About half way through the shinkansen ride to Nagano prefecture I started to get the first stirrings of nostalgia. It wasn't the first class accommodation I was enjoying as the train hurtled through tunnels and cuttings with barely a quiver, as the bullet train track to Ueda and surrounds didn't exist until the Nagano Olympics in 1998. Instead, it was the increasing familiarity I felt with the countryside; the stripped and dusted trees, the emergence of snow drifts at intervals beside the tracks and the quick glimpses of gleaming white mountain tops. When the train made a brief stop at Karuizawa, one of my former stomping grounds, in fact a great couple of days were had at a Santana concert on the ski slopes in the summer of '86, my journey back to 1986 was complete. Or, so I thought!

Walking out to greet my friend and mentor of 30 years hence, Hiromi, was another trip. After a quick hug, it was straight to business...., "Do you mind if I make a brief stop?", an oft-heard refrain from decades past, usually on the way home from a hard day's work. As I should have guessed, we needed to stop in at a business or two where I was roped into service to provide the professional face and an example of the teachers who may be provided for further teaching. It wasn't all business though, as she kindly drove me around the old neighbourhood, including further afield to Sakaki, Nezumi-jo, Togura and Kamiyamada.

It was bitter sweet to visit a couple of places. My dear old farmhouse succumbed to the beckoning of developers and has been transformed into a quite uninspiring set of apartments, but the neighbouring houses have so far survived intact. My much loved yakitori bar/ restaurant was still there, but the truck-stop ramen house now sells ice-creams! The other big blow was to find the riverside Togura machi bathhouse, where I became the mate and mascot for a local Yakuza gang, had been blown away to be replaced by a gleaming new edifice: at least they're still using the same gurgling water source!

Due to train out the next day, I got a surprise when Hiromi contacted the hotel and wanted me to play Santa visiting some pre-schools the next day. My initial thought was , "No way!" , but then I re-considered....will there be another chance to do this in the back-blocks of Japan? Probably not, so just do it! As many of Hiromi's plans always were, the end result was a little muddled! The original Santa had arrived despite late calls suggesting he have a rest, so I was relegated to a rather form-fitting reindeer suit. Incredible hilarity ensued and we visited various pre-schools, starting with tiny babies and culminating in a raucous and fun-filled gig in a hall of 300 strong 5-6 year olds. I went a little nuts and thoroughly entertained the kids with dances and songs and high-fives all round. I'm glad I wasn't the teacher calming them down after we left!

I was making bookings each night online with my phone as the next day panned out, so when I arrived back in Tokyo, I went back to the same tiny, but functional and clean hotel about a kilometre from Tokyo Station in Kyobashi. It was stroll from the glitzy shopping haunts of Ginza, so was an interesting area. I ended up revisiting some remembered sights from decades past and they were much the same as I remembered. The buzz of Shinjuku was constant and exciting if not a little enervating. I was always keen to find some solace from the human press in a series of delightful little cafes, each with their own quirkiness. As always, greeted with a beaming smile, a piping hot wet towel and a glass of water before even ordering were little nuances that made everything feel familiar and nostalgic. The wait staff always approached with some trepidation and it was always fun to put them at their ease by launching into some Japanese ordering. The same could be said for the patient and incredible staff at the JR shinkansen booking centres: despite that they advertise that everyone now speaks English (!), it was fun to disarm them by doing all the bookings entirely in Japanese...there was always a palpable relief!

To wander aimlessly in Tokyo for a couple of days was an exciting option. As I flashed by rail pass constantly in and out of stations, I was glad to have made the call to buy it. Apart from the shinkansens all over the country, the regular trains and ferries and some buses were included as well. I went to the Meiji Shrine, the Imperial Palace and bustling hubs of Yoyogi, Harajuku and Shibuya. I stuck my head up in the dazzling electronic din of Akihabara before quickly descending down into the subway again. I caught trains at rush hour and had the "joy" of being pushed into carriages by white gloved station attendants...once you're in, there's no need to hang on to anything...the sardines just slightly sway in their can!

