yellow towel

2008-05-10T05:13:00.001-07:00

Hitchhiking in Hachijojima

I had 2 ideas for Golden Week 2008: travel around Japan hitchhiking or visit the Izu islands in the Pacific ocean.
Probably the lack of hitchhiking experience (cold feet) made me go for the 2nd option: Bryan & I went to Hachijojima.
Hachijojima is part of Tokyo but it takes 11 hours of ferry from Tokyo (or 40mn by airplane, our option).

Hachijo Fuji
One of the major attractions on Hachijojima is the hike to the top of the Hachijo Fuji volcano; a fairly short hike but up there, great views of the island and its surroundings.
The problem though was that we were not in the mood for biking to the hiking trail so we initially decided to walk (takes one and a half hours said the hosts of the minshuku we were staying at). We eventually decided to give a go at hitchhiking and it did not take very long before someone stopped and offered us a ride.

Akira-san
Akira-san was the name of our driver; he was super friendly and offered to drive us around the volcano before dropping us at the hiking trail start point. We were grateful! Little did we know about how friendly he was indeed. Not only did he take us to 2 observation decks, buy us milk, introduce us to his middle school friend but he also offered to pick us up after we were done with the hike. Nice!
It got a little weird when after the hike, he offered to take us to his friend’s tea house for a coffee/cheese cake break. But we thought that the guy was just very friendly…we seem to have lost this ability in our countries.
When 4pm came, he was very sorry to have to go back to work; we were happy to finish our hitchhiking experience.

Airport encounter
The next problem on an island with 8800 souls is that everyone knows everyone. When on the following day, we decided to head to the airport for an early flight back home due to heavy rains & winds, we freaked out when our hitchhiking friend showed up too…..He had called our minshuku and heard we were at the airport. Then what to do when all the flights end up being cancelled and Akira-san offers us another day of adventures? Freak out & hide! We tried that for a while but eventually decided to face our responsibilities and told him to “leave us alone.” Of course, we used much more diplomatic words, our Japanese is that good!

Are we the problem?
Later that day, we ended up going back to our minshuku for the unexpected additional night (no airplanes left the island that day) and talked with our host about this adventure. She was super nice about it and just said that Akira-san was a very nice guy who loved talking and meeting people. Have we become unable to appreciate friendliness? Sorry Akira-san!

- Nico

2008-04-28T17:23:00.001-07:00

Come fly with me

Have you ever wondered if you were born in the wrong generation? Truly, the pokemons were not part of my childhodd but I would love to check out the interior of the ANA Pokemon airplane.

Does this fit in the "Only in Japan" category? Probably.

I remember seeing this airplane during one of my first trips to Japan and a couple of times ever since. I hope Pikachu stays "genki" and does not retire before I get the chance to fly with this one.

Now I know that there are 4 different plane design - 3 for domestic & 1 for international flights. Check it out, what's your favorite?

http://www.ana.co.jp/eng/flights/pokemonjet/design.html#dome

I vote for the International route one.

- Nico

2007-06-30T19:30:00.000-07:00

A day trip to the White Heron

If you have watched 007 in “You Only Live Twice” or Kurosawa’s “Ran,” you have already seen the place I am going to talk about: Himeji Castle, located in the Hyogo prefecture (South of Honshu).

Rapid description
Himeji castle is one of Japan’s “Three Famous Castles”. A masterpiece made of wood with white plastered walls (hence the name, White Heron).
The castle was built in the 14th century and today’s construction dates back from the 16th, it was surprisingly not too damaged during the 2nd World War.
It is a typical example of the Japanese style castle: a complex wooden construction sitting on top of a stone base. The white plaster on the walls is mainly for fire prevention purposes.
Ironically (?), this castle was never involved in any wars or battles (although it definitely looked ready for it, even now a lot of guns, swords and things are stored in it).

Tour and interesting features
A lot of powerful people lived in the castle. Each Tokugawa (war lord) always made sure that a powerful clan was ruling Himeji, a further sign of the military importance of the place. Each clan brought its emblem (“mon” in Japanese).

One of the main defense features of the castle was the “stone throwing walls.” Usually, to defend this kind of castle against offenders trying to get in by escalating up the walls, throwing hot oil is a popular method but on a wood construction, this is a dangerous idea. I am sure you will agree. Instead, the Japanese thought about using stones. When looking at the castle from the outside, a lot of little openings can be seen. Inside, each of these openings is covered by a wooden platform.
The castle is said to show the finest Japanese stone throwing hole structure, combining deadly military with highly decorative functions…..

Tips
For those of you who contemplate the idea of visiting this castle and have big feet, bring your slippers with you or make sure you don’t wear slippery (or damaged) socks. The tour inside the castle doesn’t tolerate modern shoes. You wouldn’t want to damage the floor, would you? The tricky part is that there are about 7 stories to the castle and you access each by rather steep, simple staircases….Fortunately, modern Japan did not bring elevators or escalators in there!

- Nico

2007-03-16T07:34:00.000-07:00

I think I get it now!

Well, it is not a very elegant way to start a post but here I go. Sometimes people fart really nasty smelling farts and it does smell kind of like rotten eggs. I still have not figured out all of the physics behind this but here I will talk about eating strange eggs in a smelly place. (Who says there is no link between these 2 sentences? It makes a lot of sense!).

Hakone for Christmas
Yes, we went to Hakone for Christmas. Hakone is a little place located in the mountains south-west of Tokyo. You can get there via the Romance Car (curious huh! Don’t be disappointed, this train is the so-called Romance Car because its seats allow 2 people to be next to each other with no separation, no armrest….that’s romantic right?).
One of the attractions around Hakone was a trip to a volcano named Owakudani. This volcano is famous for its black eggs.

