Tokyo Day 5 and 6 – Back to the future and books from the past

Wow sorry it really has been a long time since the last post in this series. Once again I’ve been getting steadily more and more busy. With publishable results comes, as one might expect, the need to publish. Most of the writing of my journal article is finished however it would seem that about 90% of the battle is getting the figures done to a reasonable standard. Anyway that’s not what I’m writing this blog for so I’m going to finally finish off this Tokyo visit series.

Now much though I do love my parents there are times when I’d like to do things at my own pace so we agreed to do a half day break from each other. With plans to meet each other later on at Roppongi hills I got myself up early to get back to Odaiba and finally visit Miraikan (未来館).  

Mirakan is the National museum of Emerging Science and Technology, the naming is a shortening of “Nihon kagaku miraikan” which is a bit of a mouthful, and houses many of the latest big developments in Japan’s research. As a member of RIKEN it would be rude of me not to go really since my organization probably contributes to some of the displays.

The first stop was the Dome theatre, a dome shaped planetarium. I have a strong sense that Japanese people have a real fascination with the stars, there are so many planetariums in this country, and you know what I’m not complaining because I love them to. This one was particularly special as it has 3D projectors and 270⁰ screen meaning you really feel like you are in amongst the stars. The best 3D I’ve ever seen hands down.

After a 20-minute movie I strolled around the exhibits. The top half of the museum is dedicated solely to real ongoing scientific research in an exhibit called explore the frontiers. It was quite nice to read about all the varied research going on across the country with nice little cornered off sections like; Our Solar System, The Universe, Life, Medicine and so on. In fact over half of the floor space was dedicated to something space related but I’m not complaining too much.

The section that impressed me most was definitely the Earth Environment space, called more specifically – Earth, Environment and Me. It showcased some of the wonderful things currently being developed right now that are moving towards making our exploits on the planet more sustainable. The exhibits were colorful and well laid out, god bless the Japanese propensity to the aesthetically pleasing, and the English was excellent. In fact I think it’s the most informative of all the museums I’ve been to as most of the Japanese information was well translated. Further more whilst there is a lot of stuff for children there is also a lot of extra information available if you want to delve deeper, and that is also translated.

 

Some of the displays themselves were really impressive in their ability to convey their message. I loved all the Rube Goldburg machines that illustrated things like the flow of carbon or the changing of the ages of earth. Besides these some other displays that stuck in my mind was the genomic harp, a series of light panels representing the 23 chromosomes of the human body. When you pressed a button corresponding to a particular trait lights would flash showing the corresponding genes positions on the chromosomes, very cool.

In between the 5^th and 3^rd floor is a giant suspended, revolving sphere, called Tsunagari. Onto it is projected a map of the world that can be changed to display maps colour coded for various different global trends. Alongside this is a walkway that is lined with images of all the Astronauts who have ever been sent to space, ordered by the year they were up there. Have you ever heard of Valentina Tereshkova? I know I hadn’t but she was the first woman in space, way back in 1963.

 

The third floor is a little less based on hard science but it is nonetheless interesting. This area is called “Create Your Future” and is focused on where we are headed in the next century. My favorite area, besides the robots because who doesn’t love robots,  was “The drive force of innovation”, a display devoted to where ideas come from. There is a large mural displaying some of the best human inventions from ancient times to the present day as well as area exploring the different ways in which we come up with new ideas. Mixed in there are also some amazingly inspiring quotes about the human mind.

There is much more I could talk about as this place really is the best museum I’ve been to in the country easily. I could feel the pride for Japan’s scientific frontiers without and of that creepy nationalism I got in the natural history museum. It was very cool and I was even treated to a dancing robot display before I left to meet up with my parents.

So out of Odaiba and off to Roppongi. Unusually I was bang on time and I met up with my Mum and Dad without any problems. I think being able to be in touch constantly this time around really helped a lot, my lesson had been learned from 2 years ago.

The plan for the evening was to check out the Mori art gallery near the top of the Roppongi hills tower complex. The complex is massive and the art gallery on the 50 something floor is equally expansive. The reason for us going there was an exhibition of works by Alphonse Mucha, of whom my dad is a big fan. I’ll not pretend to be particularly knowledgeable on Art Nouveau but Muscha is one of the big names so I’ve at least some of his work before. I’m not going to embarrass myself by trying to play art critic so I’ll just say I enjoyed the exhibit.

 

Afterwards we went up to the sky deck for some very spectacular views over Tokyo. Up is always better if you want to get a good impression of this city. What amazed me is the diversity of architecture across Tokyo. Sure it is mostly a concrete jungle but every now and then you see some wonderful curves to contrast those hard angles and some lush green to offset the dull greys.

