tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24522862088610179102024-03-18T20:17:00.926-07:00Koyagidō Kanwa子山羊堂閑話Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.comBlogger479125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-50867524866033743612024-03-03T07:57:00.000-08:002024-03-03T07:57:56.191-08:00February 2024 monthly report<p>In February I created a new page for Arakawa Ku</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSArakawaku.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSArakawaku.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Starting now I will create most new pages for each administrative part of Tokyo, cities, towns and villages, with just a few places listed. More will be added to them in the future. I want to quickly set the foundations for pages to make it easier to add more information in the future.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is also partly because I need to spend more time preparing presentations that I am committed to doing in the near future.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bookmark color change:</p><p>I also added a change to the color coding for the TokyoStroll.kmz bookmark set. Some of the bookmarks are in Blue. Blue bookmarks indicate an entry in Tokyo Stroll that has had a location change, name change, or closed temporarily or permanently. Blue bookmarks have a note with further information which is visible when you tap on that bookmark.</p><p><br /></p><p>New Entry:</p><p>Added an entry for Yuzawaya to the <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSIkebukuro.html">Ikebukuro Station Area page</a>.</p><p><br /></p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-87277383732484152922024-02-09T16:11:00.000-08:002024-02-09T16:11:33.123-08:00Culinary Encyclopedia of Japan Vol. 1 Ingredients<p><span style="background-color: #fce5a8; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Book recommendation: </span></p><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Culinary Encyclopedia of Japan Vol. 1 Ingredients: A deep dive into Japanese Cooking by Keita Wojciechowski </p><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">This book is big, 8.25 x 1.43 x 11 inches and 550 pages. All of it packed with solid information about ingredients, including the Latin names of planet and animals. One sign of a good book is an index, for this book the detailed index takes up almost 100 pages and is broken down into several categories for easier browsing. Filled with solid information, no recipes, no pictures, imagine how large it would be if it had those. I got the paperback some folks may want to opt for the hardcover given how massive the book is. </p><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">This book deservedly won the 29th Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in the Encyclopedia Category. </p><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Culinary-Encyclopedia-Japan-Vol-Ingredients/dp/3000761179" style="color: blue; text-decoration: none;" target="fromcau">https://www.amazon.com/Culinary-Encyclopedia-Japan-Vol-Ingredients/dp/3000761179</a></p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-79656483802329172292024-02-07T11:23:00.000-08:002024-02-07T11:23:47.225-08:00Why does it take so long to add new area pages to the Tokyo Stroll web supplement?<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Why does it take so long to add new area pages to the Tokyo Stroll web supplement?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">While the chapters in my book Tokyo Stroll covered areas in close proximity that were dense with interesting locations. These were often not in the same ku, for example the Yanesen chapter is mainly in Taito ku, but also has items in Bunkyo ku, and Arakawa ku. However the areas I am now adding are for specific administrative zones, not only in the 23 ku part of Tokyo but also in the Tama Area, and tend to be spread out.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">The way I do this is find the borders of an administrative zones, then look for what it in it. For example with Kita ku I started with 4 or 5 items to write up and ended up with finding over 40 possible locations. From those 40 I selected many that would form the foundation of the page, other locations will be added over time. Each item on the page requires I find reliable information, much of what you find on the web lacks that reliability. So I look if the item has it's own web page, or if there is a description on one by the local government, merchants association, in books, or in news sources, etc. Once I have enough information I put it together into a description. Then I identify if the item is listed in Google Maps and Open Street Map. If it is not, or it is incomplete, or even a wrong location I see to it that additions and corrections are made. So far I have done this with for over 600 items in Google Maps and also over 600 items in Open Street Maps.