Sumo in a Taxi 1

How many sumo can you get in a Volkswagon? I am not sure, but I don't think you can get much more than 3 into a Japanese taxi.

These guys had finished for the day and were heading home. We watched the 3rd day of the tournament in Fukuoka which is on the island of Kyushu in Southern Japan.

I was worried about whether the big guy in front was going to make in in or not.

Sumo in a Taxi 2

Well he finally made it. I hope he got out OK.

Atomic Dome

This is the Atomic Dome in Hiroshima which was just below the the atomic bomb when it went off. I have seen pictures of it many times but it is of course so powerful to see it. You can't help but want to avoid war after being here.

Carp Castle

Here we are at "Carp Castle" in Hiroshima for which the mighty Carp baseball team is named. The castle is in an area that had many fish. It is near a river that along with moats helped form it's defenses. Although I looked, I couldn't see any carp on the day I was there.


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More on Food

Here is an update on unusual things I was able to eat last week:

1. Fugu - Poisonous Blow Fish: The guy I was traveling with to Fukuoka insisted we eat fugu since it is a delicacy in his home town. We had it as sashimi and then in a delicate soup and finally fried as tempura. Quite good - I had never had a full course fugu meal like this.
2. Ebi - Still Wriggling Shrimp: In Korea we had a live shrimp that was quickly peeled, deheaded, and handed to you while it was still wriggling. It's OK but they are better boiled in Zatarain's. The shrimp were a local, rare delicacy that were said to cost $10 each.
3. Geso - Still Wriggling Octopus Legs: We had these in Korea also. I had heard about them in a book on Japan but the Japanese guy I was with knew nothing about them. They are cut off still wriggling and dipped in a sauce. If you are lucky, they will try to stick to the top of your mouth with one of their suction cups. Really. They taste like any other raw octopus to me except for the suction.

The Koreans also encourage you to drink way too much alcohol too. I should have taken pictures.

Wood & Pecker

It must be early November because they are starting to put the Christmas decorations up in Yokohama. I took this picture at the escalator going into the train station today. We don't have Thanksgiving so it really isn't possible to use that as a cue to put up the decorations or start the Christmas advertisements.

Actually, there are very few Christians in Japan (less than 2%) - so why are we decorating at all? Because it is a holiday and a chance to sell merchandise of course!

This brings me to the central theme of today's blog. Japan is a very interesting dichotomy. On the one hand it is very Japanesey (less than 2% foreigners) and very traditional. On the other hand it has assimilated all sorts of things from other cultures including writing (China), words (a huge proportion of English words as well as Chinese), technology, arts, holidays, you name it.

I took the title of today's blog off of a store window I saw as I was walking through Yokohama: "Wood & Pecker" - take a look at the pictures behind Yebisu if you don't believe me. The store was an upscale clothing shop. Now I am guessing that the person that named it had an understanding of English and a sense of humor but with the Japanese you never can tell. English, especially in advertising, is rampant and frequently nonsensical. It is as if words were pulled randomly from a dictionary (but this one has both comic and sexual innuendo that is almost impossible to think is random).

Anyway, the "Wood & Pecker" had a Christmas tree in the window. Then I started noticing Christmas decorations everywhere. I guess I'd better start shopping. By the way, the Chinese zodiac animal for next year is the dog so all sorts of calendars and doo-dads with dogs are starting to show up. Just when I was getting used to the chicken - out with the chicken and in with the dog!

And now for something entirely different. I have to put in a plug for Google Earth. This is the coolest Web Software I have ever used. If you like maps and geography you have to try it. The resolution in some places is astounding. Here is the link: http://earth.google.com/

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Ochazuke

What is it? Ochazuke is green tea over rice with some flavoring such as dried plum, seaweed, or salmon. Personally, I like the plum. For those who like recipes, make Japanese sticky rice and buy a packet of the instant mix. Pour packet over hot rice and add some hot water. Eat. I made this bowl myself. Yummy. I took the picture with my cell phone.

For various reasons I have been thinking about travel lately. It has gotten to be a real hassle. If you travel too much the sense of adventure is lost and it does that.

I was at the airport the other day and saw something I haven't seen in a long time. There was a tearful family saying goodbye to a loved one and clogging up the entrance. Of course you used to see this all the time before travel became so commonplace and they put up the metal detectors and screened people out of the concourse. Now I travel half way around the world like it was a trip to Walmart and leave an email to tell people where I went instead of a note on the counter.

