Edo meets Kyoto. (エドが京都に会う。)

Man, never thought you'd see that title on an actual post, eh? The eponymous post of this blog, you might say! ...although, really, it isn't, because it came around some two years after I originally started the thing... But hey.

It still seems pretty cool, in my opinion.

Feel free to disagree, of course.

... of course, now I must wonder whether or not I DID use this title, way back when, back when it may have been more relevant...

Oh well. It's in the past (or isn't), and we musn't dwell upon the past.

Here we go.

As the last post sort of covered my first trip to Japan, we are going to have ourselves a little time-skip here; from the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college, to the beginning of my junior year. Keep that in mind, eh?

京都府 (Kyoto), September 2008 - May 2009, Part 1 (And a little bit of Shiga too.)

Yea, this one gets a "Part 1" right off the bat, simply because I know better now. There's just absolutely no way that I'll be able to cover anything and everything I experience in Kyoto in this blog, let alone in one post. This way, at least it looks as though I'm going to take a semi-decent run at it.

...though admittedly I have sort of ruined it by describing my plan beforehand. Oh, well.

Anyway.

Like Tokyo, my first experience with Kyoto was (a) with a study abroad program (AKP), and (b) actually in Osaka, at the Kansai International Airport.

But really, KIX is no more Osaka than Kyoto, so we won't sweat the details.

As AKP had offered us the option of a group flight actually from the States (a much easier plan, though the rather incompetent travel agent booked me a seat in the middle of the five-seat middle aisle, despite my specifically telling her that I have bursitis in my left hip and cannot remain sitting for such long periods... sigh), all but one (Melon, actually; she beat us all and went on a Doshisha summer program and thus was already there) student arrived at KIX at the same time from San Francisco, tired, jet-lagged, and definitely looking worse for wear.

Perfect time for a group picture!

I've oft wondered if that was actually a bonding exercise, or just something for the office staff to cackle about later. We were not pretty, getting off of that plane.

As you can imagine, there was no aimless waiting around in the airport this time--once we had gone through customs and retrieved our baggage, we were whisked through security ("Are you on AKP?" "Yes." "Have a nice day!") and onto a bus headed for the Kyoto Tower Hotel, where we were staying for a week to properly gain our bearings.

Oh yea, these people have it together, I thought. 

The Kyoto Tower Hotel was certainly a welcoming site after that 11 hour plane ride, even though it took something like two hours on that bus filled with people we didn't properly know yet to get there. Have I ever mentioned how horrendously far way KIX is from anything? Endeavor never to fly there, unless you have no choice. Also, it's sinking. Doesn't that just make you feel all warm and cuddly when you come in for a landing?

... ahem. Anyway. The Kyoto Tower Hotel.

Definitely some nice digs; I actually got to stay there twice over the course of my year abroad, but that's another story.

Anyway, we were grouped off into threes, alphabetically, and roomed accordingly. I think that first night we were on our own to forage for food (with the money we had been provided on the bus; man, I can complain about that program, but I certainly will never complain about the free-flowing cash), which most of us did at the nearby コンビニ (conbini, convenience store). I did this out of nostalgia; I was desperate for some milk tea. Others did it out of necessity, as most of them had never been to the land of the rising sun. Many purchased booze, discovering that, huzzah, 20 is legal drinking age in Japan, what joy!

... what can I say, I'm a connoisseur. I much prefer mixed drinks and liqueurs, and thus forewent  the joys of cheep conbini beer.

We ate and drank, and then decided to wander around 京都駅前 (Kyoto eki mae, In front of Kyoto Station), because after all, you're supposed to stay up to your regular bed time to fight off jet lag, right? I'm sure that was our reasoning.

A lot of aimless wandering later (notice how I cleverly skipped over the part that is a little fuzzy in my memory), we finally went to bed, not availing ourselves of the 銭湯 (sentou, public bath) because we were either (a) too tired or (b) not entirely comfortable with that whole public nudity thing yet. I myself am not sure when I (thankfully) got over that and learned the joy of 銭湯 and 温泉 (onsen, hot springs), but I wish it had been sooner.

I actually don't think more than two people ever used the Kyoto Tower 銭湯, and that they said it was nothing special. Perhaps an opportunity missed, and perhaps not.

We spent the next week shuttling back and forth between the hotel and Doshisha University, five subway stops away, for orientation and placement tests and whatnot, again all on the program's dime. Luckily, in this case, placement tests were taken after we had recovered from our 11 hour flight; clearly, in my favor, as this time I was placed in the highest Japanese level available. (Although really, that may have been thanks to the horrors of my college's third year Japanese, and the ridiculous lengths I went to to make sure I passed... but that's another story as well.) It was summer vacation for the regular college kids, so for the most part, we were rather alone on campus.

Honestly, though, this is where I realize just how much truth there is in that whole fading-memory jest... I am having a hard time remembering what specifically happened during that first orientation week, aside from a lot of sitting in lecture halls, eating awkwardly in the Doshisha 食堂 (shokudou, cafeteria or dining hall) with people we still didn't know properly), and riding the subway like total and utter dorks (you know, hanging from the hand-holds, swaying back and forth, talking loudly and generally annoying the populous.) I'm sure that I met Melon sometime during that week, but damned if I don't remember that either.

But, I do remember that one fateful day in our lounge where we began talking randomly (or perhaps due to some internet video or other) and discovered that we both loved BUCK-TICK and a number of other J-Rock bands, forging our life-long friendship and program-long tendency of pairing off. See, I do remember the important things.

Er. Back on topic.

Sometime during the week, we were assigned volunteer "guides" from the university, who were told to take us to the homes of our host families, teach us how to get back an forth to Doshisha on our own, and then take us in to get the process started on our gaijin cards; that last part was probably the most important, as my guides were kind enough to fill in the forms for me. My handwriting is abysmal, and I didn't want it on record. (It was bad enough having it in my 定期券 [teikiken, commuter pass]...) Since my host family lived in Shiga, I had been assigned two students who were themselves from Shiga, glorious prefecture that it is--and no, I'm not kidding, I really liked Shiga. They were the ones who told me that Gackt is actually from Shiga, but lies about being from Okinawa because Shiga just isn't カッコいい (kakkoii, cool) enough for his image). I'm not sure whether I believe this, but it's interesting nevertheless; Shiga certainly does have some pride issues, and seems unlikely to let go of any birthrite they may possess. Otsu, the capital of Shiga, was the capital of the entirety of Japan (though it was much smaller back then, and not exactly "Japan" as we know it today) before Kyoto, and they changed the name of my station to let people know that--西大津 (Nishi Ootsu, western Ootsu) became 大津京 (Ootsu Kyou, Capital Ootsu) the year before I arrived.

