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asterinjapan · 4 years

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the end of a journey

And that wraps up my collection posts for this trip. How time has flown by…

As always, I like to do a final post in which I look back on my travelling, before I close this blog until my next trip. I am going to do that this time as well, but my reflections on Okinawa will be slightly different than expected, as in the early morning of October 31, the main buildings of Shuri Castle were destroyed in a fire. Thankfully there were no human casualties, but the loss of the castle cuts deep for Okinawa, and it would feel odd to just cheerily babble about visiting the castle without touching upon what happened a mere 4 weeks later (to the day, I now realize).

I uh, might have postponed this entry so that I could pretend I didn’t have to close the chapter of this trip, haha. But with my photo album done, all that’s left is my final words.

Now without further ado, the final post for Japan 2019!

One would think that after eight previous trips, another flight to Japan would feel like routine, but the start was already different since I needed a domestic flight transfer. However, being able to see the islands of Okinawa from the plane awed me, and definitely set the tone for my enjoyment of the main island. I arrived with fairly high expectations, and I got to say that Okinawa more than delivered. Although I confess it was slightly odd to stay along the Kokusaidori main street, as it’s so touristic and feels like a shopping street in Tokyo, but it still has its own Okinawan flavor. And I was so close to the ocean! I couldn’t believe how quickly I reached the shores, and even with a highway road above my head, it was great to trail through the water on my day of arrival.

Visiting Shuri Castle was on the top of my wish list, so I did that right on my first full day. Reading about the beautiful reconstructions and seeing the pictures definitely didn’t hold up to the real thing, and I could only admire the love and dedication that had gone into reconstructing this centuries old castle. It felt so completely different from the other Japanese castles, which it of course is, but I hadn’t expected to feel that so acutely. You could definitely tell how proud the people here were of the castle, and I can only hope that those whose livelihoods depended on the castle can get by now. It still feels surreal to think that the buildings are no longer there. There are logistical problems for rebuilding, although I don’t doubt they will get there in the end. It burnt down before, and rose from the most terrible of ashes. It will likely take decades, but considering how big a symbol this place is, there will definitely be something new. I do confess I kind of skipped war memorials during this trip to Okinawa, but the scars of the Battle of Okinawa was visible everywhere; and yet it was also noticeable how the people have come back from it. I can only hope their spirit will continue from hereon too and that this symbol will rise again.

Of course, I had no idea while I was there what would happen four weeks later, but I’m glad in retrospect that I took my time and uh, took as many pictures as I did. Nearby Tamaudun Mausoleum impressed me deeply as well, although I must confess that was due to the full package: the castle and the history and the mausoleum together, plus the pathway leading up to the building was short but absolutely lovely.

After that, I saw so many sights. I climbed the mountain to find Nakagukusu castle, where I had a blast feeling like I was in some weird limbo between a gothic European castle in ruins with crows flying by and, well, a subtropical island, with beautiful blue seas on both sides. Weirdly, it really looked like only the castle was clouded that day, as the sun was shining on both sea sides, but it just added to the atmosphere.

I went from super touristic but cheerful Okinawa World with its gorgeous caves to the genuine and wonderful museum, teaching me so much more about the islands, explored gorgeous gardens, and to top it all off, I got to spend a day on Tokashiki island, which really was the icing on an already delicious cake. The weather was lovelier than I could have even hoped for, the views were amazing, and I was honestly jealous of myself while I was there. This really was the picture perfect ‘tropical holidays’ right from the travel brochure, and although I think I’d get bored of it if I were to spend a whole week just chilling on the beach, it was an amazing way to end my week down south. Not to mention the submarine ride! I’m really glad I was tenacious and eventually lucked out and got on, because I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. It’s one thing to see coral reefs on tv or in an aquarium, but seeing them in the wild is awe inspiring. Luckily the Kerama Islands (which Tokashiki is the biggest of) are a national park and under protection, and I can only hope that we can all protect amazing sights like these all around the globe.

After a week of exploring something completely new, it was time to return to an old friend: Fukuoka, which I had stayed in for a week back in 2015. I had fond memories of staying there, and this week didn’t disappoint. The flight was so relaxed I would almost say I got rid of my fear of flying (not entirely, but it definitely diminished from here on), and then it was time to explore the places I had missed out on before! It was my first time seeing a typical conical and active volcano, and Sakurajima definitely didn’t disappoint. Karatsu had caught my eye in recent years, and I’m so happy I went there, because I had a delightful day and I was thoroughly charmed by this city. Beppu was highly touristic, but I had a good time exploring the hells anyway, and I’m easily amused, so getting to say ‘I went to hells and back’ won’t get old soon. The typhoon made me stay in Fukuoka for a day since I didn’t want to risk getting stranded, but I don’t regret it one bit as I finally got to see Kushida shrine in the sun and had a blast in Canal City. It was safe enough to go to Yoshinogari Historical Park next, and wow, there was so much to see and do that I definitely have to go back here sometime. And hey, I got to be crafty and made a mirror! I’m still unreasonably proud.

With the weather continuing to smile down on me, I hit Okayama next, where I finally got to dress up as a princess in the castle (I’m easily pleased) and saw the sights we sadly had to miss out on last year due to floods. Gorgeous sights and castles greeted me as I finally got to see more of Shikoku, and although I am definitely a bit weary of temples now (sorry, Onomichi), the views over the Inland Sea continue to impress. The weather was exceedingly kind to me and gave me blue skies over all castles, and so I happily checked off number 7 on the list of 12 original castle towers still remaining. Past the halfway point! I do love castles, haha.

My luck hadn’t run out yet as on my final day in Okayama, KOKIA was performing in Osaka. It was just an hour away from Okayama, the closest I was to Osaka the entire trip, so that left enough time to visit Universal Studios beforehand. And of course, seeing KOKIA live is always a magical experience (which is a nice bridge from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter I guess, haha). I’ve said it before, but even live recordings and DVDs can’t compare to the live experience, and I feel so privileged and blessed that this is my seventh time (!) getting to see her live. And this was my third time in a row getting to meet her for an autograph! I might get spoiled at this rate, haha. It was wonderful to hear songs from all those years ago as well as some newer favorites.

And although I hadn’t been looking forward to the long trip to Tokyo, this was in fact a very relaxed experience. I had so much leg space that my suitcase in front of me was no big bother, and the seats next to me stayed empty anyway. Getting back to Tokyo, and more specifically Ikebukuro, felt like coming home again, and I enjoyed soaking into the familiar sights (and uh, shopping, I have to admit).

This was the only part of my trip where I actually noticed the typhoons that had blown over or were on their way. Japan has taken quite the battering this year, with typhoons forming very late into the season, being more powerful than ever, with Hagibis being the tragic record. It had given me quite the scares, but all it really meant for me was a few windy days, two days of rain on 4 weeks total, and making it risky to leave Tokyo for the mountainous areas. The people here have suffered far more. I can only hope they recover well from this natural violence and that they can catch a break for a while.

Anyway, you can easily dump me in Tokyo for months on end and I will still have a great time. This city is so massive and there are plenty of places worth a second (or third, or ninth) visit, so it’s hard to imagine I’d ever get bored here. And since many of the series and games I like hail from Japan, I definitely took the chance to stock up on merchandise and go to cafés to let out my inner fangirl. Look, I grew up on Pokémon, I’m not gonna ignore the chance to have dinner with Pikachu. Rainy days aren’t so bad if you get to spend them in a museum so big that even a full day is barely enough to see everything, and I got to spend some extra days with my friend on top of it.

I have to admit I felt a bit bad about not using my JR pass much in that last week except for the Yamanote line, but that in no way diminished how much fun I had, and I confess to having cried a couple of times in my final days in Tokyo due to my impending return home. Of course, going on holidays is different from living somewhere, but I still feel like a piece of me was left behind in Japan way back in 2010, and so it hurts to part every time. That might sound dramatic, but that metaphor does explain why I feel so strongly about it.

The flight back gave me one last treat with the Fuji showing up through the clouds, marking the first time in all those flights when I actually got to see it from the plane. Sadly the picture I took on my phone isn’t super crisp, but it’s the best I could do at the moment, and really, there’s something about that mountain you can’t quite catch on camera anyway. The flight was calm and hardly affected my nerves, and though I didn’t sleep much, I managed to get home safe and sound without even falling asleep on the train or bus.

Of course, the jetlag was waiting for me with a big ol’ hammer, and it took a while for me to recover. A bit longer than expected, actually, although I suspect part of that was caused by just how much I’ve seen and done over those past 4 weeks. Look at how long this entry is getting, and I barely even touched on some days and impressions! I can’t believe I got to check off my entire list of places to visit until I got to Tokyo. I hadn’t thought my body could handle it, but I was pleasantly surprised, and I definitely feel in a better condition than ever. Seeing all these wonderful sights for sure invigorated me, so I don’t doubt it helped, but the relative ease with which I climbed those mountains also surprised me. Not that I’m complaining!

And that brings me back home. I’ve had two weeks to recover now, and I think my body has adjusted to being back in the Netherlands again. I’ve collected all my reports from this blog (and have apparently done NaNoWRiMo writing challenge a month early, as I surpassed 50,000 words written in a month, oops), my photos have been sorted out, I’ve put together a photo book for the collection, and… well, all that’s left is closing off this blog until the next trip. That won’t be this year anymore, haha, no more last-minute Christmas trips to Tokyo! Although I won’t deny it’s tempting, but I’d rather take the time to plan out my trip for next time.

I don’t know when that will be. Part of me really wants to see the cherry blossoms, but it’s a busy season, so I should be looking into flights and hotels already if I am set on doing so next year. Summer 2020 is out, though. I’d rather avoid the height of summer in Japan if at all possible, and well, with the Olympics and Paralympics next year, I think Japan really doesn’t need any more tourists in the mix, haha. So, who knows! I’ll have to wait and see where next year takes me, although I’d love to return to Japan as soon as possible. I still haven’t visited Hokkaido, after all, and I did plan out a lot of day trips from Tokyo that I didn’t get to do now.

I keep saying it, but I don’t think I’ll ever be done with Japan. Despite hardships, I am so happy I decided to study its language and culture, over a decade ago now. It really broadened my horizons, allowed me to meet new people, and introduced me to an immensely interesting country. Although I’m far from fluent (I really need to pick up my study books and at least increase my vocabulary, yikes), it still really helped finding my way here and getting in touch with people. Of course, I saw everything through a tourist’s eye, but I do my best to read up on the places I visit and get a better sense of the culture and history through first hand experience. Speaking the language to a degree definitely helps with that.

And so, I will now close this blog again until my next trip, which hopefully won’t take too long. Whether it’ll be a short hop over to Tokyo or a longer cross-country travel remains to be seen, but I can’t wait to find out!

Thank you for sticking with this blog and for reading all that in case you made it here, and see you soon!

#report #report: japan 2019 #japan 2019

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colossal-guest-2011 · 5 years

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My experience with Todd Haberkorn

I first met Todd at Anime Central 2010, if you can call it a meeting. I got his autograph and a picture, and I attended a few of his panels. He mentioned he was going to Japan in a week or so for work, and I joked with friends that it would be funny if I saw him during my own study abroad trip to Japan that was in just over a week. Lo and behold, at my connecting flight in San Francisco, I saw him waiting at my gate, waiting to board the same plane as me. Internally freaking out, I snapped a sneaky photo and texted my friends. They shared the news on Facebook, and many hours and a long flight later, he saw it. I posted the pic and tagged him, and despite the photo accidentally having cut off his head, he admitted it was him and joked that the next time we shared an international flight, I should say hi.

Flash forward to Colossalcon 2011. Todd was one of the guests, along with a few other VAs we adored, so my best friend and I decided to take a road trip out to Ohio for the weekend, rooming with a few people she knew from the internet at a hotel up the street. We finally got the chance to be in Todd’s autograph line. When it was my turn, I said, “Remember last year when a girl snuck a creeper photo of you at the airport and said you guys were on the same flight to Japan? And that she should have said hi? Yeah, that was me.” We laughed about the whole absurd situation, and as he signed my item, he asked if I played soccer. Confused, I said no, I hated soccer, but I was a newly-christened marathon finisher, since running was basically free and I was a broke college student. He smiled and said something like, “Ah, I knew it had to be something like that. I could tell by the legs.” I was confused and (admittedly) a little flattered — I had always been a scrawny kid, but my muscles had developed well through high school volleball and my marathon training, and it did feel nice to have that appreciated. I was (and am) a socially awkward mess, though, so I attributed my flash of discomfort at my inability to accept a compliment. I asked for a pic, he agreed, and we went on our way.

Later that evening he had a panel, I believe about his fanclub that he had just started up. My best friend and I weren’t the ones who started it, and I can’t recall how we got involved (maybe via Twitter?), but we were in contact with the group’s founder, and we were essentially some of the first volunteers. After the panel, he hung around a bit to take pics and chat. When my friend and I approached, he said, “Hey! There’s my runner!” We got a pic, and then my friend mentioned that we were working with his fan club. He lit up, asked us to hang around while he did a few more pics with other attendees, and then asked if we wanted to go somewhere and chat. My friend and I, being young, weeb-tastic fangirls, excitedly agreed. He asked us to meet in the resort’s lobby.

When we met up, it was just the two of us and him. For a while, we just talked about his fan club, Team Haberkorn.It was still not really a big thing, brand new, and he animatedly talked about what sort of things he wanted to do with it, how he wanted to connect with his fans. For roughly 20-30 minutes, that’s all we discussed. Then he started some small talk, asking how our weekend had been going. I told him it was fun, going to a con at a big resort and far from my home, but since my birthday was on Monday, we were treating it like a pseudo birthday vacation. He asked how old I was turning, and I said 20. He excused himself for a moment, and when he came back, he had a clear glass from the bar. “For the birthday girl,” he said, handing me the glass full of pink liquid and ice cubes.

As a woman, you’re taught never to leave a drink unattended, and never to take a drink if you didn’t see it made. Not wanting to be rude, though, I carefully took a sip. I asked him what it was. He never said, just smiling and saying, “Something good.” In my head, I was thinking, “There’s no way he would have put something in this. Your friend didn’t get one, and if he tries anything, she’s right here, watching. It’s fine.” So I kept the drink. I don’t really remember details of what else we talked about, but I distinctly remember him telling us about how he had a long-distance girlfriend in college and how he would drive to see her every weekend to “read books” as he put it, complete with a knowing smirk.

Eventually we said we needed to go, since we had to get back to our own hotel. He asked us if we weren’t staying at the resort? And we admitted that we’d made our plans to come far too late for any resort rooms to still be available, so we had 7 people crammed in a small hotel room a mile up the road. Then he said, “Hey, if you guys want, I have plenty of space in my room. You’re free to sleep there if you want.” A combination of social awkwardness and weird vibes had us quickly and graciously declining. We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. We didn’t talk the rest of the con, but I know he saw us at one of his panels the next day, and he smiled and waved.

At this point, despite my clearly-remembered unease, I wasn’t able to pinpoint what exactly had weirded me out so badly. It was a long time, years, that I was able to fully come to terms with the fact that a 28-year-old convention guest had said I had nice legs, bought me alcohol knowing I was 19, and invited me and my friend to sleep in his hotel room. I look back sometimes and shudder to think about what might have happened if we had said yes.

