ホテルファイン

Well, its been days since I've told someone about the love hotel concept, so I'm here again to talk about the happiest place on earth, Hotel Fine.

Words don't do much justice, so if you click the link
you can see for yourself. I recommend clicking the media and watching the videos.

To be fair, I've only been to ファインガーデン梅田
There are at least 20 more Hotel Fines located throughout Japan. If the name ends in garden, its actually not the best, though it is awesome. If you find yourself if Kyoto, hit up the Grand Fine and be sure to tell me how it is.

I've attached a map to the Umeda location because...why not? Tell them Jon sent you and you'll get a discount.
haha, not really, but wouldn't that be sweet??

Perhaps the most beautiful thing I saw on the website is 24時間365日...I'm sure you can figure out what that means.

Much Love

Kimochi Warui

Has anyone else seen this creepy SOB??? This drumming man robot really weirds me out. It wouldn't be so bad, except the media doesn't just leave him to drum and have his picture taken on the street, they bring him EVERYWHERE!

So, I was watching the Japan movie premier of the new Indiana Jones (which was terrible by the way) and guess who was on the guest list....thats right, this creep ball Taro.

He's on TV, the news, he is basically famous....I just can't figure out why.
In this picture, he is dressed up for the athletic games that were held in Fall 07. I don't really know where I was going with this post, but I guess I'm just trying to say be careful and guard your kids around this guy.....I don't trust him

My Osusume

Its hard to believe I arrived in the greatest country in the world more than a year ago. I'll definitely be going back, and I'm already planning all the things I'm gonna do. For those of you out there who will also be going to Japan in the near future, here are some things I recommend you do.

For the tourist-
Go to Kansai! Kobe has a great port you need to check out. Kiyomizu temple and the surrounding area is amazing, especially in Spring and Fall. Hit up the busy parts of Kyoto as well - good shopping and of course ladies. Tokyo can be fun but don't stay there too long, thats all I'm saying.

For the men - Hit up Karaoke and don't be shy about inviting random people you just met on the street (I've heard many a success story). Japanese clubs can be sweet if they aren't gaijin playgrounds, the clubs seem to have a friendlier atmosphere and your dancing will look awesome compared to the typical Japanese, WORD. Dotonbori in Osaka is quite ballin' at night. Tons of people, lecherous ones at that. I've been told the greatest love hotel EVER is there, Water Hotel. I'll try and put a link to that if I haven't already.

These are just suggestions. But you can be sure I'll be doing these with Chu-hai in hand.

円

Before I start, I just want to thank the world for its terrible economy resulting in a yen to dollar conversion rate of 99 to 1 halfway through my last semester, and I thinks its about that bad now too, just check! It was 118 to the dollar when I first arrived in the great Nihon. I hope it changes before I go back!

Being this close to graduation is making me think about money. Ideally I will find a sugar momma (nihonjin of course) before graduation, but I'm not holding my breath.

One problem I have with Japanese money, however, is that yen is too easy to spend. This is for 3 reasons. Reason 1: The coins go up to 500円(about $5). You are just spending coins so you don't think anything of it. Who knew a handful of change could actually be 30 bucks??

Reason 2, and perhaps the most obvious: everything is so darn expensive. I found myself shocked at how cheap a can of coke (pocari sweat is more like it) was when it was 'just' 100 yen.

Reason 3: You can spend ANY bill ANYWHERE. Yes, 10,000 yen at the McDonalds is okay. Of course, McDonalds is evil so I wouldn't recommend spending 10 yen there, but I digress....

The second reason is likely due to convenience. If you want a Calpis, カルピス ,at 4am and you don't feel like walking more than 10 feet to get it, its okay, there is a vending machine in arms reach. So I guess paying 100 yen for that kind of convenience really isn't so bad. If they just kept the beer/chu-hai vending machines open past midnight then we'd be in good shape.

Moral of the story, take pictures of your yen, you won't be seeing it for very long.

Work

Work sucks, everyone knows that, unless you are the great Cromartie Taro. But if its going to suck, you might as well work in an awesome location. I think, for me, that location is Japan.

No, I'm not talking about becoming a 'salaryman', cause thats insane. Waking up at 5am to get on a packed train (packed enough to require people with paddles and whistles to push and cram people in) then work for 14 hours, only 8 of which are paid, and then doing that over and over 6 days a week sound fun to you?? Didn't think so.

