Drinking is Important

Yesterday I attended a farewell party for a graduating PhD student in our group. Now that my Japanese is getting a little bit better, it struck me that for 4 hours, the topic discussed at the table was entirely about other people. Some of the talk was normal scientist stuff: famous groups, famous scientists, and their crazy tendencies. But a lot of it was about group members at the table, and group members away from the table.

Everyone was up front and direct about people they didn't like, and things they did that were annoying. Lots of ridicule and judgmental opinions were aired.  ... This is in stark contrast to day-to-day manners, where everyone but the guy at the top is expected to suffer.

It seems no coincidence that the choice words started flowing after their throats got lubed up by a couple a beers and steady glasses of wine. And in Japan, work parties, where everyone goes together to some bar and gets snookered, is part of the job. Girlfriends/wives do NOT go. It's a work meeting. With drunk guys.

Now I understand why. People must be saving up for these things. I'm sure some people plan in advance what they want to let out. Sure there may be drinks, but not everyone in Japan lacks alcohol dehydrogenase--some guys can drink. The alcohol is just an excuse--for some reason, this is one social setting where it's OK to be completely frank.

It's also interesting that despite the high consumption of alcohol, drunkards in Japan don't fight. I theorize that either A) they drink with people at work, and the group mentality makes a fight WAY too awkward or B) they don't often get personally offended to the point of loosing their temper. ..and I'm trying to compare apples to apples: Tokyoites to Manhattaners. Maybe a person who has less concept of being unique and different has less impetus to get offended. Hmmm...

Spring time in Tokyo


BEFORE: Cherry trees next to my office's building


AFTER: (Actually, "DURING" or Now is more accurate) Cherry trees next to my office's building


Ueno Park, sunset on Sunday "o-hana-mi" or Flower Viewing


Ueno Koen's sakura in bloom, by lantern light

It's really hard to catch the full feeling of these days in Japan.. Forgive me if I decide to spend more time enjoying it and soaking it in than posting on the blog!!

Narita 101

Welcome to Narita Airport!

During your lay over at this east Asia hub, there are several ways to spend your free time. Passengers from the Americas (and maybe Europe?) will arrive in Terminal 1, which has a high concentration of Japanese-y gifts from cute "Welcome To Our Store" kitties to kimono and ceramic knives. (And incidentally, this is the only place in Japan I've seen ceramic knives.) Terminal 2, which serves Asian destinations, may also have these stores, but I haven't been there yet so I don't know.


Pica PiCA!

From the 5th floor you can reach the outdoor observation deck, where you can see one cartoon-adorned jumbo jet pass by every 21.3 hours. (No, I don't have any data to back that number up.) There's also Kaiten Sushi, so you don't have to speak Japanese to order, and you can see before you eat. There's a little conveyor belt that brings sushi dishes by your table. But once you touch one of the color-coded-for-price plates you gotta buy it, so I recommend you enjoy the taste before asking what it is.

One word of caution; Narita is Tokyo's biggest airport, but it is also the name of a Tokyo suburb, right there by the airport. (Which, uh.. is, uh.. well, it might have some reason for the name.) So when you're on the train to the airport from Tokyo, be sure and listen/read the English announcements. I've learned that if a Japanese person has taken the time to provide instructions in English, it's usually to help you avoid calamity or fiery death and should be paid close attention to. (...and because I know you're wondering, No, I didn't miss an international flight before.. but I think it might be hard for someone in Japan who didn't know Japanese and English well.)

Adventures In Breakfast! Today's Test Subject

Would you eat this?

I would.

The brown things are beans called ANKO. Closest description I can come up with is sweet red beans. The cake had a green tint to it--that would be due to a pinch of green tea.

Verdict? Delicious! The cake was soft, moist, and spongy, not unlike yummy carrot cake. Like many Japanese delicacies, the taste wasn't strong: just a hint of sweetness from the anko. And the perfect size for one serving. I would definately buy it again. Grade A

I broke down.

The Bundle of Joy

My What-The-Heck Japanese HD Cable Which Prevents Me From Enjoying My Bundle Of Joy In It's Full Widescreen High Definition Glory But Can And Will Soon Be Remedied Once I Buy The Correct Cable Which Has Component Video Connectors Which Is Better Anyway Because Then I Won't Have To Unplug My DVD Player (XBox Can't Play US Movies) Every Time I Wanna Use It

Only complaint about the XBox console itself is the noise--like the original, it makes a fair bit of fan/disk noise. Solution? Turn up the volume.

Mom Survived

MOTHER SURVIVES JAPAN

This news flash is to report that my Mother visited Japan and enjoyed it very much. At the end of her visit, I tried to keep track of all her observations about Japan. She noticed a lot of things which just seem normal to me by now.

• #1 Everyone is exteremely quiet. On the train, in a line, at the store..
• 80% neat 90% hard (to live here)
• [a candid observation, 110% honesty style] deceptively friendly, intensely private, "I don't think you could ever really break into this culture, which is probably in Japanese folks's best interests"
• High tech low tech. For example, a heated bathroom seat next to old fashioned chain and plug sink stopper.
• Wherever you go no two toilettes are the same. "I can understand your fascination with toilettes now."
• everything is extremely clean (except for U Tokyo campus, near my building)
• U Tokyo is not really an international campus. For example, U Tokyo's welcome center is 100% Japanese.
• "Reverse discrimination" when someone is nice to you at the tourist booth but in their heart hates your guts. Not as bad here as in Mexico, but slightly here. A little bit here.
• If you're not skinny, you feel a bit freakish, like people look at you
• Appearance is very important here--seems opposite from the way it is in America. Japan doesn't subscribe to the "don't judge a book by it's cover" motto.
• Very efficient & very "smart"
• Seems open to the best things of other cultures, but also holding on to the best things of their own culture. (Lance's idea that she agrees with)

It was a bit cramped in my apartment with the two of us, but I miss her being around. I think I'll go un-rearrange my kitchen now. Come back soon, Momma!

