April 2000

Monday 3rd April 2000

I spent the end of March on a business trip to England and Denmark. We had a great time on the Friday night in Copenhagen. I bumped into a few of my workmates from various European and American offices, and spent the whole night partying in different Danish clubs. As a useful side effect, and not through good planning, this helped me get back into the Japanese time zone without too much jet-lag.

I had a fairly calm week after returning to Japan, but things soon kicked off again on Friday night with the celebration of a colleague's birthday in Roppongi.

On Sunday, Yuki and I went to The Tavern in Meguro for Sunday lunch. The Yorkshires weren't perfect, but it was a delicious meal anyway. We then went into a "Pachinko" hall. I wanted to check out what this phenomenon was all about. Pachinko is one of the few legal ways to gamble in Japan. It's basically like one of the American style casinos, which in my view is not a casino at all. It's full of slot machines. Rows and rows and rows of them, only these machines don't exactly have slots, they have a feeder which accepts ball-bearings. You acquire your ball-bearings by inserting a card into the machine, the card having been purchased from yet another machine. The idea of the game is very much like the old bagatelle game. You use a controller to vary the speed at which the steel balls are fired around the machine. These balls bounce off of metal pins and other obstacles and, if you're lucky, they then fall either down an exit chute to be used again, or into one of the winning holes. After falling into one of these winning locations, you then watch the screen in the middle to see if you have won big or just a trickle of bearings. Apparently, if you win enough balls, you cash them in for money or other prizes.

Pachinko is very popular in Japan and always looks busy. The venues usually have lots of neon and flashing lights and big advertising hoardings to attract customers. They are very noisy with the constant streams of ball-bearings being fired into the glass-fronted displays. The worst thing about these places is the smoke, it hits you as you walk through the door and then hitches a ride on your clothes and hair as you leave. We were only in there for about ten minutes but we stank by the time we left. Although I think many Japanese are completely hooked on it, pachinko is not an experience I want to repeat.

As the stench began to wear off, we went to Ebisu Garden Place, a shopping centre at Ebisu (of course). We saw a very nice, relaxing band of traditional Japanese musicians here playing under a poor imitation of a cherry tree in blossom. Watch this space for more about the Japanese obsession with cherry blossom.

Wednesday 12th April 2000

During this time of year the Japanese celebrate "Hanami". Hanami is the time when much of Japan is adorned with cherry blossom or sakura.

It all started on Friday night after work. About a dozen of us went to a shrine just behind our office to sit under the cherry trees. The sakura signifies the beginning of spring, and is to the Japanese a time for celebration. We sat upon a big plastic sheet on the ground and ate a small feast of sushi, and other Japanese food. Of course there was also sake, Japanese whiskey, plum wine and beer. I don't feel the cold like most of the Japanese, but couldn't resist wearing the paper cloak offered to me as the night drew in! When the supplies dwindled, we left for a nearby Chinese restaurant where we could knock any remaining sobriety out of ourselves with the aid of some disgusting Chinese whiskey. Ugh!

On Saturday, feeling a little groggy, I went with Simon, a visitor from England, on a high-tech shopping/sightseeing trip to Ginza, Akihabera, and Shibuya.

Having got my head straight during the day, the last thing I should have done is go to Ueno Park. This is a huge park in Tokyo, and the central location for Hanami parties. The three of us, me, Yuki and Simon, found a free spot to squeeze into the party, and were soon invited onto another group's plastic sheet. This made last night's party seem like a picnic with the family! Our adopted hosts were out of their faces when we arrived, but all credit to them, they just kept on drinking. It was actually quite an amazing sight to see so many hundreds of people sitting under the cherry trees having such a great time together. I've been here for almost a year now but I'd never seen the Japanese in such mass high spirits before. This is an event I would highly recommended to anybody coming to Japan. The only problem would be getting the timing right, as the sakura only lasts a couple of weeks. One odd thing was the public announcement that the people must leave at eight o'clock. We left soon after this for Roppongi, but I have a feeling the Ueno party didn't wind up until much later.

