sushi
First class in over a week. Felt slow and sloppy, so we worked at a nice mellow pace; lots of time on basic cuts at the beginning and finishing up with a couple of kata, getting nicely into details. Tried to focus on hand and blade control, making the sword go where it's supposed to, without forgetting about the feet and hips.
After class I fed Elvis cheap sushi served by non-Japanese waitresses with thick accents and we (what else?) talked smack about budo and babes.
His shinken will be ready next week, and he is SO looking forward to cutting himself repeatedly with it until he gets used to using a live blade a bit longer than the dull practice blade he uses now.
After class I fed Elvis cheap sushi served by non-Japanese waitresses with thick accents and we (what else?) talked smack about budo and babes.
His shinken will be ready next week, and he is SO looking forward to cutting himself repeatedly with it until he gets used to using a live blade a bit longer than the dull practice blade he uses now.
shintoryu
Only two guys showed up for kumitachi class, so we drilled through most of the Shintoryu kenjutsu kata. Niina-gosoke popped in and out every now and then to laugh or comment. I haven't done them all in a while so I was forgetting details (left or right foot?) but got the general flow down. Still feeling a bit clunky since I had a long break last week.
national museum of western art
Went to Ueno to check out the George de La Tour exhibit at NMWA. Fairly interesting -- neat to see how many of the works are copies, and how they use X-rays and infrared to authenticate the originals. La Tour's not one of my favorites, but he's got that wrinkled-clothing-by-candlelight thing down, and it just looks so cool.
The museum's regular collection is ok, I guess; some paintings by artists I've seeen or heard of before, but nothing really gripping.
After the museum we walked down to Ameyoko for the Last Great Bargains in Tokyo. We passed fishmongers with stacks of fresh cut maguro slabs for ridiculously cheap, bags of nuts and crackers and fruit-on-a-stick and cheap ties and rip-off brand name sportswear before finally hitting the candy store and loading up on sugary goodness. Two overflowing shopping bags for less than 3000 yen.
life aquatic
Was feeling particularly unmotivated, but Hiroko wanted to see The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, so we went to Ebisu Garden Cinema.
Total. Brilliance. Once again Bill Murray proves that he's the greatest actor alive. The film was quirky and ridiculous and visually wonderful and cut messily and just completely entertaining. Must buy soundtrack: all those cool Bowie covers in Portugese!
Total. Brilliance. Once again Bill Murray proves that he's the greatest actor alive. The film was quirky and ridiculous and visually wonderful and cut messily and just completely entertaining. Must buy soundtrack: all those cool Bowie covers in Portugese!
ah, kyoto
Home safe and got all the photos uploaded. On Flickr I've got them all organized into sets:
Kyoto: various -- leftovers from about Kyoto
Kyoto: Okutan -- tofu feast
Kyoto: Kiyomizudera -- up in the mountains
Kyoto: Maiko -- the higlight; such a cutie
Kyoto: Kodaiji -- brilliant garden
Kyoto: Hyotei -- posh dinner in private teahouse
Kyoto: Nijojo -- tourist-trap castle
Kyoto: Hata-machiya -- a real old-fashioned house
Kyoto: Anjiro -- pious zen priest tofu feast
Kyoto: Myoanji -- be one with the rocks
Kyoto: Taizoin -- best garden ever
Kyoto: Ginkakuji -- not silver, but old and cool
Kyoto: Ryoanji -- be one with the rocks...and tourists
Kyoto: Nanzenji -- big, old, kyoto
Kyoto: Kinkakuji -- yup, it's damn gold
Kyoto: Tawaraya -- there's only one place to stay in Kyoto
I've also dumped them all into one big album on Ofoto.
Kyoto: various -- leftovers from about Kyoto
Kyoto: Okutan -- tofu feast
Kyoto: Kiyomizudera -- up in the mountains
Kyoto: Maiko -- the higlight; such a cutie
Kyoto: Kodaiji -- brilliant garden
Kyoto: Hyotei -- posh dinner in private teahouse
Kyoto: Nijojo -- tourist-trap castle
Kyoto: Hata-machiya -- a real old-fashioned house
Kyoto: Anjiro -- pious zen priest tofu feast
Kyoto: Myoanji -- be one with the rocks
Kyoto: Taizoin -- best garden ever
Kyoto: Ginkakuji -- not silver, but old and cool
Kyoto: Ryoanji -- be one with the rocks...and tourists
Kyoto: Nanzenji -- big, old, kyoto
Kyoto: Kinkakuji -- yup, it's damn gold
Kyoto: Tawaraya -- there's only one place to stay in Kyoto
I've also dumped them all into one big album on Ofoto.
