Japan Diary, 1 Sep 1983 - 15 Sep 1983

[Anohito]

1 Sep 1983 (Thu): I had plenty of time, but wound up having lunch at Genroku Sushi anyway. I was headed for Ryu-En for fried noodles, but saw some ugly clouds approaching and turned back toward Chuka Hanten, so as to be closer to base in case of rain. However, Chuka Hanten was closed. Rather than waste any more time, I ducked into Genroku Sushi. As it happened, there was no more than a sprinkle. I had time afterward, so I went in to Saikaya for ideas for duty day supper. I also bought a can of the cream of shrimp soup and a can of persimmons. After work, I went in to Seiyu and found the very thing that the conversation teacher wanted us to buy(1). Since I hadn’t made it into Ryu-En for lunch, I had supper there–chicken with mushroom(2), which was excellent. On adding my expenses unofficially, I learned that the groceries at Saikaya still left me well under the daily limit, so I went back to the barracks rather than spending any more money.
(1) And what was that, Anohito? Undoubtedly it was quite obvious when I was writing the diary, but that was long ago (and in another country, and besides...ummm, never mind).
(2) This would have been some sort of Asian mushroom, since even this early, I was avoiding the standard American-style "button" mushrooms. I eventually learned that I do have a mold allergy (not a serious one, though), as I expected.
2 Sep 1983 (Fri): Before going out to lunch, I mailed an envelope of newspaper clippings to Mother. I still had shopping to do, so I wanted a simple, cheap lunch. That turned out to be cha shu men at Chuka Hanten. I did my shopping at Saikaya. I decided not to buy any of the Korean-style meat, since I have no idea how or whether it would cook properly in a microwave. I finally bought some of the chicken-shaped biscuits. They’re very tasty (I had a couple after lunch, as well as a few of the head-shaped manju). The niku man are pretty good. I had eaten the chicken/cashew before and it was as good as before. The biscuits are dove shaped. I looked up the character in my kanji dictionary. I finished the grapes. Yum! [Or, as Rachel Ray might say, "Yum-o!"]
3 Sep 1983 (Sat): Well, the morning went smoothly enough [duty], aside from forgetting to unlock the front door. A little inconvenience might be good for The Fool on the Hill’s(1) character. Maybe even a lot of inconvenience... The train I caught at 0811 was a tokkyu [regular express] to Yokohama and then a kaiso tokkyu [limited express] to Shinagawa. I couldn’t remember whether or not the Keihin Kyuko was crowded at that time of the morning, but I took the KHK because it is the cheap way. It was crowded, but I got a seat at Yokohama. I made a "mistake" and automatically took the Yamanote Line from Shinagawa to Yurakucho. If it had occurred to me that I have my bag, I would probably have gone to Higashi Ginza, stashed my bag in Ginza station, and walked from there to the Tourist Information Center. My bag isn’t very heavy, though (haven’t I forgotten something?), and my mistake saved me a few unnecessary steps, because the TIC won’t have the new Tour Companion until Monday. I started to go to the coin lockers before having coffee at Toa, but it seemed like an unnecessary trip. There is plenty of room on the other chair for my bag. I wonder if I should wait until after supper to go to Kimuraya. I definitely want some sesame donuts. Let’s not get backlogged today [making diary entries]. After coffee, I stashed my bag and headed for Ikebukuro. Before leaving the station area, I quickly looked through most of Ikebukuro Shopping Plaza. Then, on to Sunshine City. I looked around in the basement of the Sunshine 60 Building and I think I found where you go up to the observation floor. My initial observation that there aren’t many places for a meal in the basement of Sunshine City has been confirmed. I forgot that the "restaurant floor" of the World Import Mart has only four restaurants. I found the other, larger restaurant floor on 3F of Alpa. I saw an okonomiyaki-ya that I hadn’t noticed before and had lunch there. The beef yaki was tasty, but I must confess, I didn’t notice a very beefy taste. Perhaps the yaki overwhelms the beef unless you add enough beef to raise the price drastically. The "puronkyu"(2) salad was very good–two salads on one. I would say that the name is "Poulenc" except for the long "yu" at the end. It was a substantial lunch, but I’m set on dessert, so I’m in Ginza Cozy Corner for a crepe aux chocolat. From there to the exhibition at the Ancient Orient Museum. The standing exhibition was more to my tastes, but it was all interesting. I bought a catalog