博多で博士と会った。

Another long gap in the blogging, I seem to be making a habit of it lately. This time it’s for a little less stressful reasons than beamtime however. I’m currently sat in the very swank Hilton SeaHawk hotel in Hakata Japan for a scientific conference.

I was really excited about this for a couple of reasons. Firstly it was in a Hilton hotel. My god everything in the place looks so expensive I don’t half feel like a bit of a bumpkin. Secondly this was my first real international conference and not only that my first conference within my new field. Many of the big names whose papers I’ve been rending over the past year are here.

At the start of the conference I was pretty daunted. As I said I’m pretty new to the field and most of the people here have made massive contributions. Also at least 90% of those in attendance are physicists. I’m still a little bit behind in that department and the conference has taught me I have a long way to go.

That being said I can still follow the talks and I’ve learnt more in the past couple of days than I'd managed in about a month. Admittedly I didn’t give a talk, just presenting a poster and I’m quite glad I’m not since I didn’t really have much to present. Anyway it’s been a great week, the vast majority of people at the event are European and I even got to meet a couple of PhD students from the UK working in a similar field.

 

The last day was a real highlight. I spent the farewell banquet sat next to Professor So Iwata, an absolute legend in my field. He’s pretty young but his contributions have been massive. To top it off he’s a cracking guy, really down to earth and just into the experiments that he does. I’m not sure if it’s the long time he’s spent working and living in Europe but he is a very untypical Japanese researcher.

We also went on a bit of an excursion. This was a real typical Japanese, in that it was exhausting we got bustled about and didn't see very much. It was interesting nonetheless. We set out early for a three-hour bus drive to Mt. Aso, the largest active caldera in the world. The central area actually consists of five peaks; Neko, Naka, Eboshi, Kishima and Taka, with Naka being the only one accessible by road.

This seemed like it would be really cool and the tour guide cheerfully told us all (in Japanese though it was kindly translated) the history of the mountain range. According to legend a giant once tried to break through the Aso range to distribute fresh water and fertile soil to the people below. He kicked it three times and whilst not successful in breaking down the range he did managed to create a road.

 

We moved to the top via a cable car that spewed out some of the most esoteric facts I’ve ever heard, even in Japan. I really won’t bore you but it was a detailed break down of the cable cars construction and history. Sadly the top was a let down. The crater was too active and spewing far too much sulphuric ash to safely stay near by. A little gutted we were all bundled back into the bus.

Next stop was a traditional Japanese bbq place. This really was BBQ indoors. We had grills set up with hot coals underneath and the it was just a case of get cooking really, I love how in Japan the more expensive a meal is the more likely you are to have to cook it yourself.

Following that it was back on the bus for another two hours to check out the Daizaifu Tenmangu shrine. This shrine is dedicated Sugwara Michizane, known as the god of learning so fairly appropriate I thought. I’ve been to a few shrines before now but this one still impressed. The three giant bridges leading to the entrance where quite a sight; a large arched one followed by a flat bridge and then another arch representing the past, present and future.

There also many cow statues around the temple, a rather unusual motif in Japan. The legend goes that Michizane died in disgrace and his body was pulled to his burial site by an ox driven cart. The ox however stopped at one point and refused to budge and so it was believed that this was Michizane’s spirit indicating where he wished to be buried. It is said if you have an ailing body part and you rub the corresponding body part on the cow it will become better.

Our final stop was out into the streets of Hakata for the famous Hakata Ramen. The noodles here are a lot thinner than normal ramen noodles, much more similar to Chinese egg noodles which is probably a reflection of Fukuoka’s close proximity to China. The soup is also pretty special. Like most ramen noodles it comes in Tonkotsu (pork bone) based broth. In Hakata however it’s really thick and almost looks white. Extra fat? Maybe. Extra delicious? Definitely.

On the second to last day we finished the morning talks a bit early so I went for a little wander. My initial plan was to try and check out the Fukuoka tower but to be honest the sea breeze was so gorgeous I got lost in my wandering. I think being on the coast again is making me homesick. Anyway after about ten minutes I came across a sign for a place called "Robosquare". I've been here over a year and yet I've encountered so very few robots. This place was like a mini car emporium displaying some of the funky robots being developed in Fukuoka, including robo pets, cleaners and a crazy dancing Ipod stand. Definitely worth the short walk.

Coming out of this I’ve learned a few things about conferences that I’ll share with you here:

 

1.  The old guys speak the loudest – I guess it’s a given, they’ve been in the field longest so they have the most to say. They also love to argue.

