworker asking whether I was done with it or not. There was something in the way he asked that made me want to finish. For some reason, I didn't want to let him down. I finally bought the missing parts and put the bike together.
When I was done with it, I felt ecstatic. I wanted to ride it right away. I took it out of the work area and brought it out to the sidewalk. I hopped on the bike and started riding. Since it was a road bike, it felt awkward to be leaning forward. I thought I was riding it wrong. Nonetheless, I was riding and I could feel a slight breeze against my face. I felt free...until the chain broke. It split right in half. The was pedaling as fast as I could and I was still slowing down. Oh well, I guess I have to go back to working on it.
After a few days of going over my mistakes, I started working on it again. I got the chain back on and this time, I made sure everything was on tight. I got back on the bike and started riding. I made it past my parent's house, then the next, and before I knew it, I was turning around at the end of the cul de sac a few blocks down the road. The chain didn't fall off. The tire didn't come off of the drop outs. I was actually riding...

That's my bike. I've made a few changes to it since this photo. The handle bars are now bull horns and I got rid of the derailleurs and I'm biking as a single speed bike. I have to say, I'm very proud of it. I actually finished it.

The lesson I learned from this is that if I keep trying, I'll eventually finish. I guess it's not a new lesson for me, but it was something I had to be reminded of.

Passion leads to inspiration

As I watched the New York Giants defeat the New England Patriots in today's Super Bowl, I got a twitter message from a person that goes by the screen name cscan. The message was "If you haven't seen this, you should... http://www.dipdive.com/"

The video is a political ad for Barrack Obama. I usually don't pay much attention to political advertisement, but for some reason, I watched this one. Maybe it was the lighting or the fact that it was filmed in black and white, but one thing I can say, it is inspiring. The director juxtaposed Obama's South Carolina Primary speech with actors and musicians singing the same words Obama was saying. It turned out to be a beautiful piece of art.

Passion inspires people to act. These passionate stars teamed up with a passionate politician to inspire a nation...