Adventures in the Looking Glass

It's 10.27am.  I'm waiting for my rice to cook so I can have breakfast,  It seems to be taking much longer than normal.

Today is one of those 3-day weekend days, though I did work yesterday, covering an IELTS class at the British Council.  It was a rubbish lesson, but that's the point of being a sub-teacher - go in, do the lesson, but don't be too good at it, else the students may get disappointed with their regular teacher.  After that, I stopped off in Takodanababa to get rid of some books at the Blue Parrot second hand book shop.  Much to my delight, they were having a 50% off sale on everybook in the place, so I traded my books in and picked up:  

George Eliot - Silas Marner (possibly my favourite book ever)
Wilkie Collins - The Woman in White 
Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities
Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Love in the Time of Cholera
Carols Ruiz Zafon - The Shadow of the WInd

I've always struggled with the Victorians.  I think it comes from forcing myself to read "Great Expectations" at a young age and not being able to cope with it.  I avoided them at university too, so I'm still making up for the gap in my reading.  I must admit that going round the bookshop was a little boring.  There were so many books to choose from and not many that I could get excited about.  Must go to Tower Records and pick up some more recent stuff, like David Mitchell's new book.

HahAAAA!  The rice cooker has just chimed!!

Hmmm, rice, poached egg and kimchee and miso soup for breakfast,  Odd, but delicious.

day 11 - overrated and underrated Japan

This goes along with what a few other people have said, but the train system is hugely over-rated.  People in other countries always bang on about the punctuality and regularity of trains in Japan, but what they fail to mention is that sometimes these trains run at well over 200% capacity (capacity being defined by the number of seats and hand-holds in a carriage).  I regularly have to endure  having full body contact with a total stranger in the mornings on my way to school, which I often can only get through by closing my eyes and trying to shut down my brain for a few minutes until we hit the next station.  Getting on and off the train is treacherous as those inside the carriage push and shove their way out, often causing the people at the front, who are doing their best to get out of the carriage anyway, to literally pop onto the platform.  I saw a guy take a tumble out of the train one morning and all people did was step over him as he lay curled up in a ball on the platform until it was safe to move.  An interesting article in The Guardian on this, only the other day.

Last night trains are the worst.  The Yamanote and Chuo-sobu lines run up to nearly 1am out of Shinjuku, but from about 12pm there's only one train every ten minutes and it's very often running late at this point.  Last Friday I was out with two friends in Shibuya and we got the second to last train home (about 12.37 out of Shinjuku).  We got on the train fine, but as successive Yamanote line trains dumped people onto the platform, people kept getting on, and on and on.  My friend Erik started up asking people not to get on anymore because it was getting so uncomfortable.  I had my arms around him and was pressed up into his back so I was at least groping somebody familiar.  Eric's comments were making everyone around us laugh, as it was pretty funny, but some guy took offense and told him to shut up.  Erik asked me why I was laughing and I had to explain that it was just the guy behind who was rammed up next to me laughing.

The only good thing about this situation on late night trains is that people are usually in a good mood and more willing that normal to start up a conversation with you.  I once had a conversation with a really cute guy after he ended up within my kissing zone.  I was with my friend Saradia and commented on his earrings being pretty cool.  She said I should talk to him, but I was too shy.  As we got even more squished he said:  "Gomen nasai" and I replied: "Daijoubu", and then he said: "I hate this fucking train" with a perfect American accent.  So he'd clearly understood all that I had said about him being cute.  We had a really good chat all the way home, swapped numbers, and have never seen each other since.

In my previous post I mentioned Japanese guys being overrated, and I was going to explain why I think this, but just like them, I can't be bothered today.  Maybe another time soon, ne.

Right!  Now for a wash and a walk!!!

"...if life as we know it really is fundamentally rotten - what the hell is there left to believe in? Alton Towers? Greggs the bakers? The WI?The internet. Can we trust in that? Of course not. Give it six months and we'll probably discover Google's sewn together by orphans in sweatshops. Or that Wi-Fi does something horrible to your brain, like eating your fondest memories and replacing them with drawings of cross-eyed bats and a strong smell of puke."

Oh, it must be Monday.  There was a good one last week, which made me laugh out loud in the school lobby, but I don't quite remember it now...

It's revoltingly hot in my apartment, and blissfully gusty outside, so i don't know what to do with myself.  Today is almost perfect beach weather.

