If looks could kill

I got the most evil stare that I have ever got today. I don't even understand why either…
Anyway, I went off with Steve (who also had to get his money from Head Office) and Paul who I had sent on a mission to find me RAM (PC whiz that he is) in Akihabara. I was gonna meet him there after for food and…stuff. Got the money and turned around to go back to Akihabara where we met Paul and grabbed some food in some isekaya style place. Akihabara is a pretty cosmopolitan place by Tokyo standards (there is even a Kebab van!) so a lot of the staff in shops and restaurants can speak, or at least understand, a bit of English. Anyway, the waitress came up and asked what we wanted to eat but we weren't ready so I said "chottomatte" meaning "please wait". And then it came. The eyes that could kill. And she had eyes only for me. And not in a good way. I was shocked and she totally ignored me after that when giving the food out. Dunno what happened^[A].
Went to Asakusa^[B] for a bit after that to have a quick look around but it was dark and so we just sat down for a bit.

---All lettered footnotes were written in 2015---

<sup>A. I do not recalling this happening again although I do remember being ignored a number of times when with other people which was quite frustrating. My level of Japanese in 2003 was not great but the years after, I could get by and travel around on my own without much difficulty. I may have said this in a more abrupt way than I should have, that is a possibility. Generally, my pronunciation was OK - not great but definitely better than most. When I visited in later years, I travelled solo quite regularly and cannot recall having any problems getting myself understood in any part of the country at hotels or even when renting bikes from people that had never met non-Japanese before. Yet, if I was then joined by a Japanese person, suddenly my Japanese became incomprehensible to the stranger and they would then ask the Japanese person to say again or direct all conversation to them. Even if that person they thought was Japanese wasn't and was actually of another East Asian background and couldn't speak a word of Japanese. This happened a few times yet I never stopped feeling frustrated by it. I loved travelling around Japan, and I loved travelling around Japan with some people but it was quite a different experience.↩

B. Asakusa is an area with a relatively well-known temple and has a more old fashioned feel than much of the rest of Tokyo. It was also on the same train line as Koshigaya and so I regularly passed through. The area is now home to the Tokyo Sky Tree which is a ludicrously oversized sky scraper which opened in the early 2010s. But, most importantly, it is the name of a very nice restaurant in Mornington Crescent.↩</sup>

"Aight, Ey Ey"

Well, I continued working for a few days and Paul continued to go out during the day. Actually, he spent a fair bit of time around Koshigaya just walking and stuff. I reckon he knows the place better than I do. I think the jetlag caught up with him too. About two days of solid travelling followed by an intense Radiohead experience has got to be wearing for anyone.
I finished working on Thursday and in the evening, I met up with Paul and we went to dinner in an Isekaya in Koshigaya, called Watami^[A]. I went with the receptionist, Junko, I have on Thursday (in fact she invited us) and I met another teacher (John) and another receptionist (Hiromi) who were both pleasant enough. Actually, Paul thought I disliked John and that I made that decision before I had even spoken to him^[B]. Maybe my friends know me better than I know myself? Anyway, the food was good and we had a decent enough time and even got to see a real Japanese person (Junko) do a b-boy impression. Worth the flight money on its own. I have to get my wages from head office again due to some errors. Not looking forward to the lengthy journey^[C] and not pleased at having to go again. Its expensive to get down there too.


---All lettered footnotes were written in 2015---

<sup>A. Watami is an izekaya chain and they are everywhere. They are quite a convenient night out and place to eat as they have a good variety of food so most people are OK with it.↩

B. As it happens, I was very, very unfair on "John" which I will blame on my supercilious nature. As intimated, maybe I was predisposed to not liking him that evening and I am not sure why. I got to know John over the three years I spent in Japan and, although the feeling may not necessarily be mutual, I would definitely consider him a friend. In fact, my last (as in most recent and also, in all probability, final) trip to Japan was to attend his wedding which was a real joy. We had quite a strange relationship in some ways and although we shared a number of interests, we were not necessarily aware that we did. This is from 2003 and it was not until 2011, a full eight years later, that we both found out that we liked football as it had just never really cropped up. Later on, I used to see him in the mornings when he used to be in the area to see someone and we had a nice gaming friendship too.↩

C. The head office for Shane was in Tokyo (Nishi Kasai) and over an hour away. It was also not in a particularly interesting part of town so it was a journey with few positive side effects.↩</sup>

The come down from down

[cont...]

