Day 5 (The Long-ass Haul, OMFG)
So to get home, I had to leave the hotel at 6am T-T. Unfortunately, this also meant I didn’t wake up early enough to get my ass in the onsen one more time. *sigh* I feel like I wasted my reservation at the onsen… and that was some money down the drain… oh well, learn from experience? I gotta say, with all the fuck-ups that happened during this trip, I am still glad it happened this way. I felt like I gained a lot of experience, and just became a smidjet more independent. First vacation alone, that’s a big step, right?
Anyways, so the last day was all about getting back to Morioka. In short, my schedule looked like this:
Noboribetsu à Oshamambe (6:57 - 8:52)
Waited for 2 hours. No, I’m not kidding. I woke up butt fuckin early to wait in a town that has nothing. *sigh* I tried to do something, so I walked to the beach, and wow… it was soo freakin ugly! So I stood there, next to the beach, and ate my onigiri. HUZZAH!
Oshamambe --> Hakodate (10:43 - 13:25)
I was able to BS here a little. Walked around the fisherman’s market, bought some more things at the souvenir shop (need…to stop…. SHOPPING!!!!). Something weird happened at the station though; I was in the souvenir shop, and outside I heard this load moaning/screaming. I thought someone was kicked or being abused, so I kinda hustled out of there. Instead of what I assumed, I found an older woman and a middle age man in front of the vending machine. The man is mentally handicapped, and something happened while picking his drink and he started to throw a fit. It was really distracting. The area was full of people, but just with this publicly embarrassing sight, everyone cleared the hell out of the way.
Hakodate --> Kikonai( 14:44- 15:50)
Kikonai --> Kanita ( 16:19 - 17:09)
OMFG…… So since I am using my train pass, it counts towards unreserved seats. Well, this is the first time I EVER had to stand the entire trip!! It sucked so hard.. I wasn’t alone, everyone who was at the Kikonai train platform was standing with me. Sooo glad that’s over with.
Kanita --> Aomori (17:30 - 18:11)
Aomori --> Hachinohe (18:51 - 20:21)
Hachinohe --> Morioka (20:46 - 22:22)
I DON’T WANT TO TRAVEL LIKE THAT EVERY AGAIN!!!!! Well, at least not alone. Really though, I feel like my butt is bruised from today, what the hell. I didn’t hate it too much because other than riding my bike, this is the transportation I have available to me. I’m starting to warm up to the idea of a car, but god that’s too much money to put down. I really need to be saving more.
On that note, what the hell should I do for the rest of my summer break? All I know is that there is a cake tabehoudai and a boat-fire festival on the 16th, but that’s it. Furthermore what should I do for my September vacation?! I gotta start planning… haruumm……
If you got this far, congratulations! I’m soo proud of you!! X3
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Hokkaido! Day 3
Day 3: Sapporo --> Asahikawa --> Furano --> Nakafurano
Thank goodness I didn’t fuck up this time!! Found my train on time! Only weird thing about this trip is that they said there was a transfer at one point, but there wasn’t. So I got off the train with all my luggage…. And got right back on, hahahaa. Oh well, found a better seat the second time. So I got to Asahikawa right on time and found the bus to get to the zoo. I was sooo excited!! Soon I would see my adorable red panda, wewt!!! Unfortunately I didn’t get a seat on the bus, so I had to stand for I believe 20 minutes, bleh. Oh well. Once I got there I decided to try and see everything. Honestly, the only things I skipped were the reptile house (omg it was sooo small, not even worth it), and the big monkey house. Of course this zoo is known for having some interesting views for certain animals. For the seals, there is a tube that you can stand next to, and they occasionally swim in-and-out of. For the penguins, you can see them close underwater. Both the polar bears and the wolves have a place where you can pop your head up and be really close to them. Expect for the wolves, EVERYTHING HAD A HUGE ASS LINE. And I mean HUGE! With how hot it was (27.5), I didn’t want to waste time on MAYBE being able to see something. I really felt bad for all the animals too, because it was soo hot! Nothing really wanted to more around, poor guys. The little red pandas were adorable, but they looked miserable. One was in a tree (omg soooo cute!), another was hiding in tall grass, and the last was in his house, completely sprawled out and trying to just rest in the shade. Same with the lion and tiger, they were hunched up in a corner, because it was the only place with shade. Of course, I had to see like 3 different animals take a pee (the giraffes, which as ONE was peeing, the other one decided to take a look…*sigh*; the ostriches , and the monkeys). The spider monkeys were pretty amusing, since I saw them during feeding time and they were really goofy. Like, walking on its hind legs like a person and begging for food. Spider monkeys were okay but the others… well… let’s just say cleaning butts isn’t that interesting to me. Another random point about this trip is that I saw a lot of naked little kids…. There was a fountain that seemed like it was okay for kids to walk into and climb, like stairs. But man, the kids just went al out and took off everything. I was kinda surprised. No one else around me really seemed that way though. Haruuum.
So after I walked all over, sweating my ass off, I was about an hour ahead of schedule and decided to make it back to the station and just head out to Furano. Funny thing about this is, I wanted to go see Tomita farm this day. Well, I got off at the wrong station to do that, and instead I went to visit the winery. They had a free taste-testing of their wines, all pretty delicious. But go figure, I am the person who wants the really sweet desert wine. I actually bought two bottles; but now I wonder if they actually sell that brand in Morioka. If so, that would of saved me some stress from lugging these all around. Oh well. As I waited for the bus to take me back, I took a little walk around the winery. There are two large areas that are assigned for the lavenders, but they were already out of season. Still, the smell was very distinct. I came across a little forest near the restaurant, and it hit me; there were a million moths!! I think this is just true for all of Furano, they were everywhere! Many different species too, from the looks of it. It gave the whole area a really mysterious feeling, like I was in a movie or something. Some girls that were also at the winery found them annoying as hell, but they didn’t bother me at all. Everyone just has a different thing that triggers them. For example, I -hate- spiders on me. *shudders*. Anyways, the bus finally took me back to Furano Station, but I had to backtrack to Naka-Furano (ugh, I feel stupid for missing this). Before I did this I decided to spend some more time in town, so I browsed the souvenir shops. Then I saw on the local map that a restaurant had “Cheese RAMEN”. o_O. OMFG I’m all over that like a hobo on a ham sandwich. LOL. Once I had it though, I will admit, it was definitely tasty BUT it wasn’t as good as the butter-corn ramen I had. *sigh* Cultural cuisine experience, must think my $13 went for that reason!! But now I felt all “darui” and lazy so I needed to get back to the station and head to Naka-Furano. From here I had a really vague map to get me to the hostel, but I somehow made it. What sucked donkey balls though was that the entire transit was UPHILL. With al my friggen luggage. I was sooo sweaty once I got there. LOL. The youth hostel in Furano is really something! It has such a cool and unique feel to it. They don’t hide any of the construction; if anything, that’s the design of the whole place. Unpainted wood, dumb-bell attached to the door to make sure it closes, sliding ply-wood doors. And even though it was so unique, I felt like I was in Japan because of the bath- finally, a sit down shower and a tub!! I was in heaven! I was in a girl dorm room though, and since I was the last one to arrive, I was thrown upstairs with two others LOL. It was hard climbing those stairs, it was a ladder, and the steps were steep! Oh well, I was able to do it. Night-time in Furano seems a little magical, because all of the moths are out, and its just the PERFECT temperature! Not the slightest sign of being humid, just a soft, cool breeze. I didn’t want to leave here. If anything, just visiting this hostel makes me want to have one of my own in a town like Furano. Who knows, I haven’t fully decided what I want to do with my future yet. X3. I also spent some time on the hammock outside before I finally passed out (which was really early, 10:45!!).
Thank goodness I didn’t fuck up this time!! Found my train on time! Only weird thing about this trip is that they said there was a transfer at one point, but there wasn’t. So I got off the train with all my luggage…. And got right back on, hahahaa. Oh well, found a better seat the second time. So I got to Asahikawa right on time and found the bus to get to the zoo. I was sooo excited!! Soon I would see my adorable red panda, wewt!!! Unfortunately I didn’t get a seat on the bus, so I had to stand for I believe 20 minutes, bleh. Oh well. Once I got there I decided to try and see everything. Honestly, the only things I skipped were the reptile house (omg it was sooo small, not even worth it), and the big monkey house. Of course this zoo is known for having some interesting views for certain animals. For the seals, there is a tube that you can stand next to, and they occasionally swim in-and-out of. For the penguins, you can see them close underwater. Both the polar bears and the wolves have a place where you can pop your head up and be really close to them. Expect for the wolves, EVERYTHING HAD A HUGE ASS LINE. And I mean HUGE! With how hot it was (27.5), I didn’t want to waste time on MAYBE being able to see something. I really felt bad for all the animals too, because it was soo hot! Nothing really wanted to more around, poor guys. The little red pandas were adorable, but they looked miserable. One was in a tree (omg soooo cute!), another was hiding in tall grass, and the last was in his house, completely sprawled out and trying to just rest in the shade. Same with the lion and tiger, they were hunched up in a corner, because it was the only place with shade. Of course, I had to see like 3 different animals take a pee (the giraffes, which as ONE was peeing, the other one decided to take a look…*sigh*; the ostriches , and the monkeys). The spider monkeys were pretty amusing, since I saw them during feeding time and they were really goofy. Like, walking on its hind legs like a person and begging for food. Spider monkeys were okay but the others… well… let’s just say cleaning butts isn’t that interesting to me. Another random point about this trip is that I saw a lot of naked little kids…. There was a fountain that seemed like it was okay for kids to walk into and climb, like stairs. But man, the kids just went al out and took off everything. I was kinda surprised. No one else around me really seemed that way though. Haruuum.
So after I walked all over, sweating my ass off, I was about an hour ahead of schedule and decided to make it back to the station and just head out to Furano. Funny thing about this is, I wanted to go see Tomita farm this day. Well, I got off at the wrong station to do that, and instead I went to visit the winery. They had a free taste-testing of their wines, all pretty delicious. But go figure, I am the person who wants the really sweet desert wine. I actually bought two bottles; but now I wonder if they actually sell that brand in Morioka. If so, that would of saved me some stress from lugging these all around. Oh well. As I waited for the bus to take me back, I took a little walk around the winery. There are two large areas that are assigned for the lavenders, but they were already out of season. Still, the smell was very distinct. I came across a little forest near the restaurant, and it hit me; there were a million moths!! I think this is just true for all of Furano, they were everywhere! Many different species too, from the looks of it. It gave the whole area a really mysterious feeling, like I was in a movie or something. Some girls that were also at the winery found them annoying as hell, but they didn’t bother me at all. Everyone just has a different thing that triggers them. For example, I -hate- spiders on me. *shudders*. Anyways, the bus finally took me back to Furano Station, but I had to backtrack to Naka-Furano (ugh, I feel stupid for missing this). Before I did this I decided to spend some more time in town, so I browsed the souvenir shops. Then I saw on the local map that a restaurant had “Cheese RAMEN”. o_O. OMFG I’m all over that like a hobo on a ham sandwich. LOL. Once I had it though, I will admit, it was definitely tasty BUT it wasn’t as good as the butter-corn ramen I had. *sigh* Cultural cuisine experience, must think my $13 went for that reason!! But now I felt all “darui” and lazy so I needed to get back to the station and head to Naka-Furano. From here I had a really vague map to get me to the hostel, but I somehow made it. What sucked donkey balls though was that the entire transit was UPHILL. With al my friggen luggage. I was sooo sweaty once I got there. LOL. The youth hostel in Furano is really something! It has such a cool and unique feel to it. They don’t hide any of the construction; if anything, that’s the design of the whole place. Unpainted wood, dumb-bell attached to the door to make sure it closes, sliding ply-wood doors. And even though it was so unique, I felt like I was in Japan because of the bath- finally, a sit down shower and a tub!! I was in heaven! I was in a girl dorm room though, and since I was the last one to arrive, I was thrown upstairs with two others LOL. It was hard climbing those stairs, it was a ladder, and the steps were steep! Oh well, I was able to do it. Night-time in Furano seems a little magical, because all of the moths are out, and its just the PERFECT temperature! Not the slightest sign of being humid, just a soft, cool breeze. I didn’t want to leave here. If anything, just visiting this hostel makes me want to have one of my own in a town like Furano. Who knows, I haven’t fully decided what I want to do with my future yet. X3. I also spent some time on the hammock outside before I finally passed out (which was really early, 10:45!!).
