David D. LevineScience Fiction Author

The business-class lounge at Narita airport has free wi-fi. Also free booze, beer, and snacks. A girl could get used to this.

It’s been a trip. We came for the strangeness, and got it in spades. I’m tired of strange now, and ready to come home. We have been able to communicate pretty well with people here, between our limited Japanese and their limited English. But it’s terribly frustrating to be unable to read. I’m also looking forward to Portland’s more reasonable humidity.

Last night there was a religious festival in the neighborhood of our hotel. All over the neighborhood, groups of people dressed in identical yukata gathered together to carry their local shrine (a decorated box about 3′ cube) around on their shoulders, bobbing and chanting and stopping at each local business. Trick or treating? Wassailing? Not sure, but there was one guy in each group going into each business they stopped at with a shopping bag and coming out before they left, and that shopping bag was definitely getting fuller. We saw three such groups without hardly trying, and we’re told the big night is tonight. Unfortunately, tonight we will be on our way to Seattle. (Whatever “tonight” means in a day which is, I think, 40 hours long… we leave Tokyo at 5pm and arrive in Seattle at 9:30am the same day.)

In the last three weeks we’ve hardly eaten the same kind of food twice. I think it was two weeks before we repeated anything other than train-station bento, which is consistently a good quick lunch. I didn’t have katsu-don (breaded pork cutlet and egg over rice) until yesterday. Barbecued eel. Tempura. Oyakodomburi. Things on sticks. Sushi-go-round (a tiny cheap place, not the greatest sushi ever but pretty darn good). It’s all been wonderful.

Spent most of yesterday at the Edo-Tokyo Museum, which covers the entire history of Tokyo from its establishment as capitol by Tokygawa (before that it was just just a reedy swamp… hmm, just like Washington DC). Very well-done museum, notable for 25′ square miniatures equipped with binoculars so you can see the details. Every turn provided new and fascinating stuff I hadn’t realized I would be interested in, like the history of Tokyo’s coinage (Tokyo was on the gold standard, while Kyoto was on the silver standard, which did interesting things to the economy).

Boarding soon. Back later today…

We’ve been to DisneySea! (And the reason for the rather awkward name is that it’s the opposite of DisneyLAND. Surprised it took us until today to figure that one out.) This deserves a much bigger post than I have energy for at the moment — been up since 6am, just got back a half-hour ago at 10pm, on the move the whole time — but I do want to note a few differences from Disney in California:

1. Everything at Tokyo Disney is in Japanese (except for the signage and some recorded announcements, which are bilingual). This shouldn’t have been a surprise but I kept getting tripped up by it, especially in familiar surroundings such as the “New York” and “Cape Cod” sections of the park. All non-recorded announcements and most non-safety-related announcements, including the soundtracks of all rides, are in Japanese only (though one stage show had hand-held subtitle devices available in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean). Cast members have about as much English as the average Japanese person, which is to say that some have none, many have some, and some have a lot. On the other hand, my little head exploded when the Japanese cast member at the Indiana Jones ride waved us aboard with a cheery “Adios, Amigos!”

2. Themed fire extinguisher cubbies in every ride and area.

3. I was wondering what they would do with Rod Serling at the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Answer: no Rod Serling at all. The DisneySea Tower of Terror has a completely different backstory.

4. They have squashed-penny machines, but no pennies. They use copper blanks the same size as a US penny, right there in the machine. It’s not as much fun to just stick in a 100 yen coin and get the squashed penny out. Squashed pennies should cost 26 cents (or 101 cents, or whatever the price is these days).

5. The 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth rides are unique and very cool. The Aquatopia ride is also unique but just plain strange.

6. The railway between “America” and “Tomorrow” is a tiny little two-car trolley that squeals and rumbles like a full-sized Chicago El. Not quite sure how they managed that.

7. They have a full-sized ocean liner, which contains two very good restaurants and a deck you can promenade on. I wonder how many people they lose every year trying to lean out over the prow (with a real sixty-foot drop to real water and nothing preventing you from doing so) and shout “Top of the world!” in Japanese.

8. Flavored popcorn. We spotted strawberry, cappuccino, chocolate, and black pepper.

9. Daikon and jellyfish salad. We didn’t order that.

10. Potato and burdock danish. We didn’t order that either.

Took the shinkansen (bullet train – basically a long, very-low-flying airplane with wheels) from Takayama to Tokyo today. Spent much of the trip studying kanji, and determined that shinkansen means “new trunk line,” nothing to do with bullets at all. Didn’t figure out the kanji for “passenger car,” though, which was more important because it would have helped us ask which car of the train we were supposed to be in.

