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Saturday, January 8, 2005

what are YOU having for lunch?

in tokyo, the importance of stylish appearance and neat presentation is a powerful force.


so much so that even tasty morsels purchased from the local bakery are packaged just as exquisitely as an evening dress or designer piece.


designer bread

what's not so posh about this is the designer bread price, that you get used to paying. this little treat of sandwiches, a mini size half loaf and a small circle of flat bread cost 948 yen. Right now that's about $12 Australian and $9 US 


but who could resist these tiny, bite-size sandwiches? cute huh?



cute sandwich


in a strange and glorious twist...after paying an exorbitant utility bill at the local conbini, the cute girl that works there (and she really is cute - often wonder how one person could be so cheery selling sake, porn and cup noodles) handed me this free, full size (3 pieces) loaf of 'fine aroma' bread.
ain't life grand?


good smell

Friday, January 7, 2005

don't do it!

WARNING:



if you are a foreigner living in tokyo and you are thinking about giving up coffee...



DON'T DO IT!



this might happen to you too!



uh oh


HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

Thursday, January 6, 2005

i love tokyo

where else could you buy a pink glitter  80's style powerboard?

Akihabara Tokyo Japan

Dsc06798

Wednesday, January 5, 2005

louis louis

to say that many japanese love brand names, would be a shocking and disrespectful understatement! brand obsession appears to be a firmly rooted social norm that spans most age groups, sub cultures and pay packets.


Dior - Omotesando


in a recent street survey, conducted by sushi zume's favourite off line magazine, tokyo graffiti - 100 young japanese women were photographed with their most used accessory - their purse. of the 100 women questioned, 81% showed off a brand name purse-louis vuitton, gucci, prada, dior etc... 100% of these women were aged 20 years or below. many of them stating their occupation as student or 'office lady'.

tokyo graffiti vol 1


it appears that young or old, rich or not so rich, everyone wants a piece of louis!



louis vuitton omotesando tokyo


** sushi zume strongly believes that this brand brainwash requires some serious unpacking! stay tuned to read about sushi taking it to the streets, asking "why? why? why?" and "how on earth do you afford one of those?"

environmentally peaceful

paper cranes hang on a peace memorial in ueno park.each crane, recycled japanese junk mail


new meaning to the term 'greenpeace'
origami crane - ueno

Tuesday, January 4, 2005

beware of the alien stalker

at precisely 4:30 pm, each afternoon, a musical melody sounds through the streets of tachikawa, tokyo. much like the tune an icecream van would belt out to alert kids it was time to whip out their pocket money.  for many months i thought that's exactly what is was and often wondered what a tokyo ice cream van would look like.  i visualised some hip harajuku punk serving elaborately decorated soft serve from a hot pink, bedazzled van. but something didn't add up when i continued to hear what i thought was an ice cream van cruising the streets at 4:30pm on frosty winter afternoons, thought it a little strange, didn't seem to make good business sense, but also figured...'this IS tokyo'.


i had questioned some friends about the melody but no one really seemed to know what i was talking about. when 4:30pm approached and i heard the ice cream van, i launched to my feet pointing out to the street "that noise, hear it? that's the noise i've been telling you about! what is it?" barely looking up from his magazine zume replied "all kids have to go home". still confused i again questioned "no, that sound, like a song, is it an ice cream truck?" this time looking at me like I was the weird one zume repeated "it's time for all kids to go home. when they hear that noise it means it's getting late and it's time to go homely safely. they have to be careful"


oh of course, silly me, why didn't i know that?? makes perfect sense, right? the musical melody wasn't a reminder to eat dessert, it was like a neighbourhood pied piper luring the children home safely.


which got me to thinking. recently i have noticed some rather odd signs posted in the neighbourhood. my japanese is far from perfect and the posters really could be about anything, but the the blue oval underneath the alien's outstretched arms reads su-to-ka, sound it out...its the japanese pronounciation of an english word..su-to-ka, su-to-ka...that's right STALKER. these signs, hung on every second pole, are obviously warning children and women to watch out for the alien-like stalker, that leaps out from behind poles wearing a strange devil/frog costume (possibly bought from Tokyu Hands).


alien frog stalker

Monday, January 3, 2005

pretty ain't it?

