Diary

June 30, 2005 - Thursday

It was a rainy day today. In the morning I put on a long sleeved sweater and was told I did not need it. I still haven't really gotten used to the difference between Sweden and Japan. In Sweden it get quite cool or even cold on a rainy summer day. In Tokyo it cools down to around 25 degrees. Quite a nice temperature compared to 36 a few days ago.

June 29, 2005 - Wednesday

Nothing to mention today... Except that the last couple of days cars with big loudspeakers on the roofs has been driving around in Tokyo. On Sunday is some kind of local election day and the cars drive around blaring messages about who to vote for and why.

June 28, 2005 - Tuesday

36.7 degrees today. It is the hottest rainy season in the Tokyo history.. Or at least since they start measuring. At the gym I saw some news show while warming up. They tried to explain why it was so hot. It had something to do with high and low pressures around Japan, and air flowing over some mountain.

Quite difficult to understand when you just watch the images moving. And in your ears you have loud music.

June 27, 2005 - Monday

Another hot and humid day. 36.5 degrees. You just cannot care about if you get sweaty because you will. Until you get into a subway or department store. Then your sweat become ice pellets on you shoulders and your beard... If you have one.

Had a hair cut in the night. Cut it short. Felt good in the heat to have short hair.

June 26, 2005 - Sunday

Phew, 36 degrees today. Got sweaty already on the way to the gym. And worse on the way back.

Luckily Chie, me, and Yoshiki-san went to Walnuts for dinner. Yoshiki-san payed so we could eat really expensive dishes... No, I am kidding. I mean we could eat what we wanted. It was delicious as usual.

I had panacotta and coconut sorbet, strawberry sorbet, and raspberry sorbet for desert. Yummy.

June 25, 2005 - Saturday

The weather is getting nice and cosy here in Tokyo now. They had promised 32 degrees today. But already at 9 am it was 33 degrees. And we are not talking Fahrenheit (just multiply by 9/5 and add 32 and you can talk Fahrenheit). Quite humid too. So going outside meant being sweaty.

Still had to go outside though. Had tickets for We Will Rock You in Shinjuku. It's a musical with Queen songs. I had no idea about the story beforehand. I just guessed that it had to be a story since it was called a musical.

Chie and I arrived at the theatre in Shinjuku about 20 minutes before it was supposed to start. Had a minor argument with one of the guards about bringing in some pet bottles of water and coke. Nothing was mentioned on the tickets that we could not bring it in. Chie put on her warrior face and the tiny female guard trembled, shook with fear, and after about 1 second of considering the consequences of fighting Chie (who has spent quite a bit of time in the gym by now), she let us in... With the two pet bottles.

Inside we had just enough time to buy popcorn and get seated... And wait for about five minutes before the show started on time.

As I guessed the musical had a story. Quite fun story as well. First the story brought us through the history of rock starting with Elvis in the 1950's, Beatles breakthrough in the the 1960's, the death of Elvis in the 1970's... After some other important historical points in the history of rock we came to the big turning point... Milli Vanilli made record that became a big hit without actually making the record. This was in the 1980's. From there boy band created just to make money in the 1990's, and in to the future. 2010 the first cyber pop star emerges ad have a big hit. By 2050 or so all music instruments are banned.

These historical and future events of the rock history flashes before us on a big video screen. It takes us to the start of the musical, which is year 2305. All music is programmed by one worldwide company called Global Soft. Individuals that try to make their own music are captured and brain washed.

There is only one thing that can stop Global Soft. The resistance... Or Bohemians as they are called. At this time nobody remembers anything about the rock history from the 20th century... Except the few in control of everything. The Killer Queen, or CEO of Global Soft, and her security manager.

The Bohemians only knows about the rock history from the few fragments of magazines they have found in the ruins of old towns and cities. But they believe what they read and they believe that someone will come and save them. Someone that hears the lyrics and music of the history. Someone that can unlock the hidden musical instruments from the past. Someone that will again play live rock and roll. And by that destroy the total control of creating music that now belongs to Global Soft.

