Still alive...

The typhoon, which went over Japan, was extensively covered (at least) in Finland. In Tokyo, you could feel the typhoon but there was nothing more to it. The heaviest rain I've ever been in and the most powerful wind I've ever experienced, but no dead bodies, nothing. So, I'm still alive.

As a more intimate review of the tuesday, the day started quite early (woke up at 7 A.M.) as we were headed to Tsukiji fish market in some part of the Tokyo harbour. People driving around in their Inex-like vehicles transporting maritime goods from one place to another.. Beheadings of gigantic tuna fishes, all kind of slimy and goofy-looking sea animals were everywhere. This place is the hub for the restaurant-owners of Tokyo to come to get their share of the last night's catch for the Tokyoites to eat in the daytime. After wandering around in the hall we tried the sushi I told you about earlier.

Tuesday was a day for the enhancement of the cultural knowledge regarding Japan. Tokyo National Museum was the main thing, with the whole Japanese history covered via displaying all kinds of objects from different eras and explaining the events regarding that particular period of time. I found it somewhat interesting. Having seen also Asakusa's main parts (including the entrance to the big buddha temple, and the inside of a few shinto shrines), it was time to try something the businessmen do after their long workdays: Sento and Izkaya.

Sento is a public bathhouse with a certain set of rules. The most important is to wash yourself very thoroughly before entering the bath. Separate sides for women and men, the sento was a relaxing experience with its small benches and faucets, from which water was poured down to a bowl for washing oneself. The water, where people hanged around, was at leat 45 degrees, so it was burning. I stayed there for about 10 minutes (which is about 5 times more that the other men did), after which my brains were boiling. The next 15 minutes I was pouring cold water over my head to cool it down. And yes, it was all naked business, so I felt more than ever that Japanese and Finnish people are somehow more related to each other (mentally) than many other nations. The sauna in the sento was quite lame, only about 55 degrees (cold).
Izkaya, on the other hand, is something we don't have in Finland. It's a place where businessmen come with their workmates to talk this and that, or to do some networking with business associates. Nevertheless, they are usually drinking quite much. Suddenly I started thinking, how can this thing work. I mean, men do work all day, then, instead of going home, they come to izkayas to (at least to some extent) talk shop in front of a beer keg - how can they find time for their families? Japan is traditionally a very societal country as opposed to Finland's individualism - people are taken care of by their own if something should go wrong, and everybody looks after one another; in Finland people are allowed to think and act more freely, but with a price of loosing a real connection to the people around. The family in Japan traditionally comes first. How about now, when people scarcely have time to do their job in 24 hours? Anyway, izkaya had a nice atmosphere, good food and of course lots of traditional Japanese drinks, such as sake, plum wine or the brand beers.

On Wednesday we visited Mitaka in the outskirts of central Tokyo. There was a museum called Ghibli animation museum (Ghibli is an animation studio, famous e.g. for Howl's Moving Castle). The design of the museum was very childlike, as there were various paths and holes from which to traverse the inner workings of the museum. The way of making animation was covered quite extensively. Unfortunately, everything was in Japanese, so one could derive information regarding animation-making only so much. The whole day was pouring water (in the anticipation of the typhoon) but the museum visit was worthwhile (I think I'm going to see Howl's Moving Castle today, on Friday). In the evening it was time to do some serious nighttime a la Tokyo. So, a tongxue (shchoolmate) from Tsinghua Uni named Oscar - from Columbia - and his newly-made friend Taka (from Osaka) were in the city, so we decided to hit the izkayas. Plum wine was extraordinarily good, something I hope to have also in Finland! Taka was telling us about Japan and its culture while we were busy explaining Finland and the similarities to Japan to Taka. The most important thing I acquired that evening was the information regarding what my childhood posters (some ninja posters) stated: "ninja", in Japanese (two symbols, whose meaning I had not ever understood, until now!).
After izkaya we went to try the Japanese karaoke: our own private booth with flatscreen TV, a wireless device for choosing the songs (with touch-screen of course), free and unlimited drinks for the time being there (1½ hours) and two microphones with a big echo effect :). Man, it was swell, we definitely have to have these things in Finland!!
After the karaoke, Taka, Oscar and I decided to try some bars in Ueno - we ended up to the other side of the city because of the difficulties acquiring proper public transportation - and got to Shinjuku. The bars were quite unpopulated but noisy, and due to the approaching storm the rain was starting to be quite unprecedented. It was pouring like hell, and not being able to find any decent bar we went to some local izkaya to taste some Osakan omelette, among others. Twas good, but no more drinks did we take anymore. As the weather was quite chaotic, we decided to do what we had avoided until now: take a taxi. And yes, it was totally too expensive, more expensive than in Finland. Water came down in such a speed that sometimes it seemed that somebody was pouring water down from a bucket: on one instant big splash came down on to the window.. finally reaching Asakusabashi, where I paid my share and ran to our hostel totally soaked @ 4 A.M. Nice.

On the other hand, Thursday was amazingly clear day. Windy it was like never before.. In the central district of Tokyo, Marunouchi, we strolled around to get to the Imperial Palace area. Marunouchi is very expensive place, and all the more cleaner.. Everything was glowing and suitmen had invaded the whole district. Women holding down their skirts to avoid the wind from getting the best of them, the breeze was quite massive. The Imperial Palace had nice surroundings, but for the general public it was forbidden to enter the Imperial Palace interior area, so some gardens and a moat was all the time in front of us. After walking to the west side of the are we saw a glimpse of the Diet (parliament house). Crazy. At 19.00 we had a date with Doro (from the Transmongolian train, she was now a student in Tokyo Uni) and exchanged our whats and whens. It was nice to see her again.

Now this day (the last day before returning to Beijing) is dedicated to laying low, eating well and maybe doing some symbol-recognition (Chinese ones) and watching a Japanese animation.

Best regards to all the readers, say hello for me to everybody!

Here's the pics:

Tokio