A typical Life

After almost two weeks of rainy, cool and cloudy weather the sun has finally come out and it feels like spring - yeah!  I have been a little under the weather lately and haven’t kept my promise of checking out a new site each week lately so it’s time to pull out my map of Tokyo and figure out what I’m going to do this weekend…

I could go to the Sanja Matsuri Festival in Asakusa this weekend but about 1.5 million other people will be doing the same thing and I’m not so sure that I want to deal with the crowds?  I think that I can catch similar festivities on a much smaller scale a little later in the summer.

Instead, I think that I’ll head for Kagurazaka, or Iidabashi, with my camera to do some urban exploring.  I hear that the area is a great mix of old and new and used to be home to a lot of Geisha houses.  Kagurazaka-dori is a hilly areas with a modern main street that is in contrast to the many cobblestone alleys and old fashioned shops that can be found if you take the time to wander around.  Now that sounds like a better way to spend the day, don’t you think?  So if the sun is out I think that’s where I’ll be tomorrow…

Photo Credit:  Flickr, Kagurazaka #001

Can you imagine being woken up by an earthquake and lying there wondering how bad it’s going to be? Well that’s what happened to us around 1AM this morning! It’s not like we haven’t felt an earthquake since we arrived in Japan - at least once or twice a week you get this feeling that something is not right and then look up to see the curtains or something swaying in the room. It’s an odd feeling, your equilibrium gets messed up for a second or two before you realize that the cause is an earthquake. The earthquake continues for a few seconds and then it’s over and you continue on as if nothing happened. Earthquakes are just a part of life in Japan.

But back to this morning….hubby and I are lying in bed sound asleep when we are awakened by the movement of the building. It’s funny and kind of silly but at that point one of us usually says “earthquake” followed by an acknowledgment from the other. Then you can feel the tension in the bedroom as we both wait for the quake to end so that we can go back to sleep. We weren’t so lucky this morning, it seemed as if when one quake ended there was a brief moment of stillness followed by another quake. This kept up for a while and then we both dozed off only to be awakened by yet another quake, the strongest yet! Not a word was spoken between us - we just reached for each other and lay there half asleep with a tight grip on each other’s hand, wondering when/how/if it would end. The earthquake was strong enough that something made a crashing sound as it fell off the counter in the kitchen!

Channel News Asia reports:

“A series of strong earthquakes including one with a magnitude of 6.7 hit the Tokyo area early Thursday, cutting off power to more than 2,000 homes and causing light injuries, officials and reports said.
The strongest earthquake hit at 1:45 am (1645 GMT) in the Pacific Ocean off Ibaraki prefecture, some 100 kilometers (160 miles) northeast of Tokyo….

Japan experiences 20 percent of the world’s major earthquakes and has developed an infrastructure meant to withstand violent tremors….

Japan lies at the crossing of four tectonic plates and is constantly bracing for the dreaded “Big One” feared to inflict major damage.
A 7.3-magnitude earthquake in Tokyo could kill 4,700 people, damage 440,000 buildings and leave thousands of others trapped in elevators, according to a study published by the government in 2006.

By infrastructure they mean that the foundations of the building include a sort of shock absorbing system that allows the building to rock and roll during an earthquake without damaging the structure itself. Since we live on the 12th floor all of the rocking and rolling is intensified quite a bit and I often wonder just how much stress the building can handle before it literally cracks.

It is a helpless feeling to know that you are at the mercy of Mother Nature during events such as these and this morning my hubby and I agreed that you just never know when your number is up. I know that I’m glad we were together and when my number comes up I want to be holding my hubby’s hand, but I’m just not sure I want my number to come up while I’m on the 12th floor during an earthquake - but I guess it’s not my call!

Yesterday I had my hair cut in Japan for the first time since our last time living here over ten years ago.  It was the best haircut ever, well, not the hair cut exactly but the whole experience.

My appointment was at 11AM and I was scheduled for a cut and color.  The staff spoke a little bit of English and it turns out that my stylist, Sanae, and her husband own the salon I went to in addition to another one nearby.  I arrived a bit early and was greeted by the receptionist.  So far just like at home right? 

The next thing the receptionist did was take may coat and ask me to remove my earrings.  She provided a cute little ceramic dish for me to place them in and a mini zip-lock bag to store them in - how cute!  She then hung up my coat and took my backpack and earrings so that she could put them in a locker for me.  She then escorted me to the stylist’s chair where an assistant stylist covered my lap and neck with a towel and then wrapped a cape around my neck.  I still haven’t seen Sanae yet.

