Thousands of Halloween revelers descend on Shibuya
Some fantastic photos accompanying this article. Looks like a lot of fun had by everyone but the 200 riot cops. But they might have secretly enjoyed it, too. I'd like to think that. "We're here in case anyone gets out of hand, but we also get to see a lot of party people in crazy costumes, so there's that."
I didn't read any alarmist stories about foreigners running wild on the Yamanote Line this year. Maybe some Japanese-language newspapers ran them or I just overlooked the ones in the English-language news sites I visit. Whatever the reason, it's been a refreshing change. I'm in favor of any excuse for wearing costumes and dancing and I don't want a few bad candy apples spoiling the fun for the rest of us. Even if I didn't participate. I enjoy the potential for participation. Next year, right? Next year I'm going to go all out. In a safe way everyone can enjoy.
Showing posts with label Tokyo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tokyo. Show all posts
Friday, October 31, 2014
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Tokyo pulls plug on late-night Roppongi-Shibuya bus service
Tokyo pulls plug on late-night Roppongi-Shibuya bus service
Well, this has zero effect on me. I was never a Roppongi party person anyway. Back in my party days if I was in Tokyo I was in Shinjuku. Not because I'm some cool, danger-seeking guy. I don't know how dangerous Shinjuku is at night, really. I'm told it's dangerous. I may have been in a bubble of obliviousness or else people tend to over-estimate the dangers. I've been in the middle of actual riots in the US, so there may be a subtle skewing of my sense of what's dangerous and what's not. I never felt endangered by the elderly man who propositioned me for oral sex in Shinjuku on two different trips months apart, for example. I certainly didn't feel endangered by the young woman who did the same my first time in Shinjuku, although when her pimp came running up I thought it best to walk away. Allowing the guy from Boston to lead me through some back alleys in search of a nomi-hodai place was probably not my smartest moment, although he did take me to the same hostess bar where a friend of mine and I once spent $200 in an hour before depositing me at the Hub about a block from my hotel... where I drank beer and ate fried food alone.
Anyway, Roppongi has never held much appeal for me. I've never been a "scene" person. Even when I lived in a small town here and the scene consisted of the same 12 people, I wasn't interested. I don't really need to be seen by others, don't feel my appearance is necessary. My scene has always been the people I'm with and my immediate surroundings. Wherever we are drunk--be it a parking lot outside my apartment, a smoky bar full of townies and college students, a live music venue, a sweaty, groping dance party, naked after-hours trespassing in apartment complex swimming pools or eating pancakes and sausages at IHOP at 6am as cops make a pot bust in the parking lot outside-- is my "scene." And I've always been more in search of really solid drunkenness than a one-night hook up. When I want to dance, I want to dance all night to rock music, not club beats. I'm not into dressing up and using "product" or whatever. So it usually turned out my ideal night on the town was just getting trashed on beer, eating some yakitori, then doing karaoke until 3am with some close friends. You can probably do that in Roppongi. I wouldn't know. That's not my image of the place. I'm sure I'm wrong about it. I don't really care to find out otherwise.
Well, the last train. I suppose a bus that takes you to Shibuya Station at 5am from Roppongi could be pretty convenient for some, but it didn't work out that way. One that drops you off at 1am is completely useless. There's no train. You still have to wait. You'd be better off back in the club, if it's still open. Or walking around to find one of those clubs that open after all the other ones close to cater to people who don't like to end their evenings based on train schedules. Or taking a nap in a 24-hour Internet cafe, the kind with big comfy chairs and showers. I've known people who had to take out of town business trips that invariably wound up with after-hours drinking parties who regularly slept over in Internet cafes. Cheaper than a hotel room.
This leads me to wonder how the abrupt end to the partying will go over with the Olympics crowd in 2020, or if the various city governments in and around Tokyo will come up with some kind of plan. The anti-dancing laws put a damper on the fun, too. Another thing you can do is just stick to your ward when you're out getting wasted and hooking up. Get you and your partner to a love hotel within easy walking distance of your meeting place.
Actually, these days my "scene" is lying in bed reading books on my Kindle while my wife does Facebook on her laptop beside me.
Well, this has zero effect on me. I was never a Roppongi party person anyway. Back in my party days if I was in Tokyo I was in Shinjuku. Not because I'm some cool, danger-seeking guy. I don't know how dangerous Shinjuku is at night, really. I'm told it's dangerous. I may have been in a bubble of obliviousness or else people tend to over-estimate the dangers. I've been in the middle of actual riots in the US, so there may be a subtle skewing of my sense of what's dangerous and what's not. I never felt endangered by the elderly man who propositioned me for oral sex in Shinjuku on two different trips months apart, for example. I certainly didn't feel endangered by the young woman who did the same my first time in Shinjuku, although when her pimp came running up I thought it best to walk away. Allowing the guy from Boston to lead me through some back alleys in search of a nomi-hodai place was probably not my smartest moment, although he did take me to the same hostess bar where a friend of mine and I once spent $200 in an hour before depositing me at the Hub about a block from my hotel... where I drank beer and ate fried food alone.
Anyway, Roppongi has never held much appeal for me. I've never been a "scene" person. Even when I lived in a small town here and the scene consisted of the same 12 people, I wasn't interested. I don't really need to be seen by others, don't feel my appearance is necessary. My scene has always been the people I'm with and my immediate surroundings. Wherever we are drunk--be it a parking lot outside my apartment, a smoky bar full of townies and college students, a live music venue, a sweaty, groping dance party, naked after-hours trespassing in apartment complex swimming pools or eating pancakes and sausages at IHOP at 6am as cops make a pot bust in the parking lot outside-- is my "scene." And I've always been more in search of really solid drunkenness than a one-night hook up. When I want to dance, I want to dance all night to rock music, not club beats. I'm not into dressing up and using "product" or whatever. So it usually turned out my ideal night on the town was just getting trashed on beer, eating some yakitori, then doing karaoke until 3am with some close friends. You can probably do that in Roppongi. I wouldn't know. That's not my image of the place. I'm sure I'm wrong about it. I don't really care to find out otherwise.
Well, the last train. I suppose a bus that takes you to Shibuya Station at 5am from Roppongi could be pretty convenient for some, but it didn't work out that way. One that drops you off at 1am is completely useless. There's no train. You still have to wait. You'd be better off back in the club, if it's still open. Or walking around to find one of those clubs that open after all the other ones close to cater to people who don't like to end their evenings based on train schedules. Or taking a nap in a 24-hour Internet cafe, the kind with big comfy chairs and showers. I've known people who had to take out of town business trips that invariably wound up with after-hours drinking parties who regularly slept over in Internet cafes. Cheaper than a hotel room.
This leads me to wonder how the abrupt end to the partying will go over with the Olympics crowd in 2020, or if the various city governments in and around Tokyo will come up with some kind of plan. The anti-dancing laws put a damper on the fun, too. Another thing you can do is just stick to your ward when you're out getting wasted and hooking up. Get you and your partner to a love hotel within easy walking distance of your meeting place.
