Asleep on the train

I will let this one speak for itself. Click on the video, taken with my iPhone as I sat across from this weary traveler on the subway!

A little language goes a long way

Just a brief comment. I am now taking Japanese language lessons. A teacher comes to the house twice a week and I thought that I was getting pretty darn good. So when we were out to lunch with a group of people the other day, I thought I would be brave and utter a few words of Japanese. I had hoped to say, "this is very tasty" of the meal. Unfortunately, what I actually said was, "I am very tasty".

Oh well, I will keep trying..............

Of greater interest is the piece (below) about the Samurai Horseback Archers.

Samurai Horseback Archers

In October, we went with a group of friends from the Tokyo American Club to Kamakura, where we enjoyed a wonderful display of Horseback Archery. This art is called Yabusame. The archers ride at full gallop and shoot at three targets as they ride. This skill dates back to the Kamakura period when the shogun of that period, Minamoto No Yoritomo, became so concerned about his samurai's archery skills that he organized the Yabusume as practice.

It was a glorious, early autumn day. We went on the train to Kamakura and had a delightful lunch in a Japanese restaurant. We then went to the shrine and witnessed a wonderful ceremony, where all the participants went to pray before the competition.

 

Immediately following this ceremony, we went to a narrow area, alongside the track where the archers would ride. We had seats and where able to watch a wonderful procession of all those involved in the competition. 

After the procession, the 'competition' began, although it appeared to be more of a display than an actual tournament. The archers started at one end of the track, their names were announced and then they came careening down the track, shooting at each of the three targets. We were alongside the middle target. The archers flew by, reloading with remarkable speed and agility, and with their robes flying behind them. As they shot at each target, many of them let out thrilling, blood-curdling yells. 

Yabusame

Yabusame was designed as a way to please and entertain the myriad of gods that watch over Japan, thus encouraging their blessings for the prosperity of the land, the people, and the harvest.
A yabusame archer gallops down a 255-meter-long track at high speed. The archer mainly controls his horse with his knees, as he needs both hands to draw and shoot his bow.As he approaches a target, he brings his bow up and draws the arrow past his ear before letting the arrow fly with a deep shout of In-Yo-In-Yo (darkness and light). The arrow is blunt and round-shaped in order to make a louder sound when it strikes the board.

Experienced archers are allowed to use arrows with a V-shaped prong. If the board is struck, it will splinter with a confetti-like material and fall to the ground. To hit all three targets is considered an admirable accomplishment. Yabusame targets and their placement are designed to ritually replicate the optimum target for a lethal blow on an opponent wearing full traditional samurai armor (O-Yoroi) which left the space just beneath the helmet visor bare.

Yabusame is characterized as a ritual rather than a sport because of its solemn style and religious aspects, and is often performed for special ceremonies or official events, such as entertaining foreign dignitaries and heads of state. To be selected as a yabusame archer is a great honor. In the past, they were chosen from only the best warriors. The archer who performs the best is awarded a white cloth, signifying divine favor.

A truly memorable experience. I hope to add some video footage soon (when I have figure out how!).

Sumo

On September 25th we attended the Sumo Tournament with a group of friends. On arriving at the stadium, as we were walking to the entrance, we heard cheering from a crowd who were lining the pavement. One of the wrestlers was arriving from his stable (where a group of wrestler's train) and was being given a royal welcome as he walked into the stadium. He was dressed in traditional clothes and with the very distinguished hairstyle that is so peculiar to this sport. The wrestlers all belong to a stable, where they train together. Fighters do not go up against another wrestler from the same stable.

The stadium is similar to any kind of sports arena, but the central ring is very small and made out of clay and is called a dohyo. Five judges sit around the outside of the ring. A referee (gyoji), dressed in an elaborate kimono stands at the edge of the ring and officiates each bout, at the end of which he points to the winner. The rules are simple, since a wrestler (rikishi) loses when any part of his body, other than the soles of his feet, touches any part of the ring, or if he is thrown out of the ring. Any technique or maneuver can be used, except for pulling his opponent's hair, hitting him with a closed fist, boxing his ears, choking him or grabbing his opponent's robes in an inappropriate place (my delicate version of the rules).

