Some Things Are So Different

I can remember vividly my first trip to Japan in December of 1994.  I was so excited to be visiting, and felt very privileged professionally.  With sleep always being difficult to accomplish successfully on any international trip, I went out for early morning walks on each day there, with my eyes wide open, and on the look out for any signs of the differences between our cultures.  During one walk, I was stopped cold in my tracks when I came across a vending machine in Tokyo that was out on the street that only sold beer.  The photo below was actually that machine, taken in 1994.  

Then I noticed that these machines were all over the place, outside on almost every street it seemed.  Wow.  I was shocked!  There was absolutely no way you could do this in the U.S. I immediately thought.  The kids would raid the machines every day/night, and there would never be any beer in them!  This was my first indication of the discipline that exists within the Japanese culture.  For the most part, the kids left these machines alone, for they knew it was not  legal to use them.  Then on a subsequent trip a few years later, I took this shot of another machine.  The amazing thing about this mechanical bartender, was that it dispensed not only beer, which could be procured in impressive 5,000 gallon jugs, but whiskey too!!!  Oh boy I thought, now that is just an incredible sight.

So this small little thing really struck me on those early trips.  However I will tell you that through the following years these machines slowly started to disappear (or were moved inside of the shops).  Now I believe they are all gone (although maybe they can still be found in the countryside?), an unfortunate sign of an erosion of that discipline that is happening in the country.  I think I purchased a beer from one of these machines once, just for the novelty of it.  It is too bad they are all gone!!!

A Funny Thing Happened at Ueno Park

As noted in the previous post, thanks to the generosity of Momo and Kevin, I was able to witness the wonderful cherry blossom festival at Ueno Park in Tokyo last March.  However, there was a really amazing thing that happened there that I must tell you about.  The three of us decided to sit down and drink our beer and watch the thousands of people streaming by.  After about 15 minutes of this, I spotted a dog being walked by its master going by.  What caught my eye was that this dog was not only wearing a shirt (which I consider to be a little rare but I have seen many), but also a pair of pants!Now I must say that I have never seen a dog wearing a pair of pants.

So being the dog lover that I am, I pulled out my camera to take a photo.  Upon seeing me do this, the master brought the dog over to me, and he proceeded to jump up on the short little wall we were sitting on.  Judging by this dog’s fancy clothing, I would say he was obviously responsible for keeping all the other canines in Ueno Park in line.

So anyway, Momo starts talking to the master (in Japanese of course), and asks him what the dogs name is.  The masters answer?  “Charlie”.  Now when Momo heard this she almost fell off her seat as did I when she translated it to me.  Coincidence?  I think not!  I felt very strongly that this is far too serious to be coincidence.  Instead, I felt it was a sign – a sign that I was meant to be in Ueno Park, at that specific place and time, to witness the amazingly beautiful, Japanese insanity that is “Hanami”.

Cherry Blossoms - I Finally Get It!

A recent trip to Japan gifted me another weekend there, and it just happened to coincide with the beginning of the infamous blossoming of the cherry trees.  Now I have heard about this serious tradition for a long time, but never in my years of travel had I been able to actually experience what it was all about.  In the U.S., you learn at an early age that “supposedly” George Washington chopped down a cherry tree when he was a young boy.  Other than that, this type of tree does not hold anything near the significance here that it does in Japan.  I was about to learn why.

On this recent weekend my good friends Momo and Kevin planned to take me to see what this cherry blossom thing was all about.  The plan was to go to Ueno Park in Tokyo, which is the site of one of the two largest cherry blossom gatherings in the city, the other being at a park in Shinjuku.  We would take a few beers and sit under the trees and take in the scene.  So we met up at Shinagawa station, and took the Yamanote line to Ueno station, which drops you off right at the front entrance to the park (which is also home to the Tokyo Zoo by the way).  We picked up a beer each at a convenience store at the station (this was not going to be an all day session as we were on a tight time schedule) and headed into the park.  What I saw was quite a shock.  There was a rather wide, paved walking path that went through the park which was lined on each side by cherry trees.  Under the trees people would spread out their blue tarps and basically in U.S. lingo, have a massive tailgating party.  People would bring food, beer, wine, shochu, and more beer.  It was a very crowded, massive drink, eat and socialize party.

