OK, so it's departure time eventually. In a few hours I will jump on a plane (two, in fact) and will arrive in hometown somewhat like 20 hours later. The weather today is awful, rainy, windy, overcast, just what is needed to say hello...
The past couple of days have not been particularly noticeable. I spent a good part of thursday in the lab with mr. Sato. He was very good in showing me all the sequence of operations in the clean room and in the microscopy lab, I think I gave him a couple of interesting suggestions. To summarize, the scientific part of the trip has been great: I met a few very interesting people, attended two workshops, arranged a short-term program for the new student, wrote two projects, finished writing two papers, and more.
Then I went for some sightseeing and shopping for presents. Yesterday I spent a good half of the day in Roppongi, including the fantastic National Art Center, probably one of the most fantastic pieces of architecture of the past decade. Then the Tokyo Midtown and again the Mori Tower. I ended my Tokyo meanderings with a last stroll at the National Museum in Ueno park and the Ameyayocho market.
I had an interesting farewell conversation with the thin man, mr. Yamada, who made a complex calculation, pushed a quantity of buttons on a display, made a couple of blind phone calls, to announce me that I had to pay the astounding sum of 234 Yen (euro 1,86) for the telephone in my room. Then, we went on talking about cameras (he spotted my FA), he is a Nikon lover too, and was happy to spend a few minutes talking about film photography.
Before leaving, I wish to drop here a few funny videos about some not-to-miss Japanese TV shows (there are too many indeed):
The Hole in the Wall (a.k.a. The Human Tetris)
The Terrible Punishment Show
Playing the Wii-Fit with a maid in a Maid-café
and a few videos from stippy.com, a funny website run by gaijiin living in Japan since so many years, that they may know some aspects of Japan even better than many Japanese:
Why people don't wear bicycle helments, in this well-organized country?
Magic hands, every train station has one
Zebra crossings, the only case in which Japanese like to break rules
The (angry) bicycle valets, they are everywhere
The mysterious orange balls, the safest (?) device against thiefs
Bye bye :))
Saturday 14 March 2009
Wednesday 11 March 2009
walking around
I am on the point of packing up to leave back to Lille, therefore my mind is already starting to set out for departure. On the other hand, my collaborators D. and H. are both away from Tokyo for the week, so I am left here with the weird student Sato who doesn't speak english.
It's not funny. We spend all the time looking at each other and trying to communicate by sign language, like two monkeys. For example, yesterday I was in Yokohama to visit some people at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. When I came back in the afternoon, I found an e-mail by mr. Sato, who wanted to check some details of his work program. His mail began like this: Dear professor C., this is the summary of yesterday conversation. If my reputation is wrong, please correct it.
It is not his reputation to be wrong. It is his english.
Therefore, since I am sad for the imminent departure, and today the spring sun was shining eventually, I took a half day off.
Part of my afternoon was spent in a visit at a forgotten, little museum in Shirokanedai, the Hatakeyama Museum of Fine Art. This is a very special place, around Shinagawa subway station, where there are no tourists (the stupid Lonely Planet doesn't even mention it). The Museum is surrounded by a wonderful japanese garden, with small wooden cabins and two distinct tea houses. The building, in traditional style, is extremely pleasant to llok at and to walk in. Obviously you take off your shoes at the entrance, while a gentle attendant offers you slippers of the right size, and when you are inside that place it seems just impossible that just a few hundred meters away there is that crazy world made of concrete, steel, cars, cables, and the internet. This lovely little museum is a haven of peace and quiet. It hosts a notable collection of pottery, tea ware, utensils, calligraphy, and a few paintings, and while the collection amounts to more than 1,500 pieces, only a few items are on display every season. I would say in this moment there were just about 20 pottery items, 6 or 7 paintings and calligraphy examples, and a few wooden utensils. A true monument to rigor and zen economy of thought! And for just 400Y extra, I could kneel down in the tea house built at the upper floor, and have green matcha and cookies served by an attendant, who seemed to be an experienced tea master.
For the rest of the afternoon I just decided to walk around. I started from Gotanda subway station, and walked to Ebisu. Visited again the Good Day Bookstore looking for my friend Steve and his whisky, but he wasn't there (the other guy from the store was not as friendly). Then I walked back to Shibuya. And then I took on to Meiji dori, and walked up to Jingumae. Since you probably don't know, it's more than 10km walk. I wanted to absorb the atmosphere of the city, stop in some beautiful places (I spent about 20' drawing furniture on my travel booklet at the Cassina IXC Expo store), or funny places (such as that fashionista that sells any kind of printed t-shirts). I wanted to impress things and lights and colors in my memory.
Then I went for dinner to another okonomiyaki place, only to discover that the first one was better. However, this one was not bad either, and moreover I could sit at the bar stools, since I was alone. It was a spectacular lesson in japanese cuisine! I watched for about an hour the cooks preparing the many variations on the theme of eggs, vegetables, meat and fish, stealing recipes, secrets, and tricks of the trade. I took four pages of notes and careful drawings of the cooking techniques, on my booklet, check this out!
highlight of the day: the very intellectual fishermen in Ebisu.