We saw him again at Colossalcon 2012, though his busy schedule and other things (unrelated to anything serious) kept us from interacting one-on-one outside of his autograph session. Online, he and I would occasionally bicker on Twitter or Facebook, egging the other on. In time, though, college kept me a lot busier, and I had no time for anime or cons or banter. I graduated, got a job, and did other things. Todd seemed to get more and more argumentative online, often taking big news stories and playing devil’s advocate. His fan club had gotten wildly popular, though my friend and I had only stayed on for a few months. He seemed to be more hostile, less open-minded, and much quicker to mock people in a way that didn’t seem like friendly banter. In October 2016, he and I butted heads for the final time. I’ll let the screenshots tell the story.

After that, he deleted me from his Facebook. What’s hilarious is that he then proceded to send me an Instagram DM, which meant me had to look me up. He definitely had my e-mail address from my brief stint as fanclub volunteer, but he chose this.

He and I have not spoken since, and I have no desire to ever speak to him again. In the years following the 2011 incident, I grew so much and learned just how skeezy he had been. He denies malicious intent, but I know for a fact that he has slept with two other convention attendees in the past, one of whom I know. Regardless of their age, that’s still scummy. I don’t want to think about if there have been other young women like me, maybe teenagers, excited at being singled out by their favorite anime voice actor, showered with compliments, given a drink or two, invited to a hotel room.

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liedowninthelight · 4 years

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Decade in Review

Reflection is what I’m good at, but so often I get in the weeds of my own brain that I fail to grasp the bigger picture, and to draw to mind where I’ve been, how I’ve grown, and who I’ve become. I saw a friend post her decade in review, and as the end of this decade coincides with the end of this liminal phase known as my 20s, I thought it might be fun to take a look at my 2010s, year by year.

2010: My freshman/sophomore year at the University of Louisville. Lots of searching and lots of “Why am I even here?”. Changed my major from Sculpture to English Literature (...so much more practical). Folded a lot of jeans at the Gap and listened to a lot of Feist and Bon Iver. Discovered the magic of a Sunergos Chai Tea Latte.

2011: Needing to make a change, I moved to Bristol, England for a year of study abroad. I fell in love with the country, with my new Dutch, French, and Lithuanian friends, with cuppas and biscuits and the English department, and with a boy. I traveled, but stayed mostly close - Bath, Windsor, London. Bristol soon began feeling like home.

2012: I traveled more - to Edinburgh, Prague, London again and again. And backpacked with my best friend through Paris, Interlaken, Venice, Cinque Terre, Florence, Sienna, Rome. All of this, for better or worse, was colored by my first real heartbreak. I was surrounded by some of the most beautiful places on earth, but inside I just felt emptied out. I moved home and threw myself into my studies.

2013: I moved into a new apartment in Louisville and my roommates became the girlfriends I had always wanted but never had. We went dancing a lot, studied a lot, and stayed up way too late discussing Derrida and economic inequality and the merits of Taco Bell. I had two amazing professors who gave me the confidence to present one of my papers at a conference in Chicago. I applied for a Ph.D. program at Brown. I reconnected with Sean the day before Thanksgiving. I graduated from college a few weeks later.

2014: I moved back to Cincinnati, took a dead end job to pay the bills, got rejected from Brown, and cried a lot. But I also grew in my love for Sean. We took our first trip to Asheville together, and I got a job offer to work in the International office of a nearby university that December.

2015: I moved in with Sean and we visited his parents for the first time in Naples, Florida. I grew in my love for international education and went to my first work conference in Boston. I traveled to Austin, Texas with Kevin to see my good friend and her wife get married, just a few short weeks after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states. Sean popped the question after a night at the ballet, which neither of us enjoyed very much (the ballet, not the engagement).

2016: I got my first promotion at work, we vacationed in Key West, and I began planning our wedding. We celebrated my mom’s 50th birthday in Arizona, and spent time in the Grand Canyon and hiking the red rocks in Sedona - which quickly became my personal Mecca. Trump was elected and I spent an hour crying in the bathtub until Sean convinced me to come to bed. I (mostly) kept my sanity.

2017: I marched with my mother in the Women’s March - the largest single-day march in US history. I traveled to Senegal and Cote D’Ivoire for work, and fell in love with Dakar and Ile de Goree and Thieboudienne. Sean and I got married in May, and the wedding was more beautiful and heartfelt than I could have imagined, but the day went by so quickly that looking back only a few years later, I hardly remember a thing. I went to see David Sedaris and he lovingly drew a middle finger on my first edition copy of Barrel Fever. I traveled again for work - back to Senegal and Cote D’Ivoire but also to Morocco. I bought an overpriced rug in Marrakech. I called Sean crying about how guilty I felt afterward.

2018: We began the long, expensive, and still ongoing process of renovating our tiny 1950s bungalow. More traveling for work, this time to Japan and Vietnam. I was able to bring Sean along and we spent an incredible few days together in Tokyo. I briefly wrote copy for Women of Cincy. Sean and I took a mini vacation to Austin, where we reconnected with old friends, swam in natural springs, and ate lots of tacos.

2019: While still in its midst, 2019 felt like a year of overwhelming change, both good and bad. I took a girls trip with my best friend to Sedona, and Sean and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary in May. In June we took a two week trip with my parents to Alaska, and in July, after almost five years, I left my job to take a new position at another university. The change, while positive and a step up professionally, was difficult and my life fractured in unexpected ways. I faltered, second guessed myself, and questioned every aspect of my life. I felt unsure of who I was, of what I wanted, and where I was going. Maybe it was partly the job change, and partly the creeping feeling that “this is it, there is no turning back, this is your life now...and you’re almost 30!” And while I have it better than I could have positively imagined, the weight of this grown up position, and the house and husband and being “settled”, felt positively suffocating. “Did you make these choices intentionally?” I thought. “Or were you just checking off boxes as opportunities arose?” “Is this what you have wanted all along, or are you just scared to pursue something different?” Because in the compromises you must make when sharing a life with someone, and in focusing on growth in your career over pursuing your other interests - you can lose parts of yourself. In choosing something and someone, you lose out on all of the other choices you could have made but didn’t. And all of the other lives you could have lived, but that will never come to be. Reckoning with this is hard for me, and always has been. It’s like that quote from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: “Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I’m not living..”

With fall I came to feel more like myself again. I traveled to China for work and on my single day off, climbed the Great Wall with my quiet but kind guide named Harry. I reconnected with old friends and recommitted to caring for myself. I’m working on leaning in, on choosing action, on living my life over thinking about my life. And that’s really what I hope to manifest over the next decade: more living, more connection, more intentionality, more gratitude, and more presence.

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heartlessfujoshi · 5 years

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Alright! I was tagged by @seihanamyotp for this game. Let’s do this!

1 Nicknames: Kat, Kit Kat, Fujo-boke

2. Zodiac sign: Cancer

3. Height: 160 cm/5′3″

4. Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw

5. Last thing I googled: my height in centimeters LOL

6. Favorite musicians: Ben Folds, Dave Grohl, Michael Giacchino (I went the actual musician route and not bands whoops)

7. Song stuck in my head: Boss Battle 3 Theme/Davy Jones’ Battle from KH3

8. Following: 673

9. Followers: 1222 (pretty sure 3/4ths of this number are bots XD)

10. Do you get asks?: Yes. On occasion. :)

11. Amount of sleep: I generally get between 6-8 hours of sleep a night. I can function on 6, but I prefer 7 to 8.

12. Lucky number: 13

13. What are you wearing?: Pajama pants and an old shirt

14. Dream job: To be the person that tells film makers what music is historically accurate for the time period they’re shooting. As a music major - and almost a music history minor, it bothers me so damn much when a film that’s supposed to historically accurate plays music that’s after the time period.

15. Dream trip: Going to Japan and meeting my soulmate there, so she can take me to all of the dj shops and we can spend all of my hard earned money.

16. Instruments: I learned to play all the instruments in the orchestra for my major in college, but instruments I can play regularly are: voice, piano, and the flute.

17. Languages: English and some French (it’s been years since I’ve had to use it but if I hear it, I can usually understand what’s being said).

18. Favorite songs: I have so many. Here are 4.

Smoke by Ben Folds Five

Fashion Monster by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by Smashing Pumpkins

Take A Picture by Filter

19. Five random facts: I’ve worn glasses since I was 10. I used to ice skate competitively from when I was 4 until I was 11. I taught myself how to play by ear on the piano when I was in junior high/high school. My mom was on Jeopardy and was the only person to get Final Jeopardy correct (she sank herself into a hole by the first commercial break but that’s okay). My husband and I were on ‘The Newlywed Game’ back in 2010.

20. Aesthetic: I don’t really have one. I tend to like a lot of different things, and mesh them together. :)

I’ll tag @clinic-crew, @remembertheotherpromise, @orangeimpala, @robotarmsapts, and @herzblutrose. You guys don’t have to do this if you don’t feel like it! :)

#tag meme #thanks so much for the tag!!#these were fun to answer #text post

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bigboxcar · 7 years

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Mugshot Monday -- Every mug has a story

On May 11, 2017, I spoke at Ignite Minneapolis about my Mugshot Monday project. The following are my 20 slides and the script I wrote for my talk. I hope you’ll never look at a coffee mug the same way again. (Watch the video here)

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Hello! Show of hands, how many of us drink coffee? How about tea? Okay, lots of us do. So, chances are you have that FAVORITE mug to drink from. Maybe it’s “magical” because it makes you smile when you use it. Or the design is funny,

Or maybe that handle feels super good. Maybe it fits your personality. Maybe it reminds you of someone. But I bet that mug also has a story.

In fact, if we were sitting in your kitchen right now and we opened the cupboard, I bet that you could pick out 1 or 2 mugs and you could tell me a good story about them.

It seems obvious to me now, but I didn’t discover this until I started my Mugshot Monday project. I’d like to tell you about my project and by the end of my talk I hope you’ll never look at a coffee mug the same way again.

So what is this Mugshot Monday project? When I started my project, the idea was simple: What if I post something every week? Something with a theme? I had a lot of coffee mugs, and I drink A LOT of coffee.

What if I posted a picture of myself holding a unique coffee mug, in front of MY MUG, EVERY Monday? And I would call it MUGSHOT MONDAY. [mind blown]

I started posting, But I didn’t really do the math. That’s 52 mugshots if I wanted to do this for a year! I ran out around week 33.

But I remembered some old mugs from college. I found the box! And there was that old Pizza Hut coffee mug. It belonged to my girlfriend in college. She had a coffee maker in her dorm room and we'd talk after classes drinking coffee. That plastic mug brought back so many good memories.

We’re married now. We have 3 kids and we still talk over coffee all the time. When I posted that mugshot, I just HAD to tell people why I would own this crappy little plastic Pizza Hut coffee mug. I had discovered that “Every mug has a story.”

So I forgot to mention: The first Mugshot Monday I posted was about 8 YEARS AGO. And I just can’t seem to quit. At first, there weren't stories -- I'd just mention the mug and the coffee I was drinking. Now, with the added stories, it’s become something I look forward to every Monday.

Since then, I’ve posted 383 Mugshot Mondays. Now that’s not every week -- I’ve missed some. And I'm ok with that. Because … life is hard sometimes. But there are only 2 duplicates! . . . THAT is a lot of coffee mugs.

This is a picture of me in about 20 years. But seriously, people ask me questions:

How many mugs do you own? Did you INVENT Mugshot Monday? Where do you keep all those mugs? Is your wife okay with this?

So, let’s talk about Mugshot Monday. Did I invent it? Yes, I did. BUT so did 100s of other people! This is a “thing” now on Instagram and I love it. I love seeing artists creating all of these mugs and I've even started buying some and telling their stories.

I’ve made some mugs, too -- like my Shark-Hat Rubber Duckie mug on the left. And I made that tumbler in my ceramics class when I studied abroad in Japan during college. I was TERRIBLE at handles, by the way. That’s Kanji which means “Front” so I know where the front is.

The most common “mug with a story” is a souvenir mug from a trip or family vacation. We took the family to Snow Mountain Ranch in Colorado and stayed in A YURT! I love yurts. And we went to Boxcar Roasters in Boulder. My Twitter handle is @Bigboxcar, so I was super curious about that. Their Cold Press is AMAZING.

I don’t really dress up for these mugshots, but when Halloween lands on a Monday I’ll be Iron Man or wear a taco costume all day. I grew up on Star Wars. That Kylo Ren mugshot was the first time I saw a new Star Wars movie WITH my kids *IN A THEATER*. That was awesome.

I love “CABIN MUGS”. These MISFIT mugs get demoted from your kitchen at home and get brought up to the cabin. What’s cool is they end up representing the new stories of the good times at the cabin.

I like to feature causes. If you don’t know Nora McInerny -- look her up, She’s an amazing person. I met Nora way back in 2010 by accident. She photobombed the Mugshot Monday I was taking at Wilde Roast and I LOVE it. She’s started a non profit called Still Kickin’. And every month they help someone who’s struggling. Please consider buying one of their mugs.

Other people got into my mugshots, too. I think some are even here tonight. For these mugshots, the MEET-UP and the PEOPLE became the story rather than the mug. But the mug tethers it all together.

The COFFEE is a very important part of my mugshots and Peace Coffee has been in my mug the most often. Full disclosure, back in 2009 they sent me a free mug and some free coffee. And I’ve loved the coffee AND the company ever since.

But sometimes I’m NOT drinking coffee in the mugshot. Sometimes it’s COFFEE BENDER!! Anyone drinking Surly tonight? I’m gonna join you all in about 30 seconds. But listen…

I wanted an Ignite mug for my collection, but none existed. So I made one.

Maybe some day a friend will see this mug in my cupboard and say, “Hey - IGNITE! What’s that?” And I’ll never forget being here, right now with all of you. And I got to go FIRST! And as I pour some coffee in that mug, I’ll say to my friend: “Well…let me tell you a STORY.”

Thank you!

- - - - - - - - - -

It was a 5 minute talk -- slides advanced every 15 seconds regardless of where I was at in the presentation. Ignite’s motto is, "Enlighten us, but make it quick." I’m terrified of public speaking and I know I shouldn’t be, so I decided to submit my topic idea. It was accepted and I was given the opportunity to speak in front of 900 people at Ted Mann Concert Hall in Minneapolis. That day also happened to be my birthday. It was an amazing experience and I still can’t believe I did it.

You can see my ‘Mugshot Monday - Every mug has a story’ Ignite presentation from May 11 in this archived Facebook Live video.

See also all my mugshots posted to my Tumblr, my Facebook and my Instagram. Thanks for reading!

#mugshot monday #ignite minneapolis #ignite #coffee mugs #every mug has a story #minneapolis

20 notes · View notes

timelessstorms · 5 years

Text

KimeBLOG 224-248

https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446475224.html

30th January 2010 10:05:24

Saint-Paul-de-Vence

We arrived in the town of Saint-Paul-de-Vence.

Saint-Paul-de-Vence is a town of art.

There wre lots of artwork in the town.

What's this?

Wasn't there an enemy like this on Ultraman?

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446478969.html

30th January 2010 10:10:36

Art

There is lots of artwork around the town.

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446482935.html

30th January 2010 10:16:15

Hill

There are streets that are as high as mountains.

The streets are narrow and over hills.

After going along this street, I don't think you can imagine it, but many fashionable shops are lined up along the street.

