Russell's Blog

Back home to Toronto: Goodbye Japan

2008-05-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

I am so not looking forward to our flight back.
I hate that its going to take 16 hours.
I am prepared this time though, i have things that i can do this time.

Last night was technically our last day in Japan. We basically just went to the shopping district to buy some more stuff to bring back home. We met up with Ibuki around 3pm.

We went to this cool restaurant that served Curry. Japanese people like their curry as i have been told. LOL
It is holiday on monday and tuesday in Japan so not that there any difference but it was packed like a mother again. With heat and muggyness included. Can you imagine being in a crowd of people, the sun at your face, and that feeling like your about to burn with a slight wetness of your body hair. Well i can cause that's what happened yesterday.

We went to Starbucks for a break of the craziness. It was calming just like any other Starbucks. After that more shopping. Lots of stuff to buy here and since it was Golden Week, most of them was on sale. Does not mean they were cheaper though, they were just on sale.

Once we were done shopping, it was around 8pm already. We went to a Restaurant/Bar and had a few good times in there. Shared 3 pitchers of beer. Spilled one beer, talked to the Waitress, stared at the many western people. It was nice. We left at exactly 11pm, lol it was really late here. Too many drunk people outside.

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I really liked our visit to Japan. It was full of nice people, beautiful woman (not more beautiful than Elly though), great train system and they don't go on strike. People actually enjoy their jobs here even though its McDonald's or something that we find wrong in North America. They take pride in their work and i commend that. Here I thought we work too much in Canada. Visit Japan and you will see how serious they are.

My Quote of the day:
OMG, SO MUCH PEOPLE!!

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Russell's Rant about Japan:

-The men in here does not show affection towards their woman. The highest point of affection was holding hands. Wow. In the whole week that we were here, i did not see a loving couple kiss or anything like that. Andrew said that holding hands is a big step. hmmm...

-The men here need to eat more. There's skinny and then there was really skinny (I saw lots of this). I rant about this as well because they were wearing those open shirts that you can see bones and everything. Literally a walking stick. I find that unhealthy. Nobody should be like that especially if you have that beau girl beside you.

-The women in here are too Westernized. So much make up on their faces that i didn't like it. I didn't like that fact that they were not confident enough to just show their real faces. Always have to be ON. I hated the fact that they dye their hairs Blonde as well, ruining the perfectly good black hair.

-The women try to hard to impress guys. Again with the blonde hairs and over the top makeup. It should be the other way around. Guys look nice to impress the girls back home. The other way around here. I'd rather chase then be chased.

-The men are oblivious about their women. They are too busy drinking with buddies than spend time with their women. We went to a restaurant yesterday and almost all of the tables were women. No men at all to be found. Where are the men you ask? They are probably playing Pachinko or in Game Centres. We told Ibuki, if you come to Canada, you would have a boyfriend in 2 days and Canadian men will treat you nice. They will do their best to make you happy.

-Number 1 rant from me. TOO MANY PEOPLE!! I can't stand being in a cramp place. It was like that everyday. I am outside so i should have room to move, nope not in Japan. I do not hate people, its just that the streets are never deserted. I have to say Sumemase everytime I hit somebody and that's every 2 minutes. Andrew said that it gets even more hotter and muggy in the next 3 months. LOL I would hate to be in that train to go to work in the morning.
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I would come back for vacation someday again and maybe visit Tokyo. Junior said he does not want to leave. Told him Andrew will kick him out of the house on sunday lol.

Thank you for treating us nicely Japan. We learned a lot of things about the country. Thank you Andrew for inviting and giving us a place to stay. Thank you Ibuki and Ayako for teaching us Japanese culture, women side.

I wonder where I should go next? Disneyland on August.
I will be back in Toronto on Sunday evening.

Russell

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Here are pictures of our last day:

Japan 4th and 5th day

2008-05-02T16:09:00.000-07:00

I finally got the connection for the Camera so here are some pictures from Tuesday and Wednesday.

