There's a hairdresser across the street from my Uni. I didn't notice it until today. Since it's getting way past time I should have had a haircut, I'm starting to look at my options, so I stopped and read the menu. [Yep, in Japan, hairdressers have menus too.]
You already know about "Cut & Blow". But today I saw something new: Head Scalp. For just ¥3500. But that's okay, it's just weird Janglish. But how about Nose Scalp (¥2000)? Any idea what that is?
Apparently, it comprises of the removal of fine hairs that apparently grow on the nose. Not nose hair, mind you - facial hair growing on the nose. By way of waxing, or something similar.
Nose scalp FTW.
And then, not two minutes later, I encounter the weirdest hairdo I saw since I came here. A half-meter spike. Of grey hair. The gentleman must have been 50 or 60.
Way to go, man! Major props! Chutzpah bonus!
2009-02-20
2009-02-18
On Whistle-Blowers
A quick observation.
Workers working on tracks of Inokashira line are a common sight at my station. They thump the stones, bonk the tracks, pull the tubes, and generally behave in a normal workerish manner. And since they're working on the train tracks, they have frequent breaks.
Whenever the train comes, the foreman signals the crew with a loud whistle sound. It is a bit uncanny, since the foreman knows when the train is coming before the announcement is made. When they hear the signal, all the workers line up against the wall, hold their arm up as if greeting the train, but more often than not they drop it before the train comes. I suspect that is one of the little work safety rituals common here in Japan, like the station attendants pointing both ways to make sure the platform is secure.
However, one would think that a loud whistling sound would come from a whistle. The thing that sparked this observational post is that today was the first time I actually saw a whistle. A sub-foreman (is that even a word?) had one, and signaled the crewmen along with the foreman.
So if the foreman doesn't use a whistle to produce a whistling sound, what does he use?
The answer is, a special megaphone-like device, which emits a very cunning imitation of blowing a whistle when you press its trigger.
The thing is, the Amazing Whistling Bullhorn is not any louder than a real whistle (as I found out today), it doesn't sound much different, and it's definitely Bigger Than A Cat (okay, a kitten). [Those who don't know, Bigger Than A Cat is a reference unit of size for some of my friends and me, ever since childhood. It's no weirder than, say, "gallon", or "foot".] And it presumably needs batteries. So, why not use a whistle? Is a lo-tek whistle too lowly an instrument for a foreman? Or is it work conditions issue, protecting the poor foremen from employing their lungs too much? Or an union thing, seeing how whistle-blowing would be the only physical labour they would be doing - as apparently their job description is just observing how other people toil, and not toiling themselves?
Note to readers: I have no problem with the foremen, despite the slightly satirical tone of the post. Knowing a bit about how the Japanese system work, they have earned their apparently toilless office. Still, the whistle thing confounds me. Opinions?
Workers working on tracks of Inokashira line are a common sight at my station. They thump the stones, bonk the tracks, pull the tubes, and generally behave in a normal workerish manner. And since they're working on the train tracks, they have frequent breaks.
Whenever the train comes, the foreman signals the crew with a loud whistle sound. It is a bit uncanny, since the foreman knows when the train is coming before the announcement is made. When they hear the signal, all the workers line up against the wall, hold their arm up as if greeting the train, but more often than not they drop it before the train comes. I suspect that is one of the little work safety rituals common here in Japan, like the station attendants pointing both ways to make sure the platform is secure.
However, one would think that a loud whistling sound would come from a whistle. The thing that sparked this observational post is that today was the first time I actually saw a whistle. A sub-foreman (is that even a word?) had one, and signaled the crewmen along with the foreman.
So if the foreman doesn't use a whistle to produce a whistling sound, what does he use?
The answer is, a special megaphone-like device, which emits a very cunning imitation of blowing a whistle when you press its trigger.
The thing is, the Amazing Whistling Bullhorn is not any louder than a real whistle (as I found out today), it doesn't sound much different, and it's definitely Bigger Than A Cat (okay, a kitten). [Those who don't know, Bigger Than A Cat is a reference unit of size for some of my friends and me, ever since childhood. It's no weirder than, say, "gallon", or "foot".] And it presumably needs batteries. So, why not use a whistle? Is a lo-tek whistle too lowly an instrument for a foreman? Or is it work conditions issue, protecting the poor foremen from employing their lungs too much? Or an union thing, seeing how whistle-blowing would be the only physical labour they would be doing - as apparently their job description is just observing how other people toil, and not toiling themselves?
