Lunch Report: 02/18/2013 -- A Late Lunch???

[Greenblues]

Yikes!!! It's already Tuesday here in Japan, but it's still 7p.m. on the West Coast. Some people I know eat lunch at that time, so I'm good, right?

You see, my company has 24-hour operations, so sometimes coworkers pass by my desk in the evening, and tell me they are on their way to lunch. This statement confused me initially. However when you start work at 4pm, 7pm is a perfectly reasonable time for lunch...except that you miss all the great lunch specials, like this:



So what are we looking at? Double Miso-Katsu with cabbage, takuan pickles, rice and miso soup. That's right, the same stuff they use to make miso soup can be used to make a thick brown sauce with the perfect balance of sweet and salty. That's what you see on top of the double deep fried chicken cutlets on the plate. The cabbage next to it is raw, covered in an orange-flavored salad dressing. It's supposed to help with your digestion. Cost: 850 yen (approx. $6.50) and that includes your choice of coffee or tea.

At night, this place turns into a bustling bar that specialises in yakitori which are bite-sized charcoal grilled chicken parts (including hearts, liver and even buttocks) on skewers. As you might imagine, this is perfect beer food, especially outdoors in the summertime. Japanese love to go out drinking and eating after work at local izakaya like this one. However since the economy has slowed down, a lot of these shops started opening during lunch hours, which are right about the time I'm writing this here. My stomach is growling thinking about the bowl of ramen* noodles I'll be slurping up after posting this.

Honestly though, I don't go out drinking that much because I'd rather use that time playing my Ibanez GB-10 or G&L Legacy, especially now that its got some Schaller locking tuners to keep it stable even when I dive-bomb. Recently I find myself diveboming excessively just because I can. Tonight I think I'll remove one of the Gotoh Power Springs so I can pull the bar up, too. Those springs are so tense they must the claw screws must loosed by almost 2" to keep the bridge level compared to the stock springs. This means that when you pull them UP, the springs fully compress, thus limiting the range.

I look forward to reporting the results and my *bowl of ramen in a later weekly lunch report.

[willross]

Good start; it's lunch somewhere... I dig miso too. Legacy's are great and I dive-bomb a bit now and then.


Cheers,

Will

* for that Twitter link, just add it without the tags. It will make the link anyway...

[Greenblues]

Thanks for reading -- sorry it was late! Just updated so the photo appears inline now.

[louis cyfer]

what did you think about baruto being demoted after being karobaned, and not getting the ten wins to get back to ozeki? i was very happy to see haramafuji finally get to yokozuna. and went 15-0 again in the hatsu basho. my favorite is takanoyama though, i am hoping he makes it back to makuuchi. i hope to make it to japan one day to watch a basho live. i watch them live streaming online, but i am sure it's not the same.

for noodle soups, i like udon a lot. i usually eat at least a dozen nigiri a day, usually hamachi, unagi and toro when i can afford it.

[Philby]

what did you think about baruto being demoted after being karobaned, and not getting the ten wins to get back to ozeki? i was very happy to see haramafuji finally get to yokozuna. and went 15-0 again in the hatsu basho. my favorite is takanoyama though, i am hoping he makes it back to makuuchi. i hope to make it to japan one day to watch a basho live. i watch them live streaming online, but i am sure it's not the same.

for noodle soups, i like udon a lot. i usually eat at least a dozen nigiri a day, usually hamachi, unagi and toro when i can afford it.

Louis, I've read this over 3 times and I think my head is about to explode.

Someone has hacked your post and randomly inserted Japanese words in crucial places!

[Greenblues]

Mine, too! A friend took me to a sumo match once in university, but Louis's knowledge of sumo rivals mine in the same way as his knowledge of guitars.

[louis cyfer]

Mine, too! A friend took me to a sumo match once in university, but Louis's knowledge of sumo rivals mine in the same way as his knowledge of guitars.

i am a big sumo fan. interestingly the top sumo guys are not mostly japanese. the 2 yokozunas are mongolian. the next rank is bulgarian, estonian, mongolian, and 2 japanese, and there are brazilian, russian, georgian, czech, in the top division. sumo has been getting a lot of bad press in japan, including gambling, match fixing, there were forced retirements of top competitors. nhk (japan's tv) stopped carrying the sumo tournaments in full coverage.

