Hiroshima

(excerpt from journal after visiting Hiroshima Memorial Peace Park- 21 March,
the first day of Spring...)

What does the word Peace mean...

Hiroshima Peace Park- memorial to devastation, an eerie feeling fills the air...trying to ask the world for peace in a way that doesn't present a way... I dont know I can't think I am just feeling...why do humans destroy each other why did Americans have to destroy- my feelings about war and what inspired PeaceStreet came back, my sadness that I used to feel at Emerson when the war started, visiting Dachau...

(and when I had those feelings back then, I felt the need to somehow make people understand and feel and NOT DESTROY yes I know it is a very simple idea, and the world/human beings/politics are much more complicated than that, but I just cant help but feel like I need to be useful, DO something about this overpowering feeling inside me when I see hate and destruction...)

How is The Other Side a solution, I can't say yet, but I believe that education and cultural understanding is the first very small step. I had so many other thoughts before at the park- now I cant think. There were people giving free hugs. And what about people taking photos, smiling...
This place, the city- its so new because the old one is destroyed. It's just an eerie place, and the energy is that of a once dead nature- it has been burned, melted, destroyed. It's sense of LAND or place, or history is literally NOTHING. Can a place loose it's culture if it doesn't have a history? Or with a destroyed history?

A strange spectrum of cities:
Tokyo- a bustling metropolis of life, a sense of EVERYTHING
Kyoto- incredibly preserved history, tradition, sense of "oldness"
Hiroshima- a completely destroyed "oldness", but now with a new history of a destroyed place

It was- oh sad is such a useless word- there was a powerful negative energy, but the monuments themselves didn't make it so. It was just the awareness, the whole point of a city based on remembering destruction.

All of the monuments today kept asking viewers and visitors for "Peace." Now I have a question for you, and if you respond by emailing or facebooking me, then I know who is really reading my blog (and if you don't respond because you dont have time or you are reading this months later, I will still always love you:)

What is Peace to you?

love, and peace, (whose meaning I am searching for,
Melanie

Edgy Japan

EDGY JAPAN is a new website created by my new friend in Tokyo, Hiroki Hosoda Yanagisawa. It is a site created especially for travelers to discover parts of Japan that one might not find in a Lonely Planet guide. "Edgy Japan features edgy talents, products, and locations from Japan." How lucky was I to find Hiroki!
Hiroki offered to take me around Tokyo and show me some of these Edgy places. I will list the places we went to with brief descriptions, and then reflect on the day, why it's Edgy, why I love it.

1. North Kameido- tiny little old shops, very real, all in Kanji, no tourists

2. Renior coffee shop by the train station. Typical Japanese cafe, "Blend" coffee, "morning" set menus with sandwhiches. Nice atmosphere, empty second floor, very smokey-businessmen-reading-their-morning-paper kind of place.

3. Asakusa-bashi- wholesale district. floors and floors of office supplies, art materials, wholesale materials for restaurants and establishments, colorful, fun, inspired me to want to buy random things in different colors and have groups create something out of it based on a theme. A lesson plan! Anyone remember that old catalogue Oriental Trading? It was like an entire shopping district of...that.

4. Lunch at Hanamaru- good Udon and Tempura

5. Iriya Plus- very cute atmospheric old cafe, owned by an artist who has lived in New York City and Korea. They are known for their pancakes, which we sampled with green tea ice cream and red beans (it sounds weird to a western taste-bud, but its really very delicious!) Hiroki himself goes to this particular cafe to sit for hours writing and thinking with his laptop.

6. Tokyo International Forum- A huge structure that almost feels like an upside down boat, clear glass and open space. Theres a great train-spotting window, and walkways that wind down the whole structure. Very open, design/engineer-tastic, a peaceful quiet space in the middle of the Tokyo rush.

7. Arch-Design exhibit- this was not a part of Hiroki's tour, but a random bonus that we stumbled upon while searching for an atm. We had been discussing architecture and modern design, and here we come upon a free exhibit in the lobby of a building with models of every famous structure in the world.

