I have returned from the Onsen today, having gone with a close friend of mine. WOW! AMAZING, SUGOI!!! We went to this place in Tokyo actually (most are located by natural hot springs...a bit outside of the city). The name is Oedo Onsen. So upon walking into this fabulously decorated establishment, we took our shoes and put them in a locker and took the key. Then we received our bracelets which had a number a barcode. The number was for the main locker and the barcode to keep track of all expenditures within the establishment. Next we received our rental Yukatas (Summer Kimonos - traditional Japanese dress)! We then walked into the main area and there were many different pictures on the wall, anime characters around and lanterns hanging, along with a slew of restaurants...it was like a theme park! This was new to my friend, who said he had never seen a place like this. We entered the bathroom changing area, removed our clothes and Yukatas (after taking many pictures of ourselves in the Yukatas) and explored the areas! There were all types of baths, so we tried the indoor ones and the outdoor ones! The indoor ones ranged from all different temperatures, super hot to super cold! We relaxed in the bubble bath one, and then headed to the micro-bubble bath, where some machine was producing this type of water and you could see the water appeared milky white. Then we had a shave and went to have lunch in the main area! We then relaxed a bit after lunch in this main room with tatami mats and headed up to the foot bath area! Unlike the baths, this area is not separated by gender, and everyone is fully clothed. You walk through these different pools about ankle to knee-high in depth which contain these smooth rocks which are laid out in different patterns on the bottom of these pools. I kept cringing and exclaiming "itai, itai!" meaing, "it hurts, painful!" haha, but it was interesting, and there was a sprinkler there too! Next we went up to the relaxation room! There we sat in superbly comfortable chairs and my buddy fell asleep! Some chairs even had television sets attached to them and you could also have paid for massage chairs! When I woke my friend up, we got some green tea ice cream downstairs and then we went back to the bath! We went to our favorite spot - the outside natural pool, hung out there for a bit before going in the super cold pool, the bubbly one and the sauna and another one or two. Then we went for real sit-down, traditional style Japanese showers, and grabbed a drink (milk for me, coffee for him). We finally gave back our yukatas and the dirty towels and gave our bracelets to the woman at the counter to scan. It is a very high-tech system, where every extra item you purchase such as food or souvenirs inside is added onto your "tab" which is held in the bar code of the bracelet and then you pay for it all at the end. (There is a receipt given for every additional purchase you make)...Oh and there is no time limit as to how long you stay either! It is 1980 yen to enter during the weekdays and 2180 yen during the weekends...either way about $25-$30 USD! This system pretty much eliminates error and the need for you to carry money around. I was very impressed...and then we got our shoes and left! It was a really wonderful bonding experience!!
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Tokyo is the world's largest Metropolis, and it can be a bit hectic. I recommend a week here ABSOLUTE MINIMUM. Let me do my best to break down the important areas for you:
Tokyo neighborhoods- Tokyo Station - here is perhaps Tokyo's most central hub. (Speaking of "The Hub", it is the also the name of a British pub that is relatively cheap, has 48 branches in Tokyo and brings in a lot of people and excitement, especially for soccer/sporting events!) Expect lots of crowds, but also a very upscale and modern feel here with the palace so close by! Ginza - NOT cheap...the cafes and bars will empty your wallet - try the 300 Bar - you can imagine the price of the drinks here... Shinjuku - this place is crawling with fun! You can find many bars and izakayas here! It may be the most visited area in Tokyo! Kabukicho - located in Shinjuku, and just within minutes of walking from Shinjuku station you can find Tokyo's notorious red light district here. It is more of a hassle than fun walking around as a single guy, because you will definitely get hassled (often physically). Guys go in a mixed-gender group or with a girl if you want to be left alone! Roppongi - a super modern area where there a bountiful amount of clubs! This is where most of the foreigners in Tokyo hang out. Shibuya - home to Tokyo's famous and largest crossing...prepare to get lost in the crowds! Here you will find a fair share of bars, along with a trendy clubbing scene! You will find fewer foreigners than Roppongi in this area and very fashionably dressed people! Harajuku - a part of Shibuya, you can find the infamous Meiji-Jingu Shrine here, along with a lot of cheap shopping on the famous Takeshitadori street! Here you will come across MANY strange fashion statements, trends such as gothic, lolita, girls looking like characters from Candy Land and beyond!!! Go explore for yourself and see what you find! Ueno - an entertainment district, however home to nature and cultural things such as temples as well. The zoo is here as well! Shimo Kitazawa - Live music, look no further. This place is not huge but you can certainly hear your fair share of live performances here! You can find some interesting bars here too! Akihabara - where otakus (Japanese "geeks") hang out. Here you can find a lot of anime and manga, pornography of all sorts shapes and sizes, sexy outfits, sex toys, maid cafes, and lots of electrical appliances (this is why it is called electric town). ***On a side note, Westerners would perceive Japan's sex culture as weird. It has more to do with cosplay (dressing up in sexy outfits), and fetishes that are considered taboo in the western world. The idea of school girls and of innocence and youth in general is seen as sexy unlike in Western culture where men are considered perverts for being attracted to girls as young as in high school.*** Asakusa - where the cheapest hostels can be found, backpackers you want to stay here. It is also home to a famous temple and the famous Tokyo Sky Tree (an extremely large tower)! Tsukiji - where the famous fish market is...prepare to arrive at 5am (or before) if you want to see the famous tuna auction (which takes place every day) because only 120 visitors are allowed to observe in the guest box! Ryogaku - this is where all of the Sumo action takes place. You can watch a match in the big stadium or catch the famous sumo's dish in one of the surrounding restaurants. You can even often visit a sumo stable to watch a practice (super early in the morning!!! 6-9am usually), but you must call one day before to ensure that it is okay that you visit. Ikebukuro - this area has many places to eat and a plethora of bars too...like Shinjuku but less well known. Takadanobaba - this student area is by Waseda University so expect to find many students here! Of course, along with the student population comes great deals for cheap shopping and a bunch of cheap bars and quick-eat shops! Back to my experiences...I went to Chiba last weekend and met some friends of my friend! It was a truly amazing experience! That group of friends had been friends for so long, and you could really feel the love! This was a very nice feeling, and I definitely felt accepted as a member of the group! We went to the grocery store to buy the food and drinks for our barbeque and ended up going to an old Samurai House (3 actually) before the barbeque! It was quite nice to see three different styles (broken down by economic status) of Samurai houses that are still in existence. I learned about how they cooked, ate, took baths, and about their overall lifestyles. I even saw some of the land that the feudal lords owned back in Japan's history when they reported to their leaders (shoguns I think they were called). The castle had been destroyed so we could not see it, but having my friend's friend as a guide was amazing...I felt so lucky! I really enjoyed seeing with my own eyes what I had learned about just a few semesters ago during my undergraduate degree! I had even wrote my final paper on Samurais so this experience was so cool for me! After the Samurai House experience, we visited a place that had a wind mill...European huh? I was explained that during the Edo Period (Mid 17 to 1900s in Japan) trade between Japan and other nations was closed...