Taxman came home on Friday and told me he was making praline.
It's hard to define how strange that statement was. Taxman is not a cook. Taxman is not really even an eater. He's never been someone who spent much time focusing on food, content to exist on mint slices, white bread, vita brits and spaghetti sauce from a jar. That said, three years living with me has, in his own lovely words from our wedding, taught him that hats were not just something you wear on your head.
He carried it through. He not only says he's making praline, he goes and downloads the recipe from the internet, buys a baking tray and actually makes the praline. Amazing.
There's a strange thing happening in Australia right now to heterosexual men, something I like to call "The Masterchef Effect."
Suddenly these men who had previously attempted to cook nothing more complex than meat on a barbeque, are not only interested in food, they think they can be the next George Calombaris. Six months ago they had no idea who George Calombaris was (but potentially like Taxman had eaten the fantastic donuts at The Press Club.)
A straw pole at work today confirmed that this was reaching H1N1 pandemic status. One colleague said her husband is even considering entering Masterchef next year.
And on the weekend past at a routine, and expensive, visit to the great Peter's of Kensington I saw fathers leading small children around saying "Look kids, it's just like the paella pan used on Masterchef!"
For me Masterchef is the first truly cyber-interactive television, I've become very fond of watching the program while following the Twitter comments online - it's very entertaining to follow the public mood as the show progresses.
As for the praline, of course once made who wants to eat a kilo of sugar and almonds? But blitzed in my new Peter's of Kensington purchased food processor and mixed with vanilla ice cream it was pretty damn good.
Keep it up Taxman.
15 June 2009
13 May 2009
Final Leg
I started writing this in on my final day in Tokyo, added to it in the sweat inducing humidity of Langkawi and am completing it as the sun goes down on a chilly, yet sunny afternoon in Sydney.
We returned to Tokyo when the weather was poor, and spent a lot of time with wet feet for the first 24 hours, rapidly understanding why there is such a large range of fashion orientated gumboots.
The final train journey I succumbed to some postmodern self indulgence and listened to the Lost in Translation soundtrack as the shinkansen cut its way through the mists. As befits the melancholy heroine of the film I spent a fair amount of the journey in self reflection, this trip for me is marking a few great turning points in my life, some voluntary, some just necessary.
The Translation theme continued of the final days as we stayed in a large hotel not completely unlike the one in the film, we even had drinks in the bar on the 42nd floor watching the red links blink across the Tokyo skyline as night fell.
In my last days I hit the shops buying gifts and trinkets, books to get my through the 5 days in Langkawi (I read 10 books over the 23 travelling days, many complete rubbish but I do recommend Curtis Sittenfeld's American Wife, all her books are amazing) and odds and ends. I also completed my Japanese eating list, which when sung to the tune of "I've been everywhere man" sounds quite impressive...sushi, sashimi, sukiaki, okonomiyaki, shabu shabu, yakitori, tonkatsu, ramen, udon, soba....all supplemented with a steady stream of beef bowls, something I've been obsessed with long before coming to Japan.
We spent one day ticking off the places we hadn't seen, but thought we should see. There was a reason they weren't higher up the viewing list and none impressed us that much. I guess we weren't geeky enough to love Akihabara, though the fact you can by a PC for under $700 that does everything you could need if pretty amazing. Ginza, as Simon suggested, is overrated, though it does out 5th avenue 5th avenue is some ways with the sheer scope of the $. The $1million necklace in the window of Van Cleef & Arpels is now on my birthday wishlist in case anyone is interested.
One highlight was going to the Tokyo Dome to see the Yomiuri Giants play the Chunichi Dragons. As a tall man walked out to pitch the opening ball I said to Taxman, "Who's that?"
"Tom Hanks" replied he.
"Right...sure."
But sure enough it WAS Tom Hanks, and he pitched (badly) to Ron Howard while Brian Grazer and his son watched on. They then retired to a box to watch the game. Tough life promoting these films apparently.
The game was one sided, the Giants winning 10-2, but the atmosphere was great and the Chunichi crowd, though small compared to the 20,000 or so Giants fans, put up a loud and melodic fight chant wise. The beer wenches, of which there were many, were kept busy, as were the Saki wenches, the bento wenches, the ice-cream wenches, hot dog wenches and juice wenches. Taxman proved himself to be the 'Goldilocks of Baseball caps' after he claimed none of the 500 or so varieties they had at the ground were what he wanted.
Saturday I discarded Taxman early, after a brief trip to Shibuya to catch the Hachiko statue that we missed first visit. (Do read the story on the link, like Christian the Lion it is guaranteed to make anyone cry.) We also visited (but didn't stay at ) Love Hotel Hill, where a 90 minute 'rest' will cost 3000 yen or so. I had to cut Taxman loose as I was spending the day at the big end of town fashion wise. I started at the designer end of Omote Sando, where the amazing Prada store stands out both architecturally and fashion wise. It symbolizes the millions companies put into the Japanese market to have their brand stand out in the most competitive shopping place on earth.
I spent time lovingly looking at the great Japanese designers, Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake in particular. Walking back up the street towards Harajuku the mood shifts from designer to street and the pop culture mood takes over. Not for the first time this trip I chanted "I'm 35...I'm 35" to remind myself that spending on such fashion was not a wise choice.
I was hoping to see the famous Cosplay girls who frequent the area on weekends, and while there were some in the mess of people, photo opportunities weren't forthcoming. I satisfied myself with visiting the Laforet Museum to see the "Harajuku Dolls" Exhibition. The exhibition featured all sorts of dolls, from Barbie likenesses to Blythe Dolls (huge in Japan) dressed in amazing costumes that ranged from S&M wear to alien and zombie themes. The only thing weirder (and more disconcerting) was that many of the people at the exhibition where dressed in full size versions of the same things!
So ended our time in Japan, a great cultural experience and Tokyo is one of the best cities in the world. Happy to return any time.
We arrived in Langkawi at night, happy to be off planes and out of the KL airport, which I am beginning to despise just because of the sheer amount of time spent there in the past month.
We got the warm welcome and a upgrade conversation at the Westin, but we're pretty sure we're in the room we booked, upgrade promise or not. First night atmosphere dominated by a bad cocktail act which kept me awake until midnight, and after being up since 5am I was not a happy camper. Thankfully the only noise we heard after that one night were the sound of what can only be described as ultrasonic cicadas.
The world looks a lot better when you open your doors to the Andaman Sea. While never being a big fan of typical beach holidays, I think I could get used to this life for just a little bit longer. While a few tropical rain showers came our way, in general it was warm and water friendly. The exchange rate makes eating in the hotel less terrifying than normal hotel prices, and with breakfast included we went to town on the morning buffet. (Just imagine every breakfast option there is, from the West and Asia, and you've pictured the breakfast buffet....I'm excited. And there are scales in the room, so I know that while I may have turned all my personal training sculptured muscle into something less likable I haven't ballooned as my blog writing may have suggested!)
We did venture out to the real world only to discover it is not as exciting as our luxurious world by the pool. But weirdly the main staples for purchase in Kuah town were luggage, cooking ware and chocolate. In face I've never seen a country so obsessed with chocolate - it is everywhere. Maybe people jet in to by luggage and fill them with chocolates to take home?? In our opinion it is too hot for chocolate.
Aside from walks, the odd massage and reading a mountain of books there was little to blog about. And photos would only make everyone jealous. That wont stop me posting some later though.
Alas now we are home, washing mountains of clothes and preparing for a return to work on Monday.
The real world sucks.
We returned to Tokyo when the weather was poor, and spent a lot of time with wet feet for the first 24 hours, rapidly understanding why there is such a large range of fashion orientated gumboots.
The final train journey I succumbed to some postmodern self indulgence and listened to the Lost in Translation soundtrack as the shinkansen cut its way through the mists. As befits the melancholy heroine of the film I spent a fair amount of the journey in self reflection, this trip for me is marking a few great turning points in my life, some voluntary, some just necessary.
The Translation theme continued of the final days as we stayed in a large hotel not completely unlike the one in the film, we even had drinks in the bar on the 42nd floor watching the red links blink across the Tokyo skyline as night fell.
In my last days I hit the shops buying gifts and trinkets, books to get my through the 5 days in Langkawi (I read 10 books over the 23 travelling days, many complete rubbish but I do recommend Curtis Sittenfeld's American Wife, all her books are amazing) and odds and ends. I also completed my Japanese eating list, which when sung to the tune of "I've been everywhere man" sounds quite impressive...sushi, sashimi, sukiaki, okonomiyaki, shabu shabu, yakitori, tonkatsu, ramen, udon, soba....all supplemented with a steady stream of beef bowls, something I've been obsessed with long before coming to Japan.
