rantings from the asylum

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T23:32:00.001+09:00

Was lucky enough to have the whole family together for thanksgiving. my sister even made a special trip! had the urban family there as well (D, Sops, Alain, G, and Cheech). There aren't so many pictures as i was quite busy in the kitchen but i did manage a few snaps:

the menu:

a 7,000 yen herb butter turkey

Boursin mashed potatoes

spinach cheddar biscuits

steamed veggies (courtesy of mom)

stuffing

moroccan carrot soup

coconut rundown drummettes

gravy

cranberry sauce

pumpkin pie with whipped cream

butterscotch oatmeal cookies

everything was made from scratch minus the stuffing (stovetop) and cranberry sauce (canned). prep started 2 days in advance. man, i was wiped but it was well worth it. probably the best big complex dinner i've put together (if, i do say so myself!)

food, family, and friends. always my favorite combination!

Mutant Carrots

2011-11-20T17:00:00.004+09:00

i'm not saying that these carrots are from china, nor am i saying that they use chemicals or radiation, nor am i saying that there's anything explicitly wrong about veggies with limbs. i'm just saying . . . it's weird.

Hiking in Mitake

2011-11-13T17:06:00.000+09:00

What do people do in Japan on the weekends when the economy is crap and peeps dont have cash? they hike. ALL OF THEM. and their mamas. the train to the boonies was packed.

check out the crowds at this tiny, god-forsaken station!

it was a beautiful day for it:

the line for the bus would have had us waiting for nearly two hours so we decided to walk to the cable car. it was quite the hike in itself (cuz we were given shitty directions the LONG way). when we got there, surprise! another fucking line to ride the cable car to the top:

we were in fairly good spirits though:

outside looking in on me and D:

there's a very quaint village up there at the top:

after the hike . . . on to the mountain!

the leaves were beautiful! the colors were great:

finally! a picnic in a clearing. cheech wanted to eat much earlier but aarif had "plans:"

everybody gets lunch:

the post food nap:

on the road again:

D shows the finer points of a giant leech that he found on the path:

Tengu rock! it was a VERY steep climb. just a chain to help yourself up. clearly people don't worry about lawsuits here:

kevin comes up sans chain:

a clusterfuck at the top:

the traffic trying to get down:

its difficult to see how steep it was:

more views from the hike:

aarif engages in some dendrophilia:

what a great day! and it felt so nice to get out of the city for a while . . .

Omotesando Koffee

2011-11-12T17:00:00.000+09:00

sops and i have found a new favorite place for coffee:

yum!

Another perfect day in the park . . .

2011-10-08T08:57:00.000+09:00

Same park, different day . . . .

Fall has arrived in tokyo and i got to spend a beautiful day in my favorite park with a homemade roast beef sammich and other goodies. armed with books and a picnic blanket, i sat in the tall grass and weeds and stole a few moments from other people's perfect days:

Family Dys-Function in Kyoto (Day Three)

2011-09-19T17:14:00.000+09:00

so the reason for the visit (yes, there was one besides temple hopping and eating), was for a ceremony to mark the 13th year of my uncle's death and the 7th (although it was a year early) year of my cousin's death. so the family gathered at my aunt's house in shimogamo for the whole she-bang:

my cousin's widow and his 18 year old daughter. yes, she looks and acts like she's still 12. if you think they lack a somber tone for the occasion, you're not alone but trust me when i say, this is pretty typical of this family.

my dad's brothers acting like they are listening to each other:

the monk arrives and prepares for the ceremony:

long long long prayers are mumbled. i take pictures because i can't read the kanji and i have no idea what they are saying and because i don't really get down with stuff like this. also, my aunty wanted pix:

refreshments afterwards:

and on to the grave site which has more praying and incense but yay! with the added annoyance and blood sucking mosquitos of which there are PLENTY in kyoto:

and a swank chinese lunch at a hotel. time to booze up!

i know my dad's cousin is laughing in the picture and it looks like a good time but man, was this one of the most trying lunches of my life. the reason my aunty wanted my dad to come and subsequently, me, as he was unwilling (japan in the summer is something you NEVER want to experience if you can help it at all) is because my relatives basically SUCK at having fun. yes, i know, it's a funerary ritual but it's been a long time and it should be about fun rememberances about those who have passed. after trying hard to get a conversation gong from my vantage, i got up and occupied the seats of those who escaped to the bathrooms to make conversation with different people. this was one tough gig.

at least the food was really good:

with my cousin and uncles:

the siblings minus my dad:

ah, the stress of family gatherings . . . . this is why i can really only visit once a year.

