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Monday, September 25, 2006

Odawara Castle

As a surprise, today Taka took Kristin and I to see Odawara Castle located in Odawara City in the Kanagawa prefecture. I had really wanted to see some Japanese castles as they are so beautiful despite of their reason for being a fortification in war. Odawara was a post town on the famous Tokaido Road. Odawara Castle came into prominence under the Hojo family during the 16th century and survived 3 attacks against it during that time. It is situated high in the mountains with the ocean on one side making it ideal to repel attacks.

Even though most of the some 66 remaining Japanese castles are reproductions, I still want to see them. I also read that Yoritomo Minamoto fought a battle here and also that 20 percent of the old feudal class family descents still live in the Odawara area. I find that all so interesting.

We arrived rather late in the day since it took us longer to get going in the morning than we thought and Taka never even told us where we were going so we weren't really excited about it. It was very far from our house but it was an interesting drive going along the coast and up into the mountains. We finally got into town and Taka parked in a lot high along the coast so we had to walk steeply down to our destination. I don't know how people could have possibly ever attacked this castle as I would be afraid to.

I took alot of photos of the shachihoko on top of the castle. Shachihoko are a mythological creature with the head of a tiger and the body of a carp. They top most Japanese castles and temples as it was believed they would ward off fire. I wonder if it worked.

Top of the Castle

As we came around the corner and through the gates, my mouth dropped open in awe. Taka was pleased that I was so happy to be there. He is always trying to suprise me. He has his moments. We had a great time exploring the grounds of the castle, seeing the koi under the bridge, finding some stray cats, buying souvenirs in the castle gift shop and mock fighting amongst the giant doors, bridges and entry ways.

Castle Bridge

Unfortunately by the time we got to the actual castle, it had already closed so we could only look around the outside. I was very dissappointed leading Taka to think I didn't enjoy our trip. Though I really did. I could have just looked at that castle all day and imagine the past.

Odawara Castle

Incongrous to all the spectacular architecture and gardens was this horrid little zoo. I hated it. Why have a ratty little zoo with miserable looking animals stuck right in front of the castle. There was an empty pen where there used to be an elephant. Taka said he saw the elephant once and thought it had died. I worried about the elephant for awhile. All the enclosures were just cement and metal with a few dispirited animals inside. Completely, completely distasteful for such a historically rich environment. My biggest problem at times with Japan is that there are these wonderful pieces of their past that has come with them into the modern times but they seem unable to reconcile the beauty of the past into the urban world they have created now. It's hard to explain, but you might understand what I mean when you see a pretty woman in full fabulous, colorful kimono walking in front of a soot stained clunky cement block of an apartment building. At one time they must have gone crazy with the bags of cement cause there are alot of ugly square cementy buildings around. Perfect example here, graceful feudal castle with rusting, lame petting zoo in front. bleh. Just say no!

Vending Machine Horror

Allright enough of that, I probably don't explain it well anyway. After many pictures and viewing of the castle we made some purchases at the long bank of vending machines conviently located near the castle and visited the feudal bathrooms which consisted entirely of a row of the trench style "toilets" that freak me out. Usually they have one real toilet but not here.

Awful Bathroom

We drove around the outside of the castle and viewed more massive walls. There was a perfect full moon out. The drive home was full of neon in the night sky from love hotels and pachinko parlors and we stopped at a convenience store called "Hello Square". True to the kind of person I am, I still wondered what happened to the elephant.

Hello Square

About Odawara Castle:

Odawara Castle (小田原城, Odawara-jo?) is a landmark in the city of Odawara in Kanagawa Prefecture. It was the stronghold of various daimyo during the Muromachi period of Japanese history. From 1495 onward, five generations of the Late Hojo clan held the castle. The extensive defenses, including ditches, enabled the defenders to repel attacks by the great warriors Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen. However, Toyotomi Hideyoshi took the castle in 1590, and awarded the holdings of the Hojo to Tokugawa Ieyasu, who in turn installed the Okubo clan at Odawara.

