Japandrew

Au Revoir Tokyo, Mon Amour

2008-12-12T21:41:00.005+09:00

Welll it has been almost a whole month since I have updated.

So much has happened!

School was a real drag of course but there were amazing parties, cooler weather, $$$ clothes, etc. etc.

These last two weeks were jam packed with fun things that I'll slowly be bloggin' about once I get back to the states.

I met a handful of really awesome people in the past two weeks and I'm very very sad / bummed / blah about leaving Tokyo.

I don't want to leave but I do miss everyone at home... aye aye.

Anyways, here are some photos that are not mine as I have still not taken photos off of my camera:

Everything this week was just a blur of izakaya, karaoke, booze, Japanese Christmas parties, shopping, etc. etc. etc.

Make sure to come back here in two or so days when I will have more fun photos from tonight's crazy last hurrah and also when I develop my FILM. Woooo!

Oh Tokyo.... I miss you already.

Funny 'Cause it's True

2008-11-16T17:43:00.000+09:00

Accurate portrayal of how I feel on the Tokyo Metro sometimes:

Pancakes of Gloom

2008-11-09T22:49:00.003+09:00

Well I woke up to a gloomy cold November Sunday and I was reminded of a little tradition that my mother used to do on gloomy cold November Sundays... make pancakes!!!

So that's what I decided to do. I walked around for an hour hunting for ingredients to make some vegan pancakes from scratch. I found a basic recipe online and then jazzed it up resulting in blueberry banana pancakes.

This simple task was complicated by:

1.) Small workspace
2.) Kanji
3.) Measuring utensils
4.) Veganism in Japan

In the end I managed to deal with my small workplace, correctly bought the correct kind of oil based on pictures, bought some measuring spoons and figured out conversions, anddd successfully bought all the ingredients necessary for pancakes.

The gloom outside my room.

Ingredients like... baking powder, soy oil (?), sugar, some sort of flour ( I think all purpose but I can't tell ), maple syrup, bananas, and frozen blueberries. For some reason Seiyu only has frozen blueberries and no other sort of frozen fruit. Oh well!
Mixin' bowl that is actually soup bowl and a mixing spoon that is actually my soup spoon.
And the results! They were so so so good. The oil I used for grillin' made them taste extra good. Plus, how can ya go wrong with bananas and blueberries.

Recipe ( I cut it in half to make five - six small pancakes since I was cookin' for one! ):

1/2 cup whole wheat all purpose flour.
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1/2 cup blueberries
One banana

Pour a little bit of the oil into a pan and put on medium heat. Thoroughly mix all the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Add oil and soy milk and mix until smooth ( a few small lumps don't hurt no one! ). Fold in the blueberries. Spoon in just enough batter so that you can cook two small pancakes at a time. When the edges begin to look crispy, flip the pancakes over. Cup up a banana to put on the pancakes and pour a little maple syrup on 'em!

Sooo good.

Hasselhoff Halloween

2008-11-07T09:00:00.001+09:00

My new friend Marlene from Germany!

And speaking of Germany...

Trile Niles

2008-11-07T08:59:00.001+09:00

Tokyoween

2008-11-07T08:53:00.003+09:00

TUJ

2008-10-29T12:26:00.001+09:00

All work and no play makes blogging a dull chore.

Topshop and Muffins

2008-10-19T23:55:00.004+09:00

This past Thursday, Topshop/Topman had its grand re-opening. They closed THREE days before I came to Tokyo so that kind of sucked but I guess it was (supposed to be) worth the wait.

Because the H&M opening in Ginza had two hour-ish lines the day it opened, I decided to wake up early and grab some food at Pure Cafe and then wait in line for the opening.

After only thirty minutes or so of sweating in queue next to two French girls, we were let in.

It was SUPREMELY disappointing. The clothes were uninteresting. It was basically like H&M in terms of style of clothing ( blah / nu-wave remnants ) and also in terms of shitty quality. Even if I had found something interesting, the prices were 'chotakai' (extremely expensive) as they say in Tokyo.

Ohh well. With all the money I saved on not buying anything there, I went to Shinjuku and bought some Cheap Mondays I had my eye on. The highlight of my dad was certainly my vegan choco orange muffin and coffee from my perma-favorite restaurant "Pure Cafe":

Niku o Tabemasen!!

2008-10-15T18:20:00.002+09:00

I'm so excited!

This Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. there is going to be a vegetarian festival in Yoyogi park!

There's going to be soooo much good food I can't even stand it. There's also going to be tons of vegetarian / vegan groceries which will also be exciting. I really hope they have nutritional yeast. Aye aye!

