SEKIGAHARA ON TV

 Oh look, ...this evening on Tokai TV News (Channel 1 in Central Japan) they'll be interviewing some foreign radio DJ who happens to be a Japanese history freak and is about to release an e-book and Print On Demand version of an English book on the Battle of Sekigahara...Oh, it's me!

The Tokai TV News crew in my office "armoury" filming parts of the interview for this evenings news report.... 10 minutes of pre recorded footage, 3 minutes of live cover... Good promotion for my up coming book!  See more at:   http://www.sekigaharabook.jp/

EDUCATION INTERVIEW

I was interviewed today for a magazine about Japanese education standards..... What would I know? I haven't been to school in years! My brain became so full of useless trivia some years back, I decided to delete old files, and most of what I learned in Primary School was trashed! Anyway, the main point was, that while Japanese educational standards seem high, the students only learn for passing tests, not how to apply the learned techniques or information. If the teacher holds up a banana and says "This is an apple", Japanese students will not question authority, and will write in the test that yellow bent fruits are called apples, because the teacher said so. I suggested teaching open thought, and learning to appreciate this country (Japan) it's unique history and culture.... I guess I sounded like I knew what I was talking about, coz the interviewer looked impressed. And that, I guess is the main thing. OK,...Next!

NEW YEAR

 Went to Atsuta Shrine, Japan's second most important shrine to pay my respects to the gods of the island nation at New Years, and on the 5th also attended Hatsu Ebisu, prayers for the continued success in business at the Ebisu Shrine (above) in the southern precincts of Atsuta.

 It was cold, and I didn't feel well, so I was looking like a terrorist, dressed in a black leather trench coat and woolen cap, thick scarf, unshaven and looking dazed... nothing out of the ordinary really....

The crowds were like this! All the way from the entrance way, right to the main shrine itself, and this was on the 5th! You can imagine what it was like on the first three days of the year!

WEDDING BLISS

 Went to a friends wedding this week, everybody scrubbed up well and turned up on time,...Mike, me, Harry, Ray and Chris.... Good to catch up with everyone again!

 The Happy Couple, Robert and Chie surrounded by members of our table...

Won a digital Photo Frame in the weddings' game section which I MC'd as well,...first time to ever win anything of value! Woo Hoo,...the year is off to a good start!

INUYAMA CASTLE

With Australian Exchange Student Courtney visiting Japanese National Treasure, Inuyama Castle. Courtney is on a 6 week exchange so I took her to see some historical sites around the local area.

SAMURAI UMBRELLA

Walking to the ZIP-FM studios required an umbrella recently, and my new samurai themed umbrella got a work out! The handle is shaped like a samurai sword with tsuba, or hand guard fitted. Around the outer edge of the umbrella are the family crests of a number of famous samurai,...

And when the umbrella gets wet, the cloth umbrella attracts the water and the crests of other samurai magically appear !!

COVER ART

For the last 15 years I have been working on writing a non-fiction book about the greatest samurai battle, Sekigahara. That book is nearing completion for publication soon, and so I asked a friend, Yamauchi Biho, one of Japan's most respected Japanese Calligraphy artists to write the characters for Sekigahara in a manner expressing the books image and contents. She has done a brilliant job, and I look forward to seeing her work grace the cover of my book soon!