50 sq meters in Tokyo, 6915 miles from home

Portugal

2007-07-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

2007-07-06T07:37:00.000-07:00

do you want to see the world?

Travelling

2007-07-02T04:22:00.000-07:00

Kublai Kan - Caminhas sempre de cabeça virada para trás? - ou - O que vês está sempre nas tuas costas?

Tudo para que Marco Polo pudesse explicar ou imaginar que explicava ou imaginarem que explicava ou conseguir finalmente explicar a si próprio que aquilo que ele procurava era sempre algo que estava diante de si, e mesmo que se tratasse do passado era um passado que mudava à medida que ele avançava na sua viagem, porque o passado do viajante muda de acordo com o itinerário realizado.(...)

Chegando a qualquer nova cidade, o viajante reencontra o seu passado que já não sabia que tinha: a estranheza do que já não somos ou já não possuímos espera-nos ao caminho nos lugares estranhos e não possuídos.(...) Os futuros não realizados são apenas ramos do passado: ramos secos.

- Viajas para reviver o teu passado? - era agora a pergunta do Kan, que também podia ser formulada assim: viajas para achar o teu futuro? E a resposta de Marco - o algures é um espelho em negativo. O viajante reconhece o pouco que é seu, descobrindo o muito que não teve nem terá.

Kyoto 京都市

2007-06-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

Religion is not in prayer, but in an underlying way of life.

God is not confined in a name, or in a certain way of thought, but in light.

Enlight.

Welcome to Japan.

With mind and arms wide open, alll good hearts are welcome, regardless of their beliefs.

Moving on Up,

2007-05-07T04:45:00.000-07:00

...climbing on down. The world is a set of perfectly paired opposites, claimed Parmenides. Each one carefully fitting into self-contained preconceptions of right and wrong. good and bad. Others called it Yin and Yang. Black and White. Good and Evil. But then came those who asked if weight could be weightless and lightness unbearable. Came those who looked at all the shades of grey and the world sprawling within them. Still, in Japan, most of those haven't came around. Conditioned. tagged. pre-defined. Logical. Accepting. Abiding. And Kundera by my side still pondering on this unbearable lightness of being that here, most don't seem to understand. Because they haven't even reached the point of even posing the question. Silent acceptance. On the way to work. On the way from work. In their homes. Outside themselves. Japan is this silent sea of ever-moving unquestionability.

Waking up (in different places)

2007-04-27T23:58:00.000-07:00

Lo svegliarsi di una città, che avvenga con la nebbia o altrimenti, per me è sempre più commovente dello spuntare del giorno in campagna. Ci sono molte più cose che tornano alla vita, ci sono molte più cose da aspettarsi quando il sole, invece di limitarsi a indorare (prima di luce oscura, poi di luce umida, infine di oro luminoso) i prati, le sporgenze degli arbusti, le palme delle mani delle foglie, moltiplica i suoi possibili effetti sulle finestre, sui muri, sui tetti [...]. Un'aurora in campagna mi fa star bene; un'aurora in città mi fa star bene e male, e perciò mi fa star meglio. Sì, perché la maggiore speranza che mi arreca possiede, come tutte le speranze, il sapore lontano e nostalgico di non essere realtà. Un mattino in campagna...

Bernardo Soares "Il Libro dell'Inquietudine"

Aishiteru 愛する

2007-04-21T02:51:00.000-07:00

He encontrado el lugar justo donde se ponen las manos,
a la vez mayor y menor que ellas mismas.

He encontrado el lugar
donde las manos son todo lo que son
y también algo más.

Pero allí no he encontrado
algo que estaba seguro de encontrar:
otras manos esperando las mías.

Roberto Juarroz

(love in Japan is a set of rules. from white day to darker days, love is still just an english dictionary definition stated and publicized by large corporate companies. love is dangerously close to mandatory "i love you" box of excquisite chocolates and daydreamy foreing inspired cards. and obligation dawningly close to the necessity of women transpiring naif virginity. but breathing ignorance, submission and sex. And all that is left for the 30 year old ex-Lolitas is a cold bottle of water to grasp sharingly.)