Note to readers: I have no problem with the foremen, despite the slightly satirical tone of the post. Knowing a bit about how the Japanese system work, they have earned their apparently toilless office. Still, the whistle thing confounds me. Opinions?
2009-02-14
Kabuki-za
Today I went to Kabuki-za. We had a group discount. Having seen the Kabuki-za prices, I first thought it was a big discount. It wasn't. We just had the crappy seats.
The crappy seats are on the third floor, about a mile from the stage, and Japanese-sized. This means that those with smaller Perception scores will presumably only see smudges moving across the stages, and that most male Europeans will at some point during the performance experience regret of never having had leg amputation. The fact that the full course of Kabuki lasts for more than 4 hours does not help.
However, physical pains notwithstanding, it was a pretty cool experience. If in Japan, it's definitely one of the things that is nice to see. However, not all of it would I be willing to repeat often. There were three pieces in today's set; the first one was interesting, the second one, not so much, while the third one was the only one I could really call fun.
Now, what was what?
According to the flyer, the first piece was called "Sugawara denju tenarai kagami" (Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy). It was a famous historical piece, adapted from Bunraku, lasted over 2 hours, and even the Japanese need an earpiece to understand what they're talking about. For those who wish to know more, it's on Wikipedia, and we were shown Act II scene 2 and Act III scene 2. Between the flyer in my lap and the voice in my ear, I managed to get the story (despite having dozed through about a third of it).
The second piece was mainly a dance performance, lightly interspersed with some comic interludes (or, as GW fans would put it, monkey business). Japanese dance is highly stylised, it doesn't interpret the music but rather the singing of the chanters sitting in the background (which is even more incomprehensible), and I must have slept through about a half. The name was "Kyokanoko musume ninin Dojoji" (Two women at Dojoji temple). According to the pamphlet, "Musume Dojoji is considered to be a pinnacle of the art of the onnagata female role specialist". It's definitely something to see, but I guess for many western people not really something to watch for an hour or so.
The third one, which I enjoyed the most (and managed not to doze on) was "Ninjo Banashi Bunshichi Mottoi" (The Story of Bunshichi), adapted from a Rakugo story. It's funny, it's touching, and even if the language is a bit archaic, and there is still the wailing quality of the Kabuki voice, it is much more accessible - I even managed to understand some (it really isn't so bad, as long as you know enough to switch all the "de gozaimasu"s for "desu"s). At least in those moments my ear wasn't full of Oshima-san, our pre-recorded commentator for the piece.
My frequent references to dozing can be explained in three ways. Four, if you count the least applicable one ("really boring"). They are:
1. My vampiric biorhythm. Again I couldn't sleep during the night, and my body tried to compensate by knocking me out during the day.
2. My blasted need for oxygen. I never dozed during the first 20 minutes after the break. But afterwards, my brain just wanted to go to Standby.
3. My appreciation of the soothing sounds of human wails, wooden block claps, shamisen pangs and shoulder-drum poings.
And I'm writing about this this openly and trying to conceal my shame over being an uncultured barbarian only because I can say that I was doing the ultimate Kabuki experience. If anyone starts pointing fingers at me, I can just explain to them that I was doing what the natives were doing. What I mean is that, just around me, at some point or other, I could spot at least a dozen dozing Japanese.
Cool thing about Kabuki, and I guess necessary when one remembers how long it lasts, is that it is expected to have your lunch there. Everyone comes to Kabuki with a bento, or buys one there. So it's kind of like what cinema would have been like had it existed in Far East couple of hundred years ago, with local equivalents of pop-corn (like ¥200 taiyaki).
Regarding the prices: Front row seats are sell-your-soul expensive at ~¥18000. The cheapest non-crappy seats were 1F and 2F back rows at ~¥12000. 3F back rows (where we were) are quite affordable at ~¥2500. There is also ¥650 charge for renting an earphone, but we got it for free with our group discount (¥2000 for the whole thing). There is also an option of paying ¥1000 for the behind-the-back-row spectators, or so-called 4F, for one piece only, and if I understood correctly the guide whom I asked about it, there may not be seats, but standing places instead. This is a good deal for those who have time limitations, cashflow problems, length requirements, or formicas in posteriori.