Hokkaido! Day 4
Day 4- Furano --> Niboribetsu
I guess since everyone went to bed so early, everyone decided to wake up early. I was just in the last 5 minutes of breakfast, but they were already cleaning up everything, so I just grabbed a piece of bread. The owner caught me as I was leaving the kitchen/living area, and said he could get something but I told him now to worry. I felt bad for sleeping in soo late anyways!! Regardless I still had to get ready to make it to Farm Tomita, huzzah!! By foot from the hostel it’s only 15-20 minutes, but I remembered on their website they mentioned having a bike. They lent it to me and I was able to get to the farm in about 10 minutes. On the way, I found another flower garden. Half of I was lilacs, and those flowers were already out of season so only half of the field was blooming. Still it was very beautiful! Got some glamour shots in there (but man I need to study up on my photography again, I feel like my picture style is very repetitive and uninspiring). Then I made it to Farm Tomita. I think I put this place on a pedestal, because once I got there, I wasn’t -very- moved. They had some very interesting food ( pumpkin croquette, lavender ice-cream, Hokkaido-milk pudding, mango ice-cream, and though it may not be unique, the potato and butter was delicious!). For some reason there were a ton of people at the farm who could speak Chinese, which took me a second to grasp. Guess there was a tour going on. Farm Tomita has another area of land to go around, but omg… 4 ½ miles away, didn’t wanna bike that, so I just headed to the hostel. Since I went through the farm soo quickly, I had some time to burn. Check out at the hostel was at 9:30, so when I came back, I asked if I could just wait for the train and use the internet. To my surprise they said no!! I mean, I understand its not with policy, but just to make sure my train times were correct and burn an hour…. Damn they be strict. I really do love the feel and atmosphere of this hostel, but just that last request left a sour taste in my mouth. Oh well. So I had to leave and lug all my luggage to the station. This time at least it was downhill! When I boarded the train at Naka-Furano, I was able to catch the old-school train that they only run during the summer. It goes a little slower too, but you’re supposed to be enjoying the view. It was pretty, and I felt pretty relaxed. Once I got to Furano, I had to wait a little bit until I could head out to Noboribetsu. All I gotta say is…wow…. Everything ‘futsu-denshya”, god it takes FOREVER. I will have ass bruises by the end of this trip!! LOL. Usually I can ride a train and not be soo ancy, but I really wanted to make it in time for dinner and then hit the onsen X3. So after.. *gulp* 6 hours…. I got to Noboribetsu. Getting here soo late really cut my plans to see Hell Valley *sigh*, but oh well, after all this traveling, I was about to be pampered a little, huzzah! Random story: so I knew the onsen area wasn’t next to the train station, and I could either go by bus or my taxi. I knew the bus fare would be around 400 yen, but I wasn’t sure about the taxi. So, I asked. And, yet again, another Japanese guy got really shitty with me! WTF man, I don’t want them to bend backwards for me, but this seems a little ridiculous. What happened to being passive and polite? I’m being more “nihon-poi”, gyaaaaa. After he was shitty I just started walking away, and he was like “Aren’t you going to ride??”. >0< Good lord what a dumbass. So I got on the bus, and with the help of another woman riding (poor thing, her arm was in a sling), I found the stop I needed to get off on. Unfortunately for me, I had to climb uphill some more. God I’m gonna have the beefiest legs in the world after all of this. If anyone ever asks “Where’s the beef”, I’ll pop up and go “right here!. Anyways, so I checked in, get to my room, and…. Omg there are two beds?!?! I went downstairs to ask about this and it turns out that the hotel has absolutely NO SINGLE occupancy rooms. Ugh. And this is the hotel I reserved with JTB. Oh well.. I was able to eat at the buffet in time; pretty good food, but nothing outstanding. Then I hauled ass next door to get in the onsen. You see, I was at the Takamoto Inn. This is separate from the Dai Ichi Takamoto. In short, I was in the crappy hotel, LOL. But I still was able to use the other hotel’s onsen, WHEW. And at first I thought they said it would close at 10, which I was like WTF after dinner its 8, what do I do?!?! They are actually open 24/7, so again, whew!! It was kinda impressive to see the onsen; they had 9 different types of baths you can go in both indoor and outdoor. Differences included sulfur, temperature, and effect. They also had 2 sauna rooms. I think my two favorite baths were the waterfall and the “bijin no onsen”. The waterfall was fantastic for the shoulders, because it was just the rough type of massage I needed. The other was a mixture of sulfur and magnesium; it was a medium-green colored bath, but it was just the right temperature for me. I went in once, and after that, donned my hotel yukata and walked around the shops. They have soo many different souvenirs, but I was really surprised with how difficult it was to find a spiffy demon statue. I actually didn’t buy one in the end, because they all looked a little too retarded LOL. I did get a gift for my sister and a hello kitty phone charm to help my collection. God I really am obsessed, ha-ha. But I will have a ton by time I leave Japan. After I shopped around, I hopped back into the onsen, and then passed out in my room. At least I’m getting a little stronger against feeling light-headed after a good soak! :D
I guess since everyone went to bed so early, everyone decided to wake up early. I was just in the last 5 minutes of breakfast, but they were already cleaning up everything, so I just grabbed a piece of bread. The owner caught me as I was leaving the kitchen/living area, and said he could get something but I told him now to worry. I felt bad for sleeping in soo late anyways!! Regardless I still had to get ready to make it to Farm Tomita, huzzah!! By foot from the hostel it’s only 15-20 minutes, but I remembered on their website they mentioned having a bike. They lent it to me and I was able to get to the farm in about 10 minutes. On the way, I found another flower garden. Half of I was lilacs, and those flowers were already out of season so only half of the field was blooming. Still it was very beautiful! Got some glamour shots in there (but man I need to study up on my photography again, I feel like my picture style is very repetitive and uninspiring). Then I made it to Farm Tomita. I think I put this place on a pedestal, because once I got there, I wasn’t -very- moved. They had some very interesting food ( pumpkin croquette, lavender ice-cream, Hokkaido-milk pudding, mango ice-cream, and though it may not be unique, the potato and butter was delicious!). For some reason there were a ton of people at the farm who could speak Chinese, which took me a second to grasp. Guess there was a tour going on. Farm Tomita has another area of land to go around, but omg… 4 ½ miles away, didn’t wanna bike that, so I just headed to the hostel. Since I went through the farm soo quickly, I had some time to burn. Check out at the hostel was at 9:30, so when I came back, I asked if I could just wait for the train and use the internet. To my surprise they said no!! I mean, I understand its not with policy, but just to make sure my train times were correct and burn an hour…. Damn they be strict. I really do love the feel and atmosphere of this hostel, but just that last request left a sour taste in my mouth. Oh well. So I had to leave and lug all my luggage to the station. This time at least it was downhill! When I boarded the train at Naka-Furano, I was able to catch the old-school train that they only run during the summer. It goes a little slower too, but you’re supposed to be enjoying the view. It was pretty, and I felt pretty relaxed. Once I got to Furano, I had to wait a little bit until I could head out to Noboribetsu. All I gotta say is…wow…. Everything ‘futsu-denshya”, god it takes FOREVER. I will have ass bruises by the end of this trip!! LOL. Usually I can ride a train and not be soo ancy, but I really wanted to make it in time for dinner and then hit the onsen X3. So after.. *gulp* 6 hours…. I got to Noboribetsu. Getting here soo late really cut my plans to see Hell Valley *sigh*, but oh well, after all this traveling, I was about to be pampered a little, huzzah! Random story: so I knew the onsen area wasn’t next to the train station, and I could either go by bus or my taxi. I knew the bus fare would be around 400 yen, but I wasn’t sure about the taxi. So, I asked. And, yet again, another Japanese guy got really shitty with me! WTF man, I don’t want them to bend backwards for me, but this seems a little ridiculous. What happened to being passive and polite? I’m being more “nihon-poi”, gyaaaaa. After he was shitty I just started walking away, and he was like “Aren’t you going to ride??”. >0< Good lord what a dumbass. So I got on the bus, and with the help of another woman riding (poor thing, her arm was in a sling), I found the stop I needed to get off on. Unfortunately for me, I had to climb uphill some more. God I’m gonna have the beefiest legs in the world after all of this. If anyone ever asks “Where’s the beef”, I’ll pop up and go “right here!. Anyways, so I checked in, get to my room, and…. Omg there are two beds?!?! I went downstairs to ask about this and it turns out that the hotel has absolutely NO SINGLE occupancy rooms. Ugh. And this is the hotel I reserved with JTB. Oh well.. I was able to eat at the buffet in time; pretty good food, but nothing outstanding. Then I hauled ass next door to get in the onsen. You see, I was at the Takamoto Inn. This is separate from the Dai Ichi Takamoto. In short, I was in the crappy hotel, LOL. But I still was able to use the other hotel’s onsen, WHEW. And at first I thought they said it would close at 10, which I was like WTF after dinner its 8, what do I do?!?! They are actually open 24/7, so again, whew!! It was kinda impressive to see the onsen; they had 9 different types of baths you can go in both indoor and outdoor. Differences included sulfur, temperature, and effect. They also had 2 sauna rooms. I think my two favorite baths were the waterfall and the “bijin no onsen”. The waterfall was fantastic for the shoulders, because it was just the rough type of massage I needed. The other was a mixture of sulfur and magnesium; it was a medium-green colored bath, but it was just the right temperature for me. I went in once, and after that, donned my hotel yukata and walked around the shops. They have soo many different souvenirs, but I was really surprised with how difficult it was to find a spiffy demon statue. I actually didn’t buy one in the end, because they all looked a little too retarded LOL. I did get a gift for my sister and a hello kitty phone charm to help my collection. God I really am obsessed, ha-ha. But I will have a ton by time I leave Japan. After I shopped around, I hopped back into the onsen, and then passed out in my room. At least I’m getting a little stronger against feeling light-headed after a good soak! :D
Hokkaido! Day 2
Day 2: Hakodate --> Onuma Park --> Otaru --> Sapporo
I was able to get a good, sound night’s sleep and make it out of the hotel and to the train station in good time. I now had the laboring task of taking all local trains from Hakodate to Otaru (I believe 3-4 transfers, a total of 6-7 hours commuting). Well, I made it to Onuma, where I was supposed to transfer to another train, but NOOOOO, I’m the dumbass that stays on the train. So I found myself at Onuma Quasi-National Park, a mountain overlooking a lake with over 100 islands. It was nice to see from the train, but unless you want to go hiking or take a bike-trail, it’s not worth the visit. Furthermore, trains do not frequent here often. So once you get here, you are stuck for a while. Ugh, damn my luck!! What made this even more frustrating is when I asked if they had a time-book here so I could re-route my schedule, they didn’t have one either! WTF NIHONZ, GET YURSELF TOGETHER! So I had to take the next train ALL the way back to Hakodate, and then start all over. Unfortunately I didn’t have a time chart with me, and I was running behind schedule, so I checked how much a Limited Express train was to Sapporo… and just gave in LOL. F’in a man I almost fee like my Hokkaido pass was worthless when I did that. But I learned, and had to pay for my mistake, both literally and figuratively. I had a very comfortable ride though, was either in-and-out of sleep or reading my book. Yes, it’s a friggen miracle, I’m back to reading. And GOD I loooove The Incarnations of Immortality series, wewt to being a fantasy nerd!! X3.
I made it to Sapporo in great time, and then had to figure out how to get to Otaru. There was a train leaving relatively soon , so I threw my luggage in a coin locker, walked to the infamous Clock Tower, and made my way back to the station before it left. I like it when I can kill two birds with one stone, woohoo! I felt stupid on the train, because after I was sitting for about 5 minutes, I realized that I was in a “priority seat”, technically for people who are old (the image had a person with a cane PLUS his spine is bent oddly. Damn Japan, you are mean), injured, pregnant, or with a small child. I really don’t fit in that category, and my gaijin powers weren’t helping me at all! Even better, I didn’t realize there was a transfer at one station, so once I was at the last stop, a man was leaving but he kept staring back at me. At first I was “yes yes, I’m a foreigner, huzzah, no big whoop really”, but then I realized he wanted to tell me I needed to get off LOL. Gaijin smash can lead to loss of speech for native Japanese speakers. Oddly enough, while I was waiting here, a random guy asked me in English a question about the beach. I couldn’t answer his question, but he brought to my attention the summer Beer Festival (which I had no idea about LOL LOL LOL), and invited me out once I got back to Sapporo. Huzzah, no being alone! Foreigners, unite!
