Sindar links for September 2009

[Editorial Note: this is a compendium of interesting (for some value of interesting) links posted to the sindar mailing list in September 2009.]

1. China’s 60th anniversary celebrations
2. Triumph of the Will
3. Lego pun
4. Strange Maps
5. Mills’s Constant
6. Glaciers
7. IITB-GC quiz 2009
8. William Dalrymple on travel writing
9. Twilight snark
10. The new wave of Indian film-making
11. Beyond the observable universe
12. Project Cybersyn
13. Peter Schiff was right
14. Roger Federer
15. Changing Behaviour
16. India’s water crisis
17. Calculating Z^2 mechanically
18. A great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity

Tour Guide: Ten Days in Japan

[Editorial Note: I lived in Japan from 1998 to 2002. During that time, I had a number of Visitors From Abroad. Each visitor was packed off every morning with a list I had made of things to do, places to visit, sights to see. That list eventually evolved into an 8000-word document that I would email to prospective Japanners. I did this time and again, until it occurred to me to put the whole disorganized mess onto a website, the next time somebody asked. Well, somebody asked last week, and here it is.]

[Disclaimer: I've tried to keep the details up-to-date, but note that I haven't visited Japan since 2007, so some information may be obsolete. Caveat lector!]

[Update: I've added links to photos of various destinations. My complete Japanese photo album is online here.]

Schedule / Getting Around / General Info

Here’s my ideal short Japanese holiday. I assume you fly in and out of Narita airport (one hour from Tokyo), and use Tokyo as your base city.

Day 1: Arrive Tokyo. Explore Tokyo. Sleep in Tokyo.
Day 2: Explore Tokyo. Sleep in Tokyo.
Day 3: Travel to Kyoto. Explore Kyoto. Sleep in Kyoto
Day 4: Explore Kyoto. Travel to Tokyo. Sleep in Tokyo.
Day 5: Explore Tokyo. Sleep in Tokyo.
Day 6: Travel to Mitake and Back. Sleep in Tokyo.
Day 7: Travel to Kamakura and Back. Sleep in Tokyo.
Day 8: Travel to Nikko. Explore Nikko. Sleep in Nikko.
Day 9: Explore Nikko. Travel to Tokyo. Sleep in Tokyo.
Day10: Leave Tokyo.

Mitake and Kamakura are (lengthy) day-trips from Tokyo. Kyoto and Nikko both involve overnight stays.

If you can afford more than 10 days in Japan, then I would add 1 or 2 extra days in Tokyo, 1 extra day in Mitake, 1 day in Hakone (a day trip from Tokyo) and 1 day in Nara (a day trip from Kyoto), in roughly that order of preference. Alternatively you could visit Matsumoto and Kamikochi in the Japan Alps. With more than 14 days, I would throw in a trip to Hokkaido or Kyushu, or maybe Hiroshima. Two other destinations I recommend highly are Koya-san in southern Honshu, where you can stay in the pilgrims’ quarters of a remote mountain-top temple, and Sado island off the western coast of Japan, where you can join Kodo’s wonderful Earth Celebration in August.

Obviously the above selection is biased by my own tastes. I like mountain scenery, Buddhist temples, traditional neighbourhoods, and futuristic gadgetry; I don’t particularly care for coastal scenery, Shinto shrines, shopping or nightlife. Your mileage may vary.

The best way to get around Japan is with a Japan Rail (JR) pass. This allows unlimited travel on all JR trains in the country (including the ‘shinkansen’ a.k.a. the bullet train) (with the exception of the all-reserved ‘Nozomi’ super-express). A 1-week JR pass costs about $250; since a single return trip between Tokyo and Kyoto costs nearly that much, this is easily worth it. Important Note: JR passes have to be bought before you enter Japan (from a travel agent in your home country).

For travel within particular regions of Japan, see their respective sections below.

There are coin lockers (‘coinu-rokka’) at almost every train station and at many bus stops. They make life a great deal easier when on day trips and excursions – use them!

Japan is a predominantly cash-based economy: many of the smaller establishments (shops, inns, restaurants, ticket counters) don’t accept credit cards. It’s a good idea to always have plenty of yen notes to hand. You can buy yen at Narita airport, or withdraw yen from almost any ATM using your overseas bank card. Citi is the only foreign bank to have a reasonable presence in Japan, with ATMs located all around Tokyo. I believe you can convert currency at post offices as well, though I’ve never done so myself.

Japan Guide is an especially useful website to help you plan your visit. The JNTO is also not a bad place to visit.

The Japanese are unbelievably helpful to tourists, so when in doubt – ask! Fluency in spoken English is still rare, but almost everyone can understand written English, so carry a small pad with you, and if you run into any difficulty, write down what you need.

Everyone’s heard horror stories about how expensive Japan is, and it’s true that certain goods and services (e.g. rent, groceries, clothes, books, taxis) are ridiculously pricy. But there are other goods and services which are amazingly cheap (e.g. public transport, diners, electronic goods, software). Overall I don’t think Tokyo’s any more expensive than say New York or London; it’s just a question of choosing your consumption basket wisely. Here’s a brief price-list:

Subway: Y150-250 per ride
Taxi: Y650 minimum, Y2000 average
Box lunch: Y400-1000
Dinner at tasty neighbourhood diner: Y800-1500 (no alcohol)
Dinner at reasonably good restaurant: Y2500-5000 (no alcohol)
Dinner at high-end restaurant: Y5000-Y15000 (still no alcohol)
Sandwich, coffee, soft drink, fruit: Y100-200 each

Convenience stores (with names like 7-11, am/pm, FamilyMart, DailyStore, Sunkus) are everywhere; they're open 24 hours and have an eclectic mix of daily household goods, from bread and milk to toilet paper and detergent to magazines and umbrellas to beer and pre-cooked meals. Vending machines are also ubiquitous. Finally, every neighbourhood has a couple of ‘99-yen stores’ which sell a variety of products at, well, Y99 each.

Food should set you back around Y3000 per day, not including fine dining or special treats. If you don't take taxis too often, you can manage on Y500 yen a day for local transport (over and above your JR pass). Miscellaneous temple, garden and museum entry fees will take up around Y1500 a day.

There is no tipping in Japan. Also, Japan is probably the safest country in the world.

Where to Stay

Within Tokyo your best bet is to stay at a ‘business hotel’ that caters to junior and mid-level Japanese salary-men. On a recent business trip I stayed at the Hotel Villa Fontaine, a very decent (if somewhat cramped) hotel with all the amenities, fairly centrally located in Shiodome, for Y13000 per night; I thought this was quite reasonable. Even cheaper is the Tokyu Stay Monzen-nakacho, which has basic rooms for Y8500 a night. Similar examples abound; see JCHA for details and to make reservations. You want to avoid the big names (Hyatt, Four Seasons, Mandarin), they’re way too expensive. For some reason Tokyo doesn’t have a very good selection of inns or hostels (or maybe I haven’t looked hard enough for them). I strongly suggest booking your Tokyo accommodation before you set foot in Japan.