tea break
Long day -- after a massive breakfast we checked out of Tawaraya and taxi'd to Kyoto station. We threw our stuff in a locker and went straight to Kodaiji, where a Maiko served us tea and danced. Absolutely the highlight of Kyoto. She is 20 this year, which means she will graduate from Maiko to Geiko (geisha). Cutest little thing, and I must say when she was dancing I think I fell in love with her for about 10 minutes. Absolutely mesmerizing. She graduated from junior high and, at 15, joined one of the houses to study: tea, dance, music, flower, etc. all the traditional arts. The priest who arranged everything at Kodaiji was a cool dude, too.
After that we checked out the gardens and buildings of Kodaiji, then wandered up the cobblestone, tourist-packed streets to see Kiyomizudera way up on the hill, then we wandered back down, grabbed a tofu feast lunch at Okutan, and wandered some more. We finally hopped on a bus back to the station and got the shinkansen back to Tokyo, slightly sun-burnt and very satisfied.
buy slides of nijo castle!
Another whopper of a breakfast and off we went in Doi-san's black Toyota Crown. We started the morning with some temple/garden goodness, including Ginkakuji, which is not, in contrast to the gold-lilt Kinkakuji (built by grandpa) silver, but they're are seriously studying the issue to determine if it should in fact be covered in silver leaf and therefore even more attractive to the hordes of babbling tourists and uninterested students killing time on school trips.
We dropped big coins at Aizenkobo on traditionally indigo-dyed wear and then for lunch we had a traditional priest's meal of never-endingly delicious vegetarian dishes. After lunch we checked out the private tradtional tea-house before walking over to Nijo castle. The 4pm tourist crush was in full effect, so we blasted through the main palace and then checked out the grounds before getting the subway back to Tawaraya.
Tonight for dinner is Hyotei: the restaurant of restaurants that should be good for the tongue and bad for the wallet.
west Kyoto
Had the typical gut-busting breakfast and hopped into Doi-san's private taxi. We checked out the gold-leafed decadence of Kinkakuji and the Zen tranquility of Ryoanji. Well, as Zen tranquil as it gets given all the babbling tourists, crying babies, and the endless recorded announcement telling you to relax and sit in serene contemplation of the rock garden.
We drove through the bamboo forest and had soba noodles for lunch before heading up Arashiyama mountain. The weather was perfect so at Doi-san's suggestion we took the "Torokko" train (used to be an old coal locamotive, now it must be diesel) up to the top of the mountain and then grabbed the bus to the boat docks. We road the mighty rapids downstream, enjoying the lively banter and thick accents of the three boatsmen for the 1.5 hours down to the bottom of the river. Kind of reminded me of the Jungle Cruise, what with the snappy one-liners, polished delivery, and watery adventure, but it was more fun and significantly moister.
At the bottom Doi-san picked us up and took us back to Tawaraya. We wandered the neighborhood for a bit and had dinner on an outside balcony overlooking the river. Against Jenn's recommendation, I was in only my t-shirt, and as the sun set, the temp dropped. We ate and then walked back down the narrow Pontocho Alley, stopping for some traditional dessert before meandering back to the ryokan.
Here in the study, a cute Italian kid with exploding blonde curls lolled about at his parents' feet whilst his mom played with this computer for 20 minutes trying to get a browser open and his dad pawed his way through some architectural art books. Ah, Kyoto.
tawayara ryokan
Just finished the 10-course dinner and we are lounging in the Ernst Study; the 11th generation's late husband was a professor at Kyoto's Art University and she has recreated his study in the inn. Slick combination of old Kyoto and modern furniture. Like this whole place, inviting, charming, friendly, oddly reminiscient, historical without being imposing, quaint without being trite...
fighting fitness kichijoji
Fighting Fitness demo in Kichijoji this afternoon. Hot and crowded.
Everyone thumped well, and then we chowed at a local basement hang before heading home.
shintoryu
Spent some time in Honbu with Nakayama-san. We worked through the Shintoryu kenjutsu kumitachi. I haven't done them in a while (since last summer, really) so I was pretty rusty, and kept confusing the omote and ura (basic and advanced) techniques, but in the end things came together.
