This is not an analogy question. This is an awesome short-ish video with Jerry Seinfeld and Tina Fey. There are some really funny parts but honestly? The highlight is the video shots of coffee preparation. It's art! And I need another cup of coffee.
Tina Fey Feces Are My Purview - Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee by Jerry Seinfeld
BTW, does anyone recognize the punctuation in the title from the old analogy questions on the SAT? You know, the version where the max score was 1600, not 2400?
Friday, January 31, 2014
Catch-up!
So, SMS left on Tuesday, 21 January. We were both sad but at this point, we only have 0.3 decimal years to be apart so hopefully it'll fly by. It won't, but at least I can attempt to be cheerful!
Before he left, we played Park Golf. We were driving around to go to the park when what did I see??!?!?! Old people playing Park Golf! I thought it was only open in the Summer but apparently, there's a Winter League. So, SMS and I paid our Y500 game fee and Y100 rental fee and headed out to the course. It was so much fun and we were so bad. So bad that a Japanese woman laughed at our score, "Yonju-yon!??! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" She then walked over to her friends to tell them and they too thought it was so funny. Trash-talked by old people, the shame!
We took the Base Shuttle to Narita which was fast and free. Both good things. We said our good-byes (for now!) and I took the Shuttle back to base. Now, the apartment is cooler and SMS-free. Oh well. May will be here soon.
Not too much has gone on the last week and a half. I've worked, worked out, studied and been on call. I've also been making some nice progress in my Japanese classes so that's a plus.
I also got some great news in that Ed and Meg are coming! Hooray! It sounds like they'll be fairly independent and tour around on their own for the first half. Then, we're going to hang out Sunday and then ski Monday-Tuesday. I can't wait to go on our overnight ski trip. We're going to Nazawa Onsen. There is a great resort and a town full of free hotsprings. Awesome!
Before he left, we played Park Golf. We were driving around to go to the park when what did I see??!?!?! Old people playing Park Golf! I thought it was only open in the Summer but apparently, there's a Winter League. So, SMS and I paid our Y500 game fee and Y100 rental fee and headed out to the course. It was so much fun and we were so bad. So bad that a Japanese woman laughed at our score, "Yonju-yon!??! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" She then walked over to her friends to tell them and they too thought it was so funny. Trash-talked by old people, the shame!
We took the Base Shuttle to Narita which was fast and free. Both good things. We said our good-byes (for now!) and I took the Shuttle back to base. Now, the apartment is cooler and SMS-free. Oh well. May will be here soon.
Not too much has gone on the last week and a half. I've worked, worked out, studied and been on call. I've also been making some nice progress in my Japanese classes so that's a plus.
I also got some great news in that Ed and Meg are coming! Hooray! It sounds like they'll be fairly independent and tour around on their own for the first half. Then, we're going to hang out Sunday and then ski Monday-Tuesday. I can't wait to go on our overnight ski trip. We're going to Nazawa Onsen. There is a great resort and a town full of free hotsprings. Awesome!
Monday, January 20, 2014
Long Weekend- Monday
Monday was awesome! It was a sight-seeing packed day, which is how I like it! It was also my awesome parents' 35th wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!
We woke up at the New Sanno and had room service. We ordered the "Traditional Japanese Breakfast." For $14, we got fish, soba, miso, pickles, fruit and green tea. It's tasty and a fun thing to order while in Tokyo.
After breakfast, we got ready for the day and headed to Asakusa. It was pretty crowded! We made our way up Nakamise, the main shopping street. It is lined with vendor shops and carts selling many different forms of rice treats, souvenirs and clothing. It is also the main approach to Sensoji shrine. We walked around for a bit and SMS took some pictures. I went to a cool little shop making "Japanese sweet bread." It was a delicious, light roll with granulated sugar on top. Yum! The store owner was very nice, directing traffic in his restaurant and outside in line while waiting for bread.