Princess, Jokers, and Slayers University

2008-10-13T20:02:00.008+09:00

Well my three day weekend iscoming to a close and thus begins midterm week. Basically I have two art history exams and a Japanese oral thing. It should be whatever.

Yesterday, we did a little shopping and then went to "Tokyo School Night". This party is held the night before a day off from school ( aka typically a school night ). It was held on two whole floors at Trump Room. How fun! The dress code was school uniform or "castle" ( which entailed princess, jokers, or slayers ). Themes are always so fun because people usually play around with it and never do a straight up literal interpretation of a theme. Also, sometimes a theme will be something strange like "the boudoir of Danae" or "Andy Warhol's threesome with John and Yoko". You get the idea.

The night was really enjoyable and we made some new friends with people that we constantly see at parties and what not.

Here are some photos:

Trump Room is basically what I want my entire house to look like someday.

Someone should really invent a dress that looks like that as opposed to it just being an optical illusion created by my camera.

Marie Antoinette took time out of her busy schedule of macaron eating to make an appearance.

"Syrup" girls and boy. Please note the following: cat mask turned into a hat, leopard jacket, lace dresses under leather motorcycle jackets, and general kawaii-ness. Not featured are the furry flats the girl on the right was sporting.

Hannah went for the school girl look.

Party people.

These girls are known as the "Spank Girls". We see them a lot. They went for the "princess" look. Also, apart from some stray stripper at the party, nobody does stupid "sexy" costumes which is such a relief. People always look mad classy.

Hannah auditioning for a spot as one of the Spank Girls.

I forget names like nobody's business, but this is one of our friends. He has these really great Jerri Blank jeans with braid details on the side.

Tokyo parties usually culminate into slumber parties.

Found objects: Gold crown, broken tiara, and hand cream.

This chucklehead was taking a photo of this sleeping girl so I thought I'd capture his creepiness. He turned to me and said "I'm going to send this into Vice" and proceeded to fix his hair in one of the mirrors. It was too perfect.

You put a pole in a club and this is bound to happen. Nobody really cares too much (as evidenced by those two people on the left more concerned with conversation) except that white girl in the blue wig was patiently waiting her turn. Oh and also, some awkward white guy (there is always one or two) was staring hxc.

This is our friend Tomo. He was at Narzib Saturday and was all excited about this party. We thought he'd be decked out in the best costume but he just wore what he wore the night before and fell asleep. Oh well. He's still awesome.

Blowin' bubbles out of a sword.

Well good morning! Does anything say 'school' uniform better than mixin' plaid? Also, considering how crazy in Japan dressed you think people wouldn't give me a second glance but I've never had so many double-takes in my life.

Oh well.

Now to study some Early Heian and Kamakura period junk. Ugh.

Come back and visit!

Tokyo Hedonism

2008-10-12T12:14:00.006+09:00

Well this is a three day weekend and to celebrate, Hannah and I are going out every night for really good parties.

Friday night was Vanity at La Fabrique and it was decent BUT last night was Narzib and certainly the best night out I've had in awhile.

The have a new venue called "Trump House" ( and upgrade from their usual venue of Trump Room ) and the 'salon' was crazier than the previous. Apart from the standard use of 1,000+ mirrors on the walls and 2,000+ chandeliers on the ceiling, there was lots of: White marble, mirror topped gold Rococo-ish tables, silver plush upholstery and all sorts of insanity. It was basically 2001: A Space Odyssey + Le Petit Trianon (ultimately bringing two things Tokyo loves: Kubrick and France).

Here are photos:

Before we went to Shibuya, we stopped in at Shinjuku to visit our friends at Candy Shop! There were having an art gallery. Neat stuff!

Narzib.

Our two BFFs from "Syrup", I donno who dude is but I'm pretty sure he was with those girls as well. Aoyomi ( on the left ) was the belle of the ball last night. Evurrybody wanted her photo and she was down to pose.

Ya know what else I like (maybe more of a love/hate thing actually) about Tokyo nightlife? Everyone makes an effort to look mad decent without coming off looking silly or like they're trying too hard (except for the occasional backwoods-Paris version of Sarah Gilbert circa 2002 sporting flared whiskered jeans and Adidas all-stars in a limited edition color scheme). And not only are people dressed in their best, they have a certain aesthetic in mind when they dress. One boy told us he was going for a Hunter S. Thompson look via "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". He was quick to point out that he was drawing his influence from the book NOT the movie. Three others ( two boys and a girl ) were sporting the Mrs. Mia Wallace look and no one came off looking costumey.

And as always, everyone was shocked and awed at the fact that I am hatachi ( twenty ).

