Tokyo
In an attempt to catch up to the present, I offer the following high-speed update of my time in Tokyo.
Japan grants me some early victories. I determine from my ticket that the seating on the airport train is assigned, then I successfully find my assigned seat, and finally I find the meeting place that Rob suggests. Sadly, these are also among the last of my victories. In retrospect, the relatively untaxing but important mastery of ordering a Mocha Frappuccino may have been my only subsequent scalp.
Rob tends to work long hours but on my first full day he escapes and we find a Canada-themed pub that is showing the Olympic hockey tournament. The game is on tape-delay and we both know the outcome but it is still has appeal. Chihro joins us and we move on to a more authentic lounge. There Rob attempts to advance my language skills by telling the Japanese required for some specific restaurant transaction then immediately summoning the waiter, and directing their attention to me on their arrival. We disagree on the effectiveness of this teaching technique. My argument is that it requires a willing student.
Rob forgets his bag at the pub so there is simply no alternative to returning the next night for the quarterfinals. Rob has trouble getting off work early. Canada doesn’t.
The next day, Rob and I visit the Tsujiki Fish Market. We arrive far too late to see the activities at full throttle but not too early for sushi. That afternoon, Chihiro guides me around Asakusa and Ueno.
On Saturday, some of Rob's friends have arranged to go to dinner where Yumiko takes these pictures before runnng off. The rest of the group goes to the foreigner-nightlife enclave of Rappongi where we can be found until the first subway train starts running in the morning.
On Sunday afternoon, we visit Harajuku but rain keeps most of the coz-players home.
Tokyo keeps you moving, constantly shooing you along but not to anywhere in particular. I spend the following days endlessly exploring the neighbourhoods of Ginza, Shibuya, and Shinjuku partially because they offer few places to stop.
I drop in on the Tokyo Dome and watch some exhibition baseball between the Chiba Lotte Marines and Taiwan. If you ever wondered what happened to Benny Agbayani, the answer is that he became very fat.
In Shinjuku, I pick up Death Cab For Cutie and Jack Johnson so that we have some fresh music for our road trip to Nii-gata.
Japan grants me some early victories. I determine from my ticket that the seating on the airport train is assigned, then I successfully find my assigned seat, and finally I find the meeting place that Rob suggests. Sadly, these are also among the last of my victories. In retrospect, the relatively untaxing but important mastery of ordering a Mocha Frappuccino may have been my only subsequent scalp.
Rob tends to work long hours but on my first full day he escapes and we find a Canada-themed pub that is showing the Olympic hockey tournament. The game is on tape-delay and we both know the outcome but it is still has appeal. Chihro joins us and we move on to a more authentic lounge. There Rob attempts to advance my language skills by telling the Japanese required for some specific restaurant transaction then immediately summoning the waiter, and directing their attention to me on their arrival. We disagree on the effectiveness of this teaching technique. My argument is that it requires a willing student.
Rob forgets his bag at the pub so there is simply no alternative to returning the next night for the quarterfinals. Rob has trouble getting off work early. Canada doesn’t.
The next day, Rob and I visit the Tsujiki Fish Market. We arrive far too late to see the activities at full throttle but not too early for sushi. That afternoon, Chihiro guides me around Asakusa and Ueno.
On Saturday, some of Rob's friends have arranged to go to dinner where Yumiko takes these pictures before runnng off. The rest of the group goes to the foreigner-nightlife enclave of Rappongi where we can be found until the first subway train starts running in the morning.
On Sunday afternoon, we visit Harajuku but rain keeps most of the coz-players home.
Tokyo keeps you moving, constantly shooing you along but not to anywhere in particular. I spend the following days endlessly exploring the neighbourhoods of Ginza, Shibuya, and Shinjuku partially because they offer few places to stop.
I drop in on the Tokyo Dome and watch some exhibition baseball between the Chiba Lotte Marines and Taiwan. If you ever wondered what happened to Benny Agbayani, the answer is that he became very fat.
In Shinjuku, I pick up Death Cab For Cutie and Jack Johnson so that we have some fresh music for our road trip to Nii-gata.
posted by Steve at 8:14 PM
2 Comments:
I like Jack Johnson too.
What's wrong with Death Cab For Cutie???
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