Hideki Mutoh 武藤 英紀

Hideki Mutoh (武藤 英紀) the Japanese driving phenom has certainly been climbing up the rankings of professional driving in leaps and bounds.

Since his arrival in the USA from Japan, he is certainly getting lots of media attention and no longer being ignored.

Only one year after arriving from Japan to drive in the Indy Pro Series, Mutoh took over for the Andretti Green Racing car driven up to that point by Dario Franchitti, the winner of last years Indy 500, after Franchitti decided to move to NASCAR.

Mutoh started today's Indy 500, the premier racing contest in the USA, in the 3rd row, as the highest qualifying rookie. The driving prowess that he exhibited helped him turn in a respectable 7th place finish ahead of other notables such as Danica Patrick, and thus finished the race with the highest finishing position of any Japanese driver thus far - surpassing the impressive 1996 8th place finish by Hideshi Matsuda.

There is no doubt that the guy can drive, and as he continues to further hone his skills, placing well and winning races, this will all help to cement his place amongst respected professional race car driving legends. Stay tuned racing fans.

All the best.....Mark

Survivalphrases.com - Language Site

All too often my friends heading to Japan ask me to suggest a book, CD or tape for them to pick up prior to their trip, in an effort to pick up some basic Japanese expressions.

While there are an inordinate number of products out there, I recently came across an on-line option that is fun and easy - Survival Phrases Japanese.

The web site is http://www.survivalphrases.com/ and describes itself as an easy way to.."Learn essential travel phrases, cultural insights and travel tips that you won’t find in a traditional phrasebook."

The site offers several options; however, the two which are sure to peak your interest are: a Free Trial 10 lesson option with an accompanying PDF guide or a Premium 1 lesson offer at $25 for 50 lessons, 50 PDF study guides and an iPod lesson feed. You can download these fun and easy lessons on to your iPod to listen to during your commute to work each day or during your flight to Japan.

Each lesson/podast is moderated by Sachiko Nakagome, an enthusiastic teacher who takes the time to breakdown key words, phrases and expressions, so that they are easily understood. She also throws in some shortcuts/tips for those that find the more formal expressions too long or complicated to absorb at this beginning stage in their language study.

In addition, the site also offers a link to http://www.japanesepod101.com/ which covers some more advanced expressions, phrases or topics for those beyond the introductory level.

As you well know, a little Japanese goes a long way. Certainly any effort made on your part to learn a few basic expressions will be well received by your host and will certainly enhance your time and experience while in Japan.

All the best...Mark

Roppongi 六本木 - Wolfgang Puck's Cafe - Restaurant

Anyone who has ever watched the Academy Awards, or visited his restaurant Spago in California has heard of the Austrian chef Wolfgang Puck.

He is a culinary powerhouse and given credit for revolutionizing American cuisine - more specifically California cuisine.

Now Tokyo has 2 locations one in Roppongi and another more casual outlet located in Shinjuku - and he is not stopping there...with plans to significantly increase his presence with a 10 year goal to open an additional 90+ other restaurants.

The restaurant was very modern, and crowded with expats with their families, tourists and locals, so I ate at the bar counter. The menu was varied and included Puck's famous pizza options -the Salmon Pizza was delicious. I also enjoyed the Shrimp Pad Thai, which was quite good and the portion size was just right. The service was good and the staff were attentive without being overly so.

All the best....Mark

Speed Racer - Mach GoGoGo (マッハGoGoGo)

Go Speed Racer, Go Speed Racer Go!

This weekend saw the beginning of the summer movie season with the release of the Wachowski Brothers latest film - after the Matrix Trilogy and V for Vendetta - the live action adaptation movie Speed Racer.

For those who fondly remember the cartoon series which debuted in Japan in the late 60's, this film will offer a 'stroll down memory lane'. Mach GoGoGo (マッハGoGoGo) was the original title for the series and when it was distributed around the world, the name was changed to Speed Racer.

The colors, graphics and action sequences are all certainly kicked up a notch, but the core story and characters remain intact. You'll see Speed, Trixie, Mom, Pop, Rex, Spritle and of course Chim Chim.

This jacked up film was a non stop action powerhouse which purists will be pleased to know followed the original Tatsuo Yoshida storyline. The colors, race car scenes, and over the top graphics seem to combine Bollywood, Hello Kitty and the Jetsons all in one.

After a hard week of work, this film offers a nice diversion with a healthy spoonful of mental fluff to be enjoyed by mom, dad, and the kids. (At 135 minutes, its an enjoyable 2 hour + escape from reality.)

While it was panned by critics and seen as disappointing for not beating out Iron Man with box office receipts, I say head to the multiplex and cheer on Speed...come on everyone take a deep breath and say out loud - Go Speed Racer Go!

All the best....Mark

Shinjuku 新宿区 - Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building 東京都庁舎

Recently, so much has appeared in the media about the Mori Building and its brand spanking new observation deck; however, I thought a little missive about the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and its observation deck might be of interest to those spending time in Tokyo and wanting to see this incredibly compressed city from on high.

In Shinjuku (新宿区), one of the 23 wards of Tokyo, there is a huge complex of buildings and skyscrapers, most of which are in western Shinjuku.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (東京都庁舎), designed by architect Kenzo Tange, is the crown jewel of this huge complex of buildings with a semi-circular plaza and a 48 story building that seamlessly blends both traditional and modern design. In fact when the project was originally conceived, the architect noted that the aim was to have the building resemble an electronic circuit....what do you think?

The 48 story building, which opened in 1991, houses the administrative center of the Tokyo government. For a time it was dubbed "tax tower", because of the high cost at the time and the amount of public funds that were used to construct it - roughly $1 billion at the time.

Nothing conveys the vastness of the city like the views you'll take in from the observation deck -here's the view from the 45th floor....

Western Shinjuku

Opened daily and FREE, this spot should be on the list of things to take in during a visit to Tokyo. Enjoy.

All the best.....Mark

Roppongi 六本木 - Hard Rock Cafe Tokyo - Restaurant

If you spend any length of time in Japan, certainly from time to time after getting your fill of all the great culinary offerings to be found - sushi to shabu shabu, tempura to tonkatsu, etc.....well, you'll have a craving for a burger joint.

Quite simply, nothing comes to mind as quickly as the instiution itself...the Hard Rock Cafe Tokyo (located in Roppongi 六本木)...and since it will celebrate its 25th anniversary this July 4th, 2008 you'll certainly want to stop by. While there are other Hard Rock Cafes in Japan, for example Ueno, and Osaka, this one is the original.

The rock memorabilia, the rock and roll music blasting through the speakers, the gift shop with all manner of t-shirts, jackets, caps, as well as the menu know around the world can be found here.

Take a look at the menu and come hungry and ready to eat http://www.hardrockjapan.com/cafemenu/pdf/hrcjapan_menu_j.pdf

All the best....Mark