I went to Shinjuku and found another coffee shop and practiced some more shuji, and waited until it was about time for me to leave to meet up with Mina in Akasaka.
After we met up, we went to eat in one of the restaurants attached to the station, and then headed over to a jazz club called The B Flat, where a friend of hers was playing jazz saxaphone in a big band gig. It was a great evening. I'm so glad I'm getting to meet all these nice people this trip.
Again, sorry, no pictures. Gotta get to sleep now, tomorrow I'm going to finally try to wake up bright and early and get over to Tsukiji fish market.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Akasaka and Shinjuku and Laundry (Tue 2/23)
This morning I went to Akasaka to have lunch with someone I met last week at the dinner with Miho and her friends in Ebisu. We went to a shabu shabu place called Musashi, and it was really good.
After I walked her back to her office I went walking around Akasaka, stopped into a coffee place and read for a little while. I eventually went back to Shinjuku and had a bite to eat, and practiced some more shuji (calligraphy). A chinese guy tried to tell me something in Chinese (I think he thought I was studying Chinese, since I was writing Chinese characters). He eventually pointed at the paper and gave a thumbs up. People around here are some complimentary. Great for a guy's ego =)
Then I went home and did a bunch of laundry. Now I have enough clean clothes to last until 1 day short of the end of the trip (nice planning).
No pictures today, sorry.
After I walked her back to her office I went walking around Akasaka, stopped into a coffee place and read for a little while. I eventually went back to Shinjuku and had a bite to eat, and practiced some more shuji (calligraphy). A chinese guy tried to tell me something in Chinese (I think he thought I was studying Chinese, since I was writing Chinese characters). He eventually pointed at the paper and gave a thumbs up. People around here are some complimentary. Great for a guy's ego =)
Then I went home and did a bunch of laundry. Now I have enough clean clothes to last until 1 day short of the end of the trip (nice planning).
No pictures today, sorry.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Asakusa and Shinbashi (Mon 2/22)
Today I decided to head over to Asakusa. I'd been there last time, but I figured it'd be good to go back. It's a really touristy place ... but I'm a tourist. I stopped at a little place that was selling mitarashi dango (mochi dumplings covered in a sweet soy sauce). Then I walked around the temples a bit.
After a while I saw a sign that had the English written on it "Keeper of the Red Seal", and it made me think of something my Japanese teacher told me. So I took out my dictionary and looked up the kanji characters from the sign and it said 御朱印所 (ごしゅいんじょ), which is a place where you can use a special little folding paper booklet to get the name of the temple you've visited written in nice caligraphy. So I bought a booklet and had them write the first entry (I need to talk to my teacher before I can say too much about what's written there).
I found the same monjayaki place I went to 2 years ago, and had some curry mix monja. It was delicious.
Then I set out for Shinbashi and found a bunch of really interesting looking restaurants. I'll have to go back there again for dinner.
After a while I saw a sign that had the English written on it "Keeper of the Red Seal", and it made me think of something my Japanese teacher told me. So I took out my dictionary and looked up the kanji characters from the sign and it said 御朱印所 (ごしゅいんじょ), which is a place where you can use a special little folding paper booklet to get the name of the temple you've visited written in nice caligraphy. So I bought a booklet and had them write the first entry (I need to talk to my teacher before I can say too much about what's written there).
I found the same monjayaki place I went to 2 years ago, and had some curry mix monja. It was delicious.
Then I set out for Shinbashi and found a bunch of really interesting looking restaurants. I'll have to go back there again for dinner.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Yoyogi and Shibuya (Sun 2/21)
Today I was supposed to meet up with someone I met on Friday, but I waited for a half hour and never saw her. Anyway, I was in Harajuku, so I walked over to my standard Sunday spot of Yoyogi park. There was an acapella group singing in the little amphitheater, and there was a farmer's market called the earth day market. I got to sample some 米あめ (komeame) which looked and tasted exactly like honey but is made from rice. I also stood in line to get some fresh taiyaki (fish shaped bean cake). There were some cheer leaders practising outside; I think there was some sort of cheering competition going on in a little athletic hall nearby. There was also a couple walking around with their pet monkey ... it was really cute.
Especially since the pet monkey had a stuffed monkey of its own. Then I took a train to Shibuya to walk around some more and try to find some live music. I finally found an area with lots of live music clubs, and decided to pay the cover to get into one. There were 6 or 7 bands that played there. The ones that I remember are The Baddies (a British band) and The Mirraz (seemed to be extremely popular, and their music was pretty good.
Also, one of the DJs that played between bands played a bunch of songs that had people singing "Nanananana" somewhere in them, and he kept holding up a sign that had "8-1=" or "4+3=" (nana is seven in Japanese)
Afterwards I caught a late train back to the apartment and went to sleep with a ringing in my ears =)
Especially since the pet monkey had a stuffed monkey of its own. Then I took a train to Shibuya to walk around some more and try to find some live music. I finally found an area with lots of live music clubs, and decided to pay the cover to get into one. There were 6 or 7 bands that played there. The ones that I remember are The Baddies (a British band) and The Mirraz (seemed to be extremely popular, and their music was pretty good.
Also, one of the DJs that played between bands played a bunch of songs that had people singing "Nanananana" somewhere in them, and he kept holding up a sign that had "8-1=" or "4+3=" (nana is seven in Japanese)
Afterwards I caught a late train back to the apartment and went to sleep with a ringing in my ears =)
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Ebisu and Karaoke (Sat 2/20)
Today made the entire trip worth it. I started out going to Shinjuku and sitting at a coffee shop reading (or trying to) the Totoro book I bought at the Ghibli museum. That was nice. Then I took a train to Ebisu and sat at another coffee shop and read some more. That was also nice.
Then I met up with Mina and her friend Satomi for dinner. We had shabu shabu, and it was delicious.
They tried speaking Japanese around me, and I did an okay job understanding what they were talking about, I think. Then we went to karaoke for a few hours, and that was the most fun I'd had in a while. Mina and Satomi were so much fun. And Satomi's singing voice is amazing. I seriously would have made this entire trip for only this evening. Thank you guys for keeping a lowly tourist some company =)
Then I met up with Mina and her friend Satomi for dinner. We had shabu shabu, and it was delicious.
They tried speaking Japanese around me, and I did an okay job understanding what they were talking about, I think. Then we went to karaoke for a few hours, and that was the most fun I'd had in a while. Mina and Satomi were so much fun. And Satomi's singing voice is amazing. I seriously would have made this entire trip for only this evening. Thank you guys for keeping a lowly tourist some company =)
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