Ern's Monthly Page Turners (September 2008)

*本に関するポストは日本語書き込みません。

It's the end of the month which means it's time once again to fill you in on what I've been reading. As I mentioned last month, I was having my own John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris revival (John Wyndham for most of his science fiction books). Penguin publishers had reprinted five of his books, complete with new covers. But in all honesty, I think the new covers are rather bland. This is an author that was once recommended by a friend of mine way back in the early '80s. My friend knew I was an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy and couldn't believe I hadn't read Wyndham's most famous novel, "The Day of the Triffids". Why I waited nearly 30 years to read it, I'll never know. But once I read through that particular book, I just had to read the others. Aside from Wyndham's science fiction novels, I had to go back to my favorite of food and travel as well and also managed to read one children's book as well and looked through one visual book. So here we go:

1. THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS by John Wyndham - Any avid reader of science fiction and fantasy should know this book. Triffids are giant plants that can walk and are carnivorous as well. But humans have been growing them in increasing numbers for the various products that can be extracted from them. One evening, an incredible event has occurred. A meteor shower of epic proportions. However, our hero in this story was just about to get the bandage removed from his eyes. He had been blind for the past two weeks or so. But things are not right in the hospital. It turns out that all the people who watched the evening night skies have all become blind over night. Our hero is one of the few people who still has his sight though (not being able to see the previous evenings show). And as people become clumsy, they are slowly and deliberately being fed upon by the triffids. Very exciting story. I think movies like "Night of the Comet" and "28 Days Later" owe a bit of their inspiration to this story. First published in 1951. Its still exciting reading today. I should have listened to my friend back when he recommended it.

2. THE KRAKEN WAKES by John Wyndham - A fireballs are seen from Earth but nobody really worries about it. It's just another unusual event that happened in space. However, a lot of these fireballs have been falling into the deepest parts of our ocean. And afterwards, passenger ships and tankers mysteriously disappear in deep waters. Long before global warming became part of our everyday lexicon, Wyndam has come up with another cautionary tale of what might happen to Earth if our polar caps melt and if we're attacked by some new and unknown creatures from the deep. Fun stuff. This was published in 1953 and was released as "Out of the Deeps" in the U.S.

3. THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS by John Wyndham - Most of you are probably familiar with this story even if you've never read it. It was adapted for the silver screen and become the movie "Village of the Damned" which also spawned the sequel "Children of the Damned". First published in 1957. In the small English village of Midwich, the entire town has been become unconscious. However, when the town folks wake and find there is nothing wrong with themselves, this even becomes known as the "Day Out". It isn't until nine months later that the villagers have discovered a new mystery. All the women in the town of Midwich are pregnant!! And once the kids are born, they all have blond hair and golden eyes - and also seem to have the power to make the villagers to what they want. Another excellent story. Of course I will not tell you these stories turn out. If I've perked your interest even a bit, that would be a good thing. It might make you want to go to your local book store to buy these books.

4. THE CHRYSALIDS by John Wyndham - Probably my favorite of all the Wyndham books. First published in 1955 and released "Re-Birth" in the States. Once again, another cautionary tale. It's a few thousand years in the future after some apocalyptic event. It seems the only places left inhabitable by normal people are living in Labrador. The people here live a humble life. They believe the people in the past were punished by "God" who sent "Tribulation" to teach them a lesson. And the people believe that to keep themselves from having another "Tribulation" they need to live a simple life, a perfect life (just imagine them living life like in the Taliban-led Afghanistan). And if a thing isn't considered pure, such a a cat without a tail, or a person with some form of deformity, they are considered blasphemies, even plants and vegetables that are considered perfect are called "deviations" and must be destroyed or sent to the "Fringes". Our hero David learns early that he has telepathic abilities, yet his father is a strict religious man who would as soon destroy his own son who would be considered a blasphemy. His younger sister also has the power and is by far a long stronger than anybody has experienced yet. But when their secret is found out, they must flee the city and brave the wilds of "Fringes" and fight for their survival. Very, very exciting reading.

5. TROUBLE WITH LICHEN by John Wyndham - A woman biochemist finds that the property of a particular lichen, indeed has an ingredient to retard the aging process. Her superior at work as also been working independently on the properties of this particular lichen. He has used himself and his family as guinea pigs and find that they will be able to live for 200 to 300 years. However, the woman biochemist quits her job and opens a spa for women and treats her patients with the extract from the plant. Her boss thinks she's doing it for profit, but her actual aim is to treat influential and powerful women so that if the secret is discovered, men in power will not be able to keep it solely for themselves.

6. THE YEAR OF EATING DANGEROUSLY: A GLOBAL ADVENTURE IN CULINARY EXTREMES by Tom Parker-Bowles - And now back to my favorite subject - food! But when Parker-Bowles says eating dangerously, he doesn't mean trying to score a kebab in Iraq or Afghanistan. No, what he's really referring to is the Western concept of what we might consider extreme or dangerous. Being a Brit, he starts his adventure close to home in a place called Glouscester hunting for elvers. Elvers are a type of eel in case you didn't know (I didn't!). He next goes to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the annual Fiery Foods Festival. Then it's off to China for a variety of foods we probably wouldn't have the nerve to eat or drink - spirits with snake bile, offal (the nice term for liver, kidneys, spleens, hearts, intestines, and whatnot). I've been reading another book about the food of China and came upon a phrase that sums up their cuisine - "if it moves, it's a potential ingredient.". Then, it's off to Nashville, Tennessee to be a judge in a barbecue competition (I would love to go to one of these). Next stop - Tokyo, Japan for some fugu or puffer fish (which I know I won't have to explain to you). Then it's off to Korea to try something called posintang, which is the controversial dish made with dog meat. (The author could only stomach a bite or two as his European and American prejudices were too strong to ignore). He also tried some snack food at an outdoor food stall that happened to be the pupae of some critter. Then a trip to Laos, where he tries a bit of ant egg soup (which you should all be familiar with if you read last month's Page Turners). Next, it's off to Spain to go in search of parcevas (gooseneck barnacles). Well hey, I can remember my mother eating goeyducks so I guess barnacles could be delicious as well. And then its off to Sicily with his Hollywood image of the Mafia. The only place in his list of destinations that he thought might be dangerous. And just for a bit of trivia, my short list of dangerous foods I have eaten - puffer fish (the sashimi was delicious but the fried puffer had too many bones), kangaroo (at a Ghanaian restaurant that was so spicy you couldn't tell what kind of meat you were eating), torisasami (it's a dish made with raw chicken - don't knock until you try it and I didn't suffer from salmonella poisoning!). Camel jerky at a Greek restaurant, alligator and ostrich at the Bite of Seattle, basashi (raw horse meat, also a delicacy in Japan and was served at a ryokan I stayed at). But no bugs or insects for me. Oh, wait a minute, I have tried inago which is a kind of grasshopper. Bon Appetit!

7. THE MAN WHO ATE THE WORLD: IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT DINNER by Jay Rayner - And now, from one extreme to the other. Rayner is a food writer for the London Observer and has an affinity for the finer things in life. This book is about his travels around the world and eating exclusively at Michelin three star restaurants. He dines with and at some of the world known chef's restaurants - Mario Battali, Wolfgang Puck, Alain Ducasse, Gordon Ramsay, Guy Savoy, Joel Robuchon, Pierre Gagnaire to name a few. We're talking about dinners that can cost up to $500 per person. His travels take him to Las Vegas, Moscow, Tokyo, Dubai, London, and of course New York and Paris. He is also in the envious position of having most of his meals paid for his place of employ. He also decides to pull a Morgan Spurlock (but only for a week and only for dinner). A lot of these three star restaurants serve what's called a tasting menu where you might be served up to sixteen separate dishes. But reading this book, it still doesn't inspire me to seek out places like El Bulli in Spain to spend a fortune on dinner. I'd prefer to have some yakitori at a local dive for eat some cheap grub in the outdoor foodstalls of Southeast Asia.

8. TOKYO ROCK CATWALK: VISUAL KEI BANDS BIG IN JAPAN by Cocoro Books - Well, I don't know about big. If the publisher really wanted to sell more books, they should have included pictures of X Japan, Malice Mizer, EZO, Pierrot, and Dir en Grey. As it is, the bands featured in this book aren't major and I doubt that they're big in Japan as the title suggests. But it makes for a great companion volume to Cocoro Books "J-Rock Groupies". If your a visual kei band maniac and you're familiar with these bands, Suicide Ali, Seed, Kurogane, Julia, or Tokami, then this is a must-have book for you.

9. FRINDLE by Andrew Clements - And I also like to relax by reading a children's book or two. The story here is about a fourth grader who tries to talk his teacher out of giving students homework but his plan backfires as his new teacher assigns him an extra bit of homework on the origin of words. To get at his teacher, he starts referring to a pen as a "frindle" and gets his classmates to use it as well. Soon, it's a war between the teacher forbidding the use of the word, and the students flagrant use of it. Fun story. Only at the end, does the student realize that his teacher had been purposefully playing the devil's advocate. I may have to read some more of Clements books just for fun.

And so concludes this month's choices. As I mentioned earlier, I'm currently reading about the exploits of another foodie who spends a lot of time in China and becomes the first foreigner and woman to study at a Sichuan Culinary Institute. And I think I may even indulge myself in reading Candace Bushnell's "Sex and the City" - although I have no desire to watch the drama or the movie.

Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto / 蒙古タンメン中本

Last Friday, Mikako and I had the day off and decided to head out to Ikebukuro for lunch. Our choice this time was Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto. This ramen shop has been featured on many television programs and magazine articles which features their Mouko Tanmen which is a very spicy ramen topped with minced meat and mabo-dofu. Hot and delicious! However, Mikako still prefers the Spicy Chashu-men from Miso Ichi. This shop serves an even more spicy ramen called [Hokkyoku Ramen] which translates to North Pole Ramen. The Mouko Tanmen was spicy enough for me.

