Long time to get back on track - Let me start writing again -

Which way to take!?

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A lot of time has passed since I experienced this devastating earth quake, tsunami and nuclear disaster here in Japan. Lots of people asked me about the situation and my every day life and how we feel here in Japan after all this happened. First of all as you know I'm not living in Tokyo or further up in the disaster struck areas. Here in Nagoya everything seems normal. From the very beginning people acted almost as nothing ever happened. But it still felt like things have changed. I feel that people’s minds have changed. More and more elaborate preparations in case of another quake have been made. Not only in my everyday life also in my work life.

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Here a quick review how the situation was right after the quake here in my social environment.

People didn’t go out that much, they stopped to consume and started to buy essential things. After the nuclear crises and the fact that the water in Tokyo has been contaminated existential things became more important. Suddenly we couldn’t buy water anymore. The shelves in the supermarkets where empty. Beer, sake, tea and wine no problem but normal water was just not available. Friends of mine started to buy mineral water for there families up in Tokyo and further north. After two weeks I finally found a supermarket that had lots of water again … I grabbed 4 bottles, so I wouldn’t have to come back the next day. After I queue for a while the cashier tried to explain me in Japanese that I can not buy the bottles … I didn’t understand no one told me that the supermarkets introduced a 2 bottle per person rule, so everyone could buy water and people where not able to stash it.

Several of my friends have left the country. They took the chance to start somewhere else new or go back home … I meet people who left Tokyo and the northern areas for good to start further south in Kyushu something new, but some of my friends also moved from Nagoya to Tokyo to live up there. Everyone has there own reasons and ideas about the situation here. I actually like that … even though it’s difficult to form your own opinion. So I started to do my own research. I read/ read about six different online news agencies from around the globe, including Japanese news, per day to get a grip on what’s happening and how the situation evolves. You might not believe but this is hard work and you have to watch out that it doesn’t demoralize you and takes of you the love for your life in Japan.

I believe we are very safe here in Nagoya and still I somehow developed a sensitive feeling towards quakes since the big earth quakes hit Japan. We had several aftershocks. Some were very small and almost not recognizable but I somehow felt some of them very strongly. My friends in Tokyo felt them much stronger. But still, I felt like a goldfish in a tank while kids are knocking against the glass. It is such an indescribably strange feeling …

The shaking of my building sometimes wakes me up. Some weeks ago for example we had an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 6.5 jolted Fukushima Prefecture, north-eastern Japan. Far away, but I woke up feeling the ‘mini shake’ that reached Nagoya.

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It's interesting how easy we are adapting to new things. Since the earthquake and the nuclear we are saving energy! I think it's such a good thing, because when you start doing it you realize which things are important in life and which aren’t. For example the train I took today in the morning was dark no light but the air con was working. At first you think it's a bit strange to sit in this ‘dark’ train but then you realize that it's perfectly fine.

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It looks very bright but it actually wasn't.

The Toyota Group started to save energy. The result of this step is that my weekends shifted from Saturday and Sunday to Thursday and Friday.

- Why did they decide to do this!? –

According to statistics on Thursday and Friday are the days when the car industry consumes the most electricity during the manufacturing process. Our office temperature was raised as well, in order to lower the air-condition power consumption. It’s interesting cause since then I don’t have to wear a scarf in the office anymore and the air feels much healthier than the summer before.

It’s still very hot here now and it was even hotter in August. I have to say that the humidity and the heat here in Japan can be incredibly exhausting; some days where a bit unpleasant to sweat in front of your screen.

I believe that this crisis could be a new beginning for Japan. But it could be also a boost for the world’s renewable energy systems to develop new standards and efficient technologies for the future.

For example this here is an interesting example:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14057714

Ok this was the little overview. 
Greetings from ...

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p.s.

all pictures are phone pictures in this post.

ありがとう***

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THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO ATTENDED THE OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATIONS. .... AND TO ALL OF YOU WHO CAME DOWN TO SUPPORT THE ARTISTS AND JAPAN. Some of the artwork is already sold, but for those who haven’t been to the exhibition go down and have a look if you fancy any of the ‘reflections’ in your house …

100% JAPAN.

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ALUMNI

Ehemalige der Musik und Kunstschule der Stadt Bielefeld

BOTSCHAFTER für BIELEFELD

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WHERE:

Streitbörger-Speckmann

Rechtsanwälte-Notare

Adenauerplatz 4

33602 Bielefeld

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WHEN:

Opening Party

Thursday, April 14 · 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Exhibition Dates

Thursday, April 14. until 30. September - 9:00am to 5:00pm

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OF MY ARTWORK SOLD,

100% of the profits will go to the JAPANESE RED CROSS

http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/index.html

So please please BUY!

kAiiiiiiiiii

back in JAPAN.

I'm looking for the right string to pull ...

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I don’t know what’s next.

But I know that you are all worried.

But please trust me; I'll make the right decision.

I'll keep you posted.

