There are certain rules I live by. Rule one is this: don't ask questions you don't want to know the answers to. It's simple, easy to remember, and when violated reveals too late its efficacy at preventing disaster.
I have other rules, sure, but that's the one that loomed largest in the now-gone (over here) Year of the Dog. We've moved in Okinawa, as my Amerikajin brothers and sisters are about to, into the Year of the Inoshishi, the wild boar. New days bring new insights, and I'm always looking for other precepts to add to the prime directive I just mentioned.
Asian astrology says that it's good luck to have an image of the boar around during his year. Shopkeepers and my local friends are following this example. For a year-long houseguest, the texts say you could do worse than old inoshishi: "Intellectual and sets difficult goals. Sincere and honest and expects same." That doesn't sound so bad; admirable, even.
Another rule: you have something to learn from everyone you meet, be they educated, illiterate, rich, homeless, or even the idealized spirit-persona of an animal.
I read that tourists are flocking to see and photograph and albino boar born on the mainland. It doesn't quite approach the White Buffalo in terms of prophecy and significance, but it reminds me that there are certain cultural currents that pull all of us. I'm not an Indian, but one of the few items I packed for this trip is a Cree prayer flag containing a prayer for compassion.
Today, many people are headed for the Futenma Shrine for their first prayers of the New Year. I have couchsurfers coming in -- maybe we'll follow that example. Rule the third: there is more that unites us than divides us.
So the sun sets on the year, for real, this time. I'll remember 2006 for myriad reasons, but mostly I'll remember it as a shadowy continuation of a previous cycle that was supposed to go only 365 days.
A few annums back, it was the Year of the Monkey, a time when astrologers warned of unpredictable change, tumult and trickery. This can imply good change, bad change, or a chanpuru of both. If you had to adopt a rule for responding to it, I'd offer "keep all of your limbs inside the ride at all times, kids. It gets bumpy." That's rule four if you're scoring at home.
I have this theory that the Year of the Monkey never ended, and that, for some of us, it never intends to.
Rule five: train a spirit-boar to kill that spirit-monkey. Then, we're set until 2016.
Given that I've been asked to make a list of activities for visitors, and given that I have two couchsurfers coming in on Jan. 1, there's no time to do this like the present. So, without further ado, here are 10 suggested fun things for vacationers.
1. Shuri Castle
The old seat of Ryukyuan government has been burned and rebuilt again and again, but the current version is a breathtaking combination of old and new. It's worth spending an entire day walking the stone walls, seeing authentic and replica versions of Okinawan artifacts, and checking out the view of Naha City.
2. Snorkeling or Scuba Diving
If you're not Scuba certified, you can make that happen in a couple of days. If you don't want to do that, spending a few hours floating off the coast with a mask and snorkel is mandatory. See hundreds of types of coral and reef fish, the type I've posted on the blog. Here are some suggested sites.
3. Small local bar
At least once on your trip -- preferably early -- go into a small local
bar and order a beer. If no one has tried to strike up a conversation
with you in five minutes, say a few words to anyone who looks friendly.
Let matters transpire. Before you know it, magic will happen. You'll be
offered a trip on someone's deep sea fishing boat, or offered a guided
tour of the local bingata workshop, or ... you don't know until you go.
So go.
4. Peace Memorial Park
History buffs will want to see the World War II memorial, but everyone should visit here at least once. Besides being moving, the monuments are awe-inspiring architecture. You can also see the world's largest lacquerware Buddha. I think being the site of a horrendous battle, but then erecting a monument to all of the war dead -- on both sides -- says a lot about Okinawan culture, especially since neither side exactly paid attention to Okinawa's welfare.
5. Churaumi Aquarium
I'm not big on aquariums or zoos, but I've been to this place three times and I'd go again tomorrow. It's simply the best aquarium I've ever seen, with whale sharks, mantas, sea turtles, manatees and much, much more. A must.
6. Kokusai Street
If you love the smell of commerce in the morning, check this place out. Don't miss the nearby Tsuboya district's pottery museum and local artisan shops.
