So I went to Fukuoka last weekend.
Tell us how it was, Matt.
I'll do just that, dear reader.
We decided that the best way to make the most of this trip was to start on Thursday. That said, we made our excuses to our teachers and woke up at the crack of dawn. Actually it wasn't the crack of dawn, it was about an hour before that. It was early, get it? So, we were up and headed off to the train station to catch a bus over towards Osaka airport. The bus ride was around an hour and a half long and once we ended up at the airport I fell asleep as we had another hour and a half to wait. Starting to sound fun, right? Well wait till I tell you this bit! We had a hour long flight to go as well! In terms of length of time spent on a plane, this would be the least, but traveling is still traveling.
We landed in Fukuoka's airport, made the quick trip to the hostel, arrived there and set about to figuring out what we wanted to do. First on our minds was lunch, so we trekked out for a meal. We found a department store, went to the top floor and found a conveyor belt sushi place where we stuffed ourselves full with cheap sushi. Afterwords, it was off to the arcade to game it up. I was expecting maybe a quick thirty minute play time, but we ended up staying there for an hour. Not exactly what I was planning to do for my first day in a new city, but whatever. We rolled on to a particularly famous shopping center, called Canal City. A small man-made river runs through the lower level (man, it's like it has something to do with the place's name) and offers a fountain and light show. The night we came seemed to mark the start of the Christmas season as there were a great deal of seasonal decorations up. That's right, Japan also celebrates Christmas. But not in the same way that we do back home. As I'm told it's just another couple based holiday, much like Valentines. Now shopping aside, at Canal City is a particularly excellent cafeteria. It's called Ramen Stadium. Can you guess why? Cause it's full of ramen shops. Every type of ramen you can want, and there are a lot to want. I decided to pick up a bowl of the local Hakata creation, a particularly meaty dish with soup that is made with a ham bone. I left stuffed and happy. Went to bed early that night because the flight left me exhausted.
The next day was slow but filled. Started off by heading out to find some of the local temples around. First one we did housed a giant Buddha statue made out of wood. Were I to estimate the height I would have to guess at around thirty or thirty-five feet. The point being is that it certainly dwarfed me. If anything it makes me want to go see the one in Nara all the more. The second temple we went to was being used that day for other purposes. Apparently, the locals were celebrating particular bits of their culture and this temple was being used for locally made traditional clothing. The buildings on the temple grounds were stuffed with robes and silk garments. They were interesting by there own rights, but a small tea ceremony being held in the temple gardens. It should be noted that the temple was really small, so too were the gardens, but the experience was nice. Not truly a tea ceremony, my friends and I were given manju, a Japanese sweet bun filled with red bean paste, and green tea afterword. The hostess loved to question us as we sat there and our most Japanese competent friend was answering her so I did my best to enjoy the experience itself. It was quick, and afterwords they showed us the Japanese tradition to tea making then showed us out.
The lunch that day was my first experience of ぎゅどん(beef bowl), which is basically beef in a sweet sauce with onions topped on rice. It. Was. Awesome. Served along with that was a bowl of soba noodles, which are really thick noodles but soft, and we left full. After that, we wanted to make a trip over to Ohori Park. The remains of the Fukuoka castle are there along with a large lake with small islands in the center. The castle itself was interesting, but I was only able to see a small part of it. The rest of the day light was spent around the lake. Ohori park is a very picturesque local. Tranquil lake, long Japanese bridges, koi fish and cranes in the water, a Starbucks that almost looked like it belonged, I was struck by how perfect it would be to bring someone here for a date. I wasn't the only one. The other members of my party took to calling it romantic. We decided to end the sightseeing there, and find dinner. We wanted to find an all you can eat Korean barbecue, this would be our second attempt to find it, and yet we failed again. Instead, we went to a Japanese burger joint called Mos Burger. It's a better burger place than McDonalds, but much more than that, I cannot say.
After that, we made an attempt to go clubbing. A quick train ride later, we arrived close to were all the clubs were said to be but we had no idea how to get to one. So we pulled aside a couple of girls passing by and asked for directions. They gave us a couple to look for,really pressed on us a particular club, the name of which I can't remember, as the place to go and were off on their merry way. We walked a bit further down, realized we still didn't know where the clubs were and stopped again to ask a street vendor where we could find one. He laughed when we told him the club the girls just moments before highly recommended to us and told us it was a gay bar. Needless to say, we didn't feel like going there after hearing that. Instead we ended up splitting apart. Two continued on to the clubs while I took the two girls back to the hostel. As it turns out, clubs are only good for drinking in Fukuoka. Dancing is illegal and doing so will get you thrown out. It didn't seem to be worth my time or money.