この間の金曜日僕と美香子が休みだったので、ランチは池袋まで食べに行きました。今回の目的は「蒙古タンメン中本」とゆう店。このラーメン屋はよくテレビや雑誌で紹介されてる店です。店の自慢のラーメンは蒙古タンメンとゆう物。これは辛くって、うまいです。店のモットーも「からうまい」らしいです。蒙古タンメンの特徴はタンメンの上にさらにスパイシーな麻婆豆腐が乗せられる。やっぱ辛くって、美味しい。でも美香子の感想は、「中本」より「味噌一」のピリ辛チャーシュー麺のほうが好みって。

蒙古タンメンよりもっと辛い物もメニューにありました。それは北極ラーメンでした。ま、自分は蒙古タンメンの辛さがちょうど良いと思った

And to make my sister jealous, another fine pic of the ramen we ate.

妹が羨む様に、もちろんラーメンの写真は載せますよ。

Belated Thanks / 遅れたお礼

The above was given to me by a co-worker. Mikako and I already ate both of them and they were both delicious. The one on the right was nice and spicy - a tom yam ramen. Apparently,

noodles from Vietnam.

上記の写真のラーメンは会社の同僚から貰いました。遅れたありがとうを伝いをっと、ブログに乗せました。先日嫁と一緒に食べた。両方はとっても美味しかった。右側のほうは辛くて、良かったです。ベトナムの物と聞きました。今度日本でも探してみる。

La Pianta / ラ・ピアンタ

As I mentioned on my post about our walk around Sakura Shin Machi, we went and had lunch at an Italian restaurant called La Pianta. Mikako was in the mood for Italian after watching a program on television featuring a place called [Erick Pierre]. But since that restaurant seemed to be closed we just wandered around and stumbled across this place. We checked out there menu and I saw that they served gnocchi.

桜新町のポストで話しまたので、ランチはここの店に決定、名前は「ラ・ピアンタ」。美香子が前の日にテレビで紹介された「エリック・ピエール」の店を見て、イタリアンを食べたくなった。「エリック・ピエール」行きましたが、まだ準備中の感じでした。で、歩きながら、ここの店を発見。メニューも見て、なんと僕が食べたかったニョッキが載ってたので、ここに決定。

This restaurant featured a lunch set that included soup, salad, dessert, and a choice of coffee or tea (iced or hot). Mikako ordered the spaghetti pescatore while I chose my longed for gnocchi.

We were first served our salad which was covered with a vinagraitte dressing (delicious). Next was the soup which was the house minestrone (also very good). Then our main course. Of course we shared each other's meal. But when my plate arrived, it wasn't my imagined gnocchi, the kind that resembles ravioli. However, it was a potato gnocchi covered with a gorgonzola cheese sauce and oven-baked. I enjoyed quite a bit. Mikako wasn't too keen on the gorgonzola so she only had a few bites. For dessert, Mikako had the gateau chocolat (chocolate cake if you didn't know), while I had the raspberry yogurt mousse.

この店はランチのセットもあって、メイン一つとセットを頼むと、サラダ、スープ、デザータ、と紅茶かコーヒーが付いてます。美香子がシーフードのパスタを注文し、僕は食べたかったニョッキ。最初に出された物はサラダ。美味しいビネグレットドレッシングが乗せてた。次は店のミネストローネ。これも美味しかったです。でメインが来ました。美香子のシーフードパスタと僕のニョッキ。でも僕が思った様なニョッキではなかった。ちょっと変わった形なニョッキでしたな。でも上にゴルゴンゾーラソースが乗って、オブンで焼いた物です。美香子はちょっとゴルゴンゾーラソースは苦手だったみたいなので、ニョッキを二口位しか食べなかった。最後はデザート。美香子がガトウ・ショコラ（チョコレートケーキですね）、で、僕はフランホアーズヨーグルトムース。超旨かった！

Salad and Soup / サラダとスープ

Seafood Pasta / シーフードパスタ


Oven-baked Gnocchi with a Gorgonzola sauce / ニョッキのゴルゴンゾーラソースのオブン焼き

Chocolate Cake / ガトウショコラ

Raspberry Yogurt Mousse / フランボアーズヨグルトムース

Bon Appetit / いただきます

Everyday is an Adventure / 毎日が冒険

I finished another book that's written entirely in Japanese without any furigana. I once again challenged myself to read my current favorite Japanese author, Ayumu Takahashi. This book is his story of graduating from a high school without having any dreams and not knowing what he wants to do with his life to his success as a bar owner, company president, author, and publisher. It's a success story about starting with nothing and having no experience to becoming his own company's president at the age of 24.

また日本語のみで書かれた本を読み終わりました。今回も僕がはまってる日本人の著者高橋歩の「毎日が冒険」を読んだ。内容は高橋本人の実体験。高校卒業して、夢もないまま、平凡の人生を贈ってた。そうゆう始まりから、自分でロックバーを開店し、自分の会社を成立し、２４歳で社長になり、店舗を４件まで増やし、等の超爆笑のサクセス・ストーリー。

I laughed when I read about his first dream. He was watching television with his brother when an ad for Marlboro cigarettes came on. Then it hit him. He decides to go to Texas to become a cowboy. I thought this is like an American watching a Kurosawa movie suddenly thinks to himself, "That's it!, I will go to Japan to become a samurai!". Of course, once Takahashi finds himself in Texas and finds a person willing to teach him, his dream is shattered by the reality of it all. He turns tail and heads back to Japan.

最初の夢が極めた話を読んだら、超笑った。なぜと言えば、高橋氏が弟とテレビを見た時、マルボロのCMが流れ、「あっ、これだ！アメリカに行ってカウボイになる」。本当にアメリカのテクサス州まで行って、どっかの牧場の弟子入りに挑戦した。まるで、アメリカ人が黒沢の映画を観て、「あっ、これだ！日本に行って侍になる」と同じ様な発想。高橋氏が実際アメリカに行きましたが、やっぱり絵がたイメージより全然違ってたの、負け犬みたいな感じで日本に帰国。

But from that humble beginning, a friend of his talks him into taking part in a philosophy seminar that apparently teaches one that success is giving it more than your best. It's also about being persistent and never giving up. And also to make his parents happy, he decides to go to college (still not knowing what he wants to do with his life). Having so much time on his hand, he goes to his local video rental store because he wanted to watch Tom Cruise in "Top Gun", but since the store was out of that title, he rents "Cocktail". Watching that, he has his next epiphany - "That's it. I will be a bartender and open my own bar". And so, he starts to work part-time at a bar, reads up on opening a small business, and saves as much money as he can. His had a three year plan. But when he talks to his friends, they all decide to chip in and Takahashi and four of his friends open their own bar "Rockwell's". This when Takahashi is only 21years old.

そうゆう始まりから、友達がおすすめした成功哲学セミナーを参加し。両親を安心させる為に大学に行き、でもまだ夢が極めないまま時が過ぎるだけ。時間もありすぎて、トム・クルーズ主演の映画「トップ・ガン」を借りをとしてら、なっかたので、「カックテール」を借りた。それを観ると、やっとやりたい事が極めた‐バーテンダーになって、自分の店を持つこと。最初は三年のプランを立て、友達と話したら、友達と一緒にやることになった。それで一年後位に念願の店「Rockwell's」を開店した。彼はまだ２１歳だった。

But, not being satisfied with having just one bar, he talks and helps his younger brother open [Rockwell's II]. Gaining more business experience, instead of just opening another bar, he sets up his own company and names it Sanctuary. Takahashi is now the president of his own company - and he's only 24yrs old. He goes on to open two more bars and their profits continue to rise. He takes a trip to India to meet Sai Baba. But Takahashi gets bored and wants a new challenge. So he quits his job as company president (although he continues to have his name listed), and gets into the publishing business. Once again starting from scratch. From writing a book, setting up a publishing company, publishing the book, choosing the print and papers, coming up with a title, and getting it into stores, and to hope it becomes a bestseller. His first book, and first book for Sanctuary publishing is [Heaven's Door]. I will probably read that next.

彼は一店舗で満足が出来なかった。弟を手伝って、「Rockwell's」二号店をオペン。店だけを開店するのは難しいから、その後、高橋氏が自分の会社「Sanctuary」を成立し、社長になり、あっと言う間に。４店舗まで経営した。彼はまだ２４歳。会社も店の売上も順調だったし、最初に居店舗目で一緒にオペンした友達とインドに旅立つ、目的はサイババに会うため。戻った高橋氏がまた新たな挑戦をしたいと友達に行って、自分が作った会社を辞めて、別の事をゼロからやるのを決心しました。それが本を書いて、作った会社に出版事業部を成立し、自分の自伝を作ることにした。本の世界をまったく分からない高橋氏が自らプリントやら、紙を決め、自分でも営業でいろんな本屋にいったりして。やっと出来上がった本の「Heaven's Door」を完成した。

A Walk around Sakura Shin Machi / 桜新町の散歩

It's been a while since Mikako and I took a walk around a neighborhood we haven't been to. Today, our goal was Sakura Shin Machi. I had been looking forward to walking around here to check out the Machiko Hasegawa Museum and Sazae-san Street. I probably don't have to explain who Machiko Hasegawa or Sazae-san is to my Japanese readers, but for those of you who are not familiar, Machiko Hasegawa is the author/illustrator of one of Japan's longest running cartoons - Sazae-san. But before heading to the museum, we were planning on having lunch at a Italian restaurant owned and run by a chef from Madagascar (yes, I said Madagascar) in Komazawa (one station apart from Sakura Shin Machi) called [Erick Pierre]. Mikako was watching a television program the previous day and that particular restaurant was featured. We found the restaurant without any problems but it didn't seem to be open, so we decided to head on Sakura Shin Machi first.

今回もまたあんまり歩き回った事ない所に行きました。場所は桜新町。僕は前からここに散歩したかった。なぜと言えば、長谷川町子美術館に行ってみたかった。長谷川町子？どっかで聞いたことあるような名前。その人は日本の国民的のまんが、「サザエさん」の著者である。でも桜新町を行く前に、もう一すの目的地はありました。前の日、美香子がテレビ番組の「知っとこ」を観て、マダガスカル出身のシェフが経営してるイタリアンレストラン「エリック・ピエール」が紹介されてた。そこでランチを食べるのを決めてた。店は簡単に見つかったが、まだ営業してなかった感じだったので、先に桜新町に行くことにした。

On our walk towards Sakura Shin Machi, we came across an long entrance to a shrine which made for a nice picture.

