25 days and counting in the Big City

Why, hello there, stranger!

Today marks the 25th consecutive day I've lived in Japan. It's also a national holiday, although I'm not sure what the "symbology" is (just saw Boondock Saints II for free at www.alluc.org).

My plan over the long weekend was to visit all remaining territories of Tokyo in which I might enjoy more permanent housing, but the plan was cut short by one day due to lack of funding (yes, I am almost out of money, and no, I haven't been paid yet! But I'm sure my bank card is in the mail, and that everything will work it's way out soon... Yes, I'm almost certain...)

Anyway, I'm keeping myself entertained today by practicing guitar, studying the origins of time via the pages of Sean Carroll's excellent book "From Eternity to Here," and updating my blog with new pictures for you to enjoy! So without further ado:

At Taito corporation (now a subsidiary of Square-Enix) during a company visit. I played the original arcade version of "Space Invaders!" (didn't set the high-score though...)




My co-worker Suzuki san next to that Taito mini-bus






A funny ad for tempura. Nothing but the best for me, my friends, a-ha-ha-ha! (Note to self: this may be why I'm broke)





Two pictures in Azabu-Juban (one-person apartments here range from $1200-$2500 a month). This is a nice shot showing of the different architecture styles...




...and here is a neat little outdoor artisan market (where the stairs lead) in the midst of the shopping area.





Two pictures in Omote-Sando. The analogy is as follows:

Boston <-> Newbury Street
New York <-> 5th Avenue
Tokyo <-> Omote-Sando!



A little coffee shop stall (Apartments here are even more expensive than in Azabu-Juban ;_;)







Two pictures of Shimo-Kitazawa. This place is really cool and hip, and the apartments are $800-$1500, but not necessarily guaranteed to be modern or quiet.



And for the finale... (drum-roll please!) The buttons for a toilet in a lounge in Shimo-Kitazawa, where two panels are conveniently placed for access: one on the right-hand "arm" of the toilet, and one on the wall at shoulder height when sitting. Note: I did not experiment with these buttons as I am still learning how to read, so I can't tell you exactly what they do! The seat was in "heated" mode by default though =)

Sleepy post March 14th...

Hello my friends, tonight I'm really sleepy (I just cooked receipt #2, which you'll see shortly below) but seeing as it's been a week since my last post I thought I should at least put some pictures up. Outside of work, I've been busily trying to find a permanent apartment for myself so I've been visiting recommended areas of Tokyo by word of mouth from friends and colleagues; here are some pictures of where I've been:





Inokashira Park in Kichijoji







Ducks in the same park








A "hippy" clothing store in Takadanobaba (college area)








Takadanobaba street scene








Quite area in Takadanobaba









An apartment complex in Meguro (Meguro is expensive 0.O!)










This is in Roppongi, where the Rakuten offices are (and Lehmen Bros. *used* to be =P)










Scene from Roppongi of Tokyo Tower











Kudanshita at night










Beware, hooligan birds have been spotted in the area!










New meal experiment, Korean-style veggie soup (before)...








... (and after! It was pretty good if I say so myself!)

Okay now it's sleepy time, another full week starts tomorrow! Next post will be better, I promise! Missing you all, -Arun

First Full Week

Well, the first week went something like this: work/sleep/work/sleep/work/sleep.... you get the idea! This is my building on the left, a 5min walk from the South exit of Shinjuku station. It seems that most people work an average of ~60 hours a week, so I'm doing my best to keep up with them. Actually, work is really amazing and fun, I'm at the headquarters of one of the premier video game production companies in the world, so I got to see all types of cool stuff from a live mo-cap studio to behind-the-scenes animation work that will soon go into real video games played by people around the world! (and there was some secret stuff that I could tell you, but then I'd have to send a ninja to kill you! We have a whole floor dedicated to ninja training...)

Here is my cool business card in Japanese! I think is says: 'Warning, foreigner; do not trust!" (j/k)




Here is a list of some cool things about Japan I didn't know, like:

Toilet seats are heated and spray water at you from below (!)

Elevator buttons can be toggled on/off if you accidentally hit the wrong floor

Tipping is not expected (!)

Your train pass can buy candy and drinks from most vending machines

Sliding doors can open by hovering your finger over a little circle without touching it

Escalators turn on/off if no one's riding on them

...and plenty of other things I'm starting to forget 'cause they seem normal now.

The night after the "fish incident" (see last post) I tried cooking a vegetarian dish, fried eggplant with ginger and sprouts. I surprised myself with how well it came out; here are a series of pictures so you can follow along at home too:
1) Food prep...

2) Frying the baby eggplants...

3) Comparing to recipe picture...

4) Close up. Tah-daa!

Okay, I think I've posted too many pics, but I'll end with just one more, this is the view from my current apartment on the 3rd floor of Kagurazaka district in Shinjuku-ku. See you all soon! (and make some posts, darn it!)