Blogs from Tokyo, Japan, Asia - page 260

Japan was great, Laurie and I really got a great feel for the city and found the people to be so friendly. Not nearly as many people spoke english as we had expected, so a phrase book and suggestions from a good friend who spent a year there(thanks again Marisa!) really helped. Besides almost burning my hand on the hot water dispenser thinking it dispensed Soy Sauce, and then eating god knows what at some resaurants because nobody spoke english and there were no pictures to chose from, we did well not knowing mutch english. Although Laurie got a little better than I at speaking Japanese, we did pretty well and had fun with it. The city is huge...12 million people! I guess that is why everythgin is so small as well...hotel rooms, bathrooms barely big ... read more

I can hardly believe how fast time is passing in Japan. Jeremy and I are quickly approaching upon four months here. And our entry about “first impressions” is long overdue. I was shocked at just how incredibly different Japan and Korea are. Although the physical difference between the two is miniscule, the psychological differences are vast. Apparently most of the countries’ frictions are rooted in Japan’s colonization of the Korean Peninsula between 1910 and 1945. Over 50 years later, the differences really show. The most shocking difference was the way foreigners are treated. In Korea we were like a sideshow. Every time I walked through the streets I was whispered about, pointed to, and often photographed. I felt like the abominable snowman or big foot walking through town. In Japan no one notices me. And after ... read more

Japan is pretty expensive, so sometimes we have to get creative on date night. Jen had the great idea of making s'mores. We nostalgically remembered their marshmallowy goodness, plus there was a chance we might burn the apartment down roasting our marshmallows and have to move into a nicer place. We got the ingredients and three different kind of beers, as well as a copy of Dr. Strangelove. We played blind taste test until we settled on Sapporo as our favorite beer, then watched the movie as we toasted our marshmallows stuck onto a chopstick over a candle. The apartment did not burn, unlike the time in Memphis I was living with 3 other guys and our satellite went out. We thought some kids that had broken in and stole all our CDs were now trying ... read more

Happy New Year! Happy new year everyone! 2005. Now that all my payments are online I don't have to worry about writing "04" on my checks well into March. After a great deal of deliberation, Jen and I wound up at an Irish pub in the heart of Tokyo. It was one of the least Irish Irish pubs I've ever seen, but they made a nice effort. All the deliberation came about because our last train home was leaving at 11:42 PM and the next one wasn't until 5:30 AM, so we could either stay out all night or go home and celebrate quietly. Even though I am 30 years old (almost 31!) we decided to take the adventurous route. We had a lovely Thai dinner as the snow cascaded and danced outside, then did some ... read more

(Jen writing) Well, the weather in Tokyo is finally starting to get pretty cold. I was really enjoying the unusually warm winter that came as a result of so many typhoons this year. Jeremy and I decided to bare the cold and explore in Shinjuko and Sabuya. These are two of the trendiest spots in Tokyo. The city is currently lit up in preparation for Christmas and New Year's Day. Christmas is celebrated completely differently here. It's celebration style is a unique mix between New Year's Eve (to Americans) and Valentine's Day. There are a lot of heart light decorations and "Christmas" lingerie on display in the large department stores. On a side note, they celebrate New Years exactly the way we celebrate Christmas with our families. While Tokyo doesn't come even close to Manhattan around ... read more