For my final day in Tokyo I wanted to visit a friend out in Tsukuba, I think travelling to visit friends is something I will make more of a habit of when I return to the UK it’s such a rewarding pastime, but first there was one place I’d been longing to visit for quite some time.

It is no shock, I’m sure, to learn that I have a supreme fondness of the written word in any language. I’ve spent much time over the years wandering aimlessly through libraries and second hand book stores so when I heard there was a place in Tokyo where there were a ridiculous number clustered close together, I had to go.

Jinboucho (神保町) in Chiyoda sits neatly in between several of the major Tokyo universities and for this reason many of the big Japanese publishing houses set up shop nearby. Now we all know that your average student is pretty strapped for cash and so I’m sure it’s not surprise to learn this place has become known as “Book town” due to the approximately 150 used bookstores that line it’s main high street.

 

There really are books of all kinds here. Reference books, magazine stores, antiques, battered old novels, you name and you can probably find it in Jinboucho. Many of the shops have so many volumes in stock that they quite literally spill out into the streets, with boxes and shelves strewn willy nilly. It is a bit of a far cry from the usual pristine order of many Japanese establishments and I’ll be frank it was a welcome change.

I could have lost myself there in the musky smell of ancient tomes for over a decade but sadly I did have other things to do. Now knowing this place was home to a lot of th old Japanese publishers I wanted to check out some Ukio –e (Japanese wood block painting) prints for my parents. The best place for this is undoubtedly Ohya Shobo, one of the oldest stores in Jimbocho. The place is lined wall to wall with prints and originals, as well as some very old maps and books dating back to the 18^th century. I think I could have emptied my bank in that shop but instead I settled on a couple of copies for my parents. I think I’ll go back to get a few more before I leave.

 

After that I set out on a separate mission. This time I intended to find some books of old Japanese fairy stories (In Japanese of course). Not really being able to read too much kanji I was a little bit handicapped but I did eventually come across something and I’m currently reading it for practice, and personal interest of course. I do love a good folk tale and these are all centered around a particular area in northern Japan called Kurobe, home, besides all the crazy creatures in the stories of course, the world headquarters of zipper producers YKK apparently.

I eventually had to tear my self away and go visit my friend, my backpack was starting to get a bit heavy and if I didn’t leave soon I was going to have spent all of my money for sure. That being said on the way out I did make one final purchase. I came across a bookstore selling English books very cheap and picked up a copy of the Han Solo adventures, once a star wars geek always a star wars geek.

Well that about does it for my Tokyo adventures. I still need to write up some stuff about Okinawa so have that too look forward to, then hopefully once I have my paper and Japanese language proficiency test (eep) done and dusted I’ll hopefully be off on more adventures.

 

Mata ne.

Tokyo Day 3 - to the future

 

Another post and another little insight into my five day sojourn to the capital with the parents. Oh how I do love to travel. I’ve been amazingly lucky the past couple of months that work has slowed down a little, giving me more time to stretch the old adventurous legs. Though what the next couple of days reminded me is just how much I also love meeting up again with old friends.

I’ve met some wicked people in my time here and I’m amazed at how fast some of my friendships have formed. Non-Asian ex-patriots in Japan constitute less than 1% of the total population so I think it’s easy to see why ex-pat communities form so quickly. Also generally you find that such people have a lot in common, at the end of the day choosing to spend a chunk of your life in another country, especially one so different from the west as Japan, is a huge decision and those who undertake it likely have some underlying character traits.

 

With that being said the person I met up first is in fact an old Japanese friend from Osaka. She helped me out a huge amount when I first moved here and had recently moved out to Tokyo for work. Crazy though her schedule is she had a bit of time off so asked to Join me and my parents in some sightseeing.

We started out in Shimbashi heading towards Hamarikyu gardens (浜離宮恩賜庭園

) an impressively large Japanese style garden right in the middle of a bustling business district. On the walk over we came across a rather elaborate clock tower, more than slightly reminiscent of structures from Howl’s moving castle and the like. As luck would have it we passed by just as it was begging to chime the hour, something that only happens a few times a day. As it started up I could understand why. Wonderful though its whirring, clicking and clanging was I could see it being quite a nuisance to those trying to work in the high-rise offices nearby. Still it is a wonderfully quirky addition to the somewhat stiff and business like atmosphere of the area.

