Hikawadai Life

Yokohama Hanabi

2008-07-23T00:37:00.001+09:00

One thing that always makes me think of summer in Japan is the fireworks displays. They are rather different than the ones in the UK which are mostly in the dead of Winter. Yokohama last Sunday was sweltering hot, a million miles way from the damp and chilly British winter. Although the heat was made more oppressive by the fact that we had to wait 5 hours in order to get a spot with a good view. Therefore we (myself and some Japanese friends) had no choice but to keep cool with an extended wine and beer picnic.

After plenty of good food and drink the show exploded into life at about 7.30pm when the first of 6,000 fireworks lit up the night sky. The truly great thing about these displays is the variety of fireworks. Particularly, I like the themed fireworks, for example the heart or Kitty shaped ones. But, the most impressive ones are the traditional looking chrysanthemum shaped ones, where size really does count. The massive ones being rewarded with claps and screams from the crowd.

The display takes place every year and celebrates the Opening of the Port of Yokohama, this year its the 149th anniversary. It attracts around about half a million spectators, which becomes clear when everyone tries to go home.

New Year

2006-01-01T01:02:00.000+09:00

Well I have just got back from welcoming in 2006 at the local Shrine. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who had headed out just after midnight in order to be one of the first to pray for good luck. I thought there would be a few people but I wasn't expecting the 30 minute queue that greeted me on arrival.

Anyway, it was good to rub shoulders with the locals and drink in the excitement of seeing in the New Year, even though it was bloody freezing. It was expensive too, because I had to buy some lucky charms to keep the evil spirits at bay. This is due to the fact that 2006 is my unlucky year in the Japanese calendar. I just hope that the expense is worthwhile and 2006 will be better than 2005.

New Year is Coming

2005-12-19T17:10:00.000+09:00

New year is the most important holiday in Japan and everywhere is gearing up for it. Outside my office today, loads of cute girls dressed as Santa were tempting us passers-by to loosen our purse strings in order to buy the New Year's TV Times, which by the way, came complete with loads of goodies from the Japanese pop group SMAP. You would have thought that after ten years a boy band would have lost its popularity, especially when they can't sing and are no longer as cute as they used to be, but not here in Japan.

Even the local shrine in Hikawadai doesn't want to be left behind and is busily erecting tents, so that come New Years Day, we locals will be able buy loads of charms from them. Also the number of drunk business men on the trains is up this month as they all stagger home after pissing it up at one of the numerous 'End of Year' parties. I wish I could join them, but for me it just seems to be work and yet more work.

Degu

2005-12-13T15:36:00.000+09:00

From today I have to share my small home with some new flatmates. However they shouldn't take up too much space as they are two degus (Pronounced Day-goo). But, what is a degu, I hear you ask, is it some strange mythical Japanese animal or maybe the latest robo pet from Sony? Well, no! In fact it is a squirrel-like rodent from Chile that is rapidly becoming the must have pet, probably as a result of their cute looks, here in Japan. Hamsters watch out!

They are only a few weeks old at the moment and quite small, but they are really noisy. They are continuously either running in their wheel, squeaking or doing both. However, I must admit it is a pleasant background noise and rather adorable. Plus the way they interact is amazing, because they do everything together. The only problem I have is to work out names for them. Might go for Speedy and Nippy as one of them runs like crazy, while the other seems more intent on nibbling my fingers. It doesn't really hurt though, I am sure its just a sign of affection.

Earthquake

2005-10-20T21:44:00.000+09:00

Sorry for the delay, but I am back and have lots to write about. Firstly, there was another rather large earthquake last night at around eight thirty. At the time, I was working on the 10th floor of one Ikebukero's tallest building. And boy did it scare the shit out of me. I can tell you, it isn't much fun being in a building that's gently swaying from side to side.

At least I wasn't the only one, as the place went deadly quiet as we all waited to see what would happen next. Finally the rocking stopped and things got back to normal. In the end, it was a bit of an anticlimax, a couple cds and a beer bottle fell over at home and I had to put up with the inevitable train delays. A tad dull really!!

Fatty Meat

2005-10-05T10:56:00.000+09:00

Most Japanese food is very good for you, if a little bland at times. So it seems strange to me that the Japanese have an unbelievably strong desire to eat fat. Here the most expensive pieces of meat are literally blocks of fat. This is across the board, not only beef and pork, but chicken (it has to be covered in a fatty skin) and even fish. The most expensive sushi here is Otoro, which is a cut of tuna which must be over 80% fat, in fact the whiter it is the more delicious it's considered to be.

