Thursday October 6, 6:27 p.m.

Unlike the wet and cold of yesterday, today was a gloriously sunny and warm day....just the perfect weather for me to meet up with The Anime Chamberlain for lunch in Akihabara and then off to The Gundam Cafe.
Yep, you heard me...this place that had garnered some major lineups was now much more accessible since the buzz has worn off the place. Neither of us are major fans of this classic anime but since we were in the neighbourhood, we decided to give it a go for the atmosphere and tea.

Just to prove that we actually went inside, here is the picture of my iced milk tea with The Gundam Cafe logo on the side. The menu is pretty much on family restaurant level...hamburg steak and pasta for the most part, although they're shaped into Gundam-like objects.

Of course, being a theme cafe, there has to be a gaggle of Gundams in the display case.

Oooops....I guess they were going into warp.

Now, what has stolen all the thunder from The Gundam Cafe? Well, just next door, the AKB 48 Cafe and Souvenir Shop opened last week right beside it. I guess for some mysterious reason, young cute girls trump giant robots every time. And I gather that it must've been a very light work week judging by the number of businessmen lining up outside. That line uttered by a disgusted William Shatner from that classic "Saturday Night Live" sketch on "Star Trek" comes to mind.

Of course, Akiba means weird vending machines. And this is one we found on one of the side streets.

There is actually iced coffee sold in this one which is pretty normal. However, I did come across a can of tan tan men....or noodles with spicy meat topping. For those who feel that Dr. Pepper just isn't spicy enough.

Then, of course, there are the cans of Hakata-style ramen...with extra pork fat. Mmmmm....something Homer Simpson would just love. Mind you, 300 yen has to be shucked out. But then again, a similar bowl of ramen would cost at least twice as much.

I came across this sign for The Granvania Maid and Cosplay Cafe/Bar near JR Akiba Station. I guess "getting medieval on your ass" takes on special meaning here.

Thursday October 6, 5:50 p.m.

I'd heard about Steve Jobs' passing about 10 minutes after the initial announcement had been made on CNN...around 9 a.m. this morning. Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta were in gravitas mode as they talked about the life and legacy of the 21st-century's Thomas Edison.

I think all of us knew that the end was near for Jobs; still, when I turned on the news, an "Oh!" instinctively emanated from me once I saw the BREAKING NEWS flash. The media must've gotten wind that Jobs was ready to pass into history since CNN already had a tribute montage set to music already prepped to go.

I haven't owned an Apple product in almost 20 years...I'd bought an Apple IIsi after returning to Canada from my stint on the JET Programme back in 1991. And I think that was when Jobs had been sent into the cold...well, over to Pixar anyways. Obviously since then, he not only returned to the fold with Apple, but he came out in relatively short succession, three of the biggest consumer computer gamechangers: the iPod, iPhone and the iPad. I may not own any of these...yet...but pretty much everyone else has at least one of these products or knows someone who does. And way back when, there were those cute candy-colored iMacs as well.

Steve Jobs was one of those rare people who not only had a genius-level intellect when it came to computers but he was a master marketer. Since I teach Presentation English occasionally to the local business people here, Jobs would be a person that I would heartily recommend for my students to take a look at via YouTube. He combined planning and passion with a light sense of humour in his presentations...the ideal recipe for an excellent presentation.

I think over the next few days will see a torrent of tributes coming in for him. But I also expect that there will be some small bricks thrown at him as well. A chief executive on his level of fame makes enemies, and I've heard that he didn't suffer fools gladly.

Wednesday October 5, 5:34 p.m.

The rain is coming down pretty steadily right now, so I think this would be a good segue into "Grey Skies". As some of you may know, I've been getting into the oeuvre of Taeko Onuki, a singer of New Music for nearly 40 years. Over the past several days, I've been listening to some new discs of hers that I've purchased.