Outside Tokyo I recommend staying at a ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn) or a minshuku (a family-run pension). For reservations, contact the inn directly using the directory published by the Japanese Inn Group. Alternatively, go to the Tourist Information Counter at Narita airport when you arrive in Japan and they’ll make the booking for you. Fall weekends in Nikko can get very crowded, but apart from that I’ve never had a problem finding a room, anywhere in Japan (though if you have your heart set on staying at a particular place then of course you should book early). A double (with breakfast for two included) should typically set you back around Y9000 (more in Kyoto, less in small town Japan). Many ryokans and minshukus also serve elaborate multi-course dinners for an additional Y2500 per person; I strongly recommend sampling such a dinner at least once (see Mitake, below). Note that many inns do not accept credit cards, so you should be sure to carry cash.

Where to Eat

Tokyo has perhaps the best dining of any city in the world. There’s a wide variety of tastes to fit every palate and every budget. From the neighbourhood diner to the highest-end French eatery, the service is always impeccable and the presentation of the food is simply divine.

Here are some of my favourites:

1. Izakaya (traditional Japanese country fare that doesn’t fall into any other category like sushi or sukiyaki). The place to go for this is ‘Robata’. Take the Hibiya line (subway) to Hibiya station, exit A4, or the Yamanote line (JR) to Yurakucho station, west exit. Then walk southwest along the narrow alleyway that runs parallel to the elevated JR railway tracks (keeping the tracks on your left). Robata is a non-descript blackened-wood façade on your right. I strongly recommend letting the owner-chef choose your dinner for you; simply say ‘Omakase kudasai’ and he’ll do the rest. (Note: this phrase can be used in any restaurant, and is very useful. Another useful phrase is ‘eigo no menu arimaska’ – ‘do you have an English menu?’). The meal is outstanding and the presentation even better, but it’s not cheap; expect to pay Y7500 per person.

2. Teppanyaki (Japanese steakhouse). Most high-end hotels (Imperial, Palace, Four Seasons, New Otani, Hyatt) have a teppanyaki restaurant on the premises. I suggest the Kamon restaurant at the Imperial Hotel, near Hibiya station on the Hibiya line (subway), exit A13. This is food as art – both performance and visual. It’s also food as money: expect to pay at least Y12500 per person. Fine dining doesn’t get finer than this.

3. Asia-Pacific fusion. Tokyo has several very good fusion restaurants, of which my favourites are Fujimama’s in Omotesando (2 minutes from the Oriental Bazaar, on the left side of the road leading towards Harajuku and Meiji-jingu), Furutoshi in Nishi-Azabu (walk 10 minutes southwest from Roppongi crossing, past Roppongi Hills; then turn right at Nishi-Azabu crossing; stay left when the road splits, and walk a further few yards to the restaurant on your right), and Stellato’s in Shirokanedai (on Gaien-Nishi-dori near Shirokanedai station). Expect to pay between Y5000 and Y10000 per person.

4. Sushi. High-end: Otsuna Sushi in Roppongi, next to the Hotel Ibis (Y10000 per person; the staff doesn’t speak much English, so your best bet is to say ‘Omakase kudasai’), or Seki in Akasaka (good luck finding it!). Medium-end: Sushiko is a chain with branches in Tsukiji, Ginza, Roppongi and elsewhere (Y2500-5000 per person). Low-end: Magaruo Sushi near exit A7 of Jimbocho station – see the ‘Jimbocho stroll’ section below (Y1500 per person). Note that even low-end sushi in Japan is far better than anything you’ll find in North America.

5. Monjya and Okonomiyaki (savoury pancakes). Take the Yurakucho or Oedo lines (both subway) to Tsukishima station, then take exit 7. You’ll find yourself at the end of a long street lined with old low buildings, about half of which are restaurants specializing in this very traditional style of cuisine. Unfortunately none of these places have English menus, so you’ll have to rely on sign-language and the written word. Ask for one dish each of monjya and okonomiyaki, with the precise ingredients being left to their discretion (‘Omakase kudasai’ again). Then watch them cook your pancakes at your very table. Y2000 per person for a truly unique experience; a good lunchtime option. (Note: Monzen-nakacho also has a couple of monjya restaurants, though they’re not as good as those in Tsukishima).

6. Shabu-Shabu (beef hot-pot). Continuing the ‘cooked at your table’ theme, in a shabu-shabu restaurant you’re given a large platter of raw beef and vegetables (mushrooms, lettuce, spring onions), and a pot of boiling water. You dip pieces of the former into the latter for just long enough to cook them lightly (just long enough to say the words ‘shabu-shabu’). Then you dip them into a soy-based sauce, and eat them with rice. Delicious and very filling; Y4000 per person. My favourite shabu-shabu establishment is Shabu-Koh with its English-speaking chef; it’s on the 2nd floor, right across the road from exit 1 of Monzen-nakacho station – see the ‘Monzen-nakacho stroll’ section below

7. Yakiniku (Korean-style barbecue). And again. This time you have a grill at your table, and you cook various cuts of meat yourself, before dipping them into one of several sauces. The area just south of Akasaka-mitsuke station has several good yakiniku restaurants, as does Kabukicho in Shinjuku. Y5000 and above, per person.

8. Tempura (batter-fried shrimp). For a high-end tempura experience where you can watch the chef at work, try the specialty restaurant on the 22nd (I think) floor of the Marunouchi building, just west of Tokyo station (Y5000 per person). For yummy cheap eats, step into any branch of the Tenya chain (blue and yellow signboard) (Y1000 per person). Good for lunch.

9. Gyudon (beef/pork bowl). Japanese fast food, Y500 per person, good for lunch. Walk into the restaurant, choose your dish and buy a ticket for it from the vending machine near the door. Hand it over to the server, and 10 seconds later you’ll have a delicious bowl of steaming rice topped with beef and onions. Other typical menu options include kari-raisu (curry rice, who’d have thunk it?), katsu-don (breaded pork cutlets) and zaru-soba (cold buckwheat noodles). Gyudon restaurants come in chains, of which Matsuya and Yoshinoya are probably the most widely distributed. Another set of chains serves ramen (Chinese-style noodle soup), which I have to say I’m not very fond of.

