(日本語は後ほどつけます）

I went up to the Narimas Station area again yesterday – I really needed a tall black american (coffee – what were you thinking?).  That’s not the only reason I ride the subway just to get coffee.  There is also a big 100 yen shop there called Daiso.  I’m not usually a fan of 100 yen shops, but this one is a treasure house of funny English translations.  Sometimes I just stand in the aisle tee-heeing in my beard.  You don’t believe me?  How about this Wisdom from Daiso:

A double zipper does not express water.

Please do not bend the double zipper part.  I cause the water leak.

Because I am dangerous because there is not breathability, please be not fogged from a head.

The above were all found (and plenty more!) on an “Emergency Water Bag.”  I didn’t even want one, but had to buy it for the collection of pithy phrases on the package.  I will put it on the Strange English page above.

Besides phrases that may well conceal deep truths about the universe and all that, there are simply silly examples as well.  A photo frame proudly states:

Princess of me who that is lovely and lovely. Not only that, it has a photo of a kitten with a tiara.  Do you feel lovely now?  Plastic file folders shout Unison – People’s minds harmonize.  The beautiful life will come.

Now do you see why I go up to Narimasu some afternoons?  Great coffee and the Daiso Museum.

What other news from the land of the rising sun?  The photo albums have mostly been updated.  AND, the dream house column will be returning to this blog shortly.  Stay tuned.

A Tall American

also a Tall American

(日本語がポストの下にあります）

I suppose you think this is a regular old cup of coffee, don’t you?  It’s actually a “tall Amer- ican.”  I was at my second favorite coffee shop the other day.  Guess what they call a regular cup of coffee, middle size?  Why, it’s an American, tall, of course.  You really have to be up on the lingo to order a cup o java these days.  After placing my  order (and having a little laugh at ordering “one tall American, please”, I jumped when the clerk called my order in a loud voice “WHO ORDERED A TALL AMERICAN?”  The tall American did, of course.

While I was in England I also ordered Americanos (they add the o at the end to make you think you’re drinking something really spiff).  If you don’t specifiy that you want it black, it comes with milk in some shops.  I always felt funny requesting “one black American please.”  Especially when the waiter/waitress was black.  Sometimes I tip-toed around it by asking for one regular coffee with no milk.   To which the waiter always replied, “oh, one black American, eh?”  You can’t win in the coffee world today.

Hijiriko Coffee Shop

Speaking of coffee, I dropped in to my favorite shop today for a cup.  I’ve written about it before – Hijiriko at Senkawa Station.   You really have to go there – today I asked for a cup of blend coffee (no Americans here!), and received not only coffee, but also a thick piece of buttered toast followed by half a baked potato.  And all for 350 yen (about $3.00).  Not only do you get all of this, you have a view from the second floor windows over all of “greater Senkawa”.  Such as it is.

左の写真は普通のコーヒーに見えるでしょう。実は、これがトール・アメリカンだ。先日僕の２番目に好きなコーヒーショップに行ってきた。レギュラーコーヒーで、中サイズが欲しかった。この頃コーヒーを注文する時、専門用語が必要だから、「普通のコーヒー、中サイズ」ではなく、ワントールアメリカン、と言う風に注文しないといけない。オーダーが出来上がった時店員さんが大声で「トールアメリカン！トールアメリカンを注文したお客様」と怒鳴った。なれているはずの僕がジャンプしてしまった。

It is often said by Westerners that Japan is irreligious (for better or worse).  Perhaps it is because patterns of religiousity are different here than in the west.   If you are a regular reader of this blog you know I enjoy exploring neighborhood shrines and temples on my walks.  Besides these established institutions I’m always on the lookout for roadside shrines.  In Tokyo, at least, they are in virutally every neighborhood.  Here is one I found recently near Ikebukuro.  (click to enlarge)

Here is one I walk by on my way to work nearly every day.  This time someone had given the statue some flowers.

I often revisit temples with my camera, hoping for different lighting, or seasonal changes.  The tile roofs against the deep blue of the winter sky is a particularly nice effect at this time of year.  Here is a temple near Ikebukuro Station.

When in England viewing and photographing churches is a great pleasure.  Not so in Japan, where they are few and less interesting, architecturally.  But shrines and temples more than compensate here.  A favorite aspect of English churches is their gargoyles.  Temples don’t exactly have the same feature, but I did find something similar yesterday at Kishibojin (鬼子母神) near Ikebukuro station.  This little red figure appears to be holding up a beam near the top of the roof.

A Salty Post (all photos in this post can be enlarged by clicking the small images)

I know some of you didn’t believe me about the salt in food in Japan.  See the photos on the left, o ye of little faith!  This is a restaurant in the Oyama area’s “Happy Road Oyama Arcade.”  (jolly sounding, isn’t it?)  Drop in when you’re feeling a bit low on the sodium.  Go ahead!  Salt it up!! HOWEVER, I did read in the Daily Yomiuri yesterday that people who have a high sodium intake are very likely to wind up bedridden when elderly.   Your choice.

Jammed Camera Returns

My camera came back from the Canon repair shop today good as new.  Whew!  I figured the jam that oozed into the works would be the end of it, but the people at Canon take care of their own (for a price).  One dollop of jam = 10,900 yen to fix (about $100).  Such is life.  Now we know the value of jam.