You would think that would be enough for one weekend, wouldn't you? No! There was still Sunday. In order to capitalise on the short season, there are many Hanami parties in quick succession. This was Sunday though, and attended by families with their children. It was going to be a pleasant afternoon in Shiba Park. Just a few beers and a kick-about with the kids... WRONG! That's how it started out, but it wasn't long before a few beers had become many beers, and the kick-about had become a booze-up in somebody's roof-garden!

I'm now back in full health and travelling to Osaka. I have a hunch this feeling of well-being is going to lull me into yet more appreciation of Japanese sakura next weekend!

Monday 17th April 2000

Spent most of last week on a business trip in Kyoto. Kyoto is supposed to be a really historical city, having previously been the capital of Japan, but apart from a few temples, I've not had time to see much history. Temples, by the way, tend to become less interesting the more you see. A bit like cathedrals in the Europe, I guess.

On Friday night after having been taken to dinner by our hosts, we found a few bars, then after wandering for some time eventually (at about 3 am) discovered a little disco. I think we were a bit of a novelty in this place, as it was more a place for the locals than us gaijin.

On Saturday evening I met up with a colleague from the UK and an engineer from one of our company's suppliers. We went for a curry at an Indian restaurant in Roppongi, then for a few drinks. Then we visited The Cavern to see The Beatles playing. I always thought it was only John Lennon's wife who was Japanese. Apparently they are all Japanese. They still sound good though, after all these years. I didn't actually know that there were five of them either!

Tuesday 25th April 2000

I spent most of last week on a business trip in Los Angeles. It's amazing to see the contrast between the big beautiful houses of LA and the buildings built almost on top of each other in Tokyo. It's like another world. I would still choose to live in Tokyo though, there's far less chance of getting mugged or shot in the head (it happened to me a few years ago in LA - I was mugged, not shot in the head)!

I'm now safely back in Japan and trying to decide where to go during Golden Week. In Japan I missed out on the Good Friday and Easter Monday holidays we have in the UK, but the first week in May is Golden Week, in which the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are public holidays. Another thing Yuki and I must start planing is our wedding. Who'd have thought at the beginning of this little journal, that it'd have such a happy ending! I am starting to feel a bit like a character in my own novel! Where will the story take me next?

Thursday 27th April 2000

Well, already the plot has taken another twist! I had suspected all along that my boss wanted me to stay longer than two years in Japan, he's hinted often enough! Now I have been officially asked. It goes against the plans Yuki and I had made so far, and it presents a few practical problems, not least of these being the fact that the UK postal service will only redirect mail for two years. Many of my dealings have been sent via my UK address, meaning I didn't have to tell all my contacts to send correspondence to Japan (I'm sure some would not be prepared to, for example, the bank).

Anyway the decision is now made. I'm extending by about one year (I must find out when the Japan/Korea 2002 World Cup is before I sign a new contract)!

There are of course many good reasons to be in Tokyo for the extra year. It won't do my career any harm, I'll get the business side of things into better shape, I'll learn more Japanese, Yuki's English will also further improve and I'll get to know my future in-laws better. Okay, I'll reserve judgement on whether the latter qualifies as a good reason! The biggest change, psychologically is that I'll be living in Japan as a married man!

Miscellaneous Observation No.3

Michael Jackson Impersonators

One thing it's impossible to miss in Japan is the number of people walking around with their faces hidden behind white fabric masks. Apparently these masks are worn when people have some illness like a cold for example. These masks are also often medicated, so they help the wearer get over their ailment. These masks may be a very good idea medically, but I can't see them ever catching on in the west! I did recently see a westerner wearing one of these masks in a subway train. Apart from looking incredibly stupid - it just doesn't look right on a foreigner, he was also wearing the only blue mask I've seen, and it was quite obviously a surgical mask because it inflated and deflated every time the guy breathed!