During the Edo period, Odawara's strategic location on the Tokaido, between mountainous Hakone and Sagami Bay, gave it great strategic importance. The castle controlled the Tokaido between the Tokugawa headquarters at Edo and the stations west of Hakone, including Sumpu (Shizuoka), Hamamatsu and Nagoya.

Today, a reproduction of the castle stands high on a hill above Odawara.

(Wikipedia encyclopedia)


From the Kanagawa Tourist Guide:

ODAWARA CASTLE PARK (ODAWARA JOSHI-KOEN) Odawara Castle is the symbol of Odawara City. Originally built in 1417 and rebuilt in 1960, the castle contains a museum with related historical objects. From the tower there is a good view of the city and surrounding area. Flowers decorate the Castle Park which also has a mini zoo and a children's play-ground.

Japanese Plum Blossoms "Ume "
early~end of Feb.
Cherry Blossoms "Sakura "
early Apr.
Wisteria "Fuji ", Azaleas "Tsutsuji"
early May.

10 min. walk from Odawara Sta.

The Donjon (Tenshukaku )

9:00 a.m.~ 5:00 p.m.(last admission 4:30 p.m.)
Closed: around New Year
Phone +81-465-23-1373
The Donjon ticket prices for Adults: ¥400 For Children ¥150

Odawara Castle History Museum

Admissions: For Adults ¥300 For Children ¥100


Saturday, September 23, 2006

The Itchiku Kubota Art Museum

Today we went to the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum in Yamanashi.

http://www.itchiku-tsujigahana.co.jp

Website is in Japanese but be sure to check out the pictures.

Just me and Taka s parents went. They treat me like I am their extra kid - a slightly mentally challenged extra kid. We stopped at a service plaza for lunch and for some reason there was a man dressed as a giant green octopus, couldnt tell you what he was there for, he was gone when we came out. I really wanted a picture of him.

At the plaza, we went to a large vending looking machine with pictures of food on it. you choose the food you want, insert your money, and it spits a ticket out at you. You find a giant light up board and when your number comes up, BINGO! lunch is ready. They also have free tea and water machines that give you dixie cup size drinks. So you have to get about 50 of them just to make it through your lunch. Japan has a real problem with regular size drinks. There seems to be none to be had. Though more on that later. They had a
place called *American Snack* but there were no snacks there ive ever seen in America. they did have a sort of hotdog on a stick looking thing but i dont think it was a hotdog. After lunch, his parents took me to the convenience store and loaded me up with snacks like popcorn,chocolate cookies, coffee, water, etc...(see, i'm their extra kid) I got to sit in the back seat and kick my feet and eat popcorn.

The place we were going turned out to be right near Mount Fuji so I got to see it closer this time. It was a little foggy so not so clear a view as I would have liked.

At the museum, which was absolutely beautiful by the way, we had to take our shoes off so good thing I didnt wear holey socks. They had a video presentation about Mr Kubota and Mom asked them to change it to English so all the other museum patrons gave me a mean look and left in a huff. I saw a giant gorgeous moth flying against the window and it was freaking Mom out a little so I went over and caught it and brought it outside. Everyone kept telling me how "Kind" I am and Mom was impressed by my kindness. Didn't seem like a big deal to me. The grounds of the museum was amazing. I wish it had been a nicer day to walk around more. The Kimono were so incredible. Kimono really are an art form. I am crazy about them. There are alot of things about traditional Japan that are just so steeped in beauty it's almost hard to comprehend. The simplicity and clean lines are something I just love. I have a kimono collection now and even though I don't wear them, I love to just look at them. Kubota's kimono were breath taking. I would stand in front of one for minutes at a time wanting to touch it and marveling in the details. He did a series called "Symphony of Light" that are beyond spectacular.

