Archive for August, 2007

Obon

Written by: adekun on 16 August, 2007 8:23 pm - Filed under: blog — 2 Comments »

The Bon Festival held since the weekend has ended. It is a time where families unite to venerate their ancestors. Graves (haka) are cleaned and at some point, a local Bon dance (bon odori) is performed.
After a tiff with the Nemesis, we went down the road to the gathering. It was one of those times where I was questioning my reason. Is the Japan escapade the better picking for the three of us?
I couldn’t get any decent shots or really capture the atmosphere of the event, but it hit the spot.

Most of the families from the immediate neighbourhood congregated and danced around a Taiko drum in the centre. It serves as a celebration and reminder of the sacrifices made. Bamboo sticks were handed around, and it seemed a little like Morris dance, without partners and bells. After a few dances, including Tanko Bushi where the motions of coal mining played out, everybody sat down talked and drunk the free beer – fruit juice for the children.

Tags: festival, japan

VJ Day

Written by: adekun on 15 August, 2007 10:03 pm - Filed under: blog — No Comments »

In the morning, there was a short program about some American veterans who served on the USS Drexler, meeting a Japanese pilot trained to carry out kamikaze attacks. It was arranged by the filmmakers of Wings of Defeat. The documentary released in July, aims to dispel the myths that the pilots were all crazy fanatics and show many shared mixed emotions. The release comes a couple of months after the film written by Tokyo’s nationalist governor, depicting the pilots as national heroes.
My wife looked a little shocked watching the footage, so I asked her what she knew of the tactics. Nothing was taught at school; it was only by chance that she had seen an animated depiction some years after leaving. It seems no different now, after a couple of days of the earthquake, there has been no mention of the Kashiwazaki power station. There is however, plenty of coverage outside of Japan.

Tags: news, politics

Deshima potatoes

Written by: adekun on 10 August, 2007 6:18 pm - Filed under: blog — No Comments »

Both the spinach and beetroot have started to emerge. Sadly, the ailing seed potatoes had already started to decompose by the time I finished preparing their bed. I got a kilo of replacements from nearby Land Science.
They are called 出島 (デジマ or deshima). The name is taken from Dejima an artificial island in Nagasaki Bay from which the Portuguese and Dutch traded during the Edo period. They are a high yield hybrid, introduced in the early seventies, grown mainly on the islands of Kyūshū and Shikoku.

Tags: garden

Kohlrabi up

Written by: adekun on 9 August, 2007 9:14 am - Filed under: blog — No Comments »

After a bit of a lay in this morning, I went out to cut a couple of cucumbers. The first thing I noticed was the distinct rail track running up and down the seedbed. Just after a couple of days of being in the ground, the temperamental kohlrabi has germinated along with the radishes. The latter making up the remainder of one of the rows.
The rain had washed away some of the topsoil, leaving the seeds rather shallower than the inch deep they were sown. I decided to scatter some compost on the top and wish them luck. With, I’m expecting to find carrots around the asparagus.

Tags: garden

The garden in August

Written by: adekun on 7 August, 2007 10:24 pm - Filed under: blog — No Comments »

I finished off sowing the seeds after breakfast. The idea was to return to it with some the best of the ailing seed potatoes in the afternoon.
A short blast of rain and a thunderstorm later put an end to that. The downpours only lasted five and fifteen minutes, the first being a bit of a concern. Although most of the rain was carried away by the mizo (ditch), a couple of pools appeared. It was the second that really did it, it’s not that there is a drainage problem, but the volume of water in such a short space of time.

The deluge had the seedbeds awash. Quite a current flowed over the top and toward the asparagus. At least I haven’t got to worry about those drying up. If you squint, you can just see the markers jutting above the waterline. I’m pleased with how the trenches carry the water away. The downside is that I shall probably have a couple of sessions on my hands and knees, pulling weeds, since they and any seeds get deposited in the place that must be kept weed free.

Tags: garden, weather

Beetroot

Written by: adekun on 1:00 pm - Filed under: food — No Comments »

Sown some seeds 07-Aug an inch deep, expecting it take a week or two for these to germinate. Hopefully be able to make some babyfood from these.

Tags: garden

Far-flung seeds

Written by: adekun on 6 August, 2007 6:02 pm - Filed under: blog — No Comments »

Today was another early start, Kento waking at six again. After watching the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony, I set about sowing some of the seeds I bought over the weekend. Most of the translating was done once back.

From left to right:

• Spinach, orai (all right) a hybrid produced in Denmark
• Kohlrabi, Grand Duke from Italy*
• Beetroot, a Detroit variety, surprisingly produced here
• Carrot, shinkuroda (new dark?) from South Africa

One of many reasons why seed exchanges are proving so popular. Funny how the exotic Japanese varieties are grown overseas.

Typhoon Usagi weakened into a tropical storm and gave the garden a good watering instead of a battering. Thunderstorms and 30°C+ temperatures are forecast everyday for the next week. We have just had a quick blast of rain, so I’m hoping this pattern continues and the seeds get off to a decent start.

*The white sticker says something like along the line of “sorry if they don’t germinate”.

Tags: garden, weather