Japanese Ties

Tokyo Tower - Symbol of Sight-seeing and So Much More

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 23:21:00 +1030

20th August, 2010 - After visiting Zojo-ji, we were off to see another old favourite friend in Tokyo. Good old Tokyo Tower... Walking up the road from Zojo-ji, you catch glimpses of the tower through the tree line. A tease of things to come.

Tokyo Tower was a symbol of reconstruction and re-birth in post WWII Japan. The tower is a complete rip-off of the Eiffel Tower - though at 333 m tall, it is about 10m taller than the original French inspiration. Construction started in 1957 and was completed in 1958 - with the first radio transmitters installed in 1961.

Tickets to the observation deck are around 820 yen for adults, and 460 yen for children over 4, and 310 yen for children under 4. The main observation deck is at the 150m mark, and affords quite nice 360 degree view of Tokyo, and being where it is, there's lots of cool neighbourhoods to find in amongst the neon and steel.

My brother-in-law said before we went that we should try and find the second Tokyo Tower... and frankly I didn't know what he was talking about. Then as I was looking out at the night-scape, it suddenly struck me. The second Tokyo Tower! No... not the Skytree... but a wonderfully coincidental tower made from the street lights of a busy intersection just a little way from the tower. And yes - even I could see how you could call it a second tower... built entirely from momentary car lights and sodium sparkles.

Of course - any tower worth it's salt is going to have a "glass floor", and Tokyo Tower doesn't disappoint. Whether it was because it was night, or whether I was taken up in the mood - but I jumped on with complete abandon. Which, as some of you might know I do get afraid of heights quite easily... this was quite an achievement. But then again, sitting on my bottom was something I knew instinctively how to do.

There is also another "special" observatory that you need to fork out another 600 yen (in addition) once you get to the main observatory. For whatever reason, we've never bothered abut getting up to the 250m level. We were content with what we had. Back down stairs, the tower is amazing at night when it's lit up brilliantly.

And if you find it all too much, then you can pop into the "Foot Town" building at the base of the tower and check out the faux Shinto temple as something different (and is found on the second floor). It's four floors of beautiful cliche tourist trap sort of stuff. But it's still irresistible!

Tokyo Tower is almost certainly a tourist trap itself... but it's so much more too. Like all symbols it stands apart from that which describes it - even if it seeks to symbolise the city it lives in - Tokyo. It turns out to be quite a classy reminder of the dreams Japan had at the beginning of the 60's when it seemed that all you needed was a good work ethic and the world was your oyster. Even though the world has changed, it's symbolic power remains, if a little hidden under the glare of it's new sister tower, the much larger Tokyo Skytree.

Zojo-ji....The Path To Redemption And An Old Friend

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 21:40:00 +1030

21st August, 2010 - a short taxi ride (or a longer walk) from Takeshiba monorail station you'll find the temple Zōjō-ji (or more correctly, San'en-zan Zōjō-ji). Tokyo is normally a city more renowned for the newest fashion, pop culture or electrical goods rather than historical temples. But there remains (if you look for it) any number of temples around the city. Zōjō-ji may lack the razzmatazz of Senso-ji in Asakusa, but it's still one of the more significant temples in Tokyo. You can check out my original post from our trip back in 2003 here.

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The temple was first built in 1393 AD for the Jodo Shu sect of Buddhism (the ones that popularised the act of reciting the nembutsu chant as a way of finding enlightenment). It was later moved to the current location in 1598 AD. However, despite it's rich heritage, only the main gate, known as the Sangedatsumon (roughly as the Gate of the three deliverances - in this case form greed, anger and stupidity!) This huge vermilion painted gate was constructed in 1622.... one of the oldest surviving structures in Tokyo - a city with a history replete with bad endings for buildings.

From the other side of the gate... the busy streets of Tokyo echo softly with the hot breath of summer life drifting through the huge temple gates.

And of course it is still a working temple... so expect to see the odd monk or two around...

Actually - back in it's hey day, you'd have been quite likely to have spotted the elite of Edo (old Tokyo) around the temple, as it was the favoured temple of the Tokugawa clan; the Shogun rulers of Japan for over 250 years. Indeed the family mausoleum was on this site... though the history (other than Sangedatsumon) was largely destroyed following the fall of the Shogunate, and of course the bombing of Tokyo in WWII.

The creatively named Daibonsho... or BIG BELL....constructed in 1673, and comes in at a modest 13.6 tonnes of purification. Rung twice daily - early in the morning and in the evening (I'd vote for seeing it in the evening)... it evokes an amazing feeling as it rings out across the amazingly quiet temple grounds. Remember this is still in the heart of the city,

Time for some purification of another sort at the chōzubachi, which is a ceremonial water trough used for the act of washing your impurities in the temizu ritual (te = hand, mizu = water). How to do it? Grab the full cup/ladle in your right hand, rinse your left hand with it. Then repeat with your left hand washing your right... then pour some water into your left hand and wash your mouth. Though I suspect this last step is often (though not always) skipped for the sake of hygiene.

One of my favourite - though that's perhaps not the right word - parts of Zōjō-ji is the memorials to the lost children. Around the north-western wall are lined row after row of Jizō statues, disturbingly garbed in red bibs and hats they make for a memorable, if a little disturbing, sight bathed in the late afternoon glow. It's a sad place - and a place for quiet reflection on our children. Jizō is the patron saint of children, and you will find Jizō statues all over the country - protecting and guiding the souls of those unfortunate souls that were not long for the world.

Actually I have also read (not sure about it) that the practice of parents paying for Jizō statues to remember their departed children is used by some temples as a way of money-raising; using emotional blackmail and fear to pry money out of the grieving parents pockets. Of the two versions, I prefer to believe in the more soulful and spiritual protection of Jizō for the children lost to the world.

The Daidan (Honden) is the main hall in the temple building and was a relatively recent construction of (1974). Actually, reading the blurb it's described as combining the best of Buddhism and modern architectural designs (at least circa 40 years ago). I kinda get worried by those sorts of statements - for some reason. Inside you'll find a large - and venerated - image of the Amida Buddha. That's of course if you go inside. Actually, we were just passing through today.... a more detailed visit will need to wait for another trip....

And our old friend is revealed... Tokyo Tower. Mama-san of the Tokyo's night skyline.

Time To Unwind In Tokyo

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 22:31:00 +1030

20th August, 2010 - Ok - first things first.... I admit I haven't been posting many new blog entries of late. There's a reason - several. Firstly - had child #2 (kind of changed priorities), second - have been holidaying in Japan (yeah - ninth trip... man am I behind on my posts), and third - there's some big news which you can read about on my sister blog (Raising Adelaide). Anyhow - I'm back at home - busy as usual, but I want to get stuck into these posts. Real quick.

So where were we - oh that's right - Odaiba. We had a totally full-on day there, T-chan with her friend, and me with L-kun visiting all the different and very interesting things (in the middle of a very hot Tokyo summer day). After the end of the day, we decided to visit another old friend. But I won't spoil the surprise. First thing we did was jump on the Tokyo Monorail that stops at Odaiba, and wound our way to Hamamatsucho. The monorail is a slightly expensive, but a worthwhile experience in Tokyo... 470 yen will take you end to end, from Haneda Airport to Hamamatsucho.

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Only 1 minute after getting on the Monorail, L-kun was fast asleep... we got off at Takeshiba Station and found a quiet place to sit down by the harbour, watching the boats come and go. L-kun slept soundly in Mum's arms for an hour, whilst Mum and Dad had some quiet time together. It was a strange afternoon - but amidst the hustle and bustle of the trip, and especially of the day - it was great afternoon break together. Just goes to show that for all the excitement of sight-seeing in a big city, sometimes you just need to sit back, relax and unwind.

Miraikan - The Museum From The Future

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 00:01:00 +1030

20th August, 2010 - As mentioned in the previous post, we had come to Odaiba so that my wife could catch up with a good friend of hers (who was temporarily back in Japan). Whilst we were there, I was going to take my son to Miraikan... the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation....

Now this is perhaps a little too old for my (then) 3 year old son... but there was at least one very good reason to go...

Asimo. This robot, first developed in 2000, has become a star attraction. Not just in Miraikan, but is globally famous. And oddly enough, is a child of Honda, the car manufacturer. Asimo - and here I'm pretty sure there's a whole army of them out back - performs every hour or so. And the the shows are always packed (especially in the holidays). And I mean packed. The good thing is that they have an area down the front that is reserved for children (with an accompanying adult) to at least be able to get a good look.

The routine is quite enjoyable (and no, you don't need to understand Japanese to enjoy)... with lots of movement demonstrations and even a spot of soccer ball kicking. One of the things I didn't understand was the fact that off to the side (out of shot) there appeared to be a man with a computer doing some sort of control. At the end of the day, I assume Asimo isn't quite all that autonomous...

Actually, as you might have guessed, robotics form a major component of the displays at Miraikan... including some disturbing "talking" robots engrossed in their own conversation... unfortunately the explanation given didn't seem to relate much to what was going on (had they decided to throw away the script?)

And of course - if you can't get a real Asimo, the next best thing? Asimo-mini.

Another big driver in the Miraikan displays are references to nature and the natural world. I think these bits are the more educational parts... although of course, you need to have time to talk with your children about what it all means.

For example there was this complicated display of the different ecological cycles in nature (though I did suspect that it may have also started out life as a Pachinko machine gone insane).

Now ... let's try and explain DNA to a 3 year old....

One of the more unusual displays was a rotating full-size scanner. You sit down and are rotated through a vertical scanner with the composite image displayed on a large LCD screen,

Actually, the Miraikan building also has a number of exhibitions throughout the year - and I thought we had hit gold when we discovered that the Science Behind Doraemon was going to on whilst we were there. Doraemon is a Japanese institution - a manga/anime character that has been thrilling Japanese children (and perhaps quite a few adults) since 1969. Doraemon is a robotic cat from the future, sent back in time to aid the fortunes of one young boy (and ancestor) Nobita. Doraemon has lots of wonderful gadgets (including a fourth dimensional pocket for storing all sorts of goodies, including an Anywhere-Door and a Bamboo-copter.

It's a fun series, and L-kun loved it (and still does)... so I was hopeful that our son could have a great time here. And he sort of did... but it was also obvious that the hot weather was starting to take it's toll on him.

So after a long day of running around, we left Miraikan - and I suspect we'll be back when it's not so hot. Actually, I have to admit that such was our overall exhaustion that L-kun and I had our first real 'moment' walking back to Venus Fort (where my wife was shopping with her friend). I think you know that you're tired when you start arguing with your 3 year old son... sometimes it's easy to forget who is supposed to be the mature one.

T-chan shot the photo below as we returned... that my friends is the look of sheer relief from utter desperation. Survival. The day had so much already, and was lots of fun... but had quickly turned from laughs and excitement to lots of unhappy tears amidst the stinking hot Tokyo summer. And despite the tears, I can recommend visiting Odaiba! There's so much to do there it's not funny.

Not all holiday moments are kodak-worthy, and some you want to forget (or at least re-do)... but that's also part of having a holiday. Experiencing the good, and the bad, together as a family.

Odaiba - City of Lost and Found Dreams

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 11:43:00 +1030

20th August, 2010 - Today was going to be a bit of a strange day for us... we were visiting friends. Well, I should say my wife, T-chan was visiting her Japanese friend who had recently returned to Japan with her Australian husband and son (and who were living in Saitama, but commuting into Tokyo). It had been a while since they had caught up in Adelaide, so had planned a girls afternoon out. Not really having anything in mind for the boys, the idea of basing all of ourselves in Odaiba came to mind....

The island sits off to the east of Shinagawa, and is famously connected to one end of the Rainbow Bridge...and is often reached using the equally (in)famous Tokyo monorail.

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Odaiba is an artificial island in Tokyo Bay and was initially developed at the end of the Japan's introspective Tokugawa (Edo) era... to defend Edo (Tokyo) against the threat of the Western nations. However, the promise of protection was short-lived and Japan capitulated against the threat of the American "Black Ships" of Commodore Matthew Perry in 1853. The islands were grown further through reclamation, converted to a port, then finally in the heady days of the 90's was decided to become a mini-megapolis within the mega-megapolis (a plan that had grown in the 60's dream of the perfect post-industrialised society). Supposedly the development was going to house 100,000 people.. which to my mind is hard to believe (it's only 1.5 x 2.8km in size... so that's some serious population density, and hardly my idea of social perfection). Thankfully (or not) the Japanese economy collapsed, in a giant bursting of the property market bubble, and much of the audacious (or crazy, or both) plans for Tokyo were suddenly put very much on the back burner. Odaiba the city within a city was one of those cancelled plans.

