New Taste Sensations

I'm leaving Japan just when I've finally acquired a taste for green tea. My first taste of green tea was on the plane from the U.S. to Tokyo when we moved here three years ago. I hated it! I tried it again once we had been living here for awhile. I still hated it. I've since avoided the green stuff whenever possible. Yesterday I went to Kawagoe to attend their monthly antiques market, held on the 28th day of every month. I stopped in at a traditional Japanese confectionary shop for a snack. They served me a complimentary sweet cake and cup of green tea. I decided I had better be polite and at least take a few sips. To my surprise, I actually liked the taste! I drank it down and went shopping for some sweet bean cakes -- another taste I have acquired since moving here. In fact, I have come to enjoy just about all the various confections that are made from red beans, including red bean ice cream. But my very favorite Japanese ice cream flavor is black sesame seed. Even though it does not look very appealing (it's gray and resembles a glob of wet cement), it has a scrumptious nutty flavor. Nowadays, when I visit a new neighborhood, I keep a lookout for traditional senbei (rice cracker) shops. The rice crackers you get in the U.S. simply cannot compare to the incredible variety and wonderful flavors available in Japan.

I went to the most marvelous museum today -- the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, in the western suburbs of Tokyo. Ghibli is the name of the animation studio led by Hayao Miyazaki, director of "Spirited Away" winner of the 2003 Oscar for best animated feature film. I'd never heard of Miyazaki till I moved to Japan and until I went to the museum today I had no idea of the wonderful magical worlds he has created on film. His work is wildly popular in Japan and today I saw ample proof of why. His imagination and inventiveness are boundless. His body of work is prolific. The museum is as popular as his films, so much so that one must make an appointment in advance to even visit it. I feel so fortunate to have even been able to set foot in it today. KC, Michiko and I had gone to Kichijoji today for lunch, shopping and a walk in the park. We noticed the Ghibli museum on a map, saw that it was close by and decided to pop in. That was when we learned about the restrictions for ticket sales. But those restrictions apply to Japanese only. As foreigners, KC and I would be granted access if we went to a travel agent. Lucky for us, there happened to be a travel agent outside the museum who sold us some tickets on the spot (Michiko was granted entry as well!). What a delightful experience it was, despite the hordes of kids roaming about. The building itself is quite fanciful both inside and out with brightly colored walls, stained glass featuring the imaginative creatures envisioned by Miyazaki, playful sculptures and displays. There was a recreation of the studio where Miyazaki does his work. Samples of sketches and handpainted cels decorated the walls. Scrapbooks that illustrated his influences were available for browsing. Displays of several types of animation projectors had us spellbound. We got to see two short clips of work by Miyazaki and I was thoroughly entranced. Now I've simply got to get my hands on some videos of full length feature films.

Since moving to Tokyo almost three years ago we have ridden on almost every type of public transport available: subway, JR train, private rail lines, shinkansen (bullet train), monorail, water bus and regular bus. But until today we had not ridden on the Tokyo trolley. It is the last trolley line of several that used to traverse the city up until the 60s. After some research, I discovered that the Oji paper museum is situated near one of the trolley stops. The Waseda trolley stop is close to a highly recommended folk craft store called Bingo-ya. So we hopped on the Namboku subway and rode out to Oji. From there we walked to the paper museum, one of three museums in a rather dreary little park near the station. The park is the oldest public park in Tokyo -- and it looks it. Perhaps when the trees come into bloom it will be more picturesque. The paper museum had three floors of exhibits that included paper making equipment, samples of different kinds of paper, origami displays and unusual items made out of paper, including two kimono and a model of Matsumoto Castle. After the museum we headed to the trolley stop. They run quite frequently so we didn't have to wait long. It was so tiny! Just one car with the capacity of a city bus. In fact, riding the trolley was much like riding the bus -- you pay your fare just as you do on the bus upon entering the car, you press the same kind of button to let the driver know you want to exit at the next stop. The one exception was the trolley bell that clang clanged away during our trip. The car was full -- we stood all the way to Waseda and a rather bumpy ride it was. As we had read, many of the riders were senior citizens, but there were several school kids and other young and middle aged adults as well. At Waseda it was quite a walk to Bingo-ya, but my intrepid navigator, Brad, found the way with no problem at all. We stopped and had a tasty lunch at a little ramen joint and then made our way to Bingo-ya. What a wonderful little store chock full of wonderful hand crafted items: textiles, paper products, ceramics, toys, handbags and wallets, clothing, kites . . . Some of the items were quite expensive but others were affordable. I bought a ceramic vase, a cute toy (a figure on a stick who puts a mask on and off as you slide the figure up and down) and a display rack for the fans that I have acquired while living here.

This week I've been trying to wrap up some of my ongoing projects. I'm editing one final newsletter for DigitalEve Japan and finalizing details on an ordering process for some t-shirts I designed, plus getting ready to send some postcards to the printer. In addition, even though a replacement has been chosen, I'm still making updates on the CWAJ website. I hope to clear my agenda by the end of this month, so I can begin organizing for our big move.

