My jet lag is finally gone. My body and mind is getting used to Tokyo life again. I've realized again that riding crowded trains instead of driving on 7100 in rush hour is now the norm for me.
My first weekend back was pretty active. I spent it with friends did some karaoke, ate fresh sushi and bread (not at the same time of course), and caught up on some sleep. The weather has been pretty cold and it feels like it did in D.C. Luckily, no snow here like the winter storm that poured 2 feet of snow there this past weekend. Work has been smooth. No issues which is keeping my life stress free. Going to the office and seeing my Tokyo coworkers has been refreshing. They are not as crazy as the co-workers in the states but a nice change of pace. Other than that.. just trying to get back in the swing of my my daily routines. Now back to the Superbowl.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Back in Nippon
Back in Nippon and boy am I jet lagged. My trip to the U.S. was a success business wise and personal. Here are my mindless thoughts of the trip in somewhat chronological order.
Flight to the U.S. was awesome. I got really lucky and was able to fly international on Business and domestically on first class. My 12 hour flight from Tokyo to D.C. on business was a pleasure. The chair was able to lie all the way down. It also had a massage function which I basically utilize throughout the whole flight. The movie selection was abundant. I ended up watching Paranormal Activity (Not as scary as I thought it would be..then again I was watching it on the plane) and Ballad (a Japanese movie, with one of the SMAP guys. This movie was horrible, but I ended up sticking it through). I have always had bad experience with food on my flights, but when I saw that they offered Fillet Mignon, I just had to try it. To my surprise, the steak was really good. I was actually blown away that they could have cooked it this well on the plane. The rest of the time on the plane, I slept while listening to my ipod. My connecting flight from D.C. to Boston was painless.
I arrived to Boston during the middle of the Packers/Cardinals game. I had an hour to kill while waiting for my co-workers to arrive to the airport so I just hung out and watch the packers come back only to lose at the end. I didn't have a mobile phone on me, so I was a bit nervous if I could find my co-workers which I haven't seen in person in a couple of years. Luckily, one of my coworkers did not change at all so I was able to spot him relatively easily. We waited for another team member before heading out. Feeling the cold Boston air was painful. The coldest it ever was in Tokyo was like 4 degrees Celsius, so to experience temps down in the single digit Fahrenheit, I was struggling. We checked into our hotel rooms and headed out to dinner. This was the start of my eating rampage throughout my trip. We went to a nearby pub and I had the angus burger and sweet potato fries. Man.. it was so good. I paired the meal with a couple of Stellas. I was in heaven. The whole trip, I was so busy with work that I didn't do any sightseeing. I only saw the work office, nearby restaurants, hotel and airport. So the only highlights of my Boston segment was the eating part. None of us knew Boston well, so we just ate at random places recommended by the hotel staff. Other than that, my impressions of Boston was that it was very cold, had really friendly people, everything especially parking was really expensive, and did I mention that it was really cold?
I arrived to D.C./Virginia from Boston on Friday. I did so much in Virginia that I can't type out everything I did but I can list some of the highlights.
Friends and family -
I was lucky enough that I was able to meet almost everyone I wanted to meet in VA. It was great seeing and hanging out with all my friends. Not able to see them more consistently is one of the drawbacks of living abroad, but catching up and making new memories was one of the best experiences I had on the trip.
Food -
As I mentioned, I was on an eating rampage during my whole trip. I actually made a list of foods that I wanted to eat on this trip. Sure it killed my diet and months of gym training, but man it felt good. I have to admit though, some of the places like Potbelly's and Chipotle, I feel have gone down in quality from what I last remembered. I wasn't impressed on the food and service when I went there. Everything else, like more hamburgers, steaks, different style of pizzas, hot wings and of course Vietnamese Pho were all great. I now have to be on a diet to just be back to normal.
Work -
Working out of the D.C. area again was great. The commute has not changed, it is still heavy and nasty. I had to renew my license and also my sense of driving on thr right side of the road again. The office is now at Reston Town Center and it was cool working out there again. There were so many new restaurants and shops in the town center since I last been there and it was awesome for me to experience it all during my lunch breaks and happy hours. I was able to meet all my old coworkers who still are with the company and those who work elsewhere during my trip. It really was fun working there again.
