japan

2006-01-24T03:35:00.000-08:00

the gang. L-R: sacha, mike angie, yumi, Jon, Liz, Veronica, Sam, Pete and myself.

2006-01-24T03:34:00.000-08:00

what it's all about! Naeba mountain, Niigata-ken, just north of Gunma.

2006-01-24T03:32:00.000-08:00

Angie and Sam's beast, The Rasheen, being packed up and readied for another trip to the hills. we had a great 3 day weekend straight after our trip to China in northern Gunma. there were 9 of us in total, snowboarding, drinking and cavorting. good times.

2006-01-24T03:29:00.000-08:00

Sacha and I in Sach's van on the way up to the mountains. December 23rd. little did we know of the enormous traffic jam that lay in wait ahead. nor of the 3 hours of sleep we'd be forced to take, with a broken heater, in the very same van, in a cold, lonely lay-by. still, we rode hard the next day, sure enough.

2006-01-24T03:28:00.000-08:00

The Forbidden City as seen from a nearby hill. Central Beijing. Both Mike and I were shocked to discover that the audio tour guide to the Forbidden City, that we'd both declined, was narrated by the man himself, Roger Moore. poor show boys, poor show.

2006-01-24T03:27:00.001-08:00

just like that great scene in 'big trouble in little china'. what's happening? 'it's a Chinese stand-off, don't make a sound'.

2006-01-24T03:27:00.000-08:00

chinese alternative medicine has no time for those with dignity. wax clearage, Beijing.

2006-01-24T03:25:00.001-08:00

The Chairman Himself. and that Mao character.

2006-01-24T03:25:00.000-08:00

Mike making friends. Tiananmen Square, Beijing.

2006-01-24T03:23:00.000-08:00

a couple of ponces mincing about talking rubbish.

2006-01-24T03:22:00.001-08:00

the wall through a window.

2006-01-24T03:22:00.000-08:00

irene decided she'd had enough and started her descent.

2006-01-24T03:21:00.000-08:00

i ran up here just to get this shot. then i walked back.

2006-01-24T03:20:00.000-08:00

the wall.

2006-01-24T03:19:00.000-08:00

our chinese-italian friend irene deep in negotiations with the big boss man. after 20 minutes he finally relented and allowed us onto the wall for roughly a quid each. we had the entire stretch to ourselves and it was magnificent.

2006-01-24T03:18:00.001-08:00

one of the 'guards' that we managed to bribe to allow us onto the wall.

2006-01-24T03:18:00.000-08:00

the lovely ladies who gave us cheap massages, and nothing else. infact, when mike went to remove one of his three pairs of trousers, so that he could actually feel the leg massage he was receiving, the girl freaked out! bless her. we went and visited these two a few times afterwards to chat. incredibly friendly and cool girls.

2006-01-24T03:13:00.001-08:00

Mike is stoked with the amount of head-room his top-of-three bunk affords. that enthusiasm soon turned to frustration, anger, tears, and finally apathy.

2006-01-24T03:13:00.000-08:00

a kind street vendor responds to the question 'how many mouthfuls before we grimace and throw it all in the bin?'. greasy food fried in week old oil, Shanghai old sector.

2006-01-24T03:12:00.001-08:00

cheap feasts, the only way to keep your body warm in China.

2006-01-24T03:12:00.000-08:00

comrade Mike Shadrachmaninov infront of the Summer Palace in the dead of winter.

2006-01-24T03:10:00.000-08:00

fun and games outside the Summer Palace, Beijing.

2006-01-24T03:07:00.000-08:00

oh lord, it hurts to just remember this evening. 11.30pm on an overnight train to Shanghai. we bump into Shen, a particularly friendly 'businessman' who is eager to buy us beer, practice his english, buy us beer, chat, buy us beer. 18 bottles purchased, he drank one. ouch. great chap!

2006-01-24T03:05:00.000-08:00

another one of me standing infront of something. Shanghai.

2006-01-24T03:04:00.000-08:00

a typical Chinese train. please pay special attention to the gentleman to the right of the photo.

2006-01-24T03:00:00.000-08:00

these two unfortunate souls sat opposite mike and i on the train back to Shanghai. the cheap beer flowed, the silliness kicked in, and the laughter was laughed....

2006-01-24T02:57:00.000-08:00

fancy boat on a large lake, the name escapes me, a 2 hour train ride from Shanghai.

