Diary

April 30, 2004 - Friday

Today we took a rest from vacation. We stayed in the appartment sleeping untill noon. Then we decided to go checking the Spouting horn on the south shore.

The Spouting horn is a small lava shelf where water thrust through an opening causing the water to squirt out its blow hole. At the same time it makes a hizzing sound. Quite impressing even though it was not so high waves and thus not enough thrust to push the water really high up into the air.

Before we got to the spouting horn we stopped at the Borders book shop. I wanted to buy the new Harlan Coben book. I also bought four Robert B. Parker books. He writes in a similar style as Coben, tough and funny crime fiction.

We also had time to stop at a local restaurant to get some Viatmese food. And Lilikoi pie, or whatever the name was. The restaurant is famous for its Lilikoi pie. And during our lunch people were getting in there jsut buying pies. Not slices of pie but whole pies. Some even had to go twice to the car to get all the pies with them.

The pie was good, but not that good. But I guess that Americans need to eat more than an ordinary Swede and Japanese person. I think most Americans we've seen here in Kauai weigh more than Chie and me together. I guess they need to fuel that body of theirs with more than a slice of Lilikoi pie.

After the Spouting horn we went to the Marriot hotel. Or not Marriot hotel actually but to the Duke's restaurant. It's located at the expensive Marriot hotel. Duke was a famous Hawaiian surfer that became a living hero when he saved 12 men from a drowning using his surfboard. All pictures of Duke is black and white and his surfboards seemed like they were made of pure wood so I guess he lived a long time ago.

Then we wnet home and had a Ceasar sallad for dinner. We get early to bed because tomorrow is a rise-and-shine-at-sunrise day. We are finally getting on our boat trip... If the weather permits it. We hope so.

April 29, 2004 - Thursday

Today we went to the Larsen's beach. It was a beautiful long stretch of sand with some black rocks. And almost no people.

The beach is known for its clear water and good snorkeling. As long as you keep away from the Pakala channel - the place where all the water is goig back to the sea and thus it is a strong current there. Today, however, the visibility was not so good and the sea was not so calm so snorkeling was quite difficult. If fact, snorkeling was nothing but hard work today. And even though far away from the channel the current was still strong.

So in the afternoon we moved to another beach. The Anini beach park. Its protected by a big reef so the water is almost calm here. Making it perfect for swimming and children.

They say the name used to be Wanini but someone blasted away the W with a shotgun. And since then it is Anini. Because the other residents thought the gun-shooter must have correct a misspelling.

After the Anini beach we went home. We had a smoothy and a frosty at the Banana Joe's just after we filled up the gas. Very yummy. But the frosty was so cold it made our brain's freez. Or at least Chie's brain. Since mine is the size of a peanut it is not much to freez.

We continued our way back home but had to stop again. This time at a beach we had passed so many times but now we just had to stop and have a look. It was the Kealia beach just north of Kapa'a town. It seemed like this was a beach for surfing and body boarding. Quite big waves and some of the broke just on the beach like on the Kiahuna beach.

No more stops on the way back. Just straight back. Shower. And dinner at the King and I Thai restaurant. Tom Yan Kun soup and chicken in red curry. Yummy.

April 28, 2004 - Wednesday

Woke up quite early today. Made sandwich for the beach. Outside it looked cloudy and as it was going to rain. Checked the weather forecast on the net. My guess was that south shore was the best bet for the day.

The choice of the day was Gillin's beach. Gillin's beach is part of the Maha'ulepu beaches and regarded as the best undeveloped beaches of the Kauai island. We just had to check this out.

On the way there it started to rain. Lucky we were in the car. And the car had windshield wipers. And they were working OK. The closer we got to the south shore the better the weather looked.

When we came to the tree tunnel - part of the road to the south shore that has trees on both side that creates a tunnel over the road - the weather looked a little better. And as we were bumping around on a dirt road to get the the Gillin's beach the sun was shining. Great.

We parked the car outside a horse riding place. And walked down to the beach. The landscape around the beach was great with cliffs ending right in the sea. Great waves splashed up on the cliffs as the came to a sudden stop against the rocks. I guess that if someone dared walking up to the edge of the cliff they would be wet. I did not want to get wet until I had a chance to lay in the sun for a while so Chie and I kept walking.

