The past weekend saw me & thirty-one (no kidding) friends in faraway Nagano ken (長野県, site of the 1998 Winter Olympics) to ski / board. As usual, the trip was pretty well organized. About ten people took care of chartering a bus, making the lodging reservations, arranging meals, lift tickets, equipment rental. It was also the one of the first signs that I was now part of the group, because guess what--I was given the task of preparing a "dance event" for the evening's entertainment (!)
Taking everyone's fatigue into consideration, I decided to teach them..... heehee.... the Macarena :P
Yes, very exciting, I know, but do read on...
On Thursday night, I met Aoi (葵) and Ryuuichi (龍一), armed with a Macarena CD, to prepare the dance. The Macarena was very simple, as you know, so the plan was to teach everyone that, and then divide everyone into teams to choreograph their own dance using the same music.
To make sure we were doing the Macarena right, we had to open up the curtains to see our reflections in the living room windows. I'm sure that night any neighbors who happened to be looking at their apartment had a great time.
Anyway, on Friday, I showed up at Jonathan's (a family restaurant near Takadanobaba station (高田馬場駅) with my gear and boarded the bus. I was glad to see Joe, a junior from Washington state, because he's a really funny guy. Very much a Californian dude, in a way. Franciska, a German girl and Rebecca, a Taiwanese girl were also there. All of them were spending a year at Waseda (早稲田).
Most of the other people, I had met before during volleyball. Some of the guys, despite not being able to go, actually showed up to send us off. That, is a strangely heartwarming thing to see, because somehow it reminds me of secondary school days, where friendship was expressed in those ways.
Of course, everyone arrived within two minutes of the meeting time. That punctuality is something I grew to love. The bus driver said hi, announced where we were going, Ryuuichi gave out neatly folded hand-made schedules to everyone and with a loud "Onegaishimasu!" ("お願いします！") we set off!
After a grueling 7-hour bus ride (I'd hesitate before attempting that again), I woke up for the umpteenth time to a winter wonderland. 真っ白！(truly, completely white!) is what we called it. This is Nagano, former Winter Olympic site and I could certainly see why. It was amazing how the bus driver could maneuver the huge vehicle so deftly.
The hotel was interesting--basically 3 huge tatami rooms with futons and comforters and nothing else! Meals were served in a common dining area. But none of that--we were raring to hit the slopes!
The day turned out perfect. After a few worrying minutes of cloudy skies, the sun showed up and cleared the way for a powder-filled day of wondrous snowboarding. It was the kind of conditions where one just boldly plunged down any slope, secure in the knowledge that the powdery snow would cushion any fall.
The day got better and better because we also went to an onsen next to the resort to soothe our aching muscles afterwards. It wasn't very big and one was subject to the unusual sight of naked men standing in line waiting for their turn at the shower. I was stupid enough to pick a shower station right next to the door leading to the outdoor pool (露天風呂) and everytime someone opened it (once every 10 secs?) a Siberian wind will sweep in and freeze everyone's toes off. I hastily showered and headed outside into the pool. Snow was falling and the feeling of soaking in an outdoor onsen was simply indescribable. Halfway through, one guy suddenly leapt out of the pool and dived headfirst into a nearby snowbank, egged on by everyone else! I was like, what the heck...?! And then in the next second, everyone else joined him! Except me of course, still wondering how anyone can survive the sudden 40 to 0 C change in temperature and wondering if I can run and get my camera in time.
-- to be continued --
- reku
- twins
- trunk stop
- psycho tests
- speeches
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
六本木 or so I thought...
This was about the time when I started to get to know my fellow gaijin (外人) co-workers better. Most people've probably heard of the Westerner who came to Japan in search of greener pastures because s/he was a "loser" back home. Certainly there must be some truth in that, and apparently after the traditional wave of English teachers and high-flying executives, there're also the mafia types and entertainment (ranging from family-suitable to dodgy types) industry workers. As in many mega cities, there are whispers of people with too much wealth to flaunt and who look for exotic pleasures. Tokyo, afterall, is one of the those places where money goes a long way and then some.
The famed "meat market" bars and clubs of Roppongi (六本木) sounded a little too feisty. Someone told me a first-hand account of how, upon entering one of the rowdier establishments, he was manhandled in a very familiar way by a couple of girls. Being blonde and blue-eyed (wide, blue eyes by the time he extricated himself from their clutches) probably helped.
Anyway, on a cold winter evening, I decided to go check out Roppongi with an angmoh co-worker.
Would be interesting to see what the bar scene is like... of course I didn't imagine that I'll actually chat someone up, but hey, if we're here, some nice girls must be doing the same thing, right? Whatever, I resolved to chill and have a good time.
