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| Akihabara Geeks : 3 of 5 | |
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6.01.2007
7:00 AM | Link |
 I noticed this short documentary (originally produced by NHK in Japan, but released completely dubbed on this DVD) while browsing through Netflix, and even though it's only 45 minutes and a little over-dramatic, it was still a fun way to enjoy some Tokyo scenery and remember a place I've visited. Akihabara is a section of Tokyo (although they insist on calling it a "town" in the narration) filled with hobby shops catering to otaku (geeks) of all kinds - electronics, computers, anime, manga, and anything else that can be obsessed about. This DVD kind of follows a day in the life of five different people, and it's generally positive about geek culture, touching on the community aspect and the realization of dreams, which is nice to hear. There's some nice background into how Akihabara got started, especially since one of the guys owns an electronic parts store, selling tiny diodes and LEDs all day to old men building radios and other home projects. Of course, one of the guys is obsessed with girl anime characters, and even though the narration is a little cruel, I felt like cheering him on as he spends over $400 in one store on figures and things - whatever makes you happy! Another guy is a PC overclocker, who builds completely custom computers to break Pi calculation records, running them so hot that he has to cool them with liquid nitrogen, and even then they just burn up after the job is done. They also follow the life of a girl who works in a Maid Cafe, who surprisingly finds inspiration for life in her job. The last guy is a video game developer who self-published a super-popular game and now has a successful business, all thanks to Akihabara. This documentary is definitely an easy way to spend an hour, and it was nice to think about my brief time in Tokyo again.
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| Buying media from Japan | |
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5.16.2006
6:20 PM | Link |
I've been buying lots of CDs and DVDs from Japan lately, which can get expensive, but it's fun! Media is generally more expensive in Japan to start with, so there are rarely any price bargains, but I still like to shop around to compare online stores. I've really only played with a few places so far, but I thought I would give them a quick run-down in case anyone else is buying stuff from Japan. By the way, there are several online shops that sell other general merchandise, but I'm really just talking about media here.
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| Japan Journal 2005 | |
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8.30.2005
5:39 PM | Link |
I hope everyone enjoyed reading my latest Japan Journal as much as I enjoyed writing it! I love to take the time to record my memories, because in the months and years ahead I'll be glad I did when I go back to read about my fun adventures. If you've discovered this page via a search engine, here's some quick info as well as links to each day's post and Flickr set. Enjoy! WEBmikey in Japan August 12-21, 2005 Visiting Osaka, Kyoto, Yagi, Tokushima, Nara, & Ikeda Experiencing Awa Odori, hanabi, sento, karaoke Japan pals photos Days 1-2 | View photos Day 3 | View photos Days 4-5 | View photos Day 6 | View photos Day 7 | View photos Days 8-9 | View photos |
| Japan 2005: Days 8-9 | |
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8.29.2005
6:48 PM | Link |
 After waking up and having a nice breakfast of fresh fruit, Kumiko had to run off to school - her holiday was over. Matt and I rode the bikes to their garden again for some quick watering. It was still fun to ride, although it was a little scarier this time. Since we went a little later in the morning, there was additional traffic to surprise me - I still really enjoyed the ride, though!After a quick rest and a change of clothes, Matt and I rode the train to Kobe to explore the city and take pictures. Kobe was really nice, with lots of people going about their business and tall buildings to look at with cool pedestrian walkways. The weather was fantastic, so I really enjoyed just walking through the city. I wanted to do some shopping for a few more things on my wish list, so we wandered through a big department store, and eventually down a nice shopping street that turned out to be a success! First we found a nice Japanese wind chime like I was looking for (and Matt handled asking the clerk if we could buy the display model!), and then we went to two fun CD shops (to buy some songs I had written down after watching the videos). The first store was kind of difficult, since everything is alphabetized differently in Japanese (I pretty much understand how it works, but this store was still confusing). They had some good prices on some used CDs, though, and later when we went to a much bigger, modern CD store, I was able to find nearly everything I wanted! We stopped at a nice little place for lunch, and I had zaru soba (cold soba noodles) and Matt had udon, and then we were ready for some serious walking. Matt needed to take photos in a particular Kobe neighborhood to enter a photography contest, so off we went. On the way we found a really wonderful temple that just popped up out of nowhere. It had a great inner courtyard with a pond and waterfall, and I was amazed at how a temple can provide such a peaceful place in the middle of a busy city. We made it to our destination, and this part of Kobe was all steep narrow streets with lots of tourist shops and restaurants - it kind of reminded me of San Francisco. There was a kind of wedding expo going on, so we saw lots of places advertising photos, venues, and so on. There wasn't too much to inspire Matt's photography, but we had a good time together and enjoyed the exercise! We were both pretty sleepy on the train home, and we had a nice rest before heading out to dinner. I hadn't had tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet) yet on this trip, so Kumiko found a good tonkatsu restaurant for our dinner. Matt and I met her at Umeda (after her school day), and Bubu was there, too. After we got to the restaurant and got settled, Bubu had a gift for me! I received three excellent handkerchiefs with beautiful patterns on them - they were really nice, and I couldn't thank her enough. Dinner was really delicious (and filling), and Matt and I had a great time reading the English menu, which contained some of the funniest translations ever, including "The pork cutlet whose leaf of cheese was pinched." After dinner we said goodbye to Bubu and went back to Matt & Kumiko's apartment where I did all of my final packing (which was interesting after all that shopping!),watched cartoons and drank whisky. I said goodbye to Kumiko before I went to bed, since she had to be off to school again early in the morning. On my last morning in Japan for this trip, Matt made me a great egg and Spam breakfast, which we ate while watching more music videos. Later we walked to Kumiko's parents place so I could say goodbye, and Kumiko's mom had a nice lunch (udon and an unagi dish) waiting for me. She also had a gift for me - a fantastic table runner (which looks wonderful in my house)! After eating, Matt and I walked back home to get all of my things, and soon Kumiko's parents arrived to drive us to the bus station. It was sad to say goodbye to Otousan and Okaasan, and especially to Matt, who had been such an amazing and generous host and guide! I waved goodbye to everyone from the bus, and only 20 hours later, I was home in Austin, as excited as ever about Japanese language and culture.  View photos: Day 8
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| Japan 2005: Day 7 | |
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8.28.2005
8:33 AM | Link |
 After last night's dinner, it was time for a nice lazy morning (at least for me), so I relaxed on the couch for most of the morning, drinking coffee and watching music videos. The music videos in Japan are so entertaining to me - I love all the music, and the production quality of the videos is so great! I wrote down a few artists and songs to go shopping for later, and Matt & Kumiko went off on the bikes to water the garden again. When they got home, Matt cooked up a couple of dishes for the future (including a really yummy goya, egg, and tofu dish that we had for late breakfast), and Kumiko started preparing for her return to school (real life was creeping around the corner).Soon we left for a short train ride to Ikeda for the day's activity - hiking up Satsukiyama, a small mountain with a great view of the city. It was a really sunny day with almost no clouds, but the heat felt good and we had water to drink! The walk through the Ikeda neighborhoods was fun, and we saw a nice playground with a giant slide filled with energetic kids. We started making the hike, each set of stairs followed by another set, but soon we were at the top and enjoying the view. I thought it was cool to be in the same place where Matt had taken some of my favorite photos - it was amazing to see how he could capture things with such an artful eye! We found a little bench area and rested awhile, listening to someone practicing shakuhachi (Japanese flute) - he was really terrible, but definitely determined to get better! There were lots of grasshoppers to watch, too. On the way back to the train station, we saw Ikeda Castle, which is pretty underwhelming since it's so small. We left Kumiko so she could run errands, and Matt and I went back to the apartment to relax. That evening we met Kumiko and her nice friend Bubu (a nickname) at Umeda station so we could go to the Hankyu beer garden, on top of one of the buildings in downtown Osaka. For one price it was all you can eat (and drink!) until closing time, and there were plenty of folks already there enjoying themselves and the view of the city - we watched the moon rising behind the Hep Five ferris wheel, which I rode on my first trip to Japan five years ago. Soon we were joined by Keichi, fun and full of energy, and we all ate and drink and talked about jobs (I was fascinated that she used to work with Power Rangers live shows). After a little more beer, we were all taking pictures of ourselves making goofy faces and poses, which was so much fun! Soon we had another guest, Keichi's friend Akiko, and I had a great time talking to all these people - speaking just a little bit of Japanese got a great reaction out of everyone, so I was enjoying the attention! At 9:00 PM, the beer garden was closing, so Matt was nice enough to suggest my secret desire - to go sing karaoke! We walked to a really lively karaoke place, packed with people and full of life. For those who don't know, karaoke in Japan really isn't a bar experience as it is in America, but instead groups of friends gather in a personal room to sing (as well as order food and drinks). Soon we had our room (and were joined by yet another friend, Ueda) and started flipping through the telephone book-sized catalogs of songs (literally thousands to choose from!), and Matt kicked it off with an awesome rendition of Sister Christian (which he sang on his last big night in Austin before moving to Japan). Everyone sang great songs, including lots of American pop hits, as well as some Japanese songs, of course. The group knew that I was an anime fan, so they found the Gatchaman theme song, which was a ton of fun. The big moment was when Kumiko found the Kikaida theme song, which I have memorized in Japanese (at least the first verse), and I kind of went crazy when it came on, jumped up in front of everyone, and sang it out! I'm sure I was pretty hilarious, but the gals seemed to enjoy it, so it was a dream come true. An hour and a half later our time was up, so we finished with a Beatles medley and said goodbye. It was an incredibly fun evening! View photos: Day 7 Matt has really started kicking on his journal! Read it now!