Oh p.s. bonus information, last night marks the THIRD time in one week that I was 'street scouted'.

Dear Mom and Joe,

I'm quitting school and staying in Tokyo permanently because it's 100x better than my American life. Please send your blessings ( and $$$ ).

--Andrew

It Wasn't Even That Hot Out...

2008-10-09T11:07:00.001+09:00

La Vie du Marie

2008-10-05T18:40:00.004+09:00

On Friday night, after shopping Harajuku, Hannah and I went to a party two floors below ground that had the slightly pornographic film "Shortbus" playing on the screen. People were sporting such things as: Panda fannypacks, Sir Galahad / Ramones style haircuts, destroyed t-shirts, perfect blonde bobs, etc. etc. Also, the kids are still keen on "MGMT". At around 5 a.m. we staggered to the Harajuku station and went home.

I woke up around 4 p.m. and took the train to Ginza to meet up with friends for tea and macarons at this famous French pastry shop that's modeled after Marie Antoinette's private house ( Le Petit Trianon ).

Later in the evening, Hannah and I people watched in Shibuya while eating more macarons.

Macarons are probably my new favorite dessert and I'm going to try my best to veganize them.

Flavors I ate:

-- Pistachio
-- Lime
-- Coconut
-- Dark chocolate
-- Orange blossom
-- Strawberry
-- "Red fruits" (basically just tasted like raspberry)
-- Vanilla
-- Chestnut

SO good.

First here are some photos that are not mine:

And here are my photos:

I do not want to go to class tomorrowww.

Move Over Male Supermodels of Tokyo!

2008-10-03T21:16:00.002+09:00

Just kidding, there aren't any!

Anyways, I was walking around Shibuya today when suddenly I feel a tap on my shoulder! I turn around and expect to see Hannah but instead it's some Tokyo dude. I thought maybe I dropped something but he asks me where I'm from, if I speak much English and then he asks how long I'm going to be here. I tell him two months and he looks very disappointed. Then he goes on to say that he wanted me to model for his magazine. I was like "whaaa" but just as quickly as he tapped my shoulder, he bowed and said "thank you thank you" and scuttled away.

It happened so fast! Darn my short stay in Tokyo, I could have been SOMEONE. Oh well, we'll see what happens.

Sophia Coppola Loves Japan More Than Me

2008-10-02T16:59:00.003+09:00

I just read on Jezebel that Sophia Coppola will be designing a new line of shoes and bags for Louis Vuitton. Jezebel seems confused as to why they would sign her saying "for some reason" she has been signed and that they're "sure she earned it". For those who don't know (since Hannah only told me like a week or two ago), Ms. Coppola designs a line of clothes called Milkfed with Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth and its sold exclusively in Japan.

Like her personal line, the LV stuff will only be sold in Japan.

Field Trip: Ueno

2008-10-02T11:10:00.007+09:00

I had to go to visit an art museum on the other side of Tokyo for my "Russian Avant-Garde" class this past Saturday. Not a bad gig since it was right in the center of a fairly historic area that I explored a little bit after my museum tour.

Later in the night, Hannah and I went out to a neat little party later in the evening. This week has been very rainy but now that the rain is gone, there is no more soaring humidity and the heat has lowered significantly! After my two hour Japanese art history class is over today, the worst parts of my school week will be over!

Photo times:

I have to write a paper on this painting.

Narzib! We look good all things considered ( it was 4:00 a.m. at this point ).

Well Hello!

2008-09-25T00:10:00.002+09:00

I finally got a cell phone! It took forever and everywhere in the world was sold out. Now I can text allllllllllllllll my Japanese friends, haha. The minutes are mad expensive but unlimited texting is only 3.00 a month. Hurrah!

Also, Cameron Diaz is the spokesperson for the company I use ( Softbank ).

So weird.

Field Trip: Kamakura

2008-09-20T14:18:00.006+09:00

Last Monday we had a day off from school so the university organized a free trip to Kamakura. It's the number one beach destination for Tokyo-jin. The threat of rain loomed all day but it did not happen.

Anyways, I took 1,000 photos and here are some highlights:

Foodstuffs and Stuff

2008-09-20T12:57:00.002+09:00

Eeesh, it has been a long time since I've updated! Freaking school is taking up all my time. And when I'm not at school, I'm usually out and about doing stuff, ya know, enjoying Tokyo. Anyways, here are some food higlights and a few other highlights from this past week:

This was a cute little place in Shibuya called "Vegan Healing Cafe". The interior was very minimalist and clean. Of course, the staff was super friendly ( Japanese + Vegan = nicest people evah ). They gave us a roll of vegan stickers! How fun. The place is about a block away from Tokyu Hands. It's crazy how all the sides streets everywhere hold amazing places.