Foody/Temple-y Kyoto Day Two

2011-09-18T17:08:00.000+09:00

Though not technically family, Aochan and his wife are very much like a real uncle and aunt. they take me places, they send me stuff, and they love having me over which is always nice.

this year is the final year in my long continuance of unlucky years. apparently, the ages between 31 to 33 are "bad luck" and given the past few years, i'm not exactly inclined to argue with that. So aochan does some research on my behalf and finds out that i must pray to Seishibosatsu to grant me leniency dueing these difficult years. he says the rain and all the crap of late is because i have not been praying to the right god. well, alrighty then. so he takes me to Nininji temple to set the cosmos right:

the rain had let up for a bit and the heat was on. you can't see the steam coming off of the ground but trust, it was there:

they don't open the main temple where the goddess is housed on a daily bases but my girl is on the left side of this building. she room shares with a couple others. so i prayed to the left:

aochan secures me a good luck amulet:

the clouds parted and the weather really cleared up! wow, the praying to the right gods thing really does work!

and on to food! the best bowl of hiyashi chuka i've EVER had:

and shaved ice with sweet green tea and red bean paste:

dinner at home. my aunt and uncle eat well; they are fantastic cooks, and tonite was no exception:

yum! thank you!

Rainy Kyoto Day One

2011-09-17T17:05:00.000+09:00

Rain, rain, go away . . .

walked through an absolute SHIT STORM to catch my bus to kyoto on friday night resulting in shoes that didn't dry the entire trip and a suitcase full of wet clothes and gifts. the bus rolle din over an hour late but good buddy and new kyoto-ite Rie picke dme up from the station and took me to her cute new place for a lovely homemade breaky:

LOVE this fire extinguisher next to her front door:

Chinese lunch with non-uncle Aochan who was kind enough to take me and rie around:

rie moved out to the city about 6 months ago and doesn't have a car which means she doesn't get out to the more local areas of kyoto often. but Aochan is a softy and was more than happy to take us for one of my favorites: aburimochi!

a little temple viewing in the rain:

a like to do my family duty by visiting the family plot when i'm out there. yes, it was raining like mad and the hill on which the grave rests was a giant muddy mess but i only had a few days and i didn't know if the weather was going to improve in the coming days. i bought flowers and had aochan drop me off at the bottom of the hill. then i ran. like the wind. and washed the headstones and cleaned the surrounding area. i worked as fast as i can before the rain could shit storm again and i would get washed into the river.

nothing like tonkatsu dinner at ton-ton-katsu-katsu to make the wet shoes seem not as bad as they were . . .

Mokey Island Baby!

2011-08-27T18:23:00.000+09:00

D and cheech organized a bbq on sarushima off the coast of yokosuka. so after a loooooong train ride i boarded the "sea friend" and made my way to monkey island:

that's the beach. that's it. just a tiny spot on one side of the island:

where's the rescue try-curve?

it was a very sharp and rocky beach:

the men attempt to get the fire going:

yum! food! by the end of the day, we had about 45 peeps with us:

D vogues:

the island is small enough to explore on foot so a few of us went for a walk:

apparently this place was an old fort:

the view from the do-not-climb-on-this-structure that i flatly ignored:

lots of stairs:

it was beautiful on the other side! much better than the beach side:

D's marine bio degree kicks in as he inspects the tide pools:

back on the beach to grab our scuba gear before heading back to the other side of the island:

LOTS of pervy photography on the island:

D is cold and miserable:

cheech loves going a lot farther than she should:

sun scorched and exhausted, we caught the last boat back to the mainland:

look at all those hawks!

thanks for a fun day!

A day in the country

2011-08-19T17:59:00.000+09:00

went out to gunma to visit a friend and her kid. she drove us out to nasu to a "farm" with animals and rides and games and stuff. great for kids! first stop, the swings:

sakura wanted to ride a pony by herself:

arts and crafts with mama:

a long walk through the woods:

soaking our tired feet in the foot onsen:

so nice to be out of the city for a change! the air smelled different up there:

sakura was quite happy with the finished project:

afterwards, we went back to tatebayashi where her sister and her husband were helping out with a little local matsuri. Sakura is a completely different kid when she's around her cousins. Yuuki is so much fun! such a country kid.

they played games:

there's dad manning the yakisoba stand:

carrying the mini mikoshi:

yum! shaved ice:

and the little one. i think his name was toshi:

some REALLY bad magic:

but the kids kinda enjoyed it anyway. i love hanging out with little peeps. kids take their fun so seriously. such a change from my regular life. Thanks for a great day!

i'm not saying i'm a fag hag but . . . .

