Evaluation time

November 6, 2006 12:49 manila time

so what are the misconceptions about tokyo?

• Less squat toilets than expected.
• Less shoe removing than expected.
• Less bulky school girl socks. I guess that’s passe.
• Some Filipinos complain that Tokyo is too quiet. For a densely populated metropolis, we expect Tokyo to be as loud as Manila. The silence can be disconcerting.

I understand why this would happen. As a densely populated nation, Japan would value private space & politeness. Noise, bumping elbows, & unsolicited conversation is a violation of that space.

Things you didn’t expect in Tokyo:

• For a country that produces cars, there’s very little traffic.
• flyovers. Everywhere.
• no guards with wands in every entrance.
• Whole buildings devoted to a single brand.
• Parking right on the side of an avenue.
• Actual parks in the middle of it all.
• Smoking inside establishments.
• No gum or cigarette butts anywhere.
• 90% of  the men wear suits.
• 70% of women wear boots.
• 90% of women wear knee high stockings, mostly black.
• Tokyo is fashionable.

What are dead-on?

• Schoolgirls in short-skirted uniforms.
• Everything’s expensive.
• Manga cafes.
• Maid cafes.
• Subways to be proud of.
• Sticking your chopsticks upright on your rice IS impolite.
• The japanese will tolerate your poor nihongo.
• Everyone walks.
• Girls will pose with hand configurations ala morning musume.
• Striped socks.

Sayonara, Tokyo, and Domo

I wish to thank the people who made my Tokyo trip a most enjoyable experience:

• aaron p. ~who hosted me for most of my 12-day trip, & introduced me to Densha Otoko
• makiko s.~who acted as my guide, taking me to places i wouldn’t have been able to find on my own. I am especially indebted to her for reserving the Ghibli museum trip.
• Kakinuma-san, shimizu-san, & tomioka-san~jf officers who took care of the delegates
• Gundam girl~for introducing me to aaron & giving me initial tips to surviving tokyo
• bambi~jf manila officer who handled the manila side of the trip
• & chompy~my virtual eyes, ears & mouth over in manila

Going home

I`m finally going home tomorrow. I spent Sunday night in Shibuya to absorb my last moments of Tokyo.

It`s been one heck of a ride. From akihabara for otaku gawking, to Tokyo dome for roller coaster action, to the Museum of Contemporary art to see 20 TV sets showing angles of white narrow light, it`s all been a blast.

Catch you all in 12 hours. 

Hang on

I was planning to go to Ikebukuro when I noticed the Kodokan Judo gym was located 2 stations before it. I immediately got off that station and saw the enormous Tokyo Dome, a baseball stadium. So I started taking reference pics, and what do I see around the corner?

A very tall roller coaster. Striding across a busy city avenue. I just HAD to ride it. 

It turned out the name of the coaster is Thunder Dolphin. I wonder if Lion-O has anything to say about this. The line was unexpectedly short (maybe it was a weekday afternoon), the ticket price was Y1000, and all loose items MUST be put aside. It was just as well I stored my camera in the shelf provided, because that mother was terrifyingly fun.

So THAT`S what falling off 30+ stories feels like. 

The Ghibli Museum

20 minutes from Central Tokyo is the district of Mitaka, home of the Ghibli museum. This place showcases the wonders created by the master animator, Hayao Miyazaki. The top of the compound is guarded by the massive robot from Laputa.

The smell of Tokyo

I mentioned before that I wondered what the smell of Tokyo would be like.

Now I know. I found it in a Manga Cafe.

I…I don`t want to SPECULATE what causes it. It`s beyond a locker room smell, or even a Metro Manila bus smell. But a manga cafe is just what  it sounds like: rows and rows of manga, booths for internet, reclining chairs, and free coffee. I`m on my second cup as I type.

I`m researching good manga art to buy in a bookstore.　The list I made so far:

• tokyo tribes 2 santa inoue
  
• tokyo graffiti
  
• super strike ta-29 yamamoto yohko
  
• buzzer beater inoue takehiko
  
• mataharina moyoko anno
  
• death note
  
• hellsing　kota hirano
  
• tattoo shu akana
  
• island youn in-wan
  
• basilisk
  
• blodod sucker legend of zipangu
  
• old boy garounds jiya
  
• countach haruto umezawa

I paid Y980 for 4 hours of free use of the manga and internet. With it, I`m checking off one of the last of my to-do list while in Tokyo. With four more days to go, I`ll visit the last of the interesting places in this mega-city, and buy the rest of the pasalubong.

Revolving sushi

On Halloween night 2006, I had dinner at a revolving sushi place. If you watched Johnny English get his tie stuck in the conveyor belt, you know what I`m talking about.