The next day was spent going to Fukuoka tower, a tall glass tower made to be a tourist viewing platform. It offers a good view of the city and the surrounding sea and land. Now let me tell you this, there are some mountains in Japan. Looking towards the land, you can only see so far before you're meet by a wall of green against the sky. It's impressive to say the least, especially when considering the flat land that stretches before them. It was spectacular but we quickly had to leave. That night we were planning to go to an onsen (a Japanese open-air, bath house) and to get there we had to catch a bus. I won't bore you with the details, but I will say this. We got lucky. In any case, we shipped out to the onsen.
Now let me say this, the onsen is not for the squeamish types. To put it delicately, it's like an extended stay in the locker room. To put it bluntly, you and everyone else there will be naked. It is a bath, after all. Before entering the waters, you are expected to shower off. Our place provided shampoo and body wash and I would assume that most other places would do the same. Now in the in door area, there are already a lot of baths. One is cold, another is lukewarm (I assume it was meant to wash off the sweat from the saunas because it was really small) and two warm baths, one of which was outfitted with various massage jets. The out door area was quite different. There was a bath that had three different spigots dumping water directly onto to you. It was great to help get those kinks out. A regular temperature bath with a odd number of places to sit was near the door inside. Up on a wooden landing there were three tree trunks filled with water that you could rest in and get a pretty good view of the sky. Furthermore were another cold bath, a sauna in a cave and two hot baths further up. One of them was in front of a waterfall. Pleasing, no? Now, I had fun. It was terribly interesting to lather up, rise off and relax with out ever really leaving the water. The downside is that you can't stay in there for too long. Perhaps after 45 minutes of all that soaking you'll start feeling a bit light headed and decide that it might be a good idea to get out. That's what I did, but fortunately the Japanese have a tradition for what they do after they get out of the baths. They get a cold drink. Milk is usually the way to go and man do they stock up on it. Just on the other side of the locker room, there was a vending machine stocked with the stuff along with other bottled drinks, from sodas to coffees. That's the one thing that really puts you in that feel good mood after that heat. After a while of hanging around, I went back to the baths and soaked up again until the last bus back. If you ever come to Japan, I have to recommend the onsen as a must.
The next day we got up early again and headed off to the airport. We were quickly back in Osaka and from there it was just a matter of waiting to get back home. Enjoy the story. Need to soak my hands. Got blisters on my fingers.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Well so much for that...
No excuses. Just story here. Enjoy.
So last we left off was the second day of my parents trip in Kyoto. Now, I doubt that I have mentioned this in my other posts but if I have, I'm still going to say this. The Japanese love to travel, I am told. If ever they get a chance, they like to take off for whatever destination they have in mind. That would mean that whenever there's a long holiday, you can expect to find places packed with people. Why do I bring that up? Well, my parents decided to plan their trip around my schedule so as to create as few problems for me as possible. So they chose a weekend with a holiday. A national holiday. "Oh" you might be thinking. Yeah.
Well, dawn of the second day. We're up early again, I believe it was eight or so in the morning and off. This time we decided that skipping breakfast was not on the agenda and so we went off to the nearest place we could find. Mom wanted a typical western style breakfast and since I myself hadn't eaten one in a while I was all for it. A nearby bakery served just what we wanted. Eggs, toast, bacon and a salad in a light dressing. Mmm, tasted like home with an extra salad.
And then it was off to the 金閣寺 (Golden Pavilion). It was a long bus trip from where we were, around twenty to thirty minutes, until we arrived. It was a line to the entrance door, then a stream of people on the path around the temple grounds and we were just a couple of drops in it. It was a quick tour as we passed along the buildings with the urgency for movement that is found all too easily when surrounded by people. Even though the Golden Pavilion is one of the most prominent attractions of Kyoto, I found the whole experience profoundly disappointing. On the ride back I managed to catch a little sleep which turned out to be a great thing. Why? Well I'm about to tell you.
Back in the hotel I laid out where I wanted to go to next. A temple called Fushimi Inari Taisha. The name doesn't stand out much, but I bet you know of it. It's the famed tori gate temple, thousands of red-orange gateways that mark out an ascending pathway that reaches the heights of Kyoto's mountains. The temple itself is dedicated to a patron spirit who oversees business and merchants as well as rice. That being said, every business man who wants to get on the good side of this spirit can buy himself a tori gate and have it placed somewhere on the path. That said, this temple is a hike. It takes an hour just to reach the end at a shrine on the top of the mountain. And the entire walk is gorgeous. After you start the trek up you are quickly lost in the trees and there is much and more to see. Small shrines, forest scenery, awesome views of the valley Kyoto rests in as well as the city itself, and the whole time you are surrounded by tori gates. Very worthwhile and perhaps somethings I will keep with me forever. Made the trip without Mom. She was still ill. Dinner that night was some of the worst pizza I ever had. Started to get cold, for once, so I really regretted not bringing a jacket.