of the stone age exhibit mainly on the strength of its photos of cave paintings. Afterward, I decided I might as well go up the Sunshine 60 Bldg., as long as I was in the vicinity and had plenty of time. I figured out where people got the tickets by going back along the route they were using. You buy the tickets on 1F. However, I hadn’t reckoned with the hazy weather. You can’t even see across the city, much less any of the surrounding area. From Sunshine City to Ginza. I bought goodies in Kimuraya and milk in Mitsukoshi, and then went back to the hotel to change clothes and rest a while(3). Even with a little rest, I was tired enough that I considered eating in the hotel restaurant. However, I did go out to Moti for supper. My entree was the mutton shahi masala, which I’ve had before. The cream of chicken soup (Indian?) Was new to me and very good. I didn’t have dessert there, but went over to Meidi-ya and bought a carton of Varianti chocolate ice cream to have back at the hotel. The ice cream was excellent. Later, I had one of the choux I bought at Kimuraya. They don’t have cream in them [they had custard], but are very tasty. "Atomic Cafe"(4) had Japanese voice-over, so I didn’t watch it, but watched Abarenbo Shogun instead [This was one of my favorite Japanese TV shows].
(1) AKA, Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka/Commander, US Naval Base Yokosuka.
(2) This word was rendered in the menu as katakana, not hiragana or kanji. I wrote the katakana characters in my diary--L_[]7-0
(3) I’ve neglected to mention the little detail of checking into the hotel!
(4) 1982 documentary: "Disturbing collection of 1960s United States government issued propaganda films designed to reassure Americans that the atomic bomb was not a threat to their safety." (Internet Movie Database)
4 Sep 1983 (Sun): My first stop after leaving the hotel was the Kabukiza, to buy a ticket for this evening’s performance. Then to Ginza Station for a newspaper, and from there to the store where I first saw the Caruso record. I had to look for some time before finding the correct bin, but I did find it, and they do have the record. Since I was already nearby and it was lunch time, I went to find Restaurant Scheveningen. I was expecting it to be a pricey German/continental restaurant(1), but it’s a spaghetti house(2). I wasn’t in the mood for spaghetti, so I had lunch at The Barn, which is around the corner. I had baked eggs American, which was very tasty. After lunch, I started looking for umbrellas and the light blue Mitsubishi pens. I found the pens ("Kesho" pens) at Matsuya, where I found a new type of pen I couldn’t resist. There aren’t too many of the short self-opening umbrellas available. The cheapest one I found was 3500 Yen at Mitsukoshi. I also looked in Takashimaya (where I exchanged money) and Tokyu. While I was in Tokyu, I had a coffee float, to refresh myself, in the Capital coffee shop and bought pastry and milk at the Saint Germain Bakery (the pastry as a before-kabuki snack, the milk for later). Then, back to the hotel to change clothes and relax. It seems that the hotel turns off the air-con during the day (until about 1530). It was hot & miserable waiting to get into the theater, and the matinee was late ending, but we finally did get in. The program was most enjoyable, with some impressive quick-changes in the final play. It seems that breaking the action at the end for a "That’s all, folks!"has become a permanent feature at the Kabukiza. After the show I went to the Korean restaurant for supper, but it was closed(3). This created something of a problem. If I had thought of Ginza Cozy Corner, I could have gone over there immediately and still had time to eat, but the GCC never did occur to me. I looked for another Korean restaurant, but couldn’t find one. Even If I had, I suppose there is no guarantee that it would have been open, considering that the other one had closed (it must have been because of Sunday [not necessarily true]). After looking around for a while, I realized that it was becoming late enough that I would be hard pressed to eat and get to the subway before it closed, so I went to Kayabacho. I was expecting to have a snack (or two) in the hotel restaurant, but that too was closed. I looked around in the vicinity of the hotel for a bit, but to no avail. I had to settle for instant noodles from the vending machines (not bad, actually) and left-over pastry. That will be a lesson for future use. If I am staying in Kayabacho and I go to the Kabukiza or National Theater) on Sunday evening, I’ll have to eat there or bring in bento because I can’t count on getting anything to eat afterward.
