Oliver says: Banzai!

Sakura

2009-05-03T01:54:00.000-07:00

Wow!

It's been a veeery long time since my last blog entry. That time it was still cold and I was bitching about badly insulated Japanese houses. I guess I will have a 'part 2' on that one, once humidity is going to hit the country in summer and life under the air condition becomes a normality.

This time however, it's about one of the most pleasant seasons during spring or 'haru' (春) in Japan: The Cheery Blossom or Sakura (桜) season.

The country's parks and river banks are full with cheery trees - all artificially planted. Normally, no one really spends any time looking at them. They are just trees. However, in the early spring days blossom forecasts are becoming a fix part of the weather forecasts.

Special reports and even web cams are monitoring the development of the buds on a daily basis. Once the blossoms start to bloom, maps will inform about location and the speed of the spread across the country. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
On TV, special reports will show people taking pictures of the buds and later the blossoms at every possible stage. In other words: The Japanese are completely crazy about the cheery blossoms.

Then, when they bloom, people pilgrimage to the parks and river banks to have 'Hanamis' (花見) or cheery blossom parties/picnics.

They'll do so with their company team or class members, as well as with friends and family. For companies, usually a junior is send to a park to reserve a good space for the team to sit later and celebrate. The poor guy then usually has to sit there all day, playing with his mobile phone, listening to music or sleeping - in a suit! Should the weather be nice, it's a pleasure, but it can also be very boring, I guess. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDuring
During the picnic, everyone will be sitting on blue plastic foil to eat and drink the things they brought from home or bought at the combinis....

No one knows why the colour of these foils are all blue, but I've hardly seen any other colour. These things are quite big and can be bought at the famous 100 Yen stores for 104 yen (incl. tax). bbbbbbbbbbb
Needless to say that everyone puts off their shoes - after all this is Japan - and while this is certainly advisable, since one is in a park, it can however be a little chilly sometimes, as usually the air is still fresh and generally temperatures are warm only during the day provided the sun shines. So better wear a jacket.

At the weekends or just at the high time of the Sakura, the parks can be quite busy....actually, no, they are PACKED with people. Absolutely amazing! One is therefore well advised to have some people get some space early in the day to make sure one has a spot at all - ideally under a tree of course..

Once the night falls people keep sitting around or start to move to other parts of the sometime big parks, like Yoyogi Park in Tokyo. In the big ones they might have DJs and other concerts. It's indeed a big happening. Later people would normally go to an 'after-party' somewhere around town with friends to end the day..

While having attended Hanamis before, this time was pretty 'intense'. I think i attended about six different ones.

The question is of course, why are people here so crazy about the blooming of a tree that would - just by they way - never bear any fruit. They are only there for this one thing - to be admired and enjoyed. But why?

It appears, that the Cheery Blossom is a kind of symbol for life/youth. As time passes quickly, one is reminded to cherish (cherrysh? ;-) the time one is given and enjoy the beautiful moments. Kind of a Japanese version of 'cease the day', I figure.

As the Cheery Blossom come back every year, they are also a symbol of hope, that in the new year or - more generally - in the future, there will be a beautiful time again... So let's hope for that!

(N)onsen(s)

2009-02-11T00:52:00.000-08:00

It's cold, isn't it?

What does one do against it? Well, there are of course the various ecological (3 jumpers on top of each other and hand-knitted socks from your (Swedish??) grandma) and not so ecological (heating up to the max) options that we can apply at home.

In addition, there are places like the office (and endless fights with your colleagues or the 'facility manager' regarding "too warm" or "too cold") or the gym (skip the machines and go straight into the steam bath) or - for people in beautiful Switzerland - skiing on 3000m in bright sunshine (ok, it's cold there, but on a sunny day you won't freeze, unless your skiing sucks ;-).

Here in Japan, however, people contribute massively to global warming, as their houses are generally badly insulated and most houses have no central heating system. That's mostly because during 9 or 10 months out of 12 in a year (provided you don't live in Hokkaido - 北海土）it's actually not really cold. Quite the opposite, especially in summer.

Consequently, most houses are equipped with air condition systems that also can produce some warm air, or gas ovens. Alternatively, mobile electric heaters or carpets, as well as little gas stoves are popular.

As windows generally haven't got double glassing and walls in many cases are almost paper thin (compared to good old German or Swiss massive house building traditions) people send their gas or electricity bills soaring and the 'green bill' off the cliff.

