Meiji Mura
Thursday, November 4th, 2010 in: News
When Kaoru visited back in March, we had plans to go check out Meiji Mura, a “building park” near Inuyama which is home to quite a selection of preserved buildings from, you guessed it, the Meiji era. The park is pretty enormous, with a shuttle bus and tram service to cart lazy visitors around. Some people went to great lengths to move entire buildings to the park, and most of them are still in surprisingly good shape. I was especially interested in visiting the entry hall of the old Tokyo Imperial Hotel, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. In the 60’s, the hotel was torn down, but the preservation society saw the value of saving at least part of the building, and it was carefully dismantled and shipped halfway across the country to its current resting spot.
But due to inclement weather and everyone falling ill at once, we never made it. Everyone deserves a second chance though, right?
My Commute
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010 in: News
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZFIEJDl7c0
Some people have asked me about my daily commute. Japan is notorious for its long and wearisome commutes; in school, even some of the exchange students had to ride the train for over an hour to get to class. Even two hours is not all that unusual. I somehow managed to get lucky. Instead of two hours, it takes me two minutes. That includes getting up and getting dressed. Watch the video if you don’t believe me.
This may be the shortest commute ever, except for people who live and work in the same building. Just another reason I love my job!
Okadaya Meals – food worth living for
Monday, November 1st, 2010 in: News
Quite possibly the best thing about living here has got to be the food. Hiro’s uncle is a culinary genius. The meals aren’t even very complicated, but everything is cooked to perfection. What’s more impressive, is that in all the time here, we’ve never had the same meal twice. That just blows me away. I wish I had cooking like this everywhere I go; I’m inspired to learn, but the fact that they cook for me here makes me feel sooooo lazy!
I’ve tried to get a photo of every meal, this is just the month of September: (more…)
Be Kind, REWIND
Monday, November 1st, 2010 in: News
So much can change in 5 months, and so much can remain the same.
Life back in Nagoya seemed to pick back up where it had left off. The store had been steadily growing while I was away, which was actually why I was asked to come back. The domestic sales in Japan had been healthy from the start, but international sales had been lagging behind. Although the store itself is great, and our shipping rates are incredibly good (we’re almost always losing money on shipping), the strong yen means high prices in other currencies, and the English side of the website was lacking translations for the detailed product descriptions the boys had been working on–people don’t feel comfortable buying stuff without a written description. This is where I come in. (more…)
Back to Nagoya!
Sunday, October 31st, 2010 in: News
Sosha and Shinobu finally got back from the Philippines, escaping a week’s worth of tanning by spending their time in the reefs, earning their scuba certification (new idea for a travel goal!). Over their week away, I held down the fort and made myself at home. I thought that Tokyo was too cramped and crowded to consider living, but with a spacious enough personal space, I realized that it’s quite livable. I’m not entirely sure if I’m cut out for urban life, considering I’d never actually lived in an apartment, but for the first time in my life, I actually longed for that experience. Not exactly the best time to want to settle down, but worth noting. (more…)
GOOD Design Show
Saturday, October 30th, 2010 in: News
Kaoru gave me the heads up that the GOOD Design Show was back in town, so I asked her to come check it out with me. I remember my first encounter with the show back in 2006, when I randomly stumbled into an exhibit at Geidai (Tokyo School of Art) on a field trip for my art class. I wandered into a random exhibition hall at the school and found myself surrounded by objects new and old that have been honored over the years. A public interview with a product designer of some of the products was going on under the spotlight of the crowd’s eyes and cameras, and despite the intimate setting, it felt like a big deal.
Holy shit, I’d stumbled into Inside the Actor’s Studio for designers.
Oh, Roppongi part 2
Friday, October 29th, 2010 in: News
I opened my eyes again around 2 pm, and the first thing I saw was a purse, staring me in the face. “You’re not mine,” I said to it, and rolled over, pulling the blanket over my head in a feeble attempt to block out the afternoon sun. Then I opened my eyes and the events from earlier that morning came flooding back.
Shit. (more…)
Oh, Roppongi
Thursday, October 28th, 2010 in: News
My first weekend back in Japan, I tagged along with Shinobu and her friends to Zushi, a beach town not far from Yokohama. It’s amazing how the beach culture remains constant no matter where you are. I felt like I could have just as easily been in Southern California or Okinawa, from the vibe of the crowds lounging in the sand or floating in the water, to the bars and shops that lined the shore. On the way I got a message from my climbing friend Shihong who was visiting friends from California and headed to same beach that day. I met up with them and we floated in the lukewarm ocean, Coronas in hand, chatting until the sun set the ocean on fire and disappeared over the horizon. Shihong’s friend Sim works for a software company in Tokyo; he’s an outgoing guy, the kind you immediately warm up to. Although Shihong was going back home early next week, Sim invited me to his birthday party the following weekend in Roppongi. I’m not a big party animal, but it sounded like fun and they were telling me I should meet his coworkers who share some of my interests. So the following Friday, I found myself heading to the F-Bar in Roppongi dressed in my “nice shirt” and actual shoes, unsure of what to expect. (more…)
再见北京！你好东京！Goodbye Beijing, Hello Tokyo!
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010 in: News
My last few days were spent mostly lounging about, catching up on all the photos and stories I had accumulated during my recent travels. The people at UIR were gracious enough to let me hang out in their student lounge, or at least not try to kick me out. The student pool was dwindling, and the general boredom that accompanies loneliness began to set in. The time between old students leaving and new students arriving is quiet. Time for reflection. I thought about the nature of meeting new people, how every fresh face is like a clean slate; you immediately begin building a picture of them from the moment you first interact, which means you have a chance to reinvent yourself every time you meet someone, if you were so inclined. This isn’t exactly a practical way to socialize, if you’re constantly changing your personality for different people, when those social circles collide your personae will do the same, but it’s an interesting thought. Kind of reminded me of the frame theory of social interaction; I have my frames, you have yours, we see each other from our respective perspectives, and likewise, our words and actions build a frame around us through which we prefer to be perceived; the construction of identity versus the expression of it. UIR was an interesting social environment; every month new students would arrive for varying lengths of time. A couple weeks, a few months, even years. Anyone who had been there longer than a month was already an old hat, having experienced the changing of the guard. New students would arrive, fresh faces to get to know and become friends with, or to ignore and let them continue the course of their lives without your interference. An endless cycle of meeting, familiarizing, establishing connections, then having those connections stretched across the globe. When no one else is around, you gotta entertain yourself somehow. (more…)
Review of University of International Relations Beijing UIR-CIE
Sunday, October 17th, 2010 in: News
This is review of the UIR Language School in Beijing, as well as the surrounding area, and some general advice for language study in China.
How I found out about the school
My first trip to China was intended mostly to serve as a means of passage between Japan and the roof of the world. I very much wanted to visit the Himalayas and Annapurnas on my way to India. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I could and should spend more time in China (and every place I visit), to absorb the language and culture. It’s not enough to pass through a place to claim that you have been there. And so my concept of travel stretched from a sprint across the Asian continent into a slow, deliberate marathon. Another thing I realized was that if I really wanted this journey to have a lasting impact on my life, I should take the opportunity to learn some new skills. My friend Denise had just come back from a language school in Beijing called the University of International Relations (UIR), to help her fulfill her masters program’s language requirements, so I asked her about her experiences. (more…)
