May 2002

Saturday 4th May 2002

It's one hour before kick-off for Arsenal's FA Cup final against Chelsea. I'm in Footniks, a British football pub in Ebisu. Hopefully, this is going to be the first half of Arsenal's second double winning season in five years, although they could potentially win nothing!

There's a small film crew in the pub, no doubt looking for a boisterous atmosphere - either that or they may get a scoop on "English Hooligans Seriously Mar World Cup Preparations".

I'll try to avoid the camera, as too much exposure can be as bad for one's prospects as too little. "Exposure? You? What are you on about?" I hear you ask. "The only time you had too much exposure was the time in Corfu when that hen party stripped off your shorts!" Well actually, there is a story behind that, I've been given an assignment to write a few lines during the World Cup for a huge corporation back in the UK. Enough of that, don't want to build up my own part!

Sunday 5th May 2002

Twelve hours on, I'm happily sitting at home, basking in the success of the world's greatest football club. No, I'm not talking about Real Madlid, I'm talking about Royal Woolwich Arsenal! Gooner Jim and I watched the game through a fine pair of beer goggles last night, and for a change, the result looks as good this morning as it did when I when to bed with it! By the way, the film crew were ITN, was I on? Was I? Did ya see me? We did have the light aimed into our eyes for a few minutes, but the cameraman/interviewer was much more interested in the opinions of Japanese women. He was surely very happy to find one in an Arsenal shirt. The most interesting comment she could come out with was "I really like Dennis Bergkamp" - a class act (both of them)!

Real Madlid polished off Man U during the week, a result which gave me mixed feelings, I'm never too sad to see them lose, but it would have been good to see a British club at least reach the Champion's League final. Incidentally, Madlid are playing Japan in Spain on May 7th. It is being shown live in the Hub, as was Japan vs. Honduras, which ended in a disappointing three-all draw on Friday night.

Wednesday 8th May 2002

Bought a new camera on Sunday. My Nikon packed up, probably due to being dropped one time too many! This time I've sacrificed a little in quality and put more emphasis on features. I've bought an Olympus with a ten times optical zoom. It's great for those shots of people who don't know they're on camera. It also takes little video clips. I want to build up a library of life in Tokyo. It's just one more of those little things us returnees rush around doing before we go home.

I took my new toy to Shibuya to buy a case and a memory card for it. Luckily, the points I'd collected on my loyalty card paid for both! The long lens was perfect for taking a picture I'd been trying to get for some time. Drug dealers. In Shibuya there are some gaijin, most of them North African or Eastern European looking (although that's just a guess). It seems they are tolerated by the police, in an effort to keep the drug trade "under control". These guys are really obvious, and stand around on busy corners.

Next I went off to Harajuku to take some pictures of the weirdoes. Unfortunately I was too late, or they hadn't turned out in big numbers that day. There was one group however, wearing some really strange stuff. They were extremely colourful, including their faces. They were almost surreal! I wonder how they feel as they walk up the street alone to their little house in the suburbs, and what do their parents think???

Sunday 12th May 2002

It's been a fantastic end to the week. I went down to Footniks again on Thursday morning at about three thirty to watch the potential championship decider. Well, everything went as well as could be imagined. Arsenal beat Man U at Old Trafford. It was such a sweet victory to claim the title from the ex-champions in their own back yard! The result was one nil, but I couldn't have been much happier if it had been five nil!

During the game there was another film crew taking various shots around the pub. This time they were Japanese from Sky PerfecTV, a satellite channel At half time they interviewed some of the fans, myself included. They weren't, however, interested in Arsenal's attempt at the double, they wanted to know about hooligans! One question was "Do you think the Japanese police are prepared for the hooligans?" Well, I'm afraid, from what I've seen of the exercises on TV, the answer is a clear "No." You see, the people playing the part of the hooligans, are just too nice!

I went straight from Footniks to Roppongi, where I and Dave, another Gooner, went on celebrating until at least ten in the morning. I was surprised at just how many bars there are open at that time of the day, and what's more, they were busy! After a brief respite to sleep, I went down to the Little Euro to revel some more. Needless to say, it has taken until today to come back down to earth (and get over the hangover). I watched the final game of the season, another win, at home last night, really wish I could have been there, what a party!

Monday 13th May 2002

Yesterday, Yuki and I went to a big Thai food festival at Harajuku. It was pretty impressive with a couple of hundred stalls selling many different dishes from Thailand. There were also a few dancers on the big permanent stage "protected" by Japanese Guardian Angels, but the focus was definitely on the nice spicey tummy-fillers.

Being in Harajuku, it was also another opportunity to photograph some of the odd creatures that hang out there. This time I managed to get some shots of a group of rockabilly type guys who dance around for hours at the entrance to Yoyogi Park. Their winkle-picker shoes are made almost entirely of black tape because they've repaired them so often! Apparently, years ago, there were hundreds of these guys doing this rather ridiculous dancing, they were then known as "Takenokozoku". The Harajuku area can best be described as Tokyo's equivalent to London's Camden Market, but you can't behave quite so strangely in London without somebody with a different opinion, trying to spoil it for you.

