Blehh...

Root canal yesterday. I'll be going back twice a week for at least the next few weeks. My filthy mouth is fucked up... The horror... It's not that it hurts while the dentist is drilling, grinding, and filing (although it certainly isn't pleasant). No, what makes it like torture is the absolute certainty that it's going to hurt (and like a motherfucker) any second now...

Nothing to say. Please enjoy some crappy B&W photos I took while on my morning walk. Click to enlarge.











Maybe I'll be better tomorrow night after a few beers...

Random Miyazaki Pics

A few more pics taken near where I live, in case anyone's curious:


Tachibana-dori, Miyazaki's main street.


City "center".


Takachiho-dori, which intersects Tachibana at the center of town.


Some cranes; a pretty common sight.


A parking area for bicycles near the train station.

The Morning Walk of a Dork with a Camera

This morning I woke up feeling... no pain!! I've still got some numbness in my right arm and hand (from the pinched nerve I've been whining about recently), but it doesn't hurt any more! I felt so good that today I resumed my regular morning walk. I took along my camera (click to enlarge)...


Starbucks has only been in Miyazaki for about a year, and already there are three outlets. This one is only a 5-10 minute walk from my place. It wasn't open yet when I took this picture, but you'll notice that this Starbucks has a drive-thru (I've never seen this in Canadian Starbucks shops). Yes, now you can wait in the comfort of your car while the schmuck in front of you orders a half-caf double decaf latte...

Resistance is futile... Actually, I'm quite happy to see foreign pc companies make inroads in Japan because, frankly, the big Japanese pc makers (Sony, Fujitsu, NEC) suck...

The front of Miyazaki's train station.

The back of Miyazaki's train station.

Miyazaki's space station is just down the street.

He may be a dork with a camera, but his choice of hockey teams is beyond reproach...

Morning Walk in the Neighborhood

Some photos I took on my morning walk yesterday, loosely connected, I guess, under the heading of "buildings".

As you might imagine, in a country as populated and crowded as Japan there are a shitload of apartment buildings. These buildings come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, but the constraints of space require certain features to be pretty standard. (Inside, Japanese apartments all look pretty much the same--like a rectangular "box".)
Electric (or gas) clothes driers are something of a rarity in Japan (or, at least, in Miyazaki). So, it's pretty common to see laundry hanging out on the balcony on sunny days (click to enlarge).

Most apartments are entered or exited from the outside of the building (like a motel), and some superficial differences in design can be noticed between different buildings. This is one common type.

Here's another common type.

The shape of a balcony will sometimes vary from building to building. You can tell these are offices, because there's no laundry hanging out.

This pic breaks the theme somewhat, but gives you an idea of something I've posted about before--the ubiquitous vending machine. I wish I had one in my parking space!

Morning Walk in the Graveyard

As a part of my ongoing struggle with the evil of tobacco, I usually wake up at around six every morning, have a coffee, and go for a 30-minute walk. This morning I took my camera along and wandered from my usual route into a nearby graveyard...

The top part of some kind of shrine or temple.

Entering the graveyard. If it seems a bit packed, it's because the Japanese usually cremate the dead (probably, in part, to save space).

Another view of the graveyard and its surroundings.

I hadn't noticed before, but this graveyard has a small Christian section. There are not many Christians in Miyazaki (or Japan), but they are an apparently feisty bunch. "Resurgent!" Almost qualifies for it's own sub-category of "engrish".

Another view of the "Christian section". You can see my condo in the background on the left.

[NOTE: The first term of university started last week, and I've started taking Japanese lessons, so I've been quite busy lately. As a result, I've been slow in responding to comments, and I've been a bit slack about visiting my friends' blogs. Sorry about that! I promise I'll be by soon...]

This Side... and That Side

My condo is quite near Miyazaki's train station, and there are some elevated tracks that run right by my place.

Here's what it looks like on my side of the tracks.


Here's what it looks like on the other side of the tracks.


Which side of the tracks do you prefer?