Hello, Kitty!

The Japanese sure do love their feminine feline...

But perhaps this will put it into perspective...I stopped in a pet store in the Rappongi district of Tokyo, and there were businessmen in suits standing there drooling over kittens the same way you see people drooling over plasma TVs in the US. Maybe this is why: the ordinary tabby kitten in the picture was on "Christmas special" for ¥149,000. How much is that in US dollars? Drop the last two zeros and you'll see why the Japanese businessmen were drooling. And that was the cheapest kitten in the shop.

Oh, yeah...again with the Christmas. And it is only November 12th.

Tsukiji Fish Market

So, it was bound to happen at some point--last night I asked if I could switch rooms to the side of the hotel that faced downtown Tokyo (trying to use my status again) and the front desk clerk told me "it is difficult." That's japanese for "no way, Jose. " Seriously. No one says no here. They just tell you it would be "difficult." Kind of makes it seem like there is a ray of hope, but no.

My favorite part of the Nozomi Shinkansen (bullet train) trip up from Osaka was that every time a conductor or stewardess (train attendant?) entered or left the car, they would bow to the carload of passengers. If they were leaving, they would turn and bow to the passengers. Very civilized. If only we could get the NJ Transit fellas to do that.

I actually just returned to the hotel--it is 10:45am. This morning, I woke up at 4:30am to go to the Tokyo Fish Market--the largest in the world. I wanted to get there a little after 5am, in time for the tuna auctions. Of course, no one mentioned that the train doesnt start running from my hotel until 5:39am, so I had 30 minutes to kill, which I would've loved to use for sleeping. It actually wasnt that hard getting up so early, since I'm still not fully adjusted.

The market was amazing. Hundreds and hundreds of dealers, thousands of wholesalers and other customers, and fish of every imaginable stripe. Bluefin tunas laying in rows, like steelblue torpedos, each 450 lbs or bigger. Some were almost the size of small cars. Afterwards, I ducked down a side passage, and found a sushi restaurant for breakfast. Of the dozens of places there, one had a line of 30 people, so I figured it must be good and got in line at 7:30am. I ate at 9am. It was amazing. Also, probably the earliest sushi meal I've ever had.

Japanese Noel

Well, sleighbells ring, are you listening? Nobody loves christmas like the Japanese--not even Fox News. Osaka is in full Xmas mode--nevermind that it is barely even November--there is even a bloody tree in the lobby of the hotel, and this evening when I was walking through the shopping district after dinner, I couldn't help but notice that the soundtrack to the neon-lit shopping arcade was ba-rum-pa-tum-tum, the little drummer boy. And it is early November. And it is 65 degrees out. And did I mention that it was only a day or two ago that it was October?

Speaking of dinner. Man did I have a dinner. Despite getting totally lost (me!), I found the sushi-ya recommended by the concierge, and had the most amazing sushi dinner. The chef took a keen interest in me, as I was the only gaijin in the place, and one who ordered "omakase" at that. Don't tell dad, but I had sweet shrimp, scallops, sea urchin, and the usual fishy suspects, all raw. The scallops were sweet and delicious, but the otoro and maguro were divine. The sushi-ya itself was gorgeous, and the bartop was a single piece of solid wood, four inches thick and 50 feet long, polished to a satiny glow. My japanese is pretty rusty, but I was able to share my opinion of dinner with the chef/owner of the joint, and he insisted on exchanging business cards. So we had the little japanese formal card exchange, which involves presenting your card with two hands, duly admiring the other guy's card, and lots of bowing. Lots and lots of bowing. Anyway, I pumped $100 into the Osaka fish economy and it was totally worth it. Learned something new too--that fella worked wonders with a beautiful piece of maguro, some soy sauce and three hours time.

Jaywalking in Japan

So I'm beginning to get tired of waiting to cross the street. No one here jaywalks, no matter where they are or how little traffic there is. This has led to a couple funny situations, where I approach a crosswalk with a red light at a minor side street. There is no traffic to be seen for blocks and blocks, and the street is barely one car wide, but no matter. There is a dutiful line of Japanese patiently waiting for the light to change. This wouldn't be so bad, but it is really cutting into my sightseeing time. I seriously spend more time waiting to cross streets than I do actually viewing sights.