(this I knew) except that trade with the Netherlands still took place...in two places in Japan one in the West, and Sakura (in Chiba) where we were! It was cool to see the tangible evidence of the trade by observing the windmill!! Next, we went to have the Barbeque! The Japanese know how to cook. They also know how to prepare. This venue had been reserved for weeks, the proper tools were given to us, the day was lovely and the sky blue, the Sangria-making process having been started 20 days earlier... I just enjoyed everyone's company and the amazing assortments of meats, breads and vegetables, along with trying numerous new drinks (and creating some of our own!!! Pocari Sweat - a sports rehydration drink mixed with Sangria, POCAGRIA!!! Pretty good!!!) We all caught sunset together that night, before heading back to watch a video of the same group of people on a trip they had taken a few years ago! The video was so well-put together with pictures, videos and songs that I was supremely impressed. I thought about how detailed it really was, and remembered how long it took me to make a film like this of a much shorter duration of time with Windows Movie Maker...HOURS!!! So to achieve the quality of this video and for its length, who KNOWS how many hours this guy put into it! This was such a cool way to remember a wonderful trip that I was really inspired! Next weekend I am going back to Chiba to hang out and help them put the video of OUR BARBEQUE experience!! Yokohama was another side trip that I took from Tokyo. It proved to be amazing too!! I met with a friend and got to go to a festival, was guided through the famous (and Japan's biggest) Chinatown, saw the harbor and some parks, visited a famous garden called Sankeien Garden and even saw antique foreigner houses! One morning I had the lovely experience of helping to teach my friend's class! These kids were so cute!!! They were between a few months and 3 years old and we practiced identifying colors, introducing ourselves, painted fans together, sang songs and I read a story to them! I really enjoyed it and had a lovely time! I went to my first sento (bathhouse) there. If you are from a Western country, you might not feel comfortable taking all of your clothes off in front of many strangers and bathing in a variety of types of baths. Well, in Japan, as shy as they are they have no problem at all doing this...and all Japanese LOVE it! At first I felt a bit uncomfortable but after a while got used to it and really enjoyed the experience! We have this idea in our heads that it is weird, but I can now see it in another light having tried it. When we entered we had to pay for our ticket through a vending machine (as is normal in Japan). I left my shoes in the locker outside of the bath and then went in with my clothes on. I removed my clothes and put them inside of another locker (for all lockers you must hold the key but for the ones right before getting wet they give you a water-resistant band with a key that slides in and out of visibility to wear around your wrist so no worries about losing it! Before entering the bath I had to take water from a bin and wash my body, and then it was off to the races!!! I tried all of the different types of baths, ranging from large basins, to REALLY HOT and REALLY COLD baths or "pools of water" we can call them. Some were inside and some outside! For the ones outside, some baths even had rocks and were made to seem very natural. There was no roof at part of it so I felt out in the open and even in the middle of a big city it felt quite natural! I was able to try some of the pools that produced bubbles so strong that you had to hold on to the railings provided! I even laid down on the ground with my head on a stone for a bit and then made my way to the relaxing zone where you do the same but on a more comfortable surface with water flowing all around your body. I finally made it to the sit-down shower where I had a nice shave before heading out! I had to wipe my body off before entering the locker room to put my clothes back on. What a different and nice experience! From Yokohama I took a day trip to visit Kamakura. I saw one of the main temples there along with the many Sake storage bins, really cool! I also saw one of the five famous Zen temples! Later I took a stroll on the famous Yuigihama beach before heading back to Yokohama! Kamakura's old town was beautiful and reminded me a lot of Kyoto so I intend to return to do more sightseeing there! Upon my return, I tried one of Japan's diners which was very nice! It was inexpensive (for JAPANESE standards) and you just push the button (as usual) to have the waitor or waitress come over to you and take your order. In some places, you can actually order everything right on the electronic screen. I took a day to see a University friend while back in Tokyo! By visiting the Asakusa area and getting information from a hostel, I learned a lot! We visited the skytree and caught a sunset from a tower in Shinjuku that is free to enter (forgot the name, but you do not need to pay for a good view in Tokyo, there are places to see it for free!) I also attended a friend's Soka Gokkai meeting the other night and observed! The chanting took a lot of time, aimed at raising energy and a group feeling of togetherness. Two important goals seem to be to respect the laws of the universe and to chant to bring good karma. An article was discussed after the chanting and I felt lucky enough to have a translator! It was a story about a trumpet player who found a connection through Soka Gokkai and then we all shared a story or an event from the week! Overall, a wonderful learning experience about a religion which I belive perhaps 10% of Japan practices... Random: - in many places where you receive service, it is not uncommon for the worker to kneel down on one or both knees when speaking with you as a sign of respect. I have seen this in department stores and even pharmacies!!! - the Japanese never floss. - Smoking areas are so rare outdoors that smokers often smoke in the house! ...smoking inside many establishments such as sections of restaurants and even McDonalds are okay. (By the way you can buy a McDonalds gift card out of a vending machine here!) I believe it is so that Japan's streets are kept clean. It is the COMPLETE opposite of the USA and most places I have been where oftentimes smokers struggle to find a spot INDOORS to smoke so they go outside to smoke! - Apparently there are no janitor jobs in Japanese schools because the children have a certain time each day where they clean. They are taught MUCH different values than in most societies I know. It is DEFINITELY different than China and India where instead of cleaning, the kids contribute to the garbage problem by polluting because they are taught that it is okay to do!!! Also, lunch seems to work differently in the schools - it is delivered rather than bought and the children all eat together! Cleaning and eating times should be a good way to meet and connect with the children on a more personal level! - I played a Japanese Samurai or Ninja game (I think it was Tenchu) where I kept hearing this really strange "complaining-sounding" noise from an insect, almost a whining bug noise in the background. Strangely enough, in natural locations here in Japan where there are many trees, forests, plants, etc. I HEAR IT!!! It is like the cicada but has a different, whining tone to it. - AKB48 is a pop group here in Japan, falling under the J-Pop (Japanese Pop) category. There is a strange obsession with these 48 young, attractive female singers, which can get a little nutty when you find their pictures in areas like Akihabara. Others strongly dislike them! I have settled into Tokyo now and am enjoying the life here. Japan seems to have price controls set in place. Whenever you walk into a convenience store like a Family Mart or a Seven Eleven, the prices are relatively the same if not identical. Even at touristy locations, and in Tokyo (the most expensive city in many ways) you will find that the prices remain the same in the convenience stores which I think is fair and I like!!
