Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Japan 2006, Pt. 2
"More Beer Reviews"
223) Kirin Green Label - Green Label brings you a comfortable time. The refreshing taste cheers your mind. Such is the slogan of this standard Japanese beer. This is a light beer and it actually might be a little better than most of the big name light beers. Apparently has 70% less calories than the regular version.
Green Label
224) Asahi Honnama - Another fake beer! Read their description carefully. It's actually rather interesting: "The secret behind the unique qualities of our happo-shu lies in two industry firsts: barley extract and Deep Sea Water. In the past, the biggest problem with brewing happo-shu was the difficulty of bringing a low-malt to healthy fermentation without the high levels of nutrients and minerals needed for yeast. By using two new ingredients, extract of barley and Deep Sea Water, we succeeded in creating a happo-shu without the peculiar smell and uneven taste caused by unhealthy yeast fermentation. In fact, we think Asahi Honnama has the crispest, clearest taste of any happo-shu ever created. At the same time, by fermenting with the rich taste of wheat from barley extract, we have eliminated the watery taste of other happo-shu to create a rich flavor experience."
My comments: No. This was just as watery as any happoshu I have ever had.
Asahi Honnama
"Breakfast Time"
I wasn't really in the mood to ever eat a proper breakfast. So instead I found a nearby bakery and made that my usual breakfast stop. They have so many pastries around the place it was hard to decide what to eat. You grab a tray and some tongs and pick whatever you want. I'm amazed again at how thin people are here, because the average person was taking 3 pastries a piece. Here is an example of some of the items I had:
Left: Donut, Right: Chocolate filled thing
"Tokyo Tower"
Every trip I have been to Japan I have visited Tokyo Tower. This was the first time I had been there by myself, however. You only need to pay for admission to the main observatory, which is about 150 meters up. When you get there you can decide on if you want to visit the top observatory, but that usually isn't worth it unless it is clear enough to see Mt. Fuji. Plus there are other free observatories around the city that might offer a better view of that.
Tokyo Tower
On this particular day it was rather cloudy so I definitely wasn't going to spend the extra money to go all the way up. But I went up to the main deck and had a quick look around. Visibility was kind of poor.
Left: Zojoji Temple, Right: Shiodome
After you are done looking around you take the elevator down to the main building at the base, but they leave you at the 4th floor, where you can have the option of visiting any number of small tourist trap type museums. I paid 500 yen to check out the wax museum, which was interesting.
One of the first things I noticed was that none of the non-Japanese figures beared any resemblance to the actual people. The accuracy was similar to that of your average Halloween mask. But the Japanese figures were pretty well done. However this was still no Madame Tussaud's.
I found it ironic that there was a George W. Bush figure next to a display of great historical peacemakers. But I don't want to get too political here.
The biggest space of the peacemakers section was devoted to a man named Chiune Sugihara, "Japan's Schindler." He saved thousands upon thousands of Jews during the Holocaust years.
Chiune Sugihara
My suggestion would be to check out the Wikipedia article on him, as it explains the details of his life a lot better than I could. He was the Japanese consul to Lithuania during World War II, and as a half-Japanese, half-Lithuanian, Chiune Sugihara is special to me. Somewhat of a hero and a person to look up to.
Like any wax museum, this one got bizarre. There was the obligatory gore in the form of a medieval torture chamber. The most hilarious part was when I was standing there, looking at this poor wax figure being stretched on a rack, when I think to myself... "holy shit... they're playing Frank Zappa's "The Torture Never Stops!!!"
A pretty eclectic selection, so I should have realized something was up. The people who put this together seemed to have strange musical tastes, because once you turn the corner after the minimalist Beatles display, you come to:
Yes, the biggest space in the music section is devoted to German electronic music and kraut rock, featuring pioneers such as Klaus Schulze and Faust. After that, comes the Prog Rock section, with guitarists Frank Zappa and Robert Fripp grabbing most of the space. Awesome!
Finally, when I was leaving Tokyo Tower, who should I run into but these two dildos:
These are the Noppon Bros. and they are the official mascots of Tokyo Tower.
THEY'RE A PAIR OF PINK VIBRATORS!!!
With that, I felt the need to meditate.
