Afternoon tea in Tokyo series: Aman Tokyo

The mission to try the different afternoon tea places in Tokyo continues. This time, headed to Aman Tokyo. Grateful that Lionel was in town so the whole experience was more memorable. I made the reservations a few days earlier. Thankfully, I was able to get a window seat. It was rainy that day but the panoramic view of the Imperial Palace Gardens from the 33rd floor was still relaxing.

Happy Friday...

Japanese version follows below

Today was a bit humid.

I guess summer is here. Haha! Thankfully, Cool Biz dress code has started this week. Otherwise, I would be sweating like crazy.

Today was my fake day off. Fake because it's only half day. In the morning, I had three lessons. After my third lesson, I headed home, changed and went for a jog around the Palace.

After that I headed back home to take a shower, change and return again to the office for two lessons. Unfortunately, my 1PM didn't show up today. The student was probably busy at work.

Too bad but that also meant I got to go home early.

In the afternoon, I did a bit of housework. Then, I bought some stuff for my day trip on Sunday. A few posts ago, I mentioned starting two new hobbies this month.

The second hobby starts on Sunday... provided that the weather cooperates.

Looking forward to it. Hehe!

Happy weekend!

日本語のバージョン:

今日は蒸し暑いよ。

夏になりるそうです。笑。　神をおかげさまです、今週は仕事でCool Bizを始まったよ。

今日は僕のお休みよ。でも、半日だけだよ。朝は三つのレッスンがあったよ。０８：３０のレッスンの後で帰って、着替えて、皇居の周りにジョギングをしたよ。とても暑かったよ。

ジョギングの後は家に帰って、シャワーを浴びて、会社に戻りたよ。

午後に仕事の後では家に掃除した。後は銀座に行って、買い物をしたよ。

今週の日曜日にもう一つの新しい趣味をはじまるよ。いい天気があるといいね。

楽しみによ。笑。

週末が楽しんで。

Japanese skills put to a test...

Yesterday, I survived a date in Japanese. Haha!

The person does not speak English well (or maybe the person does but just doesn't want to. Lol!)

In any case, the whole time we were together we spoke in Japanese. Okay, maybe we used some English but only one or two sentences.

Before meeting up, I told the person to use simple Japanese words and to speak more slowly. Lol!

It turned out okay, I think.

Random Friday blah...

It was a busy week. Maybe because it's because after Golden Week. People are back at work. People are back in Tokyo. So yeah, Tokyo is crowded once again. Haha! It doesn't really bother me because I don't really like going to Shibuya or Shinjuku. If I do go to those areas, the places I go to are in the less crowded areas.

As for the trains, I haven't been taking the train so often. Given the nice weather, I've been walking to work and back home almost every day. Hehe. It's not much of an exercise because it only takes about 15 to 20 minutes but it still counts for something I guess.

I haven't had a chance to go for a run this week. I'm planning to go for a run this afternoon after my Japanese lessons.

Tonight, I'm having dinner with a visiting friend from Singapore. Like I said, God has been good enough to send my friends to Tokyo almost every month. Maybe he knows how I feel here. Haha!

Anyway, I had made another decision recently. I'll say I'm almost 90% decided. I chatted with Tey and with Tipz and I'm glad to get their support.

Long story short: as much as I enjoy hitting the drums, there's just something that's off. So I guess I should move on and try to find whatever it is somewhere else.

"I still haven't found what I'm looking for" is playing in my head.

I guess I'm kind of going to miss it. I wouldn't say I'm super good but I think I'm good. Lol.

Thinking about it now, I also decided to just go for one-to-one Japanese lessons instead of my usual small group lessons. I felt like the group lesson's not really working for me. I only feel bad about myself when I go for the lesson and I decided I'm not going to sit in another lesson for two hours feeling bad about myself. Lol.

Changes, changes....

Afternoon tea in Tokyo series: Andaz Tokyo

So, I started one of two new hobbies(?)/activities of interest today.

Afternoon tea at the different hotels in Tokyo... Haha!

That's one of the things I kind of liked a lot when I was still living in Singapore - brunch and sometimes, afternoon tea. Hehe!

Sooo.... today I headed to my first of many venues - Andaz Tokyo at Toranomon Hills.

Initially, the weather forecast was cloudy so I wasn't expecting a great view. Also, I booked a table via this great site called JPNEazy. For a measly ¥500, they were able to book a table for me. Of course, I asked for a table by the window but they told me the lounge was fully booked.

Surprise, surprise. When I arrived at the place this afternoon, not only was I able to get in about an hour before my reserved time, they also gave me a table by the window. Hurrah!

