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TRAVEL BLOGS
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October 31, 2007 Unique to Japan, Topic #1: Rail Transport in Tokyo
The map to the left shows the various railway lines found in metro Tokyo alone. There are 34 lines that run through the city, with countless others connecting all the "sleeper towns" (which are actually "sleeper cities") where most people live. There is nothing more intimidating than looking up at a map like this and trying to figure out how to go from point A to point B. The trick I have learned is to use various websites, such as Jorudan (http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/), to find the various connections required in advance. Despite such a tangled mess of places, the staff inside subway stations will go above and beyond to be of assistance, and they will always take the time to write out detailed instructions should they be necessary. Obviously the language barrier can be somewhat of a hindrance (hell, welcome to Japan!), but the kindness of the Japanese goes a long way to remedying this. Lastly, a final fact: an estimated 7.4 million passengers ride the Tokyo subway every day, and I am one of them.
October 28, 2007 From the Eye-Catching to the Futuristic at the Tokyo Auto Show
And in case anyone out there is interested in purchasing any of these cars, I would suggest re-considering. As is shown on the photo to the right, the price tags were quite high ($585,000USD). Really the only way to do it justice is to check out the photo gallery, but below are a few of the more amazing photos. From the futuristic...
To the stylish...
To the I'll do whatever it takes...
October 28, 2007 Autumn Festival at Tokyo Tech
The video below details my best attempts at playing bicycle football. From the sideline it didn't look all that tricky, and I used to love riding a bike as a kid, so I hardly imagined I would end up embarrassing myself as badly as I did - nor did I imagine a friend would take it upon themselves to capture video of me at my worst (or at least close to it).
October 27, 2007 Monsoon Strikes Autumn Festival - El Nino or Chaos Theory? Today was to be the first day of the Autumn Festival at Tokyo Tech (and indeed all around Tokyo), but a monsoon reared its ugly head and put a damper on most of the festivities. Not only did it rain for a solid twelve hours, but the strong monsoon winds also blew away any tents that were not sufficiently anchored to the ground. The weather really was quite severe, and all the more surprising because monsoon season ended back in September. Surely there are a slew of global warming doomsayers who would happily proffer the likely cause for the strange weather patterns, with the El Nino effect being the flavor of the day, but in all likelihood it was a one-off kind of thing.
What does any of this have to do with the monsoon that struck Tokyo today? Well, one of the textbooks I labored through included an interesting study, concluding that even if weather sensors were placed one square foot apart, covering the entire globe and atmosphere, one could only predict the weather in 3 days time with 60% accuracy, and in 7 days time with 15% accuracy (or something similar). The point of all this is that science seems to break down when one 'zooms in' enough; things become chaotic and randomness is seemingly unavoidable. I mention this because I get frustrated when people attribute every unordinary natural occurrence to global warming, rather than to the reality that the planet we live on is a complex system where we can *gasp* hardly claim to understand what is actually going on. So, a monsoon striking out of season, heavy rainfall during summer, or any of the other 'natural disasters' one hears about are not necessarily a result of global warming, the end of the world, or El Nino. Instead, it is the combined effect of the proliferation of global news (such global issues receive more attention now than in the past), a heightened inclination to keep the world clean (which can obviously have an effect on weather patterns), and a mixture of 'random occurrences' that led to the monsoon rains I experienced today. Fortunately, all was not lost from the foul weather: ping-pong was there to save the day. My laboratory has a fifth-story room designated for the small-scale version of tennis. Complete with padded walls, an insulated sound chamber, and a full-scale ping-pong table, I played game-after game with Neil and David while we waited out the weather. Whatever the cause, be it chaos theory or global warming, today's monsoon couldn't have been all bad if it let me dominate the table for a few hours. And being the "competition-loving American" I am, dominate the table I did.
October 26, 2007 Lunch at Shibuya, Touring Asakusa, Beer at Asahi Headquarters, and Akihabara
We grabbed lunch at one of the many fast-food restaurants lining the streets around Shibuya. One interesting aspect of Japanese fast-food restaurants is that, other than drive-thru being entirely non-existent, one selects their dish from a machine at the entrance. It works sort of like a vending machine in that pictures of the dishes are displayed, and after inserting money the machine spits out a receipt with your selection. Most seating is along a counter that extends the length of the restaurant (separating the kitchen from the guests), and here an attendant takes the receipt, delivers complimentary hot tea, and later hands over your dish. It is all very convenient, especially because it gives me a chance to study the various dishes without slowing down the queue. Today, I opted for a shrimp tempura set (a style whereby the shrimp is covered in a fried batter) that was served over a bowl of white rice and came with miso soup - this is really the fast-food standard, or the equivalent of a burger and fries.
Well, for the 'bubble people', its easy to hate the ubiquitous crowds, and for the 'conservative people' it is easy to be put off by the sight of young women dressed as French maids or school girls selling themselves directly outside the Akihabara metro station. This is a concept unique to Tokyo, and Akihabara in particular. As most people know, many Japanese men are obsessed with anime and electronics, and the nirvana-like heaven for such people is Akihabara. No matter what you want, if it is related to electronics or anime you can find it in Akihabara. In fact, you can probably find it at a hundred different places because the shops are endless and piled high in the many brightly-colored buildings.
October 24, 2007 Watching the Asian Championship Football Semi-Finals Today was shaping up to be 'just another day' when I got a call from Kumagai san at 2:00pm. She had four tickets for tonight's Asian Championship Football Semi-Finals between the Japanese J-League champions, Urawa Reds, and the South Korean champions, Seongnam Ilhwa. The significance of tonight's match was not lost on me: the winner of the AFC tournament competes in the annual Club World Championships hosted in Japan. The other teams already confirmed for this year are AC Milan and Boca Juniors, so the prestige is quite high. I immediately rang up a group of friends to invite them along. Neil (California), David (Minnesota), and Victor (Sweden) were every bit as excited as me, and we arranged to meet at Shinagawa Station at 5:00pm.
