Sup sup?
Just a bunch of little things to keep this blog rollin'.
Fireworks! Went to a fireworks show last weekend. Different parts of the show are sponsored by different companies, so they're all trying to out-compete each other. It was a full 1.5hrs, the fireworks were amazing and they were expecting 950 000 people to watch. Yes, you read that number correctly. They were televised, and there were even rich folk watching from helicopters. Seriously. We staked out a good spot early (the good spots were already disappearing by 3pm) and thankfully there were plenty of people selling food and beer nearby, so we were able to make quite the day of it. The weather was perfect...which brings me to:
The weather! It's been raining pretty consistently here, it being rainy season and all. I've actually stopped checking the weather reports here, and not because it's raining all the time, but because they actually don't have a clue what they're talking about. I know I know weather is never well predicted, but here it's actually ridiculous. They were calling for thunderstorms for the fireworks day and the reports on the actual day concurred. Clear skies. All day. This sort of thing is actually very frequent. A funny thing to do if you're bored is to check different weather websites and just see by how much the reports differ. It's hilarious, some call for rain, others for sun, some say hot, others say cold. I think the weather reports are just hooked up to random number generators. Speaking of weather...
Umbrellas! Every time a single drop of rain falls, EVERYONE'S umbrella springs open. If it's just a light drizzle, EVERYONE opens up their umbrella. And since the weather is so unpredictable, people often get caught without their umbrella. Never fear, every convenience store sells umbrellas for cheap. Whenever it starts to rain, you can always see them flying off the shelves (heaven forbid a drop of rain falls on them *gasp*). All these umbrellas look the same, so it's pretty common for people to take the wrong ones from the holders outside of buildings. Never fear, buy another one! I'm on my second, I don't know anyone still on their first, many are on their third. I think for every person in this city there must be 3 umbrellas. No wait, everyone has an umbrella for the sun too, so maybe 4 per person? People even have umbrella holders installed on their bikes that hold open umbrellas over their head. Looks pretty funny actually. Especially when you've had a few...
Beers! The popular beers are pretty standard. Sapporro is a common one, as are Asahi Dry and Kirin. However, there are also a lot of "fake" beers that have a lot of additives to get around tax laws so that they can be sold for cheaper. I've heard they give nasty hangovers. Also, you have to be careful at bars, because the local way of pouring a beer is like 40% head. Bleh. The good news is that I found a brew pub that sells some real tasty local brews, and pours them properly. The bad news? Pints there are like $12 each. Bleh. I paid the price though because I was missing my favourites from home. Another thing I'm missing from home is...
Food! While yes, the Japanese food here is fantastic, that's mostly what all food is. It's been getting pretty frustrating and has been leaving me craving cheese (I told you I'd complain about the lack of cheese), pizza and bar food. Pretty much all the garbage that we know and love. These cravings have actually forced me to find some alternatives and to my surprise I have discovered some really good Indian food in this city, as well a great Italian place and a Thai joint. I've also discovered that the bakeries here are pretty decent, I can get a small wheel of camembert in the super market for cheap enough and the milk is awesome. Yah that's right, you heard me, the milk is delicious! It's all pretty high fat, like 3.6% or something, but different brands actually have distinctive tastes and I've definitely found my favourite...it's got a bit of a wheaty taste or something. Good to have around to wash down the...
Wasabi! Okay, this is a weird one. It's actually WEAKER than the stuff I got back home. It's damn tasty, especially mixed in with soy sauce, but it doesn't give you that brick in the face feeling when you've had too much. And I think I've figured out why. The stuff back home isn't real wasabi. It's actually a mix of horseradish, mustard and your favourite neon green colouring. I always thought that wasabi was just that: some modified version of horseradish. Apparently wasabi is actually a root all on its own. It's in the same family as horseradish, but isn't actually horseradish. So there!
That's it for now...gonna take some time this weekend to explore some more of this city, I'll keep you posted!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Some serious Star Trek shit...