Sunday was amazing but I was definitely "feeling it" in a different way on Monday. I was shattered. The journey in was hard. Didn't help that I did not get much sleep the night before and NO sleep the night before that. My receptionist asked me about the gig though so it started OK. I just want to tell everyone about it. I was wanting to work it into all of my lessons too. Even the ones with very young children. I was spouting a lot of nonsense (I thought anyway, though the students said I was fine allegedly) and it was a long day. Fun though.
I got home to an empty house. Paul had departed but I didn't know where. He got home after 12 which is pretty impressive in itself with the trains here.

Everything In Its Right Place pt.3 and encore

[cont...]

We then started to make a move towards the stadium itself for the main attraction (and the ONLY reason we had come). I had wanted to avoid the Stereophonics (as had we all) but it was worth it if we could get near the front We got to the stadium to find a HUGE queue to get to the front, near the stage. We waited and waited while a cat died [the Stereophonics]^[A]. Actually, I shouldn't be so harsh as they weren't that bad And there was this one girl near where we were waiting who looked like the happiest person in the world. Seriously. She looked like she was going to explode with joy. Not the loud kind of whooping joy but the internal "rising up inside and I will not let it escape" kind. It was beautiful to see and so I have to have some kind of grudging respect for the 'Phonics. Which is a shame - I feel dirty and wrong. We got through to a roadblock in the queue. Some stewards were stopping people from getting any closer and we were lucky enough to be stuck with some other people who spoke English. They were knobs. They were constantly swearing at the stewards to let them through and acting all matey with us. I didn't want anything to do with them but Paul is a little more forgiving so he spoke with them^[B]. Eventually we worked our way to the pitch after the Sterophonics had finished. The back of the pitch. Better than nothing. But, not better than the front so we pushed and barged through til we could get to the little path/gate thing that allowed us there. And we got there. Nirvana.
We got there before The Strokes were on so we managed to watch them in the pit. They were pretty good but the lack of material was really apparent. Blitzed through the album in some random order. It's not even a particularly long album and its even shorter live. I enjoyed it a lot though. The crowd seemed to like it too. Not amazingly into it though, the problem with festivals is that you don't necessarily get a load of fans there of each band (1). And it is difficult to sing along in a foreign language I guess. They chucked in a few Japanese words. Well they said "Arrigato" (Thanks) anyway.
It was still light as we waited for the headliners to the accompaniment of some random muzak. Not the style of the new Beta Band album on repeat (like at South Park) but some other stuff. There seemed to be a bit of a buzz about the place. Craig had never seen Radiohead before and I had spent much of the time after getting the tickets building up his expectations about how they were life changing live. Not sure he believed me but he was obviously looking forward to it. Me and Paul had seen them a few times so we spoke about our favourites, speculated about the set list and what it would be.
And. Then...

