Ahhh Christmas cakes.
So tomorrow, it just so happens is my cakeday. That's right! So make sure you wish me a good one!
As it also happens, tomorrow is my cake day in more than one meaning. In Japan, Christmas cake has two meanings: one being that exactly what it says and what you might think it means, a cake, indigenous to Japan, that one eats on Christmas day, the other is in reference to a girl. A particular girl who just so happens to be 25. After that, she is said to have the Christmas cake effect.
Don't know what this means? This saying is in reference to the actual cake and how they are good up until Christmas day, the 25th. But after that no one really wants to eat it anymore. Or well they want to eat it less and less. The Christmas spirit is gone, the silly songs and the glad tidings, the presents and the mistletoe all start to get packed away. And Christmas cakes. What isn't eaten is thrown out and the cakes that went unpurchased will go on sale for cheaper and cheaper discounts.
This is also a euphemism for girls. In Japanese culture, they are used to getting married young and popping out babies early on. More or less soon after college. Why they go, do ask me, because soon after they just decide to be a housewife after they get married. Well, topics for another time.
Girls are said they are prettiest, or best by, the age of 25. The same day as Christmas. This is likely because there are no significant events with romantic allusions that land on the 26th, 27th, or 28th which lead to the endearing term of 'Christmas cakes'. So the saying goes that girls and cakes taste the most delicious (or are prettiest) by or before the age of 25 and after she becomes more and more desperate and the price of her goods begins to go on discount, just like the cakes. In progression, she is said to becomes less and less desirable by the year (or for the actual cakes, by the day). And so, she settles for whatever she can get as to a relationship, because the mentality is that she will be expiring soon(or at least her assets.
So for all those single women over the age of 25, I would say fear not. Because rotting fruit actually tastes the sweetest (it's true too!)...ok perhaps it is not the best to insinuate that you are rotting. You aren't. You are beautiful. I didn't mean it. Don't...don't cry...Cakes have preservatives. They don't rot...
Ah well. Tomorrow I start my days as a Christmas cake! Shall I be the best tasting one!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Christmas in Japan
You know I think that it really is slowly and surely becoming a bigger and bigger deal in Japan. I feel like I am seeing more lights this year. And they sure as hell play all the Christmas songs, and there are even some in Japanese that they play. I am even pretty sure that some of my students get presents.
Funny story actually, I asked my students when they thought about when they thought about Christmas, and you know I got Santa, and presents and Christmas trees, but probably the fifth thing someone yelled out was KFC. I lost it. I laughed so hard. I told them that we didn't have KFC for Christmas, but maybe they did and that that was a tradition all of their own.
In addition to their own traditions. Strawberries are grow for exorbitant prices out of season just to make their little Christmas cakes. Like 700 yen for a basket. And yet people buy them. Gotta have them some of that Christmas cake. No Christmas is complete without it.
So last Christmastime I went to both Osaka and Arashiyama for seeing the 'Christmas lights' they put up at this time of year. In Arashiyama, this counts as throwing up some green and blue accent lights accenting the bamboo forest, well it also has a few excessive flower arrangements as well. In Osaka it was that amazing light show and their Chirstmas wonderland which was a (kind of sad looking) Christmasy light display on that little island between the two rivers. Osaka also put on one of my Christmas favorites, German Christmastown. A really fantastic set up over at the Umeda Sky Building with mulled wine, a big jolly Santa and lots of imported German goodies: wood workings and carousels and clocks and Christmas ornaments, even the people, they shipped some people from Germany over just for this occasion.
This year I went to Kobe. I got to see the grand luminarie which is really in honor of the earthquake victims from a decades and change back. They put on this really grand illumination every year and it is free. The line is so long to see it, it goes on for kilometers and is heavily patrolled by police with metal blockades Pretty impressive in that alone. One you arrive to it, it is over actually pretty quickly or it would be if you and everyone else would quit taking pictures. This is no parade of lights you see, it is a much quicker event than that...though perhaps a little more grandiose. This event doesn't actually cost anything, but they would really like you to donate 100 yen. There are places set up all over to accept it. The 100 yen is to cover the cost of electricity for the event, or so it is said. Sadly they come up in the red every year. But Good Guy Kobe continuously puts it on year after year, because it just isn't Christmas in the Kansai area without these symbolic lights.
Another thing I got a chance to see this year was a luminary out in the mountains around Maibara Kyoto (so you have to have a car to get there). It primarily consists of a little stream and a bunch of trees decked out to each and every twig with some white and blue LED lights. There was also a waterfall that they illuminate and a castle like structure they build out of a bunch of blue LEDs. This one also costs money, but instead of a donation, they require you to pay 500 yen. And for what it is, and the fact that you have to drive out to it. That is pretty over priced, but romantic, so it happened anyways.
But by far the best Christmas adventure viewing you can see is free and it is at Kyoto station. They have a wonderful color changing Christmas tree set up on the upper levels of the outdoor terrace, above Cafe du Monde and Mister Doughnut. But it is not just that that is magical. Their enormous staircase, just in front of the tree. All of the stairs are decked out in LEDs and will put on a light display every so often. And apparently a fairly long one as I sat there for 10 minutes and it had yet to loop back around.
Funny story actually, I asked my students when they thought about when they thought about Christmas, and you know I got Santa, and presents and Christmas trees, but probably the fifth thing someone yelled out was KFC. I lost it. I laughed so hard. I told them that we didn't have KFC for Christmas, but maybe they did and that that was a tradition all of their own.
In addition to their own traditions. Strawberries are grow for exorbitant prices out of season just to make their little Christmas cakes. Like 700 yen for a basket. And yet people buy them. Gotta have them some of that Christmas cake. No Christmas is complete without it.
So last Christmastime I went to both Osaka and Arashiyama for seeing the 'Christmas lights' they put up at this time of year. In Arashiyama, this counts as throwing up some green and blue accent lights accenting the bamboo forest, well it also has a few excessive flower arrangements as well. In Osaka it was that amazing light show and their Chirstmas wonderland which was a (kind of sad looking) Christmasy light display on that little island between the two rivers. Osaka also put on one of my Christmas favorites, German Christmastown. A really fantastic set up over at the Umeda Sky Building with mulled wine, a big jolly Santa and lots of imported German goodies: wood workings and carousels and clocks and Christmas ornaments, even the people, they shipped some people from Germany over just for this occasion.
This year I went to Kobe. I got to see the grand luminarie which is really in honor of the earthquake victims from a decades and change back. They put on this really grand illumination every year and it is free. The line is so long to see it, it goes on for kilometers and is heavily patrolled by police with metal blockades Pretty impressive in that alone. One you arrive to it, it is over actually pretty quickly or it would be if you and everyone else would quit taking pictures. This is no parade of lights you see, it is a much quicker event than that...though perhaps a little more grandiose. This event doesn't actually cost anything, but they would really like you to donate 100 yen. There are places set up all over to accept it. The 100 yen is to cover the cost of electricity for the event, or so it is said. Sadly they come up in the red every year. But Good Guy Kobe continuously puts it on year after year, because it just isn't Christmas in the Kansai area without these symbolic lights.
Another thing I got a chance to see this year was a luminary out in the mountains around Maibara Kyoto (so you have to have a car to get there). It primarily consists of a little stream and a bunch of trees decked out to each and every twig with some white and blue LED lights. There was also a waterfall that they illuminate and a castle like structure they build out of a bunch of blue LEDs. This one also costs money, but instead of a donation, they require you to pay 500 yen. And for what it is, and the fact that you have to drive out to it. That is pretty over priced, but romantic, so it happened anyways.
But by far the best Christmas adventure viewing you can see is free and it is at Kyoto station. They have a wonderful color changing Christmas tree set up on the upper levels of the outdoor terrace, above Cafe du Monde and Mister Doughnut. But it is not just that that is magical. Their enormous staircase, just in front of the tree. All of the stairs are decked out in LEDs and will put on a light display every so often. And apparently a fairly long one as I sat there for 10 minutes and it had yet to loop back around.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Japan Fashion: Business
There are actually two styles when it comes to business which are primarily dictated by the changing of weather and seasons. In the summer and hotter months, there is a style that they have declared as 'cool biz' with a double entendre meaning both chic and cooler to wear in the warmer months. And then in the autumn, winter, and spring, there is normal business I suppose.
Cool biz is Japan's idea of wearing attire better fitting for the warmer weather. It primarily consists of white button down short-sleeved business shirts. Ties and blazers are no longer required and thus you will not see them anywhere near as much. Of course you still have to wear black slacks or dress pants. Shorts just don't seem to look professional in any setting. Business women typically will always look a little dressier than this, sporting blouses, skirts or pants, and vests if they are true business women. I also think their blouses and scarves or ascots tend to be a bit more colorful in this season. And yes, some do wear little ascots (most likely for business purposes) very much like airline hostesses.
Normal business wear is almost always black or navy, though perhaps if you are a women, you might have a bit more color choice with grey, charcoal, England sky, and lead colors. Though if you are a man and can find those colors I suppose you can wear them too. As with the cool biz season, women seem to be slightly, and only slightly, a bit more colorful when it comes to normal business season. As I said, they never really range much from the dull traditional business suit colors, but you do see a bit more of a variety. In the winter, blazers are a must have for almost all business professionals and will normally be accompanied by a little pin in the upper left lapel signifying exactly which company you work for. Ties or bow ties are also a necessity if you are to be taken seriously, though bow ties are sincerely out of fashion here and are more difficult to find. You will see more people wearing bow ties at weddings and such. If you and looking for one, you will find it slightly more difficult to acquire, with a much more diminished selection to neck tie comparison. Otherwise in normal business fashion, long sleeved button downs are back in fashion with those same slacks you have been wearing year round. But as far as neckties go, it really seems like any will do. I have this one guy in my office who wears the strangest tie; it looks like an extremely tight worked knit with this reddish-orange thread and a few other colors splashed on it, and then where it normally would come to a point, it tassels. Yeah I know what you are thinking...wtf kind of tie is that. One person even said pics or it didn't happen. well I am working on it is all I can say to that.
Also as a pro-tip for business fashion, most people, especially working people, will have a extremely nice suit. I mean not just you normal suit. One day I was told that it was graduation ceremony and to dress up. So I sport a blazer and some matching pants and a nice blouse. Yeah, they meant really dress up. One guys suit looked like a vintage mobsters pin stripe, complete with pocket-chief. Another guy had black velvet accents on his suit. A man! The women all wore pearls. It was a most bizarre scene. But be warned if you are ever asked to dress up, might want to break out the nicer of your two suits and shine up those shoes, and for ladies to put on a bit of perfume and some fashionable accessories.