Only beautiful shops

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446485593.html

30th January 2010 10:20:11

Townscape

It's really stylish ♡

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446486445.html

30th January 2010 10:21:25

Picture

A commemorative picture

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446487426.html

30th January 2010 10:22:49

From a street in Saint-Paul-de-Vence

The view from Saint-Paul-de-Vence.

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446488328.html

30th January 2010 10:24:05

Picture

I took a picture with the lovely scenery

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446492772.html

30th January 2010 10:30:16

I spotted a doggie

Ah, it ran away

This time, I saw a lot of doggies in various places

Even in places like McDonald's .

You could even pay to have your dog sit next to you on the plane to France

It's a nice country.

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446497277.html

30th January 2010 10:36:48

Difficult

It's difficult to take pictures of dog

The legs in the photo are of its owner.

He let me take a picture during their walk.

After that, he asked to see the picture and he laughed.

What a nice old man.

Some interaction with local people is nice, right

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446500984.html

30th January 2010 10:42:03

Castle

Ooh, will this diary ever end?

The town of Saint-Paul-de-Vence is surrounded by castle walls.

They would drop stones from above and use guns to protect the place.

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446509369.html

30th January 2010 10:53:27

Church

The church where Mick Jagger's wedding took place

Just as the bel was ringing

In the first Rock'n musical I sang Mick Jagger & David Bowie's “Dancing in the Street”

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446512020.html

30th January 2010 10:56:56

End of the photoshoot

I went to a stylish chocolate shop and another shop sspeialising in olive oil.

I got the lemon olive oil I've wanted for a long time ♡

I played my song at the olive oil store

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446513350.html

30th January 2010 10:58:40

Local greengrocer

They pick a lot of fresh vegetables from the local area.

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446514327.html

30th January 2010 10:59 55

Tomato

I got a tomato ♡

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446515408.html

30th January 2010 11:01:22

What's ths?

Fig.

It seemed to be made in the same way as dried persimmons

It was sweet and delicious

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446517533.html

30th January 2010 11:04:13

Ah~ The sunlight has-!

The sun has set quite a while ago

I’m glad we were able to do the photoshoot

This is the Saint-Paul-de-Vence post office.

As a former postal worker, I have to restrain myself

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446520621.html

30th January 2010 11:08:24

Ah~

It a bronze statue with a nice body, but you can’t tell because it's so dark

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446522150.html

30th January 2010 11:10:43

Cannes

The town of Saint-Paul-de-Vence is separated from Cannes.

It's super pretty

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446527769.html

30th January 2010 11:18:28

At last

At last, the last night in France...

During this trip, I generally woke up around 4:30am every morning.

Of course, I went to bed early too.

The picture is of the TV colour bars.

It's different in Japan.

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446530119.html

30th January 2010 11:21:31

The last morning

Hotel breakfast.

It was like this every morning

I squeezed the orange juice myself.

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446535531.html

30th January 2010 11:28:52

Still

Because i was an early morning flight, it was still completely dark outside when I had my breakfast.

This time, I was only called madam by a few people [*1]

Instead, I got winked at by various people

On the flight back home, I was called monsieur for the first time ←too late!!

†Kimeru†

[*1] I’m sorry, Kime, but lol.

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446537247.html

30th January 201011:31:12

Nice airport

In the Nice airport.

They were selling pick'n'mix sweets.

They were colourful and pretty.

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10446548067.html

30th January 2010 11:45:01

Final

This is the final photo

I'm exhausted

Thank you to everyone who wrote comments

The final picture is of Nice airport.

There was writing on the posters, but it looks like a carnival was opening after I left.

I wanna go

I’ll come back again~!!!!

Thank you to everyone I met on the journey, and to everyone who cheered me on

KIMERU is going into song production.

My plans from here on are...

First of all, the release of the new CD & live DVD on 10th February

I’m very interested in it

Enjoy a new me on the CD, then relive the passion... from Akasaka Blitz on the live DVD♡

The next live concert is ElePop on 22nd February.

We'll prepare a song that you can enjoy and forget your troubles♡ we’ve rehearsed for this explosive live concert

Thank you ♡

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10447214832.html

31st January 2010 08:19:19

It's here~!

Today, I’ve been in briefing meetings the whole time since the afternoon.

I got “TARGET”, which is to be released on 10th February~♡♡♡♡

Everyone has to wait another 10 days ne.

†Kimeru†

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https://ameblo.jp/kimeru-days/entry-10447216565.html

31st January 2010 08:21:54

By the way

The back looks like this

You can get it at your nearest CD shop or by mail order, ne ♡

†Kimeru†

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#kimeru #kimeblog

0 notes

the-damnedest-creature · 7 years

Text

RULES: Repost and answer the questions, then tag at least 3 of your followers :)

I was tagged by: @afangirls , @withered-rose-unbreakable-lotus ...who sneakily tagged me back lol

1. When and how did you get into j-rock?

I was seriously into anime between 2006-2008. In March 2008 I went to a convention and there was a panel about Final Fantasy where somebody talked about Gackt. Once at home, I googled Gackt, and Mana and Malice Mizer also came up . That summer I was still mostly into anime, but in late summer and autumn I began to get more and more into jrock and by the end of November I was full-fledged j-rock trash. I was 14 years old at that point.

2. List your current most favorite band(s).

Omg. So many tho. I love LIPHLICH beyond anything. You may have noticed. I love KAMIJO, the GazettE, Nocturnal Bloodlust, G.L.A.M.S and anything Mikaru does with his life really, I hella dig THE GALLO, FAR EAST DIZAIN, Tsukasa’s enka solo project.. and then there are special spots in my heart for D’espairsRay and DIR EN GREY. Although I actively do not listen to their entire discographies much (especially Despa since that makes me SAAAAD, I’ll literally never dislike it if they’re on.) Funny enough, Moi dix Mois and Malice Mizer aren’t among my top musical favorites, don’t think they even make the top ten. I just love the guys, ok. LOL. Especially Mana my babe. He’s like my slightly cold frigid wife while Wataru is my hot passionate mistress.

3. How many j-rock concerts have you been to? (If you haven’t been to any, which band would you like to see the most in the future?)

With last week’s Mikaru it’s now been 52. All in Europe. (sorta all across Europe tho.) Most times I’ve seen one artist is 6 (Mikaru) and 5 (Satsuki). Then the rest is all in ones and twos. All this shit would have paid for like 4 trips to Japan at this point I think, but. It’s hard to explain, but I enjoy this the way it is. I’d go see LIPHLICH or THE GALLO in Japan but I fear Japanese lives would ruin my enjoyment of j-rock, since from what I’ve heard, it’s just not ... the way I’d enjoy a live. And I hate not being in the front lines. And I kinda like really enjoy supporting j-rock in Europe? The Japanese artists don’t need my money in /Japan/, they need it /here/ to keep coming here. In Japan they already have a fandom.

4. Which j-rock band do you think is the most underrated?

LIPHLICH. Definitely. I’ve been doing my damnedest to get them more foreign recognition, but it just doesn’t seem to be doing anything. T T

5. Which j-rock band do you think is the most overrated?

.....MEJIBRAY. They are so insanely overrated, I can’t even put it into words. Not saying they’re necessarily /bad/, they’re not, but they are definitely /overrated/. ...Also One Ok Rock. Although I consider those a western sell-out not jrock.

6. Who is your ultimate bias in j-rock? Optionally: Post your most favorite picture(s) of them.

Wataru. Muh waifu And then Mana after him.

7. What is your most treasured j-rock related memory?

Either when Mikaru remembered me for the first time, or when Wataru responded to several of my questions in a stream. Alternatively when he responded to a question of mine on twitter, lol. And then also that time I spent with Hiro humping my face for 2 hours at a live, that was some good shit.

8. How do you support and enjoy j-rock the most? Buying CDs? Going to lives? Just full on going to Japan for it?

I go to concerts and I buy a ton of merch there. Regarding LIPHLICH, I buy a fuckton of their CDs (sometimes more than one copy) and devote time to my translation page.

9. How does your family feel about this hobby of yours?

My mother likes some j-rock too (KAMIJO for instance), but usually she’s just excited for me and calls the guys ‘pretty boys’, lol. The rest of my family doesn’t really give many fucks. And my father probably thinks I’m a lesbian because of the girly men, hah.

10.What is the craziest j-rock fandom story that you have?

J-rock story is probably how I got lost on my way to the toilet at an ACE live and accidentally ran backstage and bumped into Rookie Fiddler (poor guy lol) ....or how I met Inoran at the toilets. He was wearing cheetah-print underwear. J-rock fandom story... Back up till 2010 a girl in the czech fandom used to lick tourbuses as a .. just a thing she did, lol. And approx 4 years ago, there used to be a girl on tumblr who spitefully published Madousho photos because Mana didn’t want to fuck her. ...Also 3 or so weeks ago I talked to a random k-pop fan about Mikaru and showed her songs. She fell in love with him instantly real hard, and now I’ve created a monster because she lowkey harasses him and is kinda like real cringey and we’re all like oh god what have I done.

I tag: @missimbalance , @piss-yellow-socks , @tellmetheteruth , @jrockmama , @ichiban-no-jammu , @annabws13666

18 notes · View notes

referrina · 7 years

Text

My Bucket List

Have One Million Dollars

Visit the Globe Theatre

Visit Madame Tussauds

Go Rock Climbing

Run in a Marathon

Get a professional makeover

Learn to play the Piano

Learn a Martial Art

Try out vegetarianism for 28 days

Learn to fold and origami crane, then make one every day and keep them in a jar.

Go rock climbing

Visit the Dead Sea

See the London Eye (or ride on it!)

Go on a Meditation Retreat

See cherry blossoms in Japan

Hit bull’s-eye on a dartboard

Visit a Volcano

See the Mona Lisa

Pose nude for an art class

Get a tattoo- Got my first one 2011, it was the Deathly Hallows symbol behind my ear!

Get an exotic piercing- Got my nose pierced in may 2010 at the ink shop on independence.

Learn archery

Reach 100,000 views on DeviantART

Attend a traditional circus carnival- Went to see the final Barnam and Bailey show with Allie and her family! The tigers were my favorite part!

Learn a foreign language

Make a mural/do graffiti (chalk counts)- That time I illegally chalked campus with Cassidy all day. Happened April 2013.

Celebrate my birthday at some other country

Graduate high school- Graduated in May 2009 from the AIS

Visit all the continents

Have a white Christmas- It snowed one year at 11pm on Christmas day in 2011. That counts! Me and dad went out for a walk in the snow at midnight.

Write a song/sing it and put it on the internet- I wrote The Date Song in Summer 2012 while ‘dating’ Kyle. It got 10k notes on Tumblr!

Give my hair some kind of color treatment- I got blonde highlights that I died purple in October 2011. Then I dyed my hair under my top layer blonde! I prefer my natural color now.

Kiss in the snow - Allie and I did this in 2017! It snowed at her old apartment.

Kiss in the rain- I kissed Kyle in the rain after school circa 2006 while we were waiting for our parents to pick us up. We kissed behind the cafeteria while it was pouring. I remember he smelled like a wet dog and I was worried about my hair the whole time.

Lose my virginity- I lost my virginity to Jeremy April 5th (the day after Easter) in 2010. It was nice, we had lamb roast after.

Sing in public- Done it loads of times since the talent show in high school (Feb 2009), but my most notable time was when I sung Ariana’s part in Bang Bang with my a capella club in college (Nov 2014)

See the pyramids

Go to a concert for an underground band- Went to go see HEALTH with Kyle and Jonathan in summer 2010. I also so Motion City Soundtrack’s final show in Nov 2013, and discovered Now, now at the same show.

Learn how to juggle

Own an I Heart NY Shirt from New York- I bought a black one from my New York senior trip in high school.

Sleep in a cheap motel- Me, Allie, and Mariana slept in a waterfront hotel for 40$ a night (thats cheap!). It was pretty nice for the price, would try again!

Watch the sun rise- Me, Cassidy, and Lynn Jia stayed out all night one Thursday and saw the sunrise from east deck.

See some World Wonders:

Great Pyramid Of Giza, El Giza Egypt

Great Wall of China, Huairou, China

Machu Picchu, Andes Mountains, Peru

Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

The Colosseum, Rome Italy

Eiffel Tower, Paris France

Leaning tower of Pisa, Italy

Stonehenge, England

Salar De Uyuni, Bolivia

Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Venice, Italy

Lençóis Maranhenses, Brazil

Victoria Falls, Livingstone, Zambia

Santa Maria dell’Isola, Italy

Sydney Opera House, Australia

Quinta de Regaleira, Portugal

Montreal Botanical Garden, Canada

See the Sistine Chapel

Visit some USA Wonders:

Glacier National Park, Montana, USA

Redwood National Park, California, USA

Yellowstone National Park, USA

The Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, USA

Statue of Liberty, New York

Seattle Space Needle, Seattle

Walk the Freedom Trail in Boston

Niagara Falls

Drive from Miami to Key West

Visit the Alamo in San Antonio

French Quarter in New Orleans

Ride the Millennium Force at Cedar Point

Visit the Iowa State Fair

Swim in a Great Lake

Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge

Visit Vegas (as an adult)

See the northern lights in Alaska

Go to the State Fair- Went to the state fair September 2013 with Ron, Allie, and Amanda Honey. I ate so much fried food, I got sick when I came home. To this day, smelling onion rings still makes me nauseous.

Be on a reality TV show

Graduate from college- Graduated with a Bachelors of Science from UNCC Dec 13th 2014

Sleep under the stars- Went camping plenty of times, a few with my dad (May 2015 Kings Mountain, Nov 2015 Cherokee), and most notable with Allie and Jaden in April 2017 (Asheville).

Live past 50

Spend a night in an igloo

Plant a tree

Get a speeding ticket- My first speeding ticket was Oct 2010 going 55 in a 25 zone off of farm pond road. The police officer was nice and only gave me a ticket instead of arresting me. I was also high as a kite, coming from Saun and Tylers house.

See the sun set in the desert

Go to all 50 states

Milk a cow

Go to a drive in movie

Stay awake for 24 hours

Sleep on the beach

Send a message in a bottle

Visit all Disneylands

Have a picture taken in a photo booth - Did this at work for NH!

Find a four leaf clover- I have 2 that I found in my parents backyard. I have them preserved between two strips of clear masking tape.

Watch all Disney Animated Films before 2000

Skinny dip

Get a masters degree

Get a book published

Run though a field of wheat

Wish on a shooting star- Wished on a shooting star on my way home one night from college in summer 2013. It streaked across the sky and I wished that I would find someone to love me. I met Allie that year.

Get featured in a magazine/newspaper

Have my portrait painted- Allie did this October 2013 and its still THE BEST THING EVER. She drew me in a watercolor with a flower crown!

Swim with a dolphin

Be an extra in a film

Write a fan letter to someone who inspired me- I wrote a fan letter to Marina Herald, who wrong the ‘Through a Glass Darkly’ fan fiction novel which was a HUGE part of my life in 2010. She wrote me back and complimented my art and asked me to keep drawing things for her story because I was as important to the VR fandom as her. It meant alot.

Learn to ballroom dance properly

Sit on a jury

Stay out all night dancing and go to work the next day without having gone home (just once)- Summer of 2011 I went out with Ashley and her Brazilian friends from NY. We went to no less than 5 bars and I didn’t get home until 9 am, and I had to be at work at Healthy Home Market by 10 on Sunday. I was dog tired all day, but I made it until 6 and passed out at home. It was a good day.