Those are some sweet kata; the timing and countering is really critical, and the centerline theory is obvious yet subtle. Most helpful in general partnerwork, and tough to do well at speed. Wish there were more folks who could practice with me, but few members are interested enough and skilled enough to learn them yet.
Ended early and grabbed dinner at Lucky before heading home. Eggplant curry with deep-fried garlic cloves: magical!
Those are some sweet kata; the timing and countering is really critical, and the centerline theory is obvious yet subtle. Most helpful in general partnerwork, and tough to do well at speed. Wish there were more folks who could practice with me, but few members are interested enough and skilled enough to learn them yet.
Ended early and grabbed dinner at Lucky before heading home. Eggplant curry with deep-fried garlic cloves: magical!
breakfast
I have a rule (ok, I have many rules, this is just one of them) about breakfast:
the temperature of the breakfast is reversely proportional to the weather.
So, during the cold, dark winter mornings I eat overly burnt bagels, scrambled eggs with tomato, and occasionally instant oatmeal.
But on a beautiful morning like today; post-rain, not a cloud in the blue sky nor any hints of the Tokyo smog, light wind, bright yellow sun, and already 25°C before 7am, breakfast needs to be cold.
So I had: a blend of foreign granola cereals (something possibly Canadian and another one from Europe, maybe Germany or perhaps Denmark?) with domestic soy milk, and perfectly ripe green kiwi fruit spooned into bite-sized chunks.
For those of you (especially YOU) who do the nosed-turned-up at soy milk, I have two responses:
1) Cow milk tastes like ass. Never liked it. Ask my mom; I'd only drink it when mixed liberally with chocolate or, even better, strawberry.
2) Even if milk didn't taste like ass, I still wouldn't drink it because of the incredibly painful things it does to me. That's right, as you've probably heard before: I am a lactard.
the temperature of the breakfast is reversely proportional to the weather.
So, during the cold, dark winter mornings I eat overly burnt bagels, scrambled eggs with tomato, and occasionally instant oatmeal.
But on a beautiful morning like today; post-rain, not a cloud in the blue sky nor any hints of the Tokyo smog, light wind, bright yellow sun, and already 25°C before 7am, breakfast needs to be cold.
So I had: a blend of foreign granola cereals (something possibly Canadian and another one from Europe, maybe Germany or perhaps Denmark?) with domestic soy milk, and perfectly ripe green kiwi fruit spooned into bite-sized chunks.
For those of you (especially YOU) who do the nosed-turned-up at soy milk, I have two responses:
1) Cow milk tastes like ass. Never liked it. Ask my mom; I'd only drink it when mixed liberally with chocolate or, even better, strawberry.
2) Even if milk didn't taste like ass, I still wouldn't drink it because of the incredibly painful things it does to me. That's right, as you've probably heard before: I am a lactard.
sore
Went with Hiroko to her Fighting Fitness class tonight. 60 minutes of non-stop kicking and punching, lead by a Kyokushin Karate instructor with no body-fat. This ain't no Tai-bo, this was serious cardiovascular pain. As expected I am:
1) Totally out of shape
2) Totally lacking in coordination
1) Totally out of shape
2) Totally lacking in coordination
spring
Spring it is. Perfect walkabout weather, so I went outside to meet hiroko downtown.
Cop cars everywhere at the corner, pool of blood in the street, scooter pulled up onto the sidewalk. Looks like someone tried to run a red light and got smacked and dragged around the corner. Nasty business.
Bussed down to Shibuya, saw the amusing Imperial rightists blathering about Japan's lost military glory (nice hair, guys!), met Hiroko, did some shopping -- new sneaks and sweatpants for the lady -- and walked up through Aoyama and down to Nishiazabu. Had some tea and snacks before cabbing home, getting the old shave-and-a-haircut-and-facial-massage. Then the traditional Japanese Sunday evening feast that we always cook. Damn, I love eating.
Cop cars everywhere at the corner, pool of blood in the street, scooter pulled up onto the sidewalk. Looks like someone tried to run a red light and got smacked and dragged around the corner. Nasty business.
Bussed down to Shibuya, saw the amusing Imperial rightists blathering about Japan's lost military glory (nice hair, guys!), met Hiroko, did some shopping -- new sneaks and sweatpants for the lady -- and walked up through Aoyama and down to Nishiazabu. Had some tea and snacks before cabbing home, getting the old shave-and-a-haircut-and-facial-massage. Then the traditional Japanese Sunday evening feast that we always cook. Damn, I love eating.
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