All the coffee is prepared like espresso here basically, no big pots of coffee being brewed and poured; its made to order (it's also really expensive everywhere).

Falafel in a tahini sauce with a side of brown rice. It definitely didn't taste anything like Maoz but it was still so so good (I really miss falafel FYI). Japanese portions are perfect. They're obviously smaller than in America but you feel really satisfied after you eat and never full if you finish the entire plate. Also, the Japanese focus on having a tiny bit of "protein" or something with a lot of flavor and then contrasting it with a bigger serving of rice to fill you up.

Of course, the portions never fill you up too much that you say no to dessert. This was a "soy whip dessert" and was mightily delicious.

We have a new hangout that we go to for lunch after school on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. It's a short walk away from school and its called "Eat More Greens". It's a vegetarian restaurant with many vegan options. This Friday I had a taco salad. It was so good. And it had avocado in it! It was 950 yen but it includes a coffee!

On Wednesday Lauren, Chris, and I got the curry set. It tasted more like chili than curry but it was still awesomely delicious. This photo and the previous one are from Lauren's camera.

This photo was taken like... 1.5 weeks ago but ya know, I'm getting lazy with updating. Anyways, Hannah and I were out shopping and we stopped in a mall and got a little snack at this cafe. Have you ever seen the movie "A Bout de Souffle"? Well there's a scene where Patricia eats in a cafe in France that's in a mall. Well basically, this place was JUST like it.

There's the video. Fast forward to 3:20 to get an idea of what I'm talking about.

Anyway, I got a big piece of toast with maple syrup and ice cream. SO good.

Anthony Bourdain said that you cannot go to Tokyo without eating these octopus balls. While I will never eat them, Hannah had them twice in one week.

There's a bakery down the road that sells tiny little cakes and coffee. SO good. But I've cut that out of my diet for money and dietary reasons... haha.

We got burgers the other night! But not just ANY burger. Mos Burgers sells the regular types of burgers and then they have weird ones like this. The buns are made out of rice and the inside is filled with nori (seaweed), mushrooms, carrots, and some other sea vegetable. It's so so good and only 280 yen.

La Fabrique of Time

2008-09-13T17:54:00.003+09:00

I had to steal this photo from Hannah because my camera did not come out with us last night.

Hannah and I went to our first "kurabu" (club) last night and it was on par with going out in Philly and even Barcelona.

The crowd was what I wanted and the I couldn't have asked for better music ( as guest DJ-ed by Senior for Junior/Senior ).

The party did not start until 11:30 p.m. and the subways close at midnight sooo we were pretty much hoping it would be fun because we'd have to stay out all night until the subways start up again at 5:30 a.m. Apparently a lot of other people in Tokyo planned for the same thing.

Everyone was soups friendly / really talkative / drunk0rz so that's fun.

We snagged a table and people just gravitated towards us and talked with us.

The first two people were some late twenty year old designers from Norway. They were in Tokyo shopping around for new stuff to sell. Their company paid for their hotel, taxis, subways, booze, and of course shopping.

Next two boys and girl named Yuki came over and chatted with us, and just like everywhere I go, they commented about how young I look, estimating I was about 16 or 17. Neat! But they were really nice and really into the party so that's always good. We even rode the subway back with them in the morning.

While heading towards the bathroom some kid took my photo and you allll know how much I do not mind that. Later, while sitting another kid ran up to us and said "you guys look supah cool! can I take your photo?" And naturally, we obliged. So now Hannah and I are probably the background of someone's mobile.

Another chatty person was a Dior model who invited me to his next party that is "super crazy and wild" so I'm sure that will be super crazy and wild. Meanwhile, a girl named Yo-Yo was chattin' up Hannah. Later this other super drunk Japanese girl was alllll about Hannah and I and she was really crazy. It's amazing how better everyone is at speaking other languages.

After playing Lithium, Boys Don't Cry, Lithium, Panic, and Love Will Tear Us Apart, right after one another, the party ended and my shoe fell apart and we left.

I really hate walking home and going to bed after the sun has risen, but such is partying in any city except NY and Philly.

Can't wait for more!

En Vogue En Nippon

2008-09-11T21:59:00.005+09:00

Ahh, there are so many things I can buy here that I cannot buy at home!

The newest Japanese product is "Vogue Hommes Japan". The first issue of the magazine literally JUST came out yesterday so that's exciting.

It's being hyped up a lot as way better than the American edition and even the French version.

