For Relaxing Times, Make It Suntory Time

Above, a Suntory whiskey advertisement at Shinagawa Station in Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While doing something else, it dawned on me that next year will mark 20 years since the release of the Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson movie, Lost In Translation. 

Filmed in Japan and directed by Sofia Coppola, here's a summary of the film from Rotten Tomatoes:

A lonely, aging movie star named Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and a conflicted newlywed, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), meet in Tokyo. Bob is there to film a Japanese whiskey commercial; Charlotte is accompanying her celebrity-photographer husband. Strangers in a foreign land, the two find escape, distraction and understanding amidst the bright Tokyo lights after a chance meeting in the quiet lull of the hotel bar. They form a bond that is as unlikely as it is heartfelt and meaningful.

Lost In Translation was released on September 9, 2003.

It is interesting that many people don't "get" the movie, yet it scored a 95% on the Tomatometer and 85% Audience Score at Rotten Tomatoes.

I enjoyed the movie after seeing it two years after my first visit to Japan in 2001 and before my second with G-TOUR in 2004. In fact, some of the locations used in the movie were visited by G-TOUR. I enjoyed seeing the sights and sounds of Japan as well as the soundtrack. 

Since next year marks 20 years since the movie's release, I guess I'll have more to say about it then.

Why the photo of a Suntory whiskey advertisement at top? The Bill Murray character was in Japan to make commercials for Suntory Whiskey with the catch line, "For relaxing times, make it Suntory time!"

Coronavirus: What To Know If Planning A Trip

Above, Tom Logan and yours truly at a Starbucks at Shinagawa Station in Tokyo in 2014.

Japan and nations in Asia have been hard hit by the coronavirus. Since it is related to the common cold virus, it will probably play out by summer as colds and flus usually do (fingers crossed). 

But in the meantime, there are somethings that people should know and Japan Today has an article on what to know if a trip is planned.

They begin with:

NEW YORK - The fast-spreading coronavirus is forcing travelers to reconsider their trips. 

As of Wednesday, the virus has sickened more than 94,000 people and 3,200 have died. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends avoiding all nonessential travel to China, Iran, South Korea and Italy, and says older adults or those with chronic medical conditions should postpone travel to Japan. 

In response to this new reality, some airlines and hotels are adjusting their usual cancellation fees. And more people are beefing up their travel insurance coverage.

They then go into what travelers need to know. Topics include airlines, cruise ships, hotels, home sharing and travel insurance.

To read more, go here. 

Shinagawa: Rich In History

Above, a map showing where Shinagawa is located in Tokyo. Source: Google Maps.

Last February, I went to Shinagawa Station in Tokyo to catch the Keikyu Railway Line to go to Yokosuka to see the Godzilla slide at the Kurihama Flower World and to meet up with Tom Logan, a college buddy who was living in Yokohama at the time.

Shinagawa has quite a history and The Japan Times has a feature article on the area.

Here's a snippet:

Today, Shinagawa is a place where old meets new. Visitors can deviate from the old Tokaido road near Keikyu Railway’s Kita-Shinagawa Station by walking along a street south of it that will show how close Shinagawa once stood to the coastline before additional land was reclaimed from Tokyo Bay.

Had I known about the history of Shinagawa, I may have taken a stroll around. But then, it was cold and snowy on each day I was in Shinagawa anyway.

Above, Tom Logan and I at a very cold Starbucks in Shinagawa Station.

If one is interested in Tokyo or Japan history, the article is well worth a read.

To read the article, go here. 

The U.S. Should Follow Japan's Example On Immigration

Above, Tom Logan and Armand at Starbucks in Shinagawa Station last February.

Yesterday's post about Japan granting extended stay visas to the wealthy up to a year prompted an interesting response from friend Tom Logan. I totally agree with his points.

Logan had been living and working in Yokohama and during my visit to Japan last February, we met up over coffee in a very cold Shinagawa train station in Tokyo. Since then, Tom had moved to Northern California.

In response to my blog post, Tom wrote:

A country decides who and who will not enter and stay in their country--on THEIR terms and on what basis the visitor can bring something beneficial to that country--rather than just take. Imagine that! My! How novel! (Unlike what we do letting in anyone to eat out our national substance upon the backs of our citizens and tax payers). (That's why I truly enjoyed living there, in Japan, and contributing to both them and me, for over two decades).

Yes, what novel approach!

Instead of allowing anyone and everyone to immigrate into the country (as the United States is currently doing in allowing the dregs of humanity to illegally enter in order to suck the teats of the taxpayers or commit crimes), Japan has standards on who is to be allowed to live and work in the country.

In general, Japan only grants work visas to persons who have at least a B.A. degree and a company sponsor, among other requirements.

The United States should follow Japan's example. 

New Yamanote Line Station

Above, an artist's sketch of the new Yamanote Line station. Image by JR East.

Several weeks ago, it was announced that a new JR Yamanote Line station will be built between the Shinagawa and Tamachi stations in the Minato Ward of Tokyo.

A new artist's sketch of the new station's interior has been released by the East Japan Railway Co. (JR East).

According to The Japan Times:

The new station will sit roughly halfway between Shinagawa and Tamachi stations, which are also served by the Keihin-Tohoku Line running north-south from Saitama to Kanagawa prefectures. 

The project will take up most of what is now a 20-hectare rail yard in the Konan district of Minato Ward.