The one on the left is her 1976 "Grey Skies", her first solo album after splitting up with just-as-legendary singer Tatsuro Yamashita from their unit, Sugar Babe. The album boasts not only a fairly iconic cover as kayo kyoku albums go (Onuki usually doesn't smile a whole lot on her albums) but it has her singing a nice mix of City Pop tunes and folk ballads. Yamashita's characteristic happy-go-lucky West Coast sound is very apparent on some of his arrangements. At the time, she was only about 23 years old, so there is a bit of rawness in her vocals as contrasted with the light and smooth assuredness of her 80s stuff...very appealing.

The middle album is "Mignonne"...which begins her phase of French-titled LPs in 1978. This album is notable in that it was red-flagged as being, arguably, Onuki's weakest release. Even the singer herself castigates it in the liner notes. In it, she talks about how difficult it was to work with her producer, who had been one of her harshest critics in previous years and then became her boss. She fully admits that it was not easy for her and that she ended up hating the business of music and lost any confidence in her abilities. For a Japanese singer to say this in her own liner notes can only hint at some of the hell that she must've gone through. As it is, despite the fact that no hits came out of the album at the time, there are a few tunes such as "Yokogao" (Profile) and "Umi to Shonen" (The Ocean and the Boys) that have become standards. I certainly didn't have too much of a problem listening to it, although I could see that "Mignonne" sounded a bit uncertain on her part...and it seemed like she was trying to transition into something else...albeit reluctantly.

She kinda deserted her career for a period of several months (apparently she was doing backup vocals for some of her contemporaries while writing for other singers) until 1980 when she came out with "Romantique". In a way, this was a rebirth of sorts for her. As "Grey Skies" was to her City Pop era, "Romantique" was the beginning of Onuki's foray into more interesting and more adventurous European pop idioms. "Mignonne" may have been the first of her "French" titles, but this release was really her re-introduction. I've already listened to it twice and she definitely re-invented herself with a vengeance. Perhaps with the exception of the very last track which is a self-cover from that Sugar Babe album, she dabbled with European styles and one song struck me as an attempt to pay homage to Blondie...which didn't quite succeed. As has been the case with her previous albums, her contemporary, Oscar-winning composer and one-third of YMO, Ryuichi Sakamoto, was there with the arrangements. And the first track on the album, "CARNAVAL", which has gone on to become a perennial entry on her Best albums, was a gutsy choice for her to start her rejuvenated career. It is the only overtly technopop song in the album but of course that was a huge departure for her stylistically after the City Pop that had come before. Reading the Japanese Wiki entry on the song itself, Onuki mentioned that despite her need to re-invent herself, she didn't want this tune to end up being a Yellow Magic Orchestra song since she wanted to ensure that every song of hers was a definite Taeko Onuki original. With Sakamoto arranging her composition and the other two members of YMO, Harry Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, handling the instruments, that would've been a tall order by her. But actually, all four of them pulled it off. "CARNAVAL" has the synths backing her up but it doesn't come off as a YMO hit like "Firecracker" or "Rydeen". Although Onuki would probably want it to be known as her own tune, I'd say that the lead track is a smooth hybrid of hers and the band's. "Romantique" was the launch of the new 80s Taeko Onuki.

Wednesday October 5, 12:46 p.m.
Was going through the photos that I'd taken while I was taking The Anime Chamberlain and my two other Canuck friends through Shibuya on Saturday. And I came across one of the urban institutions of this great city: the costumed commercial campaign guy.
I see them from time to time in the big commercial and pop culture centres such as Shibuya and Akihabara...young folks who need a part-time job putting on costumes such as a giant Pikachu or in this case a vitamin drink bottle to make a bit of yen.


This specific fellow was standing in front of the Tokyu Hands household goods flagship store. I always tell folks who come here...if you want some nifty souvenirs that don't look tacky and may even be useful in the home, go to this place.
The one difference between being a costumed commercial campaign guy here and being one over in North America is that being one in Japan doesn't necessarily entail the risks of being beaten into a pulp by a gang of youths.




This is what the guy was hawking: a vitamin drink imbibed before heading to that big drinking party or feast. It has the power of Ukon...some sort of root with restorative powers. With the bonenkai season around the corner, these drinks will come in especially handy.

