karyn and steve take on japan: part 1

So now that my parents, the famous Karyn and Steve, have been gone for a few days and Jeff and I (and our apartment) have recovered from hosting duties, I guess it's about time to recap the visit.

We got off to a great start their first night here with my mom unpacking a suitcase full of American goodies.

The first day was a bit chilly but we ventured out to Shinjuku gyoen (park) anyways since we heard it was a great place to view the sakura.  My dad brought his camera and snapped a few pictures while we were there, including this sneak attack on Jeff and me. 

My mom thought the location was perfect and wanted to get in on the action.  

I'm pretty sure she stole that move from me. 

My dad also got some nice pictures of the blooms (though I'm sure there is a comment coming my way about this not being color-corrected in photoshop yet).

 He also captured Jeff "holding" my bag. Typical.

After the park, we headed over to Harajuku, but the only picture worth sharing is this gem clearly directed to the tourists who make up the majority of people walking around Harajuku on any given day.  

Our best guess is "tout" should read "touch," but we can't be certain. 





The next morning we were up and at 'em bright and early (thanks in part to the fact that my parents were still on east coast time) and headed out to enjoy a beautiful spring day in Tokyo.   We took the train with the commuters (an experience in itself) to the Imperial Palace gardens to get a view of the sakura in bloom.

In the palace grounds there are ponds filled with very well-fed koi, which my mother found quite amusing.  She might have taken a picture of each and every one had we not intervened.










My mom found a small waterfall which she insisted on getting as close as possible to, traversing a rock path through a stream while we all held our breaths waiting for her to fall in.  Much to my father's relief, she made it so I joined her for a photo op. 

I will spare you the zillions of self-portraits Jeff took of us and subject you to just one (today).

That's all for now.  I do owe my readers (all two of them, Karyn and Steve) the rest of the update, so there will be more. Eventually.

Mata ne,
Melissa

parents arrive!

My parents have safely arrived in Tokyo!   After lugging 10 pounds of peanut butter, 5 pounds of magazines, 5 pounds of wine from the vineyard where we were married, and some of their own stuff across the city, we made it to our apartment where, in spite of my assertions that it was, in fact, really tiny, my mom was stunned at how small it was. 

We took them out for some ramen and, with the time difference catching up with them, set up the pull-out couch so they could get some much needed horizontal sleep.

We've got a fairly open day tomorrow of exploring Shinjuku, one of our favorite parts of Tokyo, and doing some sakura viewing while there are still some petals on the trees.  It was a gorgeous day today so here's hoping tomorrow is good to us as well!

Mata ne,
Melissa

when the cat's away...

What's a girl to do when she finds herself home alone in her tiny little apartment one cold, snowy evening?  Clean the bathroom?  Don't be silly.

I started the evening off right with a nice home-cooked prepared dinner.  A classic.  The peanut butter and jelly sandwich (don't worry, the husband didn't leave me alone with no food - this was me spoiling myself).

Then I puttered around for a bit.  Thought about doing some work to prepare for lessons this week.  Decided that would be a poor use of my "me time."  Wrote a few emails.  Ate a few pieces of chocolate (note to self: buy multi-vitamins).  Poured myself a glass of wine.  Decided to play around with photo booth.

Commence photo booth montage:

not enough light.

That's better.

Starting to get boring.

Obligatory Japanese high school girl pose. 

Fun with comic book effect.

Ok, enough of that.  I'm off to get started on one of the three books I picked out at the library today.  Another pillar of Japanese literature, Kenzaburo Oe (winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize), and two pillars of American literature, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Henry James. 

Mata ne,
Melissa

P.S. For those of you who are concerned about such things, I was not a bum all day.  I followed yesterday's 11 mile run with 2500 yards meters in the pool today.  Surprisingly, the run was easier.

good view, great martini

When Aaron, Jeff and I were on our quest for a view of Mt. Fuji from Tokyo after our failed attempt at a good glimpse up close, we took several ear-popping trips to the highest floors of almost every tall building in west Shinjuku.  Many of these buildings are fairly unspectacular themselves. 

We did, however, visit one building which may be a little more exciting to the viewing public.  The Park Hyatt Tokyo Hotel.  It's where Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson's characters meet, and where the New York Bar is, where Bob Harris sips his Suntory and one can see the Shinjuku Skyline. 

Normally, ¥1600 is a bit steep for a drink, but I ordered the martini, and let me tell you, it was worth every penny.  Do not, DO NOT, order a martini anywhere in Japan unless it is in the New York Bar.  Pay the premium and sip slowly while enjoying the view of my new city.  Take the risk somewhere else and you will be disappointed.

The bar was quite dim, but we took a few flashless photos (lest we appeared to be tourists - along with EVERYONE else in the bar) to document the evening. 

 

Tip: Enjoy the New York Bar before 8 p.m.  After this time, they'll sour your martini with a ¥2000 per person cover charge.

