"Ha!" to you, gaijins (foreigners) in Tokyo!
Post Date : 2015-05-20
Tokyo, Yokohama & Kyoto, Japan
Jun. 8 - 16, 2012
As it is not customary for me to visit the same place twice due to my desires to visit as many new countries as possible, the trip to Tokyo from June 8 to 16, 2012 was more or less to accompany my best friend Tony Wong. He decided that it was time to take a break from taking care of his lifetime partner who is suffering from stroke. I flew to Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines where he joined me for his maiden trip to Japan. Unfortunate for us, the flight was delayed for 1.5 hours and by the time figured out the confusing train route and checked ourselves into the hotel in Hanzomon, it was 1 AM local time when we were ready to turn in.
The best part of the trip was my meeting with Wong Kaman, a student who was from the pioneer batch of the Art, Design and Media school at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University where I was part of during its inception from 2004 - 2007. She was there to study Japanese and was hoping to pursue a Master's degree in design in Japan. Language has been a problem not just for her but both of us as well. Understandably in a mono-cultural society, the needs to communicate in other languages don't take much precedence. Even the advice from the Dalai Lama to "learn English" wasn't heeded. The worst experience Tony and I had was at a convenient restaurant on Meiji-dori and Yakukuni-dori and when an old Japanese cook yelled "ha" probably a "huh" to us every time we asked him something in English. He murmured "Nihon-go" (Japanese language) and refused to even communicate that we were supposed to hint with sign language that a ticket was necessary before he could prepare the meal for us. We were surprised because we have always regarded the Japanese as courteous and well-mannered. Is it too simplistic to conclude that while the Japanese are generally polite but not friendly to "gaijins" (foreigners)? The competitive nature and the courteous nature demand that almost all service and product salespersons verbalize "irrashaimase" (welcome) to incoming customers as it has seemingly become their living breathing retail vocabulary. 100% of the time, I was being mistaken as Japanese or someone who understands Japanese. Lucky for them, their superior products sell themselves otherwise, a navy for Japan only Burberry Black label wouldn't have been in my possession. Unfortunate for a young salesman at Lumen Men's whose leather tote bag needs more persuasions at Tokyo's Shibuya who could only rely on two words in his attempt to sell me a Japanese made tote bag: "so good." It wasn't so good that we had to give the vertigo-inducing Tokyo Sky Tree, a communications tower which is currently the tallest near the historic Asakusa a miss due to their policy of advance booking. Tony and I managed to pose for pictures with the tower in the background at the Kaminarimon gate.
What I observed was their obsessions to label everything from signs in our toilet telling us to use the upper toilet roll to signs in public spaces helping commuters to navigate in a highly crowded space. English signage is now common use, including the simplified Chinese characters and Korean Hanguel in Metro and train station including very few restaurant menus, the fact still remains that while most young Japanese are able to understand English, it is mostly a one way street in communicating to foreigners. I've always regarded Japan as the spinoff of China's Tang Dynasty that existed between 618 - 907 CE and because of its close diplomatic ties, Tang dynasty heavily influenced Japan. As a result, many aspects of Tang Dynasty from the arts to culture are still being preserved till today. Today's Japanese are actively donning in Goyards, Pradas LVs but mostly, individuals in this mono culture caught in capitalist consumerism that pervades Japan's mainstream are stylishly parading the streets of Japan in their own sense of design that is both eclectic and modern. The pressure in a city with endless high end designer shops and boutique must have been difficult in a society with an inward looking approach but still very much suffering from "Galapagos Syndrome." The Japanese society evolves in isolation but yet they adopt international norms. What I fail to understand is that in such an industrialized country like Japan, public Wi-Fi connections are not readily available. Even Starbucks would charge for those. Tony didn't realize that with purchases comes the formal bowing where the sales assistant would walk his or her customers to the doorsteps if it is a shop or the common walkway in the mall before bowing 90 degrees up to 3 times while thanking their customer. Since we were both not Japanese, it had been reduced to 45 degrees. People usually reciprocate. We did. This is where kindness begets kindness.