the tokyo gas dome set against a candy-sweet sunset...ahhh tokyo, can't you just taste the pollution?


tachikawa tokyo

one fish, two fish, red fish, globe fish

"anyone who says that they don't like japanese food, simply hasn't tried it"  sushi zume
takoyaki cooking


from the boiling to the bizarre, japanese food is as diverse as it is beautiful. much more than raw fish and rice, japanese food can be a sensory delight, visually spectacular and  orally lush.



recently i was asked by a co worker, as she puffed out her cheeks, "do you know fugu ?" of course the simpsons episode instantly sprang to my mind. "yer i know fugu, but i've never eaten it". i think i detected a glimmer of naughtiness in her eye, as if something in her seemingly innocent mind said 'let's scare the aussie girl' as she excitedly blurted out "oh let's eat, let's eat, you eat fugu with us", again puffing her cheeks out. "it's poisonous, right?" i said whilst playing charades, acting like someone had just fixed a noose around my neck causing my eyes to roll back in my head and my tongue to hang out to one side. "dai jou bu, dai jou bu" (no worries, no worries) she replied, again with 'that look'.



while i wasn't too concerned about eating the famous deadly japanese fish, i did wonder if i should take some precautions, maybe call my family and friends, write a will...something, just in case. of course i didn't do any of these things, but it's the thought that counts right?



i think i was just as excited as my co workers were as we all piled into the car and made our way to the japanese restaurant. they chattered about this and that but would often stop and say to me, with eyes wide and cheeks puffed out "growbe fish". one of them had obviously typed 'fugu' into their cute little electronic dictionary and the answer had appeared "globe fish".



as we entered the restaurant we were greeted by an older lady in kimono and a tank full of "growbe fish".  the fugu looked rather cute i thought. although they are not famous for their good looks they are sometimes kept as pets, i remembered having seen them mini size for sale at a shinjuku department store. after much ooooowwing and ahhhhing, we were finally seated in a cosy corner of the traditional style japanese restaurant. the usual lengthy ordering process and waiting thirstily for the first "kampai" (cheers) followed, but before long there it was in front of me...the infamous fugu. to be honest i was shocked, not by its grotesque appearance, but quite the opposite. we were each given a plate that displayed a round of paper thin, almost transparent fish pieces accompanied by a small bundle of negi (spring onions) and a small bowl of dipping sauce.



before devouring the dish, i wondered what might happen should i end up with a deadly piece on my plate, put there accidently by the apprentice in the kitchen. would i simply slump to the floor? would it be a dramatic death, with foam and convultions? however it soon became apparent to me that i was more likely to die of starvation than food poisoning. the aim of this fugu game was to wrap the sticky, clear piece of fugu around the skinny tube of negi, dip it into the sauce and then get it to your mouth using a pair of oddly designed chopsticks, all the while being eyed by your colleagues.  lucky for me i have become quite skilled in the art of chopstick use aswell as making a japanese-style fuss even if i don't particularly love what i'm doing/eating/seeing/hearing (some people call that faking it, some japanese might call it good manners). after all the build up and the anticipation, i was left thinking 'fugu is not all it's cracked up to be' and 'is that it? cos im bloody starving!'



little did i know things had only just begun, the first round of fugu was merely offered to tempt the taste buds, get us wanting/ needing more. next came the fugu nabe. a gorgeous steaming hot pot of deliciously fresh vegetables, delectable noodles, scrumptious lemon and soy dipping sauce and the boney, barely edible, almost tasteless fugu.



i'm not saying that i didn't enjoy fugu, it was certainly a great experience. but it would be true to say that half the fun of "growbe fish" was much like the fun of  the "lucky dip". the excitment, the unknown, the anticipation, the fact that i had the money to throw around on expensive deadly fish.



 

izakaya

izakaya tachikawa tokyo



izakaya - japanese tavern/bar/inexpensive hangout



tokyo is jam packed with this style of bar, from the cheap to the sleek



sushi zume has found a new fav



smokey, friendly, and always packed with salary men and women in pursuit of facial redness

Sunday, January 2, 2005

3 more words

remember we said they might not stay the same...



today, sushi zume is thinking of tokyo as



mysterious


youthful


full

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