Black eggs…what the heck?
It does sound strange but as soon as you get close to the volcano, you start seeing people eating back eggs, start finding more and more places selling these black eggs. Of course we knew from the guide book about them but it was still a bit weird.
The guide book mentioned that eating 1 black egg would make your life last 7 year longer. This is maybe the reason why the place is so popular.

These eggs are cooked in the geysers so, from afar, it looks like a mysterious place, covered in smoke. And when you decide to climb towards the place, you first come across signs that say that you are about to enter a zone with a lot of volcanic gases and if you are suffering from breathing problems or health problems you should not go. Also it is recommended not to stay too long…intriguing place, and black eggs!

Try them
Well anyway, we got there after an astonishing 5 minute walk…walking in the nature, and the appetite comes fast…You bet, we were starving by the time we got there. So we bought eggs.
Chicken eggs, once the black shell was removed (and it left some traces on our hands), the eggs ended up tasting like any other hard boiled eggs. My advice, put a lot of salt on them, it does add a lot to this very “natural” delicacy.

For those who have been thinking about visiting us in Japan, this should do the trick. Fly across the world to eat black eggs in a sulfur smelling place, there is nothing quite like it.

- Nico

2007-03-04T05:36:00.000-08:00

A day trip in Kyoto – when the organization becomes Japanese

Some time ago I was on a trip in the surroundings of Osaka and enjoyed a Saturday of free time in Kyoto. Our Japanese colleagues had it all planned out and had rented a minivan with a driver/tour guide. That is apparently a fairly common way of touring around places in Japan.
I am more inclined to get my guide book and plan my trip myself but since we were invited to take part in the tour, we did not say no. Not to mention it was in the end of January and the over heated mini van proved to be very comfortable and very welcome. It was just bad for my belly….no chance to walk or exercise, just the laziness of sitting and being driven around.

Get together and day plan
We met the bus driver at the exit of the super modern Kyoto station and he took us from there to a couple of temples spread around Kyoto. The day was all planned out: 3 temples and a lunch!
What was really cool about having the bus was that I got to visit this “out of way” temple – the golden temple. And I am not sure if it was by accident or part of the plan but we arrived there when the sun was setting …this gave wonderful lighting, blinding light to the temple.

Meet the locals
The evening was also planned out: we were all invited to a little restaurant in the suburbs of Kobe. I was thinking “cool I will get to see a new city” but not really….we got off at a local tobu train stop, and took the taxi straight to the restaurant. So much for the sightseeing. The real treat was in the restaurant. It did not look like anything super special but our colleague told us “I take all of my visitors here” (intriguing). It turned out to a teppenyaki restaurant (cooking on a heated stone) and the chef put on a show (the food was great too)…

Hanging out with the locals, that is such a great way to discover hidden pleasures!

- Nico

2006-08-26T18:10:00.000-07:00

Thailand – Unusual forms of drinks
Ice coffee, served in a plastic bag

I knew before going to Bangkok for the summer vacation that there would be a lot of new experiments to make. Food was of course pretty high on the list of new things to try out.
Street food vendors were everywhere, selling nearly all what Thai food can offer. The most unusual thing that I saw was the way they would drink ice beverages.

Even boat drivers do
The first time was on the taxi boat, going up and down the river to carry passengers around town (a great of traveling by the way). We were sitting on the boat and waiting for the driver to show up. At that point I saw a plastic bag, filled with a dark orange liquid, hanging off the driver’s seat. I wondered what that could be……
We later on found out that this was a Thai ice tea.

So let’s do it
Karin really wanted to get one of her own since she thought that was the most interesting drink form around (pretty true)!
So we found an old lady, on the streets, having all the pots and jars around her stall and ready to prepare for 10 baths (0,20 euros) this curious drink. We tried to get the tea drink but I guess she did not understand us. Even though she nodded affirmatively she still made us a coffee.
Anyway, that was interesting to watch.
She took a little plastic bag off her pile, put a lot of ice in it and started adding the coffee she had pre-made, a big spoon of sugar, concentrated milk, and evaporated milk into it. The final chef touch was to dump a straw in the bag.
The drink in itself is nothing special (very sweet) but it is quite fun to walk around the streets of Bangkok, holding the little bag by its handles and drinking out of it. It is actually pretty handy.

Respect the local manners
And a lot of locals drink this way. There are some rules to it, for example, you can not put the drink down. Obviously, the bag does not have a bottom on which it can sit. So the only way is to hang it somewhere. And when you look carefully around you, you will see bags hanging off the branches, double function of the tree, protection against the heat by providing shade (so the ice does not melt and the drink stays cool), holding your afternoon drink!

Now, whenever you get the chance to visit Thailand, go and get you own and blend in with the locals.

- Nico

2006-08-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

Ninja boots
This time, I am following the fashion

Asakusa’s neighborhood
When moving to Tokyo, we really had no clue which neighborhood would make a good place for us to live. After some pragmatic considerations (how much commuting time and so on), we decided on the Asakusa area…..well that was a brilliant idea!
This place is actually one of the few places in Tokyo that retains the old feel of the Edo period, well kind of.

O-matsuri all year round
One great thing though, is that there are plenty of festivals (O-matsuri in Japanese) going on around here, pretty much all year round. On a sunny Saturday, as we were leaving the house, we ended up finding one of these festivals. Not sure what it was all about but it was fun, plenty of people wearing traditional outfits, including some extremely interesting shoes….the ninja boots. This is the best name Karin and I came up with. But go ahead, any suggestions are welcome.
Not only men, but also women wear them.

So…..
So, because we want to be part of the vibrant life of our neighborhood, we are making attempts at blending in better. Granted, I for one, start with the disadvantage of being tall and white…I won’t let go. Recently I was mentioning the need for us to buy a Yukata (this traditional Japanese summer outfit that people here wear when they go out to festivals, fireworks, cherry blossom parties, etc). Well, following the same idea, Karin had the awesome idea to get me some Ninja boots for my birthday…
Well now, I’ve got to figure out when to wear them. Meanwhile, check them out…And the funniest thing is that we found these in the “construction workers equipment” section of Tokyu Hands (a big DIY shop in Tokyo). And as a matter fact, everyday you can walk by a construction site and see ninjas working there (at least ninja boots shoed people).