Well it's getting late here so I'm going to sum up the last day in a few, succinct sentences. Woke up later than usual. Felt ill so I stayed in bed a while longer and Mom brought me up some sweets from the bakery a block away. I finally put my Japanese to the test and bought some medicine for the both of us. After that it was a bus ride out to the Kiyomizudera, a notorious temple and comparable to the Golden Pavilion in terms of cultural import. It is built without the use of a single nail and it has a large veranda from which much of Kyoto can be seen. It, too, is built on a mountain slope. The people there were burning a great deal of incense and below the temple itself was a fountain that split into three streams of water. The water there is believed to grant wishes. Went back to the hotel and relaxed. Tried to get into a restaurant near the hotel but failed to do that. Dinner that night was a return trip to the conveyer belt sushi.
That's all for now. The next one will be up when its up. Night.
So last we left off was the second day of my parents trip in Kyoto. Now, I doubt that I have mentioned this in my other posts but if I have, I'm still going to say this. The Japanese love to travel, I am told. If ever they get a chance, they like to take off for whatever destination they have in mind. That would mean that whenever there's a long holiday, you can expect to find places packed with people. Why do I bring that up? Well, my parents decided to plan their trip around my schedule so as to create as few problems for me as possible. So they chose a weekend with a holiday. A national holiday. "Oh" you might be thinking. Yeah.
Well, dawn of the second day. We're up early again, I believe it was eight or so in the morning and off. This time we decided that skipping breakfast was not on the agenda and so we went off to the nearest place we could find. Mom wanted a typical western style breakfast and since I myself hadn't eaten one in a while I was all for it. A nearby bakery served just what we wanted. Eggs, toast, bacon and a salad in a light dressing. Mmm, tasted like home with an extra salad.
And then it was off to the 金閣寺 (Golden Pavilion). It was a long bus trip from where we were, around twenty to thirty minutes, until we arrived. It was a line to the entrance door, then a stream of people on the path around the temple grounds and we were just a couple of drops in it. It was a quick tour as we passed along the buildings with the urgency for movement that is found all too easily when surrounded by people. Even though the Golden Pavilion is one of the most prominent attractions of Kyoto, I found the whole experience profoundly disappointing. On the ride back I managed to catch a little sleep which turned out to be a great thing. Why? Well I'm about to tell you.
Back in the hotel I laid out where I wanted to go to next. A temple called Fushimi Inari Taisha. The name doesn't stand out much, but I bet you know of it. It's the famed tori gate temple, thousands of red-orange gateways that mark out an ascending pathway that reaches the heights of Kyoto's mountains. The temple itself is dedicated to a patron spirit who oversees business and merchants as well as rice. That being said, every business man who wants to get on the good side of this spirit can buy himself a tori gate and have it placed somewhere on the path. That said, this temple is a hike. It takes an hour just to reach the end at a shrine on the top of the mountain. And the entire walk is gorgeous. After you start the trek up you are quickly lost in the trees and there is much and more to see. Small shrines, forest scenery, awesome views of the valley Kyoto rests in as well as the city itself, and the whole time you are surrounded by tori gates. Very worthwhile and perhaps somethings I will keep with me forever. Made the trip without Mom. She was still ill. Dinner that night was some of the worst pizza I ever had. Started to get cold, for once, so I really regretted not bringing a jacket.
Well it's getting late here so I'm going to sum up the last day in a few, succinct sentences. Woke up later than usual. Felt ill so I stayed in bed a while longer and Mom brought me up some sweets from the bakery a block away. I finally put my Japanese to the test and bought some medicine for the both of us. After that it was a bus ride out to the Kiyomizudera, a notorious temple and comparable to the Golden Pavilion in terms of cultural import. It is built without the use of a single nail and it has a large veranda from which much of Kyoto can be seen. It, too, is built on a mountain slope. The people there were burning a great deal of incense and below the temple itself was a fountain that split into three streams of water. The water there is believed to grant wishes. Went back to the hotel and relaxed. Tried to get into a restaurant near the hotel but failed to do that. Dinner that night was a return trip to the conveyer belt sushi.
That's all for now. The next one will be up when its up. Night.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
I REFUSE
All right, missing one week was bad enough, but now I'm right on the border of missing two. Will I allow it? Of course not. Now strap in, 'cause I'm pulling out all the stops on this one.
So where to begin? On the lack of activity that happened last week? Yeah, I suppose so. So here's the summary of what happened last week. Nothing. All right, now that's done and over with, let's move on into the weekend which, in my mind, is an entirely separate point in time. Why? you might ask as most calendars would prove me wrong and most of my previous posts roll the week and weekend up into one contrite summary. Well, buddy, I got an answer for you. A lot. Happened. That's why. Now shut up and let me tell you what happened. Jeeze.
