Maroyaka chiizu ga suki desu yo

There is no joy in Mudville (well, Osaka), the Hanshin Tigers have struck out. On an up note, though, I've discovered how to pay my electric and gas bills (and successfully done both). I've also discovered that "maroyaka chiizu", or "まろやかチーズ" in kana, means "mellow cheese". At least that's what Google translate tells me. I believe it.

Hanshin Tigers ka Detroit Tigers ka?

Well, the Hanshin Tigers have lost the first three games of the Japan Series (which is best out of seven), being outscored by a combined 30-2. So this year's Japan Series is not nearly as good as the World Series, which I'm able to watch live on cable (although I'm usually at work). On a side note, one channel replays a different NFL football game from the previous Sunday every night, so I can actually watch more football here than at home, when they're all on at the same time. There is plenty of non-American football, as well, but no hockey to speak of.

My most recent discoveries, which are slim since I haven't gotten out much this week, are (1) a triangular finger food consisting of tuna and mayo submerged in a rice patty and wrapped with seaweed, served in a wrapper with very detailed opening instructions; (2) gorgonzola-flavored potato chips; and (3) the efficiency with which Japanese umpires brush off home plate. None of the bent-over lingering you get with your American umpires.

I'm going back to Boston for two weeks on Sunday, which will be a nice break. If I have any exciting adventures there, I'll be sure to report them (although I'd have to start a new blog, since they would be off-topic here). The Kyushu fall sumo tournament should start when I get back, so check back often for your Kotooshu news.

Itte Tigers!

I got cable installed today, so I now have internet access from my apartment. As a by-product, of course, I'm able watch TV, just in time for the first game of the Japan Series, featuring the Hanshin Tigers vs. the Chiba Lotte Marines (from Chiba near Tokyo). Interestingly, the manager of the Marines is good old Bobby Valentine, former manager of the Mets. I'm still rooting for the Tigers. It's tied at one with the Marines batting in the fifth. Uh-oh, make that 4-1 Marines. Hmm.

I also made a trip to Nisshoo supermarket today, which is about a 15 minute walk, but much larger than the other one nearby. It's also right next to Kojima, the Best Buy of Japan, where I bought my cheapo TV the other day (with the help of Anabuki-san, into whose debt I have deeply buried myself). I wandered around the store some more today, and found the aisle of toilets. Actually, they just had the seats displayed, and there were twenty or so models possessing features of which you've never dreamed. Unless you're Dave Barry, or you've searched Wikipedia for "Japanese toilets". (Warning: that last link contains far too much information about toilet usage, so read at you own risk. Unless you're Dave Barry. Then you've already read it.)

Also at the Nisshoo plaza is a dollar store (100 Yen Store, so I guess it's really 87 cents at this point). I managed to spend 1200 yen, but in the process got everything else I need for my apartment.

Ano Blantons wa nanpurufu deshita ka?

The weather continues to be very nice here. Last night there was a welcoming party for me at a local restaurant, and that was a lot of fun. I finally met everyone in the high-energy astrophysics group here, which consists of about eight grad students, four postdocs (myself included), one assistant (Yamada-san), and four professors, with Tsunemi-sensei the "big boss". I have been asked to help the graduate students with their English, which will probably make me even more lazy with my Japanese. I have been able to get my point across and understand things better with each passing day. Anyway, the food and beverage were quite tasty, and I'm grateful for the hospitality everyone's shown me here.

After dinner, several of us went to a sake bar, where I had some more sweet potato sake. (Sake is a general term for booze here. It can mean rice wine, which is made like wine [but not aged], or distilled liquor, which is made from rice or potatoes, usually, and is very similar to vodka. It's a very important non-distinction.) After that, a few of us went to a whiskey bar, where I found some excellent Kentucky bourbon. In fact, they had all my favorites there, Maker's Mark, Wild Turkey, Booker's bourbon, Bombay Sapphire (and Boodles to boot), and a great single-barrel (hand lettered) bottle of Blanton's. Oishikatta desu yo!

