Mari - diary

A New Year eve in Japan

NEW YEAR EVE!! How do you spend the last day of a year? In Japan, some people will be busy in a preparation for new year even now. Some will finish them (or give up on them). Some will be on the way to parent homes or Hometown, Some will be go abroad. On the night of the 31st night we have a custom to eat Japanese noodle soba to wish for our long life.

Then I will watch K1 and Pride tonight of course!! But many people watch 紅白歌合戦=Kohaku Utagassen(annual NHK sponsored year-end men versus women singing contest). Sounds crazy maybe, usually this TV program can get around 50% of TV view rating,  but I suppose they cannot make it this year.NHK tried to invite Bae Yong Jung(Yong Sama!--his site close temporary because his site got a attack.) as international guest, because they aired Winter Sonata. But they were refused. Ah! I remember a few years ago Sarah Brightman sang as a guest. Then SMAP will not appear in this year, because they did not release any new songs.　Then a funny part of this, every year Kohaku Utagassen makes ENKA singer Sachiko Kobayashi and Kenichi Mikawa have a famous super crazy fashion battle with a Shiny PIKA PIKA dress, like this, this, this.  Ha they look like a little mountain recently. Actually I was surprised to know DVD recorded their dress part only was released. But this year Sachiko Kobayashi announced she would wear only a black Kimono, because she came from Nigata and feels sorry for thos affected by the Chuetsu earthquake, so she will save the super crazy fashion for next . OK so it will be a good idea to save electricity too. How do you think?

By they way Tonight, before K1 and Pride, I will go to listen to the Symphony. Hiroyuki Iwaki and NHK orchestra will play Beethoven's symphonic numbers from 1st to ninth. Yes Big concert it is. Hmm it will be a busy day today.

I hope you will close the 2004 nicely. Have a nice New year's eve.

We love to see the Frist Sun Rise in a year

Michael Crichton called Japan Rising Sun, and actually we Japanese like to see the Rising Sun, especially on the New Year's day, many people go to see the Sun Rise as the first Sunrise of the new year. We call it HATSU-HINODE. Yes of course this is related to Misogi, you know we love to reset and a brand new something.

Yahoo Japan has the page for good spots to see the first Sun rise in each area. In Japan, Inubosaki of the Chiba prefecture is the place where we can see the Sun first in this season. In Tokyo, they picked Mt, Takao, Tokyo Tower, Kasai Rinkai Koen, Sunshine 60, Mt, Mitake. Hmm I think Roppoingi Hill would be a good place, but they have a countdown event and after that, they close unfortunately. So we cannot enjoy the sunrise there. The Telecom center is a lower building but they seem to be open in the early morning on New Year day.

I am thinking of going to Oyama to see it. But guess what! Wx report says it will be a rainy day. So I will change my plans and will see some beautiful one on the Internet. Actually it will be convenient, because I do not need to freeze outside in such a cold winter morning. If you have an interest in doing this, here is the site you can enjoy the Sun Rise of the world.

Natto restraunt

Natto! I love it and I think it is the secret weapon of Japan, like I wrote :-p, but how much I said it is good, good for even the diet. Natto is the champion food which is most hated by foreign people, I know.

By the way, how much I love natto so far, I hardly eat it  at shops or restaurants. At therer We can eat Ika Natto, Natto Oroshi Japanese Izakaya (you may find ika natto info too here, very good site) and Natto Spagetti at Pasta place. But I do not remember any other popular dishes now. Unfortunately Natto dosen't have a rich variation for cooking. And we have to care about the smell of it after eating too.

But my one of favorite sites nifty portal Z found this Natto restaurant.　Cool! The name of shop is NEBARI YA. This means "thread shop" exactly. You can choose the size of rice and natto portions, and topping. She chose the egg and then after that Takana.Look at price! The egg one is only 290yen.

Characters for everything.