Actually, these days my "scene" is lying in bed reading books on my Kindle while my wife does Facebook on her laptop beside me.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Tokyo rated No. 1 city in the world in Trip Advisor survey
Tokyo rated No. 1 city in the world in Trip Advisor survey
I'm a bit surprised by this. Not because I think there's nothing to do in Tokyo, or that it's not a fun city. I love Tokyo. It's a crazy place at times, with too many people for my comfort. But when I'm in the mood, a Tokyo junket hits the spot. I drink in the energy and get high from it in a way, and then after a day or two, I'm exhausted and satisfied but not hung over.
There are probably other cities with as much to do. I have never been to New York City, London, Paris or Hong Kong, so I can't compare them. I do imagine they're pretty lively places, though. Tokyo is a place I've visited twenty or thirty times, maybe more. I lost count a long time ago. So I can confidently say if there is something you enjoy, you can find it in Tokyo.
Tokyo isn't as expensive as people make it out to be. You can save money on lodging by doing a little pre-trip comparison shopping. The Sakura Hotels are cheap and clean and conveniently located. They have hostel options, too, and group rooms available. But there are some very nice business-type hotels scattered all about. You can find a perfectly serviceable single room for under 100 bucks a night within easy walking distance of a train station just about anywhere in the city you're interested in staying. Just do a little online research. My wife and I spent an amazing Christmas in one in Shinjuku that I'd consider pretty hoity-toity compared to my usual choices and it was about 110 bucks a night for a double room. You have to adjust your expectations a little. A business hotel is cheap and clean, but yes, the rooms are small by American standards. You're going to be a little cramped but that's part of the Japan experience. Paying 90 dollars a night and crabbing because you didn't have room for a dinette set in your room is stupid, and yet you'll see more than a few reviews along those lines while doing your research. Ignore those fools.
Eating can be expensive, but again, doing some research before your trip will help you save here, too. And even if you take the lazy person's option and read or do nothing but your luck when you get here, there are quite a number of inexpensive fast food options available all over the city. If you're willing to eat McDonald's, you can get a meal for 680 yen. It's not the healthiest food, obviously, but you can also consider nutritious and healthier onigiri at any convenience store-- a couple of those will set you back about 220 yen or so. That's about 2 dollars. There are set menu options at healthier restaurants, too. If you want to pig out, find a Shakey's Pizza for lunch buffet. That will run you around 11 dollars or so and you can pack in enough calories to keep you going all day. And part of the next. If you want sushi, check out one of the conveyer belt sushi restaurants of which there must be thousands. Not as many of them as there are McDonald's, which number in the millions, approximately one for every single person living in the Tokyo area. But you can fill up on delicious sushi for 15 to 20 dollars. Again, just do a little research and don't walk into Outback Steakhouse because you know the name and expect to eat cheaply, then complain later you're being gouged.
And things to see? Things to do? Are you kidding me? If you can't find a museum, a zoo, a live show, sporting event, a temple or a prime people-watching experience in Tokyo, you don't deserve to be let out of your house, much less travel abroad. Why would anyone even go to Japan without first finding out things to do? You can read a couple of complaints in the comments on that linked story, but I guarantee those are from contract workers here who are pretty boring people themselves and not worth the effort. Or that weird species of human, the disgruntled lifer, those people who hate Japan with ever fiber of their beings but have been here for years and can't seem to gather the energy to go back to wherever or whatever hole spawned them. Probably due to burning those bridges as well. Weren't happy at home, not happy here. I don't give a rip about someone who can't entertain himself or herself in Tokyo. Go to a movie, for the love of corn, or go get falling down drunk in a hostess bar. Buy a porno manga and go jerk it in the privacy of your own bathroom.
You can do that much, at least.
My brother came with his daughter and even as raw neophytes, they had a blast, in the heat of high summer. He found a nice hotel, they ate at restaurants even I'm too shy to go into, they hit Disney, walked around Harajuku and Shibuya and would have caught a Yomiuri Giants game if they hadn't worn themselves out having so much fun beforehand. They're mountain people, so they took an overnight trip outside the city to experience that but came back wishing they'd just planned an extra night in Tokyo itself. They wanted more. But the thing is-- my brother did his research and made an itinerary. Plus, he's got a brain and can think on his feet for when opportunities unplanned for present themselves. There's a lot of open-mindedness there, too.
Don't let anyone con you into thinking Tokyo isn't worth it. The only drawbacks I find with Tokyo are 1) so many people make it difficult to get around and 2) it is unbearably hot and humid in August, which is when my summer vacations always occur. If you can handle the people and the heat, you will have the time of your life. Or, you know, go in fall or early spring. Still have to deal with all the people. Just writing about it now makes me ache to go back there and find some more fun!
What I'm surprised about is it took Travel Advisor this long to figure it out.
PS-- Yes, it's true my wife does not like Tokyo. But that's the crowd thing, not the lack of entertainment or the cost. She just does not like large crowds.
I'm a bit surprised by this. Not because I think there's nothing to do in Tokyo, or that it's not a fun city. I love Tokyo. It's a crazy place at times, with too many people for my comfort. But when I'm in the mood, a Tokyo junket hits the spot. I drink in the energy and get high from it in a way, and then after a day or two, I'm exhausted and satisfied but not hung over.
There are probably other cities with as much to do. I have never been to New York City, London, Paris or Hong Kong, so I can't compare them. I do imagine they're pretty lively places, though. Tokyo is a place I've visited twenty or thirty times, maybe more. I lost count a long time ago. So I can confidently say if there is something you enjoy, you can find it in Tokyo.
Tokyo isn't as expensive as people make it out to be. You can save money on lodging by doing a little pre-trip comparison shopping. The Sakura Hotels are cheap and clean and conveniently located. They have hostel options, too, and group rooms available. But there are some very nice business-type hotels scattered all about. You can find a perfectly serviceable single room for under 100 bucks a night within easy walking distance of a train station just about anywhere in the city you're interested in staying. Just do a little online research. My wife and I spent an amazing Christmas in one in Shinjuku that I'd consider pretty hoity-toity compared to my usual choices and it was about 110 bucks a night for a double room. You have to adjust your expectations a little. A business hotel is cheap and clean, but yes, the rooms are small by American standards. You're going to be a little cramped but that's part of the Japan experience. Paying 90 dollars a night and crabbing because you didn't have room for a dinette set in your room is stupid, and yet you'll see more than a few reviews along those lines while doing your research. Ignore those fools.
Eating can be expensive, but again, doing some research before your trip will help you save here, too. And even if you take the lazy person's option and read or do nothing but your luck when you get here, there are quite a number of inexpensive fast food options available all over the city. If you're willing to eat McDonald's, you can get a meal for 680 yen. It's not the healthiest food, obviously, but you can also consider nutritious and healthier onigiri at any convenience store-- a couple of those will set you back about 220 yen or so. That's about 2 dollars. There are set menu options at healthier restaurants, too. If you want to pig out, find a Shakey's Pizza for lunch buffet. That will run you around 11 dollars or so and you can pack in enough calories to keep you going all day. And part of the next. If you want sushi, check out one of the conveyer belt sushi restaurants of which there must be thousands. Not as many of them as there are McDonald's, which number in the millions, approximately one for every single person living in the Tokyo area. But you can fill up on delicious sushi for 15 to 20 dollars. Again, just do a little research and don't walk into Outback Steakhouse because you know the name and expect to eat cheaply, then complain later you're being gouged.