There are quite a few international companies with locations in Japan (and if you know of any good companies, let me know!) so there are many options for working in Japan. When I say Japan, I usually mean Tokyo. Unfortunately, if you do want to work for a Japanese company, you should know about 10 bazillion Kanji first.

As for the picture, this is a pretty common site, and a humorous one.

Benss

Hey,
I just wanted to bring up the various dialects today, or benss. There is an extra 'S' because there are too many friggin dialects. This is actually kinda hard to explain. Japan has a lot of mountains, so in the old days, not much travel was done between the various cities that set up in the little space between all these mountains. As a result, many different dialects formed in the various areas. This is just what I've been told.

Anyways, Kansai, Kyushu, Tokyo, you name it, all have little quirks that make their way of speaking Japanese different. Many people don't even consider Okinawan as Japanese. This is, for lack of a better term, freaking annoying. Once you think you've learned some Japanese you gotta learn 20 other ways of speaking.

Its not as bad as I'm making it out to be. And there is a "standard" Japanese that everyone pretty much knows. Just think of the dialects as a way to spice up your Japanese. FYI, Kansai-ben is probably one of the spiciest of the bens.

If you take nothing else from this post, remember this - A foreigner who speaks a ben is more popular (and well rounded I guess) than one that speaks that boring old standard Japanese.

Peace

Kyoto Summer

Q and A

When I returned from Japan recently (don't worry, I'm going back!) I was immediately asked a bunch of questions....many of which were ridiculous.

But I would just like to address some of these questions.

Q: Was it crowded?? A: Yeah, duh. Crowded isn't the word I would use though. There were many more people than I was used to, however they weren't pushing and stabbing each other as much as I was used to...

Q: Was it expensive? A: I would say so. The cost of living is a little higher, but you can eat relatively cheap (if you cook or go to Yoshinoya) and you don't have to worry about a car payment, so thats good. However, an apartment in Tokyo is like 700 dollars a month average and is probably the size of your kitchen.

Q: Did you drink a lot of Sake (Sock-E)?? A: Not really. Who needs osake when you got chu-hai and beer in every other convenience store and vending machine??

Q: Did you get homesick? A: Hell No

There will probably be more of these, these are just the ones I was asked the most.

does this look gay to you???

Yeah...um, Japanese fashion is a little gay. But for some reason, I love it. I think I might just be attracted to the fact that Japanese clothes actually fit me. Or maybe its that the guys wearing the ridiculous clothes have gorgeous women with equally ridiculous clothes with them. Whatever the case may be, the clothes are stylish/fruity and will probably result in me getting beat up in the USA.

Check out this website for some examples.

Some Japanese male fashion, Gyaruo in particular, takes metro-sexual to a whole new level. All I'm saying is don't knock it till you try it.

Jpop

Hey all,

To keep my sanity, I have been listening to some catchy J-pop music. Here are a few links to some stuff I have been listening to.
Be prepared, some of these artists look a bit gay, but they aren't....as far as I know.


キマグレンLife
羞恥心総集編
金魚花火-大塚爱

And just remember, when life gets you down - Donmai (don't mind)

Kyoto Kankou

Matsuri is a sport!

Hey there,

Well, I had an extremely exciting, unique, and painful experience at this years Summer Taiko Matsuri. I recommend that everyone, everywhere go to the Kyoto area around summer time. Every major area seems to have it own way to celebrate. The festivals has ancient roots related to fun things like flooding and disease; trust me, its a blast.

This particular matsuri (festival) involves a bunch of men to lift and extremely heavy shrine and some kids to play drums inside of it. We carried it through the streets of Yawata for 3 days, drinking and shouting along the way.

The last day was, for lack of a better term, friggin sweet. 4+ teams of people parade through the local shrine and compete by throwing the shrine in the air and shouting at the top of their lungs. It was as fun as it was dangerous.

There is no real way to describe it, but I will say this - my shoulder was bleeding on the 3rd day. Just check out the pictures. Better yet, get to Japan ASAP and see for yourself.

A few good reasons to stay in Japan

Don't Speak. Just look...

