November 1999

Monday 1st November 1999

Last Saturday Yuki and I went with a few friends to Suzuka, near Nagano, for the Japanese Grand Prix. We arrived, set up our tents in what was more like a car park than a camp-site, and went to watch the qualifying sessions. Next, we laid our plastic sheets on the ground where we wanted to sit the next day and went off to do some shopping and get some food. Of course in Japan, unlike England, the plastic sheets would still be there waiting the next day!

After eating we bought some beers and returned to our tents. Between the six of us we had tents rated to accommodate three people! There was a very convenient stall near the camp site selling jars of hot sake. After having a few drinks in our little nylon shanty town we turned in for a "cosy" night's sleep.

Yesterday was race day! We'd positioned our mats the previous day to reserve our viewing area (you can't do that in Britain - ask the thousands of Germans who've found their towels in the pool at a Spanish hotel)! This is Japan. We returned to our undisturbed viewpoint and settled in for the day. It had become a little overcast, so the Japanese of course had their coats on! The race started and in the first few seconds Mika Hakkinen had overtaken Schumacher. If Schumacher had won, Eddie only had to finish fourth to clinch the world title. I guess it was in revenge for losing his sunbed in his youth, but whatever the reason the race ended with a deserved victory for "The Flying Finn". I was surrounded by jubilant Finns. Eddie finished third, a good placing, but not half good enough. After the race I'd wandered a fair distance from my friends when I heard what I correctly assumed to be the Finnish national anthem playing. It was then that I realised Mika's team, McLaren, were indeed British! I ran and scrambled as fast as I could up a steep dusty hillside, just in time to wave my lonely Union Jack among the many Finnish ones. I was happy. It wasn't the win I'd wanted, but It was a World Championship success for a British team (OK, so most of the teams are British, but that wasn't high on my list of thoughts)! I could hold my head up high again as we made the nightmare journey home. There was one interesting incident in the queue for the local train from Suzuka back to Nagoya. At the end of a line of at least a couple of thousand people, the railway staff announced through a loud hailer that the next train would be delayed by seven minutes!! I could hardly contain my disappointment! I suppose it would be fair to say that my girlfriend falling asleep standing up was also amusing!

Tuesday 9th November 1999

Sunday lunchtime Yuki and I went to meet some friends in Meguro, an area in the west of Tokyo. We all met up at "The Tavern", an English pub. This pub really is like an English pub, unlike many others that make the claim. I think I was probably dribbling as I joined the queue for the all-you-can-eat carvery! I had roast beef, roast pork, roast lamb, brussels, everything! It was great, the first Sunday roast I'd had for six long months. I washed it down with some traditional English lager (Lowenbrau), then went and had some more. The thought of mint sauce on a nice slice of lamb and pork with apple sauce makes my mouth water even as I write this now. It was a nice normal Sunday afternoon down the pub, proof that there really are places to forget about being an ex-pat thousands of miles from home, and just have a laugh and relax. If you're ever in need of a good Sunday roast in Tokyo, I highly recommend this place - there, that should get me a free drink!

Thursday 18th November 1999

I have to show you these pictures! I recently discovered that on a clear day I can see Mount Fuji from my mansion (or apartment block as it's better, but less impressively known in the west). As luck would have it, viewed from this direction, the sun even sets in line with this huge, beautiful volcano!

Had some more colleagues over from Europe at the end of last week. I'm trying to build up a portfolio of days out. I have and will have many occasions to entertain visitors so I need to discover enough trips to keep it interesting for me. On Saturday we visited the temple at Asakusa and then took a very pleasant, if a little crowded, river bus to Odaiba. After finding the rooftop restaurant at Tokyo Big Site wasn't yet open, we took the Yurikamome monorail to Ginza. There we found an "Asian" restaurant, where the nine of us including Yuki and her colleague had dinner. Later we did the usual and went to Roppongi for a few drinks. I left early (about 2:00 AM), leaving the visitors to party on 'til dawn.

On Sunday the three that hadn't flown home and myself met up again. After a McDonalds breakfast we took a walk to the Tokyo Tower. Most of us made the trip to the top, a very good vantage point over Tokyo and one of the very few places from which you can see my living room! Later we went to Shibuya, legendary home of the "Shibuya Girls". In the interest of keeping you up to date, the Shibuya Girls are now very much into the suede and sheepskin look. Of course their suede boots are still dangerously high. They also often wear a Stetson hat, but it hangs down their back. It just wouldn't do to cover those lovely grey highlights! Shibuya is amazingly crowded. When the little man goes green (or almost blue actually), a sea of people flood across the main junction. It's an area with lots of trendy shops, especially popular with young people.

On Wednesday the four of us went on a business trip to Sado Island, about 80Km off the west coast of Japan, near Niigata. The weather was pretty bad with waves over four metres high. The conditions meant we had to take the two and a half hour ferry crossing instead of the much quicker hydrofoil. I was on the verge of revisiting my breakfast, but just about managed! We made the return trip the same way, but the combination of a couple of beers and slightly calmer seas made it a lot more enjoyable. Incidentally, we were given upgrades to first class courtesy of our hosts. This consisted of a spacious cabin with two big beds, a TV, video and a veranda! Not bad, since the price for this was only about thirty-five pounds each way. The time now is a quarter to eight in the evening and I'm returning from yet another short trip, this time to Osaka, about three hours by bullet train west south west of Tokyo. Osaka is another very big city, but I only had time to see my hotel room and to have a quite dinner alone in a nearby restaurant. I still enjoy the travelling, but sometimes I just wish the journey home was a bit shorter.