Celio's Japan Journal Plus

Thoughts on Art after the Great Tohoku Earthquake and the Transnational Art group exhibition

2012-01-16T00:30:00.002+09:00

It is said that the tremendous energy release from the earthquake on March 11th, 2011 shifted the Japanese landmass 20 meters closer to North America, and altered both the earth’s axis and its rotation speed. I’d like to think that on that day Japan and the rest of the world were brought much closer together and changed in greater ways. Inspiring expressions of solidarity have come to us in Japan from every corner of the world, and people have come together to help those directly afflicted by the triple disaster in whatever capacity they can.

Following the disastrous events of that fateful spring day afternoon, I’ve been reflecting deeply on the role of art in the aftermath of such devastation, pain and suffering caused by a 9.0 earthquake, a 38 meter tsunami and the meltdown of multiple nuclear reactors. How does the artistic community contribute meaningfully to the reconstruction effort of not only the physical infrastructure of the country, but also to the mind and spirit of our society? What is the role of art following such a great disaster? Great debate and activity is taking place regarding this, I'd like to share my thoughts with you.

I believe the role of art is to lift up the spirits of the afflicted, for art is a place of healing for the mind and spirit. By looking at art we can enter a different world where the imagination soars and where the impossible becomes real. We may feel overburdened with life but for a moment we can experience a new world and feel something different. We can find inspiration in art to help us find strength to move forward and strive for better things. In art we can come face to face with our fears and desires, we can be confronted or comforted. Most importantly, through art we find expressions of hope for a better future.

At our gallery this year we had the great pleasure to work together with overseas-based artists committed and resolute in their solidarity with the Japanese art scene; among them Mark Goss and Ann-Marie James (in collaboration with Jamie Goodenough's HeadSpace Studio in Nara) Jack Sal, Sambuu Zayazaikhan, Gabriel Leung and Peter Musters. We worked hand-in-hand with gallerists Edson and Helena Cardoso of Helsinki’s AVA Galleria and Ryoko Kitamura at Contemporary Art Space Osaka (CASO) to bring a collection of over 50 paintings and sculptures by 20 Finnish artists including Kaisu Lundelin and a special performance by Kirsti Pitkänen and Heikki Korkalainen this past september at CASO. Throughtheir efforts all these artists and gallerists kept open a direct and important conduit to Japan in the days, weeks and months after the events of March 11th and added to the commendable work already underway by Japan-based local and foreign artists, galleries and cultural institutions.

From its very inception in early 2008, TRANSNATIONAL ART has been a collaborative effort between artists, gallerists and curators of diverse national, cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The breaking down of these barriers allow for a richness in artistic disciplines, media, themes, perspectives and approaches to art-making to create the foundation for the exhibition. The artists have been rigorously selected based upon the strength of their body of work, the plurality of issues and themes they explore, their techniques, experience and their potential.

Because of this comprehensive collection of art a rather important element takes shape within this exhibition. Through their work each artist provides us with a mirror in which to behold ourselves and simultaneously create windows in which to peer into the possibilities of their worlds.

This fourth edition of the exhibition is our strongest yet and carries with it an added meaning as a very palpable expression of solidarity between artists at a time of great distress.

Having witnessed first hand the far reaching impact of the triple disaster on Japan and the world, it’s no surprise that every artist in this exhibition has been affected by it in different ways. For some it meant the sudden alteration or cancelation of projects and exhibitions, for others it cemented their resolve to provide a sense of continuity, stability and solidarity with the people of Japan. For many it has provided inspiration or influence visible in their work, while for others it’s a much more internal affair, leading to contemplative works imbued with the resilience of the Japanese spirit. However, most importantly, for all of this year’s participating artists the effects of The Great Tohoku Earthquake have strengthened the bonds between them, regardless of national boundaries, distance or language; to stand together in these very trying times.

It is encouraging to no small degree therefore to see that in spite of the calamities suffered, be they a crippling economic crisis, the aftermath of cataclysmic events or sudden geo-political change, like-minded individuals will come together in unity and provide a world for our minds and spirits to seek in refuge, inspiration, resolve, love and hope.

It is thus with great pleasure that I’d like to welcome you to TRANSNATIONAL ART 2012 at the Osaka Contemporary Art Center, and invite you to enjoy the works we have lovingly prepared for you. On behalf of everyone involved with the show, I’d like to thank you personally for taking the time to visit the exhibition, and hope that you walk away having enjoyed it.

Celio H. Barreto, Owner & Director, SoHo Art Gallery

http://transart2012.blogspot.com

Winter Update

2010-03-02T09:00:00.002+09:00

Hi guys, I haven't had a chance to write for some time, so I finally got a handful of minutes to pop an entry. A lot has been going on for the past few months. I've been busy with work, fighting the evil forces of a sluggish economy to keep the shop going, and I tell you I'm quite exhausted. Things are finally starting to very very very slowly turn for the less worse, and that makes me quite happy. I've had a chance to work with some very cool people on new and exciting projects and that contributes greatly to a positive outlook on things.

One new addition to my life that is helping me feel much better is my new puppy, Chelsea, a cute little beagle who loves to play, eat and sleep. She's 6 months old today and at the end of a busy day she's right there with her tail wagging ready to go out for a walk. At home she has her own little cage, but she loves to get out of it whenever possible. We've been going to a nice little park not far from the house where lots of other dogs go and hang out. It's really beautiful and there I can let her off her leash and she can run to her heart's content. She gets busy chasing pigeons, wind-blown leafs and anything plastic. She loves chewing on plastic. She loves meeting other dogs too, she's quite friendly. Well, a bit too friendly at times jumping on strangers whenever they walk by.

If you know beagles, then you know they have a one track mind. Literally, she loves tracking. When she catches a scent there's no command that can get her back to me except for doggy treats. Food is her kryptonite, the challenge is to have tastier food on hand than she can find lying around in the park.

Chelsea came into my life quite suddenly, just after Christmas and a few days before New Years. Since then I've been working hard to train her. So far she'll obey two commands: sit and catch. She fetches, but runs off way past me on her way back.
She could work for the postal service as she loves walking in all kinds of weather. She's not bothered by rain at all, in fact, she tries to drink from whatever puddle she comes across. I keep her on a short leash, since she loves going off after whatever scent she catches and will ignore virtually all calls.

When the weather gets better I'd love to take her out to the countryside. I love the area around Haibara in Nara, with its streams, rivers and mountains. I think she would love it there too. I think that when she grows up, she's gonna be a bigger dog than I thought. She's 6 months old, yesterday we met another beagle that's twice her age and actually a bit smaller.
She's outgrown the bike's basket and soon will have to try and train her to run alongside when I ride. She's still too young for serious exercise, most people say that she shouldn't run more than half a mile max till she's 18 months.

Well, that's pretty much it for now, at least that's all I have to time to write about today. If you come by for a visit, you might get a chance to play with Chelsea.

See ya!

