#Takamatsu quotes

[shinkenkan]

“Being natural is the ultimate secret of our art” -Toshitsugu Takamatsu

[night-owl-bard]

[revelboo]

OOO I FOUND IT! I know I learned about it in history class, it was the Amago clan of ninjas 🥷 that had that saying “Those who desire only technique will never understand it's everything beyond that”. And here’s two quotes by Sensei Toshitsugu Takamatsu also known as ‘The Last Shinobi’: “How difficult is life when one is not surprised by anything and laughing, everyday.” And “Knowing that disease and disaster are natural parts of life is the key to overcoming adversity with a calm and happy spirit.”

It was one of Sensei Takamatsu’s lessons about keeping spiritual peace and balance while not letting internal darkness consume one’s life. (Hope you don’t mind me doing themed quotes, I find traditional ninjas and samurai, especially their lessons and proverbs, fascinating😅).

The Samurai Code Pt 2

IDW Drift x Reader

• You’re real, warm against his servos as he makes his way through the halls toward the medbay. He’s also painfully aware of how badly you’re shaking, the way you’re curling into yourself. “Can you understand me?” He asks, parting his servos enough he can see your eyes almost squinted shut, face drawn like you’re in pain even though he’s sure he’s not holding you tightly. Feeling of one of your tiny hands grabbing onto his servo, clinging to him.

• That prickling, fiery feeling is a tide washing over you in waves, stealing your breath when it crashes over you and leaving you trembling in agony when it washes out. “Make it stop,” you manage, pressing your face against that giant hand as the sensation tears you apart again, shredding you into nothing but suffocating pain. “Please.”

• “You’ll be okay,” he promises, lying to you, because he has no idea what’s happening. Spark twisting at the agony in your words, there’s nothing he can do but run a servo against your spine in what he hopes is a comforting touch as he enters the medbay. Ratchet looks up from where he’s sterilizing tools when he enters. “I can’t fix this,” he whispers, holding out his caged hands, because he can feel the way your heart beat shifts into something frantic and wild with every time you clench into a tighter ball. Those little, pained noises you’re making going right through him.

• “Where’d that one come from?” Ratchet groans, reaching to accept your little form and he’s almost reluctant to give you up as crazy as it is, you’re just clinging to him like he’s the only thing keeping you together. Hovering as Ratchet lifts you from his hands and reaches for a scanner to pass over you as the shaking gets worse. Eyes opening and finding him, little hand trembling and reaching out for him.

• There’s two of them now. You’re dimly aware of the first one explaining how you’d just appeared, but everything is so fragmented, pain breaking you apart piece by piece. And then there’s panic choking you, until you’re reaching for the first one. The one with that soft, soothing voice and gentle hands. Wanting to ask him to not leave you here, please, don’t leave you alone, but unable to focus enough to say any of it. But then he’s reaching for you as the other one frowns, extending a huge servo to you and in your fear, you latch onto him, the only thing even slightly familiar amid the pain.

• You curl yourself around his servo, pressing your face against him. Needing him and he stills as the shaking eases and you slump into an exhausted sleep. “Best guess it has to do with however they got here,” Ratchet says as he studies his scanner. “Rodimus already alerted me that he found another one, so you’ll have to look after that one.”

• “You can fix this,” he says, spark twisting uneasily as he carefully accepts you back from Ratchet, aware of how fragile you feel in his servos. “Ratchet?” That look the medic levels at him is answer enough, but it’s not the one he wants as his attention dips to you.

Previous

[k00294490]

Anne Collier

Anne Collier is an American visual artist working with appropriated photographic images. I found her work through the 'Visualising Time Seminar' with Paul Tarpey.

At first, I didnt like Collier's work at all. I had only seen her pop art and face photographs and i didnt think much of them. I thought they were boring and I still think the pop art is ugly. I like the colours but I've realised after the fact that I just hate the style of pop art. I think it's because I I like more delicate images.

In the seminar, she was quoted to have said, "Conceptual works also function as a type of self portrait." I think this is something I could explore in my project.

I looked at her photography work from the series 'Woman with a Camera' and I adore the nostalgic feminine tint the photographs have. Some of them are very 70s.

She was inspired by Jiro Takamatsu's early 1970s series 'Photograph of a Photograph'.

Through researching Anne Collier, I found the photographer Lew Thomas and I'd like to look at more of his work.

[middleagerunblog]

XVII.

Week 2 Recap

Exercise:

Sun Dec 17 - walked 10,000 steps on a travel day

Mon Dec 18 - 11:03a, outdoors near home, 3 mi, 30:40, 10:11 pace

Tue Dec 19 - 6:07a, outdoors near home, 30 min tempo run, 10 min easy/15 min acceleration/5 min easy, working out to 3.25 mi, 9:13 pace

Wed Dec 20 - 6:11a, outdoors near home, 3 mi, 30:44, 10:13 pace

Thu Dec 21 - rest

Fri Dec 22 - 6:22a, outdoors near home, 3 mi pace run, 4.5 mi total, 1 mi easy, next 3 at 8:20/8:47/8:37, then 0.5 mi easy

Sat Dec 23 - 9:02a, outdoors home to Econ Wilderness Area and back, 6 mi, 1:01:54, 10:17 pace

Diet:

Rough start to the week, Sunday was final day of soccer tournament 2.5 hours from home, crappy eating all around that bled into the next few days. Rallied for strong Wednesday and Thursday, then Friday was what Fridays can be during the holidays, and honestly Saturday could be graded more harshly but I went easy on myself.