The upside of this for us foreigners here, is that nobody wants the lean pieces of meat. Premium cuts of steak which go for an arm and a leg back home are dirt cheap here, as the Japanese would rather suck on fat.

No Seats Again

2005-09-20T14:16:00.000+09:00

Right, here is my rant for this week. It’s the Japanese habit of reserving seats in cafes, bars or just about anywhere by placing a bag or some other thing on them. It’s worse than holidaying Germans who reserve their place by the pool by dumping their towels on sun-loungers in the middle of the night. Why can’t people just take their turn? In the UK everything works by the first come first served method, which is fair for everyone. Here you walk into a cafe which looks empty with loads of free tables and while you are queuing up to buy something you suddenly find that some sneaky Japanese have nicked all the seats. So you end up standing, or waiting around like a real fool. Why do they need to do it! It’s so selfish, just like queue jumping. I suppose it shows one good point about Japan, you can leave stuff around with little risk of it being nicked, or mistaken for a terrorist bomb. However, as far as I am concerned, I just wish they wouldn’t do it.

Bottled Water

2005-09-16T12:13:00.000+09:00

People like to dump stuff outside their houses in Japan. Stroll around any neighbourhood in Tokyo and you will often see piles of crap lying around. Old televisions and carpets seem to be a firm favourite. However, what has me perplexed is the large number of bottles full of water you often see lined up in military precision along the roadside. You just have to wonder why! Is it some strange addiction to collecting? Hey I got bored of collecting stamps and decided to give bottled water a go. I now have 200 bottles in my collection on permanent display outside my house!

Determined to discover if this is some new craze or fashion statement, I asked a few Japanese friends. The answer I got is that the water is for homeless cats. An understandable gesture, especially on a hot summer night, I thought. But how do the cats get the bottle tops off and have a drink, I enquired. But no, I had the wrong end of the stick again, a common problem that results from Japanese twisted logic and poor English. The water is not for the cats in the sense of a drink, but to actually scare them off. Tokyo can't be a city of cat lovers, after all then.

Game Boy Micro

2005-09-14T12:25:00.000+09:00

Anyone who knows me well will know that I love Nintendo products. Also that I have a weak spot for hand-held gadgets. To me Nintendo is the Apple of the games world, the items they produce are pieces of art rather than just toys, put together with love and care. So its no surprise that I just have to own their latest piece of hardware, the game boy micro.

One thing that I have never done is buy a new games machine on the day of its release. So with nothing to do before work, I decided to kill time by heading out to Yodobashi Camera electrical store in Shinjuku, in order to plug this hole in my personal experience. However, I have to admit it was a tad on the boring side, no queues and crowds, no girls dressed in cute costumes and definitely no real buzz in the air.

I guess it shows the sorry state of the games industry in Japan, people just aren't interested in this kind of release anymore. At least I got what I wanted, so I am happy.

Sanma Matsuri

2005-09-11T22:29:00.000+09:00

Another festival this weekend, but this time I am off to Meguro for the Sanma Matsuri. Sanma is a type of fish, a bit like a herring and is in season this time of the year. Basically the festival is a celebration of this tasty fish, with 20,000 of them being given away. But why in Meguro, I hear you ask. Well the story goes that once there was a Diamyo Lord, who really loved Sanma, but none of his servant's could cook them to his liking and this annoyed him greatly. Then one day while travelling through Meguro he came across a stall barbecuing Sanma. The smell was prefect. He tasted one. It was excellent so he proclaimed that if you want to eat truly delicious Sanma you should do so in Meguro. That's why Meguro is the place for Sanma and why I am here too.

Unfortunately, I am not the only one here for my free Sanma. The rest of Tokyo seems to be here too. Even though the fish are cooked in batches of 200 the queue stretches for miles with a queuing line of up to three hours. However, I am not going to give up. You may, as my friend pointed out, be able to buy Sanma in the supermarket for just a pound, but that’s not the point, queuing is supposed to be part of the fun and make that Sanma taste even better in the end.

And I have to admit, after two hours my excitement and trepidation were at unheard of levels as we neared the cooking area and ominously dark rain clouds drifted overhead. It looked like we were in for a soaking. We had no umbrella so it might have ended up as a choice between wasting two hours with no reward or enjoying the fabled fish, but getting drenched to the skin. Luckily we made it and had just enough time to gobble down our fantastic Sanma before the heavens opened. And boy did they taste good.

