Harajuku Shopping

Friday after work, Kanade and I went shopping in the neighborhood Harajuku, Tokyo. Harajuku is only one stop on the Yamanote JR Line from where I work in Shibuya, and it is one of the best and most famous places to shop (next to Shibuya itself) in Tokyo. As a matter of fact, Tokyo's lifestyle in general is very revolved around shopping, and I've been in fashion heaven during my stay.

I got off the JR Train at the Harajuku Station, and soon after I was right in the heart of Takeshita-dori, which is a narrow street full of little shops and cafes. It's kind of tailored to a younger crowd, and this is a famous place where you'll see girls dressed in punk rock, gothic, and more. The Lolita girls, for instance, are definitely a must-see culture in Tokyo. Here is a quote from Lyndsay Sartoris's Blog on Lolita girls:

"The Lolita look consists mainly of headdress, knee socks, knee length skirt or dress, and high heal/platform shoes. Since the style was influenced by the Victorian children clothing, you may often seen girls with teddy bears, or other items that would emphasize their childlike look."

The girls (not just Lolita girls, but many of the younger teenage or early 20's girls in Tokyo) dress up exotically. It's incredible how they do their hair. Here is a picture I took of two girls at a summer festival in another part of Tokyo. They are not representative of all the types of styles, but cute nonetheless!

It was a lot of fun going down that street and looking at all the unique shops and people. We both grabbed a crepe to eat, which is also famous in that part of town.

As soon as we got to the end of the narrow road, we were in the main shopping area, where you'll see all the brand name stores and loads of people. This stretch is actually taking us to Omotesando, which is another shopping neighborhood in Tokyo. There are a lot of international brands and the fashion is HOT! I wish I fit in most of the clothes. Unfortunately, most of the clothing stores only run on 'Asian sizes,' which to me means for instance that the sleeve of a long sleeve shirt comes only to my elbow. It's really too bad, because I would have loved to come back to San Francisco wearing Tokyo fashion.

There I was at a store buying a cute black dress, and my credit card was denied yet again. The one thing that is really annoying about traveling, is that credit card companies have an 'unusual activity' card shut down system. No matter how many times I call the credit card company collect and tell them to put a note on my account that I'll be in Tokyo until October, they never fail to deny a purchase every 2-3 weeks. This was also a problem when I went to Singapore and Malaysia.

Malaysia - Independence Day & Traditional Food

Independence Day

So last weekend, I crossed the border from Singapore to Malaysia randomly on August 31st - the country's 'National Holiday,' or Independence Day. They were independent from the British in the year 1957.

I went to a shopping mall that had opened on that very day, and they had set a stage which hosted lot of traditional Malaysian festivities to celebrate not only the opening of the mall but also the national holiday. A few of the traditional costumes I saw were really unique to Malaysia. There were 3 young girls and 2 young boys wearing very sophisticated costumes that represented all the colors of the Malaysian flag. The dresses were also decorated with Malaysias national flower design, the Hibiscus flower, along with the national flag colors.

They actually reminded me of my own country's carnival, where some women wear the colorful and puffy skirt costume. A similar dress style to the Malaysian costume that I saw is what the women in Bahia, Brazil wear (northern tip of Brazil). Bahia is full of influences of African culture, religion, foods, and along with that of course wear, and you'll see them wearing white dresses with puffy skirts and wraps around their heads.

A funny unrelated fact is that Trinidad & Tobago's Independence day is also on August 31st. They became independent from Brittain in 1962. I saw the away message of one of my best friends from Trinidad (Shivs) saying 'Happy Independence' and I was confused for a moment (since I was in Malaysia). What a coincidence!

Traditional Dish - Nasi Lemak

While in Malaysia, my friends took me to eat Nasi Lemak at a 24 hour dinner. This is a very traditional every-day food made with Santan (coconut milk) and rice. The ingredient that stuck with me the most was the Sambal, which is a really hot chili sauce. The dish also includes anchovies and peanuts... and is incredibly delicious.

Döner Kebab

I'm also happy to say that I ate a Döner kebab in Malaysia, and I have not had one of those since I lived in Germany. Döners are a Turkish dish that I would normally get on a sandwich. There is a huge population of Turkish people in Germany, and you find Döner places all over the place. I loved Döners so much that every Thursday was 'Döner Donnerstag' (the word for 'Thursday' in German is 'Donnerstag'). Döners were always a quick and easy way to fill me up and also tasted soo good. Germans argue over which Döner place is the best, whether it's in Berlin or Hamburg, or the west coast, etc.


Here is a wiki link to Döner Kebabs; it says, 'The meat used for making döner kebabs may be lamb, beef, veal or chicken, and rarely pork. Generally a döner kebab sandwich is served with a salad made from shredded lettuce, tomatoes and onions, often also with cabbage and cucumbers. Usually there is a choice between a hot sauce, a yoghurt sauce containing garlic (tzatziki) and a yoghurt sauce containing herbs.'

2 Pictures from Singapore Remain!

Oh my god.

I just got the best email from the cab driver who drove me to the airport in Singapore!!!

If you read my previous post, you'll see that someone stole my camera TWICE during my recent trip to Singapore and Malaysia. I tried to make up for the first lost camera with the friends I had made there, who drove me everywhere in Singapore to take the same pictures again (a lot of fun), and I also bought the same model camera to try to forget that I had lost the first one (I have a short term memory)... but in the end, none of it worked. The second camera I bought to make up for the first one was stolen AGAIN. The camera was stolen a second time literally 10 minutes before I got on a cab to go to the airport to fly back to Tokyo after an amazing 6-day trip.

Well, I obviously was crying my life away to the cab driver, in just complete disbelief and crushed, miserable and sad that it had happened. I get really attached to pictures, especially with friends who I meet in different parts of the world who touch my life.

The cab driver was so sweet. At the end when I told him that I couldn't believe that I was leaving the best country experience without any photographic proof of the amazing-ness of my experience, he proceeded to tell me that I was wrong. He said he could take a picture with his cellphone and send it to me!! He said he would talk to his daughter to see how he could send me the pictures to my email address as soon as he got home. :)

Isn't that the best ever!! I am going to cry. Well, all, here are 2 pictures of me in pretty bad shape, after 1 hour of crying in Singapore, sent by the cab driver who drove me to the airport! :)

Why get attached to material things?

Materials things.

I have now lost 5 cameras in the last 4 years (the number jumped from 3 to 5 this week).

Why do we care so much about something that, in actuality, is not that important after all? [hmm… maybe it meant something to you or it cost a lot??]

I hope you read the title of this blog thinking to yourself: ‘what is she referring to?’ or ‘what is she talking about; I don’t care about material things.’ Because you see, I also should not care about material things… however; I tend to get attached to material things at an extreme level when they mean something special to me. In fact, when something has a special meaning to me, I can't let it go.

I’m sitting at the Singapore airport right now, at 5AM, simply crushed. Simply devastated. So I have to share with you my grief… 1. Because you actually won’t believe what happened, and 2. Because I can’t stop thinking about it and need to get over it so that I can write more about Singapore and Malaysia on other posts.

