Noodle Rule

1. 
   

Jeg-lagged and aroused at 3:40 am by some psychotic internal clock, I began yesterday with the sound of Muzac coming from my art-deco hotel entertainment console, circa 1973. After consuming my weight in caffeinated beverages (Folgers instant and all the green tea I could find in the room, I felt about a new as a 1000-yen bill. With plenty of time to kill before breakfast, I took a walk around Shinjuku, the area our hotel is located. The stillness of the morning was interrupted on by the CRAWWW of HUGE black crows and the quiet clip-clip-clip of Japanese businessmen who walked silently beneath the uniformity of the black suit, white shirt, and tie. It made me wonder what would happen if one of them came to work in seersucker, sharkskin, or linen for that matter. I stopped to take a picture of the parade of office workers and the front of our gianourmous hotel.

The day’s activities began with Tsutomu Kimura, President of the National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation, or, as he put it, the most hated man in the University system who detailed Japan’s educational goals, objectives, and pressing issues concerning Japanese education in the 21’st century. Some things I found fascinating about his presentation:

1. How similar our school’s discipline problems are
2. Math and geometry used to be a National pastime, now it’s in decline
3. Japanese educators are just as worried about the declining success rate of their students as American educators are.

An afternoon bus tour of Tokyo’s Diet (parliament), and a Buddhist/Shinto shrine provided more inside-a-bus time than walk & tour, but I did learn these things.

1. The Japanese practice what I feel is a sense of religious pragmatism with regards to Buddhism, Shinto, and/or Christianity. Whatever works, works.
2. The rains will begin shortly
3. People taking pictures make really funny pics

Upon return from the tour, we all gussied ourselves up again for a welcome reception hosted by David Satterwhite, Executive Director of Japan-US Educational Commission and Seyama Kenji, Director General for International Affairs. After a loud “Kampai,” spoken with glasses raised, we dined on Japanese and Italian -inspired Western cuisine that, sadly, sounds as bad as it tastes. At the dinner, I forced myself to Watashi-wa (business card) several of my Japanese colleagues, many of whom had spent a year or two in the states, and decided that in Japan, aside from beer and karaoke, a business card is an excellent social lubricant. We dined in a stand-to-mingle fashion and, though still exhausted, left for some “authentic” karaoke.

A note on Japanese karaoke: instead of the extremely public humiliation of singing Engleburt Humperdink in front of a room full of strangers, the Japanese system makes the whole experience intimate and private by doing the following:
1. Renting out a soundproof room that can seat up to 12 by the half hour
2. Giving the room unlimited alcoholic beverages
3. Turning the mike volume WAYYYY low

Plied with beverages, security of friends, and a lack of documented material, Japanese karaoke brings out the karaoke in EVERYONE. Not a bad idea. Here’s a pic:

Having woken up WAYYY TOO EARLY and yet still exhausted, I opted out of going to the fish market at 4:45 in the morning. The lobby was packed with like-minded teachers and, for fear of annoying men with large hooks and giant knives, i'm going tomorrow with a crowd that doesn’t threaten to take over an entire market. Instead, a like-minded traveler, Pilar, and I decided to roam the early-morning Shinjuku area in search of sights and noodles. We found just the noodle joint we were looking for. Here’s the game: You stand outside and look at a Japanese-only menu of items, some that have accompanying pictures, others which just indicate to throw caution to the wind and order. Next, you put money in the coin machine (anywhere between 300 Yen-625), get a ticket, hand it to the cook, then go sit down and wait for the noodles. I found this to be a terrific idea, mostly in that the chef need not ever touch money. Perfect for inner city late night eats. Here’s the pics.

Breakfast of Champions