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| Japan 2005: Day 6 | |
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8.27.2005
1:56 PM | Link |
 We woke up early to get ready for our day in Nara, and Kumiko's dad met us to drive us to a different train station that made it easier to get to where we needed to go. I hadn't seen Otousan (father) since Matt & Kumiko's wedding in Hawaii, so it was great to see him again! Kumiko said he was looking forward to our big dinner that evening, and he made some jokes in the car, calling me "Speaker" (rather than "Mike" for microphone). At the station we bought some breakfast for the trip - more yummy sandwiches. I got ebikatsu, which is a kind battered shrimp patty, and we ate them on the train. We arrived in Nara and left the station, and in just a few minutes I was seeing real live deer all over the place! I knew that Nara had some kind of deer park, but I never expected there to be so many walking right among all the people! Nara is the ancient capital of Japan, and the emperor kept pet deer - these deer are the descendants of that herd, so they are completely tame and used to people. You can walk right up to a big buck and pet him and even feel his antlers! There are plenty of stands selling "deer crackers" for you to buy and feed them, right out of your hand, which I did later in the day.We made the short walk to Todaji, the temple housing the Daibutsu (giant Buddha), passing through huge gates and seeing many more deer. The temple itself is truly amazing - it's actually the largest wooden structure in the world! We all lit incense sticks before entering, and then soon we walked up the steps and were looking at the Daibutsu, which is really magnificent. It really is a giant, which is difficult to show in photos, but one of the columns in the temple has a hole cut into it which is the same size as the Buddha's nostril, and children can crawl through it, which gives you some perspective. There are several other large statues in the temple, and you can walk all the way around and marvel at the giant pillars and amazing craftsmanship. Of course, there are some souvenir stands inside, too, which sell charms and things, and we all bought something. After a relaxing time sitting on the temple steps, we started to walk back to the station. I decided I had to get some deer crackers, and as soon as I bought them the deer came running! I could barely get the paper off the crackers before I was surrounded by deer, and soon some of them were taking little nips at my butt just to get my attention (nothing serious, but shocking)! I just kept walking as fast as I could and handing them crackers, and suddenly I was out of food and the deer calmed down quickly. After feeding the deer, it was time to feed ourselves, so we walked to a nearby Mos Burger for lunch. Mos Burger is probably the best fast food chain in the world - everything tastes fresh and yummy! (By the way, "mos" sounds funny, but it just stands for Mountains, Ocean, Sky.) I had the spicy cheeseburger, and it was so delicious! I was also amused by the signs everywhere with their slogan, "Hamburger is my life" - it was a great lunch. Soon we were back at Matt & Kumiko's apartment, resting to prepare for the dinner of a lifetime. That evening we made the short walk to Kumiko's parents' wonderful apartment to enjoy a huge meal, expertly prepared by Okaasan (mother)! Every dish was amazing, and there were so many of them (I didn't even get pictures of them all)! We had broccoli shrimp salad, salmon with peppers, beef wrapped in lettuce, fried daikon radish (whoops, actually rinkon - lotus root!) with pork (these might have been my favorite), a seaweed salad, spinach, and sushi! Of course, there was beer with dinner, plus Nihonshu (what we call sake), and then Otousan broke out the expensive bottle of whisky! I presented my gifts to them, and they enjoyed looking at some pictures of Texas in the photo books. It was so nice to eat and drink and speak Japanese (though I made several mistakes, which I blame on the booze!), and Otousan was having a great time posing for the camera and fooling me with magic tricks. We also looked at family photos, and I liked seeing Kumiko and Kazuomi as kids. After all that food and fun, it was time to go home - I'm sure it took me at least three seconds to fall asleep. View photos: Day 6
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| Japan 2005: Days 4-5 | |
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8.25.2005
11:21 PM | Link |
 The next morning, soon after we woke up we heard Megumi and Nozomi running around the house, sometimes sneaking upstairs to look in our room. We had a fantastic breakfast of sandwich makings (sandwiches seem to be a common breakfast in Japan), yogurt with honey, and later some delicious watermelon! I got to spend more time with my new young friends, too. When Megumi heard me sing some of the Japanese children's song Tulip, she went to the piano to play it - she was really skilled, and played a few other difficult songs, too. I got to make more paper boats, and then Nozomi asked me to draw with her. She made a sketch on one side of the paper, and I made my own version on the other side. This moment was definitely one of the highlights of my trip, just enjoying drawing with a happy child and speaking simple Japanese! We said goodbye to the Onishis, and it was sad to leave little Nozomi on the porch making pouty faces.While we were in Tokushima, we found out that one of Kumiko's friends had a baby just a few days ago, so we went to a department store to buy a gift. After that we visited a kind of Tokushima visitors center, with a giant gift shop of Awa Odori items, and we rode the Bizan rope way, which is a suspended cable ride up Tokushima's largest mountain. At the top the view was wonderful, and we were amazed by all of the tombo (dragonflies) flying around. After a quick drink in the snack bar, we left Bizan and went to the hospital to meet the new baby, who was adorable. There were other visitors there, and it was strange to be in a room with lots of Japanese mothers talking about baby care (including breast massage)! One of the visitors was nice enough to give us a ride to a ramen place, so we could eat Tokushima ramen (which is different because of the soup broth and the beef that's used) - it was delicious! Soon we were on the bus back to Osaka, and our travels were over. The next morning, Matt & Kumiko needed to water their garden (in an area they rent from the city), and I wanted to go see the farming in action. This meant I had to ride Kumiko's bike, which was a little scary (since I'm not used to riding on streets with cars and pedestrians), but tons of fun! It was so cool to be able to cover so much ground in only a ten-minute ride, and we got to pass sights like a fun water park filled with kids. At the garden, Matt picked tons of okra and watered everything, while I caught my breath and took pictures (of course). We rode home to have breakfast, and Kumiko bought some great treats from the bakery, including pastries of Pikachu and Anpanman! After breakfast, Matt and I went to Umeda station for some serious shopping - I bought toys, CDs, books, and all kinds of things for myself and my pals back home. We had a small beef-bowl lunch (though it was actually pork) to end our shopping day. That evening we met up with Kumiko's friend Tabata, and she went with us to go airplane watching! Itami airport is walking distance from Matt & Kumiko's apartment, and there's a spot where you can gather right next to the fence by a major runway. When the huge planes come in to land, they fly right over your head, and the wind and sound is so exciting! There were other people there watching, including photographers, and we had fun screaming for each 747! Later we went to Gyu Kaku (a favorite restaurant from my last trip) for yakiniku, which is thinly-sliced beef that you cook yourself on a grill right in the middle of the table. At the start of the meal, I got to play janken-pon (rock, paper, scissors) with the waiter, and I won a free dessert! All of the food was wonderful, and the conversation with Tabata was great, because she knew about lots of the same anime and manga that I enjoy. It was fun to speak some Japanese and talk to a fellow otaku! We said good bye to Tabata and went home for a little TV and whiskey, ready for our day in Nara in the morning. View photos: Days 4-5
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| Japan 2005: Day 3 | |
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8.24.2005
9:22 PM | Link |
