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.