Japan - (Ordering) Nosh of the Day: ramen

Another teaser for gaijin! (Gaijin = non-Japanese people.) Again, a very sensible and practical idea for a busy city. Before you enter the ramen shop, you order and pay for your desired meal with this machine outside. Then the chefs take your order and process it. Cuts down on time and people queuing up in an already buzzing restaurant. Thankfully I was with my friend Mariko, or would probably have flounced into the shop expecting service!

And the nosh: a huge, delicious bowl of ramen noodles with veggies and pork :)

Japan: Masks, Shibuya, Tokyo

Yes, a lot of Japanese wear face-masks in public. This is handy for megastars in disguise. But on the whole, the masks are worn by people who have colds etc - to protect others from their germs. The Western view of neurotic, masked Asians scared of catching bugs is not true. Masks are a mark of considerateness. And something that could be quite helpful on the London Underground I feel!

(Click on pix for a closer view.)

Japan arrival: fine fettle kettle

One long day. Up at 5am to fly from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur (then immigrate for four hours, turn around, emmigrate) and get eight hour ride to Tokyo...

My plane arrived at Haneda kuukou very late at night, and I had been advised to book a hotel in the airport, as Tokyo public transport does not operate after midnight. (No vomitous nightbus for them!) I had flown no-frills and by this time was dying for a snack, nice cup of tea...

Hotel room was great: super modern, ultra clean, all details carefully considered*.

And then there was this. I knew it was a type of kettle, but what should I do with it? All instructions were written in Japanese Kanji. I pressed every button, twisted every lever ...no response, and nothing that I could recognise. After about ten minutes of grappling and puzzling, the lid finally popped up! It was indeed a kettle, but one that heats and stores water, which you then can dispense (as if from an office coffee machine) during your stay. (Honestly, never seen one of these in the UK!)

Finally - fridge raided for peanuts, hot cup of o-cha.. and Ghost Whisperer mysteriously dubbed into Japanese on TV ** :)

In many ways this experience encapsulated my brief findings in Japan. Things are different, and actually often better, more advanced than what I know. But there is a lot of puzzling to be done before making anything work! And fluent knowledge of Japanese Kanji would be mighty helpful..

* All amenities, computerised loo with heated seat, even a heated portion on the bathroom mirror, so an area wouldn't steam up after showering and one can still do one's face.

** This TV viewing was quite good fun, but for some reason one wimpy looking guy had been given a huge, manly, booming voiceover in Japanese. (Bit of a giggle if you've watched the original, and I'm sure he'd be amused at such an honour!)

Back soon!

Apologies Geezers, I am touring around Asia having both bizarre and pleasant new adventures - but with limited internet access (let alone photo upload ability!) I will be back with some fab new stories soon..... :)

Thanks for your patience.

Singapore: shaving in heaven

Many Chinese believe that you can make your loved-ones' time in heaven more agreeable by burning paper offerings of things they might like. For example: a new car, beauty products or a Louis Vuitton purse. In Singapore you will find many stores selling all these (sometimes beautifully crafted) paper items for the dead.

I will definitely be requesting martial arts kit and English-style donuts when I go!

 

Malled to death

Asia is famous for its love of shopping malls. And Singapore must be up there with the greatest*. With humid heat and heavy rains, it makes good sense to shop in an air-conditioned, indoor environment.

But don’t be fooled into thinking malls are convenient! The malls here are often HUGE, and linked seamlessly – yet confusingly – into several other malls. You will frankly need a compass, map, Ray Mears and a band of well-trained huskies to navigate from many a Starbucks to Starhub. Older and more ‘local’ style malls can entail labyrinthine miles of tiny concessions and Chinese characters, making even finding an exit tricky for the unsuspecting gweilo.

Overall: note landmark stores, wear trainers and expect a lot of walking.

* I am about to go to Tokyo, let’s see what that is like!

(Apologies again for daft picture layout.)

Ngee Ann City

Raffles City?

ION Orchard

Paragon

 

Capita Mall?

VivoCity

Nosh of the Day: not 100% sure..

But it was quite refreshing and yum! Shaved ice, almond jelly, chunks of some mysterious
sea-coconut?, sweet red, white & blue things resembling fish eggs.

 

Singapore: Tiong Baru market

Turns out this famous destination is right behind my friend's apartment (though it took me some time getting lost in back-streets to find it at first!) It sells food, groceries, clothing, household goods etc. Today I popped in for a look around, and a plate of very good and cheap Tiong Baru steamed chicken rice in the food hall upstairs. :)

Mystery items! Some kind of artichoke?

Picture imperfect

It has come to my notice that posting pictures on Blogger with any kind of decent layout, is impossible (maybe different if you know code; I don't). Sorry about this! Hopefully you enjoy the images anyway.

Singapore: 三个猫 (three cats)

Here are some neighbourhood mao (cats). They're perhaps not as cuddlesome as their buxom European counterparts, and often with half-a-tail, but still friendly!

