Journal lingqi's Journal: September 13rd, 2004 1
September 13th, 2004 (22:36)
It seems that updating this journal has became an luxury rather than a daily fact. I am not quite sure what is attributing to this. Are there still 24 hours in each day for me?
Recently was mostly just living. The most significant achievement was probably that I bought a new set of tires. Japan has nearly no all-season tires for some reason. The standard tires are always summer tires and most people opt to buy a set of winter studless, which always seems to come out very expensive. I would not have such economical resources, so despite the onset of fall and winter, I bought a new set of Michilen (sp?) economy tires for ~52,000 yen. This is the first time In my life that I bought tires and I honestly have no idea how expensive that is. I also bought it in the tire center in Costco Tamasakai, which sort of robs me of the "japanese experience" therein, though my coworker assures me that I am saving at least a hundred bux by doing so.
I am also getting pretty good at making fried rice, a feat which I am very pround of. I have to thank my father for making some excellent fried rice when I dishwashed in the restaurant where he was a chef.
Speaking of food, I have been noticing that unlike the US, chicken breast does not demand its premium for being "white meat." In fact the various portions like leg quarters and wings and winglets are usually quite more expensive. Now, I should point out that when I say "does not demad premium," it's very much a relative thing - as usually the cheapest of breast meat is still about 50 cents / 100g, which translates to about $2.25 / pound. Comparatively unprocessed leg quarters, generally the cheapest of chicken, can be had for as low as $0.29 / pound if one looked hard (Argyle, Chicago). The price difference in food is simply staggering. I cannot believe I am only getting compensated 1.3x for cost of living - it's simply not true.
Anyway, a little research reveals that japanese are, however, also interested in white meat, they are just a whole lot more picky about it. For those who have ever disected a chicken, you'd probably realize that the chicken breast consist of the outer layer of meat and an inner... layer closest to the chest bone. these are generally lumped together (with skin) when sold in US for "chicken breast," but here the inner layer - it's actually tube-like - goes by the name sasami, and demand a huge price premium. It's supposed to be high protein and low fat and very good for you, etc. It would seem that the japanese definition of white meat is even held to a higher standard...
-- continues on the trip a long long time ago in a place far far away --
When I got out of the capsule hotel at an early 5am, it was already past dawn. the lifeless streets and alleys are bustling with life and activity, much like what you would imagine a city in renissance London would be like, except the whole scenery where the sky is darkened by various wires covering the little sky that can be seen between the apartments and other buildings closing in from the sides of the narrow street. Old ladies nonchalantly swept the sidewalks in front of their residences, tiny garbage trucks pauses ever so frequently to pick up neatly tied white bags, though few are sometimes punctured and torn by scavenging crows, who are now also awake and alert on the roof ledges, eyes sharp on those trash bags and the pankakes or bread any businese men might be holding in their hand as they hurridly headed toward work.
The train was no longer of the zombie feeling, but rather filled with people in prestine clothes reading for another workday. It was pretty crowded - or at least more crowded that I have thought a train would be at such an hour. The train arrived swiftly at the airport, and like the train itself, the airport was also beginnig to fill with people all looking purposeful and busy. While visibly not at full capacity yet, the entire place looked ready with the rows of self-checkin machines and beside them the row of impeccably decorated airline attendants in their pastel coloured uniforms.
I checked in, and got onto the airplane. Before the plane could take off I had already closed my eyes and did not open them once in the flight. The plane shook on touchdown and we were all thrown forward by the strong deceleration that followed. I woke up and the sun was at a much lower angle above the horizon and shone this warm orange light, instead of this white "wake up and get to work" light that seem to bath Tokyo.
The Hokkaido New Chitose Airport is large but it was quite empty as well; Much like the south parts of the US, where time simply seem to pass slower, Hokkaido also gives off this feeling of a warm sunday afternoon. I dashed toward the exit and felt very out of place in the action of dashing. In the airport was some huge omiyage stores, though unlike similar stores in other airports that generally sells processed food along with plastic toys and whatnot, the omiyage store here sells huge frozen crabs and honeydew melons and watermelons and various other fresh produce or seafood. I looked at the crab, drooled, and decided I really should consider getting some breakfast.
There was a bento-shop, and I was able to get some uni-don for, if I remember it right, 1,200 yen. It was very cheap and I don't think I have ever seen uni being part of bento anywhere outside of hokkaido. The entire time as I gulped down the cold but nonetheless delicious food, I thought to myself that Hokkaido is really worthy of its reputation for agricultural and marine products. (In Japanese, Sasuga Hokkaido)
Before I forget, I should mention that the TokyoSapporo route is *the* world's busiest air route, as shinkansen does not quite reach Hokkaido yet. Just a bit of useless trivia. Christian was surprised that The airplane servicing the short hop are all but the largest of 747s, though in reality even such monstrocities are still insufficient, and they fly back and forth many times in a day to satisfy all the customer needs, almost like an air shuttle service.
To get to the rental car counter is a bit tricky. The departure lobby is on the first floor but one actually have to traverse to the second floor and go through an enclosed walkway and then down again into this rental-car area. The rental bus then wisks you off to this place a few km away, where several rental car companies congregate on these huge lots filled with cars glistering under the sun. I pulled into the Mazda rental building (shared with Japan Rental and Mitsubishi), and despite being a "small fry operation" compared to the likes of Toyota and Nissan, hundreds of cars awaited outside. To give an idea of the difference of scale, Mazda rental usually have all but maybe 10 cars in their dealers in my area. Again, sasuga Hokkaido.
-- It's nearly midnight and I need to get some rest. --
Tires (Score:1)