 

The wrestling bouts are between increasingly experienced and successful fighters and so the day progresses at a more and more exciting pace. There is a lot of posturing and slapping of bellies and thighs. They throw a handful of salt into the ring to chase away evil spirits and crouch down and stare at each other and then one gets up and wanders off as if he is not quite yet in the right mood....each time the excitement among the spectators increases and the stadium gets noisier and noisier. The actual bout can be as long as 4 minutes, but can also be over in seconds, so great concentration is needed.

The tournament lasts 15 days and we were fortunate to watch a terrific wrestler, Hakuho (photograph above), a 25 year old Mongolian, who was unbeaten this time around and is heading towards catching up with the all-time record. He was unbeaten in the entire 2-week tournament. By the end of this tournament, he was close enough to the record of 69 consecutive wins that was set in 1939, that it is believed he will surpass it in November. He is the fourth non-Japanese overall, to be promoted to the highest rank in sumo, yokozuna. Many of today's Sumo wrestlers are not Japanese, but are Hawaiian, Mongolian, Estonian and other nationalities. It is a terrifically exciting and absorbing sport

We are back!

It has been a long time since I last posted anything on this blog. Since I last wrote, we have been to a beautiful wedding in Prague, celebrated Tony's mother's 91st birthday in the UK and his own birthday at our log cabin in the US with Hugo, Henry and Henry's fiancee, Cat. We also had a small engagement party for them in Fairfax. I was away for 7 weeks and Tony bounced back and forth to Tokyo and was in the UK for both the birthday party and Farnborough Air Show. Within two days of our return to Tokyo, Tony's sister Sue arrived for a 12 day visit. Although we missed the rainy season, we returned to a blisteringly hot and humid August. Sightseeing became a trial of endurance and a time of at least 3 showers a day to cool off! We discovered that the Japanese all carry around small or neckscarf-sized towels in order to reduce the 'glow' brought on by the extreme heat. I am sure that they have a name, but will have to find that out for a future posting. We found them in a small store in the north part of Tokyo, when we were visiting a very old cemetery in 100+ degrees of heat.  Sue and I had two days in Kyoto, traveling on the Bullet Train (500 kilometers in 3 hours) and saw numerous temples (Buddhist), shrines (Shinto), palaces and pavilions. We saw Geishas and trainee Geishas, called Maiko, who have different hair and styles of dress and are all really beautiful (sorry about the random tourist in the photo-impossible to get a picture without somebody jumping in).

The Golden Pavilion was particularly striking, not only for the sight of the pavilion covered entirely in gold leaf, but for the beautiful gardens in which it is situated. Moss gardens and stone, zen gardens create a wonderfully peaceful environment. 

We ate in small, local restaurants where we sat on the floor or at a counter and made ourselves understood like a couple of well-rehearsed mimes. In Tokyo we explored more temples and shrines and walked around the Imperial Palace (as close as one can get other than on the Emperor's birthday or on New Year's Day). We visited craft stores to see how to make various items using gloriously colored 'washi' paper and also went to Kappenbashi, the kitchen district, where one can purchase every kind of plate, knife and fork, chopsticks by the dozen and the plastic food that I wrote about in an earlier blog.


On the 52nd floor of Roppongi Hills Mori building we could view the entire city in all its hazy, hot glory and even pinpointed Sakura House, where we currently live. While there, we visited a fascinating contemporary art show. Here you see Sue enjoying one of the intriguing exhibits, with a small companion, who popped up in front of her, just as I was clicking the shutter!

We have learned how to pray at a Shinto shrine. We were told to bow twice, clap twice, introduce yourself, silently ("I am Julie Ennis from Tokyo"), say your prayer then bow one more time. There is a grill for coins to be thrown into and the small 50 yen (about 5 cents) is the luckiest one to throw. I now always make sure that I have one in my purse. What we also discovered is that at the more important shrines one should only pray for important things ie World Peace. At the smaller shrines it is acceptable to pray for more personal concerns or issues, which I undertook to do each time. Also to be found at many shrines are metal canisters with metal strips inside that you can extract by shaking the canister. The strips have the numbers 1-5 on them. If you draw a 5 then you are very lucky, less so for each number towards 1. If you draw a 1 it indicates death. For each number you receive a paper strip. If you have a lucky number, you keep it with you, but if you have the unlucky number 1, you can tie it to a tree in the hopes that the gods will mitigate the circumstances and hopefully remove the chances of a worst case scenario. Since I am of a cautious nature, I decided not to risk taking a number!