Character Expo 2005 (yes 2005! )was held in Omotesando Spiral. This year's concept was "past, present, future". Past is old character section. Gonta kun appeared in an old educatinal TV program "Dekiru kana"(I loved it!), Koeda chan was a popular girls toy in the 70s. Monchi-cchi is old enough, but it is in present the section, because they are having a revival.

Not only big names like Hello Kitty, Post Pet, Qoo, Gloomy(my post), The Japanese like cute (sometimes violent anyway) characters so much. Actually even a warnings and caution panel have some characters. This is the caution message on Train door. Why cat? it couldn't be that cat is in the train. In Japan, all under construction panels have an illustraion of a guy who bowing, this is the under construction guy collection site. Every guys says "sorry for inconvenient".  And around elementary schools, you will see this type of runing boy. They all say , " Do not run into the street". This site collects dentist panels. To make a good image for kids, many dentist panels have an animal character on them. Because of its big teeth,  the Rabit is the most popular animal for dentists they say.

Since such characters are so common in Japan, people often try to add something onto their panels, so sometimes you have to see too much ugly something on a panel.  Look at this Ugly Snoopy!,   What is this?, maybe Tanuki ? maybe car? They wanted to make it a pretty one like Neko Bus from Totoro. At least that what I suppose.  This weird panel is a warning for fire, she is crying because "my memories were burned out"..... crazy panel.

Akira Kaneda Special bike

IT media LifeStyle choose their own most interesting article in 2004. Their best is this, KANEDA's bike in Tokyo Motor Show. How cool! The bike is a replica of the one which Kaneda rides through Neo Tokyo 2019 in the movie Akira(Cool English fan site).This is the official bikes which is the director Katsuhiro Otomo approved, however unofficial Kaneda special bike are sold in a sort of order-made online shop already.

Anyway here is another such site Tanomi com.  On this site people request something they want, if many people assent to this request or the maker has an intereting to the orders, they will produce it. I checked some requests, and found some interesting favors.
This is a simple order in food section "I want  Gomen-ne again!". Ha! Gomen-ne was a fruit juice named I am sorry(=Gomen-ne, yes strange) and which halt in production some years ago. She wants Suntry to begin producting Gomen-ne again, and now 24 people agree to this request.  In PC section, 172 people said they want simple USB AM/FM radio, then last month it was finally released.  In health section, a girl needs sanitary napkins in a one-week pack. For day time, night time, heavy day, light day, those 4 types of napkins are packed for one week. I think this is a good idea!   

A ruggedly, harsh, wild, silent type

When I write about the popular guy in Japan, I always have to talk about SMAP. So I wonder Japanese girls and women like such clean pretty cute type guys. I can not say it is wrong, but of course it can not tell all. A ruggedly, harsh, wild, silent type would be the trend of guy preference now. Actually many guys have stubbled cheeks like Ken Hirai, Tadanobu Asano. I think everybody has this cool image for beardie because many big name sports players have beardie, like Ichiro, Nakata, Kitajima (Olympic Goldmedal swimmer).

Some years ago, my friend said her type was a cute boy like a puppy, who would whine and wait for her in the rainy day for a long time. but now she  said she likes a guy who looks like he smells a little, (not smell really, ONLY looks).  Me? Hmm I must confess I am weak for the guy who looks like stoic and lonely. At any rate, how many years have passed, My favorite guy is still Senna. I know it is hard to be with such a type of guy, but "I want to be the only person who understands him well in this world", such a crazy stupid misunderstanding has caused many troubles ha ha ha.  I know I know

Merry Christmas from Tokyo.

Merry Christmas from Tokyo!!! 

Tonight this place will be so crowded. Most beautiful place in Tokyo.  Tokyo Millenario.    I hope you have a nice Christmast eve. 

