En vrac (un peu n'importe quoi) et merci

* Seen: big fake eyelashes very popular with young girls going out. I've even seen a photo-booth, which adds fake eyelashes on the photo. Awesome!

* Heard: seems like girls use permanent hair removal, which is much cheaper than in Europe. So there isn't really any shops offering waxing and, when they are, it's super expensive. For those who still can't afford permanent hair removal, the good old razor is used and sometimes silkepil but here they cost a fortune (over £100 for the first price).

* Seen: several couples wearing matching clothes, from same parka to same jumper. Watching a drama it also seems that when teenagers become a couple, they match mobile straps (stuff that hangs from the phone). Of course it's not general but it's funny some do.

* Experienced: You can't adjust the sound level of your camera on Japanese mobile. So when you take a photo with your mobile you've got a rather loud sound coming off your phone. An explanation given by a friend of mine is that it is to avoid perverts taking photos of school girls' knickers...

* Experienced/Heard: No central heating (no radiator) in flats. The heat is only provided by air con and stand-in heater (oil, petrol, electric). Houses are not well insulated either so basically it's cold. From what I've heard people usually gather around stand-in heater in one room to be warm. I also heard of people sleeping in the futon cabinet or even setting up a tent in the lounge to be warm. Brrrr....It also explains why everyone gathers in malls at the weekend: it's warm there. But it seems that in Hokkaido, north of Japan, it's better insulated. I guess they have no choice considering the temperatures over there.

* Medical: No GP here, you go to the hospital. And apparently ear drops don't exist in Japan. I had to buy ibuprofene and, usually I take 1g for a headache but, here, with 200mg it was gone in 30mn. I talked to a friend about it and she said it was a super strong brand?! A friend of hers used to chew ibuprofene like sweets in Europe but, when he came to Japan, he had to reduce the dose because taking the same amount he was falling asleep. I don't understand because the dose of the same molecule is lower so it should work less well...Maybe it's what's added?!?

* Seen: This is a picture from google earth of the building I live in. I love the landing for aliens.

 

* And to finish, been feeling run down in past few days (got a cold, feeling tired and very sorry for myself). I was very touched by the kindness of people around me. One friend texted me advice this morning and offered me to help out if I needed anything. Another one left some biscuits for me...That gives me the energy to shake myself out of this cold. Really feel like I now have good friends here. So thank you guys!!

Concert - restaurant - temple

Saturday night went to see another concert. This time it was Mo'some Tonebender, a punk/rock Japanese band who's been around for ages. Click here to hear a song from their last album and here to see what it looks like live.
The atmosphere was closer to a 'normal' concert with people dancing like crazy at the front. I stand next to a big guy, with whom you wouldn't mess with, just to get a safe perimeter. Even there, few claps then complete silence between songs, really can't get used to it. The band was completely crazy on stage, the strong boned bass player wearing leather shirt completely open, screaming, the singer twisting his face and throwing the microphone around, the electro guy moving around and posing, the drummer as if sitting on electric chair: great gig.

Sunday evening met up with some Japanese friends, an adorable couple who took me to the historic part of Fukuoka for dinner in a lovely restaurant.
Here are some pictures, first the outside, then the upstairs room where we ate and the food, a mixture of meat, vegetables, sashimi. Delicious!

On the other side of the street was a temple. The entrance was set up as a kami with open mouth for the Setsubun festival. We went there after dinner to have a look, pray and get our fortune told thanks to a little paper (in English!).
First and second photo show the entrance of the temple, the last one the view from inside the temple looking outside so you can see the inside of the head.

Afterwards we tried to go to a gaijin bar but ended up in an italian brasserie which looked like a French one. Strange but good panacotta. ^_^  It was an interesting and fun evening.

Now beginning of the week, only 3 weeks left in Fukuoka! It's going to be weird to leave behind all my friends but Carpe Diem, let's enjoy the present moment, i.e. going to study for my weekly vocabulary test this afternoon. ;-)

Gaijin paranoia

Festival
In February in Japan takes place the Setsubun festival. People go to temples to throw soy beans to people dressed as demons, to chase away the bad things for the forthcoming year.
On Sunday, on the advise of the school, I went to this temple for an hour orientation to take part in this festival. It was presented to me as: "just go there, you get costumes, throw rice and get paid". Of course I went there but only to discover that we'll have to dress up (some of us as demons i.e people throw stuff at you), be paraded from 8am to 5pm from mall to mall, on weekdays (i.e. miss school)...So imagine my face when I discovered all that...I had to politely decline but felt really bad because got paid for the hour long orientation, got sweets and a tour of the temple. Baaaaaaaaad. But no way I'm going to go around town for 9hrs dressed in very little in these temperatures (currently between -1C and 2C). Plus I would miss classes, which are the priority at the moment plus they cost me more than the pay I would get.
To counterbalance the bad vibe, I bought with the money a book to help me read in Japanese. That way I felt the buddhists' money went to a good cause...