For those of you who don’t know, I tend to lose things quite often and also tend to be nonchalant and careless about where I place my belongings when I’m out and about. Unfortunately, we sadly live in a world where there exists evil willed people who make people like me a target for their instant gratification.

Oh you guys! I had such an amazing time in Singapore and Malaysia during my vacation for the past 6 days. Why do bad things have to happen right during such an amazing time? The experience was so fulfilling, sensational, fun, and more, that little things like getting pick pocketed (the point of this post) was disregarded. Disregarding something like losing a possession is a huge accomplishment on my part. However, when you get pick pocketed a second time, you tend to give in a little more to the grief and ponder 'W T F'. It’s a sad story people. I just pick pocketed twice during my trip to Singapore and Malaysia, let alone for the same fricken item!!

The trip was unbelievable, and I truly can say it was one of the best times of my life. I traveled mostly alone, besides the Friday night when I met with Devrim, one of the friends that I look up to the most and had not seen in 4 years. Albeit traveling alone, I was not alone one bit! That’s what I love about traveling alone and why I choose to travel alone most of the time… you end up meeting incredible people and getting to know a side of the culture you had not expected. I met the coolest people in Singapore, and most importantly, I met some of the most fun and inspiring people in my life in Malaysia, who all showed me the true way to enjoy their culture and just a great time in their country. After the first night in Malaysia, I decided to lure my brother into going back to Malaysia with me so that we can re-live the great time together.

So here I was, having a great time in Singapore. Was hanging out in Chinatown, when, 2 minutes after taking the last picture I noticed my camera was gone as I attempted to take the next picture. I did nothing in those 2 minutes but walk along. I stayed at that mall for 1.5 hours thinking back, tracing every step… The funny thing is that the chances of having something stolen in Singapore is slim to none. Of course it had to happen to me. Crime rate in Singapore is very low due to the strict gov’t laws. I went to every store nearby where I took the last picture, in hopes that the camera fell out of my bag. After some time, I remembered there was someone following me. You know when you notice someone looking at you, but you’re so in the moment that you don’t think twice about it? I just wasn't careful about the way I was holding my purse (opened and behind a huge pillow I had purchased).

Well, I became numb when it dawned on me that I had lost all my amazing pictures from the last 5 days (including some in Tokyo). I mean, the fact that I went to Singapore partially to meet Devrim because he's so hard to catch (always traveling around) and I no longer had the pictures we took togeter on Friday was already enough grief, let alone pictures with all the people I met in Singapore and Malaysia, from Thailand and more. After little thought and consideration, I ended up buying the same exact camera again because I couldn’t handle the fact that I had lost it. It was too valuable to me, not only sentimentally but also by worth (US$300+) – The same pink Canon Digital IXUS 80 IS that I had purchased with my friend Shivs in San Francisco 2 months ago, but without the very fun pictures of people that touched my life over the last 6 days. Yes; I actually bought the same expensive camera again, because I couldn’t handle the fact that I had lost it. Unbelievable, you say? Well, how about you keep reading about how someone stole the camera I bought (a second time)! Anyways, the lady at the camera shop gave me an incredible deal on the one I had and I had to get it. She sold it to me for $250, with a 4MB memory card included.

[Pause] Oh my god. I just read my ‘Chinese Astrology’ on Facebook a moment ago and look what it says: “You may fall victim of robbery: watch over your belongings, beware not to forget or lose important documents.” I’m telling you, people. This happens to me all the time.

I should start a fund. The ‘let’s chip in and give Rita a few dollars, so that the next time she loses a camera she can use it to buy the next one.’ Maybe I’ll put Google AdSense ads on my blog to profit for this cause.

Well, when my camera was stolen, I was pretty sad so some friends I had met from Singapore all said for me to forget about it, and drove me around Singapore to every place that I had gone to before losing the camera so that we could take the same pictures over.  It was awesome, and we took even better pictures, of all of us in them going crazy. I later went to Malaysia to meet even more people, and took the best pictures I’ve taken in a long time… really showing Malaysia, the people, the food, of course the nightlife, and just having fun. I completely forgot about the first camera being stolen, and instead tried to forget the $300 charge to my bank account.

My flight is today is at 7:15am back to Tokyo, and I decided to stay up through the night. I came back from Malaysia at around 9PM and went back to the resort where all my things were held. I got ready, and went out to Singapore’s nightlife one last memorable time. During the last 10 minutes I had in Singapore before taking a cab back to my resort to get my bags and to go to the airport – well, what can I say? Unfortunately I did not have a happy ending. At the last 10 minutes of my trip the ultimate shitty incident happened that absolutely crushed me… I asked someone to take ONE last picture with people I met from all over the world. The guy (Indian surprisingly) took the picture. All of a sudden, a few people hugged me and said goodbye… I got distracted and didn’t think about asking for my camera back. The guy must have taken off with it.

Anyways……… I’ve had some bad luck with cameras. What surprises me the most out of the above is that this is the third time I was able to top the ultimate crapy experience losing a camera in 2005 in Thailand, when all my belongings except my camera and the clothes on my body were stolen from my bungalow in the island of Koh Pangan, and someone stole the camera at the very end of my crazy 3-month survival Thailand experience, where I took pictures with people who helped me get to Bangkok by bus, boat, others who bought me meals, etc pretty much a unique once in a lifetime experience… I lost the camera when I placed it on a table at the US Embassy and looked away for a moment. All my clothes, money, credit cards, driver’s license, Green Card, passport – were all gone. All I had were the pictures that the guy stole, you know?

The second time I lost a camera was after a trip to Ultra Music Festival in Miami with close friends, where we met many famous DJs and were in sick parties. That time, I set my camera on an end table while sitting on the couch, and then seconds later the camera was gone.

Rita is on Vacation for a Week

That's right folks!

In 1.5 hours, I am embarking on my trip to go on my trip to Singapore. Yes, you read it right. I am going on a trip to go on a trip. Wow. I didn't realize how long it takes to get to Narita airport from Tokyo. 2 hours with traffic! I thought I could quickly hop on a train and get there. Well, because of this... I'm pretty much screwed.

Let's just say that it's 12:21 right now... and ... I have to pack, get ready, and book a few hotels and flights from Singapore by 2pm. :) It's too bad I can't do it on my way to the airport, since I have so much time to spare! I need an iPhone.

[Pause: (15 minutes later) I just had to 're-publish' my blog, because I'm done packing, and want to declare that packing is overrated. I've decided to take only 2 pants, 2 shirts, a cute dress, sandles/bikini of course, and 1 multi-going out outfit for a 6 day trip. You really don't need much, as I experienced with my Kyoto and Borocay trips. I'll just go shopping if absolutely necessary!)

Anyways.. since I now have time to spare lol, I thought to leave you with one quick Japan hoe-down (or did I call it a hammer down?) ;)

Noodles

Depending on where you are on the map, the term 'noodles' can project quite a few different images in your mind.

Did you know that when people refer to 'noodles' they mean noodles in soup or hot water? I sure didn't until I came here. I am Brazilian, and when we say noodles, we mean noodles on a plate with Parmesan cheese. We think of noodles on a plate even for the 'Ramen Noodles' that you can cheaply purchase for less than $1.00. I must say, I have never eaten those ramen packages in water or soup.

