Hiroshima

My flight out of Okinawa was into Hiroshima.  Given the fact that I’m an American, this is a particularly interesting location.  I’m not sure what to expect, as with the majority of Japan, but I’m excited to see what it’s like, how the people are, and, of course, to see a historically significant site.

Once I get into Hiroshima airport, everything is the status quo.  The airport seems to be very modern.  In getting my bags I again experience an interesting phenomenon.  They actually check your baggage receipts to be sure you are actually leaving with your baggage.  I’m not sure why this doesn’t exist in the States, but it doesn’t.

I take a bus from the airport to the Hiroshima train station.  It’s dark and I have the whole bus to myself so it’s a comfortable ride.  Once I arrive at the train station I immediately find my hotel.  Hotel Granvia.  It’s actually attached to the train station.  Again, very convenient of the local staff to put me in hotels attached to the train station.  Clearly, I could never find the train station on my own.

The hotel is nice.  I check in and, like most of the hotels I’ve stayed in, the room has free broadband internet access.  So, I decide to stream a bit of the Colts game before dinner.  The game is going well, I believe this was the game with St. Louis, so I pause it and head out.  Not much is around, it seems, and I’m not in the mood to stray too far from the station.  I see one place open but don’t know what’s inside so I go next door to what appears to be a noodle shop.  While they do have some noodle dishes, it actually seems like more of a rice bowl shop.  I sit down and they bring me a glass of tea.  The lady notices that I’m not from around here and goes to the secret cabinet and brings me an English menu.  Very nice.  I get the curry on rice.  Not bad.

After dinner I just head back and finish watching the game.  The Colts win, so I can rest easy.

The next morning, it’s off to Iwakuni.  I have to take the train to Iwakuni but it’s only about a 20-30 minute ride, if I recall correctly.  I get to the main gate and call my contact to come and let me in.  No answer.  Well, I’ll just wait a few minutes.  I call again.  No answer.  That’s odd.  She knows I’m coming so I thought she would be expecting my call.  I wait 10 or 15 minutes and call a couple more times.  Finally, a lady answers.  I tell her who I am and that I’m at the gate.  She asks me, “How did you get this number?”  Well, if I had asked her out on a date I wouldn’t have been shocked.  But, since I was there on business I was a little surprised.  I tell her where I am and she says she’s in another location…on Okinawa!  Turns out, I was given the phone number for the wrong Hitomi-san.  Now, I have to power up my laptop to search for the correct person.  Luckily, I have another document with the correct number.  I call, and away I go.

I take care of my work and ask the lady in our office to take me out for okonomiyaki (sp?).  I’ve been told about this local favorite and it was described to me as a Japanese pancake.  Cool…I better try it.  She talks to a few other ladies in the office and they agree to take me out so we head out.

We end up in a restaurant similar to the Korean barbeque places we have here in the States.  The booth, which I barely fit into, has a table complete with a gas powered griddle.  I’m expecting that we cook the “stuffing” that will fill our Japanese pancake.  I figure it’s like the Chinese pancake that you fill with duck or whatever.  The menu, though, shows pictures of a bowl full of stuff.  Vegetables, meat, seafood, eggs, etc.  I don’t understand, but I play along.

After a little debating, it’s decided that I will have pork and shrimp.  I’m still not getting it but I figure they will guide me.  The food comes and it’s a bowl of pancake batter topped with vegetables, shrimp, pork, and a raw egg.  What in the hell am I going to do with this?  Turns out, you put the pork on the griddle and let it cook up a little…sort of like bacon.  Then, you mix up the egg, shrimp, veggies, and batter.  Once the pork has cooked a little, you pour the other mixture on top.  It cooks for a while and the result is a pancake with stuff inside of it.  Sort of like an omelet made with pancake batter instead of eggs.  Not what I expected, but I’ll try it.

Before I can eat it, I’m shown how you are supposed to eat it.  You put the pancake on your plate and then cover it with a teriyaki-like sauce…sounds good so far…and…wait for it…mayonnaise!  You had me at hello…I mean, teriyaki.  I really hate mayonnaise but, when in Rome…

The concoction, it turns out, is tasty.  The meat, the veggies, the pancake…all good.  Pretty nice little experience.  And, to add to the evening these ladies take me to the “100 Yen Store”.  Yep, the Japanese version of the dollar store.  Just like a dollar store, too, except that there are 4 or 5 floors of junk.  I did buy some stuff, though.  But, if you get a souvenir just know how nice some of the 100 Yen Store merchandise really is.

The next day is the big day of my trip.  I’m going into downtown Hiroshima to visit the A-Bomb Dome and the peace museum.  I take a taxi since it’s less then $10.  The taxi drops me off right next to the Dome, the last remaining building that was damaged by the bomb.  It’s been preserved and it’s a little tough to imagine what that day could have been like.

While I’m looking around the Dome…there are many plaques and monuments aoround…I run into a group of school boys.  Probably about 10 or 12 years old.  They approach me and ask, “Can I ask you a few questions?”  Of course I agree.  I’m expecting some questions about the bomb, the war, etc.  Instead, I get “Where are you from?”, “Do you speak Japanese?”, “Do you like sushi?”.  It seems they have a project to have a conversation with someone in English.

After this, I head over to the museum.  A pretty big place, it’s something like 50Y to get in.  I also get the audio tour option.  I probably spent about 2 hours in the museum.  The exhibit is pretty objective, focusing mostly on the terror of the bomb and less on the Japanese or American military of the time.  There is also a ton of exhibits that are, basically, just stories of people who were affected by the bomb.  After a while, that part was a little tiring.  But, the point of the museum is to make sure that we all realize that nuclear weapons are bad.  

The worst exhibit I saw was that of some burned skin and finger nail from a person in the blast zone.  Pretty sick, but it definitely got the point across.  I guess everything for 2km in any direction was destroyed.  Most of it vaporized.  

There were also two models of the city.  One was of the city prior to the blast and the other was of the city after the blast.  This was incredible.  A handful of buildings were still standing…not intact, but standing…and everything else was either gone or turned to rubble.  Apparently, only a small portion of the material in the bomb actually reacted.  I can’t even imagine what might have happened if the entire amount of nuclear material had reacted.

