Hakata Ramen

From Honganji we walked towards Harumi, past the pretty Tsukijigawa park and then back around to Harumi Dori (street). The ramen shope there - Fukuchan- piqued my interest. For Hiro it was a blast from the past.  Befor the ramen boom that mean 'tonkotsu' (pork based) Kyushu style ramen was hard to come by in Tokyo.  According to Hiro, for him, tonkotsu ramen = Fukuchan.  The ramen was great, much much much better ramen than you usually get. Deep flavour without too much oil.  They even had free boiled eggs sitting in baskets on the table.... I guess people don't try and fill their pockets on the way out... that said though how many boiled eggs could a person eat in a day....

Tsukijikawa

Lots of condiments, garlic, ginger, cabbage, wakame seaweed,

preserved fish eggs, and another kind of pickle.  Also soy, sesame,

chili, chile oil & vinegar too perhaps.  Note the eggs.

Hiro's Ramen - seconds - (you can order extra noodles once you've 

finished your noodles and yet another boiled egg - 

My delicious ramen -with half a boiled egg and pork on top

Fuku-chan Hakata Ramen 

Honganji, Tsukiji

If awards were being given out for the most untemple like temple in Japan,  Honganji would be a strong contender.  A Jodo shinshu sect temple, that's located not far from Tsukiji fish market,  it looks rather more like an art gallery, or European parliament building than it does a Buddhist temple.  I have passed it many times, usually when visiting Tsukiji markets or visiting a friend who was being treated at the National Cancer Centre across the road, but never popped in to see it. 

Today was the day, inspired partly by Katsu, a friend in Kyoto who suggested it, partly because it's somewhere that I have been meaning to go, and partly because the Tsukiji Harumi map was on the top of the walking tours of Tokyo pile that I picked up at Tokyo Metropolitan Govt a couple of weeks ago.  

In terms of architecture, Honganji is obviously different, but more striking for its difference was the attitude.  I get a headache trying to discern the differences between Jodoshu, Jodoshinshu, Tendai, Soto Zen, Rinzai Zen, Nichiren and its manifestations, Shingon and any and all sects that I haven't mentioned, but Honganji's Jodoshinshu was the first time to see what appeared as inclusive Buddhism in Japan.  Hiro was hungry so we didn't stay long, though I was interested to note they have English seminar there each month (just what I might need if I am ever going to contribute to a Zen text translation project I agreed to do months ago when I had a whole lot more time).

I intend to go back again someday to check out out in more detail.



Honganji

Chanting for what looked like a memorial ceremony up the front

other people were coming and going as they pleased.

In such a grand  marble building in Europe, I doubt cattle would be

 the animals on the bannisters.

ditto

Looking out to a courtyard

Unorthodox for  a Japanese temple..

Detail above the door

http://tsukijihongwanji.jp/tsukiji/index_e.html The link to the temple homepage.

The Public Transport Shame File

The 'no peeing here' signs that you see around and about in odd places made a whole lot more sense today. This morning inside Akihabara station, opposite a newspaper stand, I passed a man standing in a corner peeing....
Despite the fact that there was a public toilet less than 100m from him.   He was probably mid twenties, old enough to know better, young enough to know better too for that matter....
He makes the shame file.

Busted!

Day Zero

First of October, Day Zero, life as a graduate student has begun....

I managed to have an altercation with the first teacher I encountered... the head of Japanese language.... apparently notorious for her inflexibility. Mindless inflexibility ... a feature of Japanese institutions.  In a rather raised voice she told me I 'shouldn't be studying Japanese' and walked out of the classroom.... hmmm.

 Language classes don't count to Masters units - but they get calculated as part of a student's GPA (Grade Point Average).   Attendance is very strict and there is a test every lesson.  I asked if there is some way around this - like could I come as an unregistered student.

 A.  NO!  We don't allow students to come and just sit in. It's a bother for the teacher. 

 Q. But if I give an assurance that I will participate fully and do my homework seriously.  

 A. No.

Q.  But I want to learn Japanese.  

A. Well You shouldn't work.  

Q. But I can't stop working in the middle of a university term when I committed to it in February.

A. YOU SHOULDN'T BE STUDYING JAPANESE.

hmmm..

not very encouraging.


Lucky I am a tough cookie... 

I sent a letter this morning pointing out that the attitude conflicts with the blurb on the Uni  website:

The Masters Program...'encourages the study of Japanese' and developing a competent grounding in Japanese and/or other second or third languages.  
It's false advertising....the whole point of studying from a Japanese university was that I would be able to improve Japanese.   I'll be quite upset if they won't be flexible.

Happily my afternoon classes were interesting and fun - one on Global History, one on Nationalism.  

But lots of homework for the weekend.