Ultimate Hanami Party in 2006 was held in Shinjuku Gyoen yesterday.
I was the leader of the event!
It was such a nice day for Hanami party yesterday.
I've never been to Shinjuku Gyoen before, but one of Ult. friends who lives in Shinjuku insisted to have a party there, not Yoyogi park where we had a party last year.
See the pictures below! So nice!
I didnt expect that 15 or more people showed up eventually, but it was so hard to organize this many people including drunks......
The park closes at 16:30, so we moved on to Kudanshita to see illuminated sakura at Chidorigafuchi.
There was an unbelievably long line to see illuminated sakura from right under the trees, so we went up to the hill nearby and saw this beautiful sakura!
BUT!!
2 drunks went over the fence and were about to fall down from the hill!
I said "the hill", but it was actually like a precipice, so if you fall over, there is nothing to stop you. You just go straight down!
They were caught by the bush behind the fence and barely held on to it, so 2 other guys and I grabbed their arms and picked them up......
Hanami party is fun, but be careful with drunks......
I didnt know it was worth trying by paying 360 yen for short size( Starbucks Latte is 340 yen for TALL SIZE!) and also I didnt have much expectation for the taste either.
BUT!
I would recommend it now.
You can actually taste its Macha flavor in it.
Sweetness is perfect, too.
Usually, after you drink or eat something sweet, it makes you want some kind of refreshment, like mint or something. But this is exception.
There is still a bit of doubt that it is worth 360yen for short size, but I saw so many people bought tall size or even venti size of it.
Well, we are Japanese! Let's celebrate cherry blossoms with Macha Tea Latte!
I know this is not quite a goal. This is rather, I should say, a start.
******
The interview was taken place at the hotel lobby.
I didnt know his face, nor he knew me.
I called him up and looked for the guy who picked up the phone.
There he was!
I thought this would be an job-interview, like I would be asked some questions by him.
But it wasnt like that.
He just talked on and on and on and on........I didnt speak much......
I felt like it was already decided that this company would hire me.
He said he was going to sign the paper to get my agency in LA started all procedure to hire me as soon as he gets back to the States.
He seemed to really like me.
Then he said he had an appointment after this interview and after that, he was going to Ariake to meet business-related people at the basketball game. He invited these people to the game.
Then suddenly he said,
"Would you like to watch the game if you have time after this? so I can introduce you to these business people who you will deal with on business when you come to the States at the game!"
Wait..... I havent got hired officially yet, right? and he already wanna introduce me to them?
Wow..... he is going to hire me seriously...
We parted there at 13:00 and I went to this bakery
to have quick lunch. I needed to get to Ariake by 14:30, so didnt have much time to enjoy my lunch leisurely.
Then when I got to Ariake Colosseum, he gave me a staff pass.
Then he told me the seat, then I was surprised that my seat was on the arena level and right next to the player's bench.
The game was good. It was my first time to watch basketball game live.
During the half time and after the game, he came over and introduced me to the business-related people.
Well, probably this is a good start.
After the game is over, I thanked him and left. He had some other appointments after that.
So my interview went surprisingly well.
He said he wanted me to come as soon as I get a VISA.
I might be leaving for the States within a month!!
**************
By the way, do you know the first professinal basketball league in Japan was established recently?
As is standard on flights of this length I got 2 full meals.
However, this was not the United TV dinner style food, this looked, felt, smelled and tasted like real food you would make yourself, or get in a restaurant.
Dinner was rice noodles with light sauce, tomato, shitake, and other vegetables.
There was a dinner roll with Australian butter.
That is amazing, not just butter, but Australian butter.It was superb.
The main course was steamed rice with tofu stir fry.
I was allowed to choose between two entrees by means of picture (this is also a Japanese custom that I appreciate).
The flavor was great, the food was not cold in some spots and hot in others or dried out in any way.
This has been common on my United flights.
Dessert was nice, Strawberry shortcake with a 20th anniversay ANA chocolate medallion.
The strawberries were fresh, the cake was moist and the whipped cream in the middle was sweet.
A nice finish to a great meal.
Breakfast was as tasty satisfying as dinner.
It was Yogurt, and a roll (with the same delicious Australian butter as dinner) with an entree.
