January 1998

  • I went with the CJST Supper Club to sample Sushiman Restaurant's All-You-Can-Eat Sushi Night. On the last Saturday of every month, for just under $30, you get misoshiru (soup), salad, and all the sushi you can handle from the large trays placed in the centre of the room, featuring "routines" (salmon, tuna, ika (squid), taco (octopus), egg) and "exotics" (unagi (eel), uni (sea urchin roe), ikura (salmon roe), clam). The rice-to-topping ratio is almost 1:1 and the wasabi (horseradish) is sinus-clearingly fresh. We went to the first seating at 1800 h; there is a second one at 2000 h. Two hours is manzoku suru no ni juubun, as we found out!

    Sushiman Restaurant, 20 Richmond West (one block east of Yonge). Reservations are required for All-You-Can-Eat Sushi Night.
    (31 Jan 98)

  • Thar be a new Thang in the Museum!
    (28 Jan 98)

  • As Good As It Gets (USA 1997; Dir: James L. Brooks) ****
    It's been a while since I've seen a mainstream movie, but I'm glad I saw this one. AGAIG shows that Hollywood can still make witty, touching romantic comedies. Jack Nicholson is great as the caustic obsessive-compulsive author; true, he's done this type of character before, but maybe not with the vulnerable side seen here. Helen Hunt is perfect as the single mom waitress, and former TV talk show host Greg Kinnear is a revelation as the artist neighbour. The dog deserves some credit, too. My only complaint is that in some parts the deliberate pressing of emotional buttons was a little too obvious.
    (25 Jan 98)

  • I went to 6 Garamond Court, the huge building that will be the new Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, to hear a fascinating talk by local instrument maker Masa Inokuchi. His specialty is string instruments, particularly violins and cellos. He learned his craft from his father in Japan and brought it to Canada, where he is passing the skills on to his son. His use of North American materials was initially met with scepticism, mostly from Europe. This was unfounded, as we the audience were able to hear for ourselves when we were treated to demonstrations of two of his instruments. One was an extremely difficult piece played by violin prodigy Eugene Nakamura! The talk covered the history and structure of the violin and the science of sound. Inokuchi-san very modestly says that by fashioning an instrument out of wood, he is merely releasing 130 years or so (tree's age plus wood curing time) of nature's song.

    This was the second of the 5 Lines / 5 Elements programme of artist talks presented by the committee for the Gendai (Contemporary) Art Gallery, a facility which will be part of the new JCCC. The remaining talks in this series include: Susan Obata, stained glass artist (04 Feb); Gene Kinoshita, architect (18 Feb); Kai Chan, fibre artist (04 Mar). Phone (416) 441-2345 for more information
    (21 Jan 98)

  • My sister came to visit me on her way home from a conference in Washington DC. We had a busy weekend:

    • The Friendly Thai *** 961 Eglinton West, (416) 785-8268:
      Cozy, unassuming little restaurant serving tasty, reasonably priced Thai dishes.

    • Toronto Japanese Language School: My sister sat in with my Saturday morning class as we watched a video of the film Tengoku to Jigoku (High and Low) (Japan 1963; Dir: Akira Kurosawa) *** starring the late, great Toshiro Mifune. It is the story of a wealthy industrialist who is victimized by a kidnapper. Interesting to contrast this with the Hollywood take on the same scenario, the recent Mel Gibson movie Ransom (USA 1996; Dir: Ron Howard).

    • Konnichiwa Japanese Deli *** Baldwin Street (2 blocks south of College, between McCaul and Beverley):
      Reviewed in this space before. After having renovated this past fall, they have more tables for sit-down slurping of their popular Tampopo Ramen.

      Hi, Mummy!

    • Puri-kura (PURInto KURAbu = Print Club): Photo sticker booths, still hugely popular in Japan, have been available in Toronto since last summer. We made this one at the geh-sen ("GEHmu SENta" = game centre or arcade) across from HMV on Yonge Street.

    • Art Gallery of Ontario: Keith Haring Exhibit: This retrospective showed how Keith Haring (American, 1958-1990) was above all an effective salesman who applied his simple, colorful and kinetic art to all manner of objects and media. More depressing to me than his premature death at age 31 from AIDS-related complications was the display of his childhood workbooks, which showed that his artistic vision was essentially complete by the time he was a teenager. Is there no life after 20?

    • Dynasty Chinese Restaurant *** 131 Bloor Street West, 2nd Floor, (416) 923-3323:
      I had my annual fix of Peking Duck with some employees of various Japanese companies operating in Toronto. Visiting was Akiko, who worked here until last year, but now serves as a "cultural consultant" in the Tokyo office of an American billboard advertiser. Apparently the Japanese market has certain special needs -- because the traffic jams are worse over there, greater attention must be paid to the details of billboards, as drivers have more time to scrutinize them!

      Two businessmen in Japan are finishing work at the office. One says to the other, "I've got my car here today. Can I offer you a ride home?" The other answers, "No thanks -- I'm in a hurry."

    • Canadian Japanese Hockey League: My sister took photos of this week's games, which will hopefully soon appear on the webpage! Too bad I wasn't in on much of the action: no goals for or against, no assists, and no penalties.

    • The Indian Rice Factory *** 414 Dupont Street, (416) 961-3472:
      This restaurant has been an Annex fixture since 1970, serving up (spicy) hot and (spicy) cool curries with equal finesse. Kingfisher Beer available.
    (16-19 Jan 98)
  • I just got back from scuba diving in the Bahamas!
    (08 Jan 98)

  • Akemashite Omedeto Gozaimasu! Happy New Year!
    (01 Jan 98)

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