shibuya
Hit Bic Camera with The Eng to sort his home network situation. Having too many problems with his current solution, so we decided to switch him to Yahoo DSL. Paperwork was no problem, except for the arbitrarily useless phoneline issue -- the joy of having one and only one phone company:
In Japan, all phonelines have an owner. Of course, these days thanks to deregulation, you can rent out your phoneline to anyone. So The Eng's phoneline isn't his, he rents in. (Buying to own a phoneline is a magically expensive process.) The "construction" necessary to convert a phoneline to do DSL requires the OWNER'S (not the renter's) approval. And due to Personal Information Protection laws, NTT couldn't actually tell us who the owner was -- the fact that we know who it is "proves" to NTT that we have permission.
So we're sitting in Bic Camera, in the first place me doing everything because The Eng no speak the Japonesi. The Bic Camera dude calls NTT, hands The Eng the phone. Which I take. NTT lady says "Who is this?" and I confirm that I am The Eng, by reciting my name, address, and phone number. Then she asks who owns the line. The Eng has a blank look on his face. We try the name of his real estate agent. Nope. Trading assistant. Nope. Admin. Nope. Aha, maybe it's the owner of the apartment? What's her name? No idea. The Eng calls his real estate agent. She says the last name. I tell NTT. Yup, got the last name right. Now what about the first name? What?! I talk to the real estate agent. Akiko? Nope. Nanako? Nope. Keiko? Nope. Real estate agent calls her office. Gets someone to look at the paperwork. Calls The Eng back. Not sure how to pronounce the first name? Guess a couple of standard readings and finally Nail it: Sumiko! NTT lady on the phone confirms that, since we have given her The Eng's name, address, phone number, and the full name of the lady who owns the phone line, we have proven whatever it is we are required to prove, and have now been authorized to do whatever it is that needs to be done for his phone line to be switched to Yahoo DSL.
I love bureaucracy.
In Japan, all phonelines have an owner. Of course, these days thanks to deregulation, you can rent out your phoneline to anyone. So The Eng's phoneline isn't his, he rents in. (Buying to own a phoneline is a magically expensive process.) The "construction" necessary to convert a phoneline to do DSL requires the OWNER'S (not the renter's) approval. And due to Personal Information Protection laws, NTT couldn't actually tell us who the owner was -- the fact that we know who it is "proves" to NTT that we have permission.
So we're sitting in Bic Camera, in the first place me doing everything because The Eng no speak the Japonesi. The Bic Camera dude calls NTT, hands The Eng the phone. Which I take. NTT lady says "Who is this?" and I confirm that I am The Eng, by reciting my name, address, and phone number. Then she asks who owns the line. The Eng has a blank look on his face. We try the name of his real estate agent. Nope. Trading assistant. Nope. Admin. Nope. Aha, maybe it's the owner of the apartment? What's her name? No idea. The Eng calls his real estate agent. She says the last name. I tell NTT. Yup, got the last name right. Now what about the first name? What?! I talk to the real estate agent. Akiko? Nope. Nanako? Nope. Keiko? Nope. Real estate agent calls her office. Gets someone to look at the paperwork. Calls The Eng back. Not sure how to pronounce the first name? Guess a couple of standard readings and finally Nail it: Sumiko! NTT lady on the phone confirms that, since we have given her The Eng's name, address, phone number, and the full name of the lady who owns the phone line, we have proven whatever it is we are required to prove, and have now been authorized to do whatever it is that needs to be done for his phone line to be switched to Yahoo DSL.
I love bureaucracy.
all day in the dojo
Got up early (for a Saturday) and headed to Honbu Dojo. We had cutting practice all day. First group started about 10am and went until lunch. Wakadanna came by and we discussed the target-soaking situation, which he rectified by buying two large, wheeled trashbins. Whilst purchasing said bins, he also picked up an electric pump. This is how it should be done! Drop the pump into the bucket, stick the hose in the toilet, plug it in and watch the magic. Also, Nakayama's no-stinky discovery is also a big hit. No idea what's in this wonder liquid, but diluted 100 times in a spray bottle and it immediately kills any and all nasty stinkiness.
After cutting we did a little rearranging in the office; pulled the door off the bathroom, moved the shelves to fit the soak buckets, moved the locker into the hall, realized we couldn't get the soaker bins out past the locker, moved the locker to where the clothes rack is, and then rearranged everything else around again. We just got way, way too much crap in the office.
After cutting we did a little rearranging in the office; pulled the door off the bathroom, moved the shelves to fit the soak buckets, moved the locker into the hall, realized we couldn't get the soaker bins out past the locker, moved the locker to where the clothes rack is, and then rearranged everything else around again. We just got way, way too much crap in the office.
tonchan
P got her monthly check up -- mom's doing okay, Tonchan is growing as expected. Kickin' around on a regular basis. I am guessing that having one's organs randomly kicked and pushed on from inside is a less-than-pleasant experience, with which mom is dealing as well as can be expected.
Also, we have passed a Milestone: P's waist is now officially bigger than mine. I have lost 3 kilos in the past 3 months and dropped 3 centimeters off the waistband, and she has progressed steadily into pregnant-ness.