Now Odaiba sits amidst Tokyo Bay, a beacon for dreams lost, not really knowing what it is. There's a strong mix of the recreational and the industrial. Neither reality really dominating. But there area a few things are noteworthy. For instance Venus Fort which is a paper-mache style shopping mall, highlighting the best of chic (or is that cliche) Japanese tradition. And who could forget Daikanransha in Palette Town, the 100+m Ferris Wheel that is one of the night-time highlights of Tokyo.... perched alongside the Rainbow Bridge.

Then there's a number of smaller themed attractions, like the Toyota Megaweb (no, it's not an 24x7 booth of youtube Toyota commercials... it's one of their promotional halls for future tech stuff). One of the highlights is the trumpet playing robot - though it's been blowing tunes out for the last decade or so. Actually, it only has a few shows every day, each lasting for a few minutes only. Miss it and you've got to wait a long time. Both my son and I were looking forward to seeing it, but it left us a little disappointed (does it do anything else, Daddy?)

From a musical robot to an automotive one... you can jump into one of the autonomous cars that drives around the centre. It's an odd drive, sitting there watching the car do it's thing. Was very tempting to see if I couldn't grab the wheel and score really amazing souvenir of the day... Once again it's sort of neat, but technology hasn't stood still - like Odaiba - and this is now a little old hat.

And it wouldn't be Tokyo, and Odaiba, if it didn't have the obligatory "high tech" concept vehicles. Hmmm Toyota... I think I might stick with our Yaris (or Vitz as it's known in Japan) for our second car. It may be small, but at least it can fit more than a slightly emaciated gender challenged alien mannequin in it.

I wonder if people in 30 years time will look back at these designs and wonder what the hell we were all on...

Need I say more?.... I can see this would make walking to the cafes all that more enjoyable (as long as it came with a cup holder).

But of course, it's not just futuristic vehicles that sets Odaiba apart... the landscape screams futurism, with a vast array of experimental avante-garde architectural wonders from the period of Japanese design where the world must have seemed to have only one purpose - to be a playground for architects to have fun in. Actually, there's more buildings than I could poke a stick at, all very interesting indeed... and these are just a sample of them.

Telecom Centre

Fuji TV

Close up of Observation Deck in the Fuji TV building

Tokyo Big Sight Convention Centre

Miraikan

Now, there's another post coming, specifically on the Miraikan (above)... but I'll end this post by saying that Odaiba is one of Tokyo's confusing moments. A social-experiment-turned-theme-park-turned-some-times-graveyard. There's lots to do here, but also, it can feel like there's not much going on. I'm sure there's crowds, but the day we went, there weren't that many people at all walking around (I later found out where they were)....

It's worth visiting if you've got a spare day in the itinerary, and the weather's good. The dream of a the perfect city-within-a-city was lost, but they found another dream. The dream of a time when the economy was strong enough to be adventurous and bold. Even that dream has become elusive... but we found a way to at least see what the dream looked like in Odaiba.

Roppongi Hills... Big Bold and Eight-Legged Bronze?

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 00:18:00 +0930

19th August, 2010 - After our fill of celebrity (Julia Roberts, why don't you write to me?), we had a bit more of a look around TV Asahi studios, though at that time of night, there wasn't much to be seen except for a faux-faux-Eiffel Tower (ok, Tokyo Tower might be taller, but will never quite capture the same feeling).

Right next to TV Asahi is the rather delightful surprising Mori Garden... snuggled as it were amongst the glass and steel, and looking beautiful under the artificial Tokyo electric sun in Roppongi.

Side Note: Roppongi is the suburb name, and comes from the Japanese 六本木 which means "6 trees", from roku (六) which means 6, hon (本) or long-cylindrical counter and ki (木) trees.... so why isn't it called rokuhonki?... well, the Japanese in their wisdom realise that some things just don't quite sound right, so they soften the sounds to form roppongi. See Japanese is pretty easy. The history was that the area was actually famous for 6 pine trees, but they were successively killed off and finally the last 3 were destroyed in WWII. In recent times Roppongi has been more synonymous with partying (especially by foreigners)... although strangely enough it's also the home of quite a few foreign embassies as well.

Actually the name, Mori, is sort of well used around this development, commonly known as Roppongi Hills. Mori refers to Mori Minoru (of the Mori clan) and now billionaire building tycoon who constructed the 4 billion dollar development in Roppongi.... the 54 storey Mori Tower being the most dominant part of the development. Whislt Roppongi might have a bit of a mixed reputation, Roppongi Hills is quite a swank location to go out for Japanese, and it also offers a great observation deck (at a pretty pricey 1500 yen) as well as an art gallery and a great selection of restaurants (ranging from reasonable to very expensive).

Just in front of Mori Tower, and just coming out of the Subway Station you will be immediately taken by a very special embassador to Roppongi Hills. Maman. This amazing bronze sculpture which stands some 10m high, straddles the open plaza and entrance to the Mori Art Gallery. It was created by French artist, Louis Bourgeois (1911-2010) who actually intended it to represent the spider aspects of his mother (of all things); a weaver, clever, protector of the family... and of course Maman is the french word for mother. It is used here however to signify that Roppongi Hills was the centre of the social web of Tokyo. It's infuriatingly Japanese in both it's sheer oddity and yet undeniable charm. Though as a last note, the sculpture exists in about 8 or 9 different locations across the globe, so you might yet bump into Louis' immortalised mother on your travels.

Overall, I enjoyed our evening with T-chan's brother in Roppongi Hills - it's a great place to socialise, to eat, see a bit of culture, and possibly head out for a party afterwards. It's also a great place to view that other Tokyo attraction... you guessed it, the real faux-Eiffel Tower, Tokyo Tower. And this view is free.

By the way, Ebisu Garden Place is just a quick train ride away and another great place to socialise. Note - you might also see Ebisu spelt Yebisu... don't get confused, but it's also a name of a beer. Hmmmm Beer.....

And one of the best things to do when you're thinking of beer..... hmmm... is to enjoy a meal of Jingisukan, or Mongolian Lamb BBQ - which is a speciality of my adopted home of Sapporo. And indeed, when in Ebisu Garden Place, you should definitely pop into the Sapporo Beer Station for a Sapporo beer and a slab of bbq'd lamb. Two of my favourite things.

Spare Days And Red Carpet Stardom

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 01:02:00 +0930

19th August, 2010 - Now our trips to Japan have recently focussed on my wife's home of Sapporo, Hokkaido since we had children. So this trip was a bit of a question mark for us. We didn't know how things were going to go in Tokyo with our son, L-kun. Solution, we had programmed a spare day into our itinerary. And after such a long day in Yokohama we needed it. Our plan was therefore to go to Shinjuku for some easy shopping and walking. Other than that, there was no plan, and little expectation.

There wasn't so much photography going on, and to be honest (and this may shock and dismay), I'm not that inspired by the area in terms of photographs anyway. It's a fantastic location for "street photography", but there's a grimness to much of the endless concrete.

However, I know that the streets of Shinjuku are full of little moments... but when you're walking around with your family and it's very nearly approximating hell (hot and humid), your mind doesn't always go to photography as a priority.

So the photos I was taking were largely random, and largely a function of accidentally pressing the shutter release on the camera at approximately the right time as I was walking.

Now it might also surprise that when we go to Japan we don't necessarily eat "Japanese" food... and T-chan certainly fills up on home-cooked food when she returns to Sapporo. But often times - modern Japanese food differs quite significantly from the image. Normally our lunches are quite, westernised...

And when visiting the Kirin City cafe, one should of course partake of the Kirin.. Beer. Yummy.

Now after an afternoon of shopping in Shinjuku (and mostly window shopping at that) we arranged to meet up with T-chan's brother in Roppongi Hills later in the evening. Like many workers in Tokyo, work doesn't tend to finish early, and it's often hard to make plans. Anyhow we had a while to kill, so we made our way over to Roppongi... the suburb that at least used to be synonymous with foreigners and bars and the sorts of activities that tend to accumulate around those two things.

Today however, it was a different thing that was becoming apparent. There was a huge number of women walking around in yukata - or a summer kimono-style dress. It's often worn in summer to attend fireworks in the evening - somewhat of a Japanese tradition. So I wasn't too surprised to see it today...

Though there was no mistaking that there were a lot of young women in yukata all of a sudden... no matter where you looked.

And they all looked like they were going somewhere, or meeting someone...

In fact, as we walked around Roppongi Hills, it started becoming apparent that this was no ordinary evening. This was ridiculous! There hundreds of them. It was like we'd stepped in on a yukata convention.

As we walked down around the block, we came across an even stranger sight. Seemingly hundreds more young women squashed in around a bon-odori stage. This was all right next to the TV Asahi studio building (where we were going to take L-kun to see the Doreamon shop (Doraemon being a very popular Japanese children's character).

L-kun and T-chan went into the shop to have a look around (and to make their own Doraemon character), whilst I milled around outside trying to make head-or-tail of what was going on.

As the minutes went by, the crowd grew and grew... and the security guards became more agitated. Someone was coming... a big black limo pulled up, and who should pop out? Why Julia Roberts of course....

Meanwhile, L-kun and T-chan were obliviously having fun inside...

And Julia (somewhat un-relaxed looking... perhaps it was the heat), strolled down the red-carpet to be surrounded by the sea of screaming, camera-wielding, yukata-wearing womanhood.

The big screen was as close as this paparazzi-wanna-be was going to get.

And about 30 or so minutes later, it was all over, and the Julia was whisked off again to who knows where. The life of a star. I do wonder, what someone like Julia must think of the whole thing. As it turned out this was her first visit to Japan... promoting the movie Eat Pray Love. From what I saw, she was getting the 5 min culture-shock treatment - though perhaps she gets used to that.

Their screams vented, and normality returning, the sea of femininity parted... and finally dispersed, their Hollywood-star-lust satiated.

Time to relax...

And what came of the women... they just melted away into the night. I have no idea where they would have disappeared to... but they certainly had made for an impressive sight.

Of course, L-kun was none the wiser... and after a long evening of making Doraemon, was happily (obliviously) eating his hard-earned ice-cream.... I could be wrong, but I think Julia would have killed someone for an ice-cream to get her through the heat.

So it's interesting how spare days can turn out bizarrely unexpected.

Minato Mirai 21 - The Future Is Now

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 23:21:00 +0930

18th August, 2010 - After a long, hot day in at Chinatown and then the Anpanman Museum, we walked over to one of our other favourite places in Yokohama. Minato Mirai 21, a typically Japanese entertainment district / business district / port facility that was developed out of land reclamation of Yokohama harbour. Actually the idea came out of the heady 1960's, when the future of Japan beckoned... but had to wait till the 80's when Japan's finances and near-orgasmic-desire-to-build knew no bounds. And thus, out of the sea was born a concrete and steel vista of grand proportions.

The tourist guide has a lot of information on Minato Mirai 21 here, and there's a lot to see and do (more so than we had time after a very busy day).

View Tokyo Map in a larger map

Still, it was surprising just how rejuvenating it was for the sun to start setting... and as we approached Minato Mirai, the air cooled (not by much), and yet, the streets became strangely quiet. This part of MM21 is much more business oriented I guess, and by 6:30pm the streets were not quite a ghost town, but by Japanese standards it was pretty close.

Our first stop was World Porters, a large shopping complex on the "island" part of MM.... unfortunately no photos, so Google StreetView has come to the rescue. World Porters has a pretty extensive food court available, and is worth popping (along with the much larger Queens Square Towers).

Care of Google StreetView

Food court's are pretty well the same all over... the only thing that changes is the cost, the crowds and the cuisine (ok... that sort of means that every food court is different).

And if you're interested in what sort of prices food court meals are in Japan... well here you're looking at somewhere between 600 and 800 ¥ - in Aussie Dollars that would be approx AUD $7.50 - $10 based on today's rate (about 80 ¥ for each AUD).... drinks separate.

Well, there was a pretty good selection here, though we went for something traditional. Steak! That's right people, not all Japanese food is the same. Then again, even a dishes like steak tend to take on a different, asiatic, flavour as you might expect.... and the verdict. Well, coming from Australia, where we like our steak big, thick and juicy, it was... ok.