OPEN CALL: Photography Exhibition "Haru"

2010-02-11T14:22:00.002+09:00

こんにちわ、突然の告知失礼します！　
フォトグラファーにも楽しい機会をと告知させて頂きました、宜しくお願いします。　

春の写真交流展　参加者募集！  
SoHo企画　第１回写真公募展募集要項

開催日時　　２０１０年　４月２日（金）〜４月４日（日）
交流パーティ　４月３日（土）pm18:00〜20:00
時間　　　pm12:00〜19:00　最終日（日）のみ17:00
場所　　　SoHoアートギャラリー　soho_galleryjp@yahoo.com　　
　　　　　大阪市天王寺区生玉町９−１８　06−4394−7456
参加費　　￥３，０００（出展料、DM作成費、その他経費）　　　　
　　　　　申し込み書記入時に参加費を徴収させて頂きます。
　　　　　定員３０名で締め切ります。
＊テーマ　　春　　　　　
＊サイズ　　四つ切り大（２７９x３５６）フレーム不可　１作品。
＊キャプション　名刺サイズに（タイトル、名前、（撮影データ、絞り、シャッタースピード等）を記入。

＊作品の販売についてはご自由です。
＊その他お問い合わせに関してはSoHo迄ご連絡下さい。

搬入　　　　４月１日（木）pm13:00〜19:00
搬出　　　　４月４日（日）pm17:00〜18:00

PRESS RELEASE

2010-01-14T14:56:00.001+09:00

2010.1.25 - 1.30
TRANSNATIONAL ART 2010

We are happy to announce the upcoming contemporary art group exhibition organized by SoHo Art Gallery of Osaka to take place at the Osaka Contemporary Art Centre's Exhibition Room A, from January 25th to January 30th, 2010.

This special exhibition features new graphic, painting, sculpture, installation, multimedia and performance art works by 38 emerging and established artists from Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand and The U.S., who're often living and working between their home countries and Osaka.

The goal of this exhibition is to present the public with a comprehensive collection of unique new works addressing issues in contemporary art by artists working or living in a transnational context.

Featured artists:
anata, Seishi ISHIDA, Youichi ITAKURA, Hirotaka ICHIKAWA, Ryohei OBATA, Takayuki OSHIMA, Hiroyuki OGOSHI, Tiery Le... (France), Yoshinobu KAWATAKE, Akiko KAWABATA, Atsuhiro KANZAKI, Ataru KOZORU, Masatoshi GOTO, Yusuke SAKAO, Yoshihisa SANO, Yuki SHIGEOKA, Masato SUNAMI, zipertatou (Canada), Kanako TAKADA, Sanae TAMURA, Rick TUAZON (U.S.A.), Yukiko TSUSHIMA, Vinh TRUONG (Canada), Krzysztof DEBICKI (Canada), Kunihiko NAKANO, Tomoyuki NAKAMOTO, Kouichi NISHIMURA, Kotaro HACHINOHE, Yuuki HATSUKANO, Charles-Éric BILLARD (Canada), VHS, Jason FERGUSON (Australia), Sarah VAN MARCKE (Belgium), Yoko MARUYAMA, Akiyo MUGURUMA, Marie YAMADA, Kenji YOSHIDA and RANDOM (New Zealand).

Contemporary Art on display: Paintings (Oils, acrylics, mixed media), Drawings (Color pencils, pen and ink), Installation, Prints (silkscreen), Performance (Live Painting), Interactive Video Installations, Video Projections, Sculpture (Stone, glass, resin and ceramics) and 2D and 3D Photography.

Admission: Free
Opening Performance by Kotaro Hatch ( http://www.kotarohatch.com ):
Monday January 25th from 3:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., in gallery A.

Art Talk:
Saturday January 30th from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. featuring guest speakers Bernard Catryss, Director of the Flanders Center, Masakatsu Nishino, President of Osaka Arts Planning, Celio H. Barreto, Owner/Creative Director SoHo Art Gallery and a selection of participating artists (TBA)

Exhibition dates and times:
Monday Jan. 25th: 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday January 26th to Friday Jan. 29th: 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Saturday Jan. 30th: 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

The Osaka Contemporary Art Center is located in the New Annex North & South, 3-1-43 Otemae, Chuo-ku, Osaka 540-0008, Japan

Directions:
- Tanimachi Subway Line: Get off at Tanimachi 4-chome Station, and take exit No. 1-A.
The centre is a 3 minute walk away.
- Keihan Temmabashi Station: Take the East Exit ad walk 10 minutes southbound.

For more information please call 06-4394-7456 during regular business hours or visit: http://transart2010.blogspot.com

Curated by: SoHo Art Gallery ( Celio Barreto and Yachiyo Nakao )
Supported by: Flanders Center, Osaka Arts Planning, Holbein Art Materials Inc.
Under the auspices of: Osaka Contemporary Art Center and the Kansai Agency for Cultural Affairs 'Power of Culture' iniciative.

TRANSNATIONAL ART 2010: http://transart2010.blogspot.com

Japan Year 7

2009-11-14T17:05:00.003+09:00

November 13th marks my anniversary of coming to Japan. Around this time of year I'm always taken back to that time. A lot has changed since then, and then again, not much seems to have changed at all. Buildings have gone up and down, I've moved more times than I care to have, I've changed jobs between radically different industries and I can now say with confidence that I can speak Japanese better than ever.

This past year has been incredibly tough, stressful, chaotic, surprising, full of crises and problems. And yet I would not change a thing. Being under this much pressure has forced me to prioritize, find more efficient ways to do things, spend less, make more, and reassess and transform my business. A lot of things went sour, but there were also a lot of new opportunities that came up. Two years ago NOVA went belly-up, dragging thousands of people into a nightmare I rather not remember. Since then I've focused entirely on SoHo, giving it my all and all every day. I'm exhausted. The good thing is that it keeps going, we've had to tweak, cut back, adjust, trim, and restructure to make through a very bad business climate. We had the chance to rethink what SoHo is and design and build a new gallery space from scratch! My life is SoHo now. It's about all I can think about. Not the building, not the walls, but rather the people who make up this crazy place.

The gallery has become my child, and while it is very hard to run it, I would not do anything else in the world. Today, as I write this entry we're preparing for two rather large group shows with a total of 80 people participating. Nowdays I live for this kind of challenge and I love it. I've also been fortunate enough to have met dozens and dozens of really amazing people, working with them, talking with them and generally looking for a way forward in life and business. I now find myself writing for two great publications and taking part in a whole world of mainstream and underground art events doing business almost exclusively in Japanese.

Japan is like an onion. the more layers you peel, the more layers you find underneath. The more I think I know this place, the more I realise I don't! That is what fascinates me about this place, you never reach the bottom. In the 6 years I've been here I feel that I know less than when I first arrived. Freaky isn't it? The more you learn about the culture and its customs and its history, the more that is expected of you. Thus you're set up for much more learning and unique experiences. I've learned more Japanese over the past 2 years than in the 4 years before opening the gallery. The reason? survival.

The safety net is out, it burned off one fateful october day in 2007. While I am not yet where I want to be in terms of financial independence and business success, Thank God I'm no longer in the dark place I was in before. The road is still long ahead, and there are a shitload of challenges waiting for me, most of them under a crapload of layers I haven't even come across yet. Who knows what the future will bring. Come what may, That is less important than being able to realise that life is not this thing that you can plan out and predict. That in itself is one hell of a thing to know.

Here's to the start of year 7 in the land of sushi!

Only in Japan

2009-08-03T20:13:00.002+09:00

Now you can enjoy your greasy burger guilt-free, as Japanese Macdonalds are all equipped with freaking DEFIBRILATORS!!!

Spring Report

2009-03-24T03:48:00.002+09:00

Well, the house is almost finished and we're going nuts packing and moving our stuff little by little. Goldie's been stressing out a bit, as the new place is a bit smaller than our current place. I hadn't worried so much as I thought i didn't have a lot of stuff to move. That all changed today when i started packing my crap and realized that i have way to much junk i never ever use but I hold on to for various reasons. So, as we only have mondays to do anything non-gallery related, we went nuts today getting the move ready. Were we able to get it all done? not by a long shot. We move next monday and we're barely 10% done i think. this will be one massive challenge. Needless to say that the schedule at SoHo will remained unchanged while all this moving's taking place. What's more, no one will ever notice the great great deal of stress we're under, that just wouldn't do. Anyhow, after business hours is gloves off and we'll be expressing ourselves rather colorfully for the next few days. we'll post again once the move's finished and put some pics up.