Next (ninja) steps
The Obvious next step is to better understand how ninja behaved. And I already have my little idea for this….Near our place; there is a neighborhood named Yanaka. On the Yanaka’s map (ok I admit, it was a touristy map with English translation), they mention a ninja fence….a ninja fence, what is this…?? Beats me! We walked around the neighborhood (which is by the way lovely), but we could not find the ninja fence. Well now, I am gonna go back, equipped with my ninja boots and I will find this fence….

- Nico
These boots are made for walking and that’s [not] just what they do….

2006-07-29T07:28:00.000-07:00

It’s hanabi season in Tokyo
A lot of woooe and waaaaah to come

In Tokyo, the summer brings many good things. Hot and humid weather (good thing huh?), some well deserved vacation (the so called obon festival which, for many of us, in Japan is a week of mid August) and the hanabi..

Taikai Hanabi
Hanabi means flowers of fire and Taikai, big meeting. You guessed it well. I am talking about fireworks. Summer is the time to find fireworks around Tokyo (I don’t know about the rest of Japan). Today we went to the one near our house, a huge one with more than 20000 fireworks being used. Pretty impressive. When I mentioned my intention to go there, all my Japanese friends told me that it would be very crowded and difficult to enjoy. I even did research on the internet that also tried to discourage us (comparing the crowd to what we experience on a rush hour train)…..in one word, bad.

Other ways
Since we are living maybe 10 blocks away from the Sumida river above which the fireworks were launched, we could have stood on our balcony and enjoyed it from the 7th floor. Also this morning when we left the house, we noticed a sign on the bulletin board downstairs where our landlord was kindly inviting people to join him on the roof (10th floor) and enjoy the hanabi together (nice…).
But hey! We wanted to see this and see it in the crowds to get the real stuff. So we did.

Follow the fashion
Now, getting ready for the event is not easy. Girls and boys wear yukatas, this is what the tradition calls for. Unfortunately we don’t yet have the festival outfit. We should work on that (now that I come to think about it, I am gonna start a birthday present idea list).
But one thing we managed to get was the little Japanese fan. That was easy, it was given away off the street…we both got a lovely one!

Find your viewing spot
That’s the tricky part, finding a good place to watch the fireworks. The banks of the river were closed by the police so the only ways to watch the fireworks is to know someone with a house by the river, nope!, to rent a hotel room by the river, nope!, to go on a boat on the river, nope!, to rent a helicopter, nope!, to sit on the street, yep! Gosh, not easy!
So after walking around, we found a street packed with people. We soon realized that people were sitting in places where the view was not too blocked by buildings (and trust me this is not easy to find in Tokyo). So we kind of followed along and sat on the sidewalk. Most of the other people were way more organized than us, having brought and installed hours in advance some little plastic carpets on the street floor. But we did good and actually got a great spot!

Enjoy
Then the fireworks started, around 7:15pm and lasted until 8:30pm. Fireworks are hard to describe in words but we were very impressed by the intensity of the show. A lot of fireworks, many different kinds, and people around us clapping, wooing and waaaing! That was cool and the final was fantastic. Well done!

- Nico

2006-06-20T05:35:00.000-07:00

The things you sometimes see
A post on a fashionable car

Jazzing up your car. I wouldn’t be a fair judge on this subject because it is not my thing. But I just wanted to share this stolen picture with you, quickly taken on a rainy Sunday! That immediately made my day, a much brighter one….
I guess I would have liked to see that wonderful minivan in the dark--to be able to enjoy the probable shiny effect of the rear lights installed on the rear bumper.
I simply think that I have found the minivan brother of KITT (do you remember, K2000 a.k.a. Knight Rider and its proud driver, Michael Knight?).

- Nico

PS: check out the wings on the roof!

2006-06-10T02:09:00.000-07:00

Autonomy Walking Humanoid
KHR-2HV

What the heck is that barbaric post title?
As we were walking around our neighborhood of Asakusa, our attention got attracted by what looked like a robot competition.
At first, I thought, yeah! this will be like the mean robot competition I was watching on TV in England (sorry but I can’t remember the name). But then we walked closer to the action and the robots were not fighting…Apparently just competing against each other in some kind of speed race.

A family event…
I don’t want to advertise here for the company that was sponsoring the event. Apparently KHR-2HV is the robot’s name and he is only 1 week old! He is the younger brother of KHR-1.
Some of the people got very creative when dressing the robot for the event. We met KHR-2HV the sumo, the maid and more simply, KHR-2HV with a bear head!
That was pretty funny and cool.
Some guys were “piloting” the robot, just showing their skills at piloting it or what the robot could achieve in terms of moves. Even if I am no expert in these things, I still think it was pretty impressive. The robot was able to quickly accomplish some rather complicated moves (walking, sitting down, standing up, flipping around etc and all that very smoothly).

A quick word on the competition
We watched one round of the competition.
For each round, 2 robots were competing against each other. We watched ‘mitten-hands’ competing against ‘bear-head’.
First the guys and their robots were briefly introduced. Following the introduction, the owners would lift their robots so that the audience could see them better.
Basically, a start and a goal line to which the robot had to walk as quick as possible. The first robot to cross the goal line would win and the time would be recorded.

Basically, mitten-hands quickly took the advantage over bear-head and walked diagonally to block the way to bear-head. As soon as mitten-hands crossed the goal line, it stopped right there and it took forever for bear-head to maneuver around and reach the goal line….pretty good strategy!

Breathtaking…..!