So I followed up last week's B+/B performance with a B-/C+ result this week. 2.81 EGPA after 2 weeks, need a 3.38 performance in week 3 to get to 3.0 B average for the first quarter.

Alcohol for the week - no 6 in one day like last week, but I had 2 drinks 4 times: Sun, Mon, Fri, Sat. So that makes 8 for the week, over one per day average for the week. Makes 14 total, averaging 1 per day through 2 weeks. Maybe I'll make a chart for this in future weeks too, something to visualize me doing better here going forward.

Weigh-in:

Did my second weigh-in on Friday, 191.1, so up 0.2 in a week. I mean, not great, would love to be able to lose weight in the first half of this 12-week program. But then the holidays are right here at the beginning, so I don't know what to think here. I still have another holiday week coming, so let's see how next week goes. Going to keep pushing forward here. Getting down to low 180s may not be possible, but mid 180s still is.

Music:

New version of "Last Christmas" I heard this year:

I'm sort of a "Last Christmas" aficionado so it's difficult to find an old version I haven't heard before, but here's a version I don't think gets enough play:

And of course an old version, the best version, the original:

Rereading:

I thought I'd have more quotes from this book to base blog posts around. The first time reading this book, I remember so many interesting passages seemed like jumping off points for my thoughts about life and running. Alas, there's only been 3 in 2 weeks I've used thus far.

Still rereading slowly this time around to pair with the blog, I read chapters 6-11 the past week. Kafka and Oshima discus Franz Kafka short stories during this stretch. During my first runthrough, I did pause and read In the Penal Colony. I ought to reread that, plus read a few others if I need more to read over the next 10 weeks.

In a flashback it's revealed that although 15 of 16 kids in the Rice Bowl Hill incident back in WW2 recovered after 2 hours with no lasting damage, Nakata, the 16th, didn't wake up for 2 weeks, and remembered nothing of his life, not his parents, not that he was in Japan or even on earth. The formerly bright student was a shell of his former self.

In present day, Nakata is a slow-witted adult that can talk to cats. He lives in Tokyo, subsisting off a government subsidy plus a side hustle, putting his special talent to work finding lost cats. One Siamese cat tells him his shadow is weak, stop chasing cats and look for the other half of his shadow. But he learns that a scary man has been kidnapping cats in a vacant lot nearby, so Nakata decides to check there. The Siamese cat warns him the world is a violent place. Nakata doesn't understand.

In Takamatsu, Kafka keeps up his routine of staying at the hotel, working out at the gym, then reading at the library for 7 consecutive days. The next day he wakes up in the middle of the night next to a shrine in part of town he doesn't recognize with someone else's blood on his clothes. He takes a cab to Sakura's and spend the night there. He comes clean about everything going on his life, the running away, etc. Except he leaves out the part that he senses some sort of omen.

They lie in bed together. She says she has a boyfriend, she views Kafka as a younger brother, but she--um--jerks him off, then he goes back to his sleeping bag. She goes to work, and he leaves a note, telling her he needs to leave to figure things out for himself.

[incorrectioryuu]

Yumoto: Why are Io-senpai and Ryuu-senpai sitting with their backs to each other?

En: They had a fight.

Yumoto: Then why are they holding hands?

Atsushi: They get sad when they fight.

[arbitrarycogitation]

Kafka On The Shore

By Haruki Murakami

Age Rating: 18+

SPOILERS AHEAD!

I honestly have no idea why it took me this long to read my first Murakami book. I was always under the impression that his books are either for adults, which is true, are hard to digest and have difficult plots/language. Evidently, I love this book because it is super easy to get lost in the narrative. I don’t think there were any parts that drags on forever. It was the first time this year that I stuck with a book. Usually I would jump between a few narratives because I am easily bored. It took me 2 weeks to read this book, I did not skim any parts, and slowed down when the plot became tangled in my mind. I re-read a few pages because the storyline finally connected and it was too satisfying to just let go.

The book follows 2 main characters, a 15-year-old runaway boy called Kafka Tamura, a name he gave himself, and an old man that can speak to cats that goes by the name Nakata. They never met, but their stories are intertwined with each other. As much as I love the main characters, I think the book appealed to me until the end because the supporting characters in this book are all awesome and deep. They don’t feel like NPCs. I can relate to some of them and they carry as much wisdom as everyone else in the book, of course in their ways. There are adults themed topics in this book and I would not recommend it to younger teenagers and I would advise older ones to make sure that you can talk to someone if you are planning to read this book because I’m sure it will make you question some things about yourself and life. I know that sometimes it is not the norm to talk to people about certain things but I feel like in the name of knowledge and self-discovery, we can push the boundaries a bit (or a lot). I’d also love it if anyone wants to discuss or ask more about this book (or any other books) with me.