After the museum, I was ready for lunch.  Of course, I headed off looking for a place to eat sushi.  I walked to the “entertainment district” which was a little confusing.  My travel guide seems to imply that this is the area with restaurants, bars, etc.  But, it seems as though it might be a little more sleazy than that.  I’m not sure what the place is like at night.

Anyway, I wander around for a while and don’t find a sushi bar.  So, I ask a lady in a little fast food restaurant.  She speaks virtually no English but tries her best to help.  It takes 15-20 minutes for her to give me directions, which I don’t understand, to a sushi bar that I never find.  But, I ask another person in a coffee shop and she directs me to a sushi bar that I can find.  “Sushi-go-round”…that’s unfortunate.  But, I eat anyway.  Bad choice.  The worst meal of the trip.  Terrible.  So, I eat a couple of pieces and figure I can get a meal later once I get to Sasebo…if I’m not hospitalized…

Sidebar: ATMs and Credit Cards

Well, it isn’t much of a surprise given my other travels to Asia and Europe that credit cards are not accepted everywhere.  However, more places than I expected willingly take my AmEx.  Good thing, too, since I rarely carry cash and definitely don’t have enough cash to foot the bill for all of this travel, food, etc, for an entire month.

ATMs, on the other hand, are an interesting phenomenon.  At Narita airport, for example, it is no problem to find an ATM that accepts my card.  I also had no problem getting cash on day 1 near my hotel.  But, once I got to Okinawa I could barely even find an ATM.  Then, when I did find an ATM, it accepted about 20 different card networks…none of which were Plus or Star, you know, the only two on the back of my debit card.  That’s helpful.  This same situation exists throughout Japan, it seems.  Citibank is in Japan and they accept my ATM card.  But, they aren’t very common.  Luckily, the ATMs on US military bases accept my card and give you the choice of getting Yen or Dollars.  Not the most convenient place to get cash, but it will get me by…

The rest of Okinawa...

My week in Okinawa was pretty nice.  I’m a little disappointed I didn’t get to take a dive trip to one of the islands near Okinawa but this is a business trip, after all.

As for the hotel situation I mentioned in a previous entry, after being in my hotel for a few days I had to checkout.  When I checked in, the situation wasn’t explained to me very clearly.  So, given that and the fact that I was on a discounted industry rate, I figured I would try to get to the bottom of the situation.  Was the rate I was paying not available for the other nights of my stay?  Was the room type I was staying in not available?  Or, was the hotel completely booked?

Those seem, at least to me, to be simple questions to have answered.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  I asked a few questions when I checked in but I didn’t push it.  The night before I was supposed to checkout, however, I decided to get the complete story.  So, I ask the question at the front desk.  Well, what seems to be very good English in short, simple conversations turns out to be utterly useless in a more in depth conversation.  I have to commend the staff, all 4 that it took to get an answer, for knowing a great deal of English…especially compared to my complete inability to say anything intelligent in Japanese.  But, they just seemed to be speaking English words but not communicating anything.

So, I just kind of nodded, smiled, and figured I would have the person who was picking me up the next day…who is bilingual…intervene and get to the bottom of this.  When she comes to pick me up the next morning, I ask her to speak to them and she does.  Turns out, I just can’t have the same kind of room that I’ve been in.  I need to move to a smaller room for the next night.  Then, I have to checkout again as there are none of that type available for the rest of my stay.  I have to move into a larger room.  

This is still a pain in the ass, but better than having to move from one property to the next.  Plus, this hotel is really nice and overlooks the ocean.  Little did I know, the third room I would have in this hotel was spectacular.  The room had 2 single beds, and a small sitting area with a sofa, tv, and desk.  The bathroom was split.  The toilet…heated, of course, with sprays for front and back…was in its own little room as you enter the room.  But, where the bathroom would be normally were 2 rooms.  One area with mirror and sink and a wicker rack for towels and the other was the bathing area.  A glass door opens into a room with a normal (for Americans) size bathtub and a tile area for showering.  Both the bath tub and the shower area had its own spigot.  This room, incidentally, was probably 3-4 times the size of the bathroom in the first hotel I stayed at in Japan…and the toilet wasn’t even in it!

Looking off my balcony, from any of the rooms, you were basically looking out over the ocean.  But, directly below is a little area where you can sit and have a few drinks, some appetizers (which I never found anyone to explain to me in English), and enjoy being outside.  In addition, there is a chicken coup (complete with rooster in case you have trouble waking in the morning), a “cage” for a pig and couple of goats, an area for a couple of ponies, and a place with 4 dogs which, to me, appeared to be for rent.  It would make more sense if they were babysitting the dogs, but I think they were loaning or renting the dogs to tourists.  A little bizarre…

I did manage to have a few good meals in Okinawa.  A couple of very good Thai restaurants…one was actually a street vendor…a sushi restaurant, of course, and a brew pub.

The brew pub was found on accident.  Over the weekend, when a typhoon was near and the weather and sea weren’t suitable for diving, I decided to take a taxi to Naha City and check out the little shopping area there.  It’s an interesting city.  Basically, the popular area for locals and tourists alike encompasses both trendy, top end stores as well as a couple of “arcades” of, basically, crap.  I should note here that if you get some of this crap when I return, it came from the really nice, trendy, top end stores.  It just looks like crap.  Hungry, as usual, I found a brew pub.  Helios.  Most places were closed since it was the middle of the afternoon or they just didn’t appeal to me.  So, I figured I would have a couple of beers and, if the food looked ok, have a meal.  The menu wasn’t very large, so I went with the fish n’ chips.  Of course, I had to use sign language to figure out if the skin was still on the fish, or not.  After about 10 minutes it seems, and I mean seems, clear that it does not come with the skin.  So, I place my order.  

When the food comes, it is phenomenal.  The fish and chips are battered in tempura.  Very light and crisp.  But, unlike tempura in the States, this tempura actually has a little taste.  Easily the best fish n’ chips I’ve ever eaten…as long as you don’t include LJS.  So, a couple of days later, when another person from our company flies in, we head back to this place.  We all order fish n’ chips and, again, it is fantastic.