Unless otherwise mentioned, the above restaurants are best visited for dinner. Note that I’ve chosen to focus on high-end establishments, and on restaurants where you get distinctive dishes like okonomiyaki or shabu-shabu. This leaves out the vast majority of Japanese eateries, and on purpose: I felt there was no need to name individual (middle-of-the-road) names, since their quality is uniformly high with very low variance. Bento has more restaurant reviews and useful info.

Day 1: Arriving in Tokyo

At Narita airport, after buying some yen from the currency exchange bureau, visit the Tourist Information Centre to book your accommodation if you haven’t done so already. The TIC also has a pretty good selection of maps and brochures for different destinations in Japan; you should grab a bunch of them here instead of getting them individually from every place you visit. The ‘Walking Tours in ____’ series is especially useful.

If you have a JR pass, you’ll have to validate it at the JR reservations office in the basement level. Ask the person who validates your pass to reserve you a seat on the ‘Narita Express’ bound for Tokyo (the reservation is free, but necessary).

If you don’t have a JR pass (or alternatively, if you have a pass but don’t want to validate it just yet – for instance, if you’re in Japan for 10 days but only have a 1-week pass), then you should buy a SUICA+NEX combo ticket from the JR reservations office in the basement level. The NEX part of this is a one-way ride on the ‘Narita Express’ bound for Tokyo; this usually costs Y3000 if bought on its own. The SUICA part is a public transport debit card with an initial credit balance of Y1500 (you can refill it at will), valid on all trains (subway, JR, private) in the greater Tokyo area; furthermore it’s radio-operated, so you just have to wave it over the turnstile and your fare will be automatically deducted. The SUICA+NEX combo costs Y3500, so this is a pretty good deal.

Get off the Narita Express at Tokyo station and make your way (by subway or taxi) to your hotel.

Day 2 & 5: Tokyo

Tokyo has a bewildering array of public transportation options. For getting around within the central part of the city you can’t beat the subway system, which is cheap, convenient and fast. You can buy individual trip tickets (Y160 to Y250) or (easier) buy a Y1000 / Y3000 subway debit card, or (easiest) use the SUICA debit card that you bought at Narita. JR trains are a good option if you have a JR pass, but their coverage is limited (outside of the stations on the Yamanote loop line). Private railway companies operate a number of suburban commuter lines which you needn’t worry about. Buses are great for short hops, but they’re not very foreigner-friendly (you have to understand spoken and/or written Japanese to use them with any degree of comfort). Finally, taxis are convenient and fast, but not cheap; reckon on Y100 per minute of journey time.

I’ve listed a bunch of short (2-4 hour) jaunts around Tokyo; pick the ones you like and spread them out over Day 2 and Day 5 in the schedule proposed above.

1. Omotesando-Harajuku-Meijijingu stroll: 3-4 hours at a leisurely pace, including a stop at the Oriental Bazaar.

Take the Hanzomon or Ginza or Chiyoda line (all subway) to Omotesando station, and take exit A1. You will emerge on Omotesando avenue, which is the main approach to Tokyo's holiest Shinto shrine. Near the subway station, the avenue is lined with expensive designer stores and boutiques (Armani, Gucci, Vuitton), but as you walk west towards the shrine, the stores become funkier and the pedestrians become younger and cooler (and weirder). This reaches a climax at Harajuku station, where the people and costumes are just surreal (especially on Sundays, when there’s a Gothic Lolita convention of sorts). Omotesando avenue comes to an end here; cross the road and go through the wooden gate into Meiji-jingu shrine, which is an oasis of calm and peace in the middle of Tokyo's hustle and bustle. Keep an eye out for traditional weddings inside the main shrine, complete with samurai-sword-wielding groom and kimono-clad bride.

On the way from Omotesando to Harajuku, don't forget to stop at the Oriental Bazaar, a large souvenir shop. Although it appears a bit tacky and touristy from the outside, it actually has a very large selection of well-chosen gifts at reasonable prices. My favourite buys here are the ceramics (tea and sake sets) on the ground floor, the wind-chimes in the basement, the ‘kokeshi’ dolls from Madenokoji on the 1st floor, and the small cloth items (purses, bandannas, wrapping cloth and paper) from Kojima in the basement. Note that the Oriental Bazaar is closed on Thursdays.

When you’re done, hop on to the Yamanote line (JR) at Harajuku station, or the Chiyoda line (subway) at Meijijingumae station.

2. Asakusa Temple, followed by Sumida river cruise: 3-4 hours all told; see the Nikko section below for a scheduling suggestion.

Take the Ginza line (subway) to Asakusa station, and then take exit 1. The road leading to the temple is impossible to miss, with its red lanterns, large gate and myriad shops lining either side. Kannon Asakusa temple is Tokyo's holiest Buddhist temple, and is set in one of Tokyo's oldest neighbourhoods. Avoid buying anything from the tourist traps on the main approach to the temple; you can get far nicer souvenirs at far lower prices from the Oriental Bazaar in Omotesando. But if you step off the main approach and explore Asakusa’s multitude of alleys and byways you’ll find a number of traditional shops (often run by the same family for generations) which sell handicrafts, cloth, ceramics and various Japanese snacks at fairly reasonable prices.

From Asakusa you can embark on a 30-minute cruise down the Sumida river which takes you past a dozen bridges, no two of them alike, down to Tokyo Bay before returning upstream. It's a pleasant cruise, though nothing spectacular. (If you’re staying in Shiodome, then don’t take the return leg of the cruise; get off at Hamarikyu instead – it’s just a hop skip and jump from the Shiodome development. Hamarikyu garden itself is a fairly pleasant diversion if you’re in the mood for some manicured greenery).

3. Ginza: 2-3 hours

Take the Hibiya, Marunouchi or Ginza line (subway) to Ginza station, and take any of the exits for Ginza-4-chome crossing (A1 through A9). Ginza is home to Tokyo’s most exclusive department stores: Wako, Matsuya, Mitsukoshi and more. Even if you don’t buy anything, it’s worth spending an hour or two just wandering the shop floors and marveling at the aesthetic quality of the displays. If you’re a foodie, I especially recommend visiting the food section of any department store; who’d have thought box lunches could be so stylish?

When in Ginza, don’t miss Itoya, the world’s best stationery store. It’s on Chuo-dori (also known as Ginza-dori), a block northeast from Ginza-4-chome crossing: take exit A13 from Ginza station and keep going straight on (past Matsuya), then look for the big red paperclip on the right side of the street. Itoya is, quite simply, a marvel. Even better than Itoya, though, is Itoya Annex #3 (on the alley behind the main store). This annex has a wonderful collection of traditional Japanese paper and paper products: everything from wall-hangings to pencil-holders to purses. It’s my favourite place to buy Japanese souvenirs.

