lucky loo

day 22



here we have quite possibly the most chic public bathroom i've ever seen.
it's on omotesando road, where the dogs have better haircuts than i do.






and here... .

well, let's see now, we've got two urinals and three squatters.

i scratched my head a bit, but i'm going to have to say i saw a lot more traffic at this facility. on the men's side.

can you imagine five people using this at once?

koban

day 21

ok, this one's for sam.

in japan, police activity centers around the koban, or police box. the official complement is 12 officers, (3 officers + sergeant on 8hr shift rotation).



koban officers also act as neighborhood councillors and direction finders. i don't think they're really all that busy.






the koban is characterized by a red light above the door and... a clock.






striking fear in the hearts of criminals everywhere... it's koban-chan! so cute.

he saluted me when i took the photo. i have a picture of that, too.






but really, how do they take themselves seriously?






sort of like this dish we had for dinner. udon with corn and cheese.

and what's not to like about that?

legends of military spirit

day 20

meiji shrine was built to deify emperor meiji (d.1914) whom the meiji government used as a model to inculcate legends of military spirit and superiority of japanese people. these ideals were a mainstay of the education system from 1890 until... world war ii.

as of next week, shinzo abe will become japan's youngest prime minister and the first to be born after world war ii. he has promised to "push through a sweeping education bill, strengthening the notion of patriotism in public classrooms in a way not seen since the fall of imperial japan, and to rewrite japan's pacifist constitution to allow the country to again have an official and flexible military."

for elite junior high schools, he has introduced texts that omit or soften references to atrocities committed by japanese troops during the war, assure students that the war was waged primarily in self-defense and promote the ideal of a proud and independent japan.



anyway, the shrine is a nice place.

the design of the giant torii - the largest in japan - was so ambitious that there were no japanese cypress trees big enough to build it, so the wood was imported from taiwan.

perhaps to make ammends for this, the surrounding park was planted with 120,000 trees donated by citizens.

shinjuku

day 19



my retinas are burning. there's a lot of light here.

and just when i was taking this picture, a cavalcade of these drove by...

this close

day 18



the thing you have to realize here is that this is the world's most accessible overpass. the structure to the right is an elevator, and there are two of them. the ramp in the middle of the stairs is for - i kid you not - riding your bike down. please try to imagine the chaos.

most steps have a ramp - where it's on the side, you walk your bike.

our bikes are '' this close. we tried to pick them up yesterday, but after 15 minutes of bowing we were told to come back on the prescribed day. they were right there in front of us. but it wasn't the right day.






did i mention we live next to a rail line?

little presents for my mouth

day 17
water bus from asakusa to odaiba



here's something you don't see everyday. it kind of leaves questions unasked, doesn't it.






we took a water bus to odaiba. not because we wanted to go there again, just because we wanted to take a water bus. ours didn't look like this.






yep.






we finished the day with yaki-tori in ueno. 'little presents for my mouth' noted stella.

mecca of monja

day 16

tsukishima is another vast plot of reclaimed land, criss-crossed by canals.
fishermen spend lazy afternoons on the steps, and while i did see some large fish near the surface, none of them were in the catch bags.








the cats, as always, are inscrutable.






this is the mecca of monja. monja-yaki is similar to okonomiyaki, only it doesn't cook into a solid mass, which sent us into alternating waves of panic and hysteria. you cook it on a grill inset into the table, but i don't have any pictures of this because we were frantically hording our monja into a puddle in the centre of the grill with all four hands so that it wouldn't creep out the oil drain. you eat it with a small shovel, and it was delicious.






i do have a picture of the chicken we ate right before dinner (seemed like a good idea at the time). both the leg and butterflied drumettes on the right.






there's a take-out joint similar to this in our hood. after 7, 20% off. after 8, 30-50% off. and yes, that's beer in the cooler. you can drink in public, but you must be honest about it. just last night on the news we heard a report about a hit and run. when caught later that night, 28 year old watanabe shigawa, an office worker at mitsumi manufacturing in kobe city, told police that he drove away from the accident because he had been drinking whiskey at a bar. later, he says, he had a few beers on the street from a vending machine before driving home. no word on whether charges were laid, but i have a feeling it was unnecessary.

bubble man soda planet

day 15

i got lost in tokyo station today. it took no less than an hour and quarter to find daylight. fortunately, i didn't go thirsty.




vending machines are everywhere. and i mean _everywhere_. there are six in our block, and we live in a residential area.






a fine specimen, this one with hot lemon calpis, or seven varieties of cold tea. i've started at the top left and am working my way through the machine. 'bubble man soda planet' was a disappointment.

lcd display showing current internal temperature (4c) and obligatory recycling bin. there is no drinking and walking. you stop, satisfy, and go.

leisure pleasure

day 14

we've ordered bikes. i haven't been so excited since christmas when i was 10. my feet feel like i've been beating them with mallets. now, i can do the same thing to my seat. seven days to pick-up, and i'll be counting every one.



exercise is a funny thing. and in tokyo, you certainly wouldn't want to be seen doing it outside. this is a deluxe range, at rooftop.






and here's the budget version. distance to the hole: 6 yrds.






same building, 7th floor. remember, it's important to dress right.






same building, 6th floor. this is the only time i've seen lycra in tokyo. the guy jogging was weaving somewhat - the track is a dizzy 60m circuit with a tunnel.






same building, 5th floor. i can touch the ceiling in here, making the lights a serious hazard. i'm sure they've worked that out though. i wonder what this does in an earthquake.






same building, 4th floor. ok, here's something my speed. actually, the 3rd floor was even better. the ubiquitous gaming centre. it's hard to capture pictures of these places, because we can't handle the cacaphony for more than about 30 seconds. i'll give it a shot another day.

infastructure hardsoftware

day 13



vancouver, are you listening? it's ok for public works to have a sense of humor.






or to be in touch with your creative side.