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Articles Tagged ‘Tokyo’

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Back Alley Establishments

Saturday, May 12th, 2007

After all of the drinking I did last night, I was surprised to wake up relatively early. Took advantage of the fact that I can now bath more frequently then twice a week and hopped in for a quick shower before heading out for the day… Ah! I still had a few hours to kill before meeting Horiyou to discuss a new tattoo I want to start. I slowly headed in the direction of Oostuka and took a few photos of regular Tokyo city-life on the way.   [read on]

Roppongi Madness!

Thursday, May 10th, 2007

After taking care of a few last minute errands at the farm, I loaded a backpack full of dirty laundry into Yulia’s car and drove to Kawaguchiko. It was pretty uneventful hitchhiking from her house to the bus station, but I was fortunate enough to have a good neighbor for the bus ride: Soh just spent the last three years going to school in Pasadena and spoke good English. Upon arriving in Shinjuku we hung out for a little while playing 2 Spicy and he helped me look for a prepaid mobile. Unfortunately the phone was too expensive, but I did make a new acquaintance and found yet another person that proves Japanese are some of the friendliest and most helpful people in the world!

I checked into a dumpy little hostel in Central Tokyo, and was finally able to wash the laundry that had been accumulating dirt and sweat during the last few weeks of farm work. After a well-needed shower, outfitted in fresh clothes, I made my way to Roppongi Crossing and met Kanako and Yuri, her friend who is visiting from San Francisco.    [read on]

SAT 4.21.07 – Typical day in the life of an independent traveler

Saturday, April 21st, 2007

Disclaimer: Today’s entry is not a witty story recalling any humorous anecdote. There were no major attractions visited. There were no photos of the weird or beautiful taken. Rather, the following is an account of the type of events that occur during daily life when you break away from the corporate mold and begin to experience the world day by day. For anybody who is too nervous adventure away from their homes, I hope this will serve as insight that everything eventually works out… sometimes better than you could ever have planned.

[read on]

A taste of old Japan

Friday, April 20th, 2007

A blaring speaker in the capsule woke me, reminding me it was time to check out. Great start to a day of wandering Tokyo with a massive hangover. I set out in search of a new bed for the evening and a tattoo artist who would help further brand me as a member of the “Gaijin Yakuza”. I expected to meet with aggravators for my headache, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the opposite… gardens, shrines, serenity, and sake! [read on]

Culture Shock!

Friday, April 20th, 2007

Aside from the minor technological improvements and obvious difficulty reading signs, there wasn’t too much in Japan that I considered strange. I’ve traveled alone to countries where I don’t speak the language. I’ve seen Asian décor and writing before. I’ve seen pictures of schoolgirls and armies of black-suit clad businessmen. But none of that prepared me for the first night I returned to Tokyo. [read on]

Eigo o hanasemasu ka?

Wednesday, April 18th, 2007

Everything is going better than I could have hoped for. I wouldn’t exactly define Tokyo as exotic, but it is definitly a different world. Similar in many ways to a typical American metropolis (with the obvious oriental twist) but much more technologically avanced. Excellent public transportation makes getting around is easy and it’s much cheaper than I imagined. [read on]

Time Travel

Wednesday, April 18th, 2007

Monday, April 16th I boarded a flight in LAX bound for Narita airport in Tokyo. It was the most impressive plane I ever encountered. There were individual LCD screens in each seat offering a wide selection of programs, movies and radio stations. While that’s not so unusual, the remote control/video game controller and fax/internet hookup in the armrest seemed a little over the top.

Somewhere during the flight we crossed the International Date Line and jumped forward a day in the future. I’m still pondering the mechanics of this, but I believe that if I continue east around the world I’m technically a day younger than everybody else. How does that work? Anybody?!? Maybe Ponce de Leon was right searching eastward for the fountain of youth!