Okay, so everyone is always like Japan's so technologically advanced because they make robots that look like horny 15 year old girls, but to be honest, I haven't really been blow away...until now.
So my friend from Queen's who works in Tokyo took me to a sushi place for lunch. So far so good. We sit around a center area, where the chefs make sushi and place them on trays which then circle this center area on a conveyor belt. Great. Each couple of seats has a hot water tap and some green tea powder so you can keep yourself topped up. Fine. You pick and choose which dishes you want by simply grabbing them off the conveyor belt, and each dish has a price category which is denoted by the colour and pattern of its plate. Still with me? Good. So you eat and you eat and your stack of empty plates gets higher and higher until you are so full that finally the tasty food moving slowly across your line of sight can no longer tempt you. Time to pay up! How does this work? Well it's really quite simple. Each plate has an RFID tag in it (a little microchip with data on it that can be read wirelessly) and when you ask for your check, a server just comes along with a tricorder-like device, scans your stack of plates, and BOOYAH! You have your bill. Pure Star Trek. Except the food wasn't made in a replicator. It was made by humans (or were they chef-bots?). Oh also, the food was delicious!
So my friend from Queen's who works in Tokyo took me to a sushi place for lunch. So far so good. We sit around a center area, where the chefs make sushi and place them on trays which then circle this center area on a conveyor belt. Great. Each couple of seats has a hot water tap and some green tea powder so you can keep yourself topped up. Fine. You pick and choose which dishes you want by simply grabbing them off the conveyor belt, and each dish has a price category which is denoted by the colour and pattern of its plate. Still with me? Good. So you eat and you eat and your stack of empty plates gets higher and higher until you are so full that finally the tasty food moving slowly across your line of sight can no longer tempt you. Time to pay up! How does this work? Well it's really quite simple. Each plate has an RFID tag in it (a little microchip with data on it that can be read wirelessly) and when you ask for your check, a server just comes along with a tricorder-like device, scans your stack of plates, and BOOYAH! You have your bill. Pure Star Trek. Except the food wasn't made in a replicator. It was made by humans (or were they chef-bots?). Oh also, the food was delicious!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Japanese service
One thing that I've noticed here is that they have customer service down to a science. While in Montreal, I had to deal with serious attitude from a local bartender, and God knows how many times I've had shitty service at a restaurant in Toronto. Here service is top notch every single time. All employees are trained on appropriate bowing techniques (different angles of bow for different levels of formality), you can raise your hand or call out across the restaurant or bar and you will have someone doting on you instantaneously, and everyone in ANY establishment is always smiling, always polite. Everywhere from the local 7/11 to high-class restaurants. The only difference is the level of bow.
Check this out to see just how far they are taking this. I'd say TTC employees and the Montreal subway ticket collectors should really try that program out (right Tony?).
Check this out to see just how far they are taking this. I'd say TTC employees and the Montreal subway ticket collectors should really try that program out (right Tony?).
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Hiatus Over! Warning: Monster post to make up for lost time...
Hello helloooooo! Sorry about the hiatus, it's been bananas. But never fear, I've prepared a special super duper sized post to make up for lost time! I haven't actually prepared it because I'm writing this sequentially, but that`s beside the point.
"So blog, what has Paul been up to?" you ask. And blog replies: "Paul was in Montreal for a conference for a week, then flew back to Tokyo only to get on a bullet train for Kyoto 2 days later, with trips to Nara and Osaka thrown in there, and even a sumo tournament!" Phew...allow me to elaborate.
I'm going to skip over the Montreal part, because that's not very exotic. Just muchos traveling and a whirlwind week with a conference and a paper presentation and some awesome friends to remind me of what I'm missing, followed by muchos traveling.
