Movie Reviewer Another Character

The Cat Lady turned up in the dairy section at the supermarket. This is the passerby who previously told me the story of the Too Fat Cats – the two displaced cats in the park and the cathouse built for two. Not knowing her name, I dubbed her “The Cat Lady”.

We sometimes ran into each other, but never formally introduced ourselves. Aside from keeping track of those cats and the location of their house-like boxes, what was she doing all day? And, of course, when you need to find someone, they’re never around.

Then, I looked up from the cheese, and there she was.
“Ara!,” she said. (That’s what ladies say when meeting unexpectedly).

I nicknamed her “The Cat Lady” because that fits into my neighborhood cast of characters: The Dog Lady, The Bowling Bike Man (and his Mean Father), The Smoking-in-the-Driveway Man, and The Downstairs Neighbor Lady.

The name of “The One Who Sees the Cats” is Moriko Minamino. At the supermaket, wanting to set up a meeting, I requested an email address. She didn’t have a pen. She said, in English, that she’s an author and always uses a typewriter. “Ah so. A traditionalist,” I thought. She corrected herself: she uses a computer.

Moriko, 40, explained she used to study English as a university student here but hasn’t spoken English much in recent years.

Moriko works from home, writing short movie reviews for some websites. She sees about 5 movies per week. She always finishes writing in time to have dinner ready for her husband at 7 p.m.  He works at a major Japanese computer company. They don't have any kids or pets.

Moriko owns only about 100 movie DVDs, so when I see her around, she’s probably headed to the local Tsutaya, the Blockbuster-like video rental chain in Japan. She’s not reimbursed for the cost of the rentals. She also goes to screenings at the studios, and atttends public premieres.

Often having the large studio screening rooms to herself, she sometimes invites a friend. But she has to bring her own drink and snacks.

At premieres and press conferences, Moriko has shaken the hands of Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Richard Gere and Eddie Murphy, among others. She’s said konichiwa to Pierce Brosnan on two occasions, and said he was grumpy the first time but friendlier the second time.

Moriko uses the 1-to-5-star rating system, with 5 being the best. She gives Kung Fu Panda, and The Fall, 5-stars each.

Low budget, Japanese horror films usually receive only 1 star.

The movies she can’t resist watching if she sees it while channel surfing: “Roman Holiday”, and “Titantic”.

Moriko contributes at these Japanese websites:
Gyao; Cinetre; MSN Movies. Her blog.

Hair Part Of Town

Hair make is here everywhere. Rogue stylists prowl the streets looking for hairs to fix. Makeup corrections to be made. Hair and Makeup salons: "Hair Make".

There are 15 hair salons around the corner. More are in and around the shopping center. I think there is one stylist for every 20 people in my neighborhood.


I visited Joy for five years. Ikuko, who always wore black, cut my hair at Joy. Last year, she disappeared without notice. No one else there knew my hair like her, so I switched to Hair Make Ash.

I dropped in with a handful of Hair Make Ash chain flyers and coupons collected over time from my mailbox. I figured someone there could choose the best offer. All the stylists at Hair Make Ash wear headset microphones, so they can be in constant communication when treating "bad hair day" emergencies. Turning around to speak to the stylist at the next chair would break their concentration, I guess. Hair Make Ash looks like a convention of Secret Service agents with scissors.

Having my hair cut at Hair Make Ash was suspenseful. Sit here and think about the style I want. Perhaps I'd like to look at the men's hairstyles in this Japanese fashion magazine. This way to the shampoo chair - oh, you don't want a shampoo? (Screech - mumble into microphone.) Okay, sit back over here again. Roger. Ten-four. Go to this chair over here. Snip snip. Change the salon cape a few times. A good dusting, and then: the massage. (More about that later.)


After giving Hair Make Ash a couple chances, it just didn't work out. Fortunately, with so many salons to choose from, I could walk to a new place every month for the next two years.

I considered Barber Ito, but it was quiet. Too quiet.

I put the expensive places at the bottom of the list. Then I saw the red "30 Percent Off" sign at Hanamizuki. A bargain, I thought. (Later I discovered the price is always thirty percent off. The 4,000 yen cost is permanent.)

At Hanamizuki, no one wears headests. And Yukiko has been doing my hair, consultation and shampoo-free.


I speak the most Japanese during my haircut. Yep, chatting in the beauty salon. It's like a language lesson for both of us. There are certain must-have goods I get shipped in, so my stylists have learned about Splenda Coke, and the benefits of Cheer Ultra Color Guard. And I practice my Japanese comedy routine, unintentionally. So many words here sound alike! Such as "byouin" (hospital) and "biyoin" (beauty parlor).


Yukiko has more than thirty caps and always wears a cap when clipping. She keeps her cap collection in two boxes on the floor of her apartment. When she gets home, she tosses her hat into a box.

Yukiko lives between Yomiuriland and Puroland (Hello Kitty.) She's worked at Hanamizuki over ten years, since around the time the place opened.


Yukiko is getting married in Novermber. She doesn't know the name of the company her fiance works for, or what he does exactly. She cuts his hair at home and he cooks curry rice in return.

She said she gives her fiance a "special" massage.

The traditional massage when the haircut is complete!

Stylists in Japan give the customer a head and shoulder massage in the chair after the cutting finishes. The approximately 5-minute treatment is supposed to rub out the stiffness from sitting there and instill energy and stamina. It seems to work.

But I'm still not used to the switch from stylist to massage mode. My stylist, you know, she's...rubbing my neck. And I'm always afraid she'll automatically pick up scissors but start massaging. But there is a byouin nearby too.

Vegetables Grow on Thieves

They're pilfering the peas, snatching the shishito, walking off with the gobo. There's a new crime wave in the neighborhood:  stealing vegetables from "honor system" produce stands.

Here in western Tokyo, there are a lot of small plots of land being farmed by local residents. The vegetables are sold in local stores, co-ops, and, at unmanned stands. Just piles of produce and a money box.


(PHOTOS: street stall by Zuco ; tomatos by MW)
These days, vegetable theft is growing. (Yet the looters don't take the cash.)

In Tokyo metro area supermarkets, tomatos often cost 200 JPY (about 2.00 USD). For one. Cucumbers? That's tricky. One day 33 JPY, the next day 50, the next day 78 yen. Then 3 for 100.  Half a cabbage: 120 JPY. Three carrots, 200 JPY. (Currency converter)

"Some [of the farm stand managers] told us not to include their stand information, fearing their produce would be stolen. Some farmers seem to have given up [selling vegetables at unmanned stalls] as a lot of it is stolen."
   The Daily Yomiuri newspaper recently reported on the situation in my neighborhood!


(Left to right: Spinach; Mustards. PHOTO: Adventures Of GenkiGirl )

There are some vegetable stalls near my home, along a path by the river. And, on the way,  I found a vegetable vending machine, on a corner, surrounded by houses.


The Daily Yomiuri story quotes an urban farmer who switched from unmanned stalls to vending machines. He spent  about thirty-thousand dollars on the machines.

This machine looks like it was formerly a locker at a school.

(VENDING MACHINE PHOTOS BY MW)

But the fresh-vegetable vending machine is the perfect deterrent to the villainous vegetable snatchers.
LARGE SIZE PHOTO SET

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