Music for your fish. I already wrote here that wherever you go in Tokyo you can listen to jingles. When you stop at the redlights, you are greeted by a brief music, that changes into something more alert when it's your turn to cross the street. When you enter a public toilet in a shopping mall or in a hotel, there is invariably a kindergarten lullaby to treat your tired ears while you attend to your physiological needs. The most annoying jingles are those in big chain stores, like Bic Camera or Sofmap, which are conceived to stamp their presence in your head long after you are gone. So, this afternoon I was absolutely surprised when I entered a little fish market in Ebisu. I was firstly attracted by the glass window display, where I saw many varieties of dried fish which I didn't know. I walked in, and store after store, there was this gentle music coming from the ceiling speakers... it was one of the sonatas for flute and orchestra by Bach! What a funny and unthinkable contrast! All those weary fishermen and their women, handling racks of shrimps and mackerels, at the rhythm of Bach's baroque music. I could imagine the fat woman with eyeglasses at the first shop dancing gently her minuetto, while wrapping a pink halibut. It was amazing, to think of such music, written four centuries ago in the heart of old Europe and intended to a court of noble aristocrats, being now happily played in a fish market in the farmost Asia, to accompany the choice of your food!
It's not funny. We spend all the time looking at each other and trying to communicate by sign language, like two monkeys. For example, yesterday I was in Yokohama to visit some people at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. When I came back in the afternoon, I found an e-mail by mr. Sato, who wanted to check some details of his work program. His mail began like this: Dear professor C., this is the summary of yesterday conversation. If my reputation is wrong, please correct it.
It is not his reputation to be wrong. It is his english.
Therefore, since I am sad for the imminent departure, and today the spring sun was shining eventually, I took a half day off.
Part of my afternoon was spent in a visit at a forgotten, little museum in Shirokanedai, the Hatakeyama Museum of Fine Art. This is a very special place, around Shinagawa subway station, where there are no tourists (the stupid Lonely Planet doesn't even mention it). The Museum is surrounded by a wonderful japanese garden, with small wooden cabins and two distinct tea houses. The building, in traditional style, is extremely pleasant to llok at and to walk in. Obviously you take off your shoes at the entrance, while a gentle attendant offers you slippers of the right size, and when you are inside that place it seems just impossible that just a few hundred meters away there is that crazy world made of concrete, steel, cars, cables, and the internet. This lovely little museum is a haven of peace and quiet. It hosts a notable collection of pottery, tea ware, utensils, calligraphy, and a few paintings, and while the collection amounts to more than 1,500 pieces, only a few items are on display every season. I would say in this moment there were just about 20 pottery items, 6 or 7 paintings and calligraphy examples, and a few wooden utensils. A true monument to rigor and zen economy of thought! And for just 400Y extra, I could kneel down in the tea house built at the upper floor, and have green matcha and cookies served by an attendant, who seemed to be an experienced tea master.
For the rest of the afternoon I just decided to walk around. I started from Gotanda subway station, and walked to Ebisu. Visited again the Good Day Bookstore looking for my friend Steve and his whisky, but he wasn't there (the other guy from the store was not as friendly). Then I walked back to Shibuya. And then I took on to Meiji dori, and walked up to Jingumae. Since you probably don't know, it's more than 10km walk. I wanted to absorb the atmosphere of the city, stop in some beautiful places (I spent about 20' drawing furniture on my travel booklet at the Cassina IXC Expo store), or funny places (such as that fashionista that sells any kind of printed t-shirts). I wanted to impress things and lights and colors in my memory.
Then I went for dinner to another okonomiyaki place, only to discover that the first one was better. However, this one was not bad either, and moreover I could sit at the bar stools, since I was alone. It was a spectacular lesson in japanese cuisine! I watched for about an hour the cooks preparing the many variations on the theme of eggs, vegetables, meat and fish, stealing recipes, secrets, and tricks of the trade. I took four pages of notes and careful drawings of the cooking techniques, on my booklet, check this out!
highlight of the day: the very intellectual fishermen in Ebisu.
Music for your fish. I already wrote here that wherever you go in Tokyo you can listen to jingles. When you stop at the redlights, you are greeted by a brief music, that changes into something more alert when it's your turn to cross the street. When you enter a public toilet in a shopping mall or in a hotel, there is invariably a kindergarten lullaby to treat your tired ears while you attend to your physiological needs. The most annoying jingles are those in big chain stores, like Bic Camera or Sofmap, which are conceived to stamp their presence in your head long after you are gone. So, this afternoon I was absolutely surprised when I entered a little fish market in Ebisu. I was firstly attracted by the glass window display, where I saw many varieties of dried fish which I didn't know. I walked in, and store after store, there was this gentle music coming from the ceiling speakers... it was one of the sonatas for flute and orchestra by Bach! What a funny and unthinkable contrast! All those weary fishermen and their women, handling racks of shrimps and mackerels, at the rhythm of Bach's baroque music. I could imagine the fat woman with eyeglasses at the first shop dancing gently her minuetto, while wrapping a pink halibut. It was amazing, to think of such music, written four centuries ago in the heart of old Europe and intended to a court of noble aristocrats, being now happily played in a fish market in the farmost Asia, to accompany the choice of your food!
Monday 9 March 2009
over the top
After the funky night of yesterday, the rest of the weekend had to be necessarily soft-toned. However, not quite relaxing. It was all walk, walk, walk. I met M. at the Ginza crossing in the early afternoon. They hadn't read my e-mail, so C. was totally desperate about her "lost" computer... When I told M. that I had it in my backpack she screamed with joy! C. joined us some time later, at the Shinbashi station, to pick it up. She couldn't believe I had it (in fact, when I first saw her I told her "I don't have it, it was a joke!" and she almost fainted...).
Then the last half of saturday started (the night before had trailed so much that I thought it would have been monday already). This time we did building-spotting. We started from the Mitsui Garden Hotel, a strange one, the main lobby is at the 16th floor. You take the elevator all the way up, and while other people are checking in you can watch the waterfront and skyscrapers from high above.