After that, as if it wasn't enough, I went on to continue my day of reckless spending, and bought a new pair of jeans, with a new belt. The old pants have me look like a skater, only not as stylish.
The crappy seats are on the third floor, about a mile from the stage, and Japanese-sized. This means that those with smaller Perception scores will presumably only see smudges moving across the stages, and that most male Europeans will at some point during the performance experience regret of never having had leg amputation. The fact that the full course of Kabuki lasts for more than 4 hours does not help.
However, physical pains notwithstanding, it was a pretty cool experience. If in Japan, it's definitely one of the things that is nice to see. However, not all of it would I be willing to repeat often. There were three pieces in today's set; the first one was interesting, the second one, not so much, while the third one was the only one I could really call fun.
Now, what was what?
According to the flyer, the first piece was called "Sugawara denju tenarai kagami" (Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy). It was a famous historical piece, adapted from Bunraku, lasted over 2 hours, and even the Japanese need an earpiece to understand what they're talking about. For those who wish to know more, it's on Wikipedia, and we were shown Act II scene 2 and Act III scene 2. Between the flyer in my lap and the voice in my ear, I managed to get the story (despite having dozed through about a third of it).
The second piece was mainly a dance performance, lightly interspersed with some comic interludes (or, as GW fans would put it, monkey business). Japanese dance is highly stylised, it doesn't interpret the music but rather the singing of the chanters sitting in the background (which is even more incomprehensible), and I must have slept through about a half. The name was "Kyokanoko musume ninin Dojoji" (Two women at Dojoji temple). According to the pamphlet, "Musume Dojoji is considered to be a pinnacle of the art of the onnagata female role specialist". It's definitely something to see, but I guess for many western people not really something to watch for an hour or so.
The third one, which I enjoyed the most (and managed not to doze on) was "Ninjo Banashi Bunshichi Mottoi" (The Story of Bunshichi), adapted from a Rakugo story. It's funny, it's touching, and even if the language is a bit archaic, and there is still the wailing quality of the Kabuki voice, it is much more accessible - I even managed to understand some (it really isn't so bad, as long as you know enough to switch all the "de gozaimasu"s for "desu"s). At least in those moments my ear wasn't full of Oshima-san, our pre-recorded commentator for the piece.
My frequent references to dozing can be explained in three ways. Four, if you count the least applicable one ("really boring"). They are:
1. My vampiric biorhythm. Again I couldn't sleep during the night, and my body tried to compensate by knocking me out during the day.
2. My blasted need for oxygen. I never dozed during the first 20 minutes after the break. But afterwards, my brain just wanted to go to Standby.
3. My appreciation of the soothing sounds of human wails, wooden block claps, shamisen pangs and shoulder-drum poings.
And I'm writing about this this openly and trying to conceal my shame over being an uncultured barbarian only because I can say that I was doing the ultimate Kabuki experience. If anyone starts pointing fingers at me, I can just explain to them that I was doing what the natives were doing. What I mean is that, just around me, at some point or other, I could spot at least a dozen dozing Japanese.
Cool thing about Kabuki, and I guess necessary when one remembers how long it lasts, is that it is expected to have your lunch there. Everyone comes to Kabuki with a bento, or buys one there. So it's kind of like what cinema would have been like had it existed in Far East couple of hundred years ago, with local equivalents of pop-corn (like ¥200 taiyaki).
Regarding the prices: Front row seats are sell-your-soul expensive at ~¥18000. The cheapest non-crappy seats were 1F and 2F back rows at ~¥12000. 3F back rows (where we were) are quite affordable at ~¥2500. There is also ¥650 charge for renting an earphone, but we got it for free with our group discount (¥2000 for the whole thing). There is also an option of paying ¥1000 for the behind-the-back-row spectators, or so-called 4F, for one piece only, and if I understood correctly the guide whom I asked about it, there may not be seats, but standing places instead. This is a good deal for those who have time limitations, cashflow problems, length requirements, or formicas in posteriori.
After that, as if it wasn't enough, I went on to continue my day of reckless spending, and bought a new pair of jeans, with a new belt. The old pants have me look like a skater, only not as stylish.
