The Diary of Robert Kodama
Below are the pages you will find on the blog itself. Feel free to browse and comment as you feel.
Robert Kodama
Japan
“フォーカス 日本 ”写真展
Closing Party 開催！
Robert君の写真展、
好評につき期間延長しておりますが、
写真展を見られた方々からのご要望にお応えして
ゴールデンウィークの最終日５月６日（月）に
Closing Partyを企画しました。
もう一度、ご覧になりたい方や
写真を見られて、Robert君に質問したいことなどありましたら、
是非ご参加ください。
日 時 ５月６日(月） Pm.6:00～Pm.8:00
費 用 ￥１０００ （ワンドリンク＆お菓子つき）
参加者 申し込み 先着２０名
電話 079-284-8844
写真のこと、Robert君からみた日本やイギリスのこと等,、
何んでも聞いちゃいましょう！！
お待ちしてま～す！！
The details for the closing party have now been confirmed!
May 6th 6pm-8pm
¥1,000 including snacks and one drink
Entry reserved for 20 guests only so please get your tickets fast by calling 079-284-8844
There will also be a Q&A session during this time.
Thank you.
Essentially a box on a runway, this was an interesting airport to arrive at. Thankfully I was one of the first to leave the plane, only to be guided through a broken door with some other passengers by a security guard straight into the luggage area, bypassing immigration. Other security personnel then tell us we must go back towards the runway and actually go to immigration to get as far as we did. Naturally, I was rather pissed because now I was forced to queue behind every passenger from the plane despite my dear efforts to be ahead of the game. Besides, I had already made it past immigration, and now I had to return and queue.
Eventually, I made it through immigration and into the arrivals area. My research had told me that I would miss the direct bus to Manila and so I would have to take a taxi or a jeepney to a nearby town to get a different bus. Thankfully, the bus driver was passed out at the back of the bus, giving me time to buy a ticket and board what became a delayed bus. Once the bus was on the road, the speakers blasted out appropriate driving music such as Bonnie Tyler‘s greatest hit “Total Eclipse of the Heart“.
I met a guy from New Zealand at immigration, and then on the bus. He was a friendly guy with a beard, who offered his phone for me to contact my next Couchsurfer. He commented that he would never have guessed me as a British person; perhaps an Asian. Well, he was half right.
The first thing I did in Manila was go to Wendys. I know it’s something I shouldn’t have done, but I am guilty. But in my defense, it was the meeting point that me and the Couchsurfer agreed upon. He asked me if I was hungry to which I replied that I would like to eat Filipino food as Wendys are available in the west as well. Apparently, the main meat of the Philippines is chicken, and so he proceeded to take me to a chicken place in the shopping centre. At first, I thought he was just taking me to a separate branch of Wendys, which is not what I had in mind but in fact I was wrong. The chicken I had at this Filipino restaurant was simply orgasmic for the mouth. I don’t know whether it was the sauce or the lime, but I was in chicken heaven (not literally, as I’m sure there are many innocent slaughtered chickens up there and I would have had to answer for eating a friend of theirs).
As I was tired, we decided to take the local jeepney back to his apartment. My first jeepney ride was an interesting one. I have never been squished in the back of an old war vehicle with other people before. The vehicle was amazingly decorated too; bold painted colours and stunning pictures lavished the outer coating of the jeepney with the driver seat filled with small ornaments. The only downside to riding a jeepney is that there are no closed windows. One might think that this would be refreshing for such a hot country (and such a hot ride), but it is true to think otherwise. The open window and a lack of a door meant that the waste departing other exhaust pipes of similar jeepneys and vehicles come flooding in thick waves of grey into your lungs. Eventually we arrived, and I thought best to have a shower.
Cold showers are something I am not used to since I didn’t join any military forces and thus was not punished under their authority. My Couchsurfer explained that since it’s so hot, there is no hot water coming from the taps. This sounded refreshing, but the cold water was hard to get used to.