Here's a video:

Nothing really much happened on Thursday here for us.
Andrew had to go to work so we didn't have a guide.
Me and Junior just ended up in the Game Centre for hours until Andrew was off.
The games here are cheap, atleast where i was they were.
They are really good too.

After we were done with that, we went to a Bar.
It was called The Beer Company. Do not confuse it with the Beer Store.
I didn't think I could drink 3 mugs of beer really but i guess i can.
It's great when you don't have to worry about driving people home.
That's me in Toronto, designated driver. Everything was train here so I figured why not.
I wasn't really that tipsy to, was still able to think clearly. Should have checked how many i could take.
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On Friday we went to NARA.
It is basically where Buddha statues are located.

I found it funny that there were deers roaming around the area like they own it.
Apparently, they are the not so scared of people. Spoiled Deers.
We saw a lot of buddha statues. Suijin, Raijin and other things.
I met an indian guy names T. Walker.
He was cool to talk with. They were staying in Japan for 2 weeks.
He lives in Cambridge, small world huh?.

After Nara, I told Reno that I had to do Souvenir shopping or else my Family will kill me.
The prices were reasonable on other things but some are just asking too much.
Overall, i spent atleast $400 in souvenirs.
Sorry but family only. Or if you asked me to get you something.
LOL

It was pretty late after that, so we just went home.

Here are pictures for Friday:

Watch For Deers

Never seen these signs before. Had to take a picture.
Had to take a picture of this one

Here are videos for your viewing pleasure:

Japan 2nd and 3rd day

2008-04-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

Wow being in another country really takes a toll on your body.
So tired right now and its only Thursday morning here.

Anyways, here's what i did on Tuesday:
We met up with another one of |Andrew's friend Ayako.
We went to a Hijime castle or something like that.
The castle was really big. It looked like it was about to transform or something.
I think japan has like protection buildings that turn into robots just in case of attacks. lol
I tried this Sakura Ice Cream. It was really sweet holy crap.

After the castle, we met up with Ibuki again.
Seeing that Tuesday was a holiday, there was so many people outside.
The trains were full like a mother. Had to push ourselves in.
We went to Chinatown. You heard me right.

The only big difference i could see between our chinatown and theirs. It's so freaking clean.
You can buy ramen noodles and walk around with it eating. I saw an old guy eating, walking and talking to friends at the same time. What a talent. LOL

We went to a few malls to see if i can buy some stuff. Apparently we were in the a U.S. type malls so that turned me off instantly.
We passed by a movie theatre and they just got 30,000 B.C.
That came out 2 months ago in Canada.

We were pretty tired after that so we just went to eat and went home.
It was a cool day altogether. It was a holiday so going home was a bitch as well.

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Me, Andrew and Junior decided that wednesday would be a rest day.
The past 2 days were so hectic that we were so tired.

We got up at around 1pm and went out for a bit.
Just checked out the local arcade and went to Starbucks.
You heard me right, Starbucks.
We had to wait in line to get a seat in Startbucks.

It looked like Starbucks when we went inside.
It is the hotspot for English teachers. Actually i saw one teaching.
After that we just went home. It was already 7pm.
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Things I noticed in Japan so far.
It is really nice here. They were thought to be nice.
If you hit somebody they say Sumemase (excuse me).
Although it sounds like a chore, they really do mean it.

The environment is always busy. There is so much people outside.
The girls outnumber the guys. So many females in here especially in Starbucks.
Their economy is fine by the looks of it.
I mean there is always shoppers from what i saw.
I wouldn't lie, the women in here are beautiful.
There are so many. I did find them plain.
Almost all of them had the same hairstyle even the guys.
Almost all of them wear the same clothes.
The guys as well. Hairstyle is called CROW and they never heard of Khaki's before.
All of them wearing jeans. I stood out when I wore mines. LOL
The women when going outside or maybe even inside their house have to alway be ON.
I mean wear make up. I do not see a female without one.
In my opinion they have been westernized like crazy.