The temples and shrines are full of a variety of gods and/or symbols, which I plan to describe in more detail on a later blog, when I have studied it more closely. It is all quite complex and  fascinating. When trying to understand the difference between the Buddhist and Shinto beliefs, one guide we asked put it relatively succinctly. He said that the Japanese regarded Shinto as taking care of them during their lives (births, weddings, day to day prayer) and Buddhism as taking care of them in their afterlife or next lives (death, funerals and beyond). The Buddhist belief is that one's behavior in this life and adherence to the laws of the land affects how one returns in one's next life. This may explain to a great extent the low rate of crime and the feeling of safety in this country.

To me, it is simple and clear and makes particularly good sense.

Always have a camera with you

I realised that I should always carry a camera while here in Japan. The other day I was wondering around the local mall, called Roppongi Hills (similar to Tyson's Corner) on a rainy day. Outside the shopping area is an open forum where special events and concerts are frequently held. Well, imagine my surprise when I wandered over to see an Octoberfest/Tyrolean style 'oompapa band', in full lederhosen, valiently playing away in the pouring rain. They were all Japanese. It isn't even October! I was so frustrated to have left my camera behind, as this was a rare and special opportunity.

I lost my front door key this weekend, it must have fallen out of my basket when Tony and I took a lovely outing on our bikes to celebrate Father's Day and lunched at a little restaurant by the river a few miles from here. We were so hot and tired and thirsty by the time we had cycled uphill on the way home and were more than frustrated at struggling to find someone, who understood our English and who had a spare house key on a Sunday. Luckily, the owner was not so far away and we finally managed to track him down and he soon came to let us in. The estimate for the cost of changing the lock was monumentally high, but when four men turned up today to change it, I could understand the cost, except that only one man actually changed the lock. The rest of the suited men (including the senior architect of the management company) all watched and commented. It took all of 10 minutes. They were concerned that I was unable to return all the old keys, despite me using my wonderful mime skills to demonstrate that I had lost one of the keys and that was the reason for the new lock. Then they all stood in line on the front door step, bowed to me and departed. This is, apparently, how Japan manages to ensure a low unemployment rate. Layer upon layer of bureaucracy, several people to do the job of one man or woman. I dare not ask how many Japanese it takes to change a lightbulb... Whenever we have had to deal with government agencies (driving license office, alien registration department in the local ward office, to name but two examples), we have to wade our way through innumerable levels of seniority and many layers of workers to achieve our aim. It must be immensely costly, but it ensures a high employment rate and a very low number of homeless people, so perhaps not entirely without good results.

Spring Weather and Plastic Food

After three weeks in the US, fixing everything that seems to have broken in my absence, I am back in Tokyo and continuing to explore this fascinating city. This week, I visited Kappabashi Dori, which is the part of Tokyo where everything you might need in order to equip a restaurant can be found, except for the food. You know you have found the right street when you see the chef with his hat on top of a building (see above!). The street is full of shops selling ceramics, glass, pots, pans, linens, knives, utensils and any other item you can think of that you might need to start a restaurant. The shelves are packed and it all spills out onto the street. The most interesting shops (for me and many other overseas visitors) are those that sell plastic food. Yes, plastic food. Many restaurants in Tokyo have window displays with plastic versions of the food that they serve inside. Silly as it may sound, it is a very useful device, especially for those of us who have limited Japanese language skills. We can just point to what we want to eat. The range of plastic foods on sale in the Kappabashi Dori is extensive and very realistic. Also expensive. Many of the dishes cost more than double the price that I imagine the actual dish to cost, when served in a restaurant.

What I am not sure I understand is how they know what plastic food to make? Do the restaurant owners select the plastic food and then design the menu? I will have to delve deeper into this mystery.

If you want a souvenir, then you can buy a key chain with sushi or tofu on it. Elsewhere in the city you can buy sushi candles, but that is a story for another day!

If you were to look at a distance, you would really believe the food to be the actual dish. One can leave the Kappabashi Dori so ravenous that you will be seeking out the nearest noodle bar.

I did come away with a lovely selection of sake glasses, all different, so we can share our new knowledge of that delicious beverage when we return home. I went to a sake tasting lunch not so long ago. After tasting six (yes 6!) different types of sake, I was able to appreciate the subtle differences in flavor. The prices can vary enormously, but I am not entirely sure that I preferred the expensive or the inexpensive kinds. It was a very jolly lunch and fortunately, the lecture on sake came early on, before the warm glow occluded my ability to listen to the information being shared......