We spent one day ticking off the places we hadn't seen, but thought we should see. There was a reason they weren't higher up the viewing list and none impressed us that much. I guess we weren't geeky enough to love Akihabara, though the fact you can by a PC for under $700 that does everything you could need if pretty amazing. Ginza, as Simon suggested, is overrated, though it does out 5th avenue 5th avenue is some ways with the sheer scope of the $. The $1million necklace in the window of Van Cleef & Arpels is now on my birthday wishlist in case anyone is interested.
One highlight was going to the Tokyo Dome to see the Yomiuri Giants play the Chunichi Dragons. As a tall man walked out to pitch the opening ball I said to Taxman, "Who's that?"
"Tom Hanks" replied he.
"Right...sure."
But sure enough it WAS Tom Hanks, and he pitched (badly) to Ron Howard while Brian Grazer and his son watched on. They then retired to a box to watch the game. Tough life promoting these films apparently.
The game was one sided, the Giants winning 10-2, but the atmosphere was great and the Chunichi crowd, though small compared to the 20,000 or so Giants fans, put up a loud and melodic fight chant wise. The beer wenches, of which there were many, were kept busy, as were the Saki wenches, the bento wenches, the ice-cream wenches, hot dog wenches and juice wenches. Taxman proved himself to be the 'Goldilocks of Baseball caps' after he claimed none of the 500 or so varieties they had at the ground were what he wanted.
Saturday I discarded Taxman early, after a brief trip to Shibuya to catch the Hachiko statue that we missed first visit. (Do read the story on the link, like Christian the Lion it is guaranteed to make anyone cry.) We also visited (but didn't stay at ) Love Hotel Hill, where a 90 minute 'rest' will cost 3000 yen or so. I had to cut Taxman loose as I was spending the day at the big end of town fashion wise. I started at the designer end of Omote Sando, where the amazing Prada store stands out both architecturally and fashion wise. It symbolizes the millions companies put into the Japanese market to have their brand stand out in the most competitive shopping place on earth.
I spent time lovingly looking at the great Japanese designers, Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake in particular. Walking back up the street towards Harajuku the mood shifts from designer to street and the pop culture mood takes over. Not for the first time this trip I chanted "I'm 35...I'm 35" to remind myself that spending on such fashion was not a wise choice.
I was hoping to see the famous Cosplay girls who frequent the area on weekends, and while there were some in the mess of people, photo opportunities weren't forthcoming. I satisfied myself with visiting the Laforet Museum to see the "Harajuku Dolls" Exhibition. The exhibition featured all sorts of dolls, from Barbie likenesses to Blythe Dolls (huge in Japan) dressed in amazing costumes that ranged from S&M wear to alien and zombie themes. The only thing weirder (and more disconcerting) was that many of the people at the exhibition where dressed in full size versions of the same things!
So ended our time in Japan, a great cultural experience and Tokyo is one of the best cities in the world. Happy to return any time.
We arrived in Langkawi at night, happy to be off planes and out of the KL airport, which I am beginning to despise just because of the sheer amount of time spent there in the past month.
We got the warm welcome and a upgrade conversation at the Westin, but we're pretty sure we're in the room we booked, upgrade promise or not. First night atmosphere dominated by a bad cocktail act which kept me awake until midnight, and after being up since 5am I was not a happy camper. Thankfully the only noise we heard after that one night were the sound of what can only be described as ultrasonic cicadas.
The world looks a lot better when you open your doors to the Andaman Sea. While never being a big fan of typical beach holidays, I think I could get used to this life for just a little bit longer. While a few tropical rain showers came our way, in general it was warm and water friendly. The exchange rate makes eating in the hotel less terrifying than normal hotel prices, and with breakfast included we went to town on the morning buffet. (Just imagine every breakfast option there is, from the West and Asia, and you've pictured the breakfast buffet....I'm excited. And there are scales in the room, so I know that while I may have turned all my personal training sculptured muscle into something less likable I haven't ballooned as my blog writing may have suggested!)
We did venture out to the real world only to discover it is not as exciting as our luxurious world by the pool. But weirdly the main staples for purchase in Kuah town were luggage, cooking ware and chocolate. In face I've never seen a country so obsessed with chocolate - it is everywhere. Maybe people jet in to by luggage and fill them with chocolates to take home?? In our opinion it is too hot for chocolate.
Aside from walks, the odd massage and reading a mountain of books there was little to blog about. And photos would only make everyone jealous. That wont stop me posting some later though.
Alas now we are home, washing mountains of clothes and preparing for a return to work on Monday.
The real world sucks.
06 May 2009
Golden Week in Kyoto (and Nara)
Golden Week in Japan is one of the biggest holiday seasons all year, and it happens to coincide with our visit to Kyoto. Consequently we were lucky to find accommodation as everyone from every other city in Japan seems to have arrived in Kyoto for the holidays.
According to census data, Kyoto has 1.4million people, but it feels much bigger than Fukuoka or Hiroshima, which were only marginally smaller. Arriving at Kyoto's impressive station each day to get our bus to the various major city sites, we've been overwhelmed by the crowds.
It's not a beautiful city at first glance, grey and ugly in the centre, but hidden in little pockets, near the mountains or down alley ways, are places of extreme loveliness. You just have to find them - sometimes that hasn't been easy.
Our first full day we had a busy schedule, in the morning we tried to cover as much of Southern Higashiyama as possible, which was a daunting task. The buses were packed to the brim and traffic crawled through the city as everyone headed to the same place we did - Kiyomizu Dera. We all marched together like a tourist army up a little alley way named "Teapot Lane". Kiyomizu Dera was built in 1633 it is one of Kyoto's most famous landmarks. The main hall seems to hang on the hillside and there is a wonderful view back over the city.
After following the throngs of people through this temple, we walked though some of the old alleys and streets around Higashiyama, filled with little shops and tea houses. We found what is described as the most charming street in all Kyoto, Ishibei-Koji, and were very pleased to find that is was a) extremely pretty and b) completely deserted as the crowds had surged elsewhere.
We walked through Maruyama-Koen, passed Kyoto's most famous cherry tree (not in bloom right now) and down to Chion-In, one the largest temples in Kyoto. From here, we raced to the bus to get back to Kyoto Station.
In the afternoon we joined the Kyoto Cycle Tour Project for a short cycling tour of the back streets. After walking everywhere for 2 weeks it felt great to be using another mode of transport. Our guide, Hiroko-san, sped through the streets like a demon and we struggled to keep up. We spent quite a bit of time in two of the "flower towns" or hanamachi. These districts are where the Geiko (Geisha) and Maiko live and work. There are only approximately 200 Geiko and Maiko in Kyoto these days, so it is very difficult to see a real one. It is quite easy to see Japanese tourists dressed as them though, they are everywhere. The districts are the old fashioned idea of what a Japan town should look like though and it was an enjoyable look around.
We also visited a machiya, or traditional house, to see how they were structured, before having tea and sweets on the way home. Taxman was not fond of the Japanese sweets and having ordered the most elaborate concoction of matcha (green tea) ice cream, red beans and soy cakes there was on the menu he proceeded to eat none of it leaving me to try as much as possible so not to look impolite. The soy cakes were an experience not unlike eating tablespoons of peanut butter coated with the asthma inhaler power I used to have to take as a child. It seemed to suck all the moisture out of my mouth and simultaneously fill my lungs.
After an exhausting day we awoke weary the following morning. A slow start, but we returned to Northern Higashiyama to complete more temple visits. Nanzen Ji was one of the most impressive we've seen with beautiful structures and gardens. The paths laid out to follow work well, as even though everywhere is crowded with people you still get uninterrupted views of the gardens. By the end of the Kyoto leg of our Japan tour I have around 700 photos of various gardens.
We walked next along the Tetsugaku-no-michi, or Path of Philosophy, that follows the carp filled canal lined with cherry trees. Alas enlightenment did not come.
Finally we visited Ginkaku-ji, where unfortunately the main hall was being renovated, but the amazing gardens and smaller buildings were open. There are some fantastic sand gardens along with the beautiful woodland surrounding.
We decided to walk back to central Kyoto to visit the Imperial Palace Park, which I personally could have forgone (headache and sore feet), but at least we're exercising.
While we have clearly been overdosing on Kyoto's temples, we decided to break it up a bit and spend a day in Nara where a whole new stack of temples awaited. After a 60 minute train ride we spent the day following a path through Nara Koen. Nara is home to a large amount of the most well fed deer on the planet. For 150 yen you can buy deer crackers to feed them (apparently they are also eaten by the odd clueless tourist) and clearly these deer do little but eat crackers all day every day.
Stop one was Kofuko-Ji where we visited the second tallest pagoda in Japan, 5 stories. There was a 3 story one too, but we couldn't find it until we made the return journey on the way back.
