train line tragedy

the japan rail, chuo line, the fastest running train between tokyo and shinjuku station and stretching far out into the western suburbs, has been making a rather gruesome name for itself.  the disturbing rate of death by jumping (in front of the train) has seen many of the stations along this line spring into action, in an attempt to deter this horrific act.


regarding such a serious and important issue, no doubt the discussions, meetings and late nights at the office would have been countless as would have been the bowing, indecisiveness and saliva sucking.  however some innovative and perhaps unheard of ideas have been planned and executed. a seemingly attractive stretch for the depressed, between tachikawa and kunitachi stations, was given a rainbow-bright face lift in an attempt to either a) highlight any lurking activity or b) add some cheer to a seriously down soul contemplating death.  some platforms have replaced their drab grey concrete with fresh white tiles, possibly having a psychological effect on the depressed ??.  the deterant that causes the greatest amount of intrigue is the idea of covering the walls of some platforms with full length mirrors. for the sake of the possible-jumpers and their families, we hope that this measure does not create the opposite to its intended response.  a full length reflection of oneself, feeling worthless, lifeless and on the brink may actually be motivation to finish the job.

we do hope that all measures are effective in helping to alleviate this serious and sad issue, however feel that this social issue requires more than mirrors and rainbows and goes far deeper than asthetics.


as an added blow, the familties of the deceased are suspected to be the ones covering the cost of the tragedy, financially covering clean up, damage, commuter transportation and ticket refunds.

This story from the The Daily Mainichi newspaper gives an indication of the kind of 'inconvience' and financial impact these 'accidents' create.

'Woman Jumps to Death in Front of JR Train

Jan 20, 2000.  TOKYO — A woman killed herself by jumping in front of a JR Chuo Line train in Tokyo on Wednesday morning, temporarily halting service and inconveniencing nearly 90,000 commuters, police said. The unidentified woman, who appeared to be in her 30s, jumped in front of an oncoming rapid-service train bound for Takao at Asagaya Station in Suginami-ku, Tokyo, at around 7:20 a.m. and was killed instantly, according to police. Investigators suspect suicide and are attempting to identify the woman. The train was brought to a standstill for nearly 50 minutes and six other rapid-service trains on the line were canceled. Some 50 local trains were delayed for three to 48 minutes. At one point, more than 1,000 people crammed onto the platform at JR Mitaka Station and police had to be sent in to restore order, investigators said.'

a quick and extremely conservative calculation, would see the families reimbursing approx 20 million yen (about a quarter of a million australian) for ticket refunds alone. that added to the unthinkable pain.

we sure hope the countless meetings, discussions and late nights continue to equal a proactive response to this nasty social issue.

 

sweet nirvana

there are very few times in one's life when all the elements come together to create a state of total peace, a state in which the highest and pure love can be felt and offered, a moment of being that slices through all conditional issues and can transcend any pain. many spend their lives searching for this calm. as i write this i feel a sense of sorrow for those of you who have not yet been given the chance to be surrounded by this kind of peace and love. it is not easy to attain, and i too had to travel far and wide in search of it. as with most aspects in life, this kind of abundance shows itself to you when you least expect it and often it a form that you may never have imagined. my awakening came to me in a small plastic wrap, and it wasn't until i read the inscription that i truely knew of its power and could recognise the force of 'okashi'. i guess deep down i always knew it to be the truth, but it took seiyo kyujitsu, to open my eyes and tell me.

for those of you in search of the power and the love, all you need is to get your hands on a hakata seiyo-wagashi.

as the package reads "the spirit of okashi. it is what gives a peaceful and pleasent mind to the human race. all the time man seeks romance in the okashi. we have been working hard and carefully, and work on. to weave the romance and fancy into each okashi. this, at last we have made up 'the hakata seiyo-wagashi' if you taste the feeling and the spirit of the okashi which value true tradition and living in the times, there is no pleasure better than it"

what exactly is okashi??

its a small snack...who would have thought something so small could bring so much greatness?

in another one of those glorious twists...i found not one but two okashis placed upon my desk.  the second, although much more scrumptious than the first, did not claim to offer the same all encompassing pleasure, the package merely reading " please share and enjoy the sweet taste with you jolly good time".

private coffee

there was something about this cafe rich coffee that caught my eye!




while it's easy to make childish jokes about the downstairs department using the english language, i began to realise that i had no knowledge of the japanese terms used for the various parts of the male and female anatomy. it didn't take too much research to find out that there is basically one word, no slang for 'the parts'. it turns out that the 'parts' my tasty beverage may or mat not have included, are referred to as 'tama'. try as i might, i could not dig up any other japanese words, puns or jokes for this region.  but it seems that some of the town and city name givers of this country had only one thing on their mind when they were deciding what to call the various suburbs and stations...'filth, pure filth'. a place i once thought of as a fresh and luscious city now conjures up a very different thought - 'tama' center.  a popular stop along the nambu line is minami 'tama'... minami meaning south and tama meaning, amoung other things...well you know - those thingies. hhhhmmmm very fishy.  i could delve deeper...but might just leave it at that for now!

hits are getting bigger!

what started out as a quiet gathering to celebrate sushi zume's first 500 hits...



soon turned into a raging karaoke fest!

thanks to everyone for an awesome party!

robots in disguise

designed by kiyonori kikutake, the sofitel tower in ueno tokyo certainly is a unique structure.

an online tourist advertisement gives their interpretation of the design... "Seen with your eyes, the structure appears to be a stack of five trapeziums. Seen with your mind, it becomes a cross between a Japanese temple and the tree of life"

sushi zume's interpretation... 'seen with your eyes it looks like a big christmas tree (or a really awesome place to own an apartment). Seen with your eyes crossed and head tilted a little to the side it becomes,  Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, and the greatest warrior in the history of the Transformers.

almost a cafe

the tokyo cafe scene is a brimming, coffee drinkers playground. the ever increasing number of cafes are always crammed with studious customers, chain smokers and shoppers in need of a break.  the popular chains such as starbucks, tullys, doutor and excellsior, as well as the countless independant, chic cafes, offer caffeine hits ranging from 200 to 900 yen.  the sea of cafes are popular destinations and a cuppa is never more than a few minutes walk away.


on the coat tails of this city style, many hybrid cafes have surfaced. the city has seen a number of bookstores, internet services and music stores also taking on a cafe style. 


recently, sushi zume has noticed some 'try-hard' cafes popping up. this umbrella store's name asks shoppers to consider the possibilities, perhaps use their imagination a little. 'Like a cafe?' (isn't it? don't you think? kind of?) oh yeah...it's like a cafe without coffee, cakes, seats or smokers.





and as if there wasn't already enough freedom for smokers in this city, smoking-only cafes have been spotted. this cafe, ingeniously named 'smokers' style', gives nicotine lovers the added bonus of dining in a haze of luscious tabacco smoke, while sucking back their tasty durries.