During the Japanese Summer, the government has an obsession with providing spectacular fireworks. So we headed off towards Tokyo Bay to see it (Sat 10 Aug 02). All the girls and some of the boys were dressed in their "YUKATA" which is the traditional Japanese summer cotton kimono-thing with a pretty bow at the back and the wooden clogs on their feet. It was so pretty. No two girls had the same yukata on. It's something that I have to get for myself...... Anyways, it seemed as though the whole tokyo population had come out to see the fireworks. There was no way we could get on the train. The line was just so long. So we decided to watch the fireworks from Tokyo Tower. This is a fairly big telecommunications tower in the middle of Tokyo (looks a bit like the Eiffel Tower). However, when we were up there, we realised that most of the Japanese had the same idea. So I only caught glimpses of the fireworks (which lasted for at least an hour).

Afterwards, we tried FUGU fish which is the poisonous blow-fish. It is considered an expensive delicacy in Japan. You need a licence to be able to serve the fugu fish. The fugu fish is one of the most ugliest fish ever. I watched the waiter take it straight out of the fish tank and cut the fish up. The first course is sashimi fugu fish. ie. very thinly sliced raw fish which is quite chewy. The next course was fugu fish in a hot pot. They put the rest of the raw fish on a plate and I could see that the fish muscles were still moving... heheh..... not a very pleasant sight. Anyways, we cooked the fish and veges in the hot pot and ate it. Then they put rice in the leftover hot pot soup and made rice porridge. Dessert was some Baskin Robbins ice cream (that was the best part of the meal).... It was a strange experience although I don't think I will ever eat it again...

Binny-san

It's been 3 weeks since I arrived in Tokyo..... geez time really flies. So I thought I had better write about all my expeditions so far.

My first Friday night out (9 Aug 2002) was definitely an interesting night. Met up with a bunch of people for the first time. Most were other foreigners working in Tokyo. Some were MBA graduates doing their internship at a Japanese firm for the summer break. We went to this place in Shimbashi called the 'Hungarian Beer Garden'. The Japanese love their outdoor beer gardens during the summer. Did I mention how hot and humid it is right now in Summer? 35 degrees Celcius is the average temp during the day. Anyways, the interesting bit about this beer garden was that it paraded topless blonde girls. Two blonde girls would come out wearing already skimpy clothing and they would strip down to their g-strings. Then they would walk around the audience and anyone who had a 1,000 yen note (about $20AUD) could put it between their mouth and the girl would pick it up "without using her hands". Just try and picture the girls chest in a guys face for about a minute. It was good money for the girls I must say. Afterwards, they would go backstage, get changed and do it all again.........

After we had enough of that, we decided to go karaoking. Japan has one of the most sophisticated karoke systems in the world. Eeach room had a flat plasma screen and you can order songs, food or drinks using a remote. Very impressive! One of my goals is to learn a Japanese karaoke song before I leave Japan....... hehehe.

Next we ventured out to Roppongi.....the seedy area for foreigners. By day, it was okay. But after 9pm (esp on a weekend) the place turned into the "Kings Cross" of Tokyo. Bars, Gentleman Clubs, restaurants, clubs, etc I noticed an usually high number of old (Japanese) men at the bar I was at. What were they doing here? Old men are supposed to be asleep at this time....... it was all quite interesting to watch. There were also alot of young Japanese girl, presumably wanting to catch a foreigner for themselves......... it's all part of the game .........

Binny-san

Konnichiwa !

Watashi wa LeBinh desu.
okay....so that's the extent of my Japanese for now although I can count from one to ten in Jap.
I am sitting at my desk at work on the 38th floor of this amazing new glass building (which I was told was earthquake proof) and looking at the awesome view of the city. I think that we are in one of the highest buildings in Tokyo. Most are really quite low because of the frequency of earthquakes but advancements in technology and engineering have now allowed them to build skyscrapers.

And so I will start this blog and take you on my journey into the Land of the Rising Sun.......

Binny-san