"Zojoji Temple"
Only a quick 5 minute walk from Tokyo Tower is Zojoji Temple. Click the link for a great explanation of the temple's activities.
There was nary a soul walking around the place. Everything was very quiet and tranquil. I went inside and sat there for a while, and then back outside on the steps, losing track of time. I wound up spending over an hour here, just thinking about things. It was one of the most peaceful moments of my life. As time wore on, I felt many of my worries just begin to fall away.
I stood up and walked down the steps, completely refreshed mentally and physically.
Back onto the busy streets of Tokyo, I decided to take the long walk to the new Shiodome area.
"Shiodome"
The first thing you will notice about this area is that everything is new and construction continues on even now. It is ultra-modern and futuristic in a way. Everything we seem to struggle for in designing a state of the art public space they have achieved here.
As I finally got near my destination, the Shinkansen passed overhead. Yet another reminder of how far behind we are in the USA, technologically speaking. For all their stoicism and social reservedness, the Japanese have a much bolder and more forward looking spirit than America in this regard. At least that is how it appears to an outsider.
But my impression is that in the time it will take our politicians and developers to approve and finally complete the rebuilding around the World Trade Center site, Japan will complete at least a few such developments, and they will be far more impressive than anything we come up with here.
In Japan, the future is now. In the US, the future is red tape.
"Shinjuku"
The next morning, I went to Bic Camera in Shinjuku to try and buy a watch. But none of the watches there seemed to be anything I couldn't get in the US, so I passed. I spent most of my time in the store checking out the cellphones. Their phones are at least 2-5 years ahead of any phone available in the US market. Unfortunately, none of them work here, and I don't think anyone has found a way to crack the security otherwise I'm sure everyone would have a Japanese phone.
After that I went through the Shinjuku skyscraper district. If you go to the Tokyo Government Office Building, you can access 2 free observation decks. On a clear day, you can see Mt. Fuji.
So that concludes Part 2!
At this point I was at 224 new beers leaving 141 to go. I still have 4 Japanese beers to review and 4 beers since my return.
Up next in Part 3, I stumble upon the TOKYU FOOD SHOW!!!
223) Kirin Green Label - Green Label brings you a comfortable time. The refreshing taste cheers your mind. Such is the slogan of this standard Japanese beer. This is a light beer and it actually might be a little better than most of the big name light beers. Apparently has 70% less calories than the regular version.
Green Label
224) Asahi Honnama - Another fake beer! Read their description carefully. It's actually rather interesting: "The secret behind the unique qualities of our happo-shu lies in two industry firsts: barley extract and Deep Sea Water. In the past, the biggest problem with brewing happo-shu was the difficulty of bringing a low-malt to healthy fermentation without the high levels of nutrients and minerals needed for yeast. By using two new ingredients, extract of barley and Deep Sea Water, we succeeded in creating a happo-shu without the peculiar smell and uneven taste caused by unhealthy yeast fermentation. In fact, we think Asahi Honnama has the crispest, clearest taste of any happo-shu ever created. At the same time, by fermenting with the rich taste of wheat from barley extract, we have eliminated the watery taste of other happo-shu to create a rich flavor experience."
My comments: No. This was just as watery as any happoshu I have ever had.
Asahi Honnama
"Breakfast Time"
I wasn't really in the mood to ever eat a proper breakfast. So instead I found a nearby bakery and made that my usual breakfast stop. They have so many pastries around the place it was hard to decide what to eat. You grab a tray and some tongs and pick whatever you want. I'm amazed again at how thin people are here, because the average person was taking 3 pastries a piece. Here is an example of some of the items I had:
Left: Donut, Right: Chocolate filled thing
"Tokyo Tower"
Every trip I have been to Japan I have visited Tokyo Tower. This was the first time I had been there by myself, however. You only need to pay for admission to the main observatory, which is about 150 meters up. When you get there you can decide on if you want to visit the top observatory, but that usually isn't worth it unless it is clear enough to see Mt. Fuji. Plus there are other free observatories around the city that might offer a better view of that.
Tokyo Tower
On this particular day it was rather cloudy so I definitely wasn't going to spend the extra money to go all the way up. But I went up to the main deck and had a quick look around. Visibility was kind of poor.