In Japan magazines are VERY important. Each youth style of dressing reads specific magazines catered to not just their interests, but their very way of dressing. Boys, girls, rockers, Lolitas, kids wearing intricate pajama costumes, etc. alllll have their own special mag!

What a neat country.

Cultural Adjustments

2008-09-09T21:12:00.003+09:00

Moving to a foreign country means having to be flexible. You cannot expect everyone to speak your language, you have to try new foods, and follow the customs and social mores of the society you are in.

Since I am a young worldly person, this task has been, for the most part, easy. While everything is pretty smooth, there are two cultural adjustments I just cannot take.

What is it you ask?

The language barrier?

Taking my shoes off before going into a dressing room?

Vegan and vegetarianism being almost non-existent?

NOPE:

1. The Weather

Seriously. No amount of orientations and predeparture manuals could prepare me for this climate. Tokyo should definitely be designated "Tropical". Soaring humidity day and night, high temperatures, and flash downpours at least once a day. It has yet to ever "drizzle", it's always a torrential mess. Luckily, the weather will drop down to "warm" while we are here and we'll be out before it dips near "cool". I think we may have had one or two days without some rain, BUT STILL.

2. Sidewalking

Since the Japanese drive on the opposite side of the road that United States citizens drive on, I figured the rules for sidewalking would be switched as well. Well apparently not! People just walk all zany, and not even in the touristy / shopping districts either. Throw bikes, schoolgirls, and slow old-timers into the mix and it's just a hodge-podge pot of pedestrian pandemonium. Aye aye. People walk into me all the time. At first I thought it was because I'm a "gai-jin" (foreigner) but then I noticed that nobody moves out of each other's way regardless of race.

**Please note that those photos are from Google images and not ones I have taken.**

Because I do not like to end on a negative note, here are some things that I can adjust to:

1. Emphasis on matcha powder
2. Not having to worry about get shivved on the metro
3. Coffee and cake restaurants in every mall
4. Consumerist culture x10
5. Muscat flavored Kit Kat bars
6. Watermelon flavored Kit Kat bars
7. Everyone lookin' sharp
8. Drinking alcohol legally (not only am I old enough to drink BUT you're allowed to drink on the street)
9. "Youth and deviant subcultures"
10. City life

Good Thing I Took Out a Loan

2008-09-08T23:43:00.001+09:00

So basically one block in Tokyo is equal to all of Philadelphia in terms of good stores and I'd say one neighborhood ( like Shinjuku or Harajuku ) is equivalent to Manhattan.

Hannah and I found about ten big "vintage" stores to check out this evening. Most stuff closes around eight so we did not get to hit them all.

I did have time however to buy a leather member's only jacket for under sixty bucks. If ya recall, I'd been looking for one for a loooong time.

More purchases to come soon I'm sure.

We also bought commuter passes today! They are both convenient AND money-savers. Hurrah.

Ke-Ki to Ko-Hi-

2008-09-08T08:15:00.002+09:00

Staying Up Past Eleven

2008-09-07T11:20:00.008+09:00

Well hello! It's Sunday so the fun is done for the most part because I have to read and study, blah blah.

But Sunday also means I get to buy my Sunday treat, coffee! I drink the cheap 55 cent iced stuff all week and then splurge on a $3 hot coffee on Sundays. It's the little things, eh?

Anyways, this weekend was fun. I'll break it down for ya with photos:

Naturally, there are many bubble tea stands everywhere.

We went to this mall in Harajuku on Friday and it was really into Avril Lavigne. They had a HUGE poster of her hanging on the front and then the basement had an entire wall of magazines dedicated to her. I guess the Japanese are really advanced in some areas, and are totally clueless in others.

This photo is a good example of the traditional east meeting the modern west. Aka an old woman in a kimono ordering a six inch cold cut combo.

Crossing the street is basically the true stereotype that you see in the media. I blame it on the fact that the lights take forever to change so naturally a huge crowd will build up. This mob scene in Shinjuku is NOTHING compared to the one we saw in Shibuya on Saturday.

This is "Green Spice", which could also mean that she is matcha powder. We got in trouble for taking photos because I guess the fool doesn't want exposure. Geeze.

Ahhh Shinjuku! So fun.

Saturday morning. I usually wake up to this. I want to pet it BUT there are garbage cans nearby and I fear that it was probably just playing in them.

Later, we went to Shibuya where there is a HUGE department store called "Tokyo Hands". They had everything, including a play-doh-esque product where you could make neat pastries and stuff and a selection of miniature bottles of liquor. My mom has a tiny collection of miniature bottles of liquor; not because she is an alcoholic but because she's really into miniature versions of things that look fancy, e.g. alcohol bottles, antique salt and pepper shakers, tables, oil lamps, etc.

