Tokyo Blond Is Not Porn

Tokyo Blond is not a porn blog, about hair or even, as one pithy friend remarked, a micro beer or late 1980s glam metal band ("Dude, I just saw Skid Row and Tokyo Blond opened and played a killer set").


The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my experiences in Tokyo - poignantly, visually, irreverently - for fun.


Anybody can tag along...that is if I like you. This blog will endeavor to be entertaining and honest and frequent enough to keep those following interested including me.


Friday, March 30, 2012

Sendai - A Year Later

A friend from L.A. recently asked me how Tokyo was one year after the earthquake and tsunami.  I reflected for a moment, my emotions gathering together like a hurricane collecting force and debris.  Any question regarding that event stirs up emotions hard to suppress: fear, gratitude, love, understanding.

Fear - remembering the sheer terror, thinking it was the end, seeing Ranger shaking uncontrollably; realizing I was too. Utter, retched, helplessness.

Fear it might happen again.

Gratitude - we survived and nothing was damaged.

Love for Russell, Ranger, all our family and friends who cared so much.

Love for the Japanese people who went out of their way to help, with humbling grace.

The revelation in understanding the difference between an "us" society; not a "me" society.

Understanding what's truly important, not material possessions, but the ones you love.

In Tokyo a year later, buildings are still standing, people are working, aftershocks are still occurring. Energy conservation is over; the lights are all back on. The city is bereft 33,000 foreigners who never returned to the country after they fled from the earthquake and aftermath.  In Tokyo there is no destruction, no shelters for those who lost their homes. Those shelters begin 150 miles away.  More than 330,000 people are still living in temporary accommodations.   Sure a few expats worry about where the food in the super market comes from.  CNN and BBC are still over-dramatizing the effects on Tokyo but under-dramatizing the need in the areas hardest hit like Miyagi prefecture where 10,000 were missing after the tsunami.  But mostly, people are remembering.  There is a looming sense of pathos and yearning over the city.  There are still over 3,000 people who have never been found.  Debris washes up on foreign shores.  The Japanese mourn for the 15,800+ people who were lost and those yet to be found.  But they persevere.   They help each other.

While Russell and I were doing the Kyoto Walkathon, i.e., seeing 25 sights in 36 hours, our friend Nancy, was surveying the tsunami damage one year later.  The Tokyo American Club had arranged a tour, (read: trip to secure donations) for members of the U.S./Asia Business Summit.  Unfortunately not enough members of the summit cared to attend so the tour was opened up to Tokyo American Club members, (read: hopefully rich expats or representatives of rich corporations).

I had lunch with Nancy after her trip, tears filling our eyes as she recounted all she had seen and heard.
I asked her to submit a guest post.  Below is what she sent me including a couple of sobering pictures.



I thought I would cry a lot when I went to Sendai.  I didn’t, but I did find myself thinking about how awful it must have been there.  What touched me most was seeing a wooden horse lying in the rubble.  This was probably a child’s toy or a family chachki.   I also found several dishes and a record still intact.  It made me want to pick them up and find the people that they belonged to and give them back. From where I was standing, those that were at ground level didn’t stand a chance of survival.  Even people on the roofs of their homes would likely have been swept away by the waves.  Those who made it to higher ground or in concrete buildings on the low levels survived. 

I sat next to a man on the bus who had been to Sendai several times to volunteer.  He said the hardest part was finding personal items.  I saw pictures that they passed around of the boxes of photos that volunteers collected  hoping to reunite them with their owners.  They were brought to shelters so survivors could look through them hoping to find photos of their loved ones. 

Buildings are still being torn down. Red zeros are seen on buildings indicating no bodies have been found inside.  Red cr’s are spray painted on buildings that have been condemned and await demolition.  Buildings ripped off their foundations remain sitting atop debris and wedged between other buildings.  A department store with first floor lights hanging by wires from the ceiling has no walls on the first floor. Debris is sorted in to recyclables and burnable piles.  Heavy equipment still remains everywhere working constantly to disassemble buildings. 

We visited a sake brewery where the owner gave us a tour.  He was lucky as his buildings are on higher ground.  The water level came up just to his residence.  Walking up the hill to the brewery, you could see where doors, siding and tiles had been replaced on some of the homes.   They were flooded on the first floor but were able to remain in their homes while they repaired the first floor.  The brewery owner told us he lost 80% of his customers who were local restaurants and bars demolished by the Tsunami. 

