Ikebukuro Diary

Alex is back for the first time in half a year.
He is an amazing collector and at the same time successful business man.
His main ‘workplace’ is Akihabara and his sleeping place is Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro.
I am always surprised by cool and weird stuff he got from Akihabara and his vision and passion for ‘the things’ are unbelievable.

Luggage room was occupied by Alex’s things at 3 a.m.
Alex, How much did you spend?

Anyway, Welcome back, Alex.
Whenever you come to Japan, this is the home for you.
Okaerinasai!

Hi everyone!

Have you heard or watched "Noh"?

Noh is a major form of classic Japanese musical drama (play) that has been performed since the 14th century. There are approximately 250 plays in the current repertoire, which can be divided according to a variety of schemes. The most common is according to content, but there are several other methods of organization.

We have "Noh Workshop" by Shuko Tuchiya (Noh performer) on this Friday.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Noh Workshop at Sakura Hotel Jimbocho
2nd April (Fri.) 18:30 at our hotel lobby FREE!!
The workshop consists of "Explaining Noh", "Noh Performance"
and "Noh Experience (Challenging the Noh voice and acting)".
access: http://www.sakura-hotel.co.jp/sakura-hotel_location.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let's look at the previous event pictures!

Feel free to join this workshop and enjoy the Noh world!

See you on this friday :)

Weather forecast saying about how the 'cherry blossom' blooming everyday
and reporting which area the best for viewing.

Cherry blossom is best flower people loved and very fascinated us and also
we feel finaly spring coming when we see them.

Well, since when people enjoy viewing cherry blossom?
Cerry blossom(Sakura) trees planted since Heian period(794) for viewing
and don't you think　how great story that people already enjoyed it
in Edo period(1600).

Let's make a plan for Sakura viewing as people do long time ;)
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3050.html
And let's prepare for some beers and foods for that picnic :D
....This is not like people do as long time ago??

PEPE: Architect from Mexico.
He is staying our hotel for almost 2weeks.

Here is a one of his work.
He made museum in Mexico.

I would love to visit there one day.

Happy Birthday マリー chan

We had her birthday party on last week.
Actually, it was a secret party so she didn't notice that party is for her until the cake showed up.

↑Surprising Marie chan

We all wish your brilliant year☆

If you come in some convenience store or electronics retail stores,
you will recognize and remenber their music or you will sing a tune without thinking.

♪Shop 99

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ10JcKPxKw&feature=PlayList&p=37DD1F94DFB98EC7&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=16
'kyu' means nine anyway :p

♪Donki hote

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM3t2ie6Yzc&feature=PlayList&p=58BD0811397A772C&index=0
I like this song, I sing 'don don don♪' when I go to this shop ;)

♪Yodobashi Camera

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwTJEbqQy4U

Some shops are selling their song, it's true.
I wonder any shops make their song in your country?

Tokyo International Anime Fair 2010 will be taking place in Tokyo Big sight
this weekend (Mar. 27 & 28).

If you like anime, enjoy this event :)
Tokyo International Anime Fair 2010: http://www.tokyoanime.jp/en/

Irena from New Jersey carried a red randoseru on her back !
The vivid red color brought me back to my elementary-school years. It was a long, long time ago.

The randoseru is the backpack for elementary school students and traditionally, a red randoseru is for girls and black one is for boys. However, the randoseru is available in a variety of colors nowadays, such as pink, brown, blue, green and so on. Things change with times.

Irena bought the cute one at a recycle store in Kyoto where she teaches English to high school students. It looks GOOD on you, Irena. The randoseru can be a center of fashion all over the world.

Hono-Ozumo at Hasukuni Shrine[奉納大相撲]
[April 9th]　9：00? Admisson free!!
Place:Yasukuni shrine

This is a ceremonial Sumo tournament and much more.
It starts at 9AM and run until around 3PM.
About 200 Sumo wrestlers include “Yokozuna (Sumo champion) ” will join this event.

If you are interested in "Sumo", don't miss it!
If you want to seat with a good view of the stage, please go there before 9 a.m.

Recently I saw TV program showing that Japanese comedian 'Kanpei Hazama' running in Iran now.