Retrospectively thinking, everything now makes sense. My friend Steph from work was in India, and she said she missed Noodles. It's funny how I related to Italian noodles while she actually referred to Asian noodles in soup.

Different kinds of amazing noodles I've had here in Japan:
Ramen
Udon (thicker white one)
Soba (most healthy type)

Each restaurant has its own secret recipe for the noodles, meaning, not for the dough, but for the entire noodle experience (with the water, flavor, ingredients, etc). It's the 'secret sauce' (refer to picture of me pouring the soup to eat the noodles). Not only that, but each place has its own way of serving the noodles. I'm addicted to noodles now!

Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto...

What a cute city. Many historic monuments ... full of cool temples, shrines, palaces, museums, traditional architecture, shops, small streets, lots of traditional Japanese gifts & souvenirs and more.

The weather was like a hot tamale when I was there... it burned! I am being very serious when I say that opening the door from inside a building felt like opening an oven. I'm talking instant burst of intense heat. It was so hot, I just laughed. It was so suffocatingly hot, that it was actually funny... Even though I was dying walking around 'sight seeing' the entire day, I was in more awe at the heat than the beautiful monuments. I can't even believe it, but a simple shade from a tree was like heaven. I had to take breaks every 20-25 minutes somewhere inside a building or store, where there was air conditioning or a fan. I remember standing under such a skinny tree with only a few branches and thinking, 'ahhhh, that's at least a little better.' THAT's how hot it was. I remember I got a cup with crushed flavored ice, and I am not joking when I say that the entire cup was filled with water in probably less than 3 minutes.

Here are some pictures from the city. I just got up on a 3 day weekend on Saturday and jumped on the Shinkansen Bullet Train (Nozomi Line) with a hand bag, camera & sunglasses. I didn't get to go to too many places because I was only in Kyoto for 2 days or so, but had a great time nonetheless!



1. Nijojo Castle

2. Heian Shrine (Red)






3. Big Buddha (I think called Daibutsu, but Daibutsu seems to be a name given to any buddha statue) and neighboring streets & temple.




4. Kingakuji Temple (The Golden Pavilion) Can also be spelled as Kinkakuji or Kikakuji Temple I believe.

5. One of the little streets in Gion, full of little restaurants and shops

Nihon Taxi Cabs and Trains

People told me never to take a cab in Tokyo because it's too expensive.

Friends. Do you not know me? I'm the person who needs to sleep in 5 more minutes, so I take a cab 5.5 blocks to the shuttle stop in the morning in Nob Hill. Even worse, I'll miss that shuttle because I wanted to sleep in 10 more minutes, so I take a taxi that beats the shuttle to its second stop at the Civic Center.

The one thing I have definitely not been able to understand about Tokyo is that the trains and subways close at Midnight. Geezus Tokyo... whAt were you thinking! It's so hillarious... you hear of people always 'ending up at kareoke' at the end of the night from going out on a weekend. Well... there is a reason for that! Many just go there sleepy to wait for the first train at 5-6AM back home, in an effort to avoid the cab! lol.

I on the other hand... believe that sometimes, it's nice to get on a cab and relax going home. I've spent about $30 to go from Rappongi to Shinagawa... not toooo bad... but pretty expensive.

Cabs here in Tokyo have a feature that I will definitely miss when I go back to the US though. You are not going to believe it:

Imagine this. You flag down a cab. The driver looks at you with the suspicious look of 'hmmm a foreigner.' The cab stops next to you. All of a sudden, the back door just magically opens automatically. You get in, and it closes behind you. Without you touching it. It's hillarious. The cab driver will actually yell at you if you try to touch the door. In the beginning as I arrived in Tokyo, it took me a while to learn to get out of a cab and not close the door. Actually, the cab driver will be pretty upset if you close the door behind you when you leave the cab. (I wonder if it's because they think the door might break.)

I am used to leaving a cab with the door opened now. I can just imagine myself back in San Francisco getting yelled at to close the door as I walk away. heee heee.

Alien Card - A Must in Japan!

Alien Hammer Down:

I have rare occasions where I can actually say I am a lucky **. One recent occasion was when I bought my flight to Japan BEFORE realizing I needed to worry about an Alien Card if I stayed longer than 90 days in the country. Well... turns out, I bought my flight for an exactly 90.25 day stay, so I didn't need one!

Info: "Foreigners staying in Japan longer than 90 days need to obtain a Certificate of Alien Registration, also known as an Alien Card" (Thunderguy.com). I figured I didn't need one, but it was a not-so-significant-but-yet-annoying mistake to not get an alien card for my stay in the country. The card only costs around $500, and it's pretty easy to get. And without it, you can't do some random things (included below). I haven't really needed them, but it would be nice to have that choice.

Without an alien card, I couldn't purchase a cellphone, for instance. I had to go through the trouble of renting a phone, and just figuring out which option was the most cost-effective for my short stay. If you're staying at a hotel, you can usually rent a phone from them... I ended up renting a phone online through Rentafone Japan, which turned out to be really convenient and seems to be a cheap option.

By the way.... out of the 3 main types of phone models from Rentafone, I ended up getting the 402SH model. Quote from the website: The 402SH is better for customers who wish to use the camera / e-mail functions." Well... turns out, the phone is HUGE and esoterically old-school. I can't for the life of me figure out easy ways to navigate through it, and I haven't even been able to send an email with a picture attachment to my friends in the U.S. like I wanted to (and the reason why I got that particular phone model). If you are renting from them (highly recommended), choose one of the cuter and smaller phones... you don't need a high-tech phone for a short stay. Oh, and that thought reminds me I should write a post on Japan mobile phones... the features and mobile culture here are insane!

Without an alien card, I can't rent a DVD. Granted... I love watching movies in Japanese without subtitles... but it would be nice to rent a DVD once in a while. I'm in luck though, because Jeff who just came from the U.S. and lives on the same floor as me here in Shinagawa traveled to China and bought a TON of cheap DVDs while he was there. I can pretty much borrow anything I want from him instead... and for free!

But in general, you can't really apply for anything needing a membership in this country without an Alien Card. I also can't drive, but that's because I was an idiot and forgot to get an international driver's license before coming here.

You Say Tomato... What about Tamago?!

Mmmm. Eggs.

I love eggs! Don't you love having eggs at [insert any time of day]? Well... surprise surprise: Japan loves eggs too! As a matter of fact, they love eggs so much that an extremely high percentage of Japanese dishes include some form of egg in (or on) them. ;)

Eggs on salads, eggs on pizzas, eggs on pasta, eggs on noodles, eggs in soup, eggs over rice, eggs on everything! Recently, I had an amazing Japanese restaurant experience with Nana-san, where we went to a Michelin-starred restaurant nearby work in the Shibuya neighborhood in Tokyo. During our incredible meal, one of the dishes was called an 'Onsen Tamago.' [No, no: Not a tomato (pronouced in English phonetics 'toh-may-toh'), nor a tomato (pronouced in English phonetics toh-mah-toh), but a tamago - tah-mah-goh!] It's not a tomato at all, but an egg!