The following morning, the Couchsurfer cooked me breakfast. What a heavenly breakfast it was too! He said it was a local dish, and that since he was the master of curries, he was a little sad that he couldn’t make me that for my breakfast as he didn’t have any curry powder left. Nevertheless, his concoction of milky fish was the best thing in my mouth during my time in the Philippines. Though it may sound like a lactating fish, the taste was so gorgeous that I devoured the whole thing alongside the coconut rice. We then took a jeepney to the SM Megamall where we would find a van to take us someplace close to the Taal Volcano.
The van was hot, humid and a little too close for me and the surrounding people. Hands were going places I was not too keen on, and so were other body parts. The driver made a few stops along the way before telling us to get off at a jeepney garage where we might be able to hitch a ride to the volcano. This area was incredibly remote, with a few stalls selling food and coca cola. We were quick to board a jeepney and an hour later, we ended up at the final stop which was the closest point any jeepney would take us to the volcano. We walked up to the viewpoint excited like little schoolgirls on their way to their first date, only to be disappointed like little schoolgirls on their way to their first date. The volcano was miles away and we could see a small, green mountain on the horizon. Then a tout came to bother us, bicycle in tow. With much bargaining, we decided to go to a picnic park where we might rethink our trip from there. The walk in that park was fairly nice, full of tourist touts offering similar boat trips to the volcano. My Couchsurfer was determined to take me to the volcano and so we eventually decided to take the offer of a young teenage boy wearing a batman shirt. As I write this, I think back to the stupid decision we made, but at the time, it seemed the best offer yet. It was a little fishy, but then again I did have a wonderful fish in the morning so why not take the chance, I thought. He got us a bike and a rider and offered us an amazing deal, only to find that we were scammed in the end when we arrived at the port to find that there is no such deal. We were a little pissed and so I took some photographs of the boats as evidence of my wonderful time at the volcano and demanded we were taken back to the bus station.
When we got back, I was able to try the local version of McDonalds: Jollibee! I tried some local chicken dish for a low price and it wasn’t half bad. From there, we took an air-conditioned bus right back to the heart of Manila. The Couchsurfer was tired, and so we decided to head back to the apartment to take a nap before dinner.
The Couchsurfer had to work the following day and so he recommended I visit the most famous shopping malls – Greenbelt and MOA. I took a lesiurely trip on the MRT down to the Greenbelt malls and found nothing extraordinary of the mall, and so I sat down at the Starbucks in the shopping mall’s gardens and drank juice and ate fruits. It was nice to have some relaxing alone time during this hectic trip and so I was happy to sit there for a couple of hours, pondering about nothing.
Eventually, I boarded the MRT again and headed to MOA. It’s apparently one of the biggest shopping centres in the world. I managed to take a well-signed jeepney to MOA only to be a little taken aback. I was sure this was supposed to be one of the biggest shopping centres in the world and yet it seemed a little small. They also had a rotating globe similar to that in Universal Studios. Nevertheless, in case it was like a wardrobe to Narnia where I’ll be pleasantly surprised upon entry, I decided to venture in.
The mall boasted an ice skating rink and some other stores but nothing out of the ordinary. In the end, I just decided to take a long walk along the coast, once again pondering about nothing.
The time to head back to SM Megamall came around and I tried to board the MRT. Only, it was not as leisurely as before. Thankfully I had a ticket already but the queues to enter the platform went as far as my eye could see. I called ahead saying that I could be late if the queues don’t move but suddenly as if a magic spell had been cast, I was on the platform. Perhaps I went through a wall and landed myself on a train to Hogwarts, but either way, I was happy. Until of course the dreaded train ride back. I was advised to stay on the right as those will be the doors that open at my intended stop. I was also warned that this was prime time for pickpocketers as everyone will be pressed up against each other. This must be the worst train journey I have experienced in my life. From the first station, I was unable to move and yet at each station from there, people tried to push their way on. The conditions became so bad, the overhead part of the doors on the left of the train collapsed and people on that side held it up for the rest of the journey. At my stop, I was just glad to have some space and waited for everyone else to exit the station before I did.
Eventually, it was time for me to leave the Philippines. It was an interesting trip but I doubt I’ll be going back with Manila in mind. Perhaps another spot will be better.
Photo Exhibition 写真展
APRIL 6th – APRIL 14th 2013
11am – 7pm
Holidays – Wednesday and Thursday
The exhibition will close at 5pm on the 14th.