Next stop was Cosmo World, a small amusement park that sports a couple of smallish roller coasters...

It's nice to see Australia front and centre!

...and one BIG Ferris Wheel... oddly named the Cosmo Clock.

From this angle it might seem slightly less odd... but for such a big Ferris Wheel (measuring around 100m) you'd think that putting a relatively small clock would not a HUGE clock make).

And some more gratuitous night shots...

L-kun was still a little tired after his long day...

Now, speaking of BIG... one of Yokohama's popular attractions is the Landmark Tower, which stands approximately 296m in height and is currently (at writing) Japan's tallest building and 3rd tallest structure. That's pretty impressive, given that Japan's constant earthquakes have tended to limit the construction of the super-skyscrapers that have developed around the world (in fact, this is only the 80th or so tallest building in the world today). There's a very good observation deck, known as the Sky Garden, on the 69th floor - and 273m high. This is reached through the fastest elevator in Japan... all designed to get you to the 360 degree panorama as fast as possible. That and to quickly unload you of the ¥1000 per adult (between ¥200 and ¥800 for children depending on the age). As we arrived here very late, we decided to give the Sky Garden a miss this trip.

When there's so many other places to visit - like the Ice World attraction, where you too can experience -30 degree temperatures, all whilst it's a hot sweltering 37degrees (with about 80% humidity) outside. With a wife coming from Sapporo, this was not something that we felt a great desire to experience.

One of the attractions that did interest however was this glorious Carousel as part of the even smaller amusement park, known as the Kids Carnival Zone. It actually astounded me that in the middle of a hot Japanese summer (one of the hottest on record back in 2010) that at 8:30pm, there was almost not a soul to be seen around MM21. I'm not sure if this was a sign of the economy, the weather or just the fickle Japanese punter, but for us it was a great night to be out and about. Even as tired as we were, hot summer nights can be fun. And this carousel captivated me, and my camera.

With such an inviting stairway, who could resist taking a ride?

But there were other things to do... a chat with Anpanman and Doraemon (two of L-kun's favourite Japanese children's anime characters)...

Or perhaps ride on a Baikinman (also a character from Anpanman) car... let's just say that this was one Japanese roadway that wasn't congested. At all.

Just down from the Carnival Zone, there's also a beautiful old four-master, the Nippon Maru, permanently moored in Yokohama harbour as a museum. The ship was made in the 1930's as part of Japan's merchant seaman training program. Eventually it was replaced in the mid 80's and since then has been gracefully educating us land-lubbers. Unfortunately opening hours are 10:00am to 5:00pm - so we'll have to take a rain-check on that as well (¥600 per person for high-school students and above, or ¥300 for younger students).

Heading back towards the Landmark Tower we came across a great little ampitheatre that was the home of some very funny and enjoyable street-performers... definitely worth checking out for some 'free' entertainment, but I'm not sure how regular it is. Right next to the ampitheatre is a wonderful modern sculpture known as the "Moku-Moku Waku-Waku Yokohama Yo-Yo" designed by Hisayuki Mogami in 1994. It, along with the Landmark Tower, is a symbol of the Minato Mirai 21 - which was actually a popularly voted name that means the roughly the Future Port of the 21[st century]. MM21 is a modern development and there's much to like about it... but the name also tells you something more... this is, after all, a working port. As we walked around, it certainly felt more like a business district than a life-centre. But perhaps we saw it on a bad night (it was a Wednesday after all).

So as we made our way back to the train station in the Queens Square Tower complex, it was interesting to reflect on our first full day in Tokyo this trip. It was an amazing day - but also exhausting. As we travelled down one of the longest escalators I've been on (and not that enjoyable for someone who doesn't like heights), I looked up to see a happy care-free Snoopy floating past, suspended mid-stride. There are many things that inspire in Japan, and also things that defy explanation. Japan is an amazing country however, filled with many different possible experiences all able to be enjoyed in a single day. Yokohama is one such place, a short train-ride out of Tokyo (though you may not realise that it's a separate city) that is well worth visiting if you've got a spare day - or night.

Like many places in Japan, built on the promise of an the inexhaustible Future (during the hey-day of Japan's prosperity) there is a sense of modern exuberance and flamboyance... but as the Future collides with the Now in these places (such as MM21 and Odaiba in Tokyo), you realise that Japan is as much a contradiction in perspective as culture. It was the dream of a cleaner, brighter, taller and stronger tomorrow that drove it to build... but one also can imagine that sometimes, just sometimes, people were not always the most important (or even necessary) in that vision of the future... and then again, sometimes that vision needs to be re-interpreted to meet the needs of an increasingly changing Japan.

Anpanman Museum... It's Not Easy Being Edible

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:25:00 +0930

18th August, 2010 - Yokohama's Anpanman Children's Museum and Hall....or perhaps known better as just the Apanman Museum. Now first things first, I suppose I should tell you a little about who Anpanman is, and why the hell he'd have his own museum (let alone, why are we visiting it).

Anpanman is (if you hadn't guessed it by now) a Japanese children's character that started life back ... well... let's just say he's only slightly younger than myself (only slightly).... anyhow he started life as a picture book and then around 1988 transitioned to the world of moving pictures. And of course, merchandising. But it all started with a funny looking character with a bun for a noggin... not just any bun, but an anpan (which is a small bun filled with anko, which is made by sweet red azuki beans). And indeed, such is the popularity of Anpanman, that he's been shown on tv continuously since it's start. Not bad for a smiling bun boy.

Now... Yokonhama is also where you'll find the Anpanman Museum... though you might not find that high on the list of places you must see in most guide books. For good reason too. Anpanman is a distinctly Japanese phenomenon and they don't really care if he translates across to a broader market or not. Indeed they don't bother even providing non-Japanese information on the web-site. Now having said all of that, if you wanted to experience something very Japanese with your young children, then perhaps it's not a bad idea at all (just prepared to go along with the experience).Now the museum itself is perhaps poorly named... it's half free shopping centre (where you can buy any number of Anpnanman related paraphenalia) or there's the mini theme-park (that's where you're coughing up 1000 ¥ per person... for three floors of fun and games). The first section has a number of diorama's depicting all number of stories... some of which are "animated"....

Because it was bon odori time there was of course a special bon odori scene as well... and we'll return to this a bit later.

But without doubt, it's all about Anpanman... and L-kun was a pretty big Anpanman fan!

But it wasn't just Anpanman... oh no... there was a cast of thousands of characters. Ok... not 1000's, but a Guinness World Record of 768 unique characters....

Of all sorts and sizes... well lets face it, when you've hit 700 the remaining 70 odd must be a real killer to find something to have a character based on .... hey look, it's mister inanimate-rod!

But whilst they go to extremes here, it's nice to see so many different characters of different styles... and as I said, it's distinctly Japanese.... after all, where else would you find Onigiri-man (onigiri = rice ball).

And death never looked so good... ok. no, it's not death catching a ride, but rather Horrorman (yes, that's right). The orange (uni-horned) character is Dokin-chan... his partner in crime. We'll meet their leader in mayhem, Baikin-man later.

Now... it's nice to show this sort of photo. A happy smiling child always makes you feel good. Unfortunately, it had been a long, hot day... and L-kun had also reached the end of his energy (sweated out most likely), so he didn't quite get into it as much as he perhaps wanted to.

But there were lots of things to do... all of course having a very Anpanman slant to them... but the good thing about the museum is that there's always something just around the corner for them to explore in/on/around.

There's also an open play area where parents and kids can get some rest, or regenerate some energy for the next onslaught (and of course, they can also watch streaming Anpanman videos as well).

There's also craft sessions, where children and parents get to make some of the characters (in this case, Dokin-chan).

And there's also a number of "rides" that children can enjoy (with a little imagination)... looking out...

And looking in...

Though I'm not sure he was taken with the artwork.... everyone's a critic.

Whilst there were a few hands-on activities to keep L-kun busy, he did manage to perk up when we reached the bottom floor with the slides. He's a simple boy at heart.

There are a number of live shows semi-regularly throughout the day in a large auditorium... this one was MC'd by Melonpanna-chan, Anpanman's close friend (and some might say love interest?....)

We awaited the start of the show with much expectation...

Melonpanna has some support from a very enthusiastic staff... and she knew just how to get the children to near exploding point in anticipation of the big man himself....

Anpanman! Oh yeah baby.... work that room. And did he ever... which was good, because otherwise he may have had to resort to his secret weapon. When friends are in need of help, or just hungry, Anpanman will offer his head to be eaten... and I mean, not just a nibble, but a full-on feast. Now that's a friend that gives that little bit extra. It's ok however, as his father Jam Ojisan will often bake him a new head. I sometimes wish I could get a new head baked...

The show itself is largely singing and dancing to an Anpanman theme song - and whilst there wasn't much story involved, the children seemed to love it. Once again, don't expect to have much of an idea of what's going on if you don't know Japanese and aren't familiar with the show.

As mentioned earlier... given that it was bon odori time, there was a special focus to the events... including an impromptu taiko performance. I have to admire the people inside these suits... it was still boiling hot (and I mean boiling), and yet they were running around and having a great time.

I also haven't introduced perhaps the second biggest character in the show... it's Baikin-man, where baikin stands for bacteria.... and Baikin-man is the lord of all germs, and hence Anpanman's arch-nemesis (though there's also a strange friendship there at times as well - perhaps as they represent both sides of the same coin). He's cheeky, clever, and oh so naughty - perhaps why he's so popular with children (and our son).

And of course, it wouldn't be an Anpanman Museum without a whole heap of merchandising opportunities available to you. And I mean lot.

One of the more interesting aspects is the bakery... I mean, isn't there something a little disturbing about eating a Shokupanman (shoku pan = white bread, and he's one of Anpanman's closest friends). He's also very tasty. Damn you Jam Ojisan (on the right below)... why did you create your world of delectable super-heroes?

Overall... it was a long day (and not over yet), and whilst I felt that the museum was a little over-priced for what you got (especially considering the merchandising), and perhaps not the best place to go on a hot day, it was interesting to visit anyhow. And L-kun enjoyed too, in between his heat-exhaustion - and still talks about it to this day.

And did I say there were lots of characters?.... let's just say, there's enough to keep birthdays, Christmases and just about every other Sunday occupied with new presents....

(top left to right: Jam Ojisan, Baikin-man, Tendon-man, Anpanman, Omusubi-man;

bottom left to right: Cheese, Dokin-chan, Shokupan-man, Melonpanna-chan, Curry-panman, Kamadoman)

Info:

4-3-1, Minato Mirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, 220-0012

Tel: 045-227-8855

Open : 10:00 -18:00

Cost : 1000 ¥ per person (over 1 year old)

How to get there: The easiest way is by taking the Minatomirai / Chinatown Line from Yokohama Station, catch the (180yen) getting off at Shintakashima Station 新高島駅 and then walking about 550 m (7 mins) to the south.

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Mazu Miao - Temple With a Local Touch

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Thu, 7 Jun 2012 23:42:00 +0930

18th of August - The Mazu Miao temple in Yokohama's Chinatown is relatively new - opening up only in 2006. Which just goes to show that not all things in Japan come from antiquity. It's definitely one of the interesting sight-seeing locations in Chinatown (one of the great places to go in Yokohama), and free to enter. You can find it just down from Kanteibyo Temple - or hop-skip-and-jump from the Tenchoumon or Heaven Gate (天長門).

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Actually, we approached from Kanteibyo Temple, and you first come across a park... a park which has it's own sordid personal tale. My wife and I were busy trying to find a decent restaurant that wasn't closed on a Wednesday. In the mean-time our son had gone off to get a drink from a park public tap (don't forget it's a like about 130% humidity, and about 38degrees Celsius - the century mark in Fahrenheit). There was already an older Japanese child at the faucet playing, whom had decided it would be fun to annoy my son by not letting him drink. At this point, L-kun proceeded to start crying. Never a good moment in the steamy heat of a summer. In a moment of parenting protectiveness I told the boy off in my best stern parenting Japanese... at which point he started to cry (I'm sure he's not been told off by many gaijin before, and it's most probably scarred him for life). The moral of the story... well, there most probably was no moral, but I have to admit that I kinda felt ashamed of myself afterwards. T-chan quietly ignored all of the shenanigans, and was too busy conferring with Okaasan about which restaurants we should try.

