The ones that caught my eye: LAST DAYS ON MARS Release Date: December 6, 2013 What it’s about: On the last day of the first manned mission to Mars, astronauts make a horrifying discovery. What it’s got working for it: It's SF with a mystery angle. Sounds intriguing. What’s it’s got going against it: Cool…
November 24, 2013: Upcoming movie releases to look forward to! Or not!
Just a few that caught my eye: THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG Release Date: December 13, 2013 What it’s about: The second instalment in the sprawling Hobbit trilogy. No, really. What it’s got working for it: Director Peter Jackson and oodles of production value. What’s it’s got going against it: Three really long movies…
November 22, 2013: News of note!
Now that I'm back home, it's time to catching up on the latest news...Following word that Hollywood is planning an ill-advised sequel to It's a Wonderful Life, Yahoo's Kevin Polowy offers his list of 2o Classic Movies Hollywood Can't Remake or Revisit: http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-news/untouchables-20-classic-movies-hollywood-t-remake-revisit-235511819.html Any you'd care to add to the list?6 Sneaky Ways Movies and TV…
November 21, 2013: The Day After!
I'm doing better today. But I'm not taking any chances. Thus, this was my lunch today: And these were a couple of the things I missed out on the last day of my trip: Between the jet lag and the stomach thing, I wasn't feeling particularly ambitious today so I took it easy, reading the…
November 20, 2013: Back on the home front! Akemi bloopers!
I advised Akemi that the best way to avoid jet lag and get back on your regular schedule is to sleep through the flight back to the west coast. Leave Japan at 6:05 p.m. local time, sleep for 8 hours, then land in Vancouver at 9:45 local time. You'll be well-rested, have enough energy to…
November 18, 2013: Tokyo Day #13! The Fine Art of Ramen! H.H. Giger prepares my meal at Chikuyotei! I finally pay the price!
Nobody appreciates the fine arts like I do and it should come as no surprise that there's nothing I enjoy more than hitting the local museums whenever I visit a foreign city. Such was the case yesterday when Akemi and I woke up early so that we could catch the bullet train to Yokohama and…
November 17, 2013: Tokyo Day #12! Doggy Daikanyama! Sushi Kanesaka! Dominique Bouchet!
Tokyo is a vibrant metropolis of neon lights and raucous party districts, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. work days and all night manga cafes were salarymen who have missed the last subway home can catch a few hours sleep before sunrise. It's can be chaotic and crowded... And yet, there are parts of Tokyo that…
November 14, 2013: Tokyo Day #9! Wherein we check out Akemi’s old neighborhood and I eat way too much. Again!
Yesterday, we took a day trip to Akemi's old stomping grounds, catching the Chiyoda line from Hibiya station to Yoyogi Uehara where we transferred to the Odakyu line and finally arrived in Seijogakuen-mae. In short, just a little easier to get there than it is to pronounce... Once we arrived the first thing we…
November 12, 2013: Tokyo Day #7! Noisy cell phones! Kamakura! Beware of Kites!
It would seem that my mother's opinion of Japan has taken a drastic u-turn after she watched the Tokyo episode of Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown. I assured her that not all - in fact, I'd venture to say very few - Japanese women choose careers as skimpily-clad performance artists in robot theater. Also, I had no…
November 10, 2013: Tokyo Day #5! Shaky shaky! Pork and promenades! Dinner at L’Effervesence!
We sure are experiencing a lot of turbulence, I thought to myself in my sleep-addled state. Suddenly, I stopped brushing. Wait a minute. I'm in my hotel room. "Did you feel the earthquake?"asked Akemi as I stepped out of the bathroom. The national news was already reporting on the 4.0 quake, a relatively minor that,…
November 9, 2013: Tokyo Day #4! Japanese convenience store breakfast! Kaiseki at Kurogi! Rustic and Raucous at Kabuto! Eel-gutting 101!
Yesterday, Akemi and I did breakfast Tokyo Convenience Style, sitting down to a lovely spread: spicy orange-hued chicken nuggets devoid of any real chicken taste or texture, a soggy pork bun, another much better barbecued pork bun we received instead of the actual pizza bun we had ordered, an alarmingly runny aloe yogurt (with the fruit…
November 8, 2013: Tokyo Day #2! Quest for the elusive Lawsons fried chicken! The Tokyo underground! Sushi Sawada! And more!
Our Tokyo trip got off to a rainy start. But that didn't temper our enthusiasm. We were up and out at 8:30 a.m., on a quest to track down some convenience store heat lamp spicy chicken nuggets for my breakfast. We were in search of the ubiquitous Lawsons, the one stop shop for everything from…
November 7, 2013: Tokyo Day #1! Arrival! Sans Applause! Robot Girlfriend!
Hello, from the future! November 7th here in Tokyo; November 6th back home for most of you. Having advance knowledge of the day ahead, I wish I could tell you all what is in store for you but, alas, like most travelers to Asia, I had to sign a non-disclosure form while going through customs…
November 4, 2013: Prepping for Japan! The post-Tokyo post!
Tomorrow, Akemi and I leave for two glorious weeks in the culinary capital of the world: Tokyo, Japan. I will, of course, be continuing to update this blog with a blow by blowfish account of my trip - so fear not. It'll be like you're coming on vacation with me! My sister was kind enough…
November 2, 2013: Porchetta, Snow Monkeys, Brunch, and Presents!
Look at what Akemi made! Yesterday, she stuffed, seasoned, rolled, and trussed a pork belly. Then, this morning, she woke up at 6:00 a.m. to slow-roast it for five and a half hours before finishing it off with a 30 minute broil to render the skin extra crispy. She served it for lunch with her…