Back from Nihon
mtfe...@netmapsonscape.net
Saw a lot of pregnant women and young mothers this time. Didn't seem
to be much of a % age difference between Kochi and Tokyo; maybe one
of the gummint Minitries is spiking the birth control pills.
I'd heard Shibuya attracted a much younger crowd than when I worked
there (it was pretty much a salary-man's section), but that was
ridiculous. Don't think there was a single store that wasn't blasting
some sort of quasi-techno crap with a hideously distored bass (don't they
have sub-woofers in Japan?) Also seemed like Shibuya was about 5% gaijin.
Ginza was also younger than it was when I was there. Still definitely
upscale.
Good to hit the Ginza's Sapporo Lion again; if you've never been there,
it was built in the late 1890s, survived the bombings, and has to be
one of the older remaining business buildings in Tokyo. Worth a
look, for sure. Cheap, too; the 4 of us ate (and I had a couple
beers) for less than Y6500. Good food, too. We stayed at the Monterey
Hotel, about 3 blocks of the main Ginza road, 5 blocks from Yurakucho
Station. Small clean rooms, internet connection, Y12000/night on weekends
for 2. Not a bad deal.
Got a new motorcycle helmet in Ueno; the Schuberth J-1. They won't sell
it in the US, so I had to get it in Japan. I was surprised at all the
motorcylce shops just outside the station; has Ueno turned into the
2-wheeled equivalent of Akihabara?
There used to be an encampment of homeless men under the bridge
at Tenjinbashi in Kochi. All gone now. Washed away in a storm?
Kochi-ken supposedly has lost population, but not (yet) Kochi-shi.
They've also cleaned up a couple places that were famous during
Sakamoto's time. There's been sort of a tourist boom there.
We didn't make it out to Otsuki this time, but hit some other places;
Okitsu, Kure, and (in the other direction) Akaoka. There's a great
place to eat katsuo in Kure (if you're ever out that way) called the
"Kuroshio" (in honor of the current, of course). Very pretty country
in Kochi-ken's coast. Not the first time it reminded me of Hawaii.
Oh, and got a new camera; the Olympus mu-tough 3000. Water proof to
3 meters, shock proof, 14 MP, etc. Less than Y15000, so not too bad.
Not a bad trip. As usual, I really miss good, simple Japanese food. Dunno
why they don't even try to make here in the States. It's not like the
ingredients are hard to come by. Oh well.
Mike
The 2-Belo
mtfe...@netMAPSONscape.net has exploded. Flight director confirms that:
>They've also cleaned up a couple places that were famous during
>Sakamoto's time. There's been sort of a tourist boom there.
Oh, that's all because of the NHK drama series that's going on right now
(龍馬伝). There are piles and piles of dramatic license heaped on this show, as
any drama series based on a historical figure would be, but it's very well done.
It's caused a surging wave of tourism to Kochi, and also Nagasaki, etc.
--
The 2-Belo [the2beloATmsdDOTbiglobeDOTneDOTjp]
alt.flame alt.fan.karl-malden.nose alt.alien.vampire.flonk.flonk.flonk
meow a brimful of asha on a 45 meow
meowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeowmeow
"If you can't be good, be colorful." -- Pete Conrad
John W.
> Not a bad trip. As usual, I really miss good, simple Japanese food. Dunno
> why they don't even try to make here in the States. It's not like the
> ingredients are hard to come by. Oh well.
>
I find that I also miss the food, particularly the stuff you can get
in restaurants that you just can't get in the US. A "Japanese"
restaurant in the US typically is a sushi place, especially outside of
the major cities. We have a place or two here in Nashville that
profess to serve other things, but that usually is "tonkatsu" and miso
soup. I also realized just how safety-conscious we are in the US. For
example, we went to this place on Mt. Rokko that was essentially an
open ropes course where people (mainly kids) did 40 or so climbing/
swinging/balancing obstacles. No safety lines, and I felt out of place
when I gave the kids a spot. Then my son fell astradle a balancing
pole and I didn't care after that. But despite that, it was refreshing
in a way to not have to constantly worry so much about always being
safe, or doing something that might wind up in a lawsuit. The final
note I have is that the roads we traveled (mostly around Himeji; we
also drove to Kobe and Matsue) were, for the most part, empty. When we
went to Kobe (and when we went to Itami on our way home) there was
considerable traffic in the other direction, but we cruised at highway
speeds (or greater) the entire time. Not sure if it was just my
perception or if there were, in fact, fewer cars on the roads; maybe
we just got lucky. I like the countless quirky things in Japan that
are worth driving to (more or less), even if they are pricey and
silly.
