construction noise

The construction down the street has a helpful decibel-display board that shows loudness in realtime. At 7:30 in the AM with no construction going on, background noise from the street is almost 60 decibels. So glad I am not around during the day when they're working. Doubly glad my house has double-pained glass that blocks out an amazing amount of noise.

don't try this @ home

Only a trained professional can try such dangerous toothpink antics.

nora jones

Saw Nora Jones at Tokyo International Hall. My but isn't she a cutie. Most decidedly mellow and enjoyable show. After the concert we walked over to Shinhinomoto for some grubby eats. The food is wonderful, but damn if it isn't a stinky smoke pit. Got home reaking of cigarette smoke and had to fabreeze our clothes and air out the room. Nasty nasty.

coffee & cigarettes

Ever the Jim Jarmusch fans, Hiroko and I went to Shibuya to see Coffee and Cigarettes. Generally entertaining, and Bill Murray is, once again, proven to be a genius of the understated.
Such a beautiful sunny day that after the movie we walked over to Harajuku for some Nathan's hotdogs, then up through Aoyama and down to Nishi-Azabu (our standard treck, which one of these days I shall have to properly measure but it must be at least a few kilometers.)

chocolate!

Kairi likes chocolate. We hung out all day at Hiroko's work. As they moved a bunch of new desks in, we tore up the office, drew with crayons, abused Barbie, and ate a giant chocolate egg filled with candy. Like all the women in my life, she loves to boss me around.

one

Slept funny or something, so the right side of my neck was really tweaked and hurt all day. Was taking it easy in class, with Niina-gosoke watching over us as we drilled through the basics. About 10 minutes into class I did one perfect cut. I felt it, I heard it. Just as was thinking "Damn..." Niina-gosoke turned to me and said "That's the one. Do it like that every time."
Now how many years is it gonna take me to do another cut like that? And how many years until I can do it consistently?
After class I took Elvis to eat dinner at Lucky, and we got the Rock Star treatment because they love me there. Free shrimp goyza, too, and damn fine ones at that.
Elvis told his Romeo-and-Juilet story to Niina-gosoke and he fell over laughing. Gosoke's been telling everyone in the dojo; it's such a classic story you can't make up funnier.
We talked smack (do we ever talk anything else?) and finally cruised home late and full.

kumitachi

Nearly full class for kumitachi. We managed to do a couple of the Shintoryu Shitsuhatsu kata as well, but most folks just don't get it. I need someone who can significantly crush me on a regular basis, or I'm just not getting much of a challenge. Not bragging or anything; it's just that no one really practices this stuff as much as I do.
If I can get BuenaVista outta work early enough on Wednesdays, he might be able to give me a run for my money. Supposedly he did some old-school kenjutsu for a while.

happy birthday andrew!

24 hour calorie mate

rube goldberg

Back in my youth I used to cobble together useless machines from legos and lincoln logs and parts from radio shack. In the traditional of the master himself, some purdue grad students demonstrate how to change flashlight batteries in 125 useless steps and go home with this year's prize.

tulips

homeless art?

Got a shave-n-haircut and then walked from Shirogane to Shibuya. Beautiful weather and the sakura (cherry blossoms) are peaking, so Meiji Dori was lined with exploding flowers as the wind snowed pink petals everywhere.
The homeless guys along the river have some serious set-ups, with sofas and cardboard houses and washing machines and randomly cool objects.
In Shibuya checked out some lampage and closet storage but didn't get inspired. Met Hiroko and we lunched at TGIFs before heading to Shinjuku to see if Actus had any inspiring lamps. Complete failure. I think we'll have to get a custom-made lamp.

amy

Todd and Narumi and Amy came over for a celebratory Todd-got-a-job dinner. We got The Best Gyoza and then finished up with some beverages at home. Amy gets cuter by the minute.

lunch

the ladies

Many fine beverages later, the ladies are in full swing.

ed runs the table

Ed's in town from London for a conference in Okinawa, so he took a couple days to hang in Tokyo. We had dinner and went to Muse to shoot pool and trash talk. Place was completely empty, but people finally started showing up as the evening wore on.

basketball

Like most sports involving round objects, I know nothing about basketball. However, my lack of knowledge didn't stop me from entering the yearly college basketball pool. As expected, out of 53 participants I finished dead last. The good news is I got my money back as a consolation prize:

There would be no late game comebacks at the bottom of the pool, where Renfield Kuroda pretty much had the booby prize locked up after Round 1, where he had only 15 of 32 right, 2 right in the Sweet 16 and nothing on the board after that. To his credit, he may be the only person in the pool that picked Bucknell over Kansas, but he also may be the only person in the whole WORLD that picked Bucknell to go to the Final Four.

socks

I used to be a crazy-patterns sock kinda guy. Recently though, I've been subscribing to the economically efficient bulk-solids-and-reasonable-patterns sock packs, i.e. a Kirkland socks from Costco.
I now have a drawer full of socks. Combine this with my for-all-intents-and-purposes color blindess, and my general lack of higher cognitive thought processes before 8am, and it's bound to happen.
Walking to the train station, my left sock was snuggled comfortably at upper calf, but my right kept slipping down to my ankle. Upon further inspection, I discovered that I was (am) wearing unmatching socks.
The left sock is a blue so deep I am probably within my legal rights to call it black (at least under fluorescent light), with a wide-spaced striping pattern, just below knee length, medium weight poly/cotton blend.
The right sock is new-moon-on-a-winter-night black, with a slightly narrower striping pattern, mid-calf length, medium weight poly/cotton blend.
I can blame no one but myself, for it was I who paired and folded the dried socks and placed them in the sock drawer. It was I who removed them from the drawer. It was I who pulled them onto my feet. And it is I who sits here now, confessing my sock-sins to the World Wide Web. Ah, the power of the blog.

der weekend

Went over to Hataya-sensei's shop to do some sword dealings. The two cutters we use at Honbu are at the end of their lifespan, and it wasn't worth spending money to get them fixed. Out of the bigness of his heart he bought them off of me and gave me a good discount on a new blade, so now we have a lovely new cutter for the dojo folks who don't own their own.
I sent my beastly cutter off to Ted as well so that he can shave down some of the meatiness and make it a bit easier to draw.