Side note: To save parts of the ailing Japanese economy (and the planet), the Diet should pass a bill forcing everyone to replace their windows with double glassing and properly insulate their houses/buildings. (I was always wondering why my main door is made of metal - naturally it would just pass all possible warmth in my place through to the outside).

In Germany for instance (where people are mad about being ecologically friendly), this has been started (and continues so) ages ago...

Well, but let's move away from this debate and consider a more pleasant option one can make use of in freezing Japan: The Onsen (温泉).

Now, unlike a Sento (銭湯), i.e. a regular public bath that conventionally heats up the water provided, an Onsen would have its water from a natural spring. That water is usually quite hot, as - you might remember - Japan is a volcanic island. Furthermore, the water would contain all kinds of things (like sulfur) you'd normally not consider for your regular water. ;-)

In the case of Onsens however, it's considered extremely healthy; and since these facilities have been around for a very long time and (near Nagano) even the local monkeys enjoy it, I'm sure it IS actually really good for your body (and your mind).

Luckily, I recently had the pleasure to visit one of those Onsens together with my fellow classmates and some of the teachers. Unlike the one I know from Kobe (where the Onsen is actually located in the middle of the city in an eight storey building), this Onsen is in the middle of the Japanese-mountain-country-side.

Fantastic!

One leaves the madness of a 30 million people metropolis and finds oneself in a 30 people staffed Onsen-Hotel to seek (and find!) tranquility, warmth and health...

The place I've been to is called Manza (万座) Onsen - a real pearl among the Japanese Onsens. The place has been run and developed over many decades and is managed by the very gentle Ono-san (大野さん) and his family.

Now, not only has this Onsen hot springs with different water specifics and temperatures. One can also enjoy these 24/7. - No joke. You wake up at 4am and can't fall asleep again? No problem. Just get up, go downstairs and sit in one of the wooden tubs/pools for as long as you want. If you haven't fallen asleep in the tub (and drowned) you'll certainly fall asleep after that treatment in no time.

They also provide wooden pools outside, i.e. open air. And let me assure you there are only a few things better than sitting in hot Onsen water at 2am in the morning, heaps of snow around you and millions of stars above you to glance at...

On the way back and forth you'd be wearing a Yukata (浴衣) like I and my friends did, sometimes casually stopping by the green tea dispenser.

But it doesn't stop there. The Onsen has also a mountain next to it, which is just waiting for skiers and snowboarders to make use of. In summer, this place must be a paradise for everyone who likes hiking.

We also visited Kusatsu (草津), a sometimes suspiciously German looking town in the middle of the mountains there. Main feature is a huge well area in the middle of town, where every minute 5,000 liters of 70°C water are gushed out, making it Japan's largest.

They also have a very beautiful shrine that is supposed to protect the travellers from and to the town and spa.

Well, what could possibly happen then? :-)

With this I let you go back to your (hopefully) warm places in this (hopefully not too) frosty winter...

Bonenkai - or how Japanese people forget the year

2008-12-31T02:51:00.000-08:00

Well, needless to say that it's not the worst ideas of all to try to forget THIS year. At least with regards to some financial institutions (such as UBS - OMG!!) or, by now, the entire global economy.

In Japan, they also have good reasons to try to forget this year. Not so much with regards to banking. In fact, some Japanese banks were smart enough to stay out of the US house (of cards) market. Therefore, being rather cash rich when the market crumbled, they picked and chose the good (remaining) pieces of some banks for their own portfolios. Good move guys!

However, the overall economy here is also not doing so good by now. November saw the sharpest drop in the production of industrial goods since the 1950's and even the über-car-company Toyota had to come out with a serious blow on their profits (first one since...ever, I think).

Well, you see, there is much to forget about. Therefore, the Japanese invented Bonenkai (忘年会) - lit. 'forget the year gathering'.

Here, one has to congratulate the Japanese for their honest and straight forward branding skills. While we in the west disguise this as 'Holiday dinner' (formerly known as 'Christmas Dinner' before we in Europe also became overly PC), the Japanese just call it what it is (and what it is for!). ölasdjflöksadjflksajdföljsadölfkjjsaöldkfjlöaksdjflöksadfölkjjsadlfkjsalökdfjsöalkdfjlöaskjfölsakj
As such, it is indeed nothing more than: A group of people (friends, colleagues, club members etc) gathering at an Izakaya (居酒屋) in order to eat (a little) and drink (a lot).