I still made my way to Otaru though. I was determined to see the canal and make it to the music shop. So I left the station, picked up a rental bike, and flew downhill towards the canal.. Yeup… it’s a canal… sadly, it wasn’t that impressive. Plus I was kind of disappointed that I got a bike when there were a ton of guys pulling rickshaws >0< Oh well, make due with what you have. I found the Otaru beer factory, and sat down for a small glass, which was pretty tasty. Once I went to pay THEN the lady (who saw me with my bike), “uhm, since you did drink, you cannot ride you bike”. O_o. hubbidah! Excuse me Ms. Lady, but I have places to go, things to see. So as she watched me walk out, I just walked… and once I was out of sight, I was all over my bike XD. I wasn’t drunk , c’mon. Anyways, I was finally able to find the steam clock after searching for a while. I thought it was going to be a big tower, but its easily shorter than a house. Still pretty neat though! It plays a chime through the steam…tubes on top, and then the actually time for every hour. Inside was pretty fantastic, a ton of music boxes! Most were in the classic European style, with vines of flowers, or victiorian woman, ect ect. There were a few that were more “Nihon-poi’ though. I had already purchased one during my first visit to Japan so I’d thought I would go for the other type. I found a really nice jewelry box that plays the melody ‘Rabu Rabu Rabu” lol, or in English, “ Love, Love, Love”. But man, I heard some melodies that were totally nostalgic; “Canon”, from I&C’s wedding, “Anpanman March”, “Tottoro”, “and a -ton- of Disney. I was still able to find a nice one, along with some omiyage for others. Once I finished shopping , I realized that I had 10 minutes to get back to the bike rental before I was late. Let’s just say that I was definitely huffin it. Thank goodness I made it in time. The only thing I regret is not being able to eat some Tomato ice cream.
So I headed back to Sapporo, dropped off al my crap, and went on the hunt to find Tyson. I first got some more pictures in (cock-tower again, and Sapporo Tower), and then as I was central park, I realized the mayha that was in front of me. OMFG it was soooo crowded!! Each block of the park was represented by a different beer. Sapporo, Asahi Kikrin, Suntory…. They were all over the place. And the people were abundant too!! Soo many drunk people in one place, it’s scary. After feeling hopeless for a while, I finally met up with Tyson and the gaijin crew; 2 French men, bikiing all over Hokkaido, a scool teacher named Ben and the most popular tall-white guy Tyson. They all let me partake in some of their beer… well, it looked like a huge-ass bong but it wasn’t. Just look at the picture, LOL. I got there pretty late, so once I had my first beer, they were already making last calls. Oh well. I think I convinced everyone to try and get to Ramen Alley. It took a bit of effort but we made it there!! Omg butter corn miso ramen… I may of found a new love. SERIOUSLY, freakin fantastic!! I wanted more when I was done. Once we left the alley though, I realized how much my pooch puffed out hahaha. The rest of the group planned on going to a club, but knowing I had to leave the next morning at 6:02am, I had to pass. I was glad I had some idea of where I was at, lol. Everything in Hokkaido is in neighborhoods, according to number and direction. For example, my hotel was in South 2 West 3 I believe. Anyways, so it was back to the business hotel for me, LOL.
I was able to get a good, sound night’s sleep and make it out of the hotel and to the train station in good time. I now had the laboring task of taking all local trains from Hakodate to Otaru (I believe 3-4 transfers, a total of 6-7 hours commuting). Well, I made it to Onuma, where I was supposed to transfer to another train, but NOOOOO, I’m the dumbass that stays on the train. So I found myself at Onuma Quasi-National Park, a mountain overlooking a lake with over 100 islands. It was nice to see from the train, but unless you want to go hiking or take a bike-trail, it’s not worth the visit. Furthermore, trains do not frequent here often. So once you get here, you are stuck for a while. Ugh, damn my luck!! What made this even more frustrating is when I asked if they had a time-book here so I could re-route my schedule, they didn’t have one either! WTF NIHONZ, GET YURSELF TOGETHER! So I had to take the next train ALL the way back to Hakodate, and then start all over. Unfortunately I didn’t have a time chart with me, and I was running behind schedule, so I checked how much a Limited Express train was to Sapporo… and just gave in LOL. F’in a man I almost fee like my Hokkaido pass was worthless when I did that. But I learned, and had to pay for my mistake, both literally and figuratively. I had a very comfortable ride though, was either in-and-out of sleep or reading my book. Yes, it’s a friggen miracle, I’m back to reading. And GOD I loooove The Incarnations of Immortality series, wewt to being a fantasy nerd!! X3.
I made it to Sapporo in great time, and then had to figure out how to get to Otaru. There was a train leaving relatively soon , so I threw my luggage in a coin locker, walked to the infamous Clock Tower, and made my way back to the station before it left. I like it when I can kill two birds with one stone, woohoo! I felt stupid on the train, because after I was sitting for about 5 minutes, I realized that I was in a “priority seat”, technically for people who are old (the image had a person with a cane PLUS his spine is bent oddly. Damn Japan, you are mean), injured, pregnant, or with a small child. I really don’t fit in that category, and my gaijin powers weren’t helping me at all! Even better, I didn’t realize there was a transfer at one station, so once I was at the last stop, a man was leaving but he kept staring back at me. At first I was “yes yes, I’m a foreigner, huzzah, no big whoop really”, but then I realized he wanted to tell me I needed to get off LOL. Gaijin smash can lead to loss of speech for native Japanese speakers. Oddly enough, while I was waiting here, a random guy asked me in English a question about the beach. I couldn’t answer his question, but he brought to my attention the summer Beer Festival (which I had no idea about LOL LOL LOL), and invited me out once I got back to Sapporo. Huzzah, no being alone! Foreigners, unite!
I still made my way to Otaru though. I was determined to see the canal and make it to the music shop. So I left the station, picked up a rental bike, and flew downhill towards the canal.. Yeup… it’s a canal… sadly, it wasn’t that impressive. Plus I was kind of disappointed that I got a bike when there were a ton of guys pulling rickshaws >0< Oh well, make due with what you have. I found the Otaru beer factory, and sat down for a small glass, which was pretty tasty. Once I went to pay THEN the lady (who saw me with my bike), “uhm, since you did drink, you cannot ride you bike”. O_o. hubbidah! Excuse me Ms. Lady, but I have places to go, things to see. So as she watched me walk out, I just walked… and once I was out of sight, I was all over my bike XD. I wasn’t drunk , c’mon. Anyways, I was finally able to find the steam clock after searching for a while. I thought it was going to be a big tower, but its easily shorter than a house. Still pretty neat though! It plays a chime through the steam…tubes on top, and then the actually time for every hour. Inside was pretty fantastic, a ton of music boxes! Most were in the classic European style, with vines of flowers, or victiorian woman, ect ect. There were a few that were more “Nihon-poi’ though. I had already purchased one during my first visit to Japan so I’d thought I would go for the other type. I found a really nice jewelry box that plays the melody ‘Rabu Rabu Rabu” lol, or in English, “ Love, Love, Love”. But man, I heard some melodies that were totally nostalgic; “Canon”, from I&C’s wedding, “Anpanman March”, “Tottoro”, “and a -ton- of Disney. I was still able to find a nice one, along with some omiyage for others. Once I finished shopping , I realized that I had 10 minutes to get back to the bike rental before I was late. Let’s just say that I was definitely huffin it. Thank goodness I made it in time. The only thing I regret is not being able to eat some Tomato ice cream.
So I headed back to Sapporo, dropped off al my crap, and went on the hunt to find Tyson. I first got some more pictures in (cock-tower again, and Sapporo Tower), and then as I was central park, I realized the mayha that was in front of me. OMFG it was soooo crowded!! Each block of the park was represented by a different beer. Sapporo, Asahi Kikrin, Suntory…. They were all over the place. And the people were abundant too!! Soo many drunk people in one place, it’s scary. After feeling hopeless for a while, I finally met up with Tyson and the gaijin crew; 2 French men, bikiing all over Hokkaido, a scool teacher named Ben and the most popular tall-white guy Tyson. They all let me partake in some of their beer… well, it looked like a huge-ass bong but it wasn’t. Just look at the picture, LOL. I got there pretty late, so once I had my first beer, they were already making last calls. Oh well. I think I convinced everyone to try and get to Ramen Alley. It took a bit of effort but we made it there!! Omg butter corn miso ramen… I may of found a new love. SERIOUSLY, freakin fantastic!! I wanted more when I was done. Once we left the alley though, I realized how much my pooch puffed out hahaha. The rest of the group planned on going to a club, but knowing I had to leave the next morning at 6:02am, I had to pass. I was glad I had some idea of where I was at, lol. Everything in Hokkaido is in neighborhoods, according to number and direction. For example, my hotel was in South 2 West 3 I believe. Anyways, so it was back to the business hotel for me, LOL.
Hokkaido! Day 1
Day 1- Morioka --> Aomori --> Kikonai --> Kitakami --> Hakodate
The night before I left, I actually didn’t get any sleep. I had to leave at 6:30, and after a night of hookah, I was back at my apartment at 2:30. So I managed to clean, take a shower, and organize all the crap in my apartment. Afterwards, I went to the internet café on Odori, Hero, to burn some time. I found a few more interesting things about where I was about to go. Thank god they had a drink bar, because fatigue was starting to set in. I went through two hours there; it was soo weird to see that when I went in it was night time, and when I left it was bright and shiny. I didn’t feel like taking a taxi, so I just walked to the station. I really do like walking, and I think this vacation is going to be full of that (and ya’know, sitting on my ass, since everything is local trains).
I made it to my first train on time, huzzah! And I was able t get a good seat, where no one could really bother me. There was a girl in front of me though (the seat was like two mini-benches facing each other, and they go throughout the bus in pairs) that was -all- dolled up. At 6:30 in the morning people! Fresh curls, fake eyelashes, all wrapped up in a bow. *sigh* The funny thing though was her passing out. Granted, I wanted to sleep to, but I couldn’t because I was soo excited!! The way she slept on her head completely ruined one side of her curls T-T. Poor thing. So while Sleeping Beauty was catching ZzZZs, I was starting a new book. Well, I actually had had it for almost a year, but I didn’t have the time to read it. Part of the Immortality series, “Wielding a Red Sword” is about how the new office for Mars is filled out. I like it so far, but I think “ Riding a Pale Horse” was a lot better. Who knows, I’m only half-way through the book. Yes, I just started my vacation, and I am half-way though my book . I have a lot of time on my hands throughout the train rides.
Anyways, I was able to make it to Aomori with no problems. HOWEVER, then the drama begins. So to fill in with some back story, the reason why I am riding all Futsu trains is because I bought the Hokkaido- North Japan pass. It lets you travel unlimitedly on all Futsu trains for 5 consecutive days. It made the travel costs a lot cheaper. It did have the exception to let me ride in the longest underwater tunnel via Shinkansen, huzzah!! However, to do that, you must board and disembark in one specific town. Well, I started in the wrong town. So, while I was riding on the Shinkansen, I was called out on it, and I had to immediately get off at the next exit, unless I really wanted to pay (hell no!!). Knowing I was wrong, I went to the ticket counter at the new station and explained my situation. Unfortunately, the man talking to me was a complete bastard. I asked him what I could do, and he just started at me with an emotionless face. Then I asked him if he had a time chart or map, and he sad no. WTF U R AT A TRAIN STATION, WHY YOU HAS NO MAP DERRRR. And then wouldn’t you believe it, he pulls out a map. OI VE. After keeping my kewl (because I was getting really pissed off), I finally got him to realize what the hell was going on, and figure out how to get me back on track. In all honesty, it wasn’t the man that pissed me off who helped me, it was another guy working there. Maybe I had the village idiot help me, I don’t know. While I was waiting at this station, a random guy started up a conversation with me. His English was absolutely fantastic. He was maybe in his 30s, and he said he hasn’t used his English since he was in school, but it was still very good. Anyways, I eventually got back on track. Funny thing is with the detour, I still arrived in Hakodate at the time I estimated LOL. I was able to talk with a really nice lady too, who gave me some advice about town, and a little guidance on what I was actually looking at through the window as we approached the city. Soo sweet!
