On Friday the Canadian and me went out to eat something. We ended up in Christon Cafe. Very cool place - an underground restaurant decorated as a church, with very goth-looking staff. The cover charge (or "amuse") was more than I usually pay for entire dinner, but once in a while, it's worth it. The atmosphere was great (if you like gloom), the waitress cute (in a faceful-of-metal kind of way), and the food fingerlickingly delicious.
This weekend is the Todai Festival, so I went over to Komaba campus to check it out. There were some couple of hundred food stalls, just for starters. I had some very nice and rather cheap yakitori - and I've been craving the grilled meat taste for some time now. I also snuck in a game of Go with the Go club. I suck, but I still had fun. And there were bands playing their stuff all over - from very beautiful and haunting vocal songs, to horses playing guitars, to none too bad metal that I didn't quite expect here.
One day I might even upload some photos.
2008-11-23
2008-11-16
Lost in Shibuya
So, two other guys in my class happen to live in the same dorm as I do: the tall Argentine and the hip Canadian. The Argentine is a source of constant amusement due to his slick look and fixation on neckties. The Canadian is a potential gaming partner.
So, we got together on Friday night, the hip Canadian and I, to try to play a game. My new Galaxy Trucker, for those in the know. Since the rooms are way too small, and since the common room was being used by the laptopped people, he said he's pretty sure we could play in Starbucks. "They don't care what you do, as long as you get something to drink." Despite my reservations about the table size and boardgaming in a public venue, we went out.
He said you can walk to Shibuya in about 15 minutes, so we did. It was a nice walk. We looked at our options, and finally did settle at a Starbucks outside table. I got a cuppa sencha, since I don't like coffee, but even sencha tasted funny. The table was round and hardly big enough for two players, but we managed - once the funny Dutch guy we met there stopped talking about kidney stones. He's also from our dorm, and he was coming back from his gym, and we spent a bemused time listening to him, and giving him layman medical advice. Just goes to show you can never know what your day will be like. But he's cool.
We got one round done, then headed back, and then went to his room after all and went on to play the other two rounds. The consensus was, needs more players.
This was just the preamble. The next day, I was in Shibuya, and I thought it might be a good idea to return home on foot. You know, reinforce the learned data. So I started out, uh-huh, remember this shop, yep, this was the corner, then under this overpass --
This doesn't look quite like I remember. Similar, but - was it really where we crossed?
Must be. Don't know how it could be anything else.
Okay. Yes, the street here was like that...
Wait - I don't remember this! I'm sure I would have remembered this!
Let's ask someone. "Excuse me, sorry, I think I may have gotten lost, so could you please tell me which way is Inokashira Line Komaba Todaimae Station?" "Eh? It's very far! Walking? Very far, you sure? Okay, that way, then turn right, then after turn left, very far..."
Oops.
So, I start walking where she pointed. Five minutes later, I check with a salaryman, but he has no clue. Then I ask a passing couple, and they also give me the "very far" routine, and wonder if I might be better off by retracing my steps to Shibuya. I assure them it's good exercise for me, and press on.
Five more minutes later, I ask a girl, and she says it's complicated to explain, but very close.
Huh? What did I miss? Did I sleepwalk for half an hour? No, just turns out that people have different concepts of "long walks". It actually does turn to be not that very far, but I'm getting ahead of myself. The girl gives up on explaining, and takes me three blocks back where she came from, in order to explain better. In the meantime, we figure out we go to the same uni (No way! Really?), and exchange keitai emails. Her instructions prove to be very correct and very precise (third bus stop, across from 7-11, there is a sobaya there, narrow street just after, then just straight) - I couldn't miss if I wanted to. If you're reading, ever, thanks!
Altogether, my return home lasted 1:20 instead of 0:20. Not bad.
Today I was again in Shibuya. I was in Ginza before that, so I saw some really expensive places, but I also saw some rather normal, yet interesting-looking places - such as a dark, almost sinister, Mexican restaurant with an oldsmobile for a cash register. In Shibuya I found some interesting stores, some decidedly interesting stores, and an extremely strange gambling machine.
The story is, I went into another arcade, but this one catered more to the gamblers than to gamers. The first floor was filled with the grabby machines, I have no clue what they're normally called, but if you're good with cranes, you can get a toy or an ice cream or a box or whatever is inside. There was also some purikura booths, and a taiko playing game. That one looked extremely fun, especially when a really good dude started beating the hell out of them. He hardly missed a beat at difficulty 9/10. Props, man, major props.