The guy who flew in came directly from Virginia.  He was wiped out, but was up for a couple of drinks on the patio at the hotel.  Those of you who know me are, I’m sure, surprised to hear that I joined him.  So, I order a draft Asahi and he orders Aowomori (sp?), the local Okinawan version of sake.  After I polish off my beer I try the Aowomori myself.  It’s pretty good.  Probably a 12 oz glass with ice cubes to the top and then filled with Awomoroi.  Very clean taste, not harsh like a sake or vodka.  The taste, to be clear, is what is not harsh.  The next morning, when I wake up in my room in the clothes from the night before an no clue when I stumbled to my room, I learned what IS harsh.  Holy crap.  Needless to say, it was a long day and an even longer flight that evening.

Okinawa is now just a memory…

Hiatus

Well, work and travel time finally caught up to me so it’s been a while since I last posted.  I could have called this one “Planes, Trains, and Buses”, I guess.  Or, “No, Jason isn’t Dead” as has been speculated upon by some family members, I’m sure.

Now, back to blogging…

Ah, the sweet smell of the sea...

Well, we touch down in Okinawa with no problem and I take a taxi to my hotel. The cab driver seems to know which hotel I'm talking about, but then he asks me again about half way there and pulls out the map. Since I've never been to Okinawa, I'm a little concerned but figure it doesn't matter. It's Saturday afternoon, the weather is fantastic, so what do I have to worry about?

Luckily enough he drives me right to the hotel. I pay the tab and a girl about half my size, literally, humps my bags onto a cart. She has to go up a ramp so I offer to push the cart but her pride gets in the way. I actually think the cart weighed more than her. I get to the check-in counter and so far the place looks pretty nice. I check-in and they inform me that there are no rooms for later in my stay and that I'll have to check-out. Fine...not what I want but I can make the move to another hotel. What's one more hotel on this trip?

I get to my room on the third floor and as I walk in the room I'm facing the East China Sea. Very nice. Overlooking the beach. Pretty sweet. So, I unload, relax a little, and go take a walk around. Having not eaten yet today, I wander around looking for something appealing. I find a Hawaiian joint and away I go. Too many choices on the menu, so I start with an appetizer of fried shrimp and french fries while I look over the menu. I decide to order the Hawaiian Pocomoco (I think) which is rice, topped with a hamburger, topped with an egg, sunny-side up. Here comes the appetizer. Perfect. Well, not so fast. Looks fantastic so I dig in. One problem, these tiny little shrimp haven't been peeled and, unfortunately for many parties involved, there is more exoskeleton on these bad boys than there is meat. So, I skip the shrimp and eat the fries. The fries were good.

The main dish shows up and I dig in. It sucks. Not terrible, but not good. So, I eat the burger and rice and call it quits.

I walk around the "village" area...I think it's called "Mihama American Village"...to see what's around. Oh, great, the whole area must be for Westerners. Well, much to my delight, it turns out that the American Village is not FOR Americans. It is supposed to present America, apparently, to the tourists from mainland Japan and other Asian countries. The first souveneir store I hit was full of Coke, Disney, and American sports memorabilia. Sweet.

I call it a day and head for the hotel. I'm able to watch the sunset off my balcony...pretty sweet...

A small misunderstanding...

Well, it's off to Misawa. I check out of the hotel about 75 minutes before my flight and head for the shuttle to terminal 1. I arrive at terminal 1 and get in line to check my baggage. After waiting in that line, I realize what I should have known all along...the Japanese are specialists. You can't check your bags, obviously, until you check-in at the ticketing counter. And, the ticketing counter cannot handle baggage. Nice. So, I'm into the other line. Luckily, it goes pretty quickly and, as an added bonus, the agent behind the counter offers to repair my road worn luggage with some JAL tape. Sweet.

I head for my gate. I find it interesting that the gate here is actually a doorway out to a bus that drives you out to the tarmac. No jetway for most of the planes at Haneda. No big deal, just a little different. Also different is the fact that, as has become a theme, the Japanese don't screw around when it comes to the rules. Not only can you not have your MP3 player turned on during takeoff and landing, but you also can't have it turned on when you board the plane. After 3 or 4 different agents give me "the business" which, of course, I can't understand, I decide to go ahead and take off the headphones and put the player away. Just turning it off wasn't enough to avoid further conflict.

Well, we're off. Uneventful flight, the way I like them, and the plane touches down at Misawa airport. On one side, American F16s. On the other, Japanese planes. I found out later that those are F4s (I think), the same planes used by the US in Vietnam some 35 years ago. Pretty cool, I think.

Well, somehow, after gathering my luggage I immediately identify the lady there to pick me up. We introduce ourselves, her name is Maki, I thank her for picking me up, and we head out. Of course, she has me wait on the curb while she goes to retrieve the car. No reason for me to WHEEL my luggage across the street, I guess. The parking lot is literally across the street from where I'm standing and can't hold more than 100 cars. But, I appreciate her effort.

We get to the office and I start into my work. I ask her a few questions and she, very self-consciously, explains that her English is very bad and she is sorry. I should let her know, she says, if I don't understand her because she's only been with the company for a year. Well, I'm not sure what that has to do with anything but I just smile and tell her that her English is great and I'm back off to my work.

After a few minutes, I need to use the bathroom. I say, "Can you tell me where the restroom is?" Of course, she insists on leading me there. I follow. She takes me into the break room and says, "This is the lunch room. You can rest in here." Obviously, I tell her that I'm really looking for a toilet...not a nap...and we both have small laugh. This is easily the funniest thing that has happened since I left Denver.

Well, I finish my work and she takes me to my hotel. I watch a little TV and decide to go out for dinner. I walk for well over an hour, just checking out the stuff outside the gate. Nothing. Dead. Weird little place. I finally stumble across what I can identify as a sushi place and get some dinner. Luckily for me, on the way back to the hotel, it starts pouring rain. I mean, typhoon type rain. By the time I get back to my room I am 100% soaked inside and out. My passport, which was in my back pocket, it virtually destroyed. Very nice.