- Nico

2006-06-07T07:11:00.000-07:00

Kyoto, an excursion in the floating world

Last weekend was a 3 day weekend (yes, it also sometimes happens in Japan!) so Karin and I decided to get away from Tokyo and go to Kyoto.
In one word, we loved it. Kyoto is such a nice city to stroll around, has such a quiet feel (in comparison with Tokyo) and offers so many fabulous things to see.

The floating world
Have you ever heard of that?
Ladies wearing kimonos, businessmen wearing suits, hostesses going from one bar to another, all this is part of this world of illusion, known as the floating world. And of course geishas….!
In Kyoto, the neighborhood of Gion is the location where the scenes of that world happen. Obviously Gion is best visited at night when these folks are out and conducting their activities.
Walking around the neighborhood and seeing Geishas is not uncommon. They always look very busy, probably running from one appointment to another.

But what’s going on?
This is the thing, as you walk around, nothing seems to be happening, a taxi parked here and there but nothing seems to be moving. And yet you know (because Lonely Planet said so) that you are in the place!!
It is a very intriguing thing: your imagination gets trapped in what you think might be happening behind the walls of these high end restaurants and clubs…
Plenty of little alleys with a few lanterns here and there, sliding doors getting open and closed.
The sad part is that for foreigners, it is very difficult to penetrate into that world. You pretty much need to be introduced into this world by other member and it is a very luxurious world!

Other alternatives
So, if you really are in the mood for that kind of activity, but you can’t make it to these places, there are still plenty of options left on the other side of the street with the more conventional but still pricey hostess bars.
Other choices are some of the many other restaurants available, some of them looking like they are coming straight out of the Japanese animation movies we saw when we were kids (with people sitting on tatami mats, sliding doors, etc, etc)…

Recipe for a successful evening
To make sure your evening will be successful you can start your Gion night by a little excursion at the nearby shrine (open 24/7) and say a quick prayer to put all the chances of a successful night on your side. In the dark, the shrine is illuminated and with its colorful decorations, it turns out super nice.
When we were there, people were rehearsing for a ceremony (involving some dragon dance). The lanterns were all lit inside the shrine’s yard and it gave some kind of a magic feel, very relaxing (and no mosquitoes!).

- Nico

2006-05-12T06:19:00.000-07:00

Kamakura, shrines, temples and a great Buddha

Last week was the so called Golden Week in Japan. Karin and I had the entire week off so we decided to start exploring Japan a little more.
First on our list was Kamakura. Being about 1 hour away from Tokyo, it makes a perfect day trip.
Kamakura plays an important role in Japanese history. This explains why such a little town features so many places of interests and drags in so many visitors every year.

A very quick history
Only because this blog is trying to have a cultural side ….
The Kamakura period lasted between 1192 and 1333. Basically during these years, the Imperial family in Kyoto lost power and control over Japan. Instead the shogun (military governor), based in Kamakura, and his deputies were ruling over the country.
During that period, Chinese influence remained pretty strong in Japan and a few ideas were imported here, for example, Buddhist sects like Zen.
Towards the end of the Kamakura period, after several attempts from the Mongols to take over Japan, the Emperor was able to restore the Imperial power…..Bye, bye Kamakura, we are moving back to Kyoto!

But still, the past left traces
Though after the restoration, Kamakura remained a political center for some years, it would later loose its influence.
Nevertheless, these years shaped Kamakura and the modern Kamakura still leaves up to this glorious past.
This city is full of temples (especially Zen temples), shrines and the 2nd biggest Buddha in Japan!
Truly worth a visit!
And Kamakura is situated by the sea and in the heart of little valleys, cute and relaxing. 1 hour away from Tokyo but a totally different environment.

Soon to come
In following posts, I will show pictures and my little stories of my favorite Zen temple, my favorite shrine and the little island of Enoshima, near Kamakura. Stay tuned, of course!

Put Kamakura in your books and in the itinerary of your next trip to Japan.

- Nico

2006-05-03T08:36:00.000-07:00

Another great way of enjoying Japan
Escaping from Tokyo for a hike

A few weeks ago, I joined the French community in Tokyo for a hike in the mountains near Tokyo. It is amazing how quickly you can actually get outside of town and enjoy a quiet moment in nature.

This hike was around the Sagami Lake and Mount Jimba (aka Jimbasan in Japanese). A quick lesson in Japanese grammar. Jimbasan does not mean honorable and respected Jimba, it means Mount Jimba (in this case san means mountain).

Step1: find your mountain
That was very easy, just hop on the orange train (from the Chuo line in Tokyo station) and ride for about 1 hour. You will arrive at Sagami station, the starting point of the hike.
The hike was described as easy and people from 7 to 77 years old could join.
It took about 15-20 minutes for the sounds of cars to disappear and for the nature to get back to the front of the stage. A gorgeous day it was, super sunny and just warm enough (in the 20 degrees C).
We quickly reach the first station with a shrine to welcome us.

Step2: get back on track
The next stopping point was for observing the Sagami Lake from above. So far, the hike was very easy. And there was a guy who had brought chocolate and was actually willing to give it away to us…I tell you, it was a good hike!

Step3: get to the top on Jimbasan
It was agreed that we would get lunch once we arrive at the top of Jimbasan, so everyone was at first greatly motivated to get there quickly. I mean, getting to eat ramen in the mountains, that was something to look forward to!
On the way there, we got a good view of Fuji-san. Then finally, we reached the top of Jimbasan (857m).
From there, we could get a nice 360 view but unfortunately the restaurants up there were not ready for this “huge” group of 30 French dudes, starving and willing to get a big bowl of soba or ramen…..And you would have thought that everything was super organized here…well trust me, it took us some time before finding a way to get food. It was the first time for me that cup noodles tasted so good! The same kind of noodles that you would get on Air France when flying to Japan…on the plane these noodles don’t taste as good. Either starvations or maybe altitude made them taste much better!