The best place to start is by telling you my parents came here. That's right. More Poseks in Japan. I don't think the 日本人 (Japanese) were ready, but they came anyways. I met them at the hotel we would be staying at for a long weekend in Kyoto. Not long after my arrival, we set about finding out what we wanted for dinner. We decided on a zushi (note: not sushi) place that was up a narrow street lined with restaurants overlooking the river that runs through the city. It took us a while to find it and when we did the place turned out to be a set dinner that offered a decided amount of courses, each costing 5,000 円 (yen), which roughly comes to fifty dollars, a person. Electing a cheaper route, I took us to an お好み焼き(okonomiyaki (I mentioned this before)) store that both of them found to be delicious. After that it was back to the hotel so they could recover from the jet lag (i.e sleep).
The next day, we went to the 金閣寺 (Silver Pavilion) and a trek down the Philosopher's Road to end it at the Eikando Zenrin-Ji Temple. Somewhere in between, we stopped at a small restaurant to pick up a breakfast we weren't able to eat on the way and continued our way down the Philosopher's Road. The Silver Pavilion was a great little temple to visit. My dad had decided that we needed to get there early so that we wouldn't have to deal with the crowds and what a great decision that turned out to be. The temple is best enjoyed while it is quiet, I think, which is hard to achieve when everyone around you is commenting on what their seeing, doing, etc. It's very serene place, everything from the woods that surrounds the temple to the rock gardens that cover the grounds echo an idea of harmony in nature. The second temple, Zenrin-Ji, also copies this, preferring to keep as many trees around it as possible. Both, I should mention, are compounds made entirely out of wood. That day was rather brief as after Zenrin-Ji we went back to the hotel, grabbed lunch and napped until much later. Mom wasn't feeling very well so dad and I went out to a 回転数 (conveyer belt sushi) restaurant and headed back to the room for the night.
There are two more days I have yet to cover. No worries though, dear reader. I'll do them tomorrow. I think. Maybe. Until then.
So where to begin? On the lack of activity that happened last week? Yeah, I suppose so. So here's the summary of what happened last week. Nothing. All right, now that's done and over with, let's move on into the weekend which, in my mind, is an entirely separate point in time. Why? you might ask as most calendars would prove me wrong and most of my previous posts roll the week and weekend up into one contrite summary. Well, buddy, I got an answer for you. A lot. Happened. That's why. Now shut up and let me tell you what happened. Jeeze.
The best place to start is by telling you my parents came here. That's right. More Poseks in Japan. I don't think the 日本人 (Japanese) were ready, but they came anyways. I met them at the hotel we would be staying at for a long weekend in Kyoto. Not long after my arrival, we set about finding out what we wanted for dinner. We decided on a zushi (note: not sushi) place that was up a narrow street lined with restaurants overlooking the river that runs through the city. It took us a while to find it and when we did the place turned out to be a set dinner that offered a decided amount of courses, each costing 5,000 円 (yen), which roughly comes to fifty dollars, a person. Electing a cheaper route, I took us to an お好み焼き(okonomiyaki (I mentioned this before)) store that both of them found to be delicious. After that it was back to the hotel so they could recover from the jet lag (i.e sleep).
The next day, we went to the 金閣寺 (Silver Pavilion) and a trek down the Philosopher's Road to end it at the Eikando Zenrin-Ji Temple. Somewhere in between, we stopped at a small restaurant to pick up a breakfast we weren't able to eat on the way and continued our way down the Philosopher's Road. The Silver Pavilion was a great little temple to visit. My dad had decided that we needed to get there early so that we wouldn't have to deal with the crowds and what a great decision that turned out to be. The temple is best enjoyed while it is quiet, I think, which is hard to achieve when everyone around you is commenting on what their seeing, doing, etc. It's very serene place, everything from the woods that surrounds the temple to the rock gardens that cover the grounds echo an idea of harmony in nature. The second temple, Zenrin-Ji, also copies this, preferring to keep as many trees around it as possible. Both, I should mention, are compounds made entirely out of wood. That day was rather brief as after Zenrin-Ji we went back to the hotel, grabbed lunch and napped until much later. Mom wasn't feeling very well so dad and I went out to a 回転数 (conveyer belt sushi) restaurant and headed back to the room for the night.
There are two more days I have yet to cover. No worries though, dear reader. I'll do them tomorrow. I think. Maybe. Until then.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Lo and Behold
I've delivered as promised. Are you as shocked as I am? Is it a dream? Did hell freeze over? No? Huh. Guess I've got not to do but continue with the post.
So, I've told you all about the nomihoudai, you know, the all you can drink restaurant, a.k.a the alcoholic's dream made real. Well just today, I made a trip out to it's opposite, the tabehoudai, essentially a buffet but with better options. Better yet, rather than exert yourself and waste all those earned calories with trips to the food bar they bring the goods to you. Imagine that, right? This particular restaurant was yakiniku, which literally means grilled meat in Japanese, so no points for guessing what I ate my fill of. Like every other culture that ever existed, the Japanese have a love for meat. And what better to show it than menu pages covered in meat options. Want chicken, ya got chicken. Want beef? What kind? They got brisket, super rib (not making that up, that's what the Japanese translates to I guess), etc. etc. Oh! and lets not forget bacon. Yeah, they got that and a list of other choices as well. The marinades are your's to pick as well, from something savory, like a miso sauce, to one as simple as salt and pepper.
