Japanese Anime Movies

Hi up on my list of good movies are Hayao Miyazaki's anime (animated) classics:

Princess Mononoke - Monoke no Hime (1997)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119698/

My Neighbor Totoro - Tonari no Totoro (1988)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096283/

Spirited Away - Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245429/

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind - Kaze no tani no Naushika (1984)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087544/

Laputra, Castle in the Sky - Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta (1986)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092067/

Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro - Rupan sansei: Kariosutoro no shiro (1979)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079833/

Kiki's Delivery Service - Majo no takkyûbin (1989)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097814/

Porco Rosso - Kurenai no buta (1992)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104652/

Howl's Moving Castle - Hauru no ugoku shiro (2004)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0347149/

Just thought I'd post this so I don't lose it :)

Heaven in Nozawa Onsen Mura

Well as usual I've neglected the blog way too much. It's more like some ancient archive for which I might get some kind of memory jog from when I'm old n grey .. hang on .. I *am* old and grey.. !

Well the latest thing to add grey to my scalp was a near all nighter atmy favourite watering hole:
Bar Heaven
A local DJ turned up and kept us bouncing for several hours.
And next Sunday more of the same!  :)

Japan by Train

If you happen to be heading to Hokkaido for the snow but also spending time on the mainland, and would like to see some of it while in transit, then the sleeper trains are well worth considering:

About Japan has some info

Here's Japan Rail's site.
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Onsen's are cool... Dosojin's HOT!

Ok, so actually they are hot, often too hot until you learn to steel yourself to just diving straight in and NOT moving. On doing this, if you haven't scalded yourself into unconsciousness you will find you can bear it for some time before your inner temperature actually demands you get out. At which time you should probably crawl out and stay seated for a bit in case you are in danger of feinting. It's not the best place to feint. Aside from being found in a compromising position, and totally naked at that, the area around an Onsen is usually bereft of soft items that could nicely break your fall.

So I went down to the local Onsen for my usual luxurious layabout in the steaming waters, everything was just swell. Had my wash, got in quick and lay back with my head on the edge of the tub, then raised my eyes to the window sill above the tub to see a set of teeth smiling back at me!

Ok so some old fella has left in such a rush that he's forgotten his food processors, all good despite trying not to think about them having probably been found IN the tub I am also in.

Things turned more interesting though when I later heard that a old man had passed away in the same Onsen about a week before! Someone had found him face down doing the "I'm asleep on the space shuttle (arms akimbo)" type pose. So it's now I realise that those teeth had probably fallen out of his mouth and the paramedics or whomever comes to retrieve found-in-onsen-bodies failed to notice his lack of grinders and left without them!

They've since gone, either to that place where grinders go or maybe just some other old fella's mouth. Needless to say the Onsen was promptly emptied out and allowed to refill with fresh water, which I believe they probably to weekly if not daily anyway, being as preoccupied with cleanliness as this country is.

Lots of nice snowfall lately with gorgeous bouts of sun in blue skies under which to enjoy it.
Which brings me to my shameless plug for the current employer:

We have some rooms available in Nozawa from now till Jan 21, to cover the period of the Dosojin Fire Festival in Nozawa, Nagano!

one of three biggest Japanese festivals, and designated as a Japanese"important intangible cultural property"

Got an interest? Jump on our site and get cracking! There's no time to lose, this festival is crazy and certainly one-of-a-kind as the young (at ground level) and old (on the tier above) try to defend the sacrament from being burnt to the ground!
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