Catching up with the New Year
Hello all! Long time no blog - almost an entire month! So much has happened since, I feel that an omnibus blog is in order - get everything out into one big picture filled fiesta!
Christmas has come and gone, with all the fun associated with that. Christmas Eve was spent feasting on various sweet treats (including some fruit pies from NZ) We had a group of us go to Yokohama and visit an all you can eat Chinese restaurant (because of course that's a Christmas tradition), and then as the light faded we went to a German style Christmas market by the waterfront, drinking mulled wine and enjoying the crowds.
It was certainly a different Christmas to most that I've ever had, being my second one in Japan (2011 being the other one), but this was the first one where time with friends as opposed to family, host or otherwise, was the focus. It was a great, if not different, time, and possibly a bit more rowdy than any other Christmas' I've ever had.
In the days between Christmas and New Years there was a bit of a lull, and so I decided to do a bit of exploring in the immediate neighbourhood, particularly the park next to my dormitory, somewhere I had not yet had the pleasure to visit. Despite being quite grey and wintery (for obvious reasons), I was surprised to see some little waxeyes in a red berry bush, gorging themselves for the winter. It was a nice dash of colour in an otherwise bleak and grey landscape. I was very lucky to be able to capture the local birdlife, all of whom seemed very comfortable in my presence, coming very close to me and making me wonder, who is checking out who?
As New Year celebrations came around, we residents at the lodge were invited to take part in neighbourhood security walks with the local community organisation. David, Viktor and I volunteered along with a number of other students, and made our way to the community watch building in our neighbourhood. There we met a considerable number of people, mostly aged Japanese who had lived in Komaba for many years, and they explained to us that in old Japan, these walks were commonplace. Largely to warn people of the dangers of fire (pre war Japan having largely wooden and paper buildings presented a significant fire risk), they have evolved to keep an eye out for crime generally. Ostensibly this was because the new year period is a very special one for Japanese, and so to be a victim of crime at this time is particularly bad - something I couldn't disagree with.
However, the method to this was a bit questionable, and verging on intrusive/nuisance behaviour. We had these big wooden clackers that we marched along with, rhythmically banging together. This was to alert people of our coming (and surely would warn any would be criminals to run away before we can catch them). Additionally, we had a variety of lanterns and torches, with which we shone lights into people's backyards, again to catch those elusive crims. I asked how many they had caught, and the man we were with said in his 40 or so years of living in Komaba, none had been caught. Whether this points to the efficacy or lack thereof of this approach I do not know, though I have suspicions...
All in all though it was an interesting experience, and for our service we were given a 2018 calendar, which is useful I suppose!
New Year's Eve was spent in Shibuya, at the famous Shibuya Scramble crossing. For Japanese, New Years is a time for family, much like Christmas is for us. Accordingly, New Years celebrations in public aren't a huge thing. The consequence of this was that most of the people in Shibuya were foreigners, such that Shibuya had the appearance of the suburb of Roppongi, Tokyo's nightlife district, which is usually full of foreigners.
We had all brought beers, wine and whiskey with us to the crossing, and spent the last few hours of 2017 chatting and taking in the spectacle of so many people being in one space - and then the final countdown of 2017 began. With a huge huzzah 2018 was born into Japan, also marking the 30th year of the Heisei Era, which initially caused us some confusion for all the 3-0 balloons we saw.
In the first week of January, most Japanese do Hatsumode, which is the first shrine visit of the year. This is an opportunity to buy a good luck charm for the year, pray for a fruitful year and to give back the last year's charms (by having them burnt at the shrine, which sends them up to the Gods). Heading to Meiji Shrine at about 1am, we joined what felt like half of Tokyo in an orderly queue, where we were put into cohorts and slowly marched into the shrine complex. Here we threw some money in front of the main building, and asked for whatever we wanted the year to yield for us. I also bought a charm for good luck in schooling (the universe knows I need all the help I can in finding my place in all this at the moment), so hopefully that will do something!
A few days later I met up with Ginga, who had not yet done Hatsumode, nor had he been to Meiji Shrine before, so I felt an introduction was in order. Arriving before he did on the second of January, I was surprised at the number of groups that were campaigning at the entrance to the Shrine. There was a church group proselytizing Christianity, a Buddhist monk standing silently as people made donations to him, with his bell ringing in thanks, and the Japanese Red Cross asking for blood donations. Going through to the shrine again with Ginga, it was an opportunity to see how many coins had been thrown before it, as well as making some supplementary wishes for the year.