The park was also another stark contrast. For a start when so many giant buildings surround you it’s easy to lose track of what is going on in ground level. The park is like an island of flatness in the gargantuan landscape, with nothing inside taller than the trees. There were quite a few people about taking respite from the hustle of the big city within its calm environs, engaging in all kinds of activities, from taking their dogs for a stroll, photography, simply chatting and in the case of a pair of old dears we came across, painting watercolours.

I’d say the central feature of the park, though as it’s designed with a careful balance like so many things in Japan it’s hard to assign a centrality to it,  is the medium sized teahouse plonked right in the middle of a pond. This was in fact the whole reason we’d come here as my mum really wanted to sit down to some traditional match at some point. Well sit and drink we did. It was surprisingly nice actually, much less bitter than my previous experiences.

 

The park faces out onto Tokyo bay and is one of several stops for the various transit ferries carrying people around the area. Our next goal was Odaiba (お台場) a large artificial Island just a little way into Tokyo bay so setting out from the garden was the easiest way to go. Maybe it’s just years of ferry trips across the Mersey when I was little but I do love them, so many pleasant memories.  The ferry we took was pretty cool and futuristic looking, the seating area set very wide and low so as to minimise pitching. In fact I’ve recently found out that the designer of these ferries is the man behind none other than the epic anime space opera “Space Battleship Yamato” so I guess I shouldn't be too shocked by their design.

So what is Odaiba? As I mentioned it’s a giant artificial Island situated in waterfront of Tokyo Bay. Originally developed as the a military strong hold in the Meji period  to defend against potential attacks from the sea it has now been transformed into a centre for leisure and technological development..

When you come in off the boat the first thing you are confronted with is a giant artificial beach. Yup a beach right in the middle of an urban metropolis. Why not I guess and the funniest part is, it’s not the only one. The beach itself leads to a massive a massive entertainment complex called Decks. This thing houses many shops, restaurants and the largest amusement arcade in Tokyo, and possibly Japan. Sadly no time to go in, but I’m sure I’dve spent a fortune if I had.

After a nice lunch, it was time to part ways with the parents as they were knackered bless them. I really wanted to head out to miraikan, a museum dedicated to innovative technology coming out of Japan so we proceeded to traverse the Island. Now aside from the supermalls and giant buildings Odaiba is pretty flat. I reckon it would be a great place to skateboard or cycle.

Well mostly flat that is besides a scale replica of the Statue of liberty and a giant Gundam statue. Well if there is a giant robot floating about I kind of have to get a picture with it now, it is traditional. In fact this is just one of the many quirky things on this rather modern Island, apparently there is a teleport station though I’m not exactly sure what that entails.

In the end most places were shut, it was after all a Tuesday? Anyway we decided to head back towards Tokyo for a bit more of a wander as Odaiba, whilst interesting, is not the most scenic area of Tokyo.

We took a monorail and then the subway to the ritzy Ginza. I always feel so out of place there, it’s far too stylish for a scruffy pleb like myself. Still it is nice to walk around as the architecture is really stunning. I always found it interesting that many of the really incredible buildings are built by just a handful of Japanese architects. There work is a amazing though. I should probably learn a bit more about them at some point.

The main reason we came was to check out the new Kabukiza which had finished being refurbished just a week or so ago. You can always tell when you are nearing a kabuki theatre as the streets become packed with old dears. I should really try and go to a show, or at least an act, before I leave I guess.

We finished the night by grabbing a coffee at what is the first Starbucks to be opened in  Japan. Apart from the plaque you wouldn’t really know to be honest, it doesn’t look much different and the coffee is still rubbish. Anyway the time whiled away as myself and my friend had a good old natter about life, Japan, overtime, you know the important things. I won’t bore you with the details.

Well that's it for now. Sorry I know I promised clowns but they are coming I swear.

Mata neee.

博多で博士と会った。

Another long gap in the blogging, I seem to be making a habit of it lately. This time it’s for a little less stressful reasons than beamtime however. I’m currently sat in the very swank Hilton SeaHawk hotel in Hakata Japan for a scientific conference.

I was really excited about this for a couple of reasons. Firstly it was in a Hilton hotel. My god everything in the place looks so expensive I don’t half feel like a bit of a bumpkin. Secondly this was my first real international conference and not only that my first conference within my new field. Many of the big names whose papers I’ve been rending over the past year are here.

At the start of the conference I was pretty daunted. As I said I’m pretty new to the field and most of the people here have made massive contributions. Also at least 90% of those in attendance are physicists. I’m still a little bit behind in that department and the conference has taught me I have a long way to go.