They dialog is full of citations from rock song lyrics. The Bohemians all have names of rock stars. Everything done with humor and self distance, the remaining members of the Queen have been part of making the musical. Sometimes it is really funny and all of the time really good. Between the dialogs they sing, it is a musical after all, Queen songs.

Three hours pass fast when you have a fun time. The last three scenes the full theatre was standing up. Clapping hands, singing along, and dancing.

We were satisfied and went to pick up Chie's mother to have a dinner. After the pick up we went to Ebisu and Shiraishi. The dinner was as delicious as the last time. Just below 10 wonderful dishes. I had the grilled beef menu again. The beef was grilled crispy on the outside and still remained red and soft on the inside. Melting when you put in the mouth. Yummy.

The only thing to complain about was that the anin-tofu was finished when we go to the desert. But it was OK anyway. The waitress apologized so many times for not being able to serve us anin-tofu. The blood orange sorbet that she brought us instead was also delicious. And not getting any anin-tofu just gave us another incitement to come back for another dinner.

June 24, 2005 - Friday

Went to the gym after work again. Was running for an hour and then did some stretching. It felt quite good. Did not feel much in my knee. Still I do not run at my full capacity because I want to spare my knee.

The gym schedule is breast and back one day, shoulders and legs and if time allows arms one day, and one day running for an hour. Chie do running for an hour and some machine training every time.

After the gym we went to Yasaka for a dinner. Yasaka was quite full. Friday and payday was why. We enjoyed yakitori as usual. But tonight we especially enjoyed the grilled beef. And by the way... Thank you Robert. It was delicious.

June 23, 2005 - Thursday

A day when not much happened. I continued working as usual. Right now I am in a period of programming. I need to do that to test the models I have developed. It is quite fun sometimes an utterly boring most of the time. It was a long time ago since I made any serious programming so it is a steep learning curve... Again.

June 22, 2005 - Wednesday

Went to the gym after work today. Then when we left the gym they were giving free samples of some beverage. It turned out to be a low calorie beer, which is now in the fridge waiting for someone to drink it. I am afraid the wait will be long.

June 21, 2005 - Tuesday

Nothing happened today so I tell you about something I forgot to tell you yesterday. Early in the morning yesterday I woke up and the house was shaking. Earthquake. This one was a level 4 with its epicenter somewhere in Tokyo. Then I got back to sleep and forgot about writing it yesterday.

June 20, 2005 - Monday

Had a research meeting today. One of the new students made a presentation. Poor English. Quite good work.

In the evening I went to Ginza for massage. I went to a new place. Chinese guy. Walked all over me. Great feeling afterwards.

June 19, 2005 - Sunday

Besides going to the gym this was a relax day. Chie and I also started to prepare for the opening of the Star Wars Episode III here in Japan. It opens in July. And today we watched Star Wars Episode I.

June 18, 2005 - Saturday

Leo Club had a meeting today. Leo Club is Chie and three of her friends. They met through their common interest in Leonardo DiCaprio.

The plan was to have nabe but the main ingredient was full of mold. So we had udon instead. And a lot of delicious small dishes. Afterwards we had a yummy fruit cake. And as the last dish we had my home made ice cream. This time chocolate ice cream. Yummy!

June 17, 2005 - Friday

He was there this morning again. And in the evening. He's been there for a few months now. Every day. To be true, it's not the same guy all the time, but someone is always there. Where? Who?

Kasumigaseki station, where the sarin bombing was. And it is one of those thousands of old Japanese men in a clear blue uniform with a helmet on their head. They are guiding people around construction areas.

In Kasumigaseki station they are doing some maintenance. And has been for the last few months. So one of these old men was placed there to warn people about it and to help people find the way around it.

When you see them outdoors at a road construction site they usually have a red light saber too. Waving traffic around the construction site.

If you look at it from a cost efficiency perspective, at least from a very narrow and short term perspective, it cannot be very efficient. You can usually see the construction sites quite well from all the red blinking lights and red cones and light ropes and what ever they have.

However, in a world gone digital I find it quite nice with a human being. And you feel taken care of. And, perhaps, a little more secure.

