Ohayo!
I know it has been a long time since my last update, but to be fair, in the past 4 months I have spent only 6 weeks in Japan! (The rest of the time was split mainly between Croatia and Canada.)
It was so nice to return to Tokyo last week. SO NICE. I breezed through Immigration at Narita (with my Japanese visa I do not have to stand in line with the other foreigners!) to find my suitcase already on the baggage carousel. By the time I bought my ticket for the bus, it had been only twenty minutes since I had disembarked from the plane. TWENTY MINUTES! Can you imagine? Needless to say, I am very happy to be back in the land of heated toilet seats and excessively polite customer service personnel.
Work-wise, I hit the ground running with a visit to our charming one-airplane operator. As promised during my previous visit, a beach barbeque had been arranged. We ate on folding benches (owned by the airline, specifically for beach barbeques) and enjoyed grilled beef,fish, walnuts and garlic bread.
While chatting with the pilot who had taken me on my observation flights, I discovered that he was a retired 747 captain who used to fly the Prime Minister and the Emperor and Empress around in the Japanese version of Air Force One. He had a fond memory of eating lobster in Halifax.
The weather in Tokyo is now perfect. Because it is so nice, October is the most popular month for weddings. August, however, was another story. It was so hot and humid. SO HUMID. The paper in our office printer came out all curled up; clothes took forever to air-dry, and I finally understood why all the packaged food comes with little pouches of desiccant. I could not bring myself to jog in the mornings. Even at 5 a.m. it was 28 degrees, with 90% humidity!
Despite the discomfort, we managed to get out and do some fun things. One of the highlights was a Major League baseball game between the Tokyo Giants and the Yokohama Baystars. I was delighted to discover that in addition to being able to buy beer from the brightly-dressed women with keg backpacks, one could also purchase whisky at one's seat. The sellers had coolers with cups and ice and water to accommodate all preferences.
One night we had dinner at "Nefertiti Tokyo", an awesome Egyptian restaurant in our neighbourhood. We ate reclining on pillows and rugs, in a little private enclave surrounded by curtains. Along with the meal we enjoyed a performance by a belly dancer. After the meal we enjoyed some sheesha. Very nice.
There were many summer festivals involving food, music and dance. We attended a couple, and observed many Japanese people wearing "yukata", the traditional Japanese summer garment (like a kimono, but lighter and more casual). I bought a couple for my nephews, who were forced to wear them for my gratification.
This week we are looking forward to the arrival of our friends Dave and Alec. I can't wait to show them my favourite things in Tokyo: Sunday rockabilly dancers at the park, Rodeo Night, the Japanese Beatles tribute band at the Cavern Club, Cats LiviN, etc. Good times!
I composed a haiku in honour of my time in Croatia:
Five weeks in Zagreb
I'm glad I could remember
how to fly a plane