Go out dancing period for that matter- I’ve gone out dancing a few times since.

Spend a night in a haunted house

See a lunar or solar eclipse - 2017 I went with my family to the zoo in South Carolina and we saw the solar eclipse!

Write my own will

Spend a whole day reading a great novel- Summer 2015 I spent all of a single day reading A Thousand Splendid Suns in my hammock. That same summer I spent a day reading A Great and Terrible Beauty, also in the hammock.

Animate something!- I learned how to animate GIFs in 2010!

Go up in a hot-air balloon

Create my own web site

Make a hole-in-one

Make a sex tape

Fly a kite- I flew kites with my friends at Kitty Hawke in April 2013

Ride a mechanical bull- I rode a mechanical bull while in Cherokee 2007 with my family during Christmas.

Ride a roller coaster- My first Roller Coaster was Thunder Road at Carowinds

Adopt an accent for an entire day- 2012, adopted a British accent at work with Healthy Home Market for a Sunday, and literally it was all anyone could talk about and people were SO much nicer.

Fire a gun- Shot my first gun at Megs house in Marion with Cassidy and Lynn Jia. I found it exhilarating, but not something I was good at. Spring 2013.

Climb a tall tree all the way to the top (or as far as you can go!)

Meet someone I met on the Internet in real life- Krystal Johnson, Dec 2013.

Vote- First vote cast during Obama’s second term, Nov 2012

Be on TV/radio - When I was in line to meet Hilary Clinton, NPR interviewed me and put it on thier show! I am still embarrassed!!

Provide the police with an anonymous tip- Called about a car accident both me and Allie witnessed. The driver ran into an electrical pole during a rainstorm.

Hitchhike

Dance in the pouring rain- When Robbie died, I was alone in the house and I listened to the Edward Scissorhands soundtrack while dancing out in the pouring rain on a summer afternoon, 2008.

Receive a dozen roses- For the first time from Hayden during Valentines day 2013.

Get drivers license- Licensed driver in NC since Summer 2008. I got my first car (a chevy Lumina) in summer fall 2009 for community college.

See the Ball drop for New Years in Times Square

Donate Blood- Donated blood fall 2013 and faint during a group fitness class the next day.

Witness a miracle

Get Contacts

See a muscial ON BROADWAY- Saw Mama Mia in New York on Broadway, spring 2009.

Make $10 dollars an hour- Myers Park Presbyterian, May 2015

Make $20 dollars an hour- Novant Health, July 2016

Make $50 dollars an hour

Ride in a horse and carriage

Have my fortune told

Own a diamond

Buy a piece of art from a street artist- Bought two prints from a street artist in New York after seeing Mama Mia on Broadway, Spring 2009.

Receive a love letter

Read a book to a child- Read a little readers book to my niece in Summer 2015 to help her with her homework. She is not very bright.

Play in the mud during a rainstorm

Have a snowball fight- Had one with Allie Amanda Honey, Ad, and Meg at their apartment when it snowed, spring 2014.

Go to Japan

Go to England

Go to Australia

Go to Greece

Read a work of fiction more than 300 pages long- Harry Potter, naturally. But I had read many long books (HP was just the first)

Smoke a joint- Smoked my first joint with Sean and Tyler at thier house on Farmpond road. I also got pulled over for speeding that night.

Drink champagne FROM champagne- My parents brought back Champagne from France and I had a glass when they opened it (Spring 2014). It tasted more or less the same as regular champagne.

Build a sandcastle WITH a moat- Built plenty of sandcastles with my father, the most notable one was a mayan temple we made in the Dominican Republic that a kid smashed once we had left.

Go camping. In a tent.- Camped with my dad in May 2015, and Nov 2015, and then again with Allie in Spring 2016, and again with Jaden and Allie in April 2017. I love camping.

Cook a meal over an open flame- Cooked my first meal over an open flame with my dad on our May 2015 camping trip. I even made the fire. It was hot dogs and baked beans.

Smoke a cigarette- Smoked my first cigarette with Cassidy and Lynn while staying up late on campus, Fall 2012.

Be someones brides maid or maid of honor - I was my sisters maid of honor!

Learn how to whistle with a blade of grass or an acorn top

Catch a fish- I caught my first fish with my father when I was about 11, and my second fish on my own with Meg on our second solo trip to Marion one weekend at the lake.

Drink Absinthe- Drank authentic Absinthe with India at her parents house in Asheville. It was bitter and made us sweat and text our exes.

Go to a drag show- Saw a drag show Dec 2011 with David, Jarrell, and Renee at Scorpios.

Watch a sunset, then stay up to watch the following sunrise- Did this with Cassidy, and Lynn on campus. We smoked cigarettes at sunrise, had waffle house at midnight, and drank orange juice at sunrise on east deck.

Meet a Drag Queen- Met a famous Queen City Drag Queen with Violetta at the annual summer heart walk in 2011. Also met two Drag Queens at pride 2016.

Go on a cross-country road trip (at least 3-5 states!)

Learn to surf

Volunteer at a soup kitchen

See gay marriage legalized in all of USA- June 26th 2015 :)

See marijuana become legal in my state

Bet on the Kentucky Derby

Cosplay

Break a world record

Open a Swiss bank account

Start a food fight

Go the wrong way on an escalator - I did this ONCE in New Jersey and I fell and busted my ass. I ripped open an injury on my knee. It was chaos.

Get buried in the sand- Got buried in wet, cold sand by Allie in Oct 2015 before our parents knew we were dating. It was so ridiculous and fun!

Sleep on a roof

Play hide and seek at night in a graveyard

Kiss someone underwater- Kissed Allie underwater at her friends pool. It was oddly difficult!

Go to a midnight movie premiere- Went to the midnight premier of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 with Liz, Pippin, and Zoe at Concord Mills. Many people dressed up, and there was a fan play before the screens came on. We made a lot of friends and the movie was amazing!

Buy something with all pennies

Be in 2 places at once- On our trip to Carowinds, me, Kat, Joey and Allie stood on the two state lines dividing North Carolina and South Carolina.

Ride on the top of a double decker bus in England

Dress up as Waldo and walk around a crowded place

Be in a musical

Have a song written about me

Ride a horse- I ridden a horse to a spa with my parents, but more recently I rode one of Megs quarter horses both times I came to visit her in Marion (once during Spring of 2013 with Cassidy, and Lynn, and another time during Summer 2013 with Kat)

Go to the spa

Have a pint in England

Go on a helicopter ride

Go to a Mardi Gras in New Orleans

See ‘the wizarding world of harry potter’ in orlando- My parents took me Dec 2013 to celebrate my making the Deans list for a year! It was wonderful, AND I got to meet my internet friend Krystal.

Go to a convention, of any sort- Went to Heroes con Summer 2011 with Raven, Pippin, and Zoe! I bought a batman shirt.

Go to San Diego Comic Con

Learn to make candles - I do this every fall now!

Solve the Rubik’s Cube

Go to a SuperBowl

Learn to sculpt with clay, throw pottery on the wheel- Beka taught me how to throw on the wheel during the Raku event in Fall 2015. Allie taught me how to hand build that same year. I prefer throwing.

Learn to knit

Join a roller derby team

Read every novel that has won a Pulitzer Prize in the Fiction Category

Read every novel in TIME’s most influential novels of the 21st century category

Have a threesome

Make a web comic - I made a web comic in 2017! I got 4 issues in before I realized this was NOT for me. Maybe I’ll try again!

Audition for American idol- Auditioned summer 2012. Did not get in, but had a blast!

Have a tea party with a child- Had a tea party with my nieces in Summer 2016 with my old tea set and yoohoo.

Try yoga (in a class)

See the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Try churros- Had Churros from the State Fair in 2013. I have loved them ever since.

Own a real fur coat

Have sex in public- Allie, Caleb, Jason :)

Eat a girl out- Allie :)

Try anal- Caleb :)

Play slots (gamble)

Adopt a kitten - I adopted Anders the same year we put Jinxie down. Hes my baby boy :)

See my name in the credits of something

Go on a blind date- I went on a date with Dale. We saw a movie and got Mexican food. It was awkward, and he kissed me like he was starving for attention back at his car.

Skip school- Me and Courtney skipped school during a fire drill (we escaped from the track where we were all being held). Another time with Renee where we went to the Bistro and said school let out early for exams (it had not.)

Witness someone die

Swim in the Atlantic Ocean- Myrtle Beach with Allie and Mariana, Spring 2013.

Swim in the Pacific Ocean - Did this when I saw Jaden! It was SO COLD!!

Make prank phone calls- Once with Violetta, Audrey, and David, we made prank calls until sunrise.

Laugh until some kind of beverage comes out of your nose- Did this once while eating at crown. It was orange juice.

Catch a snowflake on my tongue- Caught a snowflake on my tongue during the snow of Feb 2013 with my friends. We went outside at night while snowing so meg could get some snow for snow cream.

Write a letter to Santa Claus - I used to do this all the time as a kid. I never realized they probably didnt go anywhere.

Kiss under the mistletoe - Allie and I do this every year now. Its her favorite thing!

Blow bubbles in summer- I’ve done this many summers since the first time making this list in 2004.

Go to Disneyworld- On my freshman trip during high school, I got my first kiss from Kyle at Disneyland, during the fireworks event at the castle. Our friends had been tricking us into hanging out together all day, and mysteriously disapeared once the fireworks started. When Kyle kissed me, our friends reappeared an started clapping. A few teachers said it was about time. It was a good trip.

Ride on an elephant

Go water-skiing

See the Northern Lights

Swim in the Mediterranean- Swam on a rocky beach in 2009 while visiting Croatia. Dad tried to eat a raw sea urchin. It was a good vacation.

Have a one night stand with a stranger- Jason, Andy :)

Have one of my videos go viral

Own a Niner Nation shirt- AD gave me her stash of Niner Nation shirts and I think I wore them a grand total of once. My mom also bought me one when I graduated.

Eat at Bistro 49 at UNCC- The Dean of Students is a personal friend and took me here during my first semester in Spring 2012. I had a spinach salad because I wanted to be fancy and could barely choke it down.

Have a bake sale outside the Union- Had a Bakesale for PotterWatch in Spring 2013 with Mariana, Cait, and ANel.

See a concert on campus- Saw Motion City Soundtrack play in the Student Union during my first fall semester with ANel

Go see KEANE live

Go see Tswift Live- Went to my first Tswfit concert March 2013 with Meg and Kat after I had JUST broken up with Hayden. I had a GREAT time, and it was really uplifting.

Go to Amelie’s in the middle of the night.-Me and Cassidy went at 3am and talked to these two guys (both named Keith) til sunrise. It was so weird, but it was good conversation and I’m still friends with Kieth #2.

With friends, create photo evidence suggesting that you went on an adventure that didn’t really happen.

Build forts out of furniture and blankets, and wage war with paper airplanes.

Write a book.

Have that book published.

Play hide and seek in the park.

Drive somewhere unknown and have dinner in a city you’ve never been to. With fake names.

Get both a red card and a yellow card in quidditch- My first Yellow card was in our first game every at Blacksburg Brawl. I pulled a girls hair. My first Red card was at the Greensboro Gauntlet when I knocked a girl unconscious (I had to sit out for one game)

Play a movie you’ve never seen before. Set on mute and improvise dialogue.

Go to the airport, get the cheapest, soonest departing flight to anywhere when you show up, and stay there for a weekend.

In the Middle of the night, drive to the beach, so you arrive just as the sun is rising. Have a breakfast picnic, then fall asleep together. Bring a sun umbrella.

With camera and pair of boots, make photolog of a day in the life of the invisible man.

Write an autobiography

Make pressed flowers

Purchase a house- I bought my first house on September 16th 2016 at 3015 Summercroft Lane for 78k.

Own more than one housing property

Throw Tomatoes at La Tomatina

Visit Area 51

Solve a 100+ piece puzzle

Eat a meal in a really famous / expensive restaurant

Help a complete stranger in trouble

Get a Deep-Tissue Massage

Get a Volcanic Clay mud mask

Find my way through a hedge or corn maze

Ride in a gondola

Get Married

Go on a Cruise - Did this in 2018!

Fly first class

Help someone cross something off THEIR bucketlist

Learn the Thriller dance routine

See Wicked- Saw it with my Mom in March 2013 and it was JUST AS AMAZING AS I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE.

See the Phantom of the Opera- I saw it with Renee in 2010 and it was actually REALLY good!

Go to a real Ballet. Dress up.- Allie has taken me to 2 ballets, Peter Pan (March 2016) and Sleeping Beauty (2017)

Do the 365 day project (Take picture everyday)

Make a music video

Be able to do a split

Throw a surprise party for someone Did this for Allie in 2021! it was only a few people but she really was surprised.

Have a surprise birthday party thrown for you- Amanda Honey, and Allie got me to go outside in the snow while Meg stayed upstairs and baked me a cake! Then we all ate tacos and watched Game of Thrones. It was a REALLY good birthday, because of the snow and the surprise!

Sing at a Karaoke Bar- Sang ‘You Oughta Know’ at Jeffs Bucket Shop and dedicated it to every girl who has ever been cheated on by a guy. I got everyone cheering and singing along and Allie said it was the best performance of the night.

Audition for a game show

Attend a Murder Mystery Dinner

Ride a Cable Car in San Francisco - Did this during san fran pride when we all visited Jaden.

Visit Hershey’s Chocolate World

Take a Cooking Class

Visit Toys ‘R’ Us Times Square- Visited during my Senior field trip Spring 2009

Go to homecoming- The only UNCC football game I ever went to was Homecoming. I tailgated with my friends in Fall 2013.

Take a picture with UNCC mascot- Took one with Allie during Fall Fest 2014

Visit the botanical gardens on campus and Bonnie Cones Grave- I did this with Allie and Lucas Nov 2014 right before a graduated for good luck

Join an acapella group- Joined the Finer Niners in Sept 2013 after a girl interrupted quidditch practice to leave to go audition. I went with her with a few friends from the team and I was the only one who made it in.

#Bucket List

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recentanimenews · 4 years

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How K-ON! Helped Preserve the Small Town of Toyosato

This article by Daryl Harding was originally published on May 26, 2020

This article is part of Crunchyroll News' KyoAni Month celebration. Check out the rest of our KyoAni features HERE.

This current anime season marks the 10th anniversary of the airing of the second season of Kyoto Animation classic K-ON!, entitled K-ON!! (with two exclamation marks denoting which is the second series). The TV anime series and subsequent anime film were at one point the most popular anime franchise in Japan, breaking home video records with each volume that was released and putting then-newbie director Naoko Yamada (A Silent Voice, Liz and the Blue Bird) on the map. Yamada, at 24 years old, won the Tokyo Anime Award for K-ON! in 2010 and 2011, making her the youngest anime director to do so, and is still — even a decade later — one of the youngest directors in anime at such a high level. You can learn more about her in a piece I wrote back in December.

But Yamada wasn’t the only aspect of K-ON! to be put on people’s radars. The small township of Toyosato (it’s the 20th smallest town in Japan, and of those 20 towns, has the 5th smallest population size) is the home to the Former Toyosato Elementary School, the real-life inspiration behind the iconic school from K-ON!.

