Hello Gaijin! Adventures in Tokyo

Do Not Follow Maiko In The Streets

2008-12-20T00:39:00.000-08:00

Apprentice Geisha are called "Maiko" the Mai meaning "Dance" and ko meaning "child". Most of the Maiko and Geisha left reside in Kyoto, mainly in the Gion district. Maiko with their white make up and beautiful hair styles are tremendously popular photography subject with tourists in Kyoto. They are so popular in fact that they have turned to the Kyoto city government for help.

The Daily Yomiuri reports that foreign sightseers and amateur cameramen surround the Maiko as soon as they leave their homes. The situation is becoming so bad the Maiko can hardly go about their daily tasks and have asked the city of Kyoto for help. City officials have asked people to not follow the Maiko in the streets or interfere with their dances or tea house work.

Last year, the number of city sightseers was around 49,440,000, the foreigners who rented hotels rooms in the city was around 920,000 person one of the highest counts ever.
Kyoto is a beautiful and historical city and was formerly Japan's capital. Roughly 20 percent of Japan's "National Treasures" and 14% of Japan's "Important Cultural Properties" exist in the city. UNESCO World Heritage Sites "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto" and 17 other locations are around the Kyoto area. The site was designated as World Heritage in 1994. It is also possible to easily visit Nara, the capital city of Japan from 710 to 784.

Kyoto is one of the best preserved city in Japan and I highly recommend a visit. If you do plan a visit, please treat the inhabitants of this fine city with respect and Do Not Follow Maiko In The Streets.

You can learn more about travel and tourism in Kyoto here Kyoto Travel Guide . Also the image on this page is credited to Kyoto Travel Guide. You can also mail me if you want more information on this topic or travel advice.

The Wierdness that is Japanese Crime

2008-12-14T11:27:00.000-08:00

I have long held the belief that Japan has some of the oddest crimes of anywhere in the world. To help back up my claim here is a recently reported crime in the Nagoya area.

Knife-wielding man cuts two schoolgirls' hair in Nagoya

AICHI — Police said Thursday that two schoolgirls had been attacked by a man who cut their hair with a knife in Nagoya on Wednesday. According to police, one of the victims, 16, was suddenly assaulted by a man and had her hair cut while she was walking through a park on her way to school around 7:20 a.m. The second attack occurred about 4 p.m. In that case, the victim, 14, said she was attacked from behind.

Police said the attacker used a 20-centimeter-long knife. Both girls said the man appeared to be in his 30s and was about 170 cms tall with brown hair. He was clad in black. The crime scenes were about 700 meters apart.

I think I will keep this space open to add more as I read about them. There are some unbelievable ones. Japan is rated as one of the safest places to visit, makes you wonder why the crimes that are committed can be so unusual. Perhaps when someone snaps here, they completely go off the deep end.

Take this one for instance, this is so silly. High speed "Scooter chase"

Four youths arrested after scooter pursuit in Chiba

Friday 12th December, 12:56 PM JST

CHIBA —

Police arrested and charged four teenage boys with dangerous driving and other violations of the Road Traffic Law on Thursday.

According to police, the boys called police from a public phone in Kisarazu City at around 3 a.m. on Nov 16, and reported that motorbike gangs were making a lot of noise. The four boys waited for the police, and when they arrived about 10 minutes later, took off on two scooters and played a game they called “Real Chasey.” The game involved one boy driving the scooter, zig zagging about while the other boy on the back provoked police with words and gestures.

The boys led police on a pursuit which included national roads and the boys ignoring traffic signals, and police lost them after five minutes. But they were able to identify the boys as all of them have been taken into custody before.

The boys – a welder, 17, a plumber, 16, a first year high school student, 15, and a second year junior high school student, 14, knew each other through the junior high school.

One of the boys was quoted by police as saying: “I love the thrill. I’ve done it more than 10 times this year.”