 I woke up in Kazuomi's house in Kyoto listening to the sounds of cicadas and trains passing, just like summer in Japan should sound. Chiaki made us all a nice breakfast of eggs, ham, bread, and a small salad, and I realized that I can't cut food with hashi (chopsticks) very well! Everyone walked to the station, including Daichi, and we said good bye and rode back to Osaka for some quick shopping before we had to catch the bus to Tokushima. I had fun looking at video games in Yodobashi department store, plus all of the fantastic toys in Kiddie Land. After we bought some onigiri (Matt picked out some great ones for me) for lunch, we hopped on the bus. I sat next to a girl who did math homework for the entire trip! There were lots of nice views during the drive, including passing through Naruto, home of whirlpools. The huge suspension bridges to get to Shikoku were amazing, too!At Tokushima station, we met Keiko, who is the sister of one of Kumiko's high school friends. She and her husband drove us to their parents' home, where we were staying the night. During the drive it was fun to talk to Keiko, because she was so amazed that I knew some Japanese (it turns out that everyone is amazed if you know a little Japanese, but that's OK because it made me feel special!). At the Onishi's home, I met the mother (father was at work), plus Keiko's children - Megumi (8 years old) and Nozomi (4 years old). Both girls were so cute and full of fun, jumping around and making cat sounds (Nyan nyan in Japan!). While we waited for an unexpected meal to be finished, we walked around the nearby fields and farm land, which was really beautiful. I provided some entertainment by talking about the "fields of gohan" (gohan means cooked rice, so I should have said kome!), and had fun hopping on one foot with Nozomi. Back at the house, I gave gifts to the mother, and the tissue paper wrapping became instant toys for the girls. I showed them how to make paper hune (boats) which I learned as a little boy from Curious George Rides a Bike, and that seemed to be a big hit. The meal was amazing, including shabu-shabu salad, fish, gyoza, and homemade bread! After dinner we went to Awa Odori, our reason for visiting Tokushima! As we got to the performance area bleachers, I was shocked to find out that Kumiko got us front-row seats! The festival was unbelievable - I've often read about how much Matt enjoys it, and now I know why. Awa Odori is definitely one of the most uplifting and wonderful things you can experience in Japan! Teams of performers parade down the street, made of groups of women in beautiful costumes dancing in geta (wooden shoes), energetic men swinging lanterns, and groups of musicians playing drums, flutes, and shamisen. Everyone uses the same traditional tune and dance steps (along with an infectious chant), but the different teams add their own touches to shine above the rest. Lots of the teams had groups of children, all cute as could be and trying their best to wow the crowd. It was just moving to see everyone so happy and proud of their culture! After the performance, we all joined in the dance for a bit (after watching for two hours you simply have to!), and then walked around the city. Everywhere you looked it was absolutely packed with people enjoying life, drinking beer and looking spectacular in yukata. Eventually we had to go home, where we met father Onishi and sat around talking and snacking (and I soon realized that it's hard to concentrate on Japanese when you're tired). While I waited for my turn in the shower, I talked with Keiko and mother Onishi some more, mostly about music and language. After I finally figured out the katakana for shampoo, I finished my shower and sat on the balcony with Matt & Kumiko. It was so dark in the country that we saw many shooting stars, marking the end of another beautiful day. View photos: Day 3 For Matt & Kumiko's thoughts on the trip, be sure to read Moon Station Foxtrot and Kumiko's blog (mostly in Japanese)!
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| Japan 2005: Days 1 & 2 | |
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8.23.2005
9:27 PM | Link |
 The first day of my trip was a Friday, and of course, it was filled with mostly traveling. After flying to Los Angeles, I had to kill five hours in the international terminal, so I watched a couple episodes of Star Trek on my Palm and watched the boarding of a really busy flight to Tokyo. The boarding for the Osaka flight was much easier, and the long flight passed by pretty quickly, thanks to free beer and the Disney Channel in Japanese! Matt was waiting for me at the airport, and we rode the bus together, chatting our way to Osaka station, where we caught a train to Sone, the station by Matt & Kumiko's apartment. We stopped to buy some drinks for later on the walk back to his place, where we were greeted by Kumiko and an awesome welcoming dinner! We had curry, salad, edemame, and a yummy peach dessert! I gave them some goofy presents (toys) that I had brought, and we had fun playing with them and watching TV before bedtime.The next morning I woke up excited about being in Japan, and packed some things and wrapped gifts for our upcoming two days of travel. We had an excellent French toast breakfast, along with grapes & yogurt plus a salad - I was spoiled already! We decided to spend the day in Kyoto, mostly at the train station, which is a huge architectural marvel full of fun things to do. First we shopped at the Tezuka store (I'm drinking coffee from a new Astro Boy mug as I type), and then we went to a cool exhibit of Anpanman art that was showing (Anpanman is a cute cartoon character who has been around forever, and everyone knows and loves him). The exhibit was packed, but the art was really fun! Next we went to fulfill a dream of mine - to eat a big fancy parfait in Japan (since I always see them in anime!). We checked out the selection and finally decided - I had the strawberry and Matt had the blueberry. Delicious! Just outside the station was a rather large temple, which we walked around and inside. It was so nice to sit on the steps with our shoes off and relax - that's the best part about temples that suddenly appear in the middle of a busy city. Back at the station, we boarded a train to Yagi, a small town outside of Kyoto, to see my first hanabi (fireworks) festival! When we got to Yagi, we met up with Kumiko's brother Kazuomi, his wife Chiaki, and their cute son Daichi. It was so much fun to walk through the festival crowds, full of girls wearing yukata (summer kimono), and smelling all the great food. We found a spot by the river, then Matt and I went back to the stalls for some food and beer. I ate yakisoba while we watched a boat place hundreds of floating lanterns in the river, and it was lots of fun to play with Daichi! Just about anything could entertain him - after eating some shaved ice he started singing "Budou aji" (grape flavor) over and over again. The fireworks were amazing, with tons of huge displays that just kept coming for nearly two hours! Afterwards the walk back to the station was tremendously crowded, but it was still fun to be among a festive crowd. Somehow the decision was made that we would all go to a sento (public bath) - this was definitely not my idea! I was terrified about being naked in front of strangers, but also kind of excited about experiencing another staple of Japanese culture! The sento was packed with folks at nearly midnight, all just enjoying each other's company and getting clean. The boys said goodbye to the girls, and then it was time for the locker room, where I just did what I had to do! Next were little bathing stations with soap and shampoo, and after that there were several "pools" to choose from (hot, cold, whirlpool), as well as a cool outdoor bath with rocks and waterfalls. It was actually really nice, and I'm so glad (and proud) I did it! Kazuomi was really nice about keeping me calm, too. Later that evening, I gave gifts to the family (plus finger-puppets for Daichi), then quickly fell asleep, happy to have experienced so much right away! View photos: Days 1 & 2
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| Back from Japan | |
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8.22.2005
9:35 PM | Link |
 Welcome back to your regular daily WEBmikey postings! I got back from Japan late last night, and I've spent all day unpacking, playing with new toys, watching video I shot on the trip, and sorting through the over 1,000 photos I took! I've never had that many pictures to go through before - it's really fun, but definitely takes time. This trip was really, really amazing and full of tons of unique experiences! It was great to be able to speak Japanese well enough to communicate a little, and even just being able to read signs and things made this trip come to life a little more than in the past. Matt & Kumiko totally outdid themselves by planning all of our adventures, cooking for me, and putting up with my thousands of questions! (I can never thank them enough!) While I was on the trip, I took notes each day to remember all of the little details, and I'm going to use them to write another Japan Journal (similar to my 2000 trip and 2003 trip). I'll try to post a full Japan day almost every day until I finish, along with Flickr sets to go along. To kick things off, here's a set covering the entire trip of all the photos of my pals (it's a long set, but I started with over 250 pictures, and this was as small as I could get it!). View photos: Japan pals
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| More tanoshii experiences, almost owari | |
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8.19.2005
8:24 PM | Link |
My amazing time in Japan is ending quickly, but this trip has been full of so many memorable experiences! Here's a few more highlights that you can expect me to describe in more detail in the near future:
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| Hanabi, matsuri, and sento?! | |
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8.16.2005
7:51 PM | Link |
I'm back at Matt & Kumiko's after two jam-packed days of traveling and amazing experiences! I'm really looking forward to writing about these in full detail (plus finding the best of all the pictures I'm taking - over 500 so far!), but here's a quick list for now.
