KAC's CAFE Beer & Kiyono Arms

This bar is quickly becoming my favorite in our area, KAC's Cafe Beer & Kiyono Arms. It is about 1 block west of Issha Station, or a 5 minute walk from our house. The combination of American novelty items in the window plus the name of the place were enough to draw us in. Once inside, however, you'll find an amazing array of US Marine paraphernalia from World War II - model hand guns, model rifles, Marine fatigues, old bullet shells, US Marine shot glasses. Literally anything USMC-related, you name it, chances are Kiyono-san has it. There's also a small bar serving Budweiser on tap. In all honesty, there is literally, no space in this bar, and the amount of marine paraphernalia is overwhelming, but that that adds to the experience. Apparently, the owner runs the bar by night, while maintaining a website for collecting and selling USMC novelty items. It is a site to behold. Here is the website if you have that sudden urge for say, I don't know, a gold-plated US Marine toilet paper dispenser (Yes, they exist, no kidding; there's even one in the bar's bathroom).

http://www2.odn.ne.jp/k_arms/index.html

My visits there have included some great conversations with the owner, the bartender, and some salary men getting their Budweiser fix after work. I love history, especially World War II, so many of my conversations inevitably stumbled into this subject given the setting. The owner, Japanese of course, obviously loves the subject as well. When I told him that my grandfather fought in the Pacific, he immediately brought out some fatigues to show me what he might have worn.

There's no doubt of the brutalities of war. I don't necessarily like the history of World War II because I'm a war buff. I like it because it was an incredible time when political and cultural philosophies clashed - the entire world was engaged, and as a result, millions of ordinary people lived incredible, heroic tales of survival. Everywhere life as it was typically known was suddenly turned upside down. It's these stories that I enjoy.

Kiyono-san is an extension of these stories. Decades have past since the war ended, yet he is obsessed with US Marine paraphernalia from the era. He doesn't look at the war with hostility. Instead, like Hiroshima's memorial, he likes to use it as a reminder of what to avoid.

NBC Nightly News

I don't know how much of it is nostalgia...okay probably a lot of it...but there is something about hearing the music as the NBC Nightly News rolls in (or exits). You know, "dah dah dah da da da daaa daaa daaaaaaa."

Anyway, I'm pretty sure this is what my parents had on in the background of my childhood every night around 7 o'clock. That might be why I find that sound so comforting. That, or the fact that I'm a little nostalgic for the good ol' days when news was what you got from the morning paper and the evening national TV broadcast.

While living abroad, we've found that the NBC Nightly News offers a free podcast of their show. So, if we're in the mood for a little 'un-biased' news from the States (or a little 'dah dah da da da'), we can watch the previous day's Nightly News while we eat dinner.

It's a good way to get our news and remind us of life back at home. And from what I've seen, I'd say Brian Williams is doing a pretty good job filling the shoes of Tom Brokaw. Of course, Brian Williams has yet to have an SNL character immortalize him like Dana Carvey did in this skit impersonating Tom Brokaw.

Head Chef

With my better half leaving today for a return visit stateside, I thought this post seemed fitting. She has pulled off a lot of great meals during our time here in Japan, which is no small task given the language barrier and the new or unusual fruits and veggies we've encountered in our CSA box.

Since she'll be in the States for the next few weeks, however, kitchen duty falls on my plate (pun intended). I enjoy cooking, but it is never easy. She left me with some tips and a list, which will help, but it won't be the same. Part of it is watching her cook. It is an art. From timing, to planning, to presentation, she's got a knack, and you can tell that she loves it.

I recently finished the book, Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell. A great book dealing with life on the cusp of poverty. In it Orwell explains this 'art' of cooking better than I ever could. Here is Orwell's perspective of the head chef while working as a plongeur to earn end's meat at the Hotel X in Paris:

"Undoubtedly the most workmanlike class, and the least servile, are the cooks. They do not earn quite so much as waiters, but their prestige is higher and their employment steadier. The cook does not look upon himself as a servant, but as a skilled workman; he is generally called 'un ouvrier,' which a waiter never is. He knows his power-knows that he alone makes or mars a restaurant, and that if he is five minutes late everything is out of gear. And he takes a genuine artistic pride in his work, which demands very great skill. It is not the cooking that is so difficult, but the doing everything to time. Between breakfast and luncheon the head cook at the Hotel X would receive orders for several hundred dishes, all to be served at different times; he cooked few of them himself, but he gave instructions about all of them and inspected them before they were sent up. His memory was wonderful. The vouchers were pinned on a board, but the head cook seldom looked at them; everything was stored in his mind, and exactly to the minute, as each dish fell due, he would call out, 'Faites marcher une colette de veau' (or whatever it was) unfailingly. He was an insufferable bully, but he was also an artist."

Thanks for the tips darlin, but it won't be the same. Safe travels!!

Our Mule Marvin

Our friend Marvin arrived last Friday for a 9 day visit. During his trip we'll visit some of our favorite Nagoya spots, Kyoto, and Tokyo. I was really excited to see him, but he blew me away with his gifts! (Do I blog about how much I miss beer and micro-brews too much?)


I have no idea how he got through customs un-checked, but certainly thankful he did. The only problem now is that I can't find it in me to open one. I just like looking in the fridge knowing they're there.

Thanks Marvin!

To Bow or Not to Bow...

That is the question.
Of course, if you're a Fox News pundit talking about the President of the United States, the answer is a resounding No.


Luckily, I'm no pundit, but I can say that I actually put a lot of value in respecting the customs of other cultures. That's why while living and working in Japan, we have tried to learn and respect some of the Japanese customs. Bowing, however, has been one of the toughest.

Before leaving for Japan, I asked my friend at work who had lived in Japan for a time and has married into a Japanese family how to properly bow. He started to explain, but then quickly stopped and told me not to even bother. He said that foreigners just end up looking funny and awkward. I suppose it's bit like a bad handshake in American culture - you know the limp handshake?

Bowing is, of course, deeply ingrained in the Japanese culture for greetings or good-byes. Often times at work, the end of a meeting is met with everyone bowing. I still have yet to partake, not wanting to give a "limp" bow. There just seem to be a lot of rules to it - where to put your hands, keep your legs straight, and most importantly, how far of an angle to bow to depends on the level of superiority, rank, etc.

As for Obama, I think he pulled it off rather admirably. Bowing to a Saudi king probably comes with a different standard of rules than bowing in Japan. But at least he came away showing a mutual respect for the king, which I suppose is the goal for any greeting in any culture.