Stars in Tokyo

On Monday, the folks at Michelin confirmed what we in Tokyo already knew - that Tokyo is the undisputed culinary capital of the world. With a total of 191 stars, the other major cities don't even come close. 8 restaurants received 3 stars, 25 received 2 stars and 117 received 1 star. By comparison, Paris and London only have 148 stars combined, with New York falling far short with only 42. To be fair, it should be mentioned that Tokyo has over 160,000 restaurants compared to 20,000 in Paris and 23,000 in NY. Of course, that doesn't stop all the critics from whining that Michelin was too generous with stars in Tokyo, but I would wager that the complainers have never been to Tokyo to eat at the city's finest restaurants. One trip to Tokyo would convince even the most die hard critics that Tokyo boasts one of the finest culinary experiences anywhere in the world. Japanese chefs are perfectionists when it comes to food, sourcing the freshest ingredients and completely committed to producing the best dishes possible while paying excruciating detail to presentation.

Mama bought the English and Japanese versions of the Michelin guide today and we weren't surprised to find that many of the restaurants they have been to have at least 1 star. Kyubei, the sushi restaurant which I wrote about a few days ago where papa took mama for her birthday last week, even claimed 1 star!!! Conspicuously absent from the list was Gordon Ramsay's restaurant at the Conrad Hotel where papa took mama for her birthday last year.

Tomorrow is a national holiday in Japan so mama and papa are taking me to see the leaves change colours! On Sunday, papa has to go to NY for a few days on business. He said he's not looking forward to going to NY because it must be so sad and dark there with so few stars... :-)

Last week we went to Yoyogi Park and, as usual, I tried to beat up the big dogs...

...until I came across one who was just about my size (I'm the one on the right...I think...)

Happy birthday, mama!!!

Today was mama's birthday! Happy birthday, mama!!! Papa came home early and prepared some of mama's favorite foods like gnocchi in a cream and cheese sauce (made from mozzarella, gorgonzola and parmesan), grilled lamb chops and an appetizer of sushi...yes, it was a bit of a strange combination...papa called it Italian/Japanese fusion...whatever the heck that is...

As for me, well, it was a little cold today so I found myself a nice place to relax and just chilled out...

And then played a little soccer (which papa hates...he says it's a wimpy game for people who aren't tough enough for hockey)

Kyubei

Tomorrow is mama's birthday so yesterday, papa took mama out for her birthday dinner to Kyubei in Ginza which is one of the most famous sushi restaurants in Japan. It was founded in 1936 and was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal. Mama and papa said the sushi was excellent and the atmosphere was very relaxed - the chefs were great and the conversation was lively. The owner, Yosuke Imada, even came to greet mama and papa, as well as the other customers. The chefs pay such great attention to detail, ensuring that everything is perfect. It was a great experience...I just wish that dogs were allowed...




As you can see, it's a little cold in Tokyo now but I am hard at work helping papa with my blog.

We lost...again...

As you can see, I've been following the world volleyball championships these past few weeks. Japan was 6-2 going into today's match against Cuba. Unfortunately, we lost...again...

We won the first set but then lost the next 3. The coach for Japan, Yanagimoto, is one of the worst coaches ever. He is like a tyrant and makes so many errors that it's surprising he is still the coach. Papa thinks he should go to Cuba with the Cuban volleyball team because Yanagimoto has a lot in common with Castro. Yanagimoto runs his team like Castro runs Cuba.

But in all seriousness, it's so unfortunate because Japan has some outstanding players who have a tremendous amount of passion for the game. Too bad they have no leadership. One of Yanagimoto's biggest faults was highlighted today when, inexplicably, he called a time out after Japan had won several consecutive points. By calling the time out, he effectively disrupted the flow of the game when his team had built some momentum and they went on to lose the next point and were never able to recover, losing the last set 25-20. He is one of those coaches who do things automatically without thinking, like when he changes players. He switches certain players in and out according to their position on the court without thinking about the situation of the game. That's just poor, stupid coaching. Every time he made a player change, Japan invariably lost the next point. A great coach is a great leader, motivating the team and adapting to each situation based on experience, constantly refining strategy and bringing out the best from each member of the team. Yanagimoto does the exact opposite...and that's why a great team has become an average team...

Bourne Again...

It's been a while since we posted a blog and, as you can see, we are both hard at work. I am the brains behind the blog and papa provides the manual labour (and mama provides the camera...). It's tough work for me but I really enjoy myself.

Today, mama and papa went to see The Bourne Ultimatum. It seems that they really enjoyed it because they keep talking about it. Papa says it was the best one in the series so far, although he really liked The Bourne Identity too, which was the first movie in the Bourne series. The Bourne Ultimatum was great from start to finish with fast-paced action, exciting car chases, and an interesting story line.

I found a new hobby...I love chewing the material on the bottom of the sofa. Unfortunately, mama and papa don't find it very funny and get a little upset with me when I emerge from under the sofa with a mouth full of material. Sometimes I'm a bit afraid to come out so I just hide under there...



