Angel Eyes

A very short essay on the best memory of my life in California and why that memory is so special for me. This is a scribd PDF scroll file I'm experimenting with. Angel eye

DINNER

You'll need to zoom in from the bottom in order to read. This is a short essay about my dinner and how Japanese palates have changed. Dinner

Kumoba Pond

Theme Music: Timeless and Tender, Pt. 1 by Liquid Mind

Kumoba Pond is one of the largest natural ponds in Karuizawa, and is home to a variety of seasonal plants and shrubs. Naturalist and birdwatchers visit here during autumn and summer, not only for the nature, but also to admire the reflection of the color of the sky and trees from the surface of the water. There's a 20~25 minute walking course around the whole pond so you can enjoy the views from a variety of different angles. The whole pond can be seen in less than 40 minutes.

Getting there: From Tokyo Station take the Nagano Shinkansen to Karuizawa Station. About an hour. You can rent bicycles nearby the Karuizawa Station exit. The cost is about 500 yen an hour at some shops. Once there we parked our bikes then walked around and got completely absorbed in the green thickness all around us. The walking course took us along narrow dirt paths.

Just about every nature spot you visit in Tokyo, you can always see oily freshwater fish called carp. Carp or, koi, in the Japanese language is a colorful fish with a long history in Japan. People enjoy watching this fish because of its human-like facial characteristics. Often the center-piece of any shrine or temple is the carp fish. Kids and tourist fawn over its many colors and sizes.

Another thing I love is the smell of a burn pile. One of the single most identifiable smells of the Japanese backcountry is the smell of burning straw. We were surprised to see this happening near a pond..? Japanese farmers burn in order to recycle nutrients from ash back into the soil. In North America we call this swailing, which is not as common anymore.

As we continued on we came across this little Japanese Aster, or daisy, whichever you choose to call it. I say it that way because there are over 2000 different species in the daisy family, and I just can't identify them all.

And then crossing over to the other side of the pond we stopped for a bit. Amazing how sometimes trees can take on human like features. Like this twisted tree.

There were so many trees like this all over Karuizawa. Even death was present. But it doesn't end there, because of so much living going on all around us. These little nature walks get you thinking a lot about stuff like that.

Karuizawa needs more time. At least a week to really see the whole area. There are more hiking trails to enjoy. So much more nature and flowers, and insects. Birds and greens. I will return.

But before leaving, we had to have a nice refreshingly cold bowl of shinshu soba, Nagano's own Buckwheat noodles. Nagano soba is unique for its use of wild vegetable and homegrown wheat. Places in West Japan tend to use a lot of imported wheat from Australia whereas in other parts of Japan, no.

Of course, when visiting Nagano you have to try the local rice brew. Nagano is famed for having a variety of highly cultivated yeast molds called koji. Adding Koji is one of the three most important steps in sake production, and effect texture and aroma of a sake. The jizake we had is called カメノウミ Kame no Umi. Unfortunately, jizake like this one are not available for national distribution in Japan, so I really stress the importance here when visiting Japan, try as much of the local stuff as possible because you will not be able to get it anywhere else.

Again, good food, Jukujo, sake, and nature.

"The Soul of Japan"

Karuizawa

The two best summer foods in Japan are goma dango [sesame seed sticky rice cake] and kakigori[ shaved ice]. Goma dango served fresh and hot is the best, I think. When I ordered this one it took almost 30 minutes to prepare. Most city dweller types rarely have a chance to try fresh sesame seed dango. I think it's because most dango are pre-made early in the morning then served through-out the day, so the soft warmness become firm and too sticky several hours later. And no. They do not taste the same. There's just something about that hot fresh sticky sesame seed goodness that melts in your mouth first thing in the early afternoon. Soft and chewy textured vs. the old and firm textured processed goma dango is no comparison.