And things to see? Things to do? Are you kidding me? If you can't find a museum, a zoo, a live show, sporting event, a temple or a prime people-watching experience in Tokyo, you don't deserve to be let out of your house, much less travel abroad. Why would anyone even go to Japan without first finding out things to do? You can read a couple of complaints in the comments on that linked story, but I guarantee those are from contract workers here who are pretty boring people themselves and not worth the effort. Or that weird species of human, the disgruntled lifer, those people who hate Japan with ever fiber of their beings but have been here for years and can't seem to gather the energy to go back to wherever or whatever hole spawned them. Probably due to burning those bridges as well. Weren't happy at home, not happy here. I don't give a rip about someone who can't entertain himself or herself in Tokyo. Go to a movie, for the love of corn, or go get falling down drunk in a hostess bar. Buy a porno manga and go jerk it in the privacy of your own bathroom.
You can do that much, at least.
My brother came with his daughter and even as raw neophytes, they had a blast, in the heat of high summer. He found a nice hotel, they ate at restaurants even I'm too shy to go into, they hit Disney, walked around Harajuku and Shibuya and would have caught a Yomiuri Giants game if they hadn't worn themselves out having so much fun beforehand. They're mountain people, so they took an overnight trip outside the city to experience that but came back wishing they'd just planned an extra night in Tokyo itself. They wanted more. But the thing is-- my brother did his research and made an itinerary. Plus, he's got a brain and can think on his feet for when opportunities unplanned for present themselves. There's a lot of open-mindedness there, too.
Don't let anyone con you into thinking Tokyo isn't worth it. The only drawbacks I find with Tokyo are 1) so many people make it difficult to get around and 2) it is unbearably hot and humid in August, which is when my summer vacations always occur. If you can handle the people and the heat, you will have the time of your life. Or, you know, go in fall or early spring. Still have to deal with all the people. Just writing about it now makes me ache to go back there and find some more fun!
What I'm surprised about is it took Travel Advisor this long to figure it out.
PS-- Yes, it's true my wife does not like Tokyo. But that's the crowd thing, not the lack of entertainment or the cost. She just does not like large crowds.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Encountering Tokyo: Tokyo Skytree’s disappointing attendance so far: 6.19 million visitors
Tokyo Skytree’s disappointing attendance so far: 6.19 million visitors
I don't have any particular interest in Tokyo Skytree. From the start it just seemed like a colossal money-burn to me. Tokyo Tower has a cheesy charm and a history. Skytree only has newness and size.
But I'm sharing this story because I definitely agree with writer Casey Baseel's opening sentence. Tokyo is huge beyond comprehension. Seeing it on Google Maps or having someone quote you the metro-area population-- a bit more than 9 million, putting it at number 16 on a list of the world's most populous-- makes you think of a vast megalopolis right out of a William Gibson novel, spread from horizon to horizon and over-stimulating enough to expand your mind past the breaking point. When you're inside it, though, you don't have this feeling at all. You take it street by street and you could be practically anywhere. The scale becomes more modest. Tokyo is very approachable and comprehensible.
Then you see it from the air, or Tokyo Skytree and you're boggled again. A desert of concrete, steel, glass and plastic. Cubes and pyramids piled on top of each other fading away for as far as you can see. It swallows you when you glide in on the shinkansen, but once you're inside the city body and you've become a cell, you only have to deal with the next cell, or the specific organ in which you find yourself. Where is the heart? Is it Shibuya, Shinjuku or Tokyo proper? That's for you to decide.
Anyway, don't be intimidated by Tokyo. After all, there are 15 larger cities. And the ward you visit will only be as large as a modest-sized one that doesn't even make the list.
I don't have any particular interest in Tokyo Skytree. From the start it just seemed like a colossal money-burn to me. Tokyo Tower has a cheesy charm and a history. Skytree only has newness and size.
But I'm sharing this story because I definitely agree with writer Casey Baseel's opening sentence. Tokyo is huge beyond comprehension. Seeing it on Google Maps or having someone quote you the metro-area population-- a bit more than 9 million, putting it at number 16 on a list of the world's most populous-- makes you think of a vast megalopolis right out of a William Gibson novel, spread from horizon to horizon and over-stimulating enough to expand your mind past the breaking point. When you're inside it, though, you don't have this feeling at all. You take it street by street and you could be practically anywhere. The scale becomes more modest. Tokyo is very approachable and comprehensible.
Then you see it from the air, or Tokyo Skytree and you're boggled again. A desert of concrete, steel, glass and plastic. Cubes and pyramids piled on top of each other fading away for as far as you can see. It swallows you when you glide in on the shinkansen, but once you're inside the city body and you've become a cell, you only have to deal with the next cell, or the specific organ in which you find yourself. Where is the heart? Is it Shibuya, Shinjuku or Tokyo proper? That's for you to decide.
Anyway, don't be intimidated by Tokyo. After all, there are 15 larger cities. And the ward you visit will only be as large as a modest-sized one that doesn't even make the list.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Congratulations, Tokyo!
Woke up this morning to find a friend on my Facebook feed congratulating Tokyo for winning its bid to host the 2020 Olympics. Which means I was wrong the other day. That's fine. I've been wrong before, I'll be wrong again. I'm just happy I didn't put any money on Madrid.
This will be huge news here in Japan this week. Just the announcement inspired a TV show my wife and I watched last night where a panel of celebrities discussed whether or not Tokyo would get to host the Olympics. Their conclusion, unsurprisingly, was, "Yes, Tokyo is the best candidate and therefore will win."
Well. Here we go.
This will be huge news here in Japan this week. Just the announcement inspired a TV show my wife and I watched last night where a panel of celebrities discussed whether or not Tokyo would get to host the Olympics. Their conclusion, unsurprisingly, was, "Yes, Tokyo is the best candidate and therefore will win."
Well. Here we go.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Shibuya Station 2008
I discovered today my experimental films about Tokyo have long ago been deleted from the Internet. Here's a video of Shinjuku Station I made in May, 2008.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Getting married in Japan...
Let me tell you a little about getting married in Japan, which is an experience I had recently. It started about a year ago with the engagement. My then-fiancee is a Japanese national, but while we'd known each other for about eight years, our relationship didn't really take hold until we were able to talk on Skype on a regular basis. She'd been living in Canada while she studied early childhood education, and I'd been bouncing back and forth between Japan and the United States.
Once I got myself back in Japan things took a turn for the romantic between us, so we decided to get married. She finished her degree, came back to Japan and started looking for a place where we both could live. With our co-habitation settled, we got down the business of setting a date and doing the paperwork.
The paperwork is the most complex aspect of the marriage contract, at least in bureaucratic terms. As the foreigner in the arrangement, you need an official birth certificate and an affidavit of competency to marriage. The affidavit must be notarized by your embassy. For Americans, the place to go is the Tokyo branch, and for this you must make an appointment in advance. Plus it costs 5000 yen. Or 4900 for me, for some reason. My mom took care of the birth certificate (a document aged to flimsiness over the course of my crazy little life and mailed protected in tissue against disintegration from rough handling across the Pacific) and I took a day off work and went to Tokyo for the notary stuff.