2011-08-14T17:16:00.000+09:00

i suppose there's quite a bit of evidence to the contrary.

Dinner at Sohan's New Place

2011-08-12T17:13:00.000+09:00

Sal's client/friend Sohan started a new restaurant in Azabu Juban called Chef's Table. She invited me along for one of the best free meals ever. Started with some very tasty homemade bread:

followed by a carpaccio-like ceviche:

the yummiest flakiest empanada ever:

bistec asado! soooooo tasty!

Sal twitters her very delish bouillabaisse-ish soup:

dessert! milk cake with caramel sauce and ice cream with a side of fresh fruit:

sooo yummy! afterwards, we got a little lost but finally made it to Kenzo Estate's Wine Bar where Sally's Daichan poured us a glass of vino:

heaps of fun! thanks for a top nite!

Happy Birthday Mabou!

2011-08-11T13:53:00.000+09:00

Imagine you're a 62 year old Japanese former salary man with no girlfriend or wife or any real family to deal with. You dad is bonkers in a home, you get a nice fat pension, and you've got a house in the country and one in the city. The only thing that can really disrupt your life is a crazy ass niece who forces you to celebrate your birthday, something you haven't done since you were 8.

When i first plonked down in japan, we were not the best of friends. at least 4 years would go by before things even started to get better. and now, 8 years later, he is forced to celebrate getting older with his birthday-crazed niece. Hey, at least i buy the guy dinner. and lots of beer.

he wanted to go to this little local unagi joint for shirayaki and kabayaki. afterwards, we came home for a mango dessert (he's had a mango themed birthday confection every year for the past 5 years. not that he's really noticed):

hope you made a good wish!

The Visitor

2011-08-03T19:06:00.000+09:00

a couple of days after i get back from london, a visitor shows up on my doorstep: rod. rod is my b-i-l's friend from new york. he came to japan to attend a spanish friend's wedding in uwajima and stayed to explore the country for a few weeks. here's a highlight reel from his time in tokyo:

first nite in tokyo and his first time at an izakaya with jax and seishiro:

ramen (tsukemen -- cold noodles dipped in hot broth) in shinjuku:

getting his omikuji fortune at Meiji shine:

watching the rockabilly dancers in yoyogi park:

kickin' it in asakusa (in front of kaminarimon):

trying to pick a yummy plate from the revolving sushi joint:

at the local fish joint having a beer and enjoying some grilled fish head:

a local person willing to to pose with the gaijin:

katsu curry (just to make my sister jeals):

back at the fish joint with the other spaniards who finally made their way up to tokyo (carlos to my right, quino to my left, yuri, quino's girlfriend of about 5 minutes across from him, rafaela, carlos's girl , and rod). they were so much fun!

beers at the standing joint with yuki, dave and toby:

at the fish market (long after the action was over):

a last meal at uojin, my favorite joint, with my uncle and rod's friend yuji:

hope you had a good visit dude!

Back in Blighty

2011-07-11T20:29:00.000+09:00

with one solid day left in our vacation, we did what all good japanese people do before they go back home, we shopped. nani wanted to go to Marylebone road so we went to Baker street station where we were greeted by Sherlock Homes:

madame tussauds: no idea why so many people love this crazy ass wax museum. the line was way down the street.

This shop, Natural Kitchen, was awesome (a bit pricey though . . . )

lots of cute little shops on this street:

a beautiful book shop:

mmmmmmmmm! sammiches! this is the kind of thing i can shop for!

and onto Oxford and Regent streets for more shopping!

to be honest, i HATE shopping. but i'm happy to take pictures all day, especially in this town:

a break for ice cream:

a stop at Fortnum & Mason, one of the priciest tea/food shops i've been to:

it's all very pretty though

back on the bus towards Clapham for dinner:

mmmmm, bbq at Bodean's:

train's cousin Jojo joined us:

thanks for a great trip!

Off to Paris!

2011-07-09T18:17:00.002+09:00

early morning eurostar to Paris:

it was about a 2.5 hour ride (kinda like the shinkansen to kyoto). hello Paris!

after checking into our little hotel in Jaures, we went in search of food. we went to a little kebab/crepe shop. paris is an odd city; so many contradictions. there's beautiful art and architecture everywhere (it's a great city if you look up) but it's got heaps of trash and dog shit everywhere (if you look down). even in this kinda grungy little shop, the ceiling is beautiful.

banana and nutella crepe. it's hard to go wrong here.

along La Seine:

Notre Dame Cathedral:

very cool gargoyles:

inside the cathedral:

amazing stained glass:

a walk on Ile de la Cite:

we passed so many beautiful buildings and i didn't know what most of them were:

the Concorde:

The Obelisque:

my favorite mustard! there's a whole shop!

with hundreds of tiny little jars with different kinds of mustard!