The first year high school student doesn’t have a license, and drove at speeds of only 10 to 30 kilometers per hour.

The boys claimed they came up with the name for the game, but there is a novel in the same name by Yusuke Yamada, which was made into a movie this year.

Been a Long Time

2008-12-14T11:26:00.001-08:00

since I have been able to post. Went and had a baby of all the surprises. Kept me very busy! I will try to get some updates in.

Homesick Day

2007-05-10T18:21:00.001-07:00

Sumo match
Originally uploaded by pointybunny.

I am having the worst bout of homesickness today! I have to work through it somehow before Taka gets home or I am afraid I will start a stupid argument in the vein of "Take me home now!" Partially its his mom, she just makes me so angry sometimes. We just had lunch with his aunt, grandma, uncle and his wife and his mom just sits there and tells everyone how I only eat cheese and bread. I just want to shout NOOO i don't usually eat cheese for every meal. I want veggie burgers and tofu dogs and popcorn with nutritional yeast and soy cheese and macaroni and Amy's organic lasagna and fakin bacon and hummus and...
well..you get the picture. Who could guess that food would make me the most homesick? and people of course, i really miss friends to
talk too. I want to come home soon I need a break!

Last night I told Taka that Japan would be 90 percent better if Hummus was readily available. Taka has decided he is too fat topping the scales at a whopping 171 pounds. sheesh he's a whale....as if.

He made me walk all over creation last night in attempt at exercise. I have to say Japan is as hot or hotter than Florida in the summer. Its so humid you can suck it up with a straw. I'm watching Sumo wrestling because it makes me feel not as fat. and no I don't know . I am wanting to visit the US, but I have a sneaking suspicion he really doesn't want me to go so is taking his time. I hope he realizes I WILL NOT come back and live in this house. I
just cant. It's so dirty in here and they don't clean up after those dogs. Considering the rat dogs go poo or pee in the bathroom at will usually once a day. I have freaky thoughts of a layer of invisible dog filth on the floor so don't linger to dry my hair or myself off. ewwwww. Which comes to another thing, I hate those "dogs" so much. How could I, who is supposed to be such an animal lover, hate those 2 dogs so much? Especially the little gremlin one. I always push it when no one is looking. They bark constantly, barking even at each other. how stupid is that?
Oh well, what can you do?

Taka let me order a few articles of clothing from online a couple days ago. He's so funny, he sometimes gives me money for all these dumb reasons I guess so he doesn't feel like he s really giving me money. Like the other day he gave me $50. because he said he had too many $50.s in his wallet. Ya, right. I gave it back to him for the clothes though.

Japan made a bad move in my opinion, they voted to make the postal service go private. you know our mail is going to be messed up big time. plus now people can price gouge so we ll never know how much postage will be. its not the best idea I've ever heard. Right now Japan has the most amazing postal service. I cant believe they would do this.

Another issue bothering me is alcoholism, its rampant in Japan. There is a higher alcoholism
rate here than there is in the US. The thing that really disturbed me is that for fathers day the big thing was to take father and children to a cocktail class that taught the kids how to make cocktails for their fathers so they could have one waiting for them when they come home from work. All their business deals are made in hostess clubs where they drink like fishes almost every night. With the pressures from their crazy working hours alcohol is a release and a social activity. Taka has been drinking alot more since he got his job, he never has been much of a drinker, but the president of his company keeps making them go out for drinks after work once a week. They were looking for an English teacher for 5 hours a week at his work for $300. a week, I wanted to do it but he wouldn't let me. Hes so overprotective of me. It's not fair.

At least I can watch some samurai dramas on tv. That's always fun and there is a new vending machine next door with all the soda flavors you could want!

Children's Day

2007-05-05T20:07:00.001-07:00

Taka on the Bridge
Originally uploaded by pointybunny.