So, I get to bed and then take a taxi to the airport the next morning. This is when I get the shock of my life. My JAL flight is DELAYED!!! Delayed? What is going on? I'm in Japan...everything has a schedule and everything sticks to its schedule. Well, such is life. I'm used to it from my time in the States.

I still make my connection at Tokyo-Haneda and I'm on my way to Okinawa...

Sidebar..."The Barbershop"...

Well, I found a couple of intersting things today. The first, I was told by the people in our office about Japanese strip clubs, hostess bars, etc. What are they called in Japan? "Pink" bars. I wonder what that means?

As for the barbershop, well, the name says it all..."QB House". I don't think it was started by retirees of the NFL.

Just a short cab ride...

So, I finish up my work in the Yokohama/Zama area and hop the bus for Tokyo-Haneda airport. Haneda, it seems, services mainly domestic flights. I've got an early flight on Friday so an agent in our office booked me a hotel for the night near the airport. She asks if it's ok that I have to take a taxi from the airport, once the shuttle drops me off, to the hotel. Sure...

I'm on the bus and as we get close to Haneda is what appears to be a port of entry for ships. The highway we're on crosses a couple of bridges that make the Golden Gate look like a rope bridge. The first in line is a suspension bridge supported by a couple of GIGANTIC H shaped towers. Very modern looking, of course. About 1/4 or 1/2 mile further is another suspension bridge. This one is supported by a couple of towers shaped like upside down V's. The support cables are attached at the median instead of the traditional style where they connect to each side of the roadway. Again, very modern looking. The Japanese don't screw around with their suspension bridges.

So, we get to the airport, stop at my terminal and I get off the bus. Now, I just have to find the arrivals area so I can grab a taxi. I wander around a little and find a sign for the taxi stand. I head over and the attendants asks where I'm going. "Pan Pacific Hotel," I say. He repeats it, says ok, and I load my gear into the taxi. The driver asks where to and I tell him. He clearly doesn't understand. I repeat it a few times, as does he, and then he gets out to ask the attendant. Now, the attendant is asking me where I'm going. I repeat it and now they want the address. I get out, dig my paperwork out of my bag in the trunk and show it to him. Turns out, this is no cab ride...my hotel is IN THE AIRPORT.

I check-in and the place is pretty nice. As is customary in a Japanese hotel, the bellman humps my bag up to the room and rushes out as quickly as he can. Since there is virtually no situation in Japan that requires a tip or, in fact, where a tip would be accepted, I assume he doesn't want that conversation to take place.

After a long hard day, it's time for dinner. Only one restaurant in the hotel and it's empty. So, I decide to look around the terminal. There's about 4 or 5 floor "marketplace" in the hotel so I check it out. Noodles sound good. Plus, sushi in the airport appears to be very expensive. So, I look for a noodle shop. I find one of the traditional counter-style places but it's jammed up. So, I keep walking. I find a couple that don't look like what I'm after. Finally, I find one that is half counter half table seating. I check out some of the bowls and decide I'll give it a shot.

The host takes me the bar and gives me a seat. I sit down and look for a menu. There it is. Hmmm...that's peculiar...no English. Well, "when in Rome"...for those of you who know that line. I look to my left and to my right. I choose the least offenseive bowl of noodles and point it out to the waiter. Easy. About 2 minutes later here comes my soup. Ramen noodles, broth, a sliver of meat, some unidentifiable cut stuff, and a bunch of onion. And, one more thing the Japanese don't screw around with...this soup is so hot it's vaporizing in front of me. Well, the soup was good...too bad I don't know what it was...and I'm short a few layers of tissue.

I should have some good stories this weekend as I'm heading up North to a remote part of the country. I'll be back...

And the crowd gathers...

Well, humped a train and a couple of offices today...I think "hump" is the words the GIs would use. Work was the usual for a remote site, so nothing to report. After getting back to the hotel I learned that, apparently, we all look alike. I signed up for wireless access in the hotel when I checked in. But, last night it didn't work. So, I went to the front desk and explained the situation and asked if there was a bar in the hotel or somewhere similar where I could do my work. The answer was an apologetic no but the guy brought me a wireless network extender. Basically, you wire your PC to it and it does the talking over the wireless network for you.

I headed back up to my room and it worked. So, I took care of some things and headed out for dinner. I decided to find a "real" sushi bar so I stopped by the front desk. Before asking if there was a sushi restaurant nearby, I thanked the guy who gave me teh wireless extender. He looked at me like I had 3 heads. So, I explained to him how he had given me the device and that it worked. I said thanks again, and he talked to his co-worker in Japanese for about 5 minutes before they both stopped and began staring at me. Seems to happen everytime the hotel staff doesn't understand what I'm saying so I'm getting used to it. Next, I ask for a sushi bar and it turns out there is one in the department store on the other side of the train station. Both the department store and my hotel are attached to the station so I head out.

Now that I'm writing this, I'm not sure who all look alike. Do they all look alike and the dude behind the counter wasn't the dude who gave me the extender or do we all look alike and he didn't recognize me? I'm not really sure...and don't care...but it is an interesting question.

So, I get to the sushi bar. There are a couple of people in the area where there are tables, but I'm the sole occupant of the sushi bar. I sit down and the waitress brings me a drink menu...in Japanese. Well, I open it up as if I'm looking for something special and realize that it has no value to me. So, I say, "I can't even read this." Yep, out loud. The lady understands...or at least gathers that I can't read Japanese...and says a bunch of stuff. So, I just ask for a beer. That's easy enough so we then just have to negotiate bottle or draft. I get a bottle and I'm all set.

Now for ordering. Most people order "set menu" sushi, it seems. Set price for a variety of pieces. Being selective, as I am, I say no. Oddly enough, we both understand this conversation...which is happening in 2 languages. So, I just tell the sushi dude that I want maguro (tuna). He opens a couple of boxes and asks which I want. One is toro (fatty tuna) and one is regular tuna. I get a couple of each. Now, he and his people start trying to talk to me. I have no clue...nor do they. So, I just keep ordering and eating. I ask if the maguro is blue fin tuna or hon maguro. For about the millionth time on this trip, I again have 3 eyes. So, a 10 minute "discussion" takes place about what I've said. Finally, the dude's co-worker gets it and says something like, "Ahhhhh...HAH maguro?!?" Or, I think that's what he said. I say yes. Hah is close to han. He says that's what I'm eating so I'm happy. I think it actually was blue fin, but who knows. It was good so the point is moot, I guess.

