tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-318021522024-03-14T17:10:40.968+09:00Ted Frog's Tokyo BrogStefan Freeman's blog in Japan...for family and friends.Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-80678791773705216042010-10-06T12:56:00.005+09:002010-10-06T13:19:11.189+09:00Singapore<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MQXc57pyw344Zn_jqFsx5P2ALlyBLqgxvNmY9SzKq0HnM715OYkTocL8K2RCE0UxopBmF9pu6GQegJLwMV_r8i5_31yjDZCUJ0x52XFSvY4WJge6lLXjlN8KdXbpaDXd61V7ZQ/s1600/IMG_2881+copy.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MQXc57pyw344Zn_jqFsx5P2ALlyBLqgxvNmY9SzKq0HnM715OYkTocL8K2RCE0UxopBmF9pu6GQegJLwMV_r8i5_31yjDZCUJ0x52XFSvY4WJge6lLXjlN8KdXbpaDXd61V7ZQ/s320/IMG_2881+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524779732558072658" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Look at this guy looking literally over edge of a skyscraper</span><br /><br /></div>Had a day in Singapore after surfing in the maldives. The new <a href="http://www.marinabaysands.com/">casino </a>had just opened and its hotel had an infinity pool up on the umpteenth floor of its skyscraper hotel looking over the city.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX7qPJIcq2RUsKR_W5dDY0xTVxJDuwtsju4FLjY-OMwR0Pwemq6bpLU5bWiy7A4p099rAjhSNbVhQKFRmxn8InF7SMahdvqAA2fwH6pS6QhuGam_ZgO3kBXTA-VmXBLlpgNBvRlA/s1600/IMG_2898+copy.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX7qPJIcq2RUsKR_W5dDY0xTVxJDuwtsju4FLjY-OMwR0Pwemq6bpLU5bWiy7A4p099rAjhSNbVhQKFRmxn8InF7SMahdvqAA2fwH6pS6QhuGam_ZgO3kBXTA-VmXBLlpgNBvRlA/s320/IMG_2898+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524778883600287714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Insane</span><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-56721158514526316482008-08-02T19:52:00.004+09:002008-12-10T07:18:07.301+09:00Hours of Serenity<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD50F73NtPUYhUFfpHQhF3bHZMMgnLENEzISW-MTGzpVN44luJK1DE2G27h4WqXB_YzdKKGHiicwButt1mGcn0CsY1XEUB54FGvqcO8_6t2WC9SJa8g1OeqtazH5G2rT4OTbfQ5A/s1600-h/dee+why+wall+-+dy+lagoon.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD50F73NtPUYhUFfpHQhF3bHZMMgnLENEzISW-MTGzpVN44luJK1DE2G27h4WqXB_YzdKKGHiicwButt1mGcn0CsY1XEUB54FGvqcO8_6t2WC9SJa8g1OeqtazH5G2rT4OTbfQ5A/s320/dee+why+wall+-+dy+lagoon.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229872019063463778" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">A duck<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">Hours of serenity. The lagoon over the road captures sunsets which make for impossibly easy photos.<br /></div></div><br />A far cry from the death ray stares my Medussa has been dispensing the last few days for some unpardonnable sin which this unwitting sinner committed. From the sheer number of lines snaking across her forehead a negotiated peace is out of the question.<div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-65909554083403446482008-03-22T18:24:00.006+09:002008-12-10T07:18:07.606+09:00January swell<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZmeaJ2EUDc2PF5bsZeFMtEuskfxHOFPzVza9KbQBwHRuybVWyCu8BQdM9KnZKdhs_PiPUvso-oRYwMRR5SOgMmTqrY4cWw8hIn6fOVZvbdjg2aPpY-xH_a1P-lW-wuiCrrqayg/s1600-h/Oct+07+till+Jan+08+036+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZmeaJ2EUDc2PF5bsZeFMtEuskfxHOFPzVza9KbQBwHRuybVWyCu8BQdM9KnZKdhs_PiPUvso-oRYwMRR5SOgMmTqrY4cWw8hIn6fOVZvbdjg2aPpY-xH_a1P-lW-wuiCrrqayg/s320/Oct+07+till+Jan+08+036+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189992783327427570" border="0" /></a>We had a swell this January that was brown board shorts material. After a surf in which I was absolutely packing the dark ones I decided to take the camera out and join the audience. This couple were standing at one end of a pool south from our place. The waves were actually crashing fifty metres away at the other end of the pool.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiyeLHQ6SsSPaGAUN8csPaFlT6I3Vh59tX3ucX52qKJR1aJdR_oBgcP_OF_Kb5TG4gfehoBSgQu7pNb-Ve-zPM5HEf1q0hMDlhxadH93SK4L_dC3f0lX933-a5taD-IBszP3XHYg/s1600-h/Oct+07+till+Jan+08+031+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiyeLHQ6SsSPaGAUN8csPaFlT6I3Vh59tX3ucX52qKJR1aJdR_oBgcP_OF_Kb5TG4gfehoBSgQu7pNb-Ve-zPM5HEf1q0hMDlhxadH93SK4L_dC3f0lX933-a5taD-IBszP3XHYg/s320/Oct+07+till+Jan+08+031+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189993053910367234" border="0" /></a>With waves the size of mountains exploding on the rocks before her, Lani shows all the focus of a five year old and fixes her attention on a swing in a park<div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-62021258815109565352008-01-08T16:34:00.002+09:002008-12-10T07:18:07.813+09:00Just as I finished uni for the year some friends came over from Japan. I think I enjoyed all those cliched touristy places more than they did.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDL6UkthGBRf1b8h4PxQ9Vsm6BBHltzgTQtIInD40XhoqoLykB8yIy6Rpw7QcSoaXBe1Dl18tTf4IkoeYAYNt2yHlkMyrlTaTFu7lx_obYYle0N9BeQxAlIs5l9VK-lXwKAaw30Q/s1600-h/IMG_1612.jpg.blog.