TOKYO CROWDS

Millions of Walkers in Tokyo

2011-03-12T14:39:00.001+09:00

Because of Earthquake and Tsunami yesterday, the traffic network like Metro were stopped at all. So so many people started to walk on the way home.

BarCamp Tokyo 2010

2010-05-30T14:56:00.004+09:00

I attended Tokyo BarCamp 2010 yesterday, held at Oracle Office in Gaien-mae.

The album is here.

It is a kind of alternative camp of "foocamp", and it is one of "unconference". Some companies like Oracle, Opera, and some like IT's supports this camp. All of volunteer staffs are really fun and attractive poeple, as all attendees might felt.

This time I did not have a talk, but I will try next chance!

There was a tomb of Sun.

Started Twitter in English.

2010-01-19T20:46:00.001+09:00

I have had my twitter account as @okdt, but it is not kind for English speakers because I write in Japanese. So, I set up my new account as @tokyocrowds tweeting in English only.

I am really happy if you follow @tokyocrowds and speak to the account about anything regarding your interest about Tokyo and Japan.

Tsukiji Crowd

2009-12-30T14:28:00.001+09:00

Tsukiji Crowd
Originally uploaded by okdt

On year end days, an amount of people stand in line in front of each shops of TSUKIJI area.

Real Google Map Marking

2009-12-30T14:24:00.002+09:00

This is some old picture.
At some key place in Tokyo, Google set some "marks" of Google Map.
It was real one and big!!
Some people do care for it, but I guess all of them cannot understand what this mean.

RAINBOW

2009-07-19T18:53:00.003+09:00

Today, when I see the twitter page, some friends tweet "RAINBOW ahead!" or some like that.
I am happy to see such a great rainbow for a few minutes before the sundown.

UOGASHI-DON

2009-07-15T16:52:00.004+09:00

In TSUKIJI-AREA which is famous for the fish market, we can find a lot of good restaurant provide the feast using various fresh seafood.

One of these is called as UOGASHI-DON, which is the crashed and tasted raw-fishes on rice.

I suggest you to try.

Google Developer Day2009

2009-06-09T15:41:00.003+09:00

Google Developer Day 2009 held at Yokohama today. (see Google Japan Blog: Google Developer Day 2009 Japan )

Here is the "surprise gift" from Google.

How do you think what it is?

Android!

Wisdom of Crowds Summit 2009

2009-05-17T10:26:00.006+09:00

At May 26th, Wisdom of Crowds Summit 2009 will be held at JIJI-TSUSHIN-HALL(Higashi-Ginza), TOKYO.

This summit have held yearly since 2007.
Based on the reak story and potential of Wisdom of Crowds(WOC), we have discussed about Open Source, Web 2.0, Prediction Market, social bookmarking (folksonomy), Wikipedia, Collective Intelligence like Q&A site, and so on.

At this time, we will focus on the "Crowds" itself.

Hakuhodo cool guy will present his studies, moreover, some executives, bloggers, marketing strategists, professors, and media will join the discussion.

It is in Japanese only, but it is not so big problem. At the past summit, some English speakers came, and I know a deaf-mute person with his translator enjoyed this event.

I guess everybody knows how to enjoy!

TO ENTRY:http://techstyle.jp/wocs/2009/

By the way, we have the page of WOCS on facebook and twitter.
Check it please.

Oracle Sun

2009-04-21T01:12:00.003+09:00

In fact, the news that Oracle is to buy Sun, was outspread through twitter and mixi(mixi.jp: Japanese social networking site).

As soon as I saw the first information on the twitter, I wrote it on the twitter and mixi, we could see some some writers and editors said these social sites were the first one for them.

I felt the news spread model is really changing on the net, in fact, twitter is the fastest even it is on Asian area.

By the way, in Japanese, when we call someone's name with a little respect, we usually say the name adding "san" like "Tim san". The pronunciation between "san" and "sun" is similar.

So, I suggested the new company is to be called as the "Oracle-san" like "Oracle Sun".

hahaha

Vietnum Pho

2009-03-26T17:35:00.003+09:00

Do you like to have the vietnum cuisine?
I like it very much.

In Sengoku area, there is the ABK - The Asian students cultural association. We can see a lot of asian students associating there especially at its buffet floor.

Actually there are some vietnum restaurant in Tokyo, but this Pho is really special.

KARAI-RICE

2009-03-24T14:14:00.003+09:00

In Japan, Curry-rice is a kind of Japanese food.
It is really different from Indian.

This day, I ate it at Ginza-Castle(but very small restaurant) watching Ichiro Suzuki's nice hitting on the final WBC game!

il Salotto at Irifune

2009-03-19T13:29:00.002+09:00

I guess there are too many Italian restaurant in Tokyo. More than any other country's.

