We made it -- 100kms!!

THANK YOU all so very much for your awesome contributions in supporting us to do the Oxfam Trailwalker. We're so happy to report that we actually MADE ITTO THE END!!

But indeed, the 100km proved to be a pretty epic adventure...

I mean, we felt every single kilometre by the end of it. For me, it was something like, "walk till you can walk no longer...and then keep walking for about 60Ks." haha. The fact was there were many, many mountains to CLIMB (and descend) so it ended up being something of a psychological game of just keeping it all together.

Fortunately, our team of four (2 couples) comprised some very positive and spirited members, and the boys (Ben and Phil) both provided excellent support to us girlies Nicola and myself who had a tendency to moan and whimper that it was all a bit too bloody much - especially after the first 18hrs of solid hiking! And yes - I actually do admit to bursting into an emotional teary mess at about the 80km mark. BUt no, Ben didn't have to carry me at any point along the way. :))

We finished up the 100ks in around 39hrs with just 3 hrs sleep along the way...so by the time Saturday night rolled around we were in a state of exhausted ecstasy! Blisters, swollen ankles, mozzie bites, sunburn, chafing(!), and peg legs aside -- we were all in pretty decent shape as the smiles on our face can testify (see before and after pics!).

Ironically, we all missed the train on the Friday morning and rocked up to the starting line (via taxi from the train station b/c we were running so late!) just as the gun went off. While we were the last team to register, I think we finished up around half way down the 170 or so teams that participated. Basically, we were just so stoked to have actually made it to the end:)

Anyway -- have uploaded some more shots onto my happy-snappy gallery, so please check them out if you have time. www.flickr.com/photos/johdublog

We definitely recommend the experience: not sure if it's once in a lifetime or not...we might just be back for more and give the Oxfam NZ or Australia Trailwalkers a go next year!? You perhaps interested..? [Good luck to Tris and Sprotty for the Sydney Trailwalker!!]

Thank you once again for your terrific support. We raised well over our target -- I think close to A$4000 in total! (www.trailwalker.jp for info on how the money will be spent).

Calling for Support for Oxfam Trailwalker 100km

http://www.justgiving.com/johben100km

Dear Family and Friends!

Ben and Joh are taking part in the Oxfam Japan TRAILWALKER 2007.

The challenge is to complete a 100km trail across the mountains of southern Japan in 48 hours as a team of four (including our friends Nikki & Phil). We’ve got to start together, stick together and finish together.

Besides being physically demanding, Oxfam TRAILWALKER is also a fundraising challenge. Each team commits to raising at least 120,000 JPY (A$1200 or GBP 500 ) to help overcome poverty and suffering around the world.

For more information about Oxfam Japan’s poverty alleviation projects, please see http://english.oxfam.jp/emergency.html

We've been training really hard, and going on hikes at every available opportunity. Although it's going to be damn tough - perhaps the hardest thing we've ever done in our lives -- we're feeling pretty positive that we can do it:)

Many thanks in advance for your kind support!
Joh & Ben

  
BEN KEMP is from Taupo, New Zealand.
Once a relatively sporting soul, sadly that has all gone to custard.
These days, he jogs and plays a lot of guitar, but uses the expression
it's whats on the inside that counts as his crutch.
The 100kms will be a stiff challenge, but Ben will always be an optimist!

JOHANNA STRATTON is from Dubbo, Australia which is a very flat part of the
world. She has not climbed that many mountains in her 29 year old life, but
does have good memories of climbing Mt Fuji, not once but twice! She likes
to think she is much fitter than what she really is but her heart is in
the right place so surely that will get her to the end of this very long
100km trail!

Green Pedal Power

自転車が大好き！

After spending way too long taking 2 trains and a bus to university (ie. 55 minutes), I finally worked out that I didn't live as obscenely far from university as I'd originally thought. So I dusted off my bike (that lovely mountain goat that I'd saved up for for ages and finally bought in Vancouver in 2001, then brought with me to Japan), bought some lights & a helmut...and vrrooooom I'm been a local pedal pusher ever since. It's about 30 mins each way, so the bonus is I'm getting a bit of exercise without even realising it. The other good thing is that there's a bike path (ie. extra wide footpath) virtually the whole way down, so I don't notice the fumes that much.


Just found this snap of me in full bicycle mana (thanks to Megumi) so thought I'd whack it up here till I can post a few more snaps of my local Kugayama / Mitaka cycling environs to share with y'all.