On Sunday saw Sideways with Hiroko. Much better on a large-screen, unedited, than when I saw it on a plane a few months ago. Losers are still losers, but it had it's quality comedy moments.
I still don't get wine, though.

Had some packages arrive, too, including our ass stool and umbrella stand for the entrance. Life is all about collecting stuff.

snack

Traditional Japanese sweets. I did fine European chocolates when I was little (thanks dad!) but now it's all about bitter green tea, gelatin cubes, sweet beans, fruit bits, powdered nuts...

flickr tag browser

Incredibly cool way to search and navigate through flickr photos via tags.

clocky

"When the alarm clock goes off and the snooze button is pressed, Clocky will roll off the bedside table and wheel away, bumping mindlessly into objects on the floor until it eventually finds a spot to rest. Minutes later, when the alarm sounds again, the sleeper must get up out of bed and search for Clocky."

pizzakaya

Worked late but still managed to make it to Pizzakaya to see the old MS gang. Spike's newborn is keeping him up but he's loving it. He starts work next week, as does Todd, so the two of them were reminiscing about being workless slackers and loving it. Todd just came back from a family trip to Italy and France and had a good time, Moka is now married so he's officially SalaryMan, and Imazu is still just cranking away, job security locked and loaded.
As is our norm, we bitched and moaned, whined and bragged, and basically spun a bunch of BS to our own detriment.

noo yawk

Why we love New York.

mad feast

We fired up the BBQ about 3pm and cooked, ate, and drank our way through the night. Steaks, pork, sausages, salads, gyoza, dips and chips, apple pie and icecream and rollcake and wine and coffee and juice and tea and coffee...
Conan was sick so he couldn't come to play, but Amy and Kaili bounced around the house like fireflies whilst the "adults" talked smack and stuffed themselves silly. Just another feeding frenzy at the Kuroda household.

french

I do not speak French. Never have, most likely never will. My friend Hunter studied French in junior high, and all I remember is he managed to work in the phrase "exploding dog" in every piece of homework he was required to write.

Write a dialog between two people at the top of the Eiffel Tower
Person1: I dropped a dog from here once.
Person2: What happened?
Person1: The dog exploded.

(As a matter of fact we were 14 years old.)

Totally unrelated to that, and for reasons I am completely unable to explain, I know exactly one line in French: "Le croissant de ma tante est sur la table."
For those of you, like me, who do not speak French, this means "My aunt's croissant is on the table."
Not only do I not remember why I know this, I can not even recall how long I have known it.
I do remember my dad taking me and my brother to eat sushi one night, and whilst waiting to get into the restaurant I kept saying this and my dad, who does in fact speak French (one of his eight languages) and we would both be hysterical.

But now, years later, and thanks to Cyril Our Local Frenchman, I have added a new phrase to my French arsenal:

Combien coute le poulet?

Which means: "How much for the chicken?"

It also alternatively means "How much for the cup?" because for reasons beyond my (or Cyril's) comprehension, chicken is slang for cup in French. Wonders never cease.

allergies

Got the results from my allergy test. Most interesting: hay fever allergens reaction is so low as to not technically be considered an allergy. Wonder if it just naturally went down, or if taking drugs and fighting hay fever for the past 5 years has made a difference.
Animal-related allergens (cats & dogs) were topped only by housedust and mites/ticks/midges; off the charts. No reaction to mold/mildew, and no obvious food allergies (though I still wonder about large quantities of eggs.)
So I should avoid animals and bugs and stay in a well-cleaned place. I think this is my body's way of telling me to stay out of the jungle.

more kumitachi

Late night class, 3 pairs. Ran through the first four kumitachi. Niina-gosoke's own words: "You all need ALOT more practice -- you're terrible!"

for kevin

yudonoan 2

Got up Not Early, had a soak and a killer breakfast and hopped on the bus (wooden floors) down to the station and got a local train to Sakata Town. Four car train. Diesel.
Got on the local bus and went to Domon Ken Memorial Photography Museum, designed by The Man himself Noguchi. Nice, but small and the exhibition was limited.
Walked up the street to the Sakata City Art Museum just in time for a horrendous special event not worth mentioning, had some coffee, and checked out the Brilliantly Gardened Traditional Japanese No Idea What It's For Yushinkan next door before getting on the bus back to the station and heading home.
Back at Yudonoan: more soaking, eating, lounging, soaking, and eating.

hiroko at yudonoan

yudonoan 1

Brand-spanking new Terminal Two of Haneda Airport is just lovely. And how I do love riding that monorail. Got in quite early so had some time to wander about before getting on a short flight to Shonai Aiport. Bought some bento for munching on the flight and we were on the ground in Yamagata before we knew it.
Hopped on the bus to the station, then a local bus to the main Hot Springs strip, and checked in to Yudonoan. Very slick "modern Japanese" style hotel/ryokan. Small and cozy, and tons of fun.
Wandered about the small town checking out the local shrines before hitting the baths, eating way too much, and sleeping like a lazy bum.
Here are some photos.

