Wadakura Fountain Park & the Imperial Palace / 和田蔵噴水公園と皇居

And our walk continues from the Shin Marunouchi Building to the Wadakura Fountain Park and the Imperial Palace. It was still hot and humid and I thought the fountain would make us cooler - it didn't. But enjoy these pictures and short video clip.

散歩が皇居外延の和田蔵噴水公園につづきました。外はまだ暑くて、噴水の近くで涼しくなるのかなと思ったら、涼しくなりませんでした。でも写真と動画を楽しんで見て下さい。

Mikako appears briefly at near the end of the clip.

The Imperial Palace surroundings

One of Japan's top tourist spots - the bridge that leads to the Imperial Castle. You can find postcards of the bridge all over the place.

Main gate to the Imperial Palace. If I remember right, it's opened to the public on New Year's Day and on the Emperor's Birthday.

Mikako is actually featured in this picture. She's sitting in front of all those trees.

And before heading home, I took a picture of the Tokyo Tower.

Tokyo Station and the Shin Marunouchi Building / 東京駅と新丸ビル

After our friend's wedding, Jun stayed with us for one more evening. He was catching the noon train back to Aomori. We saw Jun off at Tokyo station and decided to walk around the station, as it was too hot and humid to go on one of our regular walks. The Shin Maru Building is located close to the station so we thought we do a little window shopping and walk around there as well.

友達の結婚式が無事終わって、義理の弟も月曜の昼の電車で青森に帰って、その後、私たちは東京駅内と新丸ビルで散歩する事にしました。外が蒸し暑くって、駅とビルの中の散歩なら紫外線やら暑さは心配はいりません。

But before I share my walk with you, here is a picture of the Hayate Super Express for any of you train buffs out there and a picture of me and Mikako with Jun.

散歩の話の前に、電車オタクがいれば、下記の写真は八戸行きはやて新幹線です。あとは潤君との写真です。

Jun's train to Hachinohe and back to Aomori.

Inside Tokyo Station, my brother will be happy to know there is still an Ultraman shop. There is also shops for the popular television networks where you can buy character goods from the different shows. There is a store selling Studio Ghibli products. There is the Tomika store which specializes in mini cars. There was also an Avex label store (popular label for J-Pop artists) where they had outfits of the different artists on display (but taking pictures of the outfits wasn't allowed.)

僕の兄貴が喜ぶ事に東京駅の中にウルトラマンの専門店がある。キャラクタ・ストリートにテレビ局の店もありまして：NHK, TBS, 日テレ、テレ朝、テレビ局の番組のグッズをいっぱい販売してます。他にトミカの店もあったし、Avexレーベルの店もありました。Avexの店に所属されてるアーティストの衣装が展示されてました、Boa, Hitomi, 浜崎あゆみ、等。でも衣装の写真撮影はNGでした。

I had to take pictures of Ultra Seven and Ultraman:

Ultra Seven

Ultraman

Tokyo Station

The Shin Maru Building / 新丸ビル

Inside the Shin Marunouchi Building are shops, shops, and more shops, from the basement to the 6th floor. The floors above that are office space. The dessert shops looked pretty enticing as well as the bread buffet shop. Floors 6 and 7 are full of restaurants. The picture of the spareribs on a menu for a restaurant called "So Tired" looked so appetizing we decided to give it a taste. Unfortunately, the restaurant was only serving items off of their lunch menu and the spare ribs weren't on it. So instead, we split a pepper steak and some shouronpou (Chinese dumpling-like dish).

新丸ビルの中は店がいっぱいです。地下１階から６階まで。その上はオフィスになります。近１階から４階はショッピングゾーン。５階と６階はレストランゾーン。「So Tired」とゆう店のメニューのスペアリブが美味しそうに見えたので、その店に入りました。でもランチメニューのみでスペアリブは載ってませんでした。とりあず美香子と二人でペッパステーキ一つと小籠包を食べました。

After eating, we walked outside and headed towards the Wadakura Fountain Park and the Imperial Palace but I'll save that for another time.

食べた後に皇居と和田蔵噴水公園に行きました、でもそれはまた別の日に紹介します。

Holy Matrimony (Part 5) Reception after the Reception / 結婚式 （パート５）二次会

With the formalities of the wedding ceremony and the reception being over, next on the agenda is the nijikai. Now, this is what an American would expect at the reception. Very informal, mostly a party for friends without the parents and relatives. Ken and Yukino's nijikai was held at a place called Tamariba in Shinagawa, which started at 7:00pm and lasted for another couple of hours. The bride and groom had another change of clothes, and their was a buffet, a drink bar, and a bingo game. The prizes given away were a gift certificates for Matsuzaka Beef, a voucher for Aesthetics, and gift certificates for a course meal at Ken and Yukino's restaurant, Kitamachi Utou which is located in a place called Ushigome Kagurazaka.

結婚式と披露宴が終わると、次あるのは二次会。二次会のほうはアメリカの結婚式の披露宴みたいな感じで、友達同士のパーティーの様な感じです。健とゆきちゃんの二次会は品川にある「たまり場」のレストランで行われました。夜七時から始まって、二時間位つづきました。新郎新婦がまたまた着替えて、二次会の場所に登場しました。おつまみもバイキング風で、酒も飲み放題。ビンゴもやりました。景品は松坂牛のギフト券、エステイのギフト券、健とゆきちゃんの店「北町善知鳥」のコース券、とか結構豪華な物いっぱいです。うちは当たりませんでした！

Ken is looking like a gangster in his white suit and shades.

The Big Kiss

The Garter Belt Throwing.

To Ken and Yukino - we wish you a long and happy marriage.

健とゆきちゃんへ、末長くお幸せに！

Short break from wedding posts / 結婚式のポストから一旦休憩

Another interesting drink that my father would probably enjoy. It was quite tasty by the way.

またコンビニで面白そうな飲み物を発見しました。私のお父さんも多分気に入ると思う。結構美味しかった。

Holy Matrimony (Part 4) Reception Con't / 結婚式 （パート４） 披露宴のつづき

Ken and Yukino

In the back (Left to Right) : Me, Tetsu, Gu-san. Front (L to R) : Nakamoto and Ken

From the left: Tetsu, Nakamoto, 21ban, Me, Mikako with Ken sitting.

Me, Nori, Mikako, and Ken

And a couple more differences between an Occidental style Japanese wedding and an American wedding. I already mentioned the cutting of the cake to be different. Other differences are some of the formalities associated with a traditional Japanese wedding. The wedding toast is the same but there is the oiro-naoshi (directly translates to "change of color" meaning a change of clothes), There is a yujin-daihyo aisastsu from a good friend (this would be like the Best Man's speech), a few words from work colleagues, a few skits from family and friends, and finally the bride will read a letter of appreciation to her parents (I can't imagine any of my American friends doing that!).