It was 8pm when we finally had dinner at a kaiten (回転) or rotary sushi joint in the Mori Tower (森タワー) smack in the middle of 六本木. Inexpensively decent, I supposed. It wasn't crowded at all, just a few salarymen and some couples. When Kurt and I asked for tea, the chef pointed to a small black container on the table which contained green powder. Wow! One was supposed to scoop some powder into one's cup and add hot water from a curved spout sticking out of the table. That's new. Chalk another one up for the "Cool, never saw this before" list :)
After some tuna, egg, hotate (ホタテ--a type of clam) and a greyish mixture of crab and miso that Kurt described as "brain matter", we headed out into the streets.
Way too early, as it turned out. At 9pm, all of the pubs and bars we stopped at were disappointingly empty! There were some chic, stylish-looking places which looked very promising but somehow the staff were standing around, staring forlornly at the TVs or wiping some imaginary stain off the tables. Where were the famed 六本木 revelers? Was it a sign of a faltering economy? Of course there could be (and probably were) private parties going on which were reserved for the well-to-do, but it was like walking in the woods in winter and realizing that all the denizens were hibernating in secret crevices.
We eventually went into a lounge in Tokyo Midtown, a spanking new office/restaurant/shopping building, where at least a sizable crowd had gathered. Good mix of gaijin and locals. It was fun trying to figure who the tourists were. We settled down at the bar, had a beer and chatted a bit before one of his friends, Mie, arrived. Kurt had a pretty interesting background--apparently he attended grad school in Nagoya(名古屋) and dabbled quite a bit in theoretical physics before becoming an electrical engineer. In another era, he could very well be a Russian fur trader, or an frontier pioneer in Siberia, fearlessly and skilfully carving out a niche for himself--he was a selfmade man.
"Somehow I thought you were married. No? Let me tell you this; don't marry an American girl--they will tire of you pretty soon. I've known too many friends with failed marriages."
"No way, she did _not_ do that...!! What did you do?!"
"So he's playing a dangerous game, but that guy is a survivor."
"Sawazaki san is actually a very smart man. I respect him"
"Haha we better make sure none of these leave this place, man, you know what I mean? Ahahaha!"
Back in San Jose, perhaps because most people went home after work, there was little opportunity to exchange office gossip and I was enjoying myself thoroughly. How strange, to be in a bar in 六本木 with a non-Japanese co-worker, a senior one or senpai(先輩) no less, talking about things we normally wouldn't talk about at the company.
We even bumped into two expat friends of mine, stopping for a beer before heading home. Hey, in a city of 120 million people, I finally bumped into someone I knew!
More people started filing in; it was definitely a yuppish, working professional crowd. There was the occasional guy skulking in a corner quietly drinking his beer, but mostly people stood around shoulder-to-shoulder, chatting over drinks. The bartenders weren't smiley happy types, and just went about their jobs in an relaxed, efficient manner. Perhaps that was the mood of the masses. It was a nice place to have a drink after work.
Around 10, Mie arrived. Tall, porcelain-skinned, graceful, she was very nice despite having wandered around in the cold for half an hour due to the poor directions we gave her. See, I thought we were in the Mori building when in fact the lounge was in Tokyo Midtown--a good 15 minutes' walk away. But Mie didn't show any trace of irritation at all (was it the typical Japanese reserve?) In any case, we ended up in a coffeeshop called Segafredo chatting over coffee and dessert.
I was concerned that I was being a big third wheel, but I didn't detect any such vibe (or maybe the beer had dulled my senses). We kept on talking and parted ways around midnight. Me off to home and bed while the other two off to another watering hole. The evening turned out to be somewhat different than expected but it was fun. Somehow, it felt like I saw a side of Tokyo life that I hadn't seen before.
The famed "meat market" bars and clubs of Roppongi (六本木) sounded a little too feisty. Someone told me a first-hand account of how, upon entering one of the rowdier establishments, he was manhandled in a very familiar way by a couple of girls. Being blonde and blue-eyed (wide, blue eyes by the time he extricated himself from their clutches) probably helped.
Anyway, on a cold winter evening, I decided to go check out Roppongi with an angmoh co-worker.
Would be interesting to see what the bar scene is like... of course I didn't imagine that I'll actually chat someone up, but hey, if we're here, some nice girls must be doing the same thing, right? Whatever, I resolved to chill and have a good time.
It was 8pm when we finally had dinner at a kaiten (回転) or rotary sushi joint in the Mori Tower (森タワー) smack in the middle of 六本木. Inexpensively decent, I supposed. It wasn't crowded at all, just a few salarymen and some couples. When Kurt and I asked for tea, the chef pointed to a small black container on the table which contained green powder. Wow! One was supposed to scoop some powder into one's cup and add hot water from a curved spout sticking out of the table. That's new. Chalk another one up for the "Cool, never saw this before" list :)
After some tuna, egg, hotate (ホタテ--a type of clam) and a greyish mixture of crab and miso that Kurt described as "brain matter", we headed out into the streets.
