Kahvila Välipala

Today I saw some interesting mugs...

There is a brand called Moi Mug here in Japan!!
http://global.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/zoom_in.asp?goodscode=153690100&gubun=Gd

Inside a cup there is a text "Kahvila, Välipala" ("cafe snack") and outside you may find a picture and text.

There are 6 different kind:
mehiläinen (bee)
hevonen (horse)
lintu (bird)
leppäkerttu (ladybird)
lammas (sheep)
norsu (elephant)

I think it is interesting how much Finnish is used here. It would be interesting to know the story behind this Moi Mug or Ehkä Söpö store (mentioned in the Shopping section)

PS. I just noticed that the brand is Korean...I think...

Sunday Morning

I'm trying to wake up early during my stay here so I could explore Tokyo during the morning and then return home and study. It is getting dark already around 17.00 and I do enjoy the city better when the sun is shining but of course there are places that you need to see during the night time as well though Asakusa is not one of them.

So it is Sunday morning and after 09.00 I was headig towards Asakusa area which is also a home of Tokyo's oldest temple, Sensoji Temple (founded in the 7th century). Asakusa is full of life and it is fun to wonder around and gett lost in the side streets and back alleys (actually you're never lost here because almost every corner has an information map). For breakfast or I could say for lunch I had sembei, a rice cracker that you need to taste in this area.t Sembeis are hand-grilled over charcoal fire and the cost is 50 yen/ each. The taste...it was good but remember that they are rather small. Not really healthy lunch either and they were just crackers.

I have visited Asakusa area before and already then (in my opinion) the place was too touristic and everything is sold here. Also I have also considered Asakusa area only as a temple area but it is much more than that. As Edo rose, Asakusa emerged as a bustling commercial centre and entertainment area. For example one of the street was full of TV screens and little beting boxes and only men were walking around. Also there were big adds on adult entertainment places and plenty of people staring at them. Site that (again in my opinion) is hardly ever seen in Japan in public I mean.

After 10 minute walk I was able to find Kappabashi-dori which is the country's largest wholesale kitchenware and restaurant-supply district. But unfortunately most of the stores were closed because of Sunday. Need to go back then... I continued my walk towards Nihombashi and walked through Asakusa bashi which was full of shops with all kind of craft shops.

Some culture today and tomorrow if the weather permits I will "clime" the Tokyo Tower....

Shopping

You may find some intresting things in Japan and I'm sure you'll find a lot of stuff that you don't even need. There are plenty of 100 yen shops around that sell everything from miso soup to shirts. So all the items in these store are 100 yen + plus 5 % consumption tax. And if you feel always cold (like me) you may buy "little bags" that warm you up...

Some shopping items.A pen holder for your notebook (800 yen), a purse from Roppongi Hills

Sake bottles from Tsukiji market, luxury goods from Roppongi Hills

Some nice stores or just interesting ones:
www.balstokyo.com/en/
www.asics.co.jp/onitsukatiger/
www.rakuten.co.jp/naturalvintage/
www.muji.net/store/
www.yaechika.com/shop_detail/sp225/sp225.html
www.earth1999.jp/
www.bape.com/
head-porter.org/home.htm
lamp-harajuku.com/

Pretty good marketing...So let's go shopping!!!

Men wearing PINK

Does PINK look good on guys? In Japan it does...or does it?

Thoughts on Hello Kitty

Japan is a country of many mysteries, traditions and religions which have not disappeared since the new generation of popular culture has arrived. One could even say that there is more coherence now than there has been before. Soft culture or gross national cool includes manga, anime, karaoke, j-pop, films and video games which are well-know overseas and especially in the USA. At the same time Japanese middle class woman must have some knowledge of the old traditions before marriage but can still have an enormous amount of Hello Kitty phone chains or even a microwave, toaster, iron, hairdryer or one of the many products of Hello Kitty family.

Hello Kitty draws a picture of world and life trough pink glasses. She is like most of the girls in Japan want to be...kawaii. She is nice, friendly, cute, sweet, and adorable and has lots of friends and close family relations. Did you know that her last name is White? And her favorite food is apple pie? And that she actually lives in London with her twin sister Mimmy?