Arrived in the Tokyo neighborhood of Shibuya, found our hotel, checked in, found dinner. Shibuya is exactly the 2019 Los Angeles of Blade Runner, complete with light drizzle. All it needed was umbrellas with neon shafts to complete the picture. Imagine taking about four blocks of downtown Portland, clearing away all the buildings, and dropping them down at random on the surrounding blocks. Pave the area where they used to be, then cover every vertical surface with neon and video screens (each with its own blaring J-Pop soundtrack). Now take the entire population of Portland and dump them all in those same blocks. Have about half of them stand at the edge of the paved area, and every five minutes have them all scramble to a randomly-selected point on the opposite side of it. That’s Shibuya.

(By the way, does anyone know why the Shibuya branch of Mandarake might be closed at 6pm on a Tuesday night?)

Having obtained dinner (tuna sushimi to die for, plus two salt-grilled things-with-eyes in garlic and olive oil, yum) we returned to our hotel to do laundry and plan the next day. Tokyo is overwhelming, but we have made a decision. Because Shibuya is not stimulating enough for jaded travelers like us, tomorrow it’s… Ginza!

If you want to know more about this trip, check out Kate’s blog.

Since last I posted we’ve visited the small castle town of Matsumoto, spent a night at a high-end onsen (hot spring resort), and landed in Takayama.

In Matsumoto we toured the castle, where I asked the English-speaking guide what tatami mats are made of. She looked it up in her handheld electronic dictionary and it said “iguanadon.” In her defense, she was working in the dark without glasses and might have typo’d the Japanese, but then again this is the home of Godzilla. I bought a little cell-phone dangle of Godzilla attacking the castle at the castle gift shop. Also in Matsumoto we ate oden (miscellaneous boiled things) at a tiny bar presided over by two ladies I nicknamed Flo and Dot. The food was nothing special but we had great conversation, despite the formidable language barrier. I am so glad we studied Japanese. The next day we ran into friends Dave Howell and Eric just as we were checking out. They were staying in the same ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel) and visited the castle at the same time, but we managed to miss them until the last day.

The onsen was a phenomenal experience, featuring world-class service, relaxing hot baths, and an amazing dinner. Fifteen tiny courses, all different and all delicious. My favorite course was the “mini-steaki’s” of famed Hida beef (they take their cows seriously here); the weirdest one was a beautiful bouquet in which the largest flowers were actually two whole fish, skewered and grilled and intended to be eaten right off the stick. Fish on the cob. Breakfast the next morning was not so overwhelmingly wonderful but was pretty overwhelming in its own way. Probably the strangest breakfast I have ever eaten. The best part was another local specialty, miso paste grilled on a leaf on a tabletop brazier, kind of like hot sesame peanut butter. Trust me, it was delish. But then, I have been eating things with eyes and loving them.

Takayama reminds me of Lincoln City, touristy but not overwhelmingly so. Unlike Lincoln City, people come here for the history — there are picturesque 100- and 200-year old streets all over the place. It’s also a bit like New Orleans in that there’s a huge parade every year and much of the town is focused on it year-round. Like Mardi Gras, it’s nominally a religious event; there are gigantic floats with competing neighborhood krewes; and you can’t get a hotel room during festival week (October, with a smaller one in April) for love nor money. But with all those tourists the restaurant scene here is great. We had Hida beef tonight, cook-it-yourself on a tabletop grill, expensive but worth it.

We’re staying at the Rickshaw Inn, lots of foreigners here but the room is traditional-style and one of the nicest we’ve had (well, not as nice as the onsen but the price is about 1/4 as much). We’re enjoying Takayama enough that we decided to stay here two more nights, skipping our planned stop in Kanazawa, and head straight to Tokyo from here. This change in plans is going to greatly reduce our stress levels. The takkyubin (delivery service) system that whisks your heavy bags from each hotel to the next, which is working great for us so far, takes a day, so it doesn’t work well if you’re only spending two nights in each place; this change helps that too.

We’re having a lot of fun. I’m even getting used to the Shoe Thing.

Suppose you are an American tourist in Tokyo and you want to visit a museum on the other side of town. Here’s how to do it. Keep in mind that at all times there will be Japanese people bustling purposefully in every direction around you.