We've cancelled our trip to New Zealand :-( :-( :-(

We'll probably do daytrips in Japan instead. Though I regret getting the chance to see NZ, I look forward to further explorations in Japan.

This week I also managed to engage in some more of those experiences that are unique to Tokyo. We went to a fantabulous shrine sale on Sunday. It was held at Takahatafudo, which is about an hour by special rapid train out of Shinjuku station. It was well worth the extra effort to get there. The grounds of Takahfudo are quite beautiful. There are several buildings including a five-storied pagoda and extensive gardens with pathways that wind up some steep hills. It's one of the biggest shrine sales I've been to also -- there must have been hundreds of vendors. I found a few bargains: two kimono jackets that make excellent and very stylish additions to a westerner's wardrobe, a silk obi that can be used as a table runner and a gorgeous blue and white bowl with a design of a dragon on it (the vendor claims the bowl is over 100 years old). After the shrine sale we ducked into a cozy little Indian restaurant for a delicious meal.

Yesterday I headed out to Kappabashi, a section of town with a profusion of stores selling housewares. On my way to Kappabashi I was hungry and tried to find a place to eat. I passed by the usual Japanese eateries and smoky coffee shops till I came to a place called Cafe de Flamingo. The door was made of frosted glass and the curtain in the window prevented a peek inside. The menu indicated that they serve an afternoon tea, so I thought I'd check it out. I entered the cafe and it was as if I had stepped through a time and space warp. Gone was the gaudiness and noise from the outside world. Instead I found myself in a cafe that looked as if it belonged in Vienna during the early 1900s. The walls were forest green and the wood was a rich mahogany color. Aside from the waiter, there was not a soul in the place, adding to the surreal quality of the setting. I sat down and ordered the afternoon tea. The waiter was gracious and friendly. Soon he had placed a pot of tea and a two-tiered tray in front of me. On the tray were one ham and cheese sandwich (prepared with one of those sandwich grilling machines,
four Pringles potato chips, fresh fruit and cakes and cookies. As I ate, mellow jazz music played in the background. A thoroughly delightful repast. I left the cafe and headed back in to the blare and glare of Tokyo and continue to head towards Kappabashi.

I love shopping in Kappabashi. There a stores that specialize in nothing but plastic food. Others specialize in porcelain, knives, lacquerware, aprons and chef's hats. It's the restaurant supply district of Tokyo, but there is plenty there to satisfy the average consumer. I even discovered a couple of wonderful craft/antique stores there.

Today is a Japanese national holiday -- Spring Equinox Day. Spring festivals have sprung up all over town including Azabu-Juban, a neighborhood near us. Think I'll head out there to see what's on offer.

God, I will really miss living in Tokyo!

This week I've been trying to wrap up some of my ongoing projects. I'm editing one final newsletter for DigitalEve Japan and finalizing details on an ordering process for some t-shirts I designed, plus getting ready to send some postcards to the printer. In addition, even though a replacement has been chosen, I'm still making updates on the CWAJ website. I hope to clear my agenda by the end of this month, so I can begin organizing for our big move.

We've cancelled our trip to New Zealand :-( :-( :-(

We'll probably do daytrips in Japan instead. Though I regret getting the chance to see NZ, I look forward to further explorations in Japan.

This week I also managed to engage in some more of those experiences that are unique to Tokyo. We went to a fantabulous shrine sale on Sunday. It was held at Takahatafudo, which is about an hour by special rapid train out of Shinjuku station. It was well worth the extra effort to get there. The grounds of Takahfudo are quite beautiful. There are several buildings including a five-storied pagoda and extensive gardens with pathways that wind up some steep hills. It's one of the biggest shrine sales I've been to also -- there must have been hundreds of vendors. I found a few bargains: two kimono jackets that make excellent and very stylish additions to a westerner's wardrobe, a silk obi that can be used as a table runner and a gorgeous blue and white bowl with a design of a dragon on it (the vendor claims the bowl is over 100 years old). After the shrine sale we ducked into a cozy little Indian restaurant for a delicious meal.

Yesterday I headed out to

Busy week this week and I haven't begun to organize for our move yet. I'm still working on getting Ginger squared away for entry into the UK. It's frustrating, because we keep getting conflicting reports on the quarantine requirements. Finally, I decided to call the UK govt. agency in charge of the Pets Travel Scheme (PETS) and got the straight dope from them. One of the cargo companies in Tokyo insisted that Ginger would have to be quarantined at Heathrow airport, but I found out that just isn't so. We will be able to have him transferred to one of the quarantine facilities near where we'll be living in Yorkshire. So now we're trying to determine which of those three facilities we will place him. Tough decision to make from so far away. We're trying to see if we can find someone to go and inspect the facilities for us.

