I will miss... but I won't miss...

So, two years in the Land of the Rising Sun has just charged by and it is time for us to be moving on. We have had an absolutely amazing time in Tokyo and our many around the islands of Japan. here is a list of a few of the things I will miss and a few things I won't.

I will miss udon.

Udon became my go-to food in Japan. It was cheap, delicious, and there was often a buffet of tempura you could add to it to make the simple experience that much more special. I will miss thee udon.

But I won’t miss general Japanese snacks

Rice cake sandwich

J-snacks ride a fine line between savoury and sweet and thus it’s not uncommon to get a snack thinking it is going to be sweet, only to find it is quite the contrary. Donut disappointment was often had when biting into a jam and cream donut to find it was actually anko (red bean paste) in the middle. Also, the Japanese rotate new products so frequently that should you find a product you adore you can be sure it will be gone within the week, never to be seen again. My friend asked me if I had seen pancake flavoured milk while I was there and if he could tell me where he could buy some and I just laughed at him. He will never see his beloved pancake flavoured milk again. I will not miss thee J-snacks.

I will miss Whoopi Goldburger

I will miss this grotty little burger oasis. You see, a lot of Japanese burgers are petite and just don't quite fill that hole, whereas Whoppi GB fills that hole perfectly. I must say, I did exclaim, this is the best damn burger I’ve had in my life! After gorging myself. They also had a well-priced range of international beer and played skateboarding videos non-stop. I will miss thee Whoopi.

But I won’t miss Japanese versions of western food

As amazing as Japanese food is, in general, their take on western food is often abysmal and yields a very processed or mass-produced type feel to it. Bread is overly sweet, milk, butter and cheese is average and the beer is terrible. But, you don't come to Japan to eat those foods I suppose – but still, after two years it gets a little annoying. I will not miss thee non-Japanese Japanese food.

I will miss reliable trains

Yeah, not only the reliability of the trains, but the simplicity of getting about Tokyo was something amazing. “Oh, hey, I’ll meet you in Sangenjaya at 11 at exit B3.” “No problem.” There was a spider web of ways you could get there at a fairly reasonable price. I will miss thee trains and how easy it was to get around such a vast city.

But I won’t miss busy trains

As nifty and convenient as the trains are, on a busy day they are truly awful – especially in summer. Every Japanese person in Tokyo has this mentality that THIS IS THE TRAIN I MUST GET ON, despite the fact that another is coming in literally 15 seconds time. There is this also a strange kind of hush over the swarms of train-goers as they push squeeze and shove there way onto the caboose. Oh yeah, did I mention there are specific people hired (sometimes up to three people per door) to push and cram people on to the trains. They are aptly named ‘pushers,’ I think.

I will miss creative energy

There are a myriad of creative folk in Tokyo and because of the general scarcity of foreigners in the metropolis the networks were easy to find and pretty easy to get involved with. I’m talking about organisations such Pecha Kucha and the smaller, more intimate groups like Pause Talk. It was great to just have a yarn with like-minded folk and also draw on a bit of inspiration too. I will miss thee Tokyo creative.

I won’t miss overt racism

It isn’t malicious, far from it; it is just… normal to experience pockets of racism (or anti-foreigner sentiments) around Japan. From being told to “get out of this shop, stupid gaijin” (I kid you not) to signs saying “No foreigners allowed”, you will experience frustrating interactions in Japan that simply would NEVER occur in Aotearoa. I just can't imagine a NZ pub with a sign out the front saying “No Asians”. Quite often you are immediately seen as being a problem, which can result in service staff, for example, ignoring you for an hour and a half because they’re too scared to tell you your Visa was declined etc. I would like to suffix this by saying there are also many many truly lovely and amazing people in Japan too. But, I won't miss the overt racism that can raise its head.