Also, we have passed a Milestone: P's waist is now officially bigger than mine. I have lost 3 kilos in the past 3 months and dropped 3 centimeters off the waistband, and she has progressed steadily into pregnant-ness.
After work, got some curry with The Eng and headed back to his place to trouble shoot his wireless network. Seems the adsl line and wireless were fine, but for some reason the he was getting a PPP authentication error. Maybe the crappy ISP changed his account or something, who knows.
We then spent a good hour racing his remote-control Ferrari around the well-waxed wood floor, much to the dismay of his cat, LB.
We then spent a good hour racing his remote-control Ferrari around the well-waxed wood floor, much to the dismay of his cat, LB.
dad & patriotic ladies
As a matter of fact, it's genetic. My dad runs. It's a health thing. Recently, he ran the Hope and Possibility Race in Grand Central. Most of the runners had prosthetic limbs or were in a wheelchair or something. My dad's handicap is his twisted sense of humor: note his 'kamikaze' (divine wind) headband.
pork shabu w/ericka
Lily's mom is in town for a few days in bid'ness, so we got some pork shabu with her bro Tre and the indefatigable Tony. Cool little place just down the street, and damn fine pig eats.
tokyo national museum
Well crank an egg on my head and call me a frying pan it is HOT today! But never mind the heat, we had some culture to be gettin'! P and I cruised up to Ueno, got lunch at Hard Rock, and checked out the Meiji Era art from the Joe Price collection at the Tokyo National Art Museum.
Extremely cool. We wandered the rest of the museum and saw the permanent collection as well -- lots of great swords, pottery and other artifacts of Japan-ness.
After the museum we took a wee break at 'bucks, then headed back to Shiroganetakanawa station, did some shopping for dinner, and wandered back home through the Shinohashi local shopping street summer festival.
pikachu
More birthday silliness. Went up to Kanda to enjoy some fried meat and beverages with the mostly-British gang from work, and pikachu announced my birthday as the ladies surprised me with another birthday cake. Then we wandered Kanda a bit and ended up in a salaryman standard standing bar for some late-night bits and bobs.
A good time was once again had by all and a fine way to become 34 (if a day late, but who's counting?)
happy bday to me!
I thought I had escaped the birthday gremlins, but they caught up with me at work!
dragon fruit juice
Okinawa Festival at Isetan in Shinkuju again, so P took me to get some quality noodles and then we grabbed a couple of bento and other goodies for dinner.
And of course P got her traditional dragon fruit juice ("pulpy!") and I got an acelora juice ("tart!")
Then we walked over to Bic Camera and got my birthday present: my very own bloodpressure monitor! It's a little jobby that goes on the wrist and measures blood pressure and pulse. I will collate data from daily morning and evening readings and see what's what. So far so good -- I think my bp's better when I test it at home. Then again I can make my bp go down 30 points just by zoning out and relaxing for 30 seconds, so I'm less interested in the exact number and more concerned about keeping it stable or even dropping, not rising.
Cause I'm an Old Man now, eh.
yoshida party
Went to Yoshida's for a birthday-is-a-good-excuse-to-eat party. Spent most of the time playing with Marin:
At the station waiting for the train, there was a salaryman in a messed up black suit who sat down on the bench. Then lay down. Then fell onto the floor. Then somehow got back up onto the bench. by the time we got on our train he was lying on the bench again.
And then at Shibuya station we saw this fellow:
ginza nap
Snuck out of work early and headed down to the dojo. I ended up practicing noto (sheathing) for almost 2 hours. Details man, it's all about the details.
After practice it wasn't too terribly hot so I walked 45 minutes through Ginza down to Shinbashi station, and found this salaryman having a wee nap after what I assume to be a quite a few beverages with the boys. Ah, the reserved and conservative Japanese!
happy b-day & bye-bye ky!
Yotsu's birthday and her last day in the office -- she's off to join her new husband in NY. Good luck KY!
my back hurts
I think I tweaked my lower back sitting all day on Saturday judging for the tournament, and of course I ignored the pain for the next few days, running around with the guys and training and not getting enough sleep and working and not really sitting zazen very well.
Now it hurts. I don't think I totally threw my back out or anything, but bending over is truly unpleasant, and sometimes if I move badly I imagine I know what it's like to have red-hot iron stuck into my body. I can't exactly figure out what kind of movement hurts. Lying down feels fine, walking is okay, but sometimes it's like the strain of supporting the weight of my legs is too much for my hips/lower back, and it just hurts.
I went to the dojo last night but thankfully it was closed -- don't think working out would have been a good idea.
Now it hurts. I don't think I totally threw my back out or anything, but bending over is truly unpleasant, and sometimes if I move badly I imagine I know what it's like to have red-hot iron stuck into my body. I can't exactly figure out what kind of movement hurts. Lying down feels fine, walking is okay, but sometimes it's like the strain of supporting the weight of my legs is too much for my hips/lower back, and it just hurts.
I went to the dojo last night but thankfully it was closed -- don't think working out would have been a good idea.
tournament
We got up early and out the door on time to taxi up to the Chuo City Sports Center. The place was already setup and so everyone got changed out and registered, then before you know it we were lined up and starting the opening ceremonies. We had the standard boring (and long!) speeches from the ex-Cabinet bureaucrat, the mayor, etc. and then we're off!
