Friday, March 10, 2006
Monday, March 06, 2006
Saturday, March 04, 2006
TODAY'S PURCHASE
KIMONO
Bought this Kimono at Antique Festival. It's used but in very good condition, AND my size!
Bought this Kimono at Antique Festival. It's used but in very good condition, AND my size!
東京の地酒が試せます
Went to Antique Fair in Heiwajima with my mother today. On the way back, we stopped over the Sake Festival in Azabu Juban. They had 13 kinds of sake from each Sake brewer in Tokyo. Off course we HAD to taste them. At 6th try, we quit so that we could actually walk back home. My mother purchased Yuzu Zake (Orange Sake) made by Nakamura Shuzo in Akiruno City.
Went to Antique Fair in Heiwajima with my mother today. On the way back, we stopped over the Sake Festival in Azabu Juban. They had 13 kinds of sake from each Sake brewer in Tokyo. Off course we HAD to taste them. At 6th try, we quit so that we could actually walk back home. My mother purchased Yuzu Zake (Orange Sake) made by Nakamura Shuzo in Akiruno City.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Monday, February 27, 2006
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Cold call
Working at the office, answering random calls, mostly cold calls, but sometimes you get interesting calls. Today, a guy named himself Kobayashi, don't know if it's his real name, but anyway, says wants to speak to our president. Off cause I won't give him such an easy access. Usual course of giving him some ordinary conversation to de-motivate the person to pursue.
"Well, he's not a Japanese and he doesn't speak the language." I said.
Then he said "Is he clever?"
I thought that's a very rude question to ask but thought I should give him more challenges.
"Does it something to do with your phone call today?"
He didn't give me any answer to this question, such a shame. If he had came up with something intellectual, smart answer, I would've considered passing this call to my boss, and give this person a more challenge in English...!
"Well, he's not a Japanese and he doesn't speak the language." I said.
Then he said "Is he clever?"
I thought that's a very rude question to ask but thought I should give him more challenges.
"Does it something to do with your phone call today?"
He didn't give me any answer to this question, such a shame. If he had came up with something intellectual, smart answer, I would've considered passing this call to my boss, and give this person a more challenge in English...!
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Friday, February 10, 2006
My Grand Father - Minoru
I didn't know him when he was physically unimpaired.
He suffered a cerebral infarction (stroke) when I was still a few months old. It left him paralyzed on the left side of his body, and also he could not speak too well. To me, he was what he was, I didn't even question why my grandfather was different from others.
Regardless of those impediments, he wasn't my favorite member of the family, to be honest. Very strict, harsh, stubborn... I guess I wasn't his favorite grandchild either, as he always doted on my brother, the only boy among the grandchildren. Well, his fate was to inherit the family so he enjoyed the sweetness while he could before challenges come. I was, on the other hand, free from such traditional customs as I was a girl, my fate was to be kicked out from the home. World is not fair, but no complaints.
Grandpa was a hardcore gardener. He had hundreds of bonsai and many trees and stones placed nicely in the garden. It's impressive now that I think of his physical condition that he was looking after so much of green. I always got yelled at, for example, if I took leaves, dug the ground, or planted some flowers. My friends rarely came to play at my house because they also got yelled at.
Time goes by, and as I left the home and started my own life, every time I visited my home, it made me sad to see the number of bonsai keep decreasing. It was obvious that he was getting old as I could see it in his movements.
At new years day, I visited my home and brought lots of taiyaki, a sweet shaped red sea bream stuffed with sweet bean paste. It's his all time his favorite, and he had 4 pieces of them that day. It made me nervous he ate so many.
He died in his sleep. Autopsy says artery rhexis behind his ear was the cause. Probably he didn't suffer. His face looked peaceful, almost smiling.
I think it was him who was the most frustrated by his physical challenges. For 34 years, out of his life of 85 years, he struggled, irritated with his own body. He must have had a lot he wanted to say but his body wasn't simply capable of. He was finally free from those distractions.
The garden back at my home looks bare now. His favorite yellow plum, roubai (chimonanthus praecox), is in full bloom, as if it's sending him off quietly but as best it can with its sweet scent.
He suffered a cerebral infarction (stroke) when I was still a few months old. It left him paralyzed on the left side of his body, and also he could not speak too well. To me, he was what he was, I didn't even question why my grandfather was different from others.
Regardless of those impediments, he wasn't my favorite member of the family, to be honest. Very strict, harsh, stubborn... I guess I wasn't his favorite grandchild either, as he always doted on my brother, the only boy among the grandchildren. Well, his fate was to inherit the family so he enjoyed the sweetness while he could before challenges come. I was, on the other hand, free from such traditional customs as I was a girl, my fate was to be kicked out from the home. World is not fair, but no complaints.