But the night was not yet over: the Reds kept battling and their hard work paid off when a deflected shot was put into the back of the net in the 80th minute. So, the score was 2-2 with only 10 minutes to go, and by this point everyone in the stadium was exhausted from the cheering, clapping, and jumping all over the place. When the final whistle blew, signaling the end of regulation time, everyone in the stadium knew they were in for a special night, and despite it being a Wednesday night no one was even thinking about going home early.
October 21, 2007 Walking 31 Miles Around Tokyo Along the Yamanote Line Walking Yamanote Photo Gallery
The dark black line on the picture to the right represents the Yamanote Line, which covers 29 stations and takes 65 minutes to circumnavigate on the train. Starting in Gotenyama, which is the first stop on the famous Tokaido Road that led from Tokyo to Kyoto, I took the following route: Shinagawa, Tamachi, Hamamatsucho, Shimbashi, Yurakucho, Tokyo, Kanda, Akihabara, Okachimachi, Ueno, Uguisudani, Nippori, Nishi-Nippori, Tabata, Komagome, Sugamo, Otsuka, Ikebukuro, Mejiro, Takadanoababa, Shin-Okubo, Shinjuku, Yoyogi, Harajuku, Shibuya, Ebisu, Meguro, and finally Gotanda. It took a long time just typing all those metro names out, so one can easily imagine the kind of pain I was in by the time I reached the half-way mark at 11:00am. At this point, I decided to take my first break, stopping at a Yoshinoya fast food restaurant for lunch (the Japanese equivalent of McDonalds). This was to be the only stop I made for the day, other than popping into a variety of quickie marts to buy beer. In fairness, I started off with coffee, and although it gave me energy to keep going, beer was the only drink that took the pain out of my legs. I probably made for a strange sight being a clearly tired foreigner stumbling around Tokyo half-drunk, but the Japanese are too kind to ever point such things out. I finished the walking tour at 5:30pm, and after grabbing a quick change of clothes and a towel, I walked down to the public baths where steaming showers, sweaty old men, and spas full of tea-colored herbal water made everything worthwhile. See the photo gallery for a fairly complete look at Tokyo (at least, as much of a look as one can see in a day).
October 20, 2007 End of Aikido, Making Onigiri, and a J-League Football Match For the first time since coming to Tokyo, I did not attend my Aikido martial arts lesson this morning, and I will likely keep this up as lessons are simply too expensive. Nevertheless, it was slightly uplifting when I received a call in the afternoon from one of the other participants inquiring if everything was all right. Although most of the people's English is very basic, we have been going out to lunch together at a traditional Japanese restaurant every Saturday, and I am probably the only young American they have ever interacted with. I will really miss this aspect of the lessons, but Tokyo is a big city (13 million) with lots of other people to meet. Instead, I spent my morning doing yard work around the house, trimming vines and even cutting down a small tree. Doing yard work on a Saturday morning is the last thing I expected to be doing in a place like Tokyo, but with the beautiful house in which I am living how can I ever complain? Besides, the Autumn weather is still fine and it was a chance to get some sun. On a slightly similar note, an interesting fact is that, according to a University of Michigan study, the typical Japanese man averages only 7 minutes of house work per day, while the average American man averages 16 hours per week (roughly 20 times more). This is one of many examples demonstrating a still-existent male dominance in Japan. (Would I get in trouble for suggesting Americans could learn something from the Japanese in this regard? Very likely...)
Yokohama ended up losing the game 2-0, but what stuck with me the most was the strange reaction after the goals. One second, the home fans were happily chanting and clapping their hands together, but as soon as the opposing team scored, the entire home crowd went quiet - there was no yelling or complaining, people only watched as the away fans erupted in cheers. It was like all the wind was taken out of the home fans' sails, and for whatever reason, they no longer had any right to make a sound. This sense of dejected quiet lasted for maybe 10 seconds, and then everything went back to normal. After the game we hurried back to Shinagawa so I could catch the Arsenal-Bolton match, which the Gunners went on to win 2-0, maintaining their lead at the top of the Premier League.
October 19, 2007 Dull Design Meeting and Drinks at the Grand Hyatt with Columbia Business School Ever since getting involved in this design project for a new garbage disposal unit, my Fridays have been shot to hell. I meet my group early in the morning, and for the next eight to nine hours we debate the merits of various functions and mechanisms. It is a painful process made worse by the considerable language barrier, and I am also slightly surprised by what I can only refer to as 'Japanese indecision'. I don't know if it is because the other team members fit the role of nerdy engineering students or if it is a result of a wider trend in Japanese society, but they are entirely adverse to modifying designs or deviating from the norm; seemingly every discussion is a reminder that patience is a virtue. This evening I was exposed to an entirely different group of people, namely Japanese and international Columbia Business School graduates. I was invited to a monthly get-together by Toyama san, a Sony employee with whom I have gone to dinner on several occasions, as a way of discussing the merits of business school over law school. When I first arrived I could not help feeling intimidated at being the only person under the age of 35, and my difficulties were compounded by the Grand Hyatt's ultra-chic bar and the high quality business suits. To give an example of what I was dealing with, the first conversation I was involved in was dominated by one pompous ass going on and on about his own investment firm, and how half the things one reads about him (upon a Google search) were planted by envious competitors. There was little I wanted to learn from such a person because, while he may have important insights, I do not want someone like him influencing my decisions. The unfortunate part of the get-together was that 75% of the people present fit a similar mold - namely, a collection of egos searching out awed listeners or prospective opportunities. What the hell did I have to offer such people when all my life is still ahead of me? Fortunately, I stuck to the remaining 25% of the people who were actually engaging to talk with, and many offered me an objective analysis of the decisions they made and the places it took them. I knew going into this whole ordeal that, when the time comes, I am going to make my own decision based on what feels right for me, but the opinions were still helpful in clarifying many of my perceptions. For instance, a woman working for GE Capital (we hit it off with the GE connection) talked about how the real high flyers are never the MBA types, but rather