I may have mentioned this in the past, but Japan is CLEAN and it can often be difficult to find a garbage can!!! There are MANY types of recycling bins and this can get rather confusing to a foreigner...the best way is to look at the pictures (if there are any) and even this can be unclear... Japan's food is FRESH. Everything ranging from the food served in convenience stores to the food served in restaurants is fresh and there is a lot of care taken in keeping it and serving it that way. I have never heard of anyone having any issues with food poisoning here (although I am sure that it has happened on rare occasion). I believe that any food over one day old is thrown away. The raw food that is served is kept fresh too...there must be some government regulations concerning this matter. So the sink/shower combination is not uncommon in a Japanese home. However, for a foreigner such as myself this combination is rather strange and has caused me much misfortune. On more than one occasion, upon preparing for bed and aiming to turn the sink on to brush my teeth, I have accidentally wet half of my body to my dismay... Kabukicho is the most well-known red light area in Tokyo and possibly in all of Japan! I expected to see glamorous young ladies dressed up in all sorts of costumes, aiming to seduce possible patrons into coming in for a drink and potentially more. WRONG. Actually, what you find are a handful of Japanese gentleman (whose English is usually decent) aiming to guide you inside of their establishments and more than a few dark-skinned fellows from all around the globe who make you feel anything but comfortable, trying so hard (even physically) to get you inside of their bars. This actually made me quite uncomfortable and not want to visit the area again at night time. Upon shopping with a friend, a strange situation (in my opinion occurred). She finished shopping, brought the item to the front desk and then had to actually go upstairs to another floor to pay! Once she paid and brought the receipt down, she was able to take her purchase with her. Also while accompanying a friend in the hospital, a similar situation occurred, where she went to pay, but actually had to wait to insert the card she was given until her number was called. I find that Japan's organization systems can be so orderly that I am unused to it and actually find it strange and confusing at times! The 1,000 yen haircut is a budget traveler's dream! You pay the vending machine for your haircut (500 Yen for just your bangs [girls usually] and you pay 1000 for a haircut). The job is supposed to take 15 minutes, but can and usually takes upwards of 30 minutes. barbers are neat and efficient, using a large hose which I have never seen before to suck all of the hair off of your face! You leave feeling tidy and clean, and with a heavier wallet than you would have had you visited a normal barber shop! On the topic of vending machines, I have found machines specializing in selling each of the following items: cigarettes, red bulls, cold drinks (energy and sport drinks, etc.), beer, condoms, and USED WOMEN's UNDERWEAR! Actually, that machine was more like a gumball machine, where you put in 500 yen and you got a random pair of used panties! I have heard there are actual vending machines selling these "goods" however there are probably few if any left because apparently it recently became ilWhat a strange place it really is here... Walmarts are not in Japan, however their INFLUENCE is. I saw Walmart bags the other day in the grocery store. I also have seen many times, the "Great Value" brand on sale, which I know to be Walmart's brand. Globalization 2012.0 folks - it's here, it's real, it's scary. Please stop taking over the world Walmart, thanks! On another random note, the Japanese are never just free to hang out, always busy! Unlike where I could just send a message a day or two before to friends in Taiwan for example, the culture here seems quite different. It appears that you must make formal plans with the Japanese and a good deal of time before the date in order to see them. If you ask plans the same day or a few days away, from my experience at least it seems that you are unlikely to have any luck...another example of how organized Japan is - its own people's behavior! Japan is a country of utmost beauty. Nara is a great exemplar of Japan's beauty and is an AMAZING day trip from Osaka (and even from Kobe or Kyoto) because the Japanese trains connect all major locations well! Japan Railways (JR) along with Hanshin and Hankyu have lines running through the Kansai region so it pays to do your research first to find the quickest and cheapest trains! Almost every Japanese person has a way to find this out with their smartphones now. Back to Nara: if you get out at the Kintetsu Nara station (Hanshin Line I believe) it puts you in great access to see the small natural place! You can get a tourist map in English right in the train station and get really helpful information from some pretty friendly English-speaking staff...all for free!! You can walk all around Nara and see soo many beautiful things...once again, FOR FREE! You come to a point where you DO NOT NEED to pay JUST TO ENTER every temple you see. Oftentimes, you can enter the grounds of the temple and only have to pay for to enter a certain portion of the place (This is true in Kyoto as well, for example beautiful Ryoanji Temple is free, except for the 500 yen charge of seeing a the Zen Rock Garden, which is not worth your money anyway in my opinion). So the deer are amazingly friendly as well, much unlike the ones from back home in New York that run away from people as soon as one comes too close. There are some beautiful temples and pagodas lined around the main walking area. The best part is that it is ALL walkable and doable in one day! When you explore some of the smaller temples and nature you can find some visually appealing views and sunset-watching spots!
