Yakushima

A Long Preface

Whenever I go to Japan, I'm more than happy to stay in the same parts of Yokohama during my entire stay. My grandmother and I can talk for days; I can see my cousins at their building whenever; I can meet with Naomi at Sakuragicho after she gets off of work and we can loaf around Isezakicho until the last subway train. Mordecai is not like this, not because he does not get along with these people but because he gets anxious to see new things. In the past, we've traveled in the general area to Atami, Kamakura/Enoshima, his host family's part of Tokyo, and we've both independently been to Hakone, Mt. Fuji, as well as Osaka and Kyoto. For this year's trip, Mordecai suggested that we travel to a completely different region. By a combination of process of elimination and an interest in The Natures, he ended up suggesting a trip to Yakushima. It's a small island off of southern Japan, a part of the Kagoshima prefecture of the island of Kyushu. Yakushima is probably best known for its ancient cedar forest, which served as inspiration for the holy forest in "Princess Mononoke." At first, I was kind of iffy about the trip, mostly out of ignorance. The description "UNESCO World Heritage Site" had, and to some extent still has, little effect on me; that is likely just some unpleasant form of American in me. But my cousins were also on board, and so once I got to Japan, my cousin Mai and I went to a travel agency to see how this trip would work out logistically and financially. It turns out that one must first fly to Kagoshima, then take either a 30 minute plane ride or a 2 hour ferry ride to Yakushima. It also turned out to cost a leg and an arm to embark on this trip, even in a packaged deal. Which is another way of saying, it was cheaper to go to Guam or South Korea than it was to travel within Japan. But I think the price tag is like that for a reason--you can't really "casually" go to Yakushima. You have to be invested in it in many ways. But I'll say it again: I'd go again, even with an unfavorable exchange rate.

Our schedule went like this: leave Tokyo on Thursday, hike in Yakushima on Friday, return to Tokyo on Saturday. Mordecai's main interest was the ancient cedar forest, the highlight of which is the Jomonsugi tree. It's supposed to be anywhere between 2000 and 7000 years old. They say: We don't know for sure because it would have to be cut down to have its trunk properly analyzed. I say: It is not our place to know its precise age, and that's not what is important. Or, I say: A real lady never reveals her age. Anyway, the hike/climb to see the Jomonsugi takes TEN HOURS, round-trip. So basically, we were going to Yakushima to sacrifice a lot of money and energy to pay our respects to a really old tree.

The Wednesday before our trip was the day that Mordo and I went to the Fujiko F. Fujio Museum. After leaving the museum, I realized that I wasn't feeling well--possible stomach issues, possibly aching all over, and possibly a little warm. This was alarming, and I tried to do my best to be really still and to eat simple foods. This was challenging because before returning home, we stopped at a Krispy Kreme ("Pure Banana" and Lemon Cheesecake are the best), and Denny's was the plan for dinner. Both of these institutions are finer in Japan than in the U.S. Plus, I had to hide my illness from my grandmother, as I didn't want to worry her. I could not find a thermometer in her apartment without asking so I never knew my temperature, but I took a slightly too hot shower for slightly too long and ended up feeling like my body was on fire. After not sleeping well or eating that night, I woke up still feeling pretty bad, and almost gave up, telling Mordecai I didn't think I could go. But after saying that out loud, some switch went off in my head, and I said to myself, I'M GOING TO YAKUSHIMA. So I took back my words and told Mordecai, "Nevermind. I'm going!" I thought I could at least opt out of the hike if I had to. I took some Advil and got as much of my stuff together and off we went to Haneda Airport. I was kind of hanging by threads, waiting for Advil to kick in, and Mordo didn't seem to be doing all that much better either. He was physically fine but probably worried that I was going to die trying to get to Yakushima, which is funny because although I was not well, it's not like I was on my deathbed, either. On the way to the airport, he dropped his wallet in the back of a taxi that left us for another appointment via a highway; this isn't so much a problem for identification as it was for the fact that cash is king in Japan and every yen was essential. Miracles happen though, as the driver had given me a receipt and I was able to immediately track him down. We also jointly forgot our best cameras (DSLR, zoom lens for it, Canon G9) and were left with the compact Sony camera and my iPhone (4).

On the way to Yakushima, I never really felt okay and I just kept worrying about whether I was going to be able to hike or not. What was annoying was that I felt somewhere in between barely being able to and not being able to hike at all, but I had no idea which way I would go. The illness was half-assed in this sense; it would've been easier if I had just a little cold or if I was straight up violently ill. But the closer I got to Yakushima, a combination of not getting worse and increasing determination led me to believe that barring some bad turn of events, I would go on the hike.

