I stepped out of the plane into a Mumbai airport far sexier than I remember. Parts of it are a tad too multi-colorful for my tastes (maybe just for Diwali?), but it's definitely swanky enough to impress for a major global air hub. One unexpected advantage of night-time flying into India during Diwali week is seeing fireworks from above, as they went off all over the city.
The ride to Vashi was long, but keeping my eyes fixed skywards got me a constant view of more fireworks. I arrived late (by Vashi standards) in the night, but I had a little time for a classic dum biryani and Haywards 5000 at a seedy old Sector 17 haunt, along with a local nightcap.
I spent pretty much all of the next day with my aunt and uncle in Vashi, catching up on the last few years over wholesome home-cooked treats, including delicious kanda poha (top center) and idli (left).
We took a circuitous walk down to and around the old holding pond, hitting a chai stall on the way back.
Late in the night, I made my first trip to Navi Mumbai's CBD Belapur area to sample some local nightlife. Rockville was the only live music place I could find in the neighborhood. I can't say I was blown away by the musicians; they were individually decent, but they could do with more some practice together to get the duo thing working in harmony. Anyway, the place had some awesome spicy russet potato wedges.
The next morning, I joined the rest of the wedding party on a trip to Pune for the reception, enjoying the smooth ride on the express road, and taking in the view of the rolling hills of inland Maharashtra. The hotel was also close to the river, so I took a walk across and about in the evening before the wedding, enjoying a hot vada pav and chai at a dhaba while a light evening rain fell around.
I slept early that night because I had to meet one of my MBA roommates the next morning, at the famous and consequently busy Wadeshwar vegetarian restaurant on FC Road. While catching up on events since our last meeting, we indulged in some delicious, fresh, and atypical (at least for me) breakfast items like buttery set dosa (top right) and aappe (bottom right). While the schedule of my short Pune trip did not allow a full Maharashtrian meal, I was able to get at least one dish in from the cuisine: kothimbir wadi (bottom left), a sort of coriander fritter with a great herbaceous bite to it. It's fine, though; I guess I can always just cook the cuisine up myself if needed.
After finally making it back to Mumbai later, I quickly checked into the surprisingly nice Hotel Airlines International before meeting a friend and heading to Mathuradas Mills Compound, where I would spend most of the rest of the evening. We started with a place I would visit just for the name: Sweetish House Mafia. There, we had a bite of sweet-salty melt-in-the-mouth Nutella with Sea Salt, their signature cookie.
Sipping at the Barking Deer next was my first ever microbrewery visit. Not so micro though -- it was actually quite large inside. We were also in 1+1 happy hours, so we each had one pint each of the mild light and strong dark specials, settling on those after sampling out of shot glasses.
Dinner followed at the nearby Jai Hind, a popular seafood spot. We were the first customers for dinner service, to boot. As a starter, we each had bombil -- also known as Bombay Duck -- rolled around prawns and fried (top right). The bombil has a lot of bones in the flesh, but these are small enough to be ignored. I can't say the taste was particularly distinctive (I should probably have it by itself, and cooked simpler to decide on that) but I liked the texture. For the main course, we enjoyed a delicious -- and extremely spicy -- helping of pomfret (top left) cooked "pulimunchi" (with tamarind and chilli).
I enjoyed the Comedy Store show at the Blue Frog much more than I thought I would. I guess I have been keeping tabs on developments in India more than I estimated. I even got the references to Savita Bhabhi (and there was more than one). Some bits went over my head all the same, especially if they were not in English or very simple Hindi. Others, though, I found quite relatable e.g. Atul Khatri's bit about "Worli creep" vis-a-vis Dubai's "Jumeirah creep". There may really be a common big city experience that transcends countries. Khatri (bottom left), by the way, was great, and emcee Anirban Dasgupta (top left) was pretty good too, as was that 10-minute-set Marathi guy (bottom right) they had on after the break (his name escapes me, though).
