5:33 PM - More Humboldt visitors, a pigeon egg, and BLUE MAN GROUP!
It has been a long time since I have blogged and the primary reason for this is that I had friends visiting from California for over a week. I had a good time showing them around and seeing new places with them.
One of the coolest things we did was hike Mt Takao on Tuesday. The weather was great, and the scenery was nice. The trail was steep at parts with stairs built into the mountain to help you with your climb. Sometimes the roots from the trees worked as stairs as well. On the top of the mountain there is a visitors center where you can buy food and water. We took a different route back down to the bottom and got to pass through some more scenic areas and beautiful shrines.
Steep Stairs, Roots, and a Lizard
The Top, A Toast, and a different angle
This guy told us about the shrine
Three days ago my neighbors with the disgustingly filthy balcony finally cleaned it up. I am assuming that they were forced to. There were tons of cockroaches and pigeons living there and the worst part is that my balcony is connected to theirs! Anyway, within hours of their balcony being cleaned I noticed a pigeon egg in a very peculiar spot on the railing of my balcony. There is no way that anyone would have been able to set it there. I am either thinking a pigeon somehow carried it over there when its nest was being disturbed, or a pigeon which was heading home to lay an egg had to quickly find another place to leave it. Check out the pictures.
Yesterday marked a year since Miho and I met at Dolores Park in San Francisco so I surprised her with Blue Man Group tickets. The show was very good and I would highly recommend it to anyone. I know they tour the USA and are always in Vegas to keep an eye out!
After the show we got a picture with one of the Blue Men. I tried, and failed, to make a Blue Man face.
I ran into this place around 12AM on Monday morning (about an hour ago) while hanging out with a buddy of mine from high school. He was a senior when I was a freshman and we played soccer and tennis together. His name is Caleb and he is here with his fiance to visit her parents who were transfered here for work. He has been traveling the world but currently calls Salmon Creek his home. I have friends that I have known since kindergarten, Leif and Jerrell, coming to visit for 8 days. They arrive tomorrow.
Caleb
Currently
listening
:
Rising Down
By
The Roots
Release date: 2008-04-29
Around a month ago I ran into some friends on the street who invited me to go with them somewhere in the mountains for the weekend. They told me who to talk to to get the rest of the info so I gave him an email. He told me something about entering a boat race, and the total for the two day trip would be 8,000 yen, but I wasn't given any more info. Since 8,000 yen is less than 3 hours of teaching English conversation I paid, and committed to going.
The day came to go and I still had no idea what we were doing except for it involving a boat race. I met up with everyone going, three Japanese guys and a group of Californians, and we made our way to Yamanashi by way of electric trains, and a taxi to get to our cabin.
We were pleasantly surprised that we were in a cabin that overlooked Lake Kawaguchi, which sits near the base of Mt. Fuji. We had a fish dinner that came with our room and then finished the night with drinks and watching the 2008 European soccer championships. We watched World Champions Italy get held to a draw against Romania 1-1 in one of the best games I have ever watched. I even won some money on that but I chose not to collect it in the end. The game started around 12:45AM Japan time and ended around 3AM. The intensity of the game had us screaming at the top of our lungs at all the close calls!
Sucking up a GIANT spider in our kitchen
Jun turns red when he drinks
The chill-spot / soccer party Ren, Jun, Noburo, Chelsea, Bora, Usagi, Davida, Justin, Kelsey
Looking at the lobby from a parking spot by our cabin
After turning 90 degrees to the right
Breakfast
I went to bed at 4AM, as the sky began turning from black to blue, and the stars started to fade. We woke up at 8 and ate our fish breakfast. I took a 15 minute nap, packed my stuff, and we all walked across the street to the lake for the apparent "rowing competition" we were about to partake in.
We were divided into two groups and went out on the lake with someone who had the skills to lead us. I am not sure who the people who owned the boats we used, or the people who led us out on the water, but they were very kind and also served us lunch.
Rowing was difficult and I didn't fit well in the special, sliding seats in the boats. After around 20 minutes of training, we entered a race with others who weren't that great at rowing, but also weren't beginners like us so we were the total underdogs. However, my group came in third our of four boats so I was very satisfied! Overall, it was an awesome experience and I had a blast!
Ready for some rowing!
A big bird with a fish There was some priceless "Engrish" spotted on the way home
Tonight I went to the 2008 Japanese Sake Fair. Sake from all over the nation was available for sample. Customers were able to have as much of any of the 600 or so varieties there were to chose from. The entrance fee was around thirty dollars, but some of the Sake available is sold in the hundreds of dollars. It was held in the Ikebukuro district of the city which I realized I can walk to in just 35 minutes.