The plot itself was trickier than your average book because another dimension and weird-looking imposters were involved. Dare I say that this book sometimes feels more supernatural than philosophical. Of course, being from south-east Asia I know how our narratives are often laced with mythologies, superstitions, and folklore. I think if I were to read this book for a second time, I would pick up on more things that are related to local culture and beliefs. I would say that each side of the story presented different feelings for me as a reader. While reading Kafka’s parts, there is always a bit of wonder mixed with worry about the well-being of this character. He is 15 and I know when I was that age I felt like I can get away with everything that I do. There will always be a way out of a problem. These are moments where I could connect to the character. Not caring for the outcomes of something and living one day at a time. While Kafka is admirable for having such resolute to leave home at such a young age, he is still young. He doesn’t know much about the world and panics when faced with minor inconveniences because he was not in the right mindset yet. I couldn’t say that he grew by the end of the book, but he was positively not an idealist as he was at the beginning of the book. He was more perceptive of his surroundings and I bet the whole experience brought a whole set of questions that he will be asking himself as he grows old.

Reading Nakata’s part of the story was like going through a series of mini-episodes. The things that happens to him are always from one extreme to another. From cat hunting, to meeting a strange man that collects cat souls, to traveling far away with a vague purpose. Sometimes I have no idea what is happening because his world is tightly laced with unusual wonders that the character summed up as ‘how the world works’. I can easily say that his character is the opposite of Kafka’s but that would be innacurate. They are vastly different, but little comparison can be made. Although Nakata is old, he Reading Nakata’s part of the story was like going through a series of mini-episodes. The things that happen to him are always from one extreme to another. From cat hunting to meeting a strange man that collects cat souls, to traveling far away with a vague purpose. Sometimes I have no idea what is happening because his world is tightly laced with unusual wonders that the character summed up as ‘how the world works’. I can easily say that his character is the opposite of Kafka’s but that would be inaccurate. They are vastly different, but a little comparison can be made. Although Nakata is old, he has this child-like aura around his narrative. His journey resembles an adventure more than anything, and his companion on this journey feels like a caretaker destined to accompany this main character to his trophy. And boy did this caretaker, a young truck driver, delivered. Frankly, I can sense why a young guy like him would jump head first into such a bizarre journey. Sometimes you just have to roll with life. This is the kind of guy who doesn’t fight fate, doesn’t question things, and believes in the gods. He was the perfect companion for Nakata. I think this duo is one of those instances where I can say that opposites do attract. Maybe this is because Nakata is a senior member of society, but I can’t help but notice that the conversations that he has with everyone he met were somehow off-beat, and a tad bit awkward and/or weird. When I was reading the book I thought “maybe that’s just how adults are” but as I write this, I am not sure. Nakata’s narrative would not have gone anywhere without the help of the people around him, and in some ways, Kafka’s story was like that too. I think reading Nakata’s various interaction was a good change from Kafka’s narrative that tends to be more isolated. has this child-like aura around his narrative. His journey resembles an adventure more than anything, and his companion on this journey feels like a caretaker destined to accompany this main character to his trophy. And boy did this caretaker, a young truck driver, delivered. Frankly I can sense why a young guy like him would jump head first into such a bizzare journey. Sometimes you just have to roll with life. This is the kind of guy who doesn’t fight fate, doesn’t question things, and believes in the gods. He was the perfect companion fot Nakata. I think this duo is one of those instances where I can say that opposites do attract. Maybe this is because Nakata is a senior member of society, but I can’t help but notice that the conversations that he has with everyone he met was somehow off-beat, and a tad bit awkward and/or weird. When I was reading the book I thought “maybe that’s just how adults are” but as I write this, I am not sure. Nakata’s narrative would not have gone anywhere without the help of the people around him, and in some ways Kafka’s story was like that too. I think reading Nakata’s various interaction was a good change from Kafka’s narrative that tends to be more isolated.

There were a lot of things that I took from this book. Some I understand more than the others, some I feel more connected to than the others.

On page 24 there is a Japanese proverb mentioned by one of the characters. “In traveling, a companion, in life, compassion.” The meaning provided in the book was “that chance encounters are what keep us going”. This exchange happened when Kafka was first heading to Takamatsu, on the bus or station where he met Sakura, an older girl that wanted a bus-buddy so she feels safer while traveling. I have always liked the idea of befriending someone while traveling and maybe have a spend some time together. Meeting someone by chance and befriending them for life is an alluring concept too. I guess I have not lived long enough to have any say in this matter, as everyone I meet was either from school or random people I have a small conversation with wherever I am. There were some interesting experiences here and there, but that’s for another time.

Another one that is sort of the follow-up to the quote from page 24 is “Even chance meetings are the result of karma” on page 35. The explanations provided by the book is “that things in life are fated by our previous lives. That even in the smallest events there’s no such thing as coincidence”. Coincidences are not coincidences, they are meant to be. I think this is what it meant. Every time I come across a quote like this, I always feel conflicted, and more often than not, I would find myself in a paradox. If fate decides what largely happens to us, does that mean our destiny is set in stone because it’s decided beforehand, through my past, my ancestors, and my luck? But we still have to be good to people, and ourselves, to make sure that we leave good footprints behind, to better our chances of receiving good karma. Am I still hopeless, if I look at it this way? Or the other way? Life is truly a queer thing to think about.