It's been the coldest day so far this Fall. It's been amazing how quickly we've gone from blistering heat a couple of weeks ago to needing the blankets in the past couple of days. It's only heading up to 17 C in The Big Sushi, which practically means time to sip the hot cocoa and wrap those scarves in this country.

Yesterday, I just had my cafe lessons. Because the Tobu Community Centre is too full, I had to meet The Beehive ladies (it was just Alp and Jade) at Cafe Nard in Funabashi. We kinda went over old times, including that very first day I'd met them back in September 1998. Yep, that's right...anyone born in that month is now attending junior high school. That sound I hear is my joints cracking in age. Then a few hours later, it was The Godfather at the Mosburger near Monzen-Nakacho Station on the Tozai Line. He's still existentially trying to rid himself of the effects of that con artist who had swindled him and his partners back in the summer through talking it out. But we also touched upon "The Godfather" and Al Pacino's "Scarface". I should actually get his feelings about "Goodfellas".

Over the past few days via Facebook, Skippy and I have been negotiating about a meet. And sure enough, she's confirmed that she, me and our other friend from the ol' school, The Wedding Planner, will be hitting that Rabbit Cafe on the 16th before we all get into the lineup for the Tokyo branch of "Eggs N' Things". I think as long as the restaurant isn't serving Welsh Rabbit, we should be fine. Of course, I don't think MB or The Satyr will attend. However, Mrs. Speedy looked absolutely excited when I'd relayed my plans to her and her husband. The bossman himself looked more bemused than anything else.

Looks like there's an AKB after all in the United States. But this would be "Amanda Knox Be Free". There hasn't been all that much coverage here in Japan (something about a Rock-Paper-Scissors competition with AKB 48 that's been hogging the news) but both CNN and BBC even got the return of the young lady and her family to Seattle live this morning. All I can say is that there will probably be some sort of Hollywood treatment sometime in the next few years. The title will probably be the Italian word for vindicated followed by "The Amanda Knox Story".

And it looks like my countdown has begun. The gun has been fired. I got my ticket for home via Air Canada yesterday. And so Operation: Exodus has started in earnest.

Monday October 3, 8:25 p.m.

Bright lights, big city. Of course, I took my guests from the calm of Meiji-Jingu to the Teen Mecca of Shibuya. As is usually the case on a Saturday, Shibuya was packed to the gills.


My childhood friend was looking for any "Space Cruiser Yamato" DVD so at The Anime Chamberlain's suggestion, we took a dip into the Mandarake manga-and-anime store. This is the entrance here. As it turned out, we didn't have any luck although I suspect The Chamberlain chose this place so that he could do some window shopping of his own. My friend did better at the nearby Book Off discount book/CD/DVD shop where he managed to buy that anime sequel of Yamato done back in 2009.

I didn't intend to have the lens focus on that rather pensive young lady. Just took the shot and there she was. But she was probably the only one who was standing still. The area around Hachiko is forever a fluid mass of humanity on the weekends. People looking for people...cellphones are a definite must here.

The main crossing in front of Shibuya Station. If you want to know how crowded an intersection can be, come to this area on a Friday/Saturday or even a Sunday afternoon or night. It is a tribute to the Japanese sense of patience that there have been no knife fights to the death amongst the pedestrians trying to negotiate this area within the one minute given to cross this expanse.

Monday October 3, 6:44 p.m.

Continuing from last entry, the next stop after the madhouse that was Harajuku was a much more tranquil walk through Meiji-Jingu...ironically just across the street. After seeing all sorts of quasi-human figures and bizarre boutiques, ambling down the pebbly path into one of the rare large parks in Tokyo was quite refreshing.



Here's the de rigueur well allowing for folks to refresh themselves with a dipper of water for their hands and mouth.

And there were quite a few wedding ceremonies taking place. All of them were in the Shinto style...the bride and groom in traditional dress while the rest of the party was in formal Western wear. The bride here looked quite serene but she was probably gleefully chortling inside at being a celeb for a day. There were a lot of tourists more than willing to act the paparazzi.

