Eri has a hidden talent for seeing shoes that she likes, trying them on and liking them, procrastinating about buying them and upon finally deciding to do so, discovering that they have sold out. She had a bad experience a few years ago with a pair of Miu Miu boots, and the other week we saw a pair of Nike x Liberty Dunks that she (and I), really liked and when we returned to the shop to buy them, found they too had sold out. Yesterday, on going to the Nike Store in Kichijoji, we were pleased to see that they had started to stock them there too, after not having had them when I went to check the other week. I really like these. We're just trying to work out whether to keep the white laces or change to the included purple pair. Decisions, decisions.
I just wandered out of my apartment block to go and buy a yoghurt (blueberry) from the store across the street, and sheltering from the rain in the lobby of the block was Iain Lee (off the 11 O'Clock show). Now, I know that seeing Iain Lee is not exactly on a par with Tom Cruise or Hitler or whatever (sorry Iain Lee), but it properly wierded me out. I used to watch the 11 o'clock show pretty regularly, so suddenly seeing its presenter was a bit of a shock. He's tall as well, and has quite a fit missus (both of which added to the shock). He even appeared to be speaking a little Nihongo as well, to the guy who had been performing in Mandala (the live venue in the basement, which they had obviously been to see). I don't know what to think?
I guess it just wasn't what I was expecting on a rainy night in suburban Tokyo...
In the midst of the snowstorm blowing its way through Tokyo yesterday, it was Eri's birthday. She caught a nasty cold at the end of last week and completely lost her voice, not very usual when serving shoppers, and has been ill all weekend. We were hoping to go away for the weekend snowboarding, or at the very least to be able to get into Tokyo to catch an exhibition and go birthday-present-shopping, but instead, she was in bed all weekend, sleeping for 16 hours a day and feeling generally sorry for herself for the other 8. We managed to go out and look at the snow briefly yesterday, and to go for a meal at the Thai cafe in the park. These pics were taken there, when she was grumpy again at how her birthday had turned out.
Today is Coming-Of-Age Day (Seijin No Hi) in Japan, where all those kids who are currently 20 officially come of age. As it's a public holiday here today, and because there are 3 universities near here, there have been loads of perfectly-manicured young girls walking around in their coming-of-age kimonos, getting drunk on the free-samples of beer they are finally allowed to drink, and clutching their free samples of tobacco and condoms. A wonderful, wonderful day. Too much oogling to take any photos.
I have seen the roof of this house everyday, from the train on the way to work. I've been meaning to take some pictures of it for a while now, so I walked over there on Saturday with my camera to see wha the rest of the building was like. I was pretty surprised to find out that it has a restaurant or reception room or something on the ground floors and yet still houses the required slightly-mad-old-lady in the top floor. She came out and growled at me when I was packing up after taking the pictures, and made a pretty incongruous site standing outside this modern house in her crazy-old-lady shawl and hat. The photo turned out ok. I couldn't move any further to the left and still get the whole house in as there was a massive removals operation going on in the house opposite. I have also taken the artistic liberty of removing a few of the mass of overhead cables that ruin most Japanese streets. Apparently they can't bury them due to earthquakes and typhoons, although I'm pretty sure that cables are buried in California and Iran etc...and, as I am now finding out, it's not as if the local council are afraid of digging up the street (officially from 9pm-6am outside my apartment every night from now until March). Click the picture to see the before and after versions.