This cake is from a "pastel and pasta" cafe in one of the malls. It was mad cute. As always, Hannah and I forgot to take a picture BEFORE we started eating. Oh well.

We did some more shopping at this mall in Shibuya. They had a lot of neat clothing and towards the end of the evening I was finally finding stuff that I would actually wear. I was becoming a bit daunted because a lot of the stores were selling "American" inspired things like... plaid shirts that have car repair shop logos and stuff on them, weird leather goods, and pointed shoes. I guess that's a big trend right now. The Japanese are alllll about parameters in style so they'll pick the trend or style that they like, and then shop at a small handful of stores that exclusively sell that trend or style. It's pretty neat actually. One trend that I could easily get into is "British Preparatory School". It's all about mixin' tartans, loafers, peacoats, navy blazers, etc. It's great.

NUTS stands for "New Urban ____ Space".

Aaaand I finally found the shop I had been looking for. It was pretty neat... although there was nothing I would buy. The owner was really nice and we chatted about this and that and told him we'll be BACK.

Other weekend highlights:

-- Really awesome "antique clothing store" with great music, clothes, and friendly staff
-- Delicious tacos. The tortillas were made out of rice paper, but it didn't stop them from being amazing.
-- Downpours (wouldn't be a weekend in Tokyo without some!)
-- Speaking French on the last train home
-- Eating curry

Etc. etc.

Now I'm going to get my coffee, eat, and e-mail the Spanish embassy.

Olé!

All Worku and No PaaTee

2008-09-04T12:59:00.000+09:00

Studying abroad is what it is! It's not a semester off as some kids might say.

Anyways, I had my other two classes the other day. That included "Japanese Art", which is a low upper-level art history class covering Japanese art from the dawn of time up until now. Crrrazy. Then about three hours later I have "Youth and Deviant Subculture" with Hannah and about 1,000 other people who I sort of know. We got off to a hot start by debating what is and isn't deviant and the girl next to me was very passionate about arguing that incest was not taboo in every single culture. It was weird but the class should be a lot of fun and vurry interesting.

Also, I dropped my "Japan Today" class because it was writing intensive and combining that with my TWO art history classes and everything else, it was too much. Plus, once I dropped that I bumped my Japanese class to an earlier time meaning I'm done by 1:40 as opposed to 5:30. Hurrah!

This morning I don't have class until 1:40 but I had to wake up at seven so I could go to Shinjuku and apply for my alien registration card and also get the government sponsored health insurance. It did not take as long as I anticipated so I had plenty of free time to get lost on my way to the university and then scan every single page of every book I need to read for this semester. Ya see, Temple Japan's bookstore is very tiny and thusly, none of the books I need for this semester are there for sale. Professors either tell you to order off of Amazon (no way) or scan the books in the library. I did the latter because you can scan the entire book as a .pdf file and send it to your e-mail for FREE. This did take over an hour to do all of them, but hey, I only ended up spending $40 on books this semester (my Japanese book + the corresponding workbook). Hurrah!

No photos for this post because I'm updating at the computer lab BUT this weekend should be fun, including a trip to Harajuku and Shinjuku. Wooop!

Labour Day Means You Work Here

2008-09-02T08:53:00.004+09:00

Hi hi. Before my American comrades even woke up yesterday, I had finished all my first day classes. Weird! Now, by the time I finish my second day of classes, most will not even have woken up to begin their FIRST. No labour day in Japan. Oh wells.

I managed to get myself to school using the Tokyo subway without getting lost! If you think trying to figure out the NY subway is difficult ( it isn't too bad once you do it a few times ) or the Philly subway system ( the main lines just go up and down and then left to right... ) than do not attempt Tokyo system unless you have some getting-lost time to spare. There are TWO different systems owned by two different companies and both are massive. Swirl in that most of the signs are in Japanese, and you've got a confusion stew. By it's not too bad I suppose. Hopefully this weekend I will attempt to go to Shibuya and Harajuku. Oh and downtown Shinjuku again. Technically, we live in the ward of Shinjuku but Takadanobaba is so big, that it's almost it's own little ward.

After getting to school, I of course had my classes. It's a very long day that could get daunting as the semester continues.

10:30 - 11:30 I have "Russian Avant-Garde". It's an Art History course discussing the abstract / crazy Russian art pre-World War II, revolution, Soviet, and maybe post-Soviet. Should be good. The professor seems understanding and friendly. She's English as a Second Language with a noticeable accent and there are many ESL students in there of an Asian persuasion so I wonder if that will be difficult for them.

