A new standard of freshness

On Friday, we went to the home of a friend of Masako's parents named Yamada who is 86 years old. Masako and I rode in separate cars with her parents and I was with her mom. She explained to me how Yamadasan was a master koto player and a teacher. When we arrived, Yamadasan had prepared an impressive collection of her own artwork and artifacts from the past.

It was definitely the first time I have ever been able to hold items that should be in a museum and look at them up closely.

This comb is made of pressed turtle shell and the pattern is inlaid gold

This coin dates back to the late 1800's

This is a tiny piece of a painting that was badly burned in WWII that Yamadasan restored with her amazingly intricate embroidery.

We then headed over to Ropongi and walked around for a few hours before we headed to Our friend Hiro's office

I hope to someday master the art of satanic kung fu

At Hiro's office there was lots of food cooked and drink passed into the night. I met a fellow American named Kevin who lives in Brooklyn and has a career that is almost the exact same as mine (I do recognize in the insult game that we have been playing for our entire lives, I am leaving Tacorda open from downtown right here). This was actually the largest gathering of English speakers I have come across at one time in Tokyo. As always........good times

Good times at Hiro's

I spent the day in Akihabara with my father in law, the computer genius (and fellow hardcore Rush fan) Okuyamasan, and Tetsu, the man of iron. Unfortunately, the great Yuichi fell ill but guaranteed that my electronics would be ready by Monday. The intriguing thing is that I have no idea what those electronics are.

Akihabara is my paradise

When marketing a device like the outdoor scanner or any product for that matter, is there any better face to use than that of Bronson?

A few years back in Akihabara, an otaku went wild in the streets and killed 10 people with a sword. He said it would not have happened if he had a girlfriend. He was recently sentenced to death. Papa Sudo took us down the street and showed me where it happened.

An otaku crime scene

A few hours later we met up with Masako and her mom and went to Shinagawa to eat dinner at Makino. They specialize in conger eel, which they kill, fillet and serve immediately. You grill it yourself at the table.

Me and fellow Rush enthusiast Okuyamasan at dinner in Shinagawa

Okuyamasan speaks English very well and when I asked him how he learned he told me that Rush was his English teacher. He said their lyrics are very difficult to understand and by the time he figured out what Neil Peart was trying to say, he had a good command of the English language. Haters........once again...........back up

It began with an appetizer of salmon roe, eggplant, egg, and what I came to know as "night squid" because it has a natural light and schools of them can be seen in the water at night

Then came the sashimi

Grilled oyster

The definition of fresh.

This sets an entire new standard for fresh meat. From now on if my meat is not still moving when it is put on the grill, it will look like the pre-made sandwich section at trader joes (if you are ever thinking of grabbing one of those for lunch, you would be better off buying the local paper and eating it....trust me). Just so you know, that nasty bloody part you see beating there in the video is the heart, and as the only gaijin (foreigner) at the table, it was my duty and honor to eat it. Masako's dad said that this eel is minus a brain, so even when cut up on a plate, it is too stupid to die.

Papa Sudo grills the idoitic eel with mastery and authority

Fried fish and chicken

Topped off with a turtle risotto

Masako served me a bowl of the turtle risotto and told me that it is known to give you energy. I said I could certainly use that since we were out late at a party with intellectuals, playwrights, financial gurus, captains of industry and professors last night. She then said no,no,no.....a different kind of energy.....wink ,wink....

Less than 48 hours left and a typhoon is on it's way.....there is never enough time