A few days later I was in Yoyogi Park, wanting to both get out and explore around the dorm, but also make the most of a quiet Sunday afternoon.
Making a rapid departure from the blonde demon, I left Yoyogi Park, but not before taking a few moments to enjoy what I understand is something of a Sunday institution for the park - the Rock 'n Roll Yankees. The bizarre spectacle of seeing all these Japanese greasers dancing to 50s rock draws quite a crowd, and despite having seen them before, I was not about to leave them behind without taking some photos.
The next day was a public holiday (Coming of Age Day, a day celebrating those who turn 20 and become legal adults in Japan), and with David busy, Viktor and I made our way to Shinjuku to visit the Samurai Museum - something that Mum had wanted to do while she was here, and is very well rated on tripadvisor.
The museum ran a very good English tour, showcasing the samurai armour, weapons and equipment they had collected, ranging from 800 years ago to the mid 1800s. We also had a demonstration from a man who showcased some samurai sword fighting techniques, all of which was very impressive!
Any samurai related activities wouldn't be complete without the opportunity to try on some armour, and so naturally Viktor and I took that by the horns. While we were quite taller than the warriors for whom the armour was designed (I'm about 30cm higher than the average samurai would have been, and Viktor close to 45cm higher), it was a fun way to conclude the museum experience!
That week I had my friend from university, Scott, and his partner Meg come to Tokyo on a brief layover as they returned to Poland, meaning I had the better part of a morning to spend with them. Getting up at 5.30 in the morning, I made my way to Haneda airport, determined to show them as much of Tokyo as possible in about 5 hours. We had breakfast in Shibuya, taking a photo at the Hachiko statue, before going to Meiji Jingu shrine (I have been here a helluva lot these past few weeks), where I showed them how to to hatsumode. Of course before long the time to take them back to the airport came around, and so almost as soon as we arrived it was back on the trains to Haneda, though with some plans to come back, perhaps in December as we will be heading back to New Zealand for a friend's wedding.
My good friend Claire (who has a rad blog herself here) told me of an interactive, mind blowing, perspective challenging, etc etc, exhibition by an Argentine called Leandro Erlich. The pieces were generally interactive in some way shape or form, but all tricked you into seeing something that wasn't necessarily as it seemed!
Before even getting into the exhibition, as I waited for her to arrive, I took a look around the plaza the museum is located in, which is dominated by a statue very similar to one in Wellington, being a giant metallic spider creature. There were also some impressive views of Tokyo, and perhaps the most commercial waterfall I'd ever seen, being essentially a water feature showcasing the latest offering from McDonalds
But to the museum, we had floating boats (but were they floating in water or air?), layers of clouds printed on laminate and shaped to look like countries, as well as room set up so as to create ghosts of people, to reflect the declining birth rate and slow abandonment of classrooms in Japanese schools. In fact a couple of the classrooms in my school in Kanagawa in 2011 were empty for lack of students, so while not quite as dilapidated as this one, it certainly resonated with me. There were rooms with mirrors and gaps that served to trick you into thinking it was a mirror, making for much slow walking with arms outstretched as you navigated the corners and straights, never quite sure where the reflection began or ended. Finally there was the good old fashioned huge mirror angled against a building facade on the floor, set up to give the impression of a falling person - always good fun!
At the very top of the gallery, which itself is in a tall building on a hill, there is a viewing gallery, which affords excellent views of the city, and from one side, Mt Fuji in the distance. Being such a clear winter day, it was ideal for looking at the vast metropolis below, rising above the skyscrapers and urban sprawl.
Mum had seen online an exhibition of the photos of Kimiko Nishimoto, a Japanese woman in her late 80s who took a photography class taught by her son. Taking to it like a fish to water, she began taking playful self-portraits and has gained a considerable following. Because why do one art exhibition when you can instead do two, Claire and I headed to Shinjuku after leaving the first museum, getting to a small gallery filled with some very hilarious and quaint images, embodying Kimiko's obvious quirky spirit.