Today we got Pizza Hut. I had the "Idaho Special" without bacon. We also rented movies. We got "Secret Window" We both figured out the plot to that one within 20 minutes, "The Village" we agreed it was long and kind of boring, and "Highwaymen" which I just loved but Taka wouldn't watch it.

Monday, Taka got called into work and after we got take out from a place called "The Skylark Inn" They had excellent french fries but their pizza was awful. It had lots and lots of corn on it and that was pretty much it.

Tuesday we had the big trip to Costco. I love going to Costco. There are actually white people there! wheeee. We managed to find some cereal, all they had was Kellogs "Corn Frosties" but they are just like Frosted flakes. Got some great mystery books too called "The Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency" Here's a bit of Japanese trivia for you, Japanese homes don't have ovens. Yes, its true. No ovens. They usually just have a toaster oven. They cant cook a whole pizza or a big tray of cookies.

Wednesday we called "Romantic Day" where we just spent time doing stuff together we like to do. We went to see the "Koi No Buri" which are these giant fish kites that are all over town, especially near the river, they fly them to symbolize good health for the family for the
rest of the year, the big fish are the parents and the little fish
symbolize the children. The higher you fly your Koi no buri the
better luck you will have. They are really beautiful, I love seeing
them all over. They symbolize Children's Day:

More About Children's Day!

It is a day set aside to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness.

It was originally called Tango no Sekku (端午の節句), which may originally be the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival (端午節). Sekku means a season's festival (there are now five Sekku per year). This one marks the beginning of summer or the rainy season. Tango has a double meaning: Tan means "edge" or "first" and go means "noon." In Japanese go also means five (五), which could refer to the date of the festival: the fifth day of the fifth month. From the beginning of history, the fifth month of the Chinese calendar was said to be a month for purification, and many rites that were said to drive away evil spirits were performed this month.

Although it is not known precisely when this day started to be celebrated, it was probably during the reign of the Empress Suiko (593–628 A.D.). In Japan, Tango no Sekku was assigned to the fifth day of the fifth month after the Nara period.

Until recently, Tango no Sekku was known as Boys' Day (also known as Feast of Banners) while Girls' Day (Hinamatsuri) was celebrated on March 3. In 1948, the government decreed this day to be a national holiday to celebrate the happiness of all children and to express gratitude toward mothers. It was renamed Kodomo no hi. There is some disgruntlement that, despite its renaming, it is still Boys' Day and it is inappropriate that Boys' Day is a national holiday, while Girls' Day is not.[citation needed]

Before this day, families raise the carp-shaped Koinobori flags, one for each boy (or child), display a Kintarō doll usually riding on a large carp, and the traditional Japanese military helmet, Kabuto. Kintarō and the kabuto are symbols of a strong and healthy boy.

Kintarō (金太郎) is the childhood name of Sakata no Kintoki who was a hero in the Heian period, a subordinate samurai of Minamoto no Raikou, having been famous for his strength when he was a child. It is said that Kintarō rode a bear, instead of a horse, and played with animals in the mountains when he was a young boy.

Mochi rice cakes wrapped in kashiwa oak leaves — kashiwa-mochi and chimaki — are traditionally served on this day.

~quoted from Wikipedia

Afterwards we went to the Sega Arcade (for us that is
romantic) we played this game where you put metal disks in a type of
slot machine representing "Super Mario Bros." and we ended up winning the jackpot of 750 metal disks. Don't really know what the point of winning metal disks are, but its still fun to win at something.

Later we went to his friend's house which is the smallest apartment
you have ever seen in your life! His friend, his wife and their 2 children (3 years old and 8 weeks old) all live in this tiny 1 room apartment. I was flabbergasted, but Taka says that's the way most Japanese families live. The 3 year old is awesome. We took his
"Magirangers" figures apart and drove toy trains over them. Nothing
like teaching kids mass murder. "Magirangers" are fun, they are the
original "PowerRangers" but they are better and they sing and dance.
I wake up every Sunday early and watch them
Their baby hated me and screamed every time he looked at me. We went to an "Italian" restaurant chain called "sazeriya" where we ate the WORST spaghetti we ever had! For some reason known only to the Japanese they put Tabasco sauce on all their Italian food. And their sauce is that kind of wierd orange color like when you buy fake
spaghetti o's. There was another Japanese man/white lady couple there and we all stared at each other allot. They put us at tables right
next to each other like we had to have our own section for foreigners.