I will miss karaoke

I got well into the old karaoke. Hannah didn’t appreciate it, but I thought it was just so much fun. A few of my favourites to sing were, David Bowie – Heroes, Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls, Everlong – Foo Fighters, Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun. It was always nice to find that one person in the group with which you could find karaoke-synergy, that is, two people that were born to do karaoke together. George Custer and Rachel Buxton, I’m looking at you two. I will miss thee karaoke.

I won’t miss Shibuya on a Saturday.

I loved Shibuya, it was an amazing place to live, but picture this, horrific numbers of people sprawling and snaking there way through the streets. Take Christmas shopping rush on Lambton Quay or Queen Street and times is by a five-hundred. It is just not very pleasant. I will not miss thee busy Shibsy.

I will miss friends and coworkers

Of course, my coworkers. Working in an eikaiwa (one-on-one English School) is a funny business, with little nuances and quirks that kept the place interesting – but also a sense of fun and camaraderie was most definitely required to keep sanity in check. The number 59 will always have a special place in my heart (one minute before lesson start) and I will never eat another Mintia again. But in short, Hannah and I made some really special friends during our two-year stint and we’ll miss them.

I won’t miss buying general items

Kanji, ugh, kanji. I’m looking forward to being able to going into a pharmacy and being able to buy the product I need without a song and dance. Heck, even the conversation you might need with assistant will be novel. The simple things. I will not miss thee everyday interactions.

I will miss Oku-tama

Bears, butterflies, waterfalls, squirrels snowy and dangerous pathways, and breathtaking scenery are some of the sights of the Oku-tama region. Strangely enough, this little wilderness paradise to the far west of the Tokyo prefecture is an amazing place to go all year round, in fact, I went there in all for seasons and each time the nature was significantly different. On a Saturday and Sunday an express train ran straight from Shinjuku Station all the way to Oku-Tama Station – right to the wilderness. I was lost in bear country for an entire afternoon one Saturday. I will miss thee Oku-tama.

Things I won't miss about Japan.

I won’t miss Irrashaimase

The shop staff all holler out irrashaimase when you enter a shop. Now, initially, this was kind of novel and strange and therefore somewhat amusing for a foreigner. Soon I came to appreciate it quite a lot.  And then after a while it came to be the most annoying thing I’ve ever heard. Oh, that is with the exception of two shoe store guys that were trying to out-irrashaimase each other, that was pure class. But I guess the thing is for me, and the bigger picture is, I enjoy genuine interactions with personality and although you can get this in Japan, you generally just receive this insipid overly contrive robotic service. I will not miss thee irrashaimase.

But I will miss Japan in general

To be honest, Japan is one of the most phenomenal places on earth. It is a place where you can live safely and conveniently. It is in no way perfect, but then again, I don’t think there is anywhere on earth that is perfect. Please visit Japan, should you ever get the chance.

Thanks for the memories Nihon!

We will miss thee.

Alas, alas...

Alas, it will be time soon to leave the beauty and refined chaos of Japan.

Hannah and I have had an amazing time and it is with a well torn heart that we return to the fair shores of Aoteoroa. Hannah needs to finish her degree and thus, after a month in Europe, it is back we track.

Dear me though, if Japan isn't one of the most unfathomable countries on the planet. Dichotomous, is the word I believe, and it is totally impossible to generalise in this country.

Over the next few days we will make a list of the things we will miss the most and the things we won't miss one itty little bit.

Stay tuned.

b and h

The sweet smelling leaves of Kamikochi

The busy oppression of Tokyo was getting to me and so I suggested to Hannah that we head out, to my favorite place – The Mountains of Wherever – for the weekend.

Not a yodeler in site

Now, organising travel in Japan is extremely difficult and frustrating as often travel websites are in Nihon-go and it is hard to fathom what is what, especially if you want something reasonable. All the pricey places have the yen to put together a website with decent info, but all the low-key special type places exist within a pocket of word of mouth and shoddy web design.

But through a bit of toil we found a ryokan (Japanese inn) in the Japanese Alps that was dubbed as being “unforgettable”. That sounds like us, we said and so we locked in a booking for this place and meticulously ascertained our route via train to glorious Kamikochi of the Nagano Prefecture. Nagano is due North of Tokyo and is well known for skiing and mountains. Thank sweet Jesus for www.hyperdia.com which makes it a million times easier.