Others weren't so luckily, many in the queue behind us were rewarded with only a cold shower after a two-hour plus wait. Many held their place in the queue as the rain bucketed down, only to give up later when the rain got just too intense. Off they plodded like drowned rats. Poor hungry souls.

Time for a Beer

2005-09-07T11:57:00.000+09:00

One thing that you can't deny is that Japanese trains are convenient. They run on time, at regular intervals and are comparatively cheap. But the thing I love about them the most is the information screens inside the carriages. These will keep you informed with the latest news, weather and market prices. They will even teach you English and recommend whether it�� a good day to hang out your washing. However, the most amusing thing is the beer forecast.

This will let you know, just in case you don't know, if it is a good day for a beer or not and to what degree that beer is going to be refreshing. So now there is no excuse to have a quick one on the way home after a hot and busy day, because your commuter train says you should.

A Festival for Local People

2005-09-04T00:05:00.000+09:00

Hikawadai is usually particularly quiet and boring, but today is different because it's festival time. The whole area around Hikawadai Shrine, which is just behind the house, is now a crowded open market with stalls selling snacks and toys. A complete contrasted to the normal, peaceful, residential atmosphere. Excited voices, traditional music and traders' shouts drift up to my window making a pleasant change from the normal sounds of everyday life. The stalls in the street are for kids, the real fun for us adults are the mikoshi (or portable shrine) procession and the outside bars that have sprung up wherever there is space for a few tables. These temporary bars are ideal spots from which to watch the mikoshi as it travels around the neighbourhood, so that the god enshrined inside can extend his protection to all us locals.

The highlight of the day is when the mikoshi is carried back to the shrine. The reason why it's carried probably dates from the Edo Period when wheels were banned as a security measure, but today it just adds to the fun and is loved by the Japanese because it involves working as a group. This is certainly the case as the mikoshi is shoehorned through the crowded narrow streets, accompanied by rhythmic music, dancing and chanting. Finally, the swaying mikoshi is manhandled to the shrine so that the god within can return to his permanent home.

The festival is then suddenly over, well not quite because everyone starts chatting, smoking and drinking. And this is the whole point of these festivals, they are not religious and taken seriously as a Western equivalent would be, but are an excuse to have a good time and build relationships with those that live around you.

Train Free for All

2005-09-02T12:38:00.000+09:00

I am always hearing how polite the Japanese are and that might be true in many cases, but certainly not on trains. I have lost count of the number of times I've been pushed and shoved out the way or had to fight my way through a tide of boarding passengers as I try to extract myself from a crowded carriage. Commuters waiting on the platform might queue up neatly guided by lines on the ground, but when the train arrives it's always a free for all with passengers of any age breaking rank and dashing for an empty seat. In the UK, travellers don't usually form such ordered queues, but they do take their turn when boarding (those that arrive first, board first) and they never step on the train until everyone who wants to get off has alighted. No matter how packed the train.

The other thing that gets to me are selfish obasans (old ladies) who love to take up several seats with their shopping bags, no matter how crowded the train is or how many people are standing. Of course no one says anything, we all just ignore them, but just once I would love to throw their bags on the floor and tell them to be more considerate and less greedy. You would be considered public enemy number one if you used up extra seats in the UK, and other passengers would not be scared to tell you so.

The reason for this lack of politeness in trains is said to result from the Japanese's lack of respect for people they do not know well. Basically they care less for the comfort of people they have no relationship with. Therefore, being in a train full of strangers is no fun.

Fake Beer

2005-08-28T16:56:00.000+09:00

Next time you wander into your local convenient store in Tokyo to pick up some cans you need to be careful. Because what may look like beer and some might say even taste like beer (not in this writers opinion though) is actually not beer at all, but what the Japanese refer to as near beer. Near beer is the result of the weird Japanese tax system that levies different tax rates dependant on the ingredients, production methods and alcohol content of alcoholic drinks. It all stared in the late 1990s when Japan's four major breweries (Sapporo, Kirin, Asahi and Suntory) introduced a selection of low malt beers called Happoshu or sparkling malt beer in order to get around the government's strict regulations that require a certain level of malt content for something to be labelled as beer and consequently highly taxed. This rule helped keep consumer prices high and company profits low.

The introduction of cheap Happoshu led to a sharp increase in beer consumption and profits for the breweries, but pissed off the government because they lost out on the tax revenue. As a result, they quickly changed the law and hiked up the tax on these beers. In return, the brewers launch new products called "third beers" that contain no wheat and malt at all but are made from peas and soybeans (yum yum). The advantage is that they are taxed less and are about 30% to 40% cheaper than regular beers, but are these fake beers as satisfying? Well I leave that up to you. However, how can you have a decent beer without using malt and wheat? The popular brands are Nodogoshi Nama, Shin Nama, Draft One and Super Blue.