Apart from the bidet, I was also impressed with the noise-muting toilet seat at a Kinokuniya bookstore in Shinjuku. It sure is helpful when there's a noisy yet embarrassing bowel movement.
Original posting: June 26, 2012
Day trips to Yokohama and Kyoto
Post Date : 2015-05-20
Yokohama, Japan
Jun. 11, 2012
With only 8 days to explore the land of the rising sun, Tony and I decided that we should try to visit as many places as possible such as day trips to Yokohama and Kyoto, both June 11 and 13 of June 2012 respectively. The trip was made possible with the the Minatomirai Line railway which ran along with the Motomachi-Chūkagai Station, serving Chinatown directly. The first and the only stop was the famous Japanese Chinatown called Yokohama Chukagai (Japanese kanji: 横浜中華街) where we both posed at the multi-colored Goodwill gate. Famed as one of the largest Chinatowns in the world having 140 years of history, Yokohama's Chukagai boasts more than 500 restaurants and shops that fill an area of about 500 square meters. It is known as one other three major Chinatowns in Japan along with those in Kobe and Nagasaki. Immediately, I noticed a panda craze with many shops selling both edible panda cookies to cutesy panda toys, stationery, packaging and so forth. Panda has become synonymous with the Chinese, much like the hand-waving cat of Maneki neko. It brought me closer to home to see two temples uniquely Chinese: the Ma Zhu Miao or the Shrine of Ma Zhu otherwise known as the "Holy Mother of the Heaven." The deity of safe sea-faring, she is said to have really existed in Chinese history. The other was Kuan Tai who was a real character during the bloody Three Kingdoms (220-280 CE). Given the famous character of Kuan Tai, romanticized, celebrated and popularized in the cultures of China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam from operas, folk stories, novels and in more recent times, films, television, and video games, this temple wasn't being heavily promoted.
I wasn't sure if there are many Chinese immigrants who live here although some seniors would laze around in the park. What I didn't expect was a Cantonese speaking tour guide at the Yokohama station when she realized that Tony and I were conversing in the dialect. I was too amazed to check whether she is Japanese or Chinese. The area has many large commercial complexes with too many buffet restaurants and touts thrusting chestnuts in your face every 20 meters we walked. Tony and I dined at a Taiwanese restaurant and the food wasn't as bad because we both had stuffed our stomachs with enough Japanese food and we both needed a change. There is seemingly different feel to it than American Chinatowns. Luckily, the toilets are just as clean as Tokyo's as it usually is the case with Chinese and their unpopular hygienic predispositions. It was hard to move on because there seems to be enough shops that sustain our interest is in Chinese food, souvenir shopping and temple visits. There are numerous Chinese restaurants on the main street serving Hong Kong dim sums and there are enough plastic foods in the windows that instead of helping to decide what to eat in the restaurants ended up creating photo opportunities for my D300s camera. It seems the more expensive restaurants have English menus. I didn't buy much but a must was a postcard addressed to mom and I took the opportunity to ask the lady at the post office to write "sayonara" on the postcard. The postcard was written in traditional Chinese letters and I figured that they understand enough Kanji (Chinese characters) to get the gist of what I wrote on the postcard. I just hope it arrives!
Kyoto, Japan
Jun 13, 2012
The best way to discover the "real Japan" was to include the former imperial capital of Japan, Kyoto on our itinerary. Compared to Tokyo, could we experience the hospitality, mystique, culture, bustle, and serenity that would make this historic city different? With less than 24 hours, we didn't have the luxury of time to sample the tea ceremony, flower arrangement, upscale shopping and so forth. The visit to Kiyomizu-dera temple which offers a great city view built over the hillside has a calming effect. The walk up to the temple was worthwhile because we passed all kinds of crafts stores, souvenir shops and restaurants. The temple was really unique as it was constructed entirely of wood. Even with the huge crowds especially the school children, it was quite serene. On our way back down, we wandered and found a lovely "off the beaten path" street with lovely old Kyoto wooden buildings, a historic miniaturized bridge and nice shops offering local handicrafts.
