Hot Item: Panasonic Lumix FT-2

I recently purchased this camera on a whim while in Kagoshima, but despite my lack of careful deliberation, doing so turned out to be a smart move. The complete radness of this camera is not limited to the orange finish: as one of the latest 'tough' cameras to come to the market, it is shock resistant to 2m drops, waterproof to 10m, and captures 14MP images. Oh, and it shoots some quality HD video.

This is my crew in a sea cave in Miyako. The approach to this cave requires wading through water, so taking my DSLR was out of the question (and I can't afford a waterproof housing).

The images are rather outstanding when shot at close range underwater. Shooting at longer ranges naturally subjects your image to more external circumstances like water turbidity and lighting, so image quality seems to drop off rapidly with distance. My longer range underwater shots from this day are pretty unremarkable, so I'm not posting them here. However, I think that the camera is capable of beautiful underwater photos with the right conditions. That is to say that the camera has not been the limiting factor in my photos so far. I look forward to taking it to the limit next time we have a nice dive.

The excellent HD video capability is the unexpected best feature of this camera. Overlooking the poor quality of YouTube, check out this video:

I didn't wear a weight belt that day, so I kept floating and colliding with the tunnel overhead. Still, pretty cool.

Anyway, having underwater photography (and sweet video) has unlocked a new zone of shareable adventure here in Miyako. Look forward to more stuff.

Final Answer?

Remember the manzai lunch?

Here the shougakkou 4th graders perform an impromptu game-show style quiz for everyone's post-lunch entertainment.

Sega Outrun: Miyako

Video game box art?

Sure, the island is small, but it looks like this. No complaints from this guy.

Yo dawg, I heard you like well lit restrooms

so we put neons in your toilet so you're backlit while you doo doo.

Summer may be Here.

Maehama beach. Preferred venue for v-ball.

The mystery beverage option on a vending machine. Yeah.

Doing work.

Announcing at Miyako Strongman Triathlon.

The other day,

someone asked me when I was going to leave this place.

Heh.

A Whale-like Voice

So, they (members of the local board of education, my employer) thought it would be super kokusaiteki, or an otherwise good idea, to have me play banjo (very exotic) during the intermission at this term's junior high school English storytelling contest. 

Here's the thing: they wanted a complete show featuring me, a set of songs, and singing.  

I'm a terrible singer.  My Most Excellent Friend Eli describes my voice as 'cetaceous.'  Yes, I pulled a fast one on someone in the JET Programme selection process: I don't have "excellent intonation, rhythm, pronunciation, and volume", or whatever is called for.  I sound like a whale, and though whales sing in their way, it is a style that is fairly inaccessible.  Like enka.*

Perhaps it is best described as not being entirely unlike the sound of a shitty practice amp whose bass knob is cranked up as the remaining tonal knobs are turned extremely off.  That is, it can sound loud and deep, yet it is  somehow inherently muffled.  It's been a blessing and a curse since my youth.  No, I take that back-- it's given me an unbelievable amount of shit.  Mostly in the form of my dad yelling at me for mumbling all the time.  And I can't sing.

So,

Clearly they had no idea what they were getting into.  Sure, sure, I can play a few crappy songs on my crappy banjo with my crappy technique, but asking this guy to sing is agressively reckless.  One could really sour the mood of the event by doing this sort of thing.  And it's a day for the children, you know.

Still I reluctantly accepted the task because, well, I had already done this sort of thing for one of my schools.  They had a schoolwide musical presentation in which I was called up to play "Country Roads."

Little did you know, all Japanese people are familiar with "Country Roads"; that is, KANTORII ROUDO(ZU).  It was a safe choice.

Anyway, I did it.  It was fine because the audience simply consisted of my students (who already know how cool I fail to be) and grandparents of said students.  I could have gone on stage and hula-hooped for 3 minutes and been met with applause.  It wasn't fine because someone surreptitiously shot a video and committed it to Digital Versatile Disc (DVD).  Not that anyone has or will ever watch it-- it's probably sitting in a cabinet at the school.  I'm still uneasy.

The board of education was aware of this whole affair.  I decided it would be socially costly, if not rude, to decline their request for me to play, regardless of how much of an ass I anticipated making of myself.

With the actual contest weeks away, I had ample time to practice up and prepare a set list.  So I waited until the day before the show to do all of that.

I decided to break out the guitar for one of the songs, Old Crow Medicine Show's "Big Time in the Jungle."  No demanding singing there, and I like the song.  On the banjo front, I readied "Rocky Top" (feebly reppin' for TN) and KANTORII ROUDO (why waste time learning a new song?). 

Despite the changes and my newfound, cleaving decisiveness about what to play, I became extremely nervous as the performance approached.  Really nervous.  I made it a point to express my unease to every person I encountered regardless of whether the conversational context suited it.  I felt like hadn't prepared well enough.  Which I hadn't.

When I finished teaching that day, I decided to do what little practice I could manage.  Half-panicking, I went outside and proceeded to go through the material.