The third floor had horse races. No, really. Horse races. There's a fake 5m by 2m hippodrome, with robotic horseys and jockeys, a huge big screen where the computer animated recreation of the race was running, and many many seats for people to bet. Some seats were just next to the hippodrome, while others were hi-tech super-comfortable recliners, but all had race monitors and betting interfaces.
The fourth floor had simulated football betting, and also some normal arcade games, like Tekken 6 (6?!? Already?!?), and the aforementioned collectible card video games.
But the main shock was on the second floor: gambling devices of a decidedly Rube Goldbergian nature. I can't even describe them - but there are photos of posters in the gallery. I was totally fascinated, because I could not for the life of me figure out the specifics of the game. The basics are easy though: coin-tokens go in, coin-tokens go out. If more goes out than in, you're good.
In the end, I returned home by train. I figured my next attempt should be from the dorm side.
So, we got together on Friday night, the hip Canadian and I, to try to play a game. My new Galaxy Trucker, for those in the know. Since the rooms are way too small, and since the common room was being used by the laptopped people, he said he's pretty sure we could play in Starbucks. "They don't care what you do, as long as you get something to drink." Despite my reservations about the table size and boardgaming in a public venue, we went out.
He said you can walk to Shibuya in about 15 minutes, so we did. It was a nice walk. We looked at our options, and finally did settle at a Starbucks outside table. I got a cuppa sencha, since I don't like coffee, but even sencha tasted funny. The table was round and hardly big enough for two players, but we managed - once the funny Dutch guy we met there stopped talking about kidney stones. He's also from our dorm, and he was coming back from his gym, and we spent a bemused time listening to him, and giving him layman medical advice. Just goes to show you can never know what your day will be like. But he's cool.
We got one round done, then headed back, and then went to his room after all and went on to play the other two rounds. The consensus was, needs more players.
This was just the preamble. The next day, I was in Shibuya, and I thought it might be a good idea to return home on foot. You know, reinforce the learned data. So I started out, uh-huh, remember this shop, yep, this was the corner, then under this overpass --
This doesn't look quite like I remember. Similar, but - was it really where we crossed?
Must be. Don't know how it could be anything else.
Okay. Yes, the street here was like that...
Wait - I don't remember this! I'm sure I would have remembered this!
Let's ask someone. "Excuse me, sorry, I think I may have gotten lost, so could you please tell me which way is Inokashira Line Komaba Todaimae Station?" "Eh? It's very far! Walking? Very far, you sure? Okay, that way, then turn right, then after turn left, very far..."
Oops.
So, I start walking where she pointed. Five minutes later, I check with a salaryman, but he has no clue. Then I ask a passing couple, and they also give me the "very far" routine, and wonder if I might be better off by retracing my steps to Shibuya. I assure them it's good exercise for me, and press on.
Five more minutes later, I ask a girl, and she says it's complicated to explain, but very close.
Huh? What did I miss? Did I sleepwalk for half an hour? No, just turns out that people have different concepts of "long walks". It actually does turn to be not that very far, but I'm getting ahead of myself. The girl gives up on explaining, and takes me three blocks back where she came from, in order to explain better. In the meantime, we figure out we go to the same uni (No way! Really?), and exchange keitai emails. Her instructions prove to be very correct and very precise (third bus stop, across from 7-11, there is a sobaya there, narrow street just after, then just straight) - I couldn't miss if I wanted to. If you're reading, ever, thanks!
Altogether, my return home lasted 1:20 instead of 0:20. Not bad.
Today I was again in Shibuya. I was in Ginza before that, so I saw some really expensive places, but I also saw some rather normal, yet interesting-looking places - such as a dark, almost sinister, Mexican restaurant with an oldsmobile for a cash register. In Shibuya I found some interesting stores, some decidedly interesting stores, and an extremely strange gambling machine.
The story is, I went into another arcade, but this one catered more to the gamblers than to gamers. The first floor was filled with the grabby machines, I have no clue what they're normally called, but if you're good with cranes, you can get a toy or an ice cream or a box or whatever is inside. There was also some purikura booths, and a taiko playing game. That one looked extremely fun, especially when a really good dude started beating the hell out of them. He hardly missed a beat at difficulty 9/10. Props, man, major props.