What's odd is that the first time I felt really fine was on the ten hour hike to Jomonsugi. It's like my body knew an epic trail was starting, and it whipped itself into shape. I survived it all on rice, rice crackers, biscuits for small children, and water. Once I got going on the trail, I was fine, and I was purely focused on the hike. Everyone in Japan calls Jomonsugi a "power spot," as though nature gives off a quasi-mystical and positive effect on people. Some of it is obviously psychological or even superstitious but I definitely felt like I had received some kind of will and energy, which did not originate entirely from within me, to move on and feel better in that humid yet lush environment. It also helps that my cousins are hilarious, especially Mitsutaka. Laughter really helps to heal. The hike itself was the point at which I began a slow but sure start to the recovery of my health. I was able to eat more on Saturday, enjoying the regional foods and desserts, and I was feeling much better on Sunday and on the flight home to Chicago on Monday.

The rest of the story here is filled in with photos. The Sony was totally sufficient, and the iPhone is never bad to have on hand. And in retrospect, though I saw hikers with DLSRs and Canon G9s (or G11s now), I would not recommend bringing a DSLR or even a heavy compact camera to this hike. Your focus is the hike and your guide, and while walking, you rarely have time to even look up, let alone stop and take a still photo! Anyway, here's our trip, including our brief stops in Kagoshima.

The Trip

We flew to Kagoshima from Tokyo, which takes about two hours. I've never flown domestically in recent memory, so I was amazed at how easy it was. No one ever checked my identification to see if I at least claimed to be the person whose name was on the ticket. We didn't even check ourselves in because my cousins did it for us. And Mordo's a foreigner! He had a bottle of water and a pair of scissors in his carry-on, and the security attendant politely asked to observe these items. She smelled the bottle's contents, measured the scissors, asked him not to take it out during the flight, and thanked him for his cooperation. She used honorofic forms for every question and comment. The End. Wow.

When we got to Kagoshima's airport, we had to take a bus to get to the city itself. When we arrived, this was the main street. I guess they don't have a train system like other major cities in Japan? And have a grassy trammy system? The bus looks like it's going to get on the tram rails but that's just a normal bus. 

Then we looked around what is reportedly the most bustling part of Kagoshima. 

I know this makes me seem like an immature city girl, but...this looks like a ghost town stuck in the 1990's, if that.

Kagoshima is known for their pork products (they are called "black pigs," which seem to be of the Berkshire variety), so we were in search for tonkotsu (pig bone broth) ramen. There was no way I was going to venture into a giant bowl of pig grease and noodles so while everyone had delicious ramen, I had rice and seaweed. Mordecai says that the ramen had a bacon flavor that he hadn't had before in tonkotsu ramen.

Before boarding our ferry to Yakushima, we had a nice view of Sakurajima, a little volcano that somehow sublty spews black ash on the surrounding area. I rarely see dirty cars in Japan, but I saw a few in Kagoshima and I guess it's because of the ash flying around everywhere. Our ferry, Toppy, took us to Yakushima in a couple of hours. It was a smooth ride; I got sea legs on the Sea Bass but had no problems with Toppy. We arrived at the Miyanoura port and took a public bus to the Yakushima Green Spa Hotel. Though the hotel is closer to the other port, Anbo, it was interesting to take the bus along the eastern edge of the island. I saw young students in uniforms and wondered what their lives were like on this tiny island. I asked someone at the hotel if there were any fast food restaurants, and she said there's a Mos Burger, but nothing else. Everything else is local, which I guess is just family-owned. Do the kids go to Kagoshima for fun? A 2 hour ferry ride must be a big deal. Kagoshima was uncrowded, but the true ghost town was Yakushima. It was raining a little, but still, there was little evidence of people!

Though there were moths to greet us in our room, I liked our hotel. The highlight may have been the food, which I was able to nibble on here and there. There was of course lots of seafood, and they were into their little shabu-shabu pots that steam vegetables and thin strips of beef. The star of this meal above was the "turtle's feet." Before our server explained what everything was, I thought, Hmm, these things here look like turtle's feet, gross. Then he pointed to them and said, "These are turtle's feet." But then he went on to explain that they are actually a variety of clam. Weird! But they were fun to open (like a nutshell?) and they were tasty.

Early next morning at the hotel, we picked up our breakfast and lunch bento boxes at the front desk, and we met our tour guide, Maeda-san. He drove us to pick up the last member of our hiking group, a middle-aged woman from Hokkaido (!) whose name we never learned. Mitsutaka declared her to be "Nishida," which I think is based off of no real information, but that is who she is to me now. Then we drove to the bus that would take us on a 35-minute trip up and into the island to the entrance of the Jomonsugi trail. The trail is so protected--only designated buses and taxis can go up to the trail entrance, so I imagine that it's easy to keep track of who goes in and out of the trail.