Started with the cutting demo; me and five guys took our places, faced our targets, and did our damage. I think five out of six of us made our cuts, so that was good. Then Gosoke and Yamada-sensei did a jo vs. sword demo, and finally all the Big Sensei demo'd iai kata. Always interesting to see the differences between all the big guys; very subtle in some ways and obviously different in others.
After the demos we started the competition: single-elimination pyramid, divisions based on rank. I judged for several divisions up to lunch and my back was pretty sore from sitting up straight in a chair for a couple hours solid.
For lunch I ate with the guests and other sensei; Hashimoto-san provided bento from his restaurant and it was damn fine eats. I stuffed myself and then got back down on the floor for more judging.
My division, 5/6dan was last. I was wearing my formal kimono, with long sleeves, and had my tabi (socks) on, so in my first round I couldn't see where I was cutting and I kept sliding all over the place. I barely won, beating Tominaga who has always kicked my butt since years ago, but only because he's a long-distance truck driver and hasn't practiced much. Got into better form in the later rounds and swept my way to the finals.
Then it was time for all the final rounds so I was back to judging for the first few divisions, and then ran back to do my final round for first place. Didn't feel too bad, just kind of cruised through it as I was pretty fried by then, but managed to get three out of three flags for the win!
Then we did the awards ceremony, handed out trophies and certificates, etc. and before you know it we were cleaning up and getting ready to head out.
Started with the cutting demo; me and five guys took our places, faced our targets, and did our damage. I think five out of six of us made our cuts, so that was good. Then Gosoke and Yamada-sensei did a jo vs. sword demo, and finally all the Big Sensei demo'd iai kata. Always interesting to see the differences between all the big guys; very subtle in some ways and obviously different in others.
After the demos we started the competition: single-elimination pyramid, divisions based on rank. I judged for several divisions up to lunch and my back was pretty sore from sitting up straight in a chair for a couple hours solid.
For lunch I ate with the guests and other sensei; Hashimoto-san provided bento from his restaurant and it was damn fine eats. I stuffed myself and then got back down on the floor for more judging.
My division, 5/6dan was last. I was wearing my formal kimono, with long sleeves, and had my tabi (socks) on, so in my first round I couldn't see where I was cutting and I kept sliding all over the place. I barely won, beating Tominaga who has always kicked my butt since years ago, but only because he's a long-distance truck driver and hasn't practiced much. Got into better form in the later rounds and swept my way to the finals.
Then it was time for all the final rounds so I was back to judging for the first few divisions, and then ran back to do my final round for first place. Didn't feel too bad, just kind of cruised through it as I was pretty fried by then, but managed to get three out of three flags for the win!
Then we did the awards ceremony, handed out trophies and certificates, etc. and before you know it we were cleaning up and getting ready to head out.
seminar
Slept in and got down to Honbu to get haircuts and shaves then cabbed to the gym for some pre-tournament setup and seminar. Gosoke was running the seminar, and Yamada-sensei and Konishi-sensei couldn't just watch without helping out, so they jumped in with many pointers and everyone was most appreciative.
We trained for a couple of hours and then cruised to Miri's for some tasty burger and turkey dinners before heading home for a decent night's sleep.
I looked all over for my zekken (name patch) and of course couldn't find it at all, so decided to wear my kimono, as I should be dressing up formally anyway.
We trained for a couple of hours and then cruised to Miri's for some tasty burger and turkey dinners before heading home for a decent night's sleep.
I looked all over for my zekken (name patch) and of course couldn't find it at all, so decided to wear my kimono, as I should be dressing up formally anyway.
arrival
The Senpokan Crew arrived well on time so I met everyone at the ANA Hotel and helped the guys get cabs to the hotel. BigT and Father Neeley piled in with me to go home and inhale a massive pot of Hiroko's famous black chili.
I bought a new wireless router earlier in the day (as well as some slick remote-controlled Ferrari's that we buzzed around the trading floor) and got that setup as we turned to living room into a remote office -- four people, four laptops, lots of key clicking.
I bought a new wireless router earlier in the day (as well as some slick remote-controlled Ferrari's that we buzzed around the trading floor) and got that setup as we turned to living room into a remote office -- four people, four laptops, lots of key clicking.
crabcake @ cicada
Went to Cicada for dinner with some of the guys from work. Quality food. Had kind of a Moroccan thing going on, with lots of fresh, organic goodness. Tangine, couscous, hummus, lamb. Oh, happy lamb. Fine seafood, too. And totally reasonably priced.
The clientele fell into three main categories: groups of 20ish/30ish Japanese OL women. Old, rich Japanese couples. Gaijin couples. Gay men. Considering we were a table of 5 guys, I would add to that list "cool and heterosexual gaijin dudes from Wall Street."
guzofski in japan
During the massive dojo basement cleanup I unearthed a bunch of old photos and had them all dumped to CDR. Here are a slew of photos from when Guzofski was in Japan; some shots from the Azabujyuban festival and the going-back-to-the-USA/happy engagement party. I'll upload more as I go through them.
capt'n DD
The Gaijin Samurai Invasion has begun! Captain Double D arrived this evening and being the real trooper that he is, showed up for class. At least it wasn't die-of-dehydration hot; weather's dropped off a cliff the past few days and now it's just colder and rainy and humid.