Cool biz is Japan's idea of wearing attire better fitting for the warmer weather. It primarily consists of white button down short-sleeved business shirts. Ties and blazers are no longer required and thus you will not see them anywhere near as much. Of course you still have to wear black slacks or dress pants. Shorts just don't seem to look professional in any setting. Business women typically will always look a little dressier than this, sporting blouses, skirts or pants, and vests if they are true business women. I also think their blouses and scarves or ascots tend to be a bit more colorful in this season. And yes, some do wear little ascots (most likely for business purposes) very much like airline hostesses.Normal business wear is almost always black or navy, though perhaps if you are a women, you might have a bit more color choice with grey, charcoal, England sky, and lead colors. Though if you are a man and can find those colors I suppose you can wear them too. As with the cool biz season, women seem to be slightly, and only slightly, a bit more colorful when it comes to normal business season. As I said, they never really range much from the dull traditional business suit colors, but you do see a bit more of a variety. In the winter, blazers are a must have for almost all business professionals and will normally be accompanied by a little pin in the upper left lapel signifying exactly which company you work for. Ties or bow ties are also a necessity if you are to be taken seriously, though bow ties are sincerely out of fashion here and are more difficult to find. You will see more people wearing bow ties at weddings and such. If you and looking for one, you will find it slightly more difficult to acquire, with a much more diminished selection to neck tie comparison. Otherwise in normal business fashion, long sleeved button downs are back in fashion with those same slacks you have been wearing year round. But as far as neckties go, it really seems like any will do. I have this one guy in my office who wears the strangest tie; it looks like an extremely tight worked knit with this reddish-orange thread and a few other colors splashed on it, and then where it normally would come to a point, it tassels. Yeah I know what you are thinking...wtf kind of tie is that. One person even said pics or it didn't happen. well I am working on it is all I can say to that.
Also as a pro-tip for business fashion, most people, especially working people, will have a extremely nice suit. I mean not just you normal suit. One day I was told that it was graduation ceremony and to dress up. So I sport a blazer and some matching pants and a nice blouse. Yeah, they meant really dress up. One guys suit looked like a vintage mobsters pin stripe, complete with pocket-chief. Another guy had black velvet accents on his suit. A man! The women all wore pearls. It was a most bizarre scene. But be warned if you are ever asked to dress up, might want to break out the nicer of your two suits and shine up those shoes, and for ladies to put on a bit of perfume and some fashionable accessories.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
A Fish to Miss
There is of course, more than one poisonous fish such that you will die from eating it, but perhaps this is the most famous.
Not all sushi shops will sell fugu. In fact I would tell you most do not. You can normally determine that a shop will fugu if there is a large fish take outside that has several of those suckers (more like blowers, hah!...really, I will show myself out now) swimming around in it. For the most part they will look spotty and fairly unimpressive and perhaps to many a tourist, they will look like an unattractive, unappetizing fish and wonder why in the world one would display it at the front of their restaurant. But for Japanese people this is a way to determine a good restaurant, it also determines the quality of your fish in person.
Japanese people will eat this fish a number of different ways, but perhaps the expense of it and the expense of hiring a professional to cut it up all nice like for you keeps them from eating it so often. I would hazard a guess that most normal people will even eat it less than a year. Hell I even think that years will pass before they take another sampling. I would say that it is just not something more people crave. If you want sushi, you can go to the dollar sushi restaurant or even a nice one and order all the fish and be full without having to eat fugu. That just adds to the expense of things and not necessarily the flavor (as they are getting plenty of it from their other dishes). Additionally, fugu is not really something you make a whole meal out of. You normally order several dishes and that is just one of them. So do not expect to go to a restaurant and fill up on fugu, unless you are of the wealthy sort who can do that.
But back to food preparation, they normally eat this fish as sashimi in a bunch of thin little slices with soy and wasabi and some daikon garnish. They will also sometimes put it in nabe, a nice winter dish that reminds me of a Chinese hot pot, but of course if you told any Japanese person that, they might get offended and insist that either it is totally different or that they came up with it first. Nabe is a dish of boiling flavored water (flavored with dashi or some other subtle flavoring like salt or kelp) in which there are vegetables and a type or two of meat. Meat can vary to pretty much whatever you want to put inside of it.
oh god so many pictures!
For those of you who do not know what that is, it is the famous fugu (ふぐ、鯸), or puffer fish.
Fugu became a bit infamous, especially overseas with its ability to unintentionally kill. Well perhaps whomever is serving it to you is trying to kill you, but I assure you that is not the fishes' intent. Pretty much, this fish needs to only be prepared by an expert, and I even think it is illegal in the United States due to this grave cause for concern (just want to point out my awesome pun...grave concern...). Regardless, you have to be certified to prepare this fish, which I actually just happen to know one. Unfortunately I cannot boast that I have tried it yet, though I do intend to.
Not all sushi shops will sell fugu. In fact I would tell you most do not. You can normally determine that a shop will fugu if there is a large fish take outside that has several of those suckers (more like blowers, hah!...really, I will show myself out now) swimming around in it. For the most part they will look spotty and fairly unimpressive and perhaps to many a tourist, they will look like an unattractive, unappetizing fish and wonder why in the world one would display it at the front of their restaurant. But for Japanese people this is a way to determine a good restaurant, it also determines the quality of your fish in person.
As an additional note, they are puffer fish for a reason. They are not those little cute one with the spikes all over it, but they do inflate a good amount if you squeeze them just right. Not that I am recommending you do so...
But back to food preparation, they normally eat this fish as sashimi in a bunch of thin little slices with soy and wasabi and some daikon garnish. They will also sometimes put it in nabe, a nice winter dish that reminds me of a Chinese hot pot, but of course if you told any Japanese person that, they might get offended and insist that either it is totally different or that they came up with it first. Nabe is a dish of boiling flavored water (flavored with dashi or some other subtle flavoring like salt or kelp) in which there are vegetables and a type or two of meat. Meat can vary to pretty much whatever you want to put inside of it.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Nap Time Cafe
Japan is no stranger to cafes.
One of the things that pleasently surprised me about Japan when I first moved here was the amount of small wonderful, non hipster filled cafes that you can find in all the crannies of Japan. Among these cafes, some are pretty awesome, and some are just...less awesome than others. And still others are known for their uniqueness like their maid cafes and cat cafes.
But this one is truly unique to me. Not even anime, manga, or any stereotype about Japan prepared me for this level of greatness. Nap Cafes.
Nap cafes are exactly what you might think they are. A place to get a little bit of shut eye in the long working day. How is that so? Well they offer bedding of various types, chairs, loungers, hammocks, sofas, futons, beds. I am sure there is an even greater variety than just those too. So basically you can go there during your afternoon tea break, or during lunch, or just whenever you can make your escape for a bit of time, and rest up for the rest of your working day, and evening, and night. Yup that is right, night too. Japanese men and women probably need these cafes more than anyone I know. They work so hard and so late, the convenience store, 7-11 has a whole new meaning in Japan. It pretty much identifies with the hours that those salary men work.
These cafes become a necessity in not only offering the eyes and minds of salary men and women a bit of respite, but also function as the name suggest, as a cafe. Or at least the majority do. These cafes will serve things like coffee, teas, and what cafe is not complete without a bit of cake, no? Other say they offer aromatherapy to help in relaxation or even a massage! How nice! And still more are only for women and have a make up room to help those women touch up their hair and make up so you that they don't have to do it on the train.
But these cafes do not come cheap. On lists 150 yen per min. That is nearly two American dollars. 10 minutes? You are already looking at over $15.00. The recommended power nap is what 45 minutes? that is well over $60.00. However the same cafe says they do several hour package plans at a much more reasonable price. So you are better off going for the long haul as opposed to just catching a few Z's.
Oh and here is a bonus if you are one of those Forever Alone types. There are some more specialized speel shops called Cuddle Cafes too. You can pay an extraordinary fee to cuddle with some stranger in a few select cafes. But that is about all you are allowed to do. Don't go getting hands all over her. You have you clothes on and they stay on. I am not even sure if you would have a private room. Not likely seeing as how some men would just take this opportunity a little too far. But wait! There is more! The same cuddle cafe is starting a delivery cuddle service. Not that seems a bit call girlish to me and probably pushes the envelope for the decency of well, pretty much anyone. But this is Japan, where people stick to rules and follow what other say even when no one is watching...most of the time.
So! What would it cost to get one of these beautiful girls by your side? Well there is an entrance fee, like there is with most specialty cafes, as well as a fee for whatever you do (coffee, sleeping, the amount of sleeping time, breathing...you know the basics). So I think with the minimum, you are looking at spending about 6000 yen. Ouch.
Seems like a pretty big upgrade from sleeping in the chairs at those net cafes that people normally do. Also beats a few hours in a capsule I think. But those options are still open if public sleeping is not quite your style or if someone there is too loud in their sleep for you to get any rest. Come to think of if...I wonder what they would do in that sort of situation...
One of the things that pleasently surprised me about Japan when I first moved here was the amount of small wonderful, non hipster filled cafes that you can find in all the crannies of Japan. Among these cafes, some are pretty awesome, and some are just...less awesome than others. And still others are known for their uniqueness like their maid cafes and cat cafes.
But this one is truly unique to me. Not even anime, manga, or any stereotype about Japan prepared me for this level of greatness. Nap Cafes.
Nap cafes are exactly what you might think they are. A place to get a little bit of shut eye in the long working day. How is that so? Well they offer bedding of various types, chairs, loungers, hammocks, sofas, futons, beds. I am sure there is an even greater variety than just those too. So basically you can go there during your afternoon tea break, or during lunch, or just whenever you can make your escape for a bit of time, and rest up for the rest of your working day, and evening, and night. Yup that is right, night too. Japanese men and women probably need these cafes more than anyone I know. They work so hard and so late, the convenience store, 7-11 has a whole new meaning in Japan. It pretty much identifies with the hours that those salary men work.
These cafes become a necessity in not only offering the eyes and minds of salary men and women a bit of respite, but also function as the name suggest, as a cafe. Or at least the majority do. These cafes will serve things like coffee, teas, and what cafe is not complete without a bit of cake, no? Other say they offer aromatherapy to help in relaxation or even a massage! How nice! And still more are only for women and have a make up room to help those women touch up their hair and make up so you that they don't have to do it on the train.
But these cafes do not come cheap. On lists 150 yen per min. That is nearly two American dollars. 10 minutes? You are already looking at over $15.00. The recommended power nap is what 45 minutes? that is well over $60.00. However the same cafe says they do several hour package plans at a much more reasonable price. So you are better off going for the long haul as opposed to just catching a few Z's.
 |
| Coincidentally, not a Nap cafe! haha! |
So! What would it cost to get one of these beautiful girls by your side? Well there is an entrance fee, like there is with most specialty cafes, as well as a fee for whatever you do (coffee, sleeping, the amount of sleeping time, breathing...you know the basics). So I think with the minimum, you are looking at spending about 6000 yen. Ouch.
Seems like a pretty big upgrade from sleeping in the chairs at those net cafes that people normally do. Also beats a few hours in a capsule I think. But those options are still open if public sleeping is not quite your style or if someone there is too loud in their sleep for you to get any rest. Come to think of if...I wonder what they would do in that sort of situation...
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Japanese Politics
It is political season in Japan! And no one really knows what to do about it...
Well except for these guys. These guys seem to have it down...
Both contenders running for the position of Tokyos governor. Which would you pick?
Japan is a very politically strange country(if you can't tell from the videos), where no one really knows what to do or what they want, but everyone knows they are not happy. I say this because, let us look at the facts, they have had 9 prime ministers in the last 8 years, and the current one is also stepping down.
Additionally upon appearing on television and I asked who it was, the person I was with could not tell me. In other words Japanese people do not know, care about, recognize, nor really the least bit familiar with their prime minister, quite unlike Americans and our president. I personally could not tell you what the prime minister looked like, other than toad-like, or even his name; though I suppose I could tell you all about that vulture Hashimoto. Sadly, I suppose his is the face of real politics happening in Japan, as he seems to be the only one making waves.