This is a photo exhibition of my photography (Robert Kodama) focusing on parts of everyday life in Japan that are often missed by tourists for they desire the bigger picture, or by residents for they are too familiar with their local environment.
Nevertheless, these two groups miss a lot of the local beauty in this country, and my aim is to show you a taste of what has been forgotten.
４月６日ー４月１４月２０１３年
１１時ー１９時
休日 水、木曜日
１４日は５時まで。
小玉ロバートの展覧会はツーリストとか、日本人でもあんまり気にしないところを見せたいと思います。日本はとてもきれいな国だと思うから、いろんな素晴らしいところを見せたい。よろしくお願いいたします。
FREE ENTRY
無料
There is also a book available to purchase online from the following bookstore:
http://www.blurb.co.uk/b/3983089-japan
Prices start at £9.99!
展覧会の本もありますので、もしよろしければ、ここをクリックして下さい。
http://www.blurb.co.uk/b/3983089-japan
本は1400円から買えます！
The book can be previewed at the exhibition place from today, or the first 15 pages on the online bookstore!
本を買う前に、されど・・・in Treehouse Bookstoreでも見えますし、上にあるリンクでも最初の１５ページも見えます！
LOCATION:
されど・・・in
Treehouse Bookstore
Hyogo-ken 兵庫県
Himeji-shi 姫路市
Honmachi 65 本町６５
Tel: 079-284-8844
http://www.robertkodama.wordpress.com/
Please invite anyone who you might think would be interested!
友達にも招待して下さい！
Thank you!
ありがとうございます。
Robert Kodama
小玉ロバート
I took a life-changing trip this month through S.E. Asia. I know it sounds like a posh brat taking a gap year before I start my degree at a Russell Group University, but unfortunately that stereotype has some truth to support it. The aim of the trip was to photograph local life, avoiding all major tourist spots. To do this, I needed the aid of locals and that’s where Couchsurfing came to the rescue. I was a Couchsurfing virgin until this month, and now my surfing desire has grown. Though the avoidance could not always be accomplished, I definitely feel that I have done what I aimed to do in my trip, with great thanks and appreciation to all that helped me throughout the three weeks I was abroad.
I had stayed at a friends’ apartment the night before in Osaka, Japan. Thankfully they lived one station away from the airport so I could make my early flight at 7am. I arrived at the airport a little flustered having finished work late the day before and leaving without much sleep. I planned to sleep on the plane, but that plan never follows through. Everything from there on was smooth and before I knew it, I was on the Peach Aviation flight to Taipei, Taiwan; arriving at 9:15am. I had contacted the Couchsurfer I was staying with the night before, and she had given me an address in Keelung, so the first step was to get to Keelung one way or another. My research into arriving at that station did not go to plan since I went to the THSR (Taiwan High Speed Rail) station by accident. The ticket officer told me that the only destination remotely close to where I was intending to go was Taipei. With much hesitation, I bought the ticket and figured there must be a way to Keelung from Taipei.
The city of Keelung should be pronounced Jīlóng according to current Mandarin pronunciation, and yet it is spelt in western letters as Keelung. No wonder the immigration officer had no idea where it was while I constantly repeated the name phonetically and told her it was just next to Taipei. It is a relatively large port town. The harbour was constructed when Taiwan was under Japanese rule in the early 1900s. Heavy bombing during the Pacific war destroyed the area but the city redeveloped quickly and now boasts as one of the biggest container harbour in the world.