Actually, if you can avoid upsetting the local children (like stealing candy from a baby, bwahahahaaaa), then it's worth while checking out the park behind the temple as you'll get a very different view of the main temple building... an unusual octagonal structure. From what I gather, the octagonal design is definitely a throwback to Chinese temple design, as compared to Japanese... reminds me a little of Nan'en-dō in Nara.

Actually the temple derived from a community-based dispute with a proposed housing development... the solution, scrap the development and turn it into a temple. Which is exactly what they did after a mammoth fund-raising drive. Clock one up for community power. A more complete story can be found here.

The front gate is bright and in-your-face, in true Chinese temple style.

The temple gates are guarded by two of the blingiest lions I've ever seen! It's weird to find "metallic" mirror and tassle adorned sculptures, not least as part of a temple grounds.

The temple itself is raised up on an elevated position, a great vantage point from which to hang hundreds of lanterns, and also a providing a great perspective with which to view the intricate series of beams. It's not all gaudy show.

The lanterns are a definite feature, and I'm sure they must be quite a sight at night (and indeed, I've yet to experience Yokohama's Chinatown at night... something for next time perhaps).

For some reason, whenever I see this mural (below) I think of the late 70's tv show, Monkey. Which, as an aside, was one of the first shows that I saw that was Japanese... and turned out to be incredibly popular here in Australia. It was also set against a Chinese story of the pilgrimage to bring Buddhist scrolls to China.... hence, perhaps, the connection. Indeed my wife's parents can't believe just how popular the show was (and indeed remains) here. Of course, if you haven't seen the show, you most probably have no idea what I'm talking about.

Now the name Mazu Miao means the temple to Mazu, or Matsu, who is a Chinese goddess of the sea - but is worshipped all throughout South East Asia amongst the sea-going communities. According to trusty Wikipedia, she was actually born (a real person by the name Lin Moniang) around 960 AD - and as the story goes she somehow saved the lives of her brothers and/or father during a huge typhoon whilst they were at sea through some form of trance-like state.

A closer look at the Mazu statue (shame I didn't put my longer lens on). Mazu is almost always depicted in the distinctive hat reserved for Chinese Emperesses. The custom has the she is associated with two trusty generals, "Thousand Miles Eye" (千里眼, Qianli Yan) and "With-the-Wind Ear" (順風耳 Shunfeng Er). And indeed, Mazu is accompanied by her two friends here.... Thousand Miles Eye being the two-horned red character...

And that leaves With-the-Wind Ear being the one-horned green character, to the right of Mazu herself. Unfortunately I have no idea who or what they were. Indeed, Mazu's ascension to goddesshood is a little vague... or indeed how she came to be the poster-girl for Buddhism (and Taoism). Apparently, she was thought to have been the human incarnation of the god Guan Yin. Still, it's a nice story that doesn't involve a whole heap of killing and smiting; and indeed you can find temples to Mazu all throughout the south-east Asia.

There's a lot to see in the temple, and not everything is immediately obvious (I have no idea what this object was supposed to be, but it was LARGE).

Oh - and by the way, you'll be expected to pay a small "prayer" fee if you show your camera... and my experience was that the temple staff weren't that pleasant about it either. If you're not interested in donating to the neighbourhood, you can always just enjoy the detail work on the outside of the temple building itself.

Well, Mazu Miao is definitely worth seeing, but it's perhaps not going to keep you occupied other than as a quick diversion to the other sights and sounds of Yokohama's Chinatown. It does however, despite their slightly less than pleasing style of communicating with tourists (which perhaps are a pain in the butt most of the time), represent what a local community can do against the march of 'development progress'. It may not have as much history as some of the temples in Japan, but it's got a good heart (underneath)... and plenty of over-the-top bling to boot.

Kanteibyo - The Technicolour Temple of Yokohama

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Thu, 10 May 2012 00:06:00 +0930

18th August, 2010 - One of the places in Yokohama's Chinatown that should not be missed is the Kanteibyo temple (and a place we visited way back in 2003). It's not a subtle temple, and it would be hard to miss it in the street (just down from Chikyumon or Earth Gate, ie Gate 6 on my previous post). This is also referred to as the Kan Ti Miao temple.

The temple is as much a celebration of colour as it is the enshrined statue of Guan Yu... the famous Chinese general under Liu Bei who would become the first emperor following the collapse of the Han Dynasty (around 200AD). This story became the basis of the movie epic Red Cliffs. His life was one of romance and myth, and indeed his military exploits leading up to the civil war lead to him being deified around 600AD... although it's not clear to me if he's deified as the God of War or the God of Business (perhaps at one level these are one and the same). The temple was first constructed in 1862, and quickly became a tourist attraction, as it remains today. It had a chequered history however, having been destroyed in the 1923 earthquake, then again in WWII, then burnt down in 1981... AND in 1986. Each time being re-built in even grander scale. This temple was completed in 2000.

The temple gate is the most immediately striking element of the temple... the detail is exquisite.

From inside the temple, it's not quite as dramatic, but not by much.

Like in many of these temples, there can be found a large urn/container for burning joss-sticks... and it's always thought to bring good luck to waft the incense smoke from the sticks over yourself.

And of course, it wouldn't feel like a Chinese temple without some lions....

But the big attraction is of course the main hall, where Guan Yu is in permanent residence. Now, I have to admit that I am no expert on Chinese history, though I did watch Red Cliffs (both of them)... bit boring actually, but that's a different story. Anyhow, I'd advise hitting the web if you want to know more... but apparently he is often depicted as having a red-face. Perhaps he was just a very angry man... I don't know.... He's synonymous with loyalty and bravery. He also came to a gruesome end... in two parts (his head being one of them).

Although, in a scene reminiscent of an Austin Powers movie, it would appear that good ol' Guan Yu had his very own, mini-me. I wish I had a mini-me... well, I suppose I should stop calling my son that... ?:-)

And whilst you're here paying your respects, don't forget that the hall itself is a wonderful sight as well. It's nice to just stand and admire it for a while. And yes, this temple is fan-enhanced for the devout (and tourist alike).

Once again... the level of detail everywhere is incredible as it is ubiquitous... and colourful.

The temple is open freely to the public... and I mean free... from 9am to 7pm at night. They do request (if you want to take photos) to make a small donation... well, actually, the way they say it is that you should pay to pray, and then whilst you're being all humble and reverent you can snap off a few shots for extra good luck.

The final thought on the temple is that in most photos of the temple, the photographers go to great lengths to hide one dominating aspect of it. The road in front of the temple is a jungle of overhead power/telephone/internet cables.

Whilst they may power the vitality of Chinatown, I can't help but feel a bit sad that even here a little more effort could have been made to keep these low key. Then again, this is Japan, and it would seem the Japanese have an ability to look past the unpleasantness in front of them, to the beauty behind. That's not such a bad thing I suppose...

Gate-Crashing Yokohama...When Is Wednesday Also A Mon-Day?

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 00:18:00 +0930

Chinatown is approached through a number of gates, or mon in Japanese (門), in traditionally flamboyant style... though they can be slightly odd, sitting in amongst the normal traffic signs. There are 10 gates all up in Chinatown, arranged according to the Chinese art of Feng Shui - bascially a throwback to the ancient beliefs relating to superstition to shape, structure and colour. The first four are the most important, relating to the Four Symbols in the Chinese Constellation. Whilst it was my intent to take snaps of them all, the reality was that the oppressive heat beat me. So here's just a few of the shots that I did manage to take before heat exhaustion threatened to get to me. I've also made use of Google StreetView to help with the rest... it's kinda cheating, but... I've also made use of the info on the official Chinatown website - though unfortunately this part is in Japanese only.

I've made up the map below so you can reference the gates by numbers (in no particularly meaningful order):

Map care of Google Maps.

1. The East (東) Gate or Chouyou-mon (朝陽門). This gate relates to the Azure Dragon God, and brings prosperity. The Azure Dragon is said to relate to the East, and Spring - and is associated with the wood element. It was only opened in 2003, and is the largest of the gates.

1. Chouyou-mon

2. South (南) or Suzaku-mon (朱雀門). This gate is associated with the God Suzaku - the Vermillion Bird - and hence the colour red. It relates the generation of good fortune from disaster, and is also related to the fire element, the direction South, and the season Summer.

2. The Suzuka Gate (source: Google StreetView)

3. The North (北) Gate or Genbumon (玄武門). This gate relates to the Black Tortoise, and is associated with the God Xuanwu (in Chinese) or Genbu (in Japanese). The gate is linked both to the North and to the season of Winter.

3. Genbu-mon (source: Google StreetView)

4. The West (西) Gate or Enpei-mon (延平門). This gate is related to the White Tiger God of Chinese astrology, and is known by Baihu (in Chinese) or Byakko (in Japanese). Actually the White Tiger (the West Gate) and the Azure Dragon (the East Gate) were said to be brothers, and reincarnated as two ancient Chinese generals. It represents the direction of West, the colour white and the season Autumn. The gate relates to eternal peace, as the legend goes, the tiger's tale turns white at the age of 500, and only appears when peace exists across the world.

4. The Enpei-mon (source: Google StreetView)

5. The Prayer for Good-Neighbourly Gate (平和を願う善隣門) or Zenrin-mon. This gate was originally constructed in 1955 when the area was known as Nanjing Town. It was later re-signed as Chinatown, and renovated in 1989. It is perhaps the symbol gate for all of Chinatown now.

5. Zenrin-mon

6. The Chikyumon or Earth Gate (地久門). This is the first of the pairs of gates that stand at the Western and Eastern ends of Kanteirou dōri , which are basically representing Heaven and Earth (or... should that be Earth and Heaven). There are two important areas that can be accessed from this road, but I'll talk about them in subsequent posts. The matching gate is gate 7.

6. Chikyumon

7. The Tenchoumon or Heaven Gate (天長門). The second and Eastern of the two gates.

8. and 9. The Market Street Gate or Ichibadōrimon (市場通り門). This is the second of the pairs of gates, and can be found, not surprisingly, on Ichibadōri. It may not quite look like it today, but this street is normally a thriving centre of activity. I'll explain why that wasn't the case in the next post...

8. Ichibadōrimon (1)

9. Ichibadōrimon (2)

10. The Seiyō or Closest to the Western Sun Gate (西陽門). This gate is named so as it's supposedly closest to the Suns light on the Western side. Hmmm - looking at the map on Google, I'm not entirely sure about that. To be honest, it's also a very strange place to have a gate, snuggled as it is right next to an over-pass.

10. Seiyō Gate (source: Google StreetView)

Looking back at the Eastern Gate, there's a lot of detail in their construction - as is the wont for Chinese gates. There's a lot of work in these things, and I do wonder if it's a specific set of skilled artisans that go around the country (or the world) making Chinese gates. A little note of explanation. Each of the gates have two signs... the outer side (see the first image above) says Chinatown, the inner side gives the gates name. Below is the sign for the Chouyon-mon or 朝陽門 ... in Chinese characters, this is read, right to left...門陽朝..

Whilst the light was not the best for photographing (hmmm... this was clearly before I started playing around with HDR photography), I love the complete crazy psychedelic colours in the Chinese (Japanese) architecture... I can just imagine what it would have been like back in the day, being a paint salesman in ye olde Japan.

Subtlety was not one of their strong points, I fear....

I'm not sure how long the gate took to complete, but it's certainly an amazing work or art, and a grand way to welcome anyone into Yokohama's Chinatown. Whilst. I'm not sure if gate-spotting as a hobby will catch on, but it is fun to explore the whole of Chinatown to see them all. Although I've still got 4 to find on one of our next trips.

Hitting Yokohama's Chinatown - Till It Hurts...

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:23:00 +0930

18th August, 2010 - One of our favourite places to visit when in Tokyo, isn't even in Tokyo. Yokohama is a separate city that lies to the south/south-east of Tokyo, less than 50 kms away from the heart of Tokyo. And it's definitely one of the places I would recommend as a 1 day trip outside of Tokyo (with Kamakura being next on my list). In fact, you might have to be quite observant to realise that you've left Tokyo at all - as it's sprawl all the way there. Indeed, Yokohama is the second biggest city in Japan. Though it might seem you are escaping one megapolis for another, that's far from true. Yokohama has a much different vibe to it. This is the second time we've been here (the last was over seven years ago... check out here)

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The best way to get there is most probably on the JR Tokdaido line out of Tokyo Station (about 27 mins) and costs about 450 yen (or you can take it from Shinagawa Station for about 290 yen). Other alternatives are the Keihin Tohoku line (same as above, but slower) or the Tokyu Toyoko line from Shibuya. The best option likely depends on where you're basing out of, and where you want to go, as the train lines will serve slightly different areas.

