November 15, 2006
Arriving at night and driving past bridge after bridge lit up along the Han River in the middle of gigantic, lit up Seoul was encouraging. Full disclosure: I am very biased towards Japan. Our Seoul hotel was very nice. I can truly attest to the quality of the toilet paper being superior to that of Japan!
I was determined to get on that river in the pleasant, though hazy weather the next day, so took off to catch the ferry. I noticed on the way that there was literally block after block of high rises, all in the same mid-stage of construction. I later learned that this is typical all over Seoul, it is growing so fast. The ferry ride was fine, if uneventful, save for the rather slick, oily character who tried to flirt with me by taking my picture with his cell phone. I did not have a pleasant expression. My lack of enthusiasm paid off, and he slunk away and didn't come back.
I walked past a neighborhood of side streets, all bursting with an outdoor food market. It was the most vivid I have ever seen, with an amazing variety of seafood (from live to dried), huge baskets of hot red peppers (so that the kimchi cabbage can set you on fire), endless vats of various kimchi, a stunning assortment of grains and beans, bins of neatly bundled greens and scallions, meat shops - mostly pork, and the wondrous cast of characters to go with it all.
I visited Seoul's traditional village, which was just begging comparison since I had just visited the equivalent in Japan. As lovely as it was, it was a rougher version, particularly with details such as the use of linoleum to mimic the patterns of wood in a typical traditional floor (they don't use tatami mats). The sheer care and fine materials that define the Japanese tradition is a hard act to follow for most any culture. It was a warm, sunny day at the village and the school children were there in droves, so I was happy. The children around age 12 liked to approach me and try out their English. I was flummoxed when trying to repeat their names. The Korean language is much more like Chinese than the easy syllabics of Japanese, so I failed to master even "thank you" here.
I'm sure you are asking, "What about decaf?" When I ordered decaf espresso at the Starbucks, they said they were not allowed to import decaffeinated coffee to Korea.
The highlight, as usual, was our dinner out with the distributors, John and Jimmy. We had a typical Korean meal, the burning hot spicy aspect perfect for me and the thin slices of beef and pork barbecued in the middle of the table and folded up in lettuce leaves, perfect for Newton. Beer is necessary with this food.
The best Korean pub name: O'Kim's Brauhaus.
In general, the culture is just rougher around the edges than that of Japan. It appears that the Koreans are also looser about all that conformity, thankfully.
We flew back to Tokyo for our flight to London and stayed near the airport in the town of Narita. Even though we were inundated with Asian food, we had not exhausted our love of gyozas - sautéed dumplings with pork and veggies inside - so we were happy to end our stay with more of those. (You can see that waiting to get hungry again is the only deterrent Newton and I experience in a travel agenda!)
Europe next -
Love,
Sandy
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Osaka Dispatch
November 11, 2006
We caught the shinkansen "bullet train" to Osaka. Unfortunately, it was too cloudy to see Mount Fuji, so I never had a glimpse of it's magnificence this trip. Newton's company (5 partners and several partner companies with compatible products) has distributors in both Yokohama and Osaka. I cannot really describe what Newton's company does. Software for chips for boards for electronic design is as far as I get.
Newt and I had a Saturday in sublime Kyoto. The weather was beautiful, so we shared the trek to the Golden Pavilion and Ryoan-ji Temple with hundreds of mostly Japanese tourists. The green sculpted trees and perfect composition of lily pads on the ponds were the ideal respite from the big city. There was plenty of bustle and noise at Rioan-ji - the famous Zen rock garden with raked gravel - but I recalled with deep joy a quiet day 19 years ago when I sat on the viewing steps with my father, observing the serenity and the ancient profundity of the place. Another contrast this trip, the new modern Kyoto train station, which provided a startlingly futuristic, "Matrix"-like ride up the escalator, seemingly to the top of the universe!
Osaka has its own vision of the old and the new. But I must say, the highlight for me was the evening out with the distributors. We had gone out with them in New York several times, so this reunion was just plain fun. We had a yakitori dinner(chicken kabobs - small skewers of various parts of the chicken, including cartilage and gizzards - we stuck to breast) in a typical 'working man's' train station restaurant. There is no 'no smoking' section and the beer flows mightily. I was accustomed to being one of about three females in such a place, and I don't know whether to be proud or appalled that I could keep up just fine with the tall draft beer. You don't count beer or other items with the usual ichi, ni, san...in Japanese. One draught beer is "nama biro hitotsu," two is "nama biro futatsu," etc. Beer in bottles has a different system, one being "biro nippon," etc. I find it interesting that Nippon is the word for 'Japan' in Japanese. I'm sure there is an explanation. After dinner Takeshi, the shy, retiring distributor, and Kevin (his Japanese name is too hard), the more direct one, took us to a place with private karaoke rooms. This was very high tech, with remote controls, phone drink ordering, a large screen with music videos and lyrics highlighted-as-you-sing, plus four phone books' worth of music selections. We planned to hire the room for one hour, but stayed three! It was the greatest relief after a week of unrelenting Japanese reserve and politeness to hear Kevin belt out selections from Queen, his favorite group. He has a formidable voice and is a fearless belter! Takeshi, whose English is not so strong, sang only Japanese pop and traditional songs, but in such a sweet and lovely voice. Newt and I stuck mostly to the Beatles, Steely Dan, BeeGees and Jobim. It was intimate fun.
