Otsukaresama deshita!

Ahhh.. the weekend! It's been a busy busy week, but here I am. My hands are sore, my back is aching, my eyes are red, but I'm going to write this because people will yell at me if I don't. So here goes; get comfortable.

On Sunday, May 17, I went with my family to a high-end shopping center called Takashimaya to eat. It has several floors dedicated to just restaurants (because shopping builds a healthy appetite), and we decided on one called Kamakurayama. It's most famous for its beef, and I've got to say: That was good meat. If you have a lot of money lying around and like eating cow, please come here. Or please give me your money because you are being irresponsible and should never leave such large sums lying around. The other thing Kamakurayama known for is it's view.

La vue. Le grand symbole rouge est pour "Takashimaya." Le centre commercial est si grand qu'il enjambe plusiers batiments. C'est pourquoi tu peux voir Takashimaya quand tu est dans Takashimaya.

The view. The big red symbol is for "Takashimaya." The shopping center is so big that it spans several multistory buildings. That is why you can see Takashimaya even though you are in Takashimaya.

Bouef tres delicieux

Very good beef.

Kamakurayama etait delicieux mais il n'y avait pas assez nourriture. Pourqoui est-ce que la nourriture chere est si petite? Nous sommes alles a un "ramen-ya" ou un restaurant de ramen apres nous avons mange a Kamakurayama.

Kamakurayama was good but it wasn't enough food. Why are portions for fancy food so small? We went to a "ramen-ya" or ramen shop right after Kamakurayama to fill up.

I started work the next day, Monday, May 18th. It took me about an hour to get from Oyamadai to the Kagurazaka station, but all in all it wasn't bad. Except for the excessive sweating. And the packed train car. There are specific tran cars for just women and children during rush hours because there have been problems with touching. There are just too many people crammed in there for anyone to do anything should it happen. So I get to take part in that fine mess of manly bonding, exchanging breath with the old man who clearly had garlic last night and forgot to brush his teeth. I love open spaces.

Sou Fujimoto Architects is on the 6th floor of what is mainly a paper manufacturing building. It is an open studio (not unlike what the architecture kids have been in) with spaces dedicated to staff, meetings, and Fujimoto's office. I say spaces instead of rooms because nothing is really closed off. I would love to show you guys some photos, but I didn't think it would be appropriate for me to come in with my camera blazing during the first week. As soon as I think it's ok, I'll do so (which should be this week). Unfortunately, there's a confidentiality agreement we had to sign, so I can't show you any projects until they're published or completed.. which is killing me because I've been working on a sweet one. For the past week, I have spent around 40 hrs (excluding all breaks and meals) making models for this incredible something (I will be able to tell you about this project around June 8th or so). And yes, the hours really are from 10am to midnight. It's pretty grueling, but you can leave knowing that you don't have to be ashamed of your model making muscles. My right forearm is gonna be huge by July.

Monday I got to meet most of the people including Fujimoto himself. There are interns and staff from Australia, Germany, Canada, Thailand, the US, Portugal, Spain, and of course Japan. I actually started the same day as another intern, Claudia. What a day to start too! A magazine happened to come in that day to take a picture of the whole firm, and we both got to be in it. No one seems to really know which magazine though... We did some heavy lifting on Tuesday, and the rest of the day and week was spent on the aforementioned project.

Oh, and Fujimoto is awesome. He walks around in slippers all day, jokes with the staff and interns, and checks up on projects. One time he spent about 20min brushing his teeth while pacing the studio. Hilarious. I actually got to sit in on a staff meeting (because I had worked on so many of the models they were using) and see him sketch and explain how he wanted to progress the design. It was really fascinating because even though I couldn't understand what he was saying, I could more or less get it from the way he was showing us the models and drawing.

On Saturday, my coworker Pear (her Thai name is Titayas, but she goes by Pear) and I went to Odaiba. It is a man-made island that looks like it got beamed in from the future. Seriously, if they want to make another Star Wars movie they should cut costs and just shoot here.