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDL6UkthGBRf1b8h4PxQ9Vsm6BBHltzgTQtIInD40XhoqoLykB8yIy6Rpw7QcSoaXBe1Dl18tTf4IkoeYAYNt2yHlkMyrlTaTFu7lx_obYYle0N9BeQxAlIs5l9VK-lXwKAaw30Q/s320/IMG_1612.jpg.blog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180489361796818290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The war office and child at the Opera House</span></span><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-60407588136970383642007-10-01T20:34:00.000+09:002008-12-10T07:18:08.306+09:00Father's Day<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-VXS7RszkG4UhPtm0jAvtGUuGUIm-IUNxjj5qqgg8X7FSjDXchIRTHaKcb98dWCHw8ZdKUtU4tsSXfx35jDSq92XmdBZ-gFs8kzlIb1BIdN8V2nC54-tqA1YwfpyhvFNPhAKGA/s1600-h/august+07+100+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-VXS7RszkG4UhPtm0jAvtGUuGUIm-IUNxjj5qqgg8X7FSjDXchIRTHaKcb98dWCHw8ZdKUtU4tsSXfx35jDSq92XmdBZ-gFs8kzlIb1BIdN8V2nC54-tqA1YwfpyhvFNPhAKGA/s320/august+07+100+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116331544196991042" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:100%;" >Sunset from the jetty over to the Basin</span><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span>September 1st with winter already drawing to an end, the girls took me over to a little spot called "the Basin" for a Fathers day picnic which Lani proceeded to monopolise.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuyDDgbsYyrFYf_OHo8zC-Ud-8NtaitWP6y2v0jklmst0cQBk5C7GU32QcZ5ywq9Y3dvrOQCitB54VRc7hiAOjI6lYwG5VvuZz3VznpwpkcF1QRqkxLMYz5bPZjcjp6I38GVRklw/s1600-h/august+07+079+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuyDDgbsYyrFYf_OHo8zC-Ud-8NtaitWP6y2v0jklmst0cQBk5C7GU32QcZ5ywq9Y3dvrOQCitB54VRc7hiAOjI6lYwG5VvuZz3VznpwpkcF1QRqkxLMYz5bPZjcjp6I38GVRklw/s320/august+07+079+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116334756832528466" border="0" /></a>The experience of living in the vast urban sprawl that is Tokyo has given me a real appreciation of being able to escape...stuff. So whilst perhaps not being the "in" place to be, it was pretty bloody nice in my books.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style=";font-family:lucida grande;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hours of serenity</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhtbW0wotRiOR4qF9pug_CJtNEO1g8S-ajM-no5oQbhJVBRSV-IZ-7gA8CI2icpsF_lTeRfeREwjTJlcjX1GgryJXFfVJ029AmwHddZaYHlSjC4w_5SNIlzGuLynMLrjBCii0Ng/s1600-h/august+07+074+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhtbW0wotRiOR4qF9pug_CJtNEO1g8S-ajM-no5oQbhJVBRSV-IZ-7gA8CI2icpsF_lTeRfeREwjTJlcjX1GgryJXFfVJ029AmwHddZaYHlSjC4w_5SNIlzGuLynMLrjBCii0Ng/s320/august+07+074+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116337054640031842" border="0" /></a>Mum ponders the meaning of life the universe and everything whilst Lani makes preparations to nail dad with a chunk of dead jelly fish.<br /></div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2aoW3Di2Hx4yJRAkH1tlsX3hemeCh8SA_Tw9fNUmAaF_YJ-8-MRyIrGpAWdkL-vBst7LcbcFEm5fReAdVfjtudpMR_J3TereT9Jex-UrztYlhWsDA7EK38UGV2NJxtHYL1FhZvw/s1600-h/august+07+088+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2aoW3Di2Hx4yJRAkH1tlsX3hemeCh8SA_Tw9fNUmAaF_YJ-8-MRyIrGpAWdkL-vBst7LcbcFEm5fReAdVfjtudpMR_J3TereT9Jex-UrztYlhWsDA7EK38UGV2NJxtHYL1FhZvw/s320/august+07+088+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116339206418647154" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-24236241831022339422007-09-06T21:00:00.000+09:002007-09-06T21:14:39.658+09:00City RailI haven't written of late as there's been nothing to grumble about but things've changed.<br /><br />Took a train the other day and it was an hour late so I wrote an asked for a $4.4o refund for my ticket. The City Rail Business Operations Manager writes back to me saying that even though he was sincerely mine he couldn't give us a refund as it was law that they could cancel trains or do whatever jolly well pleased them.<br /><br />Incredulous! What business I ask you can do this?? Sell you product then swap it for something else. They may as well say...well you can buy a ticket but don't expect things to run on time cause quite frankly we'd be jolly well surprised ourselves if they did.<br /><br />Why is it only the government can enact laws that give themselves an excuse not to pull their finger out?<div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-33170286465542846262007-06-22T15:13:00.000+09:002008-12-10T07:18:09.086+09:00Pasha bulker<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shots of a tanker grounded </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">a fortnight ago </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">just north of Sydney after a monstrous storm.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhES5b8nIzBcLgJ9d4Jo1L2M9Wm1CZLjkL_icJ8CUbBth3Z6nigKmFLFE8MpxAUCM2h06vXuhid3iu9dN4LBOOkmBk4aREgszeNoqbYpObikoCLel1kRYBYYsquQtWVabNiXz-B3w/s1600-h/pasha+bulker.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhES5b8nIzBcLgJ9d4Jo1L2M9Wm1CZLjkL_icJ8CUbBth3Z6nigKmFLFE8MpxAUCM2h06vXuhid3iu9dN4LBOOkmBk4aREgszeNoqbYpObikoCLel1kRYBYYsquQtWVabNiXz-B3w/s320/pasha+bulker.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078769830115018002" border="0" /></a>Ma sent me some shots taken from the tanker while it was still out in the storm in the process of being grounded. Look at that swell....it's jolly huge.