Why do Japanese like Italian so much?

I do not why, but I like it.

Hiroshima-YAKI

2009-03-16T13:14:00.004+09:00

Hiroshima-yaki is a kind of OKONOMI-YAKI of Kansai area.
At Ningyo-cho in Tokyo, the Hiroshima-yaki restaurant named MIYAKOTEI are there.

Actually I am from Kansai-area, so when I eat this kind of food, I miss my hometown.

ODAIBA

2009-03-15T14:46:00.002+09:00

Good weather, at ODAIBA area.

AOSSC meeting at Chennai

2009-03-13T15:43:00.003+09:00

Now I am in Chennai, India to attend the ASIA OSS Centers discussion meeting.

It took about 8 hours from TOKYO to Changi in Singapore, and we enjoyed dinner at Jumbo seafood among 3 hours for the transit. From Changi to Chennai, it took 4 hours. Too far.... Anyway we got to Chennai almost midnight at last.

As for the AOSSC meeting yesterday, we had 12 organizations from each countries and areas in Asia. I was happy that they are always hot and happy people. Anyway, the focus of the meeting was about how to share information to collaborate to promote OSS.

It was held along with Open Source India Tech days (aka LinuxAsia) on 12th-14th March, 2009, we could see a lot of OSS guys gathered there.

Moreover, it is the first trip to India actually, so I would like to add some photos soon, especially, of the tour(food, town, flight...) itself.

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New blog from Japan "Someday Join Us"

2009-03-13T11:31:00.002+09:00

A Japanese beardy-hacker I mentioned in the last blog that name is Hirotaka Yoshioka - a.k.a. hyoshiok, started his English blog.
Someday Join Us

Actually, on Monday in IPA office, he just asked me why I started to write my English blog. And then he started "Someday Join Us" soon.
Check it out ;-)

Beard hacker's night

2009-03-06T22:22:00.007+09:00

Beard hacker Hirotaka Yoshioka is a Linux kernel hacker, who presiding the Kernel code reading club "カーネル読書会(it reads:kernel dokushokai)", and he has belonged with Miracle Linux, has just assumed as the fellow researcher of IPA Open Software Center that is a part of the governmental organization to promote software industry on the March 1st.

So the key persons those who concerned with the organization gathered to have a little party to welcome him.

As he said, the Kernel code reading club meeting is getting at 100 times this year. He hopes to invite Linus Torvalds at the 100 aniversary meeting! It is possible we think, because the Linux Kernel Summit of the Linux Foundation will be held at Tokyo this October.

Are you intersted in what we eat at the party? Sashimi, Japanese sake, Taishabu,...
Oh no, that's not the main point of this party ;-)

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snowy tokyo

2009-02-27T15:43:00.004+09:00

On the almost February end, it is snowy in Tokyo.
It is the first snow, we called "Hatsu Yuki".

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Unagi Power

2009-02-26T14:31:00.004+09:00

I like "Unagi" that is eel. Unagi is the power food for many of Japanese. There is a little difference of cooking between western and eastern in Japan, but they are similar anyway. We usually like to have a grilled unagi with the sauce(so called "tare yaki") or just with salt(so called "shirayaki").

Here is the picture of "Una-juu" we have last week, that is the grilled unagi lapping over the rice. "Una" and "Juu" stands for "unagi" and "lapping over rice" respectively.

At the supermarket, we can see grilled unagi imported from China. Those are cheep,but a kind of unsellable. Many of Japanese are nervous when any food imported from China because of their fear about the contamination in China. So they choose Japanese eel that is almost double price.

I don't know the eel the unagi restaurant uses is from China or Japan, but we don't care almost. hahaha

I guess most of the unagi restaurants don't have English sign like "Unagi" so you may see just "鰻" in Japanese, but if you want to have a good Unagi, you may ask anybody you meet on the street. I guess every town in Japan have some local unagi restaurants, and they may like it.

Ume in bloom

2009-02-17T11:46:00.006+09:00

Recently, it has beem a kind of warm, so that the flowers might almost be coaxed into showing signs of blooming.

At the park in YOYOGI area, I could enjoy seeing Japanese apricot trees in bloom. It is really cute pink flower that is a kind of the sign of the spring coming. So it is earlier than SAKURA in bloom.

The plum trees will be in bloom until early March.

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Ruby City Matsue Tour

2009-02-13T01:43:00.008+09:00

I visited Matsue City in Shimane prefecture to attend as a panelist of the OSS promotion event held by Shimane Univ.