This is what happens when you try to take a picture while hiking. The first part of the trail is along these railroad tracks that were once used to transport cedar logs out of the forest. After about 2 or 2.5 hours, you begin a mountain climb up to the tree. You walk in a single file line, passing down cautions by voice to the person behind you. It was hard to stop and admire the landscapes, but Mordo did at one point to take this shot. A lot of the views of the mountains surrounded by clouds really reminded me of the opening scene of "Princess Mononoke."

There were a few bridges to cross, at least two of which did not have rails.

There are many other famous cedar trees along the way to see Jomonsugi. Below is the "Wilson Stump." I guess the older trees can begin their decline with a hollow trunk at the base, and some trees just fall over. The Wilson Stump is known for the view from inside. If you scoot into one edge of the stump inside and you look up, you should see one giant heart and a small one nearby. I had trouble at first and saw only the small one but backed farther into the edge and sunk lower to see the other giant one. Obviously, this is a hot spot for couples. Here we are in front of the stump.

And here are the hearts.

Mordecai shook his head at the hearts and called them a "gimmick"! Poor Wilson. Later on the way back, we stopped back in and found a couple trying to take a picture of themselves with the hearts in the background. I offered to take their picture, and I think they were pleased with the results, if I say so myself.

The railway tracks are mostly a reminder of how the forest was logged until about 1970, which is I'm guessing when environmental issues started becoming more mainstream and the UNESCO stamp was starting to be sought or acquired. It's kind of scary to think that this forest would be logged as much as possible, but perhaps not all that surprising in the pre-modern era. There was even a small town in this forest, complete with a school, that had to be closed around 1970. But the rails also indicate how the two restrooms on the trail are presently maintained. The first restroom is a "bio toilet," and the second restroom has some sort of plumbing system and is at the end of the rail track trail, before the beginning of the climb to the Jomonsugi. Beyond this bathroom, there is only one designated places to use "mobile toilets" that you can bring with you in the case of an emergency. And as with all garbage, you must bring your waste back with you to the trail entrance! I'm happy to report that the only waste I had to deal with was picking up little candy wrappers that other people had dropped. I don't know what a bio toilet is nor do I know how to use a mobile toilet, and I'm glad I didn't have to find out. My first name means "blessed" and I do not think this is a matter of coincidence. Thank you for the name and destiny, Grandfather Hotoda.

The climb up is hard. There aren't many rails, so you use whatever the forest offers you if you need it--rocks, branches, stumps. I remember the cedar branches and stumps I frequently used to hoist myself up stairs or rocks; they were so smooth and cool to the touch. I know how this sounds, but I felt like the forest was helping me climb to see the Jomonsugi. There were animals along the way, who coexist with the hikers pretty peacefully. We saw many white-tailed deer, a monkey, and a toad. The higher we went up, the mistier it got, as it rained lightly on and off. My cousins and other hikers were all decked out in waterproof "rainwear," or rain coats, rain pants, and a waterproof cover for their backpacks. Some people had hiking poles. Everyone Japanese basically looked like they had just come out of a photoshoot for the Yakushima tour guide magazines. I initially thought, Ooh, these people are super excited! and didn't think they needed all that. But it turns out I'm American in this respect--arrogant and unprepared--as my raincoat is apparently not waterproof; cotton leggings are comfortable but not ideal when they get wet; and my backpack was a fashionable backpack, but not one that could withstand 10 hours of off and on rain, even with an umbrella. Mordecai was in a similar situation, though he had a better raincoat. The one area where we did not mess up was with hiking shoes. I splurged and got these, and they were perfect. Did you know that hiking boots are ugly because they get dirty? I figured it out on this trip. Anyway, if you're going to Yakushima on this trail, don't play around with hiking gear and just get what is recommended.

After 2 or 2.5 hours of climbing, we finally got to the Jomonsugi. Look, a sort-of-smile from Mordo in the picture! That means he's super excited. 

No one informed me that there were Death Stairs right up to the tree! I was breathless when I saw the Jomonsugi because I thought I was going to die after walking up those stairs. But I was very happy to see it, too. Unfortunately, there are no variations of the picture of us in front of the tree where Mitsutaka's face is not covered by his sister's peace sign hand. And I don't know what's floating out of my pocket. Lol. 

Lots of hikers linger here for about ten minutes taking pictures. I saw young women with makeup on, taking pictures with the tree in the background. Makeup! How did it last?! There was also a tour guide who looked like an older, Japanese version of Sam of Wisconsin. Japanese old man Sam took a group photo of us and said to us, "Say, 'Jomonsugeeeeeee!'" to make us smile, instead of saying "Say, 'Cheese!'" (Did my best to keep track of use-mention distinction in case Real Sam is reading, or in case Japanese old man Sam is also an analytic philosopher.) 

There is our tour guide, Maeda-san, on the bottom left, and "Nishida-san," on the right.