Attendre Pear dan la gare Oimachi.

Waiting for Pear at Oimachi station.

La gare Oimachi: la ligne JR Saikyo/Rinkai

Oimachi Station: JR Saikyo/Rinkai line

Ramen-ya dans Venus Fort d'Odaiba. Je n'ai pas eu assez d'argent pour acheter ramen... donc j'ai achete riz.

Ramen-ya in Odaiba's Venus Fort. I didn't have enough money to buy ramen... so I got rice.

Un pont.

Bridge.

FujiTV de Kenzo Tange.

FujiTV by Kenzo Tange.

FujiTV. 6e etage.

FujiTV. 7th floor.

A l'interieur de FujiTV. C'etait comme "un parc d'attraction" que Pear a dit.

Inside FujiTV. It was like "an amusement park" said Pear.

Une maquette insenses! Elle a ressembler a la maquette de la ville de Monsieur Rogers mais dans Japon.

An insane model! It's like Mr. Roger's model town but in Japan.

I didn't get to spend much time in Odaiba because I had promised my family I would eat with them. What do I love more.. food that I would never be able to get on my own or sighting seeing and architecture?? I don't know what to do the next time...

Le restaurant s'appelle Kakiyasu et il est un buffet cher. L'assiette un.

The restaurant is a pricey buffet called Kakiyasu. Plate one.

L'assiette quatre.

Plate four.

Le dessert un.

Dessert one.

Le dessert deux.

Dessert two.

Sunday I went to my cousin Jared's graduation luncheon. That's sort of a family thing, so I'm just going to post one picture. The best picture... that I have ever taken.

Mon oncle.

My uncle.

A Kishouji qui est celebre pour shabu-shabu pour le diner.

At Kishoji, known for shabu-shabu, for dinner.

Chawanmushi. Un flan d'oeuf japonais.

Chawanmushi. A Japanese egg custard.

Shabu-shabu!

Shabu-shabu!

Elle avait des cheveux cools.

She had cool hair (but you can't really tell in this picture).

That's it for now. I'll try and have some pictures from the office for you guys to see. Thanks to all of you who have replied or commented either through email or on the blog itself. It's great to hear from you guys, and I hope you're all doing well. It'll probably be another week before I post, but I sure hope not. Be well, eat your vegetables, go to church, and stay safe!

Gomenasai

Today was my first day of work. I have so much to tell you guys, but it has become all too evident that I won't be able to post anything until the weekend. Too tired and need sleep...

Gomenasai.

Itadakimasu!

Lots of delicious food today. My cousin Jared and I went to a Japanese spaghetti shop called Goremon for lunch. Spaghetti? What would I go half way across the world and eat something like spaghetti? Because I can, and it was delicious. First, another shot of my room but in the morning.

Pas mal, n'est-ce pas?

Not bad, huh?

Aujourd'hui, Jared et moi sommes alles au restaurant de spaghetti qui s'apelle Goemon et il s'est trouve a Jiyugaoka. Les nourritures etait tres delicieux. Je pense que je prefere les restaurants italiens dans Japon plus que les restaurants dans les Etats-Unis.

Today, Jared and I went to a spaghetti shop in Jiyugaoka that was called Goemon. The food was sooo good. I think I prefer Italian restaurants in Japan more than those in the states.

A Tokyu Hands dans Shibuya, le centre culturel de Tokyo. C'est un soutien-gorge pour l'homme. J'ai vu un couple qui ont vu cette chose bien trop longtemps.

At Tokyu Hands in Shibuya, the cultural center of Tokyo. This is a bra for men (or boys if they're into that). I saw a couple who looked at this thing for way too long.

Beaucoup de gens dans Shibuya...

Lots of people in Shibuya...

Mon Oncle, mon cousin et ma tante

My uncle, my cousin (Jared), and my aunt.

A Gyu-kaku pour le diner.

At Gyu-kaku for dinner.

Ramen delicieux.

Delicous ramen.