まだまだアメリカ式と日本の西洋風式の違いがあります。ケーキの入刀はもう言いましたが、乾杯の挨拶も一緒ですが、他にお色直し、友人代表の挨拶（これはアメリカにもあり、ベスト・マン、友人代表の事ですね）、仕事関係の先輩やら上司とかのスピーチ、友人達と親戚が送る喜びの歌とかコント。で最後に新婦が両親への感謝の手紙を読み上げる。（僕のアメリカの友達なら、最後の事はあり得ない。ま、文化の違いかもね）。

The re-entrance to the reception hall after the iro-naoshi.

The new bride and groom would greet each table before heading back to the main table.

The Wedding Toast

The re-entrance of the bride and groom after the iro-naoshi.

Ken and Yukino's former co-workers.





Ken's nieces performing the Nebuta Music of Aomori

Yukio and friend performing the "jump dance" of Aomori's Nebuta Festival

I tried posting Yukio's speech, but it appears the video clip was too long and kept causing an error on this blog so I unfortunately for Yukio, he will not be able to see himself giving his speech (on this blog anyway).

友人代表の幸男のスピーチの動画も載せようとしましたが、エラになるので、載せる諦めました。幸男に申し訳ないですが、こちらのブログでは彼のスピーチを観る事は不可能です。

Holy Matrimony (Part 3) Reception Dinner / 結婚式 （パート３）披露宴の食事

Isn't the menu cute. I will try to translate the actual menu as best as I can. We were served an eleven course meal (don't be surprised), as we were served a one dish at a time.

メニューも可愛いですね。日本語が書いてありますので、そちをご覧下さい。

Tofu made with broad beans with citron miso, shrimp, salmon (the rose in the middle), and seasonal vegetables.


A light soup, with crab, shimeji mushrooms, and a bit of melon.

Sashimi of maguro, sea bream, and shrimp

Hiryuzu or hirosu which is tofu made with various ingredients and fried in oil, shrimp, okra, octopus, and shark fin.


Select beef with miso sauce.

Wild duck with green tea soba.

Grilled king crab, Japanese honeywort with chestnuts and ginger.

Rice cooked with scallops with miso soup and assorted pickles.

And finally, my father's favorite - a dessert buffet. Here were a few of the dishes available.

Holy Matrimony (Part 2) The Reception / 結婚式 （パート２）披露宴

The reception was also held at Happo-En. Here is where you really see the difference between an Occidental style Japanese wedding and a real American wedding reception. I know most of my friends back in the States would associate reception with party and free booze. Although the flow of alcohol is the same, there is definitely no party atmosphere. In Japan, there will be an emcee to host the reception (no, I'm not kidding!). Family and friends will be seated at the table before the bride and groom enter. But before that, there was another photo opportunity for everybody.

披露宴も八芳園で行われた。ここで日本の西洋風と完全なアメリカ式の違いが分かる。アメリカの友達なら、披露宴イコールパーティーとただ酒が飲める。酒飲みは一緒ですが、パーティーの雰囲気ではないですね。日本なら、かならず司会者が居る。新郎新婦が登場する前に皆が先に席で座って待ってる。でもその前にまた写真撮影のチャンス。

Once everyone is settled at their assigned tables, the emcee will announce the bride and groom's entrance. They will be led to the main table and the groom will give a short annoucement thanking everyone for coming to celebrate their wedding. But I just had to share with you the my place setting card.

皆が座って落ち着いた時に、司会者が新郎新婦の登場をアナウスします。

Oops, my name was spelled wrong at a different wedding as well.

友達のせいじゃないですが、また自分の名前の綴りが間違えってる。

Check out the wedding cake, it's huge!

ケーキも見て、デッカイです。

Here we find the emcee introducing the newlyweds.

This is Ken giving his welcoming speech.

Next we have a picture of Ken and Yukino cutting into their wedding cake.

次の写真はケーキの入刀です。

Another difference is the cutting of the wedding cake. As you can see, this is mostly done as a formality and the cake is not eaten. And this is before the reception meal is served. In the States, we would have the meal followed by the cutting of the wedding cake. Aren't these little details interesting? I cannot guarantee if all Occidental style weddings are like this though.

またアメリカ式と違うのはケーキの入刀ですね。日本は、食事を食べる前にします。全部がこうゆう形とは限りませんけど、アメリカとの違いは面白いですね。

If you're wondering why Ken is laughing near the end of this clip, his friend Yukio was standing near and showing Ken and his new bride a picture of Ken from his junior high school yearbook that he has uploaded into his cell phone.

健がこの動画の最後に何で笑っているのかは、健の友達幸男が携帯で健の中学校卒業アルバムの写真を携帯で撮り、それを前に出て行って健に見せていたからです。

The wedding posts will continue. Next, everyone's favorite - the meal.

結婚式のポストがつづきます。次は皆が期待するもの‐食事です。

Holy Matrimony (Part 1) / 友達の結婚式 （パート１）

This is our friend Ken with his new bride Yuki-chan (and yes, I have his permission to post pictures of their wedding that I took.) I've known Ken for a few years but little did I know that he was also one of Mikako's childhood friends. They've known each other since the fourth grade. Ken is also good friends with Jun who is married to Mikako's sister which makes Jun my brother-in-law. Jun came to Tokyo from Aomori for Ken's wedding and stayed at our apartment for two nights.

紹介します。彼は私たちの友達の健ちゃんと嫁のゆきちゃん（健の許可を得て、僕が撮った写真をポストしてます）。僕は健ちゃんと六、七年位の付き合いですが、彼は美香子の幼馴染です。二人は小学４年生から知っている。美香子の妹の旦那潤も古い付き合いで、潤が健ちゃんの結婚式の為青森から東京に来て、家に二泊しました。

The wedding was held at a place called Happo-En in Meguro. I learned that this place is quite popular for weddings and also saw that along with Ken and Yuki, there was about 25 other couples tying the knot on this particular Sunday. The service was to start at 11:00am in the Garden Chapel. We were meeting some friends at 9:30 and was at the wedding hall an hour early. Just before 11:00am, we were led to the Garden Chapel. Ken and Yuki's wedding was not the traditional Japanese wedding you may imagine as Yuki was dressed in a beautiful white wedding gown (and not a kimono). Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed inside the chapel. However, this being Japan, there is a time and place for everything, including taking pictures of the bride and groom.

