image of the day

Probably can't tell so much from this image, but you get the idea that a morning train in Tokyo is CROWDED. This was on the way to go get my visa renewed yesterday morning. Might be one of the most crowded rides I've had yet...but everyone surprisingly takes it in stride. I guess you just get used to being squashed if you do it everyday. Glad I don't need to take morning trains! : )

Earthquake over holiday weekend

There was a rather big 'jishin' (earthquake) in the Niigata prefecture the other day that I am sure many of you know about since it was covered by the world news agencies. Although it didn't affect Tokyo, I felt 2 of the 3 shocks for sure. Its really an erie feeling, one I am not used to yet. There was a lot of damage and I think 9 people or so lost their lives. There also was a leak at the largest nuclear power plant in Japan, which is located in that area. Some water leaked into the sea and it was contained, although some talks of late reporting and covering up are circulating. This event coupled with the Typhoon that came through made it an especially hard weekend for many.

Monday was a national holiday and I went to a matsuri (festival) called 'Mitama matsuri' at Yasukuni Shrine. This is the famous shrine where Japan's war dead are buried/honored. The festival was fun and there were many delicious foods, similar to carnival foods we enjoy at that time in the states (popcorn, cotton candy, etc..). I enjoyed some takoyaki (grilled octopus skewers) and satsumaimo (sweet potato sticks) with sugar on them. The one thing i didnt care for was the 'monster show' which is akin to a freak show that we have at carnivals in the US. I didn't know I would be seeing a lady bite the head off a live snake and then drink its blood. Pretty gruesome and kind of shocking considering the venue (a very holy place in Japanese culture). I could have done without seeing that and i WON'T be posting the picture my friend took of it. One part of the event that was cool was the lighting of 1000 tiny lanterns (pic below). There was also some traditional odori (dancing) and songs. I had a good time and it was a nice break.

Hakone Trip

I recently went on a trip to a popular onsen (hot spring) resort area named Hakone.(Acutally, the place I went, Yugawara, is right next to Hakone but just a few minutes away). The area is close to the Pacific ocean and Mount Fuji and is in the Kanagawa Prefecture. It's a very mountainous area and a lot of places are only accessible by cable car. On the way, I stopped at Odawara to see Odawara Castle (shown above) and it's prized Hydrangea and Iris Gardens. It's quite an attraction featuring some very beautiful gardens and historic architecture. More photos of the gardens below (as always click on the photo to enlarge and hit 'backspace' button on keyboard or 'back' in your browser)

From there, went by bus (about a 101 switchbacks on those mountain roads, can you say 'carsick'?) to the ryokan (Japanese Inn). Ryokans are great since they have onsen on-premises (natural hotspring) and in-room dining. Its all very traditional, from the food and service to the tatami-mat rooms. You can even walk around the hotel grounds wearing yukata (light summer-style kimono for men and women). It's really a great way to go, once you've done it!

Speaking of food (probably my favorite subject-ha!), one of the best parts of course is kaiseki ryouri. Kaiseki is the Japanese equivalent of a French 5-course meal, only it's like 10 courses. All very small portions and tremendous thought goes into not only the taste, but the textures, colors, and presentaion. Each course is brought to your room separately, one by one, so it takes a few hours to complete the meal. Its a great show and for sure my favorite part. Some savory samples below...

On the way back, we stopped at another tourist attaction, Odawakuni. Its not an easy spot to reach as first you have to cross Lake Ashi by pirate boat (yes, pirate boat. I'm not kidding) and then take the Hakone Ropeway (cable car) to get to Odawakuni. Here you can see close up (and smell, trust me) active hot sulfur springs emiting from the mountain side and also sample a local favorite: kurotamago (which means black egg in japanese). The eggs are steamed for a while in the sulfurous water and from that process turn black (just on the outside). You can buy them in packs of 6, still warm, and everyone sits on some nearby rocks, sprinkles some salt that come with em and chow down. The legend goes that if you eat one, you will live another 7 years due to the health benefits. 2 will get you 14 more years and you can do the rest of the math from there (nice marketing, huh?). I thought they were awesome but i am biased since I love eggs. Anyway, it was a great trip and everything fit into a weekend believe it or not.

2007 Demo Reel (finally) uploaded

Click PLAY button to start

Just finished cutting this. please let me know of any bugs,issues, or general feedback. Requires QT 6 or higher. A higher res version (480 x 360) can be seen at my webpage.

Thanks!