4. Shibuya: 1-2 hours

There’s not much to ‘do’ in Shibuya – no particularly noteworthy destinations for a foreign visitor – but a stroll through the area is still worthwhile, if only to see a cityscape straight out of Blade Runner (or perhaps a Willam Gibson novel). Crowds, neon lights and noise: Shibuya is twenty-first century Japan on speed. Take the Ginza or Hanzomon lines (subway) or the Yamanote line (JR) to Shibuya station, and follow the signs to the Hachiko square exit. Then step out and let the adrenalin take over. Shibuya is best visited at night.

5. Monzen-nakacho: 2-3 hours

You won’t find Monzen-nakacho in any of the usual tourist guides, but it’s a lovely neighbourhood to stroll through; besides, I used to live there, so I have a soft spot for it. Take the Tozai or Oedo line (subway) to Monzen-nakacho station, and then take exit 3. Upon ascending to street level, turn left, cross the road, and continue southeast along Eitai-dori. You’ll pass a number of mom-and-pop stores, all very down-to-earth and unpretentious. After about 200m you’ll come to exit 1 of Monzen-nakacho station; immediately before the exit there’s a large red gateway on the left, leading on to a brick-paved street lined with traditional stores selling handicrafts, religious artifacts, snacks and souvenirs. Go through the arch and walk to the Fukagawa Fudoson temple (Buddhist), straight ahead. Wash your hands in the spring on the left, inhale the incense smoke from the burner, and toss a coin into the offertory box.

Come out of the temple and turn left (paralleling your original direction on Eitai-dori); a stone’s throw away, past the tennis courts, you’ll see the wooden side torii (gateway) of the Tomioka Hachimangu shrine (Shinto). Explore the shrine grounds, noting especially the large and ornate ‘mikoshi’ (palanquin) which is carried around the neighbourhood once a year as part of the shrine’s annual festival. There’s a large flea market in the shrine grounds on the last Saturday of every month; see if you can time your visit accordingly. Exit through the main torii, turn right, and head back to Monzen-nakacho station along Eitai-dori. Just before you reach exit 1 (i.e. just before the gateway leading to Fukagawa Fudoson temple) there’s a rather nice ceramics store with an excellent selection of teapots. Also, across the road from exit 1 (on the 2nd floor, above a sushi shop if I remember correctly) is Shabu-Koh, a good place to sample some shabu-shabu.

6. Jimbocho-Ochanomizu stroll: 2-3 hours

Tokyo used to be zoned, with different neighbourhoods specializing in different shop products. For the most part that’s a thing of the past – these days you can get anything anywhere – but exceptions exist. My favourite such exception is the ‘bookstore street’ in Jimbocho, which is right next to ‘music street’ in Ochanomizu. Take the Hanzomon or Shinjuku line (subway) to Jimbocho station, and take exit A1. Upon ascending to street level, turn right, and head east along the main road, Yasukuni-dori. You’ll pass one bookstore after another. Unfortunately most of the books are in Japanese (the exception is Oshima Books, at the very end of the stroll), but the displays are still fascinating (especially those of antiquarian books and scrolls). Immediately after the first traffic light (Jimbocho crossing, where Yasukuni-dori intersects Hakusan-dori) you’ll find my favourite sushi restaurant, Magaruo, on the right side of the road. Colour-coded plates of sushi make their way around the restaurant on a conveyor belt; patrons help themselves to whatever they want, and at the end of the meal they’re billed for the empty plates in front of them. Japanese efficiency at its best!

After the sushi shop, the road curves right at another traffic light. Turn left at the light after this (the third one after you started your stroll), and head towards Ochanomizu station. The street here is lined with music stores – both recorded music (Disk Union has 5 different branches, each specializing in a different genre) and musical instruments. There are several large universities in the neighbourhood, contributing to the general youthful vibe of the place. End at Ochanomizu station (JR and subway lines).

7. Edo-Tokyo museum: 2-3 hours

Take the Oedo line (subway) to Ryogoku station; the museum is 1 minute from exits A3 and A4. Alternatively, take the Sobu line (JR) to Ryogoku station (note that these two are different stations, though they have the same name); the museum is 3 minutes from the West exit. The Edo-Tokyo museum is a great introduction to the history of Tokyo.

After you’re done with the museum, you may want to stroll around Ryogoku a bit, since it’s one of the more traditional neighbourhoods of Tokyo (sadly, there are very few of these left). Ryogoku is also home to Tokyo’s sumo arena (immediately to the west of the museum); if you happen to be visiting in January, May or September, I recommend dropping in on a tournament. Note that the Edo-Tokyo museum is closed on Mondays, except when there’s a sumo tournament on.

8. Imperial Palace: not more than 2 hours.

Take the Chiyoda line (subway) to Nijubashimae station, and take exit 8. You will be at the eastern end of the Imperial Palace grounds, with Tokyo station directly opposite. Although the Palace itself is off-limits to visitors, the grounds are pretty and make for a pleasant and relaxing stroll. If you walk towards the palace along the main avenue from the station, you'll reach Nijubashi (‘bridge number 20’), one of the gates to the inner grounds. Turn left and walk around the palace clockwise, between the walls and the outer moat; eventually you'll have to curve right, and you'll reach another gate, the very pretty Sakuradamon gate. End at Sakuradamon station on the Yurakucho line (subway).

If you crave exercise while in Tokyo, you can also jog all the way around the Imperial Palace along a very pleasant bike-path; it’s about 10k.

9. Odaiba and Tokyo Bay: 3-4 hours, including some amount of wandering at random.

Take the Ginza line (subway) or the Yamanote line (JR) to Shimbashi station, and then transfer to the Yurikamome line. (If you’re staying in Shiodome, hop on to the Yurikamome directly at Shiodome station). The Yurikamome is a snazzy monorail that goes across the ‘Rainbow Bridge’ to the Odaiba area, an ultra-futuristic bunch of hotels, malls and entertainment complexes built on reclaimed land in the middle of Tokyo Bay. Get off at Daiba station and explore the ‘Decks’ recreation area. You can also continue on the train to the Telecom Center station and walk a couple of minutes to Oedo-Onsen Monogatari, a theme park built to look like Edo-era Tokyo and featuring a large number of onsen (hot springs) to bathe in.