2006-01-24T02:56:00.001-08:00

yep, still got the skills after all these years....ahem.

2006-01-24T02:56:00.000-08:00

Shanghai.

2006-01-24T02:55:00.000-08:00

ice cold. literally.

2006-01-24T02:54:00.000-08:00

Mike striking a mean vogue in the middle of Shanghai's busiest street, Nanjing Lu, 8pm on New Year's Eve.

2006-01-24T02:51:00.000-08:00

this little oik threw bangers at us.

2006-01-24T02:50:00.000-08:00

mid-alleyway pig-slaughtering session. definitely not one to miss.

2006-01-24T02:49:00.001-08:00

Mike waxes lyrical with some stone-cold chillers.

2006-01-24T02:49:00.000-08:00

if you've ever tried to picture someone cleaning out entrails and intestines in a small chinese alleyway, your endeavours may cease.

2006-01-24T02:48:00.001-08:00

Mike gets 'crazy eye' after spending too long enjoying the intricate carvings. or was it the cheap coke we picked up??

2006-01-24T02:48:00.000-08:00

this honestly is sacrificial pig's blood. i tell no lie. it was splashed around the gates of the small town we visited in the middle of nowhere. why? i don't know.

2006-01-24T02:45:00.001-08:00

at one of the many peaks of yellow mountain, one of china's most famous natural wonders. ironically called 'brightness top'. the weather wasn't with us that day.....

2006-01-24T02:45:00.000-08:00

south africa's finest doing something my father would describe as 'buggering about'. temple of heaven, beijing.

2006-01-24T02:44:00.000-08:00

awww!!

2006-01-24T02:40:00.001-08:00

there's not a lot to do on a train journey regardless of the country you're in. beers and gin rummy were the order of the day. look at that pout!

2006-01-24T02:40:00.000-08:00

nope, not a borstal for young offenders, our accommodation aboard the train from huangshan to beijing. 20 hours of joy.

2006-01-24T02:36:00.000-08:00

as the beautiful chinese countryside whizzes by outside, mike entertains himself on our 20 hour train ride back to beijing. these quality toys can be purchased from the lovely lady pictured for a paltry sum. class.

2006-01-24T01:01:00.000-08:00

here's a lovely shot of the local team that i play for. we are the Chiyoda-machi Yakuba Soccer Team! (chiyoda-town town-hall team). This shot was taken early November at the start of the Chiyoda town soccer festival. We only played one game against a chiyoda factory team. We won, mainly due to the guy in blue, the guy next to him and the guy second from left (standing). These three are high-school and university lads, shit hot ringers to prop up the rest of the team. still, a superb bunch of blokes, i certainly feel very fortunate to have been invited to play for the team during my time in chiyoda.

2006-01-19T05:43:00.000-08:00

a great, free, boiling hot onsen at the main gates of mount dread. both robbie and i vowed to build something similar to this when we are rich, although we seem to say that about every onsen we visit!!!!

2006-01-19T05:42:00.000-08:00

the main shrine at mount dread (osure-zan).

2006-01-19T05:41:00.000-08:00

mount dread (honestly that's its name) aomori, northern honshu (main island) japan. one of the most atmospheric places i have ever visited. people travel here from all over japan, even though it's tucked up in the far reaches of northern japan, to make small shrines for their dead children. it is eerily quiet but for the cawing of very large, very black crows who inhabit the area. the plastic mills are everywhere, marking out the different shrines, some of which have photos of and personal effects belonging to the child. moving stuff.

2006-01-19T05:38:00.000-08:00

when it comes to attention to detail some people are clearly better than others. the ultimate auto accessory? probably.

2006-01-19T05:37:00.000-08:00

nearing the end of day 3. tired, happy.

2006-01-19T05:35:00.000-08:00

change of scenery, same hike.this mountain's an active volcano.

2006-01-19T05:33:00.000-08:00

the start of day 2. a day that proved to me that it is possible to have eyes bigger than one's belly. at least when it comes to planning hikes, that is.

2006-01-19T05:31:00.000-08:00

leading the way along the 'path'.

2006-01-19T05:30:00.001-08:00

our first evening's accomodation. un-manned, totally free. no running water, an outdoor toilet. perfect. i swear i heard a bear outside during the night and did actually become very, very scared. the mountains change at night, and become unpleasant.