I know, all I ever write about is food and booze. I do some work, too, I suppose.

Oh, by the way, I've posted some pictures of my Tokyo trip. Thanks to Steve-san.

Okane ga arimasu kara, okane o tsukau

This morning I finally figured out how to use my ATM card. It's amazing how the smallest things become so monumentally difficult when you can't read instructions. Anyway, I went shopping at lunch, and bought a coffee maker (it's about time), some speakers, and a frying pan. I believe the instructions for each should be self-explanatory, but somehow I just know I'll run into problems with the frying pan.

The weather turned sunny and cool here yesterday, and I could finally see the mountains clearly. This whole week is supposed to have highs in the mid-70s (F) and lows in the mid 50s. Not to make you all jealous or anything. Saturday looks like it might turn colder, so maybe I'll wander up to that quasi-park and see if any leaves are changing.

Tomorrow morning the cable guy's coming to install something in my apartment, hopefully internet access. That should make life in my apartment more interesting.

Sushi to biiru to tomadachi

On Tuesday of this week, after a variety of morning meetings, I hopped on the shinkansen bound for Tokyo. I was accompanied by Anabuki-san (aka Buki), a postdoc in my Osaka U. group who was gracious enough to help an ignoramus like myself find his way to the SWG meeting. What I hadn't realized, and what several Japanese admit they also find odd, is that even though the bullet train runs as often as a subway (10 minute intervals for the nozomi express, and only a couple minutes between trains on any given part of the track), and despite the cost, it's always full of people. No one seems to know where all these people are going.

In any event, the trains go extremely fast, probably over 300 km/s (190 mph) at top speed on the Osaka-Tokyo (Tokaido) run. More interesting than that is since they have a dedicated track, they go at speed through urban areas and villages. It's a bit unnerving to see a cow go by at 200 mph.

I didn't take any pictures, alas, but here are some images of a shinkansen densha and some more info.

I in fact went to Machida, which is a district on the west side of Tokyo (like King of Prussia vs. Phliadelphia). Most of my waking hours were spent at the SWG meeting, and I will spare you the painful details of that. Suffice it to say that the satellite is working (except for the primary instrument, of course) and it will observe some things.

It was good to see Mark, Bev and Steve (all MITers) again, and we spent Thursday and Friday evenings at a sushi bar owned by good friends of Steve-san, who has been coming here for many years. So we provided the evening's entertainment for the regulars, and had some excellent food, and probably too much beer. And sake. And some sort of sweet potato vodka. And possibly some other things I can't remember. Steve has pictures, so I will get some and post them asap.

The other night we went to a "jazz club", another of Steve's regular haunts which is actually a whiskey bar where they play jazz records (as in vinyl LPs). There we entertained the only other patron, a very drunk Japanese business man who extolled to us the sonant virtues of Della Reese. I think. He wasn't extremely coherent in any language.

Today I found my way to Shin-Yokohama station and got on the Osaka-bound shinkansen. I believe I saw Mt. Fuji (aka Fuji-san) en route, shrouded in clouds. According to the TV news, he already has snow on his peak. The train passed through Nagoya and Kyoto, and arrived at Osaka in the rain.

Kaimono o shitte, mado no katansu kaimashita

Today I did as promised, and went to the mall to buy window curtains (amongst other things). The short monorail ride was fun, the train was quite empty, and for some reason I never really looked out the window that carefully on my previous trips. Maybe it was dark, or maybe now I have my bearings, but it's really quite a view from 50 feet up. To the north one can see a range of mountains, and to the south are the skyscrapers of downtown Osaka. Spread out betwixt is a sea of residential and commercial areas. (I suppose that's a mixed metaphor. Perhaps a "jam" or "marmalade" of residential and commercial areas would work better.) Despite the close quarters, many houses have very nice gardens, with incredible topiary, although it's probably called something else 'round here. The houses themselves are normal houses, but distinctly Japanese. I don't have any pictures, though, so you'll have to take my word for it.