Philosopher’s Hall Park (Tetsugakudo Koen 哲学堂公園）gets new members

I walked over to Shinjuku from home to pick up my camera today.  My route took me past the lovely park Tetsugakudo Koen (Philosopher’s Hall  Park).  (Japanese website)  Lifesize statues of various thinkers from world history have been installed lately.  It is an interesting selection that includes Ghandi, Shotoku Taishi, Confucious, Abraham, Jesus, Hamurabi, and others.  Good for brushing up on your world history via visual cues.  The route continued past the Nakano Station area.  It was cold.  How cold?  Even bronze statues were wearing warm clothing.  What else can one see in the park to station area?  How about Ferret World and Ferret World 2.0?  Two shops dedicated to ferrets and all things necessary to keep your furry friends happy (Japanese website).

Fun in Shinjuku

What’s there to do in Shinjuku?  Depends upon your age and predilections.  For photographers, it is a treasure-trove of interesting things to photograph + a tremendous area in which to shop for cameras and related items, both new and used.  A few minutes walk takes one from the ultra-modern sky scraper district to a shrine to shopping areas to… well, you name it.  No matter how odd it is probably here.  Some things seen today:

And then there was Josquin…

This week on Tuesday and Thursday evening at Rikkyo University the Rikkyo Institute of Church Music sponsored a two-part workshop on the music of Josquin des Prez by Mr. Tetsuro Hanai.  Mr. Hanai’s professional choral ensemble will be singing two masses by Josquin in the Rikkyo Ikebukuro Chapel next Tuesday (Jan. 19, 7:00 p.m., admission free).  The workshops were an introduction to the style and notation of the music.  We who participated were presented with the original notation of one of the movements, and were able to sing it with some confidence.  Mr. Hanai’s presentation was done with humor and demonstrated a great depth of understanding of the music.  It was one of the most enjoyable musical evenings I’ve spent for some time.  The concert promises to be great – I suggest you arrive early if you plan to attend.  Here is Mr. Hanai’s website (website in Japanese).

PART I

A belated happy new year, o dear readers mine.  I have been back in Tokyo for several weeks now, and have neglected writing for some time before that.  I seem to have used all of my productiveness during my three months in England.  But after several weeks of pure sloth I am back in the saddle.

It is interesting to see Tokyo afresh after spending two weeks in London at the end of my England stay.  Both are great cities, of course.  Which do I prefer?   Which do you prefer?  Let’s categorize things.

1. If we are talking about the weather, Tokyo wins hands down in the winter.  It was cold, colder and colder yet in London during December.  Any day, no matter how well it started, could end up rainy or snowy.  And most days didn’t even start out well.  The sun comes up late and begins to go down around 3:30, after having risen no higher than 45 degrees above the horizon.  Tokyo?  SUNNY and bright nearly every day.  Cold, but pleasantly so in the sun.  Dry most days.

2. Architecture.  Depends on what you like.  I miss having an historic church on every other corner with all the history to be discovered inside.  Yet in Tokyo you will find roadside shrines in every neighborhood, as well as larger shrines and temples.

3. Food?  Steaks?  Fish pie?  Roast pork?  Mushy Peas?  All served with no salt!!  Hooray for London.  Grilled fish?  Tofu?  Fresh veg?  Tokyo is the place for you.  But oh the salt!  I walked past a restaurant yesterday with a sign outside proclaiming “No Salt, No Life”.  Ouch!!  If you are a salt-hater like me, that positively hurts.

4.  Transportation systems?  The London underground proudly announces which lines are running normally all day long, leaving one to assume that the others are not.  (Lines sometimes actually close completely for weekend work).  In Tokyo the trains are bigger and cleaner than London.  It is assumed they will run on time (unless a jumper {one who commits suicide by leaping in front of a train} strikes a particular line).

5.  Life as a foreigner?  In London EVERYONE is a foreigner.  I rarely met anyone English there.  Keeping my mouth shut allowed me to pass for a native.  In Tokyo EVERYONE is Japanese.  Not much use trying to pass as a native here (unless you are Asian and dress like the locals).

6.  Public toilets?  Sorry to bring up a delicate subject, but when in London it is best to keep the consumption of liquids to a minimum.  Public loos are few and far between.   Many charge admission and others are broken down.  Tokyo?  Every little corner park has one – go ahead and have another beer.  You’ll be ok later here.

PART II

And what of the Tragedy at the Victoria and Albert Museum?  My beloved camera (a Canon EOS X2 DSLR) found itself with a dollop of jam exactly on the top control wheel.  Who did it?   I still don’t know, since I wasn’t having any jam.  But there it was, oozing in, as jam will.   Luckily this happened at the end of the tour, but friend-camera is presently in the Canon Hospital for abused cameras.  Pray for a low repair bill!  Since my motto is “No camera, no life” I had to buy a replacement while waiting.  If you’re looking for a pocket camera that can be controlled similarly to a DSLR, check out the Canon S90.  I wish I had had it in England for those days when I wanted to travel light.  And speaking of photos, here are some of my favorites to conclude comments on the England adventure.  From here in on the View From Tokyo will be presenting the news from Tokyo.

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