Unasked for (piece of advice)

2007-04-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

wisdom is self-reflective evitcelfer-fles

Tsukiji #05

2007-04-12T22:48:00.000-07:00

"Return is the reconciliation with life's finitude"

Milan Kundera

Japanese mind frame (chinese wisdom)

2007-04-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

"Some things, though right, were considered wrong
for generations. Since the value of righteousness
may be recognized after centuries,
there is no need to crave an immediate appreciation."

Koan de Zengetsu, dinastia T'ang.

Tsukiji #04

2007-04-11T08:27:00.000-07:00

Tsukiji #03

2007-04-11T07:57:00.000-07:00

Tsukiji #02

2007-04-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

Tsukiji

2007-04-11T07:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter

2007-04-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

Wine Winning Wining Whyning

2007-04-07T04:07:00.000-07:00

There's more to the countries wine sector than Madeira, Mateus and Port.

I'm not the one saying it, he is.

On the Agenda for the weekend

2007-04-03T07:07:00.000-07:00

" Welcome home, Man of the house.

Would you like your maid to serve you some tea?

And some therapeutic care?

Please unwind and make yourself at home "

Note to Customers:

PINK : The Maids dressed in PINK offer a higher level of service, such as therapeutic care. They’ll help alleviate all the stresses of the day.

BLACK : The Maids dressed in BLACK AND WHITE specialize in cafe service.

If you require any assistance, please ask

Kaizen #04

2007-04-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

For the next couple of days, you can find me (on display) over here

Lost in Translation

2007-04-01T03:35:00.000-07:00

...when you come to Tokyo, you can't escape some common place clichets.

Like visiting the New York Bar at the Park Hyatt's 52th floor.

Or sometimes feeling like this:

meme

2007-04-01T00:14:00.000-07:00

meme

A contagious information pattern that replicates by parasitically infecting human minds and altering their behavior, causing them to propagate the pattern.

An idea or information pattern is not a meme until it causes someone to replicate it, to repeat it to someone else.

All transmitted knowledge is memetic

(welcome to everyday life in Japan)

stolen from him

Friday at work

2007-03-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

was like this

(and suddenly everything feels better - maybe that's why the japanese never miss out on ohanami)

Decisions on the making (Do Not Disturb)

2007-03-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

Procrastination

procrastinatus pro- (forward)
crastinus (of tomorrow)

.deferment or avoidance of an action or task often linked to perfectionism. For the person procrastinating this may result in stress, a sense of guilt, the loss of productivity, the creation of crisis, and the chagrin of others for not fulfilling one's responsibilities or commitments. While it is normal for individuals to procrastinate to some degree, it becomes a problem when it impedes normal functioning.

types of procrastionators: tense/afraid; relaxed

It's that time of year again

2007-03-30T02:56:00.000-07:00

ohanami 花見
(cherry blossom flower viewing)

photo by Yuki

Tokyote Lifestyle

2007-03-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

Tokyo has the most impressive, massive, glamorous, appealingly sexy, money making/spending, time/life consuming concept spaces you can find anywhere in the world.

Malls, gallerys or mere department stores such as Harrods look overdated when compared to the new all-in-one life style small cities concept spaces such as Roppongi Hills or Izumi Gardes.

In this real-estate multi-million complexes you can do and find anything - luxury apartments to rent, gyms, a vast array of shops, state of the art work offices, gardens, museums... you name it, it's there! It is as if you breeze along your everyday and also "every other" day needs without actually leaving one of these several thousands square meters complexes.

And after the smaller but none the less charming and tempting fashion statement like Omotesando Hills or the undisputed shiny Roppongi Hills, the same area of Roppongi now has yet another one of these real estate moguls which once again aims at turning Tokyo into the center of intellectual creativity for business and culture in Japan, Asia and the world*: "Tokyo Midtown".