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| Nihon ni imasu! | |
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8.13.2005
7:43 PM | Link | Hello from Japan! My long flight by myself was nothing to worry about - the time went by fairly quickly, and I had a lot of fun watching the Disney Channel in Japanese on the plane. Last night Matt met me at the airport and traveling back to his place was lots of fun, just seeing the sites and so many cool people, and then we had a great curry dinner that Kumiko made (there will be plenty of food pictures posted when I get home). I've just finished having a wonderful breakfast - Kumiko made us French toast, grapes and yogurt, plus a salad, and it was a delicious. Today we're heading to Kyoto, seeing fireworks tonight, and then on to Tokushima tomorrow, so maybe I'll post again in a few days. Everything is fun - I could just spend all day watching TV here and be satisfied! |
| Ashita Nihon e ikimasu! | |
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8.11.2005
8:12 PM | Link | I can't believe I'm leaving for Japan tomorrow! I kept looking at the world clock on my Palm all day, thinking "I should be in bed now" or "It's time for breakfast!" I don't think the time switch will affect me much, though - during my last trip, the only problem was I kept waking up super early, but then it's nice to just lie around in bed (or futon, I should say). This trip is going to be full of fun experiences, but most of all I'm looking forward to seeing my pals Matt & Kumiko! And of course, practicing my Japanese! Hopefully there will be a post or two during next week, and maybe some photos on Flickr from Matt's cameraphone, so stay tuned! |
| Pocky commercials work | |
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4.11.2005
6:32 PM | Link |
 After being completely mesmerized by the latest hilarious and entertaining Pocky commercials from Japan, I decided I should start making Japanese snack runs part of my weekly routine. I've been a Pocky fan since before I knew how to pronounce it properly (it's "poh-kee"), but I haven't tried all the many varieties until recently! There's a new (to me) spectacular green tea flavor, which is like green tea chocolate coating on a cookie-like stick (the regular Pocky is milk chocolate around a kind of pretzel stick). The green tea flavor is really yummy! Find an Asian market near you, buy some Pocky, then eat it while you watch those funny commercials. Anata mo watashi mo Pocky!
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| It's pachinkorific! | |
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2.08.2004
5:01 PM | Link |
 What a fantastic weekend! My parents came to visit me for four days (which explains the lack of WEBmikey posts), which meant lots of fantastic eating, movies, and events (including seeing Phantom of the Opera!). As a bonus on top of all of the fun, my pals Chris & Barron surprised me with yet another birthday gift, and this time they totally shocked me! They were able to get me a real pachinko machine from Japan, and it's totally amazing. My dad has a really old pachinko machine that I used to play, but this one has lights, sound, and best of all, an excellent color video screen with animation! The machine is called Pachimpic (by Nishijin), so the theme appears to be the Winter Olympic games. There are cute little characters that look like a hockey player, a snowboarder, and an ice skater. I've only seen one of them in action so far - I made some combination that showed a cool cartoon of the hockey player skating around. I can't wait to see some other animations!
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| My favorite yokozuna | |
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1.23.2004
8:27 PM | Link |
 I really don't know anything about sumo, but I always watch the Sumo Update portion of the news on NHK. They've been covering the big January tournament (it could be over by now), and it's fun to watch a few quick bouts and see who's winning. I've really enjoyed watching Asashoryu defeat opponent after opponent over the last few days - sometimes it can be a really exciting 20 seconds! It's amazing to see these huge guys actually lift each other by the belt sometimes. Asashoryu seems really fast and tough during the match, but then he usually helps his fallen opponent to his feet. I hope he wins the whole tournament!
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| Matt's Japan Pics | |
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8.02.2003
6:20 PM | Link |
My pal Matt (Level 10 Timer Shot Master) took lots of great pics of my pals and I in Japan. Here are the scanned pics for your laughing-out-loud pleasure! View photos: Japan 2003 Matt's Photos
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| Japan | |
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7.31.2003
10:40 AM | Link | I enjoyed my October 2000 trip to Japan so much that I decided to go again! This time I traveled with my pal Jonathan (for his first visit), and we both had a fantastic time with Matt (extremely adjusted to Japanese life after three years) and his charming fiancee Kumiko. The theme for this trip was extremes, since we went from rural town to big city to magical lands of fantasy from one day to the next! Enjoy this year's Japan Journal, and be sure to check out the Ofoto links for lots of pics! |
| Day One: Travel | |
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10:39 AM | Link |
 Jonathan and I are sitting in the International Terminal of LAX, trying to make ourselves sleepy by drinking beer. My watch says it's 12:50 PM, but it's 10:50 AM in Los Angeles where we are, and 2:50 AM tomorrow in Osaka. It's weird keeping three time zones in my head! The flight from Austin to Los Angeles was easy, and figuring out how to transfer to JAL wasn't bad, thanks to a very helpful, gigling JAL ticket counter girl. It's nice to fly JAL since I'm already seeing so many Japanese before we even get on the plane. There's lots of people listening to MD players, girls puling their hair back, and an older man in a suit doing stretching exercises, preparing for the flight.
It's 12:15 PM Osaka time, and we're traveling at 571 MPH with 5 hours to go. The JAL flight attendants are extremely efficient and friendly - each seems to have a specific duty that they carry out at the moment it needs to be done. There's even a girl who runs into each bathroom on the plane to spray air freshener with someone leaves! They're constantly coming down the aisles with full trays of water, coffee, and green tea. Our flight is made a bit more "interesting" by Sergei, a Russian flying to Nara for a semi-conductor conference, who decides to get his money's worth by drinking everything in site. He's seriously drunk now, calling for more "White wine!" in a loud voice. After at least 9-10 small bottles of wine, the flight attendants cut him off (as politely as possible). Jonathan and I pass the time watching movies on the seat back screens (including 101 Dalmatians and Treasure Planet) and playing a few of the video games. I read a book and listen to my iPod, trying to stay awake now that it's "daytime", but Jonathan is fast asleep. I've just been served a nice sticky bun and green tea. Overall the flight is comfortable, but I have to say JAL legroom is lacking - I have to put my carry on in the overhead compartment or I would have no room for my feet. Sergei is snoring as we cross the International Date Line. They are a showing a stretching video to the passengers now, with exercises you can do while seated to keep the blood flowing. There's a little cartoon balloon that inflates to show you when to inhale and exhale, too! I just realized that it's around 11:00 PM back in Austin, but it kind of feels like morning to me, so I guess my time zone brainwashing is working. |
| Day Two: Osaka | |
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10:38 AM | Link |
 We're here! Immigration and customs are really easy, though it's interesting to see all the workers wearing surgical masks (just in case, I suppose). Jonathan and I have no problem changing our money, so now our pockets are full of yen. We sit and have an iced coffee while we wait for Matt, and he arrives in just a few short minutes. We buy tickets for an express train into town, and suddenly we are speeding through the night, passing pachinko parlors and love hotels. It's good to talk to Matt and find out about the things he has planned for us to do!