Yay! Fingers!

An early start is a prerequisite when travelling and thus we were up with the cock and gadding through Shibuya to Shinjuku for: a) a near three hour train, b) another 40 minute train, c) an hour and a half bus and finally d) a 40 minute trek through the Alps to our ryokan.

The trip, however, didn’t start well and we nearly missed our train because of a hiccup with our train tickets that actually ended up with us jumping the train turnstyle to make it on time. Hannah got excited – bless her. Due to this, we had to stand for the entirety of the long train ride to Matsumoto (along with the salary-men on their two hour Saturday commutes to work – poor buggers.)

As the ugly type grey streets dwindled away, the air became fresher and fresher and the greens became greener and greener and we soon found ourselves nestled between the Japanese Alps in a slightly euro styled ryokan called Kamikochi Myojinkan. Aptly named, it sat in the burly shadow of Mt Myojinkan and it was beautiful. We spent the afternoon wandering along the riverside amongst the browns, yellows, oranges and deep reds of my pal, Autumn. The air was thick with the sweet smell of one style of leaf that littered the floor – I have no idea what it was, but it was wondrous. It was like breathing in a bowl of overly ripe fruit.

The area is well known for a British Reverend called Weston. He went to Kamikochi in the 1880s and introduced modern European mountain climbing to the area. He sounds like a boss and there is a plaque for him along the riverbank.

That evening we had a group Japanese style dinner of river fish, tofu, pickles, tempura, rice (of course) and a few other selections. The remoteness of the inn was great and thus power became limited from 9pm. There is nothing wrong with an early night, however.

We did a little bit more hiking the next day and found a postcard picture pond next to a shrine before heading back to the Big Toke.

So this place, this place called Kamikochi, I would thoroughly recommend a trip there. We were lucky enough to catch it in the beginning of its Autumn slumber, but I’d say you would find the scenery absolutely breathtaking in any season.

Post script, Hannah and I are far from fluent when it comes to speaking Japanese, but we were quite please with our ability to communicate with folk along our journey so that is a positive! Yay, us.

Here is info on the ryokan.

Here is info in the area of Kamikochi.

Kamikochi Myojinkan

Lost maps, hitchhiking, abandoned temples and apologetic bees

So we made a spur of the moment trip into the wilderness the other day! Yaaaay, the wilderness! I bloody love the wilderness. 

Yes, indeed, very spur of the moment. The night before, as our flatmate Toby was galavanting out the door to fly to Tibet we were bugging him for information about a perky hike and crudely drawing maps on post-it notes. Then we were off to the supermarket at 11pm in search of supplies for our trek . . . into the wilderness! Yay! Going to bed at 1pm wasn't the wisest of choices given our 5am wake up call the next day but hey ho, never mind!

The destination: Mt Takago down in yonder Chiba to the south-east of the Big Toke

Now, this place is well out of the way when it comes to access and that goes doubly when your Japanese skills are tantamount to that of an overtly lazy panda with a learning disorder. We needed to catch a train and then a train and then an elusive bus that came once in a blue moon. However, our good friend Keiko did some research and it turned out said bus had been discontinued and thus our route was changed at the very last minute.

Lost maps and hitchhiking

And so, to slash a tedious story perky, we found ourself in Matsuoka - which incidentally could easily be labelled "The-ass-end-of-where." Luckily the folk in The-ass-end-of-where are extremely friendly and even took the time to draw us a map which would guide us the 11 or so kilometers we needed to walk to find the hike - and yes, I did say 11 bloody kilometers. We walked though and as we did, the rain joined us and somehow our map of where the hike was and how to find it fell out of my safe-like pocket. Luckily it was at the exact moment our efforts at hitchhiking came to fruition and a lovely couple from . . . Japan, gave us a lift to the beginning of the park. Top notch adventure so far. Now bring on the formality of the tramp!