Now, if you're familiar with Korean barbecue, the process of yakiniku tabehoudai should come as no surprise to you. The table is outfitted with a grill around which your party is seated. Your meat comes to you raw and it's your job to cook it and that's all part of the fun. As I understand it, every member of the party needs to take turns cooking and watching the meat. It's easy to forget it's there when you're lost in conversation and enjoying the food you just picked off the grill. Trust me on this one, I had enough of charred meat to last me for a while. I would recommend giving this a try whenever possible. Sure your clothes will stink of smoke for a while but then again there are always worse things to be smelling like, right?
That being said, I'm afraid digesting all of what I ate has left me feeling exhausted. I'll come in with another update on Sunday or so. No promises this time as I need to build up a stock of experiences to dazzle you all with, so I leave you all with an open ending.
Monday, September 30, 2013
And There was Fish
SO. Here I am at last. I've come crawling back to you, dear readers. I have somethings that I have need to get off my chest and, well, you're here and, uh, listening? Gah, never mind. Skipping the intro; let's jump into the plot.
Of late I have been cooking a lot more than I have in the past. Now finding a restaurant with the food you like is a challenge. Finding the kind of food you want to cook with entirely different brands and unknown features PLUS everything written in a foreign language... yeeaaah. For me though, it hasn't proved to be too great an ordeal. Sure, I can't tell soy sauce from teriyaki, but at least I can tell the difference between pork and chicken. Conditions being what they are, I have yet to go beyond the simple level of cooking while I am here. That may or may not be a barrier I mean to breach. In the mean time, I content myself with stir-fry and rice with an egg cooked in. Appetizing and healthy in one good meal. I can live with that. As an addendum to this spiel, let me say something obvious. Japanese love rice. Their words for breakfast, lunch and dinner all contain the word for it. Simple grocery stores have Cost Co.-esque bags of it. It's cheap, it's available and, for any one one a budget, it beats instant ramen.
Last weekend, I made a trip out to Osaka with a Japanese friend to see the aquarium there. I won't go over much of the details. It struck my as a basic aquarium. Settings for the Arctic, river and sea creatures. One huge tank, filled with sharks, whale sharks, rays, what else was there? Oh, right. Penguins and dolphins, seals and otters. If it lives in the water and people want to see it, it was probably there. Now, the aquarium was built adjacent to this shopping center that also had a giant ferris wheel. And when I say giant, I'm not kidding. It is one hundred and twelve meters tall, which roughly equates to 370 feet, and it takes fifteen minutes to go around from start to finish. The aquarium offers a deal to those who want to see fish and what the world looks like from up there. It's only a hundred yen off, but hey, a penny saved, right? My companion had coerced me into getting into a clear box, one which you could see through at any angle. The line for it is a bit more time consuming because they're only four on the whole wheel, and since each box takes fifteen minutes to get around, well, you do the math.
Now, let me say this. I do not like heights. That's not to say i'm absolutely terrified of them buuut... when you find yourself precariously perched on a ledge and look down... Now, imagine that, but in a box, suspended near four hundred feet in the air, and even the floor is transparent. Yaaaay... I survived with my pride in tact. My friend whined a bit more than me but nothing about the whole affair left either of us embarrassed. A good trip all in all, I should say.
That is all I can think to put down for the moment. I have a couple of things that need attending to, but I have more to say for sure. Check back some time Wednesday or Thursday as I should have another post up but until then.
Of late I have been cooking a lot more than I have in the past. Now finding a restaurant with the food you like is a challenge. Finding the kind of food you want to cook with entirely different brands and unknown features PLUS everything written in a foreign language... yeeaaah. For me though, it hasn't proved to be too great an ordeal. Sure, I can't tell soy sauce from teriyaki, but at least I can tell the difference between pork and chicken. Conditions being what they are, I have yet to go beyond the simple level of cooking while I am here. That may or may not be a barrier I mean to breach. In the mean time, I content myself with stir-fry and rice with an egg cooked in. Appetizing and healthy in one good meal. I can live with that. As an addendum to this spiel, let me say something obvious. Japanese love rice. Their words for breakfast, lunch and dinner all contain the word for it. Simple grocery stores have Cost Co.-esque bags of it. It's cheap, it's available and, for any one one a budget, it beats instant ramen.