jeremy

Jeremy's in town this week, but since Hiroko and I are going to an onsen this weekend, we had dinner with him tonight: gyoza. 'Nuff said.
I left work early to meet my accountant before going to dinner. My accountant is totally cool. I've actually never met her, but I've been sending her my tax stuff and she's been doing them from her home in Kentucky for years. She's in Tokyo this week meeting her clients like me.
I learned today: do what my accountant tells me. When she says I should pay my estimated taxes, and she fills out the forms and envelope for me, and sends me a reminder...I should do what she says. That's why I pay her.

one hour

Crazy at work, and Gosoke's left to run the seminar in the US, so I managed to get to the dojo and practiced on my own for an hour before hunger took over and I had to get down to Ninjin and have some sweet & sour pork and chili prawns.

late

Work was mad. I mean MAD. All kindsa stuff getting tossed around, and with just enough people out on vacation, and me being new and trying to pick up the slack, it was a mess, and I was a mess.
Finally got out about 7:30 and got to the dojo an hour late. Everyone was practicing on their own, so I jumped onto the floor and ran through the last hour: centerline work, distance, alignment. After class we was hungry, so I took Presley to Ninjin for some sweet & sour pork, chili prawns, etc. A fine feast, and a good laugh as we trash-talked our way through the night.
On the train ride home I bumped into Ed. He was doing his thing as only Ed does. Hopefully he'll come by in a couple weeks and kick it up a notch. Gotta love Ed; he adds value.

gimme drugs

Hayfever is upon us. Well, me actually. And I need medication. Went to the clinic in Ark Hills down the street, because it's closer than the clinic in Ebisu that I'd been going to when I worked in Ebisu.
Same story: hello doctor, gimme Alergion, the little white miracle drug. Hooked me up with a month's worth, and took some blood, too just to re-check all my allergies.
And now I am a happy hay-fever boy, floating a couple of millimeters off the ground in a loopy drug haze. OK not really, but you get the idea.

new cutter

Monthly cutting practice today. Finally go to try out my new cutter. Niina-gosoke took one look at it and commented: "sushi knife." As in, it's wide and thin and made to cut. And DAMN does it cut. Problem is cutting from the draw. The thing is so wide (mihaba: width from edge to back) that it's a pain to draw as it gets caught up. I need to take it in to a polisher and get a millimeter or so trimmed of the top third, then it will be just right.
Miyazawa-kun was hung over from last night, so he was in bad form and stopped after a couple of rolls. Urabe-san has a great sword, but he needs to work on his angles and targeting. Ishiguro-san was cutting for the first time with an old sword that's been in his house for a few generations. It cut well, and he cut well.
Just goes to show you, a great cutting sword doesn't do any good if you can't wield it, and decent form will more than make up for a bad sword.
After cutting we cleaned the dojo top-to-bottom. Did the windows and mirrors, vacuumed and mopped the floor, cleaned the office, and I did the nasty-nasty bathroom.
When we were done Gosoke was really psyched, and I decided that we'll do a proper cleaning every month after cutting, since we have to clean anyway.

bye-bye miyazawa

Miyazawa-kun is getting transferred to Osaka as of April, so we had a going away party for him. I showed up late because of some last minute insanity at work, so when I arrived everyone was well and good drunk.
Like all typical salarymen, Miyazaza-kun works hard and does what his company tells him. So, when they tell him to move to the other side of Japan for who knows how many years, he goes. 32 years old, and this will be the first time he'll be living on his own. Ever. I was giving him crap like "You do know how to wash clothes right?" but honestly, I'm worried. He's not a mama's boy or anything, but he's been living at home in the sticks for his entire life, commuting to school, commuting to work, commuting to the dojo, and he doesn't know a soul in Osaka. At least the people at his company seem cool so they'll help him out, and if he has any money he can come up to Tokyo every now and then. But damn, if my company told me one day to leave my family, my dojo, my life in Tokyo and go to Osaka for who knows how many years...well I guess I'm not Japanese after all.

kumitachi

Been busting hard at work, and finally got a lull, so managed to get to the dojo for kumitachi practice. Haven't done kumitachi in a while, but felt good to shake off the cobwebs and crack some wood. Gosoke showed everyone the basics of taking the centerline; watch your opponent's right fist, move after he's committed, slide up, over, and down the centerline. Once you get it, keep it, and don't slop alot of muscle into it. We demonstrated a couple of times, and then he left me to teach a couple of the kata. There were six so we made three pairs and ran through the first three kumitachi: hokuto, taihaku, and inazuma.
Toughest part for everyone, besides clashing swords like a bad samurai movie, is getting the distance right. You have to cut your opponent where he is (or will be as he moves towards you), and knowing that, you have to lead your opponent in to cut you, say by giving him your forehead so that he comes in high, and sliding out and through it and taking his side. Distance is critical; it's hard enough to hit something that isn't moving, but when you're faced off with a partner...they were all having a time of it. At least they get the idea, even if they can't do it. I showed a couple more times how to take the centerline by moving in late, and the difference in sound from clashing (BANG!) to deflecting (ZIP!) They got it, even though they don't get it. Now all they have to do is work on it, but everyone just wants to hurry up and play samurai, smacking sticks together, instead of slowing down, watching distance, timing, taking and guarding the centerline, moving with intent, and paying attention to your opponent.

heeb magazine

For the Gen-Y Jew in all of us.