The majority of the boats washed ashore have been disassembled or repaired and put back into service.  A 3 ½ ton fishing boat still remains sitting in the middle of what once was a residential street.   All of the homes around it have been torn down but the city will keep the boat where it is as a reminder of the Tsunami.

I was surprised by how cold it was.  I visited on March 3rd, eight days before the Tsunami struck the year before.   It was 18 degrees when we left our hotel that morning and in the 30s for the high.  Many died from hypothermia and complications due to injuries even if they did survive the Tsunami.   

We watched home videos on the bus ride and could see it snowing on many.  You could hear the pain in people’s voices and hear them crying as they watched all of their possessions vanish before their eyes.  One video showed people up above a parking lot and as the water rose, the cars started to float away. 

A pine tree forest was completely destroyed except for one lone tree that still remains.   The tree has become a symbol of hope and will be pictured on a comemmerative coin with proceeds going to the Tsunami relief fund.  Unfortunately, the tree is dying slowly due to the salt water. 

Piles of cars still remain and mud and standing water are still covering the land near the ocean. We weren’t allowed off the bus in this section of town, closer to the water, as it is still unsafe.  Workers and volunteers wear special steel reinforced boots so a nail won’t go through their foot.  Special gloves for picking up glass are mandatory. 

A lot of work remains and donations are waning now that it has been over a year.  Becoming a volunteer is costly, and isn’t easy, because of the clothing requirements, i.e. steel toed boots, special gloves, etc.  The best way to help the recovery effort now is through donations.  

Thanks Nancy.  Thanks Japan.



Thursday, March 22, 2012

Pleasure Riding - Tokyo Metro Courtesy Campaign

Being packed in like a can of sardines and then groped mysteriously is only part of the fun of riding the Tokyo metro.  

Russell and I have been continuously entertained by the Tokyo Metro Courtesy Campaign that has been running in the subways since we got here almost two years ago.  

I have to admit it is quite clever.  Russell and I are always delighted when a new posting goes up.  Besides clearly being directed at gaijin, aka foreigners, the campaign makes good use of that universal smile catalyst: the antics of animals.  Animals translate in any language.

Take a look for yourself and see if a few don't provoke a smile or two.



You gotta love the mop dog encouraging folks not to rush.

Hamsters always work, even if they don't dance.

How cute is this?
No sound leakage - please.

Of course my favorite one has the worst photo.
Basically it asks you not to fall asleep on a stranger's shoulder.
But that bird reminds me of Russell.

Apparently there have been complaints about applying make-up on the train.
Don't look at me!

They use the word "consider" twice here. 
I guess they really want us to think before we eat or drink on the train.

Not afraid to tackle the tough issues. 
Don't lie down on the train, even if you've had too many drinks.
You don't think they mean me do you?




Thursday, March 15, 2012

I Can See Your Yuzu - Kyoto Part Four

One of the things that makes the ryokan we stayed at in Kyoto famous, is its use of the coveted Yuzu fruit in their dishes, and even in their baths.  In fact the name of the ryokan is Yuzuya Ryokan.  It's located right next to the Yasaka Shrine, also known as the Gion shrine.

Yasaka Shrine

Russell and I had never heard of a Yuzu.  It sounded kinda dirty to us.  Hey, I can see your Yuzu.  But it's not dirty at all. It's actually a citrus fruit. Think lemon, lime and tangerine all in one yummy, sweet, fruit.  It looks like a fat, yellow, orange. They're delicious.  I think I need a tree.  In fact I know I do.


Entrance to the Ryokan

The funny thing is, on our walk during the day we had actually passed the entrance to our ryokan.  I even took a picture of it thinking, what a lovely stone path, treacherous, but lovely.  I wonder what it is?  Lo and behold, several hours, and miles later, it turned out to be our ryokan.

Good thing Russell is carrying the luggage.

The entrance was dark but strangely inviting.  Kind of like an opium den, except the drug here was Yuzu.

The coveted Yuzu.

A young woman in traditional Japanese garb led us to our room at the top of the steep stairs.  What is it with the steep stairs?  Geez.  We had been asked to remove our shoes and put on the house slippers provided.  Ok, I have small feet like the Japanese, but slippers and I don't agree.  They kept flipping off my feet.  The steep stairs were like a death trap for me.  I decided to go it in my socks.

Nice branch.  Is that the welcome branch?

Russell studied the evacuation plan posted in our room like he does at every hotel we stay at.  But not to find out where the nearest exit is. He does it to find out how are room compares to others.  The evacuation plan always includes a map outlining the floor plan.  He was delighted to learn we had one of the largest rooms.  