Abandoned temples

We made it! To the tramp. Seriously, by this stage we felt we had triumphed in the most important part of our journey and that was finding the route in the middle of nowhere in a place called Toyofusa. We cracked on after a quick coffee - would you believe they even have vending machines that sell heated coffee in the middle of nowhere? Yes, yes you would - it's bloody Japan innit. The forest was beautiful and it proved to be a really great testing ground for the stability of my leg which had been operated on about six months earlier. The muddy, up and down terrain tested it's ability to hold firm and it passed with flying colours. The sound of the forest was beautiful and a welcome change from the bustle of busy Shibuya. We only hiked 3km, but it was a tricky 3km given the terrain and the rain - and anyway, the real pay off wasn't doing a long hike it was staying in an abandoned temple we had heard legend of. We found it.

We approached a large rock, like an outcrop, among the forest and trees and realised a sizable hole had been hewn through it with a steep stair descending onto a small green carpet of grass. Beyond was the Mt Takago Kannon sculpted into the cliff face. It over looked a magnificent valley with hills and mountains bubbling off into the distance. Wonderfully, almost the moment we got there the light rain cleared out and the sun broke through to illuminate the valley stretching off into the distance. It was divine. Amazingly there was a tiny dribble of water of the cliff face that made a very small pool for washing hands etc. Imagine my surprise when I spotted two fresh water crabs in there. The temple itself is a dedication to Kannon, the goddess of mercy. Inside a somewhat restored, yet abandoned temple was a couple of log chairs, a demonesque face carving, a picture from what we deduced to be the late 70s, a whole bunch of scribbling on the walls from hikers now as immortal as the statue of Kannon herself which stood at the back of the temple looking out the door at the magnificence of nature. It was really special. The kind of place you read about . . .  on blogs . . .

Apologetic bees

We sat and enjoyed our lunch on the step of the temple and as I did I realised the bees in Japan are very . . . apologetic. Usually, my experience of bees when it comes to picnics, is they pester and piss you off buzzing around looking for sweet things. These Japanese bees seemed to come along, see you, then say "Oops, sorry, didn't see you there, I'll move along." Very bizarre and then as we descended from the temple to the waterfall down the track and I mean down (like devil's staircase down) I noticed most of the wildlife in Japan doesn't pester or annoy. Which is bloody good when you need to stay the night in an abandoned temple with no doors to speak of. 

Dinner and dusk

We forgot the bloody sausages didn't we. But we made do with our delicious tinfoiledkumara, carrots and mushrooms. With a side of bread and some fire boiled mint tea we had a feast over a game of chess - how civilized. We fell asleep to the sound of the rain on the roof. Amazingly, weren't hounded my mosquitos or any other insect-like foes and we slept trough the night peacefully - another fine example of the conscientious nature of Japanese wildlife. 

Return to the Tokester

Alas, it must all come to an end and after a brekky of rice, tinned coffee heated over a fire and bananas we were off through the rain back to civilization - and stopped short, with a scratch of the head and a mental prolapse due to the incomprehensible bus stop. We ended up hitchhiking with the first person that drove past our eager thumb. They were a lovely couple on their way back from the hospital. She had hurt her leg dancing with children. More interestingly, the bloke spent a year in NZ 20 years earlier and thus we had loads to talk about. His chuckle and mentioning of "windy Wellington" and his love of Hokey Pokey ice cream let us know that he fully understood NZ as a culture and a country. Six hours later I was back at work with the trip to Mt Takago and glowing memory.

Ways in which Japan changes you - Part One

We'll save you the tedious platitudes for not blogging about our antics recently and simply say: We've been busy having an awesome time. Booya!

So we've been here over a year now and it's quite interesting to reflect on ways in which Tokyo can change a person. Here are a few of these reflections.

I can't eat this! Where's my bloody oshiburi? 