1. Find your destination on the large system map posted above the ticket machines. This may be harder than it seems because in some stations all the station names are shown in kanji. In this case you will have to coordinate the wall map with your map in English.
2. The map tells you what the fare is to get there from here. Buy a ticket for that amount from the ticket machine. Ticket machines come in two flavors: video (usually with an English option) and button-based. The button-type machines will not do anything until you put some money in. As you insert coins (or bills, they take up to a $100) more and more buttons light up. It’s pretty opaque until you’ve seen it in action, but once you understand how it works it’s not bad. Alternatively, just buy the cheapest ticket and then use the “tell me how much more to pay” machine at your destination, but that’s for wimps.
3. Use the map to determine which line or lines you need to take to get there. Carefully note any transfer points. Note that the ticket you just purchased is not going to tell you anything more than how much you paid and which end to stick into the turnstile. The good news here is that the colors of the various lines are consistent on all the maps and signage. The bad news is that because there are so many lines, from several diferent companies, the colors can be on the obscure side (“Did we want the brick line, or the rust?”).
4. Pass through the turnstile and proceed to the platform for your line by following signs on the walls and/or electronic reader boards. Note that local and express trains for the same line may be on different platforms.
5. Determine which track of the two on that platform goes the appropriate direction, by consulting wall signs on the platform or before it (varies by station). In many stations there is a large sign saying “this is station X, the next station in each direction is Y (this way) and Z (that way).” In other stations you have to find a route map posted on a pillar, and coordinate that with the real world.
6. Determine which train you want on that track. There may be express and local versions and/or different branches of the same train, and even entirely different trains, sharing the same platform; you want one that actually goes to your destination. Use the timetable, route diagram, and/or overhead electronic signs at or before the platform. There’s not a lot of consistency in how this information is presented.
7. Determine which car you want. Depending on the train, there may be reserved-seat-only cars, plushy “green” cars, and spots on the platform corresponding to no car at all. Sophisticated riders will select a car that winds up near the correct stairway at the destination. Stand in one of the marked lanes for the selected car. The train will stop right there.
8. Board the train when it arrives, exactly on time. Exiting passengers have priority; passengers waiting to board wait to the side. Don’t dawdle, there’s another train coming in three minutes.
9. On the train, use in-car electronic signs (often in kanji, kana, and romaji), route diagrams, announcements in Japanese and sometimes English, platform signs at the stations you pass, and/or the map clutched in your sweaty paw to track your progress. Alternatively, work Japanese picture puzzles and leave that part to your paranoid husband — after all, you know exactly what time the train will arrive at its destination.
10. Leave the train when it arrives at your destination. Again, don’t dawdle.
11. Repeat steps 4-10 for each transfer.
12. Find the station exit nearest your destination. Most stations have several exits and they may be blocks apart. Some stations are effectively huge multi-level shopping malls. There may be a map to help you figure out how to get out. Good luck.
13. Repeat steps 1-12 for your return trip.

Jeez, no wonder we’re exhausted.

…in the middle of the Worldcon. The convention is small but definitely a Worldcon, with a much higher than usual proportion of non-US fans even if you ignore the Japanese. I’ve appeared on two program items so far, both of which went very well despite the fact that I was the only panelist who showed up for the second one (we dragooned Jordin Kare from the audience, and Esther Friesner did eventually appear, an hour late due to no fault of her own). I also had a kaffeeklatch, for which no one signed up, but I had a nice time talking with Donya White who had been assigned as timekeeper for the panel. Also attended several good program items, including Bob Eggleton rhapsodizing about Godzilla and a talk by George Takei.

We have continued to do well with the food: we’ve eaten very good udon, okonomiyaki, tonkatsu, etc. and the worst culinary disaster was a slight kerfuffle over paying for some bento. Every time I think we’ve eaten every major Japanese cuisine we come across another one I’d forgotten. Plus killer gelato. Went to Chinatown for lunch and got very confused about what country we’re in (the Brazilian-style charrascuria, with the usual artistically-crafted plastic food displayed out front, was the last brain-exploding detail).

The Japanese language study we did before the con is paying off handsomely. The thing I’m most glad about (after basics like “I’ll have one of those,” “where is the bathroom,” and “please forgive me, I am a stupid foreigner”) is being able to read the written language (hiragana and katakana). Even the limited ability I have to painstakingly sound out words letter by letter is better than not being able to read signs at all, and makes possible such things as getting on the right train and choosing the strawberry-filled over the squid-eyeball-filled pastry.

Just came back to our room from the usual round of bid parties. As usual they were hot and crowded, but at this con they are slightly unusual in that they are held in rooms with tatami floors, which require taking your shoes off.

Word count: 59594 | Since last entry: 0 | Days until retirement: 36

Sitting at the airport waiting for our flight to Seattle and thence Japan. Don’t know when I’ll be back online again.

