Ambitious Japan

So, today we leave the land of the heated toilet seat for Korea. Japan was a crazy planet. With bullet trains, psychadelic pachinko machines, different slippesr for every room of the house, and superior vending technology. From cold beers, to hot tea...we were even surprised with a hotdog vending machine. I had no idea any of that was possible!

Lets see if I can sum up our Japanese experience in a few words:
Bright Lights; Blazing Nights; Sumo Fights; Many Flights; Great Heights; Temple Rites; Lesbian Bites; Mental Plights; Lone Whites; Wonderous Sites.

Thanks Japan!

Osakit to me

Today was our first day off from traveling and time for a well deserved rest. We're living in Osaka, Japan and it has been one of our greatest Japanese cultural experiences thus far. We are staying in a capsule hotel which is like living in a pod. We each have our own shelf space with it's own mini TV on the ceiling, covers and not much else. The door at the end of the capsules is a curtain. It's unbelievable what a 'foreign' experience it is living in a tube.

We got our first glimpse at a Japanese bathhouse today...and plenty more looks from naked Japanese businessmen. After a nice sauna...the process takes us to a large hot tub for a soak, then all around the sides of the room are stools, with showerheads above to scrub up, rinse down and back to the tub for a final soak. Quite an interesting adventure.

Aside from the skitsofrenic-seizure machines they call Pachinko here...it has been a wonderful town. Tomorrow it's off to Hiroshima to learn a little history surrounding one of the only two cities to be inundated with the awesome power of an atomic bomb.

Lost in Marugame

Leaving Ians house today. We are train bound for Osaka. Going to see a great castle in Himeji. We saw a Shinto Shrine and a Buddhist Temple, can check those off the list. We also discovered that "Sake" means "Alcohol" not the hot Sake that we know. Josh and I have been yelling "booze, booze...bring us booze" at everybody and they just stare at us, not knowing what the hell we;re talking about. Turns out "Nihanshu" is what we were looking for.

Lost my camera after Mt. Fuji. Way too early for such a collasal blunder. Lost some stellar shots that are never going to see the mantel. Good thing I now live in electronic-land!

Joshbuki

Went to kabuki theater tonight...snoozeville. I'm sure it had something to do w/ the fact I only know 5 words of Japanese. Tokyo Timesquare was also so-so. I think I'm tiring of Tokyo. Looking forward to leaving the city and getting out of this concrete jungle. Leave for Mt. Fuji tomorrow morning...drinking tea and writing haiku's is in our very near future. Meeting Ian on Shinkuko island at 9pm at the train station....we activate our 7 day rail pass...and the timer begins...

One Way Ticket to Tokyo

Day 3 in Japan. The trip is already a huge success. We've met some fantastic people in the Hostel (Guess T House) and have eaten much sushi. Tonight, at the table next to us, they brought a fish still alive with the head pinned to the tail decoratively. The body of the fish was sliced into sashimi pieces and presented on a plate next to the still breathing head. I'm not sure how you like your fish...but that's nothing but fresh!

Ended up at a Sumo Basho yesterday. Total luck because there are only 5 such tournaments a year. It was like Madison Square Garden for sumo. We got to see the reigning Yakazumo battle in the final match of the day. It was very exciting because he was undefeated this tournament and was almost upset by the challenger. The crowd seemed muted until he came out. I guess it was the main event.

Last night we went club hopping. First stop after dinner was Gas Panic club (huge disappointment) but after a couple of tries eventually found our niche place in the never-ending club fare that is Ropongi. We finally rolled back into the hostel just before 7am. It's been a long time since I've had a huge rock-star night like that. It was an appropriate kick-off to the journey and just what I needed to both cloud and clear my head....

On the Road -J.K.

Day one. Chillin at Ryan's setting up our Blogs. Last minute packing, so much to do. I'm sure there are a million loose ends floating in the Colorado breeze....

Takeoff time: 8:34am Destination: Tokyo!