Five Nineteen O Six / Japan III

Japan III - last day in Tokyo...

For you doubting thomases, I HAVE been working here in the Keio ER over the past two weeks. Not as much as their interns (they work from 8am to 8pm, six days a week, sometimes on Sunday morning too... oy) but I think everyone here works too much. I have also done some ACLS training, visited two other hospitals, rode on the ambulance and toured the fire station. The firemen were especially cool and I got to go up on thefire ladder (30 meters) which was scary but great. The interns here have been awesome as well - they took me out to Thai food one day where I had some crazy spicy curry. I think the owner of the restaurant was very confused when I could speak Thai but no Japanese and then carried on in English at my table.

I attended a Kendo club practice session, which was awesome. I think there is something very primal about swinging around a sword (even one made of bamboo) and screaming at the top of your lungs. But even being largely a spectator, I could feel the floor revibirating with each yell or charge and it really made me wish that I had done a martial art (as stereotypically asian as it is) at some point in life. Still perhaps it is not too late and maybe they will have some kickboxing class at UCLA I can join. I also went out to dinner with the kendo students (which, after they took off the protective gear, turned out to be largely women) to an italian place where we had pizza and pasta. Pretty good thin crust too...

I also finally went into a pachinko parlor. A japanese institution, pachinko parlors areessentially gambling establishments where people go to play on these machines that shoot little metal balls into a maze of pins and essentially win prizes/money depending on where they fall. This is a 26 trillion (that's right, trillion) yen industry here - equal in cost to the entire healthcare industry = 260 billion dollars - so, of course, I was wondering what the deal was. I ended up spending 500 yen for 125 small metal balls... these were quickly shot up by turning a small knob and bounced around with lots of noise among the pins. While some balls did land in the correct holes and many lights went off at various times, I was surprised/disappointed that all you could control was the speed at which the balls were sent up - it wasn't even like pin ball where you could bounce the ball around. Anyway, it took me about 2 mins to run out and then we quickly left the smoke filled room. All in all, not so exciting...then again, I'm not so good with the gambling anyway(as proven by my last trip to Reno where I was quite happy to quit after winning $10 at blackjack.)

Also managed to make it to the top of the Park Hyatt building (for movie buffs, it's where Lost in Translation was filmed) to their bar on the 52nd floor. Quite posh, live jazz, low lit, imaculate decor and, though the view was marred by drizzling clouds, you could still make out the lights of Tokyo in the Distance. I'm hoping for better weather this Friday so I can go up to the observation tower on the Gov Municipal Building and see Mt Fuji.

One of our attending doctors took us out to this Ninja Restaurant - it's pretty famous I think and they said there is a branch in New York. The decor was old japanese houses and rooms within these caves and the waiters were dressed in ninja costume. Many of the dishes were smoking (dry ice) and lit on fire (sweet...) Then a senior ninja comes to your table to do magic tricks (mostly just card tricks) still it was pretty cool... But the most impressive thing may have been the desert - I ordered the Bonzai, which turned out to be ice cream buried under chocolate cake crumbles and then covered with cookies and green sprinkles... so it totally looked like a bonsai tree!

This sunday was also Kanda Matsuri, one of the three biggest festivals in Tokyo during the year. The celebrants carry around this shrine (mikoshi) which represents the area/temple's guardian spirit and everyone is out in the streets drinking and celebrating. It was pretty cool to see.

I also managed to sneak out to national history museum one afternoon, went for a walk in the nearby Shinjuku park (parts of which were modeled after famous japanese paintings), met this dutch guy who lives down the hall, found some cool souvenirs, went to thetraditional crafts museum (it was nice but they wouldn't let me take pictures... ugghh), watched lots of sumo (amazingly,their names have become familiar and I know that the top ranked sumo wrestlers are called Ozeki), had great okonomiyaki (kind of like a pancake with cabbage and other stuff inside... excellent) and watched a korean movie with japanese subtitles (Il Mare) - which I highly recommend (no, not the watching a foreign movie in a foriegn country with foreign audio and subtitles... just the movie.

