teamEggers

Fertility Fest, aka the most inappropriate pics I’d ever put on the internet.

Admittedly, the fertility fest was a while ago.  Almost a month. What had me waiting?  Perhaps the sheer amount of pictures we took intimidated me.  Or maybe I was trying to decide whether or not to show you all of them.  Or… again, maybe I’m just lazy.

Maybe my twice-a-day posting will clear my good name? Because my fingers are starting to bleed from typing so much.

On Friday, my mother calls me.  “What are you doing for easter?” she asks.  I’m sure she wasn’t exactly expecting that I’d found a church and decided to devote myself to feeding the japanese poor for a day, but then again it wouldn’t be entirely unlikely to have coerced my friends into letting me cook Easter Dinner for them.  She was downright shocked when I told her I was going to a fertility festival.

…at a shrine where women to go to pray for fertility.

So clearly that’s not why we were going, unless you consider the possibility of my praying to become a Barren Shell of a Woman^TM.  While there are actual legends and more serious stories that were historically associated with the fest, these days it’s mostly a tourist attraction.

And why wouldn’t it attract a lot of people? Jon has a theory that this society is generally repressed, and so when they have the opportunity to get a little crazy, they get a lot of crazy. On that note, a lot of customs in this country vaguely remind me of Catholicism.

So. What’s the hullabaloo? Well, first there’s a competition to see who can sculpt the best-lookin wang from a vegetable. I’ve definitely never thought of playing with your food in such a way, but it does lead to some interesting dinner-party options.

…and of course, there’s the educational merchandise…

And the completely inappropriate pictures to be had. This girl is, what… 8? what the hell is she doing flashing the peace sign all up near that? Seriously. Future hussy.

If it was 11am, and you were walking around with a beer in your hand, and a guy comes up to you with this thing on his face… wouldn’t you have had the same reaction I did?

This is jon’s boss, Jeremy. Look at his hat. Look… closely… at his hat.

And then the crowds parted and packed in closer together. It’s time for ceremony! It’s time for a parade! It’s time for… a 6 foot tall penis carried by drag queens? < record screech >

Oh, jesus. Was it busy. We saw more Americans here than anywhere else we’d been in Japan. I look at pictures like this and think about how very much some of you would hate to be here. But I suppose that’s what you get when the world keeps growing and everyone wants to live in the city, eh? Normally, I have no problem with this but it does make for finding a restroom a bit challenging.

I guess I’ll leave you with this. Because… well, just because I think it’s funny, i guess. All the japanese women waiting in line for their picture were patting it on the head and demurely standing behind it. You gotta get up in there, ladies!

Hanami: Naka-Meguro / YoYogi

“Spring” is the only season I’ve ever tagged in the blog, which… makes me wonder. Why? I don’t even particularly like spring. If I had to pick a favourite season, fall wins by a landslide. The colour palette is way better. But with spring… it’s easy to focus on how drastic it is.

April rains, and rains. And it’s hot and it’s cold. And then you blink, and in an instant if seems as if the whole world has exhaled. It’s quite breathtaking, when you come right down to it.

So it’s no wonder then, that I post about spring so often. And springtime, in japan, is quite the place to be.

We’ve talked about hanami, yes? It’s perhaps the very best piece of japan we can take home with us: the tradition of stopping what you’re doing to celebrate the fleeting beauty of things. Celebrate how good things are. Be outside with your friends. Drink, merriment, etc. Have a… corona?

When that’s what they’re selling out of trucks on the side of the road, that is. The evening in Naka-Meguro, I think we ate dinner a total of 7 times. Julie, jon and I literally stopped at every food vendor that looked tasty, split something and moved on. I was so full I could have been rolled into the river, and I might not have minded.

Japanese girls have this adorable way of standing next to the low-hanging blossom and flashin the peace sign for the camera. If jon were an adorable japanese girl, this is what he might look like:

**

Another day, another park. More springtime.

Japan is not a place for the claustrophobic.

But for those who stay, it’s totally worth braving the crowds. What a cool place to have been able to live in.

I had to keep reminding myself that I might not be anywhere else like this again. We met Emi and Reece at a party on a sunday afternoon, in yoyogi park. It was exactly how you might imagine a party in a tokyo park look like: loud music (until the cops come and tell them to turn it down), booze, & dancing. And a lot of people.

In my natural state, I’m kind of a downer and have to be coerced into have a good time. Thanks, jon. (On the flip side, look at my fantastic glasses. Ashley said I was “so fitted” or something with this coat.  I think she meant I matched.  Am I an old lady because I think teenagers speak a different language?)

Also… Emi and Reece are so totally perfect for each other… they even match today:

Gyoza Stadium

Boy, we’re winding down here. Only a few more adventures left to tell you about, and even fewer left to be had.

Somewhere or other, I heard about the Gyoza Stadium: a dumpling-theme park in Ikebukuro (northern Tokyo).

The Stadium brings together what they consider to be the 11 best gyoza shops in the country, and each has about 5 different offering at their mini-restaurant.

The sum of all things combined is: 1. a very full belly, 2. some over stimulation, 3. a really chaotic environment. The walls were dark, the lights neon, and in true Japanese fashion, there were people everywhere.