So with pretty much all meals here you get a moist towelette, kind of like you do on the plane.  They're called oshiburi. When you first get here you read warnings in guidebooks etc not to wipe your face with them and that they're only for your hands prior to eating and so on and so forth. But in all honesty, they're just a bloody hand towel--do what you want with em. Turn em into a floppy paper-plane if you want.

And so you use these things all the time, almost every meal, whether it's a dirty little salad from the combini or a lovely, all you can eat okonmiyaki joint, there are loads of em.

And then, one day, they don't come, there are none on the table and you find yourself aghast saying:

"Where . . . where is my oshiburi? I - I can't eat this!" and in your mind your hands and fingers are teeming with bacteria and horror, all manner of beasties waiting, lurking, at the ready to give you X. 

As a fallout you slowly gather unused oshiburi (they're usually wrapped in plastic) and keep one in your briefcase, backback, purse, just in case. Note the word cleanliness - a central principle to Japanese life.

Today in Tokyo, 1,000,000 brollies lost their lives because of a bit of wind

Coming from Windy Wellington you can imagine my opinion on umbrellas: Bloody useless. In fact, forever etched in most of our Wellingtonian minds are images of splintered umbrellas stuffed disdainfully into bins. But the truth is, in Welly, we all just wear jackets if it's rainy and I think it creates a hardiness in us, right? We weather the weather.

The sheer volume of brollies in Tokyo, is unfathomable and they are just so expendable. I think it's because most Japanese seem to harbour a rabid fear of the rain. Many a time you can see people in the slightest of drizzle charging through the rain as if satan himself was in pursuit. And so when the occasional (very occasional) windy day does come or - heaven forbid it - a typhoon, 13,000,000 people need to use an umbrella. But the funny thing is, these nutters will also try valiantly to use a 100 yen (NZD 1.50) umbrella in a tree cracking gale and in the wake of any storm you will find the horror, the massacre of multitudes of brollies thrown into the street, naked, shameful in - literally - piles the height of very tall dwarfs.

But anyway, dramatic holocaustic imagery aside, you get involved with the brolly culture here and the weather report becomes your best mate as you too now endeavour to avoid any possibility of finding yourself running through the satanic rain. In the end we adapt to fit in with our environment.

"Walk ya ####s!"

There are so many people is probably the most tedious observation you can make about Tokyo. But it's true and man, it changes you.

Walking here is slow, real slow, they all just dawdle along, which is pretty logical really as there are loads of people - but dear me it can push your patience. Even when I was on my crutches I was overtaking people. And it's not so much an impatience thing, it is that some people walk INCREDIBLY slowly - too slowly - and are also, at times, extremely inconsiderate with it; you know, a group of six standing and lolly gagging in 10,000 peoples way on a tiny walkway, that kind of thing. So you end up really having to manage your serenity and patience because if you don't... well if you don't this kind of thing happens. 

Just a few weeks ago I was walking up a major road in Shinjuku with an Aussie. I was happy plodding along to tell you the truth, we were yarning and I had nowhere to be. But then out of the blue the Aussie hollers "WALK YA C###S!"at the group of four people dawdling in front of us. They obviously didn't really understand and thus it didn't help our situation, but I found it interesting as it highlights this propensity to exist within your own bubble here, saying things or muttering things out loud, because nobody understands you anyway. If you don't manage your serenity you can become a bit of a mutterer or dare I say it - a nutter.

A well-spent day brings happy sleep - Leo da Vinci

If that's the case, Leo, how do you explain all the sleeping going on in the Japanese rail system?

Many of you will know of my brief interest in train sleeping, but what is interesting is that we fall into the same behaviour. I would never have dreamed of sleeping on a train in Welly, just wouldn't really. Life didn't, well, life didn't need it.

Here, it does. Escape? Maybe. Rest? Maybe. Who knows why, but sleeping on the train here is the norm and more than once now I have found myself quietly dipping into meditation and then bam, I'm sleeping. Not long and deep enough to miss stops or anything - just escaping briefly, an abiltiy to ignore that fat smelly salary man's ass nudging ever closer to my face.