Although nobody has said when construction will begin, but it is expected to be ready in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Funny thing, I rarely go to the Shinagawa Station, but during my February trip to Japan, I had to go there to catch the Keikyu Line to go to Yokosuka (and back) to see the Godzilla slide and, later, I met up with college buddy Tom Logan for a reunion over coffee at the Starbucks in Shinagawa Station.

To read more, go here. 

Yamanote Line To Get 30th Station By 2020

Above, the current stations of the Yamanote Line that encircles central Tokyo. Photo by Brancacube
 (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

The JR Yamanote Line that encircles central Tokyo will be getting its 30th station by 2020, the year of the Tokyo Olympics.

According to News on Japan:

The new station, to be built on the waterfront area between Shinagawa and Tamachi stations-a distance of 2.2 kilometers-will be the first new station on the line since 1971, JR East said.

To read more, go here. 

Yokosuka's Godzilla Slide

Above, the approach to the Godzilla Slide. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of the things I set out to do while in Japan last week was to pay a visit to the Godzilla Slide in Yokosuka, which is further down the coast, just west of Yokohama.

I got up early in the morning to make the trek. It was cold in Tokyo, but I didn't let that dissuade me from heading down to Yokosuka.

I took the Yamanote Line to Shinagawa Station in Tokyo to catch the Keikyu Limited Express train to Yokosuka. The cost of the one-way train ticket was under ¥700. The final stop of the Limited Express was Kurihama Station in Yokosuka, that is also the closest station to the Godzilla Slide, which is at the Kurihama Flower World park.

Above, a view of the area surrounding the Kurihama Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I arrived at the Kurihama Station about an hour after leaving Tokyo. When I arrived, snow was falling. I decided that I should have a light breakfast before heading to Kurihama Flower World. At the train station, I found an Excelsior coffee shop. So I went there and had some French toast with a cup of coffee.

After finishing my meal, I went outside and hailed a taxi. Although the walk to Kurihama Flower World is about 15 minutes from the station, I guessed (correctly, it turned out) that I should conserve my energy and my feet to concentrate on taking the hike to the slide. Therefore, the taxi was the logical thing to do.

Once I got to the park, I checked the big map boards to see which is the most direct way to the Godzilla Slide in the park's Adventure Land. There really wasn't any. So I went to the trail head that was nearest to the park's entrance and proceeded on. The park does have tram to take visitors to different points of interest. But on this day, it wasn't operating.

I should warn you, especially if you aren't the hiking type or have any physical limitations, the hike is uphill and moderately steep. The trail is paved and it has a some steps to climb. Fortunately, I've had some experience in hiking steep grades, so I knew how to pace myself (especially now that I have clocked over 60 years of age).

The hike itself seemed longer than the 15-20 minutes it actually took, only because the snow was falling a little bit harder and the wind was blowing bone-chillingly cold. Frankly, the ideal time to do the hike is in the autumn or spring months, where the temperatures are not in any extremes. It might be good to hike it during the summer months as the trail likely has plenty of shade from the surrounding trees. The walk downhill is a lot more enjoyable.

Above, the entrance to the slide is at Godzilla's crotch. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Once I got to the hilltop clearing where the Godzilla Slide is located, I found that the area surrounding it was a few inches deep in snow, and where there wasn't snow, it was a big and very wet mud puddle. In order to keep my shoes from getting soaked and muddy, I carefully walked in areas were people had already walked and compacted the snow. As I walked around the Godzilla Slide, I snapped a few photos of it. It is 10 meters tall (about 33 feet) and kids can go down the slide from Godzilla's stomach (actually, the entrance to the slide is at Godzilla's crotch, which is a little bizarre) to tail.

Above, a view of the slide down Godzilla's tail. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The current Godzilla Slide replaced an earlier one that got so weather-beaten that it had to be demolished in 1973. The locals missed having the slide, so a campaign was started to raise funds to erect a new one. The new one opened in October 1999, 26 years after the original one was demolished.

Above, I am guessing that this is a listing of donors who financed the new slide. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If you are a Godzilla fan and are physically fit enough to undertake the hike, I recommend a visit to Kurihama Flower World's Adventure Land to see the slide.

For more on Yokosuka, go here.

The Godzilla Slide is covered on page 32 of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

Meet-Up At Shinagawa Station

Above, Tom Logan and I at Starbucks in Shinagawa Station.

A little jaunt was taken today down the Yamanote Line to Tokyo's Shinagawa Station to meet up with Thomas Logan at what has to be the coldest Starbucks in the world.

The Starbucks was inside Shinagawa Station, but it was open air and right next to the Konan Exit where it was snowing outside and the cold air was rushing in. Thankfully, Starbucks had nice green blankets available to keep patrons a little bit warmer. I managed to grab a couple of them for us.

It was an enjoyable get-together with Tom, whom I hadn't seen since he was on Congressman Robert K. Dornan's staff and I was 53rd Assembly District GOP Chairman back in the 1980s. Tom currently lives and works in Yokohama. It was an appropriate occasion for me to wear my USS Ronald Reagan cap.

We talked about our current lives, our days at El Camino College, past political events and of people we knew back in the 1970s and 1980s. One highlight was re-enacting the Inglewood School Board meeting where a riot nearly started during a debate over the book Roots due to comments by longtime buddy Michael Triggs (who was elected to the board at age 19). We had some great laughs over that!

Tom wrote after the get-together:

Great to have met, thanks for the signed copy [of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan]. You have a good memory of lots of names which all came back to me.

Sometimes it pays to have a mind like flypaper. Having reunions like this make travel all the more enjoyable!

Great times!

And, thanks, Tom, for the treats!