tsutaya...

has got a special offer on for 10 days...5 cd`s for 1,050 yen..i got sakamoto, sparks, YMO, an anime music soundtrack and a 60`s j-pops collection..am gonna have a musical sunday!!!

schoolkids on their way home

nice uniforms
they all look very carefree!!!
(meguro river..osaki)

back rub japan ltd

spotted in azabu-juban yesterday
massage is very popular in japan!!!

walking around my area (osaki)

the architectural landscape in tokyo is so diverse
old, new and in the middle
never boring!!!

i like rain

rain

is a korean pop star and actor
i am not mad about his music
but he is a great actor
i am a cyborg was an underrated brilliant film
with the same director as old boy and jsa
2 of my favourite films
.................................................................................

i should mention...even tho i am in japan we are very close to south korea (just 2 hours by plane) and there is a korean boom here...brought about a few years ago by the introduction of korean dramas on NHK tv (like our BBC)...we now have easy access to films, tv series, k-pops music, travel and wonderful korean food...and korea town (in shin-okubo) is vibrant because of this boom...it is one of my favourite places to go in tokyo..i`ll post some photos another time

sometimes you come across...

...a derelict building
tho it is unusual
i am surprised this hasn`t been turned into a new house
.............................................................
of course in the uk
this would have been ransacked by now
(osaki)

tokyo urban landscapes...osaki

taken in the garden of my local temple
(osaki)

it is raining today...

...so no futons airing

and no one`s in the park

bamboo

i have often wondered...
why we don`t make more use of bamboo
in the uk
.....................................................................
it is fast-growing
strong and can even withstand earthquakes
can be made into all kinds of useful things...
...cups, chopsticks, vases, flutes

it looks beautiful
and the new shoots are delicious!!!
...................
(irugi shrine...osaki)

i am having a musical morning!!!

pet shop boys

phil oakey/giorgio moroder

sparks

my local vegetable shop...osaki

sunday is the busiest day cos of special offers
looks hectic doesn`t it?
the queue to pay is so long!!!

it`s sunny today...

...so a chance to air the futons and dry the washing

japanese believe the sun`s rays kill bugs
and bacteria in the futons
i have no idea whether it is true or not
but they love to throw bedding out to the sun
(an apartment block near me in osaki)

my post office

i don`t know why...
...but living in tokyo
i love to be able to say and feel MY SOMETHING
is it a basic human need to belong?
to feel part of something?
anyway...this is not THE post office
it is MY post office in osaki!!!

the yakult lady

yakult

is a probiotic drink

available in the supermarkets here and back home in the uk
they go one further here
yakult is also delivered directly to offices
usually by women
with a little hand-cart like this one
or sometimes they are on bikes cycling around tokyo
it seems such a primitive way of selling
in such a hi-tech city!!!

to my followers...

...for some strange reason i can`t post responses on my blog at the mo..(any ideas grey area?)...but i do appreciate your comments...and SCW...welcome to lets kiosk..i am a friend of richard`s and found you there...you are so funny!!!

it was raining this morning...can you ride a bike and hold an umbrella at the same time???

lots of people here can!!!
please note cycling on the pavement is allowed
unlike in the uk!!!

tokyo street art...yuk

why???
(azabu-juban...near wendy`s...yesterday)

tokyo urban landscapes...route 1...azabu-juban

route 1
looking towards roppongi
plus 2 elevated highways
shuto expressway loop line and meguro line
(yesterday...today it`s raining!!!)

balance on a tray

i read that tokyo has won 227 michelin stars this year

they say that tokyo is now the focus of the culinary world
.............................................................................................................

this is a lunch NOT from a michelin-starred restaurantfrom 7 o`clock clockwise

rice cooked with aduki beans
tofu with sesame dressing
pickles
salad
miso soup (in bowl with lid)
and in the centre
simmered vegetables (nimono)

i went to a new supermarket today...

...and was greeted by this!!i really did feel contentment in there!!!
(nissin...azabu-juban)

community volunteering

last sunday i came out of my building at about 8.30 am to find this group of young volunteers (about 6 of them...probably high school pupils) searching for litter in the bushes and shrubs around my area and in the park next door...actually there is hardly any street litter in tokyo tho there are a few irresponsibles who like to throw cans and bottles into bushes and parks...i am glad to say this is not a big problem at all... tokyo is the cleanest city i have ever experienced!!!

i just wondered what 16-18 year olds in the uk would be doing early on a sunday morning...do we have community volunteering in the uk?
i really don`t know!!!

my station...gotanda

the yamanote line platform
looking towards meguro

orchids are not my thing but...

...i changed my mind

...........................................................
i was taken to a huge orchid exhibition
orchid growers had come from all over japan
the orchids on their own didn`t grab me
but when they were designed and arranged
they were beautiful

please read previous post first!!!

something traditional in contrast to my last post...

classical japanese gardens are wonderful
controlled simplicity
meticulously laid-out
carefully maintained
understated elegance

this pine tree has its winter protection on
a structure made of bamboo and string
designed to stop the snow laying directly on the brances
to avoid destroying the shape of the tree
clever, isn`t it?

isn`t this stone lantern amazing?
(kyu-furukawa gardens)

i like skyscrapers...

even tho japan is in an earthquake zone

(actually the earth moved at 5 am this morning!!!)
they have developed technology to deal with this
so building up into the sky is now very common

shinjuku yesterday

i was so busy today...

will post more tomorrow
but in the meantime enjoy the video under this
HAS stand for human audio sponge!!!
i like this version better than the original
you???

