Sunday, May 26, 2013

Sugar Buzz & Sumo Butts

良い一日、読者。
Good day, readers.

I know; I know. I'm overdue in my blog posts. Let me make it up to you with this double feature: turning 21 in Tokyo and attending the Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan 両国国技館.

Sugar Buzz

"If you want to view paradise..."
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

As several of you know, I'm an advocate of temperance, trailing one of my favorite historical figures, Carry A. Nation. Due to her influence and the fact that alcohol has failed to gain my interest (since I've been told that I'm already the life of the party without a drop), I've decided to pass on joining in on the buzz. Alcohol buzz, I should say.

To celebrate my twenty first abroad, I decided to act on my inner child--yes, she still exists--and lend an ear to my sweet tooth and indulge at a restaurant called Sweets Paradise. Scattered throughout Tokyo, several Sweets Paradise restaurants cater to those in need of a major sugar buzz with its bountiful buffet of an assortment of desserts from cream-filled, fruit-lined cakes to a fountain flowing with velvety chocolate waiting to drizzle or drown crackers, cookies, and marshmallows.

At 7pm, several of my closest friends and I set out to Shibuya 渋谷 in search for a celebratory sugar rush. We arrived at 7:30, taking in the gum ball themed interior. Most of us had a light plate of salad, curry, and pasta to set our stomachs at ease before feasting on a health nut's worst nightmare: the sugar shock shelf. Cakes of every size and flavor basked in the display lighting, luring us, their prey into a feeding frenzy. Between spoonfuls of light cakes (chocolate, strawberry, coconut to name a few) and creamy vanilla soft serve, my friends and I filled the evening with delicious desserts, camera candids, and Japanese jokes.

Looking back, I can definitely say I "lived up" my twenty first and not just in the crash-after-the-sugar-high sense. I've met so many beautiful individuals here who have blessed me with their friendship, understanding, and different perspectives. The greatest gift was sharing my big 21 with them, making the birthday plate a close second.

Eat Me
Birthday Plate
Japan Family

















Sumo Butts

"I've never seen so many butts before."
Yours truly

Once through the second level doors, I held my breath. I don't what I was expecting. I don't know what I pictured. Other than a brief sumo clip I watched in my Japanese high school class, I had never seen the sport before.

I spotted the ring 土俵 located below and two wrestlers preparing for their match. Silence ensued. Not because of the suspense. Not because of the audience's respect. Only because twenty people filled the giant sumo stadium.

And we thought we were late...

My German friend, Kai, and I arrived at the stadium at 11:30am and apparently fell among the few early birds, mainly tourists. Taking advantage of this time, I climbed down the steep stairs from our nosebleed seats and sat in one of the empty 8,900 yen, or about 90 U.S. dollars, seats with only the sound of the wrestlers' leg slaps and grunts; the directions of the main referee 軍配; the singing out of the next wrestlers' names by the 呼び出し; and the booming voice of the announcer greeting my curious ears.

As I clicked my camera to capture the sumo action, I realized that sumo wrestling mirrors fencing in several respects. First, the wrestlers are limited to fighting in a ring just as fencers are restricted to a certain space. Second, while there is one main referee, there are other judges who check whether the right call was made in determining the winner. Finally, after each bout both wrestlers bow to one another just as fencers wave their weapons in the air to their opponent and audience.

In addition to trying to understand the ways of sumo, as the day progressed and the Japanese crowd grew, I became attuned to the hubbub of native, sumo fans. Women and men gathered at one of the first floor entryways, preparing themselves and their cameras for the incoming sumo wrestlers. Dressed in their elaborate summer robes 浴衣 and traditional wooden sandals 下駄, the rotund wrestlers shuffled their way through occasionally stopping to pose with a fan.

