Japan Travelog

Due to global pandemic, the travel outside India was almost stopped in past 4 years. I joined a new organization in last quarter of 2024 and my first business visit was to Japan.

Japan had always intrigued me. In my humble opinion, there are only 2 countries which are uniquely unique on earth and they are India and Japan. In terms of culture, history, lifestyle, nature, there is no other country in the world matching India and Japan.

Here are few things I noticed during my short stay in Tokyo as an outsider and first-time visitor - 

- High tech Toilets - toilets in Japan are completely different from any other place. Compared to normal toilet, which only has one function -flush-, the Japanese ones is equipped with warmed-up seats, bidet, jets, music and array of other functions.

- Vending machines - there are vending machines everywhere  and apparently you can buy food items, drinks, batteries etc   

- Long working hours - Till I visited Japan, I always thought Indians are the most long-hrs working people. Japan beats India truly here. I have seen associates started working very early morning than expected and staying back till very late evenings. As a result, folks doze off in metros, trains. Almost all eateries incl small kiosks and fancy restaurants were running full every evening. Most of the workers grab food on the way back home rather than buying groceries.

- Food - Wherever I went in Tokyo, I could find ample options for lunch/dinner.  Though I noticed that there were very few options for an Indian vegetarian. Seafood is part of almost every japanese dish. At the same time, I also realized that there is not much popularity for fastfood. But the 3 main chain-stores 7-Eleven, Lawsons and FamilyMart have stores literally at every corner and provide wonderful on-the-go options of quick food/drinks. 

- Dense population - Just like most of major metro cities around the world, Tokyo is also densely populated city. The trains run jam-packed at rush hours but everyone is super-disciplined in travels, walking, crossing the roads, driving

- limited english - on my arrival and on first day, I really struggled to find ways around the city, to ask for necessary information. People do understand and speak English at airports/hotels but in local stores, restaurants, it was a struggle to ask for directions, getting train details, asking for food details or even to ask counter person how much I need to pay. Google-lens and translator were saviors for me then onwards.  Even in a global city like Tokyo, there are hardly any boards or signs in English.

- Restaurants - we went for lunch to a restaurant close to office and I was surprised to see robots delivering food. we placed order through tab placed on our table and food was ordered by robot like moving cart. Seems this is pretty common in many restaurants. Another unique thing especially in small eateries, they display their menu in the form of plastic food in show-case outside.

- extremely punctual trains - like global metro cities, there are multiple train companies in Japan/Tokyo too. But the trains are extremely punctual, I read that average delay of Japanese trains in 18 seconds. really? 

- Plethora of Kitkat flavors - every store I went, I found a atleast 3-4 new flavors of Kitkat chocolate. I brough home flavors like strawberry, orange, double dark, matcha, cheesecake which are most common. seems there are 300+ flavors available incl cherry-blossom, sake, red-beans, soy and many many more

- Onsen - there was a pamphlet lying on my hotel desk, mentioning onsen timing and instructions. At first, I thought it must be equivalent of spa. Later I understood 'Onsen' means common bathing facility offered to guests. Of course there are etiquette rules to be followed if you want to use the facility.

- Longevity - life expectancy is really high in Japan. I could see ageing people everywhere. One of my co-worker from Tokyo office was in 80's. Inspite of age, most of the old folks are pretty independent, working and mostly on their own.

Well, as they say, Japan is a land of ancient wisdom, futuristic dreams where every corner  holds a new discovery. So if you ever get a chance to visit, don’t miss it- you can’t un-visit Japan once been there.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Another English classic I picked up this year  - 'Jane Eyre' is a novel by English writer 'Charlotte Brontë', published in 1847 under the pseudonym 'Currer Bell' to disguise the fact that the author was a woman.

An enduring love story and undisputed classic, 'Jane Eyre' is full of passion, mystery, tragedy, and most importantly a strong-willed beloved heroine.

it is ironic that at a time when the Charlotte felt compelled to hide her true identity, Jane Eyre provided a story of individualism for women.