We cranked the basics and did a few kata for a couple hours, and then he was lookin' mighty ready for a shower and some significant sleep, so we called it a night.
I went home and came to the painful realization that my internet connection wasn't just slow. It's worse than that, he's dead Jim.
After nearly three years of tireless service, my Linksys wireless router is d-e-a-d. Can't flash the firmware or hardboot or system reset. Can't ping it, can't trace it, can't do nothing much but plug in the power and watch the red error LED turn on and stay on. Indicating (hello!) an error.
Time to get me down to BicCamera for some replacement shopping.
We cranked the basics and did a few kata for a couple hours, and then he was lookin' mighty ready for a shower and some significant sleep, so we called it a night.
I went home and came to the painful realization that my internet connection wasn't just slow. It's worse than that, he's dead Jim.
After nearly three years of tireless service, my Linksys wireless router is d-e-a-d. Can't flash the firmware or hardboot or system reset. Can't ping it, can't trace it, can't do nothing much but plug in the power and watch the red error LED turn on and stay on. Indicating (hello!) an error.
Time to get me down to BicCamera for some replacement shopping.
clean dojo
I spent the day cleaning up the basement dojo. I threw away seven trashbags of old useless crap, cleaned out the small room and made it into my mini-sanctuary, moved my antique tansu and sword rack into the sanctuary, cleared out all the useless storage under the stairs, rebuilt the metal shelving unit into a narrow, tall rack for the sanctuary and a rolling clothes rack for underneath the stairs, and finally I rolled all the targets and stacked then nicely into the corner.
Seriously didn't realize how much space I have in the dojo, and now with it all cleaned up I realize how lucky I am to have a house with a basement. I can use it for training, and Tonchan can use it as a playroom.
This house has issues; too many stairs, too damn hot in the summer and too damn cold in the winter. But it's got a big basement and plenty of room otherwise, and for the middle of Tokyo I'll be hard-pressed to find such a fine space.
bbq!
Akee came over and we fired up the Weber to cook some meats. Ah, BBQ! Please note the amount of food and the number of people. Yes, we made way too much. But meat is good. We also had corn and potatoes from the homestead farm.
cuttin' w/salty
Only Hata-chan and Kara-chan showed up for class today, so we spent a goodly amount of time on the basics and breaking down several kata. Near the end of class Salty-kun showed up and had some targets soaked, so we did some cutting. He's really nervous about the cutting demo for the tournament, so he was stressing. Besides which, the targets he had were barely soaked and rock hard, so we both cut quite badly. Finally I pulled out some properly soaked targets and we both cut fine, so hopefully his stress levels have come down a bit.
mom & p on the bus
Mom spent the night at our place, and then we went up to Ginza for some shopping. Hiroko got some more maternity clothes, and we looked at overpriced Norwegian cribs and decided we really just need to take a trip to Babies r us.
afternoon cuttin'
Hit the dojo about noon and got set up for cutting practice. Good turnout, nice and sweaty in the dojo, lots of stinky (STANKEE!) targets.
Most folks cut well. I cut like ass first couple times, then hit my stride and nail a few nice shots. We cleaned up, hit the 'bucks with Elvis for a cool bevvie and some mumble mumble, and came home. At the Shirogantakanawa station, they were doing a wee neighborhood festival (probably for Tanabata) and I had some lottery tix from my haircut last week, so I got three spins on the chusen and won...a digital camera? 100,000yen in travel coupons? three packs of tissues and a cloth to clean my glasses!
Most folks cut well. I cut like ass first couple times, then hit my stride and nail a few nice shots. We cleaned up, hit the 'bucks with Elvis for a cool bevvie and some mumble mumble, and came home. At the Shirogantakanawa station, they were doing a wee neighborhood festival (probably for Tanabata) and I had some lottery tix from my haircut last week, so I got three spins on the chusen and won...a digital camera? 100,000yen in travel coupons? three packs of tissues and a cloth to clean my glasses!
icon
My man jorge hooked me up with this cool software for makin' one's likeness into an icon. Love it.
suitengu
Went with Hiroko to Suitengu Shrine. "Suitengu" is written with the characters for 'water' and 'heavens'; it is the shrine of the ocean. Water is also associated with birth, as the baby sits in a big bag of juice. Dogs are said to have easy births, so a couple of times a month, on properly auspicious "dog" days, all the pregnant women in their 5th month come here to get blessed for a safe and healthy birth, and to get a blessed obi -- a belt you wrap around your stomach to ensure a safe and healthy birth. Seems back in the day, they used to monthly change the rope hanging from the bell you ring when praying at the shrine. Pregnant women who took a bit of that rope and wrapped it around their stomachs supposedly had an easy birth, and so the rumor spread, and now you can buy, in one convenient set for only 3000 yen!
A nafuda to place in your home shrine
An obi
A quick and efficient blessing in the coolness of the inner shrine
As you can see the place was packed; you could never tell that Japan has a declining birth rate!
health check this out
Ah, the joy of nationalized healthcare in Japan. For a couple of days every year, the large multipurpose meeting room upstairs is, with a few simple curtains and an army of white-coated nurses, turned into a full-bore medical clinic.