At the end of the day Claire and I ended up in a coffee shop that was unvisited by her, so in the interest of science and gastronomy, a coffee was bought and assessed. Not being a coffee drinker myself, this was fine, because the cafe has a most bizarre slogan which caused me quite some laughter:
This week my friend Hamish, with whom Scott and I used to live with (along with the friend who si getting married this year), arrived in Tokyo. Like with Scott, I made my way to Haneda to bring him into Tokyo. With some time to kill before his hotel check in opened up, we had lunch in Shibuya and took a bit of a wander.
As I walked to the train station at 6.40 to go to the airport, I thought to myself how warm it felt, relatively speaking. This was however to change. The weather forecast suggested a bit of a drop was on the cards for the early afternoon, but as Hamish and I made our way to my dormitory to drop off his suitcase, nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be in the air. Walking up the driveway to the dorm though, little snowflakes began to descend. Initially little more than a dusting, going into Shibuya for lunch it grew to be heavier and heavier, with snow building up on ourselves, and in the gutters and streets.
Leaving Hamish to his check in and sleep, I returned to the dormitory to a flurry of snow.
As the snow grew higher and higher, we decided to go out and make the most of it -Tokyo gets very few snow days a year, and nothing like this was. Going to the park beside the dorm, snowmen were built, snowballs thrown, and, in my case, frolicking in the snow was had (Nelson doesn't get snow, so while I have been in it before, it is quite a novelty for me)
By way of comparison for assessing the snow buildup, I left a beer on my balcony as the snow started to fall, and periodically checked in on it
In the evening after I had had dinner, there was a knock on my door, with Viktor asking if we wanted to build a snowman and have a snowfight. Naturally I was keen as a bean for this, and so we spent two hours out in the snow, building a giant snowman that measured well over two metres high, and having a great time throwing snowballs at one another. It was excellent fun when some other groups came and joined in with us, with a full on war taking place in the grounds of the dorm - I felt like a ten year old! It was the first real snowman I had made, and definitely my biggest snowfight - the previous times I had been in such an amount of snow I was with few people and so snowfights were not really on the cards - I can now cross that off the bucket list!
The snow was forecast for the day only, and so waking this morning I drew the curtains to clear skies, snow everywhere in the trees and roads, and the constant drip drip drip of melting snow. Roads were cleared, and the gutters were fully of grey dirty snow, a far cry from the pure white spectacle of yesterday!
In other news, I have submitted all my documents for my entrance evaluation to the Department of International Studies, which will be determined sometime in the near enough future. I am taking part in an intercultural night on Friday, where I am giving a presentation on New Zealand, which will no doubt be a bit of fun. The other exciting thing is that on the 28th of January I am going, with some friends from the dorm, to see a sumo match! The tickets for these are very hard to come by, and so we were lucky enough to get some through the local community group that also ran the New Years Eve patrols - only seven were on offer so we did well to get there in time!
As I said at the start, this blog is to serve as an omnibus, taking everything on and getting it to its destination! I have a fun filled week with Hamish ahead, as well as doing some more shifts at work, and doing some little touch ups on my research, but I feel everything is ticking along very well!
Until next time!
Troy :)
Christmas has come and gone, with all the fun associated with that. Christmas Eve was spent feasting on various sweet treats (including some fruit pies from NZ) We had a group of us go to Yokohama and visit an all you can eat Chinese restaurant (because of course that's a Christmas tradition), and then as the light faded we went to a German style Christmas market by the waterfront, drinking mulled wine and enjoying the crowds.
 |
| Mt Fuji on Christmas morning |
 |
| Christmas included the red pants that have made an appearance at the last three Christmases |
It was certainly a different Christmas to most that I've ever had, being my second one in Japan (2011 being the other one), but this was the first one where time with friends as opposed to family, host or otherwise, was the focus. It was a great, if not different, time, and possibly a bit more rowdy than any other Christmas' I've ever had.
In the days between Christmas and New Years there was a bit of a lull, and so I decided to do a bit of exploring in the immediate neighbourhood, particularly the park next to my dormitory, somewhere I had not yet had the pleasure to visit. Despite being quite grey and wintery (for obvious reasons), I was surprised to see some little waxeyes in a red berry bush, gorging themselves for the winter. It was a nice dash of colour in an otherwise bleak and grey landscape. I was very lucky to be able to capture the local birdlife, all of whom seemed very comfortable in my presence, coming very close to me and making me wonder, who is checking out who?