After Kai and I met up with his other American friends, Lily (Bostonian) and Alice (New Yorker), the four of us strolled down the lantern-lit Sumo Annaijo Entrance 相撲案内所入り口, standing out among the matching male ushers in their 裁着袴, or customary coats and leggings. Finding our seats, Kai and I ate the recommended おすすめ sumo snack, yakitori 焼き鳥 (grilled chicken skewered onto sticks). I also bought and devoured my first meat bun 肉まん, steamed fresh for immediate eating. To cool down a bit, we finished our eat-like-a sumo day with vanilla and mocha swirl soft serve on crispy cake cones.

In the remaining hour of sumo, we enjoyed the full bystander experience, listening to Japanese fans respond to long bouts, making their disappointment or satisfaction known to all; noticing the vibrant colors of the sumo belts 廻しof the second highest division 重量 wrestlers; and cheering for our favorite wrestlers based on their belt color or their size.

Just before exiting the arena, I stopped by a booth to inquire about a sumo button souvenir I had seen earlier. A man told me that the booth had already closed. Seeing my disappointment, he reached into his own booth and pulled out a shiny, pink button and told me to take his. I offered to pay him but he declined. After bowing and thanking him, I happily added the souvenir to my travel purse and headed home.

Sumo: Supermodel Status

Yakitori


Ryogoku Kokugikan
Sumo Bout

Sumo Style

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

All-Nighter Exceptions

読者の考えをしていますよ。
Now I know what you're thinking, readers.

Miss Taylor pulled an all-nighter. Well, it's about time. To which class do we owe our high five, our slap on the back, our congratulations? To which professor do we revere and shower with praise? To which paper do we give our nod of approval?

Oh, readers. Please. Only the call of Tsukiji Market 築地市場 could break through to the bed-before-ten side of me.

You may remember from my last post that I went to Tsukiji Market barely a week before. This is true. However, despite waking up at 3:50am to get to Tsukiji at 5am, a security guard politely gave my roommate, Jack, and I the disappointing news that we were too late to see the famous tuna action. Too late? Yes. The online articles failed to mention how tourists line up outside of the visitor entrance at 3:30am. Thus, we took the security guard's advice and wandered about the marketplace surrounding our desired, off-limits (to us) tuna auction. Crestfallen, we were, but we made the most of our morning, perusing seafood stands and stopping to satisfy our now growling stomachs with the freshest Tsukiji sushi.

While Jack was content with the morning's tour of Tsukiji, I was far from the feeling. For me, the taste of Tsukiji served as merely an appetizer, preparing me for the main course.

Last Friday I convinced Jack and two other friends, Stephen, a fellow San Diegan, and Amy, a resident of Japan, to join me in an all-nighter, consisting of Hooters (unplanned), Karaoke, and of course, the tuna auction itself.

To recount these events of last Friday night to Saturday morning, I turn you to the following recap of exceptions:

Exception #1: Braving Hooters

11:30pm

We arrived in Shinbashi 新橋 just outside of Ginza 銀座, a district known for its expensive taste to go with its price tags. After agreeing to grab a bite to eat first, the four of us stumbled (yes, stumbled) upon the cheapest restaurant in Ginza: Hooters. I'm pleased to tell you, readers, that this was my first and last time at Hooters. I reasoned that because Japan is more conservative than America it couldn't be that bad. My prediction was right. Well, to some extent.

Picture a vast room with salary men still clad in their business suits and ties. Cigarettes occupy several of their hands. Young girls in high rise shorts and mini tanks occupy their glance. Sake 酒 is poured. Cheap American food is served. Laughter and loud music fill the room like a pungent perfume.

As we dined on our fried pickles, quesadillas, Philly Cheesesteak, and onion rings, the bright orange walls and TV screens playing Christina Aguilera music videos stung our eyes. To top off the experience, the waitresses did the "Chicken Dance" as we finally headed towards the exit.

Exception #2: Singing (outside of the shower)

1:30am

Our next stop: Big Echo Karaoke ビッグエコーカラオケ. Once inside, we relaxed comfortably in our ten-seater booth, sipping our cold floats (milk tea float for me) and sang the remaining hours until Tsukiji away. 