I couldn't help but noticed that when space is premium, just like Singapore, everything is tightly packed. Even the cars are made small to meander around the narrow streets lined with shops and houses. Tony spotted a few old Maikos (apprentice geishas) in their thick makeups and kimonos readying themselves to be photographed and we rushed over to have some shots with them. In one day, both Tony and I had spent over US$320 on tickets alone as a single ticket on the Nozomi super express Shinkansen (bullet trains) cost over 12,740 Yen which translated into US$160. If we had stayed overnight in Kyoto, it would have cost us more. While it seemed crazy to do day trips, we figured that if we had seen one temple, we had seen it all. Compared to China's historic cities which seemed grandeur in terms of scales and heavily decorated, Japanese's Tang Dynasty-influenced architecture are minimalistic as they are so famously known for.
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Original posting: June 27, 2012
Business first, pleasure later in San Francisco
Post Date : 2015-05-20
San Francisco, California, USA
Jun. 18 - Aug. 5, 2012
Although I arrived jet-lagged in the all-time favorite city of San Francisco on June 18th 2012, my official holiday didn't start until the return from the HOW Live Design conference on Tuesday, June 26. All I all, it had been a crazy jet setting trip, starting with a trip to Kedah from May 24 - June 7th to visit mom for her 80th birthday which also included my brother's employee, Ida's wedding on June 2nd. She has worked for us for 9 year and it wouldn't be very nice if I were to give it a miss. Then, I was off to Tokyo, Yokohama and Kyoto in Japan from June 8 - 16 before stopping for a day to fly off to San Francisco on June 17th. Upon arrival, I rested for 2 days before flying to Boston for a conference from June 19 - 25th before returning to San Francisco to stay till August 5. Within a month, I had stopped at 4 countries, 9 cities in 3 different time zones. The nine cities are Alor Setar and Kuala Lumpur (in Malaysia), Singapore, Tokyo, Yokohama and Kyoto (in Japan), and Hong Kong for transiting to San Francisco and Boston (in the USA).
With 6 weeks at my disposal, it seemed like there was enough time to kill in my favorite city but with my usual dilly-dallying, time flew by. It had become a historical pilgrimage for me to visit a few of my favorite spots such as San Francisco's Chinatown, Japantown, Little Saigon, Haight Street, Polk Street, the Castro and so forth. Since the stay was so extended that it was cost effective to charge a whole month's worth of Clipper card to access San Francisco's public transportation system--the MUNI (that serves the city) which also gave me limited access of BART (which serves the Bay Area). US$74 sounds like a steep price but it was worth every dime of it as I no longer was confined to the restrictive hours on a transfer from a ticket that cost US$2 per trip.
There were some constructions around the city which are signposts of progress but most public facilities are wreaked in urine smell and at this point, I wasn't sure if the US is on the decline or the rest of the world are just catching up. For once, I couldn't be bothered to connect with old friends that seem no longer interested in maintaining our friendship and I chose to focus on those who still care. That freed me up to have a lot of extra time which was spent on getting the much needed therapy, retail therapy that is as well time to really relax. As a result, I splurged on the Bose QC3 noise-cancelling headset, a stylish octagonal shaped Nixon watch which was my first, some leather shoes, tote bags and clothes. Green is the new black for now as it is supposed to help to adjust my luck. Hmm... I wonder where could I possibly find some green underwear small enough to fit me?
On second thoughts, I should save the money for The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, an exhibition by fashion designer extraordinaire at the San Francisco's de Young and thanks to my friend, Jeffrey Wang, I was able to enter the exhibition for free. This dynamic, multimedia exhibition showcased numerous sketches and photographs that showed the renowned French designer's collaborations with filmmakers, choreographers, and musicians such as Madonna. I was impressed with the animated mannequins who talk and sing in playful and poetic vignettes.