I made it to Taipei and found that one could take a local train to my destination. I bought the ticket instantly and then proceeded to the platform where it took about 20 minutes before the train arrived. This must have been one of the most excruciating train journeys I have ever encountered, with speed being the main culprit. Cars were whizzing by; drivers barely touching their accelerators. Later that day, I actually learnt that buses were a lot quicker – a first I’m sure in any country I have been to. After what appeared to be tomorrow, the train rolled into the station like a ball being kicked by a foetus. I quickly exited the station in search for the 103 bus to the address I had written in Chinese. However, without a clear idea of where to get off the bus, I opted in for the taxi option – a rare personality trait of mine. I asked the driver how much it would cost to get to that address, and he replied “meter”. I understood this fact as most reputable taxis come with a meter but with the worry of him charging me extra, I proceeded again to ask how much it would cost roughly. He again replied “meter” twice, finger jabbing at his meter. I replied with a faint “OK” and started to close the door when this mere sight of rejection prompted the driver to start shouting “Around 200, 200!” He had understood me, the cheeky bastard! He got lost though, and kept asking people where the flats were. I’m sure this was a cheeky stunt to raise the fare a little and eventually he pointed at a tall building and said something in Chinese. Judging by the situation, I’m sure he meant that whatever he was pointing at was probably where the Couchsurfer lived so I went in that direction. Miraculously, with help from an elderly gentleman with a lift key, I had found the door. After a few rings, a girl appeared at the door having clearly just woken up.
Though I understood that people, including myself, could look different from their normal self after waking up, she looked considerably different to the pictures on the Couchsurfer’s profile. Either I had got the wrong door or this is exactly what people feel like after meeting the real person behind their online dating profiles. Nevertheless, I went with the only name I had. Thankfully, she knew who I was talking about and eventually I realised it was her roommate. Embarrassment averted, I sat down in her living room. Not only ten minutes later did the actual person behind the profile showed up, a little confused as to how I got in. Once we all settled down and I had some cornflakes, we decided on the next course of action. The roommate was going to take me on her death trap (scooter) and take me to the University and for a hike up a mountain. Having never ridden on a death trap before, I asked to go slowly. Bumps and turns were difficult to get used to, but I made it to the University in one piece. The hike was relatively short, and I got some half-decent photographs. The next step was to meet some of the roommate’s Taiwanese friends for a death trap ride up a mountain to a wonderful market. The views were absolutely stunning, but unfortunately I didn’t ask to stop to take pictures. I just wanted to take in the view and appreciate what I had in front of me. I forgot about the death trap and just stared into the beautiful nature before me. The colour green was the greenest green I have ever witnessed on mountains before. The rolling shapes of the mountains were beautiful thanks to nature herself. There is only one word to describe them and it has been used already: stunning. They made me try a variety of foods, and I tried to be open to them all. Everything I had was delicious, and it would have been unlikely for me to have consumed any of what I ate without meeting the Couchsurfer. I had to say no to the stinky tofu. I’m not a fan of tofu in it’s normal smell, but to have the word stinky added to it sounded like a vomiting nightmare lay ahead of it so I had to decline.
Soon after we arrived, night fell and we had to return to surprise a friend of theirs for her birthday. We did, but when I tried to explain that I flew all the way from England to surprise her, the birthday girl didn’t believe me. After a few drinks, and a score of 2,000,000 on the Xbox for dancing to Gangnam Style, it was time for bed.
Everbody I knew in Taiwan so far had to go to church as it was a Sunday, so I borrowed the Couchsurfer’s boyfriend’s missionary bicycle and set out to do a little touring of my own. I first went to the National Taiwan Democracy Hall and the surrounding areas. This was the first time I got into trouble with the police on this holiday. An officer of the law was shouting at me and waving his hands manically in one particular direction. I thought this to be rather strange, perhaps a mental disorder at most but then I realised that the direction probably meant that I was to move the bike off the premises or face getting arrested. This assumption was very likely to be correct too as I did not get arrested and he stopped shouting at me when I moved the bike. The area was large, and the building quite impressive. I took a few photos of the building and the National Theatre nearby, and set off.
I visited Da’an Forest Park and cycled around the area. It’s a nice park, somewhat alike to Central Park in New York. It’s an easy place to relax and wind down, which is exactly what I did. During my long sit at the park, staring at old people, I decided to look up and into the distance. I saw the 101 tower in the distance so I figured as long as I cycled in that direction, I would be able to make it. It was a lot easier than I had originally thought in terms of the direction I took; just a straight road. What was difficult was doing the cycling itself. Though it was not as difficult as the death trap, I had a hard time braking constantly due to people and cars coming out of nowhere. What should have been a straight shot turned into a lot of stopping and manoeuvering. The Chinese writing on the bike stating that I was a missionary combined with my slight Asian appearance must have helped me blend in a little, as one person began to talk in Chinese at a speed faster than the train. I assumed she was asking for directions, and I was tempted to just point to a vague area but the honest side of me left me with a slight shrug and a faint “sorry”. The look of shock and disgust could not have been more apparent in her face, and she walked off muttering what was probably a curse under her breath.