(1) That was an error on my part, unless I realized that the city of Scheveningen was in the Netherlands, but didn’t figure that it would actually have Dutch food. I don’t remember what I was thinking.
(2) It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I became aware of the very rude pun involved in the name of this place. The word "Scheveningen" can be read in Japanese as "sukebei ningen", or "lecherous human" (i.e., "...person"
(3) This was a yakiniku restaurant in one of the smaller parallel streets between Chuo Dori and Sotobori Dori. It was the restaurant I went to most often when I was in Tokyo and wanted Korean food.
5 Sep 1983 (Mon): After checking out of the hotel, I stashed my bag in a coin locker at Ginza Station, bought newspaper, and went to the National Theater. After buying a ticket for the afternoon bunraku performance, I had some time left before the doors opened, so I went to see if I could get something to eat. At the coffee shop Say, I was able to get a very good dry curry and a cup of coffee. It took a little while to prepare the curry, but I got back to the theater in plenty of time. The 20 Yen coin lockers are large enough to stash my briefcase and I did so. I also bought a set of postcards and sato anzu [sugared apricots] for dessert. There was no English earphone guide, but the program was adequate to tell me or help me deduce what was happening. It was a most enjoyable performance. I was interested in the fact that both plays featured a blind major character. After the bunraku, I couldn’t think of any compelling reason to go somewhere other than Ginza, where my bag was. I was tempted to claim my bag and go somewhere else for supper (it was about 1630), but I looked around for a while and pondered and by 1700 I had decided to eat at Casa Bianco. I had an excellent meal of vichysoisse, Italian salad, and saltimbocca. By then, I had spent enough money, so I returned to Yokosuka and the barracks.
6 Sep 1983 (Tue): I had lunch at Genroku Sushi, so I could get a large lunch in anticipation of a late supper. I lost track of how many plates I was taking and had eight plates. At the nearby fruit shop I bought nectarines and an Asian pear, one of which I wanted to eat just before leaving for my Japanese conversation class. I had the nectarine and it was delicious. Having spent so much money this past weekend, I wanted a moderately priced supper and figured I could get one at Giraud. Rather than have one of the sets, I had the "cacciatore" spaghetti and a tuna salad. They made an excellent meal. A carton of milk wouldn’t put me over 3000 Yen, and I needed milk, so I bought a carton. The vending machine has a new brand. Back on base I later had to go pick up an "immediate" (high seas warning, big deal) message because the BOOD [Base Officer of the Day] "couldn’t find" the CAPO [Command Administrative Petty Officer](1).
(1) I did NOT have duty that day, nor was I the designated Supernumerary. I was, however, on that watch bill. The BOOD was simply being lazy and inconsiderate.
7 Sep 1983 (Wed): I wanted a "stick-to-the-ribs" lunch, so I had jo tamago katsudon at Shindo. Most of Odakicho(1) is closed today, including Seiyu, so that leaves me with a limited choice of places to buy juice. I did buy a 500 ml carton of orange juice at the little store near Genroku Sushi. After work, I went directly to Kujaku-En. Chicken peanut and ebi cha han [shrimp fried rice] gave me an excellent meal at a moderate price and was even more than I could eat. Kujaku-En’s cha han is less fancy than Shi Sen’s, but Kujaku-En’s is larger. While I was in K-E, some exceedingly nasty coulds rolled up. I was surprised that it wasn’t raining when I left. I didn’t even stop anywhere for juice, but returned directly to base. A cab to the barracks still left me under 3000 Yen for the day.
(1) What I called Odakicho back then actually included parts of Wakamatsucho.