It is incredible challenge!!
He decided to round the world on his own feet and to sail across the continental on a yacht.
The total distance is about 36,000km and it will takes two years.
Also, it turned out he has cancer but he still keep running and taking medication.
I just do hope he succeed this big challenge with his big smile and we see that on TV sometime ;)

You can see his track on the weblog↓
http://earthmarathon.ning.com/

What's happen with them?!
Are they crying?

Answer is Kafunsho (Hay fever)
Poor Tomo and Kayoko. ..

I don't have Kafunsho, so I am very genki(fine)!

Then, Tomo stare at me↓

Don't blame me...that is not my fault :p

Have you ever been to Singapore?
I think you already know 'Merlion' in Singapore↓

........but maybe you might not know...there is another one....
This is 'Mer-Eun-Jung' :p

Well, Eunjung (Ikebukuro staff) and Naoto (Asakusa staff) have been to
Singapore and Thailand for join two travel industry conventions.
And we got this amazing(?) photo, good job!

Last week, we had Sushi making party,
More than 30people join us, one of the stuff in our company Ms. Arai show us how to make rolling sushi.

Hope everybody enjoyed.
If you miss it, don't worry. We will have this kind of party again.

C'est artiste Marie chan ;)
She staying with us about 2 months now.

She compose songs and play the guitar and we can hear her songs sometimes.
Her voice, and then songs are just beautiful....

You gonna be a big star, yey ;D

Thank you for those hats!!

They are from Western Australia, Perth and they working as train's driver!
I was glad to hear that!
Actually I got on that train from Perth to Fremantle when I've been to Australia ;)

And those hats are from their work ;)

Thank you again and unlucky not to get Japanese station attendant hat.....
Does anybody know how we can get this?

Another three more!

I just hope...Hideki and Kyoichi will like it....:p

Ng Yan Han (left) and Victor Chua (right) enjoyed stone-roasted sweet potatoes and the smell stimulated my appetite at 11 p.m.

The stone-roasted sweet potato is called "ishiyakiimo" in Japanese and Victor bought ishiyakiimo from a man with a two-wheeled cart on the corner of the intersection near the hotel.

They are members of a group on school trip from Singapore and ate ishiyakiimo in the lobby almost every night. Victor is such a fun-loving teacher and I see how much students like him.

How was your White day?
For me, it was just lucky day.

White day is the day that we can see the outcome of Valentine's day.
I didn't give anything to anybody in this year. Thus, I didn't expect anything for white day.
However, I got this↓ 'Sakura mochi'(rice cake) from Hideki.

Hideki said, he couldn't get anything for Valentin's day this year, and it was his first time.
However, he wanted give something for white day. That's why he gave us sakura mochi.
Me and Noriko were just lucky to work on white day :p
And, poor Hideki...
If you will be in a good attitude in this year, you will get many chocolates
on Valentines day next year(I just hope so).
GOOD LUCK, HIDEKI!!! ;)

I really like this picture. It's like a one scene from some kind of school love story.　
Hideki looks so serious...Funny xD

Did you watch it?!
She did great job!! She talked about our cafe, and some of our guests are also on TV.

We watched it after work.

↓Tomo, you can be an announcer☆

Did you miss to watch? Don't worry. We have DVD in our hotel. If you would like to see it, just ask us ☆

Sorry for late notice.
But we will have sushi party tomorrow night.
You can experience for rolling sushi.

More than 20people sign up already. It's gonna be fun party☆
Let's join!!

Tomo will be on TV from 9:00PM tonight.
The TV program name is "The Golden Hours" at 9channel (Tokyo MX TV), and it's a live show!!
http://www.mxtv.co.jp/gold/index2.php

↓Tomo just got the script and is getting nervous now.

↓Let's practice. Ganbatte-☆

Ofcourse, we will watch it with big screen at our cafe.
Let's join us and see if she will not be slipping:P
(just kidding, Tomo, I know you will be good☆)

I didn't know................................
I.......have......talent of drawing.....:p

It's a joke, I was just making name tags for Eun Jung(from Korea),
Lutfi (from Indonesia) and cafe staff,Serafino(from France) with their nationalities on it.
Then, I kept making name tags for others, that was kind of fun for me :D

I was trying to express each character and drawing faces in it.

Three more coming! You must be wonder why Yoshi with UFO :p

This is my best work! If you had chance to know him, Hiro, I think you can smile :)
I add the train on it and this is a symbol for the honored concierge!