As New Year celebrations came around, we residents at the lodge were invited to take part in neighbourhood security walks with the local community organisation. David, Viktor and I volunteered along with a number of other students, and made our way to the community watch building in our neighbourhood. There we met a considerable number of people, mostly aged Japanese who had lived in Komaba for many years, and they explained to us that in old Japan, these walks were commonplace. Largely to warn people of the dangers of fire (pre war Japan having largely wooden and paper buildings presented a significant fire risk), they have evolved to keep an eye out for crime generally. Ostensibly this was because the new year period is a very special one for Japanese, and so to be a victim of crime at this time is particularly bad - something I couldn't disagree with.
However, the method to this was a bit questionable, and verging on intrusive/nuisance behaviour. We had these big wooden clackers that we marched along with, rhythmically banging together. This was to alert people of our coming (and surely would warn any would be criminals to run away before we can catch them). Additionally, we had a variety of lanterns and torches, with which we shone lights into people's backyards, again to catch those elusive crims. I asked how many they had caught, and the man we were with said in his 40 or so years of living in Komaba, none had been caught. Whether this points to the efficacy or lack thereof of this approach I do not know, though I have suspicions...
All in all though it was an interesting experience, and for our service we were given a 2018 calendar, which is useful I suppose!
New Year's Eve was spent in Shibuya, at the famous Shibuya Scramble crossing. For Japanese, New Years is a time for family, much like Christmas is for us. Accordingly, New Years celebrations in public aren't a huge thing. The consequence of this was that most of the people in Shibuya were foreigners, such that Shibuya had the appearance of the suburb of Roppongi, Tokyo's nightlife district, which is usually full of foreigners.
 |
| Typically Japan presented a number of rules for the celebrations |
We had all brought beers, wine and whiskey with us to the crossing, and spent the last few hours of 2017 chatting and taking in the spectacle of so many people being in one space - and then the final countdown of 2017 began. With a huge huzzah 2018 was born into Japan, also marking the 30th year of the Heisei Era, which initially caused us some confusion for all the 3-0 balloons we saw.
In the first week of January, most Japanese do Hatsumode, which is the first shrine visit of the year. This is an opportunity to buy a good luck charm for the year, pray for a fruitful year and to give back the last year's charms (by having them burnt at the shrine, which sends them up to the Gods). Heading to Meiji Shrine at about 1am, we joined what felt like half of Tokyo in an orderly queue, where we were put into cohorts and slowly marched into the shrine complex. Here we threw some money in front of the main building, and asked for whatever we wanted the year to yield for us. I also bought a charm for good luck in schooling (the universe knows I need all the help I can in finding my place in all this at the moment), so hopefully that will do something!
 |
| 2018 is the year of the Dog |
 |
| I didn't know Japan had Scouts, much less that they helped out at Meiji Shrine for Hatsumode |
 |
| Thousands and thousands of coins donated to the Shrine |
A few days later I met up with Ginga, who had not yet done Hatsumode, nor had he been to Meiji Shrine before, so I felt an introduction was in order. Arriving before he did on the second of January, I was surprised at the number of groups that were campaigning at the entrance to the Shrine. There was a church group proselytizing Christianity, a Buddhist monk standing silently as people made donations to him, with his bell ringing in thanks, and the Japanese Red Cross asking for blood donations. Going through to the shrine again with Ginga, it was an opportunity to see how many coins had been thrown before it, as well as making some supplementary wishes for the year.
 |
| The Blood of Christ Cleanses the Heart |
 |
| Speaking of blood, please give some |
 |
| This Monk wasn't asking for anything, just ringing his bell whenever a donation was made |
 |
| Coins, coins, coins as far as the eye can see |
Many Japanese were there enjoying some leisure time, but first of all it was the crows that caught my eye. As it was approaching late afternoon, they were getting ready to roost, and so were all in the trees, as well as taking baths in the ponds of the park. I find the birds to be quiet menacing looking, all black with their oily sheen and surprising size. Coupled with their intelligence, when you look at them you get the feeling they are checking you out, sizing you up almost! Quite unlike the pigeons that make up the majority of Wellington's bird population!