This masterpiece introduces one of fiction's most memorable protagonists ie Jane. As a child, orphan Jane Eyre suffers under cruel guardians and harsh schooling, but her indomitable spirit shines through against the greatest odds. When she takes up a position as governess at Thornfield Hall, she meets and begins to fall in love with mysterious and brooding master of the house, Mr Rochester. The secrets of the house and from Mr Rochester's past are soon revealed causing a heartbreak for Jane. Her life takes few turns in the course and as they say takes a full circle at the end.

Though it falls under genre of romantic classic, the romance is very very suttle and deep without any explicitly. A novel of intense power and intrigue, Jane Eyre dazzled me with its passionate depiction of a woman's search for equality and freedom.

The classic has been adapted in many other forms like opera, film, theatre plays. The most recent film adaptation was released in 2011, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, and starred Mia Wasikowska as Jane Eyre and Michael Fassbender as Mr. Rochester.

The Second Lady

 'The second lady', written by famous American author Irving Wallace, is a fascinating USA-Russia cold war thriller.

When I read this book for the first time, I was in 9th or 10th standard and ofcourse I read the translated version back then.

The plot of the story was so intriguing that I had to look for original book when started reading English novels.

The story goes like this - To grab an inside information over a politically critical matter, KGB (Soviets intelligence agency) plots an unbelievable plan to replace the American First Lady with a look alike, a Russian actress with  strong resemblance who has been tweaked and trained to perfection over the period of three years.

The replacement happens as planned but un-foreseen hurdles keep cropping up in the secret mission.

We have to keep in mind that this book was released in 1980. The secret services of the time had been small force then. The internet, mobile phones were atleast fifteen years away from becoming mainstream reality. So the story has to be lived in the period it has been told.

This book has everything that a perfect novel demands - gripping plot, love, drama, action, entertainment.

Irving's writing style is not very tricky but the overall storyline and continuous twists keep readers hooked till the end. 

The nail biting and unusual climax left me absolutely stunned.

Certainly an entertaining and unput-down-able page turner read, wonder why it didn't get converted into movie or TV series.

#2023readinggoals

आम्ही मुंबईकर

आम्ही मुंबईकर कारण  - 

* 'अ ' ठिकाणाहून  'ब' ठिकाणाचं अंतर किती आहे हे आम्ही मिनिटं -तासात मोजतो , किलो मीटर मध्ये नाही 

* ५-१७, ८-४२, ७-२४ ह्या वेळा कशाच्या आहेत हे कळायला आम्हाला अजून काही स्पष्टीकरणाची गरज नाही 

* वडा - पाव ही आमची अत्यंत आवडती डीश आहे आणि तो नाश्ता , दुपारचं जेवण किंवा 'असच काहीतरी ' ह्या सर्व कारणांसाठी खाऊ शकतो 

* संकट काळी आम्हाला सिद्धी विनायक , हाजी अली  आणि माउंट मेरी ची एकत्र आठवण येते 

* मुंबई च्या वरचे सगळे ;नॉर्थ इंडियन ' आणि खालचे सर्व  'मद्रासी ' हे आमचं अर्वाचीन मत आहे 

* जगातली सर्वात शांत, आत्म परीक्षण करायची  जागा म्हणजे मरीन ड्राईव्ह चा गजबजलेला कट्टा 

* मुंबई च्या स्वतःच्या अशा खास भाषेत - ज्यात बॉस , घंटा , निकल ले , जुगाड, मांडवली  असे विविध अद्वितीय शब्द आहेत - आम्ही पारंगत आहोत 

* आयुष्यातील नकार पचवायची दैवी शक्ती  आणि मनोबल वृद्धिंगत करण्यात इथल्या रिक्षा वाल्यांचा मोठा हातभार आहे 

* जगात कुठेही असो , 'गणपती बाप्पा ' ची आरोळी कानावर पडली की लगेच  'मोरया ' असा जयघोष मनात उठतोच 

* एकदा तरी 'ताज ' मध्ये जेवायला नाही तर किमान चहा प्यायला  तरी जायचं हे आमचं बालपणाचं स्वप्न असतंच 

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

 Written by Alex Michaelides, this book was the Winner of 'Best Mystery & Thriller of 2019'. 

It was appearing on all online forums, social media channels  as well as leading book stores as 'a 'must-read'.