2009-02-13
Energy Saving
So, in my Japanese class, prompted by the text we'd just read or grammar point we just learned or whatever, the teacher asked us to describe things we can do to save energy.
- One could use the low-consumption light bulbs.
- We can turn off computers when we don't use them.
- Turn off the lights while taking a shower.
- We can... wait, what?
Apparently, in Argentina (and also Australia, according to our Argentine source), they turn off the lights while they're taking a shower.
- You mean, all the lights outside the bathroom?
- Yes, and also in the bathroom too.
A collective "Huh?!?".
- At night too?!?
- Yes, of course, at night too. We often sing in the shower, so the government made a campaign to switch off the lights during the shower to save energy.
- One could use the low-consumption light bulbs.
- We can turn off computers when we don't use them.
- Turn off the lights while taking a shower.
- We can... wait, what?
Apparently, in Argentina (and also Australia, according to our Argentine source), they turn off the lights while they're taking a shower.
- You mean, all the lights outside the bathroom?
- Yes, and also in the bathroom too.
A collective "Huh?!?".
- At night too?!?
- Yes, of course, at night too. We often sing in the shower, so the government made a campaign to switch off the lights during the shower to save energy.
2009-02-09
Sento update
This will seem familiar to my regular readers. But don't go "omg, he got lost again" just yet. Technically, I didn't get lost. Sento did. I knew exactly where it should be, but it did not have the common decency to meet me there. Instead, all I saw were some construction sites. (Or maybe it was there all along, but hiding from me, using the construction site curtains for cover. Tricky bastard, if so.)
So, I did not manage to get into a sento yet. Stay tuned.
Oh, another thing, about the Dobro (the Croatian restaurant). This, too, will seem familiar. We got the VIP treatment. Because I was Croatian. The Croatian chef himself came out of the kitchen to serve us our meals himself, and he was explaining every meal to my friend. And we got just a teeny bit extra, since we were splitting each dish in two, so that we both got a full set (like, we didn't need to worry about sharing a prawn). And when my gourmet friend expressed an interest in Croatian cuisine, the chef gave him a Vegeta cookbook! (I'm still unclear about where he's supposed to find Vegeta, but I guess it's his problem.)
Oh yeah. The prawns were a part of the mixed grill for two, which we also ordered. Chabapuchicchi were also part of that, as well as some chicken meat wrapped in prosciutto, peppers, eggplant, pork, potato, and I have no clue what else any more. Various, I tell you. Sundry.
And, for an appetizer, beef pate. Which I did not quite enjoy, prefering my pate to include at least some liver. Preferably 15% or more. And maybe, make it a pig product. (No pate in Tokyo. At least not in any obvious places. Sniff.) Wasn't bad, I'd just have prefered something else.
Anyway, the dinner was yummy, and we were treated especially well, so, what's not to like. Except the bill. Did I mention Bill? It's like Bill crashed our party, but we knew in advance Bill was coming, so we were dreading the moment all evening?
Naah, just joking. It was a lot, but no regrets. Okay, maybe I'd prefered my Canadian friend was of a smitten female persuasion. :) But if wishes were fishes...
So, I did not manage to get into a sento yet. Stay tuned.
Oh, another thing, about the Dobro (the Croatian restaurant). This, too, will seem familiar. We got the VIP treatment. Because I was Croatian. The Croatian chef himself came out of the kitchen to serve us our meals himself, and he was explaining every meal to my friend. And we got just a teeny bit extra, since we were splitting each dish in two, so that we both got a full set (like, we didn't need to worry about sharing a prawn). And when my gourmet friend expressed an interest in Croatian cuisine, the chef gave him a Vegeta cookbook! (I'm still unclear about where he's supposed to find Vegeta, but I guess it's his problem.)
Oh yeah. The prawns were a part of the mixed grill for two, which we also ordered. Chabapuchicchi were also part of that, as well as some chicken meat wrapped in prosciutto, peppers, eggplant, pork, potato, and I have no clue what else any more. Various, I tell you. Sundry.
And, for an appetizer, beef pate. Which I did not quite enjoy, prefering my pate to include at least some liver. Preferably 15% or more. And maybe, make it a pig product. (No pate in Tokyo. At least not in any obvious places. Sniff.) Wasn't bad, I'd just have prefered something else.