</div><div id="container"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCIXn1QHTl1eFv4dBakzYqcdvw5dn3jrLZaAmxrQnvsfZ0GMZFue4Ea2iVeJwdPmNlGEQrKf1htf1Fp-T9NBPqCa_G_W9fwfNvinCeOOt9X-fWYoubWqxtDj6KMuO9Zsr8V8uQ0w/s1600-h/pic25081.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCIXn1QHTl1eFv4dBakzYqcdvw5dn3jrLZaAmxrQnvsfZ0GMZFue4Ea2iVeJwdPmNlGEQrKf1htf1Fp-T9NBPqCa_G_W9fwfNvinCeOOt9X-fWYoubWqxtDj6KMuO9Zsr8V8uQ0w/s320/pic25081.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078771556691871010" border="0" /></a></div>That top shot gives it all a sense of scale. The tanker absolutely towers over the beach after it had been grounded but then look at the volumes of water washing over the deck below.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YumbHAna8G45pM6WHGJgPy2o__ElRIjPsSkOy4BmJswaZ2yNEk1elJhgC5DUwujuTyqkX_JMcmZ94-3onU7vYTfMSUVdUIs6k-F-VQjYfcK5o0HJ9wh_ipTvhtUEgGfFUenX4g/s1600-h/pic10351.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YumbHAna8G45pM6WHGJgPy2o__ElRIjPsSkOy4BmJswaZ2yNEk1elJhgC5DUwujuTyqkX_JMcmZ94-3onU7vYTfMSUVdUIs6k-F-VQjYfcK5o0HJ9wh_ipTvhtUEgGfFUenX4g/s320/pic10351.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078773425002644802" border="0" /></a>Cook must have been off his jolly rocker setting off to find the world in his little tin pot junk.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZ1KGOLuSRPW28pFJ9YYeRd8piD1kVlWXer1c8cw0kh0KVAsl24xX5xHYkiN89NDAz0H0tp905M8gS7S3HZ0LJ6xswpdd3FeFn1nkEtrZIW2cUpfSJZ1hEWVpZwWeBrtBTrDBlQ/s1600-h/pic17778.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZ1KGOLuSRPW28pFJ9YYeRd8piD1kVlWXer1c8cw0kh0KVAsl24xX5xHYkiN89NDAz0H0tp905M8gS7S3HZ0LJ6xswpdd3FeFn1nkEtrZIW2cUpfSJZ1hEWVpZwWeBrtBTrDBlQ/s320/pic17778.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078774047772902738" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-15619646825575896832007-06-12T20:23:00.000+09:002008-12-10T07:18:09.280+09:00National ParksAustralia being in the middle of its worst drought in recorded history and the images splashed all over the news this weekend were of death and destruction dealt out by floods caused by the huge storms to hit Sydney over the weekend.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZsOipAMTarxMzgWarvvkpHFUl9ps_OlRmoBS6rAsMpgV2Jt80x9SnaODZw5AcCBY0fLuyC5FC95i3fFq3mJH-v1LPHljFzQ3B5se2JUSCYCrRFfhXKk_f4orQzOS-dViQoLgyg/s1600-h/June+%2707+047.jpg-blog.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZsOipAMTarxMzgWarvvkpHFUl9ps_OlRmoBS6rAsMpgV2Jt80x9SnaODZw5AcCBY0fLuyC5FC95i3fFq3mJH-v1LPHljFzQ3B5se2JUSCYCrRFfhXKk_f4orQzOS-dViQoLgyg/s320/June+%2707+047.jpg-blog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075147604302092530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">The caged tiger is released<br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">Having been inside for far too jolly long we took Lani down to a national park in Sydney. It said it was 15,000 hectares. If my brain serves me right that means it's just shy of 150 square kms of bush and rivers...i can't work out how all that could be in Sydney...maths! The space here still staggers me. I guess it's like women...you're not supposed to understand them, just appreciate them...<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-35446648676704326712007-05-17T19:37:00.000+09:002008-12-10T07:18:09.769+09:00Study<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiooCMPG1OXzYK_mW3F4kvLY7pmGu_Vu5rquYa1Bq1iXjERo8gCGYM-H2lm9f4eCw3526T-ypL_gDk9EwxHOCZzChJcaXkcRYP_BPL2xiU3M9_SO7aPYvURd-9vMXW5b3TQVAGE4A/s1600-h/Picture+054+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiooCMPG1OXzYK_mW3F4kvLY7pmGu_Vu5rquYa1Bq1iXjERo8gCGYM-H2lm9f4eCw3526T-ypL_gDk9EwxHOCZzChJcaXkcRYP_BPL2xiU3M9_SO7aPYvURd-9vMXW5b3TQVAGE4A/s320/Picture+054+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065480636644085218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">She who wears the pants in this house insisted we pop up to the beach last weekend as she needed to put her head down and get some serious study behind her. </span><span style="font-size:100%;">But between the distractingly perfect surf, the dopey wildlife, and an overactive four year old... she didn't get a great deal done.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtE9bbLtLIzB3DeF4Q_-BsEhDDNu-Sbh2RSqVfmfaOEeQmmxTlfY0IK9tzyZcTBWW-q9NE5tdoEA-LdBSv2QLeEadhaBo0LI0oWyrqYh9r2e1R87cTyafetjeljHUiHaGgV17Y6w/s1600-h/Picture+016+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtE9bbLtLIzB3DeF4Q_-BsEhDDNu-Sbh2RSqVfmfaOEeQmmxTlfY0IK9tzyZcTBWW-q9NE5tdoEA-LdBSv2QLeEadhaBo0LI0oWyrqYh9r2e1R87cTyafetjeljHUiHaGgV17Y6w/s320/Picture+016+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065483325293612530" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" > I'm really appreciating being able to escape the crowds though. I still can't believe you can get down to a beach here on a weekend and the only dopey pelicans I have to think about are real ones...no twits on bikes weaving through crowds or old ladies who sole talents in life lie in </span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >cooking and </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">their ability to get in the way.