 

See that very small bowl of nuts and wasabi peas on the table?  It was free.  You bet we ate five of them.  Had to make up for the ¥1600 drinks somehow.

Mata ne, 

Melissa

Editor's note:  Jeff did not change his outfit during our visit to the bar.  He was wearing the blue jacket over the plaid shirt, even though you can't tell that at all from the second picture.

adventures in tv watching

I think I have mentioned this before but the English language programming on Japanese TV is (not surprisingly) somewhat lacking.  Every night there is a thirty minute broadcast of the NHK news dubbed (poorly) into English.*  Also, there are on occasion English language learning shows which are so grating I can not stand to have them on.  Sometimes, there are also really, really bad movies broadcast at odd hours, but I think sitting through The Fly II once was torture enough.  


I really wish I was kidding about that.  An hour of my life I will never get back.  At least I didn't waste two hours like Jeff did.  I found more enjoyable things to do with my time.  Like cleaning the bathroom.

There may in fact be more English programming, but as I am unable to read the TV guide, I rely on stumbling upon it while flipping the channels.  

Thankfully, one does not actually need to know what the announcers are saying to enjoy the Olympics.  Unlike the ubiquitous Olympic coverage in America, Japan has taken a more restrained approach and not allowed sport competitions to take precedence over the goings-on of an entire country.  That, or they only show the sports that they care about when Japanese competitors are doing well.  (My money is on choice #2.)




Well today, when it was approximately 3 a.m. in Vancouver, we turned on the Olympic broadcast channel.  Rather than playing some of the competition that we might have missed overnight, ABC's Nightline was broadcast.

Initially, I was excited, as I was under the mistaken assumption that I might get to see some American news.  No such luck.  Turns out, Nightline is not a news program at all.  I know, weird.  Look at those smug "I'm a real journalist" faces up there.  Nightline is rather filled with 15 year-old-boys' lunchtable chatter.  Exhibit #1: Today's Nightline lineup. (Given the introduction it deserved.)

First Story
Boy 1: Hey, you know that fat guy who made those movies about the people who work in a convenience store?
Boy 2: Clerks? [translation Kevin Smith]
Boy 1: Yeah, him.  Did you hear he got kicked off a plane for being too fat?

Then
Boy 3: Well did you know there are these people who are like, obsessed? [translation OCD]  And they wash their hands all the time, and like, think they are going to kill people.  [Yes, they did show people who were obsessed with the idea that they would kill someone.  In my book, that's a whole different kind of crazy.]

Last
Boy 4: No man, this is the best!  So there are these pandas.  And they're in the zoo and stuff, not in the wild.  And they like to eat more than they like to do it!
Boy 2: No way, man!
Boy 4: Yeah!  And so the zoo keepers show them panda porn!  [I could not possibly make up something so ludicrous.  Sorry, Grandma.]

Yes, people.  Apparently this is what ABC News thinks people want to watch at 11:35 p.m.

RIP The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.

Mata ne,
Melissa

*Editor's note: Jeff maintains that the translation is not bad.  However, for every five minutes of Japanese mouths moving in the background, there is about two minutes of English translated (see: Wayne's World).  I remain skeptical.

Astor Place, Tokyo

I knew it!

With the coffee house culture in Japan and the countless cafes on every corner in Tokyo, I just knew that there had to be a place in Tokyo where you can sit in one Starbucks and look out the window at another (see: Best in Show).  The other day, we found it!

Near the Tokyo Tower, this is the view from a front table at a branch of the infamous (notorious?) cafe chain.

As I've said before, one of the best things about Tokyo is that while Starbucks is ubiquitous, there are numerous competitors that give the coffee giant a run for their lattes. 

The one good thing Aaron discovered about Starbucks: you can order in English.

Mata ne,
Melissa

"brothers gotta hug." and nap on the couch.

Aaron is here!  And he brought presents!!  No peanut butter, but Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are a worthy replacement.  (Notice Leonardo DiCaprio in the commercial behind me.  Do they have that one in America?  Apparently he used to do TONS of commercials in Japan.)

Jeff ran 22 miles today (half way out to the airport!) and Aaron left his house about 22 hours ago and hasn't slept a wink so they're two tired guys lounging on the couch right now.  So tired neither one could manage a smile.

Scratch that.  Aaron just fell asleep with just his upper body on the couch.  It is quite a sight.  Six feet of Aaron stretched out clear across our little 13 square meter home.  We'll get off soon so he can have his bed to himself.

Mata ne,
Melissa

thieves!

Aaron is arriving in Tokyo in a matter of hours.  We are super excited to see him and to see the few small things we've requested he bring from the States.

Anyone who knows me will not be surprised to hear that peanut butter was on my list.  Not just any peanut butter. All natural peanut butter - the kind that has just two ingredients: peanuts and salt.  Preferably crunchy, but beggars can't be choosers.