So, on my way home I passed one of these blue uniformed men in Kasumigaseki again. I met Chie in Kamiyacho and we continued on the train to Naka-Meguro. First we did some shopping for a party we have tomorrow. And then we had dinner at Il Lupone, and Italian restaurant. We've passed the restaurant a few times and was interesting in knowing if it was good or not.

It turned out to be an OK restaurant but not great. The pizza was prepared in a wood fire oven and quite nice. But the pasta was so so. Afterwards we agreed that Red Pepper and Walnuts are much better.

June 16, 2005 - Thursday

After work I met Chie in Ginza. We picked up her sandals which has been repaired. Then we went to a Korean restaurant in Shinbashi.

We met with some people that has been involved with STEP (ISO10303) here in Japan. I had met them before, about a half year ago. Actually, a few of them I have also met at some ISO-meetings I have attended.

The dinner was to celebrate or morn, depends on you viewpoint, that the rainy season had started. About a week or two ago. The humidity has increased quite a bit. It's interesting... One day your bottle of water that you take out of the fridge get a little bit foggy on the surface. The next day it looks like someone dipped it in water, and you know the rainy season just started.

The food was good. And cheap. And the company was great. Sometimes, though, I get tired of trying to pick up what people are saying. Especially at the end of a work day. My Japanese is too poor to understand anything in detail, but if I know the context then I can understand some of it... Sometimes. But as I said, or wrote, it tires my poor brain staying concentrated for a long time.

June 15, 2005 - Wednesday

Work, work, work.

June 14, 2005 - Tuesday

Went to a conference in the morning. With Chie. Japan Outsourcing Conference about IT outsourcing. It was in Shinagawa.

We spent the morning there and by 11:30 we went to Ginza to have a lunch together. Udon. A really nice place. The food was good and the owner friendly. He brought so many extra dishes to me. Maybe because I am a foreigner. It was fun and tasty. Afterwards we thank him so much and went to our offices.

June 13, 2005 - Monday

Monday and nothing happened.

June 12, 2005 - Sunday

Main event of today? Tea ceremony. It went quite OK. I made one mistake. I always make it. I miss to take of the top of the mizu-sashi (water bowl).

Besides the tea ceremony there were only two more things worth mentioning. First, it was hot and humid today. They reported 30 degrees in Tokyo. And the humidity makes you sticky whatever you do.

Second, a delicious dinner at home. Chineese dishes. Mabu-tofu. Yurinchin (deep fried chicken with white onion, soya sauce, and vinegar. Salad (miyoga, mitsuba, and fried tofu). Oishi (yummy).

June 11, 2005 - Saturday

Relaxing. Relaxing. And relaxing. Had brunch at an Italian restaurant about 400 meters away on a back street. First time we've been here. Chie found it on the net a few weeks ago and just a few days ago we passed by on our way home. A small detour just to find it. it was quite OK.

The starters were really delicious. But the pasta and the main dish was ordinary and not special. Maybe we come back some time. But Red Pepper and Walnuts are both better and they are always so friendly to us.

After brunch we went to Roppongi hills. We had tickets for Million Dollar Baby. We also had time to check out some of the shops. I found a pair of linen pants for the summer. I will pick them up on Wednesday or Thursday after alteration.

Then we watched the Million Dollar Baby. It was OK. I would not have given it an Oscar. But, hey, I am not even close to be on the committee.

After the movie we went back to Zara where I bought my pants. Chie had found some clothes that she wanted to buy - we had not enough time before the movie in case you wonder why.

Our original plan was to have dinner at home, but time flies when you have a fun time. It was already 8 pm when we got back to Naka-Meguro. so, instead of heading home and start cooking dinner we went to Yasaka. If you have read this diary occasionally you might have heard about Yasaka before.

Yasaka is a yakitori (grilled chicken) restaurant. The quality of the dishes may not be as high as at Bonbori (see June 9, 2005). But it is still great. And cheap. And friendly. Combined, it is one of the best. And close. And we come here quite often.

Today we favored grilled sweet corn. And grilled beef. And... Many other dishes. But we had three rounds of grilled sweet corn. The final round we did not have to pay for because it was the end. We had finished all thee corn they had.