Our second temple was Todai-ji. The main hall, Daibutsu-Den Hall is the world's largest wooden structure, and amazingly it is actually two thirds smaller than the original. Within it is a great Buddha of over 16m, cast in bronze. There is also a little hole in one of the base structures, where apparently if you can fit through it, you are ensured enlightenment. It's a pretty small hole and from what we saw only the kiddies are on the path right now. It's frustrating to know that to be ensured enlightenment you can't have child bearing hips, it's bad enough I can't buy good jeans!
We then continued on through the park following winding paths to Kasuga Taisha, a temple surrounded by hundreds of lanterns, and back towards the train station. Along the way we visited little shrines and many, many overweight deer.
Our last day in Kyoto we spent in Arashiyama, and thankfully it was relatively quiet given the Golden Week festivities are over. Arashiyama is on the Eastern side of Kyoto and, like Higashiyama, it is nestled at the edges of the city surrounded by hills. Arashiyama reminded me of the Dandenongs a little, but with matcha and red bean instead of tea and scones. Maybe it was just because of the relative peace and quiet, but I enjoyed visiting here more than the previous days.
We started with Tenryu-ji, a temple surrounded by 14th century gardens that were just spectacular. We followed the path behind the gardens to exit, which leads through Arashiyama's famous bamboo groves (which the Lonely Planet says are a dead ringer for those in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, I can agree with this.) We edged around the mountains also visiting Jojakko-Ki and Adashino Nembutsu-Ji before catching the bus back to Downtown Kyoto in search of a sento. Of course we were frustrated in our search initially, ending up back near the station.
When we did finally find a public bath I was denied entry due the fact I may be mistaken for a yakuza gang member! Something I had a feeling might happen.
I haven't written too much about food this leg, conscious of the fact I seemed to previously write about nothing else. That said we've been a little frustrated with food in Kyoto (OK, I've been frustrated) as with the crowds descending on the city we've been able to spot every recommended eating house by the massive queues formed outside. This has lead to some so so meals, nothing terrible though. I had sushi one night that was better than any sushi I've had back home tenfold and I could haapily eat rice every day for the rest of my life.
Tomorrow we return for our final few days in Tokyo, and a trip to the Tokyo Dome for baseball, before we begin the journey home (via Langkawi!!!)
According to census data, Kyoto has 1.4million people, but it feels much bigger than Fukuoka or Hiroshima, which were only marginally smaller. Arriving at Kyoto's impressive station each day to get our bus to the various major city sites, we've been overwhelmed by the crowds.
It's not a beautiful city at first glance, grey and ugly in the centre, but hidden in little pockets, near the mountains or down alley ways, are places of extreme loveliness. You just have to find them - sometimes that hasn't been easy.
Our first full day we had a busy schedule, in the morning we tried to cover as much of Southern Higashiyama as possible, which was a daunting task. The buses were packed to the brim and traffic crawled through the city as everyone headed to the same place we did - Kiyomizu Dera. We all marched together like a tourist army up a little alley way named "Teapot Lane". Kiyomizu Dera was built in 1633 it is one of Kyoto's most famous landmarks. The main hall seems to hang on the hillside and there is a wonderful view back over the city.
After following the throngs of people through this temple, we walked though some of the old alleys and streets around Higashiyama, filled with little shops and tea houses. We found what is described as the most charming street in all Kyoto, Ishibei-Koji, and were very pleased to find that is was a) extremely pretty and b) completely deserted as the crowds had surged elsewhere.
We walked through Maruyama-Koen, passed Kyoto's most famous cherry tree (not in bloom right now) and down to Chion-In, one the largest temples in Kyoto. From here, we raced to the bus to get back to Kyoto Station.
In the afternoon we joined the Kyoto Cycle Tour Project for a short cycling tour of the back streets. After walking everywhere for 2 weeks it felt great to be using another mode of transport. Our guide, Hiroko-san, sped through the streets like a demon and we struggled to keep up. We spent quite a bit of time in two of the "flower towns" or hanamachi. These districts are where the Geiko (Geisha) and Maiko live and work. There are only approximately 200 Geiko and Maiko in Kyoto these days, so it is very difficult to see a real one. It is quite easy to see Japanese tourists dressed as them though, they are everywhere. The districts are the old fashioned idea of what a Japan town should look like though and it was an enjoyable look around.
We also visited a machiya, or traditional house, to see how they were structured, before having tea and sweets on the way home. Taxman was not fond of the Japanese sweets and having ordered the most elaborate concoction of matcha (green tea) ice cream, red beans and soy cakes there was on the menu he proceeded to eat none of it leaving me to try as much as possible so not to look impolite. The soy cakes were an experience not unlike eating tablespoons of peanut butter coated with the asthma inhaler power I used to have to take as a child. It seemed to suck all the moisture out of my mouth and simultaneously fill my lungs.
After an exhausting day we awoke weary the following morning. A slow start, but we returned to Northern Higashiyama to complete more temple visits. Nanzen Ji was one of the most impressive we've seen with beautiful structures and gardens. The paths laid out to follow work well, as even though everywhere is crowded with people you still get uninterrupted views of the gardens. By the end of the Kyoto leg of our Japan tour I have around 700 photos of various gardens.
We walked next along the Tetsugaku-no-michi, or Path of Philosophy, that follows the carp filled canal lined with cherry trees. Alas enlightenment did not come.
Finally we visited Ginkaku-ji, where unfortunately the main hall was being renovated, but the amazing gardens and smaller buildings were open. There are some fantastic sand gardens along with the beautiful woodland surrounding.
We decided to walk back to central Kyoto to visit the Imperial Palace Park, which I personally could have forgone (headache and sore feet), but at least we're exercising.
While we have clearly been overdosing on Kyoto's temples, we decided to break it up a bit and spend a day in Nara where a whole new stack of temples awaited. After a 60 minute train ride we spent the day following a path through Nara Koen. Nara is home to a large amount of the most well fed deer on the planet. For 150 yen you can buy deer crackers to feed them (apparently they are also eaten by the odd clueless tourist) and clearly these deer do little but eat crackers all day every day.
Stop one was Kofuko-Ji where we visited the second tallest pagoda in Japan, 5 stories. There was a 3 story one too, but we couldn't find it until we made the return journey on the way back.
Our second temple was Todai-ji. The main hall, Daibutsu-Den Hall is the world's largest wooden structure, and amazingly it is actually two thirds smaller than the original. Within it is a great Buddha of over 16m, cast in bronze. There is also a little hole in one of the base structures, where apparently if you can fit through it, you are ensured enlightenment. It's a pretty small hole and from what we saw only the kiddies are on the path right now. It's frustrating to know that to be ensured enlightenment you can't have child bearing hips, it's bad enough I can't buy good jeans!
We then continued on through the park following winding paths to Kasuga Taisha, a temple surrounded by hundreds of lanterns, and back towards the train station. Along the way we visited little shrines and many, many overweight deer.
Our last day in Kyoto we spent in Arashiyama, and thankfully it was relatively quiet given the Golden Week festivities are over. Arashiyama is on the Eastern side of Kyoto and, like Higashiyama, it is nestled at the edges of the city surrounded by hills. Arashiyama reminded me of the Dandenongs a little, but with matcha and red bean instead of tea and scones. Maybe it was just because of the relative peace and quiet, but I enjoyed visiting here more than the previous days.
We started with Tenryu-ji, a temple surrounded by 14th century gardens that were just spectacular. We followed the path behind the gardens to exit, which leads through Arashiyama's famous bamboo groves (which the Lonely Planet says are a dead ringer for those in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, I can agree with this.) We edged around the mountains also visiting Jojakko-Ki and Adashino Nembutsu-Ji before catching the bus back to Downtown Kyoto in search of a sento. Of course we were frustrated in our search initially, ending up back near the station.
When we did finally find a public bath I was denied entry due the fact I may be mistaken for a yakuza gang member! Something I had a feeling might happen.
I haven't written too much about food this leg, conscious of the fact I seemed to previously write about nothing else. That said we've been a little frustrated with food in Kyoto (OK, I've been frustrated) as with the crowds descending on the city we've been able to spot every recommended eating house by the massive queues formed outside. This has lead to some so so meals, nothing terrible though. I had sushi one night that was better than any sushi I've had back home tenfold and I could haapily eat rice every day for the rest of my life.
Tomorrow we return for our final few days in Tokyo, and a trip to the Tokyo Dome for baseball, before we begin the journey home (via Langkawi!!!)
01 May 2009
Beak to tail eating, public nudity and tranquility in Hiroshima.
I'm in bad Internet cafe with a crappy keyboard, so if there are spaces missing, so be it.
In answer to Miss C's question- shopping for hats, jackets, t-shirts....and I'm preparing a mega list for my last weekend in Tokyo.
After my last post we headed out in search of good yakitori, and boy did we find it. Squashed into a room with lots of loud locals, we pointed to what we wanted and then watched as it got cooked on a central coal fired grill. My choices involved zucchini, asparagus, chicken, beef and enoki mushroom. Taxman's involved liver, so needless to say he can't choose any more. Seems to be the only place where locals take their time eating, spending hours drinking sake and gesticulating with cigarettes. For us it was all washed down with copious amount of beer it was an enjoyable way to spend the night in Fukuoka.
