August 6th – The Fruitful Quest for Udon

Today was to be a Serious Tourism Day. With that in mind, I sweated my way through the humidity to the Imperial Gardens, which in my opinion, weren’t very imperial. They weren’t even beautiful in their simplicity. And God knows where the palace actually was because I didn’t get to see it. Apparently, you’re not allowed anywhere near. All I discovered from that trip was that I couldn’t escape Cambridge. In the museum is a picture of Her Majesty of Japan standing outside King’s College. Doesn’t she know it’s full of hippies and communists and supposed radicals?!

Next up on the Big Tourist Agenda was the Museum of Modern Art. What surprised me most was how influenced the modern art was by the West. Apart from a few pieces done before the early nineteen-hundreds, I could have been in London.

By the time I’d finished being ever so cultured, I was starving. And I had one thing on my mind – udon. I hadn’t had udon yet. And not far away on the tube, according to my (not so) trusty Lonely Planet guide book, was a great, cheap udon place.

I won’t bore you with the details but suffice to say I spent an hour tripping over my feet around Ginza before finally being informed that they’d destroyed the building where the restaurant was supposed to be. At near collapse, I hauled myself into a bakery, bought an over-priced yet amazingly delicious baguette (it’s quite a novelty to find a baguette in Japan – they don’t seem to have any bread that’s not sweet or a soft roll). This ordering process was aided by a kind Japanese girl who translated for me. Then she came to sit near where I was sitting…

Ker-ching! Another interview done! I praise udon for leading me to this opportunity.

A stop at department store and I was offered some herbal tea. After conversing at some length with the girl, I gave her my email address to contact me for an interview. (She has since done so – another interview coming up!)

I then visited the Sony Building which had the most amazing gadgets on display. For example, there were two video cameras on a shaking platform, an old model and a new model. The picture on the screens behind was shaking loads for the old model but not for the new model. Also, there’s a new music player called a “Rolly” – which rolls and dances to your music as it plays. I’m feeling particularly like a Japanese teenager so there’s only one thing for it: “So cute!” Also worth noting was the TV aquarium room.

However, before I leave this post without informing you of any particular mishaps, here comes the…

Embarrassment of the day:

Somehow I managed to catch my flip-flop and fall upstairs into some man’s legs. I collapsed on his feet and then struggled to right myself as he asked if I was all right. I apologised and began hobbling along the next floor, hoping that no-one was still watching me, before stopping to inspect the damage. Nothing major but I then found myself being followed by Sony staff offering me medical assistance in broken English.

August 5th - “That’s right, kids! Safety can be fun”

This morning I set off on a desperate search to find a bank to change my travellers’ cheques. I did find such a bank fairly easily. My near downfall was when they asked me where I was staying or for a contact telephone number or to see my passport. It is quite disarming to learn I was casually strolling about the city without such basic knowledge, Quick-thinking, I managed to remember the area that the New Koyo hostel had been in and wrote that down and it was accepted – phew!

Next, I decided to meet up with two German brothers who were staying at Yuji’s because they were meeting their Japanese friend. Who spoke English. It was the equivalent to dollar-signs in my eyes. After a few frantic phone calls from some poor Japanese teenager’s phone, I managed to meet them at Ueno. The guys went off to visit the National Museum and so R and I sat down to interview. Details to follow in another post.

Later on we wandered through Shibuya and all its high-rise buildings and flashing signs. Highlights:

- one of the brothers buying a Tokyo flask at HMV and being told to wait whilst they filled it with the most delicious iced mocha latte I have ever tasted

- posing with scenester kids (see photo)

- Condomania – the novelty condom shop with the slogan “safety can be fun”. I was so tempted to buy a condom dressed up like a lollypop but at Y525 for one…*cough* rip-off *cough*

Phrase of the day:

“SO cute!” – R loves everything with a smiley face, or that’s sparkly, or glittery. Judging by the other enraptured faces of teenage girls in the Disney store admiring kids’ dress-up costumes, or looking at a bejewelled mobile phone in an electronics store, she was not alone.

