Notes From Afar
Muji are currently showing a fabulous new range of minimalist “huts” at a pop-up show in Tokyo.
The medium sized, Scandinavian feeling hut, designed by regular Muji designer Naoto Fukasawa would make the perfect garden office.
Imagine sitting there on a crisp cold day with the wood burning stove crackling away, a glass of Talisker in hand looking out over a frosty vista pondering life.
Perfect.
This image visualises Lost In Translation beautifully; I want this as a poster now.
Update: Having searched around this appears to be the original image, which is not available as a poster sadly.
I was talking with a friend recently about cities; their similarities, their differences and what defines them. It struck me that cities are so much more than places and people; cities themselves have their own character and personality.
It is this character, this personality that makes a city almost like a person. As with people you might get on with that personality or you might not.
Sometimes a city will grow on you, sometimes you know you will never like a city and sometimes it will be love at first sight.
Over the last few years I have definitely realised I am a city person, not that I don’t love the country and I will always love the coast, but cities and me we have an understanding.
In the words of Underworld Mmm Skyscraper I Love You.
I’ve been home from Tokyo for almost a week now and still I’m finding myself falling asleep, or resisting falling asleep, around 8pm and then unable to stay asleep beyond 4 or 5am.
I’ve never had bad jet lag before and I have to say that I don’t like it. I didn’t suffer from jet lag at all when I used to travel to California, and I only had mild jet lag for the first few days when I flew to India.
Last night I stayed awake until almost midnight hoping to get back to normal rhythm, but again I awoke at 4.30am… I’m now surfing the web for cures and advice for jet lag. I have a trip to Phoenix at the end of the month and I really do not want jet lag again.
From what I have read so far it would seem that you are looking at a days jet lag for each hour of time difference – NASA says so, so I think I’ll believe that. Japan is 9 hours ahead so I guess I should relax and accept that jet lag is here until some time next week.
It’s funny reading the suggested cures and remedies from herbal treatments and special diets to special bright light visors.
It would seem that jet lag is unavoidable, but there are some suggestions to help deal with it and some to help reduce its severity – mostly around when to seek light to keep your rhythms intact.
I’ve read in a few places that not being rested before you travel will make jet lag worse; I guess having a four month old son and the broken sleep that goes along with that may explain why it is so bad.
I hadn’t realised just how bad alcohol was when flying, apparently it’s effects are 2-3 times greater which would explain the effect of a “couple of drinks” on my way to Tokyo. I didn’t realise that jet lag itself causes dehydration; which has been a problem since my return home.
It’s been interesting reading all the information but it looks as if jet lag is a fact of international travel.
My flight was very good. I only watched two films as the film selection was rather uninspiring: 40 Year Old Virgin (6 out of 10) and Mr and Mrs Smith (5 out of 10).
We arrived at our hotel early afternoon on Saturday and decided to have a few hours sleep and then to head out into Tokyo.
Sadly when I woke up after my nap my cold had set in with force and I felt terrible so I spent my first night in Tokyo sleeping while my colleagues went out.
It’s not quite true to say I spent the night sleeping, more like the evening. I slept until about 11pm when I woke to have something to eat. Unfortunately, I haven’t managed to get back to sleep since and it’s 5.55am on Sunday morning as I type this…
Thankfully the evenings sleep has helped my cold to lift but it’s not helped me to adjust to the time difference.
Anyway… today is Sunday my only full free day here so I’ll be sightseeing whatever my body wants to do about sleeping.
I’m planning to try and see the view from the Metropolitan Government building which is supposed to be very good, the Imperial Palace and the Ginza district. We also want to try and get to the Park Hyatt hotel which is where Lost in Translation was shot and has another great view from the bar.
As you can appreciate I’ve seen little of Tokyo so it’s difficult to form any real opinion yet. On the way in from Narita it could have been any other modern major city except that the roads were strangely reminiscent of those in Gran Turismo.
OK so I’m on my way to Tokyo – I’m currently sitting in the Virgin Clubhouse waiting for my flight to be called.
It’s been a hell of week getting ready for this trip but we are as ready as we’re gonna be; I just hope our Japan team is.
With perfect timing I have a cold settling in so I expect that to make travelling a joy… I have 12 hours ahead of me during which time I intend to see how many films I can watch.
Stay tuned for more Tokyo updates…