結婚式の会場は白金台にある八芳園。人気の高い場所で、健とゆきちゃん以外に２５組位のカップルが今日ここで式をあげてる。健とゆきちゃんのが八芳園のガーデンチャペルで１１：００amに始まる予定。朝の九時半に友達と合流して、式場に一時間早く着きました。時間が近づくと、チャペルに行き、新郎、新婦の登場を待ってました。西洋風の式でした。ゆきちゃんの白いウェディングガウンの姿はとっても美しかった。残念ながら、チャペルの中の写真撮影は禁じられてました。でもここは日本。ちゃんと写真が撮れる時間と場所はありました。

The ceremony started off with a Prelud, followed by the Wedding Processional. Next, Hymn 312 was sung (in Japanese of course) "What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilige to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer." The priest then said a prayer from Numbers 6:24-26 "The LORD bless you and keep youy; the LORD make his face shine upon you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."

This was followed by a Message, then the Exchange of Vows, the Declaration of Marriage, the Benediction, and the Recessional.

式の順番は奏楽、入場、賛美歌　（３１２番一同）「いつくしみ深き。。。」から始まるやつ。、聖書朗読、祈り （旧約聖書 民数記 ６章 ２４節‐２６節）、式辞、誓約、宣言、祝祷、退場。

The following pictures are of the Recessional and a photo opportunity for everybody.

下記の写真はチャペルを出た後と写真撮影の時間。

And a picture of our little gang with Ken and Yukino.

最後の写真は私たちと一緒

The reception will continue on the next post.

次のポストは披露宴。

Sekai no Yama-chan / 世界の山ちゃん

It's still a day before our friend's wedding and we had already made plans to take Jun to this restaurant. Another friend of ours introduced us to this restaurant and me and Mikako got hooked on the chicken wings that are served here. This restaurant got it's start in Nagoya and has many a number of stores in the Tokyo area.

友達の結婚式前日のよる、義理の弟潤にどうしてもこの店の手羽先を食わしてあげたかったです。「世界の山ちゃん」は名古屋発所の店で、今東京にも何件もあります。他の友達が私たちを連れてって、僕と美香子もこの手羽を食べてやみつきになった。

These chicken wings are very spicy which is why we love them. And they go great with beer. But eating only chicken wings for dinner isn't a balanced meal so we also ordered onigiri, enringi tempura, kimchee, and zaru kishimen (rice balls, enrigi mushroom tempura, kimchee, and cold noodles).

ここの手羽先がスパイシーで美味しい、だから好きなんですよ。ビールにもってこい食べ物です。でも手羽だけじゃ。。。って事で、他に注文した物はおにぎりとエリンギの天ぷら、キムチ、とざるきしめん。

Bon Appetit again!

またまたいただきます！

Baker Bounce / ベーカーバウンス

After spending time at the pachinko museum and parasitological museum, Jun and I were getting pretty hungry. And since we didn't go to the Maid Cafe for lunch, I decided to Jun to another favorite gourmet burger shop of mine that's located not too far away from our apartment. This shop is called "Baker Bounce" and is located in a residential neighborhood and is probably one of the only burger shops that usually has customers lined up outside. Fortunately the line wasn't long today and we only had a five to ten minute wait. I recommended the bacon cheese burger to Jun (which is also what I ordered as well).

潤と一緒にパチンコ博物館と寄生虫館を楽しんだあと、ランチを食べに行く事にした。秋葉原のメイドカフェに行かなかった事で、結構腹減りました。そうゆうわけで、潤をうちの近くにあるグルメーバーガーショップ「ベーカーバウンス」に連れて行ってあげました。ここはいつも行列が出来る店なんですけど、今日はすいてまして、五分から十分の待ちですぐ店に入れました。潤に店の定番のバーガーをすすめました。ベーコンチーズバーガーです。僕も同じ物を注文しました。

And just to give you a better idea of how big this burger is, check out the picture below as well.

このバーガーの大きさもっとわかりやすいようにするため、下記の写真もご覧下さい。

As Jun was enjoying his second beer, I suggested an appetizer of chicken fingers and onion rings. The chicken fingers were great and came with an excellent egg/mustard sauce. The onion rings on the other hand were a little heavy with the batter and I felt like I was eating a soft pretzel. And in just a few hours Mikako and I were going to Jun to an Izakaya called "Sekai no Yama-chan" that serves some great chicken wings!

潤が二杯目のビールを飲んでるから、おつまみも頼みました。チキン・フィンガーとオニオンリング。チキン・フィンガーのほうはめちゃ美味しかった。特製ソースが最高でした。オニオンリングのほうは僕の好みじゃなかったな。でっかいソフト・プレッツェルを食べてる感じでした。数時間後に夕飯を食べに行くのにも関わらず、食べすぎた。その後嫁に叱られた。反省しないと。夜は名古屋で有名な居酒屋「世界の山ちゃん」に行く予定です。どうしても潤にその店の手羽先を食わしてあげたい。

Bon Appetit!

いただきます！

Pachinko & Parasites / パチンコと寄生虫

This weekend my brother-in-law Jun was coming to visit from Aomori for our friend's wedding on Sunday. I took Saturday off from work to show him around Tokyo while my wife was working. She suggested taking him to a Maid Cafe in Akihabara for lunch (which she thought I might enjoy as well). I was to meet him at Tokyo station at 11:08am at a waiting area called "Gin no Suzu" (The Silver Bell).

今回の休日、僕の義理の弟潤が青森から来ました。日曜日に私たちの共通の友達の結婚式があるからです。嫁が東京駅の「銀の鈴」の所に迎えにいって、そのあと、秋葉原のメイド喫茶でも連れて行ってあげたらと言われました。（多分僕も喜ぶと思って、提案したんじゃないかな）。

The Silver Bell Waiting Area

銀の鈴

Once I met up with him, we went straight to Akihabara to go in search of Maid Cafe. I figured on taking him to the popular @home Cafe which has gotten a lot of television coverage and also gets a lot of foreign tourists. However, when we got off the train at Akihabara, there wasn't a single maid to be found anywhere. Usually, there are many girls in maid costumes advertising the various Maid cafes right outside the station. I wonder if the random stabbing incidence a few weeks back had anything to do with the disappearances of the maids. We finally did see one but she was adversiting a "Cosplay" - (costume play) shop. A shop where you can buy maid outfits and other costumes of anime characters. And being too embarrassed to ask where the Maid Cafes were, we decided to forego that activity and headed to Ueno to check out a place that Jun was really looking forward to going to. The Pachinko Museum.