I spent the weekend babysitting Yoshiko. Saturday we went
to a pond near the house and there were boys there catching some kind of crayfish in it. Tried to take a walk in the woods but Yoshiko
flipped out. Her mother tells me she is deathly afraid of the woods
because of "Snow White" We also got to go to my special Sushi restaurant where the owner makes me awesome vegetarian dishes custom made to my tastes. I might ask him to teach me how to cook. Hes the best chef Ive ever met. If anyone comes to visit, we are definitely eating there.

Tonight we went to the exact opposite of the Awesome restaurant. Everything there is terrible and greasy and makes me
ill. The owner there just yells at me because he doesn't want to make
vegetarian food. Fine with me, heh. I cant say anything though
because the owners are friends of the PILs. It was Takas parents, His mothers 3 friends, one of the friends daughter and fiance and the
friends husband. Also I ate a baked potato with a coffee spoon. They don't have any forks.

Back from the Beyond

2007-05-04T04:01:00.001-07:00

Tokyo Tower
Originally uploaded by pointybunny.

I was away for awhile. Had to travel between the US and Japan back in November and sort of lost track of my story here. Now I am back and will make sure to get this all updated! I know everyone misses these wacky stories and informative topics. Here to tease you is a photo I took of the Tokyo Tower just this past December.

Kimono Beauty : The Furisode

2006-10-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

Back of Gold Furisode
Originally uploaded by pointybunny.

I will be discussing kimono in a series on the different styles and history of each starting with my favorite, The Furisode. I love kimono, I love the beauty, elegance, and simplicity in what can be an every day object. Each kimono is different and original in it's own way, each design was created for a reason and has underlying meaning. Many people over look this ancient art form. It IS an art form.

(to be continued...when my daughter is asleep ha ha)

2006-10-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

Nosy People and Interesting Article

Sometimes people here are just so nosy, especially the older women. You never know what you are doing wrong either. The women here make this horrible noise, mostly when they are surprised, they go EEEEHHHHHHHH!in these big shrieky voices. It's hard to describe unless you have heard it. Once in an elevator, I had an older man tell me bluntly "You are too tall for a woman." Now what do you say to that?

I got a rash on my chin from an allergy to something I ate and I was told it is because Americans do not have strong skin. Now if I was Japanese, I would have strong skin. People make me laugh, they are so polite most of the time and then pop out of left field with these outrageous personal statements.

This is an interesting article that backs up my nosy people statement:

Woman held for fracas after being scolded for putting on makeup in subway

Thursday, April 28, 2005 at 07:22 JSTTOKYO -

Police arrested a 22-year-old woman Wednesday on suspicion of seriously injuring an elderly woman after the latter admonished herfor putting on makeup on a Tokyo subway platform.Akimi Odajima is accused of injuring a 65-year-old woman by grabbing her shoulders and shaking her, causing the elderly woman to stumble against the first car of a train arriving at the platform, the police said. Odajima has denied the allegations. According to Tokyo police, Odajima, a restaurant employee and residentof Tokyo's Meguro Ward, was admonished by the elderly woman around11:30 a.m. on the Hiroo Station subway platform operated by TokyoMetro Co.They said the victim, a resident of Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture,suffered head and chest injuries. Odajima reportedly told investigators that she wanted to clarify to the woman that she was not actually putting on makeup but wiping the sweat from her face with a sponge used to apply makeup.According to the investigators, Odajima was sitting on a bench on the platform when the woman admonished her, saying, "You should not put on makeup here."They said Odajima followed the woman, called out to her and then shook her by the shoulders. (Kyodo News)

Fast Food Vs. Sarah Michelle Gellar

2006-10-11T22:40:00.000-07:00

Just a quick entry here as it is late and I am too sleepy to be very coherent. However, I just saw Sarah Michelle Gellar touting "The Grudge 2" on the Conan O'Brien show a few minutes ago. She has recently come back from Tokyo from filming "The Grudge 2" so Conan asked her how she liked Japan.