8 Sep 1983 (Thu): I went to the base barber shop during lunch, so I didn’t go out to eat. After work, I went to Saikaya for fruit juice. They didn’t have any of the Sun Ray purple grape juice, and I didn’t want to pay 680 Yen for Welch’s purple grape juice. I did buy a bottle of Welch’s white grape juice, though. At 650 Yen for a liter, it’s roughly comparable to the Takano at 500 Yen for 700 ml. After that, to Fujiya for some prune candy. Then, after some consideration of the matter (supper), I went to Shindo for jo tenpura. I decided not to buy milk because it would just sit in the refrigerator unused over the weekend.
9 Sep 1983 (Fri): I ate lunch at Genroku Sushi more because I couldn’t decide where else I should eat and it was a few minutes past noon. They had a good selection, including the tako pieces. No shopping afterward in view of the expense of traveling to Tokyo tonight. Speaking of traveling to Tokyo, I made the 1657 kaiso tokkyu for a change. We closed the office about 15 minutes early. When I left the office, there were dark clouds to the west. I saw a half-hearted sprinkle a couple minutes ago, but it seems to have stopped. I forgot to buy Yen during lunch. I suppose I should buy some this weekend. Maybe after I see how much I have to pay for the catalogs for the exhibits at the Tokyo National Museum. Well, here I am at Asia Center of Japan(1). It was not as easy to find as I had expected, mainly because the street on which it’s located is smaller than I had expected. This is a much older hotel than the Kayabacho Pearl Hotel. The TV costs 100 Yen an hour for any use and no dirty movies(2). It’s not bad, though (the charge for the TV should discourage others from watching it late at night). There is only one electrical outlet. I can unplug the TV to boil water for coffee. My little hot pot does boil water on Japanese current, albeit slowly. Now, I’m out to explore a little and have supper. There isn’t anything particularly new or exciting, although there are several restaurants near the hotel. CI Plaza is farther away than I thought, and I didn’t go there. I had supper in a Chinese restaurant in the Pola (?) Building. It was a bit pricey, but the food was excellent. The menu was in Chinese and Japanese with no English, but I managed. Some of the dishes are small and some are a bit larger. No small - medium - large. I had a serving of the shrimp with chili sauce (there was a picture of it, but not a picture of all the dishes) and a "mystery" pork dish that turned out to be the "pot roast" pork with a vegetable (dark green & leafy, but not spinach) that was new to me. After supper I investigated a restaurant I had seen across the street and which appeared to have a pastry/confectionery shop. It, Scandia, does. Their wares are on the fancy side, but I did buy a couple of items that looked appealing. They were not only boxed, but boxed/ribboned. Also, it turned out to have a chunk of dry ice for cooling. The pastry itself was most tasty, in keeping with the care they took.
(1) It’s still in business:
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/tokyo/H31003.html
http://www.asiacenter.or.jp/eng/index.html
(2) There is a tiny joke in here. The KPH did have coin-operated Japanese "dirty movies", but I wasn’t interested in them. Even if I or anyone else had been interested, because of Japanese laws concerning sex and nudity, you wouldn’t have seen as much as you would have in their US counterparts.
10 Sep 1983 (Sat): I had intended to buy stamps at the front desk, but they were so busy (when I stopped to drop off my key on my way out this AM) that I didn’t wait. I still have two stamps left, and I can try the front desk again when I return this evening. The nearby supermarket closes at 2000. I’m finally trying Caffe Greco’s coffee after seeing it sold in depato [department stores] for so long. Pricey. It’s very good, but as long as I have my own filter equipment with me, I don’t actually need to stop here of a morning. Unless the mizutaki restaurant opens at 1100, I may be hard pressed to kill time until it opens. From Caffe Greco I went to Seishido (?) bookstore, where I bought a copy of Newsweek (550 Yen!) And a Japan Times. The mizutaki-ya wasn’t open yet, but by then it wasn’t that much longer until 1130, so I sat outside and read the paper until it opened. I had my usual mizudaki [a chicken soup/stew] teishoku [complete meal], a great bargain. The relatively inexpensive lunch helps to make up for the cost of the magazine. From Roppongi to Higashi Ginza. It’s a good thing I didn’t wait until tomorrow to buy a ticket. Even today, there aren’t any good seats left. I was momentarily tempted to either buy a more expensive ticket or wait, but took the best I could get for tomorrow. It’s a bit late to radically re-plan my weekend, and if I wait, I still might not be able to get a better seat. From the Kabukiza to the Tokyo National Museum for the "ancient Korean Arts..." and "sunken Treasures..." exhibitions. They were very interesting, particularly the Korean exhibition, which had many items of types I hadn’t seen before. I’ve seen celadon and the other types of pottery, but fine work is always worth seeing. I wanted to prepare a couple of the post cards I bought (I also bought the catalogs) for mailing and finally found an empty park bench near the station. Once in the subway station, I decided to go back to the hotel, change clothes, drop off a few items, and go out for supper. While in Kasumigaseki Station to change to the Chiyoda Line, I checked the time and decided that it was late enough that I didn’t need to take the extra time and do the extra walking that going back to the hotel would entail. I returned to the Hibiya Line and went to Roppongi. It was before 1730, but Bengawan Solo(1) was open for supper. I had the sauteed lamb with vegetables, chicken soup, achara(2) (cucumber & carrot, not green papaya, but it had the atsara-style semi-sweet pickling), and rice. It all made a very good meal. I bought goodies at Belle. I’ve bought plenty of things at Belle before, but I managed to find things I hadn’t bought before. The pumpkin pudding was interesting, but could use more sugar.