Once I left the station, I bought a day-pass for the trolley that goes throughout the town. Having that in town made sight-seeing a little easier. It seem like everything is in really close proximity to each other. After I threw my stuff into the hotel, I started off with one of the temples they had in town. It was completely empty. I hate to say it, but once I got there, I immediately thought of Sailor Moon, lol. Rei is a temple priestess, and the style of the temple (and stairs) was really similar to hers. Still, it was a beautiful place. I bought a fortune slip, but since I can’t read crap, I gotta translate it T-T. After that I walked to where I could see the sea. I was kinda surprised to see some surfers, but c'mon, that’s just me being stupid because it IS summer. The weather in Hokkaido isn’t any different from Morioka, still pretty warm. After that I went to the star fortress. I didn’t go up into the observation building because it was $10, and I knew I was going to Mt. Hakodate later that day. Plus, I just bought postcards with the aerial view, lol. I did take a walk around there though. Its more a park now than anything. Its kind of funny that it used to be a fortress, and now people have picnics and exercise there. Oh how time makes fools of us all.
I finally started to feel hungry, and right next to the park is a burger joint called Lucky Pierot. I don’t think there are any of these back in Honshu, but man, you can’t miss it. I would relate it to a Schoops and Applebees in sporadic design, but its more on the crazy and uncanny, like a circus. I had a “ Lucky Cheeseburger”, but they have other things that are a little more outstanding. But man….. That was a delicious burger!!!! Omg they had just the perfect amount of mustard and ketchup, and this other sauce that was sweet but it seemed like there were really small chunks of cream cheese in there ON TOP of having a big slide of cheddar. No question, my best burger in Japan so far. *starts drooling just by remembering*.
Once I was finished savoring my deliciousness, I realized I was starting to get dark so I needed to hit my last “day-light” locations before I went to the observation tower. I wasn’t going to make it to the foreign residency, so I went to look for the warehouses. I thought I was just going to be taking pictures of really plain things, but wow, they completely changed the inside of the buildings to a shopping center! Really fun things, a lot with Russian influence. I also had a great view of the port during sunset, so those were good times. I continued to look for highlight spots on my map, making my way up to the boarding station for Mt. Hakodate. I found the location foreigners first stepped foot onto Hokkaido, the infamous street view, and the foreign merchant living quarters (but it was too dark to get a good picture of anything). Thank goodness I had a map with me, or I would of easily gotten lost in town. I found the boarding station and since it was around 8pm, it was a busy time. Going up the lift was really exciting!! I think I’ve only been on a lift maybe one other time in my life. Its crazy how they work with sooo many people inside. I think maybe 50 people could fit in, but maybe I’m wrong. Once you reach the top, you don’t want to get out! But since you can climb up a few extra flights in the mountain station, I headed for the roof. Of course it was jam-packed there too, with everyone and their brother trying to get a good shot of the night scene. From what I researched online, the view from Mt. Hakodate is one of the top 3 in the -world-! *shock* I will admit, I was a little moved. Unfortunately, I was kinda pissed that I couldn’t get a good shot though *sigh* I tried to enjoy the view a little longer, but I found a good time to head down. This time I was able to get a little closer to the window, but uugh…. going down a lift… it’s like landing in an airplane, and I don’t like that soo much T-T. Regardless, I got down in one piece, huzzah!
After enjoying the night view, I wondered how I cold enjoy the night life. It kinda sucks to go to a bar alone, so I was hoping I could do something else. One of Hakodate’s food specialties include squid, and after roaming around a little, I found a charming little alleyway full of a variety of restaurants. One of them had squid on the menu, so I plopped down, drank a Sapporo “classic” beer and enjoyed my snack. I have to call it a snack, cause it was sooo small!!! The chef put a ginger sauce on it, and it was really tasty! I’m used to different festivals just soaking it in a soy sauce glaze. I wasn’t full after this, so I scouted he area a litte more. One of the restaurants there was Korean owned, and once she said “Anngyonhasaeyo” and I replied back in Korean, she had me. LOL. I tried to resist because I wanted to try the local cuisine, but she already was “pushing” me inside, ^_^(). There were only 2 other people there, and the hostess was ready to make us all friends. I’ll admitt, since I had a large beer at the restaurant prior, I was a little tipsy, and ready to chat. The chef was able to make me something I didn’t have before, a sandwich that was kimchi and cheese… om nom nom nom. I’ll never eat a grilled-cheese the same way again.. For some reason they also gave me coffee with this, a “must-have” from what they say. It did go well together though. I was promised some pat-bing-suu as well, but nooooo, a group of men came and then the cook became too busy cooking their meal. To be a little more visual, these shops are very very tiny, as where you enter in, there are maybe only…. 8-9 seats, surrounding the area that the chef is cooking in. There are tables outside the restaurants, but they maybe fit 5-6 out there, like a park-bench. So yeah, once 6 hungry guys come into your restaurant, it’s gonna be busy. Especially since there is only one chef. I knew I had an early start the next day, and it was already midnight, so I made my way back to the hotel, and passed out once my head hit the pillow.
The night before I left, I actually didn’t get any sleep. I had to leave at 6:30, and after a night of hookah, I was back at my apartment at 2:30. So I managed to clean, take a shower, and organize all the crap in my apartment. Afterwards, I went to the internet café on Odori, Hero, to burn some time. I found a few more interesting things about where I was about to go. Thank god they had a drink bar, because fatigue was starting to set in. I went through two hours there; it was soo weird to see that when I went in it was night time, and when I left it was bright and shiny. I didn’t feel like taking a taxi, so I just walked to the station. I really do like walking, and I think this vacation is going to be full of that (and ya’know, sitting on my ass, since everything is local trains).
I made it to my first train on time, huzzah! And I was able t get a good seat, where no one could really bother me. There was a girl in front of me though (the seat was like two mini-benches facing each other, and they go throughout the bus in pairs) that was -all- dolled up. At 6:30 in the morning people! Fresh curls, fake eyelashes, all wrapped up in a bow. *sigh* The funny thing though was her passing out. Granted, I wanted to sleep to, but I couldn’t because I was soo excited!! The way she slept on her head completely ruined one side of her curls T-T. Poor thing. So while Sleeping Beauty was catching ZzZZs, I was starting a new book. Well, I actually had had it for almost a year, but I didn’t have the time to read it. Part of the Immortality series, “Wielding a Red Sword” is about how the new office for Mars is filled out. I like it so far, but I think “ Riding a Pale Horse” was a lot better. Who knows, I’m only half-way through the book. Yes, I just started my vacation, and I am half-way though my book . I have a lot of time on my hands throughout the train rides.
Anyways, I was able to make it to Aomori with no problems. HOWEVER, then the drama begins. So to fill in with some back story, the reason why I am riding all Futsu trains is because I bought the Hokkaido- North Japan pass. It lets you travel unlimitedly on all Futsu trains for 5 consecutive days. It made the travel costs a lot cheaper. It did have the exception to let me ride in the longest underwater tunnel via Shinkansen, huzzah!! However, to do that, you must board and disembark in one specific town. Well, I started in the wrong town. So, while I was riding on the Shinkansen, I was called out on it, and I had to immediately get off at the next exit, unless I really wanted to pay (hell no!!). Knowing I was wrong, I went to the ticket counter at the new station and explained my situation. Unfortunately, the man talking to me was a complete bastard. I asked him what I could do, and he just started at me with an emotionless face. Then I asked him if he had a time chart or map, and he sad no. WTF U R AT A TRAIN STATION, WHY YOU HAS NO MAP DERRRR. And then wouldn’t you believe it, he pulls out a map. OI VE. After keeping my kewl (because I was getting really pissed off), I finally got him to realize what the hell was going on, and figure out how to get me back on track. In all honesty, it wasn’t the man that pissed me off who helped me, it was another guy working there. Maybe I had the village idiot help me, I don’t know. While I was waiting at this station, a random guy started up a conversation with me. His English was absolutely fantastic. He was maybe in his 30s, and he said he hasn’t used his English since he was in school, but it was still very good. Anyways, I eventually got back on track. Funny thing is with the detour, I still arrived in Hakodate at the time I estimated LOL. I was able to talk with a really nice lady too, who gave me some advice about town, and a little guidance on what I was actually looking at through the window as we approached the city. Soo sweet!
Once I left the station, I bought a day-pass for the trolley that goes throughout the town. Having that in town made sight-seeing a little easier. It seem like everything is in really close proximity to each other. After I threw my stuff into the hotel, I started off with one of the temples they had in town. It was completely empty. I hate to say it, but once I got there, I immediately thought of Sailor Moon, lol. Rei is a temple priestess, and the style of the temple (and stairs) was really similar to hers. Still, it was a beautiful place. I bought a fortune slip, but since I can’t read crap, I gotta translate it T-T. After that I walked to where I could see the sea. I was kinda surprised to see some surfers, but c'mon, that’s just me being stupid because it IS summer. The weather in Hokkaido isn’t any different from Morioka, still pretty warm. After that I went to the star fortress. I didn’t go up into the observation building because it was $10, and I knew I was going to Mt. Hakodate later that day. Plus, I just bought postcards with the aerial view, lol. I did take a walk around there though. Its more a park now than anything. Its kind of funny that it used to be a fortress, and now people have picnics and exercise there. Oh how time makes fools of us all.
I finally started to feel hungry, and right next to the park is a burger joint called Lucky Pierot. I don’t think there are any of these back in Honshu, but man, you can’t miss it. I would relate it to a Schoops and Applebees in sporadic design, but its more on the crazy and uncanny, like a circus. I had a “ Lucky Cheeseburger”, but they have other things that are a little more outstanding. But man….. That was a delicious burger!!!! Omg they had just the perfect amount of mustard and ketchup, and this other sauce that was sweet but it seemed like there were really small chunks of cream cheese in there ON TOP of having a big slide of cheddar. No question, my best burger in Japan so far. *starts drooling just by remembering*.
Once I was finished savoring my deliciousness, I realized I was starting to get dark so I needed to hit my last “day-light” locations before I went to the observation tower. I wasn’t going to make it to the foreign residency, so I went to look for the warehouses. I thought I was just going to be taking pictures of really plain things, but wow, they completely changed the inside of the buildings to a shopping center! Really fun things, a lot with Russian influence. I also had a great view of the port during sunset, so those were good times. I continued to look for highlight spots on my map, making my way up to the boarding station for Mt. Hakodate. I found the location foreigners first stepped foot onto Hokkaido, the infamous street view, and the foreign merchant living quarters (but it was too dark to get a good picture of anything). Thank goodness I had a map with me, or I would of easily gotten lost in town. I found the boarding station and since it was around 8pm, it was a busy time. Going up the lift was really exciting!! I think I’ve only been on a lift maybe one other time in my life. Its crazy how they work with sooo many people inside. I think maybe 50 people could fit in, but maybe I’m wrong. Once you reach the top, you don’t want to get out! But since you can climb up a few extra flights in the mountain station, I headed for the roof. Of course it was jam-packed there too, with everyone and their brother trying to get a good shot of the night scene. From what I researched online, the view from Mt. Hakodate is one of the top 3 in the -world-! *shock* I will admit, I was a little moved. Unfortunately, I was kinda pissed that I couldn’t get a good shot though *sigh* I tried to enjoy the view a little longer, but I found a good time to head down. This time I was able to get a little closer to the window, but uugh…. going down a lift… it’s like landing in an airplane, and I don’t like that soo much T-T. Regardless, I got down in one piece, huzzah!