7. Take a hike, especially in the Yanbaru forest
After you've come commercial, come natural with a trek. The link provides a list of hikes, ranging from easy walks to strenuous workouts. Whatever you're in the market for, there's something for you in Okinawa. I recommend Yanbaru, the last great rainforest on the main island.
8. Nakagusuku Castle
After you've seen Shuri, which has been rebuilt, take a trip to Nakagusuku, which hasn't. Both are impressive; both provide a different experience, two alternative windows into the Ryukyuan past.
9. Cape Maeda
You can snorkel nearby, take in breathtaking views, watch farmers at work in cane fields, take walks, and even bring fishing gear. Or, just pack a picnic lunch and watch the rock formations.
10. Henoko and Oura bays
Why these two beautiful bays above the countless others on the island? In the next few years, their landscape will be irrevocably altered, perhaps devastated completely. See them before they're gone.
Today I went diving at three spots along the southern coast of Okinawa. The weather wasn't the best; it was chilly for here, and we felt a strong tidal surge at each site that left me spent this afternoon. It was well worth it, though, as always.
I played around with my new color filter, and after determining that I could in fact extract truer color from an image with it attached, also learned some ways to best use my new tool.
The more soft coral I see, the more charmed I am. I feel like just stopping and watching, trying to capture these strange and beautiful creatures' movements, either with still photographs or video. Here are some attempts at each:
This is a shellfish known as a sea rabbit. Similar to a conch, it congregates near reefs, consuming food.
It's the black shell, below the soft coral.
And out of dark caves:
Since this will have to be a quick post -- it's an early day tomorrow -- here are a few decent shots of the coral and colorful fish that rely on them:
Three dives today. Lots of swimming. With luck, another two or three dives tomorrow. looking for the elusive dugong. Wish us luck.
Robert Rock, a World War II Veteran, has donated 170 photos of Okinawa to the Ryukyu America Historical Research Society. These photos, now about 60 years old, include some old aerial views of the island, so I couldn't be more excited to get a look at them. The second photo down was taken in Isa, a district of Ginowan just about 3 kilometers from my own.
I know a bit about Rock from a letter he wrote to The Ryukyuanist [PDF] some time ago. Hearing the perspective of someone who came to Okinawa as a 23-year-old and then returned later might interest you, and if it does, click away.
The society's offices are over in Kitanakagusku, just a few minutes from my place, so I have a new place on my "to visit" list now. I'll post a link when they get the photos scanned and on the site.
A tomato slice, that is.
It's Christmas Day back home, there are no clouds in the sky, and I just plucked four ripe cherry tomatoes from the bushes in front of my house.
Tell me life isn't beautiful. Go on, try it.
If you can't see or read the Japanese kana up there in the header, it's "Kono burogu kara anata made meri kurisumasu"; or, "From this blog to you, Merry Christmas."
All the poetry I've been working on has me craving more, so permit me to combine holiday festivity with literary expression. I was considering posting a poem of mine here, but I frankly have no Christmas-related subject matter. In fact, I have nothing close to appropriate.
Still, I'm saved. Today, Poetry Daily has three Christmas poems that each sound different notes. Two of them are superb, and I urge you to check them out even if you're not a poetry person.
Which, by the way, you are. We are all poetry people, all of us interested in language, whether we realize it or not.
The first, Patric Dickinson's "On Seeing a Christian Gardener at Eighty," appeals to me not just because of the quality of the verse, but because it identifies the transcendent we can all identify with regardless of religious affiliation. Gardens will do that, I guess. I know I got a jolt yesterday when I saw my tomatoes swollen red with juice.
The second, unless you are Martha Stewart, will likely remind you of the holidays around your house. The first line, "No, honestly, we are more organised than we look," is a tone-setter. It's by Alison Brackenbury, who has a number of good (though non-holiday oriented) poems up at her site.
The third, well, as we say over here, chotto ... It's fine, but my least favorite of the bunch. Collectively, they make me want the book.
It'll have to wait until I'm home. Maybe for the next holiday.
This blog is not about music. Neither is the baseball blog I contribute to, although you might have seen my list of favorite albums from 2006 over there.
