A Changing Perspective... Night Out in Susukino

15th October 2006 - T-chan and I had organised a night out with her best friend, T2-chan. We caught up for dinner and then Karaoke at one of the many places around Susukino. This is where we feel most relaxed...


On the way back, we decided to be a little adventurous and try the Ferris Wheel at Norbesa building. This is not an uncommon sight in Japan these days, giant ferris wheels sticking out of buildings. This Ferris Wheel has a name, Noria (who knows what one should name Ferris Wheels!). It stands about 78m above the ground - starting on top of at 7 storey building. The cost is about 600 yen (the image here is once again from good ol' Street View).

The strangest thing about pregnancy is just how many really strange things there are about pregnancy. You'd think we'd know it all with all of the information available to us... but we weren't prepared for this one. After all three of us had boarded the Ferris Wheel, and within seconds of it starting to move - T-chan freaked out. I mean, literally went into a massive panic attack. The smile below was somewhat forced. It's a bit hard to feel the moment when your wife is digging her nails into your flesh. T-chan is not good with heights, but somehow the pregnancy had brought with it a whole new level of fear.

My expression here, about 6 mins later, was one of relief and tiredness. T-chan was by this time completely over her panic attack, and was now feeling on top of the world. I was feeling just a little stressed.

They don't tell you about these sorts of reactions... and I guess it's different for everyone. We haven't been on a Ferris Wheel since then, and I have to admit that I try to avoid them myself these days. Bad association?... I would recommend doing this (especially at night) - but perhaps you should pass if newly pregnant.

It was clear from tonight that our life really had changed, in even the most basic of ways...including our fears. Undoubtedly hormones have a big part to play - but I suspect that this was Nature telling us that our perspective had to change. One way or another.

Another Night Out in Suskino... Single Friends

10th Jan, 2005 - T-chan and I head off once more into Sapporo to meet up with another of T-chan's High School friends, S-chan. The subway's a great way to get around in Sapporo, there being three lines, the Tōhō, Tōzai and the Namboku lines which are coloured blue, orange and green respectively. Fares to the city are around 200-250 yen, but it's best to get a mult-fare (you make a very small saving when you buy a 2000 yen ticket). It actually takes longer to get to the city by the subway than it does with the train - but the big advantage is that the subway comes out directly under Odori, and it's just a hop-skip and jump then to Suskino for eating out.


T-chan has four close friends that she's had since high school, T2-chan (I've told a little about her before), S-chan (below), M-chan, and U-chan (I'll tell her story shortly). The last three were her friends in baton-twirling class of all things! It always made me chuckle that I was going out with a Japanese Cheer-leader!


Unlike T2-chan, S-chan doesn't really speak any English, so it's down to my poor Japanese to communicate (when T-chan's not there to translate). I always wondered what they really thought of T-chan going out with (and marrying) a strange gaigokujin (foreigner).


It's a little strange, but S-chan used to work in night-clubs in Suskino (not necessarily a great job). It's hard for me to picture her working at night... what's the attraction? Is it the money, or is it the life-style?

Of all her main friends, T-chan's the only one who's married. And she had to go to Australia to do it! Seriously, there's definitely something strange going on in Japan... Actually (on a slight change of topic)... it was around 2005-2007 that Japan's population peaked, and is indeed now shrinking. One of the downsides of having such a long life expectancy! That, and a population of men that don't want to settle down and have children.

 It's hard however for T-chan to really feel connected, despite the advances of email, messenger, skype - and blogs. It's not easy to share your life as a series of 1's and 0's being transmitted across the world. I'm glad that she can still re-connect when she goes back to Sapporo.