Monday October 3, 3:00 p.m.
After downing a ton of fish and rice, the four of us then turned the corner from tony Omotesando and went into kiddie Harajuku. Tons of kids on a Saturday. We even came across the official AKB 48 store...people need a reservation to enter the establishment. I guess the staffers have to keep the pedophiles in a straight line.

Since out of us four Canadians, there was just one person who actually looked gaijin (that would be my friend's wife), she was able to get away with getting a Harajuku Girl to pose for the camera. Yes, that is a live human being, and not a mannequin.

Again, not a mannequin but a live young man hawking at the top of his lungs for some sort of sale. Hmm...he could even audition for a glam rock band.

Of course, what would Harajuku be if it didn't have a store for frilly dresses? Essential for any cosplay party!

Did I say there were tons of kiddies?

This was a relatively less crowded section in what was otherwise a typically jam-packed Takeshita Dori on a Saturday.

Monday October 3, 2:48 p.m.
As promised, I met up with my old childhood friend and his wife at the Grand Palace Hotel in Kudanshita on Saturday. Surprisingly, The Anime Chamberlain also showed up on time as well.

Our first stop was at a famed kaiten sushi restaurant in fancy Omotesando. Since we got in around lunchtime, it was fairly packed but we only had to wait less than 5 minutes before getting seats.



Probably one of the few times I'll ever show a friend of mine on this blog; it's the jowls of The Anime Chamberlain waiting to snap up the next plate of goodies from the conveyor belt.

Yup, the place even serves plates of fried chicken and fries. Believe me, nothing to write home (or Kentucky) about.

The plates of sushi just keep going round and round....just like life.

And there's even dessert and juice for those folks with a sweet tooth. The fellow behind the belt was our main server. He wasn't exactly the most outgoing of fellows but at least he wasn't as surly as those jackass ganko ojisan who operate some of these ramen or sushi restaurants. I would probably place him somewhere close to a TTC employee in friendliness.

And saving the best for last, this is a 650 yen plate of assorted sushi...not too bad a price for a plate of glistening maguro, toro and minced toro. Managed to down 9 more of these plates of varying prices before crying "Uncle!" I did the gallant thing and treated everyone to lunch. Came out to a grand total of 9,875 yen.

Monday October 3, 2:41 p.m.
As I did mention in my last entry on Saturday morning, I did hit the Burger King in Roppongi on Friday to check out the Japanese debut of the XT Steakhouse Burger.



This is the 150-gram relative monstrosity that ended up slamming on my table. All those cholesterolphobes can now faint.

Took out a bite. Yep, it's pretty thick along with a good slab of onion and cheese. Pretty juicy, too. OK, she's a keeper!

Saturday October 1, 9:45 a.m.

A bit overcast but the temps won't be too bad...around 25 C today. I'm about to head off to the Grand Palace Hotel to pick up my friend and his wife. The Anime Chamberlain called up this morning to see what we were up to. His sardonic sense of humour is still very much in operation.

Swank was in better form yesterday compared to her jet-lagged self a few weeks back. After her lesson, I actually made the short hop to Roppongi where I knew there was a Burger King to try the new XT Steakhouse Burger. Yep, it's a thick, juicy sucker (yep, I know I'm treading on the R-18 borderline with that expression) but the BBQ sauce didn't have much zip; in fact, I was more reminded of shio tare.

My former juku boss also left a message asking whether I would be able to meet her and my possible replacement on Monday night. Although I'm on a much lighter schedule these days, Monday nights happen to be the busiest night of the week for me so I had to decline and instead suggested Tuesday.

Anyways, it's almost time for me to head on out.

Thursday September 29, 5:06 p.m.

Had that lesson with that rather perky nurse who just started. Nope, it's not The Bossa Novan who I'm starting to suspect has flown the coop. When a student suddenly cancels her final lesson on her contract with only a few minutes to spare, and leaves neither a reason nor a time that she'll have her next lesson...well, the writing is on the wall. I don't think this was the reason behind her probable departure but I kinda noticed that she didn't really give too much effort to any homework she was assigned.