8. Nakano- crazy intense overstimulating shopping, funky bars, little winding streets.

9. Kichijo-ji- We went to the British Pub chain in Japan called "Hub" for a beer. I find the fact that there is a British Pub chain in Japan highly amusing.

10.The last place we went was a great restaurant in an open, warehouse, almost Williamsburg-y environment. The food was delicious and the atmosphere warm, but we were so exhausted from our adventurous day, and so hungry, that I ate too much too fast and felt a bit sick. hehe.

Some train of thought musings on the day: (an excerpt from my journal)

Each place we went had a different vibe. It varied in size, energy, noise levels, people. Some places were full of energy, people, sound, technology, on-the-go-ness. Some were quiet, peaceful places where one could really think- like the Iriya Plus. The experience was also enhanced by the great conversations Hiroki and I had about art, architecture, cultural behaviors and perspectives. Observations.

At the end of the day, Hiroki asked me which places stick out in my mind, and the two places I liked best were the two very quiet places- the cafe and the big empty building. I dont know if thats just where Im at right now, or in the day, but although I am very much a city person, I am always drawn to places that are the eye of the storm. In a city like Tokyo, there is only always Storm, and you must have a storm in order to find the eye and appreciate the eye. I am very grateful that Hiroki could show me (and not just show me, but experience with me) those eyes.

Another thing that makes the experience unique and Edgy- the places he took me are not places where you feel like you have to see it, take a photo and then you're done- and you better hurry because other people are waiting in line! These are places you can EXPERIENCE, feel, touch, taste, live in, walk around, be a part of, feel like you live in Tokyo, as opposed to just visiting and checking it off the list. When I travel, I like to experience what it is like for someone who lives in the country/city, not what it is like to be a visitor. Edgy Japan offers that perspective.

If you get a chance to check out the website, I would highly recommend it. If you or anyone you know is traveling in Japan, please refer to Edgy Japan! You wont be disappointed.

Edgy Japan. Not Boring Tourist Japan.
http://www.edgyjapan.jp/
(copy and paste, or click on the EDGY JAPAN link in the links section of my blog)

Japan

I have been in the Tokyo area for 2 1/2 weeks now, and although the experience of being in an asian country as a westerner continues to blow my mind, in a certain way, I feel very much a part of it all. As opposed to feeling like a tourist along with all the others, I have had the fortunate experience of living with people that live here all the time- both Japanese and Foreigners.
My first week was spent with Chris and Koichi- friends of a friend of mine. I did go off in the day and see all the things one should see when they visit Tokyo- the crowded markets of Ueno, Akihabara- the electronic area, the busy and hip areas of Shinjuku, Harajuku, and Shibuya. But what really kept my mind occupied, (besides repeating the phrase, "Oh my god, Im in Japan!") was what fun and delicious thing i would be doing with Chris, Koichi, and their friends when they got home from work. And it would always be amazing Japanese cuisine for dinner, or some drinking place with a great atmosphere, or my personal favorite: Karaoke! Tokyo is a great city- but it really comes alive at night, and Chris and Koichi have given me some memorable night time experiences. Thanks guys :)
Phase II of Tokyo was staying with my friend Terrie- an awesome Japanese girl I had met 3 years ago on my European tour. Thanks to the powers of facebook, we have kept in touch.
So Terrie and her boyfriend, Hiroki have shown me some amazing parts of Tokyo that one might call "Edgy". (see entry for "Edgy Japan")
Terrie had to do intensive training last week, so she has actually been staying with Hiroki, who lives closer to where she works. So I have had the apartment to myself! For two days I went sightseeing for the day as if it was my 9-5 job in Tokyo (although in TOkyo people work from 7:30am-8:30pm it seems) and came home, cooked dinner, journaled and read, wrote emails and bummed around on facebook. I sort of pretended I lived alone in Tokyo- it was fun, but got a bit lonely. Luckily, the rest of the week was filled with little dates with people; dinner/karaoke with Chris, Koichi and their Jet friends, an EDGY JAPAN day with Hiroki (I'll get to that) a lunch date with a girl named Yuki that I met on the plane, and an adventurous day with Jumpei- a guy I met lost on the New York City subway some 2 years ago.
Phase III- exploring the area. Yuki lives near Mt. Fuji, so we made plans tosee it together in a town called Kawaguchiko. After 3 hours and 4 trains, I finally found myself outside the hustle and bustle, durm and strang, crazy timely complexities of pollution and shopping that is Tokyo. Mountains. A lake. One main street. What I was not expecting- SNOW. Lots and lots of snow. Everything looked quite beautiful and magical covered in white powder- and I love the softening of sound effect that snow has- however, I never got to see Mt. Fuji.
I did have a great time with Yuki. We went up in a cable car to the top of a mountain, and had Houto- a brothy udon that the region is known for.
A down side; I now have a cold.