[Greenblues]

Oops, I forgot to present a topic, but it looks like one is starting to form. Let's formalize it with:

1) How much dive-bombing is too much?

2) Who wants to visit Japan and why?

[blargfromouterspace]

Oops, I forgot to present a topic, but it looks like one is starting to form. Let's formalize it with:

1) How much dive-bombing is too much?

2) Who wants to visit Japan and why?

1) Any.

2) Ramen and sumo. If I could eat ramen while watching sumo that would be even better. And sake. That stuff is lovely.

3) You're a smart arse Louis.

[cuzwilly]

no dive bombing for me
no Japan for me.
When you work nights for a long time breakfast lunch and dinner get all mixed around

[louis cyfer]

Oops, I forgot to present a topic, but it looks like one is starting to form. Let's formalize it with:

1) How much dive-bombing is too much?

2) Who wants to visit Japan and why?

1) Any.

2) Ramen and sumo. If I could eat ramen while watching sumo that would be even better. And sake. That stuff is lovely.

3) You're a smart arse Louis.

although i am not sure if it's a bad thing for all body parts to be accused of being smart

i love sake. of course, i don't drink alcohol, i am referring to salmon sushi. they are indeed called the same thing, and gets very confusing in sushi bars.

[Philby]

Oops, I forgot to present a topic, but it looks like one is starting to form. Let's formalize it with:

1) How much dive-bombing is too much?

2) Who wants to visit Japan and why?

1) what Jamie said

2) I'd like to visit Japan because:
(a) I like teppenyaki
(b) I like public transport that runs on time
(c) I like 80s Japanese guitars
(d) I don't think I'm alone in finding Japanese women attractive - except Yoko Onto of course.

[Goat]

Oops, I forgot to present a topic, but it looks like one is starting to form. Let's formalize it with:

1) How much dive-bombing is too much?

2) Who wants to visit Japan and why?

1. One full dive-bomb down at the start of a tune, and one large pull-up at the end are about acceptable! But not in every tune.

2. Martial arts (all of them) and food. I enjoy all Asian food, and Japanese is the one I've eaten least of. Keep posting those food pics and you might inspire me to an earlier journey than planned!

[glvourot]

Dive bombing? Never do it. Time to start! I have been to Tokyo and Kyoto. Loved them both. The old part of Kyoto was the highlight. I would go back for sure. My wife is always mistaken for being japanese, even they can't tell !. I made it a point to eat out of nothing but machines one day , that was fun.

[willross]

i usually eat at least a dozen nigiri a day, usually hamachi, unagi and toro when i can afford it.

Toro! But NO uni...

[darwinohm]

I missed this last night GB. I hit the sheets early still recovering from gigging this weekend.

I don't dive bomb but surf dive a bit. I am still stuck in the 60s.

I would find Japan very interesting but on my return trip from Sweden in 2006, when the plane hit the runway in Minneapolis I told Ginny I wasn't leaving the ground again and I can't drive to Japan. I do have two Gretsches built in Japan and they are awesome instruments. __ Darwin

[Halowords]

1) How much dive-bombing is too much?

That depends on how good you are. Seriously though, if you're really good and it fits into the song/part/etc., go for it. I tend to find a little is plenty and anything more that that is overkill. If it's Slayer or Van Halen, or just the occasional song, it can really work and be your thing.

2) Who wants to visit Japan and why?

I do. I like Japanese culture. In pop-culture, it's largely their movies (although I did enjoy reading Battle Royale, translated obviously [or not, but I don't speak Japanese]) more so than their art or books per se. I just have more exposure to their cinematic offerings. I like their history and what I know of their values. It's also the birthplace of Judo and Bushido. I also like sushi and some Japanese food. I could happily live off sushi for a while, and their fish is fresher than what I get. I think Tokyo would be a trip, however I think some of the less modernized areas would be interesting. In Lost in Translation (great movie if you've never seen it, Bill Murray is great and Scarlett Johansson does an amazing job) Johansson's character goes to some beautiful areas including I believe a Buddhist temple that is amazing.