And the last one is pretty long. From my understanding, it was a conversation between Kafka Tamura and his conscience, the boy named Crow. It has been a while since I finished the book but if I am not mistaken there was also a part where the boy named Crow took a physical appearance and attacked the man in the funny hat. This probably happened on “the other side”. Anyways, I am not going to write the whole thing here, but what happened was the boy named Crow was telling Kafka Tamura that he can still recover from this pain caused by his Mom. That he can live while healing himself of the trauma, but that was not an option for his Mom. For her, the feeling is inevitable. She will probably regret her decisions every day, until the end of her time. He told Kafka that it is true that things can never be new again, that there will always be something missing, something wrong. But he has to accept the decisions of the people around him that affected him greatly, that even though he was hurt the most, he has to understand the other person’s feelings at the time. Not for them, but for himself. He will never get over it if he doesn’t accept the way things are. He will never fathom the pain, fear, and suffering that the other person felt at the time. He will only feel anger and resentment, and that will hinder him from forgiving her. His Mom. The quote resonated deeply with me, not because I have lived through it, but because I can empathize with his confusion, pain, and anger. I know how it feels like to not understand things that your heart feels like should be important and crucial. I cannot imagine that feeling befalling someone else, at a greater or lesser magnitude.

This book reminded me of some essence of human lives. How we need people to live, that solitary living is just not the way. How it is not hard to connect to people, to get to know someone. We don’t need a lot of things in common, one would do. Sometimes, a common destination is all you need. Life does not always have to be fast-paced and with a definite purpose. It’s okay to linger around and fall into a more relaxing routine. Ah and this is a recent observation I made but I noticed that everyone seemed to have a routine in this book, unconscious or not. It’s like the author is telling us we are a creature of habit. And maybe there is an explanation to this, maybe it is just to show that these people are indeed ‘real’ people. This story reminds me that people are deep beings with multiple layers to their personalities. With a past, present, and future that we don’t necessarily understand. Sometimes, we don’t need to understand, because maybe it’s not our time to yet. There are things that I have yet to grasp in this life, in the books that I’ve read and things that I’ve seen. As a reader, I have always sucked at seeing foreshadows and little premotions in stories but in this book, these elements seemed to stick out the most, but I still have a hard time connecting the dots. Sometimes there are those in-between-lines conversations that I can’t hear. I enjoyed this book nonetheless and will probably read it again sometime in the future.

[recentanimenews]

Gintama TV Anime Director Discusses How Anime Production Has Changed Over the Past Few Years

  Ever since COVID-19 delayed nearly three seasons of anime last year, the industry has been doing its best to get back to normal. For the most part, production is back on track (save for a few series), and voice recording has set up a system that gets the dialogue done. One huge part of the production process that is still behind though is just releasing the TV anime series. 

  Gintama TV anime director Shinji Takamatsu, who has also worked on Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Daily Lives of High School Boys, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and many more series, discussed the new cycle of TV anime production, where shows are actually finished before broadcasting now. A Twitter user responded with some ideas on why it might be occurring instead of COVID.

    何十年も、放送に追いかけられながら、毎週撮って出しでアニメを作ってきた身からすると、「全話完納放送」は、なんかライブ感が無くて調子くるう（笑）「テレビアニメ」ぽくないかんじ。

— 高松信司 (@takama2_shinji) April 19, 2021

    "The dubbing sessions for the anime I've been working on since last year started today. The 1 cour season is scheduled to be completed in the fall, but will not be aired until next year. The way anime is made has changed over the past few years, and it has become more common to finish all the episodes before broadcasting."

  "As someone who has been making anime every week for decades while being pressured by broadcast schedules, I feel that 'all episodes finished by broadcast' lacks a sense of excitement and very out of step of the 'TV anime' style (laughs)."

  A quote Tweet from user uekome muses that this new production method is because anime is growing in popularity in China, and thus needs every episode approved by the Chinese government before airing, and the fact that Netflix around the world likes to batch release their worldwide "Netflix Originals" such as The Way of the Househusband. Shows such as Beastars and EDENS ZERO are only Netflix Originals outside of Japan.

  Speaking to multiple different animators in Japan, they've said that due to the broadcasting issues last year due to COVID-19, it's not uncommon for work they have done to be released months later, unlike previously where it was common to work on TV anime cuts the day of broadcast. This lines up with what Takamatsu said about everything basically being finished before the premiere date. Though it should be noted that this isn't all TV anime series, just that the situation is becoming more and more common.

  We can only hope that time between production and broadcast can help animators stay healthy and do the best work they can!

  Source: Shinji Takamatsu on Twitter via Hachima Kikou

  ----

Daryl Harding is a Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs a YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram. 

By: Daryl Harding

[mellogs-blog1]

Kafka sits in a chair by the shore

Before you begin reading, let’s all pay one minute of silence for the death of Kawamura the Cat.