Eglise de la Madeleine:

congrats!

nani bought tons of these eiffel tower keychains as souvenirs:

the underpass where Diana died:

yes, we walked all the way to the tower:

i was amazed at how many beggars and hustlers there are in the city:

a lovely dinner after a really long day of walking:

train was exhausted but nani and i push for Le Arc de Triomphe:

tomb of the unknown soldier:

the next day, we started a slower morning by heading up towards a local market:

ooooh! the bridge is rising!

the market was packed! so many buyers and sellers and everyone screaming at each other:

rabbit:

brunch at 077. love me some boeuf bourguignon!

back on the nasty subways using our carnet tickets:

artsy graffitti:

nani wanted to go to Musee Du Louvre but i didn't want to run around there for a few hours trying to see all the "big pieces" (i'd much rather go when i can spend an entire day there) so the train and i decided to go to the catacombs. we waited in line for a long ass time which the train killed by playing zombie trailer park on my ipad. she was quite tickled by her own score:

aaaaahhhh! we begin the long descent under the city:

it was cold down there. i'm glad i had to buy that jacket in london . . .

they say that 6 million people are buried down here. it was really amazing to see:

after seeing all those bones, train feels like a nutella crepe snack:

afterwards, we went up to the Louvre to pick up nani:

even just the outside is amazing. the architecture, the detail is breathtaking:

a tiny peek inside:

and an ecological exhibit behind:

such cuties!

and back to the Nord to catch the train back:

with a yummy french sammich of course!

back to london:

and absolute exhaustion on the way home:

it was so much fun but i wish i could have stayed longer. definitely next time . . . .

Welcome to London Nani!

2011-07-08T21:00:00.000+09:00

our friend nani joined us in europe for the last 4.5 days of the trip.

we started in Trafalgar Square which was surprisingly clear considering it was jammed with all the harry potter premiere madness the night before:

national gallery in the back:

we walked across the thames via Waterloo Bridge towards Borough:

Borough Market, my FAVORITE market in London:

Duck sammich. sooooooo good!

Leilani said i'd want to marry it; she wasn't wrong.

nani doesn't eat bird so she opted for the fish and chips:

i don't think she eats oysters either. but that didn't stop me and the train:

YUM

i didn't have enough stomach! there was heaps more i wanted to eat:

i did indulge in a little goat milk ice cream. this is for you sachan!

after stuffing ourselves, we went back across the river to do some sightseeing:

iiiiiiiiiii want candy!

on the old school bus:

a walk towards the palace:

pit stop at St. James Park:

the animals are NOT afraid of people here. this squirrel was making friends with this old dude:

Buckingham Palace (apparently the queen was in cuz the flag was raised but we weren't invited to tea . . . )

and on to Westminster Abbey:

Cupid at Piccadilly Circus:

Nani took in a matinee:

while the train and i took the bus to Clapham:

We saw the MI6 building on the way (hello Mr. Bond!)

stopped inside this great cafe in Clapham called Esca:

there's not a lot of plastic in London. Everything is in jars. love it.

Nani met back up with us in Tooting Broadway for pakistani dinner. train's Rogan Josh was AMAZING:

yummy! we came back early-ish cuz we had an early start in the morning . . .

Late Birthday Afternoon Tea

2011-07-07T00:36:00.000+09:00

leave it to the besty to treat me to a belated birthday afternoon tea at a fancy ass hotel.

yum! and very british! thanks dude! i love me pressies that are experiences!

A Day at the British Museum

2011-07-07T00:05:00.001+09:00

It's massive for starters. I spent nearly a day there (i reckon i could live there for an entire week and not see everything); definitely one of the most amazing museums i've ever been to.

they have stuff from ancient egypt, rome, asian, american, european, EVERYWHERE. when you rape and pillage the whole world, you accumulate quite the collection:

depictions of ancient roman kings hunting lions:

bits of the parthenon:

the rosetta stone:

wuddup hieroglyphs!

venus:

very purdy necklace:

cleopatra:

beef jerky man:

incredibly old school games:

such an amazing collection!