Not to mention those statues of Murasaki Shikubu they have up in random places. Not sure about that one either, but if they say she was born there, who am I to argue?

But hey, this isn't a Shiga post, this is a Kyoto post! ... I have edited the title accordingly. Ahem.

Anyway.

After that week of orientation, getting to know the city and bonding with each other, there was a meet-the-host-family party at the hotel's fancy restaurant, where we were encouraged to dress our best and wait anxious while families showed up in ones and twos, not having any clue what our respective families looked like and hoping that we'd chosen to wore the right outfits.

(Yes, that is where I met crazy okaa-san, and no, you won't get that story today. It's my blog, so nyeh nyeh nyeh.)

After that, we were off--away from our week in the lap of luxury (maybe I exaggerate) and into homes with little to no air conditioning with people we had only met hours before. I myself was forced to haul my luggage on the train (though luckily not my two big suitcases, which had been shipped) because my family hadn't driven all the way in from Shiga.

Let it never be said that entering into a host family is an easy, relaxing experience which is perfect for every comer.

...but again, that is another story.

Which signals the end of yet another exciting installment in Edo's journeys through Japan!

Be sure to tune in next time, when I may or may not be continuing this series due to my coming back from this horrible excuse for a vacation.

This is Edo, signing off glad that she made that original warning about these posts having very little to do with the prefectures she was in at the time...

Edo meets Hokkaido. (エドが北海道に会う。)

This whole travel thing seems to be a good enough theme; I might as well stick to it for now. Besides, I've had no other amazing brain waves as of late, and far be it from me to stunt  good idea in its prime for no good reason.

Continuing on.

北海道 (Hokkaido), June - August 2007

See, now this one has a reason to be longer than average--I was there for two months during the summer of 2007 on the intensive-language program run by the Hokkaido International Foundation (HIF). I went intending to skip a year of Japanese back at college, and maybe to get a little bit of experience in this country I was potentially getting ready to devote my life to.

I'm pretty sure that that was the summer when I decided to drop Spanish for a bad thing and go Japanese all the way. Sorry, Spain--your food is tasty and your country is pretty, but you're no Japan.

Anyway.

Remember the last post, all about the wonders of my first trip to the capital city of Tokyo?

Well, just after arriving in Hakodate, I took a Japanese language placement test. Yes, I think somewhere around 9 am, after the infamous Haneda debacle, while the majority of us were still reeling from massive jet lag (possibly for the first time in our lives), we were expected to demonstrate accurately our Japanese language skills.

No wonder I ended up in the retard reject 1A. Talk about a jolt of self-worth right off the boat. Or, plane, as it were.

That was also the day we met our host families; certainly a nerve-wracking experience no matter when the time or what the state of your internal clock. Luckily, at least in my opinion (I suppose I could be wrong), I was not signed up to share a homestay with another student, and got a whole family to myself--the lovely Tanaka family.

(You see, I would use an obvious, one-letter pseudonym, like so many other bloggers, but seeing as how Tanaka is right up there with Saitou in "ridiculously common Japanese names 101"... I figure I'm safe with this one. And hey, who said I wasn't using a pseudonym, eh? It'd be just like calling an American family Smith... despite the fact that I've actually never met a Smith in my life... Hm. Anyway. Mull that amongst yourselves, because I'm not telling. )

A nice enough family, even if I wasn't allowed to use their internet because "it wouldn't be fair, since not everyone has internet in their homestays." .... riiiight. The food was good, and I didn't really have a curfew. Not to mention the fact that パパ (Papa; yes, I was told to call them Mama and Papa) would pick me up from the station in the car if it was after dark. And drive me to the station in the morning if it was raining... that was nice.

Pretty sure they were from Honshuu, though, as were most people in Hakodate at one point or another. I guess, being a sort of port-city, it really catered to the migrating population, sick of the crowds and eager for some fresh air.

And hey, the summers are quite nice up there. Not too hot, and no real rainy season to speak of. It did rain for one straight week towards the end of my stay, but I think that was simply the remnants of some typhoon or another.

If you're going to Hokkaido, though, Hakodate is definitely a good place to be. Now, I cannot speak to Sapporo, as I never got up that far (though I should have), but Hakodate itself was a very nice sort of place. Sort of 田舎(inaka), what with one train line that only ran every 45 minutes or so, but still. Everything you needed was right there. Not to mention a ton of good seafood. Port towns are awesome for that. Not to mention the famous イカ (ika, squid), which get their own dance during the 港祭り (minato matsuri, port festival):





That second one's actually from the year I was there; unfortunately, you will see me nowhere in the video, as I did not take part in the parade. Years later, I regret the shyness of my youth. I was far too worried about making a fool of myself to truly enjoy...

Er. Anyway.

Just imagine the streets of a major city, packed with squid-dancing people for hours upon hours, and you'll have some concept of the 港祭り. I mean, sure, there were fireworks and other parades, along with reenactments of Perry's landing (in which some members of my program took part!), but it's really the squid dancing that you go for.

Well, I think so, anyway.

Anyway. If you're going to Hokkaido (specifically Hakodate), remember these things and you'll feel that your trip was worthwhile:

1) 五稜郭 (Goryoukaku) [Linked to a picture and the Wikipedia page, respectively.]


You may remember it as the ingeniously constructed fortress that housed the Tokugawa shogunate's last stand, but I remember it as the hip and happening place to be in Hakodate. If you're a young person going to one of the many colleges up that way, this is definitely your locale of choice come Friday night. Karaoke bars, regular bars, record shops, restaurants... just about anything you could want from your bustling downtown district.


And hey, there's a tower to boot. You just can't go wrong with a tower.

(Side Note- As a testament to how bad my Japanese was during my time in Hakodate, I did not recognize the kanji [except the first, of course] for Goryoukaku when typing it in to this blog--I had to run a google search to make sure I had the right word. Maybe that placement test wasn't so far off after all...)

2) The Squid

They have a squid dance for a reason, guys. If you like squid at all, or heck, even if you don't, try some while you're there. It's tasty stuff, and probably a lot cheaper than you're used to. 

And while we're on that note...

3) The Seafood (in general)

Cheap sushi. What more does the American tourist of Japan want from their guide books, eh? I ate quite a bit of sushi while in Hakodate, all of which was quite tasty, and most of which was rather cheaper than one would usually find. This is not to say that it's the cheap 100円 stuff; no, my friends, this is quality seafood.

... at least, you know, as far as I can remember it.