After that, we took the automatic Yurikamome train to Odaiba island. This is a futuristic dream of a place, built in the late XIX century as a defense, and transformed twenty years ago in an entertainment park (see below, highlight of the day). However, the sight of Tokyo's skyline slowly lighting up while the sunlight goes down, is not to be missed. Try to sit at one of the restaurants with terrace view, around sunset, and watch the night taking ahold of the City, which replies by lighting up like a humongous lunapark!
After the dinner with lights, we went back to Shinbashi, and climbed the Caretta Shiodome. Not exactly climbed, rather we were shot like bullets inside the fantastic elevator, all in glass and lighted up in colours, from which one can see the city as if taking off in a helicopter. The feeling of the final brake is just amazing, it makes you feel like being thrown up from the bowels of the skyscraper, flying over in the streets of Ginza!
That was it for the night, but the building-spotting had been contagious...
The day after, sunday, I had a walk by myself around Harajuku, trying to steal some photos of the cosplayers. I got a few ones, but no much luck since it was a gloomy day, waiting for the rain (which happily didn't come). Then I strolled on Omotesando, spending about 7,000 Yen at Kiddyland (...) But I couldn't resist, and I kept going building-spotting again. I went first to the Mori Tower in Roppongi. I climbed all the way up to the 47th floor, which hosts the Mori Arts Center. However, they had on display an exhibition that didn't appeal to me, so I didn't pay the fee and went back down, ground level.
Next, I headed for the Imperial Hotel, in the hope of finding some of the magical spirit of Frank Lloyd Wright still wafting around. But it was a delusion. The new Imperial Hotel has nothing of the lightness and elegance of the old one, it is just a titanic assembly of huge brick and stone parallelepipeds. And the Tower is not accessible, moreover. But I went inside, to see if at least the interior was worth, and in fact some spirit of the great architect is still lingering around, mostly in the decoration.
The Imperial Hotel is mostly a high-prized wedding factory, where one can find everything, from the wedding presents, to the bowtie for the best man. The price of the wedding rooms runs from a 'Cozy Style' option, 420,000Y for six guests, to the 'Baccarat' option, 3,350,000Y for 50 guests (multiply the figures according to the number of invitations).
Notably, I had to pee. So I slipped stealthily to the mezzanine floor, where two separate wedding receptions were going on, all crammed with elegantly dressed people, with many women in traditional kimonos etc. Pretending to be part of the party, I headed to the men's room. Nobody protested. But the best was when I entered the toilet. Lulled by the gentle sound of one of the thousand jingles that you hear everywhere in Tokyo (this one was a joyful music for harp and clarinet), I sat on the heated seat and could get lost in my thoughts. This electronic toilet had a fully controlled apparatus providing air and water jets, with all possible inclinations, pressure and temperature. Now, that a private Hotel may leave free access to 'guests' from the street to use their facilities is already a sign of great civilization. But that it should offer even a bidet, and a full choice of soap types, including an antibacterial (perfumed) alcohol, that exceeds expectations. This is what I call a service, indeed.
And eventually, I went back to the Caretta Shiodome. It was late sunday, about 8PM, so very few people were around. I jumped inside an elevator, and started going up and down and up and down, not less than three times! As soon as I reached the top or bottom floor, I pushed the '><' (close doors) sign, to leave out any hecklers of my private pastime. It was just like going on a rollercoaster, but with the spectacular view of the Ginza skyline below!
highlight of the day: the Joypolis, Aquacity and Venus Fort at Odaiba island, a japanese girls' paradise.
How to turn your date into a wife. The Odaiba island has all that is needed to fulfil a girls' dream of marriage. The island is connected to the city by the Rainbow Bridge (called in japanese with just the english name, Reinbō Burijji !). The whole place is a family resort, loaded with shopping malls, parks, kids' attractions, game halls and restaurants, but with a definite inclination toward cheesy and kitschy romantism. There is a fake beach, a fake Liberty Statue, fake pizza (not bad!), a fake wedding chapel (but with a real bronze bell) and a "priest" (just as fake, and preferably blond Caucasian) who conducts the wedding ceremonies. It is the Partire - Tokyo Bay Wedding Village. Wedding is a big business in Japan and Japanese like to marry Western style! The village, with fake european houses, offers everything for a memorable wedding: bridal shops, party planning, menus, honeymoons. Not far away, the Venus Fort is an elaborate Venice-themed, womens-only shopping mall, complete with marble fountains, artificial sunsets every 30 minutes, and an "Italian mayor" reading out speeches from a balcony. All shops are geared for women, and generally quite expensive, but the fake decoration is stunning. But the really weird thing is that young couples come here, usually on their first date, to start dreaming their love dreams. Now, who would take out a girl on a first date to an entertainment park ?? For the shy japanese boys and girls, the prospective of going out for a date, and not being forced to speak or even look at your partner, is probably the ideal situation. Playing innocent boardgames, taking fresh pictures inside a colour-lighted heart, or walking under the Liberty Statue (public displays of affection are unlikely in Japan, however you will see some couples hand in hand) paves the way to a happy couple, and for those interested, they can start organizing the wedding party well in advance.
But just how shy the japanese youngsters can be, when it comes to approaching the other sex ? (I am writing in very general terms, of course! hope no japanese get offended.) Listen to this. A couple of years ago a DVD called Miteiru dake (Just Looking) came out. It featured various talent/models just staring straight ahead. That’s right, the models on the DVD did very little, other than stare straight into the camera. According to the website, the idea is to get young males who aren’t used to socializing with women, to become more accustomed to making eye contact and/or handle the fact that a sentient being sits across from them, and awaits interaction. The DVD hoped to cure those afflicted with shyness, so that they may rejoin society. In the meantime, japanese girls go dream their dreams (and empty their wallet) at Venus Fort.