Japanese ビーチ

I was fortunate enough to visit a beach, 天橋立, in Kyoto last weekend. It is actually supposed to be one of the top 3 views in Japan - with good reason. The other top 2 views were the front and back of the women I saw there....what??

So as I was saying, this beach is in the northern part of Kyoto. The beach itself is clean and of course crowded around mid-afternoon.

There wasn't much to do there except eat and enjoy the view, so here are pictures. If you look at the picture upside down it is supposed to look like a dragon winding towards heaven. I purposely posted all of these pictures right-side-up so that you look rediculous in front of your computer.

This awesome, must-see, beach is about 2 hours drive from Kyoto city, and about 3-4 hours by train. It doesn't really matter how long it takes, you HAVE to go anyways. Oh, if you are driving then be prepared to pay about 80 dollars in tolls...

You have to go to the nearby mall, Mipple, too. Just because.

Miyajima, it makes Nara look stupid

Yo kids,

Okay, don't be misled by the title, I don't hate Nara. I just like Miyajima better and I also had a really bad visit to Nara last week. It didn't help that I went on the hottest day EVER. Heads up everyone, Japan gets Extremely humid in the summer. July and August are supposed to be vicious.

Whats was I talking about? Oh yeah, Miyajima wins. Miyajima is an island with lots of deer, has an amazing shrine and water Tori, and
surrounded by others beautiful islands. There is also more Momijimanju than you could ever eat. (momijimanju is a maple leaf shaped sweet filled with various things, particularly bean paste)

Though Hiroshima is a big and busy city, Miyajima is still quiet, secluded, and peaceful. The temples are well maintained and the fee to enter Miyajima temple is pretty reasonable. You don't need to pay anything to go out to the huge Tori, an added bonus.

As for Nara, There are many temples and shrines to visit, but they just didn't keep my interest. Todaiji is a must see, of course, but don't expect the other temples to stand out from anything you might see in Kyoto.

Sorry Nara, Miyajima wins.

Station Kids

I know I mentioned all of the kids that practice stuff at the station before. I finally was able to video one kid. Honestly, this is not his best performance, and his friend is MUCH better, but this should give you an idea of what goes on at the station at night.

Kyoto, my 一番好きな所。。。

Ever since moving out of osaka and closer to Kyoto, I've come to appreciate how amazing Kyoto is. It has a perfect balance of new meets VERY old. 400+ year old temples are surrounded by 100 dollar a plate restaurants. Beautiful rivers and maiko establishments neighbor hostess and members clubs. The famous kiyomizu temple looks over miles and miles of buildings, lights, and trains. Mizu shobai girls wearing less fabric than most of my ties have can be seen walking with classing older women wearing kimono. Kyoto is a confusing and awesome place.

Lately, since it is summer, there have been a lot more outdoor events and concerts by the river which is pretty cool. But with outdoor events comes japanese guys that can't handle their alcohol, so just watch wear you step at night.

If you can only visit one city in Japan, I recommend Kyoto. The only problem with Kyoto is too many damn foreigners! yeah, I said it. Most of the pictures I post later will likely be in Kyoto, so enjoy!

Not Exactly Cultural

Japanese Snacks....no, not スナック

Hey hey,

Yes, I will talk a bit more about food. Maybe this will be the last one for a while. (oh, by the way, a snack bar in Japan is a place where men pay large amounts of money to talk to pretty and older women. Just a note)

Anyways, I've seen some very different, and very delicious snacks in Japan these past few months. There are so many unique and interesting things to try. One of my (and all my friends' ) favorites is the one on the left. Have you ever heard of mayonaise and ketchup flavored chips?? You have now! Those are also good.

Apple kitkats, taco doritos, custard ritz...these are just a few of the most delicious things ever that are nowhere to be found in America. However, many foods in Japan are seasonal, so next month I might not be able to find those things in Japan either.

Don't be concerned or confused about odd snack names in Japan. Just try them, they're umai, I promise.

Dessert, the Japanese way...

Hey all,

To keep up with the food theme, I want to tell you about a little parfait shop in Kyoto. Actually, there is nothing little about this store except for the waists on the women who walk in. This particular store (I can't remember the name, sorry) sells an 一万円 parfait, thats a hundred dollar parfait. Yeah...take a look for yourselves.

