The Great Onigiri Mystery

AM

Least: At about 9:00am, the pneumatic wheelnut tools were chattering at full volume. With a steady stream of luxury cars keeping te mechanics busy at Ujita Auto Salon, there is always some disturbance coming through our window. Later in the day, after the cars have been tuned, the revving starts and occasionally, the receptionist calls the boys downstairs using an over-amplified intercom. It is amazing to see the number of cars rolling through that business, but the noise it makes is a crashing bore.

Most: Close to 11:59am, I found myself taking photos from Rosie's new Etsy site. Although I dare to suggest that some of the items are visually abhorrent, it doesn't seem to prevent people from buying them online. The most interesting outfit to date has been a mustardy suit that looks as if it was created for a science fiction show from the 1970s or 1980s (Buck Rogerss?). It will be interesting to see how quickly it sells and even more interesting to find out who buys it.



PM

Least: At 3:11pm, I sat in my usual Tuesday train carriage, an was greeted by some filthy looks from the man and woman sitting next to me. The man looked me up and down a few times and muttered something in Japanese, but it was clearly impolite. I noticed that despite his effeminate umbrella, he had home needled tattoos on his knuckles and hands. He was either a former gangster, or simply an arsehole - most likely the latter.

Most: Sometime after 1:00pm, I munched into one of the two onigiri that I had bought for lunch. Buying onigiri can be an adventure, especially when they do not that the picture of the delicious triangle's internal delights. Today, I was lucky. As I destroyed the snack, it became clear that I had bought an onigiri with perfectly rare white fish with a delicate soy-based dressing surrounding it. This was in stark contrast to its companion, which was what we in Australia would call, a rotten plum. Despite this set back, it was a vaguely interesting meal.

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Footnote: One of the delights of today, was relating the story of a 20 year old student who told me yesterday that the last present she bought was a Stitch costume for her cat. She said that although the outfit was a little small, her cat (named Stitch) looked great in it. 

The Tick of the Clock

AM

Least: From 8:00am, I probably hit the snooze button ten-ish times adding a drowsy 80 minutes to my time in the sack. Perhaps it was using the doona for the first time in months that did it, or it could be the PS3 that's lurking in the loungeroom, but it was far too hard to actually get up. As I type, I can't believe that I am once again bored by sleeping in. I think it's time to begin a new regime.

Most: By 11:00am, I found myself in amazed by the technology inside the new toy that lurks in the loungeroom. With the machine hooked up to the internet, it's useability soars and I simply found it hard to fathom the workings of online gaming. The broadband connection, means that I can nerdily fight complete strangers from all over the world. Being a novice, I seem to be shot out of the sky a lot - but it's fun. Finally the internet is getting nearly as good as promised.

PM

Least: With the clunk of the punch-in machine at 7:10pm, I was literally shedding tears from a combination of tiredness and extreme boredom. Much of the previous two hours had been filled with light office work, however after that numbing activity dried up I was left staring at a half empty pin board. I kept reminding myself that I was being paid to do nothing, but the clunk of the clock turned each minute of the remaining two and a half hours into an eternity. I think I need a pair of glasses with eyes painted on - fast.

Most: Just after 10:45pm, I checked the weather map to find Typhoon Melor closing in on Japan. Even though it will likely miss directly hitting Osaka, it should bring massive rains and some serious wind. Our advice in training on typhoons was to 'get to work an way you can', which didn't sound promising. I'm imagining train delays at worst and an entertaining storm at best. The weather map looks awesome.

Sunny Osaka

AM

Least: At 11:20am, I stood at the checkout at the Koyho Supermarket and listened the the unintelligible barrage of Japanese from the clerk. Although it has been nine months and a day since I arrived in this crazy land, I still have been unable to make inroads with my understanding of Japanese. If I was serious, I would take up classes. It doesn't appear that I'm all that serious.

Most: At just past 8:00am, I woke to the sun streaming through my balcony window. The day was very mild and sunny, adding up to a spectacular day. It is amazing to think that just a day or so before, the sky was falling in sheets of water washing everything not undercover. It is weather like today that makes Japan look even more incredible than it already does. Finally, some fresh clear air, after a seemingly endless and uncomfortable summer.

