Marginally Organized Roamings Resulting in Uncompromising Zaniness
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Well, in a relatively time I’ll be on a plane headed for Japan, courtesy of much of my family’s generosity.
This is as foreign to me as it gets; not only can I not speak the language, but I won’t even be able to identify most symbols in print. I anticipate getting lost a few times, but it’s not like this is going to be a high pressure trip.
Anyway, I’m putting off packing, which is a bad idea at this point. More to come, one hopes.
For teaching me grace and balance. They have squat toilets.
on a side note, our completely unique luggage apparently isn’t. I have someone else’s bag. OOps. 
As in, we have landed.
As anyone who has traveled knows, there’s something particularly jarring about the plastic world that envelops you from the moment you enter your airport of origin to, in my case, the first morning that I _wake up_ in my eventual destination. I’m just coming out of that envelope, sadly without recourse to caffeine, unless I get up the energy to go coffee-vending-machine hunting… which I might just do.
Oh, and it turns out that, amusingly, neither Char nor I has a clue how to operate an ATM 
Well, I got off my ass and went for a stroll while I waited for Char & Jamie to return from their luggage-returning odyssey. Sadly, the ramen place that Jamie recommended was not open, but I did manage to redeem myself somewhat by A) spotting a post office and B) successfully operating its ATM.
Now, I’m sitting here, tinkering with the Morruz blog tools (see the shiny new map?) and sipping Japanese beer, waiting for my lovely traveling (and life) companion to return from Narita airport, hopefully with some clothes to call her own
Jamie took us to an Onsen yesterday, from which we have just returned (wait for Char to upload pictures, later today). Think of Radium-style hot springs, with tatami rooms (rice mat floors) and a very quiet, pleasant atmosphere.
So, we soaked and enjoyed the light, mountain snowfall on us as we did, and then we sipped Asahi beer and slept. Not necessarily in that order, mind. Food was an experience… or an experiment, depending; I could identify damn near nothing of it, which meant that I was alternately pleased and disturbed by what I ate. I also discovered that I am not, generally, a fan of Sake.
The roads here are just amazing; think the Fraser canyon highway, but narrow and switchbacks. It climbed epically quickly, going from dry and mostly green to white within minutes.
The Onsen that Jamie took us to was an unbelievably amazing experience, especially after the odyssey that was the luggage returning experience. I think I am now a wanted criminal, I had to sign some type of confession about my ignorance of Japanese law….Uhhh?
Anyway. Some things you may be completely jealous of:
Hot springs at the side of a lake at the top of a volcano.
Naked swimming while it is SNOWING. Ummmmmmmm.
HEATED TOILET SEATS.
Feather beds
Amazing robes. you have no idea how good clean cotton feels on freshly hot-springed skin. It is also so humid here, combined with the minerals in the hot spring, that my skin is soooo soft and smooth.
Pillows that feel like they are made out of pearls (this was less luxurious, but mostly because they really can only be slept on while supine)
I’d just like to correct Chris’ previous post, we can use the ATM, it is the conversion rate that is confusing. We both tried to take out 10,000 yen in stead of 100,000 yen. (that is 100$ in stead of 1000) Atms are in English, so they are really not that hard to figure out. But they are VERY hard to find. And only open during regular business hours.
I also had some Pocari Sweat. Japanese National drink. Much like Gatorade.
Jamie tells me that Hobos make cardboard houses that they take their shoes off before entering. I guess you can’t teach old dogs new tricks.
I’ll shut up now and let you look at some pictures.
Arrived in Hiroshima, and by god do I hate Japanese keyboards… as Jamie said I would.
Expect short posts due to intense frustration with the input devices 
Some other time, I will post more, but we have not seen anything yet; we’re going for a walk. More later.
Char and I toured the Hiroshima Peace Park and Victim Memorial yesterday, and it was… sobering.
Much like the concentration camp at Dachau, although different in many fundamental ways, this park memorializes an episode in history that must not ever be forgotten; I am not a believer that peace is the only way, nor do I have a blanket condemnation for all nuclear weapons, but the consequences of their use are so dire that I believe that people who use them should be obligated to know, and understand, the nature of the wounds they cause before ever they release them.
Also: Dined in a nook in the business district of Hiroshima on a bowl of something, wandered a four-storey computer store, and shot the shit with a dutch investment banker, a british programmer and an australian… talker.
It’s been an interesting hostel stay.
So, our travels have not been so exotic, of course, having visited a country that has a subtropical climate, but we’ve had some interesting times nonetheless.
So, wednesday Char and I attached gathered up some fellow travelers; a pair of scots (Craig and Allison) and a pair of kiwis (Diana and John) and headed off to Miyajima, which is an island temple at the base of Mt. Misen, atop which is a second (third? There’s a mess of temples around here…) temple. There’s ordinarily a gondola (called a ropeway, here) up to the 2/3 mark of the mountain route, but of course it was down until Feb 28.
So, we walked.
529m above sea level, the view is pretty incredible. Look for Char’s pictures, later. The walk down was jelly-legged, but satisfying.