潤と会って、秋葉原に行きました。でも駅を出たらいつも居るはずのメイド達、誰一人も居なかった。先月の秋葉原殺傷事件の影響かどうか分かりませんが、本当にメイドたちは見当たらなかった。駅の近辺を歩き回ったら、一人のメイド発見、でもコスプレの店の宣伝をしていた。メイド喫茶は何処にあるのかを聞くのも恥ずかしいから、行くのを辞めました。潤がどうしても行きたい所があって、次向かったのは上野駅。目的地はパチンコ博物館。

Sign for the Pachinko Museum

The museum itself was located on the third floor of a building which also held the offices for the pachinko makers. Unlike the mahjong museum I went to last month, you were not allowed to take pictures of the machines on display. There were about two or three rooms featuring old pachinko machines from the kind where you flip one ball at a time to the machines Jun said he was hooked on in high school. I tried out the one ball at a time machine but didn't score well and the game was soon over. The entire museum can be gone through in less than thirty minutes. However, near the entrance, you could play at some of the newer machines (newer, still be machines from the '70s or '80s.) but where the balls are flipped automatically. Jun seemed most happy here and we probably could have spent all day there as there was no charge for the machines. I also tried my hand at it but found that I have no talent for it.

パチンコ博物館は一つのビルの三階にありました。先日行った麻雀博物館と違って、館内の写真撮影は禁止でした。二、三部屋位しかないので、３０分もあれば全部見れます。展示されてるのは古いパチンコ台ばっかりです。最初の１９４５年から８０年代モデルまで。手打ちの一台を体験しました。僕は下手でしたな。入口の方に無料で体験出来るパチンコ台もあって、潤はそこで一番嬉しそうな感じでした。

Jun also wanted to have his picture taken with the museum's curator.

潤も館長と一緒写真も撮りたかったので。。。

After enjoying ourself at the Pachinko Museum, we then headed off to Meguro. There was a place that I wanted to check out and Mikako had no desire to come with me but Jun said he didn't mind. We were going to world's only parasitological museum. Yes, a museum of parasites!　And it's free too!

パチンコを満喫したあと、目黒に向かいました。僕も昔から行きたかった所があって、美香子が一緒に来てくれない為、潤を無理やりに連れて行って、目指したのは目黒寄生虫館。入場料も無料！

Intestinal roundworm found in the small intestines of

humans.

The above pictures are of a tape worm that came out of a person who ate sushi of trout. The length of the worm is 8.8 meters (28.87 ft). That's disgusting!

上に写ってる写真も人間の体から出た寄生虫です。その人が鱒の寿司を食べて、三ヶ月後に便と一緒出たそう。長さが８．８メートル。気持ち悪いですね。

One must be careful of parasites or this could be you (only if you're a guy though)

寄生虫によう注意。（特に男のほう）

Carriers of parasites.

寄生虫を運ぶやつら。

After spending our time here, we then went to lunch. Oh, but I also bought the English version of small book about these parasites.

ここを見たあと、ランチ食べに行きました。あっ、記念に寄生虫の本も買いました。

I'll save the lunch post for another time.

ランチのネタはまた別のポストで。

ALL NEW VISUAL VICTUALS (Volume 6)

*映画のネタは日本語書き込みません

Greetings faithful readers and new readers too. Welcome to Volume 6 of my "All New Visual Victuals". What do you know, only two Hollywood movies this time around. One really good one and one really bad one. Lots of foreign films to read about this time around. Japanese films (well, I am living in Japan after all), Korean film, Brazilian film, French film, and one made for television movie. We still haven't gotten around to seeing the new Indiana Jones film though and I won't have any time to watch movies this weekend as my brother-in-law is coming to Tokyo from Aomori and we'll be at a wedding all day on Sunday. Just when my local DVD rental shop is having their half-price campaign. Fortunately, it continues through til Monday, so we can rent DVDs at a cheap price on Monday and watch great films. And now for your reading pleasure.

1. SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET (2007) - To be honest, we were a little leery of renting another musical turned Hollywood movie after watching and snoozing to "The Phantom of the Opera" but make no mistake, this is one entertaining movie musical. Not a single dull moment in it. Johnny Depp and Heather Bonham Carter are great. And so is the evil judge played Alan Rickman (his character in this movie isn't so different from Professor Snape of Harry Potter fame). Short version of the story. An evil judge was so taken by the barber's wife that he frames the barber for a crime the barber didn't commit. After fifteen years, there is only revenge in the heart of the barber as he returns to Fleet Street. Excellent film.

2. ゲゲゲの鬼太郎　「Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro」 (2007) - This has the International English title of "KITARO" and is based on a popular comic and anime series by Shigeru Mizuki. In fact, my brother and I used to watch this when we were still in elementary school (we were living in Tokyo at the time). It's about a half human-half yokai boy named Kitaro. Yokai is the generic term for a whole slew of spirits and Kitaro maintains the balance between the spirit world and the human world.


3. 恋する日曜日 「KOI SURU NICHIYOBI」 - English title "LOVE ON SUNDAY" (2006) - Simply put - Japanese version of "Some Kind of Wonderful". Akira (which can also be a girl's name) is moving because of her father's work transfer. She wants to spend her last day in town with her childhood friend Nao, who she also secretly loves. But Nao has his eyes set on the beautiful Tamaki. A farewell party is planned but only Nao was invited, but not realizing that Akira is in love with him, he invites Tamaki and you can probably guess the rest, especially if you've seen "Some Kind of Wonderful".

4. 200 POUNDS BEAUTY [Original Korean title - "MINYEO-NEUN GOEROWO" (2006) - I loved this film. It's a typical rom-com which Hollywood may eventually re-make (but let's hope not!). Anyway, it's the standard story of an overweight ugly duckling who provides the singing voice of a good-looking but talentless idol (a la Milli Vanilli). Ugly duckling decides to have major plastic surgery and becomes the star she's longed to be while trying to hide the secret of her former self. Guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

5. MARCO POLO (2007) - Oh my God!! They should shoot whoever was the casting director for this movie. Brian Dennehy as Kublai Khan? Please. They couldn't find an Asian or Asian-American actor? It's China for God's sakes, in a time when foreigners were not welcome. Well, if you want the whitest, most American accented Kublai Khan, this is your film!! Apparently a "Made for Television" that must have had a fairly decent budget as the scenery was beautiful. Oh, but this was very long. Not bad but I think they could have done a better job. Save it for a rainy day and when there is nothing else on the tube.