Hello Scientist

2011-07-06T13:20:00.001+09:00

breakfast with train at Brunchies in Camberwell before she had to go to the j-o-b. a full british fry up. yum!

dinner at Sapphos with fellow scientist Sitaly. Her research is all about how someone else's research is full of shit. awesome.

Sapphos is this little greek restaurant with no menu. you just sit down and for ten pounds, this old dude brings out heaps of dishes and explains them all. some of the yummiest lamb EVER.

train and the prince pretending to work . . .

jamaican take out from a local shop. sitaly cracks my shit up.

fun in the lab:

Another mini reunion!

2011-07-06T00:45:00.002+09:00

but first, tea in the crypt at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church near Trafalgar square:

felt a bit bad walking on the dead with my tea and scones . . .

you can also do brass rubbings there but we didn't have enough time. some of them were huge!

yeay! the red phone booths!

in front of Charing Cross Station:

a walk along the Hungerford Bridge:

The London Eye (aka a ginormous ferris wheel -- one of my ultimate nightmares):

the parliament building and big ben from across the thames:

reunited and it feels so good . . . .

train and i went to UNCW with blighty buddies Jennie and Natalie who traveled from far and wide to dine with us! so good to see them again . . .

so cute! Dinner on the South Bank at Giraffe (lots of flash, not so great on the food):

can you guess who the drama teacher is?

and coffee and cakes at the cutest little cafe, le pain quotidian, near waterloo station:

thanks for making the journey to see us! next time, tokyo?

my solo london walkabout

2011-07-05T17:29:00.002+09:00

there were a couple of days that i had some time to have a bit of a walkabout on my own. on the 5th, i started out at leadenhall market near monument-aldgate-fenchurch-street-tower hill (say THAT 3 times fast):

it was still early so the market was quiet. good for postcard shopping and a coffee though:

the monument near monument station of St. Magnus the Martyr:

had a walk up cheapside to St. Paul's Churchyard:

the cathedral:

there was this tiny church with a beautifully manicured garden:

Postman's Park was one of the nooks in this great book (City Secrets: London) my sister sent me for my trip. They have plaques dedicated to people who gave their lives in the service of others:

quiet, peaceful, and beautiful:

continued the journey to Fleet street to where sweeney todd's barber shop and mrs. lovette's pie shop should have been (found st. dunstan's church instead):

the savoy:

covent garden:

lunch at ye olde cock tavern:

fish and chips and writing postcards (i like mushy peas!):

after a rest at the pub, i made my way to the river:

walked across blackfriars bridge and made my way to shakespeare's globe theater:

the clink (yes, that's where the term came from):

on the 6th, i made my way to london bridge:

i wanted to visit the old operating theater:

the herb garrett adjoining the theater:

there were a bunch of kids there on a field trip and one of the world's most boring docents giving a lecture:

a view from the overground:

there are wild FOXES here! this guy was hanging out in the supermarket parking lot. they are very skittish:

adjacent to spits blvd:

a stroll down carnaby road:

a really small china town near leicester square:

The Royal Academy of Art:

buckingham palace:

can i come in for a tea and pee?

A Day at the Tate Modern

2011-07-05T00:20:00.000+09:00

the building itself is pretty amazing but they have a rockin' collection of modern art as well:

the view from the 3rd floor window. a lot of us who were evjoying the park outside ran in to get out from the rain:

surrealism: i don't get it.

let us all consider the giant pile of sunflower seeds:

lacy floaty stairs:

a new kind of book:

An Afternoon at the Horniman

2011-07-04T00:26:00.000+09:00

Got to meet up with G's mom who was came down from scotland to visit her daughter. After a quick lunch, Hilda (AKA mom) and i went to the Horniman Museum for a few hours. It promised to be an afternoon filled with all kinds of random stuff. it was like a crazy rich nut threw up his garage into a museum. a bit of everything! The grounds outside were very pretty. We sat in the garden for hours after the museum and chatted til we got kicked out:

Hilda didn't know what these were til she got a close look. i love this look on her face!

she got a kick out of everything:

sooooo many random things:

including an aquarium!

Hilda, Nicola, thanx for a great day in Dulwich!

