RADIO-I PMI ENDS 1

This is the PMi team. For the last 4 and a half years we've been doing the weekday afternoon from 1pm slot together. At back, Ao Chan and Gammi Chan, the Assistant Directors,...in the mask, producer Owaki San, Tuesday Director Natsuhara Kun on my right, and Director Iida Chan to my left. Iida Chan and I have been working together for many years and we make a great team.
Today was the final edition of PMi (PM as in afternoon, and i from Radio-i) Before the show even started, many listeners faxed and mailed in messages...
A few hours later and the final song was played, The Beatles Hello Goodbye. Goodbye PMi!
IIda Chan and Gammi Chan were almost in tears and I threw the final back cue and shut the show down....

RADIO-I PMI ENDS 2

After we'd cleared the studio, the girls had arranged a chocolate cake with Chris, PMi, Job Well Done, written in Japanese on it, and 4 candles for the 4 (and a half) years the program aired.

Gammi, Iida Chan and myself cut the cake,...

Trying to divide the uppermost strawberry proved difficult,...

We made a great team, and I'm very proud of them too. We had a of of laughs off air, as much as we had on air. I'm going to miss the team and PMi.

HIMEJI CASTLE

This is Himeji Castle, a World Heritage listed castle. The castle is set to be closed for renovation and restoration over the next 5 years from Jan. I'll be going back in 5 years time to see it clean and restored to it's former glory, to a state it must have been like 400 years ago.

BUSY MONDAY 1

Monday morning Dec 28,..the day started with a video narration at Be Blue Studios......
Followed by a radio commercial narration at the RADIO-i studios,......
Then I got to play boss and do dome serious paper-work at PPF, stamping and checking the bills to be sent, writing messages to clients etc,....
then back to Radio-i for my program, PMi which finishes it's 4 and a half year run at the end of the week.... and then....

BUSY MONDAY 1

AZUCHI CASTLE TV SHOOT 1

Sunday Dec. 27. Up before the worms can even consider watching out for early birds, and on the TV crew bus heading off to a shoot at the site of one of Japan's historically most splendid castles, Azuchi Castle... Above is my armour, packed and wrapped and seat-belted in on the crew bus.
We arrived early in the morning, I got into my armour and was fitted with microphones....
One of the other reporters, Yamachan was also in armor over his normal clothes... We climbed the mountain on which the castle once sat. All that remain are the stone walls, but even then it's one impressive site!
Walking and talking history,...more photos from the shoot up soon,... the program goes to air on Tokai TV (Channel 1 in Central Japan) on Monday January 11 public holiday from 10am.

SHODO

X-mas day, I went to visit my friend Yamauchi Sensei, a master Japanese shodo Calligrapher. She and her students were holding a joint exhibition in a gallery near my office...
Yamauchi Sensei is a wonderful person, always happy, and always with a brush in hand writing some beautiful calligraphy..... below is one of my favourite pieces in this exhibition...
This is the character for bow, as in bow and arrow,...written in thick Japanese ink and with a huge brush to show a warriors strength in the weapon and writing.

X-MAS LUNCH IN THE TOWER

X-mas day was a beautiful day in Nagoya, cold but clear, and after visiting the shodo exhibition, we went to Nagoya's landmark TV Tower for lunch with Yamauchi Sensei.
Roast Beef was the meal of the day, served in a private room by the master chef,....
The food was great, the weather was great, the view from the Tower Restaurant was great and the company was great,...Merry X-mas!

THE END OF PMI

After 4 and a half years, my weekday afternoon program on Radio-i, PMi ends next week. I'm a bit sad at having to part from the PMi team, especially director Iida Chan, who I've been friends with for over 15 years now. She's a great director, and a wonderful person. We made a great team, and worked well together. Her husband was an AD (Assistant Director) on another of my programs about 6 years ago.
The two other AD's have been a great help during the shows' run since April 2005.
All that's left is next Mon, Tues, Wed and Thurs,..then from January, the station becomes re-born.... Some DJ's have been cut, many production companies and staff have been axed, the remaining staff have all been shuffled about,...tell you more later....

X-MAS DAY 1

Ho Ho Ho,...what an original opening line for a X-mas blog,...never mind,...here's what Santa brought me while I was fast asleep... A CD, an Australian comedy DVD and a Dr. Who book,...
Licorice Allsorts, yum,... Most appreciated, and almost gone by the time I write this,...