If it is even possible, the taxi drivers in Osaka are even more formal than in Kyoto. They all wear black suits with bowties, and the interior and exterior of the cabs are spotlessly clean. The most disconcerting part is that the driver can automatically open the door for you, and I keep forgetting, so it startles me.

Osaka...or is it Midtown?

So I left Kyoto today by Shinkansen and arrived in Osaka--the bullet train was everything I had expected...exactly on time, with everyone orderly filing on and off the train at their designated locations. That thing really moves, too--we were at full speed in a flash, and despite the fact that Osaka was only 25 miles away, we were going fulltilt. Due to the population density, the shinkansen tracks go right through neighborhoods, and we were as close to homes and buildings as the elevated subways in NY are. Except at 150+ MPH.

Osaka is like midtown manhattan on steroids--it is very Bladerunner-esque. My taxi was stuck in traffic at street level, with a highway above and an elevated track crossing over that. Suddenly, ahead of us, railroad lights started flashing and a commuter train crossed the street (and sidewalks!) a couple hundred feet ahead of me. It was amazing--mostly because I couldnt believe that a train would have an at-grade crossing in such a dense urban area. It would be like having an LIRR commuter train barreling through Times Square at street level.

I haven't explored Osaka yet, but it is definitely a let down compared to Kyoto. Kyoto is also crowded, but not as much, and its setting surrounded by forests and mountains makes up for it. I had great sushi for lunch in Kyoto before I left--one of those places with the conveyor belt on the counter, and you just take the plates you want. Kind of a fish automat. Horner and Hardarts of the piscene variety. Anyway, I kept selecting plates, and when I was stuffed, I had 11 empty plates in front of me (each of which had 2-4 pieces of sushi on them). My total bill? 1,320 Yen. And that includes some otoro.

I'm really having a hard time with the whole no tipping thing. Tipping is not expected here, and it is driving me nuts, since I feel like the bellhops are giving me dirty looks when I stiff them after they have lugged my bags upstairs. Same with taxi drivers. But every guide I've read says the same thing about tipping. Not to do it.

Anyway, despite not tipping, I spent the last of my supply of Yen on the taxi to the hotel, so I'm off to find an ATM to reload. Then off to dinner. Menu? Sushi...duh.

Japan

I think this may be one of my favorite places in the world. At least Kyoto. So much so that I extended my stay in Kyoto by a night. I've been here 24 hrs, and I may still be punchy from the flight, but the Silver Temple and a couple other shrines and gardens I saw today were so astonishingly beautiful that I almost couldn't believe they were real. I have simply never seen gardens like these. Perfect time to be here too--the maple leaves are bright crimson, pink, orange and gold, and against the evergreens and the rugged terrain the autumn foliage appears as if spotlights are trained on the leaves.

Kyoto is densely populated--not nearly to the extent of Osaka or Tokyo--but it is in a bowl surrounded by jagged and steep forested mountains, so everywhere you look you see green...beyond the stacks of apartments and buildings. Kyoto is also bursting with shrines and temples, large and small, so almost wherever you go, you stumble upon some shrine (which happens to be 1000 years old) with some buddha (usually older, due to being saved from some fire 850 years ago when most of the shrine was damaged by fire). The craftsmanship of the wood structures is astounding. Even the rain gutters and downspouts are beautiful.

There are vending machines everywhere in Japan. Since there is virtually no crime, they plop them down anywhere, without worrying about vandals or anything. This afternoon, I took advantage of a vending machine to refresh myself with a nice ice cold can of iced coffee with milk. To my surprise the can that came tumbling out of the machine was at least 195 degrees F. Yep, the vending machine sells cold drinks and hot drinks, all in cans. Another fascinating thing about the no crime issue is that not only does every store lack shoplifting alarms, but most have goods on display outside the store on tables, with no one minding them. And not just trinkets, but fairly expensive items. Pretty odd for a Manhattanite like me.

So far, the weather has been great--no rain, it seems to have missed us today. The hotel moved me to a suite for the hell of it, and since the hotel is on a mountainside on the east of Kyoto, I have sweeping views of the entire city. If the weather holds, I plan to spend most of tomorrow here in Kyoto, then catch a Nozomo Shinkansen (super express bullet train) to Osaka for my third night. Then it is off to Tokyo by Nozomo Shinkansen.