6. ROCKETMAN (2008) - Thai action film from the people who brought us "Ong Bak" and "Tom Yam Kun". Not quite as good as those two movies, seeing how Tony Ja doesn't star in this. If you were a fan of "Black Belt Theatre", you would appreciate this. It's like a Thai version of those bad Chinese kung-fu movies. Rocketman wants revenge for the killing of his parents (plot sounds familiar to those old kung-fu flicks too). Unlike the other two action films I mentioned, there's quite a bit of wire action in this one. Part fantasy too. I quite enjoyed it.

7. O CAMINO DAS NUVENS [English title: "THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD" (2003) - An interesting Brazilian film about which is based on a true story. A family of seven with four bicycles travels across Brazil from the countryside to Rio de Janeiro as the Father believes he will find a decent paying job in the big city. I think this Dad is a little loopy though as he will not do menial jobs even though he insists that his wife and kids do, while they're barely managing to survive. You'll love the scenery and find yourself wanting to travel to Brazil (but probably not by bicycle). Oh, the Japanese title is one of the lamest I've come across yet, it was "O, Bishikuretta!", bishikuretta being the Portuguese word for "bicycle". "Oh! Bicycle" - how sad is that?

8. L'AVION (2005) - A cute little French film to tear at your heartstrings. Charlie's dad is a pilot and Charlie is so looking forward to seeing him for Christmas as he's wished for a bicycle. When Charlie's father does come home, instead of a bicycle, Charlie receives a toy plane that his father made which spoils Charlie's enthusiasm towards Christmas. Then tragedy strikes. Charlie's father dies in an accident. Charlie becomes reclusive until it seems the airplane his father gave him comes alive! This film also suffers from the Japanese title - "Charlie and Papa's Airplane". They should have stuck with the original title!

9. アイランド・タイムズ [ISLAND TIMES] (2007) - Brought to us by the staff of popular morning news and information program "Mezamashi TV". This is Mezamashi's third film after "The Cat Movie" and "The Dog Movie". It's another coming of age movie set in small island of Aogashima (which is still part of Tokyo). There is no high school on this island and once a student graduates from junior high, they must head off to the big city. Third year student is full of anxiety about going to high school on the mainland. To add to his worries, for his last year, a transfer student joins him - which makes their class size a total of two - and she's a girl. But girl has a secret too. Cute little movie.

10. HAVOC (2005) - There's bad movies and there are worse movies. This falls into one of the worst of the worse movies. It played "havoc" with my mind, it was so bad. I must borrow the person who wrote a long review of it on the IMDb website. I totally agreed with what he had to say. Here it is in his own words: Words cannot express how much I hated this movie. I hated every aspect of it, from the direction to the writing to the acting. Havoc is the story of one teenager's (Anne Hathaway) exploration of a world outside that which she is accustomed. And that's putting it in a way that gives this movie more credit than it deserves. Hathaway's character is part of a "gang" of white, upper-class high-schoolers who backlash at their upbringing by emulated black culture. She and her friends eventually decide to take a trip to East L.A., and no hilarity ensues. He continues his critique that's right on the money: Vapid is the only word I can think of to describe the thoughts and ideas of this movie. It is one of the those movies that tries so hard to make a social comment, yet fails so miserably. The characters are all one-dimensional, especially Toby (Mike Vogel), the wigger boyfriend of Hathaway's character Allison. His actions are so broad and exaggerated, I had a hard time taking anything he, or anyone on screen at the time, did seriously. Finally, each character was written to be an example of a stereotype. I almost laughed when Hector (Freddy Rodriguez) tried to explain that not everything in East L.A. was about gangs and drugs, then proceeded to fill every stereotype of a movie gang member. I just had to share his opinion with my own reading audience.

And so ends another volume of film-watching. Another nine months to wait for the opening of "Rain Fall". Barry Eisler's novel of a half-American/half Japanese hitman who's specialty is killing people and making it look as if they died by natural causes. It's not a Hollywood production, so the States may have to wait a while before it's released there. I hope you enjoyed my reviews. I'm going to take a two-day break from blogging so don't be sad. I'll be back with more pictures and stories from the Land of the Rising Sun.

Hanging out with Tora-san / 虎さんと一緒

I thought this would amuse my mother

この写真自分のお母さんがウケルかなと思って。

Double Pepper Cheese Snack / くちどけチーズたら

Mikako isn't a big fan of cheese but I am and I couldn't resist trying this double pepper cheese snack. Great with beer too.

美香子はチーズそんなに好きじゃないですが、僕は大好きなので、このスナック発見した時は買うしかないと思った。ビールのおつまみにもってこいですよ。

A Walk around Shibuya / 渋谷の散歩

This weekend we went walking around my work neighborhood of Shibuya. But it was so darn hot and muggy, Mikako was not enjoying herself so we cut our walk short. Still, I took pictures of Shibuya's famous landmarks that I will share with you. We skipped the main areas of Center-Gai and where most of the popular shopping buildings are - Parco, 109, Seibu, Loft, etc. The area we walked around is full of office buildings and restaurants. I was curious as to what became of this restaurant called "Cous-Cous". It was North African restaurant I quite enjoyed. Then it became an Indian restaurant. But it's now a Peruvian restaurant called "Miraflores". We'll have to check it out sometime in the future. But for now, enjoy the pictures.

今回の散歩道は僕の職場の周りの渋谷。でも天気も相変わらず蒸暑いので、散歩は短めにしました。それでも、渋谷の人気スポットの写真いろいろ撮りました。今回は渋谷で有名なところを避けて‐センタ街、Parco, Loft, １０９、じゃないほうに歩き回った。またまた一軒の店はどうなったのかを気になってた。昔は北アフリカ料理店の「クスクス」でしたが、それが潰れて、インド料理になって、今はペル料理の「ミラフローレズ」になりました。近いうちに行ってみたいな。でわ、写真をご覧下さい。