Step4: going back to town
Another evidence that the hike was very well organized: after our late lunch, a member of the group ran ahead and went down to the valley to book an onsen for everybody. The onsen is the Japanese hot spring where we relaxed and had a few beers. That was a very much needed break and a great way to finish that sunny and warm Sunday. On top of that, we got to see some Cherry Blossoms over there!

It was weird to end up on a super crowded train back to Tokyo. It was like a sudden reminder that nature was only there for the week end and that the week end was … over!

- Nico

2006-04-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

Shanghai, a Lowei description

Lowei in Chinese means foreigner. It is like Gaijin in Japanese.

My Shanghainese colleague explained this to me as we were being given a foot massage.
No! This post will not be a description of a Chinese foot massage. All I can say is that you should go and try it by yourself. Quite surprising!
When my colleague proposed this idea (instead of karaoke), I was not very enthusiast at first (I wanted to go karaoke) but in the end, it was worth giving a shot…enough on that subject!

The food
Every day, I asked my colleagues to bring me to a new restaurant, from a different province. There were ups and downs of course but I had some great food experiences. Sylvain took me to a Cantonese place where I had a Dim Sum feast (thanks again for that!). Another memorable dinner was in a restaurant making food from the province of Chairman Mao! Turtle and frogs on the menu. My colleagues were super proud to explain to me that turtle is famous for making people “healthy” (what they meant was excited and horny). The waiters brought us the live animals in a little bag to show us that the food was fresh. Next thing you see is that turtle chopped up in sauce in front of you.

Another option is to stop at one of the many food vendors on the streets. While eating you can also shop for your 1euro Rolex and bargain it down to 50cents with the street seller.

The city
I spent quite some time wandering around the streets of the old town. Quite a contrast in comparison with the modern Shanghai and its skyscrapers.
I eventually got lost and very wet walking around the town but got to see some pretty authentic looking parts and scenes.

My impressions

Beside the very scary taxi rides (it is really dangerous!), the city was pretty nice and fun crazy. Construction sites everywhere turning parts of the town into giant construction sites. Crowds walking where cars are also driving, modern and old buildings make it another one of these cities full of contrast. I felt that the best way to visit it was to simply walk around and spend some time there. Don’t rush to the touristy bits (you’d get so ripped off), simply enjoy it (and have some dim sum!!!)

-Nico

PS: I bought there an amazing book on Dim Sum, Karin and I are going to seriously work on it!

2006-03-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

Saturday night fever
A little step at a time

Moving in a country where you don’t speak the language is some kind of a challenge. Everyone would agree on this.
And when you take that challenge on, there are little but very little tiny things that make you feel good about yourself, sometimes.

Think about ordering a pizza by phone.

Imagine this
It’s Saturday afternoon, you are walking in the streets of Tokyo with your hair too long. There you are thinking “sh.t I want to find a hairdresser but no way man, I am not gonna let them rip me off”. Yep, exactly. Then imagine yourself having to go back home because you didn’t find the hairdresser your hair was begging you to find.
You must agree, that puts you in a certain unhappy mood. On top of that, walking by 5 trendy hair salons didn’t help (but did I really want to get my hair blue and yellow like the hairdresser guy?).

Anyway, there you are back home, and you are cold. Even though you had all this hair on your head, it still felt super cold out there.
Anyway, the day didn’t go well and now you are wondering what to do for the evening.

Go for it
Well you might have guessed, that was my last Saturday. For dinner, I then decided to put up my best Japanese ability and to make the most out of my language lessons.
After all, I did learn some weeks ago how to ask for 20 bottles of beer to be delivered to my house (don’t ask about the content of my Japanese classes!).

I took one of the brochures available in the house with a pizza delivery phone number on it and I called.
The woman answered with the famous “Moshi Moshi”.
I threw out my best line “1 pizza Quattro Italiano please” in Japanese of course. And there she started asking about a million things…all these words that flew at me...
But hey! I learnt it, I knew I just needed to sneak in my address and phone number. So I did!
A trouble sort of came when she asked me a question that wasn’t in my textbook. I am glad there were no camera around me because I must have seemed….lost!
After blindly answering all her questions with “hai” which means “yes” I think she understood that I didn’t need anything else. Then she repeated the order once more and I answered with my best “Hai”. This was the only time I knew what I was saying yes too.
So, after a few struggles, it sounded like the line was more quiet. I then thought it was time to hang up.
And guess what, it worked!!!

I must confess, having the pizza boy ringing the door bell felt good!!

- Nico
Gorillaz, Feel good Inc.

2006-02-13T21:55:00.000-08:00

Valentine ’s Day in Japan
They’ve got it right!

When you walk around Tokyo in these days, you find tons of stands selling chocolate.
I found it surprising.
I got the answer during one of my Japanese lessons. My teacher explained me the concept of Valentine’s Day and White Day in Japan.

Valentine’s Day

This event was introduced in Japan in 1958 (I did some research) by a Japanese confectionery company. On February 14th, women offer presents of chocolate to men…
Apparently there are 2 different kinds of such gifts, the “giri choco” (obligatory chocolate in Japanese), given by women to their superiors, coworkers, etc and the “honmei choco” (given to the beloved one).
I will let you know what I will get on this famous Feb, 14th.
By the way, it is also the day when girls can truly reveal their feelings. Japanese girls are supposed to be very shy but on that day, they dare…..

White Day

And here is the most amazing part. Taking advantage of the Japanese sense of obligation (to return a present in this case), the confectioners introduced in 1980 White Day. On that day, the men are supposed to offer chocolate to the women. White Day happens on March, 14th.
I have read somewhere that the chocolate given by men during that day are often more expensive than the ones they received.
Now I hope you guys will thank me for giving you a great way to make up for forgetting Valentine’s Day.