International Buddies + the Filipino Mafia

Being at graduate school here in Japan has been pretty amazing for the sheer fact that I've had a chance to become good friends with people from so many countries, and in some cases -- it's the first time for me to properly get to know someone from that particular country.

This is especially the case for my Middle East Studies class --- as we represent Cambodia, Nepal, Lebanon, Georgia, Kyrgzstan, Syria, Thailand, Egypt and...boring old Australia. Ha ha -- just kidding.

Then in my Security and Conflict Resolution class we represent: Brazil, US, the Philippines, Mongolia, Japan, China, Zambia, Korea, Uzbekistan, Canada amongst others. So very multinational / multiethnic....with a diverse range of opinions to match.

I think it would be so fascinating if we could develop some kind of technology (or brain power!?) to enable to us to speak in any given language at anytime. So instead of us always speaking English in this kind of multi-ethnic setting...imagine if we all decided to speak Portuguese -- and then it was so! Hmmm....new innovations for the late 21st century perhaps!?

In each class however, the greatest make-up of students is usually from the Philippines...so here's a picture of me with my Filipina (and one Mongolian) sisters last week, celebrating Vivian's birthday. She has two little kids back in the Philippines who her mother is caring for, as well as a boyfriend in the Philippines Army. Wow!!

KIWIANA Live Music Night

KIA ORA!! Last night (Feb 12) was the KIWIANA event in Ebisu that Ben & I had been organising for me some time now -- and we're so happy to say that it went off really well, much to our relief!!

Over 100 lovely people came along (not bad on a Monday night we thought) and created a very warm and supportive atmosphere.

And we were extremely grateful to all the musicians and performers who gave their all last night: Sunset Drive, Kat McDowell, Uminari (Ben's band) and certainly the highlight for me was the Kapa Haka group "Nga Hau E Wha" -- who gave me the goosebumps with their beautiful Maori singing, dancing and overall presence. What a bunch of awesome People!!

Many thanks also to Aung Min, Ken, Rika & Akira who volunteered all night -- what champions! And muchos gracias to Maria for the funky flyer.

Oz + NZ Tour Poster for Ben

Maria has created another beautiful poster for us: this one is to promote Ben's shows in Australia & NZ starting at the end of this month.

Peace Boat Returns to Japan

The 55th Global Voyage of Peace Boat returned to Japan today after visiting some 22 ports of call including Okinawa, Seychelles, Kenya, Jordan, Malta, Brazil, Venezuala & Guatemala. It's going to be great to catch up with the crew again (Ken, Masae & others) and to hear about how it all went.

NHK World Radio - Burmese Program Interview

Today I went to Japan's national broadcaster radio station "NHK" to record an interview for the World Radio BURMA program. It was really good fun, and I made some great Burmese friends as a result!

It all came about when I received a random phonecall from freelance Burmese/ Japanese translator Ko Nge on Tuesday Feb 6th. We'd met at the Human Rights Now fundraising party last year, and he suggested that I be a guest interviewee because of my Burmese heritage and keen interest in Burmese issues and people.

So along I went and had a lively & lengthy conversation with Program Director Khin Aye Nge about all manner of things. It was pretty casual because it wasn't live to air. Not sure when it will be aired but I think it will be a Sunday in March...

Topics we discussed ranged from:
* my background and relationship to Japan and to Burma;
* mother's life in Burma and what she taught me about Burma;
* volunteer work teaching English to Burmese refugees/migrants in Australia & Japan;
* what is Peace Boat and what kind of activities they do;
* why has Peace Boat visited North Korea but not yet visited Burma;
* what were my experiences like when I visited Burma in 1999, and again in 2003;
* what kind of focus will my master's thesis have regarding Burma;
* what do I think of economic sanctions etc.

All in all, the interview included a good mix of the personal and the political. And at the end, I tried to send out a positive & encouraging message to the Burmese listeners (as apparently there are people both inside Burma and around the world who listen to this short wave international radio broadcast).

As a result of today's encounter, I felt an incredibly strong and desperate urge to learn Burmese. All I could manage to say was "Hello, my name is Johanna, and I cannot speak Burmese."
How pathetic!!

Hopefully I'll be able to say a whole lot more whenever the next opportunity pops up to speak to Burmese people like that. Resolution: buy Burmese textbook + audio tapes!!