**By the way, since I arrived in Japan, each time I feel bad, I buy a book. I look in secondhand bookshops for cheap mangas (currently reading one about young Jesus and Boudha hanging out in Tokyo) and one of the main bookshop, Junkudo, for study books....It's so bad, I started re-selling or offering some books and planning on sending a parcel to the UK in February. Yerk!!! **


Party
Tonight students from the school got an invitation to join a party given by a local politician.
The amazing things is that the foreigners were paid thank-you money (2000yens), we got free food and drinks and we just had to walk around making conversation. Because people are scared not to be understood or be able to understand, foreigners mainly stick between themselves speaking in English but I still managed to have a small talk with the main politician (apparently it looked like there was a 'yakuza' but, if it's true, I missed him, dammed!).

So we got an introductory speech...

 ...then another one (I managed to not take a photo when the main guy talked! BAKA!)

We even had some Chinese music (note the jeans under the costume of the 2nd one. It's cold here).

The food banquet was amazing...

It was great fun, I met and got to know better lovely people. And I was being paid to enjoy myself?!?! I love Japan....am I repeating myself?

It seems there are lots of similar parties, to which foreigners are invited. Why? I was told because it's good for the image to have foreigners around, show how international you are and it can also create business link between Japanese business men and foreigners...Not sure how I feel about it... On one hand, I felt honoured to be invited to such event, be treated like a queen but... why are they paying us? Most of the foreigners were students so how can we create business with people? Are we paid because we are just playing a role, the gaijin role? It's like for the Setsubun festival, are only the gaijin employed to go around town? Is it an honour to be offered such job or is our gaijin image being shown off? I really don't know...nothing is black or white so I guess the truth stands in between: we get the experience, we offer our gaijiness.

What is sure is that nobody is forcing me to go to these events so maybe I'm the cynical one here, putting my pseudo-morals on the side for money and fun...

Maybe I should go out and get a book....^_^

DOES concert

So tonight I went to the concert of DOES, my current favorite Japanese band.

When I arrived, I discovered that I had to queue outside the venue depending on the number written on my ticket. A guy kept shouting numbers (a bit like when you board a plane) and people followed the instructions even though it was freezing. And this is how it looked like for the lucky numbers 1-20...(note the blue bin to put your umbrella before coming in)

I was number 148 but it wasn't too bad. I was amazed at how polite the people were, no skiving: the newly arrived were asking "which number are you?" to the people in the queue so they could go at the correct position. And I thought that the English were the masters at queueing...
After a while we started moving quickly...nearly there...

Once you pass the door, you have to buy a compulsory drink voucher for 500Y (exchangeable at the bar for soft drinks or beer), then you can rent a locker for 400Y and go in the venue.
On the left, the traditional merchandising including tshirts, cds but also a plastic stuff to put your coins and a mini-towel...yes I bought it, so cute isn't it? (It's still under wrap because it's a present.)

On the right, a little stage where you can smoke and the bar. There's a tv showing the gig, in case you don't want to get your ass in the actual concert, which is just behind a curtain.

So straight on, after the black curtain, the actual venue, small sized.

Doors opened at 17:30 and it started at 18:30 on the dot. No support band, straight into the main band, who played until 20:30ish, 3 encore included.
The weird thing is people clap between songs but only for a short while so it soon becomes quiet. Bit unnerving...
But the weirdest thing when you're used to gigs in Europe is that nobody took photos at all (not with their camera, not with their mobile). Apparently gigs are filmed and they're pretty strict on exclusivity. So being the only gaijin in the venue I thought, of course, I could sneak these 2 shots. They're horrendous, I know but it's just to show you how it looked liked.(the hand in the air and jumping are the big things here).

The concert was amazing: everyone jumping around, the band getting better/warmer with each new song, we had 3 encore (same word in Japanese) including "the Modern Age" by the Strokes (DOES new album is called Modern Age). Click here to get a taste of what it felt like.