Now - if you need a map around Yokohama... you need only look down. There's wonderful stylised maps (in the style of the Japanese man-hole cover artwork) scattered all over the city. And what more do you need than the one, sponsored by... er your local Telco... By the way... if you're looking for a slightly more conventional map, then try the following pdf map from Yokohama Visitor's Guide.

One of the big attractions in Yokohama is the Chinatown, or Yokohama Chukagai... although it might seem incongruous to visit Japan, only to go to a Chinatown. It's the largest in Japan, and one of the largest fullstop (of course, not including just about anywhere in China) - and a well-travelled destination for many travellers to Yokohama.

Yokohama was actually one of the few prescribed trading centres in Japan, and a natural entry point for Chinese as well as other western traders - after the opening up of 1859. Things slowed down (for obvious reasons) during and after the war, but it remains a vibrant centre of Chinese culture, and importantly cuisine, in Japan today. There's not a great deal of real historical remnants to the city, having been mostly destroyed in the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, and then again during the fire-bombings of WWII. We'll touch on some of the cultural elements in a few posts...

Yet there remains a distinctly Chinese ambiance... even if it has taken on a bit of a kitsch over-tone. And don't get me started on very touristy souvenir shops...

Or the much more enjoyable (though still cliche) building architecture...

Though some of the building detail work in the buildings was impressive...

There are definitely some odd things around as well... I still can't quite work out what these street markers were supposed to be (it's most probably obvious to everyone but me)...

And somethings were just dramatic in their seemingly casual placement... not sure if this is the Feng Shui at work here. I certainly got some good energy from it (unlike the building it was attached to, which was largely falling apart).

One of the things I love about Yokohama's Chinatown is the exuberant window displays...

Though some left a little to be desired...

This actually reminded me a lot fo the lion foot that we came across on our last trip here.

One of the best reasons to come to Chinatown however is for the food... although I have to admit that we don't too bad in that area back in Australia either... But Chinatown here is in a whole other league. There's so many food places to visit...

Each of the restaurants just a little more colourful or different than the last. There was only one small problem however.... and this is one that I can't emphasise enough. Chinatown is VIRTUALLY CLOSED on Wednesdays. Ok - there's still a lot to do, but most of the restaurants that we wanted to visit were closed. This was not mentioned in our trusty Lonely Planet guide (or for that matter the Japanese guide that T-chan was using). Now that was a disappointment, as over-filling our bellies with glorious Chinese cuisine was one of the plans for the day. However, we adapted quickly enough (sweat running out of every pore will do that to you)... and grabbed a less than inspiring meal in a local cafe (which I might add had terrible service... but even then we weren't put off).

In fact, such was Yokohama's hold on us, that not even the weather put a dampener on our time...

Now, when we came here, it was (like most of Kanto's summer days) boiling wet. No - not boiling hot. It was too humid for that. Instead, we just boiled in our own juices. Bring plenty of money to buy sports drinks (aka Pocari Sweat etc). You'll definitely need them if you're travelling in the summer. Or you could always try a refreshing mango smoothie.... though I'm not sure if there were some 'special' ingredients in that drink...

The pictures definitely don't convey just how damn hot it was... and indeed it was so hot that the buildings were spraying their customers with water to keep them cool. At least I think that's what they were doing... and I think that was water... perhaps they were just for the greenery...

But the realities with are with a 3 yo, in the middle of summer, there was always going to be one way this was going to end. With Daddy providing some physical (more than moral) support.

But children are resilient... and 30 mins later, L-kun was running around like he had an infinite supply of energy. This, as it turned out, was directed mainly at a new game he'd discovered. Following in people's footsteps - indeed preferably before they got out of them. About 5 seconds after this photo was taken, L-kun's game ended abruptly when he stepped on T-chan's shoe and broke it. Let's just say she was hobbling most of the day before she could arrange a replacement.

Even walking around Yokohama in broken shoes, on one of the hottest days of Tokyo's hot 2010 summer, with most of the restaurants closed wasn't enough to spoil the day for us.... We love you, Yokohama's Chinatown - even when it hurts... which T-chan's feet were starting to do. And whilst it wasn't the best start to the day, it was a great day, and we had a lot of fun - which we'll go into in more detail over the next few posts.

Grilled (Tourist) Meat in Musashi-Koyama

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 23:12:00 +1030

17th August, 2010 - It was a hot, balmy Tokyo summer's night. And we had been enjoying our first afternoon in Tokyo, awaiting T-chan's brother (H-kun) to finish work and meet up with him at his home in Musashi-Koyama. The one thing you should know about work in Japan however, and especially in Tokyo, is that you shouldn't make too many plans regarding when people finish of an evening. As it turned out H-kun was stuck at work, and his fiance (S-chan) rushed in to help out. We met her at Musashi-Koyama Eki (train station), and quickly set out to grab some dinner. It was already well past 7pm, and we were getting hungry.... in Tokyo, things move at a fast pace and you do what you can when you can.

Now Musashi-Koyama's not necessarily a household name... but it's about 1.5 km from Meguro station on the Yamanote line (2 stops by the local Tokyu Meguro Line, and 3 mins). Not a bad place to live at all.

View Tokyo Map in a larger map

First night in, we thought we'd have something simple for dinner. Yakitori (grilled meat/chicken) is always a great way to start an evening. S-chan took us to a small place just around the corner. Very convenient. Whilst L-kun had met S-chan before, he was still being a little bit coy. Still... the way to any boys heart is through his stomach (and of course presents).

That yakitori-ya was nice decorated in a rustic theme. The one thing I like about Japanese interior design is when it turns towards more naturalistic materials and structures (as compared to the countless pre-fab and concrete designs that are also common). Of course, this is often used as facade only (hiding the fact that it's really cheaper building materials deep down that's holding the place up). I especially love the look of rough hewn wood... but I digress...

I have to say that whilst the place had the ingredients of a normal yakitori-ya, it didn't take long to realise that this was perhaps a little more up-market than the normal place you'd find nestled in a busy Japanese street. And to be honest I normally think of yakitori as being a cheap meal (except in our home in Adelaide, where it's treated like haute cuisine and comes at a premium price... silly Australians). So with that in mind we got stuck into ordering...

We ended up buying lots of little dishes... below are just a small sample of them... yummy. I love yakitori (in all it's forms, flavours and associated dishes). Hmmm... I'm getting hungry again!...

Sarada pasta entree (served with the drinks)

Uzura-no-tamago (quail egg)

Asupara-bacon (Asparagus, bacon drenched in cheese)

Chicken yakitori with spring onion

(left) buta or pork, and (right) tsukune or chicken mince-balls

Needless to say that we ate dish after dish - and before long I had given up taking photos. Even though it was a stinking hot day, we certainly had our appetites! And as it was our treat, we could enjoy heartily. Of course, until it came to pay the bill. I did say it was a little upmarket didn't I... and the bill reflected that. Still, it may not have been cheap street yakitori, but it was delicious nonetheless. It was fitting that we should have enjoyed grilled meat, after becoming grilled tourists for most of the afternoon. Kind of cannibalistic if you think about it.

After a lovely dinner we headed back to H-kun's mansion...ok strictly speaking it's a manshon... in Japan a manshon simply means an apartment. Sorry to disappoint. This should not to be confused with an 'apaato' (apartment) which is generally a more temporary construction, smaller building... I think... it's all too confusing really. I guess words sometimes just don't quite make the transition between languages. Anyhow - it was nearing 9pm and the streets of Musashi-Koyama were amazingly quiet. To be honest, I had expected (given how central it was, and the fact it was in the middle of summer) for the streets to be alive with people. It seems that the heart-beat of Tokyo isn't too dissimilar to any other city when you get down to it. It also showed that you could find suburbia in even the biggest of megapolis.

It was a hot night that night, and our trip to Tokyo had only just begun... and finally by about 11pm H-kun arrived home after a typically long day at work. It was good to catch up with him, but we also knew that he'd be busy for most of our stay in Tokyo. Such is the curse of working in Japan.

Evening in Shibuya - Lit By People Power

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:05:00 +1030

17th August, 2010 - whilst the focus of Shibuya may well be Hachikō and the nearby massive intersection, you should be prepared to take a little bit of a stroll around (even if you've just got a short time in Tokyo), and enjoy the multitude of shops that surround the district. Now, I can't honestly say that I'm an expert at what to do in Shibuya... we spent only a few hours walking in and out of shops and grabbing a bite to eat. However here are a few of the things that you might want to try:

Visit Hachikō / The Shibuya Crossing
Centre Gai (see below)
Shopping, shopping, shopping (credit cards may need resuscitation after visiting here)
Music shopping at Tower Records and HMV are both great shops
The TEPCO Museum used to be here - yes that TEPCO - but all of the museums have been closed since the March 11 earthquake. They used to contain large models of nuclear power plants, and video docos about how safe they were. Closing them down was perhaps a wise move.
Walk-through (or other) Dogenzaka... Love Hotel Hill... interesting adult-oriented entertainment just looking at the photos of the rooms.
The night-life... it's always moving here, and there's plenty of clubs and bars here
And of course, Shibuya is a natural launch pad into Yoyogi Kouen and Harajuku!

Right across from Shibuya's famous crossing you'll find Center Gai, a great little street with an explosion of interesting little shops. And it's somewhat admiral to see the Japanese having exactly that - fun - despite the incredibly stifling conditions... Though as the afternoon wore on, and the sun began to sink, there was at least some relief (small as it was) from the heat. But Tokyo is a city full of the heat of life, whatever the season.

Center Gai Entrance

Speaking of heat.... now a quick word on Love Hotels... these establishments are found all over Japan, but the Dogenzaka (or Love Hotel Hill as it's otherwise known) is famous for them. The name Love Hotel was (according to Wikipedia at least) originated in 1962 in Osaka... from an establishment strangely enough named, "Hotel Love". However the concept has been in Japan for many centuries prior. For a generally conservative culture (no, Japan is not the sex-capital of the world that the internet makes out), Love Hotels form an important aspect of society where relationships are often hidden away (e.g. through lack of privacy or company rules), time-poor... or just, well, seedy. Generally the word Hotel on a gaudy street sign can be read 'Love Hotel'; especially if it resembles a renaissance villa - or a windowless bunker - more than it does a normal hotel).

Hotel Moti sits comfortably alongside Chiyoda Inari Shrine Image from Google StreetView

I'd definitely recommend a walk around Dogenzaka for the experience - or you could always try out some rooms... you'll find a short-term 'rest' (4 - 7,000 yen for 2-3 hours) about half the price of an all-night 'stay' (8 - 12,000 yen). Not that I'm an expert... at all! For the adventurous, these also make for very reasonable accommodation options for couples (obviously not families), being relatively cheap, well "featured" and often in convenient areas. Indeed the rooms are generally much more comfortable than their business hotel counterparts for the same price... and the in-room entertainment options tend to be a little more varied shall we say. The only problem is that they are not bookable, and you can only order a stay after say 10 - 11pm. Best suited if you're travelling light, or if you've stowed suitcases/bags in a locker... or if you just want a very different sort of accommodation story.

And, no, we did not visit any Love Hotels on this trip to Shibuya, but there was still plenty of other things to do. Healthy activities... like walking...

The lonely salaryman, finished office-work for the day then has to start his other work... drinking and socialising in bars and clubs. Whether it's with the office workers (building team spirit) or it's entertaining clients. It's not all fun and games by any means (even when it appears to be fun and games), but instead can be just as demanding as their day jobs. However, this is a trend that is perhaps on the decline... with life outside work being considered less and less company time. At least that's the ideal.

Salarymen and visitors alike take temporary refuge in the many food establishments that you find in any busy district. As night approaches the sights, sounds and smells of Shibuya change to reflect a different Japan yet again. These are not normal places for a tourist to seek nourishment, though I'm sure if you're game you will find a rewarding experience.

As the sun goes down, the city slowly transitions to the more social hub that Shibuya also is. Even with Dogenzaka a drunken stroll away, it doesn't feel at all sleezy... not compared to say Kabukichō just off Shinjuku. Instead it feels like a comfortable place for young people to go out and have some fun.