This was three years ago, you understand.

Ahem.

4) The Night-view

Hakodate is touted as having one of the most famous night-views in Japan; also for a reason. They're not just pulling this out of their bums, guys. Pick up a postcard, any postcard, and you'll see for yourself. Climb up Mt. Hakodate and gaze down upon the wonderment that is Hakodate's unique, sea-encircled shape.

Admittedly, I myself have only seen the night-view through pictures--it was broad daylight when we climbed the mountain to gaze down upon the city below:

I would presume that it is much more dangerous to climb up the mountain at nighttime, at any rate... not to mention the fact that you might miss that ridiculously early last train. But it is some indication of the fame of this view that dozens of images pop up simply from typing 函館 into the search box.

5) The Weather

Remember, people, this is far north. Go during the summer, and it's beautiful. Go during the winter, and you're likely to freeze your tookus off. If you're heading up to the 雪祭り (yuki matsuri, snow festival) in Sapporo, though, it does seem like a logical side-trip... just don't blame me when you can't feel your extremities and thus are barred from properly appreciating the food, scenery and nightlife.

Well, since I'd rather not turn this into another lengthy rant recounting my adventures through the land of north (especially since a two month stay would take a heck of a lot longer than a 24-hour stay), I think that I'll leave it there for today, dear readers. Remember, I do have that nifty little comment doo-hickey down there, so if you have any questions about Hakodate that you think I could answer, please, feel free to ask away. You know how I love having my ego stroked sharing information with the world.

PS- Glay comes from Hakodate. As a certain someone would say, "isn't that just too nutty?" I'm not a big fan myself (they're a bit too poppy for my tastes, generally), but it's always interesting to know where people come from. And I always find local pride to be fascinating--there are pictures of these guys up in a bunch of different places, including all over the various stores of the local burger chain, Lucky Pierrot (...who happen to have a whale burger on their menu. Nutty indeed.)

This is Edo, signing off wondering if she shouldn't have recounted every little detail just to see if she could remember....

Edo meets Tokyo. (エドが東京に会う。)

Well, as I'll be out and about for the next week or so, I thought that I would set up a few posts before hand, just to make sure that you, my readers, are properly entertained, even should I turn out to be too busy to update appropriately.

I am nothing if not considerate, after all... even if slightly unnecessarily so, in this case. Ahem.

In any case, I thought that it might be best to form a theme. Since I will be out and about in state I have never before visited, I felt myself to be inspired--why not write about my experiences from all the prefectures I've visited? There really are quite a lot of them--even more  if you count drive-throughs on the night bus and 新幹線 (shinkansen, bullet train.) More, even, than American states I've visited, at last count (unless you count layovers, but I don't tend to.)

Admittedly, this may turn out to be more along the lines of "Edo's experiences described as almost entirely independent of the prefecture she was in at the time," but... you never know, it might make for good reading anyway.

And hey, it's my blog; what did you expect, really?

For lack of a better idea, I thought I'd go chronologically: I will attempt to chronicle my experiences in every prefecture I have visited (we're not going to count those drive-throughs after all) in the order I visited them. Most will only get one run-through, despite numerous visits, excepting situations in which a massive amount of time or a massive difference in experience separated the two (or more) visits.

...Did that sound like the abstract to a research paper or what?

Anyway. Here we go.

Tokyo (東京都), June 2007

I think this one winds up being a lot of Western gaijin-type's first stops, simply because of that whole lack-of-other-options deal. Sure, you can fly into Kansai International, or maybe Chubu if you're lucky, but Narita is by far the easiest airport to schedule a flight from the US to. And while Narita itself is technically in Chiba, the only thing Chiba-esque about it is the boost it gives to their economy, so we're counting it as Tokyo.

Besides, that's what they call it on all the travel sites.

Anyway. Between my Freshman and Sophomore years of college, I went on the Hokkaido International Foundation's summer program, and since I had never before been to Japan, I though it would be best to take them up on their group flight offer. They would pick us up from Narita, house us in a hotel overnight, then pop us up to Hakodate the next morning through Haneda.

Definitely a bit of a jog, but sort of necessary for us American types, unless you're lucky enough to find a flight through Sapporo. Korean friends, however, could simply fly from Seoul to Hakodate. Talk about unfair flight patterns.

Anyway, my first experiences of Japan mostly consisted of one of the waiting rooms in Narita airport--siting with a bunch of college kids I had never met (though we all got along remarkably well; I can say nothing but good things about the majority of the people on that program) and discovering after about an hour and a half of no one coming for us that we were waiting in the wrong place.

You'd think that she would have come looking instead of just waiting for the mass of our foreign hineys to magically show up. But I digress.

There was much jet-lagged hilarity and playing with vending machines; someone bought themselves some Calorie Mate, and we all had a hearty guffaw at their somewhat futile attempts to actually eat it.

When we were finally collected, we were shipped off to that hotel we were promised, where we were shacked up with people we had met only hours before and sent to bed. (I... honestly can't remember what we did for dinner. Oh, how the mind goes as we get older...) We were woken up at the crack of early to have breakfast at the lovely hotel buffet before heading off to Haneda; luckily, we were all so jet-lagged still that it wasn't really a problem.

Then came the fun part.

Let it be said, though, that our ordeal gave me a great respect for the efficiency of Japanese airports in general--were I to be screwed in airport in the world, I would take a Japanese airport any day of the week. Because oh my goodness, talk about efficient.

But I suppose I should start at the beginning.

We were all shuttled to the airport and told to stand somewhere near the entrance while our chaperons dealt with checking our baggage/shipping our baggage if we had chosen to do so, fearing overweight charges. (Turns out we needn't have worried... but I won't get ahead of myself.)

We were then left to stand around, looking awkward and stupid, for a good forty-five minutes or more; none of us knew exactly what was going on, only that he had basically been abandoned, and that we were getting dangerously close to missing our plan, even though we had arrived in plenty of time.

Finally, when it appears to those of us in the know that we have fifteen minutes left, we are pushed into the baggage check line, where we basically form a sort of conveyor belt of people and luggage, everyone doing their best to get their massively heavy suitcases up onto the counter for the nice ladies (who are looking pretty damn harried at this point) to tag, check, and send off to the plane.

Due to the rush, no one is charged for overweight baggage. (HA!)

After this, we have five minutes. To go through security. And get to the other end of the airport. In America? Not possible. We would have given up hope, throw our arms into the air in despair, and been forced to wait for the next plane. (For that matter, our bags would have never made it onto a flight taking off in fifteen minutes. Are you kidding me?)