SUMO and JUDO

A couple of days ago, I went to the sumo stadium. I happened to be wandering around Tokyo with three French judo black belts and a Japanese karate teacher. We saw the outside of the stadium (not open to visitors at the time), went to the museum and then saw some real sumos walking about. Check the photo!

Then, we went from the "mecca of sumo" to the "mecca of judo" as I was informed. I got to watch people train in a really large dojo. And I'm going be allowed to go to a karate lesson on the 18th. Not bad for a casual day of tourism.

My first interview

(Read if you’re interested in my specific project and general intellectual geekyness. Or if you’re very bored. Otherwise, go do something else …like read another one of my posts :P )

I got to speak to Yuji. It was pretty much the first time as he isn’t around a lot – by the time he comes home from work, he just wants to sleep. But I had the most fascinating discussion and interview with him (he’s not concerned with confidentiality so I’m not breaking any rules here ;-) )! When I asked about his concept of the West he immediately said independent and then about Japan he spoke of a concept called amaeru which means being dependent on one another but in a good way – in a way, this acts a measure of self-worth in Japan. This is fascinating when you consider the extensive use of mobile phones for emailing. Not replying to emails quickly is considered rude and if you want to maintain relationships, you email and you email A LOT. I guess this could be seen as an extension of amaeru into the technological world – the use of the Internet can be seen as a way of strengthening it. I’ll need to enquire more about this as I conduct more interviews.

Another interesting point is that he firmly believes the Internet is a tool which is adapted to cultural context in which it is used. This echoes the arguments of Manuel Castells (an important author on the subject of the Internet) and so I was obviously pretty excited by this affirmation! Therefore, I may find that Japanese culture has not been altered by it. However, part of my project was to see whether the Internet was a space of escapism in a traditionally “collectivistic” culture and Yuji did say that the Internet is a good place for letting out one’s emotions, anonymously or not. In the end, therefore, the argument may come down to a chicken-and-egg scenario – is society shaped more by technology or technology shaped more by society? This was the subject of an extended essay I wrote earlier this year, although I had other things to deal with such as whether machines had agency or not…an interesting question, but one which essentially comes down to definitions. That aside, it may be that the Internet acts as a space of escapism, therefore enhancing Japanese society without fundamentally altering Japanese culture. Watch this space for further developments.

Rice Balls and Beef Curry Donuts and Gizzards

Yes, as the title suggests, today’s cuisine was far from satisfactory, although two ice creams later and I felt substantially better.

Julia, a US couchsurfer at Yuji’s, and I set off this morning for Hakone, a town in the mountains, famous for its onsen (hot springs). Today was a day of transport. Walk -->subway-->train-->funicular-->ropeway-->pirate ship-->bus.
Yes, that’s right. Not only did we get a spectacular view of the mountains from a cablecar and see steam pouring out of the hillside (serious volcanism!), but we also got to ride a pirate ship across a lake. A lake that was created by a volcanic eruption!

Highlight of the day:

The Open Air Museum. It was the most beautifully sculptured park I have ever seen. It had benches shaped like fried eggs. A giant silver ball suspended above walkways. Statues of shapes and sizes. A playground beyond nay kids whildest dream. It was a massive wooden criss-cross sculpture that enclosed a coulourful net with soft swings hangiong down and which the kids could scramble up. As Julia said “When I have kids, I’m moving to Japan!” From the museum, I’ve included a picture of “Miss Black Power.” We can’t decided whether its funny or racist. Probably a bit of both.