JAPAN ***

My dear friends I left Japan for a couple of days to Singapore. The German minister of foreign affairs and the embassy the advice German citizen to leave the country until the situation is more clear and stable. I can't say for how long I will be gone. I took some days off work. I'll try to find out about the situation via the German embassy and news.

I’m so shocked and sad. I don’t really know what to say. But I would like to let you know my Japanese friends, sisters and brothers, that I’m with you and if I can do anything for you please let me know.

Please take care of you and your family.

I hope you understand this decision.

kAi

some kind of nature - 野沢温泉村

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It’s an early morning again 3:18 am I’m wide awake sitting in a car heading north east. I took a day off work to join three of my workmates on a trip to Nozawa Onsen Snow Resort.

Nozawa is located in Nagano prefecture around 4.5 hour’s north east of Nagoya. It’s one of Japans most famous snow resort. The second ski lift was built in the 1950’s and the area was sites of the Winter Olympics in 1998.

The village has 30 hot springs and 13 public onsen and the best thing about them is that they are all for free! I took on the challenge and explored them. It is just amazing all these hot springs. I NEVER had such hot onsen in my life before and I went already to many different ones. Phhuuuuuuaaaahhhhh it was just too hot even the Japanese couldn’t deal with it. Warning signs where tagged all over in the entrance area and next to the natural water tap. But nothing could stop me so I gave it a go and boiled my self a bit.

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The streets are free of ice and snow because it boils in every corner and hot water floods the streets. Foot baths line the alleyways. When ever you feel cold you can take your shoes off and 'warm' your feet up.

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I don’t know if I mentioned earlier but Japan is the place to eat. Food is very much celebrated and the culture is based around a beautiful, significant and sometimes a bit crazy food culture. Where ever you go you have to try at least one ‘special’ regional dish. So I had to try one of the famous Oyaki Manjuu dumplings which are steamed over onsen water … oishikatta _ lecker!

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… the snow was just incredible and the scenery stunning.

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POWDER SESSIONS.

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wellcome to twentyeleven. -the very first-

be prepared

&

protected in 2011

happy new year.

Schneewittchen - mirror reflections PART II.

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Almost two month passed by and I didn’t have much time to post any of the treasures. I guess it’s time to post up!

To be honest I don’t know where to start. So I would like to follow the Hollywood trend and come up with a Part 2. I mean Harry Potter managed already to come up with a part 7.1 or how do you call a sequel of a sequel …

Right so here comes ‘Schneewittchen - mirror reflections PART II’ and soon there will be a bit more background info to the visuals.

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keep on reflecting.

THEanniversary2010 周年 - Shū-nen***

one ...

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really!?

liquidDEVOTION.

I’m sitting in a tiny rental TOYOTA (what else, it’s my job) heading towards the Philippine Sea. It’s 3.44 am by now, I wanna reach the sea by 5.30 am hoping for the best churning&wild, presume the worst/ flat&calm …

I’m once again on my way to challenge Mother Nature. It’s early, but Japan never sleeps cars are passing by … anyhow I decide to take the country road. What ever that means; the country road leads me through an endless urban landscape. It seems that I’m floating through a never ending city. Red traffic lights generate virtual elastic bands which are constantly trying to hold me back from the great escape out of the city …

The spot is just 120 km away but the distance just doesn’t shrink. The red elastics just keep on haunting me. Maybe I should have invested the money into the highway fee ...

I finally reach 'Irago' the peninsular at the south coast. The road becomes smaller and the red elastics turn into zebras from here onwards. It’s still early. So only some grand mothers are out for the morning walk. I’m driving straight to ‘Irago Akabane Loco’ the spot with my favorit wave … I arrive around 5.45 it’s packed????!!! I can’t belive it where are ALL these people coming from? I barely find a parking spot. 

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Getting out of the car, pulling out the boards the people are looking at me as usual – as I thought – but after climbing the little hill I knew that there was another reason to be double surprise seeing my face down here …

The waves where rolling in as I’ve never seen it before around here … so clean, crystal & chest high. Whhooo how beautiful!

But what are all these people doing here? And only ‘long boarder’ in the water. Even though it would be the perfect ‘short board’ day … and all these tents & flags.

It was the one and only Long Board competition that takes place once a year at Locos. I couldn’t believe it today of all days when the condition where just PERFECT and I was early enough, prepared and ready to get smashed by the incoming swell, they had there ‘Long Board Classics’!?!

Anyways I talked to some locals, improving my Japanese, to find out that this event will take all day long and the ocean would be blocked the entire day.

°°°°

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Ok plan B.

I knew that just of that spot there is a slightly less protected brake with a similar wave direction.

And there it was …

Solid sets where rolling in. Not too many closed out waves and lots of people waiting & observing from the cliff. For what I didn’t figure out … I surfed my first session around 6.20 am.

SORRY NO PIX only surf. But I took some in the afternoon for you when the swell dropped and I tried to escape from the blazing sun …

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keep on paddeling.

randomABERRATION.

various colours ...

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