nickelass

I hear Japanese voices; I’m standing on an empty football field in Telstra Stadium. All eyes are on me but every seat is empty. The loudspeaker is announcing something I cannot make sense of. It is really frustrating because it sounds important and I desperately want to understand. Music begins to play.

“Ah man!”

I know I’m dreaming.

From the age of around 12 I’ve been able to control them, dreams that is. To explain would take a while, but trust me, once I’m aware that I’m dreaming within a dream I have full control of when I wake up. Actually, I would never tell anyone how I do it. Why? Someone told me the trick and I’ve regretted knowing it from the moment they finished the sentence. If there were but one thing I could erase from my mind it would be my ability to control dreams. You always take the easy way out when you crave control. I have not finished a challenging dream since 1992.

I push the real world into my mind and I peak open my right eye. The world moves from an empty stadium to a semi-traditional Japanese living room. Yet, the song continues.

“What the hell?”

Welcome to rural Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan.

Village songs, as Nicola informs me, are played to the village (hence the name) at 6am, 5pm and 10pm. I like the 10pm one because they play that old Japanese favourite, Auld Lang Syne. Right...

Ok I make some toast from the half loaf. It’s the largest amount of single packaged bread you can get!

I’m off to ‘help’ Nicola teach her year 5 and 6 kids at the local primary school. The primary school is set in the valley between lovely mountains.


I’m introduced to the principle and few teaches and then taken on a tour. The school is massive for the 52 kids it has. Hell, the special needs kid has their own classroom. This is a nation that appropriately invests in education. As we walk around I can hear Taiko drumming in the background. Sure enough we walk in to a class who has been learning for about 6 months.


It sounds like 6 years.


Being the silly visiting white guy I’m invited to play but after completely missing the rhythm I’m very gently handing the sticks back. It is only later that I consider it is to save my own face.

Post tour we head off to teach a class. Once class was over it was lunch time. Basically a few kids from the class go down to cafareia and pick up the food, bring it back and serve it to the other class members and teacher. It’s a full blow Japanese affair with every plate having the food arranged ‘as it should be’ on the table trays.
After eating lunch the kids have 45 mins to play and Nicola and I quickly jump in the car and head further up the valley to visit past the local dam.
Our destination is Nicola’s friend Ayami’s farm in Yuyuma (?).

As it is further up the valley the mountains seem to close in creating a more pronounced scene. We have a quick look around the farm. Mizukami itself, I’m lead to believe, means near flowing water or near water and everywhere you go you hear the sound of running water.

Most farms seem to nowadays cultivate more then just rice and tea. Some also do mushrooms and strawberries or blueberries. Ayami’s farm also has a little store were in summer they sell their product. Outside I spy this hand made see-saw. Turns out Ayami’s dad made it by hand for any kids who visit. What a sweet old luscious life it can be when you are able to create something that I’m sure brings so much simple joy.
The Japanese are a very industrious people. They always are running here, doing that, trying this new idea out. They are working in their sleep kind of people. It is like there is always a little hack to me made that just might work.


After a quick tour my tour guide and I must dash back to school to become Nico Sensi. No kidding, it was how some of the kids referred to me. I have to admit, I felt Ninja like for about 0.3 seconds. In fact, on Monday I’m going to send a memo to my team about my new title. Nico Sensi: Test Analyst. Mission: Have that put on a business card.

After teaching another class of the most lovely students ever created, we begin to leave when the kids from the first class we've had comes up to Nicola and I. I’m handed the most amazing rainbow paper crane set thing. I still have not unfolded it because I do not want to stuff it up. I’m told the story. I’m so in shock at the fact every class member has sat in their classroom throughout the entire lunch break, working as a team to create this awesome master work. It is typical of rural Japanese kids.

We head back down to Nicola’s place and further on to the nearest bigger town. Checking out a massive water wheel and naked ass monkeys (haha, beat you too it mike!).