2.  The phrase ‘we can discuss it after the talk’ actually means ‘you clearly didn’t understand my question and your rubbish answer is taking too much time.’

3.  People like to talk about their own fields, regardless of how relevant it is to the talk that's just been given.

4.  Generally there is no bad blood though.

5.  The secretaries are always super stressed don’t bother them. This is a golden rule.

Sadly the last one I failed on pretty bad. Having a few allergies is always a problem and stupidly I didn’t notify anyone in advance as nobody asked me (what happened to that being an adult thing?). It wasn’t a issue till the last day and I think in the UK it wouldn’t be a big deal. In Japan though culture around food is very different and I think returning or refusing stuff is a major no no. Live and learn I guess, just wish I’d stop sticking my foot in it.

 

Anyway going forward it’s been a great week on the whole. I’m coming out of it with a bit of a fresher mind and also a more concrete idea of where my research can fit in to this field, which is no bad thing.

Mata neee.

Ikumi mi ni Iku

Well those two most dreaded of words, beam and time, have caused a bit of a slow down in my blogging of late. That combined with a round of bad expression from some rather lame duck bacteria has left me with little free time. Good job I enjoy the mountain life style ey. Anyway since I’ve not really been upto much it’s time for the final installment of my golden week adventures.

The final few days saw some mateys and me from the magical ring of mystery and wonder (AKA Spring8) venturing south for warmer climes and the Pacific Ocean. That’s right I finally managed to work my way down to the illustrious southern Island of Shikoku for a bit of a road trip.

We headed out by car for two reasons. Firstly, Shikoku is not so accessible by the wonderful train systems of Japan, and secondly, ROAD TRIP. Traffic was our friend in the early morning, rather surprising as it was the first day of a four day week end for Japan, our guess is that most people were headed in the other direction. We cruised down the expressway to Maiko and crossed the Akashi daihashi no problem.

Moving swiftly through Awaji, the main Island between Honshu and Shikoku, we came to a place I’d wanted to check out for some time, Naruto. This place is famous for it’s awesome whirlpools, 渦巻き in Japanese, and also sharing the name of a rather famous manga character, actually he’s named after the city and features many whirlpool references. Sadly it was not our day as we came midway through the tides meaning the sea was calmer than a Buddhist monastery,　maybe next time. We did get some wicked udon though.

After departing Naruto we found out why the trip had been so smooth so far. It seemed all of Japan was driving through Tokushima. We must have travelled about 3 miles in 30 minutes at one point. Thanks to some quick route plotting, with a little help from our navi, we were soon on our way again.

Our final destination was Ikumi, a small beach on the southeastern edge of Shikoku. It wasn’t the prettiest of beaches, at one point I was reminded of Newbo, but that's not why we were there. Sadly we arrived a little too late to surf the first day but there would be plenty of time afterwards. We met up with one of our friends who had come from Osaka and she introduced us to her friends who ran the surf rental place we’d be frequenting.

After a few self-introductions we turned back around to go to our lodgings, Nasa house. I knew we were onto a good thing when we pulled up outside and there were old surfboards lying about the place and an extremely gnarled skateboard. The bottom floor was one giant living room with more surf memorabilia and a load of musical instruments. This place had a total hippy vibe and I felt at ease pretty quickly.

We set up a BBQ up front and began to chat away. I’ll admit I didn’t catch everything, the Kansai-ben was heavy and these guys spoke almost no English, but everyone was really cool. I think these were possibly the most laid back Japanese people I’d ever met, a total contrast to the guys at work. Nothing was a problem and they were in no rush to do anything.

The night set things up as they meant to go on. We pretty much spent the days surfing and mucking about on the beach, chatting in the sun. Then at night hitting the onsen, a really nice Japanese restaurant and then back to Nasa house to drink and gab on about anything (mostly surfing) till the early hours.

My Japanese still sucks but I’m getting better at communicating than I thought. I’m a guy with a lot to say and so I think the inability to articulate myself is what drives me to learn the language more than anything else. I’m scouse after all; I’ve got a big gob.

I don’t exaggerate when I say that this is the most fun I’ve had since I came to Japan. The surfing was fun and the time to unwind ws nice but it was the people that made it incredible. You can always trust people into board sports to be absolutely wicked and these guys were no exception. It’s nice to see that the attitude transcends nationality. I’d love to go surfing again for sure and it inspired me to pick up a skateboard again.