Anyway, the dinner was yummy, and we were treated especially well, so, what's not to like. Except the bill. Did I mention Bill? It's like Bill crashed our party, but we knew in advance Bill was coming, so we were dreading the moment all evening?
Naah, just joking. It was a lot, but no regrets. Okay, maybe I'd prefered my Canadian friend was of a smitten female persuasion. :) But if wishes were fishes...
Does sento wash away bad news?
I had my presentation on sarma today. It was really boring. There was a presentation on Rockies-As-Shown-By-A-Travel-Agency, a perfectly delivered, very touching story about porcupines and personal space, and a presentation-cum-degustation of a Malaysian dish, a presentation on Fusui (or Feng-Shui, if that's more familiar), beautiful presentations on Malaysian jungles and highlands and Israeli saline depths, and a Look-How-Cute-Little-Anteaters-Are one. Of course, there was also an utterly incomprehensible piece on peonies, but even that was a detective novel compared to my Recipe-of-the-Week column in Foreigner Daily.
Various and sundry replies for Linda: The baito is actually a sweet gig. I'm programming odds and ends for my lab. So I don't go anyplace I'm not already going to, and not doing anything I wouldn't already be doing. The only downside is, I'm not meeting anyone I wouldn't already be meeting. But shou ga nai.
As you might have guessed, I did go research local sarma. I went with my gourmet Canadian friend, and I was a bit nervous ("What will he say about our peasant cuisine?") but in the end he really enjoyed himself. Me, I was nitpicking all the time how nothing is really what I'm used to, even though everything was very good. My complaints were mostly based on the fact that it is a haute cuisine restaurant catering to japanese palates, and I'm used to plain old home cooking.
As you might or might not know, sarma is very sour and salty. As (some other of) you might or might not know, Japanese don't like strong flavours. Result is, I felt it was bland. Still delicious, but not the dish I know and love. Also, you only get a midget of one sarma roll for the price I don't want to put on the blog. It is not cheap.
Chabapuchicchi had a similar problem: not enough spices. White codfish (bakalar na bijelo) was the most authentic, from what we had. Shutorukuri (and congratulations for the first one who manages to decipher what that is) surprised me with paprika added to the cream sauce. I know paprika and dairy go well together, and are often mixed in Croatian cuisine, but I haven't yet experienced it on that particular dish.
However, I'm not sorry I went, even considering the hefty bill. I might go back soon, for lunch, if I have time - they have a set lunch for ¥1000, which is more than affordable, considering - but I doubt I will splurge for a dinner there any time soon.
I am continuing my weekly visits to the cute nurses in the dentist clinic. They say there's nothing better than having a pretty girl in your mouth, I don't think this is exactly what they mean. But it's good for health. I'm still in the root-canal-cleaning phase. Dunno why, but I can't but be reminded of Alien 3. One visit is not that expensive, but it accumulates. And that's just two teeth. Sigh. At least that's a regular expense, not a surprise to my wallet.
Unlike the scholarship money cuts. Yup, we got wind of the rumour that our monthly deposits will get cut by about ¥15000 a month or three hence. Plus, the JASSO policy of refunding 1/3 of whatever medical costs after the national insurance is getting axed next month (which is why I'm hurrying with my oral chimney-sweeping efforts).
More bad news: With regrets, I've decided to stop my attempts to start Aikido again. Every week my knees feel worse - last time I had trouble walking for the next couple of days. Not fun. I don't know what I'm going to do, maybe ask about using the Uni sports hall, and starting to swim. Swimming is boring, but it's exercise, and I guess much better for me than destroying my legs in the name of health. I just hope the water is tolerable. (And that for once I do what I tell myself to do.)
Speaking of water - I still haven't gone to a sento, so...
Excuse me for interrupting myself, but I'm really annoyed. I don't know whether it's myself, or English, or Japanese, or... Whatever it is, I hate mixing writing styles. Namely, whether to write the long O as "ou"/"oo" or simply "o". It just seems so bloody inconsistent! But the fact is, if I'm writing something in Japanese and don't want to use a native script, I'll probably go with the accurate kana transcription: "ou" most times, "oo" where applicable. But if they're just words that got into English, I feel silly writing "sentou" when whoever knows the word will probably recognise "sento" sooner. Besides, I'd feel like a pompous prick. So I resolve to remain consistently inconsistent, and peeved at my peevishness.
