from rock star to rock bottom...and back

so katsu accompanied me on sunday on the trains to the narita airport that is not in tokyo, but in chiba. it takes about 2 hours by train, car, or limo bus, but the cheapest way to go, of course, is by train. and i was glad again to have katsu with me because it's very confusing when it's time to switch trains. you first have to get on the nightmare j.r. shinjuku train and than transfer to another one. however, you have to turn in your j.r. tickets and purchase one of 3 different priced tickets, a local, a limited express, or a skyline express, which costs twice as much and only saves you 15 minutes. so for 1000 yen (around 8.50 plus another 190, a buck 60) it costs ten bucks each way. a taxi would cost around $300 U.S. not a smart way to go unless you enjoy throwing money away. the other difficult part was knowing which terminal to get off the train, because the airport is so huge, there are miles between the terminals, and if you make a mistake, taxi time. taxis are very bad indeed.

lucky jeff got his first taste of shibuya crossing with heavy luggage over shoulder. "how do you know what direction to go?" because people cross in about 10 different directions and somehow it works. after settling, we set off to explore my favorite little area, harajuku. and met people from california who have lived here for 3 years teaching english. we also met fellow chicagoans in the streets, because all the buzz right now is the superbowl. the chicago bears are playing in the superbowl and this is big news indeed! if anyone out there living in tokyo reading this blog knows where we can see the game in real time, please put it on a comment in this blog or email me. i would greatly appreciate it. it will probably air around 8am on NHK monday, feb. 5th.

stupid me left my purse in harajuku and i got all the way home before discovering the mistake, which freaked me because all the money i own was in it as well as several credit cards and i.d. luckily we found it hanging on a coat rack where i left it, all money and cards in tact. another thing that is really amazing about tokyo is usually if you have lost something, people do not usually take it. even money! where i come from, that purse may have been there, but it would surely have been empty. i always notice people leaving bags, purses, wallets and walking outside for a smoke. i like that.
and for the first time in my 9 weeks here, i was a little late for class. about 20 minutes, which horrifies me because i am extremely responsible and hate being late for anything, no yoga for me, but i've actually taken a few days off and it has taken much of the horrible pain in my back and hips away. i will continue this regimen for a few more days. and when i get home, i will not go to a natropathic, massage therapist, reflexologist, acupuncturist, reike healer or a psychic. i am going to northwestern memorial hospital for an m.r.i. and get drugs and cortizone if necessary. because i simply can not take this pain any longer and i've tried everything. this hospital is one of the best in the world, and i recently have blue cross and that is what they take. i am excited about that. now don 't get me wrong, i'm not totally pro western medicine, but after almost 6 years of constant pain, it's a last resort and i refuse to live the rest of my life in pain when i teach, walk, sit and sleep.

monday was jeff's 50th birthday, so katsu and i set up a surprise party at the same place as the last one, with numerous traditional japanese food spread and a special bowl especially for jeff consisting of natto, raw quail egg, seaweed, bonito flakes, and raw salmon chunks. i'm not sure he has ever been happier. 13 people came out to support me and jeff and several even gifted him. i was very touched and i thank all of you reading this who came out to celebrate this important birthday. you all are very sweet people because it meant a real lot to me and especially to jeff, who is a japanophile (a huge fan of all that is japanese).

on monday we went to my favorite udon shop to get curry noodle, but they could not understand what i wanted, so we left and i asked katsu to write it out in kanji for me, so we will try again. instead we ended up in another traditional japanese place i've been wanting to try, and to a czechoslovakian wireless internet place. we tried a staropramen dark, which we've not had before, and was served with 2 huge chunks of brie. we did not know, but it ended up costing 1200yen a piece! yikes!

then off to our place to watch a dvd i bought, called "new york doll-the story of arthur killer kane"-"from rock star to rock bottom...and back". i don't know how many of you are new york dolls fans, but this film actually made me cry. after a few members of the band had died (3) and they only released 2 albums and never received the fame they always deserved, they all went their separate ways. arthur became a mormon and worked in a genealogy library, a job that did not pay well, but he enjoyed very much. and even discovered his long lost father's death through his work. anyhow, every single day of his life he talked about the good old days with the new york dolls, and never gave up the dream of one day reuniting with the remaining members, sylvain sylvain and david johanson. and one day he got a call from morrisy who was hosting in london at the royal festival hall. he wanted arthur to fly out and do the show with a new young drummer and guitar player (replacing johnny thunders and jerry nolan). this was a dream come true for arthur, who was working in this library with cute little old ladies who knew nothing about the new york dolls "we are lucky to be working with a famous rock star!" so the mormon church gave him the 260 bucks to get his bass out of the pawn shop and away he went to rehearse with his old band mates, and after the gig, he went home and felt sick 20 days after, went to the hospital, was diagnosed with leukemia and died 4 days later.
this movie made me very sad in some ways, but also good, because he did not have to suffer with chemotherapy he could never have afforded. and he did fulfill his greatest dream-to one day play with one of the most influential and important bands that ever existed, the new york dolls.

then off to find some food, which is so hard here in tokyo. i decided to try to find daikanyana in the dark. it took a few wrong turns, but i found it, and a line of restaurants, everything from korean, chinese, french, and italian. we opted for the italian, and the owner/waiter spoke flawless english, japanese and italian! what a treat! and ate the most expensive meal i have ever had in japan. and probably the best italian food i've eaten in my life.

that's what i love about tokyo. it never seems to matter what you do, where you go, what you eat. because it's always an adventure and it always ends up being really fun!