As I was looking across at the crows, my peripheral vision was interrupted by some bubbles. Following the bubbles I noticed many groups of people, some couples and others friends, who were blowing bubbles across the pond. Last year in Wellington I was at a bubble festival and had a merry time of photographing the colours, shapes and reflections inherit in bubbles, so was keen to give it another go.
While the bubbles were less impressive in terms of size than their Wellington counterparts, the whole friends going to a park to blow bubbles together was quite charming, and I walked away from them with a smile on my face.
As I headed back to the entrance to the park to go home, I saw a group of guys playing with a frisbee. Rather than just throwing it to each other in the typical frisbee manner, however, these guys were getting acrobatic in their frisbee, rolling it across their chests, doing cartwheels as they caught it, and generally making frisbee a thousand times more difficult than I've ever seen it before. Very impressed!
It seemed this trip to the park had a penchant for things appearing in my periphery, as while I was watching the athleticism of the frisbee throwers, I saw this blonde and pink thing begin approaching me. Turning around, my eyes widened and my heart filled with dread...
 |
| An axe-murderer who has forgotten their axe |
While I had no doubt the Japanese would find this kind of carry on cute, I found it had transgressed into the uncanny valley/place where serial killers wear masks during their slaughter, and seeing this doll-thing walking towards me sent shivers down my spine. It was quite friendly to children, who seemed drawn to it, as well as for two grown Japanese men who followed this doll everywhere (kinda creepy in my opinion), but I wanted no part of this other than to photograph it from a safe distance.
 |
| No Yoko! Don't run to it! Come back! |
That evening at the dorm I was asked if I wanted to make some Japanese sweets, called wagashi, with David and Viktor. They are a paste made from a bean, which is powdered, mixed with a little water, and then gently heated before being allowed to cool. After this, various colourings are added, and with some sweet red bean paste, we made ourselves some sweets. David and Viktor had gone to a class weeks before to make some, and as such their technique was a little more refined than mine, but still I had a good time. David took a very USA approach, making an F-14 Tomcat, and Viktor, ever the artist, made a ladybird and what I thought was a pumpkin, but which he vociferously said was a flower. Mine were a variety of bits and pieces, though I did try to make the NZ flag, something that might need a little bit more time to refine I think! They were pretty tasty though, even if a slightly acquired taste.
The next day was a public holiday (Coming of Age Day, a day celebrating those who turn 20 and become legal adults in Japan), and with David busy, Viktor and I made our way to Shinjuku to visit the Samurai Museum - something that Mum had wanted to do while she was here, and is very well rated on tripadvisor.
The museum ran a very good English tour, showcasing the samurai armour, weapons and equipment they had collected, ranging from 800 years ago to the mid 1800s. We also had a demonstration from a man who showcased some samurai sword fighting techniques, all of which was very impressive!
 |
| This suit of armour was the inspiration for Darth Vader's suit in Star Wars |
That week I had my friend from university, Scott, and his partner Meg come to Tokyo on a brief layover as they returned to Poland, meaning I had the better part of a morning to spend with them. Getting up at 5.30 in the morning, I made my way to Haneda airport, determined to show them as much of Tokyo as possible in about 5 hours. We had breakfast in Shibuya, taking a photo at the Hachiko statue, before going to Meiji Jingu shrine (I have been here a helluva lot these past few weeks), where I showed them how to to hatsumode. Of course before long the time to take them back to the airport came around, and so almost as soon as we arrived it was back on the trains to Haneda, though with some plans to come back, perhaps in December as we will be heading back to New Zealand for a friend's wedding.
My good friend Claire (who has a rad blog herself here) told me of an interactive, mind blowing, perspective challenging, etc etc, exhibition by an Argentine called Leandro Erlich. The pieces were generally interactive in some way shape or form, but all tricked you into seeing something that wasn't necessarily as it seemed!