Shibuya's most famous landmark - Hachiko


Another popular meeting place - the Moyai statue at Shibuya station

Children playing on top of the Earth

Shibuya Station

World's Busiest Starbuck's

Shibuya Station

Shibuya Mark City Hotel

Shibuya Nonbei Yokocho

Tanabata or Star Festival / 若林駅前七夕祭り

Today, our neighborhood was celebrating the Tanabata or Star Festival. The actual date of the festival is July 7 though. The Tanabata Festival was inspired by a Chinese folktale called "The Princess and the Cowherd". To save myself a little time, I will provide you the origins of the story as explained on Wikipedia: 「Orihime (織姫, Weaving Princess?) the daughter of the Tentei (天帝, Sky King, or the universe itself?) wove beautiful clothes by the bank of the Milky Way (天の川 Amanogawa). Her father loved the cloth that she wove and so she worked very hard every day to weave it. However, she was sad that because of her hard work she could never meet and fall in love with anyone. Concerned about his daughter, Tentei arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi (彦星, Cow Herder Star?) sometimes called Kengyuu (牽牛, Chinese name of Hikoboshi?) who lived and worked on the other side of the Amanogawa River (Milky Way). When the two met, they fell instantly in love with each other and were shortly married. However, once married, Orihime no longer would weave cloth for Tentei and Hikoboshi allowed his cows to stray all over Heaven. In anger, Tentei separated the two lovers across the Amanogawa River and forbade them to meet. Orihime became despondent at the loss of her husband and asked her father to let them meet again. Tentei was moved by his daughter’s tears and allowed the two to meet on the 7th day of the 7th month if Orihime worked hard and finished her weaving. The first time they tried to meet, however, they found that they could not cross the river because there was no bridge. Orihime cried so much that a flock of magpies came and promised to make a bridge with their wings so that she could cross the river. If it rains, the magpies cannot come and the two lovers must wait till next year.」

今日うちの近所で七夕祭りが開催されてました。近所の祭りなので、超しょぼい。日本人は誰でも七夕の話が知ってると思うので、説明はいりませんでしょう。

The festival started at noon. We were joined by our friend Mari and her little boy Shoei. Since we were one of the first people there, we were able to sit a table underneath a parasol. Good thing too, as it was really hot hoday. There was a very small stage set up where we listened to quite a few local musicians and a harp ensemble. We also watched a performance by group of junior high students as we drank beer and ate festival snacks - yakisoba (stir-fried noodles), yakitori (chicken skewers), and franfurters on a stick. And for kids, there was a little pool full of superballs that they would try to scoop us using a thin paper spatula.

祭りは昼から始まりました。私達の友達のマリちゃんとマリちゃんの息子ショウエイ君が合流しました。時間がまだ早いので、パラソルの下の良い席をとりました。今日は凄く暑かったので、ラッキと思いした。小さなステージもあり、ビールを飲みながらいろんなロカルミュージシャンを聞きました。中学生の生徒達のパフォーマンスもあり、しょぼいと言いながら結構面白かった。つまみは祭りの定番の焼きそばやたこ焼き、焼き鳥、とフランクを食べました。子供の為にスーパボールすくいもやってました。

Harp Ensemble

After enjoying the tanabata festival, we went to Mari's place and continued to eat and drink and play with Shoei until late at night.

七夕祭りを満喫した後、マリちゃんの家に行って飲んで、食べて、ショウ君と夜まで遊びつづいた。マリちゃん

Ernie does Rakugo? / 落語に挑戦？

Well, maybe not. But we were in Asakusa when Mikako took this picture. We'll have to go walking around there again so I can take more pictures and write a better post.

出来るわけないでしょう？でも浅草に行った時、美香子がこの写真を撮った。また浅草で散歩して、もっと良いポストを書くべきだな。

Freshness Burger

Aside from Mos Burger, this is my other favorite Japanese Burger chain. As the name suggests, they make their burgers after you order them with the freshest ingredients. Their menu is pretty large too but I find myself always ordering the same item - the regular Freshness Burger!　It's fairly similar to Mos Burger's spicy Mos Cheeseburger.

モス・バーガー以外に、日本でもう一つの好きなバーガーチェンがあります。上記の写真のFreshness Burgerです。この店は食材にもこだわりがあって、注文してからバーガーを焼くの。メニューもいろいろありますが、僕がなぜか、いつも同じ物を頼む‐看板メニューのFreshness Burger。味はモス・バーガーと似てると思います。

Freshness Burger

Mikako wasn't in a burger mood and ordered a hot dog instead. And we always seem to order onion rings as a side.

美香子はバーガーじゃなくて、ホットドッグを頼んだ。サイドメニューに私達はいつもオニオンリングも注文する。

Freshness Burger Hotdog

Bon Appetit!

いただきます！

Porsche series / ポルシェ・シリーズ

Hey there all, I thought I would post my series of Porsche mini-cars that also was part of a can coffee promotion. Yep, I bought the can coffees just for the mini cars. What can I say, I'm a guy and guys like their toy cars!

ういす、今回は自分が持ってるポルシェのミニカーコレクションを紹介しようと思って。こちらの物も缶コーヒーの会社のプロモーションでおまけに付いてた物です。男って、おもちゃのミニカーが好きです。僕もその一人。

The following two Porsches were not part of the can coffee promotion. I bought these separately.

下記にあるポルシェは缶コーヒーのプロモーションとは関係ございません。別に買った物です。

New Cell-Phone / 新しい携帯

This is a picture of my new cell-phone. My old one was beyond it's last legs. So many gadgets!!
Can you tell that I'm being a little lazy with my last few posts?

これが僕の新しい携帯です。古いやつはもう死んだ。今のやつは機能がありすぎるよ！
最近のポストでちょっとなまけものになってるのわかる？

Maldives Memories / モルデイブの思い出

In case you didn't know, my old cell phone died, so I had to buy a new one. Fortunately, I had accumulated enough points that the new cell didn't cost me anything. But it has so much extra stuff on it, I don't know where to start. One cool thing it has is the a small memory card, which can receive pictures from other people's phone (which is where this picture came from) and then I can download it to our home computer. Mikako took this picture when we were vacationing in the Maldives some years ago. This is me enjoying myself on the deck of our water bungalow. With the price of oil and airfare surcharges, we won't be seeing this island any time soon!!

皆知らないかも知りませんが、僕の携帯が死にました、新しい携帯買うのが必要になった。でも古い携帯の会社に何かのポイントが貯まってたんで、新しい携帯ただで交換が出来ました。機能がいっぱいありすぎて、わけわからん！！でもメモリカードもあるので、他の人の携帯で撮った写真が自分の携帯に送れる事が可能。それで、家用のパソコンにダウンロードが出来る。今の携帯って凄いね。上にある写真はモルディブに行った時、美香子が携帯で撮ったやつです。また行きたいな。でも今の燃料サーチャージとか、この島に戻る事は遠い夢だなと思う。

Handstanding Sheep / 羊の逆立ち

A Walk around Gotokuji / 豪徳寺の散歩

It sure was hot and muggy today but we still went for a walk. Today's goal was Gotokuji Temple. We once again, walked along the "green path" from our home to Gotokuji where the temple is located. It's said to be the temple where the maneki-neko originated which translates to the "beckoning cat". It's also known as the "Lucky Cat", "Fortune Cat" or "Welcoming Cat". The most popular legend goes something like this. There was a poor monk in a poverty stricken temple who would share what little food he had with his pet cat. One day, a feudal lord (Ii Naotaka - I had to look that part up) was taking shelter underneath a tree during a thunderstorm when he saw a cat beckoning him to come in to the temple. As soon as he followed the cat, the tree he was sitting under was struck by lightning. Afterwards, Ii Naotaka became a patron of the temple, which then became prosperous.