The third floor had horse races. No, really. Horse races. There's a fake 5m by 2m hippodrome, with robotic horseys and jockeys, a huge big screen where the computer animated recreation of the race was running, and many many seats for people to bet. Some seats were just next to the hippodrome, while others were hi-tech super-comfortable recliners, but all had race monitors and betting interfaces.
The fourth floor had simulated football betting, and also some normal arcade games, like Tekken 6 (6?!? Already?!?), and the aforementioned collectible card video games.
But the main shock was on the second floor: gambling devices of a decidedly Rube Goldbergian nature. I can't even describe them - but there are photos of posters in the gallery. I was totally fascinated, because I could not for the life of me figure out the specifics of the game. The basics are easy though: coin-tokens go in, coin-tokens go out. If more goes out than in, you're good.
In the end, I returned home by train. I figured my next attempt should be from the dorm side.
2008-11-13
Talking about Teeth
Long time no blog. Nothing special happened though. The most exciting thing is that my tooth filling fell off, and it made me famous among all the Japanese lesson teachers - for some reason, they apparently thought it was hilarious.
We were doing another conversation challenge, and we were supposed to go to the staff room (where our conversation teacher and camera were waiting for us), and ask for information on any subject of our choice. I had completely forgotten about the assignment, just like most of my classmates, and it was dubiously fortuitous that my filling fell out a day or two before, so I went with that: "[required long preamble omitted] Do you know a good dentist?"
Well, apparently, this time my countenance was too serious for this kind of request. I'm still at a loss as to why a serious face would not be appropriate where there's talk of doctors (excepting plastic surgeons, people actually willingly go there). And other professors saw it, and now everyone is asking me about my tooth - with a giggly accompaniment. Of course, none of it is malicious, and I don't hold any of it against them, but I'm quite perplexed by the whole situation.
They even dug out a phone number for an apparently very nice and friendly clinic, but it's closed on Thursdays.
Other than that, we went to izakaya after Wednesday gaming this week, and it was nice. Ethnic and pictoresque, to quote the tourist.
We were doing another conversation challenge, and we were supposed to go to the staff room (where our conversation teacher and camera were waiting for us), and ask for information on any subject of our choice. I had completely forgotten about the assignment, just like most of my classmates, and it was dubiously fortuitous that my filling fell out a day or two before, so I went with that: "[required long preamble omitted] Do you know a good dentist?"
Well, apparently, this time my countenance was too serious for this kind of request. I'm still at a loss as to why a serious face would not be appropriate where there's talk of doctors (excepting plastic surgeons, people actually willingly go there). And other professors saw it, and now everyone is asking me about my tooth - with a giggly accompaniment. Of course, none of it is malicious, and I don't hold any of it against them, but I'm quite perplexed by the whole situation.
They even dug out a phone number for an apparently very nice and friendly clinic, but it's closed on Thursdays.
Other than that, we went to izakaya after Wednesday gaming this week, and it was nice. Ethnic and pictoresque, to quote the tourist.
2008-11-04
Exotic Things
I went to my first kaitenzushi today. It was nice. I've eaten my fill, and surprisingly enough, paid less than I would for a bowl of ramen (outside of our university refectory). The stuff actually fills you up! Who'd've thunk it...
Anyway, there was four of us - let's call us Croat, Kiwi, Malagasy and Finn - and none of the other ones shared my non-dislike of natto. I couldn't figure out why - but then got my comeuppance when I bravely decided to try ikura gunkanzushi. Boy, was that a mistake. Yet Finn and Kiwi had no idea why I didn't like it, they thought nothing of it. Anyway, five plates later, we were full (and I was in search of something that will help me get fish eggs out of my palate).
During that time, Kiwi talked about some of his experiences or insights about Japan. One was particularly telling. Did you know that gambling was completely illegal in Japan? Neither did I. However, there are all these Pachinko salons - I thought it was gambling?
Well, yes and no. Because gambling is illegal, it works like this: when you go into a pachinko parlour (I still haven't, so this is all second-hand knowledge), you buy a bucket of balls. You go and stick your balls into slots, hoping more balls will come out. When you're done, you take your balls and exchange them for - not money, but trinkets and toys. So it's more like a game in an arcade, or a theme park...