VA area in general -
The area has changed a lot. Like Reston town center, there were so many shops and new constructions that made some of the places I remembered unrecognizable. Having said that, the overall feeling of the place where I grew up remained the same. It also felt good to use English for EVERYTHING. I had to do a lot of errands including renewing my driver's license and it was really convenient for me not to struggle with the language. As for the weather, it did not snow the whole year in Tokyo and mother nature treated me to 6 inches of snow the day before I had to go back to Japan. I thought it would effect my flight but thankfully it didn't.
My flight back was unfortunately less pleasurable. I wasn't in business but the flight was not full and I was lucky enough to be sitting next to an empty seat. The service was pretty bad. One of the cabin attendant who was in charge of my area had an attitude problem. The food was also came back to what I remembered it to be. I ended up not eating anything. The movies were not on demand like in business and they were displayed on a community screen. I ended up just watching the movies on my ipod the whole trip. I couldn't sleep much on the flight and am currently paying for it now. When I arrived back to Tokyo, I found it snowing and cold. I was actually expecting it to be sunny and warmer than what I was used to in the states as I was told that it hardly rained and was sunny since I came back. I guess my reputation as "Precipitation man" still holds true.
I currently have major jet lag and expect to be battling it for the next couple of days and possibly the next week. Work is thankfully slow at the moment so hopefully I could sign out early and catch up on some more sleep. Anyways, that is my trip update. Signing out for now.
Flight to the U.S. was awesome. I got really lucky and was able to fly international on Business and domestically on first class. My 12 hour flight from Tokyo to D.C. on business was a pleasure. The chair was able to lie all the way down. It also had a massage function which I basically utilize throughout the whole flight. The movie selection was abundant. I ended up watching Paranormal Activity (Not as scary as I thought it would be..then again I was watching it on the plane) and Ballad (a Japanese movie, with one of the SMAP guys. This movie was horrible, but I ended up sticking it through). I have always had bad experience with food on my flights, but when I saw that they offered Fillet Mignon, I just had to try it. To my surprise, the steak was really good. I was actually blown away that they could have cooked it this well on the plane. The rest of the time on the plane, I slept while listening to my ipod. My connecting flight from D.C. to Boston was painless.
I arrived to Boston during the middle of the Packers/Cardinals game. I had an hour to kill while waiting for my co-workers to arrive to the airport so I just hung out and watch the packers come back only to lose at the end. I didn't have a mobile phone on me, so I was a bit nervous if I could find my co-workers which I haven't seen in person in a couple of years. Luckily, one of my coworkers did not change at all so I was able to spot him relatively easily. We waited for another team member before heading out. Feeling the cold Boston air was painful. The coldest it ever was in Tokyo was like 4 degrees Celsius, so to experience temps down in the single digit Fahrenheit, I was struggling. We checked into our hotel rooms and headed out to dinner. This was the start of my eating rampage throughout my trip. We went to a nearby pub and I had the angus burger and sweet potato fries. Man.. it was so good. I paired the meal with a couple of Stellas. I was in heaven. The whole trip, I was so busy with work that I didn't do any sightseeing. I only saw the work office, nearby restaurants, hotel and airport. So the only highlights of my Boston segment was the eating part. None of us knew Boston well, so we just ate at random places recommended by the hotel staff. Other than that, my impressions of Boston was that it was very cold, had really friendly people, everything especially parking was really expensive, and did I mention that it was really cold?
I arrived to D.C./Virginia from Boston on Friday. I did so much in Virginia that I can't type out everything I did but I can list some of the highlights.
Friends and family -
I was lucky enough that I was able to meet almost everyone I wanted to meet in VA. It was great seeing and hanging out with all my friends. Not able to see them more consistently is one of the drawbacks of living abroad, but catching up and making new memories was one of the best experiences I had on the trip.
Food -
As I mentioned, I was on an eating rampage during my whole trip. I actually made a list of foods that I wanted to eat on this trip. Sure it killed my diet and months of gym training, but man it felt good. I have to admit though, some of the places like Potbelly's and Chipotle, I feel have gone down in quality from what I last remembered. I wasn't impressed on the food and service when I went there. Everything else, like more hamburgers, steaks, different style of pizzas, hot wings and of course Vietnamese Pho were all great. I now have to be on a diet to just be back to normal.
