Ratface

My 'little' brother wears green clothes for a living and recently spent six months in the middle of nowhere, out in somewhere quite sandy. To mark his return in rude health, his bosses decided that he and his friends needed to have things pinned on their jacket pockets by someone who was born into a superior position and whom we all honour and respect. Very much. Thankfully, he and his family are posted to Germany, 90 minutes from Kassel, and this meant that I was able to go and mark the occasion. Louisa, Mog and the biggest brother flew over, too, so picked them up from the airport and deposited us all in Herford. I'd been up to see Nick et al a few times, and the kids are very familiar. Uncles are ostensibly there for ... read more

This one is for friends in Westerwald, so will be in German. Guys I'd not seen for 15 years, but met up with at the pub and picked up with the same jokes, piss-taking and general daftness that I'd left off with. I think that's a sign of good friendship. Also, Westerwald...da gibt's Erinnerungen. Zwischen Schule und Uni, anderhalb herrliche Jahren mit guten Freunden, nicht so viele Verantwortung und eine Menge Spaß. Tagsüber habe ich als Handlanger gearbeitet und Abends und Wochenenden waren wir fast ständig auf Tour. Exotische Ziele: Herschbach, Montabaur und Koblenz!! Ich habe den Jungs fünfzehn Jahre lang nicht gesehen und wusste nicht ob die mich noch errinneren würden und noch treffen wollten wenn ich da auftauche. Na ja, habe ich den Alex angerufen, der freute sich sehr von mir was zu hören ... read more

Going back to Japan isn’t travelling any more, it’s going home, but I’m back on the ‘road’ again. I’m studying in Germany until probably the end of June, and that certainly merits blogs. Being in the Fatherland, especially for more than a few days, presents an interesting set of emotions. Not only does it allow me to make progress on my research and gain German insights into my topic area, but there’s a personal discovery side of things, too. Being here allows me to connect with the German part of myself that I rarely get the chance to ‘talk to’, and inhabit the world as something less English. It’s hard to explain, and I suppose those with mixed heritages can relate with this more than ‘pedigrees’. I suppose this is something my kids will have to ... read more

Mama's Food Rocks! Eating at home in Japan is my favourite thing in the country. It still amazes me how Japan on the surface — out on the street, at work, in social spaces — is highly formal, ritualised, and in this sense Japanese culture looks miles away from where we're 'from'. Of course you have the obvious external differences in the construction and visual arts in general, as well as the bowing, and public demeanours...but when you sit at home with family, meals are just raucus, irreverent, and the only real differences are the language and menu. It's a real shame that this is something that is inaccessible unless you do a home stay. the same goes for anywhere, but the contrast between external and internal seems more marked to me in Japan than elsewhere. ... read more

I've been away from this blogging business for over a year now, and am tentatively dipping my toes in the water again. Less words, more frequency- I don't have as much time/commitment as I used to! My first academic conference was brilliant in parts, but that's of no interest to the greater public- Berlin, though, should definitely be. I've been here a few times — including living here before the wall came down — and for my money it's the best city in Europe. It has a staggering presence in European history over the last few hundred years (obviously not all good), and has been triumphant, desolated, demolished, divided, isolated, reunited, refurbished and reinvented over that time. The vibe of the place is very positive, it's clean, massive but not daunting, busy not not cramped, and ... read more