And lastly, everyone at the hospital took me out for dinner on my last night here yesterday. We went to this restaurant called Mu Mu, which turned out to be organic new age Japanese cuisine. It was on the 49th floor of the Sumitomo building and we had a spectacular view of the city along with some small fireworks from Tokyo Disneyland. Afterwards, some of the interns and I went out for yakitori (small skewers of chicken) and more drinks and basically stayed out til 2am. It was an excellent way to finish off my two week of work.

So for my last day in Tokyo, I ended up at a bar in Shibuya called Xanadu. I had heard about this place from a couple people and it was a cool place but the crowd was so-so. I did meet these guys playing darts and learned how to play 'cricket' (not of the wooden mallets and wickets variety). I tried the game as well and did fairly well and as such, did lose track of the time and manage to miss the last subway train home. I was about to hail a taxi when I saw a Bagus Gran Cyber Cafe across the street. A friend had sent me an article earlier about them and basically they are these suped up internet cafes where you basically rent a cubicle and there is a library of thousands of manga, comic and many DVD movies that you can check out and watch. There is playstation and internet as well and many people check into these cafes when they are unable to get home or when they want to get away from it. So, curiousity piqued, I decided to see what this was all about. It was at the counter onthe sixth floor when I discovered that I only had 1220 yen left and that the price was 1300 yen, cash only... d'oh. But then I had a thought... 70 yen is like 70 cents in the US, not so much money, maybe I can dregde up something. Hmm... you try wandering the streets, not speaking the language and asking for money at one in the morning... a humbling experience to say the least and I almost gave up (I had enough money for a taxi home) but the help of a friendly Canadian guy and Spanish girl (from Madrid - probably helped that I spoke espanol), I got the cash. And now, I am checked into my cubicle. After publishing this page, I am off to explore the book stacks, maybe grab a DVD, have some tea and maybe catch a nap... Ahh, Tokyo, what an interesting place...

Tomorrow I'm off to Kyoto for four days and then it's back to San Jose!

ps. the last three pictures are kind of random but there's a privacy code about this cyber cafe and I don't think anyone would appreciate pictures... :)

Five Eleven O Six / Japan II

More adventures from Tokyo...

I finally made it to the Tsukiji fish market on the morning before my first day of work (on a Saturday, no less). I got there at 7am... and much more like it, this time there were quite the ruckus. Forklifts, bikes, fish, aprons everywhere... I dropped into one of the many small sushi shops there and had a rice bowl with some of the best sashimi ever. Good salmon, tuna and roe... and I normally don't even like the big kind of roe so I think it the freshness made a huge difference. I'm definitely going to have to go back again before leaving Tokyo.

Then I went to Ryogoku, the mini Sumo town of Tokyo (if anything about Sumo can be called mini...) Apparently, you can see them practicing in the morning if you show up early but this week and next week is one of the three sumo tournaments of the year so the stadium was closed (unless you bought a ticket, of course, $60 and up - but I have been watching lots of sumo on TV as it requires no language skills to understand ;) But I did go to the excellent Edo-Tokyo museum near by and also had a bowl of Chango-Nabe, the traditional body fortifying stew that sumo wrestlers consume by the trayful to gain weight. I only had a bowl and barely managed to finish it all.

For my first day of work, I went to Sanseikai hospital in Yokohama and saw their ER. It turned out to be very small which was odd considering that it is one of the famed trauma hospitals around, but it turned out this was because they only take care of critically injured pts so their volume was not that high. I learned a lot about the Japanese emergency medical system and did note that (not to bore everyone) they had a nice hand held Sonosite iLook ultrasound machine and, despite their older facilities and equipment, computerized physician order entry(!) They also took me out to lunch for traditional Yokohama Girun-Nabe (rare sizzling beef eaten with vegetables with raw egg) which was excellent, though it is my priciest meal in Japan yet at $487 for 5 people.

I also met this British Vietnamese girl on the subway. She was reading a lonely planet Tokyo so I said hi and we made plans to go out for dinner at Shibuya. Later we met up and found dinner at a random ramen shop... turns out she is here for a six month stint, working for a UK bank. Unfortunately, the more we talked the more it was obvious that we had no interactive chemistry. I'm not sure why, as we had very similar interests (she had traveled a lot, liked food and was interesting) and I did think she was cute, especially with the accent, but this has happened before as well, with another person with whom I should have been very compatible... but I suppose you can't always explain these things. We ended up going to a couple bars after dinner and dancing a bit but no mas...