Conclusion: it was my first concert in Japan and I couldn't have chosen a better place to start.

Tooka ebisu

Today my friends T&S kindly invited me to join them to the Tooka ebisu. The people of Fukuoka come here every year to pray the gods for good business (the speciality of this temple).

The approach of the temple is lined up with shops mostly selling food (anything from kebab to pomme d'amour, mochi, etc...). Shortly after entering the ground of the temple a policeman told us to start the queue, first in one line, then, when getting closer to the temple, as 5 people by one horizontal line...well kind of...

Between talking, looking at shops, it went pretty quick and soon enough it was time to pray for good business/study. Tchan explained the procedure for praying: so first you need to throw some money in front of you (100Y is fine), then bow twice, clap your hands twice, pray, bow once and leave.

After praying the gods, you can buy a variety of lucky charms, which come in all sort of shapes and forms. Below, T-chan buying some lucky charms...

...and M-san with hers (branch and oval stuff). From what I understood, you keep them for a year and they are supposed to bring good fortune to your business. Next year, you bring them back and buy new ones.

I got a couple and S-san even gave me one, a coin that you must keep in your wallet. It is supposed to attract money so, basically you become rich. If everything goes to plan by the end of the year I should be married, rich and doing great at my job. Let's catch up in a year. 
(more photos are on flickr)

Bike, parking and bit of art

Today went with some friends to the Asian Art Museum in Fukuoka. There is an annual art competition in China, where around 500 new work (painting/sculpture) are chosen among 5000 pieces sent out by contemporary Chinese artists. The exhibition then tour the world. This year, the Asian Art Museum in Fukuoka had around 80 works in display, and I fell in love with at least 10 pieces (wish I could show you but couldn't take photos and not sure the name of the artist would ring any bells...).
It took us nearly 2hrs to get around the exhibition, which is quite long compare to my previous experience of a Japanese exhibition (usually in an hour it's done, which I personally find optimal).

But what I really wanted to talk about today was my experience of bike parking in Fukuoka.
First of all, here is my beautiful bike, kindly lent to me by the lovely people who manage the building I'm staying in. It's old, purple, rusty but I love it.

Usually I park it where my friend tells me to do it (outside on the pavement, in front of shops) but today, for the first time we had to use bike parkings and oh my god it's fun. OK so didn't take any photos at the open air one but the underground one is pretty interesting.
First, you go down using stairs specially set up so on the side you have a flat ramp where you slide your bike down. Then the ticket machine...put the front wheel of your bike in the gutter as shown, then press either scooter or bike on the machine and you get a receipt...See below (by the way this girl had nothing to do with us, took a sneaky shot):

On the way out, put the ticket in one machine, pay (or not, this parking was free for 3hrs), get the ticket back, go to the gate and insert the ticket in second machine.
Then you have to take the stairs up but, this time, on the side you have a special escalator for the bike. Awesome!

So yes, it's like a car parking but specifically for 2 wheels and I think it would be great to have the same in London. Wouldn't it be nice not to have to worry everytime you lock your bike in the center of London?

I love Japan!

Happy new year!

Tonight I went to my friend T&S for New year's eve.
They made a gorgeous and delicious oden

We ate watching on a TV, a traditional program, watched by 40% of the Japanese. In the program, 2 teams: the white (men) lead by Arashi, one of the most famous boys/men band in Japan.

and the red (women) lead by ... I don't know.

Each team gathers various famous singers, which can go from kitsch...

...to super kitsch.

What is good is that you can sing along, thanks to the lyrics written at the bottom of the screen (if you can read the kanjis of course). Here Smap, another famous men band...lalalalala

After a repeat of the acts on the program....

...it's time to announce the winner.
And the winner is...........The white!!!!! Yepee! And they even get a flag from NHK, the tv station. Awesome.

We're having fun but  it's nearly time (note the temperature is indoors)....

 

The TV switch to various temples across Japan. In some places it's dammed cold...

Each time the monks ring the massive bell, people can make a prayer (note the zen garden under the bell, beautiful)

And then midnight arrives.....あけましておめでとうございます!!! After hugs and photos, we eat the traditional soba noodles....Yummy!

...on TV, the presenters try to fill up the space, here she interviews the new Tokyo skyscraper's mascotte (who doesn't speak)...

You might have understood, it it's time to go home to sleep (or to write a blog).

Happy new year!!!!