30 June 2007

As Fast as the Shinkansen

Holy crap, that was fast!

I brought in Ringo (my MacBook - figured I named it so I might as well use its name) to the Apple Store yesterday and everything was processed by 7pm. They call me later TODAY as in 4pm, several hours after my last post to tell me that it is already repaired and ready for pickup.

DANG! That is really fast. I was expecting a week minimum. Talk about Japanese efficiency.

So all the plastic is replaced, and no dirty palm marks/chips/peeling plastic to be found. Nothing wrong with the hard drive either. I wonder if the Apple people got a kick out of reading "ringo" in hiragana as my hard drive name, and if they got the pun.

So because I got my laptop - and fully charged to boot - I decided to make use of my train trip back home. Voila! The Tokyo blogs are finished. Please back track a few entries because like I said before, they are under their respective dates. Just a warning, it's a bit of a read because I got about 6 pages on word with Times New Roman in 12 with the standard margins.

Enjoy! I know I will enjoy the results of Ringo's cosmetic surgery.

Faulty Plastic

So I go to the Apple Store in Osaka. I got onto a local train after my koto lesson and realizing that I might not making it in time for my appointment so I called Ingram who was luckily at home and rescheduled my Concierge appointment. Turns out I was able to connect to a rapid train and actually arrived at 6pm. However, I still had to wait a bit. No problem.

Turns out, the reason why I had to wait was because there is a Genius at the Genius Bar that actually spoke fluent English. I had a sense of this in Apple Ginza, because there was actually a foriegner working at the store. I was a bit surprised to say the least and maybe a little perplexed and ticked off? Me being foriegner sometimes equals `no speak Japanese` so people get into a tizzy.

However, in the case of Apple no one went into a frenzied tizzy that was visible at least, and that I appreciated. I even told the guy I was prepared to go over the problems with my MacBook in Japanese, since he saw me write my address in kanji. That is what gets them - when Japanese people see me write my address in full kanji and in the proper Japanese way then they realize that yes, I do speak Japanese and yes I live here. Interesting thing is, all my information on my MacBook is in their system, and I got the laptop in the United States.

So problem 1 - the piece broke off the palm rest. Problem 2 - I got the first generation MacBook and people complained that the palm rests got dirty too fast. Apple finally recognized that it was a faulty part and not the consumers fault; I asked the Genius if Apple Japan does that too and he sad yes. I had been meaning to call Apple or go to Apple OSaka about that problem but it just seemed so nit-picky that I didn`t really bother. So in a way, that piece breaking off was a blessing in disguise.

Problem 3 - the part surrounding my screen was a little dirty where the magnets in the lid were...in sum, all of the plastic on the keyboard and surrounding the screen was faulty. It was even starting to pop off on the lower left hand corner, which I suddenly realized as I saw the side of my laptop.

I didn`t even need my Apple Care because my laptop was still in warranty (so maybe I jumped the gun when I got it? Oh well, better be safe than sorry) so I did`t have to pay for a thing. Except maybe train fare. Genius and I talked a bit about the weather in Japanese, and he complemented on my desktop wallpaper which was a photo of Santorini (a very belated thanks to Libby as I downloaded it off her Flickr). He even laughed at the name of my hard drive, which was `Ringo` - written in hiragana.

No laptop for a week. I got Chen`s library card so that I can use the Kyodai library when I am not at Rits (seriously, too far and it is actually CLOSED on Sundays) and my user id still works on the computers which is good because I have to prepare for my presentation soon.

But on the bright side, Apple is going to to a whole system check as well, and I practically get a brand-new looking computer. Apple always does hard drive checks; when my sister brought in her PowerBook because a piece of the plug got stuck in the socket to charge her battery, sure she had to pay about $200 (because she doesn`t have Apple Care, I think she has it now) but got a whole new motherboard and hard drive because when they checked the hard drive, Apple discovered that there was something wrong that was undetectable (I think it was the way the hard drive/motherboard was mounted in the computer), leading to a possible total breakdown of the computer that would be totally unrepairable - or cost a sh*tload of money. So she practically got a new computer for $200.

In other Apple news, the iPhone came out. Obviously, just in the States so the only hype I see is from the news, but personally I might get the Helio Ocean when I go back to the States. Its cheaper, has 3G and is from a South Korean cell phone company. South Korean cellphones are amazing - you can even watch live tv with them and its the same in Japan.

29 June 2007

Toriaezu...

Japanese Lesson # 17:

1) Toriaezu - for now, in the meantime

I am still working on the Tokyo blogs - I write too much so stuff that happened in on day is splitting into two or three posts. So when I am done, I will let you know, but you have to backtrack, since I am going to put them under their respective dates.

So...toriaezu...

Karma can really bite you in the ass. I go to the Apple Store in Ginza to get the VGA adapter to do powerpoints so that I don't have to schlep to Apple Osaka and look what happens. A piece of my keyboard where the palms rest broke off for some reason and now I have to schlep to Osaka. Good thing my worldwide Apple Care hasn't expired yet.Which means that I can hopefully get this minor thing fixed for free and I just looked up the word for "replace" (torikaeru" - 取り替える) so I am ready to tackle this next big adventure - repairing your computer, in a foreign country. Now that is blogworthy, especially if something wacky happens, which I hope won't be the case. Wacky = frustrating here.

I am so glad that I have a Mac because of the Apple stores - my friend spilled coffee on her PC and trying to get someone to repair it in Japan was so much hell that she decided to fix it when she was back home in Spain.

Unless I blog from the computers at school (which will be unlikely because I really have to prepare for my presentation in two weeks) I will be on blogging silence. Pray that not only will I get my laptop through its cosmetic surgery but quickly and will little loss of data, which is why I am trying frantically to back up as much as possible. Docs and photos are more important than my movies and music at this point (though I do have all my music on my older iPod). My poor Ringo...has to go in for surgery...in a place far, far from home...(^_~).

The plastic piece that was sorta popping up just broke off so I am somewhat pissed.

It was kinda funny when I spoke to my mother:

Me: Ma, my laptop is broken.
Mom: What? But you are still on Skype.
Me: It has to go for cosmetic surgery in Osaka. Karma can really bite you in the ass.
Mom: Ohh...

Toriaezu...

I have been tagged for a Meme: Why I Blog. My first tag!!!

5 reasons:

1) I am living in a foreign country so blogging is a good way to keep in touch with people hack home (and in other countries that I know people in, i.e. England) - I don't have to repeat myself a million times and I prevent carpel tunnel, as I just tell everyone to refer to the blog.

2) I think I have become a bit of a better writer since blogging entails writing and processing and thinking and trying to get it all down as concise as possible, especially since I write too much. Doesn't mean my typing skills are much better.

3) Meeting fellow bloggers is fun. My blogger buddies are mega cool.

4) It's a good memory to have of my time in Japan - for all the souveneirs and the umbrellas and the bento boxes, I think I am going to cherish my blog the most; in fact I am going to print it and bind it when I get back home.

5) It's really addicting. I first started blogging just before I left for London, but I stopped because I was having a miserable time. However, blogging provides you the opportunity to reflect a bit on your life and how you want to present yourself so that is also a good exercise - I do regret not blogging my time in London, however there wasn't much to blog at the time. But I have learned some lessons and as such making the most of my time (and my life overall) while here, and do plan to continue to blog (though this particular link will be shut down in March 2008) when I return home.

Ok, since I do not have too much time since I am trying to back up my data before I schlep to Osaka to put the links in here are my tags:

1) Libby - A Study of Schoolbooks and Shoes
2) Midge - Lipstick and Legalese
3) Britt - Tickled Pink
4) Tulip Mom
5) Chen - Rambling Chicken
5) Colleen - Scribbles

27 June 2007

Random Bullets of Crap, the Tokyo Edition

So I end where I started, at the Nihonbashi Exit Starbucks at Tokyo Station. Best way to end this trip is with some musings or what other bloggers call, “Random Bullets of Crap” or RBOC:

1) Spent my afternoon at the Edo-Tokyo museum. Really cool and a neat way to get to know Tokyo; very well done.
2) I purposefully left things undone, so that I have stuff to do when I come back to Tokyo in the future – hopefully when Mel comes next March.
3) Handkerchiefs are really popular here, to the point that brands such as Celine, Givenchy, Burberry and Yves Saint Laurent make them for about $15 a pop. Granted they are cotton (the silk blends are $30); but back in the States they go for more than $50. Here, they use them to wipe the sweat off their faces or blow their noses – me? I use them as head and neck scarves. I picked up a Celine at Mitsukoshi (think Bergdorf Goodman) for 1500yen and two Liberty prints for 525yen each at Daimaru. Love them.
4) Never again, unless in severe financial straits will I ever stay in a backpacker hotel place. Not to knock those who do, but I don’t like it – I am not suited for it.
5) I was able to afford my Birkenstocks AND I stayed within budget. This is what you get when you do not blow money on souvenirs that are totally pointless (i.e. Hello Kitty cell phone charms – I can get that in Kyoto as well as many other things souvenir wise here).
6) The stories regarding Louis Vuitton and Japan are not only notorious, but also true. I should have done a count of how many bags/wallets/etc. I saw.
7) Apparently, Kansai is much more dangerous than Kanto. I was told that Tokyoites are sh*t-scared of Kansai people. And if I want to check out who is yakuza down in Kiyamachi-dori in Kyoto (part of Pontocho, one of the geisha districts and now has hostess bars) look at their feet. Traditionally, yakuza wear white shoes.
8) I spoke the WHOLE DAY with Maki – well, the 8 hours that I was with her – talking in Japanese, save for like 10 words.
9) I felt like I was being watched, all the time. Maybe riding on the subway, I was exposed to more people on a daily basis than back in Kyoto – school does NOT count – but I walked by a stationary police car back to my hotel and the one thought that was going through my head was “Don’t you DARE come out of your damn car and ask my for my bloody gaijin card for no damn reason other to amuse yourselves.” The “foreigner dynamic” in Kyoto vs. Tokyo is different I think – there are so many foreign students in Kyoto whereas there are a lot of foreigners doing some shady stuff especially in Kabuki-cho and Roppongi.
10) I hate traveling on my own – unless it’s to a spa or to a Greek/Mediterranean/Hawaiian/South Pacific/Caribbean island where I can plop on the beach or somewhere with a book and relax. Traveling when it involves exploring is lonely and because you are on your own you tend to finish stuff faster or get listless. I was very lucky to have gone out with Maki and Jessica and her friends. But it was lonely.
11) I don’t think I will ever take the bus again simply because the traffic risk is very evident. Besides, the next time I would be in Tokyo is when Mel comes to Japan to help me move back – as a “tourist” he can get the JR pass so that lets him use the Shinkansen cheap. Poor me who is a “resident” has to pay the full $250 for the SLOWEST Shinkansen but I’m going to ask for a bit of help there. Not fair…even in England I had the chance to get the Eurail pass even with me having the student visa!
PS:
12) My trip back home went without a hitch, except for the fact that when I arrived at Kyoto Station, the JR bus guy wouldn’t let me out of his sight for ten minutes because I lost my ticket and we have to give them the tickets at the end of our trip. Asshole. I missed the bus and didn’t want to wait 45 minutes for the next one, so I took a taxi – 1300yen. Bah. And in the end, I skipped 5 days of class because I was so tired.

26 June 2007

Of People Watching and Red-Light Districts

Unfortunately, Kukhee couldn’t make it for the dinner that she, Jessica and I planned to have due to a cold. She missed out!

I got to Shinjuku a bit early because I wanted to check out Yodobashi Camera for the electronic dictionaries. I am pissed – the English focused ones have the crappy koku-go (Japanese-Japanese, think the Japanese version of the Oxford English dictionary) dictionary. I might just get the model that Prof. S. had – it may be old but it had Oxford, the good Koku-go dictionary and it’s cheap, so I can pimp it out with all the add on dictionaries.

After my futile trip to Yodobashi Camera, I still had about an hour; so I wandered around Studio Alta for a bit. Studio Alta is like OPA– big shopping mall designated for young women with a load of worthless crap. I did get a nice dark green beaded necklace, however; “normal” things are hard to find on a regular basis. Then I sat down outside JR Shinjuku station and people-watched for about 45 minutes.

Ah, people watching. Great thing to do when you are in a strange city; you really get a sense of the culture. Mind you, I am speaking with a slightly sarcastic and caustic tone here – the people watching in Shinjuku was ESPECIALLY interesting, mostly because my internal reaction mainly consisted of me saying “WTF?!?!” a lot, hence the sarcastic and caustic tone. First you had the homeless people that stole cigarette butts off the ground next to you and screaming at everyone else. Eh, fine that is something I see back home.

What you DEFINITELY do not see in NYC is this:

1) Japanese girls with orange skin + orange makeup and orange hair. And that is not ganguro (link on ganguro) – its just overly tan to the point of leather. Much worse than back in the States. Or girls with 4-inch heels and 2-inch shorts.
2) Japanese men with Louis Vuitton WOMEN’S HANDBAGS. Especially the Speedy style. Seriously, WTF?!?!?! I even saw a guy with the Hermes mini Grace Kelly bag. That guy is making a woman wait for 6 months on a Hermes waiting list, now that is just WRONG!
3) Said Japanese men actually accosting young women. I saw this in Kyoto as well (link to previous post); but here, I counted maybe 15 guys just loitering around the exit of JR Shinjuku, waiting for young women so that they can try to get them to the hostess bars or work at hostess bars. And later I realized why: Kabuki-cho, the red light district in Tokyo, was across the street from JR Shinjuku. The girls fell into one of several categories – very skinny, tan, sky-high heels, crazy orange hair and that particular Japanese style. Even “normal” looking girls were accosted, even right to the corner of the street. I estimated the distance from the exit to the street at about 10-20 meters. Maybe 30-60 seconds of hearing some asshole shorter and skinner than you trying to get you to a hostess bar. And they are bloody persistent!

I had dinner with Jessica and some of her friends – including her research assistant, Kazu – at this izakaya that actually ripped us off. Live and learn; I had this sinking feeling earlier that there wasn’t going to be much food at dinner so I just munched all day, hence the Mochi Cream from earlier.

We all wanted to do puri-kura, or the photo stickers after dinner. We actually ended up in Kabuki-cho; in spite of it being the red light district so long as you are not a pretty Japanese girl it’s fine. It’s just a lot of hostess bars, Karaoke and pachinko or game parlors.

What we all didn’t expect to end up doing was wait with a bunch of obaa-sans for this Japanese celebrity that is overly airbrushed in his promo photos to the point of looking like Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. Creepy.
We passed by a LONG line of middle-aged women and we all pressed on Kazu to ask them why they were waiting. Said Japanese celebrity is Enka singer “Kiyoshi” – Enka is a form of cheesy old-school Japanese music that is popular back in the 50s, according to Jessica. The obaasans gave us flyers with his face plastered over them; when the 5 of us started goofing off with the flyers, the obaa-sans joined in and asked us to take photos of us with them and the Kiyoshi flyers. Some of the women were holding these wands that light up – I actually went up to one women who had two (red and blue with a star and a heart) and asked her, “Those wands are so adorable, is it ok if I borrow them quickly and take a picture?” The woman – and all the others – were actually really happy that gaijin were interested in Kiyoshi; frankly, it was just all good fun. Out of the 5 of us, Jessica, Jay and I were the foreigners (Kazu brought her fried Yuki and Jay along) but Jay is Chinese so Jessica and I looked the most “foreign.”

While we were waiting, I took in the sights that was Kabuki-Cho: right across the street from us, there was a blinking billboard that advertised services by women for men. In fact earlier, I saw one of those places as well with a sign on the door that said in very big English letters, “Japanese ONLY!” I had heard of these signs before, but to finally see one was really interesting. Because of the shadiness that is Kabuki-Cho, Shinjuku has some problems with foreigners; good to know I learned something useful at the conference.

Being really “foreign-looking” sure had its payoff that evening! We were waiting and waiting and at one point I had to go to the bathroom; Yuki, Kazu and I ran to the closest pachinko parlor to use the bathroom. Luckily Kiyoshi hadn’t driven by yet. We all decided to wait till about 9:30; lo and behold, at 9:30 on the dot, a relative roar began to reach us. Kiyoshi had arrived!

There was security and middle aged men telling us to not take pictures with our cameras, Kiyoshi’s car was passing right by us. The window was just almost rolled all the way up when I saw him – he was carrying one of those wand things, except his was purple. Then for a fleeting moment our eyes met and he did the biggest double-take in the world – like “OMG, she is a FORIEGNER!” I wasn’t the only one that saw this; Jessica solidly confirmed that she got the same reaction when he saw her.

Research Really Means Collecting Paper and Having to Pay for It

Sure, I came to Tokyo for the conference; that was the impetus for this trip. And then I decided to skip 4 days of class because it’s a chance to see Tokyo. But I figured that while I was up here, might as well check out the National Diet Library – now that totally legitimizes me skipped 4 days of class and letting my teachers think I had a 6 day conference, Uh huh, riiiiiiight.

In short, the National Diet Library is really easy to use – so long as you prepare beforehand and read Japanese. However, they do give user guides in English, which is really sweet for when I want to use the Kansai branch (which is closer to me, as Kyoto is in Kansai) I can request materials online and from the Tokyo branch.

I came in using the visitors entrance and formally registered which makes things run a lot more smoothly; after an initial “WTF? I don’t know this computer system” I got the ball rolling on collecting materials. In two mornings I looked at 5 books, 4 of which were actually from the 19th century and on microfilm. Copying is damn expensive! That is one reason why I didn’t look at all 30 of the books that I initially looked up – first it takes a while to request them since you are only allowed 3 books out at a time (different from NYPL where you can request 3 books, but every 5 minutes you can request another 3), and second the copying is expensive and third I didn’t have much time. So, I just looked up the stuff that was important for my presentation in the next few weeks and some stuff on Heian Jingu for the KCJS class in the fall.

