QuickParking

Originally uploaded by James Hart.

Tokyo introduces a new concept in bicycle parking.
Currently undergoing trials in the Ariake Big Sight area in Tokyo Bay, the objective is to shave further vital seconds off the Salaryman’s journey to work in the morning.
The methodology is simple, yet brilliant. As the salaryman approaches the train station, he slams on his brakes, throws the bike on the pile and runs into the station in one effortless motion.
Returning in the evening on the last train, it may take a while to untangle his ride home, but his wife is already asleep in bed, so that’s of no concern.
Just remember, you saw it here first!

Tokyo doesn’t have a lot of graffiti but there is some “street art” in certain parts, such as Naka-Meguro and Yoyogi. I found two huge works on the concrete pillars joining Yoyogi Park to Jinnan, near NHK in Shibuya.

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One of my duties while working as a producer/program director in NYC was to periodically direct the morning news show that was broadcast at 7 am. This required me to wake up at 2 am and work non-stop until 8 am. The only thing I wanted after finishing such a fast-paced project was a good breakfast. Fortunately, the studio was near what is probably the best bagel shop in all of NYC, Ess-a-Bagel. They feature a variety of piping hot bagels with a delicious assortment of homemade spreads and toppings. The bagels are huge and their fillings are more than generously applied. Knowing that after all of my hard work, I would be able to bite into these perfectly crisp yet soft delights was motivation enough to get through the high stress days. Did I mention that the bagels taste incredibly good? Putting them in the same category as bread would be an insult to the bagel makers.

Ess-a-Bagel wasn’t only memorably for its food, but also for its colorful staff. Uncle Bill, as he referred to himself, was the outspoken representative for the store. Ask for something that goes against the unwritten rules of bageldom and you will be reprimanded. You want your bagel toasted? Or maybe you want an egg bagel? If that’s the case, then it is best not to go. The only thing you’ll get out of making such requests is the discovery of your bagel ignorance and a crash course in bagel fundamentals.

The other staff members had emigrated from around the world: Arabs, Mexicans, Jews, Irish, etc. The store was a cross section of life in the city, with a color and flavor that could only be found in NYC. But perhaps the greatest memory that I have of that place (other than the bagels, of course) is Miho.

Miho was a young Japanese girl that had left it all behind to come to NYC. After saving money from her stable desk job, Miho, going against the protests of her parents, took up and left for New York. Many go to New York to seek a new and better life. Some go to study English; others to work or study abroad. But Miho was unique. She went to study bagels.

Miho had a vision. Ever since she had her first bagel she knew she wanted to learn how to make them herself. She wanted to run her own store. And with that will and prepared determination, she begged the managers of Ess-a-Bagel to work there. She wanted to be an apprentice and she got her wish. Though there was no salary, Miho was happy to be paid in bagels. It was at this time, when Miho was working to form her dream into a reality that our paths crossed.

Every morning after finishing the morning show I would head over to have breakfast with Miho. Stressed and tired, Miho would always brighten my day. She sat and listened to me gripe, and always with a smile. The bagels always tasted so much better this way. Unfortunately, Miho eventually went back to Japan but I always hoped that she’d make her dream come true.

It had been 5 years since I last spoke with Miho. I quit my job in NYC and moved back to Osaka for grad school. I often wondered what Miho was doing. Then last summer, I went back to my favorite bagel place. Though many of the staff had long gone, Uncle Bill was there to great me with his scathing New York humor. He told me that Miho had done it. She had opened her shop somewhere in Tokyo! I looked to a store wall and saw Miho’s face smiling back. There hanging on the wall was an article in The Wall Street Journal featuring her as a young entrepenuer. I was excited. Not only could I find Miho, but I could finally find what was sure to be a real bagel in Japan.

Upon my return, I moved to Tokyo. Settling in to my new surroundings made a search for Miho fall to the bottom of my to-do list. It took 6 months but I finally found her.

Miho’s store is called Maruichi Bagel, a play on the word “circle” and “one” implying they are the best. There is no need to imply. These bagels are the best you will find in all of Japan. Miho has followed the Ess-a-Bagel formula perfectly. Though some ingredients might mildly change the flavor, these bagels will have you lining up for more. And yes, you will have to line up. The shop is tiny, with barely enough space for customers to fit inside and at Maruichi; it’s take-out only. But these bagels are New York sized. Ask for cream cheese and you’ll get an entire bowl of the homemade stuff. The mixed tuna is more than two cans large. You won’t go hungry here and the prices won’t have you breaking the bank. If you want a true bagel with a size and flavor that anyone in the Big Apple would be proud of, then you need to go to Maruichi Bagel.