桜新町を向う途中にある神社の長い入口に良い絵になりそうと思った僕は写真を撮った。

Once we reached Sakura Shin Machi, we went in search of Sazae-san Street (which was quite easy to find) as there was a big sign pointing the way.

桜新町にたどり着いたら、すぐサザエさん通りを探してみた。でっかいサインがあって、簡単に見つけた。

As we made our way towards the Machiko Hasegawa Museum, we came across Nakajima-kun (Katsuo's friend), Wakame and her classmate (characters from Sazae-san of course).

長谷川町子美術館に行く途中中島君とわかめちゃんとわかめちゃんの同級生と会った。

Also while heading towards the museum, we saw a sign that said there was going to be a Nebuta Festival here in Sakura Shin Machi. Unfortunately, the festival was last week. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Nebuta Festival, it's one Japan's biggest festivals that's held every August in Aomori City in Aomori Prefecture, featuring these huge Nebuta floats, some that are well over 10 feet tall and very wide. We came across two here in Sakura Shin Machi, with just one difference - there were way small. Mikako and I laughed when we saw them. Of course I had to take a picture.

サザエさん通りを歩きながら、ねぶた祭りが開催するポスターを見た。でも祭りは先週だったらし。それでもねぶたを二つ発見。私たちがそれを見た瞬間ちょっと笑っちゃいました。なぜと言えば、見たねぶたは超ちっちぇ～！もちろん写真を撮りました。

We finally made it to the museum. The museum is housed in a cute red brick building. The entrance fee was 600yen for adults. I was pretty excited as my brother and I used to watch this cartoon in our elementary years when we were living in Tokyo. I thought there would be all sorts of figures, toys, animation cells, and such but was disappointed to find that it really was just an art museum, and all the art wasn't by Machiko Hasegawa. There was one small room devoted to Sazae-san where kids could watch Sazae-san videos. Aside from that, the room was pretty sparse. The only really interesting piece of art was the miniature of the Isono house. It was very detailed, down to the Japanese style bathroom. Unfortunately, photographs were not allowed inside the building. Too bad.

やっと長谷川町子美術館に到着。可愛い赤レンガのビルでした。入場料は大人￥６００．僕は結構楽しみにしてた。小学校時代よく家族で観てたアニメだった。当時も東京に住んでて、凄い思い出があるアニメです。ま、多分昭和のフィギャーとかおもちゃが展示されてるんだなと思ってた。でも実際に入ると、超期待外れでした。普通の美術館や、それに、長谷川町子が描いた絵じゃない！サザエさん部屋があったけど、ただサザエさんビデオが流されてる感じだけ。一番面白いものは磯野家のこまかいミニアチュア。それは凄かった。和式のトイレから子供部屋や、アニメで観た風景がそのまま再現されてる。でも残念ながら館内は撮影禁止。

That's Katsuo waving from the window. / かつお君が窓から手を振ってる。

The Isono and Fuguta Family - from left to right: Namihei Isono, Fune Isono, Tama (pet cat),

Sazae Fuguta, Katsuo Isono, Wakame Isono, Tarao Fuguta (Tara-chan), and Masuo Fuguta

磯野とふぐ田家：左から、磯野浪平、磯野フネ、たま、ふぐ田サザエ、磯野カツオ、磯野ワカメ、ふぐ田タラオ（タラちゃん）、ふぐ田マスオ

And as we still haven't had lunch, we went in search of a place to eat and found a pleasant Italian restaurant called [La Pianta], but I will save that for another post.

美術館から出たあと、まだ昼飯も食べてないので、近くにある店を探しました。それで「ラ・ピアンタ」とうゆうおしゃれなイタリアンレストランを発見。でもそれはまた別のポストに紹介しますね。

Rock Good Memories (Part 3) / ロックグッズ思い出 （パート３）

So why are these Aerosmith / Lenny Kravitz tickets in a display box? Because they were a wedding present from a friend of mine. When Mikako and I had our wedding in the U.S. on Valentine's Day, the next day Aerosmith and Lenny Kravitz was in concert and knowing that we are fans of Aerosmith, thus the present. I first saw Aerosmith with my brother's friend when was in the 9th grade. It was the "Draw the Line" tour with Mahogany Rush opening the show. This was way back in 1979!

何でアエロスミス/レニ・クラヴィッツのチケットが飾ってあるって？それは友達から貰った結婚のお祝いのプレーセントでした。私たちの結婚式の次の日、アエロのライブがあったので、私たちがアエロ好きと知って友達が買ってくれた。超感動。最初アエロのライブ見たのは中学校３年の時。兄貴の友達と一緒に行った。「ドロー・ザ・ライン」ツアーでした。前座はフランク・マリノ＆モホガニーラッシュ。遠い昔ですけどね‐１９７９年！

Another Neighborhood Festival (Part 2) / またまた近所の祭り （パート２）

Following the previous post, we once again enjoyed the festival - this time with our friends Mari and her son Shoei. The festival isn't quite as crowded on a Sunday afternoon. Which means were able to find a table to sit at and enjoy our lunch and snacks and beer. To give you an idea of how small some of these festivals are, I once again to a short video clip. I missed out taking a clip of a bunch of kids hoisting the mikoshi but you will be able to get an idea of what I mean.

前のポストにつづき、次の日も昼から祭りに行きました。今度友達のマリちゃんとマリちゃんの息子ショー君と一緒。日曜の昼はあんまり込んでないので、普通にテーブルを確保し、ビールを飲みながら、ランチを食べた。今回もちょこっとした動画も撮って、観ればやっぱり近所の祭りは地味って感じさせる。子供たちがみこしを担いでるの残念ながら撮らなかった。

And so, for lunch, Mikako and I once ordered a souvlaki. And we couldn't resist the deep-fried gyoza. We also ate some edamame, frankfurters, buttered potatoes, yakisoba,and yakitori. Shoei and Mikako also enjoyed a chocolate-covered bananas.

それで、今日もギリシャ料理のスバラキまた食べました。揚餃子も。他に枝豆、フランク、焼き鳥、焼きそばとジャガバターも食べた。美香子とショー君はバナナチョコも食べた。

Cheers at Lunchtime / 昼でも乾杯

Souvlaki (again!) / またスブラキ食べました。


Edamame (excellent with beer) / 枝豆 （ビールの定番のおつまみ）


Frankfurters / フランク


Buttered Potatoes / ジャガバター

Yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) / 焼き鳥 （もも肉と皮）

Yakisoba (stir-fried noodles) / 定番の焼きそば

Shoei with his chocolate-covered banana / ショー君が一番食べたかったチョコバナナ

And afterwards, we were going to go our separate ways. Mari and Shoei head home, Shoei on his Harley-Davidson bicycle.

食べた後、解散。ショー君が自分のハーレーの自転車で。

And so we thought the day was over. However, Mari called later wanting to borrow our computer (theirs was in for repairs). Mikako went out on a little beer and snack run as we waited for Mari and Shoei. What was supposed to be a short visit turned out to be an evening at our place. Shoei didn't want to go home! He was in his own world when he found my Ultraman and Barutan Seijin figures. I also showed him my collection of Japanese super-hero cards. They ended up staying at our place until 9:30 in the evening.

で、解散のはずだったが、マリちゃんがうちのパソコンを借りたいとの電話があって（マリちゃんのパソコンが修理中）。美香子がビールとおつまみの買出しに行った。本当はマリちゃんが五分位居るつもりがよる九時半まで居た。なぜと言えば、ショー君が帰りたくないと言いだして、泣きそうになったから。ショー君が僕のウルトラマンとバルタン星人のフィギャーを見つけたあとに、自分の世界に入った感じ。そのあと、僕が大事に保管してる昔のブロマイドを出して、ショー君に見せてあげた。結構興味深々。マリちゃんとショー君が今日一日一緒だったので、超楽しかった！

Another Neighborhood Festival (Part 1) / またまた近所祭り （パート１）

A couple of weeks ago, the shrine located behind our apartment had their annual summer festival. We were planning on going on Sunday afternoon with our friend Mari and her son Shoei. But Mikako called me right after work on Saturday and said the festival was going on right now as well. So we decided we would have dinner by buying something from the various foodstalls. It was quite crowded at night, mostly with kids and students. But before eating, we went to the shrine to wish for good health among other things. And then, even though this is a Japanese festival, one of the foodstalls was serving souvlaki (Greek version of the Turkish doner kebabs, although I couldn't tell you the difference over here). That was our main meal. But, we also couldn't pass up the deep fried gyozas that were only 100yen for three, or the isobe-yaki which was also 100yen for two (but the isobe-yaki seemed like they were frozen and just reheated). We also had one frankfurter and shared a corn-on-the-cob. Of course, we're still planning on going to the festival on Sunday as well.

二週間前位にうちの裏にある神社が恒例の夏祭りを開催しました。最初は友達のマリちゃんとショー君と日曜日に行く予定だったが、美香子が土曜日の仕事帰りの僕に電話して、今も祭りやってるから、行かない？良いねと答えた私が、「じゃー、夕飯はそこで食べるか？」　ま、食べる前に神社でお参りして、その後にいろいろ食べた。日本の祭りなのに、なぜか毎年ギリシャ料理のスブラキの屋台が出てるので、私たちはいつもそこでそれを買う。（と言いたって、この屋台のスブラキはトルコのドネルケバブとどこが違う？）それがメインで、他に揚餃子（３個で１００円）、磯辺焼き（２個１００円）、フランクと、とうもろこし。もちろん、日曜日も行くよ。

Souvlaki / スブラキ

Fried Gyoza / 揚餃子

Isobe-yaki / 磯辺焼き

Frankfurters / フランク

Corn-on-the-Cob / とうもろこし

To be continued... / つづく

Nanase Aikawa / 相川七瀬

My favorite Japanese artist - Nanase Aikawa. Rocker, cute, and a Mom! (But I still haven't gotten around to buying her last album).