suits you

Let's talk about clothes. Not about fashion, that thing that happens with skinny women and ugly clothing in Paris, I mean style.
My dad has a closet full of suits. Awesome. Italian. Suits.
See, we used to live in Italy. And my dad, being American and having moved to Milan from England, found the best-dressed Italian guy at work (head of advertising, of course) and asked him where to buy clothes. My dad proceeded to learn the Golden Rules of men's clothing, and he handed them down to me. Some I agree with, some I do not.
And that's the first rule: you wear your clothes. You should feel comfortable in your own clothing, physically and mentally and socially. I simply do not understand women who wear shoes that they think look great, causing them so much pain that they walk like crippled infants. Not attractive.
My dad dropped some coin on clothes. Still does.
And that's rule the second: your clothes should look at least as expensive as they are. My parents were friends with a couple, rich, who liked to show horses. The wife wore dresses that looked absolutely stunning. You looked at her and thought "DAMN that thing musta cost ten grand!" And therefore, if she paid $10,000 for it, she got her money's worth. Note the corollary: spending lots of money on a brand name does not guarantee quality. I see plenty of leather purses that looks ten times cheaper than their made-up prices. I dropped a grand on a black, double-breasted Armani because when I wear it people go "Dude! That suit musta cost you two thousand bucks!" A bargain at twice the price. And the Armani label is on the inside, where it counts.
There's all kinds of suit styles. British, French, Italian...I prefer a more Italian cut, which basically means that liquid mercury should flow uninterruptedly from neck to ankle. That means clean lines from shoulder to wrist, neck to hip, waist to foot. No pocket flaps, no pants leg cuffs, no air vents. Lose the button-down shirt collars, too. What, you afraid your tie will try to fly away? Brass collar stays, please. No one can see them, but you know they're there.
Rule the Third is about accessories and jewelry: match your leathers, don't mix gold and silver. Brown shoes, brown belt. Platinum watch, platinum ring, platinum cufflinks.
There's a bunch of other little things I'm anal about (wide collars, different colored cuffs/collars on shirts, tie pins, suspenders) but most of that is just me being Not British.
Now I just have to wait for my dad to get old and decrepit, and then I can raid his closet and inherit his wardrobe.

lustitute

wool hats from emy mama

bucks with douglas

bucks, originally uploaded by renfield.

Wandered around Tokyo with Douglas (friend of Bailey's, friend of Lee's) checking out the cool design and architecture of the Roppongi Hills, the Prada and Tod's buildings, etc.

Aala Wi Jamaican Jerk Pork

Aala Wi Jamaican Jerk Chicken, originally uploaded by renfield.

In Ebisu, damn fine Jamaican jerk pork and chicken, with banana chips, rice and beans. Damn. Fine. Eats.

(un)exceptional

ex·cep·tion·al adj.

1. Being an exception; uncommon.
2. Well above average; extraordinary

me: I need you to do X.
him: Standard policy is that we do not do X. We do A,B, and C.
me: Understood. But this is a special situation; high priority, rarely happens but when it does we really, really need X.
him: I understand that as well. But we have policies for a reason. We can't just go responding to every random request, can we? We'd never get anything done, stability would decrease, and we would be at serious risk.
me: Yes, of course, you should not just do any random request. But this is an exception. It is an extraordinary situation, of utmost importance.
him: Sorry, can't do it.

I think it is fair to say that he is, with no exaggeration, totally and completely unexceptional.

snow

OK, we're well into March and it is DUMPING snow. We have more snow now then we did at the end of December.
Uh, spring anyone? Maybe? Somewhere?
The photo above is my front yard (on the left) and walkway up to my front door (on the right.) No, the walkway isn't whited out from a flash or bright sunlight; it's cover in 2 centimeters of snow.

this place sucks

Superfriends animation + Office Space soundtrack = T.P.S. mashup: Absolutely. Brilliant.

my new sword

sword unsheathed, originally uploaded by renfield.

Been waiting since summer 2004, and it has finally arrived; my new sword.
2.3.5 (72.2 cm), 2 mekugi-ana, 1.8 cm sori, forged the first day of October, 16th year of Heisei by Takaba Hiroshi (signed Nyoshu Hiromune) in Gifu Prefecture.

eulogy

I couldn't get to my grandpa's funeral, but my dad read my blog about grandpa at the memorial service. Eulogy-by-blog. That's really cool, because it's almost like I was there.

babies everywhere

spike with daughter, originally uploaded by renfield.

nishizoe2, originally uploaded by renfield.

The Nishizoes had a daughter, as yet unnamed!

hae-won's baby, originally uploaded by renfield.

And Hae-won had a baby, too!

test your travel iq

from my bro:
Monograms by Globus has a cool travel IQ test in nifty flash. I got 2 outta 5 correct, but my excuse is that none of the questions were about Japan.

grandpa

Grandpa died. He'd been fighting Parkinson's for a while.
He died with a full head of salt & pepper hair, his harmonica in the drawer next to his bed.
I did my 6th grade family history project centered around him and all his WW2 adventures. Not sure how many of the stories I remember are true, but it doesn't matter.
He was the drummer in a band in high school, and he taught me how to play snare.
He was a grocer, and used to comment on the proper way to stack apples whenever we went to the supermarket.
He was a freedom fighter with the underground in occupied France, for the simple fact that he studied French in high school.
He stormed the beaches in Normandy. As soon as he hit land, a shell exploded right next to him, knocking him unconscious, stripping him naked, and leaving him for dead. He lay on the beach for a while, until the Red Cross started collecting bodies. When they got to him, they didn't know if he was German or American. They put him in a US hospital, and when he awoke, they asked him in German "Do you speak German?" Of course he spoke German, so he answered "Yes."
He couldn't remember his name or anything, so for a while they thought he was German, until they confirmed his identity as an American.
Another time on patrol in a field, he was checking in with the rest of the unit via radio. The other radio crackled and he heard: "All cl- ...[shuffle tumble rumble clang]..." and then a distinctly German accent said "All clear." Grandpa put his radio down and crawled 2 miles back to base. When he got there he was told that photos taken from an overhead spy plane showed an entire battalion of German troops not 100 meters in front of his position.
Another time he and some guys were eating, sitting around a tree. A random shell hit the tree, splitting it in two. The explosion killed one guy, the two halves of the tree killed the other two. Grandpa was ok.
He explained to me the superiority of German machine guns (snap in/out barrels, easier to change when overheated than the US screw in/out barrels) and how you always carry a piece of pipe so when you capture an enemy, you stick the pipe in his back and hold your pistol with your back hand. That way if he turns around and knocks your lead hand (which holds the pipe that he thinks is your sidearm) you still got him.
He was awareded two purple hearts and an oak-leaf cluster.
Most of his war stories are probably just a combination of him telling them when I was little, and my imagination spinning them over and over until he became the super war hero that I think he is. It doesn't matter. That's how I remember him.
He and grandma lived in the same apartment in Jackson Heights forever. They painted the walls the same color. They have all the original appliances.
The funeral is today. It's some annoying Jewish thing; you must bury the dead immediately. So of course I can't possibly make it in time.
Bye-bye grandpa.