This blog isn't about Christmas, either. But it is Christmas, at least over here, (and have a merry one, by the way). As my Christmas present to myself, I'm taking a few minutes to catalog my favorite albums and songs of the past year.
Don't take the list as canonical (not that anyone would). How does one evaluate whether M. Ward's post-rock, soulful storytelling is "better" than The Coup's funky, rollicking political rants? It's impossible. Best to think of this as a snapshot of my writing and running soundtrack.
For the singles, I'm not allowing myself to use any songs from the top 15 albums. It's a way of writing about the best bits of the albums that didn't make the cut, or just discussing a song I really like.
TOP 15 ALBUMS OF 2006
15. The Long Winters, Putting the Days to Bed
A rock album in the best sense of the word, The Long Winters' latest isn't afraid of big guitars or quiet moments. There's some great songwriting here, especially on the upbeat but restrained "Clouds." Just when you think you have the warm major-scale chords read as indicators of happiness, though, they'll flip it on you. Catch yourself singing along with "Ultimatum" (you will: "my arms miss you, my hands miss you/the stars
sing i've got their song in my head"), but be prepared when the rug gets pulled out from under you lyrically.
14. Loose Fur, Born Again in the USA
The first of two alt-country supergroups involving Jeff Tweedy listed here, Loose Fur are the more experimental of the two. At least, they were. This record is much more song-focused, and that's a good thing, since it leads us to a song like "The Ruling Class." It's good to know that handclaps haven't totally fallen out of fashion. It's unfair to say that this is merely going to tide me over to the next Wilco record, since it's a fine effort in its own right. It's true, though.
13. Madlib, Beat Konducta, Vol. 1-2
For some reason, Madlib hasn't won the hearts of literati in the same way that DJ Shadow did some years back. His output is certainly more impressive, more eclectic (he remixed the Blue Note catalog, put out a reggae disc, collaborated with MF Doom, and sucks down helium to rap as Quasimoto) and weirder. If there's a criticism of this CD, it's that the beats don't last as long as you might like them to -- just as you're into the groove, often times, the groove shifts you right out of it. But you're still happy the groove was there, and that's the test.
12. Nouvelle Vague, Bande a Part
A multilingual French music collective that recasts new wave and punk hits in bossa nova fashion. If you're not sold yet, what's the matter with you? Go out and get this, even though it's not quite as good as their previous release. Amazing musicianship cut with a good-time ethic.
11. The Pernice Brothers, Live a Little
This may be the perfect pop band, or at least the perfect bittersweet pop band. The songs, replete with shimmering guitars and sweet vocal harmonies, are gorgeous. They sound like the soundtrack of summer love and hugging a warm puppy until you listen to the lyrics. Smart, sardonic and tuneful music. Plus, I hear a Pernice song was featured on something called "The O.C.", so they gets the seal of approval from at least one of my pals.
10. Snow Patrol, Eyes Open
As I hint at in the previous entry, not having a television or listening to much radio means you avoid drinking from the same cultural stream as most. This is good and bad. It means you miss out on many in-jokes and shared referents, but it also means you don't get sick of things that others have shoved down their throats. I haven't had a TV for nearly 10 years, so the fact that one of these songs was evidently featured on a popular show means little to me. What matters: there is no song here to rival "Run," but it's an endearing album from stem to stern.
9. Viva Voce, Get Yr Blood Sucked Out
I'm a sucker for husband-and-wife bands (see Mates of State, below), and Viva Voce fill the bill. This is their strongest effort yet, although I've got to say that I prefer individual songs on their earlier releases to any one track contained here. The subject matter is darker, but all the elements I love about this band still survive -- fuzzy guitars, alternating male and female vocals, catchy hooks that drag you in and won't let you leave.
8. Soul Position, Things Go Better with RJ and Al
I already name-checked "Things Go Better," the title track of the record, on this blog. The song is Blueprint's personal narrative of the group's career, and it's confessional, inspiring and is powered by a bass-heavy RJD2 beat. The catchiest song, though, is "Hand Me Downs," which features well-placed horns and a perfect Flavor Flav sample. Their best effort to date, it's a complete album that features two big winners.
7. Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Neko Case is the real thing. "Hold On, Hold On" is probably the best track she's recorded yet, and with a voice like that, you can't help but wonder what else she's capable of. If this is it, it's enough.
6. The Brazilian Girls, Talk to La Bomb
My gut tells me to rank this higher, but I just don't see what it's going to bump. This multilingual combination of rock and electronica might well be the most interesting disc I've heard this year, and I don't mean "interesting" in the value-neutral sense you use to describe your buddy's awful poetry. The sonic terrain they explore is different on each song, and the vocals from Sabina Sciubba are more prominent than on their mellower, eponymous previous record.
5. Asobi Seksu, Citrus
Call
it shoegaze. Call it twee. Call it another term I don't understand.
Call it a name in English, call it a name in Japanese (it's another
record with vocals in more than one language). Just listen to its
landscapes of sound and find that it's rewarding in the background and
even more so with an intent listen.
4. Mates of State, Bring It Back
The consensus best track from this album is "Fraud in the 80s" (the catchiest tune Mates have recorded), but there are easily four other songs that approach its charms. For the first time, the piano-and-organ duo use guitar to flesh out their sound, and it works. The added element isn't overused, and the harmonic strengths are still in play on tracks like "Like U Crazy," "Beautiful Dreamer," and "For the Actor," a personal fave. "Nature and the Wreck" is a ballad that makes me melt every time.
3. Golden Smog, Another Fine Day
Golden Smog are a collaboration among alt-country stars featuring one of rock's signature voices, Gary Louris, late of The Jayhawks. After loving the last two records, I picked this up with some trepidation, knowing that there would be less of Wilco's Jeff Tweedy than last time.
Months later, I think that this is a spectacular record, as different from earlier Smog efforts as the Smog itself is from the members' individual bands. It has rockers ("Hurricane," a Dan Murphy song) tender ballads ("Cure For This," featuring vocals from Muni Loco, wife of the album's producer), a cover ("Strangers," originally composed by Dave Davies of The Kinks) and more. "Corvette" is simply one of the best songs of the year, and the only one I'm actually going to post. When the chorus hits ("The dream is never over"), you actually believe it.
This is American music in the best sense of the word.
2. The Coup, Pick a Bigger Weapon
Everyone is ready to hand Ghostface the hip-hop album of the year crown, and some are ready hand him two crowns, one for "Fishscale" and one for "More Fish." Where is the love for the latest from Boots and Pam? The beats are funky, the skits mercifully short and relatively amusing, the verses equal parts political and party-riffic. The album opens with the blistering "Bullets and Love," where Boots declares "I'm a walking contradiction, like bullets and love mixin'/slur my words with perfect pitch and I'm guilty of my convictions."
I love Ghost, but if you get only one hip-hop disc from 2006, get this one.
1. M. Ward, Post-War
When I got this record, I would never have guessed it would be No. 1 on my list. I liked it immediately, but I didn't think it compared to "The Transfiguration of Vincent," Ward's 2003 opus. That's still his best work in my opinion, but with songs like "Chinese Translation," opener "Poison Cup" and follow-up "To Go Home," Post-War still beats everything else released this year in my estimation.
My favorite track, though, is "Requiem." Ward's greatest strength is his ability to take spare, simple lyrics and make them resonate. Requiem's refrain -- "He was a good man, and now he's gone" -- is a heartbreaking case in point.
15 SONGS FROM 2006
Again, these are songs unrepresented in the top 15 albums.
15. Bruce Springsteen, "O Mary Don't You Weep"
I love Springsteen, and I love Pete Seeger, and you'd think I'd love a record of Springsteen covering Seeger. You'd be very close. I only like the record very much. This is my favorite track, soulful, driving, and engaging.
14. Fujiya & Miyagi, "Collarbone"
This song is only good for dancing, in the same way that a cheesegrater
is only good for grating cheese. Not my favorite genre, but boy, does
it serve its intended purpose.