The afternoon tea is at the Andaz Tavern on the 51st floor. Because this is Japan (or maybe because it’s Andaz... lol!), the decors, the design was pure understated elegance.

I think the afternoon menu changes every so often. For summer, the theme is tomato from Kumamoto (based on the website).

The sweet and savory creations were served on a three-tiered stand. I’m not really a tea person, so I just got a latte instead. Hehe!

At first, I thought I would finish everything in under an hour. I had to tell myself that part of the afternoon tea experience is to enjoy the view and the food.

So, I made sure I got my money’s worth and stayed for about 2 hours. Haha! I didn’t feel guilty at all because 1.) I paid an insane amount of money and 2.) the place was not packed at all. Anybody could have walked in and they would have gotten a table immediately. Hehe!

Food was enjoyable. I didn’t think I’d enjoy it because it was tomato but I actually loved everything. The service, of course, was great.

I spent a good amount of time taking photos of the food and the outside view. One of the wait staff approached me and asked if there was something wrong with my food. Haha! So I just explained that I was taking photos of everything.

After the meal (and to feel less guilty about what I ate), I walked back to my place from Andaz Tokyo at a leisurely pace. It took me just about an hour. It wasn’t far at all. In the morning, I went for a 7K run. Hehe!

It was a good first experience for afternoon tea in Tokyo. Next month, I’ll try another place. Haha!

Nihongo teacher shopping...

I've been doing a different kind of shopping lately.

Because I'd like to really improve my Japanese, I've been doing some Skype lessons recently. At the moment, I'm doing three face-to-face lessons a week. One lesson is with a private tutor but it's only 40 minutes. The other two lessons are a group lesson.

The lessons, particularly the private lesson, have been most helpful. However, when I'm thrown in the outside world, I don't feel like I've improved.

I still have trouble expressing myself. I hate it that I can't make long sentences. There's some kind of disconnect between what I learn in the classroom and what is really used in the real world.

So, I've been trying lessons with a few teachers.

I dunno if I'm a difficult client (maybe I am) or because my standards are just too high. I have to remind myself that I'm not really paying a lot so I shouldn't expect too much. LOL!

So far, I've tried lessons with more than 10 teachers. Hehe!

I've had several lessons with one sensei. He's really good because he can explain things well. He also gives assignments which are really helpful. I've made some requests how to handle the lesson but I don't think it's his style so I decided to go look for another instructor.

There's another instructor I tried but it was too easy. I tried a lesson with another instructor based in another country. He was okay, I guess, but I found him to be rude and unprofessional so sayounara, sensei. There was another instructor but that was also terrible so again, sayounara, sensei.

Today, I had two lessons with new instructors. Both are Japanese but based outside Tokyo.

I really loved their teaching style and I think it'll work for me. I hope they plan to teach for a loooong time because it's difficult to go shopping for teachers. Lol!

Tomorrow, I have another trial lesson with another teacher. I hope she's also good.

Relaxing Sunday...

What a really nice day Sunday turned out to be.

First of all, I had six or seven hours of sleep. Hehe.

In the morning, I did some preparation for work. After that, I attended the 7AM Mass at St. Ignatius.

I was extra excited about today because the weather forecast was between 20 and 12 degrees. Hooray!

Given this temp forecast, I had a plan in mind last night.

Around 10AM, I carried on with my plan.

I changed into my running attire and walked to the Imperial Palace for an easy 5K run around the palace. It was really relaxing and it was also enjoyable to see several runners enjoying the sunny weather. Can't wait to do more runs in the next few weeks. I think spring is coming soon.

In the afternoon, I headed to Shinjuku. I wanted to get more uniforms (read: black polo shirts) but I dunno why Muji doesn't have em.

Anyway, after enjoying walking around Nishi Shinjuku and Shinjuku Sanchome, I just headed back home and had a quiet dinner. Hehe!

Going to bed early. Hehe!

Another one....

Yesterday, one of my regular students had his last lesson.

He had used up all his lesson points.

We usually have our lesson at lesson. After some time, you kinda get used to seeing the person.

One of my first super regular students was a guy who was prepping for his overseas assignment. He had a lot of room for improvement but he's really motivated to learn.

When we had our last lesson together, it felt like breaking up with someone.

After I had similar instances with other students, I thought it would be easier the next time but it's not. I still feel sad when it's time to say goodbye to a student.

Sigh.

I need to be tougher. Hehe!

Honne and Tatemae...

Though I may have been living in Tokyo for more than a year, the place is still one big mystery to me.

I may live here for a hundred years and I still probably wouldn't fully understand the Japanese culture.

Recently, one of the things I'm learning to understand/deal with is honne and tatemae.

Simply put, honne is a person's true feelings and desires (本音, "true sound") and tatemae is the behavior and opinions one displays in public (建前, "built in front", "façade").