To end the night on a sweet note, we went to Marine Drive and had a little dessert at Bachelorr's (sic), a Chowpatty institution famous for ice creams, shakes and fresh fruity concoctions. Competing with dozens of parked car occupants to place orders, we got ours in, with me enjoying a small but scrumptious serving of their special kaju draksh: a perfect creamy scoop shot through with raisins and nuts.
I rarely took the trains much when I was in Navi Mumbai, having relied on the buses that had to pass through Vashi on their way to various destinations across the bridge. This was, however, the best way to get back to the hotel at the time. Ticket purchase also seems to have been automated with vending machines, which I'm sure was a welcome development.
After breakfast with my parents the next day, I went back to my hotel room to do a little homework for the evening plan, then popping over to Bandra Kurla Complex to join another friend for a quick lunch at Cafe Infinito. Our main of "Big Bloody Burger" was alright, but what really made the meal were the courses before: arugula poached pear salad (top left) and chorizo honey ravioli (bottom left). A lovely local Sula Dindori Shiraz (top right) complemented the meal well, especially the chorizo.
Half an hour later, I reached the Kala Ghoda arts district in South Mumbai. It was a Monday, so the National Gallery of Modern Art was closed. Jehangir Art Gallery (bottom center) was still open, though, so I got a good look at some collections of works by Indian artists: the "hairy" mythology paintings of CD Mistry, the finely textured abstracts of Abdul Salam, and the excellent colors, lighting, and detail in outdoor scenes and palace/temple courtyards by Kailas R Jadhav. I also caught the last day of Aspi H Patel's Architecture Beyond Platitude architectural photography exhibition in the Terrace Gallery.
I then spent almost an hour at Delhi Art Gallery, and I don't think that was enough. Captivating early Bengal oil (sometimes also gold) paintings were the mainstay of the Indian Divine exhibition, consisting of modern art depictions of Hindu and Christian mythological scenes and icons. The application of modern art techniques to classical themes and motifs produced a beautiful result, including some abstract neo-tantric and expressionist pieces. A few iron and bronze sculptures also made appearances in this 5-storey space.
And finally, a stop at the renowned Kalaghoda Cafe. No jazz on a day like this, of course, but what a dinner. The crispy cafe special sandwich was perfect, with just a dash of their whole mustard sauce. Their dense-yet-fluffy dark chocolate cake was one of the best I have tasted. I loved how wholesome their ingredients and condiments were, in addition to their reasonable prices and great service.
On my way back, I took a walk through the bustling and heritage-rich path from KG to CST, enjoying the Diwali lighting and checking out the myriad items street vendors had on display.
And last, but not least, my Indian debut in stand-up, at the Big Mic comedy open mic held at the venue and art space known as The Hive. The place is tucked away in by-lane Khar, and the performance room, part of which was under a staircase, was packed -- it doesn't get much more underground than this.
The event began with a show by local improv artists (top right). It was mainly WLIIA-style short games, but I would love to see their scene work someday. Several stand-up comedians (bottom left) then took stage for (with one exception) 4-minute sets. Some of them had really great material, and I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere that reminded me of open mics in the US. The emcee, Aakash Mehta (bottom right), was great entertainment in particular.
As for my set, I had by now accumulated quite a bit of India-specific material I could finally use, and I'm happy to say that it seemed to have been generally received enthusiastically; it was the first time for me to use any of it, though, so it was a bit shaky on delivery. I had a great time at the event overall, and it was a lovely end to my tiny Mumbai trip.
I've never been to Safa Park on a pleasant Friday afternoon during winter holidays, but it seemed like everybody and their second cousin were there (a parking situation not helped by the closure of the old Gate 5 parking zone). Still, I had come all that way in my new yukata, so I managed to find a semi-legal space and spend the afternoon at Off Topic's second Japanese Carnival.
Several kiosks had been set up in the enclosure, (not sure why there was an enclosure, since there seemed to be no ticketing) selling all manner of Japanese paraphernalia and manga merchandise, including some by groups from out of town, and a few artists' booths. There was, oddly, no tea or Pocky (!) to be seen in the venue, although Off Topic arranged for some Japanese food boxes to be peddled about by costumed manga maid and butlers (I think it was some kind of a competition), and there was a mochi ice cream vendor.