That being said I can still follow the talks and I’ve learnt more in the past couple of days than I'd managed in about a month. Admittedly I didn’t give a talk, just presenting a poster and I’m quite glad I’m not since I didn’t really have much to present. Anyway it’s been a great week, the vast majority of people at the event are European and I even got to meet a couple of PhD students from the UK working in a similar field.

 

The last day was a real highlight. I spent the farewell banquet sat next to Professor So Iwata, an absolute legend in my field. He’s pretty young but his contributions have been massive. To top it off he’s a cracking guy, really down to earth and just into the experiments that he does. I’m not sure if it’s the long time he’s spent working and living in Europe but he is a very untypical Japanese researcher.

We also went on a bit of an excursion. This was a real typical Japanese, in that it was exhausting we got bustled about and didn't see very much. It was interesting nonetheless. We set out early for a three-hour bus drive to Mt. Aso, the largest active caldera in the world. The central area actually consists of five peaks; Neko, Naka, Eboshi, Kishima and Taka, with Naka being the only one accessible by road.

This seemed like it would be really cool and the tour guide cheerfully told us all (in Japanese though it was kindly translated) the history of the mountain range. According to legend a giant once tried to break through the Aso range to distribute fresh water and fertile soil to the people below. He kicked it three times and whilst not successful in breaking down the range he did managed to create a road.

 

We moved to the top via a cable car that spewed out some of the most esoteric facts I’ve ever heard, even in Japan. I really won’t bore you but it was a detailed break down of the cable cars construction and history. Sadly the top was a let down. The crater was too active and spewing far too much sulphuric ash to safely stay near by. A little gutted we were all bundled back into the bus.

Next stop was a traditional Japanese bbq place. This really was BBQ indoors. We had grills set up with hot coals underneath and the it was just a case of get cooking really, I love how in Japan the more expensive a meal is the more likely you are to have to cook it yourself.

Following that it was back on the bus for another two hours to check out the Daizaifu Tenmangu shrine. This shrine is dedicated Sugwara Michizane, known as the god of learning so fairly appropriate I thought. I’ve been to a few shrines before now but this one still impressed. The three giant bridges leading to the entrance where quite a sight; a large arched one followed by a flat bridge and then another arch representing the past, present and future.

There also many cow statues around the temple, a rather unusual motif in Japan. The legend goes that Michizane died in disgrace and his body was pulled to his burial site by an ox driven cart. The ox however stopped at one point and refused to budge and so it was believed that this was Michizane’s spirit indicating where he wished to be buried. It is said if you have an ailing body part and you rub the corresponding body part on the cow it will become better.

Our final stop was out into the streets of Hakata for the famous Hakata Ramen. The noodles here are a lot thinner than normal ramen noodles, much more similar to Chinese egg noodles which is probably a reflection of Fukuoka’s close proximity to China. The soup is also pretty special. Like most ramen noodles it comes in Tonkotsu (pork bone) based broth. In Hakata however it’s really thick and almost looks white. Extra fat? Maybe. Extra delicious? Definitely.

On the second to last day we finished the morning talks a bit early so I went for a little wander. My initial plan was to try and check out the Fukuoka tower but to be honest the sea breeze was so gorgeous I got lost in my wandering. I think being on the coast again is making me homesick. Anyway after about ten minutes I came across a sign for a place called "Robosquare". I've been here over a year and yet I've encountered so very few robots. This place was like a mini car emporium displaying some of the funky robots being developed in Fukuoka, including robo pets, cleaners and a crazy dancing Ipod stand. Definitely worth the short walk.

Coming out of this I’ve learned a few things about conferences that I’ll share with you here:

 

1.  The old guys speak the loudest – I guess it’s a given, they’ve been in the field longest so they have the most to say. They also love to argue.

2.  The phrase ‘we can discuss it after the talk’ actually means ‘you clearly didn’t understand my question and your rubbish answer is taking too much time.’

3.  People like to talk about their own fields, regardless of how relevant it is to the talk that's just been given.

4.  Generally there is no bad blood though.

5.  The secretaries are always super stressed don’t bother them. This is a golden rule.

Sadly the last one I failed on pretty bad. Having a few allergies is always a problem and stupidly I didn’t notify anyone in advance as nobody asked me (what happened to that being an adult thing?). It wasn’t a issue till the last day and I think in the UK it wouldn’t be a big deal. In Japan though culture around food is very different and I think returning or refusing stuff is a major no no. Live and learn I guess, just wish I’d stop sticking my foot in it.

 

Anyway going forward it’s been a great week on the whole. I’m coming out of it with a bit of a fresher mind and also a more concrete idea of where my research can fit in to this field, which is no bad thing.