Run Around

2005-08-26T14:15:00.000+09:00

I just can't understand why Tokyo has the image of being a fast paced city. Maybe it's because of some American country bumpkins who have never been anywhere where the people out number the horses or cattle. It is very crowded here but everything seems to run in slow motion. The Japanese dawdle along without a care about what's happening around them, they are always getting in the way or under your feet, especially when you are in a hurry, a bit like Italian tourists on the Underground at Piccadilly Circus. It's not just the people even the automated doors here are on a go-slow. They open so slowly that if you walk up to them too quickly (here quick is my normal walking speed back home), you run the risk of smashing straight into them. So you end up having to wait for them to open like a real lemon and wasting another few seconds. Literally, every door in Tokyo is automated so I must loose minutes every day. It really winds me up.

Even the escalators seem to run at a reduced speed, which produces traffic jams of people around the tops and bottoms. Tokyo has been a major business centre, with a huge population for centuries, so you would have thought that the Japanese would be used to living in a crowded bustling city, but that seems to be far from the truth.

Manga Kissaten

2005-08-19T08:23:00.000+09:00

One of the fastest growing businesses in Japan at present are Manga Kissaten. Manga are Japanese comic books, while Kissaten means cafe in Japanese, so basically they are cafes where you can read comic books. However, they are often so much more than just this. The one that has just opened down the road from me has free Internet usage and online games, pool, ping-pong, playstations, DVD viewing booths and even a relaxation area with massage chairs and showers. A little bit different from your average Internet Cafe in the UK. All this costs about 2 pounds an hour during the day and includes free drinks, if you go at night (did I mention that its open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year) or book blocks of time its considerably cheaper.

So far I have used the PCs and played a few games. I will have to try the massage chairs, which the Japanese simply love (just walk into an electrical store at the weekend and see them queuing up to try them out.) However, I usually find them a bit rough and wonder if they are doing more damage than good.

Not sure if Manga Kissaten would work in the UK, as I am sure their stock of comic books, CDs and DVDs would go missing rather quickly. It's a shame because they are an excellent idea and immensely popular here.

My Worst Earthquake for Sometime

2005-08-16T14:39:00.000+09:00

There are often earthquakes here in Tokyo, but at 11.46 today there was one that actually put me on edge. It started as a slight vibration, but quickly increased in intensity. (This usually indicates that the epicentre is some distance away). So much so in fact, that after a couple of minutes of being shaken about I was tempted to dive under the dining table. But luckily, at that very moment it stopped. It registered 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale in Tokyo and was centred on the town of Kawasaki in southern Miyagi Prefecture where it hit lower 6. The earthquake originated in a thrust fault under the Pacific about 80 km off Miyagi Prefecture. Its focus was about 42 km below the seabed. Just have the aftershocks to look forward to now.

There was another 4 or 5 pointer a few weeks ago, but I didn't notice it as I was in the basement of the small mammals' house at Ueno zoo. It must be one heck of a strong building as all I felt was a slight loss of balance as if I had missed a step. Outside however, the shaking went on for a few minutes, looked pretty bad on TV later.

Mizukake Festival

2005-08-14T22:29:00.000+09:00

Toady, I went to the Mizukake Matsuri or 'sprinkle water' festival, one of the biggest and oldest festivals held in Tokyo. This consists of teams of locals from Monsennakacho carrying mikoshi or 'portable shrines' around a five mile course that starts and ends at the Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine. Each of the fifty-six teams consists of around a hundred members who take it in turns to shoulder the mikoshi on its journey around the neighbourhood. Spectators along the route await the teams of carriers with, hosepipes, buckets and even lorries of water. They then soak the participants as they pass and in return the mikoshi are turned and thrown into the air.

This unique practice is a ritual to cleanse the shrines and their teams, but it also has the benefit of cooling the sweat drenched teams down. Also it's a lot of fun for everybody including the spectators who all have fun splashing in and messing around with the water.

The festival was first held in 1643 to celebrate the birth of the heir to the third Tokugawa Shogun, Iemitsu. The annual festival, which also boasts a fabulous float procession, soon grew in popularity. In fact, so many crowds came to see it in 1807 that the Eitaibashi bridge collapsed under their weight.