the people with a unique background who approach things from a different angle. While business schools claim they teach people to think outside the box, the inherent flaw in such a claim is obvious: if such an approach can be taught then it no longer qualifies as thinking outside the box. Besides, who in history has ever pointed to what they learned from business school as being the primary catalyst for a successful 'thinking outside the box' experience? (The answer: no one, for the reason stated above.) Perhaps this is all pessimistic and unduly harsh, but I see business school as a way to accomplish the following: 1) hit the refresh button on a career, 2) 'get ahead' in the financial sector, 3) make a variety of connections with other 'up and coming' people, and/or 4) type a few new details on a CV. I strongly doubt many young people come away with a solid skill set from business school because the MBA types aren't the ones who get stuck in at the library (they prefer the path of least resistance), and a lack of legitimate work experience means 95% of the MBA's value goes right out the window. In my opinion, business school teaches people how to get things done; any discerning and aspiring person figures this out on their own. October 13, 2007 Tokyo (JAPAN) Walking Tour of Tokyo: The 47 Samurai, Tokyo Tower, and Roppongi Hills This morning I had another Aikido martial arts class near Ookayama Station, and I learned two new self-defense moves in the process. Although my coordination is still abysmal, I am finally beginning to feel comfortable practicing with the other members at the dojo (few of whom speak any English). James was, as always, my lifeline, and as has become our custom we had lunch together afterward. We discussed a variety of things, but by far the most important part of the discussion revolved around planning for next weekend. On Friday, James invited me to attend a Columbia Business School reunion at a bar in downtown Tokyo. He knows I am divided into quarters over what to do upon graduation (business school, graduate school for engineering, law school, or enter the work-force), and so by introducing me to his MBA colleagues I can hopefully gain more insight into what is best for me. It really is a great opportunity, and I am curious to see how it will work out. The other bit of planning was initiated by me: I will take James and Kumagai san to a J-League football (soccer) game this Saturday. Both have been nothing short of amazing during my stay in Japan, and this is my way of giving something back to them. When I arrived home today, Kumagai san and I got to talking about Japanese temples. We decided to walk to a well-known temple dedicated to the '47 Samurai'. This is one of Japan's most famous stories of samurai honor, bushido, and the events go something like this: During the Meiji era, a Japanese daimyo (local lord) was insulted by a court official, Kōzuke no Suke, and in an effort to restore his honor, the daimyo attacked Kōzuke no Suke. However, the shogun (chief lord of Japan) stopped the attack and ordered the daimyo to commit seppuku (hara -kiri, disembowelment) as punishment. With their daimyo dead and dishonored, a group of 47 samurai (now ronin, or master-less samurai) went into hiding for over a year while they planned to avenge their lord. Led by the admirable Oishi, they sprung their attack on December 14 and slew Kōzuke no Suke. Knowing they would be punished for their actions, the 47 samurai kneeled down and, following the honorable death of their former master, each committed seppuku. Their story has been re-told throughout Japan for hundreds of years as one of loyalty and honor, and their tombstones now rest peacefully in Sengakuji Temple in Tokyo.
We went inside Roppongi Hills, which is a massive sky-rise with exclusive shopping, wealthy patrons, up-scale business offices, and the city's best viewing tower. By this time it was 6pm and getting dark out, so we had a 360-degree view of the sparkling nightlife of Tokyo. There was also a well laid out modern art exhibit that was far better than I was expecting, but of course photographs were not permitted.
We grabbed several loaves of bread and a few croissants from a famous French bakery at the base of Roppongi Hills, and then Kumagai san took me to the family sushi restaurant near Gotanda Station. This was to be a real treat as a way of capping off the long day of touring. As soon as we walked into the sushi den we were greeted by the head chef who knows Kumagai san by name, and we sat directly in front of him to order. I have developed a taste for two Japanese beers: Asahi Dry and Yebisu Original. The former is probably the most famous in Japan, while the latter is a slightly more expensive beer that comes from the Hokkaido area (northern island of Japan). Anyway, I ordered a large draft Yebisu and listened intently as Kumagai san fully explained the art of eating sushi.
When we got back to the house I fed the cat and walked to the movie store about 1km away. There was a massive line with swarms of couples renting Saturday night movies, but I waited patiently so I could register for a card of my own. By the time I got back to the house it was after midnight, and I was too tired to watch the movie Letters from Iwo Jima. While life in Tokyo is amazing, there is always so much to see and do that I feel like I can never get enough rest. October 12, 2007 Tokyo (JAPAN) Design Presentation and a Tour of Sony's Next Generation TV Panels I met the other nine members of my design team at the base of my research laboratory early this morning. We spent the next couple of hours finalizing our upcoming presentation on the garbage disposal machine we are designing. It is a particularly difficult task to coordinate the presentation given that the other students made their slides in Japanese. Fortunately, after a 8-2 vote held two days ago, the group decided to go with my new design, so I understand everything that is going on. During the presentation itself, which was held in front of a dozen professors and roughly 40 students, I delivered my section of the presentation without any real problems. Little did I realize that, through either speaking too quickly or forgetting to 'water down' my English, nearly everything I said was incomprehensible to the Japanese students. The language barrier was an even bigger issue later when the floor was opened for questions, and everything was conducted in Japanese. Two of my group members translated to the best of their ability, so I was not shy about offering an explanation for nearly every remark. It was only later that a French student in the class pointed out that although he understood me just fine, most of the students had no idea what I was saying. Oh well, their loss. At the end of the day, the design will speak for itself anyway. At 4pm I rode the subway to Meguro Station where a 5-minute walk took me to the headquarters of Field Element Design. This is a venture capital company started by Sony that is developing next-generation television panels that are far superior to anything currently on the market. The CEO of the company, Hasegawa Shohei, who I stayed with in the Yatsugatake Mountains, personally gave me a guided tour.