I eat a bunch more and want some variety. So, I ask for a spicy tuna roll. From my experience at the other places, this doesn't exist. But, I wanted to ask to be sure. Now, he wants to make it for me. So, I explain that it's tuna mixed with a little mayo and some pepper. By this time, there are no less than 5 but probably more like 8, people standing around. Some watching like it's a shuttle launch or NASCAR wreck and some actually trying to figure out what the hell I'm talking about. I actually tried to get them to find some Sriracha sauce to add to help me ignore the mayo. Well, "sauce" is very close to the Japanese word for Soy. So, the dude disappears like they have it and comes back with 2 bottles...soy sauce and some red substance. Well, since Im an American I quickly realize he's secured some ketchup for my spicy tuna roll. At this point, I start laughing and the whole place is now a comedy club. I settle for mayo and cayenne. Ketchup would have imporeved it, unfortunatley, but I told him it was delicious since he went to the trouble of making it for me. This paid off, too, as I got a gift from the chef. The waitress brought over a package of sheets of seaweed that they use to make rolls. No big deal, but the fact that I got a gift from some dude who I couldn't talk to was pretty cool. Plus, it will get me brownie points when I get home since it comes with a nice story and Jati LOVES to eat sheets of seaweed. I know, that makes me chuckle too but it's true.

I can't wait to see what happens next...

Whitey in America...errrrrrrrrrr, I mean, Japan....

So, the office manager from our office in Zama comes to Yokosuka to "pick me up". I'm thinking she's driving over to get me. Well, she isn't. She takes the train. Ok, fine. I can ride the train. Another 30 minutes with my gigantic bag. Nope. 30 on one train, get off, hike up about 6 flights of stairs, take another for about 30 minutes, and then change trains again and go for another 15 minutes. Not a huge deal, but it's 85 degrees or so with 90%-ish humidity. And, no elevators and no escalators. I'm agitated.

We get to Zama...or the area, anyway...get off the train and I"m into my hotel. What will I find? Luckily, it's a modern hotel. Small room, but at least I'm back to a heated toilet seat! My room in Yokosuka didn't have that. What are these people, apes?

Again, not to get off on a rant, but the heated toilet seat is da shiznit. It is in-friggin'-credible. For those of you who can, imagine being in a Vegas hotel room that has the AC as low as it will go. It's about 45 degrees in that room. You're sleeping and the urge hits. You get up, head for the john, and sit down. Now, instead of, "FUCK ME!" it's "whoa....fuck....me...that's nice..." The heated toilet seat is the first thing that I've found outside of the US for which I can't find a reason for not having caught on in the US. It is one awesome device.

Rant...continued...
The heated toilet seat in this place is like an F15. Seriously, the toilet seat is like a cockpit...no pun intended. There is a giant control panel protruding from the side of the seat. It has a throttle and all kinds of stuff. There's even a hidden control pad to enable the heated seat…hidden, for safety. I love this stuff. Too bad the cheapest model at the department store here is about $250.

Ok, so it's off to dinner. I walk outside and it's raining. Nice. But, outside the hotel is a shopping plaza. I'm protected from the rain pretty well and there are blocks and blocks of shops. I can't find anything interesting so it's the old standby, sushi. But, I don't see a place. I wander into a multi-shop building but there is no sushi place inside. There is, however, a girl studying and enjoying a Starbuck's coffee. She has to speak English, right? Well, no. I think this is a theme. So, I keep wandering. The rain is pissing me off so I go into the next place whose sign even vaguely resembles sushi. The place does have some sushi, so I order. Chu-toro sashimi, tekka maki, giant gyoza, and 3 skewers of chicken (aka, Yakitori). These skewers deserve some airtime. Two of these are no big deal, just chunks of chicken grilled with teriyaki sauce. But, the third, is the infamous (only infamous to me as I've seen it and never ordered it) minced chicken. What is it? I don't know. Minced? Hmmm... Could be similar to those skewers I saw in the jungles of Thailand labeled “meat”. Well, it's good. Appears to be ground up chicken, I don't know what part, mixed with chives, carrots, and other stuff. Very good, I have to say. So, if you are ever in Japan, screw the chicken meat Yakitori...go straight for the minced chicken Yakitori. I have to mention here that one of the other yakitori choices is port tongue. I didn’t eat that.

Well, I've eaten a ton and had a couple of big bottles of beer and I need to use the toilet. Where is it, I wonder? So, I ask the waitress. Surprisingly, no English. But, she points and I understand. But, the door says "toro" and something else. I don't get it. So, I say...multiple times..."is toro me?" I don't recall the exact discussion but it was basically her explaining something...who knows what at that point...and me not getting it. So, after 5 minutes of “discussion” I walk to "toro". Well, I have no idea what “toro” means but it appears to be a uni-sex bathroom. Chalk one up for the American.

Oh, yes, one last thing....tekka maki. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's basically a layer of seaweed, then rice, then tuna smeared with wasabi all rolled up. When I sat down, I ordered "tekka maki". She nodded, repeated it, and I nodded and repeated it. I got a tekka maki handroll. LIke an ice cream cone...seaweed on the outside like a cone stuffed with tuna, rice, and, in this case, a mint leaf. It sucked. After eating the skewers and stuff, I decided I was still hungry and wanted real tekka maki. So, I ordered it again. This time, using the picture in the menu. Since the second waitress said, “Here you go” when se delivered my food, I figured this she got it and I was all set. Clearly, she speaks English...she's got slang terms down pat.