...And it's exactly do this never ending capacity of renewing itself, also based on the competitive spirit that pushes forward the 23 differente autonomous administrative areas that Tokyo comprises that Tokyo IS the center of intellectual creativity for business and culture in Japan, and I daresay Asia.

*Hiromitsu Iwasa, head of Mitsui Real Estate, which developed Tokyo Midtown

Change of pace

2007-03-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

Starting monday "eigo ga wakarimasu ka?" comes one step further torwards no longer being a part of my vocabulary. With a little help from them.

Changes are around the corner.

We are all animals

2007-03-28T05:17:00.000-07:00

...on a conversation I had with him today we came to the conclusion that "we are all animals, what changes from person to person is what actually acts as the switch capable of turning you into one".

What do you think? What makes you tick?

Alphabet

2007-03-28T04:35:00.002-07:00

...of all things random that compose the words which are made of music and dream pictures inside our everyday lifes.

.::Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind::.

music: trespassers williams, "Lie in the Sound"

Roadtrip

2007-03-27T18:13:00.000-07:00

Patagonia is the portion of South America mostly in Argentina and partly of Chile made up of the Andes mountains to the west and south and plateaus and low plains to the east.

To the east of the Andes, it lies south of the Neuquén River and Colorado rivers, and, to the west of the Andes, south of (39°S), excluding the Chiloé Archipelago.^[1] East of the Andes the Argentine portion of Patagonia includes the provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz, and Tierra del Fuego, as well as the southern tips of the provinces of Buenos Aires, Mendoza and La Pampa. The Chilean portion embraces the southern part of the region of Los Lagos, and the regions of Aysen and Magallanes. It excludes those portions of Antarctica claimed by both countries.

Patagonia is where we'll be in November.

Wannabe tourist #02

2007-03-27T04:36:00.000-07:00

.::109::.

is a mandatory stop for teenage girl shoppers as well as Tokyotes fashionistas, and therefore, for western guy tourists all the same. Located in Shibuya, it oversees the famous crossroad where millions of ever in a hurry people cross everyday as well as one of our "meetup" points, a coffee called Cheesecake - heaven and home for all things cheeselike.

Portugalopedia #02

2007-03-27T04:31:00.000-07:00

Salazar was elected "the greatest Portuguese"

...maybe that's why we are so utterly alone, placed in the farthest end of Europe's ever longer tail.

HomeWear #02

2007-03-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

HomeWear

2007-03-26T04:44:00.000-07:00

Life(Style)

2007-03-26T03:55:00.000-07:00

...is like Nike's slogan.

(either you do it or you don't)

And that's all there's to it.

(photo: my home's garbage bins)

Same wave lenght

2007-03-26T02:57:00.000-07:00

as her.

words (andorinha inspiration feed)

2007-03-26T02:04:00.000-07:00

words
work

wore
down
words.

"E nós, embasbacados, perante quem mais queríamos que as ouvisse, vazios de signo e sinal…"

Paper obsolete.

(I bought postcards today. But it's been so hard to write them. Filling in the blanks.)

Wannabe tourist #01

2007-03-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

.::Shibuya::.

Visitor #02

2007-03-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

...arrived last wednesday for a quick visit, and has just left. Since we had a holiday and I'd been working the previous weekend the last few days were- finally and exclusively - dedicated to getting to know the above ground Tokyo (yes, there is life sprawling besides the massive subway lines...). And all we have to say is that:

photo by Yuki

Ganguro, Yamanba and Center Guys

2007-03-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

If you're strolling down Shibuya or Ikebukuro, especially if it a Thursday night, you probably have notice flashy meets shabby/africa meets the disco era japanese assortment of girls and guys.