Yesterday in Kyoto I saw Kinkakuji Temple (400 Yen). This Golden Temple has three levels and each level has its own architectural style. The place is surrounded with a beautiful pond and this was perhaps the most beautiful place I visited in Kyoto so far! Later that night I went to a maiko performance. A maiko is a geisha in training. They wear the same dress usually, but are younger. They wear very traditional Japanese dress (usually kimonos) with wooden clogs and thin socks. Their faces are a little child's worst nightmare, painted a GHOSTLY white, while the rest of their makeup is quite distinguishable from the rest of their face, like the red lipstick which catches your eye from quite far away. They "flirt" from what I understand, while having conversations with the customers to entertain them (although I don't understand much because it is in Japanese), along with performing a fascinating dance routine. There were two dancing together in the performance that I saw and there were fans involved, so cool wow!! You cannot generally be entertained by a geisha unless you already know her or you have a friend of hers or a current client introduce you. They are quite mysterious, and there are rumors that they can be prostitutes but I cannot attest to the validity of that, for I do not know. One thing I can say is that their company usually requires upwards of 15-20,000 Yen, which would be about a $200-300 USD night...Japan is not for the poor I state again and again. Today I got up early and stopped at a temple and got some breakfast at the bus stop where I needed to transfer buses. Then, I headed to Kiyomizudera which is a temple up high which has a decent garden! I hung out in the preserved old Kiyomizu Area for a while after, and even caught a glimpse of a geisha and a maiko...OR SO I THOUGHT! Apparently the ones you see in the daytime are not REAL ones I am told. How should I know?? They looked real to me! How can one tell the difference between the real ones and the frauds?? Kiyomizudera was nice, but I liked Kinkakuji better! Then I took a bus to Tofukuji Temple and after that headed over to the Fushimi Inari Shrine! That place was really cool, offering hundreds of these red gates placed closely together, forming a walkway...and can continue walking for QUITE some time up the mountain. From there I headed to Ryoanji temple and explored the pond and forest there, LOVELY! I just did not pay for the overrated rock garden (as stated before). I then visited Ninnaji Temple before finally exploring a path by my friend's house and calling it a day. Wow, what a day!! Tenryuji Temple is lovely, has a beautiful garden and pond and behind the exit is a MUST-SEE Bamboo Garden!!! Notes: - The bus system in Kyoto is WAY more convenient for getting to almost all major sites than the metro so during your stay in Kyoto I recommend that you buy the One Day Bus Pass EVERYDAY you plan to tour. It is 500 yen and you can purchase it on the first bus you jump on in the city (does not matter which one). You can also buy it at Kyoto station (The main railway (JR) and bus station). Also, each ride costs 220 Yen whereas the all day pass is 500, so take a bus to one location and back and you are already only 60 yen short of getting the full card's value for the day! - If you are on a budget, do your research first as to what places you want to visit and map out a subway or metro gameplan. Taxis are WAY too expensive here. Also, check entrance fees because those add up quickly and much of the money paid is not worth it!! Check the following out: http://www.templefees.com - Bus drivers (especially in Kyoto) will bow and recite some sort of really polite oral discourse, something along the lines of "thank you so much for riding this bus". Though the "blah blah blah maaaaaaaaaassss" sounds a LOT like Darth Vader of Star Wars (especially reminds me of this with the dusk masks they wear), it is a super friendly experience! There are even notifications that the driver will change, and and an electronic screen tells you the next stop in Japanese AND English. When you wait at any major bus stop, there is a moving icon depicting how far away the next bus you are waiting for is, wow!!! - Random, but Asians all put their blood type on facebook and Westerners do not. Please have a look if you do not believe me...also don't forget to check facebook anyway for all the awesome pictures that go along with these whacky tales!!! So I have been learning oral Japanese since I arrived here and I can actually put together a pretty poorly constructed couple of sentences and get my point across in basic conversations now, WOW! Only two weeks here and I am certainly making progress, let's GO!!! I have also begun learning a bit of written Japanese. This is a LOT more difficult however, because there is not just one alphabet like English has, rather three!!! Japanese consists of the Kanji, which are the characters (which originally came from Chinese), the Hiragana, which are all sorts of strokes that comprise strange shapes but have a more curvy feel to them than the Kanji do. The Katakana, from what I understand, is more commonly used to represent words that come directly from English like "bowling". Also, the Kanji can represent words, concepts and sounds, where as Hiragana only carries a sound. Usually Japanese is written in a mixture of mainly Kanji, with words such as "no" and "wa" (in, mine, etc.) written in Hiragana.
The characters can be written right to left and up to down. Therefore when you read a magazine it is not uncommon that you would read it in the reverse fashion as we would in the United States, beginning from the "back cover" and making your way to what we know to be the "front cover". You also often find that Japanese is written in the direction in which we are used to seeing it (left to right and top to bottom). You can hear people saying "sumimasen" (which means "excuse me" or "sorry" generally) all over the place, and particularly in the grocery stores and areas where you receive service. It is quite comical to hear these people yelling out their oral routines in the stores when someone walks into the store; they don't have to actually be close to anyone to say "excuse me" or "sorry" so it's quite weird for me to watch. Another interesting insight into Japanese culture is the word "samishi". This directly translates into English as "lonely". So, the act of telling someone you miss them would be expressed as "samishi". Here, we see that the human connection is removed, because nobody is saying "I" or "you" or even the word "miss", rather just the word "lonely" is spoken and from one person saying "samishi" the other person is supposed to understand that this COULD be because of them. The lack of expressing oneself in Japanese culture, perhaps due to embarrassment or shyness is quite interesting in how it manifests itself in the Japanese society and in how it shapes daily life interactions. There is a phrase in Japanese, "ki tsukai" which means "to not hurt others' feelings". This is a big part of Japanese culture, and the reason why people find the Japanese to be so kind. Although you might find yourself wondering who is actually genuinely kind and who is putting on an act, I can tell you that it is certainly a pleasant place to be. There are not really many arguments and fighting almost never occurs. Even