After enjoying the night view, I wondered how I cold enjoy the night life. It kinda sucks to go to a bar alone, so I was hoping I could do something else. One of Hakodate’s food specialties include squid, and after roaming around a little, I found a charming little alleyway full of a variety of restaurants. One of them had squid on the menu, so I plopped down, drank a Sapporo “classic” beer and enjoyed my snack. I have to call it a snack, cause it was sooo small!!! The chef put a ginger sauce on it, and it was really tasty! I’m used to different festivals just soaking it in a soy sauce glaze. I wasn’t full after this, so I scouted he area a litte more. One of the restaurants there was Korean owned, and once she said “Anngyonhasaeyo” and I replied back in Korean, she had me. LOL. I tried to resist because I wanted to try the local cuisine, but she already was “pushing” me inside, ^_^(). There were only 2 other people there, and the hostess was ready to make us all friends. I’ll admitt, since I had a large beer at the restaurant prior, I was a little tipsy, and ready to chat. The chef was able to make me something I didn’t have before, a sandwich that was kimchi and cheese… om nom nom nom. I’ll never eat a grilled-cheese the same way again.. For some reason they also gave me coffee with this, a “must-have” from what they say. It did go well together though. I was promised some pat-bing-suu as well, but nooooo, a group of men came and then the cook became too busy cooking their meal. To be a little more visual, these shops are very very tiny, as where you enter in, there are maybe only…. 8-9 seats, surrounding the area that the chef is cooking in. There are tables outside the restaurants, but they maybe fit 5-6 out there, like a park-bench. So yeah, once 6 hungry guys come into your restaurant, it’s gonna be busy. Especially since there is only one chef. I knew I had an early start the next day, and it was already midnight, so I made my way back to the hotel, and passed out once my head hit the pillow.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Good golly
I can't believe some Japanese dramas... LOL.
Go figure I haven't written in a while, and I start it out with this. Well, I just got a TV a few days ago, because I bought a PS2. Unfortunately, I don't have n e games yet, so I've just been watching TV after work. But then I see this show.... an old lady gets mad at some yakuza tellin her to move aside, so she kicks their car. They get out, and they're pissed. Well some community service guy and girl come running in (I think he was in charge of takin care of her or something), and he tries to stop the yakuza from hasselin' the old lady. They give him shitt, and say "nice watch, give it up", and then the old lady starts moaning and groaning saying "he works soo hard, look, I'll go get some money, yada yada". They move her aside, and then he like... goes to lead the yakuza somewhere else. This whole time the other community service girl grabs a rock, and takes off her shirt and wraps the rock inside, I guess to beat the shitt out of the yakuza... but before she can get a throw in, the guy says "take care of the old lady!", and starts running. They make it to a beach, and they start beatin the shitt out of the guy. Here comes the good stuff..... once he is knocked to the ground, there is one SINGLE flower growing on the beach. He just looks at it adoringly, although hes gettin the donkey shitt beaten out of him. Then grandma comes running in, although the girl is trying to hold her back. Granny gets loose and tries to stop the guys, and they shove her to the ground. This makes the community guy go crazy and he starts throwing everyone around, yada yada. Suddenly everyone is afraid the old lady is dead, so the yakuza run away. Lots of screaming, almost in tears, and the old lady was just playin dead... or cardiac arrest... or whatever. So then its nighttime, and the old lady says something like "it woulda been nice to see the sakura flowers", and then the community dood takes off his shirt. Apparently he is an ex-yakusa cause he has tats all over his body. The community girl grabs a sparkler, and lights it so you can see his body. And of course... the old lady is smiling, laughing, and clapping. "Look, look, the sakura flowers are blooming!".
I had to end it here. Too much cliche crap in 5 minutes. OI VE.
Alrighty, I'll try to update more, but right now I need to pass the hell out. Oyachuummiiii
Go figure I haven't written in a while, and I start it out with this. Well, I just got a TV a few days ago, because I bought a PS2. Unfortunately, I don't have n e games yet, so I've just been watching TV after work. But then I see this show.... an old lady gets mad at some yakuza tellin her to move aside, so she kicks their car. They get out, and they're pissed. Well some community service guy and girl come running in (I think he was in charge of takin care of her or something), and he tries to stop the yakuza from hasselin' the old lady. They give him shitt, and say "nice watch, give it up", and then the old lady starts moaning and groaning saying "he works soo hard, look, I'll go get some money, yada yada". They move her aside, and then he like... goes to lead the yakuza somewhere else. This whole time the other community service girl grabs a rock, and takes off her shirt and wraps the rock inside, I guess to beat the shitt out of the yakuza... but before she can get a throw in, the guy says "take care of the old lady!", and starts running. They make it to a beach, and they start beatin the shitt out of the guy. Here comes the good stuff..... once he is knocked to the ground, there is one SINGLE flower growing on the beach. He just looks at it adoringly, although hes gettin the donkey shitt beaten out of him. Then grandma comes running in, although the girl is trying to hold her back. Granny gets loose and tries to stop the guys, and they shove her to the ground. This makes the community guy go crazy and he starts throwing everyone around, yada yada. Suddenly everyone is afraid the old lady is dead, so the yakuza run away. Lots of screaming, almost in tears, and the old lady was just playin dead... or cardiac arrest... or whatever. So then its nighttime, and the old lady says something like "it woulda been nice to see the sakura flowers", and then the community dood takes off his shirt. Apparently he is an ex-yakusa cause he has tats all over his body. The community girl grabs a sparkler, and lights it so you can see his body. And of course... the old lady is smiling, laughing, and clapping. "Look, look, the sakura flowers are blooming!".
I had to end it here. Too much cliche crap in 5 minutes. OI VE.
Alrighty, I'll try to update more, but right now I need to pass the hell out. Oyachuummiiii
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Rainy crap
After beautiful sakura blossoms have bloomed, we have been bombarded with cold winds and angry rain TT-TT
THATS WHY I WANT THESE DAMN BOOTS SOOO BADLY!!!
Modcloth, you have done it again. This is sooo flippin cute!! And I don't go for the girly stuff all the time, OR THE HEELS, but this is just soo sweet and girly. I WANT to go prancing in the rain with these!!
The only thing is.... they're over $100...... I believe $120.... and then to have them sent to Japan.... omfg...
Well, it was nice to dream, deshyou?
TT-TT
Another interesting thing is: I have not taken my garbage out yet. Yes, it is disgusting, but I have been soo unsure about HOW you take your garbage out here. You need to sort everything, and take them out on the assigned days, IN an assigned location. Its just too detailed! Damn you Japan!!! Hopefully everything will be out thats smelly before I leave for Golden Week. Here is an example of how it goes (burnable, non-burnable, cans/bottles/ PET bottles/ oversized, ect.)Seriously, I never took out the garbage when I was at home, let alone SORT all my shitt. Blech.
Today at work I got a little sad/defensive, cause my boss was nitpicking at my appearance. She was going over the contract with me, and we came across apparel, and I was wearing black work pants, my cute blac0k-bunny shirt, and my red cardigan. WELL since my cardigan has a hoodie on the back, its not a cardigan, its just a damn hoddie. Soo yeah I can't wear that to work n e more... TT-TT... I love that soo much... AANNNDD the big topper: My hair. "Can you put it up so it doesn't look... messy?" I FUCKING STYLED IT TODAY T-T. It was in a low-pony tail that I clipped upwards with my butterfly clip, and let my curls fall over it. It was DAMN CUTE. But noooo... "make a tight pony-tail". Uh... I kinda do get migranes if I do that all the time. I'm just gonna wear my hair down all the time and if she sees it in a loose pony tail, just gonna say "it's cause I was playing with the kids, its going to stay down". GRRRRRRRRR
Oh yeah, and some random dude called me at like 11 pm asking for Nao-chan. I told him "Nope, sorry, this is APRIL." and then he started to go on complimenting my Japanese. Shut up foo you taking up all my minutes *click*
Okay, time for sleeps.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Iwate Park and Yanagi Ramen = awesome people
During my first month in Morioka, it's been kinda rough. Not really having a social circle really can take its toll. Sure, work does keep me busy. And yes, I have co-workers, but at least with the Japanese co-workers they wanna get back to their families after work. So usually on the weekends I would end up feeling stuck/bored/alone. I have had 2 good instances though!!
During my first weekend here (not with the onsen trip I had), I decided I needed to explore the city. With it being Hanami season, I thought I had to see the Ishi wari Zakura, so I was able to make it, but it hadn't bloomed yet!! TT-TT I still got a picture in though :D At Iwate Park (where there used to be a castle), there were some flowers blooming :D I was taking a picture, and two ladies walking through the town stopped to say hello to me. You wouldn't believe how surprised I was! LOL. They were soo nice, and one of them even gave me a present! It was a local snack, like mochi. Pretty tasty (but not super sweet).
My second ecounter of awesomeness was really recently (last nite!). I just finished shopping at the train station, and decided to walk home. I realized I was pretty hungry, so I deided to go to a ramenya that my student said was #1 in town. I had been there once before, but I got kimchi ramen, which turned out okay... but I wanted to give it another chance. Well I get there, and its right when they were about to close. The chef told me I could stay though. We ended up talking a lot because I was the only one there, and we had a great convo! Turns out he wants to learn English and visit America, because he is really passionate about English. After dinner, I gave him my contact info, and told him he needs to help tour me around Morioka XD. Really awesome guy. I wanna find the kick-ass bars here :D Bad thing though is... in loud places, I can't hear shitt... and my Japanese listening comprehension just sucks more and more... DOH!
I've been able to find more gaijin people here through Facebook and Yahoo groups, so I hope I can meet them all soon! There was a hanami party today, but because of the weather it was canceled. DOH! All in due time I suppose!!!
During my first weekend here (not with the onsen trip I had), I decided I needed to explore the city. With it being Hanami season, I thought I had to see the Ishi wari Zakura, so I was able to make it, but it hadn't bloomed yet!! TT-TT I still got a picture in though :D At Iwate Park (where there used to be a castle), there were some flowers blooming :D I was taking a picture, and two ladies walking through the town stopped to say hello to me. You wouldn't believe how surprised I was! LOL. They were soo nice, and one of them even gave me a present! It was a local snack, like mochi. Pretty tasty (but not super sweet).
My second ecounter of awesomeness was really recently (last nite!). I just finished shopping at the train station, and decided to walk home. I realized I was pretty hungry, so I deided to go to a ramenya that my student said was #1 in town. I had been there once before, but I got kimchi ramen, which turned out okay... but I wanted to give it another chance. Well I get there, and its right when they were about to close. The chef told me I could stay though. We ended up talking a lot because I was the only one there, and we had a great convo! Turns out he wants to learn English and visit America, because he is really passionate about English. After dinner, I gave him my contact info, and told him he needs to help tour me around Morioka XD. Really awesome guy. I wanna find the kick-ass bars here :D Bad thing though is... in loud places, I can't hear shitt... and my Japanese listening comprehension just sucks more and more... DOH!
I've been able to find more gaijin people here through Facebook and Yahoo groups, so I hope I can meet them all soon! There was a hanami party today, but because of the weather it was canceled. DOH! All in due time I suppose!!!
Tokyo with Tori <3<3<3<3
Yatta!!! So Adam made it to Japan, and we were about to head out for our hotel in Shinjuku but we did a big lunch with everyone (Jackie, Nick, Sean, Nao, Alipon, Adam, and I). Fun times!!!! <3<3<3 We did a viking, all Japanese style, and it was pretty delicious. It's kinda weird adjusting to a different culture, cause you gotta like... observe more and be careful. LOL.
After lunch we had to say our goodbyes, so Adam and I headed towards Shinjuku. It was soo much better traveling with SOMEONE to a place you've never been too. As the saying goes, two heads are better than one!!! We were able to navigate through Shinjuku station, the largest train station in the world, and find our hotel. Shinjuku is very foreigner-friendly, because they have lots of signs and maps in Japanese and English. Yatta!
So we unpacked our things at the hotel (which damn it was kinda ritzy), and were heading out to leave when... OMG they had a real wedding in the hotel lobby!!! It was awesome!!! They had the chairs lined up in the lobby, and in front of that are 3 elevators you can look into. So before the bride walked down the aisle, her and her father were in one of the elevators, and you could see them waiving to the crowd, it was sooo awesome!! Then she appeared and walked down the aisle. I took a buncha pictures XDDD
Adam and I really wanted to see Akihabara, so we there. We were able to indulge ourselves with little things (super-kawaii things to anime, video games, ect). Adam bought some games, I bought some gashapon and cute things, and omg we found one of my favorite cat mangas!!! Its about a black kitty, SOO FRIGGEN ADORABLE! <3<3<3<3<3<3<3 When we got hungry, we found a Japanese resturant, and I got a unagi-box and I can't remember what Adam got but omg.... I GOT A BONE STUCK IN MY THROAT! I even went into the bathroom to try and cough/dig it out, but it was no use TT-TT It hurt sooo bad!!! It actually hurt for like... 4 days!!! TT-TT I was freaking out because I didn't know what to do. So yeah.. I'm super-scared to eat fish from time-to-time... I feel so bad cause it was like I killed the mood... of course on our way back to the trainstation we found an AWESOME shop but they were closing TT-TT Boo hiss....