The weather is finally beautiful, warm, breezy and dry. I have been zipping around on my bike, exploring the nearby streets and searching for new places to look at. There are shrines everywhere, some very small and modest, others larger and more impressive, but all are delightful to visit and represent a part of the city that is most charming and an escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Most shrines have cherry blossom trees and sometimes other plants as well, so they are like an oasis of peace and quiet. I hope to include some photos in a future posting.

Mt.Fuji and cycling around

Golden Week proved to be just that. After a long, soggy, chilly winter, Golden Week proved to be the true start of spring. We had glorious sunshine, breezy, warm days. Tony and I spent most of the time on our newly acquired bicycles, exploring the city and seeing so much more than we might have done on foot or by car.

The highlight of the week was a day trip to Mt Fuji. We won't talk about the traffic. Suffice it to say that most of Tokyo must have been on the same road as us. Mt Fuji is about (!) two hours south west of Tokyo. The approach is magnificent and literally takes your breath away. The picture above was taken from the car as we got closer to the mountain. We were able to drive to the 5th station, which is over 7,500 feet up the mountain (total height:12, 288 feet) and walk around in the still snow-covered area. Mt Fuji is still an active volcano, but last erupted in 1707 and is regarded as having a low risk of eruption. The mountain is said to be very "shy" and is frequently wreathed in clouds and not visible from below. We were so lucky to be there on a clear day with wonderful views.

As you can see from the photograph of Tony, even halfway up the mountain, the day was clear and bright. Mt Fuji is the subject of countless paintings and woodblock prints. It is supposed to have mystical elements and the 5th stage is the division between earthly and heavenly realms. It can take 10 hours to climb to the summit from the 5th station and is only undertaken in the summer months. We decided to enjoy our halfway-up spot and leave it at that!

The area around the mountain has some lovely lakes and is going to be somewhere we would love to revisit for a long weekend. Even the four hour homeward drive did not dampen our enjoyment of the day.

Golden Week and a New Home

 It has been a while since we added to this post. In the meantime, we finally moved out of the hotel and into Sakura House (Cherry Blossom House). So, in the last two weeks we have been settling in, getting systems up and running (TV, Cable, Internet) and opened a bank account during a marathon morning at Citibank, with Tony filling endless forms and me discovering that there is no such thing as a joint account and I am not eligible to open my own as I am not working here. A very different approach, but I am sure I will cope. Of course, the challenge to getting everything going has been the fact that all instructions are in Japanese and so we have to go by trial and error on most things. We did take delivery of an electric bike this week, so I can get out and about, venture further afield without using the subway or taxis and carry home more than one loaf of bread and a pint of milk! The bicycle is great fun and the little motor gives me just the boost I need to get up the hill between the nearest supermarket and our house. There are bikes all over the city, a very popular form of transport and it is so safe here that people leave their shopping in the bicycle baskets when they park them in the street and it stays safe and sound.

This is our back patio, where we can sit and have a cup of coffee or glass of wine in the evenings. The weather has not been so great of late, but last weekend we did manage to have lunch outside. There are small trees (cherry blossom and Japanese maple) and bushes and I have bought two tubs to fill with annuals for some more color. Now I have to find somewhere to buy soil and plants..

We are just 7 minutes from the subway and walking distance from a large multiplex movie theater, where English language movies are shown. Shops are plentiful, now I just have to figure out what I am buying. I am meeting up with a Scottish friend and a Japanese lady from the Tokyo American Club who is going to give us a supermarket tour, identifying the various items and how to read the labels. Should be very helpful!

We are having an interesting time in the ciy, meeting an assortment of people from all over the world. I play mahjong with a group of British, American and Japanese ladies and have joined the "Chicken and Chablis" lunch group, mainly New Zealanders and Australians with a smattering of British and Americans and Tony and I go to some fun events like the celebration of the Queen's Birthday Luncheon at the British Embassy (fish and chips and Cornish pasties, washed down with British beer and wine) on Wednesday (April 21st-her actual birthday). We came third in the trivia competition at the Tokyo American Club last night, teaming up with a couple of Scottish friends, coming home two bottles of wine the richer!