I would be remiss if I did not document the control panel on the toilet in a fancy Japanese public bathroom
(inscribed in both Japanese and translation):
stop spray bidet flush sound(with musical notes)
water pressure volume powerful deodorizer
-........+ -........+ on/off
warm water warm seat energy saver
You can see they are way ahead in toilet tech.
On to Korea.
Love,
Sandy
We caught the shinkansen "bullet train" to Osaka. Unfortunately, it was too cloudy to see Mount Fuji, so I never had a glimpse of it's magnificence this trip. Newton's company (5 partners and several partner companies with compatible products) has distributors in both Yokohama and Osaka. I cannot really describe what Newton's company does. Software for chips for boards for electronic design is as far as I get.
Newt and I had a Saturday in sublime Kyoto. The weather was beautiful, so we shared the trek to the Golden Pavilion and Ryoan-ji Temple with hundreds of mostly Japanese tourists. The green sculpted trees and perfect composition of lily pads on the ponds were the ideal respite from the big city. There was plenty of bustle and noise at Rioan-ji - the famous Zen rock garden with raked gravel - but I recalled with deep joy a quiet day 19 years ago when I sat on the viewing steps with my father, observing the serenity and the ancient profundity of the place. Another contrast this trip, the new modern Kyoto train station, which provided a startlingly futuristic, "Matrix"-like ride up the escalator, seemingly to the top of the universe!
Osaka has its own vision of the old and the new. But I must say, the highlight for me was the evening out with the distributors. We had gone out with them in New York several times, so this reunion was just plain fun. We had a yakitori dinner(chicken kabobs - small skewers of various parts of the chicken, including cartilage and gizzards - we stuck to breast) in a typical 'working man's' train station restaurant. There is no 'no smoking' section and the beer flows mightily. I was accustomed to being one of about three females in such a place, and I don't know whether to be proud or appalled that I could keep up just fine with the tall draft beer. You don't count beer or other items with the usual ichi, ni, san...in Japanese. One draught beer is "nama biro hitotsu," two is "nama biro futatsu," etc. Beer in bottles has a different system, one being "biro nippon," etc. I find it interesting that Nippon is the word for 'Japan' in Japanese. I'm sure there is an explanation. After dinner Takeshi, the shy, retiring distributor, and Kevin (his Japanese name is too hard), the more direct one, took us to a place with private karaoke rooms. This was very high tech, with remote controls, phone drink ordering, a large screen with music videos and lyrics highlighted-as-you-sing, plus four phone books' worth of music selections. We planned to hire the room for one hour, but stayed three! It was the greatest relief after a week of unrelenting Japanese reserve and politeness to hear Kevin belt out selections from Queen, his favorite group. He has a formidable voice and is a fearless belter! Takeshi, whose English is not so strong, sang only Japanese pop and traditional songs, but in such a sweet and lovely voice. Newt and I stuck mostly to the Beatles, Steely Dan, BeeGees and Jobim. It was intimate fun.
I would be remiss if I did not document the control panel on the toilet in a fancy Japanese public bathroom
(inscribed in both Japanese and translation):
stop spray bidet flush sound(with musical notes)
water pressure volume powerful deodorizer
-........+ -........+ on/off
warm water warm seat energy saver
You can see they are way ahead in toilet tech.
On to Korea.
Love,
Sandy
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
Yokohama Dispatch
November 08, 2006
It is wonderful to be back in Japan after 19 years (we lived here for 14 months when Elise was 3 and Jake, 1). It is fascinating to note changes alongside the enduring order, courtesy, and unequalled traditional beauty. The ever-amazing train system enables us (or me, during Newton's busy days) to get anywhere easily. Even in the outlying stations where the train charts are not translated, there is always someone willing to help you figure out the direction or the amount for the ticket machines.