amazon arbitrage

This is totally brilliant. Amazon has six websites globally, all in local currencies. I often bounce between .com and .jp trying to find the best price on a CD or book.
Pricenoia does all the heavy lifting for you. Search by author/title/etc., select the item, and then compare the prices, including shipping, from whatever locale you want, in your currency.

breakin' in the rain

From willnolan:
Gotta say one thing about Volkswagon; they got some badass advertising.
Low-tech explanation: no CG, just an actor who looks familiar and a rebuilt set.
Hi-tech explanation: seemless CG mapping of motion-captured body, original footage, facial scan.
Truth? Who cares!

mama at the gates

mama at the gates, originally uploaded by renfield.

Mama went to check out The Gates in Central Park. She is now officially a Patron o' The Arts.

snaps to my peeps

Peeps, 50 years of Divine Madness.

Lily and mom Chinese New Year

Lily and mom Chinese New Year, originally uploaded by renfield.

Latest photo from Ericka; Lily at 18 months.

where's the beef?

More insanity from Jeremy:
Meat hats.

many cutting

Had about 9 at cutting practice. A couple of folks brought their own swords, so we had two going at once, and managed to get everyone through 3-4 targets in just a couple of hours.
I broke in Urabe-san's new cutter. Cuts fine for me, but he needs to work on technique. Also tried Ohtsuka-san's monster cutter. That thing goes through double targets like it's cutting butter!
Like I told everyone: a good sword cuts well, but a good swordsman can cut with anything.

gyoza happy hiroko

best damn gyoza, ever: nonho

Grungy little take-out Chinese place in Shinohashi. Couple plastic tables and folding chairs in the back. The most delicious gyoza ever. EVER. And stupid cheap. STUPID.

self explanatory

kaotan ramen

Still hungry after the kushikatsu, Hiroko wanted ramen. So we walked over to the ever-so-sketchy fire hazard that is kaotan ramen. This place is typical of what makes Tokyo awesome: the building itself is patchworked shacks lashed together with blue tarp and exposed wiring. The background music was bad Bollywood 80's hits, the staff Chinese and middle eastern. The menus scrawled on the walls included bad (not "cool" bad, just bad) random artwork about the various specials, the tables are low and cramped. The whole place is just grungy and dingy and nasty and dirty and greasy. Love it.
Hiroko got ramen with a double-yoke'd boiled egg and I went for a collection of sides: flavored beef, boiled wantons, and gyoza. It was all stupendously good, cheap, and perfect.
Tokyo is brilliant specifically because nasty little places like this on the ass-corner of Aoyama Cemetery, that have never even heard of health codes, not only spring up randomly on street corners, but in fact become veritable institutions that command near-religious followings and long lines of worshippers.

kushikatsu

Hiroko and I went to a kushikatsu bar in Nishi Azabu. It's really a bar first and foremost; all standing room downstairs, with a low-ceiling'd loft that can seat a few people. It was dead empty when we went in about 8pm -- always a bad sign. We bought tickets from the ticket machine and had a couple of assorted kushikatsu (breaded and fried foods on a stick): pumpkin, tomato, beef, tofu, asaparagus, shrimp. It was perfectly ok, but not really our scene.

moron with an opinion

Sorry, Mark Devlin, but you're just a moron. Not only are you singularly responsible for more animosity in the English press in Japan than any other individual, but your statements in this interview in the Japan Media Review demonstrate your idiocy.
Choice quote #1: "I think that blogs will die out soon."
Choice quote #2: "The tablet PC will be the catalyst for change."
Uh yeah, right. That killer device that everyone simply must have: the tablet PC.

gum

Proof that Japanese gum makers care more: large tumblers of gum, this one from Lotte called "Fruits Assort +X" (X = Xylitol), come with a small pad of sticky notes. No, not for noting how delicious the green apple, pink berry, and blue citrus (huh?) flavors are, but for conveniently disposing of one's chewed gum.

it's all in the hips

Class at honbu. The regular crowd, Matsushita, Miyasawa, etc. Maybe it's because I've been out for a week, but these guys are getting good.
Miyasawa had an epiphany and has stopped rotating so much; his cuts are much straighter and cleaner. I'll have to get him cutting from the draw on Saturday to see what happens.

tattoo

The moral is: don't get a tattoo you can't read. Even if kanji looks cool.

feel the excitement

I sent Daboo a shirt.