- Nico

2006-01-29T05:49:00.000-08:00

Tokyo neighborhoods – Something on Roppongi

Around Christmas time, Tokyo was decorated with many lights. Even if in general, Japanese people don’t celebrate Christmas, the commercial aspect of it remains quite big here.
And they don’t do things badly…I must say!
We went to Roppongi Hills, a recent urban development, headquarters of many high tech and internet companies. Trendy it is.

Roppongi Hills
Roppongi Hills is located next to the very famous neighborhood of Roppongi. Roppongi is known for being the neighborhood when one should go for nightlife. When walking down the streets there, if you are a bunch of boys together, you will find yourself asked about 20 times, if you want to go to a hostess bar. That kind of nightlife, yep!
Also many bars and a lot of…’hidden and secret’ stories about the back streets of Roppongi…if that doesn’t sound like an interesting program!

Livedoor
Recently, a big financial scandal happened in Japan. The company, named Livedoor, is now suspected to have manipulated the company’s financial statements and stock value to make more money at the expense of the “poor” investors!
Oh no!! Another scandal linked to the evil internet….!
The CEO is now sleeping for free in jail and the scandal reveals another side of Roppongi Hills.
Everyone knows that a hill has many sides but still…
Livedoor was one of these new companies in Japan, headed by an anti-conformist guy, breaking all the many rules existing in Japan and dictating the way business is done here.
For your information, all these companies located in Roppongi Hills were named the Hills Family (Roppongi zoku in Japanese).

Nevertheless, it is very pleasant to walk around the Roppongi Hills complex. You sometimes see street performers. I, for example, once walked by and watched a circus performance (Mongolian circus). Pretty awesome spot.

And now you know what is happening behind these fancy and super cool looking buildings!

- Nico

2006-01-22T06:12:00.000-08:00

Ride on …. The SmoCar!
The smokers’ caravan.

Did you know?
In Japan about 50% of men and 14% of women smoke. About 30% of the population. This makes a good business for Japan Tobacco (JT) the world’s third cigarette maker.
Cigarettes here in Japan are still pretty cheap by European standards (about 300 yens for 20…less than 2.5 euros). And you can buy cigarettes from vending machines on the streets (any time of the day and night). Everything is ready for the smoking party to go on and on and on.
Many coffee shops and restaurants are smoking and finding a non smoking section can be something of a challenge.
Now stop worrying, things are changing.

Time to quit
More and more people are concerned about health problem linked to tobacco and in the past years, the government has applied the world proven policy of price increase to reduce the number of smokers.
Also in some parts of town you find streets where smoking is not allowed. If ever you do, you might get fined. And it’s not like in Europe where no one ever gets fined, in Japan you really might (up to 2000 yens or 15 euros)!!
This somehow works but JT has also found another answer to the question of cohabitation between smokers and non smokers.

The SmoCar
The SmoCar is a little caravan built by JT for his customers. For technical information the SmoCar’s trailer can host about 20 smokers and will provide them with a great location to light up!
And if you don’t smoke, you might not get to visit the inside of this new air conditioned spot.
When the hot Japanese summers arrive, I wonder what option is worse between the outside hot and wet air and the inside of a smoky but cool trailer…

Get educated
When walking around Tokyo, we saw the SmoCar parked in front of Tokyo Station. Who knows how much it might cost to rent a parking space there.
But next to the SmoCar were displayed some very interesting information about cigarettes and the danger of smoking while walking.
Do it but do it with style

-Nico

2006-01-17T05:36:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year 2006

Karin and I just came back to Japan after a well deserved vacation in Europe!
New adventures from Japan coming soon!

- Nico

2005-12-20T03:54:00.000-08:00

Do you know what FUGU is?

Tonight, me and my colleagues decided it was time for the year end party. They wanted to offer me a treat and asked me if I’ve ever had fugu.
“Do you know what fugu is?” they asked. I was not sure.
It is the famous Japanese blow fish that contains poisonous parts.
If that fish is not well prepared you can die from eating it……thrilling year end party.
I was totally up for it!

4pm, Tuesday afternoon, done with a business meeting me and my 3 colleagues decided not to go back to the office but instead to go for the year end dinner…..
My colleagues found a place near Shimbashi that serves this fish at an affordable price. For your information, in order to serve this dish, the restaurant must have a special license. It is often a rather pricey meal!
That restaurant served a set course meal for 6800 yens (about 50 euros per person). A good deal (for that dish)!

Fugu
The fishes were swimming in the fish tank (and that was the restaurant’s front window).
We sat down (one of this place where you actually DO sit on the floor, no hole under the table for your legs!!!). My colleagues ordered the fugu set:
- Fugu-sashi : Thinly sliced raw fugu. Served with ponzu dipping sauce (mixture of citrus juice and soy sauce).
- Fugu-chiri :Vegetables and fugu are simmered in konbu dashi soup in a large pot. Served with ponzu dipping sauce.
- Fugu Kara-age : Floured and deep fried.

The most amazing part:
The raw fugu (that we were supposed to cook ourselves in hot water) arrived at our table really fresh……How could I tell?
The fish was cut but some of the bits were still moving…because of its nerves!

Exciting experience. Very good food.

The bonus:
Because we had dinner early (during happy hour?), free beers and sake!

Did I mention the special sake?
Prepared with the fugu’s fins, burnt and dropped in the sake to enhance its flavor (that’s called fugu Hore-zake).

Wow, that was a some kind of an experience.
I love year end parties!

-Nico

2005-12-02T19:12:00.000-08:00

What’s your blood type?
Is that a trick question?

As I was discussing very important subjects (!) with my Japanese colleagues, they suddenly paused, looked at me, and very seriously asked: “Nicolas-san, what is your blood type?”.
If it happens to you, don’t panic, you probably don’t need a blood transfusion because of a sudden hemorrhage.
No, the reason is that Japanese people care about blood types the same way some people in Europe care about Zodiac signs.
Blood type in Japan is sometimes used in today as a personality indicator. Now don’t ask me if they go as far as recruiting (or not) people based on this criteria. I don’t know.