Aights, TTYS!

C.

January Report

2009-02-02T03:35:00.003+09:00

Woah! 2008 flew by! and January now seems like a blur. We started the year doing some work on the cottage, which needs TLC by the truckload. We're very happy to be working on it, and can't wait for it to be ready. It will be sometime before we can stay there, as it needs some major repair work and many other things.

Our friends George and Tamara came to visit last week, and we were so happy to have them here. unfortunately we were really busy with an off site exhibition and couldn't spend as much time as we wanted with them. However, it was the first time both of them had come to Japan together, and I'm very happy they could come. In previous visits we had shown them different parts of Osaka to each of them and I think they spent some time showing the city to each other. It had been almost a year and a half since we last saw them. We're going to try to head over to Seoul again and spend some quality time with them before they return to Canada.

As for the shop, things are really busy, or have been really busy. We curated and organized a really cool art show with a friend's gallery from Shanghai. It was an amazing experience and everyone's works were really incredible. We are so proud of each of them and want to do everything we can to make their work shine.

“Soñar con Japón”

2008-11-21T21:10:00.000+09:00

Queridos amigos, tengo el placer de comunicarles que "Soñar con Japón" ya ha salido a la venta el dia de hoy. Este lindo libro fotográfico, producido por David Morales de Fotocompra.com, junto a un equipo de bloggers españoles radicados en Japón, comprende imagenes de este bello pais y esta escrito en ambos idiomas; castellano y japonés.

Tuve el gran honor de ser invitado a participar en este proyecto, y es con mucha felicidad que les invito a visitar los siguientes enlaces para ver un poco más de cerca este libro.

“Soñar con Japón”

Editor: David Morales (Manager, Fotocompra.com)

Autores:
Alejandro Cremades
David Esteban
Héctor García)
Javier Serrano

Prólogo: Celio Barreto

Concepto original, diseño y maquetación: Fotocompra.com
N° de páginas: 100
Tamaño: 19x19cm
Primera edición: 7 de Noviembre de 2008

Dad in Japan

2008-05-06T23:40:00.005+09:00

Last week my old man came to Osaka to visit for a few days. We had a great time hanging out. It was his first time in Japan so I took him to a few key places in and around Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe. He was very happy indeed. He ate all the stuff I ordered for him and left the country fascinated with Japan. Here are a couple of pics:

PSP 2000

2008-03-07T01:46:00.003+09:00

I am thoroughly convinced that the PSP 2000 was designed specially for me :) here's a list of the stuff I usually do with it:

Websurfing. by far the best web surfing gadget. full color and great res. the real portable web!

I watch TV on it. It's smart enough to show subtitles and I can listen to shows in english with the SAP function. Also, i record some of my fave shows with it and transfer them to my older PSP.

GPS. I jimmied up a mount for the PSP on my bike, so I get to plan my rides and use the PSP as a navigation unit.

Radio. I download a crapload of news and other radio show podcasts to keep me updated and entertained just before I go to bed, or on a slow day.

Movies. I sometimes plug it to the tv and watch movies on the big screen or projector at work.

Camera. great backup camera and video camera, been taking some pretty cool shots with the native 16:9 video format.

Games. Hmmm... not really, with all the other stuff this little machine can do, who needs games?

I'm older now

2007-11-22T02:26:00.000+09:00

On tuesday yours truly turned one year older! Yey! but the "wisdom" gauge hasn't moved much :) . Goldie threw me a surprise party at SoHo and it was a blast. I was very happy to see everyone, and we had the grill going with some yakiniku brugogi. I want to thank everyone for coming out and for all the wonderful gifts i received. I didnt get a chance to take any pictures.

Tuesday was also Suguru-san's show opening as well as Hatsukano-san's 21st birthday. They had a blast as well. We wrapped the party up by about midnite, with stomachs full and heads spinning :). Thank you very much once again, and thanks be to God almighty for another year of life. To all of you who couldn't be there, I missed you, but there's always next year.
Thanks again!

What a day!

2007-11-18T00:55:00.000+09:00

Today was one of the most interesting days we've had at SoHo. Zane and his cast and crew came to film the final scene for his film: "The Olden Days are Now". There was a great turnout of extras for the shoot thanks to Lawrence Hong, who brought in great people for the filming. Zane was thoroughly impressed with the cooperativeness and patience of the extras, who for hours populated each video frame take after take. I want to thank each and everyone of them for their support and effort.

Thank you to everyone involved for an unforgettable experience. We hope to see many of you at the premier, to be held at SoHo in spring 2008.

Takakiya Aki Matsuri, October 20th 2007, Osaka

2007-10-25T00:27:00.001+09:00

Photo Courtesy of David Morales, Copyright 2007
Here's a pic of our little art stand at the Takakiya Shrine Aki Matsuri (Autumn Festival). It was a lot of fun and we got to meet a lot of people in our neighbourhood. The festival's focus was on hand mande arts and crafts, as well as other cultural expressions such as dance and performances. There was a big group of Japanese Flamenco dances, a belly dancer and Shinto performers. It was a blast! Our many thanks to David for taking pics of our little stand! Gracias hermano!

Photo Class

2007-10-21T01:26:00.001+09:00

Photography class at SoHo has started, Yey! I have two students who signed up for the 4 week intensive digital photo class. It's been pretty cool and interesting, the students, Mon and Jenniffer are very keen in this art. There will be a one day exhibition on oct. 31st to showcase their work. I am looking forward to continuing with this course, as it is quite enjoyable and we get to go on short little field trips to take all kinds of pictures. We then critique them, use a bit of digital darkroom magic to work out some of the kinks, or take pics again from scratch.

There are some minor changes and adjustments I need to do to the curriculum to improve the course further. Anyone interested in signing up, please let me know!

New PSP Slim

2007-10-09T22:59:00.000+09:00

So I got myself a new PSP a couple days ago. It is slimmer and lighter than the first PSP I bought. It feels more responsive and faster. i also got the Digital TV tuner accessory and it rocks, and the battery seems to last forever. i copied a couple of files into it, like my web bookmarks and podcast list from the old PSP and was ready to go in no time. I think this new PSP is basically an entirely different machine that looks like the old PSP. The old PSP however is still a classic, and I won't be getting rid of it anytime soon. both machines are wonderful pieces of engineering and industrial sculpture.

Summer Update

2007-09-13T03:17:00.000+09:00

Well, it's been an eventful summer this year and there's lots to tell! First, the Gallery has been up and running now for almost 4 months. It's been great, we've had 6 group and solo exhibitions as well as some art events. We're also teaching art and languages. We've been meeting many interesting people and learning incredible things about the art world here in Japan.

At the same time we've done a little traveling as well. In july we went to visit George and Tamara in Seoul, Korea. We had a fantastic time tehre exploring the city with old friends. Korea is a really wonderful place with lots to see and do. It also has a vibrant art scene and AWESOME food.

Podcasts have been on hold since february, mainly due to work at SoHo, but I am glad to announce they will be starting up again soon.

I've also joined Facebook.com, where apparently everyone is a member. It's been great getting in touch with so many people again.

Well, that's it for now, till the next time!

Celio

The cafe

2007-05-11T00:00:00.000+09:00

The cafe's almost done, there are a few final touches to be added. 11 more day to the official opening day, hope to see you guys there!

Almost Ready!!!!