She said she went to McDonalds and in Tokyo you have to ask for your hamburger without egg on it otherwise they will put a raw egg on it. She warned the viewers "Make sure you ask for your burger without an egg on it, they put one on every hamburger" Then they laughed and made some jokes about it.

Now this is why everyone thinks Japan is such a wacky place. People come back from visits to Japan with all these weird stories that no one can really prove or disprove because not that many people you know have visited there. T and I are, or should I say "were" frequent fliers at McDonalds - Until we watched the movie "Super Size Me" and I have NEVER seen an egg on a hamburger at McDonalds or Wendy's for that matter. I have never been asked if I wanted an egg removed from a burger nor seen T eat an egg burger before and I have watched him eat dried squid for breakfast! We have probably been to half the McDonalds in the Tokyo area and I haven't seen that. Maybe someone reading this has???

The McDonalds near us is actually a very pleasant place to go. It has many overly friendly employees in beautifully clean uniforms and they even wear the matching hats. When you go through drive thru and your order takes a little time they bring out your meal and give you an extra coca cola or something for your trouble and bow as you drive off. The place is very clean and they pick up the tray after you finish but I think that is because they think Gaijin won't figure out the recycling bins. They got that right.

Once we went through the McDonald's drive thru and they didn't give T the honey mustard for his chicken thingies....McNuggets, I think they call 'em. So he called to complain and they actually sent someone to drive over and bring him some honey mustard PLUS they gave him a fresh order of nuggets!! Now would you ever see that done in America??? Not hardly. You don't complain in case they might spit in your food or something equally vile. One day I will write about the customer service in Japan. One word to start - Outstanding.

They have most of the usual fast food joints in Japan. McDonalds, Wendy's, Pizza Hut, KFC (Which they call "Kentucky") Subway, Outback Steakhouse, Mr. Donut, Denny's etc...Usually I have found the menu to be basically the same as the US menu. Notable exceptions though would be Denny's and Pizza Hut. On every menu, of course, there are a few Japanese specials and favorites but even in the US there are regional variations. I remember having an arguement with a Japanese friend over whether Red Lobster was an American company or not.

Point is, I never saw an egg on a hamburger in McDonalds in Tokyo. Where was Sarah Michelle Gellar?

Addition to Post 10/21/2206:

I should add an explantion of the comments on here as well.

The Japanese are fond of "Moon Viewing" The moon is admired and people celebrate with food for viewing the full moon in Autumn. Called O-tsukimi and held usually on September 15th or August 15th, according to the old lunar calendar and called Ju-go-ya.

The raw egg hamburger dealy is a special food around for the moon viewing time. Or you can order it from restuarants . So it does exist is my point I never made, but not as a McDonalds staple for every burger you have to panic about getting a raw egg on it.

How to get Married in Japan

2006-10-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

I suppose I should tell you about the day we were married. I wanted to get married on Halloween since it's my favorite holiday because Taka said I could pick the day. Unfortunately the City Hall was closed that day and the day before so I picked the 29th instead. We were both unemployed at the time and didn't have much money so any kind of real fancy wedding was out. I had invited two friends of mine from the US to come but only one of them was able to but at least I had one friend with me to share the day.

In the days leading up to that day we didn't really talk about it much. His parents never mentioned it all so I was worried that it wasn't going to come true. I kept asking Kristin if she thought it was serious or just talk. I would have been mad if I sold everything I owned to come to Japan for no reason. I am a worrier though. I worry about all kinds of things that haven't happened yet and probably won't. I know it's a bad habit but I can't quite break it. I can stress myself out in 10 seconds flat if I try.