Five minutes walk and we arrived at a spot just perfect for spending a day at the beach. The beach was... Sandy... And long... And almost no people at all. After a while I was warm enough to get wet but, unfortunately, the cliffs were to far away so I was satisfied by just getting into the water at our perfect beach spot.

Gillin's beach was great. A real gem. But so has the other beaches we have been visiting during these days in Kauai been too. Still we really missed to play in the big waves in Kiahuna beach.

So in the afternoon we went to Kiahuna beach. The big waves were still there. What a surprise. And they were still fun to play in. Just getting in there and floating around and getting turned around by waves and their back current.

On the way back from the beach we stoped in Kukui Grove shopping center. Chie needed some long sleved sweater. It can get a little cool during the evenings, especially after a day at the beach. For some reason we did not bring any long sleved sweaters. Don't ask me why. I guess Tokyo was too warm when we left.

The day ended with a dinner of cow from Kauai prepared Korean style. So international. And tasty.

April 27, 2004 - Tuesday

In the morning it was difficult to decide which beach to go to. It looked cloudy outside. North or south? South looked less cloudy but I still decided to go to the north shore.

As I got closer to the north shore it seemed to have been a wise decision - even though I am not a wise guy I can still make wise decisions... Sometimes. The sun was shining over allmost all the beaches at the north shore.

I had already amde up my mind the day before that I wanted to go to the Makua (Tunnels) beach or the ke'e beach. Both are supposed to have great snorkeling and be extraordinary beaches. So when there was parking available at the Tunnels beach the decision was easy. Just try Tunnels.

It turned out to be a great beach. Beautiful and not so much people. Plenty of room to just lay in the hot sand and relax and reading. Look at clouds. Watch the surf smoosch against the reef. In otherwords... Doing nothing but enjoying life.

Then when it got too hot it was time for snorkeling. And trying out the new waterproof case for the camera. It turned out to be more difficult than I first thought to take pictures under water. I have done it once before but then I was diving. This was more difficult.

The surf and the current made me move around all the time. In addition to me moving the targets - that is the fishes - was also moving. All the time. Why? Oooh why couldn't they be still just for a moment? But next time I will get them. I think. I hope.

When it was time to go back to the Plantation Hale I just continued until the highway 56 ended. That was the Ke'e beach. I just wanted to check if it was worth going there the next time. And it seemed so. Worth going there I mean. The next time I am going north... Or maybe the Larsen beach... Or maybe the SeaLodge beach... Or maybe... So many beaches to enjoy.

April 26, 2004 - Monday

Today was the time to take a boat ride by the Blue Dolphins. However, in the early morning the phone rang. It was Naia, Captain Roy's wife who wanted to tell that the weather was not nice for a boat trip today, especially not for Na Pali, a most spectacular coast line at the east shores of Kauai.

That was what I wanted to see so I went to the harbor and resceduled for Saturday. Then I continued up in the mountains not far from the Port Allen harbor. Waimea Canyon was quite impressive. With great views. Unfortunately the further up I got the more cloudy it got and after a while I was even in the clouds.

After getting to the end to have a great view that was instead just grey and wet I was on my way down again. Going to Poipu beach again. But this time at another part of it.

But first... A stop at the Kauia Cookie Factory. This a factory that I like. I wish all factories were like this. Then there would be no wars... Of that I am sure.

Some cookies richer, and dollars poorer, I continued to Poipu beach. At Poipu the sun was shining and the waves were big. What more can you wish for?

Just two meters out in the water and the waves could almost knock you down and drag you out. But what fun it is playing in the water with such waves. And ait is not me... I saw more grown-ups that did it too. So don't call me childish.

Unfortunately all days come to an end. Fortunately the beaches will be there tomorrow again. As will the waves, the surfers, the... And of course... I will be there too. Count on in.

April 25, 2004 - Sunday

Today was another day at the beautiful island Kauai. Island has such a variety in climate. Both desert and the most rainy spot on the earth. Actually the most wet spot is so wet that plants have difficulties growing there... It is too wet.

They day started out by exploring the south part of the island. Or exploring... Most of the exploring was made at the Pouipu beach. It was sandy. Snorkeling was quite nice with a lot of big and colorful fishes. Then the rain came so it was time to leave. For the east shores.