You need to give the store 3 days notice before purchasing this parfait. There must be 20 entire fruits in it, so I guess thats to be expected. You also need to make a 20-30 dollar (2000 - 3000 yen) down payment. A down payment on a parfait....thats a new one.

Japan has now truly perfected the parfait.

Don't feel like paying a hundred dollars for icecream or waiting 3 days?? Thats cool, just go to the arcade and win ice cream from the claw game....kudos Japan.

P.S. If anyone sees my parents, tell them to send me a hundred dollars.

Food Food EVERYWHERE!!!

Herro Again Everyone,

I feel its time to talk a bit about food. I can at least mention it once or twice, considering Japanese T.V. likes to talk about food on 95% of its shows (There are dramas dedicated to food and dishes are even brought out in the middle of variety shows to be tasted. To which the response is ALWAYS 'oishii' or 'umai' - get used to hearing that).

Just a note to any vegetarians out there, you have to be REALLY specific when you ask if there is meat in something. One of my favorite encounters went something like "is there meat in this?" "no, just cheese and ham".... "..what?" And if the meal description says 'mushroom and tomoato', they may or may not have forgotten to mention the fish they put in.

Anyways, if you walk outside in any city you can see lots of plastic food. Its common for restaurants to display preserved or plastic food outside the restaurant so you can see what you are in for before you enter. Many restaurants have menu's outside as well. BENRI! The photo is of plastic parfaits from hirakata's finest love hotel.

Some other important things to know are that Japanese pizza typically has mayonaise on it - and its delicious! Yeah, I said it.
Also parfaits have corn flakes in them, OISHII !!!!

ホストクラブ 2

Hey hey,

I recently got some disturbing, interesting, and fictional news concerning host clubs. A recent CSI episode featured a Japanese style host club in Las Vegas. Hearing this kind of made me skeptical so I did a little research (and so did my roommate) and I am here to report that this was merely a topic for the show and there are no host clubs in Vegas. At least not the kind of host club that exists in Japan. It sounds like the CSI episode was getting most of their information from The Great Happiness Space, which I once again suggest you buy.

I honestly don't think a Japanese host club would even work in America. One main reason girls go to host clubs is for attention and conversation (and of course some go for sex too). These girls are not getting attention, or not getting the right kind of attention, in their daily life. These girls typically work in the sex industry and get bad attention from customers and little attention outside of work because of there job. But, as my friend Rob put it, 'what american girl needs more attention?' And who wouldn't talk to a stripper in America? All a girl needs to do is go to a bar for 3 minutes in America and a conversation will start.

I am a little relieved that America doesn't have Japanese host clubs. American host clubs would all too quickly become a house of heroine and whores. I'll just stick to working in Japanese host clubs!

I'm kidding....for now

These are a few of my favorite things...

Hey all, 久しぶり, its been a while.

I have been busy moving in to a new place for the summer, and also busy enjoying the greatest place on planet earth. I was trying to make a new list of Japanese innovations and cool aspects of Japanese culture. It is getting much harder for me to make these lists because everything is becoming so futsuu -normal. Everyday I find new conveniences with my cell phone and they are amazing me less and less. For instance, I washed my clothes this morning in a laundry mat with my good friend and he just typed in his phone number into the machine so it called him when the laundry was done. Menus (and even actual cooked dishes coated in plastic) outside of restaurants are extremely common. You ever heard of a things called Wii and Playstation?? Thats Japan baby. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is, of course, the women. But you knew I was going to say that.

Anyways, I found some youtube teasers of some of my favorite things: some Japanese clothing and music. The music is actually a southpark clip, but never mind that.

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=3bTkIHfEmHE
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=ii2Yh6wn3tQ

P.S. I'm famous

Typical Day

This morning I rolled off my futon on to my tatami mat. I got dressed, jumped on my bicycle and saw 30 attractive women on my way to school. I ate delicious vegetable noodles, rice, and salad for less than 400 yen (about 4 dollars) and payed for it with an 1-man bill (about a hundred dollar bill). I then left to go to Osaka (a city that is always full of surprises and beautiful women) by a train, that showed up exactly when it was supposed to....

I might have to finish this later. This story does not end in Soapland, I promise. I'm just trying to politely tell you all that I'm never going back (to america)...much love

Classes are Finished

Greetings everyone.