Changes:
-More people speak English! Before, we found that even though everyone studied English in school, they learned to read and write, not to speak it. Now, many will hesitate when asked and say they don't speak English, or speak it very little, then proceed to help you with perfectly passable English!
-More people say "no" to a question when "no" is the answer. In the past, it was considered impolite to say no, so we encountered many problems regarding the vagueness of situations. This time, you ask if they have decaf espresso, for example, and they bow with their forearms in an "X" and say no. It makes life much simpler!
-When I first saw the young people upon arriving here this time, I thought, 'what a scruffy lot, but at least there is evidence of more self expression in such a conforming society.' Alas, 10 days into our stay I must report that nearly ALL the young people have the SAME scruffy look! About 90% of the young, male and female, (and many of the older women) in the cities have dyed their hair varying depths of reddish-brown... in the ONE cut that the young and not-so-young women share. This is the shaped, sculpted cut that thins out at the ends and leaves long straight strands sticking out. The young women's fashion at the moment consists of layers of unlikely combinations, topped off by the absolutely de rigueur jean jacket - also worn by many middle-aged women.
-The quality fabrics have been replaced by much cheaper goods, with the exception of some older women who still insist on exquisite quality and line. Besides the always breathtaking view of a female in a kimono, I consider the workmen the best-dressed in Japan at the moment, with their lovely knotted kerchiefs and their wonderful sculptural pants, all ballooned out at the ankle and stuffed into beautiful rubber work boots - a shape worthy of a wood-block print!
-The school children still have their respective hats color-coded by class and their uniforms, but some of the backpacks don't match now. This was unheard of in '88!
-It is more common to see fathers with their children on the weekends.
-There are more escalators at the train stations (3-year-old Elise and I with 25-pound Jake had to traipse up and down stairs at all 3 stations it took to get to preschool).
Newton was meeting with his company's distributors in Yokohama, so we stayed there and I caught the train to Tokyo for my chance to wander. I loved visiting the 'kitchen town' district in Tokyo, where an entire avenue offers all things for the kitchen and restaurant supply, including shops with the plastic food models displayed in front of Japanese restaurants! I bought 4 red bowls and a turquoise colander for my new kitchen (yeah - I know - hard to pack, but worth it!). The district is an older neighborhood with many traditional buildings, always a sight I love.
I had a rather miserable day in blustery, rainy weather, finding our apartment building from the '80's in the Kamikitazawa neighborhood of Tokyo. I was determined to look up our landlord to see if he had the new address of my neighbor, Chisayo, who helped us so much when we lived here. She sent me some beautiful bags she had made from a new address around 10 years ago, but when I tried to send presents back, I realized I had lost the new address. I sent them to the old one, hoping they'd be forwarded, but they came back. I have been hoping to find her ever since, so made this effort. I didn't remember her husband's first name, and her last name -Kitamura - is very common, so I hoped the landlord would know. I was underdressed for the cold, wet winds and completely lost when I got off the train! With some help and the sudden appearance of the little park where I used to play with the kids, I found the place. The landlord's little fishery is now a parking lot, and the landlord is no longer there. Chisayo, I haven't forgotten you.
The rest of the days were warm and sunny, in the '70's. I saw an exquisite life-size replica of an Edo period street at the Museum of Housing and Living, and the lovely ukyo-i wood block print museum in the fashionable Harajuku neighborhood, where Elise’s old preschool was located. Mostly I just walked and walked.
THINGS WE LOVE IN JAPAN:
-The 'set-your-watch' timing of the trains
-The street panorama from the pedestrian overpasses
-Japanese maples, bonsai trees, and all manner of plants that look like they just stepped out of a painted screen
-The way a Japanese person will accompany you to the destination to which you are asking directions
-The unrelenting beauty of tatami mats and shoji screens
-Japanese food
THINGS WE LOVE TO BE ANNOYED BY IN JAPAN:
-The shrill, infantile female voices welcoming EVERY person that walks in or passes by a store or restaurant
-The 'set' plates for meals, so if you want two eggs instead of one, or if you want that chocolate mousse that you've been eyeing in the case the whole meal, you CAN'T have them because they are not part of your set
-The insipid "jingles" that play on each train line to indicate that the doors will be closing soon
-Over-bowing. This tends to be older Japanese or hotel and restaurant help (or the dreaded part at the end of Newton's business meetings)
-Japanese food after 9 days
Yep...there will be MORE soon!
Love,
Sandy
It is wonderful to be back in Japan after 19 years (we lived here for 14 months when Elise was 3 and Jake, 1). It is fascinating to note changes alongside the enduring order, courtesy, and unequalled traditional beauty. The ever-amazing train system enables us (or me, during Newton's busy days) to get anywhere easily. Even in the outlying stations where the train charts are not translated, there is always someone willing to help you figure out the direction or the amount for the ticket machines.