Yesterday vanished in a blur of packing, except that we joined Sarah Prince (in town for a wedding) at the Portland Adult Soapbox Derby. This annual event, featuring bizarre handcrafted gravity-powered vehicles, takes place just a few blocks from our house and we’ve never gone. Thanks Sarah for providing the impetus!

And now… here we go!

Word count: 59594 | Since last entry: 14 | Days until retirement: 38

Today was my last day of work until mid-September. We leave for Japan in two days. I have to pack. I have spent much of this evening packing my computer — making sure I have all the files I’ll need to survive on the road for three weeks with little or no Internet access.

The worst part is going to be living without the phone, or the “magic rock” as Kate has been calling it. I’ve gotten so used to having email, LiveJournal, and most especially Google Maps available at all times that it’s going to be rather like losing a hand. Especially in Japan, where being lost is the national sport. We’ll survive.

Ganbatte!

Word count: 59580 | Since last entry: 0 | Days until retirement: 40

There are times when you have to steal time from work because of urgent personal business. There are times when you have to work late, stealing time from personal business, for work. And there are times like the one I’ve been in for, fundamentally, most of this year, when work and personal life are both desperate to steal time from each other. So you balance them, and steal time from something else. Like sleep.

We’ve been to Austin and Phoenix in the last two weeks (highlight of the A&C weekend for me was a long, energetic Challenge tip with Saundra Bryant calling to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” — now that’s dancing!) , and we leave for Japan on Sunday. I have a gi-normous list of things I really want to get done before we leave. I’m plugging away at it bit by bit. Tonight: hepatitis booster shot, and new pants. The thrills just keep comin’.

At work, my main project is winding up (we’ll have a Release Candidate this week, if all goes well) and I’m supposed to be 100% on another project, although the main project isn’t quite dead yet and there are two or three other projects that would sure like to have an hour or two a day. I’m managing all these things reasonably well — not everything is going to get done, but the most important things will.

And then there are the other things. Like, I haven’t been to the gym in the last month except when I had an appointment with my trainer (who, by the way, is quitting at almost exactly the same time as I retire, so I don’t have to worry about her — I’ll get a new trainer at the gym closer to home). Like, I haven’t written a word of fiction in a month (though we did do Bento, which is back from the printer and will be mailed after we return from Japan). Like sleep, and groceries, and doing the dishes. All of those I promise I will get back to after Japan. And/or after I retire. Which is two weeks after we return from Japan.

You know how, when you have a new baby or a new relationship, life is full of firsts? First steps, first words, first kiss, first movie together? When someone dies or a relationship ends, there are lasts — last walk in the park together, last kiss, last movie together — but those are usually only visible in retrospect. In this case I am leaving work on a known date in the future and I can see the lasts as they go by. Some of them are sweet, like “last time I’ll have to leave a convention on Sunday afternoon to get back to work on Monday” and “last 8am meeting”. Some are more bittersweet.

Today I had a meeting where it was very clear to everyone, especially me, just how much I understand about this product, why it is the way it is, and where it can plausibly go from here, and how all of that is in my head and can’t easily be beamed to someone else. Also today I sent out a mass email to the whole building announcing my retirement. I left as quickly as I could after sending it so I wouldn’t have to talk to anyone. Why is this so hard?

Word count: 59580 | Since last entry: 264 | Days until retirement: 47

Back from Armadillocon. A good time, spent hanging out mostly with West Coast and East Coast friends rather than Texans. Had breakfast with Jay Lake, who later showed us the Freshman Moon and skunked me in pool; had lunch, ice cream, and yarn shopping with Madeline Robins; had a fine dinner with Sharyn November and Ellen Klages in a restaurant with a view of the bats, if they had ever appeared. We also had good BBQ at the airport both coming and going. At the convention itself I spent most of my time hanging out in the convivial space between function rooms, chatting with whoever came by (which included Laura Anne Gilman and Patty Wells WINOLJ). Hanging out with Ellen Klages was a special treat. Who else could cause three people to burst into song: “There is nothing like my brain / Nothing in the world / There is nothing you can name / That is anything like my brain…”

Last Japanese class tonight, and the final program schedule for the Worldcon has been posted (I see they gave me a kaffeeklatsch). I so do not feel suffificently prepared for this trip. I’m sure we’ll be fine.

Saw Endeavour and the ISS tonight, a bright racing star visible for just a couple of minutes from our back yard. Very cool. Kate said “it moves so deliberately!”