We take a taxi to Matt's apartment - the taxi has automatic doors, doilies on the seats, and the driver wears white gloves. It's amazing to hear Matt speak with the driver! We arrive at the apartment, which is really cool - everything looks brand new (and most of it is!). Kumiko, Matt's fiancee, has left little welcome gifts for Jonathan and I - little boxes of candy with toys and train cards for Hankyu and JR lines. We leave to walk to a restaurant for dinner, and Kumiko passes us waving on her bicycle. We eat yakiniku at a restaurant called Gyu Kaku, where the tables have a built-in barbecue pit full of hot coals, and we are served heaping plates of thinly sliced meat that we cook ourselves. I would never has guessed that we were eating tongue, along with pork, roast, Bi Bim Ba'b (a rice dish), along with plenty of refreshing beer. I'm amazed at the taste of shiso - a wonderful leaf that you can wrap a piece of meat in before you pop it in your mouth. We say good night to Kumiko and head back to Matt's apartment for a night cap that becomes a small binge. We have a great time talking about life and drinking Suntory whisky, sitting in the cool night on the balcony watching the neon of Hotel Raffine across the street. Eventually we roll out the futons (brand new deluxe models for Jonathan and I) and fall asleep with no problem whatsoever. |
| Day Three: Osaka | |
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10:37 AM | Link |
I wake up much earlier than expected - I guess my body clock isn't quite set. Eventually everyone gets ready for the day while I watch a little TV, which seems to be a Japanese morning show like Regis & Kelly. They're explaining how to clean out and organize your reizoko (refrigerator) in great detail. The commercials are hilarious, too! They keep showing one for a "personal bug repellant device" - a little box that you wear on your waist. Matt makes single cup drip coffees for Jonathan and I, and then we're off.
It's kind of a dreary, overcast day, and we keep putting our umbrellas up and down. We walk to the train station and use our gift cards to ride to Takarazuka, where we first have a morning bite at Mr. Donut. We have donuts filled with a sweet bean paste, and something called Pizza Pops, basically donut holes filled with cold spaghetti sauce. |
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10:36 AM | Link |
 We walk to the Osamu Tezuka museum, our first attraction of the day. Tezuka is the Japanese equivalent of Walt Disney - his cartoon characters are seen everywhere and known by everyone. The museum has a kind of Hollywood feel to it, with cement footprints and handprints of all of Tezuka's characters outside. The displays inside are really great, and we watch a funny movie in the theater, play some video games, and shop in the gift shop (which is full of special "birthday" merchandise, since Tezuka's most popular character, Astro Boy, was "born" on April 7th, 2003).
Next we make a quick stop at the Takarazuka Review gift shop, in search of photos of women with mustaches! The Takarazuka Review is an extremely popular theater show where all parts are played by women, including male roles. The gift shop was full of posters, including a "Gone with the Wind" scene that was pretty funny. I noticed advertisements for the Review on nearly every train for the rest of the trip. We take a train back to Osaka and have fun in Umeda Station, where I spent a lot of time during my 2000 Japan trip, so I recognized lots of things like "Big Man" (a jumbo television playing ads and music videos) and the excellent Miyazaki store. We have ramen and gyoza for lunch, then shop at Kiddieland, a huge collection of toy stores full of wonderful stuff, including many Disney toys not available in the US! There's so many toys that I'm overwhelmed and can't decide what to buy, but I end up with a set of small Mickey and Minnie robots. |
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10:35 AM | Link |
 Next we take a train to Osaka-jo, a huge castle from the 1600s (though the current version is essentially a concrete replica). We walk through the park and over the moat to sit on benches and stare up at the castle, listening to speakers play Auld Lang Syne, which Matt says is traditional music to say "We're closing". It's very peaceful under the trees, with a cool breeze blowing by. We spend some time trying to throw rocks across the moat - Jonathan nearly makes it! As we leave, we notice some older women who have come out in the rain to feed the many stray cats that live in the nooks of the castle walls. It's amazing to watch the cats grab some food and scale the wall to bring it to their kittens, and touching that these women would ride their bicycles in the rain just to feed them.
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| Japan 2003 Part 1 | |
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10:34 AM | Link |
 Back at Matt's apartment, we take a short nap, and then it's time for dinner with Kumiko's parents. Her parents are extremely nice and fun - we are welcomed and immediately sit down to a dinner that includes chicken (karage), potatoes, vegetables, and the best sashimi I've ever tasted (prepared from a special fish that her aunt sent just because Jonathan and I were coming!). During dinner, her mom keeps the beer glasses full while her dad keeps pouring sake, so we're all feeling fine! Everyone is impressed when I attempt a little Japanese, though they have a good time making fun of my American accent. Her dad asks the guys to sit at the kotatsu, a low table with a quilt and a heater underneath, and we enjoy some expensive scotch. Jonathan gives the family some gifts - Texas wine and some University of Texas T-shirts, which they put on and enjoy. Matt unveils Kumiko's engagement ring (which I have transported to Japan from Austin), and everyone is teary-eyed and happy (especially Jonathan and I). What a fantastic night! View photos: Japan 2003 Part 1
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| Day Four: Okayama | |
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10:33 AM | Link | We wake up to a beautiful sunny day, get dressed, and pack our bags, since we will be spending the night in Okayama and then two nights in Tokyo. On the way to the train station we get some canned coffee from a vending machine, which becomes our usual breakfast for the trip. We ride to Shin-Osaka, buy our shinkansen (bullet train) tickets to Okayama, and then have breakfast at McDonald's. The employees are so incredibly efficient and friendly that I'm amazed - we get a sincere apology that we'll have to wait two minutes for one of our Egg McMuffins! |
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10:32 AM | Link |
 We board the shinkansen, and have to stand for part of the trip, since we have non-reserved seats and the cars are full. Once we reach Kobe, we're able to sit down and relax for the rest of the trip, watching the scenery change as we head to the "country". Eventually we arrive at a bus stop in Okayama which will take us to where we need to go. We have time for a quick lunch of beer and okonomiyaki (prepared Hiroshima style), then wait on the bus. A boy offers us some candy just for the chance to speak English - Matt surprises them by speaking Japanese.
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10:31 AM | Link |
 We'll be staying at Ushimado International Villa, which I think is owned by the city, so we take the bus to city hall to check in. Matt handles the whole transaction in Japanese, which is pretty impressive to me! After checking in, we begin the very long uphill walk to the villa (still carrying our luggage). While we're walking, a boy on a bike spots us and starts chanting "I love sex!" as he rides by, just to get a laugh out of the gaijin (foreigners, that's us). Walking through the city is fun, with beautiful views of the ocean, off-shore islands, and fields of huge cabbage and onions, but by the time we reach the villa, I'm exhausted! The villa is nice with an amazing view through giant windows, and we have the whole place to ourselves. I take a nap while Matt and Jonathan go exploring, and I find 500 yen in the couch when I wake up.