僕の大好きな日本人アーティスト ‐ 相川七瀬。（でも最後に出したCDまだ買ってない）。彼女は可愛い、かっこいい、ロッカとお母さんだ！

Rock Good Memories (Part 2) / ロックグッズ思い出 （パート２）

As I was watching television the other morning before going to work, this morning news show featured a short story on a legendary band still going strong and is about to release a new album. As you can guess from the picture above, that band is Australia's AC/DC. I hope they tour Japan again. The above is another one of my cherished rock goods. Three members of the band were doing a signing at my place of employ. Too cool, I got to shake Angus, Malcolm, and Brian's hand.

この間仕事行く前にテレビを見てたら、一つのニューズアイテムがあった。オストラリアの超伝説のロックバンドが新しいアルバムを出す。上記の写真見れば分かるでしょう。そのバンドはAC/DC.　まだ日本に来日するかな？僕の職場で彼らがサイン会をやってた。もちろん僕は会いに行くよ。アンガス、マルコム、とブライアンに握手が出来ました！わいわい！

I remember seeing AC/DC in concert for the first time. They were the opening act for show that featured Ted Nugent as headliner and Cheap Trick sometime in 1979. AC/DC had just released "Highway to Hell" and I was fortunate enough to see Bon Scott before he passed away. In fact, I saw this particular tour twice - once in Seattle and once more in New York at Madison Square Garden! I also remember going to their concert on the day the first Gulf War started. And I saw them again in Japan at Yokohama Stadium. Too cool!

最初にAC/DCのライブを見たもよく覚えてる。1979年位にテッド・ヌージェントとチープ・トリックの前座だった。AC/DCがちょうど「ハイウエイ・トゥ・ヘル」をリリースした。良かったことに僕は初期のボーカリストのボン・スコットを生で見た。このツアーも二回も見に行った。一回目はシアトル。二回目はニューヨークのMadison Square Gardenで見た！最高だったな。それから、最初の湾岸戦争が始まった日もAC/DCのライブに行った覚えもある。日本に移住して、また、横浜スタジアムでも見た。もう一度言うけどやっぱりAC/DCって最高。

Rock Goods Memories (Part 1) / ロックグッズの思い出 （パート１）

This is one of my cherished rock goods that I received from the manager of a record shop in Singapore. As you can see, this was signed by all the members of the band for the release of their album "The X Factor". Yes, all the members of Iron Maiden signed this which means the vocalist was Blaze Bayley and not Bruce. The other members the time was Steve Harris (of course), Dave Murray, Janick Gers, and Nicko McBrain (and to think I used to own all the Trust cds as well - Trust be a French heavy metal band in case you didn't know).

今回紹介するのは、僕のロックに関する自慢の一品。上記の写真を見れば分かると思うが、これはアイヤン・メイデンのメンバー全員のサイン入りの物です。昔シンガポルに出張に行った時に、あるレコードショップの店長が僕にプレゼントしてくれた。この絵はメイデンの「Xファクター」のアルブムジャケットで使われてるやつです。って事はボカリストがブルースじゃなくてブレイズ・ベイリーの時。当時のメンバーはスティーヴ・ハリス（もちろん）、デイヴ・マレー、ヤニック・ガーズとニコ・マクブレイン（昔Trustに参加したCDも全部持ってたな、でTrustはフランスのメタルバンド）。

Stew Restaurant Hippopotamus / シチューの店「ヒポポタマス」

A couple of months ago, a new restaurant opened in our neighborhood, located a mere five minutes away from our apartment. And just a couple of weeks ago, a couple of our friends decided to throw us a belated birthday celebration and we had it here, at this beef stew restaurant on a Sunday afternoon. Our party consisted of 8 people (6 adults and 2 kids, although one child was still only 8 months old so wouldn't be partaking in any of the culinary delights). Just the usual gang, my friend 21ban and his wife Aki with their daughter Rino and Nori and Mari with their son Shoei. As I've already written about the various presents I received, today I will tell you what we ate here at [Hippopotamus]. This was on today's menu:beef stew (of course), chicken cream croquettes, avocado and shrimp salad, grilled chicken marinated in a garlic cream sauce, mussels in a white wine sauce, an assortment of sausages, taco rice (a dish that originated in Okinawa - I think), hamburger steak with demiglace sauce, a side of fries and bread, and ice cream with a chocolate or raspberry sauce for dessert. (I only had a bite of Mikako's ice cream).

二ヶ月位前にうちの近くに新しいレストランが開店しました。歩いて五分位の距離。それで、二週間前位い友達が僕と美香子のちょっと遅れた誕生会を日曜日の昼位にその店てやってくれた。店はシチューの店「ヒポポタマス」。参加者はいつもの仲間の２１番夫妻と娘とノリマリ夫妻と息子。以前のポーストで貰ったプレゼントを紹介しまたので、今回は「ヒポポタマス」て食べた物を紹介します。ビーフシチューはもちろん、その他にムール貝のワイン煮、チキンのクリームコロッケ、チキンのガーリッククリーム、ソーセージの盛り合わせ、デミグラスハンバーグ、トコライス、海老とアボカドサラダ、ポテトとパン、でデザートにアイス（チョコかラズベリソースも選べます）

Bread and Potatoes / パンとポテト

Shrimp and Avocado Salad / 海老とアボカドサラダ

Chicken cream croquette / チキンのクレームコロッケ

Assorted Sausages / ソーセージの盛り合わせ

Taco Rice (after being well mixed) / タコライス （混ぜた後）

Hamburger Steak with Demiglace sauce / デミグラスハンバーグ


Grilled Chicken with Garlic Cream / チキンのガーリッククリーム

Beef Stew (the Main Event) / 一番の主役のビーフシチュー

Ice cream with Chocolate Sauce / デザータのアイス（チョコソース）

And of course a picture of all of us.

最後は皆で記念撮影。

More Random Pics / 写真いろいろ

Waterfall at Sancha Patio / 三茶パティオ

Sancha Patio / 三茶パティオ

Hachiko Wall at Shibuya Station / 渋谷駅にあるハチコ壁

Visitor outside our apartment / アパートの外に来たお客様

Indian-style Curry Yoshiba / 印度風カリー吉葉

After reading a book about curry and curry rice, it gives you a craving to go out and eat it. And just the day before, this particular curry shop was featured on a television program we were watching. The name of the restaurant is [Indian-style Curry Yoshiba]. We've passed this restaurant many times but didn't get around to eating here until today. It was our day off and it was time for lunch. With the previous night's program still fresh in Mikako's mind, she suggested going here for lunch. This place is also located near our apartment, perhaps a 15 to 20 minute walk. Although the featured item on the television program was the chicken vegetable curry, Mikako and I both ordered the chicken curry. Very spicy, but delicious. Not exactly Indian curry but too spicy to call it Japanese curry. It has its own special flavor - definitely an original curry.

カレーの本を読んだあとにやっぱりカレー食べたくなる気持ちになる。それで前の日にたまたまテレビで三軒茶屋特集をやってる番組を拝見しました。一つの店はうちのアパートの近くにあって、いつか行こうと考えてました。今日（月曜日）私たちが休みだったので、美香子がランチに昨日紹介された店に行ってみると提案、もちろん僕は賛成です。店の名前は「印度風カリー吉葉」。番組で紹介されたカレーは野菜チキンカレー、僕と美香子がチキンカレーを注文しました。辛くて美味しい。インドカレーではないが、やっぱりインド風の日本カレーですね。この味もやみつきになりますよ。

Chicken curry / チキンカレー

I Want to be Curry / カレーになりたい！

I have decided to write a bilingual post for all the books I read in Japanese starting with this one, so they will not be included in my "Monthly Page Turners". Lately, I've been selecting books that I feel I will enjoy and I try to choose titles that do not have any furigana (simple characters listed alongside difficult kanji). This book was filled with quite a bit so it did make it easier for me to read though. The title is [Curry ni naritai!] which translates to [I Want to be Curry!]. Written by Jinsuke Mizuno, who also wrote the [Tokyo Curry Bible] which I reviewed in a previous post.

今後から日本語で読んだ本をバイリンガルのポストにする事を決めました。という分けで、毎月の「ページ・ターナー」には載せません。この一冊の本から始めたいと思います。最近日本語で書かれてる本を買うときは、自分が興味あって、なるべくふりがなが載ってない物を選んでます。今回の本はいっぱいありましたけど、結構助かりました。タイトルは「カレーになりたい！」。著者は東京カレー番長のメンバーの水野仁介。前に紹介した「東京・カレー・バイブル」の著者でもある。

This is not a curry cookbook. It's a book about Jinsuke's love for all things curry. His early curry memories, his first overseas trip to the home of curry - India, his visits to all the curry shops and curry he's tried in Japan, becoming a member of Tokyo Curry Bancho, sponsoring curry events, collecting boxes of retro curries and miscellaneous items related to curry and　informing us he has enough curry items to open his own curry museum.

これはカレーの料理本ではない。これは水野仁介のカレーに対する愛の本です。最初にカレーという食べ物との出会い、彼の初海外旅行でカレーの本場、インドへの話、東京カレー番長のメンバーになったこと、出張カレーイベントの企画、レトルトのカレーコレクションと他のカレーグッズまで熱く語ります。自分が持ってるカレー関係のものでカレー博物館が開けるくらいまで言ってました。

And now to talk about my own bit of curry memories. My first ever memory of eating it was during my elementary school years. I was an army brat living in Tokyo and my mother being Japanese, on occasion she would make curry rice for dinner. I can remember her making it with S&B Curry roux (probably mild), and the the curry was always filled with beef, carrots, and potatoes (and onions to I think). Also, every summer, we would go visit my grandmother in Kyoto Prefecture in a town called Maizuru. We would take the bullet train from Tokyo station. Back then, the trains from Tokyo to Osaka still had a dining car. It was treat for my brother and me to sit in the dining car and eat curry rice as we checked the speedometer to see how fast the train was going. When I got older, my mother would make the curry a little spicier and would add bits of apples as well. When we moved back to the States when I was nearly ten, the thought of not being able to eat curry rice never entered our minds. It was part of my mother's cooking repertoire and my brother and I took it for granted that we would be able to eat in the States as well (which fortunately we did). From those humble beginnings, little did I know that curry rice would be the one food item I would never get tired of but would become more adventurous in trying other types of curries as well - Indian curry, Thai green and red curry, Sri Lankan curry, Nepalese curry, Pakistani curry, Bangladeshi curry, and more...

