We stayed the night in Tokoname on Saturday, & the next morning we drove south along the coast of Chita Peninsula. Have you ever driven along the coast of Chita Peninsula? It`s not so pretty I think, but eventually we found a sandy beach (near Noma Lighthouse) & went for a walk.
I was disappointed that there was no wood to collect. As you know, I like to make things from recycled wood, such as birdhouses that birds don`t want to live in, toys that my son doesn`t want to play with, & furniture that my wife doesn`t want in the house.
But it was nice to walk on the beach again, & Owen seemed to enjoy it too.
On the weekend we went to the town of Tokoname, near Nagoya Chubu Airport. In the past this town was famous for producing ceramic goods such as pots, jars & pipes, and there were lots of kilns (ovens for ceramic baking) there.
Now there are only a few working kilns, but there are lots of other interesting old buildings to look at & there are various shops selling not only ceramic goods but also antiques, plants, glassware, & other things.
There`s also a small bakery where you can buy bread & then eat it at the tables outside, right beside a big old kiln. Nice.
Click on the above picture (twice) to see it better. If you like what you see, then I suggest you visit Tokoname!
This is a small (13 x 18cm) acrylic painting I did in - let me see - 2005! Wow, time flies...
It`s a view of Casuarina trees by the sea at a place called Broadbeach, on the Gold Coast, which is near my hometown of Brisbane in Australia.
My mother made the frame for this painting. Nice job, mum!
2 years ago I made this bird-house from beach driftwood. I put it in a tree, but no birds came to live in it. I moved it to another tree, but later I checked it & wasps (hornets?) were living in it! I got rid of them, and last autumn I put it in a new place. I hope that this spring some birds will move in.
The creek near my house is not very pretty to look at, but even in winter, you can see a variety of birds & animals there, which makes it interesting to me. Today I decided to take photos of them to show you.
As you can see, there are LOTS of turtles in the creek, but most of them are red-eared sliders, which are not native to Japan.
Nutria are not native to Japan either. They are originally from South America, but were brought to Japan & farmed for their fur. I read that they are a big problem in Tottori Prefecture, so the local government there pays ＼2000 for each one killed. Hmmm... I think I just decided my next holiday destination!
Are you familiar with the animals in these pictures? Have you ever seen a Nutria? Do you or your parents own any Nutria-fur items? Would you like to go to Tottori with me & make some fast money?
My birthday is also in February, on the 24th.
To celebrate, staff & teachers at Teragoya Ichinomiya bought me a birthday cake. Thanks, guys!
No thanks Parren for telling students to ask me how old I am...
This year I turned 40.
February 7 was Owen`s Birthday. He loves the cartoon character Anpanman, so we got a cake with that design on it. He also likes strawberries, so he got some of them too.
Happy Birthday, mate!
After my last blog post, I thought you might like something more pleasant to look at. These are some plum blossoms near my house. Nice, aren`t they?
Spring is coming!
![Konomiya Shrine Hadaka Matsuri]()
On Tuesday my Japanese friend & I joined a team from his hometown of Haruhi for this year`s Konomiya Shrine Hadaka Matsuri.
After polite introductions & a discussion about the day`s schedule, we all changed into our loincloths (fundoshi). Then, after some final preparations, & a lot of complaints about the cold, we began a tour of the neighbourhood, while carrying a long piece of bamboo with good-luck messages tied to it. We shouted "Washai! Washai!" which I guess means "Freezing! Freezing!"
We stopped at various houses to drink sake & greet people, then we did something I didn`t expect - we went to an old-people`s nursing home, where the main doors were opened for us, & we went straight into the lobby. Suddenly I was standing half-naked, holding a piece of bamboo, in front of a room crowded full of old people in wheelchairs, all clapping & cooing. It felt pretty strange...! But it made me proud to be a member of my group, & thankful to whoever arranged for us to visit the old-people`s home. They looked happy to see us.
On our 5-hour journey to Konomiya Shrine we also visited a couple of pre-schools. I realized that this festival is not just about irresponsible behaviour, but is also a kind of community bonding activity.
Next year the festival will be held on February 4 - a Saturday - so it will be much bigger than this year.
I`m looking forward to it.
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At Teragoya, we have a lot of gifted students with interesting skills & hobbies.
This is a present I received from a student. It`s a hand-made, cloth coin purse.
Thanks, Makie - nice work!
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