But no. This is Japan, damnit, and we are going to make our flight.

The security guards have been warned, and when they see us coming they rush us through the line, allowing us to cut in front of the crowd and apologizing profusely to everyone along the way. We are told to leave our belts, shoes, and accesories on, because (a) Japanese x-ray machines are too smart to be fooled by a silver necklace, a steel belt or 1/2 inch heels, and (b) damnit there's no time!

We make it through in record--no, miracle time, and begin running towards our gate, which, while perhaps not as far as possible from the checkpoint, is pretty darn close. There are more harried (yet extremely kind) airport ladies at the gate, waving us through and encouraging us to continue with our running-pace, despite the stitches that had no doubt developed in our collective sides.

In the end, while I'm not sure if they had to hold the flight for us or not (there were more than twenty passengers in our group, after all; that's quite a number of disgruntled letters to have to deal with later!), but we made that flight, and were off to Hakodate without a hitch in order to take our placement test that morning.

Let it never be said that we didn't get excitement out of that group flight plan.

When Tokyo comes up again in my chronological back-tracking through Japan, rest assured that it will get another post--my HIF and AKP  Tokyo experiences were nothing if not separated by vast amounts of experience, language ability, and a certain Kansai-biased jadedness. Not to mention, you know, purpose--I was actually going to visit the next time.

... Wow. This turned out to take a much longer time than I had originally predicted. Probably because I have that distressing tendency to ramble and go into way too much detail... So much for setting up a lot of posts in advance... oh well. I apologize, dear readers, but it looks like you're going to have to be at the mercy of my free time after all!

This is Edo, signing off with some seriously over-worked typing fingers.

Deliciousness from a box. (箱からのおいしさ。)

Well, I'm not sure if it counts as a "cooking" post when I'm talking about pre-packaged foods, but I feel that, as a (hopefully) respectable Japan blogger, it is my responsibility to make sure that you, my readers, are fully aware of all the culinary options available to you, including the convenient store-bought varieties.

Especially when they're so darn tasty and satisfying.

(No, seriously. Though it says that this was posted in the morning, I write now from the afternoon, still full up to the top with my delicious store-bought lunch.)

...Apple and Yogurt? Funny, the English box said Apple and Honey... oh well.

I wonder why they felt that English-speaking types wanted "Curry Sauce," whereas Japanese-speaking types wanted plain old curry...

I admit, I too was dubious at first--I bought this box of heat-and-serve curry because, despite my love for the dish, making an entire batch of curry for one person is pretty ridiculous. Were I in a particularly curry-loving period in my life and could see eating it every day for a week or so, maybe, but in reality? A single-serving package is really the best plan.

And even though I was especially dubious about that apple-honey prospect (I don't tend to like sweet in my savory), I put the box in my hand basket, thinking "ah, what the heck."

And thank goodness I did.

Basically, what you get when you buy yourself this particular box of curry is a foil pouch full of a vegetable curry (complete with chunks of potato and carrot!) that you can either boil as is, or pour out and microwave. (It's foil, kids; you know better than to microwave metal, don't you?) Since I am often dubious of the microwave (except when it comes to instant noodles of the Thai variety, or reheating my spam musubi), I went with the boil-the-bag method. Sort of a pain, considering I used a pot that was slightly too small... but still. Three minutes, and it was done.

Not including, of course, the rice cook time. I mean, you don't have to put the curry over rice... but if you don't, you do realize that you're some sort of heathen.

Ha ha, I kid, of course. The package itself even suggests putting it over pasta.

(... but we all know that it's wrong.)

So, しゃもじ (shamoji, rice paddle) yourself out your desired amount of rice, cut open your package of curry (carefully, as the box will tell you; it's hot, remember!) and pour it right on over. Voila, instant curry dinner!

Or, in my case, lunch. To each his own.

Honestly, I was very surprised by the quality and taste of the curry. It was by no means home-made or restaurant level cuisine, but it tasted pretty darn good. I was certaily pleased, as mentioned, with this purchase.

Now, my mother is probably reading this, shaking her head and preparing a nice lecture for me--see, I suffered a bit of indigestion (ok, a lot) after eating this curry and rice the other day. However, I am prepared to believe that it was a fluke, possibly brought on by a sudden return to real food after a week of vacation junk, the massive amount of rice I consumed, or some hitherto unthought of combination. Besides, I really don't think that the world at large should take my stomach issues into consideration--for some reason, all of my stress goes straight to my digestive tract, so there's already something amuck there. I believe that I can safely say that my reaction was not typical, and should only be used as a warning if you have a particularly sensitive stomach.

Never let it be said that I didn't disclose everything, though--I won't have anyone coming to me complaining of an upset tummy, and insisting that I led them into this blind. I told you, right there: this delicious pre-pacakged curry upset my stomach. There. Consider yourself forewarned.

... and, uh, here's hoping that the curry company doesn't come after me. I still thought it was tasty, guys, honest!

... though admittedly I am rethinking my original plan to stock up on these things once I move to Mie just in case of some late nights.

But hey, Melon ate this stuff all throughout her summer in Kyoto, along with any number of other pre-packaged Japanese meals, and never seemed to have a problem. So. Like I said. Circumstances can really ruin your lunch/day/evening.

I'll just really have to make sure to find some sort of Tums equivalent in Japan. They have those everywhere, right...?

(I don't mean to advertise for them, but... really. I eat a lot of tums, guys. A stressed-out-stomach will do that to a girl.)

This is Edo, signing off hoping that her body won't decide to ban her from pre-pacakaged curry for life...

Home at last. (やっと帰った。)

Ah, nothing better than being home again after a long trip without some of the more basic ammenties.

... Of course, when I say that, I mean air conditioning and soft toilet paper.

Some might say I was spoiled. I say...

No, no, I guess that's really the only word there is for it. Huh.

Anyway, as I am still getting used to solid ground beneath my feet, I'm sorry to say that this will be another of those topic-less posts that is more me rambling than anything else.

Hey, hey, what else do you want when I'm still reeling like the deck is tossing beneath me?

I had a few more ideas for cell-phone e-mails while I was away. Thrilling, I know, but remember. Sea brain. Or, lake brain, really, but it amounts to the same thing in the end.

7) tokugawa no (徳川の, Tokugawa's... Of the Tokugawa...)

This one makes a little bit more sense if you understand the pun behind my nickname. You see, the Tokugawa period, along with being pretty much my favorite period of Japanese history (yes, you can have a favorite period of history, Japanese or otherwise) also goes by another name: the Edo period, so named after the capital at the time, Edo (modern-day Tokyo.) Sometimes, when explaining my nickname to Japanese people, I preface it with 徳川時代のような。。。 (Like the Tokugawa period...)

