Author Archives: spikekalashnikov

In my dotage I often find strange prompts  remind me of my childhood. Vidi Proust Madeleine. The most recent  was a watering can. I had the choice of buying a much cheaper plastic version but I simply could not resist … Continue reading →

Last week was the Festival for the Old Folks in Japan. We all got a day off. Today I was asked to represent the University at thean event to honor the old folks of Tancha, the village in which the … Continue reading →

So some people like to eat chocolate and chocolates. I no longer have this urge but since my arrival on Okinawa another substance now plays the same role for me as chocolate plays for others. SPAM. I wrote about the … Continue reading →

In California, some of the Gas Stations posted the intriguing sign “Full Service,”  a proposition that seemed more suited to a massage parlour than a garage. What it means is that someone else pumps the gas for you and for … Continue reading →

So tonight is Tsukimi or moon viewing night. I think this coincides with the concept of Harvest Moon in the western way of looking at things. There is certainly a beautiful moon tonight. I believe that the tradition is to … Continue reading →

Well, I suppose so and indeed I have now been doing Yoga classes for a few weeks just down the road from my apartment. It really is wonderful. We do 90 minutes of exercises resulting in the sensation that you … Continue reading →

There are few possessions that I own or have owned about which I give a toss.There is however a select band, a coterie, of stuff for which I feel real affection. One of those rare articles has just passed. My … Continue reading →

Truffaut, Renoir, Chabrol, Blier, Lelouch, er Malle, um Klapisch and now Arin Pillot. A long time ago I made a publicity clip for CERN with a young French film student called Cedric Klapisch. He went on to be one of France … Continue reading →

It has been quite fun observing the hurricane excitement on the east coast of the US. I feel vaguely superior in the condescending European  “Oh yes, so I heard ” tradition. Ours are of course much better. The last one … Continue reading →

Shisa (シーサー) (Okinawan: siisaa) (shishi or shisaa) is a traditional Ryukyuan decoration, often in pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog, from Okinawan mythology. People place pairs of shisa on their rooftops or flanking the gates to their houses. Shisa are wards, believed to protect … Continue reading →