Ahem. Okay. I still haven't gone to sento, and I think I might like to try to go today. I think I might enjoy it after working on the presentation for so long. On the 'Net I found one near Omotesando station, which is on my free route, and I'm thinking to go and try to find it. I don't have any tattoos and I've read up on sento etiquette, so I hope I'll be fine. Before that, a quick stop at the cafeteria, to see if there's still anything edible.
Till next time!
Various and sundry replies for Linda: The baito is actually a sweet gig. I'm programming odds and ends for my lab. So I don't go anyplace I'm not already going to, and not doing anything I wouldn't already be doing. The only downside is, I'm not meeting anyone I wouldn't already be meeting. But shou ga nai.
As you might have guessed, I did go research local sarma. I went with my gourmet Canadian friend, and I was a bit nervous ("What will he say about our peasant cuisine?") but in the end he really enjoyed himself. Me, I was nitpicking all the time how nothing is really what I'm used to, even though everything was very good. My complaints were mostly based on the fact that it is a haute cuisine restaurant catering to japanese palates, and I'm used to plain old home cooking.
As you might or might not know, sarma is very sour and salty. As (some other of) you might or might not know, Japanese don't like strong flavours. Result is, I felt it was bland. Still delicious, but not the dish I know and love. Also, you only get a midget of one sarma roll for the price I don't want to put on the blog. It is not cheap.
Chabapuchicchi had a similar problem: not enough spices. White codfish (bakalar na bijelo) was the most authentic, from what we had. Shutorukuri (and congratulations for the first one who manages to decipher what that is) surprised me with paprika added to the cream sauce. I know paprika and dairy go well together, and are often mixed in Croatian cuisine, but I haven't yet experienced it on that particular dish.
However, I'm not sorry I went, even considering the hefty bill. I might go back soon, for lunch, if I have time - they have a set lunch for ¥1000, which is more than affordable, considering - but I doubt I will splurge for a dinner there any time soon.
I am continuing my weekly visits to the cute nurses in the dentist clinic. They say there's nothing better than having a pretty girl in your mouth, I don't think this is exactly what they mean. But it's good for health. I'm still in the root-canal-cleaning phase. Dunno why, but I can't but be reminded of Alien 3. One visit is not that expensive, but it accumulates. And that's just two teeth. Sigh. At least that's a regular expense, not a surprise to my wallet.
Unlike the scholarship money cuts. Yup, we got wind of the rumour that our monthly deposits will get cut by about ¥15000 a month or three hence. Plus, the JASSO policy of refunding 1/3 of whatever medical costs after the national insurance is getting axed next month (which is why I'm hurrying with my oral chimney-sweeping efforts).
More bad news: With regrets, I've decided to stop my attempts to start Aikido again. Every week my knees feel worse - last time I had trouble walking for the next couple of days. Not fun. I don't know what I'm going to do, maybe ask about using the Uni sports hall, and starting to swim. Swimming is boring, but it's exercise, and I guess much better for me than destroying my legs in the name of health. I just hope the water is tolerable. (And that for once I do what I tell myself to do.)
Speaking of water - I still haven't gone to a sento, so...
Excuse me for interrupting myself, but I'm really annoyed. I don't know whether it's myself, or English, or Japanese, or... Whatever it is, I hate mixing writing styles. Namely, whether to write the long O as "ou"/"oo" or simply "o". It just seems so bloody inconsistent! But the fact is, if I'm writing something in Japanese and don't want to use a native script, I'll probably go with the accurate kana transcription: "ou" most times, "oo" where applicable. But if they're just words that got into English, I feel silly writing "sentou" when whoever knows the word will probably recognise "sento" sooner. Besides, I'd feel like a pompous prick. So I resolve to remain consistently inconsistent, and peeved at my peevishness.
Ahem. Okay. I still haven't gone to sento, and I think I might like to try to go today. I think I might enjoy it after working on the presentation for so long. On the 'Net I found one near Omotesando station, which is on my free route, and I'm thinking to go and try to find it. I don't have any tattoos and I've read up on sento etiquette, so I hope I'll be fine. Before that, a quick stop at the cafeteria, to see if there's still anything edible.
Till next time!
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