Next week sees the start of "Golden Week" (Ogata Renkyu), a time with sufficient public holidays as to constitute nearly a whole week off (with one day of one's own leave inserted in the middle).

The following holidays make up Golden Week:

 

April 29^th – Showa Day honors the Emperor Showa (Hirohito) who was emperor before, during and after World War II. Apparently, the holiday is to encourage reflection on the 63 turbulent years of the Emperor’s reign.

May 3^rd – Constitution Memorial Day is a day to reflect on the meaning of democracy

May 4^th – Greenery Day is a day to commune with nature and be thankful for its blessings

May 5^th – Children’s Day takes place on the fifth day of the fifth month every year and is to encourage respect for children’s personalities and to celebrate their happiness.

A lot to think about, but at the end of the day it is a week of holidays and everybody travels during this week, so airlines, trains, hotels, are all fully-booked, months in advance (a lot like Thanksgiving). We are staying in Tokyo and exploring a bit further afield. Now if only the weather would improve!

Cherry Blossom Time

This photograph is of a beautiful cherry blossom tree at Togo's Shrine in the city. The weekend when the blossoms were at their finest was unfortunately not so great weather-wise. The cherry blossoms were still spectacular. All over the city, especially near shrines and around the Imperial Palace, the trees were blossoming in all their glory. Families and friends come together for Hanami-a cherry blossom viewing party. They gather in parks where the trees are blooming and have picnics and enjoy the glory of the trees. We attended a Hanami party at the British Embassy and were entertained by some pretty lively (and loud) drummers, while drinking a special cocktail with cherry blossom flavoring. At a cooking class, I tasted salted cherry blossoms that had been stirred into a rice dish. They were very sour and not entirely a new favorite, but certainly were different from other flavors I have enjoyed in the past.

Kamakura and the Earthquake

This is a photograph of me on Kamakura Beach, where Tony and I went last weekend. A 45 minute train ride south from Tokyo, it is an interesting seaside town (a little bit touristy, but then who were we to complain?) with a number of surfers trying out the waves on a cool and windy day. It used to be the capital of Japan of the Shogunate. There are a number of wonderful Buddhist temples such as Engaku-ji there and also the 44 foot high Amida Buddha statue (below). For me, the most interesting part of being in Kamakura is that on September 1st, 1923, this is where my father was when the massive 1923 earthquake, known as the Great Kanto Earthquake, hit Tokyo. He was there with my grandfather, brother and sister to celebrate his sister's birthday. His mother and eldest brother were in Germany. My grandfather then departed to return to Tokyo, where he was serving as German ambassador, leaving the children with their Japanese nanny, as they were planning to stay some while longer on vacation. When the massive earthquake struck, the nanny had the good sense to take the children with her, moving inland in time to avoid the powerful tsunami that engulfed the beach. They escaped to a bamboo forest and then to a nearby village until their father was able to ensure their safe return to Tokyo. The earthquake caused devastating damage to Tokyo, Yokohama and Kamakura. When it struck, people were cooking lunch over open fires which then swept through the town, driving many to be burned to death or drowned as they leaped into the harbor to escape the flames. It was estimated that between 100,000 and 142,000 died in the earthquake, tsunami and fires. 1.9 million were left homeless.  But looking at that beach on a sunny March day, with the cherry and magnolia blossoms just beginning to emerge, it was difficult to imagine what it must have been like 87 years ago on that day. I did like to think I was in the same spot as my then 8 year old father and wondered what he must have felt when all this occurred. I just wish we had talked about it and so many other extraordinary times in his life....

Kabuki Theater

Last night we attended a play at the Kabuki-Za Theater in Ginza, pictured on the left. In about 6 weeks time, the theater will be pulled down and rebuilt. Apparently, it does not comply with current earthquake building codes. It is quite a landmark and so many people were outside taking photographs and watching the large clock count down the time until its demolition. Extra performances are being put on so that many people have a chance to attend as there will no doubt be a gap in time while the rebuilding takes place.

