What’s This?

Well, I’ve been here a year.

I’m sad to say that I’m not surprised this blog has not been more successful. But, unlike many other blog writers, my daily life is just that to me. I wake up, eat and take a shower, go to work, and then come home to sleep. On my days off I take walks or meet friends. Every now and then, like this last weekend, I travel off to somewhere like Kyoto.

 

Sure, there are interesting moments. Coincidentally meeting two different mutual friends of an only friend in as many weeks. Unusual students. My daily exposure to mind-bending fashion styles.

And there are lonely moments, too. Seeing my reflection in the train window and the moment of surprise when it doesn’t look like everyone around me. Visiting tourist spots populated by young couples and laughing families. Cold rainy nights.

 

But overall, I just don’t feel inspired to write about any of it. The pure joy of arranging words alone doesn’t move me enough, it seems. Thanks to a friend, however, I’ve come up with a new twist to the old Japan Walker formula!

 

As you may remember from all those months ago, the system required readers to send specific ideas for possible destinations. Now that I think about it, that was perhaps a little too much work to still consider you “readers.”

The other day, that friend challenged me with a photography scavenger hunt. So I thought, why not use the same system to bring J-Walker back to life?

You send a scavenger hunt objective, such as:

• A burned out bulb
• Someone sweeping
• An unusual reflection of yourself
• Something floating
• (Original ideas, please!)

and then I’ll go and take a picture. The resulting adventure will become an entry here on J-Walker.

 

For now, leave them on the suggestions page!

Shopping

Well, everyone, I can’t believe it’s been so long without an update.

I thought I’d fill the gap with a look at grocery shopping here in Japan.  Here’s what my last grocery bill looked like (prices in Yen):

• 2 ears of corn—–379
• 1/2 lettuce—–150
• 1 liter of orange juice—–188
• 6 slices of rye bread—–290
• two bananas—–112
• 1 liter of milk—–265
• Kellogg’s cereal—-298 (and the box is about half the size of a box in the US)
• (different cereal)—–298
• ham (5 slices)—–188
• pepper jack cheese—–266
• gouda cheese—–266
• salami—–474
• 10 eggs—–188

Total: 3530

The Chill in Tokyo

I’ve probably mentioned this before, but Shinjuku is one of the busiest places on Earth. That’s not some exaggerative idiom—I believe Shinjuku station is literally the most-used train station in the world. A few weeks ago, while waiting to meet some friends on a Friday night there, I decided to see how long it would take me to count 100 of the people passing by. I did my best, but I could probably only pick out about half (or less) of the people in front of me at any given moment. Even still, it took just forty-four seconds to get to 100. That means that during the thirty minutes I was waiting there, probably something like 7000 people passed that one spot just outside a single exit of Shinjuku station.

The other night, I was standing at a much less-used entrance while waiting to meet my friend, Ayu. At that entrance, on a Monday night, it might take ten to fifteen minutes for 100 people to walk through the sliding glass door (though another few hundred might pass on the sidewalk). While waiting, I busied myself with watching those people as they went about their business.

One person who walked into the station was a long-legged little girl probably about ten years old. She was wearing blue jeans and a salmon-colored shirt. Her hands were gripped tight to the straps of a light-blue backpack. And just below her home-cut bangs, her eyes were red and streaming tears. (click below to read more after the cut)

Things I Can See from Here

Lately I’ve been Japan Walker more than I’ve been Japan Writer. For whatever reason, I’ve developed an aversion to being in my home. Maybe it’s the stains on the walls or the dust that collects in every corner. I could blame my roommate’s moping or the nest he’s built in front of our television, but my feeling came before he started that. Usually I blame the fluorescent lights, but that’s probably a lie, too. Anyway, whether it’s for writing or cleaning, eating or even sleeping, I’ve become totally dissatisfied with being in my apartment.