Everybody went mental. And I mean it, not in some blinkered "cos I was excited" way, they went mad. Radiohead came on, played the beginning of "There There" and, well, I had no choice but to float. Thousands of people started moving and I levitated. Phenomenal. I was wrong (look at (1)). They had all come for Radiohead - this was a Radiohead gig with support. I can't even remember the details that well but it was like a totally different experience from not only every Radiohead gig I have been to but also anything else I have ever done. They played a lot of songs. A lot of songs, especially for a festival set. And the crowd were well into it. Singing along, jumping and, most bizarre of all, swaying in time to the slower ones. You know, like primary school girls. Except thousands of them. Bizarre but amazing. I was well into it too, obviously. I even started the shushing for "Exit Music (for a film)" Like at South Park. The band looked really pleased too, I don't think they can get that reaction for most of their gigs (no way they could be such grumpy muppets if they did!). Thom spoke more Japanese than the rest of the bands that I saw that night and the crowd were very appreciative of it. In fact they were very appreciative of anything they did. The setlist was really weird and highlights the breadth of material they have at their disposal now. They played a lot of new stuff and it was a bit like a "Hail to the Thief" touring list but they played a few older ones. I was shocked at the lack of "Street Spirit" and "Airbag" but the other stuff was "not bad". They played a decent rendition of "Everything in its Right Place" too to finish the first part.

The highlight of South Park (sorry to keep mentioning it but those that know me will recognise what high regard I hold that in) was the encore of Creep. Not because it is their best song (far from it in fact) but because it felt very special. They don't play it normally and they even set it up last time with a bit of trickery. They played it again as the finisher and again it was a bit of a surprise. But it didn't feel as special because it was just "normal". It even took the sheen off of South Park for me and Paul. It was still absolutely fantastic though and the crowd went mental yet again. It was so very hot too - everybody was drenched. The gig finished and there was the most intense ovation I have heard in a long time. And then the real finisher came. Knockout blow. Fireworks. In the sky. Perfection. I cannot explain it and I don't know if it was a Radiohead thing or a Summersonic thing but it was perfect. And took the whole night up that little bit more.
The lights came on and I found Paul and Craig (the pit was fairly "fluid"). And Craig's face was totally different. Honestly, he looked totally drained of "something" and pale. As if he didn't quite understand what had happened to him. Eyes WIDE open. "Rabbit in your headlights", if you will. He clearly loved it beyond what he had thought and it was really visible. Different to that girl I mentioned but visible nonetheless.

[tbc]

---All lettered footnotes were written in 2015---

<sup>A. I used to like the Stereophonics in a certain way. Their first album should have been excellent and it had some really good singles - but they worked as singles. They didn't seem to work within an album and I felt the same about the second album.↩

B. I do not seem to get on well with people at gigs - it may be an aversion to seeing other people have fun. Or it could be that some people become very selfish and entitled once they have had a few drinks and are surrounded by other people.↩</sup>

Everything In Its Right Place pt. 2

[cont...]

Not sure it was the greatest idea in the world to go without sleep but I am guessing adrenaline will keep me going for a while. Reminds me a bit of my friend who went to see Massive Attack and took some sleeping pills. And then promptly fell asleep at the gig. You know who you are!

Well, we got the train from the next station from me (Minami Koshigaya) all the way to Chiba Marine Stadium and waited outside the station for Craig (or Kuraigaru as we decided to call him that day).It was a fair walk from the station to the stadium so I needed a drink to cool myself down (sweltering to say the least - and this was no heat wave). I got a super-sweet coffee and an orange ice tea. Caffeine/sugar rush plus the most refreshing drink in the world^[A]. Nice.

We got into the stadium to hear some mad Japanese guy shouting on stage. The crowd were lapping it up and loving it. I didn't understand but he wore a dress so I think he was "wacky" or something. The crowd loved it but, to be honest, I was more worried about passing out due to the heat. Moved from the pit to the seats in the shade for the next (first) actual band...."The Polyphonic Spree". They were good, really got the crowd into it and the stadium was nowhere near full (it was 1030). There was also some crazy dancing from some of the crowd - it looked like they had honed it on "Dance Dance Revolution" with their four way movement. It was funny but also quite nice to watch. I reckon I might have to make their CD a purchase^[B]. I was also very close to the world of sleep which did not bode well for the rest of the day..... Standby beckoned.
We had to get moving after as the next band were not on for a while. And movement (usually) prevents sleep. Got some vending machine coffee - a wonderful mixture of caffeine and sugar. Just what I needed and always very close in Japan.
Made our way to the other stages and this is where the fact that this was a very Japanese festival hit home. The other stages were a fair distance away - crossing roads and such like, and they were in the Tokyo equivalent of the Birmingham NEC. And in no way was it dressed up in any other way. This was an exhibition centre and no mistaking. From the faux airport feel to the tacky posters and everything. Then we couldn't find the stages we wanted, just a load of doors and toilets - convenient but not required at the time (though caffeine is a diuretic). We found the stage, it was just beyond what I could generously describe as "stalls". But these stalls were like the ones you get at graduate fairs - orderly little compartments with little of the haphazard ambience of a festival. And it was indoors^[C]. We eventually worked out where the stages were and watched a couple of (to be honest AND fair) pretty non-descript acts: The Rapture and Mando Diao. We got some food and then watched a band called Interpol who were a little better. Paul actually managed to fall asleep in the gig - most impressive.

