We will definitely miss the daily room service. The cleaning staff have done an excellent job at keeping our room clean and tidy. We were so pleased with their work that we left them a special treat! Not only did we not have to clean but we didn’t have to cook either. We will miss sampling the different restaurants nearby. I will miss working here during the day. The office set-up which looks on to the athletics field was condusive to thinking and working. There’s always activities going on at all hours of the day.

Saman preparing breakkie in a Yukata. That's Japanese service for you!

They mostly have white bread and instant coffee in Japan. We miss freshly ground coffee and the endless variety of different types of bread from home.

We visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices,  two architecturally impressive towers with observation decks on the 45th floor. We had no problem going up the elevator quickly as it was before dusk. The panoramic view of the city with mountains in the backdrop looked pleasant even on an overcast day. We did not spot Mt. Fuji but it was still worth the visit. We will go back another time to see the view in the evening. It should be stunning to see Christmas illuminations around the city.

Located on the east side of Shinjuku is Kabukicho, apparently Tokyo’s most notorious red-light district. Sure it had pachinko (gambling arcade), massage parlours, love hotels and pink cabarets but it seemed like a pretty tame district. Mind you we were there before 6 pm. Who knows what goes on after midnight! We did see a food stall where you can see cooks preparing interesting food items. We tried Takoyaki, a popular snack made of batter thinned with fish stock, chopped octopus and other ingredients grilled in what looked like rows of egg trays to bite size Russian Roulettes . It smelt pretty good so we decided to try some with Japanese dressing. It was pretty succulent. Apparently, the secret is in the batter. It’s a good thing that they were not very generous with the octopus as they tasted rubbery! Next we tried Mitarashi dumplings, rice-flour-based dumplings skewered on bamboo sticks, lightly broiled over a charcoal fire and dressed with sweet or savoury sauces. They have a glutinous texture and are delectable treats. For dessert, we simply had sweet French crepes.

Where is a nice place to spend a quiet Sunday afternoon away from traffic? Cycling in front of the Imperial Palace gardens of course! We borrowed a tandem bike and slooooowly cycled the closed 3-km loop to enjoy the view of the castle, moat and trees. You have to re-register each time you ride circuit. This ensures that everyone has a chance to borrow the 250 bikes made available to the public. The program is ran by volunteers made up mostly of senior citizens. They take registration, lend and adjust bikes and man the traffic. Those working by the traffic lights were very enthusiastic about blowing their whistles. Perhaps they’re retired police officers!

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices

View from one of the observation decks on the 45th floor

A pachinko (the word comes from the sound of ball bearings falling through a pinball-like machine)at Kabukicho

Kabukicho, "Tokyo's most notorious red-light district"

Crowd crossing near Shinjuku Station

Cycling in front of the Imperial Palace gardens

Happy Cyclists in Tokyo

We had initially planned on going to Kyoto for the long weekend holiday but quickly found out that the trains and hotels were fully booked. We decided to head north to Nikko, a popular day trip destination among Tokyoites.

Purchasing the train ticket was a bit of an adventure as we do not speak Japanese and the travel agent spoke very little English. In the end, we did come away with tickets going to the right destination. Catching the train from Kita-senju metro station to Nikko was a bit tricky. We managed to take a direct ride from Hiyoshi to Kita-senju. We made sure we had more than enough time to spare. We went to a coffee shop for a quick bite to eat then waited at the platform for the train to arrive. We had shown a couple of metro workers our tickets and were told where to wait. The only problem was that no one else was waiting with us. Hmmm…this made us a little bit nervous. Saman was able to read some large characters on the side of the platform which pointed out where to go to present our tickets. With only a couple of minutes to spare, we lined up, presented our tickets then jumped to the nearest car which was not the one assigned to go to Nikko! We were able to go between cars inside the train and eventually got to the right one…Whew!

The scenery from Tokyo to Nikko is nothing to write home about. The train ride was a breeze and just lasted a little over an hour. We got to the train station before noon and since it was a nice sunny day, we decided to take our time and walk to the hotel. We stopped at a small restaurant for some savoury pancakes (okonomiyaki), which you cook yourself on a hot steel griddle set in the middle of the table. It was a nice light tasty lunch; just what we needed to continue our walk to the hotel. We stayed at Turtle Inn which is located along the Daiya River and conveniently close to the major tourist attractions. We tried reserving a Japanese style room but had to settle for a western one as the hotel was fully booked that weekend. It’s a small room with private bath and a TV. It was the first time we turned on a television set since we got to Japan! We turned it off just as quickly as the adverts were quite annoying.