Whie waiting some person in front of the gate of the University, I noted the gate itself.

According to the explanation plate of the gate, it is made of pier white granite, built in 1924(TAISHO 13th). And it was registered as the tangible cultural properties.

Actually, this city is unique. It has been labeled "Ruby City" recently, because Mr. Matz who develops the programming language "ruby" lives in Matsue, so the city government use to promote "ruby" strategically.

It is the reason why the focus of the event is almost how to cultivate the software industry in Matsue using ruby language. We enjoyed some discussions among the regional government officer and some business person, anyway.

After that, we were invited to join the dinner, that was shimane-style. Of cource it was good.

Here are Deborah, the manager of Open Source lab in Oregon State University, and Noda, Shimane Univ. They are active and zealous to promote Open Source.

By the way, I was surprised Ms. Deborah could use HASHI - chopsticks very well, and she liked to have some Japanese sake. She told me that using hashi is a kind of common habit in the West. Really?

On the table, we could see the Japanese haiku written by the restaurant manager so called "okami".
It reads freely:

We feel spring is coming, when we see the apricot tree in bloom like an attractive woman, and the Shinji-lake is shining simultaneously.

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TOKYO Gourmet - community

2009-02-09T14:30:00.004+09:00

i reminded there are online TOKYO Gourmet Community I opened before.

On orkut.com, there are 630 more members.
TOKYO Gourmet / orkut.com
http://www.orkut.com/Main#Community.aspx?cmm=11468

On facebook.com, there are some 100 members at this time.
TOKYO Gourmet / facebook
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=27867490638

Interestingly, there are a lot of foreigners living in TOKYO, so you can easily enjoy to exchange information. Yes, getting better food is the common issue for all. So I believe all of members are willing to help strangers in TOKYO.

Why not come and join us?
Have fun!

OHSHO - a reasonable chain chinese restaurant

2009-02-09T13:09:00.008+09:00

When I was a teen-aged boy, I often go to OHSHO, a kind of chinese casual restaurant, to have a lunch after playing in the music studio. Actually I used to play drums with some jazz func so called 'fusion'.

Today, I went into OHSHO to have a lunch on the way to IPA office. It's been a while since I had some in OHSHO.

OHSHO is a good chinese restaurant or rather casual, and reasonable one. I don't know whether they have the menu in English. But if you look for some reasonable chinese just to reduce hunger by eating, it is not so bad. Get in and just say, "Gyoza" means dumpling. Gyoza plate costs just 220 yen. Cheap and pretty good.

Actually, OHSHO is a kind of historical chain restaurant, and it is the listed company and they seems to do well at work as far as taking a look at their stock chart. They aren't Jiao-zi stock! ;-)

I sometimes see some travellers looking for the reasonable restaurant, but they seems to confused to read their TOKYO/JAPAN guidebook. I think they don't need to be hesitate to ask Japanese men and women around them anytime. They may look shy but they know and they can explain where the reasonable shops are, at least, more than the guidebook written in English...

May I help you?

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Academy Hills at ROPPONGI

2009-02-01T12:28:00.005+09:00

At Roppongi, there is the area named Roppongi-Hills including the typical big tower.

There are a kind of large mall, the business tower, art museum, movie theater, and the library. My favorite space is Academy Hills, that is the membershiped library on the 40th and 46th floor.

Today I am in the special space of the library to write some reports for the school(actually I am a student of business administration;-).

The space as the follow is yellow circled. I do not know how good for concentrate, anyway I feel pretty good ;-).

Academy Hills is the membershipped library, popular among the researchers, business person, and jounalists as far as I know.

FYI:
http://www.academyhills.com/english/index.html

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=40085701080

see the bigger map

Google Chrome Out of Beta Party

2009-02-01T10:18:00.006+09:00

I attended the party Google Chrome Out of Beta Party at the Google Office in TOKYO Shibuya, the sessions included some exciting information about Google Chrome and 10 lightning talks by fans.

"Information needs to be free"

quoted by Kazuho Oku in his talk, he introduced his concept about Web browser is not for just viewing but for utilizing web sites.

Google Chrome Out of Beta Party

Google provided some souvenir for attendants at the party ends, and they announced to send Manga about the development story of Chrome in Japan! Checking out.

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1st "TOKYO CROWDS"

2009-02-01T09:35:00.003+09:00

I am Rio OKADA,TechStyle founder and CEO, living in TOKYO since 2000.This blog is for publishing the information about Japan in English,which information are very few.

Focuses are:
- venture biz info for investers
- music, food trend for sightseeners and just interests.
- for engineers especially security, web, crowdsourcing, marketing (that my interests are.)