in a simple situation like using a restroom, you would never have to worry about someone banging on the stall door asking if you are almost done yet or telling you to hurry up. The Japanese wait patiently outside the door until you are finished. One other escapade is trying to get a phone in Japan. Unless you have a visa, a Japanese address or some kind of connection, don't count on getting a Japanese phone. I figured I could get one used or a SIM card for my crappy phone, but this proved to be a lot more complicated than I had anticipated. It turns out that I probably should have rented one at the airport if I wanted one...however the prices just to have the phone were about $2-3 USD a day, plus no text messaging, and each call was about $1 a minute, LOCAL! That is a bit too takai (expensive) if you ask me! To confuse the process of securing a phone even more, the Japanese thought it'd be comical to have one of their three main phone companies, (Docomo, au, and Softbank) Softbank, (pronounced "Softa-bank" haha) have the word BANK in it!!! As for my happenings recently, I have been back and forth between Osaka and a smaller city called Kobe. Kobe is known for its beef, which is way too expensive to even consider trying. I visited the port and it was quite lovely! I also checked out an observatory with a friend where I got a great view of the city at night!! Kobe is quite an international city, and you can find lots of varieties there! I FINALLY went to a restaurant with the sushi plates that come around on a belt (similar to when you are waiting for your luggage to come off of the plane in the aiprort)! Naturally I was so enthralled to finally experience this that I took several videos! There are four colors of plates, each one bringing along its own price. The selections ranged from about $1.50 a plate to $4 or $5 and to my surprise they had several vegetarian options! There was one with rice and sweet egg bound together with seaweed, another is wrapped in seaweed and has vegetables and mayonnaise inside...by the way the Japanese mayonnaise is AMAZING!!! It just seem to have the right ingredients in it to make it an amazing addition to and even substitution for (Kidding, well... hahaha) a meal!! Finally, there is a type of vegetarian sushi which I have encountered that has Nato (the semi-sour flavored beans) mixed with rice, wrapped all together with seaweed. So the word "sashimi" refers to the raw fish that is often thought of when the word "sushi" is uttered, and many types of raw fish are present in a multitude of sushi dishes. "Sushi" generally refers to raw foods, and is usually wrapped in seaweed. I also went on a day trip with some friends to Okayama, and elsewhere in Hyogo Prefecture (not Kobe) to see my friend's family and baby, so cute!! Have you tried finding wifi in Osaka? I have, and I have news, it is NOT an easy task! When you finally find it in select McDonalds for example, you are generally required to have an account with some company and a password to use it...so that's no good, what do you do? Go to Osaka Station and find the Hotel Granvia Osaka. Their network is free to use and once you log on you will be asked for a password on the access page, which is conveniently written on an easily visible card at the reception desk, so surf away!!! Also noteworthy is that I attended a festival in Osaka recently and it was quite cool!! I had never seen so many Yukatas (light or "summer" versions of the traditional Kimono). There was a big mix of modern, traditional and a whole bunch of fireworks! When I asked about the meaning behind the festival however, that was unknown. Little things about this culture intrigue me, and about how things just work. It is hard to recall all of the stimuli that my brain processes on a daily basis, but things like how doors slide into place, the way things are made, etc. just seem quite high-tech at times and function superbly (and I have not been to Tokyo yet, where technology is notoriously working at its finest). The Japanese make me wonder, "why don't we do it like this at home? This makes sense..." One other thing, they drive on the left side of the street here and the steering wheel is on the right.. WOW, what a first few days in Japan! Talk about getting a mouthful of Japanese culture...this place is WILD! I arrived safely and went to my buddy Yoshihiro's place to spend the night. We went out for some food and then went back and relaxed. I have spent the past couple of days exploring the city, checking out various temples, monuments, shopping centers and eateries.
The culture here REALLY stands out from other places I have been. Perhaps this sense of preserved and/or closed off culture is due to the fact that for nearly 200 years, Japan traded with no other countries in its somewhat recent history. The anime (Japanese-style animated cartoons) can be found everywhere, and especially in a location called Den Den Town! Here you can find everything from pictures, videos, action figures, costumes and much more! These stores, often several stories high, also cater to the adults with dirty versions of anime (VERY dirty) and even sections with actual pornography (which Japan is notorious for). I even stumbled past very young girls posing in bikinis which was quite bothersome, so I took the name of the company down to investigate it a bit more when I have some time. On a place called Otaku street, you can even find women dressed up as maids, inviting you in for coffee. If you choose to partake in this, you would pay an exhorbitantly large fee to have coffee with one of them while they spit out puns and strange sayings (I am told). You can find people dressed in all sorts of costumes here. The word "Otaku" refers to someone who is obsessed with anime and pretty much does nothing but immerse them self in that world...perhaps fantasizes about these characters without having meaningful relationships in real life. The Japanese all claim NOT to be Otakus, although certainly some must be if the term exists in Japanese, no? There are debates on whether women can be considered Otakus or not.. Otakus create some wildly interesting things and post much of it on youtube. There is a female anime character that a friend told me about called Hatsune Miku but the crazy thing is that it is actually a computer program. With this program you can use this "ghost-like" girl to sing songs and she will say whatever you program her to say. She has pigtails and died blue har and has even been featured in some famous television commercials here in Japan!! The anime magazines are so popular, that even outside of locations geared towards those otakus and other semi-normal humanoids who enjoy reading the books, you can find these magazines, such as in local 7-11s. You can even find Japanese businessmen before and during work checking them out! Hey man, shouldn't you be working?? The language: it's a lot like Spanish in terms of pronunciation, so I do alright with that...and although I am struggling to communicate, I am making progress! The Japanese are so kind and will always try to help you if you ask. They are just shy, and for that reason do not speak much English with you. Some because they cannot, but others I have found just because they are shy and if you speak slowly you can have a coherent conversation...it's just breaking through that shyness barrier, which