In between some presents/prices/awards are handed out to members of the group for their great achievements, for staying in the office until forever or for their political importance. Whatever the reason, everyone receiving something has to deliver a little speech, containing words of appreciation and gratitude.

Finally, the gathering is closed by one member delivering a sing-sang-speech, asking everyone to join him by clapping one's hands (just once!), to end the party.

After all that, people leave the Izakaya to split into two groups: One consisting of people who go home and the other of people who go on (until the early morning, or until they drop ;-). ölskdflöasdjkaölksdfasdjflasdöflalösdkasldjkfölasjkdfölajksdöflasödlfö
This year, I had the pleasure (for the second time) to attend the Bonenkai of the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Osaka - in Osaka. They kindly invited me again, as I attended some event about two years ago there (and probably because I currently live in Tokyo and not half-way around the planet).

So, off I went, hopping onto the super-fast Shinkasen (新幹線) down to Kansai (関西). I'm picked up by my good friend Akiwa-san, who runs two companies in the area. Together, we head for the Izakaya.

The whole group is big enough to occupy three table sections in the Izakaya, so about 20-25 people. I also see my good friend Vanessa again, who I hadn't seen in over a year. She's Swedish and working for asics in Kobe in their international marketing department (i.e. her Japanese is light years ahead of mine ;-).

While eating (sashimi, fried chicken, cesar salad) and drinking beer like water (not that it would taste like it - we are not in the US after all ;-)) there is a lot of "how are you doing, what are you doing now business wise, how's the family" talk.

Later the mentioned presents are handed out. A bottle of Sochu (焼酎) with a special label is given out and along come the speeches.

I get a bottle, too, even though I hadn't done anything apart from attending the event two years ago and last year, but hey, I'm not going to say 'no' to a nice bottle of Shochu. My speech (in - broken - Japanese) is greeted with applause - probably because they were happy that it didn't take very long.

And with this I want to wish you all a happy new year 2009 (we are just a few hours away from it here in Japan).

Try to forget (about your portfolios) and do enjoy the new year as much as you can!

Cheers, Kampai, Prost, Salute, Santé!
Oliver

Nuts - Part 2

2008-12-09T04:12:00.000-08:00

Some people are allergic to nuts.

I can imagine that it must drive one nu...err...be a real pain to double check every time one is about to sink one's teeth into a meal, just to be sure that the stuff doesn't contain nuts of any sort or physical condition.

Well, luckily I'm not allergic. Actually, quite the contrary: I'm addicted!

At least I can't think of any other word when it comes to my level of consumption of a product that I have discovered in this country some years ago:

They call it 'Almond' (what a innocent name for such a powerful drug!).

Even with the best intentions, I wouldn't be in the position to tell how many boxes of this stuff I have absorbed in the past years.

I assume it's the (evil) combination of dark chocolate and almond nuts that makes it irresistible - especially when it has been cooled down nicely in the fridge before consumption. ölskjedlöaskjdlfjkasdöljkfaösldkjaslkjdflsakjdölakjsdfölkjasöldfjkalsd
Now, I don't eat a box a day...however, also not just one or two pieces ;-)

So, should you ever visit a 'conbini' (see earlier postings on this blog) in Japan: Just close your eyes and walk on when passing the 'sweets' section...

(Honestly, they should make this stuff illegal!)

Merry X'MOS!

2008-12-07T00:29:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas time!

I probably don't have to tell you that Christian traditions don't really play any major role in the daily life of most Japanese people.

Now, there ARE a few Christians in this country - and some of them are even Japanese. In fact, in some regions, like Nagasaki (長崎) there are 'traditionally' quite a lot, as the Portuguese hit the place around AD 1542 already. However, unlike in South Korea, the 'aggressive' missionary activities of - mostly - US American Christians seem to have relatively little effect on the population's warshipping...errr...sorry ;-) worshiping habits.

Instead, the season is a high time for the consumption of (glittery) goods - no one really needs - and the massive use of the word 'kawai' (可愛い), which usually is translated with "cute; adorable; charming; lovely; pretty". Especially, every time the (female) Japanese consumer comes across something that has been decorated in a fanciful way.