Then the last half of saturday started (the night before had trailed so much that I thought it would have been monday already). This time we did building-spotting. We started from the Mitsui Garden Hotel, a strange one, the main lobby is at the 16th floor. You take the elevator all the way up, and while other people are checking in you can watch the waterfront and skyscrapers from high above.
After that, we took the automatic Yurikamome train to Odaiba island. This is a futuristic dream of a place, built in the late XIX century as a defense, and transformed twenty years ago in an entertainment park (see below, highlight of the day). However, the sight of Tokyo's skyline slowly lighting up while the sunlight goes down, is not to be missed. Try to sit at one of the restaurants with terrace view, around sunset, and watch the night taking ahold of the City, which replies by lighting up like a humongous lunapark!
After the dinner with lights, we went back to Shinbashi, and climbed the Caretta Shiodome. Not exactly climbed, rather we were shot like bullets inside the fantastic elevator, all in glass and lighted up in colours, from which one can see the city as if taking off in a helicopter. The feeling of the final brake is just amazing, it makes you feel like being thrown up from the bowels of the skyscraper, flying over in the streets of Ginza!
That was it for the night, but the building-spotting had been contagious...
The day after, sunday, I had a walk by myself around Harajuku, trying to steal some photos of the cosplayers. I got a few ones, but no much luck since it was a gloomy day, waiting for the rain (which happily didn't come). Then I strolled on Omotesando, spending about 7,000 Yen at Kiddyland (...) But I couldn't resist, and I kept going building-spotting again. I went first to the Mori Tower in Roppongi. I climbed all the way up to the 47th floor, which hosts the Mori Arts Center. However, they had on display an exhibition that didn't appeal to me, so I didn't pay the fee and went back down, ground level.
Next, I headed for the Imperial Hotel, in the hope of finding some of the magical spirit of Frank Lloyd Wright still wafting around. But it was a delusion. The new Imperial Hotel has nothing of the lightness and elegance of the old one, it is just a titanic assembly of huge brick and stone parallelepipeds. And the Tower is not accessible, moreover. But I went inside, to see if at least the interior was worth, and in fact some spirit of the great architect is still lingering around, mostly in the decoration.
The Imperial Hotel is mostly a high-prized wedding factory, where one can find everything, from the wedding presents, to the bowtie for the best man. The price of the wedding rooms runs from a 'Cozy Style' option, 420,000Y for six guests, to the 'Baccarat' option, 3,350,000Y for 50 guests (multiply the figures according to the number of invitations).
Notably, I had to pee. So I slipped stealthily to the mezzanine floor, where two separate wedding receptions were going on, all crammed with elegantly dressed people, with many women in traditional kimonos etc. Pretending to be part of the party, I headed to the men's room. Nobody protested. But the best was when I entered the toilet. Lulled by the gentle sound of one of the thousand jingles that you hear everywhere in Tokyo (this one was a joyful music for harp and clarinet), I sat on the heated seat and could get lost in my thoughts. This electronic toilet had a fully controlled apparatus providing air and water jets, with all possible inclinations, pressure and temperature. Now, that a private Hotel may leave free access to 'guests' from the street to use their facilities is already a sign of great civilization. But that it should offer even a bidet, and a full choice of soap types, including an antibacterial (perfumed) alcohol, that exceeds expectations. This is what I call a service, indeed.
And eventually, I went back to the Caretta Shiodome. It was late sunday, about 8PM, so very few people were around. I jumped inside an elevator, and started going up and down and up and down, not less than three times! As soon as I reached the top or bottom floor, I pushed the '><' (close doors) sign, to leave out any hecklers of my private pastime. It was just like going on a rollercoaster, but with the spectacular view of the Ginza skyline below!
highlight of the day: the Joypolis, Aquacity and Venus Fort at Odaiba island, a japanese girls' paradise.
How to turn your date into a wife. The Odaiba island has all that is needed to fulfil a girls' dream of marriage. The island is connected to the city by the Rainbow Bridge (called in japanese with just the english name, Reinbō Burijji !). The whole place is a family resort, loaded with shopping malls, parks, kids' attractions, game halls and restaurants, but with a definite inclination toward cheesy and kitschy romantism. There is a fake beach, a fake Liberty Statue, fake pizza (not bad!), a fake wedding chapel (but with a real bronze bell) and a "priest" (just as fake, and preferably blond Caucasian) who conducts the wedding ceremonies. It is the Partire - Tokyo Bay Wedding Village. Wedding is a big business in Japan and Japanese like to marry Western style! The village, with fake european houses, offers everything for a memorable wedding: bridal shops, party planning, menus, honeymoons. Not far away, the Venus Fort is an elaborate Venice-themed, womens-only shopping mall, complete with marble fountains, artificial sunsets every 30 minutes, and an "Italian mayor" reading out speeches from a balcony. All shops are geared for women, and generally quite expensive, but the fake decoration is stunning. But the really weird thing is that young couples come here, usually on their first date, to start dreaming their love dreams. Now, who would take out a girl on a first date to an entertainment park ?? For the shy japanese boys and girls, the prospective of going out for a date, and not being forced to speak or even look at your partner, is probably the ideal situation. Playing innocent boardgames, taking fresh pictures inside a colour-lighted heart, or walking under the Liberty Statue (public displays of affection are unlikely in Japan, however you will see some couples hand in hand) paves the way to a happy couple, and for those interested, they can start organizing the wedding party well in advance.
But just how shy the japanese youngsters can be, when it comes to approaching the other sex ? (I am writing in very general terms, of course! hope no japanese get offended.) Listen to this. A couple of years ago a DVD called Miteiru dake (Just Looking) came out. It featured various talent/models just staring straight ahead. That’s right, the models on the DVD did very little, other than stare straight into the camera. According to the website, the idea is to get young males who aren’t used to socializing with women, to become more accustomed to making eye contact and/or handle the fact that a sentient being sits across from them, and awaits interaction. The DVD hoped to cure those afflicted with shyness, so that they may rejoin society. In the meantime, japanese girls go dream their dreams (and empty their wallet) at Venus Fort.