Yesterday Kate and I hit Shibuya, took a walk through Yoyogi and then headed to Fonda De La Madrugada, where we sampled the delights of the appetizer menu (Quesadillas, Nachos and Jalepenos Rellanos) and sipped Sangria.  I'm organizing my colleague's leaving party, so it seemed only right to sample the menu before booking a massive party there.  Great atmosphere, decor and hot waiters too.  Yum

It being  sunny day I decided, after washing my kitchen floor, do the washing up, hoovering, doing the laundry and some yoga, that it would be a nice idea to leave the house and bask in what seem to be temperatures equivalent to an English summer, before it becomes impossible to open the windows for fear of bugs and death by heat suffocation.  Of course, I don't normally like to leave the house on a Sunday, unless it's to take on the swarming mass of Tokyo with other company.  So...I'd forgotten why I don't like leaving the house.  Within about 5 minutes some eijit on a bicycle tried to take me out on the pavement leading down to an underpass.  An underpass, that is, with designated cycle paths.  And he had a fully functioning bell on the front of that bike, too.  I've decided that if I must leave the house, I shall do it on my bike, and then at least I'm on an equal footing and only really need to worry about cars.  Eventually I found a quiet footpath between some houses and strolled down there before taking a hasty detour home, taking an underpass beneath the train tracks which also coincides with the small river nearby heading underground for a couple of blocks.  It was rather eerie under there so I took a photo...on my Holga.  You'll just have to wait for it.

Golden Week was rather lovely.  I went down to Gifu to stay at Rachel's house. I took the night bus, which was an exercise in torture I don't wish to repeat.  It would all be fine if my legs didn't decide to take on a life of their own whenever I'm on long journeys.  Having weird leg spasms while you're attempting to sleep is deeply uncomfortable and no doubt a little weird looking to the other passengers.  Next time I'll just suck it up and take the Shinkansen.

Here're some photos from Gifu:

     

The Other Laura and I posing in Nagoya.           Down by the river in Gifu after the BBQ.  I was sporting an 80s quiff and pink sunglasses.




Looking along the river to Mount Kinka, with Kinka castle at the top.
And this is me half way up it.

After Gifu, my friend Brooke visited for a couple of days.  We hit China town in Yokohama in the pouring rain, and spent the afternoon with jennarose  in a cafe discussing Dean Winchester and drinking coffee.  Dinner was at a cool little Mexican place (it being Cinqo de Mayo (spelling?)) which did great food in small portions and had a quite confused waiter.  I think it took three languages to get all our ordering done - Spanish, Japanese and English.  At the end of dinner the guy lifted up the apron on the little skeleton in the doorway and flashed us a stuffed willy whilst thanking us loudly and guffawing. 

Which also reminds me of the Moroccan restaurant we went to in Nagoya, which did fabulous cheese briwat, hummous and fish tagine.  And then there was belly-dancing!  I was dead impressed. 

Speaking of belly dancing, I shall be returning to the land of shimmy tomorrow after a month's break.  In the meantime I've been checking out various videos on youtube and have decided that I need to learn to do Tribal bellydance.  Watch this and you'll see why. The best bit is about halfway through.  You'll know which bit I mean.

Err, that's it for now.  Maybe some more ramblings later, after I've consoled myself with a chocolate Hobnob and a cup of tea.

I'm currently in the process of cooking oden. Having been fortunate enough to be the recipient of the leftover veggies from the school Xmas party, I'm making a pot of yummy to keep me going for the next two days. Today's oden consists of daikon, carrot, chikuwa, eggs and tofu all cooked up in a soy sauce and miso soup. It's as Japanese as I can be bothered to be at the moment. I did, however, forget how long daikon takes to cook, no matter how small you chop it. Hey ho, it's a good thing I finished work early tonight, otherwise I may not have been eating until midnight.

Whilst I'm waiting on the radish, I've decided to tell you the long overdue gym story. It took me about 5 months to get round to joining the gym near my train station, as (surprise surprise) I was agonising about the cost. However, I eventually got so stir crazy for a swim that I did it. I would go in the mornings when it the gym opened first thing and charge up and down the lanes for 45mins before pelting off to work. No one really wanted to talk to me apart from two ladies, one of whom had a daughter living in London. The other old ladies merely gave me a basic good morning, or totally ignored my existence. That is, of course, until one of them clocked my tattoos in the showers.

One of the gym staff approached me while I was getting changed and asked me if I had tattoos, which I confirmed. She then informed me that this was not allowed, and that we'd discuss it when I came out to reception. Except that there was no discussion. I found a cancellation form and a copy of my contract waiting for me at the desk. Tattoos of any kind, be they the more yakuza-style, or mere "fashion tattoos" such as mine, were not allowed. So I was given the form to sign, told that it must be difficult being a foreigner, and ushered out in the autumn sunshine. At the time I found it quite amusing, but as the day, and days, went by I became increasingly more angered about the whole thing.