The installation of so called 'Illuminations' also attracts visitors, lovers and families around the country and one has to say that some of them are done with quite some effort.

Other than that, many Japanese have 'a date' on Christmas to celebrate this moment in the year. To do so, some of them book a room in a so called 'Love Hotel' (I'll come back to that topic later) and enjoy themselves and the, sometimes very interesting, interiors.

Unfortunately, I will probably miss out on this special part of Japanese modern culture for a few years to come, since my parents in Germany will continue to demand me to be at their place in Germany for Christmas (but then there are other occasions, which make the use of such a facility interesting... ;-)

By the way, the 'family heavy' equivalent of Christmas in Japan is generally New Years eve and day, which is - unlike in many other parts of Asia - also celebrated on the 31st Dec/1stJan.
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Like in many other countries of the western hemisphere, Christmas related things are hijacked by most businesses here.

Next to all the department stores punishing their customers with all kinds of different versions of 'jingle bells' or 'silent night', food related businesses exploit the occasion as well - especially if their own name relates to it - even though sometimes only in the slightest of ways.
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One example is the famous MOS Burger chain (which, unlike other well-known chains, has actually REALLY good burgers).

However, being caught up in the battle for consumer attention like everyone else, it might come as no surprise that they greet their customers with a slogan that goes 'Merry X'MOS' (I assume that's how 'Merry Christmas' sounds when you say it with your mouth full with burger and fries - or fried chicken pieces, as promoted in the advert above).

On this note: Whether you are serious about Christmas or just enjoy the colourful decos - I wish you all a nice time and hope this planet becomes a little bit more peaceful in the coming years!

Nuts - Part I

2008-12-06T20:16:00.000-08:00

Does the world drive you nuts sometimes?

Really?

Well, in that case I can recommend a speciality from Japan:

'Nuts of World' - one of the best know antidotes now on sale!

....needless to say that it's a 'special select'

Enjoy!

99円

2008-11-25T06:57:00.000-08:00

Oh, look these things all cost the same..!

"Well, they ARE all the same" you might argue, but what about these...

Well, these are clearly different products, so why do THEY also all cost the same...??

Ah, here lies the answer: We are in a 99 Yen shop.

These nice little places can be found in pretty much every neighbourhood, and they all have one feature in common: Everything costs 99 Yen (plus tax, which builds up to 104 Yen aölskdjflaskjdflaskjdföalsdfölasin totalin total - but never mind that).
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Yeah, even the POSH 'evian' water, which they import half around the planet from France only costs 99 Yen here!!

Hm, really everything..? Then why lable goods at all? After all, these labels cost money, too... Could this be a nice McKinsey cost saving measure for these shops? Must be worth at least a trillion Yen over the period of the next whatever years, no?

Ah, no. Unfortunately, labels are still required for the case that something costs actually LESS than 99 Yen:

These ramen (chinese style noodles) for instant... err... instance cost actually less than 99 Yen.
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...But then, what is this????? Something costs MORE then 99 Yen in a 99 Yen shop?? What, where, how, why????

Ah, 'exotic food' - i.e. cheese, some German stuff, too. No wonder it's selling at a super high price...

...But honestly, the rest, say 99%, really costs 99Yen. Come to think of it...I forgot to count how many different products they have....maybe 99...?

House hunting III

2008-11-24T06:36:00.000-08:00

After only a few weeks I decided to move out of my Shinjuku (新宿六丁目) flat. Mainly because it was too expensive, didn't have enough light in the afternoon and I also wasn't too keen on the neighbourhood.

Now, you might ask why I moved in there in the first place. Well, that's explained quickly. I needed to get out of the hotel and this flat was cheaper than my hotel room (not surprising, I guess).

I also require a furnished apartment. Now, if you're the regular expat and your company pays for your accommodation, it's of course not a big deal. However, if not the market is pretty small here in Tokyo. Finally, I didn't want to compromise on space just yet.

...well, now I have, but:

The new place is near Hatsudai station (初台) and, while much smaller, it has a number of advantages that are relevant for me:

Firstly, it's 50.000 Yen cheaper. Then, it's brand new and nicely located near the Tokyo Opera City, which includes the National Theater, a concert hall, art galleries and a rather large number of good restaurants.