Lydgate State Park is on the east shores. It has a long sandy beach wich is warm in the sun. And much more nice than a rainy Poipu beach. The waves made a strong back draft, but lifeguards were on duty so I felt secure. Then the rain came here too...

It was time to go back home. And make dinner. This night it was pasta and meat sauce. The recepie of the meat sauce you can find on this web-page under Japan and Chie's kitchen. Yummy.

April 24, 2004 - Saturday

First day in Kauai... And a great day it was. In the morning I went to Princeville at the north shore of the island. The decision was made the moment I came out to the main road around the island. Going south was a long line of cars almost not moving. Going north was... Almost no cars at all. So I went norht.

A 40 minutes drive later I parked the car and made 10 minutes walk through the jungle to the Queen's bath. Queen's bath is a big pool carved out in a lava shelf by the ocean. When I arrived today it seemed like the tide was going from low to high. Because some, large, waves managed to go over the walls of the pool making the swimming there more exciting and fun. But I was happy to be inside a pool like thing because the big waves made a strong current. Even inside the pool. I can jsut imagine how it would be outside the pool.

Just before I entered the pool someone spotted a turtle outside the pool. And quite a big one. From 100 meters we could still see it well. It was at the surface to breath. Cute.

After the Queen's bath I went to the Pali Ke Kua beach, also called Hideaways. I think because it was tircky to find it. And it was a 5 minutes walk down a steep hill.

But the walk was really worth it. The beach was small but not so many had found their way there. I guess that is way it is called Hideaways.

Besides just laying there on the beach reading and enjoying the sun. This was also a nice place for snorkeling. The reefs were close to the beach and even in teh shallow waters there were a lot of colorful fishes. Some quite big as well. And just at an arms length away. Just great.

Stayed at this beach the rest of the day, until around 5:30 pm. Then I went to Hanalei to watch the sunset. From Hanalei I could also see some nice cloud covered mountain tops. They say Kauai has some great hiking tracks and I believe it. The sunset was also very nice to watch.

Then it was dinner, sesamy chicken and mahi mahi. Delicious. Then it was a long drive back. But it was quick, knowing that I had a bed waiting for me there. I guess i am not over the jetlag quite yet.

I almost forgot to tell... But I did two very stupid things today. Almost so stupid I really not want to tell them, but here we go...

In the morning I baked some cinnamon rolls to have for breakfast and on the beach. That was not so stupid... Actually it was pretty smart and yummy. But forgetting the oven on all day long is not that smart. That is in fact stupid and dangerous. I am lucky nothing happened.

The other stupid thing I did was not as dangerous as the first but it made me feel more stupid though. I bought a waterproof camera case in Tokyo. This morning I tried it on my camera. Then I took my camera out and went to the beach.

At the beach when I wanted to take some pictures of the fishes I saw I realized that I only had the water proof case with me. The camera was at home... Or at least I thought so because when I came home I found it at the bottom of the bag I had to the beach. I have no idea how I could miss it at teh beach. Anyway, I used the backup all day instead of my new camera in my new waterproof case. Sometimes I just feel so stupid.

April 23, 2004 - Friday

The day started as any other day here in Japan. The sun rise. I woke up... Or if it was the other way around??? And I went to the office. Then I met with professor Kimura to discuss my preliminary results and the trip to Zurich in May.

Then, in the afternoon, the day went from a day as usual to a day not as usual. I went back home around 3pm to pick up my bags and then I hit the train to Narita. To go to Kauai, the small Island that the Japanese fly must have flown over just about an hour before they dropped their bomb loads on Pearl Harbor some 60 years ago.

The flight was a little bit tiering and I could not sleep so much. But who can complain. When I arrived in Kauai the sun was shining, at least where I was. After check in at the condomenium I went to the beach a five minutes walk from where I stay. A long sand beach with clear water. And no people. I difference from Oahu, Kauai is a small island with almost no people at all. Only around 80000 in the whole island. At 5pm it was back to get a shower and so some grocery shopping for breakfast and lunch sandwich tomorrow.

April 22, 2004 - Thursday

All the trees are starting to get leafs now. The campus is getting green. Really nice. But tomorrow I will go to Kauai and am expecting much more green. Kauai seems to have it all, jungle, desert, sunshine, rivers, sea, mountains, and the most wet spot on earth. Well, not that water on Kauai is more wet than elsewhere but the spot on the earth where it rains the most. And I am going there for a sunny vacation, I hope.