</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8Sa6SpL61FodkZN9QAFMdArbDSCFCBQ5ruz5JnkiGWEf0CFxoIftZTYPp7nLntcFmwAlql01siYukVkpsPt0gffy39TGlMS9xSWeeDKaGT17LWEQHbesrNobFhqf4QsX0YAD-w/s1600-h/Picture+045+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8Sa6SpL61FodkZN9QAFMdArbDSCFCBQ5ruz5JnkiGWEf0CFxoIftZTYPp7nLntcFmwAlql01siYukVkpsPt0gffy39TGlMS9xSWeeDKaGT17LWEQHbesrNobFhqf4QsX0YAD-w/s320/Picture+045+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065487865074044418" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">Asked what my wife and I are both seriously good at, what we are both brilliantly talented at and I would probably say day dreaming...so here she is practising her gift...about to be rudely interrupted by a bit of cold winter swell.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-88507205676406414002007-04-08T08:35:00.000+09:002008-12-10T07:18:09.813+09:00Emerald BeachBetter late than never. About two months ago we went up to a little town called Emerald Beach about 600km north of Sydney for a few weeks of sun, surf and mouth wateringly crap food.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiazrj4GX4tvT6czLwc7intA_QGC7RPGLD7gDGe83wtQqwUI69itzbctobIpKRQH6zCexi3R69ONVAW1KcLpIf5f5iD039yN6z9BhSwifhCLfmKvezM_Us_F36GTcNtL9DKyIkAg/s1600-h/Emerald+beach+%2811%29+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiazrj4GX4tvT6czLwc7intA_QGC7RPGLD7gDGe83wtQqwUI69itzbctobIpKRQH6zCexi3R69ONVAW1KcLpIf5f5iD039yN6z9BhSwifhCLfmKvezM_Us_F36GTcNtL9DKyIkAg/s200/Emerald+beach+%2811%29+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050840414495338930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Look at all that space<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">With not a soul in sight and absolutely no regard for the shame that she was about to heap on the family, Lani took it upon herself to act like a complete idiot. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqaTrWYq6B90Nf-Qq17rhEbLO9RuxHdOOTSZilHG9W1KIdasx_LH2gvruwLe3gCHtxSqEzAyb6aghD0x5euH3PTMBhZHrSWwLT2cW_Vlcdz4WZ01iMPjA6-pKGf9Hs-gf8yocFTA/s1600-h/Emerald+beach+%2823%29+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqaTrWYq6B90Nf-Qq17rhEbLO9RuxHdOOTSZilHG9W1KIdasx_LH2gvruwLe3gCHtxSqEzAyb6aghD0x5euH3PTMBhZHrSWwLT2cW_Vlcdz4WZ01iMPjA6-pKGf9Hs-gf8yocFTA/s200/Emerald+beach+%2823%29+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050849691624698306" border="0" /></a>We had wildlife coming out our ears.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfgED14JV8q7RkTz7X6-jxLeFWaPhcYQC_faIAaJlxeldNMFLkBBukrs2_-fSLPw9CAJZLVzdUy9QZXLebGZ9Ie-LkS7-ue_N9t2fSw38S2fDfGgvdrisGtOwQI7NRAmKz8CDJ0g/s1600-h/Emerald+beach+%2839%29+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfgED14JV8q7RkTz7X6-jxLeFWaPhcYQC_faIAaJlxeldNMFLkBBukrs2_-fSLPw9CAJZLVzdUy9QZXLebGZ9Ie-LkS7-ue_N9t2fSw38S2fDfGgvdrisGtOwQI7NRAmKz8CDJ0g/s200/Emerald+beach+%2839%29+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050931506456719826" border="0" /></a>Kangaroos infront of our tent, dolphins out in the surf most days, it was nice to get back into some nature even if it was a bit dirty.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5eIZiBESZf4dbb7h__ceJr8FTxi3MdStm6N91qsReR3iRceS02-VCfyjfsGwHcl8N1QrQryaTxSRnOx8M5BzD3XX-047JS0mg2gwu0EhxCKLXfHD1JljUsnGqt98DFpl1E_4gQ/s1600-h/Emerald+beach+%2835%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5eIZiBESZf4dbb7h__ceJr8FTxi3MdStm6N91qsReR3iRceS02-VCfyjfsGwHcl8N1QrQryaTxSRnOx8M5BzD3XX-047JS0mg2gwu0EhxCKLXfHD1JljUsnGqt98DFpl1E_4gQ/s200/Emerald+beach+%2835%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050933696890040802" border="0" /></a>Went to a local aquarium which operated at a completely different level of efficiency to the ones we went to in Japan...some of them were amazing...but they let you feed and play with the wildlife in this place so Lani got right into it.<div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-3995323460717465172007-03-18T19:31:00.000+09:002008-12-10T07:18:10.082+09:00Home<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglVw9GhtIXEMZnsJ0NwbPFQz02LR8R2O8EzFJQD8EanyfPbnR_aghnym1kRNoqSAv5Y7pYfVdLlysZAJXqtZYveLqqULFl8xhvtLw2jln4IeJtre7BHiNGhyqt9JzDz5JBGsPesg/s1600-h/Jan+2007+138+copy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5043211904302688162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglVw9GhtIXEMZnsJ0NwbPFQz02LR8R2O8EzFJQD8EanyfPbnR_aghnym1kRNoqSAv5Y7pYfVdLlysZAJXqtZYveLqqULFl8xhvtLw2jln4IeJtre7BHiNGhyqt9JzDz5JBGsPesg/s320/Jan+2007+138+copy.jpg" border="0" /></a>Lani and grannie at Dee Why</div><div align="center"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">We've been thoroughly enjoying being back. Here we've been down to beach infront of our place for grease ball fish 'n chips dinner and Lani who is absolutely soaking up the space in this country can't keep herself out of the water.</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-1173608212845577222007-03-11T18:58:00.000+09:002008-12-10T07:18:10.991+09:00Tokyo Disney Sea (again)<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3438/3465/1600/85026/Jan%202007%20046%20copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3438/3465/320/710071/Jan%202007%20046%20copy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:85%;">From a freeway inthe centre of Tokyo</span><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></div>One of the things...perhaps the only thing... I swore we would do before leaving Tokyo was to visit (again) Disney Sea on a week day when there weren't so jolly many people to disgruntle me. The effort that some people must have put into making this place look real is just remarkable.