Mata neee.

Giant Robots, Big Smiles.

After the difficulties of the previous day I’d endeavored to make today run as smoothly as possible. A while back my dad had created a song with an oriental theme and had asked me for the name of a park. At the time I’d been looking into a statue of “鉄人二十八号”(Iron man number 28), and had traced it to a place just outside of Kobe called Wakamatsu park, and so the tune was named.

Due to this one of my Dad’s main goals in Japan had been to visit said park and listen to said tune there within. I was more than happy to facilitate this. I’d passed by the statue many times and I’d really wanted to get a closer look for a while, and now I had the perfect excuse.

 

Research done I attempted to phone my parents to confirm our meeting. Of course this is where things started to go wrong. My phone battery died and I’d left my charger in the hotel at Tennoji, fail. I sent a quick message to me Ma and Da through Facebook and set off to Umeda with great haste.

Admittedly on the way I stopped by at a barbers since I needed a trim. They charged 1000yen for 10 minutes and you actually pay at a vending machine, the ticket is then inserted into a slot at the barbers chair and a timer starts, madness. I didn't quite get the cut I’d hoped for, “hanbun gurai zettai ni.” (half off all over), but at least my hair grows quick. Having my head essentially hoovered afterwards was also quite the experience.

So I arrived at Umeda with me mop chopped about fifteen minutes late. I had actually just missed my parents who had headed to J-hoppers to check if I was still there. Mega cock-ups. It basically resulted in us leaving for Kobe 40 minutes late and being in a bit of a mood.

Thankfully the journey to Shin-Negata, station closest to Wakamatsu park, was uneventful. Upon arrival there were signs everywhere pointing to Tetsujin so we had no trouble finding him. The park itself was a bit anti-climatic. It was essentially a small dirt plot with a few trees and a few kid things, climbing frame slide and so on.

Still the main event was the statue and wow it at least was very impressive. Standing at just shy of 60ft this thing is rather gargantuan. It was actually constructed to bring renewed prosperity to one of the worst hit areas of Kobe during the great Hanshin earthquake. It was possibly the happiest I’d seen my dad the whole holiday as he plugged his headphones in and listened to his tune underneath Tetsujin.

The rest of the area was pretty rubbish really. Nearby the statue was a small shopping precinct that in some ways resembled St Johns shopping precinct back home. We wandered a short while before heading back into Kobe proper.

I had decided to take my parents to Mosaic for some Dinner. Unfortunately due to a still being a bit knackered from yesterday and my head being a bit fuzzy from the heat I got disorientated again. The large buildings really don’t help. I managed to find my way to the main shopping mall and we happily relished the break from the intense heat.

Mosaic, a kind of entertainment district, wasn’t far from there. We looked around a few restaurants serving the world famous beef and happily passed it over as some dishes were costing over 100 pound. I found a place that was serving a Zaru soba (cold buckwheat noodles) at a reasonable seeming price. It was pretty good though the raw egg you dip the noodles into was a little much for my mum.

Stuffed (the set was actually bigger than I’d thought) we took a look around Harborland. It was actually pretty naff, it looks like something straight out of a seaside fair from 1970’s Britain, with rickety Ferris wheel and merry-go-round in place.

By the time we got back to Sannomiya, the centre of Kobe, it was already nearing 4 o’clock. After a bit of messing around we found the tourist information office and stopped for a coffee. Once again we’d lost a lot of time just wandering. Fine for me as I’m young and can just bomb from place to place, but for my parents it was no good. We settled on a plan to walk down to the Kobe city hall to get a good overall look of the City and then head back.

I’d been up to the top before but the views were still impressive. Whilst I do like Kobe I guess I don’t actually know it that well. To be honest I don’t really know anywhere that well it’s all still a bit alien to me. I felt I’d let my parents down abit, I know I hadn’t but it seemed that way at the time. Either way we resolved to have a better plan laid out for Hiroshima tomorrow as it would involve a lot more travelling.

After leaving Umeda we went our separate ways for the night. Yesterday had been extremely tiring and we were now feeling the effects. I realized how acclimatized I must be to the weather, it was damned hot but I wasn’t feeling the effects too badly. It seemed to be really sapping Mum and Dad and as something I need to account for better if anyone visits me in summer again.

I got hold of plenty of information about Hiroshima at the hostel and got some useful pointers from the staff. Feeling a lot more confident about tomorrow I turned in for an early night. Tomorrow was going to be long, although I didn’t realize at the time just how long.

Mata ne 

(Once again most of the credit for photographs goes to my Dad, I hardly took any).