I saw modern changes. The bookstore is not dead or dying in Japan, it just seems to be growing larger...yes!! I went to one in Shinjuku that occupies seven entire floors of a building! Not only that, but retailing super centres don't seem to be suffering the same threats from online purchasing that they do in other places in the world. I went past the biggest outlets of various stores and brands that I have ever seen, and they were all packed...Cass would have been jealous of the Uniqlo!

The main things remained the same, however. Despite the incredible crowds and mass of humanity, people are polite and delightful to a fault...it's a remarkable national sensitivity that is a jewel of their society. Food, largely, remains exactly the same too: when something's not broke, why fix it I suppose? People were stylishly dressed in a muted palette and there was an incredible silence to the streets....even traffic seemed determined to be polite and unremarkable!

I traveled to Yokohama by local express train on my last night in Tokyo to meet up again with Sachiko Nakayama, my erstwhile companion and friend of 30 years ago, who has been married to Canadian Christopher for nearly that same amount of time and living in various spots around Asia, mainly following his work opportunities. She met me at the station and proceeded to show me the marvels of the Yokohama waterfront precinct, which has been rebuilt with much flair and pizazz. They've bought a unit in Yokohama and plan to live there for some time to come. We wandered through the restored harbour buildings, now housing galleries and restaurants, before we ourselves settled harbourside at an Italian restaurant. It was probably best that Cass and Chris weren't with us as we just reminisced about places, events and of course our own family and friends that we were both aware of. A lot of the time was spent reminding each other of certain people, reactions and events....it took a while, but we got there! It was a lovely evening and despite a wild waterside squall which blew out both our umbrellas on the way back to the station and gave us a quick drenching when it blew up quite violently, we were both pleased to catch up.

Early the next day, the shinkansen again beckoned and I was whisked further down the island to Kyoto. I'd "cleverly" booked a hotel about a kilometre from the station on the wrong side of town but had a bit of trouble finding it! When I did, the Anteroom Kyoto lived up to expectations. Its cavernous spaces were littered with art installations and stand alone pieces, with quirky items everywhere to be seen. The room itself was pretty basic, but you couldn't fault the lead-in. Another thing I couldn't fault was the availability of a slick Louis Garneau pushbike for use around the city. Despite inclement weather and intermittent showers, I set off, armed with an umbrella unfurled as I rode and got to visit at least 4 of the big temples and shrines with a few smaller hidden gems discovered in between.

I visited a temple we'd never been to before, a five tiered pagoda most impressive, whose name escapes me at this moment! (The To-ji temple thanks to google!) I powered round the city streets and across railway crossings, keeping the revs up high to counteract the falling temperatures as the rain dissipated and the sleet appeared. It's always so peaceful to be in the presence of such majestic structures and the grounds just drip with ancient beauty, trees propped and fortified against time and spaced so carefully to inspire grander and more peaceful thoughts at every turn. I wandered out again in the evening to again enjoy the ambiance of the frenetic holiday shopping in the covered arcades around 3rd and 5th streets in the main town.

Unfortunately, I boarded my last shinkansen of the trip the following day, after an express train from Kyoto to Shin Osaka. It was a little sad: I'd become very used to this amazing transport over the past week or so and was going to miss all the style, speed, luxury and convenience of super rapid transit, as it just always gets better and better in Japan.  A few short hours later we glided into the hub of Fukuoka, Hakata Station. My hotel was just a few gates, corridors and underground malls away from the station and it was tiny and functional but very slick. The bonus was its own dedicated, brand new onsen on the ground floor. The Japanese bath house was modern and stylish and very large. It had all the traditional elements with a few nods to modern conveniences (even showers for those who don't like/can't use the stool and bucket method of washing.)

I spent the next day and a half re-visiting some of the precincts of Fukuoka that I'd seen before and discovering a slew of new sights. One reason I was able to spread my wings a little more was of course, time, but also a better negotiation of the very adequate subway system. The city has a few intersecting lines which cleverly weave their way through the main districts. I ate in a recommended ramen restaurant, Ippudo, before sampling some late night, piping hot from the grill, chicken yakitori at a bustling and noisy izakaya I stumbled upon in some back street or other. I managed to slake some thirst for the local brews too, of course!