12:40 - 1:40 is Japan Today. It's a modern history course. The professor wrote a series of books and seems to love the topic and his non-stop talking did not bore me and made time go by quickly. Reminds me a bit of High School 'social studies' courses ( which I loved FYI ).

4:50 - 5:50 Japanese intermediate begins. After what seemed like an eternity in between classes ( two hours and twenty minutes ) I had to take an exam to see where I stand in Japanese. It was really hard... so we'll see. I really want to drop this class because: a) I took more classes than suggested b) It's a really draining class c) It's really late in the day. I shouldn't drop it because it's basically Japanese and what better time and place to learn Japanese than now. Ugh ugh.

After that, I came home and Hannah and I hunted down a curry place to eat. We also saw a bubble tea restaurant and a pudding shop. How fun!

Photos:

Part of my on-going drink experimentation, I tried this Mitsuya Cider. The liquid is clear so I wasn't sure if it was just going to be water. It turned out to be a less sweet and really delicious version of Sprite. I couldn't place the flavor until I eventually wikipedia-ed it.

Breakfast yesterday. A big spongy piece of bread with sugar on top and choco swirled all about. Also, the usual banana and coffee.

This type of brown curry is basically EVERYWHERE. It's almost always served with the curry on one side, rice on the other. Then there are bunch of toppings and stuff you can get. I got eggplant and it was so so so good.

Japanese TV shows are so weird.
Japanese olympic softball team player getting kissed by these chefs. It's some complicated show where the interviewees sit on the top of this stage and talk with the interviewer while two chefs cook down below. After the interview wraps up, the interviewees eat and decide which they like best. It's kind of fun to watch...

Wha-bam! Outta nowhere, Will Smith and Charlize Theron show up.

Oh Tokyo, Je T'aime.

Land of the Setting Sunday

2008-08-31T21:03:00.018+09:00

Tomorrow classes begin already! Booo. That means while you kids are enjoying your Sunday, you I will be in class and you won't even have to worry about your classes til Tuesday!

Anyways, Hannah and I had a busy last day of summer.

I started my morning with a banana and a rice cake wrapped in nori. Iced coffee is EXTREMELY popular over here. Since it's also extremely cheap compared to hot coffee, I just microwave the iced. Not as delicious, but it will suffice (for now).

Cat hangin' out on my porch with me.

After breakfast, I walked around town while Hannah was getting ready. When we were about to head out for the day, we ran into the other TUJ students and they were going to a park in downtown Shinjuku so we tagged along.

Walking near Shinjuku Station (largest in the world I think?).

The park was massive and had zany trees.

And these weird things that looked like hands.

Jurassic Park bunker.

Traditional Japanese garden.

Crows are gigantic and do not care how close you get to them. I thought that one was going to eat Hanners for sure.

Snack time!!!

So many (disgusting) turtles.

These next two photos do not do justice to the sheer immensity of this park. These trees were so tall.

Lunch:
I had udon noodles and Hannah had hers with tofu.

So good (apart from standing).

Dinner:

We decided to eat at the restaurant that gave us our umbrellas the other night. They were again helpful because we didn't notice the "vending" machine in the front of the building. Basically, you put your money in this machine, pick what you want, and then you give your ticket to the people behind the counter and they make it. So fun!

Well like I said, tomorrow is my first day of classes. Boooo.

Rain Rain, GET OUTTA HERE

2008-08-30T22:38:00.000+09:00

So it's basically been raining nonstop since I've been in Japan. And not just a little sprinkle here and there, monsoon style downpours for over 4/5ths of the day and night. Cute clear plastic umbrellas aside, it's no fun. Dodging into ike

It kind of sucks but as Hannah just pointed out a second ago, we will have plenty more nights.

Either way, here is what I did pre-evening rainout:

The most noticeable building in my neighborhood of Takadanobaba is the aptly named "BIG BOX". It's a huge building filled with clothing stores, a 100 yen shop, a used bookstore, food, and a huge arcade. Also, Uniqlo is in there! It's so cheap. Spain had me all prepared for expensive shizz, but in Tokyo, you can find so many affordable things.

Here are some photos from the arcade:
Painful-to-the-eye all-over wall paint.
Non-plussed bear prizes!
Fun photo booths!
A mere fraction of a fraction of the size of the place.
This game was MASSIVE (and had a silly name).

Lots of cute plush things.

Next we headed out of Takadanobaba to the "downtown" (what part of Tokyo ISN'T downtown?) section of Shinjuku.

These are just photos of SIDE streets in Shinjuku.

It was around here that we also experienced one of the infamous mass street crossings. I wish I had thought to take a photo.