Just finished reading the book Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (guess this would explain the sudden surge and overflow of book quotes from Kafka on the Shore). I think this book was definitely not an easy read and possibly not everyone’s cup of tea, but in my opinion, the book is one large metaphor. Whatever Murakami is trying to convey, it’s not explicitly stated and opened to so many interpretations. I am not sure where I should begin giving my opinions and theory because it’s so overwhelming. There were many concepts in the book that I found difficult to comprehend. I admire the labyrinth in his mind that fathoms and delivers such deep connections between completely detached ideas.

My theory is that The boy named Crow, who takes on the actual shape of a crow in the end is actually Miss Saeki’s lover, the Kafka that died many years ago. He has always lived with her and is always by her side. She got married and had a kid and he stayed with the kid, Kafka Tamura, protecting him. Telling him what to do what to say, encouraging him, almost like his alter ego, his soul. This makes Kafka both a Lover and a Son to Miss Saeki. Of course, when seen from Miss Saeki’s point of view, all the she sees is the resemblance of Kafka to her old lover, thereby mistakenly thinks that he came back to her. We can therefore, also argue that Crow and the lover are two seperate entities and ideas all together. But to me, the crow is what connects Kafka and draws him to Takamatsu, because the Crow yearns for his old lover. In life, the Crow is like our soul, we all have a Crow within us. In some of us, the crow is weaker while in others, he is loud and clear. Just like Kafka, some of us turn to the Crow to find the right things to say and the right direction to go, for encouragement and motivation.

“When I was fifteen, all I wanted was to go off to some other world, a place beyond anybody’s reach. A place beyond the flow of time.” Lucky for her. She found her paradise in the end, she managed to enter a place where she becomes one with the time she is so obsessed about. She finally lets go of the past. She fades. Only with one person left, tasked to remember her. 

Does the entrance stone therefore lead to paradise? I think, the entrance stone is a metaphor for the gates to our memories. Once opened, you are able to live in a place where time stops. It remains as it is at a moment you desire, exact to your memory. Once close, if over indulgent, you are stuck in the past -- though not literally, but more like Miss Saeki -- unable to move forward.

“I don’t know what it means to live.” the common theme in the stories of Miss Saeki and Nakata. Both of them lost something during their journey through life. They have become empty vessels, vulnerable. Because of that, the supposedly ‘Johnny Walker’ influences Nakatas’ desire to kill Mr Tamura (although technically it was because Kafka wanted him dead). But it was because Nakata was vulnerable and empty that evil took over quickly. This also explained the demon that crawled out of Nakatas’ body. The demon was resting in his body, right by the entrance stone, waiting for the right opportunity to enter it. Colonel Sanders was probably the same entity as Johnny Walker. He was unable to obtain the stone on his own, so he used Hoshino to get it for him. In life, evil can take on many forms (funny how it was fried food - Colonel Sanders, and alcohol - Johnny Walker, the insignificant daily harm that we do to our bodies) and if we do not possess substance or hold onto meaning, these evils will be able to easily manifest itself. Sooner or later we realise that it has already consume most of us, leaving an empty shell with no identity.

When Miss Saeki opened the entrance stone a long time ago, it was not stated why, but it was probably before she lost the love of her life. She wanted to enter the world where she could remain as she was with her lover. And after entering the entrance, she wrote the song ‘Kafka on the Shore’ -- Outside the window there are soldiers, steeling themselves to die./ The drowning girl’s fingers Search for the entrance stone, and more. 

So what is the demon that collects the soul of cats? I have no idea. But my theory is that he is actually the real form of Johnny Walker and Colonel Sanders, and of course the nasty that came out of Nakata. He wants to create a flute that will allow him to collect souls, to make them empty like Nakata and Miss Saeki. He is not human and neither is he a ghost or a god (like what Colonel Sanders said to Hoshino) he is merely in limbo, stuck in neither worlds. This is what evil is. In between the after life and present life -- everywhere. Evil feeds on evil and therefore does not need reason to collect souls or create empty vessels. He simply wants to spread evil, let the evil manifest in those who guard their soul carelessly, robbing them off their will to live and their purpose in life.

“But today things are different. The darkness in the outside world has vanished, but the darkness in our hearts remains, virtually unchanged. Just like an iceberg, what we label the ego or consciousness is, for the most part, sunk in darkness. And that estrangement sometimes creates a deep contradiction or confusion within us” -- Oshima in Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Every absurd situation that occurred in the book could be a metaphor for something bigger, to represent some other concept in the real world. Don’t think my brain has the capacity to fathom it all. One thing is for sure though, raining leeches and sardines are gross.

[theflyingtofublog]

Chapter 692: Takamatsu Station to Oboke

Right!

I had a very early start because my day was made up of travelling from Takamatsu > Oboke > Nagoya. I had hired a taxi to take me around Oboke so I can explore the beautiful countryside!! The company I was using is called (Kazurabashi Taxi) and the prices were decent compared to other parts of Japan where it hurts my wallet.

You can pick out a custom tour and they will quote you on…

[fuckyeahscandalband]

SCANDAL's RINA; "It's me RINA" Style Book Translations Part 4 of 5 - RINA 100 Q&A

From here onwards, it's where it gets personal with RINA. (I've chosen 50 questions that I found most interesting / informative to translate! Now, without further ado...)

