Chipped Teeth on Rye. I made it to Hiroshima just now. And I somehow managed to chip one of my teeth on a sandwich. A sandwich. A soft, chewy, delicious sandwich. Dammit. Now I’ve got this rough spot on my teeth that I can’t stop rubbing with my tongue. So now my tongue is sore. … Continue reading
Japan
Rub-a-dub
I figured I would mention this while I could still remember it. I just went down to the baths in the basement of the hotel. Okay, you know how you always hear, “Be careful, the baths in Japan are really hot!” you may be tempted to think, “Yeah, right.” At least I did. Until now. … Continue reading
From Kyoto to Nara
For my last night in Kyoto (which was last night), I went back to Isetan’s 11th floor. This time I went back to my chicken and pizza places for a second raid. Good stuff. Later that night my stomach paid me back in spades. That’s why I bring the Pink Stuff with me on a … Continue reading
Another Big Day in Kyoto
Another busy day. Not as good as yesterday, but yesterday was hard to beat. I started off my day by doing laundry at 7:30 a.m. Doing laundry in Japan is kind of handy. I say “kind of” because it has its limits. I’ve noticed that all of the coin-operated washers that I have come across … Continue reading
Nasty Crunchy Yellow Things; Wait Your Turn; Keep Left
Here’s my nightcap report. After I got back and recharged for a couple of hours, I headed back to Kyoto Station and Isetan’s 11th floor. FYI– The mall stores and the stores in Isetan in Kyoto Station close at 8PM, and the restaurants all close at 9PM. I made it in time to go to … Continue reading
A Philosophical Journey Through Kyoto
Wow. I’m totally wiped out. I saw a bunch of stuff after all, in spite of a persistent light rain that wasn’t more than slightly annoying. Ginkakuji For starters, I took the subway and then grabbed a bus to Ginkakuji (the Silver Pavilion). On the bus ride there, I saw a great sight I wish … Continue reading
It’s Raining Again…
It’s raining in Kyoto today, and it’s supposed to rain all day. I guess I’ll head to the station and ask the information desk people for some ideas for things to do that won’t get me soaked. I’ll try to visit some temples/castles tomorrow, and just do city stuff today. Monday I travel to Nara, … Continue reading
Sayonara, Okazaki; Konbanwa, Kyoto!
I’m back in Kyoto, safely out of Okazaki now, although I kind of miss Okazaki. The Sky Is Crying Way Too Much I’m so happy to finally be dry. Why is it whenever I go to Kyoto, it rains? (Does two trips count enough for a “whenever?”) It started this morning, during “The TP incident,” … Continue reading
The Stupidest Thing I Ever Did… For Today, Anyway
Well, I have a new Stupidest Thing I’ve Done So Far in Japan. And it’s up there with other Great Stupid Things I’ve Done. I brought some U.S. toilet paper with me because, well, let’s just say that me and Japanese toilet paper haven’t been getting along very well. In general, the stuff I’ve been … Continue reading
Touring Around Okazaki
Fun day today. I got back on the ol’ Buttbuster 9000 and did some touring around Okazaki. I’m going to miss that bike… okay, no, not really. I managed to send about 20 lbs. worth of stuff home for only about $60. Fortunately, it’s all stuff I won’t need for the next 8-10 weeks, because … Continue reading
The Bells, the Bells! (Because “The Chimes!” Sounds Lame)
Okazaki Castle happens to be too far away for me to get to today. But at least I have a way to show you where I am on an interactive map. (It’s in Japanese, but a map is a map.) http://tinyurl.com/3d6cgv There’s a zoom-scale-slider-thing at the bottom of the map, to change it from 500m … Continue reading
It’s Log, It’s Log, It’s Big, It’s Heavy, It’s Wood!
Something I saw yesterday that I forgot to mention– I was walking by the local high school, and it sits on top of a pretty steep hill. Well, I saw the baseball team out there, in their uniforms, acting lively and cheering, while someone was blowing a whistle. Intrigued, I looked as I passed by, … Continue reading
The Trash Heap Has Spoken!
Yesterday was interesting. I got up at 8 a.m. I was freezing, and my throat was killing me. The window had been leaking cold air into my room, and it was right above where my head is on the bed. (Or was– I moved the other way on the bed so my head and feet … Continue reading
Noodling Around Okazaki on a Sunday
Today was nice. I woke up at 8, was freezing to death, cranked up the heat (once I figured out how), then went back to sleep until 10 a.m. (Which is exceedingly late for me.) I goofed around for most of the day, played on the computer a bit, did laundry, and then I went … Continue reading
It’s Made of Gooold!
