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Published: April 24th 2006
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Millions of People
Enlarge this photo - the people don't seem to end!! Can you spot any mullets? Hi Everybody! I'm a little behind on my blogs as I'm actually back in oz. Nevertheless, I would like to recount my last few adventures.
After arriving at Shinagawa station via the superfast shinkansen we were picked up by lovely Shiz and Satoru and taken to their little house. Shiz actually doesn't live in an apartment as I expected, but it is one of the strangest houses I've ever seen. Imagine a house that was just a concrete block 3 stories high, except only wide and long enough to fit an average care in. And this at a squeeze (the side mirrors fold back in so the car can fit in the garage and Satoru jumps out the window when he's finished reversing it in.) So the bottom floor is the garage the next level is the kitchen/dining/bathroom (no actual room for the shower - just a shower in the corner of the kitchen) and the top floor is the bedroom and toilet. You can also go onto the roof though and shiz and satoru are growing herbs and veges in pots.
Anyway Shiz lives pretty much just outside of downtown Tokyo - just 10 minutes train ride away
from the shoppers paradise of Shibuya and 15 mins from the interestingly seedy Shinjuku.
Shiz and Satoru took us shopping in Shibuya which was really interesting. Tokyo Is a lot different to the rest of Japan but not the hugly scary big city that I was expecting. It felt like Sydney except with the entire population of Australia living there. SO many people. And most of them are fashionable and beautiful to be on magazine covers. I have never ever seen guys take such good care of their hair and clothes. And guess what in style right now? Japan has gone slightly 80's and the mullet is making a comeback in a big way. I don't mean the scruffy footy player mullet of Jason Dunstall, but an immaculatly stlyed haircut thats short on top with fringe swept daringly to one side and long at the back. Damn I wish I had photos...
Shibuya has it's fair share of neon and big tv screens, and it also has the big designer labels who are wealthy enough to pay for the most amazing architechture for their buildings. Peering through the windows there are also doormen in suits and white gloves
to open the doors for you.
Fancy cars, gorgeous people, neon lights, expensive shops, and expensive toys - Shibuya is all of this. Lots of fun strolling around and enjoying the scene.
On my request Shiz and Satoru took us to an okonomiyaki restaurant - because it was the one japnese food I still really wanted to try. Okonomiyaki is sort of a japanese pancake that can be made out of many ingredients but mainly cabbage and seafood. The particular restaurant we went to had tables with hot plates in the middle for you to cook your own food. We ordered a traditional okonomiyaki and a nabe -which is similar but more sticky and you eat it by tearing off pieces while still on the hot plate. Shiz delighted us with her cooking skills as she cooked up the pancakes - but recieved very stirct and stern instructions from the waitress to make sure she did it properly!
When Shiz and Saturo had to go to work during the week, we were left to our own devieces. We took a train out to what is sort of Tokyo's cenrtral park and enjoyed the last few cherry blossoms
that were still on the trees. Wandering around we found most museum's shut on mondays and eventually made our way to Asaksa which is home to Asaksa temple. Asaksa temple houses one of the largest lanterns in japan. Many tourists were there, getting their fortune read and buying souveniers.
We also went and visited Tama university and checked out thier glass studio. We caught up with fellow Aussie Eddie (a friend of Andy's for Canberra) who was doing the masters program in glass at Tama. Eddie had been in Japan for 2 years now and he filled us in on what it was like to live and study in Japan. We went out for dinner at a crazy Korean place and ate way to much shashimi.
Andy also really wanted to meet Yoshi Takahashi who is a glass artist that livs on the utskirts of Tokyo-ken. So 2 hours on a train later we met Yoshi. He was so nice and gave us not only a tour of his studio but drove us around to other artists studios in the area. Every studio we went to we were offered tea and treats! The japanese can be so hospitable!
Okonomiyaki
Serious Shiz and her cooking! (next you smother in mayo and eat!! yum yum!) We had also been invited to go to our friend from Adelaide Yuri's house for dinner. Yuri is a japanese girl who has just finished working at the jamfactory and is now visiting her parents in Japan with her boyfriend Daniel before they head to germany.
Yuri's house is a lot bigger than Shiz's as she lives about 40 mins away from downtown Tokyo. Yuri's mum made us a wonderful japanese dinner, and they had also bought us a variety of differnet Japanese treats for us to try out. Some were really yummy and some not quite so yum...! I also had a japanese bath! This came about because I said I had not had one before and so Yuri said I should try theirs!
The japanese are super hygene concious. A japanese bath means that you shower and wash before you get in because a bath is for relaxing and not for washing. The water was programed at 42 degrees and I couldn't stay in for very long as it was quite hot! The bath is also a lot deeper so when I got in I was completly immersed up to my neck.
Shizi was
Koren with Eddie
Please note that the walls of this place are covered in photos of some famous korean actor. Its just one guy. doing a great job during the week being our secretary and as Andy had really wanted to check out Niijima glass studio she organised for us to take a boat there and stay at a hotel with an onsen (mineral spring bath). With promises of an onsen I was persueded to get on yet another boat...
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