It's also just one stop from the Shinjuku (新宿) monster train station, which means quick travels into all corners of the city. Lastly, it's located on the 6th floor with a nice view on Mt. Fuji - especially in the evening when the weather is clear.
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So, while it's effectively a shoe box, it's still pleasant and given the little time I usually spend at my place, it's providing all the flexibility I currently need...

...and lastly it is only for five months - provided I don't find something bigger, nicer and still with a view on Mt. Fuji :-)

Rose water sake

2008-11-20T00:49:00.001-08:00

Today, a long hidden, secret recipe will be revealed. It's highly recommended for everyone studying the Japanese language.

Its effect is kindly explained by my dear friend and neuro-scientist Carole Mathis:

Recipe:
Put 5 drops of rose flower in a glass of sake (temperature: 55°C)
Drink every morning at 8am and every afternoon at 5pm (local time).

Effect:
The flower power will keep you peaceful (no stress is always a plus whenever you are trying to fill your brain with hundreds of beautiful and complicated Japanese characters).

The rose essence will keep your mood up and put a beautiful pink fuzzy veil in front of your eyes.... lovely.

The Sake should synchronize your brain electric activity with the Japanese vibe.

Word of caution:
But be careful, do not abuse the beneficent effect of this potion. Nobody would be able to recognize you or understand you afterwards...

Thanks Carole, I'll think of it ;-)

Read more on:
> Japanese Sake (日本酒)
> Rose essence vs rose water
> Effect of alcohol on the brain

Tokyo - a definition

2008-11-15T18:32:00.000-08:00

A concrete jungle where it rains Soy sauce and Udon snakes hang down from illuminated traffic signs. The risk of getting attacked by multi-colored Sashimi pieces is omnipresent and the wild cries of Karaoke singers lets you cringe...
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川越市 - or little Edo

2008-11-05T04:59:00.000-08:00

Ah, yes. I know you thought I'd be stopping writing this blog. But I'm not. The last few weeks have been rather 'busy'. The next view entries will put some light on these things.

Well, one little trip I was invited to by my friend Azusa was a festival in Kawagoe (川越市) - some weekends ago. The city is located about 30-40 mins outside Tokyo and is famous for a lot of things (sweet potatoes among them) but for one thing in particular. Here, one can get a little bit of a better idea how Tokyo looked like, before we was wiped out by the fire bombs of the US Army in WWII.
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The festival we went to see though was a gathering by representatives of a number of temples. Each of them had richly decorated wooden carriages. With these they were parading up and down one of the major streets of the town - in both directions.

Each time two of them would meet they would 'greet' each other by playing specific tunes by flute, drums and other instruments.

Some of them would disguise themselves as animals, again being associated with the temple and it's symbolic world. For instance, one had a white fox. I will do some more research on this mystic world once I have a little more time.

Needless to say that - like any festival in the world - there is a lot of playing and eating around it. In this case the main shopping streets are - of course - open.

Some other streets have little food stands with sweet, sour, and other tastes, next to shooting galleries or little tubs with goldfish or turtles in them for (old and young) kids to try to catch some. This is particularly difficult as the means you get to catch them are usually made out of thin paper that brakes if the object is too heavy or handles in the wrong way.

It was a fantastic evening with many different sights and sounds - from a (sometimes) very different country...

Noisepon - Jazzpan

2008-10-17T03:05:00.000-07:00

The well-disposed traveler will often associate certain impressions with a certain country. Consequently, CNN called a short break feature in its news programme 'sights & sounds of...' such and such country. Indeed, certain sights, colours, but also smells are usually well remembered. The same goes for sounds, of course.

Now, like every country, Japan is full of sound. In some cases one would probably be inclined to call it noise. However, this - as with many things - lies 'in the ears of the auditor'.

For instance, almost everyone who ever passed or entered a so called 'Patchinko parlour' is likely to wonder what on earth the attraction is about these places. There, in a number of straight rows people sit closely next to each other all staring at machines that are a mix between a pin-ball and slot machines.
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The player buys a basket full of balls made of metal that are all a bit more than 1cm in diameter. The machine gets filled with these and then they fall through it, only held back by a number of arranged metal sticks or 'nails'. The player can watch this and, in a very limited way, influence the course the balls take.

Eventually they all fall into slots and depending on where they fall in, the player wins or not. However, by law the players can't win money. So they get little 'gifts' like a toy, chocolate or a cheap perfume etc.