2006-01-19T05:30:00.000-08:00

robbie up to his chin in greenery.

2006-01-19T05:27:00.000-08:00

captain wilco. playing in the bushes.....

2006-01-19T05:26:00.001-08:00

you can't beat this kind of view with a bat. try it.

2006-01-19T05:26:00.000-08:00

grand.

2006-01-19T05:25:00.002-08:00

robbie ate this entire flower, despite my repeated warnings. it got messy, downright ugly and i was damn lucky that he's half my size...

2006-01-19T05:25:00.001-08:00

lunch break. we didn't see a single soul for hours and hours.

2006-01-19T05:25:00.000-08:00

Robbie's arty-farty ice shot. beauty.

2006-01-19T05:24:00.000-08:00

the start of our epic 3 day hike which would, seriously, bring me to the brink of tears at least once. i reckon robbie saved my life on this hike which ended up being the phyiscally toughest thing i've ever done in my life. no tent, we decided to hike a 5-6 dayer in three days. with 3 days worth of food, and an absolute need to make it to our designated sleeping hut before nightfall. furthermore, there were bear warnings all over the national park entrance. well, by the middle of day 2, having already scaled about 6 peaks, with 3 more to go that day, i crawled under a bush to escape the heat, my tongue like leather, water bottle empty, closed my eyes and prayed for help. robbie, on the other hand, spent about 2 hours boiling stagnant pond water on a tiny stove. all of our water required boiling due to nastiness carried in wild fox poo. i have never in my life guzzled so much near-boiling water! robbie, thankyou! this area is Daisetsu-zan National Park, Hokkaido. it was wild.

2006-01-19T05:23:00.000-08:00

hiking. epic weather, we were fantastically lucky, the heavens literally opened minutes after we stepped off the mountain. by then we were safely in a nice hot onsen!

2006-01-19T05:17:00.000-08:00

a prime example of how japanese officials like to ruin natural areas. take a splendid mountain stream in the middle of nowhere, and dam it. pointlessly. remember, concrete is beautiful in japan. must control everything.

2006-01-19T05:15:00.000-08:00

a face full of sand!

2006-01-19T05:13:00.001-08:00

wholesome. honest. god-fearing.

2006-01-19T05:13:00.000-08:00

the kind of sight you rarely see in japan. rolling hills and not a 7-11 for miles! grand.

2006-01-19T05:11:00.000-08:00

robbie going mental.

2006-01-19T05:10:00.000-08:00

the skinniest man alive buggering about on a beach! check those ribs! beautiful blue skies and clean water! northern hokkaido.

2006-01-19T05:08:00.000-08:00

the mountain that we climbed the day before. it's on a small island, an hour west of Wakkanai.

2006-01-19T05:07:00.002-08:00

he takes a good shot does our robbie. drying out the seaweed.

2006-01-19T05:07:00.001-08:00

annoying American meets obnoxious Kiwi. arguement ensues. actually, not true, but it looks like robbie is getting aggro to me!

2006-01-19T05:07:00.000-08:00

straight out of Lord of the Rings that. epic.

2006-01-19T05:05:00.000-08:00

this one's for my dad, as are many of the hokkaido shots. hiking, views, flowers and peanut butter sarnies! next thing i know i'll be studying medicine....

2006-01-19T05:04:00.001-08:00

what was the guy thinking when asked to set about designing a suitable outdoors toilet? really! needless to say robbie and i fillled it to the brim (i guess the cream collon was to blame) before realising that in japan one poos into a plastic bag and then carries one's faecal matter with onesself. ah well.

2006-01-19T05:04:00.000-08:00

what's the diagnosis doctor? hmm, doesn't look good, a severe case of cream colon.... ok, a superfluous L comes close to ruining the fun, but doesn't.

2006-01-19T05:00:00.001-08:00

ice-cold. everything is right. the stance, the height of the jeans, the cigarette. it all works. don't imitate. originate.

2006-01-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

robbie and i with two tokyo students who cycled all the way to hokkaido on granny bikes. one of the bikes had 1 gear! nutters.

2006-01-19T04:58:00.000-08:00

our accomodation for two evenings, some arches next to the incredibly noisy ferry port in Wakkanai, northen Hokkaido.

2006-01-19T04:57:00.000-08:00

Robbie posing at Japan's northernmost point, Wakkanai, Japan.