The morning of the 29th I woke up full of apprehension and Taka didn't say much, he just came back dressed really nice and asked me if I was ready. I just wore a nice shirt and pants and tried to do my make up extra special. The three of us geared up for an interesting day. I was so nervous I thought I was going to throw up.

Marriage in Japan:

U.S. Embassy in Tokyo Address:
1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420 JAPAN
(03) 3224-5000 (general switchboard)
(03) 5354-4033 (visa information)

If you wish to marry in Japan, you will do so according to Japanese law. Marriage in Japan consists of a civil marriage registration by the couple at a Japanese municipal government office.
Only this civil registration constitutes a legal marriage in Japan. Ceremonies performed by religious or fraternal bodies in Japan, while perhaps more meaningful for you, are not legal marriages.Consular officers unfortunately cannot perform marriages.

There are just a few things you'll need to do to get married. Let's get started!

Article 731 to 737 of the Japanese Civil Code stipulates the following requirements:

The male partner must be 18 years ofage or older and the female partner must be 16 years of age or older.

In addition, for Americans, you must be able to legally marry in your home state; if the legal age of marriage at home is 18, you cannot marry earlier than that in Japan.

A woman cannot get married within six months of the dissolution of her previous marriage. According to Japanese law, this is to avoid confusion as to the identification of a child's father if a birth occurs close in time to the end of the marriage.

Most people related by blood, by adoption or through other marriages cannot get married in Japan.

A person who is under 20 years of age cannot get married in Japan without a parent's approval.

Japanese law requires all foreigners who marry in Japan to first prepare a sworn Affidavit of Competency to Marry (Konin Yoken Gubi Shomeisho 婚姻要件具備証明書)(the "scrambled text" displays the form's name in Japanese if your computer is set up with Japanese fonts), affirming they are legally free to marry, from their own country's embassy or consulate in Japan.

You can download a blank affidavit form.This form is for use with one American partner and one non-American, such as when an American man marries a Japanese woman. The form has two parts, one to be completed in English and the other to be completed in Japanese.

If your partner is also an American s/he must also complete a sworn Affidavit of Competency to Marry at the Embassy. Use this form in cases of two American people marrying one another. The form has two parts, one to be completed in English and the other to be completed in Japanese.

These forms are required by Japanese law, and are not a requirement of the U.S. Government. No registration of your legal marriage abroad is required by the U.S. Government, and your Japanese partner need not come to our offices.

After completing the affidavit, please visit our offices with your valid U.S. passport and the $30 notarial fee (we accept cash, US$ or Japanese Yen). Sorry, but we cannot accept checks at any of our offices in Japan.

At the Embassy in Tokyo and our Consulates in Osaka and Naha you may also pay using your VISA, Mastercard, Discover, Diners Club or American Express card.

For the Japanese Partner...

The Affidavit of Competency to Marry you completed needs to be translated into Japanese, along with your parents' consent, if you are underage. Your Japanese partner must also complete a Japanese municipal government form called the Kon-in Todoke needed to register a marriage.

Two witnesses of any nationality over 20 years old must sign the Kon-in Todoke. Our staff cannot translate or prepare these documents.

Generally non-Japanese witnesses will sign in longhand, while Japanese, Korean and Chinese national witnesses may be asked for their seal (Inkan 印鑑)

The Japanese Government and/or the local municipal office may also have other requirements for your partner; please check with the appropriate municipal office. Typically, Japanese citizens will require a certified copy of their family register (Koseki Tohon 戸籍謄本) or its extract (Koseki Shohon 戸籍抄本) issued within a month of the marriage.

Get Married

This is the part of this whole procedure that actually makes you and your partner "married."

