WiFi with that Set?

A couple interesting notes on fast food in Japan. At McDonalds you will always be greeted with "Good Morning," or "Good Afternoon." Never in the typical Japanese greeting. You will always be asked if the food is "To Go" at any fast food place, and a "Combo," sandwich, fries and drink are called a "set." It really lends a more retail experience to the whole fast food thing. I mean you buy a set of earrings, glasses, dishes. You don't typically think of buying a set of food. Is it just me? So the photo is a really cool McDonalds in Kyoto, you can slide into your own little cubby with electrical outlet and wifi. Free wifi is still the norm in Japan even though it has almost completely vanished from the US. Oh yeah and a big crossed arms for leaving a tip... never leave a tip! 

Look at me, don't look at me!

This photo was taken at a temple in Kyoto. There are really a lot more people wearing traditional clothing in Kyoto and there is a service where you can rent kimonos and all the necessary accessories to wear for a day of touring the Kyoto area. Gion is the area in Kyoto known as "Geisha Town" and you can always go there to see one or two people dressed as Geishas with all the white makeup. Even in Tokyo you will see women almost everyday wearing the traditional kimonos. Many people in Tokyo are actually wearing the kimono because they are working as a hostess or receptionist. But I think people come to Kyoto specifically to get dressed in traditional kimonos and walk around the city. It always creates a stir and there is a sense that these people want you to look at them, just don't take a photo. You will get the crossed arms gesture if you are too obvious.

Westerners are Molesters

One thing I learned while spending 5 weeks in Tokyo is that the japanese are great at casting that critical eye upon others, but not upon themselves. The photo above is from a poster in the Kyoto train station and it very obvious shows that when Japanese men get out of control they cause shame by doing stupid stuff like holding their arms out. But you'll notice that the westerner, the cheesy guy with blonde/red hair wearing the gold chain cannot help but to molest Japanese women. Hey baby! heh heh! Its kinda funny, but I did notice that when Japanese people encounter you unexpectedly, there is a sense of surprise or shock? I'm sure they think that all westerners are crazy and violent and out of control and posters like this one help to further that fear.

Note: So guys, I am home and exhausted and fighting jetlag. I have a couple more posts I want to make about japan, but it is good to be home and have a few days before I start teaching in summer B. 

Caramel, Salt & Butter!

Finally! All three in one drink. Yes, really! The first thing everyone asks is "what does it taste like?" It tastes exactly like what it says. Very rich and creamy, almost too rich, all this and a very slimming 76kcals. Thanks Kirin! No really it is too much. You literally can only drink about half the serving. d

Rising Sun

I love this logo for the Tokyo Police Department, you see it on police boxes and stations. It reminds me very much of the rising sun, yes. This was on a police call box near the Yurakucho Station in the Ginza district. It is always smaller in comparison to other logos around it, yet it holds up really well as a small logo. It is also always positioned with a lot of clear space. The three-dimensional aspect allows it to catch light and uses that light to model the complexity of the rays, plus it adds a lot of eye-catching sparkle. bling, bling.  d

Seen in Tokyo 3

The image on the left was taken last year and I was thrilled to see that this year they had kept the tradition. Two hand-drawn signs in the window of a very small local bar 2 blocks from the Shinagawa Station. Last years image (left) beckons you into the bar with promises of bikini clad women begging you to take a beer! This years version is a little more more discrete? Maybe she is holding an ice cold beer for you. You'll just have to come in and find out. d 

Seen in Tokyo 2

This sign, the front of a Pachinco Parlor, seen in Nippori, Tokyo's fabric center is a real rarity here in the city. I think typically people thing of Tokyo as a city with sweeping displays of undulating neon signage, glowing, popping, sizzling. However, typically signage in areas like Shibuya or Akihabara have switched from the more analog neon to the more digital video technology. The perfect imagery of flatscreen technology has changed the way the city looks, a smoother, colder, inaccessible city. Getting off the train in Nippori and seeing this older more analog type of signage really takes you back to what you thought Tokyo would look, and feel like. The neon hum and electrical smell of glowing glass tubes. d 

Seen in Tokyo

This poster seen on the JR lines has the headline, "Wait until you get home." Apparently a plea to users of the Yamanote Line to wait until they get behind closed doors before freaking out on their cell phones? You really have to ride the trains here in Japan to understand just how unusual it is to really hear anyone talking. You never hear cell phones ringing and on the streets no car horns. Everything is fairly quiet for one of the largest cities in the world. On Saturdays and Sundays you do notice a faint rumble of excitement and of course after 10pm anything goes. But still it is amazing that there is a sense that people need to be told to keep quiet. d

Team Tokyo Bowling

Went bowling at the Shinagawa Prince hotel two nights ago to "unwind" from all the pressures of teaching. It is basically the same experience that you might have in the US, but you are shown on a large video screen above your alley while you "bowl" the ball so that everyone else can see your style, then your score is shown and finally the best score you can hope to receive in this game. So every time you get up to bowl, you are reminded that you cannot make a perfect 300. Everything is calculated and represent back to you. Just when you think that you can pay for your bowling and slink out, the cashier hands you a detailed print out of you score, pins hit, playtimes, etc. (see picture). You can see here just what a bad bowler I am! But the mapping person inside me loves getting this back as evidence. = d

What I am eating.