Our trip package included this Jomonsugi tour, and Maeda-san was assigned to us through the Yakushima Guide Association. I don't know why he's not on the staff page, but he said he goes on this trail 2 or 3 times in one week. It turned out that he spoke English and knew a lot about various plant species of the forest because he studied biological conservation in England! I really liked hearing him speak English, because I could hear a British accent mixed in with the Japanese accent. He tried to translate various plant and flower names for us; if he didn't know, sometimes I knew the translations but most of the time I relied on my dictionary in my phone. It also turned out that he has a Shiba! He unfortunately had no pictures to share as he had just gotten a new phone, but I shared many pictures of Mitsu with him. He was also the first person I came across in Japan who understood my academic situation: here I am hiking on a remote Japanese island during my summer break when I should be working on my dissertation. He said he studied specific species of bats and mountain lions in graduate school, so I gather he wrote some thesis abroad. I barely can write notes for my dissertation in English; I can't imagine writing anything of that magnitude in a foreign language. If, when, I return to Yakushima, I hope Maeda-san is still there, so he can guide me to the Shiratani-unsuikyo Ravine, that served as the specific source of inspiration for "Princess Mononoke," or the many other places that one can explore on Yakushima. I couldn't bring myself to ask how old he was or whether he was married or lived alone with his Shiba ("Coco," I think its name was), but I wondered what his life was like. While we all had bentos that our hotels prepared for us for lunch, he had three giant rice balls. Did he make them himself? That was a lot of rice.

On the way back from the Jomonsugi, we ate lunch in the rain and we took the same trail down, yielding to hikers still on their way up. I was starting to become the slowest hiker of the group, so I was instructed to walk behind Maeda-san, which would set the pace for the entire group. This is when I realized that we all had been playing Telephone with our feet. I'd copy Maeda-san's light and knowledgeable footwork, and Mordecai would do what I did. If I bastardized Maeda-san's footwork, it would get worse behind me. Once we got back to the railway tracks, we all took turns to be pace-setters, which also provided an opportunity for everyone to talk to Maeda-san. Otherwise, our walk back would have been dead silent and a bit of a Debbie Downer. It was clear we were all exhausted and ready to sit down in a vehicle. When we saw the rail tracks end, it seemed that Mitsutaka was most excited to return to our starting point. It really is tiring, so much that you don't know what to do with yourself. The next morning, Mai could not stand up, and I had to show her how to stretch her calves and hamstrings to be able to function properly, especially to get back to Tokyo!

Before Maeda-san dropped us off at the hotel, he took us to a bridge where we could see the Ambo River flow from the mountains on one side, and head towards the sea on the other side.

Mordecai had been remarking that despite all the rain and humidity in Yakushima, nothing smells stagnant. The mountainous region must help to keep the water constantly moving. What I noticed was that these trees look like broccoli. I also saw these like, super giant hydrangea plant-trees on the way up and down the Jomonsugi trail entrance. It must be easy to grow and maintain flowers and vegetables with all that heat, humidity and water.

(Top row: flying fish sashimi at the hotel; tonkatsu in Kagoshima; me on a really old JAL plane back to Tokyo [those are earphones!]. Bottom row: Kagoshima raspberry, white peach, ramune macarons; Kagohshima's volcanic ash in the rain; shirokuma ice in Kagoshima [sorry for how it's cut off in the picture but I don't feel like fixing it]

On our way back to Tokyo, we went through Kagoshima again, getting tonkatsu (deep-fried breaded pork) for lunch. We also stopped at a mall where we all shared a giant "shirakuma" shaved ice dish the area is known for. It's shaved ice doused with condensed milk, and with random fruits stuck on the sides. I also picked up some macaroons--ramune, white peach, and raspberry flavored--thinking it couldn't be better than the Pierre Hermes ones I had in Shibuya and possibly the Laduree ones I had at Haneda Airport. I WAS WRONG! Kagoshima delivered hard. Those were some of the best macaroons I've had.

On the flight home, the time passed quickly. Mai slept while Mitsutaka, Mordecai and I devised a plan for them to come to Chicago and New York/Long Island later this year, even picking out dates (which I can't remember, lol). We parted ways at Haneda; hopefully the next time we see them is stateside.

In Conclusion
The trip was as epic as this post. Ordinarily, I'm not big on The Natures, but lately I've been getting interested with the dog, the garden, and now with Yakushima's entirely different environment. I'm also amazed that with the right attitude--mostly one of respect--The Natures can heal and energize. Unfortunately, I'm having difficulty thinking of an equivalent place in the U.S.--there's the Grand Canyon, the stuff up northwest like Yellowstone, and there are the Everglades in Florida, but nothing is really mountainous, humid, and rainy like Yakushima. Maybe on the Hawaiian islands? Ooh, I'll go there. I'd love to return to Yakushima. When I told people in Japan that we were going to Yakushima to see the Jomonsugi, they expressed envy. Our seniors, let's call them (e.g., Mai and Mitsutaka's mom, my grandma, my mother) were under the impression that only hikers and the youthful could go to Yakushima, but I read about plenty of other low-key things to do: bus tours to different sites, including watching sea turtles lay their eggs (or was it that the eggs hatch?). Mordecai joked about bringing back an ancient tree branch for Mitsu, and it would be crazy to ever bring Mitsu to any part of Japan, let alone a remote island (to meet Coco?!). But perhaps a human Mitsu or human Carleton would be lots of fun to bring along in the far future. 

