Rosita Meikle
Konichiwa from Japan. I landed in Japan on October 1st 2005 and am hoping to remain here a year, but for those who know me well, I may end up somewhere else within the year. Enjoy my stories and pictures and please comment. So much to share but never enough time, but will try to do my best.Rosita
Travel Blog Posts
July 10th 2006
Just a quick entry to give you a taste of Japanese toilets. Of course like every other place in the world they have dirty, not so great ones, but at the same time they also have the best toilets I've seen. Not only are they high tech, but the toilets here also have options. Options? Yup, you can have the seat warmed to a temperature that's comfortable for you, which comes in handy on those cold winter days. Also, there's disinfectant attached to the wall which allows you to spray some on to the toilet paper so you can wipe down the seat. On top of that there are seat covers. There's also an automatic toilet seat raiser. Wait, it gets better. If you don't want anyone to hear your embarassing bowel movements there's a button ... read more
Harajuku - Fashion & Shopping all rolled into one
Published: July 10th 2006Asia » Japan » Tokyo » Harajuku
July 8th 2006
Harajuku a.k.a. Tokyo's fashion district is a great place to discover Tokyo's sense of fashion. Anything goes here and I mean ANYTHING. Sunday is the best day to discover all senses of fashion, from jaw dropping styles to "oh my gosh, I can't believe they're wearing that" styles. It's common for teens to dress up in their Sunday best (literally) and come to Harajuku to show it off. They don't mind having photos taken, as tourists enjoy discovering Tokyo fashion. For those who are familiar with Singer, Gwen Stefani (from No Doubt), her 4 female Japanese dancers are Harajuku girls. Harajuku girls/boys dress in a certain style common and known to the Harajuku area. Harajuku is also a great shopping district. My favourite shopping area in Harajuku is Takeshita-dori (dori is Japanese for street). Enjoy the ... read more
April 30th 2006
The island of Okinawa is by far very, very, very different from the rest of Japan. It seems like a completely different country. The weather there is gorgous. The average temperature year round is 23 degrees celcius. How perfect is that? There is so much room there, unlike Tokyo. The streets and houses aren't crowded and not everyone is in a rush to get some place. It's very relaxed and laid back. The people look healthier and happier and are more friendlier than in Tokyo. There are parks everywhere in Okinawa (unlike Tokyo, which is a concrete jungle - you do get parks, but you have to look hard for them). The best part is that the dogs in Okinawa are big and not teeny tiny like the little toy dogs in Tokyo. It was so ... read more
April 15th 2006
What can I say about Bali? I went there with 2 very good friends, Lila & Annabel. It was a fabulous trip with some negatives here and there. The weather was wonderful and the beaches are great. Spent a lot of time on the beach, but also took in the sites and the culture. I was surprised to to discover that there is a lot of Indian influence in Indonesia (hence the "Indo" part). Everything in Indonesia is cheap, however if you are a foreigner, expect to be taken for a ride when it comes to the cost of anything. I hate bargaining, but I became a pro at it by the 2nd day, otherwise you end up being ripped off left, right and center. The starting price of anything always ended up being more than ... read more
March 14th 2006
The subway/train system here is one of the largest in the world. Rush hour is horrendous in Tokyo. The trains are packed to the brim where you literally cannot move a muscle, cause you are squished amongst other commuters. Also there are staff that are on the platform making sure everyone is pushed onto the trains and no one is half in and half out (if that makes sense). When you are on the train 75% of the commuters are either sleeping (even standing up) or texting on their cells. Your cell has to be turned off when on the train and you cannot talk on it. If you do, be prepared to get some dirty looks. Most people take their train rides seriously, as believe it or not that is their only down and/or quiet ... read more
March 1st 2006
Sorry everyone, but now my hiatus is over. I finally have internet at home, so no more expensive internet cafes. Where should I begin. Well, I experienced my first earthquake a few weeks ago and it was so exciting. Apparently they happen all the time, but I guess they were so small that I never felt them. This one I definitely felt. I was sitting on my bed and my entire apartment started vibrating. Took a while to register it was an earthquake. It lasted all but 10 seconds, but it was still an exciting experience, woowee. Got hit by a car while on my bike about 3 weeks ago. I was told that it happens quite often, cause the drivers never look out for pedestrians and cyclists. It was a small hit, nothing major. I ... read more
November 17th 2005
So many people have inquired, so here's the scoop on teaching. I teach at 4 different schools every month. I spend a week at each school, so pretty much I see my kids once a month. My kids range from 2-16 years and I can have anywhere from 2-8 kids in a class. On average I teach about 3 1-hour classes a day, so I do have a lot of free time. It's not bad, cause prep time for my classes each day is about an hour or so. I teach Tuesday-Saturday. The really young kids are adorable and although the job itself is not very challenging, the kids make it worth while. The first thing I've done with each class as I've introduce myself is show them pics of Frazzle (my dog) and Ebony (my ... read more
November 16th 2005
Woohoo, finally got my bike today. Almost ran into 2 cars and 3 people, but who's counting? It's tougher than I thought, but practice makes perfect. I definitely don't fit in here and stand out like crazy. Not just the fact that I'm one of the few dark skinned brown people in this country, but everyone here dresses like they are in the 80's. I don't get it. Everywhere you look, there are Japanese versions of Duran Duran and Wham back in the day. I so need my hair trimmed, but I'm scared that once I walk into a Japanese Salon, I will walk out of it with a mullet. Also almost every female in Japan under 35 wears mini skirts and high boots. The school girls especially, roll up their skirts to make them insanely ... read more
November 14th 2005
Been 6 weeks now, since I've been in Japan. Went for my first Japanese lesson today, which lasted a loooooong 2 hours. Way too difficult to learn so don't really know if I will continue with it. I figure why learn a language I have no interest in, especially since I won't be here for longer than a year. I've already picked up things here and there and I can get by. There are people that have been here for 4 years and get by no problem. I figure I'll make do with getting by. Went into Tokyo (Shibuya & Harajuku) for the first time last week (November 6/05) and it was amazing. It was raining all day, so apparently it wasn't as crowded, but I thought it was. There's a pic with my and a ... read more
November 5th 2005
I am finally at my permanant place, so no more moving around and living out of a suitcase unless I'm travelling of course. I am in Kawagoe, Saitama, which is part of the greater Tokyo area. I am only 20-30 minutes away from Central Tokyo which is great. Woohoo. Been in Japan for a month and 5 days now and discovered quite a bit about the country and culture, some good and some not so good, like every country and culture. I love the area that I'm in. Everything is at my doorstep, so no need to take a subway/train/bus. From restaurants, to bars, to clubs, to kareoke (which is huge here), to shopping malls, grocery stores, etc., it's all at my door step, so definitely can't complain. Transportation here is very expensive. Prices are based ... read more
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