Since Kuboto could see Mount Fuji from his home, many of the kimono had Fuji on them. Mom bought me a fancy fan designed by Kubota with a matching case. I'll have to take a picture of it. We were there maybe 2 hours, turned out Dad spent the whole time sitting in the car!

The drive home was wonderful as well. Seeing the fog rising in the twilight, driving through the mountains thick with greenery was very surreal and ghostly. If we had driven back in time, I wouldn't have been surprised.

About Ichiku Kubota:

Born in 1917, Itchiku Kubota started learning the art of dyeing at the age of 14. At the age of 20, he had his first encounter with the art of Tsujigahana. He decided to revive this long forgotten tradition and experimented with his own technique of tye-dyeing and painting, mastering a unique form that has made him internationally famous. He had a show at the Smithsonian Museum.

After years of relentlessly investigating small fragments that had survived the years, Kubota began creating modern Itchiku Tsujigahana in 1951; not a mere copy of medieval models, but his own original creation, using 20th century dyes and material. In 1977 he finally produced a product that suited him and put it on display in Tokyo. Before his death at the age of 86, with the help of a team of 60 apprentices, Master Kubota completed a series of Kimonos entitled Symphony of Light as well as defining a new style of kimono adapted to Japanese contemporary life.

Mr. Kubota preserved the utterly sober and refined aura that is the hallmark of centuries-old textiles and applies it to the contemporary kimono. More than having experimented with all types of dyeing techniques, he has developed an authentic expression of light. By using modern dyes that produce a wide range of colours and nuances, he has been able to produce a new artform and therefore is recognized not only as an artisan but as a creator in the true sense of the word.

(Main information from the Canadian Museum of Civilization)


Friday, September 22, 2006

Osaka aka The Ghetto Honeymoon Trip


Dotunburi
Originally uploaded by pointybunny.

Kristin convinced us to go to Osaka for 3 days so we could meet up with girl Scott and her husband Tom. Taka was hesitant about spending the money but we ended up agreeing. I just wanted a break from his parents house so it was fine with me. We took the Bullet Train (Shinkansen) which cost around $150 or something like that for roundtrip tickets. It was a good 3 hour ride. Our train hostess person had the same last name as us so we talked to her more than usual. Seeing Mount Fuji in the distance while speeding by on a bullet train was like a strange dream I didn't want to wake from. I am a lucky girl.

We made it to the train station and after several wrong turns (Even Taka was confused here) eventually we found our hotel. We decided to stay at the fabulous New Hankyu which we lovingly dubbed "Hotel NO Thank You" I was all excited this was the first time we got to use our married name at check in.

Information about the Hotel New Hankyu:

Hotel New Hankyu
1-1-35 Shibata, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-8310
Telephone: 81-6-6372-5101
http://hotel.newhankyu.co.jp/welcome-e.html

Beautiful View (sarcasm) out our hotel window:

Osaka View

Osaka is a very industrial city. Lots of concrete. Kristin had adjoining rooms to us and we called Scott and Tom at their hotel and agreed to meet up later. We went exploring and found our way to Dotonbori, the famous shopping area.

About Dotonbori:

Dotonbori (道頓堀) is one of the most famous landmarks of Osaka, Japan. It is a canal and former pleasure district, best known for its surrounding theatres, shops, and restaurants. The area is famous for the bridge across the canal itself and many colourful neon signs, including snack/candy manufacturer Glico's giant electronic display of a runner crossing the finish line.

Dotonbori traces its history back to 1612, when entrepreneur Doton Yasui was busy expanding the tiny East/West running Umezu River, hoping to increase commerce in the region by connecting the two branches of the North/South running Yohori River with a canal. Doton’s great task was interrupted when he died defending Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the ill-fated Siege of Osaka, but his cousins carried on his legacy and finished the canal in 1615. The new lord of Osaka CastleTadaki Matsudaira, named the avenue Dotonbori in honor of its visionary even though Doton had been his enemy during the siege.