Mostly though I’d like to get to the bar some of the guys own in Osaka and say hi again. I think the word 幸せ  sums up the whole trip can’t wait till my next bit of free time, roll on July cos May has been a bit of a crap one.

Mata kondo ne.

Yakushima part 2

It’s been a tough couple of days so now is definitely a good time to reflect on fun times past. So without further ado let me tell you of my yomp around some of the most ancient forests in Japan in Yakushima to see some really huge trees.

The second day started pretty early, pretty much rising a little after sunset, though we’d been asleep so early the night before it really wasn’t too much of a chore to get up. Also, being at the whims of the wonderfully infrequent buses we weren’t left with much choice.

Our first stop was Shiratani Unsuikyo (白谷雲水峡)　a ravine nestled in the northern mountains of Yakushima. Alongside housing some of the more famous yakusugi (ancient Japanese cedars) it is also well known as the inspiration for the breathtaking backdrops in the studio Gibli film princess mononoke.

The trip from our accommodation took roughly an hour, it would have been a good time to catch some sleep had I not been so excited. Instead I was content to wonder at the windy roads as we ascended to around 700 meters and the start of the hiking trail.

The weather was fantastic and the trails were easy to follow being marked with little pink ribbons all the way. I was a little disheartened by the sheer number of people at first, not exactly the total escape from reality, but as we moved away from the easier paths our encounters, and brief 今日は‘s became less frequent.

There are plenty of different paths to choose from but of course me being me I thought that the 5 hour one would be the best. As well as being a great walk there were also many amazing sights. The Yakusugi’s are really incredible things. It seems they will grow almost any which way, many having sprouted from the husks of their fallen comrades. The intricate twists and turns mapping the ancient journeys of roots and shoots striving for sun and water left me in awe.

The older tree’s are of course impressive, they’re huge and to my knowledge there is nothing quite like them in the UK, but some of the felled trunks are no less beautiful. It is a shame that these ancient giants were felled to make roof tiles for sure but I can’t help but thank those ancient loggers for the sights they have left behind. Also as a complete nature boy I could have spent hour ogling the myriad species growing off those great trunks.

Anyway I could go on about the tree’s all day but I won’t. I’ll just run down some highlights instead.

□  Bumping into a gaggle of Osakan girls chirping “kawaiiii” to discover them huddled around a bunch of leaves that had little smiley faces in them like kodama.

□  Struggling up the steep path to Taikoiwa rock to be rewarded with sweeping views of the island.

□  Coming to a patch of the trail with no one else close by and feeling a million miles away from anywhere.

□  Finishing the hike just in time to avoid the rain.

We were all done and dusted by about 3pm and so took a little detour into Miyanoura, what passes as the capital of Yakushima. I call it that but it’s still no bigger than a village. We wandered about in the rain for a while looking for somewhere to grab some scran but most places were unfortunately shut.

Thankfully we came across a ramen shop and to our luck it was amazing. They served a special kind of “黒めん“ or black noodles. Why where they black? I still don’t know but they were really tasty along with the nice hunk of black pork, just the thing after a long days hiking. The broth was also incredible, and for me is the sign of a good ramen place. I think the owner was a former sports star or something judging by the reaction of a couple of Japanese guys next to us. I couldn’t say for sure though as I didn’t catch most of the conversation.

Well fed we returned to Onoaida and the rains were still pounding through the night and looked set to dash our plans to see Jomon sugi (Yakushima’s oldest tree aged somewhere between 3000 and 7000 years). This thing is hard to get to, the hike totals about 10 hours, meaning a start of around 4am. My friend didn’t look so thrilled on the prospect but said they would sleep on it and with that we went out like a pair of candles in a hurricane.

Ja neeeee

Puppets, Pot Noodle Pilgrimage and Progress

A weekend off at last. I feel as though I’m saying that more and more of late but well I knew what I was signing up for right? Well either way it’s always good to get some downtime and some rest. So naturally I spent the whole weekend travelling about.

The reason was actually because a friend from university is actually over in Japan right now on her honeymoon. During the trip she had a few days planned in Kyoto and asked if I’d like to meet up somewhere in Hyogo. We decided on Osaka and I set off bright and early on Saturday.

After the classic moment of phoning someone then realizing you were staring right at them we set off on the underground for Namba. I didn’t have so many plans for what to do really as I wasn’t sure what they’d be interested in. Also the weather was not on our side so anywhere indoors would likely be best.

