Displays of Masculinity
This is me updating from Kobe. I got here today, but I haven't done much other than successfully find my hotel, eat some yummy real Chinese-style ramen (so they said) made with sesame paste, and locate some tiny bottles of liquor at SOGO. So far, so good.
The Toyoko Inn Sannomiya No. 1 is very clean, functional, and kinda funny. The desk chick gave me a Ladies Only toiletry kit, containing a refreshing mask, a hairband, and nail polish remover. There is a lovely plastic plaque on the desk advertising 30 or 60 minute massages for 3,000 and 6,000 yen, respectively. Hm. And, like most Japanese inns, a yukata is provided for your in-room lounging comfort. Obviously very traditional. In mental institutions. Buttons?
Anyway, I'm staying in tonight, enjoying a Campari and Suntory Premium Soda (whatever, it's soda water) and updating from the week/end so I can clear my camera's memory for, hopefully, a lot of good pics of this trip. If it stops raining. Which would be great.
Addressing this blog's topic, I'd like to start with this guy.
He's called Tanuki, and is a 'raccoon dog,' not a badger, as I thought. I asked Helen once what these guys were, because you see the statues a lot in front yards and in noodle shops. She told me they were for bringing good luck and prosperity, mainly because of their gigantic testicles. I hadn't even noticed the things, honestly, but sure enough, yup, there they are. And they are based on the anatomy of the real animals, apparently.
Onto those other Kings of Macho display, the US Navy. We got our Fourth of July celebration on the base, taking Kumi with us for the experience. As it was pouring and we had time to kill because they closed all the kids' activities right when we finished eating (stupid), we went bowling. Kumi must be a good luck charm, because we left our previous family high score in the dust (no, we didn't even count Kumi's score in the family total). D crushed. TWO strikes, and I don't think he was even using the bumpers.
Jeff would like you to notice his cool shoe and ball combo
Anyway, the fireworks. They said they were going to happen Rain or Shine, and they meant it. They are the US MILITARY.
It was actually rather impressive, made doubly so by the downpour.
Kumi thought it was the best thing she'd ever seen. I'm thinking it was because all the Americans whoopin' and hollerin' in a very un-Japanese way, and she got to scream her head off in excitement, too.
Saturday was Martine's I'm Leaving to Explore Exotic Places for Six Weeks/Tanabata (some Chinese 7/7 Star Festival) BBQ. I met Aya, Lala's adorable baby girl. D wasn't feeling well, but everyone loved the kids, who being very entertaining rather than just spastic for once. Saw Darrin and Tim and Huey (Hughie?) again, and met some new people. Lovely, lovely people.
Here's Darrin with a very masculine grill-full of meat.
Eventually, it got too late for partying at Martine's, so we repaired to the park to continue. It was full of people. Teenagers, mostly. We shot off our own fireworks.
Soon after, Jeff and the boys left, and I convinced Dave and Helen (who was necessary to the plan) to go to Harajuku. An ex-student of Helen's let her know of her boyfriend's party at The Sunshine Studio Cafe there. When Helen had forwarded me the list of band names that would be playing all night (Modest Mouse, Carissa's Weird, Kinski, Elliot Smith, on and on) I said it sounded like Seattle music. It was like a KEXP playlist. Then she sent me the flier that said it was Seattle Night. I guarantee I was the only Seattlite for miles. The ex-student was very nice, and her bf, and the rest was mostly drunk young boys taking turns playing along with (butchering) the Seattle music.
We did get two rounds of drinks bought for us, but perhaps it was one round too many for Helen, who could not be convinced that 7000 yen was too much to pay for a taxi home. She reeeeally wanted her bed. So Dave and I stuffed her in a cab and managed to locate Garageland in Shibuya (no mean feat, as we were both born without a sense of direction). They said they were closing at 4:30, but we didn't get kicked out til first train.
Somehow I managed to get out the next day and go see my first kick-boxing match. The Very Brazilian Johnny was fighting, and Michael and Shingo often go to support him. Johnny won (yay!), and some of the other fights were pretty exciting to watch, too. A few of them got called because of bleeding eye injuries. The Thais in the audience were the most fun. I will definitely go again. It made me breathe heavily.
We went to an izakaya after, and tho I hadn't planned on staying out past say, late dinner-time, the boys started drinking, and well, I got home at 11 something, but whatever. D woke up at 4:30, ostensibly from a nightmare and an earache. I was worried that he had a dreaded ear infection, but Jeff, privately, told me he believed it was psychological because he was nervous about going to day camp this morning on the base, with a bunch of strangers and in a different group than his brother. I lay next to him in my bed and told him about some great friends I had made at summer camp, people I stayed friends with for years (have lost touch with them since, Robin Steeley, are you out there?) . Sure enough, in about an hour, no more earache and a cheerful spirit.
So, as you may have guessed, I haven't had much sleep in the past few days. I doubt I'll be up much longer.