Then, SMS and I walked down the Sumida Riverfront down to Ryogoku, the sumo stadium. We got there a little on the early side. It was noon so the tournament had been going on for a few hours but the big guys (ha, ha) didn't really start until 2:45. We watched until 5. It's pretty engaging. We rented a radio between 4-5 and that helped us understand some of the finer points. It cost Y100 and a Y2000 deposit, which was easy to get back upon radio turn-in.
We took the train to Tokyo SkyTree. First, we ate at Rokurinsha, an incredibly popular tsukemen, or dipping ramen, restaurant. The line was quite short and we had delicious ramen. I even used the bib although I initially refused. Then it was off to the SkyTree.
It's Y3000 to get to the top and I think it was totally worth it. It was nighttime by the time we got up there and to see the entire metropolis from the high, 360 views was completely amazing. On the main observation deck at 350m, there's even a double-layered glass floor. Sagoy! We had our picture taken there and even though it was totally cheesy, I bought it!
We headed back to Horinouchi around 9. The train was packed. We got seats for about half the journey but it was impressive how crowded it was on a Monday night.
We woke up at the New Sanno and had room service. We ordered the "Traditional Japanese Breakfast." For $14, we got fish, soba, miso, pickles, fruit and green tea. It's tasty and a fun thing to order while in Tokyo.
 |
| CW from left: Memorial, Sweet Bread Shop, Nakamise |
After breakfast, we got ready for the day and headed to Asakusa. It was pretty crowded! We made our way up Nakamise, the main shopping street. It is lined with vendor shops and carts selling many different forms of rice treats, souvenirs and clothing. It is also the main approach to Sensoji shrine. We walked around for a bit and SMS took some pictures. I went to a cool little shop making "Japanese sweet bread." It was a delicious, light roll with granulated sugar on top. Yum! The store owner was very nice, directing traffic in his restaurant and outside in line while waiting for bread.
 |
| Left: You can't take me anywhere Right: The daijoubu (sumo ring) |
Then, SMS and I walked down the Sumida Riverfront down to Ryogoku, the sumo stadium. We got there a little on the early side. It was noon so the tournament had been going on for a few hours but the big guys (ha, ha) didn't really start until 2:45. We watched until 5. It's pretty engaging. We rented a radio between 4-5 and that helped us understand some of the finer points. It cost Y100 and a Y2000 deposit, which was easy to get back upon radio turn-in.
 |
| From Left: SMS, View from 350 m, artsy SkyTree renditions |
It's Y3000 to get to the top and I think it was totally worth it. It was nighttime by the time we got up there and to see the entire metropolis from the high, 360 views was completely amazing. On the main observation deck at 350m, there's even a double-layered glass floor. Sagoy! We had our picture taken there and even though it was totally cheesy, I bought it!
We headed back to Horinouchi around 9. The train was packed. We got seats for about half the journey but it was impressive how crowded it was on a Monday night.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Long Weekend- Sunday
So, Sunday got off to a slllloooowww start. The morning was a bit of a wash but I started to get ready for our dinner date in Tokyo and off we went. We checked into the New Sanno (yay!) and headed to the Fuji Corporate building in Tokyo Midtown. SMS had found out there was an exhibit on the first floor. I thought we were going to see a Mt. Fuji exhibit and I was very confused as we approached the building. Instead, it was a Fuji camera exhibition and a small photography retrospective of Wynn Bullock's work. He enjoyed manipulating light and had some beautiful landscapes. The camera timeline was pretty amazing- they have a very thorough collection. I liked seeing the old camera obscura and some of the first pinhole cameras. After the very earliest cameras, it gets very Fuji-dominated as you can imagine in the Fujifilm museum! The museum was free. It was small but well-done and I would recommend a stop for the film buff tourist.
After the exhibit, we walked around Ropponggi Hills for a bit. We had a warm drink at a coffee shop since it was so cold. While it is cold, the wind is what really makes things miserable. Then we went to dinner. SMS had set it up and I was excited to go out and enjoy more upscale sushi than our normal Y100 sushi joints (which are good, but still there is a difference!).