It is also a good opportunity to check out a local shrine and temple overlooking the town. That is of course with Nicola nearly pulling a mwp inspired backwards roll on the stairs of death.





Afterwards it’s back to Nicola’s to chill for a while. Nicola does some work an I try my best to finish Ben Dolnick’s Zoology. After being inspired Nicola attempts to teach me how to make a paper crane.

You are given no points for guessing which coloured crane was folded by your truly and by Nicola. It is fairly obvious and no I do not remember how to make one. I’ve never been one to commit things to memory that easy.

In keeping with Japan’s no drinking and driving at all rule, plus the forgotten fact that Nicola can drink… look at for the record I’m not calling anyone alcoholic… she can just drink me under then table. In fact most nights she literally did, I was sleeping on the floor near a table! Ok, someone just hand me a shovel.

So a brisk walk into Fukinoto and we pull off the main street, up some driveway that apparently is a road, left at a post office (?) and a restaurant appears. Much to our amusement we are the only customers of the whole night. The food is made of awesome as usual and the beer is just what the Dr ordered.


Being the lightweight I am, I call it after a few beers and really we still have to roll home.

Apparently getting suited up to the walk proves difficult to Nico.

The Japanese version of the London phone box shot. I thought the Keke move really made this photo. I think now would be a good point to introduce ‘pleasant time’. The lovely watch I’ve been wearing has broke, so I had no watch for the first few days in Japan. That made getting planes and so forth a little problematic. In a society were nothing is ever late, being late is not an option. So cut and long story short (ha!), I was introduced to the 100 Yen shop (+ tax) where Nicola and I picked out a lovely kids watch that that above the digitalally awesome 1980 clock proudly tells you NOT the present time, but the pleasant time. As noted to Nicola no matter what happened for the rest of the trip I would always have the pleasant time.

Next day Nicola has a meeting in Hitoyoshi about 1 hour away. I want to check out the local castle ruins.

I walk through the town on my way over walking on covered water ways that are so common in this region.



I climbed up to the top of the ruins. It’s a cold day but kinda pretty in that crisp way.




Up the very top there is little pagoda and I spy some funny direct English translations written in the wood.

It seems like there are some universal truths when it comes to young love, but in Japan I like how they ad some cute little hello kitty things.


Walking back towards town I get a little lost and end up in the back streets of town. You are always ensured of a few things in Japan. You will see something different everyday and there are more restaurants and cafés then people.

So here is you bit of random for the day. The fact that this is road legal is cool right but if you look closely I love the hack kitchen sponges used to make that foot rest just that little bit more comfy. I find my path and spy a weird looking coffee shop on the main street and Nicola pointed out on the drive in.

After some attempted translation I end up getting a coffee and a slice of awesome cake. Sitting at a long bar I’m writing notes and just looking around. Some old guy smoking in the corner. There is a really old lady is sitting at the bar with her, as I find out, daughter. The old lady has the most amazing English and we have the conversation you always have on the road. Where are you from, how long you here, where are you going? All the while we have the sounds of Destiny’s Child cranking crappy RnB. I mean this place is high class, well at least going by the prices and fit out, and yet the music is not exactly befitting. I’ve noticed that when Japanese people take from American culture and mix it with local spaces it often ends up in the this twisted mash up. Can you imagine a café filled with grandmothers and old business men with background lyrics like ‘there ain’t no talking about slappin a hoe’? No, well welcome to Japan.

On the way back out I realise that I am full accepted in Japan.


It is true but. To be in a country like Japan is to be the other. I’m slowly adapting to this fact and I feel ok being the odd object in any given room.

After going out every night Nicola and I stick to a home cooked meal and drinking.

I’m pleased to report that pre-mixed drinks are as lame in Japan as they are in Australia. I’m also equally pleased to report that Nicola can still cook a wicked meal. To add to that, Champaign does taste lovely in Japan and if you’re a weak man like myself it will still give you a wicked headache in the next morning.


Tomorrow was a big day of high school visits, lovely lunching and mountain adventures.