Our first stop was Nikko’s centrepiece, the World Heritage Sites, a series of shrines and temples built during the Edo period (1600-1868) that sits on a hilltop sanctuary. There were so many visitors on Saturday that you had to move with the crowd to see the statues and artefacts. Photography inside the shrines and temples were prohibited to protect the displays. We spent about two hours at the site and even then, we did not get a chance to see all of the temples. We strolled around town for a bit then stumbled upon a small Korean restaurant owned by a couple (Japanese husband and Korean wife). There were pictures of foreigners with captions written by them of where they came from and how much they enjoyed the food, posted inside and outside the restaurant. Well, if it’s good enough for them, it should be good enough for us! Needless to say, we were not disappointed with our dinner choices. They were freshly prepared home cooked meals and we felt as though we were eating in their living room.

It was around 6:00 pm by the time we left the restaurant. The streets were dark and abandoned. It’s the strangest thing not seeing another soul wandering outside in Japan. We wondered where all those tourists we saw earlier during the day had gone to. The restaurants certainly could accommodate more patrons.

We returned to the hotel to chill for the evening. Saman read the Japan Times while I tried the hotel’s indoor hot spring (onsen). The hotel has two onsens and all guests have to do is lock the door behind them to enjoy a private hot spring bath. There are two shower stalls to clean yourself completely before dipping your body into the hot water. Within a few minutes of immersing my tired body into the bubbling hot water, my mind was transported to a blissful state. I’ll have to do this again tomorrow night!

We were up Sunday morning bright and early. We visited Gamman-Ga-Fuchi Abyss, a collection of jizo statues (stone Buddhist statues said to protect travellers and children) set along a peaceful path with a pretty scenery of mountains and two falls cascading down the Daiya River. Next stop is the Tamozawa Goyotei (imperial villa and memorial park). Constructed in 1899 for Emperor Taisho as a retreat, the building is 4500 sq m and has 106 rooms. It was considered the largest wooden imperial villa at the time. We learned a great deal about Japanese architecture and the construction material they used during the Edo, Meiji and Taisho eras. While visiting inside, one feels like walking through a maze of rooms. We were able to fully appreciate the architecture while strolling in the garden. This was truly a gem!

We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the fall weather and wandering around town. We also got to try a local specialty called yuba (the skin that forms when making tofu). A number of restaurants offer shojin ryori (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine). One of the things we liked about Nikko is that there is no shortage of restaurant offering vegetarian dishes.

Before heading back to the hotel, we noticed a food stall with a line-up of people. Whatever they’re selling, it must be good! We lined up behind the rest of the crowd and waited our turn to order. Thank goodness they were only selling one type of snack. We ordered two of whatever it was that was cooked in batter. The lady behind the counter shook some spices on them then gingerly handed us the piping hot snacks. It was red bean tempura and it turned out to be a tasty treat!

Saman trying his hand at making okonomiyaki

Shin-Kyo, red sacred bridge over the Daiya-gawa (a reconstruction of the 17th century original)

five-storey pagoda (34.3m) dating from 1650 and reconstructed in 1818.

A gigantic stone torii (sacred gate) at the entrance of Tosho-Gu Shinto Shrine

Daiya-gawa near Turtle Inn Nikko

Scenery facing jizo statues

Saman placed lots of 1 Yen coins in front of the jizo statues (Buddhist Guardian Deity)

Tamozawa Imperial Villa Memorial Park

500 year old weeping cherry tree

Mari took us to Tokyo Midtown, derived from the Midtown of New York, it is a large scale urban revitalization project that was completed in 2007. The Town comprises of six buildings that house high-end French and Italian shops, designer boutiques, ritzy restaurants, the luxurious Ritz-Carlton Tokyo, the Suntory Museum of Art and a pet salon! We window-shopped and browsed at some of the stores. There were some novelty Japanese items such as a sake cup with a tiny figurine of a drunk man, three-dimensional postcards, animal-shaped paper clips, and of course a store specializing in chopsticks!