Which leads into another idea:

8) edo jidai no [you na] (江戸時代の[ような], The Edo period's... Of the Edo period... [Like the Edo period])

 This is actually the more common explanation that falls from my lips when telling people what they should call me. Definitely a less convoluted way to explain things. I used to take offense when people made the jump, and even fought the nickname for quite some time while a freshman in college, but eventually I came to embrace the name in its entirety, partially due to the love for the Tokugawa period I discovered my sophomore year.

It's funny how we change as we get older.

...she said, speaking still from her early twenties.

Mock me if you will, but it seems old from my perspective. Especially considering that fact that, for some reason, I keep thinking that it's still 2008... I'm not sure why. I just had another instance of it this afternoon, when I my mother mentioned 2006 and said that was four years ago, and I was confused...

Although maybe that's just my lake head talking.

In other, possibly more interesting cell-phone related news, Melon and I have pretty much come to the conclusion that AU is the provider to go with. Based on their rate calculator (Japanese only, my English-speaking readers), it seems that they offer, by far, the best deal--admittedly, Docomo is somewhat comparable, but the foreign rates aren't quite as good, nor do I have any sort of experience with them.

Plus, there is always that possibility that AU will let me reactivate my old phone. A slim possibility, but a possibility that I would like to entertain nevertheless.

Because I love my old phone.

And I don't know how I feel about the phones that will be available for cheap come August.... though I am still tempted by the beautiful color possibilities of the SH005, despite its possible lack of outside-display capabilities. (I may have shallow desires when it comes to phones, but I remain picky!)

...somehow, this post seems a bit empty. So I suppose I will fall back to the old stand-by of scrounging through youtube until I find something suitably Japan-related and interesting in my list of favorites.

... is that really what you're supposed to do in a blog? Oh well.



I actually discovered these guys (宇宙戦隊NOIZ, Universe Squadron NOIZ) accidentally one morning upon waking up early to catch a train to Kyotango; I turned the TV on whilst eating my breakfast, and happened upon some sort of strange early morning music show. The lead singer was... speaking about their new single, I believe, dressed in some sort of feather boa, spandex, high-heel combination.

I was intrigued. And they're sort of fun to listen to, not to mention the sheer effort that appears to go into their videos. Perhaps they'll get their own post one day.

... if only because of the confusion caused by this brief glimpse into their world.

Hey, remember, I did say that I wanted to expand your horizons.

But I suppose that a little adorable Kimutaku-goodness is in order, for those of you who don't really appreciate my ventures into the strange and slightly perturbing.

(You have to admit though, it is a catchy tune.)



Did I say it was adorable, or did I say it was adorable?

(The basic jist, for you non-Japanese-speakers, is that Kimutaku's grandfather is worried about how he's getting on, and Kimutaku reassures him by explaining how Secom comes to clean his house, among other things.)

Here, Kimutaku is sporting his new hairstyle, which I can only presume he got for his lead role Tsuki no Koibito (which I have mentioned and will write a post about, someday). He's a serious, cruel sort of guy, and long, auburn curls just don't go with that image.

They go with Mr. Brain.

This is Edo, signing off with her brain still confused about this whole solid ground concept.

See you in a week. (また来週。)

As is implied by my title, I am going on vacation, off to enjoy the bounty of nature and escape from the confines of the internet for a week.

Needless to say, I won't be able to post--last time I checked, the wilderness doesn't have Wi-Fi.

And thus, I will put up a warning borrowed from this lovely blog:

See you in a week!

(For those interested, I'm not even here now; this, my friends is a post from the past! Made the post Sunday afternoon, scheduled it, then left early Monday morning! And here you thought time travel was impossible. But that's just me, proving science wrong with the internet, one blog post at a time.)

This is Edo, signing off while packing up her ridiculous collection of sunscreens and rash guards.

Who needs a topic. (トピックなんて要らない。)

Before we move on to the exciting topic of today's post, there is absolutely thrilling news to be told!

I now have a job. An honest-to-goodness job.

That's right, you heard me! I'm good for something besides snarky commentary and witticisms after all!

In the middle of August, I will be shipping off to beautiful Mie, to begin my life in Japan.

This blog's contents (and possibly title... Mie certainly isn't Kyoto, ah ha) may adjust appropriately.

...don't all start protesting at once.

Anyway.

I think we'll have something of a mish-mosh post today, simply because I'm in a random sort of mood.

(...what's that? No planned topic, and thus I'm winging it? Don't be absurd.)

First of all, let's get back to those cell-phone e-mail ideas, shall we? Mock me if you will, but this is an important decision, one that could possibly affect me for years to come!

... I suppose picking a provider first is more important, but that's making my head hurt at the moment.

Anyway.

I will preface this with saying that I am just throwing out ideas here, formatting and punctuation withheld. Partially because I don't want to encourage internet stalking (ha ha, fat chance) and partially because... well, that would require more thinking on my part, wouldn't it?

1) sabaku no ko (砂漠の子, child of the desert)

This one should be fairly self-explanatory. I am a child of the desert, and that fact has a big impact on my life--namely, once it hits 70 degrees Fahrenheit, I start whining.

People are often intrigued when I say I am from the desert (in Japan, anyway), not to mention I do maintain some degree of pride for my homeland (though admittedly not its politics), and thus it is a very strong contender at the moment.

Even if it does sound a bit... girly. "ko" or 子 tends to be an ending for girls' names, and though that doesn't quite apply here... eh...

2) sabotendaa (the Japanese name for Cactuar)

(Yes, "saboten"  or サボテン is the Japanese word for cactus. I think that was a marvelous bit of localization, personally.)

...I'm a video game nerd who was born and raised, as mentioned, in the desert. You had to see something like this coming. In fact, my e-mail while I was studying in Kyoto was theworldendswithme... dorky, yes, but I thought it was terribly, terribly clever.

I never could just tell Japanese friends my address though... always had to infrared it. Hm. If only I could have come up with a clever, self-serving pun based on 素晴らしきこの世界...

3) cactuaa (a mash up of Sabotendaa and Cactuar, or simply how Cactuar would wind up being pronounced in Japanese)

Again, self-explanatory. Again, dorky. Again... I kinda like it.

Doesn't look very nice though, does it?

4) kansai gaijin (a foreigner from the Kansai region)

Sort of surreal, don't you think? I'm a gaijin who speaks Kansai-ben; that in itself trips a lot of people out.