The character of Dotonbori became defined in 1621 when the newly minted Tokugawa Shogunate instituted urban planning, designating Dotonbori as the theater and entertainment district of Osaka. The Broadway and West End of its time, by 1662 the avenue boasted six Kabuki theaters and five Bunraku theaters, as well as the unique Takeda Karakuri mechanical puppet theater. To support the flood of tourists and entertainment seekers pouring nightly into Dotonbori, an explosion of restaurants and cafes burst onto the scene, providing every sort of culinary delight the eager pleasure-seekers could desire.

Over the years, declining interests in traditional entertainment saw the closing of most of Dotonbori original attractions, and the final five theaters were bombed and destroyed in 1945, leaving only the restaurants that we see today. (Information from Wikipedia)

The Dotonbori Crab:

The Big Crab

Kani Doraku Crab - This six and a half meter crab fronts the famous crab restaurant Kani Koraku. It is mechanized, being able to move its arms and eyestalks. Built in 1960, the mechanical billboard soon spawned a craze of imitators including a squid that puffs steam and oni that light up at night. The Kani Doraku crab is responsible in many ways for the current look of Dotonbori, and appears on postcards and websites probably more than any other symbol of Osaka. (information from Wikipedia)

Back to our Adventure:

Of course we got lost again trying to find Dotonbori and ended up having to ask a policeman for help. I got mildly claustraphobic in the crowds around here. I laughed at something really loud (I didnt think it was that loud) and an elderly woman yelled at me. Don't know what she said so it didnt matter. ha.

Finally there we just walked around and Kristin shopped. Taka and I indulged in our favorite past time of UFO machines. He won a video game and I think I got some stuffed animals. We tried to win some yen that we thought was real for some stupid reason but of course it was fake. Its probably a tourist joke of some kind. The attendants there were very nice about putting things up so I could get them.

Osaka UFO Machine

We met up with Scott and Tom for coffee and a little sidewalk cafe' and tried to decide what to do later. Everyone decided it would be fun to go out and experience some clubs. I text messaged my friend, Yuki who lives in Nara who was interested in meeting up with us.

We went back to our rooms and Taka and I decided to stay in while Kristin went out with Scott and Tom. We needed a little time alone. Apparently its hard to get time alone in Japan. As I am finding out. It was nice to just relax together.

In the evening we all got together after Kristin, Taka and I went out to eat and Yuki joined us. We decided to see one of the Undergound shopping malls, we may have gone to Namba, I cant remember. I was trailing behind everyone because I was open mouthed in front of a Kimono display when I saw Tom standing alone staring at the men's room sign with a very wierd look on his face. "You really want to go to the bathroom?" I said jokingly but he didn't answer and kept staring. Next thing I know, his eyes rolled back and he fell onto the ground into grand mal epilepsy seizures. All the store clerks came running out and a huge crowd encircled us. I have often heard that Japanese are not helpful to strangers but I have never found that to be true at all. One European man tried to help and a Japanese woman put her jacket over Tom while everyone else called the police and went to get help. Taka and the others came runing back and Scott was very upset. Taka immediately took charge, I was very proud of him that day. That's when I knew I really had made the right choice. The Mall police came and they couldn't do anymore than Taka did, they actually complimented him on his skills. Tom was taken away to the emergency room and Taka and Scott rode in the ambulance.

A little flabbergasted at the change of events, Yuki drove me and Kristin back to our hotel and we hung around drinking tea Yuki bought us while we waited for news. Taka finally came back and said Tom was stable but that the hospital wanted to keep him over night. Taka even paid his hospital bill because they couldn't get the insurance worked out then. Everyone was still wide awake so Yuki offered to drive us to Kobe to see the city and get some dinner.

It was a beautiful drive. Taka was having some kind of jealousy fit so he wasn't getting along well with Yuki. By the time we got to Kobe it was very late and the restaurants were all closed. We did walk around the Kobe tower area and waterfront.