2007-05-05T20:59:00.000+09:00

Wow, it's been quite a while since i posted anything. We've been very busy with the gallery work, and we're pretty exhausted. we're both putting in 18 hour days, 7 days a week, and got some help from friends as well. As you can see the gallery's almost ready, and the official opening day is May 21st, 2007. We want to thank everyone who helped us along the way and invite everyone to our opening reception on the 21st. We got 22 artists from Japan the UK, US, Canada and Spain participating in our first annual "Art Salad" group show. you can get more up-to-the-minute info at the SoHo blog!

Aights, untill next time!

Celio & Goldie

SoHo Gallery Cafe Update

2007-03-28T02:15:00.000+09:00

Work on the gallery continues at full speed. We've been doing some more shopping and research and have released a price list based on our market research. Where do we go from now? Well, keeping things within budget is key. Its really frustrating when the answers to all our questions are thing slike "you should call a contruction company" or stuff of that nature. I'm a DIY kinda guy for most things, and I know when i'm outta my expertiese. So we'll be tackling ourselves what we can, and try to save money for the stuff we need professionals for. We've got most of our initial decisions done in terms of mission and directive, pricing structures and services, business hours and all that as best we could. We anticipate some of it will change, some of it will go out th e window, but we gotta start somewhere. Today was our last "freedom" weekend before the start of construction and operations. We get teh keys on the 30th and that day we're meeting with 2 different subcontractors to get estimates on paint and electrical work. In the mean time we're compiling our list of artists and other contacts, organising the transport of artwork from Canada, and setting up the foundations for a guest artist program at the gallery. lots of tricky stuff to deal with, but essential for SoHo AGC to function as a cultural bridge between nations. so, that's teh report for now, we'll be posting more stuff wehn we get some new stuff to post :)

C Ya!!!

Another successful launch!

2007-02-26T13:28:00.000+09:00

So I'm writting this as the oscars play live on the tv in th e livingroom. Last weekend i came across this little place near Hiroki's apartment. It was a temple/graveyard behing a church and an apartment block which seems to double as a parking lot.
The other set of unrelated news is the recent successful launch of a 4th spy satellite by Japan. I'd like to put my own satellite in orbit one day, and have a the launch facility added to the little temple/graveyard. Space Burials.com or something...oh well....

Her Royal Highness Queen Chip

2007-02-16T17:45:00.000+09:00

Her majesty takes this opportunity to address her loyal subjects from all corners of her great empire, from the Land of The Rising Sun, to the Great White North, to the Heart of the Americas. It is in a spirit of great jubilee that her Royal Highness wishes upon all peaceful solidarity in times of great tribulation. May peace, harmony and kitty litter abound across all the lands of the Earth.

Her Royal Highness, Queen Chip
Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Marc Chrismas

2007-02-13T18:17:00.000+09:00

I've recently heard from my old roomie Marc (pictured on the right). I've gone through his flikr site and reminisced about some great old times we had in 2004-2005. Well, if you know Marc and haven't heard from him, look for him on the flikr site. Due to security measures i can't include a link to the site driectly. Happy hunting!

SuperRandom

2007-02-11T19:49:00.000+09:00

Alright, this week's episode's up and ready for download. It's a special episode with lots of extra "never-heard-before" content and it's piping hot outta the oven! A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Ed and Al and a big hugg and kiss to Mickey my nephew. Alright, fasten your seatbelts and get ready for CJJP+ Episode 5!!!!!!!

Wednesday afternoon beers

2007-02-07T18:50:00.000+09:00

After a bout 6 beers and an awesome conversation with James, Gary, james and Ryan, i've made it home in one piece. Oh yeah, my bike lock was STOLEN, yet my bike was left behind. strange eh? Guess what, i won't be riding my bike to work any more. It was a messege. Will I wake up with my cat's head in my bed tomorrow? I don't know. maybe I need to revise the list of candidates for guest appearances on my podcasts. I'm afraid i'll receive an offer I can't refuse.

Google Earth!

2007-02-03T20:55:00.000+09:00

Have you discovered Google Earth yet? I bet you have! well, if you haven't, go get it, it's a really cool program that lets you visit virtually any part of the world in amazing detail, specially in urban areas. I find myself spending hours finding places I've visited over the years, or places where my friends live now, or simply places in the news. Sometimes I get coordintaes off google earth that later i try to find using my GPS. It's a way to get me to places I've never been to within the city and its environs. I've been collecting coordinates since I got my first GPS device in '99. When my fiance and I first got together she said she'd help me collect more coordinates around Japan. We've collected a whole bunch of them in the 3 years since. I'm putting together a number of these so you can visit them online through Google Earth. I'll make an announcement when the list's ready. In the mean time, explore my 'hood! Latitude 34.666236, Longitude 135.519195

SuperPodcasts!

2007-02-01T17:22:00.000+09:00

Hey, I got some podcasts starting to happen, you can check them out at my .Mac site. I'm posting a couple pics of the new PSP based GPS navi I've jimmied-up on my bike.

2007-01-01T13:47:00.000+09:00

Happy New Year!

2007 is here and we now have a brand new spanking year to enjoy. Now do be careful, though it's brand new there's no refund or return policy on it, so be sure to think carefuly before making any major choices. This year promises to be a great opportunity to put a lot of the slogans about peace on earth and loving your neighbour into practice. I suggest we all start by not getting upset in traffic and venting anger at our fellow commuters, nor at the people around us. we have to start somewhere! Enjoy the new year and may it be full of all great things!!!

New Place

2006-12-10T15:48:00.000+09:00

So we're moving yet again, this time to an actual apartment! The girl and I have found a nice place just down the street from my current place, and well, as of tomorrow, the 11th, all teh final preparations will have come to an end and ht eactual physical move of all the big things will start. He hope to be mostly unpacked for the new year. I'm getting rid of nearly all of my stuff, with the exception of my A/V and computer equipment, and the various Japanese things i've come to acquire over the years. so i'm "Recycling". In Japan, you can't just chug your trash on the street, no sir, you gotta first go to your local conveninece store and buy a stamp to affix on the crap you're throwing out. for instance, if you're getting rid of a fridge, you pay $80 for the stamp, $50 for a TV, and so on and so forth. if you dont have this, the trash truck will not pick it up, and you will be fined for polluting the streets. So what is the alternative? recycle shops. they come to get your old stuff. some of it they buy, other stuff they take for a smaller fee. in the eand you sorta just break even. A new law was introduced in japan forbidding the sale of used electronics without a new quality assurance seal. that means any electronics bought before that date can't be sold in Japan, and will be making their way to the third world a lot quicker.

Anyway, see ya guys soon!!!

I'm back!

2006-12-05T17:27:00.000+09:00

Sorry for the delay guys. I've been busy putting together the new website and working on some podcasts. Some new updates. looks like the move is on for this week. I got some stuff moved out of my place yesterday and have already given notice to the landlord about my move.

Here are a couple pics about two experiences I never realy thought i'd encounter in Japan. well, enjoy them!

Peace!!!

PARTY MONDAY NOV 20th @ 19:30

2006-11-19T17:53:00.000+09:00

Party Monday nite. I'll be having a BBQ, bring your own Booze, and if you have any particualr culinary requests do bring it along!

See ya @ the Party!

New Website!!