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br />As for priorities I tend to go with the types of things people I know and interact with show interest in. Topics that are first searched for include temples, shrines, museums, older buildings, interesting architecture, shopping districts, landmarks, historical locations, and archaeological sites. I then check to see what is nearby and add them to the list of items to consider writing about. This has worked rather well for me when planning trips to Tokyo and the notes from previous trips became the foundation for writing Tokyo Stroll. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">On top of gathering information and doing the writing I have to deal with personal matters etc.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">This means new pages take time to make. I still have to produce four remaining pages in the 23 ku in Tokyo, then I'll dive into the towns and villages of the Tama Area, on top of that I'll be adding single items to existing pages. All of this means that the web supplement will continue to grow, likely for years.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">So it takes time, but my goal is to provide a resource for travelers who don't want to be limited to the big sights in conventional guidebooks.<o:p></o:p></p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-35552105714283057722024-02-02T08:49:00.000-08:002024-02-02T08:49:26.435-08:00January 2024 monthly report<p> I added a new page in the Tokyo Stroll web supplement for Kita ku</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSKitaku.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSKitaku.html</a></p><p>Added a note on the temporary closure of Todoroki Ravine Park to the Setagaya ku page.</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSSetagayaku.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSSetagayaku.html</a></p><p>Niku no Suzuki: Tokyo Stroll page 449 in the Yanasen chapter</p><p>The location in the book is in error, the shop is actually across the street and a block to the west. The electronic map bookmark has been corrected.</p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-13183378862167939242024-01-04T14:45:00.000-08:002024-02-02T08:49:36.351-08:00December 2023 monthly report.<p>From now on I'm going to do monthly reports on additions to my web pages rather than spread things out.</p><p>For December there are changes to the Tokyo Stroll web supplement:</p><p>To the Shinjuku Station Area page I added entries for:</p><p>Shanghai Xiaochi</p><p>Yuri Cafe Anchor</p><p>You can see them here:</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSShinjuku.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSShinjuku.html</a></p><p>I also created a new page for locations in Setagaya Ku. </p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSSetagayaku.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSSetagayaku.html</a></p><p>This took most of the time devoted to the supplement as it was a whole new page. I plan to do pages for all of the administrative areas in Tokyo that are not in Tokyo Stroll, these will be mainly in the Tama region of Western Tokyo.</p><div><br /></div>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-27783351358317011632023-10-03T11:14:00.003-07:002023-10-03T16:39:54.670-07:00Tokiwasō and its neighborhood.<p>In the web supplement to <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSmain.html">Tokyo Stroll</a> I have added a new page for the <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSTokiwaso.html">Tokiwasō Area</a>.</p><p>In the <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/ACPages/ACmain.html">Anime Companion Supplement</a> I have added a new entry for <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/ACPages/act.html#Tokiwaso">Tokiwasō</a>.</p><div>PS The bookmark files have also been updated. <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSMaps.html">You can download them here</a>.</div>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-24811172147671679642023-09-07T17:48:00.003-07:002023-09-07T17:49:12.653-07:00Tokyo Stroll web supplement home page updated.<p> I have updated the main page for the web supplement to Tokyo Stroll. I reorganized the information that used to be in three columns in a table under the Additional Entries, Alerts, & Corrections heading. These used to be:</p><p>For areas covered in Tokyo Stroll:</p><p>For areas not covered in Tokyo Stroll:</p><p>Day Trips and Pilgrimage Routes:</p><p>The items that were in the first two headings are now organized by the part of Tokyo they are in rather than just an alphabetical list, This should ease planning and navigation between locations. </p><p>To check the current Additional Entries, Alerts, & Corrections layout go to:</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSmain.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSmain.html</a></p><p>and scroll down the page.</p><div><br /></div>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-52146423038905736222023-08-23T15:30:00.004-07:002023-08-23T15:31:11.279-07:00Maps.Me now has some charges<p>Maps.Me has now instituted a 10 map download limit for free maps. To get more maps you have to pay for a pro account. If you are using Maps.Me you may want only update the ten maps you mainly use. </p><p>An alternative which is very similar to Maps.Me is Organic Maps which is also based on the Open Street Map project. You can read more about it on their web page.