(1) Still in business: http://members.aol.com/tokyojapan/bengawan.html
(2) Achara/atsara is basically pickled green papaya, in the Philippines. Here is a web description of the Philippine version: "Achara, or atsara, means pickled green papaya. Well, basically. Carrots, ginger, onions and bell peppers are added to the papaya to turn it into achara. The pickling solution––a mixture of vinegar, sugar and salt––preserves the papaya and the vegetables. In air-tight jars, achara will keep even without refrigeration. After the jar has been opened, however, it is best to refrigerate achara."
11 Sep 1983 (Sun): After checking out of the hotel, I had just enough time to stash my bag (one of the straps is coming off) in Ginza Station and buy a bento in Mitsukoshi. I also bought a couple of salami rolls in Madame Johan. Their service (checkout) is inefficient and their pastry is only fair. I don’t think I’ll buy there any more(1). At the Kabukiza I learned that by careful maneuvering, I could fit my briefcase in a coin locker, so I put a few necessaries in a plastic bag and the briefcase in the coin locker. I thought the lunch break came at an odd place, but it turned out that Act IV of Tokugawa Ieyasu has been cancelled. I guess it took too much time. From reading the program, it seemed to be something of an anticlimax anyway. The kabuki was interesting, enjoyable, and informative(2). Afterward, I went to Mitsukoshi for coffee. I had more-or-less intended to go to Takashimaya(3), exchange money, and buy food for my Monday duty day. However, I changed my mind. That would give me too much to carry, especially with my bag falling apart. So, I returned to Yokosuka. I did buy milk on the way back to base, though. I considered buying grapes from a street vendor, but decided to wait until Tuesday.
(1) I may be misremembering, but I think I did continue to buy there every now & then because their breads were decent.
(2) This play wasn’t true kabuki, but a relatively modern historical drama. I guess one could consider it to be "neo-kabuki".
(3) Department store (the main store) in Nihonbashi. For those who read Japanese: http://www.takashimaya.co.jp/tokyo/ For those who don’t: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/tokyo/S27128.html
12 Sep 1983 (Mon): I would probably have eaten elsewhere, but I was in a hurry, so had lunch at Genroku Sushi. The selection wasn’t so interesting today, but I was able to get two plates of saba [marinated mackerel] After lunch I went shopping in Saikaya. I didn’t spend much, but I should have plenty, considering what I already have in the room. I had plenty of time to get my uniform from the laundry on my way back to the office.
13 Sep 1983 (Tue): I wanted a hot lunch, but I also wanted to buy a couple things in Seiyu. Gurabatei is convenient to Seiyu, so I went to Gurabatei. The yaki niku don looked good, even though I had pork for supper (the ham marine [2 syllables] from Saikaya is very good), so that is what I had. I didn’t really have time afterward to shop, but I went to Seiyu anyway for instant coffee and bagged tea. I had to take a taxi from the taxi stand in order to get back to the office on time. Today is the day for my Japanese conversation course, so that is where I went after work. After an interesting class, I went out for supper. Having eaten pork for two meals in a row, it was time for fish, so I went to the Centraza Mall tenpura-ya(1) for a matsu tenpura gohan. I wasn’t really hungry, but my sweet6 tooth was acting up, so I bought donuts at Mister Donut(2) on my way back to base.
