Blogs from Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, Japan, Asia

Kaikyo Yume Tower We decided to go to Kaikyo Yume Tower, which is one of the landmark towers in Shimonoseki. We went to the reception to buy the tickets. The receptionist heard that I was telling Mark that the ticket was ¥600. She told me that the foreign national is half price; Mark was asked to pay ¥300. I told her that I’ve got British passport. She said, ‘Wow!’ And she asked me if I could show my passport. She asked me how I got British citizenship. I told her that I’d married to British husband and have been living in Britain for nearly 20 years, and became a British citizen in 2006. She asked me if I took the test. I told her that I managed to avoid the citizenship exam, which was introduced a ... read more

After 3 WONDERFUL years in Japan, it was time to leave home and start a new adventure. It was much harder than I ever imagined it would, and that is when I realised how much EVERYONE there meant to me. I arrived as a stranger, but left as a sister, a daughter, a granddaughter, a friend, a teacher, and a J-walking highly respected member of society. I left home!... read more

Czas sie powoli konczy, a ja wciaz na Honshu. prawie. Czas na Shimonoseki-miasto polozone na 2 wyspach, laczy Honshu z Kyushu. Nastepne male miasto, odpowiednie aby sie zrelaksowac, odpoczac od natloku turystow. Miasto portowe, z ktorego mozna poplynac do Chin i do Korei. A jak to w miastach portowych jest tu pelno rozrywek, glownie jednego typu. Ja jednak przyjechalam, aby zobaczyc gielde rybna i na najswiezsze sashimi(surowe mieso ryby z sosem sojowym i z wasabi(wasabi=chrzan, wiec w moim przypadku bez), jakie tylko mozna dostac. Gielda zaczyna sie ok 3rano, wiec nie bylo sensu zebym szla do hotelu i jak zwykle liczylam na internet cafe. I przeszlam cale miasto w poszukiwanie, aby sie dowiedziec, ze w Shimonoseki nie ma zadnej cafejki internetowej. jako ze to bylo pierwsze miasto, w ktorym mialo jej nie byc, nie wierzylam i ... read more

"A lot of people don't know where I'm from" she goes on and on in Chinese. "I knew where you were from in the beginning. You want to know how? You look Asian and you talk someone's ear off in Chinese, therefore you have to be Chinese. They are the only ones who talk so damn much!" I want to tell her but don't. I suppose I'm probably having some form of culture shock going back to all the Chinese. Japanese people don't talk to you unless you ask them for something and then they're generally super sweet but don't ask you too many personal things. "You might want to watch your fly" she says to me around 3 other women. Yes, I know you're Chinese now. I'm not quite used to all the talking, maybe ... read more