I arrived slightly before noon, dropped off my urine sample, completed the questionairre about my health (no I do not "Feel the pain in chest, when swallow it", nor die I "have irregular bowels, or bloods in stool") and got in line. Getting weighed whilst fully clothed is always amusing, even better when I seem to have gained both a kilo in weight and half a centimeter in height. Still growing!
Blood pressure was better: 135/82 -- still a bit high, but it's coming down nicely thank you.
Eyes okay, three vials of blood let's-do-that-lying-down-thanks, chest xray, EKG, quick chat with the doctor ("Lose a couple more kilos, keep excersising, you're fine."), hearing ok, and we're done!
I arrived slightly before noon, dropped off my urine sample, completed the questionairre about my health (no I do not "Feel the pain in chest, when swallow it", nor die I "have irregular bowels, or bloods in stool") and got in line. Getting weighed whilst fully clothed is always amusing, even better when I seem to have gained both a kilo in weight and half a centimeter in height. Still growing!
Blood pressure was better: 135/82 -- still a bit high, but it's coming down nicely thank you.
Eyes okay, three vials of blood let's-do-that-lying-down-thanks, chest xray, EKG, quick chat with the doctor ("Lose a couple more kilos, keep excersising, you're fine."), hearing ok, and we're done!
healthy
Have my yearly health checkup on Friday, so for lack of significant motivational ability, I have focused these past few weeks on the short-term goal of getting better results than last year.
Short of genetic manipulation to rid me of my tendency for high blood pressure, I have few options left, which include:
Short of genetic manipulation to rid me of my tendency for high blood pressure, I have few options left, which include:
- Getting up at 6am every day and spending 30 minutes in the basement dojo; 15 minutes sitting and 15 minutes working through staff and sword basics.
- Avoiding food after 10pm, no exceptions. (Well, okay, the occasional exception.)
- One piece of 86% dark chocolate on Sunday evening. (And the occasional cookie when someone brings back boxes of them from some exotic foreign land.)
- Fighting Fitness on Monday and Wednesday, Honbu Dojo on Tuesday and Friday.
- Water. Lots of water.
because
Interesting class -- I showed up an hour late (dealing with end of 2Q stuff at work) and it was a hair short of sweltering in the dojo, but we dove right in.
Started with shin as always, and everyone looked pretty good. Spoke a bit about getting some more extension without necessarily stepping/sliding forward, that is getting maximum reach without closing the distance too much.
Then we did sa, and everyone looked really good. The key is to stay fluid, and keep the hips moving forward (left) without pulling them back and then moving in again. Very hard to keep the draw and cut one smooth motion, but it feels really good when it works.
Finally we went through yochuin. First and most important: do NOT look at the foot you may or may not be cutting! Watch the person onto whom the foot is attached, and get off the centerline; open up the left side of the body, retract the left shoulder and left knee and extend flat -- tsuka flush with the arm and a straight extention of it. Reach deep and force him back, then follow him in and finish him. A simple kata, but quite involved and as always many details easily missed.
Most important is to simply do the kata as it is intended. First believe that the kata "works"; kata exist in a made-up world of marginal reality, where the enemy moves in a specific way, to which you react in a set way, and you win. Later on you get to play the "what if" game -- what if he does this and not that? What if he's standing? What if I did this first? But for now, we just do the kata, and instead of second-guessing it -- this is easier, this feels better, why wouldn't I do this? -- we just do it and try to figure out why it works, how it works.
There is nothing wrong with the kata; there is everything wrong with us.
Started with shin as always, and everyone looked pretty good. Spoke a bit about getting some more extension without necessarily stepping/sliding forward, that is getting maximum reach without closing the distance too much.
Then we did sa, and everyone looked really good. The key is to stay fluid, and keep the hips moving forward (left) without pulling them back and then moving in again. Very hard to keep the draw and cut one smooth motion, but it feels really good when it works.
Finally we went through yochuin. First and most important: do NOT look at the foot you may or may not be cutting! Watch the person onto whom the foot is attached, and get off the centerline; open up the left side of the body, retract the left shoulder and left knee and extend flat -- tsuka flush with the arm and a straight extention of it. Reach deep and force him back, then follow him in and finish him. A simple kata, but quite involved and as always many details easily missed.
Most important is to simply do the kata as it is intended. First believe that the kata "works"; kata exist in a made-up world of marginal reality, where the enemy moves in a specific way, to which you react in a set way, and you win. Later on you get to play the "what if" game -- what if he does this and not that? What if he's standing? What if I did this first? But for now, we just do the kata, and instead of second-guessing it -- this is easier, this feels better, why wouldn't I do this? -- we just do it and try to figure out why it works, how it works.
There is nothing wrong with the kata; there is everything wrong with us.
most expensive?
Hmm...I've never been to Moscow, but I HAVE been to Seoul, and I have a really hard time believing they are both generally more expensive than Tokyo. The Most Expensive City In The World rankings are out for 2006, and Tokyo has dropped to 3rd. I'm not buying it!