さて、僕も自分のカレーに対する思いを語ります。自分の記憶の中で、最初にカレー食べた時は小学校時代。当時東京に住んでて、お母さんも日本人だし、当たり前の様にうちの食卓に出てくる一品はカレーライス。お母さんのカレーはS&Bカレールーを使い、カレーに入った具は牛肉、じゃが芋、人参、（玉ねぎも入ってたと思う）。子供にとって美味しいごちそうだな。その昔、毎年夏におばあちゃんの家に遊びに行った。おばあちゃんは京都府の舞鶴市に住んでた。嬉しい事に新幹線で行った。当時東京‐大阪の新幹線にダイニングカーもあった。僕と僕の兄貴がいつもそのダイニングカーで外見ながら、カレーライスを食べてた。だんだん成長した私たちに、お母さんがもうちょっと辛いカレーを作って、隠し味に林檎も入れてた。十歳になる前にアメリカに戻りましたが、僕と兄貴が二度とカレーライスが食べられないとゆう事も全然考えもしませんでした。アメリカでも普通に食べられると勝手に思った。（実際食べられたんで良かった）。あーゆー始まりから僕もカレーファンになってたんですね。大人になってから、世界中のカレーを食べる様になった‐インドカレー、タイのグリーンカレーとレッドカレー、スリランカカレー、バングラデッシュカレー、ネパールカレー、パキスタンカレー、等

And the first time I ate real Indian curry. It wasn't in Seattle as a lot of you may have surmised, although that's where I first had the pleasure of eating Indian food. It was a restaurant called "The Tandoor" in the University District. But the main item I ate was the tandoori chicken. It wasn't until I moved to Tokyo in 1995 where I had my first taste of real Indian curry. My friend Marcus took me and a few friends to a restaurant called "Maharaj" on the 6th floor of the 109 Building for lunch. The restaurant served an all you can eat buffet featuring four different kinds of curries, plus tandoori chicken, samosas, and some other I items I can't recall. From that moment on, I became a full-fledged fan of Indian curry. I would frequent the all-you-can eat buffets for lunch at "Oh! Calcutta" or the "Raj Palace". Marcus had also introduced me to the Indian restaurant "Raj Mahal" where I had my first taste of sag (spinach curry). Awesome! I also have eaten fish head curry when I was in Singapore and ate as the locals. The curry was served on a banana leaf and you ate with your hands. The fish eye didn't seem that special to me though but I did eat it! And so I shall continue to eat curry in all its forms - curry udon, curry ramen, I've tried the curry soda (which I featured on a separate post). I hope I didn't bore you too much with my curry talk. Cheers!

最後は最初にインドカレーを食べた話をします。多分皆がシアトルで食べたんじゃないのと思うかも知れませんが、違います。確かにシアトルで初めてインド料理は食べましたが、やっぱりタンドリーチキンでした。でも１９９５年に日本に移住した僕に衝撃な出会いが待ってました。友達のマーカースが僕と他の何人かに１０９の６階にあったインドレストラン「マハラジャー」に連れていってくれた。ランチはインドカレー食べ放題でした。４，５種類のカレーがあって、どれでも美味しくって、食べたこどない味ばっかり。他にタンドリーチキンや、サモサなどもあって、超満腹になるまで食べましたね。その瞬間からインドカレーファンになりましたね。その後も他のインドカレー食べ放題の店にあちこち行きましたな、「おっ、カルカッタ」、「ラージ・パレス」。マーカーズが他に紹介した店の「ラジ・マハール」もあったな。その店で初めてサグとゆうカレーに出会いました。ほうれん草カレーですよ。なにこれ？と思う位はまったな。シンガポールで出張に行った時もフィッシュ・ヘッドカレーも食べてみた。現地の人と同じく、バナナの葉っぱにのせて、手で食べる。いろんな人が魚の目が一番美味しいと聞きましたが、食べみて、正直、そんなに美味しいと思わなかった。僕もカレー大好きだな。これからもカレーうどん、カレーラーメンも食べ続きます。カレーラムネまで飲んだこともある（美味しくなかったけどね（笑））。カレーラムネは以前でも紹介しました。カレー話で退屈になってない様祈ります。でわでわ。

Toe Seperator and Foot Relaxer / 足指リラックスグッズ

Relaxing and feels good too!

気持ちいいよ、これ。

ALL NEW VISUAL VICTUALS (Volume 8)

*映画のポストに日本語書き込みません。

I thought I would skip out on a long introduction and just provide you with the latest of my indulgences. I imagine most of you probably never heard of most of these films (with the exception of "I Am Legend". Anyway, read and enjoy, and perhaps rent at your own discretion.

1. クローズド・ノート [CLOSED NOTE] (2007) - Another excellent example of Japanese cinema. This stars the controversial actress Erika Sawajiri and Yuko Takeuchi. Actually, it was this film premier event the led to Sawajiri being labeled as "difficult". She had this grim face throughout and answered the emcee questions with quick, deliberate one word answers and had her arms crossed the entire time. She lost a lot of fans that day, and lost a lot of commercial contracts as well. Stupid girl. But don't let that get in the way of watching this film. It's beautiful. Sawajiri moves into this old house and works part time a fountain pen shop. In her new home, she discovers a diary left by the previous tenant (Takeuchi). Although she knows she shouldn't read it, she does. And so the film starts with two stories - the diary of Takeuchi, and the lessons Sawajiri learns from reading it. Great film but then again, I'm a big fan of Yuko Takeuchi as well.

2. I AM LEGEND (2007) - I pretty much reviewed this film when I reviewed the book in last month's "Page Turners". I will reiterate, what could have been an updated remake of the 1971 film "The Omega Man" that starred Charlton Heston (which in itself was a remake 1964 film "The Last Man on Earth" starring Vincent Price) all based on Robert Matheson's novella "I Am Legend" turned out to be another generic zombie movie - as if we didn't have enough of those already (the "Biohazard" series - "Resident Evil" series for my American friends, "28 Days Later", etc.) with cool but overused SFX and the star power of Will Smith. I mean come on, the zombies all look like a bunch of Uncle Festers of "The Addams Family" movies. Nothing wrong with Smith's acting but the story is so far off from it's original concept, that it should have been given a different title. Do yourself a favor and rent "The Omega Man" instead or read Matheson's original story.

3. BIKUR HA-TIMZORET [International English Title: THE BAND'S VISIT] 「Japanese Title：迷子の警察音楽隊」[MAIGO NO KEISATSU ONGAKU-TAI] (2007) - This is a beautiful and heartwarming movie from Israel and has won many awards including the Grand Prix at the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2007. The Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra have been invited toIsrael to participate in the opening of an Arab Cultural Arts Center. However, there is no one to meet them at the airport so the one member who speaks a bit of English is chosen to buy bus tickets for the group to the town of Petah Tiqva. However, when the get off the bus and asks the owner of a local diner where the Arab Cultural Center is, they are informed that there isn't any such place. It turns out they bought to tickets to a small Israeli town called Beit Hatikva and the next bus is scheduled to come until the following day. The owner of the diner offers to put them up for the night as the members try to make the best out of their situation. Excellent film. Be sure to check your foreign language section at your local DVD rental shop.

4. 蟲師「MUSHISHI」 [International English Title: BUGMASTER] (2006) - The cinematography is excellent although the story was a bit lagging at times. Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo (of "Akira" fame), this movie is also based on a manga of the same name by Yuki Urushibara. In feudal times, a Mushi-shi (Bugmaster) or a traveling mystical doctor as explained in the Plot section of the IMDb website would travel around the country and help people who are afflicted with various ailments that have been caused by an infinite variety of bugs. Stars Jo Odagiri and the beautiful, popular, and talented Yu Aoi. Also star Makiko Esumi (you would also know these Japanese actors if you've lived in Tokyo for the last 13 years). I really couldn't recommend it unless you are a big fan of manga. But what this movie lacks in action makes up for it in its visual quality.

5. クワイエットルームにようこそ「QUIET ROOM NI YOKOSO」[International English Title: WELCOME TO THE QUIET ROOM] (2007) – This movie is a blend of “The Fifth Floor” (not that anybody would remember that film) and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”. It stars Yuki Uchida and popular screenplay writer Kankuro Kudo. Damn funny movie. Stressed out journalist (Uchida) passes out from overwork and wakes up to finds herself strapped to a bed in a solitary room as a mysterious woman watches her and whispers “Welcome to the Quiet Room”. It seems our protagonist has awakened inside a mental institution where she is kept under observation as she is considered suicidal. We learn near the end of the film that Uchida is pretty much in denial and believes she doesn’t belong here. This movie is done with an excellent amount of humor and although the subject is a little dark, it never gets preachy or boring. Well worth looking for.

6. 舞妓はああああん！「MAIKO HAAAAN！」(2007) - This was one hilarious movie about a Maiko Otaku (Maiko being an apprentice Geisha), who dumps his co-worker girlfriend and transfers to Kyoto so he can be closer to his obsessions. His ultimate dream is to play a game called "yakyuken" with a geisha at a geisha house. But once he's in Kyoto, he finds himself pit against a rival geisha lover who is a popular baseball star. From there on, the movie gets even crazier as Otaku also becomes a baseball star to compete with his rival. Soon, both men go from baseball players to K-1 fighters, to politicians - all in the name of love for Geishas. Crazy but damn funny, starring Sadao Abe, Hiroshi Abe, and Ko Shibasaki. The screenplay was written by the above mentioned Kankuro Kudo. You must go look for this flick!