It was exactly what I imagined a ryokan would be like, right down to the cedar bath tub and soji screens.  The only thing missing was a garden view.    Russell explored the room tatami mat to ceiling, opening drawers and looking in closets.  "Hey, there's a safe."   He pulled back one of the soji screens to reveal a view of a parking lot below.  "Close the screen!  Close the screen," I exclaimed.  "You're ruining the allure."  Geez.  I need sake now.

Our room - pre bed.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and some complimentary tea was brought in.  A nice touch I thought.  We smiled and asked if she could bring in a couple of sake glasses. We wanted to see if the sake we bought was as pretty as the packaging.  She brought us water glasses.  Wow! She recognizes heavy drinkers when she sees them.  Sake's just not the same in a water glass.

After Russell tried the traditional Japanese shower, i.e., sitting on a tiny bench with a handheld showerhead and a bucket, and I partook of the cedar bath with yuzu, we dressed in the yukata and jacket provided, otherwise known as "dressing for dinner."  

Now most traditional ryokans serve you a kaiseki meal in your room. This one however had a beautiful dining room with a traditional Japanese viewing garden with waterfall, so guests were asked to come down for both meals: breakfast and dinner.

Can you see my yuzu now?

The dinner was superb!  Russell was enamored with all the unique touches, not to mention, the amazing flavors.  A true kaiseki meal is a reflection of the season, emphasizing the freshest ingredients and utilizing utensils and pottery which reflect the mood and essence of the period, in this case early Spring.

Appetizer board.

Look how beautiful this is.
That's a sakura (cherry) twig about to blossom.
A single broad bean, a sliver of fresh ginger on top of a mini,
and I mean mini, crab cake with a yolk smear.

Three kinds of sashimi.

Russell was completely enamored with the sashimi course.  Yes, the fish was melt in your mouth great.  But he was astounded by how it was served.  Under the rice paper, he discovered a thin sheet of ice, which was used to keep it cold.  It was like he had found gold, he was so delighted. "But it's ice, look, it's ice," he kept exclaiming over and over.  "I know, I know.  Have another glass of sake."  

He had to find out how they made it.  "We gotta do this at home!"  Uh, huh, good luck with that.  Turns out they special order it from the ice house.  I have to admit it was rather cool.   I'm happy if I can find crushed ice for margaritas.

Russell's ice sheet.

Most of the courses had some form of yuzu in the preparation. When they brought us the Kobe beef with a little bit of spicy yuzu relish, we were smitten.  Thankfully they sell the relish so of course we bought a jar.

So yuzu, so good.

The next course was the traditional Kyoto dish, yudofu, which is seasonal vegetables and tofu simmered in a pot table-side.  Theirs had a twist.  It came with...wait for it... yuzu, as well as, fish. Now, Russell is not really a tofu man, but he loved it.

Yuzu, greens and fillet-o-fish

It's as pretty as it is delicious

 We were pretty much full after that but it didn't stop us from eating the next delicious course, which was steamed rice, cooked at your table in a traditional rice crock, with, you guessed it, yuzu.  It was so aromatic, it made us hungry all over again.

Rice cooking table side.  After ten minutes the rice was cooked 
perfectly and infused with the uniquely fragrant yuzu flavor.  Yummy.

After dinner I stopped at the public bath.  They can't call it an onsen because it's not from a hot spring.  It was a large cedar bath, family size, with fresh yuzu scenting the water.  It wasn't very private either.  If you were inquisitive, or happened to be walking by, you could probably get a glimpse of a naked woman or man, depending upon which curtain, yes curtain, not door, you glanced through.  I didn't care.  I'd had two bottles of sake and even more yuzu. 

It was so awesome to slip into the steaming water, the scent of yuzu permeating my senses.  That's it - I have been properly yuzu-ed I thought.  It suddenly occurred to me, Thank God I'm not allergic to citrus, I'd be dead by now.

Yuzu bath.  Feel the burn.

When I got up to our room, the fluffy bed rolls lay beckoning.  Russell was excited by the little lantern they put out.  It would be even more delightful if it were lit by candles but that would be a major fire hazard.

Comfy.

The futon bed, and not like futons in America, more like a thick bed roll, were more comfortable than I thought they would be.  The sake could have helped, Russell offered.

We dressed for breakfast.  I was a little concerned.  I've tried the traditional Japanese breakfast which consists of a runny gruel called Okayu (rice porridge) and sometimes fish.  I'm not a fish for breakfast kind of person.