On the opposite note, I met up with the Australians and New Zealanders for one last night of partying before they left Tokyo. We all went to this club called Velfarre (pronounced like the social institution, I believe) where they had Trance night. Very interesting overall, though I think you have to be high to really enjoy it. I did manage to take a couple quick films before a stern security guy tapped me on the shouder - I guess they were afraid of me stealing their trance music secrets or something... Did meet a japanese girl though and we got along really well though she barely spoke English... so funny how these things work...

I also made it to the Museum of Emeging Science and Technology though it cost me like $10 just to take the train across the bay. The museum is wonderful and presents things like nanotechnology and robotic engineering in an interactive way. The best was this giant LED globe they had which displays the Earth as it looks that day from space - sweet. They also had a special exhibit on 'The Brain' which was supposed to be really neat and is, but mostly it was stuff we learned in medical school so it felt like it was back in class again.

A few more short topics...

I brought the wrong cable for my camera. D'oh! But it only took some gesturing and pointing before I managed to buy a card reader and now I can upload pictures. I have also added a few pictures to my last entry below...

They don't have a lot of gardens (Koen) here but for some reason the ones I have been to are very peaceful... almost, eerie... I can see why they have lots of ghost stories here...

Expensive. Japan is pricey. Cheaper meals cost anywhere from $9-15 and even the street food ranges from $3-6. They were selling corn for $4 the other day. $4! Good lord, that's a lot of money... well, it's all relative... I only complain because for the price of lunch today I could have had three meals and lodgings in Cambodia or Thailand...

One thing I don't understand about sumo. They fight in this round ring about 30 feet across on a square dirt mound but the square is only slightly larger than the fighting circle so more than half the time, when one wrestler loses, he gets pushed out of the ring and falls off the mound into the crowd. I would think that if I was paying primo bucks to sit at ringside, I would want some protection from 300+ lb falling masses.

Lastly, people are always snickering when they say my name. At first, I thought it was because of the american thing but I have learned that my name can be broken down into Niku = meat, Udon = noodles, Panya = bakery... a constant source of amusement.

Five Three O Six / Japan I

Konichiwa, everybody!

Greeting from Japan! I am writing to you from the heart of Tokyo with sore feet (already!) from three days of exploring the city. Tokyo has been excellent so far, if somewhat confusing, but I'm figuring things out little by little :)

Just a quick aside: before I left for Japan, I went to a friend's wedding. It was probably the most informal wedding I have ever been too - backyard with plastic chairs, a mix of Mexican, Lebanese and Indian food buffets, self written vows, many jokes and shoes were optional. But even without the fancy banquet or locale, it was great - to be married in the grass on such a beautiful evening surrounded by friends and family. Makes you realize that sometimes you do not need all that extra stuff. Congratulations, Sinda!

The flight to Japan was uneventful, as was the train ride from Narita International into Tokyo. As such, I assumed it would be just as easy to switch trains and be on my way to Keio University Hospital. D'oh...

At Shinjuku, I got the first taste of how many people are packed into Tokyo (later, I would learn that over 2 millions people pass through this station everyday). Getting off the train, I first walked about 200 meters before hitting the end of the platform and realizing I went the wrong way. After backtracking, I went into the heart of the station where there were about 50 signs designating various destinations... along with about five thousand people (not kidding). Unfortunately, I only knew the name of my destination - Shinanomachi station - and did not know what line it was on or how it was written in Japanese. After wandering around aimlessly for a while, asking a security guy for help (he did not speak any English) and almost taking a taxi, a helpful guy in the ticket window said "number 11" and I found my train. Whew... getting to the hospital was much easier as most of the doctors and medical students speak English (though they will deny it) and I was soon shown to my dorm by one of the students (who, incidentally, will apply for Emed match in the US next year.)