is a HUGE part of Japanese culture that you can feel in almost all aspects of daily life. They are very respectful and helpful people, but some argue that it is a front because they will never truly tell you how they feel...I am in the process of determining my own opinion on this matter. I can say that Japanese people do not talk about their feelings often. I wonder if they have deep talks about life, because what I can say is that the most meaningful conversations I have had in my life are philosophical, questioning things about life and talking about feelings, so if they do not do this I wonder what kind of conversations they get enjoyment out of...is this society just a huge matrix?? The Japanese are STYLISH! The men often have a style of wearing their hair long but layered diagonally across their face, (not all) and with the women you can find anything, everything and more! The one common denominator is usually the makeup. Japanese girls love it, pure and simple. Most wear a lot, a rare few might only wear a little bit but some even look like they've used an entire store's supply in one morning's daily dose of the materials.. Noticeable features: heavy around the eyes with LONG, black eyelash extensions, heavy on the blush - their cheeks are usually QUITE pink or red...and some crazy hair styles and extensions. Clothes in some areas can get exotic, chaotic and flat out strange! ...especially in the most fashionable of areas such as America Mura (American Village) and Dotonburi bridge you might only find the occasional person such as me NOT dressed up! The main areas have people yelling out about bargains and along the Dotonburi bridge particularly, where there are many posters, interesting signage and lively folks handing out flyers and trying to get you into their shops (definitely NOT shy...Japenese COUNTERculture :) ) ...you can even get a few free items there! I got a free takoyaki (which is octopus ball, made of course of octopus mixed with some milky sauce until it is cooked)! Also on the topic of food, I have had otonomiyaki which is a mix of veggies and some powder to hold the mix together plus WHATEVER else you want in it, topped off with a delicious sauce reminding my taste buds most of soy sauce. For breakfasts most mornings with Yoshihiro I have eaten rice with sticky soy sauce and beans along with miso soup. I have also tried rice with raw egg and soy sauce, along with some udon noodles (with and without soup) MMM! We in the USA seem to think raw foods cause problems and poisoning, perhaps due to the bacteria, however the Japanese eat many raw things - eggs, fish, etc. and they seem to be doing fine...different styles, but perhaps the bacteria is different in the two places. One nice thing is that the tap water here is drinkable...finally! This is the first time I have been able to drink tap water in ONE WHOLE YEAR!!! I have also tried such foods as sobu noodles and inanizushi (a three-dimensional pyramid-shaped food with a tofu-like outside with sticky rice inside). When eating some of these dishes in certain locations you enter, pop in the amount necessary for your purchase (usually with coins) and then once you put enough into the machine, the different foods light up although mostly written in Japanese so you may have to reference the sign, ask some people and/or do a lot of pointing to get your point across (assuming that the product is in stock or can be made with the current materials). You get a little ticket and your change back and then give it to the man behind the usually-curvy or u-shaped bar where you sit. Some restaurants you can sit on the floor and I have heard others have food (mainly sushi) on conveyor belts from which you would select like taking your airplane baggage...apparently they are color-coded by price...a lot of Japan is organized in these strange ways.. Japanese houses are quite interesting..they are generally quite small and many people sleep on the floor. Many places (public and private) have toilets that have all sorts of gadgets from "underside washing functions", to fake flushing sounds and some even have a sink attached to the top of the toilet that begins running once you flush it and then that water is drained down into the toilet for the next use...smart AND efficient!. You can even find a drying mode for clothes that happens via a fan in some bathrooms and "click" lights, where the button looks like the large, rectangular ones you may be used to seeing where you push in one direction to turn them on and one to turn them off, but these stay mounted in the one direction in which they are locked onto the wall and only once you push hard enough does the reaction occur; the button goes back to the same side where you found it, never switching over to the other side.. The Japanese will often cross their arms or wrists and this means "no". I had heard of some cases where this behavior was taken as racism because this signal was given right when the person walked in the door. I am not sure if that is the case, or if it is due to the fact that they cannot or are too embarrassed to speak English.. Also noteworthy is the bowing. It is done by service people such as those at convenience stores or waiters and waitresses and is a sign of respect. If you do it back to them it is very kind and respectful as it is not expected of you :) You are supposed to bow to elders whom you do not know well, and actually the "desuka" is a polite form to use in these sort of situations as well. As the Japanese are quite respectful, you will often hear these words being used! :) The Japanese also makes noises (and this is how I can identify them when outside of Japan) like "ehhhhhhh" and "ohhhhhhhhh" and hold them out for extended periods of time. This is to show that they are listening to you and interested in what you are saying. I was lucky enough to touch down in Seoul and be greeted by a couchsurfer who would take me in for a few nights! He cooked me a home-cooked Korean meal in the morning, of course after we had went out for a traditional Korean style pancake the night I arrived! He even ordered what they call here "Chinese food" here, which is quite different than both Chinese foods in China and the U.S.A. He also took me out dancing a few nights and we had a blast! We spent a Friday night in the typical way that Koreans do, spending hours eating Barbeque and drinking beer and Soju...only to be topped off with some Karaoke! Koreans friends seem to act like family and you had better believe that competition among peers within the Karaoke realm can get fierce! You are considered to be "1" year old when you are born, so when a Korean tells you their age, expect it to be one year more than what we in the U.S.A. and most of Western cultures would declare. Actually, although birthdays are celebrated on the day on which you were born, Koreans consider everyone to turn one year older on the 1st of January each year. Although seemingly rude in many cultures, it is common that one of the first questions you will be asked is "how old are you?" here in Korea. This is not out of sheer curiosty, but also a modest attempt to know how to address you. As I mentioned earlier friends are like family and they refer to one another as such, "older brother", "older sister", etc. I had such a wonderful and authentic Korean experience with Chungbo (my host)!
