9-7-2010

Advertising here is so cool sometimes.  A chopstick display at Koshigaya Laketown mall.

9-6-2010

Wish I could say the bamboo is dried out due to the heat because it sure feels like it would be, but this is a fence.  It's also not in Tokyo, but the heat in Japan right now is unnaturally unbearable.  This year we're hitting record highs...and when the hottest day of the year is September 4th that's not normal.

9-5-2010

Saw a kiwi plant for the first time in Ogikubo today.  Originally I assumed the plants were grapevines...until the fruit was pointed out.  They looked so good I wanted to take and eat them.

9-4-2010

There is a Brazilian festival in Harajuku this weekend.  It seems a large number of the people who went to Brazil a couple generations ago have returned, or rather their children have, and they have brought a Brazilian twist to Tokyo.  It's nice to see a glimmer of multiculturalism once in a while.

So here I am, hot and tired with a plate of steak, sausage and grilled pineapple from Barbacoa, shown behind me.

9-3-2010

From here on out, Fridays will be my day to take myself to lunch if I've been good all week.  Usually I take lunch boxes to work and on Friday there are fewer people in the office so it's not too strange to go on my own.

To that end I went to get Indian curry at Siddique in Shinjuku.  The Ladies' Thali set is awesome, with a small pile of saffron rice hiding under the nan (you can see it bumping up next to the lamb curry).  It comes with two curries, saffron rice, nan and a yogurt dessert.  My curries were shrimp butter dal and lamb curry, and I also got a mango lassi since my desk is full of free drink coupons.

9-2-2010

Hanayashiki is a small amusement park in Asakusa that has been open since 1953.  According to my friends and coworkers it is the oldest one in Japan and also has the oldest roller coaster.  Attempting to confirm these claims, I did a little research but was unable to confirm or reject anything except when it opened.  At this point it's accepted as fact, as much "common knowledge" is around here.  With Japan's history of historical revisionism I think I'll leave it alone before it turns into a huge search.

9-1-2010

The cafe I sometimes go to for lunch added a wine rack on the wall near where I usually sit.  It's a nice touch, although being under a large skylight I'm not sure it's good for the wines...in which case it's a shame the wine is being wasted.  From the looks of this picture the wine bottles are empty though, which I  didn't take the time to check while at lunch.  Tragedy averted.