Now, you should know that there is no scientific justification to it. It is about beliefs!

Blood type category (excuse me for generalizing and don’t take it personally):
-type A: reserved, mild-mannered, calm, polite, perfectionist, creative, sensitive (sometimes stressed and conscientious)
-type B: specialists in what they do, individualists, relaxed, freewheeling, unconventional….off the wall type
-type O: outgoing, energetic, social, flexible, not too dependable, likes to be the center of attention, self confident. Generally loved by all!
-type AB: said to have a delicate sensitivity and very considerate about other people’s feelings. A type on the inside and B on the outside! AB type in other words!!!

Some stats…
Japan is mainly composed of A type people while the U.S. counts more O types.
Of course most Japanese people know their blood type (are sometimes even tested at school) and they are amazed when a westerner can’t answer the question!!!

Now you know what to do before visiting us in Japan: go and find out your type!

Out of curiosity, what’s your blood type? What do you think of the Japanese description of your type?

-Nico

2005-12-01T05:52:00.000-08:00

A Saturday evening at the Design Festa

Karin and Janet took part in the Design Festa last weekend, at the Tokyo Big Sight.
At the end of the day I saw this amazing performance. It reminded of my childhood and the Japanese animation series I was watching as a kid.

People holding air balloons and using them as weapons, jumping all around, running everywhere, yelling, doing all sort of crazy things, it was all about energy! Awesome!
I think that I really got a kick out of it because I don’t understand Japanese and couldn’t figure out what was going on.
It is pretty hard to describe but when I saw the big Roswell fellow hidden behind the stage, I cracked up!
It reminded me of these very simple animated shows, simple but cool.
At the end of the performance, the music switched to this “supernatural” tune and the card board Roswell started waving toward the stage for the final assault….
Nobody survived!

“The truth is out there”

-Nico

Visit the designers' webpages
www.karinling.com
www.janetcooperdesigns.com

2005-11-19T21:34:00.000-08:00

A tour of Yokohama
Simply walk and enjoy

Yokohama is the second largest city of Japan. Home to more than 3 million people, the city is known for being the “port” of Tokyo.

A quick history
Towards the end of the Edo period (from 1603 to 1867), during which Japan isolated itself from the rest of the world, Western nations forced Japan to open its ports to foreign trade (you might have heard about Commodore Perry). In 1859, Yokohama became the first port to be opened up and the city quickly changed from a small fishing village into a large metropolis. Soon, foreigners started to settle down in the city (Chinatown for the Chinese businesses and Yamate for the Westerner’s).

Invitation to my city tour
On a sunny Saturday of November, we hopped on a train in Tokyo station and after a 30 minute ride, got off at Sakuragicho station.
When you walk out of station, you find yourself in one of the newest part of town, known as Minato Mirai 21. Minato Mirai means the “harbor of the future”.
This new urban development is mainly built on reclaimed land (they do that a lot around here). The landmark here is the so called Landmark Tower…..get ready for the superlatives!
In this, the tallest building in Japan (293m), you take the world’s fastest elevator (750 meters per minute, a couple of times my ears popped) to get to the top. There, the observatory deck (360º view) gives you an awesome view over Yokohama’s bay, Tokyo and when the sky is clear, you can even get to see Fuji-san!

Once I recovered from the breathtaking views, I made some frustrating attempts to capture the view with my camera. I finally decided that the best was simply to enjoy the moment!

A few ear-popping moments later and we were back on the ground (on the reclaimed ground). Walking around Minato Mirai 21 area was very pleasant; it looked very new and extremely clean!

Chinatown
Yokohama is also known for its Chinatown district, the largest in Japan. This attracts a lot of visitors and indeed when arriving there, it was crowded.

Crowded but nothing in comparison to a Saturday afternoon in Tokyo! Many restaurants were lined up in the main street, food stores in the back streets. It didn’t give the impression that these people were living here, but that they were on a Saturday afternoon visit! It did feel rather touristy (and Karin would confirm that opinion).
We didn’t get a chance to sample the food there but let me tell you that I will be back. On the streets many merchants were selling the popular chestnuts, even offering free samples to passers by…none to me. What’s wrong? Don’t I look like a tourist that would get fooled by the overpriced chestnuts?

Yamate & Motomachi
After Chinatown we walked to the street named Motomachi. Motomachi is on the edge of the Yamate area. Yamate is a quiet hill with a foreign touch (western businessmen’s old mansions etc). The shopping street is still very popular among the foreign residents. There you can find many foreign stores, selling clothes you would find back home! On the upper side, you would find the Yamate area, a green hill, with old mansions and a foreign cemetery. The shopping street really has a different feel from the shopping places in Tokyo. Similar to Europe. Here, for example, you don’t need to look up past the ground floor to find your store, everything is at street level.

Well that was my little tour of Yokohama. I really liked this city. It is some kind of a retreat from the super busy Tokyo. Here, we were so surprised to see so few people. The first question I asked my colleagues on the following Monday was, “Do people live in Yokohama ? Where are they during the week end?”….Surprising enough, it seems to be the way that this city is. Very enjoyable if you get tired of Tokyo.

Hop on the train, and after a quick ride, discover the Western feel that Yokohama has to offer.
And that city is definitely turned toward the future (even the Mayor Nakada-san seems to be a young guy, decided to give to his city a key role in modern Japan).

Visit Yokohama!

-Nico

2005-11-12T05:05:00.000-08:00

They named it Luxis.
How intriguing!

After having spent this gorgeous Saturday walking around the city of Yokohama, having experienced the fastest elevator in Japan, been up to its tallest building and in its largest Chinatown, we were exhausted!
It was more than time for a relaxing place to sit down for a light and enjoyable dinner.

We had spotted a couple of promising places on the map, around Ebisu. But once we arrived, we realized that we had no clue as to how to get to these places.
So we decided to just pick a random place. Of course, the selection would be based on very strict criteria (I am just kidding!).