Lucky for me this was a three-day weekend and I was able to get two nights in Tokyo to play around, sightsee and shop. It was strange doing that solo. I'd been used to going it alone, but these days I'm half of one complete person so I felt distinctly bisected. The embassy took care of me-- my appointment was at 11:30am, I showed up at 11:00 and I was on my way by 11:26 (I checked as soon as the security guards gave me back my cellphone).
At this point, let me say the woman who handled the actual notarization was a joy to deal with. Friendly, upbeat, chatty. If you have to have your government represented on a personal level in a foreign land, you could do a lot worse, believe me. This is the second time I've had business with her and both times I've come away feeling glad to be an American. If you have to do this, I hope it's on a day she's working so you can feel it, too.
Please fill out the form very carefully. I screwed mine up but we were able to get away with it. You have to write your mother's maiden name, and I stupidly wrote her married name. And this was after botching two other versions of the same form. If you should happen to do this and come away with your document notarized, inform your local ward office before you turn it in. They told my fiancee to write a Japanese explanation of the mistake and all would be well. And it was. Bring your passport to the embassy. No food or drink. Do not forget your payment, which is accepted in yen.
The next part heavily involved my fiancee. This was the laborious translation into Japanese of both my birth certificate and my competency form. She also had to complete the actual marriage document or form or request. Whatever it is. This is where we discovered my little goof, which led to a day of worry that I'd have to spend yet another paid holiday and go to Tokyo to do the whole thing over again. Fortunately not. This poor woman worked her ass off to get everything right.
We asked two friends to be our witnesses and on the day of the wedding itself we met them at their house and had them fill out their part and sign it or stamp it with their inkan.
The ceremony itself? Well, in our case it meant simply going to the ward office on a Sunday and handing in the documents to the middle-aged security guard with two large warts on his upper lip. Oh yeah, and quickly adding more Japanese translations because we overlooked the back of my birth certificate where there was another stamp and signature. We took a quick photograph of ourselves coming out of the office in imitation of our witness friends who had done the same thing. Did I forget to tell you they're also a married couple?
Okay, so that's it. I hope this is helpful, but please understand I'm leaving out a few things because I'm an idiot. Get your paperwork in order, plan ahead and you'll have the same experience we had-- waiting for a Monday morning phone call telling you your documents are wrong. In our case, it was a minor detail they could correct over the phone. Once done, they told my wife, "Omedetou gozaimasu!" and we were married.
Once I got myself back in Japan things took a turn for the romantic between us, so we decided to get married. She finished her degree, came back to Japan and started looking for a place where we both could live. With our co-habitation settled, we got down the business of setting a date and doing the paperwork.
The paperwork is the most complex aspect of the marriage contract, at least in bureaucratic terms. As the foreigner in the arrangement, you need an official birth certificate and an affidavit of competency to marriage. The affidavit must be notarized by your embassy. For Americans, the place to go is the Tokyo branch, and for this you must make an appointment in advance. Plus it costs 5000 yen. Or 4900 for me, for some reason. My mom took care of the birth certificate (a document aged to flimsiness over the course of my crazy little life and mailed protected in tissue against disintegration from rough handling across the Pacific) and I took a day off work and went to Tokyo for the notary stuff.
Lucky for me this was a three-day weekend and I was able to get two nights in Tokyo to play around, sightsee and shop. It was strange doing that solo. I'd been used to going it alone, but these days I'm half of one complete person so I felt distinctly bisected. The embassy took care of me-- my appointment was at 11:30am, I showed up at 11:00 and I was on my way by 11:26 (I checked as soon as the security guards gave me back my cellphone).
At this point, let me say the woman who handled the actual notarization was a joy to deal with. Friendly, upbeat, chatty. If you have to have your government represented on a personal level in a foreign land, you could do a lot worse, believe me. This is the second time I've had business with her and both times I've come away feeling glad to be an American. If you have to do this, I hope it's on a day she's working so you can feel it, too.
Please fill out the form very carefully. I screwed mine up but we were able to get away with it. You have to write your mother's maiden name, and I stupidly wrote her married name. And this was after botching two other versions of the same form. If you should happen to do this and come away with your document notarized, inform your local ward office before you turn it in. They told my fiancee to write a Japanese explanation of the mistake and all would be well. And it was. Bring your passport to the embassy. No food or drink. Do not forget your payment, which is accepted in yen.
The next part heavily involved my fiancee. This was the laborious translation into Japanese of both my birth certificate and my competency form. She also had to complete the actual marriage document or form or request. Whatever it is. This is where we discovered my little goof, which led to a day of worry that I'd have to spend yet another paid holiday and go to Tokyo to do the whole thing over again. Fortunately not. This poor woman worked her ass off to get everything right.
We asked two friends to be our witnesses and on the day of the wedding itself we met them at their house and had them fill out their part and sign it or stamp it with their inkan.
The ceremony itself? Well, in our case it meant simply going to the ward office on a Sunday and handing in the documents to the middle-aged security guard with two large warts on his upper lip. Oh yeah, and quickly adding more Japanese translations because we overlooked the back of my birth certificate where there was another stamp and signature. We took a quick photograph of ourselves coming out of the office in imitation of our witness friends who had done the same thing. Did I forget to tell you they're also a married couple?
Okay, so that's it. I hope this is helpful, but please understand I'm leaving out a few things because I'm an idiot. Get your paperwork in order, plan ahead and you'll have the same experience we had-- waiting for a Monday morning phone call telling you your documents are wrong. In our case, it was a minor detail they could correct over the phone. Once done, they told my wife, "Omedetou gozaimasu!" and we were married.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Melt-Banana at Heavy Sick, April 29, 2012!
I can't believe it's been a year since this show. It took place at Heavy Sick in Hatagaya, which was incredibly convenient for me because I could stay at Sakura Hotel with about a 5-minute foot commute to and from the venue.
Let's time travel and see what happened...
Of course it sold out. Here's a sweet story. A couple came up while I was waiting to get in and they were disappointed not to be able to buy tickets. I can't remember how it happened, but they ended up telling the door guy their dilemma and he mistakenly came to believe they were friends with Melt-Banana. Language barrier. He popped into the club and a few minutes later came out with Yasuko. She looked a little confused and the couple were embarrassed and apologetic for the whole mix-up. While they'd both been perfectly willing to give up and go elsewhere for fun, Yasuko quickly added them to the attendee list. They paid the ticket price and in they went. A very cool moment all around. It made me very happy.
There's no requirement for musicians you like to be nice, but it's always extra sweet if they are.
Yeah, I had a ticket. I bought mine the night before because I was pretty sure the show was going to sell out. Awesome bands, small venue, Tokyo. This usually equals sell out show. Actually, every Melt-Banana show I've been to has been a sell out.
This might have been their last time with Rika on bass. Definitely ONE of the last times. I'm going to miss having her over there on the left pumping out bass and doing that little bouncing move.
Anyway, here are some really lousy photos I took with my iPhone! Some of them might be duplicates, too!