Each sushi plate is Y100, with two sushis each. The choices are varied, from tuna, tuna eggs, crab fat, octopus, squid, and lots more. I had  11 plates, including soup and special tuna. The owner asked the customers to eat more than 7 plates, as anything less would be a loss for him. There`s a container for pickled ginger, but no wasabi, as it is already included with each sushi.

That`s a lot of sushi. I wonder if the sushi chefs are paid per plate, as they are in a rush to fill empty spaces in the conveyor belt.

They`re everywherrre!

Before the flight, I was telling Chompy my fears that the `kaunting-tulong-lang-po-girls` would follow me all the way to Tokyo. (The ktlp girls are the ones who approach you on the bus or in the restaurant, hand you a laminated card which says they need help for their tuition, then try to sell you some dried mangoes).

During the in-flight meal, I saw, to my horror, one of the desserts being offered.

Dried mangoes.

They`ve followed me. 

It`s like watching J-Drama

4 days after arriving in Japan, its doesn`t FEEL like I`m in Tokyo. Since the only knowledge of other countries I`ve ever gathered is from watching TV, the whole experience is like watching 3d tv. With the aircon at a chilly 20 degrees C.

I don`t even take in the sights. I make reference shots, to be relived later.

—–

If Tokyo has a smell, it`s deadened by the chilly air. Not like good ole Manila.

The only time I smelled someting funky was standing near green water inside Asakusa temple.

By the way, the Temple has this tiangge section where they sell souvenirs and streetside cuisine. Reminds me of every other corner of Metro Manila. 

SHIBUYA

HOW DO I DESCRIBE SHIBUYA? THE AIR FEELS LIKE ITS CONDITIONED, THE CROWD IS DARINGLY DRESSED, THE BOUTIQUES ARE HUGE AS THEY ARE PLENTIFUL…

SHIBUYA IS LIKE GREENBELT MALL. EXCEPT ITS AN ENTIRE DISTRICT. 

THEY HAVE ENTIRE BUILDINGS DEVOTED TO A SINGLE  BOUTIQUE, LIKE RALPH LAUREN, PLUS OTHERS I`VE NEVER HEARD OF.

I FOUND MCDONALDS IN SHIBUYA. I BARELY MADE IT TO ORDERING A VALUE MEAL. LUCKILY, THE SUPERVISOR KNEW A LITTLE ENGLISH AND HELPED PROCESS MY REQUEST. 

FIRST PICS FROM TOKYO

I`VE JUST MOVED INTO MY HOST`S PLACE HERE IN KIBA DISTRICT, TOKYO, AND HE HAS HIGH-SPEED INTERNET. I`M STILL GETTING USED TO THE KEYBOARD, THOUGH, AND THAT`S WHY I`M TYPING IN ALL CAPS.

HELLO TO EVERYONE FROM JAPAN! IT`S ALREADY BEEN FOUR DAYS  SINCE I`VE ARRIVED. MY OFFICIAL DUTIES ARE OVER, SO NOW IT`S ALL TOURING FOR ME FOR THE COMING WEEK.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR THE GALLERY.

THE INITIAL RUSH OF BEING IN A NEW COUNTRY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY 30 YEARS HAS DIED DOWN, AFTER HOURS OF WALKING HAS WORN OUT MY FEET. SUNDAY NIGHT, I` STAYING INDOORS, FOR ONCE. 

30 hours to go

Well, we made it. God willing, I’m getting aboard a jet plane in a day and a half and I’m going to Japan.

I got my plane ticket, my passport (with visa), emergency cash, backup documentation, and neck wallet.

I’m bringing a first aid kit of paracetamol and bonamine, my PDA, backup phrase book, gifts, sketch pad and business cards.

I’m packing light (3 pairs of pants, eight shirts…) so that I can buy lots of pasalubong without going over the 25 kilos maximum luggage weight. I’m packing for cold weather, which includes blazer, scarf, and sweater.

I was able to borrow a Vodafone (which works in Japan), and luggage set. I’m staying over a friend of a friend. I’m meeting a Japanese Beerkada fan who will tour me around Tokyo.

I’ve memorized all the Japanese phrases I could during the past months. I’ve downloaded maps, suggested itineraries, tips for surviving Japan.

I mailed The Philippine Star three weeks’ worth of strips already.

I made backups of my files. I’ve treated the Beerkadets who attended Komikon 2006.

I could promise to update this blog while I’m over there, but I barely update it while I’m still in Metro Manila. 

Wish me luck. 

Last two weeks’ preparation for the 26th trip.