Grandpa was a hardcore gardener. He had hundreds of bonsai and many trees and stones placed nicely in the garden. It's impressive now that I think of his physical condition that he was looking after so much of green. I always got yelled at, for example, if I took leaves, dug the ground, or planted some flowers. My friends rarely came to play at my house because they also got yelled at.
Time goes by, and as I left the home and started my own life, every time I visited my home, it made me sad to see the number of bonsai keep decreasing. It was obvious that he was getting old as I could see it in his movements.
At new years day, I visited my home and brought lots of taiyaki, a sweet shaped red sea bream stuffed with sweet bean paste. It's his all time his favorite, and he had 4 pieces of them that day. It made me nervous he ate so many.
He died in his sleep. Autopsy says artery rhexis behind his ear was the cause. Probably he didn't suffer. His face looked peaceful, almost smiling.
I think it was him who was the most frustrated by his physical challenges. For 34 years, out of his life of 85 years, he struggled, irritated with his own body. He must have had a lot he wanted to say but his body wasn't simply capable of. He was finally free from those distractions.
The garden back at my home looks bare now. His favorite yellow plum, roubai (chimonanthus praecox), is in full bloom, as if it's sending him off quietly but as best it can with its sweet scent.
Friday, January 06, 2006
Bus rider back home
Overheard a conversation between two senior ladies on the bus way back to home from work.
One lady said she was worried about her daughter not getting married.
"I was worried about her going out when she was young, and was careful not to let her go on date with some boys, but now I regret what I did. If she had more chances of meeting, she would've been married by now."
The other lady was telling her that she was embarrassed by her daughter married to a man not from the good family.
"Children of my brothers and cousins all married to the people from the good family. My daughter is the only one not married to such a good family. Even my husband's end relatives also married to decent family. I'm so embarrassed."
The grass is greener on the other side of the fence.
One is not happy about her daughter being single. One is not happy that her daughter doesn't belong to decent family that she can claim to her relatives. Probably both of them were trying to comfort each other by telling their own stories, but to me, it sounded as if they were trying to high light how they were unfortunate.
How can you blame not being married? It could be her daughter's choice. How can you measure "good family"? What's the criteria of being "good family"? Doesn't it matter if the daughter is happy with the one she chose to marry?
People can't stop comparing. They don't look at little happiness in their lives but seek more what they don't have. People are greedy. They want what the others own but they don't. They won't ever be satisfied.
As walking back to home after the bus ride, said good luck in my mind to those ladies, I saw the lights on at my home, my little happiness that someone is waiting for me.
One lady said she was worried about her daughter not getting married.
"I was worried about her going out when she was young, and was careful not to let her go on date with some boys, but now I regret what I did. If she had more chances of meeting, she would've been married by now."
The other lady was telling her that she was embarrassed by her daughter married to a man not from the good family.
"Children of my brothers and cousins all married to the people from the good family. My daughter is the only one not married to such a good family. Even my husband's end relatives also married to decent family. I'm so embarrassed."
The grass is greener on the other side of the fence.
One is not happy about her daughter being single. One is not happy that her daughter doesn't belong to decent family that she can claim to her relatives. Probably both of them were trying to comfort each other by telling their own stories, but to me, it sounded as if they were trying to high light how they were unfortunate.
How can you blame not being married? It could be her daughter's choice. How can you measure "good family"? What's the criteria of being "good family"? Doesn't it matter if the daughter is happy with the one she chose to marry?
People can't stop comparing. They don't look at little happiness in their lives but seek more what they don't have. People are greedy. They want what the others own but they don't. They won't ever be satisfied.
As walking back to home after the bus ride, said good luck in my mind to those ladies, I saw the lights on at my home, my little happiness that someone is waiting for me.
Friday, November 25, 2005
Jingisukan (Genghis Kahn)
Wandering around the bright neon of Susukino, Sapporo City, we found the place we've been longing to go to. Dharma is the place for mutton barbecue. The serious barbecue.
You wait outside, standing in the cold, anticipating. As soon people leave, you enter the place. U shaped counter inside of the restaurant, really small with about 12 seats under dim light. 5 grandmas working in the middle of the counter, very efficient. There is the helmet-looking pan with sliced onions already on it, waiting right in front of you, heating. The moment you take your seat, grandmas serve you the meat and the sauce.
Yes, the meat: mutton and lamb slices. Sear the meat, rare, dip in the sauce, and eat. Jolt. It's so good you never tasted such tasty mutton. No smell of mutton at all. Juiciness of meat blasts in your mouth. You become a machine of cooking and eating. Makes you think as if you could eat the entire sheep. Ask for another plate of meat to the grandmas. Smoke irritates your eyes, but your appetite prevails. It won't stop you. Look around, everybody in the place is busy, quietly and with single minded devotion to eating. All you hear is the sizzling sound of barbecue and grandmas voices.