Left: Zojoji Temple, Right: Shiodome
After you are done looking around you take the elevator down to the main building at the base, but they leave you at the 4th floor, where you can have the option of visiting any number of small tourist trap type museums. I paid 500 yen to check out the wax museum, which was interesting.
One of the first things I noticed was that none of the non-Japanese figures beared any resemblance to the actual people. The accuracy was similar to that of your average Halloween mask. But the Japanese figures were pretty well done. However this was still no Madame Tussaud's.
I found it ironic that there was a George W. Bush figure next to a display of great historical peacemakers. But I don't want to get too political here.
The biggest space of the peacemakers section was devoted to a man named Chiune Sugihara, "Japan's Schindler." He saved thousands upon thousands of Jews during the Holocaust years.
Chiune Sugihara
My suggestion would be to check out the Wikipedia article on him, as it explains the details of his life a lot better than I could. He was the Japanese consul to Lithuania during World War II, and as a half-Japanese, half-Lithuanian, Chiune Sugihara is special to me. Somewhat of a hero and a person to look up to.
Like any wax museum, this one got bizarre. There was the obligatory gore in the form of a medieval torture chamber. The most hilarious part was when I was standing there, looking at this poor wax figure being stretched on a rack, when I think to myself... "holy shit... they're playing Frank Zappa's "The Torture Never Stops!!!"
A pretty eclectic selection, so I should have realized something was up. The people who put this together seemed to have strange musical tastes, because once you turn the corner after the minimalist Beatles display, you come to:
Yes, the biggest space in the music section is devoted to German electronic music and kraut rock, featuring pioneers such as Klaus Schulze and Faust. After that, comes the Prog Rock section, with guitarists Frank Zappa and Robert Fripp grabbing most of the space. Awesome!
Finally, when I was leaving Tokyo Tower, who should I run into but these two dildos:
These are the Noppon Bros. and they are the official mascots of Tokyo Tower.
THEY'RE A PAIR OF PINK VIBRATORS!!!
With that, I felt the need to meditate.
"Zojoji Temple"
Only a quick 5 minute walk from Tokyo Tower is Zojoji Temple. Click the link for a great explanation of the temple's activities.
There was nary a soul walking around the place. Everything was very quiet and tranquil. I went inside and sat there for a while, and then back outside on the steps, losing track of time. I wound up spending over an hour here, just thinking about things. It was one of the most peaceful moments of my life. As time wore on, I felt many of my worries just begin to fall away.
I stood up and walked down the steps, completely refreshed mentally and physically.
Back onto the busy streets of Tokyo, I decided to take the long walk to the new Shiodome area.
"Shiodome"
The first thing you will notice about this area is that everything is new and construction continues on even now. It is ultra-modern and futuristic in a way. Everything we seem to struggle for in designing a state of the art public space they have achieved here.
As I finally got near my destination, the Shinkansen passed overhead. Yet another reminder of how far behind we are in the USA, technologically speaking. For all their stoicism and social reservedness, the Japanese have a much bolder and more forward looking spirit than America in this regard. At least that is how it appears to an outsider.
But my impression is that in the time it will take our politicians and developers to approve and finally complete the rebuilding around the World Trade Center site, Japan will complete at least a few such developments, and they will be far more impressive than anything we come up with here.
In Japan, the future is now. In the US, the future is red tape.
"Shinjuku"
The next morning, I went to Bic Camera in Shinjuku to try and buy a watch. But none of the watches there seemed to be anything I couldn't get in the US, so I passed. I spent most of my time in the store checking out the cellphones. Their phones are at least 2-5 years ahead of any phone available in the US market. Unfortunately, none of them work here, and I don't think anyone has found a way to crack the security otherwise I'm sure everyone would have a Japanese phone.
After that I went through the Shinjuku skyscraper district. If you go to the Tokyo Government Office Building, you can access 2 free observation decks. On a clear day, you can see Mt. Fuji.
So that concludes Part 2!
At this point I was at 224 new beers leaving 141 to go. I still have 4 Japanese beers to review and 4 beers since my return.
Up next in Part 3, I stumble upon the TOKYU FOOD SHOW!!!
# posted by Nick @ 2:51 PM 