April 21, 2004 - Wednesday

Today was the time for my Japanese class again. Third lesson I attended. At the end of the class we all went to a shrine not far from the university. They have tsustuji (つつじ - a flower) in full bloom there. And the weather was perfect with blue sky and around 27 degrees or so.

It was a nice walk to the shrine and it is quite fascinating with the shrines. They always has so many detailed decorations. It seems like the base color is red, but so much other colors are there too. And I really like the stone figures of lions, tigers, or perhaps it is some fiction animal. I think they are there to protect the shrine. And there are usually some samurai warriors on either side of the entrance. Were colorful and with a mean expression on their face.

After that me and two German guys went to a Korean restaurant for lunch. I had a chicken dish with so much garlic I thought I had a whole subway by myself when I was going home. And then I went to Red Pepper in the evening to add some garlic.

April 20, 2004 - Tuesday

In Japan you can see the most strangest things you have ever seen. And Tokyo is probably the best place to see those strange things. This morning on my way to the subway I saw a pink dog. Uhummm! Pink! Dog! And you who know me know that I don't drink so that is not the reason - besides if I was drunk it would most probably be a pink elephant.

No this was a pink dog out on a walk with its owner. The owner did not have pink hair. I guess she was afraid it would look terrible so she tried it on the dog first. Just to confirm that it indeed looked terrible. I really wanted to take a picture of it but I think the owner would not have appreciated it. Especially since I only wanted a picture of the dog.

Besides the pink dog in the morning this was a no-much-happened day. It was 28 degrees and more humid than before. In the office it was probably the double... In the afternoon I was just sitting in front of my laptop working and sweating. And only my fingers moved so I was not sweating form exercise... I think. I don't even want to think about what it will be like this summer. Phew!!!

April 19, 2004 - Monday

Monday again... This Monday was a little bit different than usually. I had a Japanese class. First time... On a Monday. Not much new things but quite good to get some practice on Japanese that I already learned. Like hiragana characters.

April 18, 2004 - Sunday

Another day with a blue sky. Not as warm as yesterday. Actually, yesterday was more than 25 degrees so today is better. I went to Akihabara to buy an anti virus software. But I got mad because the Japanese versions were so much cheaper than the English versions. Why don't they provide a multi-language version at all times? I am amazed that with all the technique and programming skills in the world this is still such problem. So I did not buy any, because I got mad.

Instead I went to Awajicho. It seems like a long way but it is actually just a ten minutes walk. And the weather was great. I just wanted to check some more for a jacket. I did not find any.

So I went home and went to a park nearby and read for while. Just laying on a bench in the park reading. And drinking coke. Quite a bearable life. Yes indeed.

April 17, 2004 - Saturday

Breakfast in Ebisu at a bakery. The breakfast was really yummy with ham and egg sandwich, deep fried potato sandwich, and an Italian sandwich that was the best.

Before the breakfast Chie had bought tickets for the train to Narita airport on Friday. The train is much better than the bus when it comes to not wanting to miss a departure at Narita. The traffic is usually quite slow with a lot of jams.

After the breakfast I went to Ginza to get a massage. It was great. As usual. It is amazing what a little massage can do. Even though it is quite painful sometimes it always feels great afterwards. This time I even fell asleep for a short while during the massage.

The visit to the massage was followed by a visit to Awajicho. This is the Sport store and book store district. So many sports stores are located along the road here. And then the book shops. I wanted to check for a new water proof jacket for trekking. The one I have now is not water proof any longer. I want the jacket to be thin and light this time. Perhaps a PacLite jacket. I found one from Millet but I want to check around some more before I buy anything.

Instead of a jacket I bought maps for a trek I am planning. A six days trek in Chuba area. A mountain trek. Peaks are around 3000 meters. So I think it might be quite a hard trek. In mountain areas it is usually not flat... Who would have guessed, huh?

The end of the day I spent in Ikebukuro. That is four or five stations passed my office. Here is the biggest department store in Tokyo located. Seibu. And because it is the biggest in Tokyo... It is probably one of the biggest in the world. And big it was. They have a nice store there called Illums. With Scandinavian design. Well, the part of Scandinavia with some style anyway. Sweden and Denmark that is.

