The ways to a man's heart

I would be lying if I told you that the stomach is the only way to a man's heart. I think there are three main channels to a man's heart. One is through his stomach, another through his eyes, and the last, well, make a wild guess. The first channel is actually a well known fact, and is the topic of this blog. The second has to do with us humans being creatures of sight, I mean we depend heavily on our sight in our daily lives. So it is only natural that we get pretty excited about what we see. Finally, the last channel, let's just say that it has to do with our biological reproductive urge.

While in Japan, all three channels will automatically shift into hyperdrive. But, let's limit this article to food for the time being. Having been deluged with a barrage of spicy food since young, my initial impression of Japanese food was that they were all pretty bland. Unlike tabasco sauce-laced pizza or a typical Szechuan steamboat affair, it is generally agreed that Japanese food does not assault our gastronomical senses. It takes time to get acquainted with and grow fond of Japanese cuisine. Recently, I am rediscovering Japan from a different perspective. Through its food.

I had yakiniku (焼肉) or grilled beef lunch today. Coming into existence into the Japanese gourmet scene only fairly recently as a foreign import, yakiniku is basically beef slices barbequed over open fire. There would be nothing much to say about yakiniku using imported beef, however yakiniku using wagyu (和牛) or Japanese beef need only be tried once to understand how mind blowingly delicious it is. The restaurant I had wagyu yakiniku this afternoon had the most perfect setting. Traditional Japanese music, antique decors and ambient lighting all served to heighten my mood for the feast.

Wagyu meat is tender and juicy even after being grilled well done. I don't know how true it is, but I once heard that Japanese-bred cows live a life of luxury, being served beer and massaged until all their fat disperse into the meat. In the past, only the rich and affluent could afford wagyu, but now with recent cost cutting measures hitting everywhere across Japan, even average Joes like me can afford a nice wagyu lunch. Still, a typical meal might cost 2-3 times what you would pay for an average lunch in Japan.

I truly enjoyed my lunch today. After I paid the cashier, and stepped out of the restaurant, I got a strange feeling that I just had my first out of this world experience. It was that astounding.

半端ない

"That's just unbelievable". How many times did you wanted to say something like that in Japanese but couldn't think of a better phrase. There's a neat phrase that sums up that feeling. And it's 半端じゃない （はんぱじゃない） or just 半端ない（はんぱない）.

So for example, when you see the Big Mac hamburger tower on the left, your first impulse might be to say, "Oh, my god, that's an unbelievably tall hamburger." In Japanese, you would say　「おっと！それは半端ないです」.

半端ない is usually used as an adjective. Stressing the absolute totality of word following it. An example would be 「彼は半端ないお金持っているね」， which roughly translates to, "He's has money beyond your wildest dreams". Put simply, 半端ない is 10,0000,0000 times more potent than the adjective "too".

So what the heck is that...

Can you guess what this is? Let me give you a hint; it's something that everyone uses. It's found at home, in hotels, on beds and sofas. Well, usually it is located under the head but it can also double as a bolster. Can you guess it by now.

Yes, it's a pillow. This pillow is actually made of rattan. So it might sound hard to sleep on. It's also super airy thanks to the loose weaves. I have never seen one of these in Malaysia, only recently in Japan. The first time I saw one of these was at a local hot spring establishment. After a nice dip in the hot spring, your hair is usually still pretty wet, so I think this kind of pillow must have been quite phenomenal before the the hair dryer was invented.

I had a go at it the other day, and it didn't feel as hard as I expected. In fact it was kind of springy. If you have tried a rattan chair before, you may know what I mean. Here's a picture of myself using one, while resting on the tatami area, right after a wonderfully therapeutic dip in the hot spring and steam bath room. It was heavenly to say the least...

Japanese Houses: Past, Present and Future

Japan is a country with many surprises. As I was driving around the Nara-Kyoto border the other day, I made a very interesting observation. Within a short driving distance, I was zipping past very traditional houses, yet moments later I was surrounded by ultra-modern homes. It was as if I was in a time machine and going back a few hundreds of years, back to ancient Japan. It was so amazing that I made it a point to go back and take some pictures of those places.