Back To Work

2005-08-05T23:35:00.000+09:00

Well I am back at work after a two-week break and god do I hate it. Like most English-speaking foreigners here I am an English teacher because it's the only job the Japanese government will allow me to do easily, so no real choice in the short term. It's back to teaching kids who have no interest in learning because they are sent or dumped at the school by their parents and bored housewives who have no knowledge of the world outside their own front doors. Maybe I am being a bit harsh, but in reality the average Japanese is extremely narrow minded and knows little apart from the prejudiced views fed to them by their old conservative politicians (quite a few of which are or are related to convicted class A war criminals) and biased news agencies. I suppose that I have at least the chance to give them another view of the world, if they are either interested or capable of understanding.

Beer Drinking Season

2005-08-01T16:00:00.000+09:00

August has arrived together with a steady increase in temperature. It reached 36 today. The temperature rarely drops below 29 at night as well. Far too hot to do much in the way of work and that's probably the reason for the many Matsuri or festivals that take place at this time of the year. Whether a huge firework display or a celebration at a local temple or shrine, its an excuse to drink and eat loads and basically have a good time. Small stalls sell all manner of snack foods, like barbecued meat and takoyaki (octopus), which are washed down with loads of chilled beer. For the kids there are game stalls where various prizes can be won, even live goldfish.

The August heat also brings out young girls in yugata (summer kimono) which always brightens up a dull day.

Earthquakes and cold noodles

2005-07-31T13:30:00.000+09:00

The one thing I hate about weekends in Tokyo is that the place is just too crowded. Wherever you go, it seems that the rest of the Japanese population has got there first. It just gets right on my tits at times, but why rage about it now, I hear you ask. Well it was all down to lunch. At 2pm I met my friend for lunch in Ikebukero, quite late I thought, there shouldn't be many people around. How wrong I was, at every place we went there were massive queues. After plodding around for half an hour, we gave up and joined the nearest queue, which turned out to be a Chinese style noodle shop and as it was hot and humid as usual I went for the cold version.

They were excellent and just what I needed to cool down both mind and body. To top it all off there was another plus 4 earthquake at three.

Goodbye old school, Hello new

2005-07-30T10:32:00.000+09:00

Well I have finally finished my contract at my old language school and I must admit that I am very happy about leaving and trying my hand at something new. However, I will miss some of the people there, particularly the secretaries and some of the other teachers. I must try and keep in touch with them. Also I mustn’t forget my ex-students. I hope that some of them will be reading this and feel the same. I will miss some of you. Really! On the other hand, I am glad that I no longer have to teach kids, I hated that part of the job. Another thing that really annoyed me was been forced to work under a head-teacher who has no grasp of English grammar, culture or language. It’s really strange that a school would put its self in that position. But I guess that a school which uses a teaching system that turns students off of study rather than helping them improve their English wouldn’t mind. One of the refreshing things about my new school is that the clients choose what they will study and at what pace they will do it, we are there to instruct them in English rather than force it on them. Anyway, I am not going to rant anymore. I wish anyone still associated with that strange place all the best for the future.

Spaghetti in the sky

2005-07-30T01:38:00.000+09:00

On of the first things you notice upon arrival in Japan are all the cables and wires above your head. They are everywhere and usually placed without any thought or consideration to their ugliness, as a result it is almost impossible to take a picture of a famous temple or landscape without having it ruined by some 30 foot telegraph pole or a criss-cross mesh of wires. Any Japanese will be happy to give you the reason for this. "It's because of the earthquakes. The electricity system is safer and easier to repair if it is not buried underground," they say like misguided sheep.

However, a transformer the size of a dustbin, hanging off a concrete pole doesn't seem that safe to me. I would much rather have it under my feet than above my head if there was a major earthquake. Half of the poles also look like they are about to fall over now, so I am sure they would hit the ground if given even a mild shake. I just hope that I am not walking down any street around here when the big one hits Tokyo, otherwise it will probably be curtains under a pile of spaghetti.

Quiet Day

2005-07-29T04:02:00.000+09:00

Well it's hot as usual but today its cloudy for a change. However, the weather is good enough to allow me to air all my bedding. (A big problem with Japan is the humidity, if you don't air your bedding and allow it to dry out there is a risk that it will go mouldy). Once finished I will continue cracking away at decorating my typical Japanese mansion (they are usually just wallpapered and painted white, rather boring), which I am about half way through. Then hopefully I can get out and about in the hectic city of Tokyo.

My cramped balcony with my bedding laid out to dry, you can also see some onions and herbs, which are growing nicely in the humid conditions.