When Matt and Jonathan return they convince me to head back down the hill so we can ride bikes provided by the villa, and we also need to buy some groceries to make dinner in the villa's kitchen. Once we get down the hill, riding bikes through town is wonderful - we ride through narrow streets surrounded by wooden houses, waving at children who say konnichiwa to us, then riding along a concrete path by the harbor full of small boats. We pass a crazy old man peeing into the ocean, but he's still willing to wave hello to us! |
| Japan 2003 Part 2 | |
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10:30 AM | Link |
 We park our bikes and explore a great local temple, which includes an ancient three-story pagoda. It's amazing to sit and think that structure is older than America! We leave the temple and ride to a grocery store, where we buy tons of ingredients to make spaghetti for dinner (plus plenty of beer, of course). We ride back with groceries in our baskets, pushing the bikes up the worst part of the hill (which seems much easier to get up this time around). Matt and Jonathan do most of the cooking back at the villa, and after dinner we drink all of the beer and quiz each other on 80s pop hits. We discover a tape that a former guest has left in the VCR with a Mystery Science Theater 3000 movie on it, so we watch that (Devil Fish) before bedtime. I flip through a guest comments book and read that someone had spotted a centipede in their room last August, and about 30 minutes later Matt spots one crawling under my couch! After a good freak-out session, I calm down and we never see it again. View photos: Japan 2003 Part 2
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| Day Five: Tokyo | |
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10:29 AM | Link | The villa has huge windows, so the sun wakes me up at 5:15 AM - I had no idea the sun came up so early in Japan this time of year! Jonathan and I clean up the kitchen and all of us make the long walk back to city hall, taking a different route down the hill this time. The scenery is just fantastic, and it's an enjoyable walk. We catch the bus to the train station, buy our shinkansen tickets to Tokyo, and have oyakudon for lunch. The train ride to Tokyo is long, but so relaxing, and we have a few snacks during the journey. We arrive in Tokyo at 3:30, which gives us plenty of time to have some big city fun before to head to the Tokyo Disneyland Resort. So, we put our luggage in a locker and hit the pavement. |
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10:28 AM | Link |
 We start by walking around the Imperial Gardens, looking over the moats and walking through the trees, which are simply beautiful, and eventually arrive at Yasu Kuni Jinja, a huge shrine dedicated to all Japanese war dead. We pass through the largest gates I've ever seen, walk through a small market, and eventually arrive at a fantastic museum, which contains everything from Samurai armor to actual Japanese Zero aircraft. After enjoying the museum, we head into Ikebukuro, a very cool Tokyo neighborhood, full of music and lights and trendy crowds. The streets are full of energy - someone hands me a flyer about where their band is playing, the arcades are noisy and full, and before we know it, we're at the Toyota Amlux building, a kind of automotive future showroom. We look at some cool concept cars and then it's time for dinner.
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| Japan 2003 Part 3 | |
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10:27 AM | Link |
 We eat at an izakaya for dinner- kind of like Japanese tapas (lots of smaller dishes of food that everyone shares). We have huge beers and tons of food, including ikayaki (grilled squid), which was one of my favorites from the 2000 trip. Two high school girls are eating at the table next to us, playing with their ketai (cell phones) and touching up their makeup. One of them keeps heating their eyelash curler with a lighter before using it! They notice we're watching and get embarrassed, which is cute. Izakayas are the best!We walk back to Tokyo station, get our luggage, and ride the Keiyo line to the Tokyo Disneyland Resort! The moment we get off the train I hear Once Upon a Dream playing, and all my Disney reflexes kick in. It's a long walk to our hotel, the Disney Ambassador, but on the way we see the monorail and lots of cool shops, so it seems like nothing. The moment we hit the hotel lobby, a tiny girl runs over to grab our heavy bags, and the check-in service is amazing! After we get settled in our room, we go to Chef Mickey's (the only thing open) for a late night drink - it's very bizarre to drink in a bright yellow and red room surrounded by sketches of Disney characters (but I have fun seeing how many of them I can name). Back in the room, I watch a little of The Fox and the Hound in Japanese, then fall asleep. View photos: Japan 2003 Part 3
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| Day Six: Tokyo DisneySea | |
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10:26 AM | Link |
 It's Tokyo DisneySea day, so I wake up early, shooting some video of the monorail out our hotel room window while I wait for Matt and Jonathan to get ready. We leave the room and head to the lobby to buy our park tickets, and then start to walk to the park. Along the way we run into to Kumiko, who arrived in Tokyo last night and stayed with her cousin. We head back to the hotel to meet Yuu, one of Matt's former students who simply loves Disney so much that she took an all-night bus ride to Tokyo so she could spend the next two days with us at the parks! Once we're all together, we finally head to the park, still way ahead of official opening time.
I try to study the map of this unfamiliar park to come up with a quick touring plan, taking advantage of FastPass and trying to remember everything I've read on the web! Soon the gates open, and we run to Mysterious Island! Our first rides are fantastic, and Jonathan and I quickly learn that kowai means "scared" and yada means something like "I don't like it", since we hear all kinds of kids (and Yuu) saying it on the scary rides. |
| Japan 2003 Part 4 | |
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10:25 AM | Link |
 Tokyo DisneySea is an amazing park - it's hard to describe how immaculate it is! The various lands of the park are incredible and the rides are great. It's also cool how the park's pretend ocean fades into the real Pacific Ocean! We have a sausage gyoza bun for quick breakfast/lunch, and when we're finished I try to say "Let's go!" in Japanese, but I get one of my vowels mixed up and end up saying "Squid!", which gets lots of laughs. We also laugh at the Aquatopia ride, which Yuu tells us is romantic - it turns out to be a really pointless ride, but a great experience to joke about!We watch three different water-parade events on the harbor, ride Indiana Jones twice and Journey to the Center of the Earth (the best ride) three times, and eat dinner on the Columbia, a huge make-believe cruise ship. The big laugh of the evening is the 600 yen pickles, which Matt orders just to see what they could be - it turns out to be about a third of a single pickle for roughly $5.00! It's tough to leave the park at closing time, but somehow we manage and head back to our rooms. Kumiko and Yuu have booked the room next to ours in the hotel, and after a quick oyasumi, everyone is asleep. View photos: Japan 2003 Part 4
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| Day Seven: Tokyo Disneyland | |
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10:24 AM | Link | Everyone wakes up early so Matt, Yuu and I can be at the Tokyo Disneyland park gates at opening time, but first we all meet for breakfast in the beautiful hotel lobby. Even though it's only a simple buffet breakfast, everything is elegant and wonderful - tons of juice and fruit (excellent pears), and cute pancakes with Mickey's face on them! Jonathan and Kumiko leave for a tour of Tokyo (since this was Jonathan's first trip to Japan, he needed to see the city rather than the Magic Kingdom), and the rest of us head for the park. It's a beautiful day with lots of sun, and we join the tons of Disney fans waiting for the gates to open, and eventually we're in the park. |
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10:23 AM | Link |
 Tokyo Disneyland is especially wonderful for me, because it feels like going back in time - it seems like Anaheim 30 years ago. Tomorrowland is so beautiful - all white and futuristic. The park is immaculate, of course, but the Cast Members are even more amazing. Disney employees are always great, of course, but combine that with Japanese politeness and professionalism, and suddenly you're treated like royalty! Every Cast Member is very friendly and helpful (and cute), and they even bow and thank us for each and every ride we choose to experience. For positions that involve acting, like the Jungle Cruise, I've never seen anything better - our Jungle Cruise skipper puts everything she has into ducking from headhunters' spears and dodging wild hippos, and she does it with that same enthusiasm 50 times a day.
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10:22 AM | Link |
 I'm also really interested in the other cultural differences. Crowd patterns are very different from America, where everyone runs to ride Space Mountain and Splash Mountain first. In Tokyo Disneyland, it's straight to Pooh's Hunny Hunt, which easily has 300 people in line as soon as the park opens! The gift shops are also interesting, too, which are typically full of T-shirts in America. All the Tokyo Disneyland shops have more practical items, like school folders, desk sets, storage containers, and so on - most have no T-shirts at all!