They're called Ganguro ガングロ (literally meaning "black-face"), and the most extreme expression of this trend is known as Yamanba ヤマンバ who have even darker tans and go to the extent of using white marker pens on their faces. Their male counterparts are known as Center guys センター街 Sentaagai.

To do list

2007-03-19T02:00:00.000-07:00

Buy #01 [canon powershot g7]
Buy#02 [this, that or dit?]

Kaizen #03

2007-03-16T02:54:00.000-07:00

Hoteres + Foodex + Portuguese Companies mission to Japan + New house settling + work work work etc etc + no internet at the new home = lack of time for new posts

(I should get Internet by Monday though so I'll be back soon. Hopefully next week will be quieter in terms of work, and busier when it comes to social gatherings, since I have visitors number 2 and 3 coming over already!)

Moving out, moving on #04

2007-03-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

And finally, this morning we moved our bags from the Hotel to our litlle cozy japanese style HOME!

(pictures soon, promise!)

Galo de Barcelos (Barcelo's Rooster)

2007-03-11T22:06:00.000-07:00

GALO. ROOSTER

Moving out, moving on #03

2007-03-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

the next few days it will be like this

Moving out, moving on #02

2007-03-10T03:46:00.000-08:00

Home = 泉岳寺

Due to a rather untrustworthy landlord that wouldn't want to commit on move in due date and other episodes we decided that it was probably best to keep the other house (contestant #01 Sengakuji/Takanawa/Minato-ku)

Located right next door to one of Tokyo's most celebrated Temples my soon-to-be-home oversees a nice little garden and has a warm, sunny typical japanese feel to it.

And almost as soon as I move in, I'll get to watch one of the reenactments of the tale of 47 Ronin - the samurai that committed seppuku after avenging their master, and that now rest in Sengakuji, next to Lord Asano and Kira - one of best know and most appreciated in Japanese history.

photo credits: Stéfan

Moving out, moving on!

2007-03-09T21:14:00.000-08:00

changing places
(part I starts tomorrow, part II probably by Thursday)

Strolling down Shibuya #02

2007-03-09T06:18:00.000-08:00

photo credits: Yuki

Strolling down Shibuya #01

2007-03-09T06:03:00.000-08:00

photo credits: Yuki and Antonio

On the Agenda for the day #02

2007-03-07T06:08:00.000-08:00

...was Shibuya after work.

Another visit to Hachiko - the faithfull dog that kept waiting for his deceased owner in front of the exit 8 of Shibuya station (thus named after him) long after he was gone - and a first visit to one of the main theme restaurant/bars that populate Tokyo nowadays, with a stop over at Christon Cafe. It has a catholic cathedral sort of déco and ambiance but once you get past the reminiscences of a probably christian background which included a few trips to the local church - enough to teach you it's no place to drink or dine at least - it has a rather nice atmosphere and the menu's not bad at all. I intend on going back.

(and once again we almost ended up accidentally roaming into kinky stores)

*photo credits: elothek

Tomorrow morning I'm off to Asakusa to take a peek at old Tokyo's district.

On the Agenda for the day

2007-03-05T21:08:00.000-08:00

Akihabara
(electric town)

秋葉原

10/2= 5 sq meters*

2007-03-05T20:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday arrived my first visitor: youkoso! (welcome)

(*and this goes to prove that whenever there's a will, there's really a way!)

Nikko #03

2007-03-03T06:20:00.000-08:00

Nikko #02

2007-03-03T06:14:00.000-08:00

Nikko #01

2007-03-03T06:09:00.000-08:00

Kaizen #02

2007-03-02T02:26:00.000-08:00

Gov't study international food issues

"Friday, March 2, 2007 at 16:16 EST

TOKYO — The agriculture ministry said Friday it will set up a panel to study issues related to international food production to secure stable food supplies for the country in the future.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is set to hold its first meeting of the internal panel on Monday to study issues such as projections of the global supply and demand balance for food, with four experts participating. The ministry plans to continue the survey for about a year. The panel's establishment comes at a time when the circumstances surrounding food procurement are changing. One example is a sharp rise in the price of corn and other farm crops on the back of surging demand for bio-ethanol, which has drawn attention as an alternative fuel to gasoline."

