Tokyo Midtown

Hello loyal followers!

Before we get to yesterday's adventures, I just want to say thanks for all your support and kind words. It really means a lot to me that so many wonderful people care enough about Liz and me to follow my ramblings online. I feel so special and loved. Dōmo arigatōgozaimashita (thanks so much)!

That's enough sentimentality for now, so here we go to the good stuff. Tokyo Midtown consists of a very upscale mall/galleria inside two large towers and is near the area where we live. We happen to live in the classiest/ most upscale area of Tokyo (gush gush) so wearing sweatpants outside the apartment is a serious faux pas. Though the grocery store is open 24 hours, I have yet to see anybody inside who doesn't look completely put together. The store is called Precce and I frequent it at all hours because I never know when Liz will be home or what she'll be craving to eat for the night. Yesterday, I was involved in the most adorable interaction. I was standing at the check out waiting for a mother and girl to finish paying in front of me. The girl (aged between 5 and 6?) happened to turn my way. Once she saw me, her eyes got huge and her mouth dropped into a perfect O. She stretched out her whole arm and pointed right at me. Well, this was interesting because I wasn't sure yet if I looked terrifying or amusing. She quickly turned to her mom and spoke rapid Japanese. I'm not sure what was said, but she immediately turned back to me with the biggest grin on her face. She said, "Hello" and squealed with delight. It was ADORABLE. I laughed and said "Hi." She again turned away speaking quickly in Japanese. This time the convo was a little longer and I could hear the mom whisper in English "where are you from" like she was explaining how to say it to the little girl. The girl turned toward me again and said "Where are..." but she couldn't figure out the rest. Again, ridiculously adorable. I said "America" with a smile. The mom and the girl both said "America!" in response and seemed to get very excited. It was my turn to pay at the counter, so the mom gave me a gracious look and the little girl turned and said "Thank you!" I think she was pretty thrilled to see a real live American to use to practice her English. I was pretty excited to feel good about being an American. Yay for conquering the language barrier!

Here's a photo of part of the mall inside Tokyo Midtown. 

I visited the Suntory Museum of Art on the third floor yesterday. I couldn't take any pictures inside, but I can tell you a little about what I saw. This particular exhibit was all about Imari. Imari is Japanese porcelain made for European palaces in the seventeenth century. First produced in the Arita region, it was referred to as Imari because it was shipped from the port of Imari for distribution throughout Japan. The Dutch East India company exported the Imari to Europe where they were not only luxurious functional pieces but also status symbols for aristocrats. I saw 190 examples of the porcelain art displayed in the museum. The detail and craftsmanship was breathtaking. I rented one of those audio guides in English for only 5 bucks and it definitely enriched my experience. My favorite pieces were giant vases depicting scenes with phoenix and tigers. It is nearly unfathomable how these plates and bowls survived since as early at 1630. 1630! I can barely comprehend that far in the past. I also loved the mini tea sets and small statues of sumo wrestlers that were used for door stops. I'm very happy I decided to trek there on my own. It was wonderful to see the fruits of another culture and also how excited the other museum-goers were to learn about a small piece of Japanese history. Here's the poster on the outside of the museum. You can probably get the gist of the exhibit from it. 

Here's a nice view from my apartment to tide you over until next time. Sayōnara!

Ameyayokocho

Yesterday, I decided to go back to Ueno to see some of the sights I missed the first time. I was super tired on the subway ride there, so I didn't stay as long as I had originally planned. I definitely saw some interesting things though! My first (and only) stop was the famous Ameyayokocho street market. I don't even know how to describe all of the bizarre things I found there. It had anything and everything you could possibly need or want. Alleys were filled with designer handbags, clothes, shoes, trinkets, fish, swimsuits, vending machines, and hundreds of people. It was very overwhelming. I walked pass one of those arcade games with the claw that you use to pick things up. Normally those games are pretty fun, but this one was filled with fake fish keychains. The entire machine had ugly fish about six inches long in keychain form. Who would want to win that?! I forgot to take a picture, so maybe I'll stop by again next time to take a snapshot. However, I did take a pic of the opening gates and some of the people and stalls.

I couldn't resist snapping a photo of this bag! It was literally calling my name. Oaky, this one is especially for you.

One of the reasons I was so overwhelmed was I felt like everyone was staring at me. It was probably a legitimate feeling considering I was about a head taller than almost everyone in the market. Many stall owners were yelling to the crowd in order to advertise their wares. When they saw me they would start yelling in broken English about how I would love their products. Many of the men cat called me and tried to get me to notice them with words like "baby" "honey" and "beautiful." It would have been flattering if I didn't feel so profiled and foreign.  It was so frustrating and annoying to be accosted like that. Mostly I ignored them by pretending to speak Spanish or Norwegian.

 I left the market after a fairly thorough look around. I didn't end up buying anything, but I'm glad I saw the spectacle. I relaxed after I left the most crowded section so I took a couple pictures of the subway running through the market as well as a pretty fantastic noodle bowl. The chopsticks moved up and down like magic. I'm sure it was a just a trick, but it looked pretty sweet to me. 