 

Singapore: Chinese festival 07.02.12

It was a Tuesday, I'd just got home and my key melted off in the lock (I'm not joking!) But while I was waiting for the locksmith, this happened. And I got a birdseye view! Apparently it is a 'parade for Chinese God' but I haven't gathered more. If you know, tell us!

It was preceded and succeeded by days of drumming, cymbals and opera on the Padang*.

*Padang is a Malay word for an open, grassy area in town - perhaps like a village green, or common.

First stack of paper burned. Red lion & dragon dances.

Procession around Padang, lots of drums & music

Pink / white dragon & lion team join

3 emperors?

Ceremony

Who are these guys? (Man & woman)

Final bonfire is lit, procession goes back to marquee.

Riveting Observation of the Day: puddings

You will be pleased to hear that off-the-shelf puddings in Asia tend to be small, and often come with little spoons. ;)

The accentuation of accent

As some of you know, Japan has a whole 'English' vocabulary, written in a special script called Katakana. Katakana words, however English they might appear at first, must be pronounced and spelt with the Japanese accent, or they are meaningless. For example:

Radio = rajio
Milk = miruku
Culture = karucha

Yesterday I did a tour of Singapore's swanky beauty parlours, asking if they did 'threading' (a form of eyebrow shaping using thread). They all said no. In the end I spoke to the boys in Kelture Aveda who revealed that what I meant was not 'threading' but - cue Singapore accent - 'trid-ding'. And that they did it at the salon next door. Basically once I went around saying 'trid-ding', everyone got the picture.

Several years ago I was staying with friends in Kuala Lumpur's Palm Court. But when I took a cab home, I inavariably ended up at the Concorde Hotel. To a Malaysian, 'Palm Court' meant nothing (or, presumably, 'Concorde') - "Palm Cott" however...

Unlike Japan, both Singapore and Malaysia are English-speaking countries, and on the whole spell nouns as we do in the UK/US. But even here 'native English' has its limitations. Seems I have new vocab to learn!

Nosh of the Day: Beard Papa!

Love these custard-filled choux buns! It's a Japanese company, apparently named after its founder, who had a beard. The London branch shut down about a year ago (how gutted was I!). But they have one in Singapore...

Today: chocolate, vanilla, and very rude service.

My friend's apartment

I am liking the characterful Tiong Baru area. The place I am staying is in one of Singapore's oldest HDB (public housing) blocks. Built in the 60's (I am told, though we were debating this!), it has many original features, including high, slatted windows and the flecked, green marble flooring which I also remember from brief time spent in Malaysia as a child. 

The building is now listed, and it makes a nice change from many of Singapore's ultra-modern expat condos. There is even some art being created in here right now, but more about that later!

Nosh of the Day: starfruit, jackfruit

For those who haven't tried them before:

Starfruit - refreshing, watery taste. So-called because it is star-shaped in section.
Jackfruit - slightly pungent flavour, rubbery texture! (These orange things are the pips, so big stone in middle.) Looks, smells and feels like it might be related to the Durian, but apparently isn't.

Asia: land of the micro-woman (apparently)

...As I was mooching around clothes shops in the local Singapore mall today I saw some  cotton jersey shorts/culottes for sale, folded neatly in piles. Could be good for gym work, I thought to myself as I picked a pair up. But it was not a pair of folded gym shorts - it was a microscopic skirt! Basically the size one leg of a pair shorts would be for me! And no, I wasn't in the children's section.

*sigh*

I am no giant (a UK size 10) but remember from before that I was mysteriously a 'large' or 'extra large' out here. There seem to be plenty of Singaporean girls walking around who are my size. But I guess we're all officially bruisers!

Tiong Baru, Day 1

Today I am in Singapore (as one is). Still fairly jetlagged actually, but it's good to be back in hot, humid, 'make your hair giant and frizzy' SE Asia again.

This afternoon I went for a trot in the local neighbourhood - which is supposedly Singapore's answer to London's Hoxton. Kinda nice actually; there was a cool breeze, tropical birds whooping in the trees, and I enjoyed the little side-streets of this area. I visited the apparently famous forty h4nds cafe (yes, a small mocha was the equivalent of around GBP3.50 - Singapore is no giveaway!) Service was slow, but the mocha and ambience were good. Also popped into the Books Actually boutique opposite - books really are expensive in Singapore btw, around twice the price of the UK's!

Afterwards: off to the local mall for some basics in the supermarket and a little mooch around..

Things along nearby Yong Siak Street

A Boat with a View

If you fancy an unusual place to stay in London this year, check out this installation "A Room for London" down at the Southbank Centre.

The boat/room is beached on top of the Queen Elizabeth Hall, and apparently you can rent it out for the night and look out over the Thames for around £120. Invited artists also use it as a studio space once a month. The work is by Fiona Banner and David Kohn Architects, commissioned by Living Architecture and those old faves, Artangel. More info here: aroomforlondon.co.uk

I think there are still bookings left for the second part of the year. Could be fun!