2006-11-19T00:16:00.000+09:00

I've set up a new website on the .Mac service. I've get a bit of everything there, some pics, some sounds and some other tidbits about me. check it out, It'll change your life. You will thank me. You will send me 32.6% of all future income as a token of your appreciation..the addy is:

http://web.mac.com/celio_barreto/iWeb/Site

Back-up your stuff

2006-11-15T18:49:00.000+09:00

In an attempt to partition my firewire external drive, I have effectively formatted it and lost...oohhh...about 50 gigs of pictures, music and who knows what else. pretty much everything i'd been storing there for the past year or so. I had backed up up most of the 150 gigs of stuff on it on my LAN drive, and thus was able to rescue some of the older stuff going back 5-6 months, but pretty much, every digital photo taken in Japan is gone. How did this happen? Well, iPhoto 06 kept crapping out, telling me my library had the wrong permissions, so I tried to fix them to no avail. in effect, upgrading to iLife '06 has cost me nearly all of my media.

Silver lining:
Now i get to make all new memories again. most of the pics were probably crap anyway, and i had already backed up and copied many of them in other places. Biggest regret though was losing all of my Nicaragua pics. One saving grace is that I burned them on disk and left a copy for my Dad, and another copy for my cousins. So the pics do survive. Oh well, I screwed up !

C

Osaka, Year Four

2006-11-13T22:21:00.000+09:00

Today's my thrid annversary in Japan. I'm sick as a dog, spend most of the day in bed. It was an uneventual day. Its was a little sunny today, but chilly. I watched the movie "CARS", and did some reading. That was It. Goldie came by in the evening and she took me to a soba restaurant around the corner. The food was good. She went home and I went to bed for a while but couldn't sleep, so I'm writing this entry. That's it. On to another year in Japan.

Apartment Hunting

2006-11-12T13:03:00.000+09:00

We continue in our search for our new apartment. We have now looked at almost a dozen potentials in our neighbourhood. some of them are very large, others are very expensive. We have recently narrowed teh search to three potential places. Apartment A is expensive, but HUGE. Apartment B is less expensive and just a hair smaller. Apartment C is well designed and cheaper, but smaller. The difference in price between A and C is roughly $500 bucks a month. Between A and B is negligible however, we get a parking spot inside the building's parking elevator. Neither A nor C have parking available. Both B and C are about 5 minutes walk from the subway. A is 1 minute from the subway. I'm leaning heavily towards Apartment "?" which do you suggest? Should we keep looking?

Sandinista Victory in Nicaragua

2006-11-07T00:37:00.000+09:00

The Sandinistas are officially elected. What will this mean to Nicaragua's Future? There's a lot of speculation of course, will it be a return to the past, or a bright new future? Ortega says he's a changed man, speaking more of God than Marx. He has made some pledges not to introduce any drastic changes to the economy and respect the private industry. His running mate was a key Contra figure in the 80's. Ortega's theme is "reconciliation". For the time being, nervous investors are having second thoughts. Promises can be broken after all, and I haven't heard of many politicians who keep their word.

2006-11-04T22:08:00.000+09:00

So here's a link to my new blog Celio's Trains. Here I'll be putting more pics of "Japanada" our transgeographical train layout! enjoy!

Tamara's Visit

2006-10-30T21:53:00.000+09:00

Tamara came over from Korea to visit us this weekend. We got together sunday afternoon after work and went to get some conveyor belt, all you can eat sushi and after that we took a walk around Dotombori. We also strolled by AmeMura to take in some of the local counter culture sights. We met up again this morning near Exit 25, and took the train to Kyoto. We visited the famous Stone Garden and Golden Pavillion temples. After the Ryoenji visit we chowed down on some Tofu at a restaurant on the temple grounds, and saw a crane fish in the garden's pond. I guess it was a DIY buffet for him. We went to Gion after that and strolled around central Kyoto for a while, looking for some souveniers. While Tamara was distracted Goldie got a souvenier for Tamara to take home with her to Korea, its a present for both she and George.

Here are some pics of
Tamara's Visit!

Do you wanna be Catholic?

2006-10-27T16:24:00.000+09:00

Do you want to be a Catholic? Why? What's the coolest thing about being RC? Have you confessed yet? What's the most memorable religious moment you've had? Do you think Japanese Spirituality and Catholicism are incompatible? Do you have any interesting tidbits of Catholic history in Japan? Lemme know!

What does it mean for you to be Japanese?

2006-10-25T20:43:00.000+09:00

My students usually ask the same few questions:

How long have you been in Japan?
What's your favorite Japanese food?
Can you eat sushi?

These questions get a bit repetitive, but they are interesting from the point of view that a, its the first thing students want to know about you, and have something to do with our impression and reaction to our japanese environment. So, I've decided to come up with my own questions for Japanese visitors to this blog:

What does it mean for you to be Japanese?
What about Japan are you proudest of?
If you could change one thing about Japan, what would you change?

Top Ten Experiences This Year

2006-10-25T20:10:00.000+09:00

And now for this year's top ten list of marvelous experiences:

10 Murphy's law works just fine in Japan.
9 Saying hello to other foreigners who try to ignore you on the street.
8 Swearing at people on the street without any reprisals.
7 Getting a guided tour at a fancy furniture store.
6 Understanding 70% of simple conversations.
5 Being able to use appropriate responses in conversations.
4 Riding the Shinkansen.
3 Ordering pizza from the web.
2 Dragging a 50 pound bag across 3 continents and two oceans.
1 Spending time with my dad in the ole' country.

So this is the Shinansen eh?

2006-10-25T19:40:00.000+09:00

So this is the Shinkansen, the famed Bullet train… It’s fast, ripping through the countryside at more than 270kph. Feels like we’re reaching that critical speed at which planes take off from the tarmac. This thing goes through cities, farms, and mountains, all in a straight line. Nothing’s blurry out the window, but it feels like I’m fast-forwarding through a fast paced music video.

It’s my first time on a bullet train. It’s my first time to Tokyo. And it’s the first leg on my trip to Nicaragua. The next stop on the route is Nagoya city. I hear it’s a boring place. The steel ribbons under the train bank to left and to the right. I’m a Top Gun pilot hunting down some bandits at 12 o’clock…hehehehehe…..

Flying low, under the radar, skimming rooftops and houses barely a few meters away. As the train tracks dip and curve I can feel gravity inching away below me. This is awesome. Rice paddies as far as I can see; now going through another mountain; now exploding into daylight again.

There are some larger mountains up ahead; some of their sides ripped open by loggers and construction companies bleeding them of resources. Antennae, high-tension wires crisscross the landscape, some above us, some bisecting our vectors.

Beautiful Japan. God I love this land. The thick fog is beginning to envelop us, another train passes in the opposite direction pushing our train sideways and smashing my ears with increased air pressure. I’m in the death star’s trench, evading Darth and crew.

Shit, we’re in Nagoya already. Its 9:22am. I left Osaka at 8:40 this morning. This thing’s really fast. Shit, now Gifu Prefecture’s just whizzed by. I’m gonna nap. See you soon.

Changes, Trips and Projects.....the usual

2006-10-25T18:38:00.000+09:00

So its been a few months since I last wrote anything in here. We had a great summer here, Goerge came to Osaka to visit us and we had a great time here. I went back to Nicaragua to visit my old man whom I hadn't seen in more than 3 years.
This year i've been playing around with robots, podcasts, DVDs and a couple photo projects. There's more stuff on the pipeline, as you know, my head is full of random throughts all the time. So what's new in the "Changes" department? Well:

Change #1: I am now working the early morning shift at work, I finish at 3pm and I'm loving it. I'm still getting used to it but it's working out fine. I got a new core group, so this month i've had tons of observations, feedback and training to do. its challenging but exciting too, lots of new faces.

Change #2: the girl and I are preparing to finally move in together. we've been looking at apartments and have found a couple nice ones just down the street from my place. We're very excited about this move. I'll be putting a bunch of our stuff up for sale, some for adoption, as we won't fit all of our stuff in the new place.