European Vacation

2011-07-03T13:34:00.001+09:00

First trip to Europe! I am excite! farewell message from G:

had a brilliant kebab sammich my first night there and crashed out. woke up the next day for breaky with train, jason, and his man vasili:

coffee and cadbury's chocolate on toast on the balcony. awesome.

also made heaps of rice krispie treats for jason to take to work. red, white, and blue sugar balls on top. of course this was all to out do the canadian co-worker who brought stuff the week before. nothing fuels creativity like spite.

a local place for local people near the tube:

x-ray car!

one of the things i noticed about london is that the buildings are all shades of brown and beige. not a lot of color going on but the DOORS are all very colorful and different. much like the british people who don't dress too colorfully but wear colorful accessories like a red tie or purple and green socks.

went to the Columbia road flower market (open only on sunday mornings) in Bethnal Green and had an amazing time. flowers, food, and music!

we ate HEAPS of samosas and falafels from this guy. he kept saying, "you're back!"

it was a very crowded street but we slowly made out way down. saw so many beautiful plants and flowers:

and shops that sold coconut bowls as well:

and look who we found! James came to join us! let the reunion begin!

ancient roman ruins under the streets on London:

Spitalfields Market:

yum! ate too much!

Sunday was a great day to walk around the city:

stopped by for the Electricity Showroom for a pint before dinner:

so much fun to hang with the old gang again:

cathy joined us for vietnamese dinner on kingsland road before all the guys took trains home:

Thanx for making the journey to see me :)

A Perfect Day in the Park

2011-05-14T09:00:00.000+09:00

Picked up a sammich at Better Days, a self-proclaimed "bar e paninoteca" in kita-sando and walked to Meiji Shrine to picnic in the grounds behind the shrine. Caught a wedding procession on the way in:

sammich, iced latte, a one-bite brownie, and my books:

i love this park because it's not crowded like yoyogi. such a perfect day to be outside:

Farewell Rob

2011-04-29T08:40:00.000+09:00

Rob's last night night in tokyo. started with drinks at the Hub:

and ended with karaoke:

have a safe trip home!

Hanami 2011

2011-04-12T18:08:00.002+09:00

Despite all of the craziness with heart-stopping earthquakes, giant tsunamis, seemingly never-ending aftershocks, and nuclear power plants blowing up expelling radiation everywhere, i still found time to do a little hanami. i know it was "cancelled" this year, but you can't very well stop flowers from blooming and i found that many people decided to join in the fun as well.

broke grandpa out of his hospital to do a little hanami as well. he seemed to enjoy himself for about 30 mins before he'd had enough and wanted to get going.

in Oji with Rob and Niel. the blooms were finishing up and the stream had been stopped but it was still a great day to be out:

Happy Birthday G!

2011-04-05T18:57:00.000+09:00

took G out for some yakiniku for his birthday. this was after cake in the afternoon which might have done his tummy in . . .

just a little party with a couple friends (he doesn't enjoy a fuss; very unlike my family . . . )

9.0 Earthquake

2011-03-20T18:30:00.000+09:00

i was sitting at the starbucks in a lesson with my celebrity student when it hit. being on the ground floor, we didn't understand the severity of the quake at the time. we were sitting at the table just inside the doors. as the ground started shaking harder, i suggested we move away from the glass. when my student got up, he triggered the motion sensor for the door and it opened at which time EVERYONE IN THE COFFEE SHOP DECIDED TO MAKE A RUN FOR IT. a lot of people were panicked but i was surprisingly calm; we went outside because everyone else did.

it was a sea of black suits. i'd never seen so many people out at once. the buildings were wobbling like the inside of a lava lamp. the ground shook for a good 3 minutes. afterwards, i wrapped up my lesson, bought tomatoes on the way home, and snapped this pic of a big ass fire across the street from my apartment. a gas line had broken and the apartment was going up ion smoke. as i took this, we had at least 2 fairly sizable aftershocks. it was like trying to walk home when you're drunk.

needless to say, my second class never made it. they had been finishing up their lunch on the 8th floor of a department store. they told me that it was shaking so hard that plates were flying everywhere. it was as if someone was chucking them all over the restaurant.

a couple days after, i went with my uncle to visit my grandfather (we couldn't get through by phone at all) and assess the damage to my uncle's house in tochigi. grandpa was fine (he reckons it's a much rockier ride to the moon), he seemed more annoyed about it than anything else. my uncle's house looked like this:

more than the damage the earthquake caused, i was floored by how DIRTY his house was. is this what happens to singletons over 60?! it was filthy. i did my best to clean what i could. he offered to put me up for the night but i quickly made my excuses and headed back to ike.

in the days following the earthquake, i tried to stay home. most businesses were closed so there wasn't anything to do or anywhere to go. the markets seemed empty and tokyo became a virtual ghost town for a few days. my roomie and i went to the markets for supplies and this is what we found:

no bread, no milk, no ramen, no yogurt, no juices, no water. rows of empty shelves. people were buying everything they could. it was a bit scary.