Currently
listening
:
Collection
By
Men Without Hats
Release date: 1996-02-20
5:01 PM - The cowardly mass-murder on the streets of one of Tokyo’s best places.
"I'm going to rent a car, go to Akihabara, and kill people.Once the car is totaled, I will start killing people with a knife."That is what the suspect of the massacre on the streets of Tokyo wrote on the internet yesterday morning in the five o'clock hour.By noon he had driven his rented miniature semi truck into a pedestrian mall, ironically called a "pedestrian heaven" in Japanese.He had done exactly what he said he would, and in the end seven died, including teens, seniors, and those in-between.
This happened on the streets of one of the best places to be in Tokyo on a Sunday.A main street comprised of many lanes is closed off and people are able to walk freely.This is an area of the city known for electronics shops, and lots of video-game and computer nerds.Some of them dress up as their favorite anime or video game character which adds to the atmosphere.There are also street performers, and great places to eat.I recently went out for lunch with some American and Japanese friends on a Sunday in Akihabara.
Pictures from a Sunday in Akihabara
After running people down with his truck, the man then ran around screaming and grunting as he stabbed at random.He used a knife known as a "survival knife" in Japanese, and the one he used had a blade over one foot long.Yesterday happened to be the around the seventh anniversary of a knife rampage at an elementary school that killed a similar amount.One could only imagine how much worse such violent outbursts in Japan could become if there wasn't gun control here. I can't help but recollect the shooting at the halloween block party I was at in San Francisco and the pandemonium that followed.
Speaking of guns, I was watching an interview on the news of a witness who said when a cop got to the suspect he pulled out his baton and started dueling with the man in what sounded like it looked like a sword fight.I wonder why the cop didn't shoot him.I don't think anyone else was at risk of being shot.
The news reports have been covering this story intensely since it happened.It is really hard to watch as fast-acting reporters have video of unresponsive bodies receiving CPR, and being put into ambulances.One bizarre newscast ended their show with scenes from yesterday's tragedy, including the truck all dented from barricading through people, and the upbeat music to "We Built This City on Rock and Roll."
The night before last, I was in the Shibuya district all night (until around 4:40AM) and it crossed my mind numerous times how safe this city is. One of my American friends was asked "are there parts of Los Angeles as dangerous as Kabuki-Cho?" (a place with a tame sex-industry, and occasional very minor drug arrests, and next to no voilence). My friend couldn't help but laugh. In Kabuki-Cho, which is known to be Tokyo's most "dangerous place" it is fashion for guys to use huge, stylish wallets that stick like four inches out of their back pocket! Needless to say I still feel safe here.
Last Saturday my group of Californians and I departed on the last field trip included in our tuition. We were off to the resort area known as Hakone, which is a beautiful mountainous area around a two hour train ride from Tokyo.
Dustin and Duffy wore the headbands they bought in the city of Obama
Upon arriving on our train from Tokyo we all had to board a public bus over a mountain to a lakeside village. I didn't have a seat for most of the bus ride and with the steep hills and switchbacks I wasn't having a lot of fun. There was also a baby crying so loudly that all we really could do was laugh at how impressive it was.
The lakeside village was very touristy but Justin and I left it and went to the shore and got some nice pictures. While taking pictures of the boat that we were going to depart on we were asked by some Chinese tourists to "please take picture". I said ok and tried to grab their camera but it turned out they wanted to include us in their shot! That was fun and felt good. It seemed that at least 80% of the tourists there were Chinese and our group leader said she had never seen Hakone with so many tourists ever. According to news reports I have seen, Chinese tourists have been coming to Japan in larger numbers recently.
Justin opened his salad upsidedown
Gas is about $5.85 a gallon
We all boarded the pirate-ship looking ferry and rode it to the other side of the lake. It was raining pretty hard at that time so I stayed inside with some others until we got off. We then boarded a gondola which took us to our hotel.
The hotel was pleasant and served us all wine and juice as we entered the lobby. It had a large indoor and outdoor spa (onsen) that used water from the underground hot springs in this volcanic area. From the spa and some rooms there are views of Mt. Fuji. For those of you who don't know, Mt. Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan. It is a dormant volcano and is one of the primary symbols of Japan as it is often depicted in art and the media. Some friends and I have plans to hike Mt Fuji in July.
That night we had dinner, then had a birthday party for Duffy in one of our rooms. The hotel staff recommended we wake up at 5AM to be able to see Mt Fuji from the outdoor spa but my inhibition told me to not set my alarm and I would be fine. I woke up the next morning around 6:20 and not ready to be out of bed at all. I peeked out the window and couldn't even see a sign of Fuji so I went back to bed. I then awoke around 7:30 to my roommate Mikie on our room phone talking to our group leader because Fuji had become visible! He peeked out the window and said with enthusiasm, "It's the 'fooge'!" It was very beautiful but was only clearly visible for around twenty minutes and therefore not everyone was able to see it. I took some pictures and quickly went down to the large outdoor spa and enjoyed the view from there.