Way too early, as it turned out. At 9pm, all of the pubs and bars we stopped at were disappointingly empty! There were some chic, stylish-looking places which looked very promising but somehow the staff were standing around, staring forlornly at the TVs or wiping some imaginary stain off the tables. Where were the famed 六本木 revelers? Was it a sign of a faltering economy? Of course there could be (and probably were) private parties going on which were reserved for the well-to-do, but it was like walking in the woods in winter and realizing that all the denizens were hibernating in secret crevices.
We eventually went into a lounge in Tokyo Midtown, a spanking new office/restaurant/shopping building, where at least a sizable crowd had gathered. Good mix of gaijin and locals. It was fun trying to figure who the tourists were. We settled down at the bar, had a beer and chatted a bit before one of his friends, Mie, arrived. Kurt had a pretty interesting background--apparently he attended grad school in Nagoya(名古屋) and dabbled quite a bit in theoretical physics before becoming an electrical engineer. In another era, he could very well be a Russian fur trader, or an frontier pioneer in Siberia, fearlessly and skilfully carving out a niche for himself--he was a selfmade man.
"Somehow I thought you were married. No? Let me tell you this; don't marry an American girl--they will tire of you pretty soon. I've known too many friends with failed marriages."
"No way, she did _not_ do that...!! What did you do?!"
"So he's playing a dangerous game, but that guy is a survivor."
"Sawazaki san is actually a very smart man. I respect him"
"Haha we better make sure none of these leave this place, man, you know what I mean? Ahahaha!"
Back in San Jose, perhaps because most people went home after work, there was little opportunity to exchange office gossip and I was enjoying myself thoroughly. How strange, to be in a bar in 六本木 with a non-Japanese co-worker, a senior one or senpai(先輩) no less, talking about things we normally wouldn't talk about at the company.
We even bumped into two expat friends of mine, stopping for a beer before heading home. Hey, in a city of 120 million people, I finally bumped into someone I knew!
More people started filing in; it was definitely a yuppish, working professional crowd. There was the occasional guy skulking in a corner quietly drinking his beer, but mostly people stood around shoulder-to-shoulder, chatting over drinks. The bartenders weren't smiley happy types, and just went about their jobs in an relaxed, efficient manner. Perhaps that was the mood of the masses. It was a nice place to have a drink after work.
Around 10, Mie arrived. Tall, porcelain-skinned, graceful, she was very nice despite having wandered around in the cold for half an hour due to the poor directions we gave her. See, I thought we were in the Mori building when in fact the lounge was in Tokyo Midtown--a good 15 minutes' walk away. But Mie didn't show any trace of irritation at all (was it the typical Japanese reserve?) In any case, we ended up in a coffeeshop called Segafredo chatting over coffee and dessert.
I was concerned that I was being a big third wheel, but I didn't detect any such vibe (or maybe the beer had dulled my senses). We kept on talking and parted ways around midnight. Me off to home and bed while the other two off to another watering hole. The evening turned out to be somewhat different than expected but it was fun. Somehow, it felt like I saw a side of Tokyo life that I hadn't seen before.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Mi Unicornio Azul
Stumbled across a song that for some reason brought me back to a chilly winter night in Redwood Shores, more specifically, Portwalk Place. Datuk really liked this song and searched all over for it.
I wonder if Datuk you're watching this video somewhere on the other side of the globe... I fondly remember Portwalk Place as the first roof over my head when I moved to the bay area--courtesy of you, Segman and Al. Seg and you bought me duck curry noodles at TK the day I flew in. Hahaha that's one of your all-time favourites eh, along with the fried radish cake. The world was a younger, more carefree place then. Oracle seemed like the largest, best-run company on the planet. 9/11 hadn't taken place. dlieu was still in Oakwood, before we illegally dumped that monster of a desk ;D
Here ya go: once again, the white unicorn (albeit a folksy remix).
I wonder if Datuk you're watching this video somewhere on the other side of the globe... I fondly remember Portwalk Place as the first roof over my head when I moved to the bay area--courtesy of you, Segman and Al. Seg and you bought me duck curry noodles at TK the day I flew in. Hahaha that's one of your all-time favourites eh, along with the fried radish cake. The world was a younger, more carefree place then. Oracle seemed like the largest, best-run company on the planet. 9/11 hadn't taken place. dlieu was still in Oakwood, before we illegally dumped that monster of a desk ;D
Here ya go: once again, the white unicorn (albeit a folksy remix).
Sunday, February 03, 2008
It's snowing!
Looked out the window this morning and was pleasantly shocked to see good layer of white stuff on the rooftops!
This doesn't look like the typical sprinkle-a-little-and-melt-away snowfall. Ugly and uninspiring this urban landscape may be, the snow gives it a magical feel I think. Well, you're talking to someone who didn't see snow until he's 21...
This doesn't look like the typical sprinkle-a-little-and-melt-away snowfall. Ugly and uninspiring this urban landscape may be, the snow gives it a magical feel I think. Well, you're talking to someone who didn't see snow until he's 21...
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