Now, I admit that I am aware of the general "no tattoos" rule in a lot of places in Japan, but I've been used to them not being enforced. I've never been to a gym or an onsen which has refused me access, even when I've told them I have tattoos. Even my previous gym in the sticks of Nagano didn't worry about them, and one would expect more "traditional" thinking in a place like that. Yet, it seems that the suburbs of Tokyo are far more intolerant than one would assume.

There are two lines of thought here. The first would be that as I'm living in a culture foreign to the one I've spent 26 years of my life in, I should try to adhere to their values etc etc. Which, I would say I respect and value, for the most part. Yet, the other line is that I should be allowed to do as I wish with my own skin, without having to face discrimination as a result. I'd like to do both, but it seems I can't. Of course, being an foreigner here means that I will never really be accepted, and that my views on certain subjects are at a wide variant to those of some Japanese people. So one is tempted to give "tradition", and old ladies, the finger. I've certainly had far less tolerance of them lately, especially when the sneaky bitches jump the train queue. In fact, ANY queue that I'm in seems to be fair game.

I think this is what sparked the recent "slump", and led to me feeling rather victimized in that self-pitying way I have. It wasn't just that, but I can date most of my ill-feelings to around that time.

Anyway, here's a picture of some yummy for you:




Daikon, chikuwa (the weird brown and white stuff), carrots, a boiled egg, tofu and some wakame. I just ate it, it was pretty good. The egg, of course, is saved for last.

It's 30 degrees today, according to the Meterological site. When I got home last night I couldn't find my aircon remote so I spent a sweaty 60 minutes trying to figure out if I could live without it. Which I couldn't, so I had to pause yet another watching of "Batman Begins" to find the damn thing. Turns out it was wedged down the side of the sofa, which should have been the first place to look as we all know that remotes like tight comfy places.

The humidity helps none, of course and just means that five minutes after showering you need another one.

I can't wait for "Batman" to finally get to Japan. It will actually be only the third time I've been to the cinema since I came here.

I have to go out and get some food later as I've deliberately run my fridge down to the sum total of: some pumpkin, a bit of cheese, half a bottle of wine, a piece of ginger and some American mustard. I got fed up of the food in there. Now I'm going to attempt to actually eat everything I buy, and stop buying stuff I don't need.

Not very exciting at the moment.

Today is the kind of day when I don't want to venture outside. But I have to. I have a hankering for goats cheese and salt and vinegar Pringles (clearly there's something wrong with me with that last one). So I'm procrastinating in a bid to delay the inevitable - having a bath, burning some movies on to DVD to free up 4 GB on my hardrive, painting my nails a harlotish red. Oh, and writing this.

Last weekend I made oden. This is a big old winter stew made of various things. Here's what I did:

( Oden Pics etc )

So now I may venture out. Or I may wait and see if more Strictly Come Dancing has been uploaded onto Youtube...

A quick update from work. My 6pm cancelled so I'm sitting in the office wondering why my head isn't with me today. All week I've woken up late, having slept through my alarm. Given that the alarm is normally by my ear, this is not good.

I should do something constructive for tomorrow's lessons...

Later I will be cooking Aubergine Parmagiana (sp?) and watching "パプリカ”、which I've heard good things about. Let's hope the subs I downloaded for it aren't for the Tinto Brass film of the same name.

Am also about to finish David Mitchell's "Number9Dream", which is going to take book of the year, unless something astoundingly good comes along. There is a particular pleasure gained from reading books in the country they are set in. Those little bits of information you miss in England - like knowing what a Lawson is - add a familiar, engaging touch.

Today's weather is very English, rain rain rain all day. The kind of rain that gets under your clothes. I'm going to think about what else I'm going to do with my next class.

I got up early this morning - OK, 7am, which isn't early. I'm back in bed because that was a BAD mistake. My flat is sickeningly cold. I've brought the laptop under the covers and made a cocoon with the electroc blanket roaring away nicely until the room heats up a bit. Then I will brave the rest of the apartment.

Was waylaid last night on the way home by Miki-san waving at me through the window of his restuarant. Inticed in I had beer and potato salad. At 10.30pm I was the first customer of the night. A couple more turned up while I was there. They ordered rice and salmon roe. Miki-san gave me a bowl to try, but I found the smell was turning my stomach, which is strange since I think salmon is pretty good stuff. I had a couple of spoons of the roe - it was a bit like eating sea bubbles - fishy, gelatinous and mildly unpleasant. I've realised that much of my dislike for certain foods (see raw tomatoes) comes from the texture of them in my mouth. Anything slimy gets the gag reflex going - same with jelly.

Lazy day today. I don't have to log in until midday and then don't have a lesson until 5pm, so I'll be at home packing stuff up for the move on SUnday. Shouldn't take long, there's not a great deal of stuff apart from that in the kitchen.

Am going to brave the cold now. Also, I have either split my lip in the night or I have a cold-sore coming. Grreaat.