I was reminded of this when I took the first helicopter trip out to the Diana Platform a few years ago. I got up early and drove down to Galveston, way too early for anybody in my family to get up. We had a couple of 100 workers from the fabrication yard who were going out for a one month tour. I was amazed - tearful families and it was 5:30 in the morning. They had never seen their father leave for any time before.

In Qatar we are building a camp for 20,000 workers who will be there for a year at a time. The workers will be coming from India, Pakistan, Phillipines, etc. Many will have never left their home. There will probably be some more tears at the airport.

Momiji Chizu

It is definitely autumn and the weather is really getting nice. This map shows the colors of the maple trees in Japan (red is full color, yellow is turning, you can guess green). It is from the Yahoo! Japan weather site. In the Tokyo area, the weather is in the 50s at night and 70s in the day. There has been rain but since I returned from Qatar it has been sunny and nice.

Too much work and travel leaves me with little to write about. I did learn an interesting thing about the pre-made meals you can buy in the 7-11. Don't buy the ones that come in an aluminum bowl. The bowl is aluminum because you have to heat it up over the stove! This is of course too much cooking so be forewarned.

I was talking to someone in Doha the other day about men cooking for themselves alone. He said he had never heard of "eating over the sink". I wondered where this guy had been all his life? What did he think garbage disposals were made for if not a method of avoiding cleaning dishes?

Anyway, enjoy the autumn. This is one of the nicest times of the year.

Autumn Haiku

It is time for another haiku since the weather is changing. This is another one by Basho.

この　みち　や
ゆく　ひと　なし　に
あき　の　くれ

Along this road
There are no travelers
Night fall in autumn

This time, I encourage my readers to publish their interpretation in the comments section.

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Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday and the secretaries gave me flowers and brought in everything to make maki sushi for lunch. (We ate the cake a little later in the day after the sushi had settled). Gave me flowers - is this a great place or what?

Thanks for the phone calls, cards, and emails. I am thinking of you too....

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Where is Waldo Now?

Here is a hint - look at the sign. I haven't been spending much time in Japan lately. Always on the move.

We had a good time visiting Dave - enjoyed the football game, enjoyed the concert, enjoyed Hollywood, enjoyed Catalina Island, just enjoyed being together.

I am back in Japan and the weather is starting to cool off but is still very nice - shirt sleeves to sweater weather.

Hope you are enjoying things too :-)

Where is Waldo?

OK, it has been pointed out that I haven't been blogging lately. It is true. I have been doing two things - travel (work related) and work (work related). Guess where Waldo was most recently from the picture. I wasn't actually working here, but on my way to Massa. Massa is the town on the coast just below the place where Michelangelo used to get his marble.

Anyway, this blog space is about Japan and I have recently proved something which I had previously though I had disproved: Socks can disappear during clothes washing in Japan - it is not just an American phenomenon or one related to having kids around. I have recently lost about 4 socks after going nearly two years without losing a single one. I don't know if the gremlin followed me here or if they live here and just hadn't noticed me before now. Very strange.

Anyway, I am now trying to figure out if they are eaten by the washer or the dryer. I always assumed the dryer but that was just an assumption. Hopefully I will find something more exciting to write about soon...

A View of Two Cities

Since I have been traveling it doesn’t seem like there has been much time for things Japanese. I missed my Japanese lesson last week so I have been studying on my own again.

Here is a view of Doha from the Ritz Carlton. The Ritz is way out on the edge of town and there isn’t much around it. Doha is a very modern city and the nicest thing about it is the weather. And the weather in the winter is really very nice. Right now it is hot, but I am used to hot, and with air conditioning these days…

This is a view of Paris from the Sofitel, in La Defense. This is a “new” area of Paris, at least for recent development. To be honest, I don’t like these new areas in cities like Paris and London. They don’t have as much character. You could almost be anywhere. Some of the new areas around Japan give me the same feeling.

But we got out one evening and had dinner in a nice place right outside the Opera. Hard to beat that. Take care...

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GIANT SNOWMAN

What is this giant snowman doing in Ginza near the Yurakucho train station in the middle of the summer? Why is his nose shaped liked Hokaido, the most Northern of the big Japanese islands? I don't know.