13. Jon Auer, "Four Letter Word"
If this world full of bitter breakup songs were a garden, this song would be the goya -- the bitterest fruit of the bunch. The title comes from the lyric “I’m not ashamed that I treat your name like a four letter word now,” and that's one of the kindest parts. Former Posie goes vindictive. Hide the children.
12. The Mountain Goats, "Woke up New"
People either love or hate John Darnielle. If you love him, I don't
need to convert you. If you hate him, I'm not going to convert you, and
I wouldn't care to anyway. Try it, and you'll know one way or the other.
11. Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins, "Handle With Care"
It's an unexpectedly delicious cover of the Traveling Wilburys tune, featuring M. Ward and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst. The record is good, albeit up and down, but this is the highlight.
10. Aqualung, "Brighter than Sunshine"
A British guy writes a poppy ditty about love. What decade is this?
9. Lupe Fiasco, "Kick, Push"
His disc is good, but this song is the one
that makes you want to play it over an over. A hip-hop skateboarding
romance, it will help you wash the memory of Avril Lavigne's paean to
skateboarding romance out of your yearning ears.
8. The Hold Steady, "Stuck Between Stations"
Besides being a sucker for
"Greetings From Asbury Park"-era Springsteen, which is a strong
influence here, I have to love any song that includes the lyrics "Sal
Paradise was right."
7. Jose Gonzalez, "Stay in the Shade"
Somnolent vocals, gentle guitar, atmospheric music for candlelit contemplation. Lovely.
6. Clipse, "Hello New World"
The half-singing on the hook sells it.
5. Pigeon John, "Do the Pigeon"
Hip-hop that makes you smile. "I
know it gets rough, but you gotta let the sun shine in, just a
smidgen." Summertime, windows-down music that says don't think too
much, it'll only hurt the ballclub.
4. The Decemberists, "O Valencia!"
"The Crane Wife" should probably be in the top 15 albums, but I like previous Decemberists releases so much more, I'm afraid it colored my perceptions. Nevertheless, this is a well-constructed pop song that sounds about as gleeful as any tragic love story can.
3. Denizen Kane, "Lastchild Speaks"
It wasn't a banner year for album-length hip-hop in my ears, at least not compared to 2K5, but a lot of worthwhile tracks got me bobbing my head or shaking my fist. This does a little of both; the beat is smooth and buttery, and while the flow isn't particularly innovative, it does exactly what it needs to to deliver you where you need to be.
2. Peter, Bjorn and John, "Young Folks"
Scandinavian pop music with hand claps. It is the wave of the future. Resistance is futile. If they ever figure out how to incorporate hip-hop into this sound -- and if they do, I presume Busdriver will be involved -- it will all be over.
1. Gnarls Barkley, "Crazy"
Shut up, indie boy, you know you like it
too. I prefer Danger Mouse's collaboration with MF Doom (Danger Doom)
to this collaboration with Cee-Lo, but it's undeniable that "Crazy" was
among the best singles of the year. And remember what I said about not
having the same music shoved down my throat as everyone else?
Let me end by plugging a compilation album, Live at KEXP Vol. 2, that not only supports Seattle's listener-powered radio station, but includes live music that's truly worth having. Versions of some of my favorite songs ("Crooked Teeth" by Death Cab for Cutie, "At the Bottom of Everything" by Bright Eyes), some of which actually outpace the album versions (Common Market's "Connect Four," Lyrics Born's "Callin' Out.")
May 2007 be even better.
Wrapping up a lot of matters over the next week, including the year 2006. What may be my last hike of the year was my first since moving to Okinawa, providing an odd parallelism.
With some friends, I climbed a hill with no idea where it would lead. Found a viewpoint which, happily, had a panoramic look at the Pacific side of the island:
Sadly, someone had inexplicably looted the 100 yen spyglasses. Even with a good zoom lens, this just isn't the same:
At the hillcrest was an abandoned hotel called the Shah Bay Sunset View Resort. The name, aside from containing a homonym for my own, was apt. I ate some onigiri rice balls for dinner as the the sun set, watching this.
Every time the sun goes down, the sun is coming up somewhere. Here's to new beginnings.