summit day two

Same tasty breakfast, this time playing with various handheld toys and showing off my Japanese cell phone. Everyone (EVERYONE) has a Blackberry, but come on, is that as good as it gets? So 1999...
Interesting speeches this morning, including the CEO of Salesforce.com, and then the panel I moderated on wireless and mobility. Animated panel and engaged crowd, so it was easy.
And then more boarding -- same crappy snow, but it was a good time and I think I actually improved considerably. Makes me wish I had my own board and boots as the rental gear was really crappy.
And then 80 minutes of stretching and massage before dinner down the street at Snake River Lodge's Gamefish. I love having an elk steak right on the edge of the Elk Reserve National Park. But then bubble was burst when I learned that the elk are raised and shipped in from Australia!

summit day one

Breakfast at 7am, meeting various CIOs and CEOs. They all seem to know each other, so I'm just keeping a low profile and stuffing my face with sausages, eggs, bagels, and good coffee.
First couple of panels are pretty interesting; IT governance and other trendy CIO topics. This is a tight crowd; they all know each other by first name, and I am easily the younger by near a decade.
But then it's time for the slopes.
Rental equipment sucks, but Brian Hackman is a ripping snowboard pro and takes us on a good tour of the mountain. Snow is unseasonably lame, though. Not much base this year, and no recent snowfall so plenty of rocks on the steeps and no powder. Still, I have a good time connecting turns and don't push too hard so don't end up falling much.
Dinner was downtown at the Snake River Grill -- damn fine eats, including the infamous monster onion rings.

to wyoming

Off to Jackson Hole I go. Ah, the joy of flying US domestic. I shall skip the post-9/11 Security Theater and suffice to say that Chicago Airport is quite lovely, Denver airport is even cooler, and there are far, far too many people wearing cowboy hats.
The Four Seasons, Jackson Hole is right on the slopes, damn big, and pretty sweet, by the way. No boarding today, thanks, I'll just have the Native Stone Massage.

shootin'

9mm pistol, originally uploaded by renfield.

Officer Little took us to the police firing range and I got first-hand instruction in a 9mm pistol as well a couple of machine guns. The sten is a nice WW2-era collection of auto parts. Not much aiming involved, just spray bullets at the bad guy. The tommy gun is a piece of Chicago history and I felt like Elliot Ness squirting lead into Prohibition-era baddies. The M-14 is huge and loud and heavy and no fun. The kick is so strong I could barely keep it aimed at the target.
Guns is fun. America is a great country.

do these jeans make me look fat?

breakfast, originally uploaded by renfield.

Keith picked me up and we met Joanna for brunch at a Swedish diner that used to be funeral home. Nice stained glass. If I knew the Swedish meatballs and potato sausage were that good, I would have ordered nothing else. And DAMN the cinnamon rolls were good. Way, way too much food for any single human to consume in one day let alone one sitting.
Noticing the giant super-sized Vitamin Shoppe down the street I realized: Americans wouldn't need so many supplements and health clubs if they just didn't eat such crap in such ridiculously large quantities. Food is just too cheap in this country, it's silly.
I wanted some jeans (no I don't own a pair of jeans; never really needed them) and failed to purchase jeans in Japan because I'm not an androgynous, skinny little Japanese Boy.
So Keith and I head over to the Gap on the edge of BoyTown. And they have a wall of jeans. Light-dyed, pre-washed, boot cut, easy fit, loose fit, at waist, below waist, slightly below waist, flared, 1969-style, classic cut...can't I just some, y'know, jeans? Like, a pair of jeans? That fit?
Grabbed four different colored, different styled pair of jeans, all the same size, and tried them all on.
Found a pair that sort of fit; at waist, so when I sag them down to below waist to oh-so-fashionably show off my boxers, the crotch is properly mid-way to my knees. Pulling on those below-waist jeans reminds me too much of the wedgies my brother used to give me as a child. No need to relive such trauma in the name of fashion. For whatever reason, classic fit straight leg is baggier than loose fit boot cut. Or something like that. Anyway, $50 bucks and I got a pair of jeans. Hallejulah.
Went downtown and checked out the art museum gift shop. Got a couple of cool art neckties including a Keith Haring wolf-pattern tie, and some toys and stuff for whomever. Then went over to see Miller at his office, checked my mail, and grabbed a caffeinated bevvie before heading back to the dojo to do some cutting.

keith, originally uploaded by renfield.

Miller showed up as we were setting up, and we got to it. Keith was using the cutters Neeley left at the dojo from last time, and Miller was using his Nyosudo 'steel iaito that cuts.' And damn, that thing could cut. Great work by all. And I gotta say that kotetsu that Tony hooked up with, that thing cuts like a light saber. I wish I could take it back to Japan with me. I have a custom-forged sword coming this month, but if it doesn't cut as well as that badboy, I'm gonna have to figure out how to get that blade to Japan, because it's a beauty and I love it.
After cutting they had an aikido class, and then I ran the iai class. We went late and managed to get through the first 10 kata, pointing out the details for everyone to work on. Most folks still using too much armage to swing, not pushing through with the hips, so that's homework. Noto, too -- gotta slow down and relax, take your time and control the sword at all times.
After class we went to Matsuya to get some Japanese food. I wowed the waitresses with my Japanese, but of course the sushi chef himself was Korean. I love America. Good sashimi, though. Refrigerated shipping is the modern world's greatest invention.

keith and miller, originally uploaded by renfield.

chicago seminar

Joanna and Keith picked me up and we got some good diner breakfast before heading to the dojo. Good turnout; about 20 people for an all-day seminar. Spent the first hour or so just moving and working on the theory of hips, shoulders, centerline. Then we ran though a bunch of basic exercises, basic cuts, lots of detail on each little movement. There were a couple of total beginners who needed lots of TLC, and in general everyone was doing ok.
Took a lunch break and got a burritto, and then continued on with some kata work. Only did a few kata but got really into each one of them; partnering up and drilling through the distance, timing, targeting. The trick is to really see the imaginary enemy in front of you; visualize how he moves, where he is, what he's doing. Hard when you're just standing there by yourself, but necessary.
After the seminar we went down the street to Jeanne's Chinese Food and I got my fill of American sweet & sour pork, broccolli beef, and bbq spareribs. It must be my upbringing, but nothing beats plain old American Chinese food.

keith, originally uploaded by renfield.