In Japan, people do not directly vote for their prime minister. They vote for their city or prefectural representative, this might possibly be a mayor, and they will vote for them. I am still a bit spotty on how this works though. I know that the current prime minister is stepping down because his party is no longer the majority party in Japan, and that the majority party's leader will soon step up. Though technically, prime ministers are supposed to have a 2 year sentence I think? Though they just voluntarily step down? Maybe because their honor and dignity is at stake if they are over thrown? There are too many questions and I just don't fully understand. Nor do I really want or care to. Politics has never been my thing. Personally I think the vice principal at my school could do a better job running a country (he does such a fantastic job of running the school). Honestly I think that if the people could just vote for their own prime minister directly, a lot of this political instability might be able to be avoided. You picked your bed, now lay in it type of attitude.
Well that isn't what I really wanted to talk about when I brought up politics. I really wanted to talk about they way they go about doing it. Well all except for Hashimoto. That vulture does things his own way.
Rather I wanted to tell you how differently they do politics here. They don't go and lecture at your universities, they don't hold debates, they don't appear on the T.V. news channels with the latest updates. They do drive around in cars with speakers and their message blaring all across the streets. Though that really isn't efficient when you think about it. People are also driving and they might not even catch a sentence of what your campaign is about. The amount of people who hear it versus the effort that you put into it, just isn't equal. I mean occasionally they will drive through places with heavy pedestrian traffic and many people can hear their message and they might get stopped at a traffic light and that would really maximize their viewer ratio. But in my opinion, it is a really archaic method and it seems pretty half-assed. I am not going to vote for someone who is yelling at me from their car. And when you have to go and rent the car, pre-recorded a speech and then pay for the gas to just drive around all day, only for people to be mildly annoyed that you are ruining their peace, just not worth it. If I wanted to listen to you rant and yell at me, I would attend whatever function you held and sponsored that I approved of. I am just trying to get my Christmas shopping done and go home, so go away! And no, I don't want you do come and drive down my extremely residential area at 9 in the morning for a little friendly get-the-eff-outta-bed-and-listen-to-my-rant, but thank you for that.
Another of their favorite methods, which I don't mind in the slightest, but I also don't find very effective, is their speeches to the train commuters early in the morning or late in the evening. They like to pick busy stations where they will maximize their commuter and potential voter likelihood and will come in force with their volunteers, and their tissues and megaphones. They too will yell at you and tell you of all the trouble they will relieve you from and what problems there are now. They and their volunteers and families will hand out flyers and tissues and tell you good morning. These types of people are not near so bad, but I am probably biased because of the free tissues. Hey! It is cold and flu season! They are a very important commodity....don't judge me...
And then finally, as a final campaign tactic, only used by the more influential and richer candidates, will you actually see a T.V. campaign. And you will not see these anywhere near as often as you do in America. I might see one in several hours of T.V. watching. And so far I have only seen a grand total of 2. Whereas I am exceedingly grateful for this relief from the quite abrasive Japan politics, I also can see where it can hurt Japanese society in the long run. I know I pretty much discovered about politics through television and news channels. I had no real idea before that. But those annoying guys that come on and interrupt you programming and make your favorite television shows reschedule so they can have their little debate and people will see it, THAT is how you learn about politics. When you want to watch T.V. and you show isn't on, and because we are creatures of habit, we sit and watch anyways and then knowledge happens. But here, people don't really care about their politicians, they aren't really strong advocates for one or another, college kids don't get in little rows with one another over debating it, people don't unfriend each other from Facebook. They just don't care. I don't think that they could even name all the candidates running. Maybe not even half. But I can't fault them for it. Their politicians don't really seems to care enough, why should they? Prime minister has a 2 year sentence and yet he just rolls over after one so that someone else can take his place? It is like the country just has superficial government that doesn't really accomplish anything, but they have to have one, so they do.
I suppose I am just amazed that what pretty much shapes my country is a complete amorphous amoeba to another.
Oh and speaking of the candidates, here is a topics for another time, but a good many of them are representatives of cults! Ok, they are not things like the Jim Jones cult or anything. I mean technically speaking a cult can also be religion. Which is pretty much what I am talking about. They are not religions like the ones we all know, but rather named stuff like The Chemistry of the Heart (yup, no lie. I have seen that cult before). They have their own beliefs and values and politics apparently, and frequently put forth their candidates into the ranks of megaphone wielding politicians in front of the stations. There is even one guy who calls himself Jesus Christ. I'm not kidding.
Oh and another one is an extreme right wing party that wants to expel any and all foreigners. They want Japan only to have Japanese nationals...Not to mention the amount for foreigners is exceedingly small already. But those guys are extremely insane.
Guess my point is Japan is full of crazies and they are all involved in politics.
Here is what the right wingers look like if you ever get curious.
Well except for these guys. These guys seem to have it down...
Both contenders running for the position of Tokyos governor. Which would you pick?
Japan is a very politically strange country(if you can't tell from the videos), where no one really knows what to do or what they want, but everyone knows they are not happy. I say this because, let us look at the facts, they have had 9 prime ministers in the last 8 years, and the current one is also stepping down.
Additionally upon appearing on television and I asked who it was, the person I was with could not tell me. In other words Japanese people do not know, care about, recognize, nor really the least bit familiar with their prime minister, quite unlike Americans and our president. I personally could not tell you what the prime minister looked like, other than toad-like, or even his name; though I suppose I could tell you all about that vulture Hashimoto. Sadly, I suppose his is the face of real politics happening in Japan, as he seems to be the only one making waves.
In Japan, people do not directly vote for their prime minister. They vote for their city or prefectural representative, this might possibly be a mayor, and they will vote for them. I am still a bit spotty on how this works though. I know that the current prime minister is stepping down because his party is no longer the majority party in Japan, and that the majority party's leader will soon step up. Though technically, prime ministers are supposed to have a 2 year sentence I think? Though they just voluntarily step down? Maybe because their honor and dignity is at stake if they are over thrown? There are too many questions and I just don't fully understand. Nor do I really want or care to. Politics has never been my thing. Personally I think the vice principal at my school could do a better job running a country (he does such a fantastic job of running the school). Honestly I think that if the people could just vote for their own prime minister directly, a lot of this political instability might be able to be avoided. You picked your bed, now lay in it type of attitude.
Well that isn't what I really wanted to talk about when I brought up politics. I really wanted to talk about they way they go about doing it. Well all except for Hashimoto. That vulture does things his own way.
Rather I wanted to tell you how differently they do politics here. They don't go and lecture at your universities, they don't hold debates, they don't appear on the T.V. news channels with the latest updates. They do drive around in cars with speakers and their message blaring all across the streets. Though that really isn't efficient when you think about it. People are also driving and they might not even catch a sentence of what your campaign is about. The amount of people who hear it versus the effort that you put into it, just isn't equal. I mean occasionally they will drive through places with heavy pedestrian traffic and many people can hear their message and they might get stopped at a traffic light and that would really maximize their viewer ratio. But in my opinion, it is a really archaic method and it seems pretty half-assed. I am not going to vote for someone who is yelling at me from their car. And when you have to go and rent the car, pre-recorded a speech and then pay for the gas to just drive around all day, only for people to be mildly annoyed that you are ruining their peace, just not worth it. If I wanted to listen to you rant and yell at me, I would attend whatever function you held and sponsored that I approved of. I am just trying to get my Christmas shopping done and go home, so go away! And no, I don't want you do come and drive down my extremely residential area at 9 in the morning for a little friendly get-the-eff-outta-bed-and-listen-to-my-rant, but thank you for that.
Another of their favorite methods, which I don't mind in the slightest, but I also don't find very effective, is their speeches to the train commuters early in the morning or late in the evening. They like to pick busy stations where they will maximize their commuter and potential voter likelihood and will come in force with their volunteers, and their tissues and megaphones. They too will yell at you and tell you of all the trouble they will relieve you from and what problems there are now. They and their volunteers and families will hand out flyers and tissues and tell you good morning. These types of people are not near so bad, but I am probably biased because of the free tissues. Hey! It is cold and flu season! They are a very important commodity....don't judge me...
And then finally, as a final campaign tactic, only used by the more influential and richer candidates, will you actually see a T.V. campaign. And you will not see these anywhere near as often as you do in America. I might see one in several hours of T.V. watching. And so far I have only seen a grand total of 2. Whereas I am exceedingly grateful for this relief from the quite abrasive Japan politics, I also can see where it can hurt Japanese society in the long run. I know I pretty much discovered about politics through television and news channels. I had no real idea before that. But those annoying guys that come on and interrupt you programming and make your favorite television shows reschedule so they can have their little debate and people will see it, THAT is how you learn about politics. When you want to watch T.V. and you show isn't on, and because we are creatures of habit, we sit and watch anyways and then knowledge happens. But here, people don't really care about their politicians, they aren't really strong advocates for one or another, college kids don't get in little rows with one another over debating it, people don't unfriend each other from Facebook. They just don't care. I don't think that they could even name all the candidates running. Maybe not even half. But I can't fault them for it. Their politicians don't really seems to care enough, why should they? Prime minister has a 2 year sentence and yet he just rolls over after one so that someone else can take his place? It is like the country just has superficial government that doesn't really accomplish anything, but they have to have one, so they do.
I suppose I am just amazed that what pretty much shapes my country is a complete amorphous amoeba to another.
Oh and speaking of the candidates, here is a topics for another time, but a good many of them are representatives of cults! Ok, they are not things like the Jim Jones cult or anything. I mean technically speaking a cult can also be religion. Which is pretty much what I am talking about. They are not religions like the ones we all know, but rather named stuff like The Chemistry of the Heart (yup, no lie. I have seen that cult before). They have their own beliefs and values and politics apparently, and frequently put forth their candidates into the ranks of megaphone wielding politicians in front of the stations. There is even one guy who calls himself Jesus Christ. I'm not kidding.
Oh and another one is an extreme right wing party that wants to expel any and all foreigners. They want Japan only to have Japanese nationals...Not to mention the amount for foreigners is exceedingly small already. But those guys are extremely insane.
Guess my point is Japan is full of crazies and they are all involved in politics.
Here is what the right wingers look like if you ever get curious.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
A Little Bird Told me
Something I feel like I have been seeing a lot of recently, especially in Kyoto, is this little cute bird called chidori, 千鳥.
You might think that this is just an original drawing of just any bird by a kid, but apparently it is based on the plover. The sub-seagull bird that sort of resembles sand pipers roaming the Japan's, and the rest of the world's, shores looking for easy watery targets for their next meal.
Evidently there is in fact some interesting, and as always in most Japanese culture, and exaggerated meaning to this specific bird.
Well before we get into that, let me do a little background, Japan is pretty notorious for their onomatopoeia words. They have them for everything. For example, zaza is the sound of rain, shinshin is the sound for snow, pokapoka is the meaning for when you are grateful that it is sunny (so you would not say this in the summer and you are hot and sweaty...there is a different 'sound' for that...jirijri or giragira), fuwafuwa is fluffy, sallasalla is smooth, gorogoro is being lazy and rolling around on the floor (my favorite), chuchu is the sound a mouse makes. I am sure you get the point. These types of words are called gion-go. So you see, they have a 'sound' for everything, or perhaps it is better described as something they say to express the sentiment of the situation but not really a sound.