The food.....

So I've got me a pretty sweet routine here - my beloved wife brings me a few snacks when she comes to visit but beyond that I receive three square meals a day, chopsticks n all.

8am, 12am and 6pm on the dot, and always with a half an hour foreshadow cup of weak cha and oshibori (disposable wet hand towel.)

I was apprehensive regarding the food as many a witness had testified to the horror concoctions that are served up three times daily in a Byoin (hospital). But I've been pleasantly surprised, yes on the occasional day you get a mushy type soupy vapidity that looks about as appetizing as salted brick; but if mix it in with the immortal bowl of rice and the omnipresent pickled veges -  you have a meal... transformed. *insert magical music*

But the meals in truth have been pretty good, it peaked a night or so ago (the nights and days here become one) when they served tempura with a nice soya sauce. MECHA OISHI DESU! They have also served up crumbed fish; some over sized lettuce parcels loaded with chicken and the other day a bit of spag bol. I'd say it reminded me of home - but that's bollocks; my mum is from Yorkshire and I don't see these Japanese chefs knocking out any Yorkshire puddings anytime soon.

Oooop, my breakfast has just been served now; let's have a looky look.

Large white bowl with rice  (with small packet of rice sprinkle flavouring) - Check.

Miso with rounded white bread croutons - Check.

Smaller side dish of spinachy stuff mixed with shredded chicken - Check.

Second side dish with fried/boiled tofu and a few token carrots - Check.

Okay so each dish on its own warrants nothing to wet the bed about - but mix it all in with the rice and you've got yourself a banger brekky/ranchii/ban-gohan. Bam!

Stay classy internet..

Lunch? Breakfast? Couldn't say sorry.

Hospital Drama!

Ahoy there!

That aint cran

I've found a sliver of WIFI here at the hospital, which is nice. It is kind of off and on again but it's good to have some semblance of contact with the outside world.

Anyway – for those that don’t know I have had ACL knee reconstruction in a Japanese hospital – Edogawa Byoin to be precise. The operation went really well and from what I can understand from the doctors, nurses and orderlies my progress has been extremely rapid. Four days out and I’m flexing at 90 degrees.

Here's a small outline of what happened – beware – contents can be graphic

Sunday

I went in Sunday night with a cloud in my heart, as I would be missing the Rugby World Cup Final. I had been told that there is no WIFI here and wouldn’t be allowed if it was. Despite this I tried many way to source a way to watch it - I had even tried to coerce the nurses etc into letting me escape from 5pm to find an internet cafe/sports pub. But I needed to be back by 4pm so that plan was out of the b@stard question. So about 4.30 I thought I'd read a book on my laptop and discovered I had a tiny sliver of WIFI. Which is a miracle - it must be from a local business or something. But anyway I managed to get a tiny connection with a sports website and watched the rugby and the trophy presentation live. No food from 9pm Sunday night.

Monday (surgery day)

Woke early - sleep was not too bad and Hannah visited with snacks and loving prior to the surgery. In the OR I had my little gown thing stripped from me down to my undies while the spinal epidural was administered and I was out not long after the general anesthetic. Awoke three hours later with Hannah and nurses making a fuss and I was trying hard to speak Japanese. It all is very hazy around this point as I was in and out of consciousness and unable to sit up let alone move at all to check my position. From what I could tell I had a tube in my back to my spine, a big one from my knee, one to my vein (IV drip) and one in my wang (how pleasant). I also had two things rhythmically blowing up around my feet to help my circulation. Bollocks knows where my undies were. So yeah a fairly hazy - yet pain free day slowly becoming cognizant with Han watching Scrubs and Bear Grylls. Still no food at this point.

Not my strongest point of my stay

Monday night

Monday night wasn't so good. The bloke next to me snored like a fat drunken harpy with nine noses. That as well as the pain in my upper legs (not the operation area) were driving me spare. I was also having hot cold flushes and the annoying things on my feet were tantamount to water torture by the end of the night. A brief session of coughing yielded a lovely green vomitathon - and bless the nurses for trying so hard. Not the most fun I’ve had but I’d still rate it higher than a kick to the bollocks.