Now that is what I call "sustainability" and "planning ahead". This should serve as an example to other countries (such as mine) where the advantages of actually planning something and sticking to the plan, are widely overlooked.

Portuguese Fashion Week

2007-03-01T17:25:00.000-08:00

...starts today

iroha dokun*

2007-03-01T06:28:00.000-08:00

"Those who sleep late and don't work hard will be poor"

"New wisdom can be found in old things"

*Iroha dokun refers to Japanese "ways of living" written in Iroha order, which means that the first letter of each "way of living" begins using a character that corresponds to the same order that is used in hiragana. The second "way of living" will begin using a character corresponding to the second character of the hiragana set. The number of hiragana and the number of "ways of living" are thus the same.

House Furnishing #01

2007-03-01T06:07:00.000-08:00

any resemblance between one and the other is just mere coincidence (or maybe it's the Japanese knack for business...)

Tea Time

2007-03-01T03:03:00.000-08:00

...was over here today

House Hunting #03

2007-03-01T02:48:00.000-08:00

Well, after checking out contestant number #03's highs and lows today, it's up to contestant's #01 and #02. And I think I'm keeping #02. Thing is I can only move in around the 15th (which is not only a working day but also falls right in the middle of the most hectic work week ever. I've got this, that, dot, plus an article on Tokyo, besides a huge not mentionable dit and a friend coming over.)

This means I'll probably move here - since it's close to my home to be - untill I can take contestant #02 for a "house" drive...(I'm going to check it out again in a week though so I'll keep you posted).

House Hunting #02

2007-02-28T03:45:00.000-08:00

Contestant #01 - Sengakuji

2DK (two bedroom one dining/kitchen), 47 square meters, 1st floor, average building

pros|
right next door to Sengakuji Temple
cheap
quiet, nice neighbourhood
light and room/dining room window has balcony over building's little garden
probably around half an hour to get to work without having to catch main lines

cons|
japanese style bathroom
small dining/kitchen

Contestant #02 - Shinagawa

2/3DK (two bedroom plus one bedroom connecting to the dining room, like a studio plus dining/kitchen) around 57 square meters; 4th floor, good building

pros|
nice neighbourhood, upscale residential type (where most japanese politics live)
close to a good local gym with yoga
cinema, shopping center, great supermarket nearby
situated on the JR Yamanote line (easy access to Shibuya and all main areas)
light
quiet - overlooking a garden on the backyard
western type bathroom, wood like floor, being renewed as we speak
best access to anywhere in and out of Tokyo of all three

cons|
no elevator (buildings in Japan up to 4 floors have no elevator)
will only be ready on the 15th of March (which means I'll have to stay at an Hotel for a few days)
probably will catch a lot of comotion on the JR Yamanote line to work everyday

Contestant #03 Shirokane

2/3DK (two bedroom plus one bedroom connecting to the dining room, like a studio plus dining/kitchen) around 61square meters; 7th floor

pros|
my favourite neighbourhood of all tree
good access to work without having to catch the commotion of the JR Yamanote line
great shops, cafe's and everything nearby
can influence renovation being done

cons|
the most expensive one
will only be ready on the 15th/20th of March

(will visit this one tomorrow so I'll get back with info on that one then)

Places #02 Convento de São Saturnino

2007-02-28T03:36:00.000-08:00

Convento de São Saturnino, Azóia, Portugal

Benfica's 103th birthday

2007-02-28T02:47:00.000-08:00

Places #01 Bussaco

2007-02-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

credits: Traitlin Burke

Places and Non places

2007-02-27T05:29:00.000-08:00

Non places [os Não Lugares]

Marc Augé defines non places as having no identity, no history and no urban relationships. Non-places are temporary spaces for passage, communication and consumption; the motorways seen from car interiors, motorway restaurants/service/petrol stations, large supermarkets, duty-free shops and the passenger transit lounges of world airports.