So anyways, the sound for chidori, comes from its name as much as the call it makes to others of its kind, it is chiyo. Chiyo when put to kanji, becomes 千代. 千代 also has another meaning, as anyone could have guess given the Japanese cultural affinity for having double meanings. 千 means 1000 and 代 means generation. 1000 generations. Can you guess what it means? Probably. It means longevity and good health to whatever the symbol is representing. So if you wear it on a kimono to a wedding, it means you hope they have a long and healthy marriage. If it stands in front of an izakaya, it means they either want their establishment to be prosperous, or they want you to think that you will have a long and healthy life if you eat there.
I have also been seeing them in pastries a lot lately, especially this one found in the Porta area under Kyoto Station. I can only assume that it means I will live for 1000 years if I eat one...
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Ordering some Take Out
To order up some take out in Japan is an incredibly old new-fangled idea. Don't understand what I mean? Well, Japan has done take out in at least one form for quite some decades. That form takes the shape of the very well known bento. Sure most people prefer to make their own or have their mothers or girlfriends make them for them, but there have always been bento shops for that special occasion or the rare incidence wherein you forget to pack a lunch. These bento shops are places that you could either pick up your order, or on the rare occasion (at least for back in the day) they could deliver it for you (probably if you had a large order or something).
Today, it seems like take out food is more of a new thing in Japan. Yes they have McDonald's. Yes, McDonald's does take out. But that isn't really where I am going with this. I am going in the direction of real meals, restaurants and the like. I know in America, it is perfectly acceptable to walk into nearly any restaurant, or at least any restaurant chain, and order your meals to go if the wait to get a seat is just too long or if you were feeling rather misogynistic that night. Places like Outback steakhouse or Chili's. In Japan, not every place does that. I even doubt the Outback in Osaka will do that, granted I haven't tried yet...However, there are some places that do. My favorite ramen joint with excellent karage now does that, Osho, the kansai chain of Chinese restaurants as well. Why I am really not surprised by Chinese take out?
But whats more?
Some places even deliver. I am not just talking about your local Pizza Hut, which of course delivers, but even the Tokyo McDonald's has a fleet of McDonald's emblazoned scooters that scoot around the city getting meals to their patrons. I am sure there is a price limit to justify the use of one though. Bento stores like the one that my school orders en masse from of course deliver directly to our school. Most other bento places will deliver as well to patrons who probably fall under the McDonald's clause of spending x amount of money. And then a bunch of mom and pop places will deliver to their long time patrons or patrons who are possibly too feeble to make it to the store. Or maybe just to anyone?
The favored method of deliver is is via scooter. They will equip these scooters with large insulated coolers as a back attachment for the mopeds and away they go. I am sure there is also some variant of three wheeled scooter-car with a bed or larger back area to enable them to carry their large order to patron such as my school. There are also special rigs that either must be done personally or by some interesting tech that does some bizarre designs. I will let your minds wander as to what contraptions I might be referring. Perhaps one day you will be so lucky as to get a picture. But then my favorite, is the delivery method by my favorite mom and pop restaurant shop. They too have a little moped and the driver has this great wooden delivery box with an enormous handle that he holds on to as he rides to his destination.
Need Proof?
Today, it seems like take out food is more of a new thing in Japan. Yes they have McDonald's. Yes, McDonald's does take out. But that isn't really where I am going with this. I am going in the direction of real meals, restaurants and the like. I know in America, it is perfectly acceptable to walk into nearly any restaurant, or at least any restaurant chain, and order your meals to go if the wait to get a seat is just too long or if you were feeling rather misogynistic that night. Places like Outback steakhouse or Chili's. In Japan, not every place does that. I even doubt the Outback in Osaka will do that, granted I haven't tried yet...However, there are some places that do. My favorite ramen joint with excellent karage now does that, Osho, the kansai chain of Chinese restaurants as well. Why I am really not surprised by Chinese take out?
But whats more?
Some places even deliver. I am not just talking about your local Pizza Hut, which of course delivers, but even the Tokyo McDonald's has a fleet of McDonald's emblazoned scooters that scoot around the city getting meals to their patrons. I am sure there is a price limit to justify the use of one though. Bento stores like the one that my school orders en masse from of course deliver directly to our school. Most other bento places will deliver as well to patrons who probably fall under the McDonald's clause of spending x amount of money. And then a bunch of mom and pop places will deliver to their long time patrons or patrons who are possibly too feeble to make it to the store. Or maybe just to anyone?
The favored method of deliver is is via scooter. They will equip these scooters with large insulated coolers as a back attachment for the mopeds and away they go. I am sure there is also some variant of three wheeled scooter-car with a bed or larger back area to enable them to carry their large order to patron such as my school. There are also special rigs that either must be done personally or by some interesting tech that does some bizarre designs. I will let your minds wander as to what contraptions I might be referring. Perhaps one day you will be so lucky as to get a picture. But then my favorite, is the delivery method by my favorite mom and pop restaurant shop. They too have a little moped and the driver has this great wooden delivery box with an enormous handle that he holds on to as he rides to his destination.
Need Proof?
Thursday, November 29, 2012
The Lucky Taxi
Taxis in Japan are pretty outrageous. I went 4 kilometers (with luggage) from the station to near my house in a taxi, and it was more than 2000 yen (more than 20usd). Where as in Korea, I think I went something like 30 something kilometers, and it cost 42000 won (less than 40 dollars). That was incredible.
Taxis in Korea will start around 2000 yen for about 2 kilos and will then start ticking up. Pretty much there is no reason not to take one when you are in need. (lowest end was 1800 and highest was 3200 that I have ever seen). In Japan the range is about 500 yen to about 700 or 800 yen for starters. And sure you will just say, 'Then just catch the cheap ones'. It is not as easy as you think, because you have to find one first.
In Kyoto there is a certain branch of taxis called Yasaka, which if you have traveled Kyoto, you would know that is also the name of their famous shrine at the end of the Gion district, the one that Gion Matsuri seems to revolve around. Well this branch of taxi is symbolized by their 3 leaf clove over head of their cars. Japanese peopel seem to really have a thing for clovers. This happens to be one of the largest taxi copanies in Kyoto, I would say there are three big ones (and probably about 15 total) in Kyoto, and I would say that MK, Yasaka, and one more I have yet to learn the name of, seem to be the largest. So you can imagine, there are thousands of taxis. Remember, Japanese people largely rely on public transportation and not everyone owns a car. So taxis can come in handy, especially if you are traveling with large luggage or are traveling after the hours of public transportation (or live like in the inaka!).
Back to the topic, the Yasaka taxi service. So there are thousands of taxis in this one chain all with 3 leave clover little headings, but what the average traveler does not see, is the 4 leave clover taxi. The lucky taxi. There are exactly 3 taxis in this company that have the 4 leaf clover embelem ebmlazoned on their cars. These cars are said to be driven by exceptional drivers. I have no idea what the requirements are to be known as the taxi driver of their car, but I am sure an unblemished record is one of the things. And the cool thing is, is that it cost nothing more to ride in this one as opposed to a 3 leaf taxi. In addition, they will give you a little sticker that you can only get from riding in this car. Cute right?
So what is more awesome than driving in the lucky taxi? There is exactly one taxi that is completely in the S-class (a Japanese thing that means like super or special or something. basically AWESOME) all of its own. It has a pink four leaf clover sigil on its car and heading. I have only seen this car exactly one time, and until then had no idea of its existance.
Taxis in Korea will start around 2000 yen for about 2 kilos and will then start ticking up. Pretty much there is no reason not to take one when you are in need. (lowest end was 1800 and highest was 3200 that I have ever seen). In Japan the range is about 500 yen to about 700 or 800 yen for starters. And sure you will just say, 'Then just catch the cheap ones'. It is not as easy as you think, because you have to find one first.
In Kyoto there is a certain branch of taxis called Yasaka, which if you have traveled Kyoto, you would know that is also the name of their famous shrine at the end of the Gion district, the one that Gion Matsuri seems to revolve around. Well this branch of taxi is symbolized by their 3 leaf clove over head of their cars. Japanese peopel seem to really have a thing for clovers. This happens to be one of the largest taxi copanies in Kyoto, I would say there are three big ones (and probably about 15 total) in Kyoto, and I would say that MK, Yasaka, and one more I have yet to learn the name of, seem to be the largest. So you can imagine, there are thousands of taxis. Remember, Japanese people largely rely on public transportation and not everyone owns a car. So taxis can come in handy, especially if you are traveling with large luggage or are traveling after the hours of public transportation (or live like in the inaka!).
Back to the topic, the Yasaka taxi service. So there are thousands of taxis in this one chain all with 3 leave clover little headings, but what the average traveler does not see, is the 4 leave clover taxi. The lucky taxi. There are exactly 3 taxis in this company that have the 4 leaf clover embelem ebmlazoned on their cars. These cars are said to be driven by exceptional drivers. I have no idea what the requirements are to be known as the taxi driver of their car, but I am sure an unblemished record is one of the things. And the cool thing is, is that it cost nothing more to ride in this one as opposed to a 3 leaf taxi. In addition, they will give you a little sticker that you can only get from riding in this car. Cute right?
So what is more awesome than driving in the lucky taxi? There is exactly one taxi that is completely in the S-class (a Japanese thing that means like super or special or something. basically AWESOME) all of its own. It has a pink four leaf clover sigil on its car and heading. I have only seen this car exactly one time, and until then had no idea of its existance.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Sticker discrimination
Remember when you first started driving and you got your drivers permit and the card told you that you had certain restrictions to driving like no more than 2 people in the car, no driving after 9pm etc...But also remember how you broke those rules all the time. Those rules were meant to be broken. There was totally no way to enforce them because there was no way to know if you were under a permit or a regular license unless you were pulled over.
In Japan they have a small step up from that. Here they have stickers, or these metal car decor that identify just what kind of driver you are. Though I have no idea just what those restrictions are. For me, I see it as a way to identify those that can easily be hassled on the road. Oh don't pretend you don't know what I am talking about. Everyone says that they want to fool around with those driving the drivers ed car. It is also a way to identify those you most likely want to pass on the road.
There are two kinds of stickers, both can easily be bought and/or replaced at the local dollar store.
One sticker is that of a yellow and teal colored arrow which is to signify the driver is a new one and is under a 6 month permit. This one is commonly called wakaba maaku. Which pretty much means young driver (though a bit more eloquent than that). I think it is interesting in Japan they like to use nice, nature sounding names for lots of things, like special education classes to make them sound more pleasant and interesting or perhaps as a way to hedge calling them exactly what they are and sound kind of cute about it. I suppose that is really the same thing. It is kind of like when trying to talk about a fat person and calling them big boned or saying there is just more to love. Yeah like that.
The other sticker is a yellow and orange tear drop that is to signify that someone is elderly, over 75. Seeing as the common man certainly does not retire around 60, the senior citizens age is a nice decade and a half higher. Recently though, there has been a lot of fuss over that sticker. You see the name of the sticker was called momiji maaku, referring to the fall color of leaves. Even the color is a tribute to those spectacular Japanese maple leaves. But you know what fall leaves do? They fall. That is right those very leaves are pretty much in their end stage and the elderly think that that factor and perhaps the the tear drop shape is a little bit grim. Seeing as they certainly do not want a constant reminder of just how close they are to their next lives, they would rather have a happier looking decal. So in place of the tear drop, earlier this year they began issuing a four-leaf clover pattern of greens, orange and yellow. Four leaf clovers and luck and happiness right? Problem solved.
In Japan they have a small step up from that. Here they have stickers, or these metal car decor that identify just what kind of driver you are. Though I have no idea just what those restrictions are. For me, I see it as a way to identify those that can easily be hassled on the road. Oh don't pretend you don't know what I am talking about. Everyone says that they want to fool around with those driving the drivers ed car. It is also a way to identify those you most likely want to pass on the road.