The kaki-gori in the above picture is blueberry over shaved ice. The way it was made was with fresh blueberries at the bottom,shaved ice packed over that, then more blueberries on top, so just when you thought the lady didn't add enough berries, there's always more at the bottom. I love the fruity ice coldness, and at how refreshing it is to eat. The ice is so thinly shaved it melts on the tongue, and the blueberries does it up just perfectly. After our hike both of these desserts hit the spot. The shop we were at was old and attached to a house. The two momma-sans, were in the back cooking away. Karuizawa has many such kinds of shops all over the place.

On the wall was the menu, and then next to that were pictures of celebs and musicians that had visited and ate there. I thought the whole place was quaint and relaxing.

Over dessert we were trying to decide where to go next. We could go and try another shop specializing in whatever. Karuizawa is known for its delicious dairy products too, but since the dairy industry was imported, didn't represent much for me. Another place we could go would be a church. Karuizawa is unique for having a few Western-style churches in the area. There's even a choir at one church, but I have never found Western churches a charming feature in Japan, so we skipped them. Shrines for me are more inline with my image of Japan. The shrine we visited is called Kumano-Koukai Shrine.

The shrine was built between two prefectures with an imaginary line running down the middle. The left~side is Nagano Prefecture and the right-side is Gunma Prefecture.

This shrine, like so many in Japan, have a long history about something tragic. But one thing that stood out about this holy place, particularly shrines in general, and something I really love about the Shinto faith, is how everything is infused within the indigenous religion itself. There were soccer jerseys adorning the walls, and soccer related goods all around the shrine. The religion is truly a part of the daily life of the ordinary person and is one of the charming aspects of the country for me. And then this ancient tree.

Like out of an Avatar movie. Some huge cedar thousands of years old, tied into the local religion. Unlike Western religions where you have to separate natural from spiritual. In Shinto, there's a reconciliation between natural and spiritual. We moved on to our hotel after we said our prayers before check-in and hot sexing.

The name of the hotel is called Hotel Karuizawa 1130, about a 40 minute taxi ride from the station - 8000 yen! We were in a hurry because heavy rain clouds moved in and poured heavily for about an hour. The hotel bus was slow, and unfortunately I didn't call ahead to reserve seats on the bus so we grabbed a taxi.

The best feature of this hotel is the hot spring, a pure 100% natural hot spring. Nagano has always been famous for hot springs, but not Karuizawa. Old timers know that this hotel boast one of, if not the best source hot springs in Karuizawa. The water is mineral rich and perfect for general fatigue, muscle aches, and so on. After our long hike it was perfect.

The hotel was huge, and as a result was understaffed as usual. Long corridors with a country club feel made it more appealing for the weekend golfer, or Westerners. There's no old traditional Japanese thing going on here, but was comfortable nevertheless. They didn't have my yukata size, which is not typical, by the way. Dinner was a bit strange. They had a lot of different kinds of fusion cuisine that didn't balance well with sake, so I ordered a bottle of red instead. I rank dinner a D if it weren't for the delicious pork. And the wine was delicious, by the way. Breakfast was alright, but I have had much better. We enjoyed each other afterwards.

In closing, I think what really works is the ' process of simple' travel. We hiked,ate,mated, prayed, and drank. Infusing natural and spiritual dynamics is so vitally important in all aspects of life.

Here's to good living......

Karuizawa Summer

Theme music for this post: A Summer's Day by Mike Rowland [from 7:20 onward]
Theme music 2 for: Dream Ten by Liquid Mind

In Japan there are the four distinct seasons, and for every season there's always a famous scenic spot that Japanese flock to, some in order to escape the heat and sultriness of summer and the concrete slab jungles of Tokyo, while others, to more glorious plateaus that overlook green pastures along low lying valleys stretching deep into the backbone of the countryside. Rolling hills dotted with tiny little hamlets and cottages tucked away here and there, some out of plain view, some in low places, others along unmarked footpaths and waterways. Ancient trees with moss grown thick in them, all lush and green. That's Karuizawa. That famous get away spot for the rich and retired. The place known for its gorgeous golf ranges,densely wooded forests, and ponds.