a couple days later, i decided to venture out of my station to see what the rest of tokyo was like. armed with my new neighbor and friend G, we went to Ueno to have a kebab at my friend's stand and to walk around the park. it was a beautiful day and it wasn't crowded at all but there were far more people out and about than i thought there would be. i suppose everyone needs to get out and see what society was like. here's G in the middle of the park:

to conserve energy, lights were turned out and rolling blackouts began in areas just outside of central tokyo. this is ike station with no lights:

we started storing up water. they say there's a good chance an even bigger earthquake could hit tokyo directly:

canned foods are scarce. i had to buy this giant can of tomatoes cuz there weren't any normal sizes left:

all in all, a fairly frightening experience. for all of my friends and family who want me home, i'm staying for now but i thank you and love you for all the concern. and to everyone who gave to the charity project, thank you so much!

Return to Phoenix

2011-03-01T23:00:00.000+09:00

it's back to the desert japan matsuri to sell what we could sell (which turned out to be not much this year). a stop at the General Patton Museum on the way there:

giant man and tiny boy take a gander at the big ass tanks:

mom takes her first shot at driving since the brain aneurysm (it was a bit of a scary ride for us all):

the parade of kinda japanesey stuff at they fair:

mom and dad try to stop the whirly gig of fun:

mom gets people dressed:

dad marvels at the mop on this kid's head:

and look! he's finally found that son that he's always wanted!

face painters. just weird.

annual dinner at macayos with my old high school buddy Rosie, in town to do a play:

it's good to elevate your feet after a long day of not selling much:

and the drive back:

dad commiserates with the bear:

mom doesn't look too sure about her new found friends:

dad loves places like this that sell a whole bunch of weird random shit:

look! bad hat game has won him a friend!

no caption needed:

mom gets her own bear:

dad channels his inner daniel boon:

not overly productive but certainly fun! if for nothing more than the hat game!

New York: The Highlight Reel

2011-02-24T22:04:00.000+09:00

Finally made it to the big apple! landed a couple hours early. we dropped off my bags and headed straight out for a bahn mi (a super tasty vietnamese sammich):

the neighborhood cheese shop:

shots from the street:

Dinner at Butter. we started with a very yummy charcuterie plate:

baby beet salad:

and lamb:

soaking in the morning sun on the fire escape:

a ride in the subway:

lunch at a carribean joint in harlem:

out to The Cloisters:

they were a very creepy couple:

Sisterly adventures:

i once caught a fish this big:

at Battery Park:

Riyoko works:

Yoko eats dessert:

breakfast at Peels:

time to walk it off!

Tompkin's Square Park:

my first Porchetta:

a great olive bar:

breakfast at La Esquina:

lunch at Xi'an:

and more walking around the city:

one of my favorite stops, the library! i know, i'm such a nerd.

it's so beautiful here. and i was lucky enough to catch the Radioactive exhibit, about the Curies:

a couple of toursity stops:

and on to Central Park:

self portrait from the bridge:

and this was as north as i got. i walked up to the Met from Little Italy, eating and taking pictures and getting lost along the way. i was exhausted but had so much fun!

and back on the subway out to the Bronx to meet riyoko at the office before dinner. Again, riyoko works:

and then we eat:

she's a nice boss. she even brought her slave:

and riyoko works again. i swear not 5 mins ever went by with her getting a call or a message or a text that she'd have to deal with. she works harder than anyone i know:

and on the set before catching my flight out:

very cool to see big sister in action! thanks for a great trip!

Welcome Lei!

2011-02-12T21:36:00.001+09:00

Lei takes a break from kicking ass and taking names in the food importing business to chill and hang with a couple of her old uncw friends. here, D shows her the finer points of the wet market in ameyoko:

smile!

the view from the izakaya:

thanks for visiting!

Girl's Nite!

2011-02-11T21:29:00.000+09:00

Girls nite at S's with the other yoko. 3 girls + 5 bottles of wine + heaps of yummy food = 1 horrifying hangover. of course i didn't know this at the time:

i love wino friends! Daichan came home to find us plastered. god bless him, he just didn't care.

Btw, congrats!

and so it begins . . .

2011-02-03T22:01:00.000+09:00

man, 2010 was aggressively bad.

ok, probably not the whole thing but when the last few months are asstastic, the rest of the year kinda blurs. in short, heartache, heartbreak, heartburn, and a heart stopping experience with the near loss of mom. suffice to say, i'm glad it's over.

and all of this culminates to 2011, the year of demotivation. i spent new years wrapped up like a burrito in front of the tv and have tried to spend as much time since in my pjs. i have been absolute crap about all the stuff i took pride in last year: writing to family and friends, reading the news, cooking meals, even staying hydrated. needless to say, no resolutions.