An Onsen Tomago is actually a form of high-end drink where there is a half-cooked egg in a cup filled with pure onsen water (I think onsen water is originated from a natural hot springs). I actually don't believe the egg is half-cooked. It was actually less-than-half cooked, because it was practically like drinking yellow spring water with goo. I wish I liked it, because it's apparently really good for your health, as well as very gourmet. Please refer to half-cooked egg cooking instructions at the bottom of this post for more info.

It's funny to have the 'egg experience' in Tokyo though, versus the 'egg experience' I've had elsewhere. As a matter of fact, 'egg experiences' vary drastically depending on which country you are residing! What I mean is, the way that each country prepares and adores their eggs vary drastically from culture to culture.

It's been particularly interesting to me to experience eggs in Japan because of the consistency of the eggs that the Japanese tend to prepare. I've loved eggs in pretty much any form for quite some time, but I tend to like my eggs a bit more cooked than the majority of dishes with eggs I've had here in Japan.

The other day, Chisa and I were going out for Noodles, but the Ramen place we usually go to was closed. We ended up going to an Udon noodle place instead, and when I asked for them to cook the egg that was coming over rice a little more, the restaurant said they couldn't cook it more! It was so hard for me to understand the concept of the difficulty for them to take the egg and cook a little longer before serving it to me. In the end, I ended up trying to eat the sticky rice with watery egg and just couldn't bring myself to do it. That was really sad to me, because I love (hard) eggs over rice (a common dish in Brazil). Brazilians, like the Japanese, love eggs in many many dishes.

We take it for granted in the US the fact that you can ask the cook to prepare something specially made versus what's on the menu. That is not a common thing to do in Japan at all. In the U.S., there are so many ways to have eggs in the morning it's actually even confusing to me. Until recent years, I was the lucky target for humiliation amongst my friends, because I never remembered what to say when the waiter at the restaurant asked, 'how would you like them done?'

My friends have laughed at me for years, because I didn't know how to ask for my eggs. If you think about it and get in my shoes, what in the world does 'over-easy' or 'sunny-side up' mean to a foreigner, you know? Poached egg? Geez, what is that! Those are very odd naming conventions for eggs. lol A little tough for a non-native to learn and get used to in my mind. I started to ask for less-cooked eggs such as 'sunny-side up' or 'eggs over-easy' in the United States only recently, and some argue that it's mostly due my recent ability to memorize how to say eggs-over-easy in English. ;)

Complexity of cooking an half-cooked Onsen Tomago:

I once watched someone making home-made Eggs Benedict. I was stressed out just from watching the person try to make the eggs just right and the sauce perfectly. Talk about intricacy and having to be extremely precise! Well, if you are familiar with the difficulty scale for making Eggs Benedict, read how hard it is to prepare a simple half-cooked egg for an Onsen Tomago that I mentioned above:


Excerpt taken from Japan-Guide.com:

1. Wrap a few eggs (out of the fridge) in two layers of rather thick kitchen paper, sprinkle some warm water (from your kitchen heated tap water... meaning not too hot) to bring the eggs to room temperature.
2. Boil some water in a saucepan, when it comes to boil, turn off heat, and place 1 in the water and put the lid on.
3. Let it sit for 15 minutes then it's ready.
4. This 15 minutes is for winter, and for people who prefer to have the egg yolk half-cooked too.
5. Try a few minutes shorter in summer).
(6. is some suggestion for a sauce.)

The key seems to be to keep the eggs in 65 degrees C water for 20 - 30 minutes. Because the moisture in the kitchen paper lowers the hot water temperature, the heat from the pot does not directly reach the eggs, so it works.

Hammer Down Time

Dear God people. It’s August 22, 2008. Wasn’t it just yesterday that I said it’s been 23 days since I’ve been in Japan?

Well, I guess that number just increased to 46! That’s it. It’s hammer down time. I need to jam pack you with as many random posts about the Japanese culture and Tokyo as possible before I leave.

I’ve now committed to launching ‘Japan Hammer Down’s’ starting today. There is just no time to waste, you know! Let’s hammer dowwwn! [Urban Dictionary translation: to 'Hammer Down']I’m going to try to whip out more blog posts than the last weeks for the remainder time I have in Tokyo. Regardless of whether I have a story or not, I’ll start to post small blog posts about random things in Japan for that day.

JP Hammer Down:
Last night, I entertained some Google guests from Singapore, Sao Paulo, and California with Chisa. We were out late after a great Izakaia Restaurant experience. [Please refer to the 'Dining in an izakaya' section of Wikipedia's Izakaya page for more information on Izakaya's - a Japanese tapa's like dining].

The guests then proceeded to convince us to go with them to the Tsukiji Market the next morning (Tokyo's Infamous Fish Market, the center where perhaps tons and tons of fish begin their international career as sushi delicacies around the world.) We wanted to be there early enough to see the actual fish auction, and had the brightest idea of waking up at 4:00AM to head out at 4:30AM to Tsukiji. Note: It was 1:00AM. Well, I'll make sure to post pictures and some stories of Tsukiji but here is the random hammer down:

On the way back from the Izakaya, I thought it was odd that there were some hair salons opened at such a late time in the night. It was after midnight. All shops are closed at that time, and you'll see some opened restaurants, some bars, and nightclubs. Well, walking down the street at 5AM the next morning, I saw that those and other hair salons still opened - all night, along - along with some of the popular nightclubs in Tokyo. There were girls getting their hair cut and styled at 4:30AM (after going out late). I thought that was a bit odd. At the same time, to be honest, girls here in Tokyo definitely spend their time getting ready and getting their hair styled.

6 Weeks in Tokyo as of Today!

It has officially been 6 weeks since I've been in Tokyo.

Time goes by so fast, it's not even funny! 3 months is such a short time, when you want to accomplish so many things (in terms of work as well as traveling and personal). Every day counts, when you think of it, and I want to take the remaining 6 weeks here and really take every moment to make the most of my stay.

There is so much I'm going to miss from Japan! There are some aspects of the culture that really complement my lifestyle. For instance, I just came back home from grocery shopping. I can practically purchase any pre-cooked dinner I wish. No cooking needed - it's all there for you to grab from the shelf and take home. The food here is just SO good!! I still can't believe how amazing the ready-to-eat pre-cooked plates are. All the negative connotations of the term 'tv-dinner' are foreign to the concept in this country for sure. I just got a dinner over rice with breaded beef. It is just like the Brazilian dish 'bife a milanesa.' Very scrumptious. ;) My theory, is that a good percentage of Japanese people are busy people. People here work long hours, and not everyone has time to go home and cook, you know?

I have never been so happy with going grocery shopping. Today, I just found the Brazilian version of 'bisnaguinhas' hahaha. These are tiny sized sweet breads that little kids eat with jam and butter in Brazil. I also bought amazing selections of 'baby cheeses' which just melt in your mouth. Most importantly, I don't know if you recall my love for concord grapes... but I found GINORMOUS sized concord grapes today. They are the same size as a ping-pong ball. At first, I actually thought it could be 'jabuticaba' (A Brazilian fruit), but I was wrong.

I posted a couple pictures from my first time going grocery shopping in Japan. They do grocery shopping in Japan no justice - I now upgraded to amazing foods (I just took those pictures because it was funny to me that there was nothing written in western characters). It was tough to figure out some of the things... but you get used to it after a while. Besides, everything tastes good, so it doesn't really matter if you get something you didn't intend to get. Trying to figure out the laundry detergent and dish soap was a bit challenging... but hey, at least I figured it out in the end. The last picture is of a penguin ice pack.