Non-places are contrary to places. They represent the decline of the public man and the rise of the self-obsessed man. Non-places are such due to their solitary arrangement, shielded by pin and credit-card numbers, as well as passwords that create safety as well as solitude and alienation.

When I first got to Japan - and even while I was traveling - I was constantly reminded of this definition I had read about 5 years ago. It stuck it with me. Waiting. Poising under my skin of thought. As soon as I got to Tokyo, it flourished. almost taking me by assault. That's why I'm starting two new tags - places and non places - because I believe that, even though Augé is partially right, I also believe that the world - as well as places - are composed by multicoloured shades of grey. Not by mere one sensed biased labeled black OR white.

Tokyo might be crawling with non places. But I believe there also places inside this multicity metropolis. And once I get my camera (probably this weekend) I'll try and find them for you, so we can share both realities. Nothing is comprised of a single lensed view. Still, I'll not limit it to Tokyo, and we'll actually start of by sharing some of Portuguese places.

Portugalopedia #01

2007-02-26T23:53:00.000-08:00

http://www.myguide.pt/

weekend #02

2007-02-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

= house-hunting, gourmet dining, 1st movie in japan, japanese brides, odaiba and samurais!

Well. So this weekend the desperate search for the impossible "just another square meter within my budget PLEASE" house continued. And it came with chauffeur service all over again. And gourmet lunching and dinning at yet another pair of posh hotels in Tokyo. Life is good! But it will get so much better once I move into MY HOUSE! Of course I'm sharing it with the two most lovely persons ever, but it will still be my house when compared to the 9 square meter room I now inhabit, plus the 14 sq meter or such I share with FOUR GUYS (not enough patience there).

After a long hard search I finally found a place worth reserving for us - really nice area, with everything around it (even a small scale oceanarium), near some of the best hotels. The thing is, since they're renovating the whole thing, we can actually only move in around the 15th so I'll have to put up with these guys for at least two more weeks. But since it's taking so long I'm actually going to check a couple more houses I found in really nice areas, about the same size and prize.

This time, my ojii-san wanted to take me to Odaiba - a new area of Tokyo where they have small scale reproductions of things like the Statue of Liberty (you do have everything in Japan really...). The place is really nice, with a great giant wheel which you can ride on to see the sight. And believe me, once Tokyo lights up at night, that's something you don't want to miss. One of the other things is the upliftingly named "Rainbow Bridge". Odaiba includes the area of Tokyo Bay, so you have a great sea view as well. But what is really great in Odaiba are the hotels. Brand new multi million complexes with fabulous restaurants and spas. We dinned at the New Nikko Hotel and I must say it was oishii! Food in Japan is really exquisite, whether you go for traditional cuisine or fusion like flavours. And the presentations is always impecable. One thing I've notice is they always eat smaller amounts, but do a longer meal, comprising soup, an entry or at least salad, the main course and desert/fruit. Even at your everyday work and eat fast restaurant that is rather normal. The other thing Odaiba is big on right now are: BRIDES! They were absolutely everywhere. It looks like Saturday is THE day to get hitched here in Japan, and Odaiba's hotels definitely the place to celebrate it in.

Sunday I checked a couple more houses and went to the Sengakuji temple, still considered one of the most important in Tokyo and Japan, since there is where you can find the remainings of the 47 loyal samurais who comited seppuku after avenging their assassinated master. It's located not far away from the house I reserved. After that we went to lunch at a PORTUGUESE RESTAURANT - obviously called "Manuel's" - where I could finally seek my teeth into some not too bad "pastéis de bacalhau, arroz de polvo, creme de favas and torta de laranja", well accompanied by a tasty red Pegos Claros. Then it was getting to Shinagawa time - which ended up leading to my first movie watching experience in Japan (it wasn't easy finding one in English, I'll probably have to skip Letter of Iwo Jima...) sitting in a deluxe theater with extra large sofa like chairs. Afterwards of course - girls only dinner at a nice Italian place and finally HOME.