Kimono Declaration

Massun (Masumi Matsumura) has made a Declaration like none other that you've heard before!!

She is planning to wear kimono every single day leading up to the Global Article 9 Conference on May 1st, 2008!!

While most women find wearing kimono extremely troublesome and exasperating, Massun adores the opportunity to bring forth the Kimono Revolution: she has fully mastered the art of dressing herself without assistance, and moreover she has no trouble at all riding a bicycle, sprinting up station stairs and looking elegant and composed at all times...in that highly restrictive traditional Japaense haute couture: 着物!!

So as Massun works with great dedication to save Japan's Peace Constitution from abolition by revisionist forces by taking on a key role in organising the upcoming international conference, she is also demonstrating her dedication to the cause of "holding on to what is precious and true" with her daily kimono exposition.

What do you think? I reckon she deserves a magazine front page!!

Quality time with good friends

What's lovelier than having a nice, slow lunch with close friends and hearing about what they've been up to. Introducing lovely Tokyo gals, Hanako Ise -- who's a freelance writer and author of three children's books such as "What is your treasure?" and "My world map", as well as my dear flatmate Ai Onodera -- fellow Peace Boat staff and event organiser extraordinaire! We caught up at Ben's Cafe in Takadanonbaba yesterday afternoon.

The three of us spent quality time together in 2003 when we were onboard Peace Boat's 43rd voyage...Ai and I shared a cabin together, and Hana & I used to chill out onboard the decks and talk about children's lives around the world.

Hana gave an inspirational talk to lots of young Japanese at the Peace Boat volunteer center yesterday afternoon about the wonderful experiences she's had while creating her books, with the help of lots of kids from around the world. In 2000, she travelled around the world and asked children from various countries to draw a picture of what is most precious to them. Then, in 2003 after the book had been published, she revisited the same children and delivered them the book that they had helped to create. What a beautiful project eh?

Black Hot T-shirts

Favourite designer, artist and painter in the whole wide world, María Antonia Pérez Mejía, has just completed a new T-shirt design for us. Beautiful silver graphics on black cotton --- and hopefully we'll have them made up (thanks to Tokyo Tees) before we fly to Sydney at the end of this month and begin Ben's Down Under tour. Check out the sneak preview here, and let me know which size you'd like!!

KIWIANA

Ben has an exciting show coming up on Feb 12th, and I'm helping to organise it. We came up with the name "KIWIANA" as the theme is New Zealand music, culture and beauty. Featuring 3 bands (Ben Kemp & Uminari; Kat McDowell; and Sunset Drive), as well as the Kapa Haka group based here in Japan, and VJ Underbelly , we're pretty sure it's going to be a fantastic night. Hope you can make it along too!

News Revolution

If Everyone Watches CNN, what does CNN watch?

Al Jazeera English is finally up and running as of the middle of this month...and I'd love to be able to tune in.

Why so exciting..? Well, it's the first time in history that we have a Middle East-based English news channel. Interestingly, the news management and broadcasting centers rotate from one office to the next eg. Kuala Lumpar, Doha, London, Washington, although it is headquartered in Qatar.

What this means is that we no longer need to be held captive (with sometimes fairly uncaptivating news!) by the Western dominant players like CNN International , BBC World, NBC etc. which for too long have set a corporate news agenda for the world.

The annoying thing is that it doesn't seem like we'll be able to receive the broadcast here in Japan. According to the How to Watch Al Jazeera in English information on the website, you can pick it up in Uganda and Estonia...but you can't get it in China, Korea or Japan. Hopefully things will change. We'll have to start a petition or something! At least it's possible to watch it online though the quality is low and you need to get a subscription...

I was surprised to find out that there is a website / group called "Friends of Al Jazeera"
Here was one of the reasons given for being a friend of AJ:

AlJazeera is an anomaly. It's the first media company from the "third world" to break into the mainstream. It's an independent voice representing the other. Nearly every other major media outlet is speaking on behalf of the West. AlJazeera is a case of "the empire writing back". AlJazeera is the first significant challenge to Western hegemony and its monopoly on the truth. AlJazeera has given a voice to the voiceless.

auughhh - Essay writers block!

Have done 1 presentation, 2 exams and written 3 essays in the last week and now I've just got this one little nut left....and it's bloody killing me!!