I arranged through a series of messages to meet Gurecki at the downtown Tenjin bus station early the next afternoon. Despite his slightly misleading directions (leading me to the wrong building for starters!) I was easily able to find his arrival hall and we proceeded to enjoy a most raucous and entertaining afternoon and evening while sampling all that is good in food and beer in this fine city. We moved from venue to venue and it was fun for him to again break our hard and fast beer ordering rules and be slightly chagrined: the trouble was, though, that he was so cautious not to be caught out again that I had a full beer for the rest of the evening whether I liked it, or wanted it, or not! We managed to have a really good catch up on recent news and of course, it was really easy and entertaining for us to both have a chat and relax. After a meal out at a special restaurant, we taxied back to the bus station before he was on his way back to Nagasaki.

As I caught the subway and shuttle bus to the airport the next morning, it was quite poignant to begin to process all that I'd seen and heard and done. I must say I don't really recommend such a strange rediscovery tour after three decades away. Despite some aspects being quite joyous and spectacular, it was also a canvas of disappointment, especially seeing things and people gone, and places not quite as romantically painted as you'd like to recall them. This is interesting. One thing that did resonate with me, however, is the strongest feeling of the lot. Almost as if I wasn't really involved in the decision making, things  occurred in my life a few decades back and I'm still benefiting from those choices to this day. Thankyou my much missed partner of the last couple of weeks who has stuck around for those three decades and more....!

Here are more photos....

P.S. I got a great book in that seven story book store in Shinjuku: Ian Rankin with Rebus out of retirement....exciting!

Cass is flying off to France this Friday (or actually, early Saturday morning), so with a full week of school ahead, we needed to make the most of the weekend to do some last minute shopping, sorting, organizing and even start some packing. The cat's carer needed to be sorted as did the transportation to and from the airport as well as sourcing and sorting various drugs, supplements and other essentials. We also needed to do a targeted food shop so we had the essentials, but didn't hav food left in the fridge over the two week break.

Cass is doing her semi-regular trip to France with her mum, Valerie, again this year. They always plan on visiting three different cities or regions to supplement their book-ended stays in Paris. The TGV is again working its grand rapid magic, whisking them from Paris to Rennes to Tours to Limoge to Paris and all sorts of interesting points in and around these regions, as yet unplanned! We've got all the trains worked out and tickets delivered to Taiwan as well as all the hotels in every place. Cass and Val will sort through the various tours and sights when they arrive in the different spots: it's worked out well for them this way before. We booked a few special items that were likely to sell out in Paris, but I'll report on them after the fact in a few weeks!

I procrastinated quite uncharacteristically and vacillated between an inaugural trip to an icy cold, snowy Korea or instead taking in some sun in Thailand, the Philippines or even Sri Lanka again. In the end, after all my annoying decision-making of the past few weeks, I felt settled enough to make some very belated plans. I decided to head to Japan, but not to my usual stomping grounds of southern Honshu and Kyushu. Rather, I'm going to make the pilgrimage back to Nagano prefecture, where I first lived 30 years ago! I managed to make contact with my friend, and second boss, Hiromi, through some stealthy inquires on social media and other platforms....it's really quite amazing to find people after such a time with very little effort! I've bought a seven day rail pass, so plan to fly into Tokyo before getting the bullet train to Nagano (which, of course didn't exist last time I was there). After that, I've no idea. All I know is that I must thread my way down to the other end of the country to fly out of Fukuoka a week later. I have a tiny backpack of essentials only, so it should be quite the adventure!

Our weekend was filled with crowded shopping malls, or at least felt like it. The local Sogo department store was chock-a-block with humanity in a pre-Christmas sale frenzy. If we'd known we never would have tried to brave it! After fueling up at Din Tai Feng in the early afternoon, we cast ourselves upon the escalators, squeezed into lifts and variously dodged and nudged our way through unrelenting crowds of all types of shoppers. We eventually made the top floor where Japanese retailer Hands Tailung had some super-duper soft, large pillows. Cass had spotted them some time ago and she'd decided that these were just what our poor little arthritic cats needed to get comfortable. (As it turns out, as cat lovers everywhere will attest to, the little buggers seemed more interested in the packing the pillows came in.....perhaps they'll come around!). With this gigantic impediment in a large bag, we then decided to negotiate around Uniqlo, but the press of humanity was crazy inside. The line for the registers stretched right around the whole store, so we decided to score some bread and cakes in the basement then exit stage left!