7. METAL: A HEADBANGER'S JOURNEY (2005) - Now this is documentary that any self-respecting head-banger can enjoy. It certainly surpasses that piece of crap Penelope Spheeris made back in 1988. You all know what I'm talking about, "The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years". Of course I must admit I enjoyed it when it was released as it was the only documentary I knew of that delved into the world of heavy metal. Back then, I wasn't aware of the other documentary "Heavy Metal Parking Lot" which was released in 1986. Anyway, it was as if Speeris wanted to support the bias held by many people. Rock stars have no brains and their fans are just as stupid as she films a drunken Chris Holmes with a bottle of vodka while babbling unintelligibly in his pool while his poor mother sits by the poolside with a stern look on her face (probably thinking, "why did I let Speeris talk me into sitting here). Or the conceited, no talent, overblown ego maniac from the band Seduce (where are they now anyway?). Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of Kiss didn't help their image any either (who cares how many women you slept with Gene?). The only positive thing about Speeris' film was Lemmy from Motorhead and an as yet unsigned Janet Gardner of Vixen. Now along comes avid heavy metal fan and anthropologist Sam Dunn. Now, he does the world of heavy metal justice. He starts his film talking about the peak of metal (which he feels is 1986 - with Iron Maiden at the helm), and travels the world interviewing band members, fans, journalists, and everybody else who enjoys this music. It's quite informative even for the novice or non-metal listener. He discusses the birth of metal, the many genres and sub-genres, and sees for himself the world of Norwegian Black Metal. I'm looking forward to seeing his new documentary "Global Metal" which was released this year. A must watch for music fans!

8. THE PERFECT COUPLE [Original Title: CHOEGANG ROMANCE] 「Japanese Title：最強ロマンス」(2007) - . Mikako and I laughed so much. It stars Mikako's current favorite Korean star, Lee Dong-Wook and Hyung Young. Damn funny film. Lee plays a police officer who suffers from aichomophobia (fear of sharp objects). Young plays an aspiring journalist who wants to do cover more gritty subjects than Korean pop stars. After Young finishes an interview with a egotistical no-talent pop star, she unwinds by eating some Korean oden. Dong-Wook is chasing after an alleged drug pusher and bumps into Young who's outraged at his action. Dong-Wook continues to chase the villain but cannot keep up. When he stops and checks his body, he finds that he's been accidentally stabbed by the journalists oden skewer (and passes out). Journalist chases him, sees the skewer sticking out of his body, finds it amusing and takes a picture of him with her digital camera. This becomes a big news item and is the start of their rocky relationship. Ooh, my mother has got to see this film. She'll love it. I did too!!

9. AIR GUITAR NATION (2006) - After watching the documentary on heavy metal, I came across another one on a subject that captured my interest. The world of air guitar. As a Japanese won the Air Guitar World Championship held in Finland two years in a row (2006, 2007), and also became a minor celebrity here in Japan, I knew I had to watch this film. This was taken when the first American championships were held and leads up to the 2003 World Champion and the first that featured to American competitors. This is serious business in Finland but he just likes some crazy fun. The documentary pretty follows in the footstpes of C. Diddy (who starts off winning the U.S. East Coast Championship held in New York City). His main rival is one Bjorn Turoque (Born to Rock - get it?). This is a competition for rock star wannabees who know they can't play but dream of being on stage rockin' out to some thrashing tunes. It's a fun film to watch.

10. 真夜中の弥次さん喜多さん 「MAYONAKA NO YAJI-SAN KITA-SAN」(2005) - Loosely tranlates to something like "Midnight of Yaji-san and Kita-san". All I can say is "What the heck?????" I was so disappointed as I had high expectations for this film, the screenplay written by Kankuro Kudo (see the above mentioned "Maiko Haaaan!"). I laughed a few times because the story was so stupid and the gags were so overdone. Quite a few stars in this film as well but I think they must have did it as a favor. Its so bad, its stupid. A lot of the gags falls flat and have nowhere to go. And yet, at the local DVD rental store, this is shelved in the "Long Seller" section. Perhaps its the girly fans of Johnny's Entertainment idol Tomoya Nagase who plays a homo-sexual samurai. Even Sadao Abe or Tomomitsu Yamaguchi couldn't raise the laughter scale in this festival of mismatches - Samurais riding a Harley and such. Don't bother looking for this one as most Americans wouldn't get most of the jokes. And quite a few Japanese as well!

11. SAIBOGUJIMAN KWENCHANA [International English Title: I'M A CYBORG, BUT THAT'S OKAY] (2006) - Wretched piece of crap I mistook for an science-fiction fantasy as I thought it was the original film of the Japanese movie [My Girlfriend is a Cyborg]. I was so far off the mark. This is about a mental patient who believes she's a cyborg and some other patient who believes he can steal people's souls. I got so bored (as it was beyond bad), that I just let the film fun its course while I opened my laptop and watched "Room 401" on YouTube. Avoid at all costs!

12. ネガティブハッピーチェーンソーエッジ 「NEGATIVE HAPPY CHAINSAW EDGE」 (2007) - I was once again fooled by the promising previews (and how can you not love that title?). But it turned out to be a teenage love romance with a bit of action thrown in. The film couldn't decide if wanted to be an all-out action film or a sappy teen love comedy (I think I snickered once or twice). Very disappointing.



13. FIDO 「Japanese Title：ZOMBINO」(2006) - Another zombie movie you say? Well, sort of. But more along the lines of "Shaun of the Dead". Some deadly virus causes the dead to rise from the ground, but now there's a company called Zomkon that's created a neck bracelet which makes the zombies tame, so people keep them as pets, companions, and whatnot. But if the power goes out on the bracelet, they revert back to flesh eating zombies. Crazy but fun film! Not exactly a blockbuster but not quite down to the level of a B-movie. I loved it.










14. DOMINO (2005) - Based on the story of Domino Harvey - former Ford model turned bounty hunter. This would have been a great flick if director Tony Scott hadn't been adamant about filming it in a "new visual style". The style was a piece of crap. I really don't understand why people think this is art. It's crap. It reminds me of the filming style of "NYPD Blue" which people also called art but I call crap!! Repetive dialogue was just as annoying. The gratuitous nude scene was unnecessary, and was the Jerry Springer bit. The only high points of the flick were Mickey Rourke and appearance of Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green playing themselves. (Where have you heard those names? "Beverly Hilss 90210") I so enjoyed watching Mickey Rourke tell Brian Austin Green to "just shut the f%#k up". Oh, he gets his nose broken as well! Well hey, I was never a big fan of that particular show. Sorry, I forgot to tell you about the movie itself. It involves some Mafia kids, an Afghan, and a heist of 10 million dollars. Good thing I only borrowed this DVD. I would have slapped myself upside the head for paying money to see it.

Grab some popcorn and watch a movie or two, or three, or four...

Zazie Burgers / ザジバーガー

If you've been wondering why I haven't written any food posts lately, it's because my mother (and almost every else who reads this blog), this I eat the kinds of foods I post everyday or every other day. I can tell you right now, that is definitely not the case. So, back for your enjoyment is my latest discovery. A new burger shop has opened in our neighborhood. It's called Zazie. But burger shop is the wrong word, it's a burger bar. The place serves beer and spirits and the background music was jazz. For the lunch set, you have a choice of coffee or plain soda (not coca cola, but club soda!).

最近なぜ食べ物のポストを書いてないのは、私のお母さん（とこのブログを読んでる皆様）、僕が毎日こうゆう食生活してると思ってるかも知りませんが、そんなことないよ。それで、今日もまた食べ物のネタを書く事にした。最近、家の近くに新しバーガーショップが出来た。ザジバーガー。でもバーガーショップとゆうよりバーガーバーですね。ビールもあるし、カクテルも頼めるし、流れてる音楽はジャズ。ランチセットに選べる飲み物はコーヒーかプレインソーダ（ソーダー割のソーダーですよ）。

The shop has seven different burgers on its menu: A Plain Burger, Blue Cheese Burger, Avocado Burger, Liver Burger, Liver Mint Burger (No, not making up those last two), Shrimp Burger, and of course a Zazie Burger. The shop also has a small deli corner which features a variety of salads - pasta salad, shrimp marinade, anchovies with green olives, grilled zucchini to name a few.

ザジバーガーのメニューは７種類のバーガーがあります：プレインバーガー、ブルチーズバーガー、アボカドバーガー、海老バーガー、レバーバーガー、レバーミントバーガー、とザジバーガー。他にデリがあって、いろんなサラダが揃ってます。パスターサラダ、ズッキニグリル、アンチョビとグリーンとオリーブ、小エビのマリネ、等。

I of course ordered the Zazie Burger. The patty was juicy and sat on top of a Spanish style omelet. It was covered with a delicious sauce and also topped with olives and apples. I didn't even realize it was apples as it wasn't as sweet as you would imagine. Mikako ordered the Avocado Burger which I took a bite of. The Avocado Burger was a little too sweet for my taste. I'm not sure if it was also topped with apples or pineapple, but if I want to eat an Avocado Burger, I will go to Kua Aina. We also ordered our burgers with a side of onion rings. You get three large rings which were nothing to write home about. Mikako and I still prefer the onion rings that are served at "Eric's Burgers".

もちろん僕はザジバーガーを注文しました。肉はとってもジュシーで、ミートパティはスパイン風オムレツの上に乗ってる。特製ソースも絶品ですね。思わないことに、オリーブとりんごもバンの中に挟んでます。凄く美味しいです。美香子のアボカドバーガー一口食べましたが、僕にはちょっと甘すぎかな。りんごかパインアップルが入ってたかも。アボカドバーガーを食べるなら、僕はクア・アイナ行きますね。私たちはサイドにオニオンリングを頼みましたが、リングは三つでまーまーって感じかな。オニオンリングならやっぱり「エリックス・バーガー」のほうが良い。

Zazie Burger / ザジバーガー

Avocado Burger / アボカドバーガー

Bon Appetit!

いただきます！

Rino taking after her father / 梨乃ちゃんがお父さんの影響？

She's not really drinking that beer (but you all knew that!)

本当にビール飲んでないよう（でも皆それ分かってるような？）

New T-Shirt Fashion Show / T-シャツ・ファッション・ショー

On Sunday, a couple of my friends threw me and Mikako an informal birthday bash. And for my presents, I received three new T-shirts.

