So, with Gabe on his way to America, I headed back to the island to start working and living my life again. The narrative for this post is pretty loose (read: this is just a bunch of random pictures), but I would say that a loose random narrative pretty much sums up my life these days. There are certainly worse things than being at loose ends after work, going around and seeing wonderful things, doing things with friends, and taking pictures. In fact just the other day I was out on my scooter after work, tearing around some tiny switchback on the side of some mountain, and I thought "If I could stay here and not have to work, and it could be summer all the time, I would never leave." Immediately after I had that thought, I figured most people would stay any place in the world if they never had to work and it was summer all the time, but still. It's sublime here after work.



Those of you who knew me before I went to Japan know I had a thing for abandoned houses. Abandoned houses are funny in Japan, because they are all locked up and in spotless condition. The only way you can tell they are abandoned is that the mailboxes are full of old notices, and the grass is not mowed. There is no creeping into abandoned homes, finding little bits of detritus and old forgotten things here, at least not that I have found. I did find one falling-down building the other day, but there were footprints in the mud that weren't mine, so who knows what goes on here.





On Tuesday of last week, after school I was driving home and I passed a little old harbor I always admire as I pass, but had never photographed. As I'm down into the last month before I go home, I have gotten into this mindset where I look at something and ask myself if I have satisfactorily photographed it or not. If the answer is no, I pull over and have another go at it. Here is my first shot at the little stone harbor in Kinoe.


Let's just take a moment to acknowledge the fact that that tiny road along the right is my commute to work. I'm so spoiled for roads and driving.






I don't think anyone uses this harbor any more.

The other recent development has been fishing, namely doing a lot of it. I asked Mori to teach me to do the net fishing he does every day, so that meant going out one afternoon and then again at 7:00 the next morning. I don't have many pictures because I was hauling nets into the water the first time, and then blearily hauling fish out of the water the next morning, decked out in full waterproof clothes and white rubber boots.


After dropping the nets.

The next day Mori and his father pulled the big new boat out of the water to clean it, and Mori supervised the tracks that the boat went onto, Mori's father drove the boat, and I handled the gigantic winch with the most awesome control box ever.



I am realizing this is all one day. First the net, then we pulled the boat out, and then Kawamoto-san took me (and friends) out for dinner as a thank you for making some nice prints of pictures I took of his kids. Dinner was yakiniku (grilled meat) which is super-popular Japanese food here, and I have never seen back home. I will have to open a yakiniku shop.




One of the kids I photographed. This is me photographing him again.

After Yakiniku, there was bars and karaoke, and after that, there was sitting out in the road.


As soon as I go out with Mori and co, the pictures become blurry. It's practically a rule.



The next day Theresa visited from Kui. We drove around tiny roads, but we didn't do much because I was a little bit wrecked by drinking and karaoke, followed by hauling nets and getting stung by stingrays. As of now, I hate sting rays.


A temple back in the hills.


I think Neko and I felt about the same way that day.

Finally, a preview of the epic that begins next week - last days at school, lots of pictures of cute kids, with the occasional side adventures of being chased by a helicopter, driving a giant boat really fast, and nearly killing myself for a sunset.


Hatsune on my second to last day at Nishino elementary, photogenic as ever.

I'm not sure if I'll update on Monday, as it's a national holiday in Japan (Ocean day).

This entry was posted on Friday, July 14, 2006 at 2:41 PM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.