As you're filled and pace down, grandmas offer you roasted tea to pour into the sauce bowl. Sounds awful mixing the tea and the sauce, but it's so perfect, especially with rice, too. Ochazuke that it is you slurp, feel it sinking down into your stomach, gives you the comfort and you exhale in satisfaction.
Say good by to grand mas with big smile on your face, you find yourself smell smokes and barbeque head to tow. Despite of the coldness of night in north city, you're contempt rest of the night.
You wait outside, standing in the cold, anticipating. As soon people leave, you enter the place. U shaped counter inside of the restaurant, really small with about 12 seats under dim light. 5 grandmas working in the middle of the counter, very efficient. There is the helmet-looking pan with sliced onions already on it, waiting right in front of you, heating. The moment you take your seat, grandmas serve you the meat and the sauce.
Yes, the meat: mutton and lamb slices. Sear the meat, rare, dip in the sauce, and eat. Jolt. It's so good you never tasted such tasty mutton. No smell of mutton at all. Juiciness of meat blasts in your mouth. You become a machine of cooking and eating. Makes you think as if you could eat the entire sheep. Ask for another plate of meat to the grandmas. Smoke irritates your eyes, but your appetite prevails. It won't stop you. Look around, everybody in the place is busy, quietly and with single minded devotion to eating. All you hear is the sizzling sound of barbecue and grandmas voices.
As you're filled and pace down, grandmas offer you roasted tea to pour into the sauce bowl. Sounds awful mixing the tea and the sauce, but it's so perfect, especially with rice, too. Ochazuke that it is you slurp, feel it sinking down into your stomach, gives you the comfort and you exhale in satisfaction.
Say good by to grand mas with big smile on your face, you find yourself smell smokes and barbeque head to tow. Despite of the coldness of night in north city, you're contempt rest of the night.
Sunday, November 20, 2005
This feeling of remoteness
Off from work, just wondering the crowded street in Omote sando. I feel distance from everything – people, buildings, streets, trees, stores, etc. Just drifting torrent of people, almost being transparent. Maybe because I don’t have business here at this moment, I’m not attached to the city.
Looking around myself, I see many young, fashionable or they think they’re so everywhere. I realized I don’t belong here. Have to get out now before vanish into the crowd….
Looking around myself, I see many young, fashionable or they think they’re so everywhere. I realized I don’t belong here. Have to get out now before vanish into the crowd….
Friday, October 28, 2005
Mobile Text Message
Received a text message on my mobile from my mother. She had emoji (pictogram) at the end of the message. It was a heart. Made me feel I was having a reverse generation gap with her.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Hagi Yaki
Went to Hagi in Yamaguchi Pref. over the weekend. This town is famous for the pottery called Hagi Yaki. Everywhere you go, you see pottery stores. We bought some cups at a small store, Ikkei Gama, while we're walking toward the down town of old Hagi city. While we were chatting woman at the store, we found out her son made those potteries. She told us that she bought a tea set of Hagi Yaki about 10 years ago, but it's now for sale, as she doesn't use nothing but her son's pottery. She was a lovely woman and I saw her enthusiasm for her son's pottery. It was yearning that she works for what she loves.
If you'll have chance to visit Hagi, please stop by their store.
http://www.ikkeigama.com/
If you'll have chance to visit Hagi, please stop by their store.
http://www.ikkeigama.com/
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Benri!
It looks like the long-term trend of train stations and airports recruiting more restaurants and stores to bring in a larger crowd of visitors is starting to pay off. Shinagawa station opened its ecute location this month, Tokyo station's restaurant mall just celebrated its first anniversary, Haneda airport was the site of the latest upmarket Kihachi restaurant, etc.
The stores in greatest demand are those offering something unique. For example, some stores are offering specialties at your local station that you used to have to travel far to obtain. Thanks to the media, such information of "what's good" and "what's famous" is being lapped up by willing consumers.
The counterpoint to this story is that while it's very convenient to have such a large range of options when when I travel, in being made available everywhere those same brands and products are starting to lose their appeal.
Now I'm starting to wish for the old days, when eating cheap soba at the train platform with my mother was something special to do....
The stores in greatest demand are those offering something unique. For example, some stores are offering specialties at your local station that you used to have to travel far to obtain. Thanks to the media, such information of "what's good" and "what's famous" is being lapped up by willing consumers.
The counterpoint to this story is that while it's very convenient to have such a large range of options when when I travel, in being made available everywhere those same brands and products are starting to lose their appeal.
Now I'm starting to wish for the old days, when eating cheap soba at the train platform with my mother was something special to do....
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