HOW Design Conference in Boston
Post Date : 2015-05-20
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Jun. 17 - 21, 2012
Barely having enough time for my body to adjust to a new time zone in San Francisco upon my arrival on the 17th, I flew to Boston on the 19th for the HOW Live Design conference which included the InHOWse manager, the Creative Freelancer, the Dieline Package Design, all rolled into a 4 day conference starting on the 21st of June. Its website claimed that it is the biggest gathering of designers, freelancers, creative team managers, and other creative professionals in the country. How much creative energy under one roof? It was enough for shops at the Prudential Center where the Hynes Convention Center is located to place signs to welcome attendees. Did I sample any revolutionary ideas and life-changing inspiration that I'd rethink my approach to work and life? You bet. Christopher Simmons asked what good is? According to him, good design is good strategy. Good design is accessible. Good design is participatory. Good design inspires young minds. Good design oversteps its boundaries.
Somehow, my introverted spirit had kept me from connecting with like-minded allies. I was looking forward to meeting an exchange student from one of the courses I taught in Singapore. Jimmy Baw, a Chinese American student from New Hampshire who is currently based in Boston wasn't able to see me as he had some family emergencies but it was nice to see Lim Cai Ling, a former student from the pioneer batch at the Art, Design and Media school in Singapore at the conference. She is now a senior designer in a multimedia firm in Singapore. Her boss flew her and 7 other gutsy bands of colleagues to learn from creative visionaries. Usually for these type of conference, I didn't have to present an academic paper and it is quite refreshing to learn some applicable and inspiring ideas from these experts, creative, solopreneurs and so forth.
There were enough samples thanks to sponsors who dished out free magazines, paper samples, catalogs, T-shirts, stationery items and more for everyone that 3 days into conference, I started to be careful about what to gather. I couldn't possibly so no to discounted design books especially when they were the Print regional issues from 2010 - 2011 which had been missing from my collection of books. These things, mostly free, cost a lot to ship and they were beginning to weigh me down as I carried them from one conference hall to another. There was only so much I could stuff into my carry-on luggage so I started to streamline, i.e. by throwing things out.
Certain things stay forever with me such as the things I touched, the scent I smelled and the memories I kept from the trip. I visited the Haymarket, a 350 year old outdoor produce market which holds an undeniable charm. On Congress Street where the holocaust memorial was located, I experienced in a very small way what it may have been like to be persecuted as the memorial was designed to give its visitors the eerie feel of the Auschwitz. The Faneuil Hall as well as the areas surrounding it was fun to explore as well. As part of my routine, a visit to Chinatown is a must and I was there to see how the local Chinese community celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival (also known as the Duanwu of Double Fifth festival. Countries such as Vietnam and Korea also celebrate this festival as part of the process of cultural sharing with China.
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Originally posted: June 27, 2012
Virginal trip to Mexico City
Post Date : 2015-05-20
Mexico City, Mexico
Jul. 18 - 25, 2012
Despite all the fears and warnings from beloved friends about the possibilities of being mugged, robbed, kidnapped and being caught in a drug-related violence and criminal activity, I persisted and booked to travel to Mexico's capitol, Mexico City from July 18 - 25. Mexico City feels and looks like LA and Bangkok rolled into one. It was the 3rd day for this one week trip, starting from July 18 when I finally built up the energy to truly discover the city, starting from Zona Rosa where my hotel is located. Thanks to United Airlines that delayed the flight for 2 hours plus another one hour because we had to return to the gate to let a sick customer off, it was almost midnight when I checked into the hotel. Due to the time zone difference, I was having problems sleeping.