I hadn’t ever considered “pot stickers” as more than the ubiquitous appetizer in asian restaurants, and I was surprised by their variety! Here’s one covered in leek and raw tuna:

At the same stand we found one of my favourites of the day: a very simple black pepper filling, topped only with fresh lemon juice.

Most Gyoza-ya have the standard 3 bottles on the counter, and you mix your sauce as you like it. For me: mostly soy, a whallop of rice vinegar, and about three drops of chili oil. Okay, so I’ve lived here for 8 months and can’t speak a lick of the language, but at least we learned how we like our food.

We asked Julie to come along for a couple of reasons. First, Julie’s always up for anything and she’s quite possibly the best lunch companion a girl could ask for. Second, a food theme park? right up her ally. Third (and most selfishly), we could try WAY more gyoza with a third person helping us!

While most gyoza are filled with pork, we found one that was filled with Japanese beef. They shop suggested that we skip the sauce as it was so flavourful inside – boy, were they right! It’s a good thing jon’s used to me spilling all over myself. Those things were juicy!

As an aside, it’s got to be next to impossible to live in Japan as either a vegetarian or someone who doesn’t eat pork. The little piggy juice is *everywhere*. Which leads me to our next stop…. ramen-ya! Come on, we couldn’t not get ramen. Even if we were so full I wanted to explode.

So this place is called Ganko and it’s a famous line of restaurants around the city. I’ve come to really love a good soft-boiled egg. It makes life… smoother.

What looks like an elaborate March Madness bracket, is really the Ganko family tree. Each family member has their own location!

I had heard from the blogosphere that this place was really spectacular – though I can’t remember exactly what it was that was worth mentioning. It was good, don’t get me wrong, just perhaps not worth an hour-long train ride on its own. But, if you’re in ikebukuro and are hungry, look for the awning with the bones.

See you next time!

Ebisu / Yebisu & Odaiba Island

Ebisu: ‘hood in Tokyo. Stop on the yamanote line. One of the 7 lucky gods (he’s the god of good fortune, fishing & merchants)

Yebisu: Beer. Specifically, one of Tokyo’s oldest breweries. It started in 1890 and is now owned by Sapporo. It tastes… much like all japanese beers. You’ve had kirin/sapporo/asahi right? Like that.

After ramen, Will, Dave, Jon & I took to exploring the city. I’m not sure if we had a plan or if we just happened to be in Ebisu, but somehow we find ourselves at the Yebisu brewery/tasting room/museum.

Hey, have you met Dave? Dave works with jon/will. He’s a nice chap. Very pleasant, easy to hang out with. Generally goes along with everything. Has a white DSLR. yeah. it’s weird. So is ordering everything from vending machines. Even my beer? Come on.

Anyhow, after hanging out for a bit in Ebisu, we mill.

Dave had recently discovered the island of Odaiba. Discovered. Planted a flag on that shit. Please excuse my poor word choices – Dave knew about this place, it was a beautiful day, and our band of four was looking for adventure…

Who knew there were beaches, boardwalks, and palm trees in the center of Tokyo? This city’s got it all!

What the heck is that? Will decides that we have to go into the ball. I’m skeptical. Why am I always skeptical? Can someone teach me how to be less uptight? I’m serious.

Walking down the boardwalk, we’re chilled by the wind but determined to find the ball.

Getting closer, but what is it? Can we go in!?

Hoo wee, what a view. Tokyo Tower (on the right) looks like a rocketship.

We make it up and find a viewing deck inside. If you don’t want to pay and go into the main viewing area, there’s still a killer view. We didn’t know it then, but the building we were in was the Fuji TV headquarters – known for its unusual architecture:

photo c/o Wikipedia

We stayed up until the sun set over the city, and then headed back into the technicolor wind.

Bassanova (Ramen)

Have I told you about Bassanova yet? I must have. Maybe a few times. If it’s not my favourite spot in this city, it’s certainly in the top five. I have a week and a half left in this fair city, and I’m devoted to getting back there once more.

You hear me jon? Green.Curry.Ramen.

What makes it so good? Why do I bring everyone that will make the trek out there with me? It’s almost an hour from my house – nothing in seattle would make me take a bus that far. There’s something about the roasty pork-broth base + the perfect softness of their eggs + the creaminess you get from coconut + the kick of spicy (but not too spicy, because then you couldn’t slurp!) of the green curry…

This trip has brought us to some of the finest ramen joints in this ramen-tastic-city, and I just think Bassanova’s hands down the best. Rant and rave worthy. Slurp your noodles and finish your bowl, worthy.

You know what’s also great? Sprinkles. Goma.

Alex asked me what kind of fantastic japanese gems I learned about while I was here, and it’s got to be this guy. They’re the asian equivalent of pine nuts – sprinkle a little on the end of any dish… pasta, rice, salad… and you get this beautiful roasted finish. Slightly salty. The tiniest crunch. I’m going to have to pick up one of these goma grinders (above) before I leave.

Don’t take pictures into the sun, eh? But you know… I thought our mothers might be getting sick of looking at my food.