While a "talented" singer in the privacy of my own shower, I have never been especially confident in sharing my singing "skills" with others. Thus, when the microphone came to me, I tentatively took it, marking the second all-nighter exception.

Once the lyrics to "Mamma Mia" filled the HD screen, I let my doubts and insecurities slip from me. Amy and I belted out our favorite ABBA song, going all out as they say. Following "Mamma Mia," the four of us took turns choosing songs from American classics, such as "Take Me On," "Footloose," and Michael's "Man in the Mirror," to Japanese favorites, "Dango San Kyoudai"『だんご3兄弟』 and Arashi's 嵐's "Love So Sweet." Of course, the Justins--Timberlake and Bieber--made an appearance: the latter to the boys' dismay.

Exception #3: Getting the perfect shot

3:30am-5:50am

Finally, the moment we had anticipated arrived. We strolled into the waiting area at 3:30am and waited a good hour and forty minutes in our neon green vests for the tuna auction to take place. 

At 5:10am, we walked, escorted and in single file, through the trafficked marketplace to the visitor's entrance. Once inside the enormous refrigerated room, our eager eyes scanned the rows of bulky tuna covered in thin layers of ice. Tsukiji employees paced about in their heavy rain boots and pastel ponchos, checking the status of the tuna with iron picks.

With only ten minutes left, the clang of the auctioneer's bells broke the quiet of the tuna fridge. Quick as lightning, words poured out of the auctioneer's mouth faster than I could interpret. A man next to him looked up at a few roaming prospective buyers and scribbled notes on his clipboard. An English-speaking tour guide from behind me explained how 3,000 tuna are sold in the forty-minute auction period each day. I was astounded and let my camera do its snapping and filming of the exciting spectacle. After the five or so minutes of shouting out prices, the auctioneer threaded his way in between the lined up tuna, carrying a small can of red paint; the fish he stained with a red Kanji character meant "sold."

As a security guard hastened us to move on for the next group, my camera kept on clicking. Once outside, another guard shooed me just as a huge, black tuna came into my line of sight. As soon as I passed the guard, I stealthily hurried over and followed the cart carrier and his prize fish. My final exception--failing to adhere to authority to get the picture--was thus fulfilled.


Capturing the best shot of the morning, I know my photo-crazed Papa would be proud.

8am

Jack and I returned to our apartment where my bed greeted me with open arms. I couldn't stop smiling as I sailed into dreamland, knowing my dreams could not compete with my all-nighter adventure.


Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Golden Week: I Spy

お久しぶりですね、読者。
It's been a while, readers.

To sum up the extent of my Golden Week travels, I invite you to shuffle through your childhood memories and recall one of those beloved I Spy books that for me served as a favorite pastime for my family  on countless occasions.

So curl up with your iPad, laptop, or other means of technology and let this special post give you a taste of Japan.


I spy with my little eyes...

Two friends in classy shades, a game with plastic fish,

Smiling street vendors, and smoking incense sticks.










     

I spy with my little eyes...

Koi flying high, a gentle giant on a bamboo binge, 

And a flurry of feathers, each with its own unique tinge.



       





I spy with my little eyes...

Red Asakusa Temple, a pink dumpling, and a dragon breathing fire,

Girls in traditional kimonos and the famous Skytree spire.

 







I spy with my little eyes...


A subtle sunrise and a Tsukiji Market zeal,

A plethora of seafood and a sushi morning meal.














I spy with my little eyes...

Hibiya Park bursting with radiant hues,

Fuchsia, lime green, and yellow on wings to name a few.












I spy with my little eyes...

A Cinco de Mayo burrito to satisfy my craving,

And a little girl eager to eat a cake made for her taking.


       

I spy with my little eyes...

A forest of bamboo stalks disappearing into the sky,

And a wedding spotted at the center of a frequented shrine.




I spy with my little eyes...

The Great Buddha of Kamakura in the palm of my hand,

And the seascape from Enoshima just off the mainland.