The extent that the people went through to set up their party was quite impressive.  Cardboard boxes became impromptu tables, or they just set out their spread right on the tarp.  It was all very well organized despite the incredible number of people and the wicked consumption of alcohol.  Next to active partygoers there would be people passed out sleeping from having too much to drink. 

I was then told by a few of my good Japanese friends what is the real significance of this incredible social event.  It is not just the simple, beautiful blossoming of a tree.  It also has to do just as much with timing.  You see, the flowering of the cherry tree occurs in Japan more or less around the same time every year, which is the end of March.  The end of March is a significant time in Japan.  Most Japanese company’s fiscal year ends in March.  In addition the school year in Japan also ends in March (and begins again in April).  So what this means is this festival is just as much a celebration of the end of the old year, and the beginning of a new one.  It is a connection period between the past, and the future, and as such can be a great time for celebrating.  This festival is looked upon very enthusiastically by all Japanese throughout the whole year.  Parties are planned in advanced, and can last all day and night, or even longer.  It is a great tradition, and I was so happy to take part in it, as well as to understand it.  Thank you so much Momo and Kevin!!!

Baseball . . . . Another Life Ago

Here is a story that is a little departure from my actual travels in Japan, but nonetheless somewhat related.  When I was young, I loved to play sports, and baseball was my favorite.  It pretty much dominated my life during my teenage years.  Probably one of the best players I ever played with and against growing up was Tony Brewer.  I had the pleasure of getting to know Tony long ago, and he was a great teammate, and a very tough out (I was a pitcher).  Here is a picture of a team we played on in the ‘70’s.  I am on the bottom row second from the left, and Tony is on the bottom row at the far right.

Tony ended up playing professionally, having been drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers.  I remember going to Dodger stadium with my Dad to see Tony play against the Cincinnati Reds.  Tony’s Dodger career was unfortunately brief, so he ended up playing professionally in Japan for the Nippon Ham Fighters from 1986 to 1990.  Tony had a great career in Japan, and made the All-Star team in 1987.   Here are his fantastic statistics while playing in Japan:

Year	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	K	BB	SB	AVG
1986	130	511	78	164	28	2	20	68	71	46	1	.321
1987	129	478	85	145	24	1	35	98	74	71	2	.303
1989	130	477	70	146	23	1	27	73	79	71	8	.306
1990	109	407	65	120	16	2	17	63	51	51	4	.295
Totals	498	1873	298	575	91	6	99	302	275	239	15	.307

  
So aside from my favorite Tony Brewer statistic being that he hit a home run in his last official Major League at bat with the Dodgers (tying a record held by a few other professional players, one being the great Ted Williams), I have another funny T.B. story.  Here it is.  During the late ‘80’s, when Tony was at the peak of his Japanese baseball career, I was busy in Los Angeles trying to close the Epson account that was based in Torrance, California.  After one of my meetings with the Procurement guy, I took him to lunch, along with a Japanese Epson engineer who was visiting that week from headquarters.  All during the lunch despite my repeated attempts to engage him, the poor engineer hardly said a word, as his English was quite poor.  Finally at the end of the meal, I asked him if he liked baseball.  His eyes lit up, and he said he liked baseball “vely, vely much”.  Then I asked him if he ever heard of a Japanese league player named Tony Brewer.  His eyes lit up even wider, and he exclaimed with much excitement, “TONY BREWER!  LOTS OF HOME RUNS!!!!!”  I laughed at that, and then told him that I grew up playing with Tony.  The engineer said he goes to a few games each season over in Japan.  I then proceeded to take one of my business cards, and I wrote on the back, “Tony, Greetings from the U.S.A.  It’s a small world isn’t it???”  I gave it to this guy and told him if he ever went to a Fighters game to go down and give this to Tony Brewer.  Well I left that meeting and thought I would never hear any more about that, as I doubted this incredibly shy guy would have the guts to actually do this.  Much to my shock and amazement about 2-3 months later I received a postcard from Tony which began, “Charlie, Greetings from Japan!!!  It certainly is a small world isn’t it???”  Apparently this guy did indeed go to a game, and did indeed get my card to Tony.  Tony ended up meeting him, and gave him a signed baseball (because that is the kind of nice guy that Tony Brewer is!).  I have never forgotten that story, and I am happy to say that I still see Tony now and again.  In fact in 2007 I partnered with him in a golf tournament and our team actually won!!  He and I can be seen in this photo, where I am on the far left, next to the great slugger!!!!  Wouldn’t it be great if Tony and I could visit Japan at the same time?  It certainly is a small world isn't it, and a wonderful one too!!!