The next time I saw them was the night of Christmas Day the same year. That show was in Shibuya where they opened for Guitar Wolf. While the Heavy Sick show was pretty good, they had more energy in the Shibuya venue even if they were reduced to a duo. However many people they have in their band, I highly recommend you attend at least one Melt-Banana show if you're here in Japan or if they tour through your country.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Hitting the comic stores in Tokyo: April 2013
Monster was a very cool shop to hang out in even if the comic book selection was pretty slender. It's easy to find, only a minute or so from Ebisu station-- right on the Yamanote Line, so there's no chance of getting lost-- and the store is absolutely jam-packed with superhero and movie toys. They seem to specialize in Star Wars but they had a lot of DC and Marvel action figures and statues, plus all kinds of other neat little items. This stuff isn't cheap, but Monster is worth a stop if you're jonesing for little Luke Skywalkers (or that mega-expensive two-figure 1/6th scale Bespin Luke from Hot Toys; he was in stock), die cast metal Batmobiles or plastic figures of Wonder Woman in her new costume. Or if you just like looking at such things. I was hoping they might have the new Dani Moonstar action figure, and while they did have others from that series (with her picture on the back of the package), she was nowhere to be found. Heartbreaking!
The customers were nice, a mixed crowd of young men and women, some parents and their little kids browsing and having pop culture fun. I also found the staff very pleasant. Big smiles and arigato gozaimashitas to seal the deal. I had a great time there, and I can't say I was disappointed not to find a massive selection of new and old comics. I didn't have much expectation of that in the first place. Still, I'll be making regular visits to Monster when I go to Tokyo. It beats hauling my butt all the way to Akihabara to see the same things, plus there are a lot of intriguing restaurants on the same street.
With Blister closed for the weekend, my only other choice was to find Manga No Mori in Ikebukuro. This proved an exercise in frustration. I finally located its former location, which is now a K-Books Men's. They sell those plastic statues and artwork of cutie-pie nearly-nekkid anime/manga girls. Kind of ironic, when one of the draws of Manga No Mori was its reputation for catering to female customers. I didn't expect to find any Cass there-- another shot in the dark-- but I had hoped to find the store at least. Since I'm not into the kind of stuff they sell, I didn't linger at K-Books Men's.
Speaking of catering to female comic customers, visiting the huge Animate in Ikebukuro was a highlight. First of all, just look at it!
That is one mammoth slab of comic book fun. Are there comic book shops this large in the United States? I tend to doubt it, and I doubt if there were they'd be as crowded as Ikebukuro's Animate shop. Just the line for the elevator made it seem like an amusement park attraction. I opted for the steps.
I didn't take any photos inside because I thought it would be rude, but there were plenty of people inside who had no qualms about snapping away. Now I'm thinking it was a missed opportunity. I mean, this place was just bustling and the lines for the cash registers on each floor made looking at merchandise difficult, like trying to watch a baseball game through a wooden fence.
And yes, most of the customers-- but not all-- were women and girls. A very bright, cheerful environment and as many comics about boys kissing boys as you could read in a lifetime. All in Japanese, of course. There is a floor for guy comics, too. And a section with manga-making supplies like paper, pencils, all kinds of ink pens, comic-making computer programs, color markers and more.
I'd read many times about Otome Road, the girly version of Akihabara. Having experienced the dude side in Akiba a few times, I was curious to see how the other half lives. Well, I must be an idiot because I couldn't find it. Others who are smarter than I am have had better luck and you can read about their happier experiences elsewhere. I'm more than a little disappointed I didn't get to visit any cosplay shops there, but if you look at my last photo you can see a brown van parked just in front of the main entrance of Animate. That's for buying food and the young women running it might have been cosplayers. I saw some startlingly white hair. Just down the street was a small park with its own festival in progress.
There I definitely saw some cosplayers. They were having a photo session. I strolled by just to check them out. So I suppose my story has a happy ending after all.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Tough guys don't dance... and apparently, neither does anyone else in Japan these days
Well, not exactly. This is the first I've heard of this-- the police in Tokyo are cracking down on laws that make it illegal to dance after midnight. Not just in Tokyo. Read the article and the comments on the Japan Times website: What's with the police purge on dance clubs? - The Japan Times. Then come back here for a moment or two and let me bore you half to death with a few words on the subject.
Like the appendix, the little toe or network television, these laws are vestigial remants of the past. I'm sure they served a purpose at one time. Now they serve another and you can decide for yourself whether that purpose is over-reaction or a necessary measure. This concerns me because I like to hit live venues from time to time. And while I haven't been to a dance club in Japan in quite a while-- mostly because I haven't found one to my particular liking-- I hate to think the actions of a few will have such a negative impact on what's largely good, clean fun. You know, dancing all night. Clubbing, but not that kind that involves grievous bodily harm.
Actually, I'm not sure such a crackdown will have a chilling effect on the live music scene in Japan. Most shows I've been to start around 7pm and everyone's out the door well before midnight. Unless you're the kind of hardcore clubber who doesn't mind missing that last train-- the kind of person who stays out all night until the sun comes up-- you probably won't notice much difference.
It's just these scenes frequently overlap with other avenues of artistic expression like art itself or fashion, the kinds of things that have made Cool Japan a worldwide phenomenon. Without the mingling of visual and musical arts, we probably wouldn't have had the Harajuku style scene. I wonder, too, what effect this crackdown might have on those kids who like to practice their hip-hop moves in front of reflective store windows late at night. I'm guessing kids still do that, or breakdance on the sidewalks after all the daytime pedestrians have gone home. These are the things that define younger Japan across the globe.
You'd think there would be a way to put the onus on those who really are troublemakers and criminals without criminalizing a bunch of young people out for fun. Maybe that's just too much trouble.
Like the appendix, the little toe or network television, these laws are vestigial remants of the past. I'm sure they served a purpose at one time. Now they serve another and you can decide for yourself whether that purpose is over-reaction or a necessary measure. This concerns me because I like to hit live venues from time to time. And while I haven't been to a dance club in Japan in quite a while-- mostly because I haven't found one to my particular liking-- I hate to think the actions of a few will have such a negative impact on what's largely good, clean fun. You know, dancing all night. Clubbing, but not that kind that involves grievous bodily harm.
Actually, I'm not sure such a crackdown will have a chilling effect on the live music scene in Japan. Most shows I've been to start around 7pm and everyone's out the door well before midnight. Unless you're the kind of hardcore clubber who doesn't mind missing that last train-- the kind of person who stays out all night until the sun comes up-- you probably won't notice much difference.
It's just these scenes frequently overlap with other avenues of artistic expression like art itself or fashion, the kinds of things that have made Cool Japan a worldwide phenomenon. Without the mingling of visual and musical arts, we probably wouldn't have had the Harajuku style scene. I wonder, too, what effect this crackdown might have on those kids who like to practice their hip-hop moves in front of reflective store windows late at night. I'm guessing kids still do that, or breakdance on the sidewalks after all the daytime pedestrians have gone home. These are the things that define younger Japan across the globe.
You'd think there would be a way to put the onus on those who really are troublemakers and criminals without criminalizing a bunch of young people out for fun. Maybe that's just too much trouble.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
You never lack for Christmas cheer in Japan!