There we were, me and my other,other seasoned beauty, met by cool temps and pleasant breezes from the northern Nagano Alps poured over us with hot sunshine. As we continued walking toward the station exit a passion whelmed up in my chest. Something about the smell of sunscreen and cool gels on the skin, too. Our itinerary on that beautiful sunny day, with the help of my iphone, was to hike up a 3km trail, 1200 m, near Togemachi to a place called Miharashidai [ 見晴し台] near the Nagano / Gunma borderline. There's a scenic spot overlooking these two prefectures. I twitted most of my hike with Motion X.

This app. allows you to auto update your location to Facebook, Twitter, and your e-mail simultaneously, so if you forget while you are in the middle of a tough hike, it does it for you. The pictures are my location.

I was excited about that hike all the way up from Tokyo. From the Shinkansen's window, as we sped closer and closer to Karuizawa, I could see majestic mountains coming into view. My eyes were blessed.... From Tokyo Station to Karuizawa Station, via the Asama Shinkansen, took only an hour and ten minutes. The fare is 5000 yen one-way, green car[ upgraded]. I only ride green. Normal fare for normal seating is about 3600 yen round-trip.

On the way up, we had an ekiben[ train lunch box]

Mazahad the Nagano chicken lunch box

I had the famous Daruma Bento. The beer was ice cold, by the way.

The inside.

As soon as we made our way down to the taxi rank a cabbie pulls up and whisked us away to are starting point for the hike. According to the weather forecast we were expecting showers later in the afternoon. We started the hike at around 11am and I huffed and puffed my way up as quickly as I could.

The main entrance to the hiking trail is called Kyuーsuitogeーyurando. From this spot you can see signs warning of bears. I didn't have anything to scare the bears off. I forgot to bring bells. Well, Japanese bears are small, so I should be able to wrestle one to the ground.

The whole hiking trail was rich in nature. Fauna and shrubs were here and there. Long and tall cedars were abound.

We crossed over a long wooden bridge near a soft flowing ravine with rocks and bushes.

High up, there were some birds in the trees. We saw lizards and little creatures of every kind scurrying about under patches of green and stone crevices.

So much green, I said to myself. And then this passage from one of Mr. Thoreau's prose came to my mind:

"If a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer. But if he spends his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an industrious and enterprising citizen." ~Henry David Thoreau

This small little fern was really nice. I saw so many of these and was reminded at how long they've been a part of the plant family - 145 millions years! Some folklores claim that if you see a fern then you will have good luck and happiness. We were so happy to see so many plant species preserved and looked after. I was impressed. No speculators here.

The hiking course sort of meandered along a series of dirt trails, and unmarked pathways, taking us here and there. We got lost a little, but it was OK. We had each other. As we continued on, making our way up higher into the mountain trail we discovered beautiful trees, but what we really discovered was summer adorned in green.

The whole hike was invigorating for the both of us. I felt good even though I was breathing heavily. There were berries and small little acorns.

Finally, after a little over an hour we made it to point Miharashidai [見晴台]. While there we took in some lovely views.

From this point Gunma and Nagano Prefectures meet, and from this view point you can get a sense of why so many people travel here during the summer - green.

In the next post I will add one more section highlighting a few more places around Karuizawa, including our hotel and so on.

This blog post will be hosted at J-Festa

Japan vs. America: The Real Deal

I just got through heaping praise upon one of my oldest friends from bygone days on his recent purchase on a home somewhere, and unfortunately he used that moment of praise to rub it in my face. I'm sure he doesn't consider me his friend at all, and for whatever reason other then fundamental disagreements on how we chose to live our lives.