Well, there is a dish that is 6 tekka maki, and 6 each of the same thing but with eel and egg instead of tuna. I explain to them that I want only the tekka maki, not the rolls with eel or egg. Again, the one waitress seems to understand. They walk off and, as I'm sipping my beer, I realize what I've done. She didn’t understand me at all and I'm getting 18 tekka maki. The six that come with the meal and 6 for each of the other roll varieties that I clearly didn’t want. No shock, that's exactly what arrives.

So, 5 days into the trip you should see the pattern...NO ENGLISH. More to come...

Yokosuka...pronounced, Yo-koh-skuh...

Well, it's Monday morning and time to head ot Yokosuka. I pack up, check out, and head for the train station. Nice...no English to tell you what platform to be on. Is this place for real? So, I ask a dude, "Do you speak English?" His reply, "A little." Well, his English was about 10 times as good as that of Anthony (you know who you are). I don't know why, but the answer is always "no" or "a little"...no matter how fluent one may be. Regardless, he directs me and I'm all set. I get on the train with my gigantic suitcase, small duffle bag and backpack. I stand by the door at first and then move to the middle of the car to take a seat when one opens up. It's at the very next stop that two things happen. 1) I realize that, if my name were Tom (I've changed names to protect the guilty), I would both be in heaven and headed for jail and, 2) that there is no way for me to get this gigantic bag past all of these 13 year old girls in plaid skirts and white shirts before the doors close at my stop. Honestly, I didn't think of number 2 until I had chuckled to myself for a few minutes over number 1. And, of course, thought how my other ethnic friend...not Tony, for those of you who know these people...might enjoy it as well.

Luckily, these schoolgirls were getting off at my stop. No, it was lucky because they cleared out so I could get my gear off the train. Try to keep it clean! I made it to the hotel, checked my baggage (it was only about 8am) and waited for Miyako, our office manager, to come and get me. While I was waiting, I checked out the gift shop in the hotel. Not the most standard of gift shops, I have to say. There seemed to be about 20 different kinds of c-rations, dried foods, bad meal, whatever you would call them. A box...and a heavy box...labelled "New England Clam Chowder". Never seen that one dry. There was also "famous" Yokosuka curry. Okey dokey. I don't get it, but I guess eating out of a box is cool. One c-ration was called "Aegis". I think that's a rocket or something. It had no English writing on it other than the name. I wonder what happens when you put it in the microwave.

When I checked into my room, they didn't have any single rooms left so I got an upgrade. It was actually pretty nice. Even though it was very old...there were stains on the sofa, etc...it was very modern. Modern fixtures, modern lighting, etc. Much better than the low class room I had at the previous place in Shinagawa.

Yokosuka turns out to be more populated and nicer than I expected. Miyako and her 2 daughters and the other lady in our office, Mica, joined me at the shopping mall across the street from my hotel for a sushi dinner. Sushi a' la conveyor belt. Even the conveyor sushi is good. This place rocks. I then did some shopping for gifts for the people that matter...if you actually matter and don't get a gift from this trip, don't be offended, just accept the writing on the wall. These stores are ridiculous. It's like Kroger, Best Buy, Sears, Target, and Nordstrom all rolled into one.

I don't know if I mentioned it, but I'm sort of on a quest to have noodles. When I left our office today, I saw a place called "Ramen"-something. Nice...that's my lunch tomorrow. Well, tomorrow came and went and the damn place was closed. Closed the first and third Tuesday of every month. Are you kidding? Well, f--- it. I walked a few blocks checking things out and then found a little place that appeared to have udon noodles. Indeed, they had curry udon. Yellow curry, pork, and udon noodles. It was fantastic. I didn't eat the pork, it was all fat, but the dish was fabulous. You'll be surprised to find that it took about 30 minutes to order because no one in the place spoke English.

Off to my next destination...

Uni...you know who you are...

Sorry for the break from tradition...albeit a very brief tradition...but I gotta have a theme for each entry. And, "day 1", "day 2", and crap like that isn't very creative.

So, it's Sunday morning. I decided to head out on foot and see what is around the hotel. I'll be back in Tokyo so I can go see the "Statue of Liberty"...I think it is actually a replica of ours but I don't know...and Godzilla (seriously, there's a statue of Godzilla. I...or anyone...would be a fool to visit Tokyo and miss that) later. So, I walk out the front of the hotel, make a left, and away I go. I walk for about 2 miles and see nothing of interest. I'm starving when I leave the hotel, so something to eat is my first priority. I believe I saw one "ramen" place, but there was absolutely no English and one dude inside so I decided to save my noodle experience for later. After the 2 mile mark, I hit a major intersection and decide to turn left. I think this is North, but I really have no clue. I walk in this direction for another mile or so without seeing anything edible...with the exception of KFC. As Dennis Miller would say, “I don't want to get off on a rant here, but…” KFC? Seriously!?!? Asia is loaded with KFC locations. Fine. But, Japan? My myopic mind's idea of Japan deserved way more credit than believing that KFC would be on every corner. Indeed, my first experiences here were impressive and not deserving of KFC. But, there it was...in all it's glory, or lack thereof. I'm not eating KFC...not in Japan. Hell, I barely eat it in the US. Funny thing about that, though, is that when I do eat it in the US it's because Jati (you know, my ASIAN wife) wants it. What's with Asians and KFC???

Anyway, I keep walking and see an Eiffel tower. No, not the real one...unless I really got lost...but a big orange one. I don't know if it is a 100% replica, but it looks exactly like it to me. It has a huge span between the legs and everything. Now, this could be Tokyo Tower...but I don't remember if Tokyo Tower is the Eiffel tower or a building. Anyway, there seems to be nothing around and I see a subway station hidden on my left. I say hidden because it is literally only a doorway down to the subway. I decided to get on the subway and go somewhere I know there will be food. I choose...Tsujiki (sp???). This is where the famous fish market is. Maybe the world's largest, most famous, hell...I don't know. Since this is where the majority of the fish...50% of the world's consumption...comes into Japan, there have to be sushi bars. Well, that's a poor conclusion. I see nothing. So, I keep walking. I see a McDonald's sign so I head for it. There must be other resaurants around...it can't be a McD's and nothing else! Turns out, I've stumbled upon Ginza. Ginza was the original center of it all, I guess. Trendy stores and the like. Ginza St. is a very wide street that is closed to cars on the weekend. It is lined for at least 5 or 6 city blocks with trendy stores like Hugo Boss, Salvator Ferragamo, Shiseido, etc. A cool little shopping oasis, if you are into that. I'm not...and certainly not at this point. I'm hungry. Not only am I hungry, but it's sunny and 85 with about 90% humidity and I'm wearing blue jeans.