Embarrassment of the day:

The onsen. Not only did we nearly walk into the males’ bath but we then had no idea what to do. Awkwardly stripping off our clothes, we went to the side of the bath where we were supposed to wash. There was a little stall and a shelf at stall height with a bucket on it. A shower just above that. I decided that we had to somehow wash with the bucket so I chucked the water over my head. At this point, I realised that people were beginning to stare. I hastily showered my body, wondering how one could wash one’s intimate areas without looking like one was giving oneself a good feel. Turns out that you just do it and no-one thinks anything of it. However, the bucket, as it turns out, is not for head-dunking (funnily enough). It’s for sluicing the seat where somewhere else’s naked butt has been sitting. Great work, Phoebe.

Culinary note to end the day:
We went out for a meal with a nice Japanese man who took us to an underground restaurant where you sit in booths on seats on the floor yet the table is set down so your legs can dangle. He ordered us a banquet of bizarre yet delicious foods. Tofu is actually amazing. It only sucks in the West. There were, however, some particularly grisly pieces of meat which I decided to give a miss. Turns out I was eating gizzards, the equivalent to chicken belly buttons. Niiiiiiice. But other good dishes and my second interview in the bag, and I’m not complaining.

A note on queuing

The British are supposed to be good at queuing. The Japanese are better. They queue to get on trains. There are even painted lines to show people where to queue. But the most astounding thing was the queue of homeless people for food handouts under a bridge near the Metropolitan Government Offices in Shinjuku. They sat five in a row, one behind each other. There were at least sixty homeless, sitting and waiting patiently whilst the food was set up. No shoving, no shouting. No edging closer. Just sitting.

Sounds, smells, sights....Thomas the Tank Engine?!

A quick update as I'm pushed for time. I've not slept a hell of a lot....

My second day in Tokyo involved me getting lost. My third day did too actually. I have a feeling many more days like this are to come.

I tried wandering down to Akihabara to find a bank open on a Saturday only but I ended up trekking through Akasusa past where I saw that shrine yesterday. Then I decided to head to Akihabara to check out the electronics stores. There were a lot of electronics. There was a lot of anime. Anime porn. I think I'm going to end up fantasising about cartoons. I'm also obsessed with the lucky dip vending machines where you can slot a coin in and get an anime character out. Grown men and women get stuff all the time - they love these things!

I then tried to walk to Sumida River area, once again disorientated. By the time I arrived and found the Sumo Museum - which was closed - the humidity had turned me into a slimy mess. In desperation I caught the subway to Ueno where I admired the shrine and the TURTLES IN THE LAKE!! I also went to the National Museum of Japan. I loved the history of Buddhism exhibit. But the best thing was that you can sleep in the comfy chairs. Loads of people were doing it. My jetlagged led me to do it. Sorted.

Arrived at Yuji's. Met a load of people from France, Poland, Holland, US and who knows where else.

Best smell of the day:
Warm sugary crepes on street corners filled with ice cream and/or fruit.

Unusual sounds of the day:
The peace of Ueno Park being interrupted by the Thomas the Tank Engine theme tume.
The National Museum playing Auld Lang Syne at closing time - did I miss something?

Crazy dogs of the day:
A dog being carried in a handbag
A man wiping his poodle's bum - I know the toilets in Japan have jets to spray your bum (I did have fun today) but for dogs as well? Next they'll be training them to use loos!

August 2nd

We set off to Harajuku where we visited a flea market and I picked up a couple of bargains.
Found my favourite clothes shope in Takeshita Street - think sequens and tassles and everything garish and outrageous - wait, that sounds like my normal wardrobe? Well, I'm not denying it ;-)
Discovered the importance of an umbrella after rain turned me into drowned rat/ general hobo and ruined my potential Shibuya sight-seeing.
Went to Shinjuku, the "Times Square" of Tokyo. Discovered my hatred of the station. We (me and fellow CSers) could not find the west side of the station. The west side was on the east side of the tracks.
Sat eating a crepe at Roppongi Hills, a swanky, futuristic, and gigantic complex, when out of the ground a musical fountain emerged. Bells, tunes, the lot.
Another good sound - the pop melodies played everytime a subway train arrives at a station *be happy, disco, you have arrived....*