Last weekend, I made a trip out to Osaka with a Japanese friend to see the aquarium there. I won't go over much of the details. It struck my as a basic aquarium. Settings for the Arctic, river and sea creatures. One huge tank, filled with sharks, whale sharks, rays, what else was there? Oh, right. Penguins and dolphins, seals and otters. If it lives in the water and people want to see it, it was probably there. Now, the aquarium was built adjacent to this shopping center that also had a giant ferris wheel. And when I say giant, I'm not kidding. It is one hundred and twelve meters tall, which roughly equates to 370 feet, and it takes fifteen minutes to go around from start to finish. The aquarium offers a deal to those who want to see fish and what the world looks like from up there. It's only a hundred yen off, but hey, a penny saved, right? My companion had coerced me into getting into a clear box, one which you could see through at any angle. The line for it is a bit more time consuming because they're only four on the whole wheel, and since each box takes fifteen minutes to get around, well, you do the math.
Now, let me say this. I do not like heights. That's not to say i'm absolutely terrified of them buuut... when you find yourself precariously perched on a ledge and look down... Now, imagine that, but in a box, suspended near four hundred feet in the air, and even the floor is transparent. Yaaaay... I survived with my pride in tact. My friend whined a bit more than me but nothing about the whole affair left either of us embarrassed. A good trip all in all, I should say.
That is all I can think to put down for the moment. I have a couple of things that need attending to, but I have more to say for sure. Check back some time Wednesday or Thursday as I should have another post up but until then.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
It was Bound to Happen
So, I'm sick. Truth be told, I'm not all that surprised about it. A couple of friends of mine that have traveled abroad all ended up sick at some point, so I expected the same. What really surprises me was the brevity of the cold. I felt a good deal of it two nights ago before and I spent the rest of it restless in bed occasionally waking up to sweats. Deciding the day would be better spent in bed than in class, I roll over and sleep awhile longer. Waking up, I felt a good deal better, but too late to attend any of my classes. Well, it happens I suppose. I passed the day without incident and today I endure all classes with out a problem. Throat's still sore, but hey, I'd rather deal with that than a runny nose any day.
I spent the night out in Kyoto last Friday. A friend of mine, also named Matt (Man, what are the odds of finding another Matt in Japan? Pretty good, I guess, considering there's three in my building alone), took us to meet a friend of his who showed us to the places we would go. The first was a bar where we ended up drinking and eating. It cost 2500 yen for everybody, but this is a very fair price and here's why. On top of unlimited drink, we were served five courses. Well, more appetizers but that didn't detract from the fact that I walked out of the store full. To start off, there was edamame and fried shrimp skins that were akin to pork rinds. After that came two raw meats, ham and octopus, with pasta in a marina and a potato salad. There was a salad after those but let me put this out there, Japanese salads are different from American ones. They're made of vegetables, sure, and they have a dressing, but the make up of the vegetables and dressing differ from those back home. Ours was heavy on bean sprouts and onion as I remember and the dressing was bitter with a hint of oil. I ate it more out of duty than pleasure, truthfully. Then there were fries, pretty good in my opinion, and once those were cleared away bite-sized fried chicken was next. After that we had a good number of drinks and laughs (the pictures we came out with from the bar were nothing short of hilarious) and then head off to the clubs.
Japanese clubs are not to different from American clubs. They're loud, they're dark and they're full of drunk people dancing about as they please. Now the dancing style is pretty different. It was rare for me to spot any one dancing with anybody in a way that made it clear that they were together. Everyone seemed content to be by themselves and not try to bother others outside their group. Oh, and let's not forget the smoke. This is a detail I've managed to gloss over pretty easily, but the club really stuffed this fact down my throat. In Japan, you can smoke in doors. Bizarre, right? I can't remember the last time I walked into a public space back home and caught a whiff of cigarettes. Here, its odd not to. That's not to say that you'll be in a cloud of smoke, but don't be shocked when the gents the next table over start puffing away. Anyways, back to the club. It was filled with smog; a mixture of cigarette and smoke machine (healthy, no?) that often found its way to my eyes. Well, who needs to see when your packed in a tight space with dozens of others. It didn't take away from the fun though, and I soldier on into the night until the place closed. Then were moved to another club with similar conditions, but much smaller and more cramped.
Now let me voice something here that annoys me. Bathrooms that have the light on the wall outside. I hate that and the second club only amplified that. I walked into the restroom not knowing that at the first and having to go back out and finding the thing. Then when you go back inside, you have no way to make sure the light stays on. Anybody can bump up against the switch while your inside and busily occupied. And in a place where people are hard pressed just to find standing room, that's pretty likely as I found out. It was like going in a strobe light. So to summarize, having a light switch outside the restroom sucks.
Two hours later, we stumbled out, exhausted and wishing just to get home but we couldn't. It was another two hours before the trains started up again so we had to find a place to hang around before we could get back. That ended up being a McDonalds which didn't seem to mind you using a table as a headrest so long as you bought something before hand. We stayed there until the first train and climbed aboard for a long forty minute ride back to the station. From there, it was another forty minutes on foot to the dorms. And once we were back, I ended up collapsing into the bed, glad that staying awake was no longer an issue. And so, this post, like that night, comes to an end.