There are two kinds of stickers, both can easily be bought and/or replaced at the local dollar store.
One sticker is that of a yellow and teal colored arrow which is to signify the driver is a new one and is under a 6 month permit. This one is commonly called wakaba maaku. Which pretty much means young driver (though a bit more eloquent than that). I think it is interesting in Japan they like to use nice, nature sounding names for lots of things, like special education classes to make them sound more pleasant and interesting or perhaps as a way to hedge calling them exactly what they are and sound kind of cute about it. I suppose that is really the same thing. It is kind of like when trying to talk about a fat person and calling them big boned or saying there is just more to love. Yeah like that.
The other sticker is a yellow and orange tear drop that is to signify that someone is elderly, over 75. Seeing as the common man certainly does not retire around 60, the senior citizens age is a nice decade and a half higher. Recently though, there has been a lot of fuss over that sticker. You see the name of the sticker was called momiji maaku, referring to the fall color of leaves. Even the color is a tribute to those spectacular Japanese maple leaves. But you know what fall leaves do? They fall. That is right those very leaves are pretty much in their end stage and the elderly think that that factor and perhaps the the tear drop shape is a little bit grim. Seeing as they certainly do not want a constant reminder of just how close they are to their next lives, they would rather have a happier looking decal. So in place of the tear drop, earlier this year they began issuing a four-leaf clover pattern of greens, orange and yellow. Four leaf clovers and luck and happiness right? Problem solved.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Eyepatch like a Pirate
I have a secret theory that people with eye patches are really just concealing their hidden powers. That is what Japan has taught me.
But no really, watch anime, read manga, see x-men/ the avengers. People with eye patches are pretty much bad asses. Also pirates. For whatever reason, you will almost always know that anyone wearing an eye patch has some super not so secret power they are about to unleash.
Moving on, this affects today's' culture in that it is completely acceptable to wear eye patches around Japan. I think it is all the imagery in their entertainment that has influenced it so, or possibly they just know something we don't about the awesomeness of eye patches, or they have super human powers. You can pick which one you want to believe, but when they unleash an ungodly amount of power when you become the super evil villain, I promise to tell you I told you so. But really, when I was a kid, I only really ever saw anyone wearing an eye patch a handful of times. And one of them was because this one girl had a 'lazy eye', also her eye patch was kinda lame.
Here I could not really tell you for what reasons they wear them. Sure some are purely for vanity and are decorated with rhinestones and lace, but others are your plain gauzy-white, breathable band-aid looking kind, that are more likely related to eye injuries. Regarding those eye injuries, I have exactly no clue what injuries would permit addressing oneself as a pirate, but it does make me wonder if they are either really serious injuries, or if we, in western culture, have been doing medicine wrong for years (or if it is useless and they serve no purpose). I have probably seen more than ten times the amount of eye patches living in Asia, than I have ever seen living in America. So yes the stereotype that they wear them is true, Japanese and Korean people for that matter seem to really like dressing up their faces between these eye patches and face masks. But I don't want you going around thinking everyone in Japan and Korea wears an eye patch and is secretly a Somalian pirate. They are not so common as that. I don't even think I could give you an accurate ratio, but I would certainly say it was less than one in a hundred, probably even one in a thousand. I just happen to live in a large city and see an incredible amount of people in my everyday life. After all, I never did live in New York or L.A....there could be more pirate-people there?
Moving on, this affects today's' culture in that it is completely acceptable to wear eye patches around Japan. I think it is all the imagery in their entertainment that has influenced it so, or possibly they just know something we don't about the awesomeness of eye patches, or they have super human powers. You can pick which one you want to believe, but when they unleash an ungodly amount of power when you become the super evil villain, I promise to tell you I told you so. But really, when I was a kid, I only really ever saw anyone wearing an eye patch a handful of times. And one of them was because this one girl had a 'lazy eye', also her eye patch was kinda lame.
Here I could not really tell you for what reasons they wear them. Sure some are purely for vanity and are decorated with rhinestones and lace, but others are your plain gauzy-white, breathable band-aid looking kind, that are more likely related to eye injuries. Regarding those eye injuries, I have exactly no clue what injuries would permit addressing oneself as a pirate, but it does make me wonder if they are either really serious injuries, or if we, in western culture, have been doing medicine wrong for years (or if it is useless and they serve no purpose). I have probably seen more than ten times the amount of eye patches living in Asia, than I have ever seen living in America. So yes the stereotype that they wear them is true, Japanese and Korean people for that matter seem to really like dressing up their faces between these eye patches and face masks. But I don't want you going around thinking everyone in Japan and Korea wears an eye patch and is secretly a Somalian pirate. They are not so common as that. I don't even think I could give you an accurate ratio, but I would certainly say it was less than one in a hundred, probably even one in a thousand. I just happen to live in a large city and see an incredible amount of people in my everyday life. After all, I never did live in New York or L.A....there could be more pirate-people there?
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Mini Me
Tired of that old purikura? Those eye-widening pictures that make you look like you are perpetually 12 with cute little designs all over it or those stickers and giving yourself cat faces and ears just not cutting it?
Well thank god Japan is ahead of its game in technology.
Recently, I watched a television show about how they could make remarkably accurate replicas of their fake food. In the show, they used a 3D imager to take a massive print of a cantaloupe melon. They then used the same software to somehow make an exact replica of it in plastics. The show was actually a pretty remarkable one where two people were competing to make the most accurate melons as possible in order to fool a professional judge when compared against 8 other melons that were real. The judge was able to narrow it down to the last 3 and then gave up. In any case, it is this kind of technology, the 3D imaging and replicating of the artifact, that lead to this very innovation to the purikura market.
Now, you can have your very own you...as an action figure!!! Sweet right!? OK well it is more of a figurine, but it is still pretty sweet. You see, you go in for a nice 3D picture and then they will shrink the image into a size of your choice for your very own you-figurine. Only, you can't make a model in a day. The whole process takes about a month, so you have to stay in that position for an incredibly long time and they have to hook feeding tubes up and stuff.
....Right, so it is not that long. It is a long enough time (15 minutes) that they are concerned about your ability to hold a pose still enough for the imaging software to be able to accurately capture it. As for the mini model, now that will take some time. That process should be somewhere around a month give or take some change. And then of course they will mail you the final model.
Still the whole thing is pretty awesome. A total advance to the world of self-righteous egoists and others, who just want their picture taken. Imagine in a few years being able to go to a booth and get this whole process done in half an hour and out comes in the little drop box, a mini you. Or imagine with their buy in bulk option, a politician handing out mini action figures of himself for his campaign. Or a movie campaign for Marvel or something like Kickass, handing out their super heroes in Happy Meals and such....ok so they have those, but not in this detail (eye wrinkles! they can capture your eye wrinkles!....who wants to see oneself portrayed with eye wrinkles...?)...and not with YOU in the costume. Now that would make it much cooler.
source:
http://whatsnext.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/15/3-d-photo-booth-makes-a-miniature-you/?hpt=hp_c3
Well thank god Japan is ahead of its game in technology.
Recently, I watched a television show about how they could make remarkably accurate replicas of their fake food. In the show, they used a 3D imager to take a massive print of a cantaloupe melon. They then used the same software to somehow make an exact replica of it in plastics. The show was actually a pretty remarkable one where two people were competing to make the most accurate melons as possible in order to fool a professional judge when compared against 8 other melons that were real. The judge was able to narrow it down to the last 3 and then gave up. In any case, it is this kind of technology, the 3D imaging and replicating of the artifact, that lead to this very innovation to the purikura market.
Now, you can have your very own you...as an action figure!!! Sweet right!? OK well it is more of a figurine, but it is still pretty sweet. You see, you go in for a nice 3D picture and then they will shrink the image into a size of your choice for your very own you-figurine. Only, you can't make a model in a day. The whole process takes about a month, so you have to stay in that position for an incredibly long time and they have to hook feeding tubes up and stuff.
....Right, so it is not that long. It is a long enough time (15 minutes) that they are concerned about your ability to hold a pose still enough for the imaging software to be able to accurately capture it. As for the mini model, now that will take some time. That process should be somewhere around a month give or take some change. And then of course they will mail you the final model.
source:
http://whatsnext.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/15/3-d-photo-booth-makes-a-miniature-you/?hpt=hp_c3
Thursday, November 15, 2012
A pack of Packrats
Packrats are not as uncommon in Japan as you might think.
People really don't like to throw things away, making their already more narrow homes, even more crowded. And whats more, is that families will live together, a daughter and her husband might live with her parents and if they have kids as well...Well the picture gets very crowded already. But then you have to account for all of their belongings, and if you know how many toys I had as a kid, you would think they lived in their very own house.
So of course you have the normal packrats, who just can't throw their own stuff away with things like 'Oh, I loved that! I have such fond memories of it! I am sure I will use it again....someday...'. And then you have people with their parents old things and heirlooms of their family 'Oh this is my grandmothers kimono she had it since before World War 2 and its such a beautiful and classic antique nevermind that it smells like it is made out of musk'. I mean how could you possibly throw that away or resell it for an incredible price. And then you have the families with families, which pretty much just combines the two. And honestly some of the things I have seen in these peoples homes. It is just better that they find a nice spot of lawn and bury a little time capsule to be forgotten about immediately. There are some really grotesque antiques in there. Some of the worst is the 70's and 80's pottery, those shiny little pastel figurines that are made grossly out of portion? Yes, those. There was a whole trophy case full of them.
And then if you think all of that seems perfectly normal and not that weird, I come to the main point of all of this: the mega-you-shall-not-walk-a-step-of-doom packrats. These people literally do not have enough space in their own home, that they have started flooding the sidewalk with their possessions because it cannot fit inside. And since I live in a city, people just do not have lawns, not unless you buy a house and a half. So it is the sidewalks they fill up. At first if you come across one of these, you will think that someone just moved out and they have yet to pick up their trash, but that would be an incorrect assumption. You see, all those stacks of decades worth of newspapers, all the umbrellas, and rusted bicycles embedded in the newspapers? Yes those all belong to a person. A person who has the serious misconception that one day they will have use of all these items. And if this is the outside, I must admit my morbid sense of curiosity really wonders what the inside looks like. Are there tunnels? Secret passages? Does the person keep things in certain hidden locations only know to him/her? And what kind of things clutter the inside? I also wonder about the person and what time of physios they must have and how they act in public, but seeing as they(at least this person(s)) do live in a city, they probably have a fair chance of interacting with a fair amount of people. Makes me wonder a good many things...
I am sure that there are certainly people like this in America, and I can certainly attest that there are not many of this kind of person in Japan, but in discovering it, it shocked me enough to find this kind of living situation, let alone in the midst of a city, that I thought it was worth a mention. Though I am sure in America, with our larger houses, and acres of land, our sheds, and storage units, it is much easier to conceal this pack-rattyness behavior than it is in Japan. Also I had to do SOMEthing with this photo ;)
People really don't like to throw things away, making their already more narrow homes, even more crowded. And whats more, is that families will live together, a daughter and her husband might live with her parents and if they have kids as well...Well the picture gets very crowded already. But then you have to account for all of their belongings, and if you know how many toys I had as a kid, you would think they lived in their very own house.
