Japan Notes 2 12-16-2003 (1, 2, 3, 4)
Massagy? Well, at least that's what the woman standing on the street in shibuya
near our hotel asked us at 1:30am Saturday night. I guess she had that one word
nailed for her gae-jin clients. We decided it actually would be nice on Sunday
afternoon so we visited the very clean relaxation station and had a great oriental
massage - no happy ending please.
Starbucks has literally cut in half the price of coffee in Tokyo. On top of
that, despite the fact that the dollar has fallen 25% against the Yen and everything
else in Japan is a 30% premium over the US, a Frappucino is only Y350 ($3.50).
And there's only one size, and there's no decaf anywhere in the country. There
are 12 million people packed into this city and all of them are working 12 hours
a day fueled by coffee and cigarettes, starting at age 15.
Everyone who is trying to make fun of Japanese people by saying "Hai."
or "Aso" doesn't realize that that's actually how people talk here.
Overhearing a phone conversation the other day, it was like, "Moshi moshi,
hai hai. Hai. Hai. Hai hai. Hai..." and lots of bowing (even on the phone)
to go with it. Or if you say something interesting, the other person might give
you a really drawn out, "AaaaSsoooo."
You see lots of people walking around wearing those SARS hospital masks but
it turns out that they're not just afraid of SARS, they think they have it.
There are all these ads on tv telling you that if you feel sick you don't want
to infect your brethren so you'd better wear a mask.
If you screw up and push an elevator button for the wrong floor, just push it
again and the light goes out. Duh.
Nabe party last night at DC and Nikki's was a big ongoing feast in the living
room, everyone sitting on the floor receiving from Nikki serving after serving
of hot soup with meat and vegetables and udon. It was funny because there were
a bunch of japanese friends of DC and Nikki's who spoke english pretty well.
One guy was on a first date and brought her along and she brought a friend.
Seems a little strange to take your date and her friend to a private dinner
party as the first night out, but all the merrier. I realize I am fully ready
to believe anything about Japan that anyone tells me. And I guess it works in
reverse because when Yuko asked me how I hurt my thumb, I told her I did a bad
job at work and Chris slammed it in a car door. Americans expect the highest
levels of service and if you screw up they beat you. That Rodney King incident?
No not Mike Tyson's manager. Yeah, he was in LA where there are lots of rich
people, so they called the police because he wasn't doing a good job and had
him beaten up. REALLY?!
This morning we woke up at zero dark thirty and went to the Tsukiji fish market
- serving 4,000 tons of seafood per day worth around 3 Billion Yen. Everyone
bustling around on these narrow carts with steering wheels that steer and do
the gas and brakes all in one. So many fish, and giant ones too. Tuna being
cut up by master butchers with giant saber knives, octopi being arranged in
styrofoam boxes, business cards being exchanged with much Japanese to-do'ing,
red clams being cracked open and stacked in rows in crates filled half-way with
blood - gory but fun. Some guy was looking for his contact lens on the ground
but when June asked it turns out he lost his tooth. So I looked around it and
found the tooth in the corner. He was all smiles (well, sort of) when I gave
it back to him and said "rucky, very rucky", shook my hand, bowing
bowing. Uhh, yeah you'd better clean that floor muck off it before you stick
it back in your head. Gave an XSA card to the butcher too and he recommended
a great sushi place for breakfast. Wow, those things are good for everything.
We also got his card so in case we have a hankering for some sushi in the future
we'll know who to call. Anyone read Kanji?
Outside the market there are all these little sushi places that get the fish
straight off the boat and put it on your plate - abalone still moving even.
Seriously the best sushi I've ever had too. Uni which every american pretty
much hates is quite sweet and not all disgusting when it's that fresh. There's
a little outside temple where you can make a wish, ring the bell, clap your
hands and I guess hope for the best.
I've gotta thank Zack for the tip on Gets. It's a magic keyword. There's this
Japanese tv talent show and the guy on it is kindof an austin powers personality.
He's super famous, especially for his signature move: both hands out with thumb
and index finger in gun shape and saying "Gets!" We found out there's
a song that goes with it too which is some Japanese translation of "That's
the way, uh huh, I like it." Anyway, it's the funniest thing in the world
to basically any Japanese person - you should try it on some Japanese tourists
at home. They never ever would expect a foreigner to know about it. Even the
reserve and control of the department store girls cracks when we Gets them.
We taught it to these two little half-japanese american girls in the sushi place
outside Tsukiji and you can tell the rest of their vacation will be filled with
"Get's!" to anyone who'll listen - sorry mom and dad.
It turns out that I've been mispronouncing the words for "I don't speak
Japanese" the whole trip. In Japanese you put the "not" at the
end of the sentence so dekimasen means speak not. But I've been leaving off
the "en", so I've been saying "I speak Japanese". No wonder
everyone's been confused. Also, it's really annoying in business meetings because
you ask, "Can you get 50,000 units and deliver them by next week?"
And effectively they reply, "We can get 50,000 units and deliver them by
next week. Not." But really they're more likely to take a long breath in
through their teeth, making the signature Japanese sound for, "Oooo, that
very difficult." But they never ever use the word Ie (sp?) which actually
means no.
80-year old lady with dyed bright blue hair. Not the only one.
Flying to Korea today - uhh golden retriever? No thanks, I'm full.
bre++