But their breakfast was great.  Sure there was fish.  And there was kind of a rice porridge, cooked at the table no less, but it was really good.

First a tray with several small morsels were provided.  They consisted of things like tender bamboo shoot, a couple of beans, a vegetable roll and dishes of Tsukadani or fish preserved in soy sauce. In the old days, people who lived in inland provinces dried all kinds of food with soy sauce.  The soy sauce preserved the food so that people could eat through the winter.  I learned about this on a tour I took to Shibamata.   Money well spent.

Dried or not it was all good.

The platter-o-food was also served with a plate of grilled fish, tamagoyaki slices (sweetened egg omelette) and the omnipresent - Japanese pickle, plus a crock of steamed rice.  

But wait there's more.  Well, you won't ever go hungry at this ryokan I mused. A boiling crock of miso soup was brought to the table as well.  The soup was hearty and had beefy chunks of root vegetables like carrots and lotus roots.  

Can I get a to go carton?

Grilled fish, sweet egg omelet and pickles.
A pregnant woman must have invented this combo.
Where's the peanut butter?

Crock-o-rice

The only thing they didn't serve enough of was the pure yuzu juice.  We only received half a glass.  They must have run out since so much of it was served in the food.

Thank you, can you fill my glass up, please?

And then, of course, there was tea...with yuzu.  At this point I can say I was officially yuzued out.  So I asked for coffee instead.  

Yuzu tea.
This cup may be too feminine for Russell, metro-sexual or not.

These are old school rice makers.  No, seriously.  I asked.

It was a great experience and now I can say I have stayed at a ryokan and experienced yuzu in every way.  Hey, that sounds dirty.  Oooops.












Charmed - Kyoto Part Three

No McDonald's today.  Russell discovered the Hyatt actually provided free coffee to their guests in the morning but you have to go outside to get it.  It was day three, well really two and a half, in Kyoto. While yesterday was cold and brilliantly sunny, today was cold and rainy.   That's OK, we're in Kyoto and I packed umbrellas.  Which is nice.

Today's itinerary wasn't nearly as busy as yesterday's I thought.  That should leave plenty of time for shopping.  Little did I know.  That's before we decided to pretty much walk the entire day.  Not only did we do the Philosopher's Path but a walker's marathon through Higashiyama-ku.  They're listed as two separate walks in my Frommer's guide.  We did them both in one day, in the rain, uphill both ways.  Ok, well, maybe not both ways.

The funny thing was, there actually was some type of walk-a-thon going on that day.  We were not alone.  There were hundreds of walkers participating.  Every corner had a volunteer in purple, waving a flag and encouraging participants onto the next marker.  Apparently the walk-a-thon, which was 10, 20 and even 30 kilometers long depending upon which apron you were sporting, happened to be along the exact route we were taking, all day long.  The only difference was, the average age of the participants was around 60, and then there was us.  How come we seemed to be the only ones sweating?

Wake up call.  Flower Russell brought home from dinner the night before.
Nice but where's my coffee, or egg McMuffin?

We began our walk-a-thon by taking the bus 40 minutes to the furtherest destination on our itinerary that day, Ginkakuji Temple, otherwise known as the Silver Pavillion.  Unlike the Golden Temple which really is lined with gold, the Silver Temple isn't silver at all.  The shogun meant to do it but ran out of money.  No, actually he died. 

The Silver Temple may not have been silver but it had a better rock garden than the acclaimed Ryoanji Temple in my opinion.  In fact the entire grounds were stunning.  

Part of the rock garden installation.
This is symbolic of Mt. Fuji.
The oriental pines in the background make it a masterpiece.

No silver but nice.

Would you take a look at that?
Beautiful - this is what I imagined Japan would be.

Yen for your thoughts?

Before embarking on the Philosopher's Path we decided sustenance was in order and stopped at a
a soba shop.  It was warm and cheap and yummy - exactly what we needed.

Russell had the eel.

The Philosopher's Pathway is a pleasant stone path which runs along a cherry tree lined canal, from the Silver Pavillion, and by various temples and museums, until it ends in a older Kyoto neighborhood called, Nanzenji.   Apparently one of Japan's most famous philosophers, some guy named Nishida Kidaro, used to walk this path contemplating life on his daily trek to Kyoto university.  Kinda like I used to do on my hour drive into work.  Russell and I contemplated staying warm, sake came to mind, as we walked along the path.  There were no cherry blossoms yet, but lots of walk-a-thoners with dueling umbrellas.  Somebody could get an eye poked out here.  But it was pleasant in spite of the cold rain and umbrella wielding mob. 

