Goin' to the shrine, and we got married...

Three cups of sake at the ceremony.
Originally uploaded by cabuchan

Saturday, June 9th, 2007. Aso Jinja, Kumamoto. More photos are up at flickr.com (^o^) v

You gotta fight, for your right, to Paaarty!

Karaoke
Originally uploaded by globetrotter611

Another one for my portfolio...

Check out 'Dotheads', a short film my buddy, Jason Ho, just made. (I've got a small role in it as well.)

Aso Caldera

Aso Caldera
Originally uploaded by cabuchan.

Here's a view of the caldera on my birthday this weekend, a beautiful, sunny Sunday.

There's a hint in this picture...

There's a hint in this picture...
Originally uploaded by cabuchan.

Snake Island.

Snake Island.
Originally uploaded by cabuchan.

Back from the Philippines. Click here to see more photos.

How to Eat Sushi

This is a really funny video on sushi restaurant protocol:
How To Eat Sushi on Transbuddha

A site is born.

Check out my new blog: http://the-way-in-k.blogspot.com/

It's about current research I'm doing in Kumamoto related to area temple activity during and leading up to WWII. I'm also covering local temple stay-overs as a separate in interest I've taken up recently. The pain and scoldings I received during my first stay-over are chronicled on the blog this week.

Taipei Massage

Painful massage.
Originally uploaded by cabuchan.

I never paid money to receive so much pain. Sweat dripped down as the muscles on her face flexed in varying contortions as she worked on my big toe. Rather than using the soft pads of her finger tips, she drove knuckles deep into my skin, separating muscle from bone. When she finished one toe, she precede to drive the stresses of the previous year of foot travel out of the next toe.
After 45 minutes of body wrenching corrections to my feet, legs, upper back and neck, logic told me that fundamental alterations must have been made to my sketetal, muscular, and nervous system that benefit my body like no Western medicine could ever do. Instead, I got some complimentary green tea and then a minor (but new) sharp pain in my left knee as I proceeded back out on the street.

Sachiko and Tomoko

意外に
Originally uploaded by tomoko.k823.

Spooky...

Spooky...
Originally uploaded by cabuchan.

Rice planting in Amakusa.

An aid pitch on Washington's Column

An aid pitch on Washington's Column
Originally uploaded by cabuchan.

I just put up some old photos (here) of a month I spent in Yosemite climbing the summer before coming to Japan. I've had a strong experience and continue to have one here in ending my second year and phasing into a third and final year. I do miss the climbing though of the US. As I enter my last stretch in Japan my mind has been tracing back experiences from home. The strongest ones are inevitably my climbing experiences out west as well as my work with Outward Bound in CO. The sense of calm, awe and accomplishment I experience through climbing and the mountains is one I have found nowhere else. While I'm psyched on my last year here, I also look forward to returning to those roots when I move back to the US.

A man playing sax in the Yoyogi Koen.

A man playing sax in the park.
Originally uploaded by cabuchan.

I just wrapped up an awesome four days in Tokyo. Saw many old friends as well as my old hide-outs from when I was modeling. It was cool being in Tokyo again at a different point in my life as well as having some Japanese under my belt.

For my thousands of eager readers, I apologize for not posting lately. Instead, I've been more regularly putting up photos on my flickr page - flickr.com/photos/cabuchan. So if there's nothing new here, check it for new material.

February 4th, 2006

Hyper!
Originally uploaded by Mr. Danieru.

I turn 28. Best birthday party I've had to date. Snagged this photo off my buddy, Dan's flickr page .

Shogakkou (elementary school).

Yon nenseis at Takumabara Sho.
Originally uploaded by cabuchan.

I'm just finishing up two weeks at my two respective shogakkous. I really enjoy teaching this age. My kids have great energy and are always up for a little learning. Its wipes me out but is well worth it.

More shots of shogakkou and others here .

Fish port (squid hanging out to dry).

Fish port (squid hanging out to dry).
Originally uploaded by cabuchan.

I took a teacher trip with about 20 of the teachers from Takumabara Elementary. Really fun time. I also learned new things about Japanese culture. For example, when Japanese men have got a few beers in their system, they crave ramen (kind of like we crave pizza I guess).

Dan and I - Geihoku, Hiroshima.

Dan and I - Geihoku, Hiroshima.
Originally uploaded by cabuchan.

Nine of us went skiing at Geihoku, Hiroshima for two days last weekend. Awesome time. This shot's a little fuzzy, but you get the idea.

INDIA

India turned out to be an amazing trip, if only for three weeks. During that time the intensity of life - the food, the music, the culture, the poverty - got into my blood and left a strong impression. Being back only five days now, I'm still processing the experience. This week I've been opening my lessons at school with a brief intro of India and some shots I took there. Its a fun way for me to share the experience with my students and they've really enjoyed learning a few things about one of their fellow Asian countries.

I don't have time to post all the photos so please visit www.flickr.com/photos/cabuchan to see the rest .　（ここにクリックしてインドの写真を見てください！）

Below are a few diary entries from the trip with some attached photos.

Christmas Morning Race: Ananda Marga School, Panskura, West Bengal

Rajastan by scooter.

We've been in the beautiful city of Udaipur for the past four days. Its situated on a lake, surrounded by mountains on the western edge of Rajastan.

The culture here feels like another country apart from central, cowbelt India. In fact, the Udaipur kings never ceded power over the length of their 51 generation dynasty (the longest in the world), including the great Mughal empire (builders of the Taj) and the Brits. The Rajputs have always been fiercely independent, known as great warriors with chilvarious pride - characteristics which strengthened them and at the same time dispersed their power due to inner-warfare.

Against an arid backdrop, women here wear brightly colored flowing sarees and carry jugs of water and bundles of sticks balanced perfectly on their heads. Men ride tough, old motorcycles with velvet patterned seats. Their skin is the texture of tanned leather and they sport giant swash-buckling mustaches.

Yesterday, Sachiko and I got a glimpse of Rajastan outside of the usual tourist confines, risking our luck through the countryside on two old scooters! We drove 50 km south of Udaipur through desert and patchwork fields to reach Jaisamand lake, the largest artificial lake in Asia - built by a 17th century maharaja (Raji king) as a retreat and hunting ground. Today we continued along the loop, following winding old roads where traffic hazards were cows, potholes, water buffalows, sand, burrows and a herd of camel! We passed through some truely picturesqe villages too, fed by water from the lake.

In the town of Jagat we visited a 10th century temple with magnificant marble figure carvings displaying stories of Hindu gods. Outside of town, Sachiko's bike broke down. After walking it back into town, a couple of teenage boys at the one bike garage there got it running after an hour or so of tinkering. We didn't stop the engines until safely arriving back at the hotel (50 km).



That said, independent travel is the way to go. You meet unaffected people and see amazing things off the tourist-beaten path. Next tour of India - buy motorcycles in Delhi and travel the country over a several month period, finally arriving in the mountains of Nepal.

We'll be back in Japan in three days. Should have some good photos up shortly after arrival. Until then, Namaste.