I thought that I was slightly obsessed with blossom but this kids, is the Japanese blossom forecast. The blossom will be out here between 20-25 March.  Seems a good reason to come back then for that alone, and the fact that I've been offered some writing work here too ... what to do???

Caught short with my pants down

Over the last few days things have normalised for me to the point that I feel quite at home.  I am almost surprised sometimes when I walk out of the front door and see someone Japanese in the street outside.  I think perhaps its that I've spent the last few days doing more 'normal' stuff than sightseeing.   I've spent time in M's office, which, without the view of Tokyo from the 25th floor, could be anywhere in the world.  Today I had lunch with a friend in our local area, surrounded by ladies with screaming children - and bar the menu, felt remarkably like the cafe in Kensal Rise.  Having never experienced much ex-pat life, I realise how easy it could be to slip into a kind of 'global' existence, wherever in the world you might be.  M gave a talk last week to a group of business men, none of whom lived outside the Yamanate Dore, which is equivalent to Zone 1 in London.  Not one of them had heard of our area, only 3k outside, which would be the equivalent of not having heard of Shepherds Bush.  I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm so glad to be living in suburbia!  Its greener for one thing and the houses are more spaced.  And it means I am experiencing much more of true Tokyo.

Apparently there was a murder in our area 4 years ago.  An old couple were stabbed by a mental health patient who stole 10,000 yen (about £80).  8 helicopters circled the area for 5 days until the guilty man was caught.  This must have been fun for the residents because these houses are built on springs to make them earthquake proof and have very little soundproofing.I think this has been the only serious crime for some time because I've been told the story several times.  In the past month, someone tried to break into my London flat, and I heard yesterday of a burglary of a friend's flat in Victoria Park.  It has made me really question how lovely it is to be in a place where you can literally leave your mobile phone on a table and walk away, knowing it will be there when you get back.

However, Tokyo is not entirely crime free - there are 3 'nick able' items.  Umbrellas are like gold dust and the odd bike goes missing in busy areas.  The other item at risk is something that I previously thought to be an urban myth but it turns out that there are organised groups combing suburban areas like mine, looking for ladies pants.  These are then sold in vending machines at major train stations and red light areas.  I'm not too worried though because I think my pants are probably over sized by local standards.

This brings me back again to the subject of toilets.  Today, whilst waiting my turn for a loo in a restaurant, I heard a very strange flushing sound coming from the cubicle.  It sounded overly loud and stopped short like a recording that had been turned off.  Inside I discovered a 'normal' toilet, with none of the additional facilities I have discussed previously.  On the wall was a large button which, when pressed, omitted the same sound, but which had nothing to do with the cistern.  My friend informed me that a few years ago, during a drought, it was discovered that ladies didn't like to be heard 'going' and were repeatedly flushing the toilet to avoid anyone knowing that they did.  This was using up all the water.  Sound effect players were installed in public conveniences to combat the problem.

Tokyo weekend

We decided to spend the weekend in town. The snow had melted, although the sunshine had yet to appear, and we decided on a bit of culcha. We went to Ueno Park on Saturday, which is home to a number of major galleries and museums and we wondered through, mostly looking at the architecture, including the Museum of Western Art and the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures, serene and gorgeous - designed by the guy responsible for the new Moma building in NY. We walked around a lake filled with enormous coy carp and little mandarin ducks, who used the backs of the fish as stepping stones, and avoided the pastel coloured duck shaped paddle boats. Our falling blood sugar level made it difficult to walk past an area of food stalls, offering BBQ corn, fried squid and whole potatoes, spiraled onto a stick and deep fried. Arriving at Ueno station, I was reminded of Oxford Street, just before Christmas, with cheap bags and shoes at knock down prices. Also filled with noisy buildings filled with ever popular slot machines and gambling, illegal apparently in Japan, although you wouldn't know it! You play for ballbearings and which you can redeem for a ticket and directions to an side alley where you can collect your winnings. We snuggled into a little conveyor belt style sushi bar and tucked in to urchin and cuttle fish-topped chunks of rice and a large bowl of delicious miso soup. Although my fishatarianism has been challenged recently, and I think I'm relatively easy going on the squeemishness front, but discovering a large fish eyeball at the bottom of the soup bowl did nearly push me to the edge!

On Sunday we did the tourist thing and visit the oldest shrine at Asakusa, founded 18 March 628! where 2 fishermen found a gold statue in the river. We both took fortune sheets (still work is bad for me apparently, but building a house ok and the lost object will be found). We ducked into the covered market and meandered through rice cracker factories and tourist shops. We also took a walk down a street famous for china goods where we discovered a shop selling the plastic food and bowls displayed outside Japanese restaurants, which despite their super enhanced colours, made us feel hungry. We ate a giant lunch which we cooked on a hot metal plate set into the table, where we cooked 'okonomiyaki', a kind of self cooked tortilla, emerging from the tiny wooden shack with pink faces from the heat. My dream of Sunday night cinema was brought to life with a downloaded copy of 'Chinatown' staring a very young and fanciable Jack Nicholson and a bar of Cadbury's dairy milk.

Kiso snow trip

Sorry to be out of radio contact but as Mark had been ill and my time is running out, we decided to get out of Tokyo for a couple of days to get some fresh air.  

No bike this time, we headed out west following the detailed instructions of the woman in the sat nav ... turn slightly left... As we started to climb, 'Slightly', reported that there would be lane closures due to snow.  She wasn't kidding.  Even the motorway information signs had pictures of little snowmen. Getting out of the car in the Kiso valley, we were hit with the crisp coldness that you get in ski resorts, where you wonder whether you brought enough clothing.

The Kiso valley contains a walking route used in the Shogun period where people used foot power to get themselves across the mountains without detection.  The valley is home to a number of 'post towns' where people rest and little has changed in this time.  The hamlets along the river contain black houses made almost entirely of bamboo, and Im sure little has changed over the past four hundred years.  There are a number of walks through here, one of which is the 8k Nakasendo trail which we planned to do.  We found a great hotel with an onsen powered by the tumbling river, directly behind, where we were able to stuff our faces on Japanese fayre.  The following morning, whilst eating breakfast with the snow falling outside, we realised that our planned walk may need some adjustment.   We walked instead across the bridge and up into the hills directly behind the time, where a waterfall and the ruins of an ancient castle could be found.  It was completely magical and the scenery breathtaking.  Climbing steep wooden steps took us high past dams and small waterfalls, shrines and giant trees, all covered with fresh white powder.  We reached the waterfall where water tumbled over black volcanic rock and we stood on the path only a few feet from where it fell, mesmerised.  

The weather conditions worsened and we realised we needed to come down.  We found a small roadside cafe where we ate fish and vegetables which we grilled on a table top BBQ, with mugs of green tea and steamed up windows.  The journey back was slow, and returning to Tokyo, we discovered that snow had fallen here too.  Unfortunately, heating here is not central, and although we are blessed with underfloor heating in the main rooms, the open planned layout of the house, meant a chilly night with jamas and thick woolen socks!