The next day we decided we had time for one more trip to that store we wanted to see in Akihabara. It was awesome, they had one figure artist that we both -really- like, and I was able to buy one X3 Plus they had a TON of Miyazaki and Sanrio goods, so I loaded up teeheehee. We then headed back to the hotel, packed up, checked out, and made our way to Tokyo Station. Ugh I was trying not to cry, but how can you not.... I'm not gonna live with my man for 2 years, thats ROUGH SHITT!!! But we got him to his train to get to Narita, and I made my way to catch my Shinkansen to Morioka. It was about 2 1/2 hours, but I made it in once piece. The other english teacher who works on the kindergarten side of the school, Elizabeth, picked me up. I was sooo surprised, shes only been in Morioka for 6 months and she already had a car!!! O_o I wish I had guts like her!!! LOL. She hooked me up with grocery shopping, gettin into my apartment, showing me how to get to work, and everything. She even invited me out to an onsen get-together with some of her friends, soo sweet!
It definitely took a little while to set in that I'm living in Japan.... but yeah once the bills came in I felt it, LOL.
So that wraps up how I got here. Stay posted for more random blogging!!! <3<3<3<3
After lunch we had to say our goodbyes, so Adam and I headed towards Shinjuku. It was soo much better traveling with SOMEONE to a place you've never been too. As the saying goes, two heads are better than one!!! We were able to navigate through Shinjuku station, the largest train station in the world, and find our hotel. Shinjuku is very foreigner-friendly, because they have lots of signs and maps in Japanese and English. Yatta!
So we unpacked our things at the hotel (which damn it was kinda ritzy), and were heading out to leave when... OMG they had a real wedding in the hotel lobby!!! It was awesome!!! They had the chairs lined up in the lobby, and in front of that are 3 elevators you can look into. So before the bride walked down the aisle, her and her father were in one of the elevators, and you could see them waiving to the crowd, it was sooo awesome!! Then she appeared and walked down the aisle. I took a buncha pictures XDDD
Adam and I really wanted to see Akihabara, so we there. We were able to indulge ourselves with little things (super-kawaii things to anime, video games, ect). Adam bought some games, I bought some gashapon and cute things, and omg we found one of my favorite cat mangas!!! Its about a black kitty, SOO FRIGGEN ADORABLE! <3<3<3<3<3<3<3 When we got hungry, we found a Japanese resturant, and I got a unagi-box and I can't remember what Adam got but omg.... I GOT A BONE STUCK IN MY THROAT! I even went into the bathroom to try and cough/dig it out, but it was no use TT-TT It hurt sooo bad!!! It actually hurt for like... 4 days!!! TT-TT I was freaking out because I didn't know what to do. So yeah.. I'm super-scared to eat fish from time-to-time... I feel so bad cause it was like I killed the mood... of course on our way back to the trainstation we found an AWESOME shop but they were closing TT-TT Boo hiss....
The next day we decided we had time for one more trip to that store we wanted to see in Akihabara. It was awesome, they had one figure artist that we both -really- like, and I was able to buy one X3 Plus they had a TON of Miyazaki and Sanrio goods, so I loaded up teeheehee. We then headed back to the hotel, packed up, checked out, and made our way to Tokyo Station. Ugh I was trying not to cry, but how can you not.... I'm not gonna live with my man for 2 years, thats ROUGH SHITT!!! But we got him to his train to get to Narita, and I made my way to catch my Shinkansen to Morioka. It was about 2 1/2 hours, but I made it in once piece. The other english teacher who works on the kindergarten side of the school, Elizabeth, picked me up. I was sooo surprised, shes only been in Morioka for 6 months and she already had a car!!! O_o I wish I had guts like her!!! LOL. She hooked me up with grocery shopping, gettin into my apartment, showing me how to get to work, and everything. She even invited me out to an onsen get-together with some of her friends, soo sweet!
It definitely took a little while to set in that I'm living in Japan.... but yeah once the bills came in I felt it, LOL.
So that wraps up how I got here. Stay posted for more random blogging!!! <3<3<3<3
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Yokohama and Tokyo
The next day Alipon was able to guide me all through Yokohama :D The buldings, ferris wheel, malls... and of course, PURIKURAAA!!!! Finally I had my first "real" purikura, sooo exciting! Alipon was able to send some to her phone, which was SCHWEET cause one was an animated GIF! Wewt! AND OMG Taiko Drummer.... we ran out of time choosing the song, but it ended up being CHALA HEAD CHALA, the intro song to DBZ ROFL ROFL ROFL. That one was for Adam ;D We ended up doing some more shopping, walked around the port like 2 times ROFL ROFL, and ended up at Kaiten Zushi. O..m..g.... lets just say that "gomaki" is the bestest sushi EVARRR.... Maguro, Kimchi, and Sesame Oil.... *DROOL*. SOOOO GOOOD!!! It might be better than Spam? I don't know!!! Afterwards we were able to play some games (i can't remember all of them... Mario Kart, Taiko Drummer, and.... uh... like a memory game...). Fun times :D Plus, how can you hang out with Alipon and NOT do some Karaoke? I swear.... SOOOO BEAUTIFUL. TT-TT
The next day was DAICHI AND POPO'S WEDDING! We all went to City Hall to get those two married. Alipon was the reverend, Sheena was the photographer, and I was the fan XDDD After they got all their paperwork done, Alipon made the little speech, they exchanged rings, and TADA! MARRIED COUPLE! :D There was something about the marriage "booth" also being the place where you could get birth certificates and.... DEATH certificates (WTF?!?!?) Anyways... we had to have a nice dinner afterwards, so we all went for Italian. Pretty fancy-schmancy stuff. Then we were able to eat the cake Alipon and Sheena bought for the wedding at a bar. So we all had some drinks, a tasty desert, and good times :D Also, there was a flower garden inside the building, so we took LOOTS of pretty wedding pics :D I hope Popo's mom is happy with them, teeheehee. From here we had to split ways with the happy newlyweds, so Alipon, Sheena, and I hung out @ Alipon's apartment until I had to make my way to Shibuya to meet with Jackie!!!! As tradition states, we -had- to meet at Hachiko. Luckily it wasn't too packed, but that was probably because it was slightly raining. From here we went to our hostel in Ikebukuro. Friggen A man, Jackie's nihongo is sooo good! I was able to keep up with listening, but I had nooo idea what to really say. Soooo glad she was there :D After we dumped off our crap, we decided we needed some tasty foodz, so we went to a reccomended okonomiyaki shop. At first we almost got ripped off cause Jackie asked for one thing but the waitress gave us another, but OMG we won in the end by getting the "mistake" for free!!! Yatttaaa!!!! Then after tasties, we were able to get our Purikura on. BTW, Jackie is THE PRO OF PURIKURAAA!!! ZOMG. I kinda realized I never am looking in the right place. I look at the display, not the actually camera.... oops ROFL. Oh well. Then we hit up some games, and made our way to Karaoke!!! I didn't realize Mama Mia had some dang schnazzy songs :D I was able to get a few practice rounds in, wewt! We arrived back at the hostel at like.. 2 in the morning... and wow, funny story. So we get in, and we're in a dorm room, so everyone is asleep. I wanted to get a shower in before I passed out cause we had to check out by 10am, and everyone would be wanting to get inside. As I was gathering my things.... a girl who came in shortly before us decided to chat me up. I believe this pissed off EVERYONE. Oh.. but it gets better... she mentioned how she was being hit on by Japanese "call boys". You know, guys who are all dressed up n pretty and wanna escort teh single ladies... well the conversation went kinda like this:
Her: "I kept gettin asked by guys if I wanted to hang out with them, it was soo weird.."
Me: "Yeah my friend and I had that problem too, oh man.."
Her: "Well, I'm from Hong Kong, but I look Japanese. Why would they want to talk to you, apparently you're a foreigner."
I'm not even exagherating.
ROFL ROFL ROFL
Yeahhhhhhh I didn't really care for this bitch much afterwards.... especially when she kept commenting " Oh no, I'm too skinny..." BITCH
The next day Jackie and I were able to check out on time, and we made our way back to Shibuya. We hit up 109 until Nick got in, and we had a nice little reunion at Hachiko again :D Those two are soo cute, I can't friggen wait till they're married :D We went to a little Indiana lunch buffet, and then wandered around the streets of Shibuya. Jackie tried winning me a cute kitty plushy, but DAMNIT it just wouldn't work. Even with Jackie talking to the guy working there, it was just futile TT-TT This day was a special day too because... *drumroll* Adam was coming to Japan!!!!! Our first time in Japan together, soo exciting!!! X3 However...... he was running late... and I mean really late... Jackie, Nick, and I eventually hit up a internet cafe after wandering in Harajuku for a while. Once I got to my email... there was no message... WTF. At this point, I was mad. After we left the cafe though... I was FREAKING OUT.... As we headed to H&M, I just started to think of horrible things... like how my sister had mentioned the FedEx plane crashing and then... I just couldn't hold it in anymore, and I started crying. Thank goodness Nick is soo keen with whats going on, he was able to kinda hide me, and then Jackie came to comfort me. Embarassing but... god just the thought of something happening to Adam like that makes me just tear-up.... and wouldn't ya know it, RIGHT then and there, Adam calls Jackie's phone!! THANK THE MAKER!!! His calls kept gettin cut off, but we were able to communicate to him to meet us at Harajuku station. At this point I'm trying to not let my emotions get to me, cause either I should be 1- pissed, since Adam has a Blackberry and he shoulda called once he landed, or 2- relieved, cause he didn't die. Either way, thinking about it too much was bringing me to tears, so I just kept it in at the station. Nick took one exit, and Jackie and I took the other. After about 10 minutes of waiting, we finally saw my tall, thin, blonde guy coming through. Jackie was all like "go get your man~!", but I was kinda stuck... not petrified, but just... too afraid to let all my emotions go out. I think I first was like "Hi!.... why didn't you call?" Once Adam said his blackberry didn't work, I just lost it... being a big crybaby.... I think he was really confused LOL. After a few "meow? brrraaah!" I was able to get myself back on track. I was honestly really surprised with how affectionate Adam was being in front of people, but shitt, that didn't mean I wasn't likin it :D Finally, we were just able to be in Japan... it was nice to finally accomplish that ^_^ So all 4 of us made our way back to Yokohama, dropped things off at Alipons, got changed in dresses, and went for tasty Kaiten Zushi along with Sean :D After dinner, we hit up some games and group Purikua, and Nao met up with us as well. Sooo much fun having everyone together!
And I'll wrap this up here. I'll finish up my little Tokyo adventure next post :D
The next day was DAICHI AND POPO'S WEDDING! We all went to City Hall to get those two married. Alipon was the reverend, Sheena was the photographer, and I was the fan XDDD After they got all their paperwork done, Alipon made the little speech, they exchanged rings, and TADA! MARRIED COUPLE! :D There was something about the marriage "booth" also being the place where you could get birth certificates and.... DEATH certificates (WTF?!?!?) Anyways... we had to have a nice dinner afterwards, so we all went for Italian. Pretty fancy-schmancy stuff. Then we were able to eat the cake Alipon and Sheena bought for the wedding at a bar. So we all had some drinks, a tasty desert, and good times :D Also, there was a flower garden inside the building, so we took LOOTS of pretty wedding pics :D I hope Popo's mom is happy with them, teeheehee. From here we had to split ways with the happy newlyweds, so Alipon, Sheena, and I hung out @ Alipon's apartment until I had to make my way to Shibuya to meet with Jackie!!!! As tradition states, we -had- to meet at Hachiko. Luckily it wasn't too packed, but that was probably because it was slightly raining. From here we went to our hostel in Ikebukuro. Friggen A man, Jackie's nihongo is sooo good! I was able to keep up with listening, but I had nooo idea what to really say. Soooo glad she was there :D After we dumped off our crap, we decided we needed some tasty foodz, so we went to a reccomended okonomiyaki shop. At first we almost got ripped off cause Jackie asked for one thing but the waitress gave us another, but OMG we won in the end by getting the "mistake" for free!!! Yatttaaa!!!! Then after tasties, we were able to get our Purikura on. BTW, Jackie is THE PRO OF PURIKURAAA!!! ZOMG. I kinda realized I never am looking in the right place. I look at the display, not the actually camera.... oops ROFL. Oh well. Then we hit up some games, and made our way to Karaoke!!! I didn't realize Mama Mia had some dang schnazzy songs :D I was able to get a few practice rounds in, wewt! We arrived back at the hostel at like.. 2 in the morning... and wow, funny story. So we get in, and we're in a dorm room, so everyone is asleep. I wanted to get a shower in before I passed out cause we had to check out by 10am, and everyone would be wanting to get inside. As I was gathering my things.... a girl who came in shortly before us decided to chat me up. I believe this pissed off EVERYONE. Oh.. but it gets better... she mentioned how she was being hit on by Japanese "call boys". You know, guys who are all dressed up n pretty and wanna escort teh single ladies... well the conversation went kinda like this:
Her: "I kept gettin asked by guys if I wanted to hang out with them, it was soo weird.."