(1) Remember, this is actually a soba restaurant, even though they had tenpura dinners.
(2) There was also a Dunkin’ Donuts in Yokosuka, but early on I decided that I preferred Mister Donut.
14 Sep 1983 (Wed): I decided I should have chicken for lunch, and on Wednesday, that only leaves a few choices(1). I chose Ryu-En, and thought I had made a mistake. The only open table had a sign on it which I think was a "reserved" sign, but a waiter indicated that I should sit there. While I was there, another single and a duo also sat there (6-seater), so perhaps it wasn’t a "reserved" sign. Because they were so busy, it took a while for my order (chicken yakisoba) to arrive, and I was worried about the possibility of being late back to the office. For that reason, I didn’t stop for dessert afterward. As it turned out, I made it back to work on time. I made a reservation for Saturday night at the Kayabacho Pearl Hotel. It only took 40 Yen. I had considered using one of the phones at the gate, but they were both occupied by people who appeared to be settled in for a substantial chat. I must have paper filters, so I’ll probably go to Yokohama. I don’t know any place closer where I can be sure of getting Melitta filters. Also, I have a wider variety of restaurants from which to choose, and I will be able to buy a newspaper. Yes, the 1657 kaiso tokkyu is definitely the train to catch. I didn’t think I’d make it, but I barely did. Earlier this afternoon, I was diverted by the idea of going to Kamakura, but I’m not sure Kinokuniya sells Melitta products. Kalita seems to be more common. Anyway, I’m out for first Tue-Thu trip in a good while. Once in Yokohama, I bought a paper and went to the Caravan store, where I bought small filters for office & barracks. I still hadn’t decided where I should have supper, but I gravitated to Patio. I looked at the display case at Bambino again and this time I saw some things I liked, so I went in. I decided that the tako marine would be too heavy with the entree and the nata bata yaki [eggplant butter-grilled], so I ordered corn soup instead of the tako. The entree, veal chunks in cream sauce, came with rice & shredded cabbage salad. It all made a very good meal. Rather than eat dessert there, I looked for something to eat later. In CIAL, I found Patisserie George Cinq, which had some tasty-looking pies. I bought a piece each of cheese, coconut, and lemon. That put me very close to my daily limit, so I returned to Yokosuka. The cheese and coconut pies were very tasty. The cheese pie isn’t a very "cheesy" pie, but is a rich pie flavored by the muscat raisins in the upper part. That will be a good place for goodies in the future.
(1) Most of the stores on the main business street (Chuo Odori) were closed on Wednesday.
15 Sep 1983 (Thu): Rain today. I cashed my check at the Club Alliance, and since there was no limit on Yen purchases, I bought the full $300. That put me out in town several minutes later than I wanted to be, though. Genroku Sushi was crowded. I didn’t want to go too far, so I went to Gurabatei. They didn’t have the usual "one from column A, one from column B" special, but a special of the day, chicken piccatta. The rice didn’t come with it, but was extra, Even so, I had a kobanyaki for dessert, now that the 60 Yen shop is making them again. I went to the Exchange after work, only to learn that medals are sold at the Tailor Shop by the Laundry. The Exchange didn’t have any umbrellas worth buying, either. I went to the Tailor Shop and discovered that the things must be mounted and I’ll have to use my old Good Conduct medal because they didn’t have any. After that, I went out for supper. I ate at Alte Stadt, the charcoal broiled "raw" sausage. Excellent! I had dessert out, at Four Seasons, a banana parfait. Yum! The guy selling fruit on Chuo Odori outside of Yokohama Ginko [bank] wasn’t there today. I bought the same type of grapes at the fruit shop in the arcade, but they aren’t quite as good as the ones I got from the vendor. The lemon pie (from Patisserie George Cinq) was quite good.