The actual town in K-ON! is never named and is purposefully obscured. In Season 2, Episode 4, the girls go on a school trip to Kyoto by Shinkansen — where they pass by Mt. Fuji. Toyosato in real life doesn’t have a Shinkansen stop, it's far too rural — and is only around two hours away by the local line from Kyoto. Mt. Fuji is near Tokyo.

Mt. Fuji in K-ON!!

So today, let’s take a look at how K-ON! has helped preserve the small town of Toyosato, and how the influence of the popular series can still be felt in the region, even a decade later.

A Small History of Toyosato, Shiga Prefecture

Photo: Daryl Harding

Toyosato is situated in the closest neighboring prefecture to Kyoto, Shiga Prefecture, within the district of Inukami. Measuring at only 7.80 km2, it is the smallest town in the district and the smallest town in Shiga Prefecture. The town is known throughout Japan for its agriculture, sake, and the Former Toyosato Elementary School — which gained national attention in the 2000s when the then-mayor proposed demolishing the school building due to its age and lack of earthquake-prevention construction. He was ousted from his position due to the controversy (but later reelected). The school went through the reconstruction needed to bring it up to code, reopening in May 2009 — a month after K-ON! debuted on Japanese TV — as a cultural center and library for Toyosato.

Photo: Daryl Harding

Even now, the town is mostly just agriculture, with the true view out of the real-life Light Music Club windows being that of vegetables being grown across the road.

K-ON! in the Former Toyosato Elementary School

Since K-ON! aired, the Former Toyosato Elementary School, which was built in 1937, has undergone a slight transformation. The real-life room where the light music club would have been in the anime has been recreated to a tee, featuring cakes, cups (including Azunyan’s kitty cup), a Gibson Pre-'08 Les Paul Standard in Heritage Cherry Sunburst (the same model used for Yui’s ‘Giita’), and even a perfect reaction of the name cards from the second opening theme from K-ON!!.

Photo: Daryl Harding

While Ton-chan was absent from the light music club room, the signature turtle and rabbit do exist and can be found on the railing of the school leading up the stairs. One has to imagine the painstaking process the background artists at Kyoto Animation went through in recreating the scenes in the school in flawless detail.

Photo: Daryl Harding

Even walking the halls, I was swept up in the nostalgia for a place I had never been to. I felt — because of my love for the series — that I knew every nook and cranny in the school, without ever having been there. I could picture Ritsu dragging Mio through these halls as I was walking through them myself. Though the school was a lot smaller than I had imagined. While it’s hard to think of how a full high school, in an area with a higher population, would be able to fit into the 2.5 leveled school, it made sense for a small town like Toyosato.

The halls of the Former Toyosato Elementary School with some K-ON! fans walking down them (Left photo: Daryl Harding)

Former Toyosato Elementary School’s Facilities

Other than being an anime pilgrimage site, the Former Toyosato Elementary School has its own facilities — including a museum on its own history that features an original phone (in the booth!) from the 1930s. As a cultural site, the school is home to a daycare center, a cafe (which features K-ON! themed drinks alongside beverages created with hometown products), the town’s library (which was closed on the day), and guided tours of the school, letting you learn more about the history of the school and area.

The closed, and dark, library (Photo: Daryl Harding)

The school can also be rented out for events, birthday parties, and even as a filming location. The live-action Haganai film used the school as a basis for the fictional school in the film, which made for some interesting juxtapositions between the sweet K-ON! girls and the slight raunchy nature of the gang from the Neighbors Club.

On a regular basis, the Former Toyosato Elementary School is used for K-ON! themed events. Every year a group called Toyosato Tea Time holds events for each of the main characters in the series in the school, where people travel from all over Japan to drink tea, eat cake, and reminisce over their love for the series. According to their website, while participant numbers are getting smaller, they were able to successfully hold events in early 2020 for Mio’s birthday in January and Ui’s birthday in February.

Photo: Daryl Harding

K-ON! in Toyosato Town

Outside of the school, little remnants of K-ON! can be seen throughout Toyosato Town. From the above poster being littered on windows of small businesses around the local train station to cut-outs of Ho-Kago Tea Time guiding you to the school, you can see how the town is thankful for the tourism the anime series has brought to it’s less than 7,500 residents.

Photo: Daryl Harding

A majority of the small businesses around the train station are just your usual small-town shops — it even lacks a convenience store, the closest is technically in the next town over! If you walk out from the Ohmi Railway Toyosato Train Station — which only has a train coming every hour and is usually just one carriage — you’ll find an unassuming closed shop during the day.

Image via Google Maps

Or, if you were like me and you spent literally all day at the Former Toyosato Elementary School, you’ll be greeted by a noren (warm curtain) featuring Yui and Azusa peering out the door. When you walk in, you soon learn that this place — which isn’t even on Google Maps — is a K-ON! themed bar and shrine, full of figures, memorabilia, and some of the biggest K-ON! fans in Toyosato.

Photo: Daryl Harding

As I walked into the bar, which was more just a large room filled with more K-ON! gear than they knew what to deal with, I was guided to a table that was full of K-ON! and other Kyoto Animation-related merchandise, with a 5th-anniversary train hidden under the shelving. Key animation sheets don the walls, making for an interesting wallpaper, and even in the toilet, posters from old magazines of the girls from K-ON! watch you. But most importantly, on the menu are K-ON! themed drinks.

Photo: Daryl Harding

As a fan of Mio, I had to try the Mio-themed drink (which can be seen above), and was pleasantly surprised by how sweet it was (and how much drink was put into it — especially after a full day of walking!). I spoke with the owners, who also worked at the bakery next door, and they had no idea what K-ON! was before the anime brought people to their town. So, they sat down, watched the series, and fell in love with everything about it, wanting to share that love with the townsfolk and travelers.

Photo: Daryl Harding

A few blocks over from Toyosato Train Station is Tamaya, which sadly, I didn’t get to visit. It’s a K-ON! themed udon restaurant where patrons are surrounded by more K-ON! merchandise.

K-ON! Helping Toyosato Across Japan

Photo: Daryl Harding

K-ON! doesn't just help boost Toyosato with tourism yen inside the town, but also brings in money using the series through the Furusato Nozei system. Furusato Nozei, or "Hometown Tax" in the closest English translation, is a system that lets anyone in Japan donate to any town/city/region in the country, and in return, they receive an item native to that region. What's more, due to how the system works, it’s fully tax-deductible come tax time, where the Japanese government will return the full amount you donated minus 2,000 yen (US$18) as an administration fee.

Usually, people receive local rice, or sake, maybe meat in return for their donation, but not in Toyosato, where you can get exclusive K-ON! merchandise. While the Furusato Nozei system is currently going through its yearly revamp after the end of the Japanese tax year in April, and no K-ON! gear is currently available, previously you were able to receive handmade K-ON! keyrings in two sets for around 30,000 yen (US$280).

Not only that, Japan Post — the national mail carrier — issued K-ON! themed stamped based on the school, which was sold both online and in stores around the country. According to reports, the first-run of stamps wasn’t exactly based on K-ON!, but used certain real-life shots of the school that mimicked those found in the anime. The second-run used images from the anime series.

This was the highest resolution I could find of a stamp set from 2010

In 2013, the Former Toyosato Elementary School was designated as a Tangible Cultural Property by the Japanese government, giving the building certain rights and hailed as a structure that has “social value” to the Japanese people. This means the owners of the school are able to easily get loans for repairs and gives it protection against being demolished or changed in any way. While K-ON! wasn’t likely a defining factor for the designation, being given more national attention in one of the most popular anime of all time probably helped the paperwork get pushed through.

The Lasting Legacy of K-ON! and Toyosato

Photo: Daryl Harding

The legacy of K-ON! and Toyosato is intimately linked, even ten years on. Walking around the town and school, I met many people who were there for the same reason I was, wanting the experience of walking the halls that inspired the team at Kyoto Animation for a series that I loved.

Waiting for the train at Toyostato Station (which as previously mentioned, only come every hour), I met with a couple from the United States who were visiting anime pilgrimage sites throughout Japan. We spoke for 20 minutes on what K-ON! meant to us, how we first saw the series, and who our favorite characters were. While K-ON! may have ended nearly ten years ago, the emotions, feelings, and economic impact it has had continue to drum along on the beat of time.

I traveled to Toyosato in March 2019 before the impact of what is happening in the world and the devastating attack on Kyoto Animation. Even then, I was overwhelmed with emotion walking into the light music room, unable to hold back my tears. While I didn’t get a photo of me ugly crying — thank Haruhi — I got to fulfill the dream of drinking tea in the Light Music Club room.

Photo: Daryl Harding

Daryl Harding is a Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs a YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram — though he's not doing much traveling at the moment.

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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blog-optimisticcoffeestuden-blog · 6 years

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/30/opinion/30kristof.html?em Found the stat in this article and was shocked. Let me know what your opinion on the stat and article. And as always, please be respectful whether you agree or disagree. Thanks!""

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Ok so I'm 18, turning 19 next month so im not totally a new driver, i've been driving for about 2 and a half years. I want to get this 2002 red Ford mustang, its a v6. I was wondering if the insurance is going to be crazy high, also its a rwd and the winters here get pretty snowy, would that be a factor in calculating the cost? I know I sound like the worst case scenario for insurance agencies (Young driver, Male, Sports car, Red). Will the fact that I have a couple of years driving experience lower my costs? Sorry if this is just rambling on an on, and thanks in advance!""

Cheapest insurance online?

Can anyone point me to the cheapest insurance companies online? Been quoted some ridicules prices. Thanks

Which car insurance company has the lowest rate?

Does state farm have the lowest car insurance rate?

How would a company issue a W-2 to an employee for short term disability?

Is there a 1099 form that we can fill out for taxed disability? The insurance company will not issue the employee a W-2 because we are a small business. Thank you for any help!

3rd party comprehensive car insurance in bangalore?

I've a 1997 model maruti 800, just purchased from a seller, i got only the RC book, no insurance paid soo far, where do i make the insurance for this model car ? and what type of insurance is beneficial? am willing to sell the car after 10 months..? I called ICICILombard.. they refused as it is an old car. ???? Is there any logical reason behind an old car being refused for insurance??? what documents do i need to take care while insuring.. ???""

How much does it cost to replace the windshield on a 2003 Chevy Tracker?

I think my windshield need to be replaced, a small crack is spreading, I think its 20 in now, is it repairable or do I have to replace it? how much does it cost to replace it. If I do it through my insurance, will this change my premium? Thank you (I'm broke, if any one know a cheap place in Austin,TX to replace it, I would really appreciate it)""

CHEAPEST CAR INSURANCE IN CANADA!!!?

LOOKING FOR THE CHEAPEST INSURANCE /BROKERS IN CANADA

Why do i have to have my car inspected by my insurance company?

I just changed insurance companies and the new one wants to inspect the car which I never had to do before. How come?

What type of insurance should I have for my cars?

My husband and I are trying to pay off some debt and we think we're paying too much for auto insurance. What coverage limits should we have? We have a 2001 Ford F250 and a 2000 Ford Excursion that are both paid for. Both have small amounts of body damage, not that noticeable but we know we're there. We will likely only turn in a claim if they get totaled. We've thought about going down to the state minimum but not sure how risky that is. We turned in a hail damage claim last year and had a horrible experience with it. Right now our coverages are: Bodily injury $250k/$500k Property damage $250k Medical Expense $100k Uninsured/Underinsured Injury $250k/$500k Uninsured/Underinsurued Property Damage $100k Right now we pay $543 every six months.""

Whats the best affordable insurance?

I have a good driving record no tickets no suspension. I would like to know who has the best affordable liability car insurance from a range of monthly payments between $50-90?

How much do you pay for car insurance?

I am currently a 24 year old male and I think my car insurance company is not giving me the best deal. Who do you get insurance from, how much do you pay and if you don't mind me asking, how old are you and what car you drive. Also what factors determine how much my insurance payments will be?""

Car insurance company offered me too low?

A few weeks ago my car was rear ended and has minor frame damage from the collision. The insurance adjustor's checked it out and offered me $700 to fix the paint on the bumper, repair the bumper support and 2 hours on a frame rack. Details about my car: The passenger rear taillight is pushed in about a centimeter - the quarter panel now sticks out a tad and is crumpled in the wheelwell - my passenger framerail has a warp in it from the accident. Now they are claiming that my car was in a previous accident because of filler paint or something in the trunk. They claim that because I have a hole cut into my frame rail that the car was previously pulled and that's where the damage came from. I drove the car for 4 years, I think I'd know if my taillight was pushed in and my quarter panel was sticking out. They told me to take it to an auto body to have it looked at and they would contact them on a final settlement - BUT I feel the car is unsafe to drive. I do not want to drive a car with previous frame damage (fixed). Would I be able to take the money and buy a different car without the body shop doing work on it?""

Is insurance expensive on a 2005 Ford Mustang V6 for a 16 year old?

There's a 2005 Ford Mustang V6 for 8995 with 80,000 miles. I have State Farm and I can't really contact them. Is the insurance gonna be to expensive even though it's a V6. The car is bone stock. If it's $150/Monthly or less it's inexpensive to me but if it's over $150 it's out of my budget.""

How much does your insurance go up after getting a underage?

does anyone know how much the rates will go up? I didn't have my license when i received the underage and i still don't. I've never drove a vehicle. i don't have my license yet and im most likely not going to because my parents have told me the car insurance goes up now. I've looked online and it says that rates can double or triple. thank you for your answers.

What are some cheap Auto Insurance Quotes for Oregon?

I am looking for a cheap and reliable auto insurance company for just liability insurance. I have had one accident back in 2009, totaling my dads toyota 4-Runner and wrecking into an Audi A4. As well, I have 2 tickets on my record, both happened in 2008, the first one I got was running a stop sign and the second one (which happened literally the next day.. by the same cop) I got an illegal lane change or turning into a turning lane to early I cant remember which one it would fall under. Some of the quotes I got have been like 350 $$ which is way out of my price range. Anybody have any good ideas? I'd appreciate it.""

How much would it cost to own a porsche 911 per year? pleeeeeeeeeeeease answer. i beg to you.?

i am thinking of buying a 2001, 4 litre, porsche 911. how much would it cost to run the car every year if i do 15000 miles a year. include insurance, maintenance, repairs, tax, and all sorts of thing. just dont include the prize of buying the car thnk you by the way. i live in the UK. just thought that would be important""

Health Insurance and Lost Wages?

I'm going into surgery for my meniscus being torn during a skiing accident. However, I am a waitress and will not be able to work for at least 2 months. My employer has told me that I will have my job when I return, however I seem to be at a loss as to what I can do to try to recover lost wages.""

Does the owner of a car have the be the primary driver on the insurance?

I'm not far off from passing my driving test (in the u.k.) and my mum is giving me her old car (she's got an new one now). I've looked at insuring me as the primary driver and it would cost around about 1000 but if i'm set as the secondary driver and my fiance is the primary driver it's around 300 or something my dad says. My questions are: If i'm registered as the vehicle's owner do I have to have insurance with me as the primary driver? Also, Is it a problem if my fiance is the primary driver on my car as well as his? I've read online somewhere that he can't be the primary driver for both cars (wasn't sure if the site was referring to in the u.k or elsewhere in the world though)""

Do I have to have car insurance?