Our other request was deodorant - one for each of us.  We even emailed Aaron a picture of our preferred brands and scents to make it extra easy on him.  Who knew deodorant was not considered the necessity it is in the parts of the world to which I am accustomed?  I haven't noticed that people are generally stinkier here, but I suppose we've only been here in the colder months so far.  I'll let you know if my opinion  on that changes in July. 

Aaron, being the wonderful little brother that he is, came through big time for us.  He went out of the way (well, made two stops on his way home from work one day) to pick up specialty peanut butter and scour the deodorant aisle for sticks that matched the pictures.  All would have been fine except for one thing: the FAA.

Being the suspicious character we all know and love, Aaron's bag was searched, and the FAA confiscated my peanut butter.  Right now some FAA screeners are probably sitting in an office somewhere on the east coast enjoying sandwiches made from my tasty peanut butter goodness!  Don't they know how hard that stuff is to find here?!

Fortunately, we still have one full jar to consume before I find myself in dire straits.  And fortunately for Aaron, we'll still let him stay with us even though the FAA stole his meal ticket. And we won't even be stinky because they let him keep the deodorant.

Mata ne,
Melissa

City of Brotherly Love?

In just a few short days my baby brother will be landing at Narita so we are eagerly preparing for his much hyped visit.

Jeff and I are both super excited for sibling hosting part deux, this time with one less sibling squatting in our teeny tiny apartment.  Coming in over six feet tall, Aaron will likely find our place a bit cramped and will be doing a fair share of ducking while exploring the city, but he's already excited about the basketball game we've arranged for him. 

I just know Aaron is going to love Tokyo and we've been racking our brains for great things to do and see with him while he's here.  We haven't made any specific plans yet, and we don't want to spoil any surprises, so here are just a few things that I know Aaron will love about my temporary hometown.

The food:

Ramen, soba, udon, tempura, yaki niku, yaki soba, yaki tori, okonomiaki, sushi.  Yum.  What's not to love??  Ok, maybe tako yaki (tako = octopus) and the ten million kinds of mushrooms they have here, but that's just me.

Don't worry, Aaron, we'll definitely go for kai-ten sushi place while you're here (or as Leigh likes to put it - sushi-go-round).


Starbucks:
My baby brother has an affinity for (obsession with?) Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Lattes and the day they add them to the seasonal menu is a day of celebration in his world.  Unfortunately we've reached the time of year when they've run out of the appropriate spices at many locations and I didn't see them in Japan at all.  Lucky for him there is a Starbucks on almost every corner in Tokyo (though I haven't scouted a location where you can sit in one and look out the window at another like at Astor Place in NYC) with a wide range of caffeinated options for his enjoyment.  And an English menu.
(Point Tokyo: In addition to Starbucks, there are in fact many such high end coffee shops to chose from.  One is not limited to the Starbucks/Dunkin' Donuts dichotomy.)

Tully's:

Ok, Tully's Coffee, but he does like Tully's and coffee, so where can you go wrong?  Right?









Engrish:
My brother is an avid reader and a great writer and I think he'll be quite amused by the, shall we say, "liberties" taken with the English language. 

Public Transportation:

Aaron's been living in New York City since he graduated college and knows the ins and outs of the NYC subway system.  I think he will be impressed by the organization and efficiency of the Tokyo train system though.  The trains are never late.  Ever.  Oh, yea, and it's about a thousand times more comfortable and clean than in New York.  Maybe more.

This is my well worn English copy of the system. For perspective, it takes exactly one hour (the trains are always on time) to do the oval in the middle - this city is HUGE.

Can't wait to share more when he actually gets here!

Mata ne,
Melissa

three months!

As of today, January 26, we have been in Japan for three months.  Wow.  I have learned so much about this country and its culture.  Jeff and I were just talking about how it feels like we've been here for so much longer than that.  We've done so much already - but there is still so much to experience we're lucky to have at least six more months to do it all (Mom there is still about two million things to do in Tokyo)!

Thankfully we have not had to give up all of the comforts of home (though we're really missing good mexican food!)

 Aaaahhhhh caramel soy latte.   And real napkins.  That is something Japan does not do well.  Napkins are usually hard to come by, and when you can find them, they look and feel like tissue paper.  Like the kind you wrap presents with.  Or wax paper, but without the waxy side.  It is a good thing that, like America, there is a Starbucks on almost every corner in Japan.

Usually we are support-the-local-business-owner type people.  But sometimes you just need to wipe your mouth with a real napkin.

Mata ne,
Melissa

P.S.  Jeff is a coffee elitist, as I've mentioned before, and generally prefers the most expensive home brewing process available: imported Illy espresso from Italy.  I swear, our morning Americanos cost more in the end than running out to the local coffee shop!  But I love him and I let him indulge in this small vice (He stands by his assertion that making espresso at home is the cheapest option). As we all know, I have an expensive all-natural, no-sugar-added, crunchy peanut butter addiction that I am struggling to support by teaching English lessons.