A couple of Japanese artists were on hand to demonstrate traditional dance and drawing arts.
There was also a sizable cosplay contingent, including some extremely elaborate kits.
Nope, still foggy. But at least now I could get a view of the Imperial Palace moat (left top), on the west bank of which my hotel was located. Just as well that there was a fog around, because my busy schedule on my last day in Japan meant I had no time to enjoy morning views. Grabbing a canned coffee (center bottom) on the my way to the intercity train station (bottom left), I took a south-bound, skipping more touristy Yokohama to disembark at Kamakura Station (bottom).
Kamakura is a relatively quiet and small city today. About 8 centuries ago, however, it was the seat of power for the Minamoto clan's shogunate -- the first time the shoguns took paramount power and reduced the emperor to a figurehead. Their shogunate lasted less than one and a half centuries, and actual Minamoto control of it only lasted two generations, but it sent the precedent for the next 7 centuries of pretty much uninterrupted military rule by the samurai class.
Exiting the station, I walked up the long gravel, sakura-lined path (top right) between the roads of the city's axial avenue, passing through the torii (top left) at each end. On the way, I stopped by a senbei shop (bottom left) to try one of Kamakura's famous senbei i.e. rice crackers (bottom center). It is indeed worthy of fame, with a delicious flavor-laden glazing baked on a crisp cracker base. I also tried a local candied fruit lollipop (bottom right).
At the northern end of the path, I arrived at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-Gu. This shrine is dedicated to the Shinto war patron kami Hachiman, who is a deification of the Japanese emperor Ojin. Hachiman is also the patron kami of the samurai in general, and of the Minamoto clan in particular, so it made sense that the shogunate's founder built the shrine in the kami's honor, to celebrate his clan's triumph. Said emperor's mother, Empress (regnant, to boot) Jingu, is also enshrined here.
Ranked in the second tier under national purview, the shrine complex is centered around a hill. At the foot are a number of satellite buildings, including subordinate shrines and an ablution pool. I also noticed a wedding taking place in one of them. There's a lot of symbolism in the layout of the shrine complex, which is constructed in post-Buddhist architectural style.
Ascending the hill by stairs takes one to the main shrine, the door to which is flanked by ni-o guardian warriors in glass cases. From here, one can get a good, high view of the surrounding area and the lower part of the complex. A small museum of Minamoto-era artifacts is perched next to it. The complex also contains a special Minamoto shrine (bottom right) and the Kamakura Museum of National Treasures, containing another stash of Kamakura and Ashikaga/Muromachi artifacts.
In recognition of the Minamoto contribution to Kamakura's history, the clan's sasarindo crest has been adopted as the city emblem, and can be found on many public works.
On my way out, I passed by a variety of demo-sized Japanese gardens.
A short eastward walk took me to the site of the tomb of Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the shogunate, and pretty much the main reason for my coming here. Thanks to him and his brother, Yoshitsune, the Minamoto clan was not only brought back from near-extinction, but became the ruling clan of Japan. The Buddhist-style tomb (bottom left) is located at the end of a flight of stairs (top left) leading up a hill. The foot platform is marked with stelae (top right), and includes what appears to be a Shinto shrine (bottom right).
A little further east stands Kamakura-gu, the shrine to Prince Morinaga. This imperial prince (note the Chrysanthemum crest) was appointed shogun by his father, Emperor Go-Daigo, who united the courts and seized power from the Kamakura shoguns in the short-lived Kemmu Restoration. Morinaga was imprisoned and executed here by the Ashikaga, who stamped out the restoration attempt and established themselves as rulers of a new shogunate. After the Meiji Restoration, the Meiji Emperor, in a show of reestablished imperial authority, built the shrine to honor the martyr of his ancestral lineage.