Why so hard?

I don't know...I've done all the research and compiled the relevant bits and now it's just about lining up those 4000 golden words.

I think it's because this subject is for "international Economy" and perhaps I have a serious phobia of sorts regarding economics. Am trying to write about Japan's military expenditure + the 1% GNP cap and various implications on political/economic level but err, the prose just aint flowin!

It's 2am on Sunday night...just want to get some sleep. Raining outside. Perrrfect sleeping weather.

Oyasumi. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

No...I should really Gambaru all night till I punch this one out. It's due.

It's BABY fever!

I'm currently living with two close friends Ai & Daigo...who are about to get married in December. Not only that, but they're about to have a wee baby -- in May -- just 6 months away! So it's a very exciting time and we're full of talk about pregnancy, morning sickness, parenthood and bubbas. Infact, ever since they announced Ai being pregnant (about 2 weeks after we all moved in together;)) to our utter surprise!), I haven't been able to stop looking at little babies in the street, on the train etc. Just imagining what it's going to be like to live together with one, and looking after one. Scary -- but of course very exciting! Even though it won't be my own personal experience, it's the next closest thing to it I suppose.

And not just Ai & Daigo...there suddenly seem to be friends who've become expectant parents all around us...in fact so many so that we can basically call it a mini-baby boom! Akane & Rachel from Peace Boat are both due in March; Ben's sister Anna is having her 5th baby mid-next year; our friends Paul & Jin Hi here in Tokyo are expecting their 2nd one in May; Althea is preggaz in Sydney and due in May too. WOW! Eeeek!!

And to announce some recent births: Maria & Yves had Niko in Lausanne, Nicole and Yong had Adrienne in New York, and Joel & Mayu had Hannah here in Tokyo. Are there any that I've missed..?

So in honour of all these beautiful bubbas and beautiful parents, I have to post a few beautiful snaps of you all! XOX

Bubbas Galore

Maria with little Niko

Ai's belly at 15 weeks

Joel & 2 month old Hannah

The Road to Guantanamo

Meeting Rual & Shafiq
(from the "Tipton Three")
January 12 & 13, 2007

I haven't had a chance to do a proper write-up about meeting with Ruhal Ahmed and Shafiq Rasul here in Tokyo over January 12 & 13...so will mention it quickly here. They came to promote the film and to talk about their experiences in Guantanamo, as well as to generate awareness about the issues here in Japan. In terms of their goals, they said "we'll keep working and speaking out until that Base is closed down."

I helped out as part of Human Rights Now's co-sponsoring of their visit, by interpreting from Japanese into English during a public panel discussion (mind you, I was assisting a professional interpreter, but was having a pretty damn hard time of it).

Those guys have emerged from a hellish experience with an enormously strengthened spirit and a deeper commitment to their faith, their families and to a sense of justice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

10 November, 2006

Yesterday in my Middle East Studies class I watched the new film by Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross called "The Road To Guantanamo".

Despite having already seen some images in the media of the orange-suited detainees in Guantanamo Bay, and always maintaining the position that the US government was guilty of committing extreme human rights violations, watching this film made the grim reality of it all hit home hard!

Being part-documentary and part-dramatization, the experience of the “Tipson Three” - the three young Pakistan-English guys from the British town of Tipson, (and all the other characters for that matter) was really convincingly portrayed. There was no part of the story-telling that even prompted any doubt or suspicion in my mind as to its veracity. And accordingly, I felt like I was suddenly being exposed to a fresh perspective. One that never reaches the mainstream audience, for it is simply too shocking, too appalling and too anti-government to make ordinary headlines.

Thank god for documentaries such as this. Let’s just hope that it’s being widely viewed around the world. I plan to make sure that as many of my friends and acquaintances take the opportunity to watch this film as possible. Amnesty International Japan, Human Rights Now and film distribution company The Klock Worx are screening the film in Tokyo on 13 January 2007, and bringing out the three British men for a speaking tour of Japan. Stay tuned!

Like hearing a very personal testimony of a survivor, this film made me squirm; feel incredulous, deeply sad at the level of suffering, and also contempt for the perpetrators. Most of all, it made me ask the obvious: How does humanity devolve to such a low level that we can behave like this to our fellow humans?