1: I want to become better friends with Rina�� Where shall we go for our next meal? (laughs) (From Funayama Kumiko, model): "Since there's a delicious teppanyaki (iron grilled food) store that I know of, let's go together the next time♥"

2: Since the photos you upload onto Twitter etc., always look so great, I hope you'll teach me some photography skills next time! (From Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, singer): "I use the mirrorless camera, OLYMPUS PEN Lite E-PL7! Recently, I've taken a liking to filtering them to make them look warmer♥"

3: We've often gone on movie dates, but if RINA could be cast as the main lead, what sort of role would be good for you? (From Kanno Yui, model): "Waa...that's tough. (laughs) Since I'm too great with speaking in standard Japanese, a mysterious role where I have few lines will be good, I suppose?"

4: How do you spend your off-days? (From Kondo Chihiro, model): "Hair salon, nail salon, French language school. And then on my way back, I'll do some shopping or go to the cinema. However, I also have days which I spend at home sleeping."

5: What's the most scandalous thing that RINA has ever done in history!? (From Wakita Keiko, model): "Releasing a style book!!"

6: What are areas of yourself that you like and dislike? (From HARUNA, SCANDAL member): "Like = I try hard at things. Dislike = That I'm too stubborn."

7: I've always been secretly wondering, but 10 years ago, when the 4 of us had thaat training camp together, you slept with your hair all pulled back and in a bun. Is it still that way now? (From HARUNA, SCANDAL member): "You remember so well...(laughs). I'll pin my fringe up and sleep like that. But when I had long hair, I hate that my hair gets damaged when there's friction against the pillow, so I'll tie it up."

8: When we were on tour, we regularly hit various vintage shops in all the different places. Which vintage shop is the one you enjoyed the most? (From TOMOMI, SCANDAL member): "Takamatsu's 81/2! I had such good memories talking about girl bands with 2 of the shop's staff, so it's a recent place that I enjoyed the most. Since the shop name was a movie title, that drew me in, and is one of the enjoyable points about it."

9: What is your favourite French word? (From MAMI, SCANDAL member): "'Allo?' It's like, 'Moshi moshi' in French. It sounds cute, and was the first word I took in when I started learning and watching movies."

10: What was the first CD you ever bought?: "Morning Musume.'s 'Best! Morning Musume. 1'."

11: What is your favourite SCANDAL song of all?: "I always like the new songs best! So for now, it's 'Take Me Out'!"

What's the artist you listened the most to up till now?: "Chatmonchy"

12: Are you not tired from waving your neck about so much during lives?: "It's OK even if I'm tired!!"

13: Which song gets you feeling the most excited when performing it?: "SUKI-SUKI"

14: Have you ever been frantic during a live?: "Not really. Even if anything happened, I will think, 'It's okay!' and just do it."

15: Out of all the lives you've done up till now, which live left you with the greatest impression?: "Our first-ever Osaka-jo Hall one-man live. It was our greatest goal that we've always aimed for. When we performed the song, "one piece", which was written for the day when wr fulfill our dreams, I could see many people crying and breaking down, and I was really happy. No matter the number of times I get up there, it's a place that gives me special feelings."

16: When you first came to Tokyo, how did you enjoy yourself?: "Since those were streets that I've looked up to ever since I was a kid, I was happy enough just by going to (Shibuya) 109 or (Harajuku's) Takeshita-dori. I'm really happy to be able to live in Tokyo!"

17: What are some pointers to take note of in order to get slim?: "Generally, I don't really bother! 2 weeks before a shoot or something, I'll just not eat sweet or fried foods. But I don't think being slim = cuteness!"

18: What's something that fans have said to you before that made you the happiest?: "I love you!"

19: Are you able to speak standard Japanese?: "I think I've naturally gotten better than before!"

20: What dish are you good at making?: "Gyoza!"

21: What dialects do you like?: "Fukuoka dialects!"

22: What sport do you like, or a sport that you often enjoy watching?: "Tennis! I did soft tennis as my extra curricular activity from when I was in the 1st to 3rd year of middle school. But I still like it even now!"

23: Dogs or cats?: "Cats"

24: Words that you like?: "Welcome home"

25: What's the most important thing to you?: "My mother"

26: Do you listen to your own songs usually?: "Yeap, I do sometimes! When a new song is done, all the members and I will also gather together in the car to listen to it together."

27: What are some must-sing songs for you during karaoke?: "Hamasaki Ayumi's 'STEP You', Otsuka Ai's 'Planetarium', and aiko's 'Andromeda'"

28: Up till when do you think you will continue with SCANDAL?: "Until my body and heart is unable to go on anymore."

29: When putting on make-up, what's the most important point?: "The base make-up"

30: What do guys do that make your heart race?: "The expression on their faces, when they talk about the things they like."

31: Since when did you start putting on make-up?: "Since the Summer holiday of when I was 15. After getting together in a band, and also with the influence from the older members, I felt like I wanted to do my make-up properly."

32: Are you the type to confess your feelings to the person you like?: "I think, surely, I'll be the type to confess."

33: If you were a guy, what sort of job will you have?: "I can't imagine it (laughs). But, a hair stylist or something seems nice."