From November 12 to December 25, Midtown comes alive with a magical illumination of Christmas lights outdoor and stunning indoor Christmas decorations. This year’s theme is “Everybody is a Santa Claus for Somebody”. We were absolutely amazed at seeing the light displays on the trees and grass area. It’s nothing like we’ve seen in Ottawa.

Mari treated us to a set menu of salads, soup, main, dessert and coffee at La Colina, a swanky Mexican restaurant located on the top floor of Midtown. We discovered that there’s actually gourmet Mexican food! Yes, the dishes at La Colina were visually appealing and delightful to taste. We caught up with each other’s news over dinner, shared photos and talked about plans for upcoming trips. It was really nice spending time with Mari.

Santa Claus Christmas Tree. Note the streams of water cascading from high above the ceiling to the tree.

Mariachi musicians serenading us

Señora Uy and Señor Alavi partying at La Colina

Mari and I enjoying our main dish of shrimp with rice and chicken wrapped in crepes with poblano pistachio sauce

The dessert was exquisite!

It was after 11:00 pm by the time we returned to the metro. We were jammed inside the already congested car and experienced riding like the daily commuters during peak hours! It was almost midnight by the time we reached the hotel. This is the latest that we’ve stayed out!

http://www.st.keio.ac.jp/english/access/

Most of the people who bike do so as a means of transportation and not as a sport. There are large parking lots for bikes on campus and near the train station. This is something that Canadian cities could adopt if they want to encourage more citizens to bike to work.  The bikes here are pretty basic and has 3-speed at most which means it is impossible to climb hills. Bikers generally do not wear helmets and they watch out for pedestrians.

On November 5, Professor Ohmura held a party to mark three important celebrations: the arrival of Alavi Sensei (a Japanese title used to address professors, other professions and figures of authority. The word is used to show respect to someone who has achieved a certain level of mastery in their profession), the publication of a paper co-authored by Professors Ohmura and Uchida in the Journal of Physical Chemistry and a three-year fellowship awarded to Yasuda San, a Ph.d Mechanical Engineering student in Ohmura Sensei’s group.

The party began late afternoon in the Mechanical Engineering lab with students preparing Nabe (Japanese hot pot). There were various ingrediants simmering in two donabes (clay pot). The fusian nabe had a tomato soup base and the Japanese one had a seaweed soup base. Both nabes had a mixture of mushrooms, fish, chicken, sausages, cabbage, tofu, egg, Japanese radish and noodles. Once everyone has been served a bowl, the nabe would be filled up once again with a variant of the above ingrediants. Penne-shaped pasta was added to the fusion nabe and rice was added to the Japanese nabe. The second service would continue and so on.

There were approximately 25 students, professors and a guest (me!) who attended the celebration. Ohmura Sensei opened with a speech welcoming Alavi Sensei to Keio University, congratulating Uchinda Sensei for the journal publication and Yasuda for receiving a fellowship; only the top 15% of the students receive this prestigious scholarship. To begin the celebrations, he popped two champagne bottles and served a limited, special edition beer from Hokkaida. The following pictures will tell the rest of the story.

Ohmura Sensei (far right) opening the celebration with a speech

(L to R: Dr. Amadeu Sum, Dr. Ryo Ohmura, Dr. Kenji Yasuoka)

Japanese Nabe

Fusion Nabe

Yasuda San, far right, winner of the fellowship closed the party with a Tejime (a Japanese hand clapping performed at the end of a special event to bring the occasion to a peaceful, lively close). In this case, Itcho-jime, a single synchronized clap was performed by all.

Saman was then asked about his impressions of his new environment. Saman gave a warm speech expressing his gratitude for the hospitality that everyone has shown and he hopes to have a productive collaboration during his short stay at Keio University.

Risotto with shimeji mushrooms

Since I had such a good cooking experience, I decided to go the next day. ABC Cooking Studio does not have a set schedule for the breakfast class. It’s open from 8 to 11 am and it takes in students as they come in. The drawback is that there are only 4 portable burners in the kitchen so the maximum capacity is 4 students at any given time. I tried going three times on Wednesday but each time I went, the class was full. I guess Salmon with Soysauce is a popular dish!

