On Saturday, on the kind advice of colleagues, I headed over to Itabashi, on the northeast part of Tokyo, past Ikebukuro and Sugamo, to see fireflies shown to the public only two weekends a year in June and July.
The two firefly breeds are genji-botaru and heike-botaru, and the genji are known for the large light that they produce.
When I had lived down south in Kyushu I had seen fireflies near rivers, watch the specks of light flit about over the chuckling brooks. But these fireflies were much different, almost like miniature beacons in the shed in which they were raised.
People (including me) lined up about an hour before the gates were open (7:30, to coincide with the late sunset) to get tickets with times stamped on them to allow them entrance later. This in the middle of rainy season, in a downpour.
Although I must've spent five minutes at most watching the fireflies I like the fact that I had to make a special journey, get out of the city center, to see the spectacle.
It was a fifty minute ridefrom near Yurakucho station (near Ginza) into an area loaded with nothing but danchi (Japanese low-cost housing), and then a ten minute walk to the center.
The Japan Times has an excellent write-up here:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fq20080613a1.html
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Enhanced Security before Summit
Japan will be hosting a G8 summit in Hokkaido in early July in Hokkaido and they've upgraded the security in major train and metro stations in Tokyo. That means restricted access to lockers and no more garbage cans in the stations (temporarily).
In Tokyo station there are policeman standing on 1 foot stands to get a better view of the incoming crowd, hopefully to sniff out troublemakers before they make it into the station, where they could paralyze the transportation system by creating chaos or what not ...
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Near the Supermarket -- Unmanned Metro Ticket Machines?
On the weekends I head over to a large supermarket near Monzen NakaCho station, a few stops from where I live (truth be told, there's a change over at one of the stations, but still in absolute terms it's relatively close). The selection is good, and the prices are reasonable (for Japan -- always a caveat).
ON my way there I passed by a ticket machine for the Oedo line, and I saw a photo opportunity which would please those in the know. The ticket machines look completely automated and it's easy to think that nobody's keeping tabs on them. But every once in a while people have trouble with the machines and -- presto! someone appears from the door between the ticket machines. As in the photo.
Next time you pass by a ticket machine, see if you can spot the secret door from where these staff pop out from. JR has these too ...
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Shimokitazawa (West Tokyo)
Last Saturday (7 June) I went to Shimo-kitazawa, an area about 10 minutes by train on the Keio line from Shinjuku. I had wanted to go there for some time, after reading about how its unique character (small shops and boutiques) had been preserved, and decided to go there on the spur of the moment after noticing that it was easy to get to from the Chiyoda Metro line.
I had had lunch near Akasaka station and decided to head for Shimo Kitazawa, two stops beyond the terminus of the Chiyoda line, Yoyogi Uehara.
That said, there was no difficult transfer involved. Like some of the metro lines that continue on as regional trains or link to such trains at their terminus, I got off at the last stop and walked straight across the platform to catch the train continuing on to Shimo-Kitazawa.
The station itself is incredibly small. Considering the number of tourists who pass through the station on the weekend, it's quite amazing that they've left the station at its current size. Unless that is part of the effort to maintain the small-town character of the place.
It isn't really so much as stepping into a new town with a different character as it is stepping into a place like Harajuku, with its small boutiques (many of them selling used clothing; I bought a Japan national team T-shirt there, used, for 300 yen) targeting young consumers. I found myself thinking that I was walking through Harajuku judging from the people walking about (mostly in their 20s and 30s) and the types of stores lining the streets.
There is one interesting area right near the station, a market zone like what you might find in Ameyoko or under the tracks somewhere in Tokyo or Osaka. There, side-by-side, vendors sell dried beans or other legumes, others sell o-den, some sell fresh fruit and some stalls are just watering holes for locals (but look so interesting--next time will have to try). This I suppose it what the Shimo-Kitazawa must have been about when people first discovered it. Now, as I can find similar things in Harajuku, I wonder if it is worth going the extra few stops.
There is one odd thing en route to Shimo-kitazawa. Near the Yoyogi Uehara station, there is a giant mosque just like what I saw in Turkey, with its steepled pointed towards heavens. Odd to have found it here, but I guess that attests to the potential size of the Muslim community here in Tokyo ...
I had had lunch near Akasaka station and decided to head for Shimo Kitazawa, two stops beyond the terminus of the Chiyoda line, Yoyogi Uehara.
That said, there was no difficult transfer involved. Like some of the metro lines that continue on as regional trains or link to such trains at their terminus, I got off at the last stop and walked straight across the platform to catch the train continuing on to Shimo-Kitazawa.
The station itself is incredibly small. Considering the number of tourists who pass through the station on the weekend, it's quite amazing that they've left the station at its current size. Unless that is part of the effort to maintain the small-town character of the place.