I don't know what it is about Christmas, but even in Japan where I believe only about 1% of the population are Christians, you get the full effect of the holiday season. At least the Santa Claus aspects of it. If you're inclined, you can supply all the spirituality you want. Expect lots of Christmas music in stores, holiday displays, greeting cards for sale, colorful lights and, sometimes, even gigantic aluminum Christmas trees, tall and shiny enough to warm even Lucy Van Pelt's crabby heart.
Hamamatsu is no exception. Sometime in November the Col. Sanders statues at the KFCs suddenly donned Santa costumes and they're all standing proudly in front of their bustling restaurants. Expect long waits for your fried chicken and cole slaw. The city workers strung blue lights in the trees lining the main street in front of Zaza City downtown and transformed it into a fairyland. It's too bad there aren't that many shoppers taking it all in. At the Entetsu department store plaza adjacent to the station there's a lighted globe and dazzling stars suspended from the high ceiling (which didn't exist when last I lived here).
Even in my little neighborhood well north of city center there are houses with blinking lights. Some jolly soul even decorated an apartment balcony by stringing a few colorful strands along the railing. Create Drugstore has Christmas music playing over the sound system, which I have to admit entices me to want to overspend. Only I'm generally there to buy toilet cleaner and Belgian waffles, two items that don't exactly inspire feelings of warmth and joy. Well, maybe the waffles. They make great stocking stuffers, too.
This year, we'll spend Christmas week in Tokyo. We have a fancy hotel room reserved and tickets for various events. It's not a crowded itinerary, but it is a fun one. The last time I was in Tokyo for Christmas I enjoyed strolling solo among the young lovers out on their romantic dates in Shibuya and Harajuku. Even there Christmas music drifted through the cold air and brake lights from all the traffic combined with Christmas illuminations and omnipresent neon signage to dazzle the eyes. I expect more of the same, only this time I'll be one of those romantics. Which will be very pleasant indeed.
So Christmas is all around the world. I suppose I should spend some time decrying the encroaching commercialism of it all, but Japan is not a country that shies from commercialism. We shop til we drop whether it's Christmas or not. I could bemoan the lack of the holiday's true spirit, but I think that's something that resides within. You know its meaning and it's up to you to apply it as needed.
Hamamatsu is no exception. Sometime in November the Col. Sanders statues at the KFCs suddenly donned Santa costumes and they're all standing proudly in front of their bustling restaurants. Expect long waits for your fried chicken and cole slaw. The city workers strung blue lights in the trees lining the main street in front of Zaza City downtown and transformed it into a fairyland. It's too bad there aren't that many shoppers taking it all in. At the Entetsu department store plaza adjacent to the station there's a lighted globe and dazzling stars suspended from the high ceiling (which didn't exist when last I lived here).
Even in my little neighborhood well north of city center there are houses with blinking lights. Some jolly soul even decorated an apartment balcony by stringing a few colorful strands along the railing. Create Drugstore has Christmas music playing over the sound system, which I have to admit entices me to want to overspend. Only I'm generally there to buy toilet cleaner and Belgian waffles, two items that don't exactly inspire feelings of warmth and joy. Well, maybe the waffles. They make great stocking stuffers, too.
This year, we'll spend Christmas week in Tokyo. We have a fancy hotel room reserved and tickets for various events. It's not a crowded itinerary, but it is a fun one. The last time I was in Tokyo for Christmas I enjoyed strolling solo among the young lovers out on their romantic dates in Shibuya and Harajuku. Even there Christmas music drifted through the cold air and brake lights from all the traffic combined with Christmas illuminations and omnipresent neon signage to dazzle the eyes. I expect more of the same, only this time I'll be one of those romantics. Which will be very pleasant indeed.
So Christmas is all around the world. I suppose I should spend some time decrying the encroaching commercialism of it all, but Japan is not a country that shies from commercialism. We shop til we drop whether it's Christmas or not. I could bemoan the lack of the holiday's true spirit, but I think that's something that resides within. You know its meaning and it's up to you to apply it as needed.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Japan really does have the best toilets!
Kristin Wong, writing for the Heart Beat at Living on MSN, reports about some very special toilets in Gunma prefecture. They're at a temple and you can flush away an unwanted marriage. Sounds good to me. It's one of those stereotypically hacky observations, but Japan really does lead the world in toilet technology. And, apparently, toilet spirituality.
I haven't been to this temple, but now I'm curious enough to start thinking about a trip there. I think it's hilarious someone has actually intended to use the religious toilets for their more material world function-- dropping off loads. Or whizzing. Not out of any disrespect for anyone's belief, but because of a family story, one that gets retold every few years and never fails to generate a few laughs.
Many years ago, my middle brother took a dump in a display toilet at a Sears store. He'd only recently been potty trained and it seemed to him like a reasonable thing to do. He probably wasn't the first kid to make that mistake, probably wasn't the last. You put a toilet on display and sooner or later, someone's going to use it. It's heartening to know even adults do this occasionally. That's why you should clearly and carefully mark which toilets are for use, which are for display and which are for filing for divorce or losing weight. Proper signage helps.
My current toilet isn't as Space Age as some I've experienced here, what with the heated seats and the washlet functions and the flushing sound effects and what have you. The toilet in my last apartment looked ready to give Captain Kirk's command chair on the old NCC-1701 Enterprise a run for its money in terms of luxurious, highly-functional seating. I didn't live in that apartment long enough to take advantage of all the buttons, but the heated seat made poop times a lot more comfortable during the winter. The toilet I'm pooping in now is merely the heated seat kind, with an adjustable on-off knob. Very simple. Very boring.
When I first came to Japan with a group of rookie English teachers, the company that hired us put us up in a decent business hotel in Dotonbori, Osaka. This place had the William Gibson cyber-punk toilets of every Japanophile's dreams. My fondest memory of that weekend was when this young dude from Arkansas-- who'd recently given up a job as a homicide detective on a small town police force-- came downstairs the next morning and reported his new-found love for bidets.
"I never thought I'd use one of them," he admitted in wonderment, "but now that I have I gotta admit-- I like the bidet function. Man, I hope they have one of those on the toilet in my apartment. I'll definitely be using the heck out of that thing."
I'm paraphrasing, but his sentiments gave me new respect for the guy, and he was already a pretty decent person to hang out with. I wonder whatever happened to him. I imagine if you've been a police detective you can handle pretty much anything life throws at you, especially English conversation classes, which are some of the easiest things in the world to teach. Get with the right school and you won't find a cushier job and you end up learning a lot about Japan, too. It's ridiculously easy, but some do botch it. A few months later our school hosted a guy who didn't survive the first day on the job-- and so was born a minor legend in our area-- but I'm sure the police detective did just fine.
As for me, I didn't have cause to use the bidet function on a Japanese toilet until a few years later, over a New Year's visit to Tokyo. Hotel Listel in Shinjuku. That was the place. Great little business hotel, just a bit far from the station, which is why I switched to the Sakura Hotel/Hostel chain; the one I usually stay at is a stop or two down from Shinjuku station and about a 2 minute walk from Hatagaya station.