So, what else this week? I went to a kabuki program at kabuki-za on Tuesday. What a terrific experience. I've been trying to talk Brad into going ever since we got here and I finally realized I wasn't gonna be able to talk him into it so I just went by myself. The entire experience was quite a treat. For a Tuesday night the theatre was very crowded. I got caught in the mob as the doors opened and couldn't figure out why everyone was cramming their way in, since we all had reserved seats. Perhaps it was so they could be first in line to sign up for a reserved meal. I saw the counter for that, so I figured I better sign up. The show began at 4:30 p.m. with a 30-minute intermission at 6 p.m. Not much time to grab a bite to eat at one of the restaurants on the third floor. There were acts from three different plays performed -- a typical format for Kabuki. Most kabuki plays are quite lengthy and are not usually performed in their entirety. The performances I saw were fabulous -- the costumes were incredible. And the acting, well it's so foreign to western theatre, but I quite enjoyed it.

My other great acheivement this week is I went back to Nishiogi to purchase an item we had spied there the previous weekend. It was a box full of woodblock prints. Brad and I leafed through them but couldn't make up our minds whether to buy them or not. The asking price was ¥45,000. We even considered splitting the contents of the box with Heather and Graham, but eventually walked a way from them. Well, Brad and I had a good think about them and then decided to go and negotiate for them. I went by myself during the week and after much wandering around located the shop again. I offered 30,000. The shop owner countered with 38,000. Then I suggested 35,000 and he said yes! I was delighted. The more i looked over the prints in the box, the more I realized what a treat we had found. We've done a bit of research now and have discovered that the prints constitute the entire series titled "The Fifty-three Stages of the Tokaido" by Hiroshige. We have no idea how old these prints are or whether they are reproductions or not. But we are very satisfied with the quality and are simply delighted with our purchase. I knew I wanted to bring home a wood block print or two with me, but I never dreamed we come away with an entire box of them! There are actually 60 prints in all, because some of the prints are alternate views of the same location.

I used a Japanese-style toilet for the first time this weekend. Brad and I were at Kasai Rinkai Koen and I had to go and there was no other choice except hold it in. I figured, I might as well add this to all the other things I will not be able to experience after we leave Tokyo in a few months.

Kasai Rinkai Koen is a wonderful little park right next door to Tokyo Disneyland. There is an aquarium there, a bird watching park and a giant ferris wheel. Luckily we had a beautiful day for the ferris wheel ride. It took 10 minutes to go round once and we had a fantastic view of the city with Mt. Fuji in the background. Since we were there around mid-day we did not see many birds, but are able to add the brown shrike to our list. We also saw some kind of merganser, but have not been able to make a positive i.d. yet.

Japan is definitely the land of overpackaging.

When I go grocery shopping, I usually bring my own paper bag and get "ecology" points that add up to yen off on future purchases. On a recent trip, here is how the bagger packaged my purchases:

a lemon, placed in a small plastic bag
an avocado, placed in a small plastic bag
a package of strawberries, placed in a small plastic bag
a jar of tahini, placed in a special bubble wrap bag
a package of eggs, placed in a small plastic bag

So inside my recyclable paper bag, I received no less than five non-recyclable plastic bags.

Japan is also the land of irony.

Another weekend almost over. The countdown is beginning. It seems we have little more than two months left in Tokyo. I'm beginning to get panicky. I don't want to leave this place. We've had so much fun here, met some very nice people. It will be difficult to say goodbye. Brad and I feel we must begin to make a list of things we want to be sure to do before we leave. Places we want to be sure to go to. Mementos we want to be sure to bring back with us.

Also beginning to look ahead to our new home, North Yorkshire, England. From all reports it is beautiful there. The weather will be dreadful, though -- frequent rain, often cold, not much snow but plenty of fog.

Today Heather and Graham invited us to join them in a drive to Nishi Ogikubo to go shopping in the antique stores there. We've been to Nishiogi before by train -- a totally different experience going by car, as Heather and Graham prefer to travel. Personally, I found the drive a bit annoying. We were constantly losing our way, scurrying down narrow streets, searching for parking spaces, getting stuck in traffic and then looking for alternate routes. I would so much have preferred to have just caught the train and not worry about all those hassles that go with driving. Nonetheless, we enjoy Heather and Graham's company. It was fun poking in and out of the antique shops. Most of them were carrying items that were far to expensive for our budget. We saw some beautiful lamps, porcelain, lacquerware, kimono and furniture. We also saw a lot of gaudy kitsch. Had fun ordering lunch in a Chinese restaurant where there was not a word of English on the menu. We "landed on our feet" as H & G would put it (they're filling us in on many Britishisms) and had a delicious meal.

As for shopping, we ended up empty handed. Better luck next time, I hope. But the scary part is, there won't be that many more next times! Heather and I have plans to scope out woodblock prints in Kanda on Wednesday. Brad and I would like to take home one or two nice prints. We came across a whole box of prints in one of the shops today. The asking price was ¥45,000 ($380). We thought we might be able to bargain him down to ¥30,000-35,000 ($250-$300), but will compare what we saw today to what we come across on Wednesday. I'm not convinced of the quality of the prints we saw today. It was so odd to see a whole box of woodblock prints like that. Several were the same scene but with different colors. I have a theory they are practice prints by up an coming artists who were copying master works. Just a hunch on my part. I have nothing whatsoever to back up my suspicions.