It isn't really so much as stepping into a new town with a different character as it is stepping into a place like Harajuku, with its small boutiques (many of them selling used clothing; I bought a Japan national team T-shirt there, used, for 300 yen) targeting young consumers. I found myself thinking that I was walking through Harajuku judging from the people walking about (mostly in their 20s and 30s) and the types of stores lining the streets.
There is one interesting area right near the station, a market zone like what you might find in Ameyoko or under the tracks somewhere in Tokyo or Osaka. There, side-by-side, vendors sell dried beans or other legumes, others sell o-den, some sell fresh fruit and some stalls are just watering holes for locals (but look so interesting--next time will have to try). This I suppose it what the Shimo-Kitazawa must have been about when people first discovered it. Now, as I can find similar things in Harajuku, I wonder if it is worth going the extra few stops.
There is one odd thing en route to Shimo-kitazawa. Near the Yoyogi Uehara station, there is a giant mosque just like what I saw in Turkey, with its steepled pointed towards heavens. Odd to have found it here, but I guess that attests to the potential size of the Muslim community here in Tokyo ...
Akihabara Incident
By now, some of you surfing the net will know that on Sunday a 25-year old rented a small truck and rammed it into a busy Akihabara intersection before attacking several people there with survival knives.
I was just one station north of that area, in Okachimachi (Ameyoko) but I had thought of dropping in Akihabara that day but got a late start (leaving the house after 1 PM, long after the incident had played out) and went straight up to Ameyoko.
I know the kind of crowds that gather on weekends in Akihabara and it surprises me little that the suspect chose that day. I feel terrible for the visitors among the dead who probably had no idea that this was coming.
Perhaps there will be a greater police presence and there may some kind of crackdowns, but this could happen again at any other station and without warning, so one needs to always be prepared ....
I was just one station north of that area, in Okachimachi (Ameyoko) but I had thought of dropping in Akihabara that day but got a late start (leaving the house after 1 PM, long after the incident had played out) and went straight up to Ameyoko.
I know the kind of crowds that gather on weekends in Akihabara and it surprises me little that the suspect chose that day. I feel terrible for the visitors among the dead who probably had no idea that this was coming.
Perhaps there will be a greater police presence and there may some kind of crackdowns, but this could happen again at any other station and without warning, so one needs to always be prepared ....
Saturday, June 7, 2008
"Cool Biz": Helping save energy by cutting the A/C (!?)
Two weeks in the new job and I'm working long hours, translating almost 9 hours a day (as a "probationary" member I'm expected to hang out at the office until 6pm), with one peak day reaching 4700 words ... I've taken a considerably more leisurely pace the past few days, pushing out somewhere between 2500-3000, and enjoying it more.
Anyhow .... in our office, as in many offices across Japan, as of June 1st the thermostat on the A/C got raised a couple notches .... to 29C, which I would guess is somewhere around 84F. Imagine working in those conditions! On the first day of the changeover, apparently some people came close to passing out, and productivity dropped severely.
In long sleeves, you quickly work up a sweat just sitting there, and I imagine that that I'll be soon be looking for short sleeve dress shirts to get me through the summer months.
The initiative is called Cool Biz, and in exchange for turning up the heat (pardon the pun), workers get to sluff off their suit jackets and neckties for the rest of the summer. Which is nice, for those of you who have been through a (humid) Japanese summer.
I'm just glad because that means one less thing to worry about (the suit and necktie) in the morning as I rush out the door.
But some people have talked about getting desk fans, and I can see their point. Already the paper uchiwa fans are getting a lot of use (the guy next to me fans himself when his brain starts overheating from intense translation ... I go out in the hallway to take a breather, where there's less people and less heat).
For those of you who would like to get your hands on some next "Cool Biz" banners and logos, they're here (I know, you guys just can't wait ...)
Anyhow .... in our office, as in many offices across Japan, as of June 1st the thermostat on the A/C got raised a couple notches .... to 29C, which I would guess is somewhere around 84F. Imagine working in those conditions! On the first day of the changeover, apparently some people came close to passing out, and productivity dropped severely.
In long sleeves, you quickly work up a sweat just sitting there, and I imagine that that I'll be soon be looking for short sleeve dress shirts to get me through the summer months.
The initiative is called Cool Biz, and in exchange for turning up the heat (pardon the pun), workers get to sluff off their suit jackets and neckties for the rest of the summer. Which is nice, for those of you who have been through a (humid) Japanese summer.
I'm just glad because that means one less thing to worry about (the suit and necktie) in the morning as I rush out the door.
But some people have talked about getting desk fans, and I can see their point. Already the paper uchiwa fans are getting a lot of use (the guy next to me fans himself when his brain starts overheating from intense translation ... I go out in the hallway to take a breather, where there's less people and less heat).