Please check out my next entry on Edgy Japan, which features the lovely day Hiroki gave me a tour of what he calls, "edgy Japan." He is starting up a website for travelers to find adventures you wont find in Lonely Planet Guides, and tested some of his spots on me.

Peace Love and Travel

Tokyo

Ok. Picture this.

Grand Central Station at rush hour. People who have clearly spent an hour in front of the mirror making sure they look perfect (men and women). They-need-their-coffee-and-must-not-be-late for their very important, high paying office jobs.

Ok, now put that energy in Times Square, but make it noisier, more stimulating, more flashing lights.

Now picture an entire city full of that.

And make it the biggest city you can imagine in your mind.

Now multiply that city times 10.

That's Tokyo.

Alice Springs, Kings Canyon, Uluru, Kata Tjuta, the emotions connected to leaving Australia

The past 5 days in Alice/Uluru were intense and incredible, and if I try to write about it all, you would never want to sit and read it all. So I'm going to put in just a few journal exerpts that capture some of my red desert epiphanies. Check out the photos for the rest.

(First off, I don't think I mentioned yet that I did some very fun and successful busking (singing in the street) on Valentines Day in Adelaide. I made $35! And had a lot of happy couples and children smiling at me. (worth more than the money))

16 February
"All the white Australians I've spoken to have said, "stay away from Aboriginals in Alice, they'll mug you, don't go out alone, they're bad people." So how can they be so racist agains the culture they are selling, celebrating, proud of? It's a backwards racism perpetuated on both ends, kind of world out here. You only guess or hear about it from other Australians, but it's so real here."

But then I met an interesting guy who worked for the government and basically helps Aboriginal communities manage their money. He had a lot of interesting perspectives on Aboriginal culture. The teenagers in the street have a lot of aggression because of how their culture has been mistreated and disrespected by white culture, so when they see tourists and backpackers walking down the street, obviously with enough money in their lives to come out and do a tour like this, to sort of exploit sacred areas with their cameras and tour buses, why wouldn't they feel angry, and want to show who's boss? Like I said, it's backwards and perpetuated on both ends.

18 Feb
"I don't know if I have the right words to describe the sky. It was unreal. It was a complete dome- although I couldn't really tell with my glasses) the milky way...
the stars just made me feel tiny and a part of something huge and...
I just had an overwhelming feeling of I can't articulate it...this trip, the stars, the world, being in a wide open space, connection, being able to be a part of it, stupid things don't matter because we are all one and I just FELT it. We are all made of the same red dirt that we slept on. and we came from a star and heat up from a star just like all those stars we saw last night.
I don't know I'm not describing the spiritual epiphany or feeling I just had very well, but it was a feeling of openness in a desert and the stars but also something about the tour and these people. I think it's the fact that we all just had a sleepover in the dirt. No one is worried about looking good or impressing people, we're all covered in dirt and flies and sweat and sunscreen. We have to be a part of the earth to be on this tour."

19 February
"The flies are the keepers of this place. The rock energy is strong. The magic, the sun, which is a star
this rock is big and filled with color
i can't write about it, it's unwritable, only feelable"

Ok, and now I have to emotionally prepare myself to leave Australia, and enter the world of Asia, starting with Japan.