I use to own a car and had insurance I now sold the car and drive a company car 100% of the time. I called my insurance guy and told him to cancel it and he says that Illinois has a state law that says I have to have insurance on a car since I live at home with my parents and everyone in the house has a car. I could potentially get in to one of there cars and be uninsured. I told him I don't cuz I still a car with company insurance he said I have to have a policy with my name on it by law is this true?

Should I refinance to remove PMI?

Where can you find some cheap auto insurance quotes ..online?

Where can you find some cheap auto insurance quotes online?

How can I verify if the car I'm driving has insurance?

I do have the VIN# and car info, but there was no insurance papers in car. I also don't have a contact number on the car's owner""

Car insurance!!!! HELP?

Hi i have just rung up Diamond car insurance to find out the cost of getting some car insurance and paying monthly! they said i need to pay a deposite of 200 quid and then my monthly payments are 200 quid. In my first month do i pay both the deposite and the monthly payment or just the deposite!??????? xxxx

Cheapest car insurance company?

i am 27 years old have a pretty good driving record with only 2 violations (speeding, and stop sign) in the past few years. i have a 2000 chevy silverado (strip model, 2 wheel drive, nothing to steal on the inside with 120k on in only worth like 3,000) i only want liability no colision insurence. does anyone know what company through experiance gives the best quotes? i onlly need bear minumum on this truck and only drive it part time.""

Teens: Do you pay for your own car insurance?

If so, how do you pay for it? How long do you work for and how much do you have to pay for your insurance? Just wondering :) and if you want what type of car do you have?""

Idea as to how much full coverage car insurance would be for a 17 yo. Just a ballpark figure. Thanks.?

Do you need car insurance for a primary car in the state of NJ even if you plan on using someone else's?

Hi, I am a probationary licensed driver in the state of NJ, and since I live with my mom, I was told by an insurance company that I need to have insurance on my mom's (primary) ...show more""

""Full-time college student, where and how can i get some kind of free health care?""

I am a colleg student. I don't have any kind of health care insurance. I cannot afford to buy health care for me. Is there any kind of health care I can get from that state? BTW, I live in Charlotte, NC. Would like to know if I can get some kind of coverage.""

How does motorcycle insurance work?

So I just wanted to know a little about the pay brackets with motorcycle. Im not talking specific numbers cause I know to just get a quota for that. What I heard is for things like scooters or bikes under 150cc there is a bracket. Then it goes up for anything between 150cc to less than 400cc. Then after that you can expect insurance to go up more when you get into the 600cc supersports and so on. I know im wording this kind of poorly. It makes sense just like how insurance for a Ferrari is going to more than a pickup truck or economy car. I just remember someone saying on a forum that they got a ninja 400r and they were happy that its technically a 399cc engine bucause if it was just a bit more the insurance would have gone up to the next class in motorcycle insurance. I just wanted to know if someone can help explain how this works. I wouldnt mind having something stronger than a 250 or 300 motorcycle but if it means that insurance is going to double or something for a 600 or 650 then I may stray away from it because I still have insurance for my car. Also on a side note how exactly does super sport insurance typically compare to standard bikes? For example maybe a gsxr 600 or CBR 600 vs something like a SV650. Both have similarly sized engines but Im sure 600 super sports are more aggressively tuned and other factors. Lastly my one friend had a Kawasaki. I cant remember what kind but it may have been like a 2002 ninja 600? Anyways his monthly insurance was like less then $20 a month! Does anyone know what kind of coverage he may have had. When he crashed it, insurance paid for the damages to the car he hit and for himself. The bike however, was not covered at all. Is this a real thing or am I remembering it wrong? Sorry about the book! I was just curious. Thank you everyone for the help!""

What auto insurance companies offer auto insurance for driving for-hire vechicles (Car Service / Cab ) ?

I recently got my TLC (Taxi and Limo Commision License). I want to work driving car service/cab in Brooklyn NY, however I don't know what auto insurance companies offer insurance for driving car service/taxi/etc? I tried allstate and nationwide, they don't offer insurance. Does anyone know? Help! Thanks.""

Estimate for car insurance?

I know there are SO many factors considered. I am considering purchasing my first car (I would get it new, have loved Mazda 3 forever) and curious as to what I would pay a month in insurance or what average is. Bit of details, I live in Ontario, Canada, I will be 23 this year, female, I have a clean driving record (granted I've only had my G2 for a year and a half), my credit history is very good if that matters, I took driver's ed. I have no idea about what is considered average. Thanks!""

Why do people ask yahoo answers about car insurance quotes.?

When its so much quicker, easier and obviously more accurate to either call insurance company or do an online quote.""

What is usps $100 insurance included mean? Do i have to pay for it?

i order something from a third party amazon seller and today when i track my order it said: Features: $100 insurance included...what does this mean? do i have to pay extra?

Why can't small businesses in each state group together to get better and more affordable health insurance?

Who regulates this? The insurance companies? The large companies? It doesn't make sense that this cannot be done.

Which life insurance company is best in settling claims?

Which life insurance company is best in setting claims? I want to but a term insurance for 25 yrs. I am 35 now. Please suggest good plan and insurance comany. Is there any databse where we get more information of claim record.

Can I own a car and have someone else insure it?

Ok I'm 19 and currently own my own car and the pink slip is under my name but I know if I get insurance right now it will be high so I was wondering if my dad can insure it while I drive it under my name. I live in California and my dad has State Farm. Thank you.

""I was rear ended, will my insurance go up?""

I was rear ended and filed a claim with my insurance company. It was clearly not my fault since I was hit from behind. However, I wonder if I want to get the car fixed through my insurance company and pay the deductibles, will my insurance go up in the future? Any help is much appreciated.""

Can I write off the montly payment for health insurance I pay for my family?

Going to opt out of my employer paid insurance program, and buy private insurance for my family, can I write the entire payment off on my personal taxes?""

What to look when I am trying to get medical and dental insurance?

In the last couple of months Ive been trying to get medical and dental insurance. I dont have much problem with my health but my wife gets medicine and needs some dental work. In my country everything works different when talking about insurance, Ive been into a couple of websites, doing some researches but I still have some doubts about what exactly to look and get. I want an affordable and good insurance so I can help my wife with her medicines and stuff, when she gets pregnant and in the future just in case of emergency.""

I'm pregnant. How do I get health insurance?

I haven't had any health insurance in a year. My husband can add me to his health insurance in Dec. Baby is due on March. Will they cover me? I live in SC and I am worried they will have a long waiting period. What should I do. We make too much for Government help.

09' Honda Civic Insurance?

I'm searching for quotes for my 09' Honda Civic--- I have full coverage right now and would like to keep it that way with a new insurance. I have Allstate & I believe I'm paying too much for it (240.00 USD). What car insurance companies can give free estimates/quotes? (I'm 24-college student,unmarried, if that helps). Thanks!""

First car for teenage girl? Insurance...?

Need a car 17 year old girl 1.0 ltr engine. Cheap petrol and cheap insurance please? I also read getting the box fitted where you can drive between certain times also makes it cheaper?

How much does motorcycle insurance cost in kansas for a 16 year old driver?

im 15, about to turn 16 and want to get a motorcycle. i only have a few dirtbikes that aren't street legal and im thinking about getting a 1993 gsx750r this july for my bday. how much would i expect to pay for the insurance? i live in a rural area so it SHOULD cost less right?""

Cheap car insurance?

where can i get cheap car insurance 4 a young driver on a fiat punto?? pleasssss(in the uk)

Motorcycle Insurance Question?

I was wondering how much insurance would cost for a 16 year old in California, driving a Ninja 500r would be. New driver, taken safety course, and stored in garage. What companies would insure me (I heard geico and progressive were good), and how much would it cost? Also what is the minimum amount of motorcycle insurance needed? Please answer with as much detail as possible. Thanks""

Should I refinance to remove PMI?

Can anyone recommend a life insurance company that will insure a person deploying to a warzone (Afghanistan)?

I am a private contractor that would like additional life insurance above what my company offers. Thank you.

Do i have to be on my dads insurance to take the road test?please answer im desperate:(?

Hi, i live in Florida,im 18 no matter what im trying to do my dad finds a way to not make it happen,and im starting college Monday and i have to drive myself and i made an apponitment for this Friday to take the written exam and the road test,my dad went to go put me on the insurance today, and he told me that they told him i cant be on his insurance because quote from my dad that he was told by the insurance ladie im a girl,im under 21, and i live with them. or they have to pay $3,000 he said its florida direct or florida no-fault for his insurance. does this sound like hes lying to me or is this all true? Thank you.""

Does the number of doors on a car affect an insurance rate?

For example would a 2 door car be more expensive to insure than a 4 door?

How much more is it to insure two personal cars vs. one?

I am just one guy, I live by myself and nobody drives my car but me. I keep insurance on it but conditions may turn out that I will end up with a 2nd car. I would ultimately drive them both and have them insured but how much is it for one person to insure a 2nd car? Is it (premium of one car) X 2 or more like 1.5(P) I hope this wouldn't be too expensive and make it not worth it.""

Which occupation would be best for car insurance purposes?

I can honestly say Retired , Investor , Private Investor Or Self Employed . Considering the fact that I don't drive very much anyway, less than 3000-3500 miles per year would one have a better risk classification and therefore lower rates than the other ? Oh, and Im 47 by the way so not your typical retired type person. (Don't really have a life but that wasn't the question) My liability insurance is pretty cheap but Im the kind of guy that likes to check every 6 months just to make sure Im getting the best price for the same coverage. Thanks ! PS, on a sort of related note, is it a problem if my credit report might not say the exact same thing ? I suspect it may say Self Employed and my former business.""

Which is the best health insurance in india to choose as individual and family floater ?

Which is the best health insurance in india to choose for individual and family floater , which provides annual health check up""

""If I go under my parents car insurance, is it cheaper ?""

Hello. I'm 18 and recently got my provisional license. I would like to know if I go under my moms name for the insurance of the car, would it be significantly less expensive than if I were to get my own insurance, or is it the same price for insurance all around ?""

Does my teenager need to be added to my insurance policy BEFORE he receives his driver's license?

Three of my friends didn't add their kids until they actually had their licenses, and the driving school said that technically they are covered by the parent's insurance while driving with just a permit. When I called AAA, they said I needed to add him. If I don't have to add him to the policy until he's actually a licensed driver and save the enormous $$$ it'll cost, I'd prefer to wait.""

What would be the average price of car insurance for a 18 yearold driving a scion tc in Florida?

Thinking about buying one, trying to see what the price of insurance would be like.""

Quick insurance quote for a 2006 range rover sport hse?

i am 16 and found a 2006 range rover hse sport for only 10 grand. the car is immaculate and freaking loaded to the top with upgrades. i know you are all thinking WTH? but the car is not salvaged and runs perfectly. i can afford the payments for the loan i am getting, but what insurance company would charge the least amount of money with decent coverage, cause liability aint covering the rover. thanks for all ure help, P.S. how much would registration be?""

Senior life services insurance company?

Has anyone ever dealt with senior life services insurance company, and if so , Good Or bad results. Some insight please?""

Do you need motorcycle insurance in the state of Tennessee?

As a Tennesseean, I was wondering if motorcycle insurance is necessary in order to ride in the state.""

""Which car would you prefer? 2006 Volkswagen rabbit, 2006 toyota corolla, or a 2006 honda civic?

which do u think would be a suitable car for a university student and cheap on insurance and gas.

Insurance on 2006 Ford Mustang and 2004 A4?

Hey, I'm a 16 year old student (turning 17 this year). I'll be getting my G2 in March of 2014, and I'm having a hard time deciding which car to save up for. It was between a 2004 Audi A4 or 2006 Mustang the whole way through. Which car would you recommend for a student? I'm having trouble finding an A4 for under $8,000 with decent kilometers. I was wondering how high the insurance would be for me on both cars, also I did not take driving school. I've also heard that if I write my mother's name as the primary driver, and my name as the secondary driver its cheaper.""

Car insurance for 19 year old on a classic mini?

I am about to buy a classic mini mayfair 998cc car but I cant fins a decent quote. Cheapest is 2700 with Acorn insurance. Other companies have quoted around 4k and even upto 6k. Its just stupid. Anyway, Im turning 19 in february 19th so will be buying then but looks like I need to gold dig if its like this for insurance. Anyone one of you clever clogs know any companies who will take me on ? Tried: Adrian Flux, Elephant, Admiral, Acorn, and a few others. IKUBE says ring back next month as they dont have tariffs in place yet O_o lol! Ive tried googling this and have found no help. Preferably classic insurance for 19 year olds. Thank a bunch..""

Will buying a salvage title car make my insurance go up? ?

The car is in mint condition now I got a mechanic o look at it it's fully restored but if I buy it will it effect my car insurance

Health insurance help.?

So my father canceled our insurance last year and we have no health insurance. I know that this leaves us in a very bad spot. Im looking for some advice as to what me and my family should do. My mom is 40 and my dad is 38 my brother is 12 and i am 18. We make just under 60K a year. My father is a private contractor so we had an idea to try and get him business insurance that would cover my family. My mom had an idea to get a legal separation with my father to help keep cost down. I don't know how well any of that would work. I don't know very much about how health insurance works or any loopholes we can use. So i guess i need to know. a) How can we get cheap health insurance in New Jersey ? b) What are the best plans for people in my situation ? c) Is there anything i should know about health insurance to help my family out? Thanks so much in advance.

How much is automobile commercial insurance?

Vehicle insurance

Where can I get cheap kite insurance?

Here's the hypothetical situation. I'm flying my kite at the local park. Then someone's RC plane hits the kite line. The RC plane stalls and falls 100 feet, hitting a soccer player and killing him. Then my kite, which has been cut loose, hits the windshield of a car causing it to have a collision with a pedestrian... So, where can I get insurance to cover a situation like that?""

What do you think about my car insurance? Please help?

Hello, I'm an international student in the U.S. I've just bought Honda accord car (year 1999) and a driving license. I need your experiences to find the cheapest insuarnce. I've got two quets until now. One is from Geico company which offered about 700$ per six months, and Sate Farm which offered about 600$ per six months. I still see these offers expensive. Please help me to find the cheapest insurance. Thank you in advance.""

Is it cheaper to buy health insurance in any other state than CALIFORNIA?

I am shopping for health insurance and it is through the roof. Is it cheaper in other states? Should I move from California? I am 62 and my husband is terminal. Just need some real information.

Quote for Car Insurance!?

Hello, I need some help in with Car Insurance...............So, I want to purchase a Honda Accord coupe iES 1997-1999, I went on those car insurance compare sites and was quoted over 4000pounds!!! Here is the information I gave there, i was born in 1990, have license for 5 years, I have an international drivers license, I started living in the UK in April 2013, unemployed......Can someone please tell me why i was quoted so much money!! I even tried putting my partner who has been driving for 14 years and no luck! Is there any way for me to get cheaper car insurance? And is comprehensive or third party cheaper for me? Thankxx""

How do you apply for health insurance?

How does health insurance work?

How will it affect my insurance?

My daughter Ashlynn has just turned 16, and shes begging me to allow her to get her a learners permit. I'm all for it, but i want to know how it will affect my insurance. I heard that a teen with a learners permit doesn't have any affect and in some cases you don't even have to notify the insurance company. If it helps, i have Esurance. Also i live in southern California. If anyone has any information it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks -Lauren.""

What insurance would i need and where should i go to get it?