Kobe Waterfront

We ended up having dinner in a Royal Host - a Japan version of Denny's.

The Royal Host Credo:

* Delicious Food

* Cleanliness in food preparation and handling

* Cheerful service and pleasant atmosphere that brighten society.

They had good french fries so my society was brightened considerably. Yuki drove us around and gave us some history on the Kobe earthquake. For me, I had a great time but the tension was getting on my nerves. Yuki asked if he could take us to Kyoto the following day but Kristin and Taka didnt want to go.

The next day we went by taxi cab to the hospital to clear up some paperwork for Tom. The taxi service in Japan is excellent. The cabs are always clean and tidy, drivers are usually super nice and they have automatic doors so don't try to open them or you will get yelled at. One cab we rode in, the pretty lady driver gave us candy! yup, I loved her. Oh, anyway, we went to the hospital and it was alot like hospitals everywhere cept you dont understand any of the signs. Afterwards we went back to the downtown area and did some more exploring. Tom and Scott were officially out of the touristing. We went to an internet cafe that had loads and loads of manga to read and sent emails home. We were a little dishearted by everything so we decided to just stay in our hotel and have dinner and drinks. Taka and Kristin went by a convenience store and loaded up on our favorite snacks and got some wine to celebrate our honeymoon. I stayed in and took a hot Japanese style bath. It was heavenly.

Our snacks in the picture are Calbee vegetable sticks, Calbee consumme potato chips (or something to that effect), Meiji Galbo chocolate, some kind of Pringles, Smirnoff, Kirin, Ratio red wine, I think a version of the Pizza-La potato chips and some ramen flavor chips. Japanese chips are great. There are so many wacky flavors it's hard to choose from. The pizza ones have some sort of cheese on them, it's very strange.

Osaka Snacks

We just talked and laughed and relaxed. it was nice.

Next morning Kristin and I were bemused by the fact that the hotel gives you a free newspaper under your door every morning and hers was in English and ours was in Japanese. Once our brains started functioning we realized it was because she has a gaijin name on the hotel register while ours is Japanese.

We packed up and hustled off to the train station and back to Tokyo!!! They both slept on the way home but I was too excited by the train travel.

Shinkansen Sleeping

How do I make this JP Keyboard Work?

Grrrrr cant figure out how to backspace. Annoying JP keyboard. Now, what was i saying?
Kristin has gone back to America. Its just me and Taka now - and his parents. We were married on the 29th and it was a confusing day. Back and forth into the US consulate in Tokyo then to city hall in town but finally it was done! Kristin and Scott were our witnesses. We just got dressed up and then went out to eat at one of Taka's favorite restaurants.

Gas here costs 5.00 a gallon and tolls into the city are about 30.00 So it's a little expensive to go places. Taka took us to Asakusa temple in the heart of Tokyo, (oh add in parking fees) It was very crowded because there was festival happening. It was fun to walk around the shops and I had my favorite Kitsune Udon for lunch. I saw some guys cleaning the Asahi building. That looked like a scary job.

Asakusa Shrine

Asakusa Shrine

About Asakusa Shrine:

Asakusa Shrine (浅草神社, Asakusa Jinja) is a Shinto Shrine next to the temple Senso Jin in Asakusa, Tokyo. It is dedicated to the three men who established Senso-ji. Two of them, fishermen named Hinokuma Hamanari and Hinokuma Takenari, found a statue of the bosatu Kannon in the Sumida river in 628. The third, the village headman, Haji no Nakatomo, built the temple.
The shrine hosts many festivals, including the Sanja Matsuri, and is known for the Nakamise, a street of shops beginning inside the Kaminarimon gate.
Once a part of the Senso-ji, Asakusa Jinja became separate during the Meiji period. Many structures were destroyed during the fire bombings of Tokyo during WW2 so not much remains of the original. (some info from Wikipedia)

Now Back To Our Adventure:

I'm loving Japan. It's awesome. I love the food, the people, its really clean, there are funny signs everywhere like : flesh food* and the gas stations are amazing, they clean your whole car inside and out and they stop traffic so you can leave with no problems.