I remember when he fell on hard times, when he didn't have a pot to piss in nor a window to throw It of. I wasn't there for him when he needed me to be, especially during his time of transition. I could've done more. I could've been more of a friend for him but because of my own unhappiness at home I blew him off . After I had introduced him to his wife to be I thought that would easily make up for my lack, but I was wrong. He had to prove to his soon to be wife that he could be a better man than me, by not taking the same path I took and by not concealing the truth about my search for love and happiness.

He had to be honest to her even if it meant ruining our friendship because that's the situation he had been placed in. These events were the undoing of our friendship. I was eaten up by years of bitterness because of the events that transpired between us, but I guess friendships can be like that, some people live by their values and make friends with those who share similar values. I'm a humanist and a hedonist and I don't believe that happiness is bound by the constraints of civic duties or ego. Happiness, like the will of nature, is ruthless and boundless, and that the pursuit of happiness must be acquired by any means necessary. I want to be happy. I am happy...for now. This leads me to the point of my essay - The Real Deal

I was standing under a shaded spot last week when a Black American approached me and questioned why I needed to protect my skin from the hot summer sun. I brushed off his comment as his way of breaking the ice. I'm sure he wasn't interested in a confrontation, but more interested in striking up a real convo with someone of the same ilk, so to speak. Tall lanky, 23 year resident of Japan, .... Is other reasons for being in Japan were vague and obscure. Didn't really care, and didn't bother to ask. I don't care what other Westerners are doing in Japan, just as long as I'm fat and happy. He had me thinking though, about America. He was telling me about why he didn't want to return and how he had reached that point of "no return" after 23 years of living in the gold fish bowl - a term expats use to describe their existence in a largely mono-racial society.

I remember he was telling me about how he wouldn't be able to work under a white person because he felt it was beneath him, sort of demeaning in a way. And that Japan spoiled him because people here kissed his ass, so to speak. I felt his vibe and felt his frustration. Looking back at where I came from and all the things I had to put up with made me reconsider my future and where I wanted to spend the rest of my life.

Are we as human beings bound to this manly sense of duty, or the pursuit of happiness....? Are we truly duty bound? Long term expats are people who forgot to return home for whatever reason. Some got married and fathered children with Japanese women, others purchased property....Or, like me, I fell in love with Japan and its largely mono-racial, non-white majority. I fell in love with a society that allowed me to utilized my resourcefulness which has allowed me to enhance my life, so that I could enhance the lives of others. I chose to come and live here. Nobody drug me out of my home and forced me into a place or a situation that I didn't want to be in, nor a part of. Granted, my life was comfortable in America, prior to Japan. I had basically everything I wanted and needed. I could've done better, sure, just like anyone else but I chose to follow my heart, and it wasn't in America, so I came to Japan. Simple.

The American dream or the American nightmare.

A 39 year old man is supposed to have a home, a family, a wife, a dog, a swimming pool, a secure job.....some respect. He's not supposed to be over here in Japan drinking green tea and sitting in hot springs. He's not supposed to be chasing his sexual fantasies and trying to relive his baby days. Every man is supposed to be duty bound and responsible to himself and his society, and that happiness for him is supposed to be second or third to his wife, or not at all. This is the traditional way. It's the same for the Japanese man. Some men can achieve the fulfillment of duty and happiness at the same time, and then there are the men who hide the truth, or ignore it.

All of my life I fell into a curse of 'funny luck' whereby the right path has always been the wrong path. Some may call it me making excuses for myself. The right way doesn't work. My right actions are always interpreted wrongly and it has always been that way. What I love does not exist for me on a normal plane. Owning a home, and having an amazing job will not bring me happiness, and neither will god, nor the devil. Nothing is interpreted properly for me. If I achieve A, that doesn't mean I will achieve B. It has never ever worked that way for me. But of course this is only understood by me, but by others as just an excuse. That's common, too.