Here's a picture of my happy face because I was going back home away from the explosion of people.

When I got back, the sun was setting outside of the apartment. It was so beautiful!

 Liz brought home a care package sent from Jen, so we gorged on candy and she finally got to enjoy her Frank's Red Hot. Thanks so much for the Valentine candy and the water bottles and filter! It was a wonderful care package and the card was adorable, too. Here's how Liz felt after finding the Frank's...

Tomorrow, I'm going to explore one of the many art museums of Tokyo. Good bye for now!

Mirumasu

Yesterday, Liz had a shoot for designer scarves. The brand is Mirumasu and the scarves were insanely beautiful. The company also makes this up and coming origami-like scarf by Monomatopee. Check them out at this link! http://tokyo-marumasu.com/monomatopee/stole.html The designer for the brand was there as well as the company owners. They were so so so so nice! They showed me pictures from the factory where they weave and dye the fabric. Each scarf is unique because of the way they tailor the dye and screen print for each individual scarf. I wore a scarf to the shoot so they knew from the onset that I would enjoy their work. The photographer asked for my email address before we left so he could send me some info on the scarves like where to find them and how much they cost. I think this would be a great gift to myself since I actually met the people that created the brand! Plus it won't weigh a lot when I try to haul my luggage back to the states...

For lunch, they ordered everyone Mos Burger. It's a Japanese burger joint similar to Burger King in the states. However, they had some very unique Japanese-inspired burgers. I had a chicken teriyaki burger with miso sauce. Mos Burger also offers rice buns! Instead of bread they sculpt sticky rice into a bun shape and fry it. Between the rice they place different kinds of fish or vegetables. I didn't get a rice bun, but next time I will definitely try one. Liz loves ketchup on everything so naturally she asked if they had any available. They didn't, but the client was so nice that she immediately went to a 7-11 and brought some back for the group. Obviously Liz was thrilled, but it was also interesting to see how excited the others were, too. During lunch they asked me questions about the type of food I like and what I cook for Liz. The language barrier was a bit of a problem, but it was touching how hard they continued to try to communicate. We often resorted to body language and make shift sign language, but we always managed to get the point across. I had so much fun talking to them because they were actually interested in what I had to say. The photographer's assistant, Yui, spoke English fluently so we chatted during the whole shoot. She's fascinated by American customs. She loves Mexican food, especially burritos, and she has a favorite restaurant in Tokyo that serves Chicago-style pizza. In February, she's going to Philadelphia for a month for a competition for photographers. I'm sad she won't be around to hang out with for very long, but she promised to take me out to karaoke and pizza before she leaves. Of course, we are now facebook friends. I'm so happy to have met someone to show me the local's perspective of Tokyo!

While I was making friends, Liz was getting the royal treatment. Every time they redid her makeup she got a facial massage. Some cuts went particularly long, so the stylist also massaged her shoulders, arms, and legs. It was nice to see how exited everyone was about her. The pictures are to go into a look book for Mirumasu. For the first time, this look book is going to be presented at London's fashion week. Not only is this a big deal for Mirumasu, it's an excellent opportunity for Liz to get some more exposure. At the end of the shoot, the photographer wanted to get a picture of everyone involved in the day. I felt so special! It was great to be a part of something that people were passionate about and I'm thrilled to have made a new friend.

Mediterranean Oasis

So yesterday was very interesting. Liz had an all day shoot for a catalog on the outskirts of Tokyo. I was allowed to travel and they even let me watch all the different shots. They were very very nice people, so I hope she gets the chance to work with them again. Unfortunately, we had to leave the apartment at 5 am, but that was the only downside to the day. We watched the sun rise over the country side of Japan on our way to the first location about an hour outside of the city. Liz and a male model, Frederico, were to act like a couple in front of a giant soccer stadium. It was pretty chilly outside, but it was still fun to watch them walk and nod and smile for the cameras. Frederico had a big bushy beard and looked to be a couple years older than me. I talked to him for awhile while Liz was getting ready for the various shots. He's originally from Italy but moved to Japan about 5 years ago. Definitely a free spirit, he often wandered around the sites, especially when we got to the beach. 

After they finished outside the stadium, we took a back road to an amazing beach oasis. This house made into a studio looked just like someone plucked up a house from a hillside in Greece and plopped in on a beach in Japan. Everything was white and I was allowed to explore the place freely. Even the toilet was cool because it was equipped with a pull handle from the ceiling. Very old school. Here are some pics of the house and the views of the ocean from it. (That's Frederico on the roof.)

An older woman lives in the house and rents it out to photographers. This was the first time I had been in somebody else's home so this was the first time that the slipper rule was enforced. Japanese culture dictates that outside footwear not be worn in the home. A giant bin of slippers rested on the inside of the door. Everybody had to switch their shoes to slippers when going inside. It was definitely chaotic because all the people kept coming and going. No one pair of slippers belonged to any one individual, so I never had the same pair on twice. Here's me in one pair of slippers. The L is for large. Shocker, I know. 