Tart Tatin

Yesterday I made a tart tatin using Anne Burrell's recipe. I think it was Emily who said that she is basically a female Guy Fieri, an observation that makes me not want to watch her show. But I was looking into tart tatin recipes, starting with Smitten Kitchen's, and then I looked it up on Food Network just to see what other people did. I landed on Burrell's video, and I think what won me over was the suggestion of adding lemon juice and apple cider to the caramel mixture. This seemed to be, indeed, a secret from a restaurant chef. I was also turned off by SK's endless tale of how she's failed at this supposedly simple tart so many times. I acquired some Golden Supreme apples at the Logan Square farmer's market, Pepperidge Farm's frozen puff pastry at Mariano's, and decided to make this on a slow, gray, Tuesday afternoon.

Everything was going smoothly, especially since I didn't have to make the puff pastry. Which is easy to make with a food processor, but I just didn't feel like it and if you aren't impressing anyone then frozen puff pastry is sufficient, even pretty good. (It seems to have a crispy yet chewy texture, maybe because of all the syrupy awesomeness, but I really like that effect.) I wasn't quite sure how the apples away from the bottom of the pan were going to get blessed by the delicious caramel sauce, but with some flipping and submerging in bubbling caramel using mismatched chopsticks, the apples started to brown.

When I flipped the tart over, to both my horror and delight, this is what emerged:

The apples shrunk in the oven! And they all shifted over to one side! I thought they were fine when I put the pastry over the pan. Even though there was this size problem, and generally, I think tart tatins are not the prettiest things you can bake, this looked alright. The apples themselves looked just as I expected--basically, like in Burrell's video--which is a pretty good feeling one gets in the kitchen, particularly when baking. I wouldn't mind just folding this mess in half to get a big tart tatin croisstant-like thing, but I've been consuming it in slices like a civilized person. There's really nothing to say about the way this thing tastes except, to put it succinctly, "this shit real good." You can never go wrong with recipe that involves a stick of butter and a cup of sugar simmering and baking over the course of an hour. That is just a fundamental principle of LIFE!

Good stuff

When I think about what Paula Deen would have done if she were given this opportunity, at least at my age and place in life, I feel ashamed that I walked away with only four boxes (pounds) of unsalted butter. I think I bake enough to merit four more boxes at this price point. Anyway, I wasn't even expecting butter to be on sale (I checked the circulars), so when I saw this price tag, I just leaned over the refrigerator container and admired it. Then I took this photo with my phone, and then I just couldn't stop marveling that I had to tweet and blog about it. I might have to call my mom in case she doesn't know, though she probably does (but then why didn't I get a call?!).

In other news, I think last night's episode of Glee was one of the best of this season so far. I haven't been obsessively watching like I did for season one, mostly because I didn't get the iTunes season pass for it, but also because I feel like the writers of the show are aware of its massive success and popularity. Maybe the episodes evolve around the musical themes more, and less around the characters? I don't know. But damn, those Warblers are just killing it every episode! I can't believe they did a Robin Thicke song, long-haried, vintage Thicke, no less! I was hoping to see the original version of "When I Get You Alone" in the Top 50 singles on iTunes, but I have a feeling that looking up the single under "Robin Thicke" and getting nothing, while the single actually hides under the artist name "Thicke," has something to do with it. And the fact that Glee Cast songs do better than originals. Anyway. And finally, I saw the old Rachel of season one last night when she and Finn were talking towards the end, and when she sang "Firework" to herself in her mirror at home with her brush as the mic. It was like when she sang "On My Own," at home and in her Glee audition, except she wasn't depressed and sad and solitarily slushied all the time. And her dresses! The green one with the bows, the pink one with the black prints of who knows what! If/when I get that episode in HD, I will obsessively try to find the most flattering frame of her in them and the maybe scour the internet in hopes of finding them or something similar. And then I will post myself trying to look like as hopeful as Rachel Berry, maybe as the snow melts and spring approaches.

Mitsu x Beethoven Collaboration

Last week, I was playing the piano, and Mitsu starting vocalizing when I played the theme to Beethoven's 7th. I've been playing this piece, a Nodame Cantabile version, for about half a year now so it's become the one-trick-pony piece I play when I feel like playing something but not really practicing. At first, I thought Mitsu was telling me to shut up, and then I thought she had to go outside. But then she sat and lied down by my bench, so I continued playing. When I started a section that involved a crescendo, Mitsu joined in by howling. Her face, looking straight on, is super cute when she stretches her howls out. I started to give her treats when she would sing along to my crescendos, and she performed for Mordecai a couple of times. I was finally able to capture all of this on camera tonight with minimal mistakes on my part. She doesn't seem to care for any other pieces I play, so I like to think that she and Beethoven are basically best friends.