Going To Work Every Day - Shinagawa Station, Japan

Quick highlights from the Olympics:

Wow. Japan is rocking it at the Olympic games. What a strong culture. I just watched men's volleyball against Argentina, cycling, women's wrestling, and men's gymnastics. Go Japan!

They also showed highlights from the 100m sprint, 100m butterfly, 100m backstroke. Usain Bolt from Jamaica set a new fricken world record for the 100m sprint of 9.69 seconds and is now coined the fastest man on Earth. He didn't even try all the way to the end! Once he noticed that he was leading the race towards the end, he extended his arms out a little knowing that the line he was making with his arms was in front of everyone, and coasted the rest of the race to the end line. Michael Phelps, coming into the Olympics with the goal of winning 8 gold medals (!!!) is at gold medal number 7. Geeeezus talk about dedication. He just won the 100m butterfly in 50.58 seconds!! The lucky b came 100th of a second in front of Serbia at 50.59. Australia came in third. Ah, I'm happy now. :)

Breaking news! The Men's 4x100m Medley Relay just finished. Phelps just won his 8th gold medal. Man! Japan was leading in front for a good portion of the race! USA = 1, Japan = 3. I The USA and Australia Relay Teams broke the old world record of 3:30.68 from 2004, USA winning with a 3:29.34 a new world record!


Anyways...

Going to work every day:

I made a couple videos of me going to work every morning, to show all of you! I thought you'd get a kick out of them. :) You'll need to click on them and pause them until they fully load. I need to figure out why the videos are taking so long to load, so I'll probably have to re-upload them on YouTube. Maybe I need to condense the file first (??); I'll have to do some research.

Video #1: Be patient! Loading time = very long. I'm walking down Shinagawa Station dodging poeple, where normally I see a huge and continuous herd of people wearing suits, button down shirts, and ties going to work. I wanted to walk against the crowd just for fun to show you all the people. I video taped it during a week long vacation week (national holiday), so it's not too packed. Normally, oh my god there are SO many people!!! Every time I tried to video tape with the full size of the crowd, things didn't go too well. :)



Video #2: Be Patient! Loading time = loooong. In this video, I'm going in the actual train - taking the Yamanote Line from Shinagawa Station to Shibuya Station. The lines going into the train are not too packed compared to most days, once again.




This is what I look like pretty much every day inside the Yamanote Line train going to work. 1. I'm taller than most people and can see tons of heads 2. I'm squeezed into a semi-air conditioned train with tons of people trying to take the same train.


On some days, people will be so packed, that you don't even have to hold on to something while the train is moving. You're squeezed like sardines with everyone else and won't go anywhere.

The funny thing, is that even amongst these crowds, you'll see people sleeping (sleeping while standing up, or also sitting on the few seats available). I've noticed a funny thing here in Tokyo and actually in Japan in general: There are a LOT of people who sleep on trains. We're talking around more than 3-5 people sleeping around me each time I'm taking a train. I think many people are in transit for over an hour, so I suppose it makes sense. I don't understand how they know when to wake up at the right time, though. They've apparently learned how to program a natural alarm clock when they hear their station announced on the mic.

But it was pretty funny when I was taking the bus around Kyoto a few weeks ago. I thought the sleeping factor was only referred to trains, but here I was on a bus around the city, and people would just pass out! The people sleeping could not have been on the bus for longer than 30 minutes. How can they just pass out?! It was around 2-3PM too! It's not like it was midnight. lol

TV Chat - Watching Olympics from Japan

Oh, the intensity of Olympics ping pong.

What is up? Nothing much here but I will tell you what is DOWN! (quote from Sharon).

I went shopping today and blew some cash on random things I don't need. I'm in shopping hell, btw, where I'm surrounded by the hottest fashion and unable to fit in any of it. Funny moments trying to make a cute top fit because I just want it so bad. Sizes usually go up to a Small, and sometimes a Medium for tops... size 0-7 on pants, length = short and medium. *$%@!^& This of course, including shoes, (not surprised), that only go up to an 8.5 in the entire country [my size = 11]. You know, I've had problems finding cute shoes my entire life. Whenever I find a shoe that is semi-cute, I have to buy it whether I love it or not. Now, if I wore a size 7 or 8, I would have NO excuse for wearing ugly shoes. I was chilling at McD's tonight (McDonnald's), and there were some not-so-cute shoes in the scene... How can those girls actually choose those shoes out of all the cute shoes around Tokyo!

I’ve been addicted to CNN International, BBC News, and the Discovery Channel over the last month, but have been recently trying to watch local Japan broadcast channels to catch some live Olympics races [aside from updates from CNN and BBC].

I just tuned into Japan versus Korea women’s ping pong. It’s the sport being featured at 10PM on the only channel featuring the Olympic games here in Tokyo. I mean, who didn’t want to become a ping pong star when they were a kid, you know? Trust me: I am a ping pong fanatic myself. In ping pong world, there is nothing more intense than watching Korea versus JAPAN, you know?!

Things are pretty serious at the moment. The TV camera zooms in on their faces as both Japan and Korea players get ready to start the next play…. the expressions. They are like the pitcher in a baseball game, who squints his eyes and stares at his opponent. They look pretty mean yet focused. Intensity settles in. The game starts. All you can do is watch in complete wonder while the camera zooms out to show the four opponents from an above shot. Complete wonder at how insanely well they can spin a small white ball with the rackets, let alone look like they’re playing tennis but in a small ping pong table… All this while hearing the little ball going back and forth, and short bursts of yelling.

What’s up with MIA YouTube videos of the Olympic races?? I’m trying to turn to YouTube for content, but only few videos exist. CNN.com is doing a terrible job posting videos as well. Maybe I feel this way because I don’t have enough time to search online the right way.

Oh. Korea won the ping pong game. How did that happen? They just did a re-run and it was a really close game. The end was unbelievable – they were attacking from yards away from the ping pong table. The speakers end the show with “Arigato gozai mash.. taaaaaaaaa”. (quite funny way of saying Thannnnnnk you verymuch!).

Next up on TV: Japan versus China (or Taiwan) Baseball. No English or westernized writing on the screen for me to tell whether it’s China or Taiwan. Hm. Baseball; Can be the longest game in the world in my opinion besides of course cricket in India (let’s not even get into that one). I usually can’t sit through a US Baseball Game live, let alone a game on TV during the actual Olympics! I give up. Flipping the channels right now ... Note: this is under the regular broadcast channels.

QVC. =\

Sex in the City [must pay to watch]

Ooo. A black and white documentary in German about the Nuremberg Nazi court trials back in 1945. They’re talking about Albert Speer’s confession and its effect in history. Well, at least I understand the language… and I do like anything related to German history. I’ll just try to forget that I’m watching this over Olympics.

Tuning out soon.

Hai Hai!

What is up with the worldwide universal code for the sarcastic comment: 'Yeah Yeah, I get the point'? If you sit and think about this phrase: whenever you're in a conversation and the person speaking to you says 'yeah yeah, ok', that usually has a negative connotation attached to it.