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3438/3465/1600/396702/Jan%202007%20053%20copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3438/3465/320/687834/Jan%202007%20053%20copy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Looking over the Mediterranean harbour</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></div>There's Europe land without those hoighty toighty Europeans, America land without all those whacky gun totin' 'mericans...<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6LiabMi0R5gTixRspSCP85npU77zuJhTiAaCAfsrbLauUFExA0YXFsiyHGXKkSyy7XZoUmXRDW6AqplecbqoZQiIaSkAUWPnJAigA4sDJ3CpD4z_NNJYPnMAkXXngfHu9Yvxvg/s1600-h/Jan+2007+057+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6LiabMi0R5gTixRspSCP85npU77zuJhTiAaCAfsrbLauUFExA0YXFsiyHGXKkSyy7XZoUmXRDW6AqplecbqoZQiIaSkAUWPnJAigA4sDJ3CpD4z_NNJYPnMAkXXngfHu9Yvxvg/s320/Jan+2007+057+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5040967929528898466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The American waterfront after the rain</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>For the price of an entry ticket we stuffed ourselves on the haute cuisine that is Disney burgers and saw the world. Sarcasm aside it's quite an experience.<br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdD91icvZJGeTs-oJoFaOmYoGPmeguRoFtRE_lrBI_oaidDqHoYwKqwNpBRiFfxFcWVTcE47pBNZE0nNMhCp3QM4gD73qltD5t8_Jq-0NzhJApPQkFTwmgbIJkSZ-I37gphzGLg/s1600-h/Jan+2007+060+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdD91icvZJGeTs-oJoFaOmYoGPmeguRoFtRE_lrBI_oaidDqHoYwKqwNpBRiFfxFcWVTcE47pBNZE0nNMhCp3QM4gD73qltD5t8_Jq-0NzhJApPQkFTwmgbIJkSZ-I37gphzGLg/s320/Jan+2007+060+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5040971885193778098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lani and Nobuko enjoying the cultural experience.</span></span><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-1169049208293203382007-01-18T00:36:00.000+09:002007-01-29T11:50:35.040+09:00Goodbye postA goodbye post is not complete without a list. So 'ere we go ....Goodbye:<br /><br />1. pushy Japanese grandmas...I'm your game no longer.<br />2. point cards...my wallet has been purged.<br />3. crazy old men on bikes ... would you bloody well look where you're going.<br />4. service with a smile...even if your're just pretending to care.<br />5. sweet peach behinds.<br />6. peaceful people.<br />7. noise.<br />8. conbeenience...my work, my wife's work, two big shopping malls, four train stations, my daughter's day care are all within 10 minutes walk from our place.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3438/3465/1600/828931/120061005-gibsonpic%20copy.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3438/3465/320/851644/120061005-gibsonpic%20copy.jpg" border="0" /></a>We'll be back in Australia Jan. 24. Helloooooo beach and surfing.<div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-1168182527027668902007-01-07T23:41:00.000+09:002007-01-16T00:47:53.276+09:00mochi and the mafiaMochi: an altogether too doughy, grossly gluggy mass of rice eaten as new year's treat in Japan.<br /><br />Apparently six people the wrong side of sixty choked to death on mochi this new year's period in Japan. It makes headlines every year.<br /><br />The media make it known with great monotony that dastard Chinese criminals are behind most crimes...wonder how they'll put the spin on this one.<div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-1167485030678343062006-12-30T22:09:00.000+09:002007-01-08T23:39:01.996+09:00SaddamSaddam Hussein has been killed because killing is wrong.<br /><br />Who's going to kill the guy who killed Saddam. It's all so morally screwed I reckon my four year old could see through it.<div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-1165416001170457842006-12-06T23:27:00.000+09:002006-12-07T00:22:12.010+09:00Blocked toiletsI caught my daughter preparing to fill the toilet with paper last week and exploded at her.<br /><br />Similarly tonight I find her in the company of an overflowing toilet with a look of complete bewilderment in her eyes. She could see the storm brewing and she came out with "Lani no playing....Lani biiig poo did it".<br /><br />So here we are...It's one am and I'm trying to make myself understood to a plumber with shit all over his hands...in Japanese.<div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-1164870084833203052006-11-30T15:32:00.000+09:002006-11-30T16:01:24.846+09:00Fish 'n chip shops<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3438/3465/1600/266890/Picture%20026%20copy1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3438/3465/320/156470/Picture%20026%20copy1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Met up with a friend of my wife and her Canadian husband last weekend. Took the kids down to a kids amusement park. A whole floor of a department store was packed with kids bouncy castles, slides, go carts, and the likes. Lani had an absolute ball...pun not intended. It's hard to find places in Tokyo where a kid can just let her down and be a kid.