今日も蒸し暑い一日でした。それでも散歩に出掛けました。今日の目的地は豪徳寺。またうちの近くの緑道を豪徳寺方面に歩きました。豪徳寺は招き猫の発祥の地という説があります。日本人は多分誰でも知ってると思いますが、一様その説を教えますね。ネットで知らべたところ、こうゆう風に書かれてました：「井伊直孝が猫により門内に招き入れられ、雷雨を避け、和尚の法談を聞くことができたことを大いに喜び、後に井伊家御菩提所としたという。豪徳寺では「招福猫児（まねぎねこ）」と称し、招猫観音（招福観世音菩薩、招福猫児はその眷属）を祀る「招猫殿」を置く。招猫殿の横には、願が成就したお礼として、数多くの招福猫児が奉納されている。ちなみに、招福猫児は右手を上げており、小判などを持たない素朴な白い招き猫である。」

The pictures above are the views of the "green path". We even came across a maneki-neko here as well.

上記の写真は緑道の風景です。ここでも招き猫と会いました。

Entrance to Gotokuji Temple / 豪徳寺の入り口

The "Beckoning Cats"! / 招き猫いっぱいおります！

Pictures of the temple and surroundings.

As we were making our way home, we stopped by Miyanosaka station and checked out the old Setagaya Line train that's on display. The old cars had more atmosphere with their wooden flooring and all. The new cars just don't have that something special about them.

帰り道に世田谷線（通称世田線）の宮の坂駅に展示されてる旧世田谷線の電車を見に行きました。やっぱり旧電車のほうが味あったな。今の世田線なんとも思わない。

All that walking made us a little hungry so we bought ourselves grilled scallops on a skewer.

歩くと小腹が減って、帆立の串焼きを食べた。

10 yen Manju / １０円まんじゅう

Last week as we were walking around the neighborhood, Mikako discovered a new shop that just opened. It was called "Wafuan". It was a small store selling 10yen manju which is like a fluffy cake filled with anko (sweet bean paste made from azuki). Being only 10yen, which is about 15 cents or so, we bought a package of 10. Tasty little things they are.

先週散歩してる途中に美香子が気になる店を発見。「和ふ庵」とゆう店でした。ここが蒸したてのまんじゅうの専門店です。１０円ですから、１０個が入ってるパックを買いました。美味しいな。

A 10yen coin is about the size of an American quarter, just to give you some kind of reference.

Bon Appetit!

いただきます！

Creepy Cloud gets Angry / 不気味雲が怒り出す

Just in case you were wondering what became of the creepy cloud I took a picture of, just check out the short video clips below.

あの不気味な雲がどうなったか気になるでしょう？下記の動画を観るとすぐ分かります。

それに、ちょうど散歩に行こうとしてたんですが、外はそゆう感じで、散歩も却下。

てっことで、家の回りの風景（風景と言うのかな？）も撮りました。

Creepy Cloud / 不気味な雲

I took this picture as I was walking home from the bus station, it was about 7:00pm.

帰り道にこの写真を撮りました。夕方七時位でした。凄くない？

Boso Peninsula (Part 3) / 房総半島日帰りツアー（パート３）

After checking out the Underwater Sea Park, we were on our way to where I wanted to go to the most - Nokogiriyama and the Nihonji Temple. I wanted to check out this area called "The Devil's Window". Unfortunately, when we got to Nokogiriyama, the weather took a turn for the worse and it started raining even harder. The ropeway to the top of Nokogiriyama wasn't running and when we looked in the sky, there was nothing but rain and dark clouds. Even if we did make it to the top, there wouldn't be anything worth seeing.

勝浦海中展望台を楽しんだあと、最後の目的地に行きました。僕が一番行きたかった鋸山と日本寺。鋸山の上に地獄のぞきとうゆう場所があって、凄く楽しみにしてた。でも鋸山に着いた時、雨がもっとひどく降っていて最悪でした。鋸山に登るロープウェーイも止まってたし、山の上を見ると雨雲しか見えないし、登っても、何も見えないから、地獄のぞきに行くのを却下。雨がちょこっと弱まったので、日本寺に行きました。

From the English brochure, I learned that the official name of Nihonji is Kenkon-Zan Nihon-Ji. It's a Buddhist temple that was built about 1300 years ago. Founded in 725 by high priest Bohisattva Gyoki (also from the brochure). The statue of the Buddha above is the largest statue of the Buddha Daibutsu in Japan. It's 31 meters tall (sorry, the brochure only lists the metric measurements). In comparison, the Daibutsu at Todai-Ji in Nara is 18 meters (although it's sits in the largest wooden structure in the world) and the Buddha in Kamakura is 13 meters. This Buddha is an image of Ruriko Bhechadjaguru Tathagata and signifies that the whole universe is "a pure field confined in a lotus world" (also compliments of the brochure).

英語のパンフレットを読むと、日本寺の正式名は乾坤山日本寺。１３００年前に作られた寺です。上記の写真は日本寺の大仏。日本で一番大きい大仏です。高さは３１メートル。奈良の東大寺にある大仏の高さは１８メートル（でもその大仏が入ってる建物は世界で一番大きく木材で作られてるものと言われてる）、鎌倉の大仏は１３メートル。この大仏の正式名は薬師瑠璃光如来（やくしるりこうにょらい）。

We also had to check out the 15oo stone figures of Tokai Arhats. A lot of the stone figures were missing their heads while others looked like they were alive. As it was still raining and kind of dark, the place had a surreal atmosphere. Very creepy. Driving back down to the main road, we came upon a field where a lot hydrangeas where in bloom. We were moved by the beauty of it. Of course we had to take a picture there as well.

もう一つの見どころは千五百羅漢。本当に仏像がいっぱいありました。よく見ると何体もが首がないのがあったり、生きてる様な感じの物もあったり、雨も降っていたので、ちょっと暗くて不気味でした。日本寺を下ると紫陽花が沢山咲いてるところがあり、凄く綺麗で皆が感動して、記念写真を撮りました。

After enjoying Nihonji Temple, we went to Takeoka for some Takeoka ramen. Mikako said it was little too salty but I rather enjoyed it. The broth was a blend of soy sauce and some type of fish. What was interesing about this ramen shop though was the filled your bowl with soup to overflowing. I wonder if that is their policy. After eating our ramen, Yukio drove us to Maihama Station (location of Tokyo Disneyland). We didn't have the strength to walk around the large mall called Ikspiri. All we wanted to do was go home and sleep in our own bed.