You kind of have to wait for her to hear the howls clearly. She warms up a little throughout the song, misses my conducting cues in the middle, but then comes through at the end (~1:00 mark)!

This is our one hit wonder, guys! We won't be coming on tour near you! You might hear about a comeback 10 years from now! Good night!

Puppy Frosting

That's a lot of cupcakes. I made red velvet cupcakes but with Emily's cream cheese frosting: 

1/2 pound (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Cream the butter and cream cheese together in a mixer until fluffy then add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and mix well. Then, try not to eat it all.

As usual, Emily's cupcakes are better. At least my frosting is sufficiently good.

Tomorrow is TRON LEGACY in 3D for IMAX. And laundry. And the usual puppy antics. 

PUPPY

Which one of yous is coming home with us???

Are you the lucky star?

 Everyone guesses that you're the boy, which means you won't come home with us. And you've got soy sauce on your face, bro. 

All photos kindly sent to us by Glenchester Kennels.

YouTube has been a useful resource for researching puppies. You can read about a breed, and that's really great, but it's nice to be able to see the breed in action. Did you know Shibas elict a kind of scream?! Here's the best one (go to about ~1:40). Anyway, there's this one video of an 8 week old Shiba puppy who is being introduced to some human friends. I like the commentary provided by a man in the video:

"Oh man, I mean, seriously like...I dunno...I guess I've seen a few dogs that are pretty cute but this one seems to be...this one seems to be like top 5 percentile of the cutest dogs..."

THAT'S RIGHT, TOP 5 PERCENTILE. That means ELITE. I think that's a pretty accurate description of the Shiba puppy. What is it that makes it so cute? Its furriness, tininess, the foxiness, the pointed ears, the curly tail, the beady eyes? Next to a Lab or Husky puppy, would the Shiba automatically win in a Battle of Cuteness? How do you walk away with only one?

After Thanksgiving, Mordecai and I plan to drive to Ohio to Glenchester Kennels, where we will meet two of these puppies shown above, and pick one to come home with us. I suppose it's possible that we'll have three or four more puppies in the next litter, Danica's, to choose from, but I also suppose that the breeders would rather us take a 9 week old puppy than a 7 week old puppy. I mean, after we take our pick, who's going to want a geezer 9 week old Shiba puppy over a 7 week old one? Actually, Yuki was 12 weeks old when we got her. She was a talker ("Ooo ooo ooo" which meant, "Love me!" but sounded more like, "I'll kill you!"), and apparently that was not appealing to a lot of people. I thought it was her best attribute, and picked her over Pinto, a younger male, with black pinto bean prints on his white coat. I'm sure Pinto was a good guy, but that was the best decision ever in the History of Decisions.  

It seemed criminal not to share these pictures (house? painted walls? resodded backyard? new floor in the sunroom? PUPPY!). This may turn into a Shiba puppy blog, but whatever, YOU'RE WELCOME IN ADVANCE!

Food displays

Japan

After settling down in our new home and inaugurating it with Joe's drunken antics, I left for Japan again. I got back on Sunday and it is only through miracles that my schedule is not a hot mess. For the past two nights, I've become unfunctionally sleepy around 8PM, make it to about 10PM, and then fall asleep until my phone alarm goes off around 7:15 the next morning. To be jetlagged for me is to live on a normal schedule. Who knew mornings could be so useful?

I love Japan so much. Sometimes I think that I can live without going to Japan for a while, especially with my own home here in Chicago. But then I talk to my grandma until the sun is about to come up (this is an easy accomplishment when your grandmother is mine), I blend in with everyone else everywhere, I take the JR and subway trains, I buy Japanese clothes, I use Japanese cosmetics, and I nearly cry tears of joy when I eat Toraya sweets or Katsuretsuan's katsu bento, and I realize that I can't live without going to Japan at least once a year. I used to try to think of ways to find some way to partially work in Japan so I can come up with a legitimate excuse to be there frequently, but I've given up on trying to create a reason because I already have them. Just as much as Chicago is my life, Yokohama is my life too!

I brought my Rebel and G9 with me to Japan, but I made very little use of them. Instead, I used my iPhone to take pictures. Since Apple updated the camera, the pictures are not as shameful as they used to be. I'm going to try to update with some of those photos, and maybe I'll throw in some May photos as well.