It was raining all day. Today was also when I was going to meet Jessica, Kukhee and Jessica’s research assistant in Shinjuku for dinner, so I decided to check out the Imperial Palace a bit while I had some time to kill. I slowly discovered that I do not like to travel alone; it gets lonely and in spite of all the itineraries, you do run out of things to do. Also, I felt like I didn’t have enough time to check out museums such as the main museum in Ueno Park. So off to Imperial Palace.

Because of the rain, I didn’t walk around so much. I got a look at Ote-Mon and the weather was so dreary that I decided to head back inside to the Maru Biru (“biru” = “building”), find a Starbucks and sit down. I actually brought some of the classical Japanese homework for my advisor so I actually did some of it while sitting amongst the suits. In spite of the café latte (I decided to splurge a bit) I was getting sleepy; I then walked around Maru Biru a bit. According to the floor guide they had the Mochi Cream that I ate a few days before! Yum yum…I got Sakura, Café Latte and Apple cream – wasn’t too thrilled by the Sakura. I discovered “Mochi Cream” in the food floor of the Ginza Matsuya my first day here - it’s mochi but filled with something like flavored ice cream and they have like 20 different flavors – and thank god they have shops in Kyoto, I would have been very sad otherwise. So far, I have tried Café Latte, Peach, Sakura, Chocolate, Matcha and Apple. Liked all of them except for the Sakura (cherry blossom) and Matcha - go figure that is ironic given that this stuff is mochi. Best keep the traditional flavors in their places, then.

25 June 2007

Silent Protest

After Roppongi Hills, Maki took me to Asakusa – the old shitamachi or “downtown” area. It’s famous for Senso-ji; you guessed it, a temple. I was avoiding temples and shrines here because I have seen too many at this point and they are better in Kyoto (haha, I know I am sounding totally territorial). Senso-ji was actually quite nice; the walkway leading up to it had little souvenir shops. Being in Asakusa was like being in Kyoto, but Maki pointed out that Kyoto is a bit more “sophisticated.” She is being objective, I think, as Maki is originally from Sapporo.

I did check out Yasukuni Shrine, earlier in the day the (in)famous pro-war shrine that always stirs up China and Korea whenever the PM visits and leaves the US and Europe sorta scratching their heads. Personally, Japan is still in severe denial about what happened in WWII and I know I am not the only one that says this. So, I did go to Yasukuni out of sheer curiosity this morning before I went to Shibuya (I did my honor’s historiography seminar paper on it) but I did not buy any Shinto charms, nor did I go into the museum, which would have required me to pay admission (it was closed anyway). Normally I buy Shinto charms, or “mamori” because while each shrine or temple has the exact same 50 mamori, on the back indicates the shrine that it is from. Some shrines are even special – Fushimi Inari Taisha is the patron shrine for merchants, so I got my dad a mamori to help his ice cream business. But for Yasukuni, I refused to spend my money for what it stood for, in spite of the fact that it was peaceful looking; that was my form of silent protest. Nonetheless, for research purposes I would enter the museum, but not this time.

Speaking of pro-war/pro-conservative stuff, when Maki and I were at Roppongi Hills, the “black trucks” spewing out anti-Article 9, pro-Yasukuni Shrine stuff passed by us. Thanks to Mark’s advice, I knew not to take photos of it; I told that to Maki and she told me that I was right. Not only did the black vans have huge Japanese flags trailing behind them, the car was covered in slogans and the kanji for Yasukuni Shrine. I felt a bit uneasy; I have seen trucks like these in Kyoto, but in Tokyo I heard that they were more hardcore and that they hang around Yasukuni Shrine a lot. But when I was there because it was so early (I finished walking on the grounds by 9:30) there weren’t any trucks. Maybe because it was raining earlier as well; rainy season has started though the news (in Japanese!) is saying that the rainy season is strange this year.

Maki and I had dinner together in this little Italian place that I had a quick glance at while getting out of the Asakusa subway station – I thought it would be one of those really seedy places but it was good; the pizza was almost like NYC pizza. Greek food + NYC pizza = very happy Maria.

Dorothy-chan, We are Not in Roppongi Anymore

Roppongi is known as the seedy foreigner’s spot – even one of my forum members, who has been in Japan for 15 years, says that he would rather not go there. I have been to Itaewon in Korea, which is the seedy foreigner spot, and I have to say Itaewon is a lot dirtier. Why? There is no such thing as Roppongi Hills in Itaewon.

But before I get to Roppongi Hills – I finally met up with Maki after about a year! It was a lot of fun and we spent the whole day together, most of it spent in Roppongi Hills. Before I met up with Maki, I figured I would get some time to go to Shibuya and witness/take part in the infamous “sukoranburu kossaten” – “scramble traffic crossing.” It is a Barnes Dance and in order for the pedestrians to cross in all 5 directions, vehicular traffic literally stops. Music plays too so that people know when and when not to cross – pretty much the same in Kyoto but more important here.

Right across the street from the main part of the kossaten is Starbucks, in the Tsutaya building. That building is famous for its electronic billboard – in “Lost In Translation,” the billboard above Charlotte’s shoulder had a dinosaur, which is the same billboard that I saw. I have come to the conclusion that Tokyo is damn noisy. You are being bombarded with information, lights, and media, right and left and to the –nth power, much worse than in New York. I felt it right there in Shibuya with all the noise, the digital billboards and the neon. While I sat on Starbucks – which has its seating area on the 2nd floor – I snapped some pics of people crossing the kossaten, as I had a great view. The Shibuya kossaten literally defines “rat race.”

Rather, the whole Tokyo rush hour defines “rat race.” I left early in the midst of rush hour mainly for one reason – to get on the “Women Only” train cars. Not that it is really that important for me to ride it but the fact that the train systems in Japan (mostly subway) have designated cars for women during rush hour so that they feel safer is something else. (Side note: during my whole trip, I was never grabbed by a chikan, a “groper.” Thank god).

At 12, Maki and I met up at the Hachiko Statue, a famous meeting spot in Tokyo. Then off to Roppongi for Greek food. I found this place called Spyro’s doing a random Google search and I am glad I found it; according to some sources and Deena’s own experience, the other Greek restaurant in Shibuya called Aegean is not that great and is expensive. Maki and I headed off in the wrong direction at first, but we finally reached it. The lunch set was great, though I wished the salad had feta in it – in lieu of a Frappe, I had Greek wine. Our waitress was Greek and while she was hearing Maki and I talk in Japanese, she asked me if I was Greek too. Real good fun.

But the fun REALLY began in Roppongi Hills . It is like the Time Warner Center but on bloody steroids. It’s almost 3 times as big and has way more stuff – for example, the Mori Art Museum and Tokyo City View. These two are on the 53rd and 52nd floors of the Mori Building (a guy named Mori made Roppongi Hills) and let me tell you, even though it was cloudy that day, the view was amazing. Imagine at night or on a clear day, when you can actually see Mt. Fuji in the distance. It’s actually a popular spot for marriage proposals. Cue in the collective, “Aww…”

Mori Art Museum doesn’t have a permanent collection; however, the current exhibition “Le Courbusier” (spelling? Link!) was actually good. It was funny though, the audio guides were free, provided by Bloomberg.

After the museum, Maki and I were a bit tired so we wanted to go to a café or something. Luckily, we both had the floor guide and I remembered Babbi, this new gelato place. It was amazing – I had pistachio and caffe, which are my favorite gelato flavors. The view was nice too; we were in the part of Roppongi Hills that faced the residential area and right across the street from the apartment buildings, so it was actually new, quiet and really clean. I totally felt that I was not in seedy, gross Roppongi, it was as if I was in another world.

I actually got my Birkenstocks in Roppongi Hills – I have been thinking about getting a pair and with the yen weak against the dollar (123yen to a dollar, bad for me when I convert dammit) I did the conversion of what $110 Birkenstocks be in Japan at 9975yen…$81 WITH tax. Of course I am going to get a pair here! (Just like how I will get my new Herve bag here too). I got the Kairo in black patent leather; I saw a girl this morning in Shibuya with them and thought they were cool. That, and the store didn’t have the Gizeh in the mango color in my size. I am a 40 in European size; Japan being Japan, it is next to impossible to find shoes in my size. They don’t even do shoe sizes unless they are shoes in department stores/foreign designers/sneakers or just damn expensive – they are just SS, S, M, L and L is ONLY 24.5cm. I am 26-26.5cm. Discrimination! I can’t get cute shoes here.

I was seesawing a bit on getting them now, but I realized that yes, while Kyoto does have Birkenstock in Fuji Daimaru, the question is, and will they have them in my size? Tokyo has more foreigners, so I figured it is more likely for me to get stuff in terms of clothes here than Tokyo. I am not in the mood to spend $15 to schlep to Osaka and run like a chicken with my head cut off for shoes (although I would do it – I ran down to the Kate Spade store in SoHo the day of the Senior Cruise in May 2006 for a gold handbag. My aunt was totally aghast. But I got it.).