10. Other places of interest:
Ueno: large park, with two huge museums showcasing western and Japanese art
Shinjuku: like Shibuya, but larger and more confusing
Roppongi: nightlife central, the place to go for dining, drinking and clubbing
Akihabara: electronics city – gadgetry to the max
Yanesen: a peaceful, traditional neighbourhood with greenery and temples

Day 3 & 4: Kyoto

Should not be missed:
1. Sanjusangendo hall
2. Kiyomizu-dera temple
3. Kinkaku-ji, the temple of the golden pavilion
4. Ryoan-ji temple and rock garden
5. Shoren-in temple

Well worth seeing:
6. Sannen-zaka and Ninnen-zaka slopes
7. Ginkaku-ji, the temple of the silver pavilion
8. Daitoku-ji temple and monastery complex
9. Ninna-ji temple and gardens

Next in line:
10. Nijo castle
11. Chion-in, Nanzen-ji and Eikan-do temples
12. The philosophers’ stroll
13. Kyoto imperial palace
14. Gion corner
15. Heian-jingu shrine

Getting there: Take the earliest possible ‘Hikari’ shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto (trains start running at around 6am) on the Sanyo or Tokaido lines. (Do not take the ‘Kodama’, which is slow, or the ‘Nozomi’, on which your JR pass is not valid). At Kyoto station, visit the tourist information centre and pick up a street map, a guide to walking tours in Kyoto and Nara, and a Japanese Inn Group guide. Choose a convenient minshuku or ryokan from the guide, and ask the folks at the tourist bureau to call and book rooms for you. Note that the TIC in Kyoto can get extremely crowded, so I strongly recommend doing all of this in Tokyo or even Narita, if possible.

Depending on its location, you may want to drop your baggage at your inn before starting touring; alternatively, you can carry your stuff around all day and check in at night; a third option (which I prefer) is to leave your bags in the coin lockers at Kyoto station while you gallivant about town.

[I’ve been to Kyoto many many times, and have decided that my favourite place to stay by a large margin is the Ryokan Yamazaki. It’s a bit off the beaten track, tucked away in a somewhat hilly corner of the city, but the service is great, the location is convenient for sightseeing in northwest Kyoto, and the rates are extremely reasonable. To get there, take the JR Sagano line (also known as the San-in main line) from Kyoto station to Hanazono station (be sure to take a local train; rapid and express trains don’t stop at Hanazono) and then take a taxi to the ryokan (Y1000; the cabbie should know where it is). From Yamazaki it’s an easy 15 minute walk to Ninnaji, another 15 minutes thence to Ryoanji, and a 20 minute walk from Ryoanji to Kinkakuji. See below for more details.]

Getting around: Kyoto’s most impressive sights are divided into two locales: east and northwest of Kyoto station. Within each locale distances are easily walkable, however, you probably need to take a bus (Y300) or a cab (Y2000) to get from one to the other; one option is to split the two locales over two days. Another idea is to rent bicycles at Kyoto station; you can rent them for 2 or 3 days at a stretch if necessary; it’s about Y1000 a day. I assume in this guide that you split the two locales over two days, with day 1 in eastern Kyoto and day 2 in the northwest.

Warning: Kyoto has (literally) several thousand temples and shrines, testimony to its long history as Japan’s cultural (as well as temporal) capital, and its escape from serious damage during WW2. Seeing even a tenth of the famous sights is exhausting; it’s important to avoid monument-fatigue. So relax and soak in the atmosphere of the town; don’t simply rush from temple to temple.

Day 3: From the station, start by heading east to Sanjusangendo hall. The statues inside will blow you away. Next, go northeast (via a hilltop cemetery) to Kiyomizu-dera temple, which is raised on stilts at the top of a mountain. Wander the temple grounds – drink from the fountain and ring the prayer bell – before descending westward down a road lined with wooden souvenir shops. Halfway down the slope, make a right turn and head north along the Sannen-zaka and Ninnen-zaka slopes, passing more traditional shops. Wander through Maruyama park, then continue to Chion-in temple, noteworthy for its massive ornamental gateway and its uncannily Monetesque lily-pond in the back. A few yards beyond Chion-in is Shoren-in temple, which has one of the prettiest gardens in all of Kyoto; it’s wonderfully peaceful and relaxing.

Continue northward through Okazaki park and you’ll reach Heian-jingu shrine, whose Chinese-inspired red-and-gold aesthetic seems (to me at least) somewhat garish compared to the minimalist wooden décor that characterizes most of Buddhist Kyoto. From the shrine, head east to Eikan-do temple. If you have the time, take a short detour southwards to Nanzen-ji temple; otherwise, walk north by the side of the canal along the ‘Philosophers’ Stroll’. At the end of the stroll turn right into the grounds of Ginkakuji temple. Don’t miss the ‘Fuji-san’ garden or the pathway that leads up the hillside behind the temple; it offers a panoramic view of old Kyoto.

The above itinerary is very crowded, so it’s vitally important that you make an early start. In summer there’s daylight till about 7 or 8pm, however, many temples close their grounds around 5.30ish. You may want to skip Heian-jingu and/or Eikan-do and/or Nanzen-ji so as to get to Ginkaku-ji before dark. But don’t allow yourself to be rushed; you can always revisit the places you missed on the next day of your stay.

Once the sun goes down, there’s not much to do in Kyoto, except perhaps to visit Gion corner to watch a touristy (but decent) ‘cultural show’, incorporating capsule sketches of Japanese dance, drama, music, puppetry, flower arrangement and the tea ceremony. Most ryokans request guests to settle in by 8pm, so it’s not a good idea to be out too late.

Day 4: Make an early start again, and take a bus or taxi (or cycle) to Ryoan-ji temple in the northwest, home to the most famous Zen Buddhist rock garden in all Japan. If you get there before the crowds, the experience is magical. Don’t miss Ryoan-ji’s extensive landscape garden either. From Ryoan-ji, walk east to Kinkaku-ji, another stunningly beautiful temple (unfortunately overrun by hordes of tourists most of the time). After exploring the grounds of Kinkaku-ji, head further east to the Daitoku-ji temple complex: this has a dozen temples and monasteries in it, several of which have rock gardens and all of which are worth visiting; alternatively, head back west to Ninna-ji, an elegant temple which is happily not too crowded. (If you’re staying at the Yamazaki, you should do Ninna-ji first, followed by Ryoan-ji and then Kinkaku-ji).

After completing the temple circuit, you have two choices: you can either head south towards the city centre, to Nijo castle and its ‘nightingale’ floors, followed by the Kyoto imperial palace, or you can head back east to revisit the sights you may have missed on day 1. A third option is to forgo the temple-hopping and simply wander the streets of Kyoto at random. Whatever you choose, aim to be back at Kyoto station by sundown so as to catch the shinkansen back to Tokyo.