Saturday 7 March 2009
gimme the night
that's a famous song by George Benson, and it is probably one of the few ones we skipped (shame on us!) in the karaoke club.
Tokyo is a city that never sleeps, especially so on friday nights. millions of lights burn in the dark, and time flows at a pace that's unparalleled in any other city in the world. I met my friends at about 9pm on friday and we stayed out until 7am on saturday. that is ten hours of Earth's time, but in Tokyo's time it is just a flash.
I started the shortest night of my life in the usual way. Say, waiting for M. at the wrong place. the meeting point was the McDonald at Shinjuku station, 2nd floor, and there I was at 8... about one hour later, after two phone calls and two crunchy candy bars, I met M. at the other Shunjuku McDonald, only 500m away from mine (note: I asked the MacDo doorman if that was the only one around, and he said "yes, only one. there is other one but not Shinjuku, very very far"... of course).
We went for dinner at the Kozue, contemporary japanese restaurant at the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt (yes, exactly that one, you've got it...). a few other people were waiting for us, in fact rather waiting for me since I was the late one.
after the high-rise dinner, we decided to keep drinking and eating in this tiny little street behind Shinjuku station, where one izakaya is squeezed against another, in an endless and densely packed line, full of smoke, food smell, lights, people, voices...
after the izakaya run, part of the company left, leaving me alone with two girls, M. and C.
Well, a happy company we were! we started roaming along Yasukuni Dori, just around Kabukicho (the red-light district) that's were the real action starts at night. we tried a couple of different karaoke places and eventually we entered a white-blue one, decorated with fake statues of Venus everywhere. And there we sang, and drank, and ate, and sang over and over (I won't comment on wine quality, the japanese being totally obsessed with Beaujolais - that sums it up, but wine is definitely not the main reason to go to a karaoke place... though, sake was better) my picks were almost constantly in the 70s, Deep Purple, Fleetwod Mac, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Eagles, Chicago (yes! I found 25 or 6 to 4!). Anyway, in such situations even singing Madonna and Britney Spears and Cher can do it (however, on this I don't take any responsibility, it was all the two girls' choice!). and to complete the Bill Murray-ScarJo setting, we couldn't leave out "More than this" :)
what to do in Shinjuku at 2.30am, when your voice is low and you have poured yourself lots of drinks ? well, judging from the people in the streets, we were just at the beginning. and in fact we kept rolling and beating. there was the proposal of going to Golden Gai district, but someone in the small party suggested to go look for some gay clubs instead (guess who was ? Socrates, the corruptor of the youth... don't you know gay bars are always those where you have the biggest fun?!). So, we found the Arty Farty, a nice and crowded dance bar (I found out later that it's even referenced by the Lonely Planet, under the heading "Entertainment - Gay & Lesbian Tokyo", we got the top notch without even knowing! how good we are?). As far as I remember I had at least 4 white russians, and the two girls always topped the drinks, people danced and squeezed in from any corner, a few cross-dressers, or barely-dressed. To summarize: drinks and hands everywhere!
We had entered Tokyo's Time Machine. I don't remember the time accelerating that fast, but all of a sudden it was closing time. We found ourselves in the street again, the heart pumping a mix of alcohol and blood, and we somehow ended in an indian curry place, where we could have a kind of breakfast with a delicious nan bread and a tasty curry. And then we got out again and... it was morning, 6 in the morning...
Now, I have been out straight until morning many many times, but this one it's been the absolute faster: we found ourselves teleported in the next day in a snap. we kissed goodbye in the subway station, among a bunch of early risers (more likely, late sleepers like us).
it was 7.30 when I hit the bed. and, strangely, I had with me the handbag of one of the girls, with her computer inside etc. I don't quite remember when she gave it to me, but it was there, lying on my drawer chest. from the bed, it looked a bit like the monolith in 2001 A Space Odissey. scary presence, enigmatic reminder of our wondrous speedy night.
Tokyo is a city that never sleeps, especially so on friday nights. millions of lights burn in the dark, and time flows at a pace that's unparalleled in any other city in the world. I met my friends at about 9pm on friday and we stayed out until 7am on saturday. that is ten hours of Earth's time, but in Tokyo's time it is just a flash.
I started the shortest night of my life in the usual way. Say, waiting for M. at the wrong place. the meeting point was the McDonald at Shinjuku station, 2nd floor, and there I was at 8... about one hour later, after two phone calls and two crunchy candy bars, I met M. at the other Shunjuku McDonald, only 500m away from mine (note: I asked the MacDo doorman if that was the only one around, and he said "yes, only one. there is other one but not Shinjuku, very very far"... of course).
We went for dinner at the Kozue, contemporary japanese restaurant at the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt (yes, exactly that one, you've got it...). a few other people were waiting for us, in fact rather waiting for me since I was the late one.
after the high-rise dinner, we decided to keep drinking and eating in this tiny little street behind Shinjuku station, where one izakaya is squeezed against another, in an endless and densely packed line, full of smoke, food smell, lights, people, voices...
after the izakaya run, part of the company left, leaving me alone with two girls, M. and C.