24 June 2007

Conference SPLAT!

(Note: I do have access to internet. That doesn’t mean I want to pay for it. So unless I happen to get to the Apple Store in Ginza or Shinjuku, these posts are going to be uploaded when I get back to Kyoto, but will be dated on the day that I write them in Word.)

So, the conference is over and done with – now the REAL fun begins! To be quite honest, as much as I was happy to present my work and try to get some feedback, I had a lot of trepidation. I am still getting used to the whole “present your work at a conference, be prepared to be chewed up and spitten out in a good way.” The only constructive criticism that I got? That I should not use the word “abate” because it is an intransitive (or was it transitive? I forgot) verb. The one that I should really use is “mitigate.” Constructive, that.

Granted, I was terrified. I was nervous. It was my first time at this particular conference, and my first time at a conference that was run by THE professional association for my field. So, in effect to be all Japanese and use onomatopeia: SPLAT. Literally. It was even worse than the time I presented the EXACT SAME THING (albeit with some updates this time around) last December.

There is the main conference that is held in the States, but each country/region has their own English-language confernece, and the one I presented at was the largest one in Japan. So it’s pretty big. But not as big as the main one – at the main one, graduate students are not even allowed to present.

In spite of my morning splat in terms of speaking I did learn a few things about presenting:

1) Until you are very well established in your field and you really, truly know your stuff to be comfortable talking about it in front of 20+ people, then prepare a speech and read from it. Notes won’t cut it.
2) Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. Seriously.

Nonetheless, I got some mega conference-ing under my belt and am slowly getting more used to it. It was a lot of fun in that I actually met people – two girls to be specific: Kukhee and Jessica. They are both in a similar field, but good fun – one is actually on the Monbusho like me, but doing her Ph.D at Tokyo Uni. In fact, I am going to meet up with them for dinner this Tuesday in Shinjuku and one reason why meeting them was so much fun was because as Jessica put it – “It is GREAT to finally meet a fellow academic who cares about fashion!” I actually sat next to Jessica during a panel and left early, but ran into each other for lunch. Then we sat and talked for about 2-3 hours. I met Kukhee through Jessica, as the two of us (Jessica and I) split up for different panels. And let me say this – the food at the reception was killer. So yeah, in spite of my severe stage fright, cofnerneces are fun. Especially when you get to meet people like Kukhee and Jessica – you have really good conversations and you have fun ones as well.

It was quite all geeky but in the academic geeky sort of way. Given that I was the newbie and one of the youngest people there I just listened and watched a lot. I also asked a lot of questions – but not at the panels. Through Kukhee I met one professor who recently got his Ph.D at a particular uni that I am seriously eyeing for grad school; although he was not say a first or second year student who is still on campus most of the time, he told me he had a good experience and it is a good atmosphere. It’s not like one school which is out in the middle of nowhere, leading everyone to be all chummy, but rather a chummy-not-chummy sort of atmosphere. Meaning, everyone knows everyone and works together but it doesn’t mean that they are all up in everyone’s lives. There is more to life than just what is on campus; but in the case of the city school it is precisely because it is in the city.

But I digress. Back to Tokyo. I forgot to mention yesterday, that while I was huffing and puffing during my first foray into the Tokyo train system(s – there are three major train system,s all of which share stations at some points but you have to get out then back in if you want to transfer from one line to another. It’s messy but I think the NYC system is crazier), I passed by a sumo wrestler. He was wearing kimono and doing something with his cell phone. He wasn’t that big but you could tell that he was a sumo wrestler. I actually did a double take.

After the conference today, I went over to a neighborhood a little west of Ikebukuro, where one of the members of my forum, Mark lives with his family. I had asked him about changing my tragus earring to something that I can take out myself for when I have to (say, wedding – I don’t think a tragus piercing would go well in wedding photos). He invited me for dinner and I had a really good time. His son is so adorable!

I got back to my hotel at about 11pm – at first I was a bit nervous on going around Tokyo at night by myself, but Mark pointed out that the Kansai area is a bit more dangerous, especially with the yakuza presence (the Japanese mob) which is really well established in Kobe. There are girls in the miniskirts with over $1000 in their bags who come home piss-drunk at 3 in the morning and it’s totally safe, he said. I just have some trepidation because I don’t know Tokyo; at first, I didn’t know Kyoto, but now I am totally fine with it. Add to the fact that I am by myself and just meh. But I am getting more used to it.

22 June 2007

From the Big Apple to the Big Mikan

In the final scene of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," Toula's dad makes a speech:

"You know, 'Portakalos' - my family name - means "orange" and 'Miller' [Ian's last name] comes from the Greek word for 'milo' which is 'apple.' So, we are apples and oranges, but at the end, we are all fruit."

Same thing goes for Tokyo and NYC. NYC is the Big Apple. Tokyo is the Big Mikan (a Japanese orange). Different countries, but BIG cities. To be quite honest, when people ask me about my opinion on Tokyo, I say the same thing, "I guess it's sorta like NYC - but it's NYC on LSD." My opinion drawn from the endless photos of neon-lit streets and seeing "Lost in Translation." I do very well with crowds and hustle and bustle (heck, I have been on crowded subways since before I could even pronounce my first gurgle practically) but man, I think Tokyo just takes it to another level.

Or maybe not. I have been here for about 7 hours, and it is not that bad. I was a bit apprehensive at first, to be quite honest, but Tokyo is not that bad. On the other hand, I can only imagine what it would be like for someone who can`t speak the language - I at least have that advantage.

Right now I am at the Apple Store in Ginza (think 5th Avenue) and get THIS:

Apple Ginza is FOUR floors. It`s even cooler than BOTH the ones in Manhattan - SoHo is quite small and 5th Avenue is overrated and a bloody tourist attraction. I would take a picture right now with my cell phone, email it to myself and upload it to Blogger because I can do that but there is a security guard, so I kinda feel a bit wierd taking pictures with my cell phone. So, just as I leave, I will play silly little tourist and take photos of the cool elevators. I love this store. They have an INTERNET bar - two whole rows of Macs with FREE INTERNET. FREE INTERNET!!! Nuff said. I am here right now, waiting for my mom to come on AIM so that we can chat a bit. This saves me a trip to Shibuya, and about 2000yen in internet fees/food at that internet cafe that I was going to go to. Plus I am totally justified in chilling here - its not crowded, there is no line here and is IS a designated internet cafe. Apple rocks. I love Apple. Besides, I need to get my VGA Adapter for the Macbook so I can do powerpoint presentations. That`s why I was here originally.

But back to Tokyo. I really do not think it is that crazy as everyone purports it to be. Then again, maybe it`s because I am in Ginza where it`s just rich people - but I was in Harajuku earlier, and come on, it`s not that crazy in terms of the fashion. Maybe my senses are a bit dulled because I have seen some wierd stuff in Kyoto already, so it`s not like `OMG, I cannot beleive she is wearing that!` It`s more like, `Hmm...interesting...`

Then again, I haven`t been in Shibuya or Shinjuku yet. And because I came so late into Tokyo, I didn`t get the chance to ride the `Women Only` cars and thank god, no one has tried to grab my bum yet. Yet.

But I need to backtrack a bit. My trip was HELL of a mild sort. Mild because I had no problem sleeping - I brought my blindfold and my Miffy inflatable neck pillow, the sort that is sold at airports - so I wasn`t that uncomfortable. What happened was early in the morning ,we had stopped. I thought it was another rest stop - turned out to be a 4 hour rest stop. There was a traffic accident on the highway to Tokyo and traffic literally stopped to a halt. Like NYC-gridlock-worthy `shut-Midtown-down-because-the-president-is here` traffic. But much, much worse. There wasn`t even any creeping along. I started to midly panic - I had an appointment to get my eyebrows done at 11:30am and was worried that I wasn`t going to make it; I was also about check in at my (budget) hotel so I made some phone calls, sent some emails via my cell and voila, got the appointment postponed till 4pm, and the hotel knew that I was going to be late. Huff, puff, lug suitcase up and down stairs, get some blissfully welcome Starbucks coffee (tall regular in a Venti cup, Starbucks on the cheap!), try to figure out the Tokyo Subway system on the cheap, and finally get to Hotel New Koyo over in Ueno.

Budget hotel for sure. It`s spartan, but not like it really matters - I am just going to use that place to sleep and shower since there is no breakfast there. I`ll just get breakfast from combini. I even had a mega budget lunch - I needed something filling and fast before my appointment for the yebrows in Harajuku so I went into McDonald`s. Now those meal sets are an arm and a leg, and I really don`t like fries; so what I did was I ordered two small cheeseburgers and a small soda off the dollar menu. Total? 300yen.

In short, I really feel like I am back home. This city is highly navigable - I only needed to pull out my fat Lonely Planet Japan guidebook to just confirm my direction so that I really didn`t get lost and I didn`t lose my way getting to the salon - which was actually a bit complicated to get too. My eyebrowist was actually a Greek Australian so she was fun to talk to. If I come back to Tokyo and in need of a waxing, I will go back.