Anime and magna in Japan gives the public an opportunity to reflect their lives trough these icons and they give hope and create dreams. Popular culture shows to other countries what Japan is today and that it has gone through transformation and this will increase international friendship and trust. The pressure from outside has been good for Japan. The country had to open up and find new solutions to keep up with the pace of the world and Asia. Introducing the soft power Japan has done it again; it is again a leading superpower with the devoting leaders who are using the popular culture as a tool of political communication. Hello Kitty and popular culture (manga, anime, j-pop, karaoke etc.) mixed with traditions are the most valuable export goods that Japan could have. They are icons of today’s Japanization. Japan is cool again which means that it is one step ahead – again.

Check out some web-pages:
www.sanrio.com/
www.ultrakawaii.com/
www.stippy.com/only-in-japan/only-in-japan-hello-kitty-dressed-as-paris-hilton/
www.stippy.com/only-in-japan/mail-order-snowman-kitty-chan-from-sanrio/

Meiji Shrine and Sushi memory stick

The fist day at the Uni, (14.1.2009)

The aim of my trip is to complete my master thesis for Lund University and the process includes a field work course in the University of Waseda in Tokyo. Waseda is one of the top privat universities which was founded in 1882, its motto is "Independence of Learning". Today the school has more than 45 000 student and the campus includes museums and several libraries.(www.waseda.jp/top/index-e.html)

I have to say that even though we had a campus tour in the first day I still have no clue where to find our buildings. We have a nice and funny professor here Mr. Mito or "Tam" as he prefers and my supervisor Vera, from Albania is so helpful and nice to work with. Our first day also included Welcome dinner with tempura in a traditional Japanese restaurant. My knees are not made for those tables....but the food was great (once again).

During my studies for the first time I will experience dormitory. I have a little room on the 7th floor which includes all I need. So far I have only met two of my roommates (Sara from Pakistan and ...from Korea. Sorry I'm just really bad with Asian names.). The kitchen area and laundry room are common and pretty handy to use though knowing Japanese would be good as all the signs are in Japanese. But we'll manage it just takes little more time to figure things out. So if you feel like calling me you may. My number is +81 3 3205 6409. Temple near by and the view is from my window...

After the campus tour my supervisor from Lund, Mayumi took us to the Meiji Shrine (www.meijijingu.or.jp/english/) to pray for our success. So according to Shinto rituals...First you should wash your hands and mouth, then throw some money, bow twice, clap twice, pray and bow and you'll have all the thigs you prayed for. You should also buy a "prediction" or maybe it is more an advice for the future...Mine says " Such is the force of water That it will with gentle pressure Shape itself to every vessel And yet pierce the ver rock" which means that "let your heart be patient and strong". Works for me....

After the traditional part we explored Harajuku the area which is known for its youth style and fashion. Weird things...definetely worth of visit. The place is full of weird looking clothing shop and people as well. You may also find a clothing chain SM2 (www.sm2.co.jp/sm2.html) which is using Finnish words as a name of the stores. My favorites are "ehkä söpö" (kind of cute) and "otan tämän" (I'll take this) the other ones are "keittiö" (kitchen) and "olohuone" (living room). Intresting...and nice looking stuff. Oh and btw you need to try the crepes in Harajuku...I had one with cheesecake, blueberries and cream...sooo good!

You may wanna walk down from Harajuku to Omotesando as the street has plenty of shops including Kiddy Land. Home of all cute cartoon characters and of course Hello Kitty. You may also purchase a memory stick that looks like a sushi or Hattivatti... ;)

Losing the face

Hello from Tokyo, (12.1.2009)

Finally I'm in the land of traditions and modern life and even though I have been able to visit this wonderful place before this trip will be totally different. So I will be staying in Tokyo from the 13th of Jan until 16th of February doing research for my master thesis but right now I'm more excited to explore Tokyo and Japan. The trip to Japan was superb! Got great service and was able to stay with Jenni and catch up. We were also facing a problem which is not concidered to be a problem for example in Finland....We were having tasty dinner at the "Naamapaikka" after a nice evening walk in Shibuya area when the waitress bring a bottle of red wine to our table. Of course we were confuced and it turned out that an "older" Japanese man across from us was kind enough to offer us the wine. In Finland I would know how to act but in Japan it is not that simple...if we would drink the wine we owed him something if we would refuce he might lose his face and the waitress cannot help us either...After few sakes the man has enough courage to come over and join us. We lost our appetite right away but were able to handle the situation somehow. We mumbled vague (am i able to use that expression...?) and refuced when he offered his company, drank our teas and left...It sound a silly story after writing it down but the situation was really uncomfortable. This was the first little conflict I had between the cultures and I'm sure I'll never enter the same restaurant by myself again...too bad because the food is delicious. More stories to come (I'll try to write more intresting ones as well...)