Kyoto for the Day, Osaka for the Night

It is rare that my travels put me in Japan over a weekend.  It has probably only happened 3 or 4 times.  So when it does, I need to take full advantage.  On one such occasion in 2006, I conspired with my “Sensei of Kuidaore” Ken to plan a long desired trip to see the city of Kyoto.  We boarded the Shinkansen at Shinagawa early in the morning on a Saturday to start this journey.  The plan was to tour the city on foot during the day, and overnight at the New Miyako Hotel near the train station (very reasonably priced rooms).  We arrived in Kyoto and were confronted with forecasted rain, which more or less was off and on the entire day.  We did not allow this inconvenience to dampen our sprits, as umbrella’s in hand we trudged from Temple to Temple, and Shrine to Shrine.  When the distances were too far, we took a taxi.

Kyoto is of course a very spiritual city for Japan.  You definitely get a sense of that when you walk around.  Very limited high rise development in the downtown core (which is no accident) allows the city to stay for the most part “in the past”.  We took in the major sights, which included for Ken important stops at the grave of Ryoma Sakamoto as well as a famous site during his “revolution” which escapes me (his assassination location perhaps?) which is now (appropriately for Ken anyway) a Pachinko Parlor.

After we finished our days plan (which included a great, cheap lunch at a college type Chinese oriented fast food style (for Japan anyway) place, we needed to make dinner plans.  Ken, with his young mind in full control of the proceedings, said we must go to Osaka for dinner!  As I had a JR Rail Pass, the 15 minute Shinkansen ride was free for me, so we headed further south.  Upon arrival in Osaka we headed straight to the Dotonbori, a short stretch of a street along the canal that is the epicenter of Osaka’s famous culinary establishment.  After all, we were in search of Kuidaore, and Ken said this is the place for that.

We sampled piping hot Takoyaki (which was tough for me due to my “cats tongue!"), as well as the famous Okonomiyaki (Osaka style pancakes).  It was an awesome night of eating washed down by the typical nama biru’s.  What a great night it was.  Saw the Glico sign, saw the famous crab sign, saw the famous Cui-daore animated clown (which I hear is now gone?).  The only thing we missed I think was the Colonel Sanders sign which at that time was either still in the canal (thrown in there after an improbable Hanshin Tigers Japan World Series championship celebration), or had already been dredged out and was who knows where.

After dinner we headed back to Kyoto for our hotel and then the next morning it was back to Tokyo to get ready for the business week.  It was truly a memorable weekend, and I am indebted to Ken for being such a great tour guide and for his understanding and appreciation of my “Japanese interests”!!!!

My Tokyo "Cheers" Bar(s) - Hoju and Tampopo

In the U.S. there was a very famous television show called “Cheers” which was about a local bar in Boston where “everybody knows your name” as their slogan went.  Everyone (if they are lucky) has their own “local bar” I think, particularly in the U.K.  For me, I have settled on a couple of tiny places in Kita-Shinagawa (when I visit Tokyo) that are comfortable, casual and friendly.  The first is Hoju, a very small upstairs joint located just off the famous “Tokaido Road”.  It has a distinctly western feel (serves Miller on draft I think!!!), which includes a pool table and three electronic dart boards.  I find the lighting to be very cool, and the overall ambiance of the place is much to my liking.  I will admit it draws a “younger crowd”, but I don’t think they mind (or at least they don’t show it), when I drag my aging Gaijin butt up the narrow stairway (watch your head tall people!!!!) that leads to this hole in the wall place.