Now, there they sit - for hours - surrounded by a deafening mix of the noise the metal balls make when falling through the machines, plus extremely loud music (it needs to surmount the noise produced by the falling metal balls going though the machines), plus constant announcements form the staff (which, again, needs to surmount the music and the noise of the machines).

I never got the point of doing this, but a friend of mine assured me that most people visiting these places are either extremely bored or addicted - or both.
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Compared to that it's almost relaxing to stand at a six lane street somewhere in the city. What's amazing about that is, that even with quite some traffic it seems not as loud as in other cities in the world. I assume a number of factors come together to keep the noise level down so much:

1. Taxis in Tokyo run usually with gas - so they produce no real engine noise. 2. Japanese car's engines are also usually very silent. 3. Most streets seem to be paved with pavement that, to some extent, absorbs noise produced by car wheels rolling over it. 4. The tires of the cars seem to also be of the kind that produce less noise on the pavement. Combined this sounds more like the gliding of vehicles in a sci-fi movie than a city of the year 2008.

But enough about such sounds. Over to some more pleasant things like music, and there in particular - jazz.
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Japanese apparently love jazz. Jazz is played and listened to A LOT. It therefore doesn't come as a surprise that there is even a website talking about Jazz and Zen.

In fact, it's about the hardest thing to escape jazz music in Tokyo, if you DON'T want to listen to it. That is because jazz is THE ultimate background music for bars, cafés and restaurants and certain sections of department stores.

After a while you don't even realise it anymore and it gains a kind of 'air status', i.e. one consciously has to concentrate - like in Zen? - to actually become aware of it....is this the ultimate state of being..? :-)

House hunting II

2008-10-16T06:32:00.000-07:00

Have found a flat in Shinjuku (新宿)! Was indeed easier and much faster than I thought. But then, I can only move in November 1st. So, another few weeks in the hotel in Yotsuya (四谷).
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Given the regular space/price ratio here it's actually quite big with 45.59m2 (just realised I'm not clear if that is including the balcony or not...hm probably is).

It's also nicely located, as Shinjuku is one of the hot spots in town and respectively well connected to the rest of this Japanese metropolis. My school is only about five stops away, which should therefore take me about 20mins door-to-door.

The place is fully furnished and they provide all necessary electronic equipment (incl. washing machine - hear that Switzerland?! :-), free Internet etc. With a 'combini' (see earlier blog entry) around the corner life should be relatively - well - 'combini' :-)

For those who know Tokyo a bit here's a map. I checked the neighbourhood both on Google earth (thank you guys for doing this job) and in person. Seems to be a nice urban neighbourhood, but still not too busy at night.
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I guess I'll get a bike to explore Tokyo a little more. It's supposed to be one of the best, fastest and most...ok, again...'combini' ways of getting to know the city - provided of course it doesn't rain or it's not 35degrees with 105% humidity. Hm, ok, thinking about it, that limits the use of a bike quite significantly over the year. Maybe I won't buy a bike after all :-).

I'll add some pics once I moved in...

Heso - The Edge of Gizzard

2008-10-15T01:29:00.000-07:00

No, this is NOT the title of part four of the 'Lord of the Ring' epic. This is about food. Chicken to be precise.

Now, you might have thought that one can only eat chicken breasts, legs and wings. I can tell you, you were wrong! Ok, we all at least heard of people eating chicken feet and maybe some of you of some other parts. But how about (almost) EVERYTHING? And not because one wouldn't have anything else to eat. No. Because it's a delicacy!

I went to a place in Yotsuya (四谷) called Imaiya Honten. There, they specialise in chicken. And not only that. They only have chicken form one farm that has become famous over the years. So much that it played a part in some popular manga and also a TV soap opera. So, clearly a place for the ultimate chicken connoisseur.

Now, I don't want to bore you with the 'regulars' (according to the menu structure). Liver, heart not to mention the well known and tasty muscles that keep the animal in the air or make it move on the ground.

No. Let's go right to the really good stuff listed in the delicacies section: Here we find it: Heso - or, the edge of gizzard. Now, I assume my cousin Andreas knows exactly what I'm talking about - after all he's a vet. For the rest of us, let me share this little explanation I found: after all he's a vet. For the rest of us, let me share this little explanation:
"The gizzard is a muscular organ of the digestive system of birds and other animals." (source) - Now, who wouldn't want to die - or at least pay a little fortune (given the size of it) - for such a exclusive piece on the plate?!