Japan

I'm here at last! I actually landed in Japan on Wednesday, May 13, but I've been without internet for the past few days. For those of you who don't know, I'm in Japan for an internship with Sou Fujimoto Architects until July 25th. I'm pretty excited about this opportunity but the work conditions are pretty intense. According to the associate with whom I'm corresponding, I'll be working from 10am to midnight without pay and without fringe benefits. It's alright though because this guy has done some pretty cool stuff (check House N or Final Wooden House) and just to have the chance to be in his office is pretty exciting. And no, I don't speak Japanese.

On to my journey! Grab a snack. This is a long post.

Like I said, I arrived in Japan two days ago. I left at 5am on Tuesday for the airport and spent the time before my departure with my parents and The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell. Nothing really exciting happened until I got to Dulles Airport in Washington where I got bumped up to business class (this is the second time this has happened, both times because of a ticket reading error). You know that feeling when a vending machine gives you two snickers for the price of one? That's pretty much where I was at. I got a nice seat staring at a blank wall (but with more legroom and proximity to the flight attendants' area) with an elderly couple to my left. Automatic seat adjustment, personal TV, table cloth! A taste of the high life to be sure, and it tastes like snickers.

I have to say it was incredibly fortunate I got that seat not only for myself but also the elderly couple who sat next to me. A few hours in, our flight attendant (whose name is Kobayashi by the way), asked us to fill out some forms. As I was finishing up , I heard Mandarin clashing with Japanese. I looked over to see the elderly couple listening blankly to attendant Kobayashi who was becoming increasingly anxious. Lucky for them, my Mandarin is at the level of an illiterate 2nd grader so I was able to translate between the two.

After landing, it took me a billion times longer than it should have to get to my uncle's house. The entire plane was quarantined when we touched down while people in biohazard suits (comforting) went around checking people's conditions (supposedly for symptoms of N1H1). This took about 1 hr. After I got my luggage, customs stopped me and asked questions regarding my 2.5 month tourism stay (it makes more sense in terms of visas and such). 30 min. I took N.EX (Narita Express) to Shibuya. 1 hr. I got off the train and waited for a train that I later realized stopped at a different platform in the same station. 30 min.

After reaching Oyamadai Station, I got a little lost while dragging my luggage around. Now, you need to understand that Oyamadai is a quiet, residential area. It's so peaceful at night that you can hear faint laughter from within homes, the rustle of people's clothes as they pass, and sometimes, I swear, the clouds moving overhead. I happened to destroy this harmony with the roar of my luggage. The Norse almost had it right. Thunder was Thor, but it wasn't a chariot. It was his checked luggage from Asgard.

After a self examination, I finally admitted I was lost. I apolegtically stopped a passing woman and said, "Sumimasen. Nihongo wakarimasen. Todoroki-wa doko?" I had asked flight attendant Kobayashi for some useful phrases, I just didn't realize I would need to use them so soon. The woman pointed to a map I had in my hand and asked, "Kore (this or here)?" Excited that she knew where I was going, I stupidly replied, "Si! uhh.. oui! Agh! Hai!" She just smiled, pointed down the road and said, "Walk straight."

I'm sorry to make you guys read so much; I promise to keep them shorter in the future. I start work on the 18th so keep watch for short little posts throughout next week. I haven't had much time to play around with all the settings.. just let me know if there's something I should change or you think I should add. Just fyi, my comments for my photos will be in French with an English translation. This is so when I go to France I won't have to cycle through every language I have learned ("Si! uhh.. oui! Agh! Hai!") before knowing which is the correct one. Feel free to correct me.


C'est ma salle dans la maison de mon oncle. J'ai eu de peur hier soir parce que je n'ai pas pu arreter de penser du cinema The Grudge . Il y a une scene d'horreur avec une salle comme ca. Apres des heures, Je me suis endormi en ecoutant un podcast de NPR.

This is my room at my Uncle's. I was a little freaked out because I couldn't stop thinking of The Grudge. There's a scary scene with a room just like mine. After a few hours, I fell asleep listening to NPR.