After dinner we went to a cafe in an attempt to stay up a couple more hours so that I could force my system into Chicago Time. Had a damn fine latte and Keith's buddy Little showed some photos from Iraq and promised to take us shooting on the Chicago PD firing range on Tuesday. America's a great country.

united airlines

Nothing finer than flying on a bankrupt airline, eh. Got to Narita early (the bus from the ANA Hotel was flying) and grabbed a haircut and shave before the flight. Fairly painless straight shot into Chicago. At least they had a bento meal for me; I always forget to pre-order and they always run out. Joanna picked me up and we went straight to the dojo. I wasn't lagging too much, so we hung out at the dojo and then I ended up teaching the evening iai class. Couldn't make it after class though and had to get checked into the hotel for some beauty rest.

jenn!

Did a quick cutting demo at honbu tonight, and Jenn in town for a couple days again and Hiroko came by to check it out. After practice we went to Ninjin, like always, with Niina-gosoke, to get some greasy Chinese food: sweet & sour pork, chili prawns, gyoza. So damn good.

ebt reunion

everybody-ebttk.jpg, originally uploaded by yu-ching.

Got the whole gang together at Pizzakaya. Moka engaged, Yuki still getting lost on her motorcycle, Chimi trying to get into fashion, Hani being The Man, Todd giving out baby stuff to Tomo and Spike about to have daughters...
Chimi's got the whole scoop, plus more photos.

it's official

I now work for Bid'ness Management. Actually, I started on Feb. 1 but it took a couple of days to get my head around the whole thing.
So instead of a lonely office I have a desk on the trading floor. I know I was bragging about how cool my office was, with the killer view and all, but it was lonely and boring. Now at least I'm surrounded by noisy traders and CNN and printers and copy machines and orders shouted into phones and ringing dealer boards, and I even speak to and interact with other human beings on a regular basis, both in person and on the phone.
Oh yeah, and I'm way busier now. But that beats the other option, which is unemployment.

beer not water

More madness from Jeremy: substitute beer for water.

sore

Did some cutting this evening. Tried a slightly more doable draw, using both hands to turnover the sword and saya just as the sword is free, theoretically making it easier to grip properly as soon as the blade is out.
I still can't cut for beans though. Here's tonight's excuse: it was damn cold, near freezing outside, and the targets were hard and cold. Yeah, that must have been it.
I'm starting to wonder if I was ever able to cut...I sort of distinctly remember being able to cut much better when I thought about what I was doing considerably less. But now all I do is remember how bad my form was (is), and now I can't cut at all.
When in doubt, blame the equipment. Besides cold, hard targets, I should have a new sword sometime this month, so that'll give me something to anew.

pramulator

Dude, I wanna have kids just as an excuse to push them around in The Pramulator! Actually, forget the kids, I wanna ride! Jorge, I command thee to buy one! Emi might be too big, but Maya will love it!

high school morons

Just as I've always suspected: the average high school kid in the US is a total moron. Thanks to a stunningly inconsistent education system bolstered by pop news media, I predict first amendment rights will go the way of Guantanamo Bay, but sales of spinner hubcaps and baggy jeans will continue to climb in lockstep with oil prices.

relax

Jujitsu practice at Shinbukan. Which means we spent the whole time playing "humans can't really do that?!" games. Push without pushing, pull without pulling, step without using your feet. Frustratingly fun.
Got home hungry and Hiroko and I chowed down a big pot of fish and veggies whilst watching a tv special on greedy oil-futures trading hedge fund bastards and the millions of dollars they make.

ebisu date

Hiroko and I did some shopping for basic supplies at National Azabu, and given that the weather was sunny and not too cold, we decided to head over to Ebisu. We got lunch at Ippudo and walked over to Ebisu Prime Square. They were shooting a TV show or something, so there were camera crews and equipment trucks and gawkers all over the place. We went into B&B Italia to check out the cool, overpriced furniture. They have Jorge's awesome Charles couch. Would never fit in my living room, but damn it's a fine piece of furniture.
We then hit the Atre shopping mall at the station, bought a pot for the bamboo plant in the bathroom, looked at cool luggage and wallets, and relaxed with a 'bucks as the weather turned drizzly.

full workout

Gosoke ran us through all 28 kata tonight. I haven't done them all in forever. I quickly forgot how cold it was in the dojo as we tore through the first 15 in an hour. Next hour we did the last 13, and by the end my back and shoulders were pretty sore. It was good to go through them all, though. I haven't reviewed them in detail for a while.
After practice Gosoke and I went to Ninjin for the standard dinner: sweet & sour pork, chili prawns, gyoza. I was really tired and almost fell asleep on the train, but managed to make it home and plunged straight into the bath.

socratic logic for the boardroom

Complete this logic proof:
1) CEO and Board are responsible for shareholder value.
2) Stock price has been stagnating/declining for years.
3) ?
(Here's a hint.)

dinner with amy

Had dinner in Hiroo with Amy and her Rudick parentals.
Damn but she is one cute little thing. Like most 2 year-olds, though, she does not stop moving. Ever. Well maybe she sleeps really soundly or something, but when she's awake, she's all over the place. Her giggles will melt your heart, but her cries will bring you to tears. There must be some explanation in quantum mechanics or something; how is something so small capable of generating so many decibals at will?

khaaaaaaaaaan!