Anyways, this nurse looks like she'll be staying at least for a while. The Kimono Nurse gave us the go-sign to renew, and it certainly looks like she's been enjoying the lesson. She's got the funny bone for my sense of humour, and though that has meant that the sidetracking has gotten a bit thick, we're throwing out the English and that's the name of the game, isn't it?

For the past few hours, I've just been concocting another Eiken 1 exercise for Swank's lesson tomorrow and then having some conbini dinner. I haven't seen Swank for a few weeks due to a cancellation on her part and the holiday Friday last week. Also, Burger King Japan will be debuting its BK Steakhouse superburger tomorrow which I will try and seek, but I'm not sure if there's a branch in Shibuya where I'll be heading after Swank's lesson. I'm planning to hit Tower Records since I'll be buying a few discs on their Tower Re-card plan.

I've got a fairly busy Saturday coming up since my childhood friend and his wife will be visiting the capital from tomorrow. They'll be staying at the Grand Palace Hotel just across from The Imperial Palace. And I heard that The Anime Chamberlain will be stopping by sometime in the next few weeks perhaps.

Skippy apparently visited some sort of Rabbit Cafe. Yep, you heard me....Tokyo has become the home of various specialty cafes over the years. Of course, you know about the Maid Cafes and the Butler Cafes. Now, animal cafes are coming into vogue. Skippy always tries out these places. She went to a Cat Cafe several days ago, and then over the past weekend, she visited a Rabbit Cafe in which for a small charge of 500 yen for 30 minutes, you can have your coffee while enjoying the company of a Fluffy. I told her that I'd be interested in joining her just for the novelty.

I guess the first of my farewell parties has been officially organized. One of the Teahouse Ladies has set up the party at a Singaporean all-you-can-eat restaurant in Yurakucho. Never a bad choice. And on my birthday, too.

Thursday September 29, 12:51 p.m.

The news Stateside seems to be fixated on the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, the physician accused in the death of Michael Jackson. I saw the before-and-after picture of Jackson rehearsing on stage and then dead as a doornail the day after. However, the really horrifying thing was hearing that taped message on Dr. Murray's cellphone of a totally whacked-out Jackson slurring something. Sounded more like The King of Drop than The King of Pop. Dr. Murray wanted to prescribe more drugs to him?! And why did the doctor tape the phone call in the first place? Insurance? Proof? A lot of the medical talking heads on CNN, including Dr. Gupta, have wondered aloud what Murray must've been thinking when he was giving the propofol to Jackson. Well, so far, it doesn't look too good for him.
Over here, it seems like All Nippon Airways must be wondering if it's a yin-yang month. ANA finally got their first Dreamliner superplane 3 years late, but the upper management had to do the necessary on-camera bows in apology for some sort of incident earlier this month involving a plane between Hong Kong and Tokyo which had to flip over upside down with passengers aboard.
And the crime news gets even more bizarre. One of the veteran lead TV reporters, a portly fellow by the name of Okuyama, has apparently been missing for several days. But there have been sightings of him (kinda like Elvis) in the bedroom town of Hachioji...as what can be described to be a newly homeless guy. Kinda wonder if he's trying to flee from the yakuza or something. Then there has been the story of some nutjob who had inadvertently murdered his mentally problematic daughter by forcing her to sit under a man-made waterfall at the back of his home with the help of a local priest...I kid you not about this one. Never fails to surprise me about some of the bad things that happen here.

Thursday September 29, 12:33 p.m.

Just here all by my lonesome at Speedy's as has become the custom recently since the bossman is at the kids' school and there is no staff on duty. I've got that new nurse student along with The Carolinan and Mrs. Thursday. The weather is pure Tokyo Fall: none of that Canadian Autumnal Cool N' Crisp, mind you, but a comfortable warmth is permeating the metropolis.