34: I heard you went to a language school previously, but why's that?: "Right now, I'm going to a French language school. Midway through our 2015 world tour, we visited Paris' Bataclan venue for a live, and 7 months later, there was an unexpected terrorist attack there. I thought, 'The next time when we go to Paris for a live, I want to speak my thoughts in my own words', and that was the chance for me.

35: Anything that made you panic recently?: "When we participated in a marathon at the event in Hawaii, midway, I got the route wrong, my cap flew due to the wind, and when the moment I reached the goal-line, I was instantly interviewed so I was shocked. Is such a small panic incident okay?"

36: If you were alone on a deserted island, what's the one thing you'll bring?: "Camera"

37: What is one thing you want to do before you die?: "Bring my family to Hawaii."

38: What is your dream right now?: "To rewrite the Guinness world record, as the girls band with the record of having the longest activity."

39: Do you have a goal for yourself, 10 years later?: "To go to Europe on my own, and have the language ability to communicate myself."

40: I heard you're poor with liquor, but how much is your limit?: "Cocktails 3 glasses, champagne 3 mouthfuls, umeshu (Japanese liquor) 3cm."

41: What's something you'll definitely bring along during live tours?: "Since I don't wipe my face with anything other than my own towel, I definitely will bring that. I want to be less of a clean freak, but I can't."

42: When something bad happnes or when tough times come along, how does RINA move forward?: "I'll think of how I'm going to die someday. I won't overthink it, but I'll think, 'I really only have one life!' Everything is fine to me, and I want to try doing anything I can, and this helps me move forward."

43: What's the most fun about your life up till now?: "Being a part of the band."

44: Recently, what has made you happy about your private life?: "Discovering wonderful vintage shops down at Takamatsu."

45: Other than Japan, what our countries do you want to try living in?: "Paris (France), Los Angeles (USA)"

46: What licenses or certifications do you have interest in?: "Driver's license or a nail stylist certificate."

47: What sightseeing spot do you recommend in Nara?: Yoshino Lake. When I was a grade school student, I often went there with my family to do barbeques or swim in the water."

48: Is there something that sits at the back of your mind everyday?: "Updating my SNS everyday."

49: What are you into recently, or something that you're starting to take an interest in?: "Flea markets and markets abroad. They sometimes have it in Japan too, and I recommend checking out rare and retro goods!

50: You're the indoor type on your off-days right? To be more specific, what do you do?: "I haven't been staying home all the way during my off-days lately, but sometimes, when I'm home, I'll be watching movies I suppose."

This section also sees Rina introducing a bunch of her favourite vintage shops. They include:

Grimoire Almadel: A must-check for one-piece outfits that I want!!

DEPT@VACANT: Great for large-sized logo T-shirts♥

SLOW DAIKANYAMA: Very popular with the ladies, and full of accessories or little trinkets♥

vintage Qoo Omotesando: Can't go wrong with this place when you're searching for a vintage bag!!

birthdeath: Filled with silk or satin vintage wear.

Translations & photos by fyscandalband. To purchase, click HERE. For my "It's me RINA" tag, click HERE. As I’ll only translate what piques my interest, this is only a part of the interview and not a full translation. More to come.

[middleagerunblog]

X.

Week 1 Recap

Exercise:

Sun Dec 10 - walked 30 minutes on the treadmill after dinner

Mon Dec 11 - 6:07a, outdoors near home, 3 mi, 31:19, 10:25 pace

Tue Dec 12 - 6:04a, think I did it wrong, 5x400m in 8:00 to 8:40 pace range, walking in between, then I did a 5k in 27:58, 8:59 pace, will figure this out for next time

Wed Dec 13 - 6:05a, outdoors near home, 3 mi, 31:08, 10:20 pace

Thu Dec 14 - rest, maybe too much? only walked 6,508 steps the whole day

Fri Dec 15 - 6:09a, outdoors near home, 3 mi, 30:59, 10:18 pace

Sat Dec 16 - around 11a, 5 mi on hotel treadmill, 51:13, 10:15 pace

Diet:

Not terrible weeking eating-wise for the first week. I still need to figure things out, i.e. preferring a 16/8 noon-8p low carb eating strategy which doesn't really go with running. I allowed myself some carbs after lunch this week. I allowed myself some mid-morning snacks too when I was hungry after a run. We've been on a good routine cooking at home lately, so that helps.

The week ended with a bang though, Saturday at the hotel for a soccer tournament wasn't the greatest eating, but I didn't too bad considering the weird eating times and limited options. Did drink too much though because other dads kept buying me drinks. I had 2 beers and thought that'd be that, but then 4 more drinks were delivered to me over the course of the night.

Alcohol for the week - 6 drinks total, averaging just under one per day, but that was zero Sun-Fri, then 6 on Saturday, let's make this the high water mark and taper down from here.

Grading my diet...

Sun A-

Mon B+

Tue B+

Wed A-

Thu B

Fri B

Sat C

EGPA for the week of 3.14, a B/B+ average

Weigh-in:

I did my first official weigh-in on Friday at 190.9, so there's no loss or gain to report.

Music:

New song I heard this week and liked - "Numb" by Have Mercy (2023)

The more that I speak, the more I feel so numb And when the words just get in the way, how do you want ‘em?