Sane arrives and I tell her that I basically want a trim and we agree on the color that my new do will be.  Now is when you would get your hair washed at home but not in Japan.  In Japan they spritz your hair and cut it first.  Sanae was very precise and took a lot of care in making sure the cut was just right.

When she was done another assistant approached to prepare my hair for the color.  She put a protective lotion on my scalp and around the edge of my face and put these cute little bags over my ears.  They were sort of like mini saran wrap bowl covers with elastic around the edge.  Sanae then returned to apply the color and, again, was very precise, and quick!  When the dye was applied I expected Sanae to leave me to wait for the allotted time but she stayed and combed the dye through my hair for another five minutes or so before telling me that it would take another five minutes.  Yet another assistant came back and combed through the dye again before Sanae came back and agreed that the process was complete.  They then switched out my cape and shipped me off to get my hair washed.

The room where they wash your hair is softly lit and you sit in a very comfortable recliner while they wash your hair.  They covered my eyes with a tissue and proceed to wash my hair three times but the best part is that it isn’t just any normal hair washing.  While they are washing your hair they are giving you the best head and neck massage that you have ever had!  I almost fell asleep I was so relaxed and regretted when she was finished, but she wasn’t finished yet….

Back I went to Sanae’s chair where the gal who washed my hair and gave me the head and neck massage began to work on my shoulders and down around my shoulder blades on my back.  I thought I was in heaven!  When she finished she dried and styled my hair and Sanae returned to check to make sure everything looked good.  She made some final adjustments to the cut and I was done.

I was walked back to the receptionist who was ready to help me put my coat on and hand me my bag.  I paid my bill and made hubby an appointment for his next off day. He said that he would rather go to a barber and I told him that the massage alone would be worth every penny more than what he would spend at the barber shop! 

Sanae walked me to the door which was being held by yet another assistant and after thanking them I slowly strolled down the street toward home feeling oh so relaxed and confident with my new do!

I can hardly wait for my next hair cut…

Today I’m going to let you in on one of my not so well kept secrets!  I LOVE BUTTER and I’m not ashamed to say it!  I don’t need an intervention I just need to figure out what I can do to fix the butter shortage in Japan.

Due to the shortage, I have been on a mission of late to find butter in my two local supermarkets and the excitement in my life is that I found some the other night!  I now have two packages waiting for me in the freezer - but I am considering selling them to the highest bidder since that’s the first time I have seen butter in about a week! 

I wonder if it’s a crime to deal in black market butter?  I could buy some milk, there is a lot of that around, and set hubby and I to churning while we watch the baseball games at night? 

But then we might end up looking like Popeye, with one bulging bicep, which wouldn’t be a good look….

Photo Credit:
Flickr, William Heck, a stockman

There’s not a lot new in my world lately. I haven’t been out and about very much this week for no particular reason except that the weather hasn’t been cooperating. It’ hasn’t been too cold or too rainy, just rather overcast and with a bit of an overall haze/smog which is a bit depressing and not conducive to sightseeing and picture taking.

So, today I decided to I walk with my hubby to the train station. On the way, we made a detour through the park to see what looked like a whole school of children out for recess.

. It was quite a sight! All the kids wear hats in a color assigned to their class or age group and there was a sea of colorful caps in the park with the joyful sound of children playing in the background. It just made me smile!

Here are some of the kids just hanging out.

Tomorrow is a Showa day, a national holiday to commemorate the birthday of a former emperor and part of Golden Week in Japan, so maybe the teachers decided to give everyone a break for the morning. The kid’s were sure having fun!

….when you have Kleenex sticking out of your nose!  But that’s just how Hideo Higashikokubaru, a one-time comedian using the stage name Sonomanma Higashi, and currently the Governor of Miyazaki prefecture in southern Japan, is portrayed on this tissue box cover.

I found this product while browsing through my local mall and just couldn’t stop laughing.  I thought it was hilarious even before my friend told me who he was.   He ran for governor on the slogan “dogenkasento ikan,” or “something must be done” and I know just what he should do - get them to stop selling this product.  He just looks silly!

If you don’t believe me check out his photo on the Miyazaki Prefecture website. 

…or I should say an “e-re-be-ta” apology. This one is for my Dad…

When I got into the elevator today this sign was posted. You don’t need to know how to read Japanese to figure out that on April 24th they will be working on the elevator from 10-12PM.