I just got back to Okazaki from Kyoto, and today was great. Sun! Beautiful sun! I dumped my luggage in a locker at the station, and talked to the very helpful ladies on the 9th floor of Kyoto Station in the tourist office: by all means, go there. Try to get to Kyoto well before … Continue reading
Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head
I managed to salvage a nice evening out tonight. I thought about going to Gion (the place with all the geisha), but I’m going to save that for when I return to Kyoto later in my trip. I have to return here to see everything I want to see. First I stopped by the local … Continue reading
Putting the Mizu in Kiyomizudera, or Blame It On the Raaaaain
So I made it to Kyoto, and guess what? It’s raining like crazy. And guess what I left behind in Okazaki? Yes, my rain gear, what there was of it, anyway. I managed to make it to Kiyomizudera (emphasis on the mizu today, I guess), and I took a bunch of pictures there. Like any … Continue reading
Made it to Kyoto.
I finally made it to the hotel in Kyoto. It’s the Urban Hotel Kyoto, another business hotel. Business hotels are a good deal for cheapskates like me. You get a tiny room, a tiny bed, a tiny bathroom, a TV, a fridge, and you don’t pay a whole lot. The fridge was an unexpected bonus … Continue reading
Off to Kyoto for the Weekend!
I’m still in Okazaki, but I’m leaving for Kyoto in just a few minutes for the weekend. I need to rest for another 5-10 minutes, then I’m heading out. That’s one thing I’ve discovered I have to do– make time to rest. If I don’t, I suffer. Classes are hard. For some reason, the Japanese … Continue reading
Kyoto Plans
So far, I think my tentative schedule is going to be: 10/26 last day in Okazaki– go to Osaka. 10/26-10/28 Enjoy Osaka, then head to Nara. 10/28-10/29 Enjoy Nara, then head to either Hiroshima or Kyoto again, if I feel like more Kyoto. 10/29-11/1 Hiroshima or Kyoto 11/1-11/3 Kyoto or Hiroshima, or move on to … Continue reading
Climbing Up Again.
I’m starting to feel a bit better. I can’t believe I’ve already been in Japan for a week. Considering I’ve spent a good portion of it horizontal, I’m not too thrilled about that aspect, but at least I’m here. I’m really looking forward to going to Kyoto, just to get out of Okazaki for a … Continue reading
Blue Monday
Today was a slow day. I got up early, fiddled with setting up the website (I finally figured out why it wouldn’t resolve), did my homework, went to class, then rested. All of the running around from this weekend took a lot out of me. On the upside, I’m learning a lot in the Japanese … Continue reading
Take it to the Bank?
Not to name names, but right now, I’m very very mad at a large Bank that has branches all over America. When I got back from my trip to downtown Nagoya, where I bought my new denshi jisho with a credit card from this large Bank in America, there was an e-mail waiting for me … Continue reading
Flower Cars and Feudal Lords. Parade!
Big day today! For starters, I woke up at 7 a.m. On a Saturday. Can’t help it. Then I did laundry at the laundromat next to the QuickMart. I lead an exciting life! Laundry was completed without much incident. Wandering in Nagoya Then I set off for Nagoya. This time the trains worked! At first, … Continue reading
Feeling Crunky.
I had a fun evening, and things are slow, so I’ll tell you all about it now, because I have super-fast Ethernet. I decided to go to Nagoya for dinner. I thought it would be fun to go to the station, which I hear is one of the largest train stations in the world, and … Continue reading
The Bicycle from Hell.
Today I discovered a few embarrassing, yet very important things. The 2,000 yen/week bicycle you rent will probably look bad no matter what. The 2,000 yen helmet you get extra somehow makes you look even worse. The 2,000 yen/week bicycle rides even worse than you thought a bicycle could. Using the 2,000 yen/week bicycle means … Continue reading
FEEL NEWS
This waking up before 6 a.m. thing is something it’s going to take time to get used to. Since my classes don’t start until 12:30 p.m., I have a lot of time to kill in the mornings. So this morning I decided to head to the local supermarket, named FEEL NEWS… I’m not sure how … Continue reading
Jet Lag.
I’ve been sleeping pretty much all day, and after a long nap, I’m going to bed to sleep for another 8 hours or so. Here are a couple of photos of my room in the Student Village at Yamasa, in case you didn’t see the one in the previous post. The school has a … Continue reading
Off to Japan!
I have arrived safely in Okazaki. I have a high-speed Ethernet connection in my room, so I am happy. Let me tell you how I got here… The Flight Over My flight from Raleigh to Dallas-Ft. Worth left at 6:00 a.m. I’m an international passenger, so I had to be at the airport 2 hours … Continue reading
My Japan Trip Preparation
So first off, why this blog? Well, it’s for my relatives, who want to make sure I’m still breathing, and not lying in a ditch somewhere when I travel, but it’s also for the same reason everyone else blogs– because I like to talk about the things that interest me. I have a lot of … Continue reading