Well, I originally started this blog for a class, and now that class is over. But have no fear, I will still make an effort to post when I can, but likely not as often. I'm no longer going to be graded on how my posts, and especially how many more posts I make than my lazy classmates (love you guys).

I still have plenty of cultural things to write about, like Hostesses, drugs, clubs, and things of that nature. Maybe I can even teach some Japanese along the way. lesson 1 is Futsukayoi : Hangover and Mafura- :scarf

flowers and other girly junk

Summer Time

Well, its almost summer time here in Japan. You know how I can tell?? Its not because the always wearing shorts too big for barbie dolls and skirts that make my neckties look like a waste of fabric. You can tell its almost summer because there are new flowers in bloom and sweaty foreigners (yeah, just foreigners. Japanese don't sweat, they are far too evolved for that).

Anyways, with the changing of seasons comes new nature. It seems like the Japanese love nature and they find space to show it off even in huge concrete cities like Osaka. I recently went to two separate rose parks in Kobe and Osaka. One minute I'm walking around a bustling city with trains, people, and stores as far as I can see. The next minute I'm in an open area looking at flowers.

There are quite a few of these kinds of parks throughout many of the major cities. Enjoy the pictures, thats all I have to say.

I REALLY Love This Country

Okay, so I was walking in a mall in Kobe last weekend and I came across something so amazing that I almost cried.

The mall I was walking around was about 4+ stories tall and had shopping carts that you could take to all parts of the mall - so you don't have to carry your bags. Thats pretty convenient, but whats more convenient is the amazing treadmill looking escalator that you use to get you and your cart from floor to floor! Take a good look at the posted picture. Yes, its a long escalator in a mall so you can push your bags or kids around all parts of the mall.

'What if someone lets go of their cart on the escalator? That could be dangerous...well have no fear because the escalator is magnetized, your cart won't move on its own.
Do you still want more examples why this is the greatest country ever?

Japanese テレビ

In one word, Japanese T.V. is...Interesting. But I don't mean interesting like I want to watch it, I mean interesting like its not what I'm used to and sometimes uncomfortable to watch. The good thing is, if you can only watch Japanese T.V. for 10 minutes, its okay because you've seen all that the T.V. has to offer. To me, Japanese T.V. seems to be fairly limited, in channels and variety.

Japanese T.V. consists of a few things, one being poorly filmed T.V. dramas similar to soap operas. Another being variety shows with incredibly attractive women, news, and comedy. Here is a sample of a famous bit from last semester. Unfortunately, every comedic bit is played 5 times a day, everyday until it becomes unpopular.

I honestly don't have enough time to watch Japanese T.V. (and neither do many Japanese people) so I don't have a completely well founded opinion yet. I just want to give you an idea.

Here is one more sample　and another for good measure

One thing that amazes me though is 'gaijin talents'. Gaijin talents are essentially foreign eye-candy. I will probably have to post on that later.

またね

回転寿司

While I'm in the mood to write about Japanese restaurants, I thought I'd mention the most convenient and interesting of Japanese sushi places - Kaiten Zushi. I guess the best definition for this is Conveyor Belt Sushi. This is kind of self explanatory but you sit by a conveyor belt as a million types of sushi (and cake, juice, fruit, etc.) pass by you. When you see something you want to eat, you take it, its that easy. Your plates are counted later to determine the bill.

I love this kind of place for the convenience and for the small portions, and the adorable kids that go there. It is also pretty cheap, each plate is about 100yen (like 4000 american dollars right now). The small portions at a steady pace prevent me from eating more than 7 plates, but somehow Japanese men can down 20+ plates by themselves. 'Where do they put it?' you ask? 知らないよ！


If you don't see anything you like on the conveyor belt, you can just order and have it sent out to you. Some places have the Shinkansen that speeds your order directly to your table. May I suggest the cucumber or corn sushi - its amazing.

I hear there are places like this in America, but of course it originated here - and there are at least 3 within biking distance from where I live. Get out there and enjoy the delicious convenience - いただきます！

カラオケ

I don't know how I made it this long without writing about カラオケ (Karaoke; or for you foreigners, Kerry-yokey).