Kabuki is a traditional Japanese form of theater with its origins in the Edo period. In contrast to the older Japanese art forms such as Noh,  Kabuki was the popular culture of the common townspeople and not of the higher social classes. Kabuki plays are about historical events, moral conflicts and love relationships. The actors use an old fashioned language which is difficult to understand even for some Japanese people. Actors speak in monotonous voices accompanied by traditional Japanese instruments. In the early years, both men and women acted in Kabuki plays. Later during the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate forbade women from acting, a restriction that survives to the present day. Several male kabuki actors are therefore specialists in playing female roles. One actor we saw last night was an eighty year old man known as a Living National Treasure and he was acting with his 9 year-old son. There was also another father/son pair of actors, the son playing a major female role and the father the main male role in the play. The story was the final act in a three-part play, parts one and two having been performed earlier in the day. Kabuki Theater is extremely stylized and the actors move very slowly and deliberately with minimal facial expression. Clues to their character are in their costume, hair and make up. The 'bad guy' has an orange/red face and the more elaborate the hairstyle and a beautifully embroidered red kimono on a 'female' character shows that they are high born. The actors entered and exited along a catwalk to one side of the theater and their exit was very slow, with specific moves, and particularly significant. We were fortunate to have the wife of one of Tony's work colleagues with us and as a lifelong fan of Kabuki, she explained many of the nuances to us. We also had radio earpieces and were able to understand the (very complicated) story through an excellent narration. The performance was 3 hours long..... Kabuki is not to be rushed. However, once we became accustomed to the very slow and deliberate pacing, it was a truly fascinating experience. Oh yes-thank you, Henry, for the reminder (see posting below), Tony bought peanuts in the intermission that, to his great surprise, were liberally sprinkled with small, whole, dried fish. Such was his hunger (dinner was still a long way off) he actually ate them.....

Seoul moment

Well, I am finally back from the UK, where I spent 10 days. My main purpose of flying to England was to attend the funeral of my uncle. The memorial service was very special with readings by two of my cousins and a wonderful eulogy by the third. The poignant moment for me was when my uncle's 10-day old grandson was brought into the church by his father. He was born just hours before my uncle died, so a bittersweet moment for all of us.

I had a good time with Tony's mother and we even celebrated Mother's Day together with his sister, 3 of her children and a fiancee. A jolly lunch before I disappeared to Heathrow to catch my flight back to Tokyo.

My journey home was on Asiana, a Korean airline and hence my route took me via Seoul, South Korea, where I spent two interesting hours before my onward flight to Tokyo. Since I had been sitting for approximately 12 hours, I decided that walking was my best option for filling the time between flights. A little light window shopping at the duty free stores, but mostly I was people-watching. I am, after all, my mother's daughter! What fascinated me the most was that as I looked at young couples (of which there appeared to be many), I noticed that the majority of them were dressed alike. They looked like pairs of twins. Alike in every way, shirt, jacket, pants and shoes. The only variation might be if one was wearing a blue-and-white striped shirt and the partner was wearing red-and-white stripes. I have no idea if they were all heading for a "Dress Like Me" convention, or whether this is the popular dress code of the moment in Seoul. When I asked Tony about this, he had yet to notice it on his trips there! The people-watcher gene has passed him by, it seems. I would love to know the reason for this fashion, but may never find out......if anybody can enlighten me, I would love to hear from them.

Well, it had to happen

This is just a brief posting. Today, I was exploring different areas that we are thinking of for places to live. As I cast my eyes about me, I saw a Starbucks coffee shop that was advertising Cherry Blossom flavored frappuccino. A perfect blend of flavors and cultures. I have not savored it yet, but it is probably quite distinctive!

I will be away from Tokyo for 10 days from March 4th, so no posting for a little while.

Love to all,

Julie and Tony

A Story about a Dog

While hunting for somewhere to live this week, we encountered an area called Shibuya. Shibuya has a huge railway station and just outside is Hachiko Square, which is one of the world's largest intersections. When the pedestrian crossing lights turn green, the entire intersection becomes a car-free area and you can cross at any angle. Quite impressive, if daunting.

Hugo and Ryan with Hachiko

The story of how the square got its name appealed to me and I hope it will appeal to anybody who loves or has loved a dog.

Hachiko Square got its name from a faithful dog that once waited by the station. As the legend goes, the dog, Hachiko, would wait everyday in the same spot for his master to return home from work. Hachiko faithfully waited by the station year after year, and night after night. Even years after his master had long passed away he faithfully waited. When Hachiko died on March 8th 1935, many hearts were touched. Today a statue of Hachiko resides in the square named after him and it has become the most famous meeting place in the city.