 

Today is the last day of my Golden Week—a week of national holidays wrapped around a weekend during which most Japanese people don’t go to work or school. Every store, restaurant, and tourist area is crowded during Golden Week. During mine, I climbed a mountain crawling with elementary school students, burrowed my way through almost unwalkable streets in Harajuku and Omotesando, met a former model at a CD release party, and shared sidewalks with hundreds of Yokohama dogs. But for someone who frequently walks 14-plus kilometers across Tokyo, collecting (if not joining) the varied shapes and colors of people and their things, these experiences have generally fit within the range of my experience. They are the sort of events that wash over me and pass by. In all of them, I feel more like a camera than an actor.

Last night and today, though, I’ve had a glimpse of another world, one that’s given me pause.

Squirrel

Squirrel

Originally uploaded by Balloon Cat

I met a squirrel yesterday.
I was in Kamakura with a friend, wandering around and absorbing the Japaneseness of the cherry blossoms and old the old capital city.

This squirrel was eating something crunchy off the ground and didn’t seem to mind me standing nearby. I moved closer a few times, but it didn’t run off. Eventually, it let me crouch down and get some shots with my camera in macro mode.

In other news, I’ve been debating lately what to post, but I finally hit on the idea today. I believe I made an update promise which I didn’t keep, and for that I’m sorry. Anyway, I’ll soon be telling you about my sakura/hanami wanderings. For some of you, those words are a mystery at the moment—clarity will come!

Until my next post, enjoy this little rodent’s powerful stare!

Sorry again

Hi everyone,
Sorry for the delay in my update. Because of the change in my schedule which accompanied my employer changing school years, I had to work every day this week without any time off.
My goal is to type up my Sankeien experience by Wednesday here.

PARKS! (Another Poll)

Finally, it’s time for another vote!

We have just passed the vernal equinox (a national holiday here), and in celebration, I think it’s high time I go to a park. So this time we have three choices of parks here in Kanto (the park names are links to info).

Park 1 – Sankeien Garden (Yokohama)

Park 2 – Koishikawa Korakuen (Central Tokyo)

Park 3 – Inokashira Park (West Tokyo)

(By the way, I’m gearing up for a big walk in early May. Poll coming soon…)

Walk 3 – Pasona O2 (Underground Farm in Tokyo)

Tokyo Station was under construction. I usually arrive early to any appointment, especially if I have to navigate the endless, unfamiliar tunnels of Tokyo station. And last week I was especially early to meet my friend, Naoko, because she had mistakenly told me an earlier meeting time. But it ended up helping me. The normally labyrinthine stretches of the underground complex had been made even more confusing by temporary walls and passages erected to hide the station’s ongoing renovations.

Finally, though, I felt a small hint of fresh air and followed the exit signs out of the station. I emerged into bright chilly sunshine. Towering before me were the modern skyscrapers which stand on a perfect grid of streets between the station and the grounds of the imperial palace. To my left, earth movers and cranes shuffled around the station’s original 1914 façade. Tall white walls blocked most of the construction from view and showed pictures of the station’s history and concepts of what it will become. Thankfully, the antique appearance will stay unchanged.

The construction (more skyscrapers and some elevated walkways), though, will probably make the area look even less like the rest of Tokyo than it already does. Most of the city looks as if a vast collection of misshapen buildings tumbled from the sky and happened to land upright. In some areas the front doors might all face the same direction, but sometimes they don’t even face any of the nameless streets that twist and turn and branch off with no clear logic behind their placement. The streets often end abruptly with no warning and usually are only just wide enough for two compact cars to barely squeeze around each other. In stark contrast, the area around Tokyo station is laid out in large square blocks like cities in the United States, and all the streets allow multiple lanes of traffic. Every time I visit the area I feel like I’ve stepped out of Tokyo and into Chicago.

Apology

I have to apologize that it seems like my next update won’t be until next week. I’m going to bed now, and I think I’ll be busy all day Saturday and Sunday. Tomorrow I work all day, and there will be a party at night for one of the schools I work at. Then on Sunday I’m getting a haircut, my friend’s coming from out of town, and some people are throwing me a birthday party.

I want to take the time to make a proper update, so it will have to wait. Sorry!

Birthday

Today I had a nice birthday.
It was sunny, I met a friend for lunch and underground farm exploring (report coming soon), and I had dinner and conversation with some friends from my university. I also have Thursdays off.

Next Thursday is payday, which may be possibly more exciting than a birthday…