To give a sense of just what life costs in various cities, Mercer priced out the cost of a two-bedroom unfurnished apartment, a cup of coffee served, a fast food meal and an international paper. In Moscow, the apartment will run you $3,000, the coffee $5.27, the paper $3.40, and the burger with fries $3.87
$3000 (JPY348,000) will get you one hell of a tiny "2 bedroom" in my neighborhood! I doubt they are considering: square footage including storage, cost of utilities (free heating in many NY buildings), and that unfurnished in Japan = ZERO appliances (no refrigerator, stove, oven, washer/dryer, air conditioners, etc.)
$3.87 = JPY452. I challenge you to find a meal for less than 500 yen, unless you want to be eating cup noodle all the time.
Sure, I think the FX rate is doing most of the damage, but still, I'm not convinced, as much as I would love Japan to get cheaper. Besides, I get paid in yen and want to buy dollars for saving, so the FX rate keeps moving against me!
passed!
I have successfully passed the JSDA Internal Administrator exam and am now registered as a fully qualified Internal Control / Sales Manager! W00t!
study
Study. Study. Study. Much studying. Lots and lots of studying. I haven't studied this much since...I was actively trying to learn stuff. Test is tomorrow, so after doing some jo training on Saturday afternoon, I spent all Saturday night at Starbucks.
Today P and I helped Aki move into her new place just up the street in Shirokane. We did some shopping at D2, then had lunch at Miri's. I hit Starbucks again for some studying and then came home to do some cutting in the basement. It was most stinky -- soakin' targets in the summer is nasty work.
Today P and I helped Aki move into her new place just up the street in Shirokane. We did some shopping at D2, then had lunch at Miri's. I hit Starbucks again for some studying and then came home to do some cutting in the basement. It was most stinky -- soakin' targets in the summer is nasty work.
fighting gloves!
Got me my very own pair o' fightin' gloves! Loads of fun to pound on a heavy bag in the dojo with these baddies. I even love the blue tinge left on my fingers after my sweat has sucked the glove dye to stain me.
solid gold shoe inserts
Because you need this. two and a half million yen for:
solid. gold. shoe. inserts.
And they only weight a kilo!
solid. gold. shoe. inserts.
And they only weight a kilo!
minami osawa
Had to cruise out to the boonies for our annual distaster recovery test. (Jenn and P went shopping.)
We have an alternate business site out in Minami Osawa, so we had to go out there and make sure all the PCs and apps and whatnot worked. Assuming there's an earthquake, we're supposed to go (walk?) out there and...keep working, I guess.
Afterwards Coach gave me a ride back (seeing as he lives across the street from me) and we got lunch at Miri's.
We have an alternate business site out in Minami Osawa, so we had to go out there and make sure all the PCs and apps and whatnot worked. Assuming there's an earthquake, we're supposed to go (walk?) out there and...keep working, I guess.
Afterwards Coach gave me a ride back (seeing as he lives across the street from me) and we got lunch at Miri's.
toshogu, nikko
Jenn wanted to check out Nikko, so we hopped the train up to Tochigi and checked things out. The main attraction Toshogu is a series of shrines and cool buildings housing the spirits of The Tokugawa family; the first shogun of Japan Ieyasu, his grandson, etc. It's a giant world heritage site, and despite the lovely random vending machines are power lines (only in Japan?), it's damn impressive. 15,000 artisans labored for 2 years to build an incredible assortment of carved, painted, gold-gilded wooden buildings. Weather managed to stay not rainy, but was lovely muggy and we was dead tired on the train home.
alien tonchan
15th week checkup and we have: a spinal column in a bag of juice. There were some skeletal arms and legs in there, too, but Tonchan looks way too much like an alien. Not sure if boy or girl yet, either. Maybe next time.
various
Various updates: been working a fair amount, and studying. Gearing up to take the Internal Control/Sales Manager Exam, so haven't been practicing much.
I have been getting up early every day for the past several weeks and sitting for 15-20 minutes. It is very boring.
Hiroko is working on a nice gut, btw. I know I'm not supposed to call it a gut; she makes the distinction that my gut is fat and therefore isn't going anywhere, whereas hers is a 'bump', and once the little alien comes out, she'll be back into fighting style.
Tsuyu, aka typhoon season, has begun. It is rainy and muggy and hot and generally nasty.
When the rain clears up, I need to fire up the BBQ again. I use domestic charcoal, but I'm thinking I need to mix in some wood chips and get the cool smokiness. Also, I want to try BBQing some ostrich meat. Just because someone at work described it as "More porky than chicken, more chickeny than pork."
I have been getting up early every day for the past several weeks and sitting for 15-20 minutes. It is very boring.
Hiroko is working on a nice gut, btw. I know I'm not supposed to call it a gut; she makes the distinction that my gut is fat and therefore isn't going anywhere, whereas hers is a 'bump', and once the little alien comes out, she'll be back into fighting style.
Tsuyu, aka typhoon season, has begun. It is rainy and muggy and hot and generally nasty.