So, I head down a side street as I've seen no restaurants of interest. There's Laura Ashley...I don't think you can eat there...and then I see a sign for sushi. There is a little enrtry way with more signs...signs for other restaurants. I can go upstairs, downstairs, or through a door. I go downstairs. Why? Well, no good reason. I just recall for some reason that, in London, there was a great sushi place down in the basement of a building. Turns out, this is where the sushi joint is located.

I order a little bit of everything. A few beers...sampling Sapporo, Asahi, Suntory...chu-toro, salmon, etc. It is here that I decide I should give the uni a try. For those of you who don't know, uni is sea urchin. It may be the reproductive organs of the sea urchin, but I'm not sure if that's true or if I'm mixing up my stories. I've tried uni before in the US. Both alone and with a raw quail egg on top, and didn't particularly enjoy it. There is something that I don't like...and it isn't very clear. It doesn't immediately offend your palate, but there is no immediate satisfaction either. Sort of an indifferent dislike, I guess. Well, in Japan it sucks the same. I didn't vomit, but I didn't enjoy eating it either.

Again, this place is void of English. It turns out that a waitress speaks English and, interestingly, went to school in Perth, Australia, the same city where Jati went to school. They went to different schools, but it was interesting nonetheless. This doesn't make her fluent in English, however, which I think is important to point out. But, her struggles to translate my English into their Japanese is way better than my attempt to...well...speak English to people who don't speak English.

I end up asking if they have spicy tuna rolls. A staple of sushi bars in the US, I haven't seen it yet in Japan. They tell me that they have it so I ask for one. It comes out looking like it does in the US...rice on the outside, then seaweed, then a tuna mixture. The difference, I find, is that the inner layer is chopped up maguro (tuna) mixed with teriyaki sauce. I'm not sure who thinks this is "spicy"...but it isn't me. It was tasty, but not what I was hoping for.

So, I finish eating and head out. I'm just looking for a train station that is a little closer than a mile or two away. As I'm walking, I see the door open to a bar and only the bartender inside. I figure I'll head in, have a beer, and get directions to the train station. Well, I headed in but the rest never happened. I had 4 or 5 beers and heard about 3 words of English. Didn't even get directions to the train. It wasn't a wash, however, as the bar was very cool. It had a basically all wood decor...wood bar, wood stools, wood table, wood shelving for the booze...and more booze than I've ever seen. There were, at a minimum, 84 different bottles of Scotch. That's just the Scotch. There were multiple Wild Turkey varieties including one called reserve, or something similar, that I've never heard of. And, yes, for those of you who are wondering (Eric) there was both Knob Creek and Jaegermeister. They also have 10 or so bottles of Japanese "whiskey". I put that in quotes as I suspect their whiskey encompasses everything from Scotch to moonshine. This place has jazz/blues playing and has a relaxing atmosphere that you just don't find everywhere. I think this would be an even better place to sample Scotch than Fado's (at GVR, of course, Mike).

When I finally left, I was feeling pretty good and sought out to find a train. A phenomenon that I've found here is that there are tons...and I mean alot...of people on the street either trying to sell you something through a karaoke machine or by handing out stuff. So, I pass some of these people and decide that, since they've already annoyed me, I'll ask them for directions. Well, I don't get them. I mean, I do, but they aren't good or correct directions...just directions. So, I wander around and finally find a train station. Now, being out of my comfort zone, I can't find the station near my hotel on the map. Who's idea was it to use Japanese on these maps...seriously? So, I ask some girl in the train station if she speaks English. A little, she says, so I ask her how I get to Shinagawa. Without saying a word, she walks off. I have a serious gift with the ladies. Luckily, I walk over to another ticket machine, ask the same question, and get a girl who tells me how much to get a ticket for and which platform I need. I'm all set.

Day 2: A Brave New World

Well, after making it safely to the hotel I needed to find something to kill some time before going to sleep so I could, hopefully, fight off jetlag. So, I headed to the Yahoo! Cafe within the hotel "complex" for a few beers and internet access.

While my room is tiny...even smaller than tiny...the hotel has 4 towers and a bunch of restaurants so it isn't the worst place to be. I went over to one of the other towers and got online.

I spent a few hours in the cafe and then headed back for bed. By the time I got in bed, it was 10:30pm so I should be on schedule. However, I first needed to call Compass regarding my ATM card.

After being on hold for a while and then transferred to the same place I initially called, I finally got to the proper department. As it turns out, my card was fine all along. The issue is that Compass ATM cards can only access the primary account they are linked to when you use a non-Compass ATM. Would have been good information to have at Narita, but no big deal. Now I'm off to sleep...

I woke up a few times during the night but managed to get back to sleep. I woke up for good around 9 or 9:30. At this point, I decided to head down for my free breakfast...available at any one of 5 restaurants inside the hotel. My choice, the Yahoo! Cafe, of course, for free breakfast along with free internet. My breakfast choices? The "Western" breakfast or the Japanese breakfast. I've never been able to eat Asian breakfast, so I stuck with the "Western". Yeah, right...Western. Runny scrambled eggs, some sort of vienna wiener in place of sausage, and the thickest slice of toast this side of Texas. OJ, tea, and a coke to round it out.

So, I've eaten...a little...got online and am ready to head back for a shower. My "free" breakfast cost me 1000Y. I guess the tea and Coke were extra. Whatever...

Now it's time for the shower. What an adventure. I figure the shower in this room is about half that of my shower at home...and my shower at home is the kind with no tub. So, I bang my shoulders on the wall repeatedly but manage to get myself clean. Thank goodness.