I know that if I lived here for the duration of my scholarship, I would be flatbroke - the cost of living IS expensive here, and I don`t think I would be able to save enough money. For one thing, I would definitely have to commute and the trains here are expensive - I am getting by with the one day 1000yen pass and avoinding the JR Yamanote Loop line as much as possible - or if I have to use it (like I did today to get to Harajuku) I just take the Metro subway to the station closten, so that whay I don`t have to pay so much for the JR Line, just the minimum 130yen.

However, it is a good place to visit. Highly recommend. Would LOVE to stay at the Park Hyatt like Charlotte in `Lost in Translation` but that sucker is $300 a night. Maybe one day. It`s raining here like in the movie, but I haven`t had a `Lost in Translation` moment yet. I think my perspective is different than from that of the average tourist - I don`t live in Tokyo, but I live in Japan. So it`s sorta wierd, and I feel sorta wierd, plopping my camera and taking photos, even though I am a tourist here. The sentiments are mixed, but being here did show me one thing - I miss the buzz of a big city. I miss that `go-go-go` sorta feeling, which can be exhausting but let me tell you, having that feeling again, pounding the city pavement, riding the subways, it felt exhilirating.

I miss the Big Apple. But the Big Mikan ain`t that bad, for the time being.

21 June 2007

The Blogger on the Bus is Going to Tokyo...

...going to Tokyo, going to Tokyo!!!

It is the night of my trip and I am excited. "I'm so excited...I just can't hide it..."

Well, I am hiding it. Walking around Japan with a big grin on your face might look strange to many people.

Laundry is done, apartment is scrubbed, bag is packed, iPods are charged (bringing my crappy one for audiobook use so that the shuffle doesn't lose space) have my tickets on the Dream Bus...

Dream Bus you ask? It's an overnight bus. The Shinkansen is so damn expensive that the only people who use it are tourists on the JR Pass (think Eurail but for Japan), business men, if you are indulging yourself or if you need to get somewhere fast, like a funeral. Regular people never use the Shinkansen. And I am a student. You think I have $250 to spare? I would rather use that money for shopping.

So it's an 8 hour bus ride, overnight. I leave at 10:40pm which is 9:30am EST. I arrive at Tokyo Station at 6:30am the next day - just a right time to experience the early morning buzz of Tokyo and the relative quiet. Colleen told me that it won't be quiet possibly even at that time, but I am thinking that early morning hum that a large city has before the rat-race of rush hour. For me, that is my favorite time of day - things are open or just opening and people are about but it's still peaceful. And in the summertime, it's cooler at about 6 am.

OoOoO...I can have the chance to ride the women's only cars! Yes, I know it's a stupid thing to be exited about, but I have not ridden on a proper subway for awhile. In the course of making my itinerary (yes I make itineraries so I am just organized and that I don't look like a chicken with my head cut off int he middle of Tokyo), I pretty much got the gist of the Tokyo Subway system - personally, the NYC subway system is more complicated I think.

They have the women only cars on the Kyoto subway too (which is just two lines and I never have occasion or reason to use it) but those are designated during rush hour so that women don't have to worry about chikan ("gropers") groping their butt. Plus it will be a nice reprieve from the crazy crowded cars that the regular people ride - hopefully. Will report as much as possible - there is internet at my hotel (public computer, staying at a budget place) and I am bringing my laptop so I will definitely blog on this as much as possible.

The blogger on the bus is going to Tokyo...

20 June 2007

Ooo, La La! Le Food C'est Magnifique!

I never took a French class in my life, hence the lack of the French word for "food" in the title and my possible mispelling.

As I have said before, Kyoto is overrun with bakeries that try to liken themselves as boulangeries and patissieries. With French names to boot. I frequent one enough to get a points card. But let me tell you, Kyotoites know how to make a good pastry, dessert and coffee. Why else do I worship Rue-Ergo?

Today, I went to "Le Institute Francais Japonaise du Kansai" - The French Institute of Japan in Kansai, if my translation is correct with Colleen and Charlie (I might have to take German or French in grad school and even my German and French classmates said that French is more useful). Le mission? To eat French food. Colleen said that there is a really good lunch set for only 700yen there so I was totally game. Even better, it is right across the street from Kyodai, so it's in le 'hood.

(I took that picture with my cell phone, since I forgot to bring my regular camera, but all the more reason to go back!)

In the end it was 1000yen because I had the cake. I felt like I was in that restaurant in the final episode of SATC where Carrie meets Aleksandr's ex-wife - all white, clean and modern, sans rain and being up high in a building. Tres chic. And the chocolate mousse cake was delicious. The coffee? Excellent. I have figured out that the coffee in Japan (at least the really good stuff and from Ogawa) does not have that processed taste like that in the US - it still tastes a bit oily, but thats from the natural coffee bean (which just adds to the flavor) and it isn't overpowering, but very strong. Delicious. Now I have to find a way to bring about several kilos of Ogawa coffee back home, or find a really good equivalent in the States (and get a coffee grinder too).

18 June 2007

Cue in the Techno Music and the Overpriced Art


Check this out - a graphic designer redid the flags of the world and put it in a slideshow, complete with techno music, comments and all white background. I feel like I am in a chic gallery party at the MoMA. However, some of the comments are a bit too snarky and "smart" for my taste; it was funny in the pretentious sort of way. The flags, if they were actually in hard print or actually made is something that people would scratch their heads at in an art gallery a la MoMA but cost thousands of dollars and people will pay for, that sort of ludicrous thing.

Personally, Britain, Somalia, France and Brazil were the best. The rest were a little under-redesigned or the comments were too snarky. Although the Japan one, with it's comment "Red is too agressive!" (it's the red sun disc) has SO many meanings that someone with a bit of Japanese history under their belt can read into - that or I am over-analyzing. Didn't get the last part though...

(Props to Daily Frappe, one of my daily reads for all things in Greece and the Greek diaspora.)

13 June 2007

I Don't Wanna Grow Up, I'm a Toys'R'Us Kid...

...there's a million toys at Toys'R'Us that I can play with!

Well now that I am 22, the toys are a bit different. iPods. Cell phones. Laptops. Kate Spade bags. Nintendo DS Lite. Shoes. My Kate Spade business card case and my new business cards.

You really can't say that business cards are a toy, but I ogled them like a toy at Toys'R'Us. Add to the fact that they are in my nice chocolate brown Kate Spade leather business card case (albeit year old, but never used; got it on sale as a college graduation gift to me), it's quite nifty. I feel all "PROFESSIONAL" now! Big girl moment. I have cause to not only make business cards but hand them out - at the conference in Tokyo next week.

I actually made the cards myself, using a template, stealing some graphics off the Ritsumeikan and Crane's websites (the paper company). Why Crane's? I got a Kate Spade graphic (the one for the Airmail calling cards) off the site and edited it to fit the cards. I love the Kate Spade look but alas, I cannot afford it. So, I pick and choose and get crafty where I can. So I have two designs - one with the Rits logo, and one with the Kate Spade airmail border. Unfortunately, when I printed the Airmail, due to the fact that it's a border, it sort of turned out bad with the edges running into the next card. So I guess I will do it again (with the font that I wanted) with the special cards that allow to print to the border that Avery has. They also have doubled-sided, which is necessary for English-Japanese cards. So for now, they are regaled to the "future projects" section - and maybe one day can get them for real.

I printed them at Prof. S's office at KCJS; I told him that I needed to find a place to make business cards during a dinner at his house last month (where I met other cool, famous professors) and he offered to let me use the printer at his office, provided I get the paper for it. After making a panicked call to Mel, ordering him to get a particular Avery business card set, I actually found business card paper (and "clean edge" to boot) at the Kyoto Uni Co-op. Thank god. In the end, Mel returned the paper to Staples and got his $16 bucks back.

For 100 clean-edge cards here, I paid about 5 dollars. Pity though - I can't do double sided in both English and Japanese due to the fact that the cards peel off instead of tear off from one another. But frankly, having more professional looking cards without that perforated edge is more important. Instead, I made some in Japanese, most in English. Behold! My first business cards:

My First Manicure*

*Warning: Mega girl alert. Those with testosterone might want to skip (although if you're interested in more Japan commentary, you are more than welcome to read).

My first real ever manicure was at my local hair salon when I was 15. It was about March, and I remember it being really cold, and because of that, I had to put on my jacket before the nail polish was applied because my mom and I had to get home, so we couldn't wait for the polish to dry. It was for my senior high school pictures and the color was Opi's Empire State Red - a deep plummy sort of red, though I go for Essie's Capri (orangey-red, great for summer) these days.

In Japan, a BASIC manicure will set you back about $30-$40. That's with filing, buffing and cuticle shaping - if you just get the color package, they just file your nails and put the polish on. Back home, I can go across the street anytime during business hours, fork over $25 (that's with tip) and get a whole on mani-pedi. With the bubble foot bath and a massage chair.