On Thursday, mama and papa went out for dinner with 4 friends to the new Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Tokyo. Papa had the 16 oz rib eye and mama had the 8 oz fillet with shrimp. It must have been good because they were pretty happy when they got home...and looked a little fat :-)

Today, November 11, marks the 13th anniversary of papa coming to Japan. He said that time has really gone quickly in the sense that it doesn't seem like he's been here that long, but in another sense, it feels like he has lived 2 lifetimes. Over the next few weeks, he said he would share his thoughts with me about life in Japan so I will keep you all posted...

The 2007 Formula 1 Champion: Kimi Raikkonen

We've been waiting a while, and Kimi Raikkonen finally won the F1 title!!! Way to go, Kimi!!!

Roots , Rats and Fame

Mama bought me a new training collar and leash today! It even has my name embroidered on it (ROOTS, not HAFFMAN). Green is my favorite colour so that's what mama got for me. The collar is supposed to help me not pull too hard when we go for walks. I tend to pull the leash and try to walk faster than mama and papa which they say is really annoying. Unfortunately, we couldn't go for a walk today due to typhoon number 25. It's pretty windy outside and the rain is coming down really hard. Luckily, I got my exercise today at obedience school. During today's agility class, I had papa sweating pretty hard. I'm pretty good at running through the tunnel and jumping the bars, but I still have trouble with the slalom and see-saw.


Last night we watched Ratatouille. What an excellent movie! It reminded papa of when he worked in a restaurant many years ago. The movie was quite an accurate portrayal of what's it's like working in a kitchen and being in the hospitality industry. There is so much pressure to create original dishes while satisfying the palates of customers. I liked the movie even though papa said that I look like Remy (the main character).



Some time ago, I mentioned that I had a photo shoot to appear in a magazine. The magazine was issued recently and mama and papa appear with me in the photo! They're kind of shy so we edited the photo a little, but it doesn't matter because I'm the main feature anyhow. This issue of the magazine is full of tips for training puppies as well as things to do and not to do with your dog. Since I was a little freaked out by the camera flash during the photo shoot, I only appear in one photo. I think I was supposed to be in 6 or 7 shots playing with toys. It worked out well though because mama and papa got to be in the magazine with me instead of only me playing with toys. I'm on the brink of hitting it big!!!

Pumpkin Head

When papa came to Japan 13 years ago, Halloween was almost non-existent, except among gaijin. This year, wherever you go there are signs of Halloween. Papa calls me Pumpkin Head now, whatever the heck that means. Mama bought me a cool orange toy that looks like a pumpkin and I love playing with it but papa says it looks like me. Halloween is still a little different in Japan than in North America. Kids here don't really go trick-or-treating to collect candy, but many stores sell Halloween candy and other related products. In any case, I'm not holding my breath for any candy...apparently it's not good for dogs..but I will go trick-or-treating for some tasty chicken snacks! Papa cooked 2 chicken breasts for me today which should last me for 2 weeks.

This morning, we had some work done on the condo. In fact, we had to have the whole living room re-wallpapered. From the beginning, the wallpaper here has been the worst. There have been so many mistakes made by the builder (Tokyu Kensetsu) with respect to the wallpaper. From the first inspection until now, we have had to have the wallpaper fixed 3 times. Papa says it's very shoddy workmanship by people who don't take pride in their work. Anyhow, the whole living room was done today so we'll wait and see how it turns out. It still doesn't look very good but the guy who fixed it said that it will take 2 or 3 days for the wallpaper to set after which it will be fine...papa is very skeptical...

After the wallpapering was done, papa took me to Yoyogi Park for a few hours. There were so many dogs there! In the dog run alone there must have been well over 100 dogs, including about 10 Jack Russell Terrorists! I ran around for almost 2 hours. My favorite trick was annoying dogs that were 5 times my size and then hiding behind papa when the big dogs got angry at me. Papa let me stay in the space reserved for big dogs because the small dog area was full of poodles and other assorted yappy dogs. Besides, I'm not really that small...am I??? I can hold my own with a German Shepherd...as long as papa is somewhere nearby.... :-)

Mama couldn't come to the park today because she's not feeling well and has a fever and sore throat. I hope mama gets well soon!!!

Tonight is the final F1 race of the season. Good luck, Kimi Raikkonen!!!

Also, good luck to Daisuke Matsuzaka pitching game 7 of the American League Championship tomorrow! Go Bosox!!! If he needs help, then put me in - I'm ready!!!

Easy Game 2

This game is way too easy...56.62 seconds!!!

http://members.iinet.net.au/~pontipak/redsquare.html

Easy Game

Papa's friend posted this easy game on her blog...no one was able to do better than 20 seconds but papa said it was child's play and was able to to do 36.939 seconds on his fifth try...this game is too easy...

http://members.iinet.net.au/~pontipak/redsquare.html

In case there are disbelievers...