Me: "Yeah my friend and I had that problem too, oh man.."
Her: "Well, I'm from Hong Kong, but I look Japanese. Why would they want to talk to you, apparently you're a foreigner."
I'm not even exagherating.
ROFL ROFL ROFL
Yeahhhhhhh I didn't really care for this bitch much afterwards.... especially when she kept commenting " Oh no, I'm too skinny..." BITCH
The next day Jackie and I were able to check out on time, and we made our way back to Shibuya. We hit up 109 until Nick got in, and we had a nice little reunion at Hachiko again :D Those two are soo cute, I can't friggen wait till they're married :D We went to a little Indiana lunch buffet, and then wandered around the streets of Shibuya. Jackie tried winning me a cute kitty plushy, but DAMNIT it just wouldn't work. Even with Jackie talking to the guy working there, it was just futile TT-TT This day was a special day too because... *drumroll* Adam was coming to Japan!!!!! Our first time in Japan together, soo exciting!!! X3 However...... he was running late... and I mean really late... Jackie, Nick, and I eventually hit up a internet cafe after wandering in Harajuku for a while. Once I got to my email... there was no message... WTF. At this point, I was mad. After we left the cafe though... I was FREAKING OUT.... As we headed to H&M, I just started to think of horrible things... like how my sister had mentioned the FedEx plane crashing and then... I just couldn't hold it in anymore, and I started crying. Thank goodness Nick is soo keen with whats going on, he was able to kinda hide me, and then Jackie came to comfort me. Embarassing but... god just the thought of something happening to Adam like that makes me just tear-up.... and wouldn't ya know it, RIGHT then and there, Adam calls Jackie's phone!! THANK THE MAKER!!! His calls kept gettin cut off, but we were able to communicate to him to meet us at Harajuku station. At this point I'm trying to not let my emotions get to me, cause either I should be 1- pissed, since Adam has a Blackberry and he shoulda called once he landed, or 2- relieved, cause he didn't die. Either way, thinking about it too much was bringing me to tears, so I just kept it in at the station. Nick took one exit, and Jackie and I took the other. After about 10 minutes of waiting, we finally saw my tall, thin, blonde guy coming through. Jackie was all like "go get your man~!", but I was kinda stuck... not petrified, but just... too afraid to let all my emotions go out. I think I first was like "Hi!.... why didn't you call?" Once Adam said his blackberry didn't work, I just lost it... being a big crybaby.... I think he was really confused LOL. After a few "meow? brrraaah!" I was able to get myself back on track. I was honestly really surprised with how affectionate Adam was being in front of people, but shitt, that didn't mean I wasn't likin it :D Finally, we were just able to be in Japan... it was nice to finally accomplish that ^_^ So all 4 of us made our way back to Yokohama, dropped things off at Alipons, got changed in dresses, and went for tasty Kaiten Zushi along with Sean :D After dinner, we hit up some games and group Purikua, and Nao met up with us as well. Sooo much fun having everyone together!
And I'll wrap this up here. I'll finish up my little Tokyo adventure next post :D
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Makin it to Japan
Ahhh, so I'm finally here!!! Lets back track a little to see how it all went down:
So my dad stayed the nite with me the day before the flight. It was nice just having him around, watching tv (although Ice Age isnt really good....), helping me with luggage (apparently I can't use a scale to weigh anything), and making sure I can lock the damn doors. We ended up leaving Warsaw around... 3:30, then we stopped by Chesterton to pick up my sister, and then we all were off to the Ohare Airport. I thought I was going to be late, homans thank goodness I wasn't. Of course there were tears with our parting ways... but oddly enough there were not any from me. I guess I was being a little "robot-like", just knowing I'll be back and there is nothing to be sad about. It'll hit me soon though, betcha any money.
I had a really tiny plane to take me from Chicago to New York. Oh my friggen god, tiny-ass seats. I remember there was an older man traveling with his family, and he was just bein soo friggen difficult!! He was trying to get a whole row for himself, when there wasn't any room, and he had this friggen 8 inch thick-ass cigar hanging from his mouth the entire time. Thank goodness he didn't make a fuss about not being able to smoke it...
New York to Narita went a little differently than I thought. I thought I was going to travel over the north pole, or at least eastwards to get to Japan... but turns out we just back-tracked a little and still went through Canada, across Alaska, ect. Oh well, I really can't complain, cause the flight was great!!! In economy, it was -maybe- 2/3rd full, so when I asked a stewardess if I could find a seat with more room, and I got a whole row by myself (3 seats). HELL to the YES XDDDD I was able to sprawl out and sleep for a majority of the flight. Other perks of flying with Continental... 1- Every seat had a screen, just like JAL. What makes this even more awesome though is that you can PICK what movie, TV show, or music you wanted, and its on YOUR time. So its not looping. SCHWEET. Kill Bill was fun to watch again. 2- Food was TASTY! I had Shrimp Scampi, a "burger", and an omelet with a broccoli-somethin. MMMM good shitt!
I will say this: My sister mentioned a story to me that she SHOULD NOT OF BROUGHT UP before I friggen fly... I guess a few days ago, a FedEx plane crashed in Narita. So right when we get to the airport, she asks if I heard, and I start -freaaaakin- out. Of course during the flights there was some turbulence, and it made me think of what my sister said... UGH and I am waayy better at ascending into the sky than descending to the ground.... >0< class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Narita, customs went smoothly. I was a little stupid and forgot my OWN address (although I wrote everyone else's down...), but I eventually got it and sent my big bags via Kuro Neko. Then I made my way to the trains. Didn't get too lost. I took a train that was $10 from Narita to Ueno. Then I had to figure out the rest of the way... and OMG I was sooo lost!!! I finally mustered the courage to ask a man, and he was sooo nice about everything. I finally got to Alipon's station at like... 6:30... which was an hour and a half later than planned. I kept trying to call her through a pay phone (which I realized later I was putting 100 yen in the phone, but when you do that, you wont get change back, and its only 10 yen... WTF...). One time I tried to call her cell phone, and it wasn't her, it was someone else!!!! But I called her landline, FINALLY got a hold of her, and thank god we met! :D Also thank god she lives a hop, skip, and a jump away from the damn station, I WAS DRENCHED WITH SWEAT!!! YUCK!!!
After I cleaned up, we went to a soba-ya at the station. If only I woulda just listened to Alipon and went to the Italian place, I woulda met Popo and Daichi a lot sooner!!! In the end, we all ended up bumping into each other after dinner. They were gettin married in 2 days, sooo exciting!!! Okay, I'll cut this post here, and put the rest of my Yokohama-Tokyo adventures in the next :D Otanoshimi ni~~!!
So my dad stayed the nite with me the day before the flight. It was nice just having him around, watching tv (although Ice Age isnt really good....), helping me with luggage (apparently I can't use a scale to weigh anything), and making sure I can lock the damn doors. We ended up leaving Warsaw around... 3:30, then we stopped by Chesterton to pick up my sister, and then we all were off to the Ohare Airport. I thought I was going to be late, homans thank goodness I wasn't. Of course there were tears with our parting ways... but oddly enough there were not any from me. I guess I was being a little "robot-like", just knowing I'll be back and there is nothing to be sad about. It'll hit me soon though, betcha any money.
I had a really tiny plane to take me from Chicago to New York. Oh my friggen god, tiny-ass seats. I remember there was an older man traveling with his family, and he was just bein soo friggen difficult!! He was trying to get a whole row for himself, when there wasn't any room, and he had this friggen 8 inch thick-ass cigar hanging from his mouth the entire time. Thank goodness he didn't make a fuss about not being able to smoke it...
New York to Narita went a little differently than I thought. I thought I was going to travel over the north pole, or at least eastwards to get to Japan... but turns out we just back-tracked a little and still went through Canada, across Alaska, ect. Oh well, I really can't complain, cause the flight was great!!! In economy, it was -maybe- 2/3rd full, so when I asked a stewardess if I could find a seat with more room, and I got a whole row by myself (3 seats). HELL to the YES XDDDD I was able to sprawl out and sleep for a majority of the flight. Other perks of flying with Continental... 1- Every seat had a screen, just like JAL. What makes this even more awesome though is that you can PICK what movie, TV show, or music you wanted, and its on YOUR time. So its not looping. SCHWEET. Kill Bill was fun to watch again. 2- Food was TASTY! I had Shrimp Scampi, a "burger", and an omelet with a broccoli-somethin. MMMM good shitt!
I will say this: My sister mentioned a story to me that she SHOULD NOT OF BROUGHT UP before I friggen fly... I guess a few days ago, a FedEx plane crashed in Narita. So right when we get to the airport, she asks if I heard, and I start -freaaaakin- out. Of course during the flights there was some turbulence, and it made me think of what my sister said... UGH and I am waayy better at ascending into the sky than descending to the ground.... >0< class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Narita, customs went smoothly. I was a little stupid and forgot my OWN address (although I wrote everyone else's down...), but I eventually got it and sent my big bags via Kuro Neko. Then I made my way to the trains. Didn't get too lost. I took a train that was $10 from Narita to Ueno. Then I had to figure out the rest of the way... and OMG I was sooo lost!!! I finally mustered the courage to ask a man, and he was sooo nice about everything. I finally got to Alipon's station at like... 6:30... which was an hour and a half later than planned. I kept trying to call her through a pay phone (which I realized later I was putting 100 yen in the phone, but when you do that, you wont get change back, and its only 10 yen... WTF...). One time I tried to call her cell phone, and it wasn't her, it was someone else!!!! But I called her landline, FINALLY got a hold of her, and thank god we met! :D Also thank god she lives a hop, skip, and a jump away from the damn station, I WAS DRENCHED WITH SWEAT!!! YUCK!!!
After I cleaned up, we went to a soba-ya at the station. If only I woulda just listened to Alipon and went to the Italian place, I woulda met Popo and Daichi a lot sooner!!! In the end, we all ended up bumping into each other after dinner. They were gettin married in 2 days, sooo exciting!!! Okay, I'll cut this post here, and put the rest of my Yokohama-Tokyo adventures in the next :D Otanoshimi ni~~!!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Oh goodness....
Alrighty, I've decided to get back on the bandwagon and start updating this blog again! Especially since I'll be in Japants soon and all that jazz, I might as well try to keep some sort of journal.
Before the journal though, let's indulge in April's last 3 days. *deep breath*
March 17th. St. Patrick's day. I usually like this day cause its justification to just be drunk and eat lots o potatoes and cabbage, but this year was a little different.