After shopping / strolling the high-end stores of Shinjuku we stopped at a cake and coffee bar.

I had "mapuru tosuto" (maple toast) and Hannah had a nice little chocolate cake. We were the only white people in the whole place which I like. I also like that most of the menus have pictures of the food. So easy.

They even handed out complimentary tampons to the table! Psych, it's a moist toilette. But ya never know.

Then it rained some more.

Obvs not happy.

The train and a bicycle cemetery on our walk back to home.

More adventures tomorrow!

First Friday

2008-08-30T10:30:00.000+09:00

First night on the town, with a loverly downpour!

Hannah fiddling with her purse while holding our gift umbrella!

Just where we live.

Here's a less blurry picture of our neighborhood.

The remains of the food we ate.

Well good morning!

Foreign Foods: Calpis Soda and Coffee

2008-08-30T10:25:00.000+09:00

Every now and then, I would like to highlight some food and drinks that I've eaten.

First off the bat:

This is called "Calpis Soda". There is also "Calpis Water". It tastes like a sweeter version of sprite and the liquid is milky white giving it the appearance of soap water. It was cheap so I down to experiment. I later found out it's like... vanilla yogurt flavored soda or something. Pretty good! Would get again.

ORIGINAL BLEND. It's iced coffee. In a can! For only 55 yen (like... 50ish cents basically). So delicious. Plus it's the cheapest close thing I can find to coffee and it's in every vending machine. Vending machines are basically everywhere and filled with really delicious drinks and snacks. I haven't seen any ZANY vending machines like with used panties and what not. In due well time, I'm so very sure.

Also, I accidentally drank barley tea. It's really gross and I'm very disappointed. But it was also really cheap.

ALSO: The Seven Elevens are mad classy here and I plan on buying my lunches there ( a very filling lunch is only 400 yen / $4.00 ).

Living Situation

2008-08-30T09:58:00.000+09:00

Here's my room, it's a pretty sweet deal, as I live by myself again:

Entrance hall. Please take off your shoes! ( I don't use those slippers )

Kitchenette. Fridge smells like cucumbers and there is no oven, just that burner.

Hallway. Featured: my desk, tv, and microwave. Below that is a super cute cabinet filled with a rice cooker, teapot, pots, pans, eating stuff, etc.

Cabinet of Dr. Caligraphy

RV style bathroom. Rubber slips are never used either.

Bed. This was taken immediately after I threw all my stuff down.
And finally, my window / sliding door that leads out to a tiny balcony / porch. It's a highlight of the room for sure.

First Two Days or Something

2008-08-30T09:50:00.000+09:00

Herro.

Rundown of my first day:

-- 12 hour plane ride
-- 1.5 hour bus ride into Tokyo
-- 30 minute Taxi ride with a good-hearted driver to our residence

Allll in the pouring rain. Tokyo is HUGE.

The weather is really really hot and humid and it has rained a lot thus far.

We had a brief meeting with our dorm manager ( aka an RA ) and then I went to bed basically.

Day two, a Friday, I managed to oversleep but then from 8 a.m. to 5:00 we had orientation. And just like every other orientation, I was bored. Campus is just a miniature version of Temple's main campus but it seems like it will be very hard to get to campus at first.

After the tour, I was still jet lagged but I managed to shower and head out into town. Our neighborhood is really awesome. Immediately surrounding our building is a tiny little residential area, and then two blocks or so is basically a big downtown area that's popular with High School and college students so that equals fun and cheap places to eat.

We stopped at Seiyu, Japan's Wal-Mart that is actually owned by Wal-Mart, and then it started to downpour so we huddled outside of a restaurant for awhile deciding what to do. And bam! A funny restaurant owner gave us two umbrellas, saving us 300 to 500 yen depending.

Side note: Clear umbrellas are all the rage with everyone from little girls, hip teens, and old businessmen.

Hannah and I also attempted our first restaurant experience. It wasn't too bad. There were pictures of everything. Our beers were equal to the cost of food, but hey, it was our first night in out sooo live it up.

After that, it was still pouring so we headed home. Now it's Saturday and we'll probably go out and about soon-ish!

The internet sucks or else I'd be updating constantly.

Sayonara!

Hajimemashite

2008-08-29T19:06:00.000+09:00

Well hello!

In order to keep everyone updated while I am in Tokyo, I decided to start this brand new blog as an off-shoot of "No Nasties". I'll try to keep that updated with random stuff I find interesting but it may or may not sizzle out until I come back from Tokyo.

Anyways, here this is. I'll be keeping you updated with all sorts of fun stuff about my life in Japan.