Ft. Broughton and the Yorke Peninsula

6 February- drive to Ft. Broughton

"Last night they had a BBQ party for me- I met all their friends and some people my age...There was also two young girls studying- a girl from France and a girl from Hong Kong- they were sweet and fun to be the "others" with at the party. All the "adults" were nice and fun anf Australian...tonight should be interesting, meeting more 50 year old Aussies, trying to have a context."

"Right now we're in the car, rolling Australian plains surround us."

"This house we're staying in, in Port Broughton, is haunted. I can feel it, Graham and Caroline felt it. But Caroline says it's a good spirit, a good energy. I think so. Just very present- there was an old woman living here. She watches over the house."

"I saw more stars tonight than I have ever seen before in my life. I saw the Southern Cross and the bloody Milky Way."

7 February- The Copper Triangle

"This Port Broughton is really quiet and cute. So sleepy, by the water, this big house with a magical organ I haven't stopped playing with, a zillion stars you can see at night, no tourists or city life, no one my age. It's the real deal Australia. I'm bonding more than ever with Caroline and Graham."

"This is a lovely existence although I can't help feeling a bit useless right now. I need to be creative."

11pm
"So our little tour of the Copper Triangle today, these little towns by the sea- Moonta, the beautiful and strange low tide beach that rushed its tide in with no warning...all lovely. Even our search- which ended up being in vain- more a cornish pasty. Tonight we had dinner with their friends; Graham "Beetles", and Ginette. We ate a true Aussie Pub- which is usually called a hotel...We checked out their caravan- which was so cute and 60's! I want to live in a little caravan like that! Beautiful sunset over the water casting so many colours and silhouettes."

8 February

"I couldn't sleep last night because I was afraid of the ghost. How silly is that?! I tried to write music to the few lyrics I wrote yesterday on the organ. It's ok."

"Being here feels so romantic. It feels so far away, so small, sleepy, real- not full of tourists. This is just the way it is here- not put on display. These turn of the century copper-mining sea-faring towns. It's REALLY HOT today. I feel like I'm really in Australia."

"I think the big old house would be a perfect place to do site-specific theatre- roaming from room to room and out in the garden. Shakespeare or some Edwardian or Chekov piece or otherwise. Especially with that organ. That would be so cool. Maybe we could do an event like that, with scenes from classic plays and music in different rooms of a house, all based on a theme or something. It would have to be a piece about sense of place or something..."

Adeliade

Ok, so I decided to change it up a bit. It's getting tiring to enter these long blog entries with all my journal entries. So I'm breaking the pattern- I'll put my journaling thoughts every once in a while.

So some plans have changed- my plans to stay and work at the farm in Alice Springs have fallen through. I've decided to stay with my Aunt in Adelaide a week longer. I will still be going up to Alice for a 3-day Ayers Rock tour, which should be good.

So I've been with my lovely Aunt and Uncle here in Hallet Cove, which is near Adelaide. (30 min train ride) They live by the beach on a cliff- I took a long walk yesterday and felt the spirit in the rocks on the beach. It was absolutely beautiful and magic. There was a little cafe on the beach where I sat with my journal for a while. This is a perfect Melanie Land- a long cliff hike, wandering along the rocks by the ocean, to reach my final destination- a coffee shop. I could get used to this.

The day before we went to a wildlife center with Kangaroos, Emus, Koalas, strange birds and reptiles. You could walk around with them in their natural habitat, feed them and such. It was in this beautiful mountain range. I also visited a buch of step cousins and their children I've never met. It's always nice to meet new members of the family!

Tonight my Aunt and Uncle have organized a BBQ party so that I can meet all their friends. It should be good fun. And this weekend we're going to Ft. Broughton for their friend's 50th birthday celebration.

I'm having a great time in Australia, and I am loving being able to sleep in a bed in my own room for more than 3 nights!

Hope you enjoy the photos...
Melanie