Taipei 101 is just a tall building to me and thus a little disappointing when I arrived. There are tall buildings in the UK, Japan and almost every other country I have been to so I decided to make a quick departure back to the park. It was nice to sit there for a while and relax in the shade, and soon enough it was 2pm. We all re-grouped and headed for lunch with some newbies I had yet to meet. We had some incredible pancake looking things and then a lot of ice cream at the end. During this talk, the girl I had just met suggested I visit the place where she lives; a romantic location for lovers all over Taipei. I couldn’t say no.
Tamsui (formerly Danshui) is a sea-side district in New Taipei City, easily accessible by the MTR. It is the home to three different Universities so the place must be filled with very clever people indeed. Though it was very close to the heart of Taipei, it was an incredibly cold place. We had to wait a long time for the city bus to take us to the romantic location, which somewhat relieved me as I thought the station was hardly that romantic. Though another person was to join us, she decided to cancel, leaving just the two of us. The bus journey took a long time, taking us through some run down areas and industrial places. I asked whether this was going in the right direction, wondering whether Taiwanese people thought rubbish and concrete were considered romantic but she assured me that we were going in the right direction and that I should just be patient. Eventually, I saw a bridge aptly named Lovers Bridge. We tried to cross the bridge in an orderly manner but the wind got the better of us. She guided me like any other tour guide would by telling me that we would be going to a walkway. It was dimly lit, possibly to create a sensual mood though it was just hard to see. Waves were crashing against the walkway, and the water combined with the wind was making us cold so we decided that walking in a different direction was appropriate. She had promised me romantic music and fireworks, and to be honest it is exactly what I got. Somewhat anyway. While we were walking, a man with a coloured disco ball started playing the saxophone to a midi CD recording. The music was cheesy enough to be romantic, and the disco ball did its best to mimic fireworks in the night sky. All of this was too romantic for the both of us and so we decided to get less romantic by heading to Starbucks, a very Taiwanese place indeed. What a romantic evening.
The following morning was time to say my goodbyes and head to the airport. I was flying to Manila, Philippines that day. My gift for every Couchsurfer during this trip was a handmade postcard sporting a photograph I took in Japan with a message on it, and the plan was to leave it for the Couchsurfer to discover once I had left. I put it on the bed I was sleeping on, closed the door and said goodbye.
Next – The Philippines.
It’s only three days until my tour of S.E. Asia. I’m trying to keep my options open to see what I wouldn’t normally see. I have also reached out to the couchsurfing community with great feedback and quite a few hosts which I am truly grateful for. This trip could be life-changing as it is the first time I will depend on meeting new people in new countries, taking their suggestions and connecting with real locals that have the same attitude of wanting to share knowledge and understand other people. It will also help me achieve one of the things I set out to do in my life – see and experience what most people wouldn’t.
I am excited and nervous at the same time. I will travel from point to point alone whilst meeting people everywhere I go. It truly is an exciting adventure.
Of course, I will take my camera with the aim of publishing a second book focusing on S.E. Asia and what people may not often see. If I get enough material, I am also planning to make a short film about the trip so keep your eyes peeled!
Recently, I keep getting flashes of my childhood. Not great flashes. They’re not particularly accurate in detail, but the underlying memory is prevalent. I figured times like these will occur; I knew after completing my degree.
Blogs are good for this. I was thinking about who to talk to purely because I wanted to just express this feeling. I couldn’t particularly place my finger on anyone. Part of the reason I guess is I don’t want to vocally express it. Typing this gives me the opportunity to let it out a little and keep some vagueness; a sense of abstractness if you will, from others.
It doesn’t make me feel very positive, which in turn is quite sad. I feel relaxed yet a little nervous. I sigh a lot. I suppose if I meet someone again whom I don’t push out despite wanting to keep hold of someone, it’ll be easier to vocalise.
Time will tell.