My Miggy Moment

On Tuesday night, Mordecai and I attended the White Sox game. The promotion was a "Hawkisms" t-shirt to honor White Sox announcer Ken "Hawk" Harrelson. If you've never heard Hawk call a game, I suggest you tune in. His overt bias towards the White Sox is amusing, if not entirely endearing. This anti-Hawk site is actually really informative; it even has audio clips of the Hawkisms that are on the back of my new t-shirt. The Sox were also scheduled to play the Tigers, so Mordecai and I got tickets kind of spontaneously. Little did I know, not only would I get my awesome t-shirt, but I'd experience one of the greatest moments of my life. Read on!

I was anxious to get to U.S. Cellular Field early to secure our Hawkisms t-shirt (only 10,000 of them!). It had been raining all day, too, so I was afraid that the game would be postponed as well as the t-shirt giveaway. We were like, 20 boxes of Hawkism t-shirts away from not getting one. I saw Tigers fans using it to wipe their wet seats. Anyway, we got to the park around 5:30PM for a 7:10PM game. We were wandering around the 500 sections, upper deck, looking for food, when we remembered hearing about a new Wow Bao concession stand. Mordecai decided to ask Guest Relations since our memory kicked in right in front of their booth. They knew about Wow Bao and recommended Burger Barn as well, and they gave us an elevator pass to the field-level area. 

When we got down there, I noticed that no one was checking tickets for people who wanted to linger near the White Sox or Tigers dugouts. I remember Mordecai asking me if I wanted to go, and I said, "...nah, it's OK." But there weren't a lot of people, so I was like why not, and we trotted down to the front row seats. There were about ten other young boys dressed in navy and orange, waiting for Tigers players with baseballs, autograph books, and Sharpies in hand. No one was out in the field except for crew members pulling the tarp off of the field. But then I noticed a Jose Valverde-like person at the opposite end of the dugout, listening to music on earphones, all "in the zone." 

Then I saw catcher Alex Avila look out on the field briefly before going back into the dungeon.

Before I could start thinking about how long I'd have to stand around until someone from the Tigers hitting well below .200 or with an embarrassing ERA equivalent to my perceived or actual age would come around, my peripheral vision sensed movement from the White Sox dugout. It was none other than MIGUEL CABRERA. My most favorite baseball player was walking towards me (or his dugout) and he was smiling (or laughing at Valverde). 

Once he saw us asking for autographs, he stopped smiling. But he diligently signed baseballs, autograph books, and my card. When I was in Japan recently, I carried his and Felix Hernandez's card with me in my purse every day for two weeks. I almost brought my 2010 Finest red refractor of Miggy to the game, which I recently got in the mail, but I made a last minute switch and brought one of my favorites, Miggy's 2008 Stadium Club base card. I have many Miggy relic cards (jersey swatches and morsels of bats), but I don't have any autographed cards. This is my first one!

Mordecai kept egging me on to say something. What does a mere commoner like myself say to THE LORD MIGGY? Especially an idiot commoner decked out in White Sox gear? (I had briefly contemplated stacking my White Sox and Tigers hats to the game. For Mordecai's sake, I decided against it.) I had nothing to say except that I was totally starstruck, shaking, and fearful. When you're in the presence of someone you admire so much that you don't even think to soil their presence with your own pathetic existence, you tremble. Tremble I did, but mixed with a kind of rare, pure elation.

I believe it was Ryan Raburn who had also emerged from somewhere by the time Miggy signed my card, and then they started walking to their dugout. Mordecai said Miggy didn't sign very much after my card. On the way down the stairs, they stopped and started pointing at Valverde, laughing and making jokes (above). Then they disappeared. We went to Burger Barn, decided against Wow Bao, and returned the elevator pass to Guest Relations.

I AM SO BLESSED.

I hear you call my name and it feels like home

I'm in Japan right now, also known as Heaven or The Future.

My mom and I are determined to find out who those two sumo wrestlers are; right now the only thing we know is that they train at Kasugayama-beya in Kawasaki. They're probably of meager ranks now, but FUTURE BEASTS. All of the sumo wrestlers remind me of Totoro. I want to take one home and let it live under a tree or down a path of bushes and grow plants with them at night.

In all seriousness though, sumo wrestling was so much fun and wonderful. Hakuho is holy. Kotooshu is handsome. Baruto...looks like someone you'd run into on Milwaukee north of Diversey. It's a beautiful, old sport, and I want to see them all again and again.

Classic Combos

Birthday Bashers

Legendary Leaders

Angels Advocate Tour @ Chicago Theater

Chicago Theater marquis; celestial rays emanating from the Aura of Mariah

This past weekend, Mariah Carey blessed Chicago with her regal presence and whistle notes. I've been to her other concerts but they were at larger venues, so I was curious to see what her show at the smaller Chicago Theater would be like. My original theory was that she can't sell like she used to, so they chose a more "intimate" venue over the United Center or the Allstate Arena and of course, jacked up the prices. But then they added a second show "due to popular demand," so maybe there were other incentives or explanations for the venue change. Anyway, I loved the theater; I've never been so close to her before. I think her personality is crystallizing into something like youthful (obviously) and playful, and she's not taking herself too seriously, so it's nice to see her seemingly comfortable and happy.