When the rain clears up, I need to fire up the BBQ again. I use domestic charcoal, but I'm thinking I need to mix in some wood chips and get the cool smokiness. Also, I want to try BBQing some ostrich meat. Just because someone at work described it as "More porky than chicken, more chickeny than pork."
hiroko & dad
After hanging out with grandma in the hospital, we went to get some sushi with the parentals Kuroda.
club sandwhich @ royal host
Took the train up from Ueno to Tsuchiura to see grandma in the hospital. Not doing much better -- still can't move her left side, though she is eating and talking. After grandma had lunch Hiroko and I walked down to RoyHo for some lunch.
grandma sakayori
Hiroko's mom's mom, Grandma Hisae Sakayori, had a stroke and is in the hospital. Hiroko and I went up to see her today. She was conscious, but could not move her left side, except she could wiggle her left foot a bit. She's eating, but her blood pressure is way too high. 86 years old, and everyone is quite worried.
knocked up
Kevin sent Hiroko this lovely tee. Thanks Kev! You can see from her expression how much Hiroko is enjoying it, seeing as how she's got a nice gut going on. Well okay it's not a gut; mine's a gut because it's full of fat, whilst hers is full of baby.
company dinner
Various new folks on the team at dinner, so we rented out Cuisine 219 in Aoyama and had a lovely time of it. Still can't figure out if it was supposed to be French, Italian, or some blend of California Fusion -- menu in French, wines from Cali, lots of pasta...
Nice evening so I just walked home. Took about an hour; pleasant stroll through Aoyama, Nishi Azabu, and Hiroo.
Nice evening so I just walked home. Took about an hour; pleasant stroll through Aoyama, Nishi Azabu, and Hiroo.
show off
Jenn took her tour group to dinner at Hashimoto's Toyoda and then they came up to the dojo to check out class. Did some kata, kumitachi, and ended with some cutting. I managed not to embarass myself too much and I think they had fun.
oden
A wee bit of shopping in Azabujyuban, and hiroko wanted oden. So we got oden.
On the way back we ran into Spike, taking his daughter home from the office.
my muji bag
Went to the Bystedt's to get some kid and mom stuff before they move to Australia at the end of the month. Scored a stroller and some maternity clothes for Hiroko.
Barely made it in time for zazen, and then met Hiroko at the big Muji in Yurakucho to buy more maternity clothes and stuff. We spent enough money that I got a free bag, which as you can see I designed with my best Japlish.
jenn & zach
Jenn's in town once again, slummin' at the Hotel Kuroda. We met Zach and got some yummy almost-entirely veggie dinner at a cool soba place in Hiroo, right across the street from Aiiku Byoin, the hospital where in about 6 months Hiroko will give birth to Ton-chan: Ultimate Warrior.
(I have decided that until we figure out if the kid's a boy or a girl, I will refer to my child as Ton-chan: Ultimate Warrior. Got a nice ring to it, no?)
garreth rollin bannevans
He came into this world at 7 pounds, 14 ounces, and 21 inches long -- congrats Packy and Kelly!
back to basics
In Japanese, hisashiburi means "it's been a while!" Today I met Kiyo-kun for lunch at Miri's. Haven't seen him in a couple years. He's graduated (amazing!) and working at some company, training on his own with a small group. After lunch we went back to my house and goofed off in the dojo; always fun to play with him as he's such a budo-freak; worse than me. Also good to see that even though he's grown up a bit he's still fairly immature and dorky kid at heart!
Later in the evening I met up with Elvis and we headed down to Machida to do some proper cutting with Roger and the Toyama-ryu guys. Haven't seen many of them in a while and they're such a nice bunch of folk.
As expected, I cut like ass. I mean seriously, I have never cut that badly in all my life. Just couldn't even do the basics. And after three rounds and some pointers I was thinking "This is great! I'm always teaching and telling people this stuff, but now I'm lame and being told basic pointers like grip and angle and technique!" Feels so good to realize how much I suck, and to go back to the basics; forget all the crap I think I know and just let someone teach me and start all over learning from scratch! Will make an effort to motivate down there at least once a month!
Later in the evening I met up with Elvis and we headed down to Machida to do some proper cutting with Roger and the Toyama-ryu guys. Haven't seen many of them in a while and they're such a nice bunch of folk.
As expected, I cut like ass. I mean seriously, I have never cut that badly in all my life. Just couldn't even do the basics. And after three rounds and some pointers I was thinking "This is great! I'm always teaching and telling people this stuff, but now I'm lame and being told basic pointers like grip and angle and technique!" Feels so good to realize how much I suck, and to go back to the basics; forget all the crap I think I know and just let someone teach me and start all over learning from scratch! Will make an effort to motivate down there at least once a month!
crowded
Managed to make it to practice not too late and had a nice session working in the corner. Only a few folks on the floor, so I could zone out nicely and do my own thing. Last 30 minutes we did kumitachi as always, so Gosoke had me teach. *sigh* I think some folks are generally unclear on the concept and really need a good bonking on the head with a hard piece of wood. It may look and feel cool to rush quickly through a fancy sword-fighting pattern with your partner, but it certainly doesn't make for much practice when you just slop through the moves with no regard for what the other guy is doing.
Much better to get as fast as you realistically can and actually react to each other, i.e. evade/block/counter once you have been attacked. What generally happens is you know you do A, he attacks B, so you counter C. And so you do A and then C, and somewhere in between he's done B, and oh looky there what a neat kata! If you actually watch the other guy, wait until he's committed to burying his piece of wood into your soft skull, and then at the last possible moment evade and counter, you discover 1) You're not nearly as fast as you thought, and 2) you need alot more practice. Especially if the guy swinging for your head actually tries to hit you in the head instead of just putting the sword out there for you to duck under.