But does it mean that I am a foreigner in the Kansai region, a foreigner FROM the Kansai region, or just some dork who decided to combine two words randomly?

...admittedly, I probably don't want the word "gaijin" in my e-mail address. Sends a bad message, you know? 

5) kansai jin (person from Kansai; Kansai-ite)

Better. Less derogatory towards my person (yes, kiddies; gaijin is, in fact, a rude word.) It might get me some looks, though... but since when has that bothered me?

6) inconvenient ideal (My favorite Dir song of late)

Nice, but possibly a bit of a mouthful. Might be an excellent way of finding closet Dir fans, though...

Ah, that's enough for now; my ability to create short bursts of wittiness can only last so long, after all. Have to shut down the program and reboot. Might take some time.

...Long-winded wittiness, on the other hand....

Or I could just share some more music. I could do that.



The sound quality isn't that great on this one, but... well. It's Atsushi. I could watch that man if he was gyrating slowly in dead silence.

This is just one of the songs that's been playing in my head lately... it may be trite, but I particualrly like the line:

この空は広すぎる           This sky is too broad...

I'm open to interpretation; mine changes depending on my mood.

... I do seem rather static with my tastes lately, don't I?

Well then, how about something completely different:



Never let it be said that I bore you with monotony, dear readers.

This is Edo, signing off marveling at how beautiful the world looks when you have a job...

International tastes. (国際的な味。)

Encouraged by popular demand (aka two comments from one person), I am continuing our non-cell-phone theme with another installment of everyone's favorite culinary series, Cooking with Edo!

(Yes, "non-cell-phone" is a perfectly valid and legitimate theme. So what if it's a little broad? It's certainly accurate.)

Today, as may be surmised by my clever title, we will not be discussing Japanese cuisine so much as Hawaiian-Japanese cuisine. But variety is the spice of life, eh?

...what's that? Japan blog, you say? It still relates! It's not as though I'm discussing the finer points pure Hawaiian cookery; I'm not telling you how to make poi or anything. No, no, as this recipe incorporates white sticky  rice, のり, 味醂 and 醤油, I'd say it fits quite nicely into my blog's overarching constructs.

The fact that I really, really like it doesn't hurt, either.

(Quick glossary:
のり (nori)- seaweed; that green stuff that is typically on the outside of sushi rolls
味醂 (mirin)- a sweet type of sake that is used in cooking; usually labeled as "sweet rice wine" or "cooking rice wine"
醤油 (shouyu)- soy sauce)

... I suppose I should actually get to the recipe.

Spam Musubi

(This is actually not a picture of my most recent batch, but... well... let's just say this last time I wasn't quite quick enough with the camera.)

Yes, yes, I know I said the word dreaded by epicureans everywhere (spam), but please, hear me out! You have no conception of the glorious experience you are denying your taste buds!

...not convinced, you say? Well, don't blame me when your friends are raving about this marvelous recipe, and you're feeling left out because you weren't brave enough to try a just little bit of processed meat.

Think of it as an adventure.

Now, let me preface this by saying that I learned the "recipe" from one of my Japanese professors (who is herself from Hawaii) during a dinner party, and thus I have never really had anything written down. It's very much a "play-it-by-taste" recipe, so you should probably be comfortable with that style of cooking before you attempt this.

But hey, who am I to warn away the go-getters? Have at it, kids.

You will need:

Software
  Sticky Rice (~3 Cups)
  Water (Amount depends on what your rice cooker says to do with that much rice.)
  Spam (One can; I use the regular stuff, but you can feel free to try it with the low-fat or turkey varieties.)
  Nori (Five sheets halved to fit your sushi mold; eyeball it.)
  Mirin (to taste)
  Shouyu (to taste)

Hardware
   Rice Cooker (or pot if you prefer)
   Non-stick Saute Pan
   Sushi Mold (looks like this)
   Plastic Wrap
   2 Shallow Bowls
   A Plate

... so I used the Alton Brown terminology. Alton Brown is a great man who makes being a loquacious geek cool! He teaches me fascinating things about food, and isn't afraid to be a weirdo on national television! Using his terminology is merely one way in which I can demonstrate my...

Er... right.

Anyway. Begin by cooking your rice, since you can do the other prep work in the down-time that rice cooking generally creates. Follow the instructions on your rice cooker, or follow this recipe for stove-top cooking (sorry guys, I rely on my crummy little rice cooker and therefore have nary a clue when it comes to rice on the stove.) After you have it started, it's time to begin with the spam.

Oh, quit your whining, it's good stuff.

Take the spam out of the can, and slice it up vertically (or rather, lay it down on its side and slice that way, so the slices are long and thin rather than short and stubby.) If my slicing instructions have left you in the dark, use your sushi mold as a guide--these things are sometimes called spam musubi molds for a reason, after all--and cut the spam so that one slice will fit inside the bottom of the mold nicely. You'll see why in a bit. I usually get between ten and eleven slices out of one can of spam, depending on how thick I'm cutting that day. You can go for less if you like your spam thick, but I've found that the flavor ratio turns out best with the ten-eleven slice thickness.

Have your pan on the stove, ready to go, but not yet over heat. It doesn't have to be non-stick, but trust me, it makes things a lot easier (yes, I have done it both ways; I speak from experience here.) Place your spam (theoretically still on the cutting board) to one side, and one of your shallow bowls between the spam and the pan. Break out the shouyu and mirin, and combine to taste. You're going to be marinating the spam in this mixture, so keep that in mind as you're tasting it. I prefer it on the salty side, and thus tend to add more shouyu than mirin. Don't be too heavy handed with either, though, or you're going to be dumping a lot of liquid at the end. Unless, of course, you've discovered some ingenious use for a slightly spammy shouyu-mirin mixture that you'd care to share...?

(My professor originally said that you should add sugar to this mix, but I see no need to whatsoever. Then again, I am not the biggest fan of sweet things, especially when combined with savory ingredients like spam.  Should you feel that your marinade is missing something, remember that sugar is an option and feel free to incorporate it.)

Once your marinade is ready, dunk a piece of spam in, coating both sides liberally, and then place it in the pan. Continue until the pan is full (but not crowded!) and turn on the heat to a good medium. You shouldn't need any lubrication for the pan, since spam is so very fatty on its own--and we're using non-stick, remember!

Now, this is where it gets tricky--depending on the size of your pan and how many slices of spam you have to fry up, you're going to need some fast handwork here. Flip your cooking spam a few times, just to brown it up on both sides (it's already cooked, remember.) When it is sufficiently darkened for your tastes, remove it to a plate nearby. The idea is to constantly have a full load of spam in the pan, but if you're uncomfortable with this kind of hustle, don't worry about it and take your time; it's not like the spam has anywhere else to be, after all.