There was shooting for the TV drama at Sakura Cafe and famous actor and actress came here!!

I'm so jealous Tomo took a picture with actor, Mr.Koichi Sato!

And...?

Taglyn was acting as waiter in this shooting! Great!

Go go Taglyn :D
You gonna be a actore in the future? hehe ;p

The cutiest of this month is this!!

Hi, my name is Momo. I am 6years old.
My master always holds me very tight. So I can not breeze sometimes.
But his berry is very comfy. I sometimes sleep on there, because I can see good dream.
He often takes me to train musium. It is nice place, but I am little bit tired of it.
He is very shy to be in a picture. But he can be in picture only when he is with me. I am happy about that.
He loves talking about travel and train. So if you have any question, please ask him. Your question makes him happy.

Wow!!
Sariko finaly cut her hair and looks big change!

How cute ;)......But wait a minutes....she reminds me of 'Maruko chan', one of manga character...

So, I call her 'Sarimaruko' :p

Try some new menu at Sakura Cafe ;)
Don't you think these looks taste good?
Some guests gave ideas for the cooking and we made new plates
and then here it is!

Those plates are named 'World Snack' and we can enjoy it with world beers!
Another plates are coming more, please check it out ;)

And?

I wondering if you have something snack in your country?
Let me know please, I'm curious about it!

On March 1st, the closing ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games was held after two weeks of competition.

It is not too much to say that women's figure skating attracts the most attention among all.
Kim Yu Na (South Korea) won the the gold medal and Mao Asada became the silver medalist.

'Kiss and cry' is a place where figure skaters and coaches are waiting for the scores after the performance. Happiness and sadness are crossover there.

I got a catch in the throat when Mao could barely speak and wiped her eyes in a TV interview.
I saw her feelings of frustration and despair in her face and at the same time I was moved by her intensity of will.

4 years ago … Mao could not participate in the Torino Olympics because of the age limit.
It seemed to me that Mao was in her prime when she was 15 years old.

Actually I was a witness who saw Mao became a champion in The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final at National Yoyogi Stadium on December 17, 2005, that was 2 months before Torino Olympics.

12 years ago … World Figure Skating Championships was held at Target Center in Minneapolis, USA one month after 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. That was my first experience to see ‘LIVE’ figure skating. Guess what happened to me? I waved 2 bunches of flowers by the rink when Irina Slutskaya (Russia) finished her performance and then as soon as Irina saw me, Irina rushed into me and kissed me twice. That was the happiest moment of my life. I was about to cry from the happiness.

4 years from now … I would like to see Mao with a big smile at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

Here again, Cedric and Raphael ;)
They are from andalucia, Malaga and very very friendly and warm hearted people...

They showed up with a big smile( and big laugh!) and stayed with us about two weeks.

They were just like sun ;)

They gave us lovely flowers before leave, these are reminds us of you guys!

Hola Cedric y Raphael, que tal?
Hope you two come back again!

Su casa esta aqui ;)

We had 'Paella party' !
Cedric and Raphael cooked Spanish Paella for us,
that was really nice!!

Everybody loves this paella, that was special one ;)

'Que rico' ;D

Thank you again,
Muchas muchas gracias!!

Life is hard.....
I want to run away from here Japan...

Why am I saying like this?
Um, it just because of 'hay fever'.
This is a picture I found.....we can see the ceder pollen carrying in the air.....

Main symptoms are...sneezing(a lots), running nose, itchy eyes and nose, and so on.
Many many Japanese people suffering from hay fever.
And I'm the one of the person who have these terrible symptoms.
I can't focus anything and can't sleep well and sometimes I wake up
in the middle of night with tears...

Does anybody have 'hay fever'?
Then we can share some terrible stories with me...??

It was a busy day as usual yesterday.
I pick up the phone and woman asked me to put someone who know
about earthquake and tsunami on the phone.
I did not understand why this woman talking about this matter at that moment....

I checked internet and then I knew that there was enormous earthquake in Chili
and also there was alerts for Tsunami coming.

Tsunami reached on the pacific side of Japan and flood in some north parts.
Also, people evacuated and train stopped on the coast line
to get rid of the risk of Tsunami.
Chili is 17,000km away from here, so we can imagine how big
earthquake occured.

I don't know what to say thinking about people...

We send our deep and sympathy and prayers to the victims and their families...