日曜日に友達が僕と美香子の誕生会をやってるくれて、プレセントで貰ったT-シャツを紹介します。

Thanks to my friends 21ban, Aki-chan, and Rino-chan

友達の２１番、アキちゃん、と梨乃ちゃん ‐ ありがとう！

1972 Pontiac Firebird Formula / 1972ポンティアック・ファイヤーバード・フォーミュラ

My young friend Shoei gave me a present for my belated birthday. It was one of his mini-cars that I had been praising ever since his Dad bought it for him (even though he had no clue as to what made it so special) - neither did his Dad for that matter. It was a replica of a 1972 Pontiac Firebird Formula. Very cool!

もうすぐ三歳になる僕の友達のショー君から誕生日プレゼント貰いました。彼のミニカーの一つ。ショー君会うたんびに、その車の良さをいつも熱く語りました（ショー君にとって、そんな話は全然興味ないんですけどね）。（笑）。なんと、プレゼントで貰ったミニカーは１９７２年のポンティアック・ファイヤーバード・フォーミュラ。格好いい！

Something for my Brother / 兄貴の為のポスト

Here's a little something for my brother that I'm sure he'll appreciate. Devilman and Cutie Honey figures.

兄貴も凄く好きだったアニメのフィギュア‐デビルマンとキュティーハニー

I think I need to dust these figures more often!

ヤー、フィギャが埃だれけだ！もっとふいてあげないと。

Shoin Jinja Market Street Festival / 松陰神社商店街祭り

Did I mention that I love summers in Tokyo (except for the heat and humidity!)? Why? Because I love the neighborhood festivals that are held all over the place. Last Sunday, it was the Shoin Jinja Market Street - a 10 to 15 minute walk from our apartment. The festivities started at one in the afternoon. Once again, we went with our friend Mari-chan and her almost three year old son Shoei. We were later joined by our friend Aki and her daughter Rino-chan. Their significant others were at another drinking engagement. As to why do I like these festivals - the food of course! And a beer or two. Along with scooping for goldfish and superballs for the kiddies. Today's featured goodies are stir-fried noodles, octopus on a stick, scallops on a stick, chicken nuggets, chicken skewers, corn on the cob, okonomiyaki (Japanese-style pancakes), and isobe-yaki (grilled rice cake wrapped with seaweed). And a couple of items from a shop called Saboten - rice balls filled with fried pork cutlets or deep-fried prawns, and some cheese-filled croquettes. Mikako and Shoei enjoyed some ice cream as well.

前に言ってなかったけ？僕は東京の夏大好き（蒸し暑さ以外は）。なぜ？それはいろんな近所の祭りがあるからだ。先週の日曜日は松陰神社商店街祭りでした。うちから歩いて１０分か１５分位の距離かな。今回も友達のマリちゃんともうすぐ３歳になる息子、ショー君。あとから参加したのは私たちの友達のアキちゃんと娘の梨乃ちゃん。旦那たちは別の飲み会に行って。なぜこうゆう近所祭りが好きと聞かれると、もちろん食べ物だよ。冷えたビールも最高だね。子供たちの為は金魚すくいとかスーパーボールすくいもある。今回食べた料理は定番の焼きそば、ホタテ串、串にささったたこ焼き、磯辺焼き、ともろこしとお好み焼き。サボテンとうゆう店からカツとエビ入りのおにぎりとチーズ入りのコロッケ。美香子とショー君がアイスも食べてました。

Shoei with his bag of goldfish (which Mari-chan actually scooped) and a free balloon (which popped unexpectedly!)

ショー君が貰った金魚（本当はマリちゃんがすくったけど）と風船（風船もいきなりパン！と割れた）。

Cheers! / 乾杯

Beer and corn - what a combination / ビールとともろこし‐良いコラボだ。

Now for a parade of the rest of the food:

さて、他の主人個達：Festival standard - yakisoba / 祭りの定番‐焼きそば

A cup full of chicken-skewers / 焼き鳥

Octopus stick / 串にささったたこ焼き

Okonomiyaki (Japanese style pancake) / お好み焼き（結構翔民的な味がした）

Scallop skewers / ホタテの串焼き

Chicken nuggets / チキンナゲッツ

Isobe yaki (rice cake wrapped with seaweed) / 磯辺焼き

Snack foods from Saboten (rice balls with fried pork cutlets and fried prawns) and cheese-filled croquettes.

さぼてんからのおつまみ（カツとエビ入りおにぎりとチーズ入りコロッケ）

Rino-chan gets bigger every time we see her.

梨乃ちゃんを会うたんびに成長してる。

Kids love their ice cream (so does Mikako by the way)

子供はやっぱりアイスが好きだね（美香子もアイス好きやな）

Sorry, no video clips this time around. I did take some but they didn't turn out as well as I hoped they would. We then went to Mari's place and continued to eat and drink until late in the evening (actually, the others did - I spent most of the time playing with Shoei). It was a great day!

申し訳ございませんが、今回の祭りに動画はないです。撮りましたが、できばいが良くなかったので、載せるのを断念しました。このあとはマリちゃんの家に行って夜遅くまで飲んで、食べた。でも僕はほとんどショー君と遊んでた。楽しい一日でした。

Nissin Men Shokunin Shio Tanmen / 日清麺職人塩タンメン

Today's featured instant noodles is Nisshin Men Shokunin Shio Tan Men, which means it has a salt flavored broth.



日本人なら説明いらないでしょう。

Delicious and mild - thumbs up!

カップ麺も良いよね？　美味しかったです。

Ern's Monthly Page Turners (August 2008)

*本のネタ日本語は書き込みません。

The time has come again for me to share with you what I've read this past month. Of course almost half the titles are Japan only publishers but in this day of the internet, means its available at the disposal of your fingertips. And I've included a lot of visual titles as well for my non-reading friends. Currently, I'm in the midst of reading the collection from one of the original masters of science-fiction which one of my friends recommended to me ages and ages ago. That would be one John Wyndam Parkes Lucas Benyon Harris - John Wyndam for his books, the most popular being "The Day of the Triffids". Also "The Kraken Wakes", "The Midwich Cuckoos" (which became the film "The Village of the Damned"), "The Chrysalids", and "The Trouble with Lichen". It's my own John Wyndham revival. Also received two books from my father (my requests of course) - Jay Rayner's "The Man Who Ate the World: In Search of the Perfect Dinner" and Fuchsia Dunlop's "Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China". A couple of Japanese language books - Junsuke Mizuno's "I Want to be Curry" (my own translation of the original title) and Ayumu Takahashi's "Everyday is an Adventure" (also my own translation). And my sister has ordered for me Taras Grescoe's "The Devil's Picnic: Around the World in Pursuit of Forbidden Fruit". Yep, after I get through the Wyndham novels, it's back to travel and food! You have been warned!

THE RELUCTANT COMMUNIST: MY DESERTION, COURT-MARTIAL, AND FORTY-YEAR IMPRISONMENT IN NORTH KOREA by Charles Robert Jenkins - I read that there was a bit of controversy surrounding the publication of Jenkins book in the U.S., him being an army deserter and all. But how can you not be fascinated by someone who lived and managed to survive for forty years in the reclusive Stalinist regime of North Korea. I believe that his biggest critics are those people who already have their preconceived opinion about him and are probably ignorant but most of the facts surrounding Jenkin's story. Take for instance, the lady who says, "I don't know why he chose to come out now if he liked it there so much." This is a sure sign of an ignorant doofus - as if any normal human would like living in North Korea - unless you're high up in North Korea's military hierarchy. This is the kind of ignorant idiot who was probably against civil rights saying stupid things like - "Why don't they go back where they came from." They probably think a draft dodger is some new make of car. Enough about ignoramuses and idiots in general. This is an extraordinary story because not only does it concern Jenkin's army desertion, but it elaborates a bit on the Japanese abductees (very large and unresolved controversy between Japan and North Korea) for the simple fact that Jenkins wife, Hitomi Soga was one of them. Jenkins says he's lived a fairly ordinary life, perhaps a little better than some of North Korea's own citizens, but that doesn't mean he's had an easy time of it. He reiterates that he was young and stupid when he crossed the DMZ not realizing that he would be stuck in said country for the next forty years. Truly, a fascinating book to read. You may also want to check out Chun-Won Kang's "The Aquariums of Pyongyang". If Bush really wanted to do the world a favor, he would have toppled Kim Jong-Il's regime instead of attacking Saddam and Iraq - because we all know he was just trying to grab a piece of their oil - why won't he just admit it? And now look at the state of the world. Soaring gas and oil prices, unstoppable inflation (or so it seems), price increases in meat, vegetables, dairy products - all because of the rise in oil prices. When will it stop?

大阪万博：Ｉｎｓｔａｎｔ Ｆｕｔｕｒｅ / OSAKA EXPO 1970 by 都築響一「Ｋｙｏｉｃｈｉ Ｔｓｕｚｕｋｉ」 - This little gem caught my eye and I couldn't pass it up without looking through it. Why? For the simple fact that I was there! Okay, so I was only six or seven years old and don't remember it much except for nearly getting lost and was about to cry when good ole Mom found me. Expo 70 took place in Osaka (near my aunt and cousin's house) and started on March 13 and continued until September 14. My parents would probably find this miniature photography book very nostalgic. If memory serves me right, they went to the Expo at least three times. Aside from almost getting lost, the only thing I remember is the large "Taiyou no To" - the "Tower of the Sun". I didn't know it then, but it was designed by well-known Japanese artist Taro Okamoto. I wonder if my parents remember what the them of the Expo was. "Progress and Harmony for Mankind". Not only is the book full of wonderful pictures, it also features bits of trivia from Expo 70. Let me share with you some of the little facts noted in the book. Total visitors: 64,218,770. Total visitors from abroad: 1,703,000 (I wonder if that would include our family? But we were living in Tokyo at the time!). Lost items: 54,154 (cash - 48,924,577yen). Waste: 19,353 tons (4,838 truck loads). And the number of lost children during the Expo: 48,139 (I almost made it 48,140!). If only there were a photography book of the old army and air force bases back then - Camp Drake, Grant Heights, Green Park, that would really take me down memory lane.