Change #3: Haven't figured out what change #3's yet. Quit smoking, lose weight, exfoliating alligator skin, embezzeling brownie points, leasing out the speace in my nostrils...too many options...so little time!

Projects Update:

Project #1 has become this podcast thingiemagig. i think it's quite cool. i've been listening to whole bunch of podcasts (NHK, CBC, BBC, Escape Pod, La A radio.com, EWTN, Planet Japan, and many many many more) and I wanna have a hack at it. For month's I've been working out the content, and have decided to keep it very me, random and chaotic. any topic will go from one of my alter egoes. It'll be politically incorrect and at times intellectually challanged. that I can promise.

Project #2 has been my venture into robotics. its been awesome. i've learned a lot about how robots work and communicate, how they process instructions and particularly, i've been having a lot of fun with sensors and data collected from these. I gotta take a break tho, as both my brain and wallet were substantially drained with this endeavour.
Project #3 I expect to have a photo show together by spring. if you know my work you can expect something a little different from my fare up till now. I've taken a more minimal approach, working primarily light and how its affected by various factors.

Trips Update:

Nicaragua is very different from what I remember 3 years ago. I was very impressed with the ammount of development that has spurred there, and well, the overall positivism of th epeople in general. Got to see my family again, my cousins and aunts. We had an awesome time. I want to spend more time with my old man now, so Goldie and I are hoping to head over there soon. It's only a 33 hour, 4 trains, 3 connection flights, and car ride anyway.

Osaka, year three

2006-06-20T07:17:00.000+09:00

Wow, I can't believe its been almost a year since my last update here. I guess I've been really busy with work. At the time of my last entry I'd been promoted at work and have been steadily getting more and more responsibilities. This keeps me very busy every day, and over the past year I've been experimenting with technology. My friend Goerge of "The Scarecrows" fame came to visit me in august '05 and stayed at my place for a few days. I showed him around Osaka a little bit, but he did a lot of exploring on his own. He was the first friend I made when i started Uni so long ago, and we graduated together, litterally, he sat next to me at the ceremony. So, now he lives in Korea and teaches English. The fall came and my younger brother and his wife had a baby. He is absolutely adorable. Christmas came around and it was freaking cold. I think we ate christmas dinner...i can't remember.

New Years Day was really special. You seee, here in Japan christmas isn't an important holiday. People don't really do anything special, and you can feel the fact that its an adopted holiday. The Christmas Sales posters with a bleeding crucified Christ with an xmas hat should give you a clue. The real special day here's New Years Day. On that day we drove out to Kyoto, to spend the first couple days of the year at our friend Mizuho's parents house. It was a beautiful sunny day, a crisp and clear. We got there about 4pm I think, after having lunch in Nara.

We arrived at the house and Mizuho and her parents were waiting for us outside the house, welcoming us and exchanging New Year greetings. Goldie had me practice the traditional greeting on the drive there. i have now forgotten it. "(something something) Omedeto gozaimasu!". Mizuho's parents live in souther Kyoto Prefacture, near the border with Nara Pref. Their place is in a small suburb, and their house backs into a thick bamboo forest. It was definitely not the kind of house you find in Osaka. it has a large yard, and the house is quite comfortable and spacious, it feels a lot like houses back home. (Note to self, live in the countryside, bigger homes there.)

We exchanged gifts as is customary when you visit someone's home in Japan, but i wasn't ready for what awaited me that day. I was astonished by japanese hospitality. Mizuho's parents don"t speak a lot of English, and well, my formal and elegant japanese is virtually non existent in situations when i need to use it, somehow I can only access the basic utterances of an infant at these times. (Sake however, facilitates communication a great deal as i found out later)

Back from Canada

2005-07-25T03:33:00.000+09:00

Well, we're back from Canada. it was cool being back. it was a bit strange, like going to a foreign country. I was overwhelmed by all that i could understand effortlessly.

I got to see many of my friends, and regretably, I didn't get to see others. I was glad to be back, but i am also glad to be back home now. I guess Japan is home now.

Spring '05

2005-04-18T01:31:00.001+09:00

So the spring has arrived and the cherry blossom season is out in Osaka. I am in the middle of getting the trip set up and official. tentative dates are june 8 to 21, with stops in Windsor and Toronto of course I'd like to catch up with everyone, i've really missed you all.

Goldie and I are apartment hunting, looking for a new place close to both our jobs. In Japan, its not the easiest job in the world. Its crazy when non-refundable deposits equal 6 - 10 months rent. all in cassh, all at once. this of course does not include first and last month, nor does it cover your safety deposit. comparing it to having to legally prove you have a parking spot for your car in order to buy a car, its easy as pie. A driver's license in Japan costs $2,000 (two thousand). needless to say I'll be renewing my license when i get back to Canada.

Aside from all these little tidbits of information, everything is going well. Work is good and getting better, i've received much more training for more types of special courses, and there's more on the way. the two year milestone is approaching, and I'm saving all my vacation days for this trip.

So, now i'm shopping for souveniers for everyone and its crazy, i want to bring all of Japan with me, but i think there's a regulation against that.

Talk to you guys soon!!

Celio

New HD and AirMac Express

2005-01-17T23:33:00.000+09:00

Today I went to Den den Town and bought an external drive and an AirMac base station. I got Goldie's network wireless now, and i can now free up my laptop with the new HD. I'm chipping away at the next video project, still in the embryonic stages. expect some Luc Besonesque and Riddley Scottish stuff.

Also, soon I expect to revive celiobarreto.com with a new design and new content. as well some subsection for my video projects. Well, that's about it for now, stay tuned and stay cool!!

Cel

2005, a Happy New Year?

2005-01-05T13:06:00.000+09:00

2005 starts out as a very somber year, with muted celebrations all over the world. The last weeks of 2004 sure took a blow out of the celebratory spirit, with the Tsunami devastation. On a personal note, the passing away of one of my aunts on Dec 23rd brought a somber note to our Christmas celbrations as well. So many lives were gone from us this year.
With the massive death toll from so many countries, I think more deeply about my loved ones, my friends and my family and pray that they are always safe. 2005 begins in the midsts of global mouring, and it may mean that we have to look closer at the fragility of life. Maybe we can respect life even more and become more sensitized to human life. Perhaps those people who make their living killing others can do a double take.

Tomorrow is our first day back at the office, and there are still several people missing. Four of my friends came back from Thailand telling horrendous stories of their Tsunami experience. Tomorrow we are sure to hear much more as the rest of my co-workers and friends return to work.

Hong Kong & Kowloon ROCK!!!

2004-12-29T23:53:00.000+09:00

Our trip to HK was very exciting. HK is like no other city on earth. It is quite vibrant and it never sleeps. shops stay open till midnite, you bargain on nearly everything you want to buy, and everything is very close. At night, the lights dazzle you and HK glows like precious jewel. Its skyline is brilliant both in design and illumination, and the people are great. It was a great trip with lots of sightseeing, shopping and dining. I can't wait to go back there again!!!

Hong Kong

2004-12-20T22:09:00.000+09:00

Well, the travel plans are in. We'll be leaving for Hong Kong on the 27th and returning on the 29th. I'm really excited about going to China. man, the mecca of Cantonese Chinese food!!!! yummm......foooood.......hmmmmmm

Osaka, year two

2004-11-15T03:11:00.000+09:00

I'm staying in Japan for another year. I have renovated my contract and renewed my vosa, this time, for three years. I am looking forward to the next stage of my stay in Japan. Much has change in the way i see things. putting together this newest version of my blog got me reading some of my first impressions of this place. How things have changed!!! for the better of course!!!