Once all the paperwork above is completed, proceed to the appropriate Japanese municipal government office. To avoid any disappointment, be sure to confirm local marriage procedures and rules directly with municipal government officials.

Once the marriage procedures are completed, the municipal government office issues a Japanese language "Certificate of Acceptance of Notification of Marriage" (Kon-in Todoke Juri Shomeisho) for 350 yen each.

That's it-- Congratulations!

(Taken from the US Government Embassy in Tokyo, Japan website)

Now Back to Our Story:

Everything says you can get married in one day. It is possible though it can be aggravating and tiring. First we went to city hall in Taka's town and filled out paperwork and paid some fees. Then off to Tokyo!!

It was about a half an hour drive to the embassy then we had to find parking and pay for that. Then go through the metal detectors and guards into a very bleak interior where there were alot of confusing windows and signs. I was super confused. We finally sorted out the paper work we needed and paid some more fees. I was operating in a fog at this point since it seemed like I couldnt understand anything anyone said to me. They kept asking me why I wanted to get married. I really didn't have an answer for that because anything I said would have come out sarcastic. Like "DUH we love each other" or "Because I want to use his Playstation 2 more conviently" We did all this traveling and paperwork so far but we stilllll weren't married. Back for another half an hour drive to City hall again.

Allright! more paperwork, more signatures, more strange looks. We are an odd couple to begin with I suppose but in the US it doesn't stand out as much as it does here. If I was someone else I would be thinking "There's a green card marriage right there" I had my camera with me this whole time and didn't even think to take a picture, That's how wigged out I was.

Back to Tokyo again to the embassy. There was some mix up in security with the water I was carrying and they took my camera away. There was alot of people waiting in the room to get visas to the US. The consulate head guy there finally signed the paper that said we were officially married and he said "Congratulations" and I just gave him a blank look and asked "For what?" Seriously, I was that confused. He just stared at me oddly for a moment and replied "on your new marriage" I said "OHHHHHH ya, thanks" and we headed out the door. Then back to City Hall where there was more stuff to do and they said they would send out our marriage certificate in the mail.

We kissed, Kristin said congratulations and that was that. What a romantic wedding day. What every girl dreams of. Taka took us out to eat at his favorite restaurant and I was kind of grumpy because Kristin was arguing with me over vegetables. Taka just looked shell shocked. Then we went to an arcade and played some games and I went into a store by myself and was slightly depressed. It wasn't at all what I expected my marriage to be like and to this day maybe I get a little jealous of girls who get to have the nice wedding where all their friends come and its beautiful. I suppose I shouldnt complain though since I married the person I love and I get to share my life with him forever now. A ceremony is just a added bonus. I appreciate that I did have one friend there.

On the ride back home he asked me to take his last name and I said I would. There it was. Now I have to be a wife. A new role I never thought I would get. His parents were home and didn't say a thing to me. I think maybe the wierdest part of the whole procedure is none of his family and none of his friends were there and they were right here in the same town. It made it seem even more unreal. His family ignoring it was the worst. We live with them! I don't think in the beginning they were very happy with me.

Another funny thing was even though I had my camera with me the entire day, I completely forgot to take pictures and no one else took pictures so we have no pictures of us getting married. Kristin took two of them later at night after we got home and changed but nothing else.

It took us a long time to get used to being married. I was used to living alone and he is used to being a coddled young man so we both had issues to work out. It was hard but it can be done if you try hard enough.

Anyway, and that's how it happened. I swear!

Odawara Castle

2006-09-25T11:48:00.001-07:00

angled shot of Odawara Castle
Originally uploaded by pointybunny.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

The Itchiku Kubota Art Museum

2006-09-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

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)

Osaka aka The Ghetto Honeymoon Trip

2006-09-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

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 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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

How do I make this JP Keyboard Work?

2006-09-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

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

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.

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

2006-09-22T09:08:00.001-07:00

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.

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

2006-09-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

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.

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*)