We went to Seizan sushi. It was really beautiful. The restaurant had a long sushi counter and semi-separated dining area. Sets were only able to be ordered in the dining area so that's where we went. We ordered the Y6000 set and had multiple delicious courses. We started out with two small appetizers. Sashimi came next and that was delicious. We both thought the salmon was the best. Then we had half of a fried fish with "french fries" of little minnow-like fish. We ate that without too much hesitation but then our second course of "appetizers" came out. Hmmmmm...what do you think this might be...
After the exhibit, we walked around Ropponggi Hills for a bit. We had a warm drink at a coffee shop since it was so cold. While it is cold, the wind is what really makes things miserable. Then we went to dinner. SMS had set it up and I was excited to go out and enjoy more upscale sushi than our normal Y100 sushi joints (which are good, but still there is a difference!).
We went to Seizan sushi. It was really beautiful. The restaurant had a long sushi counter and semi-separated dining area. Sets were only able to be ordered in the dining area so that's where we went. We ordered the Y6000 set and had multiple delicious courses. We started out with two small appetizers. Sashimi came next and that was delicious. We both thought the salmon was the best. Then we had half of a fried fish with "french fries" of little minnow-like fish. We ate that without too much hesitation but then our second course of "appetizers" came out. Hmmmmm...what do you think this might be...
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Long Weekend- Saturday!
SMS and I enjoyed the holiday weekend, which was also the last weekend that SMS was in Japan, at least for now. We didn't dwell too much on the sads but instead had a really fun weekend.
On Saturday, we headed up to Yokohama and went to the CUPNOODLES museum. It was way better than I expected, mostly because I had really, really low expectations going into it. But it was really pretty awesome. Yes! Seriously! I went from "meh" to "awesome!"
On Saturday, we headed up to Yokohama and went to the CUPNOODLES museum. It was way better than I expected, mostly because I had really, really low expectations going into it. But it was really pretty awesome. Yes! Seriously! I went from "meh" to "awesome!"
Friday, January 17, 2014
Week Recap
SMS and I had a really nice week. On Tuesday, we headed out to Zushi to get ramen at the best smelling ramen shop ever. Oh, I'm sorry, best smelling any other night of the week since it was CLOSED on Tuesday. Whah whah. We spent a few minutes wandering through Zushi, which had all of a sudden seemed to turn into a culinary ghost town. Would we ever eat, our poor stomachs cried. Non-melodramatic answer: yes. We went into another ramen shop near the JR station and ordered two karai miso ramens and an order of gyoza. It was an acceptable substitute and I was happy that I had rallied to go out since when I first got home, I was feeling le pooped.
On Thursday, we had our last Japanese lesson together for the month. SMS had gone bouldering and hiked from Takitori-yama to Oppama, which impressed Mayumi-san and I quite a bit. My Japanese is slowly improving and I'm pretty happy. I'm going to keep studying while my oral board prep gathers steam. At least that's the plan for now.
Friday, we had a pretty early dinner and then went to American Hustle. It was pretty good. I found it a little hard to follow here and there, but would catch up quickly. The acting was excellent and it was definitely different to see a fat Christian Bale. I am really not a big Bradley Cooper fan but his character was so weird and borderline psycho that I begrudgingly admit that he has good acting chops. Amy Adams is always a fave of mine and Jennifer Lawrence did a wonderful job with her unhinged character.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Yokohama Quest
Well, hello! Won't you join me for a cup of the BEST COFFEE IN THE WORLD! Although Buddy the Elf in the eponymous Elf thought he had found the world's best coffee, SMS and I are #1 fans of the Kona coffee from The Honolulu Coffee company. We had some on our honeymoon (twice!) and SMS was determined to find a store here in Japan. This quest led us to a beautiful, but coffee-free, beach in Zushi and on Sunday, to World Porters in Yokohama where we found it! Hooray!
The French Press were individual sized instead of for two, so we each got our own and had the most delicious cup! The mall was super-crowded, especially in the food court. We preceded the coffee with Bibimbap for lunch, which was delicious. I love the food court at World Porter's- the bibimbap place is awesome. There is also a delicious bakery adjacent to the food court and my favorite sushi go-round on the other side from the bakery.
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