Today I decided I had eaten enough eel and whale and decided to just eat plain old Japanese working man's food - ramen, gyoza, and a beer. You can find Ramen Shops all over the city. Of course, like a lot of things Japanese, it isn't really Japanese at all.

Ramen came from China, and gyoza are chinese fried dumplings. Beer was introduced by a German who came by way of the United States. But they have been completely adopted and are now part of the culture.

It is interesting here in that way. Originally a lot of the culture came from Korea and China. Then eventually from the west. In between the country was shut off and isolated during the Edo period. The theory of some is that Japanese ways were institutionalized during that period, and even now are the foundation of what it is to be Japanese. But things are changing rapidly here like everywhere.

I'm trying to keep up...

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せみ (Cicadas)

静けさや
岩にしみ入る
せみの声

shizuke sa ya
iwa ni shimi iru
semi no koe

How quiet
rock absorbs
Cicada’s voice

Basho

I have written a little about Basho and Haiku before, and also the cicadas. There are so many they can be deafening at times, even in central Tokyo. Before coming here, I don't remember hearing them like that since I was a child.

I think it is because we treat our lawns with fertilizers and cinch bug killer and stuff. Not good for a bug that lives underground for years before it comes out to do it's thing (and probably not us either). Except for eating whale, maybe I am starting to turn a little green myself.

But let's concentrate on the poem. The translation is mine (kind of). It is not far off of a word for word translation, with some small changes to accomodate English structure. I've seen others that attempt to give a better sense of the feeling or cadence of the original. I like mine but clearly it is best in Japanese.

The seasonality comes from the cicada (semi). They come in August at the hottest time of the year. The noise, or voice (koe) as Basho more elegantly calls it, is deafening just like the season. But if you sit still like the rock (iwa) and clear your mind it soaks into you and disappears. All is quiet (shizuke).

This is my interpretation based on what Ikeda-san tried to teach me. But that is enough about poetry and the arts for a while. I think I need to eat some eel and drink a beer or something. The heat is getting to me.

The Eel Cafe

The best thing to eat in the summer heat to maintain your strength is freshwater eel - unagi. You see, eel has proteins and a fat content that is just right for offsetting the heat according to my Japanese friends. Last week my friend Hatta-san, who was visiting from Paris, and I went to eat eel in Shinbashi. I have eaten eel plenty of times, but Hatta-san promised we'd have something different.

The menu was all eel. We started with cold eel that tasted kind of like kippered eel to me. Then there was eel gizzards of some kind on a little skewer cooked over a grill. I have had these before and while edible, are not not my favorite. Next we had something new - eel spines deep fried.

I read a Japanese ghost story of sorts one time about the spines. Eels can live a long time out of water and are sometimes still alive when cleaned. The story is that the spines still wiggle when they are thrown into a bucket after the eel is filleted. For some reason this story popped in my head while eating. Anyway, the spines taste like crunchy somethings and compliment beer well. I think they would be good with tobasco sauce.

This brings to mind the duck hunting grounds that the shogun used to have at Hamarikyu Garden which isn't too far from me. There is a memorial to soothe the souls of the wild ducks that were caught there. You can see the garden in the panaramic view of Tokyo Bay behind Yebisu. Interesting, ne? Back to eels.

After that there was boiled eel grilled with brown sauce and regular old grilled eel. This is pretty standard fare but I thought it was particularly good at this shop. The lady who owns the shop also owns a sushi shop next door where they serve fugu in the winter. I will probably go back on my own which could be a little dicey considering the menu and that she doesn't speak any English.

The other food item I learned about this week was shiroitama with zenzai - a desert. The interesting thing about this for me was that I figured out what it was from the Japanese description. A white ball made from pounded rice (mochi) with soy bean paste. Delicious. And I knew what I was getting without a word of English. My Japanese is getting better but it is still bad.

Reading my blog is probably enough to turn you into a vegetarian. But not me - it's going to stay hot a few more weeks - I'd better try and find a good supply of eel till things cool down...

I must be living right

Tokyo Bay

This is the view of the Sumida River at Hamamatsucho where it enters Tokyo Bay from the East side of La Tour Shiodome. The fireworks will start in about 45 minutes and we will have one of the best views in the city. You can see the boats gathering in the harbor - maybe that is a better spot and I should be out there. Please read on...