It's a concept that I feel a lot of foreigners find difficult to understand.

To the outsider, it seems like being two-faced. To the local, it means being polite.

It's difficult to understand and I'm not starting to see this in the past few failed dates I've had. On more than one occasion, at the end of a date that I thought went well, the other guy would say, "Let's hang out again." "Looking forward to seeing you again."

Now, I know that they don't really mean it. It's just their way of avoiding conflict, or perhaps avoiding to hurt someone's feelings.

What I'm wondering is if they know that either way, they actually hurt another person's feelings. Hehe!

In any case, I feel I have to constantly remind myself of these two concepts. Maybe then I won't be as annoyed with some people. Maybe then I would move one step forward to understanding this beautiful country and its people more.

Not replying promptly... is it a Tokyo disease? Lol.

It doesn't really take a lot of time to reply to a message, does it?

Read somewhere:

If someone wants to be a part of your life, they will seriously make an effort to be in it.
No Reasons.
No Excuses.

So true. For this reason, get a dose of your own medicine. Lol!

Feverish Wednesday night...

There's always a first time.

So, today, I had to cancel four lessons because I'm down with fever.

Thankfully, there were only four lessons this morning (since Thursday is my day off sort of. Lol!). That means I didn't lose a lot of money (since I'm in a no work, no pay arrangement).

I could have tried to go to work this morning but I think it was smarter to stay in bed and rest.

Hmm, I dunno what happened. Yesterday morning I was feeling super genki and in the afternoon, my temperature shot up. It was a hellish experience as I had to work six straight hours in the evening.

First, I had to make sure I looked okay in front of the student. Second, I had to ensure that I was giving a quality lesson. At one point, I felt like I was going to throw up. Thankfully, I didn't.

Shitty as I felt, the show had to go on.

After my last lesson, I spoke with the manager and explained my situation. It was better to cancel this morning's lessons I told him.

Heading home was also an excruciating journey. Even though my place is 15 minutes away from work, it was the longest 15 minutes with the chills and blurry vision. On top of that, you have the stupid cold weather.

Ugh! Can't wait for winter to be over!

Taiko boy....

So, this is what I've been doing three Thursdays a month since July 2017.

Because I wanted to improve my Japanese language skills, I joined a taiko group. I think there are one or two other foreigners but both of them can speak Japanese. So, I'm kinda the only one who's struggling with speaking in Japanese. Lol!

Six months later, my Japanese hasn't improved that much but I can say that I'm able to do some taiko now. Lol!

Last weekend, the group joined a concert where other music groups also performed. Our group did four pieces. I was in two pieces.

Tbh, I wasn't that nervous because we really, really, really practiced before the performance.

It was a good experience.

Who would've thought I'd be doing this. Haha!

Memorial flowers...

Last night, I went to a friend's place for a dumpling party. His parents are in town from China and they made dumplings from scratch! So awesome!

On the way to my friend's place, I decided to get his mom some flowers just to say thank you. I passed by a neighborhood flower shop and chose a small bouquet from one of the several pieces on display.

I took the flowers to the Obaachan to pay. As I was getting money from my wallet, I said to her, "これわプレゼントです。" (This is a present.) because I'd like her to add a ribbon. She replied, "これわプレゼントができない。" ("This can't be a present.")

She said, "これわ memorial flowers です。" We both LOL'd! So I asked her which flowers can be presents and she showed me.

Good thing I asked! LOL!

Filipino food... finally...

Last Sunday turned out to be quite a happy day.

While browsing Instagram a few days ago, I found out that there was a Philippine festival in Hibiya Park over the weekend.

The first thing that came to mind was food!!!

So, I messaged Dean and asked if he and Ryan would like to check out the event. Thankfully, they also planned to go to the event. Yay!

We met up at Yurakucho around 3. From there, we walked to the nearby park. It was my first time to see such a large gathering of Filipinos in Tokyo. Hehe.

Naturally, there was a long queue at all the food stalls. We figured the taste would be the same everywhere soooo we just headed for the stall with the shortest queue.

After buying the stuff, we looked for an area that wasn't too crowded. There, we had a mini-feast.

Lechon kawali, liempo, caldereta, sisig, lumpiang shanghai, rice! Woohoo! For dessert, we got halo halo! It was super!

I hope there would be another event like that in the near future.

For now, I'm just happy with the feast we had!

Tsukareta...

Tired. Lol.

I don't know if it's because of the weather, the workload, or both? Haha!

Monday was crazy busy. Yesterday was also busy. Today was also busy.

I'm really grateful for the work and I really love teaching... but I wish I knew where to get more energy.

Haha!