HASYMO...the new old YMO!!!

another vending machine

paperback books
if you need something to read look no further!!!
(nippori yamanote line platform)

another vending machine

ice-cream
nice in the summer...but not now!!!
tho yesterday it was 22 degrees in tokyo!!!
(nishi-nippori yamanote line platform)

it is valentine`s day...look what i got!!!

such beautiful chocs...
...with a cherry blossom feeling
.....................................................................
gift-giving is such a big part of the culture here
and i have grown to love it

i can really enjoy choosing something nice for someone
and then giving it to them
and getting a surprise is nice too...very heartwarming

we don`t do enough of it in the uk

i am from england so...i like cadbury`s chocolate!!

tokyo urban landscapes...shimo-takaido

here you can see the highway over the main road
elevated highways are a common sight in tokyo
this one is two tier!!
it is fantastic driving on them...the best views of the city
but my friend lives near this one and says it is so noisy

tokyo urban landscapes...yamate dori...gotanda

near book off...looking towards nakameguro
yesterday

on the pavement in shin-okubo

sometimes i think japan is funny
we can`t smoke on the street...
...but we can smoke in cafes, bars, clubs & restaurants!!!

today i had a big smile on my face...

i went to tesco`s and found these!!!

there is a very small area of uk food in tesco`s here
today...these, salad cream, branston pickle, cream crackers
such a strange assortment of uk food
just who in tokyo is gonna buy salad cream???

anyway i bought the baked beans
guess what i had for tea today!!!
yum yum!!!

were they worth the one pound fifty?
yes!!!

casa cafe...shin-okubo

we jumped into this cafe last night

and we had really good ice-cream
we had good food and good time!!!

from masha

every week i teach masha...aged 9
she is russian but now is living in tokyo with her family
she`s so sweet and on sunday is taking an english test
good luck mascha!!!
(but i know she is gonna pass cos her english is quite good)

my mansion!!!

according to the japanese i live in a mansion
they use this word to describe a flat in a block
usually made of concrete
(as opposed to the traditional wood)
...................................................................................
they often import english words
but use them slightly wrongly...
...i find this a charming point of the japanese language...
...it always makes me smile!!!
...................................................................
but this is definitely NOT a mansion
20 square meters and one room!!!
from the kitchen area looking towards the balcony

from the balcony looking towards the kitchen area
the glass cubicle is my bath/shower

a lot of single people live in similar small flats in tokyo
tho i have never seen a glass cubicle bath/shower

nice, isn`t it?

if i get homesick...

...i can go here!!!

but...i probably won`t!!!
(osaki think park)

i like this cover!!!

i was introduced to this band on the radio the other day

vending machines are ubiquitous in japan!!!

and they are never vandalised!!!(near osaki station)
really..they are everywhere!!!
on every street corner
on every station
outside buildings
inside buildings
at every tourist attraction
i even heard that they are at the top of mount fuji!!!
this one is selling drinks
the top 2 rows are cold drinks
the bottom row is hot drinks
yes...hot
cans or bottles of hot tea and coffee

boss isn`t it???

what grass???

there`s no grass..they`re all shrubs???
(osaki...think park gardens)

i`m off today...

so there are quite a few postings on my blog!!!

a great song and a great cover!!!

slogans...

i like slogans...they are very minimal but can be very powerful as they can leave an imprint on the mind...i am always impressed by the positive wording of slogans in japan...and here are some:

TOSHIBA...leading innovation
(home electrics)

MITSUBISHI ELECTRICS...changes for the better
(home electrics)

KDDI...designing the future
(mobile phones )

BRIDGESTONE...passion for excellence
(tyres)

PANASONIC...ideas for life
(home entertainment)

SONY...like no other

TOYOTA...drive your dreams

NISSAN...shift - the way you move

HONDA...the power of dreams

considering these are written in another language to the japanese they are quite cool!!

think park...osaki

i love this building...and it`s quite near me
it is mainly offices...plus...
nice cafes and inside and outside spaces

...and i like its name
"think park"the building has a good slogan
"where ideas are made"
positive, isn`t it?

look...they`re cleaning the windows today!!

tokyo urban landscapes...osaki

yesterday...note the blue sky!!!walking from osaki along the river meguro towards gotanda

osaki
taken from the walkway between think park and gate city
in the foreground you can see osaki train station
with yamanote line train in the station

today is NORI (seaweed) day!!!

i read seaweed day was established way back in 702

to promote the seaweed industrythese are sheets of dried laver from kyushu

for me everyday is seaweed day
i love it!!

lee byung hun

i know i am in japan...but i love south korean movies
and this is my favourite south korean film star

here he is atop a building in tokyo on an ad
(in tameike sanno)
you can`t really see him very well
so for more info

click here
i heard he is gonna become internationally famous because of his latest film
the good, the bad, the weird
i haven`t seen it yet but...
...if you wanna see his great acting watch the amazing film jsa

muji...from the inside

ebisu atre