So of course you have the normal packrats, who just can't throw their own stuff away with things like 'Oh, I loved that! I have such fond memories of it! I am sure I will use it again....someday...'. And then you have people with their parents old things and heirlooms of their family 'Oh this is my grandmothers kimono she had it since before World War 2 and its such a beautiful and classic antique nevermind that it smells like it is made out of musk'. I mean how could you possibly throw that away or resell it for an incredible price. And then you have the families with families, which pretty much just combines the two. And honestly some of the things I have seen in these peoples homes. It is just better that they find a nice spot of lawn and bury a little time capsule to be forgotten about immediately. There are some really grotesque antiques in there. Some of the worst is the 70's and 80's pottery, those shiny little pastel figurines that are made grossly out of portion? Yes, those. There was a whole trophy case full of them.
And then if you think all of that seems perfectly normal and not that weird, I come to the main point of all of this: the mega-you-shall-not-walk-a-step-of-doom packrats. These people literally do not have enough space in their own home, that they have started flooding the sidewalk with their possessions because it cannot fit inside. And since I live in a city, people just do not have lawns, not unless you buy a house and a half. So it is the sidewalks they fill up. At first if you come across one of these, you will think that someone just moved out and they have yet to pick up their trash, but that would be an incorrect assumption. You see, all those stacks of decades worth of newspapers, all the umbrellas, and rusted bicycles embedded in the newspapers? Yes those all belong to a person. A person who has the serious misconception that one day they will have use of all these items. And if this is the outside, I must admit my morbid sense of curiosity really wonders what the inside looks like. Are there tunnels? Secret passages? Does the person keep things in certain hidden locations only know to him/her? And what kind of things clutter the inside? I also wonder about the person and what time of physios they must have and how they act in public, but seeing as they(at least this person(s)) do live in a city, they probably have a fair chance of interacting with a fair amount of people. Makes me wonder a good many things...
I am sure that there are certainly people like this in America, and I can certainly attest that there are not many of this kind of person in Japan, but in discovering it, it shocked me enough to find this kind of living situation, let alone in the midst of a city, that I thought it was worth a mention. Though I am sure in America, with our larger houses, and acres of land, our sheds, and storage units, it is much easier to conceal this pack-rattyness behavior than it is in Japan. Also I had to do SOMEthing with this photo ;)
I must admit. At least he/she is very neat about it.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
John-Hanko
Interestingly enough, John Handcocks (signatures) are not a common thing here. People just don't sign for things. Need a package signed? New renter and signing off on a lease? At a bank and making a transaction? Pretty much any formal or important transaction? They all use this little thing called a hanko.
Hankos are pretty much their signatures in stamp format. I suppose calligraphy is really just too much of a hassle for most signatures and perhaps there are not too many handwriting styles for writing the characters for ones name, making forgery easy. Or perhaps the nuances and legibility of the characters are just too tiresome to accurately inscribe for everyday life. Whatever the scenario, Japanese people have made a little short cut for this mundane task in a little form of cylindrical wood or stone stamp. This stamp does not have the traditional rubber plating for the actual stamp, but rather it has no plating. You name is engraved right into the bottom of the stamp. Cool, you might be thinking...until you realize how difficult it is to stamp with it. Perhaps they like it this way so that it is impossible to cut off and steal the little rubber stamp (if it had one) enabling them to kind of steal your identity. Or perhaps it is because with they way it is carve and the difficulty of stamping it, it leaves its own unique imprint; unique because of the way it was carved and the material it was carved upon leaving certain areas of impression stronger and weaker. Or perhaps I am over thinking this.
Something I never even once considered until I got one of these, is how to tell which way to stamp it (so your name isn't upside down and you don't look like a fool). There is a little sticker or indent on the hanko that you line up to the top when you impress it so that your name reads right. If you really wanna mess with people, you should just take that sticker and move it like 90 degrees so that people look all sloppy when they stamp (they normally take good car not to appear to sloppy).
Hankos are dipped in a type of red ink that is extremely similar to just a red stamp pad. Only they sell those items separately so the two different purposes. But if you ask me, they are the same and it is just a money making tactic. China, Taiwan, and Korea, all of which also practice hankos, will use a red paste type material, which will leave a stronger more solid looking impression. I have no idea why Japan has not adopted that. Perhaps because it can be decently messy.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Salt: A Gateway Mineral
Which is exactly as it seems. A doorway offering.
I have constantly asked what this was time and again over my nearly year and a half here and have gotten various answers.
"It is a salt lick for horses back when we used them and people still keep it out in remembrance"
"It is actually their table salt. You have to come out here to use it"
"When you work out, you use both your and the airs' electrolytes and we put this out here to replenish the airs' electrolytes. We don't want the air to taste bad for other people."
"It is for you, so you can replenish your electrolytes after running. We are very nice people"
Perhaps I should just know better than to continuously asking the same person. The same person who told me that the decorative sample meals or fruits and vegetables outside of restaurants are actually free and that they were for the homeless or for us to take home. Because you see, their restaurant had such superior quality produce, they wanted us to try it and see how amazing it was and come back and eat at their restaurant because of their exemplar quality of foods.
So, don't believe that one either.
Salt has an important significance in Japan, it is an offering of sorts to gods and people and has a meaning of purification and cleanliness, as well as to keep away ill luck. You know things like witches and zombies and stuff. Place yourself in a doorway guarded by salt and the oni cannot enter. Ok, but seriously, these salt piles are called morishio, 盛り塩, meaning pile of salt in a very literal sense. Back in the day, salt was an important commodity; it was a well cherished import noted for its importance in keeping fish and meats from rotting and also valued in a spiritual manner as well. It was so pure and white and pretty, it began to be used for religious purposes as well. Probably the most notable today is the use of it at funerals where you will sprinkle it on you before the funeral and throw it at the door as you leave in order to purify yourself from death. A bit resembling the way one would throw beans at the oni during Setsubon.
But even more commonly, you will find it outside of doorways and in gardens and other unusual places. When placed outside of doorways, it is typically in two little dishes on either side of the door, in what are often described as little cone shaped mounds. But the reality of that statement is that there is just salt in a dish, typically in a semblance of a mound. The cones are reserved for the more influential of restaurants and are smashed once a customer has entered the establishment to signify to others that the business is prosperous at that time. In most cases though, these mounds are hand formed by the shop owners and are placed on the outside for a symbol of purification and that their shop is clean. It is an old business model that is still used almost as a token of good luck in attracting customers. It also symbolizes that the restaurant is traditional and is in keeping with some of the more customary Japanese practices. In fact, before placing salt outside of their doorway, most companies and businesses will wash the road and sidewalk in their vicinity with water and salt, or at least water. I actually see this practice every morning, a little old woman with a bent back is up at the crack of dawn watering her street corner as I ride my bike to the station. My Japanese friends have told me that is what they do when they first get to work to open their business as well. They say that it is to 'clean up', so I am mot really sure if the welcoming good business aspect of it applies to that or not, but I assume if you are 'cleaning up' to look respectable for potential customers, that clause is also grandfathered in.
In other practices, for anyone who might ever see a sumo match, the wrestlers will throw salt in the ring to purify the ring and keep evil out. I am not really sure why that is. I am not sure if sumo is a holy sport or if they feel vulnerable without their salt, but it is now a tradition and no match it complete without it.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Boxcar
This is just something I have happened to notice about Japan.
Cars are a lot more boxy over here. I remember when the Cube just came out in America and everyone made fun of it a bit. I think there was even a commercial with people driving refrigerator boxes when another car would be well and clearly on display amidst all the cardboard. And then people noticed how these boxes kinda, just kinda, looked like the Cube.
Well anyways, here, boxy things like the Cube are the norm and people love their little box cars. Many of them happen to be Kei cars, which are a type of compact car that is narrower than many of the compact American cars. In America compact might mean like a lower roof kind of car, like driving a Corolla versus a Suburban. So it was odd coming to Japan and seeing these tall but extremely narrow types of car. Though that interestingly does not mean it is any less comfortable in the car; though in the back, you might be sitting two instead of three, though again some cars still have that three-seater option. But then again the Japanese three-seater would not have to be as large as an American three seater as they are a definitely thinner population here. OK that is not the case really, they are not thinner per say, but more averagely proportioned with well balanced diets. Take from that what you will...no OK, I am calling Americans fat. Yes, I am, it's true.
These Kei cars are extremely popular to drive since they cost a lot less, your insurance is a lot less, and most people don't have that big of family to pack into a car. Also, they really rely on their public transportation a lot more than most other countries, and therefore find less reasons to drive. Gas is extremely expensive and cars are just too small to entertain kids for extended periods of times. And trains are just so cheap and convenient in comparison, so why not visit grandma via the JR lines? Precisely the Japanese mindset. But the few that do have cars seems to vastly prefer these Kei cars. And for those who have a little more money, they will get a larger version of these Kei cars, which are at that point no longer considered 'kei', or gasp something like a Prius. An interesting fact between the two car-types, is that you can differentiate them by their license plates; kei cars will have yellowy-orange plates, where are a normal vehicle will have white plates.Toyota does seems to be one of the more popular choices of normal car here in Japan, well at least as far as normal sized Japanese cars are concerned (Suzuki Wagon R seems to be the most popular kei car that I can seem to determine). At least they hold their Toyota's in high regard, with things like the Nagoya Toyota car museum and their well esteemed eco-friendsly cars. But again, you would have to pay more money for the car and the insurance and probably the plates as well. I almost wonder if you have to pay more just to use the toll roads when you are driving a normal sized vehicle. They really seem to like to punish you for driving one. haha.
And for people who really have money to throw around, they will get the foreign imports, but not just ANY foreign import, they would get the ones with the driver still one the right side of the car. And when going through toll roads, they have special booths set up to specifically accommodate these people.
Cars are a lot more boxy over here. I remember when the Cube just came out in America and everyone made fun of it a bit. I think there was even a commercial with people driving refrigerator boxes when another car would be well and clearly on display amidst all the cardboard. And then people noticed how these boxes kinda, just kinda, looked like the Cube.
Well anyways, here, boxy things like the Cube are the norm and people love their little box cars. Many of them happen to be Kei cars, which are a type of compact car that is narrower than many of the compact American cars. In America compact might mean like a lower roof kind of car, like driving a Corolla versus a Suburban. So it was odd coming to Japan and seeing these tall but extremely narrow types of car. Though that interestingly does not mean it is any less comfortable in the car; though in the back, you might be sitting two instead of three, though again some cars still have that three-seater option. But then again the Japanese three-seater would not have to be as large as an American three seater as they are a definitely thinner population here. OK that is not the case really, they are not thinner per say, but more averagely proportioned with well balanced diets. Take from that what you will...no OK, I am calling Americans fat. Yes, I am, it's true.
These Kei cars are extremely popular to drive since they cost a lot less, your insurance is a lot less, and most people don't have that big of family to pack into a car. Also, they really rely on their public transportation a lot more than most other countries, and therefore find less reasons to drive. Gas is extremely expensive and cars are just too small to entertain kids for extended periods of times. And trains are just so cheap and convenient in comparison, so why not visit grandma via the JR lines? Precisely the Japanese mindset. But the few that do have cars seems to vastly prefer these Kei cars. And for those who have a little more money, they will get a larger version of these Kei cars, which are at that point no longer considered 'kei', or gasp something like a Prius. An interesting fact between the two car-types, is that you can differentiate them by their license plates; kei cars will have yellowy-orange plates, where are a normal vehicle will have white plates.Toyota does seems to be one of the more popular choices of normal car here in Japan, well at least as far as normal sized Japanese cars are concerned (Suzuki Wagon R seems to be the most popular kei car that I can seem to determine). At least they hold their Toyota's in high regard, with things like the Nagoya Toyota car museum and their well esteemed eco-friendsly cars. But again, you would have to pay more money for the car and the insurance and probably the plates as well. I almost wonder if you have to pay more just to use the toll roads when you are driving a normal sized vehicle. They really seem to like to punish you for driving one. haha.