No wonder I'm feeling tired...And tomorrow I have a lot of places to go, since well, being out there checking the shops is actually part of my job!

Kaizen (at work)

2007-02-21T03:23:00.000-08:00

The Kaizen method of continuous incremental improvements is an originally Japanese management concept for incremental (gradual, continuous) change (improvement). K. is actually a way of life philosophy, assuming that every aspect of our life deserves to be constantly improved. The Kaizen philosophy lies behind many Japanese management concepts such as Total Quality Control, Quality Control circles, small group activities, labor relations. Key elements of Kaizen are quality, effort, involvement of all employees, willingness to change, and communication.

Japanese companies distinguish between innovation (radical) and Kaizen (continuous). K. means literally: change (kai) to become good (zen).

The foundation of the Kaizen method consists of 5 founding elements:

1. teamwork,

2. personal discipline,

3. improved morale,

4. quality circles, and

5. suggestions for improvement.

Out of this foundation three key factors in K. arise:

- elimination of waste (muda) and inefficiency

- the Kaizen five-S framework for good housekeeping

1. Seiri - tidiness

2. Seiton - orderliness

3. Seiso - cleanliness

4. Seiketsu - standardized clean-up

5. Shitsuke - discipline

House Hunting

2007-02-20T05:27:00.000-08:00

Tokyo is mesmerizing. It truly is. I say this and I've only been here a couple of days.

But there's one problem which everybody already knows, or think he/she does, since theory lacks a sense of continuity with reality. That problem is named SPACE. And eventhough we all know how hard it's supposed to be to find a place to live in Tokyo, how small it's going to be, nothing can truly prepare the average westerner for what lays ahead, once we get here.

We are not used do sharing too much physical private space. The japanese are. But we are used to sharing emotional and mental space with one another, through relationship building and conversating, which the japanese aren't. So I believe it to be rather ironic that one of the countries in the world with the farther physical "intimacy distance", as defined by psychology, antropology and other social sciences, can also be one (or most likely THE one) with the smallest distances and privacy when it comes to housing.

It is almost customary to share your bathroom facilities with 4 to 5 other people who rent rooms in what we would call a rather small two person apartment in Europe.

And after these few days in the guesthouse I must say I most definitely was not cut out for this. I realised it almost as soon as I got here. So, and since I can't survive in a 9 square meter room with no closets at all, I decided to go house hunting. Just to find out that on a tight budget, in Tokyo that can be just as hard.

Still, I think I might have found it. I'll have to share the 50 square meter 2DK (two rooms and one dining/kitchen area) with either someone I don't know to well or (let's hope so) with a friend. But that beats the hell out of 9 square meters.

Let's hope for the best!

White Vs Black (um mes depois da chegada vai ser assim)

2007-02-19T05:57:00.000-08:00

White Day is a festival that was created by a concentrated marketing effort in Japan. White Day is celebrated in Japan and Korea on March 14, one month after Valentine's Day. On Valentine's Day, women give gifts to men; on White Day, men who received chocolate on Valentine's Day return the favor and give gifts to women. This holiday is starting to gain popularity in Hong Kong, where Japanese influence is strong.

There are many theories about the origins of White Day, but according to one, the holiday began in 1965, when a marshmallow maker started marketing to men that they should pay back the women who gave them chocolate and other gifts with marshmallows. Originally it was called Marshmallow Day, and later it was changed to White Day.

Soon, the chocolate companies started realizing that they could capitalise as well on this day, and began marketing white chocolate. Now, Japanese men give both white and non-white chocolate, as well as other edible and non-edible gifts, such as jewellery or objects of sentimental value, to the women who gave them chocolate on Valentine's Day a month prior.