Once back in the land full of Japanese people, I had to quickly sort out my travel plans for the coming weekend. Luckily my travel buddy had already done most of the planning. Friday morning we hopped on a bullet train that looked something like this:
These things are nuts, and put VIA to shame (sorry pops). They run EVERY 10 MINUTES all day, 16 cars every time. They're fast as hell, a very smooth ride, quiet, and have an incredible record for being on time. Awesome. We spent Friday "shrempling" as my Canadian friend in Kyoto calls it. Pretty much visiting temples and shrines. It's nice and all, and the crowds were light, but once you've seen one or two of these things, you've seen them all. So to save you the airfare, I bring you some shremples:
Did I mention that I instantly fell in love with Kyoto? Because I did. What a city. It's much smaller than Tokyo, a mere 1.5 million people, and just feels much more laid back. The crowds are less unbearable and the vibe is more relaxed. We met up with some other students who are part of the same program and living in this region and hit the town Friday night. Kyoto has several rivers running through it, as seen here:
These are a gathering spot for locals on nice nights, so that's where we began our evening's shenanigans.
Day 2 was spent visiting Nara, an old capital of Japan with...wait for it...have you guessed yet?...shrines and temples SURPRISE! But also deer.
At night, it was back to Kyoto for some nighttime wanderings. We saw real live Geisha in a tea house! We didn't actually go in or anything, but we did peak in like the silly tourists we are. So that was cool. Did I mention I love Kyoto?
Day 3 was spent exploring Osaka, a mere 30 minutes from Kyoto by commuter train. It's crazy how Kobe/Osaka/Kyoto are really considered just one big metropolitan area. Anywho, upon arrival the first thing we checked out was this super modern building with an observation deck. It's 35 stories up by elevator, followed by a ridiculous escalator ride BETWEEN the twin towers (like seriously, the order from top to bottom is escalator, 35 stories of nothing, pavement) and finally the observation deck. The view of city in all directions from up there is seriously beyond description. So here are some pictures. Check out the crazy escalators!
The rest of the day was spent exploring some of the more famous areas of Osaka. I also really liked the feel of this place, although it was pretty big and busy. Good times were had though. You know what this post needs? More pictures. Here's one of a MONSTROUS shopping street that had its own roof. It was seriously several kilometers long. The second one is the famous Dotonbori river.
Our final day was spent in Nagoya at a sumo tournament. No wait, let me try that again: Our final day was spent in Nagoya at a sumo tournament!!!! Much better. I have to say that I was pretty excited for this, but even still my expectations were wildly exceeded. Sumo wrestling is awesome. Each match is really short, with a whole lot of very specific showmanship rituals beforehand. You quickly realize that there is a decent amount of strategy involved, and that the fattest does not always win. To prove this point, we saw the fattest sumo in the world (over 550lbs!) lose a match to someone he could've eaten. The smaller guy used the fatty's momentum and lack of agility against him. The crowd was really into it too, with many of the wrestlers having celebrity status. When one of the big champions lost his match, the crowd got really rowdy and started throwing their seat cushions at the ring! Hilarious. All in all a fantastic experience. Here are some pictures, starting with a couple of coy sumos enjoying the afternoon sun.
Finally, bikes are everywhere in this country and this necessitates good bike parking lot systems. Japan seems to be constantly at the forefront of technology, and bike parking lots are no exception. Without further ado...I bring you...the bike parking lot of the future...TODAY!
"So blog, what has Paul been up to?" you ask. And blog replies: "Paul was in Montreal for a conference for a week, then flew back to Tokyo only to get on a bullet train for Kyoto 2 days later, with trips to Nara and Osaka thrown in there, and even a sumo tournament!" Phew...allow me to elaborate.
I'm going to skip over the Montreal part, because that's not very exotic. Just muchos traveling and a whirlwind week with a conference and a paper presentation and some awesome friends to remind me of what I'm missing, followed by muchos traveling.