                                                                                         Mari

Tokyo's best neighborhoods

Japan is small country, but Tokyo is not small city. So when you say Tokyo. you will think of Ginza or Shinjyku, or Asakusa? Basically there are 23 word and some cities. In tokyo you can enjoy Roppongi culb life and take Onsen and mountain hiking too. Anyway people who living in Tokyo choose the best town to live in Tokyo. This may tell some real Tokyo, right? I have found another ranking in 2004. Haseko corp has released the ranking of "The best town to live most in Kanto area". Since our life based on Train station. (Shops, restaurants, hospitals, banks and other kinds of businesses usually gather around train stations.) . the ranking is the name of train station.

No1 Jiyugaoka (Tokyu Toyoko line)
In Jiyugaoka, You may enjoy nice cakes. Mont St.Clairis one of best Patisserie in Japan. Owner Parossoir Tsujigushi won Coupe du Monde, his cake is very artistic.
No2 Kichijyoji (JR Chuo line)
Kichijoji is a kind of casual place, there are some Colleges and Inokashira Park there. it has good relax mood around there.
No3 Kamakura(JR Yokosuka line)
Kamakura is in Kanagawa prefecture, next to Tokyo. There are many old temples and shrines, and also you can enjoy green, flower and the sea. Actually great place to live, but I will choose there after retierment.
No4 Mitaka (JR Chuo line)
Mitaka is quiet, small place which was loved by a number of famous Japanese writers. So maybe we have a little bit intteligent town image.
No5 Seijyo Gakuen Mae(Odakyu line)
This is place where many actors and actress, singers lived.

I can tell all of them are really naice place actually, but Kamakura is so far if I have to work in Tokyo. Then I do not like JR Chuo line area, so among the list, I will pick Seijyogakuen. No9 is Denen Chofu. This is the most expensive place to live, maybe like Beverly Hills? Anyway when I asked the same question, my answer is Shoto. It is my birth place. Very close to Shibuya, but very silent and clean town.

Misogi, such convenient excuse?

In Japan the New Year holiday is longer than the summer holidays. I can get off from the 28th to Jan 6th. Yeah!! So I can be relax enough? Unfortunately in December "No!" I have to write New Year cards, and clean up all my apartment, and I want to ready Osechi Ryori =New Year meal. So normally December is the busiest month for Japanese in a year. Actually we call December "SHIWASU" in the old Japanese way. It means even a Buddhist priest (who is thought hardly less affected, an imperturbable person ) runs in this month. Why do we clean up in such a cold season? Big cleaning of house is an actual cleaning, but the purpose of the cleaning might be more of a mental issue. We want to start our new year with a pure body, spirit in a clean house.

I think this "reset" idea would come from "Misogi" of the Shinto religion. Misogi is the method of purification/cleaning our body and spirit. In a religious way, there are some harder ways, for example, being exposed to the waterfall, or entering the cold sea in winter season. But Misogi is a very spiritual issue, there is not an exact way or method. A member of the Diet who resigns from the Diet over an election scandal can seek election again for a whole: "I have done Misogi". A singer who did drugs could start performing after cessation. "I have done Misogi". So Misogi tends to be used as a convenient excuse sometimes.  How do you think?

Cuppucino art and beer art?

Since Japan has had a big cafe boom, and I am a cafe lover. In the wintertime, I would like cappuccino more than regular coffee, because its milk makes me warmer. In some places I can see pretty art on my cappuccino, how about your favorite cafe? In Japan, we call it Latte art or Design cappuccino, I wonder in the home of Cappuccino Italy, what they call this. This site collects such designs on cappuccinos in Japan. The Leaf type would be common in the world, so I wonder if these of LIFE cafe would be unique? These two bears on this cappuccino are too cute to drink.

Anyway look at this. What is this? The answer is beer! This Shigaraki Beer Mug makes Kanji (Chinese character), which form on the beer automatically. Since the creator is trying to get a patent for this, how they make it is yet a secret. That Kanji(Chinese character) means just from foam. They have another version, "Fortune, Congratulations, Treasure, Love, Father, Gold" such lucky characters. It seems to be fun as a gift. But the characters only appear when your pour such a small amount of beer, and wait for 3 or 4 minutes. Who can wait? I don't know.