Continue with the dunk-then-fry method until all of the spam has been browned sufficiently. Cover the fried spam plate with aluminum foil to keep the meat warm until you're ready to work with it.

While you're waiting for the rice (as I presume you still will be at this point), begin setting up your assembly station. Take a piece of nori ( already torn, of course; you remembered that step, right?) and lay it on the counter (or cutting board if you so choose.) Place the bottom half of your sushi mold over the nori; the nori should stick out significantly past the long sides of the mold, but meet up fairly evenly with the short sides:

Aren't my MSPaint skills impressive? (No, it's probably not quite to scale; quit being so picky.)

(Note- You don't necessarily need a sushi mold to make this dish; it just makes things neat, compact, and the proper shape. I'm sure, however, that free-form musubi taste just as nice as their molded brethren, and would love to hear from you if you try this method out.)

Fill your second small bowl with cold water, and dunk the top of your sushi mold in it to prevent it from sticking to the rice.

Once your rice is actually done (and you've waited the appropriate amount of time for the excess water to evaporate!) load a small scoop into your mold. (Unfortunately, I can't tell you exactly how much; it really depends on your tastes and how much rice is left in the bowl.) Place a slice of spam on top, and then another scoop of rice on top of that. Press the whole thing down with the top of your sushi mold, and while pressing down, pull the bottom of the mold up and off (so as to free your musubi.) You can do this without holding down on the top if you'd like, but this way is much easier. After you've removed the bottom half of the mold, peel the top away from the rice; if you dunked it like I said, it shouldn't stick too horribly. If it does, just jiggle it a bit, doing your best not to knock over your little tower of goodness.

Now, fold the nori over the spam and rice package, one side over the other. A three-way fold, I believe it's called. You know, like you're folding up a letter to stick inside of an envelope. Only the letter is rice, spam and nori, and the envelope is your mouth.

Well, I thought it was a good simile anyway.

Make sure that the nori is sticking to the rice (or itself) all the way around; no one likes loose ends. Flip the musubi seam-side down onto a plate for safe-keeping while you make the others.

Repeat, repeat, repeat. It is a little time consuming, I'll admit.

Once sealed up that last bit of nori... congratulations! You are the proud creator of a good handful of spam musubi! Take advantage of this well-earned moment of rest and scarf one down.

Delicious, am I right? And you doubted me!

Now, if you wrap these individually in plastic wrap, they will keep in the refrigerator for at least a few days. (I say "at least" because I've never let them last any longer than that myself.) Just heat them up in the microwave for about a minute, and they'll taste just dandy. Excellent on-the-go food, in my opinion.

Be fore-warned, though; microwaving your leftover musubi does tend to spread the smell of spam and nori about the house, which apparently some people are not very fond of (weirdos.) Heck, the original frying of the spam also spreads odors about, so if you have some vociferous spam-haters in the home, you might want to try making this somewhere else.

Well, I hope that I have convinced you to try something new and exciting, or at least to pass this recipe on to your friends so you can watch them try something new and exciting that you wouldn't personally touch with a ten foot pole.

Never let it be said that I did not attempt to expand your horizons.

This is Edo, signing off while wondering if maybe spam is just as difficult to swallow as the hair metal...

It's all very scientific. (めっちゃ科学的なもんや。)

We're taking a break from cell phone talk for the moment, simply because I figure that spamming my readers with pictures of pretty phones while I ramble incessantly about nonsense isn't really helping anybody. We will continue when either I (a) obtain some relevant information about the plans available or (b) come up with some decent e-mails I need to decide between. 

And hey, dramas! Dramas are better than random music groups that may or may not appeal to the masses, yes?

...admittedly, this may be a little dated, but hey. I like what I like.

Also, date does not determine quality; we all know this. Why else would hair metal be so popular?

...ok, bad example.

And this isn't nearly so dated as hair metal.

Really, in those terms, it's brand new!

ガリレオ (Galileo)

Let me start by saying that this is pretty much my favorite drama ever. Yes, ごくせん (Gokusen) is amusing, and 月の恋人 (Tsuki no Koibito, Moon Lovers) is lovely and has Kimutaku, but this... this is a drama I can go back and watch again. And again.

Even though it's basically a crime-detective-mystery type show, which really shouldn't be interesting after you know how it ends.

The series ran from October 2007 to December 2007 (yes, dramas are usually only one season, and very short-lived, but oftentimes the better for it), so I only ever saw the commercials for it while in Japan the first time, studying in Hokkaido. Which, really, is probably better for me, because there's no way I could have watched this without subtitles at that level and understood anything. (Heck, there's so much scientific/police jargon that I wonder if I could even do it now...)

According to the rather bare-bones synopsis presented by DramaWiki,

In "Galileo," Fukuyama Masaharu plays a genius physicist and university associate professor, Yukawa Manabu, who solves difficult mysteries. Affectionately known as Tantei Galileo ("Detective Galileo"), Yukawa is brilliant, an all-round sportsman, tall and handsome but eccentric. Yukawa's partner is a rookie cop, Utsumi Kaoru (Shibasaki Kou), a hot-blooded woman with a strong sense of justice.

Well, sort of. If anything, Manabu is sort of Utsumi's sidekick, as she is the one who really pursues these oddball cases, and asks for his scientific guidance. Just because 福山雅治 (Fukuyama Masaharu, heartthrob extraordinaire) is pretty, it doesn't mean he should be able to bump aside the other star of the series here.

... what's that you say? Verification of heartthrob status? Oh come on now, this isn't that type of blog! We aren't here simply to ogle the pretty faces in Japanese entertainment! This is...

...what's that? Kimutaku? Well, that's different. That's.... well...

Oh, fine.

There, you happy?

...no?

There's just no pleasing some people.

Ok, but that's it! Any more, and we're touching on dangerous ground.

ANYWAY.

In basic terms, this is a detective show: Utsumi is assigned either assigned unsolvable cases, or picks up on random unsolvable cases that the rest of her department thinks are lost causes. When she gets stumped, she bounces ideas off of Manabu, or "変人ガリレオ" (the weirdo Galileo) a fairly asocial physics professor who was classmates with her senpai (senior), who has just transferred to another division, but not before imparting that, hey, I know this super-smart Manabu guy...

...That was sort of a run-on sentence.