I tried watching this j-drama called kimi wa petto (you are my pet) but the dialogue wakarimasen. Just bare phrases. What the heck is going on?

All that’s left now is a positive attitude that everything will da alright.

But I have the sniffles. Better now than later. 

Don’t leave home without your VISA requirements

• 2 copies of the application form
• passport
• Income Tax  Statement
• DTI documents
• 2 Japan visa pics (the requirements list was very strict about the size of this)
• the letter of recommendation from the Japan Foundation
• the original letter of invitation

Chompy suggested I wear my choco brown slacks, flashy button-down polo shirt, and sleek leather shoes for my application. She made sense; it wouldn’t hurt to look my best. If Sam Milby was my application officer, he’d approve me in a flash.

11:30am

I needed to make a quick pitstop at PBCOM Bank in Ayala Ave to deposit my NBS check. From there, I took another bus to Roxas Blvd., where I knew the embassy was generally located.

Nice timing.

Reading Japanese, I really think so

Grammar rules

I’ve memorized hiragana and katakana.

I’ve taken to heart the japanese names for apple (ringo), pepper (gosho), and vinegar (su), and egg (tamago). 

I’ve image-associated the varous question headers: who = dare, how much = ikura, where = doko…

I’ve encountered choice kanji and daily phrases.

Now it’s time for grammar.

My whole approach to the japanese language (and to future languages) is learning the basic rules and a whole lot of memorization.

And memorization in this case is learning four writing systems and one spoken system.

Until I start to think in japanese. 

The thing with learning grammar all the stuff I’ve ignored about it (definitions of future perfect, particles, etc.) are coing back into play a big way.

I suppose I could learn japanese the same way I learned english: imersion in practical applications.

Encouraging results

I’ve learned katakana in two hours while lying in bed, using digital flash cards freely downloaded in my PDA and the Harry Lorayne method of mnemonics. I encountered Lorayne back in college to help me memorize eng’g concepts. While it didn’t work out (memorizing eng’g concepts doesn’t mean you UNDERSTAND them), I developed a quick way of creating passwords. Farber’s glowing recommendation of Lorayne encouraged me to reemphasize his approach (unsurprisingly, I still remember it).

The program lists all 40+ katakana characters for me to memorize. I used associations. Afterwhich, quizzes were held to test my knowledge. My first try was 68/100. My second was 68/71. My third was 71/71.

The results are encouraging, especially since its my first time outside the roman alphabet. By the third test, I was naming the multiple choices and selected via processes of elimination.

I will now finish reading Farber and proceed with Hiragana. And I will try to find a kanji tutorial from the web.
Stay tuned.

———- 

5:25am

Holy Mother!

I’ve proceeded to kanji and I got 68/70 right the first time! I perfected it the second time. I can now  recognize the kanji for gold, ten, eye, and shellfish.
These are symbols without the phonetic version. I am on a roll here. And I don’t feel drained from using my brain, unlike with other taxing subjects.

———-

1:31pm

After proceeding to the second batch of kanji (I’m not even to the verbs and adjectives yet, hmmmm), I went back to the first lessons. My results dropped by 10%. Let’s see how I do with the sazme test after a week. 

The perils of terrorism

This whole British intelligence uncovering of a massive terrorist plot may put a damper in my own flight plans. All the extra security may prevent me from carrying onboard luggage and electronics.

Drat! I don’t even have the desire to declare an asymmetrical war on any nation!

Extended

The Japan Foundation has offered to set the return flight on a later date, the catch being I pay for my own expenses past the agreed-upon 6 days.

Whoopee! I’m counting on a friend of my friend to provide lodging for me over there, in exchange for menial labor. I got some ready disposable income courtesy of my Spoofs, Ltd. deal. I’m thinking 10 days overall would be sufficient to do everything I want to do there.

Language

I’ve started learning the japanese language in preparation for the trip. I’ve scheduled to remeet my first official japanese fan, Mariko, and her husband soon after she they return from her business in Gen. Santos City. I hope I can clear some final questions about the language then.

In the meantime, I’m downloading all sorts of tutorial to the language. There’s this pdf file called HOW T0 LEARN ANY LANGUAGE by Barry Farber that suggests a multiple-vector approach to learning. I’m already mastering the numbers [ichi, ni, san,…ju, sen] and days [nichiyobi, getsuyobi, kayobi…]. I’ve also downloaded digital flash cards to my palm “to make learning fun”.

After spending a week learning the basics, I plan to rewatch my collection of manga and Kurosawa vcds. Hopefully, I’ll recognize some of the words and pronunciation in context of actual conversation.

The payoff of all of this is how I make a monkey of myself in front of Tokyo residents come late October. Wish me luck!