There were some awkward audience moments that I could've done without, though. The security was tight on cameras, so while Mimi was belting out "Touch My Body" or "Shake It Off," I also had to listen to a young woman behind us getting berated and asked to step outside (I think she was able to return). Another awkward moment was when a coconut-smelling, lonesome cougar was standing and dancing in the aisle, obstructing our view when we were seated. She was eventually asked to go back to her seat, but instead of doing that, she just stepped back a few feet and crowded up next to Mordecai, which is how we came to know that she reeked of coconuts. I couldn't tell if she deserved pity or praise for being such a hardcore lamb, so into everything but so alone also. I just know that I don't want to be like that when I'm 40 or so! I'm running out of people to go with, so...I feel sorry for my future child(ren)!

The crowd was pretty much the same as those of previous tours: groups of jubilant gay men, a variety of women, bored boyfriends and husbands, and some small children. But like the population of Japan, the audience is not getting any younger. Perhaps for this reason, she did a mashup of her own "Heartbreaker" and Diana Ross' "Love Hangover," a stone groove which seemed to please Mordecai. Her overall set included a lot of the classics, including "Emotions," "Always Be My Baby," "Honey," and "My All." She added a number of more recent singles: "Shake It Off," "We Belong Together," and "Fly Like a Bird." She only sang a few songs from the "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" album, so I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to hear "H.A.T.E.U." which I finally warmed up to, or "Candy Bling," though I know no one else in the world cares about that song except for me. I'm still puzzled over the encore choice, "Hero," because she's confessed that she finds the song a little cheesy, but sings it anyway because so many people have told her that the song has changed their lives for the better.

GQ Ryda!!!

I'm going to have to take a minute here to talk about the opening act, "RydazNrtist," a 3-man group signed to Nick Canon's record label. (I grant you permission to smirk here, but read on.) I thought they were artists who "ride," as in "ball" or "hustle" or something of that nature, but apparently, the name is supposed to sound like the phrase, "writers and artists." Their performance was professional, and I have to admit that their song "Sorry Ass Apology" is appealing. I mean, they confess to being "fornicating fools" and admit to the pathetic nature of their pointless apology. It was almost a little too real, but I appreciate and value honesty. When the concert got out, at the exit, I noticed three men handing out glossy flyers for something, and I realized that "GQ Ryda," the Left-Eye of the trio, was one of them, standing next to me. I asked him to take a picture with me, and he was more than happy to, so Mordecai snapped a photo with my iPhone. Mr. GQ Ryda noticed the New Era hat sticker on the back of my iPhone, which Mordecai was still holding, and said, "Oh, hat man! Let me take a picture with him!" Little does Mr. GQ Ryda know that I'm the "hat man," that I have the sticker on my phone to help me remember my hat size for my big skull for when I buy hats for the opposing team at Cubs games. Anyway, not that he's not worth taking a picture with, but it's a rare moment when a stranger asks to take a picture with Mordecai. I love RydazNrtist.

The Shephard has arrived!

When the concert got out, we walked by the alley right next to the theater and noticed a gathering crowd of lambs. A Queen Lamb was yelling about some Mimi promotion and singing (he was good!). It seemed to be the theater exit for performers, and indeed, after about half an hour, we saw band members, dancers, and backup singers (Trey Lorenz!) walk out towards SUVs and the tour bus. I was more or less willing to freeze my toes off, and Mordecai was supportive (was he even personally interested in seeing a fellow Long Island-expat in the flesh?), so we waited about an hour. Then we realized that Mordecai's car was in a parking structure next to right next to the alley, so we warmed up in the car and drove down a few floors to get a good view of the exit area, and then we waited for the screams of lambs.

When Mariah came out, the lambs indeed screamed, lunged on her car, jumped up and down, and I saw the Queen Lamb run away hysterically after getting what he wanted--maybe an autograph or a photo or a handshake. Security opened Mariah's car door immediately, but she stepped away from the door to sign photos, shake hands even though the bodyguards seemed very reluctant about this, and waved. I've heard that she is relatively generous when it comes to greeting her fans, so I was glad to see evidence of this in person. I'm not sure I could've handled the crowd of crazy lambs, so I was fine to be at a distance. If I ever get to meet her, I'd prefer a more manageable environment, though I'm not sure I could keep myself composed enough to do anything besides stare, cry, laugh, and possibly faint. Mariah Carey is my Michael Jackson.

Spread the word

My dad's website is up.

Friday afternoon

Tomorrow afternoon I will make green tea & red bean paste macarons using this book, which I received for Hanukkah from Mordecai's parents. Hopefully things will go right!

Friend? Enemy? Frenemy?