Since I am going to Tokyo, I was going to just say screw it, treat myself and fork over $100 for the mani-pedi. You heard me: ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS. Then I changed my mind - a real waste, since it would only last about a week, and I would be going home in a month regardless. For a mani-pedi. Oh, and it gets better (or worse, depending if you can't determine the sarcasm): the trend amongst "hip" and young Japanese women about my age is to festoon jewels, layers of polish in different designs AND 3D flowers per nail. On a fake nail of course. Takes acrylics to a WHOLE new level. That can run more than 100 dollars - and that's just a manicure.

I miss my semi-quasi bi-weekly mani-pedis ESPECIALLY in the summer, since its sandal season. I am still wearing shoes, but today I finally got nail polish. The nude-pink sort that is popular these days - in the States. In Japan, glitter and shimmer is more popular. I went to two combinis, a 100yen shop until I finally went to one of those chain Shiseido make-up stores that you see in local neighborhoods. The lady there practically pounced on me, trying to determine a nail polish. She (was pretty elderly) kept directing me to the shimmery stuff until I found one. The price? Twenty-five hundred yen.

I will NEVER pay that much for nail polish - I can get Essie at my local Bed Bath and Beyond for under $10, for crying out loud. Then I FINALLY found a nude-pink gloss and it was only 355yen. I picked up some nail polish remover at QQ (because I know I will make a mistake, and lo and behold, I did) and went to business. My first SUCCESSFUL self-manicure (I already put the clear base, filed and did the lotion thing last night, thinking that just clear would do, but dammit I wanted my nude-pink).

I feel complete (well almost - before I go to Tokyo, I will attempt to give myself a pedicure, since I either want to make sure this manicure is really dry or I will re-do it). Bring on summer! I have my manicure. And I didn't mess up either! Good way to cut down on the cost of manicures, though once in awhile to keep things in order is still necessary. You can bet where my first stop will be when I get home in August - my local nail salon (and haircut, hmm, pizza place, oh! the Greek food store, my favorite cafe...)

12 June 2007

Public Service Announcement

With Google taking over Blogger, there is now a 1GB limit on the number of photos you can store. Which sucks, because I can't put up all my photos here; for every photo I post, there are another 50 that I want to put up. My Koya-San trip resulted in about 130 photos. When I was in Korea, I ended up with over 300 photos. So do the math - 300 Korea photos and about 700 Japan photos according to iPhoto, that's about 1000 photos. DAMN! I need to print out a lot of photos when I go back home and get a lot of Japanese photo albums.

I tried using Flickr once, but since I email my photos to family and friends en masse and like to keep them somewhat private (and not to have to ask about 60 people to sign up for Flickr, Flickr is a bit complicated for me; I use Kodak Photo Gallery instead (I have been since 2004).

However, if anyone can tell me how to use Flickr like Kodak Photo Gallery (in terms of sending photos en masse to about 60 people without having them sign up), please let me know. I want one of those photo badges in my blog!

So! If anyone is interested in getting the unedited version of my photos in Japan (along with a crapload of photos from my stay in London and the events of graduation last May as an added bonus) drop a line in my email or comments. There is a hitch - no strangers allowed; meaning I have to know who it is on the other end either in real life or in my blogger life. You know who you are - the non-strangers that is!

11 June 2007

Up On a Mountain, Praying in a Temple

This past weekend, Colleen and I went to Koya-San, which is in Wakayama Prefecture. Koya-san ("Mt. Koya") is about 1KM above sea level and the center of Shingon Buddhism which was founded by Kukai/Kobo Daishi in 819 (they say that he is the guy who created hiragana, now THAT is a person to sing praises to!).

In order to get to Koya-San via public transportation (twisting up a mountain in a car? I have done that twice and both times I feared for my life), Colleen and I did the following:

1) Keihan Line Rapid Express Train from Demachiyanagi Station in Kyoto to Yodoyabashi Station in Osaka (literally end to end): 1 hour
2) Transfer to Osaka Subway Midosuji Line to Namba: 15 minutes
3) Take the Nankai Dentetsu Rapid Express train from Namba to Gokurakubashi Station: 90 minutes
4) Cable car from Gokurakubashi Station to Koya Station all the way at the top of the mountain: 5 minutes.

But wait! There is more. When Colleen and I got to Namba Station, we just missed the 11am train to Hashimoto Station (which is on the Nankai Line) which connects to a train that goes further down the line to Gokurakubashi Station, so we had to wait an hour. All in all it took us about 4 hours to get there (and even the same amount of time coming back for some reason even though the train from Gokurakubashi was direct to Namba and we made all the connections with less than 5 minutes in between). The great thing is that to promote tourism, there is a special "Koya-San Free Pass" that includes round-trip train tickets, 2 day bus pass, discounts on some temples and souveneir shops for only 2780yen. Killer.

So all in all, 5 connections, 4 trains, 3 cities, 2 prefectures and a cable-car near a mountain tree.

The scenery was very nice. Like my trip to Shirahama, I got the chance to see the countryside, or the inaka. And it was downright proper inaka, especially after Hashimoto Station; the train began to snake its way up the mountain and since it was so precarious, there is only one line of track for a two way train system. How does that work? Well, the track divides into two at the stations so I guess they station masters and all other parties involved just keep an eye out so that opposing trains pass by each other at the stations and not play chicken on the mountainside. But that is only really between Hashimoto and Gokurakubashi.

The coolest part was the cable car ride. If you suffer from a fear of heights or vertigo, even taking the train up the mountain gives you some interesting sights (such as very steep drops). The mountain is so steep that the design of the cable car is actually slanted; imagine something like a moving staircase, and that was how the cable car was designed. Literally. I felt like I was on a theme park ride.

To my surprise, Koya-san isn't just a complex of Buddhist monasteries with some things to cater to the tourists here and there; it's a right proper town. "Holy crap," I thought, "I am REALLY in the inaka. Cooooool!" When you live in the city, especially in a foreign country, you learn to appreciate the chances that you have to actually get outside of it. Another awesome thing is, Koya-san is so inaka (at least for me) that I got to FINALLY see this for real: the old-school Japanese mailbox.There wasn't even a 100yen shop to be found!
Because Koya-san is so high, the weather is a bit different; it's cooler. In the summer, people come here in droves because down below is so damn hot. It's sorta like my dad's hometown in Greece. No mosquitoes, but a lot of bugs. Also, because of the nature of the town - Buddhist friendly - everything shuts down around 6pm. Colleen and I learned that the hard way when we went out to get some dinner, luckily there was a small cafe open.

Our check-in was at 4pm so we had some time to kill. We both packed light, but it is annoying to lug stuff about but we trudged on, making reservations for Buddhist vegetarian cuisine at the tourist office for one of the smaller temples the next day. Lay people can actually stay at the temples (its called "shukubo" or "temple lodgings") but it was really expensive. Koya-san can be done in a day but with the 4 hour trip, that's alot of stress. So, we made reservations at the Koya-San Youth Hostel.

Before we could go to the hostel, we went to Kongobu-ji (which has the CLEANEST bathroom I have ever seen at a temple in Japan), which was constructed in 1593 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and the main temple at Koya-San. It's also the location of the largest rock garden in Japan. We had to take our shoes off, which was a common theme for the weekend and quite annoying for me because I wore my sneakers, thinking that because of the weather (it was going to rain) and the fact that we would be doing alot of walking, while my suede loafers were pretty decent, sneakers would do the job better. I forgot that like Himeji, really really old places (and even the new Treasure Museum in Koya-San) make you take your shoes off. No contest.

When we finished with Kongobu-ji and the time to check in came, we headed over to the youth hostel. Youth hostel it is NOT. More like a mom-and-pop run budget ryokan (traditional Japanese inn); maybe the association with the YHA helps bring the prices down, maybe the Japanese idea of a youth hostel (especially in this neck of the woods) is different, but Colleen and I lucked out from here to kingdom come. First, while it had that settled in look and the bathing room/bathrooms were not private it was clean and very well-maintained. Second, our room had a view of the garden AND had painted screens (it was called the "Tea Room" - walking around the house before we finally checked in, I saw that the room was open and prayed that we would have that room and we did) and third, it gave us a really good breakfast. Cost? About 4400yen for the night. That was less than 40USD. After dinner, Colleen and I settled in our room and chilled out and read, though the ladies in the room next door to us were bloody insomniacs and acted like over-caffeinated junior high school students.

The next day, it was raining. No matter really; we were both prepared and it was a good chance to check out the umbrella-worthiness of my parasol, without doing too much damage to it. Result? I think I will use as an umbrella when it doesn't rain that hard, given the fabric of it. There are more umbrella-like parasols (at OPA!) that I intend to get. We had breakfast in the main room, checked out (more like telling the owner, "Thank you for having us, we are leaving!" and the owner responding, "Take care!"), put our stuff in a locker at the tourist office and trekked off. Even though it was about 8:30am, the town was up and running. First stop was the Treasure Museum, which had on display a ton of Buddhist art dating all the way back to the Heian period (started in 794, if I remember correctly) till about the mid-twentieth century. At one point, the place was so quiet, so empty and so filled with Buddhist statues that I felt like any minute they would come alive a la Tomb Raider.