Liz also took some shots on the beach. We all clambered up this strange concrete divider and down again to access the beach. Liz had a couple outfits to change into, so they brought along a fold up changing room for her. It was adorable and ridiculous. She has the pics of it on her phone, so you'll have to ask her to show them to you when we get back. A significant amount of garbage and debris was strewn across the sand but not enough to tarnish the beautiful scene. Many shells had washed up in the waves, and part of the sand was entirely broken sea shells. Here are some pics. 

For lunch, we had traditional Japanese bento boxes. Mine had beef, pork, one fried shrimp, raw salmon, a couple cucumber slices and some white rice. Liz had a box with chicken. We both had miso soup and green tea to drink. It was delicious! All of the shoots I've been to have provided us with a typical Japanese lunch. I've persuaded Liz to try some new things and I think she's getting used to it. She may even enjoy it! I'm happy for the opportunity to practice my chopstick skills and she's getting pretty good at using them, too. Overall, this shoot has been my favorite to witness. I just couldn't believe I was in such a gorgeous house overlooking the beach. I look forward to more shoots like this, and I look forward to discovering more of Japan.

Ueno Zoo

DISCLAIMER: This post contains many pictures. Just stick it out, I promise you'll enjoy them.

First off, I must dedicate a couple lines to the entire day I experienced two days ago. It started obscenely early around 5:30am. The upside? This sunrise.

I was stuck in a bus waiting for Liz to finish a shoot on location. The next photo is basically the only view I had for 11 hours. 

Here's how I felt about that.

Anyway, that's really the only excitement that came out of that situation. Liz looked beautiful though...from what little I saw of her. I really didn't mind too much, but it was a little annoying. The shoot she did today was a million times better! More on that in the next post though. The rest of this one will be filled with animal pictures.

Yesterday, I went to the zoo. Ueno Zoo is the oldest zoo in Japan, first opened in 1882. Here's a link if you'd like to check out some more about the awesome zoo! http://www.tokyo-zoo.net/english/ueno/
Liz had a shoot all day and castings at night, but no space was available for me so I decided to adventure on my own to Ueno, a neighborhood of Tokyo. The Ueno Zoo is part of a larger Ueno Park which also contains some impressive shrines and art museums. I didn't really have time to check out the shrines or museums, but I plan to go back one day soon to see what I missed. A normal sight seer would easily have fit all of the park in a full day, but obviously I am no normal tourist. I decided to spend most of my time petting goats in the children's petting zoo. The animals in this place were amazing! Smack dab in the middle of the park was a giant pogoda, adding a little Japanese flavor to the already entertaining zoo environment. Before I get excited about the details of the petting zoo, I'll tell/show you about some of the other animals. I really enjoyed the pandas and the elephants. The vivarium (reptile and amphibian house) was definitely a treat as well. I covered every inch of that zoo and enjoyed every second of my time there. Sadly, the enclosures for the gorillas, lions, tigers, and bears (oh my) were undergoing renovation. It's a testament to the zoo that I was still thoroughly entertained without these big budget animals. The red pandas were great, as well as all of the unique exotic birds. Here are some of the better pics.

I took a pic of this guy because you couldn't get a bigger bird food hog. I mean he's literally sleeping in the only food bowl in the cage. What a jerk.

 Loud and annoying, but awesomely expressive family unit. I watched them for at least 15 min.

How amazing is this tree!! Lemurs were just chillin on the bridge next to it. 

Enough said.

This one is for you, Shawn. hehehehe  Love you!

Tamarin cousin of my monkeys at Carleton perhaps?

This Shoebill Stork is creepy creepy creepy.

Look closely. Those are Jackass penguins! Seriously! Ha!

So this is the start of the amazing petting zoo experience. I walked to the west garden portion of the zoo and inadvertently wandered into a little cove of loose goats. Seriously. Goats everywhere. And I could pet them all!! It was phenomenal. Chickens, pigs, bunnies, cows, sheep, llamas, turkeys, and guinea pigs were also in the mix, but they were penned behind little wooden fences to keep them separated. The chickens and roosters could go wherever they liked as long as they could fit under the fence posts. This next pic is a festival of awkward animals. Guinea pigs, bunnies, and chickens were all penned together in this area. I guess I was living a lie to think guinea pigs were completely domesticated. Clearly they live an alternate lifestyle with bunnies...and chickens.

How awesome is this little girl!!??! She picked up a chicken and carried it around for awhile. It was inspiring. I didn't try to pick any up, but I touched the butt feathers of the ugliest one in the zoo (pictured under this adorable princess).

I pet each one of these guys!

The Japanese are ingenious. Little kids want to help clean up after the animals for some reason, so they provide tiny little brooms and dust pans for cleaning up goat poop. This wee one was totally into it.

How awesome is this red panda? So awesome.

Oh hey, I'm just resting my trunk. Don't mind me. 

This giant peacock looking thing is actually a pigeon. Whoa.

How cute are these little prairie dog butts! OMG

THE POGODA

Thanks for the memories!

After the zoo, I wandered back to the subway station. On my way, I snapped a couple pics with some of the more notable architectural elements in the park.

I probably forgot to mention some things, but I think this post is lengthy enough. Hopefully tomorrow I'll remember to post about my day today. Expect some amazing pictures!