I'm working between 3 employers doing carpentry and need to insure myself incase i hurt myself and can't work for a number of days. Also incase of something severe happening like losing a hand or breaking bones. I need to know what insurance i should get and what kind of cover. I don't know a lot about insurance so any information is really appreciated. Thanks Drew

Should I refinance to remove PMI?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/life-insurance-what-different-types-anthony-pierce/"

0 notes

asterinjapan · 7 years

Text

Lady and the dragon

Good evening after a long and hot day! What the heck, that wasn’t the weather forecast. The hot part I mean, haha.

The weather should have been cloudy with the occasional shower today, so I dutifully packed an umbrella and coat to take with me last night. I hadn’t yet decided where to go, but I knew it wasn’t going to be too far since I was really tired after Sendai.

By Shonan Shinjuku line, I went from Ikebukuro directly to Ofuna. Here, it was quickly visible what I was meaning to visit. You see, when your train arrives in Ofuna, you can see a giant white head looming out over the tree tops. A little bit of googling taught me back in 2010 that this was the Great Kannon of Ofuna. Since Ofuna was a stop in between Tokyo and Kamakura, I never had the time to see it properly before, just catching glimpses from it from the station. Today was the day, however!

Itw as already sunnier than predicted, so I for now assumed it would just get cloudy in the afternoon (spoiler: no, it didn’t, not until near sunset anyway). Of course, the statue is on a hill top, so I took a pretty steep walk uphill to reach the premises.

Kannon is a bodhisattva, an Enlightened creature from Buddhism, and she’s specifically the goddess of mercy. The building of thi Kannon statue started in 1929, but they didn’t manage to finish it before the Pacific War. In the end, it would take until 1960 before they managed to finish it, and by then, the Second World War had ended for a while. The statue actually incorporates stones from ground zero from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and inside a statue, you can see a fire burning: this is a fire that started in Hiroshima after the bombing and has been kept aflame ever since to commemorate the dead. So that was a bit of a heavy-loaded entrance, whoa…

After a moment of silence (I was here alone anyway), I made my way uphill to find the actual statue. The Kannon is only pictured from her chest up, actually; it’s 25 metres tall, so an imposing sight and doing very well on my pictures, what with the nearly clear blue skies in the background.

You can actually enter the statue, and you will find a little museum and a shrine here. I was still alone, so I stood there in utter silence, which is quite the experience if you just came from ever busy Tokyo.

It was a short stop; I took my time exploring the grounds, and I think it still only took me like half an hour tops. Still, if you have a little time for your trip to Kamakura or Enoshima, I’d definitely recommend it.

Speaking of Enoshima, that was my next destination. I first had lunch in Ofuna’s station since it was getting around that time anyway, and then bought a day pass for the Shonan Monorail, which brings you from Ofuna to Enoshima in 14 minutes. It’s actually a little faster to take the train, but the monorail is quite the experience, as it’s suspended in the air above the normal traffic. I’m not sure why I keep doing these things since I’m so terrified of heights, but alright, it was pretty exciting. Minus the part where the monorail went straight through the mountain, as it meant it went through a tunnel and you really noticed just how fast the thing really is. Kinda like a roller coaster indeed… (Although don’t take it from me, I’m the kind of person to scream bloody murder in a roller coaster for four year olds.)

Near the end of the line, I saw the mountains more clearly and – wait, what the heck, was that Mount Fuji? Are you kidding me?

A couple of steps out of the Enoshima monorail station confirmed: that flimsy mountain had finally decided to show up! Well, there goes my running gag for this trip, haha. I quickly snapped some pictures, since Fuji is notorious for disappearing behind the clouds in the blink of an eye, and then walked towards the actual island of Enoshima (shima means, eh, island. It’s an island). At tourist information office, I picked up a day pass and asked for the recommended route – the ladies here were very helpful and I actually managed to chat a little in Japanese, hallelujah. (My Japanese has been pretty awful so far, oops.) Turns out one of them had lived in Eindhoven for a while! Haha.

Anyway, armed with a pass and a map, I walked the long bridge that leads to the actual island – a walk in bright sunshine, making the island seem tropical in the distance. It really was a lovely day for it. In the far-off distance, Mount Fuji was still cheerfully peeking through the clouds, what the heck.

Along the bridge, I started seeing dragons. They have everything to do with Enoshima, as the island’s shrines are dedicated to Benten (short for Benzaiten), a popular goddess of luck. Legend has it that she rose Enoshima from the depths of the seas and appeared there before the people in the area, who were terrified as they had been terrorized by a dragon for years. The five-headed monster saw Benten, fell in love with her and proposed, as one does as a terrorizing five-headed dragon. Benten refused because she wanted it to get its act together first, and so it bettered its ways and may or may not have married Benten as yet. Yup.

So that’s an interesting history for sure, haha. The shrines together form the Enoshima shrine dedicated to Benten, and you can explore them by climbing a loooot of stairs, or by opting out of those and paying for an escalator. Which I did, because the pass I got earlier gave me entrance to the escalators, haha. So that’s convenient! Enoshima is pretty touristy, but that’s also nice, because it means pretty much all plates are translated into English and there’s a lot of information going around. I took a ton of pictures of them.

The weather was really nice today, but it was also pretty hot, pff. Luckily, there’s a nice garden here on Enoshima, where you can cool down a little with some iced maple cappuccino and what not. So there I was, facing out over the mainland with a parasol to shield me from the sun. Ah, that’s the life.

Further on, there’s a lighthouse that doubles as a sightseeing tower, and as you may have guessed, my pass gave me free entrance to that too. So I took the elevator up and bam! Mount Fuji! Still there! Needless to say I took a ton of pictures of the view, haha.

Once outside, I quickly walked further ahead, delighted now that the sun was hiding and it was slightly more bearable walking weather. There were no more escalators as I walked to the other end of the islands, walking past the part where two parts of the island split. Whoa, the forces of nature were really strong here, Enoshima sure has amazing sights!

Anyway, I had my mind set on the Iwaya caves since I thought they’d close around 5, but luckily, in summer the time has been extended to 7 PM. I slowed down a little to look around a bit, but I definitely wanted to make it to those caves. These caves were naturally formed thousands of years ago, and there’s two of them. One contains information about the caves, and you’re handed a candle to go all the way into the end of the cave, where you can find various Buddhist statues and the originas of the Benten temple, dating back to the 6th century. Super cool! Uh, both literally and figuratively actually, since the caves are under water and thus nice and chilly in summer. There was some water dripping through the walls, and I could taste the salt of the sea on my lips.

The other cave was a walk away past some more amazing sights, and is dedicated to the terrorizing dragon. There’s a statue at the end of a dragon, clad in changing light, with the message that if you make a wish and clap your hands twice, your wish will come true if the light flashes. It did for me! Gosh, I sure am lucky this trip, haha.

I really love the caves and I wanted to hang around here a lot longer, but it was getting a bit cloudy now at last and I had a suspicion I wasn’t going to see a sunset on Mount Fuji anyway. So I slowly walked back, making one more detour uphill to find a bell. This is actually a Love bell; couples come here to ring it together and to leave a lock on the fence. I’m alllll byyyy myyyyself here, haha, but the bell has very nice sights and it’s pretty photogenic anyway.

After some final photos, I walked all the way down, since there were no escalators going down, haha. With some last parting shots of Mount Fuji, I noticed it was indeed going back into hiding behind the clouds. I sure had been lucky today.

So that was my pretty busy, but pretty delightful day! Tomorrow I’ll be going to Yokohama and trying not to faint (it’s going to be 35 C and sunny, so it will feel like 43 C or something, I am so happy), and meet up with my friend one more time.

Ah, the end is drawing near… I really, really don’t want to go. I don’t think I’m ever going to be ‘done’ with this country, and I’m already planning new things to do or redo on my next trip.

For now, good night and at least still 2 full days in Japan left!

#report #japan 2017 #report: japan 2017 #places: enoshima

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musicmapglobal · 6 years

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Interview: Cameron Butler takes us to 'Pink Nirvana'

As if putting out two albums last year wasn’t enough, Cameron Butler is already back with another, Pink Nirvana. The LP takes us on a hypnotic, sunshine filled journey, mixing elements of wavey, R&B and electronic music. Its slick production and wide range of lyrical topics caught our attention, in stark contrast to the current fad of mumble-rappers currently sprouting out of the USA.

Eccentric at times and certainly versatile, this youngster brings us the perfect soundtrack for the summer. We caught up with him to talk all things music below…

Hi Cameron! How are you? Congratulations on the new album release!

Cameron Butler: I’m doing just fine, thank you for asking! It’s been a rollercoaster lately, but I’m alive and well… and thank you!

Can you tell me about when you first started making music?

I first started back in 2010. I was just dabbling with sounds at 14 and well, here we are (laughs).

The new album Pink Nirvana seems to have a slightly different sound from your previous releases (Voyage to Ataraxia, Out The Ashes and Dark Days). Was that a conscious effort or something that happened naturally?

It was all natural really. My evolution as an artist is just a testament to where I’m at mentally and spiritually in life. With ‘Dark Days’, it was like I had this cloud over my soul. ‘Out The Ashes’ was the beginning of unfiltered transparency with my music. ‘Voyage’ was letting myself get into a looser energy and just stay in a constant state of high energy. ‘Nirvana’ is the gumbo of my entire journey so far, mixing every element of each of those albums into one cohesive body.

It seems that urban music, especially from the USA, leans more towards trap and mumble rap these days. However your new album seems to be more wavey sounding with some old school references. What are your musical influences, past and present?

I love trap music (laughs). The ‘trap’ sound is dope to me, always has been. What I like to do is accentuate that other styles can be just as pleasing to the ear, even when I mix subtle cadences of trap music into the songs. My main musical heroes are Jay-Z, Pharrell, Kanye West, and Kid Cudi but I take inspiration from damn near anything (laughs).

There are some really interesting collaborations on the album. How do you decide who to work with when making songs?

It has to make sense in my head, and I do collaborations usually by vocal frequencies. If I feel like a certain artist’s voice sounds fitting for the track, I’ll ask them for their assistance. It’s kind of difficult to explain but I see music as a puzzle. Some people don’t fit the spaces where others will, but everyone will find their way into their respected pockets.

Your music videos have a real DIY approach to them. How important is the visual aspect of music to you? Is that something you also consider with live performances?

To be completely honest, I didn’t realize the importance of visuals until I was watching a Busta Rhymes video and paid close attention to the different approaches used in a single video. Hype Williams is forever a legend in my eyes because he created some of the most eye-catching visuals when I was growing up. As far as live performances, if I can have a fitting visual, then I’ll do it. Otherwise, the music will have to paint the picture for the audience.

youtube

Speaking of concerts, where in the world would you love to play?

Japan, California, London, Egypt, Toronto, Australia, New Zealand, and almost anywhere in Central and South America.

You’re from New York but based in North Carolina. Why did you decide to move, and what are the main differences like between the two places?

My mother moved me and my younger brother down to the Carolinas so it wasn’t my choice, but she was doing what was best for us. I was 12 years old at the time so my knowledge on everything in general was limited. As far as differences, I love the city for the high energy that you receive as soon as you arrive. It’s electric. The South offers a peaceful and slightly cleaner environment though. It’s an escape from the rah-rah. But I love, need, and respect both so I take trips to NY when I can.

Most people tend to gravitate towards musical hubs like New York because of its rich music history which continues today. Is there a similar music scene like that in North Carolina at the moment – any great artists we should listen out for?

As far as the Carolinas collectively, we’ve got some great talent that’s truly blossoming here. My label mate Crosby is easily one of my favorite rappers from here. I just recently got connected with the homie WELL$ through his manager, Alec Lomami. Caterpillar Jones is originally from North Carolina but lives out in Las Vegas currently, he’s one of the most versatile artists that I’ve had the privilege of working with. In South Carolina, my label mates Contour and Infinitefreefall bring a unique sound to Charleston unlike anything else. There’s this dope artist by the name of Niecy Blues who also stays in Charleston and she’s super dope. We skrong outcherr!!

The music industry has changed a lot over the past few years. How have things like social media and music blogs changed the process of an artist, if at all?

Social media allows the fans to directly interact with their favorite artists and stay updated 24/7. It’s a nice tool to have indeed, I’m sure my reach wouldn’t move as fast without the use of it.

Finally, Cameron Butler, what’s your favourite album of all time?

This is a genuinely difficult question and I’m not sure if I can answer it, lol.

Top three influential albums over my life? The Black Album, Madvillainy, and Man On The Moon.

Thanks so much for speaking with us!

The feeling is reciprocated, thank you.

Interview by Roxy Shah

#beats #cameron butler #Caterpillar Jones #Contour #Crosby #hip-hop #Infinitefreefall #Jay-Z #Niecy Blues #north carolina #old school #trap #usa #WELL$

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caveartfair · 6 years

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Missing Monet Discovered in Louvre Storage Space—and the 9 Other Biggest News Stories This Week

01 A Claude Monet painting lost during World War II was discovered rolled up in a Louvre storage space.

(via artnet News)

The National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo announced on Monday that Water Lilies: Reflection of Willows (1916) will go on view at the institution after undergoing major conservation efforts. The painting was discovered by a French researcher in 2016; it was heavily damaged after spending six decades in storage at the Louvre, artnet News reported. Japanese collector Kojiro Matsukata had purchased the piece in the 1920s, one of roughly 25 Monet paintings owned by the businessman who had hopes of opening a museum of Western art in Japan. That dream was dashed by a series of catastrophes, including a London fire that destroyed 400 works owned by Matsuka and stored in the city. His collection in Paris, however, remained under the care of an art advisor until being “sequestered” by the French government during World War II, artnet News wrote, and while much of it was returned to Japan in 1959, Water Lilies: Reflection of Willows had been missing for nearly six decades.

02 A £112.7 Million Picasso spending spree buoyed big sales at Christie’s and Sotheby’s in London.

(Artsy)

The 2018 auction season season appeared to begin with a bang as the Impressionist and Modern evening sales at Christie’s came squarely within its estimate and Sotheby’s surpassed its high estimate, thanks to sales of work by that longtime industry stalwart, Pablo Picasso. A portrait of his mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter sold for £49.8 million ($69.2 million) at Sotheby’s on Wednesday, making it the most expensive painting and the second-most expensive artwork ever sold in Europe. The 1937 painting Femme au béret et à la robe quadrillée (Marie-Thérèse Walter) was purchased by a client on the phone with Lord Mark Poltimore, deputy chairman of Europe for Sotheby’s. According to industry newsletter the Baer Faxt and Bloomberg, the client on the phone was the London advisory outfit Gurr Johns, whose executive chairman Harry Smith had already calmly snapped up nine Picassos at Christie’s on Tuesday and finished Wednesday with three more on top of the portrait of Marie-Thérèse, a total of 13 works in two days for a combined £112.7 million ($155.2 million). It is unclear why the advisor was snapping up so many canvases by Picasso—Gurr Johns did not respond to emails and calls—but Smith was bidding on every single one. There was more good news for Sotheby’s this week when the auction house reported better-than-expected earnings in the fourth quarter and strong full-year profits thanks to higher auction sales, robust private dealmaking, and a growing presence in Asia.

03 The Richard Avedon Foundation claims an unauthorized biography of the photographer includes hundreds of factual errors.

