Blogs from Tokyo, Japan, Asia - page 255

My first entry. It was meant to happen two days ago. But circumstance has delayed that. So there's a fair bit to get through. In addition, I'd some great photos to include but I frustatingly formatted my camera's memory in a fit of finger-fumbling madness. So that'll have to wait till next time. This is the first of hopefully many entries on my 5 1/2 month trip. Japan is good place to start as the language barrier can't get much more challenging. Until Korea probably. Tokyo is not much like London.　The beggars don't beg; the taxi drivers wear shirts, smart trousers and sometimes even ties and waistcoats; and people on the metro talk to you and give you their business cards. I arrived in Tokyo after an uneventful flight, brightened only when my Japanese neighbour engaged ... read more

Heaven is being over 6’ tall, non-Japanese, in the middle of the Nagoya train station on a Friday afternoon, and finding yourself in the middle of 200+ high school girls that just got out of school and are deeply curious about you, and by the way, they are in their uniforms (plaid skirts, white shirt, knee highs, … you get the picture). Hell is peeking out the bus window on your way to Narita airport and seeing half-a-dozen 8 year olds in the same uniforms; forever killing the fantasy! A cab ride in Japan is a study in excellence. The drivers are proud of their jobs, highly educated, very technical (most have a great deal of electronic equipment to help them; one even had a wireless laptop that he would consult for “411” like information) and ... read more

Leaving the airport was more of a challenge than I had expected. I covered the basics with my visit to Starbucks (to get some change for the phone really!) and booking my accomodation and transport but English was far less common than I expected in such a big city. But I suppose that's just an ignorant westerners' viewpoint. Must practise some more Japanese!!! The train journey into town was an eye opener as we passed houses with ornate tiled rooftops surrounded by rice fields. Perhaps I really will see everything that is the stereotypical view of Japan in the 2 weeks that I have planned here!! When I stepped foot off of the metro, I was blown away by the evening heat. Perhaps I noticed it more as I was walking in circles with my pack ... read more

It would take many paragraphs to describe all of the emotions I was feeling as I sat in the San Francisco airport waiting for my flight to Tokyo last week. Ben moved out of the house a few weeks ago and Laura will move back to San Francisco this month, so I will return to an empty house or worse, the house will be sold while I'm gone and someone else will be living there. At least I will be leaving behind the emotional turmoil of the past seven months, I thought to myself. I imagined I would step off of the plane in Tokyo and my mind would be wiped clean of sad memories and agonizing questions. So far that hasn't been the case. ++++++++++ There is no airport in Tokyo. The airport is actually ... read more

With my internal clock totally twisted around, of course I wasn't tired after being awake for almost two days! It was an absolute MUST to hit the streets of Tokyo as soon as I could. After I found my luggage and room, I headed out with a large group of Toronto JETs. Very quickly the group got split up....I think we were all too busy looking around us, rather than where we were going! I ended up with a guy named Lee. We found an izekaya (Japanese bar) and ordered some dinner by pointing at pictures. Gift giving is an important tradition to Japanese people...we found this out, when the people sitting at the next table ordered a plate of fried chicken fat for us. Yummy! The next couple of days were spent at the Keio ... read more