There's a long weekend coming up next week. I hope it would be sunny on October 8. I want to go hiking or on a day trip outside Tokyo.

Productive day at the library...

I have a proper two-day break this week. Yay!

Tomorrow is a holiday and I decided not to work tomorrow. Today, I also don't have work. Yay!

So, I originally planned to head to Senjogahara in Nikko to hike. However, a typhoon is hit Tokyo this weekend so I'm stuck in town. Thankfully, it's not like any typhoon I had experienced in the Philippines.

I managed to get out of the house and I spent the entire day at the library.

Yup, it was actually a productive day. I arrived at the library at 9:20AM. The library opened at 9:30. I've been in the library since then.

I managed to finish a lot today.

Tomorrow, I might spend the day here again if it's open.

Next guy... again...

I went to dinner last Saturday.

He's a nice guy. He's cute. He has a decent job. He can speak English. He also adjusted his speed of speech and used simple words when he spoke to me in Japanese.

But, he wasn't interested.

And he was late. He was thirty minutes late.

Haha! We agreed to meet up at 7:30PM. He messaged at 7:20PM that he was going to be late.

Of course, I was annoyed. Whether it is because of age or because I stereotype (I think all Japanese people are punctual!), I have not idea. I was just annoyed. Lol.

We originally agreed to have dinner at a restaurant a stone's throw away from Tokyo Station. In the end, I made an executive decision and told him to just meet me at Tokyo Station.

It was rather a stupid decision because first, restaus at the station are almost always crowded and second, it's a bit pricey. ¥600 for ハイボール?!?! You've got to be kidding me! Haha!

It was an enjoyable time though.

The following day, I messaged him to say hello. He didn't reply anymore. He replied today with a simple "Hi." but I'm taking it as a sign that he's not interested.

Oh well, moving on...

Friday in Yanaka...

Today is a holiday - Mountain Day

It's a new holiday. It started last year and it's meant to celebrate all things mountain-related in Japan.

I decided to work in another learning studio. Initially, I had three lessons but I guess the students decided to go on a holiday instead. Lol. So, I was down to just one lesson today. It was okay. After my one lesson, I headed to a nearby cafe to work on my semi-sideline job.

After that, I headed home to take a nap.

At 3:45, I left the house and took the train to Nippori to meet up with housemate Shuto. It was his birthday last week and I told I'd buy him dinner. Before going to dinner, I told him I'd like to check out Yanaka.

The place was actually interesting. There was a street called Yanaka Ginza, which was lined with many interesting shops. There were a million cafes. I definitely want to go back and check out the place again.

On top of the cafes, there were a number of cultural places. However, I didn't take any photos because the sky was gloomy. The photos wouldn't look nice. Haha!

From Yanaka, we walked to Ueno and headed to a tonkatsu restaurant. It's the restau where Dean brought me a year ago. I should take more of my visiting friends to that place. The only downside is that you smell like oil when you step out of the restau. Haha! We also went to an izakaya where we had a couple of drinks and had some kushiage. Nice nice!

Earthquake...

For some reason, I usually get up at 2 or 3AM to go to the toilet to pee.

This morning was no different. The only difference was when I went back to bed, the ground started moving. I thought I was dreaming. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was strong.

When I got to work this morning, I overheard one of my coworkers ask another coworker if they felt the earthquake. So, apparently it was true. Lol.

While I was having my first lesson, the building's earthquake alarm went off. My student was unperturbed by the whole thing so I guess there was no need for me to be worried. Lol!

Interesting day.

It's August!

Whoa, it's already August!

Time is flying so fast! It's insane. Okay, I'll try to post more often. Lol. The operative word being "try."

Last Sunday, I went on a date. Or I thought it was a date.

Recently, I usually just meet with people for one hour. I don't know if it's because I'm getting old or it's because I just don't see the need to spend more time than needed if I feel there's no follow through. Lol.

With this guy though, I dropped the one-hour rule because of a few good signs. He said he usually video calls with guys first before meeting up with them. He liked Rose Bakery, too. (Lol!) As soon as we started chatting, it just felt natural.

Long story short, it was a great Sunday. We had lunch, dinner, and coffee. We went to one of my favorite parks in Tokyo. We went to an onsen.

So, those were all good signs.

Yesterday, I messaged him to ask if he wanted to hang out again soon.

He said yeah but he also said he has a partner.

My reaction was WTF?!

This is the third time that this has happened to me. I refuse to think it's a Japanese thing. (The other two instances were with Japanese guys, too. Lol!) Lying by omission is still lying, I think.

Oh well. I just kinda felt sad because I spent 8 hours with the guy and it was a good date. You don't get that often, right?

Okay, lesson learned. Next time, don't assume!