2006-01-19T04:54:00.001-08:00

Robbie, me, a waterfall and a very small canned beverage.

2006-01-19T04:54:00.000-08:00

without doubt the best jacket i've ever seen in my life.

2006-01-19T04:52:00.001-08:00

halfway up a 20 minute river hike. the higher up you go the warmer the water gets until you reach a natural hot spring pool and waterfall.lovely. shiretoko, hokkaido. japan.

2006-01-19T04:52:00.000-08:00

if Bernard Manning had gone on the same hike as Robbie and I then he'd probably have muttered the word 'bootiful' at least once.

2006-01-19T04:50:00.000-08:00

this is what a wild deer looks like as it rushes towards you, antlers lowered.

2006-01-19T03:07:00.000-08:00

toshi does his best to put my off my shot. 35 years of age. rail destroyer.

2006-01-19T02:58:00.001-08:00

part of snowboard Team Doku (poison) at the start of season darts and pool party! L-R: hiro, hide, nobu, toshi and the delightful yumi. all great riders and wicked, wicked people.

2006-01-19T02:58:00.000-08:00

Henry's luscious lips were certainly tempting after a night's-worth of strong beer! Scott tries his luck...late night karaoke session, October.

2006-01-19T02:56:00.000-08:00

hiking in my own fair ken with my mate Selwyn, right-winger/ forward for our footy team.

2006-01-19T02:55:00.000-08:00

my mates minako (left) and mami (right) at the halloween party in Grow-Up cafe in nearby Tatebayashi town. good effort girls. minako recently moved to san-francisco to learn english and, as she puts it, to meet a tall, blond american guy who'd be happy to make her his wife....and thus sponsor her a working visa.....!! GOOD LUCK MINAKO!!!!!!!

2006-01-19T02:54:00.000-08:00

the team. all good lads.

2006-01-19T02:53:00.000-08:00

the lovely lady supporters of Gunma-ken. veronica is holding the second place trophy for the Eastern Japan JET/ALT Soccer Tournament. second out of 18 teams. nay bad.

2006-01-19T02:48:00.000-08:00

miki, local bar-owner and space-cadet. brilliant, unique bloke.he parties harder than anyone i have ever come across, and is able to stay awake for days on end producing very hard techno music.

2006-01-19T02:46:00.000-08:00

no, not a Mexican zombie, but by-jove it looks like one! look at that face, and that plastic six-pack. Robbie, by far my favourite Japanese-Italian American. by his own account a 'wopanese american'!! seriously good guy, amazing snowboarder, work-horse midfielder, drinker, hiker-extraordinaire and great all-round chap!! currently producing wine on his parents' vineyard in Virginia, USA!! we miss you robbie!

2006-01-19T02:43:00.000-08:00

jon after one too many plastic cups of cheap wine. probably about 4pm. at the beach, Izu peninsular, Japan. george and i chose the 'no sunscrean brooooooo' approach and got hideously sun-burnt. we are talking blisters all over one's back and chest 10 days after the event. terrible. but fun.

2006-01-19T02:41:00.000-08:00

token 'monkey with ice-cream' photo. really though, take a close look in its eyes. horrid, wretched, hateful.

2006-01-19T02:37:00.001-08:00

this one goes out to my main-man Rob 'doormouse', 'dee', 'spookily mouser', 'bobby digital' etc etc Doran. only he can truly appreciate this island, used in the James Bond film 'The man with the golden gun' as three-nippled villain Scaramanga's hideout.

2006-01-19T02:37:00.000-08:00

heading out to James Bond Island. lovely, not a soccer-shirt-clad ruffian in sight. perfect.

2006-01-19T02:35:00.000-08:00

floating town built by Malaysian immigrants about one hundred years ago. beautiful and strange. the population was less than one thousand, and there didn't seem to be too many neighbours nearby.

2006-01-19T02:33:00.000-08:00

truly amazing! what a gent. george lives about half an hour's drive from me in neighbouring Ota town. i thought him rather odd at first, but quickly came to love his unique, smooth-talking, Californian style. a killer with the ladies, a fantastic travelling partner and a solid mate! i love you George. he's also a solid centre-back on the footy pitch! Krabi.

2006-01-19T02:28:00.000-08:00

both george and the monk had been enjoying the scenery for a good few minutes. content, george turned, farted, and left.