The following day we planned a day trip to Nagasaki. All went great to start with, we made it to Hakata Station and jumped on the first train to Nagasaki. From there, however, things went a little pear shaped. The trip was meant to last 2 hours, but somehow we ended up dropped in Sasebo, not Nagasaki, and the resulting trip meant we arrived 4 hours post departure. Sure we got a good look at the island on Kyushu, but it severely curtailed our plans.
A quick lunch and we headed to the Nagasaki Peace Park and the Atomic Museum. There are statues from around the world commemorating the events that occurred at 11:15am August 9 1945 and the museum gives an in depth view of not only the atomic explosion but the development of nuclear weapons and the attempts to eradicate them. A sobering experience, worth the frustrating trip. A less sobering highlight were the street car drivers, who it turns out (all of them) have a peculiar speech pattern in that they extend their last syllable of each line. In an almost sing song manner we'd hear "kudesaaaiiii" or "deeesssuuu". Now I've travelled in subsequent street cars I can confirm it is a regional quirk.
We got a standard train home, me entertained by an audio book of Wuthering Heights, and returned to Fukuoka for mundane tasks like washing.
Thursday dawned bright and sunny and we boarded our next bullet train to Hiroshima. Right from the outset Hiroshima feels like a different place. It is a lot calmer than Tokyo or Fukuoka, a much more laid back experience. We are staying in our first ryokan, though it is a hotel style. As we arrived we saw Taxman's name listed on a wooden block at the door, and we had our own shoe shelf available for all footwear. We have a large rooms, bigger than some small apartments, with low set tables and chairs on the tatami matting. At night they are moved for the traditional bedding to be laid out. We have a view over the Atomic Dome, and there are baths on the top floor. Taxman was a big fan of the baths, or sento, and claimed he felt "more clean" after a time in there than from regular showering. OK, whatever. My first attempt at visiting them I ran into a group of school kids. Public nudity I'm fine with, but public nudity with 10 year olds is a bit much.
Overall the ryokan was a little noisy, but beautiful. We also received breakfast, western for Taxman, Japanese style for me. 8am is a little too early for miso, but I'm learning to love it. I managed to get my head around rice, semi cooked egg, silken tofu, yet for some reason I'm not getting fish like everyone else. This morning I got a serve of what I think was beans. I've been watching Japanese eat these regularly and was itching to try them. They mix them with soy and a yellow paste rapidly with chopsticks, and there is an almost taffy like thread that appears. Today I went through the routine eagerly...only to take the first bite. I'm guessing it is what one calls an acquired taste.
We spent our first afternoon in Hiroshima viewing the Dome, The Peace Park and the Hiroshima Peace Museum. Making the two days back to back in Nagasaki and Hiroshima quite emotionally exhausting. The whole Peace Park in Hiroshima is very tranquil and it is worth the visit.
Tranquility was destroyed somewhat by the hundreds of school children in blue caps running rampant. They all had an assignment to do where they needed to interview English speakers, so we got approached by many. Me more than Taxman as I must have looked like and easy touch.
In the evening we found a little restaurant where we could cook our own meats on a grill in the table. Beef, chicken, pork and assorted offal all available. Not sure what the first or third bread basket is in a cow, but wasn't about to find out. Best meal we've had, declared Taxman. (We didn't order offal.)
Friday we caught the street car all the way to the end of the line, then boarded a ferry to Miyajima. Home to the Itsukushima Shrine , a World Heritage site and one of the top 3 photographed placed in Japan. Truly lovely to see, but it was the first place we've encountered masses of tourists. First place we've encountered tame deer too, so not all bad! (The signs say that the deer will a) eat paper and b) bite babies - I was eager to see someone (not necessarily a baby, I'm not mean) get bitten, but no such luck.
Hiroshima and Miyajima area famous, culinary wise, for seafood, especially oysters, sweets and okonomiyaki or Japanese pancakes. I managed two MASSIVE oysters on Miyajima, cooked in their shell on a grill and served with soy. Not really fond of hot oysters, but their size alone was impressive. Sweets wise there are hundreds of shops making little maple cakes, filled with cream, jam or red bean. I tried a jam one - very nice. I fear that okonomiyaki, however, is going to be the great missed culinary opportunity of Japan.
I was aiming for pancake last night, but it was gentleman's' choice (marriage is about compromise apparently.) Given Fukuoka's yakitori success Taxman recommended another one. A little more upmarket. A simple equation of meat plus fire is all it takes to make him happy.
It turns out his choice was a place devoted to all things chicken. We ended up having a type of "nose to tail" (or beak to tail) chicken experience, including breast, skin, neck, heart, liver and egg. Which of course begged the questions - should the egg have come first? It finished with chicken soup and I will happily forgo chook for the next few weeks.
Today we arrived in Kyoto, checked in to a new ryokan (slightly less impressive than Hiroshima's, but with free Internet) and did some half hearted sight seeing. A little weary. Kyoto train station is an impressive structure in its' own right, and we visited the first of many temples. We're staying in a more residential neighbourhood, which is a good change, but a lot of walking is ahead of us. Probably good to counterbalance the food!
(I'm conscious that I seem to be writing about very little but food....Japan is really quite interesting all round though!)
A few asides:
1. Jazz is played in every dining establishment, from big band to torch songs it is ever present.
2. Lot's of scooters about - many "pimped"!
3. Could spend hours on Japanese fashion, suffice to say if you can imagine it right now, someone is wearing it somewhere.
4. Baseball is huge, and we've come through Hawks, Giants and Carps territory, no in Tiger land. I've been trying to get Taxman to get a Carps hat to replace his much missed Red Sox one, but they don't meet his exacting standards. He got a t-shirt though. Must have been a game today as there were fans everywhere. We aim to get to a game in Tokyo if we can.
In answer to Miss C's question- shopping for hats, jackets, t-shirts....and I'm preparing a mega list for my last weekend in Tokyo.
After my last post we headed out in search of good yakitori, and boy did we find it. Squashed into a room with lots of loud locals, we pointed to what we wanted and then watched as it got cooked on a central coal fired grill. My choices involved zucchini, asparagus, chicken, beef and enoki mushroom. Taxman's involved liver, so needless to say he can't choose any more. Seems to be the only place where locals take their time eating, spending hours drinking sake and gesticulating with cigarettes. For us it was all washed down with copious amount of beer it was an enjoyable way to spend the night in Fukuoka.
The following day we planned a day trip to Nagasaki. All went great to start with, we made it to Hakata Station and jumped on the first train to Nagasaki. From there, however, things went a little pear shaped. The trip was meant to last 2 hours, but somehow we ended up dropped in Sasebo, not Nagasaki, and the resulting trip meant we arrived 4 hours post departure. Sure we got a good look at the island on Kyushu, but it severely curtailed our plans.
A quick lunch and we headed to the Nagasaki Peace Park and the Atomic Museum. There are statues from around the world commemorating the events that occurred at 11:15am August 9 1945 and the museum gives an in depth view of not only the atomic explosion but the development of nuclear weapons and the attempts to eradicate them. A sobering experience, worth the frustrating trip. A less sobering highlight were the street car drivers, who it turns out (all of them) have a peculiar speech pattern in that they extend their last syllable of each line. In an almost sing song manner we'd hear "kudesaaaiiii" or "deeesssuuu". Now I've travelled in subsequent street cars I can confirm it is a regional quirk.
We got a standard train home, me entertained by an audio book of Wuthering Heights, and returned to Fukuoka for mundane tasks like washing.
Thursday dawned bright and sunny and we boarded our next bullet train to Hiroshima. Right from the outset Hiroshima feels like a different place. It is a lot calmer than Tokyo or Fukuoka, a much more laid back experience. We are staying in our first ryokan, though it is a hotel style. As we arrived we saw Taxman's name listed on a wooden block at the door, and we had our own shoe shelf available for all footwear. We have a large rooms, bigger than some small apartments, with low set tables and chairs on the tatami matting. At night they are moved for the traditional bedding to be laid out. We have a view over the Atomic Dome, and there are baths on the top floor. Taxman was a big fan of the baths, or sento, and claimed he felt "more clean" after a time in there than from regular showering. OK, whatever. My first attempt at visiting them I ran into a group of school kids. Public nudity I'm fine with, but public nudity with 10 year olds is a bit much.
Overall the ryokan was a little noisy, but beautiful. We also received breakfast, western for Taxman, Japanese style for me. 8am is a little too early for miso, but I'm learning to love it. I managed to get my head around rice, semi cooked egg, silken tofu, yet for some reason I'm not getting fish like everyone else. This morning I got a serve of what I think was beans. I've been watching Japanese eat these regularly and was itching to try them. They mix them with soy and a yellow paste rapidly with chopsticks, and there is an almost taffy like thread that appears. Today I went through the routine eagerly...only to take the first bite. I'm guessing it is what one calls an acquired taste.
