Trekking the Nippon Highway

Wow…I have fell behind a lot… Hm…

Well I still have to write in my journal about many of these places…I have covered a lot of territory and alot of time in the last week…and I can not even begin to describe it with the 20 min and 32 seconds I have left on this stupid pay-internet computer I am on. Next time I come to japan…Laptop. Wireless internet.

I think I am just going to skip to yesterday and today…and fill in the blanks later. Yesterday I woke up late in Fukushima because I had a MONSTER headache…I was coughing like a banshee… and just generally felt like cat vomit. So the next bus from the Youth hostel (the first being at 7:00 am) didnt show up until 8:42. I was supposed to meet Takako in Sakuragicho station at 10:30… 2 and ahalf hours on the shinkansen and 30 min on a bus…plus 40 minutes by train…not happening. So after a series of calls and a lot of complicated packing maneuvers…I was on my way to yokohama. I met Taka around 12:40pm We met up with her friends Keiko and Mori-san (aka Mr. Mori-officially) a little after. We all took the train to Kamakura and went to see the big buddah there, some temples and then made our way for Shonan beach after. We crossed a bridge to an Island called Inoshima. Just as the sun was setting…I hope I can actually upload those photos because wow.

We walked to the top of the lighthouse as well where I got my first glimpse of Fuji-san. Yeah again…pictures are a must. I have decided to try to find a cyber cafe tomorrow and just chill and blog. Hopefully I can get more current pictures uploaded as well.

We went out for chinese after that, and had a really nice dinner. I then went to find my Youth hostel which was not difficult considering that I was given good directions by both Taka and a train station attendant. I got in and checked in, found my room…organized my mountain of junk in a half-assed manner…then went to SLEEP. The hostel here is pretty…low brow to put it kindly. I was hoping for something with …not nasty floors and well its not worth going into.

Today I met up with Taka at the station again at 11:30 and we took the train to her house. I then dispersed gifts that had been in my bag and sitting inside a box on her table for weeks. I played my flute for them and they seemed to enjoy it thoroughly. We then had a really good curry and rice meal accompanied by salad, pumkin pudding, popcorn from corn in their garden, and “Lactose bars” (dont ask yet…).

I was fortunate enough to meet Takas sister, and of course her three friends who came to lunch as well. Fine group of people! Anyway after that we went to visit Takakos university via automobile, and she has quite an attractive campus. We walked around, went to the gym and discovered that I could bench press the weight of one of her friends. Um…but after is where the real fun began. KA RE O KE…thats right ladies and gentlmen…my first experience at a real kareoke club.

You pay for a certain space of time and sit in a little room together with your friends, and select songs from books and enter them into the kareoke machine. Taka started us off with “My Heart will go on” (Celine Dion), followed closely by her friend with Avre Lavigne (spelling?), and then a traditional japanese song by Yu-san and Kasko (a pseudonym real name was Azuma). Then I am up to bat…Elvis. It had to be Elvis. I picked “Nothin but a Houndog”…to which the lyrics are quite simple and I still managed to destroy the song. Well I think they still liked it ha ha.

Following performances were Enya’s “Only Time” by Taka and Myself, a Korean song by Kasko, several other song in Nihongo, and I sang…sung…singed “Let her be” by Hootie & The Blowfish, uh… oh “Clocks” by coldplay…and um…I guess that was it.. What a blast though, I have got to come back and do that again! Surprisingly my voice held out despite the desire to cough my lungs in their entirety out.

After we went to Volks, which was like steak and salad, or soup…or both. Good, very good. And then uh…a long drive home…or to the Hostel. I was really sad to leave Taka and the bunch behind, they showed me a really good time! Wasnt really sure what to say in regards to goodbye…but something tells me a will see them all again. Ok thats all I got for now, I will try to find a good cyber cafe where I can rest my weary bones and add some real meat to this thing, and to my journal…and mail stuff home. Wow I still have a full plate!

Ja mata ne,
Dylanku

Tags: Travel

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