Taka s parents are really sweet, they have been super kind to me. I havent got my computer hooked up here, i have to use Taka s and it's in his parents bedroom so if they go to bed i'm
out of luck. We play darts with Taka's parents alot, partially because we don't know how to tell them we don't want to.

Kristin hanging out

I love buying postcards, i just sent a ton of them, it was fun. Being married is fantastic so far, i keep thinking, wierd - im a married now. Who da' thunk it?

Taka and I are video game addicts. We've been playing lots of fighting and RPG games. Taka gets impatient with me when i cant read the Japanese and mess up the game which is actually alot. He has been harping on me to learn Japanese. I suppose I should.

Costco is the same as in America


UFO Machine
Originally uploaded by pointybunny.

We slept in as usual, but had a funny night trying to sleep, first Taka took all the covers and I was freezing so I ended up sleeping in my sweater, next he kicked me in the back and right off the bed. I so slept on the floor with Cat Bus plushie as my companion. When we were finally officially up, Kristin and I went downstairs and ate a few candy bars.... yes, the diet is going good. When Takas mom came home, she made me eat a banana so I think it was a good healthy day. Kristin needed yen so we headed into downtown Tokyo to find her a Cirrus ATM.

One really long drive later, we found the ATM, I played guard dog duty while they went in and got cash. Driving around here to me is like a video game, all the cars are small and fast and coming at me the wrong way, I doubt I would ever want to drive here. We stopped at a Lawson convenience store so Kristin could pick up some cigarettes, she made me laugh when she looked at a cigarette vending machine outside and cried out "My money doesnt fit in here, its too big!" with a very sad look on her face.

Tea Collage

Taka picked me out some tea, it tasted like grass, but I liked it more than the peanut tea of the previous convenience store run. Convenience stores here are very different from back home, all the clerks wear matching nice uniforms and they all call out a sing song greeting when you come in, everything is brightly lit and feels like a scene from Xanadu and all product is nicely displayed. I like it.

Next stop, Costco, its just like our Costco back home! Only there is a really neat escalator you can take your cart down, almost fifth elementy. The Costco is set up the same and looks exactly like at home. I saw some crackers with "jelly like consistency" I dont know about you, but I dont look for a Jelly like consistency with my crackers.

The biggest difference between Japanese Costco and US Costco is the noise level. JP Costco is so quiet! Just so you know, they dont sell tampons there. Kristin was on a mission to buy some kind of seaweed snacks: individually wrapped and seasoned was her pitch on those. We did buy a giant package of pads, vinegar plums -individually wrapped, and some kind of juice drink.

After Costco, we went to the arcade! Even in Japan its my favorite place, though lack of money as usual robs me of a little enjoyment. Taka did give me a lot of change to play the UFO machines though. UFO machines are a million times better than the crane machines in America, first off the prizes are great actually things you would want to have and you can have an arcade attendant come and rearrange the items so you have a better chance at getting what you want. In an unexpected reversal of fortunes, I couldnt win anything to save my life. Then there was the monkey factor that I didn't consider half the machines I was playing was the equivalent of $2.00 a pop. Taka spent nearly twenty dollars trying to win me a Hello Kitty purse, which he eventually did, and a stuffed raccoon named Rascal and a Kamen Rider key chain. He got a model truck, Winnie the Pooh tea set, cell phone strap, stuffed Toy Story character, and candy for himself. See what I mean about the prizes?

After the arcade we went to a big drug store to find tampons and we found Kristins seaweed candy. We looked at hair dye and all the packages had anime style people on them, they actually had the color gray.