But this is not a paxil-laced depressed ranting. this is perhaps, just a rut, something that i can get myself out of. i imagine a porchetta sammich in new york with my sister in a couple weeks will do wonders for my crepuscular outlook.

to prove that it hasn't gone 100% into the shitter, i recount the few salubrious things i've been doing since the start of the year:

1. i've been walking like a mofo. grandpa has been moved to a hospital a brisk 25 min walk away. so i've been on the move, nearly everyday, racking up a few extra miles on the shoes.

2. his hospital is near a very vivacious shotengai (that's a japanese shopping street -- lots of markets and shops, a couple pachinko parlours, some restaurants, etc.) where i've been buying lots of veggies and fruits and eating one of these every day:

fresh blueberries! very yum. and yes, i eat the entire thing in one go. (SIDEBAR: i don't have a lot of things that i'm particularly skilled at but i do like to consider myself a semi-intelligent person who is fairly literate and has a relatively strong command of vocabulary. and yet i call this a "thing" or "thingy" of blueberries. apparently the word is "punnet," something i had to learn from my australian friend. my initial reaction, "what the hell is a punnet?!" soon gave way to the shame that i SHOULD know this damn word. it doesn't change the taste of the blueberries but my daily consumption is also my daily reminder of my failure in vocabulary.)

3. my nightly stretching sessions. ive restored quite a bit of my flexibility recently which tends to confuse most japanese people. apparently in tokyo, fatties can't be stretchy.

so it is with restrained hope that i end my first entry of the new year. given that it is already february, my demotivation is very obvious. but i'm working on it -- it's just going to take a little more time.

Archery at Yasukuni Shrine

2010-10-11T11:11:00.000+09:00

It was health-sports day in Japan so what better way to celebrate my heath and sports than to go to Yasukuni Shine to take in a bit of archery. Kyudo, as its called in Japan, is a super old sport. it's not robin-hood-exciting in any way; it's slow, methodical, and done with quite a bit of ceremony.

first the priests and the judges file in:

next the archers:

there were two teams, four to a team, plus the leader. The teams lined up and took a shot one by one from the same vantage. if the judge wanted an explanation of the shot (which he almost always did), there would be a lot of posturing and yelling of the clarification. the question mainly was, where on the deer did you mean to hit? if he hit where he was aiming, he got the point. if he answered wrong, he didn't get the point. kinda funny.

The bow holding arm was always out of the sleeve during the competition.

the single hot dude there:

she was pretty amazing. great form. the draw:

and release:

then they each had to put a stake in the mound of dirt to signify how many hits they got. there was also some rule about the placement on the mound and such but i didn't catch all that:

the 2 team leaders went at the end. their shots were 2 points a piece:

waiting for the results:

it was a beautiful day. the light was very bright so my shots are a bit over exposed but after a string of rainy days, i was happy for the good weather:

as it was health day, i decided to improve mine a bit by taking a lengthy walk through the imperial grounds:

it was a gorgeous day to be outside:

A Thai Hurricane

2010-10-05T11:06:00.000+09:00

my dear friend duang finally made it to japan after years of threatening a visit. she brought her hubby pete and her 2 kids, Mew and Ton. They are a high energy bunch!

mew shows off her new child bride dress:

the girls conspire on the train:

super cute but hyper active! definitely a lot of fun:

the old crew together again!

nice to see you dude! next time, maybe we leave the rodeo at home and try to catch up!

K.O.O.K. Productions

2010-09-20T10:58:00.000+09:00

went to a comic book store with a friend just to have a look around and i found myself thinking that a lot of the pictures would make for cool pieces of art. hence was born Komix Out Of Kontext or KOOK productions. Here are some of my prototypes. i think they look cool.

the blood splatter took some work. i got paint all over my floor. still ironing out the kinks in the splatter system:

the most interesting part for me was the comic book culture. perhaps i didn't fully appreciate otaku culture, but there is a smell to used comic book shops (maybe not just used ones): a mixture of sweat and body odor from people who clearly don't bathe as often as they should followed by papery undertones and a permeating dankness or dampness. it's really quite unpleasant but no one seems to notice. don't know if i will be frequenting used comic book stores; i suppose it will depend on how KOOK takes off. drop me your addy if you want me to send you one!