April 16, 2004 - Friday

Today the count down started. Seven... Not the number of the deadly sins. But of the days left before I leave for Kauai. Kind of a nice feeling.

When I was on my way out for lunch I had to wait for the elevators for a while. To pass time I looked out the window. To my amazement I saw a guy on the building across the street hanging on a rope ladder. It looked totally freezing scary. The building is more than nine stores high.

Whoha, I would have fainted and fallen down a long time ago. And what was he doing? It seemed to me that he was... Cleaning the building. not a window. But the building itself. I never thought of that possibility even. That you could clean a building.

The guy must be an unlucky bastard. Because he had two friends. But they had ordinary platforms to work from. So I guess this guy picked the long stick today. Or lost a bet. Or just like hanging on a wall like Spiderman.

April 15, 2004 - Thursday

The day passed quite fast at the office. I was late in the morning because I had to pay the rent at the Komaba Lodge. The office there don't open until 9 am. Making it real difficult to get to the office before 10 am.

Not much more happened. So I tell you something I forgot the two previous days. I got books from Amazon.com both previous days. Well, not so unexpected since I ordered it myself. Two work books about product design and manufacturing. Not much fun for anyone, huh? But I also ordered some books about samurai.

One is about the Last Samurai. Yep, the same as the movie. Except that this is written by a historian about the real last samurai. The movie is based on the same samurai but you know Hollywood. They want to make everything seem to evolve around USA - I don't agree with the methods but I can understand what is happening with Al-Quaida and in Iraq; things like that tend to happen when you get too arrogant and care about no one except yourself. Ooops... Back to the books.

The other books is a coffe-table book about the history of samurai. Illustrated with colorful pictures. It seemed like a nice book. The third book, the one i got yesterday, is about the history of the Japanese sword. how it developed and how it is made. So in a few months you can ask me anything about samurai and their swords, huh? Or maybe not!

Right now I am reading the Last Samurai. And although a little bit on the heavy side it is interesting reading. So I sit, or usually stand, in the train in the middle of all Japanese commuters and reading about Saigo Takamuri (西郷隆盛), the last samurai. It seems quite foreign the samurai way and the modern Japan. Still, it is part of the modern Japan. It has shaped Japan to what it is today. All past events have, so the samurai, or feudal warrior, society from the 8th century to the 19th century has also shaped the modern Japan as any other event has.

April 14, 2004 - Wednesday

Mid-week and nothing happened... Hmmm, I went to my first Japanese class but not so much new things there yet. Just some new words but I already knew how to ask what this thing is, or things like that. But it is still good to get some more practice because my Japanese is very week.

But besides the Japanese class not much happened. I had some great Chinese dishes for dinner though. Yummy.

April 13, 2004 - Tuesday

The sakura is over. But I passed another tree in blossom this morning. i have no idea what kind of tree it was but it was beautiful. The strange thing with many trees here in the spring is that they seem to blossom before they have got any leaves. So all you see is their flowers and it is colorful.

Before lunch I had a meeting. Or rather a presentation. Not me. But I, and many others, were given a presentation by Dr. King. I have met him before during the ISO-meetings i went to when I was at KTH. Now he was invited to hold a presentation about the PLCS (Product Life Cycle Support) work his been involved in.

It was quite interesting to get updated on the PLCS work. When I was participating in the ISO-meetings it was easier to get an update during the meetings. But now I have not been updated for quite a while.

I also had time to go talking with the teachers at the Japanese class. It actually already started by I was not informed. Somehow they lost my application. I guess I made it too early. Even before they had a schedule. So I will have my first class tomorrow. Then every Monday and Wednesday.

April 12, 2004 - Monday

Had a research meeting again today. About 99% was in Japanese so I mainly sat there. But I think I got most of it actually. Not that I understand Japanese but it was mainly for the students at the lab so it was basic design engineering stuff. What literature they should read and things like that. And about having a study plan.

This is the time of the year when the school starts so there are a few new members at the lab. So I think the meeting was for them. To know what is expected from them.

After the work the lab had a welcome party for all the new students. Kind of a nice thing welcoming them into the family. We all went to a Japanese restaurant and bent our knees and sat down on the floor. And had some Japanese food. The two professors of the two labs were there as well.

It was a nice evening and perhaps something that could be done in Sweden as well. I think it would be nice for new students to get to know the old ones and all the research students and teachers in a more relaxed environment.