Afterward, Hasegawa san took me out for drinks at an Irish pub near Osaki Station. Over glasses of McKilney he gave me his take on how to make the most of my background to capitalize on the world's emerging markets. He was obviously inclined toward pursuing the engineering side of things - much in the way Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Sony's founders did - and his viewpoint was full of merit. I appreciated the advice, but at the end of the day it will come down to following my instinct. It has gotten me this far, and I see no reason why it should fail me in the future.
When I got home it was already late at night and I was too tired to meet up with all my buddies. They were getting ready to embark on an all-night rampage through Tokyo's bars, clubs, and karaoke rooms, but my body just can't handle that kind of abuse. October 7, 2007 Nobeyama (JAPAN) Country Lifestyle, Wrong Turn at the Onsen, and Explaining Public Baths
The real fun for
the day came when we visited the spa complex, complete
with an indoor swimming pool, plenty of amenities, and a
natural hot spring (onsen). Shohei san, Teppei
kun, and I all undressed in the men's dressing room and
with only a hand-towel we proceeded to find the onsen.
For dinner we had a big barbeque on the back deck - steak, beef, pork, green onions, shitaki mushrooms (the real ones), some vegetables I have never seen before, and plenty of Touchdown beer. Ashamedly, my grilling skills are not as good as one would expect from an American, so this Christmas I will work harder to learn the techniques from the "master" (he knows who he is and I don't need to inflate his ego any more.) October 6, 2007 Nobeyama (JAPAN) Weekend Retreat Beyond the Yatsugatake Mountains
This past weekend
I accompanied Kumagai san to her home in the mountains
west of Tokyo. Joining us was the family of Hasegawa
san: Shohei san, Keiko san, and Teppei kun. The
preparation began early Saturday morning when Kumagai
san returned from her conference in Singapore, and
despite a week of traveling (Shanghai and then
Singapore) she hardly missed a beat. We packed our
belongings, did some last minute searches for
surrounding sights, and at 3pm we were picked up by
Hasegawa san for the three and half hour journey.
GPS navigation comes fairly standard on Japanese cars, so navigating the maze of Tokyo streets was not as impossible as it originally seemed. Interestingly, the GPS units even have imagery of the roadways. For example, whenever there was a tree-lined avenue or a high rise next to a turn-off the LCD panel displayed it. Unfortunately, there was no way the software could come close to depicting the beauty outside the car windows once we cleared the city limits.
As we neared the home in the mountains we veered off the main roads and the GPS unit became useless - the map showed us being in the middle of nowhere, which was probably accurate. A handful of wrong turns later, and we found the well-hidden home tucked away behind dense foliage. Once inside, Teppei kun and I set about with a vacuum cleaner to freshen everything up while the others unloaded the goods and began cooking. The main course for dinner consisted of raw meats (beef, pork, etc) and vegetables cooked in a pot of simmering oil and water in the middle of the dinning room table. The vegetables were dipped in a dark sauce while the meats were mixed with a sesame sauce, diced green onions, and garlic. Hasegawa san has worked around the world for Sony (the United Kingdom, the United States, and more recently, Spain) so he and his wife brought a nice bottle of wine from Barcelona while Kumagai san brought out a bottle of Chardonnay. We all had a nice time chatting over dinner - where I finally began picking up the Japanese language - and we followed it up with several games of cards before settling in for the night. October 5, 2007 Tokyo (JAPAN) Japanese Engineering Course, KY, and Drinking with my Lab It is about time Friday arrived. This has been a busy week, and I have been suffering from a terrible case of insomnia that only made matters worse. Today was not supposed to be a busy day, but the professor I am doing research for (who is head of the Mechanical Engineering department) invited me to enroll in a Japanese engineering design course. I was somewhat obliged to do as he suggested, so at 10:30am he led me to the class and gave a quick introduction. I sat down amid a group of 50 Japanese 3rd year students, 49 males and one lone female, while a guest speaker from industry gave a speech on the concept of engineering design. The speech seemed interesting, but I wouldn't really know: it was all in Japanese. The object of the course is to design a new product and take it from the concept phase through to the production phase. In the past, patents have been granted to students and several of the designs are now in production. I was initially tentative about the course because all the lectures are in Japanese, but after joining one of the groups and getting to work I am thrilled at the opportunity. My team consists of nine Japanese students (no, I was not lucky enough to have the girl in my group), and our product is a new garbage disposal. Right off the bat I noticed a variety of improvements that could be made, and our group spent the next seven hours hammering out our ideas. Although most of the students struggle with English, drawings, electronic dictionaries, and incomplete sentences get us by. Most of what is done in the class is supposed to be kept confidential, but I will try to post some of my drawings in the coming week. Basically, in one day I went from knowing nothing to re-designing the entire unit. I suppose I have a heavy advantage with the work I did at General Electric (I designed a handful of parts that are now in production on the refrigeration units), but it was still an uplifting feeling. This is the kind of engineering I enjoy: that which has a purpose. I have an interesting story to tell about the group of Japanese students. We were breaking for lunch, eating in the lobby of an engineering building, while I tried to make small-talk so the students would come out of their shells. I asked them seemingly innocuous questions like "Where are you from?" and "Do you have brothers and sisters?", and then upgraded to the more "guy" oriented questions. For example, I asked what they would be doing later in the night (it was Friday), and everyone sort of put their head down without speaking up. I found it strange so I pursued the topic (surely they must do something), but the best answer I got was, "Well, my hobby is learning to drive a motorcycle." It seemed like a fair response, although it was not exactly what I was looking for. I decided maybe the students needed to be loosened up, and what is the natural way for a group of guys to get comfortable? Talk about girls, of course. So I asked if anyone had a girlfriend, and what felt like a 10-minute silence followed. No one wanted to answer me, and I could not understand why, so I pursued the subject. Finally, one of the students spoke up and said, "We don't ask these kinds of questions in Japan." I was flabbergasted, and eventually I was told the Japanese phrase for "reading the atmosphere," which can be shortened to "KY". Basically, I was supposed to infer that the students were not outgoing or confident around girls, and so I should have known better than to ask a question that could embarrass them. Well, now I know, but these are the kind of undergraduate students I am surrounded by at Tokyo Tech. By six in the evening I was ready to go home and I returned to my laboratory to collect my belongings. In Japan, theft and crime are unheard of, and I am free to leave my wallet, mobile, and laptop sitting on my desk without fear of theft. But that isn't the point of this next story. What was shocking was that the entire laboratory was still in the room either working or chatting - on a Friday night! They said they would be hanging out for a while longer and drinking beer, so I decided I would use this chance to get to know them. We grabbed dinner at the school restaurant and made a trip to the supermarket for liquor. In Japan, it is customary to split all costs evenly, so we all chipped in to buy snacks, Asahi beer, hapushu (a beer-like brew that is really just a bubbly alcohol), and sake. Speaking of chipping in on costs, I asked what happens if you go to dinner with friends and are not hungry. The response was brilliantly simple: "You better eat anyway!!"