I'm now waiting at No.1 Travel in Shinjuku for a print-out of my travel schedule to and from Korea. No.1 travel is very useful because they specialise in dealing with foreigners. I couldn't get my first choice of flights, but they're good enough. I don't think it would be wise to go on a wait list for such a crucial occasion! I hope those people visiting from overseas have their transport arrangements pre-arranged, because if flights are limited with still over two weeks to the first game, it's going to be hell for someone, who doesn't even speak Japanese to arrange anything last minute. I guess the ferries are probably in a similar situation, that just leaves swimming! I think the trains should be less of a problem. As far as accommodation is concerned, I don't need any for the Argentina game in Sapporo (all night in some bar if the hooligans haven't caused them to close), and I still have nothing sorted for Korea - a minor consideration, I don't care how smelly I am when I see the games, so long as I see them! I plan to use my few days between games in Korea to tour from the south to the semi-final in Seoul. I've looked on the net, and there seems to be quite a lot of places to stay (at the moment) in Korea, and at very reasonable prices (despite being double normal cost).

Monday 20th May 2002

Took a day's holiday on Friday and went with Yuki to Tokyo Disney Sea. Disney Sea is adjacent to Disneyland, it's a been open about six months. It's very much like Disneyland, but as the name suggests, is water themed. Another difference is that some of the areas are extremely accurate reproductions of the parts of the world they represent. Of course, there are the fantasyland areas too. My personal favourite attraction was the Mystic Rythmns show, a fantasticly vibrant music and dance performance representing fire, water and wind. It was absolutely fantastic! Outside of the show it was also raining for half the day, but that only makes it better for me, the queues on a nice day are ridiculous.

Everything's coming up roses! The tickets I ordered as a resident of Japan have arrived, the sponsor England tickets were delivered at the weekend, and at long last, those being delivered to my mum's house back home, have arrived. I've also been given the all-clear by work to do my little "journalism" assignment. Thought I'd better clear it officially, as my name is going to be used in the title!

I'm very annoyed with Pinnacle, the company who made Impression DVD Pro, the software I paid through the nose for. It doesn't handle subtitles as well as I need. That was the major reason for buying it. Won't go into details, but I'm really not happy when a company basically rips you off, by means of what they don't tell you, thus avoiding prosecution.

Friday 24th May 2002

Maybe I spoke too soon, my tickets, which my mum posted over by "Swift Post", have still not arrived! If you see a swift carrying an envelope, can you please tell him to get a move on.

Thursday 30th May 2002

OK, all's well now, my tickets from the UK arrived on Saturday, seems on checking, that the swift was relaxing for a couple of days before even setting off from England - next time I'll try good old pigeon-post! It's getting very exciting now, the World Cup starts tomorrow! Best news of all is that England now have an almost one hundred percent fit squad (after many injury worries). Sir David of Beckham's left foot is now unbroken, and I can't wait to go to Saitama on Sunday to see our opening game against Sweden!

Spend the afternoon last Saturday in Yokohama, the city's getting ready to host the World Cup Final (no ticket unfortunately). There was a jazz festival and lots of other entertainers to keep the visitors and people of Yokohama amused. Yokohama has a much more relaxed feel to it the Tokyo.

Last Saturday night we went for an Indian, recommended by another Indian, Amit. Saturday was also Ashley's birthday. Ashley is an English drinking buddy from the Black Lion. He's a university lecturer, but he also sings in a pretty impressive rock band. To celebrate his birthday, he and the whole band, dressed up as schoolgirls to play at "What The Dickens" in Ebisu. Looked far too comfortable to me!

On Sunday I went to a flea market in Odaiba with Yuki and some of her friend's, we didn't make much money, but we did get rid of a load of stuff we don't want to take back to England - including my skis - an Iranian guy got a real bargain there!

During the day, I cleared off a couple of times to visit Fuji TV and The National Museum of Science and Engineering. They were both entertaining, but the museum was my favourite, didn't have enough time to do it justice though. After the museum, I went into this field of wild flowers which you could freely pick and take away - my turn to get a bargain! Yuki was very appreciative, but not too keen on all the things living between the petals!

Friday 31st May 2002

Now I've actually got the gig and signed the contract, I guess there's no reason not to tell you that my little extra job during the World cup is writing for the BBC! I'm doing a sort of "alternative" England fan in Japan's view of the big event. Can't believe it, I'm a journalist! To make sure I stay involved with the party will mean more trips than usual to Roppongi, the place where most visitors will be hanging out. Went there last night and bumped into what seemed like thousands of Ireland supporters, a few Ecuadorians, and a couple of Paraguayans, but where were the English? I didn't see one England shirt all night! Can't figure it out. TV crews were everywhere, the Japanese are going to think us foreigners are all mad, point a camera at an Irish or Englishman, and they burst into "song". There was a real party atmosphere in Paddy Foley's, I just hope the Frog and Toad next door will get a bit more enthusiastic, after all, it's not really right to spend so much time with what is, in effect, the opposition! I rounded the evening off with a quick beer with my mate Toshi in Mad Mulligan's before coming home to file my report. Deadlines are deadlines you know!