[tbc...]

---All lettered footnotes were written in 2015---

<sup>A. Chiba Marine Stadium is a baseball stadium, and I never had any interest in baseball or going to watch it as a novelty. I did return to the station a few times as the festival was spread over both the stadium and "Makuhari Messe" which is an exhibition centre. Tokyo Game Show was held here and I was fortunate enough to be able to attend in 03, 04 and 05 (also 2011 as part of a separate trip). I may also have gone to the Tokyo Motorshow but I am not sure. Each time, it was ludicrously hot and humid, and each time, I had an orange ice tea to cool down - which was a nice tradition.↩

B. I did, indeed make the purchase of "The beginning stages of..." which was a great album and a good album to prepare lessons by.↩

C. I returned to Makuhari Messe to see an actual gig a few years later - Radiohead again. The atmosphere was awful and the airport feel really did not suit music of that scale. The smaller acts I saw at Summersonic were OK in that environment but I was genuinely disappointed by seeing Radiohead there.↩</sup>

Everything In Its Right Place pt.1

Tired. Moist. And euphoric. That's how I was two years ago after seeing Radiohead and its the same again. The reason for moistness is different, where at South Park it was because the heavens opened, here it was all about Hell being angered by all the happiness being spread by some band from Oxford.
Summersonic is a newish festival in Japan which is twinned in Tokyo and Osaka. The headliners this year were Blur and Radiohead - probably my two favourite bands going.
It was very hot and ridiculously humid. And a very long day.....

It all started on Saturday. I went into school and whacked the air conditioning up to full and then found out that, although my last lesson was cancelled, I had been given another one. This was a little annoying as there was a festival in Koshigaya that I wanted to go to. Fireworks, people, fun (maybe). It was gonna be great. What was annoying about it was that he didn't turn up anyway and i was warned he might not aswell. Grrr.

I got to the festival a little later than I wanted and the fireworks had started already. And the streets were totally packed - such that moving was tricky. Paul^[A] was meant to be coming at night so I had to be home to take any phonecalls to direct. This meant I could not see much of the fireworks as they were a little far away and also because I had to get back. The festival seemed fairly decent with a nice family feel to it but madly busy. Fireworks display went on for about an hour and a half.

I got home and waited for some Paul based contact -his flight was meant to land in Tokyo at about 830. I got a call at 910: "I'm still in Osaka, my flight was delayed".

As I have explained, the trains in Tokyo don't run that late so there was a definite possibility he could get stuck. A definite possibility. And I thought that was what had happened....until about 1245 when I got a phonecall. Paul, being the jammy little blagger that he is, managed to get to Koshigaya on the four last trains on each line he needed. That's mighty impressive for a first train trip in Tokyo^[B]. It was definitely a high risk manoeuvre though.

Anyway, we grabbed some food^[C] and then went back to mine for we had an early start - Chiba is not that close. Obviously sleep was a tricky one so we went for a walk once it got light. I wanted to leave the house by 730 so we grabbed some food and then went back to get ready.