I hope the pictures give an indication of all the fun we had, and the night was made better when our professor stopped by his office across the hall to pick up his suitcase. He stopped in to say hello, and after explaining he just finished doing something similar with his colleagues, he brought us two bottles of California wine. Although he only shared a small glass with us, it was a kind gesture that only reaffirmed my appreciation for how perfect my set-up is here in Japan. I had to leave the party at 10pm to meet a friend from Tokyo University, Yoshi, who took me around the city in his sports car. As petrol and automobiles are quite expensive in Japan, this was a real treat that we took advantage of. He had a few friends he brought along with him, and we spent the night at a karaoke bar singing Japanese and English songs until 4am. I was dead before I hit the pillow when I finally got home for the night, and tomorrow I will be going with Kumagai-san to her mountain home for a 3-day vacation. Could fate be smiling any more kindly on me? October 3, 2007 Tokyo (JAPAN) First Day in the Laboratory and a Night at Shinjuku I can postpone no longer: today I had to visit the lab and meet the dozen or so researcher scientists and graduate students who will be working alongside me. The professor in charge of the laboratory was away for conferences today, so it was a bit of a free for all in his absence. After a round of introductions, the Japanese brought out can after can of Asahi beer. What followd was a string of 'Kanpai' ('Cheers') as I was introduced - Japanese style. When things finally settled down several of the graduate students showed me around the building, and the highlight was the ping-pong table down the hall. We played a string of games as everyone was surprised I was good with the paddle, and in the end I went undefeated. This was no small task as the Japanese have wicked spin and powerful slams (they hold the paddle the 'funny way'), but they were no match for my kung-fu reflexes (I play very defensively). This room, dedicated entirely to ping-pong and even having padded walls, is where I hope to spend most of my time. In the evening I met two of the other American students and we headed for Shinjuku. We were planning to climb one of Tokyo's larger towers (none are that high because of earthquakes) for a night view of the city. We had to fight the rush hour jams on the subway lines, which was an experience like no other. There are actually men whose job it is to push passengers onto the train so that as many people get on as possible. It is ridiculous!
Afterward, we ate at a sushi bar (the conveyor belt variety) in the busy Shinjuku district. Most of the dishes were only 105 yen (under $1USD), but the quality was far lower than I was expecting. Good sushi is quite expensive, and I will be saving it for the big occasions. Also, I have been told it isn't so much the sushi which burns a hole in your pocket (expensive sushi averages $15USD/two rolls) but the sake that goes with it (around $25USD for a small jar).
October 2, 2007 Tokyo (JAPAN) Natural Disaster Simulations Only in a place like Japan is there an entire company devoted to training the populace for natural disasters. As part of my studies in Tokyo I attended a trip to receive training on how to react during monsoons, fires, and earthquakes. We started off with a 3-D video offering an introduction to what 'can happen', and then progressed to simulating the actual disasters in closed environments. First, this entailed standing in a 'monsoon chamber' with gale force winds and streams of water hitting us from all angles. We were covered from head to toe in rain coats, but it was impossible to stay dry. Next came fighting a computerized fire on a wall using fire extinguishers (Japan is really high-tech) and subsequently evacuating from a smoke-filled building. However, the real fun came from the earthquake simulation. Groups of five would board a small platform and experience a scale 7 earthquake (the highest magnitude). It was a lot more turbulent than I imagined, and given that Japan is always having earthquakes - there was a magnitude 3 two nights ago - I am not looking forward to a 'big strike'. Hopefully this machine (shown in the video below) is as close as I ever come to the real thing.
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As
is shown in the picture on the right, packed trains are
a common sight during rush hour periods in Tokyo. In
fact, there are literally men whose job is to push
people onto trains so that more people will fit. I
always make sure to stay away from such attendants
because they are too forceful in their attempts at
cramming people together, and I don't particularly like
the idea of being denigrated to a human sardine.
However, unless I feel like waiting around for several
hours, every train that comes to the station will be
equally crowded and I often have to put claustrophobia
aside.
Once
the doors close, it is horribly awkward with people and
body parts going every which way. I can often see the
uncomfortable look on the faces of women, and they
surely feel worse than anyone as they are more
'vulnerable'. I always do my best
to raise my hands so they are flat against the ceiling
(I am typically one of the tallest people in any train
car) and look upward to ease their obvious discomfort,
but most men are hardly so accommodating. The worst is
the groping that has become a problem in Tokyo, but the
government has done its best to curb this recent trend
by designated cars as being women only to offer
protection from the cramming.
Another
particularly unique aspect of the trains is that the
typical Japanese norms of respect and courtesy vanish as
people vie to get on or off the train. Typically, the
Japanese are the world's most accommodating people, but
something snaps inside many people when the doors open
and people want to get off. There are elbows to the
ribs, men pushing over women, and tempers often flare. I
was once a victim when a man realized we were at his
stop, and he very nearly bowled me over in his attempt
to get off. Had I not pushed him back, which caused him
to react with shock and obvious fear at this hostile
gai-jin, he would have pushed down onto the
platform. In the end, I was able to edge my way off the
train, thereby allowing him to pass, and then squeeze
back on, but I really wanted to give the guy a good
knock as he passed by me with his head cowered.