<br /><br />Anyway this couple who were back here in Japan for just a few weeks said it took them about six months to readjust to Canada. I tell you what I feel that way whenever we are back in Australia. Reminds me of a British mate who back in England in holiday and hankering for some good ol' English food went down to a fish and chip shop. Not really liking fish all that much he fortunately found a cheese burger on the menu and promptly ordered it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3438/3465/1600/23214/Picture%20015%20copy3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3438/3465/320/84478/Picture%20015%20copy3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Upon hearing the order the guy says to him "wot...ya com ta fish 'n ship shop, 'n ya order a cheeseburger???" incredulously. And my mate goes..."well it is on the menu". <br /><br />Can't wait to get back for some greasy fish and chips even if the waiters don't kowtow enough to this most respectable customer.<div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-1164085370016294442006-11-21T13:59:00.000+09:002006-11-21T14:02:50.026+09:00Tokyo Disney Sea<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3438/3465/1600/627345/Picture%20001%20copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3438/3465/320/968916/Picture%20001%20copy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>A group of friends organised an outing up to Disney Sea for Nobuko's birthday on the weekend. I had never been there before so it was quite a surprise. Through the entrance you can see the volcano which was built up 50-100 metres above the rest of the park and had flames pouring out the top at night complete with booming eruption sounds all over the park.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3438/3465/1600/930890/Picture%20003%20copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3438/3465/320/666364/Picture%20003%20copy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>With the Japanese eye for detail it was so damn well done. There were some streets there where you could really lose yourself and start to believe you were in Europe somewhere or in Arabia depending on which "land" you were going through.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3438/3465/1600/217409/Picture%20005%20copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3438/3465/320/597540/Picture%20005%20copy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3438/3465/1600/586038/Picture%20018%20copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3438/3465/320/786643/Picture%20018%20copy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Toko, Ricca, and Kumi...getting far more excited than my three-year-old daughter.<div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-1163139244462626772006-11-10T15:06:00.000+09:002006-11-10T22:41:13.586+09:00Drink drivingReading the news here the other day I happened upon an article about a temple or shrine somewhere in the country that had taken it upon itself to educate the public about the dangers of drunk driving. Which is all fine except that according this article it had only just recently dawned upon the all knowing priests in charge that after re-education, visitors to the shrine should perhaps not be given free sake in a little paper cup to be knocked back before going home.<br /><br />Wonder what mind bogglingly stupid things the tourists are struck with in Australia?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/1600/nagano1%20copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/320/nagano1%20copy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:85%;">A completely unrelated temple...actually I think it was a castle we visited years ago in Nagano.</span></span><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-1162391568456706722006-11-01T22:33:00.000+09:002006-11-01T23:32:48.473+09:00Parks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/1600/P1010522%20copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/320/P1010522%20copy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>For want of something to write about, here are a couple of shots of moi, Lani, and the old bird....who happens to resent being called "the old girl"....taken up in a park in Tokyo.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/1600/P1010519%20copy.blog.1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/320/P1010519%20copy.blog.1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The parks here are rubree. Huge, well planned, with rubree rines of trees. A complete contrast to the colourless mess of mismatched buildings that make up Tokyo.<div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-1161224894185857972006-10-19T11:28:00.000+09:002006-10-19T13:44:02.423+09:00Nationalist nuts and baked potato trucks<object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.com/v/eNLJlrjciVQ"><embed src="http://youtube.com/v/eNLJlrjciVQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="350" width="425"></object><br />I was walking home from work last week passing one of the offices up the road from our place when I came across a four or five police cars complete with police officers swarming. Apparently last year this company had sold stuff to North Korea which went into their <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO28NQc9tW4">beloved leader's</a> nuclear bombs. And so in response to this a right wing van had taken it upon itself to smash down the gates of this office in protest.