At the mall I found a Japanese version of Bed, Bath and Beyond meets Pier One. They had curtains which seemed to fit the bill. I also went back to Daiei, that excellent grocery store, which is in fact a department store. A common thing in Japan is for department stores to have grocery stores within them (and always on the first floor), although it's also increasingly common for Japanese department stores to suffer major financial difficulties. Maybe they need to focus on their core competencies. (Which, if you ask me, include their ruthlessly efficient check-out. And their omni-directional shopping carts. No stubborn wheels on those things, and they turn on a dime.) So, to make a long story short, I got some incredibly thrilling things at Daiei, including a dish drain, a clothesline, and clothes pins. (I have no dryer, but I do have a sizable balcony. It's probably half the size of my indoor living area.) And some batteries that are hopefully AAA.

The rest of the day I spent preparing for the SWG meeting. Tuesday afternoon I'm off on the bullet train for ISAS outside of Tokyo. There I'll meet up with my MIT cohorts for a few days, which should be nice.

Shigoto o shitte, tabete, nete. Kurikaeshite.

The last few days have been rather uneventful, just working, eating and sleeping. We had an activity report meeting on Friday, so I got to meet most of the grad students who are working in the X-ray group here. Many of the professors and postdocs were off at a meeting in Sapporo last week, so things were a bit quiet.

I did get my first electric bill, for 206 yen ($1.82). That's about all I could figure out from the bill. Now I have to figure out how to pay it. I wonder if they would turn off the electricity for want of two bucks?

Tomorrow I'll probably take off and go to the mall, or perhaps wander around the Minoh National Park, about an hour train ride. There are some nice trails and gardens there, and a large waterfall. But I think I've mentioned that before.

Hope everyone is surviving the rain and the Red Sox loss.

Kyoo apaato ni shashin o shimashita

Not a whole lot of excitement the last couple days, except for proposals being due and preparing for the Science Working Group (SWG) meeting next week. I did manage to take some photos of my abode. I also realized I made a mistake in my email about my address, and my apartment should have a "C" before the number. The office will probably figure it out if they get mail for me, but I don't want to be disruptive. I'll email the correction, anyway.

Besides working, I plan to spend the weekend shopping for curtains and figuring out the trash regulations. I have to separate my trash into four different types (burnable, non-burnable, paper and cloth recyclable, and plastic bottles), and bag each separately in trash bags specifically provided by the city for that purpose. The bags are clear, so the trashmen can see if you've done it right and refuse to take them if you haven't. I got a detailed list from the city (in very good English, so you know they're serious) of what can and can't go in each bag, and I think I'm more confused now than when I started. All I can remember now is that paper milk cartons have to be washed, cut up, and dried, and you should only put out one or so per week. Oh, and disposable diapers need to be washed. Figure that one out.

God forbid you should have any large items you want to get rid of.

It turns out Monday is a national holiday (Sports and Activity Day or something), and they're taking the campus network down. Since I don't have internet access in my apartment yet, I'll be out of contact then, just so you know. I'll be sure to do something active, though.

Kino no ban kaimono o shimashita

Last night I found a small supermarket a short walk from my new place, so I bought a few things (like paper towels and kitchen cleaner). There are a few other things the place needs, like curtains, since the big window faces east. Fortunately this morning it was overcast, and in fact it rained much of the day. Also fortunately, umbrellas are easy to come by around here. I discovered the campus store, called (of course) the Coop and pronounced (of course) the "koop". They have some small appliances I'll likely get when my ship comes in.

I'm working now, doing much of the same stuff I was at MIT. Next Tuesday I take the bullet train (shinkansen) to ISAS near Tokyo for a three day satellite instrument and science meeting. I have a feeling it will be less well-attended than the last one, due to the loss of the primary instrument.