Kyoto aside: overnight buses

There are numerous overnight buses that will take you from Tokyo to Kyoto (and back), including buses operated by JR (which are presumably free if you have a JR pass, though reservations are probably required). The advantage of taking such a bus is that it’ll give you a lot more time in Kyoto, especially on the first day of your visit, and you’ll save on your hotel bill. The disadvantage is that it’ll probably be a lot less comfortable than a hotel room. On the whole I’m uncertain whether or not to recommend this option.

Day 6: Mitake

Mitake is a great getting-away-from-it-all retreat. It’s not that far from central Tokyo as the crow flies, but it’s a bit tricky getting there (multiple train changes, bus and cable car), and as a result it remains thankfully crowd-free and unspoiled. Mitake has some gorgeous hiking trails, and is home to my favourite inn, the Shukubo Komadori Sanso (‘mountain lodge of the robin’). Here’s how to get to Mitake; pay attention!

1. From Tokyo station, take the Chuo line (JR) to Tachikawa station. The Chuo line starts from Tokyo, so getting the direction right should not be a problem. Trains run every 5-7 minutes. If possible, try to catch a kaisoku (express), which will lop 10 minutes off the regular journey time of 55 minutes. You can also get onto the Chuo line at Shinjuku station, if that’s closer to your hotel.

2. Tachikawa station: here’s where it gets complicated. The Ome line (JR) runs from Tachikawa to Ome to Mitake to Okutama (with some other stops in between). But not all trains run all the way. One set of trains runs between Tachikawa and Ome reasonably frequently. Another set runs between Ome and Okutama (via Mitake) slightly less frequently. And a third set runs all the way from Tachikawa to Okutama (via Ome and Mitake), but least frequently of all. Your algorithm is as follows. At Tachikawa station, transfer to the Ome line in the direction of Ome and Okutama. Get onto whichever train comes first (Ome or Okutama). If your train is bound for Ome, you’ll have to change again at Ome for a train bound for Okutama. If your train is bound for Okutama, be sure to sit in one of the first four coaches; the others don’t go all the way through! Once you’re on the Okutama train, get off at Mitake station. There, that wasn’t too hard, now, was it?

3. At Mitake station, cross the road to Mitake-eki bus stop and catch the bus for Cable-shita bus stop (10 minutes, Y200ish). Cable-shita is the last stop on the bus route.

4. Walk to Takimoto cable-car station, and ride the cable-car up to Mitake-san cable-car station. You’re finally there!

The trip in its entirety (from Tokyo to Mitake-san) should take between 2 and 3 hours, depending on the quality of your connections.

Note: Mitake should not be confused with Mitaka, which is a rather drab suburb to the west of Tokyo. This is especially important when asking for directions, since Mitaka offers absolutely nothing in the way of mountain hiking.

At Mitake-san cable-car station, pause briefly to gaze over the valley of the Tama river from the Mitake-daira viewpoint. Then walk along the sidewalk to the visitor centre. Grab a map of the local hiking trails, and proceed, climbing gradually higher all the way, to Mitake-jinja (Mitake shrine); you will pass through a tiny village with many traditional inns and souvenir shops. The shrine is at the very top of Mt. Mitake, and offers panoramic views in all directions.

An especially pretty circular walking trail starts just below Mitake-jinja; turn to the right as you descend the steps of the shrine and you’ll be on it. A short way into the walk, turn left onto the Nagano-daira viewpoint, a large and level promontory which juts out above the valley floor. Retrace your steps and continue on your walk till you reach the Ayahiro falls. Descend by the side of the falls and walk by the side of the stream through the “Rock Garden”, an astonishingly beautiful forested valley with lots of moss-covered stones and flowing water everywhere. The trail then starts to climb away from the stream. Soon after passing a single, large rock, you’ll hear the sound of the Nanayo falls; you can descend to their base via a series of metal ladders. Climb back up, and continue along the main trail; it’ll take you all the way back to where you started.

This round trip takes about 2-3 hours and is a fairly easy stroll. If you want something a little more active, you can branch out towards Mt Ohtake from just above the Ayahiro falls; this adds another 2 hours (round trip). The hiking map mentioned above shows many more options.

If you can afford 2 days in the Mitake area, then I suggest spending part of the first day near the valley floor (you can descend all the way to the water’s edge), either at Mitake station or (a better option) at Okutama station, a couple of stops beyond Mitake. Take the bus and cable-car up to Mitake-san in the afternoon, and check in to the Shukubo Komadori Sanso (www.komadori.com), a 200-year-old pilgrims’ hostelry just off the left side of the road between Mitake visitor centre and Mitake shrine. Be sure to get there in time for dinner at 6pm; they do a fabulous spread. On the second day, set out for the hike described above; spend the day in the mountains, and return to Tokyo in the evening.

Mitake is best visited in spring, when the streams are in full flow, and in winter, when the snow makes everything quietly beautiful. Rainy days work fine in Mitake.

Day 7: Kamakura

Kamakura is another pleasant day trip from Tokyo, with its many Zen Buddhist temples nestled in the cedar-clad hills ringing a pretty bay. And of course the Great Buddha, for my money the single most spectacular sight in Japan.

From Tokyo station, take the Yokosuka line (JR) southbound to Kita-Kamakura (one stop before Kamakura). Exit east from the station (i.e., if you're facing the direction the train was going, exit left) to Engaku-ji temple, which is one of the oldest and most venerated temples of Rinkai Zen Buddhism. Then cross the tracks to the west side of the station and follow the road southwards towards Kamakura proper. You'll pass Jochi-ji and Tokei-ji temples on the right side of the road, just 5 minutes from Kita-Kamakura. These are branch temples of the Engaku-ji school of Buddhism; they're elegant and understated.

About 10 minutes further on there's Kencho-ji temple on the left side of this road; this temple is large and very impressive. After seeing Kencho-ji, you can either continue along the main road, which will take you to Hachimangu shrine on your left (Kamakura's holiest Shinto shrine, frankly a bit too loud for my taste), or you can turn right and wander through a maze of little streets, all alike. Either way, you should eventually find yourself at Kamakura station in the centre of town. Eat lunch here, then take a bus (you'll have to ask someone to put you on the right one) to the Great Buddha (Daibutsu in Japanese).

At first glance, the Buddha seems merely big, nothing further. But as you walk closer, you begin to notice the subtlety and elegance of its features. I’m always thrilled by the way the expression on the Buddha’s face changes as you walk around the statue – despite the fact that the representation is emphatically not realistic, but rather, highly stylized.

After seeing the Buddha, walk back a few hundred yards along the road taken by the bus, and turn right to enter Hasedera (Hase Kannon temple). Explore the garden at street level, then climb up the hillside to see the statue of Kannon (the goddess of mercy); don't miss the panoramic view of Kamakura bay. Then climb back down to Hase railway station on the Enoden line. If you have the time, take the two-car train to Enoshima island where you can watch the sun go down on a quiet beach, before returning on the Enoden line (through various people’s backyards, it feels like) to Kamakura station and thence to Tokyo.