Had my viewpoint on Japanese popular music given a good shake out of its complacency. I asked on one of the J-Pop forums whether there were any Mariya Takeuchi fans out there since I just wanted to start a conversation with like-minded people. Over here, Ms. Takeuchi is seen by just about everyone....at least to folks down to their late 20s, perhaps...as one of the singer-songwriter legends of Japan's New Music. And recently, I did write about her debut album that I'd bought last week. Well, a couple of replies did come in stating that although she did have a few good songs in their estimation, the respondents also wondered how this singer could've gotten so popular over the past 3 decades despite the "cheesiness" of most of her tunes.

Uh...ouch! However, I did reply very civilly...as a person in his mid-40s should...that I was a fan of her music but did acknowledge Ms. Takeuchi sometimes went a bit overboard with her homage to Connie Francis. Still, the comments did get me to remind myself that no matter how much of a singing genius she has been in her homeland, her tunes wouldn't ever see the light of day on mainstream American radio. They would be heard as a bizarre Japanese-language pastiche of 70s/80s West Coast music by most of the American public.

But then again, that cheesiness is what probably attracted me to Japanese pop music in the first place. I mean, a lot of the aidoru or even the City Pop stuff that I've recently chased after would never be heard Stateside or any other place on the planet, with the exception of China or Korea. In a way, people who love radio's Dr. Demento programme can share a bus seat with me. It's Western music given that Japanese twist....something that can apply to many things in the local pop culture.

Wednesday September 28, 10:01 a.m.
Just some pictures from Sunday since I was in the Ginza area. I think there's something about Ginza at sunset and evening that makes it irresistable for amateur and professional photographers.

Wednesday September 28, 9:49 a.m.

It's another one-lesson day today. I just have The Godfather this afternoon at our Mosburger meeting place. He's got a lot on his plate these days. He just became a father for the 2nd time, he's trying to get his new business off the ground after being swindled in the summer by a con man, and his family has just moved houses. But he still has time to kill to have one English lesson. Gotta love the man's energy. And if he is indeed gonna run for public office sometime in the future, that source will have to be there.
As for The Beehive session yesterday, I saw the last of the Tobu Community Centre, the venue where we had our sessions for the last year. It's a pity that I won't be going there again until I finally leave, but apparently the rooms there are very much in demand so that Mrs. Alp has said that there was no way to book a room for the next couple of months. Our room was a small tatami one with cushions, equivalent to a 1K apartment in size. From next week, we'll be back at Cafe Nard in Funabashi which had been our alternate venue. Cafe Nard is nice in that it's quiet and it's only busy during the morning and evening rush hours. Still, I prefer our own private room rather than an open cafe since I've always been a bit worried about disturbing the other customers.
I just heard from Shrek this morning via Facebook that one of the regular members of my university club during the early 90s had just passed away. He was a gentle giant....sorry to say, but he was obese. However, he had a very gentle spirit about him. He even made his way to Japan as a teacher where he did have his ups and downs. In fact, in Shrek's tribute to him on Facebook, he admitted that our departed friend had his detractors as well as allies. I lost contact with the fellow once I came over here. I'd heard that he had lost quite a bit of weight over the years but I think his untimely death probably had something to do with it.

Wednesday September 28, 9:35 a.m. Had my monthly lunch with The Beehive ladies yesterday. Mrs. Travel was atypically absent though since she had to accompany her husband to the hospital for some heart problems. However, Mrs. Alp, Mrs. Jade and Mrs. Tee and even Mrs. London took me to this place in one of the department stores in Tsudanuma on the restaurant floor. Not sure what it says in total but it starts with "Nihon kai" (Japan Sea). It's a chain restaurant specializing in sashimi.

We've been to this place a few times in the past, and it has always given dependable food and service. Strangely enough, though, I ended up ordering the fried chicken course. And since the ladies can never eat as much as is offered, Mrs. Alp and Mrs. Tee gave me their share of hire katsu or lean pork cutlet. As you can see, there are generous mounds of shredded cabbage. I don't know what the Japanese would do if there were a cabbage shortage.