I still recommend Hotel Listel, though. Clean, efficient rooms and an excellent breakfast buffet. And incredible toilets. After doing my business, I remembered my detective friend and his open-minded approach to personal hygiene and gave the bidet a whirl. I wasn't quite as impressed, but it wasn't what I expected. Actually, I have no idea what I expected.
I haven't been to this temple, but now I'm curious enough to start thinking about a trip there. I think it's hilarious someone has actually intended to use the religious toilets for their more material world function-- dropping off loads. Or whizzing. Not out of any disrespect for anyone's belief, but because of a family story, one that gets retold every few years and never fails to generate a few laughs.
Many years ago, my middle brother took a dump in a display toilet at a Sears store. He'd only recently been potty trained and it seemed to him like a reasonable thing to do. He probably wasn't the first kid to make that mistake, probably wasn't the last. You put a toilet on display and sooner or later, someone's going to use it. It's heartening to know even adults do this occasionally. That's why you should clearly and carefully mark which toilets are for use, which are for display and which are for filing for divorce or losing weight. Proper signage helps.
My current toilet isn't as Space Age as some I've experienced here, what with the heated seats and the washlet functions and the flushing sound effects and what have you. The toilet in my last apartment looked ready to give Captain Kirk's command chair on the old NCC-1701 Enterprise a run for its money in terms of luxurious, highly-functional seating. I didn't live in that apartment long enough to take advantage of all the buttons, but the heated seat made poop times a lot more comfortable during the winter. The toilet I'm pooping in now is merely the heated seat kind, with an adjustable on-off knob. Very simple. Very boring.
When I first came to Japan with a group of rookie English teachers, the company that hired us put us up in a decent business hotel in Dotonbori, Osaka. This place had the William Gibson cyber-punk toilets of every Japanophile's dreams. My fondest memory of that weekend was when this young dude from Arkansas-- who'd recently given up a job as a homicide detective on a small town police force-- came downstairs the next morning and reported his new-found love for bidets.
"I never thought I'd use one of them," he admitted in wonderment, "but now that I have I gotta admit-- I like the bidet function. Man, I hope they have one of those on the toilet in my apartment. I'll definitely be using the heck out of that thing."
I'm paraphrasing, but his sentiments gave me new respect for the guy, and he was already a pretty decent person to hang out with. I wonder whatever happened to him. I imagine if you've been a police detective you can handle pretty much anything life throws at you, especially English conversation classes, which are some of the easiest things in the world to teach. Get with the right school and you won't find a cushier job and you end up learning a lot about Japan, too. It's ridiculously easy, but some do botch it. A few months later our school hosted a guy who didn't survive the first day on the job-- and so was born a minor legend in our area-- but I'm sure the police detective did just fine.
As for me, I didn't have cause to use the bidet function on a Japanese toilet until a few years later, over a New Year's visit to Tokyo. Hotel Listel in Shinjuku. That was the place. Great little business hotel, just a bit far from the station, which is why I switched to the Sakura Hotel/Hostel chain; the one I usually stay at is a stop or two down from Shinjuku station and about a 2 minute walk from Hatagaya station.
I still recommend Hotel Listel, though. Clean, efficient rooms and an excellent breakfast buffet. And incredible toilets. After doing my business, I remembered my detective friend and his open-minded approach to personal hygiene and gave the bidet a whirl. I wasn't quite as impressed, but it wasn't what I expected. Actually, I have no idea what I expected.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
It's a pretty big burger... I guess...
O.M.G. Burgers (a hamburger restaurant in Kanagawa) touts a monster sandwich they call the Akebono Sumo Burger on their webpage. It weighs approximately 6 pounds and comes with about 2 and a half pounds of fries. If you manage to finish it, you win the equivalent of 300 USD and a t-shirt that proclaims to the world you ate half a cow.
Oh, and the burger is on the house.
For the ex-pat-- and the native-born as well-- Japan offers a wide variety of hamburger dining experiences. You can try the classic taste of McDonald's (yes, yes I did), Burger King and Wendy's (they exited the Japanese market in 2009, but this December they're jumping back into the food fight with renewed vigor), plus the home-grown delights of Freshness Burger and Mos Burger. If you're a fan of the manga Nana (and why aren't you?), you can try a Jackson Burger at Hachi's favorite place, Jackson Hole. Which is a bar.
But not the original bar as seen in the comic book and movie. In 2008, Jackson Hole moved from near the southern entrance of Chofu Station to new digs on the northern side, as some intrepid explorers in real-world manga locations have discovered. Philosophers and those versed in mereological essentialism will have to debate whether or not a Jackson Burger in the new location is the same as a Jackson Burger at the old and if it presents a Ship of Theseus paradox. I just know Hachi loves a Jackson Burger no matter where she sits to eat it.
As for me, a trip to O.M.G. Burgers is on my itinerary for the coming year. After all, who wouldn't want to challenge the sumo burger, especially if there's a chance some bikers will be there to cheer you on?
Oh, and the burger is on the house.
For the ex-pat-- and the native-born as well-- Japan offers a wide variety of hamburger dining experiences. You can try the classic taste of McDonald's (yes, yes I did), Burger King and Wendy's (they exited the Japanese market in 2009, but this December they're jumping back into the food fight with renewed vigor), plus the home-grown delights of Freshness Burger and Mos Burger. If you're a fan of the manga Nana (and why aren't you?), you can try a Jackson Burger at Hachi's favorite place, Jackson Hole. Which is a bar.
But not the original bar as seen in the comic book and movie. In 2008, Jackson Hole moved from near the southern entrance of Chofu Station to new digs on the northern side, as some intrepid explorers in real-world manga locations have discovered. Philosophers and those versed in mereological essentialism will have to debate whether or not a Jackson Burger in the new location is the same as a Jackson Burger at the old and if it presents a Ship of Theseus paradox. I just know Hachi loves a Jackson Burger no matter where she sits to eat it.
As for me, a trip to O.M.G. Burgers is on my itinerary for the coming year. After all, who wouldn't want to challenge the sumo burger, especially if there's a chance some bikers will be there to cheer you on?
Monday, October 31, 2011
October Is Still Spookey Month: Happy Halloween!
Here are a few more of those delightful Tales of Terror videos. First up: a spooky sleep-over!
Looks like another of those ubiquitous school trips. Japanese students go on these excursions each year. Some stay within Japan, like these unfortunate girls, and others go abroad. Do you think this experience will cure Yuki of her school trip insomnia?
Here's yet another school trip.
Most school trips are meant to be educational experiences. From this one, I learned that if I leave my lip cream in the bathroom, I should just wait until morning to retrieve it.
Of course, terror doesn't confine itself to creepy old ryokan in the middle of the night. Sometimes it sneaks up on you around lunchtime in ordinary city apartments.
That was a lovely little flat. Didn't the sister decorate it nicely? Love the dot motif, but it's too bad about the visitor problem.
Well, there are dozens of those Tales of Terror on YouTube. But there are very few Spookey ones. Here's a favorite of mine:
Happy Halloween!
Looks like another of those ubiquitous school trips. Japanese students go on these excursions each year. Some stay within Japan, like these unfortunate girls, and others go abroad. Do you think this experience will cure Yuki of her school trip insomnia?
Here's yet another school trip.