Later that evening, I met up with Shiori (friend of a friend) and went out to dinner with her and two of her friends. We went to Shibuya, a neon-lit area (actually, I think that describes most of Tokyo) of restaurants and shops, mostly catering to the younger crowd. We went to a very nice restaurant on the 5th floor of a building, designed very cosily so that you didn't even know you were up a hundred feet above the ground. The food was good (but not spectacular) and I had quality Japanese sake (very strong) for the first time. Most of the dinner conversation was either in very simple english or me trying to figure out what they were saying to each other in Japanese. Luckily, Shiori translated whenever I looked too confused. There was talk of karaoke afterwards but as they had to get up for work the next day and I was somewhat tired from the flight, we all headed home for bed.

The next day I got up at 6am (a result of the time difference, no doubt) and set off to see the Imperial Palace. For some reason, I had it in my head that the Japanese (being so industrious) would start their day at like 7am or something. But soon I realized that the grocery store did not open until 10am and the Imperial Gardens til 9 o'clock. I wandered around for about an hour and a half, listening to my Japanese language CD, towards Ginza (the highbrow shopping district) then walked back to the Palace/Gardens (you can't actually go into the palace, the royal family lives there) just in time for it to start raining. I got a few good pictures then ducked into the MOMAT (Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo) where I saw some neat exhibits and bought an umbrella. I then went back to Ginza (yes, legs aching already), into a couple of super multi-floored department stores and then to the Sony building where they showcase all their latest stuff (makes our newer computers and gadgets look lame). Then I went home for a nap (I slept for like five hours) then went out for some dinner at a local ramen shop.

Yesterday I woke up at 4:30am in anticipation of the Tsukiji Market (it's at the Tokyo port where all the fish come in from all over the world and where all the good sushi chefs go). You can eat there as well and it is supposed to have the freshest sushi ever - trust me, I would not have gotten up that early for nothing. When I got off the subway and walked toward the market, I did notice a distinct lack of noise - for all the forklifts moving and yelling that was supposed to be going on. Yep, turns out the market was closed for the holidays this week(what, people don't eat on holidays?) . D'oh! Not all was a complete loss though. I did run into a couple of other travelers (Australians) who were also staring forlornly at the empty stalls and we made plans to meet up for drinks later in the evening.

I then decided to head instead to Asakusa, where there was a cool Buddhist temple. I lit some incense and got my fortune (something about the person I am to meet is worth waiting for) and the promptly got turned around in the warren of streets next to the temple - this is why I brought that 50cent compass I got in China (left it in my room that day!) After about an hour, I found my way and went over to Ueno Park, where I saw some nice cherry trees and the statue of the Last Samurai (no, not Ken Watanabe - the real guy the movie is based on.) By around 2pm, I was exhausted and went back home for a break. Later that night, I went out to Roppongi (another place the hipster crowds hang) and met up with the Australians and their friends from New Zealand. They are leaving early next week to head home after their six month asia tour. Not too late to move to Australia/NZ...

And today I went to Harajuku, where the treadiest shops and people fill the main streets and the side streets. It's so interesting to see what people are wearing here - the fashion runs the gamut from people in kimonos to short jean skirts to business attire to punk rock to cute hello kitty stuff. After ducking into a famed conveyor belt sushi place for lunch, I then escaped to the Meiji-Jingu, the imperial gardens, close by and saw a traditional japanese wedding ceremony.

A few words on some short topics...

My dorm room is way bigger than I thought it would be. Too many movies of capsule hotels and such bending my expectations...

People - there are lots of people here. LOTS of people. It's almost palpable (figuratively) in the subway at rush hour and sometimes, I swear, like a thousand people cross the street with each light changing...

Oddly, I had a tough time finding soap in the supermarket. All smelly jokes aside, I had to go through the supermarket and two minimarts before I found my "Cow" soap bar...

Eating establishments. Sure, they have plastic food set up outside so that you can see what you want, but to get food in many places here, you have to go to a ticket machine inside and buy a ticket to give to the waiter person. Unfortunately, the ticket machine has rows of buttons and prices...but the dishes are written in Japanese! So, it does not matter if you know you want Katsu Udon - if you can't read it on the machine, you're out luck. I've taken to punching a random button, putting in money and just hoping I don't get anything too weird. Nothing bad yet... ps. the plastic food is really expensive. One of those display dishes go for about 50 bucks each.

As soon, as I figure out how to upload pictures, I'll put some up... more updates in a few bit! Hope everyone is well! :)