Karaoke is probably the most entertaining thing ever. And the kind of Karaoke most common in Japan is rather different from what I was used to seeing in America. For starters, you are typically in a room with just your friends, not a bar with a bunch of strangers (although, they do have that in Japan as well). And even at the cheaper Karaoke places you can usually digitally scroll through song choices and select a song via remote. Karaoke is also a place to find the ever famous nomihoudai - alcohol and singing just spells fun to me.

The song choices are pretty vast as long as you don't go to Ring. You can choose from popular (and unpopular) Korean, Japanese, Chinese and English songs. I'll admit, I was a little shy the first time I went to Karaoke - which was only 6 days into my stay in Japan - but as long as you go with friends its completely fine. There is always someone worse than you, and alcohol fixes everything, so just enjoy the terrible music. Speaking of terrible music, is anyone sick of Through the Fire and Flames on this blog yet?

居酒屋！！

Let me introduce you to the greatest restaurant invention ever - the Izakaya.

Simply put, and Izakaya is a place to eat and drink in a friendly, and occasionally loud, atmosphere. But more specifically, Izakaya is an amazing restaurant/bar that typically serves many types of foods in small portions with about a million drinks to choose from. Many foods in small portions is a fantastic idea (this is typically done for home meals in Japan too), it allows you to try many new foods and tastes and never get bored - or fat. Izakaya is an itsudemo kind of place; great for drinking with friends, meeting with coworkers after work, dates, and getting Crispy Crunk!

In Izakaya's you can also find Nomihoudai (all you can drink). For around 1500-2500 yen, you can drink all you want for 1.5-2 hours. Thats music to anyone's ears. This is a bonus for Gaijin since we can drink 3000yen worth of drinks in about 30 minutes. Tebehoudai-Nomihoudai (all you can eat and drink) is a little less common but you can find it for around 3500 yen.

I absolutely love the drinking culture in Japan. Places like Izakaya are awesome everywhere. Nobody has to drive home, so designate drivers are low and fun is high. For about 20 dollars you can hang out with friends for a couple hours, try 8 kinds of foods, drink rediculously sweet alcohol, meet new people, and have a convivial gathering of sorts (thank you Zach).

Recycling - Ever heard of it??

Okay, I lied. I will write on Izakaya next time. I recently got a question about Japan and Recycling. This is a great question considering Japan invented Recycling (as far as I'm concerned).

Lets go over the basics. All trash is divided in to Burnable/Raw garbage and Plastic. Drink bottles are divided in to glass, plastic bottles, and cans. Whats more impressive is that the plastic labels are taken off (via perforation) and placed in the plastic garbage bin while the bottle is placed in the PET bottle bin. Everything is divided up carefully. The fact that the Japanese are patient and care about recycling makes this work, its amazing.

You don't just see this kind of recycling/trash separation in homes; its everywhere. At the train station, mall, and even the Starbucks you see it. You usually have to take care of it yourself, but in places like Starbucks the staff will sometimes take care of it for you...what a country...

I hope this gives you a little bit of an idea about Japan and recycling.
I think the score now is Japan 85, America 4.

日本バー Revisited

Japanese people are without a doubt awesome. Once again I visited Kyoto (for a classy night of drinking) and could not help but fall in love every 30 seconds. This is besides the point, I spent a great night in a unique bar, with four 30 year olds, and enjoyed alcohol I had never tasted before.

The beauty of Japan is that no two bars are alike. Izakayas may be pretty similar, but bars are quite different. And for those of you who don't know what an Izakaya is, I will post on that next.
So anyways, Japanese bars are unique in that no drink menu is the same. Every bar I have been to always serves different brands of sake, umeshu(one of my favorites), and even beer. Just last weekend I drank 4 types of Sake I had never even seen. The variety of alcohol is amazing, and kind of a challenge. This becomes a problem, however, when you find a brand of sake you like because you will likely never see it again.

Another great characteristic of Japanese bars is the lack of flat panel TV's and tacky junk on the walls. Most bars here are classy and don't have the drone of football interrupting your conversation.

Don't get me wrong, there are some kinds of bars, like standing bars, that are not classy and pretty common. But in general, if the bar has seats, its a pretty cool place.