There are times when you come across something that makes you do a double take... for example an "Outback Steakhouse" - playing on the Australian outback of course - right in the middle of Shibuya. I'm not entirely sure, but looking at the menu doesn't really lead me to believe that there's a whole heap of anything Australian about the restaurant other than some of the names of foods (such as Alice Springs Quesadilla's... huh? Since when were Mexican's in the outback???)

And speaking of Aussie influences, the photo below shows another characteristic influence of Australia that you see regularly. Of course, what I am talking about is the use of the kangaroo symbol on the Seino Unyu (forwarder) trucks. Not sure what kangaroos have to do with freight transport, but I'd kinda think anything that bounces around - or for that matter sleeps - as much as kangaroos wouldn't be the best symbol for a freight company. In Japan, these symbols make sense however.

Now I have to admit that Shibuya's not the place I'd ideally choose to explore with our 4 yo son in tow... there's a lot to do here, but not much which is designed for children that young. And during this trip, shopping was about as fun for him as a massive case of diarrhoea. T-chan did very well, especially in the Tokyo heat.... which I have to say only becomes marginally more bearable when the sun has set (during the height of summer). In fact, of all the places you might want to avoid in such weather, a busy shopping district overflowing with body-heat might be one such place.

Indeed, the people swarm into the district, like moths to the campfire. And I've always wondered how many of these people are Tokyoites as compared to visitors from elsewhere (including abroad). It is a nano-cosm within a microcosm within a sea of humanity. It may not be as bustling now as it once was, but it still remains a centre-piece in Tokyo's crown.

Shibuya is a hub of modern Tokyo - it represents the excitement, the commercialism, and the youth of the modern megatropolis. In the Tokyo's stifling summer heat, it also represents the Japanese willingness to persist: to work and play.... and in some cases, to do both at the same time. It's also a symbol of something very Japanese too... the attraction of the crowd... when many places across the world have sought to provide an open ambiance, Shibuya has become famous for just how crowded it can become.

It may not be the ideal place for a temporary stopover (with a 4 yo), but it's not that bad either. And yes, It is a typical neon paradise, like much of Tokyo. But it's powered by people - who give it energy, creativity, and passion. It's just a great place to get into the vibe of one of the worlds truly BIG cities.

Sweaty Summer Shopping in Shibuya

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Thu, 1 Mar 2012 00:02:00 +1030

17th August, 2010 - After a sweltering welcome to Tokyo, and an even hotter search for a spare locker at Meguro station, we finally found ourselves a great deal less encumbered, but nonetheless unsure of what to do. We knew we had to wait for H-kun, T-chan's brother to get away from work. But we also knew that in Tokyo, that could be just about any time. We had decided to head to Shibuya, just a couple of stops onwards from Meguro station on the famous Yamanote Line that is the main heart-beat of Tokyo's complex and yet highly efficient transport network. By the way, I've thrown together a bit of a graphic which shows the Yamanote Line with approximate timings... something that's difficult to find on the net... So the good news was that Shibuya was only 5 mins from Meguro station.... so it wasn't too far to go in the hot afternoon.

Yamanote Line Map - Numbers are mins between stations

Shibuya is one of the main districts in Tokyo, and definitely one of the major centres on the Yamanote Line. Anyhow, Shibuya's a bit of a strange amalgam of experiences... firstly, it's still a major business district, and that means salarymen. Lots of them. After about 2005, the government started promoting a energy-efficiency campaign known as "Cool Biz", which in part advocated workers to start to wear short-sleeved shirts so that the air-con could be set to a rather warmish 28 degrees. Hmm - nothing like working in a high-rise building with 1000's of hot, sweaty bodies and no opening windows.

[Note: Post 11-3-11, they introduced "Super Cool Biz" which sought to introduce even more energy conscious casual wear into corporate Japan]

Now way back in our first trip (in 2003) I wrote about the story of Hachikō, the famous story of the Akita dog that was so devoted to his master (whom he awaited everyday to return from work at Shibuya Station) that on his master death, he remained patiently waiting for his master to return. Of course he never would, but night after night, he would return to the station by himself to wait expectantly. For nine years he waited, until his own death in 1935. His story of single-minded loyalty remains an inspiration to the Japanese people. Hachikō is the story of resolute determination in a time of great national change and turmoil... such was the state of Japan in the 1930s. It is, in typical Japanese style of tale of stoic tragedy.

Statue of Hachikō

The statue of Hachikō remains a well-known meeting place outside Shibuya Station, and there's always a crowd of people waiting nearby. And crowds are something that Shibuya is quite famous for.

Indeed, Shibuya is known perhaps most of all as a young person's shopping district.... and there's a lot of shopping centres to visit (if you're so inclined). Just outside of Shibuya Station is one of the busiest and best known pedestrian crossings in the world, just next to statue of Hachikō. It's always a good spectacle to see the multiple avalanches of humanity colliding mid-street. Just down the road (on the left had side of the image below) you see see one of Shibuya's famous shopping buildings, Shibuya 109 ("Shibuya ichi maru kyu"). This is a must visit place for young fashionable people... however, according to my wife, we weren't quite young... or fashionable... enough. So we set our sights on more "age appropriate" shops.

And there's no mistaking that this is a young person's paradise... And there's certainly a wide range of fashions (good and bad) on display. Of course, the real fashion-centre is Harajuku, just up the road (or 2 mins by the Yamanote Line).

Everyone has somewhere to go in the heart of Shibuya - and they follow that path with incredible determination. Shopping in Japan is like that. Of course, not everyone is shopping, with Shibuya being a place to go (like us) when you've got a spare afternoon. It is a melting pot of lives, criss-crossing in frenetic profusion. Converging momentarily in a nexus of common humanity - but no sooner has that happened and the crowd has moved on to be replaced by a completely new set of actors in this street-theatre.

Shibuya station is fairly large, and because there's many major roads intersecting around there, it can be a little disconcerting at first while you get your bearings. Always advisable to take a map of the area, and Google's StreetView is always an excellent way of familiarising yourself to the surroundings if in doubt. Of course, these days of the smart phone and/or tablet, you have a ready map at hand. And it's a good time to mention one thing that I hadn't actually realised before (being a bit of a noob).... if you travel to many parts of Japan you'll see two major department stores... Tokyu and Seibu (or stores owned by these companies). Both of these chains actually spawned from their respective private railway companies, and Shibuya was Ground Zero for their railway and shopping wars. It's interesting to see just how interconnected the Japanese economy is.

View Tokyo Map in a larger map

Now this was our first day in Tokyo (again) so we were only "window shopping"... plus we were already tired from the high humidity. However, T-chan shows great strength and determination when it comes to shopping. The only problem is that she's out-of-practice. L-kun is there to offer moral support (by which I mean, to be as generally distracting as possible). Some good stores include Gap, Forever 21 and H&M which have a great range at good prices, and aren't geared around annoyingly annoying Japanese kogals.

Whilst in Shibuya, you can also check out other famous Japanese stores like Tokyu (and of course Tokyu Hands), Seibu, Loft, Parco, Tower Records, Marui, or one of my favourites, Don Quijote. It may not be class, but it's always good to get a snapshot of what's happening in Japan... and another great place to pick-up some quintessential Japanese knick-knacks. And of course, you can always find a 100yen shop nearby, if you haven't experienced one before.

Of course, L-kun was also keen to have a look around... though I think he thought his rather wet hair was the result of rain. Hence the umbrella. No L-kun... that's the Sweaty Summer Shopping in Shibuya for you... it may not always be comfortable, but it's always an experience. The crowd just can't be wrong.

Stay tuned for the second Shibuya instalment...

Arriving in Tokyo With A Seven Years Sweaty Itch

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:00:00 +1030

17th August, 2010 - Well after a heart-felt departure from Sapporo (as all departures are), we headed off to Tokyo.With the flights using Qantas and JAL, we tended to avoid stopping over in Tokyo in previous trips, which in hindsight was a bit silly (as they charged approx $100 per person for the stop-over). Still, for that price, it was getting questionable as to whether or not to just fly to Tokyo and buy separate flights to Sapporo. In recent years there's been the arrival of Hokkaido specific cheap flights too.

Cheaper flights from Tokyo to Sapporo include Air Do from about 9,800 yen and of course don't forget you can fly JAL for 10,000 yen anywhere within Japan (if you purchase the Yokoso Oneworld Japan Pass ticket, which needs to be purchased from outside of Japan). Also Jetstar Asia will be starting up a discount service shortly. But if you're looking for cheap flights out of Osaka / Fukuoka airport, then you really can't go past Peach Aviation from 3,400yen one way out of Osaka!

We arrived in Tokyo at Haneda Airport - which unlike Narita, is actually in Tokyo itself, and is relatively easy to get to and from. You can check out info on Haneda Airport... or more correctly Tokyo International Airport... here. It's primarily a domestic airport, however they opened a new International Terminal in 2010 making it a very attractive entry point into Japan. There are three terminals: Terminal 1 - JAL and associated airlines (including discount Hokkaido flights); and Terminal 2 - ANA and associated airlines; and a third International Terminal. It amazes me that in this day and age that Japan still uses Narita - possibly one of the worst airports in world (location-wise).

View Tokyo Map in a larger map

So the purpose of this trip was to visit T-chan's brother in Tokyo - and of course, have a look around Tokyo at the same time. What we didn't know at the time was that 2010 was an EXTREMELY hot year in Tokyo... in fact, so much so that people were advising us not to go there with L-kun given how hot it was. I mean, it was already hot in Sapporo (which was a very rare thing indeed)... I have to admit that I was a bit worried as to how hot it could possibly be in Tokyo. In fact, we were sort of freaked out by the stories of people dying of heat-exhaustion... No sooner had we arrived at the airport and we were looking for vending machines for sports drinks.

Now because H-kun (T-chan's brother) was still at work, we'd have to kill about 5-6 hours at least. In Tokyo... in the middle of one of the hottest summers. Carrying our suitcases (though we had forwarded several already). Our plan, was essentially to make our way to Meguro Station on the Yamanote Line, find somewhere to store our bags and then go shopping for the afternoon. H-kun lived next to the Musashi Koyama station which is just accessed from Meguro... so our plan was making some sense.

Source: Official Haneda Airport Website

From Terminal 2 there are a number of options for transiting into Tokyo proper. The Keikyū Airport Line, which conveniently hooks into the Shinagawa Station (on the famous Yamanote circle route in Tokyo), and the Monorail... which although much less handy, is an experience. The Keikyū Airport Line takes about 15 mins to get into Shinagawa, and costs only 400yen. Via the Monorail it takes about the same time (or just a bit longer) and just a little bit more expensive. For some strange reason, we chose the Monorail option... which even pre-11-03-11 was an interesting ride (suspended as it is over Tokyo Bay). I can vividly recall thinking then, what would happen if.... Still, it turned out to be a good choice, as L-kun loved it. Completely loved it. Even though we did end up having to back-track from Hamamatsuchō Station.

Now - the plan (if you remember) was to off-load our suitcases at the lockers at Meguro. We got to Meguro station and quickly found the lockers. Only one problem. All the lockers were full. Not good. Not good at all.

Time for Plan B. What was Plan B again?

So we grabbed our suitcases and headed across the road to grab a bite to eat in McDonald's... yes, I admit it. Still, when you're walking around in 35+ degrees in about 300% humidity, you'll go anywhere that's close. And air-conditioned.

From Google StreetView

A quick phone call to obaachan and ojiichan later..."Obaachan, atsui!!!!!" And it was hot too. In fact it was a stinker.

Though we eventually found the silver lining in the somewhat sticky predicament that we found ourselves in... and it's amazing where you can spot an inspirational heavenly beam of hope. Even in McDonald's!

In the time taken to eat lunch was just the right amount of time to get back and find (miraculously) a spare large locker (which costs about 500yen for the whole day). It was a challenge to fit all our bags in there, but we managed somehow. These are good options as the lockers are yours for the whole day - which overall, I think is good value. It's just hard to judge if you'll get one or not.

Well - at least we had arrived. Mission half complete. Now all we needed to do was survive the afternoon and somehow meet up with T-chan's brother... we hoped. We were already starting to get sweaty - but there was one thing that was also true. After 7 years of travelling to Japan together, we had finally returned to Tokyo. We let out a collective HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF. The temperature however showed no sign of providing any relief whatsoever.

It may have been only seven years since last we had been to Tokyo, but so much had changed since then. It would be interesting to see how much the city had changed with time too.