And for people who really have money to throw around, they will get the foreign imports, but not just ANY foreign import, they would get the ones with the driver still one the right side of the car. And when going through toll roads, they have special booths set up to specifically accommodate these people.
Yellow plate.
Also...crazy decor
Check out the boxyness.
That silver one is a Suzuki Wagon R
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Halloween Special
I feel like Halloween is even a bigger deal this year than last. I feel like Japanese netizens are finally finding the spirit of it. I feel like bakers make a better attempt than most with all their Halloween decorations and fall and pumpkin themed treats and breads. Of course it would kind of make sense for them to try new promotional items with the changing of seasons and holidays are just the thing to welcome that. Otherwise, stores also advertised with more decor, the costumes and holiday accessories were front and center and in larger supply. And perhaps most impressively, was that a few stores even ran Halloween commercials, though limited.
Instead, this year I went to the Kitayama Halloween event in Kyoto. They held it both on Saturday and Sunday. Early in the day, they had pumpkin and small gourd carving. For the most part, they are not pumpkins as the great orange squash we all know and love, they are the pebbled green tinted and occasionally orange coloration leaks in squashes that are oddly shaped. Well it mattered not to the patrons. They still had a grand time carving them well into the night. Some were carving little gourds that could be no bigger than an apple! Among the carved, my favorites were a Tottoro and a Mario and a pumpkin within pumpkin. The pumpkins there that they were selling were incredibly expensive at 300 yen a kilogram and a good sized pumpkin would be about 18 kilograms. I bought my pumpkins for 500 and 600 yen at Costco and a flea market. The Flying Pig is a pretty grand place to find decently priced things from Costco without having the membership. At my school in my handcrafts club, we ordered a few of the smaller ones and carved them up. It was all their first time and I think they did a wonderful job. Pumpkin pies and roasted and spicy seeds to come later!
Also as Halloween was in fact yesterday, and I was in Osaka, I did not see any loop line goers, though plenty enough of folks dressed up. So possibly the train station staff and police did a better job of shutting down the event this year?
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Moe Moe Maid Cafe
Why I haven't done this before I could not even tell you...
So anyways back when I stilled lived in Korea and was in Japan on vacation, I visited Tokyo. And I did the thing that all people who come to Japan always talk about, especially where Akihabara is concerned, and I went to a maid cafe. It was called At Home Cafe, At Home Maid Cafe, @ Cafe or something along those lines. I remember they made a big-ish deal about using an at-mark, @. Possibly there was another similarly named one, or they thought themselves extra hip for doing that.
Anyway, it was nice and fun and a good time. I went with a Japanese person who was also visiting Tokyo for a job interview, but had never been to one of these places before because they are seen as only places that otakus, perverted businessmen with too much time and money, and also gaijins would ever go to. And so, with myself as his loop hole to the otaku rule, he was able to allow himself to go in as he was accompanied by a gaijin.
The place had possibly like 4 floors, each with a different theme, and I suspect a staff that rotated between them frequently (like every 2 hours). The reason for that is you don't want a creeper to get too attached to you, and therefore they is like a kind of safeguard against that. Of course, they can follow you to another floor, but then they would have to pay for everything all over again.
We chose a floor with their maids dressed as maids with added ears and tails for animal effects. Our server was a squirrel, but I kept calling her a fox. You had your dogs, cats, bunnies, tigers, and I remember there being a turtle too (sexy maid turtle...weird I know), I am sure there may have been others, just none that really stuck out. The place was pretty dimly light with a pretty modern design and use of colors. It was also very girly. In the front and center was a stage.
At first they explained to us that there was an entrance fee that would be added to our bill for going there. Like a club or a pet cafe or such. Our fee was 500 yen. Not too bad. They also explained that it was a timed affair. I am pretty sure we only had an hour for everything, but I would tend to think that it might also be standard to have 90 minute affairs as well (I say this because nearly everything here in Osaka has a 90 minute timer on things - buffets, all you can eat Brazilian BBQ, all you can drink things etc). After an hour is up, I expect you are expected to pay up or to likely pay again for another hour. So first they sat us down and then they came and gave me a welcome to Japan party baggie (it had a few stickers, a piece of candy and disposable chopsticks in it...). That was weird. They actually did have an English menu, which is proving his theory of gaijins frequenting maid cafes to be pretty accurate. We both ordered a parfait, which in Japan is a bowl of artful ice cream and fruit madness. They were huge. There were other things on the menu like coffee and om-rice and a few more pretty standard easy to make, no-effort kind of things as well (sandwiches and the like). And they do expect you to order something. You can't just go there and creepily stare at the girls for an hour. At least drink some coffee with that creepiness, man.
I am not really sure how often they do this, it could be every hour, or we could have just been lucky, but the stage got put to goo use. We had a Janken tournament (rock-paper-scissors). Sounds weird because it is. Basically, one of the ladies gets up on stage and does rock paper scissors with everyone. If you beat her, you can stay standing. If you lose, you sit yourself back down and enjoy that parfait. So as it happens, I was among the top 3 people. I also had no idea what I was doing, and my companion thought it was more amusing to watch me flounder a bit. So the maid gals came and got me and ushered me on stage and set me up with some tiger ears. The other two contestants were also there in some bunny and cat ears. They were male. And businessmen. Theory more and more correct. We three janken with the hostess and then I try to walk away. But no, apparently I won that round as well. I can't remember if I did or did, but I think they almost kept me up there for laugh value. Also for people to stare at something besides the men up there doing 'kawaii-kawaii-janken'. Oh and also worth a mention there was a chant and accompanying...motions... for this that they made me do as well. Faces can not turn redder.
I lost in the final round. The prize was to pick two girls to be taken in a Polaroid picture together with you. Actually, when we ordered, we ordered a set which was the parfait, possibly a drink?, and also a picture with a hostess. I think we could even pick which one if we wanted to because I remember them asking. I think the whole set cost perhaps 1500 yen? maybe it was 900? Either way, I remember it being more expensive then a cafe, but not super ridiculously priced. But apparently, you need to be careful with some places and over charging, and their sketchiness factor.
Right...the chant.... the chant went a little like this:
At home (but they are japanese and have to end things in vowels so it sounded more like ato homu)
*make right hand into a fist/circular fingers and the left hand just barely cover it...like an at-mark @*
Nya Nya
*a cat sound and you ball up your fists and hold them near your cheeks and rock them back and forward slightly when you say nya nya*
Joki Joki
*Joki is...I am not sure...but it symbolizes scissors, and you move your hands up to your ears and the same motions but with your fore and middle fingers make peace like scissors signs*
Wan Wan
* I am actually not 100% this is what they said, but it sounded like it and it was also what I chose to say(>.>). It would also make sense, seeing as if the first was a cat, the second is kind of similar to a rabbit, and this one would be a dog, as wan wan is the sound a dog makes in Japan. It was after all an animal themed maid cafe. So anyways, Wan Wan is for paper and you keep your hands by your ears and open your hands with fingers together and do the little up-down motion with them as you say it*
It all happens pretty quickly. So practice it so you are not unprepared.
Also worth a mention. You are not really allowed to take photos once inside the place. You might not even be allowed to take their photos on the street, but it is harder to stop you. The only picture I have of it, is the polaroid of the maid and myself. Also they take the time to draw all over the picture for you (hearts and things like 'love', 'kiss' and moe moe...whatever they things might be cute and pleasing to their customers). I will try to find and post the picture.
So anyways back when I stilled lived in Korea and was in Japan on vacation, I visited Tokyo. And I did the thing that all people who come to Japan always talk about, especially where Akihabara is concerned, and I went to a maid cafe. It was called At Home Cafe, At Home Maid Cafe, @ Cafe or something along those lines. I remember they made a big-ish deal about using an at-mark, @. Possibly there was another similarly named one, or they thought themselves extra hip for doing that.
 |
| ahhh that's the one. |
The place had possibly like 4 floors, each with a different theme, and I suspect a staff that rotated between them frequently (like every 2 hours). The reason for that is you don't want a creeper to get too attached to you, and therefore they is like a kind of safeguard against that. Of course, they can follow you to another floor, but then they would have to pay for everything all over again.
We chose a floor with their maids dressed as maids with added ears and tails for animal effects. Our server was a squirrel, but I kept calling her a fox. You had your dogs, cats, bunnies, tigers, and I remember there being a turtle too (sexy maid turtle...weird I know), I am sure there may have been others, just none that really stuck out. The place was pretty dimly light with a pretty modern design and use of colors. It was also very girly. In the front and center was a stage.
At first they explained to us that there was an entrance fee that would be added to our bill for going there. Like a club or a pet cafe or such. Our fee was 500 yen. Not too bad. They also explained that it was a timed affair. I am pretty sure we only had an hour for everything, but I would tend to think that it might also be standard to have 90 minute affairs as well (I say this because nearly everything here in Osaka has a 90 minute timer on things - buffets, all you can eat Brazilian BBQ, all you can drink things etc). After an hour is up, I expect you are expected to pay up or to likely pay again for another hour. So first they sat us down and then they came and gave me a welcome to Japan party baggie (it had a few stickers, a piece of candy and disposable chopsticks in it...). That was weird. They actually did have an English menu, which is proving his theory of gaijins frequenting maid cafes to be pretty accurate. We both ordered a parfait, which in Japan is a bowl of artful ice cream and fruit madness. They were huge. There were other things on the menu like coffee and om-rice and a few more pretty standard easy to make, no-effort kind of things as well (sandwiches and the like). And they do expect you to order something. You can't just go there and creepily stare at the girls for an hour. At least drink some coffee with that creepiness, man.
I am not really sure how often they do this, it could be every hour, or we could have just been lucky, but the stage got put to goo use. We had a Janken tournament (rock-paper-scissors). Sounds weird because it is. Basically, one of the ladies gets up on stage and does rock paper scissors with everyone. If you beat her, you can stay standing. If you lose, you sit yourself back down and enjoy that parfait. So as it happens, I was among the top 3 people. I also had no idea what I was doing, and my companion thought it was more amusing to watch me flounder a bit. So the maid gals came and got me and ushered me on stage and set me up with some tiger ears. The other two contestants were also there in some bunny and cat ears. They were male. And businessmen. Theory more and more correct. We three janken with the hostess and then I try to walk away. But no, apparently I won that round as well. I can't remember if I did or did, but I think they almost kept me up there for laugh value. Also for people to stare at something besides the men up there doing 'kawaii-kawaii-janken'. Oh and also worth a mention there was a chant and accompanying...motions... for this that they made me do as well. Faces can not turn redder.
I lost in the final round. The prize was to pick two girls to be taken in a Polaroid picture together with you. Actually, when we ordered, we ordered a set which was the parfait, possibly a drink?, and also a picture with a hostess. I think we could even pick which one if we wanted to because I remember them asking. I think the whole set cost perhaps 1500 yen? maybe it was 900? Either way, I remember it being more expensive then a cafe, but not super ridiculously priced. But apparently, you need to be careful with some places and over charging, and their sketchiness factor.