I made lunch of a delicious Japanese beef curry plate at a small local pub, which I found among the quaint and quiet streets near the shrine/tomb area. I also enjoyed a chat with my bartender-server, who could speak English.
Despite being a small-ish city, Kamakura has a decent-sized museum of modern art, at which I spent about an hour checking out the exhibitions of works of Kano Mitsuo and other artists, and enjoying the view over the trees from the balcony cafe.
On my way back to the train station, I passed through one of the city's shopping streets, and sampled another one of Kamakura's specialties: croquettes.
Back in Tokyo, and knowing Japanese punctuality, I had to make good on arrival time for my two evening agenda points in Shibuya. I was literally running around in the light rain -- first to locate the Kanze Nohgakudo theater and buy my ticket, then to locate the Crocodile and tell them to hold my reservation, then to dash back to the theater in time for the Noh show (haha, see what I did there?).
Having watched Theatre Mitu's cross-cultural NYU Abu Dhabi performance of Athur Miller's Death of a Salesman, which included Noh/Kyogen theatre styles, I could not go to Japan and miss a Noh show (haha, see what I ... never mind). The theater was capacious and comfortable, most of the attendees were elderly, and all were Japanese. On a simple but beautiful L-shaped stage setup, hauntingly masked and gloriously costumed Noh actors and singers performed their hypnotic art. It's a very, um, slow performance to watch, but part of the beauty is in how everyone takes their time and is yet exactly on time, and the methodical ritual to every move and every word.
Ironic for me, because as soon as it was over, I thundered downhill through Shibuya, making it to Crocodile minutes before showtime. As I waited for the improv to begin, I ordered their house brew (bottom left) and alligator meat plate (bottom right). As expected, the latter tasted like chicken.
Tokyo's centerpiece of English-language improv, Improvazilla, gave us a show to remember. Apart from the games with which my own improv experience has familiarized me, they also played the blind variation of freeze tag, which was way more exciting than regular freeze tag.
About mid-way through the show, they performed a promotional collaboration with some drama performers, having the latter first act out a scene from their play, and then keeping one of the actors onstage to stick to his scripted lines while two impovvers joined him to improvise a scene around said lines based on an audience shout-out. This turned out to be my suggestion -- a pirate ship. What ensued was belly-hurting hilarity, as the drama actor acted out his rather philosophical script lines, while the improvvers played really confused pirates.
They were also fortunate to have a really good pianist to provide music and cues to complement the troupe's amazing musical improv skills. It was a most brilliant show, and even more so for an improv actor and fan.
For my final meal in Japan, I saved a visit to a proper sushi place: Sushi Daidokoya, also in Shibuya. Apart from a regular sushi sampler (top), I also ordered a couple of more exotic items, like sea urchin and horse meat nigiri (bottom left), to complete my experience of a real Japanese sushi bar.
With the heavy-in-the-gut feeling that typically accompanies the final day of a vacation, I took the express train to Narita airport the next morning, to fly back to Dubai via Seoul. Through the early stages of post-travel depression, I was quite pleased at how much of two countries I was able to squeeze into just two weeks -- covering history, art, and modern life, and even improvising and discovering along the way, without missing too many agenda points. All thanks to good planning, good research, discipline, and a bit of luck.
Aaaaand final notes:
(top left) Parking elevator files cars into high-demand parking blocks
(top right) Well, that's a slightly useless "pass"
(center right) Good way to save paper
(bottom right) I had no idea that 7-Eleven was also into banking
(bottom left) Damn right, if you're carrying a lighter of that size
Arriving by Shinkansen at Tokyo early in the morning, I took the subways (yes, Tokyo is so huge, it actually has two separate multi-line subway systems that link at certain locations) to Akihabara in the hopes of getting my agenda for the neighborhood done with. Unfortunately, it was a little too early in the morning; practically no shops or museums were open.