These were shot from the window
This bird was singing all morning
Views from the garden
These older ladies had me take a picture with them then insisted that I take one with my own camera too
We checked out at 11AM and jumped back on the gondola and went up higher to a sulfurous area. Here you could buy these hard boiled eggs called "100 year eggs" that, according to legend, are buried for 100 years, dug up, then eaten for longevity. These black, hardboiled eggs were sold by the thousands to tourists up by the sulfur but the last thing I wanted to eat while smelling sulfur was a hardboiled egg. Besides, the seven years of life it promised wasn't exactly the answer to my wish of seven more years of youth!
We then took a different gondola to a cable car station, which we rode to a train station where we transferred to one of only two trains in the world with switchbacks! The train would change direction and switch tracks on order to complete this rare maneuver. It was really cool. The only other country with a train with switchbacks is in Switzerland. Once off that train we went and got lunch at a great soba-noodle place. This is actually the place that our group leader had her first date with her husband. I had the tempura and really enjoyed it. We had to rush back to the the train station after that to get on our express to Tokyo where I taught three hours of English conversation as soon as I arrived.
Friday was Miho's 22nd birthday and, in her words, her last birthday as a student. We went out to lunch in the Meguro district of town to a Korean restaurant very near the offices I worked at. I had been to this place with coworkers and really loved it, however, this time I had them give me the maximum level of spiciness and it ruined my meal. It was so hot that when Miho took a small bite she began coughing! My tongue burned so bad and became very tender. I ended up mixing it with a lot of rice to tone down the spice but it was still almost unbearable.
I tried to eat it as it was served
...It made me cry...
So I had to mix it with my rice
We then walked over to Tokyo Tower and had dessert at the top! I also gave Miho the watch I bought for her.
Tokyo Tower
A view from the top
Tokyo Tower Cheesecake is good!
That night her volleyball team was celebrating winning a small tournament so I tagged along and partied with them. (I almost didn't go because the spicy food in my stomach made me feel sick) Of course it was a "nomihoudai" (all you can drink). Her teammates even surprised her with a cake!
3:45 AM - The President of China, Retro Party, and Disneyland
Earlier this month the Japanese Prime Minister and the Chinese president met on the campus of my University causing buzz felt across the nation. They discussed the importance of friendly relations between the two nations and also played some ping-pong for the cameras. It had been ten years since a Chinese president visited Japan.
Protesters gathered in large numbers primarily in opposition of China's policy towards Tibet. There was also a presence of China supporters.
On May 2nd some friends hosted a 70s and 80s themed party that was really fun. I really had no idea what I could wear so I cheated and wore a 90s outfit based on the rappers Kris Kross. Justin actually went out and bought his outfit for the party and scored this dandy suit straight from the 70s.
The party was great and there were so many people there. I loved how retro it was and I was also happy that people understood the reason for my backwards clothes.
Wow!
Another night Justin and I were walking home and we saw a bunch of people partying at the finish line of a long distance run so we joined them. Since at this run some people dressed in weird costumes, Justin decided to go put on his "Koosh-suit". His friends that visited him in January brought it for him to wear in the Harajuku and Akihabara districts of town (where people dress wild). He was a big hit and we had lots of fun.
Ready to start the night
A quick stop at the grocery store with its cardboard cop
Approaching the partiers
Let the show begin!
Nudity isn't legal, but crossdressing is
Tokyo Disneyland
Last Wednesday Miho and I went to Disneyland. It is different from Disney Sea, the other Disney park in Tokyo. Supposedly it is very similar to the Disneyland in Los Angeles. We had a lot of fun and we were in the front row for every ride! The biggest disappointment was that the nightly fireworks were canceled due to wind.
Splash Mountain
People waited in the sun for over an hour for a parade I hear they do this in the USA too
Getting Fast-Passes
The Green Tea / Vanilla mixed ice cream was the best I have ever had
3D Time
Dinner Riding Dumbo
Yesterday I called a hotel in the US and was appalled at the service I got on the phone. The lady I was talking to gave a big yawn into the phone and when I asked what bus line stops at that hotel she simply said "I don't know" instead of saying something like "let me find out for you". I might be too used to the spectacular Japanese customer service. Here you are called "master", or if they know your name they might call you "master Ren".