Of Fireworks and Farewells

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:56:00 +1030

16th August, 2010 - Our last night in Sapporo for 2010. It's been a wonderful summer, and it's come to an end all too quickly. And perhaps it's somewhat fitting to end our trip to Sapporo with another family fireworks session, this time using up all the ones that we had left over. Fireworks being the quintessential traditional childhood thing in Japan during summer.

Final days are always spent nervously - though still without much fanfare. We all know that our time is coming to an end. After all, we've been packing suitcases for the last couple of days in preparation. Yet each moment with obaachan and ojiichan are precious. And especially for them. This is their last chance for at least another year to spend with their grand-child... and they hold on to each and ever second.

And it's also the time they can be simply grandparents. After all, skype may be wonderful technology - and so much better than phones. But it doesn't replace a warm embrace, or a gentle guiding hand on a shoulder. Nor does it transfer the smell and heat of summer's fireworks. L-kun gains so much from these trips. Not just in terms of his Japanese, and his cultural awareness (also very good for myself)... but for connecting again with his Japanese family. And that's an important part of why we go again and again.

So with the candle slowly burning down for 2010... our story moves location. Sapporo may have come to an end, but Tokyo here we come.

Farewell Sapporo... until next trip!

Sushi Magic... What's Your Going Away Food?

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:23:00 +1030

16th August, 2010 - There's one thing that we all enjoy at T-chan's home... great takeaway sushi. Of course, there's great sushi every where in Japan (and I suppose a few dodgy ones as well), but Hokkaido is home of fresh seafood... something for which I'm eternally grateful.

T-chan's parents always manage to organise a good meal of osushi, and especially before we head back home. Always a huge selection... but you can bet there's not much if anything left on the plate after we've finished eating. But the one sad thing about having sushi for dinner (whether take-away or eating out), is that it often signifies the end of our trip. And therefore, each mouthful comes with a slight bittersweet taste of tears to perfectly complement the sweet taste of well as deliciousness.

I thought I'd throw up some totally self-indulgent sushi photos.... hmmmm, I can't be sure that I've got all the fish names in the right place, or that I haven't missed anything out.... but at the end of the day... who cares. Bring on the Sushi! It's hard to pick a favourite - but I think it's hard to go past a good maguro (tuna)... but the aburi (seared) salmon is delicious too... and the ikura (roe) is just devine. I love 'em all!

Front/right: ikura (salmon roe), middle: ebi (prawn), right: saba (mackerel). top/left:, engawa (dorsal fin muscle from the halibut), top middle: kani (crab).

Bottom: Another otoro sake (salmon belly), ebi , maguro (tuna), and uni (urchin)

Bottom left: kani, centre: salmon (yum), top: toro tuna.

Right: toro (underbelly) tuna, left: sake, salmon, top/middle: unagi (eel), top left: engawa and very top left: hotate (scallops).

Left: aburi sake (seared salmon), right: tuna, tuna, tuna!

Now of course, if you've been living in a cave for the last thousand years, you may not know the deliciousness of good sushi... and unfortunately, a lot of the sushi you buy in your local shopping strip just doesn't quite cut it. Actually - to be honest, 10 years ago, I most probably wouldn't know good sushi from a wet sock... I was such a culturally and gastronomically challenged lad. So I don't think it's particularly bad if you don't eat sushi, and the thought of raw fish turns your stomach... I'm a very good example of someone that (given the right push along) can become quite a fan!

Though it is difficult to find really good sushi here... perhaps because it's hard to get the same range of fresh ingredients, and I think difficult to find sushi chefs with the authentic technique. I guess that's one of the reasons we always fill up before coming home. Of course, this is take away sushi ... so I suppose it's fitting as a parting gift before leaving Sapporo... If only we could pack every spare inch of our suitcases with sushi, but I suspect we might not like the welcome home when we arrived back in Adelaide.

What's your favourite sushi, and what dish (if any) symbolises the end of journey to Japan? Or do you have other food for other favourite destinations?

Summer Reflective Thinking and Not-So-Reflective Playing

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:10:00 +1030

15th August, 2010 - No... it wasn't the revenge of the killer whales; instead it was one of the great little pools in one of the many good childrens parks in Sapporo. And what better place to spend your summer afternoon (a hot, muggy afternoon at that) than to go splashing in the pool? This wasn't the first time we'd visited here. The park is known as Noushi-Kouen (check the link for a map), and L-kun, T-chan and her parents had visited in 2009. Of course L-kun remembered it very well.

Actually, we were here to meet up with some of T-chan's web-friends (from her blogging days) who lived in Sapporo. Let's just call them G-man (the Aussie) and S-chan (Japanese), with their son S-kun. Actually, it turns out that they were quite good pals of some of our Adelaide Aussie/Japanese couple friends whom had stayed temporarily in Sapporo a few years ago. Talk about a small world! And of course for L-kun and S-kun, none of that mattered. It was just a good excuse to go for a run in the pool.

And lets face it - when you're 3 years old (as L-kun was at this stage), pools are wonderous things.Water... so much water. And you can run around in it without a care in the world. Freedom to do what you want. Free, that is, to stick your head in the pool. Coz that's just the sort of thing that you have to do... though I'm not exactly sure why. In fact, I'm not sure that L-kun knew what he was doing at this point either. Water can be so attractive. Ah, for a child's perspective....

It was interesting to meet this family - for the first time. I have to admit that I'm always envious of people that have had a chance to live in Japan for an extended period (of course, S-chan was a native girl from Sapporo, so she was much more excited about Australia). The longest single stay I've had in Japan was about 2 months. I know it must be a very different experience visiting a city/country with your partner, than living there. And whilst I've spent a good amount of time in Sapporo, I can't claim to really know the city. But it's also a strange environment in Japan for foreigners - especially for mixed families (and mixed, or hafu, children). It sounds like it's a largely un-real experience, which doesn't quite follow the same rules as you would normally expect. And it can be a pretty care-free whirlwind experience indeed. And by the sound of it, after 10 years, it can be very hard to consider leaving. Imagine trying to re-build a normal life after a decade of being abroad without necessarily being able to directly use any of that employment history. It's a hard call - and it sounds like many gaijin in Japan struggle with the both the uncertainty and practicality - and possibly even fear - of returning to the everyday existence in their homelands...

The biggest impediment for us to move to Japan is my career... it's hard to consider putting a career (which you've spent a long time training for) on hold for 12 months - let alone 10 years. Yet, it's a sacrifice my wife made in coming to Australia (and more so, as she left behind her family). International marriages are often built upon such tough choices - where there is more times than not, no one right decision. We each of us have to muddle our way through, not only trying to pick the right course for ourselves, but also for our children. As a I write this, we are expecting our second child in about 5 weeks. More difficult choices are coming our way... but also many more exciting and amazing times. Home, after all, is not just where you hang your hat, but also where you raise a family. Wherever that is... and sometimes, that can be in more than one place....

May The Force Be With You and Your Photographer - Shichi-Go-San

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Fri, 6 Jan 2012 00:42:00 +1030

15th August, 2010 - In Japan, there is a celebration for just about everything, and one of the more popular ones (for young families) is the 3-5-7 celebration. Well, it's not so much a celebration as an opportunity to spend some money down at the photography studio (which I hasten to add are not particularly cheap in Japan... but we don't have a price comparison in Adelaide). It is a time when all young padawans must learn to harness the force, and all Jedi parents must learn to suffer the pains of child photography sessions with a smile.

Actually, the celebration Shichi-Go-San (7-5-3) does date back to antiquity (i.e. before I can find any real references - though in reality it was in the Edo period some time, after 1600AD). It comes from Chinese traditions of uneven numbers being auspicious, and also a good smattering of Japanese aesthetics, to celebrate special or sacred years of childhood. From the survival of early childhood (at 3 yo... which was likely no mean feat), to the leaving of infanthood (at 7 yo...). In fact the child's spirit was said to belong to the gods until age 7, at which time the child would formally be added to the "population books" and ujigami-sama. Ok... if it sounds like I know a lot, I don't. This is from Japan: How We Breathe and How Our Hearts Beat.

At the age of 3, the tradition entailed that children changed their hairstyles, wearing it on top. Well L-kun has never had much hair to do much with, so a costume change was going to have to suffice. We took him down to the photography studio - and spent a good couple of hours there. We only went with 2 costume changes (a traditional kimono and a western suit)... though I'm sure there were countless other styles we could have tried.

I think he looked particularly dashing in the suit - with...

Or without jacket....

And he was such a ham away from the professional's camera. But I have to admit that in front of the real camera, it was a different story.... and no, we couldn't bring in our camera to the studio area (just the changing area... which is a little strange). In fact, he developed an instantaneous affectation of sticking his tongue (unconsciously) out the side of his mouth. He'd never done this before - but today, he couldn't stop himself. I guess this was a stress reaction... even though the photographers at the studio were great and very friendly. It certainly is a testament to the professionalism, and the brute inner strength that the photographers (and their assistants) have... and I'm sure that L-kun wasn't the most difficult by a long, long way.

So the following photos are taken from the supplied cd (of I think 9 out of the total of 100 photos that were taken). Speaking of stress - it's very stressful having to down-select photos from a studio (something I'm assuming they are well aware of, and depend financially upon). The package that they offer is a number of photos in an album, a calendar, and a number small photos. All good presents for the grandparents.

Note - I do not hold the copyright to these photos - which is held of course by the studio - but I hope this constitutes reasonable use. Doesn't it?

Anyway - L-kun was 3 years of age at this point... and now he's 4. We're already planning his next visit for his 5th year. May the force (and the savings plan) truly be with us!....

Bon Odori - Dancing Through the Veil

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:07:00 +1030

14th August, 2010 - Every year, come the middle of August - at least in Hokkaido - something mysterious happens. It's known as Obon, one of the most important ritual festivals in Japan (outside New Years). It's traditionally associated with the return of the spirits of the departed to the world of the living for 3 days of the year (typically the 13th - 15th of the month, but more on that at the end). It's an important part of Japan, yet, I had not experienced it before... and was kind of curious. The original plan involved going to the city to see the Bon dancing in Odori Kouen, however, it was a big day, so we instead decided to have a look at one of the local dances in the neighbourhood. Disorganised as normal, we missed the start... just...

Now I'll give a quick description of the popularly believed Buddhist origins of Obon (as sourced from the Shingon Buddhist site). I say believed, as obon, like Christmas, is most likely an amalgam of different meanings. The day almost certainly takes its name from the Buddhist Urabon Sutra - which itself is a transliteration of the sanskrit Ullambana and which means to "hang upside down". This sutra tells a story of Mokuren Sonja, one of Sâkyamuni Buddha's disciples whom had supernatural powers (of course) which he used to find his deceased mother... only to discover that her soul had fallen into the world of Hungry Ghosts and was suffering immense pain. He then asked Sâkyamuni for guidance, to which he was told to make offerings to the priests coming back from their summer retreat. Which he did, with the result: - problem solved. [At this point in the story, I do pause and reflect on the commercial acumen of mystics back in those days... nice one Buddha!].

It's actually not that easy to find reliable info on the web [the irony of this statement does not escape me], but according to one of my books ("Japan: How We Breathe & How Our Hearts Beat"), obon's origins were in fact found from a much older seasonal tradition. Indeed New Year and Obon marked the transition between two halves of the calendar, and both involving ancestor worship and the offering of crops for thanks and for prayers. It was supposedly later that this was combined with urabon-e, and combined with the Chinese traditions of filial ties. Yet still, at it's heart there lies the tradition that like the Chinese Ghost Festival, or even Samhain (one origin of Halloween), for a short time the veil that separates the living from the dead is lifted. In this case, thankfully only for the spirits return home, to be honoured by their family. Indeed, obon remains a time when families return home from all over Japan to be together.

The dance, bon odori, originates as a welcome to the ancestors spirits, where the dancers would visit homes of people who had deceased during that year. I've also read that the dance may have originated from the buddhist monk, Kuya Shonin in the Heian period, but really the custom that we now know became popular in the Edo period... in fact was so popular and grew to such extravagance that the dance was officially banned between 1673-81 AD.

The dance itself involves a large open space, in the middle of which is constructed a tower or yagura, upon which the musicians (and drummers in particular) are positioned. Around the yagura are a number of concentric circles, along which the participants dance. The dance is slow, rythmical and often based on local traditions... for example in Hokkaido, the fishing song Soran Bushi is apparently popular (though I can't recall it at this bon odori).