Personally, I would stay on the train until the next
stop and then backtrack rather than forcefully push a
complete stranger - and I certainly wouldn't be so
shocked if my pushing caused someone else to react.
For
the second day running, classes were cancelled at Tokyo
Tech, and rather than rotting away at the laboratory I
decided to attend the Tokyo Auto Show. Although it is
billed as one of the world's premiere showing,
I
wasn't sure what to expect because the Japanese market
is obviously different from places like America and
Europe. Fortunately, it exceeded all expectations in
terms of luxury, style, and break-your-neck with a
second look concept cars. Plus, all the big names
were there: Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Ferrari, Lexus,
Ford, GM, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Bentley, Rolls-Royce,
Lotus, Land Rover, Cooper, Porsche, Lamborghini, Subaru,
Mitsubishi, and the list just goes on and on.
With
a monsoon killing off any chance of a proper Autumn
Festival yesterday, everything lost was easily made up
for today. There were hundreds of stalls set up around
campus, along with games, contests, sporting events, and
even a stage set up for concerts and other main events.
I was spotted by seemingly every person I know on
campus, and was thus obliged to buy something from
dozens of stalls at some point during the day. I did my
best to spread the wealth out over breakfast, lunch, and
dinner, but I couldn't help giving more business to
those wise few selling beer (although I did refrain from
enjoying the bubbly pleasure over breakfast).
Back
when I was a sophomore at Georgia Tech I did research
with the GT Physics department on the topic of Chaos
Theory. This is a fancy title given to the field of
research concerned with the point at which scientific
continuity breaks down and one must choose between
Newtonian Physics and Quantum Physics.
Although "the modeling of vibrations between two liquid
substances" may not seem all that interesting to those
of you who are not on par with Einstein and I, the
reality of my work was actually quite intriguing. I
basically studied how, when a liquid medium is vibrated
at a high enough frequency, drops of another liquid will
actually 'hover' on the surface. In even simpler terms,
I made water bounce on water.
This
weekend Tokyo Tech is hosting an "Autumn Festival" on
campus, and in preparation for the event classes have
been cancelled both Friday and Monday. Along with Julien
(France) and Neil (California), I skipped out on working
at the laboratory and spent the day doing a bit of
touring around Tokyo. We started by meeting at the
famous dog statue outside Shibuya's metro
station. I have no idea why the statue is there or what
it signifies, but it is one of the most recognizable
rendezvous-points in Tokyo. Shibuya itself is the
Times Square of Tokyo, and it is the best place to
see a complete dichotomy of the Japanese people in a
condensed area.
After eating, we
walked back to the station and rode the Tokyo-Metro Ginza line to Asakusa. It
was a short walk to Tokyo's oldest temple, the
Buddhist-inspired Senso-ji. Like most truly
historic places in Japan, the temple was first
constructed on the basis of a myth: two fisherman found
a statue of Kannon, the bodhisattva of
compassion, lying at the bottom of a river in the 7th
century, and eventually a temple was constructed to
house the sanctified statue. 
It is interesting to note
that, World War II aside, Japan's temples, shrines, and
other famous sights have all been immaculately preserved since their
initial creation. Whereas other parts of the world often
see such landmarks destroyed through internal war or
revolution, Japanese sights have been protected
irrespective of who held power. This is
why the country has such a rich assortment of sights,
and such places can often be found tucked away in the most
innocuous places around Tokyo. Of course, the history of
Japan stretches farther back than just Tokyo (it only
became the capital in the 1860s), but this is
nevertheless a good build-up to the plethora of
traditional sights around Kyoto in southern
Honshu (the largest island in Japan).
Around
Senso-ji temple are scores of small shops selling
souvenirs that ranged from calligraphy sets and kimonos
to samurai and Godzilla t-shirts. There is definitely a
touristy feel around the area, but it is a good kind of
tourism in that locals come here just as often as
gai-jin (foreigners). Unfortunately, rain chased us
away before too long, and we decided to walk across the
river to the eye-catching headquarters for Asahi
(Japan's best-selling beer).
Although
we could not find a proper tour of the brewery, the
stunning woman (the norm in Japan) at the information
desk said we were welcome to visit the 22nd floor of the
building for good beer with a good view. Although it was
only 4:00pm, I love Asahi beer, and at the risk
of being those guys (people drinking alcohol
while it is still light out), Julien, Neil, and I took
the opportunity to relax with freshly brewed beer for
550yen. Of course, had we been less intent on enjoying
the brew with pleasant surroundings, we could have
simply opted to buy beer from one of the many vending
machines around the city and drank it in a park - not
only can one buy beer from a vending machine, but there
are no laws against drinking it in the streets. What's
not to love about Japan?
All
of this contributes to the unique type of men who are
attracted to Akihabara - they are often socially
shy, but are obsessive over the sight of young girls.
So, for perhaps 2000yen ($20USD), one can pay one of the
many girls to go for a walk and have a chat for ten
minutes. Of course, as the price goes up the girls will
agree to, perhaps, play a board game at a local coffee
shop, or possibly even hold hands if one is willing to
pay enough. Personally, I find all this slightly creepy
thinking people would go to such lengths just to have
contact with a girl, but on the flip-side it is better
than the desperate groping that can sometimes occur on
crowded trains.
Kumagai
san met me near Sony headquarters and handed off the
tickets, but because she had a business dinner later in
the evening she was not be able to join us. The four of
us hopped on a local train, and after a transfer at
Oji Station, we arrived at Urawa-Misono
Station an hour and a half later. There were fans
everywhere at the station, as well as along the entire
1.2km walk on the solitary street leading directly to
Saitama stadium.