[tbc]


---All lettered footnotes were written in 2015---

<sup>A. Paul was (and depending on what has happened since, still is) a friend of mine from secondary school that had, through an element of good fortune and sacrifice, managed to get a free flight from London to "Asia" - and he selected Japan so that he could visit me. I mean visit Japan and stay with me.↩

B. I am not sure that even he knew what trains he got but from Haneda to Koshigaya would require the monorail to the main JR network and probably two JR trains followed by the Tobu line. That is hard enough for a newcomer in the daytime but he managed this at night although he tells me that he was made to run a few times!↩

C. For some reason, this is quite a strong memory of mine - possibly due to still being a little woozy with the awe that I had that he made it. We went to Matsuya - a gyudon chain which I personally preferred to Yoshinoya. Looking back, it must have been a strange experience for Paul to find a chain restaurant open at 1am and the simple service and great food (for not much money) that we got. I have a memory of him putting a lot of pickled ginger on his gyudon and telling me how much he liked ginger. Another teacher also popped in (by chance) and so, I guess from Paul's perspective, I looked pretty settled. I might be wrong, but in hindsight, I think I did settle and find things more comfortable than I had when I went to other places in the UK, for example university in Southampton.↩</sup>

Parting Shots

Busy day. I had to wake up early (for me anyway) to walk down to Amalia's place to get a futon (to have while she is away) for Paul to sleep on. Rather harshly, she has to move out by 11. Her flight, however is on the next day so she has plenty of time to kill. She loves it down Roppongi (see first week) way so I, a while back, suggested she could spend the night there and get an early train to Narita. It was a joke. Some people take me too seriously. Anyway, she was meeting people in various places in Tokyo. I spent a bit of time with her, helping her move out and all that jazz. We met up with someone else (Manjit who I had never met before) and did some eating. I took the futon back and got me hair cut. This was slightly bizarre as I booked an appointment but had no real idea of how to get what I wanted. Sign language is a great thing but it is difficult for details. And doesn't help after the event!
I went in at 3 (after dropping the futon back home) and was invited to sit down. And then they left me for 15mins with a magazine with loads of haircuts in. They mainly looked a bit cack (for me anyway) so I thought I'd look for the closest to what I wanted and then get them to vary it. What I thought was quite funny was that they had a little black and white section on famous footballers' haircuts. I contemplated going for a "Maldini" but ended up with a "Michael Owen". See if you can spot the difference below.

Apparently. To be fair, I am quite happy with it as it is a lot more even than I thought. they try to use scissors as much as possible so it feels more personalised. Takes longer though. Then I met up with Amalia again who had gone shopping (under duress it would appear) and was waiting for someone else. Except she couldn't be bothred. So we grabbed something to eat and said oour goodbyes. Its a little annoying on a selfish level as she is the only other teacher I actually work with in my whole week. Its always possible that her replacement will become my best friend ever. Its also possible that he or she won't^[A].

I went and tried to buy a phone after that but I got a little confused and forgot about it. I did buy those trainers though. They are football types but in a beige and red colour scheme. Should be good for kickarounds. Trainers aren't too expensive here and these were on sale too. So its all good. Again, I'm pretty happy with them. Will need to be worn in but they are decent.

After that I just went and tried to tidy my flat a bit. Its a little tidier but not much. I did, however, work out how to finally play Playstation games on my PS2 so those cheap PS1 games can now be played. I reacquainted myself with Rage Racer and Ridge Type 4^[B]. MMmmmmm. Sweet. Though I am using the Negcon now which I am terrible with. Practice makes perfect.

(note: it was me on the right)
---All lettered footnotes were written in 2015---

<sup>A. As it happens, I felt that I got on quite well with Amalia's replacement - a Canadian chap that had been in Japan for a while already. We had a number of interesting conversations and it was always pleasant - we went bowling for his leaving "event". He left to return to Canada not so long later but he did give me an NTSC N64 upon departure, so I can't complain.↩

B. I really loved Ridge Racer and what it stood for - as you can see in my games A-Z section where it is my "R"...(link)↩</sup>