日本寺を楽しんだ後、竹岡のラーメンを食べに行きました。店の名前は梅の家。美香子がちょっとしょっぱいと言ってましたが、僕は結構好きでした。ラーメンのつゆは醤油ベースで魚のだしもきいてました。ちょっと変と思ったのは、つゆがどんぶりから垂れる位の量が入ってました。それがこの店のこだわりですかね？　で、帰りは東京ディズニーランドがある舞浜から電車にのって帰りました。Ikspiriとゆうモールがありましたが、見る体力はありませんでした。早く帰って自分のベッドに寝たかったです。

幸男、玲子ちゃん、お疲れ様でした！

Boso Peninsula (Part 2) / 房総半島日帰りツアー（パート２）

After checking out the mahjong museum, we then went to a place called Onjuku. The area is known for being the place where a famous song was written - something called "Tsuki no Sabaku" written by Masao Kato. We didn't go to the memorial museum but we did check out the bronze statues of the camels with a prince and princess on the beach that appear in the lyrics. Apparently this is the beach where the song was written.

麻雀博物館観たあと、次の目的地を目指したのは御宿町にある月の砂漠。記念館は行かなかったが、砂丘にあるラクダの像を見に行きました。ラクダは月の砂漠の曲に関係するもんで、この曲はこの砂浜で書かれたそうです。

From Onjuku, we went to Katsuura to check out the Katsuura Underwater Park. Unlike your regular aquariums, this is a building that's located 197 feet offshore and has an observatory where you can check out the at 20 feet below sea level.

御宿町から勝浦に行きました。今度の目的は勝浦海中展望台。水族館と違って、展望台の中で海の中を見る。

Not a great picture but this gives you an idea of how the observatory is built.

写真が良くないが、展望台がこうゆう風に作られてます。

But before heading out to the observatory, it was time for lunch. Mikako ordered the kaisen bowl while I had a seafood curry. We also tried something called sanga yaki which was minced sardines served on a half-shell.

でも展望台に行く前は昼飯を食べました。美香子は海鮮丼を頼んで、僕はシーフードカレー。あと地元料理のさんが焼きも食べました。

Kaisen Bowl / 海鮮丼

Seafood Curry / シーフードカレー

Sanga Yaki / さんが焼き

After lunch, we checked out the observatory, but as the weather was bad, the ocean below was murky as well.

ランチ食べあとに展望台に行きました。でも天気の悪いせいか、海の中も結構濁ってました。

And a couple more pictures of Katsuura before leaving for Nokogiri Yama and Nihoji Temple.

鋸山と日本寺行く前に、勝浦の海岸の写真も撮りました。

Boso Peninsula Tour (Part 1) / 房総半島日帰りツアー（パート１）

Yukio said we were going to leave his apartment at 6:30 in the morning so Mikako got up at the ungodly hour of 5:30 and took a shower. I was up and showered before 6:30 as well but Yukio was still sleeping away, and so was his girlfriend. I can understand his girlfriend wanting more sleep as she was kept awake with his snoring as well. Although Mikako and I were up and ready we were sleepy as well, having only slept for about two to three hours.　We finally left around 7:00am and stopped a convenient store to buy a light breakfast. Our first destination was Kujukuri, it's a very long beach that's popular with surfers.

友達の幸男が房総半島のドライブの為、朝六時半出発と言ったので、美香子が朝五時半に起きて、シャワーを浴びて、僕も六時半前に準備しましたが、肝心の幸男がまだ寝てました。一番寝てるくせに、私たち三人は寝たと言っても二時間位しか寝てない。幸男のいびきのせいで。やっと七時に出発して、コンビニで軽く朝食の買い物して、最初に目指す目的地は九十九里。

Although we knew the weather forecast called for rain, we were determined to enjoy our trip around the Boso Peninsula. Even in this weather, there were quite a few surfers enjoying the waves. I wonder if they feel the cold or not? I noticed a small plot of sand that was roped off and went to investigate. The sign showed that it was an area where sea turtles lay their eggs.

天気予報で雨と分かってたが、それでも房総半島巡りに出掛けるを決めたんだ。この天気でも、結構サーフィンする人多かった。寒くないのかね？　ビーチの中に気になるものがあって、見に行ったら、ウミガメが卵を下ろす所でした。

As it was still early in the morning, there wasn't a lot of places serving food yet and we were getting a little hungry. The only thing we could order right away was grilled-top shell.

まだ朝早いので、すぐ食べられる物はサザエの壺焼。

The English translation of what I'm saying is "Because of this guy, none of us got any sleep. Tell us your sorry!!"

Not too far from the beach was a museum that Yukio wanted to see. It's the world's only mahjong museum. We weren't particularly interested but since Yukio was our driver, we decided to humor him. I'm glad we did because even if you don't know how to play the game, it sure was one interesting museum. We were given a short guided tour and were shown the different mahjong sets and tables. The were mahjong tiles made from human bones, with part of a skull as a mahjong case. There was a Louis Vuitton mahjong set displayed (there are only two in the entire world). There were trick tiles (like trick cards where you can see what image is under the tile by wearing special glasses) and there were a lot of other related mahjong goods.

ビーチの近くに幸男が行きたいと言ってた博物館があった。世界唯一の麻雀博物館です。私たち三人はあんまり興味がなかったが、幸男が「絶対面白いよ、俺が金払うから、行こう！」とゆうことで行きました。行ってみたら、結構面白かった。館長みたいな人がガイドをしてくれて、いろんな麻雀セットやテーブルとか紹介された。人骨で作られた麻雀パイや、頭蓋骨で作られたケース、世界で二つしかないルイ・ヴィットンの麻雀セット、トリックパイ（特製のメガネをかけたら、パイの裏が見える）、と他に麻雀グッズや麻雀がモチーフの物もせい揃い。

Huge mahjong tiles!!

麻雀パイでっかい！

Beautiful craftsmanship!

芸実品や！

Mahjong tiles made from human bones.

人骨で作られた麻雀パイ

Mahjong case made with human skull.

頭蓋骨で作られた麻雀ケース

Trick mahjong tiles

トリック麻雀パイ

Louis Vuitton mahjong set

ルイ・ヴィットン麻雀セット

The Boso Peninsula tour will continue on another post. Next stop - Onjuku.

房総半島ツアーつづく。　次の目的地は御宿町。