Past

Japan in the past was very much an agricultural country. With rice being the staple food, you can see rice fields every where. Houses here are made of wood and the flooring are often wooden planks and tatami straw. One peculiar characteristic of these housing estates are the almost impossibly narrow, steep and confusing roads running through them. Originally meant for pedestrians only, these roads are totally unsuitable for modern cars. So if you plan to get lost here, make sure you drop pebbles on your way in.

Present

After the second world war, the Japanese economy saw tremendous growth. This baby boom period brought with it the necessity for cheap housing communities. Hence, houses began to climb vertically. Many people stayed in these government housing estates called danchi (団地), while the more affluent society built their own houses. These houses form the landscape of many suburban areas in Japan.

Future

Occasionally while on the road, you may notice sign boards leading to new research parks. As you drive into these towns of the future, you will notice the vast difference between the houses here and those of the past. Roads here are wide and straight, and the atmosphere feels expansive unlike the stuffy layout of the Past. The designs of houses are very modern, and even the schools here look like some sort of art museum.

Here is a video I compiled using MS free Movie Maker. The program is actually pretty good for amateur video editing.

Valentine's Day in Japan

If you are in Japan on Valentine's Day, you might be surprised to find out that those cute and fancy chocolates that you see displayed prominently in supermarkets and shopping malls are actually meant for guys. I mean, here, the girls are obliged to give chocolates to the guys. Crazy as it may sound it is true, although my wife swears she will never get accustomed to this marketing ploy.

Every year, today, the girls will present something to the guys, secretaries to bosses, female colleagues to male colleagues etc. And yours truly did savior something sweet today, courtesy of the girls in the laboratory. Called the giri-choko (義理チョコ) from the words giri ("obligation") and choko, ("chocolate"), these gifts are meant for co-workers. What is termed as the honmei-choko (本命チョコ) are chocolates reserved for loved ones.

人間関係

つい先病院の検診受付に電話をしました。電話中、相手はもうちょっと親切に話していただいてもいいなと思っていました。正直、ちょっと驚きました。「これ、なんか国の公務員らしいじゃない？」と思いました。

しばらくして、落ち着いた私はこんな感想をしました。私は日本にいる時、気をつけながら、なるべく日本人らしくしゃべります。ま～、お願いがあるから、やはり声を下げて話すべきです。一方、先ほどの受け付け係はわざわざ外国人らしく話してあげるのではないかと思います。もっと深い意味が入っているのかもしれないが、例えば外人嫌うとか、滅多に本音が示されるとか、とにかくとても聞き辛かったです。小さいころから差別されてきた私は、日本に来てよかっただと思います。ところが、時々あまり親切に対応してくれない日本人もいるわけですね。

この経験について最初文句を言いたかったのですが、よく考えたら、結局人間は人間だから、人間関係は、国籍や習慣などに関わらず、どこでも同じだろう。諺にもあるように「郷に入っては郷に従え」です。即ち、日本にいる外国人は日本人みたいになりたがるケースが多いだし、海外にいる日本人は海外のことを馴染めるのは多いのではないでしょうか。それは人間関係だ。

Theft in Japan 2: a police story

note: This is a short story and is longer than my usual blog entries.

Sypnosis: My bike got stolen, and then found, albeit in pieces. A rather unexpected ending follows.

About the same time last year, I wrote about theft in Japan. Since then, I have had the most peculiar experience. What I had thought would never happen to me, occured right before my very eyes. I woke up one fine Sunday morning, and having had breakfast with the kids, proceeded downstairs to clean my car. When I had finished, I packed up and was about to head back to my apartment when I noticed that my bike is no longer where I thought I had left it the night before. "What the, where's my bike!", I cursed.