Take care, stay classy

Hiroshima

新幹線 - Japanese for Freaking Fast Train

I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but I took the Shinkansen to Hiroshima recently. The Shinkansen is the Japanese bullet train that can travel at around 300kph (about 186 mph). Check it out Whats more amazing is that it travels safely at 300kph even though Japan has a high frequency of earthquakes. Tokyo alone has about 1-2 earthquakes per month.

The Shinkansen is absolutely great. There is no check in time like for airplane rides, you simply show up to the station and get on the train as it pulls in. Just be quick, because it doesn't wait but 3-4 minutes.

The seats were quite comfortable and reclined well past 30 degrees. Also, riding on the Shinkansen was like floating. There was little to no bumps or disruptions for the entire ride (with the exception of the attractive attendant asking if I wanted something to eat or drink)- which was surprisingly short. I went from Osaka to Hiroshima, about 175 miles, in about an hour and a half, with a few stops in between.

The Shinkansen is a little pricey but it is most definitely worth it in my opinion. I don't know exactly how much my ticket cost, sorry. But, prices are a little over a hundred dollars to go to Tokyo from Osaka, 1 way.

I'm not going to say it, but you know how I feel.....This country is amazing

広島 － Hiroshima

Greetings,

I was lucky enough to go to Hiroshima this past Thurs and Fri ( and also lucky that my teachers let me skip....sorry Garr) and I figured I would share some things, because Hiroshima was awesome.

Well, for starters, Hiroshima is not nearly as big as Osaka but has a whole lot more open space. There are some beautiful parks, a quaint little trolley, a castle, and a powerful peace museum. There were also a lot of French tourists, but thats beside the point. Miyajima has an amazing temple famous for a Torii on the water and deer. I will probably put a lot of pictures in a slide show soon. I thought about taking more pictures but everywhere in the peace park seemed so sacred that I honestly didn't feel like taking any pictures at all.

As for the peace park, it was a very moving place. From the moment you enter there is a change in the atmosphere. Everyone is quieter and has a certain sadness to the way they walk. The atomic bomb dome and peace museum are a must see, but be prepared, the museum is fairly graphic. Its a must see, but not necessarily a must see with a date. The park is gorgeous and the kids that are there on field trips are quite friendly.

Hiroshima is small enough to visit everything of importance in a day, but I recommend 2 days. The peace park, museum, Shrines, Temples, and castle might be a bit hard to appreciate in one day.

Well, enjoy the pictures to come.

And for dessert...two spoons and type 2 diabetis...

Well, I thought I knew what an Ice Cream Sunday and a Parfait was before I came to Japan....I was wrong. Japan apparently perfected the Parfait...no pun intended. Oh, thats funny because Parfait means perfect...its French

Anyways, anywhere you go in Japan you are surrounded by sweets. Parfaits, ice cream, baked goods, etc. are absolutely everywhere. It still amazes me how healthy and skinny the Japanese are. The portions are generally smaller, with the exception of the parfait. Parfaits are a pretty common dessert, you can order them in many restaurants. I'm getting a little sick thinking about eating one (because I eat them about twice a week) but Japanese parfaits are a work of art.

The ingredients typically include (but are not limited to): ice cream, pineapples, grapes, waffle cones, cookies, corn flakes, peaches, Jello, custard, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, chocolate chunks, apples, bananas, cherries, and the list goes on. I've found all of those in just one parfait!

Around any given train station there are about 15 places to buy sweets. So remember, eat till 80% full - so you have room for dessert.

Gaijin アドバイス

I was recently given a homework assignment to come up with a presentation for foreigners. It was supposed to give foreigners planning on living in Japan a heads up on what to expect. I might as well share what my friends and I came up with. This blog itself is more or less a heads up on Japan, but if you are planning on living here there are some things you may want to know. Americans especially are prone to doing "stupid" things in Japan and not realizing how it affects others around them.

Well, first I'll go over the easy things. Don't eat or talk on your cell phone on the train. When in doubt, take off your shoes. It is okay to drink in public, but not okay to be a drunk American. If you want to get anything productive done, don't look at any women. etc.

That covers the easy stuff. Everything else is a little harder to explain. Basically, if you want to fit in in Japan, you're out of luck. You always stand out. Just try your hardest to be polite and don't play the gaijin card as often as you can. Buy a bicycle, move out of the way for old people (they won't move themselves), and just say sumimasen often.

What I'm trying to say is be more like this
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And less like this ---------->