There was a period between february and july where i went through some really tough times. I had many personal problems and conflicts with people who were close to me at the time. that was very hard on my outlook on Japan as a whole. in a sense i was in a hole. But by mid july I craweled out of that temporary black cloud and stepped into a new Japan, a new way of looking at the world, and a new way of enjoying life.

In my time here, I have studied about Zen and wabi-sabi, trying to simplify my life and change many of my bad habbits. I've been trying to learn and practice "The Way", but it is very difficult to understand it, let alone practice it or live it, but i've managed to incorporate a few bits here in there into my daily life. I've found miyself oscilating between a spartan and hedonistic lifestyle, trying to find a balance. Its not easy. Zen tells you to give everything up, all material things, even those really awesome sushi rolls...so, little by little I've been trying to adjust, and though by no means am i becoming a monk of any sort, i am just trying very hard to simplify my life.

I have a new relationship now, and we are moving at a steady pace. We enjoy our time together quite a bit, and we laugh a lot. I'm very happy. We've been traveling around western Japan a lot, and Goldie has shown me these places the way only a local can. Its been a wonderful experience, I've seen so much, and understood so much more as well.

I am now teaching at a few elementary schools in Osaka, and the kids are really something else!! they are energetic and most of them have never met a foreigner, and their eyes are so big when they come to class. The kids are very curious and ask lots of questions at the end of class.

Also, my Japanese has been steadily improving, albeit slowly. I can now read both katakana and hiragana confidently, i can read about 50 kanji, and recognize another 50 or 60. Chinese characters are trully mazing.

For the past few months Goldie and i have been working on a train set layout, and we are 95% done. we have a river and a mountain and some houses, a station, tunnels and a forest. we are enjoying this project very much, and have gone to a couple of museums to see pro model makers' works. we have a church and a pagoda as well. they look very cool.

I will post more pictures as soon as i can, there is much that i still need to tell.

Osaka, year one

2004-02-12T13:40:00.000+09:00

How does a foreigner who is grateful to be a guest in this country write objectively about his host? You don’t. That is one of the things I have learned while being here. It is very important to look at things in a positive light, so that we find solutions when problems arise. Back home, we praise sarcasm, the negative slant, cynicism, and constant bitching and complaining.

It is different in Japan. People here are people like anywhere else, but there are many factors; which have formed their societal rules. This is a country in which the group has as much value as the individual, or perhaps more depending on the context. It is also an ancient country, which has been undergoing transformations and renewals constantly for the past two thousand years. Rapid industrialization and modernization, urban density, a feudal past, imperial rule, and other factors have shaped the inter-personal rules of social intercourse. For one, the architecture of the cities must be noted. For dwellings, the walls are very thin and fragile. You can punch a whole through them with a dirty look. I’m talking about the walls between apartments (reminds me of the movie “Office Space”). The development of a strong need for privacy is something I’m not quite sure how it comes about, but people here have less privacy than back home. All you have to do is get a lover and you’ll see how hard it is to get some privacy (for free that is). You get used to silent or whisper lovemaking very quickly, unless you favor the “love hotel” option, but that is something I can’t write about because I have no experience with them yet. But you can get a coupon booklet at the convenience store in which the region’s love hotels make some sweet deals (10% off your kid’s daycare fees, shit like that)

Back home anyone and anything is fair game to our open criticisms (founded or not) unless of course these criticisms are based on race, religion, sexual orientation or national origin (Caucasians, Catholics, Heterosexuals, and the French are the seeming exception).

We pride ourselves of being an open society who is tolerant; and whose main strength is its diversity. That is very true. In an open democracy in which equality is a goal we constantly strive to achieve, one can forgo and dispense with ceremony, decorum, tradition and even, politeness.

But here in Japan, my experience has been mixed so far. I have been told many things about how the life of a foreigner develops here. My experience has been somewhat similar to back home, with the exception that in japan, I have been forced to face myself much more than back home. Here, although I feel right at home, interactions at work, outside of work, and at home are challenging. Here all your support comes from your bones, and all your protection comes from your skin. Both foreigners and locals are tough amongst themselves and with each other. At the same time it’s a finely tuned society, it is also a very dangerous jungle. You’re stripped of your remaining innocence when you move to a foreign land by yourself. You are forced to make drastic adaptations to survive. How does an individual like myself make it here? I’m not sure. I still love this country and its people. What you realize is that people are people wherever you are, regardless of any visible or cultural difference. There are good people and bad people wherever you go. I have made some very good friends here, and others I thought were friends and loved ones turned out otherwise.

Most foreigners I have met here don’t like it here. The foreign women complain at every opportunity. The local women don’t speak. The local and foreign men get drunk and laid whenever possible, and women are happy to oblige.

You grow up pretty quickly here. You have some time to think, but not too much, most of the time you have to act. You are competing for space, for rank, for attention, for money, for time. You have to think on your feet. You have to learn how to read and write quickly, you have to learn to speak a new language, learn new rules, make sense of a new world on the fly.

The charms of Japan are countless, and its challenges are no less numerous. There is no time to fold, give up and go home, not for me. Many do that. I know there is something good for me here, I know it deep in my heart. To make it you have to be tough, but not bully type tough, tough on the inside, very deep inside. Emotions, impulses and desires have to be curved, and for someone like me, that is very difficult to do. Its not that you have to be an asshole, but you have to become shrewd as soon as possible. Employers, students, friends and women all have strong and demanding expectations of you. There is little time for bitching about this or that. You do. You act. You make. You break. You move. And you have to move forward.

I realize now how easy I had it back home. How comfortable a life I led there. With all its stresses and challenges, it was still a comfy life. But life here is better for me.

Encouragement has to come from within, and from your beliefs. Your strength cannot be derived from anywhere or anyone else. I smoke, I drink, I eat, I fuck. But true pleasure, comes from the inside, when you have overcome a huge obstacle at work, at home, etc. when you see that you can make it. Its not just pleasure, its true self-realization. The chore itself is irrelevant, it’s the fact that you face it, and beat it. You do get used to disappointment here, but every time it affects you less and less. Slowly but surely, happiness begins to seep out from within you. With everything you do, you feel more solid, more capable, stronger, wiser.

There are things you will face time and time again in your life. Work, relationships, responsibilities, duties, etc. you learn to deal with them. And as time elapses, your skills are honed. You perfect your abilities till they are strong as steel, and razor-sharp. I’m not there yet, but I see now how it is, and how one needs to evolve as a man to make it. There is no time to be weak, but some days it’s hard. Some days you cry yourself to sleep and you never really sleep at all. Your dreams are filled with friends and family, the places that meant something to you, and good memories are replayed in your head time and again.

But you doubt whether you can make it. You doubt your resolve in those cold nights. But then, the next day, you help someone unlock a door to a new world of ideas. And they love you for it. You help someone get closer to their dream. And there is your reason for being here. You forget about the shitty issues, and relish in the fact that someone you taught has opened a door to a new world with your help. You can’t beat that with a stick.

Every day

2003-12-10T13:51:00.000+09:00

Each day that passes I feel more and more at home here. Mind you, the upcoming holidays have brought up some sentimentalism and longing for home. Nonetheless, I am making new friends, and forming new bonds with people here. With every passing day I feel more comfortable. Although I haven’t yet spent much time with Japanese people (outside of the daily life aspect) I am looking forward to spend more time with Japanese friends this coming week.