John W.
mtfe...@netmapsonscape.net
> On Aug 1, 9:08?pm, mtfes...@netMAPSONscape.net wrote:
> > Not a bad trip. As usual, I really miss good, simple Japanese food. Dunno
> > why they don't even try to make here in the States. It's not like the
> > ingredients are hard to come by. Oh well.
> >
> I find that I also miss the food, particularly the stuff you can get
> in restaurants that you just can't get in the US. A "Japanese"
Yep; I particularly miss yakitori.
> restaurant in the US typically is a sushi place, especially outside of
> the major cities. We have a place or two here in Nashville that
Yeah; the sushi was actually better before it got so popular.
> profess to serve other things, but that usually is "tonkatsu" and miso
> soup. I also realized just how safety-conscious we are in the US. For
> example, we went to this place on Mt. Rokko that was essentially an
> open ropes course where people (mainly kids) did 40 or so climbing/
> swinging/balancing obstacles. No safety lines, and I felt out of place
> when I gave the kids a spot. Then my son fell astradle a balancing
> pole and I didn't care after that. But despite that, it was refreshing
> in a way to not have to constantly worry so much about always being
> safe, or doing something that might wind up in a lawsuit. The final
Well, a couple years ago, one of the teachers at the Japanese Saturday
school program slipped and fell on the long climb up the backside of
Half Dome. Stopped his slide about half a mile down hill; pretty well sanded
down by that time.
> note I have is that the roads we traveled (mostly around Himeji; we
> also drove to Kobe and Matsue) were, for the most part, empty. When we
> went to Kobe (and when we went to Itami on our way home) there was
> considerable traffic in the other direction, but we cruised at highway
> speeds (or greater) the entire time. Not sure if it was just my
> perception or if there were, in fact, fewer cars on the roads; maybe
> we just got lucky. I like the countless quirky things in Japan that
> are worth driving to (more or less), even if they are pricey and
> silly.
Well, "freeway speed" in Japan isn't quite freeway speed here in California,
but yeah, traffic wasn't bad on Shikoku, even given the 2 land "highways".
Still can't believe more people don't visit there. Oh, well.
Mike
Jean-Marc Desperrier
> I'd heard Shibuya attracted a much younger crowd than when I worked
> there (it was pretty much a salary-man's section)
How long ago were you working there ???
CL
It sounds so "early in the last quarter of the previous century" doesn't
it ...
--
CL
mtfe...@netmapsonscape.net
1989-1991.
Mike
John W.
> Jean-Marc Desperrier <jmd...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > mtfes...@netMAPSONscape.net wrote:
> > > I'd heard Shibuya attracted a much younger crowd than when I worked
> > > there (it was pretty much a salary-man's section)
> > How long ago were you working there ???
>
> 1989-1991.
>
of years more gooder than my good old days).
John W.
mtfe...@netmapsonscape.net
One thing I've always regretted; the morning of Hirohito's funeral (the
day was a national day of mourning) I was in Shibuya at about 10:30.
There was literally not another person outside, not a car on the road,
nothing. It was like a sci-fi show where The Last Man On Earth wonders
where everyone went.
And I didn't have my camera...
Mike
The 2-Belo
mtfe...@netMAPSONscape.net has exploded. Flight director confirms that:
>John W. <worth...@gmail.com> wrote:
(Totally off topic but) So you remember this moment?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrF7Tk9DNoU
As a history geek it would have been hugely interesting, in a morbid sort of
way, for me to have been here at that point in time; alas I didn't make it here
until 1992. I watched the funeral on TV though.
mtfe...@netmapsonscape.net
> We have a report from the fj.life.in-japan Dynamics Officer that
> mtfe...@netMAPSONscape.net has exploded. Flight director confirms that:
> >John W. <worth...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> On Aug 5, 8:17?am, mtfes...@netMAPSONscape.net wrote:
> >> > Jean-Marc Desperrier <jmd...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> > > mtfes...@netMAPSONscape.net wrote:
> >> > > > I'd heard Shibuya attracted a much younger crowd than when I worked
> >> > > > there (it was pretty much a salary-man's section)
> >> > > How long ago were you working there ???
> >> >
> >> > 1989-1991.
> >> >
> >> Otherwise known as "The good old days" (even though they're a couple
> >> of years more gooder than my good old days).