That’s good information to have and I won’t plan on going anywhere during that time as I live on the 12th floor. I don’t mind the trip down the stairs so much as the one back up!

The thing that gave me a kick was that the little guy was bowing in apology for any inconvenience that he may cause. Now here’s the best part (for my Dad) - check out the company name on his hat…

Even in Japan, huh Dad?

For those of you that are saying “I don’t get it” that’s because you have no way of knowing that my Dad spent his entire career working on elevators. His first job, at the ripe old age of 17, was installing elevators for Otis Elevator Company. He’s been retired for a while now but he still checks out all of the elevators and escalators that we ride on (and tells us what’s wrong with them)!

Pepsiman was the mascot of Pepsi in Japan in the mid 1990’s. He was a cool dude who would deliver a Pepsi to those in need of refreshment and I need him now!

I drink Pepsi, not Coke, and not Coffee - my morning jolt is delivered by an ice cold Pepsi - I know it’s not healthy but it’s a hard habit to break.

While I can find Coke seemingly everywhere in Japan finding a plain old, ordinary, non-diet Pepsi seems to be near impossible. There are only two locations that I can get Pepsi in my neighborhood - Carrefour and Costco.

Today I put the last can of Pepsi from Costco in the fridge and though that I’d better get some more so that I didn’t have withdrawals tomorrow morning. So I pedalled off to Carrefour only to find the Pepsi shelf empty, yes empty! Oh no! A stock person was nearby so I asked him in my best (read awful) Japanese if there was anymore Pepsi. His response in his best (read passable) English was that I needed to come back on the 20th - that’s five days from now!

So now I’m stuck and I have to go to Costco. Normally you need to psych yourself up for a visit to Costco. It’s almost always a madhouse, but I was desperate so off I went on my bike. I purchase three, count ‘em three, flats of Pepsi and arranged to have two of them delivered on Friday. I broke open the third flat and put all 24 cans of Pepsi in the back basket of my bike for the trek home. Did you know that 24 cans of Pepsi can really slow you down?

So I ask again, where is Pepsiman when you need him? My request is not huge, I just want my local Daily Yamazaki start stocking Pepsi….do you think he could come out of retirement to arrange that?

Photo Credit: Pepsinut.com

I have been asked to be a contributor to a new Japan Blogzine called 7:10 to Tokyo.   Billy West, the founder of 7:10 to Tokyo describes the publication like this:

“7:10 to Tokyo is an online magazine or blogazine, if you will. It’s contributors are bloggers who either live in Japan or have a strong interest in the place, its culture, and its people. It was designed to be entertaining as well as informative, and everyone involved in this publication sincerely hopes that it will be a pleasure to read for all who drop by.”

My first article titled “Do you want Mashrooms on your Pizza?” is now up and I encourage  you to check it out along with the rest of the site.  Marshrooms you say - what are mashrooms?  The article is about the passion the Japanese have for the English language but how they don’t always get it quite right.

I’ve committed to contribute two articles a month to the site and I’ve added 7:10 to Tokyo to my blogroll so you can check back often to see what going on over there.

Today I awoke to another rainy and windy day in Tokyo.  I think that Mother Nature is toying with us right now as we have been seeing flashes of gorgeous spring weather followed by some pretty awful wind and rain and I don’t like it!

On Sunday, the weather was just beautiful so I decided to pull out my capris for the first time this year and pedal over to the Chiba Lotte Marines game.  What a day and what a game -  I got a bit of sun and had a couple of what the Japanese call hot dogs at the ball park.  That’s my idea of the way to spend a sunny spring afternoon!

The Chiba Lotte Marines won the game in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the ninth but they kept us is suspense right until the end.  There’s nothing like watching your team come from behind and holding your breath on every pitch in the bottom of the ninth.  Will it be a strike, a ball, will he swing, won’t he?  When he swings your heart jumps into your throat - will he hit it, and if he does how will the play develop?  Well in this case he did swing and the ball dropped in for a hit and scored the winning run!  The fans went crazy as the team ran onto the field to celebrate - now that’s baseball!

After the game we went out for a great dinner with friends and then leisurely walked home with our coats flapping open in the breeze.  It was a great day and  I was thinking that maybe spring was here for good - boy was I wrong!  This week is supposed to be a combination of windy, rainy and overcast days and there is not one picture of the sun in the forecast. 

So I ask Mother Nature - why do you tease us so?  Are you trying to remind us to take advantage of each moment as all things in life are fleeting?