PM

Least: At about 2:00pm, I walked down the footpath in Den Den Town and couldn't help noticing the strange advertising that adorned most shops. The fluttering flag depicted manga-esque schoolgirls with too-sexy looks on their faces. Their cartoon skirts were just short enough to allow the artist to show the beginnings of white undershorts. A boring Japanese cliche (see similar drawing right).

Most: At nearly 1:30pm, two plates of delicious Indian food crowded our table. The naan, which were hand made in the nearby kitchen were enourmous and provided the perfect scoop for the bowl of curry next to it. It was a little bizarre being in the familiar surrounds of an Indian restaurant, but with Indian people communicating only in Japanese. They had a menu in Japanese, Hindi and English. The food was spectacular and spectacularly cheap. Another interesting experience only to be had in Japan.

Only in Tezukayama

AM

Least: At about 8:00am, I was once again reminded of the horrors of living in such close quarter to so many other people. A very loud and distinctive honking noise smashed into our bedroom. My close analysis conducted over many months has revealed that it is a man in the shower clearing his nose. If only I knew the sound's exact origin, I could begin plotting revenge.

Most: At 9:05am this morning, I saw yet another sign that Japan's economic woes have yet to hit Tezukayama. A youngish woman was either dropping off or picking someone up from the local school in a very new red Ferrari. This sighting is only one of many along the same vein. In recent days, I have dodged cars from the numerous Porsche's to an Aston Martin. A recent only-in-Tezukayama moment was a road rage incident outside the Drug 11 involving an old lady on a bicycle and a 30s-ish man driving a blue Roller. The rich stay rich.

PM

Least: Atabout 7:10pm, I arrived to a home bereft of food. By 8:10pm, I treadled off to the local supermarket hoping for something raw and fishy. Instead, I arrived to find the fish shelves almost empty as closing time approached. Literally the only things left were a few scraps of sashimi and slices of whale at half price. I settled for some acceptable beef burgers, however they had so much grease that they almost rendered my sweet bread transparent.

Most: Sometime after 6:00pm, I looked out the window of the train at the speeding landscape to discover it was already in darkness. It is incredible how the length of day has appeared to shorten so quickly (see today's astronomical chart right). It is a reminder of how fast my time in Japan is going, and leaves me questioning myself whether or not I've made the most of it. I definately need to see more of Japan and get out a bit more. Perhaps next year I'll manage a real weekend with two days off in a row. 

Bunny and the Haircut

AM

Least: By 10:30am it was still raining. It had started last night and showed little sigh of letting up. When the weather service predicted 24mm of rain today, I thought it must be some kind of error. It seems there was no error and the day will be sodden and uncomfortable outdoors. At first the rain was a refreshing change, though after only a couple of hours, it just became dreary. At least I do not have to suffer the indignity of swimming to work.


Most: At close to 11:30am, I began reading Mr Cave's The Death of Bunny Munro. I had the feeling that readers and reviewers were holding their breath for this one, after the forest of wordy words in The Ass Saw the Angel. After having read the first few chapters, I was pleasantly surprised at the sparse writing and the fact the Cave's voice is still lurking in the characters. So far the book has mainly centred on Bunny's dirty thoughts and his philandering in Brighton. Both Brighton Rock and Kylie Minogue have been cleverly brought in as cultural reference points. I'll report back when the reading is done.

PM

Least: Just after 1:00pm, I boyishly went back to LABI in an attempt to gather G-Force (Gatchaman) figures from one of the hundred or so capsule machines on the top floor. My hopes for high for collecting 'Mark' as I dropped the coins into the first machine, but I was sorely disappointed as a character from a more obscure and hence less nostalgic cartoon rolled out. The same hopes were dashed after I lost 200 yen in the second machine. I now have two silly toys that I already have. Boring and stupid.