2 times "Yeah" or 2 times 'Ja' = brushing-off yes worldwide. Meaning in reality, I'm not really listening or agreeing to you, I'm just trying to get you to stop talking.

I lived in a German family home once, where the host father would always say to me 'Ja ja Rita.' It was my first time in Germany, and I actually perceived the comment to be a cute way of agreeing to me! I internalized the meaning of 'Yes Yes!' as though it described someone who is alert, and agreeing with me so much he'd like to say 'Yes' twice (in a perky way).

I proceeded to reply to everyone I knew with 'ja ja' following that moment; to teachers, professors, friends, boyfriends. Until one day, I found out that what my host father was in actuality meaning with 'Ja ja, Rita' : something like, 'Ok, Rita. I get the point, yeah yeah, sure... get on with it, I'm-brushing-you-off right now. That meant to me, that for a good chunk of my year in Germany, I brushed people off! lol

When I found that out it definitely didn't hit a nice spot. Especially since I had been trying my hardest to live up to that family's standards.. always attentive and happy. To know that the host father was only taking me half seriously, and really just half-agreed with me, you know?? They were two professors, highly regarded and incredibly intellectual. Ha they would make me read the paper and come up with 10 new words in German per day to learn, and study study study. It was an amazing experience, but they didn't know the meaning of work hard play hard apparently, and disregarded me entirely from the moment I decided to venture out and have a life outside of cramming German every night. They were against my family coming to visit for a christmas trip around Europe in the Millennium year, because they thought I should be immersed in German to learn it right! [I ended up seeing the Eiffel Tower light up in 2000... amazing]. I am incredibly thankful for the experience I had with them, but I wish they would have warmed up to me a bit more.

I recently found out that the same concept goes for Japanese!! Can you believe it? When you say 'Hai, Hai', you're actually insinuating that you're listening, but not too attentively and you're agreeing, but you're not really paying that much attention to the other person. I thought that is odd, because when I hear the word 'Hai' being spoken at work, it's really powerful.

A co-worker will be sitting at her desk working diligently. Well, someone comes up to her and says, 'Ohaio [Person],...' She instantly says 'Hai!' quickly and swiftly sand stands up: it's kind of used to say, Hello! I'm ready to listen to you attentively. To think that when someone repeats the word 'Hai!' twice, it means the person is being lazy, is just wrong.

Yeah Yeah, I get it. (sure, move on)
Ja Ja, ok, ich verstehe. (sure, ok)
Claro Claro, entendo. (of course I understand, don't worry)
* New addition: Hai! Hai! Doukan desu. (I'm kind of listening.. and agree)

Ja, ja, ich soll ins Bett.
Yeah yeah, I should go to sleep.

RI

My Rencent Discovery = Finding Bug Eyed Foreigners in a Crowd

So today I was walking home in a crowd, nonchalantly... looking ahead. All of a sudden, a foreigner appears out of no where, but the reason why I noticed was not because he was foreign. It was literally because the moment he saw me he was in complete shock. I think it was unusual for him to see a face that was not Asian. I do retrospectively realize that I was him on my first day I in Japan too, so it was a little funny to think back. It's true that you feel like you're an outcast against a crowd when you first arrive here, if you've never been to Japan or an Asian country.

Soon after, I saw yet again, the German music artist on the street. He was done playing his music, and I talked to him, remembering he spoke German. [I reference him in the 'toilet' post, where I talked to the Japanese girl next to him in German about why the Kiosk guy would not understand the basic life necessity of using the bathroom].

It's AO - turns out he's Austrian, not German (close, right? ;) jk) and we ended up switching from German to Portuguese - he lived in Rio for a year & speaks Portuguese. Yes people, I now actually own rock (have his CD)... my brother would be proud. AO’s Website.

Let's see if Google Translate [my favorite Google Product these days] does a good job translating one of my favorite songs below so far - beautiful words, but I have no time to transtate at the moment... CD "AO - Metamorphose":


"100 Prozent Gelebt"

Auf der Suche nach dem Leben zieht's mich fort
grenzenlose Freiheit spuere ich ploetzlich dort
Die Ferne Oeffnet tiefe Welten -
die Zeit scheint still zu stehen
Hier an diesem Ort lasse ich mich fallen und sehe die Sonne untergehen
Hier bin ich frei - hier gehoere ich hin
Hier stimmt der Rhytmus in mir drinnen
Hier hebe ich ab und fliege wohin ich will
Hier lebe ich auf - hier treibe ich weg -
spuere diese Kraft die Wege schafft
Hier tanke ich sie - die pure Energie
In dieser Nacht habe ich es gemacht - 100 Prozent gelebt
Einmal habe ich es wirklich geschafft - 100 Prozent gelebt
Es war perfekt - ich war so high - mit allen Sinnen war ich dabei
Unsere Koerper kuehlte das Meer - dann ein Gefuehl der Einheit hinterher
Auf der Reise durch die Zeit und durch den Raum -
sie lag neben mir und hat gelaechelt - Worte fielen kaum
Hier bin ich frei -


"100 Percent Lived"

A search for life pulls me away
I suddenly feel unlimited freedom
The deep opened distant worlds --
the time seems to stand still
Here in this place I fall and see the sun go down
Here I am free - I out here I belong
This agrees with the rhythm in me inside
Here I lift and fly wherever I want
I live here - here I drift away --
feel this force creates the paths
Here I feel it - the pure energy
That night I did it - 100 percent lived
For once I have really done it - 100 percent lived
It was perfect - I was so high - with all the senses, I was in
Our body cooled the sea - then a feeling of unity behind
On the journey through time and through space --
they stood next to me and has gelaechelt - words hardly taken
Here I am free --

Tokyo Heat & Samba in Both Tokyo Festivals & Soccer Games... Yes!

Ahhh..... drenched in sweat. What a great feeling. So I just came home from work in the beauty of Tokyo sauna weather. As soon as I get off the partially air conditioned train, I have had two choices in the past weeks.

1. Take a cab and pay the initial fare of around $7 to drive about 5 long blocks home while trying to communicate in Japanese to the confused cab driver [defaulting to hovering over the seat and extending my arms pointing straight or left, depending on which way I want him to drive on the road].

or

2. Battle the heat and bravely walk home, in what 'Tokyo Times' coined as upgrading from 'unbearably humid to unbearably hot and humid' weather. By the time I reach my apartment, my clothes are drenched and I feel a sense of accomplishment with the instant 5 lbs water weight loss.

I came home and remembered I still had a couple Brazilian 'cochinhas de galinhas' and 'empanadinhas' from the Brazilian restaurant I stopped by on Sunday a couple weekends ago, and am indulging in bliss at this moment. It reminded of my trip to see DaveO in Nagoya where I bought those Brazilian delicacies that weekend.

Nagoya is west of Tokyo, on the way to Kyoto. It's funny, because here in Tokyo, you'll hardly hear someone say that a place is 'north' or 'south,' due to Tokyo's position in the crooked Japan country scape. Tokyo actually literally means East, and when translated into English, it means East Capital.

