We found a few books in our apartment when we arrived in Tokyo. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami was one of them. I really enjoyed the first half. The second half wasn’t nearly as interesting to me, but it was still good–especially in parts. If you are well read, you will notice some borrowings and inspiration from other authors. Murakami doesn’t hide that fact. Instead, he alludes to his lifted items by referencing those other authors, like Soseki Natsume, within the work itself. It all works out to a very clever book.

Even if you aren’t familiar with the things going on in the subplots, you should find this novel to be enjoyable. I’m currently reading one of Murakami’s other works now, 神の子どもたちはみな踊る (All God’s Children Can Dance), in Japanese. For some reason it is funner to read the work of a Waseda University grad right on the Waseda University campus.

Here is a quote from Kafka on the Shore:

“‘Are the Japanese God and the foreign God relatives, or maybe enemies?’

‘How Should I know?’

‘Listen — God only exists in people’s minds. Especially in Japan, God’s always been a flexible concept. Look at what happened after the war. Douglas MacArthur ordered the divine emperor to quit being God, and he did, making a speech saying that he was just an ordinary person. So after 1946 he wasn’t God anymore. That’s what Japanese gods are like—they can be tweaked and adjusted. Some American chomping on a cheap pipe gives the order and presto change-o—God’s no longer God. A very postmodern kind of thing. If you think God’s there, He is. If you don’t, He isn’t. And if that’s what God’s like, I wouldn’t worry about it.” (p. 375)

Posted on December 2nd, 2009 under Japan. Tags: book quotes, book review, haruki murakami, waseda university. Comments Off on Kafka on the Shore

As mentioned, after the ballet we went to eat at a place that Maya’s mom works. She brought one of the electronic ordering devices to our table, the kind only a waiter or waitress would normally have. She bossed the employees around a bit. When her friend asked why, she said because she wasn’t working; she was a customer on this evening. The roles make such a huge difference in Japanese speech, even when the people don’t change.

We had so many courses I can’t remember them all. They included tuna pot stickers (鮪餃子), salad, a half dozen kinds of yakiniku, squid with mayonnaise, a hot pot chicken soup of sorts, raw beef, and udon in the remains of the soup. But the highlight of the meal had to be when Ellie was told to go downstairs to check out the fish tank.

She was given a net and instructed to fish out a couple of sea bream (I think that is what they were, 鯛 or タイ). She did, as you can see in the above photo. Back at the table, upstairs, a mere two minutes later, the fish were in front of us, meatless, but still seemingly alive. The filleted fish were twitching like crazy and only the harpooning stick kept them from jumping out of the bowl as first Ellie, and then I, ate their sashimied remains while they looked on.

The above video is of part of my dinner. It isn’t often that your dinner waves at you as you eat it.

And here is Ellie eating her sashimi.

Ellie experienced no adverse affects as the above picture taken later that night illustrates. My stomach felt a little weird, but that could have been from a number of things I consumed on this wonderful evening.

Posted on December 1st, 2009 under Japan. Tags: food, video. Comments: 6

This past Sunday, Ellie was invited to Maya‘s Ballet Festival in Kodaira, just west of Tokyo. The quality of the performance was surprising. The kids were much better than I was expecting, and the costumes were stunning for an amateur, show-off-what-your-kid-has-learned-in-class type of event.

The above is Maya…

And Maya’s friendly friends Ririka and Kanon.

After the Ballet Festival (小平市民文化祭のバレエ・フェスティバル), some pictures were taken, and then we jumped in a cab to head off for dinner, which was even more fun.

Posted on November 30th, 2009 under Japan. Tags: ellie, kids, people. Comments: 5

Tokyo doesn’t grind to a halt when it rains. It doesn’t even seem to slow down. Thousands of mini-roofs, otherwise known as umbrellas, keep things moving.

Posted on November 29th, 2009 under Japan. Tags: night photography, rain, shibuya, Tokyo. Comments Off on Shibuya in the rain

The weather was good and the fall colors (紅葉) were supposed to be great, so I jumped on the train to Kamakura (鎌倉) for Thanksgiving. This was my first time on the train between 8 and 9 a.m., and it was not pleasant. We were pushed in like sardines. I could breath since I’m taller than 99% of the Japanese by a good margin, but I can’t imagine being a foot or two shorter in that condition. My feet got locked in, and I couldn’t move them. I had three layers of clothes on and was sweating like crazy. The lady next to me no longer had her feet on the floor after the train shifted a few times. She was grabbing my arm to keep from falling. Of course, none of us could fall, but leaning heavily on those around you as you move through Tokyo at rapid speeds on the train is not fun.

I was able to sit on the final train (of three), from Yokohama to Kamakura, but it, too, was fairly crowded for a non-holiday weekday in Japan. Everyone without a job was going to see the autumn foliage.

This was my third time in Kamakura. Each time has been very different. At the last second, without a plan in mind, I got off at Kitakamakura instead of the Kamakura station. I visited only three temples and shrines (Engakuji 円覚寺, Kenchoji 建長寺, and Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine 鶴岡八幡宮), but those three still took up a whole day.

The above photo is of the Engakuji Sanmon taken under a Japanese Maple, one of the first of countless seen on this Thanksgiving day.

The above photo was taken from where I had my Thanksgiving feast (of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, an apple, and a PowerBar). The statue in the picture is of Tengu and I think the place was called Hansobo in the Kenchoji complex. I will tell you more about it in a future entry. On a clear day you can see the ocean from here. The sun was too bright and there was a bit of haze on the horizon so I didn’t see the ocean on Thanksgiving.

Posted on November 28th, 2009 under Japan. Tags: buddhist, engakuji, japanese maple, kamakura, kenchoji, tengu, 紅葉. Comments: 2