#1- American Eagle's support line SUCKS ASS. I had put in an order a few days ago, and it was to arrive the 17th. I did the order over the phone, because I had a "free second day deliver" saved on my account, and it was important I get my stuff before moving to Japan. Well, I checked the status of my order online... and they shipped it to Valparaiso. WHAT THE FUCK. How the hell did this happen!!? I placed the order over the phone, I (word-for-word) gave my current address, WHICH is the same as my billing address.... and to make it even more interesting, I had an order prior to this one sent to Warsaw. So, HOW THE HELL DID THEY GET VALPO?!?! I haven't been there in 3 months?!?! So I called customer service, and in short, they explained that they couldn't do anything. Hmmm..... the fault it completely on them, and they can't do shitt? Can't even call UPS for me? Well I decided to do that on my own. To my surprise, EVERYONE I talked to was sooo nice and considerate, and fixed my problem on the spot! But still...*shakes fist*
#2 My employer called me, kinda out of the blue. I was surprised to hear from her, since I mentioned in an earlier conversation with her that I would be unavailable the 17th and 18th (busy or drunk, lulz). However, she called to mention that I wasn't home for my COE (Certificate of Eligibility) delivery. This caught me by surprise, since I was home -all day-. No door knock, no doorbell, NOTHING. I checked outside my door, and there was no delivery slip either. Kinda weird... however, she was checking from the online tracking system, and it mentioned that there was a failed delivery attempt. Sigh. What made things EVEN BETTER was when she told me I had to -hand deliver- my COE to the Japanese Embassy in Chicago. I explained I could mail it, and they do process COEs--> work visas by mail, but in her boss-like-way, "kindly suggested" I take it in. But the next day would be my birthday.. and I already had plans... heh, well that didnt mean much in the end.
In short, the 17th was full of me not being drunk, and having to deal with stupid delivery malfunctions.
March 18th. My Birthday. Sure didn't feel like a birthday. I woke up at 7:45am to make sure I would arrive at the Post Office when they opened. Got there at 8:05... and noticed that the building opened at 8am, but the actual Post Office opens at 9. Thanks a lot USPS 1-800 number, you managed to lie to me. So I go back home, get my things ready for meeting up with my dad in Gary and whatnot, and got to the office at 9. I explained to the associate that I had supposedly missed a delivery, and needed to pick it up from the office. He asked for my delivery slip, but as I mentioned, I was not left one. I gave him my tracking number that EMS had (never dealt with them before, definitely different), and I saw him go about from one place to another. He came back to me and said "well its not here". AHEM. EXCUSE ME?
"Well then, where is it? I cannot have this mail lost"
"Seems like the delivery company you used likes to have things posted early. They actually haven't delivered it yet. You'll probably get it sometime today"
Okay, so now I'm having a nervous breakdown. Never got my mail, I can't trust the tracking system online, and I needed to have that COE in hand so I could take it to Chicago -that day-. Tried calling my boss in Japan, but that didn't work. Tried calling the EMS english line, but they were closed. Damnit, wtf should I do? I called Adam in my confusion, and with his brainstorming, I called the USPS 1-800 again to try and determine where the fuck my COE is. I was able to use the tracking number EMS had, and it was the same thing!!" Attempted delivery failed, pick-up available at local post office". WTF. Now I'm pissed. I called the Warsaw Post Office, and after about 10 attempts, I can finally get through. I explain how I had been there previously, and I needed to know where the hell my COE was. I gave him my tracking number, and he puts me on hold. In five seconds I'm back on the line with him.
"Oh, I have it right here"
-WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!?!!"
" So you're telling me you've had this the entire time?"
"Yes ma'am, we were able to find it"
"WHY THE HELL DID YOUR EMPLOYEE BLANTANTLY LIE TO ME? WHAT THE FUCK IS YOU PROBLEM??"
I could tell the person I was talking with pulled the phone away from his ear, since I obviously was screaming
"You tell that associate who I dealt with to GET THE FUCK AWAY from the counter because I will be there in 10 minutes and I am NOT IN THE FUCKING mood to deal with him, you got me??"
Now I'm frantic, gathering my shitt up like a mad-man, and mentally really to kill. I call Adam to confirm that there is no other post office in town (in case I may of made a mistake), but hes positive there is only one. Ohhhh man, someone is about to have a broken face. I make it there in 7 minutes, and as soon as I get through the door I see a man waving to me, saying "Oh, Ms. Hall, right here, I have your piece of mail". I notice that there is another women behind him. Apparently my phone call was a hit, keeping people on their best behavior/guard.
"Now, do you have your delivery slip"
"NO, because NO ONE left me one. If I had one, of course I would be giving you that!"
"Oh..well... oh we have the associate's signature here, we'll make sure to approach him about that.."
"Good, you do that..."
I'm just pissed beyond words. I just want to take the damn envelope and leave, but I have to sign/confirm/write more information. As I'm going through the motions, out of the corner of my eye I see the -dumbass- approach the counter. I'm trying my damndest to not acknowledge him, and stay focused on the fact that I have my mail. Unfortunately, he recognizes me.
"Oh, you managed to find it??"
.......
I look over towards him, and before I realize that I'm speaking, manage to blurt out :" Yes, NO THANKS to you. I do NOT feel like dealing with you, you fucking liar, so STAY OUT OF IT."
In my times with bas customer service, I have never lost my temper so quick. But considering he 1- Lied, 2- Didnt ask anyone else for help, and 3- dug his own grave, I think I had a right to be a little pissed. I was able to give my signature, and I bolted out the door. How the hell can people be so incompetant and, forgive me, RETARDED?!?!?
I managed to get my ass to Gary and have my dad take me the rest of the way. Everything with the embassy went smoothly, and hopefully I will have my work visa by this time tomorrow.
March 19th. Today should be normal, yes? Too much crap, I shouldn't have any more. Noooo... unfortunately Hoshi is, yet again, sick. He left various piles of vomit all around the apartment last nite after I went to bed. When I was awake with him, I noticed him being very lethargic and sad. Next thing I know, he jumps off the couch, starts meow-crying SOOO sadly, and vomits again in three different places. -Now I'm fucking worried-. He just lays on the groud in the kitchen, but I'm the complete opposite, trying to find a vet that will take him today. Luckily I found someone with an opening, and I took him there ASAP. Hoshi has a fever, and isnt allowed to eat food for 24 hours. TT-TT I hope he'll be okay.....
Before the journal though, let's indulge in April's last 3 days. *deep breath*
March 17th. St. Patrick's day. I usually like this day cause its justification to just be drunk and eat lots o potatoes and cabbage, but this year was a little different.
#1- American Eagle's support line SUCKS ASS. I had put in an order a few days ago, and it was to arrive the 17th. I did the order over the phone, because I had a "free second day deliver" saved on my account, and it was important I get my stuff before moving to Japan. Well, I checked the status of my order online... and they shipped it to Valparaiso. WHAT THE FUCK. How the hell did this happen!!? I placed the order over the phone, I (word-for-word) gave my current address, WHICH is the same as my billing address.... and to make it even more interesting, I had an order prior to this one sent to Warsaw. So, HOW THE HELL DID THEY GET VALPO?!?! I haven't been there in 3 months?!?! So I called customer service, and in short, they explained that they couldn't do anything. Hmmm..... the fault it completely on them, and they can't do shitt? Can't even call UPS for me? Well I decided to do that on my own. To my surprise, EVERYONE I talked to was sooo nice and considerate, and fixed my problem on the spot! But still...*shakes fist*
#2 My employer called me, kinda out of the blue. I was surprised to hear from her, since I mentioned in an earlier conversation with her that I would be unavailable the 17th and 18th (busy or drunk, lulz). However, she called to mention that I wasn't home for my COE (Certificate of Eligibility) delivery. This caught me by surprise, since I was home -all day-. No door knock, no doorbell, NOTHING. I checked outside my door, and there was no delivery slip either. Kinda weird... however, she was checking from the online tracking system, and it mentioned that there was a failed delivery attempt. Sigh. What made things EVEN BETTER was when she told me I had to -hand deliver- my COE to the Japanese Embassy in Chicago. I explained I could mail it, and they do process COEs--> work visas by mail, but in her boss-like-way, "kindly suggested" I take it in. But the next day would be my birthday.. and I already had plans... heh, well that didnt mean much in the end.
In short, the 17th was full of me not being drunk, and having to deal with stupid delivery malfunctions.
March 18th. My Birthday. Sure didn't feel like a birthday. I woke up at 7:45am to make sure I would arrive at the Post Office when they opened. Got there at 8:05... and noticed that the building opened at 8am, but the actual Post Office opens at 9. Thanks a lot USPS 1-800 number, you managed to lie to me. So I go back home, get my things ready for meeting up with my dad in Gary and whatnot, and got to the office at 9. I explained to the associate that I had supposedly missed a delivery, and needed to pick it up from the office. He asked for my delivery slip, but as I mentioned, I was not left one. I gave him my tracking number that EMS had (never dealt with them before, definitely different), and I saw him go about from one place to another. He came back to me and said "well its not here". AHEM. EXCUSE ME?
"Well then, where is it? I cannot have this mail lost"
"Seems like the delivery company you used likes to have things posted early. They actually haven't delivered it yet. You'll probably get it sometime today"
Okay, so now I'm having a nervous breakdown. Never got my mail, I can't trust the tracking system online, and I needed to have that COE in hand so I could take it to Chicago -that day-. Tried calling my boss in Japan, but that didn't work. Tried calling the EMS english line, but they were closed. Damnit, wtf should I do? I called Adam in my confusion, and with his brainstorming, I called the USPS 1-800 again to try and determine where the fuck my COE is. I was able to use the tracking number EMS had, and it was the same thing!!" Attempted delivery failed, pick-up available at local post office". WTF. Now I'm pissed. I called the Warsaw Post Office, and after about 10 attempts, I can finally get through. I explain how I had been there previously, and I needed to know where the hell my COE was. I gave him my tracking number, and he puts me on hold. In five seconds I'm back on the line with him.
"Oh, I have it right here"
-WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!?!!"
" So you're telling me you've had this the entire time?"
"Yes ma'am, we were able to find it"
"WHY THE HELL DID YOUR EMPLOYEE BLANTANTLY LIE TO ME? WHAT THE FUCK IS YOU PROBLEM??"
I could tell the person I was talking with pulled the phone away from his ear, since I obviously was screaming
"You tell that associate who I dealt with to GET THE FUCK AWAY from the counter because I will be there in 10 minutes and I am NOT IN THE FUCKING mood to deal with him, you got me??"
Now I'm frantic, gathering my shitt up like a mad-man, and mentally really to kill. I call Adam to confirm that there is no other post office in town (in case I may of made a mistake), but hes positive there is only one. Ohhhh man, someone is about to have a broken face. I make it there in 7 minutes, and as soon as I get through the door I see a man waving to me, saying "Oh, Ms. Hall, right here, I have your piece of mail". I notice that there is another women behind him. Apparently my phone call was a hit, keeping people on their best behavior/guard.
"Now, do you have your delivery slip"
"NO, because NO ONE left me one. If I had one, of course I would be giving you that!"
"Oh..well... oh we have the associate's signature here, we'll make sure to approach him about that.."
"Good, you do that..."
I'm just pissed beyond words. I just want to take the damn envelope and leave, but I have to sign/confirm/write more information. As I'm going through the motions, out of the corner of my eye I see the -dumbass- approach the counter. I'm trying my damndest to not acknowledge him, and stay focused on the fact that I have my mail. Unfortunately, he recognizes me.
"Oh, you managed to find it??"
.......
I look over towards him, and before I realize that I'm speaking, manage to blurt out :" Yes, NO THANKS to you. I do NOT feel like dealing with you, you fucking liar, so STAY OUT OF IT."
In my times with bas customer service, I have never lost my temper so quick. But considering he 1- Lied, 2- Didnt ask anyone else for help, and 3- dug his own grave, I think I had a right to be a little pissed. I was able to give my signature, and I bolted out the door. How the hell can people be so incompetant and, forgive me, RETARDED?!?!?
I managed to get my ass to Gary and have my dad take me the rest of the way. Everything with the embassy went smoothly, and hopefully I will have my work visa by this time tomorrow.
March 19th. Today should be normal, yes? Too much crap, I shouldn't have any more. Noooo... unfortunately Hoshi is, yet again, sick. He left various piles of vomit all around the apartment last nite after I went to bed. When I was awake with him, I noticed him being very lethargic and sad. Next thing I know, he jumps off the couch, starts meow-crying SOOO sadly, and vomits again in three different places. -Now I'm fucking worried-. He just lays on the groud in the kitchen, but I'm the complete opposite, trying to find a vet that will take him today. Luckily I found someone with an opening, and I took him there ASAP. Hoshi has a fever, and isnt allowed to eat food for 24 hours. TT-TT I hope he'll be okay.....
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