Posting all the pics that didn't make the blog while I was in Japan... We visited a "space" exhibit in Ginza. This paper cut-out display challenged you to discover three contrary cut-outs in the crowd: a child, a woman with an umbrella, and a cat. I found the woman with the umbrella and think I…
September 17, 2016: Tokyo Day #4!
So, that finale... Yeah. I'll avoid commenting suffice it to say we are hard at work, providing answers to a few of the, uh, outstanding questions we were left with at episode's end. And, I guarantee you - BIG answers coming your way in season 3. But, for now, I'm still enjoying Japan with Akemi. Yesterday,…
September 12, 2016: Tokyo Day #1!
September 11th back west but the 12th here. This blog entry comes to you from the future! So, the fallout from Friday night's Dark Matter double-header continues to resonate. I'll hold off talking about it until our international fans have had a chance to catch up but, suffice it to say, if you found the ending of…
July 23, 2016: Tokyo in 2016? Maaaaaybe!
To quote Dark Matter's SIX (Episode 103): "Fresh starts for all of us, right?" Right! With the real estate market blazing here in Vancouver, Akemi has been not so subtly suggesting it might be time to cash out. And she does have a point. As much as I love my house, I've calculated that we only use…
October 2, 2014: Akemi’s Japan Vlog!
Tokyo! Tsukiji Market! Tea Ceremony in Osaka! Check out the first installment of Akemi's Japan vlog: Next time, let's make it a group vacation. Who's in?!!
September 21, 2014: Japan Day #11!
We were standing at the hotel reception, purchasing our tickets for the shuttle bus that would take us to the airport. The middle-aged Caucasian guy beside us was purchasing a ticket of his own. "What's your room number?"asked the staff member. The guy looked around anxiously, then leaned in conspiratorially and whispered his room number.…
September 19, 2014: Japan Day #9!
Today, we had plans to meet up with our friend, Nihei, for a yakitori lunch but, unfortunately, a last minute meeting derailed those yakitori plans - and sent us to Butagumi, my favorite tonkatsu restaurant, instead! Tucked away in a little side street in Nishi-Azabu, the rustic restaurant offers varieties of tonkatusu (golden-fried pork cutlets)…
September 18, 2014: Japan Day #8!
I finally hit the wall. Mark the date and time: September 17th at 7:23 p.m. That is, officially, when I stopped being hungry. Yep, I'm done. At this point, I'm just going to reduce my portions to the point where I can simply wean myself off food. Today, I met up with my oldest friend…
September 17, 2014: Japan Day #7!
No. No! Day #7?!!! It's almost over! In a matter of days, I'll be back in Vancouver, scrambling to plan and pack and make my way to Toronto for a seven month stay - one month of advance prep in which we'll be filling out the director's schedule, approving designs, hiring DOP's and editors, start…
September 16, 2014: Japan Day #6! I feel like I lost a day!
Seriously. My vacation is short enough without my misplacing days! Last night, Akemi and I hit the basement food level of the Mitsukoshi department store where we picked up a variety of tasty treats. Tokyo street fashion. I gotta get me one of those for Toronto. Our dinner haul. My favorite was the cutlet and…
September 12, 2014: Tokyo Day #2 – More eating, and I take a ride on the shinkansen!
There are three "can't miss" restaurants I HAVE to visit every time I come to Tokyo. The first is Sawada sushi - which, sadly, is closed during this two week stay. The second is Esquisse, a brilliant French restaurant headed by Chef Lionel Beccat - which we'll be visiting in the coming days. And the…
September 12, 2014: Tokyo Day #1 – Guts, Grub, and Garb!
It's a ten hour flight from Vancouver to Tokyo and I had hoped to sleep through part of it, but just as I was nodding off, about seven hours, I was awakened by one of the entertainment systems malfunctioning, emitting a sound akin to a spoke card's rat-tat-at. For about a half an hour. That's…
August 21, 2014: Jelly update! Japan plans!
I brought Jelly in to see a specialist last week. After a careful study of the x-rays and the my old gal, he reversed the initial diagnosis of a separated hip. Apparently, upon closer scrutiny, it looks bad - bad it isn't THAT bad. So that was great news. And then, Tuesday, she was unusually…
November 20, 2013: Tokyo Day #15!
The old adage is true. You never truly appreciate something until it's gone. Like, say, your appetite. Or even the ability to eat something without having it transform your stomach in a raging maelstrom. At the beginning of this trip, I was on the top of the world, assuming I'd get to try anything and…
November 19, 2013: Tokyo Day #14! Back on the horse! Oden! A return to an old favorite! And, of course, desserts!
I think I actually put on some weight on this trip. No. Really. Upon my arrival in Tokyo, I had a choice between two notches on my belt - the first, a little tight; the second, a little loose. I opted for the latter and, fourteen days later, that loose notch is actually kind of…