</p><p><a href="https://organicmaps.app">https://organicmaps.app</a></p><p>You can import my bookmarks in the same manner as with Maps.me and I have updated the instructions in the web supplement to <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSmain.html">Tokyo Stroll</a>.</p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-58866072104821733022023-08-02T18:03:00.002-07:002023-09-07T17:49:28.652-07:00Tokyo Stroll web supplement updates from November 14, 2022 - August 2, 2023<p> I've been terribly slow in updating information regarding changes to the Tokyo Stroll Supplement. </p><p>Here are the new pages added for since November 14.</p><p>Katsushika-ku</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSKatsushikaku.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSKatsushikaku.html</a></p><p>Mitakesan / Mt. Mitake</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSMitakesan.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSMitakesan.html</a></p><p>Sawara</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSSawara.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSSawara.html</a></p><p>Zōshigaya Station Area</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSZoshigaya.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSZoshigaya.html</a></p><p>Zōshigaya Seven Lucky Gods Pilgrimage / Zōshigaya Shichifukujin Meguri</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSZoshigaya7LuckyGodsPilgrimage.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSZoshigaya7LuckyGodsPilgrimage.html</a></p><div><br /></div>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-19630296702003981002023-06-18T09:38:00.001-07:002023-06-18T09:38:35.183-07:00Drinking Bomb and Shooting Meth<p> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Alexander, Jeffrey</span></p><p><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Drinking Bomb and Shooting Meth: Alcohol and Drug Use in Japan</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background: white;">Ann Arbor: Association for Asian Studies, 2018<br /><a href="https://www.asianstudies.org/store/alexander/">https://www.asianstudies.org/store/alexander/</a><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background: white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background: white;">This book is a c</span><span style="background-color: white;">ollection of essays on alcohol and methamphetamine use in Japan with</span><span style="background-color: white;"> a focus on advertising in the post war period and how that helped shape changes in the markets for the topics covered.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background: white;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background: white;">The first chapter is on whisky. W</span>hisky distillers during the WWII had to fully convert to making alcohol based fuel. A few hid away casks of products from before that mandate and were able to sell them when the war was over to help reestablish their companies. The chapter goes into detail on how the distillers established a new post war market, first by providing whisky for the occupying forces' post exchanges, then making a cheaper product for those who could afford it. In time they turned to the establishment of company owned whisky bars and advertising to expand their market as Japan recovered from the war.<span style="background: white;"> The "bomb" in the title comes from bakudan which was made in the early post war years by distilling out the methyl alcohol in industrial alcohol so it could be "drinkable." The result was a cheap, and illegal, booze sold to those desperate for a drink when decent booze was too expensive. Consuming it could, and sometimes did, lead to blindness or death. Bakudan would fade away as Japan recovered from the devastation of the war and incomes rose making legal whisky affordable. <br /><br />Second chapter is on beer, as barley was a class B food established brewers were able to continue to make and sell beer, mainly to the Imperial Army and Navy during the war. After the war they worked to expand their trade by also selling to the occupiers and with advertising to a growing domestic market which increasingly included women and college students.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background: white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background: white;">The third chapter is on liver stimulants and hangover remedies made and sold by pharmaceutical companies. These were heavily advertised and sold as a solution to hangovers and preventative of liver damage from drinking. This lasted until they were proven to be mainly ineffectual and in some cases actually damaging to health in the late 1950s. By 1960 they had faded from the market with a few exceptions consisting mainly of vitamins and no longer advertised in the same way. The promotion in the 1950s of these products is similar in some ways to the unfounded claims often made today about some diet supplements.