Back at home, Kristin made me eat a seaweed snack and I almost died it was very unpleasant. Takas mom made us dinner so we had some kind of big bowl of something, pickled daikon, sashimi, cold boiled potatoes, and rice. We watched a game show where there are 10 models and they get ranked on their desirability. Afterwards we all went for a walk around his old neighborhood and looked at a sea of vending machines with all kinds of drinks, alcohol and cigarettes in them. Kristin bought chocolate cigarettes.

Leaving for Tokyo: The Adventure Begins

Thursday night we stayed over at Stacey's apartment in New York so she could drive us to the airport in the morning. I ended up waking early because I was too excited to sleep and also, she has a very heavy cat that kept jumping on me. As we were putting our suitcases in the car, Stacey asked me if I needed my carry on bag and I said "no not unless I need money" so as she had already packed it in the car she dragged it out and threw it on the ground. I just stared at her stunned "You just threw my computer on the ground" I wailed. She looked shocked a moment, then apologized, so our trip was off to a good start.

Arriving at the airport we got a little misty saying goodbye to Stacey. Then in the check in line some Japanese men were checking out Kristin's butt. I thought that was funny, she was just kind of quiet. Once on the plane we were in for a LONG hellish ride, at first its ok, you have the excitement of a trip, getting snacks on the plane (of which there were many!) Wondering what movie you are going to watch, thinking :this plane sure has plenty of leg room its not bad! then somewhere it turns into sheer hell. Somewhere along the way you realize you've watched 4 movies and none of them were good, then you realize that the people sitting near you are alternately very talkative or just plain weird. Next you realize that your bum hurts and it will continue to hurt with nothing you can do about it. For us, additionally there was the man who walked up and down the aisle every 15 minutes or so and just blatantly stared at us. In a slapstick comedy moment to break up the tension I bought some duty free perfume which as I was trying to figure out the space age European design of when I managed to squirt a large stream of perfume into Kristins eye. She screamed "I'm blind" and I was partly horrified by what I had done and partly really amused, so we ended up concluding she would live to have a really smelly eye. Oh, and I forgot to mention the perfume had a chocolate base so it was ok and also we could eat it if we were stranded on an island. We had ordered ahead and gotten vegetarian meals though for some reason the stewardess thought we would enjoy it more if she mixed it up with a roast beef sandwich or two. I would have been more pleased with her if she had offered me one of the mini cheese pizzas everyone else got. We did meet two cool ladies in the seats in front of us, one of them asked me to email her through clownchef. She continually alluded to being much older than us, and though I didnt say anything, I had the feeling we were fairly close in age.

Finally we arrived in Tokyo! After the longest plane taxi Ive ever sat through. I thought they were just planning to drive the airplane over to Takas house for us. I had the additional freak out over whether he would even remember to pick us up, as we hadnt spoken for 2 days. Through immigration "the line chief" as I called him, assigned me a line that went super fast and Kristin got stuck in a really slow line so I chatted with our two new lady friends while I waited and made a half hearted plan to meet up. The airport was very hot and I regretted I didn't study up on how to say "More air conditioning in the airport, please" in Japanese. Finally we picked up our luggage and we popped out of the gate into a mess that seemed like we were rock stars getting off a tour jet. People everywhere with signs with names of people on them, people calling out, people milling about, security with dogs, it was disconcerting, not to mention I had that feeling you have when you haven't seen someone in a long time that either you or they will forget what each other looks like. Taka spotted us and rescued me from the embarrassment of looking past him. On the way out Kristin had to smoke, and we laughed that they had a plastic enclosure specifically for people smoking. We dubbed it "smokers prison" and took a funny picture of her stuck in it. My first thought was that I had to make a photo album of Kristin in smokers prisons across Japan, possibly this would lead to a big time printing deal for a best selling coffee table book.

smoking prison

We climbed into Taka's fancy SUV type vehicle with onboard talking Japanese lady computer person and we were finally really in Japan.

On the ride to his house we picked up a lot of traffic. At one tollbooth there was a life size fake construction worker that scared me a heck of a lot more than some haunted houses Ive been through (Draculas Castle *cough cough*)