I think I will affectionately title this entry: "Things Our Hotel Room Was Missing" - carpet - sound proofing - a screen on the window - hand soap - a clock - a decent sized TV (with no static) - internet - an extra pillow or blankets when requested (we were told no, it wasn't possible to have an extra pillow) - a normal sized bathroom - a shower head that worked - a comfortable bed (with springs that didn't dig into your body and leave obvious red welts) And all that for a mere $60 a night! Hotel Park Sendai I... never again. ... read more

This morning I was pleased to discover that the twoonie sized mosquito bite from last night had apparently disappeared while I was sleeping. Thank you Afterbite! Jim and I got up pretty early (for us haha!) and stopped in at a really nice pastry shop called Lulu's for breakfast. It seemed like they had every flavour of bread imaginable. I got their maple walnut bun and Jim tried the coconut - both were delicious! I think we'll be going back there for breakkie tomorrow too! We'd planned to visit the GEO National Park in Yehliu today. It's a bit outside of Taipei, about 1.5 hours or so by bus. It was interesting trying to figure out where to catch the bus and how to take it to where we were going but we managed no problem. ... read more

The beginning of April is Hanami season in Japan and I don't think it's any sort of exaggeration to say that the Japanese (and foreigners) look forward to this time of year more than any other. The hanami (sakura and plum trees in full bloom) are stunning. I was lucky enough to see them in my own area, as well as near Tomida Stn., and then in Kuwana, Kyoto, and Koyasan (Wakayama Prefecture). It's very popular for people to go in groups to parks for a picnic under the trees. This generally includes lots of food (sometimes even a BBQ!) and alcohol. I went to three or four of these picnics and they were all a great time! Some places even have a special festival to celebrate the hanami. Near Tomida Stn. on the Kintetsu Line ... read more

I know it's been a while since I updated - SORRY! Not much of anything was going on until this past weekend so there'll be a bunch of updates coming your way very soon. This past Sunday (Apr 4) Japan's best sumo wrestlers made their yearly trip to Ise Grand Shrine (Naiku) to say prayers for the coming year. Being the fan of sumo that I am, of course I had to go too. This meant getting up ridiculously early and taking an 8:15 train to Kuwana and then catching the express down to Iseshi. It took an hour and a half and ￥ 1100 to get there but it was so worth it. Once I arrived I caught a city bus that took me right to the shrine. The shrine was crowded with people - ... read more

Any foreigner who has stayed in Japan for any length of time will at some point encounter Japanese racism. 99% of the time it isn't overt. As a general rule, Japanese people tend to avoid confrontation so their brand of racism is more subtle. It comes in different forms - staring, inappropriate touching, cutting in front of you in line, refusing to sit next to you on the train, the free use of the term 'gaijin' (foreigner) etc. I've noticed pretty much all of the above (with the exception of inappropriate touching) but such is life when you move to a uni-racial country. Being a foreigner (particularly a white, light haired, green/blue eyed, well endowed foreigner) you stick out like a sore thumb. The way I see it, there are really two ways to approach the ... read more