Work -
Working out of the D.C. area again was great. The commute has not changed, it is still heavy and nasty. I had to renew my license and also my sense of driving on thr right side of the road again. The office is now at Reston Town Center and it was cool working out there again. There were so many new restaurants and shops in the town center since I last been there and it was awesome for me to experience it all during my lunch breaks and happy hours. I was able to meet all my old coworkers who still are with the company and those who work elsewhere during my trip. It really was fun working there again.
VA area in general -
The area has changed a lot. Like Reston town center, there were so many shops and new constructions that made some of the places I remembered unrecognizable. Having said that, the overall feeling of the place where I grew up remained the same. It also felt good to use English for EVERYTHING. I had to do a lot of errands including renewing my driver's license and it was really convenient for me not to struggle with the language. As for the weather, it did not snow the whole year in Tokyo and mother nature treated me to 6 inches of snow the day before I had to go back to Japan. I thought it would effect my flight but thankfully it didn't.
My flight back was unfortunately less pleasurable. I wasn't in business but the flight was not full and I was lucky enough to be sitting next to an empty seat. The service was pretty bad. One of the cabin attendant who was in charge of my area had an attitude problem. The food was also came back to what I remembered it to be. I ended up not eating anything. The movies were not on demand like in business and they were displayed on a community screen. I ended up just watching the movies on my ipod the whole trip. I couldn't sleep much on the flight and am currently paying for it now. When I arrived back to Tokyo, I found it snowing and cold. I was actually expecting it to be sunny and warmer than what I was used to in the states as I was told that it hardly rained and was sunny since I came back. I guess my reputation as "Precipitation man" still holds true.
I currently have major jet lag and expect to be battling it for the next couple of days and possibly the next week. Work is thankfully slow at the moment so hopefully I could sign out early and catch up on some more sleep. Anyways, that is my trip update. Signing out for now.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Saying going bye to my 20's in the states!
Well it was short notice but I'll be heading to the U.S. on business at the end of this week. I will first go to Boston for a week and then spend 2 weeks in the Washington D.C. area. In addition to being in the states, early next week I will also be replacing the 2 in front of my age for the first time in 10 years with a 3. No longer will I have the body of a middle aged man.. I'll have the age to prove it. Unfortunately, I'll be all alone in Boston, which I never visited before. I am fairly certain it will be a birthday night to forget. Anyways, I haven't flown in about 2 years and lucky for me, based on various travel websites, I get to sit in one of the worst ranked seats on the plane for 14 hours. Yay! I will also look forward to experiencing the highly talked about security measures at the airports. It just doesn't get any better than that I tell you.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Final weeks of 2009...
It is a new year and I hope this year will be much better than the last. Lots has happen during the final weeks of 2009. Here is a visual condense summary:
Friends hosted the first ever wing night at their place since there isn't anywhere in Tokyo that serves decent wings, unless you know of a place then please share :).
Like its neon lights, Tokyo loves flashy holiday decorations.
Last time I saw 2009 on Tokyo Tower.
Made sure to eat my soba before 2010 arrived.
Meiji-jingu is and has always been crowded during New Years day.
Apparently everyone who went to Meiji-jingu also went to Chinatown to eat.
Had a few days off, so I enjoyed the weather and some site seeing.
Friends hosted the first ever wing night at their place since there isn't anywhere in Tokyo that serves decent wings, unless you know of a place then please share :).
Like its neon lights, Tokyo loves flashy holiday decorations.
Last time I saw 2009 on Tokyo Tower.
Made sure to eat my soba before 2010 arrived.
Meiji-jingu is and has always been crowded during New Years day.
Apparently everyone who went to Meiji-jingu also went to Chinatown to eat.
Had a few days off, so I enjoyed the weather and some site seeing.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Hyper Quit?
