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Published: September 14th 2006
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Temple
A small temple off the shopping street. Wow, has it been almost 2 weeks already?! We have arrived safe and sound in Kobe and tomorrow we depart on the ferry bound for China!!
Sorry for the short break in entries, internet was unavailable at our hotel in Osaka and we couldn't find any wifi hotspots. Unfortunately in McDonalds you need to have internet with a specific service provider for it to work.
After all the worrying about our hotel being a dump, it turned out fine! The room was a tad small, but still bigger than our closet in Tokyo. The bedding was comfortable, there was air conditioning, we even had a small television and fridge!! This was the first time we had a chance to watch a bit of Japanese tv and it was hilarious! I watched a show where 4 contestants are shown 5 different food dishes, and each contestant has to select a dish to taste. The point is to select the 4 dishes that are under a certain price, if you taste the one that is over the price all the players get shocked. Yes, electrocuted. They wear wristbands and as soon as the "wrong" dish is in someone's mouth everyone gets
Big Fish!
I think most of these koi are fed by humans, because when you walk up to the ponds they all come swimming towards you and stick their mouths to the top of the water! shocked. Talk about laughs!! There were set times for women and men to shower since the shower was communal. 7 little shower stations and a biiiig tub full of hot water. Little known fact, the Japanese shower sitting down! They keep little stools in the shower room and the shower head is really low. It's kind of relaxing actually, except you have to be careful when the stool gets soapy not to slide off. The big tub was for after you clean yourself, and the hot water is just left running so it is full right to the top and overflowing. I think that helps keep the water clean too. Although whenever someone would get in they would sweep mass amounts of water out onto the floor. It was a business hotel so it was mostly men staying there, although one night there were about 5 other women in the shower.
Something neat we saw in the McDonalds, they send coupons to your cell phone! The girl in front of us had a coupon on her cell phone screen, and she showed it to the cashier! Expect to see that in North America in the next 5 years, I
On the move!
Erin trekking along with her backpack through a Kyoto train station. read an article on bluetooth advertising before we left Canada. They are so ahead here, in terms of technology.
There isn't much to note about Osaka. We didn't make it to Himeji Castle, the train fare was still quite expensive and we're trying to make our money stretch far. Just wandering the various streets and watching life go by was enough for us. We ate at some great restaurants, I'm going to miss all this fabulous food although I'm sure we'll find great food in every country we see. One place we went to all the dishes were 380 Yen (~$3.50). I had steak and fries and Dev had a jumbo fish paste patty. The steak had such a unique flavor, when they brought it to the table it was in a cast iron dish and the waitress poured some sauce on it that made it start sizzling like crazy. It was weird eating steak with chopsticks, but oh so tasty!! We also tried dumplings wrapped in chicken skin, which were to die for. I wish our appetites were bigger, we could easily eat and eat all day here.
I experienced a "flushing noise maker" in one of
Yum
We're going to miss the variety of drinks available. Pineapple Fizz was so delicious! the toilets in a dept store. There were two ladies in line in front of me, and I noticed both "Western" stalls were empty (there are pictures on the door of what kind of toilet is inside, if they have both). I walked past the women who must have been waiting for the squats and they started giggling, I assume at me, I enter the stall and immediately a LOUD automated flushing noise started. There was a little motion sensored box on the wall!! Believe me, this noise was LOUD and it went on for the entire time I was in there. So strange, yet so innovative in a culture which is so discreet about such things.
Yesterday it rained heavily and was actually pretty cold out so aside from venturing out for a warm bowl of ramen and picking up some neccessities (toothpaste & laundry soap) we holed up in our room and washed all our clothes.
We're going to miss Japan. I think China will be quite a change and I hope we're prepared for it. The people here are so friendly, they go out of their way to make sure you are ok. The train
Scary Mickey!
This is one scary Mouse! He was a prize in a "Crane Game". systems are so efficient, the shops are so high tech, everything is so clean. I know we'll be back here one day, and make a real trip out of just Japan. I think we've barely scratched the surface. Also, next time we need to bring empty suitcases so we can SHOP!!
Tomorrow at noon our ferry departs and that journey will last 48 hours. Our room on the boat has a private bathroom which will be a first! We are REALLY looking forward to China, even if we are a bit intimidated. I can't wait to see the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors and I'm sure we'll find many other neat and wonderful things to write home about. One of my favorite things so far about backpacking is actually moving from place to place. It's so fun to pack all your stuff up, strap your bag on, and off you go ready to explore a new place and see new things. We feel like we've been away from home for a long time already, it's hard to think there is still 10-11 months left! WE LOVE TRAVELING!!
I'm going to post a bunch of pictures now, so
Wait a minute...
Is that something you want to be advertising? Everyday High Prices? Hmmmm... enjoy!! It's tough picking what photos to post, we have already taken over 400!
Miss you and love you all!
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Lins
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Dude - Pineapple Fizz is the BOMB! I swear they must have a version on every continent except North America. China will be so exciting!