OK, so I am almost at the 5 weeks mark and I really cannot bring myself to eat any more Japanese food. I know that many people, especially the Japanese will tell you that Japan is a foodie nation. But in my humble opinion, most of the food is bland with no real flavor, vaguely fishy and has a weird texture that makes it hard to eat. Yes the sushi is great! But now, 5 weeks later I find myself walking through some of the most beautiful food markets, not able to find anything I WANT to eat. So I am now down to eating breakfast here at the Bureau and then living off Choco-cro (see picture). Yes, each trip to Japan has its fascinations and this year it is Choco-cro. A croissant wrapped chocolate bar, baked and served warm. It really is great, especially when you cannot eat one more fishy, cold bowls of soba. 

Eye Chart Ad

About three people on the trip have purchased eye glasses while here in Tokyo. Apparently you can buy really nice frames, get an eye exam and have the lenses made quickly and cheaply. The poster above is for a department store called LaForet in Harajuku. It uses the Japanese eye exam chart. Apparently you tell the doctor which way the opening is pointing by pointing up, down, left or right with your finger. That way you don't have to speak Japanese to get a quick and concise eye exam. 

Yes...

...its true, even here in tokyo you cannot get away from the Shamwow guy. Japan is crazy about dieting and you can sit through hours of telemarketing/infomercials about the latest diet aid. A Design Festa staff member was telling us how all the guys in Harajuku are on these crazy diets because they all want to be able to wear the tightest jeans. Other products featured, a seaweed facial, and hair tonic. Also, I love the crazy commercial where a japanese guy is chased through the city by a giant toenail fungus. On a lighter note, I haven't seen Billy Mayes yet. 

Design Festa Opening

The UF in Tokyo, Design Festa opening was last night from 5-8pm! We had a fantastci turn out, the work looked great and everyone had a wonderful time. The work looks really good in the gallery space and I think that everyone had an interesting new view of Tokyo and Japan. And of course, for the group photo the obligatory "heart" and "peace" signs were given by all! -d

I'd be stupid not to try it!

With that famous Bart Simpson line running through my mind, I knew I had to buy this toothpaste as soon as I noticed that it uses "Nano-Technology." Light mint flavor, low-foaming formula, very mild really. It must be the thousands of tiny robots in my mouth, brushing away at tarter that makes the real difference!

All information will be displayed in engrish!

A couple observations about Japan, trains and paying to ride. Last year I had a Suica card with about $3 left on it and I took the card home with me as a souvenir. This year I brought the card back, completely expecting to be told the card was invalid or at least knowing that the balance had expired. But.... noooo! In typical japanese fashion, the card still worked-the value still safely tucked away and ready to use. This year one of the other group members hipped me to the "My Suica" button that you see when you recharge the balance. He had a japanese friend help him personalize the card with his name in kanji. The next time I was near a Suica machine with a few minutes to kill I tried the "My Suica" option in ENGLISH, and yes I was able to personalize my card, even in english. You can also print out a receipt that documents ALL the fairs paid and the trips taken. I've noticed that you see a lot more Suica logos and locations this year, and that the other train card "PASMO" seems to be fading. Another big advantage, you can now use the Suica card on all trains, not just JR lines! Bye, bye Pasmo.

Video & Photo Galleries

ASIMO - Yes! So the one great reason to visit Miraikan is to actually get to see this famous robot from honda! Of course everyone takes tons of photos and video and I am struggling to figure out the best way to get tons of imagery and videos back to you guys. So I am going to try using my iWeb account as a place to upload photos and video. Click on the thumbnail to see a bigger image or to play the video. You will need a high-speed connection to view the video. Enjoy.

Photos: http://web.me.com/dougbarrett/Site/Photos.html

Video: http://web.me.com/dougbarrett/Site/Video.html

5 Types of Creativity

Day 14  -  Visited the Miraikan in Odaiba today, the national museum of emerging sciences. They had a great new display about the 5 types of creativity that are used to spark innovation and look at things in a different way. Associative, Integrative, Serendipity, Mimicing and Alternative are the five different types they discuss. They use world changing inventions to talk about how we use creativity to make giant changes in our world. Very interesting. On the way back from the museum we transfer at the Ueno station (see pic) and Ed commented on how really beautiful the city is at night and how we never really just get out and look at it after dark. You really do see these different types of creativity all around you here in Tokyo. Everything is though out, very little is not planned or just happens on its own.