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| Japan 2003 Part 5 | |
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10:21 AM | Link |
 We have a great time on the Haunted Mansion, which we're able to ride twice. I'm caught off guard by observing the American tradition of screaming in the stretching room as soon as the lights go out (in Anaheim, as soon as the Ghost Host says, "Of course, there's always my way!", the whole rooms screams in unison). I'm the only one who screams, and so it's pretty funny! It's fun riding with my new friend Yuu, who gets really startled by one of the pop-up ghosts in the graveyard.The parade is fantastic also - it seems like the Japanese Disney fans really go out of their way to make sure they see the parade! So many people stop riding attractions during the parade, that we're finally able to ride the elusive Pooh's Hunny Hunt in only 20 minutes, and we still make it outside in time to watch the parade go by! It's our lucky day! Unfortunately, we have to leave the park to head back to Osaka, so we gather our bags at the hotel and meet Jonathan and Kumiko at Tokyo Station, where we buy our shinkansen tickets, bento (boxed) lunches, and ride the train back home, spending the time talking, eating, drinking beer, and eventually snoozing. As we take a taxi back to Matt's apartment, it starts to drizzle, which is the first rain of our entire Tokyo adventure. We definitely had the best possible weather for Tokyo Disneyland Resort! View photos: Japan 2003 Part 5
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| Day Eight: Kyoto | |
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10:20 AM | Link |
Today we sleep in until 9:00, and make our now usual walk to the train station, stopping at our favorite vending machine along the way. Today we ride to Kyoto, and begin our day by strolling around Kawaramachi, and very cool neighborhood with lots of shops. We stop at a camera shop to buy another Compact Flash card, because I've filled up my digital camera! Ready to take more pictures, we walk across the river and find the bus stop we need to go to Ryonji, today's destination. Waiting at the bus stop, the clouds looks ominous - a typhoon moved over Kyushu last night, and the remnants of the storm are all over the sky. Amazingly, it never rains!
We ride the bus to the temple, where we're planning to see one of the best Zen rock gardens in Japan. As we're walking up the path, we're approached by three young girls - one of them shows me her Kyoto University student ID and asks if they can give us a tour of the temple (apparently they receive credit for interacting with foreigners to practice their English). So, we follow the girls and begin our tour. |
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10:19 AM | Link |
 The rock garden and temple really are amazing - the garden is composed of 15 rocks, each representing something, and they say if you can count all 15 from where you are standing, you have achieved perfection (of course, we can only count 14 rocks!). At each stop along the tour, one of the girls recites a speech that she's learned about that location, but when we ask them questions, they typically don't know the answer. So, even though they aren't the most helpful tour guides, it's still fun to walk around the grounds with them. There is a beautiful pond filled with lillypads, and lots of interesting buildings and gates as well. We finally say good-bye to the girls and take the bus back to Kyoto Station.
Kyoto Station is absolutely huge - it's like a ten story shopping mall with a huge central area open to the sky. The longest escalators I've seen crawl up and up and up, eventually reaching the roof, where you can gaze out over the city of Kyoto and the surrounding hills. We do some shopping at an Osamu Tezuka store (similar to the gift shop at the museum), and when we're finished, we ride back to Osaka for a meal at Umeda Station. |
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10:18 AM | Link |
 Somehow, we've completely forgotten to eat today! It's about 5:00 PM and all we've had is vending machine coffee, so we stop for tonkatsu (pork cutlet) and beer, one of my favorites! It's a little early for dinner and too late for lunch, so we have about five waitresses hovering over us as we eat, but the food is delicious. After our meal to do some shopping at a book store and a CD store, where we spend a long time at the listening stations. I eventually buy a few CDs, which is tough because CDs in Japan are almost twice the price they are in America.
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| Japan 2003 Part 6 | |
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10:17 AM | Link |
 We leave the station and walk around Osaka, enjoying the bright arcades at night, overflowing with people and energy. We end up at a great sushi restaurant and eat some of the largest sushi I've ever had. I have some tuna, flounder, and eel, but Matt and Jonathan are feeling adventurous and try some of the wildest things on the menu. The restaurant is loud and fun - the staff happily yells, and they beat a loud drum each time they have to start a new fish for an order. Completely stuffed, we head back to Matt's apartment and meet Kumiko there to say good-bye, since we're heading home in the morning. We have a good time looking at pictures on my camera, listening to music, and before we know it, it's off to dreamland. View photos: Japan 2003 Part 6
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| Day Nine: Osaka | |
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10:15 AM | Link |
We're all packed and ready to go, but we have time to walk to a great breakfast spot before we have to head to the airport. We pay for "unlimited bread" and really take advantage of it - a waitress keeps coming around with a basket full of freshly baked goodies, which we eat with coffee. After eating, we pick up our bags and head to the airport.
To get to Kansai International Airport, we first have to ride to Umeda Station, where we're supposed to catch another train to Kansai. At the first station, Jonathan realizes he doesn't have his plane ticket! It's a panicked moment, but we decide that Matt should ride back to his apartment to look for it. Jonathan and I stay at the station and wait, but when Matt returns, he doesn't have the ticket - it's completely lost. We decide to just go to the airport to see what we can do, but by the time we arrive, our flight has left. Here's where the frustration begins (but don't worry, there's a happy ending!). We talk to JAL, and they can't help us since the flight was booked through American Airlines. We try to call American Airlines (who only has an office in Tokyo), but they are closed. We have an 800 number for American Airlines in the US, but it's impossible to dial a US 800 number from Japan! So, we decide to stay at the hotel attached to the airport and see what happens in the morning. We get a good rate on the hotel, which is a first class place. We are helped to the room by an adorable girl employee, who is all smiles - she carries our heavy bags, lets us into the room, and shows us how to turn on the lights and the air conditioner. Jonathan and I are so impressed that we try to tip her, but she just laughs and says, "No tipping in Japan!" In crazy travel situations like this one, I always crave a hamburger, so Jonathan and I find one of the hotel restaurants and have great burgers and beer (and they should be good, for fifty bucks!). After dinner, we fall asleep, wondering how we'll get home tomorrow. |
| Day Ten: Travel | |
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10:14 AM | Link |
I wake up to the sound of Jonathan on the phone making arrangements - it turns out that there's no way we can get home out of Osaka, since there are only a limited number of American Airlines code-share flights on JAL. Jonathan heads to the lobby so the hotel staff can help him with options, and I get dressed and prepare myself for the day.
Our plan is to take a bus to Itami, Osaka's regional airport, then fly on ANA to Toyko, where we'll catch an American Airlines flight to Dallas, and eventually back to Austin. We manage to get bus tickets easily, and the ride goes well. It seems like everything is perfect when we reach the ANA counter at Itami, but we soon discover that our ANA connection is reserved to take us to Haneda, Tokyo's regional airport, but we need to go to Narita International Airport! The ANA staff checks their schedule, and the last flight to Narita is leaving in 20 minutes! It seems impossible to make it, but the staff really kicks in - they immediately take Jonathan's credit card and run away with it, while one of the staff escorts us (runs with us) all the way to the gate! At the gate, the credit card girl meets us so Jonathan can sign (everyone worked so hard that they were sweating!), and we make the flight! I can't tell you how incredible the service is - it seems like something like that could never happen in America! Soon we're at Narita and the American Airlines ticket counter - they have our situation printed out and ready to go, and we're able to get new tickets with a minimal fee. Previously Jonathan thought he was going to have to spend thousands of dollars for another ticket, but the American Airlines Japanese staff is incredible - not only do they only charge the small fee, but they adjust for the exchange rate so our cost will be even cheaper! We find our gate and have a quick bite to eat while we wait for our flight. Just before boarding, we get our seat assignments and see that we have been put in business class! It was incredible - truly a fantastic reward for our perilous day! We sink back in those huge plush seats, drink three glasses of champagne before we even leave the gate, and enjoy our entire flight home with great food, movies, and plenty of free booze. When we get off the plane in Dallas, it almost seems strange to see Americans again - the first thing I notice is overweight people, since I don't think I saw anyone with an ounce of fat for the past week! Still, it feels great to be almost home, and after another quick flight, we're in Austin. It was a truly fantastic trip - it was fun to share it with a good friend as a fellow traveler, nice to see a faraway friend again, and fun to make new Japanese friends while I was there. I don't think Japan has seen the last of me. |
| Japan | |
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10.31.2000
8:44 AM | Link |
 Now I'm a world traveler! I simply had to go to Japan since I could travel with Barron and Mariko and stay with Matt. Nine jam-packed days took me to Osaka, Tokyo, Kyoto and Himaji, experiencing shrines, temples, culture and nightlife (which means beer and sake!). Enjoy the Japan Journal, and be sure to claim your prize if you actually view all 600 photos.