We ended in a place named Luxis.

Luxis is described as a fusion of luxury and oasis !
Amazing interior. A huge fish tank covering an entire wall. Pretty massive.

I was delighted to have dinner with all the little Nemos behind me.

And NO! None of these fishes were on the menu.

-Nico

2005-11-06T04:24:00.000-08:00

Tokyo, a city of contrasts
Discovering the different sides of this amazing city

Today, I have decided to share with you one of the most amazing aspects of Tokyo. Overriding the obvious cliché describing this city as a massive block of concrete, I would like to take you on a tour that will make you discover this city’s different sides. From the buzz of Shibuya and Shinjuku to the peaceful streets of Hiroo, walking across this town is always full of surprises. It is a pleasure for me to spend time wandering around new neighborhoods. But one of the most amazing things is that even when I stroll around my own neighborhood, I keep finding new places that I haven’t seen before. Little hidden treasures.

When I look out of the window from my office, I see plenty of high rises. It looks as if the ground were covered by them. Sometimes one would wonder if there is still room for people to walk out there.

The first time I came here, I spent my time visiting the most obvious tourist places that my guide book was described. I ended up in these crazy places, full of people, very dense, with buildings every where (sometimes wondering how these constructions can resist earthquakes)…

For example, Shibuya and Shinjuku (on weekends) are those kinds of places with neon lights that make you feel like it’s perpetually daytime. When I walk there I sometimes felt like I am carried away by the global motion of all the people surrounding me.

Who would have known that by putting the guide book away and allowing myself to get totally lost, I would discover the most amazing places!

Hiroo, where a lot of the embassies are located, is full of little streets, some even paved with cobblestones. You get the impression of wandering around a quiet little village. Perhaps even a European village but by no means, in the center of Tokyo.

Even when I walk around my house I keep on discovering new things (like old temples, little gardens etc. Hidden alleys jammed with wooden houses take you back in time. The occasional ancient looking motor bike defies the well known image of high-tech Japan.

I really like the contrast that this city has to offer.
It is not always easy to find your way in Tokyo, sometimes even very frustrating, but the chance of uncovering surprises is an awesome reward.

-Nico

2005-10-30T06:58:00.000-08:00

Travels of a little yellow towel.
Have you ever heard of the famous Japanese hot springs ?

Life in Japan can be tiring, especially when you get caught in the cycle of working long hours. Fortunately, in Japan, many people do appreciate life and find many ways to compensate and overcome the hassle of long work weeks…
In the form of parties for example!
Everyone knows about the Japanese salary man going to bars with some of his colleagues after work and getting home late (and often drunk).
Well these parties can happen in a diversity of places…The last one I went to was in a hot spring complex!

Who could have guessed that there are hot springs in Tokyo. Who could have guessed that there are hot springs on an artificial, man-made island (and what more, an island made of rubbish. Don’t ask me what they mean by an island made of rubbish, I asked several time and never got a clear answer).
Well now you know that on the Odaiba island, in Tokyo Bay, you find this place called Ooedo and it’s all about having a good time.

The complex is divided in 2 main sections, the bar/restaurant/food/shopping court and the main attraction: the baths.

As you walk in the building, after removing and putting your shoes away, you enter a sort of cloakroom where you select the kimono size you need (it will be 185 cm for me, the biggest one!), you select the kimono you like (various patterns) and finally you select your obi (various colors, the obi is the belt you put around your waist and that holds the kimono closed).

After you’ve made your choices, you go to the dressing room and change into your evening party dress!

Then comes the real experience….you walk in the complex you find a main hall with food places dispatched all around, even shops…everything you need to spend a good time. You can choose to spend your evening drinking without even stepping in the baths…That would be a shame!

Bath tips…
1/ don’t get it wrong, men and women don’t share the same baths….and if you think that because you are a foreigner, they will allow to pick in the women’s section, you are wrong….(someone tried !)
2/ as you walk in the bath section, you enter a dressing room (another one). There, you are given the necessary towels (1 big one and 1 small one)
3/ change to your most beautiful outfit (in other words, get naked) and delicately place the little yellow towel around your waist….the towel is so small that barely covers anything but anyway…you should !
4/ walk in the main baths sections and start with the shower…one expects you to be squeaky clean before approaching the baths
5/ allow about 10 minutes of washing, scrubbing, sitting on your very little bench…
6/ once you are done, you can finally proceed to the baths

Many different baths are available inside and outside.
We decide to go for the outside one…10 pm, on the last Friday of October, it isn’t so warm out there … maybe 15ºC, and we are happily walking around with our little yellow towel (that is now wet, after the shower)…so we quickly decide to step inside the hot water, around 40ºC…some kind of a shock but a nice one, once the water covers your entire body, and once, following the Japanese style, you put your little yellow towel on your head, you feel good….very good…just relax, enjoy, the week is over !
You might not want to stay in the water for too long, fell at ease, get out, lie on the floor, rest….don’t worry about the air temperature, you can always go back into the hot spring.

After this, get back inside and visit the very cold bath …. a nice compromise…you’d be surprised at how well you feel!
And if you are not satisfied, you could go for a little sauna session, always nice.

You can spend your evening walking around the baths, going from one to another….but don’t forget that some of your friends may be waiting for you outside with some Japanese culinary delicacies and of course, some drinks!

A great way to celebrate the end of a long and hard week. All this in Tokyo…really, once you step inside the complex, you don’t feel that you are in the bustling city.

Note: for those who want to come and visit Japan, you will find hot springs all around the country…going to hot springs is very popular (imagine yourself resting in there after a day of skiing for example).

-Nico

The word hot springs translates to onsen in Japanse, check out the Odaiba ooedo one:
http://www.ooedoonsen.jp/img/pamph/english1.jpg
http://www.ooedoonsen.jp/img/pamph/english2.jpg