I knew that Iida was teaching this morning so I decided to go early to beat the crowd. Before we started cooking, Iida handed me today’s recipes that she had written out in French. I was really touched by her kindness and thoughtfulness. We made Misoshiru (Miso Soup with Vegetables) and Onigiri (white rice balls formed into triangular shape filled with sour or salty ingredient). Incidentally, Miso Soup is eaten with chopsticks and the soup is drank right out of the bowl.

cooking Misoshiru

Misoshiru with pork, Japanese radish, carrots, shimeji mushrooms, tofu and leeks

Making Onigiri: Dorothy trying to mould a rice ball into a perfect triangle

Posing with Iida in front of my culinary creation

Misoshiru with Onigiri (one filled with pickled prune and the other with dried fish)

paying my dues

I asked why the cooking class costs next to nothing and was told that it was a program created to impress upon students the importance of eating breakfast. It is apparently heavily subsidised by Ajinomoto, a company that produces food seasonings, cooking oils and food products among other things. Before leaving the class, I was given sample seasonings and consomme from Ajinomoto!

The building is well designed and maintained. It is also bright, spacious and immaculate. That goes for our room as well. As you step into the room, there’s a small hallway with an open closet, shoe rack and high shelf to the right and a bathroom and full length mirror to the left. The hallway leads to our room which is modest, comfortable and clean. We really like the large window that spans the width of the room and looks onto the athletics field. The high ceiling is also another feature that we like.

There are some peculiarities about the room. For instance, the Toto Washlet is distinctively Japanese. There’s a panel with a number of features on it: seat warmer, deodorizer, water pressure, bidet, spray and stop. The “deodorizer” is activated the minute you sit on it. It sounds like water running. This startled me the first couple of times. Saman just finds it plain annoying. Unfortunately, we don’t know how to turn this function off. The seat warmer is nice during winter time although it never really gets that cold here. We have not dared to try the other features out of fear of getting burned! There’s a telephone in the room however, its function is limited in that it can only be used to make calls within the building. The most novel thing we saw is the ORIRO Descent Device, an apparatus used to rappel the building in case of an emergency. We just hope we’re not called to use it during our two-week stay!

7th Floor Hallway

View from the side window of the 7th Floor

ORIRO Descent Device located in front of the 7th floor side window

How to use ORIRO

Toto, Japanese signature toilet

So many functions to choose from!

Safety precautions posted inside the toilet cover

Saman loves lounging around in the soft and cozy Yukata (Japanese house robe made of cotton)

The office is a great set-up for two people to work at the same time. It's also right in front of a window that spans the entire width of the room!

Our home for the first two weeks in Japan

As we exited the gate, two students from Keio University greeted us. They helped with our bags, took care of purchasing bus tickets and guided us to the bus station just outside the airport.  It was 25 degrees celcius; unseasonably high for this time of year. Even though we were overdressed, after 13 hours confined on the plane, it was lovely to feel the warm air of Tokyo. The bus ride from Narita to Yokohama station took two hours. We didn’t see much of anything as we fell asleep for most of the trip. Once we got to the station, the two students helped us navigate through the metro maze. We had to take a train to our final destination. The express train to Hiyoshi station took less than half an hour and it was actually a pleasant ride. There are less riders on Sundays so we did not experience the congestion of riding during peak hours.

Saman recognized Professor Ohmura who was waiting for us outside the station. After an exchange of greetings, he accompanied us to Collaboration Complex, our hotel for the next couple of weeks which is conveniently located across Hiyoshi station. He took care of the check-in and lead us to our room. He and the students made sure we were alright before leaving. It was 6:00 pm when I looked at my watch. We were completely spent but happy to have experienced a first-rate Japanese hospitality!

Collaboration Complex (no. 22) , Hiyoshi Campus http://www.keio.ac.jp/english/about_keio/campus_info/hiyoshi1.html

We took a short nap to unwind and then wandered around Hiyoshi looking for a good meal. We ended up in a Chinese restaurant and had two delicious vegetable dishes: watercress with ginger and tomato with scrambled eggs on rice. It made up for all the awful vegetarian meals we had on the plane! At some point, we will attempt to order Japanese food in Japanese!

Our first vegetarian meal at a Chinese restaurant near Hiyoshi Station