DaveO is a legendary friend who happens to be living here in Japan and working for Toyota. He is an icon in my world, from working in AIESEC together for over 4 years. I was so glad to see him. It was very relaxing, on a Sunday, I just took the Nozomi Shinkazen bullet train to go visit him 1.5 hours away west.

He took me to an amazing 'Eel Restaurant' and the entire course of the meal was composed of different ways to savor all the different ways of making eel. The picture included on this post displays the last part of the course. It's a bowl with fried eel over rice. The first scoop you eat should not be eaten with any sauce, so that you can savor the taste as is. Then you eat the next scoop with a special sauce (amazing), and lastly, you take the scoop of eel and rice, and pour hot water over it to make a soup.

It is hillarious to be in Japan with all the Brazil hype and love for my beautiful homeland (hehe Brazil!). Brazil, for those of you who don't know, has the largest population of Japanese outside of Japan. It's really funny, because for a Japanese from Japan, it's really odd to see 100% Japanese people in Brazil who don't actually know how to speak Japanese.

I have recently been making some funny assumptions about small conversational language similarities between Japanese and Portuguese in Brazil. I can't wait to actually put them down on paper and get some replies... he he he.

There are so many influences of the Japanese culture in Brazil. I, knowing all this however, never imagined that the Japanese in Japan would be into Brazilian culture just as much Brazilians are to the Japanese culture in Brazil. Sometimes I'll be walking around Japan, and I won't believe it: Not does every coffee shop or chic restaurant that I go to play some version of bossa nova, but I've seen things that are much more unbelievably Brazilian. Real Samba schools and Samba circles for instance, are a common theme at weekly festivals and fireworks festivals. The Japanese hold festivals and fireworks events pretty much every weekend during the summer months. Imagine that every one of those includes some form of Brazilian culture! In Nagoya, for instance, Dave and I saw a Samba float and full-blown samba screaming and music going on right on the main shopping area. The Samba was taking over the hallways, and I felt as though I was in Brazil, but full of Japanese people around me. Very funny! I also experienced seeing a Samba school during the Onsen trip with my team from work. On Saturday, I was fortunate to watch the JOMO CUP 2008 Japan vs Korea Soccer Game: J-League all stars vs K-League all stars. 国立競技場 map. I went with Takako & Brian from work. And all I could hear was samba and lots of Brazilian songs. To be honest though, although the crowd was amazing... man... I've watched many soccer games, and I didn't feel like the teams were really exchanging cool soccer moves... I felt like the game was focused on a lot of ball passing, and no real action shots and moves. Therefore, it's my 'goal' to watch yet another Japan soccer game before I leave (no pun intended). I want action!

2008 Olympics Resources, Beijing China

Enjoy pictures from the Boston Globe of the Unbelievable 2008 Olympics Beijing Opening (If you haven't already!).

I just found out that if you Google "Olympics" with "[your country]" you can get updates on medals won for your country. :)

Official Site: http://en.beijing2008.cn/
Olympic Movement: http://www.olympic.org/uk/index_uk.asp

The Best Resource (China Central TV) - But Crashes Unfortunately - Thanks for sending this, Petar!
http://www.cctv.com/english/index.shtml

Read about it here: http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS102662+05-Aug-2008+PRN20080805

"China View" Site: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/18/content_8200839.htm

Motto: "One World, One Dream."


Beijo a Todos, Kiss to All, Kuesse an Allen, すべてのキス,
RI

Matrix The Movie Moment

I've wanted to say that for just about all my life. For those of you who know me, I have been obsessed about the movie The Matrix from its debut. My roommates in San Francisco would not believe it when they saw me watching the Matrix on TV "again"... for the 5th, 6th weekend in a row. They are all guys, so they understand the awesome-ness of the movie, but the fact that I watched it with commercials on TV over and over was just a joke. I couldn't resist!

Anyways, today, I determined that I, Rita Schiesser, had a real life Matrix Moment. It actually happened yesterday, but the moment was so crazy that I didn't believe it until I proved it true again today. I have been in shock since.

It's July 30, and I've officially been in Japan for 23 full days. I had heard from travelers that 'Westerners don't recognize faces' amongst Asians. Having arrived in Japan, that statement came to mind many times, and I really analyzed whether I deemed it to be true. At least amongst the thousands of people you see walking on the streets or from a far that you don't personally know, they all looked alike to me in the beginning. I could distinguish features when comparing faces closely and attentively, but generally speaking, I felt like I was the only one that looked 'different' amongst a 'unanimously Japanese crowd'. I could spot a non-Asian far far away. This phenomenon goes both ways, actually. I also heard that Asians usually can't recognize Westerners' faces. So in the end, "we" per se, (meaning both Asians or Non-Asians) are on the same boat.

The Matrix Moment:

I was nonchalantly walking amidst a crowd as usual, minding my own business and deep in thought. All of a sudden, I look around. I was in Shibuya at the moment, a neighborhood packed with Japanese people roaming the streets [refer to picture of crowds waiting to cross the street]. For most Westerners who are not accustomed to being in an Asian country (at least from what I hear)m the crowd looks mostly unanimously and generally 'Asian.'

All of a sudden, I look up and around me. It was like from night to day, I was somehow instantly placed in a different country all together. It's not like I started to gradually recognize faces. It's that my Japanese face-recognition ability "button" turned on all at once. It was like being able to look at code and recognize the characters. It was all around me. I felt like I was dreaming and was instantly placed back in some form of Western country where it's easy for me to see the difference in people (United States, a European country, South American country, etc. Anyone not counting Sweden randomly, where in my mind, everyone also looks very very similar to one another when you first arrive). I was suddenly around people who looked unique in some form or another, but just happen to all have black hair. So now my current world has just gotten better!

How in the world will I ever recognize whether someone is Japanese ever again in my lifetime?! Everyone looks different! What does it mean to 'look Japanese' anymore? I have honestly no clue. It's like I'm looking at Westerners, but they are all Asian.

Cool Matrix-Movie-Like Ping Pong Video:

Traditional Onsen Experience

I have been eternally happy since last weekend, where I actually hit a milestone dream in my life. Not only did I play ping pong in Japan, which is a dream in its own, but I actually caught myself playing ping pong while dressed in a traditional Japanese Yukata. [Picture on the right is taken 2 weeks ago when I went to my first Ryokan experience in Kyoto by myself]

So I’m involved with quite a few different teams in the Google Tokyo office. What does that mean exactly? Well, I am also involved with all the activities outside of work with each team on a social level. Wednesday night last week, I went out with a team for dinner. Thursday I went out with other co-workers for a dinner and club referred to in my last blog post. Friday, I went out with the dedicated team for a late dinner. It works out well, because everyone orders for you, and you end up with a great Japanese meal experience, great conversations, and lots of drinks. Saturday morning I woke up at 6:30AM to meet yet another group of co-workers to go on a road trip to an ‘Onsen,’ which is a natural pool made from hot springs (it sounded like a geyser-type pool when I first heard of it), where I got butt naked and relaxed with co-workers. ;) I was definitely feeling a chronic lack of vital sleep from going out and also working late each night, and felt a little under the weather on Monday.