<br /><br />The reason I write about this is because we got a message at work from the Japanese police which apparently was faxed to as many companies as they could find that employ foreigners. The gist of the message was that halloween is coming and foreigners are noisy. So this year they are going to crack down on foreigners at halloween parties disturbing the peace.<br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >A foreigner creating a Halloween disturbance</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/1600/halloween1copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/320/halloween1copy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>This reason this got on my goat was I've never seen, been (to) or heard a halloween party since I've been in Japan. What I have heard though is all manner of vans every day like the one in the video above that drown out the jumbo jets above our apartment. Baked potato vans, second hand goods vans, political vans, right wing vans, vans flogging washing poles. What makes things worse for us is we live up on the first floor so every time one of these things idles past with the loud speakers up on its roof we have to stop conversations, pause DVDs as the speakers are literally a metre or two from where we are sitting or standing.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lani and Nobuko raising hell on halloween...up in Ginza, Tokyo</span></span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/1600/halloween2copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/320/halloween2copy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-1160575449032516562006-10-11T22:45:00.000+09:002006-10-11T23:04:09.056+09:00Visa approved!!!After four and a half months of deliberations the Australian government has agreed with me that my Japanese wife isn't a terrorist, drug runner, and poses no real threat to national security. The little woman got her visa approved for Australia. This means that, as long as this North Korean fruit cake with a fetish for ridiculously oversized grandma glasses keeps his cool, we should be back in Sydney around the end of January. Can't wait to go for a surf.<div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-1159282534144769472006-09-26T23:22:00.000+09:002006-10-01T21:45:49.203+09:00Maid cafes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/1600/maid%20cafe3%20copy.blog.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/320/maid%20cafe3%20copy.blog.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I've been meaning to get down to a maid cafe here for months now for the food of course. For a year or so now they've been all the rage with the young folk...cafes where cute chicks dress up in french maid outfits and pretend to like you as they serve you drinks.<br /><br />It seems though that my time is running out as the mayor of Tokyo has come up with a completely new and utterly devious ploy to win votes. Following the advice of zillion dollar think tanks he has decided to attack crime.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/1600/maid%20cafe4%20copy.blog.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/320/maid%20cafe4%20copy.blog.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />His brilliant ploy to cut murders, theft, and save the kids from drugs is to ban French maids from handing out pamphlets on street corners. Prepare yourselves to watch the crime rate plummet.<br /><br />I should add these photos come from google images as...well...I haven't been up to one of these places yet.<div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-1158592164976496462006-09-18T22:04:00.000+09:002006-09-19T23:37:10.500+09:00Holidays<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/1600/mapJapan%20copy.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/320/mapJapan%20copy.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Spent last week on a small island called Yakushima about a thousand kilometres or so from Tokyo.<br /><br />You think of Japan as being a pretty small place but that's just something the locals rote learn at school to repeat to the tourists. It's actually an archipeligo that stretches a few thousand kilometres in length. So it took a few flights and a couple of hours to get down there.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/1600/PICT0068%20copy.blog.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/320/PICT0068%20copy.blog.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Surprisingly Japan has the highest proportion of forests as a percentage of land area out of all the developed countries. And in JapanYakushima is famed for its forests which reputedly contain trees over seven thousand years old. It also gets a ridiculous ten metres of rainfall a year. Here's a shot of she who must be obeyed crossing a rope bridge through an old forest in the rain....sucking in the nature.