Maruichi Bagel

Hikari Entertainment

I will go to this Izakaya tonight. It’s a special Izakaya of Japanese stockfish "Himono" and rice cooked at hearth "Kamadodaki gohan".

To prevent the propagation of bacteria, fish were dried in the sun for long time. This was usual before. But the flavor went away and the taste was not good. Actually, I didn’t like Himono when I was a kid. So recently, drying overnight or such quick-dry methods are the trend, called  "Ichiyaboshi" (overnight dry). Ichiyaboshi is soft, and rich taste of "UMAMI", very yummy. Not only yummy, it’s good for health too. Like Natto can be nutrient-rich more than the original soybean, himono is also nutrient-rich more than raw fish. We say "Umami ga gyoushuku" which means "condensation of UMAMI" after evaporation of water. Aside from Ichiyaboshi, there are Choumiboshi (soak fish in dressing before drying), the super smelly fish Kusaya is one of this kind; Yakiboshi (roast before drying);  Koriboshi(freezing and drying); Maruboshi (soak in salt water before drying) etc.

I did not like Himono before and I had a poor image of it as just stockfood. But Himono is a labor-intensive product and actually good Himono is very expensive. This is an online Himono shop. Hmmm, good price.

Because of the health boom and slow food boom, Himono Izakaya was a topic last year. Such Izakaya tend to serve rice cooked "Ginshari" by hearth or earthen pot like this. (The taste is so different from rice cooked in an electric rice cooker.)  Fish, a bowl of rice and miso soup — these are "Japanese soul food." That’s what I thought. The peak is over and I found some shops were closed already. But I hope Himono Izakaya is over as a trend or the usual food fads like this and this.

Anyway, when I was kid, I really wanted to taste the food of a traveler — "a piece of bread, wine in deer skin bag and cheese" — in a foreign fairy story. It sounded very delicious to me and I did not have any interest in rice balls in Japanese stories.

On Thursday, April 11, Tokyo beat Fukuoka to become Japan’s official candidate to host the 2016 Olympics.

Tokyo, which had emphasised its robust finances and international recognition, won by 33 to 22 votes from a 55-member panel of sporting federations and Japan’s Olympic Committee.

Tokyo hosted the summer Olympics in 1964, and is expected to compete against San Francisco, Chicago or Los Angeles, plus other cities possibly including Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and New Delhi.

I wonder where on Earth I will be in 2016! How about you?
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Tokyo Disneyland

Originally uploaded by James Hart.

We had a great meal at Monsoon Cafe in Ikspiari over the weekend. The portions were rather small, but delicious. We passed TDL and thought about getting season tickets.
Our son is 2.5 years old. Is that still too young? Anyone have any advice?

Day of the Triffids in Tokyo

Originally uploaded by James Hart.

I’ve been meaning to photograph this huge building near where I live for a while now, but I only usually pass it on the Bus. It went up last year and it was fun to watch this weird-looking structure being built. At first I thought the tree was being taken down to make way for the new building, but the “tree” stayed there and gradually started getting bigger and bigger and wrapping itself round the building.
It’s a Game Center, but I haven’t been inside yet. The Italian restaurant out front has already closed down after only a few months in operation. Apparently it will be replaced by some kind of food store.
If you want to visit, it’s in Tokyo, Koto-ku, Shinonome 1-6-13.
Website (Japanese)

This is great. Englishman follows up his Ode to the Oba-san with a poem “A Salaryman Morning“.
Good work fella.

The good citizens in Tokyo, the capital city of Japan for over 400 years, reelected Shintaro Ishihara as governor in Sunday’s elections. He wants to bring the Olympics to Tokyo in 2016 but has angered some foreign residents (who by and large cannot vote) with remarks about crime rates and the French language. He is also credited with reconstructing the capital’s finances and by taking measures to protect the environment. On the latter point I actually agree; he has banned diesel trucks and the air and water is cleaner than in any other major city in Asia.

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