Once back in the land full of Japanese people, I had to quickly sort out my travel plans for the coming weekend. Luckily my travel buddy had already done most of the planning. Friday morning we hopped on a bullet train that looked something like this:
These things are nuts, and put VIA to shame (sorry pops). They run EVERY 10 MINUTES all day, 16 cars every time. They're fast as hell, a very smooth ride, quiet, and have an incredible record for being on time. Awesome. We spent Friday "shrempling" as my Canadian friend in Kyoto calls it. Pretty much visiting temples and shrines. It's nice and all, and the crowds were light, but once you've seen one or two of these things, you've seen them all. So to save you the airfare, I bring you some shremples:
Did I mention that I instantly fell in love with Kyoto? Because I did. What a city. It's much smaller than Tokyo, a mere 1.5 million people, and just feels much more laid back. The crowds are less unbearable and the vibe is more relaxed. We met up with some other students who are part of the same program and living in this region and hit the town Friday night. Kyoto has several rivers running through it, as seen here:
These are a gathering spot for locals on nice nights, so that's where we began our evening's shenanigans.
Day 2 was spent visiting Nara, an old capital of Japan with...wait for it...have you guessed yet?...shrines and temples SURPRISE! But also deer.
At night, it was back to Kyoto for some nighttime wanderings. We saw real live Geisha in a tea house! We didn't actually go in or anything, but we did peak in like the silly tourists we are. So that was cool. Did I mention I love Kyoto?
Day 3 was spent exploring Osaka, a mere 30 minutes from Kyoto by commuter train. It's crazy how Kobe/Osaka/Kyoto are really considered just one big metropolitan area. Anywho, upon arrival the first thing we checked out was this super modern building with an observation deck. It's 35 stories up by elevator, followed by a ridiculous escalator ride BETWEEN the twin towers (like seriously, the order from top to bottom is escalator, 35 stories of nothing, pavement) and finally the observation deck. The view of city in all directions from up there is seriously beyond description. So here are some pictures. Check out the crazy escalators!
The rest of the day was spent exploring some of the more famous areas of Osaka. I also really liked the feel of this place, although it was pretty big and busy. Good times were had though. You know what this post needs? More pictures. Here's one of a MONSTROUS shopping street that had its own roof. It was seriously several kilometers long. The second one is the famous Dotonbori river.
Our final day was spent in Nagoya at a sumo tournament. No wait, let me try that again: Our final day was spent in Nagoya at a sumo tournament!!!! Much better. I have to say that I was pretty excited for this, but even still my expectations were wildly exceeded. Sumo wrestling is awesome. Each match is really short, with a whole lot of very specific showmanship rituals beforehand. You quickly realize that there is a decent amount of strategy involved, and that the fattest does not always win. To prove this point, we saw the fattest sumo in the world (over 550lbs!) lose a match to someone he could've eaten. The smaller guy used the fatty's momentum and lack of agility against him. The crowd was really into it too, with many of the wrestlers having celebrity status. When one of the big champions lost his match, the crowd got really rowdy and started throwing their seat cushions at the ring! Hilarious. All in all a fantastic experience. Here are some pictures, starting with a couple of coy sumos enjoying the afternoon sun.
Finally, bikes are everywhere in this country and this necessitates good bike parking lot systems. Japan seems to be constantly at the forefront of technology, and bike parking lots are no exception. Without further ado...I bring you...the bike parking lot of the future...TODAY!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Thoughts on Japan: Part 1
Well folks, this is the end of part 1 of my travels, as I depart tomorrow morning for a week in the exotic, far away land of...Montreal! I know I know ridiculous, but what's a bloke to do? (I've made some British friends, and God they say funny things)
Anywho, I thought I'd leave with my first impressions of Japan (specifically Tokyo).