A close-up of my fried chicken. Fried chicken should be categorized differently from the version back in North America or even with Colonel Sanders' fare. Just a different combo of spices flavoring this stuff. Also, the Japanese tend to focus more on thigh (momo) meat than breast (mune) when it comes to the fried stuff. Still all good.

Over here, the folks love to dip their chicken into the local mayo. Amazing that they're still stick-thin.

The extra hire katsu that the ladies gave me. For a seafood restaurant, the cooks do a great job with other kinds of meat.

And they even throw in dessert as well. This was a chestnut chiffon cake. Yep, chestnuts can be made into desserts here, although the roasted variety is just as common.

This restaurant will be one place that I will dearly miss when I finally make my way home.

Sometimes, though, I have to wonder how much I really know my stomach. I thought that after this lunch, I would probably be able to go with just a salad for dinner. But I ended up cooking and devouring an entire package of spaghetti made into pepperoncino with all of the ingredients that would go into it. Of course, I woke up feeling distinctly bloated this morning.

Monday September 26, 7:43 p.m.

Today was a fairly busy day although Miss Genki did a dotakyan due to work an hour ago. I had Cozy for the first time in a couple of weeks due to a series of business trips last week. He got caught on the Bullet Train from Kobe during Typhoon Roke's havoc-wreaking so he ended up staying the night in Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture. Then, I taught The New Yorker at the usual Starbucks in Shinjuku. She fared a lot better during the typhoon...after drinking with colleagues at a nearby izakaya, she just crashed at The Carolinan's place in the city. Mr. Swank didn't even have to worry about whether he would be able to get home. His car and driver got him back home from the office in no time.
With Miss Genki's cancellation, I've only got Kirk in about half an hour. The weather has maintained its Fall configuration with a few showers earlier. I got my pay this month; several thousand yen better than last month but still with my rent and premiums to pay, I'll have nothing saved. Most likely, I'll have to ask the parentals for money.

Monday September 26, 7:29 p.m. Yesterday, we had that reunion of some of the old boys and girls from the Japan-Canada Students' Association at the University of Toronto in the eastern end of Ginza. We all got together at this very large and fancy izakaya called Gonpachi which was right below a major highway overpass.
We had a room all to ourselves although the main dining hall was virtually empty since our lunch began at around 2 p.m. and things really don't get cracking until about 6 or so, and that's usually on a Friday or Saturday.


This was my lunch...a fairly hefty meal with ten-don....shrimp tempura dipped in savory sauce and placed on a bowl of rice...accompanied by miso soup and soba noodles. Hit the spot quite nicely and very reasonable at the price of 1,050 yen.

This was after the reunion when things got dark in Ginza at about 6 p.m. Definitely a nice place to take a stroll at night...and the weather was nice and cool.

I've never been a fan of reunions...the last reunion I attended was a U of T one over a decade ago at the Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku, organized by one of my clubmates in the JCSA. I mean, it wasn't her fault but a lot of the folks there struck me as being somewhat snobbish, especially when it came to me just being a mere English teacher. After that, I wouldn't ever go to another one of those, and there have been several each year for the past several years....and usually planned by my old friend. However, with this smaller and more private affair, I thought I would let go my prejudices and attend. One of the members there, a fellow who had been a mere 4 years of age when I first joined the club in its inaugural meeting back in 1986, even asked me why I had never attended those reunions. I basically just said that I was always working on Friday nights.

In any case, I did have a good time at Gonpachi yesterday. The man of honour was a fellow who had been with the club for about a decade...far longer than I had ever been there. Back then, The Paintball Warrior was a bit on the intense side....a character trait which sometimes got him into some trouble. But I was quite delighted to see and hear that he has mellowed considerably, probably due to his Japanese fiancee...a very kind woman who's becoming a surgeon and quite obviously loves kids...yep, we had the next generation fully represented.

Shrek was also there with his family, and we did some impromptu planning and so it looks like we'll be having some sort of Halloween party in about a month at his place. I have yet to tell them about my permanent departure; didn't seem like the time or place to land that bombshell.