I spent the night out in Kyoto last Friday. A friend of mine, also named Matt (Man, what are the odds of finding another Matt in Japan? Pretty good, I guess, considering there's three in my building alone), took us to meet a friend of his who showed us to the places we would go. The first was a bar where we ended up drinking and eating. It cost 2500 yen for everybody, but this is a very fair price and here's why. On top of unlimited drink, we were served five courses. Well, more appetizers but that didn't detract from the fact that I walked out of the store full. To start off, there was edamame and fried shrimp skins that were akin to pork rinds. After that came two raw meats, ham and octopus, with pasta in a marina and a potato salad. There was a salad after those but let me put this out there, Japanese salads are different from American ones. They're made of vegetables, sure, and they have a dressing, but the make up of the vegetables and dressing differ from those back home. Ours was heavy on bean sprouts and onion as I remember and the dressing was bitter with a hint of oil. I ate it more out of duty than pleasure, truthfully. Then there were fries, pretty good in my opinion, and once those were cleared away bite-sized fried chicken was next. After that we had a good number of drinks and laughs (the pictures we came out with from the bar were nothing short of hilarious) and then head off to the clubs.
Japanese clubs are not to different from American clubs. They're loud, they're dark and they're full of drunk people dancing about as they please. Now the dancing style is pretty different. It was rare for me to spot any one dancing with anybody in a way that made it clear that they were together. Everyone seemed content to be by themselves and not try to bother others outside their group. Oh, and let's not forget the smoke. This is a detail I've managed to gloss over pretty easily, but the club really stuffed this fact down my throat. In Japan, you can smoke in doors. Bizarre, right? I can't remember the last time I walked into a public space back home and caught a whiff of cigarettes. Here, its odd not to. That's not to say that you'll be in a cloud of smoke, but don't be shocked when the gents the next table over start puffing away. Anyways, back to the club. It was filled with smog; a mixture of cigarette and smoke machine (healthy, no?) that often found its way to my eyes. Well, who needs to see when your packed in a tight space with dozens of others. It didn't take away from the fun though, and I soldier on into the night until the place closed. Then were moved to another club with similar conditions, but much smaller and more cramped.
Now let me voice something here that annoys me. Bathrooms that have the light on the wall outside. I hate that and the second club only amplified that. I walked into the restroom not knowing that at the first and having to go back out and finding the thing. Then when you go back inside, you have no way to make sure the light stays on. Anybody can bump up against the switch while your inside and busily occupied. And in a place where people are hard pressed just to find standing room, that's pretty likely as I found out. It was like going in a strobe light. So to summarize, having a light switch outside the restroom sucks.
Two hours later, we stumbled out, exhausted and wishing just to get home but we couldn't. It was another two hours before the trains started up again so we had to find a place to hang around before we could get back. That ended up being a McDonalds which didn't seem to mind you using a table as a headrest so long as you bought something before hand. We stayed there until the first train and climbed aboard for a long forty minute ride back to the station. From there, it was another forty minutes on foot to the dorms. And once we were back, I ended up collapsing into the bed, glad that staying awake was no longer an issue. And so, this post, like that night, comes to an end.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Better Late Than Never, Right? Right?
So, yeah, this thing again. I used to criticize people who made webcomics and failed to update them as promised. I now take those complaints back and apologize whole heartedly. I'm sorry. Really sorry. Like super duper sorry. So sorry that I would get down and-.
Enough, Matt. We get it.
Right. So, on with the blog.
For the last bit of this update, I want to talk about the rail system here in Japan. To me, a guy who's only experience of public transportation has been a few short circuits on the bus system up at Appalachian State, the Japanese train system can seem confusing and intimidating at first. Don't let it get the best of you. The Japanese put forth a lot of effort to help you, the foreigner, find your way around the country much like the rest of their populace. At the larger stations, there will be English translations of destinations, trains, the arrival times and where they will stop along the line. Some can get you where you need to go quickly, while others tend to go slow and hit every station along the line. Don't worry about missing the train (unless it's later than 11 o clock, you can worry then) as another one going to where you can to go showing up in another ten minutes. Transfers are likely for some of the longer trains but are not difficult to navigate. Other than that, my only advice is to discern what you can from the boards and platforms and not to be afraid to ask questions. I've had multiple Japanese people willingly help my friends and I along our merry way. For that I thank them and hope you have similar experiences to mine onboard the Japanese rails.Here's an oddity that maybe you never heard of. Hamburger steak. Seems like an oxymoron, eh? Not here in Japan. Not really much of a steak but certainly not lacking in terms of hamburger, the dish is one of Japan's more common meals. Akin to Salisbury Steak, it comes with the gravy and a side, usually rice. I love this meal, though I can't say as much of its cousin. Place it on top of your rice and you got yourself a lunch-slash-dinner combo that will last you up until the next time you feel hungry. The meat goes to pieces in your mouth as the sauce lingers wonderfully upon your tongue, even after you swallow. Doesn't sound much like a foreign dish, right? I don't think so either. Still it's something novel to me and so I'll pass on the experience to you.