Parts of the city looks European, due to the sprinkling of European-influenced building facades as well as the architecture. The inhabitants made me nervous due to the many bad news coverage of Mexico, the country but as I discovered, Mexico City is better than I expected. The underground Metro is well designed from a practical point of view as all the routes are color-coded with icons for recognition. The heart of Mexico City is the historic Plaza de la Constitucion, colloquially called the Zocalo. It's the third largest public square in the world after Moscow's Red Square and Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Unlike Beijing's, Zocalo is also the site of protests in addition to festivals, events, protests, and home to some of Mexico's most cherished historical sites such as the Palacio Nacional (National Palace), the seat of the Mexican federal government, which is located on the east side. Just off the square is the excavation site of the Templo Mayor (Grand Temple) dedicated to the Aztec gods of rain and war which was sadly destroyed the conquistadors in 1521. The Spaniards not only wiped out the local identity but they also build an enormous cathedral, the Cathedral Metropolitana using the same materials from the original Aztec palace that existed on the site before the conquest.
Luckily, the Spaniards respected the archaeological zone of Teotihuacan, a UNESCO World Heritage spot situated 50km (30 miles) north of Mexico City. Reluctantly, I joined a day tour on July 23 and as expected, I was held hostage for 2 hours at gift shops, the first one at the one next to the Basilica Guadalupe and the second one when we were in Teotihuacan where the Piramide del Sol (Pyramid of the Sun) and Piramide de la Luna (Pyramid of the Moon) are located. My biggest adrenaline rush came from discovering local craftsman's handcraft such as the Bazar Sabado (Saturday Bazaar) located at Plaza San Jacinto 11, in San Angel as well as any that I could find on the tourist guide book. It didn't help that I was mistaken as Japanese. When in doubt, they assume. I was anything from Japanese to Korean to Chinese tourist and if they didn't murmur between themselves, they'll be asking me to confirm. I wonder if I told them that I was from Ethiopia, the price for the souvenir I was interested in would have been lowered. Either way, I was a tourist and my neck was spot clean waiting to be slaughtered, I thought sometimes. Another problem was that I could barely speak the language. All bargaining at the "Mercado" or market was done by me thrusting a calculator to me to punch in the amount and negotiations were conducted in that way. It was silent and effective! Nonetheless, artistic, opportunistic, and assumptious Mexicans were also deeply religious but are open enough to have a city that recognizes gay marriages. Caramba! Double caramb! Good for them.
Admittedly, communication is a big problem for me. Security is an issue which explained why most establishments as I noticed hire a security guard and they do remind me of my experiences in China. In this case, the guard at Carl's Jr also doubles as someone who cleared trays. Police are everywhere, if they weren't standing at street corners doubling as tour guides giving instructions, they were cruising around in the American Chevys or Dodges. There was always a risk of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. All those necessary vigilance and being aware of my surroundings at all times helped to put me in an alert position. All that discombobulation played itself out and strangely enough in a city of 22 million, the city itself is efficient. Although the underground runs without any air-conditioner and the train was jam-packed, everything has its own rhythm. In a place where it can be difficult to make ends meet where life can be hard, I can still see enjoyment, relaxation and dignity amidst all the chaos, noise, fume and squalor. A guy who came around to wash people's car windshield makes 3 pesos in a few seconds at the intersection. It made me realize that every place moves at its own place and no one can force it to move at a different pace which makes it unique in and of itself. Mexico City can be an assault on the senses for those uninitiated but once you get the hang of the way things are in the city, you just cruise along with it. Like what my friend James said, "it is what it is." I was immediately being reminded of the old song, "Que sera, sera!"
Been there, done that and enough of Moscow
Post Date : 2015-05-20
Moscow, Russia
Oct. 9 - 14, 2012
Traveling on my own has always been a choice for but for Moscow, getting around had brought much anguish because I don't possess a fair grasp of the Russian language. When all signage including subway maps are in Cyrillic, it has become truly a pain in the feet (as I become lost). Hardly anyone in the street speaks English sufficiently to understand and to meaningfully respond to my questions. My luck ran out on me after alighting the Aeroexpress from the Domodedovo Airport. Can someone show me how to get to the hotel? When I found one who could finally communicate with me days later, it was easy to be fooled by her Asian looks as many of the sales staff at the souvenir shop at the pedestrianized Arbat Street could several languages. She automatically linked Mandarin speakers with mainland China to which I reminded her that ethnically, I'm Chinese but an overseas one indeed. Street vendors outside the Red Square where I bought some mementos of Russian dolls (Matryoshka) which appear in all shapes, sizes and colors and some are with the faces of Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Barack Obama and Hello Kitty can speak simple numbers. This is probably due to the fact that they had to deal with many non-Russian speaking tourists there. Taxi drivers, if I could find one, usually consider someone like me an 'easy prey' and often double and triple their prices. Broken meter? Please, who are you kidding? Moreover, I heard stories of pickpockets in Moscow as kind friends had forewarned me so. The tourism board of Moscow sure has some hard convincing to do until they could tackle some of these basic issues.