The thing that i liked the most, the guys.
There is no image to uphold here for them.
They don't have to be bulky to get girls.
I saw a really skinny guy with a beautiful girl.
I envy that but i do like being healthy. Not saying that they are not,
I just feel they need more meat in them.

I also think (and Junior agrees), that they are oblivious on how beautiful their women are.
There are so many but the percentage of couple i saw was so little.
It's like they are still picky even though almost all of them are beautiful.
It's like there's not enough guys for the women. LOL
My opinion so don't hate me if you don't agree.
That's it for now and sorry no pictures, I don't have the connection for the camera today.

Russell

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Words learned Tuesday and Wednesday

Sumemase - I got this word down. Yeah Yeah
Otcha Demo Dodeska - Would you like to go for Coffee. Ibuki and Ayako thought us this. LOL

First day in Japan: Monday

2008-04-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

OK so i woke up freaking early on Monday here like 5am.
My time clock is so screwed up its not even funny.

We covered alot of ground today.
We went to Kyoto City.
It is basically where the temples are located and there was alot of them.

Morning walk was fun.
Like I said, having a black guy beside you gets attention.
I mean we were just outside for 5 minutes and people were already staring.
We passed by a school and the kids were saying Hello and waving. LOL
I'm telling you it's like we were important. Felt like a celebrity.
Junior is a commodity. LOL

Getting to the subway system was an easy walk.
Again, there were so many bicyclist. You name it and their on bikes.
Business man, school people, random person. They seem to use their bikes to reach the train.
Outside the train station there was not many cars parked but boy oh boy for bikes.

First stop was Golden Temple.
On the way there we were still getting looks because of Junior.
That's fine since I liked the attention.

In their Train you don't have a set amount of money to pay. Like $2.75 for a trip.
You pay how far your distance is. our price was 450 yen. Imagine 100 yen being $1.
Atleast that's how it's calculated.
Their bus system is also weird. The entrance is in the back and you pay when you get off.
I asked Andrew, what happens if you can't pay and your already at your destination, he just said your screwed. Could mean anything apparently.

The Golden Temple
It was looked awesome but it was so far away that we couldn't go inside it.
Basically, they were rebuilding it because it was breaking down or something like that. Nothing really much to do here. It was just that temple for tourist like us.

The Silver Temple

Note: Keep in mind that these temples are not close to each other. A good walk is required and man we did a lot of walking yesterday.

There was alot to see in this temple.
Zen Sand art, basically art with silver sands.
Old Kyoto Houses.
A praying section. There's a bell that you ring while you pray or make a wish.

After we were done with that, there was a path called "The Road of Philosophy"
That was a good 30-40 minute walk. You were suppose to feel some deep meaning of your life or something philosophical when you reach the end of the road. I was reaching into my mind for answers to all of the questions racing in my mind while on the road. Like, where are we going to eat, what are we going to eat and how much it would cost. I guess I was felt hungry after.

We met up with Andrew's friend name Ibuki in another temple.
She was real nice. She knew great english since she was in Vancouver for a year.
Andrew was telling her to watch out for Junior. LOL.

We went to drink Purified water.
It was water that was from the mountain streaming down for you to drink.
When you drink, you are suppose to be invigorated or purified.
I just went because I was freaking thirsty.
It was 200 yen. $2 buck for a cup of water. It came with a cup which we kept. lol
Here's a video of me being purified:

After the temple, we went out to eat OKINIYAMAKI i think.
It was this weird food that had a stingy taste. It was good but I don't think I will be eating alot of those.

We ended up in the shopping district so I asked where I can get a bag for my Girl back home.
Being the picky person that I am, it took 1 hour before we finally got one.
I think i got great taste because it looked great.

Oh and by the way, it is around 4pm when we were walking around.
School and work was over and again it was weird that Junior is being stared at like crazy.
I basically stood right beside him all the time so that he blends in well.