> >
> >One thing I've always regretted; the morning of Hirohito's funeral (the
> >day was a national day of mourning) I was in Shibuya at about 10:30.
> >There was literally not another person outside, not a car on the road,
> >nothing. It was like a sci-fi show where The Last Man On Earth wonders
> >where everyone went.
> >
> >And I didn't have my camera...
> (Totally off topic but) So you remember this moment?
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrF7Tk9DNoU
> As a history geek it would have been hugely interesting, in a morbid sort of
> way, for me to have been here at that point in time; alas I didn't make it here
> until 1992. I watched the funeral on TV though.
I didn't really watch that. But I DO remember that everybody assured me
that Hirohito wasn't going to die before January 1; it would be terribly
expensive to retroactively change "Showa 64" to "Heisei Gannen". By hook
or by crook, he was going to make it to Jan 1.
Mike
dame_zumari
> The 2-Belo <the2b...@msd.bigremovethislobe.ne.jp> wrote:
> > We have a report from the fj.life.in-japan Dynamics Officer that
...plus a few more days to make sure it didn't look contrived, and
also that all officials were back at work after the New Year. And on a
Saturday so that the full day of mourning would be on a Sunday, to
minimize disruption to the working week....
At work on that Saturday (our contract guaranteed 104 days off each
year, so we had to work some Saturdays to make up for public
holidays), some time after the minute's silence, I overheard someone
wondering whether he had actually died some time before and the
announcement had been delayed suitably.
And the manufacturers of nengajo didn't look disrespectful for
printing Showa 64 cards.
The 2-Belo
exploded. Flight director confirms that:
I have a Showa 64 10-yen coin. Got it as change out of a public phone (REMEMBER
PUBLIC PHONES?!?!) back in the mid-90s.
chuckers
I had a Showa 64 5-yen coin at one time. And then proceeded to lose
it in some else's couch.
How do you get change out of a public phone? I didn't think they gave
any you didn't put
in yourself. They won't give change for a 100-yen coin from what I
have heard. I have only
ever used phone cards (remember when those used to be "sold" by
Iranians?) Still have a few
phone cards for emergencies in case the keitai dies. Of course, if
the keitai dies, I would
only ever be able to call home as that is about the only number I
remember without the keitai's
help.
mtfe...@netmapsonscape.net
> We have a report from the fj.life.in-japan Dynamics Officer that dame_zumari has
> exploded. Flight director confirms that:
> I have a Showa 64 10-yen coin. Got it as change out of a public phone (REMEMBER
> PUBLIC PHONES?!?!) back in the mid-90s.
Yep; I remember those big green clunkers. Wonder what they did with 'em? Probably
Chinese landfill.
Mike
CL
If they went to China, they probably came back as gyoza or nikkuman ...
or pet food for the US.
--
CL
The 2-Belo
exploded. Flight director confirms that:
>> I have a Showa 64 10-yen coin. Got it as change out of a public phone (REMEMBER
>> PUBLIC PHONES?!?!) back in the mid-90s.
>>
>
>I had a Showa 64 5-yen coin at one time. And then proceeded to lose
>it in some else's couch.
>
>How do you get change out of a public phone?
What I mean is, I used a public phone at some point, and there was a 10-yen coin
remaining in the money return slot. Someone had left it in there. A rather lucky
discovery :)
The 2-Belo
*Very* occasionally I'll come across a 喫茶店 with a pink, rotary-dial public
phone in it that still works. I've half a mind to make an offer for it.
chuckers
wrote:
> We have a report from the fj.life.in-japan Dynamics Officer that
>
> >The 2-Belo <the2b...@msd.bigremovethislobe.ne.jp> wrote:
> >> We have a report from the fj.life.in-japan Dynamics Officer that dame_zumari has
> >> exploded. Flight director confirms that:
>
> >> I have a Showa 64 10-yen coin. Got it as change out of a public phone (REMEMBER
> >> PUBLIC PHONES?!?!) back in the mid-90s.
>
> >Yep; I remember those big green clunkers. Wonder what they did with 'em? Probably
> >Chinese landfill.
>
> *Very* occasionally I'll come across a 喫茶店 with a pink, rotary-dial public
> phone in it that still works. I've half a mind to make an offer for it.
>
I always wonder why the IC card phones never really caught on. Never
having bought an IC phone
card probably had something to do with it.
John W.
have a keitai (had our US phones for emergencies), which honestly
really took me back to the good old days when you had to actually
*plan* how you were going to meet someone down to minute details.
John W.