Abe-San doing a peace sign for the camera - who would've thought

Tuesday

Tuesday wasn't too bad. Food! Yes! A nurses gave me a rough sponge bath, changed my pajamas and in the late morning my IV and wang tubes were removed – by the nose of Eddie Hitler do you know how far up those things go! It was terrifying – mainly because I couldn’t communicate or receive any reassurance from the nurses! Still had the tube with red blood flowing from my knee to a bottle and confirmed that there was indeed a tube in my spine administering painkiller - which is nice if not a little horrific given that my doctor told me that the primary risk from this operation is spinal infection and should it all go pear shaped there is a high risk of paralysis. Yaaay! Hannah visited again as well as my Kiwi chum Steele and a Texan from work called Brian (one time he used the term “Darlin”). I was still pretty drugged up so couldn't write, forget about reading - even watching tv was a bit shizen. Despite this they took me down stairs to try some rehab and amazingly got a 10-degree flex from my knee - I thought it was premature but evidently not. Going to the toilet was so difficult - It's like trying to clean your ear with a piece of watermelon - everything about it is ridiculous and you get juice and pips everywhere. The toilets are too small for a wheel chair (extremely Japanese).  I also have to cart my spinal and knee ooze cannisters around my neck like some grim Gothic vampiric totem.

View from my window if I max out my bed -
even better in the morning (see below)

Tuesday night

Worst night sleep I've ever had. Sincerely. The snorer now has 1000 noses at twice the volume and my knees were aching deeply. I asked for some earplugs but they can only be purchased from the hospital cafe during the day. *sigh* Mental note - miraculously appear in that cafe and gaff em of every pair. I tried a syringe of itami-dome (painkiller) but to no avail and I eventually settled for a (self administered) suppository (zayaku) at about 5am and the sweet peace was amazing.

Wednesday

Extremely tired again due to the horror show snore/pain-fest, but the removal of my last two tubes was something to look forward too. Pity I had to watch him slowly pull about 15cm of 3 ml tubing out of my knee. But it was good to be free of those two final parasitic annoyances (even if they were there to help me;). I'm right next to the window and so I usually open it up and can look out over a cemetery and temple in the background - autumn is beautiful in Japan as is the cool air. Had rehab again today - got it to about 80 degrees which is so swift. They've also got me the largest pair of crutches I've every seen, evidently the mighty Goliath was sent here for treatment after David’s head-shot. Good healing progress though and to be honest apart from associated muscle pain in the evening, I've had no pain directly from the operation area. I bought some (me me-sen) (earplugs - yesssss) on the way back from the rehab room. Spent a nice night watching some TV shows (Scrubs and Lie to me) as I still didn't have the fortitude to read, let alone write.  Unfortunately all the movies I have brought with me are heavy heavy involved type dramas (e.g. Winters Bone), and I simple couldn’t possibly watch any of them. As soon as it was lights out I "locked in" another suppository, a minzai (sleeping tablet) and pushed those earplugs so far into my ear you'd think I had confused them with the suppository. Oh the pretty colours as I fell asleep.

Wednesday night

Slept like a rock. A rock inside another rock... on the bottom of the ocean… with Dom DeLuise sitting on it. So good.

Thursday

Hannah visited and we listened to the recycling truck collecting cans for 40 minutes. She also brought some more snacks which is nice, the food here isn't too bad but it helps to have some treats on hand (three bags of sour lollies). They put me on a machine that automatically flexes my knee 80 degrees. Some more rehab at 3pm and again was good. My physio Abiru's English is about as good as my Japanese so that makes it tricky but we get by and I'm flexing to 90 degrees now which is terrifying when you've held a ACL injury for over a year and you're two days after surgery.

But yeah as of 3 and a half days of surgery I feel great :D

A big thanks to wonderful wifey Hannah for looking after me.

You!