But it doesn't end here - of course. We also have 'Tsunagi' (繋), which turns out to be a thin tube between the heart and the liver....hmm, yummy!

Or, how about Sashimi of the brain - with three different sauces?

And last but not least something called 'Sol ly laisse' - yes, that's French, and therefore reveals how far these birds must have flown ;-).

Apparently, it means 'Only a fool leaves it' (Etienne, please confirm). Now, what the heck is that? Well, you might have realised that I didn't mention any bones, yet. You would have thrown them away, right? Or given them to the dog? Correct?

Ha! You fools! Didn't you know that there is this famous cabsule on the top of the bone of the thigh, that contains some juicy something that you must not miss?!?! Well, now you know.

Bon appetite - or as they say here: 'Itadakimasu!'

House hunting

2008-10-13T20:37:00.000-07:00

I'm currently house hunting, which seems to be a relatively easy thing, provided you plan to do a regular move within Tokyo. Being new in the country and hunting for a furnished apartment, things are a little more complicated. Furthermore, everyone says that Tokyo would be such an incredibly expensive place to live in. Now, so far I came to find that this is NOT the case for many if not most aspects of daily life - excluding housing.

Born in Germany and grown up in a free-standing house, space was never really an issue. Also later, flats offering decent amounts of room remained affordable (excluding ridiculously expensive places like London). Tokyo however, IS amazingly expensive, if you are looking for something of the size that you are used to in most parts of Europe.

This is of course not surprising in a country that has to squeeze all elements of an highly sophisticated industrial society into a small strip between the sea and almost irreclaimable mountains.

Costs for a regular flat pile up to cover a number of things: It's normal for instance to pay the equivalent of one month's rent to the agency (without an agent it's very difficult to find something at all), two month's rent deposit and two month's rent of so called 'key money' (which is essentially bribery) - at least!

Ah, and then you pay rent for at least one month in advance. So, in the best case this adds up to about 6 months worth of rent that one pays, just to set the first step into the new home. Of all this money, you are however likely to only see one month's rent again by the time you move out.

Now that's for the regular situation. In my case I'm looking for a furnished flat, and there things are a little different. Usually, one saves the key money and also the deposit - if paid at all - is not that high. However, the rent is generally higher, given the space provided compared to an unfurnished flat, which is not surprising as the apartment is fully equipped.
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To give you an idea: A 42 square meter, furnished apartment coming along in a Europeanish style and with a separate bedroom can easily be around 450'000 Yen or approximately 5'000 Swiss Franks. In top locations like in the new Mori Tokyo Midtown complex (picture above) apartments are even far beyond that. One has to say though that such places usually are focusing on expats and other parties where the company pays for the apartment - or your regular millionaire coming to town for a few weeks or months.

Such apartments are also generally located in areas popular with foreigners and the building would usually be a serviced one (doorman, cleaning lady, gym, car parking etc included).

Needless to say that I plan to spend a little less than that, in particular, as I will spend my time more in class and out on the street than at home. Well, we shall see what we get...

Financial crises in 日本

2008-10-13T02:23:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you are all following the reports on the financial crisis, just like me. I so far had hoped that this would not affect the Japanese market too much. It now turns out that I was wrong. Japanese banks are heavily affected by this (see also chart below).
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Please see the following news report sent to me yesterday by lovely Lin from Zurich:

Following the problems in the financial sector in the UK, uncertainty has now hit Japan.

In the last 7 days Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and Bonsai Bank announced plans to cut some of its branches. Yesterday, it was also announced that Karaoke Bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song, while today shares in Kamikaze Bank were suspended after they nose-dived.

While Samurai Bank is soldiering on following sharp cutbacks, Ninja Bank is reported to have taken a hit, but they remain in the black. Furthermore, 500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop and analysts report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank, where it is feared that staff may get a raw deal.

Looking for a new gadget?

2008-10-12T16:09:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been to a restaurant or in a plane and received either a warm or cold (depending on the season) cotton towel? In Japan they call them Oshibori (おしぼり).

Next to the wooden tooth pic (which seemingly got extinct in Germany - for whatever reason) they are among the best inventions to support the cultivated visitor to restaurants.

Whoever had the pleasure to receive one for the first time immediately wonders why they don't have them all around the planet. Luckily, one gets them in more and more restaurants in the western hemisphere, too.