Your new best friend...

It seems to me that the Japanese are always looking for more, a deeper meaning, another use. Just in time comes PRETZ! Everything here is in flux, changing and transforming so why shouldn't that box of pretzels you just bought also become a new friend, pet, stowaway? Yes, the picture tells the whole story, once you buy Pretz, he becomes your new companion, just hook him on and go! At least until you eat all the pretzels and throw him away. In reality, it doesn't work as well as it should and you end up getting annoyed and just throwing the box away. Im sure in the US there would be some kind of group trying to get people to adopt homeless PRETZs. UPDATE: Here is a link to a Pretz commercial on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liCKLkLUfUk

Puricura,

means "print club" in Japanese, a photo booth on steroids. Three people enter the booth and follow the elaborate directions with on screen poses by japanese pop stars. You get 15 poses, and of those you get to choose 5 to edit, decorate and print out onto small stickers. Each page has 3 sets of prints. You can then use the scissors in the booth to cut them apart to share with fellow posers. I am still amazed that there are just scissors laying around in public to use, that was the weird part! Me, Ed White and Kelly McCafferty are pictured.

Swine Flu #2

Day 13 - Swine Flu comes to Tokyo and people are really freaked out about it. A college in Osaka was closed because they had one case. So... one of our students is sick this morning and needs medical attention. We tell the concierge, which sets off calls to the local health offices and we are given an appointment to see a doctor about 3 blocks from here. The concierge tells me that we should wear masks when going to the doctors office and that if the doctor determines that the student may have influenza that "we" may be quarantined at the local hospital. Luckly, the doctor thinks it is something else... I don't think anyone realizes how close we come to all being quarantined and the program coming to an end 3 weeks early.

Nikko World Heritage

DAY 12 - Travelled about 2 hours by train to see the temples and shrines of Nikko in the Tochigi prefecture. The site is in the mountains, very cool and dry and green compared to Tokyo's cement jungle. A great way to get away for a day and relax, and climb stairs. On the week days Nikko is swamped with school children and I spend a few minutes posing for pictures... "I want a picture with the big monster too!" 

Palm Pilot

With the power of Google maps and a brand new iPod Touch I still had to resort to just writing down the main stops and transfer points on all the trips for easy navigation. Try wrangling 15 people through the maze that is Tokyo and you'll understand why using something like an iPod and google maps becomes problematic. The different trips are: 1. Tsukiji Fish Market, 2. Tokyo Tower, 3. Tokyo Mid-Town Towers (Art Directors Show), 4. Tokyo Big-Site (Design Festa Show). 

Apartment 2306

BUREAU SHINAGAWA: Here is my base of operations for the next 5 weeks. Apartment 2306, Bureau Shinagawa. My address is: 4-1-6 Konan, Minato-ku. My apartment is really just a tiny little, one room studio, but the students have really deluxe accommodations, corner rooms with sweeping views of Tokyo and the surrounding areas. Shinagawa is a very Americanized area of Tokyo and you see many western faces running to and from the trains during the day. Good restaurants and a supermarket, we are about a 5 minute walk to the Shinagawa Station. 

quarantine inspection document

Here is the notice of health inspection that each person gets to leave the airplane. We were also given a face mask to wear once leaving the flight too. There is another UF group doing a cinema workshop here in Tokyo and they have been asked by the Japanese government to please cancel their program. So I think that we are very lucky to be able to bring 15 people here and spend 5 weeks during all this flu scare. I think partly because we are so small that we can fly under the radar. 

swine flu

DAY ONE: Hey guys.... so I am going to make this blog work so stay tuned for daily posts. I swear I will post daily (Rae!) Flew into Narita on Saturday after a one day layover in Chicago (dont ask). We were told that we would be quarantined for 30 minutes while the Japanese authorities did a thermo scan of everyone on the flight. It was very interesting to see the swine flu team enter the flight completely wrapped in protective clothing, using a thermal scanner to look for people who have a higher than normal body temperature (see photo). After being scanned everyone was given a yellow sheet that declared they had passed the health check and were asked to show the paper to the entry officer. Later that day the first case of swine flu entered Japan in a 5pm flight and about 30 people were quarantined in a local hotel. In the US they never really say why the swine flu is so bad but the basic story is that the swine flu is able to recombine easily and if it recombines with the deadly avian flu we would have a big problem.