Most school trips are meant to be educational experiences. From this one, I learned that if I leave my lip cream in the bathroom, I should just wait until morning to retrieve it.
Of course, terror doesn't confine itself to creepy old ryokan in the middle of the night. Sometimes it sneaks up on you around lunchtime in ordinary city apartments.
That was a lovely little flat. Didn't the sister decorate it nicely? Love the dot motif, but it's too bad about the visitor problem.
Well, there are dozens of those Tales of Terror on YouTube. But there are very few Spookey ones. Here's a favorite of mine:
Happy Halloween!
Friday, October 28, 2011
October Is Still Spookey Month: Halloween cosplay in Ikebukuro!
I didn't get to go to this, but Sakura Cafe (part of the hotel) in Ikebukuro held a Halloween cosplay party and it looks like everyone had a lot of fun. Black cats, witches, zombies... characters whose identities I couldn't discern... I always enjoyed my stays at the Ikebukuro branch of this hotel chain. It's not that far from the station, features both hostel and "business hotel" accommodations, and -- like all the Sakura Hotels-- has a young, energetic staff that really go all out to make you feel welcome.
When I decided I was too boring to stay in Kabuki-cho in Shinjuku (and too cheap), I switched to the Sakura Hotels and made them my home-away-from home for my annual New Year's junket to Tokyo and the various Melt-Banana shows I attended. I spent my last 5 nights in Japan at the Hatagaya branch, just a quick subway ride from Shinjuku Station and watched a really lousy American League baseball game in the cafe there waiting for my departure time. Lousy in that the last couple of innings were interminable, one of those games where one team looks as though it's playing in slow motion and the other team just keeps hitting away.
Not a fun game. Not a fun day. But Halloween parties can be a blast. I always handed out candy on Halloween at my old school, and we talked about the holiday's history and popular costume choices. The classics proved popular, just like you'll see if you check out the photos in the link above. You know what else is fun?
Spookey doing "The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)" from the old The Banana Splits Adventure Hour TV show!
When I decided I was too boring to stay in Kabuki-cho in Shinjuku (and too cheap), I switched to the Sakura Hotels and made them my home-away-from home for my annual New Year's junket to Tokyo and the various Melt-Banana shows I attended. I spent my last 5 nights in Japan at the Hatagaya branch, just a quick subway ride from Shinjuku Station and watched a really lousy American League baseball game in the cafe there waiting for my departure time. Lousy in that the last couple of innings were interminable, one of those games where one team looks as though it's playing in slow motion and the other team just keeps hitting away.
Not a fun game. Not a fun day. But Halloween parties can be a blast. I always handed out candy on Halloween at my old school, and we talked about the holiday's history and popular costume choices. The classics proved popular, just like you'll see if you check out the photos in the link above. You know what else is fun?
Spookey doing "The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)" from the old The Banana Splits Adventure Hour TV show!
October Is Still Spookey Month: If you're in Tokyo, go to prison for Halloween!
The Sakura Hotel Asakusa staff blog features a short article on an Alcatraz-themed restaurant that looks like the perfect Halloween destination. Alcatraz by way of the Hannibal Lecter films. I hope it's still there next Halloween because I will definitely go there and sample some of their liver with fava beans. I'll have to pass on the Chianti no matter how nice it is; I no longer drink alcohol.
EEP! What we need after that is a palate cleanser of the musical sort:
EEP! What we need after that is a palate cleanser of the musical sort:
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
October Is Still Spookey Month: "Three People Are Coming" and a couple more Japanese horror shorts...
That's a pretty lousy elevator. I don't think I'd enjoy riding that one, either. I rode some creepy elevators during my time in Japan, but I was lucky in that I never had that poor girl's experience. Nice job with those English subtitles by "montecristo73returns," though. What else can we find? How about this one?
Lesson learned? Cram school sucks! Again, great job on the subtitles. But if you stay out of elevators and cram schools, you're completely safe, right?
Yikes! That looks a lot like my old apartment! Nice job, KuljeetChauhan. I have no idea where these short films come from. Shown on television? From a DVD? They're pretty cool and there seem to be dozens of them. Now... here's a movie I made. You may have seen it before!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Sayonara, Nuclear Power
Monday, September 19, saw about 60,000 people rally against nuclear power in Japan. Nobel laureate Oe Kenzaburo helped organize the event, which included a march through Omotesando and Harajuku-- I'm guessing along Omotesando-dori-- to Yoyogi Park.
It must have been quite a sight. Once, when I was vacationing in Tokyo, I found myself involved in a peace march in Shibuya. I'm not sure how many were in the march-- possibly 1000 people or so. They held signs in English promoting world peace, but they didn't exude radicalism or hippie-ism. Nothing fringe-y, although I think peace should be a mainstream issue. These were just ordinary people of all ages, many of them appearing to be clean-cut college students, the same kinds of kids I taught conversational English in Hamamatsu. Maybe because I was the only American-looking person around, they singled me out for a lot of smiles and peace signs, which I happily flashed back at them, letting them know, "Hey, I'm for peace, too."
Having participated in a "No Blood for Oil" march during the Second Persian Gulf War way back in 1990, I know what it's like to peacefully protest for something in which you strongly believe. Our protest didn't share the fun vibe the Shibuya peace march. There are probably many reasons for this which I just don't feel like getting into; not only that, I'm hardly an expert on either American or Japanese culture. But I do love peaceful protests. Especially friendly peaceful protests. Give me a smile and a hug and I'm much more likely to listen to what you have to say. We may not reach an agreement, but we can talk it over and maybe make friends with each other. Tote a gun and a frown, throw around threats, and we've got nothing to discuss.
It must have been quite a sight. Once, when I was vacationing in Tokyo, I found myself involved in a peace march in Shibuya. I'm not sure how many were in the march-- possibly 1000 people or so. They held signs in English promoting world peace, but they didn't exude radicalism or hippie-ism. Nothing fringe-y, although I think peace should be a mainstream issue. These were just ordinary people of all ages, many of them appearing to be clean-cut college students, the same kinds of kids I taught conversational English in Hamamatsu. Maybe because I was the only American-looking person around, they singled me out for a lot of smiles and peace signs, which I happily flashed back at them, letting them know, "Hey, I'm for peace, too."
Having participated in a "No Blood for Oil" march during the Second Persian Gulf War way back in 1990, I know what it's like to peacefully protest for something in which you strongly believe. Our protest didn't share the fun vibe the Shibuya peace march. There are probably many reasons for this which I just don't feel like getting into; not only that, I'm hardly an expert on either American or Japanese culture. But I do love peaceful protests. Especially friendly peaceful protests. Give me a smile and a hug and I'm much more likely to listen to what you have to say. We may not reach an agreement, but we can talk it over and maybe make friends with each other. Tote a gun and a frown, throw around threats, and we've got nothing to discuss.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
My new t-shirt design...
Shop other personalized gifts from Zazzle.
You don't have to buy it, but I'm starting a clothing line celebrating the fun aspects of modern Japan. I figured if celebrities can do this by slapping some letters on a bunch of t-shirts and charge ridiculous prices for them, then there's no reason I can't do the same. Probably with much less successful results. Anyway, this is my inaugural offering.
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