The biggest, and littlest hands in Tokyo
Currently
listening
:
Friends for Life
By
Buju Banton
Release date: 2003-03-11
In February 2003 I returned home from my first ten months in Japan. At that time I lived in Niigata. That small city seemed like a crowded metropolis at the time, but after living in Tokyo I realized that it is a pleasant, quiet place. I took an economy train through the night to get there so when I arrived it was still very early morning. The first thing I did was go to the port and take off to Sado (see map above) via ferry. The weather was great that day so I wanted to spend it hiking.
This building was being built when I was living there
More morning shots
Arriving at the small port city in Sado
I jumped on a public bus and took off to the north end of the island. It was an hour ride but the beauty of the scenery made it worth it.
These two rocks are called "the turtles"
My goal of the day was to climb this little mountain
On the way up
On the top
On the ferry going home
The birds were aggressive
Arriving back at main land Japan
These were the old video games on the ferry
I chatted with this family of mehanics and they bought me drinks and gave me cash for my travels
I spent that night at a friend's house, even though she was gone away at school in Kyoto. I had met her family in 2002 and they wanted me to visit. I spent the rest of my time visiting old friends from my days as a high school exchange student there. Three friends of mine are already married which totally shocked me. Here in Tokyo nobody young seems to be married. I guess that people in the country get married quite young in the USA too.
One of my friends invited me have dinner with a bunch of other random people and here is the one picture from that night.
Going back to Niigata I also got to see my hostfamily for the first time as someone who can speak Japanese. It was very difficult not speaking much of their language and living with them for almost a year. It turns out, though, that I fully understood their charaters before finally having real conversation with them last week. They are quiet, simple people, but were just as generous to me this time as they were in 2002/3.
Anyone look at the news headlines these days? Americans dead in storms, cyclone devistates Myanmar, earthquakes killing thousands... Please spare me mother earth!
As soon as Spring chased away the frigid Tokyo winter things in Tokyo seemed to get nicer. I had a considerable amount of English conversation work in the month of April. The Spring semester also started in April bringing me new classes. I recently found out that all of the classes I will need to graduate from San Francisco State University will be available in the Fall. This has me sure that I will be back in California by the end of August so I can attend my last semester. If NBC doesn't end up hiring me for the Olympics I should be back by the end of July. I experienced the dentist here in Japan for the first time. I got a cleaning and realized that I needed some fillings so I have make a few visits so far. I had forgotten how nervous I get at the dentist. However, I love it when they use the metal pick! I just don't like the taste of any of the stuff they put in my mouth and mostly hate having to get my teeth drilled.
Being a legal alien of Japan, I am entitled to participate in the National Health Insurance program. Because of this I am saving a lot of money, which is helpful because in the USA I don't have any insurance. I actually got one of my fillings with no injection at all. Probably the biggest difference between my dentist here and my dentist in the USA is the way they clean your teeth. My dentist here uses a tool that vibrates against your teeth that sprays water. It sounds very much like a drill so it is intimidating at first.
Ten Ren's Tea in Yokohama's Chinatown
On April 29th my friend Duffy had a football game against are rival school Keio (the guy being carried in my last blog). Football is not popular at all in Japan so many people have no interest in it. It seemed that even the fans were confused as to what the rules to the game are. One of the guys marking the line of scrimmage also didn't know what he was doing at all. Anyway, check out the pictures and video to get a taste of the atmosphere:
An Olympic Monument from the Tokyo Olympics
An old Olympic stadium the football game was played at
When my mom and sister were here we took off to Hiroshima and Kyoto with the rest of my California State University group. We went by bullet train straight to Hiroshima first. Hiroshima is one of the two places in the world that nuclear bombs have been dropped on. The city is a nice place to visit and has many things to do for those interested in reliving World War Two. The bomb dropped on Hiroshima targeted the entertainment district of the city. Obviously, the destruction was felt beyond just Hiroshima, but anyway, where the entertainment district once stood is now a large park dedicated to peace. The famous dome-shaped structure that is still standing is one of the most popular places for tourists. We also entered the World War Two museum which was quite fascinating.
Bullet Train
The Peace Park in Hiroshima
Locals having a drinking picnic at the park
Before and after
Time became meaningless, and watches literally stopped
The red ball is where the bomb was detonated from
We hopped back on a bullet train and took the short ride to Kyoto, where we would stay for 4 nights. I already had a room booked through my university so my mom and sister ended up at a different place which happened to be a traditional style Japanese inn (or ryokan).
I let them relax for the night and I headed off to my group dinner with my classmates. It always seems like someone ends up needing to be taken care of after an all you can drink dinner.
To sum up Kyoto, it is the former capitol of Japan and contains many traditional buildings that are very old. We took so many photos there that it was hard for me to organize them so just feel free to experience Kyoto through them.