After spending a few days with Kyungbo and meeting up with some of my international buddy from UAlbany's friends (she made me an itinerary!!!), I was off to the Hongdae area to spend a few nights in a hostel. This is the university area and its absolutely nuts! FILLED with people on weekends and quite crowded on weekdays as well! What a cool experience to try some different cafes and korean style foods in the area. Street vendors are there too. The area boasts some wild nightlife as well, with clubs such as Coccoon hoppin' every night!!! Others get crowded on the weekend, and there is a bar called "Vent" where you can secure a Banana Beer for 4,000 Won, (about $3.50 USD) and a place directly above the infamous club Coccoon called "Terrace" which will dish out strong draft beers at 1,500 Won (About ($1.25 USD) while also treating you to a fantastic view of the city...what's better than that?!?!?! Itaewon is a strange area. It is a mix of Muslims, U.S. Military, transgender people and some wild Koreans! The only Mosque in all of Seoul is located here and there is also a heavy U.S. presence because the U.S. military base is so close by that the G.I.s often frequent this location. It is a wild entanglement of all sorts of cultures where (perhaps due to the US Military) you can purchase larger sized clothing! Also, here in Itaewon another couchsurfer took me to a lovely spot for food and drinks and then up to a rooftop where we could see the whole city, cars, flashing lights, the river, etc. I really like those type of moments when you have real conversations with someone in that environment and you can reflect on your life and the world. Sometimes it feels like a scene out of a movie, and I also have this picturesque movie feeling when I get onto a plane to go to the next location and I hear music...I feel like it is a theme song for my ongoing travels! I was lucky enough to meet up with my international buddy, and spent some nights at her family's home in Donghae..WOW! The mother is a fantastic cook, the dog has its ears and tail painted green, the Grandma is hilariously random, and the father so kind and modest! How would I know this? I don't even speak Korean! Well, through numerous translations I was able to get the jist of it! I could not believe that after we climbed the Valley, her family would take us to a "condominium", which was a secret codeword to disguise a 5-star Korean Vacation resort! I slept on the floor however, Korean style with lots of padding and mattresses, not to worry! The parents brought along an interesting Australian couple who are looking to start a homestay for Koreans when they return! It was really fascinating to chat with and get to know everyone better. Due to the father's connection with a former student, we not only got hooked up with the room with perhaps the best view and a deilicious dinner consisting of the local specialty dish of that area, but free Sauna tickets as well! Don't go to a Korean or Japanese bathhouse (in Japanese it is called an Onsen) expecting to keep your clothes on or to retain your privacy. These are communal style ordeals, and a lot less strange than you might think once you actually check them out for yourself! Lastly on this topic, the family was kind enough to take me out to eat so many times, get pizza and a cake for my birthday, take me to a waterfall and even taking me to an organic flower plantation with a theme of peace, prosperity and positive thinking...all the while assuring that I did not pay a dime. Unreal hospitality, I was (and still am) amazed. I then moved onto a city called Gyeongju where I met some nice people that I hope to connect with again in Japan! I visited some ancient tombs, which are covered by huge grass hills in parks here..(quite strange actually) and had some walks passing by an observatory, through a forrest and along an amazingly beautiful pond at night! I was able to finally do a workout with a benchpress and some light weights in the hostel, man that felt good! I realized when I weighed myself in the bathhouse that I have lost about 20 pounds since my departure for Asia, wow!!! This is due to eating less perhaps, and at stranger hours, along with not having a set workout schedule, which leads to not working out as much unfortunately as the facilities have not been available. As I may have mentioned in other posts, it is quite hard to maintain a gym membership when you will be heading to your next location within a few days and the facilities usually want a committment of at least a few months. My next stop was Busan, and I stayed in Haeundae Beach here..what madness! I saw drunken Korean women trying to brawl in broad daylight! The beach was quite nice and a stroll at night was quite great too! There is a good deal of things to checkout, but a bit pricy by the beach area!! I was astonished by how many coffee shops are around South Korea!! Back to Seoul, then Osaka here I come!! Random Facts: 1) Many Korean wear hats (often of US baseball teams). 2) Plastic surgery is QUITE common here, and more than half of the women (at least in the bigger cities...I think maybe even all of Korea) have had work done mainly on their eyes and nose, and sometimes their face. Even some guys who are expected to maintain a certain image (usually performers) will undergo the surgery. 3) Restaurants and even individual people tend to be a lot more meticulous recylcing and the way they go about it (as was similar case in Taiwan). The recycling is actually generaly split into 3 minimum and as many as 6 categories! 4) Some restaurants that deliver will actually come back to collect some items given like plates and bowls. 5) When Koreans speak English, they often say things like "you had better"...instead of "you might want to", sounding a bit arrogant in nature, but I understand that it is the way they have learned the language. Also expect the "w" and "p" sounds to be confused, once again due to concerns in the native tongue. Expect to hear "my wipe (or 'wipuhhh') is so wonderful" when a Korean man might actually be trying to tell you about his significant other, not a restroom item which he is particularly fond of... 6) I feel a bit ashamed that I have not learned more Korean before I came. I would have liked to but was put off by the fact that I will be spending such a short period of time here. I learned a few phrases however, and was told by many that Korean is quite easy to learn. The alphabet and characters don't seem to complex, and there are no tones (unlike Mandarin Chinese). Taiwan has been an interesting stop for me. I decided I wanted to venture onto this island after being in mainland China. Why? I wanted to improve my Mandarin Chinese, and to compare and contrast the cultures and the peoples. The Taiwanese culture still holds some elements of traditional Chinese culture, yet is a lot more Western in many aspects than China is. The smoking on public transportation seems to be nonexistent, unlike Taiwan's counterpart China where you cannot get away from the smoke! Also evident is that the level of English overall is higher, or should I say that there are more people in Taiwan who have a decent grasp of English...more so than in China. That is good and bad. Good because communication is easier, bad because I would rather be communicating in Chinese and learning many times. The Taiwanese people also don't make a large loogie sound and spit all over the road as I found occurs a lot in China.
I have spent most of my time here in Taipei, the capital. It is a well-connected city that is pretty cheap! Somehow I have been spending too much money though :( It is quite well-connected by the metro too! The metro runs from either 5 or 6am until midnight which is quite convenient! The only issue is for the night owls like me who frequent late night venues, and rest assure Taipei has a fair share of them...more than any other spots in Taiwan. I visited Yehliu National Park while here, which was an ornately adorned mix of varied rock formations, showing the effects of the environment on the rocks! Super cool, check out the photos on facebook! I also got the opportunity to visit Taipei's third largest city, Taichung! I had a nice time there, seeing another modern element of Taiwanese culture! I have been working on learning how to speak Mandarin Chinese with people on the street and people I meet. I have learned how to write the names of the two cities I have visited (Taipei and Taichung) in characters...and have a napkin with my name written on it, although I have not memorized that one...it's COMPLICATED! I feel like I should have learned how to write more in my time here, but at least I am learning a little bit. If I come back, for sure I will begin learning how to write more and turn my speaking abilities up a notch! We have experienced an earthquake and typhoons here, WHOA! Everything is okay, but let's hope there are no issue with my flight out to Seoul, South Korea on Wednesday June 20th! More to come soon!! Boracay Island is the Philippines' largest tourist attraction and the "why is that?" question is quite evident once you arrive at the Caticlan airport. The see-through and turquoise waters beckon your name from the instant you set eyes upon them. Taking the ferry from the port to Boracay is an exciting 15 minutes of your life! The water on this White Beach is turquoise and see-through blue as well as you enter, and becomes a fierce dark blue as the sand descends and the depth increases. Paradise would be an understatement. The main path is littered with stores, bars, nightclubs, eateries, ATMs and even a mall (Off towards the town a bit)!! The island has secluded beaches as well, yet this is the most visited one! The best part? It is all within walking distance!