Well, a happy company we were! we started roaming along Yasukuni Dori, just around Kabukicho (the red-light district) that's were the real action starts at night. we tried a couple of different karaoke places and eventually we entered a white-blue one, decorated with fake statues of Venus everywhere. And there we sang, and drank, and ate, and sang over and over (I won't comment on wine quality, the japanese being totally obsessed with Beaujolais - that sums it up, but wine is definitely not the main reason to go to a karaoke place... though, sake was better) my picks were almost constantly in the 70s, Deep Purple, Fleetwod Mac, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Eagles, Chicago (yes! I found 25 or 6 to 4!). Anyway, in such situations even singing Madonna and Britney Spears and Cher can do it (however, on this I don't take any responsibility, it was all the two girls' choice!). and to complete the Bill Murray-ScarJo setting, we couldn't leave out "More than this" :)
what to do in Shinjuku at 2.30am, when your voice is low and you have poured yourself lots of drinks ? well, judging from the people in the streets, we were just at the beginning. and in fact we kept rolling and beating. there was the proposal of going to Golden Gai district, but someone in the small party suggested to go look for some gay clubs instead (guess who was ? Socrates, the corruptor of the youth... don't you know gay bars are always those where you have the biggest fun?!). So, we found the Arty Farty, a nice and crowded dance bar (I found out later that it's even referenced by the Lonely Planet, under the heading "Entertainment - Gay & Lesbian Tokyo", we got the top notch without even knowing! how good we are?). As far as I remember I had at least 4 white russians, and the two girls always topped the drinks, people danced and squeezed in from any corner, a few cross-dressers, or barely-dressed. To summarize: drinks and hands everywhere!
We had entered Tokyo's Time Machine. I don't remember the time accelerating that fast, but all of a sudden it was closing time. We found ourselves in the street again, the heart pumping a mix of alcohol and blood, and we somehow ended in an indian curry place, where we could have a kind of breakfast with a delicious nan bread and a tasty curry. And then we got out again and... it was morning, 6 in the morning...
Now, I have been out straight until morning many many times, but this one it's been the absolute faster: we found ourselves teleported in the next day in a snap. we kissed goodbye in the subway station, among a bunch of early risers (more likely, late sleepers like us).
it was 7.30 when I hit the bed. and, strangely, I had with me the handbag of one of the girls, with her computer inside etc. I don't quite remember when she gave it to me, but it was there, lying on my drawer chest. from the bed, it looked a bit like the monolith in 2001 A Space Odissey. scary presence, enigmatic reminder of our wondrous speedy night.
Thursday 5 March 2009
don't get your tempura wet!
in writing this blog I have been constantly praising japanese food. it's always fresh, healthy, rarely hyper-caloric, delicious, rich of surprises and of funny new ingredients for us foreigners. but not every oyster comes with a pearl...
tonight I experienced what I consider a major fault (the first one I see, indeed) of japanese cuisine. it's called tempura soba.
I got out of my lab at about 8PM, really tired. I wanted to go to Shibuya to have a fancy dinner, but was toooo tired. so I stopped at the little soba-ya restaurant right next to the campus gate, where I had already had dinner a couple of times before. I wanted something very warm, to beat the cold, and something crispy and tasty.
perfect combination: I decided to order a soba and some tempura.
but be careful, Jerry... if you order tempura soba, what you get is your steaming hot bowl of soba noodles in their delicious broth, with tempura on top!!
now, come on!, I am from Rome, Italy, a place where fried food is probably the best in the world. yes, ma'am. there is no fried cod, no french fries, no bananas fritas, that can top the taste of a filetto di baccalà, fiore di zucca coll'alici, supplì al telefono, carciofo alla giudia, deep fried to the right temperature and served hot and crispy! that's what fried food is supposed to be: hot and crispy (*).
now, can you imagine what happens when your tasty and crispy tempura is abandoned to float on a boiling broth?? you are right... it gets wet! awful! blasphemy! sacrilège!
not only wet, but the thick batter of the tempura is raised at a volcanic temperature! (it reminds me of Fantozzi's adventure with hot saké... but only italian readers will understand this one :)
I discovered only later that you should rather order tenzaru soba, that is soba noodles and tempura in two separate dishes. the downside is that in this case you will get cold noodles (supposedly better than the hot ones, since the hot broth alters the taste of the buckwheat). however, I wanted hot soba, and hot (and crispy) tempura. why shouldn't be that an option? or maybe I should change restaurant...???
______________________
(*) this is a note for all those of you who love to squirt lemon juice on your fried food. aaarrghhh! you get pretty much the same blasphemous result (however without the heat!). the only acceptable instance in which lemon juice can be sprinkled, is the cotoletta alla milanese (which is called wiener schnitzel in the rest of Europe).
______________________
highlight of the day: I found the wonderful Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AI-s lens, at Fuji-ya Camera in Nakano, for just 13,500 Yen! on ebay it sells for about twice this price... a great prime lens from the 80's, it is one of the few Nikkors to beat the corresponding modern auto-focus-super-duper version (notably, the recent AF28/2.8 sells for a price about 30% smaller). I am happy!
tonight I experienced what I consider a major fault (the first one I see, indeed) of japanese cuisine. it's called tempura soba.
I got out of my lab at about 8PM, really tired. I wanted to go to Shibuya to have a fancy dinner, but was toooo tired. so I stopped at the little soba-ya restaurant right next to the campus gate, where I had already had dinner a couple of times before. I wanted something very warm, to beat the cold, and something crispy and tasty.
perfect combination: I decided to order a soba and some tempura.
but be careful, Jerry... if you order tempura soba, what you get is your steaming hot bowl of soba noodles in their delicious broth, with tempura on top!!
now, come on!, I am from Rome, Italy, a place where fried food is probably the best in the world. yes, ma'am. there is no fried cod, no french fries, no bananas fritas, that can top the taste of a filetto di baccalà, fiore di zucca coll'alici, supplì al telefono, carciofo alla giudia, deep fried to the right temperature and served hot and crispy! that's what fried food is supposed to be: hot and crispy (*).
now, can you imagine what happens when your tasty and crispy tempura is abandoned to float on a boiling broth?? you are right... it gets wet! awful! blasphemy! sacrilège!
not only wet, but the thick batter of the tempura is raised at a volcanic temperature! (it reminds me of Fantozzi's adventure with hot saké... but only italian readers will understand this one :)
I discovered only later that you should rather order tenzaru soba, that is soba noodles and tempura in two separate dishes. the downside is that in this case you will get cold noodles (supposedly better than the hot ones, since the hot broth alters the taste of the buckwheat). however, I wanted hot soba, and hot (and crispy) tempura. why shouldn't be that an option? or maybe I should change restaurant...???