For those of you who would like to get your hands on some next "Cool Biz" banners and logos, they're here (I know, you guys just can't wait ...)
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Was last post really three months ago?
A lot of things can happen in three months, as I've found out.
I've applied for and changed jobs, and move apartments from the west side of Tokyo to the east side, near Tsukiji (in order to be closer to my workplace).
During that time, I've had to go to interviews, go apartment hunting, close down my life at my previous employer, and then physically move all the stuff in my apartment from one end of town to the other (tried to save on moving costs -- would've cost a small fortune, maybe $500 -- and ended up shuttling back and forth on the Marunouchi/Hibiya lines, 190 yen ($1.90) a ride, except on weekends and national holidays, when special 14 for 10 discount coupons effectively bring down the price almost 40%!
I hope that as I get more used to life at my new workplace and my new home I'll be able to sit down in the evenings and write more. There are all kinds of new adventures on this side, now that I live and work closer to Tokyo station and Ginza!
Will be back with more!
I've applied for and changed jobs, and move apartments from the west side of Tokyo to the east side, near Tsukiji (in order to be closer to my workplace).
During that time, I've had to go to interviews, go apartment hunting, close down my life at my previous employer, and then physically move all the stuff in my apartment from one end of town to the other (tried to save on moving costs -- would've cost a small fortune, maybe $500 -- and ended up shuttling back and forth on the Marunouchi/Hibiya lines, 190 yen ($1.90) a ride, except on weekends and national holidays, when special 14 for 10 discount coupons effectively bring down the price almost 40%!
I hope that as I get more used to life at my new workplace and my new home I'll be able to sit down in the evenings and write more. There are all kinds of new adventures on this side, now that I live and work closer to Tokyo station and Ginza!
Will be back with more!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
NABE / The first time, but not the last: so easy to make!
Ashamed to admit it, but in all my years of living in Japan, never once had I tried to make nabe (hotpot) stews. Of course I'd had the pleasure of eating it many times at friends' houses, but until a few days ago nabe was always the sort of thing that was
made for small groups huddled around
a dining table or kotatsu dining table. Never the sort of thing one would go through the trouble of making.
But actually, it was easier than I thought.
I think many people make the broth themselves, either from konbu seaweed or using miso as a base, but for those of us who have no idea of how to make a decent broth, there are instant soup bases that can serve as the base for the nabe hotpot.
The flavor I chose was "tan-tan goma" or spicy broth with sesame. It's based on a Chinese soup recipe from some part of China, quite spicy. While some people buy a lot of different kinds of vegetables to put in, I held off on variety given that vegetables at this time of year are unsually expensive. I bought sliced pork (shoulder, very tasty), mushrooms, tofu, green onions and bakchoy cabbage.
The package in the photo actually serves up to 4, but I chose to use only 1/2 for each sitting. Even then the concentrated broth held up fine against the vegetables and tofu, whose water content leeches out during the cooking process. After stewing the whole mix for about 5 minutes I turned off the burner and dug in. How delicious!
From others' suggestions, I reserved some of the broth for the next day's breakfast. I reheated rice in the microwave and the leftover soup in a saucepan, then threw the reheated rice into the soup. Not quite exactly "zosui" style porridge, but close enough and a great way to beat the cold wave that's rolled over Japan. (It was probably subzero in Tokyo last night!)
made for small groups huddled around
a dining table or kotatsu dining table. Never the sort of thing one would go through the trouble of making.But actually, it was easier than I thought.
I think many people make the broth themselves, either from konbu seaweed or using miso as a base, but for those of us who have no idea of how to make a decent broth, there are instant soup bases that can serve as the base for the nabe hotpot.
The flavor I chose was "tan-tan goma" or spicy broth with sesame. It's based on a Chinese soup recipe from some part of China, quite spicy. While some people buy a lot of different kinds of vegetables to put in, I held off on variety given that vegetables at this time of year are unsually expensive. I bought sliced pork (shoulder, very tasty), mushrooms, tofu, green onions and bakchoy cabbage.
The package in the photo actually serves up to 4, but I chose to use only 1/2 for each sitting. Even then the concentrated broth held up fine against the vegetables and tofu, whose water content leeches out during the cooking process. After stewing the whole mix for about 5 minutes I turned off the burner and dug in. How delicious!
From others' suggestions, I reserved some of the broth for the next day's breakfast. I reheated rice in the microwave and the leftover soup in a saucepan, then threw the reheated rice into the soup. Not quite exactly "zosui" style porridge, but close enough and a great way to beat the cold wave that's rolled over Japan. (It was probably subzero in Tokyo last night!)
Okra and beef bowl
Fan that I've become of places that serve beef/pork bowls (gyu-don, gyu-meshi), on my way home from a concert over the three-day weekend, I stopped by a chain called Sukiya that serves ... beef bowls curry, sauce, or even .... okra!