Inside
the stadium it felt like I might have been at any of the
venues across Europe because the pounding of drums, the
chanting of the home fans, and the electric ripples of
waving flags and jumping supporters brought the night to
life. It wasn't hard for us to pick up the chants as
many of the songs were either in English or they went to
the tune of a well-known song. The
fans at the game were of a different variety than the
J-League game I saw last weekend:
there were no kids, and the people ranged from die-hards
covered in red to men in business suits drinking beer
and taking pictures with their hi-tech phones.
The
game itself started off at a fast pace and it stayed
that way throughout the match. Washington, the main
striker from the Urawa Reds, scored a cracker
from the right side of the penalty area to give the home
team a 1-0 lead, but in the second half the South Korean
team turned the game around with back-to-back goals that
made me think the game was over. I hated to think all
these ecstatic Urawa fans would go home disappointed,
but the group of 5,000 South Korean fans didn't seem to
share my sympathy: their small contingent was a mass of
yellow, and despite being up against 55,000 Urawa
supporters, they never stopped cheering on their team.
In
extra time, both teams were dead tired, which opened the
game up even more with end-to-end action. Despite a
dozen opportunities for both sides, and equally as many
last-ditch saves, the score remained tied at the end of
extra time, and so the semi-finals came down to a
penalty shoot-out. Even this was packed with tension as
both sides refused to miss, but a fortunate save from
the Urawa 'keeper gave the Reds a 7-6 win for the night,
and put them through to the finals.
The
stadium erupted in cheers with the win, but I didn't
stick around long for this as I was intent on being one
of the first out of the stadium and onto the trains back
to central Tokyo. On the way out of the stadium we
actually passed scores of responsible Japanese waiting
in lines so they could sort their trash into burnable,
non-burnable, and cans. I have never seen such a clean
stadium in my life: there was not a spilled drink or
peanut shell anywhere. Unsurprisingly, the
station was packed, and the trains were even worse, but
I finally made it back a little after 1:00am.
Ever
since arriving in Japan I have been struggling to build
a mental map of Tokyo: the city is simply too big, too
developed, and too new to me. About a week ago I came up
with idea of walking along Tokyo's most famous metro
line, the JR Yamanote Line, as it circles metro
Tokyo and it would give me a stronger idea of where
everything is located. The reality of this idea involves
covering a 31 mile loop that encompasses roughly 80
square miles of 'unknown territory'. Naturally, setting
off on such an undertaking requires a good deal of
preparation, but when I woke up at 5am this morning and
couldn't fall back asleep I figured, "What the hell,
today's going to be the day." I grabbed a complimentary
map I took from Narita Airport, and with a small
rucksack I headed out the door at 6am.
I
bought three tickets to a J-League soccer
match between Yokohama and Shimizu for later this
evening, but before leaving for the match Kumagai san and I decided to prepare food. Besides a
variety of small dishes (cooked pea pods, grapes, and a
bacon/asparagus combo), we spent several hours making
onigiri, which are the Japanese equivalent of a
sandwich. The process is simple: put food inside a
clump of rice and compress/mold the rice so that it
stays together, and then wrap a piece of dried seaweed
around everything. We made our onigiri with
cooked salmon and a variety of spices and herbs, and
these are easily my favorite food since arriving -
partly because they taste so damn good and partly
because they are a far cheaper alternative to sushi.
I
was treating Kumagai san and Toyama san to the game this
evening, so we all met at Shinagawa station at
5:00pm and caught a 30 minute train to Yokohama (a city
just south of Tokyo). After a
quick transfer onto a local line, we alighted from the
train amid swarms of Yokohama fans and walked one
kilometer to the elite Nissan Stadium (where the
World Cup final was played). We had lower tier seats
only a dozen rows back, and although the 75,000 seating
capacity wasn't really tested, there was still a great
atmosphere with loud chanting echoing around the
stadium. The Japanese are notorious for being reserved
and docile, but at the 'home end' of the stadium there
were fifty or so flags, drums, and 5,000 people jumping
up and down in unison for the entire 90 minutes.
It
was a brisk 30-minute walk from our house in
Gotenyama to Sengakuji, and with Kumagai san
pointing things out the entire way, this was the perfect
way to explore Tokyo. The temple itself was the most
peaceful place I have seen in Japan (beating the library
by miles), and the few other visitors were solemn or
whispering quietly. There is great reverence among the
Japanese, and no place is this more evident than in the
many temples and shrines tucked away in the most
unsuspecting places. Unfortunately, the museum was
closed by the time we arrived, but with the directions
now mastered I can easily come back later.
Our
next destination was Roppongi, but since the weather was
so nice and both of us enjoy walking we decided to
continue by foot. As Tokyo is an incredibly old city
with confusing streets and small hills everywhere, we
headed in the general direction and hoped for the best.
We had a map with us, but it was more fun this way.
Besides, it gave me a good opportunity to take photos of
some of the more 'Japanese' sights that most residents
take for granted. For example, just look at the two car
personal garage shown to the right. I still can't get
used to sights like this, even though they are the norm
for cars and bicycles. In larger parking lots there are
machines that stack the cars in a similar manner, only
with four cars atop each other rather than two.
Whether
it was through my Aikido training or simple luck, our
walk took us through some of the most scenic parts of
Tokyo, including the base of Tokyo Tower. This is the
most identifiable sight in all of Japan, and we
somehow managed to walk along the edge of it as we searched
out Roppongi. Eventually, we stopped at a
Japanese police station to ask for concrete directions,
and three hours after leaving the house we arrived in
the gai-jin (foreigner) hotspot of Roppongi.
This must be where all the foreigners have been hiding because
for a city as large and international as Tokyo I have
hardly seen any so far.
One
should always start with the less flavorful fish and
work up to the more tasty ones (basically going from
white fish to colored fish). Every time we ordered the
chef would prepare the fish directly in front of us,
chatting all the while with Kumagai san (who
translated), and serve it over the counter onto our
plates. Several differences I noticed from the sushi
dens I have been too (all of lower quality) are that the
sushi rolls are smaller and of higher quality, and the
wasabi has already been placed between the fish
and the rice. We ended up trying 12 different types of fish,
but since my favorite is salmon, the chef prepared it in
several different ways (such as lightly toasting one
side and squeezing lemon onto it). I suppose the capping
moment of the meal came at the end when I was served
horse meat. This was the first time I have ever
tried such a thing, and I never would have imagined
eating it raw is safe.