<br /><br />The fourth and final chapter is on methamphetamine abuse. In WWII methamphetamine was used to assist pilots to stay alert and eventually given to factory workers to maintain production. After the war the manufacturers had a surplus supply which they then began selling to the general populace. At that time it was legal to purchase in liquid form under several brand names to be injected and there were no restrictions on access to hypodermic syringes. It was not unusual for people to use it regularly, such as office workers using it on a night of drinking when they started to lose energy. When the health problems associated with methamphetamine abuse became apparent in the 1950s meth was outlawed. At this point large advertising and press campaigns were employed by the authorities and police to discourage use.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background: white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background: white;">All in all this book was very informative with many details I had never heard of before.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-70397715140944691732023-06-09T11:09:00.005-07:002023-06-09T11:15:25.844-07:00Prayer and Play in Late Tokugawa Japan<p> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Hur, Nam-lin</span></p><p><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Prayer and Play in Late Tokugawa Japan: Asakusa Sensōji and Edo Society</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background: repeat white;">Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 2000<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background: repeat white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">While writing my book <a href="https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog-2020/Tokyo-Stroll" target="_blank">Tokyo Stroll</a> I kept digging for resources that would help me go beyond the usual superficial treatment one finds in travel books in describing locations I was including in the book. This meant I had to track down and order many titles I was not yet familiar with. This work was one of them which I finally have been able to re-read at my leisure.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Asakusa's Sensōji is one of the most famous temples in Japan and a popular pilgrimage and tourism destination. The greater neighborhood is well known today for a large variety of sub-temples, shintō shrines, shops, theaters, and entertainments. This variety of, what we in the West would consider a mixture of sacred and secular, came to be during the Edo Period, from 1600 to 1868. <span style="background: repeat white;">Hur's book covers that period from when Sensōji was a locally important temple serving small villages to its transformation to what it became at the end of the shōgun's rule. The story is multifaceted, from the days when the temple was heavily patronized by the government, daimyō, and samurai to its increasing reliance on small donations from commoners and rent from businesses on it's property. Part of that change includes how the area became associated with play, which resulted from a large variety of businesses for entertainment operating in the area, as well as the government relocating the Yoshiwara pleasure district to just north of the temple in 1656, and later "banishing" theaters to the neighborhood in the mid 19th century. <br /><br />All of this is tied to the changing economic nature of Edo as wealth slipped from the control of the government with its Neo-Confucian ideology into the hands of rich merchants, the establishment of monopoly capitalism, the increase in commoner desire for entertainment, the temple's reliance on donations from visitors, and the diversity of what could be found in the neighborhood where prayer and play became interlinked.<br /><br />The book is reasonably priced and a worthy addition to the library of anyone interested in Edo, Tokyo, or Japanese Buddhism.<br /></span><a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674002401&content=toc" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="background: repeat white;">https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674002401&content=toc</span></a><span style="background: repeat white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background: repeat white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background: repeat white;"><br /><br /><br /></span><o:p></o:p></p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-33613531055357214142022-11-15T09:28:00.003-08:002022-11-15T11:37:21.255-08:00Tokyo Stroll web supplement updates from Oct 16-November 14<p> </p><p>Shall we say I've been busy. You should consider these to be first drafts, more will be added after I create some other area pages.</p><p>Jimbōchō / Meiji University Area</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSJimbocho.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSJimbocho.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Mitaka</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSMitaka.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSMitaka.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Musashino</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSMusashino.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSMusashino.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Nakano Station Area</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSNakanoStation.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSNakanoStation.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Nerima-ku</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSNerimaku.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSNerimaku.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Odaiba / Aomi Area</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSOdaibaAomi.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSOdaibaAomi.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Ōta-ku</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSOtaku.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSOtaku.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Shinagawa-ku</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSShinagawaku.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSShinagawaku.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Suginami-ku</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSSuginamiku.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSSuginamiku.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Takadanobaba / Waseda University Area</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSTakadanobabaWaseda.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSTakadanobabaWaseda.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Tsukudajima and Tsukishima</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSTsukudajima.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSTsukudajima.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Yotsuya Area</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSYotsuyaArea.html">http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSYotsuyaArea.html</a></p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-72271659222867066842022-10-15T13:10:00.000-07:002022-10-15T13:10:02.423-07:00Ikebukuro web pages added to the supplement.<p> This one took over a week to get done as I had to correspond with some folks in Japan as to the status of several shops. The pandemic resulted in the closure and relocation of several stores in the area. I also submitted updates to both Google Maps and the Open Street Map project. This included correcting the names of a few shops.</p><p>As with all the other pages more will be added in time.</p><p><a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSIkebukuro.html">Tokyo Stroll Supplement: Ikebukuro</a></p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-27338067309217194572022-10-02T15:48:00.002-07:002022-10-02T15:48:48.185-07:00Web page changes<p>I have updated and moved the Navigating Tokyo, Tokyo on the Cheap, and the Down the Sumidagawa With iPad and Camera pages into the Tokyo Stroll Supplement then removed them from the home page.</p><p>I also updated and moved the Navigating Comic Market page up on the home page, it is now listed under the category of Guides to Anime and Manga.</p><p>A few other out of date pages have been removed.</p><p>Enough for today, I'm tired.</p><p>I plan to do this with the Vicarious Tokyo page in the near future, likely tomorrow.</p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-87588107248790802122022-09-28T12:11:00.001-07:002022-09-28T12:11:16.674-07:00More Tokyo Stroll supplement updates.<p> I have updated the bookmarks files for MapsMe and Google Maps. I also created new supplement pages for the <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSAsakusabashi.html">Asakusabashi/Kuramae/Torigoe Area </a>and the <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSJimbocho.html">Jimbōchō / Meiji University Area</a>. Along with this is a new page of tips for <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSEating.html">Eating In Tokyo</a>. I am currently working on a tip page for gift shopping in Tokyo broken down by type of item.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-36905518280056764802022-09-07T14:50:00.003-07:002022-09-07T14:55:02.928-07:00Updates to Tokyo traveling information.<p> I've done a couple new things on my web site.</p><p>The first is that I did a full rebuild of my old <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/sumidagawa.html">Down the Sumidagawa With iPad and Camera</a> page. There is always still much more to add but that shall have to wait for a bit as I focus on the Tokyo Stroll Supplement pages.</p><p>The second thing i did was some redesigning for the <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSmain.html">Tokyo Stroll Supplement</a> home page. Mostly some formatting changes plus adding a table for pages related to place information added to the supplement.</p><p>I hope these additions and changes improve the site for folks.</p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-46022287886186185472022-06-20T15:41:00.001-07:002022-06-21T15:26:22.148-07:00Updates on the Tokyo Stroll supplement. <p><br /></p><p>I've added additional entries to most of the <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSmain.html">Tokyo Stroll Supplement</a> pages related to specific chapters in the book. This started out when I decided to add the Yayoiken Asakusa Tawaramachi restaurant to the Asakusa page. Friends and I are planning a trip for the spring of 2023 and that Yayoiken location shall be our designated meeting place for breakfast so I wanted it to be bookmarked in MapsMe. Then I decided to add the other restaurants of this chain that fit on other supplement pages for the book chapters.