I promise I'll put up those photos, alas it got dark once again before I go home, so maybe I'll have to take them in the morning.

Ima uchi ga arimasu

I moved into my apartment today, it's almost big enough to turn around in. It does have a full bathroom, a clothes washer, and a "kitchen" with a sink, one burner, and a pint-sized fridge. Plus a bed and a desk. The living area is about the size of a dorm room. I have a fairly sizeable balcony, and the view from the 6th floor overlooks part of the town, including what appears to be a cemetery, but may in fact be a storage lot for grave markers (or they really cram 'em together here).

I have no internet access there yet, so I'll have to take photos tonight and upload them from work tomorrow. In the meantime, I hope everyone is doing all right, enjoying the Red Sox tripping headlong into the playoffs, bemoaning the Phillies' traditional snappage of defeat out of the jaws of victory, and otherwise having a good time.

Kyoo chikatetsu de Dotombori ni itte, takoyaki o tabemashita

Today I ventured to the Dotombori district of downtown Osaka, about a 30 minute subway trip south of the hotel (or 40 minutes from Osaka U). The area is named for the Dotombori Canal, one of several waterways that run through Osaka into Osaka Bay to the west. It is a major shopping and entertainment area, with a very long, covered pedestrian shopping street called Shinsaibashi-Suji. I have several photos of the experience online for you to peruse.

I finally managed to get a map of Osaka, and was able to negotiate the subway system and find my way around on foot. The shopping area was not dissimilar to Newbury Street in Boston, or probably Times Square, considering the flashing lights and pachinko casinos. The strip is known for its great restaurants, but I opted for the cheaper street food of takoyaki, or battered and grilled octopus. I had some more takeout sushi for dinner.

I imagine my posts will become less interesting (imagine that) in the near future, as I move into my apartment tomorrow and start working full-time at Osaka U. But I'll keep you posted.

Kyoo no gogo koen ni burabura shimashita

I'm staying at the Senri Hankyu hotel this weekend, and it's quite nice. It's right near a monorail station, two stops from Osaka U. It's also very close to a mall with a nice outdoor plaza and typical mall shops. There's a Starbucks (naturally) and McD's (Makadonorudo), where I ate lunch today, just on a whim. Food tastes the same, but the service is ruthlessly efficient.

There's also a huge supermarket called Daiei, which also seems to be a department store. There was a lot of yelling on the part of the market staff, especially in the fish section. Perhaps they were announcing the specials, perhaps they were humbly requesting we purchase a particular thing, I'm not really sure. It was entertaining, though. They have a lot of pre-made food, so I got some sashimi (which wasn't bad) and rice for dinner. And beer, of course. The checkout was once again ruthlessly efficient (but in a pleasant way).

Between lunch and dinner I took the monorail two more stops to the Banpaku Kinen Koen, or World Fair Memorial Park. It was the site of the 1970 World Exposition in Osaka, which is quite possibly the reason for the monorail (a la Seattle), but that's just conjecture. If you like, you can look at some photos.

The park had a number of nice gardens and ponds, as well as some sort of concert going on. I arrived along with hordes of other people on the monorail, but managed to escape before the concert ended. There weren't many people strolling around the gardens, either, so that was nice. There is apparently a Japanese garden there as well, but it seemed like it was closed. Perhaps I'll go back for fall foliage season in November and December, and see if I can figure out how to get in.

Tomorrow I might go to the teeming center of Osaka known as Umeda, or I might try to find the Meiji no Mori Minoh Quasi National Park. I'm not sure why it's only a quasi-national park, but apparently it has a beautiful waterfall, excellent fall foliage (in November and December), and a number of unruly monkeys.

Rob wanted to know about toilet technology advances in Japan, so in that vein I present this picture. As you can see, this is the Shower Toilet, complete with heated seat, built-in exhaust fan, and various, um, shower settings. The knob on the arm sets the spray velocity. Hey, Rob asked.