We spent our first afternoon in Hiroshima viewing the Dome, The Peace Park and the Hiroshima Peace Museum. Making the two days back to back in Nagasaki and Hiroshima quite emotionally exhausting. The whole Peace Park in Hiroshima is very tranquil and it is worth the visit.
Tranquility was destroyed somewhat by the hundreds of school children in blue caps running rampant. They all had an assignment to do where they needed to interview English speakers, so we got approached by many. Me more than Taxman as I must have looked like and easy touch.
In the evening we found a little restaurant where we could cook our own meats on a grill in the table. Beef, chicken, pork and assorted offal all available. Not sure what the first or third bread basket is in a cow, but wasn't about to find out. Best meal we've had, declared Taxman. (We didn't order offal.)
Friday we caught the street car all the way to the end of the line, then boarded a ferry to Miyajima. Home to the Itsukushima Shrine , a World Heritage site and one of the top 3 photographed placed in Japan. Truly lovely to see, but it was the first place we've encountered masses of tourists. First place we've encountered tame deer too, so not all bad! (The signs say that the deer will a) eat paper and b) bite babies - I was eager to see someone (not necessarily a baby, I'm not mean) get bitten, but no such luck.
Hiroshima and Miyajima area famous, culinary wise, for seafood, especially oysters, sweets and okonomiyaki or Japanese pancakes. I managed two MASSIVE oysters on Miyajima, cooked in their shell on a grill and served with soy. Not really fond of hot oysters, but their size alone was impressive. Sweets wise there are hundreds of shops making little maple cakes, filled with cream, jam or red bean. I tried a jam one - very nice. I fear that okonomiyaki, however, is going to be the great missed culinary opportunity of Japan.
I was aiming for pancake last night, but it was gentleman's' choice (marriage is about compromise apparently.) Given Fukuoka's yakitori success Taxman recommended another one. A little more upmarket. A simple equation of meat plus fire is all it takes to make him happy.
It turns out his choice was a place devoted to all things chicken. We ended up having a type of "nose to tail" (or beak to tail) chicken experience, including breast, skin, neck, heart, liver and egg. Which of course begged the questions - should the egg have come first? It finished with chicken soup and I will happily forgo chook for the next few weeks.
Today we arrived in Kyoto, checked in to a new ryokan (slightly less impressive than Hiroshima's, but with free Internet) and did some half hearted sight seeing. A little weary. Kyoto train station is an impressive structure in its' own right, and we visited the first of many temples. We're staying in a more residential neighbourhood, which is a good change, but a lot of walking is ahead of us. Probably good to counterbalance the food!
(I'm conscious that I seem to be writing about very little but food....Japan is really quite interesting all round though!)
A few asides:
1. Jazz is played in every dining establishment, from big band to torch songs it is ever present.
2. Lot's of scooters about - many "pimped"!
3. Could spend hours on Japanese fashion, suffice to say if you can imagine it right now, someone is wearing it somewhere.
4. Baseball is huge, and we've come through Hawks, Giants and Carps territory, no in Tiger land. I've been trying to get Taxman to get a Carps hat to replace his much missed Red Sox one, but they don't meet his exacting standards. He got a t-shirt though. Must have been a game today as there were fans everywhere. We aim to get to a game in Tokyo if we can.
27 April 2009
Tokyo continued and beyond
The rain began to fall as we returned from the market on Saturday morning, not ceasing it's relentless wetness for the next 24 hours.
Nothing, however, was going to dampen my enthusiasm for the visit to the Ghibli Museum. For those familiar with the work of anime master Miyazaki's work it is a must see, for those who aren't (Taxman in this case) it is a very strange way to spend a rainy morning. It is only a small place, but it is filled with little nooks and crannies that show the strange genius of the Ghibli Studio creations, including an amazing 3D zoetrope that has many of his recognisable characters. We got to see a 20 minute short film, along the My Neighbor Totoro theme, which featured many of the beautiful, and frankly disturbing imagery that makes Miyazaki's work so wonderful. The only disappointment was we couldn't take photos inside. The trip to and from Mitaka station in the special Ghibli bus was also a highlight.
The cold and wet, plus the 5:45am wake up call, kept us inside for the afternoon, venturing out only in search of dinner later in the evening. The rain combined with the neon lights of Shinjuku turned the city into Blade Runner 2009, and the ally ways were filled with 20's out for a big Saturday night.
We proved that the Lonely Planet theory works in all countries - the more you want to find a recommended eating place, the less likely you are to locate it. After 45 minutes wandering in the rain we ended up having, what turned out to be, pretty decent Chinese food. Taxman was soon hankering for a meal without rice or noodles though.
The next day we thought we should add an intellectual component to what has so far been a trip dominated by pop and consumer culture. Thankfully the sun returned and we were blessed with gorgeous weather.
The morning was spent at the Imperial Palace, which honestly is not that great given you cannot get anywhere close to it. However the Imperial Palace East Garden is another spectacular example of Tokyo's brilliance in Spring. From there we headed to the Ueno Gardens, home to 4 major museums. The afternoon was spent overdosing of Japanese archeology and history at the Tokyo National Museum. The museum has 5 buildings alone, so we covered some fair ground. The most lovely to me was the Horyuji Treasures, a small, but beautifully lit space. I also continued to "noodle my way around Japan" with a great lunch of soba noodles. The warm tea in a bottle from a vending machine, however, made me think of my favourite Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy line - "It was a drink almost, but not entirely, unlike tea." Can be missed.
Walking back toward Ueno station we came across a Japanese Rockabilly group, the boys in black leather and Elvis quiffs, the girls in 50's skirts, bobby socks and ponytails. Incongruously they were dancing to Pat Benetar.
Feeling happily cultural again we decided we should give Roppongi a try for dinner. But being a) a Sunday and b) pretty early in Tokyo standards (about 8pm) it was completely deserted. I guess we had a true Roppongi experience then - paying too much for an average meal!
The next morning we headed to the station for the Shinkansen to Fukuoka. As the trains pull into the station, teams of ladies enter each carriage to prepare it for the return trip. Like a pink wearing crack formula one pitstop crew, they speedily turn all the seats around and collect any rubbish (like there would be any.) I almost imagine them running off the train with their hands in the air shouting "go!" as the clock recommences. They are impressive.
We boarded the train with snacks of Tokyo banana cake, little individual sponge cakes filed with banana custard, which were so beautifully wrapped I couldn't resist. Half way we changed trains and picked up bento boxes from the Osaka station for lunch. Bullet trains are the only way to travel. The journey is a soothing one as you listen to the melodic announcements every 30 minutes or so. Every public address in Japan is melodic it seems, from the bird like chirping of the street crossings to the xylophone chimes before station announcements.
Six hours after we started we got to Fukuoka. Fukuoka reminds me of China a little, less frenetic than Tokyo, but still a nightlife orientated city with bars everywhere. A lot less western people. We wandered through the Pachinko parlours, for the adults, and the arcade games, for the kids, listening to the cacophony of sounds amid the flashing lights and swirling cigarette smoke. Smoking is still rife in Japan it seems.
We were looking for a particular ramen restaurant, and for once we found it, matching the Japanese characters to the Lonely Planet Guide. Fukuoka is famous for tonkatsu ramen, egg noodles in a white pork based soup, and we samples both this and some delicious gyoza for dinner. Stuffed, we still managed to fit in a crepe with soft cream and strawberries from a place across from our hotel. These ice cream cone shaped crepes are our second great find, culinary wise, in Fukuoka. Needless to say my wedding dress corset will be a stretch after this trip! We haven't yet tried the other culinary quirk of the city, the many yatai or portable food stalls complete with bars and kitchens, that set up every night. Covered by tents or tarps you can smell the trying of yakitori or hear the slurping of noodles as you walk by. Given intestines feature regularly on the menu we aren't sure we'll partake.
Monday dawned and we decided to cover the major sites of the city. Of course after a breakfast in a supermarket deli listening to a musak version of "We are the World."
First the Castle ruins, where little but the outside walls remain, but it provides a great view of the city. Then a tour of the small, but well put together, Fukuoka Art Museum including some impressive modern art and works by a Japanese artist Susama Kinoshita which I thought were very good.
Catching the subway to Gion, where we managed to board the wrong train - an amazing feat given we'd negotiated Tokyo's HUGE metro system no problems, but got lost on Fukuoka's TWO lines - we went to see Japan's largest wooden Buddha (16m) and the Shofuku-ji zen temple, constructed in 1195.
We finished with a visit to Canal City , the first sight mentioned in our guide. Another of Japan's mega shopping complexes it confirmed that Taxman cannot wear Japanese jeans, which is a problem given he a) only likes Gap jeans and b) this is the first Gap store we've been to since 2006! I on the other hand, am having no trouble whatsoever finding ways to shop.
