Visit to Tokyo

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A few weeks ago I made it down to Tokyo for a much needed visit. The impetus for the trip was my long lost friend Maylee coming to Japan for a few weeks of work, and that was all I needed to pack my small bag and head down for a weekend of catching up and sightseeing. She works for a retailer that recently opened a new store in Harijuku (a VERY busy shopping district in Tokyo) and was part of a team that came down to help them get rolling in their first few weeks. It was crazy, thousands of people came in each day, so much that they hired a bouncer and formed a cue down the sidewalk.

She was working 15 hour days and only had 2 off in her 14 there. Needless to say I did not call her until 11 on her day off and we went walking around the neighborhood near her hotel until we headed to Yoyogi park for a Thai festival where we gorged on Pad Thai and Thai curries before heading to the fried bananas with mngo ice cream and other delectable deserts (my sweet tooth, already formidable, has grown beyond itself under the attack of so much healthy food.)

Once we had our fill of edibles we strolled over to the other side of the park to see what a Saturday holds for the inhabitants of Tokyo, and we were not disappointed; the park was full of picnicking groups, running groups, and musical groups to name a few. As we walked we came across a group that boasted a banjo picker, tuba player, and a beat box drummer, as well as a vocalist that played the kazoo among other things... they were great. We sat and got a personal concert for a full 30 minutes. I bought two cds, and I never buy cds. I got a sheet of paper with their bio and website information but subsequently lost it, but have no fear when I find it again I will pass it on to you.

After the concert we wandered some more, on a mission to walk the two stations back towards the hotel, and wound up at their store. The store was huge and crowded and I avoided going in, but I was still inspired by the dedication of the shoppers and their commitment to their wardrobes. We wound up meeting some of her co-workers for a sushi dinner then hanging out like hooligans outside of the hotel into the wee hours of the morning, reminiscing and pondering all the possibilities of life.

The next morning I rolled out of bed and found my way to the St. Alban's Anglican church and went to my first English speaking service in almost 8 months. It was awesome, the priest gave a sermon I could understand (about a Rabbi and very long spoons) and then I met all kinds of wonderful people afterward. Most of the people I had met had not heard of ARI but were intrigued so we exchanged emails and are currently working on getting a group together to come visit. After the service I went and had lunch with to of the parishioners and then got a tour of the Ropungi district before heading back to ARI exhausted but happy.

Stay tuned for more updates on my shenanigans and the first installment of my food generation series, I am still working on a Thailand post and have two more talks in the works, wish me luck. Peace, love and good food.


Mike

ARI Update

Ever wonder about ARI? So do I so I got together some info for you in an update, read on my friends, read on.

We are into the full swing of the season, we had a nice day of rain yesterday that we needed badly. Last week we actually had to water our Kankong seedlings after we transplanted (note to those in the southwest of the US, they don't water here, much less have water spigots at each field.) We are heading into the rainy season next month so I can't wait to see what that holds.

We have 30 participants from 18 different countries (China, Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Kenya, Zambia, Cameroon, Togo, Ghana, Sierra Leone) 8 volunteers (US, Germany, Japan, Korea) and about 12 staff (Japan, US, Ghana, Philippines, Myanmar.) In April we got a new director, Rev. Otsu and he is settling in nicely, I have really enjoyed working with him and look forward to all of the good work he has in store for us. Along with a new director we have two new staff in the farm section and they add some spice to my life. Sanae-san came down from school in Hokkaido and specializes in livestock (she wears a sweatshirt from their animal reproductive program.) Good-san most recently worked in Afganistan for a year after studying arid climate agriculture at school, he works with us in the crops and vegetables arena and likes to go camping, we sometimes play baseball together.

I have mentioned the animals in recent posts, but just for good measure; we have around 450 laying hens, 18 roosters, and 100 chicks. I am not as clear on the pigs but somewhere around 5 sows, 30 piglets, and 40 growers (fatteners). We now have 3 cows and we are babysitting 2 sheep. Our duck population is in flux as we butcher the old ones from last year and continue to hatch ducklings for this years rice paddies.

On the farm we have transplanted most of our seedlings into the fields and it is an exhaustive list of vegetables but to highlight some of my favorites; tomatoes, chinese cabbage, leaks, kankong (I like the name), spinach, carrots, broccoli, and sweet potatoes. From the winter we are harvesting strawberries (be jealous), our wheat is coming in strong, our onions and garlic are growing well, and we are finishing up the broccoli. On Wednesday we have the big community rice transplant which is going to be a riot. I have been assigned to the group that gets up at dawn and prepares the paddies, but on the bright side I get to deliver (read that as throw) the seedlings to the people transplanting in the field.

Everything is moving along well and life is full of food music and new friends, now get up and go give someone a hug.

Peace and Love

Mike

Has it been that long?

Can we just say that it has been a while since I wrote anything and I want to make amends? Cool? Allright, well I will slowly try to play catch up and let you all in on my stories, thoughts, dreams, and trials over the last few months. I want to warn you however that this might take some time and several different posts to get around.

I really want to talk about my trip to Thailand with my cousin Daniel, and I will very soon, but that kind of story will take more time to wrap my head around. It was an amazing trip, a wonderful vacation, and a challenging time for me as we traveled so well through a country whose average day laborer made about what I paid for 2 beers. The moral and ethical questions of travel in the "developing world" were my constant companions, but as I said more on that in another post.

I have been back at ARI for about a week, I am working on 7 and a half months in Japan, and starting to peer around the corner at October and wonder what the future holds. Various ideas over the past few months have included; a bike ride across the desert Southwest stopping at various bouldering meccas for rock climbing before stopping in California to see what all the hubbub is about. Or moving to Costa Rica to paddle, learn Spanish, and find a non-profit to work with. Possibly picking up a non-working motorcycle for cheap, rebuilding it and driving on back roads around the country for a while, enjoying those last fossil fuels before they are too expensive. Maybe moving back to Thailand to work as a divemaster until May when I want to head to NOLS. I have kicked around the idea of catching a job at a ski resort but I think the cold would depress me, the culture shock might be too much for my idealistic sensibilities, and I might get mountain fever and opt for a tropical beach somewhere. Speaking of beaches, the international sailing season starts up around October in Ft. Lauderdale and there are possibilities of paid crew jobs on boats heading out to sea... Along with my usual desire for the vagabond adrenaline junky lifestyle is my new found interest in food (Food Generation post coming soon) and my continued interest in saving the world, which should play a vital role in my upcoming adventures. I have come to the simple conclusion that I was not built to be a full time farmer, it takes a much more patient, organized, and down to earth individual than I, but I am extremely interested in the social aspects of food systems and their organization. So as you can see I am hopping gleefully from one idea to the next and not quite sure where it will lead.

The weather here is incredible, not too hot not too cold, the frogs are singing all night and the balcony view is starting to take on jungle proportions. There is a huge full moon tonight, which I am told is sending off very strong energy for everyone so go soak it up we could all use a little good energy. We have been having almost daily jam sessions after dinner as we gather around the couches with drums, guitars, flutes, and maracas and spend hours rehashing all the old songs we love. I have adopted the Myanmar-styled Lo-gee and find it extremely comfortable evening wear. It is basically a sarong that is sewed into a tube, very conservative down to the ankles, in the West we might call it a dress but in the Southeast it is the height of manly fashion, and I love it (pictures should be circulating soon.)

Tomorrow morning I am heading out to the mountains for a little wild flower viewing, so I will have to leave you with wishes for a happy day, good food, and good friends.

Peace and Love

Mike