Life is more about choices you make, and not about design or manifest destiny. Just because you attended the finest schools and have a promising career does not mean you will achieve happiness. What is happiness anyway? Well....I can't speak for others, but for me, it's having a big beautiful well matured Japanese woman, like the lady I saw at Takashimaya today. Fair skin, beautiful tits and ass and legs and gorgeous. Or, a plain Jane Rie Shibata type and a few others. Happiness in knowing that we could hit it off on every level and that we could live together in martial bliss. I introduced my old friend to the woman of his life, by my own good graces and keen eyes, and yet he is ungrateful and never ceases at an opportunity to tear at me, instead thanking his guardian angel for this person, but of course that's wrongly interpreted, too. But you know, that's truly the story of my life. And so I have to live with this strange and funny luck curse....whereby if I help someone something bad comes back to me in return. My maternal mom shares similar tough luck situations.

Doing what works is better. Don't force a square peg into a round hole. If what you do doesn't work, find another way. For me, I came to Japan and created this blog which is the total manifestation of everything I love and cherish. Some call it escaping. They can call it what they want. I call it me chasing my dream and separating myself from odd elements that don't jive well with my sensibilities. Or the funny karma situations that never turn in my favor, for whatever reason be it great or small. I choose my desire over everything.

For others, not like me, who are caught in the struggle with trying to find the right way channel their energies into their careers, or buy expensive things. For many, the American dream has become a nightmare, for others, like my old friend, a dream come true. He earned it. He worked hard for it and he never gave up on what he wanted. That wouldn't have been possible had it not been for me in the early beginnings. He got a free pass on that one, the very start that I wanted and never had for millions reasons.

In my earliest days I wanted to go to seminary and study religion, I also wanted to become a pilot and fly, then marry early and have a family. I had no interest in Japan back then. These things never materialized for a million reasons. The ideal wife was the most important thing, though, not the career. Having a career will bring you a larger selection of potential wives to choose from, but never the ideal one. For some maybe. I would hate to be duty bound and wifeless, or tied down to someone I didn't love and who didn't love me, or one who didn't enjoy sex..... That would be worse.

I would rather stay bound to my desire than to be bound to a not so ideal woman, because without the right woman nothing matters. It must be miserable to be in a sexless marriage with a woman you don't find sexually attractive. And kids who all they care about is your money. And a house with a mortgage that you never seem to have enough money to pay for at the end of the month. Living with that kind of stress is not happiness. And then job security, insurance, college tuitions. I guess that's real happiness, like death and taxes.

Happiness is the Jukujo and being five years old again. Sniffing the womb of desire, and holding on to her beautiful thick thighs. And drinking her breast milk. And licking her fair white smooth skin. Feel her big soft clean smooth ass. Sticking my tongue down her throat. And she's loving every bit of it, and every bit of me. That is happiness, along with delicious nihonshu, hot springs, the indigenous religion of Japan, great food, and Japanese gods.

I would like to have a home someday too, like my friend. Right here in Japan, though. A Japanese home with a gorgeous Jukujo who loves having hot sex with me. I have the hot Jukujo sex women now, but would like another one, just to start over from scratch again. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing. My blog is the total of all of me. Don't need America. This is the Real Deal.

Living in Japan does not enhance your job prospects back at home, so when you decide to leave remember that. Most returnees, if they return, will have to face unimaginable hardships, like my old friend did. I don't even want to imagine what he had to go through, but like I said, he got the big head start from me, so no excuses from him. He was lucky to know me back then for without me he would've certainly drowned, but something tells me he would've arisen again. That would've been the greatest come back, not this one!

Wherever you come from, most people in your home country will never understand what your life was like in Japan. They'll never be able to relate to your experience and most often will not count your time abroad as relevant experience at all. Like my friend said, you have to be relevant and the longer you stay here in Japan the less relevant you become, so when coming here you need to come-n-go soon because if you don't...well. Sure, some people are lucky to know others and get the best parts handed to them on a silver platter.