Most: At about 12:40pm, I walked into QB (Quick Beauty) House for a 1000 yen haircut. The flashing green light above the door indicated that I could be served immediately and I was. I was quickly sat down and interrogated in Japanese about what was to be done with my too-long hair. After some signs and some broken Japanese , the hairdresser, cut and shaved my hair quickly. When she had finished, an assistant came over to complete my cut. He trimmed the sides and used a mechanised cut-throat to remove hair from my ears and neck. It was the final part of the cut that made it a special experience. With a flick of a switch, the assistant began vacuuming my head, neck and shoulders. The result was a spectacular prickle-free head of freshly cut hair. Just a cut, but a thousand times better than Just Cuts at Melbourne Central. Gold,

The Persistence of Summer

AM

Least: At 8:55am, I woke an hour later than usual. The hour disappeared simply because I had forgotten to set my alarm back to the usual 8:00am. Sleep creep is a real danger while working strange hours in Japan. Some people sleep later and later until and 11:00am alarm seems harsh. If I'm not careful, my AM period may just evaporate altogether - then there really will be nothing to write about.

Most: At 11:20am, I careered up the street on the Impression on a lunch mission. When I wasn't thinking about how flat the tyres were becoming, I was considering the surprising strength of the sun as it pounded the back of my neck with UV rays. Despite a cool day yesterday, the whiff of a too-hot summer manages to persist. I'm hoping that this week is the last gasp of heat and that the chilly northerlies begin sooner rather than later. Again I am reminded today that the distance between the least interesting and most interesting is becoming very thin indeed.

PM

Least: Just after 9:00pm, my train pulled into Mikunigaoka station. On the platform was an old man in a Nankai uniform chipping solidified chewing gum from the ground. I have actually seen him on numerous other occasions with his scraper and atomiser of citrus solvent. Since I first noticed him, I think he had managed to clear about ten metres. I am sure that by the time he gets to the end of the platform, he will have to begin again from the other end. People often comment about how clean Japan is, however it is probably only so because poor old men like the one at Mikunigaoka have to clean it.

Most: Between 8:00pm and 8:40pm I spoke with a teacher from an agricultural high school in Sakai. Given the relentless urban sprawl, I was amazed to discover that the school has a full set of farm animals including cows, sheep and pigs and fields of grain and vegetable crops. I am still wondering where on earth they could have built such a facility in such a dense city. Maybe good earth might uncover the location.

No coffee, no eggs, no bread, no butter

Wednesday 30th September 2009
 

AM

Least: At close to 9:30am, I discovered that my breakfasting stocks were at an all time low. No coffee, no eggs, no bread, no butter. To alleviate the sheer awefulness of it all, I trotted up to the Family Mart for resupply. To my horror the only bread that they had was some inedible and sugary loaf with slices about three inches thick. I settled on pancake mix, however in my confused state, I forgot to buy butter to butter up my meal. Despondant, I sat down to pancakes with faux maple syrup sans-butter. After one cake, Rosie stumbled through the door with a tub of grease for my meal. Despite the drama of breakfast, it was a grindingly boring experience.

Most: Approaching 11:50am, I finally finished reading The Grapes of Wrath after picking away at it for a few weeks. The ending was a little on the brutal side and shattered my hopes of a better outcome for the itinerant workers. The book is a condemnation of capitalism but rather than idealising it's victims, allows the characters to be crushed by their appalling conditions. The same process that had giant companies engulfing smaller farms it probably still happening today, especially in the developing world. I'm slightly sad that the book is over, but it was an interesting journey.

PM

Least: At about 1:50pm, I stepped onto the tram for my commute to work in Yao. Because it was the first time that I had been to this suburban sprawl (see its seal right), it carried ore stress than a usual trip to work. One mistake, or missed train could mean lateness or it could mean ending up on the wrong side of town. To make matters worse, there was a steady fall of rain and the wind allowed the water to sneak under my umbrella. After a wrong turn outside, Kintetsu-Yao station, I finally realised that my map had failed to notice that the MUFJ bank had relocated across the town square. I was only slightly damp by the time I arrived.

Most: At nearly 9:30pm, Rosie and I walked down some Tennoji steps into a below-ground izakaya. We were told that the last food orders were about to be taken, to we cut a swathe through the menu. By the time we had finished ordering, It was dificult to remember what we had actually requested. Each dish that arrived was slightly more suprising than the last and included, chips, edemame, fried chicken gristle, sashimi, tofu salad, samma and beer. The highlight was the slightly seared sashimi of salmon and tuna and the ultra-friendly manager. We'll be back.