Day 8 & 9: Nikko

Nikko offers a number of hikes of varying difficulty, all through spectacular mountain scenery. It also houses the mausoleum of the first Tokugawa shogun, a building that’s quite different from anything else you’ll see in Japan.

If (and only if) you have a JR pass, take the Tohoku shinkansen from Tokyo or Ueno to Utsunomiya, and transfer to the JR Nikko line for Nikko. This option is rather expensive if you don’t have a JR pass, and (in contrast to the trip to Kyoto) it’s not worth buying or extending your JR pass solely in order to get to Nikko.

Assuming you don’t have a JR pass, take the subway Ginza line (subway) to Asakusa station, and then take exit 1. As you ascend to ground level, you’ll see, straight in front of you, the ticket counters and platform turnstiles of the Tobu Nikko line. Ignore these; turn right and then left, and walk along the side of the building about 50 yards to the Tobu tourist information office. Buy a Nikko Free Pass or an All Nikko Pass, valid for train travel to and from Nikko, and bus travel within Nikko (there are several combinations available; the English-speaking staff will help you choose the right one). Return to the Nikko line platform and catch the next train to Nikko, taking care to sit in one of the first two cars.

Note that the Kannon temple, #2 in the ‘to-do-in-Tokyo’ list above, is just a stone’s throw away from Asakusa station. So you can easily spend a couple of hours in the morning exploring the temple and the surrounding Asakusa area, before catching the train to Nikko around 11am – on a 2-day trip it’s quite sufficient to get to Nikko by the early afternoon (say 2pm, but not too much later if you can help it).

Exit Nikko station and turn right along the main road through town. Walk about 2 miles (stopping halfway at the tourist information centre on the left of the road, to pick up area maps, hiking guides and a bus timetable) to the antique Shinkyo bridge. You can stroll across the bridge for a rather stiff fee. Then cross the road and climb up the stone steps to the main mausoleum complex. The complex has a Buddhist temple, a Shinto shrine, and the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu (the shogun who unified Japan a few centuries ago), all surrounded by towering cedars.

The very first attraction in this complex is by far the best: a formal garden laid out in the Chinese style; it’s a triumph of perspective and proportion, and definitely not to be missed. The remaining buildings are unremarkable, and in any case you’ve probably had your fill of temples and shrines by now, so I wouldn’t recommend spending too much time exploring their innards. But if you still have the time and energy, you can climb to the extremely ornate (and very un-Japanese) Toshogu mausoleum, if only to snap a picture of the famous ‘three monkeys’ sculpture.

When in Nikko, I usually stay at the Annex Turtle Hotori-An, a smallish inn right by the water’s edge. Just keep descending from the temple complex and you’ll find it. They do a reasonable dinner, and have a heavenly hot tub. You may want to complete your checking-out paperwork after dinner, since you’ll be making an excruciatingly early start the next morning.

In the morning, walk back up from the inn to the Nishisando bus stop and dump your bags in the coin-locker by the side of the road. Then catch a bus bound for Chuzenji Onsen or Yumoto Onsen. Buses start running around 6am, and I strongly recommend catching the earliest one possible. Your Nikko pass will cover the fare. The bus ascends a beautiful winding mountain road – the Irohazaka (‘alphabet’) slope, so called because it has 48 curves, labeled with the 48 letters of the Japanese alphabet – before emerging near Lake Chuzenji. Get off the bus at the town of Chuzenji Onsen, and descend to the Kegon waterfall, the first of Nikko’s three spectacular cascades.

Return to the bus stop and catch a bus bound for Yumoto Onsen. Stay on the bus as it skirts the lake, and get off at the Ryuzunotaki stop; this is the second (and in my opinion, most beautiful) of the cascades. Cross the road and walk back 30m to the waterfall (which is cunningly hidden from view from the roadside, though you can’t miss the noise). Grab a cup of coffee at the open-air café with its amazing location at the base of the falls. Then climb up the broad trail along the east side of the falls. After crossing the main road at a bridge, walk through a larch forest along the east bank of the Yugawa river to the southern end of the marshy Senjogahara plain. Cross the plain on wooden planks, taking in the views of the encircling mountains, then walk through another forest to the base of the massive Yudaki falls. Climb up the east side of the falls to Lake Yunoko. Circle round the western shore of the lake to Yumoto Onsen, a pleasant little town with several inviting hot springs to soak in. Finally, catch a bus from Yumoto Onsen all the way back to Nikko station, hopping off at Nishisando to pick up your bags.

The hike described above, from Ryuzunotaki to Yumoto Onsen, takes about 4 hours at a leisurely pace; the course is very easy, and the views are marvelous. The bus rides at either end should in theory take only 1 hour each, but the traffic in Nikko can get quite unbelievably bad (especially on the narrow roads approaching Chuzenji Onsen), and you might easily end up spending 2-3 hours crawling down jammed mountain slopes. That’s why I emphasize making an early start. If you’re delayed setting out, then I recommend taking your first bus directly to Ryuzunotaki, doing the hike, and stopping at the Kegon falls on your way back (iff time permits). Another variation is to cover the stretch between Chuzenji Onsen and Ryuzunotaki on foot, or even by boat, though this will of course add time to your journey, not subtract it. Note that the last direct train back to Tokyo from Nikko station leaves around 6ish, though indirect trains run up to 8:30.

If you want a more challenging hike, there’s a circular route from Yumoto Onsen to Maeshirane-san to the top of Shirane-san (at 2768m the highest peak in Nikko national park) to Goshiki-yama and back to Yumoto Onsen. I haven’t done this trek – it’s quite strenuous and will take you at least 7 hours – but I’m told it’s extremely scenic. Late summer is the best time for this hike; earlier in the year and you’ll have to contend with deep melting snow.

Orders of Competence in Tennis

The previous post was inspired by an email from my man in Seattle, Sameer Anand Siruguri:

Reading “Infinite Jest” at the same time that Federer exists in this world, gives one an entirely different perspective on what it takes to be him. I'd recommend you all do it, except you have to get at least 600 pages into the book to really get that perspective.

