Category: Japan
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A Visit to the Japanese National Archives
Last week, I took a trip to the National Archives of Japan, arranged by Visiting U.C. Berkely Professor Fred Gey. I didn’t realize this, but the National Archives are a short five minute walk from where I work in Jinbouchou, right next to the Japanese National Museum of Modern Art. The mission statement of the […]
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The Unexpected Dance of the Dead
Roppongi Hills Obon Dance Stage Taiko Drummers Yukata Dancers Kids dance also On Saturday I went to Roppongi Hills to see the movie “Ratatouie”. In Japanese, this movie is called “Remi’s delicious restraurant” which I actually think is a much better title. I had no idea what the movie was about when I saw the […]
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Fireworks Festivals
I bought a Japanese Jinbei Watching Fireworks Foodstands on the way Crowds by the river Fireworks Fireworks On Thursday some friends from work and I went to the Jinguu Fireworks Festival. This is a large fireworks festival that takes place in the middle of Tokyo, near Yoyogi Park and Jinguu Temple. They put up about […]
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Summer Sonic 2007 Music Festival: Day 2
On the second day I woke up a big later since I didn’t have to go through the wrist-band exchange shuffle. An uneventful trip back to the Chiba area. “Blue Man Group” The first “group” I wanted to see was the Blue Man Group. They were up on the Mountain Stage, the largest of the […]
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Summer Sonic 2007 Tokyo Music Festival: Day 1
Welcome to Summer Sonic! Walking to Summer Sonic Marine Stadium Beach Stage Marine Stage Crowd Nishioka Sumiko (日本語版 ) Summer Sonic is a two-day summer music festival held in Chiba’s Makuhari Messe and nearby Marine Stadium. It is a huge event, with probably around 80 bands playing over two days, and unofficial concerts on the […]
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A quick trip to the Setagaya Art Museum
Art Museum This Way Aesthetic Eyes of Aoyama Jiro A friend of mine, Mie, who I met at the wonderful Saraba bar in Jiyugaoka, works at the Setagaya Art Museum. The other day she told Lisa that they were having a fun exhibit at the museum. A guy who writes children’s books would do a […]
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Unlikely food combinations: What are you thinking, Japan!?
This is a post that started from a Mixi post I made about unusual donuts (in Japanese) and then purely by coincidence the next day I stumbled upon some other unusual foodstuffs. First, on with the donuts. Don’t make donuts out of that Ham and Cheese Donuts Maccha and Azuki Donuts On the way home […]
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A trip to faraway Yokohama for Gyoza
日本語で Last Sunday I headed out to Yokohama with my friend after a relaxing weekend. About a year ago, a researcher I met while at Columbia University who grew up in Yokohama took me to a Gyoza shop in Sakuragicho, Yokohama that he said has some of the best Gyoza in Japan. For reference, that […]
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Tokyo Giants vs. ORIX Buffaloes
some pictures on Flickr On Sunday night, I got a call out of the blue from my friend Tomoki, who invited me to the Tokyo Giants baseball game on Monday night. They were playing the ORIX Buffaloes. Approximately a year ago, I took Tomoki to a Giants game when my friend Tai gave me a […]
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Asakusa Sanjya Matsuri (三社祭)
Entire photoset of Flickr.com Short videos up on YouTube.com Portable Shrine Women carrying the shrine Enthusiastic drummers On Sunday, I headed out to Asakusa with a friend to see the tail end of the Asakusa Sanjya Festival. Sanjya (alternatively, Sanja) means “Three Shrines”, and if you’ve been reading along you know that Matsuri (祭り) are […]