THE GLASS HOUSE by The National Trust for Historic Preservation - "The Glass House is my 50-Year Diary" -Philip Johnson. A very nice visual book featuring architecture, art and landscaping. As I am not that familiar with this structure, I shall provide you with the blurb written on the back of the book: [The Philip Johnson Glass House was built in 1949 and is one of the world's most important icons of modern architecture. Over the course of nearly five decades, Philip Johnson and David Whitney's forty-seven-acre home in New Canaan, Connecticut became a canvas for their innovation in the fields of architecture, art, and landscape design. In each decade, new structures were built, artwork acquired, and landscape sculpted. the site offered a dynamic setting for their influential conversations with friends, colleagues and guests. In 2007, the house was opened to the public as a National Trust Historic Site. The Glass House redefines the historic house museum, offering a context for the past a s source of inspiration for the future. this book serves a a virtual visit to the house, as well as a celebration of one of modern architecture's most famous creations.] There are fourteen structures on the site - the main building being the Glass House. Other structures include the Ghost House, a Library Study, Da Monster, the Lincoln Kirstein Tower, a Pavilion, the Brick House, and also includes a painting and sculpture gallery. In terms of art and architecture, it's quite beautiful, but I don't think I could comfortably live in such a place, but that's just my own opinion.

CARS edited by Valeria Manferto de Fabianis - Our shop was having a clearance sales on foreign books and I couldn't pass up this thick, large hardcover, photography book which was being sold for measly 100yen (that's about $1.00US). Beautiful pictures of awesome automobiles. My father will be proud to add this book to his collection (as I will send it to him in the near future). The book is divided into ten sections featuring the "Grand Dames" - the earliest models of cars, "Family Emblems" - Ford Mustang's horse, Maserati's trident, the Ferrari's prancing horse, and let's not forget the hood ornaments of Jaguars, Lions, and Snakes for Jaguars, Peugeots, and Alfa Romeos respectively. "Nobile and Luxurious" - the King of luxury cars - Rolls Royce. Also features Bentleys, the renewed Bugatti, Cadillacs, Mercedes, and some other lesser known makes as well. And then on to my father's favorites - "Fifties Follies". Cars with lots of chrome and big fins. Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Buick Skylark, Ford Thunderbird and such. Then a section on sports cars, little cars, race cars, art cars, and concept cars. There was even a nice picture of the front of an Edsel. The only make missing that I felt should be included was the Studebaker Avanti and I suppose my brother would be upset that no Chevy Novas were featured either. But then again, there are so many cars in the world, to fit them all into one photography book it would be like searching for last digit in pi - impossible!

世界の路地裏100 「Sekai no Roji Ura 100」published by PIE Books - As you can surmise from the title, this is a Japan only publication. PIE Books is a publisher of fine arts and photography books and I highly recommend them even if you can't read Japanese because the pictures more than make up for it. The title reads "Sekai no Roji Ura" which translates to "The World's Back Alleys". This is a beautiful photography book my wife bought me for my birthday as it combines travel, photography, and short blurbs in Japanese without the furigana so I can continue to study and improve my Japanese reading abilities. This book will take you to the back alleys of Portugal's capital - Lisbon, the small and virtually unknown islands of Greece where vehicles aren't allowed and the quickest way to get from one point to another is by donkey, the alleys of a small island group near Venice in Italy. The photogenic city of Prague in the Czech republic, a small town in Mexico, and the disappearing back alleys of Seoul, Korea as developers are breaking ground for tall apartment buildings.

ANT EGG SOUP: THE ADVENTURES OF A FOOD TOURIST IN LAOS by Natacha Du Pont de Bie - Another gem I would have been unaware of if it wasn't for my friend Janet's blog "Asia by the Book". I wish I would have know about this title as it was published a year before I went to Laos. I probably would have been adventurous enough to try the Lao delicacy of Ant Egg Soup. It's supposed to taste really good by the way. It really is difficult to find travel essays about Laos, Laos not being a country on most people's top ten places to go visit list. The only other book that springs to my mind is Irish travel writer Dervla Murphy's "One Foot in Laos" and maybe one chapter in Stan Sesser's "The Lands of Charm and Cruelty". However, unlike Murphy, who spent more time bashing Americans and somewhat praising the Pathet Lao (they were as bad as the Americans if you must know), I found Pont du Bie's book to be full of joy and merriment as not only does she travel around the country, she befriends the locals who live there and tries every Lao cuisine she's offered. Which also contrasts with Murphy's book who didn't bother trying to get to know the natives. What better way is there to get to know a country than having a meal in a local's home or being invited to a family picnic (in which I was fortunate enough to experience the pleasure of both)? This nice young Lao lady invited me and my friend to her house for Laotian cuisine in Vientiane the first time I visited the country. The second time, I was with another friend, and we were swimming near the Kuang Xi Waterfalls near Luang Phabang when a family invited us to join their picnic. Great food, warm Beer Lao, and some pretty strong lao-lao was had. And one of their relatives was going to school in Tacoma, Washington - I still think they may have been relatives to my sister's Laotian classmate in high school! Unfortunately, this book appears to have already gone out of print so you will have to find it at a used book store or on the internet. But it will be well worth the effort. Excellent, enjoyable, and you too may fall under the spell of Laos. Visit the country if you have a chance, you will not be disappointed!

妄撮 「ＭＯＵＳＡＴＳＵ」 ｂｙ Ｔｏｍｍｙ - This is a little interesting photography book. A bit risque and a trifle erotic but very tasteful. A fantasy photography book for the juveniles in men (and the women who love women). Even the kanji characters of the title gives a hint of what's to be expected. The kanji characters are taken from two separate words - "moh-soh", which means "delusion", or in this case, a "wild idea" along with the first kanji character in "satsuei" which means "photographing". Put together, "Photographing a Wild Idea". The photographer has taken pictures of the models in regular clothes and also separately in a swimsuit or lingerie in the same setting and pose. But he does not use the entire picture of the swimsuit or lingerie scenes. Instead, you first look at the picture of the models with their regular clothes and on the same opposite or next page, the photographer has superimposed both images and creates the picture as if part of the models clothes was torn off so you could see what they are wearing underneath. It gives the pictures a rather taboo image as if you're seeing something you aren't supposed to instead of just viewing the models without clothes on. Oh, no nudity in this photography book though.

THE TALE OF THE UNKNOWN ISLAND by Jose Saramago - Uh? Okay - why did I read this? Fortunately, it was only 42 pages long. It seems there are contrasting points of views from what I read on Amazon.com's customer reviews. I, for one, am in line with the "what was that all about?". Just because the author won a Nobel prize doesn't mean that all he writes is genius as some people would have you believe. I, for one, found it boring, grammatically difficult to read, and just a plain waste of time. Maybe it lost something in translation as the original story was written in Portuguese. I won't even bother to bore you with the details or tell you that it's supposedly a metaphor for life. Auugghh!, do yourself a favor and read "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" instead.

WORLD JOURNEY by 高橋歩 「Ａｙｕｍｕ Ｔａｋａｈａｓｈｉ」- As I continue to hone my skills on reading Japanese without any furigana for the kanji characters, it's also helping me to learn new words. As you can surmise from the title of the book, this book is not only a travel essay, it is also a travel guide for people who plan to go on an around-the-world tour. Takahashi had quit his salaryman job. His girlfriend Sayaka quit her OL job in Ginza. They got married and three days after their wedding they set off on an around the world tour. This book is uses their trip as a base on giving you information about preparations, costs, baggage, communicating with locals, lodgings, and a lot of other useful tools that may help you on the road. Takahashi also adds input from other travelers around-the-world experience, from a person who spent 100 days on the road and traveled to over 30 countries to a married couple who spent 1096 days on the road and covered 73 countries. One other married couple spent 1029 days on the road and covered over 100 countries!! The book is filled with pictures throughout each chapter. I think an around-the-world trip is many people's dream, and this book will help those people make it a reality. Unfortunately, this isn't published in English so my English reading friends who plan to travel around-the-world will have to find another reference book. By the way, my sister's friend had just gone on an around-the-world trip just last year (or was it two now?). If only I traveled more during my college years!!

BACKTRACKING: BY FOOT, CANOE AND SUBARU ALONG THE LEWIS AND CLARK TRAIL by Benjamin Long - I imagine my father would enjoy this as the Lewis and Clark trails goes through Nez Perce territory, not too far from my father's home town of Weippe and Pierce, Idaho. Unfortunately, Long is by no means a Tim Cahill or Bill Bryson and I found his writing style rather dull and without humor. The book is like a collection of articles for "Outside Magazine" or "American Backpacker" but its very dry and reads more like a college textbook. Anyway, the author and his wife explore the Lewis and Clark Trail in today's present. Most of the pristine wilderness of the original trail has disappeared but if your interested in nature, then this might be worth reading. You can learn about prairie dogs, grizzly bears, the American bison, beavers, wolves and coyotes, grouse, Whitebark pine and Clark's nutcracker (it's a bird), cutthroat trout, white sturgeon, and cottonwoods of the Great Plains (those would be trees). I'd rather just watch "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom".

I AM LEGEND by Richard Matheson - I recently watched the newest film version of this story starring Wil Smith. What I thought could have been a great updated version of "The Omega Man" (starring Charlton Heston from 1971 and also based on this story) was a big disappointment as it became another generic zombie movie. For trivia buffs, the first movie adaptation of this story was the 1964 flick "The Last Man on Earth" starring Vincent Price. So, I thought I would read the original to see how far off the mark the movie was. Damn, was it far off. For one, the zombies (or rather infected victims of some unknown plague) did not become mindless, blood-sucking zombies. The original story is darker, more pessimistic, and doesn't have a truly happy ending, but at least it makes the title more appropriate. It's also more of a science-fiction/vampire story (which makes the Vincent Price adaptation understandable). If that hasn't sparked your interest, well, it just means you are easily led by the stereotypes of Hollywood. Do yourself a favor and read the book, which by the way, is a collection of short stories. "I am Legend" being more of a novella. The other stories are quite entertaining as well.

And so I conclude this month's morsels. Hope you found it entertaining. I'm still waiting for the publication of my friend Janet's book "Tone Deaf in Thailand" - Janet, by the way, is moving back to Bangkok. Check out her blog as well (the link is listed), aslo check out her "Asia by the Book" site as well if you're interested in books about or set in Asia.

HAPPY READING!!