Fireworks over Tokyo

はなび

I think maybe I am starting to repeat myself. Didn't I write about the fireworks last year? Anyway, this is the 2005 summer edition of fireworks over Tokyo. Once again the girls were wearing yukata, the crowds were there, and everyone was having fun. It might have been a bit cooler because there was a light rain and summer lightning just before the fireworks.

I wish I had a piece of watermelon to eat but otherwise it was perfect. By the way, watermelon and picnics are very much a part of hanabi (flower fire) watching. Hope you got to get out and enjoy the weekend also.

Who is that Masked Man?

Oh! Its ひょとこ (Hyotoko)

Here is an update on the “one eyed dude who looks like he just ate a pickle” in the mask display that I posted earlier. After Stuart asked about him, I found this mask of the same fellow in Asakusa and purchased it for him.

I’ll let you guess the story of the guy who is behind the mask. But what is the story of the mask itself? Japanese traditional theater is famous for the masks and costumes that are worn. This mask is from Kyogen theater, a comic theater form. The fellow’s name is Hyotoko, athough he also goes by "The Whistler".

Only a few of the Japanese people I spoke to really know anything about him, but they all knew his name. My secretary described him as a guy seen at old time festivals in a Hapi coat and doing a funny dance like a clown to make people laugh. Another said that it was worn by drunk people at the office party.

Note the red cheeks – he does look like he has been having fun. And he always has his lips pursed like he is whistling or putting out a lot of effort.

Actually, he is from a famous story which of course is a love story. He is paired with Okame, who was originally portrayed as idealized feminine beauty. Anyway, I won’t ruin the ending by giving anymore away. Just do a web search and you will probably find more.

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A View from Mt. Takao

This is a view from Takao san, which is in the Tokyo Metropolis and easily reachable by train. There are some more pictures this week behind the Yebisu button that you might find interesting also.

Teresa and David just left today so I am back to work again. It is really starting to get hot and it is firework season. Hopefully I'll get a chance to see the Tokyo Bay fireworks (hanabi) and get a picture or two.

Enjoy the summer...

Matsushima

Matsushima Bay is considered to be one of the three most beautiful views in Japan. It is located near Sendai in the Northeast part of Honshu (the main island), known as Tohoku.

Some of the islands are connected by bridges to the mainland like this one known as Oshima. There are a number of temples and shrines on the islands. Note the Buddhist caves with carvings in the rock just on the other side of the bridge. You can enlarge the picture by clicking on it.

Masks

A display of traditional and popular cartoon characters for children at a shop in Kawagoe.

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Kawagoe

Kawagoe is a nice little part of Tokyo that still has some of the original Edo style buildings. The buildings were originally of a style used for storehouses called kura. After a fire in 1893 in which only kura survived, the people decided it was a good style for homes and shops too. The buildings have heavy clay walls, double doors, and shutters. The roof finales are in the shape of a cloud (rain inhibits fire).

Guardian Lion

The Guardian Lion at the foot of the stairs, Atago Shrine.

Attack of the Starving Koi

It is the rainy season in Japan. We are getting rain several times a week and it is frequently hot and humid. But right after the rain it can be nice and almost cool. Here are the koi at the shrine next to my apartment looking for a handout. Somehow I think they are getting enough to eat though.

Soon it will be time for the fireworks and the festivals are in full swing. Hope you are getting out and doing something too....

Whale Meat

This week's topic is not for the Eco-sensitive or the squeamish. Please DO NOT read any further if either one of these adjectives describes you.

OK, I thought you would still be reading. I haven't written about unusual (unusual for us gaijin anyway) foods in a while but just this week I got the chance to try くじら　(kujira) which is whale. I don't know what kind of whale it was, but it was good. Whale can be legally eaten in 3 places I understand - Japan, Alaska, and Scandinavia. All 3 cultures have indigenous people with a history of eating whale.

At one time whale was widely eaten in Japan and several of the Japanese men I was with said that when they were children it was more widely eaten than beef where they grew up. This was at least partially because it was cheap. In fact I understand it was given to school children quite a bit. This くじら was described as "whale bacon" because it was at the edge of the blubber and had a white strip and a red strip. I thought it was quite tasty, but I noticed that not everyone down at the other end of the table was eating it. That left more for the rest of us. Don't call the "Save the Whale" people on me but STOP NOW if you are squeamish.

