Typhoons, Singabore and ...met some nice people

Okay...
I'm still alive!
I have been trying to write an update every few days but something always seems to crop up
What a whirlwind time that has been. .. Quite literally.
The day after the last blog Tokyo was hit by a typhoon which was interesting to say the least - I can never work out the difference between a typhoon, hurricane or just a big storm but this one was a typhoon.
Typhoon 18 to be exact - no names for them in Japan.
I sat in the lobby of the hotel all night actually, doing some email and watching as the water level rose and came over the pavement. Even the Japanese guys at the hotel were a little suprised at the scale of it, so they went to bed. Chatted with a Dutch guy who dresses as pichachu (don't ask) and we sat til the rain stopped and the winds came.
We went to the top balcony of the hotel which was amazing as Mt Fuji, which is some 100 kilometres away was clearly visable and capped with snow. I'm told this is very rare and was only because of the typhoon.
I wish I had an alternative way of saying "met some nice people" as I think I am going to say it a lot.

So...
Met some nice people...
Tamura and Sylvija from Slovenia who kindly gave me their rail pass which had a few days to run.
This meant I could travel free and get out of Tokyo - and it meant I could go on the "bullet train"
It did mean I became a Slovenian citizen for a couple of days - in fact I was called Sylvija.
Chose to got to Kyoto early in the morning and get the last train back. Kyoto was Japan's capital and the emperor's residence from 794 until 1868, I'm told that the fact that Tokyo is an anagram of Kyoto is coincedental. A fascinating place and a rarity to see so many pre war buildings relatively unscathed.
Along day and lot's of walking - got back and submerged in the communal bath for a hour!
More gigs in the last couple of weeks too, Mothercoat played a couple more times (one time in a Gospel church which is somewhat of a rarity in Tokyo) and they have become good friends - invited to stay at their home which was a wonderful time ( thanks for that)
A real treat from Massa too who arrived at the hotel and announced we were going to a gig.
Didn't realise it was at Budokan - a mecca for international artists and everyone from the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Led Zep, Abba and Oasis have played - think Arctic Monkeys are on tonight - saw 4 bands I have never hears of and along with 10,000 people had a great time (thanks Massa)
Met some nice people...
Usually people would stop at the hotel for a couple of days and we would hang around in the lobby and chat over a beer and stuff - (We were treated to belly dancing with one of the hotel staff and her 6 friends -bizzare) and a few I have hung around with for a couple of nights out - more karaoke with some crazy headbanging Dutch guys or just visiting some of the sights.
My body clock is away with the fairies and I have stayed up for 48 hours on several occasions and slept for 15 hours at a time but quite a few people say yhat jetlag is worse coming east - no it's probably just me.
It took some time but Tokyo did eventually grow on me.
I will never make sense of it, very few people do but that is part of it's charm, the chaotic and the beautiful.
To be honest I was sad to leave and while all the sights, the temples the history are wonderful, it is the people that will be etched in my mind.
Definitely...

Met some nice people.

So I said farewell to Japan yesterday and arrived in Singapore and am sat in quite a "posh" hotel (and a bed for a couple of nights - wooo)
I'm not even saying anything about this city... well yes fine if you like your cities to be like Disney and it is spotlesly clean - there is a village in America (can't remember the name) where everything is all white picket fences and everybody smiles and there is a waiting list to live there.
It made me want to chew gum.
But that is banned from the country, drop a cigarette on the floor for $500 dollar fine etc etc.
All a bit big brother for me.
Nice food though.
I leave here in the morning and head down to Manila - hope the weather improves as it looks like another big storm is going to hit the Philippines in a couple of days - bloody Manchester weather is folowing me!

Thanks again to all friends old and new in Japan - you made it so enjoyable.


And you lot.

Thank you all for all the well wishing

Chris
xx

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