Next up...figure out why my cell phone isn't working and figure out where the train station is so I can get to Akihabara. I call T-Mobile and am delighted to find out that the $1.99/minute rate for roaming in Japan only applies if you actually have a phone that can communicate with their cell towers. 3G...all I've got is GSM. No dice. That sucks, but at least I won't be spending $1.99/minute.

I drop my key off at the front desk and get a map and directions to the ATM in the hotel and the train station across the street. Off I go. The ATM card works so I manage to get 40,000Y. I head out across the street...feeling just like the kid the first time he left the bubble.

I get into the Shinagawa train station and it isn't what I was expecting. Virtually no English. So, I struggle to find someone who can help or a map/directions in English. No dice. Last resort...call Matsumi. My contact in Okinawa for my work down there. She can't give me a ton of help, but she does give me the name of the line I need and directs me to find the informaiton office. I do, but the info office is no help. So, I watch some others and figure a little adventure won't kill me.

I find that there is a fare schedule in English. It's 160Y to get to Akihabara. Now, how do I buy a ticket and where is the train? I decide to just throw some money into the machine and pray. Luckily, even though there is a bunch of Japanese writing on the screen it responds to money. The next screen is a selection for the fare on the ticket. I press 160 and it spits out a ticket and change. Now for the train...

I follow the green signs to the line Matsumi told me to take. 2 choices...Shinjuku or Tokyo. I have no clue, so I choose Shinjuku. Wrong. Once I get on the train there is an LCD screen showing the next stop and the map in English. Realizing I'm going the wrong way I get off at the first stop and head back the other direction.

I get off at Akihabara and it's not at all what I was expecting. This place is shop after shop of everything electronic. It is really unbelievable. When it comes to electronics, the Japanese don't screw around!

I wander around, look at cameras and phones and just sort of checkout the scene. A few blocks from the station, I walk through what is a small village of everything electronic. Computers, cameras, phones, tools, screws, transistors, test equipment, surveillance cameras, GPS devices, and on and on. Wow. They really don't screw around.

Across the street is something Soft 2. I head in. It's 6 floors of music, videos and, I believe, some software. Being Japan, each floor is littered with LCD screens playing selections available for purchase. When I get to the 4th floor, I'm a little shocked. Naked ladies on the LCD. Not just one, but two. The first I find looks like a movie scene. Interesting. The other appears to be a nude photo shoot. Wow. I'm not in Kansas anymore.

I head up to floor 5 and it's Anime. Children's stuff, it appears, so I move on. Up to floor 6 and, again, I'm shocked. Porn. Porn and more porn. Lots of porn. Then, inside the floor is a porn room. Outside appears to be videos of, possibly, only women in bathing suits and stuff. I think they are nude but, if they are, what's with the porn room? So, I wander into the porn room. I normally stay away from this stuff (at least in the States), but I can't help myself. I go in and there are more LCDs. This is good, old-fashioned, Japanese porn. You know the kind with the little blurry boxes over the woman’s opening or the guy's penis. Wow. There are TONS of selections. Many of them have naked women on the cover so you can preview what you are buying. I'm impressed. When it comes to porn, the Japanese don't screw around! I didn't buy anything at the software place, but I'll probably be back in the area. I don't know that I can resist.

At this point, I figure I'll head back to a shop I was in earlier and pickup a digital camera for Tonny (my brother in law) to give to his mother. On the way, I pass Big Apple. I passed it earlier and still don't know what it is. So, I go in. It's another 6 floor place but this one is slot machines. Pachinko machines on another floor. Looks like gambling. It's smoke filled, loaded with Asian people, and noisy. I check out each floor and hang out to see if anyone is getting paid. I believe so, but I only saw them hand out tickets. I think those tickets get cashed in. When it comes to gambling, the Japanese don't screw around!

I make it to the camera store and negotiate a price. 44,000Y for a camera and Sony memory stick. About $380. Probably about $80 less than in the US. I give them my AmEx and passport (required to avoid paying sales tax) and away they go. Not so fast...AmEx declined. WTF? Ok, what's the deal? They tell me that AmEx doesn't tell them and that I can call AmEx myself. I do. Of course, my AmEx cannot be used internationally. Well, I guess the hotel and $200 cab ride didn't clue them in to the fact that I might be in Japan. Seriously, this is pathetic. So, after being on hold with them for about 20 minutes, I get a stay of execution until 9/2006. At that time, I'll have to call them before I leave the country. What a pain in the ass. And, all for less than $400. It isn't even a big spend. Oh, well.

After getting the camera, I figure I'll head back. But, I haven't eaten since breakfast and I see a row of restaurants...all Japanese. Good. I'll get into the local culture a little. I walk up and down the block twice trying to decide which one to try. I head back to this weird looking little place that has Yakitori in the window. It's got grass-like strands hanging that you walk through to get to the door. Inside, a lot of woodwork. Nice little atmosphere. They seat me at what I would call the sushi bar even though this isn't really a sushi bar. They do, however, have raw fish. Sashimi, though...at least that's what is on the English menu. They have Maguro Chu-Toro, so it's on. I order 2 pieces of that, 2 pieces of salmon, and 3 pieces of Chicken Yakitori. I request nigiri and that take care of me.

First out is the sushi. No wasabi on the plate. Instead, tamago (sweet omelette) along with the usual raw ginger. No biggie, so I dig in. Well, this is BY FAR the best chu-toro I've ever eaten. Moist, tender, sweet. Perfect. The salmon follows suit. I'm impressed. The Yakitori comes out and it is good as well. Hard to mess up Yakitori. I'm still hungry so I order tekka maki. They don't have it. But, they whip it up just for me. Nice. I also order fried garlic flavor chicken.

The menu is deceiving. When they say "fried garlic flavor chicken", they mean "fried garlic flavor chicken SKIN". Well, I can't be upset since I don't speak Japanese and I am, after all, in Japan. So, I try it but it's not good. Not good at all. Luckily, it came with french fries. Nice.

At this point I head back to the hotel...the train is now gravy...and relax up in my room. Maybe back to the Yahoo! Cafe later, maybe I'll watch a movie on my laptop, or maybe I'll venture out in the neighborhood of my hotel and look for a bar where I can mingle with the locals. Stay tuned...