Cass is still recovering from the after-effects of her lurgy so we didn't do too much else. We both took a recuperative stance in preparation for the big burst of energy we'll need next weekend and beyond. Photos: some quirky sign at Hands Tailung, Cass in the queue at Flavor Field patisserie, and with our shopping haul among the giant Christmas Hello Kitties! Video up top is of a purring Virgil, struggling to get comfortable with her arthritic joints. Cass is reading White Sands a most satisfyingly different travel book and I've found a Lee Child, Reacher book I hadn't read, Echo Burning.

There are two reasons why this blog is never(rarely!) missed during an academic year. I've been made aware by certain select readers when the blog is missing or late that it has indeed been missed. This gives me a little motivation to keep plugging away, knowing there is a small but dedicated readership out there! Secondly, I feel if I interrupt momentum I may never re-gain it: timetabling activities adds to my Pavlovian teacher instincts.

There were a couple of valid reasons for missing a week and the first of those is that I'd succumbed to various minor illnesses like headaches associated with cold sores and a nasty head cold to boot. I'm normally fairly immune to these ailments but do fall prey to them if I experience any high levels of stress. It was this very condition to which I fell prey during the last fortnight as we both wrestled with some fairly large decision making.

To cut a long story short, despite the fact that during our long tenure here I have been a specialist language teacher, next year I'm going to take on the role of classroom teacher for Grade 5. The "powers that be" presented me with their proposal a few weeks back and we've had time to ponder and decide ever since. They lauded my involvement and collegiality, they praised my demeanour and knowledge and lavished me with praise for my curriculum knowledge and good standing among teachers and students alike. Their mantra of "change is good" has been ringing softly through the hallways for some time, so I suppose it was impossible to stay immune from it forever.

We thought long and hard about our needs and wants at this time of our careers. Cass is ensconced and very happy in her current professional role so she had no issues to struggle with. In the end, we decided that neither of us was ready to "pull up stumps" just yet and it didn't fit in with our plans to move on. The irony is that the position offered is only offered to the most outstanding candidates they can find, so I suppose I'll take all that as a pat on the back. I would have preferred to continue in my current role just because it was comfortable and known, but now we've made the choice to sign up again, there is a lot of upside too. I'll be able to really establish some relationships with kids come next year and again, after a long period away, re-establish my expectations for the class I'll be responsible for. So, with all sorts of thoughts swirling in a madding tornado, it wasn't the best time to be commenting on the minutia of our lives via Blogger!

We did manage to have a very relaxing weekend for American Thanksgiving and sampled some fine wine while watching some cricket, ate out, went for some walks and also saw some movies. It was super relaxing, but made the following week (with all its decision making) seem long and arduous.
This weekend we watched an absolutely stunning movie directed by Tom Ford called "Nocturnal Animals". It was lavishly set and the attention to detail was quite mesmerizing. It had a laconic style that variously lulled and wooed then savagely shocked as the story flicked to its parallel thread.

Our walks around the immediate neighborhood and suburb (including over to the cinema described) have been pleasant in what is a very slowly transforming autumn. In fact we wandered over just in shirt sleeves on a sunny, breezy afternoon on the very first day of winter. The days are getting noticeably shorter and a tiny chill can send a shiver in the early evening, but Taipei's damp, bone-chilling cold is still a couple of months away we guess. Our forays into light woolen coverings have been terminated quite quickly, at least at this stage!