After practice I went by Miri's to get some dinner but the place was totally packed, and so after a quick PB&J I went home and straight to bed.
Much better to get as fast as you realistically can and actually react to each other, i.e. evade/block/counter once you have been attacked. What generally happens is you know you do A, he attacks B, so you counter C. And so you do A and then C, and somewhere in between he's done B, and oh looky there what a neat kata! If you actually watch the other guy, wait until he's committed to burying his piece of wood into your soft skull, and then at the last possible moment evade and counter, you discover 1) You're not nearly as fast as you thought, and 2) you need alot more practice. Especially if the guy swinging for your head actually tries to hit you in the head instead of just putting the sword out there for you to duck under.
After practice I went by Miri's to get some dinner but the place was totally packed, and so after a quick PB&J I went home and straight to bed.
ok bokujo 2
OK, now we're just getting silly! Went to OK Bokujo again with some guys from work. This place is just so camp it awesome. Stuffed ourselves silly with BBQ meat, many a beverage was consumed, and we were back on the street by 10:15. Still too early to call it a night, we headed over to a local grungy old-man bar, nursed bevvies and trash-talked work until closing.
A quality evening as can only be had in Tokyo!
A quality evening as can only be had in Tokyo!
akibabes
We cruised the main and backstreets looking for laptop bargains. Yodobashi Camera and Sofmap Mac both had the white Macbook (the black being totally sold out) but the cheapest was near 180,000yen. On a whim we ducked into Mouse Computer and there it was! A sweet 14.1 inch laptop with duocore processors, dvd writer, and all the trimmings for only 140,000yen.
We swung back through Yodobashi to get a laptop bag, and then on the way back to the station, we ran into the lovelies.
We swung back through Yodobashi to get a laptop bag, and then on the way back to the station, we ran into the lovelies.
turkey @ cravings
Met the Zacchinator at Temple U and headed directly to Miri's for some quality turkey sandwhiches, and then off to Akihabara!
philosophy of action
Weather was a bit cloudy and muggy, but with the wind it was alright. Went to Hongo Sanchome to sit with the Dogen Sangha group. Did some lovely zazen and then during the chat afterwards Peter told a really bad zen joke:
Zen monk walks into a bar and orders a 300 yen beer. He pays 500 yen, gets his beer, and asks the bartender for his change. To which the bartender replies: "Change comes from within."
[ba-dum tish!]
After zazen, the sky was a lovely blue and the sun was shining like an early summer day. Elvis and I got on the train to head back to chez Kuroda. When we got out of the station at Shirganetakanawa the rain was blowing in sideways. We sludged to Starbucks to wait for BalletGirl, and then braved the rain to get home.
In the basement dojo we had a most excellent cutting session, and then cleaned the dojo nicely.
Meanwhile, Hiroko ate an entire plate of french fries.
Zen monk walks into a bar and orders a 300 yen beer. He pays 500 yen, gets his beer, and asks the bartender for his change. To which the bartender replies: "Change comes from within."
[ba-dum tish!]
After zazen, the sky was a lovely blue and the sun was shining like an early summer day. Elvis and I got on the train to head back to chez Kuroda. When we got out of the station at Shirganetakanawa the rain was blowing in sideways. We sludged to Starbucks to wait for BalletGirl, and then braved the rain to get home.
In the basement dojo we had a most excellent cutting session, and then cleaned the dojo nicely.
Meanwhile, Hiroko ate an entire plate of french fries.
ask not for whom the bell tolls
ok bokujo
Hiroko was out on a Girl's Night, so after practice I took Elvis for some eats. We were going to get some greasy Chinese food at the standard dive, but decided to try OK Bokujo (OK Corrall), a cosplay (dress up) all-you-can-eat yakiniku (Korean BBQ).
It was as cheesy as we had hoped. The meat was plentiful and the hour just flew by as the helpful staff (dressed up as a nurse, a leopard, a maid/cat, a couple of high school girls and china dresses, and giant pink panda-looking thing) and the drunk clientele keep things lively. And for a small extra fee, you can dress up in the costumes, too! I was frightened to find out that they had a china dress big enough for the drunk dude at the next table to fit into. Luckily, by the time he started to try it on, our time was up and we left.
happy mother's day
A shout out to all the great moms -- first of course to MY mom, who is, naturally the First and Ultimate mom, specifically for managing to raise me without resorting to infanticide.
Second is my other mom, Auntie Em, for often being the anti-mom; letting me stay up late and eat too much crap and spend my money unwisely. Third is Hiroko's mom, who has proven that whether Japanese from the rice fields or Jewish from
And finally, happy mother's day to the new mother: Hiroko is 11 weeks pregnant. Dunno if it's a boy or a girl yet, so we've nicknamed the little alien Tonchan (ton is the kanji for piggy). Tonchan was recently spotted waving and breakdancing inside the womb, and Hiroko has serious cravings for broccoli and potatoes.
Anyone with any child-support paraphernalia (toys, clothes, wooden train sets, XBOX360, PS3, etc.) feel free to donate! Due date is December 6!
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