I went to the Osaka International House, to sign up for language exchanges, and so far I have been in contact with a few people who want to practice their English and Spanish, in exchange for teaching me Japanese. Next week, I’ll be going for a walk around town with my friend Rika, whom I met soon after arriving to Osaka. I’ll bring my camera along to take some pictures.

Some of the most unique experiences I’ve had here are:

Buying beer from a street vending machine
Buying smokes from a street vending machine
Seeing a cemetery the size of my bedroom
Seeing a Cadillac STS with the steering wheel on the right side
Feeding deer at a park, followed by being chased by deer at a park.
Trying to find bar deodorant
Trying to find Colgate toothpaste
Riding trains everywhere
Walking home at 3am and finding a bar open
Not buying a cell phone
Getting my shoes shined at the subway station
Getting a massage where the girl walks on your back
Heated toilet seats with a water spray to help you get clean.
The balcony is for doing laundry
Waking up to the chanting of monks from the temple down the street
Eating and drinking for 10 consecutive hours, and waking up refreshed the next day
Having a beer and a cigarette in a subway train. Just doing as some Japanese do.
Jaywalking is illegal here. So when you do it, make sure you’re surrounded by Japanese jaywalkers.
Trying to fit into a 12 inch hole in a column at a temple.
Drinking chemical beer.
Eating a 900 yen potato.

These are only some of the things I have seen and experiences I can remember at this time. There is a shitload more things I can’t write down.

Celio

Osaka, day one

2003-11-14T13:59:00.000+09:00

November 14th.

WOW, this city is amazing! I got into my hotel at about 7:30pm last night (13th, local time) its in an area of town so lively and loaded with neon signs. There are so many restaurants per square inch here its insane. I went out with three other Nova instructors to get some food, and man was it good. After that, I called Daow, and we met at Umeda station, about 15 minutes north by subway. This I did on my own, without much trouble. In the end, this city is much like the other big cities I have visited. I am particularly reminded of “Calle Braulio Murillo” in Madrid. Wide sidewalks tiled with textured tiles. The road signs are identical to the ones in Europe. I see ads for Nova every which way I turn, so much so that I have even seen t-shirts that parody the company’s mascot cooking “SOVA” noodles!

Umeda blew my mind. There are covered arcades that span blocks and blocks filled with restaurants and other stores, video games, “pachinko” parlors and more. There are also many brothels and other adult places all over the place. Even late at night, the streets are crammed with people, many going home after a night of drinks, others going home from work. One thing I noticed was how well people dress here. However, virtually all men wear black suits or deep navy blue suits. To really see fashion, you have to look at the girls. And what girls they are! Beautiful, some look as if they are made of porcelain. The elegance is simply stunning.

Daow took me to eat sushi at a restaurant in this covered arcade. The sushi is put on a moving belt, and you pick what you want from it. It was simply delicious, like no sushi I have tried in The Americas or Europe. Well, I am in Japan after all, so it is to be expected. I feel bombarded with energy. You can drink your beer openly on the streets, as we did last night after dinner. People smoke everywhere, but hardly anyone eats in public.

The people are friendly here, and also helpful. I had some trouble purchasing my train ticket to Umeda, and I asked this gentleman, in the most primitive way of communication that I wanted to go to Umeda station. I pointed to myself, then to the subway map and said “umeda”, he showed me what to do, and even pointed me to the right platform. People here are approachable.

Once again people in my group reminded me how desirable western men are to Japanese women. Daow also mentioned it. It is an interesting fact I suppose; one thing is certain, the women here are beautiful. Today I will go to Uehommachi station to us the free wi-fi access there, and upload and update my blog with this long and boring log hehehe.

Right now, its almost 9am, and in the hotel room is not the place to be. I will be taking a crapload of pictures today. Last night I scoped out some awesome places to photograph, so tonight, Friday night, I’ll be shooting like mad. One thing is certain; no amount of research and preparation would have prepared me to the pleasant surprises and the beauty of this city. Its simply gorgeous.

Detroit Airport

2003-11-12T13:55:00.000+09:00

I’ve been at the airport now for more than 3 hours. The plane is parked in front of me, getting prepped for the trek ahead. I am preparing myself as well. I am starting to see some Japanese faces wonder around the gate (A56, McNamera terminal, DTW) but no one is sitting down, just me. I’m the only one in the waiting area at this moment, 10:47am. In less than an hour we’ll start boarding the plane. It’s a 747-400, capable of carrying over 300 passengers, but one hour before boarding only I’m at the waiting area.

Zeni called me last night to wish me a good trip, and to tell me she’ll miss me. I didn’t call anyone to say goodbye, cuz well, I don’t like to say good-bye. However, leaving home this morning, leaving my mother and my brothers behind was very hard to do. Over the last two years my family has supported me in every way, they have been there for me without hesitation and without question. And now I leave them behind for at least one year. It is something very hard to do.

Two more people have joined me in the wait, and elderly lady and her son? Another two people approach the monitors and walk about. The whoosh of the shuttle train inside the terminal punctuates and commands my attention over few minutes. From here, next to the window, I can see the ground crew going about their business, connecting huge yellow hoses to the underbelly of this winged whale. It is now almost 11:00am. 2 hours before departure, and still about an hour from boarding. Another Asian face approaches the monitor, and over the speakers a woman’s voice reminds me how smoking is prohibited in the terminals.

The sun peaks through the clouds now, burning away the fog and haze of this morning. I can see the sky now, deep blue the higher up you look.

So I am really doing this. At the ticket counter, with Edgar, it seemed so routine getting my boarding pass, checking my luggage, and going thru security. Edgar wanted to stick around for a few hours, until my plane left, but I told him that he should go home and be with Mom and Aldo. I didn’t wan to make the good-bye any more painful.

The sun breaks through the clouds again and bathes the outside with gleaming radiance. The heat from my laptop helps me imagine I am outside on the tarmac basking in the sunrays.

More Japanese people make their way to wait with me. I just begin to realize that perhaps the bulk of the flyers to Osaka are connecting from other flights. And that’s why they’re not around here yet, their planes haven’t landed in Detroit yet. Though I think I’m generally not stupid, sometimes I can’t put two and two together. The obvious escapes me sometimes.

Have I written enough for now? Perhaps. But what else could I do when my mind wants to record its thoughts, and I have to recharge the battery for this machine??

A boy and a girl just walked by. They seem scarcely 19, and they wear desert camouflage fatigues. I wonder where they are coming from, and where they are going. Very young soldiers, indeed serving their country.

The plane’s crew has arrived, and now they are also waiting with me, along with a guy on his cell phone talking about who knows what. The important thing is that he’s talking to someone on the other side. The medium is the message. I left my cell with Edgar.

I have seen all of Canada, crossed over the Bering Straight, seen, Siberia, I have never seen so much snow and ice. You don’t know where the clouds end and the snowy landscape begins. I have been flying now for about 9 and a half hours. Sleeping most of the way, periodically waking up to look out the window and take some coordinates on the GPS. Its been nearly 12 hours since I last pulled the laptop out of its case. I’ve kept it simple so far. Take some readings, take some pictures, take off shoes, sleep. I have been extrememly lucky, I have the whole row of seats all to myself, so I have improvised a bed of sorts. I have three pillows and three blankets, and the people around me are quiet. No children around here to make things noisy.

The food was ok, I’m starving again though. The most interesting thing is that outside the plane it has not stopped being daylight. Its almost 11pm back in Windsor, and its really bright out. I will arrive in Osaka at 5pm local time. This is indeed the longest day of my life, considering too that while its 11pm November 12th in Windsor, it is November 13th here, so two days for the price of one. I left at noon on the 12, get there at 5pm on the 13th. Fucked up I tell you. I’m hungry.