Ichi - This place has a lot of people. Everywhere. All. The. Time. Now I'm a city boy, we all know this. I can handle a crowd now and then. But always? No thank you. It's really starting to wear me down...especially when you're trying to see the sights. Say you're checking out an area with lots of pretty lights and want to stop to take a picture. It's kind of like trying to take a picture of someone on the shore while you're caught in the rapids of a river. And that's how it always is. I find myself constantly looking for "safe spots" where I can escape the crowd for a second, get my bearings, snap a pic. And those safe spots are a perfect place for some outside observation. What you see is a stream of people going in every possible direction. And like a stream, the flow is constant. It's truly mystifying. Where is everyone going?
Here are two pictures of what I've been told is the busiest intersection in the world. To me, it's what walking in Tokyo always seems to be like.
Ni - No parkettes, no benches, no garbage bins (but also no garbage!), no green space. These are things that as a tourist you really notice. Want to take a breather from your long day? Find a tree to sit under, some grass to crash on? Forget about it. Also, I have no idea how this place is so clean, considering the complete lack of garbage bins in public spaces. I've heard that people carry their garbage with them, or consume whatever it is that produces the garbage near where they bought it, as they always have garbages there. This seems to be the norm, as it is considered rude to walk and eat/drink/smoke. No joke, I actually saw a sign that asked people to take their dog's crap home with them. What, do they put it in their purse on a hot day? Take it with them on the packed train home?! I really don't understand. Speaking of garbage, this place seems to produce a lot of it. Everything is disposable and wrapped in 10 layers of plastic wrap. At every store they have single-use plastic bags for your wet umbrellas so you don't drip on the floor! Good idea, but what a waste...oh, and they burn most of their garbage.
Despite this rant, I have come across a couple really nice parks. Found a fairly large one that actually absorbed all the people well and had everyone using the space for practicing instruments, dance routines and plays. I have a feeling this has to do with the general lack of space in this city. Also found this lovely park on a lake 5 minutes from my room:
San - I love the trains. Seriously. So cool. Multiple private companies run the system but it's all integrated seamlessly, super high-tech (all sorts of information on every train, often bilingual), and just generally totally badass. Only problem is that it all shuts down before 12:30am. 12:30!!! And cabs are ridic expensive, so it's either an early night or an all-nighter (5am start time). Many people often go for the all-nighters, although I have yet to attempt one.
Yon - People here drink till they drop. Again, from what I've been told and from what I can tell, they work hard (many of the international people in this exchange program start at 9, work till 7 or later, and are always the last ones in and the first ones out) and use alcohol as a form of escapism. Without fail, every time I've come home late, I've seen someone REALLY drunk. And usually fairly well dressed, including a man in khakis hugging someone's rock garden (not on purpose, he just couldn't stand) and a businessman being supported by his friends. And this is all before midnight!
Go - Before I call it, I figure I should clear something up. A lot of this seems sort of negative and I really hope you don't take it that way. Things here are just DIFFERENT. The culture shock really isn't immediate, it's a gradual feeling as all the little things you notice start to add up. To be fair, I'm sure a Japanese person would walk through the streets of Toronto and be blown away by all the homelessness and filth and the ancient transit system.
This is the safest metropolitan area I've ever been to. To reserve a seat in a food court at a mall, people leave their purchases! It's just that safe. It's clean. It's high-tech. The locals have so far been extremely friendly and helpful. The food has been mind-blowing. And it's all extremely fascinating. Go time, see you in a week!
Anywho, I thought I'd leave with my first impressions of Japan (specifically Tokyo).
Ichi - This place has a lot of people. Everywhere. All. The. Time. Now I'm a city boy, we all know this. I can handle a crowd now and then. But always? No thank you. It's really starting to wear me down...especially when you're trying to see the sights. Say you're checking out an area with lots of pretty lights and want to stop to take a picture. It's kind of like trying to take a picture of someone on the shore while you're caught in the rapids of a river. And that's how it always is. I find myself constantly looking for "safe spots" where I can escape the crowd for a second, get my bearings, snap a pic. And those safe spots are a perfect place for some outside observation. What you see is a stream of people going in every possible direction. And like a stream, the flow is constant. It's truly mystifying. Where is everyone going?