<br /><br />The same cannot be said of Japan's beaches. I've seen figures stating that 80% of Japan's coast line is concreted. They have a fetish of fantastic proportions for the stuff. Every time we jumped in the car we saw concrete mixers racing off to fix nature, repair broken beaches, and crooked coastlines.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/1600/PICT0095%20copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/320/PICT0095%20copy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The old girl and Lani breathe easy in this shot cause the coastline behind them which had fallen into a state of complete disrepair had been repaired.<br /><br /><br /><br />We found a lovely little set of hot pools on the coast. This old homeless looking guy with fungus all over his toe nails comes down as I'm getting in and tells me to take my kit off before I get in.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/1600/PICT0075%20copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/320/PICT0075%20copy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />He then, to my complete exasperation, drops his gear and bends over easing himself into the pool and in the process reveals to all a pair of much too low ruby red dog's balls swaying in the gentle noreaster. He plonks 'imself down dog's balls, arse and all. And to top it all off he goes on to give me a lesson on personal hygiene...showing me how to clean myself. Anyway the following day we went there again but as you can see a typhoon swell was affecting the pools somewhat. At least it cleaned out the bits and pieces from his fungus and dog balls.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/1600/PICT0006%20copy.blog.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3438/3465/320/PICT0006%20copy.blog.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />The hotel we stayed in was lovely...this was the view from the window...better than dog's balls in a noreaster anyway you look at it. It was a really nice hotel.<div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31802152.post-1157695059968356212006-09-08T14:57:00.000+09:002006-09-08T15:12:20.213+09:00The Big PickHow often do you come across people on the train who you think should be confined to a nut house? Sometimes you begin to wonder whether they've shut down the nut houses here and given them all free train tickets.<br /><br />Here are a few of the more bizarre stories.<br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.com/v/nu2dMi9J4y4"><embed src="http://youtube.com/v/nu2dMi9J4y4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="350" width="425"></object><br /><br /><br />Filmed by a friend on the way to work who sees the same guy every morning. How good is the other guy at pretending he doesn't notice?<br /><br />This guy spots me on the train at the other end of the carriage. He makes a bee line for me, stops inches from my face. I think he's going to absolutely flatten me. Then with all the conviction and emotion of an opera singer he belts out the ABC song inches from my nose. The wierdest thing was I'm in the middle of the carriage looking around at 20 or so other people and no one batters an eyelid. no one looks at me....as if this sort of thing was normal for god's sake. speechless.<br /><br />This guy playing airdrums with full sound effects out really loud all the way from Shibuya to our station....10 or so minutes. Again no one shows any astonishment. No one even damn well looks.<br /><br />A lady sits down next to a friend from work. Pulls a pencil out of her hand bag, then a box cutting knife and proceeds to violently sharpen the pencil. Shavings flying all over the place.<br /><br />I'm going down some escalators into the subway here. I notice a woman looking over my shoulder. I turn around and see a the long black hair and the uniform of a school girl. I look at the face and I'm greeted by a toothless grin of 60 year old man....in the school girl's uniform.<br /><br />A friend has been out for an all nighter and is waiting on a platform in Tokyo at about 5am. This homeless guy appraoches him and out of a plastic bag pulls a massive dildo. He must have found it in the rubbish somewhere. Then with a face splitting smile on his dial he pops the thing in his mouth and starts sucking on it.<br /><br />I'm on the train and at the next station on gets this old guy who is holding and caressing a teddy like it's a new born baby. They are dressed in matching outfits. No one looks.<br /><br />A guy running up and down the carriage hopping about with arms flailing all over the shop...pretending he's a monkey...with full sound effects. Not even one sideways look of curiousity from his audience.<br /><br />It's not so much the nuts that are the shock it's more the fact that I'm the only one surprised by this behaviour. Experiencing such insanity and apparently it's so normal it's not worth a turn of the head for the other 20 people in the carriage. Gets you thinking if everyone thinks this is normal who's really lost their marbles. Me. It's a surreal situation.<div class="blogger-post-footer">stefan freeman's blog from japan for family and friends</div>Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05388889293652680109noreply@blogger.com0