I had basketball practice yesterday like I do once every week since June and I think that may have been my last. Actually for the past couple practices, I've been less and less motivated to go. I thought maybe I didn't like basketball anymore, but yesterday I realized clearly that a select few on the team have made it less fun. I play basketball because I like the sport, its great cardio, but mostly so I can have fun with others who have the same passion as me. The select few on the team have been getting more serious which is fine by me, but over and over I hear them criticizing others even though they make the same mistakes themselves. Last night, I found myself getting criticized non-stop. I owned up to some of my turnovers and changed my play accordingly, but this one dude made it a huge deal and he actually made a lot more turnovers than I did. I'm a big believer of the term "practice what you preach" so this double standard I was given really bothered me. Its sad, because I really do like everyone on the team, and I get along with most of the players there, but if it isn't fun, then I don't think it is worth continuing. If I do ultimately quit, I don't know if I would want to find another team to join. This is the second Japanese team I've played with and both times, this type of situation situation has happened.
Luckily, I did find a couple of courts in my area, I think I may just shoot around whenever I feel the need to ball and hope to play some pickup games there instead.
Luckily, I did find a couple of courts in my area, I think I may just shoot around whenever I feel the need to ball and hope to play some pickup games there instead.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Bon enkai season
The Bon Enkai (end of the year part) season has begun in Japan. I already had a small one but plan to be a part of a few more before the end of this month. In the U.S. people usually get worried about packing on the pounds from the family and friend get-togethers but in Japan its the year end parties where everyone indulges in fatty foods and drinks liters of alcohol.
Speaking of food, I went to a friend's birthday party last week at one of Ikebukuro's newest high-end Chinese restaurants and I must say I was pretty disappointed. I usually do not find bad food in Tokyo, but this place, at the particular price point which was about 100 dollars per head was terrible. The main protein course was too salty and the yakisoba took forever to get to our table (I think about an hour of waiting) and when it finally arrived, it was bland a cold. The service wasn't bad but it wasn't better than what you get at like a Denny's. The only positives I could find during my dining experience were the view, it was on the 59th floor and the dumplings. Not the best I ever had, but definitely juicy and tasty. Pictures of those two below. I do not think I will ever go back there again.
Speaking of food, I went to a friend's birthday party last week at one of Ikebukuro's newest high-end Chinese restaurants and I must say I was pretty disappointed. I usually do not find bad food in Tokyo, but this place, at the particular price point which was about 100 dollars per head was terrible. The main protein course was too salty and the yakisoba took forever to get to our table (I think about an hour of waiting) and when it finally arrived, it was bland a cold. The service wasn't bad but it wasn't better than what you get at like a Denny's. The only positives I could find during my dining experience were the view, it was on the 59th floor and the dumplings. Not the best I ever had, but definitely juicy and tasty. Pictures of those two below. I do not think I will ever go back there again.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Gym + onsen = Awesome
This month a new gym opened up close by. It is much better than the previous gym I went to. The men's locker room doesn't have the constant stench of dirty armpits on a hot summer's day like my old gym. All the equipment is also brand new and the staff seems a bit nicer. The best part of the new gym though is the proximity to my place. I can finally walk to the gym as opposed of taking the train like I used to.
I also discovered an onsen (hot spring) last week. The place is also somewhat brand new being less than a year old. Yesterday, I made it a double event, going to the gym and then relaxing at the onsen. Let me tell you, it was awesome. The only drawback was that it seemed everyone in Tokyo decided to go to this onsen and I found myself squeezing myself next to a bunch of old naked men. I have always tried to go to the onsen when it is least crowded so I can take my time and have some privacy but unfortunately, with work and all, the only time I can go to this particular onsen is the peak time. After the onsen, I ate at their cafeteria which was pretty good and reasonable. They also served soft ice cream which I love.
I think I will make this a weekly thing. Work out and then unwind at the onsen. I won't lie and say everything has been good in Japan but these are the types of things make me happy that I'm living here.
I also discovered an onsen (hot spring) last week. The place is also somewhat brand new being less than a year old. Yesterday, I made it a double event, going to the gym and then relaxing at the onsen. Let me tell you, it was awesome. The only drawback was that it seemed everyone in Tokyo decided to go to this onsen and I found myself squeezing myself next to a bunch of old naked men. I have always tried to go to the onsen when it is least crowded so I can take my time and have some privacy but unfortunately, with work and all, the only time I can go to this particular onsen is the peak time. After the onsen, I ate at their cafeteria which was pretty good and reasonable. They also served soft ice cream which I love.
I think I will make this a weekly thing. Work out and then unwind at the onsen. I won't lie and say everything has been good in Japan but these are the types of things make me happy that I'm living here.
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