______________________
(*) this is a note for all those of you who love to squirt lemon juice on your fried food. aaarrghhh! you get pretty much the same blasphemous result (however without the heat!). the only acceptable instance in which lemon juice can be sprinkled, is the cotoletta alla milanese (which is called wiener schnitzel in the rest of Europe).
______________________
highlight of the day: I found the wonderful Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AI-s lens, at Fuji-ya Camera in Nakano, for just 13,500 Yen! on ebay it sells for about twice this price... a great prime lens from the 80's, it is one of the few Nikkors to beat the corresponding modern auto-focus-super-duper version (notably, the recent AF28/2.8 sells for a price about 30% smaller). I am happy!
Tuesday 3 March 2009
the difference is in the eyes
of course, being here it is much easier to notice the differences than the similarities. I had already made a list and discussion about many differences in my travel notes from last summer. however, the list keeps growing, and many interesting new things pop out at every moment.
for example, the difference between the shape and use of emoticons.
in the western world, we use "horizontal" emoticons, like the well known :-) :-( ;-) :-D :-P :-* etc. it turns out that the japanese (and most other asians, like china, korea, vietnam etc) use instead "vertical" emoticons, like these:
(n_n) (-__-) (;_;) (T_T) (@_@) (O_O) (*^*) (^_^) (=_=)
smile sleepy tears sad dizzy amazed astonished happy bored
the parentheses (...) describing the face are often omitted. what it is worth noting, however, is that while in our western emoticons the attention is concentrated on the expression of the mouth, oriental emoticons rather concentrate on the eyes. subtle as it is, this appears to be a major difference.
some psychology studies have suggested that the cultural interpretation of facial expressions results from a combination of the emotional openness and the challenge of controlling certain facial muscles (see doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2006.02.004 , pdf available here): "Given that the eyes are more difficult to control than the mouth when people express emotions, we predicted that individuals in cultures where emotional subduction is the norm (such as Japan) would focus more strongly on the eyes than the mouth when interpreting others’ emotions. By contrast, we predicted that people in cultures where overt emotional expression is the norm (such as the US) would tend to interpret emotions based on the position of the mouth, because it is the most expressive part of the face."
in that study, youngsters from Japan and the US were presented sketches of faces expressing different emotions. Japanese students consistently rated those pictures in which the eyes were happier than the mouth, as being more happy overall than their American counterparts. In contrast, when the mouth had a happy expression, US students rated the overall expression as happier, regardless of what the eyes were up to.
so, the message is, when you come to Japan let your eyes speak, not your mouth!
highlight of the day: the new AllStars I bought in the ABC Mart in Shibuya... new model of the spring 2009 (Japan-only), about 45 euros :-) ^_^ (emoticons of both worlds allowed here!)
for example, the difference between the shape and use of emoticons.
in the western world, we use "horizontal" emoticons, like the well known :-) :-( ;-) :-D :-P :-* etc. it turns out that the japanese (and most other asians, like china, korea, vietnam etc) use instead "vertical" emoticons, like these:
(n_n) (-__-) (;_;) (T_T) (@_@) (O_O) (*^*) (^_^) (=_=)
smile sleepy tears sad dizzy amazed astonished happy bored
the parentheses (...) describing the face are often omitted. what it is worth noting, however, is that while in our western emoticons the attention is concentrated on the expression of the mouth, oriental emoticons rather concentrate on the eyes. subtle as it is, this appears to be a major difference.
some psychology studies have suggested that the cultural interpretation of facial expressions results from a combination of the emotional openness and the challenge of controlling certain facial muscles (see doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2006.02.004 , pdf available here): "Given that the eyes are more difficult to control than the mouth when people express emotions, we predicted that individuals in cultures where emotional subduction is the norm (such as Japan) would focus more strongly on the eyes than the mouth when interpreting others’ emotions. By contrast, we predicted that people in cultures where overt emotional expression is the norm (such as the US) would tend to interpret emotions based on the position of the mouth, because it is the most expressive part of the face."
in that study, youngsters from Japan and the US were presented sketches of faces expressing different emotions. Japanese students consistently rated those pictures in which the eyes were happier than the mouth, as being more happy overall than their American counterparts. In contrast, when the mouth had a happy expression, US students rated the overall expression as happier, regardless of what the eyes were up to.
so, the message is, when you come to Japan let your eyes speak, not your mouth!
highlight of the day: the new AllStars I bought in the ABC Mart in Shibuya... new model of the spring 2009 (Japan-only), about 45 euros :-) ^_^ (emoticons of both worlds allowed here!)