To which I reply: Fortunately, you don’t have to read 600 pages, you can cheat and read this little extract from David Foster Wallace’s Esquire piece on Michael Joyce, a former top-100 player who is now Maria Sharapova's coach:

I submit that tennis is the most beautiful sport there is and also the most demanding. It requires body control, hand-eye coordination, quickness, flat-out speed, endurance, and that weird mix of caution and abandon we call courage. It also requires smarts. Just one single shot in one exchange in one point of a high-level match is a nightmare of mechanical variables. Given a net that’s three feet high (at the center) and two players in (unrealistically) fixed positions, the efficacy of one single shot is determined by its angle, depth, pace, and spin. And each of these determinants is itself determined by still other variables -- i.e., a shot’s depth is determined by the height at which the ball passes over the net combined with some integrated function of pace and spin, with the ball’s height over the net itself determined by the player’s body position, grip on the racket, height of backswing and angle of racket face, as well as the 3-D coordinates through which the racket face moves during that interval in which the ball is actually on the strings. The tree of variables and determinants branches out and out, on and on, and then on much further when the opponent’s own position and predilections and the ballistic features of the ball he’s sent you to hit are factored in...

If you’ve played tennis at least a little, you probably have some idea how hard a game is to play really well. I submit to you that you really have no idea at all. I know I didn’t. And television doesn’t really allow you to appreciate what real top-level players can do -- how hard they’re actually hitting the ball, and with what control and tactical imagination and artistry. I got to watch Michael Joyce practice several times right up close, like six feet and a chain-link fence away. This is a man who, at full run, can hit a fast-moving tennis ball into a one-foot square area seventy-eight feet away over a net, hard. He can do this something like more than 90 percent of the time. And this is the world’s seventy-ninth-best player, one who has to play the Montreal qualies.

This ties in well with a pet theory of mine, that tennis is the one sport with the maximum number of "orders of competence" separating a top pro and a weekend duffer (where an "order of competence" is defined such that a player of order N will beat a player of order N-1 with ease). I first got an inkling of this a few years ago when I was courtside at York U here in Toronto. Said U happens to be the home stomping ground of the Ontario junior tennis association, and there were a bunch of teenagers playing.

Now, these were all prototypical tennis kids -- all self-evidently the kind who had been belting balls back and forth since the age of five or thereabouts -- and just to give you an idea of their quality, I'll point out that I would struggle to win 1 point in 10 against any of them [1]. But there was one kid in particular who was just way better than the rest. It wasn't obvious from the game score, but it was clear: he just had more time, his strokes were more compact and explosive, he moved better -- he was just a class apart.

I mentioned this to the dude standing next to me (who happened to be the head coach at York U), and he said, "Yup, good eye, that kid is the Ontario junior #2, his opponents are all ranked in the teens. But I'll tell you something else. He's good enough to get a tennis scholarship to a good school, but not to one of the very top tennis schools -- no USC or UCLA, no Georgia or Stanford. More like a mid-level Div-1 school like Duke or Michigan. He'll get a good education for free, but there's no way he's going to be an NCAA champion, or even close. There are other kids out there who are way better".

So, this kid, who is by far the best tennis player I've ever seen up close, is nowhere near the level of the top US college players. And the top college players don't always turn professional. And even those who are good enough to go pro and eke out a living on the tour, struggle mightily to crack the top-100. And then once you're in the top-100 it's still a long way to crack the top-10. And then of course there's the Federer-Nadal stratosphere.

The point being, Fed/Nad will almost always beat any other top-10 player. Any top-10 player will almost always beat any random top-100 player. Any top-100 player will almost always beat any random top-500 player. Any top-500 player (ie, tournament professional) will almost always beat a (non-professional) top college player. Any top college player will almost always beat a mid-level college player. Any mid-level college player (on a tennis scholarship) will almost always beat anyone without a tennis scholarship. And most of the kids I saw that day, any one of whom could kick my ass, were not going to get tennis scholarships.

Order and orders of competence. I can't think of any other sport that comes close.

[1] Context: I'm a typical bog-standard club player -- good enough to perhaps make my club's intercounty C team, good enough to make my hostel team, good enough to destroy anyone who has never been coached or isn't a regular player, but not good enough for the club A team or the university team.

In Praise of Roger Federer

Another year, another successful grand slam season for the amazing Roger Federer. 4 majors, 4 finals reached, 2 wins – including a first trophy at Roland Garros – and 2 losses. Not too shabby, especially given the way some people had written him off after a mediocre 2008 that was also blighted by injury and illness. (I should add, mediocre only by Federer’s own exalted standards: 4 majors, 3 finals reached, 1 win and 2 losses against an incandescent Rafael Nadal).

Yes, it was disappointing (to a Federer KAD like me at any rate) that he couldn’t break the open-era record with a 6th consecutive US Open title, but full credit to Juan Martin del Potro, who played an absolutely magnificent match. It can only be good for the game that there are now at least 3 (del Potro, Murray and the great Nadal) and possibly 5 players (add Roddick and Djokovic to the list) who can compete with The Mighty Fed when the latter’s not at the top of his game. (When TMF is on top of his game, only a fit Nadal can keep pace).

Which brings us to my first point. (Yes, Virginia, I have a point. Bear with me.). The emergence of these challengers serves to highlight how extraordinary Federer’s record over the past few years has been. Never mind the 15 grand slam trophies; consider the statistic of 22 (and counting) consecutive grand slam semis reached. Everyone has off days; the thing about Federer is that even on his off days he’s good enough to win, meaning he hardly ever gets knocked out prior to the business end of a slam. And till now, even off days in finals were rarely taken advantage of. (Federer served less than 50% yesterday with 11 doubles, and still del Potro needed 4 hours and 5 sets to beat the man. It’s a mark of the progress of the rest of the men’s tour that del Potro won, but it’s also a mark of just how damn good Federer used to be that in the past he wouldn’t have.)

But that’s not the most remarkable thing about Federer’s reign. Consider: since Wimbledon 2004, Federer has played 22 grand slam tournaments and won 13 of them. Now let’s look at the 9 matches he lost. 6 of the losses were against Nadal: 4 at the French, 1 each at Wimbledon and the Australian. Nadal went on to win each of those tournaments, and was in the form of his life for the last few. Federer’s 3 remaining slam losses were against Safin (Australian semi 2005), Djokovic (Australian semi 2008) and now del Potro (US final 2009). In each case, Federer’s vanquisher went on to win the tournament.

Think about it. For the last 6 years, at every single grand slam, either Federer has won, or he has lost to the eventual winner in one of the last two rounds. This is an absolutely astounding record; no other player in the history of tennis comes anywhere close. And it tells me something else (my second point): you have to be at the absolute top of your game, playing the tournament of your life, playing at a slam-winning level (Safin, Djokovic, del Potro, Nadal outside Paris), or you have to be the greatest clay-courter of all time at your favourite venue (Nadal in Paris) just to stay on the court with Roger Federer. Otherwise you have no chance.

Amazing.