April 11, 2004 - Sunday

Woke up and got ready for the tea ceremony. Then an hours ride on train to get there. Just in time. Today we started out with drinking tea again. Of course according to the real procedure. Then we practiced folding the fukusa and cleaning the bowl again. Kind of rehearsal from the last lesson. Then we started on today's lesson. To fold the small cloth for cleaning the tea bowl. You thought maybe it is just to fold it... Well, it ain't.

You fold it and twist it and un-twist, and then fold it again, in a well defined procedure. Difficult but quite interesting. And I was told that next time I was going to make tea for us... Scary. So I have to go now and practice...

Kidding... I went to Red Pepper for a dinner after the tea ceremony. I really needed it after sitting on my knees for two and a half hour concentrating on learning and doing the things the right way. The dinner at Red Pepper - Caesar sallad, dried tomatoes, lasagna, spaghetti with anchovy and basil, and apricot sherbet - was delicious as usual. And the staff at Red Pepper is great. Always so friendly.

April 10, 2004 - Saturday

Cleaning the apartment. Hard work. But it was rewarded by going to a Swedish eastern at Pontus-san in the evening. About 20 people from Japan, Sweden, Serbia, Germany, and Ecuador. At least to my knowledge.

We had Janson's temptation, of course. And eggs. Of course. Painted. Of course. And then we had a egg picking competition. Pontus said it was a common thing in Sweden. But to be honest... I have never done it before. And not now either. It was not enough egg for me and Pontus. The competition was won by a Japanese girl. The same that won the competition of making the most beautiful painting. So she got awarded by two eastern eggs filled with candy.

Then I joined the German couple - Dr. Wunsch and his wife - to the train. To get home. Not too late. Because I will have a class for tea ceremony tomorrow.

April 9, 2004 - Friday

Anything happened today? I went to a restaurant in Kamiyacho with Chie and Tsuchia-san. I have met them there before. A German restaurant, Die Wurst or something similar. It was nice and we talked about anything and everything.

April 8, 2004 - Thursday

Most of the day I spent setting up my new laptop. There is something totally childish about electronics and... Engineers I guess. We seem to be 12 years again. So much fun. But it is really just a tool and not a toy.

April 7, 2004 - Wednesday

Today was a busy day. I went to the bank to apply for a VISA again. First time I rejected because I had not a long enough economical history in Japan. Well, I just arrive so what can they expect. So I tried again now. With some complementary documents. I hope it works this time. I really need it when traveling.

Next thing to happen was that I got my new laptop today. Super. A lot of giga everywhere. Herz. Bytes. You name it. And wireless LAN. So now I have nothing to complain about if I get no results. Maybe I should stick to my old laptop instead?

Then we had a research meeting in the afternoon. I made a presentation of my work since the last meeting. That was about five days ago. So not so much progress. But Kimura-sensei wanted me to present the development since our talk last Friday and this week. So I did.

April 6, 2004 - Tuesday

You may wonder about today's pictures. Me too. Noop, I am kidding. The logotype you see is the logotype of the University of Tokyo, or Todai. And it is located on the urinal in the mens room in the building I have my office. Then there is also the wrapping around the toilet paper. Also Todai logotype.

Don't get me wrong... They don't produce crap here at Todai. I guess it is just that Todai is so big that they can get this logotype on everything they buy. Or maybe it is just a thing that is common in Japan. I don't know. If someone requests it I may do some research in this area. But just maybe.

Beside sneaking in to the men's room in the morning taking pictures - I was lucky no one saw me doing it giving them more reasons to call me hen-gaijin (変外人 - strange foreigner) - I also had two meetings with Kimura-sensi. Productive as usual.

Maybe I already wrote about this, but sensei (先生) means teacher, master, and doctor. But I have also been told that you may use it to anyone that you feel that you learn from. Then you honor that person by calling that person by her/his name followed by sensei.

The meaning of the characters are quite interesting too. The first character means ahead (先 - the sen-part) or taking the lead. The second character (生 - the sei-part) means life, be born, or student. So I guess that sensei means to lead or guide a student. Or perhaps, I like this better, the second character should be interpret as the time that has past between birth and death of a person, and the knowledge that the person have accumulated during that time. Or perhaps we should not analyze it too much and just accept that together they are sensei that has the meaning it has.