To continue with the creepy aura of the day, the fog was rolling in. Good thing it was in the morning and not in the evening; fog + Buddhist temples = mega creepy aura. Colleen, ever the stout San Franciscan, exclaimed that the weather reminded her of home; me the somewhat wary New Yorker, just tried to keep an eye of my surroundings. As you can see, I wasn't amused. Luckily - and rather strangely - the sun came out but the weather was like a light switch: on-off, on-off. At one point, the weather was still cool, but the sun was blaring; so, I re-opened my parasol and commissioned it once again to sun-blocking duty. It also had to dry, since I was paranoid about ruining it.

We hit the Garan, which is a series of temples and stupas - one of which Kobo Daishi lived in and saw a lot of tourists and pilgrims, many of which were praying to the empty buildings. What was interesting was that unlike the circuses of students and tourists that I see at Buddhist temples in Kyoto, while Koya-San is a bit touristy, it's very hardcore Buddhist. No circuses (of the hokey sort that you see at Kin- and Ginkaku-ji's) of any kind here. Even at the museum, there were boxes for monetary offerings in front of the statues; if there wasn't there was a small group of coins in its stead. We also went to the Daimon (literally "Great Gate") which is on the opposite end of Koya-San, near the highway that runs into the town. We wanted to check out the Tokugawa Mausoleum, but it was cutting close to 12 and we had to make time to get to lunch.

Lunch was Buddhist vegetarian at Muryoko-in, one of the smaller temples. Colleen and I both got the cheapest one and were amazed at the amount of food - we thought it would be like regular Japanese fare: alot of money, but barely nothing or freaky stuff. It was delicious. While at Muryoko-in, we both agreed that where we stayed was much better.

After lunch, we headed to Okuno-in, a big draw at Koya-san for tourists, pilgrims and mourners alike. Mourners? Okuno-in is the largest Buddhist graveyard in Japan. Thank god there was no fog, just alot of sun when we went. It was so crowded! The graveyard went into the woods, and the much older graves were further inside; I'm guessing that over time, the graveyeard spread closer to the road, obviously. The kicker were some of the company graves. One was mistranslated as "White Ant Memorial" - while the kanji literally mean "white ant," it's actually "Termite Memorial." The exterminating company built it to apologize for killing the termites. My favorite one was UCC - UCC is a coffee company, so part of their grave (for former employees) was a big stone coffee cup. Even Nissan had one, completely festooned with the logo, just like the ones on the cars.

Walking through the graveyard was a bit sad though; here and there (and at times everywhere) there were small statues with bibs and knit caps. They were "jizo" - statues built in honor of a dead child. Jizo is actually a Buddhist deity who protects children, especially those who died before their parents. I saw some statues with chocolate bars and other toys and things that were pretty new, so I could sense the relative closeness of the jizo statue - it wasn't just something that took place in the past. (Side note - they can also be for aborted children; I won't go into politics here, but I will just say what I read once in this book called "Being A Broad In Japan" (which is a book for foreign women in Japan): according to the account of one foreign woman, putting up a "jizo" helped her with coping with the decision that she made.The values system is just different here, as compared to the US.)

You could get a sense of how old the place was with the moss growing on most of the older graves which were closer to the main temple. It spite of the robustness and the din emanating from the throngs of people, you could still sense the tinge of melancholy.

After Okuno-in, Colleen and I headed back to Kyoto. Four hours later, we were back in the 'hood and proceeded to have falafel, kebab and pita at Falafel Garden, a local Israeli restaurant. Given that Greek/Turkish/Israeli/Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food is pretty similar, it's the closest to Greek food that I can get in Kyoto (without me having to make it). The kebab that evening tasted particularly delicious; with summer around the corner, the backyard garden was open. I felt like I was back in Astoria.

08 June 2007

A Sight for City Eyes

I have never really seen right proper clumps of stars - so many that it looks like as if the inky sky isn't really pitch black, but a deep navy blue. Maybe once or twice, out in Greenport, Long Island. My godmother has a house there and as a kid (before she bought the house) my family (and family friends, relatives, etc. etc.) would all go out there for weekends. It was the Hamptons for Greek-Astorians. That's when I would really see the sky.

One time, my dad's cousins and their parents were out at this motel called the Blue Dolphin. The parents were off bbq-ing and the kids were playing in the playground that was on the motel grounds. There were a lot of us (as there always is; think my block full o'kids just transplanting to Greenport on the weekends). One memory that I always cherish is that on that evening, the sky was perfectly clear. Sure, you had the streetlights, but unlike NYC they didn't block and drown out the stars. One guy - I guess he was in his late teens - who was either also staying at the motel with family that we all knew or a local that we knew or worked at the motel rounded us all up when it got really dark had us lie on the grass, look up at the sky and just talk about the different constellations, with the mosquitoes buzzing by us.

Tonight, I did not see a starry sky. I see more stars in Kyoto than I usually do because while Kyoto is a big city, it's not that big and the residential areas get quite dark with the lone streetlight here and there. Instead, before I went to Colleen's dorm for the house dinner and while I was just outside the combini in my neighborhood, I saw an amazing sight:
I have never seen clouds like this before - sort of reminds me of the movie "Twister." Indeed, rainy season is upon us. It was gray all day and there was even a downpour earlier in the afternoon, but this was nothing compared to a gray-before-rain that I have experienced before.


It was just one of those things that you just had to step back, take a moment and just look at. The wind was kicking up, so I actually saw the shapes of the clouds shift; all of those photos were pretty much taken from the same spot. Goes to show how much of a city slicker I am; I have never seen clouds of that intensity before ever in my life. So although I was going to be a few minutes late at Colleen's (who just lives down the road, 2-minute bike ride) I just stood next to my bike, felt the wind on my face and looked up at the sky.

Must. Stop. Shopping. MUST. STOP. SHOPPING.


Last week it was the pottery and the cool cups with Justine. This week...

I was closing my wallet today when the button popped off. It was a cheap one that I got at a cute little store on Sanjo that I got for about 1000yen, that had a 70s vibe to it. Bugger, I thought. Then I realized: WOO-HOO! I have a VERY legitimate reason to get that new wallet (or one of the new wallets) that I was eyeing over at OPA this past weekend when Justine was here and got her jumper-dress thing.

Then I began to debate - do I get that cute short-sleeved eyelet sweatshirt? It's 4000yen for sure but mega cute and one of those things that make a good layer so it will last a good 4-5 years or so (just in time for a return trip!). Also, when I tried it on, it was LONG. Like mega long - mega long for petite Japanese girls, just right for me. Hmm...

First, I went to Inobun to check out if there were any wallets to be had - since I knew what the ones at OPA looked. I went basically because I had a points card. Points cards (or "pointo kaado") are really big in Japan, especially when you go shopping. I have a points card for Inobun, Random Walk (foreign bookshop) and a bakery by Rits called Boulangerie Briant. I guess it's to foster loyalty amongst customers - I went to Inobun first basically because I had a points card and I wanted to use it so I can reap some rewards. Unfortunately, there weren't any wallets that I really liked.

Then I saw this bag. It was a small basket on a long strap, sorta like those proper purses from the early 90s that women in power suits would wear on one shoulder. These days, however, girls are wearing them messenger style. Hmm, I thought, not a bad idea really - I do sort of need a medium sized bag. To tell you the truth, the only bags I have are shoulder and the one messenger that I have is my Jack Spade one, so that is really too big especially for just excursions or small trips. I need a bag that I can just toss around. But the basket was a little too small for my taste (I have a big organizer to carry!) and the price was too high for my liking. So, on to OPA - getting a wallet for sure, debating on sweatshirt and maybe a bag.

In the end, I got all three. The way Japanese shopping works - as far as I have seen - is just a bit short of "blink or miss." There aren't a lot of the same item on the floor, and if there is just one, then that's it. Which was my rationale for the sweatshirt. I liked it A LOT. It was very versatile. And damn cute and unique. There were a good bunch out on the floor, but all in different colors - alot of gray, one in beige, one in army green and one in chocolate brown.

There was a sign that said "10% OFF One Piece." The sweatshirt didn't have a sticker for it, so I asked a girl who explained that "One Piece" was a shirt. There was a shirt that I liked so I tried it on - I have been in engouh dressing rooms at this point (unfortunately in vain) to know to take my shoes off before going inside the dressing room, even if the dressing room isn't raised off the main ground. The shirt looked horrible on me.

So I began to think about the sweatshirt. I asked the same girl if I could try it on, and proceeded to try on the gray and army green ones. Japanese salespeople really pamper you and I do not mind at all - it is a part of the job, and not do to it for commission. It's not as cutthorat in the States where at J.Crew they ask at the register if anyone helped you today and the sales people drop their names left and right.