Tomorrow, a day trip to Nagasaki.
Nothing, however, was going to dampen my enthusiasm for the visit to the Ghibli Museum. For those familiar with the work of anime master Miyazaki's work it is a must see, for those who aren't (Taxman in this case) it is a very strange way to spend a rainy morning. It is only a small place, but it is filled with little nooks and crannies that show the strange genius of the Ghibli Studio creations, including an amazing 3D zoetrope that has many of his recognisable characters. We got to see a 20 minute short film, along the My Neighbor Totoro theme, which featured many of the beautiful, and frankly disturbing imagery that makes Miyazaki's work so wonderful. The only disappointment was we couldn't take photos inside. The trip to and from Mitaka station in the special Ghibli bus was also a highlight.
The cold and wet, plus the 5:45am wake up call, kept us inside for the afternoon, venturing out only in search of dinner later in the evening. The rain combined with the neon lights of Shinjuku turned the city into Blade Runner 2009, and the ally ways were filled with 20's out for a big Saturday night.
We proved that the Lonely Planet theory works in all countries - the more you want to find a recommended eating place, the less likely you are to locate it. After 45 minutes wandering in the rain we ended up having, what turned out to be, pretty decent Chinese food. Taxman was soon hankering for a meal without rice or noodles though.
The next day we thought we should add an intellectual component to what has so far been a trip dominated by pop and consumer culture. Thankfully the sun returned and we were blessed with gorgeous weather.
The morning was spent at the Imperial Palace, which honestly is not that great given you cannot get anywhere close to it. However the Imperial Palace East Garden is another spectacular example of Tokyo's brilliance in Spring. From there we headed to the Ueno Gardens, home to 4 major museums. The afternoon was spent overdosing of Japanese archeology and history at the Tokyo National Museum. The museum has 5 buildings alone, so we covered some fair ground. The most lovely to me was the Horyuji Treasures, a small, but beautifully lit space. I also continued to "noodle my way around Japan" with a great lunch of soba noodles. The warm tea in a bottle from a vending machine, however, made me think of my favourite Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy line - "It was a drink almost, but not entirely, unlike tea." Can be missed.
Walking back toward Ueno station we came across a Japanese Rockabilly group, the boys in black leather and Elvis quiffs, the girls in 50's skirts, bobby socks and ponytails. Incongruously they were dancing to Pat Benetar.
Feeling happily cultural again we decided we should give Roppongi a try for dinner. But being a) a Sunday and b) pretty early in Tokyo standards (about 8pm) it was completely deserted. I guess we had a true Roppongi experience then - paying too much for an average meal!
The next morning we headed to the station for the Shinkansen to Fukuoka. As the trains pull into the station, teams of ladies enter each carriage to prepare it for the return trip. Like a pink wearing crack formula one pitstop crew, they speedily turn all the seats around and collect any rubbish (like there would be any.) I almost imagine them running off the train with their hands in the air shouting "go!" as the clock recommences. They are impressive.
We boarded the train with snacks of Tokyo banana cake, little individual sponge cakes filed with banana custard, which were so beautifully wrapped I couldn't resist. Half way we changed trains and picked up bento boxes from the Osaka station for lunch. Bullet trains are the only way to travel. The journey is a soothing one as you listen to the melodic announcements every 30 minutes or so. Every public address in Japan is melodic it seems, from the bird like chirping of the street crossings to the xylophone chimes before station announcements.
Six hours after we started we got to Fukuoka. Fukuoka reminds me of China a little, less frenetic than Tokyo, but still a nightlife orientated city with bars everywhere. A lot less western people. We wandered through the Pachinko parlours, for the adults, and the arcade games, for the kids, listening to the cacophony of sounds amid the flashing lights and swirling cigarette smoke. Smoking is still rife in Japan it seems.
We were looking for a particular ramen restaurant, and for once we found it, matching the Japanese characters to the Lonely Planet Guide. Fukuoka is famous for tonkatsu ramen, egg noodles in a white pork based soup, and we samples both this and some delicious gyoza for dinner. Stuffed, we still managed to fit in a crepe with soft cream and strawberries from a place across from our hotel. These ice cream cone shaped crepes are our second great find, culinary wise, in Fukuoka. Needless to say my wedding dress corset will be a stretch after this trip! We haven't yet tried the other culinary quirk of the city, the many yatai or portable food stalls complete with bars and kitchens, that set up every night. Covered by tents or tarps you can smell the trying of yakitori or hear the slurping of noodles as you walk by. Given intestines feature regularly on the menu we aren't sure we'll partake.
Monday dawned and we decided to cover the major sites of the city. Of course after a breakfast in a supermarket deli listening to a musak version of "We are the World."
First the Castle ruins, where little but the outside walls remain, but it provides a great view of the city. Then a tour of the small, but well put together, Fukuoka Art Museum including some impressive modern art and works by a Japanese artist Susama Kinoshita which I thought were very good.
Catching the subway to Gion, where we managed to board the wrong train - an amazing feat given we'd negotiated Tokyo's HUGE metro system no problems, but got lost on Fukuoka's TWO lines - we went to see Japan's largest wooden Buddha (16m) and the Shofuku-ji zen temple, constructed in 1195.
We finished with a visit to Canal City , the first sight mentioned in our guide. Another of Japan's mega shopping complexes it confirmed that Taxman cannot wear Japanese jeans, which is a problem given he a) only likes Gap jeans and b) this is the first Gap store we've been to since 2006! I on the other hand, am having no trouble whatsoever finding ways to shop.
Tomorrow, a day trip to Nagasaki.
24 April 2009
Japan: I'm lovin' it.
I thought I'd start this with an marketing slogan, for if there is one thing we're learning in Japan it is marketing 101.
But let's start at the beginning:
Malaysian airlines impressed us with their speed and organisation, but no amount of brown nosing on my part was leading to a business class upgrade. Alas. Flight was predictably awful for me and the in flight movies (Bond - average, Marley and Me - unwatchable, Twilight - Robert P will get you through the hard times) didn't make it much better. A three hour stop over in Malaysia meant curry laksa for me and hamburger for Mr Pear (I'm not Ms Taxman just because we're married! It's my blog.) The second leg had the benefit of 5 seats to lie out on, but I Still.Hate.Flying.
Landing at 7am we took the lazy option of a bus to Shinjuku station, giving me another 90 minutes to doze. We spotted our hotel immediately with our first small "Hooray for Tokyo" moment. It really was a painless process.
With 4 hours to kill we spent the first of many, many hours wandering around in a daze trying to adjust to the new city. We also visited, for what wont be the last time, Tokyu Hands, the justly famous 'creative living store' where you can buy anything you desire and things you didn't know you desired yet. The stationary section alone could make J weep with longing, so comprehensive it's divided into Stationary and Men's Stationary. Presents will be forthcoming - my personal favourite are the bio-mechanical plants, finally something I cannot kill.
Needing time to decompress we walked the perimeter of Shinjuku Gyoen before finding the gate. Once inside we got bailed up by an elderly garden worker who told us to go "here", "here" and "Here!" So we went. It's the tail end of Hanami season, but the cherry blossoms were still gorgeous and families of all ages sat under them to enjoy their lunches of seaweed wrapped rice.
We met an elderly tour group where one bossy gentleman ordered Mr Pear to stand in various poses to get good photos. He then took my camera for a shot of the two of us. One thing you can be assured of is getting good photos taken by the Japanese, as he had more camera hardware around his neck than in the window of Michael's in Melbourne.
The gardens were lovely, the azaleas in bloom, everything manicured, clearly the Japanese know serenity.
We walked back out into the bustle for lunch, at our first vending machine meal - you choose via luck or photo and pay at the vending machine, then get a seat at the counter for bowls of beef and rice. Great stuff, but we felt like we were dawdling given everyone seams to turn over their seats in record time.
After checking into the hotel (where we did score our first upgrade, to a deluxe room Japanese style with tatami mats and a fabulous futon, and matching nightshirts!) we discovered one of the other great benefits of Japan - high end toilets. The lobby toilet lid opens as you enter the room, the seat is heated and there are a myriad of "shower" options. In many ways Japan is the complete opposite of Mexico and Cuba!
Our first night we headed out into Shinjuku again for a simple meal of Japanese stew, pork cutlets, rice and ox tail soup for me (for beauty apparently.)
Friday morning I arose early, alone, and walked in a state of terror to Shinjuku station. I was heading to my Japanese workplace for some business, in peak hour. Childhood memories of a John Eels Visa (??) ad kept flying through my mind as I imagined myself crushed in the seething mass of bodies that pass through Japanese subways. Shinjuku station is one of Japan's busiest and most complex, with up to 3 million passing through daily.