Philosopher's Path

It wasn't on my itinerary but the path led us past this very impressive temple with a gigantic gate.  It's called Nanzenji Temple and apparently it's one of the most important temples in Japan because it's the head school of the Rinzai sect of Japanese Zen Buddhism. It also touts a nice Zen rock garden.  I'd had enough rock gardens so we admired the sanmon gate and kept walking.

Monolithic Sanmon Gate.
Looks even more commanding in black and white.
Plus you can't tell it's raining this way.

Russell looks rather statuesque amongst these pillars.

The pathway dropped off in a charming old neighborhood but we rambled onto our next destination the Heian Shrine.  While the Heian Shrine is colorful and built to commemorate the 1,100th anniversary of the founding of Kyoto, we actually came for the garden.

The road to Heian.
Nice gate.

I like the lanterns.
Imagine how pretty they must be lit up at night.

Paper wishes otherwise known as Omikuji. 
They're actually randomly drawn fortunes.
Folks tie them to the trees to ensure that good fortunes come true and the bad ones don't.

The garden was lovely in spite of the rain.  Russell and I imagined how glorious it would be during Cherry Blossom season or Fall.  

Look, you can't even tell it's pouring in this photo.

Raindrops are falling on my head...

I love this pathway.




Bridge across the water was pleasing.

Nice framing.
I wonder why the paint the edges white?

Next we walked to the Gion district, or Geisha district.  The only geisha we saw, however, was on a poster, which we couldn't read.  But it was pretty.  

And this says what?

So was the Gion district itself. It was pretty much what I imaged except the streets were wider than expected. The old style buildings and door decorations were charming. I could imagine how beautiful they would be at night, romantically lit by lanterns, the sound of traditional Japanese music and geisha laughter wafting through the soji screens.







After Gion we decided to head up to Kiyomizu Temple, which commands one of the best views of Kyoto, not to mention being a spectacular temple in its own right.  

Along the way we encountered what turned out to be my favorite part of Kyoto.  It's called Sannenzaka Slope and it's a cobble stoned street lined with pretty little shops, including sake, pottery and incense shops.  There's also a rather impressive pagoda called Yasaka Pagoda.

Yasaka Pagoda.
The umbrellas just make it even more picturesque.

Sake shop.
The packaging is outstanding.
I fell for it and bought a bottle because it was, um, pretty.
It's like buying wine for the label.



The slope - look at the roof line.
I'm imagining ninjas alighting from one to another in the cloak of night.

In Kyoto we saw a few people wearing traditional kimono's.  A lot of hotels and tourist companies offer sightseeing packages which include a kimono rental in order to truly experience Kyoto the old fashioned way.  

These don't look like tourists however.

The shrine was impressive and crowded.  There were more than tourists here.  A lot of people were actually here to pray or wish for good fortune.  Russell and I were here to take pictures.  


These are called Ema.  
Worshippers write their wishes on wooden plaques, along with a donation, 
and leave them at the temple in hopes they come true.

There were other shrines within the temple including the Jishu Shrine, or matchmaking shrine. On the shrine grounds are two stones, about 30 feet apart.  It's said that if you can walk blindfolded from one rock to the other, you're guaranteed success in your love life.  

Unfortunately nobody was going to get lucky on this day.  The area was so crowded you could hardly walk ten feet, much less blindfolded.  It's more likely you would trip over the rock.  I wonder what that means?  Whatever, it sure makes for a nice story.

Throughout the grounds you can buy good luck charms for everything from a happy marriage, to an easy childbirth and even good grades.  How about no rain?

One of the two love rocks.
Yeah, that would make a nasty bruise on your shin.


This deity Okuninushi no Mikoto and his messenger rabbit 
at the Jishu-jinja shrine apparently aid in love.
Is this where the term, "the rabbit died" originated from?
Or does it just refer to the way rabbits proliferate? 


Ok, even though the view was obscured by clouds this was pretty amazing.

Otawa Falls where worshippers can drink "pure" water.
Eat your heart out Arrowhead.
Note there are three streams.  Drinking from each provides a different benefit including: longevity, success at school and a good love life.  But drinking all three is considered greedy. 
Hey, greed is good.

After the carnival of charm that was Kiyomizu Temple, it was time to go to the highlight of our trip, our ryokan.  But I'll save that for the next post.  I think I have just enough time for another drink of pure water, otherwise known as sake.  Good for everything.