Changes:
-More people speak English! Before, we found that even though everyone studied English in school, they learned to read and write, not to speak it. Now, many will hesitate when asked and say they don't speak English, or speak it very little, then proceed to help you with perfectly passable English!
-More people say "no" to a question when "no" is the answer. In the past, it was considered impolite to say no, so we encountered many problems regarding the vagueness of situations. This time, you ask if they have decaf espresso, for example, and they bow with their forearms in an "X" and say no. It makes life much simpler!
-When I first saw the young people upon arriving here this time, I thought, 'what a scruffy lot, but at least there is evidence of more self expression in such a conforming society.' Alas, 10 days into our stay I must report that nearly ALL the young people have the SAME scruffy look! About 90% of the young, male and female, (and many of the older women) in the cities have dyed their hair varying depths of reddish-brown... in the ONE cut that the young and not-so-young women share. This is the shaped, sculpted cut that thins out at the ends and leaves long straight strands sticking out. The young women's fashion at the moment consists of layers of unlikely combinations, topped off by the absolutely de rigueur jean jacket - also worn by many middle-aged women.
-The quality fabrics have been replaced by much cheaper goods, with the exception of some older women who still insist on exquisite quality and line. Besides the always breathtaking view of a female in a kimono, I consider the workmen the best-dressed in Japan at the moment, with their lovely knotted kerchiefs and their wonderful sculptural pants, all ballooned out at the ankle and stuffed into beautiful rubber work boots - a shape worthy of a wood-block print!
-The school children still have their respective hats color-coded by class and their uniforms, but some of the backpacks don't match now. This was unheard of in '88!
-It is more common to see fathers with their children on the weekends.
-There are more escalators at the train stations (3-year-old Elise and I with 25-pound Jake had to traipse up and down stairs at all 3 stations it took to get to preschool).
Newton was meeting with his company's distributors in Yokohama, so we stayed there and I caught the train to Tokyo for my chance to wander. I loved visiting the 'kitchen town' district in Tokyo, where an entire avenue offers all things for the kitchen and restaurant supply, including shops with the plastic food models displayed in front of Japanese restaurants! I bought 4 red bowls and a turquoise colander for my new kitchen (yeah - I know - hard to pack, but worth it!). The district is an older neighborhood with many traditional buildings, always a sight I love.
I had a rather miserable day in blustery, rainy weather, finding our apartment building from the '80's in the Kamikitazawa neighborhood of Tokyo. I was determined to look up our landlord to see if he had the new address of my neighbor, Chisayo, who helped us so much when we lived here. She sent me some beautiful bags she had made from a new address around 10 years ago, but when I tried to send presents back, I realized I had lost the new address. I sent them to the old one, hoping they'd be forwarded, but they came back. I have been hoping to find her ever since, so made this effort. I didn't remember her husband's first name, and her last name -Kitamura - is very common, so I hoped the landlord would know. I was underdressed for the cold, wet winds and completely lost when I got off the train! With some help and the sudden appearance of the little park where I used to play with the kids, I found the place. The landlord's little fishery is now a parking lot, and the landlord is no longer there. Chisayo, I haven't forgotten you.
The rest of the days were warm and sunny, in the '70's. I saw an exquisite life-size replica of an Edo period street at the Museum of Housing and Living, and the lovely ukyo-i wood block print museum in the fashionable Harajuku neighborhood, where Elise’s old preschool was located. Mostly I just walked and walked.
THINGS WE LOVE IN JAPAN:
-The 'set-your-watch' timing of the trains
-The street panorama from the pedestrian overpasses
-Japanese maples, bonsai trees, and all manner of plants that look like they just stepped out of a painted screen
-The way a Japanese person will accompany you to the destination to which you are asking directions
-The unrelenting beauty of tatami mats and shoji screens
-Japanese food
THINGS WE LOVE TO BE ANNOYED BY IN JAPAN:
-The shrill, infantile female voices welcoming EVERY person that walks in or passes by a store or restaurant
-The 'set' plates for meals, so if you want two eggs instead of one, or if you want that chocolate mousse that you've been eyeing in the case the whole meal, you CAN'T have them because they are not part of your set
-The insipid "jingles" that play on each train line to indicate that the doors will be closing soon
-Over-bowing. This tends to be older Japanese or hotel and restaurant help (or the dreaded part at the end of Newton's business meetings)
-Japanese food after 9 days
Yep...there will be MORE soon!
Love,
Sandy
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