The salesgirl was really cute and helpful and I really enjoyed myself! We ended up discussing the merits of the three different colors - for I also asked if I can try on the brown one - and when she pointed out that light colored jeans look great with the brown one (by putting up a pair of Lee jeans next to me) I was sold. I have this par of Sevens that I like very much except for the fact that htey are a light denim. I just have some qualms; the great feature is that instead of the 7 logo on the back they have velvet ribbons that tie at the top in a bow criss-crossing on the back pockets in light blue and brown. Now then, I have a good top (of a sort) to wear with my 7's.

We kept on chatting and she remarked on how good my Japanese is. I get this all the time, but she seemed really genuine about it - and in reality, I held my own for about 15 minutes talking about clothes. I told her that I was a grad student at Ritsumeikan and (since she asked) I got here last October and have only 8 months left (HOLY CRAP! THAT'S IT! Bring on the shopping!). What was really sweet was when she asked me when I was from, I told her that I was from the U.S.-NYC. Her face turned bright pink as she said that she wants to go, and I said "Zehhi, itte kudasi," which roughly translates as "Please go, with all earnestness." She even offered to set up a points card for that little shop within the OPA mall after asking if I had one or not. I know I will come back there again - so long as the clothes fit me.

Afterwards, I went to the section where I was with Justine last time, walking around OPA to see if there were more accesories sections like that. Turns out that was the only one - and I found my bag. It looks like it belongs at Inobun; however, the price is totally differnt! A bag like this one could go for like 8000-9000yen at Inobun, I got it at OPA for 2600yen. A total steal and it holds all my crap. Even better for Tokyo, it will hold my big Lonely Planet Japan guidebook and my camera which get a bit clunky on their own and would totally take up a lot of space in both my KS bags and my Herve is too big really for something like your regular excursions. And then there is my wallet - it goes really nicely with my new bag, huh? It thought it had a bit of a Polo-Ralph Lauren prep vibe to it.

Shopping. Is. BAD.

BAD. BAD. BAD.

But dangit, there is so much cute stuff in Japan (Hell-O! Bento boxes and umbrellas, anyone? Kick-ass handmade pottery cups?)

06 June 2007

Kyoto Hotspots - Of a Sort, Part Ni

Sunday morning, I took Justine to my favorite cafe, Rue-Ergo. Oh, heaven. No justice can be done to this place in any shape or form - its close to my apartment, I can park my bike and not worry about it being impounded, it opens at 10:30 am which is quite early for Kyoto cafes, its quiet, it has cute outdoor seating, its right on the river and although it is a bit expensive the food and coffee is totally worth it.

THEY HAVE SMOKED SALMON AND CREAM CHEESE. Seriously? 'Nuff said. That is now my desktop wallpaper. I LOVE that photo. And you can bet it's on my new digital photo frame.

We had come to Rue-Ergo via bicycle; I borrowed one of Chen's (she has three) and decided that while on Saturday we would use the bus pass to get the out of the way thing known as Kinkakuji (it's over by Rits and very unbikeable because it's damn hot) and use the bike today since most of the stuff was in the same area, Northern Higashiyama bordered by Nazenji Temple in the south and Ginkakuji Temple in the north. Funny - I orient myself sometimes around here by the temple locations. I wasn;t so sure if the inner parts of the area were bikeable, but I told Justine lets give it a shot. Chen's spare bike is a three-gear 27 inch bike and I kept having to life my leg very high to get it over since my bike is 24 inches. My bike is also singe gear so riding it was a bit difficult.

Our first stop was Nazenji Temple and the Lake Biwa Aqueduct. I was really happy to see the aqueduct - yes, I am a geek - because I did research on it. Even better, it still works. According to Lonely Planet Kyoto, there was a small Shinto shrine "on a trail in the woods" in the Nazenji grounds called Oku-no-in. Something like that. So we left the main complex at Nazenji and saw a path ahead of us leading into the woods and the mountains.

You could totally tell that at least on foot this was as far east as you can get in Kyoto; the city is surrounded by three sides by mountains and we were practically in them. So much green! And you could tell that the air was fresh.At first, the path was very deserted and I had some misgivings and wanting to find something that would tell us that we were going in the right direction. There were some people ahead of us so I was relieved. Then I saw the characters for Oku-no-in. It was a very small shrine with a trickling waterfall; there were steps ahead that indicated that there was probably more to see, but they were very narrow. Given my fear of stairs, I passed on going further up.

After Nazenji Temple, Justine and I headed for Tetsugaku no Michi, or the Path of Philosophy. It's off the main road and elevated, but we were able to ride our bikes along the path. While on the path, we dropped by a teahouse/cafe place where we experienced a short but simple tea ceremony. Because of where I sat - in the first position, I was actually served the tea that the hostess made, while the others received pre-made tea. It was cool, and way better than my first tea ceremony experience which was the assembly line back at the
Miyako Odori
, geisha or no geisha. The sweet was good too - green mochi filled with anko, or red bean paste.

Then we got a bit off the beaten path so to say. Along Testugaku no Michi, I found an antique kimono shop/cafe. You could tell that the place had alot of histoy because there were photos of the proprietress with geisha, celebrities, and family - it was that sort of place. There, I noticed a silver clutch sort of like my Taisho green one; I wasn't all that interested in it since I had my green one, but Justine liked it alot. I asked the owner how much it was; it was 800yen, about 8 bucks, so Justine bought it.

The area that we went through was pretty much done; in my opinion, Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavilion is a bit overrated. I went there when my Aunt Stella and Uncle George was here and I was totally in disbelief that a famous place was a simple wooden building. I understand that it was very Zen, but there is alot of hype about it. Justine wanted to do some shopping so we headed back to Sanjo. We checked out this one store (more like a mini mall) called Opa - I had passed it numerous times but sort of brushed it off thinking that the sorts of girls who shop there are the ones that are the female peacocks. To my surprise, there were some sections that I really liked; man, my bank account is going to HATE me, there were even cooler umbrellas at Opa. Justine got a khaki jumber dress thing; I tried it on as well and was a bit undure about it, but I really liked this one hoodie with short sleeves and eyelet lining in the hood and eyelet trim at the pockets. And it was long. Really cute, it would look great with a simple white tee, since I liked the army green one. Maybe I'll get it next week or something.

Justine finally got her Japanese umbrella at Inobun. It was a mint green with either white stripes or polka dots of various sizes on each panel. We were practically done with the sightseeing stuff (and everything touristy except for the shops were closing regardless) so we went to Holly's Cafe for a break since I was really thirsty. At lunch, I took Justine to the old school sushi-on-a-conveyor-belt place (and even placed a special order for eel so yeah! I can do that now!); we pigged out at had a late lunch so we really weren't that hungry for a big dinner like the previous night. I suggested that we pick something from the Takashimaya food floor, then go to Starbucks to try the Azuki ("Red Bean") frappucino.

We also walked around Takashimaya and tried on Tiffany & Co. watches; in Japan, the salespeople are really nice and since you know it's a part of the culture, Justine and I agreed that we feel less guilty and "more freer" if you will to try on the expensive stuff even if we can't afford it. Case in point: at Thanksgiving with Colleen, I had no qualms whatsoever in going to the Hermes store even in my grungy jeans and simple cashmere sweater. You feel like you aren't being judged which is totally different in NYC. I tried on a watch that I had my eyes on for a real long time; I also like this one too (which was my original choice but the Tiffany shop at Takashimaya didn't have it, maybe I'll check it out when I go to Tokyo).

I KNOW that it costs a freaking arm and a leg, but if I am going to have one watch that will be a classic and last me almost forever, might as well either save my money and get it myself, or skip a lot of birthdays, Christmases, and anniversaries to get it maybe as a gift. Or wait till I graduate from grad school, become a "doctor" and request it as a gift from multiple parties. Like I would really ask for that for just one birthday, or from one person. Plus, Tiffany has good warranty and repair services in-shop especially at 5th Avenue (You can take your Tiffany jewelry and get it cleaned there, for example).

After Takashimaya - where I got a sandwich and Justine a muffin - we headed up to Starbucks on Sanjo. In the summer, this particular STarbucks has a veranda overlooking the Kamogawa called a "noryoyuka" or "patio over water." THere are some pretty strict rules, two of which being no eating of outside food and no studying. I learned the former the hard way; as I was opening my sandwich, one of the baristas who actually manned the platform came to get my garbage (so it wouldn't fly int othe river" and apologized telling me that I couldn't eat my sandwich. Oh well. I enjoyed my frappucino instead. Luckily for us, we didn;t have to wait (yes there is sometimes a wait to uss the yuka) and we got tables right at the edge overlooking the river.

After Starbucks, we sat along the river and just chilled, just like how my friends and I do. Eventually, a big group of drunk and rowdy studetns came so we left. The next morning, we woke up early and I helped Justine get a taxi, telling the driver "Kyoto Eki ni itte kudasai" - "Please go to Kyoto Station." Then she zipped off and I headed back to prepare for my week.