Well, academically-speaking I can understand that it’s all about the “de-humanizing” and “de-personalizing” that takes place in the minds of those who engage in warfare (in the broad sense of the word – ie., including the “war on terror’). All justified in the name of national security, public safety, justice and democracy and the civilized world and so forth. But beyond the plethora of justifications for acts of torture, need we believe that the capacity to behave in an extremely violent and immoral way is within all of us? If that were so, it would surely be a tragic truth.

Having made that strong assertion, I am keen to study the issue of torture and political prisoners in more depth by looking at historical cases from around the world. With all the political and moral implications, torture does seem to be a very current and relevant problem of our time, especially considering its global nature.

I’ve been reading the book “Torture: A Human Rights Perspective” edited by Kenneth Roth and Minky Warden, which talks about how the US position has undermined the global prohibition on torture.

I’ve also been reading testimonies of former Burmese political prisoners who are also torture survivors. Check out the website for the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) for more information on what's taking place inside Burma.

Back to the Blog!

After a long (Aussie) winter slumber from blogging, I'm back online and hope to be hit with a few spells of automatic writing to make up for all those blogless months!

I'm currently back in Tokyo and just starting my third month of graduate studies at ICU on what's known as a "Rotary World Peace Fellowship".

ICU is one of 6 Rotary Peace Centers around the world, and here in Japan there are 9 of us from the Netherlands, Zambia, Thailand, USA, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Mexico and Australia, who enrolled in the masters program on peace and conflict studies (via a MA in Public Administration).


Being back at university and studying full-time without having to be too worried about a regular income flow is a damn nice privilege, and I feel really lucky to be where I am just now. While I'm studying a range of subjects (including Conflict in the Middle-East; NE Asian Political Economy; Peace Studies; Public Administration; Philosophies on Peace + two Japanese classes), I'm looking to focus my research efforts in the second year on Burma. More specifically, the role of women in civil society and the contribution they are making to the democracy movement, as well as the application of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on "Women, Peace and Security" to Burma.

Well, there's plenty more ideas in my head about other approaches to take on Burma (eg. IDPs & refugees; corruption; sexual violence; ASEAN; corporate accountability for armed conflict etc etc) so how to start refining my ideas? I guess I need to start talking to more activists in the field about what kind of topic would be most useful and valuable to them, as well as something that is academically purposeful.

Right now though -- I'm spending this weekend writing essays to hand in later this month. Autumn term finishes for me on November 18. Topics so far: Analysis on Japan's defense budget; Gandhi's Hind Swaraj and contemporary interpretations; and something about Co-optation and local participation perhaps..? Hmm. Still have to find something fascinating to write about in Public Administration -- which has so far been a rather dry and uninspiring subject. But I realise it has so much potential!!

Other news is that I'm doing some work for a new Japanese NGO called Human Rights Now. This organization was established just a few months ago by a group of activist lawyers, journalists, academics etc and there are plenty of very enthusiastic people involved -- including a growing number of volunteers -- to help ensure that it gets off to a very solid start. So far I've been involved with editing a position paper on the Khmer Rouge Trials (Phnong Phemn, Cambodia), translating for the English website, and researching for the ODA project team for upcoming NGO-governmental consultations.

My Friend Kumar the Dude

Kumar Christopher Lewis
11 April 1975
- 16 March 2006
www.kumarlewis.com

The rhythm of your soul will beat in us forever more.

We can't even begin to comprehend why this has happened. That such a peaceful person with a love for life as vibrant as yours has met death so prematurely and in such a senseless way.

Maybe there are no answers. There are so many more questions than answers...Perhaps finding answers is a journey that would take us beyond the horizon.

Kumar - your energy and passion has always inspired me. I admire so much your dedication; to wanting to get things right and make a real go of it. Thank you for teaching me about working together - hand in hand with all partners.

You know I still remember the very first conversation we ever had. You rang up the office from California and I answered the phone - with an image of you being an Indian guy with a thick Cali accent. Yeah - I know you get that a lot. Even back then - probably summer 2003 - I could feel your zest for life and enthusiasm - it was really contagious - and I recall feeling super hyped after talking with you.

I love this photo of you. Playing djembe onboard the ship and totally lost in the moment. Digging the vibes and giving the music all your soul.

May you only know peacefulness now. You deserve to be in the most beautiful place, and feeling nothing but sheer happiness. I know you are there now.

March 5, 2006 Celebrating the end of a successful meeting

After-hours Conferencing in Seoul