It didn't take long for students to start gathering around me to listen.  They emerged gradually, two or so at a time.  This was fantastic because it helped me get used to the idea of performing in front of lots of people.  Eventually the resident third year (our 9th grade) rockabilly guitar dude came up.  I gave him the guitar and asked him whether he knew KANTORII ROUDO.

As if there were any question about the matter. 

We jammed on that shit for 10 minutes.  Everyone joined in and sang Engrish on the chorus, and I held the verses together while turning out some decent banjo rolls.

Rocking out with the students really turned my world around.  I felt all genki and like myself again.  This isn't meant to imply that I thought I could play the songs better-- it was just that I cared less about whether I sounded good and cared more about rocking.  So, lots of positive energy was received at that moment, and it got me psyched up for the performance.  As for the performance itself, I don't know how good it sounded, but at least I didn't forget any lyrics.  One of my teachers stepped up and played guitar on KANTORII ROUDO (because everyone knows...) as I did my thing.  I even did an extra song when the intermission ended up running longer than expected.  Anyway, I'm not sure that I could have done it without kicking it with the students first.  

Thanks.

* ZING, JAPAN!  Or not.

Potentially unsatisfying

But really I can only take one prune at a time, regardless of whether it is individually wrapped.

Onion-salt rice with pork and coconut chicken curry

This plus salads and drinks for less than 2000 yen.

Laid Back Cafe

Cafe near my place

I like the style ofthis place.

A principal gets the students jazzed up for an ekiden.

Unique Conversations: Taxi

It would be as much of a mistake to say that people in Miyako are friendly as it would be to say that they aren't, but I've had a few good, unexpected experiences.

I took a taxi to the airport last month.  Little did I know that I would not only be taken to my destination, but to the wonderful and mysterious world of The Origins of the Miyako Language. 

Miyako Language?  Yeah, it is different from Japanese.  And by different, I mean entirely unlike Japanese.

Here are a few examples (with ample mistakes, I'd expect):

ミドゥーン (miduun) means 彼女 (kanojo), or 'girlfriend'

ンミャーチ (nmyaachi) means ようこそ (yokoso), or 'welcome'

ンギャマス (ngyamasu) means だまれ! (damare), or 'shut up'

アッチャンカイ (acchankai) means 'see you later/bye/etc.'

バタゴゴ (batagogo) means 'I'm full (stomach).'

People interested in Japanese as an elegant language with clean, precise sounds (as I was) should steer clear of Miyako.  It's amusing but not pretty.  It has grown on me, but it still sounds like a mess and is unintelligible to mainland Japanese.  Further, as the taxi driver explained, there are still many problems regarding the transliteration of Miyako words into Japanese characters.

Yes.

Little did I know, the taxi driver had a wealth of information regarding the origins of the Miyako language.  As we made our way to the airport, I explained that I came to Japan largely because I wanted to learn the language, to which he replied 'Yes, but what do you think of the Miyako dialect?'  I immediately saw an education in the making.

APPARENTLY the Miyako language has many similarities to Satsuma Japanese, though the direction of this relationship was unknown to the driver.  He also explained to me how it is difficult to write some Miyako family names in Japanese kanji because of the disparity between the sounds used in Miyako and the sounds that are available in Japanese.

I was taking notes.  The taxi had became a lecture hall.

Naturally, I was reluctant to leave when we arrived at the airport.  These days it is difficult enough to hear interesting thoughts from anyone, and hearing accessible thoughts about Japan/Miyako from an actual local person is doubly so.  When I met my crew at the airport I explained what happened.  

"You heard all of this from a taxi driver?" they asked.  

Word.

To Start in on Posting Instances of Engrish is a Slippery Slope...

...but this is simply too memorable.  The purpose of this decal is to indicate on a given vehicle that there is a pregnant woman on board.  It was spotted in a 100 yen shoppe.

P.S. Here is an edit:  What really gets me about this (aside from the accidentally suggestive quality of the sticker) is the pleased expression on the character's face.  I yearn to be that complacent.

Snorkeling

We had a good dive this past Saturday. Early in the morning we headed out to a small beach next to the fishing harbor near the eastern cape. Visibility was excellent and the surface was extremely calm. With that, we were able to stay out for a long time and see a lot of good stuff. Watching a few sea turtles lazily glide around was the highlight of the morning. Maybe we'll see some sharks next time.

The Downside of Motorcycling in Miyako

Perhaps you are a motorcyclist. Perhaps you are even a motorcyclist from the United States.

If so, I think you are going to understand what I am talking about. I resist speculation about countries I have yet to ride in, but I have good reason to believe that riders from countries that drive on the right hand side of the road will also know what I am talking about. But this has become quite the prologue-- what is it that I am talking about?

The US Motorcyclist Wave.

It might possibly be the finest, most simple greeting, gesture, or general expression I have had the pleasure of receiving (and giving) in my life. To be sure, I am generally a neophyte when it comes to bikes, and this undoubtedly makes my views rather...rosy. Hear me out.

However-- details, please.