A while back, I had another delicacy in the same restaurant that was unusual. The chef pinned a live fish at the tail and the head on a bed of ice so it sat up with the sides fileted off, sliced thinly over on the ice, and served. The mouth was still gulping and the tail was twitching. This is just sashimi of course, but seeing the fish makes it difficult for some folks to eat. Meshiageru, ne. I ate it.

Why do the Japanese eat raw fish? I think it is because they like it very fresh and and it tastes good that way. Cooked fish is also eaten, it is just preferred raw.

Still with me? Thought so. I have had this next one a time or two. It is called しらこ (shirako) and wasn't very well translated for me the first time I ate it.　Since this is a family blog, I will avoid base language and describe it as the reproductive organ of a male cod taken during the spawning season. I have eaten it served as nigiri zushi and also in a bowl. Actually this tastes OK too. Bon appetite, or more properly in this case itadakimasu. Remind me to take you to one of these places next time you are in town. Or, if you prefer, I'll take you to one of the best French restaurants you will have ever been to...

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Peg Leg Pete's

The fishing was a bit slow but the company (and food) was good in Florida this last week. I went fishing with my Uncle Jack, cousin David, brothers Stuart and Cody, and son David. Here are the men on the Milburn side posing with an old family friend. We also enjoyed the Naval Air Station Museum, which I recommend, and goofing off. There is a picture of the whole crew behind the Yebisu button.

With regard to the fishing, it is like Wes, our guide, said: they don't call it "catching", they call it "fishing". We did catch some mackerel and trout however. Here is the recipe of the week, which while too complicated for me to attempt, might be good.

Fried Mackerel

• Filet mackerel and get ALL the red flesh out
  
• Marinate mackerel in Italian Dressing with Basalmic Vinegar about 15 min
  
• Cover filets with milk and refrigerate at least 3 hours
• Fry in Zatarains fish fry

Happy Father's Day to all the dads....

T-Shirt Season

KAWAII OTONA NO ONNA! SMART PINK

It is getting warm again and everyone is starting to wear T-shirts (ti-shatsu), frequently with some kind of saying in English so I should report on that. Here are recent sightings:

• "Critical Beat Down" - Young man with neat appearance
• "I left all my exes in Texas" - 30's woman
• "By Bathing Ape" - Young woman
• "Napalm Death" - Long haired young man
• "I may not be perfect - but I'm getting pretty close" - Young woman with freckles
• "Paints - Power Groove has come" - Preteen girl
• "Loneliness is part of Being Human" - Pretty young woman
• "Freaks of GoGo Spectators" - Young man

What more can I say? Taken together, that pretty much sums up life.

Oh yes. The woman in the picture is one of the secretaries from work. Her T-shirt says "Kawaii Otona no Onna - Smart Pink". This is an interesting mixture of Japanese and English with the Japanese written in Romaji (western alphabet). It translates to something like "Cute Woman Person - Smart Pink". It is more polite to say woman person than just say woman. And she is using the traditional V sign for photographs called "pisu" (peace) and holding a "dijikamu" (digital camera).

Very Japanese. I like just about everything about Japan but the best part is the people. This picture was taken at the Bowling Party we had last weekend. The project team and their families all went bowling - see the group photo by pushing the Yebisu button.

Did you notice my counter is over 3000 viewings now? I should be charging people to read this foolishness. Since I am travelling back to the USA I'll see many of you soon...

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ごがつびょう

Rody

I don't have very much exciting news this week. The picture is of children and their parentls playing on rubber donkey looking toys named "Rody" at Ebisu Gardens (home of the famous beer museum).

The hiragana in the title (gogatsubyoo) means May Sickness. If you remember, we had Golden Week at the beginning of the month - after Golden week nobody wants to come back to work - hence May Sickness. Another term about the month of May I like is さつきばれ (satsukibare) which kind of translates into a clear day in May. This is because the weather starts to become very nice in Japan this time of year and we have had many nice days. The word satsuki also means Azalea which were in bloom earlier in the month.

I have been really bad about my study of Japanese lately - I think I'll go study...