Photos: Chris and Val gifted us some superb Henschke's when they visited in April and we were able to crack, sip and enjoy with some cricket....how Aussie! A couple of Friday nights back, I headed down to near the CKS Memorial Hall area to see some ex-pats playing in a rock band. The venue is just round the corner from the MRT station at the Hall so I was able to snap a few night pictures. Cass cosied up to a strange creature at the movies and we spied an ever increasing Christmas decoration presence at the local malls. I hit the steps on Sunday: they never get any easier! Sorry about the absent blog entry last week....

There's a tangible sense that whatever the most kitsch, raucous and gaudy product on this seething mass of an island, it's definitely to be found in the back alleys and waterfront boardwalk of this spot, as long as it's cheap, possibly nasty, but always, just always, remarkable and very interesting!

The accompanying food ranges from the local delicacies, among them most parts of a pig's entrails and other squishy bits, all the way through to deep fried flattened whole squids on a stick and ice-creams that defy gravity with a foot high swirl of icy confectionery.

This could be nowhere else than the fabled jewel of the north coast, the Yahweh of the Damshui, the emperor of the rivermouth, yes, indeed, the vibrant twin towns of Damshui-Bali. We'd been disgorged with the madding hordes at the terminus station of Damshui in the late morning on Sunday, to be greeted with a biblical crowd of tourists and a searing sun set to wreak havoc upon our lily white visages. The train had become increasingly packed as we approached the coast, yet when the train doors whooshed open, the wave of people slowly washed down the stairs and through the electronic gates before fizzing out onto the forecourt, spreading and dampening the riverside parks and seating areas with its rather awesome volume and variety.

We took a sharp turn right to dodge the froth, yet soon encountered a street barrier. In very un-Taiwanese fashion we threaded our way through the barrier, crossed the street illegally then squeezed our way back onto "Old Street" as it speared away from the station. The sights and sounds and smells never cease to surprise and amaze, despite the rather kitsch nature of the proffered goods, services and food. A cacophony of chatter and tinny background music blasts away as you move down the street and each shopfront competes to draw the eye with some visual assault or other. After we reached about the 3/4 mark we ducked into a tight alley that headed towards the waterfront boulevard...

Despite the relatively early hour, the boardwalk was already filling up, so after a bit more of a wander upriver, we headed back to the ferry wharf to book a berth over to the western bank and the twin town of Bali. We were ushered in quick fashion onto a utilitarian ferry chock full of humanity for the dash across the powerful, wide Damshui River. The entry point (a drop down bow) was raised to make the journey, reminding us of a troop carrier en-route to a foreign beach under fire: we half expected artillery to start pinging off the metal door rather than the odd dramatic crash of boat wake!

Bali was a sizzling melting pot of humanity squeezed onto a narrow waterfront promenade with corresponding rows of fast food stalls and tacky souvenirs, until we made our way further towards the river mouth when the park widened dramatically, the stalls disappeared and grass and trees made a reappearance. After a pleasant stroll through undulating parkland with a pleasant breeze whistling off the water, we wandered through venues with karaoke singing men with a dedicated following and racetracks with dozens of tiny designer cars being driven by tiny tots! If they were too young to operate them, the cars could be guided by remote control by a trailing parent: so cute.

Our lunch venue, The Four Seasons Waterfront was a real treat. I'd spied this place in a photo taken by one of my Taiwanese colleagues and she gave a vague description of its location, so we tried to track it down and with some success. We each had a four course lunch in French style, slightly incongruous as it was served in Balinese style thatched roofed pagodas, but hey, this is Taiwan, the land of the beautifully quirky! We posed for the obligatory shot near their wet edge pool looking out over the river before re-tracing our steps back to the ferry wharf.

A queue for the ferry of at least 500 metres length was slightly off-putting, but the ferrymen and pilots were so efficient, that the line was whittled down within half an hour and we were cruising across to wander back through the park and hop on the train back home in no time at all. It was an enervating afternoon and evening and we managed to stay up for only a relatively short time before getting an early night to be ready for work today. We'd been over to the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi buildings on Saturday to see Billy Flynn's Long Halftime Walk (a rare disappointment from the usually reliable Ang Lee) and eat at Thai Town, so we'd had a rather busy weekend.

Cass with stars of a movie at Shin Kong, and various shots from our Sunday outing to Damshui and Bali.