There's A Scotsman in My Flat!

Posted on 2006/05/13 14:19:06 (May 2006).

[Saturday 13th May]
Slept fairly late, and so it was about midnight by the time we all surfaced. As George (see yesterday for details) would be busy with the football in the evening, and was flying back to the UK the next morning, we were only left with this afternoon to do a bit of sightseeing. Actually we didn't really see that much! We needed to head over to Suidobashi so George could pick up his ticket for the game, and we decided we should find something for lunch around there. We went to a slightly posh tempura place in the Tokyo Dome Hotel, and by the time we'd eaten it was gone 3. So we had to pick a random tourist attraction to whizz round for about 10 minutes, and settled on the controversial The Yasukuni Shrine, as it was nearby. The weather wasn't all that marvellous, a kind of constant drizzle reminiscent of England, so a quick 10 minute walk round was probably about as much as was necessary.

In the evening while George was at the football, Chie's sister came round for dinner.

That's an excellent picture! Can't quite put my finger on why exactly, it just seems fitting!.. :))

Posted by Nigel at 2006/05/13 19:31:20.

That's an excellent picture! Can't quite put my finger on why exactly, it just seems fitting!.. :))

Posted by Nigel at 2006/05/13 19:31:23.

Ooops! Apologies for that double post!

Posted by Nigel at 2006/05/13 19:31:47.

He seems quite young, I hope the match went their way! I remember watching a match in the Kirin Cup 7 Years ago when I was in Japan... :D

Posted by Lox at 2006/05/13 20:34:21.

Do Scotsmen now go to matches barefoot?? ;-)

I really enjoyed the photos from your Hiroshima week, John, and strangely enough some of them looked very like Greece. Japan seems to combine beautiful scenery with the work ethic...!! I suppose one out of two is not bad for Greece...

Posted by Bryan Hollamby at 2006/05/14 12:57:12.

Lox: It's an odd cup, only three teams play - this time it was Japan, Scotland and Bulgaria. Scotland won the game against Bulgaria, and drew 0-0 against Japan. As Japan lost their game against Bulgaria, Scotland actually won the cup. I think George found the Japan v Scotland game a bit on the dull side, but he said he was quite pleased that they won the cup, as that was apparently something of a rare event. :)

Posted by John at 2006/05/14 05:04:24.

Bryan: I love your comment about the scenery / work ethic (I am presuming it is the latter that is lacking in the Hellenic lands!).

As for going to matches bare foot - funny you should mention that. There is a long running Japanese tradition of never wearing your shoes indoors, so George actually requested that I cut his feet off in the picture (photographically speaking of course, no actual amputation required) as presumably it wouldn't seem quite right to be pictured in the full dress kilt without any boots on.

Posted by John at 2006/05/14 05:08:51.

His costume reminds me of the film Four Weddings and a Funeral when Andie Mc Dowell says in her speech "Great dress, Babe. But why the hell do you marry that stiff a skirt?!"

Posted by Sheri at 2006/05/14 20:08:29.

Sorry: in a skirt

Posted by Sheri at 2006/05/14 20:09:23.

Yes, John, it is indeed the work ethic that is missing here! I wish I could get into not working, Greek-style ;-)

I was over in Macedonia (i.e. ex Yugoslav Republic of) this morning on a walking jaunt, got some good Spring pictures of a hazy Greece across the lake separating the two countries, so I will let you know when I add them to my photoblog. Hope to do that in the next couple of days...

Posted by Bryan Hollamby at 2006/05/15 12:10:27.

Bryan: sounds nice! So is FYR Macedonia literally just a short hop from where you are then (I have to admit my geography in that part of the world is terrible!).

I suppose that would mean you're not a million miles away from Bulgaria either then, wouldn't it? One of my colleagues at work has a wife from that part of the world...

Posted by John at 2006/05/15 13:30:04.

John, the border with Macedonia is 15 minutes' drive from my home, and I usually leave my car in Greece and walk over the border (need to get a green card otherwise), but it is a very pleasant 15-minute walk by the lake through "no man's land". The immigration officials on both sides seem quite bemused when I go hoofing across the border on foot, though, and on my return yesterday the Macedonian official start looking around for my car...! Bulgaria is about 50 minutes' drive from here, went there back in 1991, it was a real eye-opener... Last October my girlfriend and I visited Ohrid (Macedonia) and the lake of the same name, lovely place. There is a link to an Ohrid pictures and comments page on my main site (www.bryanhollamby.co.uk) - you may recognise the page layout, as I was inspired by the way you lay your pictures pages out, hope you don't mind...!! :-)

Posted by Bryan Hollamby at 2006/05/15 15:38:52.

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