PS Sorry for the delay.. I originally wrote this on the day after she left. (2 days ago.)   Apparently Blogger.com's spam police have itchy trigger fingers, cause I got shot.

Japan vs. XBox360

This photo taken Jan 22, 2006

For all my guys out there, this astounding photo needs no explanation. Astounding. And ~110Y/$1 means extra astounding.

For those who don't care about video games, here's why the above photo is astounding: the XBox360 is what's called a "next generation" game for home. It's better because it uses sophisticated parts for excellent video (in high definition), it has wireless internet so you can for example race in a car against someone in Germany, and you can play movies on it. In the US and Europe, this machine is sold out; you can't find it in any stores. In fact, it sold out on the first day it was available.

...which has led people to start selling the Japanese versions on Ebay for $450. ..which is isn't so much higher than the $400 price in the US, but is $100 higher than the Japanese price, with the Yen->USD conversion. Why? Isn't this a global economy? How is this possible?

Two reasons. 1) Sony. MicroSoft is making a pre-emptive attack before the release of Sony's next generation game, the PS3. It will hit big in Japan, and it will hit soon. 2) Region locking. US folks could fear that their beloved game won't work, much like the way DVDs are coded for the country you bought them in. Region locking only effects a very small number of people who live in the "wrong" region.. *ahem* like me.

However, I just happened upon this information which describes how many many games are actually not region locked. I am salivating as I type. Perhaps I could file it under "Ways to learn Japanese"..?

Nice Day Camera

Just had a Japan moment: slipped out of work at 4:30 to take a jog, because today was surprisingly warm. Along the way were the usual school kids, old ladies, and construction workers--but I also noticed a bunch of people wearing cameras. Walking the dog, window shopping, or strolling around with the baby, I saw people taking time out. And 90% of them had a nice, big, black SLR camera. (Canon, mostly.)

I just thought it was quaint that the same people who would take a break to enjoy the weather are also the type who want to capture the moment in a photo. Not that they were actually taking any photos.. but I could relate all the same.

HARMONY English

A sensible, reasonably priced plastic tote



A typical Tokyo girl's sweatshirt.

The English is just there for looks.. so of course Japanese folks wonder why foriegners are always reading it. ... After one or two gems like this one, I read every bit of clothing English I can find!

Slowly, my own collection of clothes with Engrish is growing, but it's hard to find stuff my size. But I have a prized "Massive Ebidence" t-shirt with "Molecules of Chaos" on the front.. hmm.. I should go shopping.

PLUM BLOSSOMS, Tokyo in early spring

on a nice weekend day, people come out to sketch nature and landmarks

"Ume" (Japanese Plum) can have pink or white blossoms; this is the same flower as the first photo. They bloom much earlier than cherry blossoms, "Sakura," so it's still too cold to have big picnics. That'll happen within weeks, though, I think. The kind of tree that produces edible plums have white blossoms.

Money

Does that look like $2.46 to you?

Someone asked about money. And soon after, a cautious Japanese friend of mine (who works in a bank) told me that I shouldn't post any pictures because it could be forgery. Well.. if I go to jail over this, I'd be surprised.

The photo above is my old change purse. Yes, a Texan man owns a purse. But you would too, because change is actually valuable here. There are no bills equivalent to $1 here, just a coin that looks like a slightly small quarter, the 100Y coin. (There's two in the photo.) Some coins have holes in the center: 50Y and 5Y. (There's one golden 5Y in the photo.) The other coins are 10Y and 1Y. The 1Y coin is some kind of really light alloy, which reminds me of play money.

Standard practice when you're paying for something is to get your change out and visible before the total is actually presented. Then you pick through the change and put it on a tray. A polite person will double check, spreading out all the change for a final count. The 50Y and the 100Y are the same color and almost the same size--if you miss the hole in the middle it's easy to make a mistake.



BILLS BILLS BILLS

One of the biggest money differences is that cash is much more common than credit cards. Safety isn't really an issue, so there's been no impetus to change. The common bills are 10k, 5k, and 1k Yen. The exchange rate is roughly 100 Y / $1 US, so I have about $60 in my hands. That's not much for Tokyo. (But still enough to induce manic cross-eyed-ness for a self-portrait.) 10kY bills are ~$100, and would have produced genuine mania. 5000Y bills are not dispensed at cash machines, only by hand or at shops. I should mention, there is a 2000Y note, but it's very uncommon and only stocked at banks to dispense by hand.

The print and faces on Japanese currency was recently overhauled. And nice stores like to give out fresh money, as a courtesy to their customers, so there's lots of crispy bills out there. I'll have to get a photo of the pay tray and how a person counts them out when giving you change. (Sort of a folded, snap, count-each-one thing) The bills here are wider than dollars, and the length of them are slightly different for each denomination.