And what do they do? Japanes way is to come to you and politely excuse themselves for not being able to make our order because they were out of corn. But the chef told us - it's an open kitchen where the grill is - that he would use the last part but it would be too small so he would not charge us. Arigato gozaimasu.

Oh, I almost forgot. They reported about a wild animal in Asakusa on the news this morning. A monkey. It just came and then jumped between the telephone lines and roofs. It seemed pretty scared. Like it aren't already enough of monkeys in a city of 12 million or so.

June 10, 2005 - Friday

Went to the gym after work. Was running for an hour and then some sit-ups and back exercises. And finally some stretching. I try to end by doing sit-ups and one back exercise and stretching.

After the gym Chie and I headed home for dinner. Tonight we (mainly Chie, I did the table) made a new pasta. Tuna. Black olives. Anchovy. Garlic. Olive oil. Spaghetti. Yummy.

June 9, 2005 - Thursday

After work today, Chie and I went to a new restaurant not far from our gym. It's called Bonbori and was a yakitori (grilled chicken) style restaurant. Bonbori dai-suki-desu! I really like Bonbori.

It was really a great restaurant. A little bit expensive compared to Yasaka. But still really tasty.

June 8, 2005 - Wednesday

Japan qualified to the World Cup in Germany next year. They beat North Korea tonight. What a relief. I really did not want North korea to win. Because of the political situation there and a nut case for leader.

The crazy thing was that North Korea had misbehaved in an earlier game. They got a penalty for that. Their home game tonight was in Thailand. No people in the stadium. But like a billion Japanese outside. And a full stadium in Tokyo where they could watch the game on a big screen.

After the game everyone got crazy. One of the reporters were standing outside the stadium in Japan. Screaming in the microphone... 'WATACHI-WA SAKKAAA DAI-SUKI-DESU!!!' or in plain English... 'I LOVE SOCCER!!!'

June 7, 2005 - Tuesday

Today was a big day for a friend. Mash-san. He is a die-hard Raiders fan. He sent an essay to the Raiders and won the title International Raider's Fan of the Week. His picture on the homepage of the Raiders. And his essay published on www.raiders.com.

Since the homepage of Raiders will change I made a screenshot of their main page. All fans in the world saw his face when they entered www.raiders.com today. Congratulations Mash-san.

June 6, 2005 - Monday

Another week starts. Continued working. Not much to write about. Had a research meeting in the morning that. Gym in the evening.

June 5, 2005 - Sunday

Gym time in Tokorozawa. The Konami Sports here is smaller than in Naka-Meguro. But they are even friendlier here. When a new instructor enters the gym she, or he, walks around and konichiwaing everyone. Quite pleasant.

June 4, 2005 - Saturday

Went to Tokorozawa in the morning. Had breakfast in the car on the way there. The rest of the day was mostly relaxing time.

June 3, 2005 - Friday

The night between today and tomorrow is a soccer night. Japan plays against Bahrain. I will not watch the game since it is in the middle of the night.

But Chie and I will watch a Manchester United game in July. They come here and will play against a Japanese team called Urawa Reds. The supporters are said to be very true and excited supporters. Jumping up and down all through the games. Japanese soccer fans say that Urawa Reds supporters are more tired than the players after a game.

This makes me wonder... If the jumping guy a saw yesterday was not a Urawa Reds supporter. Just practicing for upcoming games.

I will go with the Manchester United in July. It seems less tiring to support them than Urawa Reds.

June 2, 2005 - Thursday

I saw him again this morning. The jumping guy. I see him at the same spot. Jumping up and down on the same spot. Arms straight at his sides. Using only his feet and calves.

The university has a hospital but I am not sure they have a psychiatrist institution where they treat mentally ill people. Or as we usually say... Crazy people.

Perhaps he is just a professor. They are kind of crazy too. All of them ;-)

Anyway, in the afternoon when I was on my way back home he had stopped jumping. Maybe it got too crowded even for a crazy professor to keep on jumping other than early in the morning.

June 1, 2005 - Wednesday

Another day like any other day. Except we got shaken not stirred during the evening. Two small earthquakes that are barely worth mentioning. But I do it anyway, as you can see.