No biggie, because I fell back on plan "B for breakfast" at the only official Gundam Cafe. This cafe is, as the name suggests, themed around the Gundam franchise. The space age decor and TV screens playing the anime are complemented by a menu that frequently makes visual or name-dropping references to the designs and characters in the Gundam universe, such as the Haro cake (bottom right). If I were there for lunch, I would have loved to have ordered a rice dish that would be shaped and decorated to look like a Gundam mecha head.
I then took a subway line east to see the history of Tokyo at the Edo-Tokyo Museum. The museum looks like a bit like an anime starship from the outside, but it contains a massive historical repository of the new-but-old city of Tokyo, known in the samurai age as "Edo". Among the impressive displays are detailed models and reconstructions of neighborhoods and buildings from medieval Edo.
Then there are the samurai armor and weapons, clothing and accessories from the Edo period, and various historical artworks, including intricate painted screens and life-like statues.
Other displays included reconstructions of daily life, modes of transportation, performing arts, and interactive scenes of life in old Tokyo.
Having missed the Kamigata Ukiyoe Museum in Osaka, I was pleased to find a big section on this wood block printing art, including a play-by-play of the fascinatingly precise block carving and coloring process.
Heading back to Akihabara, I took a little foot tour of the area, browsing the numerous electronics, gaming and anime merchandise shops in the district, while marveling at the garish signage.
Also in Akihabara, in the UDX building, I had a look at the Tokyo Anime Center. The place was not nearly as big or comprehensive as the ambitious name suggested, though. It seems to be mostly an event venue, and centered on manga and sketches. Anyway, I spent a few minutes browsing these and the merchandise, and watching a few anime clips.
Going south, and after quite a walk from the train station, I stopped by the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art (top left). I quite enjoyed this place; there was a delightful Yasumasa Morimura exhibition on, and some indoor and outdoor (top center) permanent installations were also interesting to ponder over a cup from the veranda cafe. My subsequent visit to the Ghibli Museum (bottom left) was, however, foiled; I found out too late that ticket purchase is required days before visiting. Even Totoro (right) looked shocked.
Next to the museum, though, was a quaint patisserie called Cote du Bois (top left). The Japanese seem to love these little European cafes, so I sampled some (amazing) cheescake at this one. Among other food trends I noticed in the country, by the way, are the apparent popularity of spaghetti and naan bread, even on menus that are otherwise devoid of sister foods.
I then bused down to the nearest train station area (top center) to grab some actual dinner at a beefbowl (top right), before taking the subways to the hotel. The beefbowl (bottom right), or gyudon, is basically a bowl of rice topped with beef and spring onion. I still had to get over the raw egg, but it's generously-proportioned and full of energy and umami, apart from being relatively easy to prepare and serve. This makes it popular as the quick, inexpensive belly-filler to have at any time of the day.
Much to my dismay, a thick fog began descending almost as soon as I reached the Grand Arc Hanzomon hotel. This is the last picture I could take before skyline visibility hit zero.
My final destination for the night was the Roppongi district (top left). This somewhat hilly place is famous for nightlife, for which competition appears to be fierce. That meant being persistently propositioned by touts (who, for some reason, seem to be almost exclusively West African) at every crossing.
Anyway, I finally made it to my night's highlight: Mori Art Museum (center left). The contemporary art museum, which gives an obvious nod to the anime/manga world, is located high up on the 52nd floor of the Roppongi Hills skyscraper; unfortunately, my hope for a good city view was ruined by the fog (bottom left). Anyway, I at least had a good look around the museum, including a special exhibition of Puella Magi Madoka Magica sketches and figures (center top and bottom). I ended the night with visits to a couple of Roppongi bars, and sampled the salty fried chicken chunks (right) that seem to be popular around here.
On to observations:
(left) Vending machine with handy categorized recycling drop unit.
(center top) Outdoor smoking tent.
(center bottom) No one can say no to kitty
(top left) Odd combination of hands-free soap dispenser and hands-on water tap
(center left) Handwash water reused to flush
(bottom right) Hanging ads on subway train
(bonus) It seems that the word "service", when used by itself, means "free" or "complimentary" in Japan.