And writing about the characters and Japanese it not only for anyone of you that might read this diary. It is most of all for myself. By writing it I have a better chance of recognizing the characters, their meanings, and their readings the next time I see them. So it is part of my slow learning process.

April 5, 2004 - Monday

In the morning I took a detour to view sakura. Last night coming home from Tokorozawa I passed real big cherry trees in full blossom. It was hanging over the river and also created a roof over the narrow road along the river. So, I just wanted to watch it again today. In day light... Or at least in morning light.

You may think I am obsessed with sakura. Hmmm... You may think so. But I am not even half as obsessed with sakura as the average Japanese. For the average Japanese these one or two weeks of sakura seems to be the best in the whole year. Companies even have employees sent out to keep a nice spot under a cherry tree for the evening so that they can have a hanami party in the best spot possible. Then they celebrate the spring.

I am not sure though, if it is the spring that is the most important thing or the party itself. Nature is not so important. In fact, nature is a rare thing for most Japanese. Since most Japanese live in big cities, sometimes it feels like the whole of Japan is a big city, they don't see real nature so often. The only nature they see is artificially grown gardens. They are amazing, I don't say anything about that. But they are too perfect in a sense. Branches on trees are tighten to sticks so that they should grow in a particular direction.

In this sense the average Japanese is quite different from the average Swede (or Svensson as the average Swede is called in Sweden). In Sweden an artificial grown garden is not considered as nature by the Svensson. Nature is the thing that has been left alone for quite a long time just growing by itself in any direction it wants.

Not that this is impossible to find in Japan. It is just far away from most Japanese people. If I am lucky and have time I will explore it this summer by going trekking. Hopefully I will see some Japanese nature then.

April 4, 2004 - Sunday

Today was a hair cut day. I went to the same place as the last time. Actually this was the main reason for going here. This time the hair dresser looked like a pirate. But he and his assistant is friendly. We try to communicate but it is quite difficult when they don't know English so well and I for sure is not as good in Japanese.

In the evening it was home cooked sushi - if you can say cooked that about sushi. It was delicious. And then it was time to go back to Tokyo. In the rain.

April 3, 2004 - Saturday

Today I was going to Tokorozawa. But first a walk to the Meguro station along the river here in Meguro. Just to watch... Yup, that's right... Sakura... Again. This is the last chance. It's peaking.

Then the train to Ikebukuro to go to Tokorozawa. But first a short stop in Ikebukuro for small shopping and lunch. I bought some books to read (well, isn't that obvious?).

The department store was quite nice and I found a shop for North Face here that seemed really nice. I will come back to it some other time. To prepare for trekking.

It took quite a long time shopping and lunching so I arrived in Tokorozawa around 6 pm. Just in time for dinner at a Japanese restaurant not far from the station. Yummy.

April 2, 2004 - Friday

Sakura in the morning. Sakura in the evening. Sakura all say long. The cherry blossom is the most important thing right now. It occupies most of the day of most peoples minds right now. This weekend will probably be the peak of the blossom.

In the morning I passed by one of the most known symbols of the Todai. The clock tower - there was some kind of occupation of that building a long time ago. It has a beautiful tree with pink blossoms and I wanted to take a picture when nobody was there.

In the afternoon I had an hours talk with my host professor about the project. It was a progressive meeting and cleared a few things.

In the evening I went to a sushi restaurant in Ebisu. Chanting sushi, sushi, sushi, sushi, all the way to the restaurant. Why? Because... Why does it always have to be a reason for all the things that we do?

On the way home I just had to stop by the sakura again. This time the moon was up and the sakura is, I can guarantee that, as beautiful in the night as it is in the day.

April 1, 2004 - Thursday

April fools day... And nobody even tried to make a fool of me today. Or perhaps they did but I did not notice it. Well, what I don't know don't harm me.

When I was walking to the subway this morning I took another way then the usual. I walked along the river in the Naka-Meguro area. Under the cherry blossom. I found a house with the perfect name for this season... Sakura house, or Cherry Blossom house. In difference from the cherry blossom this house was quite ugly looking. Like a box of concrete.

After lunch I went on a trip to Kappabashi-dori again. This time I had to buy some utensils for home. I came back empty handed though. No such utensil. But it was still fun. And I had another look at the plastic sushi magnet to put on the refrigerator. The looked delicious.