The following video is a bit of a grab-bag of the dance. Unfortunately the video is pretty crappy - apologies for that - but you get a bit of a sense of the music and the movements at our local bon odori. Actually, this was about the end of our videocamera, that just died in terms of it's autofocussing. Perhaps the spirits of the dead didn't appreciate my camera skills [insert spooky music here]...WOOOOoooooohhh.

It's a community event as much as a religious one... and indeed it's perhaps moved beyond religion to be just another thread in the fabric of Japanese life. It's also a family occasion with lots of small children with the their parents. And indeed the first part of the evening is dedicated to them with fun and games (and even giveaways to the best child dancers).

It's nice to see the yukata, or summer kimono, which is often worn out to special events such as this (and especially to fireworks for some reason).

Apart from the occasional yukata - worn predominantly by the very young and the very old - this was a fairly casual neighbourhood events. It's not quite to the standard that you will see in some areas, but I sort of think that's not important. Instead it's a occasion to bring community together - and I have to say that the dance itself is not unlike the mass-hypnotic dances that you might read about in tribal areas.. it is quite repetitive (in a good way) and quite rhythmical. The beat of the drum stirs something in your heart - even if your not Japanese.

I'm not sure if this is something new - but there was a fairly large emphasis also places on best costume-style awards. Not unlike a Halloween influence. And I have to admit that most of the theme costumes escaped me... for example the person that dressed up as what I think was a Stonehenge megalith. I'm not sure why, but they deserved a prize just for wearing that on such a hot night. And given that it's in the middle of a hot Japanese summer, there's always lots of beer being consumed. So it's quite a lively social event, at least in the neighbourhood.

And of course - there were other strange costumes being worn. For example some gaijin fool and his child decided to dress up in their jinbei - a traditional summer clothing in Japan, but not the sort of thing you'd see someone wear down the street... let alone in front of hundreds of people. I'm sure most of the people were wondering what the... especially when the two of them started joining in the dance. Ah... what fools... But of course, that's me. And always the shy type, it took a lot of encouragement (yet surprisingly no amber courage) to get me up. Even though we stood out like sore thumbs (even amongst the megaliths) I didn't once feel out-of-place, and indeed I think the festive mood was just positive all around.

Now I have to admit something - until recently (about 5 mins ago) I had assumed that obon was celebrated at the same time everywhere in Japan, but when they switched from a lunar to a solar calendar (way back when...), the nation split on when to recongnize obon - with some areas having a July Bon (especially in Kanto region), others celebrating it in mid August, and even others maintaining the old lunar calendar timings. Supposedly, one of the reasons why obon was held in August was due to heavy farming workload in mid-July that didn't leave any time for preparation. It just goes to show that after many years of going to Japan, that you still can be surprised by things... and no matter how much you think you know, the country defies being defined by any one person.

As the evening wore on, there were less and less people, but as we left, I had the feeling that there was going to be dancing well into the night...

So - obon, and bon odori may not be the flashiest of events once you get into the neighbourhoods... but I suspect that this is where the true heart of bon odori lies. I'm not sure that the veil between worlds was lifted, or that our music and dance welcomed any spirits. It certainly awoke the spirits of those that danced though. And even to this day (over a year later) my son still sings the music (cha-cha cha chan-ko-chan...). And he's not the only one.

Extended Family Lunches In Sapporo

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Fri, 9 Dec 2011 12:34:00 +1030

14th August, 2010 - One of the fun things about returning to Japan is that L-kun gets to experience more of an extended family... something we don't really have much of here in Australia. And part of that is visiting our T-chan's Auntie-S with her grandchild... let's call him S-kun. I'm not so good on family trees, but I'm guessing that makes S-kun a 2nd or 3rd cousin...

And of course - there's lots of fun to be had... watching TV is a universal enjoyment for children (of all ages). L-kun only takes a day or two to get back into the swing of watching Japanese TV. And it was good that T-chan's parents would often send us tapes of his favourite children's TV programs.

Not to mention playing ball - hiding balls - or otherwise creating havoc. But it's nice to visit, as though we have plenty of friends (especially mixed Aussie-Japanese families) here in Adelaide, we don't have any family with children. So family gatherings are nice to see. Even if they do occur only once or twice a year. And L-kun and S-kun seemed to get along very well (even if there's nearly two years difference between them).

I never get the feeling that L-kun has too many difficulties with fitting into which ever country's children scene. That's the great thing about young children. Doesn't matter where you come from, what language you speak, or what you look like. Children are pretty well much accepting of everyone - until we as parents/society start messing things up.

And the one thing about Auntie-S is that when you go there for a light lunch, you end up coming back a lot heavier than when you arrived. Her lunches are sugoi! Always lots of yummy food - hand-made and much sourced from her own garden as well! And L-kun loves Auntie-S a lot (coz she just lavishes attention on to him).

That's a lot of work Auntie-S... arigatou!

PS - and now we have twin cousins as well... things are getting busy!

Night Stories of Susukino in Sapporo During Summer

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 22:19:00 +1030

13th August, 2010 - I thought I'd add a new post with just a few more photos from the evening... starting off with some good old fashioned neon. There's something about Japan and neon. Like BBQs and snags (Aussie vernacular for sausages), or Kath and Kim (another Aussie-ism). Can't imagine one without the other. Neon signs beyond anything else perhaps let you know that you're in the heart of a big Japanese city.

Tankuki-koji is one of the main shopping malls in Sapporo that runs parallel to Odori Koen and goes for about half a dozen blocks or more. It's also a must visit if you've got more than an afternoon in Sapporo. Lots of little shops to visit.

A haircut anyone - not sure why the barber's pole... but the Japanese love symbols. Especially ones that have a somewhat hypnotic feel. Then again, it's amazing what sorts of things - or people - you'll bump into when travelling....

As an example....we were all heading to the izakaya when we came across a young asian woman with a rather large suitcase, looking obviously lost. Well, needless to say we all decided to help her find her hotel. Not so easy as you might think - even with a bunch of smart-phones at the ready when the address was wrong. That wasn't the interesting part though - turns out the girl was from Australia. In fact Adelaide of all places. Not only Adelaide, but only about 5km from where we live... not that we knew each other of course. Adelaide's a bit bigger than that. She was over in Sapporo attending a Christian mission, and whilst we didn't talk long, it was amazing to think of a young person packing their suitcases for the great unknown for their faith alone. There's a lot of people that do however, and hats off to them. Not that Sapporo was quite the deepest darkest Africa (no offence to any Africans). I hope she had a good time in Sapporo.

It was also about that time that we came across this little Buddha, perched high atop one of the buildings. I'm sure T-chan's friend told me some incredible story at the time - but the reality is a little less mysterious. The shop below sells Buddhist religious items such as Butsudan - or Buddhist prayer alters for the home. Just in case, they also sell Shinto items for good measure - part of the complex fabric of Japanese life.

And speaking of symbols - you couldn't get any more a culinary symbol of Sapporo than a GIANT CRAB! Yes, kani is well worth trying in Sapporo - so fresh and delish. Not quite a staple in Hokkaido, but not far off either. It really is a seafood delight. Of course - if crabs really grew this big, that might be a different matter.

The Japanese are renowned in the West for their desire to change - to always be re-inventing themselves. Actually, this is not entirely correct. Or at least not the entire picture. There's a strong element of resistance to change in Japan (Ok - that might not surprise people). But what might surprise people is the extent to which individuals feel empowered to fight development. I'll talk a bit later about Narita Airport (the most startling example of this)... but for now, we see yet another example of progress enveloping, but not destroying, the past in Japan.

Now there are a few things that are odd about Sapporo - for example - why you stick a ferris wheel on top of a building - or why, oh why, do you stick a great big clock in the middle of a busy intersection. I can't quite imagine checking my watch for correct time as I'm driving through... oh, and trying not to hit any other cars or pedestrians whilst I was at it. This is the same Nikka corner that I mentioned in the previous post. I seemed to spend a fair bit of time around here....though I might hasten - not for the food. In Japan, McDonalds is known as Ma-ku-do, or Ma-ku-do-nal-do (very South American sounding... think Ronaldo). That's not the only thing that's a little different. For example - try getting an ebi (prawn) burger in Australia, or having green tea. If you're ever stuck for an idea of what to eat in Japan - don't be too embarrassed or insecure about going to McDonalds... it's a perfectly valid cultural experience. Every now and again.

And for evidence that McDonald's isn't quite the universal constant that everyone thinks... let's just have a quick look at some of their Japanese advertising. Not quite what we're used to here anyhow.

And I mentioned the famous Nikka corner... well, I suppose it's also rightfully known as the Kirin corner. Depends on whether you're a beer person or a spirits person. Not sure what you call it if you're both (or don't drink alcohol). This is looking away from the clock in the middle of the road...

And Japan is a beer country - they have a number of mega-brands. Asahi is one of the more well known ones, though not my go-to-beer if I have a choice. The fact that in the heart of Susukino, Sapporo, their signs are written more in English says more, perhaps, about the investment opportunities they see for their beer than anything else - that and that Japanese actually love to appear international.

And as is often the way of things - we ended up back a Tanukikoji....where we had started. There's an underground shopping district (see the stairs going down) that heads to Odori Koen, and is known simply as Pole Town. Not a pole in sight however... but it's a good place to shop if your in Sapporo. The shops may have closed at this time however, but there was still plenty of life in the city.

And so all good things must come to an end. At midnight (around the time of the last subway from Odori station), it wasn't quite as deserted as this photo makes out. Indeed, the last subway is always a bit popular. And you'll find plenty of people that have had just a little too much good cheer during the preceding hours. But people pretty well keep to themselves, and behave remarkably well considering. In fact, I've never felt unsafe at all in Sapporo at night - though I have to admit that my wife has may stories of coming across MANY unsavoury characters on her way home from the train/subway at night. Being a single woman at night in Japan is not always quite so safe or pleasant... but that's another story.

The Night Out Continues... Cocktails and Cake

adelaide.ben1@gmail.com (AdelaideBen) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 11:59:00 +1030

13th August, 2010 - After a great meal at the rather "themed" izakaya, none of us were quite ready to call it a night, so we headed around to a small little bar that sits on the famous Nikka Susukino corner... if you've been in Sapporo at night, you'll know which corner I'm talking about.

The bar is called....well, to be honest we can't remember what the bar was called. T-chan's friend knew about it, and we were happy to follow along. When (and if) we remember we'll post an update. It was fashionable however - and I might add - a very popular bar, and indeed we were lucky to get a seat. We think it was called Doa or Door or something like that...

You can tell it was fashionable as for some reason they had a thing for chain-mail curtains. A decidedly odd choice I might add, but a good opportunity to try out some chain-bokeh, and manual focus fun.

Ok... now the photo below is meant purely to demonstrate one thing - T-chan's best friend is very much single, so if you're living in or around Sapporo and you'd like to meet a wonderful, intelligent, attractive and very funny Japanese woman... well... drop us a line. [only great guys need apply!]. Ok - my wife's almost certainly going to kill me for that.

And just so you know - this is not my drink. I had a whisky... maybe a triple. On the rocks - and I mean rocks. I scooped a handful of them off the road on the way to the bar. Delicious. And not at all cocktail-ish. Actually, this was my wife's drink... or was it her friends?

And yet another drink that wasn't mine... not sure why I didn't take any photos of more manly drinks... er... perhaps I did, but by that time they were all a little blurry... much like my head.

And it wouldn't be a good Japanese bar if you didn't have something to nibble on...

And the good thing about this sort of bar is that you can quite happily enjoy a dessert with your drink. Not frowned upon at all in Japan... however, I can't imagine strolling into a bar back at home and ordering a mixed cake platter....And this was a great little assorted platter here! Yummy.... but expensive. I can't remember just how much this was, but I know it wasn't cheap. The good (and bad) thing about alcohol is that your judgement about money can be a little altered... and things start seeming much more reasonable after a few drinks.

In fact I was so happy... with my whisky that I had another go at the old chain-bokeh....*hic*... no seriously, this is exactly what I meant to do. Actually, I thought then that we often don't intentionally de-focus our images. Not sure this is a wonder for anyone else but me, but I kinda like that raw 70's noir look to it.

Now - perhaps just one more whisky....

To find the famous Susukino corner, just head down Sapporo Ekimae Dori... you can't miss it. The bar is on the 2nd floor of the Susukino building itself... I think. Good luck. Just look for the chain-mail curtains!

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