This is just a cool random rain-and-dirt created pattern I saw the other day. I think they look like dresses.
The Toyoko Inn Sannomiya No. 1 is very clean, functional, and kinda funny. The desk chick gave me a Ladies Only toiletry kit, containing a refreshing mask, a hairband, and nail polish remover. There is a lovely plastic plaque on the desk advertising 30 or 60 minute massages for 3,000 and 6,000 yen, respectively. Hm. And, like most Japanese inns, a yukata is provided for your in-room lounging comfort. Obviously very traditional. In mental institutions. Buttons?
Anyway, I'm staying in tonight, enjoying a Campari and Suntory Premium Soda (whatever, it's soda water) and updating from the week/end so I can clear my camera's memory for, hopefully, a lot of good pics of this trip. If it stops raining. Which would be great.
Addressing this blog's topic, I'd like to start with this guy.
He's called Tanuki, and is a 'raccoon dog,' not a badger, as I thought. I asked Helen once what these guys were, because you see the statues a lot in front yards and in noodle shops. She told me they were for bringing good luck and prosperity, mainly because of their gigantic testicles. I hadn't even noticed the things, honestly, but sure enough, yup, there they are. And they are based on the anatomy of the real animals, apparently.
Onto those other Kings of Macho display, the US Navy. We got our Fourth of July celebration on the base, taking Kumi with us for the experience. As it was pouring and we had time to kill because they closed all the kids' activities right when we finished eating (stupid), we went bowling. Kumi must be a good luck charm, because we left our previous family high score in the dust (no, we didn't even count Kumi's score in the family total). D crushed. TWO strikes, and I don't think he was even using the bumpers.
Jeff would like you to notice his cool shoe and ball combo
Anyway, the fireworks. They said they were going to happen Rain or Shine, and they meant it. They are the US MILITARY.
It was actually rather impressive, made doubly so by the downpour.
Kumi thought it was the best thing she'd ever seen. I'm thinking it was because all the Americans whoopin' and hollerin' in a very un-Japanese way, and she got to scream her head off in excitement, too.
Saturday was Martine's I'm Leaving to Explore Exotic Places for Six Weeks/Tanabata (some Chinese 7/7 Star Festival) BBQ. I met Aya, Lala's adorable baby girl. D wasn't feeling well, but everyone loved the kids, who being very entertaining rather than just spastic for once. Saw Darrin and Tim and Huey (Hughie?) again, and met some new people. Lovely, lovely people.
Here's Darrin with a very masculine grill-full of meat.
Eventually, it got too late for partying at Martine's, so we repaired to the park to continue. It was full of people. Teenagers, mostly. We shot off our own fireworks.
Soon after, Jeff and the boys left, and I convinced Dave and Helen (who was necessary to the plan) to go to Harajuku. An ex-student of Helen's let her know of her boyfriend's party at The Sunshine Studio Cafe there. When Helen had forwarded me the list of band names that would be playing all night (Modest Mouse, Carissa's Weird, Kinski, Elliot Smith, on and on) I said it sounded like Seattle music. It was like a KEXP playlist. Then she sent me the flier that said it was Seattle Night. I guarantee I was the only Seattlite for miles. The ex-student was very nice, and her bf, and the rest was mostly drunk young boys taking turns playing along with (butchering) the Seattle music.
We did get two rounds of drinks bought for us, but perhaps it was one round too many for Helen, who could not be convinced that 7000 yen was too much to pay for a taxi home. She reeeeally wanted her bed. So Dave and I stuffed her in a cab and managed to locate Garageland in Shibuya (no mean feat, as we were both born without a sense of direction). They said they were closing at 4:30, but we didn't get kicked out til first train.
Somehow I managed to get out the next day and go see my first kick-boxing match. The Very Brazilian Johnny was fighting, and Michael and Shingo often go to support him. Johnny won (yay!), and some of the other fights were pretty exciting to watch, too. A few of them got called because of bleeding eye injuries. The Thais in the audience were the most fun. I will definitely go again. It made me breathe heavily.
We went to an izakaya after, and tho I hadn't planned on staying out past say, late dinner-time, the boys started drinking, and well, I got home at 11 something, but whatever. D woke up at 4:30, ostensibly from a nightmare and an earache. I was worried that he had a dreaded ear infection, but Jeff, privately, told me he believed it was psychological because he was nervous about going to day camp this morning on the base, with a bunch of strangers and in a different group than his brother. I lay next to him in my bed and told him about some great friends I had made at summer camp, people I stayed friends with for years (have lost touch with them since, Robin Steeley, are you out there?) . Sure enough, in about an hour, no more earache and a cheerful spirit.
So, as you may have guessed, I haven't had much sleep in the past few days. I doubt I'll be up much longer.
This is just a cool random rain-and-dirt created pattern I saw the other day. I think they look like dresses.
posted by Sandi at 9:04 PM
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