Immediately, I went into denial mode. This can't be happening. OK, maybe I had left it at the school parking yesterday and my wife brought me home, I thought. This is fairly common as I stay quite near my work place and sometimes my wife comes over and pick me up for dinner. But on second thought, I remembered clearly how I had parked my bike there and walked up upstairs yesterday evening. I slowly began to visualize what happened. I remembered vividly how I removed the ignition key, removed it, took off my helmet and stored in under the seat. And now, the whole bike is gone. Frantically, I began to search the neighborhood parking spaces. No luck. I talked to my wife and decided to make a police report.

At the neighborhood koban (交番), I pressed the intercom button and waited for a couple of minutes before the police officers returned from their inspection round. There were 3 officers that day, including one very cute lady officer who took my statement. Having satisfied their queries, I left and went home.

I was still reeling about what had happened that day when I received a call from the police in the evening saying that they have found my bike. I was more than elated. The time it took to find my bike, surely it must be a candidate for the Guiness World of Records. When I finally saw my bike, I crashed back to earth. Well, the police brought back my bike alright. In a few pieces that is. On closer inspection, I finally concluded that it would take me more time and money to fix it.

Over the course of the next few days, I was contemplating on what to do. I mean, I needed my bike to get to work. Without it, I felt like one leg was missing. Finally after suffering for 2 weeks, I decided to get a new used-bike. Although a little expensive, the new ride sure felt great. I brought the kids for a spin around the neighborhood ever careful of the watchful eyes of the law. Don't want to break the law in Japan by riding like a rural Malaysian family on a kapchai.

I had more or less forgotten about my unfortunate experience in Japan when I received yet another call from the police. This time, I was told that the thieves were caught and identified. I was told that they were minors, junior high school students. When I related this incident to the lady living upstairs, she mentioned empathetically that it was the work of some pranksters. Hmmm, I wonder how she was so sure about that. Anyway, the police asked me if it was OK for them to let the parents of those misguided kids about my contact number. I said it was fine with me. So, the next few days, I talked to the parents of the kids. Mentioning to them about how I myself is a young parent and how this was a new experience for me. I finally met up with them one evening, and together with the two young boys, they came pouring out words of apologies for what must have been 2 minutes but felt like 2 hours. And you know what, they prepared to compensate me with a BIG box of cookies (which I still haven't open yet) and some cash.

This episode got me thinking. I was a victim of 2 bicycle thefts in Malaysia. When my very first and favorite BMX bike was stolen I made a police report about it and cried my eyeballs out. The police officer who took my statement was pretty casual about it. Let me put it this way he said, "Why don't you study harder and hope that your dad will give you another birthday present". When my second bicycle was stolen, I was cool about it, told my mom that I had outgrown the bicycle and was ready for manhood. Then, Dad said that I can start taking motorbike lessons. He then passed me the keys for his very first Honda C70.

If you ever have your vehicle stolen, I am sure you can empathize with my story. I bet that you, just like me are surprised with the efficiency of the local police here in Nara. I am so filled with admiration that I wrote them and told them about it. Below is an excerpt of my feedback at their website.

この間とんでもないことが起こりましたので、ここで書かせていただきます。

去年、私の通勤用の原付が盗まれました。なにも期待しない私は近くの交番にとどけを出しました。そして当日の夜その原付が見付かりましたたという連絡がありまして、ちょっと驚いた。迅速な対応していただいた警察官に感謝した後にこのことを忘れました。

数ヵ月後突然警察から犯人が見付かったという連絡がありました。それは、さらに驚いた。国で２回でも自転車が盗まれた私は、そんなことは全然想像できませんでした。しかしこれだけではとんでもないこととは言えません。２週間前、少年の泥棒達２人の保護者の方は私に連絡してお詫びしました。そして２人の少年と一緒に私と会って、深く反省を示しました。

私は日本に滞在する期間は長くもないですが、ニュースや新聞で聞いたことにより日本の警察官に関してあまりよい印象しか残りませんでた。しかし、今回の経験によってそのイメージが全て消えて、日本の警察はとても素晴らしいと思います。大感服しております。これは警察の手本になるのではないでしょうか。