The
advanced technology was apparent the second I sat down
in front of two televisions, one LCD and the other FED.
It is too difficult to succinctly summarize the
differences in the various existing technologies (LCD,
Plasma, Organic, and FED), but after nearly two hour's
worth of work on the white board, discussing various
manuals, and seeing the product first-hand, I finally
have a comprehensive understand of how all the
technology works. Don't expect to see FED on the
consumer market anytime soon as the cost is still too
high for the average consumer. Instead, the
monitors/panels are being sold to movie companies,
healthcare companies, graphics designers, and basically
anyone who needs the most precise picture possible.
At
9pm we decided to grab a bite to eat, so Hasegawa san
took me to a nearby sushi restaurant that was full of
the kind of people who live in business suits and are
never far from their briefcase. Rather than looking
through the menu, he called the waiter over and told him
to bring us each a large dish of the chef's specialties
(as well as a jug hot sake, of course). He went on to
explain that the chef always knows which fish is the
freshest, so it is wise to leave the choosing to him.
His strategy certainly worked, but if he wasn't being so
kind as to treat me I could never afford to use such a
technique on my own: the price is not known until it is
time to pay, and it is Japanese custom that if one wants
good sushi then the price should not matter.
After
a king size breakfast and a night full of relaxing
sleep, we began a day of touring the surrounding area.
As Kumagai san explained, the countryside is relatively
free of tourists (there are no restaurants or neon
signs), and so it maintains its charm. This was evident
as we drove through the center of town and saw a small
Saturday morning festival where local farmers brought
their produce. Our destination was further ahead,
though, at a ranch catering to families with children.
There was horse-back riding, cow milking, and fresh
ice-cream for us to try. Although I was fairly tentative
about milking a cow it was good fun, and a real
throwback to my childhood days.
We
grabbed a quick lunch and sampled a locally brewed beer
called "Touchdown" before searching out a place
to fish. In Japan, it can be difficult to actually catch
anything in the streams and lakes, so small fish ponds
are created with enough fish to guarantee success.
Unfortunately, it was closed for the winter and we could
only watch as the workers dropped the line in and hurled
fish out by the bucket. It wasn't even necessary to put
any bait on the hook, the fish went after it anyway.
Unfortunately,
we took a serious wrong turn somewhere along the way and
popped out at the side of the Olympic-size swimming
pool. Whereas all the men, women, and children were
wearing proper bathing suits, here was one Japanese man,
one Japanese boy, and a foreigner practically nude! The
worst part was it took us 5-10 seconds to realize
something was wrong, and then we blushed and ran back to
the dressing room (likely mooning everyone in the
process). We soon found the correct way to go and joined
25 other men in the indoor/outdoor onsen. 
Public
baths have become one of my favorite parts of Japanese
lifestyle (there is one near Kumagai san's house in
Tokyo that I visited a couple times each week), so I
will go ahead and explain how they work. When you first
come in you take off your shoes and leave them in a
small locker. Next, you proceed to the proper changing
room (men's or women's) and proceed to put all your
clothes in another locker. Then, with only a small
hand-held towel you head into the public bath area where
you take a seat on a 6" stool in front of a mirror.
There is a bucket, soap and shampoo, a faucet, and a
hand-held showerhead for your use (all with hot and cold
water). After cleaning yourself off you can proceed into
the hot water (similar to a hot tub) or the herbal
baths. When your body is tired of the heat you can go
back to one of the many stools and rinse off with cold
water (it feels amazing) before repeating the process
over and over, or until your body is entirely
revitalized.
Most
of the journey was spent with mountains on all sides,
and the early October weather meant the trees were still
crisp and the sky still clear. Along with Mt Fuji,
Yatsugatake is one of Japan's most famous
mountains. The name Yatsugatake actually means "Eight
Peaks," which can be visually understood with a
modest amount of counting. Although Mt Fuji is
slightly taller, Japanese legend has it that the two
mountains used to argue over which one was greater.
Then, Yatsugatake became so angry at not being
recognized as the taller mountain that it erupted ("blew
its top"), and in doing so is now several hundred meters
shorter than Mt Fuji.
We
spent the next few hours getting hammered on the top
floor of our lab building. There were five Japanese
graduate students, one German (who speaks fluent
Japanese and is a great source of knowledge on Japan),
and myself sitting around a table telling jokes. It felt
strange to be partying in the same place one works (in
America people can't wait to get the hell away from the
lab or the office), but space is a tough commodity to
find in Tokyo. The lab is a perfect place as we have a
great view over the city, we have all the appliances one
needs, and we are uninterrupted for as long as we want.
I actually love spending time in the lab for all these
reasons, and it doesn't hurt that everyone is outgoing
and friendly.
We
alighted at Shinjuku Station, the busiest metro
station in the world, and were confronted with a maze of
underground tunnels and shopping malls. In Hong Kong
there is a shopping mall for most MTR stations, and in
Singapore there is something similar, but at Shinjuku
Station there is an entire city built underground.
We walked nearly a mile along the automated walkways
(similar to what exist at large airports) to reach the
appropriate exit. It took us directly to the government
tower where we waited in line for the elevator to the
top floor. My ears popped on the way up, but the views
of Tokyo were impressive. I never realized what a spread
out city Tokyo is - the metro area has nearly 50 million
people (the largest in the world)!
We
finished off the night by walking through the red light
district and checking out the arcades. I ended up
playing a game of Silent Hill, which came down to
shooting as many zombies as possible before dying. It
was good fun, but after one game I had had enough. I
hope I never turn into the kind of person on the right.
How an adult man dressed in business wear can go from
the office to pounding an electronic drum is beyond me,
but he is not alone here.