Another friend once told me that I needed to circumcise my heart. Peel away all of the unnecessary things that you don't need and just focus on your dream. My heart is truly focused.

Hips & Lips: Salarywoman

Theme Music for this post: Timeless and Tender, Pt. 1 by Liquid Mind

The model you see on the cover is Asuna Kawai; age 25; 162cm tall; E cup; W60H88. Native of Yamagata Prefecture. Stunning.

Don't know if it's me or not, but Japanese salarywomen are the most well-dressed in the morning. There's a Starbucks I used to frequent in Yokohama that had a great outside view. I used to get there at around opening and grab the first morning's brew, then crack open my laptop and catch up with the world. Lovely, I'd lift that large coffee mug up to my nose and then take a nice deep nose flaring sniff, filling my whole nasal cavity up with the aroma of freshly ground coffee and then that hot sip - eyebrows tightened. I was ready after that. Easing back gently into my seat I typed out a few e-mails and enjoyed my morning.

When you frequent the same coffee shop you see a lot of the same faces rolling in every morning at around the same time. I'd see the typical expats passing by my window, some unkempt and untidy, especially the women, like they'd just rolled out of bed and out the door. The expat men were no better either with their morning glare, like "I'll kill you motherfucka' if you say a word to me" look on their faces. The usual Japanese faces I would see on a daily basis were sharp and smart looking; primly and properly groomed. Business suits neatly creased. Not one single strand of hair out of place, it seemed. I remember seeing two or three very nice looking salary women, both with long legs. The femur of a woman is the most beautiful part of a woman's leg to me. From looking at the subject, from knee to hip bone, her femur was about 18 inches, which is perfect for a men with long torsos, especially if sexing her in half missionary style - it's easier. One Jukujo I shag has 18 inch femurs and since I have broad shoulders and a long torso, missionary works really well for us, especially since I'm top heavy.

Every once in awhile a magazine in Japan comes out featuring something mature and sexy, but most often times not. In this new magazine series called "hip & lip" you can get up close and personal with the subject and her pantyhose. Now, I don't have a pantyhose fetish at the moment, but have always been intrigued at how well Japanese women wear them every single day, that's it. I think pantyhose accentuate the natural curves on a woman and are very fashionable when worn properly.

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Let's not confuse stockings with pantyhose, either. Stockings are 'old school' and come in two separate pieces, one for each leg. You roll them up to about thigh level whereas pantyhose is a one - piece garment all together. Pantyhose are sensual and seductive.

For a number of years, I have worked under very powerful Japanese women. Power suits, boots, and killer looks have always been there in front of me. The charm for me is that Japanese women really do infuse so many of the physical and character attributes I love in a woman: Beauty and strength; elegance and refinement; reserve and restrained; docile and assertive in an indirect way. I love playing second to them. I just want to be a good subordinate. I never talk back. [sigh]. My days filled with beautiful black suit clad Japanese power matrons is heaven.

On the flip side, across the pond, I remember my days when I was working customer service in the States. Everyday there was an eye sore that I had to face off with it seemed. Yes. I was intimidated by some of these Hun like American girls barking at me, many with hairy forearms. I won't lie.... I remember this ogre looking lady was trying to get my attention while I was selling a customer on a product. She kept nagging me about something stupid and trivial, can't remember exactly. I had to stop my sales pitch with another customer and chew her out right there in front of my customer and then she ran to get her ridiculous little punk A$$ henpecked husband who I gladly put in his place. Unbelievable at how some guys walk around looking for some respect with their heads up high and proud of such a hideous looking beast of wives. Guys like him make me sick - and this guy has to wake up to her. I can see why he drinks so heavily. Overwork doesn't send you to the grave, a painful to look at eye soar will, though!

I hope that all of my female bosses are Japanese - forever. And not because they're a necessarily kinder, but because they are power pump strutting JapanESE. If you had to create the ideal boss in your head, what would he or she be!? What physical or mental qualities would they have?