I asked if we can go to a Game Center, i wanted to check out the game i play.
I played Tekken for 5 minutes and that's it. They were not that good in there.
We were about to go home after that but Junior asked if we can go to a Karaoke place.

We spent 3 hours in that karaoke place. It was real fun but you really lose your voice after the first 2 hours. Here's a video for you guys to watch:

This is me and Junior:

I know what your thinking but apparently this is a billion dollar business in Asia so don't laugh.
It was mad fun. They had new and old music. Might go back there before the week ends.

After that we just ate and then went home.
I have a lot of pictures for sightseeing and a few videos.
I wont release them all online so if you guys want to see my trip Pictures later, just ask.

I do want to say this about Japanese males. They were so skinny.
They were like me 2 or 3 years ago.
Junior was telling me that they don't eat alot in here or they eat enough just to be full.
They don't over do it like North America.
I was also happy that I was taller that most people. lol

Japanese people are like canadians, they were really polite.
They would say sorry for nudging you or for being in the way.
I guess they were taught that way which is cool.

I like that fact that when I enter a convenience store, I get a Hello and thank you for coming in greeting. Of course it sounded like a chore but hey it works for a tourist like me. LOL

I'll keep you guys posted some more tomorrow.
I am listening to Junior snore and talk to himself right now.

Russell

Japanese words learned today:
Kunichiwa - hello
Gumenn - sorry, i said this alot
Hiei - No it's ok or just plain NO

We finally arrived: Yesterday

2008-04-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

So we are finally in Japan.
Boy was that a long trip.
The 3 hour wait time.
The 13 hour plane trip.
I don't think I want to do that again.
The plane food was processed.
They played, Enchanted which I watched.
The Pride and Prejudice, could not understand that at all.
And that Denzel washington movie about him having a group of kids debating. "Debaters"

We got to Japan at exactly 6:15pm. Basically, having no sleep at all since it was always sunny outside. I was following Toronto Time. There is a 13 hour difference with Toronto time.
So night for you is Morning time for me.

When we got here, our Friend Andrew/Reno was already waiting for us outside the Customs.
Thank god since we don't know where the hell we were and I couldn't rely on Junior with his Japanese. I got screened one more time before being released. Basic stuff like what am I doing here and stuff. The custom guy showed me a picture of WEED. Asking me, if I have that in the luggage. I said "ummm no" and then I looked at Junior and started laughing.

Note: Junior (my trip buddy) got delayed many times in screening processes. He always blamed it in being black . I just agreed with him since it was really weird. He took longer than me.
Always making jokes, like "They just let you through, while I get a security person besides me.

When we met up with Reno, we rented a cellphone.
In the airport, you can rent cellphones for 8 days (that's how many days, we are staying).
Crazy cheap too. I cannot use it for Long Distance though, too expensive there. Email seems to be cheap (.20 cents). It wasn't a crappy phone too. Really high tech end device.

OK a First Impression.
Everybody rides a bike, Scooters too. I mean so many.
All the teenagers or people my age that are male seems to have vested summer jackets.
I mean all that I saw. The girls seems to like long skirts. I saw that alot. The weather is nice, really like Toronto weather.

We didn't really do much that night.
We just went to a restaurant.
We had alot of Finger Food.
Black people are a commodity here in Japan.
Everybody kept looking at him. I seem to blend in fine. LOL
I told Junior, I should have been charging them for looking.
It was really funny when we were eating an old dude just stopped in front of us.
Then looks at me and looks at Junior. He then did a Thumb Up sign. LOL

The food was great. The waitresses did not want TIP.
It's not customary to give those out.
After that, we walked back to his house and just crashed for the night.
We are Going to Kyoto today so I will post pictures later.

Russell

Today's Learned words (I don't know if I spelled this correctly):
Sumimase -Excuse me
Goudaimas - Thank you if they bring you food
Arigato - Thank you for anything I guess