And this helicopter art object made from bits and pieces of machinery,...have to find a place to display this,....

X-MAS DAY 2

For X-mas, Santa also brought me a shirt,..yes, another red shirt, and a black thermal T-Shirt too,... Probably be wearing that this coming weekend when I do an outdoor TV shoot in Azuchi.

And some choccies and cards from all over the world...Japan, Australia, America, England...

And finally, a Samurai Walk Counter...the further you walk, the more points you gain, and the higher ranked Samurai you become...Obviously I've been a good boy this year, 'coz I got lot's of prezzies!!

X-MAS FASHION

Merry Chrisglenn,... It's X-mas day 2009! Up bright and early for another day of WORK! That's right, X-mas day is NOT a holiday in Japan,...but we can still celebrate... In a black velvet suit and a bright red pin stripe shirt and Santa cap,...and red socks of course!!

TV COMMERCIAL ON AIR

The new TV commercials for home builder, Auring Home are now On Air on TV stations across Central Japan!

TOKUGAWA FOOD

Recently received a package from The Great Lord, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu,... well, actually, from a friend, Gaku Kurahashi who plays the Shogun, Ieyasu in the Nagoya Re-enactments....
Inside were 2 jars of miso, a fermented bean paste much favored by the Great Lord, and still made in the old fashioned way at Ieyasu's home ground of Okazaki, just outside of Nagoya. Thanks Shogun!

ROBBER?

One week left of PMI before the radio station changes drastically. Some DJ's are being cut, some production companies are being cut, and everyone else is being shuffled around. Did my show like this today,...so cold, even in the studio, ...another DJ thought I was off to rob a bank after the show...

X-MAS SPIRIT

Really haven't felt any X-mas spirit yet this year,...not so many decorations up around town, not so many X-mas songs on the radio, not too much X-mas cheer this year. Plus being ultra busy right now, I haven't had the time to even think about X-mas,...and now it's crept up on us, and 3 days before the jolly fat fart comes tumbling down the chimney, 4 X-mas cards arrive in the post. Guess that means I should get the tree out....And perhaps think about a present or two,...

BROTHERLY LOVE

Got a X-mas card from my brother and his wife. On it was this very typical of my brother drawing that seems to be often used in place of a signature. Although he works in computer graphics Phil isn't the greatest of artists,..I guess you could say he was more of a bull$%'¥ artist instead,...can you figure this out? It's someone flashing a chocolate starfish,...

'TIS THE SEASON...

Over 150 people attended a special X-mas party for fans of Japanese sake,...being a non drinker, that didn't interest me much. Seafood and Sake was the go,....

The Japanese Sake I'm not interested in, but crab is a different story,...

It was all you can eat,...and so I did!!

I had crab, and some crab, then some fish, (raw of course!) then crab, and some crab, and after that, some more crab, and more crab...Oh, and I had some crab too!
Organiser Tanaka San (center) and the fish man, who brought all the fish, crab and sea food in...

PARTY PARTY PARTY

Party Party Party,...At a friend /client's home party recently... While they enjoyed the Japanese pot dish, I finished off the pizza.
Most of the members were part of the Niku Kai group, a business network that meets once a month to eat meat and talk, and include broadcast media, print media, advertising agency staff, graphic designers, hairdressers and stylists...
Other members were on kitchen duty at the time the group shot was taken,...Sachi and Ai Chan.

HEAT UP

Japan's top selling clothing line UNICLO has just released a range of thermal t-shirts,...feeling the cold I went and bought a set of HeatTech T-shirts,... It was snowing Saturday morning, so I'll be needing these over the next few months to keep me warm...These HeatTech T-shirts and maybe a certain someone...?! ? Any takers?

MATRIX

Freezing cold in Nagoya,...went out wearing a black leather suit, black cashmere shirt, black wool cap, black leather coat, black leather boots, and a grey/black wool scarf, with black Ray Bans,... All dressed up and ready to play Matrix!

FIRE! FIRE!

2:45 this morning I was awoken by fire engine and police car sirens. I looked out my window to see a fire crew connecting hoses in front of the building next door, but then they ran towards my building,...I went to the balcony and looked down on about 8 fire engines....Then the fire alarms went off...My building was on fire! 14 fire engines and about 5 police cars blocked off the surrounding streets, smoke filled the south stairway... A home on the south side 4th floor was on fire! I don't think anyone was badly hurt, but it was a bit of a shock. All residents were cleared to return to their homes about 3:45am,...