The Onsen experience was totally unexpected. We actually stayed at a traditional Japanese Ryokan (Hotel), where the pools were located. Being at the ‘Onsen’ was an entire weekend ritual with dinners, lunches, activities, and time to sit back and relax in a wonderful sauna made from hot springs. It was an extremely organized weekend full of and packed with Japanese-ness.

The previous weekend when I was in Kyoto, I wore a Yukata as PJs while staying in a pretty empty Ryokan room (consisting of a table on the ground, pillows for seats, and the ground around it). I was by myself, and it was a little tiresome… I didn’t really know what to do, so I read a lot, and took random pictures of myself wearing a the Japanese PJs. This weekend at the Onsen, however, I stayed in a room with 5 other girls, so everything the Ryokan offered made much more sense. It was so relaxing, and also really amazing to experience a real ‘Japanese outing.’

I ended up getting to wear a Yukata (which is a simplified version of a traditional Japanese dress – Kimono) on Saturday night with all the girls. The Ryokan staff asked us if we wanted to rent Yukatas, and all the girls became really excited. For $10, we could dress up (Japanese style) to go to the Japanese summer festival at the park.

I actually felt like I was Japanese - had the traditional hand fan and everything. When in the world am I going to wear one again? Wow - the Japanese that were at this festival were really into the Fireworks.

I’ve never had such a funny fireworks experience, as the huge audience would ‘WOOOW’ each and every blast and colors the entire time. It was also beyond horrifically suffocating hot outside, especially around where the crowd was sitting to watch the Japanese festival (also composed of a samba school, randomly enough). Ha. I was literally drenching sweating, all over my body including my legs. It was like I just stepped out of a pool. (Yes, pretty gross) And the funny part about that is that my legs would stick to the Yukata from all the heat, making it hard to take full steps… so I was actually walking baby-steps like you see women do in Japanese movies while wearing a Yukata, and fanning myself. I was also wearing a bun. I wonder if the baby-step phenomenon happens to actual Japanese people… they seem to be much more accustomed to humidity that myself.

But the highlight of that night was that I played ping-pong while wearing the actual Yukata. Playing ping pong in JAPAN is a dream on its own, let alone wearing a Yukata while doing it. Who would have thought, you know?!

Pampering Yourself in Japan

A.k.a. Forget the concept.

One of the best secrets I take advantage of when traveling is the opportunity to pamper yourself the way you can't really afford to in the US.

Every time I go to Brazil, for instance, I'll literally devote at least 3 entire days if not more to going all out facials/massages/manicures even mud baths/eucalyptus treatments/lazer treatments, etc. To give you an idea, I was asked once if I wanted a simple 'hair wash' prior to getting my hair cut. After replying 'yes,' there was a specific guy who worked in the beauty salon who only washed hair. He washed my hair for SO long, which was extremely relieving with a full blown head massage (kind of hardcore, but I enjoyed it). He washed my hair so much, that at the very end, the way he checked whether he was done with the wash was to take his fingers, press them against my head and quickly move them downwards - if he heard a squinting noise when doing that, he was done - meaning, the hair was entirely stripped from anything chemical and was just pure natural clean hair.

Everywhere else in Asia that I've gone, I've done the same. Japan though is it's own Asia. Things here are just unique to this country. Here I was, staying at the Westin Hotel in Kyoto:

I've been dying to get a manicure/pedicure, because my toes were colored blue of all colors and I couldn't stand closed shoes any longer. I wanted a quick and easy manicure/pedicure, before taking off into Kyoto to venture into it's beautiful landmarks all day. After many troubles due to language barriers, I find out that there is a beauty salon at the actual hotel! 'Yesss,' I thought.

Get there. They said 90,000 Yen = manicure (w/ no nail color) and pedicure. !!! Geezzees Crud. I paused.. thought for a bit, and I was like, there better be lazer dead skin removal with eucalyptus aromatherapy massage w/ clay and some crazy soak as a bonus at the end for this price, ya know? But what the heck... So I thought, 'eh, whatever, I'll try it'. I did briefly mention that I wanted to speed things up a bit, so that I could venture into the city. [Note: Anything you say in Japan is taken to a seriousness level beyond your expectations].

My first initial minutes, I was extremely confused. The front desk girl was taking off my nail polish for some reason, and let's just say she was not being very efficient at it. I had my phrase book on me (of course), and asked whether she would be the one doing my nails. I mean, from the first impression, I thought, oh god... don't even tell me this is going to be bad service (to my [unfortunate] high standards for manicures...).

To avoid complete annoyance, I'll jump to the part where I couldn't take it any longer and just had to react in a somewhat non-polite manner. It's practically unheard of to be semi-impolite here in Japan, let alone direct to someone in any way. But I blew up, proportionally speaking in this culture. I stood my upper body up from being on a bed with my feet covered while she did the pedicure, got my mini notebook out, and wrote Y$90,000! (Thinking, for this price, I was expect a massage, scrub, etc etc); what I was witnessing was just wrong... I could do it in 5 minutes at home one handed.

Well, it was such a huge deal that I reacted that way, that they called the owner of the shop, brought the concierge from the hotel all the way to the salon (who spoke English a little), and more. I tried to bring light to the matter and cracked a few jokes about lazer wart removal for that price... but that didn't help too much. I kept saying, 'it's not her fault' in Japanese for the poor girl who was doing my pedicure, who was devastated.

I was very polite, and everything turned out great at the end (besides the point that I actually paid $90 for a 30 minute crappy service)... but apologized a million times, and everything was good. I was walking towards the train station wide eyed after such an exhaustive apologizing fiasco, when I hear the owner of the beauty salon yelling 'Scuz me! Scuz me!' She ended up offering me a ride to the Nijojo Castle in her sporty car because it was 'too hot outside' for me to walk around, during which she told me she did a hair show in Rio de Janeiro after hearing I was Brazilian... to which I screamed, for the 'Fashion Week???!!!' (A HUGE deal in the fashion world), to which she THEN gave me a contact for a salon in Sao Paulo where I'll definitely be getting my haircut next time I'm there.

I should complain more often in this country.

MVS - Music Video Selection & Washing Machines

I just found a version of Music Television in Japan called MVS - Music Video Selection. Yesss! Cool Pop Music Videos included below for your reference.

It's 2:30AM and I got home an hour ago from a sweet night with co-workers... (in what I hope will turn to 'Thursdays dinner and a club night!). I can't go to bed due to washing machine issues - included at the end of this post for entertainment purposes.

Phrase I learned tonight:
Tori aisu biru = "I guess I'll start with a beer." Every time I've been with a larger group of people for dinner, everyone just tend to start with a beer. It's like: "Eh, I don't know what I want yet, so I'll just have a beer for now" - Tori aisu biru. Also, U me shu = a delicious liquor that comes from plum (Thanks Ryoske!).

I witnessed some Mad Dancing Skillz tonight. Mann! Go Japan. We had a great time. The following is a random picture of a guy wearing a fish suit at the club we attended.

Washing Machines in Japan - Saving Energy

Watching my slowly circulating washing machine full of necessary cloth items for tomorrow at 2AM makes me wonder at America's high percentage of absolute waste of energy in this world. Some countries, like Japan, think of energy-saving methods such as washing machines that are too slow to wash anything properly and at a timely manner. In opposition, however, I don't get why most people here in Japan don't recycle.