Anyway, the series is fairly episodic (which I, personally, quite like), with a new case every episode (except for the two-part finale.) Most everything gets solved through scientific reasoning, which culminates in Manabu going into his "zone" and scribbling physics equations over whatever surface happens to be nearby. I'm not quite sure what is meant to be accomplished by this, as it usually seems that he is "logic-ing" and not calculating the problems through, but one hypothesis (mine) is that it's simply a displacement activity to help him think.

But let's not get too deep into things before you watch it!

Although I do a rather shoddy job of advertising, I cannot recommend this series highly enough. Very well done, and the actors are quite impressive.

Not to mention the fact that it won all of these awards:

13th Asian Television Awards: Best Drama Series
55th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Drama
55th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Actor - Fukuyama Masaharu
55th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress - Shibasaki Kou
55th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Script - Fukuda Yasushi
55th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Director
55th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Theme Song

(Aw, man, she even won Best Supporting Actress... I guess you just can't overshadow the eponymous character.)

Definitely worth a watch at least once through, and if you can get to the special "Episode 00" (which is good) and the movie (which I haven't watched yet...oops), all the better.

And Jonouchi, the medical examiner, is totally my favorite character. Brash, intelligent, good at her job, and not at all squeamish (which is often played to comic effect.) What is it about examining dead bodies on television that makes you such a nifty character?

(Oh, and did anyone get the pun in Manabu's name? Would it help if I told you it was written 「学」? Ok, so it's cheesy, but that doesn't make it any less clever.)

In a final note, apparently the drama was based upon a novel series by Higashino Keigo, who was awarded the Naoki Prize in 2005. I am definitely going to have to check that out.

This is Edo, signing off whilst thinking scientific thoughts.

A very important decision, part 2. (めっちゃ大切な決定や、パートツー。)

What, you thought I was kidding when I said I wold continue with the cell phone theme? Surely you jest. I am nothing if not serious and trustworthy on this blog.

...I see you snickering. Stop that this instant.

Before we move on to cell phones, however, just a quick blog update to keep everyone on the same page.

Due to my obsessive compulsive, slightly anal personality, I felt the need to ascertain just how many people were actually reading this, my new-found hobby and eater of a small yet significant portion of my free time.

So, I went and got myself a Google Analytics account.

(Does google just not supply everything these days? Those people are geniuses. No wonder they can afford to treat their employees so very nicely.)

So now I have something of a grasp on who is reading my blog.

I say something because, quite honestly, for all the information it gives me, I still don't know much of anything.

Because, you know, none of you comment.

Ahem.

But anyway, hola to my readers in Spain, and こんにちは to my readers in Osaka, Kyoto and Saitama (日本語で書いた方がいいかな？どうしよう、うち？教えてちょうだい.) And according again to google, "halo" should be the appropriate greeting in Malay, but as always, feel free to correct me. I admit up front that I speak not a word of Malay.

Talk about a digression.

Now, back to the topic at hand: cell phones in Japan. Ah, what a lovely ring that has to it. (Har har, "ring." I am just so clever.)

I did a little bit of research yesterday, and it appears that either AU nor Softbank has amazing coverage when it comes to the 田舎 (inaka, boonies). I don't recall, however, ever having problems with AU (even when I lived in Hakodate), and already mentioned the fact that my friend with Softbank had no problems even while cruising through the backwaters of Wakayama and Mie, so really, I wonder how accurate those service area maps are. Or, rather, I wonder how many of those "no service" white areas are actually impassable and therefore completely moot points. Japan is, after all, mostly mountain, and therefore mostly not somewhere you're going to be living.

What, you didn't know that? Oh come on now. Allow me/Wikipedia to educate you just a smidge:

About 70% to 80% of the country is forested, mountainous, and unsuitable for agricultural, industrial, or residential use. This is because of the generally steep elevations, climate and risk of landslides caused by earthquakes, soft ground and heavy rain. This has resulted in an extremely high population density in the habitable zones that are mainly located in coastal areas. Japan is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.

There, you see? So really, most of those white areas could be, as I said, absolutely moot and entirely misleading when looked at by a foreigner such as myself who is unfamiliar with the landscape.

(Just in case you'd care to prove me wrong, or offer some helpful insight, here is the map for AU, and here is the map for Softbank. Yes, unless someone gives me a very, very good reason otherwise, I've eliminated Docomo from the running, simply because (a) I have no personal experience with them at all and (b) their phones are ugly.)

At this point, unless someone in the vicinity where I wind up living tells me that one of these two plans has absolutely horrible reception in that area, I think it's going to come down to who gives me more packets (which take care of e-mails and internet usage) for less money. And yes, because I am raven-like that way... a pretty phone earns the company extra points.

Like the Sony Ericsson Bravia phones. Unfortunately, however, I don't like the outside screen on this one. Too small, difficult to read. If there's one thing besides e-mailing that I want my phone to do, it is definitely "be a second watch." Or first, as the case may be; I do forget to put mine on more often than I would like.

The Toshiba T003 is also rather nice, but unfortunately I cannot tell whether or not the outside is hiding some sort of slick, secretive display... or whether it does not, in fact, have one. If the latter is the case, well. What good is a phone if you have to open it to see the time?

...yes, I realize how silly that sounds once I write it down, but... well, it's true.

The SHARP SH005 is also interesting, not to mention available in a wide array of colors.

And just check out Sony Ericsson's Urbano Barone. Now, if that doesn't scream professional, I just don't know what does. (I admit, I am a bit partial to Sony because my beautiful phone is one of theirs.)

I really like the new Hitachi Beskey as well, but cannot find a  picture to show you; you're just going to have to go to the actual AU site and see for yourself.

The Softbank Premium 942SH is sort of nice, though this is the old version (Winter/Spring) and may very well be off the shelves by the time I'm in the market. However, it does have a nice outside display (though not visible here), and is nice and simple, without any ugly bumps or dips on the cover. I like smooth and sleek.

I would get the black one, of course; unfortunately, Google Images is not my friend today.

You know, it's funny... Softbank is supposed to be the most gaijin-friendly phone service, and yet I can't for the life of me find the spec page that tells me whether or not their phones are bilingual capable or not. Perhaps I would have better luck if I looked on their English site (which is indeed far better than either the AU or Docomo English sites)... Ah, yes, they put it right on the top. Selective information for selective audiences, I suppose. They also display more of the older models... Interesting. I wonder if perhaps I just wasn't looking at the right spot on the Japanese site.

... I do tend to wander off on my own tangents, don't I?

Now, I know I said that we would be discussing e-mail addresses today, but... frankly, I haven't come up with enough possibilities to really make a good discussion yet, so that post will just have to wait.

This is Edo, signing off already imagining the solid feel of a well-made Japanese phone in her hands once more.