In South Korea, candies are the usual present.

Black Day (April 14) is an informal tradition for single people (a.k.a. Unit Solo, Korean) to get together and eat noodles with black bean sauce in South Korea.

The idea is that those who didn't give or receive gifts on Valentine's Day or White Day, can get together and eat Jjajangmyeon (짜장면); Korean noodles with black bean sauce (hence the name) to commiserate their singledom.

The Korean black day has inspired others around the world to adopt this holiday. An internationally renowned yo-yo player who goes by the nickname of Black has started an annual celebration of Black Day among yo-yo players, who celebrate their single status with black yo-yos and making web-pages around the world black.

source: Wikipedia

First day at work

2007-02-19T00:28:00.000-08:00

Well, I got at work today. Everything went quite as I hoped. Afterwards I got a phone call from the nicest ever Portuguese also working in Tokyo, inviting me to have lunch.

To my surprise, she shows up at my doorstep with her long time Japanese boss, who insisted on taking us out to lunch. So well, not only did I had VIP limousine treatment but also VIP lunch treatment and got to know places I'd probably enter just to take a sneak peek at the fabulous Tokyo view.

We had the most wonderful traditional Kyoto meal, similar to the one that the Emperor used to eat back when this city was the capital of Japan, composed of some of the best tofu, sashimi and miso soup, amongst other delicacies I've ever eaten. Top that with the fact the my friends boss knew the Chef (who cooked this special meal for us), and by the fact that we were served by maika (geisha apprentices). Afterwards we went for a cup of coffee and scrumptious green tea, rasberry and chestnut cake at the 36th floor Italian Lounge of one of the most fabulous hotels in Akasaka.

Now that's LIVING!

(this weekend he wants to take us to Disneyland - I think I may have found myself a japanese ojiisan (grandfather)

Notepad #01

2007-02-18T00:52:00.000-08:00

I've never been to a city where, even though the non-stop excessive stimulae, it is so easy to switch off your brain and stop thinking. To simplify things just by responding in a Pavlovian way, to external inputs with actually stopping to reflect on them.

The first purchase

2007-02-17T20:23:00.000-08:00

hairdryer= headoraiya (yes, that's how you translate the way you actually spell it in japanese)

The first cab ride

2007-02-17T20:12:00.000-08:00

Well, on the first day here, I was invited out to dinner at a Lebanese restaurant where eventhough the food and the company (4 Portuguese, one half venezuelan half german, 2 russians and an italian girl) weren't bad at all, there was hardly anything Lebanese at all. Except maybe for one of the waiters who currently owes me and one of the Portuguese a beer each for helping him do the math when "La Dolorosa" (the check) came.

But really, even the girl who danced for us was japanese. Now can you imagine a japanese girl with no hips at all, looking really really tanned, trying to do oriental dances?

After and that and a couple of bars in Roppongi, the night ended up inside a cab with me having to explain to the driver where I wanted to go:

Akebonobashi made onegai shimasu (please take me to Akebonobashi)
e quando virem a porta de casa não se esqueçam do koko de iidesu

And it worked!

intercontinental change, intraselfinental continuity

2007-02-17T12:15:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Tokyo two days ago. And it feels like forever. And forever feels like yesterday.

I left my home country, family, friends and mainly the familiarity of all things that rest reassured and known and built into your heart mind lungs and emotional geography around 9 am on wednesday, 14th of February, just to land into a different mind set halfway around the world (and myself) to find that only two things stay the same, besides who I am: time -I landed and awoke into an almost opposite frame of thought, touch, language and gesture almost exactly at the same time I had departed the one that had informed me for most of my life, but arrived here just to find it was another day, another place, another "other"- and this busy tone my heart keeps playing each and every time anyone tries to phone in.

Saudade is where my heart lays (Metrô).