Old song new to me I heard this week and liked - "The Energy Story" by College (2008)

It's all started when he was kid

Old song I listened to the first time in a while this week - "Back on the Train" by Phish (2000)

When I jumped off, I had a bucket full of thoughts When I first jumped off, I held that bucket in my hand Ideas that would take me all around the world I stood and watched the smoke behind the mountain curl It took me a long time to get back on the train

Rereading:

I feel more disconnected from the book because I'm not reading it every day. The first time I read it in 3 weeks by reading ~25 pages per day. In some way I can't explain, it motivated me to run another half marathon and start this blog. But now I just reread until there's a quote I want to post here and then stop. So I've read 46 pages over the course of week 1 and I'm not sure how I feel about going this slowly.

I've reread the first 5 chapters. The Boy Name Crow has convinced Kafka to run away. Kafka packs his things, takes some money and a cell phone from his dad and takes an overnight bus to Takamatsu. On the bus he meets Sakura and wonders if she's his sister. He finds his way to the Komura Libaray and meets Oshima and Miss Saeki. He reads Arabian Nights. Maybe I should read that too to mix in some more reading to this blogging process.

There's been two flashbacks to the unexplained Rice Bowl Hill incident where the school children fall into brief comas toward the end of WW2. They all recover quickly but for one boy named Nakata.

The thing that stands out to me upon reread so far is the battle between fate and freedom. I mean, maybe that's what this whole book is about. But I didn't catch how clearly that's setup from the jump.

One thing I didn't notice or think about the first time through is the location of the Rice Bowl Hill incident. Could it be in the same place as the forest cabin that comes later in the book?

[dorothycircusgallery]

"True love is like ghosts, which everyone talks about and few have seen." Quote by Francois de La Rochefoucauld “Loneliness” artwork by Kazuki Takamatsu 60x60 cm (24x24 inch) - Giclèe Print on Hahnemühle, ed. of 100 Ask the gallery for price and availability sales@dorothycircusgallery.com

[fighterxaos]

"After War Gundam X" Blu-ray Box to Include New Manga

“After War Gundam X” Blu-ray Box to Include New Manga

Bandai Visual has revealed that will be included a new manga titled, “If I am with you (Anata to, Issho nara)” with their Blu-Ray release of the After War Gundam X anime series.   The manga will take place after the finale of the series.  The manga will showcase a new adventure featuring Garrod Ran and Tiffa Adill.  Hiroyuki Kawasaki will be working as a writer for the manga with the help of Koui…

[bushdog]

高松先生....

[cometokagawa]

The way that most visitors come to Kagawa Prefecture is one of three ways: by air, by train, or by ferry.

The Takamatsu airport is not so big, but it is clean and very well organized. Not so far from the city it has easy access to the city centre. First off here is the link for the airport itself: https://www.takamatsu-airport.com/en/

Once you arrive at the airport you will likely be going to the city centre to get to your hotel or lodging. There are a few options for you.

The most economical is the Limousine Bus service. The bus departures are in a timely manner to catch visitors getting off of airplanes. You should be okay to catch the bus. When you exit the baggage claim area there is an Information desk right in front of you. Ask them about the bus to Takamatsu Station and they will get your sorted. If your flight is delayed, the bus will adjust its departure time accordingly. How nice is that?

If you are staying at the Hotel Clement you will be taken directly there as it is next to Takamatsu Station. If your hotel is on the main street of Takamatsu (Chuo Dori) the bus makes stops along the way so just let the drive know what hotel you are going to and they will get you close to it. If you are not sure where your hotel is, but have an address in hand just take the bus all the way to Takamatsu station. From there you can pop in a taxi and for minimal fare (if you are in the city) they will get you to the door of your accommodations.

I have heard people express concern about bad mannered taxi drivers and I can only say that from my experience of 20 years I haven’t met a crooked cabbie yet. In fact, they often go the extra mile and take extra care to make sure you get to where you need to go. One time I had a taxi driver chase me on foot for two blocks after dropping me off because he forgot to return a 100 yen coin. I am not sure if I would ever see that in Canada.

Here is the website for the Kotoden Airport Limousine bus. Really the easiest way to get to the city centre: airport bus http://www.kotoden.co.jp/publichtm/bus/limousine/index-en.html

If you are going to Kotohira town, that will need a bus going in a different direction. It does not run as frequently, so please let the Information desk people know where you are going and ask for the Kinku Bus. Here is their website. I am sorry but it is not in English. Show the Information desk staff what you are looking for and they will help you out. https://kinkuubus.jimdo.com

If you are taking a taxi, the ride should be about 30 minutes. Taxi quote I have to date is about 5,000 yen, but that seems a little high. If you are in a rush, or you arrive at an odd hour this may be your only option.

Takamatsu is branching its reach out more and more these past few years. More flights are coming directly to Takamatsu from Seoul, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Taipei. It’s just great! I’m very curious to hear what attracted people to come to Takamatsu, and also very interested in the kinds of activities or sights people enjoy most. If you have some feedback, please let me know at cometokagawa@gmail.com . I would love to hear from you. Welcome to Kagawa!!!

Arriving at Takamatsu: Takamatsu Airport! The way that most visitors come to Kagawa Prefecture is one of three ways: by air, by train, or by ferry.