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It’s a long holiday
It’s a long holiday weekend here. Yesterday, I stayed away from the computer for most of the day. Tod & I went to Ikebukuro to check out the Gyoza Stadium, a pot-sticker theme park operated by game giant Namco. For 3,500 yen you get all-day, all-you-can eat gyoza in a dozen different styles from around…
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Bloodlust for mosquitos
Bloodlust for mosquitos. I’m not the sort to kill insects but mosquitos are an exception. I despise them. The damp weather has caused a boom in the population and they are finding their way inside. That’s not too hard since we have no window or door screens in this building. When I see one, I…
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Hiccough cure
How do you cure hiccups in Japanese? By answering a simple question: What is tofu made of? Daizu. This evening at dinner, it worked better than holding my breath, drinking out of the wrong side of the glass or being frightened. Soy beans have magical powers…
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Printing digital photos
These are digital camera print kiosks. For 50 yen a print, you get your images printed directly from your camera’s storage media–Compact Flash, Smart Media, Memory Stick, PC Card, even floppy. These are at a big electronics store, but our local Family Mart convenience store has one, too. Ah, technology. Personally, I like to work…
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A sleepy commuter
This sleepy commuter was completely crashed out on the Mita line last night. When I snapped his photo, the flash went off but he only stirred a bit then settled back into his snooze. I wonder if he got off at his station?
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Struggling with kanji
Oyama sensei is on holiday in Canada this week. We’ll have a substitute teacher tonight. But instead of a regular lesson, Oyama sensei left us a page-long composistion to translate. We’ll discuss it in class tonight. I’ve finished deciphering the first three sentences. This makes me realise how few kanji I actually know–there’s a lot…
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Heat island nation
Every summer we hear about the “heat island” effect of too many buildings, air conditioners, cars, heat-absorbing asphalt and other inconveniences of the modern environment. The average summer temperature has increased 3 degrees Celcius in the past ten years. Tokyo’s supposed to have some rules about roof gardens and open/planted land per square foot of…
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People on roofs
People do weird things on roofs in Tokyo. Across the tracks, on top of an office building, a man is practicing the trumpet. He comes out to play at lunchtime once or twice a week. He’s not too bad, though he’s not really playing more than scales and phrases. On a nearby apartment building, Tod…
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Yokohama daytrip
I literally dragged Tod out of bed this afternoon at 1 (he’s quite heavy!), got him into the shower and out of the house by 2. We went to Yokohama. So much has changed since the last time we trekked down there. Before there was lots of construction around Sakuragicho station but MInato Mirai 21,…
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Kitano Jinja festival
For two weeks, a tinsel draped signboard at the end of our street has reminded us about the Kitano Jinja matsuri around the corner from us. Saturday 8/24, 5-9 pm. Rain or Shine. The main selling point was “Dad, we’ll have beer at good prices!” By 8 pm, the lanterns leading up the stone stairs…
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