It was really quite good and nice to have vegetables with the beef bowl, which after all is really nothing but slices of meat with starch ....
Monday, February 11, 2008
23 JAN / RUFUS WAINWRIGHT CONCERT
On 23 Jan, I went to see Rufus Wainwright in concert. Although he is known as a singer-songwriter in his own right, he has the peculiar distinction of having done a whole series of Judy Garland standards in Carnegie Hall, commemorating the concert that she did there more than 30 years ago.
His singing style is quite similar to Billy Joel or Elton John, but it's also clear he has a love of the Broadway standards and musicals from the '50s; the emphasis on singing, and clever lyrics, informs his work.
I almost didn't get to go to this concert: I had known that he would be touring as early as August, but I put off buying tickets until January, and when I went to the ticket machine to buy it -- alas! it had all sold out. (Touts I suspect buying up the last hundred tickets or so ...!)
I had almost given up hope, checking the ticket agencies each day fervently for available tickets, but none were coming. Finally two nights before the concert, I scored a ticket on an auction site, and after paying for it online I was given an confirmation number for the ticket, which had been prepaid by the auctioneer. I was able to go to the local Family Mart and issue the ticket, have it in hand for the concert. By all other means (post, delivery service) the ticket could've been lost or never sent; by being able to issue (print it out) myself I was sure to have a real (not forged!) ticket on hand before the concert.
And what a concert! As a broadcast on NPR said, he sings his heart out and the concert must've lasted at least two hours. There's a 10 minute intermission in the middle, but for a performance it's extraordinarily long and he does most of the singing. I suspect Dad might like his Judy Garland performances and I'll have to look it up on Amazon.
Here is the link to the page in Amazon for those who are curious:
http://www.amazon.com/Rufus-Does-Judy-Carnegie-Hall/dp/B000XMZJX8/
Mind you, he looks young but he has a fantastic voice ....
His singing style is quite similar to Billy Joel or Elton John, but it's also clear he has a love of the Broadway standards and musicals from the '50s; the emphasis on singing, and clever lyrics, informs his work.
I almost didn't get to go to this concert: I had known that he would be touring as early as August, but I put off buying tickets until January, and when I went to the ticket machine to buy it -- alas! it had all sold out. (Touts I suspect buying up the last hundred tickets or so ...!)
I had almost given up hope, checking the ticket agencies each day fervently for available tickets, but none were coming. Finally two nights before the concert, I scored a ticket on an auction site, and after paying for it online I was given an confirmation number for the ticket, which had been prepaid by the auctioneer. I was able to go to the local Family Mart and issue the ticket, have it in hand for the concert. By all other means (post, delivery service) the ticket could've been lost or never sent; by being able to issue (print it out) myself I was sure to have a real (not forged!) ticket on hand before the concert.
And what a concert! As a broadcast on NPR said, he sings his heart out and the concert must've lasted at least two hours. There's a 10 minute intermission in the middle, but for a performance it's extraordinarily long and he does most of the singing. I suspect Dad might like his Judy Garland performances and I'll have to look it up on Amazon.
Here is the link to the page in Amazon for those who are curious:
http://www.amazon.com/Rufus-Does-Judy-Carnegie-Hall/dp/B000XMZJX8/
Mind you, he looks young but he has a fantastic voice ....
JAN LUNCH / Aimee Vibert / Michelin 2-star
Two-stars in a private establishment overlooking a garden: very likely this place is used for wedd
ings or receptions.
Elegant but also quite d
elicious.
ings or receptions.
Elegant but also quite d
elicious.
Long Break Between Posts! Sorry! BUSY January
Almost a good two months since the last post. The whole month of January was an especially busy one for me and that's why I felt unable to post anything during the whole period. Mostly I was busy with work, as our company braced itself for earnings seasons and I helped to edit a whole slew of reports, checking the Japanese with the English as I was editing it. After three or for long reports, it's hard not to feel overwhelmed, and then, right in the midst of the reports, companies began to release their 3Q earnings, and suddenly there were two deadlines, the daily reports that had to get out (responses to results) and then the longer reports which needed more poring over. But the peak seems to have passed and I think the next few weeks will be better.
Today, 11 Feb, was another national holiday (Japan has increased the number of 3-day holidays in the last few years and so us salaried workers are benefitting from this change. I took the time to sleep in late, then go to a concert which is the subject of another post.
Tomorrow is work again but there's nothing like a short 4-day week!
Today, 11 Feb, was another national holiday (Japan has increased the number of 3-day holidays in the last few years and so us salaried workers are benefitting from this change. I took the time to sleep in late, then go to a concert which is the subject of another post.
Tomorrow is work again but there's nothing like a short 4-day week!
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