Before even getting into the exhibition, as I waited for her to arrive, I took a look around the plaza the museum is located in, which is dominated by a statue very similar to one in Wellington, being a giant metallic spider creature. There were also some impressive views of Tokyo, and perhaps the most commercial waterfall I'd ever seen, being essentially a water feature showcasing the latest offering from McDonalds
But to the museum, we had floating boats (but were they floating in water or air?), layers of clouds printed on laminate and shaped to look like countries, as well as room set up so as to create ghosts of people, to reflect the declining birth rate and slow abandonment of classrooms in Japanese schools. In fact a couple of the classrooms in my school in Kanagawa in 2011 were empty for lack of students, so while not quite as dilapidated as this one, it certainly resonated with me. There were rooms with mirrors and gaps that served to trick you into thinking it was a mirror, making for much slow walking with arms outstretched as you navigated the corners and straights, never quite sure where the reflection began or ended. Finally there was the good old fashioned huge mirror angled against a building facade on the floor, set up to give the impression of a falling person - always good fun!
At the very top of the gallery, which itself is in a tall building on a hill, there is a viewing gallery, which affords excellent views of the city, and from one side, Mt Fuji in the distance. Being such a clear winter day, it was ideal for looking at the vast metropolis below, rising above the skyscrapers and urban sprawl.
Mum had seen online an exhibition of the photos of Kimiko Nishimoto, a Japanese woman in her late 80s who took a photography class taught by her son. Taking to it like a fish to water, she began taking playful self-portraits and has gained a considerable following. Because why do one art exhibition when you can instead do two, Claire and I headed to Shinjuku after leaving the first museum, getting to a small gallery filled with some very hilarious and quaint images, embodying Kimiko's obvious quirky spirit.
At the end of the day Claire and I ended up in a coffee shop that was unvisited by her, so in the interest of science and gastronomy, a coffee was bought and assessed. Not being a coffee drinker myself, this was fine, because the cafe has a most bizarre slogan which caused me quite some laughter:
 |
| Whatever that means |
As I walked to the train station at 6.40 to go to the airport, I thought to myself how warm it felt, relatively speaking. This was however to change. The weather forecast suggested a bit of a drop was on the cards for the early afternoon, but as Hamish and I made our way to my dormitory to drop off his suitcase, nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be in the air. Walking up the driveway to the dorm though, little snowflakes began to descend. Initially little more than a dusting, going into Shibuya for lunch it grew to be heavier and heavier, with snow building up on ourselves, and in the gutters and streets.
 |
Looking more like bad dandruff than snow at this point  |
Leaving Hamish to his check in and sleep, I returned to the dormitory to a flurry of snow.
 |
| As the snow started |
 |
| Not more than two hours later |
By way of comparison for assessing the snow buildup, I left a beer on my balcony as the snow started to fall, and periodically checked in on it
In the evening after I had had dinner, there was a knock on my door, with Viktor asking if we wanted to build a snowman and have a snowfight. Naturally I was keen as a bean for this, and so we spent two hours out in the snow, building a giant snowman that measured well over two metres high, and having a great time throwing snowballs at one another. It was excellent fun when some other groups came and joined in with us, with a full on war taking place in the grounds of the dorm - I felt like a ten year old! It was the first real snowman I had made, and definitely my biggest snowfight - the previous times I had been in such an amount of snow I was with few people and so snowfights were not really on the cards - I can now cross that off the bucket list!
 |
| Viktor unloading a deluge of snow upon my from the trees |
The snow was forecast for the day only, and so waking this morning I drew the curtains to clear skies, snow everywhere in the trees and roads, and the constant drip drip drip of melting snow. Roads were cleared, and the gutters were fully of grey dirty snow, a far cry from the pure white spectacle of yesterday!
In other news, I have submitted all my documents for my entrance evaluation to the Department of International Studies, which will be determined sometime in the near enough future. I am taking part in an intercultural night on Friday, where I am giving a presentation on New Zealand, which will no doubt be a bit of fun. The other exciting thing is that on the 28th of January I am going, with some friends from the dorm, to see a sumo match! The tickets for these are very hard to come by, and so we were lucky enough to get some through the local community group that also ran the New Years Eve patrols - only seven were on offer so we did well to get there in time!
As I said at the start, this blog is to serve as an omnibus, taking everything on and getting it to its destination! I have a fun filled week with Hamish ahead, as well as doing some more shifts at work, and doing some little touch ups on my research, but I feel everything is ticking along very well!
Until next time!
Troy :)
Comments
Post a Comment