51) Those close to me
know that I've developed an obsession with hats in recent years, and no trip
would be complete without a quest to find just
the right one. Or two, in the case of Japan. Seen below, as modelled by certain household
appliances (a Muji lamp and--rather jauntily, I
reckon--a Yuasa upright fan), were the additions to my collection purchased in Nagoya. The first came from the aforementioned market
in Kyoto, the second from Loft in Nagoya on my last
shopping spree. Note in the background
of the second picture a view right through the apartment, from the lounge
(featuring neat floor-sitting chairs and cushions) through to the kitchen
(where my laptop sat on the table).
Beyond that was the same curtain from the photo of the baby bird. The rear veranda opened out of the room that should
have been my study but ended up performing the same function as Dorian Grey's
notorious portrait: the more junk thrown in there, the better the rest of the place
looked. (And yes, from the right angle
the upright fan does look a bit like a skinny Dalek.)
52) Here's a photo of the
books I read while outside Australia. Okay, it's not a huge stack, but I love it
for one reason: I read them all for pleasure.
Not one Big Book Club selection among them; not a single unpublished ms;
not one copy for review or blurbing. I don't mean to denigrate books in any of
these categories; I'd simply forgotten that reading doesn't have to be
work. The titles are: The Stress of Her Regard, The Other Side of Dawn, The Night is for Hunting, Burning For Revenge, Darkness, Be My Friend, While I Live, Wrong About Japan, The Time Traveler's Wife, Last
Call, Galveston, Predator's Gold, The Pleasure
of my Company, and The Curious
Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
(I've ignored the authors because, well, who actually cares about them? Hoho.)
53) Below was the street
on an average afternoon in Nagoya, illustrating three points: (1) people rode
bikes a lot there, which was good (unless, like a lot of gaijin, you always
seem to be run over by them); (2) the painted road signs made me feel like I was
on Qo'nos (the Klingon home
planet; I had to look it up, honest); (3) not all Japanese gardens were perfect.
Note the orange cones warning people away from the offending fence. The Horticultural Squad was on its way.
54) Below is a cute
statue that watched over me while I worked.
Apparently she represented Benten, goddess of love, eloquence, wisdom,
the arts, music, knowledge, good fortune and water, and patron of geishas,
dancers and musicians.
It came from Kamakura, a famous old
temple town near Tokyo. Some versions of her legend describe her with
eight arms wielding a sword, a jewel, a bow, an arrow, a wheel, and a key. This one looked like it was holding a giant
chicken drumstick, but my guess was that it had to be either a fish or a
guitar. Or she was headed out for a
quick game of racquetball.
55) T-shirts over in Japan are brilliant. English slogans that don't mean anything pop
up everywhere. Some are a bit too sexy
for their own good (eg "Milk Me" and "Virgin
Islands" across female chests) or unintentionally cryptic (my
favourite in this category simply said "Ambiguous"). I bought a couple. The picture below came from a t-shirt I
picked up in the amazing fashion mecca of Parco on my
last weekend. The label promised me that
it would be "Good Feeling and Stately" on me. Whatever.
Its bold advertisement for "elaborate products for men" was
always the clincher.
(continue)