Like everything else in Tokyo so far, it was relatively painless of course. Seconds of confusion buying tickets and finding an entry point led to a fast metro ride out to Ogikubo. Of course I was going out of the city, against the main traffic. While I didn't get a seat, I did get room to breathe.
I spent the next few hours talking 'shop', but thoroughly enjoying myself. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet some Japanese colleagues - and they have a cafeteria with city views!!!.
Returning to our hotel, in smug satisfaction in navigating the transport system, I met Mr Pear for our afternoon adventures. First we headed to the Meiji Shrine for some Shinto peacefulness. Reconstructed in 1958 it is still authentic and like the Shinjuku Gyoen provides a respite from the craziness around.
We then stopped for our first, but likely not our last, bowl of ramen. So good we needed no dinner. The ramen was found at the beginning of Omote-Sando, one of Tokyo's many, many, MANY shopping districts. It feels like the GFC was never coined and everyone is waiting for the The Sartorialist to arrive to take their photo. I plan to return on the weekend when the real posers arrive. You feel the barrage of consumer brands from every angle, and it would take more will power than I have not to give in. Thankfully, for economic purposes, Japanese clothes and shoes are much too small for both Pears, but hats, bags and accessories are open season.
Despite our aching feet we then walked to Shibuya Crossing, a Japanese version of Times Square or Piccadilly Circus. It was immortalised, like much of Tokyo, in Lost in Translation, and is supposedly the busiest street corner in the world. It is prime people watching and definitely makes you feel your own insignificance.
Cacthing the train home like a native, we retired for some CNN (our only English channel) and free Internet. However people kept glaring at me while I was blogging so I had to give up. Free Internet is obviously in demand. As I tried to type, three Japanese girls loaded with shopping and speaking with strong Southern California accents came in to wait. When I engaged them in conversation I got completely dissed - I am so not down with the youth anymore! "You were 'Gossip Girled'!" said Mr Pear, who may hate me watching the show, but certainly knows the lingo.
Thinking about Tokyo I keep coming back to a Harry Potter reference - the room of requirement. The room of requirement is a place that delivers everything you need at the time you need it. Somehow Tokyo has become the city of requirement, delivering everything you could possibly want (or pay for) even if you haven't thought of it yet.
8:00am Saturday morning. We thought we'd beat the sun today, but didn't know the sun rose so early. We were on the Oeda line by 6:13am heading for the Tsukiji Fish Market. While too late for the tuna auctions that start at 5am, we still managed to see the incredible sight of acres of fresh seafood being prepared and sold for the day. It was a feat of true love for Mr Pear, who wont even eat fish, let alone hang out with it. The market is like a living Nintendo game, but fishy, as trucks and little scooters come at your from every angle. Huge tuna carcases are everywhere, along with every type of seafood you've ever heard of, and many you haven't. An amazing experience.
It's raining now but we're still having a blast. For a city where I had no "to do list" we are covering enormous ground. More to come...
But let's start at the beginning:
Malaysian airlines impressed us with their speed and organisation, but no amount of brown nosing on my part was leading to a business class upgrade. Alas. Flight was predictably awful for me and the in flight movies (Bond - average, Marley and Me - unwatchable, Twilight - Robert P will get you through the hard times) didn't make it much better. A three hour stop over in Malaysia meant curry laksa for me and hamburger for Mr Pear (I'm not Ms Taxman just because we're married! It's my blog.) The second leg had the benefit of 5 seats to lie out on, but I Still.Hate.Flying.
Landing at 7am we took the lazy option of a bus to Shinjuku station, giving me another 90 minutes to doze. We spotted our hotel immediately with our first small "Hooray for Tokyo" moment. It really was a painless process.
With 4 hours to kill we spent the first of many, many hours wandering around in a daze trying to adjust to the new city. We also visited, for what wont be the last time, Tokyu Hands, the justly famous 'creative living store' where you can buy anything you desire and things you didn't know you desired yet. The stationary section alone could make J weep with longing, so comprehensive it's divided into Stationary and Men's Stationary. Presents will be forthcoming - my personal favourite are the bio-mechanical plants, finally something I cannot kill.
Needing time to decompress we walked the perimeter of Shinjuku Gyoen before finding the gate. Once inside we got bailed up by an elderly garden worker who told us to go "here", "here" and "Here!" So we went. It's the tail end of Hanami season, but the cherry blossoms were still gorgeous and families of all ages sat under them to enjoy their lunches of seaweed wrapped rice.
We met an elderly tour group where one bossy gentleman ordered Mr Pear to stand in various poses to get good photos. He then took my camera for a shot of the two of us. One thing you can be assured of is getting good photos taken by the Japanese, as he had more camera hardware around his neck than in the window of Michael's in Melbourne.
The gardens were lovely, the azaleas in bloom, everything manicured, clearly the Japanese know serenity.
We walked back out into the bustle for lunch, at our first vending machine meal - you choose via luck or photo and pay at the vending machine, then get a seat at the counter for bowls of beef and rice. Great stuff, but we felt like we were dawdling given everyone seams to turn over their seats in record time.
After checking into the hotel (where we did score our first upgrade, to a deluxe room Japanese style with tatami mats and a fabulous futon, and matching nightshirts!) we discovered one of the other great benefits of Japan - high end toilets. The lobby toilet lid opens as you enter the room, the seat is heated and there are a myriad of "shower" options. In many ways Japan is the complete opposite of Mexico and Cuba!
Our first night we headed out into Shinjuku again for a simple meal of Japanese stew, pork cutlets, rice and ox tail soup for me (for beauty apparently.)
Friday morning I arose early, alone, and walked in a state of terror to Shinjuku station. I was heading to my Japanese workplace for some business, in peak hour. Childhood memories of a John Eels Visa (??) ad kept flying through my mind as I imagined myself crushed in the seething mass of bodies that pass through Japanese subways. Shinjuku station is one of Japan's busiest and most complex, with up to 3 million passing through daily.
Like everything else in Tokyo so far, it was relatively painless of course. Seconds of confusion buying tickets and finding an entry point led to a fast metro ride out to Ogikubo. Of course I was going out of the city, against the main traffic. While I didn't get a seat, I did get room to breathe.
I spent the next few hours talking 'shop', but thoroughly enjoying myself. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet some Japanese colleagues - and they have a cafeteria with city views!!!.
Returning to our hotel, in smug satisfaction in navigating the transport system, I met Mr Pear for our afternoon adventures. First we headed to the Meiji Shrine for some Shinto peacefulness. Reconstructed in 1958 it is still authentic and like the Shinjuku Gyoen provides a respite from the craziness around.
We then stopped for our first, but likely not our last, bowl of ramen. So good we needed no dinner. The ramen was found at the beginning of Omote-Sando, one of Tokyo's many, many, MANY shopping districts. It feels like the GFC was never coined and everyone is waiting for the The Sartorialist to arrive to take their photo. I plan to return on the weekend when the real posers arrive. You feel the barrage of consumer brands from every angle, and it would take more will power than I have not to give in. Thankfully, for economic purposes, Japanese clothes and shoes are much too small for both Pears, but hats, bags and accessories are open season.
Despite our aching feet we then walked to Shibuya Crossing, a Japanese version of Times Square or Piccadilly Circus. It was immortalised, like much of Tokyo, in Lost in Translation, and is supposedly the busiest street corner in the world. It is prime people watching and definitely makes you feel your own insignificance.
Cacthing the train home like a native, we retired for some CNN (our only English channel) and free Internet. However people kept glaring at me while I was blogging so I had to give up. Free Internet is obviously in demand. As I tried to type, three Japanese girls loaded with shopping and speaking with strong Southern California accents came in to wait. When I engaged them in conversation I got completely dissed - I am so not down with the youth anymore! "You were 'Gossip Girled'!" said Mr Pear, who may hate me watching the show, but certainly knows the lingo.
Thinking about Tokyo I keep coming back to a Harry Potter reference - the room of requirement. The room of requirement is a place that delivers everything you need at the time you need it. Somehow Tokyo has become the city of requirement, delivering everything you could possibly want (or pay for) even if you haven't thought of it yet.
8:00am Saturday morning. We thought we'd beat the sun today, but didn't know the sun rose so early. We were on the Oeda line by 6:13am heading for the Tsukiji Fish Market. While too late for the tuna auctions that start at 5am, we still managed to see the incredible sight of acres of fresh seafood being prepared and sold for the day. It was a feat of true love for Mr Pear, who wont even eat fish, let alone hang out with it. The market is like a living Nintendo game, but fishy, as trucks and little scooters come at your from every angle. Huge tuna carcases are everywhere, along with every type of seafood you've ever heard of, and many you haven't. An amazing experience.
It's raining now but we're still having a blast. For a city where I had no "to do list" we are covering enormous ground. More to come...
