Yokohama Bay Quarter

今日から休みでした。気づいたら11:30。Buは金曜から仕事で二人とも寝過ぎですね。起きてラテ作って飲みながらランチどうする？マンネリになってきたので思いついたのが先日横浜東口そごうの先にオープンしたBay Quarter。平日だから大丈夫と思い1時過ぎに行ってみたら凄い人。ランチはは諦めたものの店舗を見て回ったんだけど、レストランもショップもどこのショッピング施設と何ら変わらないのに、昼飯食べるのに長打するのって見て回るのが楽しい。Avedaのサロンがあったのでいいなと思ったけど、美容室に1万近く出す主義じゃないので。シャンプーとか整髪剤は好きだけど。結局ランチは崎陽軒近くのパスタ主流のカフェに入りランチビールも飲み満足。東京ほどじゃないけど横浜もマンション出来過ぎじゃないのかなって思うね。

We’re back, and we’ve been to the cinema

Yes, the dissertation is still preventing much else but thought, as it had been an inordinately long time since we updated, today would be the day.

Just been to Ebisu to see the Woody Allen London film, ‘Match point’, which has finally come to Japan. Having not seen a Woody Allen film since the late nineties and heard that he had lost his touch, was intrigued to see this one. Very little comedy here but dealing with typical Allen concerns: high society, love, fate, human nature and the utter pointlessness of life. While the story is quite well constructed with enough twists to keep us awake we came away disappointed. For me, I couldn’t get beyond the woodeness of the script which Allen of course wrote, perhaps for an American audience (who says “I’m beat” for tired in the UK?) and for Pu cos he hates squirming in his seat when events veer hopelessly away from a happy ending.

We are also in the middle of a bottle of wine. Full report tomorrow. Hope you are all still there…

Hachijojima

We got back on Sunday evening after a fantastic 3 day trip to Hachijojima, an island about 400km south of Tokyo although still part of the city. After a night cruise on somewhat choppy seas we arrived at something that looked like the set of Jurassic Park!

We then drove up a mountain to see Mt. Fuji, a miniature version of the more famous one (little did I know that the next day we would be walking up it, thanks to all the keen hikers in the party).

We then proceeded to look at some lava that had spewed forth from said mountain a while back.

After a BBQ dinner and drinks at an Aussie pub run by one of the only three gaijin on the island D and Bu lay looking at the brightest sky of stars I’d ever seen (it was my first time to understand what the Milky Way was thanks to D and his knowledge of astronomy) while Pu and H flashed their nakedness through the open window of the hotel bath.

The next day we went up the mountain to the sound of Bu complaining about the slope /heat and insects – I am a city boy at heart – but was all smiles when I reached the top:

After lunch it was snorkelling with some scary looking fish and then back to the pub to pick up where we had left from the previous day. Seasick on the way back of course.

Sad to be back where only my dissertation awaits…