Right...the chant.... the chant went a little like this:
At home (but they are japanese and have to end things in vowels so it sounded more like ato homu)
*make right hand into a fist/circular fingers and the left hand just barely cover it...like an at-mark @*
Nya Nya
*a cat sound and you ball up your fists and hold them near your cheeks and rock them back and forward slightly when you say nya nya*
Joki Joki
*Joki is...I am not sure...but it symbolizes scissors, and you move your hands up to your ears and the same motions but with your fore and middle fingers make peace like scissors signs*
Wan Wan
* I am actually not 100% this is what they said, but it sounded like it and it was also what I chose to say(>.>). It would also make sense, seeing as if the first was a cat, the second is kind of similar to a rabbit, and this one would be a dog, as wan wan is the sound a dog makes in Japan. It was after all an animal themed maid cafe. So anyways, Wan Wan is for paper and you keep your hands by your ears and open your hands with fingers together and do the little up-down motion with them as you say it*
It all happens pretty quickly. So practice it so you are not unprepared.
 |
| flyer girl advertising maid cafes on the street. |
Also worth a mention. You are not really allowed to take photos once inside the place. You might not even be allowed to take their photos on the street, but it is harder to stop you. The only picture I have of it, is the polaroid of the maid and myself. Also they take the time to draw all over the picture for you (hearts and things like 'love', 'kiss' and moe moe...whatever they things might be cute and pleasing to their customers). I will try to find and post the picture.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Rice Cleansing
Here is a new experience for me, cleaning rice. Now I don't mean when you stick a bunch of rice in a pot and swirl it around a bunch of time until the water you pour off it is clear (and no longer white). This is more like a de-shelling process.
Right now is in towards the end of the rice harvesting season in Japan. Their rice patties have turned a golden color (or as one of my students pointed out, the color of my hair - and yes for a shocking second I thought he was saying I had rice-colored/white hair) and are being cut down.
Once you have all those delicious grains of rice all harvested however, you can't just pop those things into your rice cooker...you must de-shell them first. Harvested rice has a golden tint to it and once de-shelled, it loses that tint and becomes the white little grains we know and love.
In order to de-shell the rice, you must either have the proper equipment or find yourself at one of the odd little stations located in crazy unsuspecting places not near anything else all around the inaka (out-there, the boonies, no-where-ville, the grasslands, farmland, you know). Why the inaka? Because where else are you going to farm rice? You cannot farm it in the city, and as such it makes sense to have these machines located in proximity to the rice patties. Though of course anyone who sells rice would probably own the equipment for themselves. But for those of us who do not have that fortune, there are the machines.
Basically you dump your golden, shelled rice into the indicated area which is then filtered through and you can witness the powder of the shells coming off and the freshly de-shelled white rice pouring out into your container. Here you can see us doing just that, and as you might be able to figure out, it costs 100 yen for 10 kilos of rice (22 pounds people) and if you have more, you just insert another coin.
Right now is in towards the end of the rice harvesting season in Japan. Their rice patties have turned a golden color (or as one of my students pointed out, the color of my hair - and yes for a shocking second I thought he was saying I had rice-colored/white hair) and are being cut down.
Once you have all those delicious grains of rice all harvested however, you can't just pop those things into your rice cooker...you must de-shell them first. Harvested rice has a golden tint to it and once de-shelled, it loses that tint and becomes the white little grains we know and love.
In order to de-shell the rice, you must either have the proper equipment or find yourself at one of the odd little stations located in crazy unsuspecting places not near anything else all around the inaka (out-there, the boonies, no-where-ville, the grasslands, farmland, you know). Why the inaka? Because where else are you going to farm rice? You cannot farm it in the city, and as such it makes sense to have these machines located in proximity to the rice patties. Though of course anyone who sells rice would probably own the equipment for themselves. But for those of us who do not have that fortune, there are the machines.
Basically you dump your golden, shelled rice into the indicated area which is then filtered through and you can witness the powder of the shells coming off and the freshly de-shelled white rice pouring out into your container. Here you can see us doing just that, and as you might be able to figure out, it costs 100 yen for 10 kilos of rice (22 pounds people) and if you have more, you just insert another coin.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Japanese Sick Food
The good ole soul food you eat when you are sick
In America it has always been soup for me, as well as a large majority of the population. I am also pretty certain that that same population will also agree that it is most often Chicken Noodle soup, though I mean any should do just fine.
Well in Japan it is kind of similar. By that, I mean that they have their very own Chicken Noodle type of sick food sick food.
Not too long ago I was sick and had bronchitis and in the process of being cared for I was made a very warm, gently tangy type of udon soup. It was actually the end of August, so you can imagine how odd it might seem eating hot soup then; however I have come to learn that a good number of Japanese people believe that heat is the best way to beat a sickness. They will often wear warmer clothes and long sleeves to help expedite the healing process. I have known heat to help overcome things like fevers via the process of elevating body temperature to burn the bacteria out of you, but perhaps, as they seem to believe, it works for non-fever illnesses as well.
Back to the soup. It turns out later, with another of my Japanese friends, the tables were turned and I was the well one taking care of them. Interestingly they too requested udon as a get well food. They instructed me to put a fair amount of ginger and spices in it, saying that both are good for patients needing to get better. It also included the large green onions and chicken as well. Therefore it WAS in fact chicken noodle soup, only with a n Asian twist.
As a secondary get-well food, once the broth of the udon contains no noodles (but it can still have green onions or meat), it can then be reused to make a rice porridge called okayu. I have never been a big fan of this stuff. Pretty much you just add rice to the mix and heat it up a bit. Two dishes in one, it is a really simple mix for making a sick person better, if only in the feels.
In America it has always been soup for me, as well as a large majority of the population. I am also pretty certain that that same population will also agree that it is most often Chicken Noodle soup, though I mean any should do just fine.
Well in Japan it is kind of similar. By that, I mean that they have their very own Chicken Noodle type of sick food sick food.
Not too long ago I was sick and had bronchitis and in the process of being cared for I was made a very warm, gently tangy type of udon soup. It was actually the end of August, so you can imagine how odd it might seem eating hot soup then; however I have come to learn that a good number of Japanese people believe that heat is the best way to beat a sickness. They will often wear warmer clothes and long sleeves to help expedite the healing process. I have known heat to help overcome things like fevers via the process of elevating body temperature to burn the bacteria out of you, but perhaps, as they seem to believe, it works for non-fever illnesses as well.
Back to the soup. It turns out later, with another of my Japanese friends, the tables were turned and I was the well one taking care of them. Interestingly they too requested udon as a get well food. They instructed me to put a fair amount of ginger and spices in it, saying that both are good for patients needing to get better. It also included the large green onions and chicken as well. Therefore it WAS in fact chicken noodle soup, only with a n Asian twist.
As a secondary get-well food, once the broth of the udon contains no noodles (but it can still have green onions or meat), it can then be reused to make a rice porridge called okayu. I have never been a big fan of this stuff. Pretty much you just add rice to the mix and heat it up a bit. Two dishes in one, it is a really simple mix for making a sick person better, if only in the feels.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
A Pain of a パン
Pan is taken from the French Portuguese word for bread, pao. It is commonly thought to be taken from the French word pain(NOT to be pronounced like the English word, 'pain'), which is actually takes influence from the Portuguese word. But you see, Japan learned of this delicious sort of food directly from the Portuguese themselves. The Portuguese are the original influence that opened up Japan for international exporting, and also for western influence. Not to be mistaken for the 'black ships' which brought about the end of the Edo period and opened up Japan, the Portuguese landed in Nagasaki in the 15th and 16th centuries and got a modest, but growing trade scene going. They introduced things like Christianity, medicine, and technology, and of course, bread to Japan, all of which took to different sorts of followings. But of course after some time, Japan became a shut in again and persecuted the Christians and closed its borders. However, in Japan you will find many other things that French and English and Portuguese words that have been Japanified, and this is a popular one. Japan seems to have a small habit of taking the foreign words for things for which they have no word, and adopting them into their own culture; in the process, giving the word a bit of a Japanese embellishment, hence things like ramune versus 'lemonade', or toreina for 'trainers' (meaning sweats).
Bread is possibly THE most important snack food in Japan. Especially in Kyoto. There are boulangeries and patisseries everywhere. But more effectively, bread can be found at the 7-11's and convenience stores, which I might add are way more true to their name and actually convenient, than in America. There is a whole series and selection of bread. Sugary, savory, green tea flavored, creamy, rolls, croissants. Just so much bread.
But the bread that is probably most worth a mention, and is something that can perhaps only be found in Japan. It is called メロンパン or melon bread. This bread is typically round is shape with a criss-crossing of markings across the top and is on the slightly large side as far as dollar breads go in Japan. Sometimes it is covered in sugar, and others it has a greenish dried icing look to it, and other still it is filled with custard or cream. I am not so sure about the melon flavoring...perhaps there is a slight hint to it; but lets be serious you would be eating this bread not for its melonyness, but for the most delicious sugar rush you can get for a dollar at a convenience store while still maintaining your dignity.
Another popular and very traditional styled bread is あんパン or anpan. Anpan is red bean bread. Yeah beans. You might be a little turned off from this bread at the moment, but they are sweet. Yeah, I couldn't really imagine sweet beans either before I came here. I kept imagining throwing brown sugar into some beenie weenies. I bet you might be thinking that too. And that face you are making right now? Probably close to the one I made. But it is actually very sweet, and not all that weird, or bean-ie tasting. This bread is bread and normal looking on the outside, with the red bean sweetness on the inside.
It became such a popular sensation, that they named a cartooned super hero after the bread. In the Japanese anime, Anpanman, the hero has the head of an anpan. Which when damaged, or say, eaten, gets baked anew. The anime became so popular it has been on air for more than 3 decades!
Bread is possibly THE most important snack food in Japan. Especially in Kyoto. There are boulangeries and patisseries everywhere. But more effectively, bread can be found at the 7-11's and convenience stores, which I might add are way more true to their name and actually convenient, than in America. There is a whole series and selection of bread. Sugary, savory, green tea flavored, creamy, rolls, croissants. Just so much bread.
But the bread that is probably most worth a mention, and is something that can perhaps only be found in Japan. It is called メロンパン or melon bread. This bread is typically round is shape with a criss-crossing of markings across the top and is on the slightly large side as far as dollar breads go in Japan. Sometimes it is covered in sugar, and others it has a greenish dried icing look to it, and other still it is filled with custard or cream. I am not so sure about the melon flavoring...perhaps there is a slight hint to it; but lets be serious you would be eating this bread not for its melonyness, but for the most delicious sugar rush you can get for a dollar at a convenience store while still maintaining your dignity.
Another popular and very traditional styled bread is あんパン or anpan. Anpan is red bean bread. Yeah beans. You might be a little turned off from this bread at the moment, but they are sweet. Yeah, I couldn't really imagine sweet beans either before I came here. I kept imagining throwing brown sugar into some beenie weenies. I bet you might be thinking that too. And that face you are making right now? Probably close to the one I made. But it is actually very sweet, and not all that weird, or bean-ie tasting. This bread is bread and normal looking on the outside, with the red bean sweetness on the inside.
It became such a popular sensation, that they named a cartooned super hero after the bread. In the Japanese anime, Anpanman, the hero has the head of an anpan. Which when damaged, or say, eaten, gets baked anew. The anime became so popular it has been on air for more than 3 decades!
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