The Scenario: Two motorcyclists on indeterminate machines (each having less than 4 wheels but more than 1 wheel [1]) approach each other via their respective oncoming lanes.
Action: We see the perspective of Biker 1-- riding in his right lane, he is able to free his hand from the left handlebar and reappropriate it to the necessary and honorable task of 'waving' [2] to the oncoming rider (coming from the forward left, mind you).
The events occur in the same fashion as Biker 2 (approaching from the opposite direction) reciprocates the gesture of motorcyclehood.
Outcome: Each rider, though confident in his individuality and responsibility regarding the quintessential self-determination of motorcycling, is mildly reassured by the fact that others, like himself, 'get it' in a world of cage drivers who generally believe that it is acceptable to eat, apply makeup, text message, watch TV, receive oral sex, compose essays, give oral sex, and listen to siren-drowning music behind tinted or curtained windows while driving.[3]

If you still don't understand how great this is, let me share with you a few aspects about the motorcycle wave that I particularly celebrate.

(1) You can count on it to occur. This is due to the fact that most riders think it is awesome. On the worst day of your life, after your dog licks up a quart of antifreeze and your 360 goes RROD and your best friend steals your woman and your life is generally fit for a country music song, you can rest assured that when riding your bike, another biker will wave to you. That is, as long as you encounter the biker before you are T-boned by a cage running a red light.

(2) The qualification for participation is straightforward. Ride a motorcycle, see note [1].

(3) It is easy. Control speed and direction with your right hand and let your left hand say 'What it do.' No, it isn't really a question in any significant sense. See note [2].

THE ISSUE
Miyako is a beautiful place in terms of scenery, but I do 'have problem.' Technically being subject to the traffic laws of a larger island nation called 'Japan' (it is to the north some distance), traffic in Miyako drives on the opposite side of the road (left). And while cars are constructed to accommodate this, the layout of motorcycles is the same as that of the United States (right hand throttle and brake and steer, left hand WAVE and clutch and steer).

Perhaps you can already see the problem. Recalling the above Scenario, we see that driving on the right side of the road is crucial to the waving process. It allows full view of the wavers' left hands. Given that bikes are configured the same way in Miyako as they are in the US, it is (painfully) evident that an easy wave is impossible. The left hand is tragically obscured as bikers pass each other on their respective right sides. End result: there is no biker to biker waving in Miyako.

Being a foreigner in Japan is an inherently lonely experience. But there is so much that foreigners can and should do to successfully overcome that feeling, and I have been rather upbeat about the issue. However, being unable to wave to fellow motorcyclists is a tough pill to swallow. An entire people is oblivious to the awesomeness and my rides are solipsistic.

POTENTIAL CONSOLATION
I am open to the possibility that, as a foreigner, I am somehow excluded or oblivious to nonverbal communication that occurs between native riders. I can live with that. Perhaps there is a subtle nod that occurs, difficult to observe at speed but there nonetheless. Also, full face helmets are rare-- most riders wear so-called jet helmets (3/4 helmet with a large face shield) or these goony brain buckets (optimally placed on the back of the head, top of helmet facing to the rear, protecting as little of the rider as possible). Maybe a dramatic wince or knotting of the eyebrows could signal rider fellowship.

Nevermind..forget that. I get that from grandmas when I go to the grocery store.

Some other time will write about the groups of 'buggies' piloted by tourists here on the island.



NOTES
[1] There are numerous cases to be made for exceptions. Common practice typically includes motorcyclists and trikes and excludes scooters. Given my current loneliness, however, I would be as willing to wave to someone on a Vespa as I would a tot on a Big Wheel ('tot'? Who says that?). Motorized unicycle? http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=HIa0q47CXsk
Yes. How could you resist waving? He better keep focused, though-- don't expect a response.
Segway? Of course not.

[2] The wave can't be a WAVE. Typically the hand, with outstretched fingers, is lowered down below the handlebar for two seconds or so. That's it. Awesome. It just has to look slightly irregular in order to indicate your acknowledgement.

[3] That was a John Stuart Mill sentence.

Curtained windows? Yeah, that is permitted here in Miyako. I don't know the legality, but it appears to be OK, de facto. Many women here are careful to avoid sun exposure. For example, are those desert nomads at the beach, swaddled in opaque layers? NO! Locals. You can see many cars here in which the driver's side windows are shrouded by a curtain. No, I don't mean a baby-in-carseat shade thing, I mean the real deal: curtain rod, valence, and everything. I'll let you make the call.

Image from http://rjq.jp/new/200405/22.html

Orientation in Naha, Okinawa proper

Naha. Our nearest major city.

Higashi Hennazaki

This is the lighthouse at the eastern cape. Directly behind and to the left is a small fishing jetty and a beach that features the best snorkeling I have seen here so far.

On the East Coast

Without warning I forced the microvan on to the sidewalk along the road I was traveling. You can do these sorts of things in Japan because:

(1) it is normal to do so and

(2) the car fits neatly.

This shot was taken on my second day of driving in Japan.