Relatable to this meal is another flavorful rice and gravy match. It's called curry rice. Guess what's in it. It's a beef curry with a mixture of vegetables and, surprise, beef that coats half the plate. The other half is reserved for a stack of rice which you are to mix in with the curry. Again, its a beefy flavor but in a land where beef is high in demand but low in supply, I can't help but imagine the people would what they can to make a meal of it. It can come in variety of heats and spices and there are different flavors too if I understand it correctly. But so far, my only experience with curry rice has been at the schools cafeteria which is always the same. Beef, mild, cheap and good.
Omurice (Omelet rice) is another Japanese favorite. More often than not you'll run in to someone who knows how to make it and if not its a staple at cafes. It's basically just as it sounds. On omelet stacked on top of rice. Meat, mostly pork, is buried under the fried and flipped egg along with onions and plated over rice. A sauce is then poured on top of the concoction and is ready for you to consume. The sauce can vary, depending on what you decide. Typically, what is given is a ketchup based one but you can find others. I'm not one-hundred percent on what else there is but I am aware of a curry one. And you (unlikely) doubted me when I said curry was big here.
Now here's a real difference between Japan and what you're liable to find in North America. Horse sashimi. It's raw, it's real, it's here, so give it a shot. And don't give me that "poor horse" nonsense. It's meat and it can be tasty. I didn't really find it to be, but hey! that's me. I try to not let anything get in the way of you trying something new. Except for dog... or cat... I don't think I'll really go for those. Not that I've seen stores offering them. Just, putting that out there.
So far, that's all I've got on food.
Enough, Matt. We get it.
Right. So, on with the blog.
For the last bit of this update, I want to talk about the rail system here in Japan. To me, a guy who's only experience of public transportation has been a few short circuits on the bus system up at Appalachian State, the Japanese train system can seem confusing and intimidating at first. Don't let it get the best of you. The Japanese put forth a lot of effort to help you, the foreigner, find your way around the country much like the rest of their populace. At the larger stations, there will be English translations of destinations, trains, the arrival times and where they will stop along the line. Some can get you where you need to go quickly, while others tend to go slow and hit every station along the line. Don't worry about missing the train (unless it's later than 11 o clock, you can worry then) as another one going to where you can to go showing up in another ten minutes. Transfers are likely for some of the longer trains but are not difficult to navigate. Other than that, my only advice is to discern what you can from the boards and platforms and not to be afraid to ask questions. I've had multiple Japanese people willingly help my friends and I along our merry way. For that I thank them and hope you have similar experiences to mine onboard the Japanese rails.Here's an oddity that maybe you never heard of. Hamburger steak. Seems like an oxymoron, eh? Not here in Japan. Not really much of a steak but certainly not lacking in terms of hamburger, the dish is one of Japan's more common meals. Akin to Salisbury Steak, it comes with the gravy and a side, usually rice. I love this meal, though I can't say as much of its cousin. Place it on top of your rice and you got yourself a lunch-slash-dinner combo that will last you up until the next time you feel hungry. The meat goes to pieces in your mouth as the sauce lingers wonderfully upon your tongue, even after you swallow. Doesn't sound much like a foreign dish, right? I don't think so either. Still it's something novel to me and so I'll pass on the experience to you.
Relatable to this meal is another flavorful rice and gravy match. It's called curry rice. Guess what's in it. It's a beef curry with a mixture of vegetables and, surprise, beef that coats half the plate. The other half is reserved for a stack of rice which you are to mix in with the curry. Again, its a beefy flavor but in a land where beef is high in demand but low in supply, I can't help but imagine the people would what they can to make a meal of it. It can come in variety of heats and spices and there are different flavors too if I understand it correctly. But so far, my only experience with curry rice has been at the schools cafeteria which is always the same. Beef, mild, cheap and good.
Omurice (Omelet rice) is another Japanese favorite. More often than not you'll run in to someone who knows how to make it and if not its a staple at cafes. It's basically just as it sounds. On omelet stacked on top of rice. Meat, mostly pork, is buried under the fried and flipped egg along with onions and plated over rice. A sauce is then poured on top of the concoction and is ready for you to consume. The sauce can vary, depending on what you decide. Typically, what is given is a ketchup based one but you can find others. I'm not one-hundred percent on what else there is but I am aware of a curry one. And you (unlikely) doubted me when I said curry was big here.
Now here's a real difference between Japan and what you're liable to find in North America. Horse sashimi. It's raw, it's real, it's here, so give it a shot. And don't give me that "poor horse" nonsense. It's meat and it can be tasty. I didn't really find it to be, but hey! that's me. I try to not let anything get in the way of you trying something new. Except for dog... or cat... I don't think I'll really go for those. Not that I've seen stores offering them. Just, putting that out there.
So far, that's all I've got on food.
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