The nightlife in Boracay I thought to be dead the first two nights I was here. This is because I did not see anything much happening in the bars at 10/11pm. Simply put, I had went home too early. The following day I heard a story from our neighbors that there was a big disturbance because a drunken fellow had grabbed and then proceeded to grind upon my neighbors' sisters' rear end; I knew I needed to see Boracay's nightlife. In my own experience, I was the one whose rear was being groped (numerous times), and incessantly harassed by many girls - not to be fooled into thinking there was any interest whatsoever in my personality on their part. What were they after then?? My money. It is quite difficult to tell whether a girl here is just on vacation, having a good time or whether she is working. Some tell-tale signs can be if the girl is alone and/or dressed in overly revealing clothing. The nightlife blasts on until 3-4am at certain clubs and continues even later at others on the walk home...absurd (in a fabulous way of course!) The beach days are fabulous and I have been working on planning out my flight ticket to South Korea from Taiwan! Next stop, Taipei, Taiwan! Random Observations: - The men (many of whom drive tricycles - their version of the tuk tuk) wear jerseys, sporting Spanish sounding names like "Rivera" or "Lopez". - The people working in tourism here (pretty much all of them, except for the ones in poverty) are EXTREMELY service-oriented, kind and respectful! Your hear things such as "Hello, sir. Massage?" and "Hello Ma'am, kite surfing?" on a daily basis here. - The Filipino accent sounds like when I hear a person from Mexico speaking English. This may be due to the fact that Tagalog (the language that unites the Philippines, just like Mandarin does for China) has some Spanish words, like "cuchara" (spoon), "tenedor" (fork), and "guapo" (handsome) ... the few I know. - Filipinos speak the best English out of any of the Southeast Asian countries that I have visited in terms of percentage of the population that can communicate fluently. - The Philippines has around 300 LANGUAGES! Can you believe that? Certain regions and even islands have their own languages! - Their looks are quite unique to other countries that I have visited here in Asia. They are a delightful fusion of Asian and Spanish cultures due to their history! - Many women wear bright pink lipstick which is a stark contrast to their dark skin tone, adding an exotic element to their look. - These people make a "psst!" noise to get somebody's attention. I am used to hearing this from creepy men and women on the street who want my attention, however it was interesting to understand that they ALL do this to get ANYONE'S attention. - The place where I am staying makes superb and less costly pizzas than most places (I think all) on the island! - Filipino food is mainly meat-centered, eating almost every part of the animal. I have tried a bit but not so much my style...finding tofu around is not an easy task! - There is a security guard or policemen within every 2-3 minutes of walking down the path. They have pistols, and I have heard that in Manila they carry heavier artillery. I wonder why this is necessary...the poverty may cause serious issues here. Either way this island is super safe, perhaps the safest in the country! Tourism is important here and they do not want to lose the business!! My experience in Saigon was legendary! From overly aggressive people trying to sell me "Boom Boom Massages", to motorbikemen soliciting business, it's IN YOUR FACE in Vietnam! Especially in big cities! The big cities can feel unfriendly and can be dangerous for getting bags stolen by criminals on motorcycles. If you know someone to show you around, it's SO MUCH BETTER! A friend of mine gave me a tour of the city, took me for local food, and took me out for drinks. One evening I went to the bar he was DJ'ing at - SO MUCH FUN!!! I also felt somewhat obligated to see the Cu Chi Tunnels and the War Remnants Museum. THAT was an experience...what a day! Beginning from the Cu Chi Tunnels, we were able to crawl into one of the small hiding spots where the Vietcong (Vietnam communists from the North) were hiding and BOY was it small! You CANNOT stand up, rather you must stay hunched over! The section where I went into had actually been widened for the purpose of Westerners fitting into it to gain a feeling for what it was like. The network of underground tunnels comprised something between 1-200 kilometers, and WAS DUG BY HAND WITH SMALL TOOLS, NO MACHINES!!! CAN YoU IMAGINE?! Well, we saw a model of the tunnels, learned how the Vietcong cooked in early morning and early evening to disguise the smoke with the haze, and how they had disguised their airholes with termite and ant hills. To disguise the smell for the dogs, they used pepper mixed with some other ingredients at first, and then switched to covering the area with US Soldiers' uniforms so that the dogs would move along, sniffing nothing unusual. TONS of them could fit into the tunnels, and at points they (the Vietcong) had to lay down and squeeze through the areas, so you could imagine how tight of a fit it would be for a US Soldier. There were also SO many bamboo traps setup all over the jungles, along with in the tunnels themselves! ...so the Americans when they came in, with no sense for where these traps were, often fell into a gruesome situation, and sometimes died. They had to worry about the Vietcong surprise-attacking out of nowhere! Could you imagine how that would have been to be there? We were also shown how people would re-use scrap materials from exploded bombs to reconstruct their own, and where hospitals were hidden to aid the wounded.
Onto the museum now: there was a strong and opinionated Anti-American view of the history of the war. Pictures, actual tanks and planes, propagnada posters, news articles and actual photgraphs taken from the war were some of what was shown. The spraying of Agent Orange (perhaps the world's most known poisonous chemical) to "flush the Vietcong out of the jungles" pretty much destroyed much of the ecosystem and left MANY Vietnamese (and Americans) with SEVERE health problems if not death. The birth defects even spread to the next generation many times, unthinkable! Napalm and bomb victims were depicted as well, along with a picture of Fidel Castro celebrating the final evactuation of US troups from Vietnam. All kinds of weapons were also on display! Innocent men, women and children were inhumanely treated and murdered here (likely on both sides, which generally occurs in war) and the accounts given. Up to a certain point and from what was shown in the museum, only ONE US pilot refused to fly his mission in Vietnam, but surely others follow. Many photographs of places WORLDWIDE showed the support for Vietnam, and the urging of the US to leave! This was a fascinating experience for me, because although I do not directly remember how the Vietnam war was taught in high school, this information DEFINITELy was not revealed. It is always a good idea to look at the coin from both sides, and more than two if the coin has ;) I am now waiting at a wonderful hotel here in Saigon, and will take my flight to the Philippines tonight late night! I am excited to be back on the beach for 9 nights before I delve into Asia's most modern and developed societies to gain a better understanding of their intricacies. |
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March 2022
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