The works presented at the Central House of Artists where the 10th anniversary of the Moscow Global Biennale of Graphic Design had taken place were eye-opening. As it turned out, both of my works, the one featuring Dr Sun Yat-sen to commemorate the founding of the Republic of China's anniversary as well as another one with a colorful Bob Marley were selected and represented in the thick catalog. It was an honor to be held on the same level to accomplished global designers and to be acknowledged by peer designers with endorsements from the International Council of Graphic Design Associations ICOGRADA and the International Biennales Coordinating Committee IBCC. Another surprise was on October 9 which was the arrival date when the staff at Park Inn by Radisson Sadu on Bolshaya Polyanka street sneaked a note, a fruit platter and a bottle of wine and placed it on the desk while I was downstairs. The note congratulated me on my birthday and thank me for staying at their hotel. That was really unexpected and was very sweet of them and that really put a smile on my face especially when I was lost for about 3 hours trying to find my way to the hotel. The metro which was often referred to as "the people's palaces," displaying Stalin-era designs with munificent use of marble and mosaics illuminated by imposing chandeliers. As much as I wanted to stop to pull out my DSLR to shoot, it seemed too risky of a behavior as this would signal pick-pockets to target me at the ornate Oktyabrskaya Metro station. When I travel, I rely heavily on my gut feelings. Stereotyping became my guiding beacon, thanks to experiences accumulated from cities that aren't "westernized" enough. For one, the Rubles aren't available outside the country and are only offered at cut throat rate at the airport upon arrival. The collapse of the old order in Russia seemingly has unleashed many things: schlock advertising, Western-style capitalism, bizarre superstitions, limited liberalism and so forth.
Russia is indeed a terra incognita for international visitors and her race to join world citizenry with metropolises like Moscow is still very much a long way from more developed cities like Seoul and Tokyo. India has more to offer with its highly spiritual people, colorful cultures and festivities. Instead of the colorful Red Square where the St. Basil's cathedral with its colorful domes is located, Indian women wear colorful saris and textural patterns that add richness to the environment that they are part of. Besides, most Indians communicate with each other in English, in addition to their mother tongue. Moscow felt like an enthralling adventure but most of the times, this city is an ordeal where simple thing becomes impossible for foreigners. It seems more plausible to spot a secret missile silo than to successfully order a meal at Burger King. As a result, I constrained myself to only two Metro stations I had become familiar with throughout the trip: Polyanka where the hotel is located at and the next stop: Borovitskaya where the Red Square an the Arbat Street are located, both within walking distance away.
This trip to Russia had been challenging from the outset: delayed approvals, limited subsistence support from the school, expensive hotel rooms and visa, not to mention all the angst I had gone through while there from Oct 9 to 15, 2012. If anything, it has trained me to be flexible, tolerant and patient. "Been there, done that, and had quite enough" was my reply to my brother who inquired if I had had fun in Moscow.
Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia
May 24 - Jun 7, 2012 for mom's 79th birthday and Ida's wedding
Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia
Feb. 24 - Mar. 3, 2012
Alor Setar, Kedah, & Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Dec. 20, 2011 - Jan. 2, 2012
YEOH'S JOURNAL
Read about things that interest me, matters that I care about, pictures and observations from my trips and stuff that I bother to share with the world.