Lee, inspired by his night-on-the-town with Jeremy, brings us this.

spin state

Chirs Moriarty's debut novel is a damn fine piece of sci-fi. Got just enough cyberpunk edge to keep it thumping, but also a strong undercurrent of almost plausible quantum physics, believable characters, and a good plot. I hope she writes more.

shinjuku revenge

Totally overcast and damn cold, but Hiroko and I braved the weather to head to Shinjuku. First we checked out the annual Actus sale. It was (not) surprisingly over-priced designer furniture and homestuff, more for looking at than actually using/sitting in. Porada is the worst. Stunnigly slick curved wood Italian design chairs and tables, absolutely none of which are worthy of use by mere mortals. Chairs bite into the spine, couches are lumpy, too wide, too low, too hard, made of impractical materials and sorrounded by unnecessary heavy and sharp corners or unwieldy curves that limit usefulness to "my that looks stunning!"
We then set out to find the kaiten (conveyor belt) sushi place that we orginally sought with Jen a couple months ago. We knew it was underground, and after stumbling about in Shinjuku's nether regions we finally found it. And it was good. The fish was fresh and big and thick and delicious. Between the two of us we put down 19 plates, and the total was less than ¥7000.

lee shark hat

lee shart hat, originally uploaded by renfield.

Lee shows off the finest in piscatorial fashion.

okuden naiden

I was the only one in class tonight, so Niina-gosoke ran me through the advanced kata, naiden and okuden. Them is some craziness. Fundamentals are the same, but they've got that some extra that makes them that much more difficult, and interesting.
After class we went to Ninjin (It of the Slippery Floors) and stuffed ourselves on cheap Chinese food. Chili prawns, sweet & sour pork, pot stickers. Miyasawa-kun's new student joined, and Niina-gosoke wanted to eat Tanmen (ramen) but couldn't eat a whole one, so he split it with her, despite her protests. Naturally, she ended up finishing it off, so I immediately gave her the unpleasant nickname "Tanmen-chan." I guarantee it will stick. I have that kinda magic.

not even close

Shock! Haven't really tried cutting in while, I mean on my own, for my own sake. I tried several half-rolls, slow and deliberate. Total disaster. Then again it is to be expected, for two reasons:
1) I have significantly changed the way I draw and cut. No windup, not overdone follow-through; just straight and clean to the target. Naturally, I'm no good, so it doesn't work.
2) My cutter is just too different than my iai sword. I'm used to draw a sword that's slightly longer, has far more curve, and different balance. Using my cutter is just totally throwing me off. Next month I should get my custom-forged, and I'll use it for both cutting and iai. Of course, it being a totally new sword with a different weight, balance, and size, it will probably take me another 3 months to get used to it.
So this year the theme is 'back to square one', every time I start.

this isn't what i wanted!

There are a series of robot toys called "Kore jyanai Robo!" ("This isn't what I wanted Robot!")
You've got the female, the enemy, and the hero.
According to the explanation:

How many times has the magic of Christmas morning been broken by a child tearing open a wrapped present only to explain "This isn't what I wanted!"
But life ain't so simple that you can just get whatever you want without taking any risk. Isn't it worth teaching that in order to get what you want, you have to be willing to earn it, to sacrifice? This toy teaches the harshness of reality by inflicting such trauma with its blatant not-wantedness that any child will surely learn this lesson.
Consider it an educational toy.

Absolute genius. Collect the whole set!

more joys of japanese banking

I discovered a long-forgotten bank book and ATM card for my old Asahi Bank account. Last entry in the book said over ¥100,000, so I went down to the main Shibuya branch at lunch. Asahi is now Resona; yellow has been replaced by green, and the old bank uniforms seem to have been replaced by a casual dress policy as all the cashiers appeared to be wearing whatever the hell they wanted.
Standing at the counter in front of a big sign that said

"For Your Safety: In order to protect the important assets of our customers, we will require a valid photo identification for all withdrawal requests. Sorry for the inconveniece."

I produced my ancient ATM card and bankbook, and in a few moments I was told that the remaining balance was, in fact...¥179! So I said I'd like to withdraw the money and close the account. I produced my hanko (seal) and in a few moments the account was emptied and closed, I had a pocketful of change.
And not once was I asked for any form of identification.
(Note: round-trip train fare = ¥380. Subtract ¥179 and I net lost ¥201.)

fish hat

Must wear fish on head.
From (who else?) Jeremy.

post rain sunset

Sometimes, usually after the rain, Tokyo is damn near beautiful. After a weekend of freezing rain, the winter air is crisp, cold, and clear. Everyone calls Japan the land of the rising sun, but the sunsets from my 20th floor office window ain't too shabby.

shinnen keikokai

We had our Official First Practice of the year. Miserably cold, rainy weather. But not cold enough to turn into snow. Nasty stuff, but practice was at Toritsudai; a wonderfully new and warm gym in the Meguro Citizen's Center.
Niina-gosoke ran everyone through basic practice in the morning, and then in the afternoon we broke into groups and I had the upper ranks. We drilled for a couple of hours on various details of the kata. Spent a bit of time pairing folks up to figure out where they're really aiming, what distance is reasonable, and other things that are tough to figure out on one's own.
By the end of the day I was pretty fried and tired, considering I got up at 7 and had to go to Honbu first thing in the morning to get my stuff and then trek all the way across Tokyo.
Yoshida-sensei trained in the morning; since she had her kid in March she's been out, but now that the little grommet's gotten to the point where it can roll about, she's going to start practicing again.
After practice I came home and had some udon with hiroko for dinner. Sunday night basic Japanese dinner is practically a religion in our house.