Now, to keep them cold should be pretty easy. Everyone's got a fridge and therefore it's easy to keep them cool during the hot summer months (just make sure they don't stay there too long and pick up the smell of whatever leftovers you might have stored there :-).

...but warm? What do you do? Put them in the oven? Into a pan? Misuse the vegetable steamer, rice cooker or even toaster??

Well, if you are still looking for the ultimate kitchen gadget for the next birthday or Christmas present, you have arrived: The Oshibori Towel Warmer.

The challenge of course will be to find one in the western world should you live outside the truly international hot spots of London or New York - but in Zurich, for instance ;-))

Only buy the best products!

2008-10-12T07:10:00.001-07:00

I took a few pics from my hotel room in Yotsuya (see also below). Nicely enough, I have the city around me - so to speak. On the left Tokyo Tower (東京タワー) - at least the top part (look for the antenna) - then the massive Mori Building (even though it's not so massive on my pic :-) - check the link - and on the right, Shinjuku.

The deal of the day I, however, made in the near-by 'combini', as they call their convenience stores here. I'm always on the look for quality products. However, here they make it really easy for the customers. They simply print it onto their products - how 'combini' :-)

Finally, found some very nice little side streets off the big Shinjuku dori, with lots of little restaurants and bars around the hotel. ET, a place to hang out in the eve - like our regular spot in Osaka :-)

Links:
Tokyo Food Page Restaurant List: www.bento.com

御茶ノ水と六本木

2008-10-11T04:35:00.000-07:00

Was checking out my school in Ochanomizu (御茶ノ水) and promptly found the building. The whole place turns out to be a hot-spot for music instruments.

The area also hosts a number of campuses of Universities and is not too far from Otemachi (お手町) where UBS also has it's offices.

Today they had a little festival going on. Jazz bands were playing on the streets and young designers showed off their work.

Coming from Zurich, I feel it's also worth mentioning that this was a gorgeous autumn day with yet again warm temperatures and sunny skies - just as October Saturday afternoons are supposed to be :-)

Later, I went over to 六本木 (Roppongi) area. Its one of the places in Tokyo that appears to be a bit more saturated with native and non-native English speakers than others. It's consequently rather attractive for the non-Japanese speakers hanging out in town. As a result a lot of expats and other 'gaijins' live there.

It's however also a hot spot for galleries, bars and clubs and therefore attractive for the regular fun-seeking (Japanese) Tokyoite.

Went to have dinner there at an excellent noodle restaurant called Tsurutontan (つるとんたん) that a friend showed me some years ago. Also found a number of new galleries and shops that haven't been around last time I was here...

Links:
Restaurant Tsurutontan: www.tsurutontan.co.jp

東京へ来た！

2008-10-10T03:06:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Tokyo!

After a sleepless 11hrs15mins flight (and two kids competing in crying their lungs out) I arrived at a sunny and warm morning in Tokyo - hardly any hint of autumn around... Instead 25 degrees and sun. I figure I could get a tan in no time when sitting on my hotel balcony in Yotsuya (四谷).

While they where preparing my room, I went out for lunch. Chirashi-sushi for 860 Yen (approx 9.80 CHF), including soup and green tea. In lovely Zurich I'd paid a mere 28 CHF for that, for probably only a fraction of the quality. These small family owned little restaurants are just unbeatable...

Next task is to get my old Softbank pre-paid phone running. The number usually expires after the phone wasn't in use for more than 360 days (which shows how long it is since I've been here - too long ;-). I hope only the number expires and not the entire phone...well, if so, I just get the iPhone....

Ah, and then 大阪スタイルお好み焼き (Osaka-style Okonomiyaki) for dinner in Shinjuku. The place was called Rokumonya and seems to be run by a bunch of young people. Anyway, the Okonomiyaki was great. Having arrived from Switzerland just a few hours ago, I went for a cheese version. Very nice. (Reto - you'd like it :)

Links:
Tokyu Stay Hotel - Yotsuya: www.tokyustay.co.jp
Chirashi Sushi: http://i.pbase.com/u40/smshiew/upload/26106819.1010199_IMG.jpg
Soft Bank: http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/
Okonomiyaki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okonomiyaki
Shinjuku: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinjuku
Okomiyaki restaurant: www.rokumonya.com
Tokyo guide: www.enjoytokyo.jp