20 April 2009
The Wedding
April 20th (my new husband's birthday) and it is all said and done. After the year and a half of planning and angst, the past four days have been a whirlwind of emotion and drama, and I wouldn't change a second of it. Thursday morning we landed in Melbourne (after arguing over who was carrying what in the suit bags) with the ever wonderful J picking us up from the airport. After a 60 minute delay time was tight, which found me jumping into a taxi solo to make a made dash to the MC's house for last minute speech preparation. Our MC, a natural born speaker, was inexplicably nervous and needed last minute prep.
It was only once I met J at Aurora Spa for the first of our pampering sessions did I begin to calm down. Calming is clearly a speciality at Aurora and I can attest that there is nothing quite like having warm salt dribbled on your naked body while in a steam room. Seriously.
After a quick dinner at Leo's (like it mattered what I ate any more) we had our rehearsal at the St Kilda Kiosk. Rick, the manager, became the unofficial 5th member of the wedding party, he was so integral in the planning. Nothing was left to chance, we had wet weather contingencies, wind contingencies and plans for photographs at every angle. The man was a gem. The only confusion was with regard to whom was ACTUALLY getting married on the day - as J was such an enthusiastic participant in the run through so I could watch the plans.
Later J and I went to the MTC for a spot of theatre, a good idea in theory, but by 11pm we were clearly flagging on the energy stakes.
Returning back to our Hotel, Tolarno in St Kilda which I cannot recommend enough, I asked the groom if he had spoken to Carlo, the event manager regarding the wine choices.
"No," he replied, even though he'd been watching TV all night, "I ...didn't know what he looked like."
Not saying anything I fell into bed and promptly did not sleep a wink for the next 7 hours. At 6:30am I got a text from M, my Sydney friend par excellence and wardrobe mistress on the big day. The text, which I later found out I misinterpreted, suggested she wasn't coming to the wedding and I promptly felt the weight of emotion, the fact I'd already lost one of my favourite earrings, and lack of sleep. Falling back into bed crying hysterically, Taxman asked me softly,
"Is there anything I can do?"
To which I replied,
"Well you can think up better excuses for not doing stuff!"
Unsurprisingly this was met with silence.
Later, a more calm J and I spent 3 hours getting nails done and spray tans (J's first ever) before a conference with our photographer - clearly this wedding stuff is time consuming. But I managed to snare a fabulous fake fur wrap from a Barkly St second hand store, which turned out to be essential on the big day (for warmth AND hiding those lunch lady arms!)
Dinner at Maha Bar with the brilliant Melbourne contingent saw us eating a 4 course tasting menu which was superb, only complimented by the fact there were no strippers (not that they hadn't thought about it.)
It was while getting out of the taxi that night I suddenly thought, "I'm getting married tomorrow." Like the event had come out of nowhere.
Saturday dawned and I was reasonably well rested thanks to mersyndol night (I love you mersyndol.) I lay in bed with teabags on my eyes for 30 minutes, which really does reduce puffiness....for a full 5 minutes before they return to their baggy normal-ness.
Breakfast of brioche (again it was too late now to diet) and I walked happily to the hairdresser to find that J was late because when she wrote her 'must not forget' list, who forgot to put 'bring dress' on it. (She was only minutes late, but it is still funny.)
I had a different hairdresser to my trial, and I was assured she was very good. As she approached me she said, "I've just had new false nails put on, and am feeling kind of awkward and clumsy." Excellent.
Brushing, teasing and pinning commenced, but something was not right. My hairdresser looked perplexed and even worried, and made little noises like "this isn't right", "Oh dear" and finally "I'm not afraid to ask for help."
I found myself saying reassuring things such as "It's OK, J says you're REALLY good."
After 30 minutes we had to stop and start all over again.
After 60 minutes someone else had to take over. It was NOT fun.
Finally J and I emerged wearing enough hairspray and pins for all of Mardi Gras.
Back 'home' Mother of Pear (MOP) arrived and promptly asked when the photographer was arriving as she really wanted some photos of herself.
We cracked open the Moet, ordered some pate and biscuits, and sat in the bathroom while Robbie from MAC transformed our tired faces into works of art. All was back on track.
Flowers arrived, dresses laid out and the sun was even starting to appear.
3:30pm and Father of Pear (FOP) took up residence in his room to listen to the football. Once my flowers had arrived, I skipped up the 2 flights of stairs to give him his lapel pin. After knocking on the door he silently let me in.
"Where's the suit?" I asked with trepidation. He gestured toward the bed.
Opening the suit bag I saw a very nice grey pinstripe. Breathing a sigh of relief, "where's the tie?"
He threw a blue striped one to me.
"And the shirt?"
He pointed to the bag.
"No," I said. "It's not here."
He pointed again.
"I'm not joking," I said, blood pressure rising somewhat.
"Don't be stupid," he said, "It's there."
It clearly was not. The look on both our faces will be remembered for all eternity.
"It's FINE!" I yell bounding down to my room 3 steps at a time, flinging open the door to grab my phone and screaming at MOP, J and now M in my room "Dad's forgotten his SHIRT!!!"
Dialling the groom, who I did clearly not want to speak to 60 minutes before the ceremony, I shout "DAD'S FORGOTTEN HIS SHIRT" and mega decibel level.
"CALM DOWN!" was Taxman's equally loud reply. Unfortunately he was already on route to the venue, but hung up promising to ring the best man who may still be at home.
Suddenly I stopped, realising Taxman had a spare shirt in our wardrobe in the hotel. I grabbed it and leaped up the stares to FOP's room. Knocking frantically, while feeling the beginnings of a heart attack, he did not answer.
After standing there stupidly for 5 minutes I ran back down stairs to my own room screaming "He's now MISSING!"
Entering the room I find J, MOP and M yelling "He's got the shirt!"
Apparently he had gone down the back stairs, found his dropped shirt in the foyer, walked to my room at the same moment I was banging on his door with Taxman's fetching white and blue check, only to see three women he hardly knew (yes one was his ex-wife, but they don't see each other much) yelling at him,
"SHE'S UPSTAIRS!"
He then left, without a word, to his own room.
Whatever weight I needed to lose to get into the corset had vanished in that 15 minutes.
Soon our photographer arrived and we strapped ourselves into the various outfits. Photos where taken and we commenced out walk down Fitzroy St to the St Kilda Pier. The late afternoon sun was shining and it was a nice pace. We even got blessed by drinkers outside the various watering holes along the way.
As we got close to the Kiosk I could see the guests gathering, the groom waiting and even the lovely Rick ready to meet me. As we made the final few steps I thought I might pass out, surely it was just the corset restricting my breathing.
The ceremony went without a hitch, though I found out later the celebrant was almost late. As we signed the registry, my cousin A sang Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and I found myself unable to hold back the tears. Thank goodness for J's grandmother's lace handkerchief which was stuck down my cleavage as "something borrowed."
We ran against the clock for the next 45 minutes trying to get as many photos as possible in the diminishing light before walking back to Mirka for the wedding dinner. The food was sublime, and whoever said brides don't eat at their own wedding clearly had not met me. J and I even managed to scoff the famous mussels without getting a drop on our dresses.
Of course there was laughter, and of course there was wine.And then there were speeches.
First the MC proved once again that he is a crowd pleaser with a blisteringly good introduction. Only to be slightly overshadowed by the Father of the Groom who spoke so eloquently about his wonderful children, for before referencing how his daughter had been found by her current partner 17 years after they first met through the miracle of "the spacenet." By the end of the evening many of our friends had started tribute websites to the 'SpaceNet' and I believe t-shirts will soon be available.
Then attention shifted to FOP. As we all know a speech was not guaranteed, so imagine our surprise when he a) spoke at all, let alone at length, and b) spoke LOUDLY. The MC lost the power to articulate at all he was so astounded. He rightly pointed out that FOP spoke more words in that speech than he had said in the past 20 years. Particular highlights for me were the fact he called me "a Faberge Pear", as he knows my nickname, and the fact he made a Twitter reference. He too spoke with much love and I will be forever grateful.
The best man's toast touched on many of the reasons I adore my new family.
The night continued, with more food, a WONDERFUL CAKE from Patersons Cakes, care of J and her gorgeous Dad, and champagne that flowed into the next morning.
The groom too had a few things to say, and he also being a man of few words, managed to bring the house down with his charm, humour and pure love and goodness. Those who had managed to get through the day without tears were at a loss by the time Taxman had finished.
In the end I had to throw out the straggling guest as the bride and groom needed some alone time. Who would have thought FOP, continuing to eat a piece of cake as big as his head, would have been one of the last to leave?
Sunday arrived and a few of us recapped over breakfast, before J, and the new Ms (not Mrs) and Mr Taxman headed for the Comedy Festival (when in Melbourne.)
Another breakfast followed today before we returned to Sydney to wash the clothes and prepare for the honeymoon.
Next stop, Japan.
* Thanks to Anne and MOP for many of the good photos.
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