Tokyo Day 1: Here physically, not mentally

Is this Tokyo? Am I really here? The plane ticket says yes. The signs say yes. The hotel attendants say yes. My eyes say no. 

I always thought Tokyo was one of those mythically large cities, represented in my imagination by thousands of skyscrapers and millions of residents stacked shoulder to shoulder in suffocating localities.  

So I was a little confused and underwhelmed this morning as I left the hotel and was presented not with a Blade Runner-like future metropolis but instead with a clean, comfortable, scenic, and spacious landscape.

I expected this type of serene atmosphere in Nagoya (see my Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 Nagoya posts from last October) but I always thought Tokyo would be much more claustrophobic and gritty. What I have come to find, at least on this first day walking through Midtown and Roppongi, is a city that is way more intimate and unblemished than its size should allow. Maybe my experience will evolve over the next few days as I travel to other places in the city, but for now, color me impressed (and a little confused).

By the way, I found myself subconsciously walking more upright and delicately today. It's as if I'm afraid I'd stick out like a smelly-barbarian in a city of well-mannered nobility if I allow myself to walk around in very relaxed, semi-lackadaisical nature as I normally do in China. Maybe it has something to do with current participation in Kendo classes and how I am now in the habit of moving around in a civil, respectful, deferential manner when I'm in a Japanese state of mind.

Below are a selection of photos from the first day. Go to the gallery for the complete collection of Day 1 photos.

Who needs GoPros? Climb Dance 25 years later

Jean Louis Mourney. Ari Vatanen. Pikes Peak. Sunrise.

Climb Dance stands alongside C'était un Rendez-vous as perhaps the most iconic, raw, unfiltered, mythical automotive masterpiece in filmmaking history. Long live the dirt.

So that's why I wasn't able to see the big rubber ducky

I was in HK today but wasn't able to find the world's largest ducky. It wasn't for lack of trying. I just discovered why... From Gawker:

Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's inflatable sculpture had the wind knocked out of it sometime overnight, and many in China immediately rushed to suggest that someone had deliberately deflated the duck.

Several hours later, however, Harbour City officials suddenly claimed the deflation was part of planned maintenance work, and the duck merely "needs to freshen up."

Disappointing. It will still be in the harbor until June 19th though, so maybe I'll get another chance to see it before it leaves forever. 

Want: drinkable tea calendar

From FoodBeast:

This tea calendar was designed by Hälssen & Lyon, a German based tea manufacturer, and distributed exclusively to select business partners of the company, which naturally makes us all want it more.

Made up of 365 days of brewable deliciousness, each day on the calendar is made up of “finely flavored tea leaves and pressed until wafer-thin”.

So encouraging to discover it exists and yet so disappointing it may not be easily available for consumer purchase (hopefully I'm reading the quote wrong and it is available for purchase by the general public). 

Is Christmas here yet?

Building as art

Central, Hong Kong.

Song of the Day: Where Is My Mind

Yoav feat. Emily Browning. 

I just finished reading Ender's Game for the first time since elementary school (it's still an amazing work of literary art). I was inspired to buy and read the iBook edition after seeing the trailer for the new Ender's Game movie. Much as 'Exile Vilify' came to symbolize the emotional exhaustion felt by Abraham Lincoln while reading Team Of Rivals, 'Where Is My Mind' became my anthem for Ender and his battle against isolation, loneliness, and depression. 

World's largest rubber ducky comes to Hong Kong

From My Modern Met:

On May 2nd, Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's huge inflatable sculpture, called Rubber Duck, will officially debut, sailing into Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong. Already, it's been causing quite a stir as curious locals have watched it inflate in a shipyard in Tsing Yi. Hofman's famous duck has floated in waters around the world, in cities like Sydney, Osaka, and Sao Paolo, but this is the very first time it has ever been in Hong Kong.

I wonder how long it will stay in Hong Kong. There's a slight chance I might get to see it.

A hood full of holes

Goldenport Circuit, Beijing.

A beauty of a Buick

I'd drive it, happily. Silk Market, Yonganli, Beijing.

From The Archive: Beijing Wall Art

January 26, 2009. Chaoyang, Beijing.

Chinese New Year Pringles Cans

Unhealthy chips. Good design. Shixiabei, Shenzhen.

Amazing photos from the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards

The Atlantic has a great piece highlighting some of the best photos from this year's Awards. Make sure to take a look. Below (and above) are my favorites from their selection. 

From the Archive: Pleasures

November 2, 2006. Denver Art Museum. Denver, Colorado. 

"Poor Porsche" (I said with a defeated heart and tears in my eyes)

I feel sad for this Boxster in the same way I feel sad for Paris Hilton's dogs. Unfortunately, rhinestones and expensive cars are becoming a more popular combination each and every day among wealthy Chinese. Just days before I had come across an orange Audi TT with Audi insignias made completely of shiny rhinestones. These cars deserve race tracks, not rhinestones. 

Sanlitun, Beijing

Is this paint job unfinished or artsy?

The Village. Sanlitun, Beijing.