It was Broccoli, Ham, Sausage, hash-browns, and a tomato relish of some sort.
I also exercised my right to unlimited green tea.
Another cool thing is that the meal came with both chopsticks and metal silverware, which work much better than plastic.
As further testament to ANA's attention to detail, I was furnished with an ANA toothpick with both meals.
One thing I can say after traveling to Japan several times is that the Japanese know how to do customer service, and ANA is no exception.
The people are truly helpful, if you ask for something and they don't know, they will find someone that does.
They have a keen eye for detail, they go to great lengths to make you comfortable and they just won't sacrifice service for bottom line dollars.
I will probably never fly with United again, but I will definitely fly with ANA again.
They turned my trip from being part of a herd of people going the same direction, into a stay at a relaxing lounge as if I were just passing time.
I highly recommend ANA for international travel.
It costs more than other airlines, but the service is exceptional and the comfort of their entire package ensures that you will not arrive to your worldly destination in dire need of your own bed, and 12 hours of sleep.
On the three previous trips I took to Japan I flew with United.
I used them when I went to Hawaii when I was 11.
My mom bought the ticket probably because it was the cheapest.
When I went to Japan in 2003 the ticket was bought through a travel agency reserving seats for everyone in the group that I was with.
The two times after that, I just used United because I had their card and I figured that all airline service was the same.
That was probably one of the most untrue assumptions I have ever made.
This last time, I flew with ANA, a Japanese carrier.
Not only did I find out how wrong my assumption was, I found out just how bad the service on United really is.
If you have flown with them you may know what I mean.
After boarding the plane the first thing I noticed was that I was seated in business class; I bought an economy ticket.
Also, there was no one next to me, and almost the whole row was empty on my left.
In addition to the wider seats in business class, all ANA seats have these nifty adjustable pads that keep your head from falling over while you sleep.
Surprisingly it is not really the food on United that I have issues with, it is their all-round service from beginning to end.
With ANA they have all the things that United has but you can see that they put the extra effort in to actually try and make you feel more comfortable.
It is the difference between having a personal screen to say you have a personal screen and having a complete entertainment package accessible through that screen.
ANA has many services available through that screen, controlled with a hand-held device that doubles as a game controller.
There is a complete menu for the audio.
You can choose specific songs and play any of them that you want from their library.
It is not the continuous loop that United plays.
I can remember timing the one song I liked on my trip to Maui so I could hear it every 75 minutes.
As for the video games, there are your regular arcade titles like Shanghai and a revamped version of Space Invaders but they also have a selection of Super FamiCom games (Super Nintendo for us westerners).
One of thes games is the all time classic Street Fighter II.
You can also access the flight and safety information at any time.
I should also mention that they have internet service available on their flights.
In business class I had an RJ-45 LAN port for free access or I could go wireless for 9.95 for one hour, or 26.95 for the whole flight.
On my way to Japan the wireless was free because I had no LAN port.
Alas, I had no RJ-45 cable with my PDA or PSP so I had no internet as I did not wish to pay $27.
I did however have an AC outlet by which to charge my PSP or Motorola SLVR (with iTunes).
This was actually quite useful on the 9.5 hour fight with a 6 hour PSP battery.
In addition to the ammenities, the service was top notch.
I could get green tea whenever I desired, which was nice as I usually drink it all day at work.
I also got my own personal 20th anniversary(of international flights) bottle of ANA water as I practiced Kanji.
There were also other freebies, like pillow and blanket, cut from United service years ago.
They also in regular Japanese style, give you slippers with a carry case to take them with you when you depart the plane.
I mentioned green tea above but they also have Kirin Beer, all you can drink.
Here is a picture of my precious before enjoying her full flavor.
Not quite a substitute for my sweet girl, but close. ;)
and the condo is located on a cul-de-sac street, so it is pretty safe.
or take risk to save money?
, it makes you want some kind of refreshment, like mint or something. But this is exception. 
. 
. 
. 
. I needed to get to Ariake by 14:30, so didnt have much time to enjoy my lunch leisurely
.
. 
.
.
.
.
I was seated in business class; I bought an economy ticket.
. 
.
. 
.
whenever I desired, which was nice as I usually drink it all day at work.
, all you can drink.
, but close. ;) 
. 