</p><p>This work resulted in the creation of two new pages one for <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSNihonbashiNorth.html">Nihonbashi North</a> and the other for <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSUeno.html">Ueno</a>.</p><p>Working on those additions led to me evaluate the look of the pages and I decided to alter the layout to make it easier to scan them. This is nothing dramatic just changing some of the paragraph structure and adding horizontal lines between entries. I think it is much easier on the eye than before. I also included a note after the title of each item entry indicating where it is in relation to the detail maps of that chapter.</p><p>Now to continue adding to the pages in anticipation of Tokyo Stroll being released in August.</p><div><br /></div><div>EDIT:</div><div>I just added two more pages. One for the <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSMeguro.html">Meguro Station Area</a>, the other for <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSShibamata.html">Shibamata</a>.</div>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-75827575724307044222022-06-04T10:16:00.005-07:002022-06-04T10:16:44.734-07:00Marunouchi To Nagatachō page created plus updated map bookmarks<p> I have created a new page for the web supplement to Tokyo Stroll for the <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSMarunouchiToNagatacho.html">Marunouchi To Nagatachō</a> chapter. Presently it only has one new entry for the Tokyo Station Gallery, an art gallery in the station building.</p><p>The TokyoSuppl.kmz bookmarks file for Maps.Me and Google Maps has been updated with the addition of this location and is <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSMaps.html">available for download</a>.</p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-78496069513551777362022-05-28T09:04:00.005-07:002022-06-04T10:02:37.175-07:00Tokyo Stroll bookmarks updated<p> I have just uploaded the updated the bookmark files for the MapsMe and Google Maps applications to the Tokyo Stroll web supplement.</p><p>You can download the bookmark files, find explanations, and instructions on how to import them into your preferred app at the following web page:</p><p>http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSMaps.html</p><p><br /></p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-25907730055438681942022-05-26T14:54:00.005-07:002022-05-26T14:54:37.819-07:00Hibiya Matsumotorō<p>There is a new addition for the Tokyo Stroll supplement. A page for the <a href="http://www.koyagi.com/TokyoStroll/TSImperialPalaceKokyo.html">Imperial Palace / Kōkyo</a> chapter.</p><p>The first entry for this supplement page is for Hibiya Matsumotorō. A long established restaurant that is a Tokyo landmark with an interesting history including a connection connection with Sun Yat-sen.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-35856724619088491222022-04-11T07:21:00.001-07:002022-04-11T07:21:58.138-07:00 Not Love But Delicious Foods<p> Not Love But Delicious Foods </p><p>by Yoshinaga Fumi</p><p>https://yenpress.com/not-love-but-delicious-foods-make-me-so-happy/</p><p><br /></p><p>Yoshinaga Fumi is one of my favorite mangaka. I don't care what the subject matter is, if she wrote it I will buy it. While her range of stories has broadened Yoshinaga started out as a writer of Boys Love (BL) works and that history is folded into this title. The protagonist of Not Love But Delicious Foods makes a living writing BL. Each chapter is her and her assistant going about their daily work and ends with a meal at a restaurant where they discuss the food. The final page is information as to the location of the restaurant. Manga where a real restaurant is part of each story is not unique to this title but this is the first such work to be translated into English. Once Japan starts allowing tourists in again I'll try to check some of these places out.</p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-90166995095329218352022-04-02T10:51:00.002-07:002022-04-02T10:52:14.132-07:00The Untold History of Ramen<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Solt, George</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520282353/the-untold-history-of-ramen">The Untold History of Ramen: How Political Crisis in Japan Spawned a Global Food Craze</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Berkeley: University of California Press 2014<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Rāmen is one of the most recognized Japanese foods worldwide. However, did you know rāmen has its roots in a Chinese dish served in 19th century restaurants in Yokohama, that the first reman restaurant was established by a former Japanese civil servant in Asakusa Tokyo with a kitchen staff of Chinese cooks, that rāmen was once called Shina soba (even though it has no buckwheat in it) until restaurant owners in Sapporo started calling it rāmen, that it was considered poor person's food until the late 20th century? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">That information and much much more can be found in this excellent history of the humble hand pulled wheat noodle that evolved into something very different. If you like rāmen, are curious about Japanese cuisine in general, or even just interested in the history of post Edo Period Japan, this book will be informative.<o:p></o:p></p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-37291748818112393272022-03-26T07:59:00.000-07:002022-03-26T07:59:12.922-07:00Trails to Oishii Tokyo<p> I am one of the moderators of the Japanese Food group on Facebook and will be posting each weekend about food resources such as books, web sites, and even anime or manga. I have quite a list and once I am done going through it I will make a PDF file of all I have posted and update it regularly.</p><p><br /></p><p>This week's post follows.</p><p>NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, has several TV shows about food broadcast in multiple languages. This is one of those shows, in time I will cover them all.</p><p>Trails to Oishii Tokyo focusses on ingredients readily available in Japan's capital. Each program is devoted to one food item covering it from the farm to the kitchen. Even if you think you know Japanese food you will discover many ingredients you never knew existed.</p><p>Do note the on demand shows eventually expire so I recommend you start with the oldest and work your way to the most recent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Trails to Oishii Tokyo</p><p><a href="https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/oishii/">https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/oishii/</a></p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-36440986775493039202022-03-19T08:33:00.001-07:002022-03-19T08:33:50.429-07:00A Dictionary of Japanese Food<p>Hosking, Richard</p><p>A Dictionary of Japanese Food: ingredients & culture</p><p>Rutland, Vt.: Charles E. Tuttle Co., c1996.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many years ago a professor at the university I worked at came into the library with a question for me. You see she was going to be teaching in Tokyo for a term and knowing of my knowledge of Japan wanted to know what book to buy. I did not hesitate I immediately took her to the reference section and pulled out our copy of this title. She had been expecting a travel book. I explained that she could peruse several at the public library to gain some useful tips and compare which were the most informative. I stated that the dictionary would be a far better choice.</p><p>After her return she took me out for a very nice lunch at a private club and thanked me. She said she kept the book in her purse and put it to use in dining out and shopping on a regular basis.</p><p>For anyone interested in Japanese food or traveling to Japan this is a book I recommend. One advantage is that it includes kanji and kana which can be an asset in communication with locals who may not understand your language.</p><p>I purchased my copy in the late 1990s, recently I also bought the e-book version to have at hand on my iPhone and iPad for quick lookups.</p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2452286208861017910.post-1910932443987564432022-03-07T07:46:00.001-08:002022-03-07T07:47:22.660-08:00The Stories Clothes Tell<p>Horikiri Tatsuichi</p><p>The Stories Clothes Tell: Voices of Working-Class Japan </p><p>Lanham: Lexinton Books, 2016</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgea3aaMwQRzo10u5NXtBjmPgTM07IX_tNdqradPYrlbVvzfy5uAcrC-Q-qESWwlhkhttN_jV5cD1qjPb1dEhcLtj5aXH8Swmhz_mP_eB0Lvy2r3KEXZDtzNBzH0xG2Kd5afWfDhqBTY0YNS4EhU5xTOJQzcd4Y7_ft9GIwm2_AFqH1f5rP2Cjz3Ay9VQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="315" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgea3aaMwQRzo10u5NXtBjmPgTM07IX_tNdqradPYrlbVvzfy5uAcrC-Q-qESWwlhkhttN_jV5cD1qjPb1dEhcLtj5aXH8Swmhz_mP_eB0Lvy2r3KEXZDtzNBzH0xG2Kd5afWfDhqBTY0YNS4EhU5xTOJQzcd4Y7_ft9GIwm2_AFqH1f5rP2Cjz3Ay9VQ" width="160" /></a></div><br /><p>One of the frustrations of researching cultural minutia in Japanese entertainment is the lack of information on traditional clothing.</p><p>Books on traditional Japanese clothing are almost always about formal kimono that only a very small percentage of the population would have worn. I find this frustrating as while there are excellent kimono books with good solid information finding out about the clothing worn by farmers and laborers is almost impossible. This book is a strong exception as it is about working people's clothing.</p><p>Originally published as magazine and newspaper articles the volume covers a large range of types of clothing, and other cloth items, that the author collected. Not only were the items themselves collected the tales behind them were also gathered. Anyone interested in the social history of the poor, of clothing, and more in Japan will find this one a rewarding read.</p><p><a href="https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442265103/The-Stories-Clothes-Tell-Voices-of-Working-Class-Japan">https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442265103/The-Stories-Clothes-Tell-Voices-of-Working-Class-Japan</a></p><p><br /></p>Gilles Poitrashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546088581629827031noreply@blogger.com0