Here are two pictures of what I've been told is the busiest intersection in the world. To me, it's what walking in Tokyo always seems to be like.
Ni - No parkettes, no benches, no garbage bins (but also no garbage!), no green space. These are things that as a tourist you really notice. Want to take a breather from your long day? Find a tree to sit under, some grass to crash on? Forget about it. Also, I have no idea how this place is so clean, considering the complete lack of garbage bins in public spaces. I've heard that people carry their garbage with them, or consume whatever it is that produces the garbage near where they bought it, as they always have garbages there. This seems to be the norm, as it is considered rude to walk and eat/drink/smoke. No joke, I actually saw a sign that asked people to take their dog's crap home with them. What, do they put it in their purse on a hot day? Take it with them on the packed train home?! I really don't understand. Speaking of garbage, this place seems to produce a lot of it. Everything is disposable and wrapped in 10 layers of plastic wrap. At every store they have single-use plastic bags for your wet umbrellas so you don't drip on the floor! Good idea, but what a waste...oh, and they burn most of their garbage.
Despite this rant, I have come across a couple really nice parks. Found a fairly large one that actually absorbed all the people well and had everyone using the space for practicing instruments, dance routines and plays. I have a feeling this has to do with the general lack of space in this city. Also found this lovely park on a lake 5 minutes from my room:
San - I love the trains. Seriously. So cool. Multiple private companies run the system but it's all integrated seamlessly, super high-tech (all sorts of information on every train, often bilingual), and just generally totally badass. Only problem is that it all shuts down before 12:30am. 12:30!!! And cabs are ridic expensive, so it's either an early night or an all-nighter (5am start time). Many people often go for the all-nighters, although I have yet to attempt one.
Yon - People here drink till they drop. Again, from what I've been told and from what I can tell, they work hard (many of the international people in this exchange program start at 9, work till 7 or later, and are always the last ones in and the first ones out) and use alcohol as a form of escapism. Without fail, every time I've come home late, I've seen someone REALLY drunk. And usually fairly well dressed, including a man in khakis hugging someone's rock garden (not on purpose, he just couldn't stand) and a businessman being supported by his friends. And this is all before midnight!
Go - Before I call it, I figure I should clear something up. A lot of this seems sort of negative and I really hope you don't take it that way. Things here are just DIFFERENT. The culture shock really isn't immediate, it's a gradual feeling as all the little things you notice start to add up. To be fair, I'm sure a Japanese person would walk through the streets of Toronto and be blown away by all the homelessness and filth and the ancient transit system.
This is the safest metropolitan area I've ever been to. To reserve a seat in a food court at a mall, people leave their purchases! It's just that safe. It's clean. It's high-tech. The locals have so far been extremely friendly and helpful. The food has been mind-blowing. And it's all extremely fascinating. Go time, see you in a week!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Happy Canada Day from Tokyo!
Hello friends,
I'm here wishing everyone a happy Canada Day! It's weird spending it abroad. But whatever, it brings Canadians together...with beer.
Also, I explored Roppongi, a major hub full of strip clubs, massage parlors, bars, rich people and the very elusive...non-Japanese! Here are some pics:
Everything here is expensive...except scotch apparently. I got a double of this fine stuff for $12 CAD:
18 years old!! Jesus...
Anyway, the more you travel, the more you realize how awesome Canada, and Canadians, truly are. Oh Canada!
I'm here wishing everyone a happy Canada Day! It's weird spending it abroad. But whatever, it brings Canadians together...with beer.
Also, I explored Roppongi, a major hub full of strip clubs, massage parlors, bars, rich people and the very elusive...non-Japanese! Here are some pics:
Everything here is expensive...except scotch apparently. I got a double of this fine stuff for $12 CAD:
18 years old!! Jesus...
Anyway, the more you travel, the more you realize how awesome Canada, and Canadians, truly are. Oh Canada!
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