Whew. What a day! It started with a doctor's appointment and ended with a conference call about an exciting potential new project. In between, I fielded texts, emails, and phone calls about Dark Matter, read what Paul has written so far on that "other" project, talked to a lawyer, met with my bank rep, and…
November 15, 2012: The weird and wonderful world of J-Pop!
It's nice to know that, no matter where you go in the world, the local music scene is peopled with weird/annoying/colorful characters. Just a different kind of weird/annoying/colorful character than what you're used to in your neck of the woods. Whenever I'm in Tokyo, I'm endlessly amused and, occasionally, mystified by the hot group/singer du…
November 14, 2012: Sweet, sweet, elusive sleep! News of note!
Hmmm. I seem to have lost my grasp on this whole sleeping thing. After a relatively promising first night back from Tokyo, I've been unable get back into a west coast rhythm. Last night, I lay awake until 3:00 a.m., trying to remember what, exactly, it felt like to fall asleep. I envy people who…
November 11, 2012: Best of the rest! Football Sunday/Ice Cream Resumes!
Some of the best of the rest photos of our Tokyo trip - Akemi makes a new friend in Omotesando: Even though I was on holiday, I wasn't on vacation from fantasy football. With my Snow Monkeys in the playoff hunt, I couldn't afford to be. And so, amid the sushi and shopping, I also…
November 9, 2012: Tokyo Day….? I’ve lost count! Star Bar! Nodaiwa! Nakajima! Quintessence!
When I travel to Tokyo, I usually stay at The Imperial Hotel. The service is great, the rooms very comfy, and I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather spending my nights. With the exception of Star Bar, a truly awesome basement bar Ivon Bartok and I discovered on our trip here a couple of…
November 8, 2012: The Osaka wrap-up! Back in Tokyo! Family dinner! Honkogetsu! Killer ramen!
On our final night in Osaka, I was invited to join Akemi's family for a grand kaiseki dinner at Honkogetsu. It was a magnificent meal, due in large part to the food and company, but also in some small part because I made it through the meal without fumbling anything with my chopsticks or unwittingly…
November 6, 2012: The Osaka Walking Tour: Part Deux!
Wow! It's been a whirlwind few days here in Osaka. I've covered so much ground that I've decided to squeeze in an extra blog entry. Let's call it "November 6, 2012: The Quickening!" We met up with Akemi's parents on our first night in town. The plan was to go to Sushi Koyoshi, a mom…
November 3, 2012: Tokyo Day #6! Pizza Seirinkan! The Molecular Tapas Bar!
I'd been thinking about it since my last trip here and, finally, yesterday, I finally got a chance to pay a return visit to Pizza Seirinkan. Joining me this time were Akemi and her friend Yukina... After lunch, we headed over to Electric Town, Akihabara, so I could track down a new Evangelion iPhone case…
November 1, 2012: Tokyo Day #4! Pierre Gagnaire!
Okay, I said late blog entry but I've got a window of opportunity here so it'll be an early blog post instead. Last night, I got together with my friend, Sachi, for dinner at Pierre Gagnaire in the ANA Continental Hotel. We spent much of the meal catching up on our respective lives. Sachi is…
October 31, 2012: Tokyo Day #3! Sawada! Shinjuku! Butagumi!
Last night, Akemi and I returned to our favorite sushi restaurant in Tokyo: Sawada. It's always more than dinner, it's a show, with Master Sawada-san presenting a feast of varied sushis and sashimis, from sweet Hokkaido uni to grilled sea eel, all expertly prepared and utterly delicious. The restaurant itself is small, seating six at…
October 29, 2012: Tokyo Day #2! Roppongi! Faro! Yasai-ya Me!
Akemi is so adorable. She's apparently been in Canada so long that she's forgotten what it's like to live in Tokyo. "Tell me when you see a garbage can,"she said, waving the empty can she was holding. A garbage can? On the streets of Ginza? You're more likely to come across Godzilla. The plan was…
October 28, 2012 (here in Tokyo): Arrival! Applause! Soba at Akatsukian! And Mitsukoshi desserts!
One of the things I'm reminded about Tokyo every time I catch the shuttle bus from Narita airport into the city are the highways and how truly high they are. So high, in fact, that one will occasionally find oneself eye-level with the top floor of some extremely tall buildings. Not a great ride for…
October 26, 2012: Your input would be greatly appreciated!
Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to explain the difference between "goofy" and "kooky" to my Japanese girlfriend. I have already tried - and failed. YOU are now our only hope. Please leave your superior explanations in the comments section. Thanks. To those of you wondering (which, I'm sure, is almost everyone),…
October 24, 2012: Are you serious?!!
In Italy, a group of scientists was found guilty of manslaughter for failing to predict a devastating earthquake. I'm sorry. I must have missed the major headline. Since when did earthquake-prediction become an exact science? In this case, following some preliminary tremors, an Italian scientist was asked if said tremors were the prelude to a…
October 23, 2012: Goodbye, Baby
His first name is lost to time. It was a French name I recall. Michoux? Michaud? Something like that. But when we adopted him, we renamed him, choosing Baby over runner-up Sasquatch. And, over the course of his 15+ years, he was a little of both: frisky, grumpy, playful, troublesome but, always, oh-so-adorable. I suspect…