If all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, then what happens when your work is your play?
I'll tell you what it means. It means you're livin' the dream, that's what it means. Also, it means it's a good thing you're not named "Jack."
Today I'm taking the day off from the grind of environmental journalism. Yes, those of you who scan the diving photos and videos, that "grind" bit is sarcasm. On this morning, I'm altering my study pattern a bit and pursuing that other dear love of mine -- Okinawan poetry.
A friend of mine who is a native Japanese speaker is meeting me at a cafe in Chatan to go over selected poems from books I bought the other day. We're going to talk about the literal meaning of the poems and, as best we can, begin to shape the verse into English.
On the one hand, it's kind of funny that returning to the books is what I do on my days off. On the other hand, just look at what I get to do when I'm working. Hear that? It's the sound of me not complaining.
We're starting with the ryuka, the traditional structured songs set to shamisen/sanshin music. Gradually, I hope we make our way through the hundreds of years post-Omori Soshi.
(The Omoro Soshi is a collection of 1500-some ancient verses, songs and rituals that were written down for the first time in 1532. It was updated and studied rigorously, and its final version contained material from the 12th through 17th centuries. It's of immeasurable historic, literary and cultural value, and merits its own post soon.)
In no way is what we're doing exhaustive, although it promises to be exhausting. When I give my philosophy lecture at debate camp, I often preface it with a shouted "Who's ready to go through 2,000 years of intellectual history in 90 minutes?" Similar principle applies here. You're never going to get everything, so you've got to try to get the best and most representative material you can.
To that end, I'm trying to track down as much expert assistance as I possibly can. Many such experts have been kind enough to reply to my e-mails and offer their help, which is tremendously useful (as well as gratifying).
There's this tendency I have to get ahead of myself. The end of this road is many steps from now, and though you know what they say about the longest journey, the trip starts with coffee down the street. It's just such a cool opportunity, I really want to get it right.
My days off, I mean. I want to get the stuff I do on my days off right.
Wild Okinawa isn't just the Keramas or tiny islands speckled with the occasional person. Walk out your door, and you'll find animals and plants in abundance.
Often, that's terrific. In neighborhoods -- even neighborhoods as plagued by concrete as mine -- robust crops grow, from tiny, tasty bananas to papayas to fresh guava. If you haven't had the local bananas, they're smaller and sweeter than any other variety I've ever had:
Of course, this brings out fruit bats. When mom was visiting, we were passed on a night walk by something one might have mistaken for a great horned owl. At first, mom didn't believe me that such a huge creature living by a main road could be a bat.
Then it made another pass. It could have transformed into Bela Lugosi and threatened to suck her blood without disturbing her any more.
And the butterflies and moths! Spectacular in their variety, their color, their abundance. Force me to pick a favorite, and I'll probably go with the velvety black butterflies so dark they almost turn blue, but I'm far from cataloging every type of these charismatic fliers, so stay tuned.
Sometimes, they even flit into your apartment unnoticed.
Where there are bugs, there are lizards, and if you think the butterflies in this prefecture are bold, let me re-introduce you to Echo the Gecko, my pal and sometime nurse. Not only does he hang around, occasionally he tries to help with the dishes:
Life isn't simple, and even cute critters can cause crises. Omnipresent everywhere I've been on the island are stray cats like these:
Besides bumming out Bob Barker, the failure to spay and neuter has real consequences. On Iriomote Island, strays like these are interbreeding with the Iriomote yamaneko, one of the rarest cats in the world. This is a real threat to the genetic integrity -- and hence survival -- of one of the Ryukyus' totemic species.
I wrote about the cat for Grist magazine here, and have a new piece coming out in E: The Environmental Magazine early next year.
I'm trying to sell a feature story about Echo, but every time I try to tell an assignment editor about the gecko that cared for me while I was sick, they start to back away without making any sudden movements.
Remarkably, I still haven't been out on a real hike since moving. Over the holidays, I'm thinking of breaking out the tent and taking it to the great Yanbaru forest. If wildlife like this roams by you while you're jogging on the freeway or washing the dishes, just imagine what exists in the jungle.