A Brief Update

Thought I might post a brief update. We have been busy house/apartment hunting, so not a lot to report lately. We had a great weekend, walking great distances, exploring the city, going to see Avatar (3D in English) and window shopping at all the expensive stores in the Ginza area. We went to an antique/flea market, which was fascinating and full of items from both east and west. 

On Monday, we went to the new members reception at the Tokyo American Club. It is in a temporary location while a new club is being built, which will be backing onto the Russian Embassy. The current location is pretty impressive for a temporary site and has a great book/DVD library, lots of classes for language and culture and a very active womens' group. So, once we are officially members, I hope to widen my horizons with new faces and new skills. I hope I can take a language class as my skills are improving just minutely with the Rosetta Stone software that I am using currently.

We are still enjoying exploring the restaurants around the city and, as you can see from the photo above, have had some unusual menu items. Our relocation agent took us to a noodle restaurant for lunch on Tuesday, where you look at small photos on a machine, put in your money and press the button corresponding to your choice. Slightly tricky as the photos were miniscule and the descriptions in Japanese. However, with some assistance, we were able to make our choices. The tickets that are issued from the machine are then given to a waitress, who very quickly brings the food to you. A wonderful, flavorful steaming bowl of noodles with vegetables (me) or meat (Tony) then arrives at the table......and a plastic bib to protect your clothes from all those sloshing noodles. All for $5 each. The restaurant was tiny, but packed with office workers and city workmen alike. 

The house we are leaning towards is called Sakura House (Cherry Blossom House) and is in a great area, near a park and just uphill from the subway station and lots of small shops and restaurants. It is fairly central and will be an easy commute for Tony. However, we are still looking at anything the relocation agent sends our way.

I will add to this post, when I have more time (who thought I could be so busy, so soon).

Love to all,

Julie and Tony

Earthquakes and Snow and Sun-Oh My!

Well, it has been a busy week, as the lack of any postings on this blog will show.  We are still learning to get around on the underground and continue to find kind and helpful souls to point us in the right direction. We are even helped by Japanese people who do not speak a word of English. Lots of pointing and nodding and smiling and we are on our way again.

On Wednesday we woke to the feeling of a train passing under our bed. Since we are on the 19th floor, I was somewhat surprised and then even more so, when Tony told me it was an earthquake. Just as if it was a thunderstorm or lightning flash! We later learned that it was 4.8 on the Richter Scale and that this happens regularly.....everybody carried on their day as if nothing had happened. This is another aspect of life here that I will have to become accustomed to.

On Thursday, after the snow had melted on the ground (just a light dusting, I am relieved to say) Tony had a big open house in his new offices on Thursday with a couple of hundred people, representing many of the large corporations and trading houses, passing through and bearing gifts of fruit, flowers, chocolates, wine and champagne. No event goes by without a gift being offered, another custom which is evidence of the charming and generous nature of the Japanese.

On Friday, our well-informed and energetic, if diminutive, relocation agent Ayako, took us around various different parts of the city to get a feel for where we might like to live. We visited areas of high rise apartments and large supermarkets, like Roppongi, and other places where there are smaller homes and quieter back streets, near parks and with delightful shopping areas full of individual stores, like Hiroo and Azabu. We are hoping to find somewhere to live in one of the latter areas. Then you can all come and stay! That same day, we three had lunch in a tiny basement sushi bar, where we sat at an oblong counter, with a sushi chef in the middle of a revolving conveyor belt with dishes of sushi and miso soup circulating around. You helped yourself to the sushi, or called out an order to the chef and instantly he made your request and put it on the conveyor belt. At the end, they count the number of plates in front of you (plus the delicious local beers) and you pay on your way out. Some of the best (and cheapest) food we have had so far. $25 for three of us. Needless to day, it was a very popular venue. So, Tokyo does not have to cost us an arm and a leg, after all.

I continue to marvel at the glorious flowers everywhere, even in the chilly February climate and hope to create a whole album of photos to show you. On Thursday I found some floating flower pots (see top photograph) and an arrangement in a pot, which, on closer inspection, were tiny cabbages of different colors (to left).
Delightful.


I still haven't seen Mt. Fuji from our window, but the sun is shining today.........

We love to hear your observations, either on this site, or by email.

Sayonara,

Julie and Tony

Brief video of our arrival in Tokyo-very tired!

http://sharing.theflip.com/session/fffdbadcc882f595b5ce4c3821fc8636/video/10777065

Cheers!