It is a psychological thriller - story of a woman's (Alicia) act of violence against her husband and her therapist (Theo) who is obsessed with uncovering her motive.

Alicia is caught after killing her husband and who has remained silent ever since.

The narration of story is split between these 2 leading characters, Alicia through her diary pages and Theo's POV.

The book is easy read, its not very fast paced but doesn't get boring either.

Though the plot is gripping, the twists and ultimate turn was not much convincing.

In my humble opinion, it is a bit over-hyped novel but certainly one time read if you are mystery lover.

Consequences series by Aleatha Romig

 Todays blog is about 'Consequences' novel series, set of 5 books, by American author Aleatha Romig.

This is a mixed-genre novel. It can be categorized as a psychological thriller, dark romance, mystery. 

It tells a story of battle between a protagonist and antagonist which plays out like a battle of wits and it starts as dark as well as disturbing one. In a nutshell,  it is a story of 'Stockholm syndrome' (Google it if you don't know what it is). 

Clair Nicholas  wakes up in a suite owned by Anthony "Tony" Rawlings, a charismatic manipulative powerful man. She is told she signed an agreement with Rawlings that if the money she owed him is not paid back, she would become his property, She had no way to pay him.

Tony tells Claire it's simple: Follow my rules, actions have consequences.

She is trapped in a very strange, abusive relationship with Tony. 

But it is not a typical alpha male dominating submissive lady kind of storyline at all.

The entire plot is quite original, completely unpredictable and intriguing. It's a full bundle of emotions thrill,  anger, sex, lies, obsession and a complete roller coaster ride through n through. 

When I started this series and managed to complete few chapters,  my immediate reaction was - what the Hell? I loathed Clair and hated Tony. During the course of first book itself I really considered giving it up and thought it's not my cup of tea to survive reading such a dark story.

As a woman the violence, brutality and humiliation Clair faces was thoroughly unsettling, infuriating for me.

But Aleatha Romig definitely knows how to keep her readers hooked!  

   
It took me from 2 weeks to 1 month to finish each one of the books. And I still don’t know how I managed to pull through this experience. I can only blame author's talent and my  curiosity. At the end, it was worth pondering how story started and where has it landed. 

So if you want to experience a novel that will stick with you for a long time,  go for this series. As they say, get yourself Aleatha'd.

Jack Reacher

Few years back, I stumbled over 'Jack Reacher' accidently and unexpectedly.

While wandering through library shelves, I picked 'him' up randomly without knowing background, character as such.

But post that first encounter, he had been in my system forever and my immense liking for him only kept on growing with every next rendezvous.

so who is 'Jack Reacher'? 

Jack Reacher is a fictional protagonist by British author 'Lee Child', who has featured in series of crime thriller novels and short stories.

The uniqueness of this character is - he is ex-military, extreme minimalistic-living lifestyle, a drifter who wanders America with no destination on mind and invariably gets himself in dangerous situations.

The only belongings he has are a toothbrush and an ATM card. No house, no mobile, no wife, no ties. He has an internal clock and knows precise time without looking at the watch. He doesn't own pair of clothes, he simply discards the in-use ones and buys a cheap new set when needed.

He is a well-balance of physical strength, primitivity and acute deduction skills. (probable recipe :) - James Bond minus fancy gadgets and fights, add super investigation skill of Sherlock Holmes).

His personal motto 'Hope for the best, plan for the worst' is my favorite tagline too and have used it umpteenth times in my management gyan sessions. 

Reacher's family background, military days are revealed in some of the books in bits n pieces, but every book is a stand-alone read in its own and you don't have to read them in particular sequence.

Two novels about Reacher have been adapted into Hollywood films, namely 'Jack Reacher' and 'Jack Reacher - never Go Back' starring Tom Cruise as Reacher. Another novel has been adapted into an Amazon Prime Video television series starring 'Alan Ritchson' as Reacher.

BTW, Tom Cruise's casting as Reacher was severely criticized by fans (like me!!!)

If you are still newbie to the aura of Reacher, can start with any of these novels 'Killing Floor', 'One Shot', 'Without Fail' and thoroughly enjoy the 'Reacher' phenomenon .