For me, this is a nice place to go to have a relaxing drink with friends either at the beginning, or the very end of an evening (I think they stay open to 2 or 4 am which can be very convenient if your stamina is high).  Most places in this local neighborhood close rather early.  I have found their drink pricing to be very reasonable.  I also enjoy getting a game or two in on their pool table, or even their dartboard.  Unlike the “Cheers” bar, the staff does not know my name, as I am not truly a regular customer (yet?).  In addition, I do not think there is much depth to their English, which is of course ok with me.

The other of my “Local” haunts, is a snack/karaoke shop that is just 50 meters or so from Hoju, and it sits right on the Tokaido Road.  It is called “Tampopo”.  I have not seen any sign on the outside of this place, and indeed when we found it many years ago what drew us to it was a small, plugged in lit Asahi Beer sign that they stuck out on the edge of the street.  It was around midnight and the entire street was dark except for this sign.  That fateful night will be described in another special post, as it is significant in more than one way.

What makes Tampopo special is not the décor.  In fact, it is nothing too special.  It is a narrow, relatively small place with a classic diner style counter that seats around 7-8 people and then a foam seat along the wall that could probably accommodate a similar or lesser amount.  No what makes Tampopo special is not the place itself, but instead it is what goes on inside.  For starters the Mama-san and Master are very nice people (no English by the way).  They do know my name, and they are a very friendly and nice couple.  A bit opposites in fact, as the Master is a little on the serious side and the Mama-san really enjoys a good time and will have drinks right along with the customers.  It is a regular crowd (no crowd is not the right word, because on any given night there may only be a couple of people in there – it is always a different experience).  However the people all like to have a drink and sing a song or two, and can usually be very engaging and make most “sessions” an enjoyable experience.  This place usually can have an older crowd, and on a few occasions the sight of an older Japanese man singing a love song to his older Japanese wife seated nearby (or the opposite) can be a truly heartfelt and moving sight (for me anyway).  I have had numerous experiences in Tampopo, and every single one of them has been tremendously enjoyable for me.  I try to visit it on most trips to Japan (not all), and it helps if I can bring along a Japanese speaking friend.  For me, Tampopo is a magical place.

Ramen . . . . . . . or is it Raumen?

So I guess you could call me a “foodie”, as one of my hobbies is cooking.  My wife Mrs. M was my initial motivation to want to learn how to cook as I was always so impressed with the skill and comfort she exhibited in the kitchen.  My cooking “apprenticeship” was also fueled by my love of wine (another hobby), as I soon realized the significance of how food and wine can complement and enhance one another.  You will see that many of my adventures in Japan are centered around food, as I have come to truly love Japanese cuisine (I don’t cook it, but I love to eat it!!!).  So in the many culinary based adventures in Japan, I would have to say that I have come to love a good bowl of ramen as much as anything else.  A simplistic view of this “ordinary” dish would say it is just a bowl of noodles in some broth, covered by an assortment of various condiments.  I would not deny this attitude.  However for those more willing to immerse themselves in the details, you will find a Pandora’s Box of various subtleties, from regional differences, to the importance and skill required for a good dashi (or broth), along with many, many other variations.  A good Japanese friend of mine named Ken, and partner in a mutual quest for “Kuidaore” (eat until you fall down), gave me a $5 copy of the Japanese movie “Tampopo” that he bought in some shop in NYC.  Tampopo is a great movie, made in the ‘80’s I think, that follows the travails of a Japanese woman trying to open up her own Ramen Shop.  I highly recommend this movie to anyone who loves Ramen (make sure if you don’t speak Japanese that it has English sub-titles like mine, at least until the end when I think they change to Chinese – hey for $5 bucks what do you expect!!!).  I have tried to come to better understand Ramen during my trips over.  Despite numerous bowls, many of which were consumed on the other side of midnight, I still consider myself a novice.  There is much more to learn, and I am eager to continue on this special journey.