Sunday 1 March 2009
a weekend by the sea
the saturday morning started in a bad mood. I got a couple of bad news from work (nothing serious, but yet upsetting), and then I missed an appointment. I had set to meet a japanese friend, Kimi, at the police box in Shibuya... well, I got it wrong, and waited for an hour at the police station nearby, while she waited for an hour at the police box. so we missed each other, and I was even more upset.
the rest of the weekend, however, was nicely spent by touring around Kamakura and Enoshima island, right on the coast south of Tokyo and Yokohama, and sampling some new food specialties of this amazing country.
on saturday in Kamakura, I firstly stopped at a tiny kiosk which was crowded by young students from a nearby scondary school. an old thin man with a long beard was selling takoyaki (fried octupus balls) over rice, for 300Y apiece... delicious. then, in the gardens of the Engaku-ji zen temple, I tried the fabulous plum-cake, a little mold of transparent, yellowish jelly with a dried plum inside. it comes with a green tea and a small round wafer with the symbol of the temple stamped. later in the afternoon I also tried the sembei, traditional rice crackers that are sold wrapped in nori seaweed, or battered in sesame seeds, or kombu (kelp). I tried the nori one, very salty and crunchy (modern and westernized variants admit also cheese, chocolate etc.) I walked around the Amitabha Daibutsu, a gigantic statue of Buddha dating the year 1252, all in cast bronze (15mt height by 120 tons weight). Kamakura was a temporary capital of ancient Japan, in the short time window between the Kyoto and Edo age. Yoritomo Minamoto chose this site as his new capital after defeating the Taira rulers of Kyoto, and he was the first shogun to govern Japan.
on the sunday I eventually met Kimi, and she took me to a great restaurant on Enoshima island. there we had a great sashimi in king-size portions, and we shared a dish of tempura. all the dishes were largely based on shirasu, a tiny white fish (the thing that in Italy we call novellame or bianchetti), which there in Enoshima is a local specialty. well... it was absolutely beyond expectations, so gooooood and tasty :) we had a very nice hiking on the cliffs, but the day was cold and lightly sprinkled by rain, so I got home a little sore and dizzy from cold. but, to finish the day, I ate some take-away sushi (with a glass of sake) from the Tokyu foodmart!
highlight of the day: the vile character of some men, women-only rail cars, and the mistery of the Keio train.
A short story from a tourist leaflet. "Japan being a geographically small country with a large population, it must deal with a stifling overcrowding for every activity or function. Taking public transportation at rush hours can be an appalling experience. (I can confirm: not only the military-dressed inspectors push people in the cars, even the people themselves enter the cars with full energy, and push in with their backs, squeezing their fellows passengers like sardines in a tin can). This overcrowding unfortunately affords men of vile character (...) to take advantage of the situation and, as painful as it is to admit, it happens that women are victims of sexual molestation. As a counter-measure, the railway companies have lately offered women-only cars. The schedules and destinations are well marked and if a man should inadvertently find himself in one such a car he should immediately move to another one."
Now I understand better the peculiarity of my Keio Line train from Todai to Shibuya... why it has pink-coloured cars, and the "stand back from the door" warning sign is a cute Hello Kitty with a bandaged finger... it must be a women-only train! Should I get off the cab then?
the rest of the weekend, however, was nicely spent by touring around Kamakura and Enoshima island, right on the coast south of Tokyo and Yokohama, and sampling some new food specialties of this amazing country.
on saturday in Kamakura, I firstly stopped at a tiny kiosk which was crowded by young students from a nearby scondary school. an old thin man with a long beard was selling takoyaki (fried octupus balls) over rice, for 300Y apiece... delicious. then, in the gardens of the Engaku-ji zen temple, I tried the fabulous plum-cake, a little mold of transparent, yellowish jelly with a dried plum inside. it comes with a green tea and a small round wafer with the symbol of the temple stamped. later in the afternoon I also tried the sembei, traditional rice crackers that are sold wrapped in nori seaweed, or battered in sesame seeds, or kombu (kelp). I tried the nori one, very salty and crunchy (modern and westernized variants admit also cheese, chocolate etc.) I walked around the Amitabha Daibutsu, a gigantic statue of Buddha dating the year 1252, all in cast bronze (15mt height by 120 tons weight). Kamakura was a temporary capital of ancient Japan, in the short time window between the Kyoto and Edo age. Yoritomo Minamoto chose this site as his new capital after defeating the Taira rulers of Kyoto, and he was the first shogun to govern Japan.
on the sunday I eventually met Kimi, and she took me to a great restaurant on Enoshima island. there we had a great sashimi in king-size portions, and we shared a dish of tempura. all the dishes were largely based on shirasu, a tiny white fish (the thing that in Italy we call novellame or bianchetti), which there in Enoshima is a local specialty. well... it was absolutely beyond expectations, so gooooood and tasty :) we had a very nice hiking on the cliffs, but the day was cold and lightly sprinkled by rain, so I got home a little sore and dizzy from cold. but, to finish the day, I ate some take-away sushi (with a glass of sake) from the Tokyu foodmart!
highlight of the day: the vile character of some men, women-only rail cars, and the mistery of the Keio train.
A short story from a tourist leaflet. "Japan being a geographically small country with a large population, it must deal with a stifling overcrowding for every activity or function. Taking public transportation at rush hours can be an appalling experience. (I can confirm: not only the military-dressed inspectors push people in the cars, even the people themselves enter the cars with full energy, and push in with their backs, squeezing their fellows passengers like sardines in a tin can). This overcrowding unfortunately affords men of vile character (...) to take advantage of the situation and, as painful as it is to admit, it happens that women are victims of sexual molestation. As a counter-measure, the railway companies have lately offered women-only cars. The schedules and destinations are well marked and if a man should inadvertently find himself in one such a car he should immediately move to another one."
Now I understand better the peculiarity of my Keio Line train from Todai to Shibuya... why it has pink-coloured cars, and the "stand back from the door" warning sign is a cute Hello Kitty with a bandaged finger... it must be a women-only train! Should I get off the cab then?
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