We finished the day with Okonomiyaki, which is the Hiroshima specialty; it’s a sort of scrambled egg/noodle/bacon/cabbage/crepe/shrimp/squid thingy, all made into a pizza-ish deal and fried up; very tasty.
Yesterday, John and Diana joined us at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which is a long, on-message, and tasteful condemnation of nuclear weapons. I was interviewed for NHK, which I understand is something like the BBC, but Japanese. I wonder if that will end up being aired? I bet not, but I’ll also never know.
Then, in the evening, loud, beer-fueled Uno with british travelers.
Today, we are off to Tokyo, for two more days with Jamie and then home, but it’s been pretty interesting.
Well, that fiasco aside, Chris and I had a fantastic day yesterday. We planned on a trip to Miyajima Shrine with some fellow travellers. Miyajima shrine is apparently the most well know of Japan’s tourist attractions (although I’ve never heard of it). It is a floatng red shinto shrine that is by a temple on an island with (surprise) a mountain! So, we toured the town a bit, took many pictures, and then proceded to go from the very bottom of the mountain to the very top of the mountan. Ugh! 2.5 km of STAIRS later, we arrived 523 or so M above sea level for some fantastic photo opportunities and much rejoicing.
Once we took the stairs down (easy, right? NO!) we took our jelly-filled legs back to Hiroshima for the loca delicacy. Picture this in layers: crepe, head of cabbage, soba noodles, squid, shrimp, bacon, scrambled egg, crepe, sauce. Wash down wth beer. yummmmmy! Tastes fantastic after that hike! Then we went off to the local public bath - you’ve never seen anything untill you’ve seen the Japanese bathe. looks almost painful, and extremely thorough. Had one last beer, and blissfully crashed for 8 solid hours of unitnerrupted sleep.
I’m super pleased with the sleeping conditions here, these tatami mat beds are divine! they are more firm than Chris likes, and I admit, they are not as comfortable when you sleep anyway but on your back, but nothing is more comfy than a sleep on your back on a tatami! Sweet, sweet living.
We are now off to the Peace Park Museum, and potentially the Castle. Maybe some Kimono photos will come? We will see how our tired feet fare…
And a warm welcome back to Mir and Moi! I’m glad you had such a fantastic time!
This city does not stop.
Seriously.
There was heavy-ish traffic as I took a cab to the hostel at 4:00 AM, for pete`s sake.
So far: Shinjuku, which is the club district, and is … busy.
Shibuya, which is excellent and karaoke-ey.
Akihabura: nerd mecca, and where I snagged pornographic figurines for Beau
Anyhoo, internet time is almost up, so I am off.
Well,　the week is almost up, and I*ve been shopping like crazy, although I think I*m all shopped out There are a few more things I would like to check out, but otherwise I think I am done. We*ve had an excellent time, I think 10 days in this country at a time is enough, it is so ADD, and I*m not so good with that.
The city of Tokyo is really like a collection of cities in the same space, so there is realy different XP every time you get off the train, which is really cool, but unfourtunately it leads to taking lots of trains everywhere. I kind of like to stay within walking distance to my hostel, but you just can*t do that here. Seriously, though, what a fantastic place!
We*ve gone spooky shopping, (I*ve got so many wierd things with skulls on them) sock shopping (there is a real thing about knee highs here) seen a cosplay park, japanese dudes who have a rock-a-billie (pardon the spelling) exhibition in a park that gets enough exposure that there is a whole host of vendor set up to feed onlookers, dudes dressed as dolls, dolls dressed as dudes, SLAYER KAREOKE, the most beautiful coloring books I have ever set eyes upon (I can*t wait to break out the pencil crayons). I don*t think that it is possible to remember all I*ve seen this weekend to write it down in this short period.
But it*s really not all wild and crazy. I*ve also gone to the Tokyo museum which houses some beautiful art and Japanese Historical aritfacts, seen some beautiful parks, and drank GOOD coffee in a 1L bottle from the refrigerated section of the Sebun-Erebun.
I am certainly going to miss the heated vending machines, warmed toilet seats, 24hour grocery stores, and and the just plan out geneeral foreignness (regardless of how Western it looks on the outside) of this place. I will also never miss the amazing helpfullness and politeness of the Japanese people. All you need is a bow and a smile, and you will get one back in return. It is truly a place that has something for everyone. Well, really, many things for everyone, but you know what I mean.
Can:t wait to upload the rest of the pictures, or show them to you when we arrive home.
And game.
We’re home, now, and it’s good to be back with the kitties. All told, I had a great time, and I’ve already got a few things I’d like to do when I go back. I want to see Tokyo without a guide (sorry, Jamie, but I love the freedom to just… wander. Like you ), perhaps see Nagano and/or Kyoto. Hiroshima is a plausible return destination, too.
Anyway, I’ve slept now, and now I’m gonna lay about the house and detune until I can swing by work to pick up a shipment that was delivered there for me.
Further postings by me will be made over at my main site.
Date: 09/21/2008
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