Just in case you do not feel like a Pinna Korada, how about these drinks? Hope you can guess what they are!

February 16th

Last night we went to a small Singaporean restaurant for dinner. Thought you might enjoy the cocktail menu (on the left).

It is freezing cold today, windy and snow in the forecast. Now, where have we heard that before? I am still unable to see Mt. Fuji from my window, as promised by the hotel manager when we checked in, but remain hopeful.

We girded up our loins and tackled the underground today, traveling to Tony's office and navigating the purchase of a Suica card each, which you load up with yen and then it scans you as you pass through all the turnstiles. We must look particularly lost (and daft) as we have been helped every step of the way, by kindly, English-speaking Japanese. We cleverly managed to climb on the wrong train and were quickly put right and sent on our way to the correct line. As you may imagine, the trains are impeccably clean and everybody stands in an orderly line to climb aboard. AND-I can reach the handles that hang down from the ceiling - definitely a plus being in a short person world. The flowers along the window sills in the station are REAL and gorgeous. So unlike anywhere I have seen before now.

We now have to apply for alien registration and re-entry visas. So many forms to fill in and so little time. We will just be sorted out when it will be time to return. However, we have a tough, feisty Japanese relocation agent, who speaks perfect English, helping us every step of the way. We have nicknamed her "the Barracuda" as she seems perfectly fit to negotiate whatever we need. Tony's office is in a large complex of shops and offices, really bustling with activity. The office is new (they moved in December). I think they are all a bit nervous of his arrival-they probably imagine he is going to shake up their nicely ordered world with his high energy and they may well be correct.

I managed to navigate my way back, despite one train stopping and everybody getting off, when it should have gone to my next stop. Again, the hopeless tourist look worked and a sweet and pretty young Japanese girl with a broad Australian accent helped me on my way. So far so good.

I am sure these posts will take on a more interesting and less detailed turn once we start exploring the larger world around us. Keep your emails coming, I love to hear news of you all and of home.

We Finally Made it! February 15th 2010

Well, we finally got here, after an incredible week of wandering the Caribbean and Florida, in an attempt to get home and pack to fly to Tokyo. We took four days to get home and despite 40" of snow, power cuts, freezer meltdowns, flat batteries, downed trees, unplowed driveways and much more, we got back to Fairfax on Thursday night and then flew to Tokyo on Saturday. The fourteen hour flight was uneventful and we staggered into our hotel on Sunday evening (Tokyo is 14 hours ahead of the USA EST and 9 hours ahead of the UK). Our Valentine celebration was in the form of a glass of sake and a bento box.....and (for me) falling asleep fully-dressed, until chased to bed by Tony.

We are staying in the Westin Hotel and at the moment all our luggage (6 suitcases ++) is squeezed into a bedroom, with the promise of a suite next week, so we can spread out for the next month or so that we will be here. Our shipment is due to arrive at the end of March and apartment-hunting is in our future for the next few weeks. Tony has already gone in to the office today, so I am about to make a new best friend of the concierge and I am going out and about exploring and finding the basics.

Later the same day:

As always, the devil is in the details....

ATM machine was-guess where? In a nearby Seven Eleven. Always a small piece of home to be found. Not that there was anything recognizable sold there. With an ATM machine that started out speaking Japanese, there was, initially, a lot of guesswork and random key punching. I have also to master the exchange rate, so was unsure if I was taking out $20 or $200. Since I was also in search of Scotch for Tony, (a miniature bottle in the hotel mini bar is $12) I found good luck here also. In Seven Eleven, I found a small bottle (1/5th?) and felt like the local lush, when I purchased it with my newly withdrawn yen. Then on to the department store nearby in whose basement I found a glorious food hall, where I was able to buy myself lunch and life's other essential-Earl Grey tea. Everything is so beautifully displayed and the people working there were very patient as I tipped the coins in my purse onto the counter for them to select whatever I was paying. Everybody's worst nightmare of a tourist. Not sure what I was eating, so am grateful that I have no food allergies. Tony and I have memorized the word for scallops-'hodategai' in order to avoid a severe reaction from him.

We miss you all very much, but intend to keep in touch by Skype, email, phone, chat, IM, whatever your preferred method!

Big hugs to all of you,

Love Julie and Tony