I could do without the karaoke though.

I just think it would be a compelling culture to immerse oneself into. I'm not a total Japanophile or anything, however I did study some of their history and it's been a place I've grown an interest in visiting.

-Cheers

[Boogie Bill]

I for one would really like to hear about guitaring In Japan. What are the guitar stores like? Are American instruments popular? Favorite instruments and amps? What is the live music scene like? Things like that...

Bill

[Greenblues]

Bill, there is no shortage of guitar shops here, but they tend to sell the same stuff. American brands (e.g. Gibson, Fender, Boogie,etc.) are popular of course, but cost about twice as much as they do back home.

At least in the Tokyo area, the big differences are than it's almost impossible to play with an amp at home because houses are so much smaller, poorly constructed and closer together. So many players don't use an amp at home, or even own one. Only pros and rich people have the luxury of an amp, and a vehicle to trasport it. The rest of us are at the mercy of whatever amp is at the rehearsal studio or club you play. That's usually a Roland JC or Marshall.

There are so many tiny clubs and rehearsal studios that amateur acts are very common. So most of the clubs are pay-to-play. It is very tough for pros, I think. The music industry here is terrible. Everything is geared towards media tie ups for things like karaoke, games, TV shows, commercials and ring tones. Without that kind of content, it's hard to make any money. Forget touring. There are only a handful of major cities in Japan that could be destinations.

Inspite of all that, there are some really creative artists and a lot of very serious listeners who appreciate good music. I've been gradually drifting away from the scene since having kids, but I'll try to talk more about the good stuff in one of this week's lunch reports. In the meantime, you can also check out my blog:

http://gaijinguitarist.wordpress.com

and twitter feed https://twitter.com/Looselectron

[Elwood]

but I'll try to talk more about the good stuff in one of this week's lunch reports

I know these are Lunch reports...but I'm all for less food talk and more guitar ,
it's not easy being cheeezy, it can be a real bummer in social situations (like this)
being vegan.
I don't feel like a part of the community . Do what you please, but I can't joyfully discuss music
after reading most LR's and responses.

elwood
(anyone want to start a vegan death metal/blues band?)

thx for any understanding...gotta go purge these thoughts with some focused fretting...bye for now

[Greenblues]

Elwood, when I lived with a vegan roommate in college and then on an organic farm for a summer with vegans, I always cooked vegan-friendly dishes and checked the ingredients (written in Japanese) to make sure there were no animal products in the food on the shelves despite having very different political and nutritional views about food. I always had a lot of fun in those communities, and never felt like an outsider because I don't feel any guilt or physical discomfort eating meat. Occasionally my trips to the butcher pissed them off. Likewise their drinking/smoking/listening preferences occasionally irritated me, but we tolerated each other, and I'm very grateful for the experience.

Imbalance of food vs music content in the reports well noted. Will do my best to adjust.

[Elwood]

Thanks , I felt a need to let you know who was out here in internet-land in lurk mode.

My skin get's thicker all the time ( should make for some nice straps )...but keeping my heart soft in the diversity of these times is also a priority , though usually a private struggle.
As a part of a community I know communication is better than no communication.

I used to eat the cheap ramen dry if the gas got turned off ( sort of a Grunge fantasy camp ...without the fantasy).
What you all are describing sounds muuuuch bettter

my best,
elwood

[Greenblues]

I used to eat the cheap ramen dry if the gas got turned off

I hope you just ate the noodles. That packet of angel dust is full of pork extract!

[Elwood]

I used to eat the cheap ramen dry if the gas got turned off

I hope you just ate the noodles. That packet of angel dust is full of pork extract!

well, this was 20+ years ago...I wasn't reading the ingredients as much back then.
I probably only had the noodles because I doubled up on the extract packets when I last made some...hehe...ouch.
(though I still embrace levels of grunge in my life ...gotta be me and all that I guess..LOL
edit: and probably more than J.Cantrell ever sees anymore these days )

see what I did there...we're almost back to a G&L topic

[Greenblues]

Ah, those J. Cantrell Rampages look sweet! I need a shredding axe, and that one looks perfect. Has anyone played one?