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| Japan Journal 2000 | |
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8:43 AM | Link |
From October 27th to November 5th, 2000, I made my first truly exotic trip by traveling to Japan. I had two compelling reasons for going - to visit my pal Matt, who had recently moved to Osaka, and to travel with my friends Barron and Mariko, who were visiting Mariko's family. All nine days were packed with fun experiences and exciting culture shock, so I kept a daily journal during the trip. Here on WEBmikey, you can read each day's detailed exploits with selected photos, or click the camera icons to sort through almost 600 other photos! Japanese Girls: Very fashionable clothes are the norm (lots of leather jackets). Schoolgirls wear uniforms and hold their mouth to giggle at gaijin (foreigners) like me. Cuteness: Doraemon (robot cat) and Anpanman (bread-head superhero) are popular characters found everywhere. Even businessmen have cute characters on cell phone straps and antennas. Everyone reads manga (comic books). Oddities: Bathrooms don't have paper towels - people carry washcloths. Street crossing signs play music or bird sounds when crossing. Everything is available from vending machines, even sake or bottles of whiskey. Because trains stop soon after midnight, most nightlife ends early. |
| Day One: Traveling, Osaka | |
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8:42 AM | Link |
 After careful packing, I leave my passport at home! My only excuse is that Barron has my ticket, so I don't think about anything except clothes. Thankfully, Barron's first question to me at his house is "Do you have your passport?" So after freaking out, we swing by my place on the way to the airport and still have lots of time to spare. Now Barron is keeping my passport and tickets for the trip. Mariko tells me to call him otosan (father), so that's what I call him. In Dallas we have cookies at the Admirals Club, and we score on a business class upgrade, thanks to Barron's wiley mom. Now I'm having my second glass of champagne in my plush seat. Mariko is reading a Japanese newspaper, Barron is playing with his camera, and I am writing. Osaka is 6688 miles away - here we go! Barron tells me to say "you're welcome" as "don't touch my mustache" (do itashe mashte). Everything is funnier after champagne, and we're wearing slippers now, too. Six more hours - I try to convince myself that it's 9:30 am and that my two hour nap was my night's sleep. Barron and I keep getting up for a Snack Attack, as they list it in our menu.
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8:41 AM | Link |
 Two hours to go. This is when I go crazy - I've watched all the TV, read a whole book, and there is nothing to do but snack. I'm playing with a deck of cards and drinking coffee. My ears hurt from the headphones. First evening in Japan - we arrive, take a sleepy bus ride to Osaka from Kansai Airport, then a cab ride (complete with bow-tied driver) to Mariko's mother's apartment. It has been raining lightly, and I leave my kasa (umbrella) in the cab, of course. I remember at the last minute and snatch it before the cab gets too far. Mariko's mother meets us at the doorway with a konban wa (good evening). I meet her and Mariko's sister and have tea seated on cushions on the floor of the small but beautiful apartment. Barron and I watch baseball and laugh at okashii (funny) commercials. I use my entire Japanese vocabulary in minutes and wish I knew more.
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| Japan 2000 Day 1 | |
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8:40 AM | Link |
 All of us venture out for a quick train ride to Osaka Station to meet Matt at Big Man, a jumbotron TV in the station. Matt seems perfectly integrated, wearing his MD player and looking spiffy in suit and tie. All of us walk together to an okonomiyaki restaurant - a kind of pancake with lots of great ingredients, made on a griddle right in the middle of the table. We drink some nama biiru (draft beer) and enjoy the food. Barron and Mariko and family head home, but Matt and I meet with Glen, a fellow teacher from Australia, and head to a bar. After some terrible ordering, we talk and drink a few highballs. At Matt's apartment, we have more whisky and watch TV, taking some time to catch up. Tomorrow is shopping day. Tonight I will sleep on the floor and rest well after being awake for so long. Good night, Japan. View photos: Japan 2000 Day 1
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| Day Two: Osaka | |
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8:39 AM | Link |
 I watch Pokemon in Japanese while Matt runs to the convenience store to buy a towel for me to use. It has been a cold night, and I'm looking forward to coffee and shopping. Matt returns with excellent coffee in cartons that gets me going, and we head off in the misting rain, passing a park being cleaned by a group of young boys. We ride the train to Osaka Station and meet Barron and Mariko, who are already shopping for shoes. By now I need more coffee, so we have some along with ham-stuffed pastry. Next we all go to a camera store so Matt and Barron can shop - all of this still in Osaka Station, which is a huge maze full of multiple levels of underground shops and restaurants.
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8:38 AM | Link |
 Matt leaves for work, and Barron and Mariko and I continue to shop. I am amazed at the number of hentai magazines available - the Japanese cartoon porn industry - as well as the number of respectable men who read it. Mariko's mother and sister meet us for lunch, still in the labyrinth of the station, and we go to an incredible restaurant serving breaded fried pork. The meal is traditional with rice, miso soup, green tea, and the main course. We stuff ourselves.
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| Japan 2000 Day 2 | |
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8:37 AM | Link |
 After lunch Barron and I head out on our own to Osaka's electronics district - store after store of computers, cell phones, DVDs, MD players, and arcades. I buy some trinkets for myself and friends, and marvel at the salesmen wearing headsets, literally running to their next customer. Barron tries all day to convince me to buy an MD player, but I never do. (However, as I write, I wish I had - maybe tomorrow!) He buys his second MD player, and is pleased. We rest after shopping with two oki (large) beers as it starts to get dark. We leave and head back to Osaka Station to meet Matt and Glen. We go to a nice bar/snack place to meet their boss, an Australian woman who is leaving for another school. Barron orders wonderful new drinks for me - Calpi Sours, spiked Oolong tea and a drink with a plum sitting on the bottom of the glass. We munch on various snacks - fried pumpkin with cheese, ikayaki (grilled squid), and even pizza. At another table we see a formal "farewell from a job" party with tears and gifts and lots of bowing. Afterwards we spend some time at an arcade and eventually split up and walk home. After a quick white grape soft drink from a vending machine, I am asleep instantly. View photos: Japan 2000 Day 2
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| Day Three: Osaka | |
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8:36 AM | Link |
 My clothes smell like smoke, but I wear them since the mornings are so cold. Matt and I sleep in a little today, but finally head out in what is the first sunny day here - no need for my coat. We have breakfast coffee and pasty at Hansel, supposedly in Nishinomyia since 1917. Most of the customers seem to have been coming since then. On to the station, where we have more coffee (canned, from a vending machine) and talk to Ernesto, who calls Matt. Then suddenly we are back in Nippon Bashi (or as Matt tells me, Den Den Town), where I finally join the MD revolution and purchase the player I couldn't convince myself of yesterday. Back to the train, where we locker our things and ride to the coast to visit Osaka Aquarium. Next door to the aquarium is the world's largest Ferris Wheel, which is slow and enclosed and fantas |