...If it weren't for the shop that is always - always! - next door or nearby, and always - always! - unconnected to the pachinko place. Can you guess what it is?
A pawn shop. Specialising in buying toys and trinkets. The largest buyer of which is... (do I really need to say?) A pachinko parlour. Makes perfect sense, and it's all within the bounds of the law.
Yesterday we went to see the Meiji Shrine. There were about forty of us in our guided Todai group, divided into five or so platoons. This weekend was the Shichi-Go-San festival (as well as Culture Day, and the Emperor Meiji's birthday), and there were lil' ones wearing the (mostly rental) best. Props to them, as they were photoed to death. We saw the shinto ceremony in the shrine (well, from outside, anyway), I hung my own ema at the ema-hanging tree, and maybe a passing spirit decides to give me some of my wishes. Afterwards we had a bento picnic just next to aikido demonstration, then walked on by some other demonstrations till we reached what we were ostensibly there for: yabusame.
Yabusame is an old tradition, in some ways like a sport but more like an exhibition, i.e. no winners are announced, where horsemen gallop past three targets while shooting from the bow. At the said targets, of course. It's quite spectacular, if you disregard the long wait beforehand. They ride so fast that if you're not looking at the track all the time, you almost miss them. Afterwards we were taken to a pricy cafe, where we could get beer or a juice, and where soft-drinkers were rewarded by a piece of cake - and all we paid for the day was actually less than what our share cost in the cafe. The Japanese system is actually amazing, from my point of view: the students get subsidised by the senpai. The volunteer guides paid twice as much as we guidees, if not more. Thank you again!
Other than that, I'm a proud owner of the Gathering Storm! Finally!
Anyway, there was four of us - let's call us Croat, Kiwi, Malagasy and Finn - and none of the other ones shared my non-dislike of natto. I couldn't figure out why - but then got my comeuppance when I bravely decided to try ikura gunkanzushi. Boy, was that a mistake. Yet Finn and Kiwi had no idea why I didn't like it, they thought nothing of it. Anyway, five plates later, we were full (and I was in search of something that will help me get fish eggs out of my palate).
During that time, Kiwi talked about some of his experiences or insights about Japan. One was particularly telling. Did you know that gambling was completely illegal in Japan? Neither did I. However, there are all these Pachinko salons - I thought it was gambling?
Well, yes and no. Because gambling is illegal, it works like this: when you go into a pachinko parlour (I still haven't, so this is all second-hand knowledge), you buy a bucket of balls. You go and stick your balls into slots, hoping more balls will come out. When you're done, you take your balls and exchange them for - not money, but trinkets and toys. So it's more like a game in an arcade, or a theme park...
...If it weren't for the shop that is always - always! - next door or nearby, and always - always! - unconnected to the pachinko place. Can you guess what it is?
A pawn shop. Specialising in buying toys and trinkets. The largest buyer of which is... (do I really need to say?) A pachinko parlour. Makes perfect sense, and it's all within the bounds of the law.
Yesterday we went to see the Meiji Shrine. There were about forty of us in our guided Todai group, divided into five or so platoons. This weekend was the Shichi-Go-San festival (as well as Culture Day, and the Emperor Meiji's birthday), and there were lil' ones wearing the (mostly rental) best. Props to them, as they were photoed to death. We saw the shinto ceremony in the shrine (well, from outside, anyway), I hung my own ema at the ema-hanging tree, and maybe a passing spirit decides to give me some of my wishes. Afterwards we had a bento picnic just next to aikido demonstration, then walked on by some other demonstrations till we reached what we were ostensibly there for: yabusame.
Yabusame is an old tradition, in some ways like a sport but more like an exhibition, i.e. no winners are announced, where horsemen gallop past three targets while shooting from the bow. At the said targets, of course. It's quite spectacular, if you disregard the long wait beforehand. They ride so fast that if you're not looking at the track all the time, you almost miss them. Afterwards we were taken to a pricy cafe, where we could get beer or a juice, and where soft-drinkers were rewarded by a piece of cake - and all we paid for the day was actually less than what our share cost in the cafe. The Japanese system is actually amazing, from my point of view: the students get subsidised by the senpai. The volunteer guides paid twice as much as we guidees, if not more. Thank you again!
Other than that, I'm a proud owner of the Gathering Storm! Finally!
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