Our first stop was Dotombori for some lunch. It was time to introduce my friends to Okonomiyaki. Definitely one of my favorite foods and as my friend is both vegetarian and allergic to milk a pretty safe bet. This time I actually ended up ordering Monjayaki by mistake. It’s very similar but the batter is much more watery meaning it has a gooey texture similar to melted cheddar. Still tasty though.

Following our meal we walked a little ways away to check out Amerika mura, home of many imported clothing and other items. It wasn’t quite as exciting as I expected, I think it really comes to life at night. Still there was a burger king, something I hadn’t seen before in Japan, and also a shop that had it’s own DJ. Also all of the streetlights in the area had this kind of iRobot design that was simultaneously creepy and awesome. I kind of hoped they moved but sadly not.

Next we headed off to the national Bunraku theatre just a short walk away. This is somewhere I’d been meaning to go to for a while and was happy to have some people with me to share the experience.  Arriving at the theatre it seemed fairly full, with a more or less even split between Japanese and overseas patrons.

Bunraku is a type of traditional Japanese theatre using highly intricate puppets to tell the story that originated in Osaka. These puppets are incredible, usually about 2 to 3 feet in height and controlled by more multiple puppeteers dressed all in black. Accompanying the puppets are people playing the Shamisen and also a chanter known as a “Tayu”.

We decided to opt out of the English headset and just try and pick up as much as we could. I made the error of trying to read the subtitles above the stage rather than just siting back and being absorbed in the action and impressive movements of the puppets. I could understand more than I expected but still not much. Thankfully we were given a pamphlet with an explanation of the different acts.

We only stayed for the first act since the whole thing takes 4 hours, although I was up for watching the whole thing so maybe I’ll go another time. We were quite fortunate really as the Bunraku season only runs for 20 days in November and actually finished on Sunday.

Cultured out my friends kindly headed back with me to Umeda so I could check into my hotel. Sadly it was back to the capsule hotel since I hadn’t managed to book into a hostel. On the way we stopped by a supermarket that was selling the autumn flavor range  of my favorite (never thought I’d say that) Soy milk brand. Well I had to buy a couple to try out, purin and chestnut yum.

Checked in it was sadly time to say good buy although not before introducing my friends to the wonders of でっぱちっか or department store food. The quality always amazes me considering the price. I spent the rest of the evening in a mangakisa since I couldn’t face the thought of hanging around a bunch of seedy old men in the capsule hotel. Plus free manga and anime what’s not to like.

The following day I set off bright and early for Ikeda, a district just outside of central Osaka. This was somewhat of a pilgrimage for me as it is the birthplace of instant ramen. It’s no secret that I’m a fan of instant noodles, I think I’ve been eating them consistently since the age of 3 so it shouldn’t be too much of a shock.

Before arriving however I sat down on the train and an old man sat next to me. Nothing strange about that but he started talking to me and obviously, it'd be rude not to, I responded. Suddenly we were having a conversation. I learned about his travels. His son in San-Francisco. His love of climbing mountains and plans to visit Yosemite next spring. He also told me about the time he'd spent in Italy and how he'd really like to visit England one day. All of course in Japanese. I think I might be getting somewhere finally and my responses were a little more than just 'hmm' and 'I see' for a change. Truly a light bulb moment.

Leaving the station and following noodle dori (no joke that's the name of the street) I soon came across my destination, the Momofuke Ando Istant Ramen museum. A.k.a noodle heaven. Greeting me at the entrance was a Christmas tree covered in little plushies of chicken ramen’s (the worlds first instant noodle brand) mascot. No prize for guessing what it is.

The museum was two things. Firstly very cool and informative, you’d be amazed at how much thought actually went into the pot noodle, seriously. Secondly it was jam-packed with people. The Japanese it would seem love instant noodles even more than myself.

The exhibits were well laid out, there was a reconstruction of Momofuke Ando’s shed where the instant noodle was invented and an entire wall displaying a timeline of potnoodle releases in japan. Sadly there were no English explanations but it was fairly simple, this place is actually aimed at school kids I think, so I got the gist. It’ amazing to think that the instant noodle has been around since th 50’s and that pot noodles are over 40 years old.

Anyway the highlight for me, and the hundreds of other people, was the my cup noodle factory. You got to make your own pot noodle, design the cup and choose the filling. Yeah ok I’m sad but I enjoyed it. Actually the cup I made will be a gift for someone else, maybe I’ll go again sometime to make my own.

That's all for this weekend but I'll leave you with a few extra piccies from the museum cause I'm that cool..

Mata ne Minna-san