(via The Art Newspaper)

On Wednesday, a banner appeared at the top of the Richard Avedon Foundation’s website: “Foundation pushes Spiegel and Grau to immediately cease publication and correct the record; publisher says facts don’t matter.” The text refers to Something Personal, an unauthorized biography published by a Penguin Random House imprint, Spiegel and Grau, last year. The account of Avedon’s life—described as “part memoir, part biography and part oral history” by the book’s dust jacket—was penned by the photographer’s former studio director Norma Stevens and long-term book publisher and editor, Steven M. L. Aronson. But the Foundation is arguing that, despite Stevens’s close relationship with the artist, just one-third of the account contains about 200 factual errors. Some major points of contention are whether or not Avedon shared an intimate relationship with Marilyn Monroe, and if Avedon himself made an unsolicited call to the Smithsonian museum to offer a donation of his prints and negatives. While the Foundation’s list of errors is likely to grow with the help of an online correction submission system built into the site, the publisher’s lawyer, Matthew Martin, recently told The Art Newspaper that disagreements have emerged due to Avedon being “well known for embellishing stories or simply fabricating,” and that the Foundation has “no evidence” to back their accusations.

04 A mobster suspected of having ties to the notorious Gardner heist will serve 11 months on gun charges.

(via The Hartford Courant)

Robert “The Cook” Gentile, an 81-year-old Mafia gangster, was sentenced Tuesday to a 54-month sentence for gun charges, of which he has already served around 35 months while awaiting sentencing. Since 2010, Gentile has been suspected of involvement with the 1990 heist in which two thieves, disguised as police officers, made off with 13 paintings from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. According to the Courant, “When the FBI searched Gentile’s house in 2012—the first of four searches—agents found police hats, badges, $20,000 in cash stuffed in a grandfather clock, what a judge called ‘a veritable arsenal’ of weaponry and, significantly, a list of the stolen Gardner pieces accompanied by possible black market prices.” Two years prior, the widow of one of his mob partners had told FBI agents she witnessed her husband give Gentile two of the stolen paintings roughly a decade prior. Gentile told the Courant he did not have any art, “but probably obtained the list in connection with a plan to swindle someone who was trying to buy it.”

05 Malaysian artist Fahmi Reza was sentenced to one month in prison for his political cartoons of the country’s prime minister.

(via Artforum)

41-year-old Fahmi, a political cartoonist, is known for portraying Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak as a ghostly clown with arched eyebrows and scarlet lips. Najib, who faces a general election this summer, remains tainted by a 2015 scandal over siphoning millions from Malaysian investment funds. This week, a court in the northern city of Ipoh sentenced Fahmi to one month in prison and demanded $7,700 in fines for his cartoons of the embattled prime minister, who is still expected to win the upcoming election. On Twitter, the artist wrote that his portraits are an “act of protest against this corrupt government that uses the Sedition Act and other draconian laws to silence dissenting voices.” The Sedition Act, a law enacted in Malaysia by British colonial administrators in 1948, prohibits any publication, action, or language displaying disapproval of the government. While Fahmi was able to raise funds to cover the entire amount of his fine, the artist’s lawyer, Syahredzan Johan, says they plan to appeal.

06 The 2017 NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors, toured the National Museum of African American History and Culture on their trip to Washington, D.C.

(via The Washington Post)

The Warriors had been disinvited by U.S. President Donald Trump from visiting the White House, a customary honor for a championship team, after their star Stephen Curry said he wasn’t interested in going. Instead, the team went to the city’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, part of the Smithsonian Institution, with a group of kids from Prince George’s County, where fellow Warriors star Kevin Durant grew up. Durant told the Washington Post he was thrilled to be able to provide the opportunity for those young people to hang out with him and his teammates. “To be able to provide them that type of experience, it’s going to do a lot for those kids,” Durant said, crediting his teammates and the team’s general manager for having the idea. Durant said he found inspiration in the museum’s displays, and is looking forward to returning on his own. “It was just impactful. There was so much that you hear and I learned in elementary school, and through school, but just some of the photos…my mom, my parents, they wouldn’t let me see as a kid,” he said. “Some of the stuff you probably had to wait until you were older to see. It was good to get that history.”

07 The Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery in The Hague is using advanced new technology to uncover the secrets of Vermeer’s Girl With a Pearl Earring.

(via The New York Times)

Johannes Vermeer’s 1665 painting, which has been on view at the museum since 1881, will come off the wall and out of its frame for the first time in decades, as a team of researchers from conservation institutes and universities use advanced X-ray and optics technology to analyze the masterpiece down to each coat of paint. Experts will create computer visualizations and dive deep into the pigments’ minerals to better understand how Vermeer created the glowing hues of the woman in a turban, without having to physically touch the work. To appease the tens of thousands of visitors who come to the museum to see Vermeer’s painting, the project will take place not in a restoration studio but in the museum, where attendees can see it being studied through a glass partition. And the whole thing will wrap-up quickly to get the famous work back on the wall; as paintings conservator Abbie Vandivere told the New York Times, “We’ll see how much information we can gain with the technology at our disposal in a very short period of time—two weeks, working 24 hours a day, day and night.”

08 The National Gallery of Victoria has terminated its relationship with Wilson Security following criticism of the security contractor.

(via The Guardian)

Wilson Security has come under fire for allegations that its employees repeatedly breached ethical standards at several Australian offshore detention facilities where the firm operates, including those located on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea and Nauru. Following public reports that guards subjected asylum seekers and detainees to sexual, physical, and mental violence, a group of artists formed The Artists’ Committee to protest the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)’s employment of Wilson Security. The Artists’ Committee’s actions have ranged from placing a veil branded with Wilson’s logo over Pablo Picasso’s Weeping Woman (1937), which is held at the museum, to dyeing the gallery’s moat and “water wall” blood red. Last August, 1,500 people from the arts community signed an open letter calling for the gallery to cease its contract with Wilson Security. On Wednesday, the NGV released a statement with no mention of the protests or petition. However, it stated that Wilson Security was “the NGV’s interim security service provider while we were in a Victorian government procurement process to secure a long-term security services provider,” and that “we have commenced the short transition to our new provider.” The NGV’s new contractor has not been publicly announced.

09 A New York judge appointed a new executor for the estate of Chinese artist and collector C.C. Wang.

(via ARTnews)

The new executor will be the artist’s daughter Yien-Koo Wang King, who succeeds the artist’s grandson Andrew Wang. Andrew stands accused of stealing over 20 paintings and has been linked to the “suspicious dealings in the sale of nearly 100 works,” ARTnews reported on Tuesday. An earlier trial had found that Andrew had manipulated C.C., who suffered dementia towards the end of his life, into making Andrew and his father the executors of an estate once valued at $60 million before C.C.’s death in 2003. C.C. was a collector of Chinese art as well as an artist, and ARTnews reported that “The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York acquired various works from Wang over the years and went on to stage a 1999 exhibition of objects from his collection.” The judgment from the Manhattan Surrogate Court came earlier this month.

10 A member of the mafia has claimed that a stolen Caravaggio painting was sent to Switzerland.

(via The Art Newspaper)

While testifying to the Italian parliament’s standing commission on organized crime, mafia member Gaetano Grado claimed that a missing Caravaggio painting, Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence (1600), was handed off to a Swiss art dealer after it was stolen in 1969. The theft of the painting from a Baroque chapel in Palermo, Sicily, has remained on the FBI’s list of top 10 art crimes. Grado said that the original thieves were petty criminals, but after the uproar following its disappearance, the mafia realized the painting’s worth, and it was handed over to the head of the Sicilian Mafia Commission, Gaetano Badalamenti. Badalamenti sold the work to an art dealer from Switzerland and, Grado claims, decided to cut the painting into pieces in order to transport it. This is not the first time a wild claim has been made about what the mafia did with the painting––according to TheArt Newspaper, previous mafia members have alleged that the painting was “stored in a stable and eaten by mice,” and even “used as a bedside carpet by a mafia boss.” The name of the Swiss dealer has not been released, but the head of the government commission on organized crime, Rosy Bindi, is following the lead and hoping for international cooperation.

from Artsy News

#Artsy News

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theinsatiables · 6 years

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Still Life

Nadine Zylberberg on Somewhere

For the greater part of Sofia Coppola’s 2010 film Somewhere, movie star Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) is holed up at West Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont. He’s been there long enough to know the waiters and valet, but his suite shows no semblance of home. Here he numbly endures social interaction and follows his publicist’s orders. Only visits from his daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning) provide dim proof of a beating heart. Johnny takes her to an ice skating rink, where her routine charms him. They share an underwater tea party at the Chateau’s pool and order every available ice cream flavor on a trip to Italy. But right now, sitting alone on the hotel room floor and crying into the phone, he is “fucking nothing.”

With five features under her belt, Coppola has cemented her reputation as a poet of surfaces. Film has a history of such auteurs, Alfred Hitchcock and Bernardo Bertolucci among them. But unlike such predecessors, Coppola uses style to concretize states of transition. It invokes Jean-Paul Sartre’s distinction between being and existing: “Man is only what he does.” Her films beg the question: what if he does nothing? On the whole, her characters lack motivation. Lost in Translation’s Bob Harris does what aging stars do: fly to Japan for lucrative whiskey ad campaigns. The Bling Ring’s teenage offenders blindly submit to the dictum of celebrity culture: be seen. To view Coppola’s plots as flimsy or nonexistent is to miss the point. The depth of her work is not characterized by meaning, but by organization. The character portraits, spaces, and sounds that comprise her films foster a unified vision of emptiness.

Take, for example, a pole dance set in Johnny’s hotel room. In theory, it has all the trappings of an erotic encounter. In this scene, it is as synthetic as the candy striper dresses worn by the Shannon twins of Playboy fame. The girls swivel up and down identical portable poles, which they fold and stash in gym bags at the end of the routine. Their skin squeaks against metal while a cheap boom-box plays Foo Fighters’ “My Hero.” When the girls glide facedown to the floor, they fall out of frame. Their momentary absence makes one wonder if they any more alive than the wall that now takes their place? All the while, Johnny lies on his bed, motionless, and it isn’t long before he falls asleep. On his bedside table is a cocktail of numbing agents: prescription meds, beer, and wine. The dancers only add to the mix.

Unformed subjects are Coppola’s trademark, and by staging such endurance tests for character and viewer alike, she is able to give us a nuanced picture of their despair. A competent director can depict boredom in a moving image. A great one makes it fascinating to watch. In Somewhere one such image comes when a team of men heap thick white goo onto Johnny’s face to create a mask for an upcoming role. They leave two small holes in the nose for breathing. The scene cuts quickly to Johnny sitting alone as the plaster sets. There is no movement and the only consistent sound comes from Johnny’s deep breaths. For one minute and 32 seconds, the camera creeps toward his blank visage. The power of the final close-up brings the tedium of Johnny’s existence into plain view. Coppola’s patient, deliberate zoom shows that no facial cues are needed for the message to come across. Johnny’s expression is vacant over the course of much of the film; neither sex nor alcohol seems to stimulate him anymore. Here, covered in impenetrable plaster, the film implies just how akin to nothing he feels. Johnny and the lifeless substance that envelops him come together, he is at once dead and undead. In Coppola’s world of existential boredom, there may as well be no difference between the two.

In contrast to the emptiness of the cast, we see a couple of ghoulish masks in the background, eyes wide and mouths agape. They remind us of the absurdity of the scene, which is emphasized in the next shot, as Johnny stares at his artificially aged face in the mirror. Coppola lends a haunting depth to the scene that undermines any arguments of her films as being weightless. Immediately before this motionless shot, the technicians are busy telling Johnny what to do (“Sit up”) and what to feel (“It’s cold, isn't it?”). Then, a scene with an otherwise clear flow is punctured by stasis. Placed where it is, this one functions as a pause, an ellipsis that Coppola uniquely, and frequently, grants us access to. Herein lies her strength, her tendency to capture characters waiting: for a light to turn green, for a conversation to end, for self-discovery. In a film propelled by story, this shot would be relegated to the cutting-room floor. But, aesthetically, it paints the clearest picture of Johnny Marco. He is watching paint dry from the inside. And while there is a time limit to this—the crew explains that the procedure takes 40 minutes—in the moment, it feels more like existence than process.

Coppola’s characters live in the unbearable anteroom of selfhood, waiting to transition from one state to another. All they have is time, and plenty of it. In The Beguiled, Southern schoolgirls learn French as the Civil War rages in the distance. In Lost in Translation, Bob plays golf between press events; like Johnny, he struggles to find his identity in his profession. Behind each Suntory billboard is a soul-crushing and interminable photo shoot. This is where Coppola exposes her character. In one such scene, dozens of people are busy at work—one applies Bob’s makeup, another checks the lighting, and another holds glasses of whiskey. At the center of it all is Bob, his back facing the camera. When he turns around, everyone else shuffles out of frame. The lens, the lights, and all eyes are on him. The camera’s clicks mark the passage of time, but Bob’s expressions can’t keep up. It resembles Somewhere’s mask scene, except Bob is expected to perform. His suspended identity is marked not by a blank face, but by the photographer’s insistence that he channel Rat Pack, Frank Sinatra, Joey Bishop, and 007 (in his Roger Moore incarnation)—anyone but Bob Harris. To be sure, we never access Bob’s identity the way we never access Johnny’s. Young Cecilia Lisbon in The Virgin Suicides summarizes it best. After attempting suicide by slitting her wrists, she tells a psychiatrist: “Obviously, doctor, you’ve never been a 13-year-old girl.” As with her other films, Coppola does not intend on showing us how it feels to be one, but rather how these feelings manifest on the surface. Coppola is an observer. With her, the audience always remains on the outside.

Somewhere depicts a constant negotiation between Johnny’s blankness and his capacity to feel. As he prepares to ship Cleo off to Camp Belmont, he gives her a hug and turns to board the helicopter. Before he leaves, he shouts her name above the blare of the rotor. “Sorry I haven’t been around,” he yells. We can barely make out the words, and surely Cleo cannot at all. The film’s diegetic noises seem to keep Johnny in his state of numbness. Here, it literally drowns out his voice. The film closes with Johnny leaving his Ferrari on the side of an empty road, keys in the ignition. As he walks away, the car’s irritating alarm matches the introduction of Phoenix’s “Love Like a Sunset II,” until the din gives way to the song completely. He abandons Los Angeles on this desert road, leaving behind its noise—sirens, camera clicks, roaring helicopters—and the emptiness it all represents for him. This shift, from a monotonous, oppressive soundscape to an ethereal one, points to the imminent state of transition for a man who only recently sat, patient and faceless, as time moved and he didn’t. Sitting in an actual driver’s seat for much of the film, Johnny abandons control over the speed and direction of his life. He’s content in his stasis, leaving the audience to see it, and sit through it.

There’s a memorable scene in Lost in Translation where Bob watches expressionless as a near-naked dancer contorts to the rhythm of Peaches’ “Fuck the Pain Away.” When Charlotte arrives and asks him how long he has been sitting there, he replies, “I couldn’t say.” Coppola’s most mundane moments are so